Danger Stranger
There But For The Grace…

The shot missed her by a good foot, paint and drywall splintering behind her and warning them to his presence. Grant was too surprised and worried to care about that, though. One minute, he was walking beside Leo, Jemma and Kara, discussing the fact that the quarantine period was almost over and Peggy Carter would be able to officially move in with their Uncle Steve... and the next, he was staring down the scope of a rifle, his target a woman he didn't recognize. He'd already begun squeezing the trigger instinctively. Only quick reflexes enabled him to jerk upwards at the last second so he didn't kill her. And then, still looking through the scope, he saw his father's anxiously furious face as he pulled her behind cover. Grant knew he was too far away to be seen, but it felt as if the older man was looking right at him and he threw himself to the side, panic nearly overwhelming him.

"Fuck... fuck... fuck..." he gasp-whimpered to himself, as he quickly disassembled the rifle, shoved it into the nearby case and then ran like hell was on his heels. For all he knew, it was. He had no clue where he was, but he knew he couldn't be caught here. Not this way. Not until he figured out a little bit more about the situation.

It had been Ward who was behind the gun. Coulson was sure of it, as he pulled Roslyn behind cover, gripping his own gun tight and waiting. His own attention was entirely on the area where the shot had come from.

"Anyone got eyes on Ward?" Coulson asked into the comms, carefully avoiding anything that might give away the strain he was under.

It had been a long time since Ward had been on an op alone. Longer still that he had felt the need to run from his father. It was unsettling, but he knew he couldn't be caught. Some inner sense told him that. He had obviously become the latest victim of the dimensional rift. He didn't know if the dimension he now found himself was a zombie dimension where he needed to avoid infection, something less dangerous, or something worse. Until he had some clue, he had to avoid everyone.

Luckily, he'd been doing a lot of training with his father, so he had some idea of how this version might think. The only differences, he hoped, were that this version didn't view him as a son, so likely hated him as much as he'd believed his father hated him before his Daddy came to him the first time and proved him wrong. It wasn't a cake walk, but it was probably easier than this world's Coulson would like for him to slip by all the agents and escape.

Coulson cursed under his breath when he realized that Ward had managed to escape. He wasn't too surprised by that; more surprised that the traitor had missed taking his shot.

"Skye." Coulson was quick to reach out to the hacker. "I need you to see if you can get eyes on Ward."

"On it, AC," Skye responded.

Ward knew better than to stay in areas where cameras or drones might pick him up. It wasn't easy, but he managed to hide in the back of a truck that was just beyond the range of cameras and he waited. If it took off soon, he wouldn't complain. If it took off later, they'd be looking for him to have left sooner. It would hopefully throw them off his trail until he figured out what to do.

****

Grant had been steady, aiming, pulling the trigger... and then the next thing he knew, he was tripping over his own feet, his quick reflexes the only thing saving him from a face-plant. "What the hell...?" he blurted in surprise. He hadn't been walking and he certainly hadn't been in woods.

"You okay?" Jemma asked worriedly.

Too worriedly, considering everything between them. And then he saw Kara looking at him uncertainly and also worried. "Kara..." he breathed out, in a broken tone, before shaking his head and taking off through the woods as fast as he could go. Wherever he was, it wasn't where he was supposed to be. Not if Kara was alive and Jemma was worried about him.

Leo's own eyes widened as Grant took off like hell hounds were on his heels. "Uh...." he said ineloquently. "What just happened?"

Kara looked at Leo and bit her lip. "We need to go find Uncle Phil, right away. The way he looked at me... said my name. That wasn't our Grant."

Jemma's eyes widened and she pulled out her communicator that she always had on her when leaving the main building. As she began jogging back toward the compound, she began trying to reach her uncle. "Is anyone on comms? Can they get Uncle Phil?"

"I'm here," Coulson replied. "Is something wrong? Are any of you hurt?"

"It's Grant, sir. He... he suddenly lurched then took off running." Jemma added uncertainly, "Kara said he wasn't our Grant."

"Another dimension hop?" Coulson quickly requested that Tony join him, even as he asked, "What exactly happened? Did Grant say anything before he ran?"

"He said, 'What the hell...?' and then he saw Kara and said her name in the most heart-broken, disbelieving way possible," Jemma reported. "And then he just bolted."

"Friday? Veronica? Can you get a read on Grant?" Coulson asked the two AIs.

"I'm sorry, Director. I scanned an abnormal reading where Miss Jemma, Miss Kara and Master Leo are standing. The heat signature that was beside them is moving very quickly, though and is staying in the trees, so I am unable to scan if the person is from another dimension. They do not have your son's bracelet on, though." The AI sounded apologetic. "He didn't want you to worry, so didn't tell you, but he started wearing that on a daily basis after being de-aged. He said it felt safer, knowing you could find him quickly if something like that happened again. I believe Miss Bobbi can confirm, as she did the same...."

"Thank you." Coulson sighed. "I strongly suspect, given what he said and the lack of the bracelet, that he did swap places from another dimension." Heading towards the elevator, Coulson quickly asked the AI to keep him informed if Grant left the grounds and requested the presence of Steve, Bucky and Logan.

Ward was instinctively heading further into the woods, toward higher ground. He'd never been to this particular area, didn't recognize the base, and so he knew he didn't want to head into any populated areas until he had more information about what had happened. He was confident in his ability to weather through this newest set back. He'd spent five years in the wilderness, after all.

Coulson, having asked the family members he thought were best placed to help him to join him, was quick to leave the elevator and head into the grounds.

Steve glanced at his brother. "You think you know where he's going?"

"Even if he's from another dimension, he's still Grant," Coulson answered. "Clearly, whatever happened where he's from, he doesn't have me in his life...at least not as a father. I think I have a good idea of the kind of area he'd feel more comfortable." He headed into the woods.

"Makes sense. Lotta cover. Prolly heading toward higher ground too. S'what I would do..." Bucky said.

Logan glanced at his son before asking Coulson, "How dangerous would he be?"

"Grant's a trained specialist," Coulson answered. "He's not got any enhanced abilities, unless something else is different between our world and his, but he's always been good at what he does. He wouldn't see any of us as friends or allies. Might even see us as his enemies and attack immediately, depending on the path things took." He paused and then said, "I know it might not be possible to avoid hurting him, but...." He hesitated, at a loss for words to explain.

Steve nodded, understanding. "We'll avoid causing serious injury as much as it's possible to," he promised.

"We bring in the target alive..." Bucky said, his voice dropping slightly and taking on a tone that indicated he was letting the Soldier out. He wouldn't risk his family being hurt or killed because he was afraid to overpower the newest visitor.

Steve glanced at Bucky, but only nodded. If he needed to, he could bring his brother back.

Coulson took a deep breath and then returned to moving through the woods. He knew how good Grant's training was. Knew also that this version of Grant might not be aware of the allies he had. "I want to try talking to him. He might not listen to me, but if nothing else, I can keep him distracted."

Logan nodded. "If worse comes to worse, I can overpower him and restrain him without fear he'll kill me. Give you all a chance."

Steve quickly tapped out a message on the comms before saying, "I've asked Cable to be on standby, along with Colossus and Wade. Just in case things turn bad. Friday and Veronica can keep track of our location...."

"Thank you." Coulson moved so that he was approaching Grant from a different direction than the others. He didn't expect talking to do any good...but he needed to try a peaceful resolution first. No matter what version of Grant existed, he knew his son wasn't truly bad deep down.

Bucky nodded at his father. "If we're splitting up, you should go with Phil. Steve and I will go around the other way. Catch him between us."

Logan nodded in agreement, moving to go with Phil.

"Who should I go with?" Wade was suddenly there. "Oh... yeah. Had Pietro drop me off. Dad and Col are on their way."

"I think you and your father and brother should approach from a different direction," Steve said to Wade. "While Phil is talking to Grant, we need to close in on him. Try not to hurt him if it's possible."

"If he gets antagonistic (look at me, using big words), I can wrap myself around him until you can subdue him. That way, you don't have to hurt him and he can't hurt you!" Wade said, ignoring the fact he could be hurt, even if he couldn't be killed.

"I'm not prepared to let anyone else get hurt," Coulson said. "No putting yourself at risk, even if you can't be killed."

Cable had been brought by Pietro in time to hear the comment and he looked seriously at Wade. "You won't be doing anything that will put you at risk of injury."

"But... even to keep the squishy relatives safe?" Wade protested.

"Your brother is better suited to blocking blows, due to his metallic skin," Cable pointed out. "No risky behavior, Wade. If you disobey me, you will get a spanking."

"... Fine...." Wade huffed, visibly pouting.

"Okay... if Phil and Dad come from the south; Cable, Wade and Colossus come from the east; and Stevie and I come from the west.... the only place he could run is north and that ends at a river that is difficult to fjord. Assuming he has an ounce of self-preservation, we'll be able to catch him." Bucky grinned.

"And if he doesn't and we have to jump in after him... Pretty sure I'm a better swimmer." Logan smirked.

By this point, Colossus had joined his father and brother, in time to hear the plan. He quickly moved to join his father and brother.

Coulson waited until he was certain everyone was ready and then began moving in the direction, he was fairly sure Grant was in.

While his pursuers had been making a plan of capture, Ward had quickly been moving toward what he hoped was escape. He felt extremely vulnerable; his weapon had been left behind when he came to wherever here was. Not that he needed a weapon. But until he had more information, it would have provided a bit of reassurance.

Coulson made his way quickly through the woods, heading to hopefully cut Grant off with the help of the others.

Grant was frustrated when he reached a riverbank. The area wasn't safe to cross. Hopefully, he could find a spot to cross before anyone caught up to him.

Seeing Grant by the riverbank, Coulson quickly stepped out into view, trusting that his other family members would do what they were supposed to. "Grant. You don't need to run." His voice was low. Reassuring. Caring. Maybe this wasn't the Grant from his dimension, but it was still a version of his son, even if it was one perhaps even more badly damaged than his son had been.

Ward gave Coulson an incredulous look. "You can't seriously think I'll fall for the 'caring leader' routine. Even if I believe you won't immediately execute me, I'm not about to let myself be locked in the basement again."

By this point, the others had moved into position, watching the tableau warily.

"You must have an idea that you're not in your own dimension any longer," Coulson said. "Things are very different here. I'm not looking to hurt you or to lock you up. You switched places with the version of yourself, here, who is my son."

Ward blinked at that, a shadow of hurt, wistful longing crossing his face before being replaced with disbelief. "Really? Let me guess. You have a bridge you want to sell me in the Sahara...."

Wade couldn't help but cackle at that, drawing Ward's attention to him. "There probably are bridges in the Sahara, even if they aren't big or the type he is talking about," he said, staring into space, seemingly talking to imaginary people.

Grant turned back to Coulson, a look of 'Really?' on his face. "This dimension must be hard up if you are working with..." He didn't finish the sentence, as he didn't particularly want to rile the crazy man up, but his meaning was clear.

"Here in this dimension, SHIELD and the Avengers have formed a family." Coulson kept his attention focused on Grant. "I adopted you. And then we found out that you're my son biologically. There might be differences where you're from, but I don't believe that is different. If you need proof, I can show it to you." He took half a step closer, keeping his hands in clear view so that Grant would see he didn't have a weapon.

"Wait... what?! Biologically your son? That... that can't be right. At least not in my dimension. I'm sure information like that would have been used by one side or the other if it were true there...." Despite his assertion that it couldn't be true in his dimension, he found himself shifting closer to Coulson, wanting to see this proof. If it were true in this dimension, maybe he could use that connection in his favor.

"I had Fury's help to bury that information," Coulson answered quietly. "No one knew about it until the connection was discovered accidentally due to blood tests needing to be run." He moved nearer to Grant as he continued, "From what we've learned, HYDRA was taking children and manufacturing their childhoods, to create soldiers loyal to them." In an even gentler tone, he continued, "The same was likely true of your sister. In this dimension, we found her. She's living here at the compound."

"Well... there's one difference." Ward's smile was joyless. "I don't have a sister. Just two brothers. Or one brother now, I guess. Big brother died with Mother and Father in a tragic murder/suicide." The look in his eyes and tone of his voice told them what had really happened.

Coulson reached out and placed a hand on Grant's shoulder, squeezing it gently. "I'm sorry," he said quietly. "I wish I could have protected you from that. Will you come into the compound with me?"

"I'm guessing that I really don't have a choice..." Ward's words were droll. Resigned. He didn't know much about what happened, or how he came to be in this place, but if he switched places with this Coulson's son, he couldn't imagine they'd want him disappearing. Him returning to his own dimension might be the only way they could get their version of him back. As much as he'd grown to hate Coulson and his team in his own dimension and would love never having to deal with them again, his sense of right and wrong wouldn't allow him to condemn his other self to suffer from them. Especially when it was obvious, he was cared about here.

"I would prefer you to stay with me," Coulson said honestly. "You're not a prisoner. No one here will harm you. And even if you're a different version of my son, I still won't let anything bad happen to you," he promised.

Ward stared at Coulson for what seemed long moments before nodding solemnly. "I believe you. I'll go with you."

"Thank you." Coulson began to lead the way back to the compound, tapping out a message to Lincoln, asking his grandson to meet them at the med bay. Looking at Grant, he said, "I don't know what you were doing before you changed places, but my grandson, Lincoln, is a doctor. I want him to check you over for any injuries."

"Lincoln? Why does that name sound familiar?" Ward frowned.

"Only that name sounds familiar?" Wade snorted.

"That's the only name that's been mentioned..." Ward pointed out reasonably. "I don't even know who you all are; except for Coulson and Rogers, anyway."

"I suspect there are other people here who you might know," Coulson commented. He gave Grant the names of the others with them, adding, "There's a big family in the compound and it might feel a bit overwhelming.at first."

"If you think you might feel uncomfortable, we can go straight to medical bay and then figure out where you're most comfortable being after you've been checked out," Steve said. "We do have a few scientists who might want to ask you questions about your dimension, but if you don't feel comfortable talking to any of them, I'll make it known," he promised.

"Uh... yeah. I think I'd rather avoid everyone, to be honest..." Grant murmured, the thought of having to face strangers with familiar faces already beginning to worry him.

"It's okay." Coulson smiled reassuringly at him. "I'll make sure no one disturbs you." By this point, they'd reached the compound and he led the way into the elevator.

"You really don't know about what is in the other dimensions? What happened in mine?" Ward had to ask. If they knew what he'd done, what had happened, he couldn't imagine that they'd be this welcoming, Coulson's son or not.

"We don't have a way to look into other dimensions," Steve responded. "We know that one was taken over by zombies, but that was only because a resident who was there escaped with a letter explaining what had happened."

"I can guess things haven't gone well in your dimension," Coulson said quietly, knowing how Grant had responded to seeing him initially.

"It hasn't gone well for me... although I can honestly say it was better than zombies..." Grant looked a bit shocked at that revelation. "Don't know how different or the same it is, though, since I don't know what's happened here."

"You recognized me," Steve said. "You might recognize some of the others here, too. Pretty much all of the Avengers have joined the family. Tony and Bruce are two of my kids. And I have grandchildren, too. Jemma and Leo among them."

