Dancing In The Dark - A Jimmy Fallon Fanfiction

Chapter 22

Three months. Three months of busses, airplanes, jetlag, and music. And lots and lots of screaming fans.

And I was finally going home.

The rumors died down a few short days after the videos Jimmy and I released. Of course, there were still a couple random stubborn people who believed the madness, but the majority of people believed what we said completely - or at least almost completely when it came to the Jimtasha shippers. Browsing tumblr under the Jimtasha tag was enough of an explanation:

james-thomas-babe-fallon: I never believed Jimmy cheated on Nancy, especially not with Natasha, but GUYS. Jimjam and Nat are together now, okay? I just know it.

nat-potato-quinn: I refuse to believe Jimtasha isn't real. I refuse!

queen-jimtasha: ok so jimmy and nat are apparently saying they're not a thing but I don't even care what they say ok he called her lovely lady and she said he's a cool dude that's literally all I got from this they are madLY IN LOVE DO NOT TELL ME OTHERWISE

The whole way home, I was buzzing with energy. It felt like I hadn't seen Jimmy in centuries. The worst had been in May when my birthday rolled around and he wasn't there to celebrate with me. We tried to convince Adam to let him fly over again, but there was no way to convince him it was a good idea (and deep down, I knew it wasn't). I still got a lovely package from Jimmy - a gold rose necklace. I'd been wearing it every day since.

The bus was an hour away from NYC when Adam shouted.

"What?!" I cried. "What is it?!"

His eyes were bugging out of his skull, staring down at his phone. He looked up at me, mouth agape, and yelled, in a very unAdam-like fashion, "Oh, what superb news! This is unbelievable!! Taylor Swift wants you to come sing at her next concert!"

I smiled weakly. "That's great, but I'm all concert-ed out for a while. I kinda just want to stay home."

"No, but don't you see?" he cried. "The concert is here - or, I mean, in New York! You won't have to leave at all! This is simply marvelous!" He typed away at his keyboard, muttering things like, "Real live actual Taylor Swift and my Nat!" and "Oh, I'm feeling ever so hashtag blessed." and "Just the kind of exposure you need to get back on the charts."

I chuckled and Mom beamed. She reached across the table and took my hand. Looking me straight in the eyes, she said, "I bet your daddy is so proud of you."

I bit my tongue, eyes stinging. It was Dad's birthday - or at least it would've been, were he still alive. I just nodded, wishing she would accept reality; Dad was gone, and he was never coming back.

It felt like a dream when the bus pulled up to my building. I already had my backpack on and promptly rushed out the door, sprinting to the elevator and jamming my finger on the button. I didn't even wait for Mom to join me. She was still on the bus. And I don't know how, but I knew - I just knew he would be there waiting for me.

And he was.

I unlocked the door with shaky hands and swung it open. Standing in front of the window, holding a big bouquet of flowers, was Jimmy Fallon - my Jimmy Fallon. I threw my bag on the floor and this time I ran to him, flinging my arms around him like the ridiculous wreck I am. "I am so happy to see you!" I said, muffled beneath his chest. He laughed and we kissed for the first time in months.

"Mm, I've missed you," he breathed, leaning in to kiss me again.

"Oh no, not this."

I turned my head. Adam had just come in. I chuckled and Jimmy swung me back around. "Hey," he said in a mockingly-stern tone, "I'm not finished yet."

"Oh, you're not?"

"No," he growled, dipping my head back and kissing me roughly. Adam shouted many complaints, all of which we ignored.

The four of us enjoyed a nice dinner together before sending Adam off to the airport. It's always go, go, go with that man. He never takes a moment to breathe. Mom decided to stay the night, which meant Jimmy couldn't, but it was probably better that way. It was getting harder to avoid the inevitable. We said goodnight around 1:30 am, but Mom still wasn't tired and nor was I.

She turned on the TV and cackled. "Come see what's on!" she cried in a sing-song voice. I stepped away from the window where I had been watching Jimmy drive away and immediately joined her in cackling.

"Here's a clip of the soap opera we were in called, 'Separate Paths'. Take a look," said Jimmy on the screen. It faded into a dramatic fake intro, complete with string music and falling rose petals. I settled into the couch, eager for once to watch myself on TV. I normally hate it, but not when it's the both of us together; I won't watch Nat, but Jimtasha is highly acceptable. I ship us.

Jimmy and I appeared on screen, then. He was staring out the window at a stormy night. I was in a fancy chair, pretending to embroider something. Suddenly, he swung around. "Diana?" he said in a short, posh voice.

"Hmm?" I replied nasally, never taking my eyes off of my project.

"Why hasn't the rain stopped?"

The music became more dramatic. I immediately stopped embroidering and met his eyes. "Frances," I said, taking a pause, "it must be...a sign."

We both gasped.

The whole thing was so cheesy, but I didn't even care; I sat in my apartment, losing it laughing with my mom, both of us in tears, splitting our sides over Jimmy breaking character with his little giggles and me and my running gag to answer every "Diana?" with a long and steady, "Hmmm?". By the end of it, I couldn't even see anymore, I was laughing so hard.

But that's just it. Jimmy is unlike any other boyfriend I've ever had. The rest of them could make me laugh every now and then, but he could make tears roll down my cheeks in droves just by the slightest little joke, instantly causing me to forget my problems and worries. And more importantly, he made it possible for me to be able to laugh at myself - to feel comfortable enough with who I am as a person to be okay with watching that person act or sing or dance every once and a while, at least if it means I get to watch us do those things together. Together, we can do anything we want to.

When the lights went off and our heads hit the pillows a short time later, Mom in the guest room and me on my bed, I had to stop and think for a moment about everything that had happened. My life was so blessed, so wonderful, so surreal; how could any of this truly be happening? What did I do to deserve this?

At 3 am, in the midst of all my thoughts, my phone rang.

Without looking at the caller ID, immediately knowing who it must be, I sat up and answered.

"I wondered if you'd still call me at this time."

"Excuse me, is this Natasha Quinn?"

My heart stopped. You're not Jimmy. Embarrassment washed over me.

"Uh...yes. What is it? Who is this?"

"Good evening, Miss Quinn. My name is Officer Morgan. I'm with the NYPD. We just found a man lurking outside of your apartment building. He claims to know you, but he seemed very aggressive so some calls were made to us by passers-by with your safety in mind."

"Oh..okay," I said, confused. "Thank you. What seems to be the problem then?"

Officer Morgan sighed. "Well, you see, Miss Quinn...it isn't really that simple."

"...what is it?"

"He isn't just claiming to know you," he said slowly. He sighed. "He says he's your father."

And that's when my heart hit the floor.