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“Susan Pevensie.” Peggy read from the file on her desk, then looked up at the young black haired woman seated across from her. She seemed perfectly at ease, seated comfortably but modestly in the horrible wooden chair that she’d scrounged up for these interviews, without a hair out of place or a wrinkle in her tailored suit.
At a casual glance, from the elegant and stylish clothes, most would assume her to be someone’s young wife or perhaps a fun loving debutante who had yet to settle down. Most of the men in this very building would likely blow her off under those assumptions. Despite theoretically being a new agency, most of the men were SSR veterans or CIA, with all the biases and sexism that implied.
To Peggy, Susan’s perfect presentation was a mirror of her own over so many years of fighting for a seat at the table. She saw the defiant glint in her eyes, the determined set of her chin, and she knew that at minimum this woman was quite certain she was up to whatever SHIELD could throw at her.
Susan nodded politely at her. “I was told you were looking for transfers to build your new agency, Agent Carter.”
Peggy nodded and glanced down at the file again. “Got your start at Bletchley as an assistant toward the end of the war, stayed with the SIS afterward as a secretary while finishing your degree, top marks in marksmanship, former swimming champion… A glowing review of your skills... and five years in the secretarial pool.” She looked up at Susan with a wry smile. “So you come to us for a fair chance to get to use your skills for things other than filing.”
“I was told that women would have a fairer chance here.” Susan told her. Peggy was intrigued to note she was far more confident than she would’ve expected from someone who’d been as thoroughly shunted to the ideas she could tell she had been. “I have been requesting a transfer for four years, we were all relieved when this opportunity came up.”
Peggy smiled wryly. “Well, that is the goal. You have the training, for certain. I must ask if you have much field experience?”
Susan seemed to find the question deeply amusing. “I have enough. Not all through… official channels, you understand, but I’m told you have your share of that in your record as well.”
Peggy raised an eyebrow at that, but had to laugh. “We don’t encourage extra-departmental investigations here, but when needs must, I’d much rather have an agent who will get the work done than one who clings to procedure.”
The younger woman nodded. “That is what I’d heard about you.”
“You’ve heard about me, specifically?” Peggy asked
“Of course, yes. You started at Bletchley too, didn’t you? A lot of the others remembered you and were quite proud that one of their own had worked side by side with Captain America.”
“It’s kind of them to remember me so well. I’m afraid my time at Bletchley was not particularly the highlight of my career.”
“Judging by what I’d heard, that only makes you all the more impressive.” Susan smiled winningly at her in a way that made even jaded Peggy want to give her anything she wanted.
“Oh, not bad.” Peggy said instead, nodding at her
Susan grinned a much more natural grin. “Thank you, Agent Carter.”
“Welcome to the team, Agent Pevensie.” Peggy told her, grinning back.
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Two years later, Susan had made waves even among the other shining stars and veterans of SHIELD’s field agents. She could outshoot any man or woman on the team, and when she turned on the charm, no one, not the most hardened suspect in the interrogation room nor Peggy herself could resist. Her skills at hand to hand combat were somewhat lacking, but as some of the men had confided in Peggy, ‘if she could punch as well as she could do everything else, we wouldn’t be sure she was human’.
Peggy found it ridiculous at the time and told him so, but as she watched the other woman work and interact, she found that there was something oddly superhuman about her. Nothing like any of the augmented humans Peggy had seen and fought with, Susan had a sort of radiance that made her understand how people had once believed in old tales of fae queens and pagan goddesses spiriting away their followers.
Susan, seemingly unaware of the awe she inspired in her coworkers, had the time of her life finally getting to live and work on her own terms, without being weighed down by the expectations of a country or her siblings, or of having to placate men who thought they had a right to own her.
Peggy, on the other hand, found that she now understood Jarvis a bit better. His eagerness to be out in the field when he claimed to love his work had always puzzled her, but now that she was stuck behind a desk letting her agents deal with things, she found herself with quite the same eagerness. She jumped at every opportunity for fieldwork, which is how she found herself properly alone with Susan for the first time since her interview, pinned down behind a desk in a rather unfortunate library trading fire with several incredibly well trained young women.
