A.N: Well I worked pretty hard on this one and I like the way it went. I think I should put in a warning that Ward experiences a panic attack in this chapter.

Looking For a Change

"There you are Ward." Daisy watched him through her scope as he came out of a coffee shop, he had a cup in his hand. "Let's see what you're up to."

Daisy had been following Ward for quite some time now. After he had left the coffee shop he had headed through the park even stopping to give money to a homeless man. Oh, yeah right. Helping the homeless, what's next feeding the ducks? Did they just entirely rewrite his personality? After his little excursion in the park she had watched him enter an office building, Dawson & Lancaster Architecture. If Daisy hadn't read his file she wouldn't have believed it, they made him an architect.

Now here Daisy was on the rooftop of the building across the streets watching Grant Ward through the scope of her rifle. Oh, sorry or was it Alex Moore now. Daisy's fingers itched to pull the trigger as she watched him work from his desk. This was the man that had changed everything, the man that had ruined her. Ruined Skye. It would be so easy to take him out. She could have put one between his eyes and be gone before anyone was the wiser.

But, she held back. She couldn't kill him, not yet at least. Not when he was being so closely monitored by S.H.I.E.L.D. It had been about a month since Ward went through Tahiti and her mother had went crazy and tried to kill everyone. Since that time Daisy had been trying to put her past behind her. But, it was harder than one would think. Especially when one of the people that you hate the most was walking around free from all of their ghosts while you're left stewing in your own, that he had created.

She watched him the entire day. Watched as he concentrated on his work, his hands moved with the grace she knew him to have in his last life. He had many people come to and from his desk and she watched as he talked and laughed with them. She didn't have to wonder if he was acting with them like he had with the team on the bus for months, no he was being himself, or rather who Coulson designed him to be.

Coulson claimed that he had kept much of Ward's personality intact. Daisy didn't know if she wanted to believe it. From what she could tell just by watching him for this day he was much like a mixture of himself after the reveal and the man he pretended to be on the bus. The thought that he could have been showing more than just lies to her when he was her S.O. was a thought she didn't want to entertain.

Daisy followed him home into the apartment that A.C. had set up for him and was even so daring as to sneak into his apartment as he slept. She was silent while she was in there as she examined where he lived. It was bare, something she had come to expect of Ward since she had known him, the more likely fact was that he had just moved in and hadn't made it home yet.

She risked going into his room not to search, but she wouldn't admit it was to watch him from the shadows in his room as he slept. She didn't want to be out in the open. If Ward had any of his old senses left over from his pre-Tahiti trip, Daisy didn't want to be where he could see her if he woke.

She watched for a few moments before he sat up and turned his head almost looking at exactly where she was standing in the dark. Her heart jumped. She made herself slow her breathing to where it was almost inexistent and didn't let her body move an inch. She didn't need Ward finding her in here and filing a police report after she had escaped. She would escape after all there was no way he could stop her. However, then Coulson would know that this was the real reason she had taken the day off. Not the halfcocked excuse she had given him before.

He seemed to stare at her for a long time, no not at her just in her direction, but that didn't stop his eyes from burning her from the inside out. Finally, he laid back down and went back to sleep. Daisy wanted to let out a breath in relief, but she feared that Ward would hear, his senses were still sharp. She stood completely still for at least half an hour before she deemed it safe enough to leave.

When she was out of the apartment and half way down the block making her way to the S.H.I.E.L.D. SUV, Daisy allowed herself to think through all that had happened that day. Ward seemed like he was unaware enough of his previous life. But, there was a nagging feeling in the pit of Daisy's stomach that made her feel like that she needed to continue to watch him. She would do it one, maybe two more times just to make sure.


"C'mon sweetie, just one bite?" Skye pleaded a spoon full of mashed bananas waving in front of Tommy's mouth as she tried to get him to eat it. It was around 5:30 in the morning and Tommy had been awake when she had gotten up for the day. So in order to let Grant sleep she kept Tommy with her as she got ready for work. He had been being such a good boy all morning, but somehow Skye knew he would give her trouble when it came time for him to eat.

