(Several Months Later)

Ward watched quietly from the shadows, waiting for the right moment as Skye quickly approached their target, a guy that looked normal but was supposed to pack one hell of a punch. This Inhuman, apparently capable to control stone, was suspected of two murders. Skye and Ward were sent to apprehend the suspect, even though Ward was very wary of the situation.

Now, Ward hadn't been back in the field long. He'd only been cleared for field work just last month. Every move he made worried Skye, she was afraid that he would somehow end up slipping up and spiral once again. He'd fared pretty well on their last two missions, but she could see the anxiety shining in his eyes. He was still afraid of himself.

He continued to watch as the Inhuman spun around and glared at Skye. His chest tightened as the Inhuman's lips curled into a snarl.

"Who the hell are you supposed to be?" he growled, not wavering underneath Skye's gaze. His eyes surveyed Skye's body, "And what's with the fancy getup? If you didn't have that circus outfit on, you'd be one hell of a lady."

Skye internally groaned and rolled her eyes, "Thanks, but ew. One, you're a wanted criminal. Two, I've already have a boyfriend."

The Inhuman scoffed, "Then what the hell do you want?" he asked. "I'm not playing games."

"Neither am I. You're wanted by SHIELD for many different things. I'm here to bring you in." she said, feigning a smile. "You're pretty much under arrest here."

"Do you really think that I'm afraid of you?"

"No, but you should be afraid of him."

"What?"

That was Ward's cue to come out of the shadows. He let the flames fill his irises as he tried to put on his best menacing smile. (He really couldn't be all that menacing in Skye's presence.) "She's right." he added on, dropping his hands to his side as he stalked towards the Inhuman. "You should very well be afraid of me."

"Who the hell are you supposed to be?" the Inhuman snarled back. "I ain't letting you freaks take me in."

"Freaks, really?" Ward asked, raising an eyebrow. "You're practically a hypocrite there." He gestured to Skye, "She's Inhuman as well, I'm…" he trailed off. "Well, I'm half-demon."

The Inhuman's face fell as he began to back away from Ward, only to run into Skye. Skye smiled at him and gave the ground a teasing jolt, sending him to the concrete below. He thrusted his hands towards Skye, pulling shards of concrete from the ground and hurling them as projectiles towards her. She managed to block them with a shockwave and a drop to the ground.

Ward cracked his knuckles, still wearing his best menacing smile, and summoned a spark of flame in his right palm. The spark soon morphed into a chain link, which multiplied into a full-length chain of fire. He let one end of the fiery chain drop to the ground, the heat partially scorching the concrete. He then began a slow walk towards the Inhuman, the chain dragging against the ground.

"You know, I don't want to have to do anything drastic." Ward began, fire sparking from his eyes. "Sometimes, I get a little too carried away, and you don't want that. Give up now, and we won't fight."

The Inhuman responded by flinging a massive boulder of concrete towards Ward. Ward quickly dropped to the ground with inhuman speed, avoiding the boulder, and swiftly jumped back to his feet. His smiled twisted into a fearsome snarl.

"Wrong answer." he growled, whipping the flaming chain towards the man.

Skye took a sharp breath. She hated it when Ward went all out, it actually scared the hell out of her. He looked so monstrous as he did so, that she was afraid he was actually losing it. Now, she knew that this was a tactic Ward made up to just scare the target into giving up, he actually meant no harm. Ward's whole ideal was if he could make himself appear demonic enough, the target would essentially shit their pants and surrender.

It worked the past two times, believe it or not, but it still frightened Skye to look at. Especially since it reminded her of the monster he had become just months before, the monster that he still was recovering form. Ward still had frequent nightmares and panic attacks because of what happened, but they were nowhere near as bad as they once had been. And he still had a long way to go.

She jumped back as the Inhuman shot to his feet and barreled into Ward, knocking him to the ground and sending the flaming chains high into the air, which soon disappeared. Without much thought, she ran towards the now-standing Inhuman, thrusting out both hands to send out a massive shockwave that sent him flying far into the opposite wall. He hit it with a massive crack and slumped to the ground unconscious.

Skye spun and ran towards Ward as he pulled himself to his feet, the fire long gone from his eyes. He brushed the dirt off of his jacket and shook his head, sending his hair into a mess. She raised an eyebrow at him, "You okay?"

He shrugged, "Sore, but better than that guy." he replied, pointing towards the now-unconscious Inhuman. "Pretty sure that he's out cold."

"I'll go call Coulson for a pick-up team. Ward, make sure that he doesn't wake back up. And if he does, knock him out again. I don't care what you do, just don't kill or severally hurt him. You still tend to get a little carried away."

"Look, I haven't used my powers in so long without being completely afraid of them, I know I'm getting a little carried away." he stated, wrapping an arm around her torso and drawing her close. "Sorry, was just having a little fun."

"Well, this 'scare the shit out of the enemy' tactic of yours is going to give me a heart attack someday, Grant. It makes me think that you're going to lose it."

"Look, I'm trying my best to keep myself grounded, and it's worked so far. If I just focus on taking down the target, then I'm fine. It's when other thoughts barge that I start to freak out. An one-track mind is the best thing to have when you're me." He shrugged again, brushing his lips against her sweat-covered forehead, "I'll be fine, I promise."

Skye drew away from him, "And are you sure?"

He smiled, "Yes, I'm sure. I've never felt better. Now, go call Coulson before Rocky there wakes up. I'll watch."

She reached up and pressed his lips up against his before going off somewhere to call Coulson for the pick-up team. Ward smiled, like a goof, as he watched Skye disappear. He still couldn't believe just how well he had it now.

He had a loving girlfriend, actually had friends that cared for him, and could actually use his powers without fear of them. His mind was still healing, but was a far-cry from the mess it once had been. And he could actually call himself an honest to God hero now, something he'd never had the courage or the belief to do.

Even after just two major missions, the monikers of Quake and Hellfire were becoming something both to be feared and revered. Ward didn't know it yet, but they would eventually become two of the most famous heroes in American history (even after starting a family of their own, but that's a story for another time).

He didn't know what path he was being led on now, but it didn't matter to him since he knew that Skye would be at his side throughout the entire journey. He smiled as he saw her face briefly appear, smiling at him as she talked to Coulson. Yeah, you could say that the both of them had it good. And Ward absolutely loved it.

And to think it all started with just a simple recon mission.

Author's Note: I don't own AoS, Marvel does. And that's the end. Thank you for sticking through all of it, no matter how crazy it got! Please review! ~AwakeAndAliveSpartan