Turning Point

by Anytha84

Sequel to Concealed Realisations. Jemma and Leo's feelings are confused but they're too eager to go to the mysterious SHIELD's Academy to dwell in them. It takes the trip back home to shatter their bubble and force them to recognise their feelings and wonder what to do. That and the possibility of being separated. Promtp #32: Farewells. HEADCANON SERIES R&R

-HEAD CANON SERIES-

First of all, a big thank you to all of you. I'm writing a bit slowly right now since work and real life is sort of hectic and yet, I still receive reviews and comments and messages with appreciation for my stories.

You guys are the best. I'm speechless...

This is set immediately after Concealed Realisations. And for those who have read my other stories, this is an important piece for the whole series.

It's quite long so I had to divide it in two chapters.

There will be a bit of an explanation of how FitzSimmons knew about SHIELD and the Fitz family' past; I will probably write something more specific about the latter but I think you'll get a fair overview of what has happened here.

And... there's the not-so-subtly-mentioned argument scene between Leo and Jemma in chapter 2.

Hope you guys like it..

The Prompt was #32: Farewells.

Thanks to my Beta StarryDreamer01 who helped me edit this.

DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN AGENTS OF SHIELD.

---

The days after coming back from Alison's wedding had been hectic to say the least.

Leo had been working on different projects at Techdata while Jemma's preparation for her dissertation took all her time. They barely had a moment to talk at night before they collapsed on their beds, exhausted.

Fortunately, Jemma discussed her dissertation in the middle of the week and with her second PhD under her belt and Leo cheering for her when her top grade was announced, she felt happier than ever.

And her mood got even better when Leo suggested they go out for dinner to celebrate at one of their favourite Italian restaurants. While they were there, Jemma noticed the little looks shot in their direction and saw how other girls would admire Leo who looked quite handsome in his dark trousers and blue shirt that complimented his eyes. Even the fading bruise under his eye didn't take away his boyish charm; she tried not to stare and think about his brother and friends who were responsible for it and his aching ribs. Thankfully, Leo was healing fine and nothing had broken.

Leo looked at her and smiled and she tried to ignore the little twist in her chest and attempted to smile back calmly.

Jemma still thought about the kiss they had shared during his sister's wedding.

She had initiated it; she had closed the distance between their lips and she had declared that it was just a ruse. And he had responded to her kiss.

And she knew that Leo knew that she was lying...and yet he didn't say a word.

It was relief and torture altogether.

As they walked back to their dorm, her arm looped around his as they chatted under the moonlight, Jemma wondered how they could be so close and honest with each other and yet ignore the blatant elephant in the room that were their confused emotions.

"Hey..." She looked up and found Leo staring at her, blue eyes glinting under the moonlight. It did something to her, seeing him like this: her heart did an odd flutter and thud movement in her chest.

"Yeah?" She managed to reply.

"Are you alright? Tired?"

Jemma smiled at the hint of concern in his voice. He always worried for her...

"I'm fine," she said. "Just a little bit tired but nothing that a few hours of sleep won't fix."

"Sleep sounds really good," he remarked, smiling back. "I'm expecting a hell of a week at TechData."

She squeezed his bicep softly, knowing that one of the reasons behind his work load was this free day he had taken to be with her and celebrate her second PhD.

The thought that he cared so much twisted something in her chest but she didn't linger on it. She'd rather live with this hazy feeling than do something to jeopardize their friendship.

It was just a moment of confusion.

It would pass.

-:-

When the weekend came, Jemma was far more relaxed than she had been at the beginning of the week. She had spent a day resting in the dorm and the next few arranging her lab hours with other doctorate students and professors. She had been asked to cooperate on a few projects and -she blushed at the thought- her thesis was going to be published and used as a text book for a course.

All in all, she was pretty happy.

She was cooking right now and glanced at the clock on the wall, knowing that Leo would be back any minute.

He had to work full time on Saturday to make up for his day of leave and Jemma had decided to surprise him with dinner and a Harry Potter marathon.

She was checking the pot roast, simmering on the stove when the dorm's front door opened as a loud rumble of thunder went off in the sky. Jemma nearly jumped at the double noise.

"Leo?" She called.

"I'm here, hang on..." He replied and she heard muttered curses. Lowering the fire under the pan, she turned the corner of the kitchen aisle and approached him. Her eyebrows shot up at the sight of him: he was drenched to the skin.

"I didn't even realise that it was raining," she said as he removed his sopping trainers.

"Yeah, just my luck," he remarked. "It started pouring as soon as I got out of the bus. I made a run for it but this freak storm is rather strong."

"Hang on," She rushed into the loo and grabbed a towel. "Here." She held it out to him.

"Jemma, that's your-"

"It doesn't matter, does it?" She huffed and stepped closer to him, draping the towel on his head and started rubbing his hair, trying to dry him a bit.

"Easy there!" Leo protested, voice muffled. "I'd like my head and hair still in place, thank you very much."

"Yes and I'd rather not have a sniffling engineer around me, complaining about being ill," she retorted. He made a grumbled noised beneath his breath but didn't stop her and she smiled, fingers rubbing his hair more delicately through the towel. He unbuttoned his cardigan and slipped it off as she dried him and she noticed how his shirt was wet too. Jemma tried to ignore the way it clung to his body. It was... distracting.

"Alright, alright..." He said after a few minutes and stopped her hands, covering them with his. "That's enough for now."

Jemma noticed how his hands were still warmer than hers despite the fact that he's been out in the rain; she was awfully aware of the little roughness of his fingertips brushing her knuckles.

Why was she noticing all of... this?

"Al-right," she agreed, swallowing dryly. Leo grinned from under the towel, damp curls flat against his forehead and her heart did an odd twist in her chest.

What was wrong with her?

"I'll go shower," he said, picking up his shoes and bag and walking to his room. She nodded, about to go back to the kitchen when she heard him come back and felt a soft pressure at the back of her head.

"Thanks, Jem," Leo whispered after kissing her hair and disappeared in his room before she could completely turn around.

Jemma was glad that he wasn't there: she was sure that she was blushing furiously. By the time she had calmed down and her heart had stopped skipping around her chest, Leo was back, freshly showered and dressed in more comfortable and dry clothes.

"God, I'm starving," he said, opening a cabinet and taking out the plates and cutlery to set the table.

"I sort of imagined that," Jemma commented with a smile, turning off the stove. "You're quite predictable."

He frowned at her and she laughed softly, serving dinner into their plates.

When they finished eating and clearing the kitchen, one doing the dishes while the other tidied up, she wondered about their dynamics. Her parents often commented on the domesticity that transpired between them and Jemma realised that she was so used to it now that she wouldn't know how to live without it.

They continued their night on the sofa, watching the first of the Harry Potter films. They were at the part where Harry received his Hogwarts letter when Leo abruptly moved from his slouched position, startling Jemma who was leaning slightly against him.

"What the-?" She exclaimed and he looked at her apologetically.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you," he said, standing up. "I just remembered-" And he was off to his room. Perplexed, Jemma paused the film and turned around when he came out holding two envelopes.

"I just remembered that I found these in our mailbox," He sat down again, scratching the back of his head. "Totally forgot about them."

They had a shared mailbox at the entrance of their dorm, along with the other doctorate students and professors. Jemma frowned slightly.

"I looked in there after lunch. There wasn't anything."

"Someone must have slipped them in afterwards," Leo said with a shrug. "Here: we've got one each."

They were two formal-looking letters addressed to Dr. Fitz and Dr. Simmons.

"Could it be someone offering us a job?"

"It would be some really peculiar company that offered jobs like this. There's no stamp or address..." Leo said with a frown. "Or a name... Just, this logo."

It was a small seal on the right corner that resembled a sort of eagle.

They tore their letters open together and read them quickly before turning around in unison with confused expressions.

"What the hell is SHIELD?" Leo asked. "And why do they want to talk to us?"

"Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division," Jemma read, turning her letter around. "It seems like some sort of government agency..." She looked at him. "I honestly don't know why they'd want to see us."

Leo scanned his letter quickly.

"They're saying to send an email if we're interested to talk."

"Well...it's just an email," Jemma remarked with a shrug.

"Nothing to lose," Leo added with a nod. "I'd say to look up this... agency and then send them an email. Let's think about it tomorrow though, yeah? I'm too tired to do anything now."

"Sure, we can think about it after finding some information about this... SHIELD." She looked at him. "We also have to discuss our stay here at MIT after July."

Leo nodded and smiled before sinking back in the sofa. Jemma smiled back and sat near him again after putting the film back on.

After a little while, they were back to their usual habits: comments and laughs during the scenes and teasing remarks when a character did something that was familiar to them (like Ron inhaling his food. That was so Leo...).

They were halfway through the Chamber of Secrets when Jemma realised that she was all but curled into Leo's side, head on his shoulder while his arm was around her waist, hand resting gently on her hip.

