Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. 1. See

He can't look at her. She is laying ten feet away from him, slowly dying and he can't even bring himself to look at her. He just keeps looking at Coulson. She would never have gone in there alone, if she wasn't trying to be like Coulson. Quinn had hurt her to get to Coulson. To punish Coulson. When the rage gets to be too much he walks out. There is nothing for him in the lab, except death watch. And he can't even look at her, covered in blood, white as a ghost, all the joy and life and happiness that is Skye already poured out of her on the floor of that basement. He doesn't want to see what's left.

He doesn't want to see but he does. Every time he closes his eyes, the image of her trying to literally hold herself together comes to his mind. She had been so strong. He remembers seeing the drag marks she left in her blood as she made her way to the door. He knows that she had fought hard to live, but it won't be enough.

When May follows him out, he tries to reign in his temper. Skye isn't the only one who fought to live today, but when he thinks about her injury, his mind goes back to the scene between her and Coulson. When he had offered to help her, she had brushed him off, but then he found Coulson stitching her back up. He knew as soon as he saw the look they were sharing, that she was using him as much as he was using her. So when she tries to make him feel better, he lashes out. He doesn't need her to give him a pep talk. What he needs is for Coulson to stop looking at that damn case like he loves the women inside.

Coulson doesn't love her. If he did, he would not send her on dangerous missions with a target on her back. He would have made sure she was protected. But it is too late now. Simmons is rushing around fiddling with things and speaking robotically, but he knows that there is no way she will survive this. There is no way any one could survive.

He walks to his bunk, but when he sits down, his hands move to run through his hair, and he notices the red stains covering them. His hands are covered in Skye's blood. It was only a matter of time, he thinks. He had tried to keep her at arm's length, but it was only a matter of time before he was covered in her blood. Because that is what happens when Grant Ward cares about someone, they die.

He is in the bathroom scrubbing his hands, when he sees it. There sitting on the sink, not stored properly as it should be, is her locket. The locket she wore the day they picked her up from her van. He pops it open, expecting to see a picture of a mother or grandmother, but inside there is nothing but an engraving, _God is Love. _He runs a thumb over the words, before snapping the locket closed and slipping it into his pocket. She won't miss it. She won't miss anything ever again, but he will miss her. He is pretty sure he would have missed her even if they had never met.

He goes to the briefing room to monitor Quinn. It is taking everything in him, not to go into that room and end his career. His hand slips into his pocket and rubs the locket. _God is Love. _He remembers what she said in the hotel bar in Ireland. _If it helped I would rage all the time, but it doesn't. _Killing Ian Quinn won't bring Skye back. Killing Ian Quinn will only take the last bit of his soul. So Quinn will live to see another day, because at least if he lives then they might get some information from him. If Quinn lives and they can take down Centipede and the Clairvoyant, then Skye doesn't die in vain. So for today he lives, but only today.

He switches the main feed to the lab. Simmons is still doing what she can but there is not much she can do. Fitz is typing furiously on his tablet, then the chamber, then the tablet again. May is watching Coulson. He doesn't know how he missed the way she looks at him before, it seems so obvious now. Coulson hasn't moved an inch. If it were physically possible, Ward is sure that he would not even blink, but it won't change a thing.

He still doesn't look at her. Even through the view of a camera he does not want to see her take her last breath. And it has to be coming soon. Any minute now his world will have one less thing that matters. One less thing that keeps him moving forward, and he wonders if it will still be enough when he knows she is gone.

When they land a little while later, Skye is taken away quickly. Coulson, Simmons and Fitz go with her. He offers to stay with Quinn. Coulson orders May to stay too, though he isn't sure if it is to watch Quinn or himself. Honestly, he doesn't care.

May tries to start a conversation once, but he doesn't bother to acknowledge her. They were never much for talking. As soon as the word crosses his mind, he feels the bile raising in his throat. He doesn't talk to May. He talks to Skye. He wants to talk to Skye.

He wants to tell her about the time Joey caught a bullfrog. They kept it hidden in the basement for almost a month. It wasn't until Gramsy went to check the breaker after a power outage that they were caught and had to take it back to the pond. He wants to ask her if she ever had a pet. He always saw her as a cat person. Not that she was like one of those crazy ladies with fifteen cats, but she always reminded him of a cat when she curled up next to him on the couch. He will miss that too.