As the elevator doors opened, Coulson led the way to the medical rooms, separate to where Peggy, Stephen, Mordo and Frank were in quarantine.

"Yeah. Question is... did events unfold here the way they did in my world? You already mentioned a zombie dimension," Ward said. "Can't help wondering if here is a lot different than where I come from."

"How did events unfold in your dimension?" Coulson asked, as he led Grant into the medical rooms.

Steve didn't follow them inside, instead commenting to the other family members, "I think two of us should stay here, just in case anything goes wrong, but it doesn't seem like Grant needs to be subdued."

"Well, there wasn't a zombie outbreak, I can tell you that..." Grant snorted as he walked into the room. And then he saw Lincoln. He paused. "In my dimension, he was an Inhuman who had electric powers...." He slanted his head. "He was a doctor before that, though."

"Inhuman?" Lincoln blinked. "What? Was I purple with five heads or something?"

Ward smiled at that. "You look like you. No... you just had powers that normal people don't. You got them after being exposed to Terragen."

"So... a mutant?" Lincoln asked curiously.

"I don't know what you mean by that question, but... the Terragen reacts to something in people and changes them on a molecular level. Sometimes it changes appearances. So, I guess it could be called a mutation. If it is the condensed form of Terragen, the Crystal, if you don't have whatever element it is looking for, it will kill you. Turn you into a person shaped mound of carbon." Grant shrugged. "One of my ex-buddies died that way..." he said, thinking of Trip.

Grant shook his head and walked to where Lincoln motioned. He removed all his clothing but his underwear. The time since HYDRA had made their move had not been kind to him. His body was a roadmap of scars that Coulson's Grant did not have. As Lincoln began to examine him, he began to tell Coulson about his life; including every detail he could think of, good or bad. He wanted to know what was different as much as what was the same.

Coulson stood close to Grant, as close as he could without getting in Lincoln's way. His eyes narrowed with concern at the sight of the scars, but he didn't ask about them, especially as most of what Grant told him explained the history of those scars.

"It does sound like there are mild differences between our dimensions, but I believe a lot of what's at the core is the same," Coulson said, once Grant had finished. "The main area we diverged is what happened after HYDRA made their move. I was angry at the betrayal to start with, but I was able to let go of that anger. I brought my son, the Grant from this dimension, back from HYDRA's influence and control." A sadder note slipped into his voice as he said, "It sounds to me like moving past what happened wasn't possible for the team in your dimension and ultimately, I think you were failed in a big way."

Ward gave Coulson a suspicious look, having learned that his Coulson might act sympathetic, but would have no problem twisting a knife in you if it served a purpose. This Coulson seemed less willing to throw people away for the 'greater good', though. His gut wasn't usually wrong, as long as he listened to it and not let himself be persuaded the other way. "They'd say I failed them first... that I deserved what they did." He sounded calm. He'd long come to grips with the fact that he'd never be forgiven. Truth was, deep down, he didn't believe he deserved to be forgiven either. "Talk about lucky timing, though... got switched over just as I was about to get revenge on Coulson... my Coulson, I mean. Had his lover in my crosshairs. He would have had to watch her bleed out, just like I had to watch Kara die in my arms...." For the first time since arriving, a little of the raging inferno Ward kept buried leaked through.

Coulson frowned at those words, unable to help but shift closer to Grant. He didn't know who the younger man was talking about. After losing his wife, Grant's mother, the only person he'd felt those kinds of feelings for was Melinda...and he hadn't acted on those, not wanting to make either his children or hers uncomfortable. "From everything you've said and what you're saying now, it sounds like you've both been caught in a vicious cycle of getting revenge on each other. But even if you succeeded in what you planned to do; I don't think it would change anything. You might think it would, but vengeance doesn't heal anything. All it does is make the pain worse." He reached out and placed a hand on Grant's shoulder, squeezing gently.

"It wasn't vengeance. I just wanted to make him hurt the way I hurt..." Ward looked away. He'd known it wouldn't make him feel better. Nothing would make him feel better. To feel better, he needed to make things right. To make things right, he needed help. To get help, he needed to be understood. No one truly understood him. They thought they did; presumed to know his reasons for everything he'd done. But none of them really understood him. But if Coulson felt even a fraction of the pain Ward felt? He probably still wouldn't understand, but at least Ward wouldn't feel so alone.

"That won't make things any better, Grant." Coulson's voice was low. Gentle. Filled with compassion. Looking at Lincoln to make sure that his grandson was finished with the examination, he sat on the bed and wrapped his arms around Grant in a hug. Because, from another dimension or not, this Grant was still a version of his son. A version of his son that was in pain and needed someone to care about him. He held on and murmured, "You aren't evil. You aren't beyond redemption, beyond hope."

"I never believed that. No matter how much I tried to do the right thing, it always went wrong. And then I was put on your team..." He didn't bother differentiating between this Coulson and the one in his dimension. The older man would know what he was talking about. "And you made a point of telling me everyone was savable if you got them in time. You were so vehement that Mike, Akela Amador... others... weren’t beyond help. And you actually helped them. I started believing too. And when everything went down and I was drowning in guilt and fear and feeling completely lost and confused because the man I'd devoted and owed my life to was dead and no longer controlling me... when I needed that mercy and help and belief that I could change if I wanted to, it wasn't there. Because you discovered you were wrong. Not everyone can be saved if you get to them soon enough. Some people aren't worth saving. You learned your lesson about believing that and I learned John was right. I didn't matter to anyone but him... I was a worthless piece of shit who didn't even deserve to pay for my crimes like other criminals. No jail or trial for me. No observation or attention to my mental state. Pretty sure the only reason you patched me up...." Ward looked at the scars on his wrists. It was obvious what had caused them.  "...Was because you thought I had answers you needed. Some people don't deserve second chances; or third, if you believe my second chance was being put on your team, I was just too stupid to realize obeying John wasn't what I should be doing...." Ward snorted. Through the whole bitter monolog, it became clear that he didn't trust in words of his own redemption or hope. Why would he? "Redemption and hope don't belong to people like me. People who were born evil." He tried to sneer, but his voice caught in his throat.

It was very telling that he didn't pull away from the physical affection, even if he didn't fully trust it.

"I don't know what he was thinking. If he saw anything past that sense of betrayal. But if I believe that he is the same at the root as me, just like I believe you are the same at the root as my Grant here in this dimension, then something needs to give. Something needs to break, for him to see the truth." Coulson tightened his arms around the younger man. "You weren't born evil, son. You're not beyond hope, or receiving a second chance." He brushed a kiss over Grant's head, because it felt so easy and natural giving that affection. Because he'd always done that to his son. "I believe I'm right and that, even in your dimension, we're still biological father and son. And that knowledge will change things. That proof will change things." He spoke with complete certainty. After all, even if there were some differences and he couldn't fathom how a version of himself could treat someone that badly, he thought he could still understand that other dimension's Coulson.

Ward didn't say anything. Hearing the words coming from the man holding him, as if he were precious... valuable, he found he didn't want to say anything. It might break the moment. Instead, he turned his face enough to put his head on Coulson's shoulder.

Coulson wrapped his arms tighter around Grant, gently stroking his fingers through the younger man's hair, pretty much cradling him. Catching Lincoln's eye, he asked quietly for his grandson to give them a bit of privacy...maybe get some food brought, too, since he expected Grant hadn't eaten much, if at all.

Then, he turned his attention entirely back to Grant, rubbing his hand gently over the younger man's back. He could tell this version of his son was starved of affection and touch and he shifted, just enough to pull Grant onto his lap.

Grant stiffened as he felt the change in position. He hadn't sat on someone's lap since he was a toddler. On his third birthday, he'd tried to crawl onto his nanny's lap, only to have his father yank him off saying he was too big, too old, to sit on laps and he wouldn't be allowed any longer.

"It's okay," Coulson whispered in his ear. "This is another difference here. Cuddling and affection. You need it, Grant. I want to give it to you." He rubbed gently down the younger man's back.

At those words... at hearing that a need for affection wouldn't be held against him (despite everything, his gut told him he could believe Coulson) Ward slumped in the older man's arms like a puppet whose strings were cut. And suddenly, five years of constant stress, worry and guilt overwhelmed him. At first, the tears were silent, but they quickly evolved into gut wrenching sobs.

Coulson winced at the sound, hugging Grant tightly, one hand rubbing up and down his bare back while the other settled around his waist. It was hard to listen to the tears; hard to know that this version of his son had been hurt and let down so much; had been left to flounder with no support or care. He kissed the side of Grant's head and just held the younger man tight.

Ward finally regained control over himself after five minutes, reluctantly and shamefully pulling back. His face and body were hot from the exertion, his head and throat hurt. And he felt like he should get off of the man who held him; he was certain Coulson hadn't planned on a complete and total breakdown. "I'm sorry..." he croaked out.

"No, Grant. No apologies," Coulson said firmly. He reached for the minifridge, opened it and took out a bottle of water. He uncapped it and held it out, so that Grant could drink. "Don't feel ashamed of breaking down. Don't feel ashamed of needing to cry. I can tell you've been put through a lot of bad. I know you've been hurt a lot. And I'm sorry that a version of me had something to do with it. I'm sorry that you were let down, when you should have been given a second chance. When you should have been treated as a person who made a mistake, not as someone beyond redemption. Because you've never been beyond that." Looking into Grant's eyes, he continued, "And you never have to pull away from a hug or touch."

"Unless you can find a way for me to stay here and bring your Grant back, I can't get used to it. It'd be too hard going back to not having it..." Grant whispered, before obediently drinking the proffered water.

"I'll talk to the sorcerers," Coulson said. "I don't know if you met the versions of them in your world. Stephen Strange, Mordo, Wong. They're the ones who know the most about other dimensions." He reached out and let his fingers stroke through Grant's hair. "Even if I can't keep you here, maybe I can get them to open up a channel of communication."

"You'd still help me, even when I'm back over there?" Ward sounded surprised. "Help me be better? I want to be better. Just didn't think I could be..." he admitted. "But you say I am better...here. So maybe I can be."

"You can be," Coulson replied. "And I believe you're already taking those steps. You didn't try to fight us, to fight me. You listened and you came here with me. You've been cooperating, not resisting or fighting. You can be better," he said firmly. "And you're deserving of another chance."

Grant swallowed and smiled ruefully. "I didn't fight because I knew I was out of my depth and you were my only hope of getting answers... I'm glad, though. For the first time in forever, I feel like there's hope."

"I asked Lincoln to arrange some food to be brought here," Coulson said. "I don't know when the last time you ate was, but you look far thinner than I would like to see. I'm sure I can get a more detailed report from my grandson, though." He was still stroking his fingers through Grant's hair, the movement almost subconscious.

"I don't really eat much. I haven't had an appetite since... since my Kara died. I'm glad she's alive and happy here. Even if we aren't a couple...." Grant swallowed.

"I'm sorry that she did," Coulson said softly. "But she is alive here. Thriving. Fury adopted her. She has quite a few brothers who are extremely protective of her. Trip's one of those." Hearing the soft knock on the door, he stood up and walked over, opening it to retrieve the tray of food that he then brought over to Grant.

"Trip lived too?" Ward perked up at that. "I'm glad. The way he went before... it was unfortunate. Unnecessary."

Coulson set the tray down in front of Grant, happy to see that the food there was all his son's favorites. He hoped it would encourage the younger man to eat. "I'm guessing there might be others who didn't live in your dimension. If there is anyone, you'd like to meet...like to see...."

"In my dimension, I wasn't close to that many people. And all of them ended up hating me after..." Ward shrugged faintly, before beginning to eat.

Coulson gently squeezed Grant's shoulder, his other hand still stroking through the younger man's hair, though he was careful not to stop Grant from eating. "I'll do anything within my power to make things better for you," he promised. "To help you stay on the right path."

"In this dimension, did I turn out alright?" Grant asked curiously, his appetite growing as he realized the version of him from here liked the same foods; and the family had provided them all.

Coulson's smile was gentle and filled with fondness as he thought about his son. He began to explain much of what had happened to his own Grant, what had occurred...how his son had bonded with the family and, even after some setbacks, had got to the point where he was thriving.

"How did you help him... me? I... it sounds as if until you came after him, he was on the same trajectory I was...." Ward said softly.

"I made it clear that I believed in him. That I knew he wasn't a bad person. That I knew he cared about the team, despite the walls he'd put up," Coulson replied. "And then I spanked him. Not to hurt. Not to cause pain. But because it's a punishment used by family. A way of making it clear how I saw him. If you spend any length of time here, you'll see it's not exactly a secret."

Ward's eyes widened at that. "And... he didn't fight it?" He didn't expect he would have. He'd accepted being beaten by Garrett when he'd messed up, after all.

"No," Coulson replied. "He didn't cooperate when I spoke to him the first time...that was when he was locked up, after HYDRA had made its move. But I was able to convince him that I still believed in him and still cared about him. I brought him back to the Bus and everything started developing from there."

Ward nodded. "Do you think things would have gone differently for me? If you'd spanked me instead of what happened?" His voice was small.

"I think so," Coulson replied. "I think things would have been different if you'd been given another chance." He sighed. "I can imagine the version of me in your dimension couldn't get past that sense of betrayal and maybe everything spiraled out from there. If I can open up that line of communication, I can hopefully talk to him. Get him to see the truth, so that you'll be safe if I can't keep you here."

"If you can't...  he'll kill me. I'm sure of it. The trajectory we were on, it was going to be him or me dying... and I could never bring myself to actually kill him," Ward admitted.

"Two of the sorcerers are in quarantine at the moment," Coulson said. "But we can still talk to them. When you've finished eating, I'll ask the third to meet us there and we can see what they say. If anyone can figure it out, it'll be them."

Ward nodded, taking that as an urging to finish eating. He focused on the food.

Coulson kept one hand on Grant's shoulder, gently squeezing and giving the affection he was certain had been lacking for so long, even as he tapped out a message to Wong, Stephen and Mordo, saying that he needed to talk to them and asking Wong to meet him and Grant in the quarantine area.

Ward finished eating, then looked toward Coulson for instructions.

Coulson's smile was gentle and reassuring as he stood and retrieved Grant's clothes, passing them to the younger man. "Get dressed and then we'll go and meet Stephen, Mordo and Wong."

Ward nodded, quickly putting on his gear. "I hate to ask, but... do you think I can borrow some of your son's clothes? So, I can wash mine?" His voice was hesitant.

"Of course," Coulson replied. "Do you want me to get you some now? Or wait until after we've spoken to the others?"

"It can wait. I can take a shower too. No sense putting clean clothes on to a dirty body..." Ward grinned crookedly.

Coulson nodded. "After we've spoken to them, I'll show you where everything is. You can use my son's room if you feel comfortable doing so, but we do have some empty rooms in case you'd prefer that. My son's has an adjoining door to my own room, so if you did use it, you could easily come to see me if need be."

Ward paused at that. "It won't make everyone uncomfortable? My remaining free?"

"No one here has any reason to distrust you," Coulson answered. "The whole family has always been about giving second chances. It might have started with me and my son, but a lot of the family members here have a history of some kind."

Ward nodded, relaxing. "Even knowing what I did, you're willing to give me a chance... that... that's big. Thank you."

