Matter of Importance
Spoilers: Season 2 promo
Disclaimer: I own nothing, Marvel owns it all!
Coulson stepped into his office with a cup of coffee and turned on the cameras to Ward's cell, fully expecting to find the ex-specialist either sleeping or doing pushups. Placing his coffee on his desk, Coulson turned his attention to the video feed to find not the normal but instead found their prisoner moving around Skye as she stood blind-folded in the middle of the room.
"Barcelona is looking really good right now." May's voice filtered through the room as she walked in with a tablet. "Did you read Hunter's brief on the work he and Trip did last week. I'd like to…" her voice stopped when her eyes made contact with the screen. "What the hell is she doing?"
The director looked at his second in charge, arms folded as he turned around. "Just turned on the camera so it's been going on for a while." He reached over and turned on the sound in the room but silence was heard.
"…you're breathing as loud as a pig right now." Skye's voice fluttered through the speakers.
"On purpose, where am I?"
Skye tilted her head slight before smiling, "behind me, my ten o'clock."
Ward walked over and pulled the blindfold off Skye's head, "not even close, I was at your two. Your eyes are the last thing you need to trust in the field, if they're gone you have nothing so you rely on everything else first."
"Fine!" She took the blindfold and untied it before putting it back on. "Let's try it again."
Coulson turned the sound off and have a small shrug. "Huh, did you know she was having him train her?"
"No and she shouldn't be." May watched the two as Ward walked around Skye once again before stopping.
Skye sat at one of the tables in the cafeteria eating a bowl of fruit as she read a book on her tablet when someone sat down at the table. She looked up to find May looking at her with her usual emotionless face.
"Morning, I'm up for some training if you're okay with that." Skye put her tablet down, "I know you guys said I should slow it down but it's been a while and I think I'm ready."
May merely set one security disk down on the table. "Sensory awareness." A second followed the first, "precision targeting." A third was set down, "and finally, capture in close quarters. You've been having Ward train you in the early morning hours while the rest of us are asleep. Not only that but you buried these security disks in the back among the others, replacing them with previous reels."
Skye let her for fork drop and put up her hands, "I can explain…"
"There is no explaining." May rose and picked up the security disks, "we've already locked you out again. We took Nixon's advice and laid down terms, of which you agreed and in the end you broke your own agreement." She watched the girl stare at her, "you'll train again when I deem you ready but not before."
She started to walk away but Skye stood up, "I'm tired of sitting around doing nothing. I felt useless and my training was lacking, it's been months and I'm ready but you keep holding me back. Ward agreed only because he saw how restless I was getting.
May turned suddenly, "he's not your SO anymore, he doesn't have a say in your training. He's a prisoner Skye, you need to remember that because you've seemed to forgotten it."
"At least he doesn't treat me like a sick child." Skye picked up her tablet and shook her head, "five months and you still think I'm unstable, I'm ready and you don't seem to care about that." The girl was gone before May could say anything else.
May walked down the stairs into Ward's cell, he stood from where he sat on his bed. He stood with his hands behind his back, looking straight at her as she stood in front of the barrier. She placed the control tablet down on the stand and moved to sit down.
"I hope you're happy with yourself." May watched him question her silently. "Due to your actions Skye's access has been revoked once again."
Ward turned and walked to one of the walls, leaning against it. "You're neglecting her training, it's been months and she's ready once again. She's emotionally stable and focused but restless because she's being held back. I only provided the basics or at least basics I could provide given the environment."
"You're not her SO anymore, that's not your call. Skye has to learn that we know what is best for her…" Ward shook his head and sat down. "You think we don't?"
He shrugged, "what I think is that you're not thinking of her as a person anymore. As soon as she started training, she became an asset and operative. Just like you or I were a long time ago, everyone telling us what to do and where did that get us? It got you Bahrain and it got me this cell." Standing, Ward walked over to the barrier till it fluctuated due to his closeness. "That's the difference between us and Skye, we gave up our lives to follow orders but Skye can't. You take away who she is and you take away her very being."
After he got done talking, he walked over to the bed and sat down. May stood and left the cell without saying a word and Ward knew she was digesting what he had to say.
Coulson looked up when May walked in, she looked annoyed as she sat in a chair. He waited for her to speak and finally she shook her head.
"He's right unfortunately." May met Coulson's eyes. "About how we're treating Skye."
He put his hands on his desk, "what do you suggest?"
"Phil," May leaned forward till her elbows were on her knees. "When did he begin to know her more than we do?"
