Chapter 6 Bridging the Gaps
Sorry for the delay. Real life got in the way—work hell, family surgery and a family friend's passing. But…
Elated!: There's going to be a Season 2 of Agent Carter! Yay!
Totally deflated!: Setting change to L.A. won't likely include the relationship they began establishing in Season 1, i.e. Daniel. This broke my heart, increasing the time it took me to even want to get back into writing this as a result, because the plausibility was now compromised. I like stories that deal with realism of relationships established. Now, this story's viability is in question. But, I finally decided to charge on and finish it.
Well…here goes.
oOo
Daniel made a whistling sound to himself as he eyed the spacious living room in Howard Stark's home. He was suddenly uncomfortable. If this was what Peg was used to, he couldn't deliver style like this. What saved his sanity was the recall that Peggy had lived at the Griffith. There was quite the disparity here. Something in between, he could manage easily—if it ever came to that. Something in between, he could be comfortable in. Not this. Certainly, not this.
Angie Martinelli eyed him from the hall that he assumed led to the bedrooms.
"Hello, Mr. Sousa. We meet again," she said without any particular emotion. But Daniel was sure there was a hint of measurement in her voice.
"Hello, Miss Martinelli. How are you this fine day?" he said rather cheerfully. Nothing was going to get him down. Not after the night he'd had with Peggy that was extending nicely into the day.
"I'm fine. Thank you," she said flatly. She approached the stairs to the lower level sitting room, descended with purpose and stood, arm crossed—expectantly.
Warning signals went up in Daniel's head. He has offended this girl and that wouldn't do considering she was Peg's best friend. He found her amusing, fun, and a breath of fresh air—something he assumed drew Peg to her too. There was a quick mind to her as well, despite her youth and outward appearance of superficiality at times. He often wondered how much she took in of people's behaviours. An actress after all, must have something to base the creation of their characters on.
"Uhhh, something wrong?"
"I don't really beat around the bush, so I'll say it straight out. Don't hurt her," she said pointedly. "She's been through lots. Lost a special fellow in the war. She might be vulnerable. Don't take advantage. She didn't come home last night," she said harshly. She approached him and stuck an accusing finger in his chest that made repeated angry darts in the same place as she admonished. "You better treat her right and not drag her reputation through the mud."
Daniel slowly let the serious look on his face be replaced with a disarming smile. She was protecting her friend from a possible leach. Yet she didn't say it out straight. "You don't have anything to worry about."
Still getting quite the skeptical eye from Angie, he continued. "Her reputation is still quite safe, as far as I'm concerned. We talked 'til the wee hours of the morning. Nothing inappropriate happened. We had an interesting day at work. We all went out for drinks afterwards to…relax." He shrugged lightly. "Peg and I got to talking. We shared a bottle of wine while swapping war stories, politics, lots of stuff. We got to know each other. And it was nice, really nice. Do you have a bible? Want me to swear on it?"
At that Angie Martinelli's straight face broke and she burst out laughing, unable to contain her imitation of her former landlord. She waved off the suggestion. "Ok, Danny boy! I believe you. As long as English is happy."
"That's my goal too," he replied. He looked around at the opulent room of the Stark mansion. "Enjoying your stay?"
"Oh, my, yes! It's swell, isn't it? Too bad it won't be for long, just until we can find something that's practical and affordable and in a safe area. It really is very nice of Mr. Stark to let us stay here while we do."
"Yes, Peg told me. The least he could do, considering he's part of the reason you both lost your place at The Griffith."
"Hmmm. It's not the biggest hardship in the world—a little far out, but I'll make do if I have to," she said with a mock tone of inconvenience. "I'm excited to stay the summer, actually—the pool is really quite nice, I have to admit, and Jarvis had it ready last week. It's not even June and look at this weather!"
"Hello, you two! I see you're keeping my beau company," Peg said from the entrance to the hallway toward her bedroom. She was wearing a flowing floral knee length skirt with blue background and white short sleeved blouse and low wedge shoes. Her hair was down, but held back off her face with combs on either side of her head. She advanced down the stairs towards Daniel; their hands immediately entwining as they stood together talking with Angie.
"Yup! Checking to see that he's good enough for you, Peg," Angie said.
Peg made an assessing gesture with her head. "He's the dog eared pages of my book." Peg smiled cheekily. "Ones worthy to come back to."
Daniel smiled. "Hmm. The penny in your loafer," he supplied with a wink, preferring to be a constant than a "return to" in her metaphor.
