5967/The Bad News

The Bad News
Date of Scene:	17 April 2021
Location:	06 Peggy's Suite - Playground
Synopsis:	Peggy returns from Denmark to get the bad news about her criminal record from her husband. They have a long talk about the ramifications of her wanted status, and other hopes for their future.
Cast of Characters:	Daniel Sousa, Peggy Carter

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Daniel Sousa has posed:
Daniel had seen the news on that ridiculously huge TV they kept in the lounge. He could feel all the eyes in the room turn to him when the report came up and Peggy as well as Jemma's face appeared on the screen. He didn't comment or let his reaction show, he just excused himself and went back to the quarters he shared with Peggy to wait. Letting himself pace and fret out of view of the troops.

By late evening, Daniel has stopped his pacing, and is sitting at the desk one of those new fangled tablets in hand, reading up on the history he missed, while a Chet Baker album plays on the record player set on top of one of the filing cabinets, a cup of coffee cooling by his elbow as he reads.

Peggy Carter has posed:
It's hard to miss the fact that *something* has changed. No one's directly told her about the news yet, but the looks she gets in the hallway? They were different. Heavier. Even the few quiet greetings of 'Chief' held something behind them that the old spy couldn't miss. Part of her was worried that it was Daniel -- did he disappear while she was gone? Was attacked? Surely someone would have told her. So, as soon as she makes certain that Huttz is settled into the holding cells on the lower level of the playground, she's heading straight for her quarters. This time of night, that's where she assumes he'd be.

She's still in her more casual, modern clothing that she wears for undercover missions, and a tac vest carefully hidden beneath it, just in case it did come to a firefight. She steps into the room and lets out a little breath of relief as she sees him, trying to appear more casual than she was feeling a moment ago. "Still up? I hope I didn't get back *too* late..." She comes over to the desk, leaning down for a quick, warm kiss.

Daniel Sousa has posed:
There's something in the way Daniel looks up when she enters that says he'd been worried as casual as he looked, but the kiss is returned with the same warmth as it's given and he gently squeezes her hand as well before she pulls away. "Hey, no, not too late," he tells her, studying her for a moment before saying, "Just worried about you is all, did you see-" he looks down at the tablet, brow furrowing as he tries to remember how Agent Moran showed him these things worked. Tapping the tablet a few times until the video of the news reports comes up and plays. Declaring Peggy and Jemma wanted kidnappers. "-This."

Peggy Carter has posed:
While there is a slight muss of her clothing, at least one button missing on her shirt from being pulled in the fight, she doesn't even look bruised otherwise. The mission went fast and mostly smooth. Peggy is starting to unbutton the rest of the shirt so she can get the stiff tac vest off and into something more comfortable when he finally gets the news footage rolling. Her eyes go a bit wide and her hands stop in their motions of undressing.

"...Oh. I... didn't. We just... I wasn't really looking on the flight home." Peggy admits quietly, having half napped on the quinjet when there was time, considering it was quite late by Denmark's time zone and she's feeling jetlag a bit deeper in her bones these days. She sinks down into perching on the side of her desk, right next to him, and replays the news footage. "...bloody hell..."

Daniel Sousa has posed:
Daniel's expressive brow crinkles a little at the sight of the mussed clothing and missing button, far from the most disheveled he's seen her post mission but it's enough to get his eyes scanning her for any other signs of injury. Finding none his brow smooths as Peggy sinks onto the desk beside him to watch the footage. He watches her watch it and nods at her assessment, "My thoughts exactly," he says, getting up from the chair and moving to the wetbar. "What happened?" he asks as he reaches it, getting two glasses and the whiskey bottle feeling this might be the time for that sort of thing.

Peggy Carter has posed:
"It went... mostly smooth, really." Peggy confesses, though the sight of this footage and the bartender's descriptions given are enough to prove it wasn't near so smooth as she hoped. She gives him a quiet, thankful nod for the whiskey bottle, definitely approving of his thought that it's time for a drink now. She watches the footage one more time before letting out a slow breath and putting the tablet face down on the desk again. Watching it any more isn't going to change anything.

