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Fitz was the last of his line. It was a fact, nothing more and nothing less. It had meant that the family home -- as ostentatious and impractical as it was -- had come to him, along with enough funds to keep him doing his research without interruption for some time to come. For the rest of his life, likely.
Some days it was lonely, but he mostly enjoyed his work, and his household staff were more like friends than anything else. Which was some comfort. He had thought of finding a wife, but he’d never met anyone who could be the kind of partner he craved, and if he was going to turn his thoughts to romance he wanted it to be worthwhile to put his whole heart into it.
For now he was content to live his life as a bachelor. There were some definite benefits to that. No one cared when it was time to eat or exactly how often the tapestries were cleaned, least of all him. In fact his household was so relaxed that he found himself answering the bell when it rang one rainy evening. The fact that it was raining was most unfortunate because he had been hoping to make some observations during the meteor shower, but with the clouds it was unlikely there would be anything to see.
“Fitz. I was hoping you’d answer.”
The smile on the woman’s face didn’t reach her eyes, and he knew it wasn’t real. Not any more than his animatronic creations were real.
“Ophelia.” He nodded. “I didn’t think we had anything more to discuss.”
“I thought I’d give you one last chance.”
There was a time when he’d fancied himself a little bit in love with her. The daughter of the village doctor, she had a grace about her that made it easy to picture her as the lady of a house such as his. And at first she’d seemed to care. But as soon as he started to look deeper, to see who she was inside, that’s when he realized there was nothing there. Just ambition and greed.
“I’m not interested.”
He knew he should invite her in. It was cold and wet out. But he suspected if he gave an inch, she’d have them married by the morning. She shouldn’t be out by herself like this at all. If her father knew --
“Then I’m afraid I’ll have to curse you, your house, and everyone in it.”
Her voice was monotone and it was that more than her words that sent a shiver down his spine.
“You know I don’t believe in curses...or magic.”
She arched a brow at him. “Luckily, it doesn’t matter if you believe or not. Only that I do.”
She started muttering under her breath and Fitz nearly threw up his hands in exasperation. Of all the nonsense to have to deal with tonight, he’d had to open the door. It would have served her right to stand out in the rain without any response.
But then she blew a powder of sorts at him and he coughed, choking on the pungent cloud that surrounded him.
“O--Ophelia. Stop.”
But she was gone. And he was alone once again. But so was the door and all the windows. He felt his way along the wall where the door should be. Where it had been moments before. But it was gone. He was trapped inside the house with no way out.
Bloody hell.
Jemma tipped her face up to the sun as she walked towards the bookshop. It was unlikely they’d gotten anything new in since her last visit, but she needed the walk. Plus, it was an absolutely gorgeous day. After the rain of the night before, the sun was shining brightly and there were new buds on all of the trees. Spring had finally arrived.
A light breeze tickled her ankles as her dress shifted in the wind.
“Good morning, Miss Simmons,” called the baker’s wife.
“Good morning, Mrs. Coulson,” she returned with a nod.
The best thing about this new town was that everyone was friendly, but no one seemed inclined to intrude too much. She could go about her business, do her research, and send off her findings to the university and no one seemed any the wiser. As far as they knew she was just a young woman who enjoyed the bookshop. And she’d like to keep it that way.
Shieldsburg was the picture of an idyllic town. Stores neatly lined the streets, their bricks in matching rows with bright signs out in front. The smell of fresh bread and pastries always wafted through town on the breeze, and all of the residents were friendly and polite. In fact, the only odd thing about Shieldsburg was the house up on the hill. Well, not a house exactly. It was more like a castle. She wasn’t entirely sure what that type of architecture could be called -- that wasn’t her field of study, after all -- but it seemed out of place on its perch above the village.
Today it seemed to have an even more ominous look, like it was covered in ivy. But that didn’t make sense. She had just walked through town the day before and it hadn’t been covered in any sort of biological matter that she’d seen.
Refocusing her thoughts on her own work, she didn’t need to borrow anyone else’s troubles after all, she finished her walk to the bookshop.
“Good morning, Miss Jemma. What can I do for you today?”
“It is indeed a fine morning, Mrs. Mackenzie. I was just wondering if you’d gotten any more medical books, or perhaps that essay on mechanical engineering you had ordered for me.”
