Epilogue

Yes, we've reached the end. Thank you all, so much, for coming on this slightly insane journey which began with a whim 'What if I paired Jemma with Gambit in one of the Soulmate Shorts fics?' and has turned into a 60,000+ word epic.

I know quite a lot of you have fallen a bit in love with Remy in this fic, and I assure you he will DEFINITELY return somewhere along the line in my writing, though I don't know quite where, yet.

Although… the Skye/Gambit Short could use a sequel…

perhaps one day LOL. I need to finish off a few other things first.

Thank you again for reading along, and if you enjoyed this story and didn't comment yet, please, PLEASE do. As an unpaid fanfiction author your comments are the only payment I get, and they really do feel like gold. One of these days I'm gonna get up enough confidence to write something original and try to get paid real money for it, and it will all be because of YOUR encouragement. I'd love to know what you liked best about the story, who do you feel I got most in character, what was your favourite line or even what you think I got wrong! I reply to most comments and ALL questions, and I love getting to talk to my readers. You can send me a request for which of the Shorts you'd like to see me extend next, too ;)

May and Archangel turned up a week later, into the middle of chaos. It wasn't the usual kind of S.H.I.E.L.D. chaos, though. Audrey had quite calmly announced over breakfast that morning that she had no intention of letting Phil escape her again and that they were getting married. At the local courthouse. That afternoon. She even had all the paperwork ready.

Phil had choked on his bite of toast until Hunter pounded him on the back to dislodge it, and then they were all hugging him and patting him on the back anyway, the girls hugging and kissing Audrey and telling her that she was exactly what Phil needed. Coulson had been a different man since that night in San Francisco, much calmer and happier – "Getting well laid will do that for a guy," Hunter had remarked, smirking until Bobbi whacked him across the back of the head – and Audrey never stopped smiling, though she never let Phil out of her sight, either.

None of them noticed Remy slipping his phone from his coat pocket and sending a text message. But as they arrived at the courthouse that afternoon, a large black limo slid up to the curb and a gorgeous young couple got out, he tall and fair in an extremely expensive suit, she a delicately lovely Asian girl in a designer dress and… combat boots?

It took a moment for them to recognise May and then they were all shrieking with delight and hugging her, accompanied by much eye-rolling and exasperated faces from her. Until she got to Phil.

"Thank you for coming," he said, a bit choked up.

"If you think I'd miss your wedding, Coulson, you'd better think again," she said tartly. "You've kept poor Audrey waiting quite long enough. Now get in there and make an honest woman out of her, and then I have a wedding present for you."

He blinked at her in surprise, but she turned him towards Audrey and gave him a little push.

The ceremony went off perfectly, and afterwards they all spilled out onto the street outside the courthouse, laughing and joking together. May linked her arm through Audrey's.

"So," she said cheerfully, "Warren and I brought you a present."

"You didn't have to," Audrey protested.

"Well, it's not so much a tangible present. I don't feel like you two really have the need for dinner sets or silver cutlery. We brought you – time."

Audrey blinked at her in confusion.

"See that limo?" May pointed. "It's going to take you to the airport. Where one of Warren's jets is waiting to fly you to his private island in the Caribbean."

"What?" Phil overheard. "I can't…"

"If you're going to say that you can't trust me to run S.H.I.E.L.D. for two weeks while you take a very well deserved break to honeymoon with your new wife, you and I are going to have words," May said menacingly, and he blinked, reminded again that she might look young but this was most definitely still Melinda May.

"Er…"

May's eyes narrowed.

"… thank you?"

Jemma couldn't help her giggles, pressing her face against Remy's arm. He looked magnificent in a suit, she thought, as he reached around to stroke her hair. "Phil's face is a hoot," she whispered to him. "He looks as though he's not sure whether to be outraged or not at being dressed down by someone who looks like a teenager."

Remy grinned, watching as Phil and Audrey got into the limo – which they saw now had JUST MARRIED written in lipstick on the rear window and balloons tied to the bumper – and drove away, Audrey leaning to wave out of the window until Phil pulled her inside. "He'll get used to it. You'll all have to. Melinda May is still the Deputy Director, no matter what face she's wearing."

May heard him and gave him a regal nod, the gesture not in the least diminished by her youthful features. Warren stood behind her, his own young face belied by his eyes, ancient and knowing as he watched Remy.

"Warren's a very old friend," Remy said quietly as he and Jemma turned and headed back towards the cars. "He'd lend us his island for a couple of weeks too, if you wanted, once Phil and Audrey are back?"

"A holiday? That does sound nice," she sighed at the thought. Being stranded on a tropical island with Remy – who'd need a TARDIS?

"I was thinking – maybe a honeymoon?" He scratched at the back of his neck a bit sheepishly, unable to quite meet her eyes.

"Are you proposing to me, Remy Etienne LeBeau?" Jemma gaped at him in delight.

Overhearing, Wade pulled Skye to a stop and nudged her. Soon all their friends were surrounding them, waiting for Remy to speak. He looked around at them and grinned ruefully.

"Somehow I knew I was going to make a spectacle of myself doing this."

"Subtlety's never been your strong point, Gambit," Warren said laughingly.

"Eh, then I might as well go the whole nine yards, make sure I've got plenty of witnesses." And right there in the middle of the busy sidewalk, he dropped to one knee and took her hand in his. "I love you, Jemma Simmons," he looked up at her. "Will you make an honest man out of this Cajun thief?"

"If she makes a corny joke about him stealing her heart, I'm totally outta here," Deadpool muttered.

Shut up, Wade, you're wrecking the moment!

Skye elbowed Wade hard in the ribs; he let out a grunt of pain as she shook him with a mild quake for good measure.

Jemma didn't even notice the byplay. She just stared down into Remy's red-and-black eyes and smiled. "Damn right I will."

And then everyone was clapping and cheering and crying (well, Rogue and Skye were crying), and hugging them both until Jemma complained her ribs were creaking.

They all ended up in a nearby restaurant; Warren ordered the entire menu and half the wine cellar and they settled down to celebrate.

"You do realise," Jemma said to Remy, "that I'm not quite the orphan most of the others are?"

"Hmm?" he turned from watching Rogue and Fitz making out in a dark corner, a resigned expression on his face.

"Well, my parents are still very much alive. As are my three brothers and two sisters. I'll be the first one of my siblings to get married. So – if you think we're going to get away with a wedding as quiet as this one, I'm afraid you've got another think coming."

Remy's expression of horror as he stared at her was comical to behold.

Jemma grinned. "Kidding. I'm actually the last one unmarried. My parents are all wedding-ed out. Let's just elope." She reached up to kiss him, laughing at his expression. "I'd never do that to you, Remy. Never."

He breathed a sigh of relief, wrapped his hand around the back of her neck and kissed her thoroughly. "Of course you wouldn't. Mon ange."

The End

"Wait just a fucking minute!"

What is it, Wade?

"You promised me a sex scene!"

After almost mucking up Remy's proposal, you're pushing your luck…

"I will turn up to annoy you in every fic you ever write if you don't give me a sex scene with this gorgeous girl you made into my soulmate!"

Why do I have the terrible feeling you're going to do that anyway? Oh, what the hell, all right then… just don't talk to me in the middle of it…