Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel's Agents of SHIELD. I only own Alex and any other character I may come up with.
A/N: Hey everyone. I'm sorry for the wait. I have no excuse to why I haven't posted this chapter sooner except my own thoughtlessness. It's no excuse and I'm sorry. I want to do better and have regular updates for you. This will be a longish A/N as I have a few things to discuss with you that I have thought about since the last time I posted.
I haven't done this in a while because I haven't really checked and I don't normally. Thank you to all of you that follow and favourite this story. It means a lot to me to see the emails in my inbox. There are 122 of you following and over 60 of you favourited it. Someone even put it in a community, which is very nice of whoever did that. I appreciate every one of you that like this story enough to follow and favourite it. I won't make any promises but I'll do my best to update more frequently then I have.
In the previous A/N I mentioned you would like this chapter and I hope you do. It's a little one on one between Alex and Jemma, something I felt was needed. I did this chapter in Jemma's POV, as we haven't really had many chapters through her point of view. The POV's for this story will mainly be Alex, Skye, Jemma and the sporadic Coulson. I'll have someone else's POV but it will depend on what it going in that specific chapter.
This next part will be about where the story will be heading, as I've been thinking about it a bit while watching the second season. I have come to the decision that this story will follow the first season up to the Hydra mess but without the GH.325 drug that saved Skye and Coulson's life, the alien thing, Skye's father or the obelisk and city that is the second season. I'm just not touching that and doesn't really fit with what I'm going with. Hope that made sense and you're all ok with that. (If you did not, say something and I'll make it clear in the next A/N or reply to your comment.) I started writing this story before Skye got shot and everything with Hydra happened and was going to stick with the show as much as possible but with Alex added as a member. Instead of what the show is actually focusing on, my story will focus on Alex and all the mysteries that surround her. I have some ideas and I guess that is what I have been busy with.
This is the second last thing, I swear. As I've been writing later chapters, I've wondered something that I want your opinion on. In Iron Man 2 and Avengers and on Wiki page, Natasha's last name is Romanoff but I've seen it spelt Romanov, which I've been using. Do you all have a preference or does it matter? I want to use the correct one but I'm not hundred percent sure, so any help would be much appreciated.
Last thing and it's some news, exciting news (to me anyway). I got a PM asking my permission to translate this story into French and I agreed for them to do it. Their username is Rommie Eva Mitchell. If your first language is French, watch out for that. They haven't posted the translation yet, last I checked.
That's all, enjoy this chapter.
The Hacker, The Biochemist and The Beast
Chapter 12
Chatting over a Cuppa
Jemma's POV
Skye and I were both a little sad to find Alex was already gone when we exited our Pods this morning. We both had hoped to see her one more time before she had to leave to where she is kept here at HQ. Coulson assured us we would see her at lunch. To distract myself, I helped Fitz do an inventory check on what we needed to restock and surprisingly Skye helped. I think she also wanted to do something to keep herself busy. She ignored Ward when he came to get her to train in the training facility they have here at HQ. Since the incident with Alex the other day, she has been giving Ward the cold shoulder when it's not mission related. Skye told me last night she is still unhappy with Ward about what he did to Alex. I agree with her on the fact that he could have seriously hurt Alex if the electric current was higher or he held it down longer on the setting he had it on. Ward left when it was clear Skye wasn't going to come along and in even more brooder way then normal.
When lunch time rolled around, we both made our way to the cafeteria. Fitz tagged along with us as well, his fear of Alex less then it was but still there. Coulson was standing outside the cafeteria doors with a beautiful red headed woman in a blouse and suit pants. They both looked a little concerned as they talked and I had a feeling it was about Alex. The red headed woman schooled her features when she saw us approaching but I could still see the concern in her eyes. Coulson apologize to us before informing us that Alex wouldn't be able to make it for lunch. He wouldn't answer why when Skye asked and told us she might be able to come to dinner but there was a possibility she wouldn't. The red headed woman apologized also and gave us all a small smile before walking down one of the halls.
