It didn't seem like very long at all before the lab quieted down and Jemma was one of the last ones in there. A familiar voice startled her.
"Knock, Knock." Jemma looked up to see Daisy standing awkwardly in the doorway of the lab. She still wasn't super comfortable there, she'd told Jemma, because she felt sure she was going to accidently rattle some priceless equipment off a shelf and break it. Jemma had assured her that wasn't going to happen - they could tie things down if they needed to - but Daisy was still standing there with her arms tight around her and not quite completely inside.
Jemma smiled. "Oh, hello Daisy! What can I do for you?"
"Actually, uh- the boys are driving me nuts so me and Bobbi are going to grab a drink. Wanna come?"
The question caught Jemma off guard. It had been so long since they'd done anything like this. "Oh! Um…" She looked around at the multitude of vials, needles, and petri dishes scattered around her at a loss for how to respond.
Daisy read her mind. "You're busy, aren't you?" She said with some regret.
But Jemma didn't really want to pass this up. "Well, technically, yes, but a drink does sound lovely. What bars or restaurants are nearby?"
Jemma watched Daisy shrug coolly. "When you've got an invisible private jet that can land on rooftops a lot of things are nearby."
Jemma's eyes went wide and she nearly dropped the pipette she was holding. "You're going to steal a quinjet!?" It really shouldn't surprise her anymore, Jemma thought, she should know her friend by now. But her lax attitude toward rules and boundaries somehow continued to unnerve her.
"Not steal!" Daisy quickly corrected. "NOT STEAL!" She called again louder, looking around for any stray agents that might have overheard and misunderstood. Luckily there was only one other person in the lab, and it really didn't look like they cared, so Daisy returned to her normal speaking volume. "Requisition. And technically Coulson gave me free access to the quinjets since I'm heading up the new team."
Jemma wasn't done working this through yet. "But isn't that a bit irresponsible? What if an emergency occurs while we're out? Is it even safe to fly when you've been drinking?"
Daisy sighed. "Jemma Simmons are you coming or not?"
Jemma frowned and looked around one more time. What she was working on could wait until the next day. "Just let me pack up these things for the night. I'll meet you in the hangar." She responded.
"Good." Daisy left with a smug little grin on her face.
Bobbi flew them to a city not 10 minutes away, allaying Jemma's discomfort along the way by explaining the autopilot on the ship was quite advanced, to the point that it was designed to be able to fly itself back to the base in case of emergency. "And anyway," Bobbi added, "It's not like we're here to party all night. We're just getting a couple drinks."
The only spot they found to leave the quinjet was in a corner of the top floor of a parking garage. It was at this point that Jemma discovered that only Daisy actually knew where they were going. She insisted there was this awesome place where she 'knew a guy', and Jemma suspected she was better off not knowing the story. Daisy assured them the parking garage was fine because the place was only a half mile away.
"So, what kind of place is this, Daisy?" Bobbi voiced the question on Jemma's mind as well.
"Trust me, you'll like it. It's not well known, but they've got great ownership. It's a local favourite." Daisy assured them.
"One where you have to know someone to get in?" Jemma questioned. It was sounding a little too trendy to put her at ease.
"You don't have to know someone, but on a Friday night it does help. Besides, it's a good excuse to visit an old friend." Daisy clarified as they walked.
"And how do you know this 'old friend'?" Bobbi clearly didn't know what she didn't want to know.
Thankfully, Daisy did so she gave the short version. "Ummm… it's a long story. It was back when I was just getting acquainted with the Rising Tide. Not all of my associates were 100% above board. But Don is a good guy." Just then she stopped them all in front of an unmarked, tattered looking door in a solid brick façade. "Ladies, relax. You're about to see what I'm talking about." Daisy swung open the door with gusto, marching inside confidently. "Mikey!" She barked with a big smile on her face to the man slouching against the wall in the tight, dimly lit hallway.
