A/N: Hi guys! Sorry it's been another hiatus :/ I was trying to figure a way to get everyone to co-operate for the next chapter while still being in character. So I had a bit of writer's block with that. Good news is, I'm all set for the next chapter: featuring The Avengers! :D

Thank you to KenzieHazz13, and Sakura Crystals and guest for your reviews! :)

Guest - That would be a great idea! Would you mind if I add that in as a little mention in the next chapter? :)

Enjoy! :)

Grant halted a block away from the Providence surface building, hesitant to meet the members of S.H.I.E.L.D. again. Skye turned to him, a concerned frown on her face.

"Grant?" she asked, and he looked at her, his uncertainty plain to see. She sighed. "Grant, they don't hate you."

"Yes, they do." he muttered, the memories of his actions running through the forefront of his mind and darkening his expression. "They're not as forgiving as you."

"Grant Ward." Skye said firmly, taking a step forward so she was mere inches away from him, and raised a hand to his cheek. "How many good things have you done for those people? Hmm? And how many of them know it?"

"Those numbers aren't the same."

"So? We'll make them know." Her other hand reached up to settle on his left cheek. "You helped complete my mission with Bobbi, and helped Kara get her mind back. I think Jemma'll have gotten rid of that mask by now."

"Three people…maybe."

"And Fitz is eager to see us again."

Grant scoffed and turned his head away, his eyes squeezed shut. "I hurt Fitz. I hurt his brain."

"You think that decreases his genius, or something?"

"No…" he turned his head back to face her, his eyes still shut. "I don't know."

Skye sighed. "You remember when May found me with Miles?"

Grant's eyes flew open, then narrowed. "Yes." He replied bluntly.

"Did you hate me? Even when you felt betrayed?"

"No. But you didn't hurt anyone."

"Didn't I?"

Grant was silent, one eyebrow raised. Clearly, he didn't understand what she was referring to. "Scorch's death was on him, and Miles."

"I wasn't talking about death. And you haven't killed any of the team, so why did you jump to that?" Skye's forehead and nose scrunched up, then she shook her head and moved on before he could speak. "Anyway, I meant that I had betrayed Coulson, and his faith in me. But I earned it back, and with you, and May and FitzSimmons. I apologised, and I meant it. I proved it."

Grant's expression looked less haunted by his past actions by the end of her speech, and Skye internally cheered.

"Now, let's go show them you're a changed man."

Fitz kept shifting his weight from foot to foot, his hands constantly moving as his fingers twisted around each other, over and over. Simmons stood next to him, her breath held every few moments as she tried to calm her fear – or was it excitement? – and flicked her gaze from her partner to the door.

May and Bobbi stood resolutely still, on either side of the scientists, their own gazes fixed on the door. They had slipped into an at-ease stance, and appeared as if they were guarding the two youngest of the group assembled. Coulson half-mimicked them, standing just as still, but with his hands clenching repeatedly into fists by his sides. Hunter stood a small way away, leaning against the nearest SUV as though he wasn't worried, although his tight expression showed otherwise.

"Mack, report." Coulson said quietly.

"I got eyes on them." Came the reply. "Skye's talking to him…Ward doesn't look to happy about something."

"How does she look?" May asked, her tone worried.

"Healthy, from what I can see. They're coming this way." Mack's abrupt change in tone caused the tension behind the door to increase tenfold. Silence accompanied it, thick and a little uncomfortable.

"Hey, Mack." Skye greeted the agent cheerfully as she approached with Ward by her side. They held hands, and although Mack smiled genuinely in reply, his eyes darted from Skye's face, to Ward's, to their intertwined hands, and back to Skye.

"Hey, tremors." He said, wrapping the woman in a hug. Skye let go of Ward's hand to hug him back, and Mack noticed that Ward simply slipped his hand into his pocket. The move belied the obvious tension radiating from the rogue agent. Mack kept his eyes glancing between Skye and Ward when he let the former go and nodded towards the door nearby, choosing his words carefully. "They're all waiting inside."

While Skye's eyes lit up with joy, Mack focused on Ward's reaction. The other man looked to the door Mack had pointed out, his own eyes filled with…was it nervousness? The realisation hit Mack like a truck. He's afraid of being rejected.

Mack stepped towards Ward, watching him tense up again as he was eyed warily. Mack kept his face relaxed as he held out his hand for Ward to shake.

"I'm Agent Mackenzie, 'Mack' for short. Heard you've been helping out a lot against Hydra."

For a split second, Ward looked stunned. Then he cautiously reached out his hand to shake Mack's, his entire body letting go of a lot of the tension he had been bottling up.

Skye was beaming beside both of them. As Mack turned away to head to the door, he noticed her stretching up on her toes to kiss Ward on his cheek, and Ward smiling in response. Striding to the door, he opened it, nodded calmly at the assembled agents inside, and glanced back at the couple following him.

As Skye and Ward crossed the threshold, Fitz and Simmons rushed forward to hug Skye.

"I missed you guys!" Skye cried out in delight, squeezing them both at once.

"We missed you, too." They replied in unison. Then they pulled away, Simmons searching Skye's face for anything that would justify her concern. Merely seeing happiness and a sense of relaxed calm that had evaded the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents for over a year, she blinked once, smiled and hugged her again. Skye grinned, knowing that Ward's time back with the team was already going to be a better experience than expected.

