"Are you sure they're going to be okay?" Skye asked for what seemed like the millionth time.

An urgent call had come in about an 084 in Mumbai, causing all the agents (save for FitzSimmons) to scramble at an ungodly hour of the morning, and it was as she was tugging her jacket on that Skye remembered the last time they'd left FitzSimmons alone.

"She's going to be fine, Skye," May sighed, trying not to roll her eyes. "Your grandmother's with them. If anything, I'd be scared of whoever tried to break into the base. She's a force, my mother is."

"Yeah, we all saw that," Bobbi muttered, still wincing from the beating Lian had given all of them yesterday. "I'm not sure if we're ever going to live that one down."

"Intel informs me that the object in question's got some kind of gravitational force around it," Coulson said as they all strapped in. May raced to the cockpit, ready for immediate takeoff. "Anyone that comes into contact with it is going to get thrown clear across the room."

"So what are we doing there, exactly?" Hunter asked. "Seems like a useless mission then."

"I'm hoping Skye and Lincoln can figure out a way to disable the object so that no one else gets hurts," Coulson admitted. "You and Morse are sort of just along for backup."

Bobbi dragged a hand across her face, groaning. "I need to start demanding a paycheck."

"Leo, Jemma. You're up early," Lian stepped into the kitchen, surprised. FitzSimmons was sitting in the kitchen with a cup of tea each, both of them picking at a plate of croissants. "Something bothering you?"

"We're fine, Mrs. May," they chorused exhaustedly in unison. Lian tutted, pouring herself a cup of tea before sitting herself at the kitchen island. "Besides, Fitz was here first," Simmons said automatically. Fitz dig an elbow into her side. "Ow!"

"You were two steps behind me, Jem, it wasn't that far behind!"

"Now, now, children," Lian said, staring at them sternly. "What's keeping a couple of young souls like you awake?"

"Fitz likes Hunter" Simmons blurted out at the same time Fitz said, "Simmons is in love with Bobbi". They both glared at each other. "Shut up! No, you shut up! No, you!"

"Well, I wouldn't say you like Hunter," Simmons muttered darkly into her teacup. "You're madly in love with him the way Skye is with Lincoln. Bloody nauseating, it is."

"Speak for yourself," Fitz retorted with a harrumph. "At least I wasn't the one using Bobbi as a human pillow two days ago." Simmons went pale, slowly lowering her teacup. Flashes of a secure warmth ran through her mind, mixed blurrily with reassuring words.

"Do you mean to tell me," she began abruptly, her hands shaking, "that when I was sleeping two days ago -"

"Oh, yes," Fitz said gleefully. "I must say, you looked quite content for someone who claimed they weren't in love."

"Bloody hell," Simmons wailed, her head hitting the table. "Bloody, bloody hell."

"Now, now, Jemma," Lian said comfortingly, putting a hand on Simmons' shoulder. "You're going to be alright, darling. Realizing you're in love isn't a trivial thing. Just breathe it out."

"But I knew I was in love with her," Simmons cried. "I am in love with her. It's so obvious, even Fitz noticed." Fitz made an offended noise. "It was a stupid move, really, when she doesn't love me back."

Lian was about to respond when a series of squawks came over the PA. FitzSimmons jumped, each of them snapping to attention. "Simmons, ready the med bay," Lincoln's voice was panicked. "There was an ambush, and shots rang out. I'm not sure who's hurt."

Abandoning her tea, Simmons tore down the hallway.

"No one died, at least?" Skye tried as she was sitting on the examiner's table, a very stoic-faced Simmons stitching up a deep bullet graze in her upper arm. She winced as Simmons nearly stabbed the needle into the skin. "Ow, Jem. That one hurt."

"This is what happens when you leave Fitz and I at base," Simmons gritted out as she yanked the stitch shut. "Shots are fired, people get hurt, and Fitz and I are having early breakfast tea besides ourselves with worry." Fiercely, she snipped the remaining thread, checking over her work. "You should be fine. Come back in 48 hours and I'll snip it for you."

"We didn't know what we were getting into, Jem, we weren't about to replace you," Skye winced as she hopped off of the table, holding her ribs. "You got anything for these bruises, Jem?"

"Tiger Balm," May appeared eerily in the doorway, a small jar in her hand. She held it out towards Skye. "Works for everything. Rub it thoroughly over the bruise and you should be fine." Nodding, Skye took the jar and hobbled out.

"Uh, so don't tell Sparky, but I think I got shot in the lower leg," Hunter let out a stream of swears as he attempted to hop onto the table. "He was so busy worrying over Skye's graze, I didn't want to stress him out." Simmons took one look at the wound, her frustration at being left behind mounting.