Now that it was time for breakfast, Skye was attempting to get Tommy to eat something. She was already dressed and didn't have time to breast feed him or she would have just whipped out one if the girls and let him go to town. There was still some in the fridge from where she had used the pump the day before yesterday, but Skye wanted to leave those here for Grant so he could have something to feed Tommy while she was at work.

Skye was tempted to use her powers and float the mush around, it might just make it entertaining enough for Tommy to want to eat it. But, Grant always got up at around this time, something else about him that hadn't changed, and she didn't want to risk him seeing it. She had showed Tommy her powers a few times. It was something he and herself enjoyed. He always made the most delighted squeals when she did, adorable. But, of course there wasn't a chance Tommy couldn't be adorable. He did have Grant and herself as his parents.

All his adorableness aside Skye was now stuck in a tiring situation. "Tommy, look its good. Here watch Mommy." She brought the spoon to her mouth and took a bite of the baby food. Skye was surprised by the taste, it was better than she thought it would be. "Hmm, it's really not that bad."

Grant's laugh rang out as he listened to her surprised confession. Skye turned to meet his gaze as Tommy answered Grant with a giggle of his own. "Dada!" Oh, great now she looked like an idiot trying to get her own son to eat.

"What did you think it would taste like?" He asked as he came and sat next to her.

"What, you're saying you've tasted it before?" She bit out, ignoring the fact that she was being cranky. It was early and tommy wasn't eating... that was good enough reason for herself. Grant just rolled his eyes as he slipped the spoon from her fingers.

"Of course I have. Just not because I wanted to. Tommy and I usually share his meals." He explained as he brought the spoon up to Tommy's mouth, who quickly opened and ate want Grant offered.

"Uh!" Skye protested as she watch Grant do what she could not. "Traitor." She said as Grant continued to feed their son, of course the baby guru could get him to eat. Tommy gave her a single tooth grin. Oh, she couldn't stay mad at him. "Okay, fine. Just eat your breakfast."

She stood from the stool and placed a kiss on Tommy's head before she went to get her thermos from the kitchen. "Hey, babe are we out of coffee?" She asked as she opened the cabinets searching for the sacred grounds. Skye just couldn't start her day without coffee. It was the only time she actually got to drink any since she had to limit her intake.

"Yeah I was going to pick some up next week after we got back, but I guess I'll just get some today." Skye bit her lip as he answered. He wasn't intentionally trying to make her feel guilty, but it didn't mean that he wasn't. Damnit, she was really regretting not just heading on her vacation without Coulson's okay. She walked back into the dining room, if it could really be called that. It was more like just a tiny area that separated the kitchen from the living room that was just big enough for a table and some stools.

Grant was sitting in front of Tommy, who was in his highchair, making ridiculous faces as he made sure all of the food was in Tommy's mouth and not around it. The sight made her want to laugh. Her phone beeped interrupting her musing and she quickly glanced at it to see she had gotten a text from Mack.

When she looked back up Grant was looking at her. "I have to go or I'm gonna be late." He nodded and she stepped forward and gave him a lingering kiss. His free hand came up to rest on the small of her back. She pulled back but not far, she could still feel his breath on her lips, he had tasted like toothpaste. "I'll see you around five, okay?"

"Okay, have a good day at work." She smiled and went in for another chaste kiss. She slipped from his arms and she kissed Tommy goodbye. She grabbed her laptop and headed out the door.


Coulson couldn't stop himself from checking to make sure that Daisy as still working on the encryption that they had modified. He had been assured that it would be impossible for her to tell where it had originated. He had his doubts, sure Wilson had assured him that he had changed it enough to be unrecognizable, but this was Daisy we were talking about.

They just needed to keep Daisy preoccupied long enough for them to bring Ward in. He felt a cringe of guilt at the thought. By doing this he would be destroying a family… but it was one that should never have existed. When he had discovered exactly what Daisy had done, to say he was surprised would be the ultimate understatement. Coulson could not understand how Daisy, who claimed to have despised Ward, was now married to him.

