Chapter Text
“I’m sorry? Can you repeat that Howard?” Peggy said, watching as her old friend excitedly bounced around her office, rubbing his hands together with a huge smile under his moustache. In a similar state of confusion, Daniel shot Peggy a look of utter confusion from her right hand side.
“I’ve met her Peg! The love of my life, the future Mrs Stark!” He sat with a flourish in the chair opposite her. “Maria, ah my Maria. Maria Stark rolls nicely off the tongue don’t you think?”
“Howard, I need you to take a breath and slow down for me. Who is this woman?” Peggy said, worry threaded through her tone at her friend's sudden personality change. For as long as she’d known him, Howard had been a petulant bachelor, skipping from woman to woman in the space of hours at certain times. Diamond bracelets and midnight escapades included. He still sniggered when someone mentioned fondue for god's sake.
And yet here he is, having dropped an engagement ring the size of a fist on her desk, excitedly telling her about his plans to propose.
“Oh right! Maria! She’s a nurse. We met when I was at the hospital a month or so ago.”
“Why were you at the hospital?” She asked pointedly.
“An experiment. I had burns that were beyond Jarvis’s nursing skills. Her hospital was closest.” He brushed off her worry like dust off his suit. “Anyway, then I met her. You’ll love her Peg. She didn’t give me the time of day. Completely unaffected by my charms. And we know how well that usually works.”
Daniel covered a scoff by clearing his throat. “So what happened since then that makes you think she’s going to say yes to marrying you Stark?”
“Well Chief, I couldn’t get my mind off her. I was distracted from work, and the plethora of ladies that normally capture my attention wasn’t working either. So I did what I normally would do.” Daniel tilted his head, puzzled.
“He tried to buy her attention, darling.” Peggy explained.
“Ah, see I’ve never had to do that.” Her husband winked at her and earned a satisfied smile before she turned back to the millionaire who watched them closely.
“Anyway… she didn’t respond to that either. Kept sending everything back to me. So I pulled the big guns out.” He smirked. “I went in person to declare my feelings. Jarvis suggested a more subtle bunch of flowers than I’d been sending. And I was honest, told her about how she’s bewitched me, mind, body and soul. And she agreed to go to dinner with me. We’ve been out three times per week since.”
With all her might, Peggy tried to school her face into one that was not of complete shock.
“So I’m going to propose tonight. It’s all set up in the Rose garden, near where you guys got hitched! Her parents are arriving in a couple of hours. You guys are going to be there right? With the kids? You’re my family.”
The couple shared a look for a long moment.
“If that’s what you want, Howard, of course we will. But I just want you to think about this for a moment. It is quite fast, do you feel you know her well enough?” Peggy said, trying her best to process everything he was saying.
“I do Peg. Honestly, watching you guys and Thompson and Ruthie, Jarvis and Ana. I want that. And she’s perfect, doesn't give an inch, isn’t in it for my money. I think she loves me. I know I love her.” Seeing the concern on his old friend's faces, he turned to Daniel. “If you’d had the chance to marry Peggy earlier than you did, wouldn’t you have taken it? To have longer as her husband? Longer with her as your wife?”
“I- I don’t know… I mean, yeah I would but… she was a bit of a flight risk.” He smirked as she went to gently smack his side, him leaning out of her reach just in time. “Yeah, you’re right Stark I would.” He finally agreed. Peggy squeezed his hand at that.
“Then you get it! Excellent.” He stood up from his chair, clapping his hands. “So I’ll see you guys later with Mini-Peg and Mikey?”
“Yes, what time should we be there?”
“Seven? Food and booze is ready.”
“Okay, we will be there.” Howard went to hurry out of the room and Peggy shouted after him. When he stuck his head back through the door, she held up the ring box he’d left sitting in prime position on her desk. “Forgetting something?” She threw it into his waiting hands.
“You’re the best Peg! Even if you’re not my number one girl anymore!” And with that sentiment, he was gone, loudly inviting Ruth on his way past her desk outside the office.
“Do you think he’s serious?” Daniel asked her, turning to lean on her desk facing her as she pushed back in her chair.