"I believe in you." Coulson reached out and wrapped an arm around Grant's shoulders, so he could lead the younger man out and to the quarantined area."

Stephen was waiting on the other side of the quarantine window, Mordo next to him. Wong walked in just as Coulson and Ward entered the visiting area. 

Ward frowned faintly as he thought of something. "Is there a danger of a Zombie outbreak in my own dimension that I need to warn them about? I'm not aware of HYDRA doing anything that led to something like what you described... but I didn't know everything that was going on, obviously."

"We had a letter that came through with all of the relevant details on it," Coulson said. "I'll arrange to get a copy to you." He turned to address Stephen, Mordo and Wong, keeping his arm around Grant's shoulders even as he picked up the phone and set it on speaker. After taking care of introductions, he said, "I really don't want this version of Grant going back to his dimension without some assurances of his safety. I know it might not be possible to keep both him and our Grant here...do you think we can open a line of communication to his dimension? So, I can talk with the version of myself that's there and hopefully persuade him to listen to reason?"

"You're right that it's not really possible to have two versions of the same person exist in the same dimension, at least for any stretch of time," Mordo said, doing the same thing with their phone on the other side of the glass.

"The barrier between dimensions is thin right now, so opening a line of communication is more possible now than it would have been before," Wong said.

"It would be easier perhaps to contact ourselves and have them contact the version of you, than to try and connect directly to the you in his dimension. Or have them contact someone who has some sway over the you in that dimension..." Stephen commented.

"The only people I knew that had enough influence on my Coulson to change his direction, all felt the same as he did... or didn't care one way or the other." Ward sighed softly, realizing yet again how despised he was. "Unless you can convince Captain America, I'm worth giving a chance and he talks to him... he was a real fan boy of Cap."

"Our Grant is likely to seek out the people who can help him there," Coulson said. "Which will, more than likely, be the versions of you in that dimension. If he can get to them and they can contact Steve, maybe...." His voice trailed off and he sighed. "I believe that learning the truth about Grant will change things, that knowing they're father and son will be the tipping point, but the test has to be run. If you can connect to yourselves there, maybe...."

Mordo nodded, able to see and hear the worry and desperation in Coulson's voice and on his face. "We can work on that," he said to his brothers. "Contact the versions of ourselves. Suggest they get hold of Steve there, so at least someone can keep their version of Coulson under control long enough to run the tests."

"What if it turns out I'm not his son in that dimension?" Ward asked curiously.

"There's an easy way to be sure of that," Wong said. "Do the tests here. They'll have the same result."

Stephen nodded. "If there is a match between you and our Coulson, the chances are high there will be a match with your Coulson as well. Have Lincoln or Bruce do the test."

"And while you're doing that, we'll work on opening the form of communication," Mordo promised.

Coulson nodded and looked at Grant. "I'll ask Lincoln to take the samples. While we're waiting for the results, you can shower and change into clean clothes."

"Thanks... I appreciate it. Everything..." Ward included the sorcerers in his thanks. He turned to follow Coulson out.

Stephen turned to his brothers. "We should probably copy that letter. When we make contact with our other selves, we can send it through. Then, once they locate our Grant, we can arrange for how to transfer them back to their own dimensions."

****

Grant had run and not looked back. He needed to put space between him and his father. Was it even his father? Eventually, though, he had to slow down and figure out where he was. He carefully slipped into a tiny mom and pop convenience store and looked for a newspaper. "Northern New York state..." he noted, quickly trying to come up with a plan of action. Who could he go to for help? Of course! He moved over to the cashier. "Excuse me, ma'am? Where is the bus station?" he asked quietly.

It didn't take long to get his directions and soon, he was heading to get a bus ticket to New York City.

***

Wong was in the library, trying to find some kind of answer for the dimension ripples that had been occurring throughout the city. It was there that he heard the voice coming through the communicators...a voice that was nearly as familiar to him as his own.

"This is Wong." Wong spoke quickly into the comm, before grabbing it and going in search of his brother. When he found Stephen, he spoke into it. "Repeat what you just said to me."

"This is Karl Mordo." Mordo's voice came from the communicator. "I'm with SHIELD and the Avengers at the Avengers compound. We have reason to believe that one of our agents here swapped places with his counterpart in your dimension."

"It was bound to happen sooner or later," Stephen muttered. "We should count ourselves lucky it was a SHIELD agent and not a common citizen."

"Do you want us to try and switch them back?" Wong asked.

"Yes," Mordo's voice answered. "But not right away. Do you know Phil Coulson in your dimension? In ours, the SHIELD agent who switched places is his son. In your dimension, the two are on opposite sides and there's a good chance that one or both of them will end up dead." He paused. "Our Coulson wants to try to stop that from happening and we think the agent will make his way to you, as we've been experiencing dimension rifts here too. His name is Grant Ward."

"So, I'm assuming we need to wait for this Grant Ward to find us. But if he and Coulson are on opposite sides here, wouldn't it be better to send them back without bringing Coulson into it?" Stephen asked.

"Our Coulson isn't happy about letting any version of his son step back into danger," Mordo's voice answered. "And he's not entirely sure that the switch didn't make the Coulson in your dimension aware of Grant's presence, which means that he's likely to be trying to track Grant and might end up with you, in spite of everything." He paused. "The tests were run here and confirmed that there is still a biological connection between Phil Coulson and Grant Ward. Our Coulson believes knowing that will be a tipping point, but that convincing him to do the tests will be hard. Can you get Captain America to come to you? He might be the only person who can talk to Coulson who hasn't been influenced by prior events."

Stephen's eyes widened slightly. "That's a tall order. But we can do our best..." he finally said, looking toward Wong for confirmation.

Wong nodded. "We can send a message. Let him know it's urgent. You think he'll come?" He addressed Mordo on the comm.

"I can only speak with any certainty about the Steve Rogers I know," Mordo answered. "But if things haven't changed drastically, I believe he'll come."

"Well... things aren't all the same, I'm guessing, so I'll withhold hope until I actually speak to him. You... You are working with Wong and me? In your dimension?" Stephen asked hesitantly.

Mordo paused before saying, "Here, in my dimension, we are brothers...family by choice. And there are four of us now, with our fourth member having a daughter of his own." A bit hesitantly, he asked, "I left in your dimension?" His hesitancy wasn't from not wanting to be honest; more because he had his own Stephen in the room with him. And he didn't know if his Stephen knew how close Mordo had come to leaving, after everything.

Stephen cleared his throat a bit hesitantly before answering, in a subdued voice tinged with regret, "Yes. I... I haven't been able to find you. You were very angry and disillusioned...."

Mordo was fairly sure he could understand how Coulson had been feeling, as he had the strong urge to apologize for his counterpart's actions. Then again, Mordo knew that he'd been close to taking that path himself. He really had Wong to thank for pulling him back and making him see the truth. "You wouldn't be able to find me because I would be too proud to admit that I was wrong and return," he admitted. "I don't know where you've searched, but when the two Grants switch back, we'll be sending a letter, a warning, through with your Grant. I can give you a list of areas to try as well."

"Thank you... I. I need to apologize to him. I wasn't wrong to do what I did, but the way I did it... completely disregarding his feelings... that wasn't right. If I'd had time to explain... but I didn't. If I could see him again...." Stephen cleared his throat. "If Grant is as resourceful as you say, he could arrive any hour. Let us begin our search for Steve Rogers. Once we find him, we will encourage Grant to go with him to confront Coulson and find the truth. Once that has been done, we should find a safe spot to open the portal so they can switch back. Should we contact you when all that has been accomplished?"

"Yes please," Mordo answered. "Now that we've opened a line of communication, I think we can keep it open. If you have any questions beforehand, please ask."

"Of course. And if something happens and you need us to step in..." Stephen let the offer go unsaid, assuming Mordo would understand the intent.

"It works both ways," Mordo said. "I'll let you get to work."

As soon as the connection had been closed, Stephen turned to Wong. "Any idea where to begin looking for Captain America?"

"Avengers Tower?" Wong suggested. "Even if he's not there, Stark might know how to get hold of him."

"That's true. To the tower, then..." Stephen led the way out the door, not even complaining when Cloak automatically wrapped around him.

***

It hadn't taken long for them to reach the tower and, fortunately, Steve had been there as well. Wong and Stephen had explained the situation and asked Captain America for help. Mordo hadn't been wrong: Steve had agreed with very little persuasion.

They hadn't been at the sanctum for more than about thirty minutes before being alerted to a visitor. Wong went to answer the door.

Grant stood nervously on the other side of the door, trying to stay out of view of any cameras. When Wong answered, he looked at the man with hope. "I need help...."

Wong nodded and took a step back, so that Grant could enter. "We were informed about what had happened from the sorcerers in your dimension. They were able to open up a line of communication."

"You know what happened?" Grant sounded extremely relieved. "You can get me home?"

Steve stood as they entered the room, answering the question. "We'll get you home, son. But... your father is worried about your counterpart. He wants to try and convince his other self to give you a chance before making the switch. I'm meant to go and convince him to do a blood test."

"Come and sit down," Wong invited. "We have spells on the sanctum to keep it protected."

Grant stumbled into the room and collapsed wearily onto a chair. He'd been on high alert since landing in this dimension. It was a relief to relax. "So, I can't go home until it's safe for the other me to come back?" He didn't sound surprised or upset.

"Your father is worried about the trajectory they're both on right now," Wong answered. "Something about not wanting any version of his son to be heading back into a dangerous situation."

"Sounds like Dad..." Grant grinned crookedly. "So, what's the plan?"

"The plan is, you stay here while I locate Coulson. Once I've found him and explained the situation, I see if he's willing to do the blood test. Dr. Strange still has contacts in the hospital... he'll get the samples and have the test run. Hopefully by that point, Coulson won't be as ready to kill you as he is now."

Wong nodded. "I think that about covers it," he said. "We've got things here: showers and clean clothes. Food and drink. Help yourself to anything you need while we're waiting."

"Thank you... I don't know how I can repay you..." Grant said wearily.

Steve smiled. "From what it sounds like, you're family in the other dimension. Family doesn't need to worry about paying back."

"Just worry about resting and recovering your strength for now," Wong said. He glanced at Stephen, wondering if his brother would feel the need to examine Grant for any injuries. None were obvious, but that didn't mean they weren't there.

"Before you do that, I'd like to check you over. Make sure you are healthy. We don't know a lot about dimensional travel and how it affects the body. Plus... your father is very worried. I want to be able to tell him you are doing well when next we talk." Stephen smiled faintly.

"Yeah. Okay..." Grant began to undress, too used to being open around his family to think about the fact these people were actually strangers.

Wong looked at Steve and said, "We really appreciate you coming to help us here. In the other dimension, they seem to think Coulson is only likely to listen to you...that anyone else who might hold sway over him wouldn't want to give Grant Ward here a chance." He kept his voice low, not wanting to upset this Grant here with anything about his counterpart.

Steve nodded. "I've seen people turn their lives around if given the opportunity. If the other dimension's Coulson sees a spark of something that can be saved, I need to try and fan that spark."

"Do you want me to come with you?" Wong asked. "If you think it might help to have me explain about the other dimensions...."

"That would be a good idea. You know more than I do... plus, we can give that letter to the appropriate individuals. The idea of a Zombie outbreak doesn't excite me," Steve said.

By this point, Stephen had finished the exam. "Why don't you shower? I'll lay out clean clothing for you and then you can rest. It seems that is what you are most in need of."

Grant nodded, following Stephen to the room he was being given with the adjoining bath.

Wong quickly informed Stephen of where he was going and then accompanied Steve.

***

Tracking Ward had been difficult, if not outright impossible. Even with Skye's help and the help of other agents, there'd been virtually no sightings of the traitor...until, just by chance, someone had called in to report a person matching Ward's description on a bus heading to New York.

It was unlikely Ward would be going to the Avengers for anything, but Coulson still took the Bus towards New York City. There was more than just the Avengers there and while there weren't any HYDRA bases that he knew of, he had heard rumors of the sorcerers and their compound.

It was as good a place to start his search for the traitor as any.

***

Stephen had been listening in while Mordo carried on the conversation with their counterparts. It had surprised him that Mordo was not with him and Wong in the other dimension. Mordo hadn't seemed surprised, though. After they had broken the connection, Stephen swallowed. "You didn't seem surprised that you weren't there..." he said quietly.

"It doesn't surprise me that there's a dimension in which I didn't see the error of my ways," Mordo admitted. "There was a time I could have made a very bad choice. I had help to make the right one."

"You were going to leave..." Stephen realized. "I almost lost you because of my actions." His voice was somber, sad... guilty.

"I was angry. Unjustly so," Mordo replied. He reached out to draw his brother into a tight embrace. "It wasn't your doing."

"Not unjustly... I could have handled things differently, even if I did the same actions. Explained better. Not been so arrogant..." Stephen whispered. "Wong got through to you, after all. My inability to was down to me."

"You did the right thing and I couldn't see that at first." Mordo hugged him a bit tighter. "It wasn't your fault, Stephen."

Stephen held tight. "Feels like it is. Should have been able to..." He swallowed, not sure what he should have been able to do; just certain if he'd done it, things would have gone better.

"I didn't leave." Mordo rubbed his hand over Stephen's back. "And things are even better now. We're part of a large family. Have a new brother and a niece. It was my failing, Stephen. Not yours."

Stephen swallowed again. He didn't believe it wasn't his fault. He'd been the reason people left before; his arrogance and bullheadedness. It was impossible to believe he was innocent this time. But he didn't want to argue with Mordo, so he kept quiet.

"I won't ever leave you, brother," Mordo promised, hugging Stephen tighter to himself. "I love you."

Stephen couldn't help himself. He snuggled closer to Mordo and held tight. He didn't say anything still, but was making it clear that he needed his brother to stick around and not leave. That he was counting on Mordo to keep his promise.

"I won't leave you," Mordo promised. "I'll always be by your side, brother. I love you. I won't fail you."

"I... I know you won't fail me..." Stephen finally whispered. "I love you too."

"Don't take any blame on yourself," Mordo murmured. "My failure wasn't your fault. You didn't drive me away."

"I'll try not to..." Stephen murmured. It was obvious he already had started to.

"Do you need settling?" Mordo asked gently.

Stephen wrinkled his nose. "I don't want settling..." he finally said. Which was a totally different thing from needing. If Mordo asked again, he'd have to admit he needed it.

"I think very few of the family actually want to be settled," Mordo said seriously. "But I didn't ask if you wanted it."

"Yes... " Stephen winced. "...I do," he finished, in a reluctant whisper.

Mordo kissed his brother's cheek and then led Stephen through to his area. Making sure they had as much privacy as it was possible to, he settled on the bed and guided his brother across his lap.

Silently sighing, Stephen relaxed over his brother's lap. He wasn't in trouble, so there was no fight at all; although he was blushing darkly at the fact, he needed for Mordo to do this. Needed Mordo to prove he wouldn't wash his hands of Stephen and leave. He hadn't left, after all. That should be proof enough. Still, he needed Mordo to prove it. He reached down and wrapped his arms around Mordo's leg in a tight hug.

