"Stop asking me to trust you while I'm still coughing up water from the last time you let me drown." ~ Unknown


"It's not the tea...the tea is fine."

"Then what is it?"

"I-I just-I, um," Jemma stumbled. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and couldn't bring herself to look at Fitz. It had been a couple of weeks since she'd been back and she was still struggling with so much. Jemma knew that of anyone within their team...within their family...that understood how she felt...it was Fitz. She still hated appearing weak in front of him, feeling less than she was. It had to be exactly how Fitz had felt after the damage he'd sustained from the lack of oxygen as they'd come to the surface after being dropped into the ocean by Ward. She knew that he STILL felt like that.

Tears started to gloss her eyes, which only made her feel worse. Turning away from Fitz, Jemma tried to hide how she was struggling. Whenever she felt like things were getting better, she'd break down. Things were harder now and she WANTED to be normal...or as normal as she could get back to being, but that just seemed to complicate things all the more. "Leo, please...I just-"

"Space," Fitz responded quickly and held his hands up. "I know...I got it, I just-"

"I know," Jemma said as she turned back towards Fitz. She reached out across the lab table and let her hand rest gently over his. "I just..I…" The words still wouldn't come and it only further upset her.

Fitz had been so sweet about everything. He'd been there at every step of the way when she'd needed him and he'd leave her to her space when she needed it without making a fuss or hurt feelings. He'd really been doing everything and anything that might make her feel more human...more normal. It did help. That was quite true, but it wasn't something that could be fixed or healed at a snap of the fingers. Slowly, he'd been trying to get her back in the lab, but that meant banishing everyone in order to eliminate the excess distractions. He'd even adjusted the lighting and adjusted the settings on any device in the lab that made a loud and unexpected sudden sound.

"How about if we just have a seat?" Fitz asked as he moved around the table until he was on the same side as she was. He sat down and just stared up at her.

It seemed so silly.

It seemed so simple.

It seemed so perfect.

Jemma sat down alongside Fitz and allowed her head to drop onto his shoulder. The tension in her, the upset, the worry...it all melted away in that moment. She didn't know how Fitz did it, but he knew exactly what she needed and he knew exactly how to be patient with her.

"I could sit here all day," she whispered.

"Then we will."

Smiling, she shook her head on his shoulder. "There's work that needs to be done...we can't just monopolize the lab like this."

"We could."

"Coulson is expecting reports and lab tests to be completed," Jemma told him. Somehow this...this was an easier conversation. Just talking to Fitz, like this, it was easy. When it came to trying to actually function in the lab doing tests, lab work, and paperwork...that's where she found herself freezing up.

"One day of the lab not being as productive as Coulson's used to isn't going to get anyone into trouble, Jemma," he said gently. "Plus, it's not like he's HERE to supervise right now."

Jemma thought about that for a moment. "But it's our jobs, Fitz—"

"It IS," he conceded. "That doesn't mean that we can't take a break for a little bit."

They had been sitting there for quite a while. No one bothering them. Coulson had taken the team out…which was pretty much everyone except them. Hunter and May hadn't come back or checked in and it had Coulson and Bobbi quite worried. So, he'd taken Bobbi, Mack, and Skye—Daisy…her name was Daisy and eventually…Jemma knew she'd get it.

Jemma hated that she couldn't go, to be of use, it wasn't just because she wasn't cleared for field duty by Doctor Garner…it was because SHE didn't feel up to it. She was too afraid to how she'd react out in the field, especially if it ended up being quite badly. Worse of all, Fitz had refused to go along. He'd deny it, but she'd overheard Coulson giving him the option. Fitz had chosen to stay with her and that if they absolutely needed him that he'd go out after them. She tried not to feel guilty.

Being with Fitz was such a comfort, he had become her anchor back to the world and she'd ended up being in such a state of peace that she'd nearly fallen asleep. The loud barrage of sounds had made her jump and her hand immediately went to her pocket to grab onto the small weapon that she'd created on that planet Fitz had dragged her back from. Her other hold was on Fitz's arm as she sat up. They were both on alert, both tense, as screaming and shouting went on…as gun shots echoed through The Playground…klaxons sounded…and it was clear that there was a problem.

The Playground had been breached.

"We're going to be okay," Fitz whispered.

She didn't know if she believed it, though. Who had breached The Playground? How had they? What organization was it? Why hadn't there been any advanced warning? "Fitz," she whispered as her hold tightened on his arm.

"It's going to be alright, Jemma," he tried to assure.

Right now, they were blocked from the main view of anyone. They were safe, she supposed, as safe as anyone could be with an enemy combatant infiltrating their base. She was watching Fitz, he was trying to come up with a plan of escape. She knew him well enough to know that. They weren't trained in combat, but could handle themselves if they were armed. Right now, they weren't armed.

