A/N: I am having such a fun time writing again. I decided to write another story. This will be the second story in the "Save the last dance for me" series. There are going to be three common themes in this series. They should be pretty easy to spot. Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy this story. Leave kudos and comments if you want to. And I hope you guys enjoy the story. Let's get this show on the road shall we?
Who I Am From The Start (Take Me Home To My Heart)
Jemma Simmons sat on the bed in the room Coulson had given her once she had returned from her undercover mission. She was back where she belonged. She didn't like being undercover at Hydra, it had made her uncomfortable. But that didn't matter anymore, it was time to get into the groove of things here. She hadn't been gone long, but she was sure she had missed a lot.
She got up from the bed and began to get ready for what she knew what would be a long day. She showered, got dressed, styled her hair, and brushed her teeth before she made her way back to her bedroom. Jemma walked over to her dresser and opened the doors of her jewelry box. Once the doors were open something fell out.
Jemma bent down to pick it up and realized it was the gardenia hair clip she had worn a long time ago. She sat on the floor and just stared down at it. She ran her finger gently over the fake, white petals. She had worn it to the first birthday party that had been thrown in Steve Rogers' honor after he had been found in a block of ice and ad to been thawed out. Everyone at SHIELD had been invited to that party. She remembered the party like it had been the night before.
Jemma Simmons and Leopold Fitz were working at their stations when suddenly a young man, who neither one of them knew, dropped an envelope in front of each of them.
"I wonder what this is?" Jemma questioned as she picked up the cream colored envelope. She looked over at Fitz and he shrugged just unsure as she was. They both tore the envelopes open and pulled out the invitations that were inside.
"It is an invitation to Steve Rogers birthday party," Jemma said as she looked it over. "A 1940's themed party. That sounds like it could be fun. I think we should go to it Fitz." She looked up at her best friend and the look she saw on his face. He didn't look as excited as she did.
"No, I am not a big fan of big parties," He said as he slipped the invitation back into the envelope it came in before he looked up and smiled at her. "But I think you should go Jemma. I think you would look beautiful dressed up like a girl from the 1940's."
"Oh thank you Fitz," Jemma replied as she blushed a little. Fitz was really very sweet. "I think I will go and I am sad I will not have my best friend with me." She frowned a little but she couldn't force him to go with her. That wasn't fair to him and it would probably be a good thing that they spent a Saturday night apart. Most Saturday nights were spent binge watching "Doctor Who" at her apartment while talking about work.
Yes, time apart would be good for them.
Jemma had bought her dress, shoes, and some accessories online. Well, except for the red lipstick. She had to go to the drug store to buy that. She loved technology, it made her life much easier. She didn't have to go out shopping and deal with the crowds at the mall or anywhere else. That was the one thing she hated about shopping. And she wouldn't even know if she would have been able to find what she had wanted at the store. Everything she needed was online.
The day of the party had arrived and Jemma was nervous. She began to wonder why she had accepted this invitation. What if she didn't get the look right? What if she was the only one dressed like she was from the 1940's? Maybe she shouldn't go. But she had spent all that money on the dress, shoes, and accessories. And she looked adorable in her ensemble, well she was the only one who had seen herself all dressed up. It was decided, she was going.
She showered and dried her hair. She slipped her navy blue dress and nude colored shoes on before she went back into the bathroom to do her hair. Jemma had originally wanted to do her hair like Betty Grable's, but decided the style she liked was too complicated. She instead went with a hair style Lana Turner had sported back in the day. After she had finished styling her hair she clipped in the white gardenia which had only arrived in the mail last night.
The final touch was applying some red lipstick. She smiled at herself in the mirror, telling herself she could do this one last time before she she grabbed her clutch and left.
She arrived at the party about ten minutes after it had started. The first thing she noticed when she walked in was how beautifully decorated the ball room the party was being held in was. And as she looked around she noticed everyone was dressed like they were from the 1940's. She was thankful she didn't stand out like a sore thumb.
