Thank you to everyone who has read or reviewed the last chapter. You have all been wonderful.

This chapter takes place a day after the last one.

Conversation 27: Let's Talk about Sharon

Anthony: So Agent Carter Junior just showed up at the Tower to whisk me off to some undisclosed location. I hope a bag is not going to be involved. I hate kidnappings that involve a bag over my head.

Nomad: I assume you're talking about Sharon. How many times have you been kidnapped?

Anthony: Be glad I stopped referring to her as the not-a-girlfriend although that's mostly because I've met your real ex-girlfriend who can strangle me with her bare hands. I like her, sometimes.

Nomad: You're deflecting

Anthony: Because nobody wants to talk about their kidnappings. I still have water issues. Afghanistan is the only one I actually count as being successful, but there's been at least 10 attempts that I know about. This would be 11.

Nomad: I don't think being picked up by the government counts

Nomad: Unless Ross is involved.

Anthony: I don't think Ross is because he is currently busy at a Congressional hearing about misuse of government funds to build the Raft.

Nomad: Good.

Anthony: Also, they usually don't let you pack a bag nor do they bring presents. They definitely don't talk to your assistant about clearing your schedule in advance.

Nomad: Presents?

Anthony: Well I guess you can't really call it presents unless you consider things left to you in a will presents. Aunt Peggy left me a lot of diaries. None of which I'm going to be able to read anytime soon due to the kidnapping.

Nomad: I think we established this is not a kidnapping. If it were, you wouldn't be talking to me right now.

Anthony: I'm talking to you right now in case it really is a kidnapping. Although that probably isn't the case since they told me to bring exercise attire.

Nomad: Shouldn't you be packing?

Anthony: I already grabbed go bag number three. See, I did listen to you. Now I have 22 more minutes to talk to you before I am forced to spend quality time with Agent Carter Jr.

Nomad: Why do you hate Sharon so much? Friday said it had something to do with your relationship with her mother.

Anthony: Which was very platonic. After Sharon's father screwed her over, she pretty much swore us all off as a species. Are you disappointed to find out that it's more than just a pissing contest between possible suitors?

Nomad: Relieved, actually. This way I don't have to worry about you being nasty to May.

Anthony: Mostly because Agent Scary would not put up with that. How much do you know about the second love of your life's family history?

Nomad: I didn't know that she had any siblings besides Michael, who died before we even met. That's why I was really surprised at the funeral to find out she had a grandniece from the Carter side of the family.

Anthony: I'm not even surprised you found out at the funeral. You're right, Peggy did not have any other biological siblings, but Michael had a kid before dying, Gabriel. The poor baby wasn't even born until after Michael died. The mother didn't want to be a single mom so he was adopted by Peggy's parents and raised as her brother even though she was long gone to America by then.

Anthony: Gabriel had Michelle sometime in the 60s before he was killed, leaving Michelle to be raised by Peggy and Daniel. Michelle had Sharon after a disastrous relationship that was MIT legend. So technically Sharon is Peggy's great grandniece and you made out with her at Aunt Peggy's funeral.

Nomad: I realize how inappropriate that is now (message not sent)

Nomad: And you were friends with Michelle at MIT?

Anthony: And afterwards. She came over to SI from the public sector in the early 90s, probably after Alexander Pierce kicked Peggy out of Shield.

Nomad: I wouldn't be surprised.

Anthony: Anyway, she stayed at SI until sometime during my Afghanistan captivity. It wasn't until after my public superhero coming out that I found out she left because cancer sucks. At least I got to see her again before dying, which is more than I can say for Jr. Sharon purposely had SHIELD send her off on some mission in the middle of nowhere because she couldn't deal with watching her mom die. Her mom needed her there and she wasn't.

Nomad: Death is hard for some.

Anthony: I know, but do you have any idea how much I would give to have one more conversation with Maria or even Howard for that matter?

Nomad: Several million dollars if your recent experiment is any indication.

Anthony: Billions, really. Sharon had that chance and she didn't take it.

Nomad: And that's why you're mad at her?

Anthony: I also didn't like her using you as her new coping mechanism to deal with her aunt's death.

Nomad: I was using her too and that wasn't right.

Anthony: I'm so happy that you acknowledge that. I realize I shouldn't be angry because people deal with grief differently, but I still am even if Michelle understood and wasn't even that upset with Sharon for not being there.

Nomad: Some people deal with grief better than others.

Anthony: And we all know I'm really bad at it. The whole thing with Michelle was why I didn't tell anybody about the Palladium poisoning. I wanted my last few days or what I thought were going to be my last few days to be good. I didn't want my friends to run away from me because they couldn't deal with it. I didn't want people to look at me with pity or be crying all the time.

Anthony: I just wanted to keep living and if the world knew I was dying, I wouldn't have been able to do that.

Nomad: But you didn't die.

Anthony: I didn't die.

Nomad: And I'm glad for that. I think I would've been really sad if I didn't get to meet you.

Anthony: Agent Carter Junior is now standing outside my door. I'll talk to you when I get back.

Nomad: Be safe, Tony.

To be continued