Something had changed and Coulson was not aware of how or when or even how long their relationship had been going on, but they had a son and that was proof enough for Coulson that it had been going on for quite some time. Ward was dangerous or at least he could be if he remembered and being around Daisy so much was almost a guarantee that he would eventually. As someone who had undergone the Tahiti process himself, he knew how unreliable it could truly be.

"Coulson." May spoke from his door way. He nodded before he stood and followed her out of his office. Normally he would not have been on the ground for such an inconsequential mission, but he wanted to take no risks with Ward. He may no longer be himself, but that didn't mean that he wasn't dangerous. There were somethings that just couldn't be erased.


Alex placed the last dish in the drainer and sighed. Well, now he was officially out of things to take care of, which meant he had no reason to not get to work on his design. Tommy was down for a nap and he wouldn't be up for another half hour at least. Alex made his way back to his and Skye's bedroom all the while trying to push back the dread he was feeling.

When had his job became such a bother to him? Alex was aware of the fact that at one point he had enjoyed creating buildings. Back when he had first graduated he recalled liking what he was doing. But, it seemed these last few years his job had lost its luster.

Alex sat at his desk. When he and Skye had moved in they had chosen this room as their own when she had decided that the view from the window was "actually not that bad". That view was now the only thing that Alex could concentrate on. The city outside was busy, moving forward despite the fact that he couldn't.

No matter how Alex tried he could not get the pencil in his hand to move and he didn't want it to. The thought of quitting his job once again came to Alex's mind, but he quickly pushed it away. He couldn't quit not when he had a family that he had to support. There was no way that they could survive on Skye's paycheck alone. Besides what else could he do? As far as he knew he had no other discernable skills.

His alarm going off made Alex stiffen. His hand automatically raising to his leg as if in search of something. Why was it going off? It took him a moment to remember that he had set it so that he could get Tommy up from his nap. Had half an hour really already passed?

Alex stood from his desk and caught a glimpse of a blonde woman he had never seen at this building before walking towards the entrance. Something about her made him feel uneasy. It wasn't uncommon to see new faces around here. She could be visiting someone or maybe she was looking for an apartment. There were so many possibilities that it was ridiculous for Alex to feel this way just from the sight of her.

However, no matter how Alex tried his feeling of unease refused to be pushed away. For that reason alone Alex was worried. He had never not been able to restrain his unbidden feelings before. Something was wrong, he had to get Tommy and leave. The apartment no longer felt safe.

It took Alex just a moment to reach the nursery, he found Tommy lying in his crib staring at his mobile as it turned. He wasted no time as he picked Tommy up and retrieved his diaper bag from the changing table. He made sure that he put Tommy in something warm and that he had shoes on each feet.

When Tommy was taken care of he hurried into the living room where he grabbed the stroller from the closet. He placed Tommy in it and strapped him down. They could just take a walk or something, anything to get them out of the apartment. Alex made a cursory glance over the apartment as he pulled on his own jacket. Did he need anything else?

His eyes landed on the entertainment center and he remembered the gun that Skye had hid there "in case of emergencies" she had said. Alex had never used a gun before, he had been surprised when Skye had brought one home.

Alex wasn't really sure if this was an emergency, but he made the quick decision and headed for where the gun was hidden. It only took him a moment to find where it was strapped underneath the T.V. Better safe than sorry, right?

Even though he was holding a gun for the first time it somehow felt familiar in his hand. Like he had held one before with the ease of an experienced marksman. The weight felt good in his hand and helped him to calm down some of his fears. He quickly stashed the gun in the back of his pants as he had seen many people in movies do.

Feeling slightly better Alex returned to where Tommy sat staring at him with interest. Alex grabbed his keys as he pushed Tommy out the front door. He made sure to lock it and then turned to head down the hall. Things were going fairly well, maybe all of this was in his head. He felt the blood drain from his face as the woman he had saw enter the apartment not five minutes before exited from the elevator as he went in.

She had given him a flirtatious grin and he returned it with tight lipped smile. Her eyes were almost blank as she met his stare. Alex didn't want to know what she could see on his face, but he tried to keep it as neutral as possible. He wasn't sure if he was succeeding. When the elevator door closed, effectively hiding him from her stare, he let go of the breath he hadn't realized he was holding.

