Author's Note: So here's chapter two, if I haven't accidentally erased chapter one it'll be a miracle. Thanks for reading and I promise this chapter does have Skyeward interaction. Happy reading.
Disclaimer: I own nothing…did I say that already somewhere?...I don't know. Anyway, I don't own anything.
After 12 hours and a vicious 10 word fight with May, what was left of the team, and Ward, were headed out. The location was one that Ward's information pointed to as the most likely place they'd find Skye. He could tell that Coulson and the rest were holding something back. Even with all his connections and strategic knowledge they all looked at him like they were unconvinced. He'd usually be irritated now. He sat in the room they called The Cage, the door open but him ordered to stay put, but he realized their uncertainty wasn't actually about him or his intel. He'd been with them long enough to know.
He waited in his cage patiently. They'd be there soon enough and then the next step of the mission would begin. Survival was always a concern. This mission was no different. They didn't want him to know about Skye's abilities. That was an unknown variable that could really end up biting him, or impaling him, in the ass, depending on what she could do. He'd heard stories that one of the survivors of the incident came out covered in thorns. He hoped that was Raina.
Skye didn't deserve to be alienated in that way. She deserved to be hugged. To be touched.
Shaking his head with a quick jerk he backed up from that train of thought. Skye was the unknown variable, if she wouldn't allow him to help her that could stop the mission, and possibly his heartbeat. Rolling his shoulders he could easily remember the unbearable pain radiating from his side.
The absolute shock of realizing how far he'd pushed her, his sweet hactivist that used to say 'bang' every time before she could pull the trigger. And that was if she didn't confuse the safety release and magazine release.
He smiled a little and then sighed, sitting on the bed, head bowed he again attempted to go over the mission parameters, knowing that it would be him that made the hard calls to get her out. To make her free. Then he'd go back to doing things on his own, where things were much easier to navigate. A place without blatant hatred, and monkeys.
"You ready for this?" Ward's head snapped up to see Coulson staring at him. For a long time Ward had been sure Coulson knew every lie that came out of his mouth. The other man just had this way of looking at someone like he could see every disappointing moment in their lives. That he saw, and not only understood but accepted these flaws and was going to make the person whole in spite of them.
After Ward realized that his boss didn't have a clue about his loyalties he often found himself wishing that he did. Being with the man day in day out made it harder to accept the programming done by Garrett. Instead of answering the ridiculous question about his readiness Grant heard himself asking a question of his own.
"Do you ever wonder what would have happened? If you'd have found me? Instead of Garrett." The Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. stared at him so long that Ward had time to feel idiotic for his weakness. Life was what was in front of you. You dealt with it however you could and moved the fuck on. Being around these people was tearing down who he was. Making him that team player he'd impersonated for obviously too long. Finally unable to hold Coulson's gaze any longer he found himself looking down to consider his hands, they always seemed bruised, or bloody.
"Every day." Ward looked up to find himself once again alone in The Cage. Coulson's answer echoing around his mind as the plane began to descend.
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After recent events Coulson hadn't trusted anyone else to come with them. They'd gone in dark, not even communicating with anyone before leaving The Playground. May had been able to fly the Bus but Coulson wouldn't hear any arguments about her going on the mission itself with Ward. Leaving Coulson himself to go, a decision that ended in another terse worded bout with May about the idiocy of the Director going with a known traitor into a situation that could easily be a trap.
He'd promised her a good punching of his face if this happened.
She'd promised him one in either event.
Parking the Bus and making their way towards the location both men fell into their old patterns of mission execution. Each moved silently through the heavily wooded area, eyes constantly scanning their surroundings. Communicating silently through hand gestures and nods or jerks of the head.
Coming upon the area of the base, Ward found himself gritting his teeth. It was pretty heavily manned. Two guards outside the razor wire topped fence that surrounded some outbuildings and the entrance to what appeared to be some sort of underground facility.
Taking cover behind a rock outcropping, the two shared muffled curses about the situation.
"They're crazy to hold her here." Coulson murmured after a moment, instantly drawing Ward's attention.
"Why's that?" Receiving a shaking head as answer he clamped his teeth against the expletive that jumped to his lips. "You're seriously not going to tell me? Even if it might help us figure out a way to save her?"