“Not since yesterday,” Elena said with a laugh.
Jemma had known it was unlikely, but it was disappointing all the same.
“That’s alright. I’ll just take a look through the science section.”
“But you do that every day.”
“I know. But you never know when inspiration will strike. Sometimes it all comes down to the right information at the right time.”
“Like serendipity?”
Jemma frowned. She didn’t like to think of her work as being a product of luck, but it wasn’t like she could exactly explain that to Elena.
“Something like that,” she said instead.
With a little wave she made her way to the back of the bookshop. It was a little dusty in the science section, but there were books on biology and chemistry. There was even some basic information about engineering and she’d been lucky enough to come across a book just last week that had some information that would help her greatly with her current project.
But best of all, it was quiet. She ran a hand along the shelves until she found the place she’d left off yesterday and started reading the titles to herself. She’d only just gotten started when a disturbance at the front of the shop pulled her from her task.
“I know it sounds crazy, but I think that castle is enchanted.” It was Dr. Radcliffe. He was the only doctor in town so people went to him with all manner of requests, but Jemma didn’t like his sort of medicine. Instead of treating the whole person, Radcliffe always seemed to encourage their insecurities and look for problems he could fix.
“An enchanted castle? I think maybe you’ve spent a little too much time in the tavern.” Elena was laughing, but something about it sounded brittle.
Jemma crept back towards the front of the store, a book still clutched in her hand. She wasn’t much for eavesdropping, but considering she’d had the same thought about the house not an hour before it seemed disingenuous to pretend she wasn’t interested in the conversation.
“I don’t know. I just...well, it seems darker. More creepy than usual.”
“Creepy? That doesn’t sound very scientific.”
“It’s the ivy,” Jemma said, surprised by the sound of her own voice. “I saw it as well on my walk this morning. It’s like it sprouted up overnight.”
“Well, that’s --”
“Do you think something’s wrong? Inside the house I mean?” Radcliffe asked. His face was red and he seemed quite agitated. Elena might have been right about the tavern, after all.
“I’m not sure why the appearance of the outside of the house would be any reflection on the conditions inside the house.” Jemma frowned. Basic logic should tell him -- a man of science at that -- that he was falling into a logical fallacy.
“It isn’t just -- I mean, it could be...magic.” By the end of the sentence his voice had dropped to a whisper.
Elena laughed, but it wasn’t a true laugh. It was brittle. Stretched thin. Jemma looked at her sharply, but couldn’t read anything on her face. The one thing she knew, however, was that there was something about Radcliffe that made her uncomfortable.
“There is no such thing as magic. Only science we don’t yet understand.”
Jemma frowned at him when he finally looked in her direction, hoping he picked up on her displeasure. He’d ruined a perfectly lovely day with his talk of magic and enchantments.
“Then what possible scientific explanation is there?”
“What explanation is there for ivy growing on stone walls? Is that your question? Because --”
“Yes, yes, yes. I know how ivy grows.” He waved his hand dismissively. “I was thinking more about the timing and the fact that Ophelia disappeared last night.”
“Your daughter is missing?” Elena asked, concern much more evident in her voice now, though Jemma supposed that made sense. If the poor man’s daughter was missing that would explain his current state.
“Someone should check the house,” he pleaded. “Make sure nothing is...amiss.”
At that moment Elena’s husband Mack emerged from the rear of the store, apparently summoned by the conversation.
“Do you need some help, Radcliffe?” His deep voice boomed in the small space at the front of the bookshop. Mack wrapped an arm around the man and guided him towards the door and back out into the street.
“Well, that was most disconcerting.” Jemma tried to laugh to lighten the moment a bit, but her brain was already working hard on unraveling the problem. It certainly wasn’t magic, but perhaps it was something else that she could find an explanation for. And at some level Radcliffe was correct. Whoever lived up in the big house might need help. Or maybe they could help her understand how ivy could grow so quickly. Maybe some new variety that she hadn’t yet encountered?
“Yes, it was,” Elena agreed before straightening and returning her focus to Jemma. “Did you find a book you like?”
Jemma glanced down, not even aware that she was still holding a book, Native Woody Plants, which was adorned with ivy swirling across the cover. That was certainly serendipitous indeed.
