A/N: This chapter is a bit shorter then the last, but don't worry; Next chapter will be longer! Anyway, enjoy!


Fitz woke up in the same position he'd fallen asleep, slouching on a rolling chair with a half eaten sandwich and a cold cuppa beside him. With a small groan he forced himself to stand, rubbing his eyes. Running his fingers through his hair, he looked around the hazily lit suite. Jemma was slumped over on the large bed, her hand still perched on her laptop keypad. The curtains had not yet been drawn, so dusty daylight streamed through the windows.

After changing out of his rumpled suit into more casual clothes, (he had forgotten to do so the evening before) he quietly made his way into the kitchenette. The refrigerator was stocked with the groceries he'd asked room service to pick up, along with complementary glass bottles of milk and orange juice.

Putting the kettle on, he began to cut a loaf of crusty bread and placed several slices in the toaster. Then, he heard a faint rustling of fabric and a soft yawn. Jemma must've just woken up. He stood up a little straighter as he fetched two disposable coffee cups from the stack by the sink.

"Morning." Jemma's sleep thickened voice came from the doorway.

"G'morning. I got tea, if you want any."

"Please." She smiled faintly, making her way to stand beside him.

Pouring the steaming beverage into the cup, he added one sugar cube and handed it to her. Then, he poured himself a plain one. They stood together, siping their tea in silence. Her shoulder gently brushed his.

"So..." He sipped his tea. "So, um, I got us a train car."

"Did you? Excellent." She smiled up at him, a tired softness still in her eyes.

"Yeah...so, what should we do today?"

"Well, you say the train leaves tomorrow? I suppose we ought to pack. And update Coulson on the change in our situation."

Nodding, Fitz removed his breakfast from the toaster and slathered them with jam. Then, he placed two of the slices on a plate and handed it to Jemma.

"...and I should call Will's parents at some point." She spoke quickly, taking a bite of the toast and avoiding his eye contact.

"Oh," was all he could say.

There was an awkward pause.

"So..." Fitz changed the subject, "the show last night was entertaining at least. Possible villainy aside, of course."

"I agree. I enjoyed watching it with you."

"Er, y...you did-" Stuttering, Fitz ignored the sudden fluttering in his chest. "I mean, I did too."

Jemma seemed to notice the effect her words had had on him and cleared her throat. "Yes, well...thank you for breakfast."

"'Course. Sorry I didn't cook anything big-"

"Oh, no. Don't apologize-"

"-you know I burn everything besides-"

"-a light meal is always best-"

"-and we hardly had enough groceries anyway."

They both stopped talking over each other simultaneously.

Fitz felt himself grin at the familiarity of the action. To his relief, Jemma returned the smile, her eyes dancing.

Well, this is progress, he thought, warmth spreading through his chest.


The day passed fairly smoothly. They did contact Coulson and told him of their plan to relocate, which he approved. Fitz continued to research the ring leader, but learned no new information. Finally, after a late lunch, packing, and typing up the mission log, it was 10:00. Fitz was sitting at his desk and Jemma on the bed.

"Well, I suppose I should call Will's parents now." She sighed with a fake air of confidence; one which Fitz could see through almost instantly.

"Okay. Er, do you want me to stay with you?" Putting his hands in his pockets, he leaned against the wall.

Pressing her lips together, she shook her head. "I owe it to Will to do this on my own."

Fitz felt a blush splash onto his face. "Yeah. 'Course. Wouldn't want to intrude."

"Thank you. I hope you don't think-"

"Not at all."

"Good."

Nodding, he turned to the door. "I'm gonna go...get some tea. Be back in a half hour."

"Thank you, Fitz." A thin smile painted her face.

"Sure." He opened the door. Then, he paused. "You need anything-"

"I'll text you."

"Right, good. Okay..." He walked into the hall. "...bye."

He could hear her begin to dial the phone as he closed the door.


After nearly 25 minutes of pacing around the hotel gardens whilst drinking a subpar cuppa from a disposable thermos, Fitz finally decided to return to the room. He spent the lengthy elevator ride going over what he was going to say to Jemma. How the hell was he supposed to comfort her when his presence only made her feel guilty? Once he reached the door, he paused, listening. He didn't hear anyone talking. So, with a deep breath, he opened the door and stepped inside.

Simmons' frail form could be seen, hunched over in the shadowy room. In her hands, she held the cell and the redness around her eyes made her distress obvious.

