"Jemma?" Fitz said softly as he rubbed her shoulder. "Jemma, we'll be there soon ..."

He was loathe to wake her up when she looked so peaceful but the plane was starting its descent and there would be so many things to do when they land in Sheffield that he wanted her to have a little time to prepare.

The previous twenty four hours had been so strange and sad and chaotic. He didn't know how long he held her when she first told him about her parent's death but he knew that her room was already dark when her phone rang and she finally moved away from him. As she spoke with her aunt and several other family members, Fitz felt utterly useless. He never had to go through the loss of a loved one since his father. And he didn't die, he just abandoned him, didn't think his son was interesting enough to stay. Since he was ten, Fitz always thought it would have been less painful if his father had died. The pain would have still been there but not the rejection. For a long time actually, when people asked about his parents, he'd say his father was dead because it felt less shameful. Jemma was the first person to whom he told the truth and she was the first to make him believe what his mother had always tried to do: that the only worthless person was his father, not him. But now that he saw the state Jemma was in, he wasn't so sure of what was worse anymore and probably never would.

He didn't really know how to react so he decided to use the logical part of his brain. He knew Jemma would have a lot to do that he couldn't do for her so he focused on what he could and took care of finding the earliest plane to Sheffield. Not even once, it occurred to him to let her go alone. He didn't know if that was what friends or even best friends were supposed to do but he couldn't let Jemma be on her own, not after the way she clung to him all night even once she'd fallen asleep. He'd only ever saw her cry, really cry once after a bad break up and he didn't think that a night of junk food and making fun of the guy who was making her sad would be enough to cheer her up this time. It was quite overwhelming seing her like this but he wanted to be there in this terrible moment just like they'd been there for each other in their really good days.

"Fitz?" She asked, her voice still raspy from sleep, her eyes painfully fluttering open.

"Yeah ..." He answered in a soft voice. "Sorry to wake you up but we'll be landing soon, I thought you might want to have time to wake up properly ..." He added and she gave him a weak smile.

"Oh yes ... yeah you're right thank you Fitz" She said rubbing her eyes and stretching her arms and legs as best as she could in the cramped space of the aircraft. When she turned back to him, looking a little more awake, he handed her a bottle of water and she took it gratefully.

"Thank you ..." She said after drinking almost half of it.

"Oh it's nothing, I know you're always thirsty when ..."

"No I mean for everything Fitz ..."She cut him off with a soft smile. "... for staying with me last night, and taking care of everything at the academy and ... coming with me, I don't think I could have ..."

"No really it's normal ..." He shrugged bashfully. "I mean ... what else was I gonna do?" He added and she just sighed as she looped her arm in his and put her head on his shoulder.

"Oh Fitz ... What did I ever do to deserve you?" She asked after a minute and it brought a smile to his face. He liked the fondness in her voice as she said it.

"You chose the perfect moment to be late for the only time in your life!" He answered and even if she didn't laugh, he could feel the small smile tugging at her lips at the memory, and that was something.

-0-0-0-

After the peaceful twenty minutes spent with Fitz, reality came crashing down on Jemma the moment she got out of the plane. She knew her aunt and sister would be there to welcome her and she wanted to be with them and grieve together but there was also a small part of her that didn't want to leave that plane and stay there with Fitz. She knew it was incredibly selfish of her but with him, she didn't need to look strong or be anything anyone expected of her. With him, she could be a complete wreck, attach herself to him and never let go, and he wouldn't think of her as weak because he knew her more deeply than that and knew how strong she really was even if it didn't always show in the most obvious ways.

But it wouldn't be possible, at least not for the next few days, or weeks, so she took a big breath and walked inside. She didn't need to scan the crowd for long to find her sister and aunt Beth. It was really late and they weren't many people on their flight so there weren't many people waiting to pick up their friends or family either. She tried to put on a brave face for them as she made eye contact and the next second, she was engulfed in a big hug.