She still didn’t believe in luck or chance, she just happened to be in the botany section of the shop when she’d followed the sound of the conversation and that book had just happened to be in her hand. But since she was newly interested in ivy, and this book was on the exact topic at hand, she smiled and nodded at Elena.
“Yes, I think I have.”
By the time she’d paid for her purchase, Jemma’s mind was already far away from the bookshop and Radcliffe and focused on the big house up on the hill.
Jemma had returned home, fresh bread and her new book in hand, and endeavored to focus on her own research. But by the time the sun had risen high in the sky, Jemma was instead flipping through the pages of her new book, examining each drawing along with the descriptions. Nothing she saw quite matched what she was looking for, though to be certain she really needed to get a closer look.
Satisfied that she wouldn’t make any further progress on her own research until tomorrow, Jemma carefully finished her notes before grabbing her cloak again. It was a beautiful day and she could use a walk to help her sort through her thoughts on her most recent experiment. She needed to improve her experimental design if she was going to make any progress on determining how to speed the growth of the medicinal herbs she was hoping to use. Unless the ivy up at the big house gave her another approach.
The closer she got to the house, the more excited she became. There were so many possibilities for applications if this ivy really did have properties that caused it to grow more quickly than normal. Her steps quickened as she took the winding path up the hill. The walk was a bit more strenuous than her usual excursions through town, but in truth it was invigorating.
The path led her straight to the front of the house and Jemma was temporarily distracted by the beauty of the architecture. It was obviously an old home, probably belonging to the family that had founded the town. But she was less interested in that.
Avoiding the front door for now, she moved to the side of the house that was completely covered in fresh green growth. The ivy stretched up to the top of the high wall and Jemma stepped closer before pulling out a notebook to sketch the leaves. She thought they looked familiar, the distinctive red veins running through them, but she couldn’t quite place them. She took a sample so she could compare it to the drawings in the book once she’d returned home.
Her work complete, Jemma walked back to the front of the house. Since she was here, she really should check on the occupants. At the very least she could prove that Radcliffe had been completely out of line with his assertions.
She knocked on the large wooden door and waited. And waited.
When there was no response she knocked harder, stepping back in surprise when the door swung open.
In the months that had passed since Ophelia had, well, done whatever she’d done — he refused to say she’d cursed him — Fitz had made exactly no progress.
He slammed his hand against the wooden work bench, metal parts tinkling as they fell to the floor, and then cradled it in his other hand as it started to sting.
“Fitz? Everything alright in there?” Hunter called through the door.
Fitz had a vague recollection that Hunter had been hired to be a manservant of some sort, but he was more of a confidante and lab assistant at this point — an extra set of hands when Fitz was working on an experiment and the best friend Fitz had ever had. Of course that didn’t stop him from snapping, “Yeah, it’s bloody great.”
The heavy door creaked open and Hunter stepped inside, holding his hands up in surrender.
“Did you need my help again?” he offered. “It’s been said I’m a bit of an engineering genius.”
Fitz snorted. “You’re the only one who has ever said that.”
“Doesn’t mean it’s not true.”
Hunter closed the door behind him as he came closer to Fitz’s latest project. The animatronic monkey had been designed to act as a sort of battering ram. Even though the doors and windows were gone they could still go through the stone walls. Or they could if they could get close enough. Their attempts so far hadn’t yielded any success.
“Is this the new design?” Hunter asked, turning the sketch towards him.
“Yeah. That’s it.”
“A monkey?”
“Well, a monkey would be just the sort of animal we could use...if any lived around here,” Fitz said with a shrug. “It doesn’t matter though. I did the calculations and there won’t be enough force to break through the stone. It’s too thick.”
“If anyone can figure this out, it’s you. We’re all depending on you, mate.”
“That’s not helping.” He wasn’t just their employer, he was a scientist so this really was his responsibility and he hated that he’d been so unsuccessful. Then something occurred to him. “Wait...why did you come in here?”
Hunter had the decency to look a little embarrassed. “Now, don’t shoot the messenger —“
“Hunter, what is it?”
The fact that Hunter wasn’t exactly being forthcoming was making him a little nervous...and a lot grumpy.
