5549/Happily Ever Paranoid After

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Happily Ever Paranoid After
Date of Scene: 11 March 2021
Location: Chelsea Pier, NYC, 1950
Synopsis: Daniel and Peggy's wedding reception is interrupted by a double kidnapping attempt to no one's surprise. The kidnappers are thrwated, but not before they inject Peggy with a bit more than tranqulizer juice. She ends up rambling on a lot of secrets to Lily Chen.
Cast of Characters: Peggy Carter, Achilles, Daniel Sousa, Melinda May




Peggy Carter has posed:
Autum, 1950. The wedding between Peggy Carter and Daniel Sousa was lovely. There was money -- of course there was money, Howard Stark would never let anything else happen. It was still quite small however; the families who were able to come, a few trusted SHIELD agents, a few friends like the Jarvises. No one else. Stark's still managed to rent the entire restaurant and boardwalk of the Chelsea Pier for the occasion, the newly wed couple settling on a secular service much to the frustration of their families. There's a few hired security, but tonight this was supposed to be a night for relaxing, so Howard wouldn't let anyone work. Peggy protested at first but, so far, it's been quiet.

The service was lovely, quiet, no interruptions. Now dinner is still a good hour off, but there's plenty of booze flowing and some outdoor propane heaters going along with several elegant iron fire pits, keeping the open pier decently warm despite the late fall weather. Peggy has finally caught just a few moments to breathe, a fresh glass of champagne in her hands and still in her dress from the day. She looks beautiful and content, if a bit stunned. Part of her is still in shock it happened.

Peggy Carter has posed:
(While the dress wasn't the center of the wedding, Peggy would never permit it, she's still lovely in this piece: http://i.pinimg.com/originals/4a/24/9f/4a249f654cb2234c024d21bd43746999.jpg . )

Achilles has posed:
    Well, Angelo was going by Andrew Bascomb in 1950. So Andrew it is. He spent a good amount of time during the war helping the Allies in France by acquiring and distributing intelligence reports on the Nazis. It's not like he avoided fighting. He just knew that -wars- are won by intelligence.
    There were a few people who he tried to keep track of after the war. For whatever reason, Peggy is someone he spent a bit of time working on ... shall we say, similarly aligned objectives... at least during the war. So he finds himself in the back of the event, observing quietly. Approvingly, but quietly. Dressed in a subdued suit, he reaches up to lower the brim of his hat. It's not like he really wants to be recognized. He's just happy to see -her- happy. She seemed so... down, near the end of the war.
Suit: https://fiftiesweb.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/mens-suit.jpg

Daniel Sousa has posed:
Like his wife, Daniel looks a little stunned by it all, they'd done it, they'd actually done it. Glazing down at his ring for what must be the hundredth time tonight Daniel smiles and takes a sip of his champagne before nodding to Andrew and then moving to stand next to Peggy kissing her cheek and whispering "Hey beautiful?" with a smile on his lips.

For his part Daniel's dressed in a simple black tux that works with his colouring and lanky frame. His regular wood tone cane has been switched out for something black and glossy with bits of silver chasing here and there courtesy of Howard. Honestly the man was spoiling them. "How are you holding up?" he asks.

Tux: https://i.pinimg.com/originals/7b/aa/0d/7baa0db31600083eebab3a4212c9d64e.jpg

Melinda May has posed:
Lily Chen is dressed in a pretty, dark blue dress with a lattice neckline and a full skirt. Gloves on her hands, of course. Shoes to match. A golden choker, red lips, black hair done up in an elegant updo with the requiste fascinator. She moves easily enough among the guests, many of them familiar with her, now. That hasn't made her any less quiet, mind. But she's been smiling, and that's something.

She picks up a glass of champagne and approaches Peggy and Daniel, lifting it gently. "Congratulations," she says, her smile hinting at a more playful nature than Agent May ever revealed. "You survived." The ceremony, anyway.

Peggy Carter has posed:
While Peggy was a bit surprised Andrew actually made it, the sight of him in the back of the small crowd drew a smile to her lips. It was always nice to see when an old friend not only survived the war, but seemed to be flourishing afterwards. She tips her head to him, a glossy curl slightly falling across her brow, the carefully done style coming only slightly loose in the evening's wind after she gave up on her veil and tucked it away with the things to be keepsakes. She looks a bit more her normal self without it.

