A/N: So, I'd like to start by thanking everyone who read, reviewed, followed, and favored my last fic Home. The response has been absolutely amazing, and it gave me the confidence I needed to post this new piece. Please keep in mind that I'm still a little rusty and need to get my writing groove back, so go easy on me!

Warning: If you haven't seen The Well, then beware; there are some spoilers in this fic. Also, there is some swearing… a few F-bombs here and there, so if that's not something you like, I apologize ahead of time. Also, I am very aware that this fic happened outside of the US, but I'm not the best at writing people with any accent other than sourthern :/, sorry!

Special thanks to my wonderful beta! Again, I meddled after she returned this to me, so any errors are mine.

Enjoy!

Skye's problem was that she didn't know when to back off. After Ward had declined her "shoulder to lean on" and left her sitting at the bar, she should've stayed there. But being Skye, she didn't. It took her roughly two seconds after Ward walked away from her to make the decision to follow him up. She knew he would probably be pissed at her insistence, but truth was she needed this; she needed to be there for him even if they sat there in silence. After everything that had gone on in the last few weeks, there'd been too many close calls, and she just needed to be near him.

"He'd understand." She thought, rounding the corner that led to Ward's room.

As soon as she turned though, her heart shattered. Her breathe hitched and her eyes suddenly filled with unshed tears as she watched Ward's back disappearing behind May's door. The realization that he had chosen the older agent over her, his rookie¸ hurt like hell.

She was so sure things were changing between them. They weren't just an S.O and his rookie; Ward was her best friend. She trusted him with her life, and she was sure that he felt the same. Not to mention all the flirting that went on between them. Maybe she'd read him all wrong.

"So stupid." she muttered to herself, quickly leaning against the wall as her legs began to shake.

Skye took a few measured breathes and tried hard to keep the tears at bay. She wasn't going to cry. She had no reason to cry. Ward wasn't hers. Who cares if he doesn't trust her enough to let her help him, right? After all, she's just a rookie and Agent May… well, 'she's the mother fucking Calvary'. She thought bitterly, swiping her fingers under her eyes, trying to clear her drowning eyes. She needed a drink.

Two hours later

Ward sat on the edge of the bed, his head resting on his hands. He should've never followed May in here. This had been a huge mistake.

"This doesn't mean anything."

Ward looked up to see May already dressed.

"It should've never happened." He said, moving to find his discarded clothes.

"No one has to know it did." She shrugged, nonchalantly.

How could she do that? How could she just brush it off like nothing? They'd slept together for God sake. They'd used one another and he'd—"Shit."

May watched him calmly as he put his pants and shirt on and searched for his shoes.

"You didn't betray her." She said knowingly, no emotion marring her face.

Ward stilled but didn't speak.

"You and Skye aren't in a relationship Ward. You don't have to feel guilty about this." She assured the younger agent.

Ward shook his head, a humorless laugh emanating from his lips. May was right. He and Skye weren't together, so as far as he was concerned, he could sleep with whoever he wanted to sleep with. So why the hell was he feeling so guilty?

"You love her." May stated, taking a seat beside Ward.

Ward looked over at her, eyes wide. "I—I don't know." He murmured quietly.

Did he love Skye? He cared about her. He cared about her a lot, but was that love?

May smirked, "You wouldn't feel this bad if you didn't."

Ward sighed, "Even if I do, I can't do anything about it." He said effortlessly sliding his boots on.

"Why not? There's no rule against fraternization." May asked, eyebrows raised in confusion.

"May, just— just drop it." He said running his hands through his hair in frustration. He couldn't help but feel like he'd just thrown one of the best things in his life, away.

May sighed. "Fine, have it your way." She said, getting up and grabbing the bottle they'd been sharing earlier. "Might as well finish it." She shrugged, taking a drink of the strong liquid and then handing it him.

"Miss, I think you've had enough, don't you agree?"

Skye looked up from her slumped position at the bar. She was currently working on her 6th or was it 8th drink? She wasn't sure; she'd lost count after number 4, when the world around her started to blend together dangerously.

