5902/Let There Be Cake!

Let There Be Cake!
Date of Scene:	10 April 2021
Location:	Lounge - Playground
Synopsis:	In the hours following Peggy's birthday party, May finally finds the Shotgun Rose chocolate cake Lily left for them. In the process of enjoying it, however, Daniel discovers, to his horror, that there may be no way to escape his grisly fate.
Cast of Characters:	Melinda May, Daniel Sousa, Peggy Carter

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Melinda May has posed:
"Hey, Peggy?" Melinda May's voice -- the *real* Melinda May -- rings out in the corridor, coming from the opposite direction to the hangar. "Is this yours?" In her hands, she carries an old women's uniform jacket from WW2. It's British issue and has a pair of bullet holes in the back of the right shoulder, though not a lot of staining around it. In her other hand is a small, corked bottle that's big enough to hold a pair of spent slugs. "I found it in a locker in the back of the gym..."

Her footsteps slow as she sees the gathering, hears the music, and recognizes there's a cooler of booze spread out. "Aw, hell..." Peggy's birthday. Damn. "Guess that explains the cake."

Which is still in the kitchen. She should probably fix that. Now that she knows why it's there. With a note on it. "Shotgun Rose's Famous Chocolate Cake. Do not touch, unless you're May." She didn't leave the note. But she can guess why it's there, now, and why they put her name on it. Because Peggy's would be too obvious.

Daniel Sousa has posed:
Daniel had said his own quiet goodbye and thanks to Lily before she had slipped out the door, when May comes back in, he's next to Peggy still flipping throught the album catching up on years of Peggy and Michael's lives that he hadn't been around to see between sips of beer, and questions to Peggy about the pictures. Though when May does enter, he studies her a moment, "May?" he asks not taking anything for granted at this point.

Peggy Carter has posed:
Peggy has mostly gotten herself together by now. Whatever eye make up she had on has mostly been cried off now and she's used Daniel's kerchief to make certain it's not all streaked down her face. The book remains on the table as she and Daniel go through it, Peggy telling a few stories about the photos. Especially some of the younger ones of Michael, before things went sour. It's all very personal, so many things she hasn't dared reveal before. But for tonight, she isn't hiding it. For once, to these people, Peggy Carter is letting herself be an open book. Literally. "He looked... so much like you. Especially when he was being stubborn. I wonder why *that* was." Peggy smirks to her husband.

Then she looks up as May comes in the room, expression flickering through a lot of emotions for a heartbeat as she first thinks it might be Lily back, then realizes it's not, but then registers May is here, which is as happy a moment for her as well. She grins to her friend, eyes going a bit wide as she sees the uniform, "Oh...hell. Where did she find *that*. Yes... That is absolutely mine." Peggy confirms the moment after she turns it around to see the shoulder. "First two bullets I ever took." She looks to the casings with a soft laugh, "We should add these to the jar, when we get home."

Melinda May has posed:
If it helps, May looks more like May than Lily -- insofar as she's dressed in dark trousers, a dark top, and her usual black jacket. Her hair is loose and her makeup is its usual understated affair. "Daniel," she says, arching a brow at his apparent puzzlement.

She crosses to Peggy to give her the jacket. "She? I missed something big, didn't I?" It doesn't take a lot to figure that out. Her head cants as she sees the book.

She blinks again, both brows rising this time. "Wow... Where'd that come from?" She hadn't heard of any biography like that -- authorized or not. Not, mind, that she's been looking. She read Peggy's SHIELD dossier when she was allowed to; that was enough. It's not like she really needed the resume to commend the woman to her. Ever.

Daniel Sousa has posed:
Daniel's smile is impish as he replies, "Oh why's that?" he asks another look he and Michael shared, "Because I'm pretty sure the stubborn in him was all you," he says before looking at the pictures again. "Only bad trait I gave him was my ears, poor guy," he remarks nose crinkling a bit.

As for May, in Daniel's defense he's still seen more of May dressed in clothes from his era than her own, but it doesn't take long for him to figure things out. "You can say that," he says of her missing something big. "You might want to help yourself to some of the booze," he recommends but lets Peggy fill in the details.

Peggy Carter has posed:
The hug that Peggy wanted to give Lily is almost given to May, but the woman stops herself momentarily short and, instead, reaches one hand out to give a gentle squeeze to May's shoulder. "It's just... very good to see you. A woman who... looks a lot like you left a few lovely things here for us. And a book which I'm trying not to cry over... again. But tonight wouldn't be the same without you here." As much as Peggy loves Lily, and misses her dear old friend, May is her friend *now*. It's clear in her eyes how much the woman means to her. She turns and scoops up one of the better craft beers from the cooler, opening it and handing it over.

