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Dear all,
Sadly this is not an update for the final chapter of the story, it is just a message to say that I may be unable to update for an even longer time than I had thought. I am currently undergoing radiation therapy, hence the abrupt end to updates a couple of months ago. Whether you supported my move to put in a love triangle between Fitz/Skye and Fitz/Simmons or not I can at least give any readers of this story some small semblance of closure, with the hope that I will one day return to write it in full.
The story was to have two endings - one for Fitz/Simmons shippers and one for Fitz/Skye shippers, that way everybody would be happy and you could choose whichever one you wanted according to preferences. Both chapters were to open with Fitz recovering in the Playground and bonding with Simmons before leaving (at significant risk to himself) to find Skye and the Inhumans (having figured out how to track Gordon's movements courtesy of seeing it so close.) Armed with the knowledge that Simmons has apologised for not keeping her feelings a secret and encouraged him to be with Skye in her place, Fitz leaves and is immediately outcast when he arrives at the Inhuman base - treated like a SHIELD operative and not a person. Enough time passed during Fitz's recovery for many of the events of the second season to take place - including Skye's knowledge of her mother and budding friendship with Lincoln. Skye is hurt trying to protect Fitz when the Inhumans begin to advocate a more intrusive manner of interrogation and, just as in the show, things are exacerbated when Agent Gonzalis is murdered (in this AU he is there to petition for Fitz's release, Jemma is also there for him.) In Skye's fear for Fitz and a fight between the Inhumans and SHIELD (a much larger one than in the show) Skye loses control of herself and destroys a significant number of the buildings (in a Phoenix X3-esque manner.)
Here the story would have divided: in the Fitz/Skye fic his kiss stabilised her and they leave the ruined Inhuman base behind, Skye's mother swears vengeance and the events of the S2 finale are left to stand as Fitz finally commits to Skye fully, saying he will always be there for her. In the Epilogue they finally have sex in the Playground and although they seem to shudder themselves, there is no damage to anybody else. Skye tells Fitz she has a reason to control her powers (him) and it's all a very soppy ending where Fitz and Skye get to do everything that they've wanted to do since Chapter 2. There was a brief dialogue between May and Coulson where they reveal they are surprised at the result of Fitz choosing Skye - Coulson owes May money, she had bet that Fitz/Skye would be together since she learned Fitz had been lying for her. The light hearted stuff aside, Jemma's position is not fully reconciled within this ending but it does imply a possible future. She treats a wounded Lincoln in the Playground with the implication that they might get together (both watching Skye and Fitz walk happily through the Playground and expressing despite their own sadness how happy it makes them to see Fitz and Skye so happy.) Bittersweet.
In the Fitz/Simmons ending Simmons is injured in the debris from Skye's loss of control and while Fitz does still calm Skye down, when she realises what she has done (the devastation she has caused) Skye refuses to come back with SHIELD or side with the Inhumans, taking Lincoln (who in this ending is perfectly healthy) to run away and ordering Fitz to go with Simmons. She clasps Lincoln's hand as if to prove their kind-of relationship is over and, while it breaks both of them to do it, they know it's for the best. On the way back Fitz tells Simmons (who is strapped into a medical trolley) he's not going anywhere, he'll always be there for her and - after one last glance at Skye - that he loves her. The ending with Fitz and Simmons does not contain sex but a long drawn out kiss between them that should have happened years before. In the epilogue for this ending we find out that the events of the S2 finale did take place (with the exception of the Simmons being pulled into stone scene) but that Skye chose afterwards to remain in hiding. They can't find her because of her hacking abilities but Fitz does discover a coded message saying that she is ok and that she'll always care for him - that she hopes he'll be happy and that she is happy with Lincoln. She says she will return to SHIELD but she just needs some time. Fitz looks over to Simmons and admits to himself he'll always care for Skye, but Simmons and him were always supposed to be.
And there you go, maybe one day I'll be able to write them up into full chapters but for now this is the best I can do, I have to throw everything I have at beating this illness and while I do have updates for other stories left in my computer (hence I may appear to update my other fics) I am stepping away from fic writing for a little while.
Thank you to everyone who enjoyed the story thus far, the reviews are always a pleasure to read - it would be interesting to find out if you would have enjoyed the alternate endings, I'd love to read what you have to say. Take care everyone, it's been an absolute thrill writing for you, I only wish I were strong enough now to finish this story the way I began it.
Faithfully,
AG