Chapter Text
When she heard Daniel berate her for saving him from the rift, that chiding was the final straw which broke her reserve, and she responded to his attempt to get a rise out of her in kind. Her comeback, a passionate kiss, knocked him off balance literally and conversationally, leaving them to tumble awkwardly into his chair.
When they broke apart, Daniel took a beat to collect himself, then retorted, "Good point."
After another minute, they did cease their kissing, but refused to break their locked, intense gaze. Both were acutely aware of their position, Peggy feeling the heat of Daniel's chest rushing through to her palm, and Daniel of Peggy's weight resting on his thighs, her other hand still drifting up and down, caressing his hair and neck.
She spoke first: "How about we get that drink?"
Daniel smiled and acquiesced. Becoming conscient of their less than decorous position, they untangled themselves quickly but reluctantly, Daniel letting his hands run over her back as he removed them, Peggy bringing her hands down over his shoulders as she stood up, as if dusting off his jacket for him.
"Well, I suppose I need to find a place to stay," Peggy stated. "I should call Howard and see if he would let me stay for a few days while I find my own place. And let Chief Thompson know I won't be joining him back in New York just yet."
"I can call Thompson, let him know you’re taking more vacation days,” Daniel shrugged. “Probably better coming from me than you, and he’ll be in too much of a hurry to leave to make too big of an ass of himself.”
“Very well, thank you, Daniel. I’ll call Howard straight away.” She continued to hold his gaze a bit longer, then hesitated and looked away.
Taking a guess at interpreting her reaction, Daniel offered “I have a few things to wrap up here, and you need to see to your lodgings. Why don’t I come get you tonight and we can head out for dinner and drinks. Just let me know where to come get you.”
Peggy recollected herself and replied, “Yes, I’ll see you at half past six?”
“Sounds great. And Peg…” Daniel stood up next to her. “I’m looking forward to tonight.” He leaned in slightly to kiss her softly, cupping her face with his free hand. “I’ll wait for your call,” he finished softly.
Peggy returned the kiss with another brief peck, resting her hand on his forearm, then turned to grab her suitcases and walked out to her temporary desk area to make her call.
Daniel stood, watching her carefully shut his door again, then after a few more seconds of half-dazed silence, shook his head and sat back down to work. Realizing his focus was hopelessly split, he took a few moments to shake off the euphoria induced by the just-past events, then reached for his intercom to let Rose know to submit his report for him at her earliest convenience, and asked her to connect him to Chief Thompson at his hotel.
He was pleased he’d been able to catch Jack before he checked out, and explained to him that Peggy had requested more vacation time.
“She’s taking more vacation? Huh. Well, I guess I’m flying back alone.” Jack seemed surprised.
“She wants to take a look around LA,” Daniel supplied.
“LA?” Jack scoffed. “You couldn’t pay enough to stick around here. This whole place gives me heat rash, and you can’t find a decent pizza within a hundred miles.”
Jack interrupted himself briefly, “ I’m coming!” then continued to Daniel, “All right, they’re throwing me out of here. Gotta go.”
Daniel chuckled and hung up the phone. Trust Jack to be more concerned with how he was affected than to be curious about why Peggy wanted more time off. Bless that aptly-named ass. He didn’t need anyone else butting in, nor did Peg, but he felt certain it was only a matter of time before Rose was on both of their cases, his in particular.
He let himself have a quick final glance at Peggy, seeing her talking on the phone to Stark or Jarvis, mercifully with her back to his office, then sighed and dove back into his paperwork for the afternoon.
\\||//
“Ana, I’m so glad to speak to you again. I was actually wondering if Howard is around the house? I need to ask him a favor.”
“You decided to stay longer!” Ana exclaimed. “Oh, I’m so pleased. I’m sure Mr. Stark would be happy to let you stay as long as you like. I will have him pick up the telephone in his lab. I won’t be a moment.”
“Thank you so much, Ana,” Peggy said, smiling. “I’ll wait on the line.”
A few minutes later, she heard a handset pick up, followed by Howard grumbling about interruption and Ana politely insisting that he talk to Miss Carter.
“All right, all right,” she heard Howard say, then, “Hey, Peg, wasn’t expecting to hear from you so soon. You interrupted some good thinking time. What do you need?”
