Hey babes! Here's the second part for ya.
I've actually had this second piece written up for a while now, but I've been a little busy with some other things, mainly getting ready for college and getting settled back in, and I was working all summer. However, I've found some time on this Friday afternoon and I figured I'd post this for you guys.
Hope you enjoy!
"Okay, Ward, you're just about to be at the correct door," Skye says through her comm from back on the Bus. "It will be unlocked for you in exactly 3...2...1...now."
"Thank you, Skye," Ward replies over the comm.
"Just doing my job," Skye says with a small smile even though he can't see. "Now you do yours so that you can get back here and rub my feet."
"Sore again?"
"Always," she says, tapping a few keys on her laptop. She takes a deep breath, "Okay, according to these blueprints, the server you want is in the very back of the room on the left hand side."
"Copy that. How are you feeling?"
"Pretty okay. The baby isn't moving around as much right now so I think she might be sleeping."
"Or she's getting ready to join us. Your due date was two days ago, Skye."
"I know, I know. She's just being stubborn."
"Like mother like daughter," Ward teases.
"Oh hush," Skye says. "Are you at the server yet?"
"Just got to it. Where exactly am I plugging this thing into?"
"It should be near the top, it looks similar to a USB port but it's slightly smaller and it—" Skye sucks in a sharp breathe and closes her eyes for a moment, one hand flying to her large stomach.
"Skye?" Ward says through the comm. "Skye, are you alright?"
"Yeah, I'm fine," she tells him. "I promise. Just uh, just another Braxton Hicks contraction, I think."
"Another? This isn't the first one?"
"No, it's not. But it's like I just told you, I'm fine. So could you please get back to what you were doing so you can get out of there?"
"You promise that you're fine?"
"Yes, I promise. Now hurry up so I can access the mainframe, please."
"Sorry, sorry." There's a brief pause during which Skye feels another contraction. "Okay, the device is plugged in. Do your thing."
"Don't mind if I do," Skye says with a small smile, as she gets ready to type. "Alright, baby girl," she says to her stomach, "momma's about to work her magic." She sets her fingers on the keys and begins typing at a rapid pace. As she types she feels a few more contractions coming on.
"How's it going out there?" Coulson asks as he makes his way into the room.
"Everything's going according to plan," Skye answers, eyes still locked on the screen as she searches for the files they need. "Almost done here and then they can get out of there."
"Good to know. And how are you doing?"
"Just some Braxton Hicks contractions," she tells him. "Nothing to worry about."
"Nothing to worry about?" Ward's voice comes over the comm and Skye mentally chastises herself for not muting it. "Skye, that baby should have been here by now."
"Well she isn't. And if the intensity of these contractions are anything to go by, then by the time you get back I'll probably be ready to go to the hospital. So hurry up when you're getting out."
"I'll do my best," he replies.
"Okay, and I am...done," Skye says. "You can remove the device and get out of there now."
"Copy that."
"And Grant?"
"Yeah?"
"Please be careful."
"Always am. Going dark now. See you soon."
"Yeah, see you." She taps her comm to mute it and then leans back into the couch, taking a deep breath and closing her eyes as she runs her hands over her stomach.
"You alright?" Coulson asks her.
She opens her eyes and looks up at him, "Yeah, I'm fine. Just waiting for this kid to get here already. She should have been here two days ago so I'm just getting a little anxious by this point. And this whole 'War with Hydra' thing isn't really helping the situation much, either." She closes her eyes as a contraction hits. "Not really the kind of environment one wants to bring a child into. Especially when said person is in the middle of it."
"No, it isn't. But you're strong, Skye. I know you'll do everything you can to protect your baby from everything that's happening right now in the world."
"Yes I will," she nods. "It's just going to be a little bit harder, you know? With everything that's happening."
"I know it is, but we're all going to be right there alongside you, helping you."
"Skye? Coulson?"
Skye lifts a hand to her ear and unmutes her comm, "Grant?"
"Yeah, hey. We made it out of the facility and we're on our way back to the Bus."
"Glad to hear it," she smiles. "Did you manage to get out unscathed?"
"More or less."
"Good. Because you are going to be the one beside me in that delivery room so you better not get injured to the point where you can't be there."
