Simmons is certainly insinuating herself deeper and deeper into his heart. He'd hoped scratching that particular itch would relieve his attraction and curiousness regarding Jemma but that doesn't happen. Instead his infatuation becomes more consuming. He likes her and he definitely likes having sex with her. The church mouse scientist is not all that mousy between the sheets.

What she lacks in experience is more than made up for by her enthusiasm and inventiveness. She'd found places on the plane that were definitely not meant for sexual acts but that didn't stop her.

So far the only places they have stayed out of are the bunks, Coulson's quarters and May's cock pit. Mostly because Coulson their boss and May is as frightening as all seven levels of hell.

She can hear her making fun of him with Fitz. It's funny he has to admit and Skye's right the mimicry is pretty much dead on but he can't let her know that sleeping with and spending every free moment you have with person you are imitating his bound to improve your impressional skill.

He strides in "Fitzsimmons have you fixed the tranq gun?"

"You were right. Fitz left a dummy round in the night-night pistol. Should be right as rain now." Jemma said grinning up at him as he hefts the gun. He knows she's lying to him but she's doing it to save his ego for having just ribbed on him he's sure. He lets her slide because it's cute.

She waits until Skye has turned back to her SHiIELD tracked laptop to slip him a note. He hasn't been passed a note since at least Jr. High she is so innocent sometimes that he has to bite back a laugh. "Thanks." He said slipping the gun back into the holster on his chest. He pockets the note. "We have a mission."

-/-/-

When there is a scout leader floating mid-air having pulled everything with an electrical field around him to the area surrounding him and the first thing your girlfriend says is "Neat." One she might be crazy and two you should stay close.

"It seems though the electrostatic left remain in the air is keeping him afloat. She stepped forward to examine the body a rather wide arc of blue electricity shocks her. He instinctively yanks Jemma back against his chest. "Are you okay?" he tries to sound appropriately gruff all the while hoping no one noticed just how long his hand lingered on her hip.

"I'm fine, fine, just gave me a jolt is all. Thank you for the concern Ward." Right he needed to let her go.

She and Fitz turn to each other with glee in their eyes. "Freaky." They echo in unison at the body now on the ground.

-/-

Nothing has even come close to the feeling of dread caused by seeing Thomas at the bottom of that well until this very second that is a time clock has been put on Jemma's life.

Two hours Jemma has two measly hours to save her own skin. Because if she fell to the alien virus set to make her brain literally explode with electricity well… it really didn't really bare thinking about in his book.

He can't stand there at her lab door with his helpless expression and not expect someone to find them out. He goes to the observation room and watches her working. Willing her to find a solution with the power of his thoughts. "Come on baby…" he muttered as he chewed his thumbnail nervously.

"I knew it! I knew you two were screwing! Fitz denied it but I knew!" Skye's exclamation makes him jump he realizes he might be more rattled the he originally surmised.

"It's not- I- It's more than that." He sputtered.

"Look at you using you words!" She teased and really he doesn't have the patience for it today.

"Skye…" He warned crossing his arms.

"Right sorry, we're not letting her die right because I vote no."

He shook his head glancing his feet before looking back up at Skye "If the smartest person on this plane much less the smart person I have ever or likely will ever know can't save herself we may have no other choice and she knows it."

"What do we do if-"She starts to ask and he cuts her off.

"Don't make me answer that, just know we'll do what if we're called to do."

The sound of Fitz and Jemma arguing draws their attention. "They're wasting time. Valuable time."

"They're facing losing each other Grant I think fighting feels easier than goodbye." Skye confides.

They watch has Fitz races by with the biohazard container. "What are you doing? The last thing she needs is another shot at that toxin." Ward said following behind Fitz.

"Actually it's a virus love." Jemma said through his comm.

"Whatever Jem!" he muttered back.

-/-/=

As they work on an inoculation for the virus Grant can't watch he stands with his back turned all of the memories and things he's not ready to lose flooding his mind cause a migraine to pulse behind his eyes.

The way a blush creeps into her cheeks whenever he takes their veiled flirting one step to far for her comfort. The way it feels to wake up next to someone and know they won't leave or use his love against him.