Lunch was quiet among us, even Fitz was hoping to see Alex again. He wanted to talk to her about the jacket, not having the chance to last night. Skye was unusually quiet for her. I asked if she was alright after Fitz left to go check on something and she just shrugged her shoulders. She confided that she was really hoping to see Alex again and is a little worried about the reason she couldn't come. I told her I was as well but it sounded and looked like Coulson and the red headed woman aren't trying to keep her hidden away or keep her from spending time with us. She agreed and pointed out that Coulson was positive we would see her at lunch. He did look certain we would be seeing Alex and genuinely sorry that he was mistaken. We finished our lunch and Skye asked me to give her a tour of HQ, well to the places she was able to go with the bracelet on her.
Alex didn't make it for dinner, which made Skye and I more worried then we were at lunch. Even Coulson looked a little worried when he came over to our table to tell us. He told us honestly that she was not being kept away from us but didn't elaborate further, much to Skye's annoyance. After dinner, Skye and I went to her guest quarters they assigned her for our stay and watched a movie on the t.v. they have in the room. It felt like a date but neither of us called it that, not feeling right to me to calling it that. I went to my guest quarters next door after with a kiss on the cheek from Skye, close to my lips. When I entered, I plopped down on the bed. My thoughts were going a mile a minute and I knew I wouldn't be able to sleep. Checking the time on my watch, I decided to head to the cafeteria for a late night cup of tea.
That's where I am now, at three minute's past eleven at night, in the cafeteria. I'm slowly drinking my second cup of tea, looking out the floor to ceiling windows that over look the rooftop court yard, thankful that the cafeteria is open all night. The sound of a plate being slid across the table draws my attention away from the windows and look down to a small plate with a muffin on it. I look over to my right to thank the person for the muffin and stop short at who is standing there. With a tray full of food, Alex looks down at me with a small smile and tilt of her head.
"Mind if I join you?" She asks, motioning with her head at the chair opposite me.
"I don't mind at all." I say with a happy smile.
"I don't know what your favourite is so I went with a safe bet and got you blueberry." Alex says as she sets down her tray full of food and slides the chair to sit on. "Unless your allergic to blueberries then I can take it back and get you a different one." She says a little worried upon just realizing this fact.
"I'm not allergic so blueberry is fine." I tell her with a smile and she nods her head. "I didn't think they still had baked goods." I say as I peal off the wrapper on the bottom.
"They don't but I'm friendly with the guy that works the night shift." She says unwrapping her utensils from a napkin. "I saw you sitting here and thought you'd like a little something to go with your tea." Cutting into one of the chickens covered in gravy.
"Your going to eat all of that?" I ask in astonishment at the amount of food she had.
"Sadly, yes I am." She says before eating a forkful of mashed potatoes. "I haven't eaten since breakfast, as well." She adds after swallowing.
"Skipping meals is not good, Alex." I scold her and she slumps her shoulders a little, giving me an apologetic look. "Eating large meals doesn't make up for it, either." Loosing some of the scolding tone to my voice as I watch Alex trying eat a large forkful of peas without any dropping off the fork.
"This is my normal meal size." She says around the mouthful of peas and cutting into the chicken. "Sorry." She mumbles when she takes notice of the look I give her at talking with her mouthful. "I have a large appetite due the added DNA. I'd never be able to eat all of this before." She says after swallowing the peas and gesturing with her knife to the plate of food.
"Being here must nice for you then," I say as she busy's herself with eating her meal. "I'm sure it was hard to find a proper meal before S.H.I.E.L.D. Here you get three meals a day." Continuing my train of thought and Alex nods her head in agreement.
"I'm ashamed to say sometimes I had to resort to stealing food," She says sadly, poking at the second chicken breast with her fork. "Not my finer moments but I had no other means. I had to keep up as much of my strength as I could incase who ever made me found me and I had to run or fight." She explains, staring intently at the chicken she still poking with her fork. I reach slowly across the table and rest my hand on the one holding the knife.
"You did what anyone trying to survive would do." I tell her and she slowly looks up to meet my eyes. A smile slowly creeps onto her face and she nods in agreement. She returns to eating her meal contentedly in silence as I slowly eat the muffin she got for me. I notice that her eyes flick occasionally over my right shoulder but don't linger long.
"What are you doing down here so late?" Alex asks when she is nearly done her meal.
