Chapter Seven

Jemma told herself she wasn't nervous as she stepped into the grand ballroom later that evening. She absolutely, positively was not… but one shared glance with Loki, who was standing by her side, and she knew that she was doing a poor job of looking convincing in that respect. And the longer the evening drew on, the worse it seemed to get.

It wasn't that Jemma wasn't dazzled by the golden, fire-lit ballroom, the tables of gourmet-looking food that she didn't even want to attempt to name, or the fine clothing that both surrounded her and was exemplified in the dress that had been put on her earlier in the evening. It was more that she was dazzled… and starting to get thoroughly overwhelmed by it all. There was so much going on, and so many people – all of whom wanted to meet her and exclaim over her – that she was starting to get dizzy.

She had stayed firmly at Loki's side all evening – the only place she was truly comfortable in this crowded room – but now she couldn't help but take it a step further, looping her arm through his and all but clinging to him via that simple hold, suddenly very afraid that she might just crumple right there.

It was so hot in this room, and she suddenly would've loved to be back in the cool, quiet lab of the Playground, studying one of her many projects alongside Fitz.

As the thought came to mind, Jemma's eyelids fluttered – oh, lord, don't you dare faint, Jemma Simmons! – but before she could begin to sink, Loki was somehow behind her, one hand on her right shoulder, the other on her left hip, and unexpected bursts of cool air were coursing through her body.

How? The thought came to her mind as her legs became somewhat stable under her. She realized that Loki was excusing the two of them from the couple he had been talking with while she stood silently beside him, easily making some polite something up before his hold on her tightened and he guided her across the floor towards the quietest corner of the room.

His voice was warm in her ear, halting the last of the shivers that had suddenly run through her as he asked, "Whatever's wrong, my little bird? Are you ill?"

He dragged a chair with them into the corner that was his destination and made her sit, kneeling before her with concern plain in his eyes before she answered simply, waving her hand to indicate the party, "This isn't… it's a lot to take in."

"What do you need?" he asked immediately.

She took a deep breath and did a mental check over how she was feeling now before she shook her head, replying, "I'm fine now."

"You're certain? Do you feel faint?"

"Loki," she gave him the best smile she could manage, touched by his distress, and cupped his face in her hands, giving him a chaste kiss on the lips – they were still in a crowded room, after all – as she assured him, "I'm fine now. I just think I'd like to stay here for another minute and catch my breath, if that's alright?"

"Whatever you require. Shall I stay with you?"

She steeled herself and shook her head, pointing out, "This is a good chance for you to be sociable."

"Why, pray tell, should I be concerned with being sociable when my soulmate is unwell?"

"Because I'm not 'unwell,' I just need a little room to breathe my own air for a moment. And quite frankly it seems to me that making friends would be good for… your recovering reputation."

Loki rolled his eyes, asking fondly, "Why are you being more concerned with diplomacy than the man who was raised a prince?"

"Because I happen to be a scientist and I'm doing what my job requires and thinking logically. You need to be seen playing nice, you have an opportunity to do it," here she pushed gently on his shoulders, hinting for him to rise to his feet as she requested, "So take it – whether you want to or not. Honestly, Loki, I will be perfectly content right here by myself. We can't very well both be wallflowers at a party meant for us. Go; I'm just fine."

"I'll return in ten minutes," Loki compromised, standing to his feet despite his obvious unwillingness to leave her, but when Jemma nodded, he moved back into the crowd as ordered.

Jemma took a couple of deep breaths and looked around the room, feeling much more secure now that she wasn't in the middle of it all. She was frustrated with herself – for worrying her soulmate and for being such a wimp; she had faced down an attempt on her life and lived to tell the tale, she should be able to handle a roomful of strangers! Yet she could practically hear Loki telling her to give herself time – that she in fact needed time – to adjust to this new life, so she forced her mind away from her little "spell" and looked around the room instead, searching for any familiar faces.

There, across the room, was Sif… and though she couldn't see them, she could hear boisterous laughter that she thought might have been Thor and Volstagg. It was hard to tell in this room so crowded with loud men. But there… there was a man she recognized standing at the banquet table, and actually managing not to be surrounded by people– for what might quite possibly have been the first time since she'd heard of him, since he'd been described to her as quite the extrovert. She rather envied Fandral the Dashing in that moment.

But then she got a good look at his eyes, and more importantly the emotions within them when he thought no one was paying attention. He looked exactly like Skye had before Jemma and Loki had left the Playground – had that really only been earlier today? His eyes held so much loneliness that he reminded her of an abandoned puppy. When she continued to watch, she saw what she had originally expected to see from him.

He waded back into the crowd with a sudden smile stretched across his face as he dropped down into a seat at the large dining table across the room… and then grabbed the nearest maid, pulling her down into his lap with a brassy smile and a kiss on the cheek. But Jemma knew what she'd seen; this was a lonely man.

But after living her whole life unmarked, yet still managing to find her soulmate only nine days previous, Jemma found that she now had a strong sense of hope for situations like Fandral's and Skye's. For people like them who were so obviously longing for someone to make that connection with… there just had to be a soulmate for them somewhere!


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