6257/The Framework: Visitation

The Framework: Visitation
Date of Scene:	17 May 2021
Location:	The Carter Sousa Family Townhouse, Washington D.C.
Synopsis:	In the aftermath of the Doctor's disastrous visit, May comes again to visit Peggy, hoping to get her to understand the need to leave the country. She's interrupted by Dottie... who has a few surprises of her own.
Cast of Characters:	Peggy Carter, Melinda May, Dottie Underwood
Tinyplot:	The Framework

---

Peggy Carter has posed:
There has been something very deja vu like about the relief that Michael will be too young to remember the death of his father. Peggy can't put her finger on it, probably just her mind's odd reaction to grief, but it feels so familiar. She's mainly going through the motions. Feed the baby, change him, burp him, put him down to sleep, check on Lily, play a game, watch a movie together. Get food. Rinse. Repeat. Lily has cried more than Peggy has, but after she finally told the little girl that her father was never coming home, it was unsurprising. Peggy's forced herself to pull it together for her daughter. She has no other choice.

The kitchen is a mess. Peggy's tried to cook, but Daniel always did the prep work and was far better at it than she anyway. She abandoned it as a lost cause and has been curled up on the couch with Lily, watching some silly children's show with a pig. The accent is comforting, at least. Like home. Lily's passed out against her thigh and Peggy's just staring at the screen with glassy, dead eyes, listening to this pig spout of very odd wisdom. Michael's still thankfully asleep in his bassinet. The house is too quiet. The toys on the lawn haven't moved since the visit from the Doctor. Neither has her car. Or the window curtains. Or anything. Save for the people inside and the mail piling up in the box, it's like the house has been frozen in time.

Melinda May has posed:
Out in the drive, there's the familiar whine of that bike engine. May swings off and puts her helmet down on the seat. It's not likely anyone's going to take it. They never have before. When she approaches the door, she does use the key this time. Her movements are quick, efficient, and smooth. She expects she's being watched. She thinks she ditched any close tails, but still... chances are there's someone out there. At the very least, someone must be watching the house just because of Peggy, nevermind whatever suspicions the Doctor harbours about his erstwhile Right Hand. So, she sticks to her usual routine when entering. At least until the door is closed.

Inside... She's quiet. Subdued even. She didn't expect to feel such a tightness in her chest just from standing inside the familiar vestibule. But, she's here on a mission. A personal mission, but a mission nonetheless. So, she keeps moving.

She's dressed in black, of course. Jeans, a cotton top, and her leather jacket. Some things don't change. Even when the world is falling apart.

Her feet are quiet, but slow on the stairs. Somehow, they feel heavier than usual, sluggish. Being here... is no longer comfortable.

She says nothing as she silently enters the living space, taking a brief moment just to breathe and watch and listen.

Peggy Carter has posed:
While she's barely slept and in that numb, disassociated headspace, Peggy's still Peggy. She was a spy most of her life. She has sharpened instincts. Still, the fact it takes her about three seconds to realize she's not alone in her space is proof that she's truly not in a good place. Her head turns slowly, jaw braced for whatever she might see. Have they come for her too? Then she sees the familiar profile of May and the woman isn't aiming a weapon at her. She stares silently for several moments before turning back to her daughter. Slowly, she eases Lily's head up just enough she can slip from beneath her, and then sinks her back down onto the still body warmed blanket. Hopefully she remains asleep.

Once freed, Peggy comes quietly around the side of the couch. Her bloodshot eyes scan May up and down, lost as to what to say. "...Melinda." She finally greets.

Melinda May has posed:
"I'm sorry," May says softly, meeting Peggy's gaze. There's grief in them. And steel. "I wish..." She doesn't finish the sentence. There's no point in it. Her eyes fall on Lily. "How is..." Again, there's no point finishing that sentence.

She doesn't thrust her hands in her pockets, as she'd like to. She doesn't want her... friend... to think she's going for a weapon. "I'm sorry," she says again. Then, she inhales a deep breath and squares her shoulders. "I don't have a lot of time. Someone's probably watching the house. I have no doubt they're watching me. Morse, particularly. Probably others." She shakes her head firmly. "It doesn't matter." Gently, she pulls open her jacket on the right side -- which is not the side she carries her weapon on. "I brought you something. For God's sake, hide it *well*." Carefully, she pulls a burner from the inside pocket of her jacket. "It probably won't be good for more than a day or two. But, I'm working on an exit strategy for you. When I text, you and the kids need to be ready to go."

