Skye was the first to recover from the shock, but her reaction wasn't fast enough to prevent one of the most awkward silences she'd ever experienced. Later she realized she probably should have had more tact, but the first thing she did was hit Simmons's arm.
"What the hell, Simmons? You didn't tell me you had a sister!"
Simmons had a pained expression on her face that she usually wore when she'd been caught in a lie. Skye was about to press further when she felt someone nudge her arm. She turned to see Coulson glaring at her, his eyes telling her to save her burning questions for later.
"None of us knew," he said apologetically, giving the girl a small smile. "We're very sorry. It's really nice to meet you, Ellie."
For her part, Ellie was staring at the ground, her cheeks a bright shade of pink. Skye felt a pang of sympathy for her. She had burst into their lives with wide-eyed optimism, probably assuming that they would be as excited to meet her as she had been to meet them. And to find out that her own sister hadn't even mentioned her? That had to be humiliating. Skye was surprised. Simmons didn't seem like the kind of person who would do something like that.
Her enthusiasm gone, Ellie looked like she wanted to get out of there as quickly as possible. She stumbled over her words. "Um…thank you. I…I have to head to the lab for, er, training. Excuse me." Without looking at any of them, she took off down one of the hallways.
Skye was about to turn on Simmons again, but she noticed Fitz was already glaring at his partner. "That was really smooth, Simmons."
"Yeah, seriously," Skye joined in. "I can name all of Fitz's brothers and sisters, and I even know the family history of Mr. Decepticon over there," she gestured vaguely towards Ward. "And not once did you think to mention the fact that you have a sister?"
Simmons still looked uncomfortable. "Nobody ever asked," she said with affected nonchalance. "Besides, our relationship isn't exactly…the greatest."
Skye fought the urge to roll her eyes. "Well, I gathered that," she said sarcastically, and immediately regretted doing so at the look of hurt on Simmons's face. Skye realized that of all people, she probably didn't have any right to pass judgment. What did she know about family? But she was still a little disappointed that Simmons hadn't told her about something so big. She thought that they were closer than that, but she must've been wrong. Or maybe she just didn't know the whole story. She softened her voice. "Your sister seemed really sweet, Simmons."
Simmons laughed humorlessly. "Oh, trust me. She is a nightmare. Ellie might seem sweet at first, but that's just to reel you in. And once she's got you, she becomes literally one of the most annoying people on the planet."
Skye noticed a look of irritation pass over Fitz's face as he sighed quietly. "She's really not that bad, Simmons."
"Yeah, uh, you guys looked pretty friendly over there," Skye smirked at him, hoping to at least get some of her questions answered. "Did you and-" she gestured in the general direction Ellie had gone. "I mean, were you guys ever, like-"
FitzSimmons collectively responded at the same time, which Skye figured was to be expected. Simmons simply snorted derisively, muttering, "She wishes. Been fancying him for ages." Fitz was opening and closing his mouth in astonishment. "Bloody hell, Skye, how can you-" he stammered. "To even suggest such a thing. She's like my own sister, for God's sake. Honestly, what are you thinking spouting out such nonsense-"
"Whoa, okay, sorry," Skye interrupted him, laughing a little. "I didn't realize it was such a touchy subject." Who was she kidding? It was Fitz.
Fitz recovered his composure. "Are we done spewing out rash insinuations then?" He motioned between the two of them, but didn't wait for a response. "Good. Because it looks like, once again, I'm gonna have to clean up your mess," he told Simmons before turning around and heading toward a pair of sliding glass doors.
Simmons sighed. "Fitz, where are you going? The labs aren't that way."
"She's not going to the lab," he called out, and turned around to face them as he continued walking backwards. "And you know what, Simmons? It's really sad that of all the people who would know that, it's not her own sister."
As Fitz disappeared through the doors, Skye turned to Simmons, who looked like she was trying very hard not to cry. "Hey," she said, lightly nudging Simmons's arm. "Do you wanna talk about it?"
