"Underground"
It was dark, so very dark, and Jemma tried to keep taking deep breaths. She pulled out her phone, and going against horror movie clichés, the battery was very nearly full. She used the light to see around the lab.
Some of the specialists, no doubt, had been mucking around with explosive devices which hadn't been properly tested yet. Jemma had been downstairs, trying to find the remote which would control the explosions, as all the others had been removed as some sort of prank. Honestly, they should never let anyone other than scientists on campus!
Unfortunately, something had gone wrong, and now Jemma was underground, below very unstable floors in a compromised building. At least the wi-fi was intact, and she checked the academy's Twitter account…
Oh.
Complete evac until site declared safe. Notify staff if you're in trouble. Teams will be sent in after evaluation. #cave-in #SHIELD
There were other tweets from students, but no one else appeared to be downstairs. It was understandable; Jemma had only come down for the remote control, and she had to obtain a pass to do so.
Well, the building couldn't collapse on her, no matter the ominous creaking from the ceiling. She had yet to meet her soulmate, with his – or possibly her – cheesy pick-up line. She couldn't die before then.
Part of the ceiling crackled and fell. She yelped, and pushed herself back, coughing at the dust stirred up. There was a groan from just outside, and she crawled to the doorway. A man out in the corridor, rubbing his head as he leaned against a wall. He looked up as she shuffled out, and waved. Jemma moved to his side to inspect him for any possible injuries, and placed her phone beside her with the torch setting on.
Gosh, but he was handsome. Dark hair, dark eyes… well, everything down here was dark, but the whites of his eyes were bright enough in the glow of her mobile phone, and she smiled as she pulled his hand away from his head.
"So what's a nice girl like you doing in a disaster like this?" he said.
Jemma sat on her heels. It felt like the world was about to come crashing down on her. Perhaps it now would.
"I could very well ask you the same question," she said, a lump forming in her throat. She sat beside him, tears coming to her eyes, and leaned against him as he swore.
"What a time to meet my soulmate," he muttered.
"We might die down here."
"The rescue teams will find us."
"I was so sure I'd get out because I hadn't found you yet, but now you're here, and…" She sniffled, and he wound an arm around her side.
"I'm sorry," he said. "I think I said something terribly trite?"
"You did, you did," she said, smiling as she rubbed the tears from her cheeks. "Hello. In case we die soon," she held out her hand, "I'm Jemma Simmons."
"You're a student here?"
"Yes."
"So you're a doctor?"
"That's right. From England."
"So I can tell," he said, and she noticed his eyes shining in amusement. He really was attractive, and under other circumstances she might have considered herself quite fortunate. As it was, they might die in each other's arms. Not a bad way to go, but then they'd never gone on a date together, barely had a conversation.
"You're from the UK as well," she said.
"That I am."
"Are you a student?"
"Not even a doctorate to my name. I'm just passing through."
"Right." She turned her head to look at him again, and was horrified to notice a slight trickle of dark liquid from his hairline. "Oh! I was going to… Wait a moment." She knelt up and used her phone to inspect the damage. "Does it hurt a great deal?"
"I can't feel any pain when I look at you."
Jemma closed her eyes, in pain herself, and rested her nose in his hair. It smelt dusty, and she nearly sneezed. He squeezed her waist, and she looked down at him.
"I banged it on the edge of a table when the explosion shook the building, and I fell down," he said. "I was mid-step; I'm not normally that clumsy."
"It was a big explosion," she said. "I'm lucky I wasn't near anything, else I might have hurt myself as well." She wiped away the blood. "Do you feel dizzy?"
"Not from that."
"Would you stop flirting? This is hardly the time for it. If… if you are flirting?"
"I am flirting," he said dryly. "You're a physicist?"
"Bio-chemist, predominantly."
"All the same when it comes to flirting. It seems that the more attractive the scientist, the less likely they are to notice someone's interest in them."
Jemma patted her hair down, not that it did her any good. "It's still awful timing."
"And if it's the only time we have left?"
She knelt back down to his level again, setting her phone aside.
"You haven't told me your name," she said.
"I'd rather save my breath for other things," he said, leaning in, and leaving her that last inch. She heard the foundations creak again, and met his lips.
If this was it, she wasn't going without a kiss.
It seemed most unromantic, being snogged half to death on the floor of a building that may collapse upon them at any moment, but Jemma couldn't bring herself to care. She might die, so damned if she wasn't going to enjoy herself with her soulmate for however long they had left. She spread her legs when he touched her inner thighs, and he lay between them, one hand cupping her head and the other under her back. She curled one leg around his, and held on for dear life.
