"YOU'RE DOING WHAT?"
Needless to say, Evan Rivers was not happy in the slightest when her sister called him, insisting that she was in a dire need of his help. Well, perhaps, that wasn't so bad yet — he was always happy to help others, especially his family, but when he actually showed up to the mysterious house she had called from, he became... less enthusiastic. Mostly because she told him she was going undercover at HYDRA. Definitely because she told him she was going undercover at HYDRA. But also because...
"You're coming with me! I'm gonna need you to play my personal security guard. And kick ass, if necessary", Jenna flashed an innocent smile at Evan, who ended up actually laughing out loud. Shaking his head in disbelief, he just laughed and laughed, frustrating his sister to no end.
"Oh, hell no. You're out of your mind. Look, I don't know what revenge plan—", Evan began, but didn't get to finish when Jenna had interjected.
"It's not a revenge plan! This has nothing to do with— ugh, this isn't about dad, okay? This is... something bigger. A lot bigger. Like, the whole world. It's too complicated to explain, but come on, Evan. You know HYDRA sucks, and you know you want to do this. You know this is right", the woman fought back, "I mean, it's not like you'll let your little sister to do this alone."
Sighing, and offering yet another shake of his head, Evan lifted a finger and sternly pointed it at Jenna. "Watch me", he spat, and with that, he turned and started to walk away. But, words like genius, intelligent, or brilliant, weren't used for nothing when it came to Jenna — she was described like that for a very good reason, and that was why she simply cracked her knuckles, before trying her best at persuading Evan into coming along.
And well, it was obvious she succeeded. Or else, the two wouldn't be walking into the Triskelion right now, eyes wide at the large building that they entered with Daisy in the lead. Sadly, their plan crashed and burned quite quickly, as Daisy was let in due to her actually having the title agent, but the two behind her were just strangers entering HYDRA headquarters without permission. That was why two guards stepped out quickly, their hands stopping Jenna and Evan from moving further.
"Uh, they're with me", Daisy attempted to save her new allies from the tight situation, but finding her words merely irrelevant, the guards eyed the two siblings warily.
"My name is Jenna Rivers. I'm a genius scientist and philanthropist, which you may know if you've ever, you know, turned on the news. And this is my bodyguard, Evan", she lied smoothly — well, it wasn't all lies, but nevertheless, her relaxed state earned surprised looks from both Daisy, and especially Evan. He had never known his sister to be the calm, socializing type, but as she stood there with a confident smile on her lips, it was almost impossible to recognize her as the awkward bookworm she had always been. "I'm here to meet up with Dr. Fitz", Jenna cleared her throat, a sense of weakness making her heart race as she fought back a smile.
Lifting an eyebrow, one of the guards grabbed his handheld transceiver, but as he spoke into it, his stern stare never left Jenna. "Yeah, there's this scientist downstairs, says she's got a meeting with the Doctor. Jenna Rivers", he muttered, and for a while, it was quiet on the other side of the transceiver. Eventually, some words were mumbled out, and although Jenna could not figure them out, the guard had been given a question to ask her.
"What is it about?", he questioned, and licking her lips nervously, Jenna wasn't sure what to say. It needed to be a good lie, but in that moment, she kind of just froze. Luckily, Daisy stepped in.
"It's about the cure for inhumans. She's been studying and doing research for a while now. We think she's actually about to make a big breakthrough", she explained, clearing her throat nervously, and nodding in agreement, Jenna looked over to the guard and confirmed that was it. Although he didn't seem to believe all of it, he spoke the answer into the transceiver.
Once again, it was silent for a moment, and it was making Jenna anxious. Had their plan failed completely? Were they going to kill them now? Or torture them? What was going to happen? Could she actually see Fitz? And then, the silence was broken as three simple words rose from the transceiver in the guard's hand.
"Bring her in."
—————
JENNA FELT INTIMIDATED, to say the least, as she was being escorted by the two security guards around ominous hallways, and the wary beat of her heart had only quickened when she and Evan had been separated — apparently, he wasn't allowed to come with, even after Jenna had tried to explain that he was her bodyguard and he was supposed to go wherever she went. That, along with a few more attempts to change their minds, didn't earn a simple blink of an eye from the harsh, serious security guards, who were now walking by Jenna's sides with their loaded guns resting on their hips. There was no doubt in Jenna's mind that if she were to make one rash decision or sudden moves, the two would shoot her in cold blood and never once flinch.
Luckily, despite the situation feeling like she was being walked into her new prison cell, Jenna had no intentions to make a run for it. Even if there was a slight chance that she was headed straight for her doom, this was the closest she had gotten to meeting Fitz after all those years apart, and it was going to take a lot to change her mind about doing this. She knew that he wasn't the boy he used to be, that he had changed, that the Framework had taken its toll on him too, but no matter what, Jenna was taking the risk just to see him again. She needed to try to connect, and whether it would end with the two of them fleeing together, or Fitz pressing a gun against her head, there wasn't a single crumb of hesitance in Jenna's heart.
That didn't mean she wasn't nervous, though. But somehow, she didn't worry about her life being in danger — she worried about how she looked, about all those things people usually did on first dates. Of course, this was nowhere near to their first date, but it did ignite the memory of their night at the rooftop, causing Jenna to anxiously twist her necklace.
