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Chapter 2

By the time they arrived, Peggy once again felt grateful that Angie had taken her advice and went to the Central Park concert without her. It would have been incredibly awkward to be seen carrying a man, much less a drunken man into their home. After the whole fiasco with the Griffith Hotel, Daniel Sousa might not be welcomed. He did inadvertently get them thrown out.

But that didn't matter now. Regardless of what her friend might think Peggy still knew she was doing the right thing. The farther away from Central Park they were, the more Daniel seemed to calm down. The fireworks were barely audible here and she found herself feeling calmer as well.

Turning on the lights, Peggy laid Daniel on the couch and went to look for some sort of blanket. There wasn't much selection. Looking in the closets, Peggy frowned as she went through costume after costume. There were doctor outfits, nurse outfits, teacher outfits and even one that looked like a Tarzan loincloth! Shuddering, she tossed that aside and looked at the upper shelves.

"Just for once can there be something in here that's practical?" Peggy muttered irritably.

Finally she found an old quilt and pillow. They may have been put there as an afterthought but Peggy still felt grateful for this small blessing. Bringing them to Daniel, he seemed very tired but more alert then before. Sitting on the couch he accepted the quilt and pillow gratefully. As he made himself comfortable, he looked at her with adoration in his eyes. "I don't know what to say Peggy," He began "but thanks. I don't deserve any of this. I should have been left on the street."

"Don't talk nonsense!" Peggy said sternly. "I'm just glad you're okay. I was so worried; I've never seen you this drunk before. Why would you let yourself get this way? It's not like you! What if I hadn't been there? What if you were thrown out and unable to find your way home?"

"I don't know…" Daniel sighed. He wrapped the quilt around him. "It must have been the fireworks. People let them off near my apartment and every single year I can hear them. The loud booming noise, the shaking of my building, it gives me nightmares. I keep on thinking about my time in the war and when I lost my leg. I think about the grenade that took it off and how other bombs killed my friends. It makes me feel sick. I don't want to think about it at all."

"And that's why you were at the Automat getting drunk." Peggy supplied helpfully.

Daniel nodded, curling up on the couch in an almost fetal position. "I just don't want to think, so I thought that drinking will help the memories go away but they only got worse. Peggy, is it bad that I hate Independence Day because of the fireworks? Is it unpatriotic of me, to feel this way?"

"No," Peggy said bluntly "Not at all. You are a war veteran. You are not the first to be affected by the fireworks and you will not be the last. People who never saw battle have the luxury of enjoying the celebrations; it does not even occur to them that we are bothered by the fireworks."

"We?" Daniel asked softly, "Do you have nightmares too?"

Peggy nodded, "Now and then the nightmares return but I also dream about things that make me very sad. The Fourth of July happens to be Steve's birthday too and I often remember the last time I saw him. Sometimes I wonder what would have happened if he didn't…if he didn't…"

She trailed off but Daniel understood. His big brown eyes were watching her sadly and he reached out and took her hand. Peggy realized she was crying. Embarrassed, she wiped them away. "What a sorry lot we are!" She said with a laugh, "This is supposed to be a fun day too."

"It could be worse." Daniel supplied. "At least we are not alone. Thanks again for helping me."

Peggy got up and shrugged. "Well I…I wouldn't be much of an agent if I let you pass out in a ditch somewhere! I knew you needed me. Besides, the Penthouse is a good place to be if you don't like fireworks. It's surprisingly peaceful. I suppose Howard likes to keep his rendezvouses here and out of the public eye. According to Mr. Jarvis, few people know about this little place."

"He thinks this is a little place?" Daniel said in surprise. He made a face of complete disbelief.

"Mr. Jarvis' words, not mine." Peggy explained. "But don't worry. I live here now and Howard wouldn't think to bring one of his girls here! It's not for nothing but at least he has some integrity on my privacy. Howard owes me that much anyway!"

The man sighed. "Well, that's good. I suppose it would be awkward to explain things. I can barely string these words together. I feel so tired and my head is killing me. I'm glad you're here Peggy. You are such a beautiful woman, so smart and kind…that's why I like you so much."

