Disclaimer: If I could own any of the Whedon's productions I'd have a huge list of characters I'd bring back to life. Sadly, however, those characters are still dead. No copyright intended.
A/N: So after I wrote this I realized Jemma wasn't actually in it the whole time - so I refrained from putting it in the "romance" category. However, it's full of worried Fitz for his Simmons, so yes, this is a Fitzsimmons fic.
For those following my other story, I'm still writing, I promise! I wrote this because the idea came to me and I couldn't not write it. And because last AOS episode was mind blowing and I'm freaking out. So, here's Fitz freaking out. You're welcome.
"We're sorry, but the number you are trying to reach is out of service."
With an unsettled breath he hung up the phone and tucked it back into his pocket. Fitz hastily walked in the room, his hands running over his head time and time again. He paused for a moment, standing in the doorway, and he let his thoughts take a full hold on him. His hand started to tremble as his other scratched the back of his head, an anxious expression on his face.
"Turbo, buddy," Mack stepped up behind Fitz, finding his demeanor a little out of character. Fitz looked up at him, Mack instantly seeing how petrified he was. "What-" he looked around, unsure why his friend was looking like this. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. "Is everything okay?"
Fitz looked back into the room. A large, encased, black rock standing tall in the center of it – the glass door unbolted from his locks. He turned his neck back at Mack and shook his head. "I-I don't know, it's just not… right…" He took in a deep inhale, collecting himself. "Have you seen Jemma?"
Mack wagged his head, frowning as he said, "No. Not that I can think of. She was doing tests on whatever this thing is, wasn't she?"
Fitz nodded, staring back at the scene. It wasn't right. Simmons would never just leave all of her stuff sprawled out. "Yeah… Yeah no one seems to have um-" Fitz clamped his mouth shut, the words not coming out. He had progressed so well with speech, but if he got upset in any way, words were his enemy. He took in another deep breath and looked at his tall, massive friend. "No one seems to know where she is."
"Huh." Mack seemed to think nothing of it. That was normal, right? Why should Fitz be worried? There's no where she could have gone, other than her room. "She's not in her room?"
Fitz shook his head again. "No, no I looked."
"Well, hey," Mack placed a hand tightly on Fitz' shoulder. "I bet she's in the kitchen, making you guys some tea or something, all right? C'mon, let's go-"
"I already looked there, Mack," Fitz' voice came out strained this time, jerking away from his grasp. "I've looked - … I've looked everywhere."
Mack could tell he was freaking out about this odd disappearance, but he didn't understand why. He needed to approach this the right way. Fitz was worried, then he needed to be worried, too. "All right, all right. How long has she been missing?"
Fitz shrugged, his nerves starting to get a hold of him again. His hand shook as he said, "I don't know. I talked to her a few hours ago … we were gonna get somethin' to eat…" He spewed out a puff of breath, holding back any urge of tears. "She never came to tell me she was done with, um, with work. When I came to look for her, everyone said they hadn't seen her. By then it'd been an hour since I saw her last."
"Okay, well maybe she got called up by Coulson or something. Have you talked to him?"
"No, no, no- you're not getting it Mack," Fitz snapped at him, tears puddling in his eyes. "No one's seen her. Jemma's- she- she's gone. Out of nowhere! I don't know –" Fitz couldn't finish that sentence; his mouth, or perhaps his mind, wouldn't let him.
"Fitz, c'mon man, I'm sure she'll turn up any time now. I mean, where could she have gone?" Mack reaffirmed his hand on his friend shoulder and looked him in the eyes. It seemed to help. "So no one's seen Simmons. Did you try calling her?"
"Yeah," Fitz pulled out his cell phone from his pocket. "Keep gettin' a voice tellin' me the numbers out of service."
Even Mack found that odd. "Okay, okay. Have you checked the security footage?"
Fitz shook his head. "No, I – I didn't think about that."
"Well c'mon then, let's go take a look – I'm sure it'll lead us right to where she's wandered off to –"
At that, the giant, dark rock melted into a coagulated substance that spread out past the threshold of its casing, and then quickly retreated back into itself.
All Fitz could remember after that was Mack fearfully locking the door back in place, Fitz just staring down at the ground, seeing certain tools Simmons used on a daily basis, scattered.
"Fitz," Mack shook his arm, trying to pull him out of his trance. "Fitz, c'mon Turbo,"
He looked back down at the cell phone gripped in his hand. His thumb swiped the screen, looking at his smudged finger prints covering the glass. He could hear it, playing over and over again in his head. We're sorry, but the number you are trying to reach is out of service.
Out of service.
Out of reach.
Fitz slammed his phone on the counter, taking in deep breaths to try and calm himself down. Mack eyed him, walking in the room with an almost tip-toe. With everything happening with this ghost-rider guy, Mack hadn't talked much to Fitz lately. Seeing him now though, he could tell he wasn't too happy.
"Hey, man," Mack said softly. "Everything all right?"
Fitz looked up, trying to keep tears from building up in his eyes. "Yeah, yeah. No, it's nothin'."
"You sure? Cause, it doesn't look too much like nothing."
Fitz shook his head. "Today's just … not an easy day. Been bringing back some not-so-great memories."
Mack nodded, understanding. Fitz, out of all his friends, has been through probably the most crap. "Well, anything I can do to help?"
Fitz shook his head, seeming to change the subject. He placed his finger on his phone and said, "You haven't seen Jemma 'round anywhere, have you?"
At first Mack took that to mean he'd prefer Jemma's input on something, but after a moment of watching Fitz' face, he could tell this subject was much more related to their previous conversation than he realized. "No, I haven't."
Fitz nodded, taking in another deep breath. "You and everyone else." He muttered to himself, unsuccessfully trying to work on whatever he was working on.
"Turbo," Mack said firmly. Fitz looked up, seeing the seriousness in Mack's face. "I can promise you right now, history is not going to repeat itself. You got it?"
Fitz nodded. "Yeah, yeah, no - I know." He wagged his head and shrugged. "Just really wish she'd pick up her bloody phone."
Mack gave him a sympathetic smile, patting his friends shoulder before leaving the room. "She will."
I would not doubt that any of that is inaccurate somehow, so we're gonna say this is an AU.
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