2013 ― The Hub

Audrey, Grant, and May went on an extraction mission to get Coulson and another agent named Shaw. They didn't know the details of the mission, they only knew they were extraction. The mission details were for clearance level 8. May, Grant, and Audrey were only clearance level 7. Once they were back on The Bus, they headed to The Hub to drop off the intel that was found and Agent Shaw. Fitz and Skye offered to help with the encrypted chip, but Coulson declined.

"I'm afraid this mission is classified. Clearance level 8." Coulson said. Audrey and Grant shared a look before shrugging their shoulders. They just made it to level 7 before being added to this team. Fitz-Simmons and May also shrugged off Coulson's words, but Skye, of course, couldn't let it go.

"Wait, what? He can just shut us out of the process like that?" Skye asked.

"Uh, yeah," Audrey said as if it were obvious.

"Well, he did say the mission is level 8," Fitz said.

"And we're not level 8, so we can't know about it," Simmons said.

"Right, but this is normally the part where we all stand around the holocom, and we learn about stuff. I mean, aren't we all on the same team?" Skye asked.

"No need to get started on one of your socialist riffs," Fitz said, making Audrey laugh.

"S.H.I.E.L.D.'s whole infrastructure is based on the hierarchy and compartmentalization of intelligence," Simmons said.

"Every agent can't have intel on every mission. It would make the entire organization vulnerable," Grant said.

"Okay, fine, but if I had just fought my way out of an underground Siberian prison, I'd kind of want to know what for," Skye said as she looked at Grant and Audrey since that's what they had just done to extract Coulson and Agent Shaw.

"Coulson's got you used to the plane and the way we do missions here. The Hub is different," May said, and then she walked away with no further explanation. Skye turned to Audrey and Grant.

"The Hub? What's the Hub?"

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"I didn't realize Big Brother was this big," Skye said as the team was walking through The Hub. There were agents everywhere. Men in suits, women in pants suits, except for Skye, who was in normal clothing since technically she's a consultant, not an Agent.

"Oh, this is nothing. Wait until you see the Triskelion," Simmons said, and Audrey smiled. The Triskelion was in D.C., and that's where she was working out of until she got assigned to this team.

"Everyone is wearing the same suit; someone tell me why, please," Skye said as they all passed the reception desk that had their badges with their clearance levels waiting for them. Audrey grabbed hers and clipped it on as they continued walking. "Do I get one?" Skye asked.

"That's your badge," Coulson said as he pointed to Skye's bracelet. "Which means you have a long way to go to even make it to level one."

"Copy that. Does that also mean no access to any computers here whatsoever?" Skye asked. Audrey tuned out of their conversation, and then she rolled her eyes when she saw Agent Jasper Sitwell approaching. Audrey couldn't put her finger on it, but she didn't like him, and she had no idea why. She's seen him around the Triskelion for years, and something about him has always rubbed her the wrong way.

"Agent Sitwell," Coulson greeted him as they approached.

"Agent Coulson. Good to see you're feeling better. Agent Hand is waiting for you in the situation room," Sitwell said.

"She doesn't like to wait," Coulson responded.

"So you know her?" Sitwell asked.

"Only by reputation. After you," Coulson said as they approached the door to enter the room. Sitwell turned around.

"Your level 7s can join us in the briefing," Sitwell said. Grant looked down at his girlfriend, and they shared a smile since they are level 7, along with May. The three of them had their retinal scans done, and they walked through the door with Coulson and Sitwell, and it led them into another room.

"Agent Hand," Coulson said. A woman that Audrey had never seen before turned around. As Coulson said, most people at S.H.I.E.L.D. that are lower-level agents only know the higher-level agents by name and reputation, not personally.

"Agent Coulson. Nice to finally put a face to the name," She said as they shook hands.

"Likewise," Coulson said. Then he turned to Grant, May, and Audrey. "These are agents May, Ward, and...-" Victoria cut him off as she looked at Audrey.

"...-Agent Audrey Fury. Everyone knows the Director's daughter... and we're all surprised that she's only level 7," Victoria said. Audrey stepped up and shook her head.

"I wanted to rise through the ranks fairly, Agent Hand. I didn't want to use my dad's name to get ahead or have anyone think I was given special treatment just because Director Fury is my father." Audrey said. Victoria nodded her head as she smiled.

