3285/A Bit of Stolen Time

A Bit of Stolen Time
Date of Scene:	08 September 2020
Location:	Logan's Safehouse, Brooklyn, NYC
Synopsis:	Peg and Logan have a lazy morning at the safe house. Daughters, life, and the future are discussed.
Cast of Characters:	Logan Howlett, Peggy Carter

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Logan Howlett has posed:
Once Peggy asked about using his safehouse, Logan decided to up the amenities just a bit. A few thrift-finds and some elbow grease produce a dated but functional kitchen complete with a mint-colored kitchen aid, which displays proudly on the countertop. A commercial-grade coffee pot meant for a floor of corporate workers keeps the small apartment well-stocked in caffeine.

A couple of desks now occupy the apartment, one in the bedroom and one in the living area. A small safe was installed in the master closet, secured and bolted to the floor and walls. A clipboard hangs from the back of the front door with a mock janitor schedule listing out the rooms in the apartment: X for clean, empty for haven't been in yet, and slash for 'I smelled something wrong'. So far, it's been all X's.

Logan even kindly added more necessities to the bathroom. All in all, the apartment is considerably more liveable and a better working environment. The Canadian lounges on the couch in jeans and black t-shirt, staring out the open balcony doors while cradling a fresh mug of black coffee in his calloused hands.

Peggy Carter has posed:
Peg hasn't exactly moved in, but she's also far from a stranger since getting permission to use the place as a bit more of a home base. Slowly, several ancient SHIELD files have made their way from her work at the Triskelion into the safe in his apartment. She's taken over one of the desks, an old fashioned map of the city rolled out and a world map below it, several messy notes made in columns on the side. Sure, she could easier do all this work on the computer, but she didn't quite trust them not to be monitored by SHIELD. And, sometimes, the old fashioned way simply felt better.

She slept there two, maybe three times over any given week. Still showing her face at the Triskelion enough to not get too many questions, but this place simply felt safer. With every missing file she tracked down from SHIELD's files, the more likely she'd spend a night at his safehouse. They didn't always (maybe not even often) cross over nights spent together. Last night, however, had been one of those.

A shower was the first order of the day, but now with damp, still slightly waving hair and bared feet, the woman pads out of the bathroom and across the living room. She gives him a bit of a still drowsy smile -- she was up far too late with files and other distractions last night -- and heads for the kitchen. "...Last thing I'm getting this place is a proper tea set up. None of that Salada muck..." She's heading for the little tin and travel strainer that generally lives in her over-night bag. She'll give it 50/50 chance he's already got it steeping for her.

Logan Howlett has posed:
Logan turns his gaze away from the balcony and follows Peggy. "I thought about getting you a kettle, but I remember you being particular about tea. The unit consensus was always that coffee is supposed to taste terrible, helps wake you up." He chuckles and shifts on the couch.

"Though, a nice espresso every now and then.. ain't so bad." He tilts his head, "Though feel free to make a list if you need anythin' else. You seem to be headdown, and my biggest problem is floatin' in space at the moment. So I've got a bit of free time."

He sips from his cup then drapes an arm over the back of the couch. "How's Bucky?"

Peggy Carter has posed:
A little, skeptical grunt escapes her throat as she evaluates the kitchen and the industrial coffee maker. It'd be essential when the worst nights geared up and a pack of them ended up here, planning out the next steps. But for an actually edging on lazy morning? Tea is essential. She grabs at a pot, at least getting some hot water going on the stove. "We aren't on rations any more. A proper cup of tea is not... *that* difficult. I just can't help all you north Americans have no taste."

Once that's going, she steps back into the front room. Dark eyes settle on him there on the couch, a bit more of a smile that isn't exactly besotted, but is certainly a bit more comfortable than she's been in the past, steals across her un-made up face. Not many people got to see Peggy Carter without her classic lipstick or careful curls. This way she looked both more raw and more young.

"He's... as well as could be expected? Ready to actually get put out into the field. SHIELD still doesn't dare risk touching him on anything they deem important. He's practically a prisoner there." And, from the sharpness of her voice, she absolutely hates it.

Logan Howlett has posed:
Logan raises his cup in acknowledgment. "Ah, poor Bucky. I.. get it. Been through that. It's a raw deal, but as long as he has friends like you and Rogers, he'll get through it. Plenty of people capable of doin' good out there that ain't SHIELD."

