Present Day.
Skye knew what she was doing. By encrypting the hard drive so that only she knew where to go and how to open it, Skye had the upper hand. She knew he had no idea she was on to him. The ball was in her court.

"So, where are we going?" Ward asked from the pilot's seat.

Skye looked him in the eye, "L.A" she answered.

"L.A? Of all the places in the world to pick, why some random diner in L.A?"

"It was still set as default location on my encryption system, plus, what do you look for in a drop-site?"

"Lots of people, public place, multiple exists." He listed.

"Exactly," she answered.

He set the course and turned to look at her, "you should get some sleep, it's gonna be a long ride," he said as she yawned into the palm of her hand.

"No, I'm good," she answered. "I can't sleep anyway."

Skye saw something in his eye. She didn't know what it was but she saw it. He looked at her and smiled.

Turning on autopilot, Ward rose to his feet, "come on," he said, holding his hand out to her and she took it.

Once in L.A, the two of them sat in the diner as Skye bought time.

Grant glanced out the window every 2 minutes. "Skye we gotta go," he warned as a police car pulled up.

"No, I'm good right here." She replied without looking back at him.

"Skye, we've been made. Come on."

"No," She answered sternly, "I tipped them off."

Skye spun the laptop in its place to face him. "Hail Hydra," she whispered sarcastically as Grant looked at the screen, heartbroken.

"Freeze! Don't move, both of you." The officer called a few feet away from the booth.

The two agents stood up slowly. Skye put her hands above her head and warned, "just be careful. He's armed."

Ward slowly put his hands up in defeat, complying with the officers arresting him.

Ward was giving up? But he never gives up?

Skye watched him cautiously.
The officer grabbed Skye's wrist, pulling her forward to bind her hands.

Ward launched forward and pulled the cop to him, setting Skye free.

Skye squeezed between the falling cop and the booth they were siting in on her way out the door.

*
(Break)

Skye sat on the lawn chair as Coulson punched in the number of his choice.

The new specialist walked towards Jemma and Fitz by the pool.

They had taken days off to spend a night or two at hotels before, but never like this. Things were different and they all knew it.

No one had the strength to say it in such words.

Coulson split his chocolate bar in half and gave the bigger piece to the girl siting in front if him, "relax for the night. You deserve it." He walked to his room and shut the door behind him.

"I was hoping you'd come back." He said to the woman standing by the desk.

Skye bit the chocolate bar and watched the streetlight dim across the parking lot.

Jemma pulled the chair back and sat beside her friend, "you never told me you were a spy," she joked.

Skye smiled at the girl and looked down at her piece of chocolate.

"What happened?" Jemma asked. "Are you okay?" She said more genuinely.

Skye took a sip of her beer, "I don't know. I can't shake the feeling that there's more to the story. There has to be."

Jemma placed her hand on Skye's shoulder, "we all want to believe that Skye, but look at the facts. Look at what's going on, it all makes sense. Ward is evil."

Skye wiped the tear rolling down her cheekbone, "no, I know something else is going on. We just don't know it yet." Skye placed her bottle on the table, holding it between her fingers, "Garrett used Ward. He had Deathlok stop his heart to get me to open the hard drive." She looked the girl in the face, "You didn't see him, Jem, he was gonna let him die."

**
(Break)

Skye had told the man at the counter that she'd been having problems with her door but he never sent anyone to fix it.

She pushed the door in with force, partially stumbling to the counter, Skye kicked the door closed with her heel. She slid out of her leather jacket and tossed it on the chair beside the window.

"Skye," the broken voice called from beside the curtains. The man stood hunched. His figure, displaying physical pain, slumped over as he held his left side.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Skye quickly turned to face him, taking two steps back.

He limbed out of the shadow, revealing himself to her. His left hand found the back of the couch and he held it to steady himself.

Skye looked from his bruised eye to the cut splitting his button lip into what looked like two separate sections.

His eye, darkened by the fist of a strong man, drooped down.

Skye walked to him, gently placing her palm on his cheek, "what happened?" She begged.

"I'm sorry." His legs gave out and Ward fell to his knees.

Holding his face in her hands, the pressure of his torso against hers pulled her to the floor with him and she sat there.

Ward sat on his heels, leaning his head on her chest as she held him upright.

"What happened to you?" Skye asked, holding his head against her chest.

"I couldn't do it," he answered weakly. His breathing slowed as he breathed in her scent and relaxed in her arms.