"My thoughts wouldn't slowdown to let me sleep," I answer her carefully, unsure if I should reveal that she was at the center of my racing thoughts. "So I decide that I'd come down to have a cuppa to help relax a little." Raising my half full cup of tea.
"Must be something important to have you sitting alone drinking tea near the middle of the night." Alex observes before finishing off the last of her mashed potatoes.
"You could say that but they have quieted down," I reply back biting my lip to stop from laughing as Alex shoves the last bite of her chicken in her mouth along with what was already in there. She looks like a chipmunk with all that food in mouth. I think, watching amusedly as she tries to chew everything in her mouth. "You should be carefully, your throat muscles are still healing." I tell her half heartedly, to amused to full on scold her.
"They're fine." She's says once she swallows. "Tea must have worked then." She says, getting back on topic.
"It wasn't just the tea." I say quietly, staring into my mug of tea. "I was worried about you, thats why I'm here." I confess, slowly looking up at a surprised Alex.
"Me?" She questions, looking at me with wide eyes and an expression a mixture of surprise and confusion.
"Yes, you," I reply, looking her right in the eye. "Skye and I woke up and you were already gone," I begin to explain and Alex looks apologetically at me. "Coulson assured us that we would see you at lunch but we didn't. He, and a red headed woman, told us that you wouldn't make it to lunch but it wasn't because they were keep you away from us. Coulson said you may come to dinner but…" I trail off, looking back down into my mug.
"I didn't make that either," Alex finishes for me sadly. I nod my head, not looking up from my mug. "I'm sorry, Jemma," She apologizes, tentatively reaching out and covering one of my hands on my mug with one of hers, like I had with her earlier. "I wasn't there when you both woke up because I had left already to speak with A.D. Hill. It didn't go so well and it brought up some unpleasant thoughts. I'm not very good company when that happens and I prefer to be alone. That's where I've been all day. It sometimes takes awhile. I didn't know that I'd be allowed to see you both or I would have tried harder to get out of it. I am sorry." Alex explains, apologizing again at the end.
"You didn't know, so there is no need to apologize," I tell her, looking up at her. "You needed the time to sort through your thoughts, everyone needs that every now and then. Rushing doesn't help either, we would have been able to tell something was bothering you." I say to assure her, moving my hand so I'm holding her hand a little.
"I still feel bad," She says quietly, glancing over my shoulder again. "I think that's what A.D. Hill tried to tell me before I left but I blew her off. Maybe it would have helped if I had known. I don't have many people I can talk with around HQ." Alex confesses a little sadly.
"You don't?" I question but know that everything related to Alex is classified at high levels. I wouldn't be able to know if Coulson wasn't our team leader. I think.
"Nope, just a few people on a regular basis. Most have no idea who I am or what I'm dong here," She answers, running her free index finger around the rim of the bottle of apple juice she had with her dinner. "I'm pretty sure some of the security guards have no clue why they need to guard me. Everyone that had to deal with me in the early days had to sign documents that they wouldn't say anything. Only a select, hand picked few know about me around here. Well, now your team." She adds the last part with a little smile.
"Must still be lonely." I point out, wanting to steering clear of everything else she mentioned. Above my pay grade. I think, taking a sip of my tea.
"Not really," Alex replies, flicking her eyes over my shoulder again. "I'd rather have a couple of people to talk too then nobody at all." She says with a smile, looking at whatever it is over my shoulder.
Curious at to what it is, I turn my head in the direction she is looking at. My eyes widen when they land on the red headed woman who was with Coulson earlier to inform us about Alex. She is sitting at a table near the doors with a mug and a tablet propped up in front of her.
"That's her. The red headed woman I mentioned before." I say, turning back to Alex.
"She's here to keep an eye on me," Alex replies, leaning back in the chair but not letting go of my hand. "We were going to sit together but I spotted you and she insisted I sit with you, not that I needed much prodding too. I wasn't going to let you sit by yourself or the chance to talk to you again. Didn't know I was going to be able to see you all while your here." She says, focusing on the red headed woman behind me.
