7093/Afternoon Tea

Afternoon Tea
Date of Scene:	26 July 2021
Location:	Director's Office - Playground
Synopsis:	Daniel drops by with good news and a plan to reach out to an old friend, as well as promise each other they won't let Daniel go back in time without a fight.
Cast of Characters:	Daniel Sousa, Peggy Carter

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Daniel Sousa has posed:
Daniel was still in his PT gear when he made the way up the steps from the lounge to Peggy's office, a packge of cookies in a pocket, a cup of her tea in one hand and a cup of coffee in the other. Except for his wardrobe it could have been any afternoon in the early days of SHIELD with Daniel dropping in for a chat and to make sure Peggy remembered that she was indeed human and did need to eat and drink on occasion.

Reaching the door he knocks a couple times with his foot before nudging the door open. "Got time for a visitor, Chief?" he asks her with a smile.

Peggy Carter has posed:
Since getting back on her feet, she has been pulling about 12 hour days on average, and then some extra PT on top of it and that fills up the entire day and night. Today is no different, nearly caught up on the analyst reports but also looking over the reports from the HYDRA mission the evening before. A smile slips across her lips as she sees him and that cup of tea he's bearing.

"Oh, my darling... you know just what I needed, though it's..." She looks over to a clock for the first time in two hours and winces just a bit, "I suppose it is that time. Not as late as I feared but lunch is long passed." Which probably implies she missed it today.

Daniel Sousa has posed:
"Time does fly by when you're having fun, huh?" Daniel says with a wry smile and a look at the paperwork. He comes in kicking the door closed behind him and sets down the tea, puts the package of cookies down on the middle of the desk before settling into the chair with his coffee. "So guessing you missed lunch?" he asks with a knowing smile. "Medical likely won't approve but those are the ones with cream and jam inside," he says nodding at the cookies. "Lunch of champions."

Settled he reaches into his pocket. "And not to add to your paperwork but there's a report you might want to see." The form was the standard SHIELD physical standards test filled out by one of the training agents with the results of one Daniel Sousa. It was a solid pass for a field agent, situps, pullups, pushups all solid results, decent numbers for the 300 meter sprint with a weaker showing in the 1.5 mile run, but all in all enough for any prospective field agent to pass on to other certifications. "One down," he says smiling.

Peggy Carter has posed:
A little groan of pleasure escapes Peggy's lips as he describes what biscuits he's brought her, "I'm 28 again. I might as well eat like it." Peggy teases him eagerly, abandoning her report for the moment as she scoops up the package of biscuits and begins to rip into them. She's already in the process of popping one past her lips to munch when he mentions a report she should see.

Her expression goes a bit more curious, head tilting to the side, eyes tinted with worry for a moment. She pops the other half of the biscuit past her lips and eats thoughtfully as she looks over the reports. Then she sees the name at the top and her worry blossoms to a smile instead. "Ah! You passed...Good times on everything but the 1.5 and even that that's in the acceptable limits. You're fully fit for field work! I'm so PROUD!" While he'd been in the field before, technically he was 'light duty'. They always ignored it, but getting the passes? That means a lot. She's springing out of her chair to wrap her arms around him and tug him into a proud, celebratory kiss.

Daniel Sousa has posed:
Daniel grins, "True, you've got a whole lot of bad habits to catch up on," he says leaning over to steal a cookie and dip it into his coffee before taking a bite. "Meanwhile we old folks," he smirks at that he was physically nine years older now, even if his 37 years of life paled next to her hundred. "We need to work for it," he says with a nod to the report that's handed over.

He grins proudly as well and readily returns the kiss, gripping her tight, his excitement at passing clear in his kiss and how he holds her. He breaks away smiling, "Half the credit belongs to Jemma and her wonder leg, but I'll definitely own the other half, just glad I made it." He'd done the physical tests first because he knew it'd kill him if he aced everything else but fell short on those at the end. But he made it; he kisses Peggy again for good measure. "One step closer to you being able to drag me into all sorts of trouble again," he teases with a sparkle in his eyes.