She didn't even realise that she had gotten closer to him. Or him to her.

She suddenly wondered when being so close -intimate almost- had also started being so natural...

Jemma's heart did a little fluttering jump in her chest when she looked up at him and he smiled slightly.

"Is this okay?" He asked softly, eyes dark with sleep and something else that she couldn't identify. She nodded slowly and he blinked, blushing slightly as he realised how close they were. She felt him shift his hand away from her hip and she reached for it, entwining their fingers together.

"It's okay," she whispered and brushed a kiss to his jaw, turning around before she could see his face.

They were friends. Best friends. And they were really close to each other.

All of this was... normal between friends... right?

Jemma ignored her thumping heart and focused on the film. Her feelings were just confused.

Right?

-:-

Finding information about SHIELD was surprisingly difficult.

Leo and Jemma spent most of their free Sunday searching the Internet for any indication that this agency existed and what it did but they found nothing.

"This is ridiculous," Leo remarked, sitting back in his chair and glaring at the screen of his laptop. "I've found information about FBI and CIA but nothing about this SHIELD."

"We're assuming that it's an agency," Jemma commented next to him, looking up from her computer. "What if it was-?"

"-something else?" Leo looked at her with an arched brow. "What organisation or facility would need that much secrecy unless it was governmental?"

"True," she conceded. "Either that or they're terrorists."

"And that's not unsettling at all..." He rolled his eyes. "What are we going to do?" He waved a hand towards the letters on the table.

"We don't know anything about them... but this invisible agency wants to talk to us," Jemma shot him a glance. "We could send the email and just, you know, see what they want."

"Even if we don't know anything about them?" He couldn't keep the doubt out of his voice.

"We could ask to meet somewhere that we know well," Jemma leaned on her elbow and rested her chin in her palm. "We could ask to meet here at campus."

"Hmm..." He thought about it and nodded. "Alright..."

They quickly wrote the email, stating that would be interested in talking and knowing what SHIELD would want from both of them. Leo wrote a line where he suggested to meet in one of the campus labs, if they needed a private space: he hoped that it was conspicuous enough and wouldn't lead these unknown people to guess what they wanted.

And then he sent it, not entirely sure if he wanted a quick answer or not.

They were lounging in their dorm after coming up with a plan of what to do after Leo's Masters at TechData and Jemma's doctorate officially ended in July. They had less than a month to convince the Education Board to allow them to stay and do research work in the campus labs.

Given their curricula, it wouldn't be too hard to get a one-year project.

The knock on their door occurred the moment his laptop chimed with the incoming email tone. Jemma went to answer while he hurriedly opened the Mail app and his eyes widened when he saw the eagle logo on the corner of the page.

"Jemma, it's SHIELD," he said as he heard her approach him after closing the door.

"Leo, we've been called by-"

"They say to meet tomorrow-"

"-the Dean: meeting in his office tomorrow-"

"-at three o'clock."

They both stopped talking when they realised what the other was saying. Leo turned around from the screen and found Jemma staring at him, an open letter in her hands.

"Come again?" They said together. Jemma sat next to him.

"The Dean wants to see us tomorrow in his office at three o'clock," she repeated. "And the letter says that an important staff member will be there."

"You don't think-?" Leo glanced at his laptop. Jemma looked at him with wide eyes.

"Probably?"

"We're asked to meet on campus and they plan to see us in the Dean's office?"

"Well, that's surely a secure place."

"Yeah.. but-" He ran a hand through his hair, thousand of thoughts filling his mind.

"I don't know what to think either, Leo!" Jemma's hands reached for her neck and that nervous habit actually got him out of his stunned stupor.

"Hey," he leaned forward and removed her hands from her neck, making her look at him. Her fingers were cool in his hands and, he noticed, extremely delicate and nimble compared to his own.

He felt his heart do some odd twist in his chest when her eyes focused on him, the shade of amber clear and bright from this short distance.

It made him think back to the kiss they shared a few weeks ago...

And thinking of that while he was holding her hands was not a good idea. He was suddenly very aware of the softness of her skin and her perfume. Slowly dropping her hands down on her lap and hoping that he wasn't blushing, Leo swallowed dryly.

"We'll see how it goes tomorrow," he said softly. "No need to fret now, yeah?"

Jemma smiled slightly and he felt another somersault in his chest.

"Yeah..." she conceded. "It will all work out I'm sure."

Leo smiled.

-:-

Thinking back to that moment, months and years later, Leo often wondered why he hadn't just tossed the letters from SHIELD and allowed him and Jemma to follow their initial plan.

It would have been so much easier... and less painful for them both.

-:-

Agent Trent Avery was a forty-five year old Ops agent with almost twenty years of field work under his belt.

After a bad mission where he got a bullet wound through his leg which made running or jumping a difficult task under certain circumstances, he was moved to the Boston Sci-Ops facility where he could use his specialisation in forensics and bioengineering.

He missed the field but he didn't mind his new assignment and settled to do everything in the best way he could; five years later, he was promoted to be head of the facility and had been dealing with the sequential load of work that came from that position.

So, he was honestly surprised when he received an email from his old friend and co-cadet and current Sci-tech Director Anne Weaver, asking if he could go and debrief two possible Sci-Tech candidates at MIT.

Recruitment was something that the Academy's administrative department usually handled; so why was she asking him to do it?

He continued reading and his eyebrows raised as he came to the line: I need your advice because they're both outstandingly brilliant but I'm concerned about their young age.

Young age? The average cadet was twenty-two years old. Just what was she talking about?

Avery opened the attachment to the email and his eyebrow arched when he found a folder filled with files: it seemed to be a collection of papers and articles. He then found the file with the candidates' information and opened it.

"What the hell?!" He exclaimed loudly, eyes widening as he took in the two pictures inside and the age of the candidates. Without hesitation, he picked up his phone and dialled a number.

"What the hell, Weaver?" He exclaimed as soon as the call was answered.

"I was expecting your call, Trent," a pleasant English accented voice replied, not the least surprised by his outburst.

"These two aren't young: they're kids! What game are you playing, sending me off to recruit two MIT freshmen?" His eyes fell on their birth places. "What, do you want me to go off to UK and get their parents sign me a permission slip or something?

"You didn't even read what I sent you, did you?" Her tone was reproachful. "Anyway, they're not freshmen. They're both doctors: one in biochemistry and the other in engineering."

Avery's eyes widened as he quickly scrolled the page and studied their curricula.

"Damn..." He muttered. "How the hell did two nineteen year olds get a degree each and a set of PhDs and technical masters?"

"Because they're geniuses," Weaver remarked in a matter of fact tone. "However, I think you'll find their individual works rather interesting."

"Works?" He went back to skim through the files and, sure enough, he saw that they were all articles written for important scientific journals and a few publications. "They must be the youngest to date to have ever written something for the Scientific Researchers'..."

"They are."

"I hope they got paid well."

"I wouldn't know really... though I presume that Dr. Fitz's patents should be giving him a monthly income."

"Patents?" Avery clicked on a sub-folder and opened a few blueprints. He had to admit that the boy was good. "Okay, you've convinced me... But I still don't get why I should go and give them the Talk and all."

"As I said, they are young: I need someone to assess them. They are already specialised doctors and are outstandingly brilliant in their fields but their age is concerning me. You know how SHIELD is and the competitive environment at university is laughable compared to the one at the Academy." He heard her sigh. "I'm sure that these two would be wonderful assets for SHIELD but I'm torn between wanting to recruit them and drawing them into our agency and letting them out but with the risk of being recruited... elsewhere.

"Well, that depends on them," Avery remarked. "Okay, they're kids but... You can't worry about them, Anne. As for someone else recruiting them, are you sure that they're not alligned with someone already? M16?"

"Just because they're British, it doesn't mean that they're with M16," He almost laughed at her tone.

"Just kidding..."

"Anyway, they haven't been contacted by anyone... as far as I know."

"How did you even find them?" He suddenly wondered. "Don't recruiters usually look for cadets over 21 years old?"

"I know the Secretary of State in London," she replied. "He mentioned two fourteen year olds that had won a scholarship to MIT years ago..."

"Jesus, at college at fourteen?" Avery stared at the pictures on his screen, taking in the youthful faces and smiles. He sighed softly. "Alright, I'm going to see them... When?"

"Tomorrow afternoon."

"What? You just knew that I'd accept, didn't you? Damn woman..."

Anne Weaver laughed.

-:-

Avery's first opinion didn't change when he met Leo Fitz and Jemma Simmons. Or better, Dr. Leo Fitz and Dr. Jemma Simmons.

He was still in disbelief that the two young, smiling kids in front of him were SHIELD candidates; if he hadn't seen their curricula and post graduate works, he'd have mistaken them for two foreign MIT freshmen.

