Another story set in a slightly future alternate universe! In this one Fitz has minimal damage from almost drowning, he is awake and able to do his job but there are gaps in his memory. This could be a prequel to Monster Goo.

Agents of Shield belongs to it's unforgettable creators and ABC and Marvel.

Reiden Lake, Ontario. 2am EST.

Music blared from the radio, too loud for Hanna but she didn't say anything. It was the end of their first year of university and if Chris and Beth wanted to celebrate they were going to celebrate.

"C'mon Hanna!" Beth called from the lake. "Don't be such a tight toes!"

Tight toes, that was Hanna. The nickname was meant to be affectionate but sometimes she thought it was just a little too accurate.

"It's going to rain," she called, watching them splash from the shore. "It looks like a thunder storm."

"Oh no, if it rains we might get wet!" Kidded Chris.

"We'll get out if we hear thunder," Beth promised but as she did a white-purple bolt lit the sky and the two of them shrieked before running out of the lake as they heard the rumbling thunder.

'Told you,' Hanna thought smugly.

"That sounded close," Chris fretted.

"Let's get out of here!" Beth agreed taking Hanna's arm with her dripping, cold hand.

The three of them ran through the woods back to the car. Hanna was the fastest and she made it first. She couldn't get in though because Beth had the keys.

"Guys hurry up, unlock the car!" She yelled into the trees. "I'm getting soaked!"

No one replied.

"Guys?" She called again, starting to get nervous. "Beth? Chris?"

She heard screaming and dashed towards it.

'Great plan Hanna,' she scolded herself. 'Just run right into whatever has got them.'

But what else was she suppose to do?

There was a low humming buzz that was getting louder as she approached the fading screams.

She soon reached her friends, or what she thought must be her friends. They were so swollen they were almost unrecognizable. Their glassy, lifeless eyes stared up at her from puffy, red faces.

She started screaming where they had stopped and her cries were overtaken by the loud, low humming buzz of bees.

/-/-/

"Simmons?" Fitz's voice crackled across her end of the walkie talkies. "Oh, sorry... you're probably sleeping. Never mind."

She reached over and grabbed the device off her bedside table. "I'm awake," she replied, lifting it above her mouth and hitting the switch on the side while she spoke then placing it on her stomach to wait for his answer.

"Really? But it's so late, why aren't you sleeping?" He wondered.

'Why aren't you?' She thought. "Did you need something?" She inquired.

"No... Never mind, it wasn't... It's dumb, I shouldn't have bothered you." He sounded distressed.

"Well now that I'm bothered you might as well tell me," she joked, trying to cheer him up.

He didn't reply for a while. She ran her fingers up and down the antenna while she waited trying to guess what was keeping him awake.

"I don't remember what my favourite sandwich is." He finally said, his voice small. She hadn't guessed that.

"It's prosciutto and buffalo mozzarella, with just a hint of pesto aeoli," she reminded him brightly, or at least she hoped it sounded bright. She'd been going for bright.

"Oh," he answered sounding a little surprised. "Just a hint? How much is a hint?"

"Don't worry, I'll make one for you tomorrow," she promised. "I know exactly how you like it. You'll enjoy it, I'm sure you will."

"Of course I will, it's my favourite," he teased and she smiled. Cheeky Fitz.

"Get some sleep," she advised.

"You too," he crackled back. "I'm here if you have something that's keeping you up though."

"I know you are," she told him. "I'm fine. Goodnight."

"Sweet dreams," he wished her and she placed the walkie talkie back on her table.

She knew she could always talk to him. About anything, about everything. Everything except what was keeping her up.

She couldn't seem turn off the thoughts which banged around in her head like uncoordinated drums.

Months ago Fitz had told her, in not so many words, that he was in love with her. Told her and then torn her heart out, pressing the button which she'd been sure was going take him away from her forever, before she'd had a chance to even consider how she felt about him.

She knew she loved him. Of that she'd always been certain. She knew it because his smile never failed to cheer her up and because she never wanted to live without him. She knew it by the way her heart felt like it broke into pieces when he pressed the button and then came back together again when he finally opened his eyes and grinned at her.

He had woken up somewhat in pieces. There were gaps in his memory, he forgot things a child would know like how to tie his shoes, his middle name, which primary school he had attended. And he'd forgotten their time at the bottom of the ocean.

She'd helped him, along with the others and for a while his mother, to put the pieces back together. She'd told him everything she knew whenever he asked. Everything except his confession in the box.