Peggy Carter has posed:
A bitter, quiet line comes to Peggy's lips as May stumbles over so many words. She's never heard the woman so indecisive, but she also has no clue how to find the right words for this situation. She simply knows that she can't cry in front of her daughter and she won't cry in front of May, so she's building up that wall of ice around her emotions as she simply stares and lets the woman struggle. There's a line of concern in her eyes, though, seeing how injured May is.

Then the woman does manage to surprise her. Peggy takes the phone with quick ease, palm down, pressed to the interior so no one could see it in a camera or long range lens. She then hugs her arms against her, like she is crossing them over her chest in emotional pain, further hiding the thing. "...W-what? Go? This... this is our home, Melinda. First Lily loses her sister, then her father... I'm not taking her home."

Dottie Underwood has posed:
There's a sharp rap on the door, a quick, plosive percussion of three distinct moments of contact with the wood. And then silence. Whomever is on the other side does allow the occupants the courtesy of answering, rather than entering the house uninvited.

Melinda May has posed:
"If you don't," Melinda says bluntly, somehow feeding off of Peggy's ice to build her own, "the Doctor will. You need to leave America. Go back to England. Go to Australia. Hell, go to Canada, if you can't stand going that far away. But get out of the US."

Yes, her face is a mess of bruises, and her knuckles are swollen. There are scrapes and cuts on her hands, throat, and face. She's obviously been in a pretty fierce fight sometime since her last visit.

"I'm looking for Melly," she tells the Englishwoman. "She's in an Academy. They're not so hard to find. As soon as I have her, I'll get you across the boarder -- into Toronto -- and you can make your escape from there. But you *have* to go."

Then, of course, there's that sharp rap at the door. May's head snaps around. "Shit!"

Peggy Carter has posed:
Never one to panic, the insistence that May has that Peggy get out of the country is trickling slow fear all the way down to her core. She knew it was bad -- she didn't know it was this bad. She swallows back tightly against her own racing pulse, "...Alright. If... if we can find Melly, we'll... go." She admits. But then there is that knock and she practically jumps out of her skin, cursing quietly, "Oh hell."

She steps through the kitchen, pausing just a second to drop the phone from her sleeve into the trash -- like she was throwing away a tissue from crying. She then shuts it and steps over to the door, trying to clean herself up a bit more before pulling it open. When she sees the other woman, an awkward smile paints her face. "D-dottie. I... I wasn't expecting you. May just stopped in to... pay her respects. I suppose you...heard..." She's not going to shut the door on the woman's face, that would be more suspicious.

Dottie Underwood has posed:
There is a micro-expression of sympathy before Dottie's face takes on the mask of HYDRA. "May I come in?" she asks.

Melinda May has posed:
May hears Underwood's voice and grimaces. Only Morse, or the Doctor himself, could have been worse, as far as she's concerned. She says nothing now, but moves so that she's closer to Lily. It's absurd, of course. Neither the mother nor the child probably want her anywhere near her, but... She can't help it. If Peggy can't be between the child and HYDRA, May will be.

Peggy Carter has posed:
A weak smile crosses Peggy's lips, unpainted for once. She really is a bit of a wreck today. "Of... course. I should... put on tea for all of us. Come in." Peggy steps back, inviting the woman in through the front door and then stepping down the short hall that spills out into the living room and kitchen area. The kitchen is a disaster of failed meals and uncleaned dishes. Peggy silently sets the kettle on a burner before stepping back to the more common area. "How... How can I help you, Ms. Underwood?"

Dottie Underwood has posed:
"I'm actually here for Agent May," Dottie says, once she has crossed the threshold and the door is shut behind her. Fewer chances to be caught by prying eyes.

But while Dottie was sent to reprieve May, she has no doubt that whatever surveillance has been assigned to the house is still in place. This may be a complicated report to file.