"Or, perhaps he's the fly in my vichyssoise," Peg countered.
Daniel scowled briefly, taking up the challenge. "And you're the ring around my collar," he came back with quickly, turning the game on her.
"Ah! The noose around my neck!" Peg matched and raised the ante.
"Ohhh. Good one!" he laughed. "I'm drawing a blank."
"Thank you, sir!" Peg said as she wet her finger and drew another point in the air.
"I still have a goose egg," he whispered sheepishly to Angie referring to his zero on their mischievous scoreboard. "I have to up my game," he said without offence.
"No, no. Your game is just fine where it is…because I'm in the lead and like to keep it that way!" Peg declared triumphantly. Daniel laughed.
Angie watched the speedy interplay between them and couldn't help but laugh. "Ok! You two are well suited to each other," she said almost exasperated and rolled her eyes. "So, you've barely been home an hour. Where are you off to now?"
"A Yankees game!" Daniel answered with enthusiasm.
"Yes. I'm going to learn all about American baseball. I'm actually looking quite forward to it. What are you up to today?"
"Actually, reading a book by the pool after reading the rental ads. Anyway, sounds like fun. Enjoy," Angie replied, smiling and genuinely happy for her friend.
"Well, I'm going to find out. Company couldn't be better," she quipped.
"I was thinking the same thing. We better get going. We'll drive to the station and take a subway in."
"Sounds like a plan to me. I'll see you later, Angie. Don't wait up." Peg went over to hug her friend. "I might stay in town tonight," she whispered. "We'll see."
Angie smiled her happiness for her friend. She had never seen Peg in such good spirits.
oOo
Daniel's pace quickened as they neared the venue of his heart, Yankee Stadium. He was especially keen to share this with Peg, with an immigrant to the country, his girl, to fresh eyes. The day was perfect, an above average 82 degrees, and partly cloudy—hinting that rain would come, perhaps tomorrow and return temperatures to normal. For now they provided some welcome shade here and there. A breeze blew Peg's hair from behind, causing her to remove the seemingly useless combs and rendering it a little messier than usual, and in his opinion, she looked more beautiful this way. She looked positively relaxed for the first time since he'd known her, and perhaps that's what made the difference. They walked toward the stadium from River Avenue.
"So, this …is Yankee Stadium!" he said with such pride and enthusiasm she couldn't help be laugh at him as her eyes swept the building.
"Well? What do you think?"
"Hmmm. Big," she said with a tease in her voice.
"Big?! Yeah, you could say that. Sweetheart," he explained, "THIS is "the house that Ruth built", "the Cathedral of Baseball!" Yeah, you could say it's… big." He smiled knowingly. She would have her socks knocked off once she saw the magnitude of the ball diamond.
"Ruth?" she queried.
"Babe Ruth! You've never heard of Babe Ruth?!"
"The name is familiar, but…"
"He changed baseball, totally," he said as his hands made a wide sweeping gesture in front of him to encompass his impact on the game. "You see," he explained as they arrived in the lineup for the ticket booth, "Ruth could hit a home run like no one's business! Before that, baseball was mostly geared towards getting a man on base, and making runs incrementally, you know, one base at a time. Granted the skills of fielding a ball, running, bunting and the rest are important, but once he came into the game, he changed baseball. It was pandemonium in there when he hit a homerun! And, seeing how fans reacted to it instead of the focus on the other skills of the game, well, the owners started looking for sluggers to fill the seats too."
"Sluggers?"
"Yeah."
"So, you got to watch this man play?"
"Yes, indeed. My father started bringing me when I was 5 to the ball park. We had just moved here. It was amazing. I think it made him feel like a New Yorker to come. He began connecting with the city. And obviously, I did too."
"And something you're doing for your nephew, next Saturday. Do you mind my asking about his father? Does he not like baseball?"
"Joey's father loved baseball." He paused. Peg didn't miss that the sentence was past tense and suddenly felt very sad that she asked. "But, uh… he died at the Bulge. So I try to help out where I can with my sister's little guy." Peg noticed his jaw muscles tense, trying not to betray the emotion that was fighting its way to the surface.
Peg put her hand on his forearm and stopped him as they walked with their tickets. "Like I said before, Daniel, you're one of the lucky ones. And, now I am."
His hand came up to cover hers briefly on his arm. He nodded silently, but his eyes betrayed briefly the degree of pain and loss his family had suffered personally from the war. The loss of his lower leg seemed nothing compared to what his sister had lost. His attention returned to their current situation which helped him to quickly recover his earlier enthusiasm that resurfaced as he opened the door and watched her reaction to the size of the place. He took a deep satisfied and invigorating breath in and a smile crossed his features. He was "home."
