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It started with a simple goodbye kiss. Lips and tongues engaged in a long, slow duel that lasted minutes but wasn't nearly long enough.
He broke the kiss and took her duffel, placing it next to her suitcase by the door. She followed, intent on picking up the duffel but... another kiss, this one even more demanding. Not quite desperate but far from demure.
It was her turn to pull away, her red-stained lips even more plump than normal. Thoroughly kissed lips, he thought with a restrained smile. She hefted the duffel over her shoulder and took the suitcase in her hand. His hand was on the knob, ready to open the door, and then... another kiss, half a dozen little pecks that deepened, putting the first two kisses to shame.
This was the first time she’d be gone since arriving in Los Angeles. Had it really been just a matter of weeks since she'd shown up in his bullpen? Since Zero Matter slammed its way into their lives? Since Underwood had slipped through their fingers? Since the rift? Since Jack’s shooting? Time flies when all hell breaks loose...
The War Department had put someone in charge of the New York office in Jack’s absence, someone neither Daniel nor Peggy knew and, therefore, neither trusted. However, Daniel was lucky enough -- or, he liked to think, adept enough at office politics -- to convince the brass that since Underwood and Jack’s shooter were still on the loose, Peggy was needed in California. She was granted a temporary transfer, though it was debatable whether it was to benefit the L.A. office or keep her out of the New York office.
Yet here she was, all packed and ready to catch a flight to New York. Her reason for going back wasn't for work, that he knew. So it must be personal. How personal? She hadn't said and he hadn't asked.
He didn’t want her to go, but of course he knew that wasn’t possible. Peggy had to go, because of… something, something he couldn’t put his finger on. Even though the kiss in his office all those weeks ago spoke volumes of her feelings, he could tell she was holding back, an anxiety simmering behind those beautiful brown eyes all along. Something in New York was calling to her, and she needed to face it.
Whether or not that something would take her from him, he didn’t know.
Maybe that’s why she wouldn't stop kissing him. She didn’t want to let go because she might not be back. He didn’t want to let go for the same reason.
Finally, she pulled back, breathless. “My flight…”
“Right,” he said with a brisk nod.
He stepped back, putting the physical space between them to match what seemed like the emotional space that had been growing. He tried to keep his face neutral, but he knew he had failed when she spoke.
“You must be wondering why I am going back with no return date set,” she said. “It sounds cloak and dagger but it’s far from it.”
“You don’t need to explain, Peggy.”
“I want to.” She walked away from him and sat on the couch, patting the cushion next to her. He took the invitation, giving her some space but letting their knees lightly touch.
After a deep breath, she said, “I built my life in New York, from the ground up. I had nothing after the war, no sense of place, no sense of worth, really. The war gave me a purpose, and suddenly… nothing. After some time, the SSR gave me my sense of worth back, and it gave me a sense of place.” She smiled at what he knew was wide-eyed surprise on his face. “I know, I know. Despite the adolescents we worked with, and the absurdities they put me through, I felt like I belonged in the SSR. Especially after Chief Dooley… I found a reason to go on, to continue the fight, just in a different arena. I was able to let go of my past, for the most part.”
“But there’s still something in New York for you.”
She nodded. “I feel like there’s unfinished business there, but I can’t for the life of me tell you what that unfinished business is. I have to figure out what it is, to give me… I don’t know… closure, I suppose. Perhaps when I go through my things, I'll have a revelation.”
He nodded slowly, giving her a smile he hoped looked more sincere than it felt. “Listen, if this is about us moving too fast or…”
“No, no,” she assured, taking his hand in both of hers. “This has nothing to do with you and I. I want this… us… I really do.” She paused with a sigh. “I just… I need to go back. For me. I don’t know for how long. A few weeks, perhaps?”
He nodded again, though still not convinced. “Take all the time you need. I’ll be here.” He left off the ‘if you come back’ part.
She must have sensed his words anyway. “I will be back, Daniel. I give you my word. I have so many reasons to come back to California. Sunny weather. Tacos.” She leaned toward him and wrapped her hand around the back of his neck, pulling his lips to within a hair’s breadth of hers. “And I have the most compelling reason of all right here.”
This time, the kiss was soft, sweet and somehow more intimate than any they had shared. It was as if she was telling him that she would be back because there was no place she belonged more than by his side.
He pulled back, knowing he had a stupid grin on his face but not caring. “Your flight…”
“Right.” Her fingers trailed from his neck down his shirt, where her palm flattened over his heart. “I should go.”
He took the initiative, standing and moving toward the door. He opened it, spying Jarvis’s car outside and the butler sitting at the helm. Once he saw Daniel, Jarvis hopped out of the car and briskly walked up the steps, taking Peggy’s luggage.
“Thank you, Mr. Jarvis,” she said.
“Of course.” Jarvis gave Daniel a nod of his head and the smallest of smirks before heading back to the car.
“I’ll call you when I get in,” Peggy said.
“Good. Thank you.”
She smiled. “I will be back as soon as I can.”
Daniel waited until she was almost to the car before whispering, “I know you will, Peg.”