A/N: Here we are guys! o: A couple things: 1) If you notice what I did in the first bit of this: no, I could not resist. 2) I apologize for how long the author's note is at the bottom, but I do kind of suggest you guys read it? Maybe? idk

Chapter Fifteen:

Turning Page

"If I had only felt how it feels to be yours

Well I would have known

What I've been living for all along

What I've been living for"

"I'm in" he says quietly, just loud enough for the communicator disguised as a blue tooth in his ear, as he exits security. He eyes the large, open room. It's a banquet hall, but it's being used for a press conference today.

"Got it" Skye's voice says, before he hears a sigh. "Wish I could go in with you."

He takes out a recorder and fiddles with it, making sure he appears casual. "You know that wouldn't work." He's careful with his words in case of any eavesdroppers.

"Yeah, 'cause it's too dangerous, I know." There's acceptance in her voice, but he knows that, were it any other circumstance, she'd be arguing more. Even she's not willing to take the risk, though.

He joins the group of reporters gathered around the podium. Any minute now, the conference should begin, and he'll be able to slip away. He tunes out most of the conversations going on around him and needlessly resituates the glasses on his face, which Skye had insisted he wear to complete the look of "average Joe reporter." He almost sighs when he notices a younger man with a camera glance at him.

"Kind of interesting, huh?" the young man asks. "How Nelson Tech has managed to dominate the industry in just a few months?"

Ward shrugs. "Robert Nelson is just a genius, I suppose." Or corrupt as corrupt can get, but he's not playing a conspiracy reporter right now.

The younger man nods thoughtfully. "Yeah, I guess." There's a hint of suspicion in the other man's tone and Ward almost smirks. "Hey, who are you with, by the way?"

"The Bee" he lies easily. He receives a questioning look in response and shrugs. "Small, local newspaper."

The other man nods. "Oh, cool, I'm with The Daily-" All conversations are instantly halted as Robert Nelson walks onto the stage and the other man is soon to busy taking pictures to talk. Ward's grateful. He doesn't think he'll ever be one for small talk, really.

The conference begins and he tunes out most of the words, instead waiting for an opportune time to slip away. The moment comes about five minutes into the conference, when for a brief second; there isn't a single pair of eyes in his direction. He slips out from the back of the group, instantly setting his target on a nearby security guard. He pretends to be messing with his recorder, as if it's malfunctioning, and collides right into the other man. The security guard gives an oof, but they both manage to stay upright.

"Sorry, sorry" Ward apologizes awkwardly, needlessly straightening the other man's suit while picking his ID right off his chest.

"It's fine" the other man says curtly and Ward makes his expression sheepish, before walking away. He quickly drops his press ID into a trash can before clipping on his stolen security badge. He's then bounding up the stairs, making sure he looks confident and comfortable, as if he belongs there. He glances briefly at the conference, before turning down a hall. He grabs the glasses off his face and tucks them into one of his coat pockets.

"Which room?" he questions, eyeing the numbers.

"Um,"- there's a pause –"two-twenty-seven. There's a device on the WiFi there, but I can't get into it, so it's probably one of theirs." He's already making his way to the room, reaching it about halfway down the hallway. He stops in front of the door and takes out the recorder he had stashed in his pocket, before tapping his knuckles against the door.

"Yeah, come in!" he hears a female voice say. He enters the room and instantly eyes the room. There's no one else in there but a middle-aged woman with a Nelson Tech staff badge. He looks to the laptop she has on a desk. It's got the Nelson Tech logo on it. Perfect. The woman only glances briefly to his security badge. "There a problem?" He shakes his head as he shuts the door before walking up to her.

"No, ma'am, just got a report of a disturbance from a nearby room." He says casually. The woman frowns as he reaches her.

"What? That's-" He presses a button on the recorder just as he puts it right in front of her face. A small puff of blue smoke comes from the recorder and straight into the woman's face. She blinks in surprise and waves at it, but she's out cold before she can even voice her surprise. He catches her as she slumps and lays her on the ground, before turning his attention to the laptop. He doesn't bother sitting in the chair as he presses another button on the recorder and a flash drive pops out. He plucks the flash drive from the device.

"Plugging flash drive in now" he says just as he does so. "Sure this will work?"

He can practically see her raise an eyebrow. "Are you doubting me?"