Simmons shook her head and attempted a smile. "No, that's quite all right, Skye." She cleared her throat. "I actually do need to head to the labs to…restock…a few of our supplies on the Bus and to…look up some…things." Skye eyed her skeptically. Simmons had mentioned wanting to go to the labs earlier, but the way she was speaking now, drawing out and over enunciating her words, told Skye that she was hiding something. Before she could ask her what she was up to, though, Simmons had briskly walked away, vanishing into the throngs of agents in the atrium.
Skye shared a glance with Coulson, and she could tell that he was as suspicious of Simmons's behavior as she was. He had mentioned that Simmons had been antsy about investigating the alien drug that had cured the two of them, but he had also said that he had ordered her to keep the information strictly amongst the team. At least until they had more of a handle on what they were actually dealing with. Skye suspected that this was the main reason they were at the Hub in the first place. In what better place would they be able to investigate top-secret shady projects run by the higher-ups at S.H.I.E.L.D.? Skye and Coulson had agreed to keep their hidden agenda from the rest of the team for their protection. But Skye was a little nervous that Coulson had underestimated Simmons. She was literally a genius. If they weren't careful, she was bound to figure out something about the drug before they did.
But maybe Skye was over thinking the whole situation. Maybe Simmons had just been flustered from the surprise appearance of her sister. Maybe she wasn't acting weird about the drug at all. Besides, Simmons wouldn't disobey a direct order from Coulson. It was Simmons, the girl who was firmly against "bad-girl shenanigans." No matter what she had figured out or how much she wanted to share her findings with her colleagues, she wouldn't go against Coulson.
Would she?
"Come on," Coulson said, breaking through her thoughts. "Let's go get you your badge." She saw a flash of anxiety in his eyes, and knew the same thoughts were probably going through his head. But he must have thought it would be futile to go after Simmons at the risk of giving themselves away to May and Ward. So going about business as usual was the plan then. She nodded, managing a smile. She really was excited to get her badge.
"Uh, sir?" She turned to see Ward looking questioningly at Coulson. "Do we even need to be here for this?" He was gesturing between himself and May. The Cavalry gave Ward a sidelong glare, probably because he had spoken for her. That was a big no-no.
"You're her S.O.," Coulson replied. "You're gonna need to be there to fill out some of the paperwork. Unless you've suddenly decided that you don't want that responsibility anymore?" Coulson sounded pretty irritated, and even though Skye knew it had nothing to do with Ward, she felt a little secondhand embarrassment for him.
"No, sir," Ward said, visibly uncomfortable.
"Good." Coulson turned to May. "If you want to go back to the Bus, I really don't see why you'd have to stick around with us. Or you can head over to the gym. I know the new Operations kids over there would love the chance to go a few rounds with Agent Melinda May."
She smirked, but shook her head. "I'm sure. No, I don't mind going along to get Skye's badge. She's earned it." Skye was momentarily speechless. The Cavalry was complimenting her? May very rarely showed any signs of compassion, and had made it pretty clear from the get-go that she didn't like Skye very much. Could it really be that she had finally started to win her over? Skye hated to admit it, but she wanted May's approval almost as much as she wanted Coulson's. Maybe even more.
But May's odd display of kindness and dismissal of the opportunity to go beat up some cocky graduates wasn't the only weird thing that had happened recently. She had been hanging out with the rest of the team more often than usual lately, and she seemed to be paying closer attention to Skye and Coulson. Skye had figured that she was probably just being paranoid about the secret she and Coulson were keeping from the rest of them, but now she wasn't so sure. And apparently she wasn't alone in her suspicion.
"Really?" Coulson asked doubtfully. "It'll probably be pretty boring."
May raised her eyebrows and gave a dry laugh, heading towards the back of the atrium. "With you three? One of you is bound to embarrass yourself, and that is always entertaining."
He'd only been up to the roof of the Hub once. It hadn't really counted, though, because he'd only stayed for a few minutes to test the range of one of the original Golden Retriever prototypes. But as he opened the door and felt the cool ocean breeze on his face, the sunset momentarily blinding him, he wondered why he didn't go up there more often. The Hub inhabited a small island somewhere off the coast of New York, but it was far enough away from the mainland that the sea was all that could be seen for miles around. The labs were great, but sometimes Fitz felt confined, especially if he had to work with anyone other than Jemma. He had discovered almost immediately that he had a very low tolerance for some of the other S.H.I.E.L.D. scientists, and frequently wondered how many of them had actually made it through the Academy. And on days like today, with the facility being so crowded, it could be a bit overwhelming. But standing on top of the Hub, looking out at the sea, Fitz felt more relaxed than he had in months.