Then her frame shifts, the moment Daniel comes up next to her, she sinks to the side and into the curl of one of his arms. This is a rare site she almost never lets *anyone* in the office see -- even those they call friends. She always needs to be the steel and iron Director, in love with a man or not. Tonight, she's slowly letting herself relax into being a woman, madly in love with the man whose ring is on her finger. "Mm... Wondering when I will actually believe I can drink. It'd be ashame to waste all of Howard's booze." She teases him lightly, leaning over to kiss the corner of his mouth.

Then she's smiling towards Lily, that softness in her face lingering even as she's taking congratulations again. She laughs huskily at the woman's comment, "Yes, the hard part is over, right? I... am a touch surprised we made it this far. Pleasantly so. I don't suppose there'd be any reason in interrupting now..." And she dares to take a deep gulp of her champagne.

Meanwhile, down the pier, two figures in black are starting to carefully climb the slick struts towards the private party. Another two follow when they get high enough from the waves.

Achilles has posed:
    A lopsided smile comes to Andrew's face. He lifts his own drinking glass in a silent salute from across the room. How could he not show up? He had to see her finding the happiness that she earned with so much blood sweat and tears.
    He doesn't have supernatural senses. Just good instincts. Movement where there should be none might get his green eyes to flicker that way. But it is not as if there is anything in his sightlines yet. But since he -has- been recognized now, he begins moving closer. Some people say a man cannot consider a woman a friend without thinking of going further. Andrew was never one with that problem. Peggy is someone he respects and indeed, had no trouble taking orders from. He has no idea that she is SHIELD. He has no idea what SHIELD -is- yet. That won't happen for seven decades. But tonight, he's just a former war colleague approaching to give well wishes to the bride and groom.

Daniel Sousa has posed:
"Thanks Lily," Daniel says at the congratulations. "But you better touch wood if you're going to say stuff like that today," he teases before his attention turns more fully to Peggy as she lets herself nestle in the curve of his arm, he smiles at the kiss and the tease. "I'm going easy, I figure if I do anything else after last night my liver is going to fail," he grins. It had been a helluva a stag party, what with Howard, The Commandos and some of Daniel's own army buddies, oh and the Rockettes courtesy of Howard Stark. He'd fetched Peggy for the later half and was glad they managed to escape with a little time before the ceremony, even if he was feeling it now.

"Who's that?" he asks Peggy noting Andrew approaching, he wasn't a face he could recall having seen before. The men by the pier go unnoticed for now."

Melinda May has posed:
"The ceremony," Lily amends in response to Daniel's words. "You survived the *ceremony*. Anything beyond that is gravy." Her head cants a moment, an odd shadow passing through her eyes that evokes curiosity more than concern. And it's fleeting, like whatever it was was a thought that was there for a moment, but gone before she could grasp it.

It's a common look on her face, really, and not generally one worth pursuing.

Her gaze follows Daniel's toward Andrew and her head cants faintly in curiosity again, though this time it's far more concrete. She doesn't know the man, either. But, then, she knows far fewer people here than either Peggy or Daniel.

Peggy Carter has posed:
Peggy groans as Daniel tells her to touch wood and she reaches up to muss the back of his head. "Done. No other way your skull is as thick as it is." She grins to him, that actually the edge of a *tease*. She might be relaxing, in *semi public*. Unheard of! She smirks at Chen in turn, "I know... I know. All things considered, I will take it as a win." She raises her glass to the woman and takes a long sip. She really is letting herself relax, utterly unaware of the dark figures in the waves below.

The question of the man gets her eyes, and then a realization that no one else would know him, "Andrew Bascome. Knew him in the war. His work crossed over with a lot of SOE work, and then even some SSR things. Been keeping my eye on him for our operations but...he's doing fine enough for himself right now." Peggy's explains quietly, her voice sotto voco and only meant for those next to her -- right now being Daniel and Lily. It is enough explanation to say that yes, she absolutely trusts him and she's glad he's here. Not someone they need to keep their hackles up over.

Four shadows now cling to the outside edge of the pier, still moving in the darkness, below the railing's crest, trying to get closer to the wedding party. Specifically some SHIELD agents and a certain set of directors.

Achilles has posed:
    "Sorry if I am interrupting." says Andrew with his mild accent, the sort which would indicate that he's been in the states for a while, and started to lose the accent. But sounding like someone who grew up in London.
    He smiles though and holds a hand out to Daniel, "Sir. You have my deepest respect. And my condolences... if you ever do anything to hurt your lovely new bride. Not because anyone else will do anything about it. But because -she- will handle her own business." He grins then and turns to regard Peggy, "Don't hurt'im -too- much, eh?" he asks with a sardonic smirk on his face. Yeah, he's always had the rather obtuse sense of humor.