"I know you made it an early night the other night, but it's my 100th birthday. Have a few drinks. Hell, you can take a look at what we thought was stylish in 1950s wedding dresses... well, before half the wedding party took a swim in the Hudson." Peggy smirks at Daniel almost accusatorily as she says that, tugging on his left hand to bring it up to her lips for a brief kiss against that ring of his, the one that weirdly matches exactly the one that rests around a chain on her neck.

Melinda May has posed:
May's gaze sharpens. "A woman who looks like me...?" That's disconcerting. She puzzles for a moment, until she sees the picture of the wedding party and one of the bridesmaids who shares her face. She puases. "Wait. What? Are you saying Lily left things around the Playground like she did your house?" Her head comes up and she looks around almost expectantly. "Damn. She's got to be the *best* cat burglar the world has ever seen."

She lets out a soft breath and shakes off her incredulity. Then, she takes the beer from Peggy with a wry smile. "Thanks. Yeah. I can make time for a drink or two." Then, she reaches out to return that squeeze to Peggy's arm. "Happy birthday. Seriously. Helluva way to get there, but 100 years is impressive." Longer than she expects to see in such good condition.

If she notes the similiarities between those two rings, she doesn't mention it. The fact, though, that there are two of the same artifacts here and it's not causing a problem? She does file that away. Maybe she'll ask Fitz how that's possible. On the other hand, that will probably just confuse her more. "Let me get that cake," she says, instead. "I suspect the same woman who left you the jacket left it for you, too." A beat. "Even if she did put my name on it." Probably just to scare everyone else away.

Daniel Sousa has posed:
"I was thrown over the railing," Daniel laughs when Peggy shoots him that accusatory look. "Totally not my fault," he says before Peggy takes his left hand and kisses his wedding ring, one that looks very much like the one on the chain around Peggy's neck.

"Makes sense," he says of putting the cake under May's name. "Someone would have to be crazy to take it," he says though his tone is distracted and his eyes don't leave the ring. "Peg is that, my ring?" he asks. "From y'know?" himself in the past? A past version of himself? He's not really sure what to call it.

Peggy Carter has posed:
Peg relaxes a bit more as May actually accepts the touch to her arm and the beer. As odd as it is to realize that May's reflection (predecessor??) was here just a little while ago and has disappeared, she really is happy the woman's shown up. "At least two. If I can relax one night, you can do the same. Speaking of... just when *is* your birthday?" Peggy can go look up the files, but it's fun to curiouly tease the woman now. "And cake sounds lovely. Especially Rose's. It's... been a long time. God. If this cake makes me cry. Again. I'm never going to live it down. Don't any of you dare tell a soul." Peggy admits with a bit of a laugh.

As she ducks out to momentarily get the cake, Peggy looks back to Daniel with a tilt of her head. The dress she's wearing is a bit lower cut than most of her work dresses and easily shows that chain she's started wearing again. She smiles a bit more, pulling it out of her neckline and looking across the faintly damaged, simple band. "Yes. I... I couldn't let them bury you with it. I wore it for... well, until they put me under. When I woke up, I don't know... it felt like a... weakness. Killed me to put it away. I was a fool. Hopefully you can forgive me for wearing them both now?"

Melinda May has posed:
A scant few moments later, May returns with that chocolate cake on its platter, a trio of plates and forks, and a knife to cut it with. She sets it down before them. "I'm not singing," she says bluntly. "But I will light the sparkler they left." She sticks it in the cake and lights it up, letting it flare and sputter and toss sparks and light everywhere. "There you go," she says with a curt nod. "Happy birthday."

Still, there's a hint of amusement behind her eyes. The fact the pair of them are mostly radiating happy emotions helps.

Of course, the discussion of the gold bands probably brings a couple of different emotions to the surface, but May can cope with them. Truthfully, even these many days later, she's still working through the effects of the ragestaff. The difference this time is that she can actively seek out happier emotions around her, when she really needs.

It helps.

Daniel Sousa has posed:
Daniel draws an X over his heart. "Secret is safe with me," he promises Peggy.

When May comes with the cake he nods, "Thanks, help yourself to all the drinks you want, all the beds in this place are in easy staggering distance from here," a beat and a glance to Peggy. "Probably Howard's idea."

