Turning Point

Falling in love is the riskiest thing in the world

It was a Friday morning. Cars were gradually arriving at the unremarkable telephone company building that kept a lot of secrets. The weather was rather bad, the whole sky was all covered with clouds, and a light rain was drizzling. Unfortunately, an umbrella was no salvation because of the wind which playfully snatched the fresh press from the hands of the workers and made them squirm and wrap themselves in their coats, even though it was still quite warm. All in all, typical mid-autumn weather in New York. Agents who arrived early to work were smoking and chatting about their weekend plans or arranging to go to the pub after the shift, hiding from the rain under the canopies of nearby boutiques, then they were hurrying inside, without much enthusiasm. After all, who would be in a mood to work on Friday?

Soon a steel grey car pulled into the only available parking space. It was the chief, Jack Thompson, perhaps one of the few people who was determined to be productive and even more determined to get others' asses in gear. The blond hadn't been in the nicest of moods since the morning, which was only exacerbated by the lousy weather. For others, it didn't bode well. The man took a deep breath, picked up his black leather briefcase and didn't forget his usual ritual of looking in the car mirror to adjust his carefully styled hair and burgundy tie, then got out of the car, putting on his hat on the go. Besides, he had forgotten his umbrella at home that day, so he quickly slammed the car door shut and holding the briefcase above his head, hurried towards the office entrance, swearing to himself. He hated to be caught unawares, even by the simple rain.

Jack said a nonchalant hello to the ladies at the phone company, then quickly made his way upstairs to the SSR office, simultaneously brushing rain drops off his navy blue jacket. The chief looked around, taking a closer look at his subordinates and assessing what each of them was busy with, and who wasn't even present. With Thompson's arrival, the office had become relatively quiet. Only the sound of paper and phone calls could be heard. Jack was respected among his colleagues not only for his good service, but also for his tough character. Anyone who had ever been scolded by him would not want to repeat the experience. Some people thought he was a son of a bitch, but that only served him well. "Mornin'!" Thompson raised his hand in greeting everyone and headed for his private office. He placed his expensive stylish jacket on the back of his office chair, rather neatly - the agent undoubtedly kept an eye on his appearance. The blond then rolled up his sleeves and went to make himself a coffee, glancing at his silver watch, a memorial gift from his father. The shift had started five minutes ago. Jack threw a glance at the only empty desk. Carter was late as usual. He snorted, already thinking up what sarcastic comment he'd say to her as soon as she showed up. Or maybe he should lecture her and bog her down with paperwork. It was always hard to think of a punishment for Peggy Carter, because his words had no effect on her. She wasn't intimidated by him like the others, just annoyed, and Jack found that a source of amusement, but he still couldn't give up his attempts to tame her. Jack smiled wryly at his thoughts and lowered his eyes to the coffee that had finally brewed. Thompson picked up his mug and headed back to his den, determined to finish all his work over this week so he could hand in perfect reports to his bosses, and God forbid someone interfered with his plans.

Everyone seemed to be busy with their own tasks, and then Agent Sousa stopped the chief halfway through. "I brought the reports from Carter," Daniel said, holding out a binder of neatly folded papers to him. Jack raised an eyebrow and smirked, "Carter's got a personal servant? What's she so preoccupied with that she can't do it herself?", he glanced at his watch again. "She's breaking all records for tardiness today and will have to stay after her shift," he said smugly, snatching the folder from his colleague's hands. "Peggy's not coming, she's taking the day off. You forgot?" Daniel chuckled. Jack made a disgruntled grimace, he really forgot that she had told him something. To be honest, he had been too busy with his business and hadn't really listened to the woman. Could she have said something really important? Thompson wasn't used to admitting his mistakes, at least not the ones that concerned Carter. "I'm remembering now," he hissed, "so you're going to take lunch orders instead of her, since you're such besties," Jack said with a snicker. His words made Daniel shake his head unhappily, but he didn't object to anything, not wanting to continue the dialogue. Especially when the others were too happy to be distracted from their work by juicy arguments, which then spilled over into delicious rumours and discussions behind their backs.