Owner	Pose
Peggy Carter	Saturday night. Daniel's late. He's often late, she knows this, but he's extra late tonight. Peggy's done her very best not to be too beside herself about it, but little Lily could tell something was wrong. There was a long bath and two extra stories tonight, before Peggy tucked her in with a smile, a kiss, and a big promise that she'd let daddy wake her up when he came home to say good night. BUT -- that required that Lily goes to sleep to be woken up. Having secured that promise out of her daughter nearly just in time for her son to be up for a change, Peggy's managing the household. But barely. She's hardly touched her own dinner. She's been waiting for him to come home. The townhouse is lovely. Probably something that costs near a cool million, on the edge of the DC suburbs, something two well paid government contractors can afford. Especially with Peggy's pension from the time she was in service, they do well for themselves. Peggy's car is in the driveway and there's a lot of warm lights spilling out from the second floor. All the hedges are neatly trimmed and the grass a lush green. There's a swing set and a few children's toys in the yard as well as an all weather play pen on the second floor balcony. The mailbox says in neat script 'The Carter-Sousa House'.
Melinda May	May hasn't played chaufeur to any of the higher-ups in a while. Generally, that's something farmed out to other agents. The Commander is usually a little too busy for such things. Certainly, she's worked closely with the Doctor before now. She's never failed in her missions. And even today... she didn't fail. She can hardly be blamed for a comm unit broken in the midst of a fight. Except, of course, this is HYDRA. And HYDRA knows no mercy. She is silent through the drive. She doesn't project any particular discomfort -- she's been at this game way too long for that. But when they pull up in front of the Townhouse, her lips press together in a thin white line that betrays the fact she knows why the Doctor is here. And that the situation she's walking into, tonight... is going to be very uncomfortable. She opens the car door and gets out. Then, she walks smartly around to open the door for the Doctor as well. Finally, she leads the way to the front door... and knocks.
Leopold Fitz	It has been a long day. A day of mixed outcomes to say the least. At least from the perspective of Leopold Fitz, HYDRA's own Doctor. Finally, HYDRA might be in a position to permanently contain the contagion that is the Inhuman threat, to bring them to heel for good. To take power from the undeserved and bestow it upon the worthy. Upon the true believers. To create an force, to create a power that is impossible to resist. That will bring order to a world too full of chaos. Forever. On the otherside however the Doctor has been denied another resource. One perhaps not as pivotal in the long run. But one that Leopold very much wanted to get his hands on. It is unlikely that he will ever be able to fully pry the secrets of how Daniel Sousa continually through off the mental conditioning of HYDRA's reducation process. He will never pull the secrets from the man how he came to exist in the here and now at all when he should have died decades ago. At least he won't be able to do it from him. At least unless he finds a way to speak to the dead. Perhaps that is not entirely out of his reach afterall. A day of mixed success to be sure. But he will take no offense from the fact that the woman they visit tonight is unlikely to see this day as one of both good and bad. He is pragmatic that way and while he has little tolerance for traitors or those who support them, he understands that personal ties are difficult to overcome. At least for lesser people. The ride has been silent. Leopold has remained in the back, sheathed in the shadows of the early evening. Others might be uncomfortable in such complete silence. Might feel the need to fill it. But not him. And not his driver for this evening either. It is one of the things he appreciates about Commander May. That, and the fact that she has never failed him. At least until today. But let the other heads of HYDRA act like petulent children when things do not go their way. He is the Doctor. He does not throw aside a tool because it failed once. But that does not mean that he is adverse to putting it to the test either. So here they are. The chance to get answers to an assortment of different questions. It's very efficient. Very him. "Thank you Commander," Leopold says as he slides out of the car, waiting with that same icy resolve that was on display in Control earlier today. "Shall we?" he says, motioning for the door, for May to proceed him. Waiting for her to knock while he stands behind and just to one side of her, tugging the black leather gloves on his hands a little more tightly in place.