He always complains about her lack of personal space, but secretly he is happy when she tucks herself right next to him. He complains when she is late. He complains when she dances around him as they go through their morning workout. In hindsight, he complains a lot when it comes to her, but she never lets herself be pushed away. For every time he tries to create distance, she takes a step closer, but not anymore. He finally has the distance he wanted, because now he thinks he might never see her again.

When Coulson comes back, he is surprised to see Ward is still in the briefing room, watching Quinn. It takes him a moment to realize that Ward isn't looking at Quinn at all. Ward isn't looking at anything.

"Agent Ward," Coulson says in his most authoritative tone.

In an instant, Ward snaps to. Coulson can tell by the look on the younger man's face that he is waiting for bad news.

"Skye made it out of surgery, but there is no way to tell if there will be lasting brain damage until she wakes up. They tried to wake her but she has slipped into a coma," Coulson starts. Ward refuses to make eye contact. Coulson heaves out a breath, it's now or never. "There is something you don't know about Skye, Agent Ward. Something that is so classified that only five people know what I am about to tell you."

Ward looks at him intently.

"Skye is an 0-8-4," Coulson says quietly, even here he is afraid someone might be listening.

"Sir, I think there has been some mistake. A person can't be an 0-8-4," Ward replies in disbelief.

"There is no mistake. There is absolutely no record of Skye, until an entire SHIELD team was murdered trying to extract an 0-8-4 from a massacred village in China. When the backup arrived all that was left was a baby girl, our girl," Coulson stops again, waiting to see how the straight laced Agent takes the information.

Ward opens his mouth, but closes it again. He chews on his cheek for a moment.

"What does that mean for Skye? Will regular treatments work on her?" Ward finally asks. All he cares about now, is that she still might have a fighting chance. If she is truly unknown, she might just be able to survive.

Coulson smiles. This is exactly what he was hoping Ward would ask.

"This is Skye's file. Thin, I know, but from what I gather, SHIELD is working on something that just might be able to help her."

"But the problem is?"

"Very astute, Agent Ward. The problem is that the serum is in a top secret facility. It is heavily guarded, and we can't get SHIELD to give it to us without exposing Skye's secret."

"Which will lead to another Project Pegasus," Ward surmises.

"Exactly," Coulson agrees. "In the file is all the intel we have on the facility. Wheels are up in 5. You have about an hour to prepare."

"What about Skye, are just going to leave her here unprotected?" Ward asks.

"Skye is already on the plane. We moved things around and set her up in the storage area. You can visit her if you want, but be ready for the mission in an hour."

"Of course, Sir."

May is sitting with her when he finally makes his way down, file in hand. He is surprised to see that she is holding Skye's hand. He wonders what May is saying to her, but he doesn't want to interrupt, so he waits just outside the door. He still can't look at her. He can't let himself believe that she might not be gone after all.

"You read the file?" May asks without turning around.

"Yeah, how long have you known?"

"A while," she answers vaguely. "I have to go land the plane. You have about ten minutes."

She pats him on the shoulder as she walks by, pushing him into the room he had been teetering on the threshold of. He feels very uncomfortable as he takes the seat May just vacated. Usually Skye does most of the talking. He remembers when he was raging on the staff and screamed at her about talking. Now he would pay almost anything to hear her drone on about whatever dumb gadget she just heard about. Heck, she could read to phone book for all he cares, as long as they don't have anymore of this deafening silence.

In front of him sits her small hand. It looks almost the same as it did yesterday when he was wrapping it for training. If he hadn't seen her on the ground in a pool of her own blood, he would just think she need a little more sun. But he can't look at her, because she doesn't need sun. She needs some super-secret serum he is about to go steal for her.

He takes her hand, but it is cold, so he starts to rub it, focusing on the only part of her he can actual look at.

"Everything is going to be okay, Skye. I am going to go get you some medicine and everything is gone to go back to normal," he says, though he knows it isn't true. They will never go back, because he will never forget what she looks like dead.

Coulson calls on the overhead. They are ready.

"I have to go now," he says. "Just try not to die while I'm gone."

The mission goes perfectly right up until they find out that the building is set to be flattened by C4 any minute. He can't believe he is not going to get the serum back to her. This was their last hope. Without this serum, Skye might never wake up. Unless he can deactivate the detonation device, he has failed her.

