Chapter 3 [Next Day—Allied Command]

Fresh off of the outing with the Commandos, Peggy marched into the office with increased pep in her step. While her heart still felt heavy over Steve's absence, she determined to conquer the omni-present intel pile at her station to find a chink in that Nazi armor all the sooner….

…to end the war that much sooner….

…to start searching for her Captain all the sooner….

She settled into her seat and glanced at the aforementioned pile. "Time to press on." She picked up the first document and started reading.

[Three Hours Later]

After scratching out so many notes that it felt her hand would fall off, she set her pencil and careworn legal pad down on the desk. Several potential leads had become clear to her especially in occupied Poland and along the Russian front. Perhaps it would be time to send help to Stalingrad to help the Soviets?

If the Soviets could unpin themselves maybe they could push the Nazis back into Berlin that much sooner?

She shook her head while getting up and grabbing the oft-utilized coffee mug. She needed a minute to consider options before writing up her report. Before leaving, she locked the notes and briefs away securely. Then she headed for the cafeteria and the coffee pot warming in the corner.

The warm java smell admittedly energized her.

She poured a cupful for herself. After adding a dash of crème and two lumps for the road, she sampled its pleasures. Her throat immediately relaxed its raspy response. "Can we trust Stalin?"

"Depends on what you'd trust him with, Agent Carter."

She set her cup down, turned and instinctively broke into a crisp salute. "Good morning, Colonel Phillips. I didn't hear you come in."

"You were a million miles away, Carter," her superior acknowledged gruffly while pouring and fixing his own drink. "Glad to see that. Got some ideas?"

"I do as a matter of fact. Maybe a pincer move?" She glanced around to see if anyone was listening in.

He did the same. "Walk with me. Now would be a good time to can the break and get some work done. Get your coffee."

"Right. Thanks, Colonel." She followed him out of the lunch room and back toward the situation room. Once inside, she asked, "Are we clear?"

"We're fine." He assured her although his eyes did acknowledge her desire for tact. "Show me on the board what you got in mind."

She took the wooden pointer from the corner and motioned toward the tabletop board picture of Europe and Asia. "We're already coming up from Italy. I was thinking of a staging area in Eastern Europe. Maybe Poland? Maybe we airlift soldiers to the gates of Stalingrad and break the Nazis' siege there?" she proposed.

"Take a lot of manpower, Agent Carter. Besides, as I told Captain Rogers, you'd have a lot of the most fortified territory in Europe between those men and our ability to resupply them," he pointed out. "Still it is an idea. I'll send that up the flagpole. Maybe if we broke the siege, Stalin could focus on pulling his end."

"And if we have a presence there, he couldn't use the Red Army to expand. Sorry, Colonel, I don't trust Stalin or the Soviets in that regard," she predicted knowingly.

Phillips waved that notion off. "I agree on not trusting Stalin. Personally I'd like to put a bullet in that thick skull of his. But the Russians are going to be more focused on rebuilding than expanding. Eastern Europe will get back to its own business. If the siege is still going in a couple of months, we can deal with it then. Maybe Stark might see something on his mission."

"Stark?" She arched an eyebrow. "Hopefully he won't blow himself up. What's he up to now?"

He sighed. "He's off on another of your shared crusade trips. He's scouting out an alternative flight plan between here and Eastern Europe over the Arctic so he says. Personally I think he's obsessed with finding Rogers myself."

"I still have hope, Colonel. Until there's a body, I will wait," she vowed earnestly.

He bit back the terse response in his throat. Despite the staged funeral and other attempts to move on, Stark, the Howling Commandos, several of his own superiors and, most of all, she wouldn't give up the ghost. Personally, while he missed Steve, he wasn't about to end his whole war over it or declare the Captain a saint or anything. "As long as you keep coming up with intel and theories like these, fine. Wait. It's your life, Agent Carter. Make yourself a nun over a crush." He shrugged and walked out the room.

She fumed to herself. She acknowledged that the more days which passed increased the odds of her Captain's return. Still her heart ached for that. Yes Duty ruled her head….

…yet duty and love could co-exist, couldn't they?

She sucked in a deep burning breath and left the situation room. She was bound for her station and those notes.

When Stark returned, she'd have some plans for Phillips all right.

He could count on that….