-Back to the Present-

It's like she's frozen, she can't speak, she's not even blinking, she's in shock that's what it is... shock. How could her SO have a wedding band, but most importantly WHO is he married too? All of the sudden she's angry... at him... no.. her, whoever his wife is. Wait, she's jealous, no, that can't be right, none of this makes any sense. She can feel him staring at her, but not touching her, like he's afraid she will recoil again from him. She doesn't want to look at him, not yet, she doesn't know what to say. What is going on? Before she braves to look up, she's saved, a nurse rushes in, "Skye we can't tell you how happy we are that you're finally awake, let's take a look at you, the doctor is on his way." She's never been more thankful to be poked and prodded in all of her life. Almost bull-dozed by the nurse, Ward had moved to the edge of her bed and she finally had the courage to meet his gaze, again the way he was looking at her... it was so intense, she couldn't help feel exposed like he could read her thoughts. Thankfully the nurse interrupted their gazes.

"Sir do you mind stepping out into the hall? I'm going to see if we can't get 'Sleeping Beauty' here a new gown and freshen her up a bit." Ward almost seemed to smile at the nurse, but immediately caught Skye's eyes again, "I'll be right outside the door," giving her big toe a squeeze before he left.

As the nurse began to check her vitals and run various tests, Skye felt the enormity of the situation start to weigh on her, she had so many questions and while she trusted her SO, so many things weren't adding up and frankly all of it just made her head hurt even more. Of course the nurse had been babbling the whole time and just gushing over Skye. So maybe she'd trade Ward's confusing presence over the obviously over-caffeinated nurse.

"Dear, how are you feeling?" the nurse was patting her hand now.

Guess that warranted a response, "Um... ok I guess, my head hurts," hoping that would satisfy the nurse and she would be on her way.

"Well I assure you that's normal, let's get you out of this old gown and maybe wash up a bit, you've been in this for over a week, it's time for a change, don't you think?" the nurse giggled.

Wait, she said a week? Skye decided not to ask any questions, especially since she was afraid of the answers, so she just followed the nurse's instructions trying not to think at all.

As soon as he stepped into the hall, Ward grabbed his phone and texted the team. He probably should call them but he knew they'd be so overjoyed he'd never get a word in, as well as spouting off a million questions, most of which he didn't have answers to yet and honestly, he wanted Skye to himself just a little while longer. He leaned against the wall, closing his eyes, feeling the emotional beating his body had taken over the last nine days. And even though he was exhausted, he felt lighter than he had in days, overflowing with joy and thankfulness. She's awake, he can't believe it, it's truly a miracle...she came back to him... he had his family back. He starts to pace, what is taking the nurse so long? All he wants to do is hold her again, feel her snuggled up him next to him and reassure her that she's loved and safe. But every minute he's in the hall he can feel the fear rising inside of him, what if she's asleep again when he goes back and this has all been his imagination. He would never admit it to anyone but the last two days especially had taken a toll on him, he had begun to doubt that she'd ever wake up again. As tears start to form in his eyes he feels a hand on his shoulder,

"Mr. Ward, I hear she's awake let's go see how she's doing... you've been right all along, your wife is fighter and I can't wait to finally meet her," as Dr. Davis led the way back into Skye's room.

Ward, exhaled with relief, there she was looking up at him with her big brown eyes, he still couldn't believe it, she really was awake. Just the sight of her made him break out in a smile again, and he knew it was a goofy one which he was sure Skye would make fun of, but he didn't care, his wife... his family... was back and it was all that mattered.

"Skye, I'm Dr. Davis, I'm happy to see you're awake. I'd like to ask you a few questions and see how you're feeling."

When the doctor first walked in Skye was anxious, but of course as promised, Ward was right behind him and even though everything was confusing, just seeing him made her relax and his big goofy grin almost made her laugh. And on cue, as if he sensed her need for him, Ward came over and took her hands. She took a deep breath steadying herself for the doctor's assessment, "Um...ok...my head hurts and I feel like I've been out of it for awhile.. things are fuzzy... and I'm sort of tired . Can I ask a question first? What's wrong with me or what happened to me?" She glanced at Ward first, thinking he might speak first, but he merely looked toward the doctor allowing him to answer her question.

