"There it is!" Fitz yelled and pressed his finger firmly against the freezing shatterproof glass, frost gathered around the edges of the small window courtesy of the cool Scottish air. Simmons and Skye joined him at the glass in haste, pressing their faces up against it. Ward simply glanced at the window before going back to cleaning his favourite pistol.
"Wow! Fitz," Skye elbowed him in the ribs, her eyes wide and mouth open in awe, "You never told me you were rich?"
"I'm no' rich though, my parents are."
"Yah," Skye scoffed, "That's what rich kids say."
"It really is picturesque though Fitz." Simmons observed the large, solitary house, in the middle of the pale, ice-bound landscape just north of Glasgow. It was large, easily 3 stories, with elegant angles and aesthetically placed windows, and what seemed to be an out-house in the corner of the equally large and gorgeous garden. It was an off-white colour with dusty green ivy climbing the walls, and smoke billowing lazily from the chimney.
"What do your parents do?" Skye asked, suddenly curious as to where the money for the beautiful home had come from.
"Fitz's dad's an architect; he has a company called 'Fitz and sons'." Simmons' stated, her eyes quickly searching Fitz's face, it was a bit of a sore point with him; he didn't go into the business like his brothers. Despite his parents not minding at all it made Fitz feel a little like the outsider, though he couldn't bring himself to regret his decision to go into engineering. "He was one of the ones who worked on the Gherkin." Simmons shot Skye a look that made Skye feel like she should be impressed.
"The Gherkin?" Skye chuckled, falling back into an armchair.
"Strange name for a building," Ward said, not looking up, his eyebrows furrowed in concentration.
"'s just a nickname," Fitz scratched the back of his neck awkwardly, "'cause the skyscraper is kind of shaped like a gherkin. My dad always says they asked him to make it memorable and different, so he did."
"And your mom?" Skye asked as she attempted to pick up part one of Ward's guns off the coffee table. Ward shot her a sharp glare and she drew her hand back slowly, as if afraid of getting bitten.
"Child psychologist," Fitz said bitterly.
Skye nodded slowly trying not to laugh, "That must have been fun growing up." Fitz narrowed his eyes at her.
The sound of the engine changed pitch, signalling that they were coming into land.
"We'll miss having you nerds around." Skye told Fitzsimmons as she gave them a quick squeeze goodbye.
Fitz-Simmons hauled their bags over their shoulders and said their goodbyes to the rest of the team, shaking Coulson's hand and exchanging nods with May and Ward.
"Well, Merry Christmas," Jemma's eyes twinkled.
Ward and Skye stayed a while longer than May and Coulson to watch the two scientists trample across the small field they had landed in, the frozen grass crunching like tiny shards of glass under foot, shrugging their bags further over their shoulders.
Skye pulled her jacket closer around her torso; it wasn't designed for the icy, evasive breeze of Scotland. Ward placed a hand on her shoulder as May started to bring up the ramp, "How about we throw some punches to warm up Rookie?"
"Sounds fun," Skye muttered sarcastically, but went to get ready all the same.
"Remember Jemma, 's far as me family knows we got an eleven hour flight with Virgin Atlantic from JFK airport to Edinburgh airport, paid for through our savings, and then got the train from Edinburgh to Glasgow, at which point we got a taxi from the airport which cost us £23.30. Kay?" Leo Fitz took a deep breath.
"Stop it Fitz. They're not going to ask about all that!" Jemma put her free around and his neck, "Just relax a little bit."
"Yeah, but when you meet my Ma, just remember…"
"Just open the gate Fitz!" Jemma laughed, shaking her head at him.
"Right!" Fitz sucked in another breath, tentivly reaching to buzz himself in the front gate, reluctant to remove his hand from its warm coat pocket.
"Yes?" A young girl's voice answered through the speaker.
"Hey Amelia, feel like letting me in?" A lopsided smile grew on Fitz's face; he had a really soft spot for his baby sister.
"Leo!" The voice shrieked excitedly, and the gate clicked opened.
Fitz shot Simmons a grin and motioned for her to follow him down the path to front door, "Come on, my mam'll make us a cuppa."