Then his focus is entirely on the ring, though after a few moments he looks up and smiles warmly to Peggy saying, "Nothing to apologize for Peg, glad you kept it and you should keep wearing it."

Eyes still on the ring, Daniel absently reaches for the fork for his cake when it suddenly drops from his fingers fear shooting through him, visible on his face and definitely palpable to May.

"Peg," he says in that robotic tone his voice takes on when he's in shock. "C-can I see that for a second?"

Peggy Carter has posed:
While Peggy has often been drown in a lot of different emotions, much of it laden with guilt and quiet hate for all the things she failed to do, tonight isn't one of those nights. The emotions off of her are still multilayered, nostalgic and a bit tired, but radiating happiness and love. She feels loved, truly, completely loved, for the first time in a very long while. She feels like the world might be right with itself and there's some hope things might get better. It's a nice feeling, really. Something to pleasantly wrap up in, like a very old but well loved hand knit afghan blanket. She chokes out a bit of a laugh at the sparkler on the cake, leaning forward to huff it out after a few moments, "Mm. I think after 100 years I've had enough signing. A dignified sparkler is more than enough." She leans over, happy to put herself to work cutting everyone a slice. "You have to have cake. If this is actuall Rose's recipe, oh... Well. You remember. It's worth it." Of the few people in the world who would remember, they are at the top of the list.

As they dig into the cake, she laughs a bit more at the beds comment. "Yes, rather. But half of that was most of us working until two in the morning many nights, so we wanted to be close. My old robe was still hanging up in my room, can you believe? I'd say doesn't anyone ever clean up but... " Peggy takes a bite of her cake, smiling half guilty, "I suppose that was my job. I... never had the heart to clean out these old places. Guess we're lucky now I'm a soft touch." As battle axe as she seems, the fact that Peggy kept so many of these old SSR bases around just like her old house? It speaks volumes about how much these places mattered to her.

And then there's that look on Daniel's face. She blinks in a bit of confusion, drawing out the ring again between bites of cake. "Of course. It's.. yours... Technically." She flashes him the band with a slightly confused frown flickering over to May.

Melinda May has posed:
May hands over the carefully written note, labelling it as Shotgun Rose's Famous Chocolate Cake. She has a solemn and serious look on her face as she does, like she's handing over evidence of a crime. But it doesn't last. She relaxes a moment later and accepts the cake with a quiet, "Thank you," and a dry chuckle. "Trust me. No one deserves the trauma of me trying to sing." Whether or not she's as bad as she says, is something only her shower head may know. And even that's not guaranteed.

She's just beginning to relax a little in the warm emotional glow from te pair when the spike of fear ripples through Daniel. She actually inhales a sharp breath in response, straightening and reaching instinctively for a weapon she's not actually wearing currently. She didn't expect that sort of emotion here and now, after all. It caught her unaware. Especially given the surprisingly sustained happiness in Peggy's emotional aura. "What is it?"

Daniel Sousa has posed:
Daniel doesn't reply, as he reaches for the ring, turning it with quick, desperate movements praying that what he saw was just a trick of the light, until it definitely isn't.

He stares at what he found, a rough edged cut in the gold, like it had been grazed against something sharp, before slowly running his thumb over it needing to feel it to truly believe it was there.

Suddenly the ring is let go and Daniel grabs a wastebasket, a nauseating cocktail of fear, anger and despair roiling in his gut, before he vomits, trash can clutched hard to his chest.

Peggy Carter has posed:
A laugh is given at the singing comment, "Just enjoy your cake. If we're lucky, no one else will hear it's here and we'll have some for breakfast." Peggy grins, taking another big bite. She's not always had much of an appetite, especially these days, but Rose's cake incredibly brings it back. The happy moments are pure and almost sweet on the emotions as the cake itself. But, of course, nothing lasts.

For once, the old master spy has absolutely no clue what is going on. The ring she's worn for six decades is the same ring she's always known, Peggy utterly unaware of the change in the markings on it which causes Daniel's distress. For one selfish moment, her eyes flicker up to the clock. Just after midnight (the party had started somewhat late). So, whatever this is, it's not exactly on her birthday. She can let herself fall back into work mode. She has no other choice. She sets her plate down, scrambling over to Daniel's side as her other hand reaches for her weapon. "Daniel...What is it?? What's wrong?" She's looking between him and May, then out to the room, searching for any outside threat but it's not there.