“It’s just that, we have a visitor.”
“A visitor? But we don’t even have a door anymore!”
“I know. I know.” Hunter waited while Fitz paced back and forth a few minutes. “She’s with Bobbi and Daisy.”
“She?” Fitz knew that was probably the least important detail to focus on, but given the fact it had been Ophelia that had caused all of this, the presence of another woman made him suspicious. “Never mind. How did she get in?”
“She said she knocked, but the door was open.”
“What door?” he asked under his breath.
“What do you want us to do?”
“I guess...get a room ready for her?” Fitz looked to Hunter to see if he’d said the right thing. It wasn’t like he had all that many visitors before, but now he was even more out of his depth.
“Daisy already took care of it. She readied the rose bedroom,” Hunter said with a nod. “Are you going to come down to meet her?”
Fitz looked around at the disarray of his workshop. “No, ah, I’ll meet her later. At dinner maybe.”
Then he turned back to his work, hoping to make some progress before dinner so he’d have something positive to share when he met their guest.
Jemma settled into a chair at one end of a long dining table. She had yet to meet the master of the house — she’d been assured he was quite busy working out a solution to their current predicament — but she honestly felt more at home here than she did in her own home. She’d met Daisy, Bobbi, and Hunter as soon as she’d stumbled into the house, the door disappearing behind her. Trip and Lincoln had been introduced once she’d gotten settled. Apparently they made up the entirety of the household staff. From what she could tell that was scarcely enough staff for a house this size, but it wasn’t like she’d ever had to be concerned with such things.
“Dinner is served,” Hunter intoned before everyone took their places around the table.
That was certainly unusual, but the food smelled divine. There were serving platters overflowing with meats and vegetables, as well as freshly baked bread. Jemma even spied a selection of desserts laid out as well. Someone had a sweet tooth.
Jemma’s stomach rumbled and she let out a cough to cover the sound. As much as she appreciated a good meal, she found it hard to believe that they’d taken the time to prepare dinner instead of focusing their efforts on escape.
“Will your employer be joining us?” she asked as she filled her plate with food.
Hunter and Bobbi shared a look that she pretended not to see. “He can be a little...eccentric,” Hunter finally said. “He’ll probably be down soon, if he remembers he needs to eat.”
“He’s been in his workshop for months trying to find a way out.”
“Months?” Jemma asked.
“Yes.” Bobbi tilted her head a little to the side as she observed Jemma. “Ever since we were trapped in here.”
“But I thought you said Ophelia —“
A man entered the room and Jemma turned to get a better look. If she’d had an idea of what an eccentric inventor looked like, she would have been completely wrong. Rather than the portly, elderly man she had pictured, Fitz, as everyone called him, was young, probably near her age, with blue eyes and a very pleasing form.
She stood, holding out a hand to him. “Hello. I’m Jemma Simmons. You must be Fitz.”
Rather than take her hand, he gave her a curt nod and made his way to the other end of the table.
“Did you make any progress today, Fitz?” Lincoln asked from his place closest to Fitz’s side.
“No. Not really.”
Jemma watched him, wondering more than ever about the man who now held her fate in his hands.
“Maybe I could help,” she offered. “I’m a trained biologist, though I’m familiar with many scientific fields.”
“Biology?” Fitz looked up and for a second she felt like his eyes could see straight into her thoughts. But that was a ridiculous thought. “I’m not sure how helpful that will be. I think we need a mechanical solution. We should be able to go straight through the stone.”
Jemma nodded. “Yes, of course. That seems like the most expedient method. Have you considered reagents that will help weaken the stone?”
While she spoke Fitz had been practically shoveling food into his mouth, but then he stopped and looked up. “I, uh, hadn’t. Perhaps I could use your assistance after all. Would you care to join me in the morning?”
“I’d love to,” Jemma agreed, almost as if she were being invited to tea and not volunteering to assist with a scientific experiment.
“My workshop is up in the tower. Hunter can show you.”
“Thank you.”
Her host might be a bit grumpy, but at least he wasn’t one of those men who didn’t think a woman’s brain was equal to a man’s.
