Scenarios
A/N: This chapter was brought to you by a reader who wishes to remain anonymous: "'Eavesdropping', 'Endings', 'Equality' and/or 'Consent', 'Cartson' (of course), 'Locker room' - Go."
Challenge accepted Ms/Mr. Anonymous.
Enjoy : )
The Operative Word is 'Yes'
"So why is it that Carter's and my cover is not husband and wife again?"
Peggy had only just begun pulling off her boots on the far side of locker room. She could have made it known to Agent Troy Montenegro and Chief Thompson that she was there, but she kind of wanted to hear Jack's response to this.
"Because, if you were married, then she wouldn't have a reason to work, Monte."
Peggy started to bristle at that, but Monte snorted and said, "I wouldn't recommend saying that in Carter's hearing if I were you, sir."
She thought there might have been a glimmer of hope for her new partner yet, but then he opened his big mouth and inserted both his feet when he added, "I mean, geez! I have never seen a woman still so gung-ho for women's lib. The Brit does realize that America gave them the right to vote like two decades ago, right?"
She was full on glaring daggers at the mirror that she had long ago strategically placed in the corner at the end of this aisle. It allowed her to see the around the locker corner without them seeing her. If they started changing, she would look away, but no arse-hole like this idiot was going to sneak up on her.
While Jack did not rebuke Monte, he didn't agree with the man either. Instead, he redirected the conversation back to the op.
"Carter understands that this is how Lovett & Sons works. The accounting firm would find it highly odd that you couldn't support your wife at the salary they are paying you, and they wouldn't buy liberal political reasons. More likely, they would jump to conclusions that you have a gambling problem and look more closely at the both of you than what we would want."
"Alright, alright. So we go in as secret lovers, so that if anyone of them catches us having a powwow, they can attribute that to us trying to sneak away to be hot and heavy."
Peggy nearly gave herself away with a startled snort as she caught Jack rolling his eyes at the man's bull in a china shop tactics.
"There will be no 'hot and heavy' in any supply closets, please."
When Monte clearly looked confused at this dictate, Jack sighed and explained slowly, "The point of your part of the op is to get you in the inner circle so that they will let you near their off-the-books books. Men like the Lovetts pride themselves on their decorum. Acting in a crass way will turn them off of you. Having them catch Carter in a compromising position will get her fired for such unprofessional misconduct, so she will be unable to do her part of the mission and you will be without back-up."
"And if we do get caught?"
"If you do, have subtle body language. Do things like lean in a bit too close, brush her hair behind her ear, and/or 'accidentally' brush up against her arm. The more you sell your cover this way, the more the Lovetts will be impressed by your ability to snag a fine filly like Carter or in this case, 'Ms. Beauchamp', and be discreet about it."
There was a brief momentary pause, as Jack let this highly psychologically manipulative strategy sink in for Monte, and then he dryly added, "And Monte, even if she was your wife, she would be your partner not your property. Any husband of Carter's who grabbed her ass without her express permission, undercover or otherwise, would run the risk of her hot tea ending up in his lap."
And with an even more evil gleam in his eye than Peggy usually saw when discussing the threat of violence, Jack concluded his pearl of wisdom speech with: "And she would have the right to crush his gonads beneath her boots – high-heeled or combat."
Much to Peggy's silent amusement, Monte nervously swallowed and hastily snatched up his go-bag, before finally croaking out a dutiful, "Yes, sir."
~A~
After Monte left and it was just the two of them, Peggy revealed herself.
Swinging around to the other side of their row of lockers, she leaned against them and curiously asked, "So, Chief, do I have that gonad-crushing right just because this is undercover?"
Jack's only response to her surprise entry was to stop packing his go-bag to look up at her and arch one of his golden eyebrows.
When she made no move to apologize for her eavesdropping, he gave in and answered bluntly, "Any husband – undercover or the real deal."
"And does this right just apply to me?"
Peggy didn't know why she asked it. She was curious, yes. They were alone, which was rare, so it was a perfect opportunity for her to get a straight answer out of him. He wouldn't feel the need to posture. But it wasn't just that.
For some reason, his answer mattered to her, and she found herself holding her breath, as if one wrong exhalation and she could blow him right off the edge of whatever precipice they were standing on.
Jack seemed to sense this, because he didn't give her a quick quip or a sardonic reply. Rubbing his hand through his hair as a means to buy time, he gave her question considerable thought, and then in true Jack-fashion, he was brutally honest.
"Unfortunately, Carter, your might makes right."
She thought that might be the end of it, but then he looked up again and boldly met her gaze, vowing, "But if a woman that is less than highly trained in the art of combat ever takes her husband to court for assuming that her 'I do' was carte blanche for all his sexual desire, I'd stand by her."
Peggy held his heated blue stare and gave him a solid nod of understanding and acceptance.
Almost as if this was the signal that he had been looking for, Jack flashed her a wry half-smile, saying in that light-hearted yet earnest way of his, "If investigation and counter-intelligence wasn't your calling and, ya know, the times had caught up with you, Marge, I would recommend you going into the business of training women to defend themselves."
If Peggy hadn't been leaning up against the lockers already, she would have needed to. The junior-est of agents could have knocked her over with a feather; she was so in shock at such progressive-minded words coming out of that man's mouth.
Was this the same man who had once whined about 'babysitting' her if she came along on a mission? Who had once talked of 'the natural order of the universe' where 'no man would ever see her as his equal'?
Perhaps, 'once' was the key word there.
Her dumbfounded expression did not go unnoticed. His wry half-smile became his cursed full-on smirk, as he tossed over his shoulder on his way out the door:
"Daydream about my amazing business plan later, Carter. For now, go make sure Agent Montenegro doesn't blow either of your covers and check in with me at 0900 tomorrow."
Peggy dutifully agreed, but…
~Ending A~
Peggy dutifully agreed, but ... even as she went back to changing out of her training gear, she could not help but shake her head at the irony that all of his talk of women's rights and consent only made her want to bend him over one of those benches and have her wicked way with him.
After he said yes, of course.
~Ending B~
Peggy dutifully agreed, and ... silently thanked her old training officer for instilling the automatic subordinate-to-superior response, for in her current state of discombobulation, she could have made a total mumbling, stumbling idiot out of herself otherwise.
After a few slow deep breaths and a mental order to focus on the mission at hand instead of all of those confusing and conflicting emotions swirling within, she slammed the door shut on her locker and got down to business.
No pretty, smooth-talking blond boy of a boss was going to distract her, even if he was evolving. No siree.
~Ending C ~
Peggy dutifully agreed, but ... even as she went back to changing out of her training gear, she could not help but shake her head at the irony that all of his talk of women's rights and consent only made her want to –
'Ahem!' She cleared her throat and gave herself a mental slap to the back of the head.
'Mind out of the gutter, Carter. You have a mission to do.'
A/N: Not quite a choose your own adventure story, but...Vote for your favorite ending!
Please let me know what you think. Order of preference, feedback on each, 'none/all of the above', thoughts on the story overall - any and all constructive criticism is appreciated : )