Melinda May has posed:
As the man begins to vomit, May is on her feet. She crosses to the sink to wet down a tea towel and wring it out. It lets her put enough distance between them to get the fear churning in her gut under control. She returns with it, cool and damp in her hands, "I don't think it's an outside threat," she tells Peggy, crouching near the pair of them and holding the towel out.

"I think it's got something to do with the ring." What, she can't imagine. But she saw how it triggered him. She just doesn't know why.

Gone is the swirl of happy emotions, anger and fear warring within her again. She clamps down on both expertly, but is careful not to touch Daniel while he's in this state.

Daniel Sousa has posed:
Daniel reaches for the towel when he's emptied cake, beer and much of his dinner into the trash can dabbing at his sweat soaked face, nodding thanks to May while catching his breath. When the towel is set aside, he looks pale and terrified, "The mark on the ring," he finally manages to get out between panted breaths. He tugs his ring off of his finger, turning it so the mark faces May and Peggy. "Matches this one, right?" he asks them holding on to the last desperate hope he had that he was wrong, his eyes begging for the answer to be no.

Peggy Carter has posed:
Peggy carefully unstrings the necklace from around her neck, mussing some curls in the process, but it lets her hold up the ring to the light a bit better so they can compare them both. There's clear confusion on her face as she stares between them, tracing the pad of her thumb over both rings and the defect therein. She then passes them to May to double confirm, but they seem identical save a bit of tarnish on hers from too many years being worn.

"...Yes. It's your... wedding ring. Of course they would match. Daniel. What is going on?" She's also trying not to touch May now. She knows touche makes emotions worse and while she's been riding high on happiness for a while now, the worry and confusion she's feeling over the rings are quickly taking over the better emotions. She does lean to the side and kiss her husband's temple. "I love you. Whatever's wrong, we'll figure it out. May's here. She's the best in the business. I'm pretty damn good too. We'll figure it out."

Melinda May has posed:
May takes the rings and looks at them closely, not only examining the similarity of the damage, but also surmising possible causes. Though she doesn't mention the latter. She merely nods. She's beginning to guess where this is going.

She didn't want to be here for this sort of revelation. But, then, she so rarely gets what she wants. (Miss the big happy party. But, hey. Get to deal with the temporal fallout, instead. Yippee.)

Wordlessly, she hands the pair of bands back, dropping them into Peggy's palms. "They match," she says quietly, once the rings are out of her hands. "They have to, Daniel."

Daniel Sousa has posed:
Danel's eyes close tight forcing tears to fall as hears May's verdict, they matched, he knew they did, he just had to have a few more moments of hope.

"Peg, that mark on my ring?" he says looking up at her, "Was made an hour before we found each other at Abcde's," he says. "If it's on your ring too, it means it's the same ring, no time duplicates, no tricks, it's mine which means I didn't avoid my death in '56 by being brought here, it's still coming."

Peggy Carter has posed:
Silence comes from Peggy for a few moments. She's not exactly surprised or near so sick as Daniel is. More so, it's the quiet acceptance of something she feared and didn't want to dwell on since the moment he came back. Even without touch, May can probably feel it from her. It's like pieces of a puzzle settling back together and Peggy slowly walling off emotions that she was daring to let herself feel again. She breathes out slowly and closes her eyes just a few heartbeats.

"We... knew this was a... possibility. We knew." She mutters quietly. While she's not crying or being sick, there is some strength that's left her knees now. She kisses his temple once more and then slowly turns away from them, going towards the couch in the room to sink there wearily. She takes another long, too-deep pull of her beer, swallowing back the bitter pill of this all. "...Maybe we can... buy some time. Send you back in a few... Years. Or... send someone... something... back in your place, wearing the ring?" Her eyes desperately look up to May, hoping the woman can help her contemplate a better solution.

Melinda May has posed:
May doesn't have any answers. Nothing in her experience directly compares to this. This is, in many ways, a reversal of what she experienced. She pushes to her feet and picks up the vomit-filled bucket. She takes it over to the sink and calmly pulls the bag from it tying it off and pushing it down into the bottom of the kitchen pail before she deliberately takes the time to wipe the small garbabe out with an old, now soapy rag.

She's cleaning in order to give herself something better to focus on. Don't ask her when a vomit filled garbage can became 'better'. That's just the way her life seems to be going.

She needs the few moments to put up reinforced walls. To do so, she opens herself up to the lingering rage from the ragestaff, drawing on it, feeling it deeply, and letting it settle deep into her bones like a comfortable old coat she's well-used to wearing. Probably because that's the truth. With her back to them, they don't have to see that process work through her eyes.