Watching her finish the crossword or cheat him out of scrabble games. Even the British movies she makes him watch which are all boring and depressing as fuck.

He doesn't want to give up secretly kissing her goodnight or loving her at all. Because he does really love her. Isn't this the worst time to come to that revelation?"

He turns around with every intention of telling her loves her and to just keep trying for them. Or for him. As he turns she is injecting the last rat with the antiserum.

It fails and their hearts collectively drop. She says that she knows the protocol for these things but would Coulson mind very much telling her father first. It would be easier on her mother that way. And even though Grant hated his mother he knows with heart wrenching certainty that Jemma would be a great mother simply from the care she'd shown her own in what would likely be her final minutes.

She asks for a moment alone with Fitz and they all acquiesce as she'd say. "Grant." She whispers as he mounts the very first step last in the line.

He turns and steps up to the glass lab door dividing them. "Grind your back molars like when you're about to… never mind. Just grind your teeth it will disable the comm for five minutes it's a loophole in the tech Fitz has yet to fix." She said in a breathless rush.

"Jem we don't have time for this you gotta keep trying." He pleads trying hard not to let his desperation show.

She shook her head resolutely. "We both know there is no reason to try love. Now do the gnashing thing so I can say my peace."

If he does as she asks with tears misting his eyes it's not as if his secret will get out.

He gives him a smile watered down by her sickness and sorrow but he'll take it. "Do you remember our first date the real one not the op? You remember how said I was that we could cherry pick all the magic out of the midway?" She shook her head again and voice shakes for a moment as she continues." I was wrong, I just didn't know it, and I went home with the magic."

She laughs a little before tears fill her eyes and snake down her cheeks. "You have taught me more about myself than any teacher I've ever had. You taught me how to lead with my heart and I will always be grateful for it. Because no matter how deeply you hide from it you have a good heart Grant Ward. Even it was an only for a nano second I'm glad you were mine. I love you. "The words hit him but not in an unpleasant way.

"Now hurry back you have thirty seconds." She commands.

"Jem." He started to return the words or tell her to keep working at the problem but she cuts him off.

He can't deny her that privacy parts of her are his and parts of her belong solely to Leo Fitz "Go on now get. I need to tell Fitzy goodbye."

He returns to the observation screen to find the others staring at him. 'What." He barks.

No one responds. Then after a moment or two the cargo ramp alarms sounds. "No fucking way! She's afraid of heights!" he runs after her cursing the entire way.

He takes the injector and para-pack from Fitz swings it on and bails off after her.

/-/-

After they have been retrieved and debriefed they are free to return to quarters. He hasn't said two words to her since her confession. He's too angry at her for being so rash.

"I don't get why you are mad at me I mean I only did the thing that was over all best for the team!" she whispered.

"OH screw the fucking team!" he explodes at her. What about him! What he felt! She almost left him too.

"There's no need to shout at me like a loon Grant the virus did not affect my hearing!" She screeches back with a dark glare.

He laughs he just can't help it. "Oh I'm the crazy one that's rich you're the fucking nut ball who threw herself out of a goddamn plane and you are afraid of heights! You couldn't even ride the Ferris wheel on our first date! But hey let me drop my ass out of a fucking plane before my boyfriend can say I love you too!" he rails at her and she seems a little shocked before absorbing things and giving a retort.

"Do you feel better love?" She quips and damn it does he love her because his anger just dissolves on the spot.

He gives a chagrined laugh. "You're so damn crazy. But yes I do. I didn't mean for it to come out like that."

As they both finally pause for breath in the midst of their tiff they suddenly realize the plane is utterly and completely silent.

"Shit!" Ward cursed.

"Yes quite succinct. Though let the record show I was not the one who slipped."

He rolls his eyes but replies. "Noted Babe. We may as well report to Coulson."

Coulson appears above them on the stairs as if he were just awaiting his cue. "No need. I knew, you both seem to maintain professional distance so I don't think I will need to call you on Reg violations."

"How did you know Sir?" Jemma asked.

