Written for @impala-dreamer‘s challenge, the word was “Longing” and it’s longer than it should be but eh.
The need put his foot down harder on the gas than usual, drawing comments from his brother in the passenger seat but Dean couldn’t care less. He could feel that clawing hunger in his belly, a desperate desire for that one thing that always sated him.
Skidding into the parking lot, he was out of the car before Sam even had his belt undone, his prize so close that he could taste it. As he’d stepped into the diner, he could smell it, warm and thick, rolling over his senses like he was coming home.
And there, the object of his desire, still steaming under the warm glass.
He slapped a five on the counter in front of the hostess, grinning as Sam caught up. “One piece of cherry pie,” he drawled, and the woman smiled, delivering his longed-for dessert on standard white china.
“You broke three speed limits for this?” Sam grumbled.
Dean nodded, holding the pie up and inhaling deeply. “Damn straight I did.”
Created for Friday Challenge, Suprise! by @thefitzsimmonsnetwork. @teambiochem
The first thing Jemma Simmons notice is, the miraculous odor of stew, flooding all the way down the corridor.
The second thing she notice is, the door ajar and the squeals coming from apartment 303’s interior.
And the last thing she notice -before being dragged into the craziest madness lie of her life- was a short woman's arms, surrounding her neck.
"Surprise!" says the woman when Jemma manages to get rid of her grip.
Simmons was halfway of politely respond the woman's effusive greeting when notices how the woman –with hair in short blondie curls- inspects her from head to toe and then announces, with some malice in her voice:
"Well, you are a special thing, aren’t you?"
The older lady's gaze lingers on Jemma pink t-shirt's ketchup stain, on the wrinkles of her green coat, on her pleated skirt -which is really very comfortable!-, on her white sandals and finally, her gaze raise up to Jemma's face, shaking her head in disapproval at see no earrings, lashes free of makeup and disordered horsetail.
In Jemma defense, she has extensive work days. She wakes up at 4am and leaves her toxins at 23.30pm, without excuse. And there is nothing, that her comfortable knit vest does not improve it, especially today when her rude boss, although he assured her he would, forgot put Jemma investigation's name on the funding list.
Usually Jemma takes refuge in a huge cup of tea when the days do not turn out to be what she expects but today, Jemma was on her way to the cafeteria when she received a message from Daisy, demanding to Jemma fulfill with BFF duty and go to Mango street, department 303 at 18:15 and eat a dinner with "a friend and her mom". Seeing that it was 17.45 and this was the golden opportunity to stop owe any favors to Daisy, Jemma rejected tea, leave her toxins and forget check out her clothes, in favor of the urgency to take the bus.
Daisy mentioned a dinner, homemade, what would really end up animating her bad mood.
It was a win and win situation from her perspective.
Until now...
"Mither, what are you doing in the hallway?" A hoarse voice emerges from inside the apartment.
"Receiving my daughter-in-law, son" the woman doesn’t stop examining her "and you never told me she was so short."
Daughter? SHORT? For goodness, this lady is even smaller than Jemma!
"Don’t bother her, Mom." There is a satisfied laugh inside, followed by the revelation of nothing more and nothing less than Leopold Fitz, her science section boss at ShieldTech, going out through the door. Wearing a blue apron and oven gloves in his hands.
The same guy who said this afternoon, as if announces that it was going to rain, that he had forgotten send Jemma's funding request to the big bosses.
Unbelievable.
"What are you doing ..." Fitz looks at Jemma, his blue eyes in shock.
"Leopold James Fitz, what awfu type of welcome is that!" The older woman grabs Jemma from her prized waistcoat, puts her in front of Fitz and then demands, with the most intimidating tone of scottish voice, "Say hi to your wife, properly”.
Fitz freezes in place meanwhile Jemma, not knowing in what strange situation Daisy has dragged her under the pretext of a free dinner, rubs her aching arm, unsure of what to do next.
After what seem minutes, being in fact seconds, Fitz reacts and surrounds Jemma in a sort of distant embrace.
"What ways are these to greet your wife when she gets home? Kiss it properly, boy".
What…what?!
Jemma walks away, looking from the strange woman to her strange boss. There is no need for a home-made dinner now, thank you. All this situation has taken away her appetite.
"Mither, she's tired!"
Jemma takes another step back.
"No lady, ever, is so tired like not to receive a proper kiss from her lovely husband." There is fire in the older woman's eyes "But if she is, then she should never had marry in the first place!”
"I ..." Jemma begins to say, but she is so bad liar that she closes her mouth quickly, like a frog. Meanwhile the two strange people begin to argument outside the apartment, Jemma tries to take a step further, toward the elevator without being noticed.
She does not go very far before the woman starts reciting a speech about why it is important to keep the flame burning in a young couple and the importance of a correct honeymoon ... and wait, what? Jemma needs to get out of here.
"Wait!" Fitz reads her movements and walks away from her mother, trying stop Jemma. "I was making stew, you favorite. And Mom's favorite. Sorry for not letting you know about this but it was Mom idea, like a surprise for you now that she decided travel and give us a short visit, honey” the last part, it sounds forced.
Jemma will never admit it but she knows one or two things about her section boss and for the numerous Christmas cookies he receives from the post office, Jemma knows that his mother lives in Scotland. In Glasgow, to be specific. And for the many hours that she spend at ShieldTech labs waiting for bacterias incubations she may or not, have heard him speak with his mother by phone one night. And also, like a year ago, when Jemma was forced to take charge of the old office correspondence, she might have seen his mother's loving postcard and she may or not, had cover it under rubbish papers because Fitz has just thrown away her new idea in front of the big bosses.
Jemma also know that, Fitz’s mother must have traveled all the way to USA to visit Fitz and his "wife" and now she, without understanding very well how - although she is a genius- has been mixed in an situation where his mother think that she is his wife.
And where Fitz seems want to continue the lie, inviting her to eat stew. With her mother. Although they hate each other.
Jemma is going to kill Daisy.
But first, she need decide whether to eat the first homemade meal in weeks cooked by her cretin boss or run to the elevator, away from that intimidating woman.
"And I made tea!" Fitz scratches the back of his neck, looking desperate. The older woman is behind, near the door, looking at them with narrowed eyes. "You favorite tea."
Honestly, Jemma doubts that Fitz knows what type of tea she drinks, but maybe he has been lying to his mother about that too and now Jemma is curious about why Fitz would lie…
Deciding to get the most out of this situation, Jemma move two steps toward Department 303, pretending now be the false wife of Leopold Fitz, the man who has just ruined her two-year research and all her future study.
"Well, darling ..." she sings and oh dear, this sounds so bad "I love tea."
A huge false smile appears on Jemma's face, the relief in Fitz's eyes is instantaneous.
And that is when the small woman exhales offended, like if this really was something bad:
"Leopold Fitz, you never told me that your wife is English!"