Fitz enjoyed the feeling of slipping his key in the lock of his old front door, it was different from the key pads and recognition software he'd come to know.
"Leo!" Amelia yelled again, jumping on him before he could even put his bags down.
"For God's sake don't ye go suffocating him Millie, ye Dunderhead!" A lanky man, with dark reddish brown hair and a green Christmas themed jumper, scorned the seventeen year old playfully in a thick Scottish brogue. Simmons recognised him as Fitz's older brother, Alfie, referred to by Fitz as a 26 year old with the mind of a nine year old.
Amelia pulled away, giving Simmons a nod and a bashful smile, allowing Alfie to give his little brother a hug and a pat on the back. Leo then quickly removed his coat and scarf before anyone else could jump him, taking Simmons' coat and scarf too.
"Wheres me hug from Hamish then?" Fitz joked.
"Hamish 'no here yet, Leo. He and Mandy are getting here at five." Amelia said. Simmons knew Hamish to be the oldest Fitz brother at 28 years of age and Mandy his girlfriend; Fitz always said that Hamish was the family member he spoke least too. After Hamish moved to London to head the offices his father had in the capitol he hadn't had a lot of free time, and calls from London to wherever Fitz happened to be cost a bomb.
"Alfred!" A female voice called, "Is that Leo home?" Then Fitz's mother appeared, answering her own question, the woman squealed.
"Yes Ma," Alfie sighed, rolling his eyes at his mother.
"Hey Mum," Fitz sent her a begrudging smile and wrapped his arms around her.
Jane Fitz considered his shirt and straightened his tie with pride, "Look at me boy all lovely and smart."
Simmons was starting to feel slightly intrusive when Jane acknowledged her, "And this is of course must Jemma."
"Nice to meet you," Jemma took her hand and smiled awkwardly at the woman she rogognise from Fitz's photos, she had the same blue eyes as Fitz, surrounded by thin crow's feet, them and the lines around her mouth betrayed her as someone who laughed a lot, but short, dark hair, that didn't remind her of Fitz at all.
"Oh, your hands are dearly cold!"
"Yes, sorry about that."
"Come in, I'll make us a spot o' tea." Jane patted her hand, and gestured for Jemma to follow her, "You too Leo, ye must be freezing."
Moments later they were all sat around the sat around the breakfast table in the kitchen; it was modern, with white surfaces and silver utensils, which reminded Fitz-Simmons of their lab at the academy.
"So, how's New York treatin' ya?" Alfie reached for another custard cream biscuit only to be smacked away by his mother as she set the tea pot on the table.
"You're not a wee boy anymore Alfred," Mrs Fitz tutted, "You ought to be watching this, ye rascal!" she patted his stomach, before turning to look at her youngest son, "But my, what are they feeding you, Leo, you're looking a tad on the skinny m'love. Have another biscuit." Jane offered Leo the plate as she took her seat.
Leo taunted his brother with his custard cream, biting into it slowly, licking his lips. Alfie's eyes narrowed. Millie was giggling under her breath, and Jemma couldn't help but smile widely, she'd rarely seen Fitz like this before; childish and playful.
"What's this then, hey?" A strong voice questioned as the owner burst through the back door with a panting Border terrier at his heels. Leo's father was a tall, lean man, with a thin head of greying pale ginger curls, and a shading of stubble around his jaw. Angus Fitz's eyes were a dark green and he wore a large kaki anorak. The Fitz's dog charged for Leo, struggling, balancing on his back paws to clamber onto Leo's lap. Leo gave the dog a quick rub between the ears.
"Leo's back Angus," Jane Fitz answered her husband's question with shining eyes, rhetorical or not.
"Ah!" Angus Fitz cried, "Come here Lad!" He scooped Leo into a hug before he knew what was happening.
"Good to see ya Da'." Fitz sighed into his father's shoulder.
"And I see ye brought your bonnie lass with ya, hey?" Angus slapped his youngest son on the back.
Fitz-Simmons was still and then came to an understanding of his words simultaneously; protesting in unison, with the Fitz's looking on amused.
"Jemma's no me girlfriend Da," Fitz explained, "Just me best friend." Jemma didn't hear him say it often, but just knowing that he saw her like she saw him was reassuring.