Chapter 22

Ward looked up from where he was, hearing the vault door open. He kept his confusion well hidden as he watched the man make his way down the steps. He was sure he knew him from somewhere, but he couldn't place it. Which was strange, since he was usually very good with faces.

"You a new recruit I don't know about?"

The blonde didn't speak, but by the look he was getting, they must know all about him. The hydra agent glanced to the cameras in his cell. They were turned off, making him wonder just who had come to visit him. He hadn't expected anyone except the Director and parts of the original team to visit.

"Does Coulson know you're here?"

"No. It's just us."

'Just you and me.'

He looked at him more carefully now, looking for anything in his body language. His arms were tensed, prepared for attack, his hands shaking ever so slightly. It clicked now, this man must be that one friend Skye had gone to save at that Hydra base in the Arctic. He couldn't remember a name, but he did remember catching a glimpse of him before all hell had broken loose.

Ward got up from his cot, coming closer to the invisible wall between them. He could see it now, the deep jealousy and anger toward him. The jealousy had him stumped, but the anger was easy to place. No doubt for trying to kill Skye, this guy was in love with her.

'It's love'

He tried not to look amused as he watched him. So this was her new man? He wouldn't admit the small pang of envy that formed in his gut, not to anyone. She'd been able to find a happy ending, while he was forced to suffer alone. She'd lowered her expectations since him though.

'I am hard to replace.'

"Are you just going to stand there till someone comes to get you, or did you come down here for a reason?" He couldn't hide his smirk when the hatred sparked in his eyes.

"Why?"

'Why'd you do it?'

He was expecting something more direct, not so vague, but it was as good a question as any. At least he wasn't doing what Coulson had done, trying to guilt trip him. Then he really wouldn't have liked this guy. Ward looked away from him, looking back at where he'd pinned the quake inhuman to the ground.

"You don't know what it's like to have something come in and shut you out. To continue living, but not truly living. I was alone in a dark place with only memories to see, and not the good ones. No it made sure I only had my worst days to relive." Ward's voice was barely above a whisper towards the end, it almost sounded like he was asking for pity. Especially when he spoke next. Pointing at his chest, and his voice sounding almost strangled. "It laughed at my suffering."

"So you had no idea Daisy was being tormented by It with your body?" He received no sympathy from the inhuman. He didn't care about the man's trauma, of course he was more concerned with those Daisy had had to deal with during all of this.

"Daisy? Who is-"

'Her name is Daisy.'

"Oh yeah," He smirked a little. "You must have missed that. Skye goes by Daisy Johnson now."

"Why change-" Realization appeared to dawn on the Hydra agent, and if he wasn't imagining it, he felt his lips curve up ever so slightly. "..Her birth name..."

It wasn't a question, he knew that. That's why he waited for the mole to answer his question. It made him wish he had been able to see what that creature did, instead of being stuck inside his head. Maybe he would have been able to do something.

"No, I didn't know anything until I saw Sk-Daisy, with my hands around her neck...What did it make me do to her?" The look of concern lingered longer than Ward probably wanted it to. His body language and tone of voice betrayed the indifference he had been trying to keep towards Daisy since Coulson had first spoken with him.

'Says maybe there's still good left in you.'

"Don't know, she won't really talk to anyone about it. Not that she's talking right now." There it was, that sharp glare he had been giving him since he came down the steps.

If he didn't think it might reflect badly for him, the spy may have been tempted to smirk and make a snide comment. Like he had with Coulson. Though this man probably had no problem killing him, even if Skye- Daisy had risked her life to keep him alive.

"Though I'm sure Agent Morse will find out one day, or Caleb." The blonde continued, shrugging his shoulders.

Ward took a step forward, his emotions twisting without his consent. "Who is that?"

The male inhuman failed to hide his smirk from the specialist. Silently telling him he knew something the mole didn't. It amused him to see him aggravated by this seemingly common knowledge that he had no intel on.

Caleb was obviously someone who had showed up after he had 'died' on the alien planet. Whether he was inhuman or not, was debatable. Grant wondered if even the Hydra god, Hive, as they'd called him, even knew who this person was?

"He's one of the inhumans we've been able to find. Daisy has been helping him transition." The inhuman said as the murderer turned away from him, going back to his spot on the wall opposite the exit.

Ward didn't respond for a while, his thoughts running a mile a minute. How many inhumans had they found? How many new agents had they recruited? How much had changed while he was gone? His brow furrowed as he looked back at the blonde male watching him with guarded eyes.

"While we're on the subject who people are, who are you?"

That brought a crooked grin to his face, and he looked like he was about to extend his hand, before remembering the force field and dropping it back to his side. Daisy really could pick them, couldn't she?

"I'm Lincoln, a-.. friend... of Daisy's." He hesitated to say 'friend', his expression softening slightly. That caught the human's interest.

"Just a friend?" His tone was slightly teasing as he chose to step closer to the barrier between them. Lincoln held his heart on his sleeves, and Daisy wasn't that blind. Was she choosing to ignore this guy's emotions? Like she had him?

