Title: Fix a Heart
Chapter 01: (Skye) I Tried to Sever Ties
Author: snarkysweetness
Rating: R
Characters: Team Bus, Team Playground, Team Avengers, etc.
Pairings: Skyeward, Philinda, Fitzsimmons, Clintasha, Huntingbird, etc.
Summary: Season Two AU: Three and a half years after the fall of SHIELD, Coulson and his team are still struggling to rise from the ashes, slowly piecing their lives and organization back together one shard at a time. With nowhere else to turn and the life of one of their own on the line they're left with no choice but to break Ward out of prison and bring him along for the ride. Filled with angst, betrayal, romance, and snark! Come along for the whimsical ride down what will never happen in season two.
Warnings: Angst, canon-typical violence, sexual situations, & swearing.
Disclaimer: If I owned canon we wouldn't need no motherfucking fanfic to fix this mess.
Author's Note: I'd like to welcome new readers and thank returning readers for putting up with me. I started posting this fic 84 years ago, but life got in the way. I'm happy to announce that I'm finishing this bad girl and I'm excited to present to you the new, updated, rewritten, better version of this story. I love this story so much, it's my baby, and very close to my heart. I'm happy to share her with the people who love this family ensemble as much as I do. Please review, share with your friends, and enjoy.

Her boots clicked against the concrete, echoing through the dimly lit hallway, mimicking the thumping of her racing heartbeat as she followed the guard towards the prison's interrogation room.

She shivered, a chill slithering up her spine as they descended the stairs to the basement. This place gave her the creeps, which was no easy feat. In the past three-and-a-half years she'd survived her share of hellholes, so for her to find this place unsettling…

Well, there was no use dwelling on it. Because while she was only here to complete a mission, he deserved to be here. She wasn't going to feel sorry for him just because prison was as terrible as she'd imagined it would be.

"He'll be right through here, Agent May," the guard instructed as he led her into the darkest, dingiest interrogation room she'd ever seen. Skye gave him a short nod before he disappeared, letting out a small sigh of relief once he was gone.

She resisted the urge to toy with her hideous wig and instead channeled her nervous energy into inspecting an imaginary dark spot on the wall. She wasn't ready to see him, and she wanted to put off the inevitable moment of their reunion for as long as possible.

Out of the corner of her eye she caught sight of their poorly disguised surveillance cameras. She knew that between her hacking and forgery skills, along with her resemblance to the real Agent May, the chances of anyone discovering she wasn't actually here on behalf of the CIA were slim; but that didn't stop her from using her time alone to form an escape plan just in case. She knew better than to not be prepared for everything to go to shit.

Skye was putting everything on the line to be here and winding up in custody wasn't an option. Grant Ward had ruined her life once and she'd be damned if she allowed him to do it again.

Speaking of the boogeyman…

Two pairs of footsteps vibrated through the room and every inch of her skin went cold as she felt his presence fill the small space, suffocating her. Metal scraped across the concrete as the guard shoved him into a chair and she kept her back to them, unable to look at him.

"Five minutes."

She nodded, her gaze still fixated on the wall. Her palms were damp. Acid filled her throat. Her heart raced so loudly she was sure he could hear her pulse pounding. She was going to be sick.

Skye could feel his eyes on her as the lights flickered. Neither said a word, though she was certain he had a lot to say. He'd requested to see her so many times she'd lost count. But she'd refused to come, until now, because as much as she hated to admit it, she needed him.

The chair moved again but she didn't flinch. Her gun was tucked securely in its holster and he'd be bleeding out on the floor before she allowed him to touch her. She wasn't the same terrified girl he'd met in a van all those years ago. Not only did she have what it took to pull the trigger, she wouldn't hesitate.

"Sk…Skye?" He whispered in a hollow tone. "Is…" He struggled to speak, voice breaking with emotion. "Sweetheart? Is that you?" He asked, close to tears. "You're really here?"

Skye loathed him.

How was it that after all this time, after everything he'd done, after he'd broken her heart, she still felt that familiar tug on her heart that pulled her towards him in the first place?

She turned her head slowly, being careful not to look at him. "Shh, it's me," she whispered as she slipped her 'badge' out of her pocket. She pressed a button and the lights flickered again, leaving the room darker than before. They only had a few minutes before someone realized she'd blown out the surveillance equipment.

Gathering up every bit of courage she possessed, Skye spared him a glance. Only one. Any more than that and she was bound to do something stupid. But she had to see him, just to know he was okay. Sure, she hated him, but she wasn't a monster. She'd loved him once and she'd be lying if she claimed she didn't worry about him being locked up in this Super Max shithole (a lie she'd told on many occasions).

It wasn't until she did so that she realized how close he'd gotten.

Skye stumbled back, needing to be as far away from him as possible, and cursed herself for allowing him to sneak up on her. She was a better agent than this.

Now that they stood across from one another, she was forced to take in his full appearance, and her body went cold again.

He'd gotten so frail since she'd seen him last.

Were they feeding him?

And when was the last time he'd met a razor?

Judging by the jungle living on his face it had been months.

Skye did her best to hide her horror as she watched Ward's expression change from worry to wounded puppy. Her blood suddenly began to boil as she grew angry. He had no right to feel sorry for himself. He was the one who had broken everything. Broken them. Broken her. This was all his fault.

"Skye?"

"I need your help," she whispered harshly, hating that she was here, that she'd allowed Coulson to talk her into this. But this wasn't about her anymore.

He nodded like a faithful puppy and oh, was there somewhere she wanted to kick him.

"You said once you'd found things out about me? And when Coulson…He said it was about my parents and that you would only tell me?" Leave it to him to try to manipulate a visit out of her. The day they'd shipped him off to a real prison had been one of the best and worst days of her life (how those all seemed to involve him she would never understand).

"Skye, I'm-"

"I don't care. There are only three things I want to know: everything about my father, if you still have contacts within Hydra, and if you're committed to proving you can change."

Coulson was big on the forgiveness and redemption bullshit, and while Skye wasn't entirely convinced that Ward deserved it, nor that he could pull it off, she owed Coulson everything, so she'd let this one slide, for now.

He nodded obediently as she moved towards the door.

"Tomorrow. Noon. I'd recommend staying away from the outer wall of your cell, unless you want to get blown up, in which case be my guest," she instructed as she turned the knob.

"What-wait! I need to tell you-"

"There's no time, tomorrow," she muttered knowing her electronic blackout had worn off.

"Skye!" He cried out, pleading. She hated herself for it, but it broke her heart to hear how desperate he sounded.

"No," she hissed, close to tears, having no desire to hear anything he had to say. Not today.

"Skye, I still-"

The door slammed behind her before she could hear his confession.