8350/To Have and to Hold, Forever

To Have and to Hold, Forever
Date of Scene:	20 October 2021
Location:	Carter-Sousa Home - Long Island
Synopsis:	Back from their time traveling adventures, Peggy and Daniel celebrate truly getting a second chance at life. But sometimes it's hard to believe, with lives like their's, that happiness is real.
Cast of Characters:	Daniel Sousa, Peggy Carter

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Daniel Sousa has posed:
Daniel had no clue what happened at the TVA just that it had to have been something given what they were wearing when they returned. Lily assured them their memories of what happened would return in time, so for now it would remain a mystery. May elected to drive Abcde home, and Lily went wherever it is she goes, or whenever as the case may be leaving Daniel and Peggy alone in their home to deal with the aftermath of their trip together.

Up on the main floor Daniel took off his heavy leather coat and quickly unloaded and put down his matching pistols before sinking into a kitchen chair and looking over to Peg, "Well that was /something/ wasn't it?" he says. "Or at least it sure as heck seems that way."

Peggy Carter has posed:
Where as he was in heavy leathers, Peggy is in armored spandex. A Union Jack emblazoned across her chest and the strange feeling in her hand that she should have a heavy shield there, but it's gone in whatever happened. She's still not quite able to stop looking at herself every time they come across a mirrored surface, not really believing what she's seeing. But she stayed it in long enough to see everyone else. Now the house feels oddly empty and quite silent in compare to the chaos she can only half remember.

It's late. She's *very* awake.

"...I would... guess so. I dislike not remembering the matter. But I can make some... Assumptions." She runs a hand down her super-suit again, shaking her head. But then she's looking back up to him with a slightly warmer smile, "... you do look good in leather, you know?"

Daniel Sousa has posed:
A warm smile crosses Daniel's lips. "And you don't look too bad in a super suit either," he replies looking her up and down before he nods more seriously. "I know I don't like it either, it's killing me not to know what all of this," he gestures at the coat and the super suit, "Is all about, but I guess for now we just get our assumptions," he says. "The big one being, we fixed this, I'm here, now, for good." It felt odd to say, he'd had his impending death hanging over him for six years in the fifties and months here in 2021, to know that that threat was gone felt strange, though he hoped relief would come with it, whenever he was able to process it all.

Peggy Carter has posed:
If nothing else, the thing that Peggy is certain if is that yes, they did it. She stares at him for a few heartbeats, considering that. Then she's stepping directly to his side, fingertips reaching for his upper arms, rubbing up and down there, as if to keep him warm or confirm that he's real. Maybe both. A crackled little, breathless laugh escapes her lips. "Yes. We... we did it. You wouldn't be here...Back. Alive. HERE... if we didn't. We fixed it and you're HERE..." She blinks against a sudden sting of tears behind her eyes, a mix of shock and relief too strong to be contained in words alone.

Daniel Sousa has posed:
"You're right I wouldn't be back if we hadn't" he confirms, the simple logic of it breaking through the strangeness to bring that relief he had been craving, they'd done it...

Standing, Daniel finds his own eyes glassing over as he says, "I'm here," enjoying the finality of those words as he leans forward to wrap Peggy in his arms to kiss her. They'd done it, they'd actually done it, it was over, he was really here for good, the thoughts spur him to deepen the kiss, his arms gripping tight to her in that strange uniform.

Peggy Carter has posed:
"You're *here*..." Peggy breathes out into his lips in a moment where they've come up for air, but it's just a moment. Then she's kissing him back, deeper than before, her spandex clad arms wrapping tightly around him as she pulls him almost violently against her body and kisses him like it was their last day on earth. When, in reality, it's officially the first day. As she kisses him, a few tears finally escape her lashes, streaking down her cheeks as she steals every inch of breath from the man she loves.

Daniel Sousa has posed:
Returning the kiss in full measure Daniel happily has his breath stolen from him as his cheeks begin to grow damp with shed tears.

