Note: Some dialogue taken from 'The Hub' quotes page on IMDb.

"You Give Love a Bad Name"

FZZT

Jemma Simmons gazed out the window of the lab, still on edge, and watched as Agent Coulson handed the helmet over to Agent Blake. She'd heard that he had ordered her (the 'infected cargo') to be thrown off the plane, rather than allow her to come up with a cure. Well, she'd taken that out of his hands when she chose to sacrifice herself, needless though it was.

Agent Blake looked past Coulson and met Jemma's eyes. She lifted her chin, eyes narrowing, and waited for him to look away first. She wasn't going to be intimidated by a senior officer on her own turf. He couldn't touch her while she was under Coulson's protection. And now Ward's protection as well, which was lovely.

"He can't do anything to you," Fitz said, touching her back. She smiled sweetly at him, and then returned her attention to Blake, who was still watching her. He looked away, spoke to Coulson, and then left with the Chitauri helmet.

"He was following regulations," she admitted. "Agent Coulson was the one who broke protocol—"

"And saved your life!"

"I know," she said. "But be honest, Fitz. If I was any other agent, if Coulson didn't know me personally, would he have disregarded orders? Or would he have done what he was supposed to?"

"No," Fitz said, shaking her by the elbows. "Because he knew that you could fix the problem, whether it was your life on the line or someone else's."

She smiled. "Sweet of you, Fitz."

"That's me. Always the sweet one."

The Hub

Walking through the Hub with a straight back and a nervous smile, Jemma muttered out of the corner of her mouth.

"This is never going to work," she said.

"Do it for Fitz," Skye said.

Heart pounding, she found and opened the hidden panel. Footsteps neared her, and she gulped. Stay cool, stay calm.

"Agent Simmons?"

Not the first time she had heard her soulmark words, and certainly neither the ideal place nor time. She pasted a fake smile on her face and turned to see who was disturbing her very, very bad, against-regulations—

Speaking of against regulations.

"It's fine," Skye hissed. "Just play it cool."

"Hello, Mr. Agent Blake, sir," Jemma said. "May I help you?"

He stared at her for a few seconds, and she wondered whether it was supposed to be making her crack. Because she was pretty close to that, and the only thing which stopped her from confessing all was the thought of Fitz and Ward in danger. Especially Fitz. He was a science boffin like her, not a field agent.

"This could be considered problematic," he said. "No one's ever said that to me before."

"Ever said what?" she asked.

In answer, he removed his jacket – enough to make Jemma's eyes bug out of her head – and then rolled up his left sleeve. He held out his arm, and she saw the soulmark in her handwriting. Oh dear.

"Isn't that interesting?" she said, somewhat high-pitched, she could admit.

"You get 'Agent Simmons' a lot, do you?" he said, rolling his sleeve back down.

"What're you doing?" Skye was whispered.

"Nothing," Jemma said through her teeth. Agent Blake frowned slightly.

"Nothing?" he said.

"I mean, I get it before people know that I'm a doctor," she said. "Then they tend to call me Dr. Simmons, although both are accurate."

"You can… call me Felix," he said.

"Then you can call me Jemma, I suppose."

"Where's your mark?"

"Oh. It's, uh…" She half-turned, pointing at her lower back. "Here. I'd show you, but this is hardly the time or place."

"Speaking of time or place," he said, raising an eyebrow.

"Um." She panicked slightly. "What brings you to this restricted hallway so late at night?" Yes, because that didn't sound suspicious in the slightest, and why was she doing this again?

"I could ask you the same thing," Blake said.

"Oh, no, don't," Jemma murmured, trying not to fidget.

"Simmons, focus! Just make up an excuse."

"I was just on my way to the loo," Jemma said, pointing vaguely. "I c-could swear it was two rights and a left, but is that it here?"

"That's a wall panel," he said dryly. "Why are you accessing it?"

"Don't spiral," Skye said. "Just say something. Anything."