She stands slowly, going back to the quiet undressing but with slow, slightly more numb motions as she does it. "Jemma called her... set up a meeting, made like she was going to go over to the other side now that SHIELD is on the run. It was the only way to get her out of her heavily secured building and we didn't want to bring her family into it. Met her at a small bar. Tried to replace her driver from there but she had a few more body guards and they alerted. We still managed to disable them and the woman, but...the bartender saw. We... didn't want to kill anyone. Left the guards alive and unconscious, just took her. I was hoping the bartender wouldn't talk. Clearly I was wrong." Peggy's lips press tightly as she peels out of the slim body armor beneath her shirt, tossing it aside with a deep sigh.

Daniel Sousa has posed:
Daniel pours the drinks as Peggy watches the video one more time setting her glass down beside where she'd been sitting when she rises to undress. He takes a sip of his own whiskey before he moves to help her, like they used to do back at the end of a long day, removing the stress along with everything else.

"It's the 'smooth' missions that get you sometimes," he says from experience. "And you made the right call, Peg, not killing, bad press we can deal with, dropping s civilian just because he was in the wrong place at the wrong time that's something else entirely," he says before meeting her eyes. "Just glad you guys made it back okay, and by the sound of it with your target in hand."

Peggy Carter has posed:
As he comes up to help get her out of that vest and her undershirt beneath, Peggy's hands just drop and she lets him do all the work. It'd been so long since she had the simple pleasure of letting him undress her after a long mission. Her eyes close, the comfort of that touch infinitely better than the whiskey waiting for her on the desk. She sinks back against him for a few heartbeats, letting out a slow breath. "...I... forgot how much I missed this." It's not the topic of conversation at hand, but it felt important to say. Every moment still feels stolen. Something to be treasured.

"And... you're right. I'd do it again if I had to. No one died, we got our mark. Another head of HYDRA is off the board. We... we were wanted criminals anyway. This just makes it a bit more... Public." She looks back, meeting his eyes, doing her best to convince both of them that really this is fine. It's not a big deal. She's not quite succeeding, but she's trying. "I...feel worse for Jemma than anything."

Daniel Sousa has posed:
Daniel falls into the familiar rhythm of undressing her, standing close by as he does it so she can feel his presence all the more keenly, when she sinks back against him he wraps his arms around her waist and kisses her cheek. "I thought you might," he says tenderly, feeling the old familiar warmth that came of being there for her when she needed him.

"True, guess if we're going to go out and see the 21st century together we might need to wait until the heat dies down," he says with a faint smile. No real concern there, just a touch of his usual wry amusement. "And no casualties and another head of HYDRA in cut off, that sounds like a good mission."

There's a nod about Jemma, he'd only really seen her briefly around the Long Island house when everyone was staying there. "Guessing field ops her usual brief?"

Peggy Carter has posed:
While she should get dressed, and there is perfectly good whiskey waiting for her, Peggy doesn't move for a few moments. She just leans against the warmth of him, wrapping her arms across his grasp and letting her head sink back against his shoulder so her nose presses to his cheek. "Not...usually. She's brilliant. One of the best scientists I've ever met. She's probably even smarter that Howard, truthfully. But... she hasn't had much time in the field. We could do with a bit more cross training. This..." Peggy sighs into his throat. "It's how we all learn. I just hope I wasn't being... sloppy. Risking her like that. She wanted in on the mission. I trusted her there."

Then something seems to hit her. Her body stiffens against him, shoulders tightening as her head jerks suddenly up. "Shit. Michael."

Daniel Sousa has posed:
Daniel holds Peggy close, smiling as her nose rubs against his five o'clock shadow. "So what you're saying is that it's possible to be smarter than Howard and /not/ have the ego to go along with it?" he teases lightly, almost slipping and saying, 'he better not hear you say that' but then, he can't. The frown that follows is quick before he considers Peggy's worries. "Don't know her, or the details of the mission, but if you and May both thought she was ready to be there, then she probably was."

Then there's Michael, the mention of him has his eyes opening wide, "Shit," he echoes. "He doesn't know about you, does he?" he asks.

