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The mission had been so normal so far. Of course the SSR was on Dottie's tail. Not that she minds, none of them were good enough to come anywhere close to her. No-one, that is, except Peggy. Peggy, who was not on this mission for whatever screwed up reason. Dottie's missions felt useless without Peggy. They made her utterly bored. After successfully completing the task at hand, Dottie slips into the hall where a small vent is that she can just barely slip into. She manages to hoist herself into it without much issue. She slowly crawls through the vent as to not make too much noise. After a few minutes of navigation, Dottie spots the exit of the vent. She pushes the door open and slips out onto a stair landing. She checks her surroundings before rushing down the stairs. Every clank of metal that her shoes make are loud but necessary to her escape. Finally at the bottom, Dottie turns to make her escape when she spots someone lying on the ground. Someone she immediately clocks as Peggy Carter. She seems to be unconscious but possibly not. She's lying on her side with her left arm beneath her. She's bruised and bleeding in multiple places. One of those places being her head. She has a knife lodged in her abdomen. Her clothes are miniscule, she likely didn't expect to stay outside for very long.
Dottie immediately holsters her gun and runs over to Peggy, checking for a pulse. Peggy gasps at the contact, her eyes darting to Dottie's face. "I'm not going to hurt you," Dottie states, ripping a piece of fabric from her shirt and pressing it to Peggy's head. "What happened?" "A-ambus-shed," Peggy stutters, shaking from the cold. "What did they do?" Dottie asks, cupping Peggy's cheek with her hand. "S-stab," Peggy manages, groaning in intense pain. "P-pushed off t-the st-stairs." "Okay Peg, I'm taking you to the place I've been hiding recently," Dottie explains, noting the blue that Peggy's lips are turning. "You probably have a few things broken, a concussion, the whole sort, plus the stab wound and possible hypothermia." Peggy can only bring herself to nod weakly. Dottie hoists Peggy up into her arms where she feels Peggy immediately cuddle closer to her, desperate for warmth. This worries Dottie as the warm blood is still pooling out of her wounds, despite the cold. Dottie quickly rushes to her getaway car, laying Peggy in the passenger seat and immediately turning on the heat. Rushing to her side and peeling away from the building, she hears Peggy groan more as presumably the heat makes her wounds feel much worse. "How long were you out there Peg?" Dottie asks. "S-since s-sev-ven th-thirt-ty," Peggy stutters, still shivering. "Peg, it's almost eight-forty-five, you were out there over an hour?" Dottie asks in disbelief. She figured she'd been out for a while, thankfully the cold had slowed her blood loss. Peggy just hums a weak 'mhm' before sputtering, a bit of blood now dripping from her mouth, likely from her hypothermic body warming up. "Oh Peg, shit," Dottie curses, quickly pulling into her thankfully close-ish hideout.
After her previous run-ins, Leviathan had gotten her a safe place to herself. Hoisting Peggy into her arms once more, Dottie practically runs inside, quick to set Peggy on the couch and dial up the heat. Grabbing her emergency first aid kit, Dottie runs back over to Peggy who is still coughing. "Peg, be warned, I'm going to pull out this knife, it's going to hurt," Dottie explains. Peggy nods and Dottie quickly, in one swift movement, pulls the knife from Peggy's abdomen. Peggy yelps in pain, to which Dottie immediately grabs her hand, allowing Peggy to squeeze the ever loving daylight out of it. "It's okay Peg, I've got you," Dottie assures, slipping her hand out of Peggy's and grabbing the disinfectant. Screwing off the top, Dottie placing her hand back in Peggy's before carefully pouring some of the disinfectant on Peggy's stab wound. Peggy screams and squeezes Dottie's hand but Dottie doesn't mind at all. After properly assessing and dressing the wound, Dottie moves to her next highest place of concern. Peggy's head. Checking for any skull fractures, not finding any, and disinfecting the wound was the easy part. Stopping the bleeding and bandaging would be the hard part. Pressing the fabric back to Peggy's head, Dottie finally manages to get the bleeding under control. She quickly sterilizes a needle before stitching the wound closed. Dottie quickly tends to the smaller wounds. At this point Peggy's lost more blood than Dottie likes. "Peg?" Dottie asks, holding Peggy's head up. "Can you hear me Peg?" "Mhm," Peggy hums weakly. "Stay with me please," Dottie pleads. Peggy nods as Dottie lays her back down. Testing Peggy's left arm, Dottie can tell it's broken. She quickly bandages it straight so that it can heal before picking Peggy back up and moving her to the bed. Setting her under the covers, Dottie makes sure Peggy is warm and comfortable. She's still shivering excessively so Dottie quickly climbs into bed with her and wraps her arms around Peggy who immediately responds by cuddling in closer. "W-why d-did you s-save me?" Peggy stutters, intertwining her fingers with Dottie's. "Cause who's going to try and capture me if you're dead?" Dottie scoffs. Peggy manages a weak laugh before falling asleep, clearly exhausted. Dottie, against her better judgement and everything the Red Room and Leviathan have taught her, places a gentle kiss on the stitches on Peggy's head. She smiles to herself as she rests her head on the back of Peggy's neck, slowly but easily drifting off.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
"Frost!" Ken's sharp voice cuts through the other voices. "Yes Ken?" Whitney sighs. "We've got a new actress on set today, I'd like you to meet her," Ken explains. Whitney turns and stares at the woman that had just been brought in. She's around the same height as Whitney, she's got shoulder length blonde hair, bright blue eyes, and looks quite a bit younger than Whitney. That's what worries her. "How important of a part is she playing?" Whitney asks skeptically. "She's the rival love interest," Ken notes. "Hi! My name’s Violet! Violet Avalone!" The younger girl giggles, holding her hand out for Whitney to shake. "How old are you, seven?" Whitney scoffs, shaking Violet's hand. "Twenty-Three actually," Violet points out. "Hm. Welcome to the movie Avalone," Whitney nods, turning back to the other group of people.
"Jason is mine, don't you get it? He clearly loves me!" Violet snaps, almost shocking Whitney with the passion she has for this role. Almost. "Fine. You can have him," Whitney sighs, leaning on the table prop. "But just so you're aware, Jen, this isn't over." Violet smirks, staring into Whitney's eyes. "I can deal with that," Violet whispers back. "Cut!" Ken calls. Whitney stands back up straight brushing her fingers through her hair. "That's a wrap for today, you ladies have a lovely night," Ken winks. Whitney sighs and rolls her eyes, walking straight off the set and into her changing room.
Checking her watch on her desk for time, reading 8:45pm, Whitney sighs, picking up the phone on her desk and dialing her home phone number. "Hello?" A male voice on the other end answers. "Hi honey, I won't be home in time for the function, we ran over," Whitney explains. "But Whitney, you're the light of this party! You're what I need for this campaign to work!" Calvin exclaims. "Sorry but I just can't make it," Whitney states. "But-" Calvin is cut off as Whitney puts the receiver down. She sighs and closes her eyes, tired from the long day. "Mrs. Frost?" A feminine voice calls out. Whitney turns around to see Violet standing in front of the door. "There's a thing called knocking you know," Whitney sighs, sitting down at her vanity. "Right, sorry, I just wanted to, you know, talk and get to know you, y'know we're going to be co-stars so I just..." Violet trails off as she walks over and leans on the edge of Whitney's vanity. "Yeah well I don't exactly do getting to know people," Whitney states, taking the makeup off of her face. "That's a nice ring," Violet notes. "My husband got it for me," Whitney sighs. "Is he nice?" Violet asks. "He could be worse," Whitney states, pulling the pins from her hair. Violet just hums. "You have anyone?" Whitney asks. "Nope. Can't find the right guy," Violet shrugs. "And I thought you didn't do getting to know people?" "I don't but I make exceptions on occasions," Whitney states, standing up from her vanity. "What brought you into acting?" "I was seeing a movie by myself and some guy thought I was really attractive and suggested acting!" Violet exclaims. "He did say I should change my name though because it wasn't pretty enough." "Don't listen to him," Whitney sighs. "They told me the same thing." "And did you?" Violet asks. "Yeah," Whitney shrugs. "Totally not worth it." "Do you have any advice for me as a new actress?" Violet asks. "Don't let the guys pressure you into sleeping with them. Most of them are bad in bed," Whitney points out. "Don't let them telling you to lose weight get to you too much. Don't let them cross a boundary you set." "How do you know all this?" Violet asks. "You said you're twenty-three right?" Whitney asks. Violet nods. "That's the age they recruited me," Whitney sighs. "They did those things to me." "Oh I'm so sorry Whitney," Violet mutters. "It's whatever," Whitney shrugs. "You have anything you're doing after this?" "Not planned, no," Violet says. "Wanna go to a bar then? Just us?" Whitney asks. "I know a nice place." "Sounds fun, I'm in!" Violet exclaims.
"Mmm, you ever think about kissing other girls?" A now tipsy Violet asks. "From time to time," an also tipsy Whitney shrugs. "You ever think how fun it would be?" Violet giggles, downing the last of her current drink. "All the time," Whitney scoffs. After ordering a few more rounds of shots of straight vodka and downing them, the girls finally pull themselves from the barstools and start dancing with the rest of the crowd. Both girls are decently drunk at this point. Tripping over her own feet, Violet stumbles and falls into Whitney's arms. "Sorry," Violet slurs, giggling as she stands up a bit more. "It's alright darling," Whitney coos. The girls stand there and stare into each other's eyes, almost mesmerized. "What did your name used to be before you changed it?" Violet asks, tilting her head. "Agnes. Agnes Cully," Whitney slurs together, still staring into Violet's eyes. Amidst her drunk brain, something in Whitney snaps. She pulls Violet in closer to her, capturing her lips in a passionate kiss. Violet immediately kisses her back, leaning into her. As the two separate, drunken yelling from the crowd is heard. "Let's go somewhere more...private," Violet giggles. Whitney smirks and grabs Violet's hand, dragging her out of the bar and to a stopped cab.
