"G...Grant stop." He stopped moving when the words left her mouth besides him.

This was supposed to be a simple op. Intel only. That was the only reason for Simmons's involvement. It should have been easy and simple. There was always room for something to happen, but those chances were slim to none with their op. Of course, something did go wrong. He didn't believe in luck, but if he did, he believed he was graced with a very limited amount. And it ran out.

Two hours earlier.

"I'll catch you if you fall." He whispered by her ear before straightening up and giving their names to the bouncer at the door. They're admitted to the gala with out hesitation. Skye held up her end by hacking their invitations. It's the reason Simmons is by his side instead of Skye or May.

Neither of the two, or him really, would be able to keep a cover here. It's a gala focused on some branch of science that he can't pronounce. Que Simmons. She'll do the talking, while he waits by her side. Grant's to act as her boy friend. That's his cover. Though, his real purpose it to protect the scientist besides him.

A bemused smile lights his lips when the scientist fumbles with the first few people that approach them. She manages to recover, though, it means steering the conversation back to the science side of words Grant doesn't even pretend to look like he understands them.

"Here." He says simply, holding out the glass of champagne.

She takes it with a smile-he swears the girl is made of sunshine- and drinks way more than sip. Way more than many would think lady-like in this venue of fancy dresses. It's quiet on the out skirts of the large body of people in the main room.

"Thank you." She smiles again, her glass is nearly empty.

"Your doing good out there." He comments. Yes, he Grant Ward, can give a complement. Or at least try to. He's sure Skye is listening to this over the comms.

"Really?"

"Yes. Uh...keep it up." He told her with an awkward pat to her shoulder. So much for being smooth. Things like this have never been an issue till she came in lighting up the room with her smiles and laughs she gives out so easily. Sometimes, and Ward won't admit to this, he wished those laughs, those smiles were just for him.

"Ok, we should talk t-" The words died in his mouth, a breath of air coming out instead. Her eyes are wide, mouth open in shock. She crumples to the ground as blood starts to blossom; when it's crimson color starts to stain the rose pink dress she wears.

Present.

"Ok." He moved to lean the both of them against the wall. One arm is across her waist, adding extra pressure to the gun shot she holds pressure to with her own hands, crushing her to his side.

"Simmons- Jemma- I'm going to get you out of here. Ok? I promise you that."

She nodded weakly.

"Ok, enough rest." Grant announced, half dragging her away from the wall. A groan escaped from the small scientist, but she didn't verbally protest.

"Ward." Coulson's voice cracks across the comm. "We think they planted a bomb. There's no time to stop it, you need to get out of the-" His words cut to static before he finishes, but Grant knows enough. Get out.

"We should p-probably go." Jemma sputtered besides him. Her voice was too weak for his liking.

"Ok, this will be faster." He sighed as he scooped her up. She let out a pained cry at the action. "I know, I know. I'm sorry." Grant told her as he began to run. "I'm going to get you out of her-"

The words are ripped out of his mouth. They're far enough to not directly feel the flames of the blast, but close enough to knock them both over. He does his best to shield her already injured body from the blast.

"Jemma?" He asked, lifting up his head. She doesn't answer, her eyes are closed. "Jemma?" He called out again; worry edging into his voice.

Three hours later.

Hospital coffee. There's a hate Grant holds for it that he doubts will ever go away. Hospital coffee means something's gone wrong in what ever op he was carrying out. Three hours with the team stuck in a private waiting room. Fitz and Skye spent the time together, teary eyed and huddled together. May took a silent post by the door. Coulson's been on the phone; switching from a chair to standing. He's angry, they've all seen him angry, but Ward's never seen him so angry.

Grant's angry too. A silent bristling anger that he hasn't let through, he's been swallowing it down with the coffee. It was his job to protect her, to protect the little smiley scientist, and he failed.

The news comes an hour later. It should come as a relief, but that would mean the news was good. He wanted, they all wanted, the news to be good. To be told that she'll be alright and they can see her in a minute. That her injuries are minimal and will heal with out an issue. But that news doesn't come.

No, the news in fact is worse. Coma. The word seems to hit everyone, and Grant nearly dropped his coffee cup. It's not at all what they were expecting; it was something that was such a small possibility it didn't seem like it could happen. Grant tunes out the doctor's explanation after he says something about it being a medically sedated coma. He doesn't want to, doesn't need to hear it.

Two weeks later.

"You haven't gone to see her." May speaks up from behind him.

"Don't." He warned, turning around from the punching bag to face her.

"Don't, yourself." She speaks in the cool calm voice of hers. Most days Grant found solace in the calmness, but today it's different. Today he doesn't want the calm.

"She woke up today."

It sounds like good news, but her expression betrays it. She doesn't smile, doesn't give a hint that they should happy or hopeful.

"Come on, we're going to see her. Your going to see her. They've been waiting for you."

Everyone's waiting out side her door when they arrive. "Why didn't they let Fitz in?" He asked, turning his attention to Coulson.

Coulson let out a sigh before he answered. "The doctors are worried. When she woke she didn't mention you or any one else. She only brought up Fitz. They're worried about her memory."

They file into her small room a few minutes later. She looks pale, a few fading bruises dotting her skin. She lacks the usual brightness that radiates from her being.

"Hey, Fitz." She smiles. Jemma glances around the room; at the people crowding the small space.

"Uh, Fitz." Her voice is smaller this time, like she's trying to whisper. "Uh, who are these people? I recognize Agent Coulson obviously, but who are they? And uh why am I here? I told you last night before bed I felt perfectly fine!" Jemma hissed at the boy who, along with the rest of them, was looking increasingly worried. "I just have to finish the project, and then I'll rest. I promise. This is completely unnecessary!" She said waving her arms around the room at them.

