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Jemma Simmons had never given much thought to where her life would end, she didn’t suppose many 18-year-olds did. If she had thought about it, she never would have guessed she would spend her last moments fighting to hold onto her handbag in a dingy alleyway that smelt like a poorly cleaned urinal.
All of her life she had been taught that no worldly possession was worth dying for, so why couldn’t she just let the bag go. She could hear her parents, teachers and even her older cousins screaming in her head to just hand the bag over and run away to safety but there were other voices in there too, voices she simply couldn’t ignore.
Her Great-Grandmother’s voice coolly encouraged her to stand firm and hold her ground, while her Great-Grandfather’s gently reminded her that if she let this guy rip her off without a fight, he would move onto another victim without a second thought and the next person he mugged might not get off as lucky as Jemma.
For all that Jemma Simmons embodied the stereotype of the overly polite Brit there was one point on which she couldn’t be moved. She could not and would not stand bullies, no matter what form they came in. So, despite all the warnings ringing in her head and her own better judgment, Jemma held on tight to the strap of her bag and readied herself for a fight.
Intellectually Jemma knew the chances of the fight ending well for her were slim to none but she was going to do just as her Great-Grandparents would have done in their youth and stand firm. With the ideals and values her family had imbued her with she didn’t really have any other choice.
The mugger used his superior strength and the grip he had on her bag to pull Jemma closer to him, that was the moment that she chose to lash out.
Being so much smaller meant that the punch Jemma aimed at her attacker’s jaw didn’t seem to make much of an impact on him but the elbow she followed through with was a surprise to him and it gave her a momentary advantage. His hold on the bag loosened just enough for Jemma to wrench it away from him and make a run for it.
She didn’t even have time to marvel at her luck before it ran out. The mugger recovered much more quickly than Jemma ever would have expected and not only did he recapture Jemma’s bag, he got a good grip on her too.
The tiny woman continued to struggle in her much larger captor’s hold until he produced a wickedly sharp knife from somewhere. Jemma wasn’t proud of how quickly the fright went out of her but in the face of a weapon she just didn’t feel so brave anymore.
The man took advantage of her sudden stillness and pulled Jemma even closer to him, his arms felt like bands of steel around her and Jemma knew she had no hope of escaping him now.
The little headway Jemma had made was quickly undone as her captor dragged her further into the alley. She just had time to utter a pathetic little scream before the cretin’s meaty hand closed over her mouth. That was the moment that she came to the sickening realization that this was probably how and where she would meet her end.
In a dimly lit, fowl smelling alley hundreds of miles from her home and family, Jemma Simmons, child prodigy and scientific genius was going to die because she was too stubborn for her own good.
The mugger seemed pretty pleased with himself for getting his hands on not only Jemma’s bag but her as well, if his vile chuckle was anything to go by.
“This is the fun part” he told her lecherously and Jemma felt bile rise in her throat. She desperately redoubled her struggling in a desperate effort to get away from him. Her situation seemed truly hopeless until another voice cut through the tension filled air.
“No, this is the part where you let the lady go and hope I don’t break all of your bones before you can get out of here” it stated in a cold, threatening tone that Jemma knew she shouldn’t find comforting but strangely she did.
The mugger spun to face the voice taking Jemma with him as he did so.
There in the mouth of the alleyway stood a man even taller than Jemma’s captor, his hair was dark and he moved with purpose but all of his other feature were hidden in the alley’s darkness.
“Back off buddy” the mugger spat at the intruder trying to pull Jemma closer to him but there was no space left for her to fill.
“I’m not your Buddy” the newcomer said, stalking closer to the pair “and I’m not going anywhere, now let the lady go” he all but demanded.
The mugger seemed to evaluate his options for a moment before pushing Jemma to the ground and charging the man that had come to her aid.
From the place she had landed Jemma could do nothing but watch the flurry of violent movements that followed with an odd sense of detached horror.
Even from a distance she had been able to tell that her rescuer could handle himself but up close he was almost as scary as her captor had been. Her attacker may have been vicious but the man that saved her was brutally efficient. Every action he took and move that he made was with the intention of causing harm to his opponent.
Jemma almost felt sorry for the mugger until she caught sight of the knife he still held and remembered how he had threatened her with it just moments ago.
“Look out, knife” she cried out a warning to her rescuer seconds before the thug tried to use it against him. The weapon clattered to the ground useless, weather Jemma’s warning had been any help or not she wasn’t sure.
