Jemma was sitting at the window, staring out as a car lazily drifted by, headlights piercing the darkness. The hope that briefly sparked in her chest at the sight of the vehicle died quickly once she realized it was not Leo's. Nervousness clawed her heart but she tried to push it aside, chiding herself about worrying so much. She was sure Leo was fine; he was just running a little late. Looking at the time, she noticed that another hour had passed, and still he wasn't home. Earlier, she called her neighbors asking if they had seen or heard Leo recently, but none has seen him. One of them asked Jemma what was wrong, but she lied, saying everything was fine and that he was just running a little late. Suddenly, the phone rings and she quickly picked it up, answering it with a hopefully word. "Leo?"
"Simmons, you need to come to the emergency room now." It wasn't Leo; it was Coulson. Fear fired through her body as Jemma placed the phone down, scurrying for her keys as she grabbed her bag. Running out of the house and locking the door, she got into her car, starting the engine and driving away.
"Hang on," she whispered, feeling panicked. "I'm coming, Leo." She remembered in December when Leo took her to the park and had a picnic by the water. It was a lovely day, with a slight breeze out, but it wasn't too cold. Once they finished their dinner and went on walking around the water. Suddenly, he turned in front of Jemma, surprising her. He bent down on his knee first and proposed to her, his blue eyes staring up into hers and Jemma covered her mouth, tears of joy springing to her eyes. She never hesitated to say yes, and the next day they planned their wedding to be held on the spring solstice, a few months after January.
It was going to be a small wedding, with their families as well as the team; there was no way they weren't going to invite Coulson, May, Ward, and Skye. It wouldn't be the same without them there. The two had it all planned out, from the theme to what they were going to serve. Jemma even chose her wedding dress (with the help of Skye), though she hadn't told Leo that yet. He was going to wait until their wedding day to see her in it. They even decided to keep FitzSimmons as a surname.
She pulled up to the entrance of the ER, parking and shutting off her car as quick as she could before leaping out, walking swiftly inside and to the front desk. After explaining who she was there to see, two nurses lead her down the maze of hallways, explaining what happened. But Jemma could barely hear them; she could only focus on trying to keep herself from breaking down. Outside of the room, Ward was pacing in, May and Skye sitting in the chairs. Coulson was standing by the doorway and he looked up at Jemma grimly. Ward stopped his pacing and watching with the others as she walked into Leo's room, sitting next to his bedside and gripping his hand a little too tight.
"Hey, Jem," Leo rasped, smiling weakly at her. She could tell he was in a really bad shape internally, not to mention how banged up he was externally.
"Leo," she greeted, choking out the words as she continued to hold his hand tightly. "I'm so sorry."
"Don't apologize," he scolded. "It's not your fault that a drunk driver rammed into me. I'm just glad you're here, this place is dull. They won't let me watch Doctor Who!"
Jemma laughed weakly, glad that he still had a sarcastic attitude. "That is a tragedy all in itself," she agreed. The two suddenly fell into silence, and she took in a shaky breath, trying not to start sobbing. She felt Leo start rubbing circles on the back of her hand with his thumb, and she felt a little calmer.
"Remember that house on the hill we picked out?" Leo murmured softly. "It was perfect…" Jemma squeezed his hand again, swallowing heavily as she forced back her tears.
"Don't forget the kids we were going to have," she whispered softly, raising his hand to her lips and kissing it gently.
Leo chuckled softly, wincing slightly as he gazed back up at Jemma with loving eyes. "How could I forget that?" Wheezing, he coughed again, and Jemma winced when she heard a rattling sound. "I just wish we had our wedding…"
As soon as he said that an idea struck her. "I'll be right back," she promised him and released his hand before scurrying out of the room.
"Where are you going?" Skye called, surprise in her voice. Jemma ignored her, and walked up to a few nurses.
Quickly, she explained to them her plan, and they agreed, one nurse heading back to their station to make the call. Jemma then raced back toward the room, ignoring the confused calls of her teammates, and slipped into the room next door. "Sorry," she began, seeing the surprised looks on the faces of the woman and her husband. "But can I borrow your wedding rings for a little bit? I promise I'll give them back right after."
"What do you need them for?" The woman asked in a curious tone.
Once more, the biochemist explained her plan, and the couple agreed, feeling bad for Jemma. Taking the rings, she scurried back to the room Leo was lying in; Coulson and the others peering inside once a chaplain followed close behind. Ignoring the small crowd, Jemma sat down next to Leo, taking his hand as the chaplain opened his book, reading out loud a few verses.
Jemma could hear people laughing, but she could also hear the grief in their throats, and a few crying. Leo was staring at her in surprise as she gripped his hand again, slipping the ring onto his finger as the chaplain finished speaking. Now, it was her turn.
Looking into her eyes, she began to speak. "I want you forever, forever and always, Leo. Though the good, bad, and the ugly. We'll grow old together, and always remember, whether we're happy or sad or whatever," her voice choked up and she struggled to continue on, "we'll still love each other, forever and always. Forever and always. Forever and always." She repeated the last two sentences softly, but the soft, sad smile on Leo's lips showed her he had heard her repeat them.
Jemma finished her vows to him, but the beeping on the machines was getting slower, slipping away from their steady pace from earlier. Leo was weaker now, she could see that, and she was trying not to break down sobbing as he spoke his vows, his voice almost too low.
"I love you forever, forever and always, Jemma. Please just remember, even if I'm not there, I'll always love you, forever and always." Sighing softly, Leo fell still and the monitor stopped beeping and let out a continuous whine.
"Leo?" Jemma whispered, squeezing his hand. "Oh, Leo…" Her voice cracked as she broke down sobbing, still holding onto his hand as she wept. She barely noticed the doctors and nurses going around her to pull out the IV lines they placed in Leo's arm.
She felt Skye hug her tightly as she finally released his hand for the doctors to take him away. A nurse took the rings away to give them to the couple as Jemma cried on Skye's shoulder. Skye helped her out of the chair as the others moved away from the doorway to comfort Jemma.
Jemma could hear Skye sniffling as she cried as well, and hugged her tighter. The whole team was grieving; their sadness was heavy in the air. Their team that once consisted of six now consisted of five.
FitzSimmons was no more.
Only Simmons.
Only Simmons…
Oh god I'm going to die if I keep this up. I'm so sorry. This story is based on the song Forever and Always by Parachute.