I just want to take a moment and thank all of you who are reading this story and reviewing. It warms me to see you enjoying it as much as I do writing it.
I'm taking a short break from NaNo to post this quite lengthy chapter for you. Please, enjoy!
Skye POV
I decide to wear the blue dress to the cinema tonight. It's tight at the top with a flowing knee length skirt, so it should draw some attention without being over the top. I make my final preparations – hair and make up – before slipping into it. A glance at the clock tells me that it's time to go. I grab my matching clutch, slip into my comfy heels and head downstairs to meet 'James'. He's waiting in the lounge for me when I reach the bottom of the stairs. He's wearing dark blue jeans and a pale blue shirt, which actually looks really good on him.
"Where are your rings?" He asks once he stops gawking at me.
I look down to see my hand is empty. "I left them on my dresser."
"I'll get them." He's gone before I can protest. Less than a minute later he's back with both the wedding and the gorgeous engagement ring. He places them back on my ring finger, then in a surprise move, leans over me and kisses it.
"We should go." I whisper when he doesn't let go quickly enough. Instead of releasing me, he places my hand in the crook of his elbow and leads us out to the car. He seems to be taking his character way too seriously.
We arrive at the cinema with ten minutes to spare. He puts an arm around me and pulls me close as we enter the complex.
"Would you like some popcorn and drinks, Jen?" He asks as we head up the escalator towards the refreshments.
I smile up at him. "Yes, James, I would. Salted popcorn and a water." He orders for both of us and even carries it all into the screen. There are several people already seated as we find ours, near the back. I can feel him scanning the small crowd for the couple. "Are they here?" I whisper to him.
"No, not yet, but they are expecting them within the next few minutes." He whispers back. He hands me my water and puts the popcorn between us so we can both reach it.
The lights dim as the adverts start. I keep one eye on the door and one on the screen, waiting for their arrival. Just as the film is about to start they enter and take seats right in the middle of the room. Throughout the movie I keep an eye on them, just as Ward is undoubtedly doing, watching for anything suspicious.
Three hours later the lights go up and we stand, intent on getting out first so we can get into place.
"That was so good!" Skye gushed as we exited the screen hand in hand. "But it was so long. I have to use the ladies." She gives me a kiss on the cheek, then practically runs for the bathroom. I take up a position that guarantees they'll all have to pass me. It doesn't take long for the couple to emerge and Mrs Cliff-Simons to follow Skye's example. Like me, Mr Cliff-Simons stands off to the side to wait.
I listen to the men gathered discussing the outcome of the film, waiting for the moment when I can jump in.
"I think the addition of the dinosaurs was a bit too much." A tall, willowy man said loudly.
I snort, gaining the attention of all the men present. "Sorry."
"No, no, please." Mr Cliff-Simons turned to me. "What did you think of it?"
"I think they fit perfectly. The back story was about the extinction of the dinosaurs, so it made sense that some of them would have taken that form, considering they appear to have been dormant for millions of years, and hadn't even had an upgrade. What else could they have been?"
"So you didn't think it was too much?" He asked, looking very interested in my answer.
I smile as I see I have his complete and undivided attention. "Not at all. I think it was very good. They took a giant leap away from the previous trilogy, with an all new cast, and gave it a new lease of life."
He smiled back at me and I knew I had succeeded. "Jordan Cliff-Simons." He held out his hand to shake, which I accepted.
"James Clark."
"Nice to meet you James." Skye took that moment to appear with Clare Cliff-Simons, both chatting like they'd been friends for years.
"Hey, sweetie." Skye says, rejoining me and putting an arm around my waist.
I smile lovingly at her. "Hey." I get lost in her beautiful, expressive brown eyes and forget my surroundings for a moment. I get brought back to reality by a throat clearing behind me. I blush and turn back to our target. "Sorry, Jordan, this is my wife, Jennifer."
"Pleasure to make your acquaintance." Jordan steps forward to shake her hand.
She smiles widely at him. "The pleasure is all mine."
"And this is my wife, Clare."
I shake her hand lightly and nod in greeting. "Nice to meet you."
"So what were you guys talking about?"
Skye asks, resting her head on my shoulder.
"Dinosaurs." I state simply. Jordan laughs at the confusion on her face.