"Another." She ordered, chugging the last few drops of the one she'd been nursing. She could still see Ward walking into May's room, so she wasn't drunk enough.

"I must insist—"

"You… you, you jus' do yer job." She slurred, "Gimme somthin' stronger."

The bartender watched her for a moment before moving to get her another drink. He felt bad for the girl. He'd seen her crying a few times since she'd sauntered into his bar an hour ago and now here she was, eyes glazed and way past drunk. He'd give it a few more minutes and then he'd figure out a way to get her where she belonged.

"Bar's closing soon." He said sliding her another shot of whisky.

Skye took the shot glass and swallowed the contents in one gulp. For someone who didn't drink much, she sure could knock them back like a pro.

"More." She said, sliding the glass back to the bartender.

"Look, I know you—"

"Another!" she yelled "Need to erase. I need to erase it…can't erase" She mumbled almost incoherently.

The bartender looked on curiously. "Erase what?"

Skye's eyes watered and spilled over. "He picked'er over me." She cried, sobs wracking her small frame.

The bartender sighed, finally understanding. Heartbreak was a bitch.

"Look, I don't know you and I don't know your boyfriend, but—"

"No. No. Grant s'not m'boyfriend. Ward doesn't want me, m'jus a rookie." She slurred, tapping her glass indicating she wanted another drink. "He picked the calvary." she added sadly.

The bartender looked on confused. "Rookie?"

"Yep! S'ma S.O." she nodded, tapping the glass again. "More."

"S.O?"

Skye slumped forward, resting her elbows clumsily on the bar top. "I love'em."

"Does he… know?" he asked.

Skye scoffed. "No."

The man scratched his beard, clearly confused by the situation, but unwilling to pry anymore then he already had. He was just a bartender, not a psychologist or a love doctor.

"Look Miss, I'm sorry you're having a rough time, but I really gotta cut you off now. Is there someone I can call for you?" he said, hoping she'd comply.

Skye glared at the man, tears forgotten.

"M'not ready." She said, motioning to her glass.

"I'm sorry." He said, taking the shot glass away. "I'm afraid you're done for the night."

Skye glared at the man's retreating back, anger boiling deep in her chest. Another rejection.

One second Skye was sitting on the stool and the next, she was up and climbing over the counter clumsily, hands reaching out to grab the bottle he'd been pouring her drinks from. She needed it. Whatever would make her forget, she'd take. She didn't want to feel it. She didn't want to feel anything at all.

The bartender ran towards her, grabbing her by the waist as she stumbled, almost hitting the floor face first.

"Miss, miss, stop!" he said, pulling the small women up and facing her away from the glass bottles. "You're gonna hurt your self."

Skye fought back, pushing hard against the man keeping her away from sweet oblivion. Didn't he understand? Didn't het get that she needed this?

"Please…"

"John, grab her bag, see if you can find a phone or some ID." The bartender yelled to another employee. "You need to calm down Miss."

Skye growled and tried to get out of the man's hold once more before finally giving up and slumping into his arms, sobs once again taking over.

"Always wrong. M'always wrong." She repeated brokenly.

"Boss, got a phone." John said, tossing it to him.

"Alright Miss, let's get you home." He said, accessing her numbers and finding a familiar one.

"May, I'm really sorry—"

May held her hand up, stopping Ward before he finished.

"This never happened, Ward."

Ward sighed, not completely satisfied with how this was turning out, but still grateful to the agent for understanding him, and more importantly, not judging.

"So, we're ok?"

"We're good." She said, offering him a rare smile.

Ward grabbed his coat and was on his way out when his phone rang. He pulled it out, just as he closed the door behind him.

"Ward." he said, all business.

"Uh yea, sorry to bother you this late—"

"Who is this?" he interrupted, his senses on high alert. Only a few people had this number; all of which he could count on two hands, and were supposed to be in bed, sleeping.

"My name's Tim. I'm a bartender at O'toole's bar down in the hotel. I have a young lady here who might need some help getting home."

Ward's protective instincts went into overdrive. There were only three women on this team, one of which he'd just been with, and given the fact that this man was calling from a phone with his number on it, it could only be Jemma or Skye.