The fight only lasted a few moments more, both opponents moved too quickly for Jemma to follow, one second the two of them were grappling with each other the next her attacker was running out of the alley, leaving Jemma stunned and her rescuer victorious.
Almost instantly the warrior that had saved her melted away, leaving a gentle and concerned man in his stead.
“Are you alright?” he asked, approaching Jemma as slowly as he would a wounded animal.
“Am I alright?” she gasped, just barely managing to stay this side of hysterical. “Are you alright? You fought that man” Jemma said as if he could have somehow missed his own actions.
“Yeah, I did” he said soothingly “now, are you alright?” he persisted.
“Yes” Jemma sighed taking some deep beaths and finding her centre “but you’re not” she gasped. All of her reclaimed calm flew out of the window when she saw blood dripping from a nasty gash that stretched across his right bicep.
“He cut you” Jemma pointed out fearfully.
“It’s nothing” he tried to brush off her concern but Jemma wasn’t having it.
“It’s not nothing” she insisted “we have no way of knowing what could have been on that blade, you might need a tetanus jab for all we know”
The man gave an incredibly small smile as if he were trying hard to keep a striate face and failing but only just.
“All of my shots are up to date, don’t worry” he told her using the same gentle tone as before.
“At least let me clean and dress it” Jemma offered “I have a first aid kit in my bag” she said, realizing for the first time since the man’s arrival that she didn’t actually know where her bag had gone.
Looking around she spotted it laying on the ground, the mugger must have dropped it at the same time as he had given up holding her captive. It wouldn’t take much for Jemma to reach it and the medical supply’s it held. She had just stared to stretch towards the bag when her rescuer placed a hand softly on her forearm to stop her.
“If you want to patch me up Doc, I’m OK with that but can we get you off the ground and out of this alley first?” he asked her hopefully.
How Jemma could have missed the fact she was still sitting where she had fallen, she didn’t know but getting up simply hadn’t occurred to her until that very moment.
“Yes, yes, of course, your right” she agreed and quickly tried to rise, only to stumble back and fall again.
“Whoa, steady” the man said doing his best to catch her “go slowly, OK” he advised. He also offered her hands to help her up but Jemma was careful to only take the hand of his uninjured arm as she got to her feet.
“I’m Grant by the way, Grant Ward” her rescuer introduced himself once Jemma was finally off the ground.
“Jemma Simmons” she said softly in return as she released her hold on his hand. “I really can’t thank you enough for what you did” she admitted. “Particularly considering you got hurt defending me” she said indicating to his still bleeding arm.
“Well, you said you’d fix me up, right” Grant remined her “I think I will make us even” he said giving her a friendly smile.
Jemma wasn’t sure that taking care of Grant’s wound would be payment enough but she was sure that the longer she left him bleeding the worse the outcome would be for him, so she chose to focus on that for now.
There was a small green area covered with benches and picknick tables that the city claimed as a park, it wasn’t far from the alley that Jemma had been dragged into. It wasn’t where Jemma would have chosen to treat a knife wound but it would do in a pinch.
Rummaging through her large, over stuffed handbag in the semi-darkness of a city park, searching for the first aid kit she always carried, really wasn’t working for Jemma. So, she simply upended the whole thing, sending its contents spilling all over the table.
There laying amongst her many other belongings was her first aid kit, Jemma reached for it with a triumphant grin, she turned to show Grant she had finally found it but her smile froze on her lips when she saw what he was holding.
“You’re with S.H.I.E.L.D” he said almost offhandedly holding up her Academy ID card which had also come tumbling out of her bag.
“What? No” Jemma gasped “I mean, what’s S.H.I.E.L.D?” she was trying desperately to sound nonchalant but her failed attempt to snatch back her ID really didn’t help her case.
“With lies that bad you must be a scientist” Grant said giving a warm chuckle despite the seriousness of the situation they now found themselves in.
“What?” Jemma gaped at him.
“Well, your defiantly not a field agent” Grant said giving her a full-blown smile for the first time since they met and holding out her ID to her.
“Maybe I’m a Specialist” Jemma said primly as she snatched the card from his hand.
“I don’t think so” Grant said his tone full of mock seriousness “a Specialist wouldn’t be corned in an alley” he pointed out, which Jemma had to admit was true, a Specialist would have killed their way out of there without a second thought.
