A/N: This contains Angie/Howard, along with Angie/Peggy feelings. I'm disclaiming that so if people really don't want to read the aftermath of sexual Angie/Howard, you have been warned.
A/N2: I'm still a firm fan of Angie/Howard brotp (and not romantic), but this idea came to me out of nowhere and I had to write it down. (I'm sorry.)
A/N3: I wrote this before A Sin to Err aired, and I had definitely wanted to post it before that episode aired because I knew this would be less accepted due to the influx of Cartinelli feels I knew would be coming. Only, my beta completely forgot about getting back to me, and the episode aired. So I decided to wait to let a lot of the initial surge of excitement go by, because let's face it, this isn't the dream scenario - and I'd already written in so it had to be posted (that's how I work).
Howard's in the bathroom, splashing his face with water from the sink even as steam from his shower curls its way out of the barely closed door. He's probably just finished touching up his mustache and clean shaven chin, Angie thinks. Sitting up with her back against the wall, her blanket pulled up tight against her chest, she already regrets everything.
It had been so simple. Howard Stark, billionaire fugitive, had suddenly shown up at her door. A couple of hours after Peggy had arrived to dinner after turning down Angie's offer of Pepto, she had taken one look at Howard, remembered him from an hazy tumble five years ago when she'd been new to the area, and pulled him into her room. Firstly intent on demanding why he was there, then pretending to go with his excuse of visiting "his cousin, Peggy", she'd found herself entirely too quickly allowing him to work his charms.
He hadn't disappointed five years ago, she remembers telling herself, so why should he disappoint now? She was lonely. Hadn't had a satisfying moment of human touch for longer than she'd care to remember. And though she knew she was treating herself cheaply, giving in too easily - and wasn't there someone else she wanted more than anything? Someone who made her smile and made her palms sweat and made her heart skip a beat whenever she even thought about seeing them? - she'd made the conscious decision to let nature take over as soon as Howard's calloused hand skimmed along her hip.
So what if he was a suspected terrorist. So what if he was paramountly different than the one she wanted. She'd given in.
Swallowing, abruptly brought back to the present, Angie quickly rises from the bed, practically trembling as she scoops up her discarded underwear and skirt and blouse Howard had easily divested of her almost an hour before. "Unless you have confirmation Peggy's here," she coughs, clearing her throat, raising her voice just enough to be heard in the bathroom, "Stay here. I'm goin' to the kitchen. They tend to keep leftovers for a couple'a hours in the icebox, so I'll have food so..." She takes a moment, "If you're still here when I'm back, I'll feed you. Otherwise, I won't be heartbroken if you're gone. Peggy'll probably be lookin' for you."
Howard pushes open the bathroom door properly, steam finishing billowing out as he grants her a confident, sexy smirk. He has one of Angie's towels wrapped low on his hips, the rest of him naked and shiny with water, still wet hair plastered lazily to his forehead, and sick awareness twinges in Angie's stomach. "You sure you're not gonna want another round?"
The sick awareness abruptly sours in Angie's stomach. "Not of what you're thinkin'," she reaches out, grabbing Howard's shirt and trousers from where they had been tossed over her desk, quickly throwing them at the man. "Make yourself decent," she glares at him, "This was fun, but - it's not gonna happen again."
Quickly leaving before she hears Howard's response, Angie can barely breathe as she shuts her door behind her.
And then, suddenly, "Angie?" Dottie asks, the woman startling her. Also closing her room door behind her, seemingly having the same idea Angie has to check out what leftovers will be available in the kitchen, the tall blonde gives her a concerned, honest smile.
Angie puts a smile of her own on her face, thankful for the distraction. "Just hungry," she explains, turning away and waiting for Dottie to join her as they start striding down the hall towards the stairs, "You?"
Nodding, Dottie smiles at her. "Don't tell anyone," she says conspiratorially, Iowan accent strong, "But it's this time of night I often go lookin' for pickles."
Pickles. Angie snorts before she can stop herself. "You know what, Dottie?" she says instead of blurting out about just having slept with and gotten into a pickle of her own, affectionately bumping her shoulder against the other woman's, "I think you and I're gonna get along just fine."
The next time Angie runs into Peggy, the woman coming into her diner, Angie does her best to act the same as she always has. She knows, through the Griffith grapevine, that Howard's long gone, Peggy seemingly having kicked her "cousin" out sometime after Angie had gotten back to her room with Howard already having cleared out. In fact, having heard that information, it had honestly made Angie feel better than it should have. She's still curious as to how Peggy and Howard know each other, but she also knows she doesn't want to know if it's anything other than friends or colleagues. As much as she's not innocent, in regards to Howard, it doesn't mean she wants verification Peggy's the same.
Still, she's paranoid Peggy knows.
Only, as Peggy acts the same as always - tired and aggrieved and complaining shallowly about her workplace - it slowly becomes clear Peggy doesn't know. And, equally slowly, guiltily, part of Angie relaxes.
If she and Peggy do become closer, she thinks, hiding behind a broad smile as she slips Peggy a piece of key lime pie, pretending everything's okay, she knows she'll have to come clean. If she's correct about how much Peggy's attracted to her, too - and oh how she hopes she is! - and for how long she hopes the Englishwoman has been, too, Angie'll have to admit that, in the middle of their "courtship", she'd slept with someone else - a male someone else...
Angie's fingernails cut sharply into her palm as a wide smile slashes across her face, eventually managing to turn it into a sincere smile as Peggy vaguely tries to commiserate with her about men in the workplace as Angie pours her a refill of coffee.
She's still not sure how she'll ever rationalize it satisfactorily. She just hopes whatever she tries will be enough.