Angie's back pressed against Peggy as they lay together on the couch in the living room. Snow fell outside, blanketing the city, as the two enjoyed a crackling fire, trading/swapping stories of their lives before one another.
"And that's how I came to spend two weeks in a foxhole in Austria."
"That sounds incredible," Angie laughed.
Peggy groaned. "It was absolutely horrid."
"So, you never got a swanky U.S.O. show assignment?" Angie teased, running a finger along Peggy's arm.
"Hardly," Peggy snorted.
"Too bad. We might've crossed paths sooner if you had," Angie mused.
She could tell she'd caught Peggy's attention by the way she leaned forward and glanced at her inquisitively. "What do you mean by that?"
Angie tilted her head back and grinned with fond remembrance. "I did a brief stint as a dancer for one of the tours."
Peggy's eyes lit up with surprise. "You never told me that," she breathed.
Angie shrugged. "Not something I share with a lot of people."
But Peggy was undeterred. "Darling, you should. That's something of which to be proud. You served your country."
"I am proud," Angie assured her. "I just don't go blabbing about it." She rolled her eyes at
Peggy's frown. "What? I had my reasons."
Peggy laced fingers through hers.
"Where did you perform?"
"I did a few months along the eastern seaboard… with the Captain America show."
Peggy grew quiet, and Angie knew the following words before Peggy even uttered them.
"Did you ever meet him?
The whispered question caused Angie to lean forward and turn around to face Peggy fully before she .
"Yeah," she replied softly. "I did." She heard Peggy's breath catch.
"Why didn't you ever tell me?"
A sad smile tugged at the corner of Angie's mouth. "Well, technically, I did."
"Technically?"
"A few weeks before you moved into The Griffith."
She watched as Peggy cast her mind back to that long-ago conversation. When her brow furrowed in frustration, Angie chuckled.
"I saw him once at a U.S.O. show in Passaic," she prompted.
"You could eat him with a spoon," Peggy breathed. She was silent for a moment before breaking into a wry smile. "That wasn't quite honest," she scolded.
"Hello kettle," Angie grinned, sticking her out to Peggy. "I'm pot."
Peggy burst into laughter, and Angie knew she wasn't angry over the omission.
"Besides," Angie went on, "My departure from the show wasn't quite on the best of terms, so it's not something I like to revisit."
Peggy frowned. "I'm sorry."
Angie waved a hand. "Nothing to be sorry about. I had some good times before I left." The corner of her mouth lifted in a smile, and she waggled her eyebrows suggestively.
"Oh?" Peggy asked, and her hand gripped Angie's waist a little tighter. "Just how good?"
"A girl doesn't kiss and tell, Agent Carter," Angie giggled.
"I see," Peggy said and rolled her eyes. "I suppose I shouldn't be surprised. It's not as if things like that didn't happen in the field."
"Why Peggy Carter!" Angie exclaimed, raising a hand to her heart in mock surprise. "Do you mean to tell me you indulged in a little barracks hanky panky?"
"Barracks?" Peggy scoffed. "Hardly." She smirked. "Field tent? Possibly."
"Ah, so that's where you learned it," Angie teased.
"Yes, but unlike some of my colleagues, I never got caught." She suddenly started laughing.
"You know that reminds me of a story James once told me."
"James?"
Peggy's features softened, and she sighed wistfully. "James 'Bucky' Barnes. He was Steve's best friend."
Angie nodded. "I remember hearing about him. He must've been quite a guy to be the Cap's best friend."
Peggy nodded. "He was. It was hard losing him." She grew quiet. "It was hard losing a lot of people."
Angie waited, giving Peggy a moment to reflect before gently nudging her in the ribs and giving her a playful smile. "So? The story?"
She suspected Peggy knew her upbeat demeanor was for her benefit because Peggy flashed her a grateful smile before continuing.
"One evening while the Howling Commandos were camped in Austria, we all had a bit too much to drink. Stories were shared, and James mentioned one of Steve's more colorful stories from his time during the Stateside tour."
"Go on," Angie grinned.
"Apparently, one night during a show, Steve came off stage to the most awful ruckus. He rounded the corner to find the stage manager yelling at two of the dance girls, in various states of undress, who had been caught snogging in a dark corner during the perf–"
Angie began choking on the wine she was drinking.
"Angie! Are you all right?" Peggy exclaimed, concern lacing her features, as she raised a hand and began patting her on the back.
Unable to speak, Angie simply nodded and waited for her breath to return. When it did, she looked at Peggy with a sheepish expression. "Went down the wrong pipe."
"You need to be more careful," Peggy admonished.
"I'll say," Angie muttered.
"What's that?"
"Nothing," Angie quickly replied. Doing her best to sound casual, Angie ventured, "Did he, uh, happen to mention where that happened?"
Peggy looked at her curiously. "Now that you mention it, I recall him saying it was in…" her voice trailed off, and her eyes grew wide.
Angie felt a dull heat creep up the back of her neck.
"Passaic," Peggy finished, realization dawning in her voice as she stared at Angie. "Oh my God. That was you?"
Angie bit her lower lip and glanced away.
"Angie."
When Angie brought her gaze back to Peggy, she found her watching her with a knowing smirk.
Folding her arms across her chest, she looked right back at her with a defiant stare. "What? I said I had some good times."
Peggy snorted.
"Besides, we can't be 100 percent certain it was Lola and me."
"Lola?" Peggy asked incredulously.
Angie rolled her eyes. "I don't think it was her real name, but what was I gonna say? Anyhow," she continued, "As I was sayin', there are no guarantees it was me."
Peggy just looked at her.
"Besides," Angie rushed on, "Even if it was, you weren't even in the picture, and I was lonely, and I-"
Peggy placed a gentle finger against Angie's lips to quiet her. "You didn't tell me because you were afraid it would bring back painful memories."
Angie took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. "I know how much he meant to you, and I know how difficult it's been. I didn't want to hurt you."
She watched as tears welled up in Peggy's wide brown eyes and kicked herself. Despite her best efforts, she'd mucked it up.
"Oh Pegs," she sighed. "I didn't mean to… I'm sorry," she mumbled. "I shouldn't have said anything."
But Peggy shook her head and drew Angie closer. "On the contrary, darling." She smiled through her tears, and Angie felt some of her worries dissipate. "I loved Steve. Any memory you have of him is a memory I will cherish. I only wish you'd told me sooner."
The corner of Angie's mouth lifted in a hopeful smile. "Yeah?"
"Absolutely," Peggy assured her.
Resting her cheek against Peggy's neck, Angie let out a sigh of relief before pulling back to give her an impish smile. "Well, if you want, I could tell you about some of our shows."
Peggy leaned in and placed a soft kiss against her lips. "I would love that."
Settling in beside her, Angie laced her fingers through Peggy's and pulled their hands onto her lap.
"Well," she began in a conspiratorial tone, "There was this one time, in Atlantic City…."