"Maybe we could get to Coulson's office," Fitz suggested.

"They've probably already made their way there," she whispered. "The shelter…"

Suddenly, it hit her how quiet it was. It didn't make it relax, though, she just clung to Fitz with one hand and to her weapon still hidden in her pocket with the other. If anything, she was far more tense than she had been before.

It couldn't just be over.

HYDRA was her best guess, of course, they were a good guess in general. May and Hunter had gone after Ward…and Coulson and the others had left to go after them…did that mean the worse? Jemma was certain that no one would give up such sensitive information…at least not willingly. HYDRA did have a history of getting information that people wouldn't give through alternative methods.

"Fitz? Simmons? They're gone," came a voice. It was a familiar voice. "Are you in here?"

Fitz moved and popped his head up to peek, but Jemma stayed right where she was. "Alonso? Are you hurt?"

"No, I'm okay… I mean, there's some blood, but nothing serious."

Her eyes turned to stare at him from where she sat, to watch for how his face might change. From how he was reacting, she knew that Alonso's wound wasn't THAT bad. She could tell a lot by just watching Fitz. "What did they want?" she asked as she tried to relax. Jemma couldn't find herself able to, her hand still connected to a part of Fitz.

"The Inhumans."

"Was it HYDRA?" Fitz asked.

"I didn't exactly stop and ask, but I'd assume so," Alonso supplied. "I hit my head running to find a place to hide when I heard the gunshots…I fell…and then I stayed down…they must have thought I was dead… I know that makes me a coward, but—"

"No, you were right to do that."

And Fitz was right.

Sometimes you had to run or play dead if it meant surviving.

Slowly, Jemma got to her feet. She kept the sharpened weapon hidden and just held tight to Fitz's hand. Alonso had a head wound and it really didn't look bad at all, especially give that head wounds normally bled quite a bit. "Are we safe?" she asked, feeling like no matter what he said…she knew that the answer would be 'no'.

"They could come back," Alonso said. "I mean, they got in…it's obviously no longer safe here. Maybe we should put in an emergency call to the director."

"I don't think the director is exactly available," Fitz said and ran a hand through his hair. He was nervous.

"What about Agent May?"

"No, they're all gone," Fitz said shaking his head. "We've got to figure this out ourselves."

"We should probably check to see how they penetrated the base," Jemma spoke up, but her words were primarily directed to Fitz. "We need to assess things. There must be wounded agents and…" Jemma's voice trailed off. For a moment, she felt like her old self, but then what had just happened really hit her and weighed heavily on her. "…and some are likely dead," Jemma finally pushed out.

"We should make certain that Inhumans are all that were taken…and figure out which ones," Fitz said. "When Coulson DOES check in, he's going to expect a detailed report and we have to have it ready."

Alonso just seemed to take it all in. "Points of entry are a priority?"

"I would say so."

Fitz pulled her along with him as they exited the lab, following Alonso, the hallway was littered with bodies. There were moans and movement coming from most, or so it appeared to Jemma as they moved through the hall. Normally, she'd assist with medical aid and immediately go into triage mode, but she couldn't…she couldn't leave Fitz. He was her anchor…he kept her tethered to reality. Of course, she wasn't the only one with a medical background who was currently at The Playground, but she felt a pang of guilt just the same.

People seemed to be helping others, which was good and eased the guilt that Jemma felt, but she knew that that meant that she was less useful than normal. Of course, her usefulness and her ability to do anything that was her job had been greatly impacted since she'd been taken away nearly seven months before. No matter how much she'd start to feel settled, she'd suddenly feel like she was a burden to everyone.

Alonso was leading the way and Jemma was keeping count as they went of how many agents seemed like they would need serious medical attention once they finished assessing the severity of the infiltration. "What about Agent Koenig?"

"I do-don't know…" Fitz rambled. "I think he's off on a different assignment."

It wasn't until they were to the hanger bay that it hit her. HYDRA could have easily done what they'd done on occasion, infiltrated their base via the procurement of one of their transports and knowing their protocols. "Lockdown," was all Jemma said as she held onto Fitz's hand, their shoulders touching as they continued to walk.

"Lock—"

Fitz couldn't finish his word as they entered the hangar bay, it only took a blink. She was yanked away from Fitz and he from her. The symbol for HYDRA, bright white against stark black on a uniform, caught Jemma's attention as she watched Fitz being knocked out. His body fell to the ground before she could get words out and before she could pull the weapon from her pocket. Jemma's captor hit her over the head just as she heard a gunshot. Everything went black and Jemma completely welcomed it.


TBC...