Melinda May has posed:
May's expression goes dead, eyes cold. Now, she steps away from the sleeping Lily, unwilling to endanger her with her presence. She crosses the room at a purposeful stroll. All three women in the room are experienced enough to feel the predatory shift in her demeanor. It's how she's survived HYDRA all these years.

"What can I do for you, Agent Underwood?" she asks coolly, moving completely out of the room where Lily rests, to the top of the stairs above the foyer. She doesn't know Underwood's intentions, but she won't risk the child. And she knows the house well enough, she knows how to use it to her advantage. If this goes south... it won't be near the children.

Peggy Carter has posed:
While Peggy's learned to work with Dottie - even become somewhat fond of her over the last year or so - she can feel the tension in the room now. The game has entirely changed. Daniel's not here to help give their children back up. So, she and May shift in a slight dance, putting her body between the other two women and where her children sleep. She knows what her priority will be if this goes south. "If you two need to speak privately, I can leave, or... May is welcome to go. She was just stopping in to see how I'm...holding up."

Dottie Underwood has posed:
"You have new orders from the Doctor, I'm afraid," Dottie says. She stops crossing the living room, as the other two women shift. This would be amusing if it didn't have the potential to go so terribly wrong. Still, she should be able to lead them in this merry dance without too much collateral damage.

"Oh, but don't worry about Peg; I'll be taking over your detail. I was told you could brief me. Over tea perhaps?

"Here's your new assignment." She offers Agent May a file.

Melinda May has posed:
May's eyes narrow. Why the hell would the woman come here to...? Because it's the Doctor flexing his muscles, that's why. This is a show of intimidation on his part. Her chin comes up and she reaches out to take the file brusquely, no timidity in her body language. She opens it briefly, eyes darting down the front page. A microexpression gives away the barest hint of confusion and suspicion about what she reads there, but it is fleeting. "Thank you," she says evenly, closing the file and tucking it under her arm. She doesn't 'hail HYDRA'. Not in this house.

She looks at Peggy briefly, meeting her eyes long enough to answer a question about whether she should stay or go. But, given everything -- given Peg's last words, she knows the answer. So, instead, she says simply to her friend, "Tell Lily I love her." It's not like that's a secret. "And, again... My condolences."

Peggy Carter has posed:
Of course, children just have the worst timing. While Peggy's been moving closer to the living room, her back is to that area as she's keeping her eyes trained on the two other highly dangerous women in her house. It means she doesn't seen Lily stirring on the couch or watch her as little feet slip out of the blanket and to the floor. Peggy just gives Dottie a strange, slightly uncomfortable smile, "Yes, of... course. I don't think I know anything more than HYDRA does but... I'll tell you what I know." She gives a little dip or of her head, still all faint fear on her face.

Then there's Lily around the back of the couch. She rubs tiredly against bleary, dark eyes as she frowns up towards Melinda. "Aunt Mel... Love you too... Stay?" She asks, scampering quickly over to the woman and going for her leg. Lily's lost too much lately. She knows something more is going wrong. She's already in her night dress and her hair is damp, down, long dark.

Dottie Underwood has posed:
"I need a brief from Agent May, Peg, not from you. Although your input would be appreciated," Dottie says. "And I think we could all use a nice warm drink."

Then she bends down to look Lily in the eye. "Would you like some cocoa?" she asks.

Melinda May has posed:
Dottie bends down in front of Lily, who is wrapped around Melinda's leg. The petite Asian woman doesn't even think, she reaches down and scoops that child up, holding her tightly in her arms and turning away from the other HYDRA agent. She walks several paces away, in fact, into the living room, back toward the couch. "Of course, I'll stay, pretty girl," she tells the toddler, giving her a smile and pressing her forehead lightly against the child's. "Anything for you."

She settles Lily against her shoulder, inhaling the gentle scent of the child's tearless shampoo, and watching Dottie over top of Lily's head. "I don't think a briefing is appropriate here," she says, modulating her tone, now, so that it's warmer, less likely to stress the child further. "Perhaps back at work."

