I Can Help You With That
The phone at Daniel's desk rang with a loud racket making him jump in his seat. It was a few weeks after Fennhoff was put away and the SSR was actually quiet for a change. Sousa picked it up quickly, hoping it was something better than what he was doing, alphabetizing his caseload from the past few months.
"Agent Sousa." The phone was propped between his jaw and shoulder, pencil in his right hand, left holding a pad of paper.
"Sousa! So glad I got a hold of ya." Howard Stark's voice came through the handset. There was the giggle of a girl in the background.
"Mr. Stark." Daniel began with an eye roll wondering what this bad penny was going to drag back into their lives, "What can I do for you?"
"Remember that offer I gave you?" Stark preened.
"Uh, no. I don't." Sousa replied gruffly, flicking the pencil between his fingers.
There was a heavy sigh on the other end as if Tony was talking to a slow child, "Your leg, man. I said could help you with that."
Daniel sat for a moment and then recalled their conversation after Stark had turned himself in, "Oh. That." Sousa was in no mood to be played by this rich, smart, fool.
"Yes, that." Stark reminded him as if he was doing Daniel a great service and he failed to recognize the philanthropy, "Are we still on?"
"We didn't have a deal." Daniel pointed out, "Actually, we didn't have … anything. And I am at work, so make this short unless you have a crime to report."
There was a dry chuckle on the other end, "Ah, you Agents. Always so professional! I'll have Jarvis pick you up at the end of your shift and we'll take a look at that leg. I won't take 'no' for an answer."
Before Sousa could complain, the line went dead.
Daniel looked annoyed at the handset in his palm and exhaled, frustrated. Behind him, Peggy Carter sat, perhaps twenty feet away, at her desk. Just as Thompson had predicted, she came back to the SSR. Peggy still hadn't taken him up on that drink yet. Deep within his mind, the embryonic thought of taking her out dancing instead of just a drink tickled his consciousness. A derisive mental shift crushed the dream. I can help you with that, Howards' voice promised in a hushed whisper.
Going about his day, he forgot the conversation with Howard until quitting time. Turning out his desk lamp, he gathered his coat and crutch, beginning to hobble out to the elevator bank. "Agent Sousa?" came Peggy's voice. His heart stopped. Sousa hadn't bothered to see if she was still there, his mind wandering to what Stark had in store for him.
Turning, he saw Carter approach, impeccable looking as always, and greeted her, sounding like it was the first time he saw her that day, "Peggy." In his mind, he slapped himself for sounding so corny.
Carter politely inclined her head as if recognizing the effect she had on him but saving him the embarrassment of his awkwardness.
They entered the elevator car together and it began to descend. Silence filled the space between them for most of the ride down. About one floor before ground stop, Peggy turned to him quickly as if she wanted to blurt something out, "I was wondering if you were free this evening for that drink?"
Sousa's cheeks colored slightly and his mouth went dry, " Uh. Actually… I-" The doors opened and Jarvis stood properly to the side.
"Jarvis! Such a delight to see you here." Carter said, surprised as she glanced between the two men and then stepped out into the lobby. It was a great distraction to hide her disappointment at Daniel's faltering answer to her question.
"Yes, a pleasure as always, Ms. Carter." Jarvis responded, inclining his head.
Peggy looked at Edwin with an amused expression, " Unexpected to see you here, Mr. Jarvis. Is Howard now giving me free transportation as well as a home?"
"I'm afraid not, Ms. Carter. I'm here for Agent Sousa." Edwin gave a slightly sad polite smile as if he wished he were taking Peggy home.
" Hmm, going out on the town tonight with Howard? He may besmirch your reputation." Carter observed dryly.
"Well, not really. Not much of a social call." Sousa evaded trying not to fidget. "Can I take you up on that offer later?"
Peggy smiled that bright smile he learned to adore, "Of course. Good night, gentlemen."
Both men inclined their heads in her direction as she smartly turned and walked confidently out the door of the office building.
"Is there no one she doesn't impress?" Daniel said almost inaudibly.