Peggy Carter has posed:
One more squeeze is given to his arms and then Peggy's pulling away. She definitely needs that whiskey now. She stalks back to the desk, scooping up the glass and knocking back the whole shot before she pours herself another, mentally cursing the entire time. "N-no... no. I suspect he doesn't. I mean, I certainly didn't tell him, and SHIELD didn't even tell me I had a *grand daughter* until she showed up, so... none of us have really been great at this whole... Communication thing. Shit." She rubs one hand down her face, just stalking back and forth across the room in nothing but her bra and slacks. She's got the tense energy to her that normally is followed by several rounds with a punching bag for a few good spars with a worthy opponent.

Daniel Sousa has posed:
Daniel takes a swallow of whiskey from his glass as he watches Peg pace. "Well that's going to make the visit more difficult but we'll deal with it Peg," he says he says and sets down the glass again moving to stand in her path resting his hands on her shoulders. "You going to be okay?" he asks her. "Or should I see if I can scare up some PT gear and we can check see what the gym looks like these days?" he offers with with a gentle smile.

Peggy Carter has posed:
As he steps in her path, Peggy stops the somewhat frenetic pacing, letting his hands on her hips ground her a bit easier than she would have otherwise. She stares up into his eyes, a bittersweet smile crossing her lips. "I... I'll be fine. God, we've been...shot, stabbed, blown up... so many times. A little news report is the least of awful things that have happened and Michael was going to be pissed no matter what. He..." She sighs, not quite meeting his eyes again. The guilt she feels over how badly she failed at parenting still weighs heavier than most other things on her heart, "He probably doesn't even care. Probably thinks I'm...getting what I deserve. Just... poor Sharon. She doesn't deserve any of this muck and I know she's going to be caught between it all."

Daniel Sousa has posed:
Daniel meets that look up into his eyes, and shares that bittersweet smile, "Not wrong," he admits. "But still, you're allowed to be upset about the report and what Michael's going to think about it, he's our son,"

When she looks away, he lifts a hand to gently guide her eyes back to his if she'll let him. "We won't know what he thinks until we talk to him, but you're right though, we should probably reach out to Sharon sooner rather than later. If Michael's seen the report I bet she's the one that catches hell first."

Peggy Carter has posed:
There's little that Peggy will actually fight Daniel on, and his gentle pulling of her eyes back to his dark gaze isn't one of those things. She lets her gaze rest heavier on his, a slow sigh escaping her lips as she considers just how bad this might be. Her hand comes up, gently combing nails back through his hair as she considers him, "Maybe...maybe you should go with her... Alone. He has nothing to blame you for. You could start on a fresh foot without my... mucking it all up. I don't want to ruin your chance at having a relationship with your son because I... didn't get it right the first time around."

Daniel Sousa has posed:
Daniel keeps his gaze on Peggy's. "Nuh-uh," he says firmly. "We both go, we're both his parents and if he's going to be mad at you he can be mad at me too. I'm not going to be happy if he likes me and hates you, so trying to do things separately? Not going to happen."

His tone and expression softens then as he continues to look into her eyes. "I promised you wouldn't have to do this alone," he says. "And I messed up and got myself killed and you were stuck alone, with Michael, SHIELD and my death to deal with. I don't blame you for what happened Peg, I don't," he says. "And if I can use whatever time I've got to help fix things between you and our son, then that's something I need to try."

Peggy Carter has posed:
THe look on her face is one where she's clearly debating being stubborn. Her jaw is slightly set and she's just staring at him, considering how hard she should fight on this. But he keeps going on, tone and look even softer than before, and she really can't argue with him when he's looking at her like that. Peg shakes her head immediately, however, as she realizes what he's saying. "No. You didn't *get yourself killed*. We both... it's the job. We KNEW the risks. Promises were as long as we lived and we knew... I knew... I wasn't going to hold you to an impossibility." She leans over to kiss him firmly before he can protest, but lovingly. She's not hearing arguments about this one.