"What?" Jemma questioned after looking at them more closely. "What's going on? What aren't telling me?!"

They leave Fitz in with her while Coulson, like a father would, talks to the doctor. It's clear that she can't remember them. He's sure they'll run tests on her, endless tests and the results will most likely be the same. Grant has been in this position a few times before. A few ops that went wrong and as support he stayed at the hospital till someone they knew came. Sometimes that person never came. From his visits at the hospital, he's learned a few things about brain injuries. No matter how many tests they run or how clear the results are, doctors will say there's a possibility for almost anything, narrowed down by only so much. Grant's sure they'll be told that she may or may not remember and if she does, there is no time table in which the memories will return or which ones will.

And that's exactly what they're told.

Two weeks later.

Grant argues against it. He tries to push past their stubbornness and try to make them see reason, but they stand firm. Simmons comes back today. She can't remember them or what happened, and they decided to let her back on the Bus after some time off. Fitz and Skye keep her company, try to get her to remember. From what's he heard-Grant won't ask directly, it's fault she can't remember in the first place- the most she get's is brief little flashes.

He washes from afar as she rediscovers the Bus. She falls in love with it all over again. Grant never watched her the first time. He makes sure to watch her now. He watches the way she smiles, her eyes glancing from one thing to the next, and the excited words that tumble out of her mouth to Fitz and Skye. Some things just don't change.

It's easy. Easier then he expected to fall into familiar patterns. Sometimes it feels like it never it happened. That she didn't forget, didn't go back to her Academy days. Days past by, then weeks, she doesn't remember. Or at least that's what she tells them. Grant's not in her head, so he can't say if she's lying or not. And still, after all this time, Simmons is one of the few he has trouble reading. Even now, she's still trouble for him.

She's still trouble to read, but he doesn't miss that look. It's evening, or at least that what's he suspects, Simmons's in the lab as usual with Fitz, and Skye's attempting to spar with him. It keeps ending with Skye sprawled on the mat. He let out a frustrated sigh, and extended a hand for Skye to take, his eyes gazing into the windows into the lab.

Her back is turned from Fitz so that Grant can see her face. She should smiling because she's always smiling. Though, she isn't smiling. He's seen that face before, and she doubts if she remembered that she'd know he did. Grant had watched from the safety of another room from the video feed. She wants to cry; she's holding back tears.

"Uhh." He lets out a slight groan when his back meets the mat and Jemma leaves his view.

"Jeez, super spy." Skye laughed besides him. "I thought you weren't supposed to turn your back on the opponent."

Grant doesn't get a chance to talk to her. She recovers her smile and goes back to entertaining Fitz in the lab.

He should be sleeping now, it's late after all, but he can't get her out of his head. Laying on his back on the too small bed, he's accepted he won't be getting any sleep tonight. It turns out someone else has decided that he won't be getting sleep by the knock that sounds against his door.

He sighed, just because he wasn't sleeping didn't mean he wanted to be bothered either.

The knock sounds again, short and frantic. He recognizes that knock, Jemma.

He doesn't hesitate to slide open the door to the scientist. "Hey, are you alri-" His words are interrupted by the chemist who throws her arms around him, hugging him tightly. He wraps his arms around her tiny form, holding her even closer.

They're quiet for a few minutes. Grant's chin resting against the top of her head.

"Thank you." She says, tilting her head to look up at him.

Grant frowned. "For what?"

"Y-you caught me." She whispered with tears threatening to spill.

They go back to holding each other for a few minutes.

"I can't sleep." She spoke up again.

"I have a solution for that." He spoke softly into her hair.

A few words of protest left her mouth as he pulled her onto the bed with him.

"What are you doing?"

"Shh." He was a bit louder this time as he wrapped his arms around him. She was curled on her side, back flush against his chest with his arms wrapped protectively around her. Its a while before the both of them fall asleep.

They've done this before, a few times in fact, but she doesn't remember.

Some days are easier than others. Sometimes she remembers, and the memories are pleasant. Other days the memories aren't as pleasant. Jemma always ends up sleeping next to him on those days. When everything is too much for words, they lean next to each other for comfort. It becomes a habit for both of them. Sometimes they sleep together with out the prompting of bad memories. And sometimes they exchange small kisses. Ward has to tell himself they don't mean anything, but he wants them to. At some point the began to mean something for both of them.

May catches them when he's letting Jemma out of the confines of his bunk.

"You two could be a bit more discrete you know." Again, she speaks with that calmness that she owns.

A rosy blush creeps up Jemma's cheeks. "I..uhh...t-there's n-nothing happening between us." She sputtered at May who now wore a slight smile.

"She's right." Coulson sighed revealing himself from where ever he was hiding.

"You owe 20." May said turning from the caught agents to Coulson.

"You bet us on, sir?" Ward asked glancing between the two.

"Of course." He answered. "I bet Fitz or Skye would catch you first, but obviously I was wrong."

'Oh God, Fitz." Jemma muttered.

"You'll find a way to tell them." Coulson said, attempting to offer reassurance. "Both of you." He added, making it clear Grant would shoulder some of this responsibility as well.

"Please." May sighed with a slight roll of her eyes. "Because all this sneaking around is giving me a head ache."

She took his hand after they left looking up with him with bright eyes. He swears she's made of sunshine in these moments. "I guess we should tell them then." Jemma smiled.

"Yeah, we should." Grant smiled down at her.