Author's Note: Hello! Thank you for reading this story! I know it took me forever to update this final chapter, but I hope you find it a satisfying end. Thanks again for reading and I hope you've enjoyed it!
Jemma was only vaguely aware of her surroundings as she walked toward the containment module that held Fitz and Hive.
Daisy was saying in the background, "Ok, out of all the crazy ideas we've ever had this is definitely up there with the worst. And that's saying something. Is anyone sure this will work?"
Jemma and Coulson shared a look, in which Coulson was more than a little apprehensive and Jemma was somewhat glaring at Coulson for coming up with the idea in the first place.
"No," Coulson said, with the uneasy confidence of a leader who knew that an incredible risk was about to be taken. "We're not sure at all. But we have no other ideas and the longer we wait, the more Fitz has to suffer in there. If anyone has any other ideas, I'm all ears. Otherwise, we proceed." Everyone, of course, was quiet and continued to walk in the direction of the containment module.
As they came to a stop in front of the door, Jemma could feel her heart racing but knew that Coulson was right. Fitz needed them to do something. Fitz needed her.
"Alright then," Coulson said. "Let's get Agent Fitz back. Jemma, are you ready?"
Jemma couldn't speak, so she gave a slight nod. She became hyperaware of the syringe in her hand as well as the lump in her pocket. It will work. It has to.
It was a last-ditch attempt. They all knew it. There would be no trying again because if this didn't work then Fitz would die.
Don't think about that. It's going to work. It has to.
Jemma gave her head a little shake and looked straight ahead at the door. "Is everyone ready?"
There was a pause, and then Daisy said, "Just do it."
She hit a button that sucked all of the amber away, and then opened the containment door.
"Jemma. You came back." It was Fitz's face. His voice. His smile. Jemma wanted to cry because it had been far too long since she had seen and heard him, but now was not the time. This wasn't Fitz.
She stepped inside, hearing the others do the same or at least crowd the door, all ready to play their part if the time came. "This is your last chance. Leave him." Jemma said in as steady and threatening of a voice as she could muster.
"Oh, Jemma. I already told you. I can't do that. I will still abide by my earlier promise though. I won't hurt you, even though it wasn't very nice to keep me here. You've wasted a lot of my time. Luckily for you I have learned much about patience."
Jemma stood right in front of him now, and said, "I can't let you hurt anyone else. I can't let you leave here and we can't just let you stay like that. Especially with Fitz's body. This has to end."
Hive stared at her with Fitz's bright blue eyes. "Do hear that Leopold? She's not giving me much of a choice here. I'm sorry, Leo, but she cannot remain in my way. My mission, the goal I've had for centuries, is far too important."
"I'm not moving," Jemma said, furious that Hive would taunt her like that.
"Then I'm sorry, Jemma."
"Me too," She said as she thrust the syringe at Hive's neck and injected all of the contents into his veins.
He faltered, confused at her sudden attack and his sudden feelings of pain and weakness.
"What... What have you done?" Hive in a low, angry voice.
"It's aconite," Jemma said in a choked voice. Seeing Fitz's eyes look at her with so much confusion and hurt was overwhelming. She could feel the adrenaline pumping through her, waiting to see if their plan would work. "It's working its way through your system now. Very soon, you'll be dead and you'll never be able to hurt anyone ever again."
"You would kill me?" he said, and Jemma had to force herself to focus on the idea of Hive, and not her best friend on the ground in front of her.
"Sometimes, sacrifices have to be made for the good of everyone else. Fitz would understand that. If he dies with you still inside of him, you'll die too."
Fitz's face twisted with fury. "Quite sure about that, are you?" he spat at her.
"I was willing to kill Fitz for it." More like I was willing to bet his life on it.
Hive yelled in frustration. "We'll see about that, Jemma." And suddenly, Fitz's body started to writhe, and his sounds of pain tore at Jemma's heart. Then, she saw an incredibly disgusting sight: grey, slimy ooze trying to escape from Fitz's ear. She watched it slide out and settle on the floor for a moment before crawling and sliding away, far more quickly than she could have ever imagined it to move. She was so intrigued about the creature that she watched it, but realized with a start that this was not her job. She would have to trust the rest of the team to trap Hive, as was planned.
Her job was to save Fitz.
He wasn't moving quite as much anymore, but was still obviously reacting to the poison. She rushed to his side and pulled out the second syringe from her pocket, containing the antidote she had created. She jabbed it into his neck, hoping against all hopes that it wasn't too late.
"Please work, please work, please work," she heard herself saying as she waited for him to show some sign of reacting to the antidote. After a moment, Fitz stopped moving completely. Jemma stared in shock, not breathing and not daring to look for a pulse.
Finally, she touched his shoulder. "Fitz?" She said softly. No response. She gently moved her fingers to his neck. There was nothing. "Oh, Fitz, please. Please. Don't do this to me." She was starting to cry as her fingers remained poised, read for the slightest movement.
There was no movement behind her. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she supposed that they must have succeeded in the plan, where Daisy would aim her powers at what remained of Hive and Coulson would use those moments to trap the slime in a canister. Hopefully that's what happened. She knew that now they were all watching her, but she only had eyes for Fitz.
"Please. Fitz, please wake up. Please. I need you here with me." Still nothing. She lay her head down on his chest, her fingers remaining at his neck as though they had not given up hope though every other part of her had. She cried and cried for Fitz: for everything he had been, for everything he could have been, for everything she never said to him.
"I love you." She finally said it, and once it had escaped her mouth she couldn't stop saying it. "I love you. I love you. I love you."
A bump. Her fingers, still on his neck vein, felt something. She sat up in shock, unsure if she should dare to hope that it was real. She struggled to keep her hand from trembling. Maybe it was her imagination…
But no! There it was again!
Fitz had a pulse. That was all she needed. Of course there would be trauma, of course he would struggle to recover physically, mentally, and emotionally. But she would be there for him every step of the way. As long as he was alive, they could get through it. While apart, she had survived on a foreign planet in a completely different solar system and he had ripped a hole in the universe to bring her back. If they were together, she was sure they could do anything.
The end! Hope you enjoyed. It's my first ever story so please comment and tell me what you liked and didn't like!