Whitney puts a hand to her head, groaning while she wakes from her alcohol induced sleep. The phone is ringing and she just wants to go back to sleep. She picks up the phone, wiping the sleep from her eyes. "Hello?" She asks groggily. "FROST THIS IS ABSOLUTELY UNACCEPTABLE! WHAT WAS GOING THROUGH YOUR HEAD?" Ken's voice pierces through the silence. "Geez, it's too fucking early for you to be yelling at me like that," Whitney groans. "What did I do that's so bad to you?" "DO YOU NOT REMEMBER WHAT YOU DID LAST NIGHT? IT'S ALL OVER THE RADIO AND THE PRESS IS HAVING A FIELD DAY! YOU'RE GOING TO END UP GETTING FIRED!" Ken yells. "No, I don't remember, I was fucking drunk," Whitney snaps, sitting up and holding the blanket around her naked body. She turns her head to look next to her. She slams the phone down almost entirely out of shock. She quickly unplugs the phone and basically runs out of bed, grabbing her clothes from the floor and runs to the bathroom. She locks the door and breathes heavily, horrified as she recalls what happened the night before. Whitney Frost. Famous actress and movie star. Slept with another WOMAN. She was so fucked. She was going to get fired and never be able to act again. Tying her hair in a quick ponytail, Whitney rushes out of the bathroom to put her shoes on. She hears Violet groan as she wakes. "Hi," Violet smiles. "No, don't you 'hi' me!" Whitney snaps, turning towards Violet. "Wait, why, what happened?" Violet asks, sitting up, holding the blanket against her chest. "Are you kidding? We had sex! We're fucked! I'M fucked!" Whitney exclaims angrily. "Maybe no-one saw," Violet shrugs, laying back down against the pillow. "Ken called me yelling about how the press are all over us," Whitney snarls. "Oh shit we're fucked," Violet scoffs. "Don't leave though, we're in this shit together now." Whitney sighs and sits on the edge of the bed, holding her hand to her head, it still throbbing. Violet grabs her bra and shirt and throws them on before plugging the phone back in to call her manager. Before she can, however, the phone rings again. Violet answers the call and puts it on speaker. "WHITNEY FROST," a loud male voice snaps. "Oh shit," Whitney mutters. "YOU'RE GONNA THINK OH SHIT," Calvin yells and Whitney can hear the rage in his voice. "Now Calvin, listen please-" Whitney starts but is cut off. "NO DON'T PULL THAT SHIT ON ME. YOU'VE RUINED MY CAMPAIGN! I HAVE NO WAY TO WIN THIS NOW! YOU HAVE RUINED THIS ALL FOR ME!" Calvin exclaims. "I NEVER SHOULD HAVE MARRIED YOU TO BEGIN WITH! YOU'RE A HORRIBLE PERSON AND-" Violet quickly hangs up. "Does he get mad at you like that often?" She asks. "Sometimes," Whitney shrugs. Violet sighs before dialing her manager's number. "Hello?" The voice asks. "Hi, it's Violet Avalone," Violet explains, watching as Whitney starts pacing, thinking. "Violet," Violet's manager sighs. "I know the press knows about last night," Violet states. "I need to know my options." "Luckily, due to your newness, I think it's possible we can keep you on this path," Violet's manager explains. "Especially if we spin this on Whitney Frost. We can frame her as the villain here and you're the victim-" "No!" Violet snaps. Whitney stops pacing and stares at Violet. "Pardon?" Her manager asks. "I said no! I'm not going to spin this on Whitney!" Violet explains. Whitney can't help but feel a little happy that she's being stood up for. "But it is something that should be done in this scenario," Violet's manager states. "No! Because I agreed to those things! I'm an adult who consented," Violet explains. "So we went out, we got drunk, we had sex, and I liked it. So no, I am not going to spin this on her! Because I need to take accountability for my actions and not just say it was all Whitney." "Fine. Good luck finding a new job fa-" Violet slams the phone down, cutting off her boss. When the phone immediately starts ringing again, Violet unplugs the phone completely. Violet holds her head in her hands, sighing to herself. Whitney slowly walks over and sits on the edge of the bed. "You okay?" Whitney asks. "I don't know," Violet sighs. "I mean, we're both out of a job." "Yeah," Whitney nods. "Thanks for, sticking with me though." "Of course," Violet scoffs. "I'm not an asshole." "You enjoyed the sex?" Whitney laughs. "Yeah, it was good, better than any guy honestly," Violet giggles. "I'll take that as a compliment," Whitney scoffs. Violet just smiles and stares at Whitney. Whitney, for the second time, is the one that closes the distance. This time, alcohol not running through their system, the kiss is gentle. As they pull away, desire sparkles in their eyes. "You're a good kisser Violet," Whitney notes. "You're not too bad yourself," Violet shrugs. "You know, Iceland recently allows gay people to be legal," Whitney points out. Violet giggles as she pulls Whitney back in. "You got the money?" Violet asks as the girls pull away. "I have my husband's bank info," Whitney shrugs. "God, I love you," Violet states, kissing Whitney again. "And I love kissing you when there's not alcohol involved." "The feeling is mutual," Whitney giggles. "Put your clothes on so we can leave." "Yes ma'am," Violet nods, throwing the blanket off of her.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
The door to the estate slams shut. Angie sighs. She knows what that means. Peggy's day was significantly worse than usual. "Hey Peg," Angie calls out. Peggy just yells out a string of curses in exasperation. Angie can't help but giggle a bit. She stands from her seat at the table and walks into the front of the house where Peggy is hissing out curses while taking her coat off. "You okay Peg?" Angie asks. "No! These bloody wankers don't know how to do their fucking job and they treat me like absolute rubbish!" Peggy rambles, tears welling in her eyes. "And it's late, I'm overworked, I'm exhausted, it's cold, and I just don't know what to do anymore!" Angie opts to just pull Peggy into a hug. "It's okay Peg," Angie coos as Peggy bursts into sobs against her chest. The girls stand there for several minutes until Peggy finally stops crying so heavily. "Peg, tomorrow's Christmas Eve. Let's call you out the next couple days and you can stay here with me, okay?" Angie asks. Peggy nods and smiles, wiping tears from her cheeks. "What do you say I make us some hot chocolate and then we can go cuddle in bed?" Angie adds. "I'd really like that," Peggy giggles, sadness still apparent in her voice. Angie wraps one arm around Peggy's waist before walking her to the kitchen. Peggy sits at the table while Angie quickly makes their hot chocolate. Every so often Angie turns to look at Peggy who just zones out. "Peg?" Angie calls out as she carries the cups of hot chocolate to the table. "Hm?" Peggy hums, snapping from her thoughts. "You okay English?" Angie asks, setting the cups down. "Fine," Peggy shrugs. "Just thinking." "About what?" Angie asks, sipping from her cup. "Just...stuff," Peggy mutters, picking up her own cup. "SSR stuff?" Angie inquires. "More...war stuff," Peggy shrugs. "English," Angie coos. "You know nothing that happened was your fault." "I know," Peggy sighs. "But bad days like these make me think back to everything." "I know," Angie states. "But now you're here. With me. And everything's okay." Peggy nods and drinks more of her hot chocolate, averting her eyes from Angie's gaze. "English?" Angie asks. Peggy goes to set her cup down but it slips off the edge, shattering on the ground. "I-I'm so sorry, I-I can-" Peggy starts, but Angie quickly sets her hand on Peggy's, rubbing her thumb across the back of it. "Peggy," Angie soothes. "You're having an episode. It's okay. I'm here." Peggy nods as tears once more start falling down her face. "Let me get this cleaned up and then we can go to our room and cuddle, okay?" Angie asks. "Yeah," Peggy mutters through sobs. Angie smiles softly as she carefully collects the glass shards from the ground and throws them in the garbage. She carefully cleans the spill before holding her hand out to Peggy. "Let's go Peg," Angie smiles, helping Peggy up. Angie wraps her arm around Peggy's waist as she walks them both to their bedroom. "Let's get changed first and then we can cuddle, okay English?" Angie asks. Peggy nods and quickly grabs her sleep clothes before walking to the bathroom to change. Angie quickly changes herself before sitting on the bed and waiting for Peggy. Peggy slowly walks back into the room, tossing her work clothed on the ground. She walks over to the bed and just falls back, sighing as contact is made. "Peg," Angie soothes. "It's okay." Peggy inhales sharply before bursting out in sobs again. "Peg," Angie sighs, pulling Peggy against her. Peggy just sobs into Angie's chest, her arms wrapped around her. "It's okay English," Angie soothes, rubbing her thumb across Peggy's back. "I'm so useless," Peggy sobs. "You aren't, Peg," Angie assures. "You are the most useful person ever." "I'm a mistake," Peggy mutters. "Peggy," Angie coos. "And everything is my fault and I can never do anything right and I'm horrible at everything I do and-" Peggy is cut off by a soft kiss on her lips. "Peggy," Angie states, pulling back. "You are the most beautiful, smart, caring, lovely woman I've ever met. You, my love, are amazing and you deserve every bit of love you get." Peggy just nods and settles back on Angie's chest. "I shouldn't be crying, I'm supposed to be strong," Peggy mutters, wiping her tears. "You are strong Peg," Angie smiles. "The strongest girl ever. Even strong people need to cry sometimes. And that's okay." Peggy hums and snuggles closer to Angie. Angie lays down and allows Peggy to rest her head in the curve of her neck. Angie wraps her arms around the upset girl next to her, making her as comfortable as possible. It's not until Peggy's breathing is calm and stable that Angie tries to sleep. It's around 4am when Angie is woken. At first she's not sure why. That is until she hears Peggy begin to whine. She's shifting a lot and Angie begins to worry. "Peg?" Angie asks, wondering if she's awake or not. "No...stop...please!" Peggy whines. Angie can feel her heart breaking more with every word. "English, you gotta wake up," Angie ushers, shaking Peggy. "Please I want to live!" Peggy pleads, her eyes still screwed shut. "Peggy!" Angie exclaims. Peggy's eyes shoot open. She's breathing fast and heavily. "English, it's okay, I'm here," Angie soothes. Peggy nods, her breathing not wavering. Angie sits there with Peggy in her arms, whispering sweet words in her ears. "It's okay English, it's okay," Angie coos, rubbing her thumb along Peggy's back. "You're so strong my love. The strongest ever. You're so kind. You're so sweet. You're the bravest girl ever." After around an hour, Peggy is just laying there, toying with Angie's fingers. "You okay now English?" Angie asks. "Cold," Peggy whispers. Angie smiles gently. She had felt Peggy shivering in her arms and had wondered if she was going to say anything about it. "Here, take my sweater," Angie suggests, carefully taking off her sweater and putting it over Peggy's head. "But-" Peggy starts. "No. Just enjoy its warmth," Angie insists. Peggy nods and contently leans back against Angie. Smiling to herself, Angie kisses Peggy on the top of her head. Peggy fidgets with the box in her pocket. She's nervous but not sure why. "Come on English! I want you to see what I got you!" Angie exclaims, holding her hand out to Peggy. "Alright, let's go," Peggy smiles, taking Angie's hand. The two walk to the living room where their Christmas tree sits, presents underneath it. The presents are from their various friends that sit in the living room already. The group quickly starts opening their gifts, excited chatter filling the room. Peggy secludes herself, doing what she does best in times of anxiousness. She taps her fingers against her presents every time she opens them. Naturally Angie's was her favorite but go figure. It's a beautiful necklace with a pendant with their initials on it. "Thank you darling," Peggy smiles, running the chain along her hands. "And what did you get me?" Angie asks. "What do you mean?" Peggy questions, feeling her hands shaking. "Well none of the ones I opened were from you," Angie shrugs. "So where's mine?" Peggy takes a shaky breath, feeling the eyes on her. "Angie, darling," Peggy states, standing while fidgeting with her shaky hands. "You are the true love of my life. Truthfully. I have loved you since the moment I met you. You've helped me through so much and I truly would not have it any other way." "I love you too English," Angie giggles. "But what does this have to do with your present to me?" "Angie, I know we can't legally yet but I am I asking out of the bottom of my heart," Peggy explains, pulling the small box from her pocket and placing it in Angie's palm and keeping her fingers on the lid. "Angie Martinelli, will you marry me?" Peggy opens the lid of the box, revealing a beautiful ring with a diamond in the middle. Etched into the edges are the initials A+P. "Peg," Angie gasps, holding a hand to her mouth. The room is tense, waiting for Angie's answer. Tears run down Angie's cheeks as her smile widens. "Yes Peggy, yes!" Angie exclaims, drawing Peggy into a kiss. Peggy smiles as they separate and the others around them congratulate them. This just so happened to have turned out to be the best Christmas ever.