Peggy Carter	As with many households with young children present, there is a little bit of tape across the doorbell with a note 'Please knock!' instead, in efforts to let sleeping children lie when they are actually managing to rest. Therefore, Peggy does much appreciate that May knocks instead of rings, but she is accustomed to the woman being comfortable enough to simply come in. She does have a key, after all. Peggy double times down to the door, her two month old son resting against her shoulder where a spit up cloth has been draped over her comfortable green wrap dress. She looks nothing like the intimidating, once all powerful Director of SHIELD. If anything, she'd fit in as a mother in a 1950s sitcom, with her still soft vintage waves and red fingernails. As she sees Melinda at the door, her smile spreads almost immediately, but it stops as she realizes who is behind the woman. She doesn't dare let it entirely fall, she'd look guilty then. But everything inside her is screaming. She can only think of one reason why there are two people at her door, one of them the rather infamous Doctor. She wraps one hand protectively across the dusting of dark hair on her son's head and nods towards the stairs upwards, "Agent May... Doctor. Please, come in...Should I... put on tea?" She offers in her painfully polite British accent, as she leads the way up the stairs to the living floor and kitchen.
Melinda May	"Mrs. Sousa," May greets her friend, keeping her expression scrupulously neutral. If there was a way, in this moment, she could do anything at all to change how she knows this is going to play out, she'd would. But there isn't. She just hopes Peggy is smart enough to realize that May *must* play her role here. And her role will very likely be unpleasant. Whether or not her friend will forgive her for this? Well. Maybe she shouldn't. May can accept that. "It's... up to you. This likely won't be a long visit." Unless, of course, the Doctor has other plans. She glances to her superior, seeking some sort of confirmation. "Unless you'd like some, sir?"
Leopold Fitz	The simple, unfortunate truth is that Leopold Fitz does not venture out of his labs or his Control center without a fairly compelling reason to do so. He certainly does not delivery unfortunate news to the loved ones of those that HYDRA have had to... deal with to insure the greater good of the world. This is unlikely to be quite as short of a visit as either Peggy or May would likely prefer it to be. "You would be Mrs. Caster-Sousa then?" the darkly dressed man says in those precise, clipped Scottish tone. Not a sylable wasted. He does incline his head ever so slightly, his expression unchanging and unreadable as is so often the case. Like it does not know the touch of emotion, for good or ill. "Your offer is generous and your hospitality appreciated," he adds, the brief smile that lights there on his lips a cold thing. One that certainly never touches his eyes. "Come now Commander. I believe, under the circumstances, we can spare a few extra moments," he suggests. He does not wait for May to lead the way, not now. Instead he slips past her, stepping into the home. No mere house this. This is quite clearly a home. The feel of children, the feel of the life that was built here all too clear. Perhaps painfully so to the two women present. Just one more disappassionately interested observation for the Doctor.
Peggy Carter	There are a few touches of things on the wall which might be considered seditious -- Black and white photos of Peggy and Daniel's marriage back in 1950 (including one with a woman that looks very strangely like a certain Melinda May, though the photos are clearly ancient.) But there is also a photo of the very first SHIELD Unit to ever enter the field, 1949. It's all history, but weights the history of this house in places that HYDRA would probably prefer die. The anicent SHIELD photos were taken off the wall after their last reeducation. Who knows when they ended up going back up. Otherwise, there's a smattering of children's toys, a folded stroller in the hallway, a bassinet in the living room and feeding pillow on the couch. The house is mostly clean, but clearly lived in. There's dozens of photos of their children, including a near teenager with dark hair and eyes who is no where to be seen in the house now. Peggy's stiff. Trying to do her very best not to wake the half asleep infant on her shoulder, but all of her mind is screaming that something is very, very wrong. She stares hard at May, her eyes all questioning but trying not to give away just how close they've become. An awkward smile flutters across her lips in turn. "Of... of course. I'll just put the kettle back on. Sorry. If I set Michael down now, he'll start screaming..." Peggy bustles past the Doctor towards her kitchen, an open area that spills into the living room on the second floor. She grabs the kettle from the cold burner and sets it on a warm one. She's gotten very used to doing things with one hand. "Now...how... can I...help you both?"
