Before You Go

This Is How It Starts

Hello, everyone! I'm back with a new story. Obvious, but hey, if I don't state it, who will?

This one takes place after "Never Let Go," but I guess you don't have to read it to understand completely. You'll get more of the general plot as the story moves along. :)

Enjoy! :D

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She awoke to the feeling of crisp sheets and softly chirping birds.

It was something picturesque, almost. The way the sunlight slanted in dreamily through the windows, or the tiny pricks of dust in the air. The warm body pressed against hers, arms draped lovingly against her hip bones and the breath ruffling her hair -

Her eyes blew wide open as a cold finger of dread swept through her. This room wasn't her own. And this was most certainly not her bed.

The being pressed against her bare back stirred, pulling her tighter against him. Though she couldn't yet discern who it was spooning her, the breathing was clearly male.

She stifled a groan of despair at his movement. Whoever this guy was, he was a cuddler.

Quickly, Jemma assessed her situation. She didn't seem to be in any danger. The body next to hers seemed more content on snuggling than harming. And he was obviously still asleep. If anything, her chances of running were best.

It took approximately 76 seconds of discomfort for her to snap. And yes, she did count, thank you very much.

Carefully, she began to slide down into the sheets. His grip slackened and for a fleeting second she let a bolt of excitement arc through her. Just a bit more and she was free.

But then his arm tightened and towed her up. She had but a second before his lips descended on hers.

Jemma let out a sharp squeak against his mouth. He jerked back instantly, as if he'd been shocked with a jolt of lightning.

"Jem, you alright?" He asked worriedly. "I didn't hurt you or . . ."

The rest of his sentence fell upon deaf ears. Because Jemma was staring at the face of her competition and rival - Leo Fitz.

His eyes were wide and blue. His usually boyish face was somehow older, stubbled cheeks and curls gone. And he was in her bed, shirtless.

Well, someone's bed.

"What . . ." She let out, breathing strangely erratic.

He reached for her face, as if to gently cup it, but she jerked back. A wave of hurt came over his face.

"Jemma, what's wrong?" Fitz's eyes searched hers. "Is it the babe?"

"What?!" She repeated again, voice raising in pitch. "What's wrong? What's wrong is that we're in a bed together! Me and . . . and you!" Her hands dug into her eyes as she rubbed her face. The lack of support of the sheets caused them to fall, leaving her in nothing but a flimsy top. She squeaked again, pulling it back up. "What did you do to me?!"

His face jolted between shocked and worried. "Wha' . . . What do you mean?"

"We are . . . We are in a bed together!" She all but spat at him. "You're shirtless and I . . . I'm . . ." Barely clothed. She reddened, deciding not to finish her thought.

"Jemma, hon, what's wrong?" Fitz asked again, taking her gently by the shoulders. The horrified look in his eyes almost hurt her.

Though she willed it not to, her lower lip began to quiver. Before she knew it, she'd begun sobbing. Fitz softly pulled her into his arms. She was too distraught and utterly confused to resist.

He gently rubbed her back, whispering reassurances in her hair. "It's just hormones, Jem. You're alright, I've gotcha."

A few moments later, she collected herself enough to pull away stiffly from him. "What do you mean by hormones?"

He visibly stiffened, narrowing his eyes slightly. "Jemma, this isn't funny."

She glared at him. "I'm not joking! What do you know about my body that I don't?"

"Jem . . . " he trailed off, a revelation dawning on his face. "What year is it?

"2006. Really, Fitz. For a child prodigy I'd expect-" She stopped. His face had gone deathly pale. "What? What is it?"

"Oh, God," he jerked away from her and the bed, standing. He was in nothing but a pair of pajama pants. Hands running wildly through his hair, he started pacing. "They did it . . . They did it . . ."

"Who did what?" She demanded, tired of the way their conversation had gone this far. "I'm done talking in half sentences, Leopold!"

The door creaked open, and both parties froze in their actions to see a small head poke around the door frame.

It was a little girl with tousled caramel curls. Her eyes were striking blue. A little nightgown hung on her, though she was barefooted.

"Why are you fighting?" She mumbled, rubbing her eyes with one hand.

"Lizzie," Fitz began, rushing over to the door to scoop her up. Getting a good look at her, Jemma gauged she couldn't have been more than three years old.

"Who . . . Who is that?" Jemma asked, barely above a whisper. A sink hole was opening in her chest.

"I, ah . . . Let's all go get a cuppa, shall we?" Fitz dodged the question.

"Leo Fitz," Jemma all but slammed her foot down. She was riding on a wave of emotions, none very pleasant.

His mouth opened to reply, but 'Lizzie' jumped in first.

"Daddy, is Mum okay?" Her long eyelashes struggled to blink away the sleep.

Jemma staggered back out of the bed. "I . . . I don't understand." Her voice was coming out in quiet breaths. "You . . . You hate me. And I'm sixteen, in uni . . ."

"Jemma -" Fitz began again, but she was already flying out the door.

The fact that she was only in a thin tank top and rather inappropriately short sleeping shorts didn't stop her from running down the hallway at full blast. And the hallway itself - it was a strange hodgepodge of bricks and concrete that she could hardly believe the warm room she just left was related to any of it. It all twisted together into a labyrinth of passages, and selected them at random.

Though she had never prided herself on athleticism, her muscles grew weary after only a few minutes of sprinting. Before she knew it, she was cramping and gasping for air from both her dash and revelations.

Hearing no one, she slumped down against the brick wall. It was eerily silent aside from her breathing.

Rapid fire, her mind replayed images from the past few minutes.

Waking up curled in Fitz's bed. His lips against hers. His worried eyes. A girl calling her 'Mum.' A girl calling Fitz 'Daddy.'

Shaking, she held up her hand. On her finger was a glistening diamond ring.

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So yes, the chapters are going to be shorter than usual because I'm trying out a different writing style. We'll see how it turns out :) But the good news about this is that I'm able to keep updating more regularly, so whoo hoo! XD

Please leave a review! It helps keep me going :)