Fic: HYDRA Hatchling (1/?)

[lemonclementine]

Title: HYDRA Hatchling- Prologue
Fandom: Agents of SHIELD
Rating: PG-13
Pairing: Past Skye/Ward

Summary: A woman, desperately trying to find the child stolen from her shortly after his birth, with the help of the people who'd become her family.

A man, raising his son and hoping to do right by the child.

And a little boy, raised within the shadowy ranks of a notorious terrorist group.

Sometimes the line between the bad guys and the good guys gets a little blurry... especially when you're six years old and your family says the "good guys" are out to get you.


Chapter One: Prologue

Her labor came on too suddenly, too unexpectedly- they didn't have the equipment for her to deliver the baby safely there. The hospital they picked was well-equipped, and out of the way enough that it should have been safe. The maternity ward was completely empty that day, the doctor on duty was well-regarded, even though he worked for such a small regional hospital, and with Simmons' expertise, everything should have gone so smoothly. Skye's labor did not take long- less than an hour.

She gave birth to a healthy baby son- seven and a half pounds, twenty-one inches. Well within the normal range for a full-term newborn.

“He looks just like you!” Simmons cooed, smiling. “Hello there, little one!”

“I'd hope he looks like me, I'm his mother,” Skye replied weakly. “But good. I was worried... what if he didn't...?” Simmons just shook her head.

“You don't need to worry. You and your baby are safe here- we'd never let anything happen to you. Now, have you thought of a name for him?”

---

“Really? This is where they brought her? Doesn't seem all that smart...”

“Ah, shut up, it makes our job easier. Do you know what the kid is supposed to look like?”

“Like its parents, I'd expect.”

“That's not helpful, dumbass.”

“Oh come on. Look at this place! It's not like it's going to be crawling with babies. Hell, I doubt there's any other women in labor right now. They probably picked this hospital thinking we wouldn't think to look here. But you know our proud papa back at the base knew how they'd think. And what do you know? Hughton saw them land that plane of theirs a little ways away. They're in there.”

“Remember, the job is to get the kid and get the hell out- Garrett said no more casualties than is actually necessary. I saw you grab that grenade. No grenades. We're not blowing shit up today.”

“Awww...”

“Look, you wanna put that baby at risk? Ward'll shoot you if anything happens to his child.”

“Yeah, yeah, I know.”

The two wandered nonchalantly into the hospital, stopping at the reception desk to say hello to the friendly woman who greeted visitors to the hospital, while checking a map of the building. Paying more attention to Facebook than the two people, the greeter waved them on through to the elevator bank.

“Maternity ward is on the third floor, the nursery is across from it. Try not to engage SHIELD if you can help it.”

“You already gave this speech.”

“I know. But I'm nervous. We need this to go off without a hitch.”

“I know! Stop talking already, you're making me nervous.”

---

“I think I'm going to call him Julian,” Skye said. “Julian Phillip.”

“Awww, after Coulson?”

“Yes. He's done so much for me...”

Baby Julian yawned a bit, and a nurse took him from his equally-sleepy mother. “Get some rest. You'll need your strength. Giving birth is tiring, isn't it?”

Skye yawned even louder. “No kidding.”

“I'll bring him back after you get a bit of rest, okay?”

---

“THERE! GET HER!”

The nurse barely had time to scream before the baby was snatched from her hands and a gun pointed in her face. “If you tell anyone we were here, we'll kill you!”

Then he shot her anyway

---

“Good, you idiots are back. I thought you'd gotten caught,” Garrett groused. “Ward's been losing his mind in here, he's driving me crazy!”

“Have you ever tried to sneak out of a hospital with a newborn?”

“No.”

“Then don't say anything! The kid wouldn't stop crying, and I'm not exactly cuddly!”

“Ah, cram it, Fischer. So, the kid- boy or a girl?”

“He's a little boy. His mother named him Julian.”

Before Garrett or the two agents could say anything else, Ward ran out, wild-eyed and breathing heavily. “My child! Do you have my child!”

The female HYDRA agent grinned, holding out the wiggly bundle of blankets to the anxious man. “Here you go, daddy. Meet your new son.”

Carefully, as though he was being passed a live grenade, Ward took the bundle. Clear blue eyes blinked up at him, and the man smiled- a genuine smile. “I have a son! Hello there, baby. I'm your father. Do you know that?”

“He's lost his mind,” the male agent groused.

“Nah, all new dads are like that,” the woman replied, shaking her head. “My husband did the exact same thing.”

“Does he have a name?” Ward asked the two agents who'd retrieved the baby. The woman shrugged.

“His mother apparently called him Julian, but do what you want- he's yours now.”

“Julian...” Ward tried the name out on his tongue. “Julian Ward. Huh." Then, he smiled softly down at the wiggly bundle, a more genuine smile than any of the other agents had ever seen out of him. "Hello little guy! I'm your father. Can you say 'da-da?'"

"Dude, he's a few hours old. I don't think he's going to talk to you."

"What did I just tell you? New dads are kinda weird like that."

To Be Continued