"Smart girl, I've always looked forward to meeting you. So, here's what you can know. The intel you recovered from Agent Shaw tells us that a separatist group from South Ossetia has built a weapon called Ezbiitometer," Victoria explained.

"The overkill device?" Grant asked.

"A little dramatic for my taste. I imagine something was lost in translation. We've intercepted chatter that tells us they plan to use the weapon in the next 24 hours to declare their independence from Russia and Georgia," Victoria explained, and then she switched the screens. "We believe it creates sonic vibrations powerful enough to trigger weapons from a great distance. Anything from the missiles on a helicopter to a nuclear warhead sitting in its silo."

"So, if we move on them, they could use our own weapons against us," Coulson commented.

"Exactly, that's why I need a two-man team to sneak across the disputed border undetected, break into the separatist stronghold, and disable the weapon in the next 24 hours, and you have two people who fit my bill," Victoria said to Coulson, and then she looked directly at Ward and Audrey. May stepped closer to Coulson when she realized Victoria was looking at Audrey, and she wasn't surprised. Audrey is one of the best agents in the agency.

"Not a problem," Audrey said as she shook her head.

"I was in Georgia during the incursion in '08. I still have contacts on the South Ossetian border," Grant said. '08, the year before Audrey's life completely fell apart. She had always wondered what Grant was up to in the years he was gone after they graduated from The Academy, and now she knew one thing.

"And you'll have to use them, but we don't have specs on the device, so I need someone on the team who can identify and dismantle it on-site," Victoria said. Grant looked down at Audrey.

"Please tell me you know how to do that," He said. If Audrey didn't know how to do it, then only one of them would be going on the mission, and their partner would be Fitz, and with Fitz, it would be a bit harder because he's not cleared for combat.

"Yes... I know my way around explosives, I just prefer fieldwork and fighting, but I can disable weapons, no problem." Audrey said, and Victoria nodded her head.

"Then it's settled."

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"You need to disable the overkill device by 0600 tomorrow to prevent the separatist attack." May and Coulson were briefing Audrey and Grant on their mission. Audrey nodded her head.

"Once you signal S.H.I.E.L.D. The extraction team will get you both out. Take care of each other," Coulson said. Grant looked down at his girlfriend and nodded his head, then he turned back to Coulson.

"Always, sir." He said, and then he turned back to Audrey. "Ready, partner?" He asked, and Audrey nodded.

"Always, let's go do what we do best," Audrey said. The pair left the briefing room, and after saying goodbye to everyone, Simmons and May left too. Skye stayed behind, and she looked at Coulson.

"Does this feel okay to you? Shouldn't we be going with them?" Skye asked.

"The people who put these ops together are the best of the best. They know what they're doing." Coulson said, and then he walked away. Skye remained in the briefing room, and she sighed. Even though she was still kind of in the doghouse, she cares about Audrey and Ward. She didn't want anything to happen to them.

She just hoped they'd be safe.

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Audrey and Grant were driving through the Caucasus Mountains once they got to their location, and Audrey looked around. "You know, out of all the dates you've taken me on... I think this one is my least favorite." Audrey teased. Grant laughed as he shook his head.

"I promise I'll take you on a real date as soon as we have time away from The Bus. Do you have the beacon?" Grant asked.

"I'm hurt that you even had to ask," Audrey said as she reached into her pocket. Grant held his hand out, and Audrey placed the beacon in it. The pair exited the car, and Grant knelt to put the beacon on the ground before leading Audrey around the corner.

"Listen, my contact is Uri Dubrovsky. We'll pay him to get us across the border. We go back, but he doesn't like new people, so keep your head down and let me do the talking, okay?" Grant said.

"Normally, I would fight you on this because I'm more charming and prettier than you, but since he's your contact. I'll follow your lead," Audrey said. Grant shook his head as he laughed, and Audrey smiled too. He quickly leaned in and stole a kiss from her, and that made her smile even more. Then she nodded towards the door. Grant nodded and turned back around, he entered first, and Audrey stayed behind him.

As they walked through the bar, Audrey could feel the stares of men on her, but she didn't think too much about it. She kept her focus on Grant. He walked up to the bar, and she followed his lead. They sat on stools next to each other, and Grant ordered two drinks for them.

