A/N: This was supposed to be a drabble for flareonfury's prompt "A little girl is the only witness in a case... but she only wants to talk to Jack." but I never managed to get it right until I forgot about drabble and just wrote. I should add that I never expected to get fairy tale references into this either.
The situation is anything but funny and Peggy tries to keep a straight face but the corner of her mouth twitches anyway as she listens to Jack and 7-year-old Lilli Porter talking about what the little girl remembers from her time in the hands of her kidnappers, the story a mix of facts (the abduction, the goons and that almost suffocating fear) and metaphors (a dark tower, an evil witch and a dragon).
Lilli's calm as she recalls the nightmare she went through, her voice only wavering from time to time, and Peggy knows that accomplishment is to be accredited to Jack. He was the one who found her in the basement, the one who coaxed the terrified girl out of her hiding place with gentle and assuring words, the one Lilli clung to all the way from the scene back to SSR where her parents were waiting, and the only one she feels comfortable talking to.
Jack and the other men had been surprised by it, they'd assumed the little girl would rather talk to Peggy, and as much as that assumption had annoyed her, Peggy hadn't been able to disregard the reasoning behind it. Usually girls opened up to woman more easily but not in this case, and as more and more of the events were revealed, it became clear why Lilli preferred Jack. It seems that the 'evil witch' had scared Lilli so badly she needed some time before she would consider trusting another woman again. Dottie Underwood had done her job well.
A strangled sound pulls Peggy back to the present, and this time she can't help but let escape a quiet laugh as Jack starts to blush when Lilli insists that he is the 'knight in shining armour' who saved her from the dragon, just like in a fairy tale. He looks up and Peggy has the good sense to look apologetic but Jack isn't fooled at all.
"Carter, something you have to say?" He asks, raising one eyebrow, and at his words, Lilli turns her head as well, her expression guarded and anxious.
"No, no, Jack." Peggy shakes her head, smiling reassuringly at the girl and for the first time, there's a ghost of an answering smile on Lilli's lips. "You're doing just fine, Prince Charming." She can't help but tease him and even though he shoots her an exasperated look, there's a smirk lurking around the corners of his mouth.
"Let me guess," he says, settling back in his chair and giving her a slow once over. "You're the kind of princess who doesn't wait for the knight to rescue her."
She laughs again, amused rather than put out at his presumption. "Why wait when you can do it yourself?"
"Can a princess do that?" Lilli pipes up, sounding surprised, looking from Jack to Peggy and back again, and there's a sharp sting in Peggy's chest as Lilli's words remind her that young girls are still taught those bloody stereotypes, still taught to look to the man to come to their aid instead of pulling themselves out of the water. They have to learn to think for themselves, and Peggy's about to say as much to Lilli when Jack sits up straight all of the sudden, catching their attention.
"Don't ever let others tell you what you can do and what not." There's a strange tone in his voice, one that he so rarely gets and that Peggy can't quite identify, and then it doesn't matter anyway because his words finally sink in and they take her by surprise. Her lips part, her breath catching in her throat as their eyes meet and something flickers behind his that sends a shiver down her spine.
"Sometimes it's not the knight who's the hero," Jack says, never taking his eyes off her and Peggy can't look away either, and somehow it feels like he's no longer just talking to Lilli. "Sometimes, the princess slays the dragon herself and then goes and saves the knight."
"Why does the knight needs to be saved?" Lilli asks, her small face screwed up in confusion, and it breaks the spell they're under, Jack turns back to the girl and Peggy feels like she can breathe again.
"See, sweetheart," he says, giving Lilli a crooked little smile. "The knight is trapped in a magical labyrinth and can't find his way out. If it weren't for the princess, the knight would be lost forever, but she is the one who fearlessly fights her way past trolls and giants and evil witches to reach the knight and leads him out of the darkness back to the light of day, and shows him that she's just as brave as he is." For a second, Jack glances over at Peggy again. "She's his hero, and even if the rest of the world doesn't see it that way, the knight does. He finally does."
His words strike a chord inside her and it's then that Peggy makes the connection between the tone in his voice from before and his words, sees them for what they are – admiration and recognition wrapped in a veiled apology (typically Jack) – and she ducks her head to cover the sudden skip of her heart.
"You met such a princess?" Lilli's voice is almost giddy with excitement and Jack grins conspiratorially at her as he nods towards Peggy. "Agent Carter over there."
Peggy has only a split second to glare half-heartedly at Jack before Lilli's attention is fixed on her, the girl's eyes wide as she stares at Peggy, childish curiosity overruling any reservation she's left. "You have slain a dragon?" Lilli whispers, almost reverently, doesn't even question if Peggy is a princess or not but moves right past that to the more important part, and Peggy has to bite back a smile.