"Is she ok?" he asked, trying not to let the panic he felt set in as he made his way to the bar he'd been in earlier.

"I'm afraid she's had too much to drink. Poor girl's havin' a rough night." Tim explained calmly.

"I'll be there in a minute." Ward said, hanging up the phone and running the rest of the way down.

Ward walked into the bar, looking around frantically.

"Ward?" Tim asked, filling a glass with water.

Ward looked at the man, recognizing his voice immediately.

"Where is she?" he asked, walking towards him.

Tim pointed to the floor on the other side of the bar, drawing Ward's attention to Skye, who was currently slumped over a garbage can.

What the hell, Skye? He thought concerned.

"I tried cutting her off, but she wasn't having it. She jumped over the counter and tried to grab a bottle. She's a mess." Tim explained, concern etched on his aged face.

Ward hopped over the bar top and kneeled beside her. What the hell had happened? Had she been here since he'd left her behind earlier?

"Skye, come on, let's get you out of here." He said pushing a few strands of hair from her face.

Skye shuddered at his touch, but didn't attempt to move otherwise.

"Skye." He said, leaning closer to her. "Come on, I got you." He said, standing so that he could stand her up.

"Mmnn" Skye mumbled incoherently, swatting his hands away.

"What?"

"Sick."

Oh.

"She really did a number on herself." Tim said, looking at Skye with sympathetic eyes. He was all too familiar with heartbreak.

Ward glanced up at the man, grateful that he'd called, but also suspicious. He couldn't afford to let his guard down. "How'd you know to call me?" He asked, curiously.

Tim pointed in Skye's direction, "She kept talking about someone named Ward. When I saw the name in her phone, I figured it was the best option."

Ward nodded. "Does she owe you anything?"

Tim shook his head. "No, it's taken care of." He assured.

"Alright, I'll get her out here; let you do what you have to do." Ward said, noticing the now empty bar. "Thank you for calling." He added, bending over to pick Skye up.

"Make sure you keep her hydrated. She's going to have one hell of a bad morning after what she drank. Take care of her." He added.

Ward muttered something into Skye's ear, and when she relaxed her body, he carefully lifted her into his arms, cradling her against him.

"Have a good one." He said, quickly making his way out of the bar.

An hour after he'd laid Skye on his bed, she'd bolted up, her hands covering her mouth as she gagged. Ward, knowing what was coming next, quickly lifted her off the bed, ran her to the bathroom, and set her down in front of the toilet just in time.

He held her hair back, rubbing soothing circles on her back as her body spasmed. For as long as he'd known Skye, he's never known her to drink. For the life of him, he couldn't understand what had led his rookie to this. Had he missed something?

Skye whimpered as she dry heaved once again. God, what the hell had she done?

"Shh, you're alright. I got you." Ward soothed.

Ward? She was about to question why he was here, when she felt the all too familiar roll of her stomach. She leaned over the toilet and clung to it as her stomach tried to get rid of everything she'd put in it.

"Easy. Take it easy." Ward muttered, rubbing soothing circles on her back.

"Hurts…" she managed to mutter out in between dry heaves.

Ward sighed, unable to do much to help relieve the pain she was in.

"Relax Skye. Don't fight it." He instructed gently.

Ward sat in the bathroom with her for the next 15 minutes, alternating between holding her hair and wiping her forehead with a cool cloth as she heaved continuously. Once he was sure the danger had passed, he helped her to her feet and held her against the sink, while she rinsed her mouth.

"Don' feel good." She mumbled, exhausted by the ordeal.

"I'm sure you don't." he smiled sympathetically. "I'll grab you some water and ibuprofen once I sit you down; that should help." He said, shutting the water off and helping her into the room.

"Spinning."

"What's that?"

"Room's spinning." She repeated, clutching onto him, so she wouldn't fall. "Make it stop."

Ward sat her at the edge of the bed and pulled her shoes off. "Don't move." He instructed, walking to his bag and grabbing two ibuprofens and a water bottle from the mini fridge.

"M'falling…"

Ward stood in front of her, pills and water in hand, "I've got you." He said, handing her the pills first, then the water. "Take these; it'll help with the hangover."