“Plus, if you were a Specialist, I would know it” Grant added.
“How?” Jemma demanded.
“Because” he whispered leaning in conspiratorially “I really am a Specialist”.
“What?” Jemma gasped again and Grant nearly roared with laughter.
He reached into his jacket and produced his own ID card, proving that he was a cadet of the Specialist Academy. Jemma lent forward to get a better look but Grant was quick to tuck his card safely back into his pocket.
“You really should start wearing coats with inside pockets” he advised her “it’s easier to keep your ID on your person that way” he explained.
Jemma was completely flabbergasted, there were simply no other words for the utter shock she was feeling in that moment and Grant almost seemed to be enjoying himself at her expense.
“So, Doc, are you going to fix me up or not?” he asked indicating to his still bleeding arm, that Jemma had temporally forgotten about due to discovering their unexpected common ground.
“Oh, yes, of course” she rushed to open the first aid kit. “I probably should warn you, I’m not actually a Doctor, well, I am, twice over in fact but I’m not this kind of Doctor” she babbled as she stared to clean Grant’s cut.
“Two Doctorates huh?” he said, either choosing to ignore the rest of what she had said or just deciding it didn’t require commenting on.
“Yes” Jemma confirmed “Biology and Chemistry” she added in leu of having anything else to say.
“Pretty young for that” Grant pointed out as Jemma cleaned his arm; she knew the antiseptic she was using must be stinging him but he didn’t so much as twitch as she carried on.
“The joys of being a child prodigy” Jemma said almost dismissively. She didn’t mean to sound full of herself but she knew she was exceptionally intelligent, to her it was just a simple statement of fact.
“So, you’re a genius, is that what you’re doing here in the States?” Grant asked.
“Well, yes” Jemma replied somewhat stiltedly, no one had ever really asked why she had joined the S.H.I.E.L.D Academy before, they where just glad that she was there.
“There weren’t any agency’s in the UK that wanted you?” Grant pressed.
“Yes, of course there were but S.H.I.E.L.D offered me the greatest opportunity to help people, so here I am” Jemma explained but there was a look in Grant’s eyes that said that he didn’t quite believe her, not fully.
“And the freedom of being alone in a different Country had nothing to do with it?” he asked shrewdly.
“What? How?” Jemma stuttered, how could he possibly know that, they had only half an hour ago, how could he see the one truth she had managed to hide from those around her.
“I know a run away when I see one” Grant said softly using the same reassuring tone he had back in the alley. “You’re the best dressed run away I’ve ever seen but you’ve still got that look” he told her.
“Plus, a need for freedom would explain what you are doing off Academy grounds so late at night” he deduced “you have got to breaking all kinds of regulations by roaming around alone but you’re still doing it”
“Actually, there aren’t any rules against leaving the grounds at night” Jemma countered brightly “it’s discouraged but not forbidden, so I’m free to come and go as I please” she said trying to side step his other comments but the look he levelled at her made it clear she had failed.
“My family can be a little over protective” Jemma admitted softly “I know that they love me but I’m not entirely sure they trust me, not when it comes to my own safety at least. There always seemed to be someone there watching over me, so when S.H.I.E.L.D offered me a chance to strike out on my own I jumped at it. All I wanted was to prove I could look after myself but I suppose I failed at that pretty spectacularly” she explained with a small sad smile.
“Hey, no” Grant rushed to comfort her and pre-empt the tears he could see gathering in her eyes.
“I saw you fight back against that guy, you know” he said “you stood up to him and put up more of a fight than that jerk thought you would, that took a lot of courage, I bet your family would be proud of you for that” he complimented her quickly trying to bring back her formally bright smile.
“Some of them maybe” she agreed sadly “but most of them would just be mad at me for getting myself into that situation”.
“No, don’t do that” Grant told her using his uninjured hand to give her shoulder a gentle, reassuring squeeze. “don’t blame yourself, what just happened wasn’t your fault” Grant’s hands might have been soft but his voice was as hard as steel “what went down tonight was on him, not you, it was his fault not yours” he reiterated needed her to hear him.
“Well, thank you” Jemma said with a somewhat forced smile as she moved on to wrapping a bandage around Grant’s now cleaned cut “but I think my evenings of exploration are over” she admitted.
“They don’t have to be” he said quickly, wanting to see Jemma’s real smile again. “One bad night doesn’t mean you have to stop enjoying your freedom” he pointed out “I mean you did fly halfway around the world for it” he added.