"Would you like to see my soulmark?" Jemma blurted. "You know, so you can make sure it's your writing, just in case, for some strange reason, I don't know—"

"It's pretty deserted in this, as you called it, 'restricted hallway so late at night'," Blake said, stepping closer to her. Jemma's heart raced. "You could turn around and I could lift your shirt. The only bathrooms around here are restricted access. Like that panel."

"Um… certainly." Inspired, she faced the wall, blocking it from his view as he raised the back of her shirt. It was difficult to concentrate on helping Skye hack the panel while his fingers were tracing the two words on her skin, taking… taking a bit long…

"Interesting."

"Is it… is it your writing?"

"Yes."

"Great time to meet your soulmate, Simmons, really," Skye said. "And Agent Blake? The guy who wanted Coulson to throw you into the Atlantic?"

"Jemma?"

"He's onto me," Jemma breathed.

"Stop talking to me; he can hear you!"

"Who are you talking to?" Blake asked. Jemma turned around and backed off.

"No one," she said. Yes, she was a horrible liar, but she couldn't tell him the truth.

"Jemma—"

"Okay, I need you to keep distracting him," Skye said.

"I have to go," Jemma said, trying to leave. Blake was faster, and stood in front of her.

"Why are you here?" he asked.

"Simmons, remember our team? I need you to stay focussed."

"I'm, uh… meeting my soulmate, obviously."

"You're bugged, and I have a right to know why," Blake said. Less flustered and more annoyed, Jemma drew herself up.

"What right?" she asked. "We never would have met if you'd had your way. I would've either drowned or been electrocuted if Agent Coulson hadn't ignored your orders."

He flinched. "I was following—"

"The rules, I know, but it's not something I can forget."

"I heard that you jumped anyway."

"Yes," she said. "When it was literally the last option, and not the first."

He nodded. "I underestimated your abilities to create a cure. But." He moved closer, still holding onto her arm. "You can't distract me. You're reporting to someone. Who?"

"Don't tell him," Skye said.

"I'm… doing this for my team," Jemma replied. "No one's telling us anything."

"Who's 'us'?"

"Uh…"

"Jemma, you're my soulmate—"

"I didn't know that until now!"

"I wouldn't have wanted you to be thrown out of a plane if I'd known."

"So you'd… bend the rules for me?"

His brow furrowed. "That's not an invitation."

"Please. My best friend is out there and we deserve to know what's happening—"

"Simmons, this isn't the best time," Skye said.

"I know that," she hissed.

"Tell me who you're talking to!" Blake said, tightening his grip. Panicking again, Jemma tore herself away. "Jemma—"

She would never know what made her do it, but she shot him. Perhaps all those classes in self-defence, necessary for any SHIELD employee, had finally kicked in. But he hadn't even hit the floor before she gasped.

"Oh my God, I shot him, Skye."

"You what?"

"With an ICER!"

"Okay. Just… get him out of sight and finish up, then get out of there. I'll take over at this end."

Jemma dragged Felix around the corner and into an empty room. He still hadn't put his jacket back on, so she folded it up and used it to cushion his head.

"I'm sorry, Felix," she whispered. She hesitated, then kissed his forehead.

End of the Beginning; Turn, Turn, Turn

They all heard May's announcement over the radio.

"May to Hub, Deathlok's here! Blake's down!"

"No," Jemma said, covering her mouth.

"Repeat, Agent Blake is down!"

Neither Jemma nor Skye had told anyone that Agent Blake was her soulmate, and apparently he hadn't told anyone, either, or someone would have approached Jemma with the appropriate paperwork. Coulson was somewhat amused that Jemma had iced him, but he didn't give her any message from Blake, so she had stayed out of sight the rest of their visit.

"Please don't let him be dead," she murmured. "Oh, please…"

He wasn't. Skye reminded her over the phone that as long as her soulmark was black, it meant that Blake was alive. Jemma checked it religiously through the hours that followed. She tried to distract herself by studying Skye's blood in the more advanced labs, but it was hard to concentrate on anything.