Peggy Carter has posed:
The kiss is followed by a second one, Peggy quietly overjoyed at the news on her desk. It was a relief to get plain and simple good news for once in a long while. Finally, she forces herself to sit back down instead of them both making a scene in her office. Technically, she is working and someone else could intrude on them at any moment. Still, her free hand comes up to squeeze his thigh gently. "And how are you feeling after all that? it's a lot to push through all in one day."

Her free hand goes back to picking up another of the treats he brought, following his lead and dipping it into her tea. "Next goal is to finish clearing out HYDRA, so I don't suppose it's much different than the old days in that aspect either."

Daniel Sousa has posed:
"Oh, everything is sore, but I'll live, and it's sort of nice, I've been sittiing on my butt for too long, it's nice to be this kind of tired for a change, if that makes any sense?" he says smiling at the squeeze on his thigh. "I'll collect on a massage later if you're offering," he teases. "When we're off the clock." He was overjoyed as well, hence the giddy humour.

He nods, "Right, just like old times, how'd the Orlando operation go?" he asks since they were on the subject. "And happy to be front and center on our HYDRA stomping efforts once I get the rest of my certs done."

Peggy Carter has posed:
The question of a massage gets a softer smile from her. Peggy pauses in sipping her tea to reach over and squeeze his lower thigh for a moment. "Happily. As long as you want. Soon as I'm done here, we can find some dinner and then you can lay out in bed and relax." The joy that Peg gets out of helping to take care of him is clear, still an old habit from their earlier lives. But now it's for even better reasons and she feels strong enough to take care of him as much as she pleases.

Then her face goes a bit more serious when he asks about the Orlando operation. "Successful. Messy, but successful. Lots of inhumans saved though most of them are still brainwashed in one fashion or another. It's going to take a while to train them out of HYDRA's conditioning. But all the scientists at the base were captured including Bakshi. Morse and May did a damn good job but... I knew they would. Reasons I didn't run off to go with them. They had it handled." Peggy's still not thrilled with being stuck at a desk more often than not, but she knows where she's needed nowadays.

Daniel Sousa has posed:
Grinning and meeting Peggy's eyes for a moment, "Sounds like a plan to me," he says, happy to be taken care of us much as she was able to take care of him again. It's how it worked, each stepping up when the other needed it. He smiles, "I love you, Peg," he tells her reaching over to squeeze her hand before helping himself to a cookie.

"No casualties I hope?" he asks when he hears it's messy and successful. The rest is taken in with a considering look. "If whoever we have handling the Inhumans need a hand, I'm willing to help, I mean I know about HYDRA mind control and about taking care of Inhumans who escaped from HYDRA."

He shares an understanding look with Peggy. "You good with letting Bobbi and May handle it?" he asks. He knew that feeling of frustration of not going along on the mission, even if that was the best course of action.

Peggy Carter has posed:
The question of helping with the inhumans gets a look, but it's a bit more heavy when he asks those follow up questions. How was Peggy doing stuck almost entirely behind a desk again? Especially feeling as good as she did before, if not actually better than she has in years. She takes a deep breath and sinks back in her chair, tea coming with her to nurse the warmth of the mug between her fingertips.

"I think you'd be a great help there, but as you just said -- It's Bobbi and May's area now. They were in charge of the operation and they are in charge of the clean up. So, ask one of them where you could best go to help. I'm sure they'll have a few places you could be. Especially up to field condition. And... it's good. SHIELD always needs someone back home to command. I was out of the office far too long. I'm needed here, running the ship. And I trust them with operations."

Daniel Sousa has posed:
The heavier look has Daniel's brow furrowing, though he doesn't address it at first nodding. "I'll talk to them about it," he promises.

As to the rest? "And it was the logical decision, sure, but how are you feeling about being back here out of the action?" he asks her. He's not one to use the 'f word'," feelings or the other one, but with that look from before he uses it this time.

Peggy Carter has posed:
Peg is quiet for a long few moments. She needs to actually think over her answer. She loves him too much to just dismiss the question. She takes a long sip of her tea instead, letting her shoulders sink all the way back into the old, high backed leather chair that she's kept at her desk for so many years.

