[Jack Thompson] (The things they don't know about) Miss Tonya

[ 2 9 : t h e - d e f e n s e - f o r - T o n y a - S t a r k ]

[☆]

Warnings: None (let me know if I missed anything worth mentioning)

Spoilers: Agent Carter Season 1

[☆]

"Beautiful morning, huh, Peggy?" Pete chuckled as he handed Peggy her newspaper, the two of them sheltering from the grey rain under his vending canopy.

Peggy gave him a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. "Feels like home." she quipped, feeling further from home than she ever had.

"Missing England, huh?" he nodded, unwittingly interpreting her wistful tone incorrectly.

Suppressing a sigh, she tucked the newspaper under one arm and adjusted her handbag. "Well, missing something."

Pete hummed in an understanding way and looked past Peggy as another customer stepped up to his stall.

"Copy of the 'Ledger', please." Peggy turned and any smile – pretend or not – faded in an instant as she took in the sight of Jarvis hovering behind her beneath an umbrella.

She glared at him, the exchange of money and paper briefly blocking her escape, before nodding to the vendor before purposefully marching across the road. "Good day, Pete."

Unfortunately, Jarvis wasn't giving in easily and he followed close behind her, calling as he went. "Miss Carter, I beg only one moment of your time."

"You've had your moment, Mr Jarvis. If you, Howard or Tonya have anything else to say, you can tell it to the Marines." she snapped.

He held his umbrella over her head in a silent peace offering as he went on with his plea. "I tried to persuade Mr Stark to tell you the truth."

"You could have told me yourself."

"Well, given my current situation," Jarvis reasoned. "I didn't see how that was possible."

"Yes, how could it ever be possible?" Peggy huffed in frustration. "How could you ever say 'the Starks wants you to steal Captain America's blood'. Oh, yes, look: it is possible!"

Jarvis seemed intent on infuriating her and Peggy wondered if he was always this terrible at trying to make amends. "If only it were that simple–"

Refusing to give his excuses any more of the time of day, she ducked out from under the umbrella to turn around and face him, cutting him off before he could properly begin. "You know, it just makes me sick every time I think about how the two of you knew the entire way to the S.S.R. and you both just sat with me in the car while I–"

"The two of us?" Jarvis interrupted now, looking faintly puzzled, which aggravated Peggy more if that were possible.

Peggy scoffed in disbelief at his audacity. "Yes, yourself and Tonya." she spat, unable to believe she had to spell it out for him.

She was slightly taken aback, though she didn't let it show on her face, when Jarvis suddenly looked very grave. It was the same change she'd seen during the car ride she'd just mentioned, when Jarvis went from being a borderline nervous wreck every time she questioned him to suddenly extremely sincere when she asked whether Howard was planning on wiping out the city's electricity.

"Miss Carter," he began, with that same look of earnest on his face. "You have to believe me when I tell you Miss Stark had no idea what Mr Stark was sending you to steal."

"Oh, she tried to tell me as much," Peggy bit back, though with noticeably less vigour than before; Jarvis' sincerity had caught her off guard. "How can you both continue to lie to me after this?"