(Trip is 21, Lance is 18, Grant is 17), Leo is 15, Jemma is 15, Skye is 13 and Avalyn is 7.

The girls' bedroom never felt as empty or sounded as silent as it did on that day. Practically all of Jemma's stuff had already been boxed and sent to England; May, Skye, Avalyn and Jemma only had to pack clothes and small personal items. Those weeks had been rougher than any other. Instead of saying goodbye to one of the kids, this time the family bid farewell to Leo and Jemma, both on their way to college. She would be studying biochemistry and he engineering. Jemma was the youngest person ever to be accepted in the Cambridge University.

Coulson exempted himself from helping. He was in the garage around his red Corvette, Lola. After Trip, Lance and Grant left home to go to SHIELD Academy and the RAF, the habit of calling him and May 'mom' and 'dad' started wearing off. He could understand; they had grown older, and Coulson and May weren't their blood parents. Each of the adopted kids knew that after leaving the Coulson's house, they'd be going back to their original surname and on record it'd be as if they'd never been adopted. But nothing could erase their memories, and no one wanted that. That was why Coulson excused himself from helping; it was his way of not yet dealing with Leo, and particularly, Jemma's departure. He couldn't imagine the thought of not hearing Jemma calling him 'dad' again.

She was the first child Coulson and May adopted, the first one who called him 'dad' and she was the one that made them go from a married couple to a family. For some reason, the thought of losing the first of his girls ached more than having said goodbye to Trip, Lance, Grant and Leo all together. Coulson couldn't bear the thought that after Jemma, Skye would soon start go to college, and he was dramatic enough to suffer in advance, already thinking of the day Avalyn would start high school. He couldn't believe that once there were seven children in the house, and in the next morning there'd only be two.

Leo wasn't packing his stuff just yet because he'd only move to the MIT dorms the following week. May suspected that Jemma's sadness had something to with that. The two of them had talked earlier that day and it ended badly; Leo left for a long walk (and still hadn't arrived home) and Jemma was on the verge of tears ever since. She didn't cry, though. Avalyn was in the bedroom, and so was their mother, and she didn't want to talk about it.

"This dress is so pretty, Jemma," Avalyn said, holding it against her body, checking her reflection on the mirror. "Are you gonna keep it?"

"You can keep it, Avalyn."

"Thanks."

When Avalyn happily hugged Jemma, thanking her for the dress, May saw tears brewing in the teenager's eyes.

"Avalyn, Skye?" May said. "Can you go and check if Leo has returned? And go tell your father to start dinner; it's getting late."

Skye nodded, "Sure. C'mon AJ," she called her little sister, holding her hand out to her. "We'll be right back to help ya, Jem."

As soon as the door closed and Jemma was alone with May, she hugged her mother and cried.

May tried to sooth her, hugging her tightly, "I know it's hard to go away but -"

"I talked with Leo," Jemma blurted. "Asked him why he wasn't coming to Cambridge. He said he wanted to be away from me." She cried harder, "What did I do wrong?"

"You did nothing wrong, Jem. He just needs time."

"Time for what?" Jemma took a step back, looking into her mother's eyes, "You know why he wants to be away from me, don't you?"

The woman swallowed hard and nodded, "Yeah, I do. I asked him the same thing. The two of you are so close that I couldn't understand why he chose to go to the MIT."

"And why is it?"

"He likes you."

"I like him too. He's my best friend in the whole world."

May pursed her lips, "He thinks he might like you a bit more than that."

Jemma was stunned, "We – we grew up together. He's like my brother."

"Except he's not. And he's not sure if this is just a crush or if he really likes you. That's why he chose to stay. He doesn't want things to be awkward between the two of you and ruin your friendship and closeness."

"This is a mess," Sitting on her bed, Jemma wiped her tears, "What do you and dad think of this?"

"We just want everyone to be happy, so we're trying to understand everyone and help in the best way we can. We couldn't care less if you two end up dating. Yes, you two grew up together, but you're not blood related and when it comes to love matters, things aren't always so plain and rational. You just have to go with the flow."

"So you don't find it weird?"

May offered a small smile, "No. Whatever happens, your father and I are ok with it. You two kind of remind me of the two of us when we were at the Academy: best friends, the dynamic duo of Operations, who ended up falling in love."

