The Strength in Darkness

Spoilers: All Episodes of AoS

Disclaimer: I own nothing unfortunately.

She is working on the security network for the new organization when Coulson requests her in his office. It wasn't strange he called her in because she was helping with the rebuilding much like most of the others on the team were. They each had unique fields and saw to help rebuild in those fields because they could make it right again. However, stepping into Coulson's office she found May and Hill with Coulson, the scene made the news she'd be receiving serious. She closed the door and moved over to them quietly.

"What's up AC, why the general assembly?" She motioned to the two women and both held grave expressions. Whatever was up bothered even them and that concerned her, she couldn't handle any more bad news.

He pulled her to the couch in his office as both women sat in chairs. "When all the remaining loyal agents took a vote in choosing the new Council, we didn't expect the outcome that was handed down today."

"They're not trying to shut us down before we've even began, are they?"

May looked down before looking up, "all HYDRA agents or affiliates are to be executed within the next week. That includes…"

"Ward," Skye looked at Coulson, "you said that he was being rehabilitated, that most of it was due to Garrett. You said that eventually he may be able to come back if he shows loyalty and earns our trust."

"The Council got word from a nosey guard at the holding facility." Hill leaned forward and rested her forearms on her legs. "They made it clear that no agent affiliated with HYDRA would be allowed back into SHIELD. They also believed them too dangerous to the new organization to be release into the civilian population. Since the holding facility is draining what little resources we have they decided to just do away with the prisoners."

Skye looked down at her hands and Coulson put a hand on her back. "The sentence can't be overturned and the prisoners are getting to meet with their families one last time. Ward asked to speak to you."

"I want to meet with the Council." She looked up with her eyes full of tears, "I don't care if they won't change the sentence. I need them to look me in the eyes and tell me none of the soldiers are worth saving before I'll believe it."

Hill shook her head, "the Council won't just speak to just any agent."

"Why? We elected them so we should get to speak to them." Skye looked at the woman who had once been deputy director of a different SHIELD. "Are they too good to listen to what we have to say, are they beyond simple agents or have they forgotten they were once in our shoes?"

May and Coulson shared a look with Hill before the woman nodded. "I'll see what I can do." She stood and left the room, leaving Skye with the two people who were like parents to her.

"Skye if you don't want to see Ward…" May started but Skye shook her head. "His day of execution is Monday at 0700, he was the top agents under Garrett so he will go first."

"So I should go immediately to see him," Skye looked at them both. "Three days left to live, all his life he was abused and now he has a ticking clock over him. I've never excused what he's done but I know he'd be a different person if his brother and Garrett hadn't gotten to him. I understand because I'd be a different person too if it had been Garrett who found me instead of you guys."

The Holding Center was like a prison but so much worse, Skye knew the torture techniques they used to get information and she also knew the conditions the prisoners live in. The Fridge was a palace compared to the place and she knew from what Coulson said that Ward seemed to be the model prisoner. He talked when they wanted, did as he was told and didn't act out like others so he was never taken to torture or had simple things like his shoes taken away.

Sitting in the visitation room, she watched as wives and husbands as well as children sobbed as their loved ones were taken away. They were escorted out of the room with the knowledge they'd never see their family again. She ignored the cries because she felt like crying herself and knew she would if she didn't stay strong. She'd seen Ward twice since he'd been captured and both times he'd barely looked at her, answering Coulson's questions without having to be threatened and then left with an apology on his lips. He'd written her a letter explaining it all and after sifting through investigation reports from his childhood she'd come to realize that most of what made Ward was because of his brother and Garrett.

Looking up from her hands she found Ward being escorted to the table she sat at, the guard helped him sit down as he was chained at both his ankles and wrists. "Ten minutes, that's all you get so make it worth it."

After he was gone Skye looked Ward over to see he wasn't injured or held a glare. He looked back at her before looking down. "The last two times we've seen each other you barely look at me. Why did you want to speak to me instead of someone else or maybe your sister? We both know she's still alive working in New York and we could have read her in for a ten minute visit."

Ward pulled a paper from his pocket and held it out to her. "You once asked me what my defining moment was and I gave you a lie because I'd never had a defining moment. I know now this is that moment, one last good thing I can do before I get the fate I deserve."

"Ward you've killed and you've hurt people but no one deserves to be walked down a hall like a pig to slaughter." Skye took the paper and unfolded it to find a list of names at the top while sets of numbers lay at the bottom. "What is this?"

"Children of those I killed under Garrett. I tried to remember as many as I could but the number was too many." He looked at the table, "the numbers are various offshore accounts that hold money from the off-book jobs that Garrett and I took years ago."

Skye nodded, "you want me to give them the money."

"Most will be getting ready to go to college," he looked at her. "Give them a bright future by paying their tuition, let their parents be proud of them for doing something good with their lives."