He looks at a million wires, but there isn't time. He says the shortest prayer in his life, three words and pulls the blue wire. The countdown stops.

"We have about a minute to get out of here before that thing decides to go off anyway," Ward says to men with him. "Move out!"

He waits by her side for fourteen hours after she is given the serum, but he ever looks beyond her hand, not even when he hears her voice.

"I think you missed your calling, Robot. Your hands are good at more than just punching," she teases wiggling her fingers in his grasp. Before her comment he hadn't even realized he was rubbing it again.

"I… I was just…"he mumbles, dropping her hand.

She frowns at the missing contact, but she tries to draw him out again, "So, do I get out of PT now?"

"I think it is fair to say you won't be working out anytime soon," he answers seriously, looking out the door.

"Yay! Ow, son of a Winchester, you lied Ward. Getting shot hurts like hell," she whines.

"I had a skin deep graze, Skye. You… you almost…" he looks at the ground.

"Go on, you can say it, I almost died. But I didn't, so what now?"

"Now, I go let the team know you are awake," he stands, eyes on door again.

"But I'm in pain," she whines. "You can't just leave me here."

"Simmons would be the one to talk to about pain meds," he returns, as he walks toward the door.

"Ward," she calls but it doesn't stop him.

"Grant," she demands.

He stops, hackles up.

"Will you please just look at me for minute? I was laying there dying, and I was trying so hard to call for help, and all I could think was what if no one was coming, because you were already dead," she admits, choking on the words. "I just need you to look at me, so I know you are still here."

He turns around slowly, unable to ignore her plea. His eyes start at the foot of the bed and work their way up to her face. He looks at her and for a moment they are not agent and 0-8-4. They are just Skye and Ward. Friends. There is a little color in her cheeks, but what makes him move back to her is her eyes. Her eyes are bright and cheerful as ever. They are interrupted by Simmons, coming to check on the patient, but it doesn't matter now, because he can look at her again. And he likes what he sees.

**a/n: so I was thinking about doing a companion of skye's thoughts from when she got shot to this ending, let me know if you would be interested. Also thank Little-Angry-Kitten for this fic as she asked me how I felt about TRACKS. and this was what came out. if you notice. in the bus, Ward is on the far side of the lab, I was just kept thinking, he cant look at her. Thanks for reading!**


	2. Hear

**Hear (Skye's POV)**

Mike is alive. Yeah, he has a gun to her head, but he is alive. She can see in his eyes that he doesn't want to hurt her. Then again, he might not have a choice the way Quinn is talking to him. Quinn is testing him, but Mike is a good person so she trusts him. Rightly, as in the next moment he lowers the gun, handing it to Quinn, before leaving. If her heart beats a little faster with the knowledge that he is on a mission to kill someone, she tries to ignore it. She has a mission of her own.

Mission: Stop Quinn.

She thinks she has bought some time. She thinks maybe she can talk long enough for the team to rush in and take him into custody. She thinks that she made the right decision rushing in without back up, right up until she hears the gun fire.

Unbelievable pain ripples through her. She gasps in shock. Her mind is muddled in disbelief, as Quinn moves toward her. This isn't happening. She was supposed to stop him. She tries to keep talking like she isn't about to pass out, but then he takes her in his arms.

"Did…" she starts to question as he pulls her toward him to fire another round.

Her ears start to ring as he eases her to the ground. The last thing she hears him whisper, _I'm sorry I have my orders, too. _Then nothing, the world is swallowed in black and it takes her a while to realize that she is unconscious. This can't be real. She has to get out of this room. How will anyone know where to look for her, if she stays in this stupid room? She is using all the strength and focus that Ward taught her, she drags herself back to the land of the living. She has to make it to the door. She needs to warn them. She needs their help. _What is taking them so long, _she wonders. When she decided to come into the house, she thought they would be right behind her like they always are, but it feels like a lifetime has gone by and no one has come.

What if they never made it off the train? What if someone got to Simmons? They had just left her there on the train, completely unconscious. What about Fitz? What if he heard the gun fire and tried to be a hero? Sure, Ward had claimed that Fitz was more capable than most people thought, but she needs more than capable. She needs her S.O. And if he isn't here yet, there must be something horribly wrong.

