Love Is Christmas

A Bobbi & Lance, Avengers Story

By Brown Eyes Parker

Author's Note:

Okay, this story was written before the gosh-awful season finale. So, Tripp is still in it a little bit. This is my first attempt at a Bobbi/Lance story and then it snowballed into this. Anyways, I'll just leave it here and get on with the story. The title is from Love is Christmas by Sara Bareilles.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Rated: T

.

Bobbi Morse turned up the music and twirled around in her winter gray dress, waiting a little impatiently for her boyfriend Lance Hunter to pick her up for the Christmas Eve dance at Tony Stark's New York penthouse. She stopped dancing and grabbed her red lipstick; she carefully applied it and then made kissing faces at herself in the mirror before quickly stopping. Embarrassed that she was acting way more uncool than she usually did and thankful that nobody could see her. Especially the members of her new team.

There was a knock at her door and her heart leaped in excitement, the way it did when she had dated Lance for the first time when she was a teenager at the academy. She threw the door opened and grinned at him, standing in the threshold and looking so handsome in his tuxedo.

"Ready to go then?" He asked, looking at her with appreciation in his eyes.

"Yes," Bobbi answered. "What about you?"

"I'm ready," Lance confirmed. "The rest of the team left a while ago. I was just waiting for a shower to warm up; you know how it is with a lot of guys trying to get ready at once."

"It can't be as bad as a lot of girls trying to get ready at once," Bobbi answered. "Luckily, May is low-maintenance. She got ready first and left with Coulson a while ago. I guess he was seeing Tony for the first time since New York and she wanted to give him some support."

Lance grinned. "You look so good tonight. I wish I didn't have to waste it on other people."

Bobbi laughed. "Maybe one day in the future. We promised Tony though and we need to go tonight, we need to celebrate the holidays as a whole. Coulson will be disappointed if we don't show up."

Lance sighed. "I know. So, we'll go but Barton better keep his eyes to himself!"

"You don't have to worry about Clint!" Bobbi told him as she put her coat on and closed her door. "I hear that he has a thing with Natasha these days. But you didn't hear it from me. It's supposed to be a secret."

"Like I'd say anything about it to anybody!" Lance said. "Who am I going to tell?"

"Oh, I don't know. . . maybe the guys when you go out for a boy's night. Or something."

"Don't worry you're pretty little head, I won't tell anybody something that everybody probably already knows."

Bobbi made a face but didn't argue with him as they walked out into the snowy evening together and he hailed a taxi for them.

After what seemed like forever, they were at Tony's penthouse apartment. They had barely knocked when Pepper opened the door for them, holding a glass of champagne in her left hand, showing off a good-sized engagement ring for the whole party to see. The actual Nora Jones was sitting on stage, playing the piano and singing above the din of the guests.

"When did this happen!?" Bobbi asked pointing at Pepper's hand.

"Just this morning!" Pepper answered.

"Were you expecting it? Or did it just come out of nowhere?" Bobbi wanted to know as she unbuttoned her coat and discarded it.

"It was sort of a surprise," Pepper answered. "I thought he was going to do it tomorrow, but he just couldn't wait. You know how Tony is."

"Indeed," Bobbi replied.

Pepper looked between Bobbi and Lance then smiled. "So, how long has it been since the two of you got back together?"

"It's a fairly recent change," Bobbi said.

"Well, come on in!" Pepper invited. "The party's really hopping and mostly everybody's here."

They followed her into the main room where everybody was enjoying themselves. May and Coulson were out on the dance floor dancing like they had been together their whole entire lives, looking at May it was obvious to see the adoration for their director in her eyes. Adoration wasn't so obvious in the director's face but he was holding her protectively.

Fitz and Simmons were sitting next to each other on the couch, close but still miles apart as they both stared into mugs of warm apple cider. Skye was chatting with both Mack and Triplet, laughing at everything they said. For the young girl, it seemed like all her troubles were behind her for the evening. For the moment, the rogue agent who had her all tangled up in a web of emotions wasn't on her mind.

Clint and Natasha were in a secluded corner, she was playing with an arrow necklace a smile on her cherry-red lips as he talked to her in hushed tones. Thor was sitting with Jane, holding her hand and watching the other partiers together, content to sit in silence together.

"Do you want a drink?" Pepper asked, breaking into Bobbi's silent observation of the room. "The bar's over there."

"I'll go and get you something," Lance said. "Red wine, right?"

"Sounds good," Bobbi answered.

"So, when did you and Lance get back together?" Pepper asked.

"It was fairly recent," Bobbi replied. "It started up again a while after we both joined Coulson's team."

"I see," Pepper said as they both looked at Lance take two glasses from the bartender. "But do you think it will last this time?"

Bobbi sighed. "Is anything certain in this day and age? Especially with everything that is going on right now?"

"Mmmh, I know," Pepper said, smiling at her. "Everybody seems happy tonight, it's kind of nice."

"Everybody except for Jemma and Leo," Bobbi answered, looking at the two scientists again.

Pepper nodded. "Yes, I noticed that. Tony knew them when they were joined at the hip. They consulted on a couple of things for him when they were still in the academy. He said they were two of the most brilliantly annoying people you will ever meet."

Bobbi nodded. "I didn't know them then."

Lance came back with their drinks and Pepper excused herself, saying she needed to go and find Tony.

"Thanks," Bobbi said to Lance, taking her wine and sipping it. She cleared her throat and smiled at him when she noticed he was watching her. "What?"

"Nothing," Lance answered, looking away. "Do you think Coulson and May care that nobody else is dancing?"

Bobbi shook her head. "You know what, I don't think they do."

"Which is unusual for May, don't you think?"

"Well, Mr. Hunter what do you say about joining them?" Bobbi suggested, putting her glass on a waiter's tray as he passed them and Nora Jones started to sing a cover of a Sara Bareillis song.

"I don't dance."

"I know. We didn't even dance at our wedding," Bobbi answered as she took his hand and led him to the dance floor. "But for tonight just pretend that you do. Please."

Lance wanted to argue, she could tell, but he didn't. Instead, he slipped his arms around her waist and swayed with her to the music. They were both oblivious to May and Coulson's covert glances and sly little smiles, they were so wrapped up in each other just like they were in the old days when they had first met each other and fallen in love. Bobbi forgot the whole room and got lost in a beautiful day dream just like all the other guests had seemed to do.

.

Bobbi woke up the next morning to merry laughter coming from May's room, it sounded like the second in command and the director were continuing to share sweet moments from the night before. She smiled to herself and turned on her back, staring at the ceiling until there was a bang on her door.

She got out of bed and answered it; Lance was standing in the threshold with coffee in one hand and a wrapped gift in the other. She beamed at him and wished him a Merry Christmas as she stepped aside to let him inside the room.

For a few more moments, everything was still lovely and right with the world.

And Bobbi was happier than she had been in a very long while.

_The End_

Author's Note II:

I'll just leave this here and wait to hear what you have to say about it. This is my last story in my batch of Agents of SHIELD Christmas stories. I hope you enjoyed them.

Merry Christmas!

Love,

Holly, 12/20/2014_