He didn't know why that woman had him so on edge, but Alex was quickly learning that his feelings were something he couldn't ignore anymore. The elevator dinged and opened to reveal an empty lobby, Alex didn't dwell on the fact that he felt no relief from the fact. Instead he continued his quest out of the apartment complex and into the brisk November air.

His eyes scanned his surroundings and he didn't stop when he found a man sitting on the bench across from his car. He was dressed as a cowboy, complete with hat and everything. Any other time Alex would have found this amusing, instead it served to ramp up his anxiety.

Good, thing he wasn't planning to take the car in the first place. It was a fifteen minute job to the closest park. He could blend in there or at least it would be out in the public surrounded by plenty of other people who would find it strange for someone to be following him.


Skye yawned, she was working on the hack from yesterday and was having little luck in getting it done. She couldn't even blame it on being distracted this time. It was just that ridiculously complicated. There was no way in hell that Hydra had someone that was this good on their side.

It was almost 11:00 and she had been working on the hack since she had gotten there around 6:00 this morning. Still this encryption was impossibly good, were talking herself good. Which had to be impossible.

It was funny Skye almost seemed to recognize some of the codes in here. Almost as if she could have wrote this herself. But, no she didn't see any of the little pizazz's that she usually put into an encryption and besides how would Hydra have gotten her work to begin with.

Maybe it was time to take a break, she had been at this for 5 hours. Yeah taking a little break was definitely sounding like a good idea. No, c'mon Skye get you act together. You need to get this hack done and then maybe you can salvage some sort of weekend together with your family. That is if Coulson doesn't try and make you stay here over the weekend.

Okay, let's take this seriously there's always some sort of weak point. Skye's eyes scanned the numbers and letters as they ran across the screen her fingers working fast on her keyboard. There was something in here that would give her an in, she just knew it. There was something that would… Oh, hello. What do we have here? It seems the person that created this here encryption may have given her exactly what she needed.

Really? What was this person thinking? Leaving a signature that obvious? Really c'mon? Anyone with half a brain, well okay maybe it wasn't that easy, Skye had actually made something like that herself before. Which was why she knew that this specific trap had a flaw. She had figured out that leaving a message like that would give them link right to their syst-

OH, DID YOU THINK YOU'D GOT LUCKY? ;P

That message flashed across her screen and rooted into her computer sending a virus throughout her computer and was quickly spreading throughout all of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s servers. Skye made no move to stop it. Why would she? When she had written that exact virus herself.

Now things were starting to make since. They had used her own crypt or rather they had taken one of her encryptions and tried to make it their own. No wonder everything was so familiar and it was taking so long for her to crack. But, they apparently weren't that smart, they had left her nasty little friend behind. They probably didn't even realize it was there. Obviously, they had Wilson take it on, amateur.

Which was why Skye continued to let the virus spread and take out S.H.I.E.L.D.'s system. There was no way that Hydra had gotten a hold of this. There was only one agency that could have done this and she was right now sitting in there H.Q.

Skye didn't have to question why they had sent her on this wild goose chase in the first place. The pieces of the puzzle were all falling into place. Grant…

She was out of her seat in an instance and running through the room and out the door. No one was paying attention to her, everyone was too distracted by the total system failure. S.H.I.E.L.D. knew about her and Grant. They were going to be taking him back in, probably putting him back through Tahiti. Who knew what they would do with Tommy. Oh God, she had to get home now.

Skye was all out sprinting, to blinded by panic to care whether or not she was making a scene. Her… Her family was in trouble and there was no way for her to be calm in this situation. Skye was almost to the exit when she ran into Mack. He was standing as if he was waiting for her like he knew that she was heading out to stop S.H.I.E.L.D. from taking away the man she loved.

"Tremors, I really don't want to do this. You know this is what has to be done." Skye watched him as he circled her. He was going to try and stop her from leaving to stop her from saving Grant and Tommy. That wasn't going to happen.

"Get out of my way Mack. I don't want to have to hurt you." Skye really didn't have time for this if they were going after Grant that meant that they would have sent their best, Bobbi, Hunter… May. This was not good, no it was disastrous.

