"...I was lost within the darkness, but then I found her

I found you

Georgia, pulled me in,

I asked to

Love her once again

You fell,

I caught you

I'll never let you go again like I did..."

// Until I Found You //

// Stephen Sanchez //

// Grant //

"Boss, we've got her location!"

My attention snaps up to Tanner, a new recruit and child prodigy with anything tech related, racing towards me with his kevlar vest zipped up halfway and his boots in his hand.

Markham steps up to grab the kid's device and shoos him away to finish getting ready for his first op under my command. My best friend hands it over and explains how to use the tracker.

"Markham, have everyone ready. We leave in five minutes. Anyone not ready gets left behind."

Markham nods and goes to carry out my orders while I go and inform Coulson's team. Yay. In exactly five minutes everyone is ready to go.

"Everyone knows their jobs. Fan out, find my scientist, radio in if there are complications, rendezvous back at the doorway. Once you have her, you get your asses back through the doorway, understood? Do not wait, she is Priority Alpha."

I notice the uncomfortable looks from Coulson's team when I publicly claim Jemma as mine. I mentally roll my eyes, they can fucking deal. If they didn't want me to claim her, they should've taken better care of her. I motion for my team to go first; team Alpha. Containing me, my best friend and second in command, Markham, my expert marksman and the only woman in my team, Aldridge, tech genius and new recruit, Tanner and my muscle, Alexi. Hang on Jemma I'm coming. About three hours later, still trekking through a sandy deserted wasteland, I'm starting to lose my cool. My heart is racing and my worries start to creep in. It's an effort to not panic. She could be anywhere. She could be dead. I swallow a lump in my throat. No. I refuse to believe that. I press on harder and scream her name. Fuck stealth. I just wanna find my girl and never let her so much as breathe the same air as anything alien ever again.

"Boss, I think I found her."

Markham hands me his specialty high tech binoculars and about two hundred feet away I can make out a female body face down on the ground. I hand his binoculars back to him and sprint towards her screaming her name again and again like a maniac.

"JEMMA!"

Less than fifteen minutes later I drop to my knees and scoop her up into my arms, my heart racing with adrenaline and panic. She's too light. Way too light. Her face is deathly pale, her lips are chapped and cracked and I can feel her ribs poking through her shirt. I need to get her home now.

"Grant..."

Her voice cracks as she says my name before promptly passing out.

"Jemma! Don't close your eyes baby. I'm gonna get you home, okay? Just hold on for me a little longer."

I sprint back to the rendezvous point while Markham radios the others that I have her. I vaguely hear the chatter on the radio hooked to my kevlar vest as I race to get her to safety. Jemma is my number one priority right now. When I get back to the gate home all my men and Coulson's team are waiting for me. Fitz approaches me trying to take her out of my arms, before I can do more than glare murderously at him all of my men point their guns at Fitz and the rest of my old team. My well-trained and loyal team of specialists form a protective barrier between us. Which of course prompts a reaction out of Skye.

"What the hell Ward! We called you in to help us! Not fucking steal and murder my best friend!"

I roll my eyes at her dramatics. Why the fuck did I ever date her again? I huff with annoyance and order my men to stand down before pushing past Fitz. The bastard doesn't get to take all the credit for rescuing her when he's the one that lost her in the first place. I think to myself furiously.

"We don't have time for this. Get the fuck out of my way."

I scowl as I march through the unstable doorway with my men following close behind. I hold onto Jemma tightly before stepping through. Seconds later I'm back in the S.H.I.E.L.D. base and giving Markham orders to have the medical team prepped when we get back to home base. After Markham finishes the call, he starts rounding up our people and equipment into my private jet and helicopter.

"Ward, we called you in to help us find Simmons and now that you have-"

I stop him with a sarcastic look before handing Jemma off to Markham with orders to get her tucked in bed in the plane and to fix any minor injuries until I can get her to our world renown medical team.

"And now that I have, you want me to get the fuck out. That's what you were going to say, isn't it Phil? No. That's not how this is going to go. First, you're going to thank me and my men for risking our lives and our valuable time on a rescue mission for you. Second, you're gonna shut the fuck up and listen very closely to what I'm about to say. Is that clear?"

I interrupt Coulson mid-sentence using the tone that makes grown men piss themselves and by the way everyone in the room pales a little bit, they all understand I'm deadly serious and not in the fucking mood. A few minutes of silence passes between us before Coulson grudgingly thanks us for our service in that annoyingly political way he favors.

"Good. Now, let me set you straight. I didn't come here to help you. You could die and I really wouldn't give a shit. The only reason I came is because you morons put Jemma in danger again. She is literally the smartest woman in the world, a literal fucking prodigy in biochemistry with multiple PHDs, research publications and awards. And you let her play around with alien tech. Do you remember the last time you had her play around with alien shit? Because I fucking do. She almost died. She. Almost. Died. You may not believe that I care about you people and for the most part you'd be right, but I always cared for her. She is the reason you're still alive Fitz. Garrett ordered me to put a bullet between your eyes, but I couldn't do it. I couldn't kill her. And killing you would hurt her. So I put you in an escape pod that was supposed to float, but of course S.H.I.E.L.D. had to skimp on construction and I almost lost her anyway. Here we are again with my scientist in danger because you people don't fucking learn! So yeah, she's mine now. You're not getting her back. And no Skye, I'm not going to force her to do any evil science for any evil Hydra shenanigans. She can do anything she wants except see you without me because at this point you're just trying to kill her and I'm done watching that bullshit."

I toss May a com unit before walking out and boarding my private plane while my old team processes the curve ball I threw at them. Honestly, how did they not see that coming? I shake my head in disbelief and mutter a few curses in Russian.

"Sir, medical is prepped and ready to go. The Sepiida is on their way back to Domicilium."

I nod and signal for him to get us out of here before going to sit next to Jemma. While carding my hands through her hair I press a gentle kiss to her forehead.

"Don't worry baby. Everything's gonna be just fine, I promise."