Previously: Wolfe has threatened Skye with mass murder she doesn't comply to the ritual in five days.

Chapter Twenty-Two

It was times like these that Coulson forgot to eat. He wasn't really sure of the last time he'd eaten, but the fact that his stomach felt like it was starting to cave in on itself had to be some indication that he needed sustenance.

Or maybe it was from the amount of disturbing things going on.

Either way, if you couldn't recall the last time you'd had food, it probably meant you were in need of some.

Coulson walked to the kitchen as he dreaded to think what they could possibly have left in there. Grocery shopping wasn't really a priority lately. And it was probably because of this that he felt a pang of annoyance to see Ward there, digging his hand into a bag of banana chips.

But Ward's wide-eyed look of "caught with a hand in the cookie jar" amused Coulson enough that the agitation quickly dissipated.

"Those are Agent Triplett's," Coulson told him casually. "He's the only one that would eat organic like that."

"Oh." Ward stared at the chips, suddenly pushing them away as though Coulson had scolded him. "I didn't want to eat the last of the real food," said Ward by way of explanation.

"Real food, huh?" Coulson asked. "I mean, I don't really like the organic style myself, but it's edible."

"I meant that there's not very much food that provides sufficient nutrients left. There's really only some leftover chicken. I just didn't want to be the one to take it."

Coulson simply nodded. "Good."

Coulson went to grab the uneaten chicken from the fridge out of its Tupperware, placing it on the counter. A fifteen-minute in and out trip to get food was pretty much necessary as of now, if it was the only thing left. They could do it before their meeting with Elliot Randolph tomorrow.

When Coulson talked to the Asgardian on the phone he found that the man couldn't actually give up his fascination with Europe - ignoring what Coulson thought of as a great idea to move to Oregon - and was currently residing in France. They were going to meet up in Positano the following morning. Randolph admitted to not keeping up with news of Inhumans, but claimed he knew of a way to contact other Asgardian sources.

Meanwhile, Fitz would be working on improving the weapons they'd used to subdue Dr. Hall. With any luck, they could get him into their custody and have a way to keep him there.

The microwave beeped. Coulson took his food and sat down at the table. At the same time, Ward stiffly stood up and began to walk out of the room.

"You can stay," offered Coulson. The man was obviously going to be around for a while, and with no current strikes against him, Coulson didn't see why there was any need to be uncivil.

"I'm done," Ward told him.

Coulson shrugged as he gulped down a mouthful of chicken. "Alright."

Ward started to move away again before hesitating, turning back to Coulson.

"Sir, why am I still here?" asked Ward abruptly. "I'm not doing anything useful right now. You should have sent me away by now, to prison. I've blatantly told you I'm not loyal to SHIELD."

Coulson swallowed another bite. "But we're aware of that. Plus you're obviously still willing to follow orders, and we need anyone we can right now, even if you can't do something at this exact moment." Coulson hesitated before continuing, almost not wanting to admit the following information. "And as long as what we're doing is in Skye's best interest, I have very few doubts that you'll do anything to cross us."

This could be a foolish move on Coulson's part. He had definitely made some bad calls in the past when it came to trusting people. Ward had proved himself more than once while he was a member of the team, and no one saw it. But then again, they weren't looking for any signs of a slip up. And now he had no motivation behind such actions anyway, he couldn't go back to Hydra. Not after killing Garrett. No, the only motivation Ward had was Skye.

Which, Coulson had to admit, worried him almost as much as it assured him. It was definitely an unhealthy obsession, especially since Skye openly admitted to hating him. Coulson picked up that Skye wasn't holding such feelings of rage towards him anymore, but she still wasn't 100% with him. He doubted she would ever be.

"About Skye sir…" Ward asked, as though he knew Coulson was thinking about her. The man had quieted while he seemed to try and think how to word his question. "What are we going to do?"

The two of them shared a look then. The emotions were mirrored for the girl who they both cared for, all the concern, hope, and fear of disappointment reflected in them.

"Ehem," came a loud cough from the corner, and the two men's startled glances went to Skye, leaning on doorframe. "Thought I'd uh, cut ya off there before things got awkward." They stared at her, somewhat stunned by her sudden appearance. She glanced between the two. "…er."

Skye had left suddenly for a few hours and the team had decided to give her space, but now that she was here Coulson wanted nothing more than to ask where she was, how she was feeling. He let them sit in the back of his mind, realizing the questions would be inconsiderate to ask her to bring up.

"How are you feeling?"

Unfortunately, Ward did not realize this.

The question had meant to be said with concern and good intent, but it was pretty obvious the girl wouldn't have been feeling anywhere near good.

"Sore," Skye answered bluntly as she walked into the kitchen. "You'd think with all the stupid gravity powers the guy would have figured out how to set a person down gently," she told them. "My butt is so bruised."

