Disclaimer: I do not own the Marvel Cinematic Universe; neither the movies nor any television programs cancelled by ABC. (I'm not bitter. Oh, wait, yes I am. BRING BACK AGENT CARTER 2kFOREVER!)


Angie danced down the walk to Peggy's house; just because her friend was back in town right in the middle of when she was beginning rehearsals for her latest show didn't mean she wasn't going to have lunch with her. It just mean that she'd have to rehearse on the way!

She knocked once on the front door, and when there was no answer, she walked inside. Peggy was expecting her anyway.

"English?" she called, into what looked like an empty house. Angie wandered through it, stepping out the back door from the kitchen into the yard.

She could see people inside Peggy's big greenhouse, but oddly, there were no plants in it. Squinting through the translucent windows, she spotted Peggy, a tall and imposing blond man with a beard, Peggy's "cousin" who "looked just like Howard Stark," and two women she didn't recognize.

"Come onnnn," one of the women was saying. "I just want to go outside, for, like, five minutes."

"No," the other woman said. "We're not supposed to be here; we could change the—"

"Ugh," the first interrupted.

"How is the machine coming along?" Peggy asked her "cousin."

"I'm a genius, Peg, not a miracle worker," he replied. "Sending back two of them would be no problem, but I'm not sure I can make it work more than once, and I'm pretty sure nobody wants to take the risk of being left behind."

"I would be—" the blond man began, but Angie knocked on the window.

"Hey, English?" she called. "This a bad time?"

"Oh, look, a distraction!" said the Words on the instep of Angie's left foot. Her Soulmate, Peggy's stir crazy guest, pushed open the greenhouse door and grabbed Angie's hand.

"Darcy!" Peggy cried, unable to prevent her.

"Gosh," Angie said to her Soulmate. "I guess I'm gonna have to reschedule lunch."

The blond man let out a hearty laugh as the woman next to him gasped, "Darcy, she's your—!"

"There is your answer, Stark," the man interrupted, thumping Peggy's cousin on the back. "Lady Destiny has arranged things exactly to her liking, as she always does."

Peggy let out a sigh.

"Angie, this is Darcy Lewis, from the year 2015. Darcy, this is Angie Martinelli. She is New York's greatest actress and doesn't need to know a single detail about the future." Peggy raised an eyebrow and glared at Darcy. "Ever," she added, in a tone that would not be disobeyed.

"Well, I..." Stark sighed. "I guess I can have this ready to go in a day or so, then."

The blond man stepped out of the greenhouse, pulling the other woman behind him. "We will rest for now, I think," he said, and gently put his arm around the woman.

Darcy watched them go, and Angie watched her. Darcy bit her lip, looking slightly worried, as they disappeared into the house.

"Are you really from the future?" Angie asked.

Her Soulmate's eyes focused on Angie again, twinkling as she nodded. "I've been cooped up here for like a week," she told Angie.

Peggy sighed. "Don't get into too much trouble," she advised, then went back inside the greenhouse and spoke quietly with Stark.

"Know what I want to do now?"

"What?" Angie asked.

Darcy grinned. "I want a milkshake. And I want to kiss you." She paused, puzzling over something. "Not necessarily in that order."

"Well," Angie replied, smiling back. "Let's go!"


Author's Note (August 9, 2016): Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed! Please check out the blog: iwillwriteyourfic . blogspot 2016 / 08 / destinys-distraction . html for behind the scenes whining and a link to this fic on ao3, where everything is better except the analytics.