Since the incident at S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Science and Technology Division, Leo has been a bit withdrawn. Not overly so, not enough for the others to notice, but Jemma's not the others. She sees it in his eyes, when to all the world it looks as though he's focused entirely on the task at hand and in reality that's so very far from the truth. He's reviewing his actions that day, cataloging them, creating alternate scenarios. Even now as they sit on the sofa enjoying a rare day off, she can see it.

Her phone vibrates on the coffee table, disrupting her thoughts and drawing her away from the article she had forgotten she was reading. She doesn't bother the slight smile that makes its way to her face, when she sees an incoming call from "Mr. Agent Sitwell Sir." Trading the magazine for her phone is something that she does without question, although she takes care not to hurl the magazine away from herself in haste.

"You've got impeccable timing, have I told you that?" Jemma greets him.

"You may have, once or twice," Jasper answers. She can practically hear the smile in his voice. "I could always stand to hear it again."

"Cheeky," Jemma says with a cluck of her tongue. "How was Vancouver?"

"Oh, you know. About as cold as you'd imagine Canada in the middle of the winter would be," Jasper snorts. "Heard you had a bit of trouble with the cold, too."

"You did hear about that, then," Jemma hums.

Of course he would have. Because, like all experienced agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Jasper has that uncanny—and frankly somewhat frightening—ability to know what's going on nearly anywhere at any time. She's gotten used to it with time—people like Phil and Melinda have helped in that regard—and more than anything, it's become a comforting feeling knowing he's keeping tabs on her when they're not together.

"It's hard not to hear about it," Jasper answers. "It's hard not to hear about anything you and your team get up to."

"I suppose we're not exactly quiet," she admits, mentally reviewing all of their assignments thus far.

"You guys aren't your typical S.H.I.E.L.D. unit," he tells her. "It's not a bad thing. Just different."

Jemma hums in agreement.

"Listen, are you in town tonight?" Jasper asks.

"For the next few days, at least," Jemma answers, fairly certain she knows where this is going.

"Then if you're not busy, maybe we can take another crack at that first date thing?" he asks.

"I would love to," Jemma says, rising from her seat and walking towards her room. Leo doesn't acknowledge the fact that she's gotten up and as she closes the door, she sees he's still staring vacantly at the television. She bites her lip, hesitating just a moment longer. "I really would. But you see, after what happened… Fitz is a bit out of sorts, you see."

Jasper makes a noise of understanding, but she can tell this has put him off somewhat. Her suspicions are confirmed by his answer.

"I'm not doubting that's the case, but I'm just hoping that you know that if you don't want to do this, then I'll back off," Jasper tells her.

"No," Jemma says firmly. "It's not that at all. I know it's been difficult trying to coordinate our schedules and that my answer must seem as though I'm trying to avoid you, but that's not the case at all. I'm just… concerned. I'm worried about him and I'm not sure that I'd be very good company if I spent the whole night wondering if he's alright."

"I get it," Jasper replies, sounding like he's reclaimed some of his sure footing. "Do you mind if I throw an idea out there?"

"Go ahead," Jemma answers.

"What if instead of taking you out, I come over and cook?" he proposes. "It doesn't have to be a date, just the three of us hanging out."

"I wouldn't want you to go out of your way like that," Jemma answers.

"It's not going out of my way. I enjoy cooking for other people and it's been a while since I've had the opportunity," Jasper informs her. "Or you could always both come to my place."

Jemma gives the matter some thought. Is the apartment in any condition to be receiving guests? Are there still mugs sitting in the sink, laundry that needs attending to, carpets that ought to be vacuumed? Typically if she's having company she likes to know in advance. Well in advance. A week in advance, at least. She doesn't want to pass up the best opportunity she's had in months to spend time with him, but she can't very well leave Leo like this. It seems like too much to ask for Jasper to come to them, and yet she's certain if she asks Leo to join her in going to Jasper, he'll refuse.

"Would it be terrible if I asked you to come here?" Jemma questions.

Jasper laughs. "I wouldn't suggest it if I thought it was terrible. I just didn't want to invite myself over so I figured you might prefer coming here instead."

"It's hardly what I would call inviting yourself over," Jemma says with a shake of her head. "You don't have to feel obligated to cook, though."

"I'd like to. That is, if you'd be nice enough to allow me to make a temporary mess of your kitchen," he adds.