Without a word, one of the HYDRA guards then opened a door in the hallway, and for a second, Jenna simply stared at him as if waiting for a permission to go inside. But, his lips never parted, and sighing at the lack of communication, Jenna took a risk and went with her gut. And she was glad that she did, because as soon as she entered the room, she noticed a man standing there, facing the other way, allowing her to only see the neat, stylish haircut and the suit that fit his body flawlessly.
"Jenna Rivers", he spoke smoothly, and the familiar accent that Jenna had missed dearly, sent vibrations down her spine as she gulped and tried to play it cool. But she wasn't quite capable of doing so, not with someone so important to her saying her name like that. In a way, it was sad, because although his voice was low and thrilling, it was also tasting the words as if they were new and unfamiliar on the tip of his tongue. Even sadder was the fact that they probably were. However, he did continue with, "I've read of your work", earning a sharp inhale from Jenna, who tried to nod as formally as only possible.
"Yes, uh, I'm familiar with your work as well. As much as I can, of course, not that I've—uh, hacked into any restricted files... naturally", Jenna stammered, completely losing her refined image, but luckily, she could add a smooth explanation before anyone could point out her lack of poise. "Sorry, I'm just a little bit starstruck, to be honest with you", the blonde pursed her lips in an awkward smile, and at last, Fitz turned around with his hands resting on his hips, his eyes meeting Jenna's then.
Frankly, in that moment, Jenna felt like fainting. Maybe crying. Melting? Throwing up? All of the above, possibly. The shy, fondly smiling nerd had grown into a handsome man, a beard adorning his sharp jawline, and the soft flannels had changed into a fancy suit with a dark tie neatly tucked beneath his tight jacket. Whilst he did look different, he looked magnificent all the same, and it was the reason behind Jenna's escalating heartbeat and lack of words, or air in her lungs, at that.
"Well, it is a pleasure to meet you", Fitz nodded curtly, and before Jenna could offer him her hand or say anything, he had already proceeded. "I'm afraid your timing is rather bad, as I've elected to arrange an emergency meeting. Though, if you're interested in a conversation afterwards, you could join us — heed the warning that I'm about to share with the rest", he suggested, stepping closer to Jenna, which allowed her to smell his aftershave, strong and manly. Quite the opposite to how she had remembered him.
It was starting to upset her, to be honest. She had missed all these years with Fitz, and their days at the academy were but a bunch of blurred memories. Now, they were stuck in a false reality, she didn't know where her actual body was and Fitz was this grown man that had suffered and fought through a lot. The young boy, full of innocence and hope and dreams, had become something dark and realistic and so adult.
Nonetheless, Jenna nodded and flashed an adorable smile.
"I would love to."
Pleased with her answer, Fitz nodded, and with the suited man in the lead, they stepped out of the room. Needless to say, Jenna was falling apart on the inside despite her cool exterior — not only was she profoundly excited to spend more time with him, but at the same time, it hurt to know that she was a stranger to him. And perhaps, this version of Leo was something of one to her, too. Still, that didn't stop Jenna from smiling, nor her heart from jumping eagerly in her chest as she walked behind the boy she used to know so well.
The two made it into a small conference room, and as HYDRA agents began to flood in, Jenna attempted to take a seat as well — however, she didn't get to, when Fitz's hand had gently wrapped around her wrist, and sent the woman's heart through the roof. Eyes blown wide, she turned to face him, and in return, he simply gestured for her to stand at the front with him. She supposed it was a rare luxury, and it was easy to tell that in this world, Leo Fitz was a man that no one dared to defy, a man that didn't let people in. Therefore, Jenna nodded and couldn't help but feel flattered as she stood next to the powerful HYDRA executive.
Though, it did earn an amazed look from Daisy who entered the room along with another, older woman — not that she had lost her youthful glow, though. If anything, she was stunning, as well.
"Target was spotted via a drone yesterday", Fitz then spoke up, turning to the large screen behind him with a green, digital map on it. "She's been reaching out to leaders of the Resistance and is planning a major attack", he continued with a sigh, and finally, Jenna figured out that he was putting together a mission, with a target that was supposed to be apparently eliminated. Or at the very least, that seemed like the HYDRA way to approach a situation like this.
"Capture any subversives found on site, but do not underestimate this woman", Fitz proceeded and when a picture popped up on the screen behind him, Jenna almost choked on her own tongue. Naturally, the photo was of Simmons, and when Leo added, "Lethal force is authorized, if necessary", the blonde couldn't help but wonder how this world managed to be so truly messed up. What kind of divine powers had to be used to make Fitz someone this dark and cruel, to separate Simmons and Fitz?
"And believe me, we will defeat these terrorists, and we will make our society great again", he finally finished, and nodding in gratitude and vowing their alliance, the agents in the room responded in the right way.
"Hail HYDRA."
Still struggling to believe what was going down, Jenna stared at Fitz in doubt and dark amazement, but when he turned to face her and lifted an eyebrow — which was far more attractive than she had expected — the scientist offered a nod as well.
And gulping, she put on her bravest face, whilst speaking up with, "Hail HYDRA."
»»»
finally an update!
i'm really digging evan and jenna's relationship tbh (': and i don't even have to edit the gifs, because ashley johnson and sullivan stapleton are both in blindspot! this was so upsetting though because omg fitz. HE JUST GREW UP WHAT HAPPENED i swear i just blinked??
in the next chapter will be a little bit of tears, oops. for now, here's this to upset you even more: