Jemma tried not to appear too eager as she buckled herself into the passenger seat. The sheer possibility of a lab with resources, with the prospect of truly equal credit, was some sort of dream opportunity. And Fitz had already proven himself a lovely partner - even in the most stressful situations. The tour would allow her to confirm for herself the true scope of Fitz's abilities. She needed to know that this wasn't all just some sort of wonderful dream.

She could hardly sit still after arriving back at the house. She struggled to apply herself productively. If she liked what she saw, she would sign over whatever was necessary to end her obligations to Roxxon and Iliad. She and Fitz could probably manage to surpass any design nuances that might be subject to patent.

But even more than that, she had felt his absence quite acutely back at the house. It was funny, really, how much being in those close quarters and placing absolute trust in someone else for your well being had shifted her whole perspective. She felt at once the same and utterly changed by the experience and by him. Scientifically, she was encouraged in a way she hadn't dared to feel since impressing her professors and peers in college.

In terms of their budding relationship, she did not even attempt to put a name to it. It was all too precious and new. It might yet be altered in the continued light of day, or by their potential new working relationship. Things were encouraging and lovely with Fitz during their morning meeting, but it hadn't even been twenty four hours yet.

She had to persistently remind herself to be pragmatic, which was not something she very easily forgot to do.

"You'll have to forgive me for being a little late," he apologized, while scraping the last of a few stray crumbs from his tie. "I was so busy getting everything ready for your tour that I lost track of time and needed to grab a quick sandwich."

She smiled, leaning across the gear shift to brush a crumb her had missed. Perhaps he really was just as eager as she was. "It is not a problem. I'm just very anxious to see your lab myself."

He beamed back at her, starting up the engine. "Then let's get moving."

Fitz tried not to groan as the entirety of the office had piled into the tiny entrance room to get a glimpse of their new fellow employee. Even May had come out of her back office. Fitz had no doubt that between Hunter and Daisy, not a single person did not know how they both had spent the last evening.

Jemma looked a bit shocked. Clearly this was not the type of reception she was used to getting.

Bobbi grinned. "So nice to finally put a face to the name. I've been wondering ever since you handed Hunter the note that he couldn't pronounce."

Hunter frowned. "Oi."

"Oh," Jemma's eyes widened, clearly putting the mental pieces together. "It's you!"

"Alright," Coulson ordered, smirking. "Everybody else back to work. You'll all get to meet Doctor Simmons after she is impressed by the facility tour."

Fitz grabbed her hand as Coulson gestured for them to follow.

Whatever Jemma had been expecting of the tiny building from the outside, paled in comparison to the real thing. The facilities were surprisingly large with a honeycomb of offices on floors that reached down into at least one sub-basement level. Fitz had walked next to her for the entire duration of the tour, letting go of her hand only momentarily to grab her a lab coat and goggles.

"And this," Coulson held open the final door on their tour, "is where you will be working, should you decide to join us."

Jemma just gaped. The lab itself was probably the largest she had ever seen and some of the equipment must not have hit the shelves yet, it was so top-of-the-line. Clearly this was a well funded operation!

Fitz tugged her forward, methodically bringing her to each piece of equipment and answering every question she could think of. There wasn't much missing, but even Coulson was quick to assure her that, with adequate proof of need, additional assets could be acquired.

Fitz squeezed her hand anxiously. "What do you think?"

Jemma's face lit up. "It's lovely! Honestly, I'm anxious to start...although I'm not sure what information on the prototype I will still need to hand over to my former employer before I can possibly begin."

"You will make an excellent addition to the team," Coulson smiled. "I'll meet with Agent May to see what extra paperwork might need to be drawn up. Fitz, if you could keep her occupied here for a short while, I'll be right back down to start the process."

Jemma just nodded, smiling widely. All of this really was too lovely to take in.

May looked up as Coulson walked into her office. "We'll need to add an extra bit of paperwork to her file for a seamless non-disclosure transition, but I expect that Dr. Simmons will be a tremendous asset."

"Your little experiment might have had some unintended consequences," May offered sagely as she dug out the appropriate forms from the filing cabinet. "I suspect you'll have at least one more problem than you're counting on."

Coulson frowned, folding his arms across his chest. "Oh?"

"Dr. Simmons hasn't signed anything with you yet," she explained, smiled slightly as she continued to rout through the drawers. It had to be around her somewhere. "So, she doesn't know about the anti-fraternization clause."

Coulson quirked a brow. "Oh."

"But," May added. "I'm reasonably sure Fitz does."

Coulson chuckled. "You really think…?"

"Yes." May nodded. "But I wanted to find you an exception form to sign off on just in case he doesn't ask."

Fitz fiddled anxiously with the box in his coat pocket. Why was it that this was suddenly more terrifying than all the anxiety he'd had over the prospect of getting caught?

'Because,' his traitorous brain whispered, 'she might say no. And then all of this opportunity to work together might grow strained and awkward.'