“They get younger every year.” Peggy remarked to Susan, ducking back down after taking a shot at one that had seemed a sweet and innocent child of maybe 14 until she’d pulled a gun and started shooting along with the other two, who had posed as her older sisters.
Susan laughed breathlessly and popped up to take another shot before responding. “Oh, this is nothing. I started when I was at least that young. My sister, Lucy, was seven.”
“You started… what, shooting?” Peggy asked, bewildered by the remark
“Oh, there’s no time for that now.” Susan replied, taking one more shot. “Let’s go, we can get out the back door if we shoot that light out.”
Peggy glanced at the light in question, nodded, and took the shot, at which point both of them rushed for the back door and made a break for it. Several nerve shredding blocks of carefully casual walking later, the two of them reached their car and climbed in to make their escape.
“Alright, what was that about you and your sister?” Peggy asked as she drove, trusting Susan to keep an eye out to see if they were tailed.
“Hmm?” Susan asked distractedly.
“You said your sister started at seven and you were around that girl’s age.” Peggy replied patiently.
“Oh. Adrenaline.” Susan replied with a shrug. “People say silly things when they’re being shot at.”
“You don’t.” Peggy replied firmly. “I’ve heard about you in firefights. The phrase ‘stone cold’ has been used more than a few times. Once, one of the junior agents asked me quite earnestly if I were sure you were entirely human, you were that composed”
Susan laughed. “Did he really? Oh dear, I suppose I spooked him.”
“You did indeed.” Peggy agreed, laughing with her. “But that is why I’m reasonably certain you were not just rambling there.”
Susan shrugged. “Perhaps not. But a spy without secrets is a very boring spy indeed.”
Peggy rolled her eyes. “None of that now. Tell me or don’t.”
“I don’t know that I can.” Susan said after a thoughtful moment. “Maybe someday. Let’s just say… My siblings and I got caught up in some… unusual things”
“I suppose that’s how you met Professor Kirke?” Peggy asked. “I heard he was the one who recommended you to Bletchley.”
Susan nodded. “Yes, exactly. My siblings and I stayed with him when we were evacuated at the beginning of the war.”
“I was not aware he was so involved in things outside of Bletchley.”
“I… it’s complicated.” Susan told her regretfully. “I’m afraid I truly can’t tell you much more than that.”
“Does it have something to do with all of your siblings mysteriously vanishing?” Peggy asked gently.
“I believe it does.” Susan told her, looking away. “But perhaps we should focus on the current mission? He’s only been with us for two blocks, but that black car seems suspicious.”
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It was a surprise to no one but the diehard sexists that Susan Pevensie had a proper knack for command. In fact, many commented that it seemed like she was very familiar with the task, though of course no command experience was listed in the history in her file. Peggy couldn’t help but assume it had something to do with Susan’s mysterious past.
She did her best to respect Agent Pevensie’s privacy on the matter, as there was nothing indicating it was affecting her work performance (except, perhaps, for the better), but no one got to Peggy Carter’s position in life without a truly tenacious desire to dig into any secrets that she found.
So, she did her research. There was absolutely no record of the Pevensie children doing anything at all unusual, other than Susan’s unusual prowess in swimming and marksmanship and one cousin whose personality had reportedly completely changed over the course of a summer spent with the younger two Pevensies. All four were reportedly quite bright, and noted in their school files as being somewhat more mature than expected for their age, but that was quite common among those who grew up during the war.
Professor Kirke’s record, on the other hand, was so ludicrously classified that she could not even get a copy of his professional resume. He had, she noted, vanished at roughly the same time as the other Pevensies, but there was no sign there was even a connection between the disappearances, as he was prone to vanishing for undetermined periods and no one could confirm when, exactly, he actually went missing.
The mystery became a background hobby over long years working alongside the exceedingly competent Agent Pevensie, who seemed quite amused over the whole thing.