“I do. I have never heard or seen him talk about a woman in such a serious way before. With that much respect.”
“He respects you Peg.” She offered him a smile.
“Not in that way darling. Howard’s always known I never saw him that way. He’s always been more of an annoying brother. I think he could be serious about this Maria.”
From his perch, Daniel saw the cogs turning in his wife’s brain. “You’re going to run a background check aren’t you?”
Without answering him, she picked up her phone. “Ruth, can you get any and all information on an acquaintance of Howard’s, Maria? I believe a call to Mr Jarvis will provide her full name. Thank you.” With the phone back in its cradle, Daniel snickered. “I like to be cautious, Daniel, it’s part of my job description.”
“I know, meu amor, it’s very attractive, how protective you are over the people in your life.” He dipped his head to press a sweet kiss to her lips, only to be interrupted by a rap on the door. A groan followed when Jack Thompson’s head popped around the door.
“Same to you Sousa.” He said, “Just passed Stark on the way out of the elevator, party at his tonight? No way he’s actually proposing right?”
But when they were all gathered in the windows of the ballroom, looking out into the rose garden later that night, watching as Howard dropped to one knee amongst what looked like thousands of candles, there was no denying it. And as the pretty blonde nodded her head yes, Howard’s smile could have lit up the whole of New York.
They’d returned to the ballroom to rapturous applause, Howard scooping Beth up and spinning her round when she ran up to offer her congratulations to her uncle. Beth’s family watched from a distance for a moment, their oldest stood between his parents.
“Can I ask a question?” Michael whispered just loud enough for both of them to hear. “This engagement is quite quick is it not?”
“It is.” Peggy confirmed, her eyes tracking the newly engaged couple, weighing them up. “But, your Uncle Howard seems serious and he looks happy does he not?” She turned to see her 15-year-old surveying the small crowd of well wishers in an all-too familiar manner, before he nodded in agreement.
“Then we are happy for him.” Daniel added, a hand on his son’s shoulder. “You can be cautious, if that’s what your gut is telling you. But we are also supportive. That’s what family does.”
“Okay Pai.” With that the trio of Sousa’s approached the party, Howard lightly tugging his new fiance by the hand towards them when he caught sight of them.
“Maria, my love. This is Peggy, my dearest friend, her husband Daniel and my nephew Mikey.” He gestured to them.
“Ah Peggy, I have heard so much about you from Howie.” Peggy heard her husband cover a small chuckle somewhere to her right at the nickname, but refused to react as she embraced Maria.
“All good things I hope. Congratulations on your engagement.” She smiled widely, taking in the ridiculously big grin on her friend's face. Maria moved to shake both Daniel and Michael’s hands while they offered their own congratulations.
“Thank you so much.” She let her eyes move to the new ring on her hand. “I have told him that this is absolutely ridiculous.”
“Well that pretty much sums up Howard.” Peggy smarted fondly, her old friend spinning round to gasp at her in offence. But he was interrupted by his fiance erupting in a fit of giggles.
“Oh Peggy, you and I are going to get on well.”
“Just what I need.” Howard said, still unable to wipe the smile off his face. Then Elizabeth barreled into his side. “Just like that, all my favourite girls together at once.”
The smile didn’t slip from Howard’s face all night as he paraded around with his fiance on his arm, happiness radiating off the pair.
Ever the protective friend, Peggy watched them both, gathering intel, observing from a distance. Howard’s fame garnered a lot of attention, which the man relished in, often completely ignoring the risks in an effort to soak up as much as he could from those that adored him. Dottie Underwood was a key example of this. Peggy would like to say in the years since that particular misstep, Howard had matured and grown but most of the time that was not the case.
However as she watched them, Howard listening intently to Maria as she spoke to those around her, she couldn’t help but notice the infatuation he had was much more than she had ever seen for the vast variety of women she’d seen on his arm for the past two decades. He seemed to hang off her every word, even when she joked at his expense, the new fiances giggling whenever it was just the two of them.