"Don't worry; I'm going to be there. I'm going to be right there for you and your daughter. Just like I have been."
"I know. You haven't let me down so far, so I don't expect it to start happening any time soon."
"It won't, I promise."
"Good. How far away are you guys from the Bus?"
"We should be there within five minutes. I'm flooring it right now."
"Well don't get caught, please."
"Relax, we're fine. May will have us up in the air within minutes of arriving."
"Good, good," Skye nods. She takes a deep breath and closes her eyes as another one hits her.
"Skye?"
Opening her eyes, she sees Ward kneeling down in front of her, a concerned look on his face.
"Hey," she gives him a tight smile. "I didn't hear you guys come in. When did you get back?"
"Just now," he tells her. "You must've been pretty out of it."
"Yeah, something like that," she nods and then scrunches up her face.
"Skye, are you okay?"
She opens her eyes and looks at him, "Yeah, I'm fine. Except that uh, I may have fibbed a little to you while you were out there."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, I'm not one hundred percent sure, but I'm pretty sure that those weren't Braxton Hicks that I've been feeling."
"What are you saying?"
"I'm saying, that I think I'm going into labor right now or very soon. Which means May needs to get us to the closest hospital as soon as possible because I do not want to have this baby while I'm on an airplane. Sorry, but no."
"That's fine. I'll be right back." He gives her knee a comforting squeeze before standing up and moving towards the cockpit.
Skye squeezes her eyes shut as another contraction hits her. She takes deep breaths to try and get through the pain, shifting on the couch to try and get more comfortable.
"Okay," Ward says as he enters the room again, sitting down on the couch next to Skye. "May said she'll have us to the nearest hospital as soon as she can." He grabs her hand and lets her squeeze it. "You're going to be fine, Skye, you hear me? Everything's going to be okay and your baby will be here sooner than you think."
"You know, I still can't believe that she's actually here," Skye says as she stares down at the tiny pink bundle in her arms, stroking a finger down the baby's soft cheek. "I also never thought I'd be here right now."
"What do you mean?" Ward asks from his spot sitting next to her on the edge of the bed, one arm casually draped across the back of the bed.
"Growing up," Skye starts, "I sometimes dreamed about this, about having kids of my own one day. But as I got older and no one adopted me, I came to the conclusion that if no one wanted me to be their daughter then that meant no one would want me to be a wife or mother either. That I just wasn't good enough for that kind of life."
"I'm so sorry you felt that way, Skye."
"Thanks," she says. "But it never stopped me from wondering what this would be like. To have my own family."
"Well now you do," he tells her.
Skye smiles, "Yeah, I do. I've got my own little angel right here."
"And...and you have me," Ward says, rubbing the back of his neck nervously.
Skye looks up at him, "What?"
"You have me," he says more confidently. "I've been there right beside you this whole time, and I want to continue to be here for you and your daughter."
Skye furrows her brows, "What are you saying?"
"I'm saying...what I mean is...I uh...would...do you...hmm," his face screws up in slight frustration as he tries to figure out the right words he wants to say.
Skye laughs quietly, "Relax, Ward, I think I know what you mean."
"You do?"
She nods, "Yeah."
He sighs, "Well that's a huge relief. Because like I've told you, I'm not the best with emotions."
"That's okay. You'll learn as the years go by."
"Do you really have that much faith in me, Skye?" Ward asks her.
Skye nods, "Yeah, I do. I think that maybe I—" Whimpers from the baby in her arms cuts her off. A few seconds later the whimpers turn to full on cries. Skye can feel herself start to panic. "What do I—?"
"She's probably just hungry," a nurse explains as she enters the room.
"She is?" Skye asks. "How do I, um..."
"Get her to latch on?" the nurse supplies.
Skye nods, "Yeah, that."
The nurse moves closer to the bed, Grant shifting away slightly, and helps Skye get the newborn baby to latch on to her breast and start eating.
"Wow, that feels really weird," Skye says as she watches the little baby in her arms.
"You'll get used to it in no time," the nurse tells her. "Pretty soon it'll be like second nature to the both of you. I'll be back to check on you and the little one a bit later."
"Okay," Skye nods, her eyes not leaving her baby.
"So I guess I'll just..." Ward trails off as he gestures to the door, taking a few steps towards it.
