Peggy Carters Final Mission Pt. 01

Jim watched his wife in the kitchen as she finished arranging another tray of appetisers for the guests that would soon be arriving for their barbecue. He had been sitting on the couch listening to the radio as he waited for a knock on the door. Deciding to get started early he had walked over to the drinks cabinet where his eye had wandered to Sarah, his wife.

At first he meant only to look at her to take in her natural beauty and her stunning figure in that pink dress she had put on. Now though, as he paused and observed her for longer than he had intended, those same niggling thoughts that sometimes kept him up at night came creeping back.

He watched as she smiled happily. Over the radio he could just make out the slight sound of a happy tune that she would hum to herself whenever doing some menial task. He could see the spring in her step, her relaxed yet perfect posture, she certainly looked happy, this is what she would've wanted wasn't it?

Perhaps not a few weeks ago, not when she was on the verge of leaving him and moving out of this neighbourhood. Then that man had come, bringing him the offer of a perfect life, a woman who never complained, never talked back, always smiled. He had snapped up the offer with little hesitation, so why now did he seem to question the decision so often?

She caught him looking and flashed him a happy smile, he weakly smiled back then looked down to the drinks cabinet in front of him, finishing pouring himself a drink, unable to look at her out of shame. Then he downed it in one firm gulp and poured himself another.

It had the desired effect, built up his confidence, chased away any self doubt. He remembered all the arguments he used to have with her, how unfulfilled she had always seemed, then he looked back to the pristine goddess she had become.

As always he managed to silence his negative thoughts, Sarah was happier like this and he was happier with her too, not to mention how willing she was to please him in bed now. He took a sip of the second drink then looked at her again, this time lustfully.

He couldn't wait until this party was over and he could get her back into bed, living out another one of his sexual fantasies that she was always willing to indulge him in. As always she now only wore lingerie under her clothes, knowing that she should be ready for him to take her at any moment.

In fact since no-one had arrived he figured he might as well have some fun, he set down the drink and began advancing toward the kitchen. After all what was the point in having turned his wife into this perfect woman if he wasn't going to take advantage of it every chance he got? She belonged to him now and nothing was going to stop him from... he only made it one step into the kitchen before the doorbell rang and he stopped with a frustrated expression

"You want me to get that sweetie?" his wife asked with that perfect smile she always had. But he told her not to worry and walked to the door himself. He swung it open to see a woman he didn't recognise, a brunette with intelligent eyes stuck out her hand in greeting and in a British accent introduced herself "Peggy Carter. I hope I'm not too early"

*

1 MONTH EARLIER

"I don't see it Carter" Roger Abrams, the new head of the SSR, had only been in his position for a few months. But already he knew better than to tell her to just get out of his office. It seemed like every other day this woman would pester him about some lead or assignment she wanted to go running off on, at first he thought it was funny, but slowly over time it had gone from amusing to infuriating. This time she'd really done her research, storming in here with a bunch of files on these women.

As she argued her case he went to go get himself a drink hoping the casual act would show his lack of interest "Sir this simply can't be ignored. All three women were experts in their fields, not only does it not make any sense for them to retire after getting married but for all three to end up in the same neighbourhood is beyond coincidence" Abrams sighed as he sat back at his desk with the glass of whiskey he'd poured for himself "Sit down Carter" She wasn't happy about it but she did as he said, crossing her arms as she awaited his reply.

"Look I know you think I love telling you no Carter, but you have to admit this isn't much to go on, women get married and move to the suburbs all the time. Not everyone has your unique... tenacity." Peggy took a breath before calmly continuing.

"I'm well aware of that and if it was only one or even two then I could accept it but all three women who were excelling in their careers. A nuclear physicist, a mechanical engineer and a military data analyst, I know first-hand how hard it would've been for them to succeed in their male dominated fields so for them to simply give it all up makes no sense"

Roger knew he had to at least make it seem like he was taking this seriously so as she spoke he began going through the womens records that Carter had brought to him. She was still pleading her case when he noticed something on one of the files, the mechanical engineer, Jennifer Monroe.