Skye took the pills and drank half of the water bottle before handing it back to Ward.

"Close your eyes, it'll be better when you wake up." He assured, laying her down and lifting her legs up onto the bed.

Skye muttered something unintelligible as she fell into a drunken induced sleep, leaving Ward to wonder and watch over her. He was never letting her drink again.

"Yea, she's fine Coulson, she just had a rough night. We'll be there soon."

Skye stilled at the sound of his voice. Where the hell was she and why was Ward there?

Skye pulled the covers down away from her face and looked around the room. She spotted Ward standing by the window, looking out. What the hell is going on? She wondered, panicking a little. Last she remembered, she was going to talk to Ward and then… Oh.

"Hey, you're awake. How're you feeling?" Ward asked, sliding his phone into his pocket and walking towards her.

Skye tensed, the memories from last night coming back.

"Are you feeling sick?" Ward asked, concerned.

A sudden burst of anger hit her as she remembered seeing Ward walking into May's hotel room. She threw the covers off of herself and scooted off the bed; stumbling a little as she stood.

"Whoa, hey, take it easy." He said, rushing to her side.

"Get away from me!" she yelled, catching him off guard.

"What the—Skye, it's just me." He said, reaching out for her.

"I'm drunk, not blind." She growled. "Don't touch me." She shouted, inching away from him little by little.

Ward stopped and stared at his very agitated and still slightly drunk rookie.

"Skye, I can't help you if you don't tell me what's going on." He said, attempting to get some answers for her weird behavior.

"Why are you here?" she asked, ignoring his question.

Ward looked on confused. "What do you mean?"

"Why are you here? I don't want you here. I don't need you here!" she yelled, tears threatening to fall. "I… I don't need you." She said brokenly.

"Skye, I don't—"

"Leave me alone Ward. Go. Go back to her! Go back to May! I don't need you!" she shouted, unable to keep the tears at bay.

Ward stilled, trying to comprehend what he'd just heard. She knew. Skye knew he'd been with May last night. The guilt he was feeling at this moment was almost unbearable.

"Skye, it's not what it looks like." He finally said wincing as the word left his mouth. What the hell was he talking about? It was exactly what it looked like. "I- I mean it didn't—May and I- it was just a onetime thing." He explained softly, "It- it didn't mean anything."

Skye turned her gaze towards the wall, trying hard to avoid his eyes.

"Skye, look at me." He said, taking her hand in his.

Skye pulled her hand back as if she'd been burned. "Don't" she said, trying to ignore the hurt look Ward gave her.

"Skye, you have to liste—"

"I don't have to do anything!" she yelled, glaring at him this time.

She could see desperation on his face, panic even, but she couldn't bring herself to give a damn. He had rejected her- chosen someone else to comfort him. She just, she couldn't deal with that.

"Skye, just hear me out." He pleaded desperately.

"I was so stupid!" she scoffed, slowly making her way around him. "I seriously thought that I could help you. I thought—I thought I'd proven myself worthy enough, but I was wrong. I'm always wrong." She muttered mostly to herself. "So stupid."

Ward rubbed his calloused hands over his face, frustration setting in. He had to fix this somehow, damn it. He had to make her see that what had happened last night had meant nothing. It'd been a mistake. The combination of all that rage, his need to release it all, and the alcohol had clouded his mind. It was a stupid excuse, he knew that, but it was true. He would have never slept with May if he'd been himself.

"Why are you here, Ward?" she asked again, breaking him from his thoughts.

"I needed to make sure you were ok." He said sincerely.

Skye scoffed. "Well, I'm ok, so you can go now." She said, motioning for the door.

"Skye—"

"Don't." She said, pulling away from his touch.

Ward clenched his fist as he felt the effects of the staff brewing within him. He had to get himself under control.

"We need to talk about this." he said, stepping in front of her.

"Oh, now you want talk? That's too bad, because I don't have anything else to say to you." She spat angrily.

Ward took a step back, his nostrils flaring a bit. Keep it together Ward.

"What you saw last night-"

"I DON'T want to know about your night with May!" She shouted angrily, cutting him off.

