Hi everyone how are you all?

Some years ago I'd tried my hand at a tragedy fic and the result was a "The Flash" fic entitled "Love and Sorrow". It was truly dark and lived up to its name though please feel free to check it out if any of you haven't already. Anyway I've decided to try my hand at the tragedy genre once more and this is the result. It'll also have very loose inspiration from a classic period novel entitled "Tess Of The D'urbervilles".

Fair warning but since this is a tragedy, there won't be a happy ending and there will be major character deaths. And so let's get this show on the road.

Disclaimer: I don't own "Agents Of Shield" or its characters.

Setting: England

Location: A Beautiful Meadow Within The Middle Of A Forest

It was currently midafternoon and the rays from the sunlight above cast a bright glow which emanated through the stately branches of the thick trees which made up the surrounding forest. A cool breeze also wafted through the canopy of leaves above her as Jemma Simmons, the lovely heiress to the prominent and aristocratic House Of Simmons, strode through it while happily humming a favorite tune of hers.

She was dressed in an orange silk gown which reached to her feet and wore a sparkling diamond necklace around her neck. She also wore a thick shawl around her face in an attempt to disguise herself so no one would recognize her in passing.

Eventually the forest parted before her and emerging from it she stepped foot onto a vast green meadow filled with multicolored flowers and with a breathtaking view of the sparkling blue of the ocean in the distance.

Across from her was a slim young man with curly and ginger colored hair who grinned brightly upon seeing her approach him. The man being the local Scottish wood cutter and craftsman Leopold Fitz, referred to by his closest friends and Jemma herself as just Fitz. He was dressed in a pair of grey overalls plus a wrinkly and casual white shirt while wearing a pair of brown boots.

The two of them hurried towards each other before capturing each other in a tight embrace followed by Fitz cupping Jemma's cheeks and pressing his lips against hers in a passionate kiss which she happily returned while running her hands through his soft curls.

"I've missed you so much Jemma," Fitz breathed out once they disengaged from their embrace and rested their foreheads together.

"I missed you as well Fitz. You have no idea how much," she responded with emotion and eyes glistening with tears as they both shared the same sentiment while relishing in each other's presence.

The two of them had been secretly together over the preceding 8 months and found themselves progressively deeper in love during each moment they spent together. The aforementioned secrecy was regrettably imperative however due to the social divide between themselves and they both were fully aware Jemma's family would most certainly force them apart if they knew of them. In fact they were both certain that the powerful Simmons clan suspected them and so the times they spent together were with increasing infrequency.

During one occasion Jemma had gone to visit her love she'd noticed one of her family's bodyguards following her from a distance resulting in her having to blend into a crowd of peasant villagers nearby to shake him off. Other times she'd had to regrettably lie to her parents, her father, uncle, and elder brother in particular regarding her true whereabouts. Something which was becoming increasingly difficult while she began to feel as though they could see through her while seeing the hostility within their eyes.

In fact but earlier that afternoon when she'd conjured up another falsehood about her whereabouts she could sense their hostility which was tremendously stronger than ever. During that moment she could sense within her gut that they knew the truth. Somehow, someway, they knew. But she ignored that sensation while clinging onto hope that they still didn't know or otherwise they would've confronted her by now.

However none of that mattered except for the present in regards to being held in the arms of the man she loved more than anything.

They eventually parted followed by them reclining upon the grass beneath them during which Fitz produced a picnic hamper he brought with him for their outing. Opening it up he'd reached inside and further produced what appeared to be some form of sandwiches wrapped within blue cloths and handed one to Jemma while claiming the other one for himself. Jemma gazed at it curiously, wondering what it could be, before unwrapping it and discovering to her surprise was grilled chicken slices with tomato slices and a certain kind of cheese she'd never seen before while wrapped in some form of flatbread.

Lifting it to her lips and taking a bite of it she was surprised at the resulting yet highly pleasant flavors and textures bursting throughout her mouth resulting in her quickly taking another eager bite while Fitz observed her with amusement.

"This is, mmmm, really really good. What is it exactly?" she expressed and moaned at the delicious sensations within her mouth then questioned as to the type of sandwich it was while continuing to devour hers.

"It's a pita wrap, the pita being the flat bread we're eating," Fitz explained with a smile while consuming his own sandwich. "It consists of grilled chicken, tomato slices, and cheese as you can tell though this kind of cheese is known as feta. The recipe itself along with the bread and cheese were given to me by a Persian brother and sister traveling duo known as Behrad and Zari Tomaz. They've been traversing around the world and our country was one of their stops. They gave it to me in exchange for me voluntarily chopping some firewood they needed for their ongoing journey."

"That was most certainly generous of them and I'm also pleased you were able to provide them with assistance. You truly have a considerate heart and it's one of the many reasons I fell in love with you. And thank you so much for sharing this scrumptious meal with me for it was unquestionably delightful," Jemma expressed in response, intrigued by his story regarding the siblings and hoping she'd meet them someday while giving him a look filled with love over his helpful nature.

"Of course Jemma, and I'm glad it was to your liking and I've been wanting to introduce you to this particular type of sandwich for some time. And it's certainly one of the best meals I've eaten in my life," Fitz stated with a nod while happy she was enjoying it as much as he was. Soon they finished their sandwiches after which he reached into the hamper once more and this time produced a couple of small round oranges, one for each of them, which were very juicy and sweet along with a bunch of bright green grapes.