"Keep kissing me," she whined when he raised his head. The numerous little kisses along her neck didn't count. "Please."
"Of all the days to meet you," he said.
"Please, don't stop."
Her ring-tone interrupted them, and she groaned.
"Fitz, no," she said.
"Fitz?"
"My best friend. That's our ring-tone for each other." He handed her the phone. "Thank you." She answered it. "Yes, Fitz? Still below ground. No, I'm not alone. One other person. I'm fine, we're both… as well as can be expected. Don't panic, Fitz! It does sound as though the ceiling may collapse on us at any given moment, but… How long? An hour? Where should we…? Very well. No, I'm mainly concerned about the amount of washing I'll have to do." Her soulmate chuckled into her skin, and Jemma smiled despite the ludicrous situation. "We'll wait there. Yes, see you in an hour or so." She ended the call, and sighed. "I hope."
"Whatever will we do for an hour?"
"No idea, but I know where we have to go. One of the vaults. It's cold, but we can leave the door propped open. Very strong. Apparently it's based on a bunker?"
"Then let's go." He rolled off and held out a hand to help her stand up. He played with her ponytail as they walked. "An hour?"
"Before we're rescued," she said. "At the most, according to Fitz."
"I can do a great deal in an hour."
"I'm sure you can."
"But?"
"But… it's not exactly hygienic."
He burst out laughing, and Jemma winced.
"How sweet you are," he said. "I wouldn't take you all the way on a first date."
"Does this count as a date?"
"No."
"Do you want to… bond?"
He cupped her face. "Definitely not so soon. If these were our last minutes on Earth… but they aren't."
"Won't you tell me your name?"
"Sunil," he murmured, and he nuzzled her nose.
SHIELD fell. HYDRA was exposed. Fitz nearly died, and Jemma was going spare. When Director Coulson gave her an undercover assignment, she jumped at the chance to do something useful, something necessary. It was terrifying, but she'd been frightened for her life before and came out of it unscathed. Admittedly, being rescued from a building which was about to fall apart was quite different, and she'd had her soulmate by her side.
They'd escaped relatively unscathed. He'd promised to find her, before being led off by a medical team. But then he was a specialist, she presumed, and they had long-term undercover assignments, so when she didn't hear from him she assumed that he was off the grid. Then she was caught up with the 616 team, dragged into danger again and again. So much for thinking that a plane would be any safer than an underground lab.
Although those vaults did give her some very pleasant memories…
Then, as stated before, SHIELD fell. Everything went crazy. Jemma Simmons was wiped from every system, her parents were informed that she was 'dead' (they probably knew that she was still alive), and then she was trapped under the ocean. Far less pleasant memories were stirred up, and she wished that Sunil was there. At least Fitz was…
Declaring non-platonic feelings for her, because he still didn't know.
Everything had gone wrong, and she just wanted to get away for awhile. Coulson sneaked her out of the Playground after an intense couple of weeks of undercover training with both the director and May. Then she was on her own, infiltrating HYDRA the way that terrorist organisation had infiltrated SHIELD at the start: through science.
It was nerve-wracking, but she hid her nerves under her clothes, her haircut, behind her goggles. Behind her first love, science.
She was doing this for her family. For SHIELD.
For science.
What HYDRA intended to do with it? It was despicable, and went against all her moral codes. All the great scientists would be horrified, and Jemma felt unclean for playing her part, even though that's all it was. A role in a twisted pantomime. Mr. Mole from Wind in the Willows she wasn't.
Then she got into a lift at work one day, nearly running late, with the person she truly least expected.
"Oh my God," she said, staring at him. Sunil's eyes widened, but he didn't reply. Little wonder; they weren't alone. A woman with dark hair was beside him, and a man with glasses and grey hair.
"Late?" the woman asked, looking Jemma up and down.
"I'm usually at least twenty minutes early. It'll only be about two minutes today."
"Don't make a habit out of being only a little bit early every day." Jemma blushed when she realised that the woman was teasing.
"Do you usually have women saying 'Oh my God' when they see you, Bakshi?" the man with glasses asked.
"No, Mr. Whitehall," Sunil replied. So his last name was Bakshi. Why did that name seem familiar? But then…
"Oh, I'm so sorry, sir," Jemma said, eyes widening. She knew exactly who Daniel Whitehall was.
"I'm curious about your reaction," Whitehall said, glancing at Sunil with a questioning eyebrow tilt. Sunil cleared his throat.
"Dr. Simmons and I met some time ago," he said. "I was unable to contact her, and then she dropped off the radar completely." He half-smiled. "We're soulmates."
"Really?" the woman said.
