Me again! So I kind of got sidetracked with SHIELD and missed like the entire second half of the second season. So, I spent whatever free time I could trying to catch up on it before season 3 started (which I did). In the process, it rekindled my love for the show (and mostly my love for FitzSimmons) and gave me a new idea.

I did try to do this once, but couldn't get it off the ground. I can't remember how long ago, but I'm sure it was before season 2 because it didn't feature any characters introduced that season. Plus, the main pairing was SkyeWard and we all know how that turned out. So, I tried to outline this again, but was getting nowhere until I considered putting Ward as a villain instead of the male lead Benedick. But then who could fill that part.

Enter Hunter and Bobbi.

I also thought it would be kinda AU considering some dead characters are alive, so I created a prologue that'll segue into the actual story.

Expect a detailed character list at the end of the next chapter. Until then, here's the prologue.

When Hunter entered the lounge area, he made a scoff of displeasure at his ex-wife. "I know reading might seem like a foreign concept to you Hunter," Bobbi began, "but some people actually enjoy it. There are some blondes who do like to read, thank you very much."

"It's a play disguised as a book," Hunter felt the need to observe.

"It's Shakespeare."

"It's not really reading Shakespeare if ya got modern translation on the side. I see the Sparknotes logo, Bob."

"Well if you'll pardon me for not being British."

"And just what is that supposed to mean?"

"British people know Shakespeare." Hunter made a disagreeable noise. "Yes, they grow up with it. It's part of their high school curriculum and the majority of dramatic productions both in and out of school."

"That's not necessarily true."

Bobbi turned in her chair to the resident science duo working on a project behind her. "Fitz, Simmons," in perfect synchronization, they paused their project to look up at her, "a love scene between Romeo and Juliet that's not the balcony one, go."

Simmons didn't even need to take a moment before turning to Fitz. "Act one scene five; their first lines together?"

"Alright," they simultaneously rose to their feet and proceeded to perform. "That's the hand one, right?"

"Yes, Fitz."

"The one that leads into the uh…the kissing?"

"We're trying to prove a point, Fitz. You start."

"Right, yeah, got it," he took Simmons' hand.

"If I profane with my unworthiest hand
This holy shrine, the gentle sin is this:
My lips, two blushing pilgrims, ready stand
To smooth that rough touch with a tender a kiss"

"Good pilgrim, you do wrong your hand too much,
Which mannerly devotion shows in this,
For saints have hands that pilgrims' hands do touch,
And palm to palm is holy palmers' kiss."

"Have not saints lips, and holy palmers too?"

"Ay, pilgrim, lips that they must use in prayer."

"O, then dear saint, let lips do what hands do.
They pray; grant thou, lest faith turn to despair."

"Saints do not move, though grant for prayers' sake."

"Then move not, while my prayer's effect I take." In the moment, they kissed. "Thus from my lips, by thine, my sin is purged."

"Then have my lips the sin that they have took."

"Sin from thy lips? O trespass sweetly urged!
Give me my sin again."

Another kiss. "You kiss by th' book."

"Uh, Jem," Fitz had broken an awkward pause, "I think that's it."

"You're supposed to end the scene before you break character. You performed this play, you know that."

Daisy seemed intrigued by that last part. "Fitz, you were in Romeo and Juliet when you were in school?"

He nervously rubbed the back of his neck. "Well…" he blew out a breath, "…see it was a requirement, so-"

"Ain't nothin' to be ashamed about," Mack—another audience member—assured. "I was in drama club too."

Daisy seemed impressed. "So you were a wannabe actor?"

"I originally did crew work, but someone found my way center stage after accepting bit parts to fill out the cast. Good times, good people." Mack looked back at FitzSimmons, "and good job," he applauded them.

"Yeah," Daisy joined in the applauding. "Take a bow, guys." FitzSimmons shrugged at each other before bowing.

"See Turbo, nothing to be ashamed about."

"Unless you went to an all boys school," Fitz grumbled.

Mack had heard that. "Yikes."

"Yeah, a little less honorable now isn't it! For God's sake, I was Juliet!" Daisy couldn't help but snicker at that.

"Oh, honestly," Simmons admonished. "Young men played women's roles in Shakespeare's time only because women weren't allowed to; I don't see why Fitz has to be teased about it for being required to do so in today's society."

"Thank you, Jemma."

"For what it's worth: you make a wonderful Romeo as well."

"Only because I had a terrific Juliet."

"I'm sensing an off-stage romance," Daisy singsonged. FitzSimmons were both blushing as they sat back down and resumed work on their project. "Ooh, and spun off from one of the greatest love stories ever; how sweet."

Bobbi looked back at Hunter with a smirk on her face. "Anyway, that little acting display FitzSimmons did just proved that they're both British-"

"Scottish!" Fitz interrupted.

"-my bad; they're both European, and they both know Shakespeare."

"Well, they're classy," Hunter had a ready-made excuse, "all classy Brits know Shakespeare,"

"Scottish!" Fitz protested. "I'm bloody Scottish!"