Mordo wrapped his arm around Stephen's waist, drawing his brother in close and tight against his stomach, before proceeding to divest his brother of his pants and underwear.

Stephen let out a tiny whine as he was bared. The position was intimate in itself, but being so vulnerable to his brother made it more so. He slumped submissively, already feeling more secure and settled as Mordo proved he wasn't letting Stephen go, or leaving him to deal with his insecurities alone.

Mordo rubbed Stephen's back for a few moments before he lifted his hand and brought it down in a firm smack. He didn't use much force, but made sure it would be felt as he repeated swat.

Swallowing, Stephen took a shaky breath before whimpering softly. "I'm sorry what I did made you think of leaving..." he found himself blurting, in a small voice.

"It wasn't your doing, brother," Mordo replied. "I love you, Stephen. I will never leave you," he promised.

"I disappointed you. Even if my reasons were good... I disappointed you." Stephen found himself crying, to his shame and chagrin.

Mordo began to rub Stephen's lower back, even as he continued to smack steadily and firmly. "My feelings were on me, Stephen. Not you. I know you didn't have a choice. I know you did the right thing. And I won't ever abandon you. You're my brother. I made a mistake, but it was my mistake. Not yours."

"Doesn't feel that way..." Stephen admitted, before slumping and just crying.

Mordo stopped spanking and drew Stephen into his arms on his lap, hugging him close and tight. "My place is at your side," he promised. "You won't ever lose me, brother."

Stephen continued to cry, but snuggled close and tight, accepting Mordo's words and affection. "I believe you..." he whispered. "...Not sure I deserve it, but I believe you."

Mordo rubbed Stephen's back. "I love you. And while it seems like there's another version of myself that has made mistakes and left his Stephen...I won't ever leave you."

Stephen didn't say anything else. He'd already indicated he believed Mordo. He suspected Mordo repeating himself that he would never leave was just as much for his own benefit as it was Stephen's. As if by saying it over and over again, maybe he could forget that there was a version of himself that had left. Instead of talking, he twisted around so that he could hold more tightly to his brother and Mordo could hold more tightly to him. He didn't care that he was still bare. At this moment in time, all that mattered was receiving and giving affection.

Mordo cuddled Stephen tightly to himself, allowing the contact with his brother to settle the lingering guilt from knowing that one version of himself had abandoned his brother. He hoped that giving the other Stephen the list of places to look would bring that version of himself back where he belonged.

Stephen sniffled a little bit more. "C... can I stay with you tonight?" he finally whispered. "I know Frank has been, but... He seems happier. Since we will be able to leave the quarantine tomorrow morning...."

"Of course," Mordo replied, without hesitation. "And even if Frank still wants to spend the night, we can do that. Push three beds together, if need be. But I'd never turn you away," he said honestly. "I think I need to keep you close as well."

Stephen swallowed, snuggling closer still. "I... I'll just put on my pajamas now... even though it's gonna be several more hours till bed time...." He didn't say that he'd be sticking close to Mordo, like glue.

Mordo nodded. "I'll take you to your 'room' to get them," he said.

Stephen smiled bashfully, happy that Mordo wasn't letting him out of sight, even long enough to go behind the curtain to his bed to retrieve his pajamas. "Okay," he whispered. He could hear the TV and knew Frank and Peggy would know what had happened. It would have been impossible for them not to hear. He hoped it made Frank feel better to know he wasn't alone in sometimes needing the type of help Mordo gave them both. He hoped Peggy would accept it as natural and not look at him differently because of it.

Carefully replacing his brother's clothing, Mordo stood them both up and, with an arm wrapped around Stephen's shoulder, he guided his brother round the curtain to Stephen's area, so that he could change into his pajamas.

****

Quentin glanced around the family at everyone gathered. He knew they were all worried. Coulson's son was still stuck in what was obviously a hostile dimension and while they'd enlisted help to get him back, no one actually knew if the help would be successful. On top of that, they were trying to ensure the safety of the one he'd traded places with. Quentin supposed he shouldn't be surprised at that, given how quickly he'd been accepted into the family despite what he'd done.

Realizing how quickly he'd been forgiven and accepted had made him feel good at first; he felt bad about the damage he'd done and the innocents hurt, but he didn't feel overly guilty. He'd had what he felt were valid reasons for his actions, after all. The fact Steve had kept him out of jail seemed to support his feelings. But he'd been here several weeks now and... he’d heard, if not seen, how the family dealt with undesirable actions. He'd also had opportunity to see firsthand the results of his actions; he'd known innocents had been hurt, but he hadn't realized to what extent, or how horribly some of them had been hurt. Some of them would take months to recover, if they ever fully did. He found his guilt growing with each new realization. He didn't deserve to live with this family. He deserved jail.

In an effort to atone and ease his guilt, he threw himself into the work of making items to help those he'd hurt; with Tony's supervision, of course. It wasn't helping.

"You know, you aren't the only one to have hurt innocents and felt like you could never make up for it," Tony said quietly, having noticed the look on Quentin's face. He'd seen that look a lot lately. "Don't let the guilt take over. It can be a good motivator... but if you let it, it can cripple you and then...." He gave his brother (that's what he was, even if it wasn't official yet) a small, empathetic smile before going to check on what his two sons were doing.

Quentin swallowed hard, not responding. As soon as Tony was sufficiently distracted by Werner, he turned and headed back to his room, suddenly not in the mood for company.

Steve had spent a lot of the morning with Peggy, talking to and getting to know this version of the woman he'd loved and lost. He was hopeful that she'd choose to stay after the quarantine was over; that she'd find a place here, with the rest of the family. But he would never force her to.

Now that they'd separated for lunch, Steve headed to Quentin's room and knocked lightly on the door. "Hey. Do you want to join everyone for lunch? Or I can get some food and we can eat in your room together," he called softly through the door.

"Doesn't Peggy get out at lunch?" Quentin asked, not actually answering the question. He didn't really feel like being around anyone- his guilt was weighing down too much at the moment- but he didn't want to rebuff the other man, either.

"I've spent the whole morning with her," Steve replied. "Now, I'd like to spend some time with you."

"Yeah... but she'll actually be out. You can spend time with her without a hermetically sealed glass pane between you...." Quentin said, with a hint of surprise. Would Steve really choose to spend time with him, instead of his long-lost love? Quentin didn't deserve that kind of attention.

"I have time to see her later," Steve answered. "For now, I'd like to spend time with you. We don't have to see anyone else if you'd rather stay and eat in your room or mine."

"I don't have a preference..." Quintin said. "Haven't been very hungry...."

"I understand," Steve replied gently. "But it's important you do eat. We can sit in your room. Eat and talk. You don't need to make yourself see anyone else."

Quentin nodded. "Yes, sir. If you insist..." he murmured, not up to arguing.

"I'll get us a couple of plates." Steve left, heading to the dining hall to pick up a plate for him and for Quentin. Then, he returned to his newest son's room and knocked lightly on the door.

Quentin opened the door immediately and stepped back for Steve to enter. "I cleared a spot over here..." He motioned to a small table and two chairs to the side.

"Thank you." Steve walked over and placed the plates on the table, then sat down and smiled gently at Quentin. "Did something happen to upset you?"

"Not specifically..." Quentin sat across from Steve. "It... has just become clearer how much, and how many people, I hurt...."

Steve reached across the table and gently squeezed his hand. "You're not the only one to make mistakes that have hurt people...to feel guilty for those mistakes."

"Some would say I haven't paid for those mistakes..." Beck's tone made it obvious he was one of those people who'd say that.

"You're on house arrest and restrictions, but you're also working on things to help people," Steve said. "As for feeling guilt...there are other ways to help with that. I'm sure you must have become aware of one."

"It would be hard not to be aware... but that is for family," Beck said quietly, staring at his plate.

"Quentin, I brought you into my home. You have a room with an adjoining door to mine. And we've been spending a lot of time together," Steve said. "I already think of you as part of my family."

Quentin looked up, biting his lip. "Even though I went after Tony? You could want me in your family after what I tried to do to your son?"

"The whole family's about redemption and second chances," Steve answered. "And I know Tony's forgiven you and is aware of how I feel. It doesn't tend to be a secret when we want to bring someone into the family."

"He tried to help me before. I was just too stubborn to pay attention," Beck admitted softly. "Still don't think I deserve your help. But... I can't say I don't want or need it."

"When we've finished eating, I'll help you," Steve promised. "If you'd like to join my family, be my son, we can get the paperwork done first," he added hopefully.

"You really want to make it official?" Quentin looked up, searching Steve's face. "I think I want that too..."

"I do," Steve replied. "And when we've finished eating, I'll ask Matt to bring the paperwork. And then we can deal with the guilt you're feeling."

Quentin nodded hesitantly, but he was smiling. He began to eat with a little more enthusiasm.

Steve ate as well and, once they were both finished, he asked Friday to request that Matt come to Quentin's room.

Ten minutes after the request was made, there was a knock on the door. "Come in," Beck called out.

Matt let himself in. He was holding a folder of papers. "I hope you don't mind, Uncle Steve, but I assumed you would be wanting legal documents, so I printed them out for you," he said.

"Thank you, Matt," Steve replied, his voice warm. He looked at Quentin. "The paperwork is exactly the same as every other parent and child. I don't need to read through it, but if you need to, take as much time as you need."

Quentin took the proffered documents and quickly read through them. "It's very thorough..." he said, before taking a pen and signing in all the spots he was meant to sign.

"We've got it all down to a fine art now," Steve commented, with some amusement. As soon as Quentin had signed, he did the same.

"It makes sure that if anything happens outside of the compound, there won't be any legalities that will prevent the family from being there for each other," Matt commented.

Steve nodded. "Exactly," he commented. "Do you have any questions?" he asked Quentin.

"No... it was straightforward. And I've watched the family the last several weeks, so I think I know what is expected of me," Quentin said.

"Good," Steve said, smiling warmly. "Welcome to the family, son."

"Thanks.... dad." Quentin smiled. "Thanks for bringing the papers, Matt."

"Of course. I'll make sure they are filed with the proper authorities tomorrow morning." Matt gathered everything together and left.

Steve wrapped his arm around Quentin's shoulders, drawing him in for a tight hug, before asking softly, "Do you want to deal with things now?"

Quentin hugged back, nodding his head. "Yes, sir."

Steve held his new son close for a few more moments and then led Quentin over to the bed. He sat down and gently guided the younger man across his lap.

Even knowing what to expect and wanting to pay for his crimes, it was difficult for Quentin to relax and submit to being positioned. His instinct was to fight it. He trusted Steve, though, so managed to hold back his nerves and cooperate.

Steve rubbed Quentin's back a moment or two, speaking in a low, caring voice. "I know it's difficult to submit to this, at least at first. But you're part of the family now. And this is how family deals with things." He rubbed a bit longer and then proceeded to bare his son.

Quentin shifted as he was bared, tensing up, but not fighting. "What if I can't hold still?"

"You don't need to worry about holding still, son," Steve answered. "I won't let you fall." He took a tighter grip on Quentin and lifted his hand, bringing it down in a firm swat that he then repeated.

Quentin hissed at the first swat. It stung more than he had been expecting. It helped him realize this wasn't a token punishment. Steve was taking it- and him- seriously. He found himself relaxing... submitting further... at the knowledge.

"I know you feel guilty, son." Steve spread the swats out evenly over Quentin's backside as he spoke. "I know it's been hard to let go of that guilt. But you can be better than you were. You already are better."

"Is it p... possible? To make things, right?" Quentin couldn't help hoping. He knew he couldn't undo his actions, but if he could make up for them....

"It is," Steve promised. "You can make up for what happened. You are making up for it. You're doing the right thing now." He began to cover Quentin's backside for the third time in the swats, going a fraction harder and faster.

"H... how? How does this make up for what I did?" Quentin's voice was strained and as soon as he asked the question, he began to cry. He wanted to make up for what he'd done, but he couldn't see how a spanking would even cover a small portion of what he owed. Even if he was unable to leave the compound unless Steve was with him. It hurt to know how badly his actions had hurt others and he wished he'd thought of that sooner, before it was too late.

"The spanking is to help you let go of your guilt." Steve's voice was very gentle. "You make up for what you did by continuing to do the right thing now. By working to help people, not hurt them. Using your gifts for the right reasons. You and Tony aren't that different."

Quentin slumped at that. "I was wrong about him... tried to hurt him... he should hate me. He never did, though..." he said, through a deluge of tears. "I'm so sorry for what I did..." By this point, he was lying limp and completely submissive over Steve's lap.

"I know. And you're forgiven. By all of us." Steve stopped spanking and drew Quentin into a tight embrace, settling the younger man on his lap. "And now, you're my son. Officially. I love you."

Quentin found himself snuggling close, needing the comfort. "Love you too, Dad..." he whispered.

Steve hugged Quentin close, in no hurry to let go of his new son any time soon. He didn't enjoy spanking one of his family members, but he was more than on board with giving the contact after.

****

Ward had been walking down the hall beside Coulson, heading toward the big main room (Coulson had called it the family room) when he heard the muffled sounds. It was too methodical to be a fight, but it certainly didn't sound like a punching bag. He glanced toward where the sound was coming from. It wasn't a rec room or gym, either, from what he could tell. He looked back at Coulson, confusion and a hint of worry on his face. Coulson didn't seem surprised or worried, so he calmed quickly, but Ward still had to ask, "What in the...?"

"You're hearing a spanking going on," Coulson explained. "Here in the family, it's used fairly commonly. Sometimes as punishment. Sometimes as a way to settle, or to help someone when they feel guilty."

Only years of being undercover and working as an agent (as well as all the freaky stuff he'd witnessed in those roles) allowed Ward to not visibly react. It wasn't easy, though. Swallowing, he couldn't help asking, "Is that how you punish me... I mean your me? My you would never even think of it, let alone consider...."

"When it's necessary," Coulson replied. "Spanking is a family punishment. When I used it for the first time, I hoped to draw Grant back to the team...back to the family." He smiled, a little sadly. "HYDRA got to him before I could get him out of prison...infected him with a virus. Fortunately, he was able to recover from that and by then, there was no question about where he belonged."

"He was in jail here? You didn't keep him isolated on your base?" Ward couldn't help being jealous. At first, he'd thought being close to hand was a good thing. He'd be able to win Skye over again... and she'd help convince the others. The longer he was there, though, the more he realized that was a baseless dream. Skye didn't want anything to do with him. She would have never gone near him, if he hadn't insisted, he'd give his information to only her and Coulson hadn't gone along with it. He could have given the information to Coulson, he supposed, but he was never sure the other man wouldn't shoot him at the slightest provocation... and there was always an air of disbelief, no matter what he told them. He couldn't help believing it would have been better for everyone if he'd been in a jail.

"He wasn't initially jailed where it was easy for us to see him," Coulson replied, a trace of the guilt he still felt for leaving Grant alone for so long creeping into his voice. "When we finally got him back, brought him home on the Bus...before we moved to Avengers Tower and then here...he was never isolated or kept from the team. I brought him back fully. And while it did take a while for full trust to build again...we all worked at it. We worked at being a family. And it ultimately led us here." He reached out and gently grasped Ward's shoulder. "I'm only sorry that you weren't given that chance in your dimension. But I have to ask you. If they can persuade the Coulson in your dimension that you're worth taking a chance on...worth giving redemption and forgiveness too...will you take it? Change has to come from both of you. You both have to be willing to give and receive forgiveness."