'Mikey' looked up and got a huge grin on his face. He leapt over to Daisy and swept her up in a bear hug. "Skye!" He said. "Long time no see! Yo, I heard you got pulled over to the dark side." He said, squinting at her.
Daisy shrugged off the comment. "Doesn't mean I can't have some fun once in a while. The Empire does give us some days off."
"So it's true!?" Mikey yowled. "Aw man! I told 'em, anyone but Skye! Guess I was wrong, huh?"
"First time for everything, Mikey. You know, I found these guys that are actually pretty cool. Speaking of which, I've been talking up this place to my friends here and they want to see what it's all about." Daisy motioned to Bobbi and Jemma, who both pretended they weren't bewildered by this whole thing and were actually expecting to be impressed. "Think you could fit us in?"
Mikey sighed. "Skye, you know how it's like on Friday night. It's pretty full."
"Come on," Daisy pressed playfully. "What would Don say if you didn't let me at least say hi?"
Mikey eyed the trio again. "I guess we could probably find a place for you. No party crashers, right?"
"Nah, we're not into that racquet." Daisy assured him. Bobbi and Jemma shared a concerned look.
Mikey nodded. "A'ight. Lemme check with Don. Wait here, would ya?" Mikey barely waited for confirmation before he slipped through another door Jemma just realized he'd been placed there to guard.
"You were saying about how you knew this place, Daisy?" Bobbi challenged. "So far this seems more like a place I'd go undercover in."
"Give it a chance, you'll see." Daisy insisted.
Mikey re-emerged from behind the door this time followed by a rotund and jovial man in an apron. "Skye! As I live and breathe!" He gasped in a raspy voice, and came forward to hug her just as Mikey had.
"Told you!" Mikey said to the man, presumably Don, victoriously.
"He said it was you and I told him he was seeing ghosts! Now I am too! Why you a stranger these days, girlie?"
"Don't got a lotta down time." Daisy explained. "But when we were looking for a place to chill for the evening, I knew it had to be here. So, how about it? Wanna let us in, catch up a bit?
Don looked them over sceptically, but gave in quickly with a pouty look from Daisy. "Ah, I never could say no to you. Sure, come on in. Same rules as always. I won't have lotta of time to talk, but you've gotta promise you'll stay long enough to tell me what's been going on with you lately."
"Some things never change. Promise." Daisy agreed and Don motioned them inside.
"Nice seein' ya Skye!" Mikey called just before the door slammed shut behind them. Don led them down another narrow hallway, and just as Jemma was becoming uncomfortable with the tight spaces it opened up into the dining area.
It was nothing like the security and even the clientele would suggest. A little grungy, sure, but Jemma observed small, high tables set safe distances apart; the booths were set up with privacy in mind. As a result, though it was as busy as Mikey and Don indicated, the din of the diners was not overwhelming even to Jemma. The lighting was soft and relaxing, the music was upbeat and playing loud enough to be heard, but not loud enough to interrupt conversation. It had the respectful set up of a high-end establishment, but the atmosphere of a casual family restaurant.
Don apologized that they would have to sit at the bar to begin with but assured them that they would have the first table that came available. As soon as he left them to get back into the kitchen, Bobbi and Jemma grilled Daisy about what had just happened.
"I knew that you still don't like loud places Jemma." Explained Daisy. "There's not a lot of cheap places known for their drinks that are also fairly quiet, especially on the weekend. This was the only place I could think of not too far away."
"I was concerned about that when you invited me." Jemma acknowledged sheepishly. "Thank you for thinking of me."
"So what's the deal with the bouncer and concern with the cops? I mean, I can see there are all types here but there's nothing going down. And what are these rules I heard about?" Bobbi was fascinated.
