Chapter 2:

The team and Grant Ward gathered in Coulson's office. Mac set to work running facial recognition for any sign of Skye. In the background the scan was running, going through security footage from all over the world.

"Her chip was disabled as soon as she and I crossed the border into Canada when we first reconnected." Grant explains. "We wanted to make it as hard as possible for you guys to find us."

"Well you've done a good job so far," Bobbi sighs. "We haven't even gotten a hint of your existence."

"I need to call Kara, bring her in on this." Grant says. "Agent 33 is what you may know her as. For a while she traveled with Skye and I. She met someone then made a life with them."

"Call her," Coulson tells him. "If you think she can help us."

Grant nods, leaving the room to find cell service. As soon as the door shut, the team stared at one another. They had to make a decision on whether or not they really trusted Ward.

"He brought his daughter here." Fitz stood up for him. "Why would he have brought her here if he really didn't need help?"

"Could be a cover," Hunter says. "He could've gotten any girl off of the street and used her as a twisted attempt to get the woman he's obsessed with."

May shakes her head. "I've watched them together. There is nothing fake about it."

"The girl looks exactly like a mix of Skye and Ward," Jemma states. "Biologically, they resemble each other too much to deny the fact that the kid is their's. I may not like him being back here, but I trust him enough to want to help him."

"I trust him. No doubt in my mind that his intentions are pure." Fitz tells them.

Coulson put it up for a vote. The team had stated their opinions, now it was time to see what the overall ruling was. The verdict was in along with some compromise. Ward was here until they found Skye, but he would not go out into the field with him.

Grant Ward walks back into the room, phone in hand. "She's on her way. Estimated time of arrival is eight hours."

"There are a few conditions to us helping you," Coulson starts out. "You must be one hundred percent honest with us at all times. Any sign of betrayal we will lock you up in Vault D again. Skye's safety has priority over your own. You will not be out in the field. We don't know if we can trust you, especially seeing that you are emotionally compromised in this situation. Do you understand and accept these terms?"

With a heavy sigh, he nods. "I don't really have a choice now do I. There are a few terms of my own that I have. Once we have Skye, I want to know your intentions with her. I trust you enough to help me bring her back safely, I at least deserve a bit of trust in the matter of my wife and unborn child. If I think that you are putting Skye or Sophie at risk then I will take them both out of here."

"I simply want to make sure that Skye is all right." Coulson informs him. "She's like a daughter to me."

Grant scoffs at this. "A daughter you treated like a lab rat."

"It wasn't his fault," Jemma speaks up. "We had to see what she was capable of. We had to know if she was a danger to us or herself."

"That's not the way she up it." Grant said. "As soon as she's safe, we'll let her decide where she wants to go. If, and that's a big if, she chooses to come back then I'm staying whether you like it or not."

"Fair enough," Coulson says. He turns to the computer screen. "I'll try to contact General Talbot later this evening and see if he has heard of any third players. Agent Morse, I would like you to also run a scan searching for anything on the rector scale. Give me something that would indicate where Skye is. Until then you are all dismissed."

Bobbi and Mac stayed in the room running scans. Hunter stayed back as well, keeping his distance away from Ward. The rest of the group left the room. Jemma rushed off to the lab to work on finishing inventory. May went to the gym to work out. While Coulson headed to his office.

Fitz fell into step with Ward as they made their way towards the kitchen. The duo didn't speak as they walked. Instead they remained in a comfortable silence that neither wanted to break. It did eventually have to come to an end though.

"Can I fix you a drink?" Grant asked as he poured himself a glass of scotch.

Fitz shook his head. "Don't like drinking." He motions to his head. "Jumbles up my thoughts...everything is already jumbled enough."

A twinge of guilt hit Grant, knowing that he was the reason those thoughts were jumbled. "I'm never going to be able to say that I'm sorry enough. I thought the pod would float-"

"Quit apologizing," Fitz stopped him. "You could have just shot us, but you didn't. Instead you gave us a...fighting chance."

Grant shook his head. "I could never have shot you two. You were the only friends that I ever had. The only people who didn't have an ulterior motive with me."

"Normal people don't use people, Ward." he offers him a warm smile. "You need to get past everything that's happened to you..to us. If those things hadn't of happened then you wouldn't have Sophie or Skye."

This made him smile. "I suppose you're right. I'd be even more lost without them. They're my world, what holds me steady."

"Does Skye know how whipped you are?" Fitz teased with a large grin on his face.

Grant gentle shoved him. "I'm not whipped."

"You're as whipped as Cool-Whip."

The two laughed at this. They kept exchanging jokes, messing around with one another. It was the first time in years that Grant could relax and simply have fun. His time with Skye had it's happy moments, but most of the time they were always looking over their shoulder. Most importantly, hanging out with Fitz took his mind off of his missing wife.