"Coulson said that you would be able too while we are here," I say, not ignoring the fact she never said the red headed woman's name but letting it go for the time being. "You didn't think you would be?" I ask her and bite my lip when she lets go of my hand to cross her arms.
"No, I didn't," She answers simply and to the point. "My privileges around HQ are limited. I always have someone to escort me around. Usually it's her," Alex points in the direction of the red headed woman. "But she can't always do it. It's usually two or three security guards, depending on how many are walking about," She continues and her tone has hardened just slightly. "It's why I didn't think I'd be able to see any of you again. I only get escorts when I have to be somewhere and I don't think they would waste anyones time to let me walk around the building with all of you." She adds with shrug.
"Your not a threat to anyone." I state firmly and Alex smiles at little.
"I could be though," She replies, resting her crossed arms on the table. "Their just being cautious and I don't blame them. While I don't want my freedom, I'm safer and better off here, there is still the possibility of losing control. The more people that escort me around, the less others will get hurt. It's why they put the chip in my shoulder, as an extra precaution." Alex explains, her tone softening a little from the hardness it had before.
"You seem in control to me." I comment and Alex smiles at me, causing me to lose my breath with how much it lights up her face. She needs to smile more. I think, making a promise to myself to try and get her to smile more.
"That's on the outside." Alex says, pushing her chair back. "Come on, I think it's time for you to get some sleep." Adding my empty mug and plate to her tray before picking it up.
"We'll see each other tomorrow, right?" I ask as we walk over to deposit her tray.
"I'm not sure but I'd like too," She says, placing her tray on one of the racks. "I'd like to apologize to Skye about today, especially if she is as worried as you were." Turning around to face me.
"She'll just be happy your alright," I say as we slowly make our way over to the red headed woman, who is waiting by the doors. "Skye has a bit of an overactive imagination." Chuckling a little with a shake of my head.
"But it's one of the things you like about her." Alex comments with a small smile.
"Yeah, it is." I say fondly and Alex nods her head with that small smile, an unreadable look in her eye. We continue our slow walk in silence.
The red headed woman has a smile on her face as she watches us approach her. She is dressed more casual then she was earlier, probably gotten ready to settle in for the night. From the way she holds herself, I'd say she is a field agent and a skilled one at that. She is quite beautiful and couldn't be much older then I am. I can't help but feel self-conscious with just the three of us.
"We haven't been introduced," The red headed woman says when we reach her. "I'm Agent Romanov. It's nice to meet you." She says holding her hand for me to shake. My eyes widen when I recognize the name.
"I'm Agent Simmons, nice to meet you too." I say in shock at meeting in person the woman behind many rumours and stories.
"I know. I was there when Coulson briefed A.D. Hill." Agent Romanov replies with a little smile. "Thank you for taking care of Alex. I know they weren't serious injuries but she tends to lessen them to avoid treatment. Alex doesn't like doctors." She says in a teasing tone towards Alex, who huffs and crosses her arms.
"See how much you like them after your DNA as been altered," Alex says with crossed arms and narrowed eyes. "Your one to talk anyway. Your just has bad as me when it comes to doctors." She fires back, a small smug smile on her face.
"Fair enough." Agent Romanov say holding up her hands. "You'll see her tomorrow, I promise." She directs to me, while glancing at Alex and pushing a door open with her foot. "For now, good night." She says with a barely there smile, holding open the door Alex with her body.
"Good night, Jemma." Alex says with a little smile, following after Agent Romanov. "Hope you can sleep now." Holding the door for me as I follow her out. She gives me a small wave before following Agent Romanov down one of the halls.
"Good night, Alex." I call after her with a wave, watching them leave for a minute.
With a sigh I slowly turn to head down the hall that will lead back to my guest quarters. Seeing Alex and hearing the reason behind why we weren't able to see her did help in quieting my thoughts. I'm glad that we got to spend that time together as we hadn't had that much time on the Bus. Not one on one like we did. We were always with someone else. Skye did more then me, so I don't feel as badly that I got to see her and she didn't after being worried about her all day. With the assurance of Agent Romanov that we will be seeing Alex tomorrow, even though Alex seems unsure, I can finally sleep without tossing and turning like I probably would have. I enter my guests quarters with a small smile and more relaxed then when I left earlier.