Daisy nodded. "Don's rules are the reason this place is still up and running. Strict neutral ground. No business goes down here, and no questions are asked. Whatever you are on the outside, in here you're just a customer. Don started this place when the gangs were getting really bad in this area. A lot of restaurants were getting disturbed by either confrontations between the gangs or by police trying to crack down on the stuff going on. He was sick of seeing the neighbourhood he loved torn apart, and he found out a lot of the young guys getting involved in this stuff wished for a simpler life, even for an evening. So he bought this place, refused to get into business with any gangs, and made the rules clear: Anyone is welcome. No business. No fighting. You violate the rules, you get kicked out and no protection. The gang leaders, they didn't like it at first. They all said they would drive him out of business if he was serving their competition. Don just said they were welcome to try. It wasn't long before people figured it out- he was serious. This was a safe zone. And then people started to trickle in. Some for the food and drinks, but a lot for the freedom. They would hide their identity at first, swearing him to secrecy because they were afraid their gang leaders would find out. But then the gang leaders started coming themselves. Sometimes it was for a date, or to visit with their families. Over time it just became accepted. People could come here for whatever reason and take the night off. Cops sometimes try to take advantage of it, ambush the people they're looking for. But Don doesn't have any of that either. There's never anything illegal happening here, so they can't do anything. A lot of times even cops will come here just for fun."
Bobbi nodded. "I can respect that. It's a nice idea. It's amazing he's been able to keep it up."
"Don's built a lot of good will over the years. He's nice to the young guys, tries to help him any way he can. The gangs aren't so bad anymore, but everyone kinda thinks it'll get a lot worse when he's gone."
A bar tender finally approached them to get their orders. Bobbi stuck with a beer, Jemma got a glass of wine, and Daisy ordered whiskey.
"The boys were that bad eh?" Bobbi joked.
"Worse. I haven't seen them like this. They were fighting me on everything today. And I almost had to ice them both when they got into it with each other." Daisy replied.
"Yikes."
"Must be the day. Everyone in the lab has been on edge too, blowing up over the littlest thing." Jemma commented.
"I'm sure everyone is just adjusting. It takes time to get used to the quirks of new coworkers. Partners usually blow up at each other at some point, but then they cool down and everything is fine." Bobbi assured her.
"And that's great - when said partners aren't walking WMD's. We blow up, so does the city." Daisy pointed out.
"So what did you do?"
"I told them to take the night off, go chill out in their bunks for a while. And if I saw them outside before their heads were right I was going to throw them in the fridge until they got it together."
Bobbi nearly spewed her beer. "So, wait, hold on. You basically put them in time-out? Oh, that's fantastic!"
"What else was I supposed to do? Not like I could take away their favourite toys. By the way, Simmons, you can officially take Lincoln away whenever you want." Daisy teased. She turned to Bobbi to tattle on Jemma. "Can you believe she recruited him while I was standing right there?"
Bobbi laughed. "Keeping the old tradition alive I see. I was recruited away from SciOps myself. Thank god."
Jemma felt the need to defend herself. "It wasn't like that per say. I was trying to get him to cooperate and offering to let him help in the lab seemed the easiest way to do it at the time. It worked too."
"How are things over at SciOps anyway?" Bobbi asked. "Heard there was a fire over there yesterday, everything okay?"
"Ugh, it was blown way out of proportion." Jemma answered. "It was a small electrical fire. It was put out almost as soon as it started. But of course they had to shut the whole wing down to check to make sure it was safe. And the firefighters have no respect for organized systems. I spent half of my day putting things back where they belonged. Put us off by a day at least if not more."
"Better safe than sorry, I suppose."
"Anyway, how's it going over at field ops?" Jemma asked, anxious to stop talking about herself and hear what was going on with the other two.
"Hey, yeah! Is it fun working with the old AC?" Daisy nudged Bobbi.
"AC?" Bobbi asked with a tilt of her head.
Jemma rolled her eyes. "That's Daisy's old nickname for Agent Coulson. When she first started, before he was director, she thought 'Agent Coulson' was too long." She explained.
"I will point out that he moved from AC to DC when he got promoted to Director, which is pretty cool." Daisy stated.