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
"What are you thinking about Peg?" Steve asks as Peggy lays against the arm rest of the couch, tossing and catching a small ball she had found. "Steve, did you fall for anyone else besides me?" Peggy asks. "Well, I suppose a few, but now it's only you I want," Steve shrugs, kissing Peggy on the cheek. "Were they all in the future?" Peggy questions. "For the most part, yes," Steve explains. "Why didn't you stay with them?" Peggy asks. "Cause I wanted to see you Peggy," Steve smiles. "I need some time alone," Peggy sighs and stands, before walking into her bedroom and laying on the bed. Closing her eyes, Peggy exhales a breath of air she didn't even know she was holding. "Wow Peg, even at thirty-five you're killing it," a sharp feminine voice states. Peggy immediately sits up and draws her gun at the figure. The figure that happens to be Dorothy Underwood. "Calm down Peg, I'm not here to hurt you," Dottie scoffs. Peggy tilts her head skeptically. "I'm not here to hurt anyone Peggy. Seriously," Dottie adds. "Not you, not Steve, not even these guys." With the last words, Dottie places her hand carefully on Peggy's stomach. Peggy sets her gun into her holster with one hand and places her other hand on Dottie's. "Something tells me you knew I wasn't here to hurt anyone," Dottie notes, trailing her hand around Peggy's enlarged stomach. "Something tells me you're right," Peggy teases. "What are you here for Dottie?" "I'm here to help you escape Peg," Dottie sighs, crossing her arms. "Escape what?" Peggy asks, rubbing her stomach. "Peggy, we both know this isn't what you want," Dottie coos. "Of course it is!" Peggy laughs nervously. Dottie just stares at her until Peggy's fake smile fades. "Peg," Dottie says. "He came back to the past for me! He loves me so dearly, he did everything for me and never forgot me! He came back and we have a life Dottie," Peggy explains. "I can't tell him I don't love him like that anymore. Plus I'm 36 weeks pregnant Dot. I can't leave now." "Peggy. We both know you want so much more," Dottie sighs. "Let me help you." Peggy furrows her eyebrows, thinking for a moment. "What do you have in mind?" Peggy asks. "Pack your things. I'll take them to my car, you tell him you're leaving, I'll drive you away. You never have to look back," Dottie explains. "Care to help me pack then?" Peggy asks. "Always Peg," Dottie shrugs. Finally after forever it felt like, Peggy is fully packed. Dottie takes Peggy's bags and carefully goes out the window. "Meet me at my car, it's parked outside the front," Dottie explains. "Got it," Peggy nods and walks out of the room. "You okay now Peg?" Steve asks. "Steve...please forgive me for what I'm about to do," Peggy sighs, fidgeting with her fingers. "I'll always forgive you Peggy. What happened?" Steve asks. "I...I'm leaving you," Peggy states. "What?" Steve mutters in disbelief. "I know you came back for me but you're just not who I'm meant to be with and I need to escape, I need more, this is not what is supposed to happen, I can't live this secluded life just because you can't let anyone know you're here!" Peggy rambles. "Peggy, we can figure this out," Steve pleads. "For our kids we have to!" "No. My decision is final. Goodbye Steve," Peggy states, immediately walking out the door. Carefully Peggy runs over to the car and slides in. "You okay?" Dottie asks, peeling away from the house. "Stressed," Peggy sighs, adjusting her seat so her stomach's not pressed against the dashboard. "Don't stress too much, it's not good for the babies Peg," Dottie teases. Peggy just groans and presses her hand against her stomach. "They both giving you trouble?" Dottie asks. "Yes, they have been for weeks," Peggy sighs. "How'd you know there are two?" "You underestimate me Peg," Dottie points out. "How long have you been following me?" Peggy asks, furrowing her eyebrows. "Since the minute you left LA to go back to New York," Dottie explains. "You're insane," Peggy scoffs. "I take great pride in it Peg," Dottie laughs. Peggy smiles to herself. "I missed you Dottie," she notes. "I missed you too Peg," Dottie smiles. It's several hours before they get back to LA. They had to make a lot of stops but it was nothing either of them minded. They had to stop for almost half an hour at one point because Peggy was so nauseous that she couldn't function. The whole time Dottie was by her side, whispering soothing words in her ears. But now they were back in LA and Dottie knew immediately what had to happen. Before Steve had come back, Angie had moved to LA and gotten a job at a diner there (against her protesting) and Dottie had a feeling Peggy would be very happy to see her again. Peggy didn't know Angie had gotten a new job, just that she was in LA. "Why here? Couldn't we just go back to the Jarvis'?" Peggy asks. Dottie had told her about her deal with the Jarvis'. They helped her hide, against Edwin's will, and she made sure no-one hurt them again. "I have a feeling you'll want to be here," Dottie points out. She gets out of her car and helps Peggy out her side. Dottie walks them into the diner, immediately spotting Angie at the counter. The door opens and the bell rings which makes Angie's head turn. "ENGLISH!" Angie exclaims. She rushes around the counter but stops at the sight of Peggy's stomach. "Oh wow," Angie mutters. "I-it's-yeah," Peggy stutters, giving up on whatever her brain was trying to say. "I mean, damn girl you look good but wow, you're..." Angie trails off. "Huge, I know," Peggy scoffs, placing her hand on her stomach. Angie quickly and carefully pulls Peggy into a hug. "I missed you English," Angie whispers. "I missed you too Angie," Peggy replies. "I just got off the clock, we should go back to the Jarvis'!" Angie exclaims. "I agree," Peggy nods, looking up at Dottie. "Let's go then," Dottie shrugs, leading the girls out. "Oh how good it is to be back," Peggy sighs as the car pulls into the driveway. "Indeed, indeed," Dottie smiles. "Then let's go in! Let's not wait a second more!" Angie exclaims, kissing Dottie on the cheek and hopping out of her door. Angie quickly helps Peggy out of her door and both Angie and Dottie walk her to the house. "I'm home!" Angie calls out. "Welcome home Angie!" Ana greets, walking in from the kitchen. She then spots the two other girls. "Ms Carter! Ms Underwood!" Ana exclaims, running over to them. She hugs each of them individually. "I'm so glad you guys are back!" Ana giggles. "It's lovely to be home," Peggy sighs. "I'm just glad I convinced you," Dottie scoffs. "It didn’t take a lot," Peggy laughs. Her facial expression quickly changes as a wave of nausea sets in and she runs to the bathroom, leaving the other three alone. "So what was that?" Ana asks, smirking. "She's 36 weeks pregnant," Dottie explains. "With twins." "36 weeks and she didn't even call and tell us?" Angie exclaims. "Her boyfriend didn't let her," Dottie shrugs. "Of course not," Angie scoffs. "I honestly could never have imagined Ms Carter getting in a controlling relationship like that," Ana notes. "Me either, she just up and left!" Angie exclaims. "The guy was someone she knew that she thought she liked, it's a lot for her," Dottie shrugs. "I feel bad. I'm glad you brought her back," Angie notes. "Me too Angel," Dottie smiles, kissing Angie on the forehead. "I'm gonna go make sure Peg is okay." Dottie quickly walks to the bathroom and knocks on the door. "Peg, are you okay hun?" Dottie calls. In response she hears Peggy vomit again. Dottie carefully open the door and walks in. She carefully pulls Peggy's hair back and kneels next to her. "It's okay Peg," Dottie coos. "God I regret everything," Peggy groans. "It'll be okay Peg," Dottie whispers. "I hurt all over and I'm so nauseous," Peggy mutters. "It's okay Peg, only a little longer till it's over," Dottie soothes as Peggy vomits again. "God I can't wait," Peggy mumbles. "I actually want kids, I don't want this." "I know honey," Dottie soothes. Peggy just leans her head against Dottie's shoulder. "Morning sickness is kicking my ass," Peggy sighs. "Has been since the beginning." "I know honey," Dottie coos. Peggy relaxes against Dottie's shoulder, humming contently. Silence envelopes the girls for several minutes. "Dottie," Peggy says suddenly, breaking the silence. "Yes honey?" Dottie asks. "My water just broke," Peggy mutters. Dottie immediately snaps back to reality. "Oh my god, we have to get you to the hospital!" Dottie exclaims. "Yeah," Peggy nods. "Someone start the car, Peggy's water broke!" Dottie yells, helping Peggy up. "Oh fuck," Peggy groans, clutching one of her hands to Dottie's and the other to the side of her stomach. The door swings open, Angie rushing to Peggy. "Okay, Peg, wow this is happening," Angie rambles, grabbing Peggy's hand. "Let's go," Dottie nods and Angie and Dottie basically drag Peggy to the car.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
