X marks the spot

Closure

"Boss wants to talk to you." The man that Aaron had had watching him said, handing the boy the phone with Ward's face on it.

Aaron grabbed it and put it to his ear, "Ward." It was a greeting, one that held an edge to it. But one that also feigned casualness in it. A coolness to it. LIke they were best buds.

Ward's, weirdly, mirrored this, "Hey, kiddo. Good to know you're up and running. Maybe not at 100%, but enough to get some work done. I think it's high time you pay back the debt you owe me for saving you." Ward sounded almost gleefull at his announcement. At his cal lto arms.

Aaron sighed, leaning back. Of course Ward knew how he was with favours. How the boy had somewhat of a code about holding up your end of the bargain.

"Well, this ones gonna be a pretty big one, won't lie. It's going straight for the heart. We'll have them crawling to us for help with what's about to go down. After we get that, you're free to go. Matter of fact, I'll line Francis up for you on a silver platter, how about that?"

Aaron scoffed, "Thought you said it was a mutual thing?"

Ward hummed, "It is, still is. I just need all hands on deck now. I mean, you're this far in, aren't you? Why not go all in. That's always been more your style anyway."

Ward had him there, "I do this, then I go?"

"You do this, and you're free. After I get what I need."

"After you get what you need." Aaron parroted back, even if not in the most joyous of tones.

Phil Coulson rarely had this amount of happiness in his new life. Before, there were moments were it could've happened, where he could've maybe settled down and lived a more peaceful life not filled with death, not filled with pain and a constant feeling of paranoia, one where you could be safe and actually be.

He was not living that life, though. That life had been stolen from him. That life had been ripped from him when Loki stabbed him. When he died for the first time.

Now, huddled under a table, holding a woman he loved and saw as a doorway into that old life, that old way of thinking, in his arms with a bullet in her kneck. He had to face facts: that old life was never going to happen, at least not right now - if ever. This life, this one filled with that pain, that hatred, that hollowness, that was the life he was in right now.

A phone went off, brining Coulson away from his grief and introspection and back to reality. He went over and grabbed it, "Now you know how it feels, Coulson. To watch someone you love bleed out right in front of you. Welcome to the club, membership of free." Ward's voice told him over the line.

"Ward?" Coulson asked, anger coating his voice.

"Got to admit, it still sounds funny you don't say, 'agent' first." Ward admitted. Coulson heard a rifle being packed away. So, it was him who had done it. The one who had blindsided him.

"What did you do?" Coulson asked, his mind not creating fully coherent thoughts, mainly just a jumbled mess as of this second.

"It seems I just eliminated a leak at the ATCU." It was blunt, and to Ward, humorous, but honest.

"You murdered Rosalind to keep her from digging into Malick?"

"Come on, Coulson. You really think Rosalind was gonna stop Malick from opening another portal? He's opened one before, I'm sure he'll do it again. No, this is personal. SHIELD keeps sending their best agents to kill me. So, I thought I'd take one of the better ones, one that would be swayed easily. One that would follow you if you dangled a carrot in front of them for long enough. Someone you guys all forgot about. But, this is another way I thought I'd stop it from happening again. See, you won't kill him, will you? No, he's the next, damaged generation, a way to make up for what you did, Coulson. A way to fix someone and some of that damage SHIELD has done before....Or, maybe you have changed. But, either way, thought I'd take out the guy who keeps sending those agents and the one who keeps believing in second chances in those he deems worthy of them." As Ward monologued, Coulson went to his own phone, typing in a request for backup and sending a ping out for his remaining agents to track and bring aid.