"We were discussing the dinobots in the film, and whether they were too much. Your husband shares my view that after an extended hibernation they would take on the forms of the last creatures they saw – hence the dinosaurs."
"Ah, now I understand." She says, recognition lighting up her face. I smile indulgently at her and kiss the top of her head.
Jordan checks his watch. "Listen, I hate to chat and run, but we have a dinner reservation that we cannot be late for."
"Don't let me hold you up." I say, holding out my hand again. "It was nice to meet you."
"You too." We shook and they left. I had failed to get the invitation.
"We should get going too." Skye says to me quietly.
"Yeah." I answer absent-mindedly. She pulls me along to get me moving, my mind racing, trying to figure out where I went wrong.
"James. James. JAMES!" I snap out of it when I realise Skye is calling my alter ego's name. "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine." I say curtly and get into the car.
"I take it by your attitude you didn't get the invite."
"No. I thought I had him, but no, he didn't even mention it."
"Then it's a good job I made friends with his wife." She smiles at me as I whip my head around to look at her. "She asked me if we'd be interested in meeting some of their friends as a 'welcome to the country' gathering. I said I'd talk to you and let them know, so she gave me her number."
I smile widely at her, both proud and amazed by her ability to charm anyone into anything. "Then I'll leave it to you to let her know we'll be there." I start the car and pull out of the parking garage, heading for home. I have an idea running around my mind, but I'm reluctant about voicing it, given her feelings towards me.
"Skye." He says quietly. It's so soft that I don't snap at him like I intended to.
"Yeah." I answer in an equally soft whisper.
"Would you like to go get a drink with me when we get home?" It comes out almost reluctantly, as if he's afraid of my reaction. I think about it for a moment. Nothing has really changed in a day, I still feel extremely conflicted around him, but being seen out and about as a couple will help our cover, should it be needed.
"Sure. What did you have in mind?" I see his eyes widen slightly in shock before he regains his composure.
"There are a number of pubs in the town centre, we could check them out, pick the one we like best." He sounded hopeful. A walk around the town seemed like a good idea. We could scout out the area, get a feel for the locals and see if we could hear anything.
"Ok, that's actually a good idea."
"Great, let's drop the car off at home and we can walk in, if that's ok?"
"That's fine, Ward."
We reach the house a few minutes later. I take a moment to grab a jacket whilst he drops off the keys.
The short walk into town starts off a little awkward, until we drop back into our roles. He gently takes my hand, holding it loosely, so I can pull away if I want to. I feel a tingle go through my hand, telling me that my body approves, even whilst my mind shies away. It was only due to the situation that I kept my hand in his and even tightened my fingers.
"Where did you want to go first?" I ask, looking around at the dark stores, admiring how different it is here in this small town.
"Let's scout the area, find the bars, look for possible venues for the meeting and see if we can make friends." He suggests as we head up the high street. Our jaunt around the town only takes about ten minutes and we find several pubs in close proximity to each other.
Being a week night it's not especially busy, so we have our pick of drinking establishments. We decide on a little one tucked away in a side street called the Swan. It's cosy and intimate, perfect for a couple looking for a quiet drink.
"What would you like to drink Jen?" Ward asks over the conversation steadily flowing through the bar.
I take a look at the menu, strategically placed on the bar in front of me. It's a list of cocktails and one in particular catches my eye. It's called a Disarrono Sunrise – a mix of Disarrono, orange juice and grenadine. "I'll have one of these." I point to the drink, showing both my 'husband' and the bartender my choice.
"And I'll have a scotch on the rocks." The bartender turns away to make our drinks and I spot an empty table near the front window so I tell Ward that I'm going to go and sit down. He nods and presses a kiss to my cheek, releasing the arm he had around me so I can move away. I sit and watch everyone present. There's a group of young men celebrating something, a few couples having a quiet drink and several older people, who obviously know each other, reminiscing about old times.
Ward joins me a minute later, placing a drink that looks like a sunrise in front of me, with orange merging into red as it rises. I love the way it is and take a sip. The almond taste goes well with the tart orange and sweet grenadine. I've always loved the amaretti taste and Disarrono is the same stuff – almonds - so, naturally, I had to try it and have been hooked ever since.
"How is it?" He asks quietly.
"Really good. Just the right amount of juice to balance out the alcohol." I tell him. "I could drink it all day."