"Your lipstick tends to stain his collar. I like to do laundry when I can't sleep."

"Oh…"

-/-

Grant slips into Jemma's bunk late that night. "I thought I'd have to subdue Fitz to get access to you. It didn't seem fair since you knocked him out once already today. I had Skye flirt with him." He stands a little awkwardly at the foot of her decidedly feminine bed. They have never shared this space.

"I'm fine Grant." She said laying a book on biochemical manipulation aside on the night stand. Next to the book is a picture of them taken in one of those cheesy photo booths from some random mall they had stopped off at. They are squished together and smiling happily. It makes him smile in return.

He returns his gaze to her. "You tried closing your eyes yet?" She just sighed. "That's what I thought. Scoot over." She does and he crawls in beside her.

She curls up against him laying her head on his chest "He likes her, I can just tell. She'd be good for him. She's edgy and fun and smart but not in a way that makes me feel replaced." She said referring to Fitz and Skye.

"Meaning she's not as smart as you." He smiled at her perfectly justified expression. "You scared me today." He confessed dropping a kiss on top of her head.

She cast her eyes up at him worry clear on her face. "That wasn't my desired result Grant. I'm sorry."

"I know I just haven't been that frightened in years." He confessed looking at the pictures on her walls, her parents, Fitz, her dog that must no live with her folks. He plays with her and takes in their silent communication. Jemma is okay being quiet he loves that.

Most times she is okay with the quiet most times. "When they sent you and Fitz into that OP with no way out and I was basically helpless it was the worst feeling because…"

"Because your brain couldn't get us out of a tight spot?" he asked.

"Yes and no. I knew that Fitz knows I love him and didn't know if you did." She paused chewing her bottom lip as she thought out her words. It made him want to kiss her and he realized for the first time today that hadn't kissed her since the night before. "And I wanted you to know that you're worth loving even those things you keep hidden. I even love your secrets."

Those big brown trusting eyes look up at him and his heart aches. "I'm not sure how I got that lucky."

She rolls over on to her stomach propped up on her arms to look him over. "It's not luck… I used to think love was just chemicals but after today I… Well trying to do the right thing was hard not because I was afraid of dying but because I had something to miss. This team, you my Leo. I'm not sure what any of it means I don't have the answer this time but I do know it's not luck and what I did was-"

He tilted her face up and kissed her. "What you did was brave Jemma. Are you still afraid of heights?" he teased against her smiling lips.

She backs off to glower at him. "Oh bugger off." She grumbled.

He changes the subject before things get to heavy. "I'd really rather not. What was your note about? The one in my pocket?"

She grins up him like a kid in candy store and his heart jumps. "Oh that I was inquiring on whether or not you'd fancy shag in the SUV again?"

"Leather seats are cold." He shrugs. "We've yet to do anything in the bunks." He hints and she blushes.

He kisses her soft and slow as he'd wanted to do all day. He nudged her so she lay on her back beneath him. He takes his time undressing her, touching her, kissing her. He is in no rush what so ever.

He intends to draw this out leaving her so exhausted she'll have no choice but to dreamlessly sleep. When he settles himself in the cradle of her hips and sinks his way home he relishes the quiet little gasp she always emits and the way her body rises up languidly to meet his own.

As she's kissing the line of his shoulder and sighing his name barely above a whisper in time with gentle tempo of their bodies. It dawns on him how close he'd come to losing her today. It causes a lump of tears to rise in his throat and feelings he can't process to land on his chest.

He hides his face in the crook of her neck hoping she'll mistake the tears for sweat. "I love you Jemma." He said the words as he originally planned honest and plain.

She doesn't reply instead settles on kissing whatever part of him she can reach. Chest, neck, shoulders, face. He receives the message. She loves him back .

Grant ward has never loved anyone. Not one person. Only Jemma and his old friend Buddy. Garret t doesn't believe in attachments or love if he ever finds out that Grant loves Jemma it may well spell his end.

AN: I own nothing thanks a ton for all the support! I love this little section of fandom so much! Send me your thoughts and or kudos if you feel up too it!-MM