Christmas with the Wards

Spoilers: All episodes, 2x10 promo

Disclaimer: I own nothing...

The soft glow of the fireplace illuminated Skye's face as she sat on the carpeted floor of the New York condo that had become her place of residence just six years before. It was hard to believe that peace existed in the world, at least half the time, and that HYDRA had been destroyed from the inside out. An instructor at the new academy had used the phrase 'a parasite within a parasite' to describe how the organization had fallen. SHIELD was once again part of worldwide defense and her skills as a specialist and communications agent had her all over the globe nearly half the year. So being in the apartment was special to her because it had become the home she'd never had before.

"Hot chocolate with mint." A smile formed on her face as she looked up to find her husband handing her a mug. He sat beside her and surveyed her latest project that seemed impossible given all the items that needed to be cataloged and concealed away by green wrapping paper.

"Thanks." Taking a sip she sighed before chuckling, her hand falling to her enlarged belly. "I think Little Grant Junior is enjoying this as much as me."

Grant Ward chuckled before kissing her head, reaching down a hand to rub her belly. It wasn't long before he felt his son kick from his resting place within his mother. "We aren't naming him after me. He's going to have his own name and his own identity, carving a life for himself without anyone telling him what to do once he's an adult."

"Okay so that one goes off the list along with the dozen other suggestions I've gotten and we've nixed." Smiling she shook her head and looked at all the gifts on the floor that the older two children who were asleep had received from family and them. "I think they have more toys and things than we'll have storage for. Just tell me you shipped the bikes to the Tuscany villa because we don't have room for them here."

He nodded, "I even got a disgruntled call from May stated that she didn't like the idea of me shipping anything to their villa without prior notification. Although she told me that Coulson is looking forward to teaching them to ride this summer." Ward reached over and picked up the boxed tablet that sat on the ground, "which one is this one for?"

"It's for them to share," she took it and placed it back where it had been. "It had a one-way connection program that I designed so it syncs with my tablet and I can shut them off remotely when either of us deem it necessary."

"Good, they're already attached to those mp3 players May got for them last year. Last week I had to physically pull the headphones out of Kenzie's ears."

"You and I both told May not to buy them but she takes honorary grandmother status a little too far on gifts. Although her discipline skills make up for it a dozen times over."

He rubbed her back and smiled, "why don't you go to bed while I finish these. The Middleton Crisis today had you on your feet for hours and you'll be exhausted if you stay up any longer."

"You sure? I know you don't particularly like Christmas and everything that goes with it. Every year you try to avoid this like it's the plague."

Brushing her bangs out of the way he nodded, "I may not like Christmas and everything that goes with it but I love the smiles on our kids' faces when they find something they love or the scowls they get at something like clothes." Leaning in he kissed her forehead, "both of which they got from you. You and them make it worth surviving and partially enjoying."

"You're a sap, a very romantic and cheesy sap that is wrapped around our fingers." Skye smirked and leaned in for a kiss. "You promise that despite tomorrow and everything that happens we'll have our usual Sunday game of Battleship?"

"Even after all these years I'm still trying to meet your tally of wins." He let out of a soft chuckle as he stood up and held out his hands to help her up. "I think we'll be playing that every Sunday for the rest of our lives together." He helped pull her up and leaned down to kiss her belly. "Goodnight little one, let your mother rest tonight and save the excitement for tomorrow."

Leaning into him as he stood straight again, Skye wrapped her arms around his neck as much as possible given the basketball at her waist. "You're the best father and husband on the face of the planet." Smiling she kissed his chin as she buried her head under it. "I love you."

Rubbing her back he kissed her head, "I love you too." Pulling back he smiled at her, "now time for you two to get to bed."

"Yes sir." She smirked as she sarcastically gave him the reply that cadets at the academies gave him during instruction. He merely rolled his eyes and turned back to sit down on the ground to finish wrapping the gifts that sat on the floor. He was sure that they could fill up the cargo hold of the quinjet while leaving only a little area to walk.