"Uri is your friend?" The man at the bar asked, and Grant nodded.

"Yeah," He responded.

"Uri's dead." The man replied as he grabbed his gun and pointed it at the pair. Another man walked up behind them with his gun drawn too. "You have no friends here." He said. Audrey looked at Grant as she sighed.

"Shit."

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Grant and Audrey were taken to the back of the bar, they were tied up and left there after they had been knocked out. Grant woke up first, and Audrey softly groaned as she started to come to. "What's happening?" She whispered.

"They're waiting for their boss, so before he gets here, we need a plan. How long can you hold your breath underwater?" Grant asked.

"About seven minutes," She said. She already had a plan. Fitz had given her a device to use in case of an emergency. She was going to blow the electricity in this place, but she was waiting for the right moment.

"Wait, really?" Grant asked, and she smiled at him. "Okay, are you familiar with the term slam and cram?" He asked.

"Should I be?" Audrey asked.

"How attached are you to your pinky?" Grant asked, and Audrey rolled her eyes.

"Very, and before you ask me another vague question, let's get on the same page. Any plan that involves any of those scenarios isn't going to work for me, and I'm not sure how they would...-" Grant cut her off by clearing his throat because he heard footsteps. A woman walked up to them.

"I heard you were looking for your friend Uri, and Uri was friends with Separatists. Are you Separatists?" She asked. The agents quickly shook their heads.

"No, we're here to stop them," Grant said, and Audrey nodded. "Trust me, if you could just help us get across the border...-" He was cut off by loud cheering coming from the bar.

"Ah! I'm missing the game!" The woman exclaimed in Russian. She turned back to Grant and Audrey and spoke in English. "You're wasting my time, so let me be clear. You've given me no reason to trust you, and trust is everything to me." She said. The man behind her cocked his gun and pointed it at Grant, and Audrey knew now was the time to activate the fail-safety plan. Before the man could pull the trigger. Audrey pressed the device that was hidden in her sleeve.

The electricity blew.

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After blowing the power, Audrey told them that she knew how to fix the electricity. The woman allowed her and Grant to be untied, and they were taken to the bar. "Okay, okay! Enough!" Audrey exclaimed. One of the guards had lowered her into the entryway, where the fuse box is by her feet. "Okay, a little to the left! Can I get a little more light down here, Marta?" She asked. She learned that was the woman's name.

"Of course, Miska!" Marta said as she shone the flashlight where Audrey asked.

"Thank you so much," Audrey said. Grant stood and watched uneasily. He didn't like this. He didn't trust these men holding his girlfriend over a crevice by her feet. He knew that if they dropped her, he wouldn't react well, and he'd blow their whole operation. He turned to Marta.

"Little bear?" Grant asked. Marta called Audrey 'Miska,' which means 'little bear' in Russian. Although, he was thinking maybe that could be another nickname he uses to annoy Audrey, like when he calls her "princess."

"I like watching her work, that little bear," Marta said, and Grant nodded.

"Okay..." He said.

Audrey twisted an electrical cap inside the crevice after fixing the circuit, and then she hit it. Everyone started cheering when the lights in the bar came back on, as did the TVs, which meant they could resume watching the game. The men pulled Audrey out of the crevice, and when she met her boyfriend's eyes, he nodded his head, and she winked. Everyone was still cheering for her.

"It's nothing, really. I'm just a simple woman," Audrey said.

"Well, get this woman a drink!" Marta exclaimed. Audrey smiled as the bartender put a drink in front of her. She exclaimed 'cheers' with everyone else and took her shot, and then she shuddered a bit as she turned to Marta.

"Hmm... a little salty." She said, and then she tilted her head to the side as she held up her glass. "So... let's talk business."

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"You know, you never fail to impress me, little bear," Grant said. Audrey raised an eyebrow as she started laughing because she had no idea where that nickname came from. They were sitting in the back of a caravan that was taking them across the border.

"Little bear?" She asked.

"It was what Marta called you... well, she said miska, and little bear is what it translates to," Grant said, and Audrey rolled her eyes.

"Miska sounds cuter. Little bear sounds awkward." Audrey said, and Grant laughed.

"Noted," He said.