"Daisy you know this is the way it has to be. Did you really think you could get away with this?" He came at her then trying to get his arms around her and restrain her. Skye dived to the side rolling across the ground to put more distance between them. She may have been the more skilled fighter of the two, but Mack was stronger and he would take a while to take down. If she didn't have powers.

"Mack I'm going to tell you this one more time. Get out of my way." She refused to answer his question, after all she had been getting away with it for four years. Mack's expression was solemn as he took one step forward before he was flung back and hitting the wall hard. Skye winced at the impact, but she had to keep him from getting back up.

"Sorry." She took one moment to apologize and then she was dashing for her car and tearing out of there. "Hang on Grant I'm on my way."


"Sir, we may have a problem." Bobbi's voice came over the coms from where she was at Ward's apartment building. Coulson glanced at May, she sat in the car next to him.

"What's wrong Agent Morse?"

"Well, I think he's on to us. He just headed out of the building and Lance says that he didn't take his car." She answered.

"Yeah, I'm on his trail." Hunter added. "I looks like he's taking the tyke for a jog. I think he's heading to the park." Coulson sighed of course things couldn't go the way that he needed them to. They never did when Ward was involved.

"Alright, he obviously knows that were following him and he's heading somewhere public. We'll just have to go to the park and get him pinned down." Coulson turned the key and the ignition flared to life. "Bobbi you and Hunter stick to him. May stay in the background make sure nothing goes wrong. I'll corner him in a place that he can't get away from."

"Are you sure that's wise Coulson?" Mat asked gracing him with a wary look.

"Well if he's still Alex Moore there shouldn't be too much of a problem."


Alex had now spotted at least four people that he knew were watching him. He couldn't tell why he knew they were, for all intents and purposes they seemed like you every day park goers, but no. He knew they were following him he wasn't exactly sure how, but if there was anything Alex had learned over the last hour it was that his uncalled for feelings were definitely right.

He could see the woman from the apartment complex and the cowboy sitting on a bench. They each had a cup of coffee in their hands and they seemed to be in deep conversation. Alex could catch their eyes on him every couple minutes. There was another woman that was watching him as well.

She was a short Asian woman, she had been walking a dog for the past half hour. He wasn't sure at first if she was one of them, but when he had watched her stay in the park long after the dog and relived itself, he had known something was up. He even caught her talking to herself at one point or talking to someone over a communication device. Damn, he was beginning to sound crazy.

The last person that had caught his attention was a balding man that looked to be in his fifties. He was down by the pond feeding the ducks now. He didn't look like he was at all interested in Alex or Tommy. But, he had caught the subtle glance that he had sent his way. He was one of them, of that Alex was sure.

It had occurred to Alex once again how crazy he was sounding, even to himself. Why would anyone be out to get him and his son? It wasn't as if they were important or had done anything wrong. The couple that was watching him moved to a closer position. No, he wasn't going crazy, these people were following him, there was no doubt in his mind.

His phone once again vibrated in his pocket. He hadn't dared to try and answer it, just as he hadn't tried calling Skye. What if they were monitoring his phone? He couldn't have Skye dragged into all of this.

By the time that Alex had made his 250th loop around the park, he had counted, Tommy had finally decided that he didn't like what was going on anymore. His cries started small, but were soon drawn out and loud. Alex didn't know what to do. What was the right course of action, he had been circling the park making sure to keep enough distance between himself and the people who had been following him, but he just couldn't ignore Tommy. He pulled the stroller off to the side of the sidewalk.

Alex bent down and checked to see why his son was crying trying his best to keep an eye on his surroundings. Tommy's face was red from crying and he looked like he was more than willing to continue. Alex quickly unbuckled the belts and lifted Tommy into his arms. It did little to quiet his cries. "Hey buddy, what's wrong?" He tried to soothe him by bouncing him on his hip, but Tommy was just not having it.

Alex let himself become so distracted by his son's cries that he wasn't aware when someone came up behind him. "They can be pretty fussy at that age." Alex went ridged where he stood. "How old is he, 8, 9 months?" Alex forced himself to turn and meet the eyes of the man who had been feeding the ducks in the park just moments ago.