"So," He grimaced, feeling his palms grow sweaty. "What do you think you'll need to hand over first before you can transfer?"

He pulled his hand back, walking over to the sink to wash them and try, desperately to cool his head. Coulson would only give him so long to be alone with her until he'd be back with a stack of paperwork.

Jemma frowned at him across the room, fiddling with her fingers. "I'm not really sure. The details of the design certainly. Though I'd almost rather the guidance came from the company and not my father."

Fitz dried his hands on the towel. "I'm pretty sure Coulson will take care of that."

"I just-" she hedged. "I don't want things to be awkward with my father. But he did put me in a rather bad position here."

"And here…" Fitz gulped. "Will it be awkward for you to work here?"

Jemma chuckled nervously. "Everyone has already been quite lovely."

"I meant-" he breathed, clenching his fists. "I meant here in the lab. With me."

"Oh, no." She smiled reassuringly, closing the gap between them a bit. "I rather like the idea, honestly."

Fitz held the box in his jacket pocket, brushing his thumb over the ancient, now familiar filigree. Willing himself to work up the courage. His lips curved slowly upwards. "I'm very glad to hear it."

Jemma reached out and grabbed his hand, looking more than a bit concerned.

Coulson noisily re-entered the lab then with a stack of paperwork and May in tow, and they jumped apart guiltily. May only quirked a brow as she watched Jemma move.

"So," Coulson started, eyes darting back and forth between his current and - he hoped - future employee. Both of them were looking quite studiously at him. "We can start the paperwork, Dr. Simmons. But legal said it would be best to wait to formalize things. So, we can initiate the clearance process, but that will take a few weeks at least."

He set the papers on the desk, indicating the short stack that she could sign, initial, and date. Dr. Simmons started to read through the handful of pages carefully, before working to sign her way through.

May held a second set of papers, which she handed to Fitz. "Meanwhile, Dr. Fitz, your vacation request approval has finally come through from headquarters."

"Oh," he whispered.

Coulson smiled. "It actually came through a few days ago, but you were taking sick time."

May smiled briefly as Fitz had the grace to blush. She knew Coulson couldn't quite resist the urge to give poor Fitz a hard time, even though the protection detail was an easy thing - once they had intel from Bobbi that it was necessary. But a little would go a long way here. "Just let us know the exact days you'll be taking, since the approval arrived a bit late."

Fitz nodded. "Thanks, Agent May."

May looked pointedly at Coulson, until he cleared his throat. "Actually, Agent Fitz. Considering you ended up pulling unexpected mission hours last night, you can take the rest of the day off and rest up."

Dr. Simmons smiled cheerfully at Fitz, who looked frankly surprised at the offer.

"Fitz?"

"I'd appreciate that, sir." Fitz nodded, as if finally waking up from a stupor and set about collecting his things. "Thank you."

Coulson smiled. "If you wouldn't mind escorting Dr. Simmons on your way out?"

Fitz smiled at Dr. Simmons. "Of course."

She beamed, offering her hand to her new boss. "Thank you, sir."

Coulson shook her hand and then ushered them both to the door. "We'll be in touch once legal has handled the remaining details, Dr. Simmons."

She frowned slightly. "How should I reach you if I need to contact you in the meanwhile?"

Coulson furrowed his brow. This was a bit of an unusual situation.

May stepped in. "You can either contact us via Fitz, or if he is unavailable, you can telephone me at my personal line. Phone connections into the base are...complicated."

"Thank you, Agent May." Jemma smiled, nodding before she followed Fitz down the hall and up the stairs.

Coulson looked at her, incredulous. "You're sure?"

"As sure as I saw the ring box in his jacket pocket." May stared him down. "If you had waited just a bit longer, he might have actually asked her."

Coulson turned on her. "I'm not sure a basement laboratory counts for a romantic marriage proposal venue."

May smirked. "There are several reason that Dr. Simmons is an ideal candidate for the SSR. Not the least of which is that she might very well find a proposal here - from Fitz - to be entirely romantic."

"True," he conceded. "But Fitz always seemed like a bit of a romantic."

"Then he'll find a better place," she smiled. "The day isn't over after all."

Hunter grimaced. It was only because Bobbi had physically held him back that Fitz and Dr. Simmons had managed to get so far down the hall.

Bobbi sighed as he wriggled free of her hold. "Let them be, Hunter."

"You said yourself that he would propose," he hissed into her ear. "Do you see a ring on her finger?"

Bobbi squinted after them, frowning. "I'm honestly not sure why I bothered to tell you that."

"Where do you suppose he will go to do it?" Hunter mused pointedly, as if he hadn't heard her at all. "Perhaps someplace that means something to them both."

Her brows furrowed. There was at least one place that Fitz would need to avoid at all costs - at least for a little while. Coulson's clean up crew might have physically scrubbed down any evidence in the Exhibition Hall, but you never really knew all the secret tricks Scotland Yard was working on. "Alright. Keep her distracted."

Hunter grinned. "Oh, Dr. Simmons!" he shouted down the hall.