Jemma turned back to her food, determined to savor it, and the conversation picked up around her. This really was the strangest household she had ever seen. Almost like the family dinners she remembered as a child.. As she let Bobbi draw her into a discussion about her research, she kept some of her attention on Fitz. It wasn’t just because she found him attractive — because she did — but more because she wanted to know more about the person she’d be working with. He seemed intelligent, at least from the small snippets of conversation she’d heard. His area of study was clearly some sort of engineering, which made her wonder if he’d be able to help her with her research. But that would have to wait.
“So you’re studying plants?” Bobbi asked.
“Yes, but not just plants. Specifically how to grow plants faster.”
“That sounds very practical. Have you considered the applications for medicinal purposes?”
Jemma nodded, “I like you.” Then she shook her head, feeling a bit silly. “Oh, I’m sorry. Here I am acting like this is a soirée or something when we’re trapped in here. It’s just that no one ever really takes an interest in my research. Are you a scientist as well?”
“Housekeeper,” Bobbi said shortly. “But I did study plants and herbs before coming to Shieldsburg.”
“Tell me everything you know about the plants that grow here. I’m afraid I’m new in town and there are some things I don’t understand about the ecology of the area…”
The next morning Fitz found himself in his workshop early. It wasn’t like they could see the movement of the sun anymore since all the windows had disappeared along with the doors, but his watch kept time exceedingly well and it told him the hour was quite early still.
What he hadn’t expected to see was his visitor — Miss Simmons — waiting there for him.
“Good morning, Fitz,” she called brightly. Entirely too brightly for so early in the morning.
He made a sound of greeting, but then worried he might sound too much like an animal and not enough human.
“Ah...morning.”
“Where should we start then?”
“Start?” Fitz had let his eyes move over her face instead of listening to her words and now he wasn’t sure what was happening. But what he did know was that she was beautiful, her dark hair falling in curls around her face and her eyes glittering with excitement. Or at least he thought that was what it was. He wasn’t any sort of expert on women.
“With your research?”
“My research...right.” He opened the cabinet on the far side of the room, glad to finally have some direction. “I have been designing a simple machine to break through the stone wall. Even if we can’t see outside the house, the rest of the world must still be out there.”
“Of course it is. My presence here confirms that theory.” Jemma nodded, her expression becoming more serious as she spoke. “I was outside the house and then the next thing I knew I was inside and the door was gone.”
Even though he hadn’t had the opportunity to speak to her at any length the night before, both Hunter and Bobbi had and they’d shared their impressions. Fitz trusted their judgement implicitly. They’d said she was brilliant and kind, and far more reasonable than most of the other inhabitants of Shieldsburg. He couldn’t imagine how any other young woman would react to their current situation. Probably not by offering to help.
Jemma studied his sketch, murmuring something under her breath as she did. He wasn’t really expecting much help. She wasn’t an engineering expert after all, but then she started pointing out ways the design could be improved and he thought he fell a little bit in love with her in that moment.
Once the initial burst of progress had passed, they sat down beside each other.
“This is...nice.” Fitz pressed a hand to the back of his neck. Jemma was clearly amazing and he couldn't even form reasonable sentences. Even when he was the only eligible man around -- since Lincoln, Hunter, and Trip were already in relationships -- he couldn't make a decent attempt at flirting.
“I suppose it is,” she agreed with a laugh, which made him feel much better. “Maybe we can even work together again once we get out of here. I have a house on the outskirts of town. A cottage really. And that’s where I do all of my experiments. I could use your expertise, actually.”
Jemma was looking straight ahead, though her cheeks had pinked a little. He wasn’t sure what that meant. It could just be warm in the tower. It did tend to heat up after midday.
“Yeah?” He waited until she turned her head towards him. “I’d love to help. We just have to get out of here first.”
“Yes, of course.” Jemma bit her lip and he wondered for a second what it would be like to kiss her. If her lips would be as soft as they looked. And if she’d taste like sunshine...or something even more tempting. “I did have some questions though. Maybe if I understood more about what happened I could find a way to help.”
“Ask anything you’d like.”
Fitz started to work on the modifications to his design and was happy to have her stay beside him as he worked.
“Well, to begin with, when did this happen? Bobbi said it was months ago. But from town we only just noticed that something seemed amiss.”
“It was the night of the meteor shower some months ago.”