They entered the stadium and found their seats. Daniel began explaining the game to her overall and the nuances of the skills she should look for as she watched so she could appreciate the game on a different level. Peg's eyes were everywhere, taking it all in.
"I like the frieze. It makes such a vast expanse of space feel cozier. I'm beginning to find I enjoy the subtleties of architecture, you know. There's more variation here in America than at home, although, that might change as they rebuild after the bombings. Then again, with so much to rebuild, functionality will likely take priority over aesthetics. It will be interesting to see the changes in London when I go back." At his look of concern, she added, "To visit my family."
"Well, if that interests you—you see that section there?" She nodded following his indicating finger at the grandstand. "It wasn't there when I was a kid. That's fairly new. This city changes a lot." An idea suddenly flashed through his mind for after the game at her comment on architecture. He hoped it was something she had not experienced yet. "My dad and I used to sit mostly along the third baseline here, but a little higher up. It was great, even with a post in the way of my view," he said fondly of his memories with his father.
"Is that why you enjoy it so much? Being with your father?"
He thought for a moment. "Hmmm. I suppose it is." His eyes wandered over the ball park. "But, take a look around, Peg. What do you see?"
She was curious where he was going with this, so she followed his directions, not knowing yet what aspect he wanted her to observe. She took her time looking. A man, a couple of rows behind, made eye contact and winked with a look that made the hair on her arms stand up. She ignored him and turned back to Daniel. She settled back in her chair and responded, "Families, friends, mostly men."
"Exactly. Not only that, you see best friends. You see rich, poor. You see educated, and blue-collar, East-side and West-side. You see old, young and everything in between. There's Italian, Irish, English, Jews, Catholic, Protestant. None of that really matters here. Here, everyone has something in common that they cheer for, dream about being a part of. That's what makes it the American game. This country, this city in particular being an entry port city is made up of so many different groups. This," he gestured to the field, "Bridges the gap between them all. It gives a common ground to generations who can't speak to one another on any other subject. When DiMaggio hits a homer, none of that other stuff matters, and everyone just shares the moment."
Peg was speechless as she listened to him and why such a small, seemingly trivial thing like a baseball game, could come to mean so much more. "For a moment, I thought you were having a go at me. But I see your reasoning. I can feel what you're saying. It's everywhere, isn't it?"
"I think so."
"Well then," she said hoisting her beer up from the floor between her feet, "Let's play ball, indeed." She toasted the game and her boyfriend simultaneously.
He tapped his beer against hers, totally elated that he was sharing this with her. "Let's play ball," he repeated back to her and they drank together and settled back to watch the game.
Peg could feel the man behind her staring at her. A darkness shadowed her face at his vulgarity. Her shoulders rolled as if shaking off discomfort.
"What is it?" Daniel queried.
"That man, behind us, 5 o'clock, in the dark blue shirt…" She sighed visibly uncomfortable.
Daniel's eyes flitted back briefly, and noted the leering way he was eyeing Peg up from behind. "I see him. …You ah…have to deal with that often?"
"Not just me. Most women do, especially if they venture into a male dominated area, like…at work." She hadn't really wanted to bring it up, as they were having such a good time. But her skin was feeling like it was beginning to crawl.
The drunken voice from behind boomed so everyone could hear. "Women into baseball, now? Well if you want to see a man holding a piece of wood, you should see the size of my bat, honey. I'll even let you hold it," the man said loudly to his friend so Peg could hear two rows in front.
Daniel was disgusted and angry. He knew what she meant and it sickened him to see her have to fend off annoying little minded men all the time.
His hands were tensing into fists. "I know you're more than capable, but do you mind if I take care of this one?"
Peg saw his angry fists, and shook her head. "I don't want to make a scene. Let's… just enjoy the game. I'll put him in his place afterwards—unless he gets ruder with each beer. Then I'll just have to knock some sense into him," she said trying to make light of the situation.
"No scene will be made. Just one thing and that will shut him down," he said assuring her.
"What?"
"This." He picked up her hand and kissed the back of it as soon as he saw the man was watching her again. Daniel made eye contact with the man. Flexing his bicep which strained his short sleeve shirt, he kissed her hand and gave the man a deadly, daring glare. Mr. Blue Shirt immediately turned his attention to removing fake lint from his trousers and then sat back and watched the players starting to take the field.
Daniel turned his attention back to the field again, calming his anger.