"Yes," Jemma said. Oh Lord. Her soulmate was HYDRA. She knew her face must have fallen an alarming extent, because the other three frowned. "I… I hope you're grateful that we're in a crowded lift, otherwise I might've been tempted to slap you on sight for making me wait this long. But I suppose… I can't complain." She forced herself to smile. "I was beginning to think I'd never see you again."
Then the lift stopped on her level, and her heart sank again. She stepped out, and looked back at Sunil.
"I'll find you later," he said. "I promise."
"You'd better," she said, and the doors closed.
Of course, the next time she saw him – the first time alone – was when he was confronting her about Donnie Gill. She was aware that favouritism couldn't be shown, and that there would undoubtedly be cameras and bugs.
"What else are you hiding?" he asked. She could tell by the way that his hands twitched slightly that he didn't want to be interrogating her, and it gave her a warm feeling.
"I didn't want to corrupt my analysis, analysis which I'd done before I knew who it was. I… I barely knew him."
"You saved his life," he said.
"Only because I happened to be at the academy giving a lecture," she said.
"You seem nervous."
She was tempted to scoff, but before she had the chance, he sat on the table beside the file, looking at her seriously.
"Is this about us?"
You're HYDRA, she thought. "You're my boss," she said.
"Not really."
"No, but you must be higher up the chain than I am."
"Nothing I can do about that, Jemma."
"Now you call me Jemma?" she asked, but she smiled to take the sting out of it. He chuckled.
"This is incredibly awkward," he said, shaking his head.
"You… don't have to do anything. If you don't want to."
"Such as?"
"Well…" Cheekiness reared its spy-ish head. "Me, for example."
He shifted on the table, averting his eyes. "The thought crossed my mind."
"We're soulmates, Mr. Bakshi."
"You can call me Sunil, when we're alone."
She held out a hand, and he cupped it in his. Calluses. What kind of work did he do for Whitehall?
"Where are your loyalties?" he asked, tracing each of her fingers.
"W-with science," she said, stuttering at the tickle. He raised an eyebrow without looking at her. "You can't expect me to answer properly when you're doing that."
"I remember how sensitive your skin is," he said, and he lowered her hand. He finally met her eyes again, and they hardened. "You know I have to keep questioning you."
"Professional while here, less… professional elsewhere?"
He gave her a small smile, and slid off the table. "I'm sorry if I appear abrupt at times, but—"
"No, I understand." She did, unfortunately. "We both have our jobs to do. I won't think any less of you for doing yours." Except she did think less of him. He worked for HYDRA, and would obviously presume that she was on their side. A natural presumption, considering that they were soulmates.
"Let's discuss your previous employer," he said, walking around the back of her chair.
Coulson visited her again. She'd told him about Donnie the previous night, and she wasn't expecting another visit so soon. Something must have been wrong.
"You tell me," he said. "Has something happened in the last twenty-four hours?"
She let out a breath slowly. "This is… bad."
"Then you really should tell me. Unless you're pregnant, in which case… No, you'd still have to tell me."
"Sir!"
"What?"
"I… I…"
"What is it, Simmons?"
Her shoulders slumped, and she sat at the kitchen table. He perched on a chair opposite her, and she buried her face in her hands, feeling everything crashing down on her. The tears came and wouldn't stop.
"When I was at the academy… before joining the bus… I met my soulmate," she said between heaving gasps of air. "We didn't see each other… again… until today. He w-works for HYDRA." She peeked through her fingers, but the only change to Coulson's sympathetic expression was a slight wince. "Sir…"
"I'm so sorry, Simmons."
"Oh God, what do I do?"
"…Do you want me to pull you?"
"What?" She sat up straight again, wiping the tears from her cheeks. "No. No, they seem to trust me. My loyalty was tested, and I came out on top. I saved my soulmate's life, though I'm not sure how much of that was instinct and how much was the job." She shrugged. "You know I'd never betray SHIELD—"
"Of course not."
"But if he expects certain things of me…"
"Simmons," Coulson said sharply, "never do anything you're uncomfortable with when it comes to… that."
"He's my soulmate, sir."
"Who is he?"
"Sunil Bakshi. Have you…? You've heard of him."
"I have. Works directly for Whitehall."
She sniffed, and used Coulson's offered handkerchief to wipe her hands, her eyes, and her cheeks. Just tears; she couldn't stand those people who used other people's hankies for any bodily fluid other than tears.
"What do you want me to do about him, sir?" she asked. "Whatever I have to. Just tell me."
"Simmons—"
"I may not be able to charm every man or woman in sight like Natasha Romanov, but he's my soulmate."
