Peggy's POV:
I rise early in the morning, right before the sun. I see that Steph is sound asleep and slip away for a shower. Today I start working again, and while I am thrilled to leave this building and do more than sit around and read, I am worried. I've never been away from my little poppet before, and I don't know how long I'll be able to go without seeing her. I'm suppose to be in the office at 9 O' Clock and leave around 5, but I'm hoping to leave sooner than that. I know the Jarvis's will take good care of her, but I'm still fearful of what the day lintels. I step out of the shower and quickly change, only to hear Stephanie start to cry. I pick her up and start to nurse her.
Shes been doing amazing since Daniel helped. Daniel... Oh bloody hell. I forgot. What will me working entail for us? I hope we'll still be able to spend time together. I don't want us to grow apart. We've been getting so close- and I'm not exactly sure how to feel about it to other than amazing. I'm not sure if he feels this feeling I do when we're together, but I hope we'll be able to explore it further.
Once Steph is finished I lay her back down and make some tea and toast. Colleen grabbed the newspaper earlier and I haven't gotten to read it yet, but when I do I'm in complete shock. CAPTAIN AMERICA ALLAY YET TO EXPLAIN WEAPON SALE. Oh dammit Howard, what have you done now? I set down the paper and finish getting ready for work. I water the plant and start to fold up the bed, until Colleen enters.
"Oh don't bother, I can't feel my feet." She's been working more night shifts lately and has just returned home.
"Colleen."
"They let 10 girls go yesterday" Here lately since the war ended, woman have been loosing their jobs left and right.
"Did they say why?"
"Because 10 more GI's got discharged." She fluffs the pillows and lies down on the bed. "I had to show a guy from Canarsie how to use a ribbon gun." Its terrible the world we live in. Woman are seen as less than men, and are forced out of there jobs to make room for them. "Oh I think I have tuberculosis."
Oh dear, that may explain why she has been feeling under the weather lately.
"Thanks by the way, you lent this to me last night while you were at work." Stephanie had vomited all over my sweater in the evening, and before Colleen had left she let me wear it. Even as i try to give it back she waves it off.
"It looks better on you, ya know. Its something that might catch a mans eye. Say on a date. Maybe with a certain fella down the hall..."
"Don't hold your breath." I say. I don't know if he feels the same way, and anyhow we're really good friends. I go to the closet and get my gun to put in my bag. I've had it hidden in a small storage box this whole year. "Especially with tuberculosis." She laughs.
"You know there's a difference between and Independent woman and a spinster." I walk out of the closet and pick up Stephanie, thankfully she's still sleeping.
"Is it the shoes?" she laughs again. "Clock out, pull the curtains and sleep. Peggy's orders." I grab the nappy bag for poppet and turn to Colleen.
"Okay, but remember if I don't see you, we're going to the movies on Saturday. I have the night off."
"I'll try this time, but you know the office may try to keep me busy."
"Peg, you're working at the phone company, it ain't life and death." At this Steph begins to stir in my arm and snuggle closer.
"Darling... you have no idea." We laugh one last time and then I head out of the door.
Daniels POV:
When I get into the office this morning, there's more buzz than usual. Dooley keeps walking in and out of his office, and the other agents are walking around, answering phones, and writing up reports. Next thing I know, chief walks past me to the elevator.
"Hey look who decided to show up today."
"I'm here everyday Krizminski."
"Not true. You're not here on weekends." I get to my desk, set my crutch aside, and sit down. "Plus you've been skipping out."
"What? No I haven't." This guy is such a pain in my ass.
"Thompson confirmed it earlier. Is it true? You got a dame on your arm, Sousa?" I take a deep breath, let it out, and roll my eyes. "Hey this is your chance. If you don't have one then your luck might be changin'."
"What are you rambling on about?"
"We're getting a new secretary, maybe she's your type. Hell, you could probably lure her in the file room and make a move." He laughs.
"What? I thought we were getting a new agent today, not a secretary."
"Whatever. Lady Agent, secretary, same thing." Lady Agent? Before I can say anything else, Dooley walks in, and he's not alone. Holy shit...