She'd tell him though, eventually. She'd sworn to herself she would, it wasn't right keeping it from him, but she needed more time to sort through her own feelings. She didn't want to confuse him and she really didn't want to lose him, however she had no control at all over the second one.

He was so much to her. He was her partner, her best friend, the other end of her thoughts but was he anything else?

She sighed and rolled over to stare at the walkie talkie wishing she could talk to him.

Even a no would be easier than what she felt. No, you are not in love with him, now we can deal with that. However she wasn't entirely sure about no. She wasn't entirely sure about yes either so here she was, stuck in limbo, trying to figure out what he was to her.

He was her Fitz she resolved finally. That was an incredibly... accurate answer. Not very descriptive, not at all helpful but oh was it accurate.

It felt more like a cheap bandage than a solution.

/-/-/

Fitz lay awake, even though he was exhausted, trying to sort through his feelings for Simmons and trying to decode her feelings for him.

The sandwich had freaked him out momentarily but Simmons had fixed it like she always did. He wished she could fix this too.

He hadn't told her. They'd almost died and although he didn't remember any of it he knew he hadn't because she hadn't said anything about it in her account of what had happened. Your best friend confessing their love for you wasn't exactly a detail you left out. Unless it was a detail you wanted them to forget. Besides, if he hadn't come clean with his feelings for her he must have had a reason. He wasn't that much of a coward he would go to his grave never telling her. Perhaps he had read something off of her he no longer remembered, something that stopped him.

And if she returned his feelings, what had stopped her from confessing them to him? Simmons was no coward.

She didn't love him back he decided at last, feeling an ache where his heart was. No, that wasn't accurate at all, of course she loved him. She'd carried him up ninety feet of water on a single breath of air, risking her own life for the mere chance his could be saved. Apparently he'd done the same, giving that single breath they had to her. So at least that feeling was mutual.

Someone who didn't love you wouldn't wait by your bedside until you awakened and then cover your face in kisses when you did. Every part but his lips of course because, though she loved him, he was certain she wasn't in love with him. Which hurt, a lot, but not as much as it would hurt to lose her completely.

He was in love with her but she was more than that. She was his partner, his best friend, the other end of his thoughts. There was no way he was losing her to something as stupid as unrequited love.

Maybe stupid was the wrong word. Painful, complicated and immensely unpleasant were all much more descriptive of the feelings swishing around inside him right then.

He was going to have to be strong though because, whatever happened, he needed her to always be his Simmons.

"Fitz?" Her voice sounded across the walkie talkie.

Hadn't he known there was something she wanted to talk about? Of course he had, not to brag, but he always knew when something was bothering her. He was intuitive like that.

"What is it?" He asked, trying to sound open but not nosy.

He hoped this wasn't about Triplett. He wasn't ready to hear her gush on about her crush on the other agent. She hadn't told him she had one but it was as obvious as the fuzz on a bumble bee. He'd make up an excuse not to talk about it, suggest she confide in Skye instead. That was it, Skye was probably better at these things anyway.

Maybe she'd had another nightmare. There were nights she woke, shaking from dreams where she was trapped underwater. Those nights he'd go to her, give her a hug and stay with her until she felt safe enough to sleep. Sometimes he wouldn't leave until he heard her soft breathing, telling him she was dreaming again. Something nice he would hope.

He didn't mind staying. The nightmares were one thing he had been spared and he wanted to protect her from them the best he could.

"We have a case," she told him.

He hadn't been expecting that. He rolled over to look at his clock and sighed. It was five in the morning. How had the hours flown by so fast?

"OK, I'm on my way," he replied before stretching and getting out of bed.

/-/-/

Fun Background

Thanks to everyone who reviewed, read or liked my other stories and a special thanks to notappeper for all your advice and for reviewing every single chapter. :)

For anyone who hasn't read my stories, I hide a reference to Fringe in every chapter of every one. Fringe is a science fiction series and one of my all time favourite TV shows

The Fringe reference in this story is Reiden Lake. In Fringe it is the frozen lake over which Walter first crosses over to the other universe.

This story is going to take place in the made up town of Reiden Lake Ontario, a made up town in southern Ontario. Shield had a base in Canada so why not take cases there? Besides, May went to Ontario once.

Also dunno if cheeky was the right term. I have never used it in a story so let me know if it is out of place.

Oh yes and I need to say bumble bees are sweet, gentle creatures, do not fear them. Giant blue ones are not.