“Well, Howard,” she started, “I decided to extend my stay a bit longer and, well, I was hoping that I could stay with you a few more days until I can locate more suitable lodgings. I would hate to be an imposition…”
Howard interrupted, “Sure, Peg, stay as long as you need! You don’t need to find another place, my doors are always open. I’ll tell Ana and Jarvis to expect you. I need to get back to it, so Ana will talk to you again. Ciao.”
Before she could say anything else to Howard, she heard the huff with which Howard handed off the phone and heard Ana’s voice again:
“I will have Mr. Jarvis to come collect you again from the office? He should be home soon, and will be delighted to hear that you’ll be staying with us after all, and I will get your room ready for you at once.”
Ana’s no-nonsense response made Peggy smile, and she couldn’t help but acquiesce and said “I will be waiting for him in the theatrical agency. Thank you so much, Ana. I have one more brief request for you, if it’s not too much.”
“Of course not,” Ana said. “What do you need?”
Hesitantly, Peggy asked “Would you mind helping me prepare some suitable dinner attire for tonight? I’m afraid all of my clothes have been packed for several hours and may not be recoverable by this evening.”
“Of course, Miss Carter! I’d be delighted. I’ll find you something at once.”
“Oh, thank you! You are wonderful.” Peggy breathed a sigh of relief, noting that it did not actually calm but rather incite the butterflies coming to life in her stomach.
“I will get straight to work, Miss Carter! I’m anxious for you to see what I obtain for you. Goodbye!” Ana hung up the telephone, and Peggy did hers as well, noting that she let the receiver fall a little quickly.
She could feel the heat in her cheeks and was grateful that it was currently lunch hour, so she was alone in the area, and was able to take the time to compose herself. Resisting the urge to turn and look at Daniel’s office, she instead stooped to grab her bags and straightened to walk smartly out of the office, down to the theatrical agency storefront to wait with Rose. She was unable to keep herself from a quick side glance at Daniel and saw, to her relief, that his back was to the window as he spoke to someone on the phone. One less test of her resolve before tonight. Just then, Daniel turned, and they locked eyes. He smiled, and she could not help returning it, then forced herself to continue downstairs to Rose.
She couldn’t believe that she felt a little giddy, like a young girl, over this. She welcomed the unaccustomed feeling as she went downstairs, then set about composing her face for Rose, who would certainly pick up on the slightest out of the ordinary signal she sent. By the time she’d reached the bottom of the stairs, she felt composed, calm as possible, and ready to see what exactly the awful audition was she heard as she approached the secret door.
As she exited the filing area, the raucously happy number subsided and she heard Rose deliver her timeless line, “I’m sorry, I don’t think you’re right for the Auerbach Theatrical Agency. Have a nice day.” Peggy smiled, admiring Rose’s ability to say the line without exasperation despite the surprisingly high number of times she had already said it in the months since opening the SSR’s public front. She walked out to the sounds of huffing, and the packing up of props and costumes, at which she raised an eyebrow and turned to direct a meaningful glance at Rose, expressing surprise and irony.
As soon as she had herded the erstwhile act out of the agency front, Rose turned to Peggy and said,
“Peg, honestly. How do you think they find us?” Shaking her head ruefully, Rose gave Peggy a warm hug. “I’m going to miss having you out here with me. It was really swell getting to actually work with you.”
“And you as well, Rose,” Peggy returned, “but as it turns out, I’m not leaving town quite yet. I decided I would stay a little longer to really check out some of the sights, since I never got the chance on my previous vacation days.”
“Oh, and which sights would those be?” Rose asked, arching an eyebrow inquisitively. She continued, “Everything, by any chance?”
“Well, I will be joining Chief Sousa for dinner this evening, if that’s what you’re trying to ask me.” Peggy decided the best course of action was simply to give Rose exactly what she was looking for, thus avoiding the awkward, pointed digging. Rose was momentarily dumbfounded, then her face lit up and she embraced Peggy again.
“Finally!” She tittered happily. “I have been waiting for this since, well, since the beginning. He’s always been sweet on you, you know?”
“Yes, I did, erm, deduce as much myself, but when he moved out to open the LA office, well….” Peggy trailed off.
“He did a dumb thing which he’s fortunate didn’t bite him in the you-know-where. Stubborn fool. Violet was a lovely girl, but I always knew it was really you he cared for.”
