So here is my attempt for a long Cartson fic. Odds are it's gonna get a little painful at some points, but I do promise a happy ending. The idea for this came out of a prompt on Tumblr from anniegotyourgun for this as a little Cartson ficlet with the request for angst. It got me thinking, and now we're here.
I dedicate this story to all of us living in the Cartson trash can. Or dumpster. Whatever you prefer.
1
"Is that the first phrase that you've learned?" Peggy asked as they continued walking down the street.
"Learned it on the plane over," Jack replied with a nod. He peered over his shoulder. The soldier who had stopped them was now back at his post. "Looks like it worked."
"Well, what did you say?"
"I am on my way to an urgent meeting." Jack grinned. "And that's not very far off, considering that we are on our way to the rendezvous point to meet up with the agent here."
Peggy chuckled, shaking her head. Jack smiled to himself as they crossed the street, thinking about how lucky and happy he had been over the past six months.
Getting promoted to chief of the SSR office in New York after Dooley's death had been nice for the first few days. But then the guilt of accepting credit that didn't belong to him started to eat away at him, especially since it was rightfully Peggy's. He finally couldn't take it anymore and decided to do the right thing. He called Washington to set the record straight, and to hopefully get Peggy promoted to her rightful place as chief of the SSR. While the boys in Washington did correct the placement of credit, they refused to make any action of recognizing her or even promoting her.
It was then that Jack decided to take matters into his own hands. He managed to get Peggy promoted to co-chief with him, splitting the work. Things went well, until he got drunk off his ass one night with Peggy, Sousa, and a group of agents. That was the night that he spilled the beans to Peggy that he loved her. Next morning, he woke up on his couch with Peggy sleeping against it, as though she was guarding him. When she awoke, she let him know the feelings he had for her were mutual. From there, they slowly began to transition into a relationship.
Their new situation as a couple was anything but a secret from the SSR. Sousa was probably the first one to know since he and Peggy were close friends. Everyone else found out naturally over time. It was hard not to see the connection between the two of them. She had made him become a better person, more open and understanding. He loved her for that, and for so much more. She was brave, strong, and amazing. There wasn't anyone else quite like her.
"Well, let's hope this goes well," he sighed as he spotted the meeting point in the distance.
"Yes, I have seen them," The soldier spoke in Russian into the phone. "Agent Peggy Carter and Agent Jack Thompson. He said they were on their way to an urgent meeting. They've fallen for the trap."
"Excellent," the man on the other end responded. "We will be have Agent Carter shortly."
"I'm only asking for more funding from you," their contact said, placing his fingertips against each other as he leaned forward. "The government here is tightening down. I need more money if you want me to get you information."
Jack narrowed his eyes. They'd come all this way to get intel, not demands for money. Peggy was pursing her lips, glaring at the man across the table. He could tell that she was thinking their situation through. Finally, she leaned forward.
"If you're trying to bully us, then I'll have you know that we can easily let you go," Peggy told him firmly. "There are other contacts we can met with to gain information, ones who are not general low-lives like yourself."
Their contact's lip curled with disgust. "No money, no information."
"Then you can forget about it," Peggy replied icily.
Jack watched the man sigh and reach down for his briefcase. "Will you at least let me show you something that might change your mind?"
"I doubt that," Jack muttered, crossing his arms.
Something was beginning to feel very off about this meeting. The briefcase the man was now setting on the table was facing toward him, but the hinges on it looked odd. It was as though they were connected to something. As the snaps were flipped, Jack heard a hissing sound. White gas began to pour out of the hinges a second later.
"Get down!" he shouted as the white gas began to get thicker and thicker. Jack began to cough. His eyes were starting to water, and he fell to his knees. He could barely see Peggy, but he could make out her coughing. "Peggy!"
"Jack!"
She started crawling toward her. Suddenly, a figure wearing a gas mask appeared out of the smoke and hands reached out and pulled her up. Jack watched as a cloth came over her face and she struggled for a few moments before going limp as he continued to cough. Then she and the person wearing the gas mask disappeared into the smoke again.
Jack started to crawl in the direction that they'd disappeared in. Eventually, he caught sight of the handle of the door and opened it. Climbing to his feet, he found himself outside in the street again. Looking around wildly, he saw a group of men, one of whom had a gas mask on his head, loading a stretcher into an army truck. Between the men, Jack could see a hint of the dark burgundy of Peggy's coat and broke out into a run towards the vehicle. "Hey!"
Something heavy slammed into the back of his head, and Jack went sprawling forward. Everything suddenly started to go hazy, and he could feel himself losing consciousness. The engine of the army truck started up. Jack turned his head weakly.
"No," he murmured as the world dissolved into blackness.
Ta-da! Next chapter will show the aftermath of this.
Please leave a review behind, and tell me your thoughts. I'd really like to hear what people think. Plus, reviews fuel the muse. But so does music.