A/N: Things are about to get real these next few chapters. Hold on tight, folks.

Enjoy!

Fitz stayed silent the entire walk back to the palace. He could feel Jemma's hand tense in his, but he kept his eyes forward, needing to put as much distance between him and the monolith as possible.

The pair finally passed by the guard who nodded at them, clearly having been waiting for their return. Fitz didn't let go of Jemma's hand, instead walking with her back to her room. He was still trying to figure out what he was going to do about all of this.

They reached the corridor where Jemma and her parents lived, and Fitz finally turned to her.

Nothing could have prepared him for the emotion he found in Jemma's face. She was scared and confused, but above all she was worried. Concern for Fitz radiated from her face as she stepped closer to him, lifting her free hand up to his upper arm.

"Fitz, please," her words came out as a whisper.

"Goodnight, Jemma," Fitz said in response, pulling her in for a hug. He needed her to know that he wasn't trying to shut her out, that he cared about her so deeply, but that he needed to deal with this on his own. Fitz considered for a moment asking Jemma not to tell anyone, but he already knew she wouldn't say anything.

He finally let go, turning to walk to his room. He could tell that Jemma still wanted to talk to him, but he didn't turn around.

Fitz knew what he had to do. If his father had been there, Fitz would have gone to find him, but seeing as the king was currently out searching for Maveth (which Fitz now found cruelly ironic since the missing sorcerer just happened to have been in their woods a half hour ago), there was only one other option.

His mother was sitting in the king's study, as she often was when Fitz's father was away. She always said it made her feel better when she missed the king during his long absences. She never closed the door, no matter how important her business, since she liked to be able to see that nothing was amiss in their chambers and to call out to Fitz when he passed by.

"You were out late, Leo," the queen said with a smile as Fitz walked into the room. As soon as she saw Fitz's face, however, her smile fell. "Leo, what is it? What's happened?"

Fitz collapsed into a chair, throwing his head in his hands. "I think I just destroyed the kingdom."

"What are you talking about, Leo?"

Fitz looked up at his mother. "Maveth. He's back, and he's more powerful than he was before. Because of me."

His mother paled at the name. "I… I don't understand."

Fitz took a deep breath. "A month or two ago Jemma and I were walking in the woods, and we found this giant stone monolith. We couldn't figure out where it had come from, so we searched for weeks for any information about it. And then one day we saw it dissolve, turn to liquid, right in the middle of the woods. And so we've been trying to figure out how that happens and how we can make it stay like that so we can study it. Tonight we figured out if light shines on a specific point of the rock, it opens. When that happened, Maveth came out of nowhere, and some men came out of the rock along with all this energy, and Maveth grew more and more powerful, and I made the rock reform, but it was too late. Maveth… he told me I was his… salvation." Fitz shuddered at the word. "Then he saw Jemma and told me to be ready for the punishment." Fitz stared emotionlessly at the ground.

"Why didn't you tell anyone?" his mother said after a moment. "Didn't you think that it could have been dangerous?" Her voice was getting louder now as she stood above him. "A strange monolith just appears in the woods, and you keep it to yourself? You know about the curse! You know that there is an evil sorcerer out there who wants you dead, or as good as! Not to mention what he wants to do to the kingdom now! And you brought Jemma into it too! Leopold Fitz Coulson, did you think of anything at all?"

Fitz had never seen his mother this upset. He couldn't remember the last time she had called him Leopold, except when introducing him to a guest, and he was certain he had never heard her shout his full name like that before. Even when Fitz and Jemma would get into trouble running off as children, even when they had broken the golden statue in the garden, given to the king's great-great grandfather when he inherited the throne over a century before, because they were climbing on it trying to see over the hedge, even then, the queen had remained soft spoken, disappointed, but not angry. But this was far beyond that. His mother was furious with him. And he deserved it. Who knows what he had done to the kingdom and to Jemma. He could still see his best friend's face staring at Maveth through the branches, terrified. He could hear her scream as he jumped from the tree. He could feel her hand gripping his hand too tightly as they walked back through the woods.