"I'm glad you like it." He took a large gulp of his drink, whether to get us out of here quicker or for courage I don't know. I twirl my straw around in the glass slowly, watching the colours start to merge together.
"Can I tell you something?" He says, almost reluctantly.
"Sure." I paste a smile on my face, keeping up our façade.
"It's about my past." He warns, wanting me to understand. It's something I'm not sure that I want to hear. I nod anyway. I watch and wait as he takes another sip, followed by a deep breath. "I didn't have a good childhood. My older brother was the main reason, though he wasn't the only one. My father had his fair share too. My brother would force me to beat our younger brother and if I refused he'd do worse to both of us. My father just laughed and encouraged him. Sometimes he'd even join in. And during all this my mother would be passed out, blind drunk, on the couch." He stops to take a breath and I hold mine, horrified by what I'm hearing. "When I was a teenager I set fire to the family home, I was subsequently caught and sent to juvenile hall. John Garrett found me there and offered me a chance. He got me out and took me under his wing. His version of training was to take me into the woods, fresh out of juvie, and leave me there, with only Buddy for company, for six months." My heart skips a beat and my breath hitches in my throat. I thought I had it bad growing up. He continues without acknowledging me. "He left me with no provisions. I had to catch my own food, build my own shelter, protect myself from predators. I had no human interaction at all in that time. He left me there for several years, until finally I was accepted into the Shield Academy and he told me the truth about who he was, how he became a member of Hydra. He taught me everything, raised me as his own son, made me a soldier and gave my life meaning. I owed him my life, so I gave him mine in return."
We were silent for a while, both caught up in our own thoughts. Hearing about what he went through as a kid, and how Garrett preyed on him, sickened me more than his betrayal did. It also helped me understand him and his motives a little better.
"How do you feel about him now?" I whisper, not sure I want to know the answer.
"Conflicted." He says succinctly. "I mean, he was the closest thing to a father I've ever had. He raised me, taught me how to survive and gave me a role model to look up to. I thought I was following a man on a righteous path, but it seems all he wanted was to become invincible and take over the world. I've followed orders all my life and when I asked what me next one was he laughed at me, just brushed me off as he'd achieved his goal at the expense of everyone else."
"What about Hydra?" I broach the subject carefully, unsure of his feelings toward the corrupt organisation.
"You were right about them." He met my eyes levelly for the first time since he started talking. "And you were right about me."
I know I was right about Hydra, but I'm not so sure about him any more, after hearing about his past, and it doesn't make me feel any better to hear it from him.
"What about me?" He asks, almost shyly.
I take a moment to compose my answer, then, for reasons unbeknownst to me, lean over and take his hands in mine. "I understand you reasons for joining Garrett and Hydra, I do. You had a horrific upbringing, one I wouldn't wish on anyone, and you made a bad decision to join a madman. But you killed innocent people, knowing full well what you were doing, even if you didn't know the whole truth. That's not something that can be forgiven or forgotten."
"I know, and I'm not asking for forgiveness. All I'm asking for is a chance to make up for all the things I did and apologise to everyone that I ended up hurting." He sighs and closes his eyes for a moment. "Garrett may have been like a father to me, but you guys were family. I tried not to get attached to anyone, but I failed. I cared for each and every one of you."
I snort, thinking of Fitz. "You have a strange way of showing it."
"I truly believed it would float, I really did." He sat back, dragging his hands from mine up to his face. "When it didn't I felt sick to my stomach. I thought I'd killed my best friend and it almost killed me."
I felt a wave of grief and despair go through me at the thought of Fitz dying in that pod and it suddenly got very hard to breathe. I felt a hand on my face and a voice in the distance. "Breathe, honey. Breathe." I try to follow the request, taking a deep breath and the knot in my chest starts to ease, helping me to calm down. I concentrate on breathing until I feel like myself again. "Feeling better?"
I nod, not trusting myself to speak just yet. He searches my eyes, looking for the truth. Satisfied that I'm ok, he goes to stand, saying something about another drink. I can understand his reasoning. I could use something stronger too. In the time he's gone I regain my composure enough to remember why we're here.
He comes back with two scotches and a bottle of water. I smile my thanks at him and take a healthy gulp of the water.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to bring up bad memories." He says apologetically.
