Chapter 2
AN: Thank you so much for the support. I really, really hope you like this chapter. And I am so glad that so many of you are interested in this story.
Reacting on instinct and knowing that she doesn't have time to focus on the fact that she had Howard have been soaked in a substance that Howard doesn't completely understand, Peggy pulls her and Howard both down below the bench so that they have a little bit of cover.
"You're bleeding," Peggy says worried, as she looks at Howard, who has a wound on his shoulder.
"So are you," Howard says, as Peggy has a wound to her side, and he is pretty confident in the assumption that the serum is getting into both his and Peggy's blood as he can feel it and can see it happening on Peggy. "Wow, you hiding any other weapons under that dress?" Howard asks, as Peggy grabs a gun out of her thigh holster, and in response Peggy just gives him an annoyed look, one which Howard is very familiar with. "Who do you think is trying to kill us this time?" Howard asks as Peggy determines where to fire at.
"I don't know, we both know that it is not a short list," Peggy comments, as she starts to fire back. "We need to get out of here," Peggy says. "When I say so move, head towards the emergency entrance we put in," Peggy tells Howard.
"I'm not going anywhere without you!" Howard argues, as he tries to reach up to grab one of the beakers of serum that hasn't been destroyed, but he cannot get close to do so, but what does happen is another beaker is destroyed and he and Peggy get more of the serum over them.
"I'll be right behind you," Peggy responds.
"Peg…." Howard says, starting to object.
"GO!" Peggy yells, and despite his better judgement Howard heads towards the emergency entrance forcing himself not to look back at Peggy because he needs to believe she is right behind him, otherwise he will not be able to bring himself to go anywhere.
Once he gets to the emergency exit Howard does turn, and he does so just in time to see Peggy almost crash into him.
"I told you I'd be right behind you," Peggy reminds him.
"I should know by now that you're always right," Howard says, taking Peggy's hand as the two of them hurry into the emergency exit.
Over the next few minutes Peggy and Howard, without letting go of each other's hand though neither realizes, make their way through the building's emergency exit. Once they reach the door that will lead outside, they both pause, exchange looks, and so Peggy carefully opens the door slightly so that she can have a look.
"Let's move," Peggy says, in a whisper, and they both, moving both as stealthy and quietly as possible, something which Peggy is better at than Howard, the pair make their way to Peggy's car.
Just when they get to Peggy's car shots run out again, and so Peggy once more fires back, as Howard gets started on hotwiring the car as he figures that Peggy wouldn't have the key considering everything.
After not too much difficulty, he is a mechanical genius after all, Howard manages to hotwire the car.
"Peg, let's go!" Howard yells, and after firing off a couple more rounds Peggy gets in the car, and the second she is inside, before the door is even closed, Howard speeds off.
After taking a few seconds to catch her breath Peggy looks at Howard, wanting to see if he is okay, and as she does she realizes something.
"Your wound has healed," Peggy notes, sounding surprised.
"So, has yours," Howard says, and once he does Peggy, even though she is feeling no pain, looks down at her wound and realizes that he is right. "We need to get to SHIELD," Howard comments.
"Not right away, we don't know enough," Peggy points out. "If we go to SHIELD we could be risking our agents, not to mention ourselves," Peggy points out, honestly she knows that she and Howard can handle whatever is thrown at them, but she would rather not put the agents who are under her command in danger.
"So safe house," Howard realizes, knowing that Peggy is a better tactical thinker than him, so he always trusts her plans.
"Just until we figure out a few things," Peggy explains.
"What are you thinking?" Howard asks, giving Peggy a look as he knows Peggy well enough to know she has a suspicion about what is going on.
"You just happen to make a breakthrough on the serum, and we're attacked on a night where…" Peggy starts to say.
"You happened to get stood up," Howard finishes, realizing where Peggy's mind is going. "You think it's connected," Howard realizes.
"It's too much of a coincidence," Peggy admits. "I must have been followed," Peggy says, cursing herself for being reckless and not realizing.
"There's just one question, how would they know you'd come to me?" Howard asks.
"Who else am I with on a Friday night?" Peggy comments, as most, if not all, of her Friday nights are spent with Howard, whether at SHIELD, his secret lab, or one of his estates.
"Good point," Howard admits. "I think there's a traitor in our mist, Pal," Howard comments, as that is the only way he can think for a person to know that Peggy would come to him after being stood up.
"I think so too," Peggy confirms, and the two of them drift into a tense silence as they drive.
About half an hour after they left the Howard's Secret Lab Peggy and Howard are at a safehouse and have both gotten changed into clothes that do not have blood over them.
"The perimeter is clear," Peggy says, as she walks up to Howard who is sitting Infront of a radio.
"It won't be for long if anyone realizes we're here," Howard comments.
"How bad?" Peggy asks concerned, knowing that Howard would have gotten them at least some answers by now.
