Disclaimer: Doctor Strange film and characters and Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. TV show and characters are owned by Marvel. I claim nothing besides my genius.

Disclaimer #2: This fanfiction contains SPOILERS for the Doctor Strange movie and for the 4th season of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

~A BioStrange Story~

No Other

Chapter 10

"I won't lie to you

I know he's just not right for you

And you can tell me if I'm off

But I see it on your face

When you say he's the one that you want

And you're spending all your time

In this wrong situation

And anytime you want it to stop

I know I can treat you better

Than he can"

~ Shawn Mendes

"And, this is the Chamber of Relics," Doctor Strange said as the three of them passed through it.

"Wow, how old are some of these?" Daisy said looking around.

The room itself was so beautiful, hard wood paneling everywhere, mandalas carved into the ceiling overhead… Jemma finally had the opportunity to take it all in without the threat of being attacked by Mordo. "This really is just stunning."

He seemed to glow with pride.

"Well, I wish I could take credit for it, but thank you nonetheless."

Daisy glanced at her phone. "It's getting late, we'd better get back to the base."

"Oh yes, nearly time for dinner." Jemma said when she saw what time it was. "My employees aren't going to like that very much I'm afraid."

Doctor Strange slid on his slingring and conjured a portal back to the base which Daisy stepped through happily, thanking him for the tour. And then before Jemma could go through he conjured another beside it…

"What's this?" She looked through it, within she saw a turquoise ocean with jagged rocks standing beside a white sand beach. She could hear a gull calling over the water, and smell the salt in the air. A breeze, full of warmth washed over her. She turned toward Stephen. "Is this?..."

"Greece. I owe you dinner."

Her face split into the widest smile. "You kept me well fed for our time in the Antarctic, so that is one thing you don't owe me."

"I did make you a promise."

"That's true…" She swayed. A trip to Greece for a couple hours or back to work at the base to finish up some lab tests and reconfigure one of Daisy's gauntlets…

She looked up at him. "Well, all right." I'll stay late and worry about getting those tests run when I get back. Not like anyone will miss me anyhow, Fitz will be staying late with Radcliffe and Aida working on their newest LMDs. And anyhow, it's my call, as I'm the Special Advisor to the Director In Science and Technology… I can't believe I'm thinking this.

He was waiting on her when she finished weighing her options. "I haven't been talking aloud to myself have I?"

"Not that I noticed," he chuckled. "Having a good conversation were you?"

"As well as good as one can have I suppose. It was about work so… no I guess it really wasn't that interesting."

He smiled, and closed the portal that led back to her base, much to Daisy's surprise. Her face was kind of priceless as the portal closed in front it.

"Guess I should've said something to her."

"I could open it back up?"

"Oh, no, don't bother," Jemma said waving away that notion. "Do you speak Greek?"

"Nope. You?"

"Not at all."

Doctor Strange stepped through the portal onto the beach, and held out his hand to her. "They probably speak English."

She took a deep breath and joined him somewhere in Greece. "Wow…"

"It's not as warm as I'd hoped," he said a little disappointed.

She gazed out at the ocean crashing toward them. "But, it's so beautiful…" There were fiddler crabs making their way back into the sea, and she watched them for a bit and then she realized that Stephen hadn't said a word in a good five minutes. She stopped, her hair dancing around her head in the wind, and she could feel his eyes on her.

When she spun around to confront him he only smiled.

"Shall we go in?" He motioned toward a restaurant behind them. There were tables and chairs set up outside with cotton awnings swinging in the breeze.

It looked wonderful.

"This has to be better than the cafeteria food at the base," she said hopefully.

"Or cave gourmet," he said walking purposefully beside her. His cloak billowing with each stride.

He looked very handsome, but she wasn't quite sure she should say that, this was, after all, just a friends' night out.

As she came to a table, Stephen pulled out a chair for her and helped her to sit down, then a waiter appeared.

"Oh, maybe this is someone else's-"

"Doctor Strange, ah yes, we have your reservation. I'll bring you the wine you selected." And with that an older, portly man scurried back into the building.

Jemma rounded on him. "Reservation?"