Didn't they know it caused her more distress to be kept back than taken with? That she had to sit, waiting for hours, even days, worrying about if Skye or Hunter got injured; or May, or, heaven forbid, something happen to Bobbi -

Stop, Jemma. Just. No.

"Oh, I'm not going to tell Lincoln," she said sweetly, gathering the materials she needed. She looked up, staring Hunter straight in the eye. "I'm going to tell the one person who would take it worse than he would."

"Who's tha -"

"FITZ!"

"You got shot in th' leg?" Fitz's voice had risen several octaves since Simmons had called for him. "And you didn' tell anyone?" He let out an affronted gasp, trying to comprehend just why anyone would have put off immediate medical care. "Why the bloody hell would you do that? You'd put yourself in danger, is all you'd do, and who knows what could happen if you put it off?!" Fitz began pacing up and down the room, much to Simmons' satisfaction. "Do you not care what happens to you?"

"I'll just be leaving now," Simmons chirped, flouncing out. "People to see, wounds to stitch up. Fitz, I've left everything you need to stitch him up. Make sure he gets what he deserves, yes?" Fitz glared at Hunter, who quailed nervously as the other man took up a sterilized needle and some thread.

"I can' believe you'd be so stupid," Fitz muttered as he threaded the needle. Hunter let out a cry as he jabbed the first stitch in, vindictively doing the stitches haphazardly. "Hiding a bullet wound from your teammates. You could have died." His hands shook as he continued his work. "I would've never forgiven' ya."

"Fitz, mate, I'm fine," Hunter tried to reassure him, letting out a hiss as Fitz pulled especially hard. "It was only a shot in the leg; I'll be up and buggerin' around before you know it."

"This time," Fitz cried as he pulled on the stitch. "What if it's wors' next time? What if it's not just a shot in the leg, what if it's a shot in the stomach, or closer to your chest, or something we can't control...?" He looked close to hyperventilating, tears gathering in the corner of his eyes as he dropped the needle and thread.

"I s'pose this is a bad time to mention that the sketchy Thai food we ate last night is currently rioting in my gut?" Hunter questioned, the aforementioned pains suddenly roaring into the limelight. He doubled over as Fitz hurriedly snipped the thread, crouching down so he could meet Hunter's eyes. "Ugh. Bloody drunken noodles..."

"Tiger Balm," May told them as she appeared in the doorway. "Works on everything. Make sure you rub it in extra hard," she advised as she left. "Idiot took a bullet for me. I'm pretty sure his ribs are bruised."

Fitz glared at Hunter. "Took a bullet for her, eh?"

"Mother," May nodded as Lian entered the kitchen, digging through the fridge for a pack of joong. "Thank you for taking care of FitzSimmons."

"They need a lot more than looking after physically," Lian said, finally withdrawing one of Coulson's joong. "They were a worried mess this morning, Melinda," she said as she reached for a pot. "Poor Jemma was beside herself with tears when she realized how besotted she was with Barbara."

May let out a long-suffering sigh. "I suppose she thinks Bobbi doesn't love her back."

Lian gave her a surprised look. "How did you know that?"

"Simmons is a lot of things, but good with relationships isn't one of them," May shook her head as she joined her mother by the sink. "Simmons wouldn't know Bobbi's attraction to her even if it hit her in the head."

"BARBARA MORSE, WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU GOT SHOT IN THE STOMACH?!"

"Or, in this case," Lian finished with a small smile, "if it hit her significant other in the stomach." She handed her daughter a small jar. "Take the Tiger Balm. You're going to need it."

"Simmons?" May knocked on the door of Simmons' bunk later, pushing it open when she heard the sound of sobbing. The tiny scientist was curled up in her bed, clutching tightly to a small teddy bear. "Oh, Simmons,"

"I shouldn't be crying, I know," Simmons hiccuped, hugging the bear closer to her chest. "Bobbi's fine, and she's recovering, honestly, it was a miracle she hid it for so long, but -" She let out a loud, choking gasp. "She could have not made it, or been hurt worse, or - or -"

"You really do love her, don't you?" May asked gently, sitting down on the bed. "Anyone can tell you're a goner, honey." Simmons nodded, not trusting herself to speak. "What's stopping you, then?"

"She's Bobbi," Even through her tears, Simmons managed to make talking about Bobbi seem reverent. "She's the Mockingbird. One of the best agents SHIELD has." She shook her head. "I'm just a scientist."