Peggy’s investigation found her standing besides the dessert table, one Mr Jarvis was currently replenishing.
“What are your opinions on the happy couple Mr Jarvis?” Peggy asked in a hushed tone as she reached for a bite size tiramisu.
“I couldn’t be happier for Mr Stark and Miss Carbonell.” He stated, an almost rehearsed tone to his voice. When he got no reply from his friend, he turned to see her fixing him with a knowing look, a singular eyebrow raised. With a small sigh he continued in a whisper. “While it does seem rather rushed, I do believe Mr Stark is very much in love with her. She’s kind and funny. Her and Ana get on rather well, they’ve been exchanging recipes. She calls Mr Stark out on his… idiosyncrasies. All in all, they seem to make a rather good pair.”
“Yes, that was my conclusion too.” Peggy said in agreement, sneaking a mini fruit tart from one of the refreshed platters, watching as Howard and his wife-to-be took to the dance floor. “The background check I ran came back clear.” She muttered under her breath, only for Mr Jarvis to whirl round, empty platter in hand.
“That’s why Mrs Thompson wanted her full name.” He said accusingly.
“Due diligence Mr Jarvis. Howard is a risk, professionally and personally. Best to check that anyone who is getting close is trustworthy.” Peggy responded matter-of-factly.
“I did tell her it might be a bit overboard.” Daniel chimed in, a smirk on his face as he joined them, whiskey glass in hand. With another glare, Peggy took it from his hand, sipping the liquid before returning it to him. Returning to his work, Jarvis attempted to hide his grin unsuccessfully.
“The pair of you are insufferable.” Peggy harrumphed, taking another sip of her husband’s whiskey. But then her eyes caught on the sight unfolding in front of them.
On the wooden dance floor, she watched as Howard dragged a giggling Beth onto the floor, positioning her so the uncle and niece duo could dance to the tune the band was playing. He twirled her and dipped her as she laughed. Just off to the side, Michael Sousa was talking to Maria, the pair laughing before Michael offered up a hand and the pair joined in on the dancing.
“Atta boy Mikey.” Daniel said to no-one in particular. The parents watched as their kids danced, other couples joining the floor around them as several songs passed. Despite being typical siblings who bickered and fought over ridiculous things, the Sousa siblings were tight-knit. When Michael spun Beth round the dance floor to an up-tempo beat, her head tipped back as her bright laugh rang out above the music. The pair had been taught to dance by Jarvis and Ana since they were small and it was nice to see them enjoying themselves even in a room full of adults.
Despite the upcoming nuptials, it was still business as usual in the fastest growing intelligence agency on the planet. There was no end of oddities that came across desks to be investigated and disposed of, everything weird and wonderful. With expansion came the need for new recruits and a few years previous they’d opened a training academy for covert, intelligence and combat training.
Though she had very few free hours as Director, Peggy took great pride in teaching classes to their new budding agents, especially the all-female cohort she’d recruited. Just like her, they were bound to be underestimated in intelligence and she taught them to use that as a strength.
“No-one assumes a woman on the street is an agent or a member of law enforcement. Despite being just as tough, just as powerful and just as wise as our male counterparts, many of them tend to think of us poorly. As ridiculous as the notion sounds.” She earned a chuckle from the dozen women who stood in a row before her, their first day of training. “However, this means we are able to use these ill-conceived notions. It allows us to go undetected walking down the street, allows us to sneak into places without their notice. It allows us to prove our worth to those we serve by being quicker, faster and more cunning. You will learn to blend in, to analyse and fight to protect the people and places we love.”
From the corner of her eye, she noticed the door to the gym open, three people slipping inside. She didn’t need to look to see who it was.
“Today, we will be demonstrating the fighting techniques that come in useful to you all. As women in enemy territory we are often not only outnumbered, but also facing foes that are bigger and stronger than us. Using items in your surroundings and your opponents size against them is key. It is important to be bold and survey exactly what you need to do when in a life or death situation.” She gave a subtle nod of her head and their first guest approached from the darkened corner where they had been watching.