"You couldn't do what?" She replied, pulling away to analyze his purpling eye.

"Garrett wanted you dead. He ordered me to do it but.." Ward looked her in the eye, his body pleading for her embrace, "I couldn't."

She helped him to the couch and grabbed a bag of ice from the freezer. Skye sat beside him, "I want to trust you, Ward. I really do."

"I know I've lied. I know you should never trust me again but you have to believe me." He said, desperation taking over. Ward sighed, bringing his forehead to her shoulder and resting it there, "I have no one." He said. "I've never needed anyone in my life. But, you-" His breath caressed her neck as it trickled past. His wet hair, dripping down his neck and seeping into the material of his shirt, made his hair look darker than it was. "I can't lose you."

Skye brought her hand to the back of his head, grabbing a handful of hair. She held him close as he shook from the cold, "Hey, look at me," she said, turning his face to hers, "My God, what the hell did they do to you? You need to see a doctor." She breathed against his lips.

"No, you can't tell the others that I'm here." Ward grabbed her hand, "you can't."

"Why not?" she asked, suspiciously.

"I'm not staying. I can't." Ward cringed and gently placed his warm palm against his side.

"You just said you can't lose me, now you tell me you're not staying?"

"I can't stay, Skye." Ward brought his free hand to her cheek, gently touching his thumb to her lips. "Garrett won't let me go. He'll keep coming. This ends with me. I'll make sure of it."

Ward placed his hands beside him to push himself up.

"Wai- Hey, no," Skye gripped his bicep, holding him down, "I won't let you go."

"I just came to say goodbye." Ward kissed her lips, "I do care about you, Skye, just know that." His hand caressed her arm, sliding down to her fingers until he let her go.

"No," Skye got up and rushed to place herself between him and the door, "you don't have to do this." Pleading, Skye placed both her hands on his chest, pushing him back. "Just stay here. Stay with us." She rested her head on his chest, "we can take Garrett together, as a team."

"Skye-"

"No! You're not going to hand yourself over to him. I'm not gonna accept that so, just sit down." Skye ordered.

He obeyed her command. Slowly, they walked over to the bed and he sat in it.

"What we need," she began, "is to relax." Skye stood in front of him as he sat at the edge of the bed, "take off your shirt." She ordered.

Ward looked at her for a moment, confused, before he painfully peeled his wet shirt off.

Skye got down on her knees and placed her hand on his side, "you're a mess." She said softly.

"Thanks," he laughed, doubling over in pain.

"Don't move," she ordered, "I'll get some more ice."

Skye pushed herself up and made her way back to the freezer. Pulling out more ice, she closed the freezer as she grabbed a towel from the countertop

"Got anything to ease the pain?" He asked.

Skye stopped at the mini fridge and pulled out a bottle of alcohol and brought it to the nightstand beside him.

She threw the towel at him and pulled out a pack of cards.

"You suggest we play cards?" He teased, lightly laughing through the pain as he pulled the towel off his head.

"It's never a bad time to play cards."

Ward placed the towel beside him and looked at the brown haired girl sitting at the edge of the bed. Her features called to him. Delicate and safe. Being with her eased the pain of Garrett's heavy fists and he wished to stay in that moment forever.

None of this made sense. How could a trained specialist feel safe with a girl who barely had any training in her life.

Still, something about her felt right.

"Right, everyone likes a good magic trick." He said, smiling at her as he took the cards from her.

Skye's head tilted slightly as she creased her brows together, "what did you say?"

"Everyone… likes a good magic.. trick?" He repeated, unsure.

"Why does that sound so familiar?" She asked herself out loud.

It hit him slowly, the little girl standing in the doorway with her backpack, and then all at once, the broken girl who cried alone in her room while he sat outside her door, waiting until she fell asleep.

He saw the strong little girl who wore those cuts and bruises on her face siting at the edge of her purple bed. Just like that night.

"You-" Ward looked at her as if he had seen a ghost.

"Me?" She replied, confused.

"It was you?" He spoke in disbelief.

"Ward, what are you talking about?" Fear began to boil in her veins.

"Frank Kellerman." He said, watching her reaction. "You were the little girl at the foster home."

*
The boy had stood there, at the foot of her bed, as she gestured to the small toy box beneath her nightstand. "Lizzie and I spend most of our time playing in here," the sound of her own voice echoed in her head. "It's nothing really, just a bunch of little toys we've gathered together." The little girl pulled the brown box out from its spot and placed it on her bed, "I have a pack of cards," she offered.