He offers Peggy a warm smile and pats the couch beside him, an invitation, not a command. "Sure you'll find a way to keep him busy, and if you can't, it won't be long before somethin' pisses me off that I need to go take care of. If some mad scientist ain't targetin' me, they are targeting one of my daughters." He offers a deep frown. "People are horrible."

Peggy Carter has posed:
"I *should* get dressed... You've got me at a disadvantage here, Howlett." Peggy muses, still watching him in the strange sort of wonder that is a morning off. She can't really remember when either of them had this. She then disappears into the kitchen, for just a moment, to claim her mug of tea. Gunpowder black, that sharp and smoky scent she's always been horribly fond of for the mornings. Precious tea and towel-clad self are then both carried to the couch, sinking down into the offered crook of his side against comfortable cushions.

"How... are they? Your daughters? It still seems somewhat impossible how...that all came about. Part of me would rather like to meet them. The rest doesn't want to complicate things further, but... you know the whole lot of us would step in to help them. The moment you breathed a single word, we'd be there." She curls bare legs up onto the couch, comfortably pressing against him. Still uncertain what this is, but content to steal the comfortable moments when they could find them.

Logan Howlett has posed:
Logan seems more than happy to cuddle on the couch. His nostrils flare at the smell of the tea and probably a bit of the aroma of Peggy and whatever bath products she uses.

He sips from his mug once more and considers his daughters. "I imagine few fathers deal with the fact that their daughters are trained assassins. Gabby is in a good place, reckless, but she has an appreciation for life. Laura is a fierce protector but had been convinced she was just a 'weapon'. We had.... a very good talk on the tenets of Bushido. I explained the advantages of mercy. That, not all enemies are evil. How it ain't so clear cut, and today's foe might be tomorrow's ally. However, I did validate that some people are just plain evil and need to be culled to protect everyone else. A complicated moral lesson for an eighteen-year-old, but you know, she's sharp. She got it."

Peggy Carter has posed:
A slow, deeper breath is taken as she lets herself simply relax into his side. It's still an act of conscious thought on her behalf to release that consistent tension and paranoia she carries nearly constantly. To tell herself that this place and this moment, for once, is safe. It's something she's letting herself do more often, but it doesn't come naturally. He can probably feel Peggy go just a bit looser against him, a sip of too-hot tea taken before she abandons the mug to the table and lets her temple rest against the side of his arm. She smells like vanilla powder and a faint touch of lavender soap. All old scents, things no one cares for any more, but still her favourites.

"Look at you, being a proper father about it all. But goodness, designed or not, the poor girl is more than *just a weapon*..." That thought is enough to bring that protective anger back to her voice, though she doesn't know the girl in a least. "I..." The faint chuckle that escapes her lips betrays just a hint of nerves behind it, "I'd say it'd be lovely to meet her. You're certainly a better father than I'd ever be about it. But... I have no clue what... we are doing here. I simply know it's quite nice and I've no wish to muck it up with..." She stumbles on words. All this emotional stuff is not her forte, too stiff and professional to bother indulging, "The field is easier. Fun distractions and happily stolen times. Meeting the family makes it... More than shore leave, if that makes sense."

Logan Howlett has posed:
"You should meet them, Peggy. You are a good role model and good contact. I don't think it'll complicate anythin'. They aren't dependent on me. They rely on the school. I just try to inject a bit of wisdom and hard-earned experience where I can. Who I date or spend my time with... I don't think that even registers with 'em." He shrugs as he drapes his arm around her shoulders.

"As for what this is... Well, it's a hell of a foundation for a meaningful relationship, but... it's also complicated too. Yea, it's nice. I like it. I want it. Pretty sure you are stuck with it unless you get sick of me, then you are gonna have to be very direct. Otherwise, I'm just gonna keep showin' up." He grins at her. "Look, we understand each other. Share common values. Care about each other. Would kill for each other. You can view meeting my family as shore leave, or you can take it as a responsibility for the next generation of women."

Peggy Carter has posed:
The softest, quietly thoughtful laugh escapes her lips as he lays it out just that cleanly. Peggy shifts away just enough that she can comfortably look up to him, brows arched. Not a trap. Not even something he seems to be wrestling over. She shakes her head slowly, a wry smile crossing unpainted mouth. "Sometimes you are are... frustratingly blunt and I am very thankful for that thick skin of yours as I'm quite certain someone would have murdered you by now. Possibly me, a few of those days. And other times, I suppose it makes things much easier when you lay it out like that. I... have no plans on going anywhere. This is *your* apartment, after all. I just keep sneaking in the front door." And have put clothes in the closet. A tooth brush and bath soaps. Enough that this is as close to a home as she has outside of SHIELD.