Daniel Sousa has posed:
Daniel rolls his eyes shaking his head. "Walked right into that one didn't I," he says of her crack about his thick headedness. He smiles though as much to see Peggy this relaxed as for the joke, he leans in and brushes a kiss to her lips for good measure before he turns his attention to Chen. "I hope your right," he says about the rest being gravy, before he's turning to shake hands with Andrew. "Believe me I know it," he says of Peggy looking out for herself. "Good to meet another of Peg's friends from the war," he says with a warm smile and firm handshake.

Melinda May has posed:
Lily chuckles softly as Peggy scrubs the back of Daniel's head. "You did," she agrees easily. She gives Andrew a small, warm smile and a courteous nod in greeting. "Mr. Bascome." She takes a sip of her champagne, the bubble tickling her nose briefly.

Glancing about the room, brown eyes survey the other guests and the easy comraderie between most of them. For such a formal function, it is still a gathering of friends, which is always a good thing.

Peggy Carter has posed:
A laugh coughs out from Peggy at Andrew's warning, her dark eyes going a little wider. She leans her free hand over to swat at his arm instead, no fear of the man, just content, relaxed happiness to see him. "*Andrew*. It's ME. If none of the Howlers could get me to settle down, I promise you that I've got a good read on this one and he's one of the absolute best. There are *no* worries...NONE... that he might hurt me. Understood? Apologize to the man. Daniel, my husband... this is Andrew. And Lily Chen... Andrew, Daniel and Lily." Peggy definitely has been stealing a few 'just one sips' of champange for two hours now so she might be a bit more tipsy than she realized.

And then she really does curse herself. The dark clad figures, figuring they won't get a group smaller than this, suddenly attack. Four heavily tranquilized darts come out of some rather impressively quiet weapons, aimed for each of the celebrants in this little corner. They want this as quick and quiet as possible.

Achilles has posed:
    Turning his head after the greetings to Peggy and Daniel, Andrew lifts his brows and shows some worldly experience. As such, he grins and takes a moment to think back to his time in China. So rather than offering a hand, he actually presses his right fist to his left palm and bows his head. "Greetings my lady." he says before becoming more laconic and lifting a hand to tip his hat. Hey, he's hoping that he got at least a respectful gesture correct.
    However, the darts strike his back... a back that while not entirely invulnerable as the myths state... is certainly tough enough to resist small arms handgun fire. A dart strikes his back, and penetrates the coat... but not the flesh under it. He feels an impact and turns quickly.
    The man has centuries of experience in battle, and narrows his eyes. He heard more than one CHUFF, and he glances to the others to see if they are okay even as he is starting to walk towards the attackers. And by walk I mean like.. that movie slow-mo hero walk.

Daniel Sousa has posed:
Daniel finds himself flushing a little at Peggy's praise, gesturing towards her with his attention on Andrew as if to say 'see what i mean?' about her handling herself. "Good to meet you Andrew," he says. "Like Peggy said I'm Daniel, Daniel Sousa."

That's when the attack comes, focused on the conversations, the guests and of course Peggy he doesn't have attention to spare for the attackers and so his first sign of trouble is when one of the darts tears through the sleeve of his tux and drives itself into his arm. "What in the hell," he exclaims hand instinctively going for his right pocket before he realizes his gun isn't there to be found today.

Melinda May has posed:
Blinking mildly at Andrew's effort at a somewhat traditional bow, Lily schools her features and returns it just enough to shift her stance. Thus, the dart aimed at her ends up catching the puff of her sleeve, tearing it, rather than jamming into pale flesh.

She looks sharply at it. Brown eyes flash, with alarm that morphs fairly immediately into anger. She automatically reaches out to move Peggy out of the line of fire not because Peggy can't handle herself -- spotty memory or not, Lily is more aware than most of Peggy's capabilities -- but because she's the damned Director of SHIELD. Protocol says she has to be protected. (Yeah, okay, those protocols were bullied through by Phillips and Stark, but they're there on the books!)

She knows she has no weapons aside from her fists and feet. That doesn't bother her in the least. She rarely carries a firearm because of that very fact. But there's also plenty in the environment... like the knives laid out for the meat that's supposed to be part of dinner. Scooping up a pair, She twists and flings one sharply at the nearest of the attackers, a fleeting thought about how incredibly stupid it is that a really elegant pantsuit is still considered a fashion faux pas at a wedding. The peekaboos on her feet come off without a second thought.