"But, what if Leo realizes it's not just a crush and I end up not feeling the same way? Am I gonna lose him just like that? He won't want to talk to me anymore and -"

"Jemma," her mother said softly, sitting next to her, "things will get back on track. Promise. Leo wouldn't do anything to ruin your friendship."

"He means a lot to me."

"I know," May draped her arm around Jemma's shoulder and pulled her closer to her embrace. "You mean a lot to him too."

"Should I talk with him again?"

"I think you should because you two will be in two different countries and it's best if you at least leave with a clear conscience, knowing that no one is hurt or angry. But you shouldn't tell him that you know the reason why he wants space; it'll make him uncomfortable. You just have to tell him that you respect his decision, because you do respect his decision, right?"

"Yes," Jemma nodded for emphasis. "I just… I just don't mean to screw this up."

"Alright. Then tell him just that. Tell you respect his decision and that you hope he uses the time wisely to think."

"I'll miss these talks," the teenager admitted.

"There's this device called 'phone' that allows people to talk with each other. And dare you not to call."

Jemma chuckled, "I would never think of that. Of course I'll call."

That was one of the few times in Coulson's life that he couldn't be objective. He couldn't look at Jemma, his eyes fixed on the floor as they waited for her to be called for the flight to London. Skye and Jemma hadn't stopped crying and hugging, and Avalyn had joined the crying duo not much longer after. May took long, deep sighs, unable to sketch any emotion at all, and Leo wasn't there. He said he was going to stay at home, which made Jemma burst into tears even before boarding on the plane. He was the one person she wanted to be there, to say goodbye to her.

Jemma hugged her father, crying on his shoulder. He stroked her hair and hugged her tight, continuously swallowing the lumps in his throat.

"I'm gonna miss you so much, kissy bear," he told her, his lips drawing into a small smile. "You and teddy monkey."

She chuckled quietly, remembering the earned nicknames. Jemma and Leo almost battled to know who was the cutest when they were little kids. He was nicknamed 'teddy monkey' because he clung to everyone like a monkey on a tree; he was a very cuddly boy while growing up. Hugging him felt like hugging a little teddy bear. She was nicknamed 'kissy bear' because she offer kisses to everyone. A kiss from her actually felt like that it could heal any ache and heartbreak.

"I'm gonna miss you too. I'm gonna miss you all."

"Good thing is that Lance is close. If you need anything, call him," Coulson advised, parting the hug.

"I will," she nodded, wiping away her tears. "I just really wished that -"

Jemma hushed, her eyes focused on the airport's entrance. Leo ran in, looking around, hoping that she hadn't embarked yet. He sighed relieved upon hearing everyone calling him and waving their hands in the air. She smiled and cried at the same, feeling glad that she wouldn't leave without saying goodbye to her favorite person in the world. Leo hugged her tightly as soon as he approached her.

"Sorry. I couldn't let you leave without saying goodbye."

"Thank you for coming," she said between tears again. "I know why you want to stay."

Leo took a step back, "What?"

"I know why you want to stay and I respect your decision. I just… at least chat with me every now and then. It'll be hard for me to be miles away and I can't imagine not talking with you. Even if it's only for a minute or two -"

"I'll call," he offered a warm smile. "And we'll Skype. I won't stop talking with you because of…" he sighed and looked down. "I'll arrange my thoughts soon enough, don't worry."

"I'm gonna miss you," she told him, throwing herself at him on a hug.

"I'm gonna miss you too, Jem. Take care, 'lright?"

"You take care too."

Leo then joined May, Coulson, Skye and Avalyn watching Jemma walk to the boarding gate. She looked back (even though she had promised herself she wouldn't) and waved goodbye.

Coulson patted Leo's shoulder and gave it a light squeeze, "You did well. You'd never forgive yourself if you hadn't come to say goodbye."

"I know."

"I can't believe we're driving you to Massachusetts tomorrow. This is one hell of a week."

Leo grinned, "On the bright side, now you only have to look after Skye and AJ."

"Ah," Coulson chuckled, "the troublemaker duo. They'll keep us busy, that's for sure."