Fourth in the Timeline series |
Clara Lewis never expected to be back in the 1940s and Howard Stark never expected to have to help her get back...again. But with Howard branded a traitor Clara knows of only one person who can help her: Peggy Carter...
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"Oh for god's sake." Peggy sighed and raised a fist. She was unafraid to punch Sousa right in the mouth but that only sparked things off. Clara was immediately bombarded with punches. Being a S.H.I.E.L.D agent from the future, it was easy enough to dodge them. The ones she couldn't avoid, she countered. But evading all of them was quickly becoming difficult.
Peggy shot her a look, a quick, backwards tilt of the head. Clara nodded. She knew Peggy well enough by now to know that meant regroup at hers.
Clara fought the SSR agent's off her and ran. She just ran. She had no idea which way she needed to go but she ran. Hopefully they wouldn't be able to run far in all those three piece suits they insisted on wearing, and, you know what?- she was right. Clara only had to run 5 block before she lost them. Things here really were backwards.
*
It took Clara the best part of an hour to find Peggy's apartment from wherever it was she had ended up. She knew the way well enough from Howard's apartment but she couldn't risk going back there. Not only did Dottie know where she'd be, but the SSR apparently knew now too. Great.
Peggy opened the door expectantly. How long had she been waiting? It was just her inside, what had happened to the others?
"We have a problem." Peggy said nonchalantly.
"I'll say."
"No one followed you here?"
"I fucking hope not."
"Come in."
"What happened to the others?" Clara asked as she slowly took a seat on the end of Peggy's bed.
"I'm not sure. But if the SSR has them then at least they're safe."
Clara pondered this. It had some truth. She didn't know how cut-throat the SSR were but it was probably leaps and bounds nicer than anything Dottie would do to them.
Clara let out a long breath and slumped down on Peggy's bed. She ran both her hands over her face and pressed her eyes shut. Letting out an aggravated sigh, she sat up. When she opened her eyes again, she realised it wasn't just her and Peggy in the room.
"Jesus." Clara exclaimed and rolled her eyes as she caught sight of the one and only Howard Stark as he emerged from Peggy's bathroom dressed only in a towel.
He looked down at Clara as if he had invited her over then forgotten about it. He held a toothbrush in his hand that was only half in his mouth.
"Clara!" He greeted happily, throwing his arms wide open to embrace her, forgetting about the towel. Clara immediately looked over her shoulder as Howard made a grab for the towel before it could fall too far down.
"Howard." Clara greeted curtly once the towel situation had been sorted. "Pleasure as always." She teased. "Heard you're in a spot of bother."
"I'll say." He mumbled while still brushing his teeth. "Peg told me you're stuck here for a while. How's the future? No wait- don't tell me. I don't want to know how I've aged."
Clara smiled. What else could she do?
Before Clara had time to say anything else, the doorbell rang. Clara looked at Peggy for reassurance but Peggy's face was stone cold. She couldn't be sure no one had followed her. Clara was just trying to remember which way to get back to Peggy's. The only person who seemed to be in any way relaxed as Peggy went to answer the door, was Howard. And he was probably the 'most wanted' of them all.
"Ah, Jarvis, come in."
Clara sighed in relief.
"Miss Carter." Jarvis greeted stiffly, "Miss Lewis." He said in the same manner, "I would ask if you had any idea what time it is but I suspect you already know. Peggy filled me in on the phone." He explained, sitting down at the small table next to Clara, "You can stay at my house for a while, so at least you'll be safe."
Clara nodded.
"Thank you, Jarvis." She smiled.
"It's all part of the job now, I suppose." Jarvis shrugged.
Despite it only being Jarvis at the door, Peggy didn't look at all relaxed. Her arms were tightly wrapped about her shoulders and every couple of minutes she'd carefully draw apart the curtains and peer out the window.
"Peg." Clara began.
"It's not safe." Peggy answered before Clara could even answer. "It's not safe here anymore. The SSR know where I live. It's in their files. We should leave."
"But where can we go?" Clara asked, "They already know where all of Howard's houses are and it's not hard to work out where Jarvis lives."
"We could go to my safe house?" Howard piped up, having finished brushing his teeth.
"What?" Clara asked bluntly.
"My safe house." Howard repeated, "You know, I took you there during the war. Remember?"
"Fucks sake, Howard." Clara mumbled, "And you only thought to bring this up now?"
Howard shrugged then made a grab for the towel.
"And put some clothes on for God's sake!" Clara ordered and Howard slunk off to the bathroom.
"Well that's decided." Peggy announced, "Once Howard's decent you can go to this safe house."
"And you?"
"What?"
"What about you?" Clara repeated, "You said 'you', that's us. What about you? Are you not coming too?"
"I have some loose ends I need to tie up." Peggy answered mysteriously, "I'll only be a minute, I'll meet you in the car."
Once Howard emerged fully clothed from the bathroom, he, Clara and Jarvis made their way downstairs and out to the car. Peggy watched them from behind a pulled back corner of the curtain. It wasn't that she didn't trust them in particular. But she couldn't trust anyone when it came to the vial of Steve's blood. Even Howard had tried to sell it. She just couldn't take that risk.
In her haste to secure the vial of Steve's blood and make it to the car unseen, Peggy failed to notice the muffled footsteps following her down the corridor. It was too late for her anyway. Dottie struck, raising the butt of her gun and smacking it against the back of Peggy's head. She fell to the floor like a paper doll. There was nothing she could have done.
At once, Dottie got to work. The vial must be about her somewhere. But Dottie would never find it. It could only have been a matter of seconds after Peggy's body had crumpled to the floor that the SSR stormed the building. Dottie sprang back.
"Shit." She mumbled under her breath. She hadn't managed to find the vial.
"Officers, thank goodness you're here." She swooned sweetly, "My friend's just collapsed. I think she's had one too many to drink. You are police officers right? You can help." Dottie batted her eyelashes at detective Jack Thompson, who couldn't help but smile back at her.
"Yeah, we can help alright." He said, looking at the unconscious Peggy. "Boys, take her in. We'll see that she gets all the 'help' she needs."