Fitz curled his legs up to his chest, shutting his eyes tightly, as though that would take him away from all his problems. He let out a sob, burying his head in his knees.

A moment later his mother's arms enveloped Fitz, holding him tightly to her. "Oh Leo," she said softly. "I'm just so glad you're okay."

At his mother's words, Fitz sifted his position so his feet were on the floor as he buried his head in the crook of his mother's neck, feeling like a child as he cried, hugging his mother tightly. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." His words were whispered in between sobs, pleading, begging for forgiveness.

The queen held him closer in reply.

Eventually Fitz drew back, sniffling and wiping his face on the sleeve of his jacket.

"Maveth's gonna do something horrible, isn't he?" Fitz said after a moment.

The queen said nothing.

"I ruined everything." Fitz was talking more to himself than to his mother.

"No you didn't, Leo." The queen crouched down in front of him. "Even if you had told us about the monolith, it would have happened anyway. Maveth knew. Sometimes things just have to happen; they're set, fated."

"Like the kingdom being destroyed and me being cursed for the rest of my life," Fitz said evenly, resigned.

His mother grabbed his hands, making him look up at her. She stared at him earnestly. "No, Leo. That is all up to you. You can fix this. We can fix this. Only some things are set. Maveth was going to become more powerful someday; we all knew it; it was only a matter of time. But some good things are fixed too: the sunrise, the sunset, science." She offered him a small smile which Fitz just barely returned. "And true love," she said finally, standing up. "True love always survives."

Fitz looked sheepishly down into his lap. His mother knew. Of course she knew. She'd seen through Skye and Lincoln in just an afternoon, of course she'd know about Fitz.

"She doesn't know about the curse does she?" the queen said quietly.

Fitz shook his head, not needing to ask who.

"But it's her, isn't it?"

Fitz looked up, a sad smile on his face. "Who else would it be?"

His mother smiled back at him. "Who indeed."

Neither of them spoke for a moment.

Finally the queen sighed. "There's nothing we can do tonight, Leo. Get some sleep."

Fitz nodded and stood up. He quickly stepped forward to hug his mother. "Thanks," he said softly.

His mother smiled. "Goodnight, Leo."

"Goodnight."

Hours later, Fitz tossed and turned, unable to sleep, his mind replaying Maveth's words over and over. Every time he closed his eyes all he could see was the billowing cape and the vortex of wind and sand. His mother's words about fate drifted through his mind, and he thought of Jemma. What would happen to them? If Maveth was now more powerful, he would be even harder to kill. Perhaps Jemma would be better off without him. Fitz finally drifted off to sleep, his dreams filled with black capes and masked men and always Jemma screaming his name as he was taken from her.

Fitz woke early the next morning. He felt exhausted from his fitful night, but at least in the daytime he could take his mind off things.

His mother quickly informed him as he met her in the corridor that a messenger had already been dispatched to the king and the cavalry, so all they could do at this point was wait.

After eating, Fitz quickly disappeared down to the lab, not even wanting to be around his mother, preferring to do anything that could occupy his mind and keep his thoughts away from evil sorcerers and secret curses.

But Fitz clearly hadn't thought through his hiding place particularly well because it really didn't take long at all for the one person he really didn't want to see to find him.

He knew it was her just at the sound of the footsteps on the stairs.

He sighed, steeling himself for the inevitable questions.

"Fitz!" Jemma's voice, always one of his favorite sounds in the world, now filled him with perturbation. "I'm so glad I found you! We need to talk. Please."

Fitz looked up at her please. The concern in her voice, the fear struck him painfully. Fitz hated that Jemma was so worried, so confused and terrified, and, more, he hated that he had caused it.

"I don't want to discuss it, Jemma," Fitz said after a moment, looking back down at the lab table.

"Fitz." Jemma was at his side in a moment. "I know you're hiding something. That… thing… whatever it was, it said it knew you as a baby, that it had talked to your father. What happened, Fitz? What aren't you telling me?"

Fitz said nothing.

Jemma took a deep breath. "And what did he mean by punishment?"