Their eyes held that naïve, full of wonder look that he'd long lost after leaving the Academy and faced the real world in the field.

He suddenly understood why Anne Weaver was concerned for them without even knowing who they were. Did he really want these kids, who had their entire life in front of them, to lose this unbridled enthusiasm?

SHIELD had resources and could take them to greatness... but it also had limits, restraints and dangers... Recruiters often skirted on the latter when speaking to possible cadets.

He had to do the same... even though he loathed it.

Avery took a breath and approached them, gesturing for them to take a seat. The Dean had left his office and told Avery to do as he wished; the agent wondered just who had talked to the academic to allow this. He watched as the two kids looked at each other, sharing a meaningful glance before sitting down. They were cautious and Avery wasn't really surprised: who wouldn't if they received a vague letter from what looked like a governmental agency?

"So, Dr Fitz and Dr Simmons," he started, looking at them. "Let me tell you about SHIELD."

-:-

"Director Weaver."

"You owe me big," Avery said as a greeting.

"Trent, how did it go?"

"I'm pretty sure that you'll get your two new recruits. I hadn't even finished telling them how Sci-Tech was structured and their eyes were shining and they started talking about labs and projects and stuff."

He failed to hide a smile recalling the two Brits' enthusiasm. The girl had been incredibly interested when he told them about the extraterrestrial studies and samples they could work with while the boy was curious about the machineries and vehicles he could toy with.

"They're smart," he said. "Like outrageously smart and still want to learn more; I don't even want to know how much they will know when they're our age."

"They're scientists; sort of comes with our DNA to be curious and insatiable for knowledge."

"I'm not like that."

"You were... You just got polluted doing Ops work," Avery snorted. "Anything else?"

He thought about their interaction and voiced out the only doubt he had.

"They're quite close," he stated. "I couldn't figure out whether they're just friends or more."

"Do you think that could be an issue?"

"If they decided to work separately, no, but since I doubt that would happen, I'd be a bit wary." He had noticed the subtle glances and looks: it spoke of a bond that was deep. "Is Section 17 still as strict as ever?"

"Has it ever changed?"

"Well, then it's up to you to figure that out and break it to them." He was honestly glad that neither kid had asked anything about the Academy's regulations. The last thing he'd have wanted was to tell them that there were rules that forbade non-platonic relationships.

"We'll see..." Weaver remarked absently. "So, are you sure that they will accept?"

"I told them the usual drill: they have until tonight to give me an answer by e- mail. I'm sure that they're all for it. They looked like us during freshmen year: sure that we could change and help the world."

"Given their brilliance, they could."

"I hope so..."

"I was wondering though... Why do I owe you?"

"I've just got you two star recruits. You can brag about them to Director Fury and the other Academy directors."

"I think you should thank me."

"Why?"

"They might end up working in your facility: it's the largest in the territory and they've both lived in Boston for years."

"Oh..." He hadn't thought of that. "We'll see..."

Less than two years later, when two early Academy graduates that went by the name FitzSimmons and were already known within Sci-Ops for their brilliance, entered his office, Trent Avery sent Anne Weaver a message.

"Seems that I owe you."

Her answer was immediate.

"Told you so."

-:-

"Do you feel as though we're getting into something bigger than us?"

Jemma looked up from her book and stared at Leo, sitting on the other side of the sofa, opposite her. They had lounged there after dinner, content to read in silence together.

"What?" She put the book away and sat straighter, feeling a sudden coldness coil in her stomach. "Are you-?"

"I'm not second-guessing our decision, Jemma," he reassured her immediately, tossing the magazine he was reading on the table. "I was just thinking that joining a super-secret agency had never been in my plans..."

"Well, not in mine either..." She confessed and smiled wryly at him.

They had just sent an email to Agent Avery, agreeing to join SHIELD and go to Sci-Tech for their training and studies. Jemma realised that their decision was...big. They were binding their lives to this agency; or at least, the next four years while they studied at the Academy.

"But it would be worth it, yeah?" She said, fighting down her own fears. "We'll do something good, Leo. We could help people... Save the world maybe."

He looked at her with a small crooked smile that made her heart flutter.

"Honestly, how do you do that?" He asked, leaning against the sofa with an arm.

"Do what?" She said in surprise.

"Be so sure that everything will turn out fine," His smile broadened and her chest twinged again.

"Because- because it will," She stuttered for a moment and then let out a huff in disbelief. What was she doing, getting flustered with her best friend?

Jemma smiled and looked at him.

"This turned out well, didn't it?" She gestured to their dorm room, referring to MIT. "We were both two almost-fifteen year olds-"

"-both too smart for their own good-" He added.

"-and who were offered an opportunity." She tilted her head. "Look at us now: we're both doctors with PhDs and-"

"-we found a friend," he completed softly. She looked at him for a moment before nodding.

"Yeah..." She smiled again. "We'll be going to SHIELD together, Leo. I think we'll get through it just fine."

"Yeah..." he said and stood up, after shooting her another smile. She watched him curiously, eyebrows furrowed.

"Where are you-?"

"I'm peckish."

"Leo, we just ate!"

"I'm hungry..." He walked into the kitchenette and she followed suite, looking at him in disbelief while he rifled through the cupboards.

"Your metabolism is a biological mystery," she stated as he pulled out a bag of popcorn.

"You say that every time," he commented through a mouthful of kernels.

She wrinkled her nose and swatted his arm.

"And that's disgusting."

He rolled his eyes and tossed a kernel at her, grinning when she hit his arm again and moved away when she reached for the bowl, ready to throw some popcorn at him.

As they sat back on the couch and settled in to watch a film, Jemma was sure that nothing would go wrong as long as they both stuck together.

-:-

MIT's Education board allowed them to stay in their dorm until the end of August. Since SciTech's semester started in September, it was the perfect deal for them.

Both Jemma and Leo had the inkling that SHIELD was responsible for this very suitable arrangement. They were both given a few projects to work on in the campus labs and for the first time -funnily enough- Jemma and Leo worked together.

They clicked at work as much as they did in real life and the amount of projects they had been given was ridiculously small compared to their speed. They were given more work and asked to write articles and lectures.

The months flew by quickly; they worked until early afternoon and then enjoyed their free time together.

SciTech was somewhere in Seattle and they didn't know if they'd be back to Boston again so they visited the city, going back to places they already knew and exploring the few that they didn't.

Before they knew it, it was time to pack their things and prepare to leave MIT. They had planned their return to the UK after most of their things had been shipped back to their houses. It was quite astonishing to see how many things they had gathered here in their dorm room in five years and they had decided to bring only a handful of possessions with them to the Academy.

Jemma felt a little wave of sadness as she emptied shelves with her books and little photo frames and put them away in boxes. She glanced around the room that had been hers for five years and that was suddenly bare and less...home.

"What's wrong?" She looked up and saw Leo standing at her door frame, holding two mugs. She got to her feet, brushing off the light dust from her jeans after kneeling on the floor to pack and smiled.

"Nothing..." She said with a little shrug and he stared at her, eyebrow raised and frowning slightly. I'm alright, Leo..." She reached for the mug outstretched to her. "Thanks," she whispered, taking a sip. He always knew how to make her tea perfectly.

"What's wrong?" He asked again and she sighed.

"I'm just being... nostalgic, I suppose," she confessed and wrinkled her nose as she sat on her bed. "It feels odd to think that we won't be coming back anymore."

Leo looked at her, eyes soft and understanding.

"Yeah... I was thinking about it too..." He admitted, sitting next to her. "It's strange to think that we'll be staying in another dorm in a few weeks and-"

"-sleeping in other beds in other rooms-"

"-and in another campus-

Jemma glanced at him, taking in his unruly curls and blue eyes and was taken back to when she first saw him. A smile graced her face.

"What?" Leo asked, quirking his lips.

"Well, it will be a bit like when we left home to come here, no?" She remarked, turning to him. "A new start?"

"Yeah, a new start," he agreed, looking at her and smiled. "Together."

Something fluttered inside Jemma's chest and she tried to ignore it.

"Of course," she gripped her mug of tea, trying to stop her hands from doing something stupid like reaching out for him. Her brain provided her with a vivid image of running her fingers through his hair and-

Stop it right now, Jemma, she told herself.

"Ha... Do you remember that guy that came to pick us up at the airport when we came to Boston?" Leo chuckled as she looked at him.

"Yes, of course," she replied. "What was his name again...? Paul?"

"Yeah, Paul who didn't even know our names."

"And that meshed them together. Wasn't he holding a sign with FitzSimmons written on it?"

Leo laughed, nodding and Jemma laughed along with him. She took both their mugs and put them on her desk.

"We had fun here," he said. "Besides the classes and labs and everything." He looked at her with a grin. "Whoever moves here after us will wonder why the sofa cushions are covering a large blue stain."

Jemma blushed at swatted his arm.