"Well, you came in 9 days ago unconscious with a severe head trauma, that's why you still have a headache and things seem as you said fuzzy. Once we relieved some of the swelling to your brain, your condition stabilized; however, you slipped into a coma and that's been your condition for the past 9 days. While your vitals have remained steady, we have been concerned with the duration of your coma; they longer you remained in that state, the less chance of you waking up. Thankfully we don't have any of those concerns now."

Wow, Skye was trying to process everything the doctor said and it all seemed to make sense, maybe that's why everything seemed off, especially Ward. She just needed to get some rest and then everything would be back to normal. She felt relieved, but had more questions, "So I just need to rest a bit more then I can get out of here?" She couldn't wait to get back to her own bunk and just have her own stuff, especially her own clothes and especially her laptop. She was sure this was the longest she'd been without it. She realized she needed to send Ward on an errand for it later. Before she could ask Ward, the doctor interrupted her thoughts.

"Well let's see how you do for the next day or so and then we will see about that. May I ask you a few questions now?" She nodded, ok she figured, guess she could play along.

"When we have patients that have had a severe head trauma or have been in a coma we like to check for possible memory loss. Now I don't want to scare you this is very common and usually once the brain's swelling subsides, you will regain any lost memory; however, we do have cases where memory loss can last for a longer period of time and in some cases is permanent. But it seems you already know your name and Mr. Ward here so that is very encouraging. Let's just start with something simple, what year is it?"

At first Skye wanted to bust out with laughter and give a very sarcastic answer, but she figured she'd be good and try not to be a pain in the ass. "2013" she stated, thinking this was going to be easy and then looking up at Ward with a grin. But she didn't see Ward's typical smirk as she expected, instead he looked shocked and she could feel his fingers tightening their grip, wait did she give a wrong answer?

"Skye, want to think about your answer some more? Are you sure it's 2013?"

The doctor leaned in closer to her starting to wave some small flash light in her eyes. Was this some sort of trick question, she could feel anxiety starting to build inside her and that once soft beeping was starting to get faster again. She looked up at Ward hoping he would jump in and answer for her. But his expression was unreadable , almost like he was holding all his emotions inside and not even breathing, just waiting for her to answer. What was he expecting her to say? She was dumbfounded so she repeated her answer, "2013, I'm not sure what else you want me to say, " she thinks she's holding her breath now, waiting for someone to tell her she's right.

When he's done with his flashlight, the doctor stands up, and visibly sighs; a clear sign to Skye that she's about to receive some bad news. She realizes that she is now tightening her grip in Ward's hands too, bracing herself, but she's afraid to look at Ward, so she faces her doctor.

"Skye, it seems that you may have some memory loss, now I don't want you to worry, like I said earlier this is very common with head trauma and we are going to just take it one step at a time and help you get those memories back. In the meantime I'm going to have the nurse give you a mild sedative to help you relax and get some sleep. Also, I'm going to request no more visitors tonight besides Mr. Ward and I'll be back in the morning to check on you, " he smiled and proceeded to write in her chart and call for the nurse. He seemed so calm, like it was no big deal but Skye felt like she was about to explode. She can't believe this guy, he can't tell me it's the wrong year and then NOT tell me the correct date. She couldn't hold it in any longer.

"Wait, what year is it? You can't just leave and not tell me and I don't want a sedative. You said I was out of it for 9 days, I'd rather stay awake and go to sleep on my own terms. Please!" She felt on the verge of tears and at the same time she felt this deep power inside her start to build, like nothing she'd ever felt before; it scared her. At that moment she could feel her room start to shake. Was it an earthquake? The doctor didn't answer her but just gave Ward the weirdest look and called for the nurse to hurry. Within seconds the nurse was back with a needle.

Skye was scared, she begged, "Please, please I don't want to go back to sleep."

The room continued to shake, things were falling off the tables and shelves. She finally looked to Ward, "Ward don't let them do this to me, please, I don't want to be asleep anymore, help me," she pleaded with him pulling his hands so that he was right in front of her. Why would he let them do this?

