Peggy absent-mindedly sipped her mid morning tea and stared out her office window. She wasn't quite sure why, but she seemed to be reflecting a lot lately on her life over the past year. Her free hand traveled absent-mindedly to the place in her abdomen where she'd be impaled on rebar eight months ago. She could still clearly visualize the pain that she had felt that night and how terrified she had been. Then her mind drifted to Chief Sousa and the painful memory eased into something warm and fuzzy in the best possible sense. Her eyes wandered from the window to the door of the office next to her own. Chief Daniel Sousa was stenciled artfully onto the door and she could see through the translucent glass wall their offices shared that Chief Sousa was busy at work. He was currently signing off on all of the necessary paperwork from their last successful mission together. She smiled to herself and remembered the way they had celebrated closing out the Whitney Frost case. The phone ringing on her desk caused the brunette to snap out of her trance. She carefully set her tea down on the desk and picked up the phone.
"Agent Carter." She answered.
"Miss Carter, Howard seems to have gotten himself tangled up in yet another mess and would like your assistance." Jarvis' voice came through the receiver. Peggy couldn't help but roll her eyes.
"Of course he has. Is this one under the radar as well or am I allowed to tell Chief Sousa?" Peggy asked.
"No, of course do tell him. We're going to need everyone to get him out of this mess I'm afraid." Jarvis replied. Peggy shook her head. Howard must have really done it this time. At least this time though it appeared that his actions didn't make him a wanted criminal with the SSR.
"Alright then, do tell me what this is all about." She replied. Jarvis cleared his throat.
"Well see unfortunately Miss. Carter it would be much easier to explain in person. Howard is also afraid someone may be tracking the SSR's phones." Jarvis explained. Peggy found herself rolling her eyes again.
"Of course." She huffed indignantly. She could almost feel Jarvis fidgeting uncomfortably on the other end. "Well alright then. Where does Mr. Stark want to meet me?" She asked.
"This evening, six o'clock at the manor. Would you like me to come pick you up?" Mr. Jarvis asked pleasantly.
"Oh I suppose if you must." Peggy relented.
"Splendid! I assume you'll be buried in your work at the station, so I will pick you up from there at five forty-five sharp." Mr. Jarvis exclaimed. Peggy couldn't help but smile at the butler who had become a close friend over the last year.
"See you then." Peggy confirmed, not even bothering to protest to the assumption that she would still be buried in her work. Peggy hung up the phone and glanced over at Daniel through the window. He was still scratching fervently away at case files. Peggy adjusted her pencil skirt and opened the door to her office. She didn't bother to close the door behind her as she stepped out into the main room, she wouldn't be gone long. She turned promptly and knocked on Chief Sousa's door.
"Come in." Daniel's smooth voice was slightly muffled through the thick wood door. Peggy turned the handle easily and smiled as she stepped into his office. Daniel's office was piled high with case reports and the walls were lined with filing cabinets filled with even more case files. To some the office would seem chaotic, but Peggy knew that Daniel thrived in that environment and he loved being able to find anything and everything he needed no matter where his train of thought took him without needing an agent to go searching through the archives for him.
"Hey." Peggy said gently. Daniel's head shot up at her words and a huge smile spread across his face.
"Hey Peg. Sorry I hadn't been by to say hi yet. I wanted to try and get this paperwork done before Chief Thompson gets on me too bad for being late.
"It's okay Daniel. I was surprised to see you were here before me though." Peggy admitted. Daniel smiled.
"You can't be the only overly dedicated agent here." Daniel teased. Peggy smiled warmly at him.
"But I do it so much better." She retorted. Daniel chuckled softly.
"Yes you do." He agreed. He pushed himself up onto his feet and Peggy stepped around his desk to meet him. They shared a passionate kiss before forcing themselves to pull apart. Daniel smiled dreamily and eased himself back down into his chair. "So did you come in here just to say good morning?" He asked, Peggy shook her head.
"Sadly no, I just received a call from Edwin Jarvis. Howard has gotten himself into some kind of trouble again. He wants me to meet him tonight at six at his manor. He's worried someone may be tapped into our phones." Peggy answered. Daniel frowned.
"Is he seriously worried about our phones? He's the one that encoded our lines!" Daniel said exasperated. Peggy shrugged.
"Anyway, I thought it best to inform you in case it is a trap of some kind." Peggy told him flatly. Daniel's right eyebrow quirked up.
"You think it could be?" He asked. Peggy shook her head.
"Not really, no. I don't think Jarvis could lie if he was being held at gunpoint. At least, he wouldn't be able to lie without his voice giving it away." Peggy mused. Daniel nodded and eyed her with an expression she couldn't quite read. He almost seemed anxious about something.
"Thank you for including me, I'll make sure to be on alert and at the ready in case it is a trap." Daniel promised. Peggy nodded.
