Ward walked back to the table, grabbed Romanov by the hand and led her to the dance floor.
"What is going on with you two?" he asked her.
"Nothing, why."
"You know you can't lie to me." Ward reminded her.
"It's nothing." She said, shaking her head.
"That's why you slapped him when he told you not to get any ideas?"
Romonov looked stunned.
"How did you find out what he said to me?"
"Just a guess. Women's right of passage or some other crap." Ward told her.
"Yeah, well."
"Well what? Forgive him. That slap was punishment enough for his exceptionally bad timing."
"Was it?"
"Seen as though you hid from people you wouldn't have seen how red his face was from where you hit him. Pretty sure he's going to have a bruise tomorrow."
"So what you're saying is stop dancing with you, kick your wife of my boyfriend's knee and take her place?"
"Pretty much!"
Romanov kissed Ward on the cheek and went back over to the table they had been occupying. Ward could see her place her hand on Hawkeye's shoulder. She said something to him which made Skye move off his knee.
He suddenly found himself face to face with Nadia.
"Let's dance." She demanded.
Ward, suspecting what was coming tried to decline but she took his hand and snaked the other one to his shoulder.
"I know men like you. I know your game. If you hurt her I will kill you." Nadia hissed in his ear.
"Nadia. I guarantee you don't know any men like me and I have no game."
"Really. You are a ladies' man, who can have any woman that he wants to. What happens when you get bored? You go choose another woman and Skye will end up getting hurt." She accused.
"I have no intention of hurting Skye, and just because I am everyone's type, doesn't mean I have 'other women' on the go."
"I saw you with that Oriental woman outside."
To Nadia's surprise, Ward laughed.
"I think you misunderstood that."
"Really? From where I stood you two were pretty close." Nadia replied sarcastically.
"We are close, and yes, we used to sleep together, but mainly so we didn't have to deal with our feelings for the people we actually loved. Tonight, Skye and I decided we would persuade her that she should confront her feelings for the man who gave Skye away. We got hold of an ear receiver so that we could tell her what to do and what you saw was me putting that in her ear because her hands were shaking too much to do it herself." Ward informed Nadia.
"And the redhead?"
"Adopted sister."
"Maid of Honour?"
"Seen my body more times than I care to admit, but never anything sexual. More of a sisterly relationship."
"The other bridesmaid?"
"She's my real sister. Why else do you think she's still walking after tie wrapping me to a chair? I assure you Nadia, me and Skye, we aren't a marriage of convenience. We do love each other and just because we don't have major public displays of intimacy, doesn't mean we don't have any in our relationship."
"How far would you go to protect her?"
"As far as I need to."
"Hypothetically, would you take a bullet for her?"
Ward smiled. Nadia still thought that Skye was in international investments, she had no idea bullets flew at Skye on a regular basis.
"In a heartbeat." Ward answered her.
Nadia was speechless. She had thought Skye was lying to her. But dancing with Ward, she could clearly see that this man would go to the ends of the earth and beyond for her.
"I think I owe Skye an apology. I have been an absolute cow to her today." Nadia finally admitted.
"Before you do. I want to know what triggered it?" Ward asked.
"I thought you were like my husband. I found him cheating on me with my best friend last week. I guess I misjudged you. I'm sorry."
"It's ok. People often assume things about me. I'm used to it. Now go talk to Skye."
Ward watched Nadia pull Skye outside and watched as she humbly apologised to Skye. He could see Skye relaxing and knew everything would be alright.
He headed back over towards the table where the others were and took a chair.
Amber and Kain came running over.
"Guess what we just saw?" Amber asked them excitedly.
"Let me guess?" Ward said to them, putting one hand out towards them and one on his forehead. "You saw... Coulson and May leaving for a walk in the garden and... they were holding hands?"
Amber looked as though she had been deflated.
"How did you know?" she asked, as the others laughed.
"We've been working on them all night." Skye told them returning to the table and sitting on Ward's lap.
"But Simmons and I talked to May and she clearly was not interested" Amber protested.
"You and Simmons are clearly not me and Skye." Ward told her with a wink.
Frustrated, Amber threw herself into a vacant seat, Kain, noticing Tilly sat at the table went to get a drink and mooched around the edge of the dancefloor.
Slowly, Fitz-Simmons headed to the dance floor, followed by Romanov and Hawkeye. Tilly went to talk to Sue and Rob and Amber mumbled some excuse about powdering her nose when she realised she was alone with Ward and Skye.
"Did you tell Nadia the truth?" Ward asked as Skye started running her hand through his hair.
"About what?"
"Being S.H.I.E.L.D."
"She couldn't handle me getting married, let alone being permitted to carry a gun."
"Fair point."
"I do want to know something. Well two things actually. One of them has been bugging me for a while."
"What is it?"
"The first time we stayed at your place, why did you sleep on the sofa if you have a spare room?"
Ward laughed.
"You're asking me that now?"
Skye nodded.
"Part of the ceiling in Nat's room caved in and we were having it fixed, so she moved into the spare room while the work was being done." Ward explained.
"That makes sense." Skye conceded.
"What's the other thing?" Ward asked her.
"How did you know that Simmons, Sue and Coulson would cry, that May would be hurting, Fitz would lose the ring, Tilly would pull of a prank and that Nat would hit Clint?"
"By knowing them."
"Ok. So Simmons and Sue's reaction was easy to predict. They were the most excited about this so it fits in. What about May?"
"If you shot me and then attended Simmons wedding, and got roped into speaking, wouldn't you be hurt?" Ward asked her.
"Well I suppose. What about the others?"
"Tilly is a devil child. She would prank me at my own funeral, so why not at my wedding? And Fitz would lose his head if it wasn't screwed on."
"How did you know Coulson would cry?"
"Because I know you. I knew when we agreed to do this that you would ask him to give you away. He sees you like a daughter, so he would get emotional, ergo, tears."
"And Nat? How could you predict that Nat would hit Hawkeye?"
"Because Hawkeye has an inappropriate sense of humour. He was sure to say something to her to make her react."
"During the ceremony?"
"What is that many women in a relationship think during a wedding ceremony? My turn next? He told her no chance, so she hit him."
"Sometimes it still amazes me how your mind works." Skye told him, placing a kiss on his lips.
The next few hours passed in a pleasant array of drinking, dancing and talking to their friends.
Far too soon the DJ was calling for the final song. Ward took Skye and led her to the dance floor. He knew what song the DJ was about to play. Skye wrapped her arms around his neck.
When the track started she looked at him, instantly recognising the song that was playing. It was the song that she had sung on the roof at Phys Acc. Smiling, Skye buried her head into his shoulder and he pulled her closer. Skye started twirling her fingers in various patterns on the back of his neck.
"Skye." Ward groaned.