Fitz flinched slightly at the word. "Drop it, Jemma. Please."

The desperation in his voice clearly struck a chord with his friend because she said nothing in reply.

"We've sent a message to my father, and he will sort it when he returns," Fitz continued, half lying, knowing that even his father would be unable to stop Maveth.

Jemma clearly didn't believe him, but she let him be.

The days of waiting to hear from his father passed painfully slow. Fitz and the queen didn't know precisely where the king was at this particular moment, but apparently it was more than a few days ride at full speed across the kingdom.

Jemma was walking on eggshells, clearly trying to avoid upsetting him, but he could tell she was hurt that he wasn't sharing this with her. At the same time, there was something that amazed Fitz behond anything else. Somehow, despite the awful events of the other night, despite Fitz's refusal to say anything about Maveth and really his reluctance to talk about anything at all, since he just had too much on his mind, despite all of that Jemma stayed with him. Fitz knew anyone else would have left him, gone away, gotten angry, but Jemma just stayed, a constant presence in his life, as she always was.

The queen had evidently talked with Bobbi because she never came to find them for archery practice or any other training, and apparently all of their lessons had been cancelled for the time being. So Fitz and Jemma stayed in the lab, quietly, almost holding vigil as Fitz waited to hear something, and Jemma waited for Fitz to say something. He knew, logically, that Jemma should leave him, move on, do something worthwhile, and he wanted to tell her to do that, but he also knew that he would regret pushing her away most of all. He just couldn't believe that after all of this, Jemma still wanted to be around him, that Jemma was still his best friend. And even as he sat in the lab, hardly speaking, rarely moving, trying to figure out what was going to happen to him, he was, if possible, falling more in love with her. Without her he was alone, but with her, even as he worried over everything, he was comforted.

But finally, one morning as Fitz walked through the halls from his room to the lab, he heard a shout from one of the guards.

"Sir Alphonso and Sir John have returned!"

Fitz instantly abandoned his trajectory and hurried to the front doors of the palace. Sure enough, Mack's recognizable figure could be seen down talking to a stable boy as he dismounted, allowing the boy to take his horse. Beside him was Jemma's father.

Fitz knew Jemma's father fairly well from all the time he spent with Jemma, but he couldn't remember spending any time with the older man without Jemma being present. He also couldn't remember ever seeing the very stoic and mild-mannered man ever look as worried as he did coming to the palace steps beside Mack who seemed equally perturbed, if not more so.

The queen suddenly appeared at Fitz's side.

"Alphonso. John. What news?" She stepped down to meet them.

Mack shook his head as they stopped in front of her, each man quickly offering the queen a bow.

"There have been reports of an evil spirit terrorizing a village nearby to where we were," Jemma's father said evenly. "It is undoubtedly Maveth. The villagers we spoke to said he appeared in a monstrous cloud in the sky, sucking up houses and livestock. He is certainly more powerful than before; some even say he is invincible."

Silence rang out at Sir John's words.

Fitz felt sheer terror wash over him. His worst fears had been confirmed. Maveth was not loose in the world, more powerful than ever before, and the kingdom could have to pay the price for Fitz's stupidity.

"The king has taken the cavalry to defend the village," Mack explained. "Perhaps we can discover how he can be defeated."

Fitz could hear the despair in Mack's outwardly optimistic words.

The queen nodded, as ever the picture of composure. "Thank you both for coming so quickly to tell us the news. I expect Phillip wants more information."

Mack nodded his affirmation of her assumption. "He was to follow us here as soon as he could be spared."

"Good." There was no masking the relief in the queen's expression. "Go see your families, and then we can discuss the situation. And one more thing, John."

Jemma's father looked up, questioning.

"Jemma knows nothing of Maveth besides what she saw in the woods that night. Can you keep all this-"

"Secret," he interrupted with a small smile of understanding, "of course. I have no desire to worry my daughter more than I'm certain she already is. Now, I take my leave."

Fitz scampered away before Sir John or Mack could come near him. Just having their eyes on him was enough to make him feel horribly guilty.

