The Next Chapter (1/1)
Author: serafina19
Title: The Next Chapter
Pairing: Peggy Carter/Daniel Sousa (Marvel's Agent Carter)
Summary: Peggy Carter came back to the SSR that night because she didn’t want to drink alone. What she got instead was a reminder that she wasn’t alone anymore.
Rating: PG-13
Timeline: Right after "Valediction."
The Next Chapter
Dropping the vial into the water, Peggy Carter took a deep breath as she gazed at the sunset. It hurt to say goodbye, but she meant what she told Howard. Steve wasn’t coming back, and no matter how much she held onto his memory, that wasn’t going to change.
With one last look at the water, she took a step back and walked down the bridge. It didn’t take long for her to find a cab, but before she could give the driver the address of her new place, Peggy found herself saying a different one.
As she watched the blocks pass her by, Peggy knew that this wasn't the first time she had felt like this. When the war ended, she had no idea what was going to happen, whether anyone would let her do what she did best.
But when she first walked into the SSR six months ago, despite the expected misogyny around her, there was one person who greeted her with a smile. She didn't want to admit it at the time, and she hardly let him know, but she appreciated having one person in her corner. Granted, him standing up for her usually did more harm than good, but his intentions were in the right place.
There were times when she wondered if he was like this before the war, or if their camaraderie was a consequence of them having a 'handicap' in common. It didn’t take long for Daniel Sousa to unknowingly prove the former each day they worked together. It was like seeing what Steve was like before Project Rebirth. The part of him that always wanted to keep fighting, to find a way for good people to triumph, to never leave a man behind, that didn’t change. Some things never did when it came to someone’s personality.
That was probably why she couldn’t look back at Daniel in the alley when he warned her not to run, but allowed her to do so anyway. She knew for certain that was why she hated hearing the hurt in his voice while she was being interrogated. What made it worse was that she knew what she had done, what it looked like, and why Daniel felt betrayed. It wasn't like it was with Jack, who had just started to see her as competent, or even Chief Dooley, who mostly saw her a token seat filler, a favour that he complied with. Yet that day, she treated them all the same because the mission wasn’t over yet.
Peggy had tested their friendship, but Daniel did come around to believe in her again because deep down, he was one of the few people who saw who she really was. He'd forget from time to time, usually because he wanted Peggy to get her due as an agent, as he didn’t think he ever would. But for the most part, when it was just them in the office, she could always let herself relax because he saw her both as Agent Carter and Peggy.
Technically, she was only one of those people now, yet when she got out of the cab and stared up at the phone company sign, she found herself at home. Part of her wondered about walking to the pub down the street, but when she saw a different agent enter, she had a feeling that it was one of those nights.
Chief Dooley would do this once in a while, close the office early to celebrate a big victory. It seemed like Thompson was continuing the tradition in his honour, as this was a fitting occasion. But she still headed up, having a strange feeling that the person she wanted to see was still upstairs.
Her timing was fortunate, as Rose was just packing up her things. Walking towards the door, her grin widened as Peggy heard what she assumed was Daniel knocking over his crutch based on the resulting crash.
Stopping in the doorway, she let her grin turn into a smile just as he aligned it back against his desk. Satisfied, Daniel attempted to continue working, but he had caught Peggy in his peripheral vision and looked up.
When their eyes met, Peggy pushed herself from the doorway, her expression changing once more to a smirk. “Why did I know that you were working the night shift?”
“Because you know that I’ll get work done while Thompson and the guys celebrate.” He was invited, as they figured that nothing would come through tonight, but Daniel knew better than to take anything for granted. “Don’t tell me that you’re going to prove him right already.”
“Don’t worry,” she said, moving her fingers along the side of the desk in front of Sousa’s. “I plan on letting him sweat for a few days.”
“So you are coming back.”
“Unless you know another place that will take a female agent.”
He laughed. “Nowhere that I’d recommend.” While Daniel was sure that Leviathan would value her skills, he had his share of working against Peggy Carter. It wasn’t something he wanted to repeat if he could help it.
“I figured,” she replied, taking some of the folders off his desk before walking over to the filing cabinets.