Peggy Carter has posed:
Later on, Peggy would almost assume that she brought this on herself. Too relaxed, too happy, she should have known *something* was going to happen. But all Peggy knows now is that there's a dart in the back of her shoulder and the world is suddenly a bit more fuzzy that it was a few moments ago. She drops to the ground, faster than the traquilizer is hitting, because she wants to get out of the way of any other attacks and Chen is helpful like that. Before she knows it, she's down and behind her trusted agent. Which is good, because a garrote is just cutting through air where her throat was a second before. She sloppily grabs at her back, pulling the thing out before trying to reach for the gun beneath her wedding dress.

There is *way* too much wedding dress. Or, maybe it's just the pads of her fingers are a little numb. "...gun... in garter..." She mutters drunkenly to the little crowd around, but is trying to keep this *quiet* for now.

The quad are scrambling now. They didn't expect such opposition. Since Andrew hasn't attacked yet, he's going mostly ignored, but there are two on Lily now, including the one who now has a steak knife in his side and is bleeding through his blacks. "Little b*tch!" A male voice hisses. No accent. He's tossing some vicious powder in her face, trying to distract her so his 4th colleague can scramble one of their targets over the side and into those waiting in the water. That means the 4th man in black? He's trying to toss Daniel over the side of the railing.

Achilles has posed:
    Ignoring the guy stalking towards you can prove to be a mistake in many situations. Andrew turns the walk into a trot, into a sprint. He whips his hat off and hurls it like a frisbee into the face of one of the men. All it is intended to do is get attention. Just in time for a spinning legsweep to catch the man's ankle and pull it aside to twirl him like an involuntary cartwheel which will be assisted with a downward punch of the head towards the ground. In the movie version of this, there might be a sickening crunch there.
    But then he rummages through the man's possessions before grabbing the tranq gun and a handful of darts.
    Deftly, he loads another dart and turns to fire on another attacker. Might be a bit late, but when someone starts a fight.. he finishes it.

Daniel Sousa has posed:
Daniel feels the world going fuzzy on him, distances are vague, and it feels like he's trying to keep his balance on the top of a flag pole. His cane begins slips from his fingers when he's grabbed from behind the man lifting him to throw him up over the railing. He kicks out with his good leg, catching the railing and pushing back but the flat bottoms of his shoes make poor purchase and slip free. He goes over the edge but not before grabbing hold of his attacker and sending them both crashing down into the drink.

Melinda May has posed:
Chen is loosing the second stake knife in her hands at her attackers even as the man is blowing powder into her face. She coughs, spinning and dropping straight down beneath the likely sweep of his arms. She learned a long time ago -- though she can't tell you when or where -- that when someone tries to blind you, you don't want to be stumbling around in a blur.

With her eyes watering as they are, she resorts to her ears, tracking the sound of their footsteps and the way they jostle through the tables and chairs. A stockinged foot lashes out, sweeping around in a circle that clears fairly close to a 270-degree arc at impressive speed for someone who's only human. One hand comes up to scrub at the back of her eyes to clear them, the other braced on the floor as she starts backing up toward Peggy.

Oh, she hears the comment about the gun in the garter... but she's too blinded herself to be able to pull it. In this case, she's better to rely on muscle memory and ostensible years of training to respond. So, she does.

Peggy Carter has posed:
While the upside of one of the men going over the side is that they only now have three attackers to deal with, the downside of one of the men going over the side is that her husband has too. The very faint sound of splashing into water can be heard and the motor of a small boat, somewhere not directly beneath them but close. All worrisome sounds. Peggy screeches, the most useful thing she can do right now. "They've got Daniel in the water!" She calls desperately behind her. That's when a quad of SHIELD agents, all in their finest, dash for the rail and over themselves. No one would live down this day, but people are going to help.

That leaves three up top. One is bleeding badly but stil fighting, trying to land his garrote around Chen's neck to keep her distracted. The other is easily taken out by Andrew's flying kick. He hits the ground hard and starts shuffling backwards rapidly, trying to go off the pier between the deck and the lowest bar to escape his attacker. His tranq gun is gone. The third is trying to get towards Peggy, the other apparent target, firing off two more darts at Chen and Angelo in the process. But he's probably not long for this world.

Achilles has posed:
    Hearing Peggy's voice, Andrew does as he was known for in the war. He acts without hesitation. He turns and sprints towards the railing. Along the way, he tosses the stolen tranq gun to Peggy, along with the handful of darts he took before he too is diving down towards the ocean below.
    He didn't even look to aim his fall.... down down DOWN HE GOES.

