6350/The Framework: Guess Who's Breathing

The Framework: Guess Who's Breathing
Date of Scene:	19 May 2021
Location:	The Framework: The Carter-Sousa House
Synopsis:	In the Framework, May comes to see the impossible -- Daniel Sousa alive once more. He tries to explain what the real world is. Neither May nor Peggy are buying it.
Cast of Characters:	Daniel Sousa, Peggy Carter, Melinda May
Tinyplot:	The Framework

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Daniel Sousa has posed:
Despite the surprise of Daniel's return some time later the Carter-Sousa house is quiet, Lily asleep in her bed, Peggy dozing against Daniel and Michael doing the same in Daniel's arms. It's a peaceful counterpoint of the chaos of a little while before. Daniel remains awake though enjoying the moment and keeping the reminders his brain throws out that this isn't real at bay. But it feels real, it feels perfect, just the very life he'd hoped to build in the 50's that his time travel and apparent death had denied him. So, job to do or not Daniel for the twelfth time since he say here Michael in his arms, decides to give himself just a little longer to bask in the prospect of 'what if?'. There would be time for business later.

Peggy Carter has posed:
Peg never thought she'd have this again. She thought he was dead, and she was alone trying to save these children from some equally awful fate. It's kept her awake more often than the baby. Which means it is no surprise that she's passed out against his shoulder, her shoes off and feet tucked into the corner of the couch as she sleeps, warm and heavy against him. She's even let him pull up that crocheted throw that someone in SHIELD gave them back when Melinda was born. For as much peace as he's feeling, she seems to be relaxing into the same. Just a few perfect moments to breathe.

Melinda May has posed:
Melinda is, despite her alarm -- or maybe because of it, far more circumspect that usual at coming to the house. Sure, Underwood said she'd keep things off the radar, and a SHIELD mole she has every reason to suppress word that Daniel Sousa is alive, but May doesn't trust her as far as she can throw her. They have a detente, not a true alliance.

She lets herself in with the key, slipping in quickly and quietly. Were there no children in the house, she'd probably have her hand on her weapon. As it is, her hands are empty and her footfalls are damned near silent.

She ascends the stairs into the house proper, moving to stand in the entryway to the living room. Her eyes fall on Daniel. "Who the hell are you?"

Daniel Sousa has posed:
Daniel is holding Michael when May appears, his grip tightening on the child in surprise for a heartbeat before he eases it and looks up. "May, it's me, Daniel the rest? is complicated. I know you told Peg I was dead but let me wake her up and we can all talk about this." He makes no sudden moves just now, except to gently nudge Peggy in an attempt to wake her if the voices already haven't.

Peggy Carter has posed:
In this world, peace can only last so long. Peggy knows that. She hates it, but the moment there is another sound of voices around her, her dark eyes flicker immediately open. She's already slightly shifting from Daniel's shoulder as she turns bloodshot eyes up to May and gives the woman a faint smile. "Melinda. He... he's alive. Whatever HYDRA told you, it was a lie. I think they've scrambled his mind somehow, but we've worked through worse. Now just... everyone calm down. See? We can get through this." Peggy seems absolutely convinced this is her husband, no doubt in her voice or eyes.

Melinda May has posed:
"You don't understand," May says to Peggy, still watching Daniel warily. "I *know* Daniel died. I..." Killed him... "checked his pulse, myself." Some things must never be revealed. Her dark eyes dart between the pair of them. "I needed to be sure, so..." Her eyes settle on Daniel again. "So the Doctor wouldn't claim your -- *Daniel's* body." She made him a promise. She's just not sure this is the man she promised.

"Who are you? *What* are you?" She's not so easily sold as Peggy by hormones and maternal longing.