Jemma spotted the birthday boy across the room. He looked very handsome in his Army uniform. She wondered if she should go over there and say happy birthday, but she decided against it. She would do it later. She just walked over the punch bowl and poured herself a glass of punch before she sat down in a chair by the wall. She didn't even see the man across the room watching her with a curious glint in his eye.
Seven cups of punch and a piece of birthday cake later, Jemma was about to head home. Yes, the party was fun, but no one had asked her to dance and she was beginning to feel like the ugly girl at the prom. She stood up and grabbed her clutch and was just about to walk towards the door when she felt someone grab her arm. When she turned around she saw Clint Barton standing in front of her.
"You're Clint Barton." She somehow managed to get out. But she instantly felt herself flush in embarrassment. She couldn't think of anything cooler to say. This was Clint Barton she was talking to and he looked very handsome in his suit this evening if she had anything to say about it.
"Yes, I am and you're Jemma Simmons." He replied to her. And she could have sworn the smile on his face grew a little wider as she blushed a little more.
"You know who I am?" She asked him. She couldn't believe he knew who she was.
"Yes, I know who you are and I was wondering if you wanted to dance? But it looks like you were about to leave, so I will go ask someone else." He began to walk away and in a panic Jemma grabbed his arm and he turned around to face her.
"I wasn't leaving. I was going to get some air," She was lying and he knew it. "I think I would have more fun dancing with you though." She wasn't lying when she said that though. She had waiting for someone to ask her to dance.
A slow song began to play as he pulled her out onto the dance floor. He laced his fingers through hers and wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her closer in the process. Jemma was unsure what to do with her free arm, so she just rested her hand on his shoulder. Once she was settled they began to move.
Jemma could honestly say she was shocked at how good of a dancer Clint Barton was. Did he have to learn it in spy school? She wanted to ask him, but she found she was too nervous to do it. She would just enjoy this dance in silence and not ruin the mood by talking.
"You look very beautiful tonight, Jemma." He spoke about ten seconds after she decided not to say anything.
"Oh thank you very much," She replied. She looked up and saw him smiling down at her. "And you look very handsome." Her cheeks grew hotter and she hoped the lights were dim enough in the ball room for him not to notice.
He let go of her to spin her under his arm and when he pulled her back his arm fell back into place. She looked out the other couples dancing around them. Yes, she knew they had been there but for awhile it only felt like she and Clint had been the only ones dancing. It sounded corny and she kind of hated herself for thinking that way. After this dance was over he would probably go find someone else to dance with and she would go home, this wasn't a fairytale.
The song ended, but he wasn't letting her go. "You want to dance again?" He asked her and she nodded in response. They ended up dancing the last four dances together. After the party ended, he walked her out to her car.
"I had fun tonight. Thank you for dancing with me." She said as they stopped beside her car.
"I had fun too and I am glad I got to dance with you." He smiled at her and he leaned down, kissing her gently on the cheek. "Goodnight Jemma." He began to walk away, but Jemma grabbed his arm and pulled him back to her. When he turned around, she pulled his face down to hers and kissed him. Thankfully, he kissed her back. It would have been really awkward if he hadn't.
They pulled away from each other and she could see some of her red lipstick smeared on his lips. He wasn't saying anything and it began to get a little awkward. He just nodded his head at her and turned to walk away. Jemma got into her car, thinking she messed things up. She didn't realize Clint was smiling to himself as he wiped her lipstick off his lips.
She never saw him again after that night. The Battle of New York accorded not long after that and she remembered seeing him and the other Avengers on the news. After the battle ended though, Clint disappeared.
No one had knew where he had gone. And for awhile Jemma was heartbroken he was gone. Yes, they had only shared one kiss and they hadn't had a chance to talk to one another because of work. But Jemma felt a connection with him and it was something she couldn't ignore.
A knock on her door frame pulled her from her thoughts. Jemma looked up and saw her boss standing in her doorway. "Are you okay Jemma" He asked her.
"Oh yes Sir I am fine," She replied and stood up. "I am going to go to the lab now."
Coulson didn't say anything to her. He just smiled and walked away. Jemma put the flower back in her jewelry box and shut the doors. She hoped someday she would get to see Clint Barton again.