"Don't sell yourself for information."
"I doubt he would give it to me," she said. "But I can't turn him away forever, or he'll get suspicious. And what if he eventually demanded a bond?"
"Don't let him demand—"
"Very well, what if he asked for one? It would look pretty suspicious to refuse that, too."
He sighed. "Let me think about it. But there are things I would never ask you to do, not even for SHIELD's sake."
Jemma had very little time. The next day Sunil asked her on a date, and she said yes. It was an instinctive reaction, but his smile was bright enough to lift her spirits. Despite all the horrendous goings-on at HYDRA, she felt some small amount of happiness just in seeing her soulmate look at her like she was worth a fortune.
The date was lovely. Dinner, because their evening wasn't interrupted by anything else, and they didn't even discuss work. It had been so long since Jemma had a date, months before they'd met and never since.
"I thought of you every night," she said, holding his hand as they walked in the cool air.
"And last night?" he asked. She looked at the ground.
"You were shot dead," she said. "In my nightmares. Took me ages to get back to sleep."
"That explains why you look tired today," he said. "I thought it was just because of the fieldwork."
"I'm glad I was there to push you out of the way."
"Not everyone would have had the same reaction."
She leaned into his side. "We've only got each other as soulmates."
"Only?" She glanced up, and made a face when he smirked, his eyebrows raised.
"You're more than enough for me," she said.
"What do you think about, when you think of me?"
Since yesterday? Only horror.
"What happened in that hour we had together," she said. "Those kisses. The touches… in so many places." She could feel how hot her cheeks were, and it only got worse when he stopped, tilted her chin up, and kissed her. Just like he had that first time. She wound her arms around his neck, fully aware that she was kissing a HYDRA agent, assistant to Daniel Whitehall himself, and that she wasn't entirely disgusted. She knew it was because they were soulmates, so there was a natural connection there.
"I'll do this right," he whispered into her mouth.
"You're still higher up than I am—"
"That may change soon."
"Oh?"
He kissed her again, briefly. "It's not favouritism that made me suggest… a sort of promotion for you. You'll get to sit in on a meeting with Whitehall."
"But… when we met—"
"I think he was amused, but he's more impressed since the assignment with Gill. He trusts my assessment of you. And I'll be there." He stroked her cheek. "Your blush reminds me of an English rose."
"Sunil…"
"Let me court you?"
"How chivalrous."
"It's strategic, I'll have you know," he said, sounding almost affronted. She laughed.
"Of course it is," she said. "High level agents aren't romantics. It would be sacrilege to imply otherwise."
"Cheeky."
At home, Director Coulson was waiting. Jemma sat opposite him at the kitchen table, noting the lack of groceries.
"Do you have a plan?" she asked.
"How far undercover are you willing to go?" he said. She twiddled her thumbs on the tabletop, and considered the question.
"As I said, however far you need me to go… I will," she said.
"Long-term? I can trust… no, of course I can trust you. But I need to know that you're strong enough."
"It won't be hard to seduce him, sir. He knows how clumsy I am when it comes to social interactions, and he seems to like me."
"Do his kisses say that?"
"Sir!"
"You're the one with swollen lips here, Simmons."
She sighed. "I hate the thought that I'm lying to my soulmate. I know that it's imperative…"
"I believe that you're soulmates with him because you can use that to your advantage," Coulson said. "You have a big enough heart to love anyone, no matter the words on your skin. This is a big decision to make—"
"I'll do it."
"…Even if he doesn't survive?"
It hurt her heart to think about it, a reaction to the thought of harm coming to her soulmate. But he would do the same thing, she told herself.
"There are more important things in life," she said. "The world, for example." She gave the director a half-hearted smile, and he patted her hand.
"That's the spirit," he murmured. "I'm so sorry about this, Simmons."
"Does this mean I have to cut ties with the whole team on a long-term basis?"
"I'm afraid so."
That would be hard; they were her only family. Sunil would have to become her family. She blinked back imminent tears, and nodded.
"I'll do it," she said. "I don't know how long I can work at HYDRA, at least not actively creating weapons."
"Don't get involved in any more than you have to. Get whatever information you can for us, but never get caught."
Jemma snorted softly. "I thought I'd been doing that?"
"No more drops. Stay by his side when you can. Skye will open up a secure email account for you, so we can stay in touch through any device you can get your hands on. I was wondering whether you had any ideas?"
"About getting information to you?"
"In any secret way."
"How very World War Two, with ciphers and everything."
"Simmons," he said flatly.
"Erm… Newspaper classifieds?"
"A bit too obvious, and sometimes hard to get."
