Leave Interrupted

Peggy’s arrival back in Los Angeles was met with little fanfare.  Jarvis took her directly to the SSR office, knowing that she’d be eager to get straight to work on the case.  And maybe, just a bit, she was also looking forward to seeing Daniel again.

She got the same semi-contemptuous, wary looks as usual, and she ignored them the same as always.  It wasn’t her fault that the men in this place couldn’t keep up. Or that they thought she couldn’t. Or shouldn’t.  Besides, she much preferred contempt over condescension.

Peggy followed Agent Burkes into the Chief’s office, sliding over to stand to the side as Burkes dropped another sheaf of paper onto Daniel’s desk.  The dark-haired man just sighed, his eyes flicking over it.  “Another body?  Same manner of death as the others?” he asked, though it wasn’t really a question.

“Yes, sir,” Agent Burkes answered anyhow, his tone serious.  “That makes four now.”  Peggy’s eyebrows lifted in surprise – four bodies?  Did that count the one that she had stumbled across in Malibu?  Or was that just locally? Just what on earth was going on here?

Daniel’s eyes flickered over to her, and he gave her a small smile of acknowledgment before dismissing Burkes.  As soon as the man left, he sighed, slouching back in his chair and running a hand tiredly through his hair.  “You’re back early, Peg,” he said.  “Did you miss the office that badly?” He was teasing, but it was easy to hear the relief in his voice, and Peggy walked up to him, reaching for the files on his desk.  Daniel let her take them, and she stared down at the bodies – four of them, in addition to the one that she had found.

“Apparently, the universe has decided that it would be better served if I refrained from taking any further vacations,” Peggy replied absently as she leafed through the files, keen eyes and a quick mind picking out the problem within moments.  “Hmm…so not drowned, then,” she murmured.  “They lived under the water?”  She barely blinked at the idea; what with super soldier serums, lethal parasites, and portals to unknown places, a bunch of humanoids living underwater was hardly something to balk at.

Daniel shrugged.  “Nobody has been able to identify any of the bodies,” he admitted.  “And they don’t appear to breathe like we do, either.  We’re still waiting for the results from the autopsy.”  He heaved himself to his feet.  “I’m glad you’re back, Peg,” he said at last.  “Whatever’s going on, somebody doesn’t want us anywhere near it.”

Peggy grinned back at him.  “Which is what makes it so interesting,” she replied.  Daniel chuckled, and Peggy looked over at Jarvis, who was wandering the perimeter of the room, looking at the various rewards and recognitions from previous Chiefs.  “Mr. Jarvis, if you’re ready, we have a stop to make,” she said, and the butler looked over at her.

“Of course, Miss Carter,” he agreed.  When Peggy made no move to leave the room, he continued.  “I’ll just wait for you at the car, shall I?” he asked.

“That would be for the best,” Peggy agreed, waiting until Jarvis had left and closed the door firmly behind him before turning and giving Daniel a quick kiss.  He smiled against her lips.

“You know that they’re giving me flack for dating Captain America’s girl, don’t you?” he asked, his tone light but his eyes serious.

Peggy looked at him archly.  “They can mind their own business, and I’d thank them to leave me out of it,” she retorted.  “Besides,” she murmured, leaning in for another quick kiss, “he didn’t get to take me dancing.”  She still hadn’t told Daniel about that dream, but it didn’t matter.  She knew, and that was enough.  Besides, he’d very nearly gotten himself killed trying to save her – to save everyone.  Daniel was a good man, and life wasn’t long enough for wasted opportunities.

Grabbing his coat and his crutch, Daniel opened the door for Peggy, and she swept out of the office, Daniel following behind.  His men, to their credit, kept their mouths shut, though their expressions made their opinions of their relationship rather obvious.

“Burkes, call me if any more bodies turn up,” Daniel ordered.  “Singer, Clark, get a move on. I don’t pay you to sit on your rears when there’s work to be done.  McCutcheon, check in with our neighbors, see if anybody other than Malibu has had bodies turn up with the same COD.  If you go out, make sure someone’s got your back.  These guys aren’t very happy with us sticking our noses in their business.”  The men scrambled to do as they were told, and Peggy smiled to herself.  Being in charge had done a world of good for Daniel’s self-confidence, and it showed.  He walked now with his back straight and his head held high, proud in a quiet, simple way.

Jarvis was waiting for them by the car, as promised, and he greeted them both, opening the door for Peggy.  “Miss Carter, Chief Sousa.”

“Call me Daniel, please,” Daniel asked.

Jarvis nodded.  “Of course, sir,” he replied.  Daniel just sighed, and Peggy hid a smile behind her hand.

“Good luck trying to get Mr. Jarvis to call you anything other than sir or Chief,” she told him pragmatically.  “I gave up eons ago.”

Daniel settled into the back seat, only to find himself shoved over a moment later as Howard Stark climbed in after him.  “Hello there, pal,” he greeted a startled Daniel.  “How’s it going?”  Without bothering to wait for a reply, he leaned forward between the seats to talk to Peggy.  “Peg, I heard you’re finding trouble again,” he said reprovingly.

Peggy leveled him with an unimpressed stare.  “Trouble finds me, Howard,” she replied bluntly.  “I trust that none of this is going to lead back to you.”  Howard winced, and her eyes narrowed.  “Tell me,” she demanded.  They didn’t have time to pussyfoot around.

“Why do you assume that this is somehow my fault?” Howard demanded.  “That’s hurtful, you know.”

