Author's note:

Some Christmas fluff and resolutions are the outcome for mandated vacations for FitzSimmons. Because they need more happy in their lives!

Probably going to be AU after 3.8

I don't have a beta / editor. All mistakes are definitely mine.

Leo could have blamed S.H.I.E.L.D.'s travel department, or even Daisy's interference, for setting him up with Jemma on the same flight, in adjacent seats. But the truth was, he had done it himself.

He told Jemma this when she asked. She had been honest with him on far more complicated topics. He felt he owed her in kind. Even if it did make things more difficult for him. Like her next question:

"Why?"

He turned to meet her eyes from where he was attempting to force his seat to lean back even more. With all that had happened this year; her pulled onto a distant planet with the threat of starvation and a dangerous entity hunting her, while he spent those same six months equally sleep-deprived and worried that he'd never see her again, did she really need to ask that question?

He wasn't sure if this was evident on his face or not, but somehow she read his mind, "Right. You're still worried about me."

"Can you blame me?"

"No," there was a hint of impatience in her inflection, "but it's not like I'm going on a mission. Fitz, I'm just going home to see my parents for Christmas."

"Me too." He added too quickly, "I-I mean I'm going home to see my mum. It's on the way, so I thought I'd share a plane ride to Exeter before I caught the next flight to Scotland."

She smiled, understanding.

They spent the rest of the flight engaging in comfortable topics; Christmas with family, quantum mechanics, and then identifying the constellations they could see out the airplane's window. Just before their stellar conversation was about to take them to that distant planet, which would invariably lead to the topic of Will and her feelings once again, their plane landed.

They gathered their bags and exited into the airport.

"Oh, Fitz, look!" Jemma walked over excitedly to a window where soft white flakes were catching the light from a security lamp outside. He went to her side. Already, they could see a considerable amount of snow had accumulated. Crews were working hard to remove it from the runways, but there was so much, and the snow had built up to at least half a meter in some places.

"I forgot to check the weather report." Fitz remarked.

Jemma met his gaze with a worried expression. It took him only half a second longer to realize what she was thinking. They made their way over to one of the departure displays. Fitz found his connecting flight number, "There" he pointed. To his dismay they saw the one label he was hoping he wouldn't find: Canceled.

"Oh Fitz. I'm so sorry." Jemma's hand found his.

"It's alright," he squeezed her hand in reassurance, "I'll see when the next one is."

She went with him to the counter. He was calm up until the attendant told him when the next available flight to Scotland would be.

"Twenty-two hours? Are you kidding me?!" he was furious. And rightfully so.

They had both been working tirelessly to try and reopen the portal. Some days they didn't sleep, and it was starting to affect their work and their relationship. Coulson had walked in during one of their more heated arguments and realized they both needed a few days off. After they refused to take vacation, he ordered them to, and scheduled a couple days for them around Christmas.

And it was just that: a couple days. Jemma wished they hadn't bargained with Coulson for less time off. With today being Christmas Eve, Fitz would not see his mum on Christmas morning as he had hoped.

Fitz continued to argue fruitlessly with the person behind the counter, his tone becoming more and more heated until Simmons had to gently pull him away before he could begin to draw security's attention.

Once she convinced him that there was nothing they could do, Fitz took a couple deep breaths to steady himself. After one last slander against the cosmos, he calmed down. A moment later, he told her, "You should get going, Jemma. Your family is waiting."

"What?" she stared at him incredulously, "And leave you here to spend the night at an airport or hotel for Christmas? No! Don't be ridiculous, you're coming with me!"

Before he knew it, she had grabbed his hand and was pulling him towards the exits. Before he could argue, she was already on her phone with her parents, letting them know of the slight change in plans. Before he could gripe again, she was pushing him into their cab, reminding him that he should probably call his mum to let her know about the delay as well.

Fitz couldn't argue with that. He didn't expect to be on the phone the whole car ride. But he was. Naturally his mother was upset. More upset, it sounded, than he had been with the attendant at the counter. Her anger wasn't directed at her son, though. When he voiced his own disappointment, her tone softened, and he knew she pitied his situation. She told him she loved him, and when his reply wasn't satisfactory enough, she reassured him that she loved him in several embarrassingly sentimental sentences that were becoming impossible to hide from Simmons in this small enclosed space with echoing properties. He knew from Jemma's smile that she had heard some of the sentiments, even after he turned down the volume on his phone.

