Fitz hears the clicks that signal the pod securing itself into place on the jet and then the doors open. He moves from where he'd been sitting on the floor and slowly makes his way toward the doors.
The others have all rushed out by the time he reaches the door. They don't have someone out there waiting for them that they have to disappoint.
As he steps out of the pod, he sees Daisy with Lincoln, Mack with Hunter and Bobbi, and May making her way towards Coulson. What he doesn't see is her, not right away.
He hears the sound of footsteps and he turns around. That is when he sees her, her eyes locked on the inside of the pod.
He knows what she's looking for, who she's looking for. He also knows that there's no one left inside.
He stands behind her silently, waiting until she's ready before he says anything. He watches as she stands unmoving, the reflection of her eyes moving in the glass the only sign that she is still searching.
He takes a deep breath. It's only been a few minutes, really, since he had to resign himself to what he was about to do, what he was going to have to tell her. He rubs at his eyes for a moment, wishing that doing so could change what he saw in front of him.
When he opens his eyes, he sees Jemma finally begin to move. She turns to face him and in her eyes he stills sees questions.
What about Will? Where is he? Is he okay?
He barely shakes his head but he knows that she understands. He sees the tears begin to well up in her eyes and it hurts him more than anything they've been before. This time there was no fight, no enemy he could protect her from. His mission was doomed from the start.
He takes a step towards her. He doesn't know what he's going to do but he can't stand to see her hurting like this.
He starts to speak.
I'm sorry. I tried. I wanted to bring him back for you. I'm sorry.
Every word he could think to say was pushed from his mind as he felt her hands reach around his neck. All he can hear now is her, the sounds of her ragged breaths, the quiet, choked sobs muffled as she presses into his shoulder.
He wraps his arms around her then, hoping his actions will speak for him.
She pulls him in tighter. He can't help but be reminded of the last time he held her this close, and then of how much had changed since then.
Across the room, he catches Coulson's eyes. Fitz can see that the thoughts running through the other man's head are much like those plaguing his own mind.
Everything is not alright. Not yet, anyway. We're not really safe. We didn't win.
Those problems would have to be dealt with, and the future certainly did not look easy. But for now, Jemma needs him and that is more important than anything else the universe can throw at them.