5926/It's Not All Darkness...

It's Not All Darkness...
Date of Scene:	12 April 2021
Location:	The Playground
Synopsis:	Peggy tracks down Daniel after the bad news about their potential future, they talk and find the day is still one worth celebrating
Cast of Characters:	Daniel Sousa, Claire Temple, Peggy Carter

---

Daniel Sousa has posed:
When Daniel strode out of the lounge full of fire and fury he quickly realized he had nowhere to go. He knew the layout of the Playground, but he didn't have a suite there, he knew with the party very few if any agents would be working in the labs or anywhere else he might go to ask the multitude of questions he had. He knew there was the internet but somehow as miraculous as that seemed he doubted it had anything on the ins and outs of time travel or more details about his death that he hadn't read about already in that old article from the LA Times.

So his pace slows, and by the time Peggy follows him out into the hall he has stopped in the middle of the corridors unsure of where he should go or what he should do, but still filled with the need to do /something/ or go mad with worry.

Claire Temple has posed:
"...Daniel!... Daniel. Stop. Wait..." Peggy calls after him, still double time walking down the long, old hall, her high heels clicking sharply on the floor until she's even with him there, just a touch breathless from the run and the quick way in which she left the party. She looks him up and down in the dim light of the service hall, worry raw and clear in her eyes, her fingertips coming up to rest on his shoulders.

"Don't... don't... Run. I love you, and... we're in this together. You know I can't stay knowing you're driving yourself insane thinking this over... "

Daniel Sousa has posed:
Daniel doesn't try to keep moving as Peggy comes after him, he turns at the sound of his name and waits for her to join him, his hands resting on her hips as hers rest on his shoulders. If not for the concerned look on Peggy's face and the desolated one on his own, they might look like they were dancing. "I love you too, Peggy," he says. "And I'm sorry," he tells her. "I am sorry I couldn't sit still and pretend to celebrate, I didn't want to drag you out here with me," though he supposed he should have seen that coming,. If the situations were reversed he'd have been after her in a heartbeat.

"Is there somewhere we can go?" he asks looking around the place. "Guess you were right about there not being much that can get done right now."

Claire Temple has posed:
Peggy relaxes a bit more into his touch, as he rests his fingertips on her waist instead of pushing her away and telling her to go back t othe party. A bittersweet smile crosses her red lips, head slightly tilted to the side as she searches his eyes. "You know I couldn't let you run down here all alone and just sit in misery all night without me. The party's mostly over...May's going to save us some cake. It's fine. ?...I'd rather be here with you. You know that." Peggy murmurs softly, leaning forward to press a more gentle, reassuring kiss to the corner of his mouth.

?Then as he asks about where they can go, she gives a little nod to a separate hallway a little down and to the left. "I still have my old quarters here. They're small, but they'll do. Where I got this dress." She admits with a bit of a laugh, "Forgot I'd even left anything back here." She's not letting go of touching him, but shifts her arm to rest through his before she starts escorting the way down to the private staff quarters area.

Daniel Sousa has posed:
Daniel is quiet for a moment, just looking at Peggy, before he nods his head, "I know," he says and accepts the kiss, giving her hips a gentle squeeze. "I love you Peggy, and sorry for before," he says gesturing to the lounge. "Not my greatest moment," he says, eyes dipping down with embarrassment.

The dress makes for a good distraction however, he looks it over, before saying, "If that dress was still in place, I wonder if any of Howard's 'emergency supplies' are still around," he says. "I brought some whiskey and cigarellos for after the party but I think they're still in the car," and Piper and Davis had likely gone to bed, the keys going with them.

He doesn't argue about letting Peggy lead the way, offering his arm and following her lead, his cane joining her heels in clacking down the old corridors. "This place really hasn't changed much, hasn't it?" he asks. "Well except for that hanger." Though at this point he's just filling silence with words to keep his thoughts at bay.

Claire Temple has posed:
The kiss lets her relax a bit. It helps her know he's not so broken that he's completely shut down those emotions, even if the rambling, quiet discussion about the old base is pretty good proof he's just trying to push everything aside. Peggy gives his arm another squeeze, "Oh, I suspect Howard did, and I know I've still got a bit of whiskey left in my room. If we're real nice, May might even just drop us off cake and more booze. She... understands. She really does." Peggy gives a slight nod towards the ring, not letting him entirely dodge it, even as he's trying.