“Today, we have three guests that can each teach you something unique. First of all, your head training officer, Agent Rose Roberts.” Rose appeared in their line of sight and each woman had their eyes trained on her. “Rose was one of the first hires from what was the SSR. She has been running our first undercover operation team for the past ten years. She has stepped back from this role to see to your training over the next six months. Do not take that lightly ladies, Agent Roberts will dismiss anyone not reaching the high standards we uphold here at SHIELD.”
“It’s good to see such a strong team here today.” Rose said, her hands clasped in front of her as she walked up and down the line, Peggy watching on with a wry smile, proud to see her old friend taking charge in a way the SSR would never have coped with. “Director Carter and I know all too well that women have not been treated with the respect and trust that we deserve in the intelligence or military fields.” There was a muffled kerfuffle from the darkened corner, but Rose chose to ignore it. “You are on the front line of changing these damning ideas. You will be pushed, challenged and you may even want to give up. I am here to ensure that before you enter the world as SHIELD Agents, you are suitable and up for the job. That means I am here to answer your questions but also to give you orders, just like any of our other agents. Copy?” There was a chorus of positive responses before Rose returned to Peggy’s side.
“Our other two guests some of you may recognise from your interviews. Chief Sousa, Head of Strategy and Communications and Chief Thompson, Head of Operations.” The two men joined them, serious and trying their best to be intimidating. From the look on some of their recruits' faces, it worked. “Today we will be evaluating each of us for how you would incapacitate them non-lethally. This will provide the basis for doing this on the fly in the field.” Peggy stepped out of their line up. “Recruits, attention!” All of her recruits stood in perfect formation, exactly as she’d expect of all of her agents. “We start with Chief Thompson. He most closely represents the general opponent that we face as Agents.” Jack stepped forward, a slight smirk on his face. “He’s tall, fast and strong. Which means as a woman, he has the physical upper hand to start with.” He was still smirking. “But this isn’t everything. Chief Thompson, please tell the recruits about when you tried to arrest me. The first time.” Jack’s smug facade fell and his eyes went wide, as he turned to see Peggy’s shit-eating grin. Muffled chuckles could be heard from his ‘friends’ behind him and even the recruits seemed to find it amusing. While Peggy had discussed her topics of conversation with the three of them beforehand, this hadn’t been on the briefing. “Chief?” She was still smiling, tapping her foot as she waited for him to answer.
“Yes Director. You took me by surprise and took my gun.”
“And?” Peggy posed, a fake innocent look that made Jack irrationally angry.
“And proceeded to knock me unconscious.” The jaws of several recruits dropped open. A snort that sounded suspiciously like Sousa just added to Jack’s irritability. “I believe Sousa actually let you go though, Director.”
“Well you were both trying to arrest me for a crime I did not commit.” All she got in response from Jack was a short hum. “This is all to say that, by using their underestimation you can take a lot of opponents by surprise and gain the upper hand. In these cases, hand-to-hand is often your best option as it allows you to get close to an unassuming suspect, before incapacitating them.”
With that Peggy dismissed Jack and called on Daniel. She shot him a familiar smile out of sight of her agents and he returned it, an unspoken conversation and untied front. He stood tall in front of the recruits, Peggy walking up and down behind the line of them.
“What is the first thing you notice about Chief Sousa?” Peggy asked her students. No one spoke up at first, a few of them looking to their peers, avoiding the elephant in the room. “Come on, someone speak up.”
“His cane ma’am.” Harriet Henderson, one of the older members of the class responded. “His cane indicates injury that could be something to exploit if Chief Sousa were a… enemy or target that needed to be incapacitated.” She shot him an apologetic smile.
“Thank you Henderson. That is true. One of the most important things while in the field is analysis, evaluating places, plans and people. Chief Sousa’s injury is something that affects him. However it also means he is underestimated. His extensive field experience in battle and close quarter combat proves this. I have personally seen him fight off many attackers while on this job.” She outright winked at him and he tried to school his features to remain serious. “Chief Sousa is another example of someone who is underestimated. You can and will learn a great deal from both him and Chief Thompson as well as Agent Roberts.”