Finally, when their lips break, she pulls back just enough she can keep speaking, but her nose still brushes against his. "But...I'll go with you. If he's willing to see us, we'll go. And Sharon too... we should find her in the morning. It's... late now. I hope she's asleep and doesn't even hear anything until tomorrow. But we'll find her and... we'll figure this out. Together. As a family."

Daniel Sousa has posed:
Daniel recognizes that expression and even as he speaks, those reserves of stubbornness in him are marshalling behind his eyes ready for the argument that never comes. Or at least about the things he thought they'd argue about, he opens his mouth to protest before his lips suddenly have other, more pleasant things to do instead. Argument? What argument?

Daniel leans his head against Peggy's when that kiss breaks and they linger so close together. "Morning sounds good," he says of talking to Sharon. "Let her get some sleep at least." To say nothing of the both of them.

The mention of them working it out as a family makes him smile, "Sounds like a plan," he says. "I do like that though, 'family'," it gave him a sense of grounding here in the future a sense that he belonged, and the contentment that comes from it shows through in his expression. "I love you, Peg," he tells her. "And we'll work this out, no matter how rough things might be now."

Peggy Carter has posed:
Slowly, her arms come up to wrap around his shoulders, sinking in against the front of his frame a bit deeper as their foreheads press together. "I love you too." She whispers, letting those simple words help settle that restless energy out of her. It really had been so damn long since she had his grounding presence, she's still not quite accustomed to how quickly he can bring her back to herself. How she managed for years without? Well, she did, but probably not in any healthy fashion.

Now more relaxed, the exhaustion really is settling through her bones. She sinks against him a bit more, "I...don't even know what time it is any more. I feel like I've been twice around the world this week alone. Jet lag never used to get to me like this...did it?" She asks with an almost laugh, a bittersweet thing that's taking a moment to just let herself feel her age. "...I guess 100 years will do that to a girl."

Daniel Sousa has posed:
The words and the feel of that nervous tension leaving Peggy's form makes Daniel's smile widen his fingers brushing against her cheek and then through her hair, just enjoying the chance to be here for her again.

As she sinks against him closer, he shifts, letting her get comfortable against his chest. "No, it didn't," he admits. "Usually you'd touch down and ready to get into whatever trouble was waiting for us when we landed," he smiles fondly at those memories. Even if more often than not that trouble involved high stakes and lethal danger. "But if jet lag hitting you harder, and some cold hands and feet is what you've got to deal with after a hundred years," he says, brushing a quick kiss against Peggy's lips. "I'd say you're doing pretty damn good."

Peggy Carter has posed:
"I'd say never get old, it's miserable... but I think I'd trade the world to grow old with you... and I know I've gotten very lucky to cheat time this much. So I'll just be thankful for the luck and drag my dear husband to bed even if it's early. Come on..." She tugs him back gently towards the bunk they've been sharing since moving into the Playground. It wasn't near so luxurious as their big master bed back home, but they've been making due.

She sinks down and starts at the belt on her slacks, not even bothering with a night gown tonight. She just wants out of the rest of the mission's clothing and stretching out somewhere comfortable. "Unless I'm keeping you from other work? I shouldn't assume your schedule entirely revolves around my world. Have they gotten you geared up yet? Do you *want* to go back into the field here?" It's like her mind is fighting just how tired she is. Trying to work so she doesn't feel like she's just giving up on the day or giving into exhaustion.

Daniel Sousa has posed:
Daniel's smile is bittersweet at the idea of growing old with Peggy. "Me too, Peg, me too," he says of what he'd trade to make it happen for them both. Though the bittersweet smile is soon replaced with a much happier expression when Peggy starts tugging him towards bed. "Sounds like a good plan to me," he concurs.

Sitting on the bed, Daniel takes off his shirt, tossing it aside and starts in on his own slacks as a prelude to getting the prosthetic off. "Nope," he says of other work. "Right now my schedule does revolve around you," he admits. "Though, yeah, I'd like to get back into the field. Be a part of things again."