-0-0-0-

Strangely enough the worst part wasn't the week that followed Jemma's arrival. There were so many things to do, mountains of paperwork to take care of, things to organize, people to contact, that she didn't really have the time to realize what was happening. Jemma's parents had lived in this house for almost thirty years and being both doctors, they made a lot of friends and acquaintances who wanted to pay their respect to the family. And as grateful as Jemma was for their nice words of sympathy and condolences, she spent most of those days craving for just a little bit of quiet time with her sister or Fitz.

Yet somehow, it's when things finally got quieter that all her sadness and worries for the future crept back on her. As she walked from her room to the living room in the silent house, it seemed like everything reminded her something about her parents and how they made this house a happy place. Her fingers grazed the ugly vase that Amy and her had spent hours piecing back together when they accidentally broke it because they were afraid of what their parents would say. Only to see them laugh to tears when they came home that day. The vase had been a gift from some cousin and they hated it and had always actually prayed for one of the girls to break it by accident to have a good reason to get rid of it. In the end, they kept it because they felt bad at the idea of throwing it away when the girls had spent so much time trying to repair it.

it was so strange for this house to be so silent, friends and family had always been welcome at any time and it was actually quite rare for her parents not to have anyone in one of the guest bedrooms. They always said that it was no use being wealthy and having a big house if you were always alone in it. She remembered fondly how Fitz had felt a little intimated the first time he came -he'd lived in a much more modest house in Glasgow with his mom- but it soon dissipated once he'd met them and they all started making jokes at Jemma's expense. She'd acted like she was terribly annoyed by it but she was secretly pleased to see her parents approve of her best friend, especially knowing how Fitz was always craving for a father figure.

And how could they not approve of Fitz? Wonderful, adorable, reliable Fitz. He'd been there to hold her hand during the ceremony. He'd been there to help her organize all the paperwork and make sure she didn't forget anything when she knew how much he hated that, and he was there to make stupid jokes to keep her from drowning in her sorrow and worries. From the day they met at the academy, their friendship had grown quickly and he became her best friend without her really realizing it, it's been a perfectly organic process. But since she received the news of her parent's death, it was like she was discovering him all over again. He's always been sweet and caring under his sometimes prickly exterior but until now, she never had the opportunity to see the depth of his dedication to her and it was breathtaking. At least, she told herself, something beautiful had come out of all this horrible situation.

-0-0-0-

Absorbed as she was in her memories, she didn't hear him approach until his hand gently touched her shoulder, startling her a bit. She turned around to see him smile. These days everyone was giving her this sweet/sad smile and she was growing horribly tired of it. Fitz knew it of course and that's why his smile was tender but also a bit mischievous, like when he had an idea for one of his ridiculous pranks or had found the solution to one of their problems in the lab before her.

Whatever her mood was a few seconds ago, she couldn't help reciprocating his smile.

"What is it Fitz?"

"I wanna show you something ... do you have a moment?" He asked, moving impatiently from one foot to the other.

"Sure ... Should I pack a bag as well?" She answered with a raised eyebrow, seing that he had a backpack on his shoulders.

"No no I've got everything we need. Come on we don't have much time ..." He let out enthusiastically as he grabbed her hand to lead her out of the house and she followed him with a small smile on her face.

Jemma was raised in this house and this neighborhood yet, somehow, as Fitz led her through the garden and into the small woods behind her parent's house, it seemed like he knew his way better than she did. And he only ever been here twice.

"Fitz, where are we ..." She started but he cut her off.

"Just wait it's only a fifteen minutes walk away but we have to hurry" He said with a warm smile and she noticed he still hadn't let go of her hand so she just smiled, nodded and kept on walking. Whatever he had in mind anyway, she knew she could trust him.