"Also, I shorted the circuit breaker with a localized EMP that Fitz gave me before we left, as a fail safety, when we were tied up," Audrey said, and Grant furrowed his eyebrows.

"Really?" He asked.

"Yes, and my plan worked because we're over the border now, aren't we?" She asked as she slightly smirked. "You're a man of habits, Ward... I knew that if we got backed into a corner, you would want to use brute force to fight our way out of it, so I used a more tactical plan; that's why we balance each other out so well." She said, and Grant nodded his head.

"I can't argue with that. Good thinking, Rey." He said. She smiled at him, and then the caravan stopped.

"We're stopping. Why are we stopping?" She asked. Then she heard shouting. Grant looked at her and shook his head.

"Shh... just stay quiet." He said in a softer tone. "Stay here. I'll check it out." He said. Audrey grabbed his arm and shook her head.

"You're not going out there alone. I go where you go, remember?" She said. Grant nodded his head, and they both geared up to leave the vehicle until they heard gunshots. They immediately sat back down, and Grant slightly shielded her.

"Okay... maybe we'll both stay here." He said. Audrey nodded her head, and once they heard the last of the gunshots, they heard footsteps approaching where they were. "On my signal... now." He whispered.

Audrey kicked the two aluminum cans out of the back of the caravan, and then Grant poked his head out and shot at them, which made them explode in front of the two guards. The couple hopped out of the caravan as more guards approached. Grant hit one of the guards with the butt of the gun while Audrey kicked one down. Then another border patrol car pulled up.

"Grant, more border patrol," Audrey said. She knew they couldn't fight them all, so she started running towards the border.

"I'm already moving toward the border, come on!" Audrey exclaimed. Grant ran after her, and as they continued running, Grant noticed a drainage pipe and he pointed to it.

"Drainage pipe. We'll wait them out over there." He said. Audrey nodded, and the two of them walked over to the pipe and sat down.

"We can't wait too long. If they use the overkill device, everyone on the border is in danger." Audrey said.

"I'm aware," He responded.

"Including my new bar friends, Marta and Vlad," Audrey said.

"Oh, you're on a first-name basis now?" He asked, and Audrey laughed.

"Is someone jealous that they like me better than you?" She teased. Grant looked unamused. "Look, I'm just saying, their lives are on the line too... so let's not get too comfortable."

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They had to get comfortable.

They were in the drainage pipe the majority of the day, and now it was nighttime. Audrey crossed over to the other side of the pipe to sit on the same side as Grant. She laid her head on his shoulder and let out a deep breath. Grant wrapped his arm around her backside and had his thumb gently rubbing against her waist.

"Why do you think S.H.I.E.L.D. sent in just us?" Audrey asked.

"I don't know. Agent Hand said she needed the best, and here we are," Grant said, and Audrey sighed.

"I know, but doesn't something feel off about this? We've been partners for the last three years, but when have we ever been sent out on an op with no comms, no backup, nothing? We're truly out here alone," Audrey said. Grant knew she was right, something did seem fishy. In all of the missions they've done together in the last three years, they've always had backup S.H.I.E.L.D. agents in their ears in case something went wrong.

"Rey, you know I'd never let anything happen to you," Grant said.

"Yeah, yeah, I know, Mr. Save The Day," Audrey said as she lifted her head from his shoulder. Grant raised an eyebrow.

"What does that mean?" He asked.

"Oh, come on, Grant. You obviously get off on it. Being the guy who always gets to throw the last punch, who always swoops in to save the girl... specifically me. Think about it. Before Caleb got killed, you were gone for nearly three years with no contact, but as soon as Ronnie called you and said I was falling apart and needed saving, you came back, and you stayed. And yes, you saved my life, and I will always love you for it, but I am more than cap...-" Grant cut her off by putting his finger to his lips and covering her mouth with his other hand because he could hear dogs barking and guards shouting. Audrey nodded her head and pushed his hand away. When it fell quiet again, he turned to Audrey.

"...-Listen, before we left, Coulson told us to take care of each other, but I didn't need Coulson to tell me that, and I know you're more than capable of taking care of yourself, Audrey, but like or not, I am always going to take care of you and protect you, so you might as well get used...-" Audrey cut him off by kissing him.