"At the end of the day, we're all still human," May's voice was soft as she rubbed circles on Simmons' back. "It doesn't matter how little or how much we've accomplished, we're all still the same mass of skin and bones."

"It doesn't matter anyways," Simmons muttered. "I'm only 'a great friend'," Air quotes were made at the last part as she turned over in bed, heaving a large sigh.

May sat there, speechless as to how two of her smartest children could be so stupid. At least, she held out the jar of Tiger Balm. "Tiger Balm," she said, amazement laced in her tone. "Works on everything."

"Simmons, you got anything for this godawful bellyache, we are never ordering Thai food again from that place -"

"Tiger Balm!" A jar came flying around the corner, nearly hitting Coulson in the head.

ZZZZZZZT.

Lincoln yanked his hand back as he examined the circuitry, absentmindedly rubbing the light burn forming in the meat of his hand. "Skye, is there any burn cream in the first aid kit -"

"Tiger Balm!" It was only by sheer reflex as he caught the jar. Lincoln turned around to see Skye, who was beside herself with laughter.

"Apparently Tiger Balm works on everything," she said, straightfaced. "At least, according to May."

"Don't hurt yourself," Joey whispered later to Mack in the garage. "I've heard May's been going around all day throwing jars of Tiger Balm at people." He shuddered. "Whatever that is."

"Tiger Balm," came a voice from the doorway, and they turned to see Lian, a small jar of the ointment in her outstretched palm. "Works on everything."

Mack winced as he remembered the searing pain coming out of his rear end, courtesy of the awful food they'd ordered the night before. "Even on diarrhea?"

Joey made a disgusted face while Lian flicked the jar at him. "For your ass. Tiger Balm." With that, she squared her shoulders and walked out of the room, leaving the both of them extremely confused.

"May? Lian? What are you doing?"

Both mother and daughter immediately turned around to Skye, making identical shushing noises. "I talked to Simmons today," May said, frowning as she balanced a jar of Tiger Balm in her hand. "She said Bobbi called her 'a great friend'." Skye made a sympathetic noise at the same time that Lian snorted.

"Well, that's a piece of bull if I've ever heard it," Skye muttered. "Jemma and I are best friends, and I don't go around letting her sleep in my lap."

"Look, there she is," May said quickly, and the three of them hid behind a corner as Bobbi walked into the living room, humming a tune under her breath.

Things happened very rapidly after that.

May straightened up, lobbed the jar of Tiger Balm at Bobbi, and yelled, "FOR YOUR IDIODICY!" before running away, Skye and Lian running after her. They heard a thunk as it connected with Bobbi's head, followed by the enraged yell of,

"MAY!"

"RUN FASTER!" Lian shrieked girlishly, and they all let out screams as they dashed down the hallway, Bobbi hot on their heels. "Actually, you know what, slow down!" she yelled as they turned a corner. "I'm not as fast as I used to be!"

"No can do, Grandma!" Skye yelled fearfully as they heard Bobbi's footsteps thundering after them. "Not unless you want to become baton pulp!"

They skidded around another corner before arriving at the inventory room, May yanking open the door and shooing them both in before slamming the door shut herself. On the other side, they all leaned against the door, out of breath. Bobbi ran past them, her batons whirling so fast their sound was audible.

"Oh my God, we're alive," Skye panted, sinking to the floor. "I thought we were dead for sure."

"You threw a jar at her too?"

Fitz crawled out of one of inventory aisles. The three women gaped. "I'd ask you what you're doing here, but you're obviously hiding from Bobbi, so..."

"Why'd you throw a jar at her?" Skye asked.

"Because she was being a bloody idiot about her relationship with Simmons," came Hunter's exclamation as he crawled out of another aisle. "Glad to see we're not the only ones who think she hasn't got her head on straight."

"'S that Skye?" Lincoln called, peeking down from the rafters. "Oh, thank God. I was starting to worry we'd have to call Coulson or something."

"Wouldn't have worked," Mack groaned from a large pile of trash bags. "The Director's takin' a nap in the birdseed."

"Gotta feed the pretty birds some birdseed..."

"Okaaaay," Skye made a weird face. "I'm not a medical doctor or anything, but I think he's got a concussion." She turned to Lincoln. "Are people with concussions supposed to say weird things?"

"I don't know," Lincoln groaned. "My head's killing me. Anyone got anything for the bump?"

Lian and May looked at each other before the elder May tossed up a jar. "Tiger Balm. Works on everything."

Okay, so I'm not exactly sure if this is true scientifically, but my parents like to believe it is! Be a balm and soothe my soul! Leave a review! :)