I am so sorry about the formatting of the past 2 chapters - I have no idea what went wrong there but I managed to repost it correctly.

I hope that you are all enjoying the story and please feel free to comment or send me a message with any questions, comments etc.

Fitz didn't hear May until she was right next to him, breaking out of the numbness which had taken hold of his body. He reacted by looking away, not wanting her to see his face, glad that the hat's flaps hid most of the damage from the side. His face wasn't as swollen as it could have been thanks to the slab of meat, but that didn't mean that it wasn't puffy and red.
At first May just stood there, happy to wait for Fitz to become comfortable enough to initiate the conversation.
"Does Simmons need me in th' lab?"
"No, I think her Skye and Coulson and looking over the samples' information now. But the real question is whether you're ok."
Fitz let out a deep breath before quietly whispering "Yer not goin' to go after my dah if I show you… will ye?"
May regarded Fitz's posture and tone of voice. "He's scared his dad will just hurt us and him all the more if we move against him." she thought. "No, none of us will do anything to Campbell. I promise Fitz."
The young man nodded his head slightly before after a hesitant pause, turned his head to face the woman next to him.
May had seen a lot worse, injury wise. She had seen a man's guts being held only by his bare hands and people's bone penetrating their skin at odd angles. But perhaps because Fitz was so gentle, the complete opposite of a threat that seeing his battered face made her see red. She managed to remain stoic and in control of her breathing but she could see the depth of the hurt in the boy's eyes. And all thanks to some rich bastard that happened to think that he had the right to hit his son.
"He didn't break my nose, so I guess that's a plus." Fitz said with a small smile on his lips that was more like a wince.
It was clear that blood had flowed through the slightly swollen appendage but its red colour matched that of the rest of his face's skin.
May knelt down in front of Fitz, her fingers gently prodding at the tender flesh to make sure that nothing was dangerously damaged. She proceeded to check his ribs, having caught sight of the laboured breathing that shook his small chest.
"You're right. Nothing's broken, but you should still bind you ribs because two of them are cracked."
Fitz merely nodded.
"Why did he hit you?" He remained silent. "Fitz? We can't help you if we don't know what's wrong."
"I…" Fitz breathed in deeply. "He… he wants me to marry… marry Myrna."
"And you don't want to."
"No! I'm sure she's nice but I…" he swallowed in attempt to clear his tightened throat. "I don't want to marry, especially her."
"Why?"
"Because it would mean I wouldn't be able to work for SHIELD, to work with all of ye. I wouldn't be able to design anythin', and help people and agents. I'd never see ye again."
"If you don't want to marry, then you shouldn't have to." replied May gently. "Answer me truly Fitz. Would you mind if your father disowned you?"
Fitz smiled ever so slightly, shaking his head with the deerstalker's flaps swinging by his ears. "No, I wouldn't mind. Made it through university and college without touchin' Campbell money. I could happily do that for th' rest of my life."
May chuckled. Of course Fitz wouldn't be bothered by money. He was too focused on everything else in life to worry about the cold coins and strips of paper that drove people. No he wanted company that accepted him and allowed him to be his young genius self.
"Well then I'm sure it will be fine if you refuse Campbell." It didn't even feel strange not calling that frosty man Fitz's father.
"Yes I guess so." Replied Fitz, his mood more relaxed than before, knowing that his team would support his choice. But they weren't just his team. No, they were his family, the people he trusted with his life and he honestly loved them as he did Alison and Malcom… and his mother though small was the time he had spent with her.
He pushed back the tears to gaze once again at May with a slight smile playing on his lips. "Thank you."
"Well you can thank me after I've bound you ribs and we've gone for that ride you promised me." May replied with a playful smile as she gently led the boy towards the stables.
Having bound his ribs sitting outside, once they'd entered the heavy smell of manure had cleared his head, Fitz looked around the few horses his father hadn't sold off, his eyes settling on a proud dappled grey at the far end. She wasn't as young as she had once been but she still had the energy of her youth that went well with her strong stance.
"She's beautiful." said May, her eyes shining at the sight of the horse. The agent hadn't ridden in years and in fact had wanted to get back up on a saddle with a burning desire since she had seen Fitz's magnificent Max.
"She's called Ygrin." Fitz gently took hold of her bridle and began to lead her out of her now unlatched stall door. "She's more or less for yer height. Yeah, I'd say she's 'bout right." He eyed the horse once again before turning a cheeky grin on the woman. "I'm assumin' that ye know how to saddle a horse?"
May didn't even grace him with an answer but merely walked passed him towards the dapple's equipment and began strapping the horse in.
In less than ten minutes, they were thundering across the Scottish fields, black and grey flying over the green earth. At first May was cautious of the unknown land she was riding on, scared of leading the horse wrong and injuring them both. However, seeing the rosy colour of Fitz's cheeks as he thundered beside her, May was lost in the light that had taken hold of the boy's eyes. The sorrow that those orbs had held too much for May's liking had vanished and replaced with joy at feeling freedom as the northern wind rushed through his curls.
That very same joy began gripping her entire body, as she threw her head back in a hearty laugh, such as she hadn't done for years. She dug her heels into the dapple's sides feeling the muscled body beneath her stretch and lengthen with a wider stride that made the wind seem all the stronger.
And with and encouraging shout Fitz followed the older woman across the land, for once forgetting all thoughts about Campbells, money and him and his mother's disease.

