Everyone was too busy congratulating Daniel and Violet, so nobody saw Peggy leave. They had solved the case two days earlier, right in time for Daniel to make his dinner date. He finally proposed to his girlfriend. Violet and he had invited everyone they knew over to celebrate their engagement. Peggy had waited an hour before sneaking into Daniel's office and calling a cab. She kept one eye on the party and one eye on the street. When she saw the cab pull up to the kerb, she made her move while Violet once again showed off the beautiful diamond ring Daniel had gotten her.
Packing didn't take long. She made sure to leave the Jarvises a letter to thank them for their hospitality, even if it technically was Howard's house. She told the driver to take her to the airport and then relaxed in the backseat. She closed her eyes. She hadn't noticed it before, but she was exhausted. The case had taken more out of her than she had realised. She sighed as she remembered that her work wasn't done yet. Dottie Underwood had once again managed to escape, and Peggy was determined to once again find her and bring her in. She wondered if she would even get the chance to do that. She had no idea who would be replacing Jack Thompson as chief now that he was gone.
Peggy slept on the plane. When the stewardess woke her up to tell her they were about to land, she needed a second to remember where she was. She tried to stretch, but her aching muscles protested. She sighed and thought about the wonderful bed that was waiting for her at home. Somehow, home still seemed as far away as it had back in Los Angeles. As she waited for her suitcase to arrive at baggage claim, Peggy planned the rest of her weekend. She would take a long bath the minute she got home, have some food, and then spend every minute in bed until Monday morning, when she had to go into the office.
She silently willed her driver to floor it all the way to the house. The closer to home she got, the more impatient she became. At long last the cab pulled into her street. Peggy paid the driver and got her suitcase out of the trunk. She waited for the cab to drive away before going up the steps to the front door. She kicked off her shoes the second the door closed behind her. She let herself fall back against the wood and breathed in deep. Home.
"There you are! Thank god your Mr. Jarvis called or I wouldn't have known you were on your way back."
Peggy looked up. "Hi, Angie."
"Hi, English. You had a nice holiday? Did you see a lot of movie stars?" she asked as she dried her hands on a kitchen towel.
"Angie, you know I had to leave for a case."
"Oh, I know. You said as much in the note you left me." She didn't quite manage to keep the hurt out of her voice.
"I'm sorry. I told you, Thompson sprung this on me and I had to go." Peggy moved closer, ignoring her rumbling stomach.
"Right. You had to go help Daniel."
"I had to go solve a case with Daniel, yes." Peggy paused. "He got engaged."
"Really?" Angie sounded surprised.
Peggy grabbed one of Angie's hands. "A lovely nurse called Violet. She's perfect for him."
"Good. I'm happy for him."
They looked at each other for a moment or two, only silence between them. Angie smiled and pointed towards the kitchen.
"I can heat up some leftovers, if you're hungry."
Peggy pulled her in the direction of the stairs. "Food can wait. I'm in the mood for something else first." She winked before sprinting upstairs. Angie was right behind her.
Peggy lay in bed, panting. She was almost convinced her bones had somehow disappeared after Angie had made her come the second time.
"You up for round three?"
Peggy looked at Angie, who was teasingly running her fingers up and down Peggy's arm. She grinned. "I may need a few minutes."
Angie looked entirely too proud of herself. "Maybe you'll think twice about leaving me behind next time," she said smugly. Her fingers abandoned Peggy's arm as she moved to her side of the bed.
"I really am sorry about that," Peggy said. She turned onto her side and scooted closer to Angie. "So very sorry." She pressed a kiss against Angie's shoulder. "Sorry." A kiss against her collarbone. "Sorry." The top of her breast.
"Don't you dare say sorry when you've got your head between my thighs, English."
Peggy smirked. "No, ma'am."
As she was making breakfast the next day, Angie threw out the leftovers. They never did get around to eating those.