Peggy Carter has posed:
"I love you, but you'll go stir crazy just being my... house husband." Peggy admits as she kicks off her slacks and then turns to to help him with the straps of his prosthetic. The normal evening routine. They really just fell back into it like nothing had changed. "Though... first, we should get you to seeing Jemma about this leg. I'm not sending you back into the field limping when I *know* we can do better. But there's no reason to keep you at a desk. SHIELD needs all the good agents we can get and you always were one of the best."

Peggy's mind is fighting her body, half of her very much desperate to get to sleep as she sinks back into the bed, eye's heavy, but he can practically see the work logistics running behind her gaze. "We'll need to get you trained up on a bit more equipment. Cleared for some modern firearms but, fortunately, not much marksmanship wise has changed. The comm units are nicer nowadays... it shouldn't be too hard to get you field worthy. Hell, I'm certified to fly a quinjet and I haven't even been awake a year."

Daniel Sousa has posed:
Daniel surrenders his leg to Peggy's sure fingers as she removes the straps that bind his prosthetic to his flesh, stretching a little with a contented sigh as it finally comes free. "Maybe just a little," Daniel says of going stir crazy. "And I wouldn't say no to an upgrade," he says nodding to the prosthetic. A faint smile crossing his lips at being called one of the best. "In your unbiased opinion at least," he says with a wry chuckle.

Daniel shifts over to let Peggy sink into the bed before laying down beside her, smiling as he sees her still fighting the urge to sleep. "You fly?" he asks with a grin. "And yeah, I'm good with getting up to speed on all of it and helping out," he looks over to her then, "Work was always part of *us*, and it'd be nice to have that in common again."

Peggy Carter has posed:
Tired enough that she's not even bothering washing off the bit of make up she's wearing or brushing her teeth. Peggy just sinks deeper back into the bed, squirming around to shift the covers out from beneath them so they can end up tucking in together now that they're mostly unclothed. It wasn't quite the exhausted collapse into bed at 2 am they used to do, but it felt close. She curls up onto her side, facing him with that drowsy smile.

"I do. Morse and May made certain I got all my hours in over the last few months. I'm certainly not the best pilot SHIELD has, but I can get us from point A to point B. These modern jets, god...they do half the thinking for you already anyway. Still, when May is along, she gets to fly. It helps her focus, I think... and she's the best we got, so might as well let her show off. If we're lucky, she'll teach you as well." Peggy's like a sleepy child, trying to fight it with talk of work and future plans but she's already sinking deeper into that pillow. "I promise. We'll get you up to spec. ... Talk to Sharon first, then... Then we get you back into the field." Right in time for Michael to maybe lose BOTH his parents to work.

Daniel Sousa has posed:
Daniel helps squirming their way off the covers long enough for them to be drawn overtop of them both. It was a familiar dance of the nights they'd both been too tired to pull them back before they collapsed into bed. His own expression is relaxed and drowsy now that they're both safely in bed, a touch of amusement remaining as he sees Peggy still trying to fight her body's demands she sleep.

"Seems like a lot of things do the thinking these days," he says. "Which is pretty crazy," he has to admit. "But yeah, if May is up for teaching another old timer how to fly one of those Quinjets, I'm game to learn."

"So, we'll add Sharon, Jemma, May, and getting back into the field to the agenda,"" he says as he snuggles into the pillow himself. "In the morning," he adds with a bit of a smile for Peggy as he leans forward to kiss her forehead. "But for now, it's time to let sleep win."

Peggy Carter has posed:
A little, protesting groan comes from Peggy as he says it's time to let sleep win. "I decide when sleep wins... But I *suppose*, with such a bed partner, I can let it get an early lead tonight." Peggy teases softly against his chin, leaning up to properly kiss him for a few heartbeats before she sinks back fully into the pillow.

"Sweet dreams, my darling... We've got a long few days ahead of us." She shifts her frame, so she's half draped over him, one arm across his stomach and her nose against the edge of his shoulder. It's how they often slept and it's barely a few minutes once she's settled there before she's finally breathing slow and deep against him. Sleep won quickly, once she let it take her.

Daniel Sousa has posed:
There's a smile for Peggy's grudging acquienance to sleep, which only grows after that proper kiss. "You too, Peg," he says before he too lets himself drift of beside her, a smile still on his lips.