A Chance Encounter (Tom Holland AU) [1]

Twenty-Seven

Once we were all in the green room reserved for us at The Ellen Show, I laid my head on Tom's shoulder and laced our fingers together. He kissed the top of my head, sensing that I was nervous about what was going to happen. "You have absolutely nothing to worry about. Besides, you, Robert, Jacob and Daya are here in case I say anything I shouldn't." I chuckled as he grinned.

"You've been really good at that for this one." I grinned as Robert gave him a pat on his shoulder. "I don't have to stop you from blabbing to those two on set like I had to with other films." He gestured to Beth and Ali, who both pouted playfully.

"Grace, you'll do perfectly fine. Everyone loves you." Daya smiled as she sat down next to me. 

"Besides, if you go and dance today like you did that first time I saw you, everyone watching will practically be putty in your hands." Robert smiled gently. He had definitely become a second father figure to me, and I appreciated it so much. "You're going to rock it."

"Thank you, all of you." I smiled gently, kissing Tom's cheek as the door opened.

"Ready?" A stagehand smiled as she opened the door to our room. I took a deep breath as we stood up and made our way to the stage entrance, never once letting go of Tom's hand.

"Please welcome the cast of Iron Man 4!" Once I heard the cheers of the live studio audience, I knew that this was it. Here we go. I walked onstage with a smile, letting the cheers fill me with adrenaline as we all hugged Ellen DeGeneres (I DID THAT, BY THE WAY, I HUGGED HER). We sat down on her couch, and I let out a nervous breath with a smile. Tom grabbed my hand again, and I smiled softly over at him before turning back to Ellen.

"Now, I have so many questions for all of you, but I'd like to start by congratulating you, Grace, on this being your first feature film, and with today being your talk show debut." 

"Thank you." I smiled widely as the crowd cheered, and I could tell that Ellen could sense my excitement.

"How have you been taking the sudden shift in your life?" She smiled gently.

"I mean, it's definitely been surreal, to say the least." I chuckled softly. "But I have an amazing support system that has been with me the whole time. My wonderful castmates here have been helping me understand this new life, and both my blood and college families have been keeping me humble back home. And then there's this one," I glanced at Tom with a grin, "who's been doing both. Which is also surreal in itself. I mean, I'm dating Spider-Man! How cool is that?" The crowd all chuckled and awwed as he kissed my head.

"Am I correct when I say that you will be continuing your degree, even with your newfound life?" I smiled and nodded, getting another cheer from the audience. I felt Tom squeeze my hand gently, and I knew he was thinking about the fight we had regarding that. "That's really admirable, and I wish you the best in that."

"Thank you." I grinned softly as everyone clapped and Robert gave me a soft grin.

"Now, what exactly can we expect from Iron Man 4?" She grinned as she looked between all of us.

"Well, even though it is an Iron Man movie, there's a high focus on Peter Parker and his crew. Peter, Ned, and Michelle all go to college together, and Tony Stark tries to keep tabs on them while they're away." Jacob smiled as he explained the story.

"And when he's watching them, he hears about a new hero that has teamed up with Spider-Man named Flex.  A lot of the movie is focused on him finding out who Flex is so he can recruit Flex as an Avenger." Robert smiled as he spoke.

"That sounds so exciting! So, Grace, where do you fit into this movie?" She smiled at me softly.

"I play Stacy Adams, who the gang meets and befriends at college. There's definitely a lot more to her than meets the eye." I grinned as Tom kissed my cheek softly, causing a sweet reaction from the entire room.

"Get a room, you two." Zendaya teased, causing a laugh from everyone as Tom rolled his eyes.

"I can't wait to see how this all unfolds." Ellen smiled softly. "We'll be back after this, and when we are, Grace will be treating us all with a performance to show us what she's made of." I smiled as everyone cheered.

Once the cameras were off, I rushed and changed into the outfit I had brought for my piece. This was a dance I had never performed before, but I was excited to do so. Ali handed me something I had her sneak in as a surprise for Tom as I changed.

I toned out most of what was going on until I heard Ellen's voice. "Grace Chance has been dancing since she was two years old, and we're all so excited to see what all that training has been leading up to. Here to perform to 'Mad World' by Gary Jules is Grace Chance." Only I would perform a meme song on national television, really.

With the cheers of the audience filling my ears as the doors on Ellen's set opened for me, I took a deep breath and got into place. As per usual, I let the world fade out as I focused on the music and my performance. Once I hit the final pose, my red pointe shoes standing out against the floor, I could hear the audience roaring with cheers and applause. I saw them all stand up until I looked up to see Tom wrapping me tightly in his arms.

"You really gotta warn me next time you break out those shoes." He whispered with a chuckle, and I could feel a tear land on my shoulder. I knew that he had seen me pack my regular pointe shoes, and I was touched that my surprise and performance brought tears to his eyes. "I love you."

"I love you more," I whispered as he pulled back with a smile. I could see Ellen walk up to the both of us, and Tom and I wrapped an arm around each other's waists as we let her speak.

"That was absolutely beautiful, Grace. I can see why there's been so much excitement about you. Can I ask you a question while we're here?" 

"Of course!" I smiled softly.

"Is there a reason you have those red shoes instead of traditional ones on?" I smiled as Tom kissed my head. After telling the story of my red shoes, she smiled widely. "You all really were made for each other."

"Yeah, they are!" Robert yelled from the couch, causing a laugh from the entire room.

"If you'd like to see more of Grace's beautiful dancing, make sure to see Iron Man 4 on January 25th. In fact, everyone here today is getting two tickets to see the film in IMAX!" The audience cheered even louder as Ellen gave them all free tickets, and Tom pulled me close. Wow, what a way to start off a press tour. 

Sorry for the delay! I got super busy this weekend. Let me know what you think!