Jemma had excused herself to leave the others. She hated it inside. The air was stifling and she felt surrounded by those people. But that wasn't the worst. No the worst was turning to find Campbell's cold eyes locked on yours, and feel the cold wash of fear cover you. She'd made her way to the back of the house that had a patio leading onto a garden. She leaned on the stone rail that surrounded the patio, gazing at the gardens beauty in the dim light.

That's what had always interested her. The way that nature, even though so precise, complex and undoubtedly cruel could always make such beauty. It was everywhere, how things linked and lived and died because of each other. The intrinsic patter of life.

"I thought I might find ye here."

She turned round only to find Fitz, his face now with a small smile. It seemed nothing short of a miracle. She leaned back on the stone as he walked towards her.

"It was always one of my favourite places, this garden. Just to sit here or work with Malcom was th' best. That is until I made th' lab." he said with a lopsided grin.

"It's beautiful. I shall have to congratulate Malcom on his excellent gardening abilities. It reminds me of my parent's one back home. It's strange being so close to home yet not there. It's so green here. One could almost believe it was England."

"Ye should ask Coulson to let ye go see ye parents for two weeks or so. I'm sure he'd let ye and that yer parents would be awfully happy."

Simmons looked sadly at Fitz who was now staring out into the garden. "Thank you. I'll be sure to ask. But you'll have to come and stay at least four days or my parents will get positively mad at me. 'You never let us see Fitz and more! We'd like to see him as well.'"

Jemma chuckled at the memory of her parents when they'd first met Fitz. They'd loved the young man with unruly curled hair, who not only respected their daughter and her intelligence but as her father said was 'able to put up with her while talking about science'. But mostly, Fitz treated her as his equal, which in the modern world where no matter how equal people thought women were treated it was often not reality, it meant a lot. To say they had liked meeting him would be an understatement. They'd always be happy to have Fitz over. In that sense it sounded just like Reid and his son Jack. The thought somehow made her both pleased yet sad.

"Do ye… um I was wonderin' if… if ye'd like to… um… to dance?"

Jemma turned in shock to find Fitz looking sheepish at his own words. "Ye know what, it doesn't matter. I'll go…"

"Oh Fitz," she grabbed his arm and stopped him from leaving. "I'd love to dance with you."

A small smile began to appear on Fitz face, his eyes now with their usual light and joy.

"Well come on then." she said with a smile as she placed a hand on his shoulders and one on his own hand. He tentatively slid his free hand down and gently settled it on her waist before he looked back into her eyes. And then he began to move.

Simmons had been sure that of all the things that were possible in this universe, Fitz being able to dance and dance well at that, had most certainly not been on it. His feet slid in motion with her, almost as if his very breathing was in harmony with hers.

"Did you know when two musicians perform a duet, their brain waves synchronise?" she said in a light voice as they moved over the patio floor.

Fitz chuckled. "Really? I didn't."

"Well I was just wondering if it happened when people dance that's all." she said with a smile.

"That's just one more thing to check for once we've finished this assignment. F…for science of course." he stuttered out at the end. She merely replied with a light-hearted laugh.

"Of course Fitz."

He pulled her closer, his head resting next to hers as they continued to move in the night air. "Ye look beautiful in that dress."

"Thank you."

"I never thought I'd see that dress on anyone else… It was my mother's ye see. She bought it when my dah wasn't with her, he always said she looked hideous while wearin' green. He thought it was a colour for commoners. But mother had always loved green, like she loved her garden. 'Green's th' colour of life Leof. She used to always say that."

"Well your mother was certainly right Fitz. Green is the colour of life. It's the colour of chloroplasts and of plants. It's the colour of the healthy land when it's received rain."

Fitz pulled away slightly to be able to look at her face as they continued to dance. He laughed, but it was filled with a deep rooted sadness. Like that of someone who knows something the world doesn't and thinks that that knowledge is cold and cruel. A curse.

"Ye would have like my mum. Did I ever tell ye that she had wanted to be a biochemist like ye?"

Simmons gasped, which only seemed to make Fitz all the happier.

"Ye she would have if her family hadn't made her marry me dah." his face became ever so slightly colder. "That's why she made me promise to not let family and names stop me. Promise that I'd never give up my dream, but go on to do somethin', not live in a gilded cage for th' rest of me life. She made me promise that when she wore that dress ye see."

Simmons couldn't help but smile as she watched the stars shine while they turned around in each other's arms.

"It was on my fifth birthday. Th' last one she spent with me. My dah hadn't bothered to come, and I must say that I couldn't have been happier. It was just mum, Alison, Malcom and I. They were always my family… I was scared that if I saw someone else in it that… that I'd forget what she looked like. That she was th' one whofd once worn it and looked like an angel and someone else would only ruin that memory." Simmons looked back at his face to find his eyes brimming with tears. "But I couldn't have been more wrong. Ye look just as beautiful as her. Ye just as kind and brilliant and although my mum will frown disapprovin'ly at me for this one, ye certainly smarter than her. Ye one of th' smartest people I know Jemma. And I am sure that she would have been proud to have met ye. Just as I am."

And with a choked sob Fitz wrapped his arms around her and cried. And Simmons as she held her crying friend, hoped that someday Fitz would finally be able to see just how proud his mother was sure to be of the man that he'd become. And the stars shone through the darkness as she held him, the tears now also flowing down her cheeks.

"Where have Fitz and Simmons gone?" asked Skye, her eyes betraying her worry for her friends.

"Relax. They probably went somewhere together." said Ward as they headed up the stairs. "It wasn't exactly the best of nights for Fitz."

Skye sighed as they reached their bedrooms. "You're right. Whofd have thought that anyone related to Fitz would be such a dick!"

Ward snorted "Tell me about it. Add that to the list to awful parents."

"Yeah I guess. Goodnight Ward."

And with that she closed the door of her room behind her while Ward slipped behind his. He walked over to his window, gazing out over the garden, only to see two figures dancing. Snatching the small camera on his bedside table, Ward began filming the two scientists together. "Who knows," he thought "It may be useful later."

Making sure that the door was locked and secure, he went to his traveling bag. Slipping his hands inside and dislodging the fake bottom, he removed the flat laptop. Opening it, he punched in the passwords and then set up the private conversation.

Are you there CV?

I'm here Ward. What have you find out so far?

HQ asked us to use Fitz's home as a base. But his home turned out to be a mansion in the middle of the Scottish hills.

Well who would have thought huh? Fitz is a rich kid.

With a bastard for a father to go with it. Fitz hates him so much that he used his mother's maiden name. His real surname is Campbell.

Campbell? As in Ross Campbell?

Yeah that's the one. How did you know?

He's one of us.

Ward paused to look at the screen, re-reading it again to check that he'd not hallucinated.

He's a bloody good ally to have. As you know he has dough. Ha! I just noticed that Fitz has actually helped our cause, not voluntarily of course.

What? How?

Well let's just say that we received some 'anonymous' donations of some rather impressive and never seen before weapons. Ask around about what Fitz used to design before he joined Shield.

Ok. We've obtained some samples but we don't have the results in. But it is alien positive.

Perfect! Notify me if there is any new developments. And approach Campbell. I'll send you a key word tomorrow for you to know for certain.

Yes sir.

Good work Ward. H.H.

H.H.