The inhuman frowned at his inquiry, his hand going to rub the back of his neck. Like he wanted to say something, but knew it was better not to. Ward was beginning to hate this, he'd never liked secrets kept from him. Though keeping secrets of his own had obviously never bothered him.

"Yeah, 'just a friend', and you're the crazy murderer ex-boyfriend."

That had him smirking, is that how she referred to him? Nice to know he left an impression, then again no one else had probably done what he had done.

"I can't imagine Sk-.." He scowled at his error, realizing it may be harder than he'd thought to switch her names out. He restarted, correcting himself. "I can't imagine Daisy being blind to your obvious affection."

He didn't really care about that, in truth he was digging. If she was not with this man, there must be someone else in the picture, preventing Lincoln from getting what he wanted. He knew how that had felt.

'-Skye and that's all you ever wanted, isn't it?'

If it were possible, the inhuman's loathing for him grew ten fold, in just that moment alone. Ward found it rather entertaining. This blonde was doing remarkably well for someone that looked like he had a large temper. Made him wonder just how far he could push him.

He turned his back slightly, walking along the edge of his confines. Keeping an eye on him from the corner of his vision, his arms clasped behind his back.

"Or is it that something, or quite possibly someone, is stopping you?"

"I'm not hear to talk about my love life."

"No of course not, but I've already answered your question. So why are you still here?" Ward would give him props for keeping his anger so well contained. "If not to talk about your presumed 'love life', but for it to really be called that, there would need to be love wouldn't there?"

"You've answered one of my questions, you still haven't told me why." He didn't let the Hydra man's second statement deter him from focusing back on why he was here. Though he had seen the barely noticeable wince from his jabbing.

"Then be specific. Why what? I can't read your mind, no matter what you may think. What 'why?' are you asking me? At this point there are quite a few you could mean."

Lincoln seemed to take a breath as he forced his hands to unclench at his sides. Relaxing his stance some in the process. "Why did you continue to choke her? I saw the feed. For a moment there, you let go of her. Why try to kill her, was it to repay her for shooting you? Like everyone keeps saying it was?!"

Ah, that's what it was. He wasn't just mad at him because he'd tried to kill the woman he held dear. No, the inhuman was furious because that same woman had chosen a monster of him.

'She thinks I'm a monster.'

He was what was stopping this man from being with Daisy. Coulson's words were suddenly very clear in his head. There was something off about everything they had been saying. He had been too narrow minded to really think much on them then. He'd waved it off as nothing. Yet what he'd thought of as nothing was really the crack in their play.

'She made it pretty clear the feeling wasn't mutual. I'm not insane.'

"You're not going to like what I tell you. That's what this is really about right?" He smirked a little, the boy was smart, he'd almost distracted him. "You don't care about anything I have to say unless it suits your plans. You're hoping I'll just roll over and submit."

Ward turned his gaze to the camera screen in the corner, noticing the little red light was on again. His own anger seemed to boil under the surface. "Daisy's just an old weakness you're hoping to extort! She'd never forgive me. Not after everything I've done. This was all a set up to try and convince me that if I play along I may get what I used to want!"

'You woke up a weakness inside me.'

'He came back for Skye.'

"You think that will work on me? All that about her thinking there was still good in me! That's just another one of your lies! She hates me."

'Says maybe there's still good left in you.'

"It's all lies! You were just using Skye, too. Praying she'd reveal a better part of me, that you could manipulate." The specialist turned rather harshly, slamming his fist into the ray shield. The inhuman's burning rage was nothing compared to the darkness clouding his gaze. "Well, you're wrong. I am not a good man."

The last two words fell on deaf ears as the wall turned solid white, and he was sure they muted him. He wouldn't let that stop him though. They would have to come down soon enough. He looked forward to it. It was surprising the S.H.I.E.L.D. Director would dare to use her as bait, but desperate times, desperate measures.

What did he have that they wanted?

-0-0-0-0-0-

So... I've been sitting on this chapter for about four days(most of it was written before like that scene with Daisy and Hive). But I didn't want to upload until after I'd watched the season finale. Kinda wished I'd posted it before, cause right now it feels really cruel and painful to look at this chapter. I won't give out any spoilers, but I quite literally cried through the last ten or so minutes of it and continued crying for another hour afterwords. I also started tearing up when it looked like someone might die, and screamed once or twice throughout the two hour event.

Though I'm heartbroken with how a lot of it played out, the last two and a half minutes, the time jump actually were okay with me, and made a lot of sense. What are your guys thoughts on the finale? I for one can't wait to see what happens come September, even if we've lost amazing actors, I'd just like to see where our characters end up.

But enough of my rambling, I'll let you people continue with your lives.

Not sure when the next chapter will be up, I'll try to make it soon.

Also, I have written a new chapter of Supposed to Stay in Vegas, which will hopefully be posted within the next day or so. That's the other.. SkyeWard fic I started, and a lot of you seemed to really like it. So instead of making you wait forever, I thought it would be better to upload at least from time to time.

Alright, for real this time, done rambling.

Upload when I can.

#BrettDaltonMustStay

Till then.

Tootles...