After the phone call had finally ended, Jemma smirked in his direction, "I think she likes you." Leo just gave her a look.

The cab slowed to a stop, and the driver announced they had arrived. Before he knew it, Fitz found himself at the doorstep of the Simmons family home, greeted by Jemma's parents, and welcomed inside.

They set down their bags in the living room as Jemma filled her parents in on how their flight went, how much snow the airport had, and how long Fitz would have to wait for the next flight to Scotland. It didn't take Fitz long to recognize that although Mr. and Mrs. Simmons were sympathetic to his situation, there was a hesitance that he couldn't quite pinpoint. It wasn't until Jemma wrapped a comforting arm around Leo that it dawned on him. They were probably wondering what exactly his relationship with their Jemma was. Panic started to set in as he realized not even he knew the answer to that question.

He was attempting to come up with an excuse to get Jemma alone and discuss what story they would tell her parents while simultaneously answering the barrage of casual inquiries both parents kept throwing at him. Finally, he was about to enact his plan when Mr. Simmons bluntly asked the inevitable, "So, are you two dating?"

"Dad!"

Undeterred, her father looked straight at Leo, "Are you?"

Leo and Jemma glanced at each other, both trying to silently read the answer in the other's expression. Simultaneously, both turned back to Mr. Simmons and answered, "No/Yes"

Half a second later, the moment descended into incredibly awkward silence.

Fitz's mind was racing. Why had she said 'yes'? Did she actually think they were? Was she just telling her parents that? What was she thinking about his answer? What were they thinking about his answer?

Mrs. Simmons was the first to break the silence, "Well, I'm afraid our guest room is unavailable at the moment."

Jemma's head lifted up from her own ruminations, "What? Why?"

Mrs. Simmons glanced at her husband, raising her eyebrows at him. Mr. Simmons took the cue and explained simply, "It's been turned into a storage room."

Upon Jemma's confused expression, Mrs. Simmons broke into a breathless, lengthy description of how Jemma's uncle was fed up with being solely responsible for storing all of Jemma's late grandfather's research and had demanded Mr. Simmons take charge of storing half of the boxes, which were currently piled up in the guestroom. A situation both Jemma and Mrs. Simmons were obviously less than pleased about.

Mr. Simmons countered with how expensive commercial storage units were becoming, and the family's conversation suddenly became entirely focused on economics and secure storage facilities, completely ignoring a pensive Fitz, who was taking this moment to figure out how to excuse himself politely and escape to a nearby hotel without it sounding too rude.

His reprieve ended when Jemma solved the problem by offering to pay for the storage units herself. When the parents started to object, Jemma cut them off by reminding the retirees that at her salary level, the storage rent would not even make a dent in her savings.

With that argument resolved, their attention shifted back to Fitz and what they would do about sleeping arrangements for today. Fitz was still reviewing nearby hotels on his phone. He only realized Mrs. Simmons had asked him something after Jemma nudged his shoulder with her arm. Leo had completely missed the question and felt their image of him sink further as he was forced to ask for it again, "What?"

"Are you alright with sleeping on the couch?" Mrs. Simmons asked again, and then added, "Or would you rather-?" she glanced from him to Jemma.

"Mum!"

"Couch is fine," Fitz agreed quickly. And then he realized he had just sealed his fate. There was no way he could escape to the privacy of a hotel room now.

The rest of the evening was spent getting Christmas Eve dinner ready (a family tradition apparently), then dinner (which was fantastic), followed by surprisingly pleasant conversations on biochemistry, astronomy, and other sciences. Fitz felt he was beginning to redeem himself in her parent's eyes when he proved he was able to contribute intelligently to all of the topics.

This also allowed Jemma and him to fall into their comfortable habit of finishing each others sentences in between bites.

Perhaps, Fitz thought, this display would validate their synchronicity and compatibility to her parents. It certainly reminded him of why he loved Jemma so much. He actually allowed himself to smile as she explained a fascinating mechanism in certain single-celled organisms that she had discovered along with Fitz back at the academy.

His good feelings ended when Mr. Simmons segued the conversation back to another question seeking the exact nature of their relationship.

Jemma saved Leo an answer by asking him to take her finished plate to the kitchen for her. He gratefully complied.