It was only the bouncing of the bed that woke both the next morning along with yells of 'Santa Came' being belted out continuously. Ward opened his eyes and found his four and five year old daughters looking at him with wide brown eyes and smiles.

"Santa came Daddy, come on get up." The oldest pushed against his leg. "We got presents to open."

"Yeah presents." A four year old echoed and Ward could hear Skye groaning from where she lay, he saw her pulling the pillow over her head out of the corner of his eye. She'd never been a morning person, especially since being pregnant with their oldest.

Sitting up he sighed and looked at them, "go get dressed in day clothes and I'll be out to make breakfast in a minute."

"Breakfast? What about presents?" The younger of the girls looked afraid that presents wouldn't be opened and Ward pulled her to him, she of the two looked the most like Skye.

"Bella what happens when you play?" She looked up at him with wide eyes. "You forget to eat right? Well if we eat before presents then you can play with your new toys without…"

"Getting hungry!" She crawled out his lap and jumped off the bed. "Come on Kenzie, let's go get dressed."

The two left in a hurry and Ward turned over to remove the pillow from over his wife's face. She grunted but he kissed her cheek. "I'm going to make pancakes so you have a while to drag yourself out of bed. Just remember that you love watching them open their gifts so you can sleep later while they play if you get up now."

"Okay." It was all he heard as a reply upon getting out of bed and headed to their bathroom to get ready for the day.

It was half an hour later that the lady of the house joined him and the girls at the table for breakfast. She smiled as she drank her one cup of coffee for that day as the girls rambled on about what they think they got from looking at the sizes of the boxes. The rule was they could look at gifts but not touch or they had to wait to open them after lunch. It had never been broken once, the thought of losing gifts in the morning too much a threat.

"Pancakes for my three girls." He put the plate down and kissed Skye's head.

"What about the baby, does he get any?" Bella asked innocently and Skye chuckled at her daughter.

"Of course he does, I eat them and he enjoys them after." It took a few moments before the four year old gave an 'okay' and dug into the pancakes her father had just cut for her.

Kenzie looked at her father with a serious face. "Daddy, did you ever betray SHIELD?"

While Skye almost dropped her fork, her husband took it in stride and put his fork down. "Why are you asking something like that?"

"Lyle Denver said his dad told him that my dad was a traitor to SHIELD and once worked for HYDRA. I told him he was crazy but then Gina Edgar said it was true and her mom works in records."

Ward picked up his mug of coffee and nodded, "a long time ago a man manipulated me into becoming HYDRA, at the time I didn't know what I was doing. I did a lot of bad things and hurt a lot of people but then one day I made a choice that I didn't want to be that anymore. I decided to work for SHIELD from within HYDRA, to help bring it down." He took a sip and put the mug down, "so yes I did a long time ago but that's not me anymore. SHIELD has offered me a lot more than HYDRA ever could have."

"Like what?"

"Like me." Skye smiled at her daughter. "The real truth is that your dad turned because he fell in love with me and I hated him the because of what he'd done. However that was a long time ago, over eight years ago and guess what?"

"What?" Bella looked up with a smile.

"I convinced him that SHIELD is better than HYDRA any day of the week because he gets to work beside me every day and come home to you guys every night. I'd say that's way better."

"Tons!" Kenzie smiled, "I can't believe Daddy became a hero because he fell in love with you. It's like a fairy tell, the bad guy becomes good to get the princess, or girl."

Bella grinned at her, "Mommy and Daddy are a fairy tale!"

"Yeah a SHIELD fairy tale."

Ward looked at Skye, "only your kids could get that from the entire conversation."

"I'm not the book lover, you read them fairy tale stories every night not me." She smiled and leaned in to kiss him. "I love you, even after everything that happened."

"You were angry with me, you never fell out of love with me."

