"Hey Skye!", said a middle aged waitress.

"Hey Jean!", Skye said as she got up from her seat to hug her.

"Gee it's been awhile hasn't it? Where'd ya go?"

Skye looked over at Ward. He nodded at her to do what he trained her to do in situations like this.

"Well Jean, I met this hunk of gorgeous over her.", she said gesturing to Ward who was sitting in the booth doing his best to look like a self obsessed jock, "We met and it was like… I don't know… we just knew."

"Aw that's adorable!"

"Yeah! We've been traveling across Europe these past couple months.", she pulled out her phone and showed Jean the pictures of them in Dublin, London, and Spain.

"That must've been precious Skye!"

"It really was, Jean. But now we're back here. Couldn't stay gone for too long."

"I know how much you love our blueberry pancakes."

"Mmmm that sounds great right now."

"You got it hon! Be right back!"

Skye sat back down into the booth and Ward gave her a proud and impressed smile.

"What?"

"Nothing… that was really good."

"Thanks. What made you act like a douche bag?"

"You obviously have a reputation about here. A reputation that probably includes dating complete idiots."

"Not cool… but true."

"So how much longer do you think this is gonna take?"

Of course he would bring up the drive again.

"Half an hour."

"You said that half an hour ago."

He stopped talking when he saw two officers enter the restaurant.

"Weren't you the one who told me to relax?", Skye said taking a sip of her coffee.

"Those cops over there keep looking at us."

"Relax, they're just checking out the waitress. They don't know your trying to be someone you're not."

"Oh yeah, who am I trying to be?"

"My impatient boyfriend. Nothing out of the ordinary."

A police car drove past the window, both of them notice. She needs to distract him.

"What's the longest you were undercover?"

"Uh… 16 months."

"When was that?"

"About 5 years outside of the Academy. I posed as a Russian attache at the Embassy in Warsaw."

She scoffed and got back to work on her computer.

"I don't know how Garrett did it."

"Garrett."

"Think about all that time he spent as your SO, being your mentor. Only to lie to your face, to betray you like that."

"It was, uh, difficult to accept. But thankfully that's over."

"Because you took care of him."

He looked around the diner to see that the number of police officers grew.

"Baby… can we not discuss this right now?"

"If you had one more moment before you shot him in the back of the head so heroically, if he was sitting right here and you could say anything you want, what would you say?"

"Skye."

"Would you say he's disgusting? Would you tell him he's a disgusting, backstabbing traitor?", he turned and saw that she was looking directly into his eyes. "Or to rot in hell?"

"Skye, baby, what are you doing?", he said with a slight smile in hope that his cover was still in tact.

"I'm just trying to have an honest conversation for once."

Ward brushed off her comment and saw that the officers were starting to escort people out of the diner.

"They're starting to clear people out. We should go."

"No, I think I'm good here.", she said shaking his hand off of her arm.

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

"No.", she said as she turned her laptop around showing a police report she submitted. "I tipped them off."

He looked at her like his worst fear came true. Which it did. Skye, the woman he loved, saw him for what he really is. And there was no way she could ever look past that.

"Skye…"

"Hail Hydra."

"All right, turn around.", an officer commanded from behind them. "Hands on your head. Nice and slow."

"Just be careful. He's armed."

As the officer started to put Ward into handcuffs, he fought back. Five agents went directly to Ward giving Skye a chance to run outside.

She ran to a cop car outside claiming that she is a SHIELD agent and that she is a wanted fugitive. They bent her over the hood of a car and started putting on her handcuffs when Ward shot them both. Skye ran to the driver's seat of the car and drove as fast as she could. She saw Ward in the rearview mirror. And out of nowhere, Mike jumped onto the hood of the car and knocked her out.

The next thing she knew she was in the bus again, laying down in the cargo hold listening to Mike and Ward bicker. It was messed up. Two men that she thought she could trust were now keeping her hostage for an organization bent on murder and world domination.

"We have her. And once she gives us a location we'll be off."

"Yeah, that's not gonna happen.", she said getting up off the ground.

"Take a walk,", Ward said to Mike, "I can handle this."

"Can you? You haven't so far."

"Garrett says you have five minutes.", he said as he walked away.

There was a long pause. He looked at her hoping she had some room for understanding.

"I can explain."

The sound of his voice only pushed her over the edge. She was done keeping to herself. Skye grabbed his shirt and head butted him so hard his nose bled.

"You lying bastard! Son of a bitch! You lying-"

"Stop.", he said trying to contain her, " Stop! Stop! Calm down.", he handcuffed her to the stairs. "Ok? Ok? It's over. You can't win."

He walked over to the lab to clean himself up walked back over to her.

"All this time. Everything we've been through. After everything you said to me. Why? How could you?", her voice was starting to break down.

"You did not just say that. It wasn't personal!?"

"Skye, just hear me out."

"God! You might actually believe that. You- that is- that is the twisted logic that they teach you when you sign up to be a Nazi."

"Skye, I'm not a Nazi."

"Yes, you are. That's exactly what you are. It's in the SHIELD handbook, chapter one. The Red Skull, founder of Hydra, was a big fat freaking Nazi."

"It's not like that baby! I'm a spy! I had a job."

