A/N: This is the end! We're so glad that you've enjoyed reading our story as much as we enjoyed writing it. If this was your first dip into our writing, please check out our other (individually authored) stories. Again, thank you so much for all the wonderful comments!

EPILOGUE

It's quite a nice sight: the sky is turning an inky blue, the stars are starting to shine brighter and the sea is calm with waves sloshing quietly against the shore. Despite being November, it's not even cold; there's just a slight breeze that would be unpleasant if Fitz hadn't been wearing his jumper.

He shifts upon the old towel beneath him, trying to make himself more comfortable. He's been sitting and watching his teammates for a while; after he'd helped carry the bags of groceries and firewood, they'd all started working, getting things ready, and he had settled in his spot.

The evening's tranquility is broken when Mack lets out a carefree whoop as the driftwood pile before them catches fire. "I told you it was dry enough," he calls out to Fitz with laughter in his voice. Grinning, Fitz can only shake his head in response.

There's some commotion at his right and he turns, his smile growing when he sees Skye, Trip and Hunter arguing over the best way to plant their cheap fireworks into the sand.

"I'm telling you," Skye declares, pulling at the shopping bag that Hunter clutches between his hands. "We need to start with the Roman candles and then do the swirling pinwheel-"

"Oh, because you're such a fireworks expert?" Hunter yanks the bag back toward him causing it to rip, its contents spilling upon the sand. "Now look what you bloody well did…"

"Me?! You're the one-"

"Guys!" Trip interjects. "Can we just split them? Maybe if we just-"

The two agents look up from the sand, exasperation clear upon both their faces. "No!" They cry out in unison.

Fitz can't help but laugh as he watches his teammates. It feels good to just relax and enjoy each other's company and he realises just how much he could have lost if he had kept isolating himself. Thankfully, he's learning to trust his old and new teammates and is finally becoming an active member of the team once again.

A plastic pill bottle drops into his lap as a hand weaves gently through his hair, mussing it slightly. "You forgot this."

He looks up and smiles at Jemma, unconsciously leaning into her touch as she takes a seat next to him. He pops the bottle open, sliding a pill into his palm and reaches for a bottle of water.

"Where did you go?" He asks, turning his head toward her.

She smiles mischieviously, bumping her shoulder against his own. "I have a surprise for you."

He grins and turns to her. "Yeah? What is it?"

Jemma hooks her arm into Fitz's and curls tighter into his side, nuzzling her head against his shoulder. "What is an absolute must for any Bonfire Night?"

He smiles as she cuddles against him, enveloping him with the familiar scent of lavender. Fitz tips his head against hers, her words giving him pause.

"Wha-?" He looks at her with wide eyes. How did she even-? "You didn't-?"

She nods, her grin wide. "I did. I've been conspiring with your mum for a few weeks now and…" She digs into the pocket of her coat and produces a small paper bag and holds it out to him. "She sent this."

"My mum?" He looks at her with a bemused smile. "Really though... You talk with her more than I do."

Fitz peers into the bag and slowly opens it with his fingertips. He's immediately hit by the familiar scent of treacle toffee and molasses. His mouth starts watering in the same way it did when he was a child and had celebrated Guy Fawkes Day with his mum.

"Claggum..." he says softly and looks at Jemma with a wide grin.

Jemma reaches across him and steals a broken piece of the dark brown candy and pops it into her mouth. "Skye reminded me, to be honest," she says, allowing the toffee to melt upon her tongue. "We've been so busy lately that I'd nearly forgotten November had even arrived."

"Skye?" Fitz's eyebrows lift in surprise and he looks at the hacker who is currently arguing with Trip and Hunter over the fireworks' set up. "I didn't think she even knew who Guy Fawkes was, let alone that there was a holiday celebrating it…" He shoots Jemma an amused smile. "I'm impressed." He picks a piece of claggum and eats it slowly, savouring the thick sweetness. It reminds him of Scotland.

"No," she says laughingly, shaking her head. "I meant the other Skye. My Skye. She said that Mack figured out a way to stabilize the gateway by repairing their Asimovian so that it sustains the gravitational waves. She mentioned that they've been finalizing the specs for us, we're meant to collect them at the end of the week. It'll be nice to be able to visit them a little more frequently." She intertwines her fingers with his, feeling his warmth against her palm, and she squeezes his hand. "Skye mentioned that Coulson wanted to have a chat with you."