“You won’t find anything about it in the files, I can assure you. Well, possibly the Professor’s. I can’t speak for his, as I’ve never seen it either.” Susan assured Peggy one night over a glass of whiskey.
“Please tell me you weren’t all foreign agents?” Peggy asked. “I don’t mind the mystery as long as I can be certain I won’t eventually find out that you were all traitors.”
Susan laughed. “I was never an agent for a country in competition with England or the United States in any way.”
Peggy frowned at the odd wording. “That sounds like you were, except that the United States considers itself in competition with everyone else.”
“Don’t worry, Agent Carter. I’ve never done anything that would be considered treason. I have never been a traitor to my country or any other.”
Peggy weighed that for a moment. “That sounds like it’s intended to be a hint. Were you serving private interests, then?”
Susan made a face. “I would never, and neither would the Professor have, I expect. He was a good man.”
“I’m starting to wonder if you’re toying with me.” Peggy teased her.
Susan blushed. “Perhaps a little, but I am also telling the truth. Some things… some things you have to figure out for yourself, if you’re ever to believe them.”
Something about that stuck with Peggy long after they’d both gone home for the night. She had seen plenty of impossible things, perhaps it was time to consider things in that vein.
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It had been another several years from that night at the bar before Peggy, quite by happenstance, got a proper look at the mystery. She watched Susan step into a supply closet they used for files in a rather jaunty, if sensible, pant suit, dry and perfectly coiffed as usual. A few moments later, Susan stepped out again, soaked to the knees and brushing what looked like snow and pine needles out of her hair, wearing a rather elaborate dress she would not have had the time to put on, even if she’d had it with her, and holding a bottle made of what appeared to be diamond.
Susan glanced around, saw Peggy looking, and winked. “Did you see me go in?”
“I… I did.” Peggy replied, glancing between Susan and the door.
“Consider it a very large hint as to that secret you’ve been looking for.”
“No, come on now. Enough of this. That was absolutely impossible. What just happened?”
Susan sighed. “Come have a drink with me tonight. It’s not something I should talk about in the office where anyone can overhear.”
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In the end, that drink was put off for three frustrating weeks. Peggy hated leaving the mystery for that long, but there was work to be done and Susan was quite urgently needed in Detroit, as the Soviet agent SHIELD assigned her to track down had shown up there, and Susan needed to go deal with her personally. Peggy, remembering Dottie all too well, did not try to intervene. SHIELD was more important than her own personal curiosity.
Three weeks later, the odd scene with the closet felt almost like something out of a dream. It couldn’t have really happened, could it? People didn’t just walk through closet doorways and come out covered in snow wearing odd, foreign clothes. She had almost gotten to the point where she was quite embarrassed by the whole thing when Susan came home and reminded her they had things to discuss.
Susan seemed to think it was quite important and not at all embarrassing, which reassured Peggy and soothed her pride. She accepted the renewed invitation for a drink, and a mere three hours after Susan’s return to New Jersey, they were seated at a corner table in their favorite bar, drinks in hand.
“Well, how was Detroit?” Peggy asked, feeling the need to start this with some grounding semblance of normal conversation.
Susan smiled wryly. “Not the best place I’ve had to go for work, but far from the worst, either. And the food was excellent, which is always a plus.”
“I’m glad to hear it. Good hearty meals can atone for a multitude of ills.” Peggy smiled back at her and took a sip of her whiskey, feeling like an absolute heel, making small talk like someone’s mother.
Susan seemed to take pity on her. “Look, we can talk about Detroit at the official debrief in the morning. We’re here to talk about something else. What did you see, three weeks ago?”
Peggy sighed. “Something patently impossible.”
Susan nodded. “Yes, exactly. But what, specifically.”
Peggy took another swig of her drink. “You went into the supply closet wearing that blue pant suit you got last month, utterly normal. Maybe thirty seconds later you came out again in an elaborate gold dress with what looked like actual pearls stitched on to the thing, with a fur shrug, brushing snow out of your hair and holding what appeared to be a bottle made of diamond. Please, put me out of my misery and tell me whether I should be going to see a doctor.”