Blinking them away as he pauses for a much needed breath leaning his head against Peggy's for the moment. "We did it," he breathes, "We really did it, we've got the rest of our lives now, no serums or impending doom, just time, our work and each other..." he finds himself chuckling. "It still feels unreal."

Peggy Carter has posed:
The man across from her is one of the few people in the world Peggy is willing to cry in front of, which is good, because she can't stop those tears of relief from continuing to spill down her cheeks. One hand comes up, tightly burying itself in his wavy dark hair, pressing his forehead so close against her own as they share breath and words, so close she can feel every syllable he speaks.

"We... we did. I don't know how, but I know we... did. You don't have to go back. I don't have to... bury you again. Not again, not for a very, very long time..." If ever. She might go first at this rate. "We get a chance at life again. I promise I... I'm not going to muck this up. I won't take you for granted, I promise..."

Daniel Sousa has posed:
Daniel holds Peggy tight, letting his own tears flow freely. "You never mucked it up the first time, those were the best years of my life," he tells her pulling back long enough to look her in the eyes. "I love you Peg, and I know we're both going to make the best of this chance no matter what craziness life has in store for us."

Peggy Carter has posed:
When she finally pulls back enough to properly look him in the eye, she looks a tearful, mottled mess of red cheeks and glassy gaze. Peggy isn't quite ugly crying, but she is close. Her other hand comes up, one still in his hair, and she rests her fingertips against his cheek, shaking ever so slightly. Her thumb traces his jawline, part of her just confirming that he's actually here. This is real.

"N-no...I know, I... didn't, not really. But I was so... drowning in the job. When I lost you, I... I could only think about how many nights I gave up... how much more you deserved, how little time I'd taken, and then you were...g-gone..."

Daniel Sousa has posed:
Daniel nods, sniffling as he does. "I understand but for what it's worth I understood, the job was part of who you are, I wouldn't have wanted things any other way," he says running a hand through her hair still looking into her eyes. "But I get it, the feeling you should have done more when someone's gone, but Peggy, let me tell you, I couldn't have imagined a better person to spend my life with, even if that meant we spent time away from each other."

Peggy Carter has posed:
She turns her head, pressing the most achingly soft kiss against the corner of his lips, tasting him in that moment. Savoring. Peggy lets her eyes close as she feels his hand in her hair and just goes back to leaning against his forehead, nose to nose. She doesn't want to move, for fear the moment will end. "...I'm still like that. Still Chief. I don't know if it will get better but I'm... I'm going to try. I won't take you for granted, I promise. God... if we could get married all over again, I'd promise that again. I'd promise... So much more."

Daniel Sousa has posed:
Daniel lingers in that embrace, like Peggy afraid to let go in case it prefaces waking and finding this was all some sort of dream. "We'll manage," Daniel," promises. "We'll just have to promise each other to make more time, to enjoy this chance a little bit between saving the world."

The mention of marriage earns a slight head tilt from Daniel, the gears turning. "We could you know," he tells her after a second. "Get married again, you're my wife and always will be but legally, I'm sixty-five years dead, so if we wanted we could do it all again and make it official to kick off this new chance we've got."

Peggy Carter has posed:
A brittle, surprised little laugh escapes her lips after a heartbeat, a little disbelieving that he's agreeing to this, but also not disagreeing. She pulls b ack enough that she can watch him, considering the tilt of his head and the faint narrowing of his eyes. That's not his teasing face, that's his thinking face. Her smile widens a bit more, tears finally beginning to slow.

"...You are... serious, aren't you? Get married again? I mean, we have to arrange for a proper legal identity here and now... anyway. And so few of our current friends were there for the first..." Really, it was only Lily. "...we could do it. Would it be... silly? Ridiculous to do it again?"

Daniel Sousa has posed:
Daniel hadn't thought of it before now but something about getting married again felt right. "I'm serious," he says with one of his boyish smiles, tickled by the idea the more he thought about it. "No, I don't think it'd be ridiculous, we were apart for a long time Peggy, now that we've got this chance again I think it's the right call, something to celebrate our second chance."

He looks at her then, the smile still on his lips, "You up for it Carter?"

