Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
Season 3, Episode 2 – Purpose in the Machine
This is a fanfic based upon the incredible television series, Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Every character referred to is directly from the show/Marvel Universe, and I hold NO claim to the characters or the plotlines of the episodes that many of my stories are based on. Everything referring specifically to the script or plotline is written in italics to show that it is not my creation. I *highly* recommend watching the episodes before reading these stories, as many references to events in the episodes will be made, and therefore, better understood.
This particular story takes place directly after Season 3, Episode 2 – Purpose in the Machine. Fitz and the team have finally managed to rescue Simmons from her 6-month forced sojourn on the terrible desert planet 'Maveth'. I personally thought that her 'welcome home' and recovery was entirely too glossed over in the show, so I wrote what I think should have happened, focusing on Jemma and Bobbi. Enjoy!
Fitz shakes his head, staring down at the slight figure lying unconscious on the small bed. "Jemma has always been… small… but look at her. Now…"
Bobbi swallows hard, and nods as Fitz trails off. "Now… she can't be more than 95 pounds."
Fitz drops his head warily into his hands. Suddenly, he seems like an old man, weighed down by decades of worry and hard work. The lack of sleep, constant stress and despair of the last six months are as visible as the 5 o'clock shadow covering his neck and chin. He sighs heavily for what must be the 50th time since settling Jemma into the Zephyr.
"Fitz…' Bobbi begins carefully. "Look… Jemma is all right. She's here, with us, thanks to you! She needs to rest… and you do, too. We're almost to base. When we get there, why don't you go and get some sleep? We need to let her rest as long as she possibly can. If she does wake up, I'll help her get cleaned up so we can give her a full medical check." At the stubborn look that crosses Leo's face, indicating that he's about to refuse, Morse sets a gentle hand on his shoulder and looks pointedly into his eyes. "Leo… you'll be much better able to take care of her if you're rested and refreshed. She's safe. You did it. She's safe."
Tears well up in those light blue eyes, and Fitz turns away before they fall. "Yeah," he mutters, staring down once again at Jemma's frail, sleeping form. "Yeah… okay." He tears his gaze away from Simmons' dirt-covered face and rises slowly to his feet. "Just… just make sure you, um… if-if she wakes, you can… well, I want to know if…"
Bobbi nods slowly and interrupts. "Fitz… I will let you know right away if there are any… complications. And in the meantime, you know that I will take very, very good care of her. I will not leave her side," she promises gently.
The young engineer still looks uneasy, but finally succumbs to his need for rest and nods before leaving the room.
Bobbi takes a deep breath as he leaves, then turns back to the sweet young woman she has come to cherish. Morse had been Jemma's Supervising Officer for nearly a year before the brilliant biochemist was suddenly sucked into an ancient monolith and transported to an unknown planet in a 'galaxy far, far away'. Along with the rest of the team, she had been devastated at the apparent loss of young Jemma. But while most of them eventually gave up on the idea of finding and saving Jemma, Bobbi, like Fitz, truly never lost hope, nor the determination to get her back safely.
And now… here she is! Sweet, kind, intelligent Jemma is back home, safe and sound. The poor girl is very pale, very dirty and as light as a feather, but she's alive, and back in their presence.
The Zephyr lands soon after and Simmons is transferred to the medical ward. Many thoughts whirl around in Bobbi's mind as she watches Simmons sleep. She notes with mounting concern and curiosity the times that Jemma suddenly gasps or twitches, or her eyebrows furrow or she whines quietly, and wonders if these are bad dreams that she should wake her from. Whenever this occurs Bobbi very gently takes Jemma's tiny hand in hers and looks over her vitals on the hospital monitor. The young woman subconsciously gives Bobbi's hand a soft squeeze before settling back down into a more peaceful sleep.
Finally, after about two hours, Jemma begins to stir feebly. Her eyes open just slightly, but she immediately winces from the harsh, fluorescent lighting. "Ohhh," Simmons moans, a hint of pain in her voice.
"Shhh," Bobbi whispers gently, quickly getting up. "I'll take care of it, honey." Morse quickly turns off the overhead light in the med bay and pulls the curtain around the bed. With only minimal soft light filtering in from the adjacent lab, Jemma quiets down again and slowly blinks several times.
