A/N- Thank you for following this story. I am not really into the whole Captain America fandom so my knowledge of it is fairly limited. Please feel free to correct me if I make any errors in the forthcoming chapters regarding the details. As always, feedback is appreciated!
Peggy was now working diligently on her first real mission. This day was of great accomplishment for her, for she was finally seen as being capable of what she was hired to do. Her fellow agents' shocked expressions were proof enough of the fact that while they had come to accept Peggy as more than the lady who took phone calls and brought them their lunch, they didn't really consider her to be their equal. Well, we'll just have to change that, wont we? thought Peggy. I'll prove to them I am just as capable as they are. Thompson has trusted me and I will not give him an opportunity to regret his decision.
Peggy and Daniel had been working on their newest mission all throughout the day. They sat pouring over all the possible information that could lead them to these assassins. They had been thinking of nothing but this, putting forward different ideas. Having almost no information or background about these covert assassins had been a big setback to say the least. For the last hour and a half, Peggy had been brainstorming with Daniel, Agent Smith having left the office at 5 which was the standard time for everyone to clock out.
"So, we know it'll be a young female between 20 to 30 years of age, someone who'll be able to lure influential men into handing over secrets of the US. Of course, they'll be highly trained in combat, given what I saw in Russia and what I saw of Dorothy Underwood" said Peggy.
"The problem is that with thousands of young girls living in New York, it'll be next to impossible to find such women, especially when they've been trained for this their whole life." said Daniel.
"What if we forget about the female assassins for the moment and try to find some other way of reaching Leviathan?" asked Peggy.
"What do you mean? Do you have something in mind?" Daniel asked quickly.
"Well, I was just thinking that we still have that typewriter, don't we? The one that apparently typed on its own?"Peggy enquired.
"Yeah, we still have it. As a matter of fact, we still haven't been able to figure out how it's doing that." said Daniel.
"I wonder if that could provide us with a clue. I know we don't know who created it but there must be something that'll tell us where it was manufactured. We'll take another look at it. What do you think?" Peggy asked.
"We could try, though I highly doubt we'll find anything new. We'll leave that for tomorrow, okay? We're already late as it is." finished Daniel.
Peggy, who had been too consumed by the case looked at the time, looked at the time and was shocked to see it was already 7:30 p.m. "Oh heavens, I had a whole lot of filing to finish today. I guess I was too caught up in the case. Now I'll have to sit here and finish all that bloody paper work!" she groaned.
"Hah! I guess the thrill of getting your first proper mission made you forget the most boring part of working at SSR." Daniel laughed. "Do you want any help with it?" he offered kindly.
"Oh no, I couldn't ask you to suffer through this! Thanks for the offer though! Don't worry, I'll be done in half an hour. You should leave, it's getting late" she finished.
"Yeah well okay. I'll see you tomorrow then Peggy! Goodbye." With that Daniel left the office.
For the next half an hour, Peggy worked on her paperwork. She was so engrossed in it that she failed to notice that she was not alone.
"I knew you'd take your job seriously Carter but I didn't know just how much" said Thompson, locking his office for the night. "Jeez Carter, there's something called over enthusiasm. Ever heard of it?" he mocked.
"Oh I didn't notice that I wasn't the only one working here. And the same can be said for you, don't you think, Chief ? she retorted.
"Ah well, being Chief means major paper work. It's a pain in the ass really. Reminds me of the good old days when I did not have to spend my time answering politicians and filling out legal stuff." Jack said.
"So, your dream job has turned out to be not so dreamy then, Chief Thompson? Peggy asked.
"Well, it definitely has its perks. I can afford a better car now" Jack smiled at Peggy.
"I really want you to know that I am glad you were made the Chief, Agent Thompson. I know it really doesn't matter what my opinion on the whole thing is but I just want you to know that you're a good leader" said Peggy.
"Who says your opinion doesn't matter? Of course it does. I know you must hate me for taking the credit in the whole Howard Stark affair-"Jack was saying when Peggy interrupted him.
"I don't hate you Agent Thompson. I wasn't the only one who worked on that case. You deserve to take the credit. And you becoming Chief has certainly turned my life around at SSR. It's because of you that all the rest of the agents give me some respect" she finished.
"That's rubbish. They respect you because of what you've done for the SSR. I may have had a hand in setting something of an example but trust me Carter, no one deserves respect more than you after what you've done, not just for the SSR, but for the city of New York." said Jack.
Peggy flushed. What on earth is up with me? Why am I getting so flustered today? She wondered. Perhaps it was because she was not used to getting compliments from Agent Thompson, at least not genuine ones. Once again, feeling embarrassed, she muttered a thank you.
"I must leave now. Pretty late to be out." Said Peggy as she began picking up her things and clearing the desk.
"How are you getting back home? Surely not by a cab? It's too late for a dame to be out alone." said Jack.
Anger flared up inside Peggy. After all this, he still didn't think her capable enough to protect her own goddamn self. "Yes, by a cab, Chief Thompson, since I do not hold the chief's post and so I do not have the money to own a car!" she said angrily.
"Easy there Carter, I have no doubt you can protect yourself. It doesn't stop me worrying though" said Jack.
Wait. What did I just say? Did I just say that out loud to Carter? He thought. He quickly decided to change the topic and said " I just think it'll be easier if I drop you home tonight Carter. That's all I meant."
"Oh! Umm.. alright then.. it'll save me the trouble of looking for a cab that's for sure. "said Peggy, who was too baffled after what Thompson had said about being worried about her.
10 minutes later Peggy was seated next to Jack in his car. While they were no longer the bickering colleagues they had once been, they still didn't know how to act around each other, neither used to being in the other one's company outside of the office. Needless to say, the first 15 minutes of the journey were spent in silence, with both Peggy and Jack trying to think of a topic to start a conversation. Finally, Jack decided to talk about something they both would have plenty to say about-work.
"So" he began, "How is your mission coming along Carter? Find any leads?" he asked.
"Some" said Peggy, "though I'd rather not say anything until I have solid evidence in my hand." she said.
"Well, you can come to me anytime if you need any help, you know that right?said Jack.
Normally, this sort of comment would have infuriated the old Peggy, she would have seen it as a further example of Thompson's belief in his own superiority, but she knew he meant it genuinely, that he really was willing to help out.
"I'll be sure to keep you informed Chief." she said.
"Where do I turn from here?" asked Jack, having no idea where Peggy was living these days.
"Oh, you can drop me here. I live only a few blocks ahead. It's quite late, you should head home now." Peggy said. She was not trying to blow off Thompson but she felt embarrassed to show him that she was staying in Howard Stark's mansion.
"Come on, I'll drop you right at your doorstep. It's not a big deal Carter." he said.
"Fine" sighed Peggy, "The house is just down the lane" she said.
In a minute, they had reached the gates of Howard Stark's mansion. Jack whistled and looked at Peggy. "Not too shabby Carter. I didn't know you earned more than me." he joked.
"Oh, it's just a temporary residence till the time I find a proper place to live in. I can't wait to be out of here. It's not like I don't like the luxury of living here, but this kind of life is not for me." she said.
Jack smiled , hmm, so she doesn't like the big grand house. Looks like she isn't like most women who'd give anything to live here, he thought.
"Well, I better take off if I want to get home in time. I'll see you tomorrow Carter. Adios!" he said as he started his car.
"Goodnight Chief." smiled Peggy, remembering a conversation (if you could call it that)from not too long ago wherein she had questioned his knowledge of the alphabet and he had responded with Aloha, Adios and Auf weidersehen. "And thank you for the ride. "she added and waved him a goodbye.