The Ordinary Days
A/N: Hello! Thank you for checking out The Ordinary Days! This story is already completed and I will try to update at most once a day but at least once a week. It is eighteen chapters plus an epilogue and even though the story is complete I will be editing each chapter as I go so please be patient. But today you get two chapters as they are both fully edited and completed!
As I mentioned in the summary (and what you can probably tell from the title), this story is *loosely* based on The Magic of Ordinary Days film from 2005 (which is also a novel by Ann Howard Creel but sadly I haven't read it). It won't follow the story that closely, although you may find some references to it sprinkled throughout. I was also inspired to write this based on the fanfic On Ceremony by CapandCarter which is amazing so go check that story out if you haven't already! (Which, again, you may find a few references to later on.)
WARNINGS: I will ensure that you are properly warned on the content before every chapter because there will be some depictions of things like sexual assault coming up. There will also be explicit sex in future chapters (hello M rating!) but I will warn you about that as well.
In this first chapter, THERE WILL BE SOME DETAILS ABOUT A SEXUAL ASSAULT (although I promise it's not too graphic) and it will be mentioned frequently throughout this chapter so you have been warned. However, if you'd like to skip that part, I would read up until the line "'Have to…sit for a minute…' she slurred as she leaned against the brick wall…" and then skip down to the paragraph that starts "Steve wiped the sweat from his brow…" a little more than halfway through the chapter. I will summarize what happened at the end of the chapter so you don't feel like you have missed anything if you skip the first part.
Thank you again for reading and don't hesitate to review if you feel so inclined!
-PenPaperParadise
Chapter One
Denver, Colorado. 1944.
It was perfectly well within reason that a young lady of a high-standing reputation would find herself the object of fascination by all sorts of young men - both of the savory and unsavory variety. A tight-fitting red evening dress, matching lips in a crimson shade, and high heels that clicked and brought attention to her un-stockinged legs were all important parts of a woman's arsenal when it came to seducing society men, and Peggy Carter was no stranger to this. In fact, this was the exact ensemble she was sporting when she waltzed into Denver's finest dance hall in a swirl of skirts with her three friends closely by her side.
At just shy of twenty years old, Peggy was used to coming to venues like these to dance, to flirt, or even to find a suitable husband (she had accomplished two of the three so far). Sometimes her parents were there, other times (like tonight, thankfully) it was just her and her friends. The Carter family came from old English money so, naturally, finding Peggy a suitable husband was the top concern of her and her family's lives; but tonight Peggy did not care about that - with no parents or chaperones to supervise, she could talk to whomever she wanted, dance until her feet hurt, and not have a care in the world.
Tall ceilings let the sound of the swing orchestra travel fast and far as Peggy found a seat at a small round table, crammed in amongst dozens of identical but occupied tables all around her. She marveled at the spectacle of couples twirling and flipping over each other as fast-paced music blasted from the various horns and instruments behind the jazz singer. Men in suits and women in fine evening gowns and gloves laughed raucously all around her which made Peggy ponder for a moment if she should cover her ears.
After a few moments, her friends returned with a drink or two in each hand.
"Time for a drink, Peg," urged Rose as she passed a brown liquid in a short glass to Peggy.
"Oh, no, I don't think so," waved off Peggy. "I want to have my wits about me tonight."
"What for?"
"In case a young man asks me to dance, that's what," she scoffed. "I don't want to be sauced out of my mind if a good dancer comes along."
"Is that really all you care about, Peggy?" asked another young woman, Dottie. "Just dancing?"
"It's my one true passion in life," she replied cheekily.
"Well one drink won't hurt anything, right?" urged Dottie. "Unless you think you can't handle it?"
Dottie pushed the drink out a little closer to Peggy, who eyed it like a piece of candy.
"I assure you, I can handle one drink -"
"Then prove it."
Peggy narrowed her eyes at her beautiful blonde friend and, knowing she would not be able to get through the night without constant taunts from her cohort, reached out and picked up the glass, downing the whole thing in one gulp which burned her throat and made her eyes water. The trio of young women cheered as Peggy set the glass on the table upside down triumphantly.
"There. Satisfied?"
"Not until we find you a dance partner," squealed Whitney as she downed her drink as well. "Come on!"
The girls all giggled and traipsed around the room, catching up with old friends, were introduced to new ones, and tried to watch their behavior around the friends of their parents they spotted in the crowd. In a room full of drink and dancing, though, no one really cared about what they saw in the haze of smoke and music.
