"Well as ye already know, my dah was th' grounds keeper before me and I am by eight years Master Campbell's elder. We never really talked until I had become th' grounds keeper. He was a cold child even then, only associating with 'proper folk' and all that. When he turned eighteen, he was married to Leo's mother, Emma.

I still remember th' first time I'd met her. She had mounds of blond curly hair that made her look like an angel, as if there was a halo around her head if th' light hit it just right. They were never a good match. A dull minded, heartless lad who cared only about gaining more power and influence than his father had. And his wife, a clever, kind and thoughtful young lass, only marrying that man because of her dah's endless pushin'. She had wanted to become a biochemist ye know?"

Simmons nodded and explained that Fitz had mentioned that the night before.

"Yes, her own dah broke her dream of being an independent self-sufficient woman just as much as Master Campbell. Yet she loved anyone she met as long as they treated everyone equally and with good manners. Needless to say, it was impossible for her to truly ever love Ross Campbell, and she always felt as if she was never truly his wife. Yes they lived together, but that for her meant nothin', it was just a signature on a piece of paper that declared her to be his property. and my god how he treated her like that.

In the beginnin' he tried to be polite and talk with her, taking her out on walks, visiting museums and art galleries. But soon he became tiered of holding up this front and so began to show his true colours. He became jealous of any man that came near her. A compliment in anyone's eyes was a threat to his and he soon became so possessive it was rare to see her outside th' house unaccompanied.

Then, in th' midst of this prison-like life she was forced to live, she became pregnant with Leo. I'd never seen anyone so happy or so scared. She feared for th' lad's life ye see, for what his dah would do to him in attempt to continue family legacy and all that rubbish.

Master was beyond pleased. Finally his wife had done somethin' useful and given him an heir and when they found out it was a boy, he was all the happier.

But he soon became jealous of Leo, of how much time Emma spent devoted to him, mind ye it was th' normal amount ye'd get from any other mother. He even forced her to leave th' babe crying all night in his cot sayin' he needed to learn some discipline."

Malcom sighed, the sound heavy and filled with frustration towards Ross.

"Ross barely spent any time at home, instead preferrin' to go gallivantin' off somewhere secret leaving his family alone. He'd finally gotten the son and heir he craved yet Leo was not what he truly wanted. He'd expected a smaller version of himself but instead he got a young lad who was a carbon copy of his mother. He was exceptionally bright, already readin' and writin' by three and soon began to tinker with anythin' he could get his hands on. They spent so much time together. She loved him like she love nothin' else and she understood how clever he was. She nurtured his talent, attemptin' to leave Master in th' dark so that her child wouldn't have any more reason to be a freak in his dah's eyes."

Malcom got up to lean on the kitchen counter, staring out into the garden where Fitz remained.

"Then she died from Lesch-Nyhan Syndrom."

Simmons barely suppressed a gasp before covering her mother with her hand.

"What is it Simmons?" asked May, speaking for the whole team in trying to find out what had killed Fitz's mother.

"It is of yet, an incurable terminal illness. It is known for being rather p…painful. It's a rare inherited disorder caused by a deficiency of the HGPRT enzyme. The HGPRT deficiency causes a build-up of uric acid in all body fluids resulting in both hyperuricemia and hyperuricosuria, both of which are associated with severe gout and kidney problems. Neurological signs include poor muscle control and moderate intellectual disability. However in the second year s…self-mutilating behaviours begin to manifest like lip and finger biting as well as facial grimacing, involuntary writhing and repetitive movements of arms and leg like those seen in Huntington's disease. However LNS is an x-linked recessive disease meaning the mutated gene is usually carried by the mother and passed onto her … her son. LNS is present at birth in baby boy and most with this deficiency have severe mental and physical problems throughout life. Affected females are very rare since their second x chromosome m…makes up for the deficiency." Simmons took in a shuddering breath. "Oh god Fitz."

Tears were now freely streaming down Simmons, Sky and Malcom's faces, their eyes slowly turning red. Coulson somehow managed to keep a mask up and stopped the tears from falling. He'd loved his father who'd died while he was still young, yet he knew the pain of losing a parent. He's mother had died not long before he'd joined SHIELD. He felt his heart clench at the thought of having no one truly in the world. "Well I guess now we know why he hates it when anyone bites their fingers of lips too often." Came Mays voice, her calm tone revealing only a hint of the turmoil Malcom and Simmons' words had caused. "So Fitz suffers from LNS?" Coulson's voice trembled with fear. "Yes he does. But for some reason his condition has not manifested beyond a certain point. As ye can see, he doesn't show any of the signs Miss Simmons listed, minus that of gout when he was ten." Everyone in the room seemed to release a commonly held breath in relief. "So he hasn't developed any of the neurological problems?" asked Ward, his eyes darting between the Scotsman and Simmons. Malcom shook his head. "After seein' his my th' way she was, it's clear Fitz hasn't developed them. That boy is a smart as a hawk is good at catchin' prey." A small smile took hold of his features. "Did he ever tell ye that it was him that taught me and Alison how to read and write! I didn't even know my alphabet before he sat me down at th' age of eight and became me teacher." Everyone smiled at Malcom's fond memory, all except Ward. "But if he has the condition, why hasn't he developed the symptoms? It doesn't make sense!" "No," said Coulson "it doesn't. But first of all we should be happy about that. I doubt he would have made it to university let alone the Academy and our team if he had developed them. I'm sure it is something we could look into with caution once this mission is finished." Ward merely nodded. "Sir, I think we should start looking over the analysis for the samples since it's been running all night." "Yes of course Simmons. We'll have to go look at the samples at some point. Skye, Simmons, we'll head down to the lab to see what we've got so far and make a plan of what we do next. Ward, go and read over the information and see if HQ sent any more in. Then report in. May I what you to go talk to Fitz." May nodded.
Are you there CV? Yes. What have you got for me Ward? Turns out Campbell's wife died when Fitz was around six due to Lesch-Nyhan Syndrome. LNS? That's the one. Turns out that you deteriorate neurologically and there is no cure. Simmons said that it is present in male children of the mother from birth. However the interesting part is the fact that Fitz has never shown any of the symptoms ever since he was born. How is that physically possible? I don't know. Hell not even Simmons knows! I'll ask our scientist to look into it. It may be useful. Meanwhile, you should try and get as much info from Campbell as possible. Be discrete. Always sir. Good. The code sent out to him is 'I don't hail Hitler but he was no better that a creature of myth.' I like the twist sir. Thank you agent ward. Now get to it and report back whenever possible, including info on the samples. Yes sir. H.H. H.H.