The last thing Violet expected was a loud, rapid knocking on her door. It was her day off and she wasn't expecting anyone. She carefully opens the door, not knowing what she expected. In fact, what she sees is what she least expects. Peggy standing there with an unconscious woman in her arms. "Sorry to barge in but please help her," Peggy pleads. "I'm on the run right now." "Oh, uhm, okay," Violet stutters, letting Peggy enter and lay the unconscious woman on her couch. Violet shuts the door and walks over to the couch. The woman there is excessively bleeding out from her abdomen, it looks like a stab wound. It goes all the way through, similar to Peggy's a few days ago. The woman looks familiar but Violet can't quite put a finger on it. "What happened?" Violet asks, running to grab her first aid. "She was impaled. Tried to escape capture and fell onto a rather pointy post," Peggy explains, pressing a cloth to the woman's abdomen. "She wouldn't have gotten proper care anywhere else, being a criminal but I knew you would help." Violet quickly grabs the bottle of alcohol from her case. "Go boil some water, I'll handle this," Violet states. Peggy nods and takes off towards the kitchen while Violet tries to stop the bleeding. Faint groans come from the woman, making Violet worry she might be waking. Her worry ended up right as Violet presses the cloth against the woman's abdomen again and the woman gasps, her eyes shooting open. "Hey, hey, it's okay!" Violet soothes, instinctively grabbing the woman's hand. "W-who...w-where...w-what..." The woman stutters, her eyes rapidly scanning the room. The voice is what finally clicks in Violet's head. The woman lying on her couch who is bleeding out is famous actress, Whitney Frost. In shock, Violet pulls the cloth from Whitney's wound, noticing the now thankfully controlled bleeding. "Uhm, my names Violet, you're at my place so I can help you, and you might want to brace yourself cause this will hurt," Violet rambles, opening the alcohol and pouring it onto Whitney's abdomen. Whitney screams as the liquid hits her wound, pain surging through her body. She hadn't felt pain in ages since the zero matter had been in her blood stream but with it gone now she felt every single bit of pain. The tears flow down her face as Violet cleans and dresses the wound, stitching her shut. When the wounds are finally properly dressed, Violet looks back at Whitney. She's still crying and breathing heavily, her nails of her left hand digging into her own right forearm. Violet quickly peels her hand away, to which Whitney flinches and goes for an attack. Peggy quickly blocks her as Violet just runs her fingers across Whitney's hand. "It's okay, I won't hurt you," Violet assures. Whitney slowly settles back, her breath hitching on her tears. "It's okay," Violet soothes, intertwining her fingers with Whitney's. Her hand is cold, likely from blood loss. "Peg, she's lost a lot of blood, her body temp is low," Violet notes. "What's the best way to warm her up?" Peggy asks. "Blankets and skin to skin contact," Violet recalls. "I'll grab blankets, you figure the second bit out," Peggy explains, standing and rushing to find blankets. Violet contemplates her next movements before grabbing the, in retrospect rather thin, blanket off the top of the couch, helping Whitney sit up and wrapping the blanket around the both of them, Violet holding Whitney close to her. "Cold," Whitney shudders. "I know, it's alright," Violet soothes, trying to give as much skin contact as possible. "Peggy will be back with blankets in a minute." Whitney nods, laying her head against Violet's chest weakly. "Got them!" Peggy exclaims, walking in with a few blankets in hand. She carefully wraps them around the girls, Whitney settling more and more with each one. She stopped crying a few minutes prior, so now she just sat there, head against Violet's chest, eyes fluttering with exhaustion. "I'll have to wait to take her into the SSR tomorrow and somehow get me off the hook, do you think we could stay here tonight?" Peggy asks. "Of course," Violet smiles. "I have a spare room that you can stay in and I'll handle her, I'm sure you're exhausted." "I'd be careful. She's extremely dangerous," Peggy notes, trying but failing to stiffle a yawn. "I'm right here," Whitney mumbles before groaning as pain sets through her body. "I can handle it Peg," Violet assures. "Plus her body temp is still low, I'll need to monitor her." Peggy nods hesitantly before walking away to the spare room. Violet peels her eyes away from the English woman to look at the woman lying against her chest. Her hair's a mess and her clothes are tattered. Her skin is still freezing but she's starting to gain color back in her face. Her tired blue eyes stare back at Violet as she grips her hand tighter. "You're going to be okay," Violet assures. "The post missed anything vital." Whitney nods and closes her eyes, leaning further against Violet's chest. "You want to go sleep?" Violet asks. Whitney nods again, sighing from exhaustion. Violet carefully helps the girl up to which she winces and whimpers in pain. "I've got you Whitney," Violet soothes, walking with the girl to her room. She helps settle Whitney in bed and starts to get up to grab the other blankets from the living room but Whitney tightens her hold on Violet's hand and yanks her back to the mattress. Thoughts race through Violet's mind in this moment. Was Peggy right? Was Whitney going to do this to try to escape? But all these questions are answered when Whitney simply holds Violet against her. Whitney's eyes flutter, trying to fight the exhaustion with no use. Her lips are a shade of pale blue as it seems she gets colder. "Are you injured anywhere else Whitney?" Violet asks in a panic. "I don't...I don't know," Whitney breathes. Violet carefully checks the rest of Whitney's body but finds no apparent injuries. "We need to get you to a hospital, clearly something is wrong," Violet points out. Whitney's breath hitches, her body beginning to shake once more. Her eyes begin to flutter shut, no air entering or exiting her lungs. "Hey, hey, breathe! You need to breathe!" Violet exclaims, surely too loudly, shaking Whitney's arms. Whitney shakes her head her eyes cloudy, as if in a hallucination. In Violet's panic, she can only think of one way to give Whitney the air she needs. Violet takes a deep breath and brings her mouth down to Whitney's, breathing warm air into Whitney's mouth. Whitney practically melts into the touch, white knuckle grip on Violet's hands. When Violet pulls away, Whitney breathes out and back in, finally able to breathe better. Her lips settle back to pale pink, warmth surging through her body. Violet sighs in relief, still on top of Whitney. Whitney just stares into Violet's eyes, seemingly mesmerized. "Kiss me again," Whitney states plainly. Violet's relieved face quickly turns to shock and confusion. "Please that felt really good I want to feel that again," Whitney pleads, eyes hungry with lust. "If you're okay with it." "I...okay?" Violet mutters. She carefully places her lips back on Whitney's. Whitney slowly pulls her right hand up and around Violet's neck, pulling her in closer. Violet hums contently, an unknown feeling surging through her brain. She keeps her mouth directly over Whitney's, pushing her tongue past her teeth, emmitting a quiet moan from Whitney's throat. "I heard a yell and this is what came from it?" A voice startles the girls into breaking the kiss. "Oh, Peggy, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to yell," Violet rambles, hurrying back off of Whitney. "I asked you to help her, not make out with her!" Peggy exclaims. "I-we-that wasn't-" Violet stammers but is cut off by Whitney pulling her back down against her lips. Violet immediately kisses back, humming. They can hear Peggy's frustrated sigh as she leaves and closes the door. As they pull away at last, they breathe heavily. "You should rest," Violet pants. "But I don't want to have to leave," Whitney breathes. "We'll figure that out," Violet states. "But you were impaled and lost a lot of blood. Sleep. Doctor's orders." "Only because you said so gorgeous," Whitney coos, bringing one hand to brush hair out of Violet's face. Violet smiles as she backs off once more, settling beside the older woman.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Dottie had finally completed her mission. It had gone on for months and FINALLY she had killed the target. So as Dottie walks through a back alley, she expected none of what she saw. Peggy walks along the opening of the alley. Well, walks is too strong of a word. More stumbles. Dottie immediately begins to worry that someone hurt her. No-one but her was allowed to hurt her Peggy. But upon further observation, Peggy was not injured. In fact, she had a quarter full bottle of vodka in her hand. Dottie carefully walks down the alley to Peggy who leans back against one of the walls and drinks another swig of the vodka. "Peg," Dottie coos, walking directly in front of Peggy now as she attempts to finish the vodka. "Dottie!" Peggy giggles, moving the bottle, a bit of vodka dripping from the sides of her mouth. "That's enough of this," Dottie sighs, taking the vodka bottle from Peggy. "Whyyyyyyyyyy?" Peggy whines, stumbling forward into Dottie's arms. "Because sober Peggy would not be letting me anywhere near her," Dottie scoffs. "But you're so prettyyy, why would I not let you near meeeee?" Peggy slurs, wrapping her arms around Dottie's shoulders. "Thank you, drunk Agent Carter, but sober Agent Carter doesn't agree," Dottie points out. "Yes she doessss!" Peggy giggles. "Sober Peggy thinks about our kiss all the timeeee!" Dottie raises her eyebrows in shock. "Oh?" She questions. "Yeah!" Peggy exclaims before bursting into a fit of giggles. "What's so funny there Carter?" Dottie asks, still processing the entire situation. Peggy just presses her lips to Dottie's. Dottie gasps in surprise before pulling herself away. "Why'd you leaveeeee?" Peggy slurs. "I'm not going to take advantage of your drunk state Peggy," Dottie states plainly. "I may be your enemy but I'm not evil." Peggy just keeps giggling as Dottie determines a plan. Dottie quickly and quietly grabs Peggy's hand and drags her to her getaway car. Peggy quietly hums to herself as Dottie speeds off towards Peggy's place. She only knew where she was staying due to a spying job near her residency. Parking just outside of Peggy's place, Dottie helps Peggy out of the car and into the building. She settles the still giggly Peggy into bed. "Peggy, sleep please, we'll talk in the morning," Dottie assures. "Okayyyy," Peggy slurs, yawning and almost immediately falling asleep. Dottie smiles softly as she shuts the door and walks out to the couch. As Peggy begins to wake, a throbbing pain sets in her head and stomach and really just her whole body if she's honest. She immediately presses her hand to her head, groaning. She tries to skrunch her eyes shut to block out the piercing light but it's not helping. She just wants to roll over and go back to sleep. However, the moment she rolls over on her stomach, nausea overtakes her and she vomits on the ground next to her bed, not having time, energy, or strength to even get up. "I see you're up," a feminine voice coos as the door to the room opens. Peggy turns her head to look and sees none other than Dottie Underwood standing there. "What are you doing here?" Peggy groans, trying to prevent anything else besides words from exiting her mouth. "Found you stumbling down an alleyway last night," Dottie explains, walking over and grabbing a trash can for Peggy and handing it to her. "You were pretty fucking wasted." "I had a bad day," Peggy notes before puking again, this time thankfully in a trash can. Dottie carefully pulls Peggy's hair back and out of the way. "I could tell," Dottie laughs. "Drunk Agent Carter had some fun things to say." "Please don't tell me I said something stupid," Peggy groans, placing one arm around her stomach. "Nothing particularly," Dottie shrugs, deciding against telling Peggy about the kiss. "Do you want me to get you anything?" "Water. And drugs," Peggy states. "I can only assume an agent like you means Tylenol," Dottie laughs, standing and walking to the kitchen and grabbing the items. As she walks back in she sees Peggy leaning back against the headrest, groaning excessively. "I suggest waiting for the vomiting to be over before you take the Tylenol," Dottie suggests, handing Peggy the bottle of water. "Yeah I'll take that advice," Peggy mutters, taking a long drink of the water. "Don't drink too much at once that will only make you puke more," Dottie points out. "Dottie, I'm too hungover to care," Peggy states, drinking