Peggy Carter has posed:
When he dares use her last name with a question like that, Peggy's brows arch and she stares at him with quite a deep smirk. "Is that how you propose to a woman, Sousa?" She asks, pulling back from him, mock affronted, her white and blue clad arms crossing over her chest as she waits almost imepatiently, one brow arched.

Besides, the first time he did this he nearly got stuck on the ground with that leg of his. Not that he necessarily has a ring on hand, but Peggy's still wearing both her wedding and engagement band -- they went from the necklace around her throat back to her ring finger the first night he appeared.

Daniel Sousa has posed:
"No Chief," Daniel replies still grinning. "Just making sure you were good with it before I went all out. Then he reaches for her left hand saying, "I need to borrow this again," and if she lets him he slips both bands off her finger then kneels, (much more easily this time) looking up at Peggy with the same evident adoration as he had in his eyes the first time. "So, Peggy Carter, will you marry me," a beat. "Again?"

Peggy Carter has posed:
A warm laugh escapes her throat as he calls her Chief, but she stares at him patiently, both brows arching as he reaches for her hand. "Well, I *suppose*... Since you asked so nice." Peggy mutters, letting him slip her rings off. "You better keep that wedding ring *safe*, Daniel Sousa. I didn't lose it for a whole 60 some years. You better manage it a few months." Or weeks. However long it takes them to get properly married.

Then he's smoothly kneeling down there, and she's got another rim of moisture in her eyes. It was so much easier for him to even just kneel. She didn't expect that to tighten her chest with such joy. But the words come a moment later and all her teasing falls away. She just nods, mute and breathless, as she holds her hand right back out, "...Of course. A thousand times over. I'd marry you anew every day, if we could, but...work does call. Still, I suppose we can steal one more day."

Daniel Sousa has posed:
"Yes ma'am," Daniel grins and then makes a show of slipping Peggy's wedding ring into his shirt pocket and then he slides his own wedding band off his finger and adds it as well. "You think we're going to hold out for months?" he asks with a smile before the joking falls away and he kneels. Peggy's answer gets a warm smile from Daniel as he slips his grandmother's ring onto Peggy's finger for the second time in their lives. "I'd do the same, Peg," he says before adding. "But one will have to do, guess we should make it count huh?" he says before he rises smoothly to his feet. "We might not remember what we had to get through to make all this possible, but standing with you now I know whatever it was was worth it. I love you Peggy," he says before leaning in to kiss her again.

Peggy Carter has posed:
The feel of that engagement ring slipping up onto her finger, oddly heavy and oddly light without her wedding band, it makes her beathe out slow and deep. A new start. She squeezes his hand tightly, barely having to help him up, before she pulls him abruptly close, bodies pressed tight together. She wraps her other arm around his back, grinning widely, "Well, then... Weeks, perhaps. But yes. We'll do it right. Again." She then leans up to kiss him, an echo of the kisses that started the night.

When that kiss breaks, she only slightly pulls back, "Mm... but, we were already married once. We still have certain... freedoms... and a far more comfortable bed than when we started."

Daniel Sousa has posed:
"Weeks, work," Daniel manages before his lips are engaged in much more pleasant tasks until the kiss breaks and he finds himself smiling as Peggy speaks. "All true," Daniel grins of their freedoms and that comfortable bed. "Guess if we're going to make the best of this new start, that might be a good place to start."

Peggy Carter has posed:
"Unless you're tired, that is, Mr. Sousa. I can just tuck you in to sleep.." Peggy teases him, that grin across her lips which is all seductive trouble. "Though I might need help getting out of all this spandex..." She looks down to herself, tossing him a brief wink a moment later. Even if she's not totally joking. She has no CLUE how to get out of this uniform. But she does start leading him backwards down the hall towards their bedroom. Hell, with his leg now, they could even move the master bedroom upstairs if they wanted!

Daniel Sousa has posed:
"Huh, funny thing is," Daniel begins. "Not tired at all." The mention of getting her out of the uniform gets a grin. "Got no clue how that all works but I'm sure we can have fun figuring it out," he teases as she leads him back towards their bedroom. The master bedroom would wait for another night, tonight he wanted to start their new life in this house in the place the first time began.