However, Bobbi and Hunter seemed to have ignored him. "So what you're saying is Americans don't know Shakespeare?" Bobbi questioned back.

"You're the one implying most of Shakespeare's performances are done by Brits," Hunter thought he had her there.

Bobbi pointed to Mack. "And now, a scene from MackBeth."

Mack took that as a cue. He rose to his feet, cleared his throat, and recited,

"Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow,
Creeps in this petty pace from day to day
To the last syllable of recorded time,
And all our yesterdays have lighted fools
The way to dusty death. Out, out, brief candle!
Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player
That struts and frets his hour upon the stage
And then is heard no more. It is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing."

Bobbi turned to Hunter with a smirk. "Well…" Hunter was at a loss for words, "…that's one of the more popular monologues. Plus, he had just noted that he was in drama club. Even American actors learn Shakespeare."

This time, Bobbi directed her attention to Daisy. "Daisy, are you American?"

"I was born in China," Daisy pointed out.

"But you were raised in America?"

"Yeah?"

"Did you do any acting or were you in drama club?"

"No."

"Did you study Shakespeare?"

"Only in my high school English class."

"Hmm, you studied because it was a requirement. Do you remember what you've learned?"

"Well, I do remember something Shakespeare-y; I heard it on the end of a Mickey Mouse cartoon—the one where they spoof the Midsummer's Night Dream or whatever. They also did the same thing on Animaniacs." She noticed the looks she was getting. "I was a 90's kid, I was raised on cartoons; sue me."

"Ah, Midsummer Night's Dream, that's Shakespeare. Do you remember anything from it?"

Daisy did remember something.

"If we shadows have offended,
Think but this, and all is mended-
That you have but slumbered here
While these visions did appear.
And this weak and idle theme
No more yielding but a dream."

"Oi," Hunter was obviously not a fan of being one-upped, "but do you know what it means?"

Daisy thought about it. "I think it means that everything you just saw was like a dream sequence and everyone was acting, so don't be all pissed about it."

The look on Hunter's face had proven that she was right. "Lucky guess."

"What about you?" Bobbi questioned him. "Did you really know what it meant?" Hunter gave her a puzzled look. "I think you're the one who doesn't know any Shakespeare." She shoved her book at him. "Give yourself a touch more class, love," she said to him in a British accent before leaving.

With a scowl, Hunter looked down at the book. "Much Ado About Nothing?"

"Hey, I heard of that one!" Daisy felt proud of that. "Yeah, the guy who created Buffy the Vampire Slayer made a modern day movie version of that story. The guy who played the dad looked a lot like Coulson."

Simmons acknowledged her. "Yes, but Kenneth Branagh adapted and starred in his own film adaptation back in 1993 and kept it true to the Shakespearean time and style."

"His then-wife Emma Thompson played his love interest," Fitz inputted.

"And my man Denzel was the prince," Mack added, "a black actor in a Shakespeare role that's not Othello."

"Alright fine; you all didn't need to show me up!" Hunter sat in Bobbi's seat. "I'll read the damn thing with the stupid modern day translation." He opened the book and began laughing. "Heh, Benedick...and it's actually spelled like that."

Mack disapprovingly shook his head. "So immature."

…

Hunter met up with Bobbi later in the evening, "Here's your book back, Bob."

She took it back. "So was the modern day translation helpful? Or was it the only part of the book you read?"

"What? Yes, but why would you-"

"I know you Lance—we were married after all. I can picture you as the slack-off in school who didn't read the book and tried to watch the movie instead."

"Okay, yes I did try to watch that movie, and I still didn't bloody understand it! Why can't they do it in the Shakespeare setting, but with modern day talking? Make it easier for everybody."

"It's not like they don't have modern Shakespeare adaptations. West Side Story is a phenomenal interpretation of Romeo and Juliet, and 10 Things I Hate About You was a pretty good modern adaptation of Taming of the Shrew."

"Have you read either of those, Bob?"

"Yes I have, have you, Lance?" Hunter said nothing. "I indulged myself once and bought the Sparknotes books to all of Shakespeare's works. Because yeah, I was interested in his work, but I wanted to understand what the hell everyone was saying." She held the book up. "For the record, I was rereading this."

"Ugh, Bob, you're such a nerd."

"Proud of it," with that she left him standing there again.

Hunter went off to his bunk. "Seriously? If you can speak Shakespeare in a modern setting, why can't you speak normal in a Shakespeare setting? It is bloody possible." He laid on his bed, closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep…

…a vision of the story playing in his dreams.

See, cliché dream sequence. I did have to give a valid reason they'd be speaking normal in the Shakespeare setting after all.

Yes, those are all scenes from their respective Shakespeare plays. I also own a few of the 'No Fear Shakespeare' collection published by Sparknotes (all the ones mentioned in this prologue for example). If you want, you can read them online like that (Sparknotes is a great school related website for those of you still in school btw) to get an idea of what the Hell they were saying.

Yes, I also have the videos to the Disney & Animaniacs Midsummer Night's Dream and the aforementioned Much Ado About Nothing movies (no joke, Denzel Washington did play the prince and he did a great job).