"Hey there…" Morse smiles softly down at her little patient. "It's me, Bobbi. You're all right, Jemma. You're in medical. You're home… you're finally home." Bobbi can't help but choke back a sob even as she manages a smile at her young, bewildered ward.
Jemma's gaze slowly comes into focus, and she looks up at Bobbi. Her expression turns to one of further bewilderment as she turns and slowly scans the room. Her breath hitches as reality dawns on her. "I… I'm home?"
"Yes, honey. We've got you," Morse assures her gently, reaching forward to stroke Jemma's cheek.
Simmons suddenly looks up again at Morse and a look of strained relief crosses her face. "Agent Morse…" She struggles to sit up a bit, and Bobbi quickly 'catches' her, carefully hugging the frail young woman close to her. Jemma lets out a quiet sob as she wraps her arms around her S.O. and clings weakly.
Bobbi's heart expands in her chest and she feels tears well up in her own eyes. "Jemma, we missed you so much. I… I can't believe you're really here," Morse chuckles softly, stroking Jemma's dirty hair.
"I can't believe it either," Jemma whispers, and Bobbi can hear the emotion in her voice. A sob escapes the young woman, but even though she wants to let all of her emotions out, she finds that she can't. Whether due to severe dehydration, exhaustion or the incoherent combination of emotions that she is experiencing concurrently, she couldn't say. But Simmons finds that she just can't properly cry.
Swallowing hard, Bobbi gently prompts the weak woman to lay back down on the bed. She wipes her eyes and steadies her voice before saying, "okay, honey. What do you need? Are you hungry?"
Simmons sighs, immediately overwhelmed by the options now available to her. There was so much that she used to take for granted… before she was carted off to a foreign planet and had to work hard for access to even the most basic of resources.
After a moment of still jumbled thoughts, Jemma murmurs, "water, please. Fresh water…"
Bobbi notes that the young woman's tone makes this sound like the most divine, decadent request.
Jemma clears her throat and adds, "and… and I would really, really like to clean up". She manages to smile with pure joy at the thought of properly bathing. "If, if you wouldn't mind walking me to the shower?"
"Of course," Bobbi replies, happy and relieved that Jemma is voicing what she needs. The biochemist has never been one to ask for much… she always concerns herself with others' needs before her own.
With a grateful smile, Jemma again attempts to sit up. Just this small amount of effort makes her head spin and her body ache. It seems that now she is home and can let her guard down, the full effects of all that she has been through over the past 6 months are finally catching up with her.
Morse notes the flash of pain and dizziness that cross over Jemma's face, and stops her with a hand on her shoulder. "Okay… that's not going to work, honey. Tell you what… I'm going to run you a bath. I'll be right back."
Simmons nods her acceptance of this, and Bobbi heads out to the bathroom right off the lab. She knows that Simmons won't be allowed to go any further than this until they determine whether she needs to go through quarantine or not. Morse blanches at the thought as she sets the water to a perfect temperature, then stoppers the tub and adds a small amount of bubble bath and Epsom salts to soothe the young woman's battered body.
Bobbi asks a lab assistant to fetch several items. When the woman returns with a small bag, a water bottle and a few towels, Morse thanks her and gets to work. Knowing that the harsh artificial light is too much for Jemma's sensitive eyes at the moment, she instead lights candles and places them around the bath. She smiles at the beautiful, serene atmosphere this creates, and hopes that it will be soothing to her ward.
Jemma's eyes open as Bobbi returns to inform her that the bath is ready. It's then that Morse realizes that Simmons can't just get into a bath. The girl is so covered in dirt that within seconds she would be sitting in a vat of mud.
"Hey hon… I have a bath all ready for you, but let's get you rinsed off first, all right?" Simmons bites her lip and nods.
Morse arranges therefore for the lab to be emptied of personnel, and sits Jemma on a stool underneath the emergency shower in the corner. Then she turns the water on and gently helps rinse away accumulated layers of dust and dirt from Simmons' hair, arms and even clothes, which she requested remain on.
That done, Bobbi wraps Jemma in a towel and scoops her up easily, again shocked at how light the young woman is. As she carries her into the bathroom, Simmons says hoarsely with a slight smile, "why Agent Morse… this is almost romantic."
Morse chuckles, sitting down on the edge of the tub with Jemma in her lap. "Smartass," she teases quietly, landing a light playful swat on her backside. She then proceeds to try to peel off Jemma's soaked shirt.
