Chapter 7 (Epilogue): Missed No More

Author's Note: Sorry for the lack of updates; been really busy, but I wanted to get this out before I start traveling in the next couple weeks. This is the last chapter; happy ending, as promised. Enjoy!

…

(19 months later)

"Seriously, you guys didn't need to go through all this for me! It's not convenient to go shopping, let alone plan a party, while underground," Skye said.

Simmons smiled and gives her a hug. "Oh, but it's you birthday! And it's no problem at all."

"Simmons is right," Trip said, stringing in the last of the streamers of the dining room before getting down. "It's another year, and a fresh one to start over."

Skye sighs. She loves celebrating birthdays, she really does, but not when it's her own. She always felt like with each birthday, it was possibly the last one she'll ever see, especially in this field of work. Still, she tries to make the most of it for her herself and most of all for her team mates. Trip was right. It is about starting over. These past almost two years were filled with the biggest changes of her life, good and bad. She found SHIELD, she found family, and she found love. She also found heartache, betrayal, and anger.

But most of all, she found hope. Even when SHIELD was in shambles, even when they are on the run, there was hope. SHIELD is being rebuilt, her family has become more tight-knit, and she has become stronger—emotionally and physically.

She looks around the dining room and smiles at the colorful streamers, balloons, and sparkly decorations that her team has managed to put together. This was what having a family was like—they stuck with you through thick and thin, and they won't let you take a fall without someone right beside you. And on happier days like this, this calls for endless amounts of laughter, smiles, and warm hugs.

"Okay, we're ready!" Fitz called out, peaking his head through the kitchen. "Skye, take a seat!"

She grinned and obeyed, sitting at the head of the table. May and Coulson sat down next to each other and each grabbed a bunch of sparklers and started waving them to her. For Coulson it was expected, but to see May also open up and join in the similar glee as Coulson, it was astonishingly adorable.

"Happy…"

"…birthday to you!"

Their team broke out into song as soon as Fitz carried the cake out with sparkler candles fizzing. Skye beamed from ear to ear. Growing without a family she never had the privilege of enjoying such birthday parties, carrying a cake out, candles, decorations, and singing. This was a perfect way to re-live that type of childhood memory.

"…happy birthday to Skye! Happy birthday to YOU!" they all sang. At the end of the song, the cake was placed down in front of her, and all of her friends cheered, popping noise makers and throwing confetti everywhere.

"Make a wish!" Trip cheered.

She looked around her team and hesitated for a moment, taking in the family around her. She felt moisture forming at the corners of her eyes, and she never felt so happy to be a part of this ragtag family. From adjusting with her on the team, to saving her, to being by her side for months as she recovered from her gunshot wound to her back, she can look forward to having them continue being a part of her life, and her in theirs. Closing her eyes, she whispered her wish silently and blew out the candles.

"Happy birthday Skye!" Simmons ran over to give her another bear hug before handing her a large, flat box with a mesh bow around its white wrapping paper. "From me and Fitz."

Skye quirked her brow. "You and Fitz? Are you guys…?"

Simmons blushed, walking over to her seat next to Fitz, who shared the same reaction. Fitz wrapped an arm around her shoulders and smiled. "We're together."

Skye squealed. "I knew it! I'm so happy for you! [leans over and whispers in Fitz's ear] Told you Simmons only loves you, not Trip." Fitz shared a relieved and happy smile with her and nodded.

She unwraps her present quickly and found… "OH MY GOSH! Seriously!? The latest ASUS laptop?"

"Fitz found it, says that if you could do so much with the laptop you had, imagine what you can with the newest model," Simmons answered. "Plus, you need something that keeps up with all the cat videos you watch."

Skye laughed. She next opened a moderate sized box from May, who gave her a small smile. "Happy birthday, Skye."

"A personalized training bracelet?"

"It will be your first one," May explained, smiling. "It'll track all your vitals, core temperature, and sleep patterns down to the slightest movement within your lungs."

Skye walked over to her and hugged May, catching her off guard for a moment. "Thanks so much May."

She returned the hug, saying, "You're welcome, Skye." She didn't tell her that it also had a tracking device in it, courtesy of FitzSimmons, to ensure that she is safely watched when she's out on missions.

Coulson smiled as he passed his gift to Skye, and she curiously examined it. It was just a small box, the size of a smartphone, with a red bow tied to it. "Open it," he urged, casting a knowing gaze to May next to him.

Skye furrowed her brow in confusion. Either her dear A.C. gave her something from his collection of action figures, or some other tech gadget. She carefully opened it and pulled out a piece of paper, which confused her even more, with words that said:

Turn around.

She does, and as soon as she did, she almost stumbled back to fall into her chair. Grant Ward was standing there, in his signature black outfit, smiling her. Tears formed at the edges of her eyes as their eyes met.

"Skye," he breathed, walking over to her slowly.

She had to blink her eyes a few times before coming to the realization of what she was seeing was real.

