"Why the tears, Skye?"

"I could have lost you if Fury hadn't told us of your undercover mission."

Sitting in the garden on the rooftop of his shophouse, Skye was cuddled in Ward's arms as they huddled together under a warm blanket against the cold morning air. Ward held her close as he wiped her tears away and soothed her regrets.

The team had left two hours ago after talking the remainder of the night away. With Fury's side of the story and Ward's own account, the team had finally understood the need for his disappearance. Though it was painful to hear and accept, they respected and understood his decision.

"I wouldn't blame you if that had happened. Sometimes I couldn't even forgive myself for hurting all of you. Especially you." Ward told her huskily as he tenderly finger brushed her hair. "I understand betrayal. How painful it can be."

"Did you really hate me when I betrayed the team? I mean, you for one, should have understood what I needed to do. I was with the Rising Tide to bring S.H.I.E.L.D. down. Just like you with S.H.I.E.L.D to bring Hydra down."

Skye moved away from him when she heard laughter rumbled in is chest. "Not that I don't like you laughing but why would you laugh when I'm being serious?"

"I am laughing because that was nothing but pure jealousy."

"Excuse me? Care to explain?"

Ward claimed her lips before explaining. Which of course, he could only give after they finally decided they needed air to breathe.

"It was wasn't so much as the Rising Tide issue but that boyfriend of yours.''

"Ex-boyfriend, if you don't mind."

"I like the sound of that," Ward murmured and claimed her lips again.

"So that was only the ugly, green, jealous monster in you that made you treat me like some scum under your size 12 boots?" Skye asked when she was happily wrapped in his arms again.

"Yup." He replied after a quick nip of her neck which had Skye squirming with delight. "You still think me a monster, now?"

"No." Skye shook her head as she subtly gave his lips more access to her neck.

"But you are still calling me names."

"Yes." She giggled when he tickled her sides. When their tickle contest ended, Skye called his name softly, "Ward?"

"Hmmm?" He answered as he played with her hair.

"May I see your back?"

His hand on her hair stilled before he gingerly pushed her away from him. Skye regretted her request and was about to retract it when he cupped her face in his palms.

"I don't want you to blame yourself over this, alright?" Ward asked of her as he held her sorrowful gaze. "Promise me."

"I promise."

He kissed her softly before letting her go to turn his back to her.

During the talk with the team, Fury had explained that the reason why Ward had refused to let the team know of his whereabouts was because he had been severely injured during their attack on Hydra. The team had left after seeing Ward being led away in custody. What they had not seen was the explosion that occurred as he was being escorted away by Fury and his team of trusted Agents to make the arrest looked real.

The bomb was the last one that Skye had planted and was thought to have exploded with the rest. The explosion had cause the hallway where Ward and the Agents were walking along to collapse. A slab of burning material had landed on his back and burned through his vest and shirt. Since his hands were cuffed in front, he was not able to immediately roll away to push the burning heat off his back. The weight had also broke his collar bone which rendered him helpless under the burning flame.

Only with Fury's quick action did he managed to survive the excruciating ordeal. His back suffered third degree burns and later the doctors diagnosed the spinal injury that he had sustained. Ward had begged Fury not to tell the team of his injury. He didn't want their pity, sympathy or compassion even after the Director agreed to only tell the team of his undercover mission.

Above all, he didn't want Skye to know that it was her bomb that had almost killed him. He didn't want her to blame herself.

The road to recovery was long. Miraculously, the spinal injury was not permanent. He was able to walk after a year of intense physical therapy. He managed to disappear from radar with Fury's help and change of identity. With the money that he was owed over the years, he bought the shop house and opened a bookstore. The choice of location of being near St Agnes, was not by coincidence but choice.

Ward had hoped one day, Skye would return to the orphanage for a visit. He had been truthful with the Sisters and they had agreed to help conceal his true identity. Spending time with the children had brought him joy and he had learned much of Skye's childhood from the Sisters. His visit to the orphanage the day before was not by coincidence. Sister Margaritte had called him the minute Skye stepped on the porch.

Ward pulled his shirt down again to cover the extensive scars on his back that extended from the back of his neck to his waist. He had opted to let his hair grow to cover the scars as it also deters unwanted attention and questions. Turning around to face Skye, he found her crying silently. Her lips kept mouthing her apologies and regrets. He pulled her close to him.

"You promised." He reminded her as he gazed lovingly into her eyes before cradling her on his lap and held her head under his chin. "Cry if must. But just this once, ok?" Ward softly relented to her cries and apologies as he placed soft kisses on her hair. "After this? We start a something new together. You want that?"

Skye nodded and cried her heart out one last time before she stopped as he had beseeched of her.

"Ward?"

"Yes." He acknowledged after placing another soft kiss on hair.

"Why do you call your bookshop 'Clouds and Skies'?" Skye asked as she placed a tender kiss at the base of his throat.

"Well," he cleared his throat as a red flush covered his neck and face.

"What?" Skye moved a little away from him and searched his face for answers.

"Well, I was hoping the store will be a family thing, someday. Something that I can hand down to my," he swallowed, "children. With you. I wanted to name it Clouds and Sons, but what if we have girls and I can't call them Clouds. Not that they won't be a Cloud but they'd be more of a girly Skye. Anyway, I was hoping that I'll find you and you find me and we end up like this and maybe there won't only be little Clouds but little bubbly Skies as well and I have mentioned that haven't I? Well, as I was saying, I was thinking that it should be a family thing and something that I only want to have with you and I was also hiding so I can't have have anything that has a Ward and Skye just in case you managed - "

He was silenced with an mind blowing kiss.

Still dazed from Skye's kisses much later, he managed to capture her question of "You know what?"

"I talk too much?" he asked.

"No." Skye rolled her eyes and slipped her hands under his shirt with an all knowing smirk. "We should practice."

"Practice?"

"Yup. My SO once told me that if we need to perfect some moves we need to practice."

"Moves?"

"Yup. I'm not very sure how to make little Clouds and Skies. I say we need to practice."

"Will you whine and complain if the practice gets too intense?" Ward's grin began to grow as Skye's fingers did suggestive circles on his bare skin.

"I will only moan. But I can't promise to not scream and yell out your name if the sessions get too intensive."

"I promise to make sure your scream and yell out my name."

"Let's kiss on it." Skye suggested as she let her fingers plough into his hair to pull his lips to hers.

The early morning rays shone their lights on the Ward and Skye as they started their new beginning with a promising kiss. The rays then ushered them into the house before leaving them in privacy as Ward carried Skye bridal style to grace their first day together as the couple they are meant to be.

THE END

Thank you for staying with me to the end of this ff. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Hugs and up, up, SkyeWard away!

PS : cherry girl xxx? Now you see why I let Ward let his hair grow longer.