“No, that’s all accurate enough. Except they weren’t truly pearls, I don’t think it’s possible to take anything that valuable back. Upsets the balance of the worlds or some-such. The suit, I’m afraid, met a rather untimely end getting thoroughly sliced up and bloody.” Susan’s nonchalance about the whole thing made it feel all the more surreal to poor Peggy.
“Upsets the balance of the worlds ?” Peggy repeated skeptically.
Susan nodded. “There are quite a few worlds out there. The Professor studied them, and I’m told there are others who do as well. They connect with ours in unpredictable ways.”
“Did Professor Kirke teach you about them?” Peggy asked, trying to wrap her head around this ridiculous idea.
Susan shook her head. “No, my sister Lucy found a doorway in the back of an unused wardrobe in his house.”
“A… portal in a wardrobe?” Peggy repeated, then shut her mouth rather firmly, not wanting to let the shock reduce her to a parrot.
“Exactly.” Susan replied with a smile. “We were playing hide and seek, but then Lucy found herself in a snowy wood, talking to a faun. She apparently had a lovely time and stayed for tea, but when she got back to the wardrobe she didn’t understand that no time had passed for us. I’m ashamed to admit I initially thought Lucy was lying or crazy.”
“But… she wasn’t?”
“She wasn’t. We all found our way in there by accident a few hours later and ended up in another world called Narnia. It had been conquered by an evil queen, and we ended up recruited to help defeat her. Which was when we learned how to wage war.” Susan took a sip of her drink.
“So when you said your sister was seven…”
“Yes, exactly. Lucy was seven. Narnia is… strange, and it didn’t feel quite as horrible as it would to be plunged into that as a kid in our world. It almost feels like a fairy tale. But, then we ended up being crowned kings and queens of Narnia, and we had quite an education learning how to rule.”
“How did you end up kings and queens of a world you’d never been to before?”
“Well, truthfully it was just the one country. They…” Susan considered carefully. “They had a religious tradition that said only true humans from our world could rule. Apparently it was founded by people from our world who’d stumbled in- we found out years later that the Professor was one of them. The other countries in that world were ruled by the descendants of people who’d stumbled through similarly.”
“But how could they have adapted their religion to that so quickly?”
“Time works differently between worlds. That’s how I had so much time between what to you seemed like a few seconds. I was in Arkenland for three weeks.”
“Three weeks?” Peggy repeated, in awe.
Susan nodded. “That first time, when we were crowned, we stayed for fifteen years. I was nearing thirty! I almost married several times, before then. But then we came back to the wardrobe entirely by accident, and were back to being children. It was quite an adjustment, all of those memories and all that we had learned settling into the minds of our child selves again. We forgot a lot of it, in self preservation, I expect, but none of us were truly properly children ever again.”
“That is beyond bizarre.” Peggy replied, feeling the need to say something in response to the extraordinary story.
Susan laughed. “It was, yes. The Professor kept up with all of us, as he was the only other person we knew who knew about Narnia, and likewise we were the only ones he knew, other than his old friend who’d been there with him before. He helped us all out however he could, and he approached me one afternoon when I had only recently started at Cambridge to ask if I wanted to work at Bletchley. He said it would be better scope for all that I had learned as queen.”
“And was it?”
“Yes and no.” Susan admitted. “Narnians are an incredibly honest bunch, and their neighbors tend to either be similar or to keep to themselves. We did have a security service but in truth it was a small and far less complicated organization. Other than clearing out pockets of those sympathetic to the previous queen, the worst threat we ever had was… well, actually, it was the son of another ruler who had decided he wanted to marry me and take over Narnia himself. He did not take kindly to being told no. We had to smuggle ourselves out of his capital city and fend off an invasion.”
“Well, that does sound quite exhilarating.” Peggy told her, with a deadpan smile.
“It was, yes. I still would have preferred to skip the whole thing. Or at least the part of it where he intended to marry me.”
“Yes, that is unfortunate. It’s galling to know that even in other worlds, men can’t get over the notion that they own any woman they take an interest in.”
Susan sighed. “Arkenland was much better about that