"I'm sure we can handle a little bit of mess," Jemma answers. "Should I consider a bottle of wine?"

"Wine would be nice," Jasper replies.

"Any preference?"

"For what I've got in mind, I'd go with Riesling."

"Alright, when should we expect you?"

"Oh, give it… an hour, an hour and a half," Jasper estimates. "I could always text you when I'm close."

"That would be nice," Jemma says. "Although I would prefer if you wouldn't text and drive."

She hears a quick bark of a laugh on the other end of the line, a sound of genuine amusement that she finds herself smiling in response to.

"Okay, I promise to pull over if I plan to text you on the road," Jasper swears. "Satisfied?"

"Very much so," Jemma answers. "I'll expect to hear from you soon, then."

"Talk to you soon," Jasper agrees.

"Bye."

"Bye."

Jemma has hardly disconnected from the call before she's hurrying about her room. Does she need to shower? Does she have time to shower? No, no, she'd already showered today, of course. But does the apartment look decent at least? Grabbing her jacket, she hurries from her room, drawing a questioning look from Leo as eh scurries about the living room, trying to decide what, if anything, needs cleaning or putting away.

"Please don't tell me Spring Cleaning's come early," Leo says with something akin to fear in his eyes.

"What? No, you know that's not until six weeks from now, same as it is every year," Jemma answers. She halts in the middle of the room and clears her throat. "Agent Sitwell will be joining us—"

"And you'd like me to go," Leo guesses.

"No, I'd like you to stay. Only I've got to run out to pick something up and I'm uncertain if I should clean anything first," Jemma tells him.

Leo gives her a long, searching look. "I'm sorry, I'm still a bit hung up on the fact that you want me to stay for some bizarre reason. I don't really feel like playing the third wheel, Jemma."

Jemma huffs in exasperation. Of course, Leo would be difficult about this. She can't tell him outright why she'd like him to stay because she knows he'll take offense and assume that she's babying him or pitying him. But she doesn't have time to argue with him until he agrees to stay either.

"It's not a date. Not exactly," Jemma tells him. "It's just that I don't especially feel like going out tonight. I suppose I'm feeling a bit drained after, well…"

She makes a vague hand motion and Leo seems to catch on, his expression slipping into something more solemn. It's not a total lie, at least; the fiasco had been exhausting. She hesitates, not quite sure how she wants to phrase what she has to say next. With a sigh, she sits on the sofa beside him.

"You and I rely on each other more than anyone else, Fitz. So I think you might likely be feeling the same when I say that I would really rather not spend any time apart for the next few days," Jemma admits. "But having said that, what with our schedules, it's really very rare that Jasper and I have any free time that happens to coincide with each other, so what I'm asking you is to humor me tonight, if you can, and maybe suffer through dinner and wine and perhaps a film."

Leo folds almost instantly. She sees it in his sagging shoulders and hears it in his soft sigh. She really doesn't want to be apart for the next few days. Leo is her support system and she is his. Whenever things have been bad, they've always had each other to rely on. True, they've had their spats over the years, but there's a reason people call them FitzSimmons. Jemma, for all her love of science, is a firm believer in soul mates… or at the very least, some sort of approximation. (She's not sold on the whole "souls" bit, really.) She believes that some people are just meant to be together.

Most people think of this in the romantic sense, but Jemma doesn't see why it shouldn't apply towards platonic relationships as well. She loves Leo, as dearly as she's loved anyone, and in many ways, he's closer to her than her own family. Leo is the other half of her that she could never do without. She knows he feels what she does when he leans over and pulls her into a tight hug.

"You go get whatever it is you need to get and I'll tidy up before your beau gets here," he declares.

"Fitz, you are absolutely brilliant," she beams, pecking him on the cheek.

He laughs, snorting. "Tell me something I don't know."

She pinches the cheek she'd kissed. "Don't embarrass me tonight, please."

"Ow, hey! Alright, alright, I won't embarrass you in front of your secret boyfriend," Leo teases. He pauses before asking with a completely straight face, "Shall I call him Jasper or Mr. Agent Sitwell Sir?"

Jemma considers the face full of decorative pillow that he gets to be well-deserved.

Jasper texts that he's about ten minutes out just as Jemma makes it back. She looks over the apartment, impressed with the job Leo had done. Piles of books and magazines have been removed from their unsteady perches atop the coffee table and the television and the fish tank. Gone are the scattered glasses in various states of fullness with sometimes questionable contents. The sink has been cleared out, the kitchen scrubbed down and the floor vacuumed.