"Since the beginning." Coulson shrugged, "unfortunately for us they're like two magnets that draw together whenever in the same space. If the three of us were in a hallway under fire, she'd run to him and we both know it."
May shook her head, "we can't keep her away for long."
"No we can't," he looked up at the screen, "she's already figured out that I restored her access too."
Turning her head to look at the screen, May found Skye manipulating the tablet in her hand so the barrier fell. Ward didn't move from where he sat on his bed and Skye moved to join him, the tablet on the small stand across the room. A quick flick of the audio button and the conversation floated through the room.
"…break in?"
"No, they must have just told me my access was gone but never turned it off." Skye leaned her head against the wall, "I was so stupid agreeing to let you train me."
Ward chuckled, "no, I was the one who shouldn't have suggested it. May was furious as normal."
"She hasn't been that furious with me since a long time ago." Skye shrugged, "I think it was more hiding the videos than the training. She was practically starring daggers at me during that lecture."
Coulson turned off the audio and looked at May. "I think another consultation from Nixon is the best idea."
Of course all they got from Nixon were nods and numerous amounts of 'huh' while the woman watched the security feeds. The real surprise was at the end of one of the feeds, one not watched all the way through. It showed Skye sitting on the bed with something in her hand, Ward bending down in front of her talking to her. What seemed like a normal conversation between the two of them, from what could be seen due to no audio being on, turned into surprise as Skye began crying. Ward instantly hugged her and she held onto him, burying herself into his chest and gripping the back of his shirt.
"She's not emotionally stable." May spoke as they watched Ward speak to Skye, calming her in a surprisingly gentle way of smoothing back her hair and drying her tears with his thumb.
"Actually she is." Nixon merely crossed her arms. "That was the final piece of everything, the last emotional moment buried beneath it all." They stared at her, "I can turn on the audio and let you listen but that conversation was her regret for what she'd done to him. We all see it as necessary and Skye knows it is but emotionally she can't help but feel guilty for locking him up like a dog. Her words not mine," Nixon motioned to the video, "I read lips."
"She's in love with him." Coulson made the statement and May restrained herself from rolling her eyes. Everyone on base knew Skye was in love with Ward, she often mentioned having a crush on him but even a blind man could see how Skye felt under all the anger and hurt.
Nixon looked over at May, "is he the only one just figuring this out?"
"What does that mean?"
"Skye has been in love with Ward since before he turned." May looked at Coulson, "it is one of the reasons why she's thrown herself into training and was angry at him for so long."
Giving the man enough time to process the situation, Nixon finally spoke. "I'm not going to tell you it's a smart idea nor a sane one but one option you have is to put a tracking device on him and let him out. He's loyal to you as long as Skye is kept safe, meaning he'll do whatever you ask or order as long as you keep her away from danger."
"There are multiple reasons why we shouldn't let him out." May looked at the woman, clearly the psychologist needed a psychologist. "The first being he'd turn on us at any moment."
"I think you'll find that he has no reason to. He regrets his actions, all of them and has accepted his fate. You both know as well as I do that he only really has one care in this world and would do whatever it took to make her happy." Nixon let a small smile go, "you're Skye's family no matter how you shape it and he knows you'll protect her, he trusts you with her life at the end of the day. So as long as you're loyal to her, he's loyal to you."
Skye sat eating fruit for her breakfast as the boys sat at the same table eating bacon and pancakes. She had already glared at them for eating the delicious food in front of her but she tuned them out as soon as they started talking about the newest agent that had arrived two days before. Apparently they had a rating system going and it was annoying how Hunter and Mac and Trip were corrupting Fitz by turning him into one of them, at least when it came to women.
"Ward is going to be doing work release." May cut to the chase as she sat down at the table with a cup of coffee. "He'll be assigned tasks around the base and I expect you all to be polite."
"Work release?" Fitz questioned and May gave a small nod. "He's not…not…hurt…"
Mac immediately cut in, "Ward's dangerous is what he's meaning to say."
"True but he's expressed genuine remorse so according the psychologist, he won't hurt us again. Considering she's been right thus far we're going to trust her but he will be wearing a tracking bracelet and have to return to his cell every night."
Trip folded his arms, "when is he beginning this work release?"
"This afternoon after Koenig completes a very detailed interrogation. Unlike before, he'll be asked direct questions instead of questions that he could get around." May watched Skye continue to eat. "Anything you'd like to say?"
The hacker shrugged, "nope, but if I think of something I'll let you know."
"Your training starts tomorrow morning, 0600 in the gym so don't be late." May stood and left, leaving Skye to stare at her as she left.
A/N: Nixon yet again working her magic...
Next...One month after work release begins
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