"That was not my fault: you scared me!" she exclaimed. "I was only trying to see if that vial of solution would react correctly with cobalt chloride just as Professor Lee had claimed. And you decided to show up while I was mixing the elements-"

"On our sofa, Jemma? Seriously? What happened to lab security procedures?"

"It was a simple chemical reaction experiment: nothing would have happened!"

"The sofa has a blue stain the size of a watermelon, Jemma."

"You startled me!"

"I just walked inside the room!"

Jemma huffed and poked his shoulder with her finger.

"Speaking of security procedures, what about you testing that laser device in your room?" Leo blushed.

"That was just an incorrect but perfectly plausible calibration error," he mumbled and she grinned, poking him more.

"There are scorch marks all over your desk, Leo."

He huffed indignantly and Jemma laughed. Only to squeak in surprise when he smacked one of her pillows against her face.

"You didn't-" She growled and took the other pillow and hit him.

It turned into a full fledged pillow fight with her squealing when he used a dirty tactic like tickling her sides and him laughing when she retaliated.

They both surrendered together, flopping on her bed with heavy breaths and looking at the ceiling.

"We managed to not pack," Jemma remarked, glancing at Leo and he nodded.

"Yeah... We should get everything done by tonight," he said. "The courier should be here tomorrow morning to take the boxes."

They'd leave MIT by the end of the week and stay in the UK for five days before coming back to America. They had initially considered avoiding going back home but their parents had insisted.

Jemma realised that they were all wondering why she and Leo had drastically changed their plans in the span of a few months.

They couldn't tell them about SHIELD so they had come up with a story about being accepted into a specialised school that would granted them access, once graduated, to prestigious lab facilities or government labs. It seemed that their families had accepted this explanation by phone but Jemma knew that they would want to know more.

Thankfully, she and Leo had come up with a convincing story together; God knew that she was a terrible liar and she needed solid facts if she wanted to be believed by her parents.

"Jemma?" She turned to her side and found Leo looking at her, his blues eyes as clear as glass. She had to fight down a blush before nodding.

"We'll be alright," He smiled at her and her heart stuttered. "Even though we'll be lying to our families and we'll be joining a school that will turn us into super-spies." She let out a shuddering laugh, realising that she'd been tense for more reasons than just nostalgia.

"Yeah, I know..." She whispered and slid a hand down her side to find his hand; she slowly entwined their fingers together. "It's you and me-"

"- as always," he completed, gently gripping her fingers. "We'll be fine."

And Jemma believed him.

-:-

A few days later, they were at Liverpool, feeling happy to be in UK and less sad at having left MIT forever. They were having tea in a café, waiting for their flights.

For the first time since their first year, they were going home on their own and not together. They had opted to spend some time, alone, with their families and Leo was meant to come to Sheffield the day before their flight and then they'd leave together for Seattle.

It was all planned out...

Jemma watched Leo twist in his seat to look at the ever-changing screen with the flights' numbers. It was silly, really, but she felt a little bit of anxiety to think that they wouldn't see each other for a few days. She was so used to seeing him every day that being separated was just...odd.

"I think that mine is next," Leo remarked, squinting at the screen. "And your flight is immediately after that."

"Oh good..." She said and stood up. They quickly paid and left, walking side by side and headed to their gates, having already embarked their suitcases.

"I'm going this way," he said, after a few minutes of silence. Jemma stopped and looked at him with a smile, fingers playing with her handbag's straps. Leo straightened his backpack on his shoulder and looked at her.

"Hey," he nudged her shoulder. "What's with that face?"

"It's nothing," she replied, blushing at the fact that she was so transparent to him. "I think I'm still sad about leaving MIT..."

"Hmm... Alright," He clearly didn't believe her; she could see it on his face. "It's only three days and then we'll be off to America again. And, you'll probably hear from me in a couple of hours as soon as I get home and realise that I'll be bored out of my mind without having anything to do."

"You could-?"

"I'm not going to start revising, Jemma. Bloody hell, we'll start studying and doing exams again in a couple of weeks and I don't want to start early."

Jemma huffed. He clearly didn't understand the importance of being prepared.

Laughing, Leo looked at her for a moment; his eyes held a questioning, almost puzzled look that she couldn't understand. Then, he stepped forward and surprised her with a hug.

Jemma blinked, blushing as she was gently pulled against his chest. It took her a few moments to wrap her arms around his waist, meshing their bodies together.

Leo was always warm and she relished in his warmth and scent, the now familiar hint of his cologne mixed with solder and mint filling her senses.

She felt him move, hot breath against her ear and she had to suppress a shiver.

"Only three days, yeah?" He whispered softly and she realised that he was sharing her own feelings. His voice held a hint of emotion that made her hug him closer.

"Yes," she whispered back. "I'll send you texts and-"

"-emails and then I'll-"

"-call you-"

"- or Skype you-"

"-all the time," they finished together and laughed. She felt his laughter reverberate in his chest and liked the way he enclosed her against him; arms wrapped around her, chin brushing over her hair and hands warmly placed on her back.

She felt... safe. No one, not even her parents, had ever made her feel like that before.

"We should go," she said softly, against his neck. He nodded and stepped back but didn't move his arms.

"Leo?" She looked up at him and saw the soft glint in his eyes and her heart skipped a beat.

"I'll hear from you later, right, Jemma?" He whispered.

"Of course," she replied and gathered her courage to step up on her toes and kiss his cheek softly. Leo blushed and she smiled slightly. "See you in a couple of days."

"Bye, Jemma," He moved away, eyes on her and waved. She waved back, smiling and walked down to her terminal.

"Bye, Leo."

-:-

Thinking back to that moment, weeks and months (years) later, Jemma realised that that had been the last moment they shared without confused emotions.

They were both aware that there was something more between them but were both blissfully unaware of the depth of their feelings.

It would take them years to get back to that...

-:-

Leo grinned as soon as he caught sight of the smiling face of his brother-in-law at the airport in Glasgow. Alec hugged him and walked him to his car, the same blue one that he'd had since high school. The older boy had allowed him to tinker with the car even before he left for America and Leo had loved working on it.

It also made him appreciate Alec more and more and made him yearn to have him as an older brother when he was a child. Now that he was officially his brother-in-law, Leo could say that he truly was part of his family.

"So, how are you doing?" Leo asked as they drove home. "Ali driving you mental already?"

"Everything is fine," Alec replied, laughing slightly at his teasing tone. "Watch it, kid, or I'll tell that to your sister."

"I liked you better before you got married," Leo frowned at him. "You wouldn't have done that."

Alec laughed again.

"Anyway, everything is really going fine." He smiled at him. "Life is... good."

Leo smiled as well, noticing the clear and content expression on his face. Alec was happy, truly happy and Leo was glad about it. He was sure that he'd find the same expression on his sister's face.

He found himself wondering again if loving someone so deeply and then marrying them was wonderful as it seemed. Judging by Alec's expression, it was fantastic and he wondered if he'd ever have something like that in his life.

Jemma's face appeared in his mind and he had to forcibly ignore it, trying to keep the surge of emotion in his chest at bay. It had happened often in the past months...

Jemma was his best friend; his feelings for her were utterly platonic.

Platonic...

Even though she had kissed him during Alison's wedding and then behaved as though nothing had happened. Even though the whole ordeal was driving him insane...

Right...

He had to stick to platonic.

"It's a bit weird to see you alone," Alec remarked, shooting him a teasing grin. Leo blushed and turned to look outside the window.

"Just because we-" He tried to protest but Alec cut through his sentence.

"Yeah, yeah, I know: We're just friends. Why are you all saying that?" Alec rolled his eyes as he mimicked their voices and Leo had to hide a smile. "Seriously though... you and Jemma would be good together."

"Alec..." The engineer sighed. "Is Ali talking you into this? Jemma and I are not-"

"No, I have eyes," Alec glanced at him, eyes serious despite his smiling face. "I saw how much she cares for you. And you for her."

"Of course we care for each other. We're best friends."

"Yeah... and nothing else?" Alec looked at him and, for maybe the first time, Leo felt the urge to confide his mixed feelings to someone. Maybe, Alec would help him out, make him understand...

Did he honestly feel something more than deep friendship towards Jemma?

He knew there was something that lingered between them. It had been there for a while now, more than a year. It had spurred his jealous reaction during their Spring Break trip (though he'd never admit that he'd been jealous) and that had also brought them to sharing a kiss.

That same feeling had brought them closer to each other on different occasions in the following months and it had escalated during Alison's wedding. He wondered if pretending to be together had somehow heightened those vibes between them.

The kiss they shared in his kitchen was still burned in his mind and messed with his heart. It didn't help that Jemma had never mentioned or talked about that kiss again. He never said anything about it either.

That was something that occurred between them: they could talk about everything but when it came to their inner thoughts and emotions, they both clammed up and didn't know how to voice them.