“It’s funny, Rose, I was never supposed to be out here. Thompson told me Daniel requested me particularly, whereas Daniel requested just anyone. If Jack weren’t such an interfering ass, I don’t know that I would have spoken to Daniel again, let alone be having dinner. He never returned my calls.”
“That figures.” Rose paused for a moment. “He fell in with Violet too fast and he panicked. And then when you came out here, well, by then, I hadn’t figured it for being as serious as they’d made it. But I’m glad you did, because this way, neither of them ends up married and realizing they had made a mistake. Good for Jack. But here I am, prattling on. Sorry, Peg, nervous habit. I’ve said too much.”
“No, no, Rose, it’s a difficult situation. You’re right. I’m afraid I’ve acted impulsively.” Peggy sank down into a nearby chair, setting her suitcases beside her.
“Oh, Peg, no, I didn’t mean anything by what I was saying,” Rose attempted to comfort her. “Look, where are you going until dinner?”
“I made arrangements to stay with Mr. Stark again, so Mr. Jarvis is kindly coming back to collect me.”
“We have a few moments, why don’t I make you some tea while we watch the front,” Rose offered.
“Tea sounds perfectly lovely, thank you Rose. I’m happy to he—“
Rose interrupted her before she could finish. “Peggy Carter, you need tea, and I am making it for you. You’ll just have to accept my help because I will kick you out if you even try to lift a finger to make this tea! Understood, Peg?”
“Yes ma’am, understood.” Peggy managed a small smile at Rose.
At Peggy’s agreement, Rose stepped back into an alcove to get some water boiling for tea. “So, staying with Stark again? How are the Jarvises? Mrs. Jarvis? Is she home yet?”
“Yes, Ana just returned home this morning, in fact. She was moving about quite well, considering.”
Rose came back in a few moments later. “There, I’ve put the kettle on. I insisted on buying it because I was hoping you’d join us at some point. Glad it’s being put to use.”
“Rose, am I doing the right thing, staying here longer? I don’t know where this is going.” Peggy sounded uncharacteristically unsure of herself.
“Yes. Absolutely. The two of you need to sit down and talk. You’ve never done that, have you? Sat down, the two of you, to talk about how you feel?”
“No, we haven’t had the chance, really, ever. He was promoted so quickly that we never talked in New York, and as you know, we’ve been working this case around the clock.”
“I’m sure it will be difficult, Peg, but just make sure you’re being honest with him, and I know he will be with you. He’s someone you can trust; I think you know that already.”
“I trust him with my life, Rose.”
The two women sat silent for a moment, then Rose reached out to squeeze Peggy’s hand. She started again, “As you should.” Then, much more brightly, “So, what will you wear? Do you know where you’re going? What’s the plan for tonight?”
“Goodness, Rose, slow down a bit, I can only answer so many questions at once!” Peggy smiled at her friend.
Just then, the kettle went off and Rose fretted and rushed off to tend to the tea-making. Peggy grew nervous again, but pleasantly so – her excitement for the upcoming dinner was increasing by the moment, it seemed. She mused on what Rose had said, regarding Daniel’s quick relationship with Violet. She certainly understood the attraction – Violet was a vibrant, kind, affectionate woman. It would be hard to expect Daniel not to be attracted to her.
“Peg?” Rose was standing in front of her with a worried expression, holding two cups of tea.
“Yes? Oh, thank you so much. This is just what I need.” Peggy took the tea gratefully and brought it up for a sip, then stopped just short.
“Rose, what on earth is going on with you and Dr. Samberly?”
“Nothing at all,” Rose responded, sounding surprised.
Peggy raised an eyebrow.
“I mean, he’s clearly after me, but I don’t know how I feel about him. I’ll have to wait and see.”
“I see,” mused Peggy, finally drinking some tea. “Well, you’ll have to let me know what happens, of course.”
“Of course I will! One of the drawbacks of being at the LA office is the lack of girls around. I miss being able to talk to the girls like we did at the phone company back in New York. We do have to stick together around here. At least Daniel isn’t as much of a stick in the mud as Dooley or that brash lout, Thompson. The ego on that one, honestly.”
“I know what you mean. He even manages to be self-deprecating in an overbearing, obnoxious way.”
