DAISY HAD COME to the conclusion that using her Inhuman powers on the veiled back door would open it for the eager agents yearning their freedom — earning a frustrated sigh from Mack who just muttered something about her using the Bible against him. It sounded like a shot in the dark, but it also happened to be their only option, which was why Jenna was already encouraging the brave woman to take on the challenge and see if she could do something about their difficult situation. Jenna was desperate to break out of the Framework, and willing to go to great lengths to achieve that — as if they already hadn't — including facing a furious father refusing to believe in the other side.

          However, just as they were returning to the railing with Daisy about to shoot waves into the container, May yelled out, "HYDRA!", her weapons already out and pointed at the enemies trying to creep around the building. Instinctively, Jenna pulled out her own gun and although the bitter memory of using it on Alistair Fitz poked its head up in her busy mind, the blonde swallowed down the guilt and fired at the HYDRA agents trying to do the same. A bullet flew near her, earning a huff from Jenna whose shoulder instantly ached at the reminder of what could have happened, but she continued to ignore the throbbing on her scar and crouched behind one of the walls to dodge any incoming bullets.

         But, just as Jenna believed that she was safe, someone from HYDRA had successfully snuck behind her and wrapped an arm around her neck, the strong muscles pressing into her throat. Writhing, the blonde gasped and dropped the gun to grab the forearm suffocating her, but luckily, she was saved by someone else. With a loud knock to the head, the soldier collapsed to the floor, unconscious, and inhaling sharply, Jenna leaned over to her thighs in an instant. When she looked up, a smile appeared onto her lips, her eyes locked with the familiar pair that belonged to Evan Rivers himself.

         "Took you long enough", she breathed out shakily, before grabbing her gun from the floor and then taking the extended hand her brother was offering. "What, couldn't let go of Ward?", Jenna added teasingly, and mocking her with dry fake laughter, Evan narrowed his eyes.

         "Ha-ha, very funny. I just thought you'd need your big brother to take care of you, so here I am. Shall we?", he nodded towards the hostile agents swarming around the place, and agreeing wholeheartedly that they should kick some ass, Jenna lifted her gun and fired a few bullets at the ones coming closer. It was kind of overwhelming to put this many people down, but Simmons' words of reassurance, of how none of this was real and most of the people in the Framework weren't either, made her feel a bit better.

         "It worked!", Daisy's voice suddenly echoed throughout the steel mill, and looking over to what used to a big, molten puddle, Jenna now saw a big blue portal in the center, just waiting to be jumped into. And Coulson was the first one to do this, nearing the container with wide, hopeful eyes — but he never made it there, as one of the HYDRA agents had shot him, leaving the man lying on the floor. With a scream rising from her throat, Jenna lunged towards his slightly moving body, which was a sign of him still luckily being alive, but before she could, Evan had pushed her aside and into one of the dark rooms with Simmons.

          The older Rivers covered May by shooting the remaining soldiers while the woman helped Coulson up and to the edge, and frankly, Jenna's eyes never left him, not until he had fallen through the portal and disappeared. From this world, at the very least. And as he did, the pixels that they all consisted of, started to shuffle and confirm that, indeed, this was a virtual reality and they had been living a lie.

        May followed Coulson's lead, and once the two leading agents of S.H.I.E.L.D had vanished through the back door, Daisy called out for Simmons and Jenna. Hand in hand, the two scientists headed for the portal, but they didn't get the chance when they heard the familiar click of a gun behind them, causing them both to turn on their heels only to find Leo Fitz holding them at gunpoint.

         The sight of him was almost too much for Jenna to handle. A sigh fell over her lips as tears began prickling at her eyes, her feet already taking a step toward him, only for Simmons to pull her back — smart, whereas Jenna was ready to dive into the embrace of grim death, completely ignoring the looming danger in the haze that Fitz always caused to land on her. He was just too beautiful, even in that expensive suit, a beard adorning his jawline, a loaded gun in his hand and a finger resting on the trigger, prepared. He made her heart do flips in all kinds of directions, but the hardest yank that was borderline painful was his voice, when he spoke up.

          "Fitz", Jenna breathed out, but the man's grip on the weapon never faltered.

          "You don't get to say my name", he hissed, "not after everything you've done", his face stern and cold, like one of a beautiful but damaged statue. Gulping, Jenna remembered the blood of his father, and how it was all on her hands, making her cast a look at her feet in shame and guilt.

          Simmons, however, was quick to jump to her protection. "It wasn't Jenna's fault. We—we just... she's trying to save you. AIDA, she—she took you from me, from us. We're your best friends, Fitz, please understand. None of this is real, if you just—", the brunette stammered, but as expected, Fitz was short of sympathy.

          "She killed my father. Right after he said he loved me. Murdered him in cold blood, as I listened", his accent was thick with anger and misery, and in all honesty, Jenna didn't even blame him. Yes, she knew that this wasn't real, that Alistair had never existed in this twisted, corrupted world, but to Fitz... It was real. He had been real. And that suffocating, dark veil of pain and heartache, of loss, it was drowning his heart in a way that it couldn't possibly be fake. It was all too true, and it was causing those tears to finally roll onto Jenna's cheeks.

         "I know", she whispered hoarsely, dropping her gun to the floor and lifting her hands in defeat. "And I am so sorry, Fitz. I know what it feels like, and I will never forgive myself for making you go through that pain. But I am trying to help you. AIDA has been feeding you lies, and if you just knew the truth... It's not supposed to be like this, Leo. This wasn't supposed to happen to us. You—you know, you gave me this necklace. I've never taken it off, not once. Because I love you", the blonde explained, licking the salty tears off of her lips as she walked closer to Fitz, but she knew to keep her distance just to be safe.