"True and I never plan to." She grinned before going back to her food. Looking up she found Bella standing with a plate half-full of food. "I don't think so young lady, you sit down and eat your food or presents will wait an additional hour."

Ward shook his head, "points for trying while your mother was distracted though."

"Working on my agent skills Daddy!" Bella replied with pride. "Last week Mommy didn't catch me with the candy canes till I was halfway down the hall."

"Only your kids could find pride in getting into trouble." Skye pointed out sarcastically.

Presents had never been opened so fast but Ward sat on the couch watching as Skye lay beside him with her feet on his lap. She was recording the whole thing on her phone to send to everyone who had sent gifts to the girls.

"Awesome!" Kenzie stood up and held up her new backpack for school. It was big enough for the gift under the tree she had yet to open, her initials embroidered on it above the new SHIELD logo. "I needed a new backpack and I love it!"

"I'll remember that for next year." Ward filed that gift away because it wasn't toys.

"Clothes?" Bella looked up with a pout as she opened a box containing yoga pants and a short-sleeve top. "Why clothes again?"

"They're for summer." Skye smiled at her, "Grandma May is going to start teaching you some basic self-defense moves."

Bella grinned, "awesome!" She hugged the box to her and got up, running out of the room.

She came back wearing the clothes she'd just unwrapped and put her hands on her hips. Ward chuckled and pulled out his phone, taking a picture before sending it to May and Coulson quickly with a text attached stating they had a new agent in training ready to meet her future SO.

A squeal was heard and both saw Kenzie opening the big box from the back of the tree. It was the new computer she needed for school. She'd been using Skye's old one till it broke a week before break, finally dead after years of use. "It's the one I wanted too!" She leapt up and immediately hugged her father. "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!"

"Come here Bella." Ward waved her over and the little girl came over, climbing onto her father's lap. "We should get the video out of the way now."

Skye maneuvered herself as much as possible till she sat beside them, Kenzie on her other side. Pausing the video she'd been recording, Skye opened a new video and turned the view till they all saw themselves. "Merry Christmas everyone. We miss you guys and look forward to seeing you guys soon."

"Merry Christmas." Ward stated plainly, that was all they were going to get from him as was normal every year.

"And Happy New Years, from me, Ward and the watermelon in me. No name yet, sorry." She shrugged and then Bella spoke.

"And from me, Isabelle."

"And Mackenzie. Happy Holidays, don't do anything world ending Uncle Fitz and Aunt Jemma and try not to fight with Uncle Lance, Aunt Bobbi." Kenzie waved as did Bella.

Skye gave a wave and shut the video off before sending to everyone. Turning to her husband while the girls went about playing with their new gifts. "Ready for a game of Battleship, I bet you I'll win this time.

"You win nine times out of ten, it'd be a pour bet to place."

Skye laughed and leaned over, kissing him. "You're right about that. You know I never did thank you for kidnapping me."

He narrowed his eyes, "which time exactly? Because if memory serves me right you tried to beat me each time and called me a son of a…" He paused his words due to the girls in the room.

"The time you took me to see my biological father. You may have kidnapped me but your moves were part of a plan that brought HYDRA down and you protected me." Her hand touched his chest where he'd taken a bullet for her, nearly dying in the process. "Like you promised."

"I always keep my promises to you." He smirked, "which is why I'm going to sink your battleship today." He stood and headed to the hall closet where the games were.

"Oh no you aren't." Skye stood from the couch after several attempts. "Girls if you hear your father crying or screaming, ignore it."

Kenzie looked up, "okay, just don't shoot him because he is coming to my class for career field day."

"You know Mommy said no promises when it came to Battleship, remember?" Bella reminded her sister. "Battleship…"

"…means war." Both girls spoke at the same time, both giggling as they went back to their presents.

A/N: Okay so they are named after Isabelle Hartley and Mack, two agents lost during the HYDRA War with immediate attachments to the team. Battleship...how could I resist that!

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