Silence seemed to pass before Skye folded the paper and put it in her pocket. She placed a hand on his own and he looked up at her. "You once told me I'd understand one day and I told you I wouldn't but now I do." She curled her fingers till she held his hand in her own, caressing his knuckles with her other hand. "I'm sorry it was too late for me to understand."

"Skye…" he took a deep breath before continuing. "I lied about everything to everyone like you said I did but my feelings…"

She nodded and looked down, tears in her eyes. "Are real and always were, I know." Looking back up at him she shook her head. "I should have listened, maybe I could have changed your mind and we wouldn't be here but we are."

"You need to be strong, this new SHIELD is going to need you and everything you stand for. Coulson is going to need you as he stands against the world, a world you know so much more about than we do." He squeezed her hand, "I need to know you are going to be the agent I trained, strong and defiant if it meant the greater good prevailed. Be who you are and never let anyone make you different, do that for me and I can walk down that hall without fear."

Skye let a chuckle go, "I thought robots and kevlar had no fear?"

He smiled at her and chuckled, "well they never met a rookie who could give someone without a future, a reason to want more than orders."

The guard started making his way over and Skye rose, leaning forward towards Ward. She cupped his cheek and kissed him before pulling back, tears on her cheeks. "I forgive you."

Ward gave her a small smile and nodded, "I love you, you are the only person I let myself love. That's why I wanted to see you." He rose as the guard pulled him up. "Stay strong Skye and be who you're meant to be."

She could only nod as he was led away from her, he glanced over his shoulder to look at her one last time and she could see relief in his eyes. Despite it all she knew he was finally free from all the burdens his brother and Garrett had placed on his heart. Skye knew she'd been the one to do that and it helped the pain as she brushed the tears from her cheeks.

Sunday she sat in her room at the base that had become home, she stayed up all night as Sunday rolled into Monday. The Council still wouldn't see her and all she could do was watch the clock beside her bed. She didn't know if it was literal or metaphorical but as the clock changed to 0700 she swear she felt her heart shatter. Closing her eyes she let the tears fall and sobs escaped into the hallways. Any of the team that passed seem to know why but did nothing to comfort their youngest agent, most of them knew nothing would help.

It was at 1400 that a knock on Skye's door made her look up from where she lay on her bed ignoring the world. She saw Maria Hill in the doorway, an apology in her eyes as she stepped inside the room. "They've agreed to see you within the hour. I didn't like Ward but he didn't deserve the sentence they gave him."

"So he's…" she couldn't finish as a sob escaped her.

"I checked myself, the lead guard showed me his body and told me it was quick. They gave them a choice of how to go and he chose direct execution by gun." Hill took a step towards the bed. "They're sending the body to Coulson, I guess he'll hold a funeral or something."

Skye sat up and looked at the floor, "what do I wear to meet the Council?"

"Your uniform and hair up, don't let them see it down. Also you need to clean yourself up and look presentable because right now you look like a mess."

"I don't know why I'm like this, I wish I did but I don't know."

Hill shrugged, "you can admit you loved him, it's not like we choose who we love. I mean look at Coulson, he's got the hardest decision of us all." Skye looked at her confused, "he's been in love with two women for years, May and Lola and one of them is a car."

That gained laughter from the former hacker, "which one will he marry is the question."

"I wonder if it is legal to marry your car." Hill shrugged, "new SHIELD, new laws I guess."

Standing before the Council, Skye found herself nervous but also ready. Ward's speech about how she knew more about the world than most agents did helped to calm the nerves. The five elected senior agents looked at her as if wondering why a rookie agent wanted to meet with them.

"Permission to address?"

The lead councilman nodded and Skye took a step forward as one of the women looked at her in wonder. "Agent Hill told us of what you said and I must say for a young agent to be bold is both dangerous and brave. Why did you want to meet with us?"

"I want you to view something before I begin, something I'm sure you haven't before making judgments you had no right in making." She pressed her bracelet and immediately the screens filled with images of innocents the team had saved, feeds from the DWARVES of Ward fighting with the berserker staff, video from the plane of him interacting with the team before finally pausing on the picture of a young boy no more than five. "His name was Grant Ward and he's dead now because you chose to murder him." She watched their expressions turn quickly.