When she finally gets the door open, she can't even breathe. Her chest feels so heavy. The smell of blood covering her, makes her stomach turn. Squeaking out help, costs the last bit of strength she has, but it doesn't matter, because no one is coming. She is going to die like she lived, all alone.

The next thing she is aware of is Coulson's voice. He is panicked, shaking her as he begs her to hang on, but it is too hard. The waves of black are too strong. Every time she feels close to opening her eyes, another wave drags her back down. She hears him calling for Simmons. Good, that means that she got off the train.

Soon though, the added voices start becoming harder to identify. She can't distinguish them. They are all speaking at once, making it hard to hear anything. She wants to ask them to slow down. She wants to warn them that Quinn is running around shooting people and that Mike is now some sort of robot hybrid. These are things they need to know, but she can't even open her eyes. She tries to focus on their voices, safe around her. She feels the pressure around her changing, making it that much harder to hold on to the little awareness she has left, but she keeps fighting. Until the air around her is silent.

The Silence is worse than anything thus far, because now there is nothing to distract from the pain. More than that, now everything is cold. The cold makes everything from the tips of her toes to her hair feel like she is on pins and needles, but she can't move. Her whole body is aching to shake off the never-ending tingling and cold, but she can't even open her eyes. The world drifts away.

The black turns to light. She becomes aware of a scene around her. Like vision after staring at the sun, images slowly drift into focus, but she knows it is a dream or maybe Heaven. Either way as she sits on the porch swing, warm breeze gently brushing her cheeks, she feels at peace. Time is stops as she stares at the everlasting sunset dipping down into the water.

Her haven is interrupted sometime later, by another change in pressure. She feels tears running across her cheeks, as new waves of pain become the only thing she knows. Her muscles are so heavy and yet she feels like her skin is on fire, burning like a swarm of a million fire ants have decided to have her as their meal. Nothing makes sense. All she wants is to go back to the sunset, until she hears Coulson reminding her to fight.

She hears the brokenness in his voice. He cares about her, but as she remembers Quinn taunting Mike, she wonders if he cares a little too much. She wishes she could tell him not to worry about her. The last few months have been the best of her life. She almost knows where she came from. Coulson has given her a family. He has proved that she was always wanted and cared for, but she wonders if the cost has become too high. She has friends, and a father figure and people who care. If today is her last day, then at least she can take comfort in the fact that no one else will ever die for her.

Her thoughts are disrupted by a new stream of unknown voices, and for a moment she is terrified. She wonders where her family has gone. Who has taken her now? Her heart feels like it will beat out of her chest, until she hears Jemma's voice. She is whispering quietly in Skye's ear. Jemma promises that they are safe now. Skye feels herself relax a little. She is vaguely aware of light flashing in her eyes and needles pricking her arms, before the blackness transforms back to her refuge. Her consciousness slips away again, this time with the help of an anesthesiologist.

She is beginning to wonder how much time has passed when she feels it. Quite literally a hand pulling her back to reality. She can feel someone holding her hand. She assumes it is Jemma, but she is too tired to open her eyes.

"You know kid, I am getting really tired of all these stunts of yours," May's voice breaks through the quiet. Skye is shocked. Of all the people she thought might visit her while she is unconscious, May would be the last one she would expect. She wants to make a smart ass comment about not planning on taking two to the chest, but she can't do anything but listen to the older woman.

"Those boys are going out of their minds," May notes. Skye wants to smile. She wants to tease, but May is serious. She sounds worried, which is scary, because May is supposed to be the one without fear. If she is scared, then things are really bad.

"You have to be strong for them, Skye. Be strong, because without you, I don't know how our team would survive. We all need you," she whispered, squeezing Skye's hand, before letting it go. There is distant whispering, before the room is eerily quiet. It's like she can feel someone looking at her, but she has no way of knowing who it is, until he takes her hand.

She knows exactly what his hands feel like. Spending everyday boxing and grappling and sparing with someone makes a little thing like the brushing of hands memorable. She wishes he would say something, but instead he begins to rub her hand. Ordinarily, she would be irritated by his silence, but as his warmth works the chill from her skin, she can't be anything but glad that he is here with her.

"Everything is going to be okay, Skye. I am going to go get you some medicine and everything is gone to go back to normal," he promises, but she knows it isn't true. They will never go back, because she will never forget what it felt like to almost die waiting for him. She doesn't blame him though. It isn't that. She just knows that someday she will run out of luck, and he won't find her in time. And she is terrified of what will happen to him the day he fails to be the hero.