"Alright, listen up. I have an announcement to make." As the chief speaks, the new agent and I lock eyes, and I'm not sure which one of us is more in shock. "This is our new agent, Agent Carter, from the Brooklyn office in New York."
Brooklyn office? It was shut down 6 months ago. Where- oh, she was pregnant with Stephanie. Stephanie, whose fathers name was Steve... Oh my god. Steve Rogers, as in Captain America, is Stephanie's father; and shes inherited part of the serum. That explains her strong smacking and flailing arms. I can see Peggy in instant panic the moment she sees me. Dooley shows her where her desk is and she gets to work, but every eye in the office keeps staring for several minutes before they, too, get to work. God dammit, how could I have been so stupid? It doesn't take long for her to slip a note to me to meet her in the file room.
"You can't tell anyone about Stephanie." Wow, okay, right to the point. "Daniel, please, no one can know who her father is." I can see it in her eyes how worried she is. Does she not trust me to not say anything?
"Of course I won't say anything, Peggy." She breaths a sigh, leans back, and closes her eyes. When she opens then, she glances at me, and then away.
"I've been doing so well, what with keeping the identity of her father secret, I don't want anyone to know."
"That's okay, I get it. I promise I won't tell anyone." She looks at me, as if shes analyzing me, looking for any lies or alternate motives, I guess she not finding any. Which makes sense, cause I have none.
"I had no idea you worked here, Daniel."
"Yeah, well, I do my best to keep my work life and personal life separate. And for the most part, its been working, but..."
"Now I'm here." It wasn't a question, as much as it was a statement. I nod my head and look away.
"I'm sorry..."
"For what?" I finally look at her.
"I appear to always be intruding in your life, and I apologize for that." She gives a dry chuckle. "But you are right to do so. To keep work and personal separate, I think we both need to do that." And my heart is starting to sink. I was afraid of this the moment I saw her in the office. I was afraid we'd grow apart because we wouldn't see each other, now its the opposite, we're going to see each other none-stop. I look down at the ground and nod my head.
"I agree. Complete strangers. We've never met before today and we don't mean anything to the other." I breath a sigh, and her head turns so fast to me, it looks like she had whip lash.
"Right. Complete strangers..." She looks like shes thinking of something. She tilts her head to the side as she bites the corner of her lip... dammit Daniel. I back away from her and turn away.
"Daniel? Where are you going?
"To my post Agent, or did you forget we have work?" She looks offended and shakes her head.
"Daniel." She looks upset as she starts to walk closer.
"Sorry, I just.. need a minute to process this." She furrows her brows and glances way for a second. "I need a minute to process going from friends to nobody I'm suppose to care about in an instant."
"Nobody- Daniel." She looks appalled and grabs my arm. "What-"
"Well well well, look what we have here." Dammit Thompson. "You two seem nice and cozy. What are you doing down here?" Peggy immediately drops her hand and backs away slightly, and as subtly, as she could.
"Agent Sousa was just showing me the filing system. He's been very helpful."
"Well I bet he has..." She looks between us both confused, but doesn't say anything. "Well since you're down here, why don't you put these away for me?" He hands them to me. "See just how much more help Sousa can be." And with that he walks away.
"What an ass." I say
"What an arse" she says. We both say it at the same time. I look over at Peggy and she looks at me, and we both laugh.
Peggy's POV:
After several hours of being at work, I am in complete agony. I miss my daughter. What I wouldn't give to be home right now. I sit at my desk with a report in hand and a pencil in the other, around and around I spin it, over and over again I read the same damn sentence. Ugh... I look in front of me, and I can see Daniels back turned. I still can't believe he works at the SSR. As I begin to get my mind set back to work, the alarm blares and the red lights flash. I look up and then at Daniel, and our eyes meet. Somethings happening. I get up from my seat and gather some papers, when suddenly the Chief and the others walk to the meeting room.