His hands immediately cupped her face, "its' ok I promise, it won't make you fall asleep it will just help you relax, you need to trust me, I won't let anyone hurt you. I just need to you to take deep breaths, look at me and try to calm down. " He pulled her close, ran his hands, down her back in soothing circles, whispering in her ear, "Hey shhh, trust me , I'm right here, everything is going to be ok, we will figure this all out, you and me, like we always do." And somehow she believed him, she felt that strange power subside and remarkably the shaking stopped and she released her breath, letting herself sink into him.

"That's it, just relax, nice deep breaths, in and out," he then leaned her back to the bed and she realized the doctor and nurse had left. How long had they been gone? She did feel better, whatever they gave her worked. The panic had disappeared and she felt nice and warm all over; she smiled as he brushed stray hairs out of her face. He was sitting on the bed now facing her with that look again... like he knew all of her. She knew he would answer her questions and tell her the truth, she just wasn't sure if she was ready for it.

She took a deep breath, "Ok... so those drugs they work fast, I feel so chill right now... umhumm... wait did we just have an earthquake?" She had a million questions but it was like her tongue was on vacation she couldn't get them out fast enough. Ward just smirked at her, "well I guess you could say that." He is such the king of giving a non answer, but she couldn't even get her frustration out, rather she just felt like laughing. "Ok," as she tried to suppress a giggle. "Whatever you say, Mr. Agent Man, 10-4 over and out!" She could see Ward was trying not to laugh at her, between his smirks and the drugs it going to be hard to get answers.

"So.. you going to tell me the correct answer? What is the date? Come on Ward, I might be a bit loopy right now but I know the good ole doc was keeping something big from me," pointing her finger right at his chest.

"Skye... I think you should rest first, I know the medicine is probably making you a bit sleepy. I promise I'll stay right here while you sleep and when you wake up we can play 20 questions."

"Seriously, you're going to try to get of this too? You're right I'm tired but there's no way I will be able to sleep without some answers!" She felt frustration and anger start to build again, "Please stop coddling me Ward, I'm not a child, I have a right to know what's going on!" She folded her hands to her chest, in a huff, letting him know she was serious. She could feel the fire in her eyes as she stared at him, willing him to speak. He did but he couldn't return her gaze,

"Ok you're right, it's just I don't want to upset you... I need you to try to remain calm and trust me... " finally he looked at her again and reached for her hands. At first she was unsure if she wanted to unfold her hands, she needed him to know she was serious, but one look at him and she couldn't resist him, it was like he needed her this time and she willingly obliged.

Squeezing her hands, letting out a soft exhale, he looked back at her, "Ok let's start with the big question... it's not 2013 and I know this is going to be confusing for you but it's really 2023..." he stopped and just looked at her, giving her hands anther gentle squeeze.

Skye couldn't believe her ears she must be hearing things, or the sedative they gave her is making her hallucinate, "What... did you say 2023? Come on Ward, really like I'm missing 10 years of my life? You're joking right, I mean this is like some made for TV movie this doesn't happen to real people, " she quickly pulled away from Ward, sitting herself upright and trying to move away from him as far as she could in the bed. Of course he just inched closer to her and this time with his hands on her face, "Look at me, do I look like I'm joking, trust me none of this is funny at all." And there he was her good old SO, the one who was so very serious and at times, tough on her, not giving an inch. Even though she realized he was dead serious, she comforted by the return of T-1000, she knew how to interact with this version of him. She was ready to battle it out with him if she had too.

"Ok, I get you're serious, 10 years.. how's that possible?" She tried to hide the fear in her voice with anger, but she had no idea what to say next without falling apart. So she went on the defensive, " Are you ready because now I have about 100 questions for you and I'm not stopping until you answer them all!" She glared at him, daring him to avoid answering her questions. He didn't flinch or brood, but he simply nodded and dropped his hands lowering them to his lap.

"Ok good, first I need a mirror, I mean I've totally missed all of my 20s and now I'm in my 30s, more like mid 30s- what do I look like, do I have gray hair?" Seriously she was starting to feel a little panic, she needed to know how she 'd aged and maybe looking at a mirror would make this more believable. Ward laughed and just sat there not moving at all. Was he trying to infuriate her? This was not funny.