Melinda May	May reads all she needs to know about the way the rest of this visit -- however long it may be -- is going to go from the way Fitz turns on the 'charm'. (If it can be called that.) She doesn't sigh or otherwise betray her chagrin. Indeed, her spine straightens subtly. And if, when Fitz turns his back to her to move up the stairs, she meets her friend's hard stare with a brief expression of sorrow and apology, it can't last. She falls back into the brusque agent persona that has been her shell since the Cambridge Incident so long ago, now. She follows the pair up into the house, looking around to see just where the children -- where *Lily* -- may be. She even goes so far as to wander casually toward the bedrooms, just to ensure that the corridor is empty. Then, she crosses back to the kitchen, to stand near her friend as she handles the kettle... just in case. But her posture is erect and her chin comes up as she speaks, every ounce of her being the Commander... not Aunt Melinda. "I regret to inform you, Mrs. Sousa," she says evenly, in that formal tone Peggy knows all too well (has probably used far too often, herself), "that your husband died earlier this evening in an altercation with HYDRA personnel. He was caught attempting to smuggle Inhumans into the city and took a fatal injury during the ensuing action." It's blunt. It's barebones. It's terrible. And there's nothing Melinda can do about any of it.
Leopold Fitz	Theoretically it is entirely possible that Leopold Fitz simply does not notice the... questionable photos that decorate the walls of this home. In another life, in another world, it might just be a given, that his interests in science, that his nature would proclude him from taking notice of such personal details. But the Doctor has not risen to the lofty heights that he has achieved within HYDRA by being unobservant. He certainly has not maintained his position by being blind to the world around him. No one who comes to wield such power in this new world order can do so without being extremely mindful of everything around them. Or they do not remain in their position for long. Still, if Leopold has noticed the open show of petty defiance to HYDRA's preferences, he certainly gives no sign of it, trailing after their hostess towards the kitchen, those gloved hands neatly falling into place against his back, resting atop his belt and clutched fast there as he makes a show glancing about, feigned appreciation marking his features. But again, nothing marks those peircing blue ice-chip eyes. Perhaps he hasn't noticed anything but what's there, in front of his face. Or perhaps he has chosen to say nothing. Yet. For the same reason that he has not spoken to Commander May about just what happened to Daniel Sousa this afternoon. Perhaps he will only do so in a moment, a time and place of his choosing. When it is of maximum advantage for himself. And for HYDRA of course. "I qute understand your priorities, Mrs. Carter-Sousa. They do you credit. Afterall, our children are our future, are they not? There is nothing more important to them. Keeping them safe, being there for them, there is nothing more important," he offers up, almost coversationally. Though the way his eyes flicker to the baby carried so carefully by Peggy is anything but reassuring. "Nothing is more important to HYDRA then the safety of our world. Of our children," he says, those icy eyes glinting ever so slightly. A threat? It is hard not to take every word out of his mouth as anything but a threat truth be told. At least for anyone that knows him at all. Then again, perhaps one needs to care about someone to truly issue them a threat. To feel something about them. And the cold, icy demeanor of Leopold Fitz does not exactly give the impression that he truly cares about much. As they enter the kitchen, as May moves to deliver the news that has brought them here this evening, the Doctor just watches. There is no hint that he wished to deliver the news himself, no hint that he approves or disapproves of her approach. Is straight and to the point cruel here? Or is it like ripping off a bandage? Easier in the long run. So the Doctor does not interfere, does not offer up commentary or accusation. Not yet. Instead, he just watches with those cool, dead blue eyes.
Peggy Carter	The Doctor's words send up the hairs on the back of Peggy's neck. Nothing seems directly a threat, really, but somehow it reads that way. She clasps Michael just a little tighter against her shoulder, her cheek pressing against that soft baby hair, like she could wrap him up away from whatever horrors are implied by the words in this room. Lily is nowhere to be seen, but the door to her room is cracked slightly open and the nightlight is on inside. Likely, she's asleep. Peggy watches Dr. Leopold Fitz with levelled, slightly dead eyes. She has to shut off emotions around him, reflect what he's giving her, or this all would be too much. But then the news comes. If she wasn't holding Michael, Peggy probably would have hit her knees. Twice in a lifetime now, someone has told her those words. Her husband dead, killed in action. There is no surprise on her features that he was smuggling inhumans, though a flicker of confusion comes when May says he's smuggling them into the city. She blinks against the welling of water behind her eyes, trying to not dare cry in front of them but not entirely succeeding. Michael, as if sensing his mother's discomfort, starts fussing in a few hiccuping almost cries that warn of more tears to come. "...W-what?... No, he... he'd never do... anything to hurt this city. His children... we... We live here. This has to be a.. mistake. Please... please. No. If this is a test, I'll go take it again. Anything. Just... tell me... this is... it's not... Real. Please." Peggy's voice is crackled with tears she's still fighting. She's trying not to shake. Her knees go weak enough that she half collapses into one of the chairs at the kitchen table. And then the kettle starts going off -- shrill and loud. Lily will probably be up in moments.