"Agent Carter, we just caught a red ball out of DC, all hands on desk." I start to gather supplies when he says, "Meaning, cover the phones." Wanker... I grab my telephone and dial up Rose from the entrance.
"Rose? Forward all calls to the briefing room." She agrees and I set down the phone. "Covered, Shall we?" As we head to head to the conference room, Dooley begins to play a film, a film about Howard.
"So far, six pieces of Stark technology have either shown up on the black market or in the arsenals of enemy states. Hes been waffling on the hill. Treating the whole thing like a joke. And yesterday was his final day of hearings. Stark didn't show." Good Lord Howard, I'm going to kill you if I ever see you again. "We've checked his half-a-dozen houses, his half-a-dozen offices. Nothing." He's such an idiot that man. I look away from the chief and look at Daniel, he has no idea what really is going on..." So as of this moment, Howard Stark is a fugitive from justice. Find him. Squeeze him. Till he looses his sense of humor. Thompson you lead." As I look over at Thompson, he starts to explain his ideas and plans, but I can't stand to listen to any more.
"Sir, I really must object-"
"Why am I not surprised." I internally sigh of frustrations. I already know where this is headed...
"Sir, I knew Howard Stark during the war, his help was invaluable. He may be a great many things, but he's not a trader." As I say this I glance at Daniel, whose eyes are glued to me. I look away as the chief speaks.
"We're all aware of your record Agent. I'm sure being Captain Americans...liaison brought you into contact with all sorts of interesting people. But the Wars over. Let the professionals decide with what's gonna happen." And with that the meeting ends, of course, not without some gossip and rude slander about me and men during the war. Ugh, men are such pigs... But what I didn't expect was Daniel to speak up.
"What did you just say Krizminski?"
"I wasn't talking to you." I close my eyes and take a deep breath. This is going to be a very long day.
"I think you owe the lady an apology."
"Oh. You standing up for her now, Sousa? Well c'mon I ain't got all day." I look away before I lash out at this oaf. Little do you know the strength this man hands you utter wanker. He's worth 10 of you at least. Krisminski and the others leave, which just leaves Daniel and myself. When he starts to walk by, I say something; something I hope he won't take offence to.
" Agent Sousa, about what you just did..."
"Oh that? It was noth-"
"I wish you hadn't." I say plainly. We have to keep up a front with our co-workers, and with Daniel defending me they could get suspicious.
"You're an Agent and they treat you like a secretary. I just wanted to-"
"And I'm grateful." I smile. "But I'm more than capable at handling whatever these adolescents throw at me." We lock eyes, and my heart starts to skip a beat.
"Yes ma'am. Doesn't mean I have to like it though."
"Well that's another thing we have in common." As we stand there Thompson approaches us, and of course he hands me files to put away. Arse.
"I would file these away, but you're so much better at that sort of thing. Ya know, cause you're a woman." I glance at Daniel, briefly, and I can see him getting angry.
"Better at what, Agent Thompson? The alphabet? I could teach you. Lets start with words beginning with 'A'" He laughs and walks away.
"Good one." I look at him and can't help but smile.
Oh this is going to be so difficult pretending to not know him at all; let alone ignore how I feel... We both head to our desk and start working again. Before I know it, its 4 'O clock. Oh thank God. I put away my files, grab my coat, and head over to the Jarvis's. Little does Howard know I've met them several times and have asked them to never tell Howard about her. As far as they know they are babysitting my niece, whom, I'm taking care of while her parents are away. I hate all of this lying, especially to good people, but no one can know the truth.
When I pick up Stephanie, I feel a weight lift off of my chest- I can finally go home with my little girl. And, I don't have to make dinner. The Jarvis's graciously made a roast for me and Colleen, but since it is large enough I'll invite Daniel over. I leave a note under his door. Hours go by and he knocks at the door.
"Daniel." I walk over to him and embrace him. I've wanted to do this all day. He holds me close, and the Steph begins to giggle, making us both laugh. She reaches for him and gables her baby talk. I hand her over and invite him inside.
"So, I hear you have a roast."
"Indeed we do." As we sit down and eat together, I can't feel more at peace.