Fitz considered going down to the lab, but knowing that Jemma would be off with her father made him reject the idea. As much as he wanted to be alone, the lab wasn't, in Fitz's eyes, a place where he could ever be alone. It was his and Jemma's together; he didn't want to be there by himself.

So, instead, he wandered the palace corridors, knowing from years of exploration as a child which ones he could expect to be empty. All he could do was think about how upside down his life had turned in the past few years. At thirteen he had been very smart with a loyal and equally intelligent best friend. They had divided their time between lessons, the lab, and the infirmary, spending all their free time with their friends, not a care in the world.

And now here he was, sixteen years old, still very smart and still with the same best friend, but now he was cursed, he'd unleashed a powerful sorcerer onto the kingdom, and he had fallen head over heels in love with said best friend, but he couldn't say a word to her about the curse or even about how he felt for her. Everything had been so wonderful before, but now everything was falling apart.

"Leo!"

His mother's voice snapped him back into reality. Apparently his feet had carried him back to their family chambers.

"Yes?"

"John and Alphonso wanted to ask you a few questions."

Fitz took a deep breath and nodded, following his mother back to an empty council room.

Mack and Sir John both bowed as he entered. Sir John's eyes were sad, but he offered Fitz a small smile. Mack avoided Fitz's gaze altogether.

The two men began asking him about the monolith and what exactly Maveth had said and done. Fitz hated having to talk about it again, but he bore it all as best he could.

When the men were finally finished with their questions, Fitz bolted from the room, not wanting to talk about it anymore. At the far end of the corridor, Jemma stood, clearly looking for him, but Fitz was unable to approach her before Mack grabbed his arm and unceremoniously pulled him into the room next to the one they had been in before.

"Mack? What?" Fitz asked, confused.

"YOU SAID YOU'D BE CAREFUL!" Mack was yelling at him, louder and angrier than Fitz had ever heard him yell. "I was worried about you and Jemma, and you said you'd be careful! What were you thinking not telling the queen or Bobbi or Margaret or Isobel about this? A dark stone monolith appears from nowhere in the middle of the woods and you don't mention it to anyone? You both could have been killed, or worse! You're a child, Fitz, regardless of how brilliant you are. How could you have been so foolish? And now look what's happened. You heard what Maveth's doing. People are dying; don't you understand that? You need to realize that your actions have consequences; you can't just do anything you want." He stopped, shaking his head, his voice calmer now, but his eyes filled with nothing but disappointment and even disdain. "This is on you, Fitz. This is your fault."

He stormed out of the room, leaving Fitz standing there alone with no idea what to do. He deserved it, everything Mack had said and more. Mack, his father, Sir John, the entire cavalry had spent their careers searching for Maveth just to save Fitz, to stop the curse, and how had Fitz repaid them? He released Maveth's helpers. He made Maveth more powerful. He had ruined everything. This was all his fault.

The door to the chamber opened hesitantly.

"Fitz?"

Of course it was Jemma.

Fitz sniffed, realizing that he was very close to crying.

Jemma quickly came over to him. "Oh, Fitz." She reached her hand out to his arm tentatively. "Tell me why Mack was so upset. Please, just let me help you."

Fitz shook his head, completely and utterly ashamed, tears coming to cloud his vision.

He felt Jemma move toward him and wrap her arms around him.

Fitz sank into the embrace, letting himself cry in Jemma's arms. This was different than when he had broken down to his mother in his father's study after that night. That night his mother had held him because she was so grateful he was alive. Now, Jemma was holding him without knowing anything at all. She just saw he needed someone, and she was there for him, as she always was. She was too good for him, and he was just going to hurt her, to ruin everything, just like he always did.

When Fitz finally stepped back, sniffling, to dry his eyes, Jemma offered him a small smile, her expression nothing but understanding. "Lab?" she asked hesitantly.

Fitz wanted to smile and say yes, to let things be okay with Jemma, but that wasn't fair to her. He didn't deserve her in his life, and it would be better for her if he stayed out of hers.

Fitz shook his head. "I just want to be alone."

