Notes: Unintentional sequel to Interludes because Shepweir-always asked Can you please do a follow up or AU where they end of happily together? As with that fic there are no spoilers for the show. I don't normally write for requests, this is very much a one off in that respect, simply because I have a huge list of fic to work on as it is and recently put up over 150 unused/unwanted prompts for anyone to use (here). Partly inspired by The Way You Watch Me by The Saturdays. Any mistakes are my own and unintentional.
In the weeks that had passed since Peggy and Jack's clandestine relationship became common knowledge, everyone in the office knew not to ask them about it because they were still separated and wallowing in their respective miseries, barely acknowledging the other unless they were forced to work together.
Rose stood in front of Daniel's desk observing the warring duo. "We need an intervention," she quietly remarked.
"Hmm?" was the only reply Daniel could offer with a pencil between his teeth.
"With Peggy and Jack," she said with a little more urgency. "They're miserable and everyone is walking on eggshells around them.
"How are we going to do that?" Daniel asked "They're too smart to…." he paused momentarily before looking down at the two case folders Rose had placed on his desk.
Realising what she had in mind to reunite the warring duo, he whispered, "So your plan is to give them this fake case, an interrogation and lock them in until they kiss and make up?"
Rose smiled at him. "Exactly." She worried her lip for a brief second. "I hope she's wearing normal lipstick today."
Daniel chuckled at the comment, having heard how potent Sweet Dreams was from a variety of reliable sources. Although he liked Peggy as a friend, he was grateful that he had never been on her radar as a potential boyfriend.
Waiting a few minutes for Peggy and Jake to leave the bullpen, Daniel and Rose followed after them to give them the doctored documents. Once the files had been handed over they went to the observation area to see if the plan was working.
When Peggy finally entered the room, the left their posts to lock them in until they had buried the hatchet or each other given the mood of the office when they both around.
Upon entering the interrogation room, "So Mr," Peggy looked up from the file Daniel had handed her earlier in the day, pausing when she saw Jack leaning against the wall, hands in his pockets. "Jack!"
"Marge, what are you..?" he stopped talking as she turned to leave.
They heard the key scrape and twist inside the lock. "Oh fu..!" Peggy angrily slammed her hand against the door, turning the knob several times.
Jack asked, "What is it?" quickly crossing the room. He also tried the handle to no avail. "Crafty bastards," he muttered before going back to the wall, resuming his on alert pose knowing that there was nothing that they could do but wait it out.
"They've locked us in, Jack." She let out an exasperated laugh, knowing that should have been disappointed, maybe even angry at being locked in the same room as her ex, yet she couldn't help but be pleased at the now obvious ploy Rose and Daniel had managed to pull off with relative ease.
For several long minutes they stood in silence both unsure of what to say to one another or how close they should be to speak. Jack sighed softly deciding to take the lead and break the tension. "How's things?" he asked, inwardly cringing how bad his well honed small talk had become over the last few weeks, which he silently convinced himself that it was a direct effect of no longer being with Peggy.
Peggy shrugged. "Fine,"she lied and it was easier to do because she was hurting. Taking a moment to casually observe him, taking in all of the things she had previously committed to memory she realised that she had to ask him, "What about us?" while attempting to deflate the elephant in the room.
Jack kept his expression neutral on purpose while he mulled over his answers. He wanted her and he wanted what they had before but he also needed any decision about their relationship to be mutual.
"Jack," she said before sitting on the table, kicking her shoes to the ground to give her aching feet a break.
He released a shaky breath before calmly replying, "What we had was good and I want that back," he had moved away from the wall and was standing closer to her. "I also have to know if you want the same things that I do otherwise it isn't worth it, Peg."
Peggy nodded. "Want you. Want us," she said mirroring the words he said to her when he was in hospital after the botched warehouse sting. She lowered her gaze for a split second before continuing. "It's not that I don't want people to know about us Jack, I do." Lord, why was this so hard? she thought. "What we have is worth it."
Jack had an inclination to the direction she was taking the conversation. "You're worried that something bad could happen to me again. It won't."
Noticing that Jack was now standing between her legs, his hands were braced at her sides she let out a small cough. "Everyone I have let close to me and that I have loved, has either left me or died. I can't risk that kind of loss again, Jack."
Moving closer to her, Jack drew her into his embrace silently reassuring her that he wasn't going anywhere and would always be there for her. He gently kissed the top of her head. "I've made my decision," he whispered, "It's up to you, Marge."
Slightly pulling away, Peggy smiled at him for the first time since the morning of the stakeout. "Me too," she stated bringing his lips to hers for a kiss.
They were too lost in the moment to pay attention to their surroundings, when a smug sounding cough broke them from their reverie. "Good to see you've made up," Daniel said, "Get outta here."
Neither needed to be told twice. They left the room, quickly grabbing their belongings and exiting the office for the rest of the day.
It had been three years since the intervention with everything falling into place for them and their friends. She was now in charge of SHIELD and married Jack just days after getting back together, they had a two year old son. Daniel had decided to move to LA and married a nurse. Rose divided her time between New York and LA.
Peggy couldn't help the nostalgic smile that graced her lips as she buttered her toast, carefully adding a small drop of milk to her tea before going back to bed for another hour or so. It was one of the perks of being the boss, not that she'd admit that out loud.
Upon returning to the bedroom, she carefully placed her plate and cup on the night stand before reaching out to tickle the back of Jack's knees. He hated being tickled there, that was why she did it when he slept later than she did.
Jack sleepily retaliated by stretching out for a piece of toast and placing it between his teeth before pulling her on top of him. "You're a doll, I'm starving," he mocked in-between chewing the food.
Peggy slapped his chest before biting the small portion that was still hanging out of his mouth. "That was mine," she said against his lips."
Undoing the button on the dirty work shirt she borrowed, he pushed it of off her shoulders carefully positioning himself between her legs. "How long have we got?"
Trailing kisses along his jaw and neck. "A couple of hours," she said hopefully.
Jack kissed the surgical scars on her stomach for a few moments until he heard his son shouting that he was home. He stifled a laugh as Peggy groaned at the interruption. "We'll finish this later," he told her.
"Angie and her timing."
Jack laughed as Mikey ran into the room and jumped on the bed, crawling in-between his parents. "Auntie Angie outside," he said.
Trying not to roll her eyes, Peggy shouted, "Come in darling, we're decent."
Hearing the strangled laugh coming from beside her, Peggy glared at Jack. "Keep it up sweetheart and you'll be getting none later."
Angie opened the door ajar. "Sorry for the hour Peg, I got an audition in an hour. The director is a real so and so when it comes to kids."
"Thanks for looking after him last night," Jack said."
"Any time Jackass, the kids an angel."
Peggy and Jack glanced at Mikey and wondered why that line was never true.
"Break a leg, Darling," Peggy said.
Once Angie left, the three of them snuggled under the duvet enjoying the rarity of these moments.