"No, darling, I haven't slain a dragon," Peggy says as she moves away from the doorway and pulls out the chair next to Jack's. When she hears Jack stifling a laugh, she shoots him a sidelong look and adds, "at least not yet", and feels a little bit too pleased when he almost chokes on his laugh. Ignoring Jack's struggle, Peggy sits down and leans forward and Lilli mirrors her action without hesitation.
"Do you remember the women who was there? The one you said pretended to be nice but wasn't?" Peggy asks, and Lilli trembles again, a hint of fear back in her eyes, and Peggy wishes Dottie hadn't been able to escape again.
"The evil witch?"
"Yes, the evil witch," Peggy agrees. "I fought her once before, it wasn't easy but it was something I had to do, and I will do it again if the need arises. One day I might even be able to defeat her for good."
Lilli watches her with bright eyes and Peggy can see her young mind spinning and she knows what's coming next even before Lilli has voiced her question.
"Why?"
Peggy can sense Jack looking at her but she doesn't dare meet his gaze, instead concentrates on Lilli's eyes and the spark in them. "Because in here," Peggy says, letting one hand rest on her chest. "There lays power, power to change the world, to do good and fight evil, to try and make the world a better place. Everyone has it, it doesn't matter if you're a girl or a boy, you just have to hold onto it and let it grow."
She can see the moment her words take root in Lilli and she isn't the only one. Jack sees it too, shifts next to her and reaches out to take Lilli's wrist, gentle squeezing it. "She is right, Lilli. Never give up, even if some days you think you can't do it, even if people say you can't do it, you can. You're strong and one day you will slay your own dragon."
The little girl nods seriously, determination shining from her eyes, and Peggy hopes with all her heart the spark will have time to turn into a blazing fire and not be extinguished beforehand. Hoping is all she can do, she thinks as she gets up to bid Lilli goodbye and watches Jack escort the girl to the door and release her into the care of her parents. The world isn't ready for them yet, isn't ready for young girls like Lilli or grown woman like herself, but as she studies Jack, standing with his back against the doorframe, Peggy feels like she's no longer alone in this at least.
"The princess saved the knight?" She asks once the Porter's footsteps have faded, her expression softening, and Jack gives her a small smile in return, one that's rueful around the edges. "It's the truth."
He exhales and pushes away from the doorframe, shoving his hands into his pockets as he steps towards her. "You did save me, Carter, in more ways than one." His voice is low, quiet, and a fluttery feeling starts in her chest as he takes another step closer. "I was stupid and arrogant and didn't want to accept that you're just as capable as any other agent, a better agent than any of us. As me." He closes his eyes for a second, and when he opens them again, they're dark and intense. "But now I do."
Pulling one hand from his pocket, Jack reaches up, brushing the tips of his fingers gently along the bruise on her cheek, and she shivers. "Now the knight would do anything for the princess, would follow her wherever she goes, would even give his life for her."
His words hit her hard and Peggy draws in an unsteady breath as a maelstrom of emotions rushes through her. Her response dies in her throat as he slides his hand to the back of her head, his palm warm against her neck, and tips his head forward, his breath ghosting over her skin.
It's not really a kiss but more a whisper of a touch, and yet it leaves her breathless and trembling. There's something wistful in his expression when Jack draws back and Peggy feels her heart twist.
"Jack..." she starts but he stops her with a small shake of his head, his hand dropping to his side as he steps away, a half-hearted smile on his face, and a flash of panic slices through her as Peggy realizes what he thinks.
Jack's not Steve, and before she would have never chosen someone like him, but things have changed, Jack has changed, and while part of her heart will forever belong to Steve, Jack has somehow managed to slip past her defenses and carved a little corner for himself in her heart with his words and touches without her noticing.
Moving forward, she reaches out and he stops the moment her fingers close around his forearm, a shudder passing over his face. Peggy closes the distance between them and he goes still, barely breathes as she rises up on her tiptoes and presses a feather-like kiss to his cheek.
"All the princess needs is for the knight to be at her side and help her slay the dragon," she says softly as she pulls back, holding his gaze, hoping he understands what she's trying to say, and finally, after what feels like an eternity, the muscles in his arms flex under her hand and his posture relaxes.
"Then let's do exactly that, Carter."
He doesn't leave her side, stays close, their arms brushing occasionally as they return to the office and review what they've learned through Lilli and the evidence they've found at the house, and to Peggy it feels as if a missing piece has finally found its right place.
The dragon won't stand a chance against them.
- END -