A/N: Hope you guys like this! Please submit drabble ideas for me! Review!

Drabble 18: Stopping by Woods

Fitz knocked on her door and waited. Jemma opened it a minute later.

"Are you ready?" Fitz asked her.

She smiled. "I hope so. I can't be sure until I know what you've planned."

He laughed. "It wouldn't be much of a surprise then, would it?"

She buttoned up her coat and walked out of her room. "I guess it wouldn't."

Fitz led her out of the dorm area and to the courtyard. "All you needed to know was that I had something special planned for today. And here it is." He brought her to the edge of the yard and watched her reaction.

"You didn't! Fitz, this is fantastic!" she cried. The horse was chestnut in color, with white around its hooves. It was connected to a grand sleigh, with a padded bench to sit on. A man in a suit was holding the reins, and smiled when he saw Fitz.

"Ah, Mr. Fitz. You're very prompt, I see."

Fitz shook his hand. "Thanks for this, Jerry."

"I know you'll treat it well. Just be sure to have her back before six."

"That's plenty of time. No problem."

Jerry left, and Fitz put down the step up to the bench. "Shall we go?" he asked Jemma.

She nodded, shock still clear in her expression. "Yes, of course! But how did you think of this? How did it happen?"

Fitz made sure she was seated before walking to the horse and giving it a pat. "I met Jerry a few weeks ago, when he started giving winter rides. I helped him out a bit, and he told me he owed me. This is how I collected." He took the reins in his hand and made sure everything was connected properly before climbing up next to Jemma. "I thought it would be fun."

"I'm sure it will be." She said, smiling.

There was a nice coating of snow on the ground, and the sleigh glided over it easily, the horse trotting happily.

"I think Bugs is enjoying this." Fitz said after a few minutes. "He usually has to keep going around the same route, and now he gets to see some new land."

"He does seem happy." Jemma said.

They reached a wooded area and Fitz directed the horse to a path without any tracks on it. "It looks like we're the first ones on the trail today. This should lead us to his usual route."

"I still can't believe you arranged this." She said, shaking her head a bit.

Fitz laughed. "I forgot to mention the plans for today. We don't have to just sit here in silence."

He handed Jemma the reins and reached under the bench they were sitting on. He pulled out a blanket and a thermos, and then a second one. "We can sit in comfort." He spread the blanket over their laps, giving most of it to Jemma, and handed her a thermos. "Jerry made us hot chocolate."

"All we need now is some caroling, and we're set for the holiday!" Jemma cried. She sipped her hot chocolate and sighed. "This is perfect."

They were well into the woods now, Bugs still trotting along at a pace perfect for sightseeing. Fitz tried to spot deer and other animals. Jemma had made it her goal earlier in the year to spot a fox at some point, and she looked for one now. They enjoyed the ride and chatted for some time, until Bugs stopped walking suddenly. The sleigh hitched to a stop, and the conversation stopped.

"Why did we stop?" Jemma asked.

"I don't know." Fitz said as he stepped off, inspecting the runners. There was a pile-up of snow, which had built up in the front. He walked in front a few steps and sighed as he realized the snow didn't get any lighter up ahead. "The snow's too deep here for the sleigh." He called to Jemma. He looked at their surroundings and mentally cursed. The trail they were on was narrow, just big enough for them really. They wouldn't be able to turn around.

He put his head down on the edge of the sleigh and closed his eyes. He felt a hand on his shoulder and saw Jemma standing next to him. "It's not the end of the world." She said softly. She grinned. "I'm not as helpless as other women who used to ride in these. If we can't move the sleigh, we'll have to move the horse. Can you help me unstrap him?"

Fitz smiled. "Now it's me who can't believe it. You want to ride him back to Jerry to get help? Alone?"

She raised an eyebrow as she started undoing the straps that connected Bugs to the sleigh. "I can't save you without reinforcements, can I?"

"Yes, you'll be a perfect knight in shining armor." Fitz said in a low tone.

"Don't be a grump." Simmons chided. "I'll be faster than you would. Now sit tight, and I'll be back in a jif." She looked at the horse and then back at Fitz. "Help me up?"

He chuckled and gave her a boost onto the horse's back. She turned Bugs around and made him walk a few steps as a test, then nodded. "This should do." She thought for a minute before moving. "Why didn't we bring our phones again?"

Fitz thought about that. "I guess I wanted this to be authentic. That's why I asked you to leave yours behind. I left mine too."

"Alright. I'll get going." She pulled the reins and clicked her tongue, and Bugs started trotting the direction they had come, following their tracks.

Fitz sighed as he watched her go. It was true that she would be faster than him. He had never ridden a horse, and she had a few times. But he hated being left here to wait while she went back for help. Talk about a reversal of typical roles. Then he scolded himself. Jemma was no helpless princess. She was a bit naïve, and definitely pretty, but she could take care of herself. She had taken care of him plenty of times.

So when she came back an hour later with Jerry and a second horse, he smiled and gave her a warm hug. "You're my hero." He joked with her quietly.

Jerry attached the second horse to the sleigh, confident that the added power could pull it through the snow. He was right, and joined their party as they took the short route back to the Academy. As they neared the end of their ride, Jemma leaned in close to Fitz to whisper in his ear.

"All that time, I never realized we were stopped by woods."

He looked confused, so she kept talking. "You know the Robert Frost poem, Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening? We were stalled by the snow in the middle of the woods. The main difference is that it wasn't night."

"I know the poem, but not why you suddenly thought of it."

"We noticed the beauty of the woods while we were riding in the sleigh, but as soon as we were stuck it became horrible. I don't know, something just made me realize how your situation affects your view of surroundings."

He smiled. "Now I see what you mean. And you're right. Maybe we should experiment it more…" he looked at her hopefully, with a smile in his eyes.

"Looks like we have our next project!"

He leaned back his head and smiled. It's pretty amazing what a simple sleigh ride can lead to. Especially if you have a scientific mind.