“And yet,” Peggy refuted, “you don’t deny that you are somehow involved.  Mr. Jarvis, drive, please,” she requested, and Jarvis pulled away from the curb.

“Do you have a destination in mind, Miss Carter?” he asked, ignoring his benefactor’s startled look.

Peggy nodded.  “We’re heading for the Port of Los Angeles,” he stated.  “But we have a stop to make first.”  Her intentions must have been pretty clear, because Jarvis headed for what Peggy secretly considered The Weapons Cache.  It housed many of Howard’s creations, and more weapons than Peggy had ever seen in one place.  She might not know what was happening just yet, but she was determined to find out, and it wouldn’t do to walk into a potential ambush unarmed.  Malibu had been a surprise.  She had no intention of letting it happen again.

Howard seemed unconcerned about their current destination, and was instead re-introducing himself to Daniel.  “Hello, there!  Howard Stark.” He offered his hand, which Daniel accepted.  “So, what’s your relationship with my Peggy?” he asked.

Peggy slid a bullet into her Walther PPK/S, clicking it shut with finality.  Howard tipped his head towards her.  “Peg?” he asked innocently, his eyes filled with mischief.

“I wasn’t aware that Peggy belonged to anybody,” Daniel replied seriously.  “Besides, I’m pretty sure she’s the one in charge.”

Howard sighed.  “Yes, I suppose she is, at that,” he agreed glumly.  Then he perked up. “Hey, do you know she actually shot at Captain America?” he asked.  Daniel made a vague noise, which Howard apparently took as interest, because he launched into a story involving himself, Steve, Peggy, and half a dozen tanks.  It was all lies – Steve had stolen the tanks when he’d rescued the entirety of the 107th, and Peggy had never once in her life parachuted out of a plane – but it made for an excellent distraction.  And it more or less kept Howard from offending everybody in the car except maybe Jarvis, who appeared to be immune.

Five minutes away from their destination, Daniel broke into the conversation. “Um…”  Howard just kept talking, but Peggy glanced back at Daniel, who was staring intently out the window.  “Jarvis, turn left!” he barked out suddenly, and Jarvis’ hands moved, swinging into a hard left turn.  Car horns honked and tires squealed.  Peggy braced herself against the door.

“What was that?!” Howard demanded from the back seat, rubbing his head.  “What’s so important?”  But Peggy had seen what Daniel had noticed first.

“We’ve got company!” she shouted, scrambling out of her seatbelt and grabbing the steering wheel from a surprised Jarvis, taking them down a narrow alley.  The front corner panel caught a pole on the sidewalk, and Howard swore.   Daniel just pulled his gun from its holster, his own seatbelt already unbuckled as he reached for the window.  Behind them, the two black cars swung into the alley, while a third one cut them off at the far side.  “Jarvis!” Peggy warned, and the butler took the wheel back, not slowing down and aiming for the car in front of them.

Men scrambled out of their way, their guns up and aimed towards the car.  “Please duck,” Jarvis said calmly, his expression set in determined lines.  Peggy, Daniel, and Howard all did as he asked, and Jarvis slid further down in his seat, his foot stomping harder on the gas.  Gun shots rang out, and glass showerd down on them as the windows were blown out, but the car kept moving forward. 

“Brace!” Peggy yelled, just before the car sideswiped the one at the end of the alley, sending it spinning.  Jarvis shifted back up, wrenching the wheel and sending the car in a hundred and eighty degree turn.

“Wait, what are you doing?” Howard demanded as Peggy and Daniel spilled out of the car, weapons raised as they took cover behind the car doors, using them for shields and firing around and above them.  “That’s dangerous!” he added needlessly, diving out of the car and ducking around behind the trunk.  Jarvis followed him, popping open the truck.

“I believe these might be useful right now,” he told them, handing them each a gun.

Peggy shot one of the men in the shoulder.  “Thank you, Mr. Jarvis” she replied politely.  “However, I believe it might be in our best interest to not wait around for backup.”

“Agreed,” Daniel added.  “And right now, I’m pretty sure these guys have nothing better to do than shoot at us.”

“What’s all the fuss about?” Howard asked, having acquired his own gun at some point, taking potshots at the bad guys who were shooting at them.  Peggy ducked as a particularly decent shot clipped the edge of the window frame.

Jarvis ducked back into the car.  “I have a suggestion,” he said, his voice muffled as the car started up.  “Run.”  He dropped something onto the pedals, and the car shot forward, with nobody inside.  Peggy, Howard, and Daniel took Jarvis’ advice, heading for the nearest alleyway as men shouted and scrambled for cover behind them.

“Oh, excellent plan, Jarvis,” Howard snapped. “Now we don’t have a car, and I don’t think we can outrun one, either.”  He glanced at Daniel, who ignored it, determinedly keeping pace with them. 

“It bought us time,” Peggy pointed out, resisting the urge to smack Howard upside the head.  He was a good man – a bit eccentric, maybe, but his heart was in the right place – but he was an idiot sometimes.  “Besides, I’m sure you have more.”

Howard was silent for a moment.  “Well, yeah, but that’s not the point,” he said at least, weakly.  Nobody dignified that with a response, and after a moment, he spoke up again.  “Fine, then will somebody at least tell me where we’re going?” he asked.

Peggy smiled grimly.  “We’re going to give Hydra the surprise of their lives,” she answered.

She just hoped Hydra didn’t have any more surprises of their own.