She then slips her old code into the pad lock on her door, the mechanical, heavy lock sliding open and she pushes it open to reveal the small, but still rather elegant, set of quarters. Bed in the corner, working desk, a small wet bar that is mostly tea and some little things for breakfast. Two old filing cabinets. Some photos of them when they were younger, their wedding photos. There's nothing of Michael here, but the place was probably going into a fair amount of disuse when he came along. She looks over it, "But...you're right. They really didn't change almost anything. And I swear, it wasn't my decision this time..."

Daniel Sousa has posed:
Daniel looks over at the squeeze of his arm, wordlessly expressing his thanks for her being there for him. "Sounds good," he says of the whiskey and cake. "I'll apologize to Melinda tomorrow, understanding or not, I just couldn't handle people after-" he glances down at his ring, fingers flexing a little reflexively.

When they reach her quarters he looks around, a quiet wry noise made at the look of the place. "Other than a thing or two it looks like it did last week," he says. "My time. Stopped on the way to my plane out west to dig through a few old files," he says of his reasons for being there. Quite the detour moving at 1950's speeds. Though even that little comment is more diversion on his part, anything to keep from thinking about what they learned tonight. He nods to the wet bar, "Can I pour us something?" he asks.

Claire Temple has posed:
It wasn't near as big or nice as their bed back home, but they also both had slept on far worse. Peggy tosses the sheets open so they can both settle in against the bed and wall instead of awkwardly sitting at her desk. No reason not to be comfortable. She slips off her shoes and well, flexing feet from having been in the old, stiff shoes. The leather needed far more working after all these years.

"Mm... whiskey is fine, just a few fingers. I know I have that, god knows what ever else is left down there." His favourite bottle of spirits is as well, and not much else. She kept the important things on hand and didn't bother with any other bits, not in this office. She tilts her head as he comments about stopping through, her brows furrowing, "That was...quite a detour from where you were going. Something to do with the HYDRA files?" She's watching him closely now. She knows he's avoiding, but she isn't going to press the issue quite yet. She wants him to take a chance to get more calm and comfortable.

Daniel Sousa has posed:
Daniel moves to the bar, pouring them both a drink of the bourbon she had for him, the same brand they stole from Thompson's desk all those years ago. What could he say? The man could be a jerk but he had good taste in booze. He comes back to the bed, offering Peggy one glass while he sits giving his leg some much needed rest.

The question while cutting close to the subject Daniel is trying to avoid has enough distance from it that he nods without any hesitation, "Yeah, more or less struck out here, but found what I was looking for in the deep storage at Area 51," he looks over, "I was going to tell you when I got back from out west, about HYDRA but all I had before was a hunch, and I guess I really wanted to be wrong." Just like he wanted to believe he would be staying here forever. That thought brings his glass to his lips and he finishes it in one go, before rising again to go get the bottle, sore leg or not, it seemed like he would need it tonight despite his best efforts.

Claire Temple has posed:
"You're limping again... " Worse than usual. Peggy almost never brings it up, but it's hard for her to see him in pain. Especially after all this time, when she knows they have better treatments and prostethics now than they ever did before. "I could have gotten that, you know." She states to the bottle in his hand, now realizing why he got up again. He doesn't scold him otherwise, but she does knock back a good bit of her drink before reaching it out to ask him for a bit more. Since he did go and get the bottle.

"...I didn't want it to be true, either. When... I started seeing the signs here, I hoped so... damn hard that I was just being paranoid. That it was old age and some desperate wish to regain my old importance that was making me see shadows that weren't there. You weren't wrong for... for not wanting the worst to be true."

Daniel Sousa has posed:
Daniel takes a seat not bothering to hide the grimace of pain. "I know," he says. "Just needed to move a bit," he says of him pushing his leg too far again. He fills his glass and tops up hers.

"Yeah, that sounds familiar, for me I think I pulled out every reason I was wrong, from I started looking because of an off-hand comment from Webber of all people," he says with a frown. Webber was sort of the odd man out in the fairly progressive agency, clinging to prejudices and running his mouth. "To not getting enough sleep because of Michael, just about anything to deny the truth," he says. "Wrong or not to hope, I still should have told you as soon as I started looking into things, even with everything we had going on."

Claire Temple has posed:
Now just in her stockinged feet, Peggy shifts a bit on the bed so she can fully face him, one leg tucked in beneath her dress, the front of her calf resting against the outside of his thigh. It's not the most cuddly sort of position, but it means she can easily look him in the eyes and still keep some contact with his body. Her free fingertips gently trace a few lines up and down the side of his ribs, the pad of her thumb working on hiking up the side of his shirt so she can get to some skin.