Peggy Carter has posed:
Once Lily is certain that Aunt Mel isn't going to run out the door this moment, her smile comes a bit more. Especially as she's offered cocoa. Dottie hasn't quite gotten the 'Aunt' title yet, but she's a family friend. Lily is too young to really know how wary she should be. Dottie's always been nice to her. She squirms a bit against May, wanting to run over to Dottie, but since she's being held she just holds up her finger in the air at pokes in the blonde's direction the way she usually does on Dottie's arm, "Dot-Dot-Dot-Dot!" It's their little game. Lily likes Dot. "Yes, I want cocoa. And pizza." Because dinner wasn't all that tasty, even if Peggy tried.

Peggy isn't near so content as her child, but it eases something in her chest to see the young girl at least smile. It's the happiest Lily has looked since she heard her daddy wasn't coming home. Peggy will take a moment of peace. "Whatever you...both think is best. Lily is *supposed* to be in bed, where I can put her and she will have cocoa in the morning." Peggy gives her daughter a pointed look.

Dottie Underwood has posed:
Dottie smiles warmly at the child, "Perhaps some warm milk, then, to help you sleep, Lils. And maybe you'll have pizza for dinner tomorrow." She yawns theatrically for the little girl. "You should listen to your mother. It's getting late, little one."

She nods an assent to May's request. "If you'd be more comfortable Agent May. And perhaps you're right. Little pitchers have big ears."

Melinda May has posed:
May gives Lily's small body a gentle squeeze. "Listen to your Mother," she tells her softly, kissing her on the top of the head. "That's the rule." She moves toward Peggy, giving her the child. She's happy to give Lily to her mother, in fact. Dottie isn't wrong -- little ears hear much. And she doesn't want Lily involved in any of this.

Truthfully, she wants out of here. She retreats a bit, giving Lily a smile as her mother, presumably, takes her away to the bedroom.

Peggy Carter has posed:
Peggy gently takes the warm weight of her daughter from May's arms. "No milk...cocoa in the morning, pizza tomorrow night. I promise." Peggy reassures the girl, kissing all of her her forehead and face for a moment. She even manages to get a bit of a squirming giggle out of Lily, but she'll take it. "Tell Aunt Mel and Dot-Dot good night, come now. Mel is right, that's the rule."

For all her intelligence and fussiness, Lily is actually a pretty good child. And tired. With the promise of sweets tomorrow, she opens and closes one little fist in a flapping wave at the other two, "Come back tomorrow. We're having pizza." She informs them, as if it wasn't just discussed. And then Peggy's retreating down the hall to tuck her into bed. It leaves the pair alone, if just for a few minutes.

Dottie Underwood has posed:
Dottie waves to Lily as her mother carries her off to bed, her expression warm and gentle. Perhaps a hint of longing tugs at the corner her mouth, a brief wistfulness glimmers in her eyes.

Then she turns to May. "My orders were to intercept you immediately," she says. It's neither an apology nor an explanation.

Melinda May has posed:
"So, why didn't you?" May replies, a single brow arching. She moves around so she can better survey the hallway -- and Peggy's return -- and keep her eye on Dottie. She knows Dottie has had an unusual history with Peggy. She also knows Dottie as a HYDRA agent. A highly skilled and cunning HYDRA agent. Never before did she begrudge the woman her friendliness with Peggy and the Sousa children. But... with Daniel's death and the Doctor's shifting attention, she's no longer so sanguine about anything.

Peggy Carter has posed:
The bedroom door to the childrens' room is fully shut down, giving the women a bit more time to chat about it all. Peggy no doubt tucking in her little girl and checking on the sleeping Michael. Or maybe she's climbing out a back window with all of them. Who knows. But it's quiet for now.

Dottie Underwood has posed:
"As far as anyone will know, I did," Dottie says. It's risky, this admission. And out of character for a woman so secretive and elusive as she. But Peg trust May.

And Dottie doesn't need her complicating future operations.

Melinda May has posed:
It's tough to surprise Melinda May. She's been through way too much over the last thirty some years to be caught off-guard terribly often. Especially, since the Cambridge Incident. A brow rises faintly. "Why?" she asks. It's not how HYDRA works, after all.

Technically, May only 'failed' that mission where Daniel died because the Doctor wanted something different than what she, on record, assumed he wanted, what with her comm unit broken during the fight. Very few other agents would really consider it a failure -- save that they know the Doctor was very unhappy to have the resilient time travel slip through his grasp. Not even a body to retrieve. But the fact the Doctor is unhappy? May knows that word will spread. And it will be open season.

