❝THIS COULD BE PARADISE.❞
In which Jenna Rivers always thought working for S.H.I.E.L.D would be her paradise, only to find out that it was merely a path towards one.
[AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D AU - SEASON 4]
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
BEING A SUCCESSFUL computer scientist was a lot more than Jenna Rivers had initially expected, but not in a bad way — if anything, it was exactly what she had dreamed of, and beyond. She was her own boss, she got to research whatever she desired, and no one was telling her what to do or how to do. In fact, she was the one giving out orders to her small group of employees, and her own personal driver, as she was indeed that successful and filthy rich. Being a star wasn't half-bad, not with the fancy cars and the best computers and a large house to dance through alone.
However, there appeared the downside of her stylish life — she was alone. Of course, she had her mother and two siblings, and the memory of her father always remained in her heart, but all her life, Jenna had had a lack of friends. Even when studying to become a scientist, she had been lonely, without a study buddy, and whilst the people around her went and fell in love, hung out with their besties until the most ungodly of hours, she watched from aside. She hadn't found a special someone to connect with, so instead, she formed a bond with her books and work, instead of people.
But she didn't need friends to thrive. She did that very well on her own — and by the age of twenty-four, she was already swimming in pride and cash. Of course, none of the fame or fortune changed who Jenna truly was — a nerdy, introverted girl who knew how to be humble and cuddly, like a teddy bear. She had simply grown stronger, braver, and knocking her down was no longer as easy as it used to be.
Jenna's playlist of the best 2000s hits was playing from the small, adorable speaker she had placed on one of the desks in her laboratory as she danced around in the white coat resting perfectly on her shoulders, and her lips moved along the lyrics whilst she was writing stuff down onto her whiteboard. This was her normal day — jamming to some pop diva hits while working on her latest research, and occasionally, one of her employees burst into the room and forced a scream from her due to being caught singing and dancing across the floor. That was why the glass door leading to the lab had earned a sign that said "KNOCK".
Which was why she felt immensely grateful when someone did in fact knock on her door, and turning on her heel, Jenna lowered the volume of the music and put down the marker in her hand instantly. Once she saw her brother walking into the room, the woman ended up grinning and opened her arms wide to encourage Evan to give her a big hug, as if they hadn't just seen each other earlier that morning. Working close to home allowed Jenna to see her family on a daily basis, and it really was one of the biggest perks of her job.
"Ready to go?", Evan questioned once he had hugged his sister briefly, and glancing at the clock on the wall, Jenna then nodded in response.
It was the day and time they usually went to the graveyard and visited Henry Rivers' grave together — sometimes, Maggie and Jane came along, but it had formed into Evan and Jenna's own little thing to pay a visit to the cemetery and leave some flowers by the headstone. On special occasions, the whole family went at the same time, but for now, it was only the two of them and with that in mind, Jenna then shrugged the white lab coat off of her shoulders and took her red trench coat from her chair instead.
"I got the car ready downstairs", Evan pointed out as he offered his arm for Jenna, and smiling at the kind gesture he had done, the blonde nodded and linked arms with his brother. The two walked out of the lab, and once Jenna had told one of her employees to lock the doors when her shift would end, they headed downstairs and to the crisp air outside. Just as Evan had promised, Jenna's shiny black car was awaiting on the side of the street and her chauffeur was holding the door open for the two siblings, which earned a grateful nod from the blonde before they dived into the vehicle.
As Jenna and Evan sat on the leather seats, the woman watched through the tinted windows how people were nervously lining up on the streets due to HYDRA agents swarming the streets with their guns out and loaded — they ruled with an iron fist and exploited fear, which Jenna truly hated. HYDRA represented everything she did not, and whilst the thought of taking the evil organization down was a tempting one, she was just one girl, and if she were to step a foot in their headquarters, she'd be shot down within seconds. The idea of a revolution was an impossible one in the world they lived in, due to people either blindly following their cruel leaders, or fearing too much to do anything about it.
"Jenna", Evan's warning tone snapped her out of her thoughts, and with an innocent smile on her lips, but her eyes colored with mischief, she turned to face her brother with a defiant gaze.
"HYDRA is the reason we don't have a father, Evan. I'm sorry if I'm the slightest bit bitter for the numerous lives they've ruined by simply existing", she sighed before turning back to the window and glaring at the armed agents, but luckily, the grim sight was soon gone as the car continued to drive further and they began to approach the graveyard. And the closer they got, the more the anger within Jenna began to transform into sadness — something more familiar, really.
Once their destination was reached and the car parked, Jenna was already walking on the small path leading them to the multiple rows of tombstones, with Evan by her side. In her hands was the bouquet of roses that her chauffeur had gotten as per her request, and in her eyes, a pile of tears began to build up at the sight of a familiar name on an all too familiar grave.
Henry Rivers, it said, loving husband, caring father, impeccable agent. Words that Jenna had memorized by her third visit to the cemetery, when she had actually sat there without sobbing her eyes out and choking on every word that she tried to let out. Now, years had passed and she held herself together with poise — although her heart ached and her cheeks were wet with tears, she didn't fall apart, not with every visit, at least. Bringing back the memory of her father would never not be sad, it would never not hurt, but slowly and surely, the wounds on her heart had turned into scars and Jenna had grown into a strong woman that knew heartbreak, but didn't let it paralyze her anymore.
"I miss you", she whispered, whilst lowering the roses on his grave, before flashing a sad smile and adding, "I always will." It was the truth — she was never going to forget the great man that had raised her into this kind, gentle person, and more importantly, he had inspired her. Even in death, he had affected her, and he was the reason why she was currently Jenna Rivers, brilliant computer scientist that many looked up to.
Even in the twisted world they lived in, controlled and ruled by HYDRA.
"Yes we will", Evan finished with a sigh, before throwing his arm over Jenna's shoulders and pulling his sister closer. And for a while, they stood like that — sad and silent, but supportive of each other, and aware that no matter what, they weren't all alone. Perhaps Jenna didn't really have friends, but she did have her family, and at the end of the day, that was all that really mattered.
Once their tears had been shed and hearts poured out, Jenna and Evan were ready to leave. But before they did, Jenna noticed that the grave next to Henry's only had dry, dead roses resting on top of it, and frowning at the sight, the blonde took one from the bouquet she had brought and placed it on the old tomb. Glancing at the headstone before walking away, Jenna wondered if the deceased had been a good person, worthy of her roses.
Shrugging, she then walked away, leaving behind the grave that said Henry Rivers, and the one that said Jemma Simmons.
»»»
ahhhh omg i'm so excited to write this part! i loved the whole framework plotline so writing about it will probably be lots of fun (: and tears, probably. yup.
i changed some things, because i know that apparently jemma's "grave" was supposed to be in the uk (even though she was buried elsewhere) but now, she and henry are resting in the same cemetery.
and basically, jenna is a successful scientist! she is really thriving and ambitious, so the question is, how will she react when a couple of strangers come asking for her help, talking about a "real world"?¿