Neither of the men seemed to know how to reply to that particular comment, instead remaining quiet while Skye came in to search the pantries.

"Is there like zero food left?" she asked after she finished her looking. "Oh wait, never mind, I found a hot chocolate packet. Feast for kings," she said wryly, wagging the pouch in front of herself to show them.

"We're going to take a brief trip to the grocery store tomorrow," Coulson told her.

She nodded, before her face suddenly lit up. "Oh my gosh, you know what we could do? We could go out to eat. Like at a real restaurant with servers and fancy napkins!"

Coulson shared a confused look with Ward.

"What?"

"Yeah! I mean we're in Italy, basically the carb capitol of the world. We should take advantage of it. Plus it would be cool to see May in like, normal non-field agent clothes and Fitzsimmons out of the lab. I mean, who knows what Fitz' table manners are like…"

Ward stepped up. "Do we really have time for that?"

"Sure. I don't have to go… there for a couple days, so it can be like a last meal sort of thing."

So many things were wrong with that sentence. Her chipper tone, how casual she was being, and most importantly: the content.

"Skye you're not…" Coulson couldn't even express his disbelief. "What in the world gave you the idea that you were actually going to go with that mad man?"

Confusion splashed onto her face. "Because he's threatening to kill thousands of people if I don't?"

"Well, you're not. SHIELD doesn't negotiate with terrorists," Coulson told her firmly.

"Ok, he's not a terrorist, he's an alien. An alien threatening to destroy the world if I, one single person, don't go. I don't even think there's a question. It would be for a good cause anyway..."

"This isn't a blood drive Skye!" Ward shouted. "This is your life."

"Right, it's my life. So I get to decide what I want to do with it."

Coulson couldn't believe what he was hearing. He wasn't sure why, this was Skye they were talking about. He'd understood why she would do it before; she felt she was saving a race. But Coulson doubted a man that threatened her as he did could have any true good intentions in mind and he had figured Skye would have come to the same conclusions. Apparently not.

"Wolfe has lied multiple times. He could be tricking you into thinking this ritual is something it's not," Coulson pointed out for her, and Ward nodded.

"Well, that doesn't really matter anymore, does it?" said Skye. "He's going to kill people if I don't go, so whatever it's for, I have to do it."

"No," Coulson said firmly. "Fitz is working on a way to take down Hall as we speak. Once we have him in custody, we-"

"We can wait for an alien invasion to come to earth?" Skye interrupted. "Obviously it's happened before, and I'm not talking about New York. There are people after me Coulson and now that Wolfe knows where I am, why would he stop until he gets what he wants?"

She stared at his face, breathing heavily while she waited for an answer. When she realized he didn't have one to give she continued.

"Do you know how terrified I was when Graviton came on to the BUS?" Skye suddenly disclosed, surprising him. Ward shifted his stance in shock as well. "I couldn't do anything to stop him, stop them from hurting you and May, and then I thought… I thought they were going to take me away."

Coulson could see her tiny shaking as she clenched and released her fists over and over. He wanted to hug her, but the space she'd put between them made him unsure if she'd be ok with it. So he'd just reassure her.

"Skye, we are not going to let anyone take you away. They won't get their hands on you if we have anything to say about it. So please, don't give yourself to them."

She drew herself up, stating firmly and indignantly, "I'm not afraid of them. I don't care what they do to me or what this stupid ritual needs. I'm willing to go with them when I have to." She stopped, taking a deep breath to steady her voice. "I was afraid… I was afraid they weren't going to let me say goodbye."

Her voice cracked at the end of the sentence and Coulson didn't care about the space she'd put between them, he stepped forward and wrapped her up in an embrace. She hugged him back tightly.

As Skye nuzzled herself into his shoulder, Coulson watched Ward. He looked somewhat taken aback by the scene. Perhaps he felt out of place, because he began to slowly back out of the room, before disappearing completely to give them privacy.

"I couldn't move… or talk," she mumbled into his shoulder before drawing back. "I couldn't do anything because they took all my control from me. Please, don't take away my choice from me now."

Coulson had never heard such a vulnerable request from Skye. He almost didn't know how to respond, or maybe he just didn't want to, but he knew there was really only one answer.

"I won't Skye. Not if that's what you want," he told her. How could he tell her anything less? She seemed satisfied by the comment as she pulled out of the embrace. "But please, let us try to find more facts. If we find a way to defeat Hall, wait a few more days before going to meet Wolfe? There's still a chance we can figure all this out."

She contemplated the request and for a moment it looked like she was ready to say no, stubborn as she was. But eventually she smiled.

"Sure," she told him.

"Thank you."