Melinda May	May moves smoothly to catch up that kettle and remove it from the burner, shutting it off quickly. She does *not* want Lily up for any of this. She can deal with Peggy's breakdown. She doesn't *want* to deal with it. But she can handle it. But the little girl's? No. That's a bridge too far. Thus, although she keeps her expression neutral, even hard -- drawing on all the anger she's ever held inside to focus and steady herself, she will do what she must to both minimize the damage to the mother to protect the child. And if this loses her esteem in the Doctor's eyes... well, she'll just have to deal with that, too. All in all, catch .22 doesn't *begin* to cover this situation. "I'm sorry," she says, turning away from the stove. "This is very real. And..." She glances to the Doctor, but she doesn't really need his assurance as she says, "There will be tests." It's inevitable. Who will ever believe that the former Director of SHIELD isn't somehow involved in all this?
Leopold Fitz	There is no sense of satisfaction raditating from him as Peggy collapses, as the news takes the strength right out of her legs, shakes her to the very foundation. No smile of victory. In some ways that makes it even worse no doubt. In this moment she is more lab specimin then a human being that he care about one way or the other. One more science experiment to be studied, to be recorded, to be dissected and ultimately... to be disposed of. To hate is all too human -- and apparently not something that the Doctor cares to lower himself to. So for a moment he simply stands there and stares dispassionately, watching Commander May offer up whatever cold comforts that she feels are appropriate. "Very real," Leopold agrees in those clipped, Scottish tones. "And truthfully rather distressing. And disappointing. Considering that HYDRA has been magnanimous enough to give your husband chances to change his ways previously. We gave him the benefit of our insights. The benefit of a chance to become a productive member of a society, striving towards a new and better tomorrow. To have it thrown back in our face like this..." he says, pausing and clucking his tongue against the roof of his mouth in a sound of disappointment. Or at least it might sound that way if it did not feel quite so... artificial. Like a performance, an actor spouting expected lines instead of genuine sentiment. "It troubles me. It troubles me because Daniel Sousa is not even the only source of anti social behavior in this house hold, is he?" he says softly, those icy blue eyes fixed on the kneeling woman, his focus almost entirely on her, as if May were not present at all. He leans just a little closer, those gloved hands sliding out from behind his back at last, coming to rest atop the back of one of the chairs at the kitchen table. A table where there will forever more be a missing piece for evening dinners. For Sunday morning breakfasts. Then, Leopold Fitz, the Doctor of HYDRA draws in a long, slow breath and he finally shifts his gaze towards Melinda. "Mmmmm, I am not certain that such steps are necessary Commander May. HYDRA is not cruel. It is not without mercy. What we want more then anything is for people to see the light that we offer. The safety and security that we will provide to the world and all true believers," he says softly, just a hint of a smile on his face. "It would be a... terrible thing if Margaret's children were deprived of their mother. The Inquisitors at the camps can be rather... exacting in their determination of whether one of our wayward sheep have truly come to understand and accept all that we offer. I would not want to be responsible for seeing that happen in this particular situation," he continues, words seeming to grow quieter, softer as if forcing them to listen more closely just to hear him. "Would you?""