He narrowed his eyes at the file then looked up and interrupted her "Hold it. Says here she was working at the same facility that cooked up Captain America, is that what this is all about Carter? You don't like that one of the girls you used to work with gave it all up for some guy?"

Peggy rolled her eyes as she tried to contain her frustration then calmly replied "I didn't want this to seem personal, but yes I knew her. She was one of the brightest young women I'd ever met. Her becoming some housewife is the worlds loss and with her knowledge of working alongside Dr Erskine she should be a person of interest. Each of these women weren't just good at their jobs, they were outstanding and now they all live on the same street. There is something going on here sir and frankly it would be dangerous to not investigate it"

Roger was well aware that when she got like this there wasn't any stopping her, she'd been reprimanded multiple times for investigating cases without her superiors permission, hell he hadn't even told her to do this initial research. He wished she'd just stayed in Los Angeles with agent Sousa but ever since their relationship had ended she'd become New Yorks problem again. As he took a moment to think he could barely look at those determined eyes of hers, her whole expression practically radiating her strong-willed persistence.

Realising his own doubts were doing little to dissuade her he tried a dose of reality "So what would you suggest Carter? We do a stakeout every night? I think this idyllic little suburb is going to notice a big van parked on the corner. Or maybe you want me to get some of the boys to go undercover as mailmen?"

"The truth is these women chose to get married and from these photos you took I don't see no bars on the windows. If they want to make a report that they're being coerced to live there then they're free to do so. I don't have the resources to assign agents to watch a bunch of housewives every second of the day just on your hunch so please just for once listen to me and let this go"

Peggy had been waiting for the moment when he'd become open to suggestions and a subtle smile crossed her face as she said "Well actually sir I was hoping to move in, there's a house for sale that would be perfect and as a new arrival to the neighbourhood I'd be welcomed with open arms. The perfect excuse to see exactly what's going on there."

Roger just laughed, took another sip of whiskey and shook his head as he replied "And I suppose you think the SSR has enough money to just buy you a house? Jeez Carter that has to be the worst..." before he could finish she cut in "Actually sir it's already been purchased for the use of this operation. I have a friend who I absent mindedly mentioned this to and he went ahead and bought it as a favour. So everything's ready to go, with your permission of course."

There was an icy silence as Roger glared at her, unhappy with her once again going behind his back. "Stark..." he muttered, well aware of who her wealthy friend was. He couldn't believe her audacity and had half a mind to just fire her but then he realised something. This mission would require her to live there 24/7, far away from him. He also was certain she wouldn't find anything so this could be the break from her he'd been looking for. This whole time he'd been fighting her but now he realised this was the perfect opportunity for some peace and quiet.

He smiled and leaned back in his chair as he replied "Alright Carter you want to go out to the suburbs you got it. But last I checked single women weren't going around buying houses to live in alone, you'll have to take an agent to act as your husband." Again she seemed to be two steps ahead of him as she immediately replied "Oh that's perfectly alright, I have an associate Mr Jarvis who is more than willing to play my other half"

Roger slammed his fist on the desk angrily as he said "Damn it Carter, you might have put this whole thing together without me knowing but I'm still your boss and if this is an undercover mission then you'll be doing it with an actual agent, not a butler"

Peggy knew when to fight her battles and as long as he agreed to let her do this it was still a win so she relented "Of course sir" she said in her professional manner as she began going over all the worst options he could choose for her partner.

Roger didn't want to spare anyone important for this waste of time so he chose their newest agent, some fresh faced kid barely out of the academy, his name was John Stokes but everyone just called him Johnny since he looked so young. Roger knew that a kid like him would be unable to control a woman like Peggy but at least he had someone there that could report back to him if she did anything too irresponsible.

Peggy was vaguely familiar with Johnny, mostly from catching him staring at her from across the office, his wandering eyes always just a little too slow to not get caught. He had so far never gained the confidence to actually say anything to her though, preferring to just stare at her in awe. Anytime she passed him in the hall she could practically feel his eyes on her as she walked away.