His eyes narrowed, as for a second, it felt like another day at the office. Except he didn’t tell her to take those files, or what those files even were. “What are you doing?”
It was a valid question, but while she didn’t want to satisfy Thompson’s conclusion yet, she still wanted to be productive while she was here. Even if it was to do some filing. “You always put whatever you need to file on the top left corner of your desk.” Opening up a drawer, she put one of the folders inside. “I’m a lot better at that, remember?”
Daniel sighed as he remembered that particular comment from Thompson. He really could be a jerk most days. “Come on, Peggy, you know that I -” When she smiled at him, almost on the brink of laughter, he realized that she was just trying to help, so he grinned back at her. “Thank you.”
“Better,” she said as she closed the drawer, eyes determining the location for the next folder in her hand. While she sorted out the rest of them, she could feel him staring at her. “Is there a problem, Daniel?”
Was it wrong that he was slightly thrown by the use of his first name? It wasn’t like this was the first time she had used it, and it had become more frequent lately, but maybe because she was just Peggy tonight, and that felt strange to him because of how much of a professional she was.
Truth be told, he hardly knew anything about her personal life, but he couldn’t imagine that coming to a former workplace was even Peggy Carter’s idea of fun. “I thought you had to meet a friend tonight.”
“I did that already.” Closing the last drawer, she walked back over to his desk. “Howard wanted to give a little something to say thanks.”
“And by little, you mean…”
“He told Jarvis that Angie and I could live in one of his smaller homes for free.” It was too much, of course, but Peggy wasn’t in a place to say no. She couldn’t go back to the Griffith and she had come to enjoy Angie in her life, even if she still had some explaining to do.
“Must be nice to have friends in high places,” Daniel replied, closing up the folder he was working on, as he had a feeling that he wasn’t going to get much work done right now.
Peggy was quick to point out, “It was a much different tune a few days ago.” But she would do it again in a heartbeat, even if her friendship with Howard was unique to say the least. In the end, she was grateful it all worked out and that she accepted his thanks for once.
She never liked the idea of taking advantage of Howard’s money, but as much as she convinced herself that it was a necessity, Peggy also knew that it was nice to let people take care of her for a change. It also let Howard make up for the numerous favours he owed her.
But while Peggy was focusing on the victory, Daniel couldn’t help but go back to the investigation he had done on her. “I’m really sorry about that, Peggy.” He was sure that he had apologized for this already, but it didn’t feel like enough. The way that he spoke to her in that time, the things he accused her of, he was downright ashamed of it. “I should have given you the benefit of the doubt.”
Peggy didn’t see it nearly as harshly as he did. “Don’t be sorry.” Seeing his head come back up, she assured him that, “If anything, it was a testament to how good of an agent you are.” After all, he was the only one besides Chief Dooley who took initiative in tracking down leads, instead of waiting for the next break. As frustrating as it was at the time, his work actually impressed her, not that it surprised her. “For what it’s worth, I wanted to tell you the truth”
“Why didn’t you?” he asked, knowing that she had answered this question already.
Only when her chips were down was Peggy willing to confide in them, but before, she was determined to act alone. Besides Stark’s butler, of course, but that wasn’t much comfort. Daniel thought that she knew him enough to trust him with her investigation, that to him, she wasn’t invisible.
He knew her war record and that she added value to the SSR. That made him want to disbelieve that she was ever involved in this. Eventually, her actions gave him no choice but to believe the betrayal, a decision he regretted, but one she could have prevented.
Peggy sensed his disappointment, so she shook her head. She didn’t have the heart to tell Daniel that out of everyone in her life, she hated lying to him the most. It took losing the trust he had in her for Peggy to realize just how much Daniel had her back, how much he may have been able to help.
The worst part was that she didn’t regret her actions because she didn’t want to lose him too, or cause him to get into the same hot water she was in. Eventually, she found words that she could actually tell him. “I figured if everything went south, there would be at least one competent agent left at the SSR.”
“Thanks,” he said with a laugh, letting himself relax because her face said more than her words did. He realized that answer was all that he was going to get, and that was okay now. It was in the past, they had found a way to salvage their friendship, and the best course of action now was to move forward. “Wait a second. Your friend, Angie. Is she the one who got Thompson to say Gam-Gam?”