"Ward!" she cried, running over and throwing her arms around him.

He instantly responds with his arms encircling her waist. "Happy birthday," he softly said, kissing the top of her hair.

"You're back," she whispered, afraid to let go.

Ward's arms tightened around her waist as he nuzzled his head in her hair. "I missed you too."

Skye released herself from him and smiled before turning to Coulson. "How…?"

"The first part of his sentence is over," Coulson replied, standing up and smiling in return. The rest of the team also started congregating around them as they continued.

"First part?" she asked.

"I'm done, Skye," Ward answered. "For now. [looks at the other team members] You guys are the next part."

"I don't get it," Fitz said, with Simmons next to him shrugging.

Coulson faced his team. "He's done serving his sentence from the detention center. Ward's been instrumental in providing intel for building our resources against HYDRA in the past months. Now, he'll be serving the rest of his sentence here with us, to take down HYDRA once and for all. He'll be able to be the person who he wants to be. Plus….some limitations." Coulson nudged his head down to Ward's hand, and he held it up; a black tracking bracelet was clamped on his wrist similar to Skye's from ages ago, but with more modifications.

"I'm not doing this as an agent, but as just someone who wants to start over," he explained, smiling down at Skye. "And doing it right."

Skye held his arm and beamed. "I'm proud of you," she said.

He beamed back. "I couldn't have done this without you believing in me. [eyed her seriously] I didn't get you a present though."

"YOU are my present, Ward," Skye affirmed, poking his shoulder. "I thought I wouldn't see you for a very, very long time."

He stood away from her for a moment. "I thought I would never see you again either. I said I wanted to be Grant Ward, just Grant Ward to you. I found that I was really 'Grant Ward' when I was on the bus. I became my cover, and I can't go back to being the person I thought I was. [holds her arms] Only if you have me. [looks at the rest of the team] And you guys too."

Coulson smiled, while the younger team members nodded, softly smiling. Even May, despite her hesitancy on her face, dipped her head and agreed.

"We can't change the past," Coulson said. "But we can shape our future. I'm glad you finally figured out who you are, and who you want to be."

Fitz walked over and clapped Ward's back too. "And I'm glad you are not truly evil, Ward," Fitz replied. "I'm so glad."

Ward's smile faltered as he stepped away. "I'm so, so sorry Fitz, and all of you. I know this was more than I can ever hope for, and I've screwed up so much…I never bothered to question things earlier—"

"Ward, bro," Fitz interrupted. "We heard you. We all learned about what happened to you, your brother Elliot, and Project G.A.R.R.E.T.T. Like Coulson said, we can't change what happened, but we can use that to move forward. Let's not let that past define your future."

Ward searched Fitz's eyes for any masking of his behavior, but all he saw was genuine empathy in his friend's eyes. It's the same faith that Elliot has in him. "Yes. Well said, Fitz. And thank you for believing in me too."

"But don't think we don't have our eyes on you," May threatened. "Because there won't be a do over if you mess up again."

"Understood," Ward answered, appreciating May's duty to protect the team.

Skye hugged him again. "My birthday wish came true," she sighed.

Ward grinned. "To see me?"

Skye pulled away and smirked. "No. [Ward pouts in confusion, but she pokes him in the chest] I wanted things to go back to being like the family we had on the bus. The good times, the closeness of our team. It came true! Plus, we got Trip in the process!"

Trip chuckled. "Yeah. And you're not getting rid of me that easily either!"

The team laughed. Coulson was the first to pause, asking, "So, cake?"

"Yes, cake!" Skye said. "Let's get cake!"

"Actually," Ward started, grabbing hold of her hand before she went back to her seat. "I may not have brought you a physical present, but I did bring something…someone, rather, who would love to see you."

"Who?"

From the kitchen doorway, sprung…

"Surprise, Skye!"

Elliot jumped forward, grinning and walking over.

"Elliot!" Skye yelped, releasing herself from Ward and giving him a friendly hug. "You came too!"

"I never got a chance to say thank you," Elliot said, smiling. "In this past year, after me recovering and you recovering, after Coulson helped keep me hidden from any more possible HYDRA threats, I never got to adequately say thank you. [short hold of her shoulders] You saved me and so many people that day at horrible place, and you found Grant for me, something I've wanted to do for many years. I can never say thank you enough."

Skye looked down at her feet before back up to Ward, then to Elliot. "I know how much you two brothers love each other. Grant talks about how much he misses you, and I'm just glad that you two found each other again."

Ward gave Elliot a pat on the back. "We both have Skye to thank for this. And this [points to team]. None of us are the same ever since we met you, and we don't know how we can move forward without you now. You're stuck with us, Skye."

"A family like this is all I ever wanted," she said, tearing up. "And you all are very important parts of it. I would never change anything for the world."

Simmons nodded and wrapped her arms around her friend for a reassuring hug. "We'll always be a family," she promises.

