A/N (PLEASE READ!): Ok, This one I had posted it on tumblr like a long time ago but I decided to continue it and have a few more chapters ready. It starts with a different turn of events from The only light in the darkness because the prompt was like Ward finds Skye when she's freaking out after finding Koening's body in the playground. So it's different from there and of course, a lot of things didn't happen like Fitzsimmons being dropped in the ocean, Ward finding out about Skye's past and a lot of things from S2. There are big time jumps between each chapter.

That's it. ENJOY!

"Ward" She whispered when she saw the red dot moving, probably looking for her. The penny, now it made sense. He wanted to make sure that nobody could find Eric… and by nobody he meant her… they were alone in the base.

She needed to run, to hide, maybe the bathroom, she could pretend that she never found the body… put the coin back, live to warn the team.

But she couldn't bring herself to move; she fell to the ground instead.

"He's hydra" she had to say it out loud, trying to understand why Ward would do what he did. But she couldn't.

She found it difficult to breath and tears started rolling down her cheeks. A whimper escaped her throat and she had to cover her mouth to stop making noises. That was the moment when everything hit her. It was not just the betrayal of a team member. It was much more personal than that.

"No… no, no, no, no" She cried. Because it shouldn't hurt this much.

She felt a horrible pain in the center of chest, in her heart, and she knew why. She wanted to remember something he had done in the past to explain this, but all she could think about was the way he protected her and the rest of the team, they way he trained her. She remembered his smile, his lips against hers, every single memory she had didn't show a murderer, just a good man, a man who saved lives, the man she was starting to fall for.

"Oh no… no" She closed her eyes. That man didn't exist, and he wouldn't hesitate to kill her, or the team. She wiped her tears away and took the coin out of her pocket. She had a plan.

But when she opened the door she felt he stomach dropping. Grant was opening it from the other side.

He looked as terrified as she was.

"Skye..."

He tried to touch her but she took a step back. She tried to find something to defend herself with a kick glimpse around the room.

"Skye" He said with a louder tone.

"Get away from me" She sounded angry. The only thing she had was Eric's tablet, and she was ready to use it.

"You need to listen" He didn't move, but his jaw clenched.

"You need to back off!"

He sighed in frustration "What are you going to do? Hit me with that?" he looked down at the tablet "Don't be ridiculous, Skye… you know that you can't win" He said with a smug voice, this time he walked closer to her.

"What do you want?" She fought tears.

"I want to protect you. I want to get you out of here"

"Oh really? Like you protected Eric? Or Nash? Or god knows how many other people that you have killed?" Finally her eyes meet his "Victoria Hand. She's dead isn't she? Are you going to kill me now?"

"Skye, I would never hurt you" He touched her shoulder. The contact made her own rage burn. She had to escape.

Skye smacked the tablet against his face with all her strength.

"You lying bastard… son of a bitch!" She continued with a head-butt that almost made it him fall, but it was enough to give her space to run.

She needed a gun.

"Skye! Stop!" He chased her. "Listen to me!"

Skye continued, she had an ICER in her bunk… and maybe she could find a sat phone too, communicate with the team. But she wasn't as fast as he was. Skye could hear him running, getting closer. He could kill her with just one move… he probably knew a hundred ways to kill someone with just one move; but that was not what she was afraid of. The team. She was afraid Ward would kill them, and even if she had to die in the process, she would warn them.

Skye ran as fast as she could, finally reaching the cargo ramp. She was close.

"SKYE!" He yelled behind her. "Damn it!"

She was going up the spiral staircase when a gunshot finally made her stop. She was breathing heavily, her hearth racing, her brain processing the situation. It took her a few seconds too realize what had just happened.

Skye frowned and then looked at him.

Grant was standing next to Lola, and aiming his gun at her.

She saw the bullet hole in the metal handle of the stairs… just in front of her.

He opened his mouth trying to pick the right words "I'm sorry… I didn't mean to scare you…" He put his hands up, he looked sad.

She couldn't fight tears anymore. How did they get to this point? She was his eyes getting wet too, but how could she believe him? How could she believe anything when there was the dead body of a good, innocent man in the same building.

She had a mission, and she would continue with her plan no matter what for them, for her family. "You'll have to kill me" her voice sounded broken, she sobbed "because I'll go to my bunk, grab an ICER, and I will shoot you. There's nothing you can do to stop me, Ward" she looked at him and swallowed "because no matter what you do, I'll keep fighting, and I'll fight until you have no other option than pull that trigger"

He didn't move, he didn't respond. He just avoided her eyes. He had his orders, and just 24 hours to get it done and save her. If he had to take her to Garrett, he would kill her.

When Grant looked up again Skye was gone. He sighed. He had considered many times to tell the truth, tell everything to the team… let them take him, maybe kill him, and all his problems would be gone. His debt, his orders, stupid Hydra… or Shield, his family… all gone. But there was just one thing that kept him fighting, because there was just one way to make sure she was safe and that John wouldn't try anything... again.