"I think not, Agent." Jarvis agreed.
Pouring the bourbon into a hand cut crystal highball glass, Howard offered the first glass to Sousa who sat on an antique velvet couch. Daniel took the glass and waited for Stark to pour his own before raising it in a brief toast. "To the SSR and Peggy Carter." Howard suggested.
"To Peggy." Sousa seconded, his expression troubled.
After their sip, Stark sat opposite him on some expensive French brocaded chair, "I bet you think I can't do it."
"Can't do what?" Sousa asked warily.
"I can totally remake that leg. Make it like you never lost yours. How'd you enjoy that?" Stark bragged, throwing one arm over the back of the chair, kicking up his feet on the equally expensive coffee table. Jarvis winced in the corner at the smudges of shoe polish he'd have to remove later.
"C'mon Stark. Let's get real. Why am I here?" Sousa asked, a frown forming over his brown eyes.
Howard took another drink and looked across the room at nothing in particular. Daniel waited, silently for his answer.
Finally, Stark turned his mustached face back to Daniel a sincere expression in his dark eyes, "Peggy Carter loved Steve Rogers."
Daniel sat stunned, like Howard had just cut him and rubbed salt in it, "No kidding, Mr. Obvious."
"No, no… hear me out." Howard replied, taking his feet of the table and leaning forward, elbows on his knees, hands reaching out toward Sousa, "I'm not trying to insult you. Really, you'd know the difference."
"Doing a great job convincing me otherwise. What's your point, Howard?" Sousa felt his temper rising and was about to grab his crutch to get up and leave.
"I want to help you with your leg… and Peggy." Stark looked guiltily down at the immaculate Persian carpet under his feet, then back up at Daniel, " She's too good of a friend to not have someone special in her life. I think you're that guy."
"Thanks for the nomination. I think I can handle my love life by myself." Sousa now was gathering himself to stand, "Thanks for-"
"Wait. I can still help you with that leg. You can take her dancing." Stark's face was pleading with Daniel to stay and hear him out.
Daniel took several calming breaths before he relaxed, "Ok. We can do the leg. Leave Peggy out of it."
"I'll try my best." A twinkle of mischief crept into Howards eye.
"OW! Are you serious?" Sousa exclaimed. A few days later and a few drinks later a new prosthetic socket was slipped on by Stark, who was wearing a set of bizarre magnification goggles making him look more like a mad scientist than inventor-genius.
"Yup. You're just used to that old gimpy one. This… this is a piece of art!" Stark declared, leaning back from his work as he gazed at the new leg attached to Daniel. " Fits you like a glove! Here! Stand up."
"I came for a leg, not a glove." Daniel complained in his SSR gym shorts, "It's too tight."
"I molded it perfectly for you. Completely custom. Carbon fiber body… totally beyond its time." Howard reaffirmed ignoring Sousa's dig, "Kind of like when you find someone who matches you perfectly but you're just used to mundane pieces of crap. Takes a while to get used to it."
Daniel gave him a threatening look, "I said, leave Peggy out of it."
Stark raised his hands in supplication, "Ok. Ok. Just stand up. Please?"
Sousa gave him a skeptical look but then admired the leg. It was smoother, lighter and appeared more flexible than his old fiberglass and steel one. The socket was tighter, but the snug fit gave him stability. He decided to try it.
Slowly, Daniel stood as Howard admired how it fit, occasionally adjusting a screw here or gear there but overall, his stupid inventors smile was plastered over his face.
Daniel was surprised as the aching he often felt from wearing his prosthetic went away and for the briefest of moments, he felt like he had his flesh leg back.
He took a step and crashed face first into the floor.
"Hey hey..I said stand up. Not walk, dumbass." Stark admonished, "Gotta start slow. There's a great metaphor there."
Sousa sat up on the floor glaring at Howard, "I said, leave Carter out of this."
"Sure sure sure." Howard replied but he wasn't paying any attention to Sousa but instead on the leg.
Near the door, Edwin smiled.
