Ward carried his younger self on his shoulders as the three of them made their way towards a parking lot.

"We're going to have to hot-wire one of these cars," said Skye looking at the parking lot.

"Take your pick," said Ward as he adjusted the boy on his back.

Skye walked over to an average looking car that wouldn't attract too much attention.

She picked the lock on the door with one of her bobby pins and they climbed in. Ward laid the boy in the back seat and climbed into the passenger's side, since Skye was the only one who knew where they were meeting Coulson.

Skye hot-wired the car and they started on their journey.

____________

Grant woke up with a gasp of pain. He groaned and touched his ribs.

"Good morning sleeping beauty," Skye said sarcastically.

"Where the heck are you taking me?"

Ward turned around, "it's ok. We're taking you somewhere safe and away from that man."

Grant's concerned expression turned to panic, "you can't do that! He'll find me! And then he'll make me pay for leaving the woods!"

Ward put a hand on the boy's leg, "it's ok it's ok, calm down, it's not good for you to be stressed right now. Garrett is dead, I shot him after he shot you twice in the ribs. Then I patched you up, which we'll have to re-patch you again later, and then we brought you into this car and we're taking you somewhere safe. Garrett told you about S.H.I.E.L.D right?"

The boy nodded, "he said they were the enemy."

Ward shook his head, "S.H.I.E.L.D is filled with the kindest people you will ever meet. You're gonna make friends with two people who will become your best friends, you're gonna meet SUCH a great girl, you're going to have a father figure for once, and you're going to love every minute of it, even if you don't always show it. But that life can only happen if you help us take down Hydra. If you ever go back to Hydra, you're going to lose the sibling relationship with your two friends, that great girl is going to hate you, and that father figure is going to never trust you again. Trust me, you don't want that to happen. I know it's strange and that you're probably scared since you've never met us before and we're basically kidnapping you. But you need to trust us, we're going to change your life for the better."

Skye's eyes teared up as she listened to what Ward was saying to his younger self. Had he really thought of the team like that?

She sighed to herself as she thought about the good old days. As much as she tried to hide it by building up walls, she still had feelings for Ward, that's why her dates never worked out. She tried to date Lincoln for a while, but that never worked out, he reminded her too much of Ward and she decided that it wasn't right to play with his heart like that.

She took her mind off of her heart by listening to the two boys' conversation.

"How do you know all of that?" Grant asked him.

"Because I've lived it," Ward said, "and I don't want the same thing to happen to you."

The boy nodded and decided to change the topic. He shifted his position and groaned as he held his rib cage, "how did you know how to patch me up?"

Grant turned back around to face the road, "I've had some training."

"By Garrett? You said that you used to work for him."

"I did say that didn't I? Yes, Garrett taught me some of the stuff I know. But I learned more important stuff from my team."

Skye turned her head towards the two boys, "we're stopping for the night so that you," she said as she pointed at Grant, "can get some actual sleep."

The boy nodded, "when are we stopping?"

Daisy turned into the driveway of a motel, "right now."

____________

Ward climbed out of the shower and changed back into his old clothes. He walked out of the bathroom and saw Grant struggling with his bandaging. Ward walked over to him, "let me help with that."

Ward took off the old bandage and threw it in the trash. He grabbed a wet washcloth and started to dab the gunshot wound. He grabbed fresh bandages, from a first aid kit that was in the motel's bathroom, and wrapped them around Grant's ribs, "you should be okay in the next week or so."

Grant smiled at the man, "thanks."

"No problem," said Ward as he got off the boy's bed to let him sleep. Ward turned around and saw Skye braiding her hair before she got into bed.

"Where exactly are we meeting Coulson?" Ward asked as he walked up behind her.

She made eye contact with him through the mirror, "Providence. Apparently it's where he's stationed right now."

"How'd you manage to get a meeting?"

"I explained everything to him, said we had some pretty useful information to share."

Ward nodded, "we may even be able to stop the Hydra attack before it begins, especially with John gone."

Skye turned around to face him, "look, I know that we all tease you for it and you may still hate him, I for one could have shot him the first time that I saw him today, but I do also know that he was some twisted father figure to you, I'm sorry."

Ward smiled and agreed with all the twisted logic that she had said.

"I'll sleep in the chair," he said, putting an end to their conversation.

Skye nodded as she climbed into her bed.