Coulson voice comes through the comm, "Agent Ward, one minute to drop time."

"I have to go now," Ward says. "Just try not to die while I'm gone."

She chuckles in her mind. The tin man's got jokes. She wants to tell him to be safe, but she can't even hold his hand when he puts hers back down on the blanket.

A long time goes by where Skye is bored. Without the pain, she is just trapped with her thoughts in endless darkness. At some point she falls asleep, dreaming of the first night on the bus, watching the sunset with the team. It is a nice dream. She is sipping a beer, listening to Fitz and Jem arguing about a better name for the Night-night pistol, when Ward takes her hand. He is rubbing intricate patterns it her skin making her feel like she might melt, when she realizes that this isn't a normal part of the dream.

She blinks. _I can blink!_ She thinks. There is Ward, sitting next to her, head down, completely absorbed in her hand, so she tries to wiggle her fingers to get his attention.

"I think you missed your calling, Robot," she teases. She sees his shoulders tense, but he doesn't look up.

"I… I was just…"he mumbles dropping her hand.

She doesn't like how lost he sounds, so she tries to instigate their usual argument, "So, do I get out of PT now?"

"I think it is fair to say you won't be working out anytime soon," he answers, looking out the door.

"Yay! Ow, son of a Winchester, you lied Ward. Getting shot hurts like hell," she whines, wondering how the hell he just sat there on the couch completely normal after getting shot in Peru.

"I had a skin dead graze, Skye. You… you almost…" he looks at the ground.

"Go on, you can say it, I almost died. But I didn't, so what now?" she is trying to brush it off, because if she really thinks about it, she thinks she might panic, and she can't afford to panic

"Now, I go let the team know you are awake," he stands, eyes on door again, she knows she has to stop him. She can't let him leave things like this.

"But I'm in pain," she whines, because she knows that he is a hero at heart. "You can't just leave me here."

"Simmons would be the one to talk to about pain meds," he returns as he walks toward the door.

"Ward," she calls in a last ditch effort to get him to look at her. It's no good, so she plays the only card she has left. She knows saying his name is crossing a line, but she doesn't care anymore, "Grant!"

He stops, hackles up.

She is going to have to put it all out there if she wants him to come back.

"Will you please just look at me for minute? I was laying there dying, and I was trying so hard to call for help, and all I could think was what if no one was coming, because you were already dead. I just need you to look at me so I know you are still here," she whispers the last bit, because honestly she has never really needed anyone before, and she is not sure if she likes the feeling.

He turns slowly, his eyes staring at the foot of the bed, before reluctantly making their way to her face. He looks nervous, so she smiles at him. For a moment she wonders if they will ever get passed this, but then he gives her that look. The look that says that despite his best efforts, he cares about her.

Before they can says anything else, Jemma arrives, immediately going to hug Skye.

"Oh it is so good to see you wake, darling! Maybe now this silly man will get some sleep," she rambles, continuing to talk while Skye looks over at the man in question. She raises a brow as if to question Simmons statement. He shrugs, not even trying to deny that he sat by her most of the time she was out. She grins. He returns a smirk.

_Get some sleep, _she mouths.

He solutes and then disappears.

"Are you even listening?" Jemma pulls back from the hug to look into Skye's eyes.

"I'm sorry Jemma, I didn't hear you," Skye replies apologetically, focusing her attention on the scientist. She can always talk to her S.O. tomorrow.


	3. Taste

**Taste**

"Come on Ward, I'm starving here. Just bring me one slice of pizza," Skye whines.

"You know your orders, Rook, no solid food for at least a week," he chuckles.

"I'll drink your whole stupid protein shake," she offers, batting her eyelashes at him.

"Your body doesn't need the extra stress of trying to digest the junk you usually eat. This is for your own good," he declares with a note of finality. Her eyes narrow, returning the completely full shake to the tray, before crossing her arms over her chest.

"This is punishment isn't it," she grumbles.

"Why would I be punishing you?" he asks, honestly confused at how she has come to that conclusion.

"Because I went against 'Protocol' going into that mansion. Because I let Mike get away. Because… I don't know… you are a fascist who is enjoying watching me slowly starve to DEATH." She builds up steam with each complaint, anger evident in her eyes for the first time he can remember. She sound broken though, tears tracking down her cheeks.