"I like you, Daniel Sousa. I like you very much, indeed," Peg said with true admiration. She didn't need him to defend her. She was more than sure she could take care of the man herself if need be. But she was interested to see what he would do. As usual, Daniel could read people and disarm a situation both subtly, like now, and not so subtle, like yesterday afternoon at the bank. She had to admit, she would have happily decked the man with great satisfaction.
But that wouldn't be very nice on her first date, would it?
oOo
In the next tier of seats above Daniel and Peggy, Jack Thompson spied the crutch resting beside the chair, next to the aisle stairs below. He wondered if it was Daniel's and looked for the owner. It certainly looked like him from behind, but the man was with…a woman? His eyes popped in surprise. He fumbled for his binoculars and trained them on the crutch, focused them, and slowly moved to the right. Yeah, it was definitely Sousa. Daniel was in animated conversation, his hands gesturing to the field ahead of them, to the game about to begin.
The dark haired woman was looking around the stadium and returned her gaze to Daniel. "Ho-ly…shit!" He kept the binoculars on the woman a moment. He lowered them barely a second and then put them back up to his eyes again. Peggy Carter! She was bending down for…a beer!
Carter drinks beer?!
Carter is at a ball game?!
Carter is at a ball game, drinking beer?!
Carter is at a Yankees game, drinking beer, with Sousa?!
Carter is drinking beer with Sousa?!
Carter is with Sousa!
"Ho-ly shit!" he voiced as he watched them share a toast together and some conversation. Then Sousa took Carter's hand and brought it up to his mouth and kissed the back while looking quite pointedly at somebody behind. Their heads turned to each other, smiling, in easy, relaxed conversation. Thompson's mouth dropped. I didn't know Carter could smile like that.
As the shock of seeing his co-workers together on a weekend and how incredibly happy they looked, he settled back in his chair and thought a moment.
This could complicate things.
Carter was now accepted as an agent in the office. She had certainly saved his life, so had Sousa for that matter.
When had this started?
Well, for Sousa it was months ago…and he still brought evidence against her to have her arrested. Damn, that must have killed him to do it. It hurt him to send men into the diner to take her down, to hold a gun on her himself, to intimidate and interrogate her. She held her own. Sousa interrogated her too. She never faltered.
And I don't have feelings for the woman.
Thompson swallowed uncomfortably. Could he have done the same thing if the situation were his to deal with? He wasn't so sure. His memory started. Just yesterday, he and Sousa were being held hostage in a bank…hostage…Peggy's face had worry written all over it. Not just concern.
Hmmm. His head bobbed as he put it together. Peggy Carter had a wakeup call. Apparently, so did Sousa.
Wait! She drove him home!
Smoooooth, he thought with an appreciative sly smile.
oOo
Daniel stood waiting outside the ladies room on the concourse. It had been a really nice day. He and Peg had just a regular afternoon, like normal people who don't deal with nasty people trying to poison a city in their daily lives. It really was…nice, relaxing, needed, and fun. He had never brought Sue to a ball game. Suddenly, he wondered why.
"Sousa!" he heard his name called from somewhere to his right. He turned to meet the familiar unwelcome voice.
"Thompson," he nodded a greeting.
"Great game?!"
"Sure was. DiMaggio didn't disappoint, as usual."
"Oh, yeah, that 6th inning hit was particularly swell, wasn't it?"
"Sure was."
"Better afternoon than yesterday's."
"Very true, and I missed last night's game too—had tickets and totally forgot about it" Daniel replied. His body stiffened uncomfortably the longer he spoke to Thompson. If Peg came out while he was here, obviously fishing, what would she say? They hadn't discussed people at work knowing of their new relationship yet.
"You-uh, waiting for on a lady friend?"
"Um…yeah," he said with trepidation, trying not to let on.
"Who are you here with?" Daniel asked suddenly having difficulty thinking of Thompson with a friend, let alone a lady friend that he would share a game with.
"Mitch from the morgue, actually. Discovered we were both Yankee fans. Bought him a game. Figured it couldn't hurt to make friends with the guy. Butter him up a bit. Speed up his work for us, you know if he likes us."
Always an angle, Sousa thought as he smiled and nodded his head again in mock agreement that it was a good idea.
Peg appeared suddenly to Daniel's left. "Oh, hello Agent Thompson. How did you enjoy the game?"
Daniel watched Thompson, his surprise at seeing Peg with Daniel was not as great as it probably should have been.
He knew.
"Great game. You and Daniel," he said leadingly... "Come here often?"
