Hey everyone! Here is the next chapter - please read and enjoy! Also, sorry that it is now ridiculously not canon anymore… =)

A flicker of something stabbed Ward's heart. He knew that the mission would be compromised if he showed any outward sign of his distraction, but it was so difficult to stay impassive when she was around. When she was constantly in danger. Out of the corner of his eye, he watched as Garrett released her and he unconsciously released the breath that he hadn't even realized he had been holding. He hated this feeling of helplessness, hated seeing the fear clearly plastered on her face as Garrett had nearly killed her, hated that he could never have reached her in time.

They started towards him, so he quickly turned back to his examination of the gun on the desk before him. The science labs in the base were an extensive underground labyrinth of hallways and large rooms. The harsh lighting illuminated the equipment and made all the white-coated lab assistants look like ghosts.

"Grant," Garrett called, and Ward looked up, flashing a smile at his former mentor.

"Garret," he greeted him, adding some warmth to his voice. He leaned casually up against the wall and crossed his arms, projecting an air of comfort and meeting the other man's gaze. And very deliberately not looking at Jemma. "What's up?"

Garrett smiled. "Just thanking you for bringing Jemma here to our team."

Ward had to force himself not to flinch at the sound of her name. It sounded wrong, somehow, coming from him, and made his skin crawl. It didn't help that she, too, had turned pale and looked like she was going to pass out. It took everything he had not to go to her, hold her tightly, and promise that everything was going to be alright. Instead, he clenched his teeth and forced out, "No problem. Just doing my duty."

"It was surprising, though," Garrett said, his eyes glittering dangerously. "I never would have thought that innocent little Jemma here was the type to turn traitor."

Again, Ward ordered his muscles to relax and forced his hands to release their death grip on his arms. "Yeah, who'd have thought?" The reply was casual, meant to underplay his feelings.

"I just want to help people, and I need equipment for that," Simmons interjected quietly. "SHIELD is no longer able to provide me with what I need, so I found someone who could." Her voice shook only slightly with her explanation.

"Fair enough," Garrett commented, but smirked at Simmons, the knowing look in his eyes setting Ward's teeth on edge.

The three of them stood there, tension thrumming in the air. Then, Ward felt a slight tremour beneath his feet. He paused, analyzing the shaking under his feet before quietly asking, "Garrett, do you feel that?"

"The shaking?" the man glanced down at the floor, grinning. "It's nothing - just a new machine that our engineers have been working on."

The trembling intensified, now accompanied by a loud roaring noise, making it difficult to stay balanced - without the support of the wall, he would have fallen. "What is this machine for?" Ward roared over the noise.

"Earthquakes," Garrett yelled back, a slightly crazy gleam in his eyes.

A scream caught his attention and he looked at Simmons just in time to see her lose her balance and fall to the ground, her head slamming against the floor. He took in everything at a glance - her terrified expression, the shaking room, the giant machines threatening to tip over at any time and crush her beneath them.

Time slowed down down and Ward saw everything in vivid clarity.

Saving her could ruin their cover.

Doing nothing would surely kill or seriously injure her.

In the end, there wasn't really a choice to be made.

Taking a deep breath, Ward flung himself towards Jemma across the uneven floor, diving down as he did so. She looked dazed as he reached her, likely from the blow she had suffered when she fell. "Jemma, you have to move," he shouted at her, grabbing her hand and attempting to pull her out of the path of the falling machinery.

Staring at him blankly, her other hand pressed against her head, she just looked terrified.

Huffing out a breath of frustration, Ward pulled her to him and staggered to his feet, fighting to keep his balance with her held securely in his arms. "Hold on." A couple steps took them out of the immediate danger, but then the rolling ground proved to be too much and he pitched forward, just barely managing to turn so that his body provided a cushion between Jemma and the ground. The impact forced all the air from his lungs and he heard her let out a grunt of pain. Then, Ward's protective instincts took over and he rolled over top of her, shielding her body with his as bits of debris rained down on them, sending flashes of pain through his body as they hit his back. Then everything went black as he lost consciousness, his last thought just hoping that Simmons was okay.

There was no light. As tough as Ward was, that was something that he had never been totally comfortable with - anything could hide in the dark, waiting to attack. He tensed up briefly, then relaxed as his eyes adjusted and he could make out the details through the gloom. Attempting to sit up, he gasped in pain as his badly bruised back spasmed.

Simmons. The thought filled him with dread as he remembered the miniature earthquake, the falling debris, the glazed expression on her face.

Forcing himself to rise despite the pain, Ward stood and made his way unsteadily to the door, intent on making sure that she was unharmed. Before he was able to open the door, the panel swung open, revealing a silhouette outlined against the light. Squinting against the brightness, Ward was able to ascertain that it was Garrett. Anger filled him and his hands clenched into fists, but he just silently moved aside to let the man enter the room.

"Sit down," his former mentor ordered, gesturing to the bed and shutting the door behind him. "I want to have a bit of a talk with you."

"About what?' The words came out slightly more bitterly than he had intended, but there was nothing he could do about it. "Your hidden project that nearly brought the ceiling down on top of us?"

Garrett chuckled. "No, not about that. About the girl."

Ward felt his blood run cold. Breathing became more difficult and the pain, threatening his consciousness, intensified. He took in a sharp breath and fought his desire to black out. "Simmons? What about her?"

"You care for her."

"She's an asset."

"You protected her during the earthquake."

"Like I said, she's an asset." Even to himself, his words sounded cold. Appallingly so. But he knew that it was necessary.

Garrett smiled at him, but there was an air of menace behind the gesture. "So, she won't be a problem? You do know how I feel about weaknesses."

Suppressing the painful memories that surfaced at his words, Ward stared at the ground. "She won't be a problem." He just hoped that Garrett believed him.

Please please please review!