another long drink. Her words quickly come back to bite her in the ass when she gags and immediately vomits everything back up. "Told you," Dottie scoffs, placing a comforting hand on Peggy's shoulder. "Suck a dick you fucking wanker," Peggy groans. Dottie just sits there with Peggy for another hour before she stops puking excessively. Dottie hands the Tylenol to Peggy who downs them quickly in hopes that it will help her pounding head and even worse stomachache. She gags almost at the taste alone, thankfully managing to keep the pills down. "God that's aweful!" Peggy exclaims, drinking water in an attempt to flush out the taste in the back of her throat. "I'm never drinking vodka again." "Vodka's my favorite," Dottie scoffs, arm wrapped around Peggy's shoulders. Peggy nods. Peggy would never admit it to anyone but that happened to be the exact reason she had chosen vodka to begin with. She knew it was the Russian's favorite. Suddenly an almost stabbing pain surges through Peggy's entire body. She gasps and whines in pain, her hand shooting up to Dottie's. "Hey, what's wrong?" Dottie asks, worry present in her voice. "God it all hurts," Peggy whines, squeezing Dottie's hand. "Where? Where does it hurt?" Dottie questions, holding Peggy's closest to her. "My head, my stomach, my body, it all hurts," Peggy groans. "It's okay Peg, the Tylenol will kick in soon," Dottie soothes. "I'm going to use the bathroom, I'll be back," Peggy mutters, standing and grabbing hold of the walls as not to fall over. Dottie carefully moves the rug that ended up soaked in vomit on the side of Peggy's bed and stands to take it to the laundry. She walks through the house and sets the rug to be washed before going to the kitchen to grab herself a snack. There she sees Peggy. She has a bottle of whiskey pressed to her mouth and is clearly attempting to chug it. About a quarter of the bottle is already gone. "PEGGY NO," Dottie exclaims, rushing to Peggy's side. Peggy drops the bottle in surprise and it shatters on the ground. "Oh bullocks," Peggy slurs, stumbling backwards. "Peggy, why would you do that?" Dottie asks. "I can't be hungover if I'm drunk Dot," Peggy states. "That will only make you feel worse," Dottie points out. Peggy groans and places an arm around her stomach. "Come on honey, let's go back to bed," Dottie coos, putting her arm around Peggy. Peggy nods, placing her other hand to her mouth. They don't get more than a few steps before Peggy stumbles to the kitchen sink, vomiting while clutching the edge of the sink. Dottie sighs before walking back over to Peggy, putting her arm around her waist. "It's okay honey," Dottie soothes, running her fingers through Peggy's messy ponytail. "God my stomach," Peggy groans, gagging again. "I know Peg, I know," Dottie coos, leaning her head against Peggy's. Peggy sways on her feet as she stands there, vomiting multiple more times. Finally after a few minutes Peggy manages to hold out at least long enough for Dottie to bring her back to her room. Peggy curls up under the blanket, her arms wrapped around her stomach, groaning in pain. "Do you normally get this sick when you drink?" Dottie inquires. "Only when I drink a lot," Peggy groans. "But my stomachache usually goes away after a few hours." "Well then we can hope I guess," Dottie points out. Peggy just groans in return, rolling over onto her back. "Please don't lay on your back, if you fall asleep you'll choke on your vomit," Dottie warns. "Why do you care so much?" Peggy asks. "I need someone to match my skill level," Dottie jokes, sitting next to Peggy. Peggy just stares at Dottie. The alcohol surges through her veins as she tests her luck. She grabs Dottie's shoulders and pulls her lips crashing into hers. Dottie hums in confusion until Peggy pulls away. "Dottie I've been in love with you since the moment I saw you, I've never stopped thinking about our kiss since it happened, I can't wait to chase you for the rest of your life, and..." Peggy rambles before trailing off and gagging. Dottie sits there in shock, trying to comprehend everything. "Mm!" Peggy hums, tapping Dottie's shoulder which snaps her out of her trance. "Oh shit, sorry!" Dottie rambles, grabbing the trash can beside the bed and handing it to Peggy milliseconds before she once again begins violently puking her guts out. Dottie hesitantly places her hand on Peggy's shoulder, trying to comfort her while still comprehending the situation. After around five minutes straight, Peggy finally stops vomiting, groaning as she wipes her mouth with the back of her hand. "I'm going to choose to ignore your very intimate love confession because you're violently ill and still drunk," Dottie explains, beginning to stand. "In fact, I'm going to head out because once you're better you're going to attempt to turn me in." "No!" Peggy exclaims, grabbing Dottie's hand. Dottie turns in confusion. "Dottie, I'm not drunk, I'm hungover and tipsy from the whiskey, this is not alcohol talking, this is me, Dottie I'm in love with you and I want to be with you, no matter how frowned upon it is!" Peggy explains. Dottie just stares at her, shocked. "You're being serious?" Dottie mutters. "I'm being entirely serious," Peggy states. Dottie sits back down on the bed, still staring at Peggy. "How can I know this isn't the alcohol?" Dottie questions. "Because I'm choosing not to kiss you again because I'm about to be sick for the millionth time but drunk Peggy would go for it," Peggy rambles, her face once again going paper white. Dottie sits there, her arm wrapped around Peggy, trying her best to comfort her as she groans and whines while she vomits again. After another five minutes Peggy just sighs and lays her head on Dottie's shoulder. "How do you have so much in that little body of yours?" Dottie questions, rubbing her thumb along Peggy's shoulder. "I don't know," Peggy mumbles, exhaustion apparent in her voice. "You think you can try to sleep again?" Dottie asks. "Maybe," Peggy mutters. Dottie sets the trash can down beside the bed before helping Peggy back under the covers. "Stay with me?" Peggy asks. "Of course," Dottie smiles, laying next to Peggy. Peggy just curls up next to Dottie, her head in the curve of her neck. "How's the pain?" Dottie asks. "Horrible," Peggy sighs. "But it'll go." Dottie smiles as Peg drifts off.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Angie hated this huge house. She thought that one day she would love living in a huge house, not even worrying about bills or food because other people are handling them. But she hated it. She was so alone. Peggy had left for LA over a year ago. She hadn't called or written. She just left. So now it was just Angie. And she hated it. She was lonely and she hated it. She had quit her job at the diner months ago so now she just had occasional auditions. Not that she had landed any yet but she enjoyed them. Angie had picked up cooking a lot too so she was very glad her ingredients were payed for by Howard. But other than that she felt so alone. It was late, sometime after eleven surely, and it was freezing in the house. With how big the house was paired with the winter weather, it got cold fast. Angie is laying on the couch, curled up under a large wool blanket but was still freezing. The radio was playing while Angie sipped on a glass of whiskey. She's not a huge drinker but she does splurge on occasions. She just lays there, sipping. She had nothing better to do. That was until she heard a door squeal open. She almost immediately shoots up, grabbing a pocket knife from the table. Angie says nothing. She's seen the horror films. You stay quiet and pray the killer doesn't find you. The second part is what Angie does not do. She carefully makes her way towards the noise, extremely on guard. She stands in the doorway of the entrance, knife at the ready, looking for the sound, when she sees a taller woman. "English?" Angie asks. The woman snaps her head around with wide eyes. "Angie! Darling, you're awake!" Peggy exclaims, pulling Angie into a hug. "Gosh English, you scared me half to death!" Angie scoffs, discarding the knife on a table nearby. "Sorry darling, I thought you'd be asleep by now or out doing something at least," Peggy laughs, shrugging off her blazer. "It's awfully cold in here." "Yeah it's freezing since it's winter," Angie sighs, wrapping her arms around herself. "Well let's go to bed, perhaps it will be warmer in the morning," Peggy suggests. "Yeah that's a good idea," Angie admits. "But then you totally have to tell me all about your time in LA and why you never wrote or called!" "Absolutely darling," Peggy smiles. Angie pulls her in for one more hug before both girls head to their rooms for bed. She couldn't sleep. She was so used to the warm LA nights that she could not sleep. It was freezing and she couldn't handle it. Even with the blankets on top of her, Peggy could not get comfortable. So she resulted in the last resort. She carefully gets out of bed, holding her robe around her. She walks through the hall, wandering towards Angie's room. Peggy had no idea if Angie would even be okay with what Peggy wanted to do. But quite frankly, Peggy had been out all day and she just wanted to sleep. She carefully opens the door to see Angie sitting there, awake, reading a letter while under several blankets. Angie looks up when she realizes the door had opened. "Hey English, did you need something?" Angie asks, smiling brightly. "I was just wondering, and feel free to say no, if you wanted to maybe sleep in the same bed as a way to conserve warmth," Peggy rambles. "And it's okay if you don't want to it's just cold and neither of us can sleep clearly and I just was y'know." Angie giggles a bit. "Same old overly awkward Peggy," she laughs. "Come here, come sit down." Peggy closes the door and carefully walks over to the bed, sitting down next to Angie and sliding under the covers. "What are you reading?" Peggy asks, leaning her head against Angie's shoulder. "A letter my ma wrote, it came in the mail today and I'm just reading it now," Angie explains, setting the letter on her side table. Peggy hums and scoots closer to Angie. "You never wrote me," Angie sighs. "Or called." "I know," Peggy mutters. "I got busy with work and friends, there was a lot going on, plus the whole Dottie thing." "She still causing you guys trouble?" Angie scoffs. "Unfortunately," Peggy laughs. "Why'd you stay away so long?" Angie asks. "Daniel and I became an item for a while before I realized I wanted to come back home to you," Peggy explains. "You and the crutch guy?" Angie questions. "Yeah, him," Peggy shrugs. Angie nods and lays her head against Peggy's. "I missed you English," Angie smiles. "I missed you too darling," Peggy coos. "More than words can express." The next morning wasn't much better. It never was. "You think with Howard's money he'd get some bloody heaters in here!" Peggy snarls, shivering under the freezing air. It was so cold you could just barely see your breath and compared to the stale LA heat, Peggy wasn't a fan. "You get at least a bit used to it eventually," Angie scoffs, pouring herself coffee. "Do you want anything?" "I'll make myself some tea in a bit, once my teeth stop chattering from the cold," Peggy sighs, rubbing her hands together for warmth. "Have you seriously been living in this the entire winter?" "Unfortunately," Angie shrugs, sipping from her mug. "Well that ends now because I'm calling Howard, this is ridiculous!" Peggy snaps, standing and grabbing the nearest telephone. Angie listens and giggles as Peggy stands there, scolding Howard the entire time. When she finally docks the phone, Angie smirks. "Turns out there are heaters but he neglected