So just in case you've just jumped in at this point, here are some things worth knowing.

Firstly: WARNING: S2E10 Spoilers.

With this By My Side story that you've clicked on, there's an ongoing story hidden in here after a bunch of one-shots. Here's a rough guide: Part 1 (ch9) in which the team starts a new nightly tradition to cope with their grief. Part 2 (ch10) in which there's a good shift in the fabric of Fitzsimmons. Part 3 (ch11) a homage to Fitz and the brewing of a good pot of tea. Part 4(12) in which Fitz bakes and Part 5(13) in which Coulson briefs them on their field mission - Science vs Skye and her "gift". In Part 6(14) Mack makes a very slightly off-colour suggestion and Simmons gets to overhear Feminist Fitz in rebuke mode. THIS (ch15) is Part 7, which is where you get to see Simmons reward him J I think this is my favourite chapter so far. Hope you enjoy it!

Fitz stumbled into the lounge late that night, rubbing his eyes. He hadn't seen Simmons all afternoon and he was looking forward to their evening debrief. He fumbled through the storage locker to find his teapot and leaves. Removing the lid to warm the pot, he found a hand-written note scrawled on a scrap of blueprint and shoved inside. It was Jemma's unmistakeable handwriting. "My bunk – NOW!"

He smiled to himself, balling the paper up in his hand. What are you up to, Simmons?

He knocked on the door of her bunk and it slid open. "Quick!" she whispered. "Inside!"

Fitz slipped in the door, pulling it closed behind him. "What's going on, Jemma?" he whispered, turning to look at her.

And she was sitting on her bed, surrounded by Chinese take-away containers, grinning and clicking a pair of chopsticks at him. "Hungry?" she asked.

Fitz was incredulous. "Always," he breathed, sitting down next to her.

"Tuck in then," she encouraged, handing him some chopsticks.

"Steamed dumplings?"

"Of course!"

"Moo Shu Pork with pancakes?"

"Do you even need to ask?"

"Kung Po Beef?"

"Fitz! What do you take me for?

"General Tso's Chicken?"

"As if I'd leave that out."

"Szechuan Shrimp?"

"Honestly…"

"And Hunan Duck?"

"You act as if I've never ordered Chinese take-away before!"

"Well," Fitz murmured, "I guess it's been a little while."

"It has, I know. I'm sorry. But today you really deserve it. Oh, and I almost forgot dessert," she said, handing him a bag of fortune cookies.

"Simmons, you are the best."

She smiled beatifically as he got stuck into the closest carton.

"What prompted you to think I deserve this?" he asked, his mouth full of duck and special fried rice.

She shrugged. "Just something you said earlier."

"Mmph?" he queried. "What was that?"

"I don't recall the particulars," she lied. "But it was pretty awesome."

Fitz grinned happily at her as he handed her the carton of chicken and reached for the shrimp. "Well, I'm not going to argue with you!"

"Oh, and Fitz?" she said, reaching behind her for her laptop. "I've got the new series of Sherlock!"

"Really? This night just gets better and better!" he crowed.

She set it up at the foot of her bed and the two of them shuffled around to the lean against the bedhead. It was not lost on Fitz that they had to sit very close to one another, balancing all the take-away containers somewhat precariously in their laps.

"And one more thing." She leaned down to the floor and then straightened up holding a couple of bottles of Dark Island Reserve Scottish Ale.

Fitz's jaw dropped. "Whatever I said, it must have been really good."

"Trust me," Jemma replied, nudging him affectionately with her elbow. "It was. There's a whole case down here."

"Ok, so six hours of great telly, twenty four of my favourite beers, enough Chinese food to feed a small island nation," Fitz enthused. "And you."

"And me. Good surprise?" she asked, already sure of the answer.

Fitz impulsively threw his arm over her shoulder and kissed the top of her head. "The best." He went to draw his arm away but Jemma grabbed his hand. "I might need you to keep your arm there to stop me from falling off the bed," she giggled. "Can you cope one-handed?"

Fitz couldn't quite believe his luck. "I think I can manage," he said jovially, clinking his beer bottle against hers. "Still got my good arm free for shovelling in food."

Jemma nestled in against him before clicking the remote to start Sherlock and taking up the Moo Shu Pork to hold between them.

Fitz rested his head back against the wall and grinned up at the ceiling, as if offering a prayer of thanks for his excellent fortune. When he looked back down, Jemma was smiling at him. "I wonder what the Chinese take-away will be like in the Atacama Desert?"

"I can live without the take-out," he said boldly. "As long as I'll have you with me."

"I feel the same way," she whispered, and snuggled back against him to watch the screen.

Isn't this the kind of Fitzsimmons we all want more of!? This came about because I thought I'd try typing "Fitzsimmons Week" into the fanfiction-dot-net search engine. Highly recommended! After reading those awesome stories, all I wanted to write was more of the fun Fitzsimmons of old with a flirtatious twist! Stay tuned for the next chapter in which they get BUSTED and read fortune cookies to one another…

And thanks to Spitfire303 for the ongoing encouragement!