She knew they were in the middle of a mission, but if they were possibly going to die, she didn't want to be in an argument with him when it happened. He was caught off guard, but he easily melted into her as he kissed her back while instinctively pulling her body closer. Audrey was the first to pull away, and she rested her forehead against his.

"You talk way too much," She said, and Grant laughed.

"You said you love me," Grant said. Audrey mentally cursed. She knew she slipped up, but she was hoping that Grant wouldn't have heard it, but of course, he did. So she knew there were two ways she could play this. 

Either deny it or own it.

"Because I do... and I knew it from the moment you came back after Caleb died, but of course, back then, I wasn't in a place to realize it. I've been in love with you for three years, Grant. My head just hadn't caught up to my heart yet, but I do. Grant Douglass Ward, I do love you." Audrey whispered as she looked at him.

Grant leaned back in and kissed her again as he ran his hands down her back, and when he pulled away, he kissed her forehead. "Audrey Natalia Fury, I've been in love with you since our date at the dive bar, and this is the least romantic setting in the world and not at all how I wanted exchanging these words for the first time to go, but I love you," Grant said.

Audrey smiled as she wrapped her arms around him and hugged him tightly. She let out a breath of relief, and then she laughed. "Good, because I would've broken up with you and made this mission very awkward if you didn't say it back." Audrey teased. Grant laughed as he kissed her forehead and gently squeezed her.

"How could anybody not love you, Rey?" Grant whispered as he lifted her head and made her look at him. "It's not possible." He said, and Audrey shook her head as she looked down. She couldn't believe it, they had said the words to each other for the first time, and hell hadn't frozen over.

"I'm sure there are a lot of people who don't love me, but I digress," Audrey said, and Grant laughed as he leaned up and kissed her again.

"I love you... it seems we're going to be stuck here for a while, so try to get some rest, I'll keep watch." He said, and Audrey nodded her head.

"Wake me up in a few hours, and we can switch."

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Audrey and Grant woke up the next morning, and they were closely confined together in a mag pouch in the middle of the road. Grant had one arm slung around Audrey because that's how they fell asleep, but Grant was now awake while Audrey was slowly waking up, she was still a bit groggy.

"Rey, do you feel that?" He asked.

"Feel what?" She asked.

"A truck is coming, quick, zip up the mag pouch," He said. Audrey nodded her head, and they zipped up the pouch, sealing themselves in, and the truck went over them without stopping because the pouch blended into the road and it attached itself to the truck.

Now they were over the border.

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The couple was now at the compound they needed to be for Audrey to disable the device. Ward kept a lookout for guards while Audrey moved through the outside of the compound. When they reached the correct door, Grant looked down at her. "I'll signal extraction," He said, and she nodded.

"Okay." She said as she pulled out an X-Ray sheet, or a 'Magic Window,' as Fitz-Simmons called it. You put it on a wall, and it'll scan everyone that's inside the room. Audrey pulled it out and flattened it against the wall, and then looked in. "Okay... we have two guards on the west wall, they're both carrying automatic weapons... I lied, three guards. Okay, two guards just got taken out... and we're about to be made." Audrey commented.

She didn't realize that Grant had slipped inside and taken out the two guards. He was the third. When the door opened, and she saw Grant, she turned around to where he had been standing, and then she turned back to him in the doorway. "Oh, you show off. You didn't even tell me you were going in." She said, and Grant chuckled.

"Come on, Rey," Grant said.

Audrey followed Grant inside, and they trekked back through the hallways until they reached what looked like a storage room, but the device was inside, and it was huge. "This must be it," Audrey said as she approached it. "Weird..." She said as she knocked on it, she could hear that it was hollow. "The core must be inside here, that's what's important. The piping around it just serves to amplify and direct the sound, to trigger munitions from a distance." She said.

"It doesn't look like it could take a jet out of the sky," Grant said.

"Well, you should know by now, Ward. Looks can be deceiving." Audrey said. The young agent had no idea how right she was. Looks can be deceiving, and she was allowing herself to get closer to the most deceiving one of all.

Grant himself.

The two of them worked on opening the door, so Audrey could get to the core, and once they loosened it up, Grant took the door off. He and Audrey came face-to-face with wires. "This is going to take a while." She said.