Daniel Sousa has posed:
The good news is the guy he dragged with him didn't fall on him the bad news was his false leg came loose in the fall and he only had one to kick with while that one dangled from a single strap. His attacker comes out of the water trying to push him under but Daniel jabs his thumb at his eye and tries to kick himself away with one leg, but before too much longer there are other splashes, hazy and half heard in his drugged haze as he tries to stay conscious and free of his attacker.

A short time later he's being grabbed by friendly hands, hearing someone say his name before his eyes slip closed and the agents drag him from the water.

Melinda May has posed:
Lily gets one hand up between her throat and the garrotte. She starts backpedalling into the man behind her. Her free elbow slams into his ribs. She then reaches up to grab hold of one of his arms, twisting and throwing her hip purposely to throw him over her shoulder. Conveniently, his body will make an excellent shield against a tranq dart. Or three.

A growl escapes her throat when she's free from the grapple, her watering eyes clear enough for her to see again. She spins and starts slamming blows into him until he's down. Then, she's reaching for another stake knife and looking for the next bastard that needs to be taken out.

Peggy Carter has posed:
The one with the garrote hisses out a curse, trying to fight more violently with the woman and incredibly confused why he can't just overpower a dame in a bit dress. He grunts at the elbow and then he's flying, flipped. He's stunned enough it doesn't take too many blows for him to end up unconsciouson the ground, all the fight in him gone. He'll be a good interrogation suspect later.

On the pier, there only one left to be taken out and he's a little off steady, having been clipped by one of the darts Andrew shot before he went down. Still, he's coming at Peggy with one last messy, desperate grab, determined to get her over the edge of the pier and into the drink with her husband. Fortunately, even half drugged, Peggy's still trained. It just took her that long to get the firearm out of her garter. The moment he reaches for her, she fires off three rounds. Maybe overkill, especially as he stumbles and flips over into the water himself, but this was her wedding day. She sits there in a pool of white, breathing heavy, it all she can do just to remain upright..."Bloody...fucking... *HELL*. She hisses. The wedding has, needless to say, gone dead quiet other than the sound of splashing below. Hopefully the now-soaked agents got him.

Melinda May has posed:
Agents are pulling Daniel from the water. Andrew, too, for that matter. Tuxes and good three-pieces suits are ruined -- as are Lily's gloves, given the blood on them. Her makeup is smeared and there's a red line across her throat -- just a pressure scrape, really. She looks just about as pissed as the bride, fists up, semi-crouched in a ready fighiting stance.

When it's clear, however, that there is no more threat, she scowls darkly and moves toward the man she beat unconscious, crouching in the silence and starting to fish through his pockets and the rest of his clothing for any clue as to who he is or where he comes from. She doesn't expect to find anything. But his belt will make a very convenient way to bind his hands.

Peggy Carter has posed:
There's definitely nothing in his clothing, and he's already starting to slowly come around. A security team all in black is dashing to the scene, there by the time that Chen finishes binding him, and a medic is reaching for Peggy. She gently waves him off, even if her hand is still wavering a bit. "F-fine...fine. I'm fine...Just need a few minutes. I'm fine." She practically growls those words, daring anyone to drag her away from her own damn wedding.

She then looks up to Lily, her expression creasing with worry as she sees that dim line on her throat and the blood, "Chen, are YOU fine? Let the medic see to you... There's a bridal party room above the restaurant, we can have you looked at there..." Already, Peggy is trying to get back into director mode, over seeing the scene and the injured. She just cannot quite get up off her butt. "Take him to holding level two... we'll deal with him and any of the others they got below on Monday." She has to assume it's alright below. Her mind can't let anything else be true.

Melinda May has posed:
Lily snirks and waves them away as well. "The blood isn't mine," she says as she rises to her feet and strips the gloves from unblemished hands. Of course, the bloody face of the man who tried to garrotte her probably explains just where the blood on the gloves came from. As for the line on her throat? She lifts her chin and rubs fingertips gingerly along it. The skin doesn't feel broken. Her hand protected her windpipe, so there's really just a bit of abraiding along the sides of her neck.

"Come with me upstairs," she says to Peggy, moving to help her up and give her support. "Jacobi and Hicks have Daniel and your friend. They're both moving." Which suggests they're both alive, at least. "We'll send someone to check on them." After they've checked on themselves. And cursed a little more in private.

Peggy Carter has posed:
While Peggy would normally be cranky about others taking control of the situation, her mind is still moving a few seconds too slow. Booze and tranqs don't mix well. She lets herself be hiked up against Lily's hip, but she definitely looks like the bride who did a shot for every man she dated before finding the one (and was a serial dater.) Howard is even stepping in, having swooped up to the microphone on the little stage and with his brighest smile he's announcing, "Never thought this night would be without entertainment, did you?! In honor of our theatrics, cocktail hour has been extended to two hours at top shelf and we're all getting the prime rib!" He's pulling as much attention as possible. It's a blessing.