"Well, what about a blog? If I develop an online persona, something completely unrelated to work in case HYDRA finds out. Perhaps I could start baking, and post pictures and recipes?" She hummed. "Everyone seems to like food blogs nowadays."
"Have a favourite dish that you change every so often, and specific ingredients—"
"Can imply different messages. Yes!"
"Work out the code, and email it to us. Better yet, just write it down so it's untraceable. I can take it next time I'm here."
"Even though it may be the last?"
He sighed. "Yes. It probably will."
"You'll… look after the others, won't you? Tell them… something?"
"Yes, Simmons. Just keep under the radar when you can. Anyone could use you to get to us, and that would put us in an impossible position."
"How long do you suppose…?"
"As long as it takes," Coulson said. "But we'll try to keep it as short as possible."
Three months later
The dates with Sunil continued to be enjoyable, made more so by their randomness, it seemed. Jemma hated what HYDRA was doing, and sometimes spoke about it with Sunil, even though she stayed neutral on the subject, mainly discussing the science. He confessed to knowing little about the topic, but that he was happy to listen to her, surrounded as they were by foreign accents.
It was incredibly difficult not to fall in love with him. The only way she could stop herself was imagining the blood on his hands. There'd been rumours of a mole, and Jemma was surprised when someone else was arrested. But Agent Morse had introduced herself as the head of security at HYDRA, and that Sunil was the one who made traitors suffer. Jemma pictured his hands around her throat, or striking her, or wielding some instrument of torture.
…Very well. That was a lie. She couldn't imagine him ever hurting her, which was the worst thing. She was failing to demonise a man who worked for the enemy.
Part of her time at HYDRA was made more difficult by those sucking up to her. As Sunil's soulmate, they were clearly hoping to curry favour with her, which was ridiculous. He could never be so unprofessional. But she allowed it, because it helped her gain more information which she passed on in the occasional email.
Then there was her blog. She started with a small readership, which slowly grew. And then someone mentioned it on another site and she was bombarded with followers, and requests for her to go on Twitter. It was an excellent idea, really; if she was out on a date with Sunil, she tweeted pictures of the food and her opinion of it. And if a picture with known agents of HYDRA ended up on there briefly, before being changed after Skye had saved it, well then, no one needed to know.
Sunil knew about her hobby, of course, and laughed whenever she whipped out her phone on a date. The pictures she took of the two of them together were private, though.
But she was in trouble the day he got down on one knee in the middle of a meeting at HYDRA and asked her to marry him. She knew that the strategic thing to do would be to say yes, but that wasn't what prompted her to accept him, to many cheers. She tried not to think about that, and instead tweeted the news afterwards, knowing it would get to SHIELD swiftly.
The long email she received from Coulson was something else altogether. She read it between staring at the sparkly ring on her finger, heart pounding as she attempted to justify the whole mess to herself. Not that her boss wasn't supportive; the most uncomfortable thing was that he kept apologising for putting her in this position.
However, she was upset that she couldn't have her family and friends at the ceremony. She knew by now that her parents were following her on Twitter and the blog – thank you, Skye – and resolved to post some pictures online, as long as she could get HYDRA's permission. At least one wedding photo would be alright, she felt. They didn't frown on her online activities, because she didn't talk about work. (That they knew of. And their patterns analyst didn't take social media seriously, so she knew he wouldn't be looking too closely.)
What worried her the most when it came to the honeymoon was the bonding. There was so much conflicting lore about soulmateship. She was pretty sure that hearing each other's thoughts was a myth, but vague feelings projection was well-documented.
She'd simply have to keep away from him at work. She could justify it by saying that she didn't want him cornering her in an empty office and distracting her from science.
After coming up with a thousand and one contingency plans, Jemma decided (hoped) that it would be worth the risk.
…It was.
Seventeen months later
Living a lie wasn't as hard as Jemma feared it would be. Her blog was gaining momentum, and it was a good way to distract herself during the first pregnancy.
She hid it from Sunil and work for as long as she could, but eventually it was noticeable, much to her dismay and her soulmate's apparent delight. It was her turn to apologise to Director Coulson in a long, emotional email. It had honestly been an accident, and she was forced to take time off work. It was one thing to be kicked out of the labs in case chemical fumes did something to the foetus; it was quite another to be kicked out of admin during the third trimester. Sunil just smiled whenever she shouted at him, waited for her to run out of steam, and then kissed her.
Very romantic, and very hard for her to take when she was supposed to be spying for SHIELD. It was made slightly easier when the head of security – "Please, call me Bobbi away from the office" – brought around things for Jemma to work on before she went stir-crazy. She kept it from Sunil, and Bobbi winked and said it was their secret. If the woman hadn't been HYDRA, Jemma would have quite liked her.