"WELL YOU'RE GONNA HEAR IT!" Ward yelled, finally getting fed up. "So shut up and stop interrupting me!" he said, pinning her against the wall with his body.

"Fuck you, Ward!" she spat, attempting to get away from him.

"Stop fighting me! You're being ridiculous, you know that?" he said, grabbing her arms and pinning them above her.

"Let go of me." She seethed.

"I get that you're pissed, Skye." He said matter of fact. "What I don't get, is why you give a crap about who I sleep with?" He said roughly, not breaking eye contact with the young hacker.

"I-I don't care who you sleep with, you could sleep with whoever the hell you want to sleep with, Ward!"

Ward scoffed. "Don't lie to me." He said, his grip tightening around her wrist.

Skye gasped at the sudden tightness. She looked up into Wards eyes, and quickly realized that this wasn't her Ward. This was the same Ward she'd seen take out an entire group of men before May had helped him. This was the same Ward that didn't care who he hurt.

"Ward, let me go!" she said again, this time speaking softly.

"Not until you tell me why you're so pissed." He said, leaning in closer to her.

Skye turned away from his gaze, unable to look him in the eyes anymore. This was all a mess. She was such a fucking mess.

Wards grip got tighter as Skye remained silent.

"Ward, you're hurting me." She finally said, wiggling under his hold.

Something in Skye's voice got through to Ward. He looked down at the girl pinned between him and the wall, and swiftly took a step back, letting go of her hands.

"I'm so sorry. I—I"

"It's fine." She assured, rubbing her throbbing wrists.

They both remained silent for a moment, trying to figure out how to fix what was clearly broken between them.

"Skye, you have to talk to me." He whispered softly, breaking the silence.

Skye sighed.

"Ward, you… you-" Damn it, she couldn't do it!

"I what, Skye?"

"Look, we're late. Coulson is going to wonder where we are and-"

"I don't care about Coulson!" he said, frustrations evident in his words. "You need to TALK. TO. ME!"

"YOU CHOSE HER OVER ME, WARD! She yelled, finally losing whatever small hold she had on her emotions. "I SAT THERE LIKE A FUCKING IDIOT, OFFERING MY FUCKING SHOULDER, WHEN ALL YOU NEEDED WAS TO GET LAID!"

Ward remained quiet and motionless, just allowing Skye to vent. This is what he'd wanted, after all.

"I wanted to help you Ward. I needed to help you. I was so fucking worried about you. I couldn't wait to talk to you, to make sure you were ok, to make sure you were still—to make sure you were still my Ward, because for a minute there, I was just… I was so scared." She admitted quietly, tears making their way down her cheeks.

Ward reached out to her, only for her to step back.

She wiped them away furiously, trying her hardest not to cry anymore.

"I thought we were there." She said, laughing humorlessly.

When Ward didn't answer, she glanced up at him, seeing the confusion on his face.

"I thought you trusted me enough to let me in." she clarified.

Ward sighed.

"I do trust you." He assured.

Skye raised her eyebrow up in question.

"I trust you Skye; I just, I couldn't talk to you about this. Not because I didn't trust you with it, but because I couldn't trust myself." He said, taking a step towards her. "The rage I was feeling was uncontrollable. I couldn't risk it. I couldn't risk you." He added.

Skye could almost accept that, if it wasn't for the fact that he not only chose to confide in May over her, but he also slept with the older agent too.

"So you couldn't risk talking to me, but you were perfectly ok with risking May by not only talking to her, but by having sex with her too?" she stated angrily.

Ward pinched the bridge of his nose. Was this even fixable?

"This is pointless."

He heard Skye mutter softly, before hearing the door unlocking.

"Skye, wait." He said, reaching out to her.

Skye sighed. She had to let this go. She was hurt more than she could explain, but she also couldn't hold this against him. She had no claim over Ward. As much as it killed her, she had to accept that he was free to sleep with whoever he wanted to sleep with. He's your S.O. Skye; don't make this worse than it already is. She thought to herself.

"Look Ward, I'm tired and I don't feel good. Let's just, let's forget this happened and move on. Please." She pleaded softly.

