So with the return of the new series, my desire to write has flared up again (finally!) and I thought I should try and get to the end of this fic. Sorry I left it so long, but hopefully you can stick with it and that'll help me to finish this and give it the ending it so sorely needs :L


"Fitz? Have you found something?" Coulson asked.

Fitz's breath caught as his mind went into overdrive. Reid was working with Centipede. Simmons was with him. Alone. Only one word could escape his lips.

"Jemma," he whispered to the empty office.

He was standing now, although he couldn't seem to move much further. Fitz felt as if he was drowning, and his thoughts were racing round in inescapable circles. "Oh God… oh God… Jemma," he repeated again.

Coulson's urgent voice came once more in his ear. "Fitz? Fitz can you hear me?"

The engineer took a deep breath, bending over the desk, his knuckles pressed to its surface. He was shaking so badly that he could barely manage to keep himself standing. Fear was not the appropriate word for what he felt, something stronger, more like terror… and an all-consuming dread.

"Fitz, I need you to talk to me," Coulson pressed. Fitz was sure that, at his end, Coulson could probably hear that he was practically going to pieces, but still he couldn't seem to find his voice. Not until Coulson's next words made their way to him. "Simmons is okay for the moment," Coulson assured him.

"She is?" Fitz asked, hardly daring to let himself believe it.

"Yes, but you need to tell me what you've found. Reid has a strength serum, can it be what I think it is?"

'Centipede," Fitz confirmed breathlessly. "Reid, he's er… He's working with Centipede, he's doing something bad with the cells… the DNA," he managed to choke out.

"Okay, Fitz, listen to me. I'm still on comms with Simmons and I know that she's alright but I'm sending May to get her out, okay?" Coulson told him. He could only guess as to what Fitz must be feeling, but nonetheless had a pretty good idea of what might be going through his head. He knew the lengths Fitz had tried to go to before in order to save his best friend, and so needed him to do as he was told. Coulson didn't need any reckless behaviour from his team – he already had enough to deal with.

"But Jemma…" Fitz started predictably, "I should-"

"If you want to help Simmons, you need to follow your orders," Coulson cut in firmly. "Stay with the others."

"But-"

"No Fitz!" Coulson shouted. He made an effort to bring his voice down to a calmer tone. "I'll make sure Simmons is alright. Go and find your team,"

Coulson's words had been an order, there was no doubt about that, but every instinct Fitz had was screaming for him not to comply. He didn't want to leave the fate of Simmons to someone else, however, the more he thought about it, the more he realised he didn't really have much of a choice. May would be more than capable of getting Simmons out, and Coulson had told him that Simmons was alright… for now at least. He didn't want to compromise the mission.

Fitz's blunt words finally broke the silence. "Yes Sir," he agreed, before leaving the office in search of the others.


Back in the lab, Jemma had to remind herself to breathe as she stared at the man before her. She tried to keep a neutral expression on her face, but she now knew that Dr Reid could be infinitely more dangerous than any of them had originally anticipated.

"Simmons?" Jemma jumped at Coulson's loud voice in her ear. "Simmons just try to keep Reid occupied – maintain your cover. May will come to get you out," he told her. His voice was fierce – determined.

"A… A strength serum?" Simmons clarified, trying to continue the conversation with Reid as if nothing significant had occurred.

"That's right," he confirmed, drawing his dark eyes upwards to focus fully on Simmons. The shaking in her voice had been almost imperceptible, but apparently it had been enough to capture the man's attention.

"And… Why does your daughter need that?" Simmons asked, folding her arms to hide her shaking hands. "You said the proteins were working well," she continued, allowing a frown to colour her features. She hoped he couldn't see her trembling from this distance.

"They are, but not well enough," Reid replied. He still looked somewhat dejected but the shortness of his reply pointed out the fact that he didn't want to elaborate on the particulars of the serum.

"That's a shame," Simmons responded honestly. She knew he wanted her to leave the conversation there, but her curiosity had been inflamed. There was still so much she didn't know about Centipede, about their serum, and she could see that it was now or never. This was her chance.

"Could I see it?" She asked slowly, "the serum?"

Reid eyed her for a moment and Simmons willed herself to hold his gaze. "I suppose so," he allowed finally, pushing himself away from where he leaned against the desk and heading towards one of the locked storage cupboards.

Simmons used the time during which Reid's back was turned to compose herself, and quickly wiped away the tears that were beginning to form in her eyes.

"Here," Reid said, turning back around. He crossed to her and held up a small, unmarked vial of the orange chemical, but did not hand it to her. She supposed it meant more to him than his own life - or at least, his daughter did.