It didn't take long for him to spot her. She was sitting on the edge of the roof, her legs dangling over the side. Fitz felt his heart skip a little in alarm. Ellie was so small, a good three inches shorter than Jemma, and her precarious position made it seem like the wind could blow her right off of the roof at any second. It was disconcerting, and brought back images that were permanently seared into his brain. Images of another edge. Another fall. Another Simmons.
He concentrated on taking deep breaths as he walked up behind her. She hadn't heard him come up onto the roof, mostly because of the wind but also from the roar of the airplanes taking off from the deck thirteen stories below. From the small tremor in her shoulders, he could tell that she was crying. Fitz paused, deciding to give her a few moments to herself, and watched some of the planes come and go, the golden sun reflecting off of the aluminium.
Fitz smiled a little to himself as he was reminded of the first time he'd met Ellie. It had been on a much smaller rooftop at the University of Glasgow the summer before he had begun his doctoral studies. She had been at the university for a science camp aimed at "gifted adolescents," which Fitz thought was a pretty ridiculous way to refer to young geniuses. He had been there studying under one of the leading professors in the development of some of the first quantum field generators.
The rooftop was where their paths had crossed, when she had needed to escape the teasing of some of the older kids and he had just needed some air after receiving a distressing letter from his mother. Both of them had been surprised to see the other, but Ellie, always trying to make new friends, quickly engaged him in conversation. Fitz had never been particularly good at social interaction, but he found he was able to talk to Ellie about pretty much anything. Before he had known it, he had managed to tell her about everything that had been bothering him, about how he was nervous to leave his family to study in America, knowing his mother couldn't afford it. In return, she had told him why she liked rooftops so much. "When I'm up here, everything that's down there, all the people who don't understand and all the problems I'm facing, are just tiny specks. When I'm up here, I'm as big as I'd like to be." He'd thought she was pretty wise for someone who had only been twelve years old.
It had been an hour of their time, an hour in which he had been able to talk to someone like him, someone who understood what it was like to be underestimated because of his age. In that hour, she had managed to convince him to continue his academic pursuits. (Later that week, he had received word that M.I.T. was willing to completely fund his doctoral studies.) They hadn't exchanged names, and that was the last time he saw her until Jemma invited him over for Christmas dinner three and a half years later.
He had hardly been able to believe his eyes. Was it really possible that the girl he had just met, a girl who was able to finish his sentences and understood him better than he understood himself, was related to that girl on the rooftop he'd spent an hour with all those years ago? Fitz wouldn't say he believed in fate, but something like destiny had to have brought the Simmons sisters into his life.
Ellie's shoulders had stopped shaking, so Fitz hesitantly made his way to the edge of the roof and carefully sat down next to her. She looked up at him, visibly startled, and quickly wiped the tears off of her face. "Oh! Hello, Leo. Um, I was just-"
"Hey," he interrupted her, nudging her shoulder with his. "It's okay. You don't have to lie. You know you're as bad as your sister at that."
She laughed a little, but it turned into a sigh. "Oh, dear. That was so embarrassing. I'm absolutely mortified."
"You're mortified?" Fitz shook his head. "No, Jemma's the one who should be embarrassed. That was really low of her."
"No, I shouldn't have presumed. Of course you've all had more important things to do than to talk about me."
Fitz looked over at her with concern, but Ellie was staring out at the sea. She was usually so bloody optimistic that it sometimes threw him for a loop when she said something heartbreaking. The worst part was that she had said it matter-of-factly, like it was the most natural thing in the world for her sister to pretend that she didn't exist. Fitz knew that Jemma had her reasons for not wanting to talk too much about Ellie, but that didn't excuse her behavior. Ellie was strong, a lot stronger than she looked, but Fitz knew how much she looked up to Jemma.