Peggy slumps a little more the moment Lily informs her that her husband and friend are both alive and moving. That helps. She's not quite got the adrenaline to keep her awake, but she concentrates on putting one foot in front of the other. "I should have gone with a tux..." SHe mutters drowsily to her friend as she lets Lily lead the way into the private party room above the restaurant.

Melinda May has posed:
"You and me, both," Lily agrees, ushering her gently into the private room. She sets Peggy down in a decent chair, before she gives the woman a quick once over to see that she's okay. Mussed up, yes. But not badly hurt.

The tranq dose is concerning, of course, especially on top of the alcohol. And there's no doubt medics will soon be attending all of them. "Talk to me," Lily tells her boss and her friend. "Was there anything familiar about them?" There wasn't to her.

She pulls up a second chair to settle in it beside Peggy, reaching up to pull her skewed fascinator from her hair and loosen the pins. There's no point keeping it up, now. Any pretence at fashionable wedding decorum is well gone. And, honestly... she's actually kinda good with that.

At least, she'll likely be able to avoid dancing, now.

Peggy Carter has posed:
Peg is still moving. She's not going to let herself sleep, if she can stubborn througn anything, she can stubborn through this. Maybe she's lucky and didn't get the full dose? She lets herself be poured into one of the plush, high backed chairs around the coffee table, her wedding dress puffing out all around her. She looks like a cupcake cloud. Most of her curls are falling free of their pins now too, but much like Lily, it makes her look like herself.

She blinks drowsily, forcing herself to focus on Chen's words. One of her own lace gloved hands comes up, dragging down across her face. it smells like gunpowder, which is a decent wake up reminder that she killed a man in her wedding gown. "Not... not a jot. I didn't hear them speak much... God, it happened so.. Fast. HYDRA, or... any number of enemies. There was an announcement in the paper. We... we knew this would be painting targets on our backs."

Melinda May has posed:
Lily isn't really surprised. But it's keeping Peggy talking and awake, which is a good thing. "Who was working security?" she frowns. Why the hell didn't they secure the water? It's such an obvious hole...

Of course, there's nothing to do about it now. Recriminations can come later. And it will.

As it is, she settles back in one of the same sorts of chairs and runs fingers through her hair to find the last of the pins that are lurking underneath the layers. "The blonde from the warehouse?" she speculates. That's certainly hydra. "These guys were well trained, not the usual brawlers."

Peggy Carter has posed:
"Leviathan? Oh... possibly. We do still have her in custody, and it's clear these attackers wanted us alive. Bargaining chips, maybe...That's a sharp thought. You... you're... good. You're so *damn good*... you know that?" Peggy slightly slurs out, in the way drunk girls have done since time immemorial, only her drunk isn't entirely her fault. But she's tipping forward, a sloppy, affectionate pat given to Chen's shoulder and then Peggy just ends up petting her dress..."Good dress... soft lace..."

Melinda May has posed:
Lily blinks again, not nearly so sloshed as the bride -- unsurprisingly since she hasn't imbibed to the same degree and doesn't have a traquilizer soaking through her system. She chuckles softly. "I've been told," she murmurs, not dismissing the compliment but recognizing the fact Peggy's inhibitions are... pretty much non-existant. Perhaps that makes the compliment that much better.

"It's a lovely dress," she says. "I think we can clean it up so you can continue to wear it. Daniel will require a new suit, though." When he recovers. She glances to the tear in her sleeve. "Mine has a rip. I don't suppose it's awfully noticable."

Peggy Carter has posed:
"I... figured... " Peggy motions vaguely into the far corner of the room where, sure enough, there are two garnment bags hanging from a rack that was brought in earlier. One is a more modest, tea-length white gown of beautiful lace and the other is a nearly identical tux to the one Daniel has on now. "I'm half tempted to have you drag that one you put down up here so I can...question him...while I've got this fresh... I'd show him a piece of my mind!" And possibly murder him as well, with the mood she's in.

"But...but yes. I brought extras because...I knew. I just knew. We weren't asking for it, but... people knew. Howard hired the security, wanted everyone from the office to have fun, and here, you ripped your *lovely* dress...Do you want my other one? People will think you're getting married too. You can take the tranq darts next time..." Peggy offers wink a wink and a bit of a giggle.

