Daniel tapped his fingers on the desk as his eyes skimmed the documents in front of him. Even though he tried to focus as best as he could, he could already feel his eyes drooping downwards, gaze slowly turning blurry. He shook his head, blinking a few times as a yawn escaped through his lips. Sighing in defeat, he closed the file and reclined on the seat, the squeak of the spring breaking the silence of the office. Ever since the time when Peggy basically pounced him and "snogged him silly", as she would later describe it, the chair not only became more noisy but also a little lopsided, as it now always inched to the right whenever it was empty. Daniel smiled at the memory, exhaling slowly. Even with Jack's shooting and the hunt for the assassin taking over most of their time and energy, they still managed to keep close and even managed to go on a few dates. Soon, Peggy started to spend more and more time at Daniel's house rather than Stark's mansion, which made them both grow closer and closer.
Well, at least until last week. He thought, taking a sip from the glass of water on the desk. Peggy was now somewhere in Nevada, chasing a new lead in Jack's case, leaving Daniel and the rest of the L.A. office to fend for themselves. And while on the official front nothing seemed to change, personally, Daniel was starting to miss her. She did phone every evening after he came back from the office with the updates, but while it did help for a moment, it usually passed too quickly for Daniel's liking.
"Chief?"
He snapped his head up to see Rose, peeking through the door.
"Oh, Rose, umm... anything happening?" He asked, closing the file.
"No, not at all," she replied, smiling "but it's getting late and since there is nothing more to do..."
Daniel cast a glance at the desk watch, noticing that Rose was right - it was already over an hour after he was supposed to go back home. Had the report he had been reading been so engrossing?
"Oh yeah, you're right." he spoke, turning his head to face her again. "You can go, I'll finish up and close up."
"Thanks, Chief. Have a nice evening!" She replied as she turned around.
"A nice evening to you too Rose, see you tomorrow." He spoke, hiding the file in the desk drawer as Rose turned around, the click of her heels echoing through the empty bullpen. He finished the glass and stood up, grabbing his crutch, closing the office door and then strolling to the small kitchen area. There, he rinsed the glass quickly before leaving it upturned on the side of the sink. With this done, he retreated through the bullpen, his crutch clicking quietly against the floor. As he entered the corridor leading to the staircase, he suddenly heard a noise.
What the hell?
He stopped, listening in. Silence greeted him, filling his ears for a second, before he heard it again - a squeak of door hinges, coming from behind. He turned around, suddenly noticing how the door to the storage closet was left slightly ajar.
"Rose? Hello?" he called out, his voice echoing through the empty corridor. The only answer to his call was more silence. He waited for a few second before moving, his attention firmly transfixed on the door. He reached it quickly, a quick glance confirming what he saw earlier. His left hand moved towards the door jamb, but even before he reached it, he felt a force grabbing him and pulling him in. He stumbled forward, somehow managing to stay upright as he heard the door lock. A quiet click followed, the light bulb in the ceiling springing to life and painting the small room in a yellowish glow. Daniel barely and the time to do anything more than squint and discern the shape of an old desk standing against the wall between two filing cabinets before he felt the force spinning him again. He dimly registered a hand cupping the back of his neck as his lips connected with something warm, soft and supple. His eyes flew open right as he registered a waft of perfume that was becoming familiar to him. He broke the kiss as he finally registered the culprit responsible for his current situation.
"Peggy?" He more gasped out than spoke, surprise palpable in his voice as he looked her right in the eye "What are you doing in here?"