"Perfect," his smile widened as he watched her sifting through little objects, "everyone like a good magic trick," he said, as he sat at the edge of her bed.

*
The only time Skye ever saw him like this was back at the Providence. They had finally gotten that drink and she was getting him to open up. Ward told her the truth about what his older brother had made him do. That was the only time Skye ever saw any real emotion from him and she knew it was real. But here they were again, his face, actually showing emotion, showed nothing but relief, and love and hope. A smile tugged at his lips and he placed his hand on her chin.

"I went back. The next day, I escaped my uncle and came back for you but you were already gone." His voice began to waver, "I felt like I had let you down. You needed help and I went away. I abandoned you."

Skye vaguely remembered the boy's face as he smiled, watching her pick a card from out of his hand. Amazing her with trick after trick, "Douglas?" Tears filled her eyes. "You were the boy who was removed from his home." Skye inched closer to him, closing the space between them, letting out a sigh as she wrapped her arms around his neck. She closed her eyes tightly and held him close.

"I thought I'd never see you again." He breathed in her hair as she buried her tear-streaked cheek into the crook of his neck.

They held each other in silence for a moment. Leaning her forehead against his, she whispered, "what happened to you?"

"My uncle." He answered. "He showed me who I am, and who I could become. He trained me to join SHIELD. I'm a bad person, Skye." When he looked down at his feet, Grant looked exactly like he did when he was 14.

"No you're not." Skye interrupted.

"I'm no good for you, I know that," he continued, lowering his head to hers, "It's not safe for you to be around me."

"Listen to me." She said firmly, "Maybe it's who you were after you left Frank's with your uncle but not before that, and not when you were with us." Skye shook her. "I don't know what your uncle did to you, but I know it's not who you are. I see you. I see you for who you really are and it's beautiful and strong and that's the Grant I want to be with. I wasn't lying to you," she said, caressing his cheek with her thumb, "I want this." Skye kissed him deeply and he flinched in pain. Slowly resting her head against his, she continued, "You're not this dark, evil image you've painted of yourself. You're not this…" Grabbing both sides of his face, Skye brought his forehead to her lips and gently kissed it. She ran her fingers through his wet hair and kissed his jaw.

Her warm lips soothed the storm building within him. When he was around her, he felt as if the weight had been lifted off his shoulders. Years of a burden hung over his shoulders, pulling him down with every order he followed. Every mission he completed. He never thought it would be possible to wipe a slate clean but being with her was the only thing that gave him a glimmer of hope. He knew where he wanted to be. Where he had to be.

She helped shine a light on the good in him when he needed it most.

No matter how small it seemed to him, she would never let go of the hope of saving him from himself.

"Let's get away from all of this. We can leave it all behind us. Get a fresh start." Skye felt the heat from under his touch.

He ran his palms down her forearms and held her hands in his.

"We do have the hard drive." She said, admittedly. "Hydra's been exposed and SHIELD has been fighting back. It looks like SHIELD is working on restoring the balance within their agency." She said to him.

"That way, neither SHIELD, nor Hydra, have access to the weapons from the bus and the drug that saved your life."

He kissed her lips softly. Pulling away, his lips trembled for a moment, "Are you really able to cut all ties to the team? Because if we do this, we have to stay off the grid. We wouldn't be able to contact them ever again."

"I have you, don't I?" Skye looked up at him and smiled. "What else do I need?"

"The world outside doesn't exist?" He asked.

"The world outside doesn't exist." She responded.

"I'm so sorry. What your brothers did to you, and Frank.." Ward broke eye contact. He was ashamed. "I wish I would have done something."

"There's nothing you could have done." She reassured.

After a moment of silence, Ward spoke. "Since we don't have anything to do, why don't we stop in Fiji for a night or two." He ran his thumb over her lips and then kissed them, "We could live on the move. Drive from country to country. Buy a boat and ride the coast, spending days on the beach." His brown eyes searched hers soulfully, "I have a few accounts around the world. We're financially set for the rest of our lives."

Skye gently leaned her body against him, tilting her head up to kiss him lips. She sank deep into him as his tongue dipped passed her lips. "That sounds like plan." She replied against his lips, "I've always wanted to stay near the beach for a while. Get a job working in a little shop in town and just live life as it comes."