"All those rigorous rounds of Spring Cleaning had to be good for something," Leo comments, holding out a bucket of ice.

Jemma smiles gratefully and deposits the wine bottle before moving away to settle her other purchase on top of the television. That one's a surprise.

"I think you've still got some time if you want to go… fix your hair or something," Leo notes offhandedly.

Jemma freezes. "Why? Does my hair need fixing? Should I?"

Leo stares back at her, his mouth a rounded 'o' of surprise. "No, I don't… I mean, I thought that's what girls did. You know, fix your hair and… visit the powder room or something."

Jemma sighs. Well, that's better, at least. Isn't it? Just a simple misunderstanding. All the same, she nibbles on her lower lip, running her fingers through her long, straight hair.

"In your honest opinion, do I look alright?" she asks him.

Leo clucks his tongue. "You look fine. As always. Besides, this is the fellow who was head over heels after you shot him in the chest, so I think he likes you just fine as you are."

They both start at the sound of the buzzer. Leo looks to her with raised eyebrows.

"Well, guess it's too late now anyway," he says. "Unless you want me to buzz him in while you…?"

"No, no, that's alright. It's fine," Jemma says, still feeling slightly self-conscious after the brief exchange. She walks over to the intercom and holds down the button. "Jasper?"

"It's me," he affirms.

"I'm buzzing you in," Jemma declares, pushing the button to do so.

A few moments later, Jemma is opening the door to receive him. He's smiling, carrying plastic bags full of groceries and Jemma smiles with him. He stops in the doorway to kiss her in greeting and Jemma takes a moment to reflect on how nice it is having someone to do that with. It's the sort of thing she could get used to. It's not their first kiss, no, but it's one of only a few that they've had time for, so it's still a relatively new experience for her. She breaks away and pulls him inside, shutting the door behind him, instructing him to just place his shopping wherever he'd like on the counter.

"Sir," Leo says in greeting, tipping his head in a respectful nod.

"Off the clock, it's just Jasper," the senior agent replies, holding his hand out.

"Fitz, then. Or Leo, take your pick," Leo answers, shaking his hand. He gestures to the bags. "I wasn't aware Jemma had sent you to do the shopping."

"Fitz," Jemma sighs.

"I figured if I was going to cook something, it might be a good idea to make sure I had all the things to cook it with," Jasper explains.

"I suppose," Leo concedes. "But you realize we could have just ordered in or something."

"Am I going to have to go through this with you, too?" Jasper asks with a smirk as he begins unloading the contents of the bags. "I'm not going to poison you, I swear. I'm not Agent Romanoff."

"Agent Romanoff poisons people?" Leo asks, looking somewhat horrified at the notion. "Her people?"

"Gotta test her new concoctions out somehow," Jasper answers with a shrug. "Barton was always a favorite target of hers. Well, until New York."

"Whatever happened to Agent Barton?" Jemma asks, hanging Jasper's coat on the hook behind the door. "There hasn't been much mention of him since then."

"It's complicated," Jasper says, looking somewhat reserved as he moves to wash his hands in the sink. "After everything that happened, Barton couldn't really shake his guilt. It didn't help that a lot of people blamed him for the things he'd done."

"But that was Loki's doing," Jemma points out. "It's not as though he could've helped the fact that he was being controlled."

"I wish everyone could see it that way. But the fact of the matter is that a lot of people lost good friends and co-workers in that attack," Jasper goes on to explain. "Sometimes that kind of hurt blinds you to the specifics. Barton couldn't take it. He blamed himself for a lot of things, Phil's death being one of them, so he requested that his contract with S.H.I.E.L.D. be terminated and Fury cut him loose."

"Without offering any sort of support for what had been done to him?" Leo asks, helping the other agent find a cutting board and a knife. "That's a bit cold, even by S.H.I.E.L.D. standards."

"He does freelance work now. We stumbled on an interesting little town called on our way back from the whole Thor thing a few years back, so I told him to head back that way," Jasper proclaims, setting some noodles in warm water. "My cousin Carlos from R&D is posted out there, so he'll send me updates on Barton's status when he isn't too wrapped up in his science or that radio host he's dating."