Peggy Carter	The mix of sick heartache in her face and almost panic is the most dramatic emoting that Melinda May has probably ever seen from the generally calm, put together British woman. Peggy's always been the gentle definition of stoic with everyone except her children -- it comes with being 100 years old and firmly British all of her life. But she can't keep it together tonight. She hugs Michael against her as tenderly as possible but closer than before. Almost tightly, especially as he emits a hiccuping louder cry. "Shh...shh, my darling, shhh... It's alright. This... we'll be alright, my dear..." She soothes the baby. Melinda saved them from the kettle's scream, but if Michael loses it, Lily will be awake too. Peggy forces herself back up to shaking legs, needing to move, to kepe breathing, to keep the baby bouncing a bit so he doesn't fully lose himself to crying. Her eyes search Melinda's face, desperately asking for help here, but then the Doctor is there. Heavily at her table. Staring at her. Hard. His voice almost too soft too hear, forcing her to pay more attention. A tear finally escapes her lashes, cutting a damp line down her cheek. She gulps in a bit of a shaking breath. "I... I would not, Doctor. And Agent M-may... she knows, how... Loyal I've been. Quiet. Head... down. I've worked with the government with full respect to the current... way of the world. And these... these children *need*... a parent. Please. I... I had no clue. You have to know that." A lie. A very good one, but still a lie. She had suspicions that she never asked about.
Melinda May	May can't go to Peggy to comfort her, much as she might otherwise wish to. And she sure as hell isn't going to interrupt the Doctor. Nevertheless, she moves casually, slowly, with a cat's grace, closer again to the living room. She's not abandoning Peggy. She's listening for Lily. "I can confirm that," May says neutrally, in response to Peggy's desperate, quiet pleading. Her expression is focused. It's the same expression she's used with every report she's ever given him. "Mr. Sousa has been noticeably absent from the house, lately. Mrs. Sousa believed he was working late. He gave her no reason to believe otherwise." Unless you understand the meaning of crab rangoon.
Leopold Fitz	This is Peggy Carter. In her time, in her day one of the most dangerous threats that HYDRA ever faced. Even if he missed the pictures on the wall, even if he missed the slight hesitations, the subtle hints in her reaction that suggest that she was far from unknowning about how Daniel Sousa was spending his time away from this home he surely cannot forget about that fact. He is clearly not a people person. It is possible, however likely that he is truly oblivious on this front. But there is absolutely no chance that he has not studied her file in detail before ever coming out here, right? The meticulous Doctor, just deciding on the hwim to drop in and visit the wife of a dead traitor and terrorist? Impossible. So he stands there, leaning just a little out over that kitchen table, the source of all sorts of joyous memories, now turned into a menacing lecture. He stands and leans and fixes both women with that icy gaze. And then he offers that slight, half-formed smile once more that does not provide a shread of warmth, not a shred of emotion. "I am most pleased to hear that. Commander May is a credit to HYDRA. You could not ask for a better reference Mrs. Caster-Sousa," he says matter of factly, as if the entire matter is settled. Just like that? It does seem a little too good to be true. While he straightens and half starts towards the door, Leopold Fitz abruptly pauses, that dead-eyed gaze turning back towards Peggy. "Again, you have the deepest sympathies of myself and all of HYDRA. While your husband might have made a terrible mistake when he betrayed you and everyone he ever cared about we are well aware that it is SHIELD that was ultimately responsible. They led your husband astray Margaret. Ultimately, they are the ones responsible for his death," he says. Again, his tone is so matter of fact, as if simply stating a universal truth not up for any sort of debate. A truth that no reasonable person could possibly disagree with. His hand dips into jacket, pulling out a black card embossed in gold, carefully setting it on the table. "If you should think of anything that could help bring your husband's murderers to justice I trust that you will ccntact us? You would be doing a great service to the world. More importantly, you would be doing a doing a great service to your children, insuring a brighter future for them," he says, his voice dipping lower again. Then, without another word he turns once more, stepping out of the kitchen, presumably headed for the front door.
Peggy Carter	There are so few things in the world that can make Margaret Carter scared. She's faced down HYDRA numerous times. Walked into bombs and fields of live artillery. But in a time where she should be free to openly weep, to drown herself in grief and start the horrible process of mourning her husband, she can barely let herself feel it. Because those words from the Doctor and their implication -- to herself and, more so, to her children -- are more terrifying than anything. Doing a service for her children. She rocks Michael a bit more, her hand protectively splayed across the back of his head, keeping him tucked against her so he doesn't dare even have to look at the HYDRA official across from her. "...U-understood... Doctor. Of course. If... I think of anything. Of course." No fighting back, no arguments. Maybe the reeducation did work on her? Or maybe she's just that scared. Then her dark eyes drop to May. That's when the second tear dares escape down her cheek. The woman's so distant, but still doing her best to help. Backing up Peggy's words. When the Doctor turns to go, she just mouths: 'How?... No... I'm sorry...' She knows May can't talk about it. Can't even touch her. As much as she wants to reach out to her old friend, the woman after whom her first, now missing, child was named, she can't. From down that hallway, there is the quiet rustling of a little body and feet treading to the edge of the door. Lily is young, not yet 4 years old, but smart. She knows something is wrong. Very wrong. Instead of dashing up to Aunt Mel, she just stands in her doorway and watches with wide, dark eyes, sucking on the ear of her rabbit.