Daniel Sousa has posed:
Daniel sighs, eyes cutting over to Michael a moment before he comes back to May. "I'm what I said, Daniel Sousa, the real Daniel Sousa," he grimaces and looks over at Peggy, pain flashing in his eyes as he has to leave the fantasy he let himself drift in and embrace the cold truth of their situation. "This world isn't real May, it's a computer generated illusion created at a place called the Sphere in the real world, you, Peggy, Bobbi Morse and some others were sent to check it out and the Sphere's defenses caught you and locked you into these pods, keeping you alive and plugged into this illusion, myself and a few others have come in after you to bring you back."

Peggy Carter has posed:
A little groan escapes Peggy's lips. She thought she had maybe talked him out of this fantasy, but now it's happening again. She sighs deeply, leaning forward enough she's not deep touching him any longer, but her leg hasn't left the side of his. As Michael remains asleep, she doesn't dare jostle the baby, but her expression is exhausted. "This is what I'm talking about. Whatever they did to him when HYDRA took his body, he... He's under this very intense dellusion."

Melinda May has posed:
May doesn't for a moment believe HYDRA took Daniel's body. The Doctor wouldn't be riding her nearly so hard, if they did. He'd consider it a consolation prize. Would he be irritated? Yes. But as angry as he is? Not likely.

(Say what anyone will about the Doctor's outward calm, May knows a facade when she sees one. She's the queen of them.)

What's more, if they did have Daniel's body... it sure as hell wouldn't be sitting here now. "Others," she says, deciding to pump this strange construct for information, first. Might as well get as much intel as she can, before she kills him... again. (And for totally different reasons.) "What others? What the hell are you talking about?"

Daniel Sousa has posed:
Daniel bristles but having Michael against his shoulder limits how much he can gesticulate or even raise his voice. He takes a breath to calm himself. "It's not a delusion Peggy," he says. "It's real" he jerks his head at the house around him. "This is the illusion, and you, Fitz, Morse, as well as some others are the prisoners here. The sooner you accept that, the sooner we all can get out of this hell world and back to reality."

Peggy Carter has posed:
As Peggy sees her husband bristling, and realizes that the conversation is probably going to get more heated, she leans over to very gently scoop the heavy boneless weight of Michael out of his arms. "If you are going to keep talking this nonsense, I'm putting him to bed before we wake him up." Peggy doesn't seem near so interested as May is to hear about this mess. But then, it would mean abandoning her children, so can anyone blame her?

Unless Daniel protests her taking Michael, she soothingly slips the baby against her shoulder and moves to tip toe down the hall to put him down in the childrens' room.

Melinda May has posed:
May steps aside as Peggy moves past with the baby. She's *very* glad to have the other woman out of the room. She moves toward Daniel, her eyes flashing. "I don't know what sort of sick game you're playing," she hisses at him, her voice pitched low so it doesn't carry down the hall, "but it needs to stop. I made a promise. To... the *real* Daniel Sousa... that I would protect this family. And you being here, spouting this bullshit? Puts all of us at risk."

Honestly, there's a part of her that would *love* for all this not to be real, to escape this hell. But Melinda May is a realist. The only way out of this is death, and she hasn't quite finished what she's set out to do, yet. So that's just not an option.

Yet.

Daniel Sousa has posed:
Daniel's eyes flick after Peggy but for only a moment before he comes back to May. "I'm the /real/ Daniel, May, the one you made that promise to wasn't real, he was part of the simulation, like just about everyone else. What do I need to do to prove it to you? Besides very clearly coming back from the dead again?"

Peggy Carter has posed:
It's not too long before Peggy slips the door open again and comes into the hall. She shuts it as quiet and carefully as possible, a hand against the wood so it doesn't creak or clap. Once it's closed, she turns back to them both and steps quickly over to the pair, eyes flickering between them to see if they have resolved anything. "Melinda. This *is* Daniel. My husband. He...he knows things no one else would. About the wedding. The way we met. I know he's real. I just don't understand what they've done to him or how to fix it."