Peggy's senses were starting to dull due to the strong drink but when Dottie handed her another one, she downed it with no question. And the one after that. And…then Peggy found it odd that she could not remember how many drinks she had, nor with how many men she had danced. She suddenly found herself doing the jitterbug with a tall, dark, and handsome man one minute and then slow-dancing a waltz with a mustached brunette the next. It wasn't until she was nearly cheek to cheek with a rather attractive blond man that she decided she needed to slow her roll.
"Whoa, what do you mean you want to stop?" the blond man questioned with a raised eyebrow as she tried pulling away from him. "You don't like dancing with me?"
"It's not that," Peggy replied, shaking her head. "I'm just…starting to feel like a souse, to be perfectly honest."
"Too much to drink?" he asked and she nodded slowly. "Alright, let's get you some fresh air."
The man grabbed Peggy's hand and was leading her somewhere. She was barely coherent enough to say, "I should tell my friends where I'm going."
The man - what was his name? John? No, James…? - waved her off and said, "They already know; don't worry about it, sweetheart."
Not coherent enough to question this, Peggy nodded thickly and followed his lead as they weaved and bobbed through the busy Saturday night crowd. After a few moments, the chatter started to fade away and Peggy breathed cool air, and she knew she was outside.
"Have to…sit for a minute…" she slurred as she leaned against the brick wall of the alleyway. What's-his-name was getting awfully close to her…
"You just relax, darlin'," he said as he leaned over her and put his hands on the wall on both sides of Peggy's shoulders, boxing her in with his arms. Peggy felt like something wasn't right, but what that was…she just couldn't put her finger on it…
When she felt him put his lips on hers, that's when she suddenly remembered his name - Jack Thompson. She dimly remembered he was a wealthy judge's son who both Mr. and Mrs. Carter told Peggy to stay away from. Her parents knew Jack was immune from any real legal consequences given his father's status as an influential figure in Denver's courts, so they never let Peggy forget that he was nothing but trouble. And as he kissed her and his hands started to roam, she pushed back against him.
"Jack," she tried saying in a stern tone but even she could tell her words were slurring, "I don't - I don't want this -"
"Shh, it's okay, Peggy," he purred as she felt the edges of her vision start to blacken.
"N-no…I…"
"You'll be fine…Just relax…"
Whatever happened next was a hazy blur to Peggy, but she distinctly felt her skirt getting hiked up and then the sudden feeling that something odd was happening between her legs. She shrieked in surprise and Jack put his hand over her mouth, no longer pretending to be a gentleman. She struggled underneath him as she realized in terror what was happening, but he was sober and a lot stronger than her, so he overpowered her.
After an unknown amount of time, Peggy came to her senses and found herself lying on the ground in the dark alley alone with her back propped up against the wall. The sound of the big band music and lively chatter from inside the dance hall was about as loud as it had been before, so she could not have been out there for very long. She looked around in the dim light; thankfully, there was no one she could discern walking by who could have seen her lying in the ground with her skirt hiked up so high most of her legs were scandalously exposed. She tugged her skirt down over her knees as she sat up, the rosy haze of alcohol starting to slowly fade away as she realized what had happened to her.
One minute, she was dancing with Jack Thompson and he was talking to her…and the next…Peggy's eyes widened with the remembrance that something unsavory had happened between them. As she struggled to get to her feet, she suddenly felt a pain in between her legs that caused her to inhale sharply. Yes, something unsavory definitely happened.
A combination of the alcohol and the realization that she had drunkenly lost her virginity to a stranger who held her down in a dark alley made Peggy throw up onto the ground suddenly. Wiping her mouth clean, her mind raced with scenario after scenario of what will happen to her if anyone finds out about this: no invitations to social events, no marriage proposals, no future. Which, as a young, upper middle class socialite in a city full of unmarried men, were pretty much the only things that filled Peggy's life. What would her parents think? Or her siblings? Her friends?
Not knowing what else to do, Peggy took off running away from the dance hall, imagining that she looked like a bat out of hell with a disheveled dress and smeared lipstick. But as long as she ran home, she knew no one would find out about what happened. She hoped.
"Miss Carter? Are you there?"