Ward took note of the wind-blasted red that nestled in both rider's cheeks as they returned from outside. May's mouth was turned at the edges in a solid smile that judging by everyone's expressions was just as much a shock to them as it was to him.
But what had really made the team gasp was the sight of Fitz's bashed face which was badly hidden by the deerstalker which he'd replaced atop his head in attempt to hide the purple skin.
Simmons had rushed to him inquiring if he had placed ice on the wounds since he'd used the slab of meat. When Fitz had shaken his head, the biochemist had rushed out to get some from her medical kit. Skye had given him a firm hug with a smile on her lips as Coulson watched from a distance at his team.
"Do you think he's ok?" he couldn't help but ask May whose eyes hadn't wandered from the young Scotsman.
"He'll make it. He's always had to deal with either his father or providing for himself. He'd severed ties with Campbell when he left for university, he just didn't think he had the strength to defy that man again." She couldn't help but smile. "But if Campbell thinks that Fitz will marry that girl and suddenly become the good little soldier of a son he'd always dreamed of then he's going to be sourly disappointed."
Coulson chuckled. "I couldn't have thought of a better ending myself." He sighed. "Now all we have to do is finish this damn case and get out of here. I talked to Siff."
"And?" May's interest was peaked. If they could get anything on the alien residue then the sooner they were to leaving this dreaded house.
"The bridge's residue is from the planet of the 'Healereavsår' which according to Siff is part of the same galaxy as Asgard, supposedly famous for their medicinal understanding. She did warn us that they didn't offer their expertise without a price if they are of a different planet."
"Are they a threat?"
Coulson shook his head. "No, Siff said that they never 'intentionally hurt others'. Yet that doesn't rule out the possibility that in helping someone, they hurt the other, especially since they offer their services. She said the price could be 'as petty as a watch to as important as your childhood memories'."
"Anything else?"
"She mentioned them having a contact of sorts on Earth, yet she didn't know who. She's looking into it now."
"Siff is a valuable ally."
Coulson nodded in agreement. "That she most certainly is, not only for her skills in combat but also just wider knowledge."
"What about HQ? Any new info we need to know of?"
"No. Ward says they have nothing we haven't heard or seen." Coulson paused. "Something is wrong about this case. I think Campbell is keeping something from us. He seems like the kind to dismiss aliens with all his might yet… I don't know. I feel like he knows something, probably to do with his wife and Fitz."
"Something is bothering you though." stated May as she observed her partner.
"I just feel like there is something missing, we've overlooked some detail."
"We'll find it Phil." May placed a hand on her partner's shoulder. And for that moment they were content to see Simmons and Skye mothering Fitz by making sure his swollen face was covered with the ice pack.
In fact they were so engrossed they both missed Ward's face gaze at the young Scotsman, his eyes glinting with a strange light. The light that means he knows something that not even Fitz knows. And boy was it important.