Fitz had turned to Ward almost as soon as he let go of Skye, flashing her a smile. Ward tentatively held out his hand for Fitz to shake, a hopeful-yet-slightly-cynical smile tugging at the corner of his lips. Fitz glanced at the offered hand, then grasped it and pulled Ward in for a one-armed hug. Ward's surprise was palpable to the gathered team members, Coulson, Bobbi and May watching him especially closely, but the surprise was almost instantly replaced by relief and a wide grin. Hunter, eyeing him from his position against the SUV, raised an eyebrow and shared a look with Bobbi. Fitz and Ward pulled apart, and by this time, Simmons had released Skye and turned to face Ward. Ward's grin subsided somewhat as he beheld her, but the relief at Fitz's acceptance still lingered in his expression, making him look hopeful and giving him a younger appearance. Having already understood that Skye was happy with this man, Simmons was now willing to welcome him back to S.H.I.E.L.D.

She held out her hand for Ward to shake. The man's smile started working its way onto his face again, and he reached out to grasp the proffered hand. Neither he nor she pulled the other in for a hug, but the understanding that passed between them caused Skye to smile widely and turn immediately to May. May smiled for the first time since Skye and Ward entered the building and wrapped her arms around the younger woman, taking her eyes off of Ward briefly as she allowed herself to just be happy that Skye was safe and healthy.

Ward now turned to face Coulson. The older man's face was blank, yet he watched Ward intensely.

Ward glanced down as he gave a short nod. "Sir." He said respectfully.

The tightness around Coulson's eyes held for the span of a couple of moments, then as he realised that the younger man was being sincere, he relaxed, and the tension melted away a little. He too held out his hand. This time, Ward hesitated for a second, then accepted the handshake.

"Thanks for the help." Coulson said, shaking Ward's hand firmly.

It was the least I could do. Ward almost replied, then thought better of it as he imagined the can of worms that those words would open up. He didn't want to face that yet.

May stepped forward from hugging Skye, drawing level with Coulson on his right side. Ward's eyes flicked to her, and he held her gaze, a silent apology in his eyes. May nodded once, subtly.

Skye stepped up to Ward's left side, slipping her hand into his and squeezing it, offering her comfort. He squeezed back, both of them looking at each other, then back at Coulson. The director smiled as he looked at Skye, the woman grinning in reply and she let go of Ward's hand to hug the man who was like a father to her.

"I missed you so much." She said quietly in Coulson's ear.

"I missed you, too." He murmured back. They released each other, and Bobbi stepped forward, next to May.

"Hey!" Skye exclaimed delightfully. She jumped on the taller woman, wrapping her arms around Bobbi's neck. Bobbi laughed a little at Skye's enthusiasm, squeezing her back, her own arms around the other woman's torso.

"Been too long, Skye." Bobbi lightly chided, then released her.

"Well, it's been a bit wild lately." Skye responded nonchalantly, shrugging.

"Care to elaborate?" May asked, an eyebrow raised. Her expression was open, merely showing curiosity.

"Sure, but somewhere more comfortable. Like, on the sofas?" Skye smiled, taking Ward's hand again. Her left eyebrow and left side of her mouth tipped upwards together as she uttered the suggestion. May looked at Coulson.

"Come on in." he said, tipping his head in the direction of the hangar door on the other side.

As the group all started to trickle that way, Fitz sidled up to Skye. "I thought we'd have to contact the Avengers together over whatever background algorithm you use, not you actually showing up in person." He was smiling, which showed how delighted he was to be surprised by this.

"We weren't planning on getting here so soon, but clashes of opinion in Af– in the place where we were staying meant we had to leave sooner before things were said and done that would be really regretted later on. Besides, meeting the Avengers? There's no way I'd miss that!"

"Even though they'd probably be focusing on the fact that they thought Coulson was dead for nigh on two years." Ward added. His longer stride meant the other two had to walk faster to keep up.

"There is that."

"But we are getting in contact for more than a 'surprise, I'm alive!' conversation." Fitz said.

"Yeah, about that. What is it that Coulson wants the Avengers for?" Skye turned her head to face him, letting Ward guide her round the quinjets parked throughout the hangar.

"We found Hydra groups from the documents you filched from their database. One's in Siberia."

Bobbi, who had been listening in on their conversation, piped up. "Did you know about that?" She directed the question at Ward.

He shook his head. "Hydra was huge, and just like S.H.I.E.L.D., no one knew everything, or much, unless you were in Pierce, Strucker or Whitehall's inner circle. I was just privy to the general stuff, and whatever Garrett thought was prudent to tell me."

"So you weren't in it for Hydra?"

"No." Ward's expression soured. "It was a means of survival."

Bobbi nodded and lengthened her stride, catching up to Hunter and Mack.

"Anyway…" Skye dragged the discussion back to the topic at hand. "Siberia? Is Coulson wanting a raid?"

"Do you have much information on it?" Ward asked. When Fitz shook his head, and muttered something about know even knowing where the agents were, exactly, he nodded in understanding. "So it's more of a reconnaissance mission."

"Yep." Fitz nodded along with his brief reply.

A/N: That's all for now! :) Hope you liked, and please could y'all leave a review? It can be a little one :)