It's only when they got at the bottom of a small hill that she understood where he was leading them and her smile widened. They climbed for a few minutes and once on top, they were greeted with a breathtaking sight. Down on the other side of that hill was a small lake with the horizon open to the west and since it was just past nine PM, the colors of the setting sun were already reflecting on it. With only the sound of birds and the wind in the trees, it was such a peaceful atmosphere.

When she turned to look at him, his smile was shy and little expectant. "I owed you a sunset so ..."

"... and this one is perfect!" She said as she took back the hand she had let go of when they were climbing and started running down towards the lake like she always did with her sister. Once they were there, her arm went around his waist almost of its own volition and his went around her as her head rested on his shoulder. Their movements were so smooth that an outside observer could have thought that they rehearsed it when really these kinds of gestures just came more and more naturally to them.

They remained that way for a moment, almost hypnotized by the slow descent of the Sun, until Jemma shivered involuntarily. Even with Fitz's unnaturally hot skin against her, she was starting to get cold. The wind was getting stronger and it would soon be night. Without a word, he detached himself from her and started foraging in his backpack until he found a sweater and she gratefully took it from him.

"It's one of mine's, I hope you don't mind ..." He said with a small grin.

"Of course I don't mind. A borrowed sweater is always more comfortable anyway!" She answered, reciprocating his grin.

"I noticed that. Half of your sweaters used to be my sweaters!" he answered and she grinned even wider.

"You can have one of mine to even things out if you like ..."

"'kay ... but I want the pretty one with flowers on it!" He said and she burst out laughing. Fitz wasn't the manliest man she knew but imagining him wearing her delicate flowery cardigan was just too funny.

"I'm not kidding Jemma, this one's lucky, you wore it to every exam we've ever had." He added as he started to unfold the blanket he brought for them to sit on it, and she gently rolled her eyes.

"Oh Fitz, there's no such thing as a lucky cardigan. This one's just extra comfy is all. And anyway how could you know I wore it to every exam, we didn't even know each other during our first three months at the Academy."

"We never spoke before but it doesn't mean I hadn't noticed you. Until we bumped into each other that morning and introduced each other, in my head you were the girl with the flower cardigan" He said with a small smile she couldn't help cooing a bit.

"Awww ... you had a nickname for me before we even met?" She asked and even if her tone was a bit teasing, she actually found it kind of sweet that, even before they really met, he cared about her enough to give her a nickname.

"To be fair though ... sometimes it was the annoying girl with the flower cardigan!" He answered, his smile turning a bit mischievous, and she swatted his arm. "... but only when you kept answering every teacher's questions before any of us had the time to raise our hand!" He added and she blushed, knowing perfectly well she tended to do that during her first months at the Academy. It was mostly a way to compensate for being the youngest and though feeling a bit insecure, but still she had to admit that it must have been annoying.

"Well I'm glad you were able to see past me being a know it all, and I-I'm really glad that you're here for me these days, I couldn't have done it without you ..." She said, putting her head back on his shoulder once they were comfortably seated on the red tartan blanket.

She could feel the blush on his face without even looking up at him. They didn't open up about their feelings very often but she was a bit raw these days and now more than ever she felt like it was important not to wait to tell the people you loved how grateful you were for their presence. Obviously he didn't know what to answer so he took her hand once more and it was probably even better than anything he could have said.

"I mean it's so relaxing and pretty in here when ... back there, there's so much I have to do and decide about the house, about Amy, about ..." She started and as he must have felt the tremor in her voice, he cut her off by giving her hand one more squeeze.

"Hey hey there'll be plenty of time to think about that tomorrow and the days after that and you know I'll help you any way I can but for now let's just ... watch the sunset" He said finally looking down at her. The lights of the setting sun were reflected in his beautiful blue eyes and once more, she was reminded of how soft and intense they could be at the same time. She couldn't find a thing to say so she just smiled and turned back her gaze towards the Sun. He was right, the following days and probably weeks would be complicated enough so she decided to enjoy this perfect moment with her favorite person in the world.