"...Yes. You should have told me. But... we just had a baby. Juggling the office was... difficult. Neither of us were sleeping well. I'm not going to blame you for doing the same damn thing I was trying to do, but... if... *When* we figure this out. When you're here for good... we're honest and open with each other. Always. Alright? *Always*."

Daniel Sousa has posed:
Daniel welcomes the touch, his shirt shifting up easily giving her the warmth of his skin under her fingertips.

"Thanks," he says of letting him off the hook even if it's plain to the both of him he'll likely blame himself for it for a good while longer.

"Deal," he says before taking a drink, not quite lifting his eyes to meet Peggy, his doubts about his future rising up again. "How'd you catch on to them?" he asks changing the subject. "HYDRA I mean?"

Claire Temple has posed:
As Peggy makes it through dress shirt and then undershirt to get to skin, she smiles just a bit more and curls her fingertips closer against the side of his ribs. He's still here for now, next to her, warm and quite alive. She's going to enjoy him as long as she can. However, that thanks gets a slightly flatter look from her. "I know that tone of thanks. That's the thanks which says you're still beating yourself up over it even if I honestly mean what I said, and you're not going to let it go. ... Try, Daniel? However long we have together, god... I just want to...enjoy it. Somehow." Peggy's voice is a little raw with those words, some of her own fear leaking through the edges even as she tried to keep optimistic about this all

Then he's asking about how she caught on and while Peggy is fairly certain it's a distraction, it's one she'll allow for the moment. She takes a longer shot of her whiskey and after a quiet exhale she admits, "I was trying to look up some of the old Paperclip cases, see what happened to some of those scientists we had...and all the files were missing. No where in the digital archives at all. I knew I'd put a lot of work in on them, I had people monitoring them, and it was all... Gone. I was just lucky the old paper records were still there, even if everyone thought I was insane going through paper work like an old librarian."

Daniel Sousa has posed:
The flat tone is just as familiar as his own grudging okay was to Peggy, Daniel flinches just a bit before listening to what she asks of him. To let things go, to enjoy whatever time they were going to get. "I can try for you, Peg," he says. "I just don't want to make any of this more painful than it needs to for you, I mean odds are good I'm going to be the jerk who dies on you twice, so, whatever I need to do to make that even a little bit better, I'll do it."

He nods about the files, though that distraction is somewhat less necessary now that he's let some of what he's feeling out."Found some good dirt in the Paperclip files too, if the old SSR office in LA is still around they may even still be out there, for what it's worth," he says.

Peggy Carter has posed:
"That's good to know. I...wouldn't mind taking a ride out to LA and going through the old place. It'll be like a reunion and a vacation all in one." Peggy keeps a softer smile in place as she considers that. While a 'vacation' to go do work in an old musty office probably wouldn't appeal to most people, Peg seems like she genuinely enjoys the idea. Might even be a bit excited by it, taking a trip with him to LA, even if they need to keep their heads down.

She then takes another long sip of her whiskey, deep enough that she entirely empties the glass then moves to set it aside. Instead of going for more, she turns her head to press a quiet kiss against his temple. "Hey. I never thought I'd even hear your voice again. I got to talk to you on the phone. I... I had *all* those beautiful letters from you. And now I have you here in bed, in person, again. I... I don't know how I'll ever handle sending you back to your... death... if we can't figure this out. But people don't get a second chance, and I did. I'm going to take every moment as a gift..."

Daniel Sousa has posed:
Daniel chuckles warmly for the first time since they discovered the damage to the ring at just how much the trip to LA appeals to Peggy. "Sounds like the sort of vacation we'd take," he says. "And who knows, maybe my old chair is still there," he jokes with wry amusement.

His mood both grows softer and more sombre as the topic turns to taking advantage of every minute they get, even if the idea of going back to his death and how much it would hurt Peggy, gets a deep sorrow to flash in his eyes before he locks it back up again.

He takes a long slow breath. "I really wanted to be here for you, since that call," he says, "But I guess you know that from the letters," he says. "So, I guess whatever happens, at least we got that much, I hated thinking of you in the future all alone."

Peggy Carter has posed:
"It's been... hard." Peggy admits softly, not quite able to meet his eyes as she says that. She doesn't want him to know how lonely she's been, how much she's shut herself off. Maybe she should even be saying it, but they did say they were going to keep being open and honest with each other. This is her doing that, no matter how hard it is. "I hadn't realized how much I... got accustomed to having you there. My rock. Without you... all I had was the job. I did it. I... managed. But I didn't really let anyone else... in. It wasn't worth it." She gives him a faint smile, tired eyes lifting to meet his, "No man could really ever measure up to you anyway."