"Not my secret to tell Ward. Maybe if you could learn to differentiate between survival and humanity you'd have an easier time making amends with your family." Cold rage had Ward clutching his fingers around a nonexistent gun barrel before he bit out a reply.
"Don't watch the news much anymore Coulson? I've made all the amends with my family as is possible in this life." He wanted Coulson to look at him with contempt, loathing, anything that would reinforce his knowledge that this man, this damn paragon of virtue, would never forgive him for the things he'd done. Instead he got that wry smirk that told him he was three steps behind.
"I think there are two things that you and I can agree on Ward." Coulson began, checking around the outcropping once more as the guards on duty changed. "One: That above all else Skye must be protected." At Ward's reluctant nod he continued, locking their gazes. "And two: Those people were never your family."
Damn it Coulson.
After a brief stretch of not being able to look away he was finally saved from having to make a response by the guards. They were talking loud enough for their discussion to carry over to the hidden operative's location.
"-freaky shit man, anyone you have to keep constantly sedated isn't someone I'd wanna hook up with, I don't care how good lookin' she is." The speaker's companion chuckled and responded with the douchebag patented leer and cocky bravado that they must teach at Jackass University Community College.
"That's exactly my point man, she's sedated, and I'm telling you that body is tight!" Ward's eyes narrowed as he considered the difficulty of the shot to Dbag's frontal lobe. Man wasn't even wearing a helmet. At this range he was 97% sure he could even put the round through the target's shit-talking mouth if he wanted.
"Take the shot." Coulson commanded, apparently reading Ward's mind, his eyes on the guard like a hawk on a mouse.
"Gladly." Ward breathed, in a blink weapon up and locked on, before Coulson's sudden grip on his wrist made him go still.
"No. Wait." Coulson gave him a sheepish grin. "That might have been an overreaction." Ward shrugged, dropping his arms and holstering his weapon. He felt somehow embarrassed and angry because of it. Struck suddenly by an overpowering need to be done with the situation he began systematically removing his weapons and placing them in a heap at Coulson's feet. "What's up Ward?" The other man asked, eyebrows raised as the heap grew to a mound of hidden guns, knives, and explosives. "You going Gandhi on me? Or just wanting to give the guards a fair chance to survive?" Ignoring the backhanded compliment, Ward plucked his comms device from his ear and popped it into his mouth.
"Give me sixty minutes. Then take out their power, I'll get to Skye and get us out."
"Ok, first of all, just say 'an hour', 'sixty minutes'? Honestly." Coulson replied, hand stretched towards the younger man like the stopping signal he made with his hand could physically impede Ward from annoying him "Secondly, I guess we're going to ignore how gross that was," Coulson began gesturing between Ward's ear and mouth, "but what I'm really hoping is that there was a reason, non-fetish related, in your motives right there. I'd also like to take this time to ask you, though I should already know the answer, are you out of your mind?"
"I need to keep the earbud so I can give it to Skye, proving I'm working with you, straight from your own mouth so be ready. It's best hidden in my mouth because they will more than likely pat me down and it's visible if I left it in my ear. I'm going in alone because out of the two of us, I am the one who's expendable."
"That's sweet."
"That's tactics. No way in hell is your team going to take orders from me, especially if I let you walk into that base to be taken prisoner." Coulson watched him with narrowed eyes for a few moments. Ward took the time to get his breathing and features under control. It was going to be a real pain in the ass if they decided to shoot him instead of taking him prisoner. And embarrassing if Dbag had good aim and put one in his head before he had a chance to retreat.
"Fine, I'll see if FitzSimmons has something to take out the power, but that doesn't answer how exactly you think you're going to make it back out past all those men just because the lights are off. Even if I had all of my new team geared up and in play, it still wouldn't be enough." With a cocky grin, and a stretch that interlaced his fingers behind his head, Ward gave his old boss a wink.
"Well. Like I told Skye, Director, I'm a hard man to replace." Smiling wider at Coulson's deadpan facial response, he made his way around the outcropping to where the guards could see him.
Luck was on his side, and after much yelling and checking for weapons, he was escorted at gun point through the outbuildings and into the cavern like space of the facility. After a few flights of stairs, two rights and a left, he was ushered through a door that led into a long hallway. Panes of what he suspected were some kind of trauma proof glass or Plexiglas lined each side.