Peggy's eyes bolted open and for a moment she forgot where she was, but then suddenly remembered she had come home last night and passed out on top of her four poster bed fully clothed in last night's red gown. She scrambled to get out of bed and threw a long silk robe over her dress. Smoothing her hair down, she opened her bedroom door to find her maid, Colleen, standing there looking at her curiously.
"You have a phone call, Miss Carter. Your friend Rose is asking if you ever came home last night?"
"Oh, yes," sighed Peggy, thinking fast. "We got separated last night and I went home with a headache. I told Dottie and Whitney but I must've forgotten to tell Rose. Excuse me."
She gently pushed her way past her maid and headed for the telephone in the foyer downstairs. She picked up the receiver.
"Rose?"
"Peggy? Oh thank God, what the hell happened last night?"
"It's…a bit hard to explain," she swallowed.
"The last time we saw you, you were on the dance floor with Jack and then you just disappeared! Don't tell me anything happened between you and him?"
There was a telling silence and Peggy heard Rose groan.
"Peggy, are you kidding me?"
"I promise I didn't initiate anything," she explained in a whisper. "I was drunk and the next thing I knew he was leading me outside, and…"
"Did…did he have his way with you?"
Peggy sighed deeply. "Rose…"
"Oh God, Peg! Did anyone see you?"
"No, I don't believe so," she replied as she glanced up and down the hallway to make sure no one was listening in to their current conversation. "But if anyone finds out about this, my life is over."
"No kidding! What if there are other consequences? Like…you know, a baby?"
Peggy's eyes widened. "I hadn't…I hadn't thought about that."
"But is it a possibility?"
"I-I suppose…I don't really remember what happened, honestly."
"Oh Peggy…listen, it'll be alright. We'll figure out something -"
"There's nothing to figure out," Peggy interrupted. "I'm not…There's no way that could happen."
Rose sighed. "It only takes one time, Peg."
Her friend's words made Peggy want to argue, but she knew in her heart that Rose could be right. She exhaled slowly and said with finality, "I have to go. I'll talk to you later."
"Okay. Goodbye."
Peggy put the telephone back on the receiver and stood staring at it for a minute, considering what Rose had said. It only takes one time…
No, thought Peggy, that's so rare and I'm not even positive what we did could have caused me to get pregnant. I just need to relax, and take it one day at a time.
Suddenly, her mother walked down the hallway and nearly ran into Peggy.
"Oh, Margaret. Do get yourself ready for breakfast, won't you? We have to pay a call to the Hamiltons today."
Mrs. Carter hurried off toward the dining room and Peggy sighed.
One day at a time…
It had been over three weeks since that fateful night and, thankfully for Peggy, no one seemed to find out or suspect what had happened. She certainly hadn't told another living soul (besides Rose) in case someone decided to talk, but this meant hiding it from her parents and her siblings. Perhaps Sharon would understand, but Peggy would never want to saddle her teenage sister with such a burden. Telling her father was completely out of the question because he would never look at her the same way again, so the only person she could potentially tell would be her mother. But Mrs. Carter ran their household with a rod of iron most of the time and the disappointment her mother would express to her upon learning what had happened would be too much for Peggy to bear.
She laid in bed musing on these things every morning since that day, causing her to come down for breakfast later and later each time, which her mother brought up disapprovingly to her one day. Peggy replied that she has just been tired lately which convinced no one at the breakfast table.
"You have no reason to be tired at such a young age," Mrs. Carter remarked as she buttered her toast. "What sorts of things do you get up to at night when you come home late?"
Peggy surreptitiously swallowed down her guilt. "I like to spend time with my friends, Mother."
"Your female friends, I hope," her father chimed in, looking pointedly at her over his morning newspaper.
The comment made Peggy sink down a little lower in her chair. She decided to drop the subject.
After that uncomfortable breakfast, Peggy went up to her room to write a letter to her brother, Michael. She hoped he had been getting his letters at the front in France, but with the war reaching its most critical point the Carters were lucky to receive a letter back from him once a month or so. She sat down at her desk with a pen and paper and glanced at her desk calendar to write the date. She realized she hadn't torn off the new date yet and when she did, it revealed it was already the first day of May. Peggy thought nothing of it for a moment, and then froze. What day was I supposed to have started bleeding?