"Did you get in a fight recently, Agent Sousa?" Peggy asked him as she poured herself a cup of coffee. Daniel had a few scrapes on his cheek and he could feel the blush coming to his face intensifying the appearance of damage.
"No. Nope." He deflected, "Just a bit of a crutch mishap."
"I see. Has your schedule cleared for that drink yet?" her brown eyes swam darkly like the coffee she was stirring. Sousa had to blink to prevent him from staring.
"Ah. No. Not yet." Daniel said, his gaze going every direction except at her. Peggy thought for a moment how his diffident mannerisms reminded her of Steve, making her smile warmly at him.
"Alright then. Let me know when they become open, but I wouldn't keep a lady waiting too long." She turned gracefully and stepped away to her desk, looking at him one more time before sitting and opening a file.
Summoning courage, he limped over to her desk and waited for her to look up at him, "Do you like to dance?"
Peggy looked perplexed at him but then replied, "Why yes. I.. do."
"Good." Hurriedly, before he lost his nerve, he quickly moved away to his desk. In his mind, he wanted to bang his head on the wood surface. Howard's voice was in his head, "Gotta start out slow."
Shut up, Howard Stark, Sousa growled mentally but then wondered how the progress on the leg was going.
"I said take it easy!" Howard yelled at Sousa who was walking at a brisk pace on the treadmill, about to break out running.
"But this feels amazing!" Daniel exclaimed joyfully, feeling complete for the first time in almost four years.
He began to lope. Suddenly, the ankle snapped in half, crashing him again to the belt of treadmill, which then expertly flung him off into space.
"You ok, Sousa?" Howard leaned over him holding an ice pack on his forehead.
Daniel's blurry vision cleared, "Yeah. I'm alright. What hit me?"
"The floor. More expertly your ego then the floor." Stark replied, sitting back from the prone Sousa, wrists balanced on his knees.
"My ego." Daniel snorted, "Lost that a long time ago too. With my leg."
"That's a good thing." Stark quipped.
"Whadda' mean, Stark? I'm a wimp?" Sousa commented half-angry, still holding the bag of ice to his head while lying down.
"No. Not at all." Howard responded calmly, "Just that Carter doesn't like jerks. Take that Thompson … oh boy. What I'd like to do to him!"
Sousa closed his eyes as he could feel the egg on his forehead swelling, "For the love of God, keep Carter out of this. And fix that damn ankle. I have a lady to take dancing."
Stark perked up, "Now that's the spirit! Finally appreciating my inventions. 'Bout time. I thought you were just here for the good liquor."
"Yup. All about the booze." Daniel replied as Howard removed the leg.
"Daniel? Is there something you're not telling me?" Carter asked, stopping at his desk in the morning. Daniel tried to hide his face behind a manila folder, but it was too late. She saw the bump on his forehead. "You're not drinking too much are you? Do you need to talk to someone?"
"No. Just… my landlord has a leaky pipe in the stairwell they haven't fixed and yesterday I slipped again going up the stairs. My reflexes must not be what they were." Daniel straight-faced lied hoping she'd buy it.
Peggy gave him an appraising look, "I see."
Suddenly the room swam and Sousa felt his heart pound as he asked, " Peggy… would you like to go to the Stork Club and go dancing with me?"
Carter looked stunned. Her mouth parted to answer but then didn't make a sound. Giving a tight crimson smile, she simply turned and walked away.
Way to go, jerkface, Sousa berated himself wiping his hands down his face, wincing at the tender spot on his forehead, Ego 0, Peggy Carter 1.
"I did it." Daniel said standing up quickly with the new leg and walking a few laps around the workshop. He moved naturally, easily and without pain. He gave a disdainful look at his crutch and old prosthesis.
"You did what?" Howard asked half interested in his answer, half interested in the repaired ankle as Daniel moved.
"I asked her to dance." Sousa replied going through his routine of stretches, leg lifts and balancing exercises Stark made him do each night when he came to the lab.
Howard glanced up at Sousa in the middle of a one legged pose, balancing completely on his new leg. Daniel didn't even tremble with the effort.