Stephen smiled smoothly and sat down in the chair to her left, opening a red napkin and setting it in his lap.

"You had this planned?"

He smirked.

"You knew I'd come?" she asked suspiciously.

"Well, I was hoping you'd say yes Jemma. Please, tell me we aren't going to go over mind-reading and pseudo-science again as possible ways I managed to get you to travel to Greece."

"No, I wasn't. That's not how you got me here anyway." She spread her napkin on her lap. It was about 60 degrees… which was 30 degrees higher than it had been at the Sanctum so she couldn't complain. It wasn't what she'd been dreaming of exactly on the tundra, but it certainly was lovely scenery. Doctor Strange and all…

"Oh, and how did I get you here?"

The wine arrived just in the nick of time. Doctor Strange looked a little put out at the timing and Jemma had the opportunity to muse to herself due to his discomfort.

"Excellent vintage sir," the waiter said and poured them each a glass. "And now, the entrees are just about ready, I'll bring them out shortly."

"Thank you Evangelos," Doctor Strange said looking at Jemma.

She watched the older man walk away and focused again on Stephen, who was, being undoubtedly quite the show-off at the moment. Testing her patience. "You already ordered for me?"

"It's not like I haven't before."

"What do you mea- Oh… in the cave."

He nodded while toying with the stem of his wine glass. "I guessed based on what you chose to eat when we were stranded. But, if that offends you, I can have them bring a menu."

She was annoyed inwardly. "No, it's fine."

His expression changed. The cat-that-swallowed-the-canary look had left him. "That doesn't sound good." He stood up and got the waiter's attention. "Menu please."

"Thank you," she said taking the menu, and reordering her own food.

"Sorry."

"Perfectly okay, I know you were just… being nice."

His eyes fell to the glass in front of him, and he took a sip. "Well it's… been a while since I've been on a date… ah, I mean. Went out."

Her eyes met his. "Is this a date?"

Stephen's mouth opened and closed slowly, as if he wasn't certain what to say. "Only if you want it to be."

Oh great. Did she want it to be a date? "It's a little cooler than I expected it to be," she said.

He looked deflated but waved his hand in the air nonetheless and conjured a lovely shawl for her.

"Oh!" She touched the fabric, which had been embroidered with mandalas. "It's exquisite, thank you."

He nodded, looking pitifully defeated. "How is Agent Fitz these days?" Clearly he'd given up.

"Fitz?" her voice pitched a little unnaturally. "Oh, he's great just great."

"Really?" Stephen said sounding somewhat encouraged by this peculiar answer.

"Yes, he's working on something secret for the agency, you know, with Dr. Radcliffe… well, you don't know but that's who he's working with. And, well, yeah… he's been busy… really, really busy."

"What?"

She rolled her eyes. "Oh, he's just been so busy we haven't really seen each other much lately. That's all."

He poured her more wine.

"I should really slow down." Yes, slowing down would be good. She was spiraling, she could feel it. Damn you Fitz for never being around. Why does Stephen have to be so interesting? "You have really beautiful eyes." Did I just say that? What in the world? Why am I drinking with him? This can only lead to bad things.

"So do you."

"Oh no…" she said gulping down another mouthful.

His brow furrowed just a bit looking from her empty glass back at her. "Maybe we should get some water."

She nodded.

He called for some water and then looked intensely at her. "Am I making you nervous?"

"Oh, no… no of course- yes, of course you are."

"I'm sorry."

"Ever since I kissed you…"

He was suddenly completely aware of what she was saying. He sat up, rapt with attention. "Yes?"

A busboy came by with a decanter of water.

"Thank you," Doctor Strange said and poured it into her glass.

She drank it. She was amazingly thirsty. "I think I'm a little tipsy."

"Our food will be here soon, that will help."

"Yes." She grinned at him, amused, "Thank you Doctor."

"Anytime. Otherwise you seem to be in excellent health," he said. "Do you like this little psaro-taverna? I did look at a couple of others but this one seemed cozy."

"I…"

"And here we are. Kolios sto fourno for the lady, and kalamarakia yemista for the gentleman. Enjoy."