She nodded. “I did owe her for covering for me and Howard didn’t seem opposed to the idea of me having a roommate.”
“I wish you could have seen the look on Thompson’s face,” Daniel said with a smile. “Took everything I had not to burst out laughing.” Because it felt nice to see Thompson be the punchline for once.
Peggy chuckled as she pulled up a chair to the front of his desk. “Honestly, hearing him say that was enough for me. It was a welcome change from his usual self.”
Granted, she had learned more about Thompson than she ever expected, but it still frustrated her to see how he treated certain people. Unfortunately, what he did and said most of the time was a reflection of the times and necessary to get the job done.
“You know,” Daniel said, tapping his pen against his desk, “all this doesn’t explain why you’re here right now.”
Peggy grinned before glancing over her shoulder towards Agent Henry’s desk. “I needed a drink, and I didn’t want to drink alone.” Getting up from her chair, she picked the lock of the absent agent’s bottom desk drawer, knowing that he always kept a stash of bourbon there. “Does your offer still stand?”
Daniel bit his tongue to keep from laughing, as she never ceased to find ways to surprise him. After all, it must have taken a lot for her to change Thompson’s mind about her, although he doubted that he’d ever hear what happened in Russia. “Of course,” he replied. “But this wasn’t exactly what I had in mind.”
Granted, he wasn’t sure what he had in mind. Maybe he was tired of people saying that they knew how he felt about her, which made no sense because he didn’t even know. He had heard a lot of words when it came to his feelings for Agent Carter, but at the end of the day, the one word that he knew that described their relationship was respect.
Daniel almost did so blindly, as she felt like the one person he could relate to in the whole SSR. He knew how hard she had fought for this country and he envied the strength that she carried every day, the confidence she carried about herself. She was a consummate professional, but also someone who fought for the people she cared about. That bunch was a small few, but he felt lucky to know her as well as he did.
However, tonight was different. Peggy said she wasn’t coming back to the SSR yet, and she had told him she had plans tonight. Yet here she was, anticipating that his plans had changed as well, and not even fazed by that fact. If anything, based on her expression as she brought two glasses from Thompson’s office, Daniel couldn’t help but wonder if this was her preference.
Peggy was quick to confirm his unspoken suspicions. “This works for me.” After all, as much as she didn’t care about what other people thought of her, that didn’t mean she wanted everyone to know her problems. With Daniel, she could get right to the point and no matter what happened, she knew that this conversation wouldn’t leave these walls.
“Is everything okay?”
“I think so.” Peggy picked up the bottle, ready to open it, but instead, she pursed her lips and put it down. Suddenly, the drink didn’t feel like the solution she was looking for. “You know the vial I showed you, the one with -”
“Captain America’s blood,” he interjected, as it wasn’t something he was about to forget anytime soon. It was a stretch to believe a national’s hero blood still existed, and in a vial in Howard Stark’s vault, no less, but her reaction towards it was similar to the day he saw her looking at the Project Rebirth files. Daniel also knew what she was risking by telling them the truth, and in that moment, he knew that Peggy Carter could cover up a lot of things, but that reaction wasn’t one of them. “What about it?”
Staring down at her hand, Peggy visualized how she had held the vial over the bridge, her way of saying goodbye to her lost love. “Jarvis gave it to me, telling Howard that it was gone.” It was a really sweet gesture, and part of her wondered if he had meant for her to keep it. That same part wondered if she should have kept it. “Thinking about everything that’s happened, especially in the past few days, I… I realized that it was time to let him go.”
“What happened?” he asked, hoping that he could have said more, but it didn’t feel right. Daniel didn’t know much about her relationship with Captain America, but he knew that this was a big decision and she couldn’t regret making it.
“It’s gone now,” she said softly, clearing her throat to bring her voice back before adding, “I brought what little piece of him I could home.” She knew it was cryptic, but she couldn’t bring herself to say the actual words. Maybe one day, but it was still too fresh.
Fortunately, Daniel seemed to sense that. He couldn’t completely understand her comment, but he could fill in most of the blanks. Covering his hand with hers, he tried to pull her attention away from it. “Peggy, I’m sorry.”
