Fitzsimmons

Part Five

Quick Note: Sorry it's written in a rush. I wanted to get it out before tonight's episode.

Leo Fitz has no chill. 😏

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Life continued to become more and more boring as the time passed in the English countryside. Leo and Jemma took turns teaching the children maths and literature and science and history, until eventually they began to run out of things to teach. So Leo entertained them all by telling stories he'd read at the printing press, and making up his own with the kids' help.

Jemma and Leo became a sort of platonically married couple, not romantic in the least, more like best friends raising children together. It was a beautifully prosperous relationship for the two of them. Leo teased her without shame in front of the kids, knowing she would always retaliate cleverly. Jemma didn't fret so much about her appearance being decent around him.

When the mail carrier made his weekly delivery about six months after they had arrived, Jemma was sitting in the parlor with Lily, Emily, Beth, Ron, and William. The radio was sounding a children's program, and Lily and Jemma occupied themselves with books.

Leo brought the letter to her, looking a bit nervous. Jemma glanced up from her book to take the envelope, already beginning to worry. Her stomach was in knots once she noticed the military seal signifying the seriousness of the contents.

Lily was staring at her expectantly now, and Jemma couldn't bear to deliver bad news about any of her brothers or sisters to their children. She stood quickly and excused herself out of the room and into the empty dining room.

Shaking hands ripped opened the envelope, and Jemma prayed internally. She opened the letter.

Ms. Jemma Simmons,

We have been requested to inform you that your fiancé, Matthew Smith, has recently been enlisted into the British Air Force. He will be serving the crown with his kinsman in the 8th division. We insist on your support, of both his enlistment and of...

Jemma's eyes blurred, so she stopped reading there. She dropped the letter on the table and brought a hand to cover her mouth as she began to sob.

Leo appeared in the doorway, and before she could comprehend anything beyond her own crippling fear and sadness, he was embracing her comfortingly.

"Nothing bad will happen," Leo kept repeating as she muffled her cries as to not alarm the children. He must've thought that if he said the phrase enough, it would be true. Jemma wasn't a child. She understood what the letter meant. This was the end of her and Matthew.

"Jemma, you have to stop crying," Leo whispered, glancing over his shoulder to where a child could walk in at any second. "Put on a brave face, right now, or so help me."

"I'm fine," Jemma promised, then said it again for good measure. Leo pulled out a handkerchief and handed it to Jemma, who used it to mop up her tears.

"You're good?" Leo asked, genuinely concerned. Jemma gave him the cloth back and nodded, then smoothed her hair back. Leo plucked the paper from the table and stuffed it into his pocket just as Jack walked through the door.

"Are you okay, Aunt Jemmy?" he questioned, then shoved his glasses back up on his nose.

"Yes, very good," replied Jemma carefully. "Are you okay, Jack? Maybe you're hungry?"

Jack grinned, baring his missing teeth, before nodding. Jemma let out a sigh of relief. No one would notice anything out of the ordinary. She would just forget all about the letter until she could process it alone. Or maybe with Leo.

Jemma made it through dinner without incident, then through storytelling and bedtime, and she was happy when she could finally think be alone. She began to think as she dressed in her cleanest nightgown.

Just as she was going to leave for Leo's room, he knocked on her door. "Come in," Jemma called.

He entered wordlessly, closing the door behind him. Jemma tried to speak, to explain herself and express her gratitude, but Leo had his arms wrapped around her before she made a sound.

"I read the letter," he confessed as he pulled away, and Jemma's eyes started watering. "I'm so sorry, Jemma."

"Thank you for getting me through," she blurted in response. "Like you said, nothing bad will happen." She tried a smile, but it felt like a betrayal to her face, so she let it drop.

Leo could only smile sadly at her, and grip her hand reassuringly.

"I didn't get you through, that was all you. You're strong, Jemma," he breathed, holding eye contact.

Jemma was so thankful to him, words would never be able to express. Her sorrow over Matthew still dominated her mind, but Leo took a bit of the edge off of it. Like the spoon of sugar she would take with her medicine as a child.

"Could you... stay?" Jemma asked without a second thought. She doubted her ability to survive the night without his comfort.

"Of course," he said, eyes a gleam.

Jemma wasn't ashamed, and neither was Leo. This wasn't a disgrace to Jemma's engagement. It was necessary for her to get by that night. And she wouldn't be sorry for it, not even when Leo's arms felt almost too right around her waist.