"Seriously, you're laughing? This isn't funny, find me a mirror or help me up and I'll go find one." She starts to try to get herself out of the bed and his hands clamp down on her arms, "You've been in this bed for 9 days, you're not strong enough to get out of bed yet and I'm not having you fall again just to get another head trauma." Here's Mr. Robot again with his orders; giving me his don't try me glare.

"Ok fine Robot, then find me a damn mirror! And you know what, you can answer more questions while you're looking." Ward got up and started rumbling through drawers in the room, mumbling to himself, probably swearing and complaining. But she was on a role and she wasn't stopping even if he seemed frustrated and she knew her next question would probably put him over the edge. She was thankful that his back was to her, so she blurted it out, "So question number two, I noticed your ring... are you undercover?... Or are you really married?... and... well.. I mean... shouldn't you be home with your wife right now?" He turned immediately, looking like he'd been punched in the gut as he headed right back to her bed. He took her left hand and placed it his, his face softened no more robot, T-1000.

"Yes, Skye I'm married...it's very real and I love my wife very much."

She realized she wasn't breathing, she was afraid to hear the rest of his answer. He had such a look of love and devotion in his eyes that she knew he was telling her the truth.

"Who... is she?" it came out like a whisper, Skye wasn't even sure if he heard her.

Ward smiled and reached into his pocket, "I didn't find a mirror but I found something that belongs to you," and he slipped two rings onto her left finger, a simple platinum band and then a diamond-filled eternity band on top. She realized her band matched his. Suddenly it was like a shock went through her body and images flashed before her eyes,

"... with this ring I thee wed," she had tears dripping down her checks, she looked up at Ward who was smiling proudly, looking like a model in his 007-style black tux, as she pushed the ring onto his finger. She heard the reverend say something blah, blah, but she was completely lost in Ward, seeing the love in his eyes, only wanting to kiss her husband... and not caring that anyone else was talking or watching.

It was like she had woken up again, the room was so bright, she blinked and the hospital room came back into focus, taking a deep breath she realized Ward was shaking her, "Skye what's going on, are you ok?" he kept trying to get her to look at him. She knew he was worried but she just needed a minute more to compose herself and figure out what happened.

"Yeah... ok... I think... I remembered something... or maybe it was a dream..." she couldn't be sure what is was, but it seemed so real.

It was like he was a kid at Christmas, he bounced on the bed and moved closer to her, "What.. is it, what did you remember?"

"I'm not sure it was quick but maybe part of a wedding... our... wedding?" She had to stop she was embarrassed and didn't know if she could go on but she needed answers. She looked at him for encouragement, " We said vows right? All dressed up and the 'with this ring' stuff... but we didn't exactly wait for the minister to finish talking before we kissed?" Please let this be real, she didn't think she could handle it being a dream. She knew she had feelings for her SO but what she was feeling at this moment was so much more... it was love... she loved her husband... Ward.

He kissed her hands and she saw tears forming in his eyes, "Yes, you remembered.. that was our wedding... and we were very impatient, " he chuckled, but then he took a deep breath and rubbed his fingers on her rings, "Skye you are my love, my partner, my friend and my wife," he looked up from her rings, and met her eyes with such happiness. Without even thinking she pulled him close, crashing her lips to his, pouring the love she felt into him. He kissed her back with such intensity that she didn't want it to end. But he pulled back and held his forehead to hers, wiping her tears away, "I love you, always only you."

Even though she still had a million questions, somehow, just knowing that she was really his wife was enough to let her relax and allow the sedative to do its job, she couldn't hold back the yawns anymore.

"Wow, I know my interpersonal skills still need work, but my kisses too are putting you to sleep?" Ward teased as he gently lowered her to the bed and scooted over to lay beside her.

She laughed, "are you trying to be funny because I must say your humor has not improved in 10 years," again trying to stifle a yawn. She wanted to keep talking but she couldn't seem to hold her eyes, open, "how about you tell me all the ways you've improved these last 10 years, after a nap, those meds are really working," she gave his a quick wink as she lowered her head his shoulder.

Ward gave her a quick kiss on her forehead and whispered, "oh just you wait, you'll be shocked." He settled into the bed pulling her close, feeling her sinking into him and wanting to hold onto this moment, but he let his exhaustion win too, knowing he'd need all of his strength in the morning. He'd have quite the battle to face, going back to a past, filled with his mistakes and demons.