"I thought we were leaving Peggy out of this." Howard ventured cautiously with a twinkle of troublemaker in his eye.
Daniel put his leg down and looked at Stark seriously, "She deserves better than me."
"And now you are better. You got a better leg, courtesy of me." Stark smirked holding out his hands as if expecting applause from an audience.
"Right. And now I need your help." Daniel said seriously, approaching Howard.
"Ok. Fine. Now what do you need?" Stark replied, casually sticking his hands in his pockets.
"Dance with me." Sousa held out a hand.
"Whoa! What?" Howard exclaimed, backing up, hands coming out of his pockets, palms up.
"Believe me, Peggy is a helluva lot prettier than you. But it's been over three years since I've danced with anyone. I want to surprise her." Daniel explained trying to hide the hints of disgust on his face.
Howard looked around the room. They had space, just no music. With a resigned expression, he turned back to Sousa, "Ok. Fine." Then he looked at Jarvis, "Get the radio, would ya?"
"Of course, sir." Edwin left the lab to retrieve the radio. Howard thought he heard the suggestion of a laugh in his butlers' voice.
"'Let me lead, dammit." Sousa groused as Howard tried not to kick Daniel in the shins.
"Well, then do a better job at it. Peggy can kick your ass in combat and dancing. She deserves an equal." Howard shot back.
The radio station played Moon Glow by Benny Goodman and Daniel punted his shoes over Starks as he tried to box step his way around the lab. Jarvis attempted not to laugh out loud at the awkwardness of the scene. It was a difficult task for the stiff upper lipped butler.
"How's the leg?" Stark asked once they established a basic rhythm.
Daniel turned Howard out into a spin and then back in, "Not bad. Pretty balanced."
"Then dip me." Stark said.
"Dip you?" Sousa looked at him shocked, arm around Howards' waist and clasping his right hand.
"If the leg is good, dip me. Just don't kiss me." Stark said darkly, "She better appreciate this if you get married someday."
Sousa frowned at him and then at the next beat, dipped Howard. The leg held. With a triumphant smile, Daniel let go of Stark, dropping him to the floor. The inventor hit the floor with a thud and a few choice words.
Maybe he was ready for this after all.
"No new bruises, Agent Sousa?" Peggy asked at the elevator door to go upstairs.
"No. Thanks for asking." Daniel responded and the burning question sat in the back of his brain like a scalding brand. He just couldn't get it out. Like two awkward kids, they rode up the elevator in silence. They parted to each other's respective desks as if there was nothing more between them.
The day crawled by like molasses in January. The phone only rang a few times and most of it was local police details. Sousa just couldn't bring himself to ask Peggy to dance with him at the Stork Club. So he sat, like a wallflower, feeling the old prosthetic chafing his stump and his heart.
Later during a lull in the office conversation, he overheard Thompson's voice behind him talking to Carter. "So, you'd like to grab a drink after work, Maggs?"
His heart crushed into dust as he heard her reply without missing a beat, "I think that would be fun."
"At quittin' time and not a moment later." Jack responded and then the door to his office clicked shut.
Daniel's fists clenched in rage as he watched a dream turn to powder and blow away, just like his leg.
Jarvis looked into his rear view mirror at the despondent agent in the back seat. Sousa had called Stark and asked to be picked up even though the leg was done and at Daniel's home. Edwin had come earlier than normal quitting time, Sousa not wanting to see Carter leave with Thompson. He wasn't sure he could take seeing them without saying something inappropriate. Truth was, he wasn't sure why he called Stark, except he knew he wasn't in the mood to be alone and Howard was always happy to talk… about anything and he had some great liquor.
Taking in a deep breath, Edwin pursed his lips, frowning and wondering if he should get involved with this 'project' of Howard Starks'. It seemed that his boss could only do one thing exceedingly well and that was meddle in other people's affairs.
"If it is of any consolation, I think Ms. Carter has no attraction for Agent Thompson." Edwin offered, his eyebrows peaking over his eyes.
The sad brown eyes of Daniel met his in the rear view mirror, "It's not. Let's leave Carter out of this."