"Where are you going?" Skye asks him, looking up.
"I uh, I thought you might want some privacy."
"Doesn't mean you need to leave the room," she tells him. "I really don't mind if you stay in here."
"Right," Ward nods. He moves over to one of the chairs and sits down in it. "So," he speaks up after a minute, "what are you going to name her? You mentioned that you had a name picked out but you haven't said what it is yet."
"Oh, yeah. Uh, are you sure you want to hear it?"
"Well I'm going to hear it eventually."
"True." She takes a deep breath, "Her name is Jessica Katherine."
"No last name?" he asks.
"Considering I don't have a last name I wasn't really sure what to do for her last name. I want her to have one, and I sort of had an idea, but I'm not sure about it."
"Well what is it?"
Skye hesitates before speaking, "Ward."
"Yeah?"
"No, her last name. I was thinking about it being Ward."
"Oh. You were?"
She nods, "Yeah. But I mean, I totally get it if you don't want it to be. But I just figured, you've been there for me through this whole thing, and she needs a last name, and it sounded the best with the name I picked for her, and I just—"
"It's fine."
"What?"
"I said it's fine," he repeats. "I don't mind if you give her my last name."
"Really? You're serious?"
He nods, "Yeah. I mean, with this kind of life, I don't think I'll ever settle down with anyone and have kids of my own. So I'd be honored if you gave your daughter my last name."
"Then it's settled," Skye smiles, looking down at her daughter. "Jessica Katherine Ward."
*1 year later*
"Skye?" Ward calls through the small house from his place in the kitchen. "Honey, what time is everyone coming over again for the party?"
"Sometime after Jess' nap," Skye replies as she walks into the room with Jessica sitting comfortably on her hip.
Ward turns from the stove and smiles when he sees the two of them entering the room. "There's the beautiful birthday girl," he says to Jessica. "Happy Birthday, Jess."
Jessica smiles up at him, one arm wrapped around Skye's neck and her head resting against her shoulder.
After a minute, she sits up and reaches her arms out to Ward.
Ward smiles, setting down his spatula to take Jessica into his arms. He holds her against his side and presses a kiss to her cheek.
"Would you like some pancakes for breakfast this morning, sweetheart?" Ward asks the little girl.
Jessica nods her head against him as she rests her head on his shoulder. Ward just smiles at her before turning back to the stove and picking up the spatula to continue working on the pancakes.
"Are you okay with her?" Skye asks him. "I need to run out to the store to get a few more things for the party."
"Yeah, we're good here," Ward tells her.
"Alright. My laptop is on the coffee table in the living room, please do not let her touch it while I'm out. Some of the keys are still sticking from the last time she got a hold of it and I haven't had the chance to fix them yet."
"I will do my best," he says.
"Good," she nods. Skye steps forward to give Jessica a kiss on the cheek, "Be good, baby girl." She turns and gives Ward a quick kiss as well, "That goes for you too. Be good."
"Don't worry, we will. Now go do what you need to do, we'll still be here when you get back. Right, Jess?" Ward looks at the little girl.
Jessica silently nods her head and smiles at Skye.
"Alright," Skye says. "I'll see you guys in a little while, then. Bye."
"Bye," Ward says. "Jessie, say bye to mom."
Jessica waves her tiny hand in Skye's direction as the brunette makes her way to the front door and then out to her car.
...
A knock at the front door gets Skye's attention and she turns away from where her daughter is playing on the living room floor and stands up from the couch to move over to the door.
Pulling open the door, Skye smiles when she sees the entire team standing on the front porch, a large bag of presents being carried by Coulson.
"Hey guys, come on in." She opens the door wider and steps back, allowing them all to enter the house. "Jessie," she says to her daughter as she closes the door, "look who's here for your birthday party."
Jessica looks up from her toys on the carpet to the team and smiles wide. She pushes herself up onto her feet and toddles over to them, going straight for May. She wraps her arms around the older woman's legs and looks up at her.
May bends down and lifts Jessica up into her arms, giving her a rare smile that she saves just for the little girl.
"Happy birthday, little one," May says. "Have you had a good morning?"
Jessica nods with a smile before wrapping her arms around May's neck in a hug.