"I don't have a solution," she admits finally, wringing the rag out in the sink and setting the bucket down to air dry on the tile. "At some point, Daniel *will* need to go home. The timeloop will need to be closed or we risk this timeline as surely now as we did when I went back there." She sticks her hands under the warm water, washing them thoroughly, privately feeling like she's trying to wash blood off her hands.

"But... I don't know when. Or how. Or if there isn't some other loophole we can exploit. There could be." She turns around, her far-too-expressive eyes finally back under her control. Picking up a dry towel she slowly wipes the water from her fingers. "Lily Chen is proof there may be other options. I... just don't know what the ramifications are." For just a moment, she looks as miserable as she's been feeling about this for the past two or three weeks. "I'm not a scientist, Peg. I don't know how these things work -- beyond 'don't screw up the timeline'..."

Daniel Sousa has posed:
"I actually let myself believe..." Daniel mutters for a moment staring off into space. Six years he lived under the spectre of his own death, looming somewhere in the future, knowing only it was before Peggy's death and when he wound up in 2021, he had thought he was free. It left him vulnerable to the truth of his situation, a truth that was shaking him to his core, it's visible on his face and from the feelings rippling out from him.

Numbly he lifts his head at May's words, "Let's try to work the problem then," he says. "Find out all we can about my death in '56, see if there's anything that suggests there's a loophole to be found, places where the facts aren't definitive, and talk to the people here who understand time and magic, and see what they can tell us about what we're dealing with, what the rules are and what's at stake," he says in a reaction that should be familiar to them both, clinging to work to avoid things that are too hard to process.

Peggy Carter has posed:
Peggy is shockingly calm. Maybe she just expected this too much. After a lifetime of being alone, having this bit ripped away? It wasn't too much of a surprise also. But he's here now. As is May. And a roomful of people who showed her just how much they care. Peggy reaches her arm back out around Daniel's waist, steadying him even as May slips away to clean up. She pulls him in tight against her, letting her warmth and stability be something for him to lean against, for once.

When May returns, she's still there, holding tightly to him, listening quietly to the possibilities. She can feel his more frantic clinging to the answers work might give. Instead of her own scrambling, she just squeezes his waist gently. "...Yes. There are... possiilities. May and Lily are proof enough of concept." She turns her head to kiss against his hair again, "The are chances. We aren't going to find them tonight. There's a lovely party, some good booze, and a whole book of things to go through. And *cake*. So... tonight? We celebrate. You're *here* *now*. Melinda's here. We got to see Lily for a handful of minutes. It's a good night... " She turns to properly kiss him, and then once she's pulled back, reaches for May's hand. As hard as Peggy often is on herself, she means the things she's saying now. "It's a good night. We'll figure this out... just... Tomorrow. Alright?"

Melinda May has posed:
May gives Peggy's hand a brief squeeze, closing her eyes for just a moment as she can't help but absorb the other woman's emotions. Fortunately, somehow, Peggy has found a reset button sometime this evening. The emotions aren't nearly as dark and destructive as they were. It's possible -- just possible -- this won't kill her. And that is a relief Melinda wasn't sure the other woman would ever find.

She opens her eyes and looks at the cake and the beer and even the book. "Tomorrow works for me." She picks up her largely untouched bottle from earlier and tilts it back, swallowing a healthy portion before she sits down opposite them. "Tomorrow will be soon enough." It's waited this long, after all...

What's another few hours?

Daniel Sousa has posed:
Daniel leans into Peggy, letting her be his rock tonight at least for a few moments. Though when she mentions relaxing, and trying to enjoy the night, he shakes his head and reaches for his cane. "I'd just bring you both down," he says before kissing her cheek. "You deserve some fun."

He stands then, shaking out his prosthetic left leg a little. "Come find me tomorrow, I'll still be up." And with that he's heading for the door.

Peggy Carter has posed:
While Peggy's steady enough to remain at the party, it was late. Things had been winding down already. She certainly wasn't going to allow her husband to go hide off in a corner. She lets him go for a moment, worried eyes following after him, before she looks back to May. "I... I'm going..." SHe doesn't even need to finish those words. She recognizes the look in her friend's face. The quiet encouragement to follow him.

She reaches one hand over May's again, giving a gentle squeeze. "Thank you. We... we will figure this out. But thank you. For everything." Then, if May doesn't stop her, Peg pulls her into the briefest of hugs before the older woman turns away to follow her husband down the hall. She scoops up the book on the way, more photos to go through with him. But she's not letting him spend the rest of the night alone.