Dancing In The Dark - A Jimmy Fallon Fanfiction

Chapter 9

I arrived at the studio as stealthily as I could - on foot. I decided against any kind of disguise this time, though; the paparazzi would know exactly what was up if they saw the same sunglasses and beanie sneaking in to see Jimmy Fallon. I'm not that stupid.

Instead, I let them see me. They photographed me on the subway, snapped a picture of me checking my phone, and even got one of me walking down the sidewalk. By the time I was a block away from Jimmy, they'd grown bored and had left me alone.

I think.

In his lovely suit and tie, looking as snazzy as ever, Mr. Fallon sat waiting for me in the lobby. I waltzed in, trying to act like I wasn't meeting my dream date for lunch. Our cover story was that we were meeting for business purposes; a collaboration of some sort. A ridiculous cover, really, but it was the best we could come up with. Time was short.

He led me into the elevator and let the doors shut before he kissed me hello. "It's so great to see you again," he said softly, as though the thing had ears.

"It's great to see you, too," I replied, getting carried away by the scent of his cologne, ever-strong in the small space. That pillow back in my apartment could never compare to the real thing, unfortunately. The doors slid open and we pulled away, exiting like business collaborators instead of almost lovers.

"Jimmy?" said a production crew member in confusion. "I thought you were going out for lunch."

"Oh, I am," said Jimmy quickly. "I mean, I'm not. I mean, yeah, I'm taking my lunch break, but I'm meeting with Miss Quinn here, see - not going out with..with her, just meeting - we're just -- "

"Ah, Jimmy. I was looking for you." Higgins sidled up between us. "You're late to our business meeting." He led us away from the awkward scene like some sort of bespectacled superman. The production assistant went back to work, looking completely unfazed.

"You're a lifesaver, Higgins," breathed Jimmy once we were away from the crowd.

"You're welcome," he said with a grin. "Now you two kids go have fun. I can't cover for you forever."

Jimmy smiled big and grabbed my hand. "Come on!" he cried, leading me up a staircase.

"I thought we were on the top floor - ?"

"We are!"

"Then where - ?"

We burst through a door at the top and found ourselves on the roof. I was stunned. Jimmy had laid out a nice picnic blanket & food. "Ta da!" he cried. I smiled.

"You did all this for me?"

"Who else?" he replied, a glimmer in his eyes.

We sat together on the blanket and tucked in, enjoying grapes and cheese and sandwiches and what-have-you. It was cliche, but it was lovely. I wouldn't trade it for the world. In fact, it was all so nice I almost forgot about the sleep-talking. Almost.

"Alright, alright," I said. "Spill the beans, Fallon - what did I say last night?"

"What - in your sleep?"

"Yes."

He got a look on his face that made me worried. "Are you sure you want to know?" he asked, his tone furthering my anxiety.

"I mean...yeah. I do," I said. "It's apparently got you quite excited."

"You better believe it has."

"What did I say?!"

He smiled and looked away. "I can't..." he muttered, dissolving into laughter. He stood and wiped his eyes, still lost in chuckles. I stood up, too, and punched him lightly in the arm.

"Tell me," I said sternly.

"Fine," he said, finally coming out of his laughter. Then he looked me straight in the eyes, and in complete seriousness replied, "You told me to get in a cage."

"What?" I gasped, covering my mouth. Jimmy lost it in laughter again. But for some reason, I wasn't buying it. He had the same look in his eyes that he did during Box of Lies when he wasn't telling the truth. "I don't believe you," I blurted.

His laughter faded away. "Why not?" he asked.

"Because you're not telling the truth," I said. He looked stunned and ashamed. I took his hand. "It's okay. Just tell me. I was asleep. Whatever it is, it can't be that - "

"You said you love me."

My heart caught on fire.

"You...." he took a deep breath. "...you turned around and looked at me - right in the eyes like you were wide awake, but I could tell you weren't because my sister sleep talks, too. I said 'Hey - are you alright?' and you kinda stared at me for a minute, and then you said, 'Jimmy?' and I said 'yeah?' and you touched my cheek and said....." he bit his lip and looked away, then turned back and looked me straight in the eyes again. "....you said, 'I love you.'. And then you fell back asleep and it took me a while, but I slept, too, and - "

"What did you say?"

He looked at me in bewilderment. "What do you - ?"

"What did you say back?"

He chuckled lightly, a small smile playing at his lips. Then he took another breath and said, "'I love you, too,' of course."

"Do you really?"

"Well, do you really?"

I shuffled. "Well....it might seem extremely soon, but I feel like I've loved you for a very long time...ever since you cheered me up when I found you on YouTube a few years ago."

He smiled. "Good. I felt crazy for wanting to say it so early, but I feel it, too." He grabbed my other hand and pulled me in. "I love you, Natasha Quinn."

"I love you, Jimmy Fallon."

We were just about to kiss when my phone began to ring. Jimmy kissed my nose and spun around, grabbing my phone off the blanket. His face turned pale.

"What - what is it?" I cried.

He handed me the ringing thing. "It's for you," he said grimly. And there on the screen, flashing bright, were four letters I'd hoped not to see for a very long time.

ADAM