She shook her head. “I’m not.” Because Peggy had let losing Steve dominate her life. In a way, it was understandable. It was no secret that she was Captain America’s girl, so there were everyday reminders, not to mention the odd agent teasing her at the office. However, nothing compared to how she let it affect her own life, how it brought her back to old habits.
Before Steve, it was rare for her to let anyone in, to see the woman behind the agent. After losing him, and even after losing Colleen, Peggy convinced herself that everyone she would learn to care for would be taken from her, one way or another. But that didn’t happen last night, as she fought to save Howard and succeeded.
So when she walked out of the SSR with her paycheck this morning, Peggy knew there had to be some changes to her life because she couldn’t live the way she used to. That was why she asked Angie to move in with her, it was why Peggy was in the SSR offices right now. Right now, she decided that she was going to let life take her where it may, to remember what Steve taught her, instead of letting that loss haunt her.
However, there was always going to be one incessant reminder. “It was time,” she said before a sigh, “even if that stupid radio show stays on the air.”
Daniel grinned. “You know, I never understood the appeal.” It helped that he knew Peggy Carter. Even before all this, he knew that she was no damsel in distress and considering how tightly she had held onto him, Captain America would know that better than anyone.
But seeing her smile now was worth the comment. It wasn’t the first time she smiled at him, but it was never like this. In fact, he had never seen her like this. Calm, a sense of inner peace in her expression.
Of course, it was that moment when the phone decided to ring. “And I have to get this.” Moving his hand back, he reached over to grab his phone, while Peggy pulled her chair back.
“A hero’s work is never done,” she said, recognizing the confused look he gave her, but she meant every word. As much credit as he wanted to give her, Daniel had done his share in saving Manhattan.
Just like now, as it would have been easy for him to ignore the call because it wouldn’t be the first time that happened with an agent on the night shift. Instead, he listened attentively, his pen writing quickly what she assumed was an address, so Peggy grabbed the glasses and returned them to their proper place.
Hearing him hang up, Peggy turned around and saw Daniel grabbing his crutch. “Anonymous tip. I have to check it out,” he said, even though he could tell she already figured that out.
Picking up her bag, she returned the bourbon to Agent Henry’s desk. “That drink will have to wait until another time after all.”
“Yeah, I guess.” Leaning on his chair, Daniel looked down at where the bottle was sitting because he knew Peggy had every opportunity to have that drink. It didn’t bother her to break into the drawer to get the bourbon, but in the end, the bottle was never opened.
“Peggy, wait.”
Luckily for him, she stopped walking, as he doubted that he could have caught up with her if she wanted to leave. It took a lot for her to confide in him like this, and he didn’t want to see her leave alone. Or at least, not without a reminder of how great of an agent she was. “Come with me,” he said, moving his crutch forward.
Peggy scoffed quietly, shaking her head before she turned it over her shoulder. “I’m not SSR, remember?”
“So?” He took a few steps forward, wishing he could show more confidence in his steps, but eventually, Daniel realized that it really didn’t matter. “I need to take back-up anyway and I have a feeling we’d make a great team.”
“Daniel,” she replied, barely holding back a sigh. “It’s just a tip.” She knew what he was trying to do, trying to distract her from losing the last piece of Steve that she had left, from the turmoil in the last few days, but she didn’t need him to do this.
But he was more than used to that tactic, so he met her eyes as he walked past her. “So was Jarvis’ when you found Stark’s weapons.” When he saw Peggy’s mouth gape open a little, Daniel stopped in the doorway. “I’ll even take the credit. Thompson will never know.”
It was this moment that Peggy realized that she also had a lot to learn. She had forgotten what it was like to have constant friends in her life, and how sometimes listening to those people, maybe even letting them win, would give her the answers or feelings that she was looking for. For while telling Daniel that she was fine was positive on most days, when she considered what else she would do tonight, it wouldn’t be better than doing what she loved most.
Daniel knew that, so he waited for her at the door, almost knowing she’d say yes. This time, she decided not to let him sweat. “Fine, let’s go.”
~End~
Sera’s Scribbles: Huge thanks to my friend scout09 for taking a look at this for me. Agent Peggy Carter is a formidable character to write and I never would have gotten the courage to post this without her.