"You have ten minutes, Rey," He said.

"Thank god you didn't say five."

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"Alright, show me the final steps to disable this thing. I'll get it done." Grant said as Audrey was still working. She turned to her boyfriend and raised an eyebrow.

"Why? Do you think I can't do it? No, we stick to the extraction plan. I'll be done in a minute." Audrey said, and Grant sighed. It wasn't because he didn't think she was capable, he knew she was capable, but he hadn't wanted to tell her the extraction was a bust and he couldn't reach them, he wanted her to get to safety.

"The extraction plan is a bust," He said.

"What?" She asked.

"The Exfil team didn't make contact. Once you take this thing apart and I set off the remote beacon, we're on our own." Grant said, and Audrey sighed. They sent them here on the mission without an extraction plan, meaning they probably expected them to die. "So, just tell me how to finish this and then go." He said. Audrey didn't look at him as she spoke.

"What are we, Ward?" She asked.

"Audrey, you've been my girlfriend for months, and we just said I love you last night, I think we're way past the 'what are we' talk," Grant said, and Audrey rolled her eyes.

"Obviously not like that, you idiot. I know what we are in that sense. I'm talking about in the field right now. What are we?" Audrey asked again.

"We're partners," He said.

"Exactly, and if you're not leaving, then neither am I," Audrey said. Grant gently grabbed her arm and turned her around.

"Audrey, there is no time to argue," He said.

"Alright, then let's not argue," She responded.

"I'm trying to protect you," He said.

"Grant, stop it! I can protect myself just as well. I am every bit the S.H.I.E.L.D. agent you are, and in some categories, I'm better than you," She snapped before snatching her arm back from his hold, and then she took a deep breath because she knew that wasn't fair.

"Whoa..." Grant said as he took a deep breath to calm down as well. "Rey, you don't have anything to prove. What you said about me always needing to swoop in...-" She cut him off.

"...-I'm not trying to prove anything to anyone, Ward, okay? You remember what you said, right? Coulson told us to take care of each other, and that's exactly what I'm going to do. Just as you said, I'm always going to take care of you and protect you. I'm not going anywhere, do you understand?" Audrey asked. Grant took a deep breath as he nodded his head.

"Yeah, I understand," He said. Audrey nodded as she turned back to the device to continue working on disabling it.

"Good."

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"Last chance, Rey. Are you sure you don't want a head start? Because the second you pull that final wire...-" Grant cut off when Audrey pulled out the last wire, which effectively shut the device down, and then she turned to Grant.

"Your turn." She said. Grant pressed the button on the device he had to activate the beacon.

"Alright, let's go. We need to slip out of here before they notice the device is powered down." He said as Audrey had taken a piece of the device as well.

"Got it," She said right as the alarms started blaring. She and Grant looked up and spoke simultaneously.

"We need a new plan."

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Audrey had devised a new plan, and she ran the idea by Grant. "Are you sure this is going to work?" Grant asked. Audrey looked up at him and shrugged her shoulders.

"Not 100%, but do you trust me?" She asked.

"With my life," Grant said, and Audrey nodded her head.

"Good... because I'm finished." She said right as the explosion went off. They both ducked and covered themselves just in case things started flying. "What the hell was that?" She asked.

"S.H.I.E.L.D. They've started their attack, which means we don't have much time before they crush the compound," Grant said. What the couple didn't know was that Coulson, May, Skye, and Fitz-Simmons were on their way to get them since Skye hacked into the system and found out that Audrey and Grant were sent in without an extraction plan.

"Okay, then let's do this quickly," She said.

"Hey... just in case we die... I love you," Grant said. Audrey smiled and leaned in to give him a quick kiss.

"I love you too." He said.

"Alright, now get up there and take out as many of their weapons as you can with that thing," Grant said. Audrey nodded her head and climbed up the ladder that led to the balcony as two guards approached Grant with their guns drawn. "Rey!" He exclaimed. She shot out a blast with the part of the device she took, and it disabled the guards' weapons from their hands. It set off mini-explosions that made them drop their weapons.

Audrey shot out another blast to cause another mini-explosion and as a distraction so Grant could get the upper hand in fighting against the guards. Then Audrey saw a guard coming up the ladder for her. She jumped down, hooked her legs around his neck, and flipped them both onto the ground. She rolled out of the flip while the guard was knocked unconscious. She had made sure to hit his head on the ground.