Leo sighed softly, knowing that he wouldn't say a word to Alec. If he couldn't speak to Jemma who knew things that he'd never shared with anyone else, who else could he confide in?

Alec glanced at him, looking almost too knowing for Leo's tastes but didn't say a word and kept driving.

"You know you can talk to me, yeah?" He said after a while and Leo looked at him. "As a friend...or as a brother."

Leo smiled, feeling a wave of gratitude towards the boy that had always tried to help him, always tried to make him feel accepted while he was at school.

That same boy, now man, had stood up to him and openly lied to his wife during their wedding party to protect him and save her from unnecessary grief.

"I know..." Leo replied softly. He hoped Alec understood that his reticence was not towards him but towards himself. Alec nodded with a smile.

They stayed silent for a good part of the ride and Leo looked out at the moving scenery.

"Leo, did you talk with you mother or Alison recently?" Alec asked out of the blue. The engineer turned to look at him in surprise.

"Well, I sent Ali a text yesterday to say when I'd be here," he replied. "And I called Mum last week..." A little spark of concern went through his chest. "Why? Is something wrong?"

Alec sighed.

"I suppose I should tell you rather than you finding out," he said. "Bryce is staying at your house."

"What?" Leo felt a flare of anger in his chest at his brother's name. "Why?"

"He moved back three days ago." Alec looked almost apologetic. "James' family is going through some financial trouble. It was on the papers: something about taxes and some not-so-clear business dealings. All their properties were confiscated and that included-"

"-the apartment in Glasgow," Leo concluded. He wasn't particularly unhappy about the turn of events. He could clearly see James' sneer in his mind and his caustic words. His blood still boiled in his veins when he recalled their fight during Ali's wedding and his intentions towards Jemma.

No, he wasn't sad at all of the trouble the older boy was going through...

"What about Andrew? Couldn't he do something about the apartment? His family is rich as much as James', no?"

"Last I heard, he bailed on both James and Bryce. His father's in politics -I'm not exactly sure what he does, honestly- and he left a statement claiming that his son and family didn't know anything about the James' family's shenanigans."

Leo huffed slightly. Typical of Andrew to worm his way out of trouble when necessary. It seemed to be a Finnegan family trait.

"Bryce is in a... right state. There aren't classes at Uni now but he doesn't seem to be studying or going to work," Alec added darkly. "Your mother's worried and tried to talk to him but he's not saying much. Alison tried to do something but he shut her out as well." He sighed. "I didn't try to speak to him... We haven't been on speaking terms since the wedding..."

Leo nodded slowly, ignoring the spike of dread in his body.

He hadn't thought of seeing his brother during his short stay. He had hoped that he wouldn't come home or, at most, that they wouldn't be in the same room for long. The thought of having to spend three days in the same house sent a rush of emotions through his body: anger and dread the most contrasting ones.

Bryce was terrible to him on a good day... He didn't want to think of what he'd do now that his life was messed up.

"It seems that Bryce, James and Andrew have been arguing for a while... I think that the fight during the wedding started it," Alec swerved the car down the street that led to the Fitz' house. "Anyway, Leo..." He looked up as the other boy called him. Alec had a very serious look on his face. "Try to stay out of his way. I'd suggest you to stay at our house but we've got half of the house being painted and the guest room under construction Alison would wonder about it if I had you stay anyway... and I can't bring myself to tell her what happened during the reception. She'd be devastated." The last sentence came out as a whisper but Leo could clearly hear the emotion behind it. He nodded.

"No, I don't want Mum or Ali to know..." he said, curling his hands in fists. Everything was going well now: he didn't want to mess it. Alison was happy, his mum was doing fine... He didn't want to see either of them upset.

"I'll do my best to keep away from Bryce," Leo said. "It's just for three days: I'll manage."

Alec nodded, looking slightly less weary and Leo noticed his house appearing in the distance.

Welcome home,Leo, he thought humourlessly. It had been a while since he'd dreaded to come back to his family house. He'd stopped feeling anxious after coming back with Jemma every year...

Her face swam into his mind, smiling and telling him that everything would be fine and he felt more at ease.

He'd manage for three days. And then he'd be back with her.

He'd manage.

Right?

-:-

Jemma was helping her parents clean the kitchen after their quick lunch.

It brought back memories of when she was younger and would help do the chores at home. Jemma smiled slightly when she put away the plates, relishing in the familiarity of the action.

Her mum and dad were due to leave in a while to start their shift at the hospital: they had managed to be free that morning so that they could see her and spend some time with her.

They had asked her about the specialised school she was going and she had been glad to have so thoroughly rehearsed the fake story with Leo because they didn't seem to doubt her words.

"Jemma, how long will you be at this school?" Her dad asked as he swept the kitchen floor.

"Four years, Dad," she replied, turning her head to look at him. "Then we'll be sent to work in a specific lab or our place of work of choice." Agent Avery had talked about Sci-tech cadets to be chosen to work in the main headquarters or in the most important bases. He mentioned that he was the head of Boston's base, something he called Sci-Ops, and that it was the largest base on the East Coast.

It wouldn't be bad to go back to Boston... It would be like going back home. She had mentioned it to Leo and he had nodded in agreement.

They might follow their initial plan and find an apartment together...

"Oh... together? You mean, you and Leo?" Jemma looked up and saw the sceptical look on her father's face.

"Well, yes...?" She said slowly, turning around. Her mother dried her hands on the kitchen towel and looked at her as well. Jemma blinked, slightly unsettled. "Is something the matter?"

"Not really, darling," Her mother replied, casting another glance to her father. "It's just that... This specialised school seems very keen to prepare college students into becoming very advanced scientists. And it seems to be international..."

"Yes, indeed!" Jemma agreed. "They only accept the best."

"We're very proud of you for that," her father remarked with a smile and Jemma smiled broadly. "But-" Her smiled faded. "Did you stop to think that maybe you two won't be working in the same place? Your fields are different and biochemistry and engineering are hard to fit together in the same place..."

Jemma stared at her father as his words sunk in. She had never really stopped to think about... that. She and Leo had worked together while at MIT, sharing research and labs, but she had to admit that the work they did wasn't something that would allow them to work together in the long run.

She suddenly wondered if SHIELD, with all of its talk about advanced technology and extraterrestrial biology, would allow their work to mesh together. Surely it would.

"Well, there is a possibility...but I'm sure we'll figure it out," she said, playing with the hem of her blouse. "This school usually prepares students to work for various lab throughout the world, so there is a chance that there's a lab that needs a biochemist and an engineer with a handful of PhDs."

"I surely hope so," her mum said with a small smile. "I'm sure that you two will be at the top of whatever course of study you'll follow and it will lead you to work in the best research labs in the world."

Jemma smiled slightly, glad to hear her mother's praise, but just like in her father's case, she sensed that there was an objection coming.

Her parents were brilliant and knew numerous doctors in England and around the world. She wondered if they knew that she was subtly lying to them but playing along for her sake.

She wondered if they knew about secret agencies seeking out the world's brightest minds so that they would help to ensure world peace or outstanding scientific quests.

"But-?" She ventured and her mother smiled again, shaking her head but she didn't get to speak as Jemma's phone rang loudly from the living room.

"Oh.. Excuse me," she mumbled and darted out of the kitchen. She knew that it would be Leo: she had texted him while coming home and agreed to talk after they'd both settled.

"Leo?"

"Hey, Jemma..." His voice sounded softer through the phone, the familiarity of it sent a warm feeling through her and made her smile.

"So, how is it being back home?" She sat on the couch, tossing an old scientific magazine that she'd been rifling through before lunch back on the small table in front of it.

"Mum's happy to have me back: she took the day off and made all my favourites for lunch," Jemma smiled at the fond tone of his voice.

"Well, that's easy: anything edible is your favourite," she teased.

"Hey, I resent that!" She laughed as he scoffed. "Ali was here for a bit: she managed to pass by after school. I told her and Alec about the specialised school."

"Yeah, I told Mum and Dad, too." She didn't voice their doubts about their work though. She'd think about it on her own and then discuss it with him. "They're very proud." Jemma smiled, recalling their faces and the spark of happiness that went through her chest. "Of both of us, actually..."

"Yeah, Ali looked like she was going to cry. Mum too..." Leo sounded slightly flustered and she could imagine him trying to stop his mother and sister from getting emotional.

"Well, they're happy that you're happy and that you're heading towards a brilliant career," she said softly.

He still didn't fully understand how much his achievements made his family proud. He didn't realise how his happiness nurtured the happiness of his loved ones as well.

"Yeah... They're happy." Something in his tone made her sit straighter, sensing that something was off.

"Leo, what's wrong?"

"Nothing... really, Je-"

"No, something is wrong," She interjected. "Don't lie..."

