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Daisy crossed her arms in front of her chest, leaning against the console. “So you can communicate with him, but you don’t know—you can’t know where he is?”
Jemma bobbed her head. “Precisely. The transmission is encrypted, distorted, rerouted, as untraceable as it can get. It has to be.”
Daisy sighed, waving her hands to the side. “But—so—like can you see him? I mean—with the jump technology—can you? When was the last time you two were together?”
Jemma exhaled sharply, her gaze wandering to the ground to hide the tears that were shooting to her eyes. “That’s classified.”
She looked back up when she felt Daisy’s hand on her bicep. “I’m sorry.”
A smile ghosted across Jemma’s lips. “It was our choice this time. Makes a surprising difference.”
One corner of Daisy’s lips quirked up. “Still. I mean, you and Fitz—”
“We belong together?” Jemma asked teasingly, raising her eyebrows.
“Well, yeah.”
Jemma let out a quiet laugh. “We do. And we will be together again. It’s just a matter of time—of which we have plenty. And when all of this is over, and we’ve saved the world and S.H.I.E.L.D. one more time, then Fitz and I will reunite and we’ll start the life we’ve dreamed of, a family—”
“You deserve it,” Daisy remarked quietly, her expression softening.
Jemma shrugged slightly. “I know.”
Daisy scoffed in acknowledgment. “So, where are you going to retire to?”
Jemma couldn’t hide a smirk. “That’s classified for now—but we have a place in mind. Still, first things first—”
Daisy sighed. “Save the world.”
“Once more unto the breach, dear friends,” Jemma recited theatrically, balling her hand into an encouraging fist, before raising her index finger importantly. “But first we should try to sleep a bit.”
Daisy let out an amused puff of air. “No kiddin’. I’m exhausted.”
Jemma removed the last pin from her updo, slowly pulling her hair apart with her fingers, noticing her scalp relax. She looked into the mirror at her tired self, the rings under her eyes, her lips tight as if they’d lost the ability to smile.
She spun around at the unexpected hissing of a portal opening behind her, her hand reflexively reaching for the gun on her dresser.
His name escaped her like a sigh of relief when his silhouette became clearer, the corners of her mouth twitching, reminding her that happiness, laughter, smiling were still possibilities after all.
She placed the gun back down, rushing towards him, allowing him to engulf her in his embrace. She pulled him closer as tears shot to her eyes.
“You shouldn’t be here,” she whispered.
He cupped her face, bringing enough distance between their faces to allow his tear-rimmed eyes to fix firmly on hers. “I had to see you.” His lips pulled into a soft smile. “We won today.”
Jemma scoffed. “It was one battle, Fitz.” She shook her head, trying to fight through the tears. “It wasn’t—”
He pressed his lips firmly against hers, before looking back at her, his thumbs gently caressing the skin below her eyes. “It was an important one. One we’ve been trying to fix for so long. We deserve this moment—to celebrate that.”
A pained smile flashed across her face, as she pressed her palms against his stubble. “It’s not safe.”
His fingers combed through her hair, and Jemma closed her eyes as if by reflex at the soothing sensation. “They’re busy,” he said quietly. “They lost big time this time. They have to figure out a new plan. Now’s the safest time we have. The portal is untraceable. They can’t trace it. You can’t even trace it. I have so many safety measures in place like you wouldn’t believe. Even added some since last time.”
Jemma opened her eyes, the hint of cockiness in his tone reminding her of a normalcy she’d longed for for far too long. She shook her head slightly. “We shouldn’t talk about it.”
His expression grew softer as he tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, curling his fingers around the back of her neck. “Then let’s not talk.”
She held his intense gaze for a moment, allowing herself to get lost in his irises, tuning out the world surrounding them, until their lips crashed together like waves on a shore, powerful and demanding.
Jemma closed her eyes, listening to how the rhythm of his heart—much like her own—slowly returned to normal. Absentmindedly, she traced a circle pattern onto his chest, while his hand gently rubbed up and down her back, their sweaty bodies clinging together.
She opened her eyes, sighing deeply when Fitz’s watch started beeping. She looked up, unable to hide her sadness. “It’s time.”
Fitz pressed his lips into a thin line, nodding slightly. “It is.”
Jemma forced a smile, leaning closer to kiss him. “It felt longer than last time.”
One corner of Fitz’s mouth ticked up, as he reluctantly scooted out of bed. “Not by much.” He picked up his boxers from the floor and put them on, before gathering the rest of his clothes and getting dressed. “Actually set my timer a little bit earlier this time. Jumping back naked was not appreciated on the other side.”
Jemma couldn’t help but laugh. She sat up in bed, her expression growing more serious again. “You have a good team by your side?”
Fitz bit his lower lip, shrugging slightly. “That’s classified—but I’m not alone.”
Jemma scoffed, sniffling slightly as tears tried to push to the surface. “I hate that everything has to be so cryptic.”
Fitz tucked his shirt into his trousers before stepping to the bed, pulling Jemma closer and kissing her softly. He rested his forehead against hers, his lips once more brushing against hers. “I love you.” He leaned back, looking at her with sincerity in his eyes. “That’s one thing that will never be cryptic.”
Jemma’s lips twitched into the hint of a smile. “Unstoppable?” she breathed, barely above a whisper.
Fitz nodded, leaning in for another kiss. “Unstoppable.”
His hand let go of her when his watch beeped again. He sighed, looking over his shoulder and taking a step back, the portal engulfing him moments later, whisking him away.
Jemma stared at the spot where he’d disappeared. She allowed a single tear to roll down her cheek, before inhaling deeply and exhaling sharply. She bobbed her head once in confident reassurance. “Unstoppable.”
A soft smile played on her lips, as she lay back down in bed, drifting off to sleep surrounded by his lingering scent.
Fitz stepped off the transportation platform. “Change the frequency. Random pattern, protocol A-6352.”
“Aye aye, captain,” Hunter replied, his fingers dancing across the console to carry out Fitz’s request.
“Ha!” Piper exclaimed, pointing at Fitz. “He’s dressed.” She gestured at Hunter, palm-up, wiggling her fingers to herself. “Cough it up.”
Hunter groaned, rolling his eyes. He pulled out some money from his back pocket, walked over to Piper and slammed a few bills into her open palm.
Fitz stared at him wide-eyed. “You bet on whether I’d come back naked again?”
Piper shrugged. “There’s not much else to do at this place.”
Fitz raised his eyebrows in acknowledgement, before squinting at Hunter. “You really thought I wouldn’t have learned my lesson after the first—and only—time that happened?”
Hunter pursed his lips. “Seemed like a distinct possibility.”
Fitz scoffed in amusement, shaking his head. He exhaled sharply, placing his hands on his hips. “Alright, let’s see what they’ve been up to.”