Jemma's smile faltered at his words, clearly hurt that he was pushing her away, but almost instantly she nodded her understanding, squeezing his hand and leaving the room.

Fitz ran his hand through his hair. He had no idea what he was doing. He sank down against the wall, deciding that this was as good a place as any to spend the rest of the afternoon.

But it wasn't long before his solitude was interrupted.

"There you are."

It was Bobbi. Fitz was immediately worried that she was going to yell at him like Mack had, but one glance at his friend's face told him she wasn't angry; she was just sad.

"I'm so sorry, Fitz."

Fitz hadn't expected that. "Sorry for what?" He stood up to face her properly.

"That you guys had to go through that," she replied with a small smile. "That Maveth is a horrible monster. And that I didn't try to figure out where you and Jemma have been running off to for the last two months. I'm the one who spends the most time with you guys; I should have realized."

"It's not your fault, Bobbi," Fitz quickly brushed aside his friend's words. "I should have been smarter, actually thought about it, like Mack said." He turned his eyes to the ground remembering what the knight had shouted at him that morning.

"Mack didn't mean all that."

Fitz looked up incredulously. "He certainly sounded like he meant it."

Bobbi sighed. "It's just the whole idea of Maveth that really upsets Mack because of what happened to Eoin, you know, Margaret's first husband. Maveth tore them all apart. Eoin was John's best friend; they were like brothers, Margaret always told me. I was just a girl when it all happened, but I know it really hurt Margaret. Mack would do anything for her; that's why he was so angry."

Fitz felt somehow worse as he realized that he hadn't seen Lady Mackenzie or Dame Isobel since the night Maveth returned. He should have realized that this affected them far more than anyone else.

"It's all my fault, Bobbi," Fitz said quietly, staring at his feet.

"No," Bobbi said, her voice even and assured. "It's Maveth's fault. Don't blame yourself."

She turned quietly and left him alone with his thoughts.

It was two more days before the king finally returned, but even when he did, he was alone.

"I left the men at the village," the king said quietly to his wife as they embraced in the palace foyer. He seemed utterly exhausted. "But it seems there's an abandoned fortress from the last war that Maveth is using as base. I'm certain he has the capacity to kill the entire town instantly, but he's just toying with us, drawing our attention there. He must have some larger plan."

He finally spotted Fitz almost hiding behind the stairway.

"Leo!" Within a few strides, the king had pulled him in for a hug. "Oh, thank God you're alive, my son," he spoke softly. "We almost lost you."

Fitz hugged his father back, so grateful that he wasn't angry. With Mack's words still echoing in his mind, Fitz didn't think he could handle anyone else yelling at him just now.

Fitz heard footsteps and looked up to see Mack and Sir John had joined them. They both bowed to the king.

The king sighed, releasing Fitz. "We must go see this monolith for ourselves. I will rest here a night, and then we will return to the fight and hope things have not fared too poorly in our absence." The king looked back down at Fitz. "How far do we follow the path into the woods?"

"Half an hour," Fitz said quietly, trying to avoid Mack's gaze. "Do you want me to show you?"

His father shook his head. "No. I don't want you near that thing ever again. It's too dangerous." He squeezed Fitz's shoulder gently and departed, Mack and Sir John trailing in his wake.

Fitz made himself scarce for the rest of the day, feeling ashamed of himself, even without disappointment from his father. Fitz was certain that everyone blamed him, as they should. But even though he knew he deserved it all, he still didn't want to have to see their side-glances and feel their unspoken judgment of him.

The king, Mack, and Sir John left the next morning, as planned, but before they rode away, the king took Fitz aside.

"I want you to promise me that you won't go near that thing again," he said.

"Of course I won't," Fitz said immediately. He wouldn't have set foot near the monolith again even if he wanted to, which he definitely didn't.

"I also don't want you leaving the castle anymore unless you stay within sight of the guards. And let your mother know what you're up to; I don't want something like this to happen again."

Fitz sighed. "I don't think anything like this can happen again. There's nothing worse than this."