"Wait…" Jemma suddenly says, placing a hand on top of Bobbi's and looking bashful.
Bobbi blinks, then looks at Jemma incredulously. "Jemma, honey… I'm your S.O. I know I may not be a certified doctor but I have tended to wounds many times in the field and have seen my fair share of naked bodies," she points out.
"No, it… it's not that," Simmons replies quietly. "It's just… I am… different now," she mutters, tears stinging her eyes.
Morse's eyebrows raise. "Tentacles? Quills, like Raina?"
Jemma manages a brief smile and shakes her head. "No… nothing like that. I just…"
But Morse just moves her hand away and says gently, "come on. Your bath will get cold."
She then strips the young woman down to her now threadbare underclothes. As she does so, she starts to understand Jemma's concern. Not only is the previously petite scientist now skin and bones, but Bobbi can't help but feel devastated at the many new 'battle scars' on her charge. Jemma's emaciated body is a veritable patchwork of various cuts, scrapes and bruises in various degrees of healing, as well as what must have been a nasty gash on her shin.
Swallowing around a lump again, Bobbi notices Jemma looking at her, clearly worried about her S.O.'s reaction. She hitches on a reassuring smile and tries to think up something to say. "So… I have a change of clothes for you… some sweats. Should I um… get these washed for you?" she asks, nodding toward the ragged garments Jemma had worn for the past six months.
Jemma's gaze clouds over as she glances at them. "No," she states quietly but firmly. "Burn them… please."
Bobbi nods in understanding. "You've got it."
The S.O. adds a bit more hot water to the bath before laying Simmons gently in it. The biochemist winces slightly as the Epsom salts sting her most recent scrapes, but soon relaxes completely into the warm, clean, soothing water. She sighs contentedly, feeling stress and despair and grief start to temporarily wash away along with the last stubborn vestiges of dirt.
Bobbi smiles softly as she approaches, pouring some shampoo into her hands. Simmons gives her a self-conscious look as she says, "oh, ma'am, please… I can do that."
"I know you can," Morse replies simply, before helping Jemma sit up and lathering her hair.
Though she feels a bit embarrassed at this pampering, Jemma has to admit that letting go and letting Bobbi tend to her feels… well, incredibly good. Bobbi's fingers massage her scalp while avoiding tugging on any knots in her hair. The strong, beautiful agent chats lightly with her, about what she's missed on recent episodes of shows she enjoys and what everyone has been up to in the lab. Morse doesn't push Jemma for details of what happened on that awful planet, or seek to talk about anything too harrowing. Simmons wonders at how much lighter she feels as Morse begins rinsing her now clean hair out.
Still, there is something else weighing Jemma down. A secret. A painful secret of monumental proportions. As an image of Will comes swimming across her mind, Simmons immediately feels a huge stab of guilt. Here she is, being pampered by the gentle hands of her caring S.O. in a candle-lit bubble bath, while Will is still stuck in that godforsaken place, fighting to survive. Not only this, but her feelings for Will tear at her further, given that Fitz had just risked his life to save hers. Her eyes well up with tears again, and she quickly hides it by starting to wash her face with a facecloth provided.
Thoroughly exhausted again by this roller coaster of complicated emotions, Jemma lays back and tries to turn her mind off for just a bit. Bobbi soaps up a washcloth and starts gently running it along Jemma's arms, massaging her hands when she comes to them. Soon, Jemma has drifted off, and Morse takes the opportunity to examine the young woman's body again.
Morse gazes intently at a faint scar above Jemma's right eye. As she slides the washcloth lightly over Simmons' right arm, she sees a cut beginning to heal on her inner arm and a more recent scrape on her elbow. Her other arm reveals a large bruise just below her shoulder, and another harsh scrape on the palm of her hand.
Now that the bubbles have dissolved into the warm water, Bobbi can see more wounds on the rest of her charge. Jemma has another sizable bruise on her side, and several covering her legs. Her knees are scraped up as an active child's might be, and ever in glaring contrast to the woman's fair skin is the large scar on her left shin. Bobbi finds herself painfully curious as to how it was acquired, and feels deeply for the young woman for the fact that she must have had to stitch it up herself.
Trying to see it more clearly to look for signs of infection, Bobbi places a hand on Jemma's leg and tries to turn it just slightly…
Jemma suddenly cries out and thrashes violently. Bobbi blinks in surprise and lets her go, moving back up to place her hands on the young woman's shoulders and calm her. "Okay Jemma, shhh… it's okay."