to turn them on," Peggy sighs. "How dare he," Angie giggles. "He's going to get them turned on soon, don't worry," Peggy assures. "It's a shame, I enjoyed cuddling together for warmth, made me feel like penguins," Angie jokes. Peggy laughs as she pours herself tea and sits down. "We still have a bit till he can get them turned on so we have a few more hours of penguin huddling," Peggy laughs. "Oh thank goodness, thought my penguin days were over," Angie giggles. "So what have you been up to since I was in LA?" Peggy asks. "Oh nothing much. Not much work so really I've been sitting around and doing the occasional audition," Angie shrugs. "How have you not bored yourself to death?" Peggy gawks. "I almost did, thank goodness you showed up," Angie points out. "You have any friends you go out with?" Peggy asks. "Sometimes. I haven't gone out in a while since I got almost blackout and had a raging hangover the next day," Angie shivers at the memory. "That bad?" Peggy giggles. "Oh it was horrible," Angie sighs. "Had a terrible migrane and couldn't move without nausea killing me." "Sounds like hell," Peggy points out. "It was," Angie nods. "Any boyfriends since I left?" Peggy asks. Angie laughs loudly at that question. "Please, guys aren't exactly my thing," Angie scoffs. "No? You don't think you'll find someone to settle down with?" Peggy inquires. Angie shifts a bit. Angie knew that she didn't like guys from a young age but definitely wasn't public about it. Especially to her roommate who she was completely violets over. "Maybe one day but they have to be perfect," Angie settles at this answer. The use of "they" and not "he" did not go unnoticed by Peggy. However, she moves on from it. She shrugs it off as just an Angie thing, not wanting to get her hopes up. "So what made you decide to come back home English?" Angie asks. "I told you last night, I wanted to come back to you," Peggy laughs. This was the complete truth. "All for me? Really?" Angie questions. "Of course, you're my best friend Angie," Peggy nods. This was also technically true. "So really no other reason?" Angie pushes. "None at all Angie," Peggy shakes her head. That's the lie. After the realization that Peggy didn't really love Daniel she had hoped maybe by coming home she would work up the courage to ask Angie out. It did not work. She still had zero idea how to even bring up the topic. So instead she goes back to sipping her tea awkwardly. Later in the day, Howard still hasn't turned on the heaters and Peggy was still freezing. "Bloody Nora, Angie, how did you deal with this cold for so long!?" Peggy exclaims, her arms wrapped around herself. "Like I said, you get used to it eventually," Angie giggles at the sight of Peggy all wrapped up in several of her blazers. "It's bloody freezing Angie!" Peggy repeats. "Come sit with me, we can huddle for warmth," Angie laughs. Peggy sighs and sits next to Angie who wraps her arms around her. "Better?" Angie asks. "Much," Peggy hums. The girls sit there for several hours, talking about nonsense. At some point Angie had grabbed a bottle of Schnapps that they both were drinking from. Both girls were more than slightly tipsy which happened to be exactly the courage Peggy needed. "Mmm, Angie," Peggy hums, her head resting on Angie's lap. "You ever think about kissing other girls?" "Now how'd you know I'm a complete violet?" Angie giggles. "Just a hunch," Peggy laughs, sitting up just to lay her head against Angie's chest. "You ever think about kissing me?" "All the time," Angie blurts before clasping her hand to her mouth. "I'm sorry I shouldn't have said that!" "It's okay darling, the feeling is mutual," Peggy coos, lifting her head to press a kiss to Angie's lips. "We're drunk English," Angie notes, though not refusing the kiss. Peggy ignores her and kisses her again. Angie wraps her arms around Peggy's waist, pulling her closer. Both girls hum as the kiss deepens, seemingly everything both of them wanted. Peggy tries to bring Angie's nightgown up but Angie grabs her hand, stopping her. "Not while we're drunk Pegs," Angie points out. "Wait till we're sober." "Okay," Peggy smiles, kissing Angie on the lips again before setting back against her chest. They fall asleep together on the couch that night. Neither of them happened to realize that the heat had been turned on.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Violet was in shock when they had said it. The first part just wasn't what had done it. They got criminals in the ER all the time. But when her friend, Rebecca, had told her who it was, she almost believed she was playing a joke on her. "The criminal patient is Whitney Frost!" Rebecca explains. "What!?" Violet exclaims in shock. "Yeah she was just brought into your bay!" Rebecca giggles. "Wait, Whitney Frost is a criminal?" Violet questions. "Yeah, something with the higher government or something but now she's insane," Rebecca explains. "Well clearly," Violet scoffs. "No, like, she has some advanced form of delusions, she's LITERALLY insane," Rebecca elaborates. "Oh holy shit, what's wrong with her?" Violet asks. "I actually-" "Nurse Violet, you're needed on your bay!" A male voice calls out. "I'll tell you the tea after," Violet notes, running over to the room they wheeled the gurney into. There, in fact, lay famous actress Whitney Frost. She was handcuffed to the gurney rails and was rambling some random nonsense. Blood was pouring from presumably a cut or something on the back of her head. She had scratches along her face that seemed that they hadn't been tended to. "What's wrong with her, what happened?" Violet asks, prepping an IV. "Reportedly she slammed her head against a metal railing multiple times," one of the other nurses explains. "They didn't notice until five-ish minutes later." "How long has it been since then?" Violet asks, directing her questions to the man that had come in with the actress, all while hanging the blood and IV and carefully inserting the tube. "Around twenty minutes," the man replies. "We need pressure to that wound or she's going to lose too much blood," the doctor explains. Violet carefully takes a handkerchief and presses it to the back of Whitney's head. The woman's rambling had lessened to a mumble and she seemed to be on the brink of consciousness. At the touch, Whitney looks up at the nurse, eyes heavy with exhaustion. She doesn't remember when last she saw anything real. But on whatever Gods existed, she hoped the woman in front of her was real. Violet stares ahead, listening to the doctor's instructions. "Pretty nurse," she hears Whitney whisper, barely audible above the doctor's speaking. Violet looks down at the now peacefully unconscious woman. Had she imagined it? Violet shakes it off as she tunes back into the doctor's discussion. "With how the wound is positioned, we'll have to sedate her to stitch it, and I'll look for any damage to the bones and internal structure while I do so," the doctor concludes. "So she'll be here roughly a day or two for recovery if nothing else is wrong." The man nods and the doctor takes over Violet's role, ordering the others to get everything prepped. "Go on lunch Violet, come back when you're done, we'll need you," the doctor states. "Yes sir," Violet nods, moving around the people in the room to head out. She sighs as she grabs her food and sits down at the table with Rebecca. "So? What's wrong with her?" Rebecca questions almost the second Violet sits down. "Okay, damn, chill, I just sat down Becca," Violet scoffs. "Okay, okay, sorry!" Rebecca laughs. "But seriously, what happened?" "Well, she slammed her head into a metal railing multiple times so she's bleeding from her head, I think there's probably internal damage but they'll figure that out when they go to stitch her," Violet recalls. "Oh wow," Rebecca gasps. "Is she as insane as they say she is?" "She was rambling the whole time," Violet laughs. "And then right before she went unconscious she called me 'Pretty Nurse'." "Damn, I mean, that's got to be a major compliment coming from THE Whitney Frost, even if she is heavily delusional," Rebecca points out. "True," Violet shrugs. Violet had been right. Before the doctor had been able to stitch Whitney Frost's head, he had noticed a break in one of the bones along with minor nerve damage. While her case wasn't urgent, they were getting an OR ready for her. Whitney's eyes flutter open. She's definitely not fully there but she's not sure that it's her delusions. She looks at her arm and spots the IV and concludes pain meds. She looks around the room, spotting a woman with blonde hair in a bun shaped like a rose, a nurse's outfit, and small heeled white shoes. The nurse from earlier. "You're...real?" Whitney mutters, cocking her head. Violet spins around and sees the clearly very loopy woman. "Well I would hope so," she scoffs, walking over to the IV bag. "You weren't supposed to wake up before your surgery, I apologize for that." "Surgery?" Whitney asks. "Yeah, you have a broken bone in the back of your head and minor nerve damage so they're going to fix it," Violet explains. "You can't feel it because you are on Morphine." Whitney just hums and nods. "Since you're awake and seem lucid enough though, I do have a question to ask," Violet explains. Whitney cocks her head, waiting for Violet to continue. "You called me 'Pretty Nurse' earlier," Violet points out. "What was that about?" "You're pretty! And you're a nurse," Whitney laughs. Violet can feel her cheeks getting warm as she takes the compliment in again. "Well, uhm, thank you Mrs Frost," Violet laughs nervously. "Oh, it's not Mrs anymore, my husband died because of the Zero Matter," Whitney giggles. Very quickly Whitney's smile drops as she brings her free hand to her face, trailing the side of it. "Ms Frost?" Violet questions. She can hear Whitney's breathing pick up. She clenches her teeth and digs her fingernails into the side of her face. Violet, acting solely on instinct, grabs Whitney's hand and pulls it away. "Hey, hey, look at me!" Violet exclaims, holding Whitney's free hand away from her. Whitney's eyes shoot to Violet's. They're icey blue but warm, gentle, and kind. They're scared but knowing. Whitney can feel any delusions she was having melt away around her. All she can see, all she can hear, all she cares about is the sweet nurse in front of her. Whitney's fingers wrap around the soft hand holding hers. "You're okay," Violet soothes, rubbing her thumb across the side of Whitney's hand. She's not sure why, but Whitney feels safe here. "Oh, she's awake!" The surprised doctor exclaims behind Violet. "She is, she was having a bad delusion so I helped bring her out of it," Violet smiles. "She's never come out of them for someone before," the man that brought Whitney in notes. "Well, the OR is ready for her now," the doctor explains. Violet nods and goes to remove her hand from Whitney's when she tightens her grip. "Don't leave me!" Whitney cries out. Violet just stares back in shock. "I, uhm, can I stay with her until the anesthesia kicks in?" Violet asks. "I...guess that can work," the doctor shrugs. Whitney looks up at Violet who smiles sweetly. The surgery goes well, much to everyone's relief. While waiting for the anesthesia to wear off, Violet chats casually with Rebecca. "She seems comfortable with you," Rebecca notes. "Yeah, I tend to be that way with patients," Violet shrugs. "No, like, she seems COMFORTABLE with you," Rebecca elaborates. "Don't be ridiculous," Violet sighs, covering her face with her hand. "Oh come on, your name isn't Violet for nothing, girls FLOCK to you," Rebecca taunts. "They do not," Violet scoffs. "Do you know how many of the nurses have had a thing for