Peggy Carter has posed:
The night is one of many distractions and quite late hours. It was probably four in the morning before they finally ended up in a heap on top of each other in bed, exhausted and happily dropping off into sleep. Therefore, it's well after ten when the bright light spilling in through the morning window finally gets to be a little too much for Peggy's eyes.

She uses her usual defense, rolling over and burying her face into her husband's bare chest, muttering to herself as she tries to let herself go back to sleep. She's sore in ways she forgot was possible, not just from the fighting and other timelines yesterday. "..nnph... I thought they said I was young again..." She mutters into his shoulder.

Daniel Sousa has posed:
Daniel had been drifting in and out of sleep for a little bit before Peggy burying her head against his chest gets his eyes opening, half-lidded and lazy.

"Well if you weren't I doubt we'd have gotten up to half the things we did last night,' he grins at her, pushing a bit of hair out of her face. "Even youth has it's limits though." He leans up and kisses her gently after the tease.

Peggy Carter has posed:
Considering she was actually younger than this when they met, it's no surprise she's still feeling a little ache from yesterday. Peggy still gives him a little laugh, turning her head to nose into his collarbone and press a few soft, lingering kisses to the underside of his collarbone. He smells like their marriage bed and the sweat of a fight. Some of Peggy's favourite scents.

"Mm... no. I suppose not. And I can't remember *half* of what we got up to yesterday evening, so, I should be thankful we were in one piece enough to enjoy the night. Even if that sun is too damned bright. Why did we never put proper curtains in here?" She's clearly awake, even if she's still hiding. And they never got curtains because they never found time, despite talking about it for literally three years.

Daniel Sousa has posed:
Tilting his head up to give Peggy better access to his throat he says, "Keep that up and we'll be really sore later." There's no complaint in his tone.

"I hear they've got good ones now, I suppose if the world doesn't threaten to end in the next week or so I could see about us getting some for the bedroom. Though we may need to task an agent for wake up calls if we do that." The sun was their most effective alarm clock.

Peggy Carter has posed:
A gruff, sleep husky laugh is given against his chest as he mentions they might need an agent just to wake them up. "I thought that was your job, Mr. Morning person? This is half of why we work." Peggy teases him. But the baring of his throat is temptation enough to get her fully awake. Her head turns up, studying the lines of his shoulder, throat, and jaw. The smile on her face suddenly turns hungry. Then she's kissing him on the neck in ways that very much are a wake up call...

...Thirty minutes later, they are both breathless again, and very much awake, "God, you're better than a morning cuppa sometimes, you know?" High praise indeed, from a Brit.

Daniel Sousa has posed:
"Well we keep going like this I can't guarantee I'll be able to be awake in time to get us in to work," he says before he is happily distracted for the next half hour before he's lying on the bed beside Peggy trying to catch his breath. "I'm honoured," he grins. "You sure beat a cup of coffee, even those new fancy ones," he says looking over with a smile on his lips. "Gotta say, if this is how our new life is starting out, I definitely approve."

Peggy Carter has posed:
"And no baby to wake us. Yes, this is the lap of luxury and we'd never leave bed at this rate..." Peggy mutters, mostly teasing, but she can get used to sleeping in a little later on a routine basis. She grins up and kisses his neck one more time before slowly pulling away to sit up.

"Mm... Better than new, fancy coffee? You heretic. What will the Keurig say?" Peggy asks with a deep chuckle behind her voice. But now that she's sitting up, she absolutely needs tea. There is practically a timer counting down in her head from when her shoulders leave the pillows. "...and this wasn't even the honeymoon. Just you wait, Sousa. You'll like the future yet." She winks at him and then swings bare legs out of the bed, going for her robe. There's a series of wild bruises covering most of her left hand side that purpled up over night, bruises from a fight in a time neither of them remember, but no wonder she was so sore!