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Title: The Next Chapter
Pairing: Peggy Carter/Daniel Sousa (Marvel's Agent Carter)
Summary: Peggy Carter came back to the SSR that night because she didn’t want to drink alone. What she got instead was a reminder that she wasn’t alone anymore.
Rating: PG-13
Timeline: Right after "Valediction."
The Next Chapter
Dropping the vial into the water, Peggy Carter took a deep breath as she gazed at the sunset. It hurt to say goodbye, but she meant what she told Howard. Steve wasn’t coming back, and no matter how much she held onto his memory, that wasn’t going to change.
With one last look at the water, she took a step back and walked down the bridge. It didn’t take long for her to find a cab, but before she could give the driver the address of her new place, Peggy found herself saying a different one.
As she watched the blocks pass her by, Peggy knew that this wasn't the first time she had felt like this. When the war ended, she had no idea what was going to happen, whether anyone would let her do what she did best.
But when she first walked into the SSR six months ago, despite the expected misogyny around her, there was one person who greeted her with a smile. She didn't want to admit it at the time, and she hardly let him know, but she appreciated having one person in her corner. Granted, him standing up for her usually did more harm than good, but his intentions were in the right place.
There were times when she wondered if he was like this before the war, or if their camaraderie was a consequence of them having a 'handicap' in common. It didn’t take long for Daniel Sousa to unknowingly prove the former each day they worked together. It was like seeing what Steve was like before Project Rebirth. The part of him that always wanted to keep fighting, to find a way for good people to triumph, to never leave a man behind, that didn’t change. Some things never did when it came to someone’s personality.
That was probably why she couldn’t look back at Daniel in the alley when he warned her not to run, but allowed her to do so anyway. She knew for certain that was why she hated hearing the hurt in his voice while she was being interrogated. What made it worse was that she knew what she had done, what it looked like, and why Daniel felt betrayed. It wasn't like it was with Jack, who had just started to see her as competent, or even Chief Dooley, who mostly saw her a token seat filler, a favour that he complied with. Yet that day, she treated them all the same because the mission wasn’t over yet.
Peggy had tested their friendship, but Daniel did come around to believe in her again because deep down, he was one of the few people who saw who she really was. He'd forget from time to time, usually because he wanted Peggy to get her due as an agent, as he didn’t think he ever would. But for the most part, when it was just them in the office, she could always let herself relax because he saw her both as Agent Carter and Peggy.
Technically, she was only one of those people now, yet when she got out of the cab and stared up at the phone company sign, she found herself at home. Part of her wondered about walking to the pub down the street, but when she saw a different agent enter, she had a feeling that it was one of those nights.
Chief Dooley would do this once in a while, close the office early to celebrate a big victory. It seemed like Thompson was continuing the tradition in his honour, as this was a fitting occasion. But she still headed up, having a strange feeling that the person she wanted to see was still upstairs.
Her timing was fortunate, as Rose was just packing up her things. Walking towards the door, her grin widened as Peggy heard what she assumed was Daniel knocking over his crutch based on the resulting crash.
Stopping in the doorway, she let her grin turn into a smile just as he aligned it back against his desk. Satisfied, Daniel attempted to continue working, but he had caught Peggy in his peripheral vision and looked up.
When their eyes met, Peggy pushed herself from the doorway, her expression changing once more to a smirk. “Why did I know that you were working the night shift?”
“Because you know that I’ll get work done while Thompson and the guys celebrate.” He was invited, as they figured that nothing would come through tonight, but Daniel knew better than to take anything for granted. “Don’t tell me that you’re going to prove him right already.”
“Don’t worry,” she said, moving her fingers along the side of the desk in front of Sousa’s. “I plan on letting him sweat for a few days.”
“So you are coming back.”
“Unless you know another place that will take a female agent.”
He laughed. “Nowhere that I’d recommend.” While Daniel was sure that Leviathan would value her skills, he had his share of working against Peggy Carter. It wasn’t something he wanted to repeat if he could help it.
“I figured,” she replied, taking some of the folders off his desk before walking over to the filing cabinets.
His eyes narrowed, as for a second, it felt like another day at the office. Except he didn’t tell her to take those files, or what those files even were. “What are you doing?”
