Drabble 3: Cuffed, Part Two

Again, this idea was given to me by Spitfire303. Hope you like it!

The blond woman called in two men with tools. They tried to break the handcuffs connecting Fitz and Simmons, but for some reason the tools couldn't get through the link. Finally the woman huffed and sent the men away. "Fine. I guess we'll have to question you together then."

She sat down on a chair one of the men had brought in for her and opened her notebook. "So Miss Simmons. You recently 'escaped' from HYDRA. Are there any bits of information you may have told Director Coulson that you really shouldn't have?"

Simmons swallowed. "I didn't really have anything to share."

The woman tutted. "Oh, really? Well, I know you did. And I won't tolerate lying." She smiled cruelly. "Next time you'll be punished."

The woman questioned them for a long time. She asked about weapons they had seen in the field, and inside information on S.H.I.E.L.D.. Every time they refused to answer she struck them. It was one of the most challenging times for them in weeks, but they didn't give away any secrets. It didn't take the woman long to realize that they wouldn't share, either. Eventually she grew so frustrated she left the room, but not before kicking Fitz in the leg again, and hard.

He winced but didn't say anything, and she left the room. Immediately Jemma started fussing over him. "Oh, Fitz, are you alright?"

He took a deep breath. It hurt a bit, but not too badly. She'd kicked him in the ribs twice, so the area was tender. "I'm fine. Are you?"

Jemma had received as many blows as he had, but perhaps not as rough, which he was happy about. She didn't hesitate before answering. "I'll be sore tomorrow, but no real damage."

They were quiet for a few minutes. Fitz was glad to realize that his head didn't ache anymore, and he could remember what had happened. It had just needed time to process. He decided to see if Jemma was experiencing the same thing.

"Can you remember how we got here?"

She nodded. "Yes. But come closer, they're probably listening."

He realized her observation might have just saved them from making a mistake and scooted closer to her, so their bodies were touching. He whispered close to her ear. "So Coulson handcuffed us and said to not come back to him until we got along. Then we started analyzing them to find out why we couldn't break them."

"And we almost slipped back into our old routine, getting along so well we spoke together perfectly." Simmons supplied. She sounded so pleased, and Fitz found he was too. "Then we went on the Bus and flew to New York City. Coulson thought he would find information there about the Obelisk. We went along so we could analyze anything as soon as they got it. We were the only ones left on the Bus."

Fitz continued. "We were just messing around with old experiments, and then the loading dock went down. We thought it was Coulson and the team, so we went to greet them. But it was four HYDRA agents instead. They surprised us and knocked us out, and we woke up here."

Simmons smiled at him. "That's how I remember it too."

It was simple, but he'd had to make sure he remembered correctly. Then he thought for a minute. "Why have we been fighting so much? Once we were handcuffed we were almost back to the old times."

She looked down before answering, close to his ear. "You didn't understand why I had to leave."

He blinked. How could he have forgotten that? "I can logically see why you left," he said, "but emotionally I can't. I was struggling so much."

She put her hand on top of his. The non-handcuffed one. "Fitz, I left partly to let you recover. After our confessions underwater, our relationship had a strain put on it. I didn't want anything to change."

"But I did." He said. He got quieter. "I still do."

"I realize that Fitz. I'm at the point in life where I have to learn that change can be good. So we can revisit the possibility of us once we get out of this."

He felt hope spring up in his chest at that, and a lot of his lingering anger fade away. "I'll hold you to that."

She laughed. "I expect nothing less."

"But why do you think it was better to leave? I still don't get that."

"Honestly, Fitz? You relied on me too much. I can understand you better than I understand myself sometimes, but I knew you wouldn't reach your full potential by constantly having me by your side. You needed time to figure out a way to explain yourself on your own, and get used to thinking in a different way."

He was quiet for a minute. "Now I understand." He said softly. He had thought she was abandoning him, that she was leaving to avoid dealing with his feelings and recovery. Now he knew that she left for him, and that maybe it was really hard for her to do. He felt at peace. "Thank you Jemma."

She laid her head on his shoulder. "I would never leave you, Fitz. I care too much about you."

He smiled. There was potential in those words. Maybe she meant them in a best friend sort of way, or closer than that, but he knew he loved her. And hopefully she could grow to feel the same way he did, if she didn't already.

But he had to focus. They needed to get out of here, and back to the Bus. He looked at their surroundings again, and an idea began to form. "I think I might have an idea." He whispered.

Jemma studied the room for a minute and smiled. "Let's see if they're the same, shall we?"

They whispered low and found that yes, their ideas were the same. All they had to do was wait and be ready to move. After they retrieved the water bottle that was.

They pretended to drink it, and chatted idly until the woman came back. Thankfully it wasn't horribly long, just a few hours. She walked in and Fitz and Simmons immediately stood up. They had been waiting next to the sliding door, so they surprised her. They also got a look into the hallway. There was a big red exit sign just down to the left, which made Fitz guess this wasn't an official base. It was probably an abandoned office building or something. That also meant there wouldn't be many guards.

Fitz punched out and hit the woman, sending her backwards holding her nose. "Come on!" he told Jemma.

She looked somewhat shocked, but she didn't hesitate. They ran out and turned to the left, racing towards the exit. "We didn't even need the water bottle!" Fitz cried.

Simmons looked behind them and gasped. "We're being followed."

Fitz looked back quickly, and sure enough there were two men chasing after them, right on their heels. Simmons carefully took off the top of the water bottle and let the liquid fall to the floor, just behind where she was stepping. It didn't make the HYDRA agents slip, but they did slow down. Simmons threw the empty bottle behind her as Fitz threw open the door, and they ran out into the street, the door shutting behind them.

Simmons laughed as soon as they got out. "I can't believe it worked! We didn't even use the plan, but we got out!"

Fitz felt like laughing too, but first he wanted to make sure they were back on the Bus. That way they were definitely safe. "I felt reckless, like Ward, and decided to go with it. Let's keep moving. Do you remember where we landed the Bus?"

"Um… not exactly."

"Well, it looks like we'll be touring the city then. Let's put some distance between us and this place, and then we can use a payphone."

"But we don't have any money."

He was quiet. "Damn."

So they just kept running, and walking briskly when they got too tired of running. That went on for about half an hour, and then they had a pleasant surprise: the Bus came into sight, and picked them up in Central Park. It was only visible for a second, and the little girl who saw the giant plane thought she was dreaming, so everything ended up fine.

Coulson took off the handcuffs right away and apologized for putting them on, fussing over them. Skye was hovering right behind them. They told their teammates what had happened, and though Coulson was far from pleased, he was glad they were safe. He also noticed a change in them.

"So the handcuffs worked." He said smugly. "You found a way to get along again."

Skye had to comment. "Oh, I'm sure the kidnapping helped."

Coulson waved her comment aside. "But you're back right? You're Fitz-Simmons again?"

Though their hands weren't linked together anymore, they lingered near each other, their fingertips brushing. "Yes." They said together. "We're back."

A/N: Another drabble completed! Submit more ideas, please. I promise I will write them as fast as I can, but I need ideas to start with!