Chapter Three

Fitz had seen some strange things in his tenure with S.H.I.E.L.D.. He had worked on devices that looked like they belonged in a science fiction movie and created technology that was fifty years ahead of anything in the public sector. He had even met an alien! But nothing could have prepared him for this.

Jemma Simmons was his best friend, the one person he could count on above all others. But he carried a secret. He had loved her from the minute he met her. He was sure she would never feel the same way, after all, she could get any guy she wanted, why would she choose him? They were destined to be friends - and nothing more - forever.

But he was wrong.

He would never forget the night at the Academy that she professed her feelings for him. He had just stood there, slack jawed, staring at her, sure that he had imagined the words he had always wanted to hear. He didn't know what to say back, so he just sat there and stared at her. She ran out of the Boiler Room, thinking he didn't feel the same. But he did. He ran after her, grabbing her arm to stop her and kissed her right there. They had been together ever since.

The day she said yes to his marriage proposal he knew he was the luckiest guy in the world.

The already formidable duo became an unstoppable force in S.H.I.E.L.D., their talents sought over by every S.H.I.E.L.D. team. Everyone knew that FitzSimmons were the best. They had landed one of the best positions out there when they agreed to work on Coulson's team. But then tragedy struck.

What had started as a simple undercover operation turned deadly when Ian Quinn shot Jemma in the stomach. They had done everything possible to try to save her, even flying all over the world to find a mysterious miracle drug, but their miracle never came. The guesthouse had already been destroyed and the GH.325 was never found.

Fitz had never felt a stronger pain. He would never be able to see Jemma again. Hydra had taken her from him.

But now she was sitting there, right in front of him. She looked the same, spoke the same, everything about her was identical. He could even smell her shampoo, the same smell that had still not completely disappeared from his bunk. But this wasn't his Jemma. His Jemma was gone.

"So this 0-8-4 is some sort of alternate universe portal?"

Coulson's question broke Fitz out of his reverie. He realized that everyone was looking at him including this Jemma. "Without studying the device closer…" Fitz began. "There is no way for me to be certain."

"We need to study the device then," Jemma said. She had moved her eyes away from Fitz and back on Coulson. "That device may be the only thing that can get us back home."

"How do we know it's safe?" May said from the corner.

"We have to do something." Skye replied. "We obviously do not belong here."

Coulson was eyeing both girls closely like he was trying to decide if he could trust them. "Tell me about your universe."

The question took everyone by surprise. Fitz didn't really see what knowing about their universe had to do with the device that had gotten them there, but Coulson was trying to learn more about the girls before he trusted them enough to help.

The girls looked at each other, also wondering if they could trust the others, but they had nothing left to lose. "We are agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. working for Director Coulson," Skye began, echoing some of what she had already told them. "Hydra infiltrated S.H.I.E.L.D., causing the organization to crumble. Fury is alive, but he stepped down, leaving Coulson in charge. We are based out of the Playground, one of the few remaining secure S.H.I.E.L.D. bases. Ward is a Hydra spy. He tried to kill Fitzsimmons, leaving Fitz with brain damage."

"Brain damage?" Fitz couldn't stop himself asking.

"Ward trapped us in a med pod at the bottom of the ocean." Jemma said, her voice shaking just slightly. "You figured a way of blowing the window, but there was only enough oxygen for one of us. You made me take it. You saved my life."

Her eyes were on locked on his and he realized he saw an emotion he almost didn't recognize. It was almost the look she had the night in the Boiler Room when she told him her feelings but it was different; like she had lost her nerve. It suddenly made Fitz wonder what her relationship with the other Fitz was. Were they still nothing more but friends.

"Ward was Hydra." Coulson broke into the moment turning the conversation back.

"Yes," Fitz could hear the bitterness in Skye's voice as she replied. "He was John Garrett's lap dog. He had been playing us from the beginning."

"So you are dealing with the Hydra threat?" Coulson asked, prompting Skye to continue.

"Yes. That and the government. S.H.I.E.L.D. has been labeled a terrorist organization, so even the good guys want a piece of us now."

"Where did you get the 0-8-4?"

"Hydra." Jemma spoke up, answering Coulson. "We found a Hydra lab. We broke in and found this, but we know the lab has even more valuable assets. Director Coulson was actually about to start a mission to infiltrate the lab." Fitz saw her eyes dart back to him again, the look in them a mix of sadness and regret.

"Did Hydra know what they had?" Coulson asked, grabbing the picture of the 0-8-4 from the table.

"I don't think so, sir," Jemma replied. "We didn't even know what it was, only that they had taken it from a S.H.I.E.L.D. facility. I guess we found out the hard way."

Something akin to a smile flickered on Coulson's face for a split second. "You can study the 0-8-4, try to see if you can find a way back. You can use the lab." Coulson's eyes moved to Fitz. He didn't say anything, but Fitz got the message. "I also want any and all information that your team has gathered on Hydra. Everything, even if it seems insignificant. It might not all be the same, but it might help."

Suddenly the alarm began to blare as the door to the interrogation room was thrown open. Ward was standing there with a tablet in his hand and a worried expression on his face.

"Sir, we have a problem."

Coulson jumped up from his spot and moved quickly to Ward. "What happened?"

"Someone found the base, they just hacked into the security. Everything has gone dark and we don't know where they are."

"Who is it?" Coulson asked.

"We managed to get one frame from the security camera before the feed was cut." Ward held up the tablet. Fitz moved to where he could see the picture, his mouth opening as he saw who it was.

"Is that…"

"Me," Skye had stood up and made her way to Ward and the tablet. "That's me. I'm - or shall I say, the Skye from this world - is infiltrating the base."

"We need to find them," Coulson said, his jaw going rigid with the new threat.

"Sir, I can help." Skye was looking at him with a determined look. "After all, who knows how she would operate better than me?"

Coulson looked at Skye for a second, trying to decide if it was actually a good idea before he came to a decision. "Fine. Go with Ward." He looked at her one more time before looking back at Ward. "Keep an eye on her. May, go find Triplett and see if he has any way to track her movements."

"Sir, what can we…" Jemma began as the others ran out of the room, but Coulson cut her off.

"FitzSimmons, you can…" Coulson suddenly stopped, realizing what he had said. Fitz hadn't heard anyone use the name FitzSimmons in so long. He missed the name and what it represented. He felt a simultaneous pang of grief and happiness. Coulson looked at Jemma. "Take a look at the 0-8-4, see if you can figure out what it is." He turned his attention onto Fitz, his face suddenly softer. "You don't have to do this, I won't make it an order."

Fitz looked from Coulson over to Jemma. He took a deep breath before replying. "Thank you sir, but I'm fine. We will figure out what the device is."

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