Angie wasn't blind. As a matter of fact, she saw a heck of a lot more than people gave her credit for. She saw Peggy every time she came in, and was very open about that fact – so she wasn't sure what made the man who sometimes talked with Peg think that she didn't see him too. He even came in without Peg fairly often once he'd been introduced to the place, and she saw when his gaze would follow her around the automat from behind his newspaper and over his coffee cup.

She knew that she and Peg all had the same soulmates, so it didn't take a genius to figure out what was going on. She'd seen the wedding ring on the man's hand that meant he had to be careful about how he socialized with his single soulmates, but she thought he was taking it a bit to the extreme where she was concerned. And if that was how he was going to treat her, then how exactly did he treat Peg, for that matter, and was he somehow involved with Angie's niggling suspicion that Peg didn't work for something as simple as a phone company?

The past five times he had come in here, she had made a point to be the one to wait on him even though he purposely sat in Mary's section when he came by himself. He always came close to physically shrinking back from her and would cut her off before she could speak, pointing to the darn coffee pot wherever it happened to be so that he could get his point across without having to open his mouth. And it was seriously starting to get under her skin.

But, you know what; if she was that repulsive to him, then what the heck did she have to lose?

When he came in and sat down at his usual table, her mouth thinned into a resolute line and she poured him a cup of coffee without even officially taking the order. Walking over to the table, she slammed the cup down in front of him and dropped down into the chair across from him, thoroughly startling him and not caring a bit.

She'd had enough and it was time to set him straight.

Edwin hadn't had the heart to tell his parents when he'd been woken in the middle of the night at eleven years old, agonizing pain engulfing the entirety of his left foot and leaving behind horrible, deceivingly bright pink words that he'd gotten up in the middle of the night and lit a candle in order to read. The words had awful implications and made it plain that he'd hurt or at the very least angered his youngest soulmate. Even at eleven years old, he'd determined that he wasn't going to hurt her, whoever she was, regardless of what fate dictated. Then Peggy Carter had come along and given him a very logical reason to keep his mouth shut. He'd been presented with a choice, and he'd chosen the one that he thought would hurt Angie less. He didn't speak to her, but he came around the automat often, enjoying seeing her for as long as it took to finish a cup of coffee. He knew she thought he was at the very least strange for it – he had a feeling she was a very observant girl when she wanted to be, and not half as clueless as she liked to let on – and as of late he'd started to realize that despite his best intentions, she was getting angry with him.

Despite his best intentions, fate was having its way, and when she dropped down into the chair across from him, eyes flashing with equal parts hurt and fury, he knew exactly what she was about to say – and it killed him.

"Listen, mister, I don't know what's going on here and I don't know why you won't ever speak to me, but I do know that we're both smart enough to figure out what we are and you aren't mute, so here's the deal. Since you obviously don't want me, I'll stay away so long as you make sure that nothing hurts our girl. Nod if we've got a deal."

Edwin flinched, allowing regret to flood his features. All those years ago when he'd been eleven, he'd decided he would take his soulmate's hand in his and declare to them that he would never not want them. But Thompson's interrogation and threat to Anna had been a rude awakening. The last thing he'd wanted was to draw Anna into this mess, but Thompson was right about that; she was involved regardless of what he wanted, of whether or not she even knew about it. He couldn't chance doing that to Angie too.

So, as much as he wished this could be different, he just nodded. Angie rolled her eyes and snorted, blue orbs still snapping as she slid out of the booth and went about her work, obviously upset. She never again even bothered to look his way.

So Edwin forced his own gaze away from her, looking down at his free hand where it had become fisted in his lap as she spoke. As he slowly uncurled his fingers he realized that the pressure of his nails biting into his palm had left their mark.

Bruises were already beginning to form.

Once Jarvis was gone and Thompson was out of the chief's office, Daniel slumped down at his desk and Thompson sat down on the edge of it as Daniel asked in exasperation, "How does this keep happening to us?"

"What?" Thompson asked.

"We keep screwing up our soulbonds!" Daniel hissed under his breath. "Jarvis is probably never going to speak to either of us ever again!"

Thompson snorted, declaring dryly, "At least you may have a chance with Carter. If I ever did, I don't now after what I said to Jarvis about deporting him and Anna. So knock yourself out pal; my shift's over, I'm gonna go drown my sorrows at the first bar I find."

"I'm pulling a freaking double shift today; you mind if I join you in falling into a drunken stupor tomorrow night?"