She stared down at the fish and potatoes before her, this looked quite good, and then she gazed over at whatever was in front of Stephen. Some sort of stuffed… pasta?

He picked up his fork and knife and smiled at her. "Stuffed squid, it's very good. Would you like to try some?"

"Ah, no, thank you."

"We'll both be needing mints after this meal."

"Undoubtedly." She looked out at the sea, "Still though, this is amazing."

"The view?" he said, his mouth full.

"Being in Greece." She drank down her water. "Have you been to Greece before? Besides, just scouting out a restaurant to impress me with?"

"A little, a few years ago for a medical conference… But never with anyone so charming."

She choked a little and accidentally took a sip of wine rather than water. "You're smooth. I however, am not."

"Hmm," he breathed, musing to himself as he sipped his drink. "I used to think so."

"Before?"

He held up his broken hands in mock defeat. "And, all of this." Stephen pointed to his ensemble. "Not really so smooth anymore. Probably wasn't before either… just a fool, who thought he was smooth."

Jemma knocked over the remnants of her wine glass. "Oh no…"

"No problem," he set the glass upright.

A busboy was there instantly cleaning things up.

"See nothing to worry about."

"Stephen," she looked him in the eye feeling completely at a loss. "I'm tipsy. I can't finish up my lab tests like this."

"I didn't realize you were ditching work to go out with me." He raised an eyebrow.

"Oh good lord, you are incorrigible."

He asked for the check and paid the bill.

"Come on, let's go for a walk on the beach."

"Really?"

"We're here, on a Greek island, we might as well walk out there while the sun is setting." He stood and held out his hand to her.

Her mind rushed back to Fitz and she wondered what he would say to this whole dinner… Then she realized even if it was 6 or 7 pm he was still working on LMDs, so he'd never even miss her.

"All right, and then we have to go back."

"It's a deal."

They walked out onto the beach. It was getting darker and cooler. The sunset seemed to melt right down into the sea, brilliant oranges, and purple dripping across the water in a golden light…

She found herself mesmerized by the beauty of the moment, and how different it felt with Doctor Strange, than it did with Fitz. So unfamiliar that it made her a little nervous. His mannerisms were new, his smell was unlike Fitz's, a little butterfly sensation in her belly made her uncomfortable enough to literally force herself to try to relax.

She stared over at Stephen, at his profile as he watched the sunset, a pleasant expression of wonder on his placid face. He had a wonderful profile, very classic, high cheekbones so sharp and defined…

He caught her looking and his expression turned to startled interest.

"It's really lovely," she said.

"What is?"

"The sunset."

He nodded, glancing back at it. "So, how did I get you here?"

She'd nearly forgotten that train of thought. It was so far back in their conversation before the waiter had interrupted, she figured she'd weaseled out of having to answer that question. She smiled at him. "Well, because you owed me for saving your life of course."

"Oh," he said, though his tone implied he didn't really believe her.

"And anyway, I needed to get off the base for a little while."

"You're always welcome at the Sanctum."

She smiled at him. Looking kind of stupid she expected. She really had to stop grinning like an idiot around him or he was going to completely assume she was falling for him. Which, of course, she was not. "And you're very remarkable, so…" Oh what? Stop talking, stop talking Jemma! She stumbled.

He caught her arm and steadied her. "Still tipsy?"

"Maybe a little." She looked up at him, he was such a gentleman and so strong… And he smelled so good, now she was so close she could smell the cinnamon fragrance coming from his robes again. Her body was braced to one side of his and she still hadn't let go of his hand, which was keeping her from falling into the wet sand.

"How do Quake's gauntlets work?"

"What?" Where did that come from? Oh, he was changing the subject because she'd been drinking… She stared somewhat impressed and confused into his blue-green eyes. "Um… it's a bit complex… I don't know if you'd understand."

"Try me."

"Well, why don't you drop by the lab sometime and I can explain it to you, when I'm sober?"

"Sure."

"No really, why don't you?"

His expression changed from that of amusement to something of genuine interest. "Why, do you think you can help me?"

She'd try. "Maybe."