In the other room, he could hear Jemma and her parents' hushed arguments, though he could not make out exactly what was being said. He thought he might hide out here in the kitchen, scrubbing Jemma's plate clean a while longer. Leo thought about what he and his own mum would be doing right about now, if his flight hadn't been canceled.

Some Christmas this turned out to be.

As soon as Fitz left the room, Jemma shot her father a look, "Why can't you leave it be?"

"You do realize he is afraid of commitment." her father pointed out.

"That's not his fault." Jemma retorted, lowering her voice so Fitz wouldn't hear. She could tell by her parents' faces that they needed more explanation. It was no use. When her mum and dad were united on a mission like this, they were going to keep digging for answers until they were satisfied, "It's … it's actually mine."

"Jemma," her mother covered her hand with her own, and Jemma could hear the maternal protectiveness in her voice, "It is not your fault. Do you not see that he's manipulating you? He's making you feel guilty for his own indecision."

Jemma nearly rolled her eyes, "He's not that kind of man, Mum."

"Are you sure?" asked her father.

"Dad-"

"Because he seems-"

Her frustration level hit it's max, "Fitz dove through a hole in the universe for me!"

At this, her father raised an eyebrow.

"Let's not be melodramatic." her mother admonished.

"No!" Jemma stood up, no longer bothering to keep her voice quiet, "You don't realize what he's-what we've been through!" She ran a hand through her hair and paced as she struggled to figure out a way to explain these past six months without giving away any S.H.I.E.L.D. secrets. "I became … stranded … for months! I didn't see a way home. … I lost all hope. So I turned to the only other person stranded with me. And he wasn't Fitz."

For the first time since their arrival, her parents were silent.

And as much as she wanted to vent to them all the details, she knew she couldn't without breaking protocol.

"You were missing for months?"

Jemma could only nod as the tears began to well up in her eyes. Both her mum and dad left the table to embrace and comfort their daughter.

"I don't understand," Jemma's mother said, "Why didn't S.H.I.E.L.D. notify us?"

Jemma clutched her parents just as she had when she was a young child, "because Fitz never gave up. He searched tirelessly for me, and ultimately, he rescued me."

"This is the same Leopold Fitz that you went to the academy with, the one you've been friends with all these years?" Her dad asked.

Jemma nodded.

Her parents shared a sympathetic gaze.

From then on, Fitz noticed a distinct change in the elder Simmons' treatment of him. They were warmer. All inquiries as to his intentions with their daughter ceased. Mrs. Simmons set up the couch with more pillows and blankets so that it resembled a proper bed.

From the kitchen, Fitz had heard everything important. He would have to find some time alone with her to thank Jemma for saving him from further embarrassment with her parents.

However, he thought it had been unnecessary of her to paint such a heroic picture of him to them. It wasn't like they had a future together.

Something about her answer to whether or not they were dating bugged him. He was perfectly aware that she had tried to tell her parents they were dating just to make explaining his visit easier. Still … he wanted to clarify something with her.

Throwing off the covers, he got up from the couch, intent on quietly making his way to her room to talk. When he rounded the corner to go down the dark hallway, he bumped into something warm. Fitz jumped back as the other person let out a startled gasp.

From the reflection of the dim firelight, Leo could make out her face, "Jem?"

"Fitz," Jemma confirmed, placing a steadying hand on his shoulder. She nodded towards the living room and he turned to follow her back to the couch, curious as to why she had come.

She stood over by the tree, facing the fire. His heartbeat picked up as he watched the soft glow dance across her features.

"You know I love you."

He swallowed, "Jem-"

"I'm in love with you, Fitz. We've been friends for so long. We work so well together. We understand each other and sometimes we even-"

"finish each other's sentences. I know." he sighed. This wasn't how he expected this conversation to go. She was the only person who made him feel this happy and this sad at the same time.

"Out there, I didn't have a choice," She said, her voice faltering, "Once every option was gone, I lost hope for us. And though I may love Will … here … Here, I have a choice."

She turned to face him, "Fitz, I don't want to jeopardize what you and I have. I want to save Will from that awful place. I feel like I owe him at least that much for helping me survive and- … once he's safely back home … Fitz, I want our friendship back. I want at least that much. And if you still feel the same way, I'd like to pursue something more with you."

"Jemma … I want to be with you, but we can't." Leo was certain he appeared less broken than he felt.