"Gotcha. Yeah, it's going good. Some stuff pops up here and there but nothing we can't handle. Reminds me of the old days, which is nice. And it's great having the experience of Coulson and May on the team." Bobbi responded.
"Coulson still isn't his old self, but who can blame him? I, mean, it's horrible what happened to Rosalind, and I think it was getting kinda serious. Which I totally called by the way." Daisy put in.
"Oh, please, like it wasn't completely obvious." Jemma scoffed.
Bobbi backed her up. "Gotta agree with Jemma on that one."
"Okay, fine." Daisy feigned insult but then continued. "He's more like the guy I remember, is all I'm saying. I think being Director is rough on him."
"It's a tough job." Bobbi agreed. "I honestly don't envy Mack right now."
"He seems to be handling it well though." Jemma noted. "I'm glad it wasn't put on May. She's been through enough as it is."
"No kidding. I don't know how she does it." Daisy agreed. "I still can't believe what happened with Andrew."
Bobbi nodded. "I know. I can't say I fully understand the whole Inhuman process, but I just have to wonder how it could change his personality so dramatically."
"Well that's actually what we're working on finding out right now." Jemma said excitedly. "It's a little too early to say for sure, but we think we might have found a breakthrough!"
"You think you could bring him back from his psychotic break?" Daisy asked hopefully.
"I don't know, but at least I know he would have to want to change. And counselling, ironically, would still be necessary. But I have to say I don't think Doctor Garner is completely wrong."
Daisy stared at her in alarm, and Jemma saw a similar expression of disbelief on Bobbi, so she backpedalled quickly. "No, no, I don't mean… obviously he is completely mad, thinking it's his job to kill Inhumans willy-nilly to keep people safe. It's horrifying what he does." Jemma quickly corrected herself, and her two companions relaxed a bit. "I'm not talking about convicting people before they've done anything wrong. I just mean that the fact is that not everyone who goes through the change will want to use their abilities for good. And I'm a little concerned that we are ill prepared to contain the threats as they arise."
"Well, that's what we're here for." Daisy said solemnly.
Bobbi had no interest in prolonging this tense topic. "Well hey, it's great that you are making progress in figuring out how to make the transition easier. And how's working been? Have you been feeling better?"
"Ah, yes, I'm getting there. By my estimate I should be ready to begin training sometime next week."
"Wait, training? Like, training training?" Jemma nodded and Daisy continued. "So you asked her to be your S.O. and not me?" Daisy exclaimed. "Okay, now I'm really hurt."
Jemma giggled at Daisy's show of offense. "I would have asked you too if you weren't so busy trying to build and train your team." She assured her. "And I would still be happy to train with you any time. Bobbi just has a little less going on right now."
Daisy shrugged. "I guess I'll accept that, because it's true I probably am too busy to be your SO. So, hey, what is going on with you Bobbi? How's Hunter?"
Bobbi grinned. "Oh, Hunter is being a complete prat. But, that's not unusual so…"
Jemma smiled. "Prat- there's a word you don't hear too often over here."
"I picked it up from Hunter's friends. Usually referring to him too." Bobbi teased. Then a shy smile came over her and she fiddled with her second beer bottle a little bit. "But it's actually going really well. I know I've said it before but… it feels like we actually have a chance this time. We're actually thinking of taking some time… just to be together away from Shield."
Jemma's jaw dropped, but it was Daisy who was able to verbalize her response first. "Whoa! That's huge!"
Bobbi's smile grew even bigger. "I know. I don't think I've actually taken a real vacation in…. phew, it's gotta be 5 years at least? And the last one was to visit my parents. Hunter and I… we've never gotten to be a real couple, you know? It's always been missions and betrayal and then missions and betrayal again. I just wonder what we'd be like without all of that. If we could make it."
It was Jemma's turn to respond. "Well, we'll miss you-"
"And maybe even Hunter sometimes..." Daisy interrupted.
"-But I hope it does work out for you." Jemma finished.
