I have to first apologize for the lack of updates. I got into a seriously bad funk that just made me lose complete faith in myself, including my ability to write. I know all of you have been desperate to find out what has happened to Peggy, and I don't blame you. I would be too.

However, I think the end of this will satisfy and alarm you. So climb on into the dumpster and enjoy the read!

4

"You are aware of your mission, Agent 19?"

She faced the man who asked her the question and nodded, waiting to see if he had anything else to say.

"Relay your purpose to me."

Nineteen nodded again. "Go to New York City. Destroy the SSR and eliminate all it's agents. Return to this base once it is completed."

"You've been trained well," the man praised. "Hopefully, you will not fail us."

"No," Nineteen replied. "The SSR will be destroyed. I will succeed."

"I'm sure you will."

A brown paper bag landed in front of him, the paper crinkling audibly on impact. Jack looked up from the paperwork on his desk that it had just obscured. Sousa stood by the doorway, leaning against his crutch. Jack prodded the bag with a pen. "What's this?"

"Food," Sousa replied, coming into the office fully. "I know you haven't been eating lately. Found your sandwich with one bite out of it yesterday in the garbage."

"Maybe it was just a crappy sandwich," Jack muttered under his breath.

"And Angie told me she stopped by yesterday at the diner. She remembered that you barely touched your meal, but she had to make a second pot of coffee for you."

"And your point is?"

Sousa sighed. "You're working late, barely eating, and I'm betting that sleep's not coming easy either. Keep this up, and you're going to burn out. The SSR's already down one chief. Don't make it two."

Sighing, Jack cracked the bag open. Inside was a plain bagel.

"I don't know what your preference is, so I just went with that," Sousa explained as he sat down. "Thought it might work best if I went with something simple."

"Thanks," Jack mumbled, taking a bite. It was nice and soft and fresh, a relief from the coffee that he's been relying on too much lately.

The two men fell silent. Sousa's eyes flicked over to Peggy's empty desk. Jack swallowed his mouthful of bagel, but he felt sick inside. It was now close to three months that the desk beside his had been unoccupied. A layer of dust had begun to collect over it. Part of him wanted to just go over and clean it off, but he could practically hear her scolding him over messing with her stuff. Peggy had always been particular about the way her desk was laid out. Sometimes, Jack felt like he could see her working diligently over there, but deep down, he knew she wasn't really there.

"How are you holding up these days?"

"I'm not talking to you about my feelings, Sousa," Jack snapped irritably, glaring at his friend.

Sousa didn't flinch or anything. "Look, we'll find her."

Jack took another bite of the bagel, not saying anything to the man sitting across from him.

"Look, I understand that you're angry. You're not the only one who is though," Sousa said, his voice getting a little harsher. "I know that you and Peggy were something, but you need to snap out of this. What do you think she would say if she saw you right now?"

"Don't do this to me," Jack gritted his teeth together. "Don't you dare use her like that."

"What would she say though?"

Sousa's pressing of the question was breaking through to him. Jack could hear Peggy in the back of his head. She would be furious if she saw him moping about like this. Sousa was right. He was being pathetic, and he needed to snap out of it.

"You're right," he sighed. "I've been an ass."

Sousa opened his mouth, probably to shoot off a wisecrack. However, the ringing of a telephone outside cut him off.

"Sounds like mine," he muttered, getting out of the chair and going outside to get it.

Jack nodded, and continued to pick at the bagel while studying the files in front of him. Outside of his office, he could hear Sousa speaking on the phone. His voice started out as calm and relaxed, but slowly began to grow more and more excited. Jack listened as Sousa thanked the person on the other end, followed by the phone getting set down and the sound of footsteps and a metal crutch approaching his office.

"Who was on the other end?" he asked, curious to know what had got his friend so excited.

"Agent Malone. He's down at the police station right now," Sousa said , a smile breaking out across his face. "They think they've found Peggy."

FYI- Nineteen is what they're calling Peggy. Just a thing I did.

Big question now is what's going to happen now that Peggy/Nineteen has been found. I've got some plans for this, and I need to keep writing ahead on this story.

Please leave a review and tell me what you think!