Codename: Battleship

Spoilers: AU but can consider all Season One episodes. Read Battleship: SHIELD to understand or you WILL BE LOST.

Disclaimer: I own nothing at all except Naomi and Hoenir

Skye Zale Ward looked at the data on her computer when she felt hands on her back, she ignored the instinct to plant the person on the floor. The feeling of her husband leaning against her, she could only relax against him and smile. Grant Ward kissed his wife's neck and looked at the data on her screen. It was files of possible SHIELD Agents that were candidates for the Computer Specialist program.

"How many this time?"

She chuckled, "you can read a screen, you're not THAT technologically illiterate."

"Well this is my way of asking how your day was." He closed the lid and turned her around, "kids don't get in for another twenty minutes…"

Hands on his shoulders, she shook her head. "Nope, kids still present so later…promise."

"I'll take you up on that promise." He leaned in and kissed her, "so how was your day lecturing at the Academy?"

Skye moved around the counter to the larger kitchen that had been installed on the Bus around their fifth year of marriage. "Well you had the dumb kids who think they know everything and know absolutely nothing. Then you have the smart kids who know too much and that leaves the rest who are just tagging along." She threw him an apple and he caught it. "How was your day overseeing the new recruits?"

Ward sat at the bar, "didn't kill any if that's what you're asking. I had a recruit ask me something strange today and I didn't know how to respond."

"Grant Ward speechless?" Skye gasped and put a hand to her chest, "let me write down the date."

He grabbed her hand and held it, "Skye it was a strange but reasonable question."

Seeing the look in his eyes, Skye put down the knife and rounded the counter to sit beside him on the stools. "What was it?"

"How long have we been married?"

Skye smiled at the thought, "almost 20 years, why?"

"We aren't aging and we know the reason why but most don't." He lifted her chin, "Coulson retired last year and hand it off to us. May is currently teaching Espionage while Fitzsimmons are in England raising pre-teens. The world is passing us by and we haven't changed, people are going to start asking questions."

"You think we should tell them the truth? I'm an 0-8-4 and Princess of Asgard, you're tied to me via my magical Touch of Life. Remember what Hill told us, we can't just tell anyone because it could present targets."

Ward took her hands and looked her in the eyes, "I love you, you know being an 0-8-4 doesn't matter to me but yeah, I think we should. SHIELD will protect us, keep us from falling prey to the scientific world due to this but maybe telling other agents would be best."

Turning to face the counter Skye sighed, "that day will always come back to haunt us no matter what we do. I didn't mean to do what I did, I didn't even know what I was doing. It's taken me years to hone the skills of my abilities and now…"

He caught her face and placed his forehead against hers, "I know that and I'm not blaming you. Without you I'd be dead, you're my angel." He reached a hand down to her engagement ring and touched it reverently as if it was fragile. "I just think if we're going to live a long time, we start planning for that now. So we have a plan in the future instead of living year to year, century to century."

"Really? Arnold stop it before I put you through the wall!" They turned to see their rookie agents walking through the kitchen to the living area. The two were complete opposites but were family all the same.

Getting up, Skye sighed. "Well now that the kids are all here, we should get this Bus in the air. I'll tell Naomi to get this thing flying and get them settled into some training if you can finish up here."

Ward leaned down and kissed her gently, "I love you."

"I love you too." She punched his arm and started towards the living area where the two agents they'd just pulled from Ops were resting. "On your feet both of you," they stared at her and folded her arms. "I said on your feet or it'll be an addition 10 pushups each time I have to ask."

Both were on their feet, "Skye look…"

"No, not look…you're the best SHIELD has and you act like you don't give a care. Okay, grab a sleeping bag and an MRE kit each, workout clothes only and no pillows." Another stare, "ten minutes ago and when you get down to the hanger, I want 20 pushups out of you both. Now go."

Skye watched them leave and turned to see Ward by the small doorway that lead to the kitchen. He had a knowing smirk on his face as if remembering when he'd done the same to her decades before. She rolled her eyes and walked over, accepting the cup of coffee he had waiting for her. Moving into the back of the plane near their shared office, she walked into their bedroom to change.

Grabbing her clothes from the drawer she looked at the pictures on the top of the dresser set and smiled. "I can feel you leaning against that door you know."

Ward walked over to her and picked up the picture of Fitzsimmons and their kids. "Do you ever regret raising Naomi and Phoebe here instead of in a real home?"

"Never, but we know it was probably best due to the 0-8-4 variable." She smiled at him without pain or sadness in her eyes. "I realize long ago that just because it doesn't involve a picket fence and dogs doesn't mean they didn't have a normal life." She took the photo from him and put it down next to the picture of their own daughters. "In the end, we get to see them do good in the world so it doesn't matter that we don't raise them the conventional way."

"Make a deal with you," he spun her around and smiled down into deep brown eyes that drew him in nearly 23 years before. "We get Trouble 1 and 2 trained and out, we talk to Hill and we consider having another little 0-8-4 of our own. Getting the first two done will take about five years so…we have time to change our minds."

Skye put her arms around his neck, "battle your for it."

"I haven't won a single game of Battleship against you since we started playing that game 23 years ago. That's a sore bet for me and you know it."

The sound of shoving into walls made her roll her eyes, "I swear that Fitzsimmons' twins are better behaved than those two and they're teenagers." Pulling away, Skye started dressing in her workout clothes, SHIELD issue shirt and yoga pants. "So should I begin with torture technique or make them do hostage escape drills?"

Ward shrugged as he left, "I'd just ICER them but that's me."

"Ward!" She pointed at him and he put his hands up. "Come on, which should I do first?"

"Make them train till their exhausted for a week then start the mind training." Ward rounded the corner into their office, "always worked with you."

Skye chuckled and looked at the picture that was centered on the dresser, she picked it up and smiled at the memories it held. Inside the frame held a picture of her real family: Coulson, May, Fitz, Simmons, and Ward with her as she celebrated her advancement to Level 6.

The frame had been a gift from Ward and made her wonder if he heard her while shortly dead.

My FAMILY is SHIELD and I am NOT ALONE anymore because I KNOW I am LOVED.

A/N: I couldn't resist a throw back to Battleship: SHIELD and now it's fin...

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