"Oh…" Fitz turns to her, swallowing a mouthful of toffee.

Once they'd made more vials of Ruang solution and studied the wormholes together, they had dared to travel to her world. It had been odd to see a dimension where everything was alike and yet different from the way he knew it. Skye had been a familiar sight: she had hugged him tight and nearly cried when she saw him. It was the same way his Skye had greeted Jemma when she'd first seen her.

Jemma's May and Coulson had been a little colder than the ones he knew but he could understand their attitude; they were wary of every safety issue and were concerned for their team. The fact that the other dimension's Director wants to talk to him is a bit unnerving though…

"Should I be worried?" He asks, running his thumb over her knuckles before squeezing her hand back. "Is he going to say something about the fact that I kidnapped his team's biochemist?"

She laughs and taps her hand against his leg. "No, of course not. He just wants to…" Her teeth bite at her bottom lip. "He wants to know your intentions," she finishes quickly.

Fitz chokes on the sip of water he had unfortunately decided to take while Jemma was talking. He coughs loudly for a few seconds, liquid dripping from his chin, and turns to her in disbelief.

"I- He... What?" He splutters incoherently, mopping his jaw with his sleeve while his brain works through the words.

Intentions. Coulson wants to know what his intentions are... with Jemma?

Fitz feels a rush of warmth on his face. "Why do I feel as though I'm going to have my head bitten off by a very protective dad over his beloved daughter?"

She laughs. "I'm sure he won't bite your head off Fitz! I think he was just teasing; he just wants to get know you and everyone a little better." She motions toward the rest of the team. "He wants to be sure he can trust them. Trust this."

He looks at her and nods, eyes softening as the smile lingers on her face. Sometimes, he's still incredulous that he can get to see that smile again. Everyday.

He can understand Coulson's concern: Jemma is alone in another world and with a group of people who resemble (and technically are) the teammates she has left behind but who are different at the same time. The Coulson of his world has learned to trust and care for Jemma as he did in the past, and Fitz knows that his counterpart will do the same and will learn to trust him and his team.

"Well, I suppose I'll have a long and thorough chat with him when we go there then," he muses, shifting closer to her. "And if we find a way to stabilize the wormhole further, we can try to travel with more than just two people." He gently nudges her shoulder with his own. "Although... the thought of having two Coulsons and two Mays, in particular, is scary." He tries to imagine the two teams meeting and a sudden thought makes him chuckle. "Oh no, wait. The worst would be two Skyes. Can you imagine that? We'd never hear the end of it. We'd be nagged forever about our relationsh-" He falters and Jemma leans forward, pressing her mouth to his and cutting him off.

Fitz freezes for a second; the kiss is unexpected but very, very appreciated and he moves to embrace her, his hands resting on her waist and cheek as he gently responds.

He's warm and soft and she can't help but feel safe in his arms. Sometimes, she'll admit, it's a little strange kissing him; it feels different, yet familiar at the same time. But both are making new memories and new friends, and their relationship is…

"Perfect," she says against his lips.

He smiles as her breath ghosts his mouth and leans forward, nose brushing against hers as their foreheads touch. His heart swells in his chest as he basks in her presence and proximity.

Fitz knows that he's been miraculously granted a second chance with her and there are a thousand things that he wants to tell her but he's still restrained by his hypoxia.

He's fighting it, struggling and winning against his slippery brain because he wants to get better. For himself. And for her.

He moves back slightly so that he can look at her, blue meeting hazel, and smiles softly as the first of the fireworks begin to pop, exploding colour across the night's sky.

"Of course everything is perfect," he whispers, tucking a wayward tendril of hair behind her ear. "You're here, Jemma."

"I am," she says, nodding slightly. "But it's perfect because I'm here with you."

He smiles again and keeps her close as they watch the fireworks, shining in the darkness.

"Hey guys, come over here!" They look at Skye, heads moving as one and see her waving for them to come closer. "C'mon, FitzSimmons!"

It's the name that makes them stand and grin at each other.

Despite everything, it's still them.

It will always be them.

THE END

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