Melinda May has posed:
Lily laughs at that. "No. White isn't good for someone like me to wear to a wedding," she tells her friend. It's a cultural thing. White is for funerals among the Chinese. "But, yes. Next time, I'll try to take the dart, instead of you." It seems fair, really. She's not the director.

She reaches out to lay a hand lightly on PKeggy's shoulder. "Really, Peggy... would it really be your wedding if something like this didn't happen?" She gives a it of a smile as she says it, brown eyes curious. "I think, somehow... it's just par for the course. Memorable in a way entirely in keeping with who both you and Daniel are. I wouldn't be surprised if you spend your honeymoon chasing Nazis in Argentina." She's teasing... but there's truth in it.

Peggy Carter has posed:
A deep, tired laugh escapes Peggy's lips as she hears that. She shakes her head faintly, "I... goodness. I practically begged him, I did. He insisted we take a proper vacation, so Hawaii it is. But I wanted to! You...you'll call us, right? If there is anything, and I mean ANYTHING you want our help on, please... Call. We can come right back home or fly out to where ever. I made Howard promise us plane privileges, so I'll still be in touch, I promise." Oh goodness, it's all spilling out now, as Peggy fights to stay awake but has simply no boundaries on her thoughts or words right now. What did they shoot her UP with? Fortunately, Chen has pulled her into private, a wiser move than she might have first realized.

Melinda May has posed:
At this point, Lily is beginning to wonder if what they shot Peggy with was some derivative of sodium pentothal. "Right. Carter, if we can't handle what gets thrown at us while you're in Hawai'i for two weeks, we don't deserve our badges. Got it?" Not that she thinks that's at all going to stop Peggy. "I know you'll be in touch. And, trust me, *if* we need you, we'll call you. But don't be surprised when we're too busy to talk. You know, hunting the bitch who just might be behind all this." She grins saucily as she says it. Poking the bear? Maybe...

Still... Her head cants faintly. "I do have one question, though, since you're in such a sharing mood."

Peggy Carter has posed:
Peg's nose screws up a bit as she hears that Lily doesn't plan on calling her. She gives a little huff, "...but if you *need* us..." She continues, in the gentle implication that she might not be needed. And that is something she hates to hear! SHIELD is like her children, of course she wants to be *needed*. She slumps back a bit deeper into the seat, now just in the drowsy, heavy feeling that is through all of her limbs. She looks like some porcelin doll all painted up and puffed out like that.

However, she cannot resist a question. Peggy's curious by nature, and Lily so rarely delves. Peg tilts her head, "...Yes? Of course... you know you can always ask..."

Melinda May has posed:
"If we *need* you, yes," Lily promises with a sigh. "But if that's the case, it means nothing less than the Red Skull's returned and the whole world is going to Hell in a handbasket... which will probably be the safer place for it, if that's the case."

Then, however, she searches Peggy's face, reading her mood and trying to decide just how much shit she'll be in later for all this.

"I know I can ask, but that doesn't mean you'll answer. But, Peggy... I really need to know: What *really* happened to Melinda May? Where did you send her? Where did she come from? I know you're protecting something big, but... I *really* need to know. I want to know who I am. And maybe I'm not her. But I have something to do with her. With what happened to her. So please... Please, tell me." Okay, yeah. More than one question there. But it's the first one that counts.

Peggy Carter has posed:
They *definitely* drugged her with something more than just a tranqualizer -- probably planned on handling a few birds with one stone, while they had one of the most powerful spies in the world under their custody. But, Peggy never made it there, and now she just has a very loose tongue, drowsy eyes, a slightly mussed wedding dress, and nothing but time until the worst of it wears off and she can go back to dinner.

The question gets a blink and then a little, drunken laugh, "We didn't tell you? I swore we told you, I'm not supposed to tell anyone because time travel shouldn't exist and we could change the whole timeline still, I guess, but you look SO much like her... Melinda May was from the future! 2020 to be exact, I think... I remember... there was some... time hole... Thing anomaly, at Roxxon Chemicals and at the site of the zero matter explosion in the Mojave Desert. But we used the time BRICK to get her back through the time HOLE and... well, as far as I know... She got back to her time. Which makes you showing up all the way across the country bloody well *weird*... maybe you're a... time clone? Mirror reflection? Parallel universe? I don't know! But...there. That's May. Does that make sense? She was a nice lady... not as nice as you...you're *very* nice, but...She was nice. She was my friend."

Melinda May has posed:
Time travel? Lily stares at Peggy for a good full heartbeat. Time holes. Time *bricks*. Time *clones*!? If it weren't for the fact that she's really certain Peggy can't lie right now, the Asian woman would think the Director was a more than a few time bricks short of a time load. As it is...