Grant swallowed hard. "I know I brought a lot of their hatred on myself. I... wasn't well. Probably could have done with a therapist. Oddly, as often as they called me evil and a psychopath, they never thought about getting me any type of mental help." He snorted. "Still... I can see how my actions fueled their own... just like their actions fueled mine. Now that I've been pulled out of the situation, see how it could have been...." He shook his head. "If he offered a chance that didn't involve completely erasing me, who I am as a person, I'd take it. I don't think he will, though. The only time he offered me any type of chance, it involved completely erasing my memory and turning me into a different person. He may as well have just executed me... it wouldn't have been me anymore. Just a body that used to be me."

"We have a line of communication through Stephen, Wong and Mordo to their counterparts in your dimension," Coulson said. "And I know they've reached out for Steve Rogers in their dimension. If your Coulson won't listen to reason, there are some very powerful people who I'll ask to protect you over there if need be."

Ward looked up at that. "Thank you. Even if... even if it turns out he and I aren't related, like we are here, if he doesn't give me a chance... I'll still try to do better. For you. You've done more for me since I arrived here than you ever had to. I owe you. I'll repay you by becoming better... being the man you believe I can be." Ward's promise was solemn. He'd spent years obeying Garrett because the man had 'saved' him. This dimension's Coulson was doing the same; perhaps even more so than Garrett had done.

"I know you will." Coulson's voice was filled with belief and trust in this version of Ward. He knew it, because he'd seen it. Seen his own Grant change for the better. He reached out and drew Grant into a close, tight embrace. "I'll check in with you, too, through Stephen and Wong there."

Ward was stiff at first, unused to affection and waiting for the inevitable pain that often followed. He soon relaxed into the embrace, once he realized he wasn't going to be hurt, and awkwardly brought his arms up to hug Coulson back. "I hope you do. I need to know everyone here is okay." He smiled crookedly.

"I will," Coulson promised. He kept hugging the younger man, even as they finally reached the family room.

There weren't too many people in there, the other family members having agreed that they would try not to overwhelm the other dimension's Ward too much. Leo was, though, and he perked up immediately when he saw Coulson with Grant. "Hey! I saved you a spot...two spots," he added, belatedly remembering that Coulson probably wouldn't be cuddling this Grant on his lap like he would automatically with his son.

Ward smiled tentatively. If he could mend his friendship with his Leo... having this Leo want to be around him gave him hope that could happen. He glanced at Coulson, to be sure it was okay, before moving to sit next to the other man.

Coulson smiled warmly at Grant, indicating it was okay to sit with Leo, and made sure to sit close by, so he could be there if needed.

"So does your dimension have any vastly different technology to ours?" Leo asked curiously, offering Ward his bucket of popcorn.

"Haven't really had a chance to compare things like that," Ward admitted. "Doesn't appear so, though."

"Are there any differences you have noticed?" Leo smiled, moving closer to Ward, just like he would have done with his cousin. "Until you arrived here, only Linc and Val met someone from a different dimension. And it completely spooked them when she disappeared without a trace."

"That would have spooked me too. Although, I would have attributed it to her being an inhuman... not that she was from another dimension. Do you have Inhumans here?" Ward asked.

Leo shook his head. "No. I mean, we have enhanced people here. But no one we call Inhumans." He frowned, a curious look in his eyes. "But with a lot of tests being run, we found some weird elements in some of the family's DNA. I wonder if there's a relationship there."

Ward slanted his head. "Who? If you don't mind my asking."

"Well, for one thing...you had it," Leo replied. "I mean, well, my cousin had it. I don't know if you both have that same anomaly." He named the others who had it, too.

Ward blinked at that information. "Well, some of those listed were Inhumans. Those that weren't, including myself, were never exposed to the Terragen, so it's possible we all would be if exposed...."

Leo nodded eagerly. "Okay, so if you tell me everything you know about this Terragen and I'll pass the information on to Dad and Uncle Tony and Uncle Quentin...all us scientists can look at it. Though I don't think we'll be running experiments on any of us regular humans for a while."

Ward's eyes widened. "I'll pass on what little I know... but... it isn't... I don't think it was made with science... at least not earth science. And the Terragen in its pure, undiluted form killed anyone who touched it, if they didn't have the inhuman ability...."

Leo winced visibly at that, looking a bit disappointed. "Oh...yeah, you're right. If it's that dangerous, none of the family is gonna want us near it. But still. If it was used in your dimension, we probably want to watch out for it here in ours."

Ward nodded. "And... in its diluted form, it didn't kill those who didn't have the ability. But it took an inhuman scientist to dilute it; and knowing how paranoid she was, I'm not entirely sure that was a deliberate outcome. She was trying to activate everyone who had the ability. I'm not sure she cared if non-Inhumans died or not."

"Yeah. I know our parents would never willingly let any of us expose ourselves to something like that without making sure it was one hundred percent safe," Leo commented. "No dangerous activities is one of those rules. That includes dangerous experiments."

"For all the things that are the same here, the differences are so glaring..." Ward breathed out, before smiling. "Even with Coulson's promise to help me before sending me back to my dimension, I can't help thinking I'm going to miss it here "

Leo grinned and gently nudged Ward's shoulder. "We can probably still communicate. Maybe we can send emails to each other? I think we should definitely look into that."

"If it doesn't further weaken the dimensional barriers, I'd like that," Ward admitted.

"Great!" Leo responded happily. "I'll ask Mordo, Wong and Stephen if they can set it up."

"Great..." Ward smiled back.

***

Coulson had checked most of the hiding places he assumed HYDRA or the slippery, traitorous agent who was Grant Ward might have gone. Fairly certain that Ward was up to some mischief or another, he found himself outside the sorcerers' compound...intending to ask them if they might be able to scry out Ward before the treacherous man could cause any more damage or hurt anyone else.

Grant was alone in the Sanctum; shortly after Wong had left with Steve, Stephen had felt another tugging on the dimensional barrier. Worried that maybe his counterpart in the 'zombified' dimension mentioned in the letter had failed in the attempt to permanently close the ability to reach that dimension, he'd gone to investigate. He had told Grant to make himself at home and let the other two know where he had gone if they returned before he did and then taken off.

Grant hadn't expected Coulson to come to the Sanctum; as far as he knew, this dimension's Coulson didn't even know the sorcerers. Otherwise, he would have stayed hidden in the room he'd been given. Or warned the maid not to answer the door when a knock was heard.

Coulson stepped into the sanctum, feeling a bit uncomfortable and on his guard. He was informed that there were spells that would ensure his gun wouldn't work and he just nodded to indicate he understood. He didn't plan on drawing his weapon in any case.

Grant considered himself lucky that he wasn't in the foyer when the maid answered the door. He heard her murmuring, but it was the voice that answered her back that had him slinking back along the wall, in hopes of hiding before Coulson somehow saw him.

Coulson stepped into the room the maid indicated to him and stood in one corner. He was looking around and listening, on his guard and prepared...just in case anything happened. Ward had already tried taking someone out. Coulson still didn't know why the traitor had missed. It probably didn't matter. Just more games the man was playing with him.

Grant was as quiet as he ever was; even the years he'd lived in the compound with his family, with constant support and backup, hadn't dulled his skills. It was only Coulson's idea of getting help from the sorcerers and bad luck that had put him in this situation. Further bad luck was about to occur. He didn't make a bit of noise and had remained hidden; but for reasons he might never find out, one of the magical suits of armor decided to follow him to his room and stand in the doorway so he couldn't get inside to hide. He furtively tried the doors to the other rooms in that hall, but they were all locked and he knew enough about the sorcerers' abilities to not want to risk 'breaking into' one of them. If Coulson decided to snoop, he was stuck in plain view.

Coulson's own restlessness wouldn't allow him to stay put in one place for long. He slipped out of the room he'd been shown into, planning to look around, to...well, he didn't know what, because all thoughts fled from his mind as he saw him.

Ward. The traitorous snake who'd betrayed him and the team. Who'd caused so much damage and fear and anger and....

The other emotions were buried down so deep, Coulson could barely feel them. But he knew they were there.

"Ward." Coulson hissed out the name, hand going to his gun...but then he remembered. The weapon wouldn't work in the sanctum. Still, he wasn't about to let the man go. He advanced on Ward, ready to attack. Or to defend himself and attack in return, should the traitor go for him first.

Grant's eyes widened and he scrambled to make it to the door, hopefully before Coulson could block and corner him. Had he not been focused so much on not being caught; had he not spent the last several years happily living with Coulson's counterpart as father and son; had he not been wishing so hard to return back home where he belonged, he would have been more careful in what he said. Instead, "Dad! Stop! You don't understand! Let me explain! Please!"

That word, that name...it brought it all back. His wife and his baby son, both ripped from him. Murdered. Taken. He'd lost them both. And when Ward said the word, all Coulson could think was that the other man was manipulating him. Again. Using his past against him; past that Coulson had buried, because losing his wife and losing his son had hurt so much, only burying himself in his work had helped.

But the word tore open that old wound. It triggered that rage that Coulson had pushed down deep, so below the surface, he'd forgotten it was there.

There was no thought or plan. Nothing but reaction. Coulson didn't go for his gun. He just threw himself at Ward, at the traitor who'd just torn into him with the one thing that had the power to hurt him more than anything else...to bring him to his knees. Fear and anger and pain swirled, one indistinguishable from the other, as he punched Ward.

Despite knowing that this Coulson wasn't his father and despite knowing that his alternate and this Coulson didn't have a good relationship; and that they actually despised each other (as if staring down the scope of a long-range rifle at the other man hadn't clued him into that fact), Grant was still caught completely by surprise at the rage and absolute fury displayed by the older man. He barely got his arms up in time to protect his head, the man's mechanical hand knocking the breath out of him and sending him staggering. "C... Coulson... please..." he gasped, finding it difficult to breathe and seeing double already from the few times Coulson had pounded him with strength rivaling that of a super-soldier. He'd realized his mistake too late and while he wouldn't make it again, he doubted that would be enough to save him. He was positive he would die from his father's alternate self before the truth could be told.

Grief-fueled rage had Coulson ignoring the words, ignoring the fact that Ward wasn't fighting back, only protecting himself. He ignored everything, only focusing on attacking the man in front of him. The man who had betrayed him and had brought that shattered past back to his mind. He was focused only on Ward, only seeing the man in front of him...not anything that might be behind him or even around him.

Grant hadn't wanted to fight his father, in any form. By the time he realized he wouldn't have a choice but to fight, if he didn't want to die and leave his own father heartbroken, he wasn't able to. He was seeing triple, blood streaming down his face from one of the blows that had glanced off his arm and swiped his temple. He was pretty sure he had broken ribs; he knew his arms were broken. He was knelt on the floor at Coulson's feet and could only watch helplessly as the man drew his mechanical arm back to deal the killing blow. Bloody tears running down his face, he gave Coulson an agonized, hopeless look and begged, "Please...."

The killing blow would have landed; Coulson was far past the point of reason. But a force jerked him back. Pulled him away from Grant's bloodied, broken form.

Wong had returned, with Steve.

Steve's eyes were filled with righteous indignation and disappointment as he pulled Coulson, none too gently, away from the broken form of Grant. He made certain to unhook and toss the 'weapon' -Coulson's mechanical hand- as far away from the director as possible. He wouldn't trust Coulson with it just yet. "What have you done?!"  he growled, his worry and agitated fear for the now unconscious younger man clear.

Stephen had been alerted by the frightened maid at nearly the same time that Wong and Steve had returned. Minutes after Coulson had been stopped, a portal was opening and he and Christine were stepping through; Christine's arms filled with supplies, Stephen tugging a hospital gurney with needed machinery through. The suit of armor stepped away from the door of Grant's room to let them pass. Stephen waved his hand and Grant's body was gently levitated behind them. They were quickly set up, Grant on the gurney and Stephen and Christine frantically working to save his life. "What the hell did he use on him?" Christine could be heard asking, as she hooked Grant up to blood and plasma and they began to do scans so they could see the damage and know if and where they needed to operate.

Steve faced the room before shaking his head and looking at Coulson like he'd never seen him before. This wasn't the man he remembered. "Did you even give him a chance to explain before you decided to be judge, jury and executioner?"

"Explain what?" Coulson meant to sound angry. He had been getting vengeance, after all. It had been a mistake, letting Ward live. After everything. A mistake that had been compounded when the man had been about to take the shot and murder....

But now that the rage, fueled by grief and pain, had dissipated, it had left Coulson shaken. Weak. He was normally in control. Hadn't lost it since that day he'd walked into his house and found the blood. Found his baby son...gone.

"You have no idea what he's done. What he's capable of. He turned against us, against SHIELD, when HYDRA made its move. And since then, all he's done is bite the hand that tries to feed him. Again, and again." Coulson tried to sound strong and sure and like he knew he was in the right.

Trouble was...he couldn't be so sure of that. He'd lost control. Come close to killing Ward. And it had done nothing to make him feel better.

"Explain that, that..." Steve pointed toward where Stephen and Christine frantically worked on an unconscious Grant. "...Is not Ward! That is Grant Coulson. From another dimension. You may have just killed another version of you's son!"

"That's...not possible." Coulson's voice lacked any certainty, though. "How could he be...? It doesn't make sense." His voice sounded haunted. Shaken. No longer as certain as he had been that he was right. He'd looked up to Steve since he was a child. And now Captain America was telling him he was wrong.

"What's not possible?" Steve's voice was still furious from the situation, still filled with his disappointment in the other man's actions; but this time, it was laced with a bit of sympathy for Coulson's confusion and the events that had led to the other man's actions. "Not possible that he is Grant Coulson from another dimension? Not possible that there are other dimensions? Not possible that some version of you has a son?"

"I... had a son." Coulson's voice sounded lost, because that was how he felt. Out of control of the situation. He'd lost control of himself. And now, he was facing the fact he'd nearly killed a man who, if Steve was telling the truth, could have been his son.

It all felt wrong. The confusion and grief vied for control, but beneath all of that was the rising sense of guilt.

The remaining anger seeped out of Steve. He was still frustrated and disappointed in Coulson's actions, but it wasn't like he hadn't been warned of the possibility of violence. There was a lot of bad blood between Grant Ward and Phil Coulson. How the two in the other dimension had ever mended fences to the point they became family, he had no clue.

"As it was explained to me, there are thousands... millions... of other dimensions, where one changed action led to completely new and different outcomes." Steve paused, glancing into the room where Dr. Strange and Christine worked. "In his dimension, after HYDRA outed themselves, he was sent to a jail far away from the team. The distance was apparently good for them, because it enabled his Coulson to work through his anger and allowed Grant the needed time to think on his actions without trying to convince anyone to give him another chance. By the time Coulson went to talk to him and get answers, Grant was in a position where he could listen and accept help, instead of 'biting the hand that feeds him', I think you said?" Steve smiled faintly. "I'm certain there was a bit more involved, but the short of it is, his Coulson adopted him; and then they found out Grant actually was his son... taken by HYDA as a baby and placed specifically so he'd be groomed to be a HYDRA pawn. He didn't have an easy life and the young man you see in there has gone through months of therapy to undo even a little of what HYDRA conditioned him to be." He left unsaid that the Grant Ward from their own dimension likely was conditioned as well. He turned toward Coulson. "The Grant Ward that belongs here, in our dimension, is currently being taken care of by his..." He motioned his head back toward the unconscious Grant. "...father. they did some tests and... well. You might want to do a blood test when we get him back where he belongs. Apparently, if he didn't come from this dimension, he'd be that Coulson's son as well."