Ward shook his head. "No, no way. We have to fix this; we can't work together with this hanging between us." He said sternly. "We can't work together if we can't trust each other."

Seeing that she wasn't going to talk, he continued. "I know that I hurt you by not talking to you when you offered, and I'm sorry about that. I truly am sorry. I really was trying to protect you."

Skye nodded silently.

"But…"

"But?" she prompted

"Why does it bother you so much that May and I—" Ward stopped, noticing Skye tense at the mention of the older agent. "Skye?"

It's now or never. She thought.

"I'm jealous." She admitted quietly. So quietly that Ward wasn't sure he'd heard right.

"You're what?"

"I'm jealous, ok!" she repeated louder.

Ward was stunned into silence. Skye was jealous of him and May. Skye, his rookie, was jealous. That had to mean that she felt something for him, right? Why else would she be so upset about this?

"Are you happy now?" she asked bitterly. She had practically just revealed her feelings for her S.O. and he couldn't even be bothered to respond.

What a fucking mess. He thought. Shit like this didn't happen when he worked alone. A few months ago, his life was simple. Get a mission, complete it, and move on to the next. But now, now he had a team, people to care about, people to worry about. And he had her; his stubborn, infuriating, annoying, reckless, emotional, caring, and absolutely beautiful rookie. She was going to be his undoing.

Tired of waiting and of crying in front of him, Skye unlocked the door set on leaving. Coulson was going to be mad as it was, and she just couldn't handle anymore of this today. She was mentally, emotionally, and physically done.

She took one step out of the room before she felt Ward's hand on her arm.

"You have nothing to be jealous of." He said finally, bringing her closer to him. "May and I, it was just sex. There was so much rage and I- I just needed- It was- we weren't ourselves Skye." He tried to explain. "There were – are- no feelings there, not like that." He assured her. "I need you to understand that. I need you to know that it didn't mean anything. Not to me and not to her either."

Skye tried to wrap her head around that. Let it go. Accept and move on. She told herself. She had to trust that he wouldn't lie to her, and even if he was lying, and he really did feel something for May, she had to accept it, because she was nothing more than Ward's rookie, nothing more than his friend; it wasn't Ward's fault she'd fallen in love with him.

"Skye…?"

Skye glanced up at him, noting the fear etched on his face.

"Ok." She whispered, never breaking eye contact with him.

"Ok?"

"I'm not going to lie; it hurts like hell, Ward. But I get it. I'm sorry I overreacted. I understand that you're my S.O. and I'm you're rookie, and we're friends, but nothing more. I have no claim over you; you're free to be with whoever you want to be with. " she said, offering him a small smile.

Ward stared at the beautiful, red rimmed eyed girl standing in front of him, remembering the words May had said to him earlier in the night. He loved her. Sighing, he braced himself for what would happen next. Once he took this step, there would be no going back.

He took her tear soaked face between his hands and leaned down slowly, giving Skye time to move away. When she didn't push him away, he took that as a good sign and quickly sealed his lips over hers.

Skye stood still for a moment, her mind not yet caught up with what was happening, but when she felt Ward about to pull away, her lips reacted. She wrapped her arms around and him and kissed him as if her life depended on it.

When he finally broke away to catch some air, Skye smiled up at him shyly.

"Ward?" she questioned nervously.

Ward leaned his forehead against hers and gave the tip of her nose a gentle kiss.

"This- you- mean something." He said kissing her lips softly. "I'm sorry I hurt you."

Her eyes filled with tears once again, but this time they were happy ones.

"We mean something?"

Ward smiled, caressing her wet cheeks, "We mean something."

The End

A/N: So, this is what I wish had happened… well, minus the whole sleeping with May thing, but what's done is done, so now I need to write stuff to make myself feel better. Sorry, I'm awfully bitter about this whole situation. I'm a hardcore Skye/Ward shipper and lately the writers have done nothing but threaten to sink my ship. I have to stay afloat somehow!

I hope you enjoyed what you read. Leave me your thoughts and suggestions- I'd be happy to take any request on what to write next!