Nice of them to make it so easy for me to figure out which room contains my goal.
The first few rooms were filled with people he didn't recognize. All men that came and pushed themselves against the clear barrier, sizing him up as the guards marched him by. Half way down the hall one of the panes stayed clear of any curious inmates and Ward locked onto it immediately. There, lying on a bunk, surrounded by blinking machines was Skye.
Ward felt every muscle in his body tense. They were keeping her knocked out. So they thought her ability was dependent on her being conscious maybe? And Coulson had seemed disturbed about her being underground. So whatever she could do was hazardous. He rolled his tongue along the earbud as Skye disappeared from view, hoping the team still used the ones that were liquid resistant.
He was placed two cells down, restraints removed, and shoved into a new cage. He didn't pace, he sat cross legged on his bunk and waited. Counting internally as superior goons came and made vague and worthless threats, trying to make him slip up and give something away. He hit the hour mark on his silent timer and almost to the second the lights went off around him.
Ward smiled. God he loved this team.
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Skye came out of her drugging slowly. It was dark. She blinked her eyes quickly, trying to establish that her eyes were actually open. Turning her head she could see hospital type machines around her. Several feet past the machines, through a constantly blinking red light, she saw figures shambling by in a slow procession.
Events came slamming back into her memory. Bright lights, helicopters around the cabin, the ground jumping under her feet, and then darkness. Taking a slightly shaking breath she found that void of calmness inside her that May had worked with her to create. She didn't know how long she'd been out, or why she was awake now, but she was willing to bet these asshats didn't realize that she was.
No need to tip them off.
The end of the line came with what appeared to be a guard, rifle in hand, he was a foot or so behind the man in front of him. This man seemed to have his hands and feet shackled like the others in front of him. This would explain the line's awkward stumbling gate. They were evacuating the prisoners for some reason. The cell mirroring hers was open and empty. As they made it midway past her room, or cell, the last shackled man suddenly spun and grabbing the rifle, head-butted his captor to the floor.
"Oh-ho shit!" Skye muttered under her breath, with a sideways leap into the cover her room provided, the man landed on his back sliding a little before whiplashing himself back to his feet. Rifle still in hand.
He was all deep shadows and sharp planes where the red emergency light hit him. Tall and muscular, he wore dark clothing, and obviously had a lot of military training. There was something familiar in his movements, the way he peeked around the corner, firing off short controlled bursts at those trying to apprehend him.
There was sudden silence, signaling either the death or retreat of the other guards. Admiring the broad set of shoulders as they leaned once more out into the hallway to check for attackers Skye felt comfortable with betting on death.
A couple of deep breaths and Skye watched as the man caught his own, or prepared himself for the next part of his daring escape. She weighed the options of staying silent, in hopes that maybe she could make her way out in the wake of his destruction. This came to an end when the man turned and appeared to be staring at her. She couldn't really tell for sure because the red light to his back cast his face in complete darkness. He took a few careful steps towards her, propping the rifle against the wall by her bunk.
She felt a little anxiety, but couldn't really imagine the man taking the time to sexually assault her after he'd worked so hard to free himself. Plus having that whole shaking things apart with a touch of her hand thing made her pretty confident. For the first time she felt grateful to have her powers.
This lasted right up until she heard the voice that invaded her dreams and nightmares whisper her name in the darkness.
"Skye?"
That's when the ceiling along with half the base collapsed in a roar of concrete and earth.
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When she woke the second time she could barely breathe. Causing her to almost panic enough to bring the base down a second time. Pulling her head back as far as she could she found it was too dark to see, even when her face wasn't pressed against whatever object had been shielding it. Experimentally she pushed her forehead against it, feeling it only give slightly to the pressure. She couldn't move her arms, but by wiggling her hand around she could feel fabric covering that object that barely gave to her poking and pressing.
Ward
He'd thrown himself over her when the room collapsed. His body offering a weak shelter against the stones that had stopped themselves from falling on her just as they had before. Not before knocking him unconscious obviously. A part of her wanted to rail against this body that so entirely covered hers. That instantly made her think of all the times she'd imagined it where it was under much different conditions.