He surveyed the older man's face, he had a calm look in his eyes and a pleasant smile stretching across his face, one that Alex didn't buy. It took him almost a full minute to answer the man's question. "9 months." His voice came out more normal than he thought it would. Tommy was still crying in his arms and Alex continued to bounce him.

"He's a good looking boy. You must be very proud." His tone was nice and Alex almost believed that he meant it.

"Thank you." The casual way that he had replied was almost the exact opposite of how he was feeling on the inside. Alex was left wondering how he was possibly keeping his cool. The man watched him for a moment longer before he nodded.

"I'm Phil Coulson." He extended his hand in greeting. Alex grasped his hand with ease he didn't feel.

"Alex Moore." He pulled Tommy closer to him. "This is my son, Tommy." Why the hell was he exchanging pleasantries with one of the people that had been following him for the past hour? He caught a movement out of the corner of his eye, he didn't look to see what. It was one of the others.

"You know if you need help getting him to calm down. My mother used to have a trick that worked wonders, if I may?" "Phil Coulson" reached out for Tommy and Alex pulled back putting more distance between them. There was no way in hell they we're getting their hands on his son.

"No thanks, I think he just needs a change." The lie came smoothly out of his mouth and Alex didn't question it. "So if you'll excuse me." Alex grabbed the stroller and quickly passed by Coulson and the blonde woman. He headed straight for the restrooms.

Luckily there was an empty family room and he quickly went in, locking the door once it was shut. By now Tommy was just sniveling, Alex pulled down the changing booth and quickly laid him on it. He may have been running from people that were following them, but Tommy came first. He really did need a change, besides they were safe for now. It wasn't as if they would break into the bathroom…

"I know this is strange for you, but it's strange for Daddy to. I don't think we've ever been out in the cold this long have we Tommy?" Tommy stared up at him as he worked on cleaning him up. "But don't worry Daddy will figure out a way out of this." He finished and replaced Tommy's pants.

His phone vibrated again, he reached into his pocket and retrieved his phone. 30 missed calls all from Skye and at least 20 texts. What? Why was she so urgently trying to get into contact with him? Unless… Could she be in the same situation as him? Could they already have her? No…

Alex hands were shaking from his revelation and his breathing was coming in short bursts. Sweat was beading on his forehead, he was going to throw up. This couldn't be real… No this can't be happening. He had to… He had to get out of there, but where was there? Alex took two steps back before he hit the wall, his legs were shaking so badly he couldn't stand anymore.

Everything around him seemed to blur into the background the only thing that Alex could seem to focus on even the smallest amount was his phone. It was buzzing again, but it didn't really register with him what that meant.

Alex wasn't sure how long it was before he could breathe and the shaking stopped. His surroundings were starting to come back into focus and with that Tommy's cries. Tommy… Alex pushed himself off the wall and to his feet. His legs were weak, but he was strong enough to make it to Tommy's side. He cradled his son in his arms and slid back down to the floor.

What was all that? What had happened when he had left reality? Tommy was still crying and Alex absentmindedly reached into the diaper bag that had been stashed in the corner of the bathroom. He pulled a bottle from the bag and slipped into Tommy's waiting mouth.

As his son ate Alex once again checked his phone reminded that Skye had called him so many times, this was what sent him into a panic in the first place. He needed to call her. The time on his phone showed him he had been in the bathroom for nearly 20 minutes. Where had the time gone? Were the people who had been following him still out there?

There was a scuffling noise outside of the bathroom door. What was that? It continued for a while and ended with the sound of someone banging hard against the door… a struggle? Alex pulled Tommy closer to him and withdrew the bottle from his mouth. Somewhere in his mind he noted that Tommy made a sound of protest, but he was too preoccupied with watching the door. His hand slowly reached behind him and he withdrew the gun tucked into his pants.

It had gone quiet outside of the door, but Alex didn't buy it. He lifted the gun to point it at the door. Then someone knocked and his grip on the gun tightened. Could he even pull the trigger if he had to? Somehow Alex felt like he could. He could shoot anyone that came through that door if he had to. There was a definitive sound of the safety clicking off. Thankfully Tommy was quiet and Alex waited for the person to give up and go. They had to go.

