Title: Farewell
Author: snarkysweetness
Rating: PG
Pairing: Skyeward
Summary: "What am I supposed to do when you walk away?" In which Skye has to leave Ward behind in the Framework and realizes there is no such thing as happily ever after.
Warnings: None.
Disclaimer: If I owned canon we wouldn't need no fanfic to fix this mess.
Author's Notes: Tumblr prompt for findmyownway: 'what am I supposed to do if you walk away'. I wound up making this a framework thing, hope you don't mind. I also changed 'if' to 'when' (shh, no one needs to know). Also, this is separate from my framework series.

"What am I supposed to do when you walk away?"

Skye glanced back at him sadly, battling an onslaught of tears, his pained whisper punching her in the gut. She choked back a sob as their eyes met, finding it hard not to feel guilty when faced with the pain she saw staring back at her.

It wasn't as though she wanted to leave him. If she had a choice she would pull him through with her; but there wasn't a way, not without a body to put him in. And she wasn't sure she could do that to him or herself. The fact was the man she loved was dead in her world and while she loved this version of him too she had to go back to save the people she loved before they died too. Besides, staying here would eventually kill her. Surely he understood that?

"I have to go back to save them," Skye whispered, her voice cracking. "I don't have a choice."

Taking three long strides towards her, he cupped her face in his hands and stared down at her with so much love it brought more tears to her eyes. "I know you have to go, Skye," he whispers, brushing away tears with his thumb. "I want you to go home and live your life and be happy. I'm just going to miss you."

Leaning into his touch she closed her eyes and let more tears fall. She was losing him all over again and this time she wasn't sure she could survive it.

"I love you," Skye whispered, pulling him down and kissing him. It was sloppy and tasted of her own tears but she didn't care; she wasn't leaving him without one last kiss to remember him by.

"Make me one promise," he whispered, running his hands through her hair as he stared down at her. "I know you believe you're abandoning me and we'll be parted forever but I know we'll be together again someday. So I need you to keep fighting and to live. Live your life, Skye. All of it. Promise me."

Skye could feel herself slipping away so she nodded, tears still in her eyes. "I love you."

"I love you."

His encouraging smile was the last thing she saw before the world went black.

Air rushed through her lungs and Skye shot up, gasping as she caught her breathe. Her eyes moved around the room wildly and tears flooded her eyes when she realized she was back in the real world. The force of losing him yet again hit her so hard the room began to shake as sobs wrecked through her body, her emotions too raw for her to control her powers.

Skye knew she had to keep her promise but she allowed herself this one moment to finally, truly grieve.