you?" Rebecca asks. "The answer is most of them." "Still," Violet sighs. "So if she asked you out would you go with her?" Rebecca questions. "Well, I mean, maybe, but only if she asked," Violet mutters, feeling her face redden. "Nurse Violet, your patient is awake," a nurse explains. "Thank you," Violet nods, flashing a dirty look at Rebecca. She walks into the room where Whitney is looking around aimlessly. "Ms Frost?" Violet calls out. Whitney's eyes immediately snap to Violet. "Hi pretty nurse!" Whitney greets with a smile. "My name’s Violet, for the record," Violet scoffs, walking over to the bed. "How are you feeling?" "Better now that you're here," Whitney taunts. "Very funny, you know what I meant," Violet points out, feeling the blush run up her cheeks. "My head hurts," Whitney sighs. "Well, that's to be expected, you did have head surgery," Violet shrugs. "Hold my hand?" Whitney asks, offering her free hand. Violet sighs and takes it. Whitney's fingers intertwine with Violet's and she treasures this moment. "How long is my recovery time?" Whitney asks, squeezing Violet's hand probably tighter than necessary. "Around a week," Violet states, sitting on the edge of the bed. "Will you stay with me?" Whitney almost whispers. "My shift ends in an hour so I'll stay until I have to leave," Violet recalls. Whitney just nods, choosing to cherish this moment. By the time Violet left, Whitney was back to sleep so she didn't have to worry much. Violet went home, carefully cracking open a bottle of wine. Today had been something for sure and she just needed to wind down. By her fourth glass her phone began ringing. She sighed and walked over to the dock, picking it up. "Hello, Violet speaking," Violet greets, taking another sip of her wine. "Violet, hi, we need you in," Rebecca says in a panicked tone. "Becca, I left an hour ago. Plus I've been drinking, this is my fourth glass of wine and it's almost gone, get someone else," Violet explains before swallowing the rest of her wine. "It's Whitney Frost," Rebecca states nervously. "What's wrong with her?" Violet asks, placing down her cup. "She's thrashing, screaming, scratching at her face, and pulling her own hair and you seem to be the only one who can calm her down," Rebecca explains. "I'll be there in five minutes," Violet states, docking the phone and grabbing her bag. Suddenly she's very glad she didn't change when she got home. When she showed up at the hospital, everything was loud and buzzing. She wasn't sure if that was the alcohol or real. Regardless, she practically runs to Whitney's room, spotting many people just standing there, staring at her in fear. She pushes past to get a view of the situation. As Rebecca had said, she's thrashing, screaming, and blood is trickling down from a collection of scratches on her face. "Okay, everyone leave, staring at her won't help!" Violet snaps. Slowly the people move and Violet walks up to the bed. "Whitney," Violet coos, careful not to startle her. The closer she gets and the more she listens, the more she realizes that Whitney isn't angry. She seems upset and scared. "Please, please, I'm sorry, please don't hurt me!" She whines, clawing into her arm. Violet carefully and gently prys Whitney’s hand away from her arm. "Whitney, honey, it's okay, you're okay," Violet assures, rubbing her thumb along the side of Whitney's hand. Whitney's breathing begins to slow as she looks around, trying to grasp reality. "I'm right here honey," Violet soothes, cupping Whitney's face with her hand. Whitney's eyes trail up to Violet's, staring into the soft icy blue glare. "It's okay, I promise," Violet soothes. "No-one is going to hurt you, I swear on my soul." Whitney slowly nods. "Are you okay?" Violet asks carefully. "Yeah," Whitney mutters. The man that brought Whitney in slowly and carefully walks in. "Is she sane now?" He asks. "She's okay," Violet nods, feeling Whitney's grasp on her hand tighten. "I'll tend to her wounds and monitor her tonight." "Good, I'm heading out, my shift is over," the man shrugs, leaving swiftly. "You're bleeding," Violet notes. "I suppose that's why they put me in a straightjacket," Whitney mutters. "Cause I'm insane." "You aren't insane," Violet points out. Whitney looks at her with a confused look. "You're perfect, Whitney," Violet assures. Whitney just stares, heat rising to her cheeks. Violet smiles softly, bringing her hand to cup Whitney's face once more. "Has anyone ever told you that you have a way with women?" Whitney asks, half jokingly. "Once or twice," Violet shrugs, smile quickly turning to a smirk. Whitney slowly leans in towards Violet before Violet closes the distance, sliding her hand on Whitney's face to the back of her neck. The girls pull each other closer, chasing each other's lips. When they finally break the kiss for breath, both girls stare into each other's eyes. "You're gorgeous, Violet," Whitney whispers. Violet scoffs and rolls her eyes, surging in for another kiss.
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Angie wakes to a pained groan from a room near hers. She sits up, holding her hand to her head as she checks the clock. It reads 6:13am. Too damn early. "Per l'amor di Dio è troppo presto per queste stronzate," Angie sighs. Hearing more pained groans, followed by gagging, Angie stands, walking towards the sound. She carefully opens the cracked open bathroom door to see her roommate, Peggy, kneeling on the floor against the toilet. She quite frankly looks like death and judging by looks has been throwing up for several minutes already. "English?" Angie calls out, leaning against the doorframe. "Hi...Angie," Peggy pants, moaning in pain at the exit of the words. "I didn't mean to wake you." "Peggy, no offense but I'm a light sleeper and you are NOT a quiet sick person," Angie laughs, walking over to Peggy and pulling her hair back. "Are you okay?" "I'll be fine," Peggy shrugs before gagging again. "Yeah? Should we tell that to the vomit you've just let up?" Angie scoffs. "What happened?" "The flu's been going around the office," Peggy groans. "Think I musta finally caught it." "That's always the worst," Angie sighs. "It's alright, I'll take the day off to take care of you." "No, you don't need to do that for me Angie," Peggy assures, swallowing sharply. "English, you have the flu. And you look like death. I'm not going to leave you here alone," Angie explains. "You have an audition," Peggy points out. "I'll cancel," Angie shrugs. "No, no, I'll handle it," Peggy breathes, gagging again. Angie scoffs to herself and brings her hand to Peggy's forehead. "English, you're burning up," Angie notes, eyebrows furrowed with worry. "I'm okay," Peggy groans. "You are definitely not," Angie points out. "Let me get you some medication and water." Peggy whines as Angie's contact leaves, sending her gagging and letting up more from her exhausted body. She's so tired, she just wants to go back to sleep and never wake up. Not in a, she wishes she were dead, way, just in a, she’s so goddamn tired she wants to go to sleep, way. It's not long until Angie returns, setting the bottle of water and medicine on the counter. As Angie kneels back down, Peggy leans into her, humming when Angie wraps her arms around her. "You feeling any better English?" Angie asks. "No," Peggy mutters, shivering in Angie's arms. "You want me to grab you a blanket?" Angie offers. "No, stay with me," Peggy mumbles. Angie just smiles softly and rubs her thumb up and down Peggy's arm. Peggy shivers again as she gags, Angie helping her sit up so she can vomit again. "It's okay English. Just let it all out honey," Angie soothes. Peggy just moans in pain, shutting her eyes. "I know English, I know," Angie coos, pressing a kiss to the back of Peggy's warm neck. "The flu is never fun." "So tired," Peggy whines. "I know Peggy. When your body is done I'll help you back to bed," Angie explains. Peggy nods as she presses a hand to her head, attempting to stop the pounding. After around an hour, Angie determines that Peggy is okay enough to at least sit on the couch with a trash can. Helping the very unsteady Peggy up off her spot on the ground, Angie walks with her out to their living room. She positions Peggy on the couch, wrapping a blanket, handing the trash can to the feverish woman. "I'm gonna call you out of work, you just sit here okay?" Angie explains. Peggy nods weakly, her head lolling to the side a bit. Angie quickly walks over to the phone and dials SHIELD. "Hello?" A woman Angie recognizes as Rose picks up. "Hey Rose, it's Angie," Angie greets. "Oh morning Angie! What can I do for you?" Rose asks. "Uhm, I'm calling Peggy out for work, she can't come in," Angie explains. "Oh no, what happened?" Rose asks, worry in her voice. "She's sick. Like, really sick. Horrible fever, chills, vomiting, the whole lot," Angie explains. "Oh dear, she caught it too?" Rose sighs. "Yeah, is the flu really going around your guys' office that bad?" Angie asks. "Yeah, it's bad, a lot of Agents out," Rose explains. "Well, I should go take care of her, make sure she doesn't die or something," Angie scoffs. "Yeah, you should get to that, go get your girl," Rose shrugs. "Funny, Rose," Angie laughs. "Always am. Tell Peg I said I hope she feels better," Rose giggles before Angie docks the phone. She walks back over to the couch where Peggy still sits, leaning her forehead on the trash can rim. "Rose said she hoped you feel better," Angie notes. Peggy raises her head and glares at Angie. Angie giggles and sits next to Peggy who lays her head against Angie's shoulder. "I'm sorry you're sick English," Angie coos, rubbing Peggy's back. "It sucks," Peggy mutters. "I know honey. I know," Angie soothes. "I never knew I could throw up so much at once," Peggy groans, wrapping one arm around her stomach. "The flu brings out the worst in people," Angie shrugs. "I haven't been this badly sick since I was, like, twelve, why is it back now?" Peggy whines before vomiting again. "Unfortunately the human body works in mysterious ways my dear," Angie points out, taking a washcloth from beside her and wiping Peggy's mouth. "Angie, make it stop," Peggy whines. "If I could take all the pain you're feeling and have myself go through it instead I would but unfortunately I don't believe Howard has made a device for that yet," Angie jokes. "Well he should, I'll get on scolding him for it," Peggy states. "You do that Peg," Angie laughs. "Only joking of course, I would never want you in pain," Peggy admits. "You're a doll Peggy," Angie giggles. "You're the best friend a gal could ask for." Peggy hums quietly, leaning her head back against Angie's shoulder. "How about I go get you something simple like crackers, see if you can keep them down," Angie suggests. "Please," Peggy pleads. "I'll be right back then honey," Angie coos, standing and walking to grab crackers. Peggy shudders before laying herself down, pulling her knees to her chest, shivering violently. She feels colder every passing second and she isn't quite sure why. When Angie gets back all she sees is the feverish girl curled in ball shivering violently, even under the blankets. "Peggy?" Angie asks, kneeling in front of the couch. "C-cold," Peggy stutters. Angie places the back of her hand against Peggy's forehead. It feels even warmer than before. "I'm going to grab a thermometer, I'll be right back dear," Angie states. Before she can even get out of the room, she sees Peggy's eyes roll back as she begins to seize. "OH MY GOD PEGGY," Angie screams, hurriedly turning her onto her side, holding her head as steady as possible. "Hey, hey, it's okay love, it's okay," Angie rambles, mostly to herself. "Oh my god I have to call someone." Angie