The conversation detours somewhere into an impromptu cooking lesson as the three of them begin working together to make whatever it is that Jasper had in mind. (Something spicy by the looks of it.) But Jasper's words continue to tumble through Jemma's mind. Knowing that Agent Barton blames himself for Phil's death, she has to wonder if Phil himself feels at all guilty for having to hide from the people who care about him. Jasper would have to lie then, too, wouldn't he? It seems like a terrible burden the three of them are carrying and she wonders what the point of it all is. She hopes it turns out to be something worthwhile.

"So, you said you have a cousin who works for S.H.I.E.L.D.?" Jemma prods.

Jasper hums something in agreement, throwing ingredients into the wok he'd brought. "We spent so much time together as kids that we were more brothers than anything else, so it would figure we'd both end up here."

"How exactly did you end up with S.H.I.E.L.D.?" Jemma asks. "You've mentioned that it had something to do with Agent Coulson, but nothing beyond that."

Jasper hesitates as he drops in another few ingredients, mixing them together thoughtfully. At last, he turns and looks to the two scientists over his shoulder.

"Alright, do you want the 'real talk' version or the pretty version?" he asks them.

"Real talk, please," Leo says, raising his hand as though to cast a vote. He shrugs at the withering look Jemma shoots him. "Real talk versions are always better."

"Real talk, then," Jemma agrees, looking to Jasper expectantly.

"Okay, real talk then," Jasper says, nodding to himself as he stirs the contents of the wok. "To give you a bit of background, I was raised by a single mother. My biological father was an FBI agent named Chris Amador who was, to put this politely, someone who liked to sleep around. He and my mother had a thing for a while before they moved on. When she found out she was pregnant with me, she decided not to tell him because she thought it was better than having to find out whether or not he'd even be willing to support a kid. Anyway, he died without knowing I ever existed, so the point's pretty moot."

Jemma watches him dump the noodles into the wok and wonders if 'real talk' was in fact the correct choice. Not that she doesn't want to learn things about him, but she wonders just how personal some of this might be to him.

"Being raised by a single mom who works three jobs to make a living meant I had a lot of time on my hands. Too much time. It's the same old cliché; kid with an absent father and an overworked mother falls into the wrong crowd. I got involved in some gang stuff. Nasty stuff. I still have the tats and I wonder why I keep them sometimes, but you can't erase your past and that feels too much like trying. I got out, barely. You don't usually just get out of those sorts of things, but they gave an order that I couldn't follow. Carlos was going to rat to the cops so they told me to take him out. I refused. So they beat me within an inch of my life and left me on the pavement with a couple slugs in my gut for my trouble.

"Carlos was put under protective custody by the police. They arrested the gang members for whatever charges they could pin them with while still managing to find me before I bled out. Go got off on any charges because Carlos told them I'd been shot when they found out I was going to the police. I cleaned up after that. Went to school, worked whatever odd jobs I could find, got my degree, went to police academy and became an officer for the same precinct that had arrested the gang I'd been a member of. I thought I was starting fresh, turning a new leaf and everything. For a while, I was. But it turns out precinct was as crooked as the gang I'd gotten out of.

"It was easy to fall into old habits. Accepting bribes, sweeping things under the rug. It was easier this time because I was on the right side. I was on the side of justice, so the fact that all my fellow officers not only did those things but encouraged them, meant that I couldn't be wrong. My mother died from breast cancer when I was in my early twenties and when she was on her death bed, she made a point of telling me over and over how proud she was of me. How proud she was that I had turned my life around. After she died, I started thinking. I wondered if she'd be proud if she knew the kinds of things I really did while wearing that uniform. I came to the conclusion that she'd be pretty damn disappointed. But instead of leaving the precinct, I decided to do what Carlos had said I'd done with my old gang: I was gonna find a way to blow the whistle on every last one of them, myself included.

"I spent months trying to figure out who I could go to. I had no clue how high up the corruption reached and if I opened my mouth to the wrong person, well… accidents happen in that line of work. It just so happened that Phil and a few other agents were out in the area at one point, looking for someone. Unsurprisingly, my precinct decided to be as uncooperative as possible. I approached Phil myself and said I'd use the departments resources to help him myself, but only if he did me a favor and helped me with my own little problem. For whatever reason, he agreed. He could have just as easily proceeded with his investigation without my help, but something made him agree to my terms. S.H.I.E.L.D. found what they were looking for and Phil was good on his word. But instead of carting me off with the rest of my fellow officers, Phil made me an offer of his own. To go with him and train to be an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. I tried to explain my past to him and my involvement with the precinct, but he just repeated his offer. So I took it."