He wants to be angry with her. She is being silly and childish, when he is only trying to follow orders. If he is honest with himself, she's right, he is angry at her for going into that house. She is supposed to let him protect her, but instead she went into an unknown situation and got herself shot. So yeah, he might have been enjoying her frustration a little, but as she turns away from him, all enjoyment disappears.

"I will check with Simmons. See if we can get you something a little more satisfying, but in the meantime drink your shake. I added lychee because I know how much you like them," he says, before moving to leave.

"You made it special?" she can't help but ask, turning back to him. She can't stay mad at him when he is spending every spare minute making sure she is comfortable and entertaining her with endless rounds of Uno.

He leans on the doorway, scratching his neck.

"Well, you know, you weren't eating, so…" he shrugs.

She smirks, "Be careful Ward, if you keep being nice to me people might think you are malfunctioning."

He rolls his eyes, heading off to find Simmons.

**a/n: so I know that this was really short, but I think it kind of just seems to work as quick little interaction, so I hope you like it, and please review, I don't know if this is really the end or not, let me know if you are interested in more. also this takes place like day 2 after she wakes up.**


	4. Smell

**Smell**

She is lying in bed, having a really vivid fantasy about a warm brownie, when she realizes that she can actually smell the chocolate. She looks up to see Ward standing in the loading bay, eating a damn brownie. She is immediately irate, because he knows how much she wants real food. It has been five days, and if she doesn't get something solid soon, she is going to lose it.

"Seriously Ward!" Skye growls.

He pokes his head into her makeshift room, "What?"

"I can smell that brownie you're eating, you jerk."

"This brownie?" he asks innocently waving the last bit of brownie in front of her, before popping it into his mouth.

"You are the meanest S.O. in the World. I can't believe you just ate that in front of me. Do you even like chocolate?" she asks angrily.

"It's not my favorite, but we are celebrating, so I thought what the hell. Live a little, right?" he smirks.

Skye cannot believe how mean he is being. It is one thing to eat when she can't, but right in front of her. That is just way too…

"Wait a minute, what are you celebrating?" she asks curiously.

"Well, seeing that you have been such a good little patient, I asked Simmons if we could let you have something special tonight," he pauses, taking in the unbelievable excitement evident on her face. "She said as long as it was little, you could start introducing soft foods," he finishes, disappearing from the room for a moment, only to return with small brownie.

"OOOh, gimme, gimme, gimme," she grins reaching for the treat with both hands. She snatches from the plate, taking a huge bite.

"Easy does it princess, I don't want to clean up vomit today," he warns. She ignores he, taking another bite, chewing methodically, before a look of absolute bliss crossed her face.

"This is pretty good, Ward. No wonder you made an exception in your usually strict diet. Remind me to tell Jem she did a great job," she mumbles before eating the last few bites.

"Actually, I made them," he admits with a shrug. In an instant her eyes narrow in suspicion.

"You, agent health nut, made brownies?" she questions seriously.

"Yes, I made brownies, why is that so hard to believe? I cook all the time," he replies, starting to show a little mischievousness.

The look makes the wheels in her minds start turning and suddenly everything clicks.

"Ward, why do my brownie have a carrot aftertaste?" she asks.

He knows he is caught, but she doesn't really seem angry anymore, just suspicious. So he tells her.

"I made you deceptively delicious brownies," he admits. "It's a special recipe I found, in a cookbook about how to trick your kids into eating their vegetables."

"I don't know weither to be irritated or impressed," she concedes. "You got me this time."

"Consider it payback for the bag of chocolate chips that fell into my pancake batter a few weeks ago," Ward offers.

"Fair enough, but just know that I am getting better. This isn't over. The next time we land, I am taking you to In and Out," she threatens.

"I'd like to see you try," he smirks. "In the meantime, do you feel like a couple of hands of slapjack?"

"Bring it, Robot, my reflexes are improving every day."


	5. Touch

**Touch**

"Hey Ward, have you seen my locket? I can't find it anywhere," she asks him one morning. It has been two weeks since the shooting, and she is finally settling back in her bunk.

Ward stops in her doorway, looking a little guilty, but doesn't say anything.

"Well, have you seen it?" she asks again.

"You left it in the bathroom," he answers cryptically.

