We'll Find A Way

Jemma Simmons/Daniel Sousa

Chief Biochemist (Daniel is apparently Chief of the SSR in Agent Carter Season 2)

Theme song:

Cyndi Lauper – Time After Time

"I have to go back." Jemma raised tear-bright eyes to Bobbi's incredulous face.

"No!" Bobbi almost shouted it, and then seeing Jemma's expression, in a softer tone asked "Why? Why would you want to go back there? You can't even bring yourself to talk about it."

"Because I can still feel him," Jemma put her hand to her heart. "He's alive."

"Who?" Bobbi blinked in astonishment. "You didn't mention meeting anyone else there!"

The very thought of him hurt so much that Jemma could barely force the words out. "I met my soulmate there."

xoxoxoxoxoxox

The first two days on the blue planet had been terrifying. She couldn't find anything she even recognised as remotely edible, the water she found in tiny rock pools was little more than stagnant. At least it was reasonably warm, even at night. And the air was breathable, though she suspected there must be a very thick ozone layer. She'd get vitamin D deficiency from the lack of sunlight – if she survived long enough, which was looking increasingly unlikely.

It was on the third 'night' (a noticeable darkening of the blueness) when someone literally fell over her in the rock hollow she'd curled up in to try and get a little sleep, though the odd screams and howls she heard in the night made her too jumpy to fall into anything more than a light doze.

Jemma screamed as a foot landed hard on her ankle. Shrieked again as someone fell heavily atop her.

"Sshh!" a hand covered her mouth. "Don't make a sound!"

She froze, staring up with terrified eyes. The man – and it was an actual, human man, or one who looked enough like it to fool human eyes – who'd fallen atop her wasn't looking at her, was instead looking around, scanning the landscape with wary eyes. He had a short scruffy beard, black hair flopping across his forehead, and high, angular cheekbones.

After a few moments, the man relaxed a little, looked down at her. "It's okay, I don't think they heard." He took his hand off her mouth. "Who are you? I've not seen you before." He looked down, took in her still-reasonably-tidy clothes. "Oh shit no, are you new? Pardon my language, ma'am!"

He had a slightly old-fashioned way of speaking, and his apology made Jemma smile and say unthinkingly; "It's all right, I've heard the word before."

He stared at her, eyes widening. "Did you – that is – those words are on my arm."

"Yours are on my back," she admitted shyly.

"Oh." The pain on his face made her start.

"What?"

"I hoped – since the words are a guarantee – I'd hoped it might mean I'd get home someday."

"I – never thought of that," Jemma whispered, her heart sinking. "Where – where is home for you?"

"Los Angeles – 1951."

"What?" astonished, she blinked up at him. "How long have you been here?"

"About six weeks, local time, near as I can figure," he grinned mirthlessly, seeing her expression. "Why, what year did you leave from – England, I'm guessing, considering your accent. Why would the SSR send the stone back there?"

"They didn't, I…" Jemma paused. "The SSR. You worked for the SSR – for Peggy Carter?"

"Peggy worked for me! Well," his face was transformed from grim despair by a sudden grin which made him look terribly handsome, Jemma realised. "I tried to tell her what to do and she did her own thing, which pretty much always turned out for the best. Is she in charge? I hope those twits in the Senate listened and did the right thing…"

She didn't even know how to begin telling him, just stared at him open-mouthed.

"Where are my manners, I've lost them somewhere in this place," he blinked then, shook his head. "I'm Daniel. Daniel Sousa, and I'm very pleased to meet you, though I really wish it wasn't here."

"Jemma," she said quietly. "Jemma Simmons, and I wish that too. But – I don't think we could have met any other way. Because I'm from the year 2015."

xoxoxoxoxoxox

Bobbi's mouth hung open. "I don't know what to say," she said when Jemma paused. "Other than – I'm so sorry."

"I wouldn't have survived a week without him. He taught me how to find food, how to hide from the lizardbeasts – he told me that there was another man there when he arrived, a man who came through in 1831 but who'd been there only a couple of months, local time. I was there about five months, which matches up with what you told me about the passage of time here, so I'm thinking that the Monolith was a portal through time as well as space. Dropping us all in the same time period, more or less. But," Jemma put her hand to her chest again. "I can still feel Daniel. Feel him alive. Wherever, whenever he is, he's alive."

"You bonded," Bobbi said, stunned. "How, then – why did you come back with Fitz?"