The first child was born without complication. Ann Frances Bakshi took after her mother and, according to Sunil, his mother as well.
"I've never met her," Jemma said.
"She keeps to herself."
Her blog had turned half into a pregnancy diary, and people had actually charted her changing tastes by her food posts. That should have been a warning sign.
It was adorable, the way Sunil took to fatherhood. He scrubbed himself thoroughly after work, because Jemma refused to let him touch Ann if there was even a hint of someone else's blood on his hands.
The one thing stopping her from falling in love with him. Because everything else he did was so damn wonderful that she couldn't believe her luck. He waited out mood swings, helped with the cleaning, took at least half of the responsibility in pretty much everything, and still insisted on making lo… on sleeping with her. Even when she felt horribly out of shape after the pregnancy, he didn't just reassure her or offer half-hearted advice. He actually went out of his way to help her get back into shape.
All for nought when she went and fell pregnant again. She ignored Skye's remarks in that email. And the fact that everyone else seemed to know before her, due to comparisons made to her earlier blog entries from when she'd been pregnant with Ann.
That patterns analyst must have started working – or been replaced – because one afternoon Sunil came home an hour early. Instead of going straight to Ann after washing his hands, he sat on the coffee table in front of Jemma and leaned forward.
"What have you been doing, Jemma?" he asked softly. She blinked.
"The same that I do every day," she said.
"Which is?"
She narrowed her eyes. "Sunil, you know perfectly well what I do every day."
"And the extra-curricular work?"
"…Which?"
"Take your pick," he snapped. "The files I know you look over for Morse. The social media. The fact that a pattern has shown up suggesting that you've been giving information to SHIELD."
…Bother.
"What?" she said, laughing. "Don't be daft."
"Explain this," he said, pulling out a folded piece of paper and presenting it to her. She scanned it, and her stomach dropped. The codes. They were so close to the codes that it was frightening, and she needed to alert the others now. The time suggested that it had only been printed thirty-odd minutes ago, probably handed straight to Sunil before he left. Perhaps the reason he left early?
"It's… it's just a coincidence," she said, handing it back. "I'm sorry. It must have been subconsciously done. But… no one would ever think to look… I mean, why would someone…? You must believe me, Sunil."
"Even though the evidence says otherwise?"
"It's nonsense! You know I would never betray you."
"Or HYDRA?"
"We both work for HYDRA."
"I get the feeling that you don't," he said quietly, and he stood up. Jemma shrank back in the cushions, her hands cupping her stomach. She didn't raise her head as Sunil walked away. He swore vehemently, but Ann was asleep.
"It's a coincidence," Jemma insisted. "You know I find patterns in my own mind. It's entirely possible that I began to associate certain dishes with…" She breathed out gradually. "Who would ever think to even look at my blog for… I don't know, clues?"
"A SHIELD agent might."
"Sunil—"
"I didn't need this kind of attention," he said, half to himself. "Now they're going to watch closely. Damn it."
"I'm—"
"Don't say you're sorry again, Jemma, don't you dare say it!" She closed her mouth quickly. "This… this is partly my fault."
"What is? You didn't encourage me to—"
"I asked you to marry me."
She swallowed. "Do you regret it?"
"Yes."
"Oh." It shouldn't have hurt as much as it did – she really should have been more worried about losing her cover – but he was her soulmate.
"I was… using you, in a way," he said. "And trying to protect myself and my mission by keeping you pregnant and at home, away from the labs. Even then, you still got information from HYDRA, still worked for them. Or I thought you did."
"Sunil? You're not making any sense."
"I would be if you knew the whole truth," he said.
"Don't tell me you're a mole," she said, chuckling lightly. Sunil's eyes narrowed as he looked over his shoulder at her.
"Why did you emphasise 'you're'?" he asked. "It sounded as though there should have been an 'as well' on the end of that sentence. Implying more than one mole within HYDRA. Who else, Jemma? You? Morse?"
"What? No! Neither of us. Well, as far as I'm aware." Her heart raced. She'd gotten away with this for over a year and a half, something she never thought she'd be capable of, once upon a time.
"You're saying that you definitely work for HYDRA?"
"Of course."
"Not just for 'science', but for that organisation."
'That organisation'. Not 'our organisation' or 'my organisation'. Interesting.
"What did you mean before, when you referred to your mission?" she said. "And that you married me to use me?"
"I'm… I'm sorry. That came out badly. You know I… care about you."
"Feeling the love there, Sunil."