She hated that her voice sounded so vulnerable to her own ears but she couldn't bear that he'd lie to her. It was painful when other people did but Leo...?

Not him: he couldn't do that to her. He had the power to break her even though he didn't know it.

Leo didn't reply and Jemma was almost going to check her phone when she heard a soft, defeated sigh.

"Alright..." He said. "I didn't want to make you worry." That made her concern sky-rocket instantly.

"Wha-?"

"Bryce is here..."

"What?"

"As in... He lives here again."

"What?" Jemma didn't realise that she her voice had risen until she saw her parents standing by the kitchen door and looking at her with wide eyes. She got up and started pacing as hundreds of thoughts sprung in her mind. She opted to say the most important one though. "You... You have to leave."

"Jemma..."

"No, Leo, you have to... I mean, he nearly cracked your ribs three months ago." She couldn't help but think about him surrounded by Bryce and his friends as they hit him. She remembered his wincing, with a bloody lip and a swollen eye... She recalled how he flinched when they were back at MIT afterwards. She didn't want to think of him hurt while she was here. "You have to leave."

"I can't. You know that..."

"Well, then, what if-?"

"I'll stay out of his way," Leo remarked, voice stronger than before and hushing her. "I can't leave... I'm not trying to be stubborn but I can't just leave without giving an explanation to Mum and Alison." He sighed and she felt her throat constrict: she had the clear need to be close to him now.

"I know... but..."

"I'll be careful. I'll stay out of his way." His words were soft, his tone carefully gentle. Jemma swallowed the lump of emotion in her throat and nodded even though he couldn't see her.

"Alright..." She whispered, standing by the window sill. It was a sunny day in August and had she been at MIT, she'd have dragged Leo outside for a walk; maybe also an ice-cream to quiet his grumbling. When they came back to Sheffield for Christmas, they went out together but the weather was colder and less pleasant than now.

Jemma didn't linger on the thought of why every single thing she did lately seemed to bring her best friend to her mind.

"Hey..." Leo's voice brought her back from her musings. "I'll probably bother you more on the phone or Skype; if I'm forced to spend the day in my room, I'll have to do something. We could watch a film, yeah? Comment on the awful science in some sci-fi blockbuster?"

Jemma let out a short laugh at his enthusiast tone.

"I'm open to any suggestion," she said with a grin. "My parents will be off to work in a bit. I was going to bother you the whole evening..."

"Sounds like a plan, then." She heard the sound of a door closing and then the clicking of a keyboard. "See you on Skype in -say, half an hour? I'll find a film."

"Okay."

"Perfect. See you in a bit, Jem."

Jemma smiled, ignoring the little flutter in her chest when he called her like that. He'd been doing it often lately...

"See you in bit, Leo," she replied and put her phone away. She was smiling when she turned around and was surprised to see her mother still standing by the doorway.

Elaine Simmons smiled softly and approached.

"Is everything alright, darling?" She asked softly and Jemma nodded slowly.

"Yes, Mum," she replied. "I didn't mean to shout before, sorry... Leo just said-" She stopped abruptly, recalling that Leo was going to be in the same house with his brother for three days and felt a wave of concern rush through her.

"Jemma?" Her mother touched her cheek, the motion familiar as it had been when she was a child and needed to be soothed. Jemma took a deep breath and smiled slightly at her mother.

"I'm just worried, Mum," she confessed. "Leo just told me that Bryce is living back in their house. After what happened at the wedding, I'm just-" Terrified that something will happen to him. "-worried."

Her mother stared at her, her eyes holding a look that Jemma couldn't decipher.

"Mum?"

"He'll be fine, sweetheart," she replied, smiling. "Lena is there and I doubt that Bryce, despite his caustic behaviour, would do something while his mother is present. Even if she doesn't know what had happened."

"Did you know that Bryce was back?"

Elaine nodded. "She mentioned it a few days ago when I called her." Jemma's eyebrows rose and her mother laughed softly. "Darling, you're not the only Simmons to have a Fitz friend. Lena and I call each other very often."

"You do?" Jemma blinked. How was she hearing this only now?

"Yes," he mother assented. "We've been doing this for years. Let's say that it's our way to share solidarity since our two children are abroad to conquer the world with their brilliance.

Jemma nodded slowly and couldn't help the little bout of guilt at the thought that she barely saw her parents since she started studying abroad. How could they be so proud of her while she abandoned them here?

Her mother smiled again, still caressing her face and she saw her father standing behind her, smiling as well.

They loved her. They wanted the best for her...even if it hurt them.

"He'll be fine, darling," Elaine said again and Jemma nodded, trying to calm her jittery nerves. She was overreacting...

"Your father and I will be back for dinner," her mother said, brushing a kiss to her cheek. "We'll get to talk more tonight, hm?"

"Alright, Mum." Jemma smiled and walked her mother to the front door, kissing her and her father goodbye. She then hurried to her room on the third floor and connected to Skype to find Leo waiting for her.

The sight of his bright grin made her concern fade and she sat down on her bed to enjoy their evening together.

-:-

Leo kept his word and stayed as far as possible from Bryce. They only crossed paths during their meals when they ate with their mother.

Bryce was outside or in his room most of the time and Leo was perfectly happy with this; but, every now and then, when he was around the house, he'd come across his brother.

Their mother was usually at home, so Bryce didn't do or say anything loudly but he would glare at Leo and make snarky comments.

"Sorry to block your way, Dr. Fitz."

"When are you leaving, freak?"

Leo held his tongue and kept calm. Only two days and he'd be gone...

The first day back had been odd. He had had lunch with the whole family as Alison and Alec had been there as well and he had to tell them about his scholarship for a specialised school. He and Jemma had come up with a convincing story and a scholarship was the only way to explain their recruitment and, therefore lack of additional costs to their studies; they'd only have to pay for their tickets to come home. His quick explanation on the phone hadn't been sufficient.

His mother and sister had been incredibly proud: Leo had to stop himself from being emotional when he saw them getting teary. Alec had grinned at his new achievement and slapped his back in a brotherly fashion that made him smile.

Bryce had kept silent during lunch, keeping to himself and barely answering when their mother asked him something. When they'd finished, Leo had caught his brother's eyes and the look of hatred he saw in them made him realise that Bryce didn't feel any sort of pride or glee for him.

All in all, he expected it but, nevertheless, there was a small part of him that was still hurt about it.

What he didn't expect was the flare of pride and smugness within himself. A part of Leo that couldn't forgive Bryce for what happened during his childhood but mostly for what had happened during Alison's wedding. His brother's harsh words ricocheted through his brain but what made his blood boil was his dismissal of the threats towards Jemma. James had shown an interest on her and Leo could only imagine what he meant with his words and Bryce wouldn't have stopped him.

His best friend meant the world to him; a split lip and aching ribs were something that he'd trade immediately for her safety.

Jemma didn't know anything about the events that led to the fight and Leo had no intention of telling her. He was glad to keep that secret from her.

The first day home had him holed in his room on his laptop with Jemma on Skype as they watched old sci-fi films. He spent the evening laughing along with her as they made comments about the lousy usage of science and revelled in their routine as they then watched a few Dr. Who episodes.

The only thing he missed was having her by his side, curled up against his shoulder seeking warmth, lavender perfume filling his senses.

He was used to her being nearby... and he missed her.

It also didn't help that the thought of kissing her kept popping in his mind at the most random moments.

When he had walked downstairs to have breakfast and the sight of the chair where he'd been sitting when Jemma kissed him made him blush furiously. He had to quickly come up with an excuse for his flushed face to his mother who worried that he was falling ill.

Their brief separation (physical at least, because they were always communicating so they couldn't say that they were totally apart) had given Leo some time to think about his confused feelings towards his best friend.

He didn't have close friends besides Jemma but nevertheless he knew that kissing each other was not exactly normal. Nor wanting to be closer.

Despite everything, Leo couldn't help but recall his brother's words.

"You're falling for the only friend you have."

He was only... confused. He cared deeply for Jemma and his feelings for her were jumbled. He might be harbouring a little crush on his best friend but that was all.

Leo ignored the little voice in his head that claimed that he was lying and that there was more...

His second day home was going on pretty much as the first one had. He stayed in his room most of the time and spent nearly every moment either texting or Skyping with Jemma.

He'd spent a few hours in the evening with his Mum, checking the wheelchair that he'd bought for her months ago.

Bryce had appeared shortly in the hallway while he'd been there with their mother. He greeted her and shot Leo a look that made the hair on the back of his neck stand on end.

The anger and hatred in his face were overwhelming but they flashed quickly in his eyes and disappeared before his mum could see it too.

Jemma had told him that she was going to visit her grandmother so when he went back to his room after dinner, he leafed through an old book until he received her call.

They talked idly for a bit. Grandma Simmons had mentioned a few places in Seattle that they could visit if they had time and also proposed to have them over in the summer at her house again.

