Disclaimer: I don't own Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
A/N: Major spoilers for the FitzSimmons arc of Agents of SHIELD, especially 7x13. Read at your own risk.
"Tell me a story," Alya said as her parents tucked her into bed.
"What kind of story do you want to hear, monkey?" Fitz asked their daughter. He exchanged a glance with his wife. The universe could wait a moment. This was their world.
The little girl sighed contentedly as she snuggled deeper into the blankets. "Tell me the truest story you know."
"The truest story, eh?" Fitz asked her, sitting down on the floor next to her bed. He smiled, sharing a knowing look with Jemma. "This might take awhile."
Jemma smiled at him, knowing full well which story he intended to tell.
"Once upon a time, there was a boy and a girl. The boy was an engineer and the girl was a biologist. They were both very smart, but the girl was a wee bit smarter."
Jemma gave him a look. "No, I think the boy was smarter."
Fitz smiled, "Like I said, the girl was a wee bit smarter."
Jemma rolled her eyes as Alya giggled.
"Anyways, one day they joined this team. The team had a fearless leader, a ninja pilot, a hacker, and a traitor."
"What's a traitor Daddy?"
Fitz smoothed his daughter's hair back and looked into her innocent eyes. "A traitor is someone who is bad when those close to them thought they were good. He betrays them by doing something bad to them."
"What did he do?" Alya said, eyes wide.
"He put the boy and the girl in a small room and dumped them to the bottom of the ocean."
"How did they escape?"
Jemma smiled at Fitz before continuing the story for her husband. "The boy told the girl how much he loved her and was willing to sacrifice himself for her. He gave her his very last breath of air and they blew out the side of the box."
The little girl gasped, blue eyes wide.
Fitz interjected, "But the girl was a quick thinker and swam up to the surface of the ocean with the boy in tow. He was hurt and had to heal, and she left to allow him to heal in his own way."
Jemma smiled and reached for her husband's hand. "But the girl quickly realized that she loved the boy too, but after she told him, she was sucked away to a different planet by a portal."
"A portal? What kind of portal?" Alya asked, fingering her blanket.
"A portal made out of a really big stone from space," Fitz said, motioning with his arms to show her the size of the stone. "It would turn to liquid every once in a while and when it did, it could bring people to the other planet. The boy searched long and hard to find out how he could open it to rescue the girl, and eventually succeeded. The hacker had become a superhero with the power to make earthquakes and control the frequency of things. So she used her power to turn the rock into liquid and open the portal."
Jemma smiled. "Then the boy dove through the hole in the universe to rescue her."
Their daughter's eyes widened and she gripped her covers in a move that made Fitz smile. Alya looked so much like Jemma when she was a seven year old in the cronicom's mind prison.
"Then what happened?" Alya asked.
"Then it was the boy's turn to be patient and wait for the girl to heal," Fitz responded, tactfully leaving the part about the astronaut out.
Jemma gave her husband a knowing look before continuing. "Then the boy built a robot who trapped him and all their friends in a virtual reality. The girl had to go in to find him- and to save him."
Fitz gave his wife and annoyed look. Alya looked between her parents, not understanding the weight held in their gazes.
"Did she save him, Mama?" the little girl asked, blue eyes wide.
"Not before he did some pretty bad things, but yes, she saved him," Fitz responded for her.
Alya gave him a questioning look. "How do you know, Daddy?"
Fitz smiled. "Because I started the story, monkey."
Jemma smiled. It was true.
"Then what happened?"
"Then the girl and their friends were sucked into the future by another stone portal."
"Why?" Alya asked, her little brows furrowed in confusion.
"Because a little girl who could see the future told an alien to do it." Fitz answered matter-of-factly.
"Oh," his daughter said. Apparently, being the daughter of scientists who lived in outer space made it so that she believed such things without question.
"And then an evil alien made the girl work for him, so she waited for the boy to come, and he did."
"He did?"