“The meteor shower?” Jemma looked up in surprise. “But that was last night.”
“Last night? No, that can’t be right.” Fitz’s brow furrowed in confusion. “We’ve been trapped for months. There must have been another meteor shower.”
But he knew that wasn’t true. He kept detailed records of the stars and planets and he hadn’t been anticipating another event for quite some time.
“There has only been one meteor shower in the year since I moved to Shieldsburg. And that was last night.”
Jemma gave him a strange look as they both thought.
“But...but if it’s only been one night then why does it feel like it’s been much longer?”
“I wonder…”
Even though they’d just met, Fitz was already fascinated by the way her thoughts flickered across her face.
“What?” The word may have come out a bit gruff, but to be fair, he’d been working on this problem for an eternity. If she was able to show up and immediately come up with a solution, then maybe he wasn’t as good of a scientist as he thought. Or maybe she was just better. That was an unsettling thought.
“Well…from town I noticed that a strange sort of ivy had sprouted up over night, covering the entire side of your house. I didn’t recognize it, which was unusual.”
“Right.” Fitz snorted. “Because you can recognize any plant from that distance.”
“I’m quite good at botany, you know. But either way, I didn’t recognize it up close either.” Jemma had started talking faster and the excitement in it was almost palpable. “But I think that maybe you don’t need a mechanical solution after all. This is a biological problem.”
He didn’t quite understand. How could he really, when she hadn’t fully explained herself? But that didn’t stop him from letting her enthusiasm carry him away.
“So, what’s the solution?”
She smiled at him. “I can’t be sure without doing some research.”
“Oh.”
“But I think I know where we can find out.” She stood and started walking towards the door she’d come through only a few hours before, a different sort of energy in her step now. “Do you have a library?”
“Of course I have a library.” Honestly, how could she even ask? What sort of reclusive scientist would he be if he didn’t have a decent library.
“Wonderful!” She’d stopped by the door and he almost bumped into her.
“Sorry.”
“Oh, no. I’m terribly sorry. I shouldn’t have…” Her voice trailed off and as they gazed into each other’s eyes it felt like maybe he’d be enchanted after all. But at least he knew she was a real flesh and blood woman and there was no spell that she was casting on him. She swayed towards him and his eyes started to close. Then she cleared her throat. “We should...should go to the library.”
“Right.” His eyes opened wide, embarrassed by the direction of his thoughts when she was clearly just focused on getting them out of this mess. There would be time later -- if she was even interested in seeing if there was something between them. “The library.”
Jemma used the walk to the library to tame her racing thoughts. She had almost kissed Fitz in the middle of his workshop. And for a few moments she’d thought he wanted to kiss her as well. It certainly wasn’t the most opportune time, but he was the most fascinating man she’d ever met. Not once had he dismissed her ideas or assumed he knew more than she did. Even now he was following her blindly to his library to look for a piece of information that may or may not exist.
Once they figured out how to escape the house -- and how they had come to be trapped in the first place -- then she could turn her thoughts to matters of romance. While she didn’t put much importance to marriage or romantic relationships in general, Fitz was one of the few men she’d met that she could imagine herself with. She wanted more from life than to just be the mother to some man’s children and she’d made that life for herself, building it bit by bit until she’d made a comfortable life for herself in Shieldsburg. But now she was questioning what she was giving up to live a life on her own.
“Here we are,” Fitz said, breaking her out of her thoughts.
Jemma nodded at him, hoping he couldn’t see the direction of her thoughts, though she was sure they were written clearly on her face. But then he opened the door and her breath caught.
“Oh, Fitz. This is the most beautiful library I’ve ever seen.”
“Uh, thanks.” He cleared his throat as his hand moved over one of the shelves. “My grandfather started the collection and I’ve made sure to keep it updated. The Mackenzies send me new books every time they get an order in.”
“How are they organized?” Jemma looked from shelf to shelf and it was obvious there was some sort of system.
“Subject area, then by date and author.”
“Lovely. Where can I find books on plants? Specifically ivy.”
“This way, my lady.”
He led her to a set of shelves by a window seat, currently sans window, but she could imagine how lovely it would be with the sunlight streaming in.