It was a valid question, but while she didn’t want to satisfy Thompson’s conclusion yet, she still wanted to be productive while she was here. Even if it was to do some filing. “You always put whatever you need to file on the top left corner of your desk.” Opening up a drawer, she put one of the folders inside. “I’m a lot better at that, remember?”
Daniel sighed as he remembered that particular comment from Thompson. He really could be a jerk most days. “Come on, Peggy, you know that I -” When she smiled at him, almost on the brink of laughter, he realized that she was just trying to help, so he grinned back at her. “Thank you.”
“Better,” she said as she closed the drawer, eyes determining the location for the next folder in her hand. While she sorted out the rest of them, she could feel him staring at her. “Is there a problem, Daniel?”
Was it wrong that he was slightly thrown by the use of his first name? It wasn’t like this was the first time she had used it, and it had become more frequent lately, but maybe because she was just Peggy tonight, and that felt strange to him because of how much of a professional she was.
Truth be told, he hardly knew anything about her personal life, but he couldn’t imagine that coming to a former workplace was even Peggy Carter’s idea of fun. “I thought you had to meet a friend tonight.”
“I did that already.” Closing the last drawer, she walked back over to his desk. “Howard wanted to give a little something to say thanks.”
“And by little, you mean…”
“He told Jarvis that Angie and I could live in one of his smaller homes for free.” It was too much, of course, but Peggy wasn’t in a place to say no. She couldn’t go back to the Griffith and she had come to enjoy Angie in her life, even if she still had some explaining to do.
“Must be nice to have friends in high places,” Daniel replied, closing up the folder he was working on, as he had a feeling that he wasn’t going to get much work done right now.
Peggy was quick to point out, “It was a much different tune a few days ago.” But she would do it again in a heartbeat, even if her friendship with Howard was unique to say the least. In the end, she was grateful it all worked out and that she accepted his thanks for once.
She never liked the idea of taking advantage of Howard’s money, but as much as she convinced herself that it was a necessity, Peggy also knew that it was nice to let people take care of her for a change. It also let Howard make up for the numerous favours he owed her.
But while Peggy was focusing on the victory, Daniel couldn’t help but go back to the investigation he had done on her. “I’m really sorry about that, Peggy.” He was sure that he had apologized for this already, but it didn’t feel like enough. The way that he spoke to her in that time, the things he accused her of, he was downright ashamed of it. “I should have given you the benefit of the doubt.”
Peggy didn’t see it nearly as harshly as he did. “Don’t be sorry.” Seeing his head come back up, she assured him that, “If anything, it was a testament to how good of an agent you are.” After all, he was the only one besides Chief Dooley who took initiative in tracking down leads, instead of waiting for the next break. As frustrating as it was at the time, his work actually impressed her, not that it surprised her. “For what it’s worth, I wanted to tell you the truth”
“Why didn’t you?” he asked, knowing that she had answered this question already.
Only when her chips were down was Peggy willing to confide in them, but before, she was determined to act alone. Besides Stark’s butler, of course, but that wasn’t much comfort. Daniel thought that she knew him enough to trust him with her investigation, that to him, she wasn’t invisible.
He knew her war record and that she added value to the SSR. That made him want to disbelieve that she was ever involved in this. Eventually, her actions gave him no choice but to believe the betrayal, a decision he regretted, but one she could have prevented.
Peggy sensed his disappointment, so she shook her head. She didn’t have the heart to tell Daniel that out of everyone in her life, she hated lying to him the most. It took losing the trust he had in her for Peggy to realize just how much Daniel had her back, how much he may have been able to help.
The worst part was that she didn’t regret her actions because she didn’t want to lose him too, or cause him to get into the same hot water she was in. Eventually, she found words that she could actually tell him. “I figured if everything went south, there would be at least one competent agent left at the SSR.”
“Thanks,” he said with a laugh, letting himself relax because her face said more than her words did. He realized that answer was all that he was going to get, and that was okay now. It was in the past, they had found a way to salvage their friendship, and the best course of action now was to move forward. “Wait a second. Your friend, Angie. Is she the one who got Thompson to say Gam-Gam?”