Tears began to well up in her eyes, "Do you no longer believe in free will?"

"I don't know. All I know is I'm seeing a pattern, and it scares me: every time we get close, something terrible happens."

"Fitz, we're not cursed."

"Can you prove that we're not?" he asked.

"No more than you can prove that we are." She said just as gently and moved to sit beside him on his bed. There was a long pause as they gazed into the dying flames of the fireplace. "Is that it then? Are we supposed to try and stay apart for the rest of our lives for some curse's sake?"

Fitz felt the tears well up in his own eyes, "It's better than losing you again."

Her hand came up to cover his knee.

"We've been together as friends for over ten years. Lots of good and bad things have happened to us, and yes, I'll admit, we seem to be getting more of the bad lately. But I do not believe its because we want to be more than that to each other."

"Sure bloody seems like it." Leo mumbled as he brooded.

"You know the difference between coincidence and causation. We've been close friends for years without horrific things happening to us."

"You're right. It's only when hormones are involved that horrific things happen."

She tilted her head at him, "Fitz, hormones have been involved since I first met you."

He lifted his head, "Wait, really?"

She fidgeted, "I would have never admitted it back then. But yes, I considered it quite often. I even had dreams... "

"Why didn't you ever-?"

"You didn't seem interested. I didn't want to risk losing the best friendship we had built. I still don't want to. And if you really don't want to pursue this … then just say so and I'll stop."

Fitz thought this over. The truth was, his irrational mind was still scarred from all that had happened these past months. He was hesitant to change anything that might negatively affect the partially invisible system known as the cosmos for them. Yet, at the same time, he didn't want things to go back to the way they were. He didn't know how to handle such a situation, he only knew how to ...

"What if we do try … try to approach this scientifically? Change one variable at a time, over a long frequency?" he proposed.

Jemma met his eyes, "You mean, take things slowly?"

He nodded, "Very slowly. Test the waters, and, erm, watch for any sign of a negative reaction?" suddenly he felt very silly under her gaze. He half expected her to chastise his irrational use of the scientific method.

But Jemma surprised him with a warm smile instead, "I'd be happy to."

Her answer was a relief. He returned her smile.

"Did you want to try kissing again?" she asked hesitantly.

Leo's immediate reaction was to say yes on his way to her lips. Leo's second reaction stopped his first before he could get the words out. His uncertainty where their relationship was concerned had become an automated response ever since he came up with the idea that the cosmos had cursed them. However, as he thought about it more, Leo realized that nothing horrific had happened immediately following the first time they kissed. Their first positive data point.

"Yes," he said, leaning in with renewed confidence to meet her halfway.

It was less desperate than their first kiss. They had more time to get it right. When they did finally pull away, both of them were smiling. For once, Fitz felt more positive emotions than any other.

True to her promise of agreeing to take things slow, Jemma got up to return to her room, wishing him good night. Fitz listened as she padded down the hall.

Perhaps the cosmos didn't want anything after all.

The next morning, Fitz was awoken by soft Christmas music and the smell of a warm breakfast.

Jemma greeted him and showed him the good news on her phone: the next flight to Scotland was scheduled sooner than expected.

There was still enough time to enjoy breakfast and watch the family unwrap their presents near the tree.

Jemma apologized that she had left her present for him at work. Leo told her not to worry about it; he had left hers there as well.

Their spirits were high, and even though Fitz wasn't yet with his own family, he felt a connection with Simmons'. Perhaps there was a future here after all.

They called a cab to come pick him up when it was time.

Jemma wanted to accompany him to the airport, but Fitz protested, telling her, "Jemma, I want you to spend as much time with your family as you can. Besides, I'll see you in a couple days on our flight home."

She smiled, "Say hi to your mum for me." she kissed his cheek.

He smiled the whole cab ride to the airport. He was still in good spirits even after landing in Scotland.

And when he walked through the front door of his family home, and saw his mother, he smiled all over again.

"What are you so happy about?" his mum teased him.

"Nothing," he teased back, "Just happy to see you." he gave her a hug.

"Yes, but you're never this happy, Leo." she winked at him, "It's your Jemma, isn't it? What happened? Did she propose to you while you were at her house?"

"No," Leo said, chuckling, "But I think I may have had my faith restored in the cosmos."

FIN

Author's Note:

Merry Christmas! I wrote this one a little quickly. Let me know what you think! ^^