Coulson slowly shook his head all through the words Steve was saying. "I don't...I can't...." He took a deep breath and spoke in a hollow voice, filled with guilt and horror at how low he'd fallen. Since everything had come out and he'd let anger and betrayal dictate his actions, rather than follow his own beliefs that people could be saved...he hadn't let himself look back even once. But now he did and it hurt.

"Even if it's true, Ward hates me," Coulson whispered hollowly. "There's too much...too much I've done...." He looked down at his hand; at the blood that covered him. Grant's blood. His voice was hitched with guilt and self-loathing.

"I don't know about that... but as he is with the other you and seems willing to listen to the other you and is willing to come back here, despite his belief you hate him, so that Grant can return home to his father... it might not be as hopeless as all that." Steve eyed Coulson, before seeming to come to a decision. "Let's go wait in the study. They'll come for us if we're needed." He could see the guilt forming. Maybe if they went to a quiet area, where Coulson could talk, the guilt could be eased before it became a problem.

Coulson's eyes tracked towards where Grant was being operated on and he nodded slowly. It made him feel like a coward, but he couldn't bear to see the results of what he'd done.

Steve closed the study door behind them after they'd both entered the room, motioning toward a couch. Once Coulson had sat, he sat next to the other man, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees. "Some would have said Bucky was beyond redemption. He killed enough people and even if it wasn't his choice what he became, some would say that there was no way to undo the brainwashing and he could never be trusted. That the kinder thing would be to lock him up in a mental hospital for the rest of his life; keep him comfortably numb...."

Coulson breathed in deeply. "It's not...." He hesitated, because he couldn't really say it wasn't the same. Ward had been brainwashed. Maybe not to the extent Bucky had been, or in the same way, but still. "I haven't been able to stop myself." His confession was given in a low, shamed voice. "I never could let go of that anger, that hurt, that betrayal. I'm as responsible for this mess as Ward. Probably more so, because I should have been better. Should have made better choices."

"Maybe. You're human, though. And he did a lot to deserve your anger. He hurt you and your team deeply. Broke your trust. And from what little I've been able to learn, never really showed remorse. Only wanted to forget he'd done it and move on as if everything was fine." Steve paused. "Still... for someone who preached about there always being hope... that anyone could be saved... did you ever truly believe that? If so, you failed yourself as much as you failed him."

"I did fail," Coulson admitted. "I didn't give him a chance...and I should have. Even though he didn't show remorse, he showed he was hurting. I made sure he was treated when he hurt himself. I... couldn't do anything more than make sure his basic needs were met. I was hurt. I was betrayed. And I let it affect every interaction I had with him."

Steve nodded. "It would have been better if you'd handed him over to someone else after arresting him. Let them punish... and get him the help he needed. But it's too late for that, I guess. The real question now is, what are you going to do once he's back here? In your custody?"

"I need to try and do right by him," Coulson replied. "He needs help...professional help. There are therapists who work with SHIELD. I need to give him the chance he didn't get before," he admitted quietly. "The chance to do better and be better."

Steve nodded. "And there... is the man I recognize." He smiled crookedly. "Can you find it in yourself to forgive him?"

Coulson nodded. "Whether or not he is my son, I think I can...the question is if he can forgive me in turn. I've made a lot of mistakes," he admitted. "Not least nearly killing my counterpart's son."

Steve grimaced at that. "Not one of your finer moments," he agreed. "I'm not looking forward to explaining to his father that his son was left alone long enough to be hurt in that way." He sighed softly. "Are you going to be able to get past what you did? Because you won't be any help to our Ward at all if you are weighed down with your own guilt."

"I don't know how I can get past what I did," Coulson said quietly. "I was angry and I was hurting...but that's no excuse. I have no excuses. I can only be thankful that you got here in time to stop me from making it even worse."

Steve stared at the wall, thinking for a moment, before nodding. "I suspected you'd say that. That's why I plan to help you with the guilt. Punish you for what you did."

Coulson darted a startled look towards Steve before he looked down, nodding. "I trust you," he admitted quietly. "You might be the person I trust most right now."

Steve smiled at that. "That's good... you need to trust me to allow what I plan. I'm going to spank you."

Coulson's eyes widened and he stared at Steve in shock. "You're going to...spank me?" His confusion was obvious.

"I know it's a bit old fashioned, but I'm an old-fashioned guy..." Steve smiled sheepishly, before saying more seriously, "I know it doesn't seem like it would help, but it requires you to give up control over the situation. I would decide when you've had enough. Which means you can let go and know that you aren't getting away with anything. You'll feel like you've paid."

Coulson nodded and took a deep breath. "I need to be clear-headed to help Ward...Grant...when he returns. To do right by him. I trust you to punish...to spank me...." He was a bit uncertain, a bit unsure, but he did trust Steve, perhaps more than anything.

Steve nodded again, before straightening and scooting as far back on the couch as he was able. "I'll spare you the embarrassment of being bare for this, as this is the first time and I don't think it would help you... but you do need to go over my lap." He gently put a hand on Coulson's shoulder and began to direct him into position. "I will say that if we ever find ourselves needing to revisit this situation, the clothing will be lowered."

"I understand." Coulson moved into position. It wasn't exactly familiar to him, but as he'd said...he trusted Steve. And if Steve believed this was best, he wouldn't resist and would submit as much as he was able to.

Once Coulson was in position, Steve wrapped an arm around his waist and pulled him in close and secure. "You're receiving this spanking for allowing your anger to dictate your actions and losing control over yourself. When we're done, you will have paid for that and I won't hold it over your head. It will be in the past. Understand?"

"Yes, sir," Coulson whispered, letting his body relax, submitting to the punishment. His voice was still hitched with guilt.

Steve didn't feel the need to keep lecturing. Coulson already knew where he'd gone wrong and nothing Steve said was going to make the lesson stick any more than what Coulson was likely already saying to himself. Raising his hand up, Steve let it fall with a hard smack to the undercurve of the other man's buttock. He continued at the same strength at a fairly rapid pace. He let the smacks fall randomly, but made sure that every inch was covered before he started on already smacked areas.

Coulson was taken aback by how much the smacks hurt. He did his best to hold still, but it didn't take long before his body began to react in spite of himself. It wasn't by much, but he was twitching and wriggling, letting out tiny gasps and groans.

Steve knew the smacks had to hurt- his hand was stinging from administering them- but he didn't let up on the strength or the speed. Coulson hadn't reached the needed point yet and quitting too soon wouldn't help the other man. He began a third circuit, adding Coulson's upper thighs and sit spots to the smacks.

It didn't take many more smacks for the tears to spill out of Coulson's eyes and to fall down his cheeks. His sobs were barely audible, but once the dam had opened, he couldn't stop.

Hearing the tears, Steve landed another half-dozen smacks solely to Coulson's sit spots before ending the spanking. He carefully helped the other man into a sitting position beside him, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder to offer support.

It took a while for the tears to finally die down. The touch to his shoulder helped a great deal, but by the time the tears stopped, Coulson's eyes felt gritty and his mouth dry. He wiped a hand across his face and whispered, "I'm going to do right by him now. I promise."

"I know you will. You... might want to talk to your alternate... he's spent time with him and actually got him to reconsider his actions; he might be able to give you some insight. Plus, I'm sure you'll want to make sure Grant is recovering after...." Steve gave Coulson a one-armed hug. "Let's find you the restroom so you can wash your face. Then we can go check on the others."

Coulson nodded. "Yeah. Should check on him," he whispered hoarsely, before standing up.

Steve led Coulson to the washroom and waited while he cleaned up, not wanting to leave him alone. As soon as he was done, they walked back to where Wong stood guard.

***

The surgery had gone as well as it could have done. Grant had been seriously wounded, but Stephen's and Christine's skills had been enough to get him out of the critical condition.

Facing his counterpart and explaining his actions had been difficult, but Coulson had refused to let one of the others say the words for him. He'd take responsibility for his own actions. He wasn't sure his counterpart really trusted him; knew the Coulson in the other dimension was disappointed in him. And he also knew that his counterpart had specifically asked Steve and the sorcerers to make sure he didn't hurt his own version of Grant when the younger man returned...even though that conversation had taken place in private.

It was finally safe enough for the switch to be made. And the doctors in the other dimension were ready to receive Grant Coulson.

Stephen and Wong had assisted in opening the portal so that their counterparts could focus on helping Grant as soon as he stepped through. For a moment, they weren't sure the other side hadn't decided to risk having two versions of Grant in the same universe, but finally, Ward had stepped through the portal and they were able to close it. "If you'll come with me, I need to do some bloodwork to make sure your foray into another dimension hasn't caused problems; and that you haven't brought back any nasty bacteria or viruses." Stephen smiled at the younger man.

"Are you going to do a DNA test?" Ward asked in almost a whisper, giving an uncertain glance toward Coulson, who was stood next to Steve.

"If that's what you both want..." Stephen glanced toward Coulson as well, since Ward immediately nodded his desire to take the test.

"Yes," Coulson replied. Glancing at Ward, he added, "But...even if it doesn't show a biological connection, things will change. I promise." His voice was heavy, filled with regret. He hadn't asked for his mechanical hand back; planned not to take it back at all. He couldn't even look at it without seeing how far he had fallen.

Ward swallowed hard. He wasn't sure what had changed, but he could tell something had. He could feel a lack of hostility that he'd come to associate with all of Coulson's interactions with him. He nodded in response to the other man's words, visibly relaxing

Having spent time in the other dimension, he'd had time to talk to the other Coulson and the family there and he'd come to realize how his own behavior and attitude had contributed to what went on. He hadn't understood before. Hadn't seen that while he was genuine in wanting to make things right and become part of the team again, he'd gone about it all wrong and made things worse. "I won't run. Won't make excuses. I know I've handled everything wrong and done a lot of bad. But I genuinely wanted to... to make things right and be part of the team again. I was delusional. I know that won't ever be possible. But I still can help if you're willing to let me. I won't insist on giving the information to Skye. I'll answer all your questions and cooperate with you.... If you are willing to keep me around."

Ward swallowed again, looking uncomfortable with what he was about to say. "I... I need help, though. I know that now. I'm messed up... in my head... things that should feel wrong don't and things that shouldn't feel right, do... and it's not until later when I look back on it all that I can see the truth. There's something wrong in me and I need help...."

Steve glanced between the two men. "You'll get that help." He was pretty sure Coulson would provide it, but if the other man couldn't, then Steve would find a way to provide help himself.

By this point, Stephen had pulled Ward over and was drawing blood from his arm before indicating he should undress and put on a hospital gown for an examination.

Coulson moved towards Ward, partly to make it easier for Stephen to draw blood from him...partly so that he could be closer to the younger man. "You don't need to worry about giving me information or answering questions right away, Grant." Using the other man's first name didn't feel as strange as he'd thought it would be. It felt natural.

"I'm going to get you the help you need," he continued. "There are some good therapists in SHIELD. Or if you'd rather talk to someone outside, I can make sure they're cleared." He reached out and placed his hand on the younger man's shoulder once he could without getting in Stephen's way. "I'm sorry for everything that's happened between us, but from now on, I'm going to do right by you," he promised.

Ward winced at the words. It was everything he'd wanted to hear at one time... before he'd come to realize how much he was hated and wouldn't be given a chance to make things up to the team and rejoin them. Before he'd been filled with his own bitterness and hate because he believed Coulson was willing to give everyone a second chance but him. Before he'd stepped over the line by kidnapping and torturing Bobbi to give Kara closure and then accidently killed Kara. Before he'd blamed Coulson for Kara's death; because if he'd have shown Kara the same care and concern as he had his favorites, then she would have stayed with them, instead of enacting his plan to exact vengeance. Before he'd set out to kill Roslyn, wanting to hurt Coulson as much as he'd believed Coulson hurt him. Before he'd traded places with another version of himself and separated from the situation enough to realize how wrong he had been and was and how much he didn't deserve Coulson's help or care.

"Is..." He swallowed hard. "Is Roslyn still alive?" He winced again at the tremor in his voice. If she wasn't, that meant the other Grant hadn't been able to stop what he put in motion and he'd forced a more innocent version of himself to kill.

"She's still alive," Coulson replied. He still had his hand on Ward's shoulder and gently squeezed. A big part of him wanted to hug the younger man, but he didn't want to get in Stephen's way. Wanted to make sure that anything physically wrong with Ward could be seen and helped with. "When did you eat last?" His fingers moved to gently thread through Ward's hair, almost of their own accord.

Ward blinked uncertainly and shifted self-consciously. He wasn't overly modest, but Stephen was being very thorough. He'd expected Coulson to wait outside during the examination; not stay beside him, providing support. Or being affectionate. "Before they sent me back through... your other self-made sure I ate..." he said, wincing again as Stephen prodded a more tender area.

Coulson nodded. "I'm glad you were taken care of there." He kept his focus and full attention on Ward, only shifting enough so that he didn't get in Stephen's way. He alternated between touching Ward's shoulder and stroking his hair. At this point, he knew it didn't matter if Ward wasn't his biologically. It wouldn't make any difference to how he felt.

Ward swallowed hard. "I'm glad Roslyn lived. I have enough red in my ledger without...." He sighed softly.

"Mistakes have been made on both sides, son," Coulson said seriously. "I failed you. I can never apologize enough for that. I just hope you'll give me the chance to make things right."

Ward darted a sideways look at Coulson. "We don't know if I'm your son yet..." he pointed out.

"But we will know in about ten minutes..." Stephen finished the exam. "You can get dressed again."

"Even if you aren't, it doesn't make a difference," Coulson said quietly. "I should have done the right thing long before now. I've made mistakes, but I won't make them anymore. I'll do better for you. Be better for you."

Ward shook his head. "You didn't owe me anything. After what I did... I hoped for too much." He looked away guiltily.

"Not too much," Coulson disagreed. "I'm not going to turn my back on you again, son."

"You should. None of the others are going to understand. It would be easier for you to just send me to jail. You can still arrange for therapy and forget about me..." Ward suggested an easy out.

"Helping you and being there for you isn't about sending you to jail or to therapy and just forgetting about you," Coulson said. "You've been through too much bad already. I know I've made mistakes, but there's a version of us out there who managed to repair things enough to form an entire family unit. I want a relationship with you, Grant. As for the rest of the team...I think things are going to take time. They haven't learned what I have. But they'll see for themselves. Even if takes a while."

"I've done too much wrong... I tried to hurt you... even if I thought it was justified, there's no excuse..." Ward shrugged. He was sure if he kept pointing out what he'd done wrong, eventually, he'd remind Coulson that he hated him for a reason; and the man would wash his hands of him again.