She scanned the shelves, trailing a finger along the spines of the books, before she was pointing at a very familiar title.
“Native Woody Plants?” She plucked the book from the shelf and started flipping through the pages.
“Yes, that’s one that was just sent up before...well, before.”
“Here...this one!”
Jemma held out the book to Fitz, pointing to the drawing. It wasn’t an exact reproduction of the ivy on the house, but Jemma didn’t think there was any mistaking the red veins adorning the leaves. And even better -- or worse really --
“It’s poisonous?”
“Mhh-hmm.” Jemma nodded. “It causes hallucinations actually. I know the text says it is used by witches and in certain rituals, but I knew I recognized it from some research I did years ago for the university. It’s all very fascinating really.”
Fitz looked a little pale, and she pulled the book back to her.
“But if we’re all hallucinating, then...then how do we get out?”
“Well, that’s the simple part. The effects only last as long as the flowers are in their first bloom.”
“And how long is that?”
“A week. Maybe a little longer.”
“So you’re saying --”
“All we need to do is wait.” Jemma closed the book, carefully returning it to its place on the shelf.
“Hmm.” Fitz sank down into one of the high-backed chairs, rubbing his forehead. She had noticed that was one of his nervous habits and it was quite endearing.
“Is something wrong?”
“What? Oh. No. It’s just all really anticlimactic.” He sat for a moment longer before looking up. “I guess I did make a lot of progress on my research though. Months worth of work in one day?”
Jemma shook her head. “Probably not. I bet if you look back at your notes you’ll see you haven’t made as much progress as you thought.”
“Great.”
“Look on the bright side though. You’ve designed an adorable animatronic monkey that I am very much looking forward to seeing in action.”
Several months later, though Jemma kept telling him she was certain only a few more days had passed, the door had rematerialized and everyone in the house spilled out into the garden. Jemma had spent her days working in Fitz’s workshop and talking with Daisy and Bobbi in the evenings. For the first time Fitz was starting to understand what a true family felt like -- with a true partner. But aside from the few times they’d gotten overly excited in his workshop over a new discovery, he had been careful to observe all the rules of propriety. And even though he thought he’d seen her staring at him a few beats too long a time or two, he couldn’t even be sure she wanted something more.
As soon as they’d breathed in a few deep breaths of fresh air, Fitz followed Jemma to the side of the house to examine the ivy.
“This definitely wasn’t here before.”
“Are you sure?” Jemma pinched off a few more leaves and tucked them into the pocket of her skirt.
“I think I’d know if my house was covered in ivy.”
“Of course you would,” she agreed, though he thought her mind was already elsewhere.
“What I still don’t understand is how it grew so quickly.” Fitz looked around as if he’d find the answer there somewhere. “Or why we all shared the same hallucination. That isn’t how it usually works is it?”
“No, it’s not.” Jemma frowned. “I don’t understand it myself, but perhaps with some careful study --”
“You two might want to stay away from that if it’s the cause of all of this,” Hunter said as he walked next to them, Bobbi by his side.
“It seems to have lost its power now. I think we’ll cut it all down just to be safe.”
“You can see the flowers have already bloomed. It should be harmless now,” Jemma added.
“I’m sure everyone will be glad for things to get back to normal,” Fitz said slowly, almost laughing at Hunter’s enthusiastic nod. Jemma, however, didn’t look quite so happy, which gave him a little hope.
After a somewhat awkward silence, Jemma finally said, “I should get back home, I suppose. I’ve already imposed on you for too long.”
She looked at him for a few moments and Fitz wasn’t sure what he was supposed to do. He wanted her to stay, but that wasn’t something he could ask her to do. It wouldn’t do to have an unmarried woman in his house, even if she was his research partner. And even if he wanted her to be more than that, it wasn’t like she had given him any real indication that his advances would be welcome. Their entire relationship was based on a shared hallucination, which hardly lent itself to something real and lasting between them.
Eventually the silence between them stretched a little too long and with an exhale of breath, Jemma walked away. Rather than watch her walk out of his life, possibly forever, Fitz pulled his gaze back to Hunter, who was looking at him sympathetically.
“I still don’t like it.” Hunter nodded towards the ivy. “In fact I’ve just asked Bobbi to marry me --”
“Again,” Bobbi added.