"It's not that, really." He willed her to look at him. "I don't want to defend her, but being out in the field…well, it hasn't been what either of us expected, to say the least. The Academy really does a piss-poor job of preparing us to go out there."
Tears welled up in her eyes again, and he cursed himself. What had he said this time? She looked away from him and scoffed. "You don't think I know that? I had to find out that she jumped out of a bloody airplane in probably the worst possible way."
Fitz groaned, wincing at the memory of that terrible phone call. "I know, I'm so sorry, El. I thought she'd told you by then."
"It's not your fault, Leo. It's just…what if she had-" Her voice cracked, and Fitz quickly put his arm around her.
"Hey. She's fine. It's nothing to worry about anymore."
She glanced up at him pleadingly. "But what if she hadn't been? What if Agent Ward had been unable to get to her? You said yourself she jumped a full eighteen seconds before he did! Out of a plane that was already moving at-"
"Ellie, stop." Fitz couldn't bear to see her cry, but he also didn't want to dwell on her words anymore. Those words voiced the fears that kept him awake at night. The time he spent between wakefulness and sleep was the time he spent in the limbo of not knowing: between when Jemma had fallen into the sky and when he had received word that she was alive.
He was an engineer. The laws of physics and aerodynamics were second nature to him. He knew fully well how many seconds separated her jump from Ward's because every second after she jumped was a second too long. Fitz had tried to turn off the wheels in his head, but they constantly churned on of their own accord. He was unable to stop the calculations from flashing through his mind: the speed at which she fell, the force her small form would have been subjected to if she had hit the water, the angle her lips had smiled at him before she jumped. They wouldn't leave him alone. And obviously, Ellie understood. Fitz decided then and there that he would never tell her about the grenade incident on the train in Italy.
Ellie sighed. "I just wish she would…I don't know, place more value upon her own life."
"You and me both, sister."
They sat in comfortable silence for a while, watching the sun make its slow descent over the horizon. Right before it disappeared, Fitz's phone rang, startling them both. He held it up to his ear.
"Yes, sir," he said after a few moments, and ended the call. "Agent Coulson," he gestured towards the phone.
"Oh yes, of course," Ellie nodded. "I suppose you've got work to do. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have kept you-"
"He's asking for both of us, actually."
"Me?" she replied incredulously. "What for?"
"He didn't say. But knowing Coulson, it could be anything, really."
Fitz saw a look of fear flash through her eyes. "Oh, no. I hope I haven't done anything wrong."
"Relax, Ellie," he reassured her. "I'm sure it's nothing like that." He stood up and held out his hand to help her up (and to also make sure she didn't fall off of the roof). "Come on. Let's try that team introduction again."
She groaned as he dragged her towards the staircase leading inside. "Do we have to, Leo? I don't think I want to. I can't believe how utterly ridiculous I looked earlier."
Fitz simply laughed and pulled her to his side, draping an arm over her shoulders and planting a kiss on top of her head. "Oh, please. You've already won them over. They were a bit confused, yes, but it was all just a misunderstanding. And you even managed to get a smile out of Agent May, and trust me, that is a rare feat."
Ellie must not have heard too much about the Cavalry, because she didn't seem very amused. She sighed again as they reached the lift. "And what about Jemma? She hardly looked happy to see me."
"Don't you worry about her. She'll come around. She was just surprised to see you is all."
Ellie was silent, and glancing at her face told Fitz that she didn't quite believe him. He decided to change the subject. "I really missed you."
That got a little smile out of her. "I missed you, too." She turned to face him, and he noticed a mischievous glint in her eyes. Crap. That was never a good sign. "So…have you told her yet?"
He froze, keeping his gaze fixed on the lift door in front of him and fighting to keep his expression neutral. He knew her eyes were boring into the side of his face. "You really need to let that go, El."
Out of the corner of his eye he saw her shaking her head, but when he looked at her she was smirking. "Never."
She laughed, probably because despite all of his attempts, his face had still turned red.
"For a pair of geniuses, you two are bloody idiots," she muttered right before the doors opened on the ground floor.