"We've both made mistakes and done things wrong," Coulson said quietly. "I'm not going to change my mind, Grant. No matter what happens."

Ward snorted softly. "If you say so..." he muttered softly, not believing it was that easy, but not willing to argue about it. He knew what he'd done and now that he had taken the blinders off and could admit how horrible it was, his guilt wouldn't let him believe he could be forgiven that easily. Especially now that he'd given up seeking forgiveness.

Coulson kept up with the affectionate touch, squeezing Ward's shoulder or stroking his hair. He didn't say anything, though. Ward needed action, not words. He did glance at Stephen, waiting to hear the results. They wouldn't make a difference to him...but he thought they might to Grant.

Stephen knew what they found out would be important, so as soon as the results came through, he handed them to Coulson. "Congratulations. You're a dad."

Ward just stared. Even knowing his counterpart was the son of Coulson's counterpart, and knowing his DNA had matched the other Coulson's, he hadn't really expected it to be true in his own dimension. He began to tremble. All the things he'd done; despite what Coulson had said, Ward didn't see how the man could want him as a son. How he'd be happy at the news. Guilt weighed him down, but now it was topped with the weight of regret.

"Thank you," Coulson said to Stephen. Then, he turned to Ward. Leaning forward, he gave the younger man a tight hug, because now...he could do it; and Grant could push him away, but he couldn't be denied this opportunity to finally hold onto his long-lost son. "Now that we know for sure, I'm going to help you, son. I know there are no easy fixes, but I won't give up on you. I won't let you go," he promised.

Ward began to shake even more at Coulson holding so tightly. "Why? After everything I did, it shouldn't matter that I...." He swallowed.

Stephen cleared his throat. "If you'll excuse me...." He slipped by them, leaving the two alone in the room.

"I told you. We both made mistakes. Both handled things wrong...worse than they should have been handled. It took someone else stepping in to make me see how far I'd fallen." Coulson sat on the bed, so that he could pull Grant closer and tighter into his arms. "I know you've been hurting physically and emotionally. I'm going to step in," he promised. "I'm going to step in with you as your father. I won't leave you alone to be tormented by guilt and pain."

Ward grimaced uncertainly, tense and still shaking. "Some would say the fault was all mine... you owed me nothing. I'm not sure I disagree any longer."

"Not all your fault," Coulson disagreed, sitting on the bed so that he could hug Grant more tightly. "I'm going to help you with the guilt, son. I'm going to spank you. It is going to hurt, but I won't be using any implements. It won't be anything but personal. And we'll deal with each thing you feel guilty for," he promised.

Ward huffed out a tiny breath. "Did you talk to your other self? That's how they handle things."

"We didn't talk about that," Coulson replied. "But it doesn't surprise me. Spanking is a family punishment. And that's what you are. Family. I won't leave you alone, whether physically or to deal with your guilt." In a low, compassionate voice, he asked, "What would you prefer we deal with first?"

Ward swallowed, glancing at Coulson before looking down at his feet and hunching in on himself. "Guess start from the beginning..." he whispered. "Lying to you...."

Coulson nodded. "I'm going to give you fifteen swats for that. I'd like you to strip and position yourself across my lap." He'd thought about just requiring Grant to bare himself, but considered that full submission would be better for both of them.

Blinking and swallowing hard, Ward nodded, standing and removing the hospital gown he wore. It wasn't much protection, but it had covered him at least. He immediately felt vulnerable and had to fight himself not to cover his nakedness with his hands. Instead, he carefully lay over Coulson's lap, hands braced on the ground.

Coulson wrapped his arm around Grant's waist, gently tugging the younger man against his stomach. He lifted his hand and brought it down firmly on Grant's bottom, then repeated the smack.

Ward didn't react over much; while the smacks were hard, they weren't overly painful.  It was more the position and the fact he was completely naked that unnerved him, but he managed to hold still and stay in place. He couldn't help but ask, though, "Isn't... is it supposed to hurt? Because you'll have to be harsher if so...."

"I don't think you'll find this as easy to take as you might think, son," Coulson said gently. "I can imagine we'll be dealing with a lot of guilt." He delivered the promised fifteen swats, keeping them all at the same force, and then rested his hand on Grant's backside. "What's next, son?"

It was a bit more difficult admitting what he'd done wrong in this position. The added vulnerability caused his self-preservation to kick in. Still...

"I... I killed Victoria Hand..." he forced out. "And the agents who hadn't realized I was an enemy yet..." The guilt was thick in his voice. He hadn't wanted to kill Hand or those agents. Garrett had made it necessary. He was certain that Garrett had done it deliberately, knowing how it would make Grant feel to kill them and enjoying knowing that he had such complete control over the younger man, he would do something that made him sick inside if Garrett asked.

Coulson nodded, although he knew that Grant wouldn't see it, and lifted his hand. "Fifteen for each agent you killed," he said quietly. And he proceeded to smack, firm and steady, not increasing the force or the speed at all.

Ward whimpered softly at the declaration; there had been a lot of agents. The total would add up to over one-hundred smacks. It wasn't the thought he'd be spanked that much that caused the distress, though. It was the knowledge that the smacks represented a loss of life that he was responsible for. As Coulson settled in to steadily smack, Ward began to think of each face and name he was responsible for ending the life of.

Coulson kept his other arm wrapped around Grant's waist, holding the younger man tight against his stomach, even as he continued to smack. Even if he wasn't using as much force as he could, it didn't take long before Grant's backside began to turn a dark shade of pink.

Ward still wasn't moving or trying to get away. If anything, he began to relax with each smack as he realized he wasn't in control of what was happening to him and he would be punished for his crimes as much as Coulson believed he deserved. It was a relief to not be in charge of himself for that. Still, even if he was used to a higher threshold of pain, it wasn't comfortable. It stung badly and he couldn't keep from shifting slightly as the heat on his backside increased. What hurt worse was thinking of the men and women he'd killed, though. Many of them had thought he was a friend and trusted him. It made him sick to his stomach to think of what he had done, all in the belief that he owed Garrett. He felt physically ill and only an ironclad will kept him from throwing up.

"I know, son." Coulson's voice was very gentle. "I know it hurts inside. But when we're finished here, everything will be finished. No hanging over your head. No need to feel guilty, because you will have paid." He finished the swats for the final agent and then paused, letting his hand rub gently against Grant's heated, reddened skin. "What's next?"

Ward thought he was going to be able to handle it, but at Coulson's words, at the gentle rubbing and because he was still thinking of the agents he'd killed, it was difficult to get the next confession out. When he was finally able to answer, his voice started out rough and high-pitched and, to his mortification, he began to cry half-way through the words. "I dropped Fitz and Simmons into the ocean. The pod was supposed to float, but I almost killed them instead!"

"Twenty." Coulson rubbed a bit more as he gave the sentence. This was hard, hearing the tears and knowing how affected Grant was by this. But his son needed this. Not to be forgiven by Coulson, because he already had that forgiveness. But to make a start forgiving himself.

Still, it was hard to lift his hand and bring it down in the first of the promised twenty smacks.

Grant slumped further over Coulson's lap, his body jerked with each smack, but he didn't try and get away. He needed to pay. By this point, he was sore. The spanking actually hurt, felt like he was turning raw, but that wasn't why he cried. He was heartsick over everything he had done. The smacks were a relief when he thought of what he had done. He quietly sobbed and accepted the punishment, because he knew he deserved worse.

Hearing the tears, Coulson winced. He reached the end of the twenty and resumed the gentle rubbing, while he tried to summon up the words to ask for the next thing. If it had been up to him, he would have already called the spanking done and turned to comfort. But he had to do the right thing for Grant. No matter how difficult it was for him to listen to his son's sobs.

Grant took several moments to try and collect himself to get the next words out. At the time, he'd felt like he was keeping his promise and doing the right thing. He knew he was wrong now and his actions had resulted in the death of a good man and friend. "I kidnapped Skye, took her to her father... and set off a chain of events that led to Trip dying...." His voice was wrecked.

To say Coulson didn't want to do this would be an understatement. At one time, he might have enjoyed the power. Making Grant answer for his actions. Now, all he could see was how much his son hurt. How much guilt Grant carried.

"Fifteen," Coulson murmured, looking at his son's bright red, swollen backside before saying, "I'm going to change your position." He carefully turned Grant over on his lap, raising and gently parting his son's legs.

Grant whimpered as he was turned, the pain having reached a point he couldn't ignore it, even if he could hold still for it. The new position made it more difficult, though. Now Coulson could look directly into his face and see how broken he was. There would be no hiding from the other man. He was fully exposed and while he had no modesty to speak of, it was different having someone catch a glance of you while changing or showering and being naked over someone's lap while they punished you. The added vulnerability of facing Coulson caused his body to react, his member shrinking tight against his body as it 'protected' him from 'danger'.  It was one more thing to be ashamed of, but he didn't protest and forced himself to look Coulson in the eyes. It was difficult to see; his own eyes were overflowing. He left his legs the way Coulson positioned them, bent toward his shoulders and open wide, so that his inner thighs and more hidden areas of his bottom were now within easy reach.

"I've got you, son." Coulson spoke in a low, gentle voice, reaching out to lightly stroke Grant's face. He held eye contact with his son as he began to swat Grant's inner thighs, careful not to risk hitting anything he shouldn't.

Grant looked into Coulson's face and he'd halfway expected to see gratification and vindication in the other man's eyes. He didn't see that. He saw a determination to carry through what must be done, but it was obvious the older man didn't want to continue. That he didn't want to hurt Grant. It was a surprise and Grant felt himself relaxing and submitting further when he realized the other man actually cared about him. Still, the smacks were as hard as the ones on his bottom had been and the skin on his inner thighs quickly began to sting and feel hot, even if they hadn't reached the level of soreness of his bottom. He gave up trying to hold the tears in and began to cry unreservedly.

Coulson delivered the promised fifteen smacks and then paused, gently rubbing Grant's thighs. "What's next, son?" He didn't look away. Didn't stop touching.

Grant shivered; watery eyes focused on Coulson. "I... I convinced Kara that the best way to get closure was to kidnap Bobbi and force her to admit what she'd done that hurt Kara. And th... then... then I shot and killed her when I thought she was May..." His voice choked; a combination of guilt for what he'd done to Bobbi, what he'd planned to do to May and the agony of knowing he'd accidently killed the only one who'd believed in him.

"Thirty." Coulson had thought about giving a lesser number, but he knew how bad Grant felt. He knew that he couldn't go easy on his son; that he had to make sure everything was handled completely, so that Grant would be able to move past this. So, he could accept that he was forgiven. Accept that Coulson wanted him as his son.

Still. It was hard, so hard, to resume smacking.

The tiny sob Grant couldn't hold in gave away how close he was to breaking. But he didn't argue or try to lessen the number or try to get away. His hands were clenched tight in his effort to hold still, fingernails digging into his palms and his mouth was open wide, as he could no longer breathe through his nose; it was too clogged and swollen from his crying. It hurt so bad, but the physical pain was nothing compared to the emotional and mental anguish... though that was beginning to ease, as he began to feel as if he really could pay for what he'd done. He had help. He kept his eyes on Coulson's face, needing to see that the other man believed he was worth helping; that he'd keep helping him as much as he needed.

Coulson gently rested his other arm against Grant's chest, just to keep in physical contact with his son. He didn't look away. He was doing what he could to help Grant; determined to help his son through this. His own hand was red and stinging from the swats, but in his own mind, the pain and discomfort was only what was deserved. If he'd done better by Grant, this wouldn't have had to happen.

Finishing the thirty smacks, Coulson paused and rubbed as gently as he could. He didn't know if there was more Grant needed to confess; didn't want to push any blame onto his son. He rubbed and he waited for his son to let him know, in some way, what he needed.

Grant lay weakly over Coulson's lap, feeling like he should pull away from the comfort, but unable to make himself do it. It took everything in him to confess the last item he felt needed to be confessed... but it had been deliberately done against Coulson, for no other reason than he wanted to hurt the other man. If he'd succeeded, an innocent woman would have been dead for no reason than revenge and hate. "I... I was going to kill Roslyn... in front of you... just to hurt you..." he finally sobbed out, unable to stop sobbing once he'd said it. But he held still, waiting for Coulson to address his crime.

Coulson simply nodded. He'd already guessed, after all, and it made no difference to how he felt. "Fifteen." He was sorely tempted just to deliver light pats, rather than the same force of smacks he had been giving. But that wouldn't be fair to Grant. He resumed smacking, hoping this was the last...that he'd be able to move on to comfort and care after this.

By the end of the fifteenth swat, Grant was limp over Coulson's lap. His legs were only still in place because Coulson's smacking kept them from falling back together. He was sobbing softly now, having worn himself out and unable to produce the heavier, louder sobs that he had been letting out. Between sobs, he gasped in air to breathe. His voice was hoarse and raspy when he admitted, "...I can't think of anymore... know must be more... I'm horrible... but can't think...." It hurt so bad and even though he'd had worse physical pain... the combination of the pain with the emotional upheaval left him unable to handle it on his own. He gave Coulson a scared, helpless look, uncertain if the man would help him now that he'd punished, or if Grant would be left alone to lick his wounds.

"No, son." Coulson gently gathered Grant onto his lap, settling the younger man so that as little weight as possible rested on his backside. He kissed the side of his son's head and held on tightly. "You aren't horrible. You've been punished. Forgiven." He stroked his fingers through Grant's hair and then kissed it. "No more guilt. Now you let me take care of you."

Ward couldn't say what came over him; he'd learned long ago to remain aloof and not look for affection. But at Coulson's words and actions, he found himself clinging to the older man, still crying, holding as tightly as he could, as if afraid Coulson would change his mind and push him away.

Coulson wrapped his arms tighter around Grant, hugging him tightly. He rubbed gently over Grant's back, eyes casting around the room. Spotting what he was looking for, he reached over to grasp the jar of ointment. Opening it, he then situated Grant enough so that he could begin rubbing the ointment into the areas he'd just spanked. "I've got you, son." He whispered the words into one of Grant's ear, arm wrapped tightly around his son's waist.

Grant shivered as Coulson rubbed the ointment in. It didn't stop the pain, not completely, but it did soothe it enough that Grant could focus on something else. Something like the fact he was being held tightly and not being let go or pushed away. He was receiving comfort. "I'm so sorry..." he finally whispered, finally feeling like his apology wouldn't be thrown back in his face and would be believed. "I'm so sorry and regret so much...."

Kissing the side of Grant's head, Coulson whispered, "I'm sorry too, son. Sorry I left you floundering and hurting for so long. I won't make that mistake again. I won't ever leave you. You're my son. I love you."

Grant didn't argue. Coulson had already proven his intentions by punishing him and offering comfort after, instead of just carting him off to throw into the basement cell again, or killing him. Instead, he snuggled as close as possible, soaking up the affection. "You'll help me be good?" he asked, in a raspy voice. "I want to help... want to be with you again... don't wanna be alone anymore... please don't leave me behind...."