“Yes, again.” Hunter grinned at her before turning back to Fitz. “And we were thinking about taking an extended honeymoon.”
“Congratulations!” Fitz wasn’t surprised in the slightest, but he was happy for them nonetheless. “I don’t know what I’ll do without you, but I’m really happy for you.” He’d always known they’d end up together again somehow. He could practically feel the pull between them when they were in the same room.
Out of the corner of his eye he saw Jemma saying goodbye to everyone, hugging Daisy and saying something into her ear. It made sense. They weren’t even really friends, more like fellow scientists. She had a whole life that he wasn’t part of.
“You going to go after her?” Hunter asked quietly.
“What? No. I mean, she has a life to get back to. Getting trapped here wasn’t what she had planned.” He shook his head, trying to convince himself this was what he actually wanted.
“Plans change. You know that.”
“I know. I just...it isn’t like you and Bobbi.”
“It doesn’t have to be. You just had to be willing to take a chance.”
And then Hunter slipped away after Bobbi, and Fitz was left alone to figure out what to do.
A week later he still wasn’t sure, but what he did know was that he couldn’t bear the thought of not having her in his life at all. Even though their time together had been short, it had opened his eyes to what was possible.
And that was why he was standing outside her house with his hand raised to knock on the door. But before he could, the door swung open.
“Fitz! How lovely to see you.” Jemma’s smile was bright and she made him believe she actually meant the words.
“I just wanted to drop by. Ah, see if you needed any help with your research.”
Jemma studied him for a moment before stepping back to invite him inside. He wasn’t entirely certain of the propriety of being alone with her, but all they were going to do was talk.
“How did you find me?” she asked as she boiled water. For tea he supposed.
“Well, that wasn’t too difficult. I just asked Elena where you lived.”
“Did you?” Somehow her smile became even wider and it made him feel like he was being included in some sort of secret.
“I did. I wanted to see you. See if you were alright. See if you needed…”
“Help with my research?” she finished for him.
“Yes. Right.” He nodded. “Research.”
“It does happen that I could use your assistance.”
“Anything.”
“I have been wondering about something.”
“Yeah? What?”
As she spoke she moved closer, until they were practically touching and Fitz wondered if she was trying to torture him on purpose.
“I have been wondering how it would feel...to kiss you.”
Her eyes locked on his and she moved forward deliberately, until he surged forward and met her lips with a kiss. It was just as he’d imagined it would be, but also somehow so much better. She fit perfectly in his arms and met every bit of his passion with her own.
When they finally broke apart, Fitz could barely remember his own name.
“That was...that was...” His mind was completely blank and the very satisfied smile on her face wasn’t helping.
“Lovely.” She turned back towards the kettle and poured two cups. “Now, about that ivy--”
“You want to talk about the ivy now?”
Jemma raised an eyebrow. “Of course. That’s why you came after all, right?”
“Yes. No. I mean, maybe…” He could feel the heat spreading up his neck and tried to calm his racing thoughts. “I just...Jemma, I think we have a lot to talk about.”
“We do. Though I have to tell you I haven’t really found anything exceptional about the ivy.”
“Right, the ivy.” Fitz pressed a hand to his forehead. “I think maybe we should talk about the kiss.”
“It was lovely. I don’t know what else to say.”
“Oh.”
“We can try it again if you think we should.”
“No, I...not just because I want to. Only if you want to.”
Fitz finally found the strength to look at her again. If she wasn’t interested, he’d do his best to just be her friend. He could do that. It was better than nothing at all. And he was really interested in her research.
“Of course I want to. I just thought you’d want to talk about the tests I’ve done so far first. I would have just asked Ophelia or Dr. Radcliffe what they knew, but no one has seen them since they disappeared two weeks ago.”
Of everything she could have said, that was probably the last thing he’d expected.
“So what are you thinking? That we’ll talk about our experiments and then kiss sometimes?”
“No...I was thinking that we’d live happily ever after. I read that in a book once. Does that sound alright to you?”
She was closer again. So close he could almost feel her breath on his ear as she spoke. He turned his head to kiss her again and she stepped into the circle of his arms.
“I think that sounds just about perfect.”
And that’s exactly what they did.