She nodded quickly, and she gave him one more squeeze of a hug, just before squinting her eyes in thought. "Do we have any real chocolate? As in, not the dried out kind in a bag."

He tried to chuckle. Tried to act with some semblance of normalcy for her. "I don't think so. Fitz could be hiding some, but we haven't restocked lately so I doubt it."

"Dang," she muttered. "Chocolate sounds really good right now. Put it on the grocery list: good Italian chocolate. Or you know, any kind of chocolate. All chocolate is still chocolate."

Coulson had a hunch her humor was forced as she tried to shake the situation, but he laughed and enjoyed the smile it put on her face. Her eyes suddenly began searching the room.

"Uh… when did Ward leave?" she asked.

"A few minutes ago," Coulson said, avoiding specific details of their conversation. "Probably sometime during our hug."

She tisked with her tongue. "Guess even this Hydra Ward can't handle emotions."

"Maybe not, but he's been helpful," Coulson admitted.

"Yeah. As much as I hate to admit it, it probably was a good choice bringing him on to help out."

"I agree," Coulson told her.

Skye nodded through the silence.

"He really cares about you, you know," Coulson told her, and she sighed heavily.

"I know. Believe me, I know. But that doesn't change anything, he still-"

"I know it doesn't," Coulson interrupted. He didn't need to hear a list of Ward's crimes again; he knew what they were. "But given the situation, I'm grateful for it."

Skye looked down. Playing with her thumbs, she admitted in a whisper, "me too."

She went back to peruse the cabinets again, and Coulson couldn't' help but notice the smile on Ward's face as he turned back around in the doorway.

Ward couldn't imagine that a single, seemingly insignificant comment made by one girl could affect him so much, if it at all. But it did.

Skye was happy, or at least grateful, he was there.

Ward had never felt like this. Because in short, Ward felt… compromised. The two tiny words that uttered out of Skye's mouth had made him dwell on her, thinking about her situation and just in general… Skye. The thoughts were making it so he was having a hard time sleeping, but he didn't really know what to do. Due to shortage of bunks he was still rooming in the Cage and he didn't really have a lot of stuff to spend his time with.

So, possibly making a horrible decision, he went to Skye's room.

There would be no mistaking or denying it if anyone saw him there this time, he wouldn't have just been passing by. But there was no reason they'd have to blame him. He was only going to see if the girl was awake, if there was something she needed to talk about.

He went to knock on her door only to find that it wasn't even closed. That was strange for such a late time of night.

"Skye?" he called. No answer. He decided to make an even stupider move and peak inside, expecting to find her curled up in the covers.

Nothing.

He opened the door completely and stepped into her bunk. It was a little untidy, as always, with clothes spread on the ground and papers all over the desk, but she was definitely not in the small space.

Just then Ward heard a mechanical groaning. It was merely a low hum from his current position, but Ward recognized the sound: it was the cargo bay ramp opening. He quickly ran down the stairs, terrified that Wolfe had come back and Skye was already in the process of being kidnapped. Again.

Ward got there just as the ramp was finishing its descent and all he saw was Skye. No Wolfe, no Graviton, just a bag over back.

"Skye?" he called out, and she turned around with a start.

Her mouth gaped for a few moments before she spoke.

"I thought everyone was asleep."

"Couldn't, too much on my mind," Ward said, stepping up to her with arms crossed. He gestured his head to her pack. "What you got there?"

She looked at the sack briefly, before raising her head back to him. "Just some clothes."

"Skye, what are you doing?" he asked, dreading the answer.

"Leaving," she told him simply, quickly. She may have thought it was better to just rip the Band-Aid off, but Ward was definitely in shock. Even though, given the context, he should have completely expected the answer.

"You're what?"

"I'm giving myself up," Skye said, and before Ward could ask why she read the question from his face. "Because if Coulson gets too close to finding out a way to defeat Hall, he's going to try and hold me back from turning myself over at the deadline. And if one person dies Ward, one person, it will be too many."

Ward understood what she was thinking. But was she really just about to give herself up before she had to, without even telling anyone?

"What happened to being afraid of not being able to say goodbye?" asked Ward. "I thought that's why you were scared they were going to take you before."

Skye looked down, near embarrassed. Or coy, her hands even hid behind her back. Kicking the plane floor she mumbled out, "I wrote letters."

"You wrote letters." Ward scoffed. "You wrote letters? God Skye, do you not even realize what a big influence you have on everyone here? Fitzsimmons would be crushed if all they got were a letter. Coulson would probably never be the same. And honestly, letters aren't really the same as saying goodbye."

"At least I could have given them something," Skye protested, tears making their way to the surface, making her eyes shine. "At least it's my choice."

"Maybe it shouldn't be. Obviously you aren't thinking clearly if you were going to give yourself up days before the deadline."