Johnny was eating a sandwich at his desk when his eyes flickered up and he saw Peggy striding toward him. He looked side to side, unsure if it was really him she was coming toward. Then he hurriedly swept the remains of his sandwich into his open desk drawer and slammed it shut, quickly straightening out his tie and trying to make himself look presentable.

He'd been obsessed the moment he'd laid eyes on her, she was most stunning women he'd ever seen. Even now when dressed in regular office clothes her incredible figure made them look far more sensual than they were intended.

She was the very definition of the word voluptuous, her simple dark blue skirt and white blouse unable to hide her womanly curves. Her wide hips swaying with a mesmerising rhythm, her fulsome breasts staying perfectly in place as she walked, defying gravity with their large size.

Not only was her buxom, feminine form incredibly sexy but she was remarkably beautiful as well, those plump, full lips and deep brown eyes accentuating her gorgeous features. As far as he was concerned she was the perfect woman, every inch of her seemingly created to be pleasing to the eye.

So he could barely believe it when she introduced herself and explained that they would be working closely together on an assignment, not only that but he'd be playing her husband. It was a dream come true and the moment she walked away he had fantasies in his mind of getting her to fall in love with him. At the very least he'd get to put his arm around her when they had to pretend to be married, just the thought of getting close to her made his heart beat faster.

Over the next couple of weeks arrangements were made for their new lives. Peggy would be keeping her identity as a former SSR agent, as she and one of the women had already met. Johnny would be playing a bank manager, an identity easy enough for the SSR to create for him.

They had to make their moving in seem believable, go through real estate agents, make sure everyone saw the big moving truck outside. Roger hadn't given either of them seniority over the other, but from day one Peggy had quite clearly taken charge, outlining every detail of what she expected from the operation and treating Johnny like her employee.

He was lugging another box upstairs when there was a knock on the door and Peggy answered, he briefly saw the woman at the door and overheard their conversation before he was out of earshot. By the time he came back the door was just closing and Peggy looked happy "We've only been here two minutes and already we've been invited to a barbecue next weekend." Peggy said with an eager smile. "Also she mentioned that everyone in the neighbourhood will come by at some point to introduce themselves. So be prepared to introduce yourself as my husband at all times."

Peggy went to the window and pulled back the curtains ever so slightly to watch the woman she had just spoken to walk away. The woman had been overly friendly in their conversation, the huge smile spread across her face the entire time making Peggy a little uneasy. She had never lived in such an idyllic suburban neighbourhood, but she just couldn't shake the feeling that everything was too perfect.

From the moment they had driven all the way out here there hadn't seemed a thing out of place, birds chirped in melodic sing song, the picket fences were a shining white and everyone was just too happy. She had looked into the womans wide, welcoming eyes and not seem a single shimmer of sadness.

The way she spoke, the way she moved, it all seemed too perfect to be real, almost robotic in its lack of any flaw. Meeting Jennifer at the barbecue would be the real test, this was a woman she had known from her work with Dr Erskine, if she was acting like the rest of these perfect housewives it would confirm all of Peggys fears and she'd be one step closer to the truth.

*

"Nice to meet you Peggy, you're right on time, Sarahs just out in the kitchen why don't you head on through" Jim shook the woman's hand just a little too long, unable to take his eyes off of this stunning new addition to the neighbourhood then he sent her through to the kitchen.

Her husband came in right behind her and he was not what Jim had been expecting, he was young and a little shorter than average, his shock quickly went to admiration that a kid like this had snagged such a gorgeous creature. "Quite a woman you've got there!" he laughed as he firmly shook the man's hand and slapped him on the back.

It didn't take long for the other guests to start arriving and save Peggy from the awfully mundane conversation she'd been having with Sarah. Though it didn't get much better with the other housewives, all they seemed to care about was clothes or their husbands or how they were planning to redecorate.