He doesn't fight his grin. "Never."

"Good boy" she says lightly and he rolls his eyes good-naturedly. "But yeah, as soon as the program's done uploading, I should be able to hack into any Nelson Tech system."

He nods, even though he knows she can't see him. "How long will this take?"

"Five minutes tops. Don't worry, if this goes according to plan, you won't be late."

Ward's lips twitch into a small smile, before sighing as he watches the computer screen show the progress of the upload. "If only this mission wasn't so last minute."

"I know. Coulson's apologized at least five times, but it's an 'opportunity we can't miss.' You're the one that volunteered, though." Her tone's suddenly exasperated.

"You said sending May would set everything back too far" he defends. There's a pause and he assumes she's rolling her eyes.

"There are other Agents of SHIELD, Grant."

He smirks unapologetically. "Yeah, but they're not as efficient."

"I still can't decide whether you being cocky is hot or annoying" she says and his smirk only grows. He opens his mouth to respond, but the upload finishes at that moment.

"Upload complete" he says as he plucks the flash drive from the computer. He puts it back into the recorder, before stashing the recorder in his pocket.

"Alright, your evac's on its way, so get to the roof as soon as you can." There's a pause and he can almost hear the grin in her voice. "I'll see you later. Don't be late."

He grins. "I won't be." The communication cuts then and he makes his way to the door. It swings open just as he reaches it, though, and he comes face-to-face with two security guards. Dammit. They eye him questioningly, before their gazes suddenly land on the unconscious woman on the floor behind him. Dammit. For a brief moment, he wishes Skye was there, so she could try her "Jedi mind trick"- her term, not his –on them. But she's not, and unfortunately it doesn't work long distance. It's for the best, though. After a certain incident, he's been less than happy whenever she uses her powers.

He doesn't bother with attempting an explanation, and there's no time to knock them out with the ICER gas- there's limited amount in there anyway, so he figures he should save it just in case –instead, he punches the closest man straight in the face. Not a second later, though, he's being tackled by the second. They fall to the ground and he barely dodges as the man's fist comes flying toward his face. Skye would kill him if he shows up with a bruised face. He knees the man in the gut and uses the man's disorientation at the pain to roll them over so he's on top. He then punches him in the face, effectively knocking him out.

He turns and rolls out of the way just in time to avoid the foot of the other man, who's cradling his broken nose. The man takes out his gun and Ward wishes he had his ICER. He ducks just as the man starts firing. Instead of taking cover, though, he darts straight to the man, grabbing his wrist with one hand and twisting it to make him release the gun. With his free hand, he catches the gun as it falls. He then slams the butt of the weapon against the man's temple to knock him out. The man slumps to the ground and Ward drops the gun a moment later. He eyes the unconscious bodies. Who needs an ICER? Well, it certainly would've made the ordeal a lot quicker and easier, but a job done is still a job done.

He slips out of the room quickly, knowing that it wouldn't be long before backup arrives. He's up the stairs and making his way toward the roof not a minute later. He reaches it and looks around, quickly catching sight of his evac as it approaches. He allows himself to relax and straightens his tie, just before the helicopter reaches him and he grabs the ladder hanging down.

He's almost late. Almost. He undoes his tie as he slips in through the front door of the house. He glances around, but doesn't see anyone. He's not surprised, though; they must all be busy. He goes to start getting ready himself, but stops as he's suddenly attacked by a blur of fur.

"Hey," he says as the dog's front paws claw at his abdomen excitedly. He tries to make his voice stern, but fails miserably as a wide grin comes to his face. "Sit." The dog obeys immediately and Ward kneels down to scratch his head. "Good boy." The dog scoots closer as Ward's scratches under his chin.

He looks up when he hears someone approaching to see Coulson, a small grin on the man's face as he adjusts his cuffs. "Just on time." He offers his hand to help Ward up and he takes it. "Mission go smoothly?" Ward nods.

"Yes, sir."

Coulson nods and claps him on the shoulder before releasing him. "Good, we can talk about it later. Now, drop the sir 'cause we're in your house and go get ready. I was just sent to retrieve Captain, here." Coulson gestures to the mutt and Ward grins, before nodding. He gives the dog one more scratch on the head, before continuing on until he reaches the guest room. He quickly enters it and shuts the door behind him.

"Cutting it close, man" Trip says at the same time Fitz speaks.