"Thanks." Bobbi sighed contentedly, then turned the attention back to Jemma. "And how's Fitz doing?"
Jemma had to think before she answered that one. "I don't know… he's really not acting like himself lately…"
"Like Lincoln and Joey?" Bobbi inquired.
"Not exactly… it's actually kind of hard to explain…"
Daisy leaned forward suddenly. "Could it be because you guys never talk about anything?" she asked pointedly. Jemma just glared at her because she knew Daisy was making a point; saying this in front of Bobbi to gain back up on her side. It worked too.
Bobbi sighed. "Simmons, you need to talk to him." She lectured.
"No, it's not like that…" Jemma huffed. "I mean, yes, I know we need to talk and we will… but I don't think that's the problem."
"I beg to differ. What's holding you back?" demanded Daisy, possibly emboldened by her drink and having a friend on her side.
"Why do I suddenly feel like this is an intervention?"
"It's not an intervention. We only want to help." Bobbi replied seriously.
"Besides, it distracts us from our own problems." Daisy added, munching on the nachos Don had brought to them without having to be asked.
"And that means we have to talk about mine!?" Jemma cried.
"Absolutely." Bobbi was clearly not going to help her get out of this.
"Oh, come on Jemma." Daisy said as if it were obvious. "This is where problems really get solved- at a stinky dive bar with girlfriends. It's a fact, regardless of what Doctor I'm-Going-To-Be-Famous and all his buddies say."
"I don't think he's so bad." Jemma lied.
Bobbi just raised an eyebrow and Daisy said, "Really?"
Jemma caved. "No, he's terrible. I was just trying to be positive."
"If it helps, I can pretend to be Doctor Garner." Daisy offered.
Jemma gripped her glass tightly and studied it, her cheeks getting red. "Please don't."
Daisy ignored her. "'Jemma, you have to stop deflecting and let other people help you. You're using work as a defence mechanism to help you avoid dealing with this.' Pretty good, right?"
Bobbi was snickering. "Perfect, it's like he's here."
Jemma stifled a laugh of her own and shook her head. "Awful! That didn't even make sense!"
Then they were all giggling, the alcohol lightening their mood. When they got control of themselves again, Daisy asked seriously "Come on Jemma. Why are you so afraid of talking to Fitz?"
Jemma was silent for what felt like a long time. She didn't make eye contact with either of them, but it didn't matter because she could feel their eyes on her while they waited for her answer. Finally, she asked very quietly, "How long is it right to mourn someone you knew and maybe loved for 6 months?"
Daisy groaned empathetically and Bobbi reached over and gave Jemma a squeeze. Daisy answered first. "I don't think there's only one right answer to that, Jem."
"And at this point I don't think there's a wrong answer to that either." Bobbi assured her. "It's really how you feel. None of us will judge you for what you choose to do now. It's okay if you need more time, and it's okay if you want to move on."
"Are you waiting to talk to Fitz because you want something to happen with you two?" Daisy asked more delicately.
Jemma sighed. "I don't know… I think maybe… It's complicated. But I'd at least like to do dinner I think. But I don't know if he still wants to or if…" She couldn't bring herself to finish that sentence.
Daisy and Bobbi murmured their understanding. "Well I can tell you this at least. Whether or not you are ready to do anything with him now, the longer you wait to talk to him the more likely it is that he will get the wrong idea. Even just explaining it how you did to us just now will make things easier down the line." Bobbi advised.
"You're right, I know. It's good advice. But right now I really am quite worried about him. He's not the same…" -It would sound rude to say he was too happy- "Some of the things he's suggested… It's just not him. And I don't know if he's having trouble or…" Jemma thought she'd probably sound paranoid if she suggested that he'd been replaced by a doppelganger.
"All the more reason to talk to him." Daisy counselled. "Who knows, maybe it's related."
"Maybe." Jemma replied absently. She was absorbed in thought, reviewing her mental notes on his behaviour, including that day's additions.