"How would we know if I were a... a time clone? Or from another universe?" She frowns thoughtfully at that. "I... showed up where she did, but you sent her home at the site in the Mojave?" She's trying to build a sequence here. Her nose wrinkles as she thinks. Maybe she needs to find an excuse to go visit the Mojave. Maybe there's something there that will help make all this clearer. She just doesn't know.

"Okay," she nods, deciding to take things at face value. "It's a place to start."

Peggy Carter has posed:
"I have *no* clue... I've been wrestling my brain to try and figure it out, but even if you were a... time clone... Would you really want to know? You're not her. You are *Lily Chen*. You're one of my top agents. Hell, you're... someone I consider a dear friend. I don't ever want to think of you as some sort of strange...copy of that other woman. You're NOT. You are your own person, and that's all that matters to me, or SHIELD." Peggy's speech is impassioned as one can be as drugged as she is, but she absolutely seems to mean every word she says. She's even reached out for Lily's hand as she explains it all.

Then she seems to realize perhaps that was a bit much. Maybe she's starting to sober up? Either way, she blinks to the woman, "Oh, but...if... If you want to know, we'll help you. We can go over the Roxxon site again, and the Mojave site... I guess I told you now, so... no reason to hide those records. Wow. I'm going to be pissed at myself later, aren't I? This is dangerous information... Time travel is...Dangerous. Though Daniel and I wouldn't have probably got together if it wasn't for her so... Maybe we're completely buggered already."

Melinda May has posed:
Lily chuckles knowingly. "You'll be pissed at both of us," she predicts. She can live with it, too. Still, she appreciates the conviction in Peggy's words, the confidence in Lily's own uniqueness. The thought of being any sort of clone is more than a little creepy and could introduce a whole host of insecurities and second guessing. Lily Chen, like Melinda May, is not a woman who likes second guessing herself.

"I want to see the records," she says. "I don't know if I need to see the site." She's not sure how she feels about all this, yet.

Still, she takes Peggy's hand and gives it a bit of a squeeze, perhaps reassuring them both. "We're friends," she agrees. "And I don't think I am Melinda May. But it's still good to know. Thank you." On the bright side, it's not like Chen's going to go blabbing to Hydra or Leviathan. Or even the Chinese intelligence outfit.

"I do think SHIELD will be fine while you're on your honeymoon, though. 'Cause, you know..." She gives a saucy grin again, "I'll be keeping an eye on it." God help her when something inevitably goes wrong.

Peggy Carter has posed:
Honeymoon. Married. Peggy just got married. Her husband was *somewhere* and she just got married. Her eyes go wide, like part of her only came around to her circumstances again, "Oh god... Honeymoon. There's a whole wedding out there waiting for us... Daniel... Have we heard from Daniel? I have his suit, his replacement suit, you know. I just...I figured something... Shit. How long have we been in here? I need...coffee. I'll get you those files, I promise...but I need coffee now. Shit. We're leaving in the morning. Maybe I should go back to the office tonight and get them..."

Melinda May has posed:
"Okay, settle down!" Lily reaches out to lay her hands on Peggy's shoulders. "Take a breath, Carter," she says in a manner some 70 years ago Peggy may see echoed. "I'll get you some coffee, but you are not yet fit to return to the reception. You a babbling like a school girl. The Director of SHIELD cannot be seen to babble like a school girl, got it?" She smiles as she says it, but the look in her eye is dead serious.

"I'll get you some coffee. I'll check on Daniel. We'll make sure he gets his suit and you can take the time to make sure he's okay then, too. Okay?"

It's about the best she can offer. "The files can wait. I won't let you forget about them. But you don't need to kill yourself now over them. Just... let me get you the coffee." A beat. A grimace. "Are you *sure* you don't want some tea, instead?"

Peggy Carter has posed:
When Lily Chen wants to be taken seriously, she's got that tone of voice that not even Peggy Carter can refuse. She abruptly manages to stop her rambling, giving a firm, short nod to the other woman and letting her head sink back into the chair a bit more. "Yes, alright... a bit longer. And no, coffee. It'll wake me up more. I think I've become immune to tea after all these years." She's only half teasing there.

She then leans forward to grab the cigarellos box off of the coffee table that Howard left. Tobacco, coffee, a husband, and a bit more air. That's all she needed and would be more than enough to get her back to her wedding proper, but one step at a time. SHe starts with lighting a cigarello and closing her eyes. She trusts Lily to come back with the other things she needs.