"This isn't funny, Jemma! My mission has been compromised by you. I know that the marriage wasn't necessarily a good idea, but it was one way to keep you close, and getting you pregnant—"
"Did you tamper with the contraceptives?" He half-grimaced. "I don't believe this!"
"You're too talented. You were furthering HYDRA's cause, although now I'm thinking you were a spy all along."
She hesitated. "Wait a moment. Furthering HYDRA's cause. Isn't that something you want?"
"What I want…" He sighed, and then sat beside her. Jemma inched away, nervous, and he dropped his hands to his lap, looking into the distance. "I do what I have to, but I don't like it. Always the shades of grey."
"Who do you work for?"
"My mother."
"Your mother?"
"And my father and their colleagues, when they were alive."
"Who is your mother?"
"Who do you work for, Jemma?" He met her eyes. "No more lies between us."
"…SHIELD," she admitted. "Director Coulson sent me in. I had no idea you would be there. He… encouraged me towards you."
"Ah." He nodded. "We're victims of the same machinations."
"Who does your mother work for?"
"No one, really."
"Sunil!"
"She's… on the World Security Council. The only living member at the moment. My father was on the council as well. Not the warmest childhood, but I can't complain. I've been gathering intel for the WSC for years. That's why I was underground the day we met. I'm good at locating people and information; my codename with the WSC… only my mother now, is Bloodhound. HYDRA was happy enough to snap me up when I didn't show a preference either way. They figured they'd convinced me, and it was better than being brainwashed. I've had training on how to counteract it."
"I was never…?"
"No, from what I can tell. You've never been brainwashed, and certainly not by HYDRA. I'd know."
"Good." She stared at her hands, entwined and resting on her baby bump. "So… how has this compromised your mission?"
"Part of the reason HYDRA accepted you is that soulmates wouldn't have conflicting interests," he explained. "They believed me to be on their side, so they believed that of you, particularly after you proved your loyalty. Now that that's being called into question, they're going to look at me, wonder whether I've been naughty as well."
"Oh."
"Yes."
"…I'm sorry, Sunil. I had no idea."
"You weren't supposed to know. I've only told you because there doesn't seem point in keeping it secret any longer." He massaged the bridge of his nose, and Jemma tentatively covered his free hand. He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye, but didn't say anything else.
"What do we do now?" she asked. "I should let Coulson know…"
"Of course," he said. "Then we should pack. They don't have our real address, and we're not tracked, nor are we bugged."
"But…" Jemma paled. "Bobbi… Agent Morse, she visits."
"How did she get our address?"
"I don't know! The only people who know where we live are us and Director Coulson. And, presumably, your mother."
"Yes, but she'd never tell anyone," he said. "Not without telling me. Is it… is it possible that Agent Morse works for SHIELD?"
Jemma was already firing up her tablet. "I'll ask."
"I'll begin packing the essentials. We'll need somewhere safer to go."
"I can't take you to the Playground. That would be against protocol, and I doubt it's safe for Ann."
"We need to get the information to someone who can help," he said, poking his head around the door to the hallway. "Is there anyone we can trust? Anyone Coulson would trust?"
"You mean aside from Captain America?" she asked with a small grin, typing an email to her boss. She stopped, and looked up at Sunil, who raised an eyebrow.
"Sir?"
"Yeah, JARVIS?" Tony asked, throwing a piece of popcorn at Clint, who caught it in his mouth deftly.
"Someone is outside the gates, waving at the camera."
"Show us, J."
The digital – no grainy analogue for a Stark – image showed a woman in the early stages of pregnancy holding a large sheet of paper. It said 'Coulson lives'.
"The hell?" Clint said, nearly falling off the back of the sofa.
"Facial recognition scans give her identification both as Dr. Jemma Simmons, formerly of SHIELD, and Dr. Jemma Bakshi, nee Simmons, now of HYDRA."
"HYDRA?" Steve said, his face taking on the hard look associated solely with discussing the Nazi science division.
"She is married to Sunil Bakshi, who works directly for Daniel Whitehall at HYDRA."
"What does she want?" Tony asked.
The young woman listened to the speaker by the door, and then replied, glancing at the camera every couple of seconds.
"She says that she and her husband are on the run from HYDRA, and she has information about Director Phil Coulson of SHIELD."
"We're armed," Natasha said. "Bruce, are you up for this?"
"I've had more than enough popcorn to be ready for anything," he said.
"Thor?"
"Never readier," he replied.
They all went down to the gates to meet Dr. Bakshi. Her eyes were big and scared, and she was holding onto the gate for dear life.