Daniel Sousa has posed:
"Worse things could happen," Daniel says of not leaving bed ever again. He watches her rise for a moment, hand behind his head. "I'm sure the Keurig will understand, just like I'm sure your countrymen will forgive you for saying something's better than tea."

He flinches when he sees the bruises. "So apparently besides getting a super suit on our journey through time you had a fist fight with the Hulk," he remarks. "How bad does it hurt? Need a trip to medical or just a boat load of Asprin?"

Peggy Carter has posed:
"Oh. Hmm." Peggy states, in the understatement of the century, as she looks over her side while pulling her robe over her other shoulder. She stares in the long mirror on top of their dresser, doing a little turn about before covering it up with her robe and securing the waist tie. "I suspect just a boat load of asprin. Though that explains why everything was sore *before* we started. And I suppose we were a bit too...distracted to notice last night." Peggy gives another of those low throated laughs. Proud. Not complaining one bit baout what they did.

"Still worth it. Every inch. But... tea with that asprin, or I will be a miserable bitch to be around in less than an hour." She winks at him, experimenting with moving to the door, "Nothing is broken. It would hurt worse if ribs were. I think we'd have noticed earlier. Besides, getting you home was a lovely distraction."

Daniel Sousa has posed:
Daniel studies Peggy for a moment before nodding, as they'd said to each other in the pas they'd never lie to each other, except about injuries, though in this case the words ring true, after all they wouldn't have been able to get up to much if her ribs were truly broken. "Tea and asprin it is then," Daniel says swinging his bare leg ovet the side of the bed and pulling on his false one, before finding some sweats to pull on. "And I have to say it was a good distraction for me too," he tells her as he grabs a t-shirt and pulls it on, before wrapping his arms around Peggy's waist from behind. "I'm glad to finally be here for good," he says kissing her neck gently as he says it. "Now, lets get some breakfast before we let ourselves get distracted again."

Peggy Carter has posed:
As she catches that long look, she pauses and turns back to him, "Love. I promised. I promise again, I'll tell you if it's that bad. I truly just though I was sore because of our...Athletics. The bruises look worse than they are." When he's finally standing up to go join her in the kitchen, she does grab the front of his t-shirt and tug him into kiss her. This one is a light, reassuring one, not the passionate hunger of before. "I promise." She echoes.

Then they are off to breakfast. She's not moving too fast, not out of soreness, but because they have the day off. They didn't know how last night would go. If they lost him, Peggy did not trust herself to go into the office. Or explain why he was no longer around. So they have an entire day to themselves and she's going to enjoy it. She sets the kettle on to boil before going to get his coffee grinds and fill up the drip pot. They have a Keruig at the office, but it's nonsense here. The fall morning light streams in through their big windows, all warm sun and cool, comfortable days outside. It feels almost like they were just wed.

Daniel Sousa has posed:
The words and the kiss convince him, "Alright," he says smiling. "I believe you, unless not believing you gets me another kiss," despite the joke the look in his eyes is sincere, she is believed.

Daniel watches Peggy as she gets the tea and coffee ready in the light of a fall morning, very much like the sort that greeted them the day after their wedding. "French toast?" he offers, remembering that was what he'd made them that morning. Well before the people Howard sent dropped by with a whole huge breakfast buffet to 'help keep their strength up' as the note with the food had said.

Peggy Carter has posed:
It's not until he says French Toast that something jostles Peggy's memory. She blinks, looking up and out the window with a softer, but warmer smile, "...it's almost our wedding anniversary, isn't it? I... I'd almost forgotten." She breathes out quietly, shaking herself out of the reverie a moment later to finish putting on his coffee. But it's sort of blind sided her that it is. She had to put it out of her mind for so many years on end.

"...and...Y-yes. French toast sounds lovely. I doubt Howard will... interrupt this time, and I'm starving." She admits quietly. But now that her hands are no longer busy, she's just staring at him across the kitchen, in a quiet sort of awe that he's truly here.

Daniel Sousa has posed:
"It is," Daniel confirms he'd only just remembered himself when he saw Peggy in the morning light, time had been something tricky to keep up with of late.