"Come on, come on, go faster," she whispered to the machine in front of her, knowing fully well that talking to an inanimate object would hardly increase its productivity. But she was running out of time.
Jemma glanced behind her shoulder for probably the sixth time. Thankfully there had only been a couple agents in the hematology lab when she'd gotten there, most of the recent graduates crammed into the main one for routine safety training. The other agents had looked up briefly when she'd arrived, but had otherwise gone about their work, probably assuming that she had every right to be there. And it wasn't necessarily untrue. The lab had Level 3 restricted access, so she wasn't technically breaking any rules by being there.
She tapped her foot impatiently and fidgeted with the now empty vial of Skye's blood she had in her hand. The readout on the cell cytometer showed that the analysis was only 70% complete. She hadn't wanted to go against Coulson's orders, but her limited resources on the Bus had lead to a dead end with the GH-325. Jemma didn't know why Coulson had been so insistent upon keeping the drug's identity a secret, especially since it had originated from S.H.I.E.L.D. itself and had saved his life. If she could just detect how the drug had worked to regenerate Skye's damaged cells, maybe she would be able to isolate the drug's properties and possibly recreate it. A drug with the kinds of capabilities shown in both Skye and Coulson could have phenomenal implications for the medical world. Why didn't Coulson understand that?
But as the progress bar slowly inched along, Jemma began to doubt herself. She had always trusted the decisions of her superior officers. Surely Coulson had valid reasons for wanting to keep the drug in-house for a little while longer. After all, they had found the sample in a hidden facility Coulson hadn't even known about, and two guards had died in order for their team to retrieve it. Maybe this whole situation was over her head. In a fit of panic, she cancelled the analysis and closed her eyes in disappointment. She'd only brought the one sample into the Hub.
When she looked up, Jemma realized that she was alone. Maybe it was an indication of how much time she had spent with Skye, but her eyes automatically wandered to the door she knew led to the pharmacology storeroom. Entry was restricted to Level 6 agents, but the door had been left propped open. It was against protocol, but she knew many of her colleagues were prone to do so when they needed to get in and out during their research. Besides, superior officers rarely ventured so far into the depths of the Hub's labs. The other agents must have simply forgotten to close it before they'd left for the night. Before she could change her mind, she slipped through the door.
The room was lined with shelves and Jemma was automatically overwhelmed. She had no idea what she was looking for, but decided she would take her chances by starting near the Gs. It was unlikely that the GH-325 would be there in that storeroom, but maybe there would be an earlier prototype. Anything would be better than the nothing she had at the moment. She was halfway along the third shelf when a voice made her jump.
"Agent Simmons?" Jemma winced before turning around to see Agent Sitwell looking at her curiously. Why was he always the one to catch her breaking the rules?
"Oh! Hello, Agent Sitwell…Jasper…sir. I, er, was just looking for…can I help you?" She tried not to cringe. She hadn't gotten much better at fibbing since their last encounter, and his expression told her that he knew she was spiraling.
"Coulson's looking for you." Jemma wondered why Coulson hadn't just called her when she realized with a start that she didn't have her phone on her. She must've left it on the Bus. "But he's still going through the paperwork for Skye's badge so I volunteered to help him out. I didn't realize you'd be so hard to find, but I guess I shouldn't have been surprised. You really like going into restricted areas at night, don't you, Agent Simmons?" Jemma opened and closed her mouth, trying to find something to say that wasn't as dreadful as the stuff she had come up with last time. He leaned closer to her and smiled a little. "You're not going to shoot me again, are you?"
Jemma giggled nervously. "Really, I am so sorry about that. It was a terrible misunderstanding. Honestly, that was so unlike me. I-"
"Okay, okay," he said, cutting her off. "Right now we've got more pressing matters to attend to." She tried not to show the relief on her face. Was she really getting off so easily? "But I have to say, Agent Simmons, that if I catch you doing something like this again, I'm going to have no choice but to strip you of your security clearance. Is that understood?"
"Yes, sir," she replied, blushing furiously.
"Okay. Come on, then," he said, leading her out of the room. She tried not to look longingly behind her at the capped vials, undoubtedly holding the answers she so desperately wanted to find.