"Jemma?" His voice cracked as he approached her.

Looking up from the phone, she gave a weak, forced smile. The dim lighting reflected in the wet trail the tears left down her cheeks.

"How'd it go?" Cautiously, he sat beside her on the bed.

With a long inhale, she wiped beneath her eyes. "Fine...it was...well, it's over now."

Fitz continued to look at her with concern.

"Will's parents were very kind. They took the news as well as one could." She continued, breath starting to hitch.

"-and how are you?"

"I-I'm alright."

His eyebrows drew together.

"...really, I..." After a moment, her face crumpled. She sucked in a sharp breath.

Wordlessly, Fitz opened his arms to her. Shoulders trembling, she leaned forward and buried her face in his chest. He held her nervously, one hand slowly rubbing her back and the other awkwardly at his side; he didn't want to overstep. Several times he attempted to speak, but nothing he could think of to say would help her.

Finally, after taking a deep breath, he sighed, "I'm sure his family appreciated it. You taking the time to call them and such."

"Yes..." Her voice come out as a breathy rasp. "Yes, they were very gratuitous. They just...didn't understand why no one had called them until now."

"What'd you say to them?"

With a sigh, Jemma pulled away and folded her arms around her thin form. She looked almost embarrassed. "I said that NASA only just rediscovered his space craft and he was the single casualty. Coulson didn't want me to give any real details, but I still told them that he had given his life to save others." She shrugged. "I...I just wanted them to know." Again, she deflated as tears welled up in her eyes. After a fragile moment, she leaned into Fitz again.

There was a knock at the door.

"Housekeeping." A tired voice called.

"Er, not now!" He replied, embracing Jemma's pitiful form.

"It's unfair that Will was the one that...the person who never made it off of the planet." She whispered in a trembling voice. Words spewed from her mouth frantically. "He deserved a chance to get his life back most. I only had to spend a few months there. He-he spent the best years of his life."

"Neither of you deserved-"

"-yet one of us never made it back. That's just the reality of it."

Staring up at the ceiling, Fitz's shoulders sagged. "Jemma...if there'd been a way...if I could've traded places with Will, I promise, he would be here with you right now, not me."

Pulling away, she stared into his eyes. There was an intensity in her gaze which he had only seen once before; when she'd kissed him. "You can't honestly believe I would want that?"

He shrugged.

"Oh, Fitz..."

"Housekeeping!" The door rattled with knocks again.

"Damn it." Standing, he strode to the door. "We don't need any bloody housekeeping."

"Oh...sorry." A quiet voice replied.

With a heavy sigh, he sagged against the wall. Then, he opened the door. "Er, sorry. Just...we don't need anything right now."

"Uh, okay. Apologies, sir." The employee gave a small nod and moved to the next room.

Fitz moped back into the bedroom, staring at the floor.

Jemma was brushing out her hair with a towel folded beside her. "I...I'm going to take a bath then go to bed."

Nodding, Fitz sank into the desk chair and powered up his laptop. "D'you want dinner? I'll go get something."

"A sandwich would be lovely, if you don't mind." With a weary smile, she glanced at him; her face starting to clear up.

"Sure, okay. I'll call room service." He started to dial the number when he felt her hand on his shoulder.

Instinctually, he covered it with his own.

"Fitz...you have been better than anyone could have asked for through all this. Thank you."

With a shrug, he looked up at her. "You'd have done the same if it'd been me."

Tilting her head to the side, her eyebrows drew together. She seemed to be thinking deeply about something. Then, she leaned down and pressed a timid kiss onto his cheek.

His eyes locked on the floor as he reminded himself that this was not an implication that she felt the same; just a way of thanking him. Though, truthfully, it caused him more pain than pleasure.

After she pulled away, a bright blush on her cheeks, she let her hand linger on his shoulder for a moment. Then, she whispered "thank you" yet again and disappeared into the bathroom.

With a sigh, Fitz picked up the phone and called room service. "Hello? Food service, please...Yeah...I want to order two sandwiches...do you have prosciutto?"


A/N: Thank you so much for reading! Special shout outs to Leopold Fitz, Chewie-Fan, and DaLiza for reviewing!

Sorry this chapter didn't have as much action, but don't worry. Next chapter will be far more plot driven.

Don't forget to review! It lets me know if I should continue. And have a fabulous day.