By the point, Jemma and Leo are watching him avidly, leaning forward in their seats with eager anticipation for whatever might come next. Jasper, seemingly sensing this, takes his time as he plates the contents of the wok and turns off the stove. He looks to both of them and shrugs.

"The rest's history," he says. "Phil became my S.O. and I've stayed on the straight and narrow ever since. So… are you surprised to find I'm not exactly a boy scout?"

Jemma intends to respond with something meaningful, but the first thing that comes out of her mouth is, "You have tattoos?"

Leo groans and rolls his eyes as Jemma blushes fiercely, covering her mouth with her hand. The funny part is, as he uses pouring wine as a distraction, Jasper seems a bit pink in the cheeks as well.

"I'm really hoping you heard everything I said past that point," he says.

"No, I did, I'm sorry I've just put my foot in my mouth, haven't I? I'm sorry," Jemma blurts.

"It's fine," Jasper says, laughing softly. "But, uh… that's everything. That's basically me, in condensed form. Think you can be live with that?"

"If you're asking whether or not I am going to judge you for a past that, up until now, I knew nothing about…" Jemma says, pulling her glass of wine towards her. "…then I can tell you that isn't going to happen."

Leo shrugs. "It's not like there aren't other agents who've come from… different backgrounds."

"It's alright. You can say it. I was a punk and a crooked cop," Jasper says with a huff of laughter. "But thank you."

"Thank you for being open with us," Jemma says.

'And for something that has distracted Fitz from his guilt,' her mind adds. It's not as though Leo had been moping exactly, but he'd been markedly morose up until this point. With something interesting to get his mind off of the topic, he looks more like the Leo she's used to. Perhaps that had been Jasper's intent all along.

"So what you're looking at on your plate is Pad Kee Mao," Jasper explains. "Usually I'll make it with beef, but it occurred to me that I hadn't asked whether or not you might be vegetarian, Fitz, so I opted for tofu instead."

"Not vegetarian, no, but thank you for the consideration," Leo says as he takes his first bite. For a moment he sits frozen in place and Jemma wonders if maybe he's choked on something. "This is brilliant."

"When you offered to cook I honestly didn't think… Jasper, did you go to school for this?" Jemma follows up, as impressed as Leo is.

Jasper raises his eyebrows. "No. Well, I took a few cooking classes but that was mostly to shut Phil up when I first joined S.H.I.E.L.D. He's a foodie and—… wait, are you two telling me Phil's never cooked for you the entire time you've been on the Bus?"

"No, he hasn't. We don't generally do that sort of thing," Jemma answers.

"Well, tell him to get off his lazy ass and do it," Jasper scoffs. "We used to have competitions. Every week, one of us would have to prepare a meal for the end of the week and bring it in to be judged."

Jasper goes on to tell them what has apparently been a long, outstanding battle between Phil and himself over who had better mastery of the kitchen. It's amusing listening to him describe the friendly rivalry and Leo more than once goads him into sharing a story about situations where it crossed the line into outrageous. Eventually they finish off their meal as well as the wine and after collectively making quick work of the tidying up, Jemma ushers both of them over to the sofa.

"Agent Coulson told me you have a soft spot for animated films, so I hope you don't mind if I picked up one that's an old favorite of mine," Jemma says, holding up the DVD she'd placed on top of the television earlier.

She watches Jasper's expression shift into something carefully neutral as he stares at the copy of The Land Before Time in her hand. It occurs to her that she may have inadvertently just gotten Phil in quite a great deal of trouble, but then, Phil had been the one to tell her, so it's his own fault.

"Love that one," Jasper says at last.

"Excellent," Jemma answers, popping it in the DVD player without another word.

They wind up sprawled on the sofa in their own way. Jemma leans in when Jasper curls an arm around her and settles against him, tucking her head against his shoulder. Leo sits on her other side, remaining close but giving them plenty of space. His complaints about not wishing to be the third wheel come back to her, but he doesn't seem all that put off now. In fact, he seems more relaxed than he has in days and that in turn leads to Jemma feeling the same. She can't find any trace of the guilt that had been plaguing her best friend since their last mission. Maybe talking about other people's guilt for situations that were out of their control had helped eased that some. Whatever the reason, she just hopes it stays this way.