"I'm... alright. I'll admit to being frustrated. I *want* to go back out there. I feel so much better and I'm ready for a fight. It'd be nice to get my mind off of... Everything. But I also know what I signed up for. I know I need to clean everything up and get this place functioning in tip top shape before I risk something going wrong again. This is part of the job. I did it as Director for many years. I'm proud of this job. Even if I go a little stir crazy. I will get back out there soon. Just not *now*."

Daniel Sousa has posed:
Daniel nods, his expression one of deep understanding. "I get letting it help you get your mind off things, it's part of why I've been so eager to get certified again, reading regs and doing PT is eaiser than thinking about the Framework or what almost happened to you," he says. "I mean also I want to be part of taking down HYDRA but really at this point it's almost a bonus," he admits.

He takes a sip of his coffee to give himself a moment to collect his thoughts, "Well it's not quite the same as taking the fight to HYDRA but I wondered if you might want to come along with a little mission of my own. Lily, Lily Chen," he adds that last to differentiate her from their child in the Framework. "Was the one who put me in touch with Dottie to make sure HYDRA didn't take out the Sphere. I was thinking of reaching out and meeting with her, see what she can tell us about my problem and hopefully find a way out of things that doesn't put all of reality at risk. Want to come with me? I am sure she'd love to see you again."

Peggy Carter has posed:
"You... you know how to find her?" Peggy's quite happy to be distracted from thinking about being stuck behind a desk, but that news is even more shocking to her. Eyes a bit wider and hopeful, she can't entirely supress the smile on her features, "God, I'd... *Love* to. I don't think I've seen her since my birthday and we didn't even realize it *was* her until she was gone. I... owe that woman some tight hugs. And probably a few long conversations. If you know how to find her, yes. Tell me when. We'll go. I... I *can* leave the desk, for the right reasons."

Daniel Sousa has posed:
Daniel nods in confirmation a smile. "Yeah I do, we traded numbers when she brought Dottie to me, hers still should be good, I'll give her a call and set up a meeting, what do you think? Sometime next week at the Long Island place?" he knew they had an operation in the offing soon and figured it'd be better to give that some space before going off in search of Lily.

Peggy Carter has posed:
That news is pure shock to Peggy, but then they'd barely had time to talk about it. "Brought... Dottie to you? Is that how she got in the Framework? God, I... I feel like I missed so much. Now it makes sense, but I didn't... realize. So yes. Next week. Long Island. I should be caught up then enough to get away for a day or two, and then she doesn't have to feel like we're asking her onto our turf. But... she does know this place too, you know? She was an agent while this was around and she was back here for my birthday, so I suspect she doesn't *mind* coming here. But... It'd be nice to see the house."

Daniel Sousa has posed:
"Yeah, she reached out to me not too long after you and the others were trapped, got me to meet Dottie and yeah, I brought her to the Sphere, not sure how she convinced them to put her in the Framework but yeah that's how she got close enough to do it."

"And figured the familiar surroudings would be good, and we've got better control of who we run into in the house, not sure if it's good or bad if May and Lily run into each other but if she risked it for the party it's probably okay, but if the house works, let's go with it, might be good to have some privacy for that talk."

A beat and then he adds, "And sorry for not bringing this up sooner Peg, but things sort of got away from us for a bit."

Peggy Carter has posed:
Her head shakes almost immediately as Daniel apologizes for not bringing her up. Peggy leans over to set her tea cup down and scoop up his hand instead, holding on gently but firmly. "Oh, my darling, we've barely had a moment to breathe. There's no reason to apologize at all. I know now. And even if you brought it up the moment I woke up, there's no way we would have had the time to breathe and go meet her. So. No apologies. We've got a second chance at this life thing and we are going to do our best to enjoy every minute of it. That includes no regrets." Peggy's smile is a bit wider as she says that.

She then brings the back of his hand up to her lips, kissing the knuckles there gently, proof that there are no hard feelings at all about not knowing Lily is able to be contated. "Besides... if she doesn't know how to keep you here, god... I want to keep you here for as long as possible. I'm not in any rush to fix this, other than if we can know you are able to stay."