Not, mind, that she intends to leave that door open for long.

Dottie Underwood has posed:
"Our esteemed Doctor feels that Peg will be more comfortable with a friendly face from Hydra. Since you and she are not *officially* on such terms, and since there are children in the house, he has decided, in his wisdom, to have you replaced," Dottie says this almost kindly, but the tilt of her chin belies how she relishes superseding May's authority with this assignment.

"Also," she continues, finally addressing May's concern, "Now that Peg is under my observation, I will have access to and authority over all the surveillance footage. The Doctor will only see what is necessary."

Melinda May has posed:
What May takes from Dottie's words is that the other HYDRA agent has figured out just how close May has become to this family, and that, for some strange reason, she's intending to be circumspect about what she shows the Doctor. She wants to ask why again. She doesn't think she'll get an answer. Not here. Not now.

But later. Perhaps later, the pair can have it out. Or, perhaps May will simply go do what she needs to do and leave this house well enough alone until it'd done.

Thus, her eyes narrow as she studies the Russian for a moment. Finally, however, she simply nods -- a small gesture that's hardly anything at all, but says volumes nonetheless. Is it a modicum of trust? Not really. But it is a truce for now.

Dottie Underwood has posed:
Grinning her own particular wild delight, Dottie nods as well. This had all worked out better than she had prepared for. An uneasy truce with the Right Hand of HYDRA, a bit of leverage if it comes to that, -- oh, and of course, Peg and the children under her own watchful eyes.

Melinda May has posed:
May has no way to know what Dottie plans. Then again, she doesn't know what May has planned either. Though, really, the bulk of May's plan hinges on her being able to track down young Melly. She knows the child is at an Academy. Or, at least, that's what she's been told. So, that's where she'll need to start.

She crosses to pick up the file Dottie gave her. She doesn't look at it again. But now that Lily is in bed... staying is less of an option.

Peggy Carter has posed:
It's not too long, just a handful of words, that Peggy ducks back out of the bedroom where her children sleep. While she normally leaves the door cracked open, this time she very gently pulls it shut, pressing one hand on the wood to control the way it closes and turning the knob deliberately slow so it doesn't click. Both children must be out. She then turns on the ball of her foot and steps forward, looking at both of them with fierce dark eyes. This is not the quiet homemaker she's become as of late. The gaze is that of the trained agent she was for so many years, one that is highly dangerous and would move hell or high water to protect her children.

"Look. I do not understand what is going on here. I do know my husband is *dead* and I am the only thing standing between those children and that maddened Doctor of yours. If you two want to help as shields for them, you tell me what is going on and we get out of here. Otherwise, get out of my house and figure out your bloody HYDRA business on your own damn turf." Her whisper is fierce and quiet. She's as angry as she is scared.

Dottie Underwood has posed:
Dottie exchanges glances with the other agent and offers her a slight shrug. 'Do you want to tell her, or...?' it seems to imply.

Melinda May has posed:
"There's nothing more to figure out," May says evenly, tucking that file under her arm. "Yesterday, the Inhuman threat was greatly reduced." That probably explains why she looks as battered as she does. "I'm being reassigned. I doubt I'll be able to visit as regularly in the future."

And she's not sure anyone other than Lily will care. It doesn't change her intention, regardless. She'll find Melly. And she'll get this family out of harm's way. Then... she'll pay the piper and be done with it.

Peggy Carter has posed:
Something hard cuts through Peggy's eyes as May comments about being reassigned. Her throat is tight, the fear just ramping up behind that anger. "...Lily just lost her father... she'll be beside herself if she loses you to. That... damned *man*." She hisses about the doctor, looking very ready to punch something. But she can't even raise her voice, not if she wants the children to stay asleep.

She swallows back a hardness in her throat, blinking up to the sky a moment as she tries to push back tears. "...Who... Dottie? You... am I your problem childn, now?" She asks bitterly, "Keep a thumb on me until the Doctor decides which of us is worth torturing next?" Peg so rarely lets emotion spill to the surface this much but now that it's loose, she can't hold it back.

Dottie Underwood has posed:
"You're lucky it's me," Dottie says. She's not offended. Peggy is having a difficult time.