"We were getting worried."

Ward doesn't pause, grabbing the clothes Trip's holding out for him and instantly going into the bathroom to change, closing the door behind him.

"Skye says the mission went well" Trip's voice says. Ward nods as he buttons up his shirt.

"Yeah, I was in and out quickly." He hears the door to the room open then.

"You should knock," Trip says with fake shock to whoever entered. "We could've been naked for all you know."

"Why do you think I didn't knock?" Ward hears Gayle's voice say and he rolls his eyes. "Besides, three men naked in a room together without the excuse of shared athleticism? As if your societal views of masculinity would allow that." He smirks and can practically see Trip grasping for a comeback, before the other man just laughs. Ward finishes getting dressed then and exits the bathroom. He makes eye contact with Gayle and the two exchange a small grin.

"You look nice" he comments. She's wearing a dress instead of her usual slacks and button-up blouse.

She raises an eyebrow, amused. "Same to you." He notices her eyeing him and lets out a breath.

"So, what's the verdict?"

She sits down on the bed and grins slightly. "You're nervous as hell." Ward scoffs and she briefly turns her attention to Trip as the man walks up to her and leans down. Ward waits for her to finish straightening the man's tie, before responding.

"Can you blame me?" He shrugs. "I'm still kind of taking it all in."

She gives him a soft look. "When we met in that interrogation room almost eight years ago, if I had told you this is where you'd be in time, would you have believed me?"

He shakes his head, growing sober at the memory. "Not for a second."

She stands up and walks up to him, leaning up to give him a light kiss on the cheek. "Well, I never doubted." Her affectionate smile turns cheeky a moment later. "I mean, I brag about you all the time. You're my biggest success case."

He raises his eyebrows, turning amused. "Really?"

She nods. "Yeah, I was thinking about naming my first born child after you." He laughs, but is distracted when there's a knock on the door and a second later it opens just wide enough for May to poke her head in. The woman's lips are straight, but there's a smile in her eyes.

"Everything's ready" she says, before disappearing and closing the door. Ward swallows and turns to Gayle. She simply flashes him a reassuring grin, before turning to the two other men.

"Well, you guys better go join the girls while Grant and I go outside." They nod and Fitz grins widely, before clapping Ward on the back. He doesn't flinch, hasn't in a long time.

"You ready for the ball and chain?" Fitz jokes.

Ward lets out a nervous breath, before he feels his lips curl up in a soft, earnest smile and he nods. "Yeah."

"I should be thanking you," Gayle says casually a few minutes later as they stand outside underneath a simple, white arch with light purple flowers threaded through it. He does his best to ignore the gazes of the few guests who aren't apart of the wedding party. "Getting ordained was on my bucket list. You just gave me the excuse."

"You didn't have to go through the whole process. Skye could've easily-"

"I like to do things legally, thank you." They exchange grins that are both amused and exasperated, because they've had this conversation before.

But then the music starts.

It's a soft melody, the instrumental to one of Skye's favorite songs, which she had dubbed "their song." Gayle straightens immediately, smiling softly. Ward's attention is focused solely on the aisle, which leads to another arch. This one has a thin curtain hanging from it, though, just enough to obscure the view until the person walks through. Behind that, is the backdoor to the house. The air is soft, with just the faintest breeze rustling through the surrounding trees. He can't help but smile, knowing that Skye will find it perfect.

It's a moment later when Fitz and Simmons walk through the veil. Simmons is wearing one of the light purple bridesmaid dresses Skye had showed him endless pictures of. Her hair is in loose curls. Skye had said she wanted everyone to look as simple and free as possible, without verging into casual. The small bouquet Simmons has in her hands matches the flowers along the arch. Fitz is wearing a tux, with a tie that matches the color of Simmons' dress. When they reach Ward, Fitz gives him a thumbs up before going to stand by his side. Simmons pauses briefly, going on her tip toes and he leans down enough for her to kiss his cheek. He smiles at her, noticing how moist her eyes already are, before she goes to take her place next to where Skye will be standing.

He turns his attention back to the aisle just as Trip and May appear. Trip's wearing the same tux as Fitz and grinning widely, while May's wearing basically the same dress as Simmons, just with alterations to fit her body type. Her hair is down and loose, with the slightest waves in it. Trip pulls him in for a hug when they reach him, before going to stand next to Fitz. May goes straight to her spot, but the small smile and nod of her head she gives him tells him all he needs to know.