The king stared at him seriously. "Don't ever say things like that, especially because there is one more worse thing that could happen."

Fitz looked up at him, confused.

"We could forget you," the king explained. "And that would be more horrible than anything."

Fitz reached out to give his father a hug, which he returned quickly.

"Don't fall in love while I'm away," the king said with a small laugh. "Really, don't kiss anyone, just to be sure."

Fitz narrowed his eyes at his father. Did he really not know about Jemma?

But the king had already crossed the room to say goodbye to his wife.

Fitz felt a hand on his shoulder. Mack.

Fitz looked up warily.

Mack's expression was far different from the anger of the other day. There was still some disappointment, perhaps, but more than anything it was sadness and even regret.

"I apologize for raising my voice," Mack said, his voice soft. "I was worried about Margaret, and I took it out on you. None of this is your fault; it's all Maveth's. He cursed you. He's attacking those villagers. He killed Eoin. It was wrong of me to blame you for something you had no control over. Please forgive me, Fitz." His eyes held such remorse as he looked down at Fitz.

"Of course, Mack," Fitz said instantly. "There's nothing to forgive."

Mack smiled slightly and clapped Fitz on the shoulder. "We're on your side, all of us."

Fitz nodded, and Mack bowed before walking over to join the king.

"Take care of my daughter while I'm gone, won't you?" Sir John was smiling down at him now.

Fitz stood straighter. "Yes, sir. Of course."

The older man smiled and took his leave, but Fitz couldn't help the sinking feeling in his stomach as he realized that he had barely seen Jemma since she had left him in the empty council room the day Mack and Sir John had arrived.

Fitz and the queen waved the men off, watching them ride quickly out into the reaches of the kingdom.

Fitz turned to his mother. "Father asked me not to fall in love while he's away. Does he… does he really not know?"

The queen flashed him a smile. "I doubt he's thought about it, he's been so wrapped up in all this. No, I don't he knows."

"Oh."

Fitz wasn't sure what else to say, so he simply nodded to his mother and left, deciding it was time to head back to the lab.

Jemma found him almost immediately, as she always did.

Fitz smiled at her entrance, he and Mack's reconciliation having given him some peace of mind, but her unusual expression quickly drew his concern.

"Jemma?"

"Fitz, why won't you tell me what's going on?" Jemma looked determined, resolute, standing in the doorway as though she wasn't going to let him out of the lab until he answered her questions. "My father was here, and he told me nothing, and now he's gone, and I feel as though I know even less. You're all hiding something from me."

"Jemma, stop," Fitz said softly, knowing this would only make things worse.

"Why don't you trust me?"

The accusation hung in the air for a moment.

"Jemma, you know I trust you more than anyone in the world," Fitz said, upset that Jemma would think anything different.

"Then why-"

"It's not about that," Fitz cut her off.

"Seems to me like that's exactly what it's about," Jemma fired back, her eyes narrowing.

Fitz took a deep breath. "Jemma, it's nothing to do with you. We don't want you to have to be involved with this stuff."

She took a step toward him. "But what if I want to be involved? Fitz, it's killing me not knowing what's going on, not knowing how I can help you."

Fitz turned away from her. "It doesn't matter, Jemma. Why can't you just let me handle this on my own?"

"Because I'm in love with you!" The words ripped out of her.

Fitz inhaled sharply. There it was, out in the open, everything Fitz had been dreaming about. He loved Jemma, and Jemma loved him back. In any other world, it would have been perfect.

But they were here. And it wasn't.

"Fitz, please say something," Jemma's voice was pleading.

Fitz finally shook his head. "I can't, Jemma." And he walked out of the lab.

He glanced up for just a moment as he passed her. The heartbreak and pain etched in her face as she stood there in the lab, a single tear dripping down her cheek, almost made him stop and reach out to her, almost made him brush the tear from her cheek and hold her in his arms.

But he had to leave her. He had to let her go. It was for the best. It was all he could do.

A/N: Thanks so much for reading! Please leave a review letting me know how you're liking things so far!

New chapters posted every Friday.