"Please, Ward," she protested weakly, but he continued.

"Don't you care if it's the truth? Don't you think it's worth it to find out if we can defeat Hall? "

She wiped away the few tears that had managed to spill through, and stared at him with renewed purpose.

"No, I don't," she said firmly. "And would you lower your big robot voice? You'll wake up the whole damn plane."

"Good, they should wake up. If that's what it takes to keep you here," he told her. "There's no way you're leaving tonight."

Her eyes closed slowly, shaking her head with disappointment at the words before she finally trained her stare at the ground.

She seemed so tired.

"So, you're making rules for me too, now," she scoffed. and Ward straightened himself.

"I don't believe your judgment's at its best right now, Skye."

"My judgment is fine. The only problem is that I don't get to use it because people have been making my decisions for me!" she sneered.

Ward felt that he could relate to this. But for him, he welcomed when people made the decisions. Gave him orders. He could be decisive and find what he would think to be the most tactical solution, but that didn't mean he liked it.

Skye's face began to soften from a clear anger to somewhat understanding as she started to take deliberate steps towards him. Suddenly she was holding his hands, gazing into his eyes.

"Please, let me do this Ward. Let me make this choice on my own," she asked, before scoffing. "It's the only thing I have control of in my own life, and I'd really like to keep at least that."

Ward didn't know what to say. He couldn't let Skye waltz out there to her death. Not to mention her execution date was almost two weeks away. God knew what a sadistic bastard like Wolfe was planning on doing with her until then.

"Did I get one?" Ward asked curiously.

Skye squinted, perplexed.

"Get what?"

"A letter."

She searched his eyes momentarily, and he briefly wondered what she was looking for. Still, he took the moment to relish in hers.

"Yes," she told him, before letting out a heavy sigh. "I know you've done bad things Ward, but I told you, I don't hate you. I can't do it anymore. And besides… what's holding a grudge going to do for me now?"

Her words hit him hard. Why did she have to be so damn resigned?

Ward's head shook dejectedly. "You don't have to do this, Skye."

She pursed her lips, began rubbing gentle circles in Grant's hands. He nearly shivered at how tender her touch was.

"Yes, I do."

And then, with her feet lifting slightly so that she was nearly on her toes, she kissed him.

Ward eagerly met her lips with his own, though trying to keep the excitement of the moment to a minimum as she set a gentle tone. Not once, in all his hopes or silent expectations did he ever think she would do this with him again. It wasn't a small kiss, but it wasn't so full of passion as some of those they shared at Providence.

Grant didn't like to think of those.

Once it had come out that Skye had known about his Hydra status and how much disdain she held for him after, those kisses were marred. She been disgusted by him and still managed to pull through them. She could be doing it now, but Ward was too lost in the moment to notice or care. He was touching her. She was inviting him to touch her. He let his hand weave through her hair, took in her familiar scent. It was impossible not to revel in all of it.

Skye broke away, looking into his eyes with what looked like so much innocence and askance. She seemed so delicate. Like a flower, so easily crushed if he wasn't careful.

"If you'll let me," she breathed, before ever so softly adding, "please, Ward."

He took a deep breath, didn't release. They both knew she was supposed to be in charge here, but they were also aware that Ward had the physical strength to hold her back and Coulson may very well back his decision.

Ward was also mindful of the fact that Skye had made countless declarations, along with making it obvious through her very actions, that she was never going to let them happen again. He'd done too much to her and betrayed the team. Then again, as Skye said, was now really the time for her to be holding grudges? She could just be letting go, but she could very possibly be manipulating him. In fact it wasn't just possible, it was probable.

Whether she was trying to trick him or not wasn't the dilemma though. No, the question was: would giving her the right to her choice be the morally correct thing to do? Putting aside his feelings and putting aside what Coulson may do if he found out, did he owe this to her?

If you let her go you'll never see her again, he reminded himself. But again, taking that into account would be making the decision for himself and not her.

So Grant thought. He thought for a good minute about the pros and cons and the rights and wrongs, and if what was going through Skye's head right now was her best judgment. He thought while he stared into her pleading brown eyes that were so desperate for him to just let her go disappear forever from the world.

And then he told her his answer.

A/n: Only know you love her if you let her gooooooo. *ehem* So, is he gonna let her leave? It he gonna go get Coulson? Is he gonna go with her? Let me know what you think! Then tune in next time to find out on Digimon, Digital Monsters. Wait… Sorry, we've been watching that.

GUYS I posted a new story! It's a little darker than this one and goes into psychological aspects quite a bit more, including some physical torture (though no gore or anything, as I dislike blood) which I am trying to avoid in this story other than a few punches and fights. If that sounds good to you, check out A Mark To Match on my profile.