I'm sorry for the delayed update! I had written out this entire chapter, and for some reason, the document got corrupted and I lost everything and had to rewrite it...which is why it's late. Yay technology!

I'm really happy with how this chapter turned out, so please review if you enjoy!

Disclaimer: Ah you guys know I don't own SHIELD.

Here we go, Enjoy!

"What if we...contact the Rising Tide?" Jemma asked earnestly. "I know Skye's not with them anymore, but maybe if we ask them to pass a message along to her and tell them that we're in danger, maybe they'll help? Aren't they all about helping the people?"she said.

Fitz broke out in a huge smile. "Jemma, you are an absolute genius!" he exclaimed, grabbing her face and bringing it to his in a short, firm kiss, then kept talking animatedly, while Simmons on the other hand, blushed furiously.

"We'll stop at an internet cafe in the next town and do that." Fitz said.

Skye ran into the meeting room, and almost tripped over her feet in the process.

"Guys! Guys! She shouted, "FitzSimmons are ok! They contacted me!"

Everyone came running from their various parts of the BUS.

Coulson rounded the corner with his usual grace, "What? How?"

"Through the Rising Tide!" she exclaimed.

"I thought you weren't with them anymore," May said sternly.

"I'm not, but they can still contact me, and apparently FitzSimmons reached out to them asking for help to reach me, and they forwarded the message to me, and encrypted it to keep the information safe."

"Maybe the Rising Tide is good for something after all," Ward said with a smirk, and Skye shot a sneer in his direction.

"How can we be sure it's them?" Coulson asked.

"They used their ID's. Probably didn't want to use their names in case they were flagged.

"Thank goodness," Coulson said with a sigh, "What does the message say?"

Skye began to read, "F & S reporting in. We're ok. Fitz hurt, patched him up. In a small town in Croatia. On our way to the coast. Have to keep moving, think we're being followed. Taking ferry across to Italy, and a train to Paris. Should arrive at HQ within a few days. Will contact again ASAP. Sharon and her men are building another overkill device. Stop them. See you all soon. We miss you. F & S." Skye finished with a huge smile.

"I'm so glad they're ok!" she exclaimed, "I was so worried!"

"You should still be worried," May said softly, "If they're being followed, they are in very real danger. They wouldn't even be able to spot if they were being tailed."

After hearing this, Skye looked to Ward and tears started to well in her eyes again.

"What do we do, sir?" Ward asked.

"We find Sharon. And we get her."

They all nodded and got to work.

After their quick stop in a small town where they sent the message, they were back on the road. FitzSimmons had been travelling via bus for what felt like days. They were almost at the coast of Croatia, but being a mountainous country, the road was much longer. Simmons stared out the window in awe, and still held Fitz's hand, while she stroked lazy patterns against his skin. From outside of her vision, Fitz stared at the woman next to him as she reveled at the view until she spoke up.

"You know Leo, even though we were held hostage, been on the run, jumped out of a train, and generally just been terrified," she paused, thinking for a moment, and turned towards him, "we've seen some beautiful places along the way."

Fitz listened to her intently and nodded, "We have, but I must say, I wish we were seeing all these beautiful sights under different circumstances."

What are you doing Fitz? He thought, but he kept talking anyways, "You...me...travelling together. Actually being able to enjoy our time together, instead of fearing for our lives."

What is he saying? Simmons thought, her heart gaining in speed. He wants to run away and explore the world with me? She thought with a slight chuckle.

"But, even so," he continued, "there is no one else I'd rather be held hostage with, then you," he said with a cheeky grin.

"Leo Fitz, are you saying you actually enjoyed being held hostage?" Simmons said in a mock voice?

Fitz laughed, and it was music to her ears, and she realized that she was laughing too, then they were both laughing together, as hard as their lungs could handle, and it felt like ages since they had done so. The kind where you run out of breath, and it physically hurts, but you just can't stop.

They were bound together in more ways than one, and it seemed being held hostage in an underground bunker in Romania will do that to you.

They finally arrived in Split, Croatia at 4pm in the evening, and immediately went to the port to buy ferry tickets.

They were greeted at the docks by a tired, but twinkling eyed man.

"Sorry, no more ferry to Italy tonight," the man said. "Buy ticket tonight, ferry leave 7am tomorrow."

Fitz and Simmons bought their tickets for the next morning, and proceeded to explore the narrow streets of Split, Croatia hand-in-hand, looking for something to do. They hadn't seen any threats in a while, and felt safe enough to be tourists for a while. As they neared the center of the city, they walked towards a large tower that surely would have sights beyond belief.

"Oh Leo, want to go up?"

Fitz looked at Simmons, as her eyes danced with excitement, and even though he dreaded the idea walking up so many flights of stairs, he found he wasn't bothered by it in the slightest once he saw Simmons' shining eyes.

