Skye awoke from another restless sleep. One day, she'd get used to sleeping on the Bus. Just probably not any time soon. And one day she'd get used to nearly watching her friends die while she stood on the sidelines.

She pushed her hair out of her face as she sat in her bad and swung her legs over the side. No, she thought. She probably would never get used to almost watching her friends die.

"Morning, Skye," Ward grunted as his fist slammed against the punching bag, followed by his other fist, each seeming to hit harder than the one before.

"Morning." Skye took a seat on the bench nearby, nestling her coffee between both hands.

"Guess I'm not the only one who couldn't sleep," Ward spoke through shallow breaths.

Skye nodded, knowing he couldn't see, and let the comment pass into silence.

"Get your hands wrapped. This'll be you in five minutes." Ward glanced at her briefly between punches, before continuing his work-out.

"Oh, I'm happy watching," Skye commented, allowing a slight teasing tone to seep into her response.

Ward stopped punching and turned to her, amusement evident in his expression. "Hands. Now."

"Fine," Skye conceded reluctantly, pulling a small pout before he turned and continued punching the unsuspecting punch bag. She reached for the wraps on the bench next to her and followed his orders.

After a minute or so, he eased up on the bag, taking in short, sharp breaths as he grabbed his towel off the bench next to her and wiped the sweat off his face. He took a seat next to her and began unwrapping his hands, after which, he turned and inspected hers. He picked up her left hand with his and turned it over, ensuring it was wrapped thoroughly, before repeating the examination on her right hand.

"So I have a question." Skye broke the silence as he released her hand back onto her lap.

He looked up at her. "Please tell me you don't need a bathroom break already?"

She had to laugh at that as she shook her head. "No, actually. I'm fine for now."

"Okay then," he smiled as though impressed, something she knew he did to annoy her. "Ask away."

"Are you still mad at me?"

Ward leaned his elbows onto his knees and released a soft chuckle. "I wasn't expecting that."

"It's been plaguing me."

Ward stood and turned to her, then offered his hand to help her to her feet. "If we're gonna have this talk, we're gonna train while we're doing it."

She let him pull her to her feet. "You think I'm tryna get out of training?"

"Prove me wrong," he challenged. "Let's take a walk."

The Bus was currently situated on a S.H.I.E.L.D. airstrip in the middle of nowhere. As Skye and Ward stepped off the plane, they could see a large grey building surrounded by several large planes, a few runways, a few people here and there, and several cars. Apart from that, it was desert.

"Scenic," Skye commented sarcastically, earning an amused smile from Ward.

"It's S.H.I.E.L.D. What did you expect? Just be glad the sun's still coming up. It gets hot out here in the daytime." He gestured towards a large strip of concrete that seemed to stretch around the building. "That's our walking track. Let's move."

They walked in silence for several minutes. A brisk walk which sent Skye nearly out of breath in the first few moments. It was no stroll in the park. And he hadn't endeavored to answer her question yet.

Skye decided to break the silence. "So—"

"No," Ward cut her off.

She looked up at him. "Huh?"

"No, I'm not mad at you."

"Oh." She nodded and stared down at her moving feet, then straight ahead at the path in front of them. Through her peripherals she could see his eyes studying her. "It's just that sometimes, you kinda seem like you are."

"You think I'm being hard on you?"

"No," she breathed. "I know what I did was wrong. I betrayed the team."

"You did," he agreed matter-of-factly.

"Ward, you know how sorry I am. I really—"

"I know, Skye. I forgave you a while ago."

"But you don't trust me." She looked over at him, knowing he wouldn't deny it, yet somehow still hoping he would. Giving in to her desire to stop and catch her breath, she slowed down and leaned her back against the brick wall of the S.H.I.E.L.D. building.

He turned and shook his head with a smile when he noticed she wasn't walking next to him. He approached her and leaned his shoulder against the brick wall next to her, facing her. "I don't trust easily. You have to understand – there's a reason I don't work with teams. I'm no good at it."

At the same time, they both slid down so they were sitting against the wall, both panting heavily. Skye stared out at the seemingly endless desert. Tucked up in her little van at home, she'd had no idea how big the world really was. She had no idea of the lengths people like Ward went to protect people like her. And she'd been the one fighting against them all these years. Her convictions hadn't changed entirely. But her opinion of S.H.I.E.L.D was slowly being softened by people like Coulson and Ward. People who believed in her even when she failed them.

Ward's voice interrupted her thoughts. "Trust is something that has to be earned, Skye. It takes time. It doesn't mean I don't think you're good for the team. It doesn't mind mean I don't," he hesitated and broke eye contact, "well, care. About you. I just—"

"I know, Ward."

"What you did the other day – putting yourself on the line to protect me and Fitz – that's the kind of the thing that tells me you're trustworthy. You're doing good, Skye. What you did with Miles – that's done. You can't undo that. I'm not asking you to redeem yourself or somehow make it better. I'm asking you to do your best from here on out. To be the person you know you should be. Learn from your mistakes. Don't try to be better. Just be your best." He paused. Leaned his head back against the wall. Then he turned his head towards her, a small smile across his lips. "That probably made no sense."

Skye shook her head. "You made perfect sense." She grinned and stood to her feet before helping him up. "You're getting good at this S.O. stuff. You sure I'm your first?"

Skye moved to continue along their walking track, but Ward tugged her back in the direction of the plane. They returned to their previous pace.

"First and probably last," Ward responded to her question.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Skye feigned offense.

Ward shrugged as he walked next to her. "Well, you are a handful."

Skye responded by shoving him with her shoulder. He grinned at her, reaching for her elbow and squeezing it lightly as if to reassure her that he was joking.

A short while later they re-entered the Bus, both sweating and panting. He grabbed a bottle of water and handed it to her, before opening one for himself.

Skye savored the cool liquid running down her throat. She brought the bottle down and stared at Grant Ward who was now running a towel down his face. After a few moments, she approached him, placing hand over his arm and then removing it when she realized how awkward it felt. "Ward, I know that experiences in your past have taught you not to trust people."

"Skye, I—"

"You don't let people close because people let you down."

The tension in his face softened. "Suddenly you're an expert on me?"

She shook her head. "You also don't let people close because you're afraid of letting them down. Of not being able to protect them. I'd guess you learnt that from experience too."

Ward nodded once, a motion she took as confirmation of her suspicions.

"So I won't promise not to let you down. Because I'm human. I make mistakes. But I do promise to try my best. Like you said." She was so serious about this promise that she had to force herself to smile to lighten the mood. "One day, I'll earn your trust Agent Ward."

He moved closer to her, and for a small moment she wondered if he was going to hug her. Then she remembered she's talking to Agent Grant Ward. He didn't hug her. But he looked as if he wanted to, and that was enough for now.

"Thanks, Skye." His voice was low, laced with emotion he didn't normally show. "Seriously."

She stepped even closer to him, challenging him to reach for her and knowing that he wouldn't. "You're very welcome."

She was surprised when she felt his fingers squeeze her wrist lightly, and she felt her skin tingle a little at his touch.

"Wrap your hands. You're not charming your way out of this work-out." He released her wrist, but didn't step away.

Skye couldn't help but smile, even as she rolled her eyes. "Yes, sir."

She returned to the bench, forcing herself to step away from the proximity she was enjoying. But she was pleased at their progress. And she knew, beyond the shadow of a doubt, that she would do everything it took to fulfill her promise.