Peg guffawed. "Hardly. This is my first game. Daniel offered to explain it to me when we were discussing last night that I had never been to one before and didn't understand the lure of baseball for Americans.
Thompson nodded. "And what is your verdict?"
"Interesting. Fun, relaxing thing to do together, no matter who you are or what walk of life you are in. And lots of very naughty food!"
Both men stood gaping. "What? DiMaggio hit two homers and a third base hit in one game! That was relaxing?!"
"Well, no, not so much when he was at bat. I admit that. It certainly becomes quite charged when it's his turn to hit the ball."
"We say, "When he's at bat."" Thompson corrected her.
"Ah, yes. Sorry. Haven't got all the nuances yet. Perhaps I'll get to go to another game some time."
"I think you need to go as often as you can," Thompson said.
"Amen to that," Daniel added.
"Does Miss Martinelli like baseball?" Daniel queried.
"I never thought to ask her," Peg replied, noticing Thompson's sudden increased interest in the conversation. "How shameful of me not to have asked her to come along."
"Peg, you said you had another engagement to get to. The game finished in time for you to get there I hope?" Daniel said, trying to steer them away from Thompson.
"Yes, lovely of you to remember," she said looking at her watch.
"Well, I'll see you both on Monday," Thompson said excusing himself. He walked away, a knowing look on his face.
"So, are you and Miss Martinelli looking at a new place or taking in a show?" he said knowing Jack was in earshot still. They turned and walked in the other direction.
"Ah, sorry about that. We hadn't discussed our situation when it comes to work. I didn't expect to see Thompson." He shook his head, "In all the gin joints, in all the world…
"And all the ball parks with thousands of people, he walks into us." Peg laughed at the Casablanca reference again. "You're right. We should discuss that." They began walking to the exit. "I really think at work, we are completely professional. If people find out, then so be it; I won't deny it at all. But I don't want anyone uncomfortable around us, especially when we're out in the field. They should be able to depend on us to have their back."
"Agreed. Now, what did you really think of the game?"
She smiled at him. It was so obvious he wanted her to love the game. She liked it very much and she could see how people like them needed normalcy in their lives. "I love the hotdogs!"
His face dropped.
She laughed at him. "I already said I thought it was a lovely way to spend a day. And I meant it. I enjoyed it very much. I enjoyed the company… even more."
"You're not just saying that?"
She laughed and put him at ease. "No. I'm not just saying that to make you happy. I really did enjoy it. I hope we can do it again. But…next Saturday is out of the question, now."
The happy look on his face disappeared immediately. "Why?"
"Because, your nephew deserves your undivided attention for his first game with is uncle. I mean it. I'll tag along on another game, if I'm invited. But next Saturday, you're all his, as it should be. He needs that."
He thought for a moment, eyes cast downwards and then nodded in disappointed agreement. She was right. He looked at her feet, noting her fairly comfortable shoes and the jacket she had with her despite the warmth of the day. She will need that, he thought. "You up for more? A trip to Midtown?"
"Oh? What have you got in mind?" she said intrigued. At his non-committal look, she acquiesced. "I'm up for anything."
He smirked. "Right choice of words."
"What? How?"
"Never mind. You'll see. It's a surprise."
They took the subway to Manhattan and found a small restaurant to eat supper in before setting out on their last adventure of the day.
oOo
Standing on the viewing platform, thousands of feet above New York City, Peg was mesmerized by the view in front of her from the Empire State Building. They had waited well over an hour in the many queues and the sun was beginning to set. The sky was a mix a beautiful oranges, pinks and deep purple and blues. The lights of the city were giving off clues to the map below them. They walked around the platform and stood and looked out from the differing angles, pointing out features they recognized.
Peg snuggled in her jacket, the wind much stronger and cooler up here. Daniel put his arm around her and rubbed her arm on the far side of him. Both had a look of contentment.
"I wondered, since you hadn't seen a Yankees game yet, if you'd taken in one of the most famous landmarks of the city?"
"Believe it or not, I had not. This was a lovely idea."
"Sorry about the line-up. It's longer than it used to be."
"That's alright. It's part of the anticipation. And when you're in good company, it's even better."
"All those tourists?! Well, you're not hard to please. We can just come to Manhattan and people watch then. You're bound to be entertained."
She elbowed him. "You know who I meant." She looked up and back at the building. "The damage from the plane crash last year is repaired nicely."
"Yeah," he said and his eyes wandered up following her gaze. "Too bad they needed to put the fencing up now." The increase in suicide jumps had necessitated the new addition.
