You'd think a state of the art, top-secret government security base would have a decent heating system. Jemma had hated providence with a passion. It was dark, damp and echoey, there was a constant wave of freezing wind coming from god knows where. It filled the long, shallow hallways and creeping into the bunks, if they had stayed there any longer she would have gone insane.

She hated how spacious it was, maybe that was due to her familiarity with less than spacious living arrangements. Having moved from cramped dorm to even more cramped dorm, her tiny, shared apartment while under specialised training to living on a freaking plane. After ten years, she didn't see the need for this excessive space.

Being pregnant made everything worse. She was actively trying to avoid Fitz, and everyone else for that matter; reluctant to have them catch on before she was ready. Even with Skye and Tripp covering for her, she thought it must be ridiculously obvious. Almost three months along and her symptoms hadn't wavered in the slightest, in fact they were actually getting worse.

She found herself in a constant state of hunger until she would come across some cheese, pickles or eggs which without fail would make her run to throw up in the nearest bathroom (which obviously want near at all, stupid base). She suffered from nosebleeds and insomnia, splitting headaches and everything from her back to her legs to her breasts were sore. Simmons was miserable. She wouldn't let anyone know though, she tried to keep a lid on her violent mood swings in front of anyone but Skye and Tripp, who though they felt only the highest of sympathy for her, were secretly slightly alarmed by the small flurry of hormones which she had become.

Finding the body didn't help.

Neither did Fitz's reaction. He had always been subject to those little bursts of frustration that would leak out if he were ever particularly stressed or upset, however a melt down like this she had seen only once before, and she never liked to recall it.

About 18 months into their partnership, he got a call telling him his brother had died. Simmons hadn't known much about him, only that he was much older than Fitz, he made the best eggy bread and that he had been caring for their mother while Fitz went to Uni when he got deported to Iraq. From what she could tell from limited information, the state of Fitz's room and his knuckles, they had been close.

"It's my fault, Jemma," he had hissed through angry tears as she cleaned and bandaged the cuts on his hands, "he joined just to spite me, I should never have come here, I should have stayed in Glasgow..."

Nothing she had said helped, she had never felt more useless in her life. She went back with him for the funeral; they were given the week off for family emergency. The service was intimate; she was the only person there who wasn't family. It rained the entire week. She realised then that actions got through to Fitz louder than words, and a squeeze on their shoulder was what they used to remind each other they weren't alone.

Fitz felt like he was loosing his brother all over again with Ward, and once again she just didn't know what to do.

They had held a short service of sorts for Eric Koenig, it was the best they could do. They buried him outside the base, where Jemma stood silent and solemn as Tripp and Coulson lowered his body into the frozen ground. She watched, wrapped in her winter gear as his make shift grave was filled with earth and snow. Fitz himself was silent, she had a mind to talk to him as soon as they were alone, or rather listen. Listen to him pour his heart out, opening her mouth only to agree, assure him, maybe even be honest herself. She took his mitten-clad hand in her own and squeezed softly. He didn't squeeze back.

Now she sat almost leisurely with her feet dangling in the cool water, sending tiny ripples along the pools surface. Fitz was slouched beside her on one side, the others had gathered to her right. God knows what they looked like, a mismatched group of knackered looking adults at a motel poolside, sharing the contents of a vending machine for dinner. No questions were asked, then again the staff had probably seen stranger.

"Fitzsimmons, you can go together,"

"Pardon?" Jemma's snapped her head up, disoriented.

"The accommodation, weren't you listening?" Coulson said wearily.

"I'm sorry my mind was somewhere else," she replied.

"I called dibs on the single room," Skye grinned before stuffing a handful of skittles in her mouth.

"Are you okay sleeping with Fitz?"

"Uh, yes of course,"

"It's not like we haven't before," Fitz stated innocently.

Simmons pointedly ignored the outburst of choking coming from Skye and caught the keys Coulson tossed her way.

"I'm going to call it a night, we should all try and get some rest," Coulson said, before he turned to leave.

"Night, sir!" She and Fitz chorused half heartedly, while Tripp clapped Skye firmly on the back, in an attempt to help dislodge the skittles from her windpipe.

"You know, Jem, I think I'm going to head in too," Fitz said, he was obviously extremely tired, his eyes clouded with fatigue.

Jemma nodded and smiled, handing him the room key as he got to his feet. "Okay, Ill stay out here for a minute or two before I join you,"

She was surprised at how her stomach fluttered when he smiled back at her, with that lazy lopsided grin she had seen so many times before. It was probably hormones, she later told herself, just the oestrogen overdose.

"Your bump is coming in nicely," Skye remarked after he was gone, poking at a fraction of exposed skin where her jumper had risen around her middle, obviously having recovered from her skittle induced near death experience, "Maybe you should lay off the chips,"

Jemma gave her a sideways glare, but didn't really take offence. She knew the teasing was purely just Skye's coping mechanism, and they had all been through so much.

"It's a bit early for that yet," She sighed, humouring her friend for once. Besides, Skye wasn't wrong, her formerly flat stomach had rounded past her hipbones in a way that was just about noticeable if you knew what you were looking at, "I was rather hoping it wasn't that obvious,"

"Everyone's different, Its probably only because you're so tiny, Simmons," Skye nudged her shoulder gently with her own.

"Besides, the black is slimming," Tripp offered.

"Yeah, why do you think Tripp wears so much of it?"

"You wanna go for a swim, girl?" He said in mock offence, giving Skye a light shove towards the pools edge.

"Yeah, well I don't think it can do the trick for much longer,"

Tripp and Skye stopped their squabbling for long enough to exchange a look.

"Well, Simmons, if you want our opinion…" Skye hesitated.

"You think its time to tell Fitz,"

"I know we keep bringing it up…"

"It's not that I don't want to, it's just… hard," Simmons repositioned herself so she could rest her head on her knees, "I don't know how he'll take it,"

"The boy's not going to walk out on you, that's for sure," Tripp mused.

"Oh god, Simmons that's not what you're worried about is it?" Skye almost laughed, "That boy would follow you to the moon and back,"

Simmons bit her lip, but didn't say anything. Instead she started searching for her shoes, "I think I want to go to bed, now,"

"Hey, Simmons, I hope I we didn't…" Skye started.

"No, It's not you, I'm just tired, you know, being on the run from the law while making a person, it takes it out of you…"

"We'll walk you to your room," Tripp said, he and Skye awkwardly getting into standing position.

"No, there's no need Tripp, you should probably get to your rooms too before it gets too late,"

"I don't think I'd be able to sleep anyway," Skye muttered grimly.

"Well, gee, thanks for claiming the single room then,"

"Hey! No pj's means a lady should be able to have her own room,"

"Well why am I rooming with Fitz then?" Simmons protested as they made their way to the cinderblock building.

Skye actually laughed now, "Simmons, I think we've established he's seen you in a lot less than your underwear,"

Simmons could only shoot her another withering glare before she shoved open the door Fitz had graciously left unlocked. Cheeks burning, she turned to find refuge in the one bed left unoccupied, trying to tune out their dying laughter as she got ready for sleep.

Hey guys, so I know this update is long overdue but honestly I've had some trouble with my computer in that I lost a bunch of files and couldn't get them back, anyways, Its all taken care of now, next chapter should be up sometime this week now...

Thank you as ever for reading, hope you enjoyed it, please drop me a review if you can ^.^

Soph x