Skye leans over to Ward who just entered from the kitchen and whispers, "Sometimes it still really weirds me out that Jess has such a close bond with May. Not exactly sure why, it just does."
Ward just chuckles.
"Mommy!"
Skye turns her attention to her daughter and smiles, "Yes, angel?"
"Aun' May," she smiles, resting her head on May's shoulder.
"Yes, that's Aunt May," Skye smiles and nods. "Do you love your Aunt May?"
Jessica nods and hugs May a little tighter.
"Good," Skye smiles. "But don't squeeze her too tight, okay? And why don't you give everyone else some hugs. After all, they did come here for you."
May bends down and sets the little girl back on her feet, despite a few protests, and watches as she goes to greet the rest of the team.
"She's getting so big," May comments to Skye.
"I know," Skye breathes out. "When I went in to wake her up this morning it really hit me that she's growing up. I knew it was going to happen, but it still hurts my 'mommy heart'. I don't want my baby girl to keep getting bigger." She looks past May to where Jessica is babbling something to the others.
"It's a natural part of life," May tells her.
Skye folds her arms across her chest and grumbles, "Doesn't mean I have to actually like it."
...
"You know," Jemma speaks up from where she's sitting on the floor with Jessica playing with some of her new toys, "I've noticed that Jessica says, or at least attempts to say, everyone's name except for Ward's."
"I've actually noticed that recently too," Skye says. She looks over at Ward, "I didn't want to say anything to you, though, because I wasn't sure how you would feel about it."
He furrows his brows, "What?"
"You're always there," she tells him. "You're always there for me and Jess when we need you. We live in the same house, for goodness sake. I know she hears me say your name a lot so I know she knows what your name is. I'm just a little concerned, that's all."
"Skye, it's fine. When she says my name, she'll say it. I'm sure it'll happen eventually."
"I know. But it doesn't keep me from being worried, I'm her mother." She turns her attention to her daughter, "Hey Jessie, who's that playing on the floor with you?"
Jessica looks up at the British woman and smiles, "Em!"
"Good try, sweetheart," Jemma smiles at her. "You missed the J sound at the beginning, but your language skills are still developing so that's completely understandable."
Skye rolls her eyes, "Please not now. Jessie, who's the funny looking guy up on the couch?"
"Hey!" Fitz shouts in protest.
Jessica looks up at him, "Fiz!"
"And what about the guy next to Fitz?"
"Tip!"
"What about the old guy next to Tripp?"
"Fiw!"
"And I know you know who's beside Phil."
"May!" Jessica shouts, smiling at the older woman.
"And who's this, Jessie?" Ward asks, gesturing to Skye.
"Mommy!" Jessica exclaims, throwing her hands up into the air.
Skye smiles and gestures to Ward, "And this is?"
Jessica remains quiet.
Skye huffs, "Man, I really thought that would work."
"I told you that it's fine, Skye," Ward repeats from earlier. He looks over at the one year old, "It's okay, Jessie. You take your time. I'm in no rush to get you to say my name. I know you'll say it when you're good and ready."
Jessica sets her toys on the carpet and stands up from the floor. She slowly toddles her way over to where Ward and Skye are sitting, stopping in front of Ward. She places her tiny hands on his knees and looks up at him.
"Hey, Jessie," he smiles at her.
"Daddy!" Jessica grins.
Ward's breath catches in his throat as the rest of the room goes silent.
"What did you say, baby girl?" Skye asks her daughter, realizing Ward hasn't exactly found his voice again yet.
"Daddy!" Jessica exclaims, gripping his jeans to try and pull herself up onto his lap.
Ward swallows thickly and blinks a few times, shaking his head to clear his thoughts. He just looks down at Jessica, watching the little girl closely.
"Oh my goodness," Skye says. "This is really awkward. I am so sorry, Grant. I swear I didn't put her up to this. And I totally understand if you're freaked out right now. I mean, you aren't her dad so it's—"
"Yeah, I am," Ward cuts her off.
"What?"
He looks over at her, "I'm her dad."
"Really? Did your programming malfunction or something? Because I'm pretty sure you aren't the jacka—jerk I slept with to create this beautiful little angel."
"That may be so," Ward says, lifting Jessica up into his lap, "but wouldn't you agree that I'm her dad in every other way that counts besides just biologically?"