“You will also learn a hell of a lot from Director Carter.” Rose interjected, Peggy shooting her a soft smile. “As an agent and a director, she has been a trailblazer for us as women in this industry. None of us would be here right now if it hadn’t been for her hard work and dedication to the cause.” A round of applause started, no doubt initiated by Daniel, and Peggy tried to stop the rising blush on her cheeks. She was proud of her achievements, proud of the work she had done and the life she had built, brick by brick. But it never felt easy to take compliments on it. Daniel would jokingly blame her Englishness. For a moment she let herself feel the slight overwhelm. Then she squared her shoulders and took back control of the class. There was work to do.
The problem with two spies raising children together is that their professional abilities often seem to transfer directly to their offspring. Whether it was nature or nurture was undecided but it was a constant point of discussion between the Carter-Sousa’s. Whether it was Michael’s ability to literally break into anything and pick any lock, as evidenced by him breaking into the bathroom of a neighbour when their young child had locked themselves in during a neighbourhood barbeque or Beth’s canny way of selling half truths and white lies, their parents occasionally felt their investigative abilities were being tested at home and at work.
Now, both children were good kids, they always had been. Helpful to everyone they knew and strangers in need of a hand. Loyal to a fault, just like their parents. But as it often goes, teenage years were for pushing boundaries, something Peggy’s mother enjoyed recounting about her, if Peggy was ever to mention the struggles of parenting teenagers during their monthly phone calls.
Their Sunday was going fairly normally. Daniel had been out with Michael all morning, teaching him to drive around Stark’s new race track. He’d just returned to find Peggy, curled up on the sofa reading the latest Agatha Christie. As soon as he sank down next to her, their daughter floated into the room wearing a light blue dress, her curls tamed into a sweet pony tail with a matching ribbon. She dropped a kiss to his cheek and picked up her purse from the side table.
“Bye Dad.” She did the same to Peggy, rushing through the motions just a bit. “Bye Mum!”
“You look nice. Where are you off to meu amor?” He asked, looking at his watch. It was only noon, but he wasn’t aware of any plans. Certainly not ones that included wearing her latest Ana Jarvis creation. While Beth enjoyed dressing up as much as any young woman her age, she was also an adventurous, rough and tumble girl who more often than not dressed in jeans when meeting with her friends.
“Oh I’m just meeting Jenny at the diner and then we’re going to go to the movies. Mum said I could.”
“I checked her homework was done. Chores too.” Peggy added, finally looking up from the book she had been invested in. One eyebrow raised as she looked her daughter up and down.
“Yup! See you later, love you!” Beth said hurriedly before rushing out of the door, checking her reflection subtly in the hallway mirror as she passed. The front door shut and Daniel hummed a hesitant, curious tone. Always a step ahead, Peggy was already on her feet, book abandoned to the coffee table as she peered through the window watching their daughter practically skip down the path and head left down the street.
“That was odd right?” Peggy asked, turning towards her husband.
“Yeah.” Daniel agreed, running a hand through his hair.
“She was more dressed up than normal for just meeting Jenny.” Her face had transformed into her case face. The one that was so often seen in front of case boards or over a conference table full of files at the office. Her brain was sprinting through the past few weeks, recalling everything she could from her interactions with her daughter.
“It could be nothing, Peg.” Daniel said, although by the tone of his voice she knew he was doing the same thing. “She was on the phone a lot last week. When I got home, I heard her giggling. She finished up the conversations when she heard me come in.”
“And you’re just telling me this now?” Peggy whirled round on her heel from where she’s started pacing up and down the room, her voice spiking slightly.
“It didn’t seem important. It’s not like she was speaking Russian and giving out code names Peg…” He said in his defence.
“Yes. Sorry. I just… that was suspicious.”
Unluckily for him, Michael just happened to walk through the front door then.
“Hi Mum, I just washed Dad’s car. Do you want me to do yours too?” He asked, before he entered the living room to see his parents on either side of the room. “What’s going on?”
“Do you know who your sister is going to see today?” Daniel asked.