She knew though if she struggled and couldn't budge the dirty Nazi off her, she could potentially panic and cause more damage. Strictly ignoring the fact that the only person she could possibly do more damage to was the one she'd shot four times point blank in the side a few months previously. Was he with the ones that had taken her? No, that didn't make sense, he'd been in restraints.
Realizing this, she fumbled around with one of her arms trying to dislodge the heavily muscled limb caging hers to her side. Finally working it loose from its position between her body and the still mostly intact section of wall she ran her hand along his forearm with gritted teeth. Reaching his hand she pulled it up along her body, but could feel no metal incasing his wrist. Performing the same action on the other side she found what she was looking for. A cuff encircled wrist with a hanging partner.
Disbelievingly she ran her fingers carefully along the free wrist, stilling when she felt the break and the groan that echoed in his chest. The movement pressing his body even more against hers now that his hands were up by her face. She tried taking a deep breath but inhaled his sent which was decidedly unhelpful.
Nazi traitors should not smell like Old Spice and sex.
Actually she had no idea if it was Old Spice…or sex. But it was very unhelpful in calming her nerves.
"Ward." She bit out, refusing to notice the way her body was reacting to the close proximity. Did he have to smell so good and be so…firm. Growling a little she shoved ineffectually at his stupid broad shoulders. Kicking against his legs, these he hadn't managed to free, only allowed his heavier body to settle more firmly. Her legs on either side of his bound ones. Well, that was just, awkward.
"Ward! Earth to tall, dark, and Hitler! Damn it!" She was panting from nothing more than physical exertion that strictly had to do with irritation and her growing need to get him off her. It had nothing to do with the fact that without her sense of sight everything…else…was much more immediate and … tactile. She almost missed the muffled noises coming from next to her head, which happened to be where she figured Ward's mouth was.
"skye! skye! can you hear me skye?!" Looking disbelievingly in that direction, the dark pressing heavily on her sightless eyes, she turned to move her head closer to the sound. Depth perception being nonexistent in the dark crevice, she bumped the shell of her ear against soft lips and a few days growth of beard. Shivering, she smacked halfheartedly at his side when he nuzzled those tickling strands against her sensitive flesh.
She most definitely did not roll her hips a little when it happened.
"This is a trick isn't it? 'Come here little girl I have faeries in my mouth' said the big bad wolf." She muttered shrugging her shoulders in an attempt to get his head away from her tingling ear. This only pressed her chest against his body armor clad one. Huffing and dragging an arm out from under him she felt around until she sunk her fingers into thick hair that was a bit longer than when she'd seen him last.
Tilting his head, she felt down along the sharp edge of his jaw, and biting her own, pulled down on his bottom lip with her thumb. The sound got slightly louder and with a grimace she poked a finger into the space between gum and cheek. Hooking out the earbud and palming it quickly before it was lost among the rubble underneath them.
"Eww, Ward! How gross is that?" Rolling the comm piece along his sleeve until it was mostly devoid of saliva she shudderingly put it in her ear.
"SKYE!" Coulson's voice exploded in her head and she'd never been so happy to be deafened.
"DC! I hear you! Tone it down a little before you cause my tomb to collapse." She'd meant it jokingly but could hear the waver in her voice.
"DC?" She almost cried when she heard Fitz's voice come on next.
"Director Coulson, Fitz. Ehm, hello Skye, alright then?" Simmons voice was in physician mode, sounding reassuring and calm.
"Both of you, shut it." May said quietly and the two were silent. The whole team was here, she realized, the whole family. Ward's arms tightened reflexively on her shoulders and she felt a relieved smile tug at her lips. In the next moment she saw Eric Koenig's body dripping blood and felt Ward's kiss barely cooled on her lips.
Shoving the anguish and brokenhearted betrayal back she calmed her breathing, the minor shivering of the Earth stilled. She tuned back in to hear what Coulson was saying, his voice strangely haggard.
"Skye, read me in, what happened?"
"Ward's here." She replied immediately, there was a slight pause.
"Ok, I know that," obviously, how else would she be speaking to him, "are you ok? What made the base collapse?"
"Ward. Is. Here." She reiterated, slowly for emphasis.
"He showed up after you were abducted, he had a good idea where we could find you, but didn't like his chances of getting you out on his own."