"How is it administered?" She queried.

"Regular injections,"

"Fascinating. That is unlike anything I have ever heard of," Simmons told him truthfully. She was definitely curious now. All the other Centipede soldiers she had encountered so far had needed the delivery mechanism attached to their arm. She wondered if Reid's daughter had to have a similar sort of device. "So the injections are directly into your her bloodstream? Your daughter doesn't have to have any other kind of… adaptations?"

Reid looked at Simmons carefully as he pocketed the vial. She supressed a gasp, keeping her mouth tight shut as she realised she may have said too much.

"Whatever do you mean?" Reid asked, seemingly perplexed.

"It just seems… like a very complex drug. I don't know what to expect from such a thing," Simmons lied, trying very hard not to grimace as she worked her way around an answer that would seem plausible. "So where did you say it came from?" She asked innocently, hoping to distract him with a change in the direction of the conversation.

"My collaborators," He responded shorty, tight lipped once again.

"Right… and what do they do?" She tried, although by this point she was fairly certain that her inquiries would get her nowhere besides into more trouble.

"You do ask a lot of questions Dr Simmons," Reid said slowly. Simmons knew she was walking a fine line, and could now, for the first time, clearly see the warning of something dangerous in his eyes.

"I'm just curious, that's all," she told him hastily. "This drug could do so much, but is also potentially very dangerous." Reid's brow creased in what seemed like genuine confusion.

"Why do you say that?" He asked, concern spreading over his face.

"It's just-" Simmons' explanation was cut off as a large guard abruptly burst into the lab.

"Sir, we've been infiltrated," the man said hurriedly. Reid's manner changed immediately, and he walked swiftly towards the guard.

"What?!" He practically shouted, causing Simmons to jump. She stood there silently, trying desperately to come up with a way to escape, and failing miserably. There was no way out of this. Her cover, if not already blown, was about to be.

"We found a team in your office." Simmons' heart sank at the guard's words. "It's SHIELD, sir," he continued.

"SHIELD," Reid repeated, his voice suddenly unnervingly quiet. He sounded disappointed now rather than angry, but Simmons did not miss the way his hands balled into fists at his sides.

"Yes sir, it seems they knew about the serum and they've wiped your files."

"No!" Reid shouted once again, banging his fist on the desk. "Get after them! Now! I need that work!" The guard ran out of the room, gun in hand, and for a moment terror seized Jemma as she realised this man seemed like the sort who would pull no punches when it came to apprehending her team. However, her fears were drawn back to a more immediate problem as Reid finally turned on her.

"So… you're with SHIELD?" he asked in a measured voice. At a glance he would seem calm, but up close, the small twitches of his hands and the desperation in his eyes gave away just how close he was to losing it.

"…Yes," Simmons admitted, having no other choice.

"You stole my files?" He stepped forward causing Jemma to take a cautious step back.

"No, it's not like that," she explained hastily. Despite everything she had come to learn, Simmons was still convinced that Reid was not a bad man, just a man in a bad situation. Mike Peterson had given her enough experience of people like that, and Coulson had managed to reason with him. Maybe she could reason with Reid. "We didn't want to take your work, just check up on it, but obviously this drug - all of this – it's very dangerous,"

"And how do you know that?" He asked warily, seemingly unsure of himself yet again.

"I've seen what this serum can do to people - I've worked with it before. Your collaborators are not who you think they are and you cannot give that stuff to your daughter," Simmons added desperately.

"This is the only thing that's keeping her alive," Reid spat, "how could I not give it to her?"

"But at what cost is it keeping her alive?" Simmons asked, hoping to appeal to his common sense. "I've seen the damage and destruction that drug can cause to fully grow adults, never mind a developing child. It changes cells. The effects it could have… they could be catastrophic."

"You don't think I know that?!" Reid asked, suddenly shouting again, but there were tears in his eyes. "Everything that's happened to her," he continued, backing Simmons up against the wall as he moved yet closer. "It's all my fault and… and I just need some time to put it right," he said, his voice breaking. "I won't let you cost me that time." He said resolutely, taking a deep breath before pulling a syringe of clear liquid from his pocket. Simmons gasped as she realised there was nowhere to run and no one to save her.

"I'm sorry," Reid said earnestly, " but I won't let you cost me her."

As soon as the needle entered her arm, Jemma could feel her consciousness slipping away. The last thing she saw was Reid turning to walk away before she crashed to the floor.


Thanks for reading and as always, let me know what you think :) x