“No? She just said she was going to the movies. I assumed it was Jenny or Melissa. Why?” Michael said, his face looking puzzled in a way that was uncannily like his father.
“Do you know who she’d been talking with on the phone after school?”
“I thought that was Jenny too? She was giggling so much the other day I asked her to be quiet.” He looked between his parents again, who were doing their silent communication routine. “What is going on?”
“I don’t know.” Peggy said. “But I intend to find out.”
Daniel didn’t plan to spend his Sunday afternoon, staking out their local diner to spy on his own daughter but he was here now. In the passenger seat, Peggy was huffing as she kept her eyes trained on the front door of Sue’s. Despite Michael’s protests about ‘his first stake out’ he had been left at home.
“We’re not counting this as a date night are we?” Daniel said blandly, a small smile on his face as he brought his binoculars up to try and get a closer look at the inside of the diner. He could feel her glare on the side of his face.
“I don’t understand how we missed this! How long has she been sneaking around?” Peggy was slumped down in her seat, picking at her nails while observing the street.
“We don’t know that she is Peg. She may well just be meeting up with a friend.” Peggy harumphed in response, but Daniel sat up in his seat as the door of the diner swung open and their daughter practically skipped out of establishment. “Oh.” Peggy sat up beside him and took the binoculars off him, her jaw dropping in turn.
Their daughter wandered down the street, hand in hand with a boy, looking up at him with big adoring eyes. The young man, probably a similar age to Beth, smirked at her, whispering something in her ear and she giggled. Giggled!
A mix of anxiety and anger sank in Daniel’s stomach like a hot stone. He had just reached for the car door, intent on chasing them down on foot when Peggy’s hand landed on her arm. “I don’t think that’s the best way to handle this Daniel.”
“Our little girl is out with that… that… scoundrel.” Peggy had to hide her laugh at her husband’s outrage, his red face and wide eyes. “We need to get her home.”
“If we confront her, she’ll get defensive and likely run elsewhere. If we take a more, subtle approach it gives us the upper hand.” He relaxed slightly, catching on to his wife’s thought process. “Trust me darling. I have an idea.”
A tense hour later, Daniel was pacing in front of the living room window, back and forth and back again. Peggy, reunited with her novel, huffed out an irritated sigh. “Daniel Sousa, I will take that cane from you. Sit down. She’s not going to get home any faster for your pacing.”
“Are you not infuriated right now?” He said, dropping onto the sofa. “She lied to us, Peg.”
“She did.” Peggy stated. “And she needs to know that that is wrong. But as something of a formerly rebellious child myself…”
“Pah! Formerly!” Daniel barked out a laugh, receiving a light slap to his arm. He threw his arm around her shoulders. “Sorry, continue meu amor.”
“As I was saying… I was on the receiving end of a lot of tellings off. And I do wish my mother would have heard me out instead of just shouting. She’s wrong to sneak around with this boy without informing us, because we want her to be safe. But there may be a reason she may not have told us, and I want her to know she won’t be punished for sharing things about her life with us.” There was a beat of silence before Daniel pulled her into his, pressing a soft kiss to her mouth.
“You’re a fantastic mother Peggy Sousa.” She kissed him again, but they were cut off by the tell-tale snick of the front door opening and shutting. A somewhat dreamy sigh could be heard as Beth shoved her shoes onto the rack.
“Hi Pai! Hi Mum!” Beth said, passing the door to the living room at quite a pace. She was on the first step of the stairs when she heard her mother’s voice.
“Elizabeth!” Her full name was never a good sign, a fact she knew all too well. She turned to see her mother pointing towards the kitchen, her father by her side.
With a good amount of hesitation, Beth entered the kitchen, taking her regular seat at the table. There was no Michael for back up, and her gut instinct told her she was absolutely busted, any sense of joy she’d had upon coming home replaced with unease.
There were no words said, just her father leaning against the kitchen counter, worry painted across his face. Her mother pulled a file out of a drawer, placing it in front of her on the table. Then she took a step back, her face scarily neutral and Beth suddenly had insight into the mind of the criminals her parents took down.