Melinda May has posed:
Breaking young Lily's heart is the last thing May wants to do -- though she knows she'll have to before all this is over. Wherever Peggy and the kids go... May won't be going with them. No, her exit strategy involves the wheel well of a 747 heading for Singapore, an oxygen tank, and a parachute. There's 3000 miles of open land there. Lots of places to disappear.

Somehow, she shares Peggy's fear and anger. Feels a deep ache in her chest she can't explain. For just a brief moment, she struggles with the urge to pull her weapon and shoot Dottie -- mostly as a proxy for the Doctor. But Dottie's causal opine keeps her in check. Her jaw works subtly, tensing and untensing as she tries to sort through what's really going on here.

"What do you want?" she asks Dottie bluntly. She glances briefly at Peggy. But, really... Dottie's always playing an angle.

Peggy Carter has posed:
When Dottie says she's lucky that it's Dottie, there is actually a moment of relief from Peggy. She breathes out quietly, "I know..." She mutters in return, a faint brush of almost gratitude on her face. "Daniel trusted you before I did. He... didn't tell me about his other work. But I knew. You... were there too. He wouldn't have let you near his kids otherwise." Peggy states flatly, completely blowing Dottie's cover, but then both she and May are doing things that HYDRA would hate right now, and Peggy is trying to diffuse the situation as best possible.

Her eyes flicker back and forth between the two, sensing that tension, trying to mentally figure out where her own weapons are kept, but all of them are farther than the women's guns which are on their persons. She reaches both her hands up, palm forward, eyes quite serious now as she manages to somewhat swallow back the rest of her emotions. "Both of you, take a breath. I... I suspect we all want the same damn thing here, and it's to make certain those kids get out alive."

Dottie Underwood has posed:
Dottie's eyes flash a myriad of emotions: scorn, disgust, anger. But only briefly. All too soon her expression is calm. She breathes shallowly. Breathing is still painful after that Inhuman came away with some of her solar plexus during the battle at Afterlife.

Damn the woman. She can't run. If she runs now this will never work. And now, just like she knows things about May that May wishes she didn't, Peggy has handed the Right Hand of HYRDA a reason to sign her death warrant. She doesn't intend to end like Daniel.

Melinda May has posed:
May looks sharply to Dottie as Peggy completely blows her cover -- and proves yet again that Peggy was a lot deeper into SHIELD than she let on. Than perhaps she was willing to admit to herself. That part is unsurprising. Dottie's duplicity?

May's lips press slowly together and her jaw thrusts out. She gives the Russian a direct look, catching that brief play of emotions before the calm expression returns. "Truce," she says, raising her hands neutrally. She runs a couple of fingers over the edge of her jacket, where her weapon is hidden. "I'm going to disarm. Do the same, and we'll talk." It's not like either woman is truly disarmed without a weapon.

She slowly pulls her jacket open and draws out the gun. Deliberately, she lays it on the table in the center of the room and backs away from it. Then, she looks at Peggy. "The Doctor wants your children. Wants you. He wanted Daniel. Badly." That's why Daniel's dead now, though May won't say it. "He is... was a time traveller. Your kids are his kids. And you've got super serum in your veins." She looks between the two women. "Whatever I have done or will do in the name of HYDRA, I will not let him have your kids, Peggy. I *will* find Melly. I will bring her home." She glances cautiously to Dottie. "And we'll get them all out of here safely. Agreed?"

Peggy Carter has posed:
The fierce, hot flash of anger from Dottie doesn't go missed. Peggy knows she may have mucked it all up, but she needed them to trust each other. No taking back now. So, she keeps her hands up and her eyes a bit too wide, every inch of adrenaline spilling through her body more than even when the Doctor was there. The worst he could do was kill her. This? This was far more complicated. And these people mattered far more to her children.

"...Truce... would be nice. I have to assume I'm not being audiably monitored yet, or you both wouldn't have spoken the way you have. Now we all know things we probably wish we didn't, but..." Peggy goes quiet as she hears May's words. Hears her friend confirming her worst things, things she knew deep down but was trying to talk herself out of believing. "...that's why they took Melly, isn't it?" She asks softly. "Not some... special school for gifted kids." She shakes her head slowly, sickly. Whatever fight was in her is leaking out now at the thought of what her eldest could be going through. She looks back to Dottie quietly, "You can help us... or report us, but you know I'll go down fighting. And whatever HYDRA thinks I deserve -- that Daniel *deserved* -- those kids don't. Please. Help us."