"Thank you. I find that oddly reassuring." She said, "Not that I need a man mind you, but it is nice to know I have one if something drastic happens." She added, her mind drifting to the rebar incident. Daniel smiled and stood to kiss her again. This time more slowly and deliberately.
"I know you don't need a man, but I am glad you chose to have me anyways." He said when they finally pulled away from the kiss. Peggy smiled.
"Me too." She said, "Don't worry, I'll come by when I get done with Howard." She promised him before leaving his office and closing the door behind her. Peggy looked over her shoulder at Daniel's office door before she slipped into her own office and shut the door behind her. The words Second in Command Peggy Carter were stenciled neatly on her office door. She sank down into the desk chair and grabbed her tea again. She took a tentative sip and smiled to herself, the tea was still hot. She took a long deliberate drink before sitting the cup back down and getting to work on her own paperwork. Unlike Daniel's office, Peggy's was neatly organized. Filing cabinets lined the far wall but there weren't stacks of old case files laid on every available space. Peggy kept everything neatly put away in the filing cabinets, if it didn't fit inside the cabinets it didn't stay in her office. She admired Daniel's ability to thrive in the chaos of his office, but it definitely wasn't for her. Peggy and Daniel had only been going steady for about seven months now, wrapping up the Whitney Frost case had sort of forced Peggy's feelings for Daniel to the surface, but Peggy already knew she didn't want to be without Daniel ever again. She was pretty sure judging by the way that they kissed that Daniel felt the same way about her.
The rest of Peggy's day went by rather uneventfully and before she knew it, she was almost completely caught up on her paperwork. Daniel stuck his head into her office around five in the afternoon.
"Hey Peg, I'm on my way home. Are you still coming by when you're done with Howard?" He asked. Peggy looked up from the last case file that needed to be updated and smiled.
"Yes of course, I have to prove to you that I wasn't led into a trap." She smirked. Daniel smiled.
"Well I look forward to seeing you later." He said and leaned down to kiss her on her forehead. Peggy smiled widely and waved as Daniel left her office.
Edwin Jarvis was definitely a man of punctuality. He was waiting for Peggy at exactly five forty-five, just as he said he would be. He smiled widely at her when she emerged from the Auerbach Theatrical Agency.
"Miss Carter! Right on schedule!" He greeted her eagerly and ran around to open the passenger side door before she could grab it herself. She smiled wryly at him but slid into the open seat nonetheless. He shut the door once she was situated and clambered back into the driver's side. At almost exactly six o'clock they pulled up in front of Howard Stark's LA manor. Peggy opened the door before Jarvis could get it for her and stepped out onto the gravel.
"Well then Mr. Jarvis, shall we see what Howard has gotten himself into now?" She asked. Edwin nodded.
"After you Mrs. Carter." He agreed and pulled the front door open for her. She stepped inside and waited for him to follow, instead he shut the door and returned to the car. Peggy frowned and turned away from the door to step into the foyer. Howard was nowhere to be seen but a trail of rose petals were scattered on the ground and appeared to be leading into the manor. Peggy's frown deepened but she decided to follow the rose petals. Surely someone wouldn't lure her to her death by means of rose petals. Although if Howard thought she could woo him with the petals, then he was about to have a broken nose. The rose petals led through the manor toward the back side of the house. In fact she was almost to double doors that led out to the patio when the rose petals stopped abruptly. The French doors were open and a cool breeze flowed into the house and ruffled the drapes. Peggy frowned and stepped outside. Her frown vanished when she saw that Daniel was standing in a circle of rose petals looking at her with eyes so full of love that she feared she might drown in their warmth. He grinned that goofy half smile of his that melted her heart and cleared his throat.
"Margaret Carter, I have loved you since the first time you marched into the SSR and put Jack Thompson in his place for calling you a secretary and I knew I was a goner from the second you hit that rebar. I knew that losing you would be like losing myself. Margaret Carter you are the love of my life and I'm the happiest man alive to even have the chance to love you. All I want is to be able to spend every last second I have on Earth loving you. Will you marry me?" Daniel asked. He pulled a small black box out of his jacket pocket and opened it. Inside nestled on a black cushion was a gorgeous diamond ring. Peggy gaped and glanced down at the ring before locking eyes with Daniel. He looked so nervous. "I'd kneel but my leg doesn't really do that." He added. Peggy smiled.
"Oh Daniel of course I'll marry you!" She exclaimed and kissed him fervently. She felt him smile through the kiss and the patio erupted into cheers. Peggy pulled away to see that Edwin and Ana Jarvis along with Rose and Howard Stark were all clapping and cheering for them. Daniel blushed and fumbled with the ring a little before sliding it on to her finger. He grinned and pulled her in for another kiss.
So there you have it! Just a one shot about one of my favorite TV couples who definitely didn't get the love they deserved. I may do a few more one shots about their life together but I'm not sure yet. Please leave a review!