         And for a moment, she thought that she was getting through to him, that perhaps there was hope, but it was all ripped away when Fitz shrugged casually. "And yet you mean nothing to me", he declared, and closing her eyes while shaking her head, Jenna couldn't deny the blow that her heart took with those words. As quickly as silence had fell into the room, it had been torn apart as Fitz continued with, "Kneel", taking a step closer to Jenna, who kept her posture and stared at him bravely, eyes locked.

          But, Fitz wasn't taking a no for an answer. So, instead of letting her stand there, the man lowered the gun and shot her, a bullet ripping into her knee and earning a cry of pain from Jenna who was forced to stumble down to the concrete floor. Simmons didn't even have to be told to kneel when she had already fallen beside Jenna, her hand pressing down on the wound that was already violently bleeding.

          "I want to hear you say it", Fitz spoke again, stepping closer to Jenna before he pressed the gun against the top of her head, beyond ready to blow her to bits and pieces. "I am nothing to you", he instructed, and with her eyes still closed, Jenna remained silent. How was she supposed to say that? As if all those years in the academy hadn't happened. As if they hadn't spent a night on a rooftop, watching the stars and blushing at everything the other said. Studying in the library. Planning pranks together. Crying. Sharing a kiss. Becoming best friends.

          As if Jenna hadn't fallen in love with Fitz, while he fell for her, too.

          However, before Jenna could comply and say the words he was adamant on hearing, someone had fired a gun and the blonde let out a heartwrenching sob as she realized that it wasn't at her. Looking up with her eyes open, she found Radcliffe holding Fitz captive with blood leaking through his shoulder. The scientist started to lead Leo through the doorway, and grunting, Jenna made an effort to stand up despite her wounded knee, but with Simmons' help, she quickly found herself following the two doctors towards the portal that Daisy quickly opened for them again.

          With heavy breaths, Jenna looked how the situation unraveled, and an undeniable wave of relief washed over her as Radcliffe shoved Fitz over the edge, causing him to sink into the portal. And just like that, the cruel Doctor, the head of HYDRA, was gone and Jenna almost smiled. They had succeeded.

         A large hand took hers suddenly, and looking up, Jenna found herself staring at Evan with a supportive smile on his lips. And once Simmons had said her final words to Radcliffe, the three of them stumbled towards the back door with hope burning bright in their hearts. Simmons was the first to go, and Evan followed right behind, both of them falling through, leaving Jenna all alone on the edge.

         And once she had given the place one last look, and directed a grateful smile to Daisy, the scientist was more than ready to kiss goodbye to Framework, and return to reality. Be happy again. Be reunited with Fitz. Live happily ever after. Be free.

—————

          FREEDOM WAS BITTERSWEET, because although the agents of S.H.I.E.L.D had managed to escape the Framework, trouble and problems were far from over. The biggest threat to handle was the fact that AIDA was no longer just artificial intelligence — she had created herself a real body, making her human, and in that process all the more unstable.

          Then there was also the fact that no matter how hard they looked, they could not find the Rivers siblings. And AIDA, well, she was unwilling to cooperate and share any information of their location.

         "I'm sorry", Simmons whispered as she carefully approached Fitz in the aftermath of everything, seeing pain written all over his face, along with regret and hatred. Towards himself, mostly. He had killed Director Mace, and a lot of other people too, not to mention the fact that he had tried to kill Simmons, had shot Jenna — had done nothing but inflict misery and wreak havoc. He was a bad person, and those words were relentlessly throbbing inside his aching brain, forcing the tears to stream down his cheeks in an endless fall, even when Jemma managed to wrap an arm around his body, ever so gently.

         "We haven't found her yet", the woman murmured to her best friend, feeling her own heart ache with longing as well. They had fought so hard to be reunited with their friend, but she was impossible to contact, impossible to locate. But, it seemed Fitz was already aware.

         "I know", he whispered, so quietly Simmons could barely hear him, but once he had repeated himself, she realized what he had said. He knew? With a gulp, the man wiped his eyes then, avoiding Jemma's gaze as he continued with, "I know where she is", the truth heaving on his heart as he played the answer on a loop in his head. "I always have."

         Eyes flying wide open, Simmons was speechless. All these years, they had been apart, with the two of them working on Coulson's team, and not once had their paths crossed with Jenna. Fitz still sent her e-mails rather often, never stopping to keep in touch, but at some point, the question "Hey, how's Jenna doing?", didn't get a bubbly, happy answer, like "Great! I heard she's travelling in Finland now. I sent her some tea to keep her warm. Wow, I really miss her." Instead, all Fitz did was shrug and say, "She's fine, really busy, like us."

          And in the belief that they had gone through a painful break-up or something alike, unable to handle the distance, Simmons didn't push. But she did miss Jenna. And now, she was unable to hold back her curiosity. "What?", she breathed out, "where is she?", trembling as she waited for an answer. The eternal silence that followed made her think that it would never come, but eventually, the words tumbled from between Fitz's lips, pained and quiet.

         "Green-Wood Cemetery", he whispered, "next to her father."

»»»

WOW IM CRUEL

MY PRECIOUS BABY (babies tbh, fitzsimmons deserves better) JENNA )': okay but to be honest, i knew i was going to do this all along. but i didn't always know how, that you will find out in the epilogue!

and i know it may seem a little weird that simmons never looked jenna up, but it's a cold hard fact that sometimes people just drift apart, and with her being a busy s.h.i.e.l.d agent and noticing that fitz didn't want to talk about it... yeah

also, i don't know if anyone caught that reference in the end but green-wood cemetery is actually the one from daredevil where matt murdock and (my love) frank castle talk in 2x04, and i'm fairly certain it's also been mentioned in iron fist ((: