VI.
Returned
…
She would have liked to say goodbye.
Though if she's being honest, she would have really liked to say don't go.
Don't go. It's too dangerous out there. You belong here, with the team. You belong here, with me. These are the thing she would have said to him. These are the things she doesn't get a chance to.
Coulson won't tell her any details about where or why Ward's gone - she asks and asks and asks, but he keeps deflecting her questions, refusing to answer - and his deliberate vagueness is enough to convince her that he's undercover, deep behind enemy lines. He's out there, risking his life for all of them, doing what he's been trained to do, doing what he needs to do, and she's grateful, of course, but mostly, she just misses him. Mostly, she just wants him back.
It's selfish of her, wishing he would've had a choice between his mission and her, wishing that he would have chosen her. It's selfish, and she knows this, and she hates herself a little for it, but there are worse things than being selfish for love. If he never came back, that would be worse. If she never got to tell him how she felt, that would be worse too.
Will he be okay?, she asks Coulson, wondering if he'll answer her this time or just avoid the question as usual.
When he sighs and whispers, I don't know, she almost wishes he hadn't answered at all.
Her shoulders sag and she lets out a shaky breath as he pulls her into an embrace. I wish I could tell you something different, that he'll be back soon and that everything will be fine, he apologizes, pressing a kiss against her hair. But that would be a lie.
Hooking a finger under her chin, he lifts her head up until she meets his eyes. I can't lie to you, Skye, but I can tell you this. He left to protect you. He's doing all of this for you.
She holds his gaze for a long moment, then nods. As much as she wishes Ward didn't have to leave, she has to remember why. She has to remember that for as much as she misses him, he's risking even more to keep her safe. And if he'll risk himself for her, she'll hold on to hope for him. The hope that he'll return, the hope that he'll be okay when he does.
He'll come back, she nods, repeating it over and over in her mind, and maybe if she says it enough, it will be true. Coulson doesn't answer, but still, she lets herself believe it.
She believes in him.
That's what's important.
That's all that matters.
…
When he does return, it's been two months, and he has Garrett and a team of Hydra agents in tow. Coulson shakes her out of bed in the dead of the night - we have company, he whispers - and she bolts from her room, heading towards the lab, the way he taught her to do if anything like this ever happened.
She doesn't see anyone else as she flies down the hallway, and she hesitates for a moment, looking over her shoulder into the dark. The sounds of a fight reach her ears, and she forces herself to move, to get downstairs, to safety. Her hand shakes on the railing as she rushes down the steps and she just makes it through the door, she's just about to lock herself in when someone tackles her from behind and she tumbles hard onto the floor.
Lights dance in front of her eyes as she tries to stand up, but then she feels a fist connect with her face and she goes down again, letting out a shriek of pain.
I knew you'd be more trouble than you were worth, a voice mutters from somewhere above her. She recognizes that voice - Garrett - and his tone makes her skin crawl.
She pushes herself up with a groan and stands up unsteadily, leaning against the table for support. She doesn't bother hiding the disgust in her eyes.
Should've just killed you myself and been done with it, he continues, pulling out his gun lazily. He's toying with her and she hates it, she hates him. Well, he shrugs, better late than never I guess.
What are you waiting for?, she spits, levelling her gaze at him and letting go of the table. Her leg aches, but she forces herself to stand upright. She will not cower before this man when he kills her. She will not show him weakness.
He saunters towards her slowly and look at her in surprise. For Grant, of course! He says as if it's obvious. I'm going to make him watch. And for the first time all night, she feels fear. She realizes now, as she looks into his cold, blank gaze, how cruel he really is, and it breaks her heart to see how little he cares about the man who used to look up to him.
As he walks towards her, she hears footsteps pound down the stairs and she turns her head, about to shout a warning, but it's too late. Garrett grabs her roughly and pulls her in front of him, holding his arm at her throat and his gun at her head.
Ward enters a moment later, his own gun drawn and ready in his hand. When he sees her, he freezes, and she notices the tension in his body as he inhales, the way his eyes widen in concern.
This isn't how she imagined their reunion. This isn't how she imagined it at all.
She squirms in Garrett's grip and digs her nails into his arm, hoping she draws blood, hoping she can cause him even a fraction of the pain he's caused them. He hisses, and she smirks in satisfaction, but then something hard slams into the side of her temple and pain explodes behind her eyes as she falls still.
There's something moving in front of her, but the throbbing in her head makes it hard to concentrate on anything else, and she shuts her eyes, cursing the soft whimper that escapes her lips. Voices fill her ears as she struggles to escape the haze in her mind, and she she hears something about a bullet, something about a trigger.
Grant, she tries to say, but the words come out in a jumble. He's torn between looking at her and the man behind her, and when his gaze does settle on her, she sees desperation in his eyes. Garrett laughs behind her, a harsh grating sound, and she feels an anger burn in her chest when he throws out the words helpless and weak, when she sees Ward flinch in front of her.
Their voices are still muffled to her ears, but the next thing that she hears, she holds onto. The woman you love, Garrett says, Ward's eyes widening by a fraction, and that's when she realizes he means her.
The woman he loves is her.
But before she can dwell on this, he takes a step forward, and panic hits her she sees him start to lower his gun. He's giving up. He's going to do something noble and stupid and try to sacrifice himself for her, because he loves her, and the thought warms her heart as much as it angers her. She won't let him die for her. She won't let Garrett win.
Grant, she tries again, willing him to focus. Grant, take the shot.
He looks shocked, but she keeps going, hoping her words will reach him, even as Garrett pulls her backwards and tightens his arm against her throat. You can beat him, she calls. You can end this!
His gaze never leaves her as she continues to struggle, and she stills when she notices determination spring to life in his eyes.
Take the shot, Grant, she repeats, and this time, he listens.
She hears the bullet explode from his gun, feels it tear through her shoulder, and before she can make a sound, she meets the floor with a heavy thud. The weight against her throat is gone and she can breathe again, she can breathe, and the sputtering gasp that passes her lips has never felt so good. A pair of strong arms reach her, pulling her up, and a smile reaches her lips when she sees his face.
There's a deep crease in his forehead and his eyebrows are knit together in concern, but his gaze softens immediately and his shoulders shake as he sighs in relief.
She's still alive because of him. She's still alive. And she remembers what the dead man said.
Is it true?, she asks, and Ward goes motionlesss against her, refusing to meet her gaze. Is it? Is she the woman he loves?
She places a hand on his cheek and guides his head up until he looks at her, hesitant and careful. She knows what she hopes the answer will be, but she wants to hear it from him. She wants to hear him say it, and her heart swells when he finally does.
Yes, he says softly, leaning into her. I love you, he murmurs, and she memorizes the cadence of his voice, the care in his tone.
I love you too, she answers, settling into his arms and laying her head against his chest. It's true, and she smiles to herself, letting her eyes drift shut to the rhythm of his heart.
It's true.
It's true.
I love you, she breathes.
It's the only truth she knows.
…
Fin