In the Shadows

Chapter Five

A/N: For the purpose of the story, the timeline is a little bit stretched out between Ward's escape and the events at the alien city. 

Season Two, Episode Eight: The Things We Bury

It had been a few weeks since Ward escaped from custody and I departed from Shield, and life had changed significantly for both of us. The dynamic between Ward and I had been quite strained for the first week of being on the run. Though I had willingly gone with Ward, hell I was the one who made the plan, I could barely speak to him or even look his way. 

Without a shield between us or a locked door keeping him hidden away, it wasn't as easy to push away the thoughts of what he had done to me. Each time I had closed my eyes or turned my back to him, all I could think about was the feeling of his hand over my nose and mouth, the burning in my lungs from fighting for a single breath, and the bruises his grasp left on my skin. 

Forgiveness had never been one of my strong suits, I had been known to hold grudges for years. Yet through the weeks with Ward, bouncing from motel to motel, I found my anger toward him beginning to fade as we grew closer with one another. Recently, we had even fallen into a routine with one another. Ward would go out in the early morning before I even woke up, do whatever he needed to do, and would leave me to myself for several hours. When he would finally return in the late afternoon, I made us lunch using whatever we managed to scrounge up from the few grocery trips we went on. Then, we would spend the rest of the day either watching whatever was on the tv or exploring whatever town we found ourselves in, careful to avoid cameras. 

A sigh fell from my mouth as I wrapped a towel around my body, carefully stepping out of the shower. I used one of my hands to wipe away some of the condensation on the mirror, taking in my appearance for a moment. My previously brown hair was now blonde, a project that I had Ward help me with only a few days ago, my skin was paler from being inside the majority of the time, and there were dark circles under my eyes, showcasing the lack of sleep I had gotten. 

I pushed myself away from the countertop and mirror, quickly getting dressed before making my way out of the bathroom. Ward was sitting on one of the beds as I walked out, a manilla file in his hands that his focus drifted from when he heard my footsteps. 

"Hey." He gave me a small nod, closing the file slowly as he relaxed his body against the headboard of the bed. It was odd to see him so relaxed after seeing him locked in a cage for months. 

"I didn't hear you come in." I made my way over to my bed, throwing the clothes I had worn to bed last night into the duffle bag lying beside it. "What's that?" I questioned as I straightened up, nodding to the closed file in his hands. 

"I came in while you were showering, didn't want to rush you." He shrugged his shoulders before looking down at the file in his hands. "As for this, it's a lead." His gaze slowly returned to me. 

I raised one of my brows at him, crossing my arms against my chest. "A lead on what?" 

Ward swung his legs off of the bed and set the file on the table as he stood before making his way over to me. When he came to a halt, he mirrored my pose, crossing his arms against his chest. "A lead on some information about your parents. It wasn't easy to get and I'm not entirely sure it'll pan out but it's more than we've had in weeks." My gaze drifted to his hands, taking in the small amounts of dried blood on his knuckles. 

"So that's why we've been here this long?" I questioned, rolling my eyes. "You've been beating the shit out of someone for information."  

"When you told me that I was being taken away and helped me escape, I promised to help you find out as much as I could about your parents. I promised to help you find your mom if she's still alive." He reached out one of his hands, tucking a piece of my blonde hair behind my ear before resting his hand on my cheek.