Daniel Sousa has posed:
Daniel reaches out to take her hand. "I'm sorry Peg," he says, in sympathy more than regret. What happened or will happen, was out of his hands now. "Sixty five years is a long time to be alone. I know it didn't happen, I could tell from the phone call how lonely you were but I hoped you'd find someone that made you happy," he glances down a moment before looking up again, eyes glassy with unshed tears. "And if things don't work out, I still hope you do," he tells her.

Though there is a faint smile in return about nobody measuring up to him. "Uh-huh," he says, "And I thought some of my lines were a stretch," he teases her gently before leaning in and kissing Peggy gently on the lips. More seriously and tenderly he says, "All joking aside, I know what you mean, I could live forever and I doubt I could find anyone I could love more than you, Peggy, we just fit."

Peggy Carter has posed:
The softer kiss is enough to make her smile, even if it's tinged with sadness, part of her already bracing her heart to lose him again. Peggy turns her head up, kissing him again, a litte deeper than before. Temptation to other things behind the touch but she knows it'd just be another distraction. Instead, she pulls back just enough to shift her body into resting against him, tucking her head into the side of his neck. It means he is still free to drink as much as he wants, but she's pressed far closer now.

"We do just fit. And... this isn't over. We're both talking like we're not going to find some sort of way to... fix this. Both Lily and May exist. Hell, they were both *in the same room* tonight. It's possible to put a double across time. If it happened once... maybe we can figure it out again. It's SHIELD. I just... I don't want us to give up. To walk around in this shadow like you're already dead again."

Daniel Sousa has posed:
Daniel happily returns that deeper kiss clearly craving that distraction, though when she breaks away he does not protest just slips his arm around her waist as she tucks her head against his neck.

"I know there's still cards to play Peggy and I'm not about to give up, just... I just let my optimism get the best of me I really thought I finally shook having my death hanging over my head like it has since that phone call, it's taking some time to get over that, and adjust. I love you though, and Peggy and if there's a way for me to stay I'll fight like hell to make sure I do," he lifts her hand to his lips. "You've got my word on that."

Peggy Carter has posed:
Now totally free of her drink, though she's still in her stockings and dress so it's not the most comfortable clothing to be curling up in bed wearing, she shifts herself a bit more around him so her arm stretches across the front of his stomach and her other winds behind his back against the wall. She drapes one of her knees across his thigh and it's about as close as they can get without physically laying down and getting out of party clothes.

"I...don't want your death still hanging over your head. That's no way to live, Daniel. Death... it could really come for any of us, any time. But we can't focus on that. And you *are* still here. We could buy ourselves years, if nothing else. Just... just hang onto that. It's my birthday and I just got you back. I'm not letting you go that easily. I love you... so... Damn much. I'm not letting you go again. We'll figure this out."

Daniel Sousa has posed:
Daniel shifts himself a little to make their new positions as comfortable as possible, which was difficult with his leg still attached and them both in their party clothes. He welcomes the closeness however, happy to wrap his arms around her as best as he can.

Daniel nods about not letting his death hang over his head, "I'll do my best," he promises her though he doesn't sound confident he'll manage it. "It was easier during the war and with the SSR after, just had me and my men to worry about end of story," he says. "Now I've got more to lose and that's what eats at me, thinking about the people," he looks at her, "You, and Michael, I'd leave behind."

Though her words do get a second much more resolute nod from him. "Don't get me wrong, this whole business with my ring may have me down but I am in no hurry to give up and be lost to time and HYDRA, I love you, Peg," he tells her squeezing her tight. "And if there's a way to fix this then I going to be right there with you when we find it."

Peggy Carter has posed:
"So, that's what we focus on. A way to fix this. Or we're both going to dwell on the worst and... shut down. Do nothing but work. I know us. I just... hell, Daniel, I don't want to lose what time I have with you. I know how... cold I get. It's worse than you ever saw. It's probably why Michael hates me. I don't want to do that but if I start thinking there isn't a way to fix this, I'm just going to... freeze up. I'll turn into the woman I've been the last twenty years I was awake and I don't know that I want you to see her." Peggy confesses those last words not with fear, but with a touch of shame. She knows how bad it's gone. She knows the mistakes she's made, she's too intelligent a woman not to see it. He doesn't deserve that version of her, no matter how tempting it is to withdraw.