She nodded. “I did owe her for covering for me and Howard didn’t seem opposed to the idea of me having a roommate.”
“I wish you could have seen the look on Thompson’s face,” Daniel said with a smile. “Took everything I had not to burst out laughing.” Because it felt nice to see Thompson be the punchline for once.
Peggy chuckled as she pulled up a chair to the front of his desk. “Honestly, hearing him say that was enough for me. It was a welcome change from his usual self.”
Granted, she had learned more about Thompson than she ever expected, but it still frustrated her to see how he treated certain people. Unfortunately, what he did and said most of the time was a reflection of the times and necessary to get the job done.
“You know,” Daniel said, tapping his pen against his desk, “all this doesn’t explain why you’re here right now.”
Peggy grinned before glancing over her shoulder towards Agent Henry’s desk. “I needed a drink, and I didn’t want to drink alone.” Getting up from her chair, she picked the lock of the absent agent’s bottom desk drawer, knowing that he always kept a stash of bourbon there. “Does your offer still stand?”
Daniel bit his tongue to keep from laughing, as she never ceased to find ways to surprise him. After all, it must have taken a lot for her to change Thompson’s mind about her, although he doubted that he’d ever hear what happened in Russia. “Of course,” he replied. “But this wasn’t exactly what I had in mind.”
Granted, he wasn’t sure what he had in mind. Maybe he was tired of people saying that they knew how he felt about her, which made no sense because he didn’t even know. He had heard a lot of words when it came to his feelings for Agent Carter, but at the end of the day, the one word that he knew that described their relationship was respect.
Daniel almost did so blindly, as she felt like the one person he could relate to in the whole SSR. He knew how hard she had fought for this country and he envied the strength that she carried every day, the confidence she carried about herself. She was a consummate professional, but also someone who fought for the people she cared about. That bunch was a small few, but he felt lucky to know her as well as he did.
However, tonight was different. Peggy said she wasn’t coming back to the SSR yet, and she had told him she had plans tonight. Yet here she was, anticipating that his plans had changed as well, and not even fazed by that fact. If anything, based on her expression as she brought two glasses from Thompson’s office, Daniel couldn’t help but wonder if this was her preference.
Peggy was quick to confirm his unspoken suspicions. “This works for me.” After all, as much as she didn’t care about what other people thought of her, that didn’t mean she wanted everyone to know her problems. With Daniel, she could get right to the point and no matter what happened, she knew that this conversation wouldn’t leave these walls.
“Is everything okay?”
“I think so.” Peggy picked up the bottle, ready to open it, but instead, she pursed her lips and put it down. Suddenly, the drink didn’t feel like the solution she was looking for. “You know the vial I showed you, the one with -”
“Captain America’s blood,” he interjected, as it wasn’t something he was about to forget anytime soon. It was a stretch to believe a national’s hero blood still existed, and in a vial in Howard Stark’s vault, no less, but her reaction towards it was similar to the day he saw her looking at the Project Rebirth files. Daniel also knew what she was risking by telling them the truth, and in that moment, he knew that Peggy Carter could cover up a lot of things, but that reaction wasn’t one of them. “What about it?”
Staring down at her hand, Peggy visualized how she had held the vial over the bridge, her way of saying goodbye to her lost love. “Jarvis gave it to me, telling Howard that it was gone.” It was a really sweet gesture, and part of her wondered if he had meant for her to keep it. That same part wondered if she should have kept it. “Thinking about everything that’s happened, especially in the past few days, I… I realized that it was time to let him go.”
“What happened?” he asked, hoping that he could have said more, but it didn’t feel right. Daniel didn’t know much about her relationship with Captain America, but he knew that this was a big decision and she couldn’t regret making it.
“It’s gone now,” she said softly, clearing her throat to bring her voice back before adding, “I brought what little piece of him I could home.” She knew it was cryptic, but she couldn’t bring herself to say the actual words. Maybe one day, but it was still too fresh.
Fortunately, Daniel seemed to sense that. He couldn’t completely understand her comment, but he could fill in most of the blanks. Covering his hand with hers, he tried to pull her attention away from it. “Peggy, I’m sorry.”