"We're most wanted…. Again," Howard reveals, as that has been all over the news.
"What for this time?" Peggy asks, as she sits down next to Howard, sounding more bored than concerned.
"Treason," Howard answers.
"Ah, so whoever is behind this has gone back to the classics," Peggy realizes.
"Looks like it. But that means we made the right decision not to go to SHIELD," Howard comments, as he knows that would have been bad.
"I don't like someone forcing us out of our own agency," Peggy says with a frown.
"Me either," Howard admits. "We have our own intelligence agency, I would have thought that would keep us from becoming most wanted," Howard comments.
"I think it just made it more likely," Peggy admits, as she knows that the more power they have, the more good they do the more enemies they will make. "I checked, this is one of our more stocked up safe houses as well as being one of the most secret and secure, we should be fine," Peggy explains, knowing that that is one less thing for them to worry about, but she also knows that being complacent could be extremely dangerous.
"How long do you think we're going to be here?" Howard asks curious.
"Mr. Jarvis, Daniel and Jack know our protocol. I think it would best that we didn't move then until we have to," Peggy explains, knowing that they are more vulnerable when they are in transient.
"Sounds good to me," Howard says, completely trusting her as he turns to look at her. "How do you feel? The Serum heled both our injuries, but do you feel anything else? Any different?" Howard asks curious, as now that they are not in immediate danger his mind can turn to the serum.
"Something feels different, not bad different, just different," Peggy comments, looking confused as she struggles to explain what the feeling is.
"Like something's changed at your core," Howard comments.
"You feel it too?" Peggy asks, feeling strangely comforted by that.
"Yeah, this place doesn't have a lab does it?" Howard asks, and as he does Peggy recognizes the look that tells her that Howard is itching to do something.
"Afraid not," Peggy answers. "We'll have to wait until after we clear our name to get answers about what is going on with us," Peggy comments.
"Yeah," Howard says looking disappointed. "Peg, if any serum wasn't destroyed and whoever was trying to kill us got it…." Howard starts to say, looking grave.
"I know," Peggy says, not needing him to finish, looking just as grave.
"If we could risk going back there what do you think the chances are that it would still be there?" Howard asks curious as while he knows what he suspects he would like to know Peggy's opinion.
"Very slim," Peggy comments, as she has to assume that whoever shot at them would have taken whatever serum survived the firefight.
"That's what I thought," Howard admits, looking disappointed. "Peg, I don't like the idea that someone could have this serum," Howard reveals, there actually being a level of vulnerability to his voice.
"I don't either," Peggy admits, as she reaches over and puts her hand over Howard's hand, and in return he puts his hand over hers.
"You know, if there is a spare radio around here I should be able to get into SHIELD's radio transmission, give us advantage," Howard explains, as he created the protocols the SHIELD radio transmission use and so he would be shocked if he couldn't get into them.
"Just don't blow anything up this time," Peggy says, with a teasing smile.
"That happened once!" Howard objects. "Are you ever going to let me forget it?" Howard asks.
"Never," Peggy says, with a smirk, and the two of them exchange amused looks.
"I'm going to go find a radio," Howard says, standing up.
"And I'm going to see if there is any tea… or maybe something stronger," Peggy mutters to herself, before she too gets up and goes for a walk around the safehouse.
A couple of hours later Howard, who has had more than a few coffees, is sitting at the table, working on a radio. While he is working Peggy is right next to him, and has fallen asleep, with her head resting on the table.
"That's it," Howard says, sounding glad as starts to hear what he knows to be SHIELD radio transmission. "Peg, Peg, wake up," Howard says, gently shaking his friend awake.
Seconds after Howard says Peggy's name she wakes up, and pulls a gun on Howard, having turned off the safety as she did, and looking wide awake.
"It's just me, Pal," Howard says, as he pushes the gun out of his face, not at all phased by the fact that Peggy is pointing it at him, even though he knows how deadly Peggy is.
"Sorry," Peggy says, as she puts the gun down on the table, with the safety back on. "Has something else happened?" Peggy asks concerned.
"I got the radio working, though you'd want to know," Howard says, as he turns up the radio.
"The lower East Side apartment is clear," A voice says.
"That's Donalds," Peggy says, recognizing the voice, as she looks at Howard in concern as she knows that particular apartment is one that he is very protective off.
"They better not have touched anything," Howard mutters, and so Peggy reaches over and squeezes his shoulder in support, an action which Howard is very grateful for.
"That makes five of his properties cleared," Another voice says. "There's another seven left to check," the voice comments.
"And that's just the ones we know about," Donalds comments.
"Good thing that this property is incredibly hard to trace back to either of us," Howard comments, feeling a small bit of relief about that fact.
"It is," Peggy confirms, though she knows that it is not impossible too, which could be a problem if they look hard enough. "If you'd like to get some rest, I will monitor the radio," Peggy offers.