"I didn't mean to! I thought that Fitz had come through searching for me, and Daniel and I had got separated – I was foraging for food and he'd gone to get water, when the windstorm came up. I heard Fitz's voice, and I know what those storms can be like, if he didn't get shelter he'd die!" The tears began to fall, slowly but steadily. "I didn't know he would drag me back. Not without Daniel. I'd rather have stayed, even in that awful place, than be here without him, and I don't know what to say to Fitz, he seems to want to have some kind of relationship with me, and while before I might – maybe – I don't know, I can't now, I just can't, not while Daniel's still alive…"

"Sshh," Bobbi interrupted the sobbing tirade, pulled Jemma into her arms for a comforting hug. "It's all right. We'll find a way. We'll get you back to him. Somehow." Her eyes fell on the crumbled, inert rocks Jemma had been poring over, and her own heart ached.

xoxoxoxoxoxox

"Daniel Sousa?" Coulson said incredulously.

"Yes, sir." Bobbi met his eyes steadily.

"Well - I don't know what to say, Agent Morse. I'm terribly sorry for Agent Simmons, of course, but even if the Monolith hadn't been destroyed, there's no way I would let anyone else risk their lives going through."

"I know, sir. I'm just briefing you on the situation. Jemma - Agent Simmons swears he's still alive. They bonded, and the bond is still active."

"Oh," Coulson's eyes suddenly took on a thoughtful look. "An active bond, you say?"

"Yes, sir."

"Hmmm…."

Bobbi recognised the expression. Coulson was thinking up a Plan. Quietly, she left his office. He didn't need her in the way slowing down his thought process.

xoxoxoxoxoxox

"Heimdall," Coulson called up into the night sky, feeling like a complete idiot. "I need your help." He waited. Hoped that the Guardian might see. Sif had told him that Heimdall would be keeping watch over them - because of Daisy, Coulson knew, and the fact that Sif feared her and the other Inhumans, but right then he didn't care about the reasons.

He didn't know what he expected. But it wasn't a stomach-churning wrench and blinding white light, which left him sprawling on a white marble floor at the feet of a golden-armoured man at least seven feet tall.

"You called, Son of Coul?" Heimdall rumbled.

"Um. Yes," Coulson pushed himself to his feet, went to dust off his trousers - oh, no dust. He straightened his jacket. "I formally request your help, Guardian," he had no idea how to address Heimdall, but the huge warrior's slight smile told him that good manners would probably help.

"You may ask."

He launched into the tale, finished by saying "And I know that Lady Sif says you can see anything if you know where to look, and since Simmons has an active soulbond and she can give a direction…"

"Perhaps," was all Heimdall said. "Bring her to me, Son of Coul."

"We don't want to send her back there, but to bring him back to us…" Coulson was cut off as the light flared and he was wrenched sideways again.

"So this is Asgard," Jemma breathed, looking around the chamber with fascination. She hadn't been sleeping when Coulson knocked on her door. The bed was too soft, and there was no sound of Daniel's breathing, comforting in her ear.

"This is the Bifrost chamber," Heimdall corrected her. "You are not permitted to enter Asgard itself. Only from here can I view the entire cosmos. So come; stand with me, and show me where to find the mate of your soul, little mortal. I am in SHIELD's debt, for your care of my sister when the Kree erased her memory. I would repay the debt, if I am able."

"Your sister?" Jemma gaped up at the giant. "Lady Sif?"

"Indeed," was all Heimdall replied, and his big hand touched her shoulder lightly. "Show me where to find your mate, little one."

She took a deep breath. Closed her eyes and focussed on the bond - on Daniel. All she could feel from him was agonising loneliness, and fear - he could not even know that she had gone back through the portal, she realised. He was searching for her, desperate to find her…

Her hand lifted. Pointed unerringly, and Heimdall crouched beside her, aligning his gaze with the direction of her finger, his golden eyes glowing.

Nothing seemed to happen for an agonisingly long time, and Coulson, watching, began to think it was hopeless. Until Heimdall straightened back up.

"I see him." Turning away from Jemma, he strode to the centre of the Bifrost mechanism. "Cover your eyes!" he called to them before ramming his huge sword into the mechanism and twisting it.

They covered their eyes, but a little of the blinding light still leaked past their fingers. As it faded, Jemma dropped her hands, stumbling forward, dazzled but reaching out unerringly.

"Daniel!"

"Jemma!" His arms closed around her and he held on tightly, astonished but overjoyed. "Oh God, my Jemma…"

"You must go now, Son of Coul," Heimdall rumbled, "back to your own place and time."

Once more, the blinding rainbow flared, and suddenly the three of them were standing among the trees just outside the Playground, Daniel and Jemma still clinging together. He swayed on his bad leg, but she clutched at him, kept him from falling; unlike Coulson, who crash-landed heavily. Again.

"I don't think I like travelling Bifrost," Coulson mumbled queasily, getting to his feet. "Well, Mr Sousa, I think we probably have a lot to talk about… oh," as he saw how passionately Jemma and Daniel were kissing. He sighed, and headed for the Playground's doors. "Later."

MUCH later, Coulson. MUCH later.

This pairing requested by phoenix_173, and literally just seeing the mention of it caused Plot Bunny explosion in my brain, so hope you enjoyed!