Fitz wracked his brain for ideas as they walked slowly to the car. Coulson had kicked him out of the lab. Bobbi had warned him off the exhibition hall and its immediate surroundings for a while. Apparently, police often kept a close eye on the areas where crimes had been committed for a while afterwards, in case the criminals returned to watch the commotion they caused. Their poor little closet would probably not get a visit for several years to come, assuming all went well when he did manage to ask her.

Jemma kept watching him with the oddest expression. He couldn't tell if she knew…or suspected. But there had to be a more romantic place left aside from this bloody car park. He hadn't expected getting a few moments alone with her would be this much of a challenge. Maybe he needed to find something that was not nearly so private.

"So…" Jemma's voice broke through his thoughts. "Where are we headed?"

Fitz bit his lip, trying to ignore the fluttering threatening to overtake his stomach. There really wasn't all that much left with those exclusions. Even the Ritz hadn't been ideal. They kept getting interrupted in the bar area, and while his room would afford them both privacy, it wasn't exactly ideal for a marriage proposal. He wanted her to be comfortable and at ease, even if it meant that he'd have a bit of a challenge. "I thought we might go back to the park a bit."

"Oh," she murmured, her voice just a bit higher.

His stomach dropped. "Is that alright?"

She smiled back at him, reassuringly. "A walk sounds lovely."

Fitz was being incredibly suspicious, careful to not meet her eyes. He was fidgeting and anxious, which was a bit surprising considering how level headed he had been in their cramped quarters the night before.

Perhaps he was re-considering everything now that they had succeeded in their mission. Jemma frowned, wondering what she must have done to frighten him so suddenly. Had she been too obvious about how excited she was to see the lab? Or to spend time with him? She was so distracted trying to figure him out that she didn't even hear him come around the car until he was holding her door open.

They would have to walk a bit, but Jemma could only shuffle forward with growing dread of what Fitz might have to tell her.

Fitz took Jemma's hand in his, slowing to a bit of a crawl as they walked towards the car. She was definitely dawdling, which suited him just fine as he tried to assemble the proper words. But, as it happened to be a nice day, the park would be crowded and bustling. It was frankly too distracting, and it would be a challenge just trying to locate a more private section for a quiet conversation.

He had been a bit floored, earlier, when he had walked into the lab. Somehow, even though he'd been away for a short while, someone had managed to tidy up all the stray tools and parts in the half hour it had taken to pick Jemma up from her home and return to the base. He had been a bit panicked about the mess on the drive back for her tour. When he saw the neat space, that panic shifted focus. He was certain that someone was already onto him. He wasn't sure why he thought this secret was unlike any other, but at least whoever had figured him out had kept it quiet for the time being.

Fitz gulped. Of course, that also meant if Jemma said no that he'd have to face each of his co-workers asking him about it.

He blinked. Jemma, too, would face the same scrutiny. It would be awkward enough if she still wanted to work together. But she had seemed so pleased at the prospect of working in the lab. Could he possibly take that away from her for his own selfish reasons?

It had been so much simpler when they were here the last time. Even if it did involve planning a nearly impossible heist.

Fitz was so preoccupied with his thoughts, but Jemma could swear they were being followed. That girl looked incredibly familiar, her dark hair and dark eyes peering suspiciously over a newspaper that had news of their heist on the cover. Jemma knew for certain she had spotted her shoulder length bob for the third time. Was she one of the cleaning staff who had been at the exhibition hall last night? What if she had identified them?

Jemma squeezed his hand.

She was fascinated as she watched his Adam's apple pulse as he gulped thickly. His brows lifted softly. "Yes?"

"I think it might be a bit crowded in the park," she mused aloud, subtlely peering over his shoulder for that girl. It wouldn't do to scare him off again anyways.

"Shall we move on, then?"

Jemma smiled widely, spotting the familiar pair of dark eyes in the crowd. The girl, whoever she was, was being very clever at hiding herself. But Jemma was remarkably observant when the safety of those she cared about was on the line. They were very nearly back into the car park and would be able to move out of range of their tail soon. "That sounds like a lovely idea."

"Those kids are probably in school right now anyways." She caught only the barest glimpse of Fitz smiling as they turned back the other way. He cleared his throat when he caught her glance. "Any idea where we should go?"

Jemma blushed and turned her gaze back towards the path before them. "I thought you might take me home."

Fitz sighed as he escorted Jemma up the walkway to her door. He'd had such marvelous plans - hasty though they were - but it seemed as if the cosmos itself had conspired to keep him from proposing.

He stood at the door, watching Jemma walk in. Would this be the last time they spoke? Or were his feelings decidedly one sided once the anxiety-inducing dust had all settled? He watched her wistfully, slumping against the wall as she walked through the open door. His arms hung useless at his sides. Plans be damned. He would just have to settle for working side by side with her in the lab for as long as she would put up with him.

"Fitz," Jemma leaned against the door, holding it open. "Aren't you coming in?"