She thought back and her stomach turned to ice as she realized she hadn't had her monthly since the middle of March. Counting the days, she figured she was just shy of two weeks late. Peggy buried her face in her hands and considered what to do. Should she go to a doctor? No, the doctor or one of the nurses might talk and she cannot let this get out. Plus the doctor's office was right in the center of the town square so plenty of people would see her enter the building, and that would spur on her chatty neighbors telephoning Mrs. Carter to ask if Peggy was sick.
No, she thought, I can't go to the doctor. I need to ask for help…Rose can't really help me, I doubt her strictly Catholic parents taught her much about pregnancy…I can't tell Father or Sharon…The only person who can help me is Mother.
The thought of telling her mother made her feel sick but the idea of trying to figure all this out on her own was even more terrifying, so she conceded that this was the only way. She glanced at the clock and figured this was around the time of day her mother wrote letters, so she knew she'd find her in the library. With a deep and heavy sigh, Peggy shook as she stood up and trudged down the stairs.
Just as she had predicted, Mrs. Carter was as white as a sheet when Peggy told her what had happened.
"How…I…How could you have let this happen, Margaret?" Mrs. Carter implored, leaning forward in her chair and covering her face in her hands.
"I didn't let this happen," shot back Peggy. "I told you, I didn't want it to happen but I must've blacked out…"
She trailed off but Mrs. Carter shook her head. "But you had been drinking! You didn't have your full faculties! I thought I had raised you smarter than that! And you know Jack Thompson is a no-good scoundrel; why would you let him anywhere near you? You should have known better, Margaret!"
"Alright, alright," sighed Peggy, loathing when her mother criticized her. "You can berate me all you want, but that doesn't change the fact that this happened and I need help to deal with it."
"I could very well not help you deal with it and kick you out onto the curb," said Mrs. Carter with a piercing gaze. But then her eyes softened. "But I'm not going to do that. If this gets out it would ruin the family, so the main thing we need to worry about right now is preventing any rumors from circulating. If anyone talks, not only would your hopes of a decent life be over but your sister's would be as well."
Peggy looked sheepishly at the ground. She knew that in the modern world, a mistake as scandalous as this one would not be forgotten for years and it would sully the Carters' good name for everyone in the family, not just for herself.
"So how do we ensure the story doesn't get out?"
Mrs. Carter thought for a moment, and then sighed. "I think the only way to eliminate the chance of gossip would be for you to leave Denver."
Peggy started to protest but her mother cut her off. "If you are pregnant like you think you are, it would be better to leave sooner rather than later before anyone notices any symptoms. We could say you're attending a women's college on the east coast."
Peggy couldn't help but feel crestfallen by this notion. "But I don't want to leave Denver. Everyone I know and love is here."
"Well, what other choice do we have? Have you stay here and hide from plain sight for nine months and then suddenly a baby appears out of thin air?"
"I might not be pregnant," mumbled Peggy, folding her arms.
"Has your monthly ever been this late before, Margaret?"
Peggy thought for a moment and frowned. "Not that I recall."
"Well, then! Stop thinking about what you'd like to do and think about what you have to do to save our family."
Peggy shook her head. "I just can't believe this is happening."
Her mother sighed. "Well, believe it, dear. I'll call my cousin Harold tonight and see if he has room for you to stay with him."
"Wait, the cousin Harold who lives in New York? With the thirty-year-old son?"
"That's the only 'cousin Harold' we have, yes," retorted Mrs. Carter with annoyance in her voice.
"Why would I go stay with them? I thought they were only second-cousins-once-removed or something, so why would they want to help us?"
Mrs. Carter tossed her head back in frustration and said, "Think for a moment, Margaret. Who else would have a stake in saving the family's name other than someone from our own family? And his son George is still unmarried, last I heard, which would not be ideal but it couldn't hurt to get the two of you more acquainted…"
"Oh, Mother…" Peggy groaned, wondering if the situation could get any worse than it already is. "Don't tell me you're thinking what I think you're thinking. He's ten years older than me! And my cousin-"
"I will not have my daughter bring up a bastard child," Mrs. Carter said sternly, and the sudden use of hearing the improper word come from her mother's mouth struck Peggy silent. "If I have to marry you off to practically a stranger then I will do it if it ensures you will have a life outside of Denver. It won't be a happy life, but at least you'll be taken care of and not living on the street."
Peggy wanted to argue, but deep down, she knew her mother was right. A baby would absolutely ruin her, so the only way to salvage this would be for her to either leave town to have the baby or marry someone right away.
Or do both, she thought dryly, which would make Mother happiest.