"Thanks Peg, but I'm good," Howard comments. "Like you, I'm used to functioning on no sleep," Howard explains.
"Side effect of the job," Peggy comments, stretching out a little, and despite her lack of sleep she feels wide awake.
"Want some tea?" Howard asks, as if there is one thing, he can do it is make a cup of tea the way Peggy likes it.
"Yes, that would be lovely," Peggy answers, and once she does Howard gets up and heads to the kitchen area.
For the next couple of minutes Peggy listens to the radio while Howard is in the kitchen, and when he returns, he places a cup of tea in front of Peggy and sits down with his own cup of coffee.
"Any idea what they think we have done?" Howard asks curious, as he knows there are a lot of reasons why someone could be charged with treason.
'It is not clear," Peggy admits. "They're not talking about it on the open radio," Peggy says, knowing that is a concern. 'But Phillips is being questioned," Peggy explains.
"Which means soon Sousa and Thompson will be being questioned too," Howard comments, feeling a concerned for his friends, though he knows they can handle themselves.
"Which is exactly why the protocol we created is what it is. For now, we just have to wait and listen," Peggy reminds Howard.
"Something which neither of us are very good at," Howard comments, saying what they both know, and the two of them drift into silence.
Twenty-four hours after Peggy and Howard were forced to go on the run the two of them are once more in a car together, one they have obtained for themselves as they cannot use Peggy's, or any car that belongs to Howard, anymore.
"The perimeter looks clear, I don't see any signs of surveillance," Peggy explains to Howard.
"Good, lets hope the others are as careful as you," Howard comments, and the two of them get out the car, and moving quickly but carefully, Peggy and Howard make their way into a building on a street a block away, where they head straight to the basement.
"Now we wait," Peggy comments, once they are in the basement, and she is sure they are alone.
"Yep," Howard comments, and the two of them once more drift into silence.
After about half an hour of waiting Peggy and Howard hear the sounds of footsteps and so Peggy pulls her gun, and points it to the entrance, where seconds later, Daniel Sousa, Jack Thompson and Edwin Jarvis walk in; the first two also having their guns drawn, while Jarvis is carrying a large briefcase.
"Were you followed?" Peggy asks, as Jack and Daniel lower the guns, and once she sees them do that she lowers hers as well.
"No, we ditched a tail though," Thompson explains, and everyone knows that means they can't risk being together for too long.
"Ms. Carter, Mr. Stark, are you alright?" Jarvis asks concerned, as he looks towards his friends, two people he considers to be family.
"We're fine Jarvis," Howard assures him.
"What do you know?" Peggy asks, looking at Jack and Daniel, needing answers.
"That whoever is behind this is good," Daniel admits, as Jarvis puts the briefcase down on the single table that is in the basement.
"Well it's a good thing we're better," Peggy comments, as Jarvis pulls out a file, which he hands to Howard.
"Someone has made evidence that proves that you Stark has been selling weapons on the black-market, to our enemies, and that you two created SHIELD, in cohoots with the Russians, and that you're still working with them through our old pal Underwood," Thompson explains.
"That's barbaric!" Peggy says angrily, as she takes the file from Howard to have a look.
"We know that," Daniel says calmly. "And so do others, but like I said whoever is behind this is good," Daniel explains.
"Well like Peg said, we're better," Howard comments, knowing that. "We'll clear our names," Howard says, needing to believe that.
"it might not be simple. Shoot on sight orders have been issued for both of you," Jack explains.
"Which means we've got to stay on the run until we clear this up," Peggy realizes, as she knows that is how she protects both her and Howard, as well as anyone who could be near them.
"This should help with that," Jarvis explains as he turns the briefcase around to show it is full of money.
"That should be very helpful, thanks Jarvis," Howard comments, giving his friend a grateful look.
"It is my pleasure, Sir," Jarvis comments, as Howard closes the case, and takes it.
"The three of us are working on this. We'll do whatever we have to do to clear your names, but it might take some time and until then…." Daniel starts to say.
"Howard and I have to stay one step ahead of the firing squad," Peggy comments. "We should go," Peggy says, looking at Howard. "We've been together too long," Peggy comments, knowing that with ever second that passes the danger for Daniel, Jack, and Jarvis increases.
"Stay safe Ms. Carter, Mr. Stark," Jarvis request, looking between them.
"If you need us…" Daniel starts to say.
"We'll be in contact when we can," Peggy says, and she exchanges looks with her three friends, and after they do Peggy and Howard leave the basement together; leaving the three people they trust.
A few minutes after they left the three people that they trust Peggy and Howard have made their way back to their car, where Peggy gets in the drivers seat while Howard is in the passenger seat.
"Looks like it's just me and you Pal," Howard comments.
"Looks like it," Peggy says, before she starts to drive, knowing that she and Howard have a difficult fight ahead of them and she isn't sure which is going to be the tougher fight, surviving or clearing their names.