Melinda May has posed:
"This changes everything," May says, crossing the room, away from Daniel, when Peggy tries to convince her he's the real deal. She's not buying it. Not at all. She felt his neck snap. She saw the light go out of his eyes. It was mercy, yes, but it still... killed something inside her to do it. She turns to her friend. "You need to take the kids and go to ground. Go with Underwood. I'll... I'll find Melly and bring her to you." Somehow.

She gestures to Daniel, all but ignoring him, now. "But you need to leave him behind. I don't know what they've done, either, but I *do* know how effective their conditioning techniques are. And so do you."

She fixes Daniel with a hard stare, despite the fact she's still talking to Peggy. "Whether he *is* who you think he is or not, he can't come. It's too great a risk." The depth of her distrust for this man is... really profound. "If HYDRA screwed with his head, then he's their mole." And she should kill him to protect them all. She just doesn't say that aloud. "If he's just delusional, he's still a liability because these delusions could get us all killed. We have no idea where he's been or who he's reporting to."

Her hand flings out. "The next thing you know, he'll be telling us the Cambridge Incident didn't happen. That the monster was stopped in Bahrain, instead."

She *knows* that didn't happen. She wishes it did. But she cannot reconcile wishes with reality.

Daniel Sousa has posed:
"I have no idea what you mean about Cambridge or Bahrain, but none of this is real, the good or the bad, but what is real is that where I came from SHIELD needs us, which means whatever I need to do to make you both believe me I'm going to do, because we don't have time to keep debating this."

Peggy Carter has posed:
Peggy knows. She goes a little still and more quiet as May dares bring that up, her lips pressing together just a bit tighter. "And in this supposed reality of yours, is Melly still with us? Did we get to keep her back from whatever school they sent her to where she can't even come visit on the weekends?" Peggy asks, still clearly skeptical, but she too is grasping at any better thoughts she could have. A reality where their family is together would be tempting, if nothing else.

Melinda May has posed:
May's jaw sets. She crosses to the kitchen and pulls out a small knife. With it, she knicks the tip of her finger -- just enough to make it bleed, not enough to do lasting harm. She walks back into the living room. "Prove to me my blood's not real?" she demands as it wells up dark and crimson against her pale skin. Hell, she's still got cuts healing on her face and throat from her fight with Jiaying. It's been less than a handful of days since that battle. "Because I have spilt too much of it to believe otherwise."

She falls silent, as Peggy makes her own inquiry. But, it's obvious, neither woman is so easily convinced.

Daniel Sousa has posed:
Daniel frowns, "As far as this world goes, your blood is as real as it is back home, if things were that easy to prove it was fake it wouldn't have held either of you for long. As for our family, we've still got one back home," albeit a very strange and turbulent one. "Trust me it's a better world out there, one where HYDRA isn't in charge, where we still have a fighting chance to make a difference.We need both of you though, hell, ./I/ need both of you, you're about the only people I know out there, would the person you know be standing here feeding you this sort of bill of goods? Even if HYDRA worked him over? I've been through a lot of scrapes and always came out myself, so, I'm asking you both to trust me and follow me to where I have to take you, once we're on the other side everything will make sense."

Peggy Carter has posed:
Peggy stares at him for a long moment, those words finally the littlest bit of crack in her armor. The first that have made her consider maybe he's being honest, because she knows the man, and this sounds like him. Not like programming. Like *Daniel*. She is silent for several more moments before standing and shaking her head. "We aren't going to solve this tonight. We're all exhausted, and if Melinda stays too long they will ask questions. No one is going anywhere tonight and maybe this will make sense in the morning. But Melinda, you need to go. You've seen what you came to see. He's alive."

And then she looks back to her husband, "And you need to come to bed. I don't know what is going on but... I know you are back. And I haven't slept a good night since they said you were dead. So, we're going to bed. Michael wakes up far too early for us to waste this quiet." With that, Peggy Carter has spoken. Even here, soft and off duty, she's got command about her. She takes no arguments. Goodbyes are given to Melinda before she sneaks out the back, and Peggy tugs them into their comfortable room for sleep. She doesn't ask another word about the other world. Not yet.