Bobbi then turned to Daisy and inquired about Lincoln. Daisy told them about how he was adjusting to life on the base, and some of the funny comments he made regarding it. They all continued to laugh and talk, eventually moving to a proper table and chatting with Don, who had some embarrassing stories about Daisy that everyone except Daisy enjoyed. Daisy explained to Don about her new name and Don struggled hilariously to remember it for the rest of the night. But he congratulated her on finally finding out the truth about her lineage (she gave him the severely amended version of course) and they found out that Don had recently reconnected with his son, who was out of prison now and promised to be on the straight and narrow. Don checked with all three of the girls to see if any of them were single, or had a single friend that might be a good match for his son, whom he assured them was a 'very nice guy'.
Frankly, though, Jemma didn't pay a lot of attention. She kept up with the conversation enough to react appropriately to what was said and contribute politely from time to time, but most of her brain power was directed to reviewing the evidence regarding Fitz. The more she did so, the more convinced she was that the man that wore Fitz' face was not Fitz at all. Especially his statement today, "Discovery requires experimentation," she felt like she'd heard it before but couldn't quite place where. But it definitely carried sinister connotations in her mind. She began to formulate what she was going to do to prove it, since the evidence she had wasn't exactly bullet proof.
Eventually Daisy checked her clock. "It's 10? I thought it was 1! I'm so tired." She declared.
"Me too." Bobbi agreed, and when they both saw Jemma nod her head she added, "Head home then?"
"Fine with me." Jemma replied, actually getting to point where she was impatient to get back to base, but she didn't want to trouble them with her anxiety.
Daisy frowned. "Guys, are we getting old?"
"Yes." Jemma responded too quickly, not thinking it through enough.
"Wrong answer." Bobbi teased as they got out of their booth and waved goodbye to Don.
"Sorry, it's just, biologically speaking in your mid-twenties your body and mind begin to be less capable of recovering from intoxication and sleep deprivation, among other stressors. Therefore, you are less likely to be able to stay out all night, for example. Since both in anthropology and biology such a lack of elasticity is associated with age, and gets increasingly worse with time, in colloquial terms we are old." Jemma informed them, receiving disbelieving blinks from the other two.
"And you just made me need another drink." Bobbi groaned.
"I think I liked it better when I thought I was born in '89." Daisy joked.
Jemma laughed at her friends. "I prefer to think of age like wine. It keeps getting better."
Daisy and Bobbi chuckled and agreed that, yes, that was definitely what was happening to them. Back on the jet again Bobbi hit the autopilot to take them home. They continued to laugh and joke, but the closer they came to the Playground the more Jemma got lost in her thoughts. She needed evidence against "Fitz" and she wasn't quite sure how to get it.
Back at base Jemma, Daisy, and Bobbi all spent some time in the hangar to say their goodbyes, their merriment causing their voices to become louder than they realized. They remembered the time and hushed each other, exchanging comments about how fun this was and making well-intentioned promises to 'do this again soon' that would likely not be kept. At the end of this ritual they turned to go inside when they saw May standing firmly between them and the door with her arms crossed, looking sterner than usual.
"Do you want to tell me where you've been?" She asked dryly. It was evident she did not approve of Daisy's definition of "necessity" when it came to borrowing a Quinjet.
"It was Daisy's idea." Bobbi said quickly.
Jemma followed Bobbi's lead, chuckling nervously. "Yeah, I didn't even want to go!"
"You should probably have a talk with her about that. So I'll see you tomorrow then?" Bobbi said cheerfully against May's critical stare.
"Yes, sleep well!" Jemma agreed and they both darted, leaving Daisy still standing there in shock and feeling very much thrown under the bus.
"Thanks guys!" She yelled sarcastically after them. The last thing Jemma saw as she looked over her shoulder was Daisy giving May a cross between a grimace and an apologetic smile and she hoped there would still be a Daisy to see tomorrow morning.