"Oh, thanks, I thought I had checked there, but I must have missed it," she says, starting past him toward the bathroom, but he moves to block her path.

"You left it in the bathroom two weeks ago. I picked it up, so it wouldn't get lost," he explains, pulling the necklace from his pocket. He doesn't know why he has kept it all this time. He should have returned it to her room a long time ago. When he found it, it was a memento of a person who had left him, but now it was just habit to slip it into his pocket every day.

"So you just kept it in your pocket all this time?" she asks, not taking it from him. She regrets the question a moment later when Ward's face goes from embarrassed to completely blank. She tries to fix it. "I mean, I really appreciate you keeping an eye on it from me. You know, I don't have much from my childhood, so I would have been pretty upset if it were like, really gone."

She knows she is on the right track, when he smiles at her.

"It would be sad to lose something that is so important to you," he acknowledges.

"Will you," she gathers her hair and gestures to her neck, turning her back to him, "You know, do the clasp?"

There is a pause where she wonders if this is too intimate, but then he is reaching around her to place the locket on her neck. He leans in close, his breath tickling her neck as he works the clasp. Another long pause echoes around them as his hands rest a second longer than necessary on her shoulders. She shivers.

"Ah… I have to go talk to Coulson," Ward shakes his head, finally releasing her.

"Ok," she calls after him, "thanks for finding my necklace!"

She doesn't see him for the rest of the day, which is weird, because it is not that big a plane. She wonders if he is hiding out in the cockpit with May. It's almost midnight, when she sneaks into the kitchen, using only her cellphone to try and find the cookies she hid a few weeks ago.

"Looking for something?" Ward asks flipping on the light. She stands up slowly, guilt written all over her face.

"You know, late night snack?" she shrugs.

"Simmons confiscated all the junk food," he comments leaning against the counter.

She twitches slightly, "What about Fitz's pretzels and chips and stuff?"

"They are on a health kick."

"Mean she is on a health kick, and he would follow her to the ends of the earth, Well he kinda already has, but you know," her hands kind of gesture around aimlessly, before she shakes her head. "So, what is there to eat then?"

"Apple?" he offers pulling one from the fruit bowl behind him. She shakes her head.

"Orange?" he questions pulling an orange from behind his back in his other hand. She scrunches her nose. He tosses the orange in the air catching it with the other hand still holding the apple, and reaching behind himself again. "Banana?" he tries.

"Ward, fruit is boring!" she whines.

"Oh yeah?" he smirks and starts juggling the fruit in intricate patterns. She mesmerized for a moment, before an evil glint enters her eyes. One that has been noticeable absent for the last two weeks.

"That's pretty impressive, Fun-bot, but can you juggle while being _tickled_?" she grins, quickly attacking him with relentless tickling until he drops everything, backing her against the opposite counter, hands pinned over her head.

"I give up, I give up," she gasps between fits of giggles. She looks up at him and suddenly all the air seems to have been sucked from the room. He looks down at her with such intensity that she almost looks away, but she can't. So she does what she does best. She challenges him, arching her body until it is completely flush with his. With so many points of contact, both are consumed by lust. In an instant, he has dropped her hands, his sliding down her body to pick her up. She is at the same moment closing the distance between their lips. Their kiss is desperate and a little frantic as they battle for dominance.

They can't think. It is like nothing else matters, as long as they are touching. He props her on the counter, starting to lift her shirt, when a terrible thought hits her.

She pulls away. "What about May?"

His eyes pinch, "You knew about that?"

"You are not very good at being sneaking for a secret agent," she shrugs, feeling really vulnerable.

"It's been over for a while, we were both trying to fill a void, that only one person could fill," he replies, giving her a meaningful looks. She sucks her lip into her mouth, trying to decide if this is a good idea, when she tastes a bit of Ward still on her lip.

"We should go to bed," she whispers.

"Okay…" he sighs backing away from her, but she doesn't allow it.

She jumps off the counter, snagging his hand, and pulling him toward her bunk.

"Together, we should go to bed together."

He smirks, nodding and allowing himself to be pulled along. He could get used to all this touching.

**A/N: so seriously, this is the end. Hope you like it and remember everytime you leave a review, It just inspires me to keep writing, so if you like what you see drop me a line. and any prompts you would like to see, you can send to me, and I will try. Happy Reading! **


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Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Hurt-Comfort, Romance