Daniel Sousa has posed:
Daniel nods smiling gratefully at there being no cause to apologize. "Good rule, no apologies." Even without computer generated realities, HYDRA death rays and looming temporal paradoxes, they were in a dangerous line of work and who knew how much time they'd have, too little for regrets to be sure. He grins, "I'm game for all of that."

He accepts the kiss on his knuckles with a smile and nods. "Yeah, I /definitely/ want to stay, we've got a whole new chance to live the life we wanted, and besides with everything HYDRA's taken and almost took from us I'm not wild about the idea of marching meekly back in time to let them gun me down, not if there's a way to avoid it that doesn't destroy the universe."

Peggy Carter has posed:
There's quiet from her for another few moments, keeping eyes gently leveled on her husband and her hand tight around his. "We'll just tell her we *have* to fix it. Figure a way to keep you here. If she made some sort of double when she went back of May... We can do the same with you. Maybe we have already. But... I'm not sending you back to die. That's all I know. The world hasn't destroyed itself yet so... if I have to keep you here until you're a brittle old man and I send *that* man back.."

Peggy's face falls just thinking about it. It won't be any easier then. She can't even really think about it, "Well... that will be many years in the future and we'll have figured out a different solution by then. But you are staying here with me, alright? That's just what we're doing. We're SHIELD. We will figure it out." He can feel her hand tightening around his even more, slightly trembling at the thought.

Daniel Sousa has posed:
Daniel's smile is bittersweet as he feels that hand tightening around his own, that determination to keep him here in her eyes. "I am not going anywhere, not unless the world's in the balance. I love you Peggy so, between you, me, Lily and our genius friends we'll figure it out," he clasps his other hand around hers and both of his hands bring her knuckles to his lips. "We'll do everything we can to figure it out." There's noticeable sliver of fear in his expression but the hope and determination all but drown it out. "I'm not going to let you lose me a third time."

Peggy Carter has posed:
"I... I won't. It's just not going to happen. We've figured worse out before and we will figure this out." Peggy affirms to him gently, like it was the easiest thing in the world. Pure logic. Not something she's totally terrified of happening and can't let herself think too hard about. Because if she'd lose him again, Peggy is certain it would break her. That would be the end.

Even considering it, she turns her head down and kisses his knuckles again. "Let's... get out of here. I can read these reports in bed once you shower and we steal some dinner to eat in our quarters. Then we can work on those sore muscles."

Daniel Sousa has posed:
Daniel was in the same boat, afraid of what could happen but not wanting to admit it to Peggy or even himself so he buried it with work and a false front of confidence that this would all work out.

The offered distraction is met gratefully and after she kisses his knuckles he leans over and gives her a proper kiss, his mouth tasting of coffee and cookies, before he pulls back nodding at her suggestion. "Sounds like a plan," he says before adding. "While you gather things up, I'll make the call to Lily and set up next week," might as well get that ball rolling before they let themselves fully embrace the distraction of sharing time with each other.

Peggy Carter has posed:
The proper kiss is returned fully. Happily. She knows it might be old fashioned and if they were in public people would say they were entirely too soft for each other, but having lost her husband for decades, she's happy for every chance of a kiss she gets. She smiles a bit more and nods, "I'll stop at the lounge and pick us up some actual food. You call Lily and get that set up. Then we'll meet back at our quarters and have the rest of the night? Sound good?" Once she gets an affirmation from him, she leans over to kiss the corner of his lips before gathering up her work tablet. "Love you. See you in ten."

Daniel Sousa has posed:
Daniel smiles at the kiss soft or not by the look he gives Peggy after their lips part he's not complaining. He didn't lose but he came close too many times to let these moments slip by without taking advantage of them.

Giving her hand a quick squeeze, he gets to his feet. "Sounds good, we've still got beers from the other night so that end is handled," to say nothing of the other bottles they kept on hand. "See you in ten," he echoes kissing her back briefly, before he's off pulling out his cellphone while he makes his way back downstairs.