Melinda May	The Doctor turns to leave, paying the women little more mind. May allows the faintest trace of her grief to surface in her eyes when Peggy looks desperately to her. But her lips press tightly together. She gives the smallest shake of her head. No. She can't tell her. Ever. Then, she hears the soft rustling and she knows what that means. Her eyes close briefly. Not long. But long enough that Peggy must know a lance just went through May's heart. She turns her face away, composing herself before she opens her eyes and turns back. There's no mistaking the anger in her eyes, or the fact that it's being very tightly controlled. It softens to tight neutrality only when she turns into Lily's view. She must follow the Doctor. And she doesn't need either him or the child to see just how angry she truly is. As she heads toward the stairs, she pauses only momentarily at the mouth of the corridor leading to the child's door. But there's nothing she can say or do to make this better for any of them. So, without another word, she accompanies the man out of the house and back to the car... wondering all the while just when the axe will fall.
Leopold Fitz	No matter his words, it seems impossible that this is the end of it. That Peggy Carter and her children have nothing more to fear from HYDRA. He might have never come right out and threatened her, but it is simply impossible to believe that Leopold Fitz did anything else but that. It is the cruelest sort of game, to hold the health and welfare of a child over a parent's head. And all the worse seeing as how he did not give the slightest hint that he regarded her, or Michael, or even Lily -- who only makes her appearance as he is stepping out the front door of the Carter-Sousa home -- as anything approaching human. He doesn't so much as glance backwards to look at the young girl who clearly knows that something is wrong despite her young age. Even though no one would know, or see, or care, he simply steps out the door, rubbing his gloved hands together for just a moment as if warming them before making his way to the rear of the waiting car. He was raised right. His father has done right by him, leaving no room for woman-ish sentiment. It is no cruelty that he does. There is no hatred or anger or vindictiveness to it. His father wouldn't stand for that. What it is, is a necessity. What it is, is insuring that the most people possible will benefit in the end. It is an equation. Math is cool, and clean and perfect. If Peggy Carter and her children prove to be dangling remainders? Well, they will be simply removed from the equation. The Doctor of HYDRA will bring order. And anyone who stands in the way of that will be cut away, excised like diseased flesh. By the time Commander May returns to the car, Leopold is comfortably ensconed in the back of the vehicle, his face shrouded in the shadows that lay heavily over the street despite the nearby street lights. "A productive evening. Back to Control. I very much wish to see what chaff my Sky Commander can reap." He does not speak another word on the entirety of the trip back to HYDRA's headquarters here. He does not order her to step up surveillance on Peggy. He does not order an escalation in the intimidation campaign that was surely begun this night. Commander Melinda May has been his good, right hand. No matter the mission he has trusted her to see it through. In the service of HYDRA. But whatever plans the Doctor has for Peggy Carter? Commander May has apparently been cut out of the loop. For now.
Peggy Carter	As the door shuts behind them, Peggy slightly slumps, clutching Michael in both her arms as tears cascade down her face, now coming far more freely than before. She's been too caught up in grief, and too far in the kitchen, to realize that Lily has roused yet. She cradles the baby quietly, trying to keep her sobs quiet and muffled instead of the wracking, full chest heaves her body is tempted to drown within. "...Mommy?...What's wrong? Is Aunt Mel mad at me?" Lily's little voice comes from the hallway, dragging her rabbit behind her as she shuffles into view. Peggy looks up to her daughter, face splotchy and tear covered as she desperately tries to control her breath. "N-no... no, honey, no... She's mad at... me. And... the world. B-but not you, love. Never you... go... Go back to bed. I'll wake you when your father's home." Peggy tells the quite white lie from her still shaking breath. Her daughter deserves one last good night sleep.