She finally reclaims her tea, a little less molten. It's a good distraction to help her order thoughts despite how nicely clear he has made it. "Mm... I'd... like to meet them. Next generation aside, they *are* your daughters and... at a fair amount of risk, from all you've said. Best to know the faces of *other* people I'd be willing to kill for." Because there is no doubt about that behind her voice.

Logan Howlett has posed:
"Well, I ain't lookin' to own ya, Peggy. Seen what happens to the men who try." He chuffs a laugh and shakes his head, "Far as I see it, it's yours. My personal space is the cabin in Breakstone, which you are welcome to visit anytime." He reaches down and pats her thigh, "We'll need to arrange it. Though just to warn ya. They are all rough and tumble. Much as I am coming to love 'em, I wouldn't call 'em ladies."

He smirks a little bit and drains his mug. "Probably a good thing. No glass ceilings for those two. They'd murder the poor bub who tried to hold that line. Though they might be curious about more uh... feminine things.. and while there are role-models at the school, havin' another one can't be a bad thing."

"As for killin' for them... Leave that up to me, and let me call in backup. Cause, I'm not sure you understand the kind of trouble you are signin' up for with that promise." He casts a side glance then blinks. "Whoops, may have just told 'Peggy Carter' what to do. Don't make me wear the tea."

Peggy Carter has posed:
The commentary about not trying to own her gets a firm smirk and a little, pointed look. "Trust me, my dear. I know you aren't. We wouldn't be anywhere near here if you were." Dark eyes then flicker around the place, as he practically gives it to her. Peggy slightly shakes her head, some of that tension returning behind her gaze and to the set of her shoulders, "The moment we started working out of this place, we both knew it'd have to be burned. Someone, eventually, is going to trace us here. HYDRA or... if my most paranoid worries are true, certain elements of SHIELD. It will be nice while it lasts. We...know not to get attached." The concept of home isn't something Peggy's bothered with in a very long time.

As for his daughters, the commentary gets him a quietly bemused look. She lets him finish, smiling over her tea which now remains nursed between her fingertips, but the last bit earns him a little laugh, "Logan, I'll leave it to you because they are *your family* so, that means, you get to call the shots where an operation involving them is concerned. As for trouble, nothing has managed to kill me yet and not for lack of trying. I think I can handle it. We're courting enough with that all as it is." She motions back to the bedroom, where most of the files are being kept.

"...up to 16 files missing now. I've got them all snuck out to here, so no one is going to make them permanently disappear. But..." She slips her tea instead of finishing those words. The implications are clear. It's not just bad bookkeeping.

Logan Howlett has posed:
Peggy gets a few more hearty chuckle, it's clear that Peggy's moxy is probably one of the things he finds most attractive about her. Logan nods, "Ah, good point. Guess I should give up on the security deposit." He muses.

He nods in appreciation then scratches his cheek. "I was thinkin' less of it bein' a danger and more of a political problem for ya. I'm workin' on Laura, but if a SHIELD agent showed up tryin' to bully her or her sister into somethin' dangerous. You'd probably be down one agent, very quickly. She's just as good, if not better then me. I have to use old man tricks to keep up."

Offering a grim smile, he sets his mug down and nods. "Y'all need to get you some better pest control. Let me know if I need to call in some favors. I know my share of telepaths and other mutants will useful tricks for sniffing out spies."

He grunts and looks toward the bedroom, "Why the hell did I put the safe back there. Not everytime I see you glancin' that way, I won't know if you are thinkin' about the bed or the files. Damn sloppy thinkin' on my part." He grins and waggles his eyebrows.

Peggy Carter has posed:
"'Old man tricks'...." Peggy repeats, a husky bit of a laugh coming at the thought. Now she's horribly curious. "You let me handle SHIELD. I'll let you handle the girls. We both have our problem children but that's why we always made a good team." And now they were a team in more ways that one. Peggy watches him quietly, a spill of thoughts behind her eyes that are a little heavier than she cares to muse this time of morning.

Fortunately, he also knew how to distract her. The waggled brows get a slow arch of her own and a thoughtful smile across the top of her tea mug. A smile that is all invitation and not meant to be work in the least. "I suppose that just means you need to distract me from the files. We can't work *all* day... and since I do have you here this morning..." Tea abandoned, Peggy's hand finds its way to the collar of his shirt and her smile is unmistakeable. She shifts off the couch, walking backwards as she leads him towards that bedroom, absolutely no work on her mind.