Engaged

Chapter 1

Iain just hadn't been the same since they'd gotten back and started filming season seven, and Elizabeth was determined to find out why.

She'd given him a few weeks for things to sort themselves out on their own, or for him to come to her with whatever was bothering him, but they hadn't, and he hadn't. And she was done waiting. So that morning, she tracked him down to find out just what was going on with her best friend.

Iain was reading over his script alone in the lab set, which was completely vacant as they weren't filming on it anytime soon, and out of the way of where everyone else was. And that was another thing she'd noticed about him since their return — that he was spending a lot more time alone, or at least not with her. And it bothered her. A lot.

He was sitting in Fitz's normal chair and table, script on the table and him bent over it, elbows on the table and head in his hands. Elizabeth walked over, and sat down on the table next to him.

"Iain, what's the matter? You haven't been the same since we got back."

"It's nothing," replied Iain far too quickly, flipping over the page of his script, not looking up at her.

Elizabeth rolled her eyes — Iain had always been a stubborn one. Fortunately, she could be even more stubborn.

"Of course it's something, or I wouldn't have asked. So please, just tell me. You're my best friend, you can tell me anything."

Iain finally turned his head enough to look up at her. "Not this. You really don't want to know."

"Of course I want to know!" exclaimed Elizabeth, offended that he would think there could be anything going on in his life that she wouldn't care about, no matter how insignificant he thought it might be.

"Elizabeth! I'm not telling you, okay!? So just — stop. Please."

Elizabeth froze, staring at him in shock. It was the first time she'd ever truly heard him snap at her, and it took her majorly by surprise. But fortunately for her, he'd turned back to staring at the table (she seriously doubted he even noticed his script he was staring through), so he didn't see her staring at him.

"Okay. And sorry, Iain," she said softly after several seconds, deciding it was best to drop it at the moment — but she was definitely going to pin him down and get to the bottom of whatever this was soon, just at a better time.

"It's fine," mumbled Iain, flipping his script to the front page. "And sorry for snapping."

Then he stood up and looked over at her for real for the first time since she'd come in, picking his script up off the table. "We should probably get back near set. We have to film soon."

Elizabeth jumped off the table and smiled at him, looping her arm loosely around his, happy when he didn't pull away from her, and together they walked back towards where they would soon be needed for filming.

~AoS~

The following evening, after filming was wrapped up for the episode and they had the following day off before read-throughs on the next episode the day after that, Elizabeth walked up to the door of Fitz's apartment and knocked.

As soon as he opened the door, before he even had time to say hi or ask what she was doing there, she said as she pushed her way past him into his apartment, "I'm here to make you tell me what you wouldn't tell me yesterday morning."

Then she proceeded to walk over to his kitchen table and pull out a chair and sit down, before turning to face him, a determined look on her face that brooked no argument. Iain was still standing at the door holding it open, staring at her. Realizing she had no plans of going anywhere anytime soon, he slowly closed the door and walked over to the table, taking the chair on the far opposite side, putting as much space between them as there could be had at the small, rectangular table.