Author Note:

Hey guys! This is my first Agents of SHIELD/FitzSimmons story so please be kind :P I have had this idea for a while and have finally gotten around to writing it. The story starts in present day, but will flash back to academy days from next chapter. From there, the narrative will move along to the present day, documenting the history of our favourite duo. I love these two and am super excited for next season! Also this story hasnt been beta'd so any mistakes are my own. If you do pick up on anything or have any questions, feel free to PM me. Without further ado, on with the chapter...

Disclaimer: I do not own Agents of Shield or any characters in the Marvel universe (I wish)

Jemma Simmons watched the clock. It had been 13 days, 7 hours and… 52,53,54 seconds since Leopold Fitz had pushed the button. 13 days, 7 hours and 54 seconds since he had intended to sacrifice his life for hers, since he had admitted that he saw her as more than a friend, since he had broken her heart. Jemma could still remember the look on his face, a mixture of sadness, relief and acceptance.

She could still feel the oxygen being knocked out of her like a thousand punches to the stomach. How she instinctively put the makeshift oxygen mask to her face and grabbed his collar.

The burning in her legs as she swam them both 90ft to the surface on just one breath.

Salty water burning her eyes as she searched for rescue…

"Simmons?" The one word shook her from the memory. Although Skye had tried to speak as gently as possible the sound still made Jemma flinch.

"I'm sorry- I didn't mean to scare you. Its just… I just… I wanted to see if you were okay," Skye was speaking to Jemma but couldn't take her eyes off of the seemingly lifeless figure in the centre of the room, a phenomenon Simmons had become all to familiar with. Everyone entered the room to speak with her but there was something about seeing a member of your team laying so still, attached to a million IVs and tubes and drips, that was captivating. Like a car crash, where you don't want to watch but simply cannot look away.

"Oh, its quite alright Skye, its my fault for being in such a daze. Its very sweet for you to come and check on me but really, I'm fine-"

"No!" Skye interrupted. "No I don't want to hear (Skye put on a terrible high pitched british accent) 'I'm quite dandy really, never been better- I'm swell. Just let me finish up in here and we'll all have some tea and crumpets and watch Harry Potter' its bullshit! you're so clearly NOT fine. I know that you're worried about Fitz, believe me, we are all worried about him. It actually keeps me up at night think about that bastard Ward and you and Fitz at the bottom of the ocean. But we're worried about you too. You don't think we haven't noticed?! You never eat with us, you never seem to eat at all. Your eyes are always red rimmed like you've been crying all the time and I know, I KNOW that you don't sleep. its been two weeks Simmons. For God sake you look like a mess. I want to HELP you! We all want to help you, but we can't if you won't let us…"

"13 days" Jemma whispered

"What?"

"You said its been two weeks but its only been 13 days and 7 hours and 2 minutes and…"

Simmons was cut off by Skye enveloping her into a hug. It was the first human contact Jemma had had in a long time. She had withdrawn herself from the rest of the team, spending all day by Fitz's bedside, crying all night in her bunk. The truth was Jemma Simmons was a mess. Reliving the pod and the moments straight after like she had just before Skye came in was a regular occurrence. She was literally unraveling from the inside out. Jemma wiped a few stray tears from her cheeks. It was surprising that they had even fallen as she thought she was all cried out. As her eyes locked with the taller brunettes she saw all of the emotion that she had been trying to convey through her rant, mostly genuine concern.

"Skye, I'm falling apart" Jemma said, breaking eye contact. Jemma liked to think that she was pretty in touch with her emotions, but the Shield training she had received over the years made her feel ashamed of being so vulnerable and weak.

"All I can think about is him not waking up and honestly it makes me feel sick" she gulped loudly and tried to swallow the fresh tears that threatened to fall.

"Simmons, you don't have to go through this alone. Please let me help you" Skye touched her arm and something in Simmons changed. Her eyes darkened slightly.