Then SHIELD fell. Jemma and Trip were reunited with the team, and Jemma pleaded with Skye to find out where Blake was. He was still alive – the words on her back confirmed it, to her continuing relief – but Deathlok had tried to kill him, and Blake couldn't possibly be HYDRA, which made him a target.

"And what're you gonna do if we find him?" Skye asked, typing away on her laptop.

"When we find him, we're going to take care of him," Jemma said determinedly.

"You barely know the guy. You met him once—"

"And he's my soulmate, Skye. That counts for something."

"What?"

They both turned around – well, Skye turned her head – to see Coulson staring at Jemma.

"What did you say?" he said.

"Agent Blake… is my soulmate," Jemma said.

"And when were you going to tell me this?"

"There didn't seem much point, sir. It wasn't going to go anywhere."

"Because of the age difference?"

"What?" She blinked. "Of course not. Because he doesn't like me. Especially considering that I shot him." Coulson chuckled while she winced. "He was terribly brave and level-headed when he faced Mike Peterson and shot him with a tracker. He can't possibly be HYDRA, sir."

"I thought the same thing about John Garrett," Coulson said.

"But was he your soulmate?"

He sighed. "No."

"Sir, we must find him. I never had the opportunity to apologise to him… not while he was conscious."

"You sent him that card."

"A card?" She growled. "That hardly makes up for it. I owe him more than that."

Coulson looked at Skye. "Let me know as soon as you find him, and we'll get there."

"What if it's one of the places HYDRA has taken?" Skye said.

"Then… we may not be able to risk it."

HYDRA was attacking and ransacking each SHIELD medical facility, taking out the bigger threats and stealing chemicals and supplies. Three remained by the time they discovered where Agent Blake was being held. He was stable, but in no condition to fight, nor even escape. Not by himself. It was too dangerous, according to Coulson.

"You can drive," Jemma said, poking Skye.

"We're not field agents!"

"We're not going in, guns blazing. We're sneaking in."

"Yeah, because we know what happened last time you sneaked into a SHIELD facility," Skye said, crossing her arms.

"Yes. I found my soulmate, and I intend to again. If you won't take me, I'll go by myself."

"Fine, fine," Skye muttered. "Let's go now, before I change my mind.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

"Shh!"

Perhaps it was a bad idea; but it wasn't their fault that HYDRA infiltrated the hospital while Jemma and Skye were walking through the corridors. At the first sound of gunfire, they pulled out their ICERs and ran until they reached Blake's ward.

"There he is," Jemma said, and she hurried to her side. "Felix, wake up. Wake up!"

He stirred, frowning, and she kept patting his cheeks until his eyes focussed on her.

"We need to get out of here," she told him.

"Mmm? Jemma?"

"That's right," she said, smiling encouragingly. "It turns out that HYDRA was part of SHIELD all along, and it sounds like they're attacking now, so we need to get you out of here. Can you move?"

"You're the doctor," he said, trying to sit up. "You tell me."

"Put it this way," she said. "If we leave you here, you'll almost certainly die. If we get you out now, you've a far greater chance of living."

"Gotta live," he said. She helped him swing his legs around. "For you."

"That's right," she said. She grabbed the wheelchair from the corner, and found it was thankfully squeak-less. She rolled it to the bed and helped him sit down. "Just put your feet up on these… there."

"Guys, hurry, they're getting closer," Skye said.

"Gimme a gun," Blake said tiredly.

"Not while you can't aim straight," Jemma said.

It turned out that the lifts weren't working, of course, which meant the stairs.

"It's only two floors," she said. "Felix, you watch ahead of us and keep an eye out for threats. Skye, will you cover my six?"

"Sure," she said. "But how will you—?"

"It's not the first time I've taken a wheelchair down stairs. Just… not usually this many."

They only encountered two HYDRA agents and a nurse. They iced all three, just in case the nurse reported their location, and sneaked back out the way they came.