"You didn't." I reply. "I don't know what came over me." I take a fortifying sip of my drink and enjoy the burn as it goes down. We sit in silence for a few minutes and I feel regret wash through me. I push it away and down the rest of the scotch, trying to drown out the feelings.
"I told you about my past, hoping you'd at least understand why I did what I did." He told me. "I owed him for everything he did for me."
"I get that Ward, I really do." I lean forward, taking his hand again. "But not everything can be solved with an apology or an explanation. We trusted you implicitly, and you destroyed that with a single bad choice."
He had the grace to look ashamed. "I know, and it's something that I'll have to live with for the rest of my life. I just want the chance to try and make up for my sins and show you guys that I've changed, that I want to help you rebuild. This could be the perfect chance to do that."
"We'll see." I reply, not entirely convinced about his motives. He doesn't say anything more, probably knowing that his actions will do more for him than his words. I certainly won't be convinced by anything else. I decide to get us back to the task at hand. "I noticed a few places that would make a good venue for a meeting."
When he realised I'd changed the subject again, back to our mission, he almost came back to life. "Me too. When we get home we'll have to look them up, see what we can discern about private gatherings."
"Ok." I nod, already mentally compiling a list. "I was also thinking that we should go for a drive tomorrow, around all the other towns and villages, see what we can find."
"Good idea." He replies. "We should make a list of possible venues for Director Coulson to investigate, it may help narrow down the choices."
"And if anyone asks, we're thinking of living here, so were taking pictures of the area to get a better feel for the place." I add, playing to our cover. He nods, seemingly happy with the idea, and finishes his scotch. I shake my head when he silently asks if I want another. "We should probably head back, get some sleep before tomorrow."
"I suppose you're right." He sighs, before getting to his feet and offering me a hand. I take it and stand, and he surprises me my giving me a soft, quick kiss on the lips. I only just manage to prevent myself from either striking him or pulling him closer, my mind and body both still fighting for dominance. In the end I just stand there, slightly shocked, until he tugs me forward. It takes me a moment to realise he was just acting like my husband and that it's necessary for us to kiss to keep our cover in place.
I smile at the look of terror evident on his face at his unexpected gesture. He was obviously expecting me to blow up at him or something, but I just lean in and kiss him back, a little harder, startling him. A loud round of whistles causes us to jump apart and I blush profusely. Regaining his wits, Ward wraps an arm around me and leads us out of the pub, in the cooler, fresh air of the late British night. He keeps me attached to his side the entire walk home. I don't know whether it's for protection, our cover, or his own piece of mind, but for some reason, I don't call him on it.
As soon as we walk through the door I move away from him and kick off my shoes. They may have been my comfy heels, but I can only put up with them for so long before they start to hurt. Knowing we still have work to do before I can relax I head for the part of the lounge that we've converted into a study and grab my laptop. I curl up on the couch and open a window to start working out a route for tomorrow as well as writing down our discoveries about the town.
I'm startled out of my task when I feel a pair of hands grab my feet and turn me sideways on the couch. I grab my laptop before it crashes onto the floor and look up to find Ward has sat on the other end of the couch with my feet in his lap. My question dies in my throat when he starts kneading the tight muscles in my feet, instead I close my eyes and let out a deep moan. He digs into my arches, loosening the tension and reducing me to a quivering puddle of goo.
"Have you figured out where we're going to go tomorrow?" His voice rumbled lowly through the quiet of the house.
"Mostly, yes. I figured we'd go in a circle. Head south towards Bath, then make our way north, towards Cirencester, Burford, Evesham then back south through Cheltenham and back here to Stroud. It'll take us several hours to do the round trip, but we can make it a day trip by stopping for half an hour in each town or city to look around and take pictures."
"You mean we'll act like typical tourists." He says with a smile.
I can't help but return it, unable to muster up my earlier anger and disgust with him. "Yeah, basically."
"Alright, sounds like a plan." He takes my feet off his lap, placing them on the couch and getting to his feet. "We should get some sleep. Good night, Skye."
"Night Ward." I watch as he heads upstairs to his small, cramped bed for the night. I finish typing up my email to AC, encrypt it and send it on to him, knowing he'll get on it straight away in the morning. Closing my laptop, I get to my feet and stretch, feeling mellow and at peace for the first time in a long while. I follow in his footsteps and head up to bed, looking forward to collapsing in my big king sized bed and getting a good nights sleep.