After walking up the cramped and dark staircases, they finally came to the opening at the top. Simmons' breath was taken away as she took in the view. She found she was lost for words, as she watched as the land became one with the sea, watched the fishermen at the docks, and the sun set in absolute perfect time for them. Even though they were alone at the top of the tower, she kept her hand in his, not caring what was a cover and what wasn't anymore. She just needed him, and she knew that now.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" she said to Fitz, unable to tear her eyes from the view in front of her.

She felt two familiar arms place themselves around her middle, and hold her close. Fitz tucked his chin on her shoulder to look at the view. Forget leaping, Simmons' heart jumped off the tower, and down into the ocean below.

"It sure is, just like you."

Simmons froze for a moment, comprehending when he said, then spun around in Fitz's arms and looked deep into his eyes. At that moment, that defining moment, they both knew everything they had said, everything they had done, and all their feelings for one another had been completely mutual all along. It wasn't a cover anymore, and had stopped being so a long time ago. Simmons found she couldn't keep her eyes off his lips and craved to taste them once more. Little did she know that Fitz was thinking the very same thing, and it had taken all his willpower to not press his lips to hers all day long. Simmons couldn't take it anymore, she guided her eyes back up to his, and one look from him, and she knew she was making the right decision. She quickly threw her arms around his neck, pulled him down to her, and kissed him with as much passion as she could muster. Fitz was momentarily stunned, then quickly snapped out of his trance, and tightly wove his arms around her waist, bringing her close. Their mouths spoke every emotion they had been feeling for so long. They hardly broke for air, and when they did, it was only done to supply them with enough to keep them together for longer, look in each other's eyes, see the fire blazing behind them, and kiss once more. They couldn't tell how long their lips had been connected. The only time indicator present, was that they started as the sun was setting, and finished well after the sun had gone down. This time they weren't interrupted, and when they finally broke apart, they stared at each other through new eyes, as lovers, that had previously been only as partners and friends, and something slightly more. The smiles on their faces, and slight giggles coming from both of them helped them both understand that that wasn't a mistake, or something they'd regret in the long run. No, this was something they both undeniably wanted for a long time, and they wanted it to continue.

Fitz opened his mouth to speak, and the words fell out of his mouth before he had a chance to think about what he was saying. "I love you Jemma," and he held his breath upon realizing what he had said, scared as to what her reaction would be.

Simmons stared at him in shock, feeling a million different things at once, and found that the words fell out of her mouth as well, "I love you too Leo".

They stared at each other with love struck eyes and smiles, grinning like two complete adorable idiots, when Fitz asked, "What took us so long?" and pulled her closer by her hips.

Simmons gave a small giggle as she brought her lips to his once again, "I have no idea."

And they kissed again.

They wandered the streets of Split like two teenagers in love, holding hands and giggling, while feeding each other ice cream, and sneaking in kisses in dark alleys. They were acting as if they were making up for their lost teenage years. Neither of them had experienced anything like this before. The freedom, the ache of wanting to be with someone so desperately, but utterly afraid of ruining what they've had for so long. Now that that barrier had been shattered, they realized all along that what they wanted, mirrored what the other wanted, and not only were they a perfect fit as friends and partners, they were perfect for each other.

That night at dinner, they each ordered a glass of wine and toasted in celebration of their newfound relationship. Their once shy stares, were still shy, but with an underlying confidence at knowing the other felt the same. To anyone watching them in the restaurant, it was utterly clear that they only had eyes for each other. The wine they drank only added to their already new incessant need to touch one another, and before long, they ordered another, and another.

Sure enough, after they each had three glasses of wine, and very full bellies, they made their way down the streets of Split looking for a place to spend the night. The wine made Fitz louder than usual, and his accent had become thicker. The wine however, had left Simmons in a state of perpetual laughter. They wobbled slightly as they walked, telling Academy stories, and times when they wanted the other to kiss them, when they thought it was one sided feelings. This resulted in Simmons with her back to the wall and Fitz's mouth on her neck in the middle of the street. Fitz's mouth left a trail of heat wherever it touched, and Simmons, whom is usually quite articulate, let out a series of undecipherable noises that only egged Fitz on more. Fitz brought his mouth back to hers in a flurry of alcoholic passion, and let his hands roam down her body. Only did they stop when someone yelled something in Croatian, which was most likely "get a room." Fitz and Simmons tore their lips from each other, and saw fire burning behind each other's eyes. Neither of them said a word, but Fitz grabbed Simmons' hand and marched down the street, looking for a hotel. When they finally found a place with vacancy, Fitz and Simmons barely made it into their room before their mouths were on each other's, their hands reaching for places they had never touched, and some stumbling over their own feet. They fell back on the bed in a heap of limbs, the alcohol numbing their pain, and their minds. They were in various states of undress, Fitz without his shirt, and Simmons trying to get her shirt off, but getting stuck because she was so drunk. They burst into a fit of giggles as she finally got her shirt off, and they cheered.

"Be right back," Fitz said suddenly, as he peeled himself off Simmons.

She reached for him with a, "no, come back!" but he was already gone.

Fitz quickly went to the bathroom and looked himself in the mirror.

"Ok Fitz. This is happening," he said as he lightly slapped his cheeks to get himself ready, and calm his nerves. "This is actually happening."

A less scruffy, normal looking Fitz appeared behind him and spoke. "What are you doing Fitz?" He said. "You guys are drunk."

"No we're not!" he said to himself.

"You guys are drunk. You should wait till you're both sober. You love her too much to rush something this important. This is a first for both of you. Think of Jemma."

Fitz went to go push the other Fitz out of the way, only to find air.

"I'm arguing with myself!" he exclaimed aloud to no one in particular, and threw his arms up in frustration and quickly exited the bathroom. "Maybe we have had too much to drink. I'm seeing things."

When he entered the bedroom, he found a peaceful, alcohol induced sleeping Simmons, half undressed, sprawled across the bed.

Even though at that moment Simmons had some slight drool coming out the side of her mouth, her hair was spread in all directions, and she looked an utter mess, Fitz realized he would never find another woman more beautiful than his Jemma Simmons in his whole life.

He carefully swung her legs around, tucked her into bed, set an alarm, and got in bed next to her. Then, wrapped his arms around her tightly, enjoying every moment.

The next morning, the alarm clock went off beside the bed with a dreadful buzzer sound. Simmons hit the clock with a groan, bringing her hands to her head. Fitz stirred next to her, and opened his eyes to look up at her.

"Headache?" he asked

"Yeah," she replied, "Too much wine I think," she laughed, as she moved to get up. She stopped when she realized her shirt was off. "Leo...why am I not wearing my shirt?" she asked, panic rising. She didn't remember taking it off. To be honest...she didn't remember much...

Oh my gosh, what happened last night? She thought, trying to string together pieces of the night, when a flash of memories hit her, her back against a wall, them kissing furiously, them falling on the bed, Fitz's wandering hands...

"You don't remember?" Fitz said with worry. He hoped they hadn't gone further than her liking, especially now knowing she didn't remember any of it.

She was quiet for a moment, then spoke, "I remember flashes of stuff, but I think I'm missing bits and pieces." She paused, then said quietly, "did we...?" and she left the question hanging in the air between them.

"No," Fitz cut in, "we didn't. We were headed there, but you fell asleep when I went to the bathroom. Sounds like a good thing too."

Simmons breathed a sigh of relief and suddenly felt very embarrassed and found she couldn't look at Fitz. He could sense something was off.

"Jemma, what's wrong?"

She didn't say anything, or look up.

He asked again, "Jemma, sweetheart, what's wrong?" and he moved towards her to cup her cheek with his hand.

She remembered her dream back on the train, where he had called her sweetheart, and instantly realized she liked the real version calling her that, much, much more.

"It's just that..." she paused, thinking about how she was going to phrase her sentence, "we were going to have sex Leo, my first time, and something that I don't want to rush with us, and I was so stupidly drunk that I wouldn't have even remembered it. It's just...embarrassing is all."

Fitz was now very, very relieved that she fell asleep last night.

"Jemma, sweetie, come here," Fitz said, as he pulled her down to lay with him, and cupped her face between both his hands and looked her into the eyes.

"Sweetheart, listen to me. Yes, we may have gotten a bit...um excited last night, which was probably the wine, and all the years we've been wanting to be together, but please don't be ashamed, or embarrassed. I was right there too. Listen to me when I say I love you with all my heart, and I want to do things right, because I love you with every fiber of my being. There's a reason it didn't happen last night. But when it does, it will be amazing, and something I really look forward to I might add," he said, giving her a nudge and instantly her frown turned into a smile and a small giggle. "There's no rush," he said bringing his lips to hers.

At this point, Simmons felt more loved than she had in her entire life, and she realized that she liked the feeling. She liked the way Fitz made her feel.

Their kiss was super sweet and romantic, and soon, Simmons pulled him close, wanting to feel the warmth of his body against hers, when all of a sudden, Simmons quickly jumped up, and knocked Fitz off the bed in surprise.

"Bloody hell!" Fitz yelled as he landed on the floor with a loud thump.

"Leo! Don't we have a ferry to catch?"

"Oh shite!"

What did you guys think of that? If you enjoyed, please review!

They're FINALLY together.

It felt amazing to write that, I've been holding off forever, but now it's time.

Next chapter coming sooner than the last!