Peggy and Rose lapsed into silence, enjoying their tea for a few minutes, when Rose remembered, “Oh, no you don’t! You were trying to distract me. What on earth will you be wearing tonight? I will have an answer out of you!” Rose wagged her finger threateningly.
“I don’t know yet, honestly,” Peggy said fretfully. “I packed all my clothes, and I doubt I can have anything ready for tonight, but Ana Jarvis is a miracle worker, and she said she’d help me when I called to speak to Mr. Stark. If she has her way, I’m sure it will be something very modern and splendid.”
“Good. She seems like a woman with a strong sense of fashion. I’m glad she’s in your corner. She’ll make you up right.”
“She certainly will. She has been wonderfully helpful with my wardrobe when I’ve had to go undercover here.”
“Do you know where Daniel will take you yet?” Rose inquired.
“No, we didn’t discuss it. We just agreed he would arrive at half past six. Which reminds me, I need to let him know I will be staying at Howard’s. I…” Peggy’s voice constricted nervously. “Rose, would you let him know I’ll be staying there? I don’t know if I can talk to him again right now.”
“Of course. Anything to help you two lovebirds.” Rose smiled. “I know it’s been a rough road, but it warms my heart to see you two working toward something personal together, instead of building a case. It’s about time, too! I was wondering when you two would figure out how you feel about each other.”
“You knew?”
“How could I not know!” Rose said animatedly. “You two are about as subtle as an atomic explosion, honestly.”
“I never knew anything of the sort!” Peggy protested. “Yes, well, feelings have never been something I’ve much wanted to discuss, and almost always waiting until it’s too late. One would think I would have learned my lesson my now,” she said, her lips curving into a rueful smile.
“You’ve been through so much, Peg, it’s completely understandable that you didn’t realize what was going on until it was too late. We all know you were still mourning when you met Daniel. Everyone, including Daniel, knew that, and you know he’d never do anything that wasn’t respectful to you.”
At that moment, a horn sounded, revealing to the block that Jarvis had arrived to re-collect his houseguest.
“Do you need a hand out with the bags, Peg?” Rose asked.
“No, I’ll manage, thank you, and thank you so much for the tea and chat. I’ll look forward to seeing you again very soon.”
“Of course! Have a wonderful night. I’ll let the chief know where to come get you!”
\\||//
Daniel was preoccupied for a while, but he managed to decide on a suitable restaurant that wasn’t too far away from Stark’s estate, and mercifully, it was one he hadn’t been to with Violet. While he was waiting on hold about reservations, he saw Peggy heading out past his office, looking at him. He couldn’t help but smile at her, anticipating tonight.
Violet, he thought ruefully. I really do care for her, but just not in the same way I do for Peg. She was right, as it happens. Sighing, he continued fiddling with the pen on his desktop when he found out he was able to secure them reservations at 7:00. Thanking the maître d’, he hung up and resolved to get back to work until he had to go home to change. Of all days, of course he had no change of clothes with him today.
“Okay, a few hours.” He told himself. “You can manage a few hours work.”
Resigning himself to the paperwork in front of him, he reluctantly dove in, determined to be productive instead of worrying or daydreaming about what may or may not happen tonight.
He started small, just organizing his desk. He and Peggy had managed to knock some of his papers out of order. That brought a smile back to his face. Only she would have reacted to his goading that way. He knew he would get a strong reaction out of her, but he had expected words. The kiss made more sense, though, was more Peggy. As he restacked papers, and tidied up in general, he found himself thinking of when they had almost kissed in the surveillance van. He knew then that she felt something. That was no one-sided attempt; she had leaned in to kiss him as he had her. And then after this afternoon in his office, there was no question she felt something for him.
He knew that she had felt something for Wilkes – he had seen the way she spoke to him, the way she reached out for him, her desperation when he initially went missing. But Wilkes was back, and she still kissed him, it was he for whom she was staying in Los Angeles longer, and it was he who was her dinner companion for the evening.
Maybe they were both reacting to his involvement with Violet. Peggy may never have entertained anything with Wilkes if he hadn’t tried so hard to get over her. He had certainly made a mess of things. That was something to talk about tonight. They could hardly avoid discussing Violet, as she was so recently a huge part of his life. He had proposed to her, for crying out loud. There was no sense worrying about it now. No doubt he and Peggy would discuss this tonight. He would hope she could forgive him for the way he avoided his feelings.