Unbeknownst to Morse, Simmons had subconsciously been sure that the tentacled alien monster in the small lake had gotten hold of her again, and she would be eaten or pulled down and drowned. She continues to flail until she becomes aware of her surroundings again, and can focus on Bobbi's soft reassurances.
When she has collected herself at last, her eyes fill with tears again. "Oh Agent Morse," she whispers regretfully. "I'm s-so sorry…"
But Bobbi just shushes her and pulls her into a warm hug. "No sweetie, shhh… no apologies. You're all right."
The scientist slowly quiets down, and Bobbi smiles softly at her. "Hey… I brought you some crackers. Just plain Saltines, nothing very exciting, I'm afraid. I don't know what you've been eating these past few months, and what your stomach will be up for now."
Jemma nods her thanks and accepts a cracker. As Morse conditions her hair, she slowly snacks. At this, another painful memory comes flooding back…
Jemma and Will are walking to the canyon on Maveth where the portal should next open. As they walk, they have the following conversation:
Jemma: Eat, shower, or sleep? What are you gonna do first when we get back?
Will: Eat. Please. Who you talking to? What're you gonna do?
Jemma: I'm gonna eat in the shower and fall asleep while doing it…
Simmons closes her eyes as this memory washes over her, and she realizes that her side of the plan has come to fruition. Will's hasn't. It wasn't long after this conversation that Jemma Simmons completely lost hope, perhaps for the first time ever. Then, Fitz had saved her.
The confusion and pain linger, but subside slightly as Bobbi gently rinses the conditioner out of her hair. "Jemma… honey, you still with me?" the agent asks, concerned at the faraway expression on her ward's face.
Simmons shakes herself back to the present. "Oh, y-yes. I'm sorry. I just… yes, I'm here." She sighs deeply, pulls her knees up to her chest and turns to face her S.O. "Ma'am… thank you. Thank you so much, for everything. For a while there, I thought… I thought I would never see any of you again."
Morse swallows hard and nods. "We worried about the same thing. But honey, we never truly gave up on you. Especially… especially Fitz. He worked day and night for months trying to figure out how to get you back… how to bring you home." In truth, Bobbi did as well, helping Fitz whenever and however possible, but it wouldn't sound right to voice that.
Jemma smiles weakly, appreciating this knowledge, but at the same time feeling even more conflicted because of it. Fitz… or Will? Will or Fitz?
Then, a voice near her ear says softly, "we love you, Jemma. Of course we'd go to the end of the universe for you".
Simmons feels completely overwhelmed with emotion. She stifles a sob, knowing that she still can't cry. She instead takes some deep breaths before muttering, "I'm… I'm very tired. I'd l-like to go rest now… please."
Morse nods, "of course". She pulls up the stopper, helps Jemma dry off and dress, then escorts her back into the lab. The most urgent tests are quickly run and both of the women are thrilled to hear that a quarantine won't be necessary. At that, Bobbi takes Jemma to her bedroom.
"Everything is as you left it, hon," she points out, gazing about the room. Jemma is curious as she realizes that while it looks exactly the same, it feels vastly different now.
Morse gently runs a hairbrush through Jemma's damp hair before guiding her into bed. The young biochemist smiles gratefully and places a tiny hand on Bobbi's. Before the S.O. can leave, Jemma's face turns slightly pink and she quietly asks, "would you… will you stay? Just until I fall asleep?"
Morse smiles back and nods, sitting on the bed and leaning back against the headboard. Jemma wastes no time curling up close and laying her head in Bobbi's lap. As Bobbi gently strokes Simmons' hair, the young woman drifts off to sleep in no time. She had almost forgotten how incredibly comfortable her bed is… and how incredibly comforting her S.O can be.
Morse stays right there all night, as if guarding a post. She is there when a lab agent comes to set up an IV for Jemma, and she soothes the young woman through several nightmares. She stays until the early morning, when Fitz shows up, upset that he had slept so long. Even then, Bobbi doesn't want to leave her ward's side, but senses that Fitz needs to be alone with her now. As Fitz steps back out to get more crackers and water just in case, Bobbi leans down and plants a gentle kiss on Jemma's forehead.
And just before Fitz walks back in Morse whispers two sincere words into Jemma's ear: "Welcome home".