"I work for Director Coulson," she whispered. "I was undercover for nearly two years. Now that's been blown, so my husband and I are on the run. I can't take him to SHIELD base, not yet."
"Who does he work for?" Steve asked.
"Neither HYDRA nor SHIELD. But he wants to protect us. He's waiting in the car with the baby. Please, could we stay here? We have information I'm sure you could use."
"Sir," JARVIS said through the speaker at the gate, "I believe that she may be telling the truth about her loyalties."
Tony scrolled through the display on his phone, and the others looked over his shoulders.
"I know this blog," Bruce said. "You use organic food."
"I have ethical standards, you know!" She sounded indignant. Although Coulson was the one who'd truly converted her.
"Wait, this is the one that's popped up as using code for HYDRA activity," Tony said, holding up a finger. He studied the young woman. "Were you passing information on to SHIELD?"
"On Coulson's orders, yes."
"And he's really alive?" Clint said, his arms folded defensively.
"Yes, he is. I've handled his medical records personally. I'd be happy… well, not happy, because it was horrible, but I'd be willing to tell you all that I know. But please, may we have shelter? Just until I can get the director's permission to bring Sunil and Ann to the Playground?"
Tony sighed. "Come in. But know that you're surrounded by super humans."
"How could I possibly forget?" she muttered.
Sunil had parked the car downstairs while Jemma waited with the Avengers. When he emerged from the lift, he handed Ann over to her immediately, and turned to Agent Romanov.
"I think I should start by thanking you," he said.
"Uh, my house?" Stark said.
"For saving my mother's life," Sunil continued, ignoring Stark, which seemed to be the sensible solution.
"Your mother?" Romanov said.
"Councilwoman Hawley, from the WSC? My father was Councilman Singh, but I grew up in England because he was married. She was all the family I had left until Jemma, so… thank you."
Romanov frowned, but she nodded. "You're welcome."
"So you work for the World Security Council?" Captain Rogers said.
"The great irony is that the WSC doesn't like secrecy, not from organisations such as SHIELD," Sunil said. "I found what I was asked to find, reported it, and after SHIELD fell I let myself be approached by HYDRA. I worked for them, by all appearances, but my loyalty is with my mother. And the rest of my family now." He squeezed Jemma's shoulder, and she half-smiled at him. In the past few hours, the world as she knew it had been turned on its head. But she couldn't complain about her new situation. No. Not at all.
"Speaking of family, what do you know about Coulson?" Agent Barton asked her.
"…Perhaps we ought to sit down?" she suggested.
A week later
"You did good, Bobbi," Phil said, patting her on the shoulder after she stumbled out of the burning building. "You kept her safe for as long as you could, and the information you got to her was incredible valuable."
"Sorry," she said, and she coughed into his shoulder. "Couldn't keep her away. From him."
"Well, it turns out he wasn't on HYDRA's side after all," he said, leading Bobbi away from the labs. They'd probably explode soon.
"Everyone okay?"
"The rest of the gang's over here," he said.
"Bobbi?" Hunter said. "What the hell—?"
"Let's leave that for later," Phil said, handing Bobbi over to Trip, who gave her water and a shock blanket. It was good to be on the side of the law again, especially when it meant rapid-response ambulances.
"Your hair—"
"Shut up, Hunter!" Bobbi snapped.
"DC, we've got incoming!" Skye called.
"Who?"
"The, uh… the Avengers?"
He blinked about two seconds before Iron Man landed behind him.
"We need to talk, Phil."
"What happened to 'Agent'?" he asked, trying to regain his equilibrium.
"Jemma told us you're the director now. Or is it Director Agent Coulson?"
"Simmons is with you?" Phil said.
"All three of them are staying with us."
"Thank God she's safe."
"Yeah, and that you're alive. When were you gonna tell us? Oh, fine. Jemma says 'hello', and to 'stop gabbing like a pair of old crones', and… what was that? 'Get on with it', she said. So." He waved. "See you afterwards. Don't run off when the clock strikes twelve, Cinderella."
"How is this my life?" Phil said as Iron Man flew away. "Next time I see Nicholas Fury, remind me to punch him in the face."
Indeed.
Ship requested by OneMoreDay. And Lavanyalabelle wanted Twitter to be used for coded messages. The idea of trapping Simmons underground at the start was inspired by the back-story for one of the characters in selmak's 'Jemma Simmons and her Boy Toys'. I thought it might be an interesting idea, that someone thinks they're going to make it out of a dangerous situation because they haven't met their soulmate yet, only they meet their soulmate in that situation and lose hope because of it. (And then the snogging starts, with a months-long break for story-telling purposes.)
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