They had been at her house, a quaint cottage outside of Sheffield, last year after being home for Christmas. Leo liked the house: it was a mixture of souvenirs and little artifacts after various trips that the late Mr Simmons and Mrs Simmons had done during the years.

If Jemma's parents were methodical, being doctors, her grandparents were eclectic; a music teacher (her) and an Arts professor (him) with a love for travelling; their house just mirrored their tastes.

It was not a surprise that Jemma despite her logical mind, had an adventurous streak.

Sometimes, Leo wondered if he'd have done half of the things he did without Jemma coaxing him.

He was lying on his bed, listening to his friend talk about her grandmother and smiled.

He didn't know what he'd do without her. Who knew where he'd be if they hadn't met?

"Leo?"

"Hmm?" Her tone was light but held a cautious note that made his attention perk. "Yes, Jemma?"

"Did you talk with your mum about the money from the patents?"

Leo blinked. Oh right...

His masters at TechData had allowed him to work on his own and to patent a few devices and projects; nothing too big but it was enough to make him a monthly income.

All in all, in the months that he'd been working there, he had earned a few thousand pounds and the income was meant to grow.

He wanted to give the chequebook to his mum: he felt that he owed her that much as she had been sending him money every month while he'd been at MIT for his expenses. He wanted her to have a complete access to his money and use it when she needed it. He trusted his mother to do what she thought was best with his finances.

He'd never spent all the money she sent him: he'd use a very small share and keep the rest in their shared bank account.

Jemma knew about it and helped him through their shared expenses by using their money carefully.

"I can't seem to find the right moment," he admitted, sinking on his bed. "Mum's been at work most of the time and when we do spend some time together, Bryce is hovering around. I can't find a moment where I can talk to her alone."

"Don't fret." There was something in her voice that made him bask in calmness. "You'll find the right moment. I'm sure that she'll be happy for you."

"Yeah?" He hated the uncertainty in his tone but he couldn't help it.

"Of course, Leo," He smiled at her certain tone.

"Thanks, Jemma..."

They talked for a little longer until Leo sensed Jemma's tiredness when her voice slurred slightly.

"Tired?" He said softly.

"Sorry..." He heard her yawn quietly. "I'm a bit knackered. Gran had me helping her around the house: she wanted to show me some of Grandpa's old books and it resulted in us cleaning half the attic." Leo laughed. "It's not funny, Leo! I was covered in dust."

"Was it worth it at least?"

"Yeah, it was. I also found some of Grandpa's old sketchbooks and a few really interesting books that you'd like too."

"Good..." Her voice was slurring again. "You can show me when I come over the day after tomorrow, yeah?"

"Yeah... Can't wait to see you." He tried to ignore the flutter in his chest as she said that.

"Me too..." He whispered. "Go to sleep now, Jemma..."

"Sorry, Leo..."

"Don't worry. I'll read and then go to bed."

"I'll text you tomorrow morning."

"I'll be waiting."

"Goodnight, Leo."

"Night, Jem..."

He closed the call and looked at his phone for a moment.

Tonight, tomorrow and then he'd be on his way to Sheffield. And they'd be off to SHIELD's Academy.

Together.

Leo grinned and silently whooped, throwing his hands in the air. For the first time in years, he felt that everything was going the right way.

Everything would be fine...

-:-

Thinking back, he should have known that something was going to happen.

Everything had been going too well.

Something had to change.

Unfortunately, it did.

-:-

"Mum, where are you going?"

Leo blinked in the dim lights of the living room and stared at his mother who was by the front door, getting her keys.

"Oh, Leo, sweetheart, I thought you were sleeping already," she replied, looking at him with a smile.

"Not yet... I was reading and I wanted to get some water." He approached her, frowning slightly. "Where are you going?"

His mother rolled her eyes good-naturedly.

"Sarah McCarthy is getting married next Sunday," she remarked, shrugging on a light cardigan over her blouse. "You remember her, hmm? Susan McCarthy's second daughter? She's a few years older than Bryce..."

"Yeah... more or less." He had a smoky image of a brown haired girl at school flit in his head.

"She got the worst case of marriage jitters." His mother smiled. "And that also results in her wanting to change her wedding dress every two days. I'm going down the street to help Susan knock some sense into Sarah's flustered head."

Leo laughed slightly.

"Was Alison like this?" He asked out of curiosity. He didn't know much about the preparation for his sister's wedding. He'd been at MIT at the time and he caught only snippets of everything through the phone and Skype.

"No, thank God, no." Lena Fitz smiled. "Your sister is a gift and never made me go through all that trouble."

Leo nodded, agreeing that his sister was truly a gift. He wondered if she and his mother ever talked when they were alone, musing about their lives and all that they'd gone through. He wondered if they talked about him and Bryce...

The thought of giving them anything to worry about made his resolve to stay quiet even stronger.

"Do...Do you want me to come with you?" He asked quickly and his mother shot him a surprised look. He rubbed the back of his neck. "It's- well... It's dark outside."

"Oh, sweetheart, thank you but you don't have to," she said softly, moving her hand up to caress his cheek. "I'll be back soon. Go to bed."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, don't worry, Leo." She made her way to the front door, the wheels of the chair barely making noise on the wooden floor. "Goodnight, darling."

"Goodnight, Mum."

He waited until the door closed and the house was enveloped in silence again before heading to the kitchen. He filled a glass with water and sipped slowly, his mind wandering.

"I have to admit it, you play the role of the loving son really well."

Leo turned around abruptly, nearly sloshing water on himself.

Standing at the kitchen's door, nursing a glass of amber liquid that looked like liquor, was Bryce. Leo tensed, his back going ramrod straight as he stared at him.

His brother looked... dishevelled. He was wearing jeans and a crumpled t-shirt with the University of Glasgow's logo; he looked as though he'd slept in his clothes. His hair was ruffled, his shortly cut dark blonde strands sticking out oddly and blue eyes bloodshot.

Leo hated the part of himself that looked at his brother and was (still) worried.

But then he caught the haughty glint in his eyes, the near sneer on his face and all concern fled his mind, replaced with anger and disappointment. Again. As usual.

His brother had been looking at him like this for years...

His mind went back to May when they'd fought; when Bryce hadn't stopped James from hurting Leo and threatening Jemma.

There was a part of Leo that wanted a confrontation; that wanted to step forward and just ask Bryce what was his problem with him. He wanted to yell and demand answers for the years of bullying and loneliness. Leo wasn't a little child, a genius among older kids, anymore.

He knew where he stood now, he knew his worth and where he was going.

He had Jemma...

But he clearly heard a voice in his head that resembled Alec's that told him to back off and stay away from Bryce.

And he could see Jemma's face, concern in her usually clear amber eyes.

For her sake, he thought, putting the glass away in the sink. For her sake, he'd swallow his pride and stay away.

"What? You're going to be a coward as usual and just run to your room?" Bryce taunted him loudly. Since their mother wasn't home, he didn't bother to keep his voice down.

Leo clamped his mouth shut and kept his face neutral. He just had to walk past him, go upstairs and get to his room.

Then he'd probably punch his pillow.

Staring blankly at his brother, Leo walked and was going to go past him when Bryce moved and put himself on his way.

"Since your pretend girlfriend's not here, you're not putting up the brave face?" Bryce smirked, taking a sip of his drink. Leo could smell the alcohol on his breath. "Thought so... Once a coward, always a coward..."

Leo gritted his teeth but kept quiet. He moved past him.

"Coward and also a hypocrite. Never thought you could get worse."

That stopped him.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Leo snapped, turning around.

"Go figure... That got a reaction out of you," Bryce gulped his drink and put the glass on the table.

"What the hell do you want from me?"

"To stop acting as though you care about this family when you clearly don't."

Leo stared. He expected him to say anything but that.

"I left," Leo said, voice cracking. "You kept prattling that I was the reason of all our troubles. You kept saying that if I left, everything would be better." He sucked in a breath of air. "I left when I was fifteen."

He'd missed his mother like crazy, missed Alison talking to him everyday... Hell, he'd even missed Bryce at some point.

"Yeah, you took that scholarship and left," his brother sneered at him. "Yeah, I see how devastated you were by that."

Leo curled his fingers into tight fists. What the hell did he know? He'd spent his first months at MIT keeping everything to himself.

Jemma had made him open up.

Jemma had made him talk and vent.

Jemma had been there when he talked about his dad...

"You don't know anything," he gritted his teeth. No one did...just his best friend.

"Of course not. We're all stupid compared to the great Dr. Fitz." He didn't miss the snarky quip and Leo had to reign his temper.

Was this all it was about? His brother was jealous of him? Of what he had achieved?

"At least, I did something on my own and didn't depend on my friends' wealth." It came out unexpectedly, surprising him. He'd never reacted to Bryce's taunts before.