…And encountered five HYDRA agents.

"Um… hello," Jemma said.

"Shut it!" Skye said. "You're horrible at improvisation."

"I'll say," Blake grumbled.

"Um, we're just going to go now," Jemma said, pointing to the right. "If you could pretend you haven't seen us, that would be wonder—"

Five shots rang out, sending each agent to the ground. Skye and Jemma both pointed their ICERs to the left, ready to fire.

"Stand down," May said. "Good thing I'm a suspicious person."

"Very good," Jemma said, nodding. "Most excellent. Thank you for being so suspicious."

"Are we getting out of here?" Blake said. May sighed.

"Come on," she said. "You can ride with me. Bonnie and Clyde here can take the vehicle they 'borrowed' from the bus."

"How did you get here?" Jemma asked at the same time that Skye said, "Which one of us is Clyde?"

May helped Blake out of the wheelchair and supported him with an arm around his waist.

"Lola," she said. "Phil needed more fuel for her anyway, and it's good to know that she's still running. Anything might've happened while Garrett was on board."

"I'd prefer to stay with Felix," Jemma said. "Just in case something happens. I am a doctor, after all."

"Fine," May said. "But let's go. Now."

Lola was parked near the van. May helped Blake climb into the passenger seat, though he seemed to be gaining strength. Jemma strapped herself in, not as confident behind the wheel as she should have been; but at least she was with her soulmate.

"Were you ordered to come get me?" Blake asked as they followed Lola's distinctive red.

"No," Jemma said.

"Were you ordered not to?"

She breathed out slowly. "Coulson advised us against it, due to the HYDRA takeover. Um… the Clairvoyant? It's Garrett."

"…Fuck."

"Later," she said absently, indicating to follow the others. When she realised what she'd said, she turned red. She glanced at Blake, who was staring at her.

"I… can pretend you didn't just say that," he said.

"W-well, put it this way," she said, flexing her hands on the steering wheel. She hated driving on the wrong side of the road. And the car. "SHIELD technically no longer exists. No ranks, no rules." She swallowed. "No barriers between soulmates."

"You'd want to?"

"Yes. I've waited all my life. These aren't the best circumstances, but we need to rest sometime. When we're settled, will you… consider bonding with me? At least?"

"At least? It's a huge commitment."

"And I don't want to lose you again," she said. "I think we need all the connections we can make at the moment."

"You don't think life will be more dangerous?" he asked.

"Things will never be the same again," she said. "But I need… I need you, Felix." They approached the bus. "I need all the support I can get; we all do. Please consider it."

Coulson was waiting for them, his arms crossed. Jemma whimpered with nerves. Blake reached over and squeezed her hand. She met his gaze.

"I'm looking forward to coaxing more of those sounds out of you," he said. Then he unbuckled, leaving her sitting there with her mouth open, and climbed out of the van.

"Felix," Coulson said.

"Jemma told me," Blake said.

"And she told me. About the two of you."

"What about the two of you?" Fitz said. Well, wasn't this awkward?

"Agent Blake… Felix and I… we're soulmates," she said. She stood close beside him in case he needed to lean against her. "Come along. I want to check you over. I didn't have time to view your medical record and find out what treatment you're being given."

"If you hurt her," Coulson said, "or if you turn out to be HYDRA—"

"She'll give me what for," Blake said. "Or have you forgotten that she shot me about five minutes after we met?"

"That's a story for the children," Jemma said, pulling him along.

"The… the what?"

"I think I'm gonna enjoy this," Coulson said, grinning.

And so would I, if I kept going.

OneMoreDay and I have been discussing this ship, right down to the horror of Blake wanting Simmons thrown off the bus, and what would happen if he was the one who found her instead of Sitwell.

I can't find the Marvel Shorts on Youtube, which makes me sad, because I wanted to show my mother when I started corrupting her into MCU. Not a huge loss, but still a bit saddening. And no, we don't have them on the DVDs here. *Sobs*

Please review!