Jemma waits patiently as they watch the movie, knowing it will only be twenty minutes or so before she finds out whether or not Phil had been pulling her leg. The film progresses and as Littlefoot speaks to his dying mother, Jemma chances a glance at Jasper. He's staring at the television, transfixed, and although he isn't openly weeping, there is a telling shine to his dark eyes that says she's likely the only reason he's holding back.

She's surprised when, without looking away from the screen, Jasper announces, "Fitz is crying."

Leo squawks in protest, scrubbing hurriedly at his eyes as Jemma looks over at him. "Oh, that's fine, isn't it? Try to pin it on me so she won't notice you're about to as well!"

"I got misty-eyed, there's a difference," Jasper says.

"There really isn't," Leo argues. "At the end of the day, we're both sitting here crying over a cartoon Apatosaurus."

"It's a very moving scene," Jemma points out. "I don't see that there's any shame in crying."

"Phil put you up to this, didn't he?" Jasper asks.

"Well, not exactly," Jemma answers slowly. "He mentioned that you're guaranteed to cry when you watch this film and I wanted to see if he was telling the truth."

"You're a lot more devious than you look," Jasper says. "But I probably should have guessed that when you shot me."

"She hides it well, but I'm sure she's the most devious out of all of us," Leo agrees.

"That's entirely unfair, I was just testing a theory," Jemma says.

"By trying to make your boyfriend cry over a children's movie," Leo says flatly.

"And failing," Jasper points out proudly.

"Oh, I wouldn't say that," Jemma says. "There's still the bit at the end where he speaks to the cloud that he thinks is his mother."

Both men fall silent and Jasper has that strange, carefully neutral expression back on his face.

"You see?" Leo says. "Devious."

Perhaps he hadn't had tears streaming down his face, but by the end of the movie, Phil's statement had proven true. Jemma had patted his arm consolingly as he reached beneath his glasses and covered his eyes with his hand, all the while proclaiming that he wasn't actually crying. In any case, the movie wraps up and as she's replacing the DVD in its case, she notices it's grown quite late. She nibbles at her lower lip as she tries to come to a decision on the matter at hand.

"You've got tomorrow off, haven't you?" Jemma asks Jasper.

"I've got tomorrow off, yeah," he agrees.

"It's just that it's a bit late…"

Jasper and Leo stare at her from the sofa. She feels her face growing red.

"…and I'd rather not worry about you driving at this time of night. So, perhaps… you could spend the night here?"

Jemma finds her gaze swiveling towards Leo along with Jasper's.

"What? It's not like I care," Leo says.

"Alright," Jasper says, giving in. "I've got some spare clothes in the trunk of my car. I'll just grab those and take the couch."

Jemma nods, but again she finds both of their gazes coming to rest on Leo. This time he throws his hands up in the air, groaning as he rolls his eyes.

"Oh for heaven's sake we're all adults," Leo says. "Don't do the modesty bit just because I'm here. I'm going to bed. Whether or not you two share one is up to you. Goodnight!"

With that, he marches straight off towards his room, making a show of shutting his door behind him so they know he well and truly has gone to bed. Now alone in the living room, Jemma is left to try and decide just how they should do this.

"I really am okay with taking the couch," Jasper tells her. "It's not a big deal."

"I know," Jemma says. She takes a deep breath before letting it out slowly. "But I'd prefer it if you came to bed with me."

She watches him closely, paying attention to his eyes. She knows her answer has pleased him and that he doesn't want to seem too pleased. But more than that, she knows he's not going to pressure her for anything. If she just wants to sleep, she knows he'd be fine with just that. And if she wanted something more…

"I'll just grab my things from the car," he says, rising.

"Alright," she answers, walking with him to the door. "I'll wait to buzz you back in."

Well, she'll just see how it plays out.

A/N: Wow, so... what I'd planned for this chapter happened to require a lot more words than I'd thought it would, so it's being split into two chapters. Hopefully I'll have that ready in a few days. A few things to talk about, too:

This fic WILL eventually contain spoilers for The Winter Soldier, as Jasper is in the movie and the remaining episodes of AoS are tied into it. However, that's not for another several chapters and I will make it very clear when we arrive for anyone wishing to avoid spoilers.

Secondly, how many references did you spot in this chapter? There were two that I planted in there that referenced other shows, so let's see who was diligent and picked up on them. :P