Bryce stiffened and alarm bells rang through Leo's head. He should leave before things got uglier.

But his own anger was fuelling him now. He was tired of Bryce's attitude.

So he stood his ground and stared at his brother.

And Bryce stared back. His eyes showed a flash of surprise for a moment, probably realising that his little brother was not going to scamper away as he did countless times and then he narrowed them into two icy blue slits.

"Oh, you've turned cocky now, have you?" He remarked, casually leaning against the door. "You think you're better than me now?" He didn't wait for an answer. "Aren't you doing the same with your best friend?"

"What?" Leo's eyes popped open. "What the hell-?"

"Yeah, she got that scholarship with you: she was basically forced to be with you for all these years. She's surely a freak like you but she's also the daughter of two doctors. She could be with anyone." Bryce gestured vaguely at him. "Why stick around with you?"

Leo tried to ignore the taunt but he couldn't help the stab in his gut.

He'd thought about it, plenty of times actually. They might have grown up together but in all the years, Jemma had never left his side.

Brilliant, beautiful and gentle Jemma Simmons could have anyone... and yet she stayed by his side.

"And this new scholarship you're going on about? A specialised school? You're not special." Bryce smirked. "Do you have an agreement with her? She must be desperate. Her family gets you in the same school and you... pay her off somehow? I saw you at the wedding: all the couple antics and kisses. Is that what you do? You snog her, shag her even, and she gets her parents to get you in some fancy school?"

Leo didn't realise that he was moving until he was a palm away from his brother.

"Don't you dare speak about her like that," he hissed. "Jemma is not like that. We were both called for that school, on our own, for our capabilities."

Bryce didn't seem fazed by his anger and shrugged dismissively.

"Fine, I don't care about that..." His eyes hardened. "But you keep thinking that you're better than me, huh? Well, what are you doing for Mum?"

"What?" Leo blinked. Their mother? "What's with Mum?"

"While you were out studying, she worked here and sent you money; every month, she'd send a share of her money to you." His brother levelled him with a look. "And what did you do in return?"

"I-" Leo couldn't get the words together.

"You're going off to another school now. So another four years living off Mum's back then?

"I didn't live off Mum's back! I sent most of the money back and I worked when I could-"

"You forced her to work more because you wanted to show that you're better than everyone else. Just like when Dad was alive and he had to keep up with all the things you wanted," Bryce thundered and Leo took a step back. For a moment, he felt like a child again: smaller, weaker...helpless.

"I...I didn'-"

"You had to keep the whole 'genius' thing going on rather than shutting up. Dad used to work more just to buy you stuff and to take you to all those science fairs where you'd show off." Leo winced. He'd been a rather... cocky, know-it-all child until he was eight. His brother thought that he wanted to show off but, actually, he just wanted his Dad to look at him with that proud look that he still remembered and cherished even though other things about him were fading.

Bryce was seeking out thoughts that Leo had long buried in the depths of his mind. Little doubts and guilty feelings that he'd buried to keep his sanity. Things that had tormented him for years.

They were all coming back with vengeance.

They were going back home from one of those science fairs when the accident occurred...

Leo swallowed dryly.

No, no, no... He'd gotten over that state of mind.

It wasn't his fault. It was an accident...

It wasn't-

"Are you trying to do the same to Mum?" Bryce's words cut through his thoughts, freezing him. "She'll never say a word: she cares too much to say anything. Do you think that it's the first time that she has to leave so late in the evening to go and work?"

Leo blinked at him. His mother had said that she was out to calm down a nervous bride... She wouldn't have lied to him, would she?

Why would she do that?

"She always says that it's a quick thing; just helping this person or a consultation for another. But it's work: it's always work. She went out in a storm this winter, slipped on a patch of ice and nearly broke her arm. Did you even know that?"

"N-no..." No one had told him this. Why hadn't his mother told him? Or Alison?

He thought that his sister would trust him… He wasn't a child anymore...

"Alison and I have talked to her, we told her to work a little bit less and that we'd help her but she wouldn't listen. She keeps saying that she has to take care of us but really…" Bryce scowled. "Ali and I have been working for years. We try to pay for everything we can, when Mum allows us; hell, we've come to the point of stealing the bills and paying them before she can stop us."

Leo swallowed dryly. He knew that his family had never been wealthy but they'd always made it through. He'd been always trying to get scholarships so that he wouldn't weigh on them...

Had it not been enough then?

Had he always weighed on his mother's shoulders?

"Mum's got her own expenses," Bryce went on speaking. "She goes to the hospital every month-"

"What?" Leo spluttered. "Why? Is she-?"

"Of course, you wouldn't bother to ask, would you?" His brother almost sneered at him. "She's been doing this for years now.

"Why?" Leo managed to ask, fear creeping through his veins. He felt as though he was a kid again, back when he was eight; when the thought of losing his mother was so strong while she was in hospital after he'd lost his father.

"What do you care?" Bryce hissed instead. "It's not like you're staying to help her, are you? No, of course not. You're off to America where you'll go into some other genius-level school without a damn care."

"I do car-" Leo protested but his brother didn't allow him to talk. Bryce took a step forward, looking intimidating but didn't touch him.

"You don't," His words were venomous. "If you did, you'd think of staying here worrying about Mum. If you did, you'd stay and help me and Alison take care of her." He took another step forward and Leo had to take a step back as his words just hit him. "Alison just got married and yet she still comes here every day, checking on Mum and helping her out. Do you think it's fair for her? She should be thinking about herself now, thinking about making her own family... She didn't even leave for long during her honeymoon so that she could be here soon."

Leo took in the flood of words and was at loss. He felt guilt and self-loathing just swamp him.

A voice in his head that was telling him that his brother was trying to jumble his mind and was doing what he'd done for years: belittling him and making him feel guilty for his own achievements.

But there was also a voice that reminded him that everything Bryce was saying was true.

He had thought of himself for all these years.

He had never thought of staying in Glasgow to help his family.

He had wanted to go to America from the beginning because he didn't want to be a nuisance to his family. But now, he wanted to be abroad because he had more opportunities and could truly become who he wanted to be.

He'd achieved his engineering degree, a PhD and his technical masters: he'd reached the point that he had wanted since a child. And now, going to SHIELD's Academy would give him more knowledge and allow him to be something more.

He'd never truly realised that he was being selfish...

"If you had a bit of decency, you'd stay here," Bryce's voice brought him out of his thoughts. "But you won't do that, will you? You're too busy trying to be better than everyone else."

Leo couldn't come up with a retort; it seemed as though all the words had fled his mind and he just felt empty.

Bryce walked past him, his shoulder hitting Leo purposefully and making him stumble. He stood there, feeling hollow and missed the smirk that appeared on his brother's face.

Leo didn't know how but at some point, he'd gone back upstairs into his room.

He sat on his bed and let his feelings consume him.

He felt as though he was fourteen again: lost, without a clue as to what to do to make things right and feeling very, very alone.

Guilt burned through every fibre of his being as his mind recalled everything that his brother had said. He wanted to find something that wasn't true but the more he thought about it,the more guilty he felt.

He'd left his home because he thought that he'd help his family. He felt that his father's death had been his fault and leaving seemed like the best option.

He never realised that staying away would mean neglecting them.

He cared for his mother: he loved her. He loved his sister too.

Having his brother, who'd always berated him, tell him that he didn't care hurt him badly.

What should he do?

Give up on the Academy and stay?

Leo couldn't manage to fall asleep that night. He walked around his room, looking at his things, mulling over thoughts that hadn't been on his mind for years.

He soon realised that he'd just shunned those darker musing to a corner of his mind, forgetting that they were there.

He'd buried them under layers of new memories, happier ones.

Leo had started to do that after his talk with Jemma back when he was fifteen; when she'd convinced him that he didn't have any fault in the accident.

When he talked to her honestly for maybe the first time in his life and let his feelings out.

Jemma...

If he stayed in Glasgow, he wouldn't be with her: she would be in America at the Academy.

Would they still be friends? He knew that they would be but there would hundreds of kilometers and different time zones between them...

The thought that they might drift apart broke his heart.

What should he do?

His family or himself?

Glasgow or the Academy?

Alone or with Jemma?

His heart had an answer. It was ridiculously obvious what it wanted him to do and where it wanted him to go.

"If you had a bit of decency, you'd stay here," Bryce's voice echoed in his brain, crushing the little stream of thought that wanted him to be happy.

He'd had his share of happiness already.

He had to do what was right.

Leo leaned back on his bed's headboard, knees drawn up and his eyes drifted to the bed by his side, where his best friend usually slept during the holidays.

He had to hope that she wouldn't hate him. He had to hope that she'd want to be his friend...

Leo shuddered and dropped his head on his knees.

He had to hope that Jemma would forgive him when he told her that he wouldn't go to the Academy with her.

---

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