"You've killed I don't know how many people. You gonna kill me now?"

"No I would never hurt you."

"Once I crack the drive, are you just gonna shoot me like you did with Thomas Nash, or are you gonna have someone else do it. Like you did with Quinn."

"Oh, of course it was Garrett's fault. That was part of the mission right? You were just gonna kick back and watch me bleed until it's your turn to pull the trigger."

He looked at her like he was hurt that she would think that.

"You think I had a part in that? That I would let that happen to you? You know how I feel about you Skye. I love you. You know that."

"Wait. So even though you've been lying, to everyone about everything, you're saying that your feelings for me-"

"They're real, Skye.", he puts his hands around her face gently to make his point, "They always have been. All that stuff about us living in a house away from SHIELD- that's real. And I know what you said about our future family was real too."

"It was, Grant. But I didn't know that the man that I wanted all that crap with was a murderer."

"Skye. I love you. You have to believe me. All this Hydra nonsense. That can all go away if you give me one more chance."

"I want to believe you. But every word, every conversation, every feeling that we've shared has been a lie. Makes me sick."

"One day. One day when this is all over, you'll understand. You'll understand why I did what I did. And that I love you."

"No, I won't. And I will never, ever give you what you want."

She escaped his grasp and sat down on the stairs.

Mike re-entered the room.

"Times up. Time to unlock the drive."

"No."

"Dammit Skye…"

"Mike I know you don't want to do this."

"It's not up to me."

"Yes it is. I don't care what they did to you. You're still Mike Peterson. You're still a father. You have a son."

"Who I left in your hands. I asked you to look after him Skye. Where is he now?"

"He's with his aunt, under the protection of a SHIELD team."

He shook his head and paced the room in front of her.

"And what is SHIELD today? Hydra can hurt my son anytime they want, and if I get any funny ideas about rescuing him- the push a little button and blow a hole in my skull."

"Fitzsimmons will figure out a way."

"No! There's no way out of this, Skye. Unlock the drive now."

"No."

Mike pulled out a device from his pocket. Ward, knowing what the device does, walked over to Skye.

"Skye. I don't want him to have to hurt you. Just give him what he wants.", he said with his hands on her shoulders.

She took a step away from him.

"Never."

Mike pulled at Ward's shoulder and placed the device onto his chest. Ward gasped and fell to the floor. Skye could tell he was in pain.

"What… what did you do to him?"

"I stopped his heart."

"His heart?"

Perfect. At least he was feeling what he did to her.

"Isn't breathing. He's having a heart attack. I can restart it or not. It's your choice."

"Skye…."

She had to make a decision. What he did to her was terrible. He hurt her in the worst ways possible. And she hated him for that. She wanted him to suffer as much as she was. But was killing him the answer? Skye never liked the idea of having to put anyone down, let alone the man she loved. She wasn't gonna let him take away who she was.

"Ok stop.", she said to Mike.

"Where do you unlock the drive?"

"Mike, just bring him back."

"Where?", he said in a very demanding voice.

"35,000 feet. It's not based on longitude or latitude, it's altitude."

"You're lying!"

"I'm not! I put the password in and I- I start the hack and once we reach altitude it unlocks.", she looked down at Ward who had stopped gasping and the life started to disappear from his eyes. "Now bring him back."

Mike unclenched his fist and Ward took in a big gasp of air. He looked at Skye and she could tell he thought there was still something between them.

Mike took Skye by the arm and put her in front of her laptop.

"Put the password in, start the hack."

And that's what she did. She put in the password and let them finish it. Once she was done Ward walked her to the cage.

"Thanks for uh- saving me back there."

She could not believe he was saying that while walking her in handcuffs to the spot he plans to lock her up.

"Thanks? You think I did that for you?"

"Well yah. You can't deny that you still love me Skye. We're meant to be together."

She stopped walking and just looked at him, wondering what the hell messed him up to make him think that.

"Grant. We are not nor will we ever be 'together' again. I didn't tell Mike the password because he threatened your life. I did it because killing isn't something I'm ok with doing. Unlike some people.."

He was hurt by her words. She saw him as a killer and he was never going to get her back.

"Skye I uh- I'm sorry. You're right. The real me is a traitor and a killer; but that doesn't change the fact that I still think you are the best thing that has ever happened to me. And I'll kick myself everyday for the amount of hurt I put on you.", he sounded genuine for a moment, "But right now, I have to do what I have to do. For Garrett."

"Garrett.", she scoffed.

"He pulled me out of a-"

"- a hell. I know."

"The point is… I owe him. But that doesn't mean I can't want something for myself.", he said as he opened the cage door.

They both walked in.

"You're delusional."

"No, I'm being optimistic.", he stepped closer to her and stroked the hair behind her ear. "You taught me that."

"Grant, just get out and lock me up already."

He stepped back and nodded.

"I'm gonna pilot us back to the base where Garrett is. Once we get there I won't anyone hurt you."

She sat down in the interrogation seat and said, "It won't come to that. The team will come through for me."

He shook his head and locked the door.

Once she was sure she was alone, she put her head back and sighed.

"Come on dad, whatcha got?"

Next chapter: Coulson to the rescue for his girl!

Questions, comments and suggestions are encouraged! Thanks for reading:)