None of them seemed interested in current events or the outside world, completely immersed in this perfect little bubble they'd created for themselves. Peggy found herself drinking a little more than she normally would to get through it, moving around the garden in and out of conversations as she tried to get a clearer picture of every person living here.

She heard a loud laugh from a big group of men that Johnny was in the centre of, he seemed to be fitting in well here but she couldn't help feel like the notion that he was with her was getting to his head. All the men seemed to be interested in talking to him and more than once she had noticed their eyes locked on her. No doubt they were inquiring about Johnny's prowess with women and she just hoped he wasn't stupid enough to forget that he was undercover.

She was fake laughing at another dull joke and taking another sip of the fruit punch when she saw the newest addition to the party. Jennifer Monroe had arrived and at first Peggy didn't even recognise her. She was wearing a white dress with a floral pattern, her hair perfectly done up, a massive beaming smile on her face as she made her way round the garden saying hello to everyone.

She even moved differently, her motions making a perfectly graceful saunter as she never missed a step. Her eyes were so wide and bright, showing no inner turmoil, no ounce of unhappiness, she looked like the perfect vision of a housewife and nothing of the intelligent scientist Peggy had known.

This new Jennifer soon made her way over to Peggy, their eyes meeting as Peggy tried to find some glimmer of the woman she had once known "Peggy? Peggy Carter?" She also spoke differently, her voice a higher inflection, more feminine and soft, making Peggy begin to lose hope as she forced a smile.

"Jennifer! I had no idea you lived here too." Jennifer let out a shrill squeal of excitement that made Peggy wince then hurried over to her, wrapping her arms around her in a big hug. "Oh my gosh I have so much to tell you! Are you married now! You have to meet my husband! Oh and call me Jenny, everyone does"

She had always been calm and collected when Peggy knew her but now she seemed unable to focus on one thought for more than a few seconds. She spoke like a teenage girl, all excited and chirpy, jumping from topic to topic in a ditzy scatterbrained approach that Peggy struggled to follow.

After a brief chat Peggy did manage to get a few bits of useful information out of her, she seemed to have no regrets about moving here, she loved her husband, had recently discovered she was pregnant and was looking forward to being nothing more than a wife and mother.

Peggy just couldn't believe she had become like this willingly, her expression tinged with confusion and disappointment as she tolerated the woman rambling on. Then finally she was able to steer the conversation to a more useful area "So are you going to introduce me to this impressive husband of yours?"

Peggy had to meet the man who had done this to her, whoever he was he must know something about her transformation. Jenny smiled brightly and waved to one of the men across the garden. He said something that made the men in his circle laugh then confidently walked over, Peggy hadn't known what to expect but he certainly seemed to be the type of a man who could tame a woman once as fiercely independent as Jenny.

As he strode over Peggy couldn't help but be reminded of Steve, he had that same square jaw, that perfect blonde hair, he even had the same broad body shape that Steve had to endure a science experiment for. There was one main difference though, he had none of Steves kindness in his eyes.

This was a man who enjoyed using his strength to control overs and a small shiver ran through Peggy's spine as he approached and reached out his massive hand "Stan Holbrook. Nice to meet you... Mrs?" Peggy felt his firm grip squeeze around her hand as she replied "Cart... I mean Stokes now that I'm married of course. Peggy Stokes"

His intimidating presence had almost made her forget her cover but she quickly recovered, putting that fake smile back on as she chatted with him. "Oh so you're Johnny's wife? How'd he snag a beautiful woman like you?" Being a woman of her time she was used to men being pigs, usually she never tolerated it, except for times when she was trying to not arouse suspicion.

"Oh... I went in to the bank where he works one day and he asked me out to the dinner. Not a very exciting story I'm afraid, he's charming and has a good job and well here we are, ready to start a family. I'm more interested in how the two of you met, Jenny was quite a different woman when I knew her..."

If Stan was worried at all about her questions he didn't show it. He wrapped an arm around Jenny's waist, pulling her against him and making her giggle as he said "You mean that science stuff? Oh she gave that up pretty soon after we met, I just saw her in the street and swept her off her feet, isn't that right honey?"