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“A little more to the right. Just a smidge more. Stop! There– that’s perfect,” exclaimed Jemma. She looked at the scene before her appraisingly– the festive sounds of Christmas music filled the air, as Fitz slid the beautiful Christmas tree (that they had spent the better part of the day picking out, much to Fitz’s chagrin) in the center of the bay window in their living room.
“You mean the spot I had originally put the tree in the first place? Before you had me try it in five others?” Fitz said, clearly exasperated.
Jemma sighed and fixed Fitz with a withering glare. She just wanted everything to be perfect. It was the first time their whole family was going to be under one roof– their roof, in fact. She and Fitz were hosting Christmas at their newly purchased cottage in Perthshire. Fitz’s mom was driving up and her parents were coming in for the holiday, as well– though both sets of parents had met at their graduation from the Academy, this would the first time they would be spending any significant time together. If that wasn’t monumental enough, Coulson, May, Mac and Daisy was expected on Christmas Eve. For the first time in 10 years, Jemma was actually going to get spend the holidays with everyone that mattered most to her, so she had made it her mission to make sure it was the best Christmas ever.
Well not everyone, Jemma thought, as her mind drifted to those that couldn’t be with them, either by circumstance or death. Tripp…Lincoln… Andrew… Will– she felt pangs of grief as she thought of her fallen teammates and friends. And Hunter and Bobbi, Jemma hoped they were happy, wherever they were. Before the melancholia could take hold, Jemma heard a knock at the door
“Who could that be?” Jemma mused out loud, casting a glance Fitz’s way as she walked over to the door. Nobody was expected until tomorrow at the earliest.
When she opened the door, she saw her parents on the other side.
Jemma gaped at them for a second, before exclaiming, “Mum, Dad! What are you doing here?”
Elizabeth Simmons responded. “We took an earlier flight– we wanted to surprise you! I knew you would be stressing about hosting the holidays for the first time and probably taking it out on poor Fitz– Hello, by the way, dear,” pausing to greet Fitz, who waved awkwardly from the corner. “Now, aren’t you going to invite us in? I know I raised you to have some manners.”
That seemed to shake Jemma out of her stupor and she ushered her parents through the door, as she replied, “Of course! I’m sorry, come in! You just surprised me, that’s all. I’m so glad to see you both.”
The Simmons ducked through the door and set their luggage down in the entryway.
“Let give you the tour and get you settled in, shall we?”
Before they could move any further than the staircase, there was another knock at the door.
Simmons called out, “Fitz, can you grab that?”
Fitz opened the door to his mum on the other side. He squeaked out, “Mum? What are you doing here?”
“Ya invited me, didn’t ya? Now, Leopold, are you gonna ask me in or should I just turn around and go home then?” Diana Fitz replied in her usual fiery manner.
“Looks like we had the same idea, Diana. I tell you, what would these two kids do without us?”
The two women started excitedly chatting about plans and what needed to get done.
Fitz and Simmons exchanged a knowing look and both just shrugged their shoulders. Separately, Diana Fitz and Elizabeth Simmons were But, together, their mums were a forced to be reckoned with– it was just easier to get on board.
Between Jemma, her mother and Fitz’s mum, the rest of the Christmas planning was executed with military precision. Fairy lights were strung up, Christmas cookies were baked and the stockings were hung by the chimney with care. By the time Christmas Eve dawned and their SHIELD family arrived, their house looked like a proper Winter Wonderland.
Jemma surveyed the scene before her.
Coulson was chatting with her dad by the fire. She couldn’t tell what they were talking about, but her heart swelled to see two of the most important (and influential) men in her life getting along so well.
May was sitting off to the side, wearing a cozy red sweater, which was polar opposite of her usual attire. She was sipping on some tea, with a small smile on her face– clearing finding whatever Coulson had just said amusing. It was nice to see the no-nonsense specialist relax for once
Fitz was huddled with Daisy and Mac by the kitchen table, as both of their mums bustled about in the kitchen. The three of them were trying to build a gingerbread house, but based on the random bits of the conversation she was hearing, they hadn’t gotten too far yet.
“Oooh, we should add another floor to the house!”
“We can’t.”
“Who says?”
“Physics. It wouldn’t be structurally sound.”
Even with the friendly banter, Jemma could see the happiness rolling off of the Inhuman. She had been through the ringer this year– they all had really, but between her time with Hive, losing Lincoln and her time on the run, Daisy had had a particular rough go of it. Even after she had been brought back into the fold, she had been withdrawn. So, Jemma was ecstatic to see a glimpse of the carefree girl she had met on the Bus. Because, honestly, that was a Christmas miracle in and of itself.
Jemma had been so in her head that she didn’t notice that Fitz had snuck up behind her, until he snaked his arms around her in a backwards hug. He leaned in and whispered into her ear, “Merry Christmas. You enjoying yourself?”
Jemma murmured back, “Mmm, it’s perfect. I’m here with you, in our home, with all of our family and friends– it’s everything Christmas should be.
Before she could say anything more, Daisy called over to them, “Hey love nerds, look up!”
When they looked up, the couple saw that Daisy was using her powers to hover some mistletoe over their heads. Fitz smiled at her before saying, “Who am I to mess with tradition?”
As he leaned in and kissed her, all Jemma could is think was that she truly was home for the holidays.