Author's Note: Thanks so much to PeculiarMaleficent, Uma FicWriter, Guest, Guest, betty86, and airlock goddess for their lovely reviews. They always make my day and inspire me to crank out another chapter sooner than planned.

To answer a few review questions: yes, we will be hearing more about Peggy Carter later on in the story, some heavier Philinda romance is scheduled for next chapter along with some team bonding, and we'll also be getting some guest showing up soon. In the meantime however, we have some Melinda&Simmons comfort.

Reviews and feedback are greatly appreciated! c.e.


CHAPTER FIVE

Jemma Simmons felt the tears drip down her face before childishly pushing them away with her palms. Her hand drifted down from pressing the machine to her ear and tightened her hand around it painfully. Her knuckles turned white as her stomach turned, twisted like knots as she struggled to breathe as the realization of what she just heard came crashing down.

"Jemma?"

Simmons opened her eyes and her vision blurred with tears. She blinked rapidly as May swam into view. Her body shook as May's hand came to gently take her shoulders and ease her onto the bench near the side of the house. May's grip was firm, but warm.

"I'm sorry—I…it…"

"Simmons, this is a lot to process through," May's tone was quiet, but soothing.

Jemma shook her head, running her sleeve across her nose, feeling childish as a woman she admired watched her fall apart. "No—it's not that…I just…"

May was quiet, but her eyes never left the biochemist's face. And the silence was oddly comforting as Jemma forced herself to swallow and tried again. "I tried to call my parents, to update them I guess. To explain, but—but they didn't pick up…and neither did Fitz's mother." The tears came back full force and by the time they cleared again, there was a growing wet streak on her purple shirt.

It was several moments before she spoke again.

"It's stupi—I should have known, I mean with HYDRA being out there on the loose—and…" The words came tumbling like waterfall that overflowed and she felt the panic on her insides spill onto the outside.

"Jemma."

The sound of her first name was so shocking and so strange that Simmons fell silent. May's eyes were intently focused on her, pouring over her face and over body position. "When the HYDRA threat was revealed, I made a call to one of my contacts at MI6. I had him place your parents and Fitz's mother into protective custody. That's why they're not picking up, they're in a safe house."

Blood thundered into her ears as the realization of just what May was saying registered to her mind.

"You…you hid them?"

May nodded gently.

Only then did Simmons' realizes that the Chinese woman's hand was sitting comfortingly on her knee. To an outsider, it would appear to be a thoughtless touch, but Simmons suspected it was much, much more than that. May never did anything without it being thought out first and the message in the one touch weighed more than a dozen of Skye's flamboyant hugs.

"I…I don't know what to say…I wouldn't have even thought to…"

Simmons squeezed May's hand tightly hoping to convey to the older woman just how much it meant to her. "I'll send a message to my contact, see if they've gone black on the house or if you and Fitz can get in a secure line to them."

"Thank you."

A moment of silence stretched between them before Simmons asked the next question weighing the most on her mind.

"What are we going to do now?"

May moved restlessly next to her and stood, flexing gracefully before leaning back on the dark wood railing. "You have options. Most of the S.H.I.E.L.D. operatives are making deals with the FBI in exchange for immunity or positions in the change position for inside information on HYDRA, cases they've worked, or information on the higher ups. You could make a similar deal. Those who were higher up in the hierarchy have moved into the private sector, black ops CIA, Stark Industries."

Simmons eyed the gorgeous sky behind May. She forced herself to breathe a few times before saying one of the thousands of thoughts coursing through her brain at that moment.

"You and Coulson are going after Garrett and Ward."

May inclined her head slightly.

"This is not a sanctioned op. There is no backup, no agency to hide underneath, no superiors or instructions. We are on our own. Coulson and I have operated off the grid on missions before, so has Agent Tripplett. You and Fitz are not field agents or specialists, Jemma."

"Neither is Skye."

May watched her quietly for a second, her eyes critical, but kind.

"You can make whatever decision you think is best for you. I have contacts in SIS and MI6, so does Coulson and my mother. If you and Fitz choose to go back to London, I can have you both on a plane, clearing TSA by the end of the week."

The biochemist swallowed. "I just need time to think…to talk to Fitz…"

She knew the shooting was still a sore spot between the engineer and the specialist. Even after arriving at May's mother's house Fitz had been actively avoiding her. She hoped the woman would understand and by the look in her eyes, May did.

"You have as long as you need. As far as HYDRA knows were still in Fury's secret base, if they even know that much from Talbot's men. We should be safe here."

Those first few days after May left, there was a feeling of paranoia, panic. She could never shake the feeling that someone was following her…someone with ill intent. And now that May was back, she felt her body relax for the first time. Like a heavy, lead weight had lifted off her shoulders.

But the Chinese agent didn't look more relaxed since arriving at her mother's house. If anything she seemed to be on alert, more tense. The dark circles under her eyes were more evident in the afternoon light outside.

She knew that familial relationships in other cultures were often different than American ones, but the relationship between May and her mother was strange. There was no Simmons hadn't seen either one of them touch since the team's arrival.

She wasn't sure if that was a Chinese thing…or a spy thing.

Their conversations were almost constantly in Chinese at a rapid fire pace. It was like the two were conversing on a completely different channel than the others around them. As if May's mother didn't want the others listening to their words or interrupting their conversation.

It was strange to hear May's voice in anything but English, though, Simmons found. Though the language was one she found fascinating and it was strange and she felt oddly out of her depth in the unknown.

May clearly wasn't American, but Simmons had known that from reading her file the first week on the team to find most of the Administration agent's file blacked out or classified. Her entire family history and early were blank. There wasn't anything on her birthday line except a year, 1981. It said was fluent in ten languages, but didn't say which ones. There were gaps in her timeline with the agency, but any attempts to open her mission history file was blocked straight from the heart of the Triskelion.

Even before the incident with the Peruvian government, Simmons knew she wasn't just a paper pusher, not with Level Eight security clearance.

This was the first time that Simmons had seen her out of combat attire, black Kevlar or leather. The soft edges of the tee shirt and the leggings gave her a younger appearance. But it was the bare feet that made the scientist realize just how small May was. The woman could been over five foot one inches. All her muscle groups were defined and smooth, a clear show of just how athletic the woman was, but if Jemma were to stand, she would bigger than the warrior.

It suddenly made ever impossible feat she had seen the woman do even more inhuman.

Her face must have changed because May suddenly spoke.

"Simmons?"

"I'm just glad you're back."