“I did” Jemma agreed “but I don’t think I can enjoy exploring the city the way I did before, not for a while at least” she admitted regretfully.
“Then don’t explore alone until you feel ready for it” Grant suggested “you’ve got to have some friends at the Academy that would come out with you”.
“I only really have one friend” she confessed “and he’s not exactly the bravest of people, the thought of leaving Academy grounds pretty much terrifies him, he’s not about to jump at the chance to join me. Particularly not after he hears about what happened tonight”
“You could, not tell him” Grant said but the smile he was giving her said that he knew that even a lie of omission like that would be too much for her. “Or you could let me come with you next time” he offered warmly.
“You’d really do that?” Jemma asked Grant as she finally tied of the bandage, his offer had completely taken her by surprise.
“Yeah, I would” Grant replied softly, picking up her hand that was resting on his bandaged arm, he held it gently in his own and pinned Jemma with his most sincere look.
“Why?” Jemma couldn’t help but wonder.
“Because it sounds like you could use some more friends and honesty, so could I” he told her rubbing small, soft circles on the back of her hand.
“You want to be my friend?” Jemma asked genuinely surprised and Grant couldn’t help but smile at her sweetness.
“Yeah, I do” he reassured her warmly.
“OK then, Grant” she beamed up at him “let’s be friends” she agreed.
“Well, Jemma” he smiled back just as brightly “I may not have many friends but I tend to be quite protective of the one’s I do have” he told her “so, how about you and I explore the city together from now on” he suggested with another warm smile.
“I’d like that, thank you” Jemma could feel a blush rising in the in her cheeks so she quickly shook off the hold that Grant had on her, so she could focus on refilling her bag.
Grant had to bite back a grin; she was cute when she was flustered but that wasn’t something you mention to a newly acquired friend so he kept his thoughts to himself.
He and Jemma agreed to meet in the park at the same time next week, there was a local museum she wanted to visit and he was happy to go with her.
Jemma had just left the park when Grant felt his phone vibrate in his pocket.
“Ward” he answered after giving the screen the barest of glances.
“Hey there Son, how’s your night going?” greeted his CO John Garrett, his voice full of false cheer.
“Not bad” Grant replied tightly “I made a new friend”.
“Oh yeah, what’s she like?” Garrett asked, even though with all the access he had to S.H.I.E.L.D and its files he probably knew more about Jemma Simmons that Grant ever would.
“Gutsy” Grant answered shortly.
“She had a pretty big scare tonight and was more worried about patching me up that what almost happed to her” he explained, letting some of the underlaying anger he was feeling over Jemma’s attack seep into his voice.
Garrett hissed in what Grant assumed was false sympathy.
“I did hear that your introduction didn’t go quite as we planned” John conceded, at least he had the decency to sound slightly guilty about that.
“Our mutual friend didn’t expect the girl to fight back, all her files claim she is totally untrained, she shouldn’t have known how to throw a punch like that. Getting blindsided by her, got under his skin and he got a little rough with both of you” Garrett tried to explained but Grant didn’t want to hear it.
“We are meeting up again next week” he said choosing not deal with John’s non-apologies right now.
“Good job, Son” Garrett sounded proud and usually Grant would revel in that fact but at that moment he was more concerned with watching Jemma as she finally disappeared from his sight.
“Can you finish the Job Grant” John asked him “can you make Miss Simmons see things our way?”
No, Grant couldn’t and he knew it. He had only spent a short amount of time with Jemma but he already knew the girl was S.H.I.E.L.D to her core. He was willing to bet that in all his 19 years of life he had never met anyone more loyal than her, there was no way she was turning.
Grant should admit that to Garrett now, he should tell his mentor to cut his losses with the girl and move on but if he did that, he was pretty sure that he would never see her again, John would make sure of it.
“Honestly, I’m not sure” he sighed out, lying to his CO for the first time in years.
“Well, take your time” Garrett drawled out “feel her out and do what you’ve got to do” Grant couldn’t be sure but he thought he heard an undertone of amusement in the other man’s voice.
“Will do” Grant signed off before hanging up on Garrett.
In the silent wake of the call Grant was left with more questions than he had had in a long time. The two most pressing being, who Jemma Simmons really was and what was it about her that led to him lying to the most important person in his life.
He didn’t know but he was pretty sure he was going to enjoy finding out.