They consumed the yummy fruit while relaxing and enjoying each other's presence and conversing about their dreams for the future, dreams which they desperately desired included the other despite the odds against them. Once they'd finished their fruit Fitz lifted himself back onto his feet before stretching his hand downwards and upon taking ahold of his love's hand assisted her in lifting herself up. The two of them then traversed, playfully chased, and generally frolicked upon the meadow and also engaged in some playful wrestling and rolling around on the soft grass beneath them while stealing a few sweet kisses from time to time.

Eventually the light of the afternoon receded and Fitz and Jemma observed as the skies were encased in a crimson glow as the sun began to set over the horizon, granting them both a breathtaking view paired with the glistening ocean. Following this Fitz gathered together the remains of the contents within their picnic hamper before escorting Jemma away from the meadow and through the forest, the two of them agreeing it'd be best if she returned home at that point and particularly since he didn't want her to be out once the evening came for safety reasons. Especially considering her status as a wealthy heiress.

Once they exited it the young couple made their way into a nearby village which was a short walking distance from her family's estate and then positioned themselves within a hidden area behind one of the village homes.

"I had a wonderful time today Fitz though the best part of it was being with you as always. Hopefully we'll receive the opportunity to spend another moment together but sooner rather than later," Jemma said to him with a warm smile then voiced one of their most desperate and shared wishes.

"Me to my love me to and on all of it. Though to even see your face and if only for a short amount of time is significantly better than nothing though I long for the day to come when you're always beside me and during each waking moment instead of us always having to part or continue to have our moments shrouded in secrecy," Fitz agreed while baring out one of his innermost desires for them.

"Soon my love. Soon we'll have all of that but now we must part ways once more," she replied while a tear fell from one of her eyes over that fact to which he used his knuckle to gently brush that tear away and working to hold back his own tears in an attempt to remain strong for them both.

"Agreed. And yes, soon. Just hold onto that and all will be well for us and the love we share. Until then my lady I bid you good night," he responded and encouraged her followed by the two of them joining their lips together once more in a deep yet gentle kiss which they savored until they had to part for air. After which Fitz lifted Jemma's hands to his lips and softly kissed her own knuckles before they bid good night to each other one final time and then went their separate ways.

Jemma headed to her estate upon which a stood a grand residence consisting of a tall and imposing red brick mansion and after reaching it entered through its broad, stately, and dark wooden doors before turning to go up the winding staircase where her bedroom was on the second level above her. Before she could a young maid addressed her.

"Excuse me Lady Simmons but his Lordship and her Ladyship are currently requesting your presence," she informed her while one of the bodyguards, the same aforementioned one who'd been following the latter sometime before, stood beside the maid.

"Could you please tell them that I wish to retire for the evening and will speak with them tomorrow?" Jemma politely requested in response to her parents summons then moved to ascend the steps when the bodyguard suddenly moved forward, blocking her path, before seizing her wrist.

"I'm sorry my lady but I'm afraid they were most insistent that you speak with them immediately," he stated coldly while squeezing it which resulted in a slight jolt of pain to surge through it and caused Jemma to let out a painful moan. The maid in response flinched at the sight and gave Jemma a look which conveyed deep sadness not only in regards to the bodyguard's treatment but also one which confirmed her worst fears that her family knew of her rendezvous with Fitz, said maid being one of the few aware of the forbidden lovers relationship.

As a result Jemma felt as though her stomach dropped but could do nothing but cooperate with the guard as he roughly half escorted and half dragged her to the drawing room where her family awaited her arrival. Once she was before them he relinquished his hold upon her wrist moved away from her but positioned himself right behind her, albeit at a distance, preventing her from attempting to make an escape from the room. She then looked upon the faces of each of her family members consisting of her parents, grandfather, uncle, and her two elder siblings one of which was her sister and could see the stony expressions upon most of their faces.

Her sister and brother however sported haughty expressions, clearly relishing in Jemma's current predicament, while her grandfather, the family patriarch, fastened her with an icy gaze. He then took it upon himself to be the first one to address her.

"Do you care to share with us as to where you've been? Or will you relegate us with yet another lie?" he asked her coldly to which Jemma swallowed thickly, now filled with great fear but understanding there was no way out for her currently.

To Be Continued

A/N Yep. Poor Jemma's in big trouble now.

So what did you all think of this start so far? Please let me know if you want.

Also but did you guys find the final exchange between Jemma and Fitz before they parted romantic and loving or cheesy and especially from a stereotypical standpoint?

Regarding Behrad and Zari but for fun and because I'm focused a lot on crossovers for my writing I'd decided to reference other characters from other programs and franchises whenever I can within this fic. Either as references, cameos, or bigger roles. And so only time will tell if you'll receive more famous name drops.

However I want to try to do it in a way that hopefully makes sense to the narrative such as if it can fit instead just shoehorning them in. And I'd also like to keep them true to their canon selves such as the siblings being travelers like in canon, but around the world here instead of time travelers.

For those who don't know, Behrad and Zari are a Persian sibling duo who travel through time with other heroes from the Arrowverse series entitled "Legends Of Tomorrow".

Until next time, have a blessed day.