Dottie Underwood has posed:
The disgusted is back, and gone again just as quickly. But Dottie also disarms, places her gun on the table and backs up to her original position. "You two are determined to ruin everything. Do you think your husband didn't know the risks? Did you think there weren't contingencies in place?"

She glares at May, but doesn't spill *her* secret. She swallows her anger. They're both HYDRA, yes. But one of them worked with Daniel and one of them murdered him. And Peg is looking at her like she's the enemy.

Melinda May has posed:
"I don't know," May replies to Peggy's question about where Melly is and what's happening to her. "I didn't honestly think about it until..." Right now, actually. She was also told Melly was in an Academy, after all. "Until after Daniel," she finishes. She meets Peggy's eyes -- unflinching, but unhappy. "They told me she was sent to an Academy. But... she could be..." in a lab somewhere. Her nostrils flare briefly. "F*ck." If that's not proof May didn't honestly know, nothing likely is.

She's keenly aware, given the glare she's getting, that Dottie is aware of what really happened to Daniel Sousa. She's also aware that, for the moment, the Russian isn't spilling those beans. She doesn't know why. But she knows there's still an inequality between them and she'll have to tread carefully. But, at the end of the day, as long as Peggy and the kids are safe, they can hate her all they want. What she did truly was a mercy.

Peggy Carter has posed:
As Dottie mentions the contingencies in place, Peggy's eyes press tightly shut as a few more pieces fall into place for her. "I...didn't know. I truly didn't. I didn't even know he was doing... *that* still. I had suspicions, but we didn't talk about it. Not openly. I didn't know, Dottie. Everything's just happened so damn ... fast." Peggy admits, trying not to fall back into that quiet bit of panic but her body isn't totally cooperating. Has she ruined everything? Can she even do this without Daniel? She takes in a shallow, shaking breath before walking away from both the women to lean over against the kitchen counter and just remember what air is for a few minutes. Melinda's commentary about Melly doesn't help at all.

"...so what do we do... From here? Set up a dead drop to talk? I haven't done shit like this for almost five years. I'm not that woman any more. I just want to get them out of here safe. That's all I want." Peggy is staring at the counter, not her 'allies'. She's just leaning there, trying to breathe and not lose it now that neither of her children are watching.

Dottie Underwood has posed:
"One of the reasons I'm here is that the Doctor knows we're friendly, Peg. He wants you calmed, complacent. That means we can talk. He still trusts me. Agent May is still my superior at work. And won't be pleased that I've replaced her. I'm sure she can find excuses to speak to me alone." Dottie's words are clipped and tight. This was always the plan. But the two of them forced her hand and now her position is the most precarious. This is not a truce so much as mutually assured destruction.

"I will also be reporting back to SHIELD," she admits, confirming her status as a double agent. "We will find Melly, and bring her back and get you out. All of you."

Melinda May has posed:
May lets out a soft sigh. She crosses into the kitchen, going to the garbage. Opening the lid, she bends down and pulls the burner Peggy dumped in there out of it. "She's right," she tells Peggy, coming to place the phone on the counter before she retreats back toward the edge of the living room. "It won't be hard for Dottie and me to connect." She gives a mild shrug, suddenly feeling very, very weary. "It'll be harder for us to set aside our prejudice and trust each other than anything else."

She turns to Dottie, now. "Cards on the table," she says bluntly. "I don't expect to survive this. I've made my peace with it. Afterlife is gone. I've done everything I set out to do. So, it doesn't really matter if I survive or not."

Yeah. That's not damning. Not at all. On the other hand... it also means that Melinda May feels like she has nothing to lose.

"You have control over the narrative, here. That'll keep me honest. What will keep you honest?"

Peggy Carter has posed:
As May goes to retrieve the phone, Peggy grabs at a paper towel to clean it off. It was a good hiding spot, but not the most pleasant one. Tea leaves are the worst thing on it, but still shouldn't remain there. It's little domestic motions like that which are a strange show of how much Peggy has changed from her young spy days. She kept house now. Cleaning something was oddly calming. She finally sets it back down, cleaned off and functional, her life line to the world.

