Chapter 38
It was a late flight that night from Los Angeles via a SHIELD quinjet. Peggy couldn’t say she was sad to leave. As lovely as the city was, it wasn’t New York...it wasn’t home. So it was there that she parted ways with Coulson, who was himself headed back to his mysterious business in New Mexico.
“You still won’t tell me what it is you are up to there,” she asked as they stood outside of the quinjet as it prepared for its takeover procedures.
“I think you know me better than that,” Coulson teased. “So what comes next for you and the Avengers Initiative.”
“Well, I suppose I will figure that out more with Agent Kam when I get back. The world now knows about Tony Stark. We will have to plan a new course of action with him to bring him on board and see who will fit alongside him and Steve.” That would take more than a bit of guesswork in terms of personalities and abilities, considering how different they both were. Cassandra had a unique and keen insight into other people, but even she would have her work cut out for her.
“You think he will agree?”
“Not sure,” Peggy admitted. “As displayed today, Tony Stark is a man who follows his own rules, but with the right inducement, he might be a team player. We just have to find what that is.”
Coulson didn’t look as if he believed that to be possible. “Good luck with that, Director. I’m sure we will be working together again in the future, so until then I will only say goodbye for now.”
Peggy held out her hand for him to shake firmly, knowing they would more than likely be working together again sooner rather than later. “I look forward to it, Agent Coulson.”
As she loaded herself into the quinjet she considered the man Fury called his left eye on the ground. Coulson was a good man, perhaps a bit too rules-bound, but on the whole an honest and decent one. She could see why Fury relied so much on him, especially as a balance to the more pragmatic and ruthless Hill. Coulson had heart and Peggy found herself not only liking him but appreciating his work and friendship.
It was strange, she ruminated as the quinjet lifted off, the glitter of Los Angeles spread out like a million stars below them. Months ago she left a world she had been comfortable with, a life she had built up for herself in the years after the war, and had forsaken it all to come into this strange different, confusing, fast-paced world of 2010. She hadn’t meant to land here, had come there by accident, and yet here she was in a new life, building the team this universe needed to stop some cosmic threat she only knew was coming, but had little to no understanding of. She hoped that somewhere between convincing Stark to sign on and finding and reviving Steve she would find some sort of direction in all of this.
As fast as the quinjet was it was ridiculously late by the time Peggy arrived in New York. Her short ride home from headquarters saved her the trouble of finding a cab and she nearly stumbled into the SHIELD-owned building, barely swiping her badge in the appropriate places to get her into the door. She yawned loudly, jaw cracking as she only gave a weary wave to the overnight security, a young up-and-coming agent she had seen a time or two named Perez, a boy who was only getting his start in the academy after finishing his college work at CUNY.
“Director Carter,” he greeted, rummaging at the front desk where he sat. “Didn’t expect you in so late.”
“Mmmm, late flight from Los Angeles, the last one.” She kept her steps turned towards the lifts...elevators...whatever she wanted to call them at three in the morning. “Good night!”
“Wait up, before you go!” He hustled from around the desk, a postal box in his hands. “This came in your mail while you were gone but we held on to it since you were out of town.”
Peggy frowned, glancing at her name on the top of the shipping label but stopping to frown at the other name at the top - H. Carter, with a Virginia address.
“Thank you,” she managed a wobbly smile, exhaustion and confusion pulling at her. “I’ll take it on up. Are you doing all right tonight?”
“Of course, Director!” He seemed more delighted he could speak with her. “Anything you need, just let me know!”
“Thank you and good night, again.” This time she firmly marched herself to the lifts and punched the one she knew would lead to her flat far above, the palatial place that she had hardly wanted when she got here, but now felt more and more like home. She shuffled to the door, ran her badge over the lock, and opened it, pausing long enough to kick off her shoes and set down her bag and purse, sighing in contentment as the automation in the house kicked in, turning on lights so she wouldn’t stumble. She wandered, yawning, into her kitchen, placing the package on the granite-covered island, and studying the label briefly. It was printed, not handwritten, but she recognized the address as the one she and Sharon had visited last summer. Despite her numerous conversations with Sharon and the rest of her family, her nephew, Harry, had not made any effort to engage with Peggy outside of polite pleasantries. What could he possibly be sending her after months of silence?
She fished out a pair of scissors out of a drawer, opening them wide to cut open the tape sealing the box. As she pulled back the flaps, inside there was a smaller box and an envelope, handwritten with her name in tidy, block letters. Curious, she opened the seal, slipping out a piece of notepaper with Harry’s name and title and the seal of American University at the top. Underneath it in his firm writing was a brief note.
Peggy-
I won’t lie to you about how strange this all is for me, and I am sure it is just as strange for you. I hope that you are settling into this strange place and time well, despite the absurdity of modern living sometimes. I find that even I become overwhelmed by it. I can only imagine how you must feel.
Sharon mentioned once that there was an item you had not brought with you, one you rather wished you’d remembered to bring. As it happens, many of your personal effects were passed on to Dad after your disappearance. Most have been in storage, moved from one house to the other, and while a few items have been lost over the years, this one made it through. Cynthia found a place that restored it for you and I hope you find the work satisfactory.
With that in mind, I have been told by my children, particularly my eldest daughter, and in no uncertain terms that I’ve been a horse’s ass this entire time regarding you. I won’t pretend I haven’t, all of this is complicated at best, and I’m sure you feel the same. All I can say is that perhaps I can try to be better and that perhaps we can reconnect as a family. I think somewhere Dad, wherever he is, would like that. I hope you consider that as Thanksgiving comes around. You have family and we would love to have you.
I hope this letter finds you well.
Sincerely-
Harrison Carter
Peggy blinked, stunned, her eyes watering as she read through the letter again, Harry’s words shocking her in their stilted sincerity. Perhaps he had flown off the handle, but, it was no worse than anything she had ever done, including to his father. Something inside of her chest, a tightness she hadn’t known was there, eased. She wished it wasn’t so late and that she could call Sharon to discuss it, but she doubted her niece would appreciate it. Instead, she set the note aside, a creep of hope welling up that perhaps, maybe, she could rebuild the relationship with her elder brother’s son.
Instead she turned her attention to what was in the box. Brushing aside packing materials, she pulled out another squarish box, plain save for a label for a textile repair establishment somewhere in Washington DC. Curious, she pulled the lid off the top of it and peeked in, gasping in delight at what she saw. There, nestled in tissue paper, was the bright red color of her old, favorite hat, still as striking now as it was in 1946 when she purchased it.
“There you are, my beauty,” she grinned, pulling it gently out of the box. The tissue crinkled, but the hat looked sturdy and new, clearly well taken care of and restored to be just as good as before. She could have cried seeing it, a familiar piece of her old life, one she had feared left behind forever. With a delighted grin, she marched over to the large, decorative mirror over the flat’s fireplace, ignoring her frazzled looks from hours on the quinjet, and gently placed the hat on her head, studying herself. There it was, a hint of the old Peggy, a hint of the new, and all of it just felt...right.
“Well, then, Agent Carter,” she murmured, grinning at her reflection. “I guess this will do, then.”
For the first time in months she finally felt like she had come home.