"I mean, I guess so."
"You guess so? Skye, I'm always here for you, you and Jess, you know that. I even risked my life going against John so I could be there for the both of you. I've been right by your side through absolutely everything. And I'm always going to be here for you two. Nothing is going to change that. Ever."
Skye's quiet for a moment before she smiles, "See, I told you."
"Told me what?" he asks as he bounces Jessica on his knee.
"That you'd learn how to deal with emotions as the years go by. It's only been a year and you're already making so much progress."
"You say that like I'm a child," he responds.
Skye just smiles, "Yeah, well, you certainly act like it sometimes."
He nods, "When I'm hanging out with Jess."
Skye waves him off, "Alright, whatever. Let's move on."
"To what?" he asks.
"Maybe the fact that Jessica just called you 'dad'," Fitz pipes up.
"Yeah, that," Skye nods. "Look, I've never referred to you as her dad because I didn't want to put any kind of unwanted pressure on you or anything. But I'd be lying if I said I wasn't secretly hoping that you...maybe wanted the job."
"And I'd be lying if I said I didn't want to be referred to as her dad."
"Really?"
He smiles and nods, "Really."
Skye smiles back at him, "Um, okay. So I guess I should start referring to you as 'dad', then."
"Yeah, I guess you should."
...
Tucking the blankets tightly around Jessica's body, Skye leans down into the crib to press a kiss to her daughter's head.
"Sleep tight, birthday girl," she whispers. "I love you."
Standing up straight she turns around and makes her way out of the room, shutting off the light and closing the door quietly as she goes.
Padding softly out into the rest of the apartment, she makes her way into the kitchen to find Ward standing at the sink washing up the dishes from earlier in the day.
"Hey," she speaks up, leaning sideways against the open door frame.
Ward looks over his shoulder and smiles at her, "Hey. She asleep?"
Skye nods and pushes off of the frame, stepping towards him. "Out like a light."
"Good." He turns back and continues washing up the dishes.
"Are you almost done?" she asks him, pulling herself up onto the kitchen counter.
"Just about," he replies, sticking a plate in the dishwasher.
"Good," she nods once. "Because I'm tired and it's very hard for me to fall asleep if you aren't there. I completely blame you."
"Me?" he asks with a small chuckle. "What did I do?"
"You're like a heater," she tells him. "Sleeping in the same bed as you is much easier than sleeping by myself. And even though you body is all hard and stuff, you're a great pillow too. That was especially nice during my pregnancy, helped to ease all those aching muscles and stuff."
"Alright, well, I'll be done soon." There's a pause. "So, everyone seemed to enjoy the party today."
"Yeah. I'm actually really happy about that. I've never planned a kids' party before, so I'm glad everything went so well."
"You did a great job planning it," he tells her, pouring soap into the dispenser, then closing the dishwasher door and turning it on. He stands up straight and looks at her, "You're also doing a great job at raising that little girl asleep in the other room. At the rate you're going, she's going to end up being an incredible person when she's older."
"Thanks," she gives him a small smile. "But I haven't been doing it alone. You've been there right with me helping to raise her."
He shrugs, "I've been doing what I can to help."
"And you've been a really big help," she tells him. "Bigger than you probably even realize. I really don't know if I would have made it through this past year without going insane if it wasn't for you."
"I'm sure you would have managed one way or another," he says. "But I'm glad I could help you."
"Yeah, and uh, you know, I was thinking, since you're going to be referred to as Jessica's dad now, most moms and dads are together in some sense, so I was thinking that maybe you'd uh, want to, maybe..."
Ward smiles, "Skye, are you asking me to be your boyfriend?"
"I mean, yeah, I guess so."
"Well I kind of thought I already was."
Skye grins and grabs him by the face, pulling him in closer to crash her lips to his. Ward stumbles forward slightly, his hands landing on her hips.
"I love you," Skye says breathlessly against his lips.
Ward pulls back to look at her and gets a small smile on his face. "I love you too."
So? What did you think? Let me know in a review down below. I'd love to hear your thoughts.
Also, I'm working on a special project for Brett and I'd love for as many people to get involved as possible. If you're interested, let me know. :)
Until next time,
Jellybean96 out!