Jarvis felt the urge to nervously pull his ear but instead responded, "You requested to go dancing where Captain Rogers asked her to dance when she was talking him down on the Valkyrie. You do know that?"
Daniel paled in the back seat, swallowing convulsively remembering Peggy's shocked expression. Looking blankly out the window of the car, he whispered, "That would explain… a lot."
"Yes. I think it would." Jarvis responded and drove the rest of the way in silence.
"So how were cocktails with Jack?" Sousa asked mixing the chip on his shoulder with the humility of last night's revelation.
Peggy stood stiffly to the side, bronze doors to the elevator sealed shut. The arrow on the dial indicator above displayed the car was at the top of the building. It would be a while before the elevator came.
"It was fine, thank you." She responded congenially but in a guarded tone, briefly glancing at Daniel then resolutely at the floor indicator above.
Daniel wondered, amazed, just how the hell Brits could always compliment and tear you down at the same time with their turn of phrase.
"Great. Glad you had a great time." Daniel replied, agitated, then blurted out, "Is that a repeat date?"
Peggy lanced him up and down with her chocolate eyes. "Agent Sousa." Her voice a blade of ice, "I'm not sure what you are implying, but after what we both have been through, I'm rather offended at your insinuation."
Daniel dropped his eyes to the floor: two feet and a crutch.
Two feet and both were firmly stuck in his mouth.
"I'll take the stairs." He mumbled and shuffled off to the staircase.
Peggy watched him go, suddenly sorry to see him leave, obviously embarrassed and upset. She argued internally with herself about his intentions and berated herself about if Daniel was just a friend or was interested in something more. And if he was interested, why was she shooting him down?
Jack and she were bonded by war, nothing more. He could tell crass off color jokes that Peggy could laugh at because it reminded her of the Commandos and their bawdry tales. He could hold his whiskey with her. Thompson was the rough and tumble of her life, but Daniel was the gentleman, the light, kind and sympathetic but not patronizing part of her life. You'll be an old woman if you keep chasing all the good ones away, she scolded herself almost hearing Angie's voice in hers.
The elevator chimed and she stepped in, a new resolve in her step.
Sousa came back to his desk from lunch. A note lay neatly on his current stack of work: Daniel Sousa read in print on the envelope. He looked up, glancing around at any hint of who may have put it on his desk.
Sitting, he opened it and saw the script:
The Stork Club
8:00pm sharp
Attire: formal
Peggy
A smile spread itself across his face and a warm feeling filled his chest. He didn't dare to look behind him, but he felt her gaze on his shoulders.
The band was playing some thing loud and up-tempo that could be heard from the street. Daniel stood nervously in his army dress uniform, brown wool neatly pressed, medal hanging neatly upon his chest, shoes shining. Jarvis had done a great job in pressing his clothes.
Howard sent him off with a half salute and a 'break a leg, but not his new one' comment. Daniel actually laughed at that. When was the last time he really did laugh?
It didn't matter, because he felt like he could conquer the world; he was going dancing with Agent Margaret Carter.
The flash of gold caught his attention and he spun to face the radiant beauty that was Peggy approaching from the taxi drop off. He hurried to meet her and an expression of stunned amazement filled her face, "Daniel, where is your crutch?"
A boyish smile reached his lips, "I was Howards project for a few weeks." Then his expression took a turn to be amazed, "You look so … beautiful." His hand brushed hers setting off sparks in both of them. She let him take her hand.
Peggy admired Sousa in his uniform, noting the long set of medals for valor, bravery and service. How can men be so different? The blowhard Thompson and the humble Sousa, she wondered to herself and then felt the familiar flush of attraction spreading through her. How long had it been since she felt that sensation?
Too long she decided, "Come along. I think we have some dancing to catch up on."
"Absolutely." Sousa replied, not taking his eyes off her for one second.
When Daniel dipped Peggy, his lips tenderly meeting hers, he knew she was the one. In the back of his mind, he thanked Howard Stark for 'helping him with that.'