quickly props Peggy up, running to grab the phone and call 911. "Hello, this is 911, what can I do for you?" A feminine voice asks. "Hi, uhm, my name's Angela Aurora Martinelli and my roommate Margaret Elizabeth Carter just started seizing and I don't know what to do, I propped her up but from there what happens I don't know what to do," Angie rambles, breathing getting faster and faster. "Okay, I need you to take a deep breath Miss, I've sent someone to your location. What led to this seizure?" The woman asks. "Uhm, she, uh, she caught the flu and so she was just laying there and it seemed like her fever got worse and I got up to grab a thermometer to check it and she started seizing," Angie recalls, looking back to Peggy who now lays limp against the pillows. "Sounds like her temperature probably spiked and she started seizing, just stay calm, make sure she doesn't injure herself, and someone will be there soon," the lady explains. "Okay I will," Angie nods, docking the phone and running to Peggy's side. "Peggy, please be okay, please," Angie pleads, cupping Peggy's cheek. "Angie?" Peggy mumbles, clearly exhausted. "Peggy, oh my god you're okay!" Angie exclaims. "What...happened?" Peggy asks. "Your fever spiked, you had a seizure," Angie explains. "People are on the way, just stay awake for me." "Angie," Peggy mumbles again. "What's wrong English?" Angie asks, worry apparent in her voice. "I'm in love with you," Peggy states, staring Angie in the eyes. "Kiss me." Angie just stares back in shock. "You...what?" Angie mutters. "Angie I'm not going to make it. Please just once before I go," Peggy pleads, her voice weak. "Hey, no no no, you're going to make it, don't think like that!" Angie exclaims. "Angie," Peggy mutters, weakly raising her hand to Angie's face. "Kiss me." Angie takes no time. She asks no more questions. She just surges forward and locks lips with the feverish woman. As the two separate, Peggy stares at Angie. "I'm happy my last moments are spent with you," Peggy mumbles. Angie smiles as tears fall from her eyes. "Darling?" A feminine voice coos behind her. Angie turns to see Dottie standing there in a blue mid thigh length dress. "Are you okay?" Dottie asks. "I'm fine," Angie sighs. "Just...a day I guess." Dottie walks over and wraps Angie in her arms. "I miss her too love," Dottie whispers. Tears stream down Angie's cheeks as Dottie plants a kiss on her forehead. "It'll be okay honey," Dottie soothes. The girls don't end up going to their event that night.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
The door shuts so quietly that Ana almost misses it. Well, actually she does miss it. Angie picks it up. "English? Are you home?" Angie calls out. Ana takes the moment to pause her dishes and listen to Peggy's soft steps. "English?" Angie calls again. Peggy silently shuffles past the kitchen, avoiding eye contact. "Miss Carter?" Ana calls out. Peggy ignores the call and walks straight to her room, shutting the door behind her. "She's never done that before, has she?" Angie questions. "No, but I know what's happening, let me handle it," Ana smiles, wiping her hands on a hand towel. "I'll call you in once I get the okay from her." Ana quickly walks over to Peggy's door and knocks softly before opening it a crack. "Miss Carter?" Ana tests, shutting the door behind her. No response is heard. Ana carefully walks over to the bed, seeing the only thing sticking out from the blankets, her hair. "You can't hide under there forever," Ana hums, kneeling in front of the bed. "Go," Peggy mumbles from under the covers. "Did you have a good day at least?" Ana asks, lifting the corner of the blanket. "No!" Peggy whines, smacking the blanket back down. "You need to come out from there," Ana points out. Peggy just whines and turns over in retaliation. Ana chuckles to herself before sitting on the edge of the bed. "Please come out from there," Ana pleads. "No!" Peggy whines again. "If you do I'll make your favorite for dinner," Ana adds. Finally Peggy rolls back over, leaving the blanket down to her chest. Ana carefully lays down beside her, getting to her eye level. "There she is," Ana laughs. Peggy giggles lightly, pulling the covers tighter. "How are you Peg-Peg?" Ana asks, moving Peggy's hair behind her ear. Peggy shakes her head, smile fading quickly. "Not a good day?" Ana questions. Peggy shakes her head again, slowly bringing her thumb to her mouth. "Peg-Peg, don't do that, it's not good for you," Ana warns, slowly grabbing Peggy's hand and guiding it away. Peggy immediately takes that chance to begin whining and fussing and crying. "Hey! Hey! Peg-Peg, it's okay!" Ana assures, pulling the still thrashing Peggy into her chest. Peggy just cries into her chest, allowing Ana to settle her into her lap. "It's okay my bumblebee, I've got you," Ana soothes, bouncing Peggy slightly. Slowly Peggy's cries slow and she returns her thumb to her mouth. "Peg-Peg, that's still not good for you," Ana points out, moving Peggy's hand away again. Peggy whines again as Ana leans over to the side table and grabs one of the pacifiers from the top drawer. "Here my bumblebee," Ana coos, replacing Peggy's thumb with the pacifier. Peggy sighs contently as she settles her head back onto Ana's chest. "Better Peg-Peg?" Ana asks. Peggy nods as she hums contently. After a few more minutes, Peggy yawns in exhaustion. "You tired Peg-Peg?" Ana asks. "Baba?" Peggy mumbles, careful to not let the pacifier fall. "You want me to go make it or can I ask Angie to make it for you?" Ana questions. "Gie," Peggy decides, yawning again. "Hey Miss Martinelli, can you come here for a moment?" Ana calls out, careful to not yell too loud. Angie carefully walks to the door and opens the door. When she spots Peggy sitting in Ana's lap, head against her chest with a baby pacifier in her mouth, she cocks her head in confusion. "I'll explain all this in a few moments. In the cabinet next to the sink there should be a bottle, fill it with milk, warm it for about a minute and bring it back here please," Ana explains. "O...kay?" Angie mutters, turning and shutting the door. "Baba," Peggy mumbles, beginning to wriggle in Ana's arms. "She's getting it, I promise my bumblebee," Ana soothes. Not long after, Angie walks in and hands Ana the bottle. Ana carefully pops the pacifier out of Peggy's mouth and replaces it with the bottle. Peggy immediately latches onto it, humming and kicking her legs gently. "So...what exactly is happening?" Angie asks carefully. "Can I tell her Peg-Peg?" Ana asks. Peggy nods, leaning her head on Ana's chest again while continuing drinking the milk. "Miss Carter, when things are traumatic or stressful, reverts to a younger state of mind in order to help herself cope," Ana explains. "Sometimes it's voluntary but usually it's not." Angie looks back at Peggy who's finishing the bottle. "How old is she?" Angie asks. "Peg-Peg, tell her how old you are," Ana coos, taking the empty bottle from Peggy's hands. Peggy holds up one finger as she lets Ana put the pacifier back in her mouth. "So she doesn't talk?" Angie questions. "Not much, no," Ana shrugs, returning to bouncing Peggy on her knee. Peggy whines quietly, balling her fist and hitting it lightly on Ana's shoulder. "Hey, no Peg-Peg, we don't hit people," Ana points out, grabbing Peggy's hand. "Mama!" Peggy whines, the pacifier falling from her mouth and onto the floor. "I'm right here bumblebee!" Ana assures. "I'm right here with you!" Tears start falling from Peggy's eyes and she begins shaking violently. "English, hey!" Angie exclaims, setting her hand on Peggy's shoulder. Peggy just whines louder, balling her hands into fists around her hair, beginning to pull at it. "Bumblebee, no, let go!" Ana pleads, prying Peggy's hands away from her hair. "Mama!" Peggy yells again, scrunching her eyes shut. "No shoot!" "She's having a PTSD episode," Ana notes. "What do we do?" Angie asks hesitantly. "I don't know, we should probably get her down for a nap but I don't know how to stop it," Ana mutters. Angie contemplates for a moment. "Here, give her to me," Angie decides. Ana carefully hands the still crying Peggy to Angie who sits on the edge of the bed, combing her fingers through Peggy's hair. "It's okay Bee, I've got you," Angie assures. "No-one's going to get you." "No?" Peggy mumbles. "No Bee. I'll fight them off for you," Angie coos. Peggy's crying slows as she settles, eyes fluttering shut as she moves her thumb back to her mouth. Ana carefully grabs a new pacifier from the drawer and hands it to Angie. "Give this to her so she doesn't suck her thumb, I'll clean off the other one," Ana explains. Angie nods and carefully prys Peggy's thumb from her mouth, placing the pacifier instead. Peggy hums as she drifts to sleep. When Ana comes back from cleaning the pacifier, she see Peggy snuggled up against Angie who is leaning against the headboard of the bed, combing her fingers through Peggy's hair. "Looks like she settled nice," Ana notes. "Yeah, sleeping like a baby, no pun intended," Angie scoffs. Ana sits on the end of the bed and just stares at the two girls. "She didn't want to tell you," Ana sighs. "Why?" Angie asks. "She was scared you'd leave her," Ana explains. "Cause of how she copes?" Angie scoffs, trying to resist the urge to hold Peggy even tighter. "Yeah. She thought you'd judge her and be repulsed," Ana sighs. "That's why Edwin and I are the only ones who know." "That's horrible that she thinks I'd hate her for a part of her she can't control," Angie points out. "I mean, I'm gay for fuck's sake, our whole thing is not judging people." "She's just scared," Ana shrugs. "I'm glad you know now though. She's been here a lot recently and she's felt bad about hiding." "Well from now on she won't have to hide at all," Angie smiles. "Cause I'm right here." "That's good. She needs that," Ana nods. A few hours later Peggy begins to stir. She's no longer pressed against Angie. In fact, Angie isn't even in the room. Peggy looks around in panic, sitting up and biting at her hand. Tears well in her eyes as she chews on the flesh of her palm. She bites harder as she feels sobs wracking her body. She looks up as the door opens a crack. Ana carefully enters the room, flipping on the light when she notices Peggy is awake. "Peg-Peg, don't do that," Ana coos, prying Peggy's hand from her mouth and replacing it with a teething ring. Peggy whines as she chews, the tears falling steadily from her eyes. "What's wrong my Bumblebee?" Ana asks, guiding Peggy to a spot on the ground. "Gie," Peggy whines. "Angie will be back, she just ran out to buy something Mama needs for dinner," Ana explains, bouncing Peggy on her knee. "She stay?" Peggy mumbles. "Of course she is," Ana assures. "She loves you, she said she'll never leave." Peggy smiles around the ring, humming contently. Around twenty minutes later Angie returns, setting the bag on the counter and rushing straight to Peggy's room. She opens the door and sees Ana and Peggy giggling. "Hey, I'm back, is she alright?" Angie asks. Peggy's head snaps towards Angie. "GIE!" Peggy exclaims, extending her arms out towards the woman. "Hey Bee," Angie coos, sitting down and moving Peggy into her lap. Peggy immediately cuddles into Angie, still giggling. "She was scared you left," Ana points out. "Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry Bee, I won't leave you, I promise," Angie assures. Peggy nods and kisses Angie on the cheek. "Let's stay in here and play while your mama gets dinner ready, is that okay?" Angie suggests. Peggy nods happily. "Thank you," Ana nods. "Of course," Angie nods. Ana smiles as she heads out, leaving the girls to play, thankful for everything going alright.