This is where the fun begins


Immediately, Jemma dropped the razor. It clattered to the ground as she groped around in the darkness.

Her fingers found the light switch and she tried it a few times to no avail. Opening the bathroom door just bore more darkness. She grit her teeth. Though it had been a few days since waking up for the first time in Fitz's bed, she still didn't trust herself enough to find her way around the base in total darkness.

"Fitz?" She called out tentatively. It was a shot in the dark - no pun intended - but maybe he was close enough to hear. Or perhaps he'd already come looking for her.

Jemma stumbled her way to the door leading out of the bedroom, only stubbing her toe once on the bedpost. Outside, agents were running hurriedly down the emergency-lit hallways. She tried to push down a wave of nausea at the sight of side arms being drawn, loaded and readied. Whatever had happened, it wasn't pretty.

"Simmons!"

Jemma's head jerked the other way, seeing Skye running toward her in tactical gear.

"Skye! Oh, thank goodness. The lights just went out and -"

Skye shoved her back into the room, locking the door behind them. Jemma stumbled back, barely catching herself as Skye flipped on a flashlight.

Before she could open her mouth, Skye threw a black vest at her. Jemma stumbled back the weight of it. "Put this on," she commanded, tapping a button on her gauntlet.

Jemma clamped her mouth shut and did as she was told. The vest was heavy, but she immediately recognized it from her studies - Kevlar. She swallowed around the lump in her throat.

"I found her," Skye barked into her wrist. Then, the turned back to Jemma and passed her a gun. She fumbled it, shaking her head violently.

"No, I don't -"

"Take it," Skye pressed. "You might need it,"

She took it, holding it as if it were a lit bomb. "Okay, and the lights -"

"EMP," Skye muttered, tapping a few things on her gauntlets. "HYDRA, judging from the looks of it,"

Jemma swallowed hard. She hadn't yet seen Skye like this before - analytical, ready. It had all been joy and playfulness so far. She braced her mind for a reality check.

"You mean the ones that," she tapped her head.

"Yeah," Skye breathed. "Listen, Fitz and Lizzie are in Coulson's office. If things go south, it's your job to get SHIELD Intel and your family out of here. Got it?"

Jemma nodded, too stunned to do much more. "And you? You just gave me your only gun, you know,"

Skye smirked at her in the dim light of her flash light. "I've got something much better than a gun, Jem,"

Jemma eyed her warily. "What do you mean?"

Skye grabbed her wrist. "You'll know it when you see it. Just keep close, crouch behind me. I'm getting you to Coulson's office."

Without another word, she kicked the door open and led her into the chaos.


There was a tense silence as they moved from corner to nook and back again. Skye wasn't taking any chances with her, meaning every corner had to be scouted before she'd let Jemma around.

In the end, it payed off.

"Duck!" Skye barked, jumping more protectively in front of the scientist.

Jemma hit the linoleum, careful not to hassle her midsection for fear of the baby.

Skye held out her hand, emitting vibrations so strong they sent the enemy agent careening ten feet back into a brick wall. There was a sickening crack of bone. He didn't move again.

Skye made quick work of the others, only a handful remaining. Jemma watched in awe as Skye repeatedly slammed agents against each other and the walls. Soon, the hallway was silent save for their breathing.

"Well," Jemma murmured after a long pause. "You never told me about this."

"I know it's a lot to take in -" Skye started in on the speech she'd memorized years ago.

Jemma cut her off. "Honestly, Skye . . . I trust you," she offered a shaky smile. "I'm just more curious, if anything. There must be very expensive tech in those gauntlets of yours to emit such a -"

"No," Skye interrupted. "It wasn't the gauntlets." She grabbed Jemma's arm again. "That was me,"

"What?" Jemma rasped out.

"We didn't want to make you panic. One thing at a time, right? Fitz and Co. first, us Inhumans last,"

"Inhumans?"

Skye shoved her into another doorway, looking both ways. She met her eyes seriously. "Listen, we don't have time. Fitz will tell you what you need to know, alright?"

Jemma nodded, taking a deep breath. "Skye, I can't thank you enough."

Skye pulled her into a quick hug. "You don't need to," she smiled when she pulled back. "Now get in there. They're waiting for you."

Jemma returned her smile before ducking into the office.


"Fitz?" She called out tentatively. "Lizzie?"

There was a slight shuffle behind the desk before Lizzie popped up, the clang of a flashlight hitting the ground as she did so. She grinned and threw herself at Jemma.

"You made it!" She wrapped her arms around her leg.

Fitz popped up next, hushing her. "Quiet, remember Liz?"

"Oh yeah," Lizzie mock whispered back. "Come back here with us," she tugged Jemma back behind the piece of furniture.

She crawled after the girl and sat cross legged. Fitz placed a hand on her knee. "You're alright, yeah?"