"Behind you!" She yelled to her boyfriend when she turned around and saw another guard, but it was too late, the guard grabbed Grant. He landed a punch, but Grant packed a harder punch and knocked him out. Audrey climbed back up the ladder and grabbed her bag before coming back down. "I guess we do make a pretty solid team," She said.

"Yeah, we do... let's get out of here." He said. Audrey nodded, and they ran back outside when another explosion rocked the compound. Now they were being approached by more guards, they knew they were outnumbered, and they would probably get captured or die trying to fight them all.

"Well... I know we can punch our way through this, but we'll probably get captured or killed eventually." Audrey said.

"But at least we won't go down easy," Grant said. Audrey nodded. Before they could start fighting, they heard a louder noise and a shadow cast over them. When Audrey looked up, she smiled. She recognized The Bus. The team was here.

"Oh, thank god," Audrey said.

"It's the Cavalry," Grant said, and Audrey laughed.

"You're lucky she's not down here to hear that," Audrey said, and Grant laughed.

"I'll never get tired of seeing that," He said. The guards approached The Bus and attempted to shoot it down, but May shot out an excessive amount of fuel excess to knock them back so they could get Audrey and Grant back on the plane.

She was glad it was over.

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When Audrey and Grant were back on The Bus, Grant walked over to Coulson and shook his hand. "Thanks for coming to get us, sir," He said. Audrey was ready to sleep for several hours.

"We take care of our own," Coulson said, and then he turned to Audrey. "Besides, your dad would have strung us all up on a noose if we didn't get you out of there safely," He said. Audrey laughed, and Coulson walked away. Once he was gone, she turned to her boyfriend.

"Good job, partner." She said.

"You too, miska," Grant said. Audrey rolled her eyes, but she was still smiling at him. He smiled back at her, and they were both thinking the same thing. They wanted to kiss, but before either of them could make a move, Skye walked out and punched Grant on his shoulder.

"You know, for a second there, I thought I'd have to find a new supervising officer with a new partner," Skye said, and Audrey laughed.

"Sorry to disappoint," Grant said, and then he looked at Audrey as he spoke his next words. "The truth is, I was in good hands," He said. He slung his arm around Audrey's shoulders and gently squeezed them. "If you'll excuse us, Skye." He said, and Audrey shrugged her shoulders as she looked at her.

"See ya for 24-hour fitness tomorrow."

⇎⇎⇎⇎⇎⇎

After a much-needed shower and meal, Audrey and Grant were now sitting in her sleeping pod. She knew she owed him an apology for blowing up on him. They were in the heat of the moment, and it was a stressful situation, but she knew that was no excuse.

"Grant... about what I said earlier... in the field, about being better than you. That was way out of line, and I'm so sorry. It was the heat of the moment. We were in a very intense and stressful situation, but that's not an excuse, and I felt bad as soon as the words left my mouth, so I wanted to apologize." She said, and Grant shook his head.

"Rey, you don't have to apologize, you are better than me," Grant said.

"But in other aspects, you are better than me." She said.

"Look, I know on the mission I was a bit... smothering, and I'm sorry for that. We've gone on missions together for the last three years, but this mission...-" Audrey cut him off.

"...-I told you that I love you," She said, and Grant nodded his head.

"It's not that it distracted me, but it just made me feel overly protective of you. Rey, I know you're more than capable of protecting yourself, and I don't need to be the guy that has to swoop in and save you, but just know that if you ever need me to be, I always will." Grant said.

"I know you will, and I love you for it. But I can also be that girl. How about we make a deal... we recognize that the other is more than capable of protecting ourselves, but we also acknowledge that we don't have to do it on our own because we have each other?" Audrey asked. Grant leaned in and stole a kiss from her.

"Deal... I love you, Rey." Grant said, and Audrey smiled as she kissed him again.

"Say it again," She whispered.

"I love you, Audrey," Grant whispered as he kissed her cheek, then her nose, then her forehead, and then her lips again.

"Mm... I love you, too."

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i knew when i watched this episode, i had to make it audrey, not fitz on the op with grant. and they told each other they love each other, yay!

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xoxo.