"How dare you…"

Skye shook her head, "how dare I? There is no difference between murdering because you're told to and murdering because you find it just. His crimes are horrendous yes but they were orders given by a madman, an agent who sought power and obsessed with ruling a world. You think because we elected you that you have power over life and death, you forget that all agents of this new SHIELD look to you for order and safety in a world filled with nothing but violence and mystery. How can you sit behind closed doors and order the deaths of men and women who haven't had a chance to defend themselves." She hit her bracelet again and images of different people blazed across the screens. "Meet the people they were trying to protect, who HYDRA threatened if they didn't cooperate. Yes, some of them are truly horrible but others were doing it out of love and protection for their families. Agent Riley Todd was a Level 7 agent stationed at the HUB when HYDRA approached her, threatening her four month old daughter unless she helped them by giving them information weekly. What mother doesn't do what is necessary to protect her child?" Skye looked at them all, "no the real monsters are the ones sitting before me, who killed a man who was trying to reform and turn away from all the abuse he suffered since he was five. First by his family who psychologically tortured him before Garrett started the real work. Grant Ward never stood a chance before and the moment he did, you sent him to his death. How are we to trust you if you murder people because they are trying to do what SHIELD stands for? I beg you to stay the sentence and review each case before you send them to their deaths because you might find some who have always been loyal to SHIELD but were lost in the waters HYDRA surrounded them in."

She stopped talking and turned to leave, only pausing when the woman who'd spoken before said her name. "Agent Skye I ask you stay a moment." She turned back around to glare at the five people before her. "Your audacity is unlike any who have come before you and you certainly don't see the world in black and white. I ask you this only once and think carefully before you answer. When the head of the hydra is cut off, three more emerge. How are we to stop them if we do not cut at the heart?"

Silence seemed to fill the room before Skye spoke, "how do you cut at the heart of the animal when the animal has no heart?" She looked up at them, "HYDRA was founded on ideals of a better world and control of information. But I ask you this councilmembers, on that matter how is HYDRA and SHIELD different? Reality is we aren't but our actions show the difference because HYDRA used force and is ruthless, willing to murder to get what they want. SHIELD gives options and hope, showing that there is a better way to things. Most of all, SHIELD delivers mercy. How can we show mercy to the innocent when we do not bestow it to those who need is most, the ones lost to SHIELD?" Finally finished she nodded to them, "good day Council."

The team stood on a small hill not far from their base, the sun was setting and they were prepared to bury the ashes of their former teammate. Even Fitzsimmons were there and Skye knew how hard it had to be that they would come considering what Ward had done to them. No words would be said, just silence as Coulson buried the urn that held Ward's remains. Skye watched and wondered if it all could have been different if she'd just listened to him months before. After the burial and recovering, the team started towards their base only to find Hill waiting a few feet back.

She held in her hand a small envelope, "you might want to hear this."

The entire team paused and Coulson was the one to ask. "What's wrong?"

"The Council just sent word, the sentences were overturned and each prisoner will be both psychologically interviewed and their cases reviewed before a sentence is carried out." She looked down at the envelope in her hands. "Also the Council has made their decision on the new Deputy Director." She handed the envelope to Coulson and he opened it.

"Who is it?" May looked at him and he looked back at Hill surprised.

"They're serious?"

She nodded, "apparently they like the fact that SHIELD isn't following it's former path and it has agents willing to go the distance to help what it stands for. I think they were a bit impressed that someone would dare tell them off to their faces."

"Who the hell did that?" Trip asked with a chuckle and Coulson shook his head.

"Deputy Director Skye it seems." Coulson turned to look at Skye and held out a badge to her, she took it and looked down to see her photo beside the required credentials to show her status as the new deputy director. "It'll be good to have you by my side in the future. I can't think of anyone better to help me rebuild."

Rubbing her picture she smiled and looked back towards the hill where Ward's ashes were buried. "I don't think you were the only one thinking that. I think he knew what I was capable of when he told me to not let anyone push me around and be myself."

"Oh Skye," Simmons hugged her, "despite everything, he was crazy about you." She pulled back with a smile, "sorry, I mean Deputy Director ma'am."

Hill snorted, "that'll take some getting used to."

"Everyone else has to call me ma'am," Skye looked at them all and smiled. "But you guys get to call me by my name and that's an order."

Everyone laughed and Skye smiled, her heart began mending in that moment as she prepared to go forward and be who she was meant to be. Simmons looped her arm around Skye's and started walking, pulling the new deputy director with her. Trip and Fitz joined the two as May and Coulson hung back with Hill.

"I assume everything went smoothly?" Coulson looked at Hill and the former deputy director nodded.

"Project Renewal is currently on the way to China to find Quinn and Raina as well as the threat."

May looked between them, "are you sure this is a good idea considering Skye's new status?"

"Project Renewal is for the director's eyes only," Coulson looked at May, "communication will be through Agent Hill only."

"We're lying to her." May shook her head, "this is bigger than anything we've ever done."

Hill folded her arms, "maybe but we all know the threat to Skye that was thrown our way. If what Ward said was right then the last thing we want is her parents getting ahold of her. He can protect her by eliminating the threat."

A/N: I wrote this and I admit I cried but it begged to be written.

Tell me what you think, especially about Skye and the Council and the cryptic conversation at the end.