It may have been the way he was looking at her but Peggy felt herself blushing from his praises.

This burst of happiness, the way her heart was hammering wildly in her chest; it gave her a sense of wonder at this feeling. What had she done to inspire such affection from him? It was making her feel rather…girly. Angie would be absolutely thrilled. Peggy briefly wondered why she even cared so much about Daniel's good opinion. He was just a coworker.

But deep down, Peggy knew Daniel was more than that. He was a good friend and a brilliant agent. Any woman would be lucky to know him but then again…would another woman go to such lengths to help a male coworker out? Perhaps but few would take them home in the middle of the night. There was always that pesky matter of a woman's reputation. It was unseemly for an unmarried woman to be left alone with a man but Peggy simply did not care. Let them gossip.

She was not a child; she could very well take care of herself.

Quiet snoring broke her out of her thoughts and Peggy noticed that Daniel had fallen asleep on the couch. Compared to a few hours earlier, he now looked positively content. It was kind of sweet actually. Smiling softly, Peggy carefully tucked in the quilt around him and went to sit on the nearby armchair. The more she watched him, the more she realized she did not want to leave.

Retrieving the book she was reading earlier, Peggy opened it up to page 124. This time when she got to the part where Nigel was meeting up with Evelyn for the first time, Peggy didn't scoff, she actually found herself getting into the story better. Sinking down into the cushy armchair, she got a little more comfortable and started to slowly fall asleep to the sound of Daniel's quiet snoring.

Hours passed by as the night went on. It wasn't until there was a loud "psst!" noise that Peggy Carter woke up and found herself staring at Angie and saw her friend looking both very alarmed and impressed. "Angie? What's going on?" she asked, yawning as she sat up in the armchair.

"What's going on? You tell me English! Why is there a man sleeping on the couch?" The young waitress was gesturing to Daniel's sleeping form. Then she gave a second take. "Wait a minute…isn't he that drunken man from the Automat? I thought you were helping him get home, not taking him to our place! And to think...tell me English, is that why you wanted to be alone?"

Peggy got up and shook her head. "No! No of course not! I mean yes, he was that drunken man from the Automat but he's also my coworker and friend. That's Daniel Sousa. He couldn't remember where his home was and I couldn't very well just leave him sitting on the sidewalk!"

Angie looked at her skeptically. "So wanting to be all alone tonight was just a coincidence?"

Feeling very flustered, Peggy ran her hand through her hair and glanced at Daniel, hoping and praying that he was not hearing any of this. "Do you think I planned this? I just, I didn't realize that…well…Daniel…he needed me Angie! He was having a rough time of it. Believe me, nothing happened! We were talking for a bit and then he fell asleep. It was completely platonic!"

Breaking into a fit of giggles, Angie's stern look evaporated instantly. "Hahaha… oh you should have seen your face English! Now I know you're not that type of girl! You just look so guilty!"

Shushing her friend quickly, Peggy gestured to Daniel's sleeping form and the girls left the living room and entered the kitchen to talk more discretely. Angie just kept on giggling to herself and shaking her head. "What I think is the most funny," Her friend continued merrily. "Is that you are obviously carrying a torch for this man but you are too stubborn to admit it to yourself."

"Anybody could have helped him." Peggy sniffed. "I just was at the right place at the right time."

"Uh-huh, keep telling yourself that." Angie sighed. "But you still didn't deny my claim! Look English, there's nothing wrong with having a crush on someone. I saw the way you looked at him. Only somebody who had a crush would look that guilty. Just be careful okay? I don't want you to get hurt. I know that you still think about your old fella sometimes…what was his name?"

"His name doesn't matter." Peggy said softly. "I get it. Believe me; I've been through the worst."

Angie gave Peggy a gentle hug. "Don't worry; he would be stupid not to return your feelings."

Looking towards the living room, Peggy Carter gave a long and thoughtful look. "Do you know what? I think he already does. I'm just…not really good at that kind of thing. I mean, where do I even begin? I'm absolutely rubbish at dealing with feelings and I've already mucked it up once!"

"Well, do you know what they always say in the acting business?" Angie said with a cheerful smile. "If you don't first succeed, try, try again!"