"Why?" She questioned. "He totally went Super Spy on the guards." She had to swallow against the tightness in her throat at the sound of his old nickname across her lips. Shivering slightly as the crypt like air chilled her bones, she felt Ward shift and flex over her again. Ignoring her feelings of embarrassment, she tucked her arms back underneath him and snuggled slightly into his chest.
"Why did he question his odds?" Coulson's voice drew her back to him with the wryness she heard there.
"Yeah."
"Why did the base collapse Skye?" He asked dryly and she felt her face scrunch in acknowledgement.
"Oh. Right."
"Speaking of which where is he?" May's voice was calm and procedural as always.
"Uh, unconscious." Skye said shifting her body uncomfortably not mentioning where he was unconscious. Her appendages were starting to lose circulation. A shocked silence lasted several beats on the other end of the comm.
"You knocked him out?" May asked sounding impressed, if that was possible.
"Uh…Yep." She answered, falsely chipper.
"Yeah, with two tons of concrete and quartzite." Fitz muttered over the line causing Skye to snort.
"Didn't May tell us to be quiet?" Simmons piped in. "But very well done either way Skye."
"May did say to be quiet," May said tersely, "and does she ask twice?"
"No, she doesn't even ask once, but apparently she does speak about herself in the third person every now and then." Coulson said, his tone mock serious. "Can you tell us anything at all about your surroundings? It's hard for FitzSimmons to get a reading with all this earth between us and your earpiece."
"Don't you mean mouthpiece? Who let Ward put the earbud in his mouth? That was gross." Coulson answered her quickly, and she could hear the smile in his voice.
"Super gross. Anything?"
"Not really, it's totally dark and before that I was sedated. All I can feel…" She hazarded out of her Ward blanket long enough to feel the stone encasing them on all sides. If she wasn't so weak from sedation she could maybe have enough room to shove him to the side. As it was her arms were trembling with cold and fatigue. "Is stone within an arm's reach, all the way around. I don't even know how I'm awake. I think the machines stopped working when the power went out."
"EMP." Fitz corrected, "I had to remotely reboot the eh…mouth or uhm earpiece."
"They can do that?" Skye asked flabbergasted and heard May clear her throat impatiently. "Oh, right, no I have no idea. I could try to shift some of this but…" How do you tell the group of people closest to you that you were even a little bit hesitant of hurting the man that betrayed them? Almost killed them?
Buffy give me strength. I have never identified with you more…
"No don't do that, no need to risk, yourself, yet. We'll figure something out." Had Coulson paused? Shaking her head she answered him with an affirmative to sit tight. Her hands were freezing, without thinking she shoved them between the sections of Ward's Kevlar. Finding the pleasantly heated confines underneath, hands splayed across his thermal undershirt and the armored vest's underside. She sighed, momentarily content.
"I thought I heard something about wolves? Are there wolves?" Fitz asked, sounding pretty concerned for someone safely sequestered in a flying tank.
"Uh no Fitz, not wolves. Wolf. I said big bad wolf." She felt her cheeks flush in the resounding silence. Said wolf stirring above her slightly, breath ghosting over her ear and down her neck eliciting another shiver.
"I always thought coyote." May answered surprisingly after a few moments.
"Snake." Muttered Simmons.
"Ok we get it, how about everyone gets back to work on getting our Red Riding Hood out of there?" Coulson commanded and Skye smiled a little even though she totally disagreed-
"Oh there's no way Skye's Red Riding Hood! She knocked him out with her amazing Avenger powers! She's the Huntsman, obviously!" Fitz argued outraged on her behalf.
"Fitz! Lab! Go!" Coulson hollered and Skye burst out laughing.
"Ok, ok I'm going…" Fitz said quickly as more yelling began in the background. "Hey Skye, Ward got me a monkey. I'll let you hold him when we get you out." Ward shifted again and this time the restless movement brought his scruffy face against her neck. She was too busy considering Fitz's news to scramble away, enjoying the heat the extra contact offered.
"A monkey?" Skye asked after the comm link went offline. "Clever wolf." She muttered into the darkness. She felt a vibration run through her hands as Ward's chest rumbled with pained laughter. Teeth scraped along her flesh as he whisper howled into the hollow of her collarbone.
"Arh-whoooo."
Alrighty, hope that was good. Let me know. Or I'll take your silence as stark disapproval.