She shook her head. “I’m not.” Because Peggy had let losing Steve dominate her life. In a way, it was understandable. It was no secret that she was Captain America’s girl, so there were everyday reminders, not to mention the odd agent teasing her at the office. However, nothing compared to how she let it affect her own life, how it brought her back to old habits.
Before Steve, it was rare for her to let anyone in, to see the woman behind the agent. After losing him, and even after losing Colleen, Peggy convinced herself that everyone she would learn to care for would be taken from her, one way or another. But that didn’t happen last night, as she fought to save Howard and succeeded.
So when she walked out of the SSR with her paycheck this morning, Peggy knew there had to be some changes to her life because she couldn’t live the way she used to. That was why she asked Angie to move in with her, it was why Peggy was in the SSR offices right now. Right now, she decided that she was going to let life take her where it may, to remember what Steve taught her, instead of letting that loss haunt her.
However, there was always going to be one incessant reminder. “It was time,” she said before a sigh, “even if that stupid radio show stays on the air.”
Daniel grinned. “You know, I never understood the appeal.” It helped that he knew Peggy Carter. Even before all this, he knew that she was no damsel in distress and considering how tightly she had held onto him, Captain America would know that better than anyone.
But seeing her smile now was worth the comment. It wasn’t the first time she smiled at him, but it was never like this. In fact, he had never seen her like this. Calm, a sense of inner peace in her expression.
Of course, it was that moment when the phone decided to ring. “And I have to get this.” Moving his hand back, he reached over to grab his phone, while Peggy pulled her chair back.
“A hero’s work is never done,” she said, recognizing the confused look he gave her, but she meant every word. As much credit as he wanted to give her, Daniel had done his share in saving Manhattan.
Just like now, as it would have been easy for him to ignore the call because it wouldn’t be the first time that happened with an agent on the night shift. Instead, he listened attentively, his pen writing quickly what she assumed was an address, so Peggy grabbed the glasses and returned them to their proper place.
Hearing him hang up, Peggy turned around and saw Daniel grabbing his crutch. “Anonymous tip. I have to check it out,” he said, even though he could tell she already figured that out.
Picking up her bag, she returned the bourbon to Agent Henry’s desk. “That drink will have to wait until another time after all.”
“Yeah, I guess.” Leaning on his chair, Daniel looked down at where the bottle was sitting because he knew Peggy had every opportunity to have that drink. It didn’t bother her to break into the drawer to get the bourbon, but in the end, the bottle was never opened.
“Peggy, wait.”
Luckily for him, she stopped walking, as he doubted that he could have caught up with her if she wanted to leave. It took a lot for her to confide in him like this, and he didn’t want to see her leave alone. Or at least, not without a reminder of how great of an agent she was. “Come with me,” he said, moving his crutch forward.
Peggy scoffed quietly, shaking her head before she turned it over her shoulder. “I’m not SSR, remember?”
“So?” He took a few steps forward, wishing he could show more confidence in his steps, but eventually, Daniel realized that it really didn’t matter. “I need to take back-up anyway and I have a feeling we’d make a great team.”
“Daniel,” she replied, barely holding back a sigh. “It’s just a tip.” She knew what he was trying to do, trying to distract her from losing the last piece of Steve that she had left, from the turmoil in the last few days, but she didn’t need him to do this.
But he was more than used to that tactic, so he met her eyes as he walked past her. “So was Jarvis’ when you found Stark’s weapons.” When he saw Peggy’s mouth gape open a little, Daniel stopped in the doorway. “I’ll even take the credit. Thompson will never know.”
It was this moment that Peggy realized that she also had a lot to learn. She had forgotten what it was like to have constant friends in her life, and how sometimes listening to those people, maybe even letting them win, would give her the answers or feelings that she was looking for. For while telling Daniel that she was fine was positive on most days, when she considered what else she would do tonight, it wouldn’t be better than doing what she loved most.
Daniel knew that, so he waited for her at the door, almost knowing she’d say yes. This time, she decided not to let him sweat. “Fine, let’s go.”
~End~
Sera’s Scribbles: Huge thanks to my friend scout09 for taking a look at this for me. Agent Peggy Carter is a formidable character to write and I never would have gotten the courage to post this without her.
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