"So. Tell me. What do *you* want to do? Other than the trip to LA. Where do you want to go?...See things? While we have this time, and I know we'll both still work, but... We can take advantage. Make up for lost time. As much as criminals wanted by the law can..." THe last bit has a hint of a bittersweet laugh behind it.

Daniel Sousa has posed:
Daniel notes the shame in Peggy's voice and his eyes just brim with sympathy for her, without a shred of judgement. "Then we won't get lost in work, we'll see if we can't find the balance we had before this," which did lean heavily towards work but they'd always found a way to live as well, to truly enjoy each other's company. "Like with being honest we just have to keep an eye on each other and if we see one of us freezing up, then we let them know and do what needs to be done to get them out of it," he says turning a warm and grateful smile towards Peggy. "Like you did for me tonight."

As for what he wants to do, Daniel laughs, "I'm not even sure what there is to do in this time, but it might be fun if you showed me," he says. "Other than that I want to see Michael still, and maybe have a conversation for more than five minutes with Sharon."

That last part gets a smile, "Well good thing we're wanted /spies/ I guess any fun we have outside of the Playground will have to be undercover."

Peggy Carter has posed:
A gentle laugh escapes her lips at the comment about them being wanted spies. "I think we can manage to have *some* fun out there. And... yes. Michael and Sharon. But that's not for tonight." Peggy forces herself to pull back and look up to him, a smile on her face that is still trying to pull out of the worry of it all but she's managing to get there. "Calling each other on freezing up? That... sounds like a good idea. A hard one, but a good one. Neither of us will be stuck in... This. We're going to enjoy it."

And with that, she sits up enough to reach back to undo that zipper of her dress. She's then looking him over, some suggestion behind her eyes and a sly, tired smile on her lips. "Unless you planned on going back out there tonight, I think we could get a little more... Comfortable. Finish celebrations?"

Daniel Sousa has posed:
"Think so too," Daniel says of having fun. "It'll be like our dates when I moved back to New York, showing me places I never would have discovered without you," he says qith a grin for the memory.

"True, it'll be hard, but we've called each other on our bullshit before, this is more or less the same," he says. "And yeah, I definitely want to enjoy what time we get." Moments or decades that was still going to be true.

Daniel returns that sly smile with one of his own as he moves to help her with that dress, kissing the side of her neck as he does, saying, "Can't think of anywhere else I'd want to be."

Peggy Carter has posed:
The smile across Peggy's lips grows a little bit wider, letting some of that mischief light behind her eyes. It's still not quite as bright as the other morning, when they let themsleves just be happy and free, but it's close. Peggy's clinging to every bit of happiness they can find and having him in her bed tonight? That's an excellent birthday present. "Then it is still my birthday, you know? In California, at least." She winks. "We could do a bit more celebrating..." She murmurs as she pulls her dress off over her head and tosses it aside.

Then her fingertips reach for his slacks first, suggestive, but not entirely seductive yet. She gently pulls them off so she can reach for the leather straps of his prosthetic and help gingerly get that off of his sore frame. Never judgment, just done with warm, quiet care.

Daniel Sousa has posed:
Daniel smiles, his own share of mischief in his eyes, "Well, always did like California," he replies of it still being her birthday there. "And funnily enough I feel like I could do with a bit of celebration."

When the dress goes, so too does Daniel's shirt, joining it somewhere on the floor. He was about to reach for her underthings when she reaches for his slacks and he lets himself lay back and let her attend to them first and then remove his prosthetic with that familiar quiet care he had grown so accustomed to.

Once his leg is free of it he makes a contented noise, flexing what's left of his leg to stretch sore muscles before he sits up.

Pressing a quick and tender kiss to Peggy's lips, before his attention turns to helping her remove the rest of her clothes with the same care she's shown him, punctuated by long looks and gentle kisses brushed against her lips.

Peggy Carter has posed:
Peggy sits up enough just to watch him as he stretches his sort leg and makes that quiet, comfortable sound. It brings a warmer smile to her lips than was even there before. She's clearly missed so much about him, but she's missed the little rituals the most. The things that just became as natural as breathing. "I...forgot how much I missed watching you stretch." She whispers. It had been such a natural part of their lives, it was a little detail that just disappeared over the years from her memory. She's so glad to have it back.

Then she's sinking back into his arms and the rest of the night is spent celebrating in other, far more pleasant ways. Hopefully the walls aren't too thin between quarters, or there'd be rumors spreading in the morning.