Skye eagerly nods her head and glances around at everyone before resuming, "But yes, cake!"

The entire team plus Ward and Elliot settled back down on the table again, happily enjoying the cake that Simmons baked. At some point, while she wasn't looking, Ward grabbed a whole spoonful of frosting and mushed it on Skye's nose by surprise. She froze for a moment before making a surprised face and giggling, with the whole team following suit after at the silliness. Elliot and Trip joined in on the actions of caking Skye more, and the others just laughed. Coulson and May didn't participate, but they did eagerly show their amusement in the process. The atmosphere definitely felt different, lighter, a new lighter feeling that Skye hadn't felt in months…frankly, for over a year now. Things are finally heading towards the right direction, she hopes.

After cake and more laughs, Trip suddenly stood up. "And the grand finale…my present!" he says.

"Oh?" Skye arched her brow.

"I saved my present for last!" Trip exclaimed, enthusiastically. "Because the best ones are the last ones. Let's go outside!"

Skye chuckled and Ward shook his head in amusement. The entire team followed suit outside of the underground base, which was right in the middle of the Rocky Mountain wilderness. The cool night air boded well with the clear night sky and moon.

Trip was hauling a huge box with a cart before them as they stopped outside the clearing of the woods. He stopped the team about 10 feet away from. "Good, this area has no trees. We'll need this. Fitz, hand me a flashlight will you?" Trip asked.

Fitz complied and soon, Trip cracked open the box. He pulled up a tablet and activated some signals before walking over to Skye. "Happy birthday, Skye. You're always like a sister to me, and as a big brother, I hope you have a good start to a new and better year this year." With that, he pressed the remote in his hands.

Instantly, low level fireworks and sparklers exploded and flashed in beautiful arrays of blue, red, and other assortments of colors. The entire team looked in awe, and Skye squealed in excitement. "This is so cool!" she exclaimed. She ran up and gave him a friendly hug. "Thank you so much Trip. You're such a cool older brother. Thank you so much for always being there for me and the team."

"No problem, Skye," he said, hugging in return. "I think we're due for some fun around this place, hm?"

"This is awesome, Trip," Ward said, grinning at him. "How did you manage to get fireworks of all things here?"

"Where there's a will, there's a way," Trip answered, winking. "I wanted to get ones that shot up into the sky, but that would be a dead giveaway of this base, which we can't afford. So, street level ones will do."

Ward laughed. He wrapped an arm around Skye's shoulder and pulled her closer to him, and he noticed she didn't mind. She glanced up at him and laid her head on his chest. "This is the best day I've had in a long time," she sighed.

Ward smiled. "Mine too. I never thought I would be able to stand here with you and the rest of the team enjoying a night like this."

Skye lifts her head and shrugs out of his embrace, facing him. "I've got something for you."

He looked confused. "Oh?"

She pulled out an object from her pocket and handed it to him. Upon taking it in his hands, Ward smiled. "My SHIELD badge."

She faintly smiled before making a disappointed frown on her face. "You suck at saying good-byes, you know that?"

Ward turned his head away slightly. "I'm sorry. I didn't want one of the last images of you for me to see is your sad and disappointed look on your face when I was to be taken away. I knew I had to leave, and I'd rather leave with an image of you comfortable and content. I didn't know how long I was going to be away for. I needed that assurance from you."

Skye tugged at his arm. "Either way, it hurt too to not know when you'll be back. It has been a tough year trying to take down HYDRA, and it's—different, without you around. SO and not."

Ward looked her from his side and sighed. "Thinking of you and those days on the Bus, how dedicated you are of the cause to rebuild SHIELD, to hear you recovering well, that helped me through those days away."

"I missed those days on the Bus," Skye says, sighing again.

"Those days are gone, but it doesn't mean we can't make new ones, together," Ward smiled, tugging her back into his embrace. "What do you say?"

Skye beamed again, an overwhelming sense of relief and hope emerging from her heart. "This really is the best birthday ever." She wrapped and arm around his waist and leaned into his hold on her, melding herself into his comfort.

The rest of the team "oooed" and "ahhhed" as the small fireworks went off. Fitz and Simmons jumped to join Trip and light up some personally, with Fitz then screaming a high-pitched scream when one went off accidentally when he wasn't planning on it. The entire team laughed at the sight and one by one, they joined the fun.

As the fireworks continued to be set off, Skye smiled, and Ward smiled back at her. There was so much to catch up on, and stories of their time apart will be kept for another day. It will be a long road ahead of them before HYDRA is completely taken down, but they are both happy that amidst the chaos in their lives and the world right now, they can still start over.

THE END

…

Author's Note: And that's it! Thanks for reading this story! This was an alternate ending to my other story "Final Sacrifice", and hopefully this time, no tears were shed at this ending? Happy Skyewarding, and yes, THEY WILL BE TOGETHER. I don't care what Season 2 suggests, but I am a SkyeWard fan, all the way.

'Til next time!

~ Hope and Perseverance