"Grant?" Skye's voice washed around him bringing with it relief. "Grant, it's me open up." He was on his feet faster than he had ever moved before. He held Tommy closer as he unlocked the door and pulled it open. The sight of Skye almost floored him, she was a little ruffed up, but she was there and she was safe. He pulled her to his chest sandwiching Tommy between them.

"Skye." Alex breathed against her hair. As soon as she was in his arms he felt as if everything would be alright. She hugged him back for a moment, before she pulled away.

"Okay, we go to go, now!" She grabbed the bag and bottle from the floor, she stashed the bottle back in the bag.

"Skye?" She looked back at him, the expression on her face was almost unreadable, but he thought he saw compassion. She stepped towards him her hand reached up and cupped his face, Alex leaned into it. Her hand slowly enclosed around the gun in his hand.

"Here Grant, give me the gun." He released it and she placed it in a holster on her leg, he noted the twin one on the other leg. She kept his gaze and she conveyed a confidence that he knew her for. "I'll get us out of this Grant, but we need to leave now." He nodded. When she looked at him like that he was willing to believe anything that came out of her mouth.

Tommy hadn't made a sound the entire time this exchange was going on and it seemed that the presence of his mother had calmed him. "Keep ahold of him okay." She said before she stepped back out of the bathroom. Alex followed her and was met with the sight of the cowboy on the ground knocked out… had Skye done that?

But, how? Alex continued on and as they passed the stroller he reached for it. "Just leave it." He looked back at Skye and followed her lead. She strolled down the path in the park without a care in the world. It was as if this entire day hadn't happened and she hadn't just knocked out some guy.

He kept glancing around him looking for the people who had been following him earlier, but they weren't where he could see them. Had she taken care of them to? Just how was his wife capable of this?

Eventually Skye led them to a car he had never seen before and opened the door to the back seat. She took Tommy from his hands and placed him into a car seat, before she tossed the diaper bag in next to him.

"Grant get in the car." He glanced back at her from where he was standing.

"Right." Alex got into the passenger seat and it was just a moment later that Skye was in the car and pulling out onto the road.


Dammit why wasn't he answering his phone? Had they already found him? So many thoughts were running through her head and exactly zero of them made her feel any better. Skye's laptop sat opened in the front seat of the car that she had "borrowed" when she ditched her own. Grant's and Tommy's location flashed on the screen. They were at the park and if what Skye thought was going on as happening that means that they had a tail.

"Fuck." She couldn't go into the park all guns a blazing even if they were icers. Especially not with the amount of traffic that park had in particular. She needed to think of a better way to get out of this. Skye pulled into a parking place that was a couple miles from the park. She needed to get Coulson and his team away from the park. Skye hands tapped against the steering wheel. She needed to think…

A moment later she reached for her phone. "Okay, I'll give them a reason to leave alright."

She dialed Coulson's number. It rang a few times before he answered. "Hey, A.C. I know you're on a super important mission and all, but I think I have something on that Hydra hack."

"Daisy…? Look right now's not a really good time-"

"Oh, I know I heard from Mack that you guys are hunting down a dangerous fugitive." She let a little venom slip into her words to catch his attention. "Which, you know I figured you would want me in on that action, but oh well."

"Daisy, it's really not-"

"Anyway, I'll get to the point. When I was doing my hack I may have unleashed a virus into all of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s network… and when I say may I mean I definitely have… Oops." Skye could hear Coulson drop the phone and smirked. That was maybe a little more fun than it should have been.

"You did what?" She had made him angry… Pay back was a bitch.

"Well, I mean I was going to stop it… Until, I figured out it was one of mine." She let her words sink in before she continued. "So, I think it would be for the best for you to get back to home base."

"Daisy-"

"Oh and you better hurry, that is a nasty little virus. It turns all of the defenses and weapons over to the one who designed it. So, you never know what they might do to the people inside." She ended the phone call after that and reached for her laptop. She quickly brought up the security cameras that surrounded the parks and waited. "Please, believe my bluff… please."