"Alright, Mother," she sighed. "I suppose this is the only option we have. When should I expect to be shipped out to New York?"
"For your sake, the sooner the better," replied Mrs. Carter, and Peggy could not help but notice that her mother was eyeing her stomach surreptitiously.
Steve wiped the sweat from his brow as he pounded the last fence post into the hard soil, the sun beginning to prickle at the back of his neck. He was breathing a little harder than normal as he packed the dirt in around the fencepost, but while most men would have been panting from the toil of digging, Steve felt only minimal fatigue. He still was not quite used to being one of the biggest, strongest men in town and was sometimes surprised to find himself being able to run fast, breathe normally, and eat four meals in one sitting.
Steve mused that even if he were standing in the sun for hours he would still never get an actual sunburn, but he could feel the heat starting to singe nonetheless. He grabbed a rag from his back pocket and rubbed his neck. He heard a high-pitched whistle and looked up to see a middle-aged brunette woman waving from across the field as she approached him.
"There's lemonade inside," she shouted at him, her voice beginning to lower as she got closer. "The girls are already inside making it, but by the time we get there…"
"Thank you, Mrs. Barnes," said Steve as he carefully leaned his sledgehammer against the fence post and began to follow her toward the house. "Any news from Bucky yet?"
Mrs. Barnes sighed. "No, nothing came in the mail today. He should still be in France, though where exactly he is I couldn't tell you."
"I'm sure he's fine," Steve replied quickly. "He's smart and I know he'd never rush into battle guns blazin' without thinking about it first."
Steve could see out of the corner of his eye that Mrs. Barnes was smiling but had a pained look in her face. "It's sweet of you to try to reassure me, Steve. It's something Bucky would probably do. But I'm a mother, and mothers do little else other than worry."
Steve nodded solemnly and knew she needed no other reassurance from him. He tried to picture Bucky relaxing with some of his fellow soldiers, perhaps swapping stories with them as they ate and waited around for orders. But then images of Bucky climbing through the muck and mud of the trenches with blood and debris spraying all around him couldn't help but enter Steve's mind. He knew it was likely that Bucky had seen some action and, if he was still alive, he'd probably seen more horrific things than Steve ever did serving his country.
But that isn't to say that Steve hadn't encountered great pain and loss, too. His mind flashed back to the things he experienced in his brief time as a volunteer soldier…The pain he felt getting injected with needles and feeling his muscles expand…Seeing Dr. Erskine in a bloody pool on the floor…The disappointment and shame in being told he was too valuable an asset to be sent out into the field and being ordered to go home…
Bucky's sister Agnes was pouring a generous glass of lemonade which she handed to Steve when he and Mrs. Barnes approached. He sat with the Barnes' for quite a while, sharing stories about the stupid things he and Bucky had gotten up to before the war had sent him away, making them all laugh. Steve bid them farewell when the sun was starting to sink down because he knew his mother got anxious when he wasn't home by nightfall.
"If you wouldn't mind, Steve," said Mrs. Barnes as they rose from the table, "I've got another box of produce and things that the Carters' cook asked me to bring over. When you get back to Denver would you be able to -?"
"I wouldn't mind at all, Mrs. Barnes," he replied with a smile. "Where's the box?"
"I'll go grab it."
As Mrs. Barnes left the room, Bucky's youngest sister Janie couldn't help but giggle and ask, "Are you hoping you'll see Miss Margaret, Steve?"
"She prefers Peggy," he chimed in with a grin, "but it's not polite to comment on my friendships with the people in town, Janie."
"Mm-hmm…" she replied with another giggle.
Mrs. Barnes smiled as she passed off the box of goods to Steve and kissed him on the cheek.
"Thank you for doing so much to help us out," she said earnestly. "With Bucky away, it's been hard to get caught up on things around here like that fence that needed mendin'…"
"Don't mention it, Mrs. Barnes," Steve smiled back. "You know me, I'm always happy to help."
"I do know you, and I know you'll work yourself into the ground if you keep helping everybody in town with fixing and building and such."
Steve shrugged as he used his shoulder to push open the front door, saying, "I feel fit as a fiddle."
The Barnes family all waved after him as he got in his delivery truck and began the hour-long drive from Wilson back to Denver. Steve amusingly thought that he would get home faster if he ran, knowing the several mile sprint wouldn't wind him, but he hated getting stared at whenever people saw how fast he could truly run. He didn't mind being this fast and strong, except for when the people in town whispered about him behind their hands whenever he walked by.