"Of course he did, sweetheart," Jemma said, gently stroking her daughter's hair. "He always saved her."
Fitz smiled. "And she always saved him."
"Did they get married and live happily ever after?" the little girl asked.
Her parents smiled at each other.
"Yes they did," Jemma answered, "but they had a few more bumps along the road. You see, sweet girl, in the truest stories, the people learn to live happily ever after while facing challenges at the same time. They don't always get to rest and be, but that doesn't mean that they can't live happily in the meantime."
"Okay," Alya said, smiling and snuggling into the covers.
"How about we let you sleep, monkey, and finish the story another time?" Fitz asked.
"Okay," Alya nodded.
"I love you," Fitz said, kissing his daughter's forehead.
"I love you, Daddy."
"Goodnight sweetheart," Jemma said, kissing Alya as well, "remember what I said?"
"Yes," the little girl said, "you might be gone for a long time but I shouldn't be scared."
"That's right, monkey," Fitz added, "we'll be very close."
"I love you Alya," Jemma said, savoring her daughter's face and gently stroking her cheek.
"I love you, too Mama."
—
"I can't do it Fitz," Jemma declared as soon as they were out of earshot from their daughter, "I can't bear to leave her behind. She's a part of me, I can't bear to have a part of me torn away. I don't want to forget!"
Fitz looked at her lovingly, not wanting to argue, but knowing that it must be done. It was what was best for all involved.
"You won't remember what you've forgotten."
"But I'll feel the guilt inside regardless! The guilt of having left…a part of me being torn away."
Fitz was reasonable enough to realize that his wife was quickly becoming inconsolable. So he just held her as she cried. She cried for herself, for her fear of losing her husband and daughter, and for the end of the peaceful little life they had built together- just the three of them.
But most of all she cried for the possibility that once she had forgotten their daughter, their sweet little Alya, the brightest star in their sky, she would never remember her again, or the life they had shared.
Her mother's heart simply couldn't take it and broke into a million pieces at her feet. This would be the hardest thing she would ever have to do.
—
Alya stayed in her bed in the pod, just as she was supposed to, just as Mama had told her to.
After all, she was a very good girl.
But she had to be very brave. Daddy had said so.
All of a sudden, there was a thump, like the pod had been put on Mama's soft rug.
She took a deep breath and slowly folded her covers down. She was brave. Now was not the time to be scared. She had to be brave and stay put until Mama, Daddy, or a friend came to get her. Those were the rules.
Just then, there was a very loud noise. Alya jumped with fear and pulled her covers all the way over her head.
"I have to be brave for Mama and Daddy," the little girl whispered to herself.
A few minutes later, the pod door opened.
"Alya?" a soft voice that she knew very well spoke.
"Mama!" Alya called, throwing her blankets off of herself and running to hug her mother.
"Mama, what's wrong?" she asked. Mama was crying.
"Nothing, sweet girl. Nothing. I'm sorry, I'm sorry."
Mama was sad, so Alya hugged her to make her feel better.
"You said you would be gone for a long time, but that wasn't long at all."
"It felt like forever to me," Mama answered, looking like she might start to cry again.
"There was a loud noise."
"I know."
"I was only a little scared," she quickly added.
"Me too, sweetie. Me too."
"Daddy?" Alya asked, looking at him over Jemma's shoulder.
"Yes, monkey?" Fitz asked, melting at the sight of his little girl, safe and sound.
"Can you finish the story now?"
"Of course," he replied, looking to his wife.
"The boy and the girl had a baby in space, and they brought her back home to earth to live happily ever after for the rest of their days."
"I like that story."
"Me too, sweetie," Jemma said, looking at her husband, love in her eyes, "Me too."
A/N: I LOVED seeing Alya FitzSimmons in the finale! It was a perfect ending for FitzSimmons! I LOVED writing about her!
Thank you so much for taking the time to read this! Please leave a review if you feel so inclined, and have an awesome rest of your day/night!