"Sure thing," Daniel says going to the fridge to collect the eggs and milk before stopping by the breadbox for some bread.

Feeling Peggy's eyes on him he turns and smiles, asking gently "What?"

Peggy Carter has posed:
Her unbruised hip leans back against the kitchen counter, arms quietly folding over her waist as she watches him in that light. Her eyes only mist up a bit as she sees him turn around with eggs and milk in his hands. It's a glimpse of another era, but he's here. Breathing. Speaking. Alive. And all her's.

"...Nothing. Just..." Peggy swallows back that tightness in her throat, her smile coming earnest, if still sad. The echo of sixty years alone is behind that smile. "I forgot how you looked in this kitchen. Especially with your hair all a mess from bed."

Daniel Sousa has posed:
Daniel looks back at Peggy and can see the feelings behind the smile, he leaves the milk and eggs on the counter and comes to her taking her hands in his. "It must have been hell, after..." he begins meeting her eyes. "But I'm glad we're back together and we get all these little moments again."

Peggy Carter has posed:
There is a part of Peggy that is about to dismiss him, insist he get to cooking and that she is fine. He can probably see that flicker of stubbornness raising up in her dark eyes. But then he takes her hands and she lets herself take a slow breath. Her strong, slightly gun-range calloused fingertips squeeze tightly at his hands. Almost uncomfortably tight. She just needs to know he is truly here.

"There was a part of me that was certain when I woke up, you'd be gone. That this was all a dream. But you... aren't. We really do have another chance. And I... I don't entirely know how to believe it."

Daniel Sousa has posed:
Daniel's eyes stay steady on hers as that stubborness rises in her eyes.

"I know what you mean... I'm having a hard time believing it too, but it's real Peg, and sooner or later we're going to believe it, but until then, I'm happy to remind you I'm really here as much as you need."

Peggy Carter has posed:
A little, slightly hiccuping laugh escapes her throat as Peggy gives a slow shake to her head in almost shame. "I sound like a child... Like a scared little child that won't look under their bed because they know there must be a monster. But there is no monster. This is real. I just have to keep... keep telling myself that. After the Framework. After all those years... Alone..." Something crumples in Peggy's face for a heartbeat or two, studying him closer. One of her hands comes up to cup his cheek. "...it is real, right? This isn't some... torture chamber hooked up to my mind or forever dream?"

Daniel Sousa has posed:
"Given everything we've been through, I don't think it sounds childish at all. We both got to see an entire fake world, we'd be nuts if we didn't question things at least a little," Daniel says softly. He leans into her touch. "But I'm really here Peggy, for good, after all those years, you're not alone anymore, you've got me back."

Peggy Carter has posed:
"I... I hope you're right." Peggy whispers softly, not entirely able to erase all the doubt from her eyes. It's like a part of Peggy Carter doesn't know how to be happy or, simply, doesn't trust it. She takes in a deep breath and reaches his other hand up, kissing the base of his palm and taking a deep breath of his skin. "I trust you. Even if I don't trust my own mind, I trust you. You're here... and here I am keeping you from breakfast and coffee. What sort of a wife-to-be am I?"

Daniel Sousa has posed:
"Good," Daniel says smiling as she kisses his palm. He smells and feels warm, and real and whole. "We'll keep each other sane, remind each other that this is real and the world really can give us good things once in a while, even if they seem impossible."

The last of what she says leaves Daniel chuckling. "A pretty good one if you ask me," he says kissing her before saying. "But we should get on with breakfast."

Peggy Carter has posed:
"Let's get to the wedding before you say that." Peggy winks at him and then leans up and over, returning that kiss warmly. Just long enough that she realizes what temptations lay ahead to distract them from breakfast and she pulls back.

"But yes. Breakfast. I'm *starving*. Who knows how many age we lived without eating?" She swats him teasingly on the behind, as if to say get a move on it, and lets him get back to his milk and eggs. Peggy remains there, watching him over her cup of tea and marveling at the miracles life can offer, even after all this time.