"Dottie... Thank you." She finally breathes out. She knows this is hard and everyone was too on edge. "Both of you, really. I don't know... why you're doing this, other than those kids, but I won't complain. And whatever you need me to do, I will. Until we get them all safe, I'm... yours to command." She gives the pair a bittersweet smile, though her eyes linger on Dottie at the end there. She's going to be the lynch pin in this.

Dottie Underwood has posed:
"The Doctor still listens to you," she tells May, "despite current circumstances. You know that I'm a SHIELD agent. Even the accusation is enough to order my execution," her voice is coy again, as she speaks of her probable demise. "You can hand him HYDRA's mole. And that would get you back in his good graces. He knows how *loyal* you've been."

She doesn't say anything as Peg looks at her. This isn't fun anymore.

Melinda May has posed:
May simply nods to what Dottie says. "Then, we can hold each other hostage, later," she states. "What I won't do is hold the children hostage." It's as good of an accord as these two are likely to come to, right now. It will do.

So, she gives Peggy a sad, wry smile. "I'll visit as often as I can, under the circumstances. But it won't be as often as it was." Even if she can trust Dottie not to show the footage to anyone, she can't necessarily slip away from whatever new work is in that file. Not easily, anyway. "I'll text you... both... when I have a proper lead on Melly. And we'll go from there."

Peggy Carter has posed:
A bittersweet smile crosses Peggy's lips as she stares up at both of them tiredly. "Look, I know you don't trust each other, but *I* trust both of you. *Daniel* trusted... *Cared about*, both of you. And more than that? Lily's world is going to be shattered when she realizes we are going away and she doesn't get to see either of you again. So, whatever tension was there, if you are both serious, and I think you are, it ends now. We work together. For *them*." Peggy nods towards May in agreement about texting when she has a proper lead.

"Meanwhile, Dot, I guess you're bringing pizza tomorrow night?" Her smile is still sad, but she's trying to put some humor in there. It's also a welcoming. If someone in HYDRA has to be her babysitter, this is the best alternative, she knows.

Dottie Underwood has posed:
"I guess so," Dottie says with a wry smile, but the usual humor isn't there. She isn't looking forward to reminding May that circumspection is vital in the search for the girl and both of them are being watched too closely at the moment. That argument can wait.

Melinda May has posed:
Oh, May knows the importance of circumspection. She's not about to go do anything that will jeoparize either of them in her search for the girl. She's learned, over the years, how to be remarkably subtle, sneaky, and underhanded. And she's instilled enough fear in many of the agents she deals with at the Triskelion that only the most ambitious of them are likely to go against her, now. That said... there are a lot of ambitious agents at the Triskelion. So, yes. She'll be exceptionally careful.

She's prepared to die. But not until after the Sousas are safe.

"I should go," she says now. "Coming here was a risk to begin with. Let's not prolong it." She crosses to the table and slowly, deliberately, picks up her gun and puts it back in its holster. Then, she tucks that damned file under her arm. "I'll be in touch."

But it's time for her to go.

Peggy Carter has posed:
"You should. Unless you need to... Interview me, Dottie, you both should. Can't make this *too* friendly a visit. But you both know how to find me. I'm not going anywhere." Yet. Peggy keeps that tight, not totally earnest smile on her lips, especially if someone is watching them. However, as May reaches for her gun, with their bodies and the kitchen counter entirely concealing their hands from any windows, Peggy reaches over to grab her hand. She can't hug the woman. She still has no clue what the woman did. She gives her fingertips a tight, close squeeze. The nearest thing to a hug she can offer. Then her palm drops away.

Once that's done, she's stepping back to Dottie's side almost loyally, her head a little bent down. This is for any cameras watching. Obedient to Dottie. Ready to follow HYDRA. A position Peggy never thought she'd take in a million years. "Be safe out there. Both of you."

Dottie Underwood has posed:
"This took longer than I'd intended already," Dottie says. She also retrieves her weapon. "May, you have that new assignment to see to. And I need to scrub all records of this meeting and file my report. The Doctor is waiting."