The people in town love their gossip, he thought wryly.
The Carters' cook, Mrs. Miller, never failed to make Steve sit down and have a slice of cake or a biscuit whenever he came over to drop off deliveries. On this day, she had made a delectable blueberry muffin that he was snacking on when suddenly a certain red-lipped brunette burst in through the kitchen door.
"Mrs. Miller, do you have any more of those delicious muffins?" she asked hurriedly.
"Right next to Steve, dear," replied the cook, not even glancing up from the counter she was scrubbing.
Peggy looked over and saw Steve sitting at the wooden table with his mouth full of muffin and he gave her a little wave.
"Oh! Sorry Steve, I didn't see you there. What are you doing here?"
"Don't worry about it," he said once he finished chewing. "Just dropping off another delivery from the Barnes' farm."
"Oh I do hope they brought us some of their sweet corn," she sighed as she took a muffin from the plate on the table and sat next to Steve. "I can always tell when our corn is from the Barnes' farm because the produce from Wilson is so much better than Denver's."
"I'll be sure to tell Mrs. Barnes that so she can bring you over her best ears next time."
Suddenly Peggy's smile turned into a deep frown which caught Steve off guard. "Everything okay?" he asked.
"Oh…yes…"
Peggy caught Steve's unconvinced look and sighed. "I'm really not supposed to say yet, but…I'm being sent away."
Steve's heart stopped for a beat. "Sent away? Why?"
"I meant, I'm going away to the east coast to visit family," she stuttered, realizing she should've chosen her words more carefully. "There's a women's college in New York that my mother wants me to attend and my cousins happen to live there, so I will be going to live with them very soon. Perhaps within the next week or two."
"For how long?"
"I…probably until next year," she admitted sadly. "Mother thought it best that she send me now while summer is just about to start so I can get used to the city for a few months before attending classes in the fall."
"Oh, I…" Steve swallowed the thick lump in his throat, at a loss of what to say. "I mean…I'm-I'm happy to hear that you'll be doing something new and exciting, Peggy. If that's really what you want to do."
"It is," she lied, feeling her heart sink. "I believe it'll be an adventure."
"Well I hope it's not too bold of me to say that I'll miss you - I mean, talking with you," Steve stuttered, starting to turn red. "You know, the chats we've had these last few months whenever I come drop things off. I'll miss that."
"Oh," said Peggy as she started to turn a little red, too, "I'll miss our chats too, Steve."
Suddenly tears sprang to Peggy's eyes and Steve's eyes widened. "If I've said anything to offend you -"
"No, no," Peggy waved him off, wiping her eyes quickly on the back of her wrist. "I was just thinking…Well, it's stupid, really, but I feel like I barely know you and yet I'll miss you. And everyone in town," she added hurriedly before Steve could react. "I'll miss the milkman I see every day and the neighbors I wave to when I see them in town…People I took for granted knowing, really. It'll just be an adjustment for me."
"You'll get through it," Steve said with a small smile. "And you can always write to me - er - us, whenever you miss us townsfolk."
Peggy chuckled a little and nodded. "I'll try to do that."
There was a small pause where Steve and Peggy just sat for a moment, looking at each other, until Steve glanced away awkwardly.
"Uh," said Steve, clearing his throat, "I should get back before my mother starts to worry. Let me know when your last day here is, will you? So I can come say goodbye?"
Peggy smiled sadly. "Of course, Steve."
Steve got up and headed out the back door, slamming the door a little harder than he had meant to. His head reeled with the conversation he had just had and he felt his heart sink further than he thought it could. Peggy was leaving, and he wouldn't get to chat with her anymore…or see her face…or hear her laugh…
Steve shook his head a little as he walked hurriedly into the evening air. I'm just sad my friend is leaving, he told himself. It's not like I have feelings for her. Anyone would be sad to lose a friend.
But he couldn't help but picture her soft brown eyes and ruby red lips the rest of the drive home.
.
A/N: If you skipped the assault part, all you will need to know is Peggy got drunk at a dance hall and got assaulted by a man named Jack Thompson, and weeks later she now suspects she may have become pregnant by it. Then she tells her mother about it and her mother suggests the only way to save her family's reputation is for Peggy to leave Denver. Once again, if you feel so inclined, don't hesitate to post a review!