"I don't mean to be rude Skye, but how can you? The only person who understands me, who could get me through this, is Fitz and last time I checked he's in a coma. I have grown very close to you over these last few months but thats a drop in the ocean to what Fitz and I have. In the grand scheme of things you don't really know us at all…"

"Then tell me." Skye replied bluntly. It occurred to Jemma that the hacker was no going to let this go. Skye continued:

"I know that you are haunted by what happened in that pod. Stop bottling it up, a problem shared, right?" The look Skye gave the biochemist made her heart sink. She was pleading her to open up and something about it Jemma just couldn't deny. It's not like it'll make it any worse, she thought.

So with a sigh, and once again breaking the gaze Jemma began.

"We screamed at Ward not to, but before we knew it the pod was ejected. The coward wouldn't even face us as we fell. I must've been knocked unconscious because I awoke to Fitz with his arm in a sling looking thoroughly disheartened. He told me that whilst I slept, he had tampered with some of the machinery to emit a distress signal but at a Shield frequency no one would pick up. he also told me our odds were bleak~

~ I know it sounds terribly nerdy but that discussion about the second law of thermodynamics really helped us come to terms with things. That is, until I noticed the glass~

~ So we had the rig set up to blow the glass. He had created an oxygen tank out of god knows what he had found in the supplied kit. He really is a genius, even if he knows it a bit too much" they both laughed but catching sight of him lying motionless the mood once again turned sombre.

"Thats when he told me: one breath. Only one of us could survive the pressure change and he'd already decided it would be me. I know it sounds crazy but even now makes me so angry. What gave him the right to make that decision alone? When I tried to tell him that he told me he couldn't live without me. I told him that he was my best friend and that I felt the same but he just shook his head. He said I was more than a friend to him and that as he hadn't had the courage to tell me he had to show me." As Simmons drew breath and looked up she saw tears fall down her new friend's cheeks.

"I pulled him in for a hug and he told me we didn't have much time. He gently pushed me away and then before I could react he hit that god damn button. What kills me the most is that everyone says I saved him, but it couldn't be more the other way around. He made the machine that forced a breath in my lungs. He sacrificed his life by giving it to me. He set up the signal that allowed Director Fury to find us. All I did was selfishly take him with me, even though he had decided to die, even though the life I left him with might be worse than death."

The two brunettes sat in silence as the minutes roles by. Skye taking her time to process the deeply personal and tragic tale she had just been told and Simmons doing what she always did- watching the rise and fall of her partners chest to assure herself he was still alive.

"So I guess that confess only adds to the crap you're trying to process right now?" Skye finally broke the silence. She had been walking on eggshells the whole time Simmons had been recounting the event, not wanting to scare her back into her shell. To be honest the hacker was surprised she had finally been so open with everything. To be doubly honest her heart swooned a little when she heard of Fitz grand romantic gesture. Whilst tragic, Skye had always 'shipped' FitzSimmons and was happy to find out she had been right all along. That was the reason for her restarting conversation. She had to know if Simmons felt the same way. The way she had been acting since they got back strongly suggested that she did, but Skye wanted to hear her say it. That way when Fitz woke up and things got back to normal, and she prayed (yes prayed, she guessed all the Catholic orphanages had influenced her a bit) that he would, she could play a little matchmaker. However, response Simmons gave, whilst confusing, was better than Skye could have ever imagined.

"You're right, that is something I'm trying, or rather not trying to deal with right now. Especially as it wasn't just a confession, it was a proposal." Jemma sighed and took Fitz's limp, calloused hand in small, dainty one. Skye's jaw dropped, making Jemma laugh despite everything.

"Wha… I… But… Proposal?! How did I miss that part of the story?" Skye spluttered, causing Simmons' laughing to reduce to a small, sad smile.

"I guess to you it may seem a little confusing but I assure you it makes perfect sense, only you have to know the full story."

"Full story?" The other girl asked, her brows knitted in confusion.

"Have I ever told you the story of how Fitz and I met, or rather how he met me?"

A.N. So there it is! The first of hopefully many chapters. Please leave me a review as I am new to this and would like to know your feedback.

Hope you enjoyed- you're all awesome :)