Jemma nodded, still a bit breathless. "Yeah, I'm fine," she patted her stomach, offering a small smile. "We both are,"

Fitz grinned, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and pulling to him so he could place a kiss on her hairline. She didn't resist. "Good. I just . . . When the lights went out and we couldn't find you . . ." He breathed out a heavy breath. "I'm glad you're alright."

"Skye got to me first," she whispered, feeling a twinge of guilt at what she had been about to do. "Speaking of whom . . ." She prodded his knee with her own.

"Oh, right," he scratched behind his ear, which she'd come to determine as a nervous tick. "Skye's not human,"

Jemma gave him a flat look. "You don't say,"

"She's what they call an Inhuman. Dunno why. They're part alien, mostly human." He scrunched his nose. "When their biology is exposed to terrigen - a, um, substance - it changes. Gives them an ability,"

"Ah," Jemma nodded. She felt like she should be horrified or traumatized at this point, but to be honest this might not even be the strangest thing she'd seen. Hey, she was a super spy. Why not toss in some sci-fi, just for good measure? "So she can . . . Blast people,"

"Quake," Fitz shrugged.

Lizzie grinned from her position with a coloring book. "Uncle Mack calls her that,"

Jemma decided not to push on who this Mack character was. Lizzie had far too many Aunts and Uncles to count on one hand.

Popping of gunfire sounded from outside, and Fitz lunged to pull Lizzie closer under the desk. Jemma tried to make herself as small as possible against the drawers, though the Kevlar vest she was still wearing didn't make it the easiest.

Fitz grabbed her by the shoulder and pulled her under along with them. Immediately, the three of them were cramped in a five-walled cube.

The room was silent save for their breaths and the gunfire outside. Fitz was just opening his mouth to propose they make a run for it when a loud buzzing erupted, accompanied by a bright blue light.

Fitz sighed gratefully. "It's just Lincoln,"

Jemma chewed on her lip. "Another Inhuman, I'm guessing?"

"Yeah," Fitz muttered, clamping his hands around Lizzie's ears. The girl glared at him in the darkness, but didn't resist.

There was the sound of bodies slamming into brick, cries from the fallen agents. It made Jemma's stomach roll. As horrid as it was, it gave her a rush of affection for Fitz. He really was a great father to Lizzie, protecting her from the war around them.

What felt like hours later - though it was really only minutes - the door to the office burst open. Jemma's hands instinctively tightened around the gun, though she had no idea how to use it.

"FitzSimmons?" A male's voice echoed.

A sigh of relief escaped the two adults. It was Lincoln. Fitz let go of Lizzie and the three of them crawled out. Jemma allowed a grin onto her face as she breathed in clean air.

Fitz gave Lincoln a nod. "Everything alright?"

"Yeah," the inhuman gave a tight nod. There was a trickle of blood sliding down his cheek from a gash on his eyebrow, but otherwise he seemed relatively well. Jemma shielded Lizzie from his sight. "Just took a hook to the eye. Nothing major, I'm sure,"

"And HYDRA?" He questioned again.

"May was guessing two or three waves. From what we've hacked from their coms, they're after the machine," Lincoln took a deep breath, landing his gaze seriously on Jemma. "And anyone exposed to it,"

It took but a second for her heart to stop. The rational part of her argued over that, but she didn't care.

HYDRA - a criminal organization hellbent on work domination - was after her. And from the looks of their blatant, unnecessary casualties, they weren't playing nice either.

Fitz recovered first. "Y-You mean Jemma?" His brow crinkled, and she felt her ribcage twitch with pain. This wasn't fair - not for herself, but for them. They didn't deserve to have to this much stress tossed upon them, not on top of the fact she was already dead weight to them.

Lincoln nodded softly, expression grim. "I'm sorry,"

Fitz just nodded, the new stress making him look older somehow. More weary. "Alrigh,'" he whispered, swiping a hand over his head. "Alright," he repeated, louder.

Jemma bit her lip, looking down. She had never hated herself so much as she did now. It made her wish she had used that razor on her arm - pregnant or not.

She had ruined this, hadn't she? Fitz didn't deserve this, an amnesiac wife who barely knew how to take care of her daughter or pull her weight in the lab. A dead weight to everyone.

"Okay then," she nodded. "I . . ." Jemma sucked in a breath. "I'll leave,"

"Jems," Fitz turned on his heel. His face was screwed up, disbelieving. "What d'ya mean?"

"I'll leave," she repeated, a bit more firm. "I'll go home, to Sheffield,"

And she swore his face had never broken more then that instant when she stated home was elsewhere.


Whoo, okay! I'm off to see Civil War with my buddies :) No spoilers, I promise!

I didn't have time to respond to comments, life is super hectic at the moment, so I'll jump on those either later today or tomorrow. So sorry!

But thank you all SO MUCH for the birthday wishes! It was a really tough day, so seeing all those comments lit up my world :)