“I-I…” Beth stared at the file in front of her. It was like an itch under her skin, that only went away when she opened the manilla cover. Inside was a singular photo, taken from a distance, a little fuzzy but of her earlier in the day, waiting to cross the street, holding hands with Jeremiah. Her chest was tight, and a burst of anger rocketed through her. “You spied on me?” Her voice came out louder and sharper than she intended and her mother’s raised eyebrow made her back down immediately. Her fingers hovered over the edge of the photo, before she shut the folder entirely.
The silence in the room was unnerving her more than anything. Their house was rarely quiet. Her father usually had the radio or a record on, or they would be talking and laughing. Occasionally an argument but this was different. Her stomach clenched when her mother pulled the chair out opposite her. But it wasn’t her mother who spoke.
“You lied to us, Elizabeth.” Her father’s voice was hurt and regret weighed heavy on Beth’s shoulders.
“I’m sorry Pai… I… I am.” She mumbled, running her fingers over the edge of the table.
“Why did you lie?” Her mother didn’t sound as insulted, which was a small relief.
“I… I didn’t think you’d let me go out if you knew it was with… a boy.”
“You’re damn right…” Daniel stopped himself mid-sentence, took a deep breath and centered himself. “That’s not a good excuse to lie. Who is he?”
“Jeremiah? He’s… he’s a sophomore. I met him on the chemistry field trip last month. He’s on the baseball team, he’s really nice… I think you’d like him!” Beth’s nervous rambling came out in a rush, her eyes fixed on the wooden surface of the table, weathered by thousands of family meals and hundreds of homework sessions and board games.
“Darling, if you think we’d like him, then why did you feel the need to hide him? Do you not think we’d want to meet someone that is important to you?” Peggy said, leaning slightly across the table to try and trap her daughter’s gaze. When familiar brown eyes finally flicked up to hers, slightly glassy and wide, Daniel took an audible breath in, before moving into the chair beside her.
“I know we can be a bit… over protective, meu amor. But it's only because we love you and want you to be safe. That’s forever our number one priority.” He gently tucked a loose curl behind her ear as Beth wiped a rogue tear from her cheek.
“I thought you wouldn’t approve and I just… he asked me to get milkshakes last week and I got so excited that I didn’t want you to say no.” Beth made proper eye contact with them both in turn. “I’m sorry I lied. I won’t again. Sorry Mum. Sorry Pai.” Daniel and Peggy shared a look, both of them softened by the genuineness of her confession.
“Okay, you’re forgiven.” Daniel’s resolve collapsed first and he tugged his daughter into his arms, trying to ignore that his baby girl was growing up far too quickly for his liking. He didn’t miss the watery smile his wife was wearing as Beth settled against him, her face buried in his shoulder. “We do want to meet him though. To check him out, check he’s good enough for you okay?” Beth nodded, standing again to hug her mother. She was going to catch Peggy up height wise in the next couple of years, but standing wrapped in her arms at the moment, Daniel could only see the little girl who used to wrap herself around their knees to stop them heading out the door to work. The little girl who learnt early on that she could fight and stand up for herself and the people she loved, just as her parents had been doing for years.
“Why don’t you go and call Jenny?” Peggy said after pressing a kiss to the top of Beth’s head. “I’m sure she’s waiting for a debrief, yes?”
With a quick ”Thanks Mum”, Beth took off up the stairs and they could hear the office door shut.
“I think that went well.” Peggy offered. Daniel nodded in agreement, before discussions moved to dinner ideas.
However, at the top of the stairs, leaning against his door frame, Michael Sousa stood, contemplating everything he had just overheard. His parents had always instilled being aware of their surroundings including eaves dropping, so really it was not his fault. Beth’s laugh could be heard on the phone, through the door to the office. But he wasn’t as excited about this development. His baby sister dating any one made him more than a little protective but he was aware of Jeremiah Allen and his reputation. There was no point putting a dampener on his sister’s good mood but that didn’t mean he wasn’t going to keep an eye on the situation. A close eye.