And getting the hard drive before that 24 hour limit was his way to keep her alive… and John he was dying, and he had to…

He remembered May's words. Maybe the price of following orders was too high. He tightened his grip on his gun. He ran upstairs.

When Grant reached her bunk Skye turned around, aiming her ICER at him.

He dropped his gun "You need to listen"

"Stop saying that!" She yelled, "Do you think that dropping your gun means something? You could kill me without that… like you did with Koening"

He closed his eyes "I don't want to kill you. I could never want that"

"Oh yeah, because you have feelings for me, right?"

"That's true. I just want to protect you" He said, but she didn't answer "that's why I need you to-"

"To decrypt the hard drive. I'm not stupid Ward. You have been talking about it since you came back. But I won't do it" she sobbed again.

"Damn it, Skye!" He moved closer and she took a step back "I don't want to kill you, but Garrett will. I have my mission, I have my orders" He was about to loose it, his jaw clenched, he looked desperate. "I swear it's just that. I don't want it"

"Wow…" she raised and eyebrow "I never thought you were his lapdog. Look at you, you don't even know what you want. You keep telling me stories about your sad little life, and you keep saying that you want me… but all you do if follow his orders. It was always like that, wasn't it? Everything you did and said, it wasn't even you. At first I thought that you were just another Nazi but you now what? Now I know that you're just weak"

"Shut up"

"I won't. And I'll never, ever give you what you want" She swallowed, putting her finger on the trigger.

But in a split second he moved, took her hand, took the gun.

'Palm the barrel, twist the thumb' She thought. She had to stop him, so she moved all her weight towards the door of her bunk, making him hit it. He frowned but he still took the gun.

"Skye" he whispered "I'm sorry. You'll understand"

She didn't have time to respond. She heard the sound of the ICER and felt a hard twinge on her stomach. Everything became dark.

When she woke up her mouth felt dry. Her head ached like a bitch. She felt dizzy and tired. She wanted to throw up.

"Shhhhh… shhhh… you're ok. Everything is ok"

She heard. It took a few seconds for her to remember that that voice was not friendly. That she was not in the bus.

"You son of a bitch" she cleared her throat… it hurt too. When she tried to get up she realized that her wrist was handcuffed to the top of the bed she was in.

Skye started to look around when her eyes could focus. She was in a room. And there he was… Grant Ward, offering her a glass of water.

With her free hand she took it and threw it at him. It broke against his arm.

"Skye, for god's sake!"

"Where am I!... what did you do?! Where's Garrett?..."

"Just shut up and let me explain!" He looked really pissed.

"You shut up!" She started pulling her hand, trying to break something, trying to find a way to get out.

"Skye! You'll hurt yourself!"

"I prefer that. I told you. You'll have to kill me, because I'll never stop fighting. I'll never stop running away from you!" He saw tears in her eyes and her wrist was starting to get red.

Grant was desperate. Their situation was bad enough. He was scared, for the first time in years he was truly scare. He didn't know what to do… and seeing her like that was breaking what was left of his heart. He needed her to tell him what to do now.

"Please, stop. I'll give you the key… please just stop doing that"

Something about his voice made her stop and look at him. That was now the big, scary man that she was used to see.

"We're in a safe house. It's mine" He avoided her eyes and reached for something in his pocket. He offered her the key for the handcuffs "We're in Riverton. Please stop. I know that you won't stop fighting. But I won't stop protecting you. So, there's a truck outside, but if you go… I'll follow you"

She took the key. By that time everything started to become very clear. "What did you do?" she muttered.

"I made a choice. I chose you"

She sat on the bed, still shocked, still feeling pain all over her body. "Where's Riverton?"

"Wyoming" He answered.

"Oh God" she sighed.

"What do we do?"

She frowned "What?"

"I had 24 hours to decrypt the hard drive or…"

"Me" she deduced.

"Yes" Grant swallowed. He felt lost… for the first time in his life he ha no orders to follow.

"This doesn't change anything" She tried to sound as hurtful as she could.

"I know. But still… I choose you. I choose to keep you safe. You have to believe that what I feel is real, Skye. It's always been real"

"Then prove it"

He frowned.

"We're getting back to the team. This is not over until we take Garrett down. And you'll help us. But you're getting nothing out of this deal, you heard me? Once we're done… we're putting your ass in jail… you'll rot in hell for the rest of your life" Skye didn't know where those words were coming from, but she felt a horrible pain again. She wanted to hurt him. She wanted to make him pay for all the damage he had caused, and somehow… she wanted to make him react, say something… maybe to give up on her and just run away. But he didn't.

Grant just nodded. And something in her chest hurt even more than before. She wanted to punch him and hug him at the same time. "Say something!"

"Cuba"

"What?"

He gave her a phone "Tell them to meet us in Cuba"

At least he had orders now. He left her alone in the room.