It was a couple long, agonizing, stress inducing minutes later that she finally saw Coulson, May, and Bobbi get into an S.H.I.E.L.D. issue SUV and drive off in a hurry. She released a breath. Okay, now let's see where Grant is hiding…

She scanned through each camera before she came up on the restrooms, nothing was out of order save for the lone cowboy that was getting a drink of water from the fountain. Hunter… which meant Grant was… Bingo. Skye went about looping the cameras that could see anything in and around the park. "Hang on guys, Mama's coming." She shut her computer and pulled out onto the road.

It took a little over 3 minutes to reach the park and get out of the car. Then Skye was quickly and as normally as possible heading to the public restrooms. Hunter was nonchalantly standing to the side of the family bathroom, as if that was possible. What kind of grown man dressed up like a cowboy and stood outside of a bathroom meant for parents with young children?

Skye didn't say anything just made sure no one was around before she went on the attack. She rammed into Hunter from the side and wrapped her arms around his neck. She brought her knee up to his stomach, but he rolled out of her grip and barely dodged her attack. She didn't give him a moment to get his balance though, she swept his feet out from under him with a kick. He hit his head hard, but not enough to knock him out.

She had to end this fast before someone showed up. Hunter was back on his feet and he recognized who she was, he didn't want to fight her. Skye could use that to her advantage. She stepped forward and he raised his hands to stop her, she reached for his arm and turned into his chest flipping him off her back and into the bathroom door. He hit hard. She than used a well-aimed kick to the head to make sure he stayed down.

Skye took a moment to breathe before she dragged Hunter's unconscious form away from the door. Grant… Tommy… She stepped up the door and knocked. She waited a moment and got no answer. "Grant?" She waited another moment before she continued. "Grant it's me open up."

Skye heard scrambling from inside and then the door opened and there was Grant, Tommy tucked to his chest, looking at her like he couldn't believe she was okay. Then he was stepping forward and pulling her to his chest. Skye was so relieved to see them unharmed she felt tears pull in her eyes. They were okay. She pressed herself closer to them taking comfort from his arms around her and Tommy's hands grasping onto her shirt. Grant buried his face into her hair. "Skye…"

She reveled in his arms for a moment before she pulled away, they weren't safe yet. It took her a couple minutes to get Grant going and into the car. He had the gun that she kept in the apartment in his hands. He must have realized something was going on and took it with him.

When they were finally on the road again Skye could feel herself relax just a tiny bit. They were almost out of the woods. She could feel Grant's eyes on her from where he sat beside her. He must be so confused… God, she had screwed everything up. She had to say something to him.

"Alex, I know you're freaking out right now and you want to know what's going on, but please just let me get us someplace safe and then I'll answer everything to the best of my abilities." She glanced at him and saw that he was taking in her words and processing them.

"Where are we going?" He must have deemed that important enough to ask. Skye wanted so badly to peek into his mind and see what was going on in there.

"Out of the city. I have a safe house." She didn't mention that it was at the coast. Or that the safe house was technically his. So they were kind of getting there vacation, it would just be a little more permanent than he was expecting.

He was silent after that and Skye was a little bit thankful for it. She didn't know how she was going to possibly explain this all to him. There was too much and it was all so complicated. She let Grant be and instead looked at Tommy through the rearview mirror. He was asleep, thankfully, today must have been really tiring for him.

Skye glanced at the time on the dash, it read 1:15. They had been on the road less than an hour. They would have to stop for gas sometime in the next couple of hours as well as something to eat. They would have to feed Tommy to and make sure he was okay.

Skye had three "just in case" bags in her car for just this kind of thing happening. She had made sure she took them when she had switched cars… Which reminds her they should switch cars when they stop as well. Yeah good luck explaining that one to Grant. 'Hey, honey you run in and get some supplies I'll take care of Tommy and get us a new set of wheels.' Yeah that would go over swimmingly.

This was going to be a little harder than she would like, but she could swing it. After all she was trained by the best and now she was starting to think that getting the best back might be a good idea. The only question was how and would Alex even want to be Grant again?


A.N: That's the beginning of our great adventure. I hope everyone liked it.