"Sad, yes. But, now, it makes this platform only for what it was meant to be—to view your magnificent city."
They turned back to the view and after a few minutes, Daniel made a decision: now with the city lights below, rather than later. "Um, there's something I've been meaning to give you." His hand went to his pocket and pulled out a small box, wrapped in brown paper.
"Daniel. Too soon for gifts, don't you think?" she said slightly alarmed. How could he have been meaning to give me something if we have only started as a couple the night before?
He laughed mildly. "It's not what you think, believe me! And it's not what the box says either."
She smiled with anticipation in spite of herself and unwrapped the gift. "A Timex watch box?"
"Not what's inside, remember?"
She smiled and opened the box to find the used cork from their bottle of wine the previous evening.
All of a sudden what seemed like a good idea now seemed stupid. He covered his sudden trepidation with some humour. "See? Not a watch."
She looked at it quizzically and then noticed handwriting on it. She pulled it from the well where a watch would have laid and inspected it. Finding it too dark, she took a few steps towards a wall sconce, smiling politely at the guard's curious look. Daniel followed her a few steps behind; she could feel his eyes watching her as she read it.
oOo
The 86th floor observation deck guard watched the man give the woman a small box to open. They turned and walked towards the light next to him. He shook his head.
Damn stupid proposal. Good spot, but down on one knee, fella!
Feeling like he would be an intrusion to this special moment, he moved away to do his rounds on the deck and gave them some privacy.
oOo
Peggy examined the cork closely noting something written on it. Up one side of the cork was Friday's date, and on the other was the type of wine they drank.
"Just a little something…to remember the start of something great, I think," he said, turning a little red though the darkness of the evening hid that from Peg.
Peg turned it over in her hands a couple of times reading it over and over again as she tried to put words to her emotions. "Are you for real?" she whispered in astonishment, having a hard time accepting he could be so thoughtful.
He wasn't sure how to respond to that, so he said nothing until she elaborated.
"What a fantastic idea! It's… wonderful," she finally managed. "I love it." Her arms hugged him instantly, as he enveloped her to him the way she liked, trying to add to the moment. "It's perfect," she whispered in his ear. He sank his face into her neck, enjoying her scent, and held her back just as tightly. "Can we make a collection? Put them in a wine glass?"
His smile was so wide at her enthusiasm, it was hard to break it and actually speak. He was deeply touched it meant this much to her; he was glad he took the chance. He had never had a night like that and since his accident, he felt women didn't even see him as a man as soon as he stood or walked. He had felt pity. He understood more than ever, since he lost his leg how people can look at you and not even see you. He had this in common with her experience of gender based snubbing. But Peggy Carter never once made him feel that way. And their night together made him feel he was more of a human being than he'd been in almost two years.
"I think…" he said as he stroked his fingers through her hair, "We'll fill it up pretty quick," he finally replied.
"Perhaps, we'll just have to get a larger glass then."
"Well," he said holding her hand with the box in it up like a toast, "Here's to filling the glass with some great times, great company, and great wine."
"Cheers!" she said simply, and leaned in to kiss him. The kiss deepened naturally between them. They gripped each other against the coolness of the night with the sparkling lights in front of them. Their lips parted to invite more as the passion they felt for each other rose.
Realizing where they were, in public, the pulled back, short of breath. Daniel smiled, caressed her face softly and bowed his forehead against hers. "Cheers…indeed," he finally managed.
oOo
A/N:
In the future, Peg will have a little shelving piece to display the cork, entwined on a special decorative corkscrew in place beside a very large brandy snifter. It will hold their other corks of special bottles of wine shared together as well as with friends. On those corks they will add the names of the people they share them with plus the dates, though not the brand of wine as there wouldn't be enough room.
oOo
Hope you enjoyed the story. This chapter was not are revelatory as the others, but I thought they deserved a happy ending and a little fun. I'm not sure my research was complete enough in some areas in regards to the old Yankee Stadium, but hopefully I got enough right.
I will miss this relationship that was starting to bud on the show. I'll still watch, but I doubt with the same enthusiasm as before.
Now, I have to get back to completing the Nightmare Series of Harry Potter. Most of which is written, but my forte is relationships, not battles and there is a battle in it. That's what's taking me so long to publish now—fear. If I were smart, I'd just skip it and summarize what happened later. Currently, I'm not that smart! But writing Agent Carter has let me get a bit of my muse back. So, the delay was worth it.
Again, thank you for taking the time to read my story.
Lynn