And then, Captain is bounding out from behind the veil and Ward can't help but laugh along with everyone else, because they had actually managed to get the dog in a tux. He goes straight to Gayle, who's holding out a treat that's swallowed whole in the blink of an eye. She then snaps her fingers and he sits obediently next to her.

The bridal march begins then and everyone stands and Ward can feel his heart beating in his chest. This is it. He vaguely notices Gayle glance at him with an anticipatory smile. His sole focus is on the arch across from him. He's not breathing. He's holding his breath because he knows any moment she's going to show and there will be nothing but her.

He's not disappointed.

She steps through the veil a moment later on Coulson's arm. They make eye contact instantly and her smile is enough to knock away what little breath he has left. The veil she wears doesn't cover her face and ends about mid-thigh. Her hair flows past her shoulders in loose waves and she wears only a light touch of makeup. Her bouquet is a combination of the light purple flowers he can't remember the name of and white daisies. Her dress is simple, yet elegant, but not overly so, flowing naturally to the ground.

She's perfect.

When she reaches him, he's all but forgotten about everything else but her. As they stare at each other, he doesn't care that he's probably got a stupid smile on his face. Because she's perfect. She could've been wearing anything and they could've been anywhere and she'd still be perfect.

Gayle clears her throat slightly, breaking the bubble briefly. Skye turns her eyes from him to lean up and kiss Coulson's cheek. The man gives her a smile, gaze nothing but proud and affectionate, before kissing her forehead. He then turns his eyes to Ward, expression completely serious. Ward reads the message loud and clear and gives a nod to show his understanding. Coulson returns the nod, before placing Skye's hand in his and going to take his seat.

"Glad to see you aren't late" Skye remarks quietly and he can't help but chuckle. He tries, then, to listen to what Gayle says, but it's far too easy to tune out everything but Skye. Luckily, Gayle lightly nudges his leg at just the right moment.

"I do" he says and he thinks he might fly. Gayle then repeats the vows for Skye, giving the other woman a light nudge as well when her turn comes.

"I do" Skye says and he wonders if his chest could feel any fuller.

They exchange rings and Gayle grins widely before speaking her next words. "By the power invested in me, by the state of New York, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride."

Gayle's barely finished with the sentence before Skye's throwing her arms around his neck and crashing her lips to his. He smiles into the kiss and wraps his arms around her waist to bring her closer. He barely even notices the cheers- and a couple catcalls –from those surrounding them. They pull back after a moment and rest their foreheads against each other, smiling.

"I love you" Skye murmurs and he knows he'll never, ever grow tired of hearing those words.

"I love you too," he responds and his hand travels lightly to the small bump in her abdomen. "So much."

"Though we're tethered to the story we must tell

When I saw you, well I knew we'd tell it well

With a whisper we will tame the vicious seas

Like a feather bringing kingdoms to their knees"

A/N: Firstly: Thank you so much to all of you! Thanks to you who reviewed, faved, and alerted! Thanks to you who reblogged and liked the links on Tumblr! Thanks to all of you just for reading my little fic. I honestly never expected for it to get this kind of feedback and if you guys could all know how happy you've made me, like, for real. I'd probably be crying right now if I weren't in such denial about this being the epilogue. Seriously, you guys have, like, made my love for creative writing grow so much and just thank you. Thank you so much.

Secondly: I wanted so much to do a sequel to this fic. In the end, though, I couldn't come up with enough of a plot, so I really do apologize for that, 'cause I know a lot of you wanted a sequel. BUT here's kind of what I was thinking, 'cause I'm not quite ready to let this go, either: you guys can maybe request one-shots from this 'verse? Seriously, whatever you want. Want the proposal? You got it. Want some therapy sessions? You got it. You can request anything from any of the time skips and even after the epilogue. I take requests either through my Tumblr (same username- link on profile) or through PMs here (not reviews). I allow anonymous asks on Tumblr, too. If enough are requested, I can just start a collection of one-shots? 'Cause all of them will be published to FF. If y'all don't request any then we can just pretend this didn't happen y/y? lol Just make sure to say it's for this 'verse 'cause I'm a forever unsure person lmao.

So, yeah, that's it. Review please? :'3