Bad missions didn't happen often, but when they did, the mood of the team was dropped to the bottom of the ocean. Coulson told them to stay in the rooms they had rented, but acting undercover was no longer necessary. They were to rest until further orders.
Stay with me, baby stay with me,
Tonight don't leave me alone.
"Stay with me?" Jemma asked softly as Leo began to turn away from her door. The plea was tainted ever so slightly with desperation, despite the efforts to keep her voice level. Please don't leave me alone. Blinking a bit in surprise, he nodded and stepped through the door. Closing it behind him and shrugging off his large snow-dusted coat, he watched his partner slowly walk to the large window. With a small hand, she brushed the heavy red curtains just a bit more to the side. Amber-brown eyes stared out at the skyline of New York, the lights glinting through the darkness, only outshone by the harvest moon floating over the scene.
Walk with me, come and walk with me,
To the edge of all we've ever known.
He hung up his coat next to hers and slowly walked up to the window with her, standing just a touch behind her. Her eyes were troubled, worried, and he gently reached out to touch her shoulder.
"You okay?" he asked softly.
In a sudden motion, she had spun around and wrapped her arms around him. Her head was buried into his chest, letting him shield her from the world. After a moment of hesitation, he hugged her back, gently wrapping himself around her.
I can see you there with the city lights,
Fourteenth floor, pale blue eyes.
I can breathe you in.
Pulling back just a bit, he saw her cheek resting on his chest. Her eyes reflected the city lights, tinting them blue. The great expanse of the city was an awe inspiring sight from fourteen floors up, and was just that much more beautiful in Simmons's eyes. He took a deep breath, reminding himself that he wasn't allowed to think that way, but all he noticed was the way she smelled, like lavender and vanilla and something that reminded him of the lab.
Two shadows standing by the bedroom door,
No, I could not want you more than I did right then,
As our heads leaned in.
She pulled back and looked up into his eyes, and all he wanted to do was lean forward and kiss her. Unconsciously, he started to move forward, just a touch. They were closer than they had ever been before. His brain and his heart were going insane, fighting and vying for control of his actions.
And then his heart won.
Well, I'm not sure what this is gonna be,
But with my eyes closed all I see
Is the skyline, through the window,
The moon above you and the streets below.
Hold my breath as you're moving in,
Taste your lips and feel your skin.
Leo's breath caught in his throat as he leaned in. Behind closed lids, he could still see her, framed by the moon and the stars and the glinting skyline. Every nerve was a live wire.
And then they were kissing.
Her lips were baby-soft, gentle and sweet. He kissed her for a moment, then pulled back to see her looking a touch shocked, brain reeling and trying to process what had just happened.
Reality came crashing down on him.
Stuttering out apologies, he backed up, fumbled for his coat and managed to get it on. Apologies and good-byes fell from his lips as he closed the door behind him, practically sprinting for his own room.
Once there, he let himself thud into the wall and slide down. He sat there in the dark, not daring to even open his eyes. How could he have been so stupid?!
When the time comes, baby don't run, just kiss me slowly.
Simmons practically collapsed onto the sofa. Why did he run like that? She had wanted him to do that like nothing else, to trap her lips in his and softly, slowly kiss her. Grabbing a pillow, she let out a scream of frustration into it.
The next day, they acted as if nothing had happened.
Stay with me, baby stay with me,
Tonight don't leave me alone.
She shows me everything she used to know,
Picture frames and country roads,
When the days were long and the world was small.
Simmons was sitting on the edge of her bunk, holding a picture frame in both hands, staring at it with a blank look in her eyes. Leo poked his head in and rapped on the edge of theopen door, one, two, three times. She glanced up for a moment, gave a light nod, and looked back down at the image in her hands. He settled down next to her, eyes glancing over the image.
It was the one they had taken on their second official mission as members of Coulson's team. They were in front of the ancient temple, beaming at the camera. In the background, Ward called at them to hurry up, Skye was bouncing and beaming on her first mission. Everyone was happy. Hydra was a thing for history books.
A tear fell from her face to the glass.
She stood by as it fell apart,
Separate rooms and broken hearts,
But I won't be the one to let you go.
Fitz watched as the memories flashed in her eyes, gently putting an arm around her shoulders. She leaned into him, letting his warmth cradle her.
The way things had slowly fallen apart around them, the message scratched in the "window" revealing the traitor in their midst, the horrible, crushing feeling of being betrayed.
The look on Ward's face as he watched the room separate from the plane. The sounds of Jemma's screams as they plummeted through the air and splashed down. The way it had felt afterwards, hearts torn in two by betrayal.
The way she had told him when he woke up that she would have never let him go, that she would have never left him at the bottom of the ocean.
She was looking at him now, watching him with tears just barely appearing in her eyes and a look on her face he could never describe.
"Leo…" she whispered slowly, and suddenly he could name that look, the one that she was giving him now.
Loving.
Oh, I'm not sure what this is gonna be,
But with my eyes closed all I see
Is the skyline, through the window,
The moon above you and the streets below.
He closed his eyes and suddenly his mind saw the Jemma from so many months ago, her eyes cloaked in the light of the moon and her body framed with the glimmering skyline of the city.
Leo closed the distance.
Hold my breath as you're moving in,
Taste your lips and feel your skin.
When the time comes, baby don't run, just kiss me slowly.
And they were kissing again, soft lips and lavender with hints of vanilla and antiseptic, the warmth of his mouth on hers and the pounding of his heart in his head. And when they stopped, he just wanted to do it again.
But before that could happen, something crashed inside of him.
Don't run away...
And it's hard to love again,
When the only way it's been,
When the only love you knew,
Just walked away...
If it's something that you want,
Darling you don't have to run,
You don't have to go ...
"I-I- er- sor-" he stuttered, trying to apologize, slowly standing up. Before he shifted all of his weight from the bed, he felt a small hand grab his.
"Leo, no." He froze. What? Confusion bunched his eyebrows together.
"Leo, you are not running away again," she said, quietly but firmly. "You're more than that to me, too. When were you going to figure that out?" His weight shifted back to the bed.
"I thought…" his voice trailed off.
"Leopold Fitz, are you really that blind?" she quipped, lightness dancing on her tone. "You need to stop running away," Jemma finished in a murmur, leaning closer.
This time, she kissed him.
Just stay with me, baby stay with me,
When they were both out of breath and smiling, Jemma flopped down on the bed and stared up at Leo.
"Stay with me?" He nodded and leaned over to kiss her again.
Well, I'm not sure what this is gonna be,
But with my eyes closed all I see
Is the skyline, through the window,
The moon above you and the streets below. (Don't let go)
Hold my breath as you're moving in,
Taste your lips and feel your skin.
When the time comes, baby don't run, just kiss me slowly.
Leo wasn't really sure what they were going to be, how this was going to work out, but he didn't care. He was kissing the girl he loved and she was kissing him back. And even later, when they were curled up together, covered in blankets, he felt a smile tugging at the corners of his lips.
Oh, I'm not sure where this is gonna go,
But in this moment all I know
Is the skyline, through the window,
The moon above you and the streets below. (Baby, don't let go)
Hold my breath as you're moving in,
Taste your lips and feel your skin.
When the time comes, baby don't run, just kiss me slowly.
Nothing could be more perfect, he thought, tucking his head into the crook of her neck.
Lavender and vanilla wreathed around him as he followed Simmons into a contented sleep.