He couldn't say that he wasn't shocked when Coulson entered his vault, alone. In his mind, things had been going pretty smoothly. Every few days or so, he'd get to speak with her, leaking secrets about Hydra, trying to get a word in edgewise to make it feel like there was something remaining of their past relationship. Of course, she wouldn't listen unless it was relevant, and she would fire off at him. And he'd let her. Not just because there was nothing he could do to stop her, but also because he knew he deserved it.
"You know how much I hate to ask you this," says Coulson, his otherwise kindly face twisted into something much more serious. "But, we're going to need you in the field."
Ward froze. In the field? What was Coulson thinking? He had always known that his C.O. was a softy, but never realized that it was this bad. But, this was his chance. His only chance, perhaps, to redeem himself. He had to, if there was any chance of getting back to the way things were.
No, not the way things were. The way things were, consisted of him lying to everyone about himself, going behind their backs, and hurting Skye. No. He was not going back to the way things were. But he would make things right.
"What do you need me to do?" he asks suspiciously, resisting the urge to fold his arms across his chest. He couldn't look guarded in front of Coulson, or anyone for that matter, if this was going to work.
"You're a specialist. We've found a Hydra base, and we know for a fact that it's rigged with explosives. You'll go in there, deactivate the bombs, and then wait outside with Agent May, because if you think for one second, that I'd let you go inside a Hydra base then-"
"Yeah, I get it," says Ward, remembering his last encounter with May, and it hadn't been pleasant. "I'll do it."