"I won't," Coulson promised, kissing the side of Grant's head again. "I won't leave you behind. I won't let you be alone anymore. You'll be with me, son. Not locked away. Not separated from me. Never again." He continued to rub the ointment into Grant's bottom and thighs, only moving his son to get to every inch he could...wanting to soothe the pain as much as possible.

"You really want me? After everything I did?" Grant couldn't help asking; seeking reassurance. It was still sinking in that Coulson was really his father and he kept thinking maybe it was a cruel trick and Coulson didn't really want him.

"I really want you," Coulson replied. "And I won't ever let you go."

"You'll be my dad?" Ward's voice dropped. It was obvious he was worn out and worn down, but was feeling insecure and trying to stay awake.

"I am your dad," Coulson replied. He moved back onto the bed, cuddling Grant more tightly against himself. He was still rubbing the ointment into Grant's bottom, but paused to reach out and pick up a blanket that he draped over his son. "And I love you. You can sleep now, son. I won't let you go."

Grant had finally stopped crying by this point, though he still couldn't breathe through his nose. He was positive he must look a mess after ugly crying for so long, but he didn't care. He pressed close to Coulson, snuggling as much as he could. "What do I call you, sir?" he asked, in a tiny whisper, before placing his head on Coulson's shoulder.

"I'd like you to call me what I am to you, son." Coulson wrapped his arm securely around Grant's waist, reaching out and grabbing a tissue so that he could gently wipe his son's nose. He pressed a kiss to Grant's head. "Dad. Or even Daddy," he added, because the shift in how he saw Grant made him feel protective and want to take care of his son, like Grant was much younger than he was.

"Really? That wouldn't bother you?" Grant sniffled, blushing as Coulson wiped his nose for him like a toddler, but cooperating because it made him feel good.

"I'd like that," Coulson replied honestly. "I missed out on seeing you through the years. On seeing you grow up." He finished wiping Grant's nose and then, because it felt natural to, he grabbed a bottle of water, uncapped it and held it to his son's lips so that Grant could drink.

Grant drank obediently. It was easy to follow Coulson' orders again, even if they were non-verbal. "Okay... Daddy..." Grant said hesitantly, trying the term out. He found he liked it.

Coulson smiled at hearing the name and brushed a kiss over Grant's head. "I love you, son. Thank you for letting me take care of you."

"Thank you for wanting to take care of me..." Grant smiled crookedly, snuggling a bit more, his eyes blinking closed. He knew he wasn't in a good place to take care of himself.

"I've got you, son." Coulson whispered the words against Grant's head. "I'll keep watch over you. Sleep, my good boy," he murmured.

Grant did fall asleep in his father's arms.

***

Coulson hadn't left his Grant's side since the switch had occurred and his son had been brought through the portal. He couldn't understand how another version of himself could hurt someone so much. In fact, as soon as he'd found out what his counterpart had done, his protective instincts had kicked in. Despite all of the warnings to the contrary, he'd wanted to keep both Grants here. So, they'd be safe. The long hesitation had come from him trying to talk the sorcerers into agreeing there was a safe way of keeping both versions of Grant.

When he'd finally been persuaded that was a lost cause, he had to hope that Captain America and Stephen and Wong could offer Grant's counterpart sanctuary in the other dimension, in case his counterpart had been lying to him when he'd apologized and explained that he'd been made to see the error of his ways.

Coulson couldn't be so sure that the other man hadn't been lying. After all, if there was such a divide that his counterpart had been able to cause this much damage to Grant, how could he honestly say that he could tell if he was being lied to or not?

Gently gripping Grant's hand, one of the only bits of his son's body not bandaged, Coulson murmured softly, "I love you so much, son. I'm sorry I left you there with him." His voice was heavy and filled with self-loathing and regret. Because it wasn't him...but if his counterpart was capable of that kind of violence, then that meant he was too.

Grant had been sleeping most of the time since he'd been brought back, the heavy pain medication he was on, adding with healing wounds, causing him to be very tired. But the few times he was awake, he knew his father was there and it enabled him to relax. This time, he was able to hear his father's words and the self-loathing in them. "It wasn't you, Daddy..." he whispered, slowly rising out of the fog. He weakly squeezed his father's hand.

Coulson gently squeezed Grant's hand in return, leaning over to brush a kiss over Grant's cheek, where his son was uninjured. "My counterpart did this to you," he murmured; not quite arguing, but unable not to feel guilty about it even so.

"My counterpart set into motion several events that killed or harmed people your counterpart cared about deeply. And...  your counterpart was effectively alone. I looked some things up before looking for Uncle Stephen and Uncle Wong... Grandpa was dead... died long time ago, before HYDRA rose. Uncle Paul never existed, so Aunt Cath and him never even met." Grant turned sleepy eyes onto his father. "The Avengers never learned he was alive, outside of Steve Rogers; and he only found out when you all contacted them about me. So, Clint and Natasha weren't there to offer support. That's assuming he had the same type of relationship with them. I... don't get the idea any of the family were as close and supportive in his dimension..." He yawned. "He... he was forming a closer bond with Roslyn and I almost shot her in the head. I can understand his rage taking over if there was nothing or no one able or willing to hold him back."

"You need to rest, son." Coulson stroked his fingers through Grant's hair. Still held onto his son's hand, unwilling to let go. "Rest and heal." He sighed, truly troubled by this knowledge. "He came close to killing you. I don't feel good about sending your counterpart back into that situation. I just hope that Captain America and the sorcerers there will keep their promise and protect him."

"They were pretty upset themselves, so if he wasn't telling the truth, I'm pretty certain they'll step in..." Grant mumbled, before falling asleep again.

Coulson didn't let go of Grant, just holding onto his son. A big part of him worried that, if he let go, he'd lose his son again. Grant would disappear; and this time, be too wounded to get help.

***

It was a week later and Grant was finally allowed to be up and moving, even if he still needed help for doing nearly everything. His broken arms were mending well, if more slowly than he would have liked; and the pain had lessened enough that he only needed to take the pain medication to sleep at night. His father was regulating that carefully, to make certain Grant didn't relapse into his addiction again. It was later in the evening and everyone not still working was watching TV in the family room. Bruce walked in and grinned. "Well... you'll be happy to know we have figured out a way to stop dimensional bleed through, even if the dimensional walls are still thin. It involved a lot of quantum physics, the help of all our resident scientists and our friendly neighborhood sorcerers... but we shouldn't be having any more unexpected pop-ins or pop-outs of family members coming from or going to other dimensions...."

He looked over toward Hank Pym.  "Uncle Hank and Uncle Bill played a huge role in figuring it out, so thanks for that..." He addressed the older men.

Hank nodded. "If we want to reach out to other dimensions, then we can do that because we choose to. Not because a rip or tear formed."

Coulson was sitting next to Grant, clearly thinking about something, although he didn't speak and instead just held onto his son's hand. He'd spent the week worrying over his son...but also, he worried over Grant's counterpart. Had his own counterpart been lying to him? Should he have insisted Ward stay, despite the dangers, and dealt with whatever consequences that came?

Grant could tell his father was worried and he knew it wasn't because of him. He looked toward Hank. "We can still talk to the dimensions we've made contact with?"

Hank nodded. "There might even be a way to get video, though we've not had any opportunity to test it yet," he commented.

"Feel up to testing it?" Grant grinned. "I think Dad might want to check in on someone..." he said, not sounding jealous or insecure at all.

"We can do that." Hank smiled.

Coulson focused on his son, studying Grant's face because he wanted to make sure this really wouldn't upset him. "Are you sure?" he asked softly. "I don't want it to hurt you in any way." He gently squeezed Grant's hand, making it clear that his son was his priority. Even if he wanted to make sure the other dimension was doing right by their Grant, he didn't want to do so at the detriment of his son.

Grant looked into his father's face. "Yeah. It... I didn't like thinking of you, in any dimension, being so hurt and angry that you'd behave so out of character. I'd kinda like to find out if you're... he's... doing better too."

Coulson nodded and then glanced towards Hank. "We'd like to try," he confirmed.

"Great." Hank stood and headed to the door. "We'll have to go to the labs. After this first time, I'll see if I can connect it to the screen in here. So that we can have cross-dimension meetings."

Coulson moved to help his son to follow Hank.

Grant stood carefully and followed his father and uncle. He figured it might be good for the other Coulson to see he was doing okay as well, if the other man felt guilty about what he'd done.

Once they were in the lab, Hank quickly set things up. Since it was Wong and Stephen in the other dimension who knew about the portals, he was 'calling' them through the video.

Coulson grabbed a chair for his son to sit in and then stood next to Grant, hand resting on his son's shoulder.

It took five minutes to connect, but finally, Stephen Strange was looking back through the video. "This... is interesting. I can't sense the typical magical signature... have you found a way to communicate through dimensions without utilizing a sorcerer's power?"

"Yes," Hank said. "We've had the family scientists working on it. I don't know if you've met my counterpart in your dimension. I'm Hank Pym." He moved to one side, to allow Coulson-and Grant, if the younger man chose-to speak.

"Is your dimension's Grant Ward still there?" Coulson didn't ask after his own counterpart; wasn't sure he wanted to see the man who had beaten his own son so badly. Despite his son not holding any grudges, Coulson was still finding it hard to understand, let alone forgive, his counterpart.

Stephen waited to answer Coulson, choosing instead to look over Grant carefully. "You are mending well," he finally said, nodding, before looking at Coulson. "They are both still here. Captain Rogers felt it better that they readjust to their new reality under supervision. But... if the way our Grant Ward refuses to leave our Phil Coulson's side and our Phil Coulson is taking care of him is any indication, he is keeping his promise to you and to Rogers."

"Is it possible to speak to them?" Coulson really wanted just to check on their Grant...but his son had indicated wanting to see that the other Coulson was doing okay. And if his counterpart had truly changed, then seeing one without the other might not be possible.

Stephen nodded and turned to the side, speaking to an unseen individual. A few seconds later, Grant Ward moved into view, Phil Coulson close beside him.

The other Coulson glanced at his counterpart, but then his eyes landed on Grant, still visibly injured, even if he was healing. He swallowed visibly and reached out with his flesh hand, like he might have tried to actually touch his own son's counterpart. "I'm glad to see you're healing," he said quietly. "I never...I wasn't able to say. I'm sorry. My anger was ruling me for a long time." His voice was low. Filled with regret. He still didn't have the mechanical hand, having made the conscious decision to destroy it after his actions.

Grant nodded at the other Coulson, noting the missing hand. He also noted his counterpart standing, almost protectively, an inch forward of the older man. Whatever had occurred, his counterpart had apparently seen something change; he wasn't reluctant to align himself with Coulson, at any rate. "I understand... if I hadn't been drawn into my family when I was, I could have easily let my anger rule me."

Ward's lips turned up faintly. "In this dimension, it did rule me... Thank you for turning me around." He turned toward Phil.  "Because you opened my eyes, I was able to see my own part in what happened. It... made it possible to begin healing. Made it possible to give Daddy a chance..." he whispered, deliberately using the term so that the others would know and understand the change that had taken place.

Phil relaxed visibly, his hand still resting on Grant's shoulder, so his son would feel some of the tension seep out of him. "I'm glad," he said quietly, leaving unsaid that he'd been worried about Ward's safety in sending him back to his own dimension. Everyone else had been able to see it too. He did address his counterpart, though. "I'm not going to apologize for asking them there to make sure things were okay."

"I wouldn't ask you to," Coulson responded. "That's one reason why we're staying here." That and he figured it was a safe space. The time would likely come for him and Ward to leave the compound, but for right now, Coulson felt it was important that they focus on building their relationship before anything else. He let his arm wrap around Ward's shoulders, unafraid to give affection in front of others.

"Do you think the others would cause problems for you?" Grant asked worriedly. He and his father had been worried about their alternates' interactions with each other. But there was a team of people who also had hated Ward with a passion. They hadn't experienced the dimensional rift in the same way (unless the Skye who had ended up here temporarily was also from their dimension; they'd never found out).

"I think that they will struggle to understand and move past it," the other Coulson replied. "It took something very extreme for me to see how bad the path I was on was and to go for a different path. And that came with a steep price." His eyes moved over the injuries he'd dealt Grant.

"What do you plan to do, then?" Phil asked his own counterpart.

Coulson shrugged. "I think it's abundantly clear that SHIELD isn't...what it should be. Not anymore. I need to focus on Grant...focus on my son." He hesitated, because he hadn't actually mentioned this to his son. The idea had still been forming in his mind. "I need to step down as director. I've seen what it turned me into and I won't risk becoming that again. I'm going to ask the Avengers to take charge of SHIELD."

Grant slanted his head at the same time Ward gave his father a startled look. "Will you still help them out? Or do you plan to get off grid?"

"I'm not planning to go off grid," Coulson answered his son. "If they need help and I can offer it without drawing focus away from you, then I will. But my first priority is and always will be you."

Ward swallowed, then nodded. It hadn't always been the case that he was Coulson's priority; even before he'd been exposed as a HYDRA double agent, Coulson had normally put everyone else above the specialist. It was novel, being Coulson's priority; and it made him feel good.

Coulson let his other arm wrap around Ward as well, hugging his son close against him.

Phil smiled in obvious relief, seeing the affection given to his son's counterpart. He gently squeezed Grant's shoulder, even as he said, "I'm glad to see things are on the right path for you. Now that we have a way to communicate, though, I want you to reach out if you need to ask any questions, or need any support." He hesitated, glancing at his counterpart and then looking at Ward. "Has changing your last name occurred to you?" he asked carefully. "I know it made things feel a lot better for us when Grant had the name that should have been his all along."

Ward gave his father a questioning look, doing his best not to appear excited or hopeful about the possibility, in case he didn't think it was a good idea.

"I would like that," Coulson admitted, then looked into Ward's eyes. "You should have had my name from the start. It would feel good if you did want to take it." He gently stroked his son's cheek.

"I'm making a new start... seems fitting that I take my real name back to do it," Ward said, with a smile.

"Then we'll get that done today," Coulson promised, still hugging his son.

"If you need anything..." Grant said.

Stephen had stepped into view by that point. "I will contact you. If you don't mind sending your information over for the 'connection' you've made between dimensions... I could search out Hank Pym in my dimension and see if he can do the same here. It might help stabilize any connection between our dimensions."

"Of course. We'll get that done," Phil promised.

It didn't take long to exchange the information. Soon, the connection was closed and Grant was looking at his father. "They seem like they'll be okay..." he said quietly.

Coulson nodded and sighed, obviously relieved. "I was worried," he admitted, gently wrapping his arm around Grant's shoulders. "After seeing what had happened to you, I didn't trust my counterpart not to harm his Grant. But things have clearly changed for the better for them."

Grant nodded. "Things were very different in some ways, so it's good to know, at the heart of it all, neither of them are as different from us as it first seemed."

"It is," Coulson agreed. "Would you like to join the others in the family room again? Or spend a bit of time just us?"

"We can spend time just us... It's almost time for me to take my medicine and I'll be getting sleepy then..." Grant smiled, shifting closer to his father.

Coulson helped Grant to his feet and kissed the side of his head. "Would you like to spend the night with me?" he asked softly.

Grant nodded silently. He was feeling much better, but he wasn't ready to go to his own room by himself yet. He snuggled close and let his father lead him to his room.

The End