A/N: Argh! SHIELD is making me so sad...Ward keeps getting worse and worse on the show. I mean, I didn't want a rushed redemption arc, but still some sort of hope for him would have been nice!

So, I decided to focus less on Ward this chapter and more on Trip and Jemma's relationship, so I hope you enjoy it!

Also, thanks to AgentMaryMaragaretSkitz for the idea!


She remembers.

It all hurts, but she couldn't run away.

He was like a drug - she couldn't get enough, even though she knew that it was affecting her relationship to Antoine.

Every day, she would go down to his prison, sometimes just sitting there quietly, staring at him, sometimes engaging in conversation.

Nothing helped.

Somehow, for some reason, she couldn't separate herself from him. Logically. it made no sense. He was a monster. A murderer. Her enemy. But, there was a part of her that kept holding on despite evidence that he didn't deserve a second chance. She kept hoping that something would change, that he would return to the man that she had fallen in love with. Their relationship seemed so long ago, yet still so powerful.

"Agent Simmons," a voice broke into her thoughts.

She looked up, seeing Coulson standing in front of her, his back to Ward's cell.

"Yes sir?" she asked, feeling her cheeks heat up. She didn't like anyone knowing just how attached she was to the prisoner, so she tried to plan her visits when it was unlikely that anyone else would be awake. That was why she was there at 3 am, sitting on the floor, staring blankly ahead.

"We need you." Coulson extended a hand to her and helped her up. "Skye and Trip's last mission went...well…."

"Is everyone okay?" she gasped, horrified at the thought of either of them being injured.

"Skye's fine."

"Then Trip?" she forced out, feeling the colour drain out of her face.

"Injured. He took a bullet protecting Skye. Needs medical attention, now."

Jemma brushed the tears out of her eyes with the back of her hand. "I'm coming."

However, as she left, she couldn't help but sneak a glance at Ward's cell, once again wishing that things could be different.

"i know you're scared," he whispered in her ear, his voice barely audible, "but you have to trust me."

She nodded minutely. Her heart was racing and her breathing was shallow and sounded far too loud in the confined space.

The situation was so unlikely; none of them had planned for everything to go this badly. Yet somehow, it had.

Grant and Jemma's covers had been blown far too quickly, prompting the need for a speedy extraction, which hadn't come. They had been left with two choices - get captured and killed, or run. It hadn't been much of a choice, really.

Grant had grabbed her hand and had started pulling her, heading to the forest in search of someplace to hide until Coulson could make new plans for their escape.

The hollowed out trunk of a decaying tree had been their best option, and that was where they were currently.

The space was small, and Grant was large. Fitting both of them in brought Jemma close to the filthy, bug-filled walls of the tree trunk. Normally, that would be her biggest worry. However, right now, the men with guns out searching the forest where he highest priority.

"Do you trust me?" Grant looked her intently in the eye. They were only inches apart and he was slightly hunched over in the confined space.

"Yes," she whispered back, her mouth dry with fear.

"Turn around," he motioned for her to face the wall away from the hole they had climbed in.

Her eyes widened, but she obeyed. Immediately, she started feeling a prickling sensation on her back, all her muscles tightening as she expected to feel a bullet tearing into her flesh at any moment.

Then, she felt Grant's arms wrap around her waist, pulling her body up against his. "Focus on breathing," he muttered, his breath hot against her ear. "Try to calm down."

It was easier to be calm when he was holding her like that. He exuded confidence, security.

She leaned back against him and took deep breaths, hoping to slow her heartbeat and start making less noise.

Later, she would realize the reason that he made her turn around - he was putting his back to the opening, between her and their enemies, so that she would have an added layer of protection if someone found them and started shooting. He was trying to save her life at the expense of his.

Luckily, they remained safe.

...

Late that night, Jemma slumped against the wall, exhausted.

Antoine was going to be okay, thanks to all the effort she had put into saving his life. He had been in pretty bad shape.

Skye had felt so guilty - she knew that he had been injured while he was protecting her. Jemma hadn't been able to do anything to ease the other woman's emotions, mostly because she had never been able to cope with the thought of Grant getting hurt on her behalf, of dying to save her life.

"That's a pretty sight," a slurred voice mumbled from next to her.

Looking over, she saw Antoine, his eyes slightly open, staring at her with a half-smile on his lips.

"You shouldn't be talking," she scolded him, but she couldn't keep the brilliant smile off her face. "Or awake."

He tried to shrug, but the gesture turned into a wince of pain. "Didn't want to miss a moment I could spend alone with you."

"Antoine," she protested, "don't say that."

"Why not? There's something here, between us," he winked at her teasingly, "and we both know it."

She bit her lip. She had to tell him about Grant, about how terrified she was about getting into a new relationship with someone so similar to the man who had shattered her heart. "I have to tell you something," she finally started.

"You sound serious."

"It is serious."

With a weak hand, he gestured to the piece of bed next to him. "I'm all ears. At least until you drug me up again."

The conversation lasted long into the night, Jemma telling him things that she hadn't told anyone else, really letting him see inside of her.

He was perfect - understanding, attentive, non-judgmental as she teared up every time she had to mention Grant's name.

And, at the end of it all, he just held her hand in his gentle grasp and smiled. "I like you."

She laughed - his comment surprised her. She didn't understand how he could hear about all her baggage, all her heartbreak and bad decisions, and still want to pursue something with her.

"I didn't scare you off?" she asked.

"I don't scare that easily."

"In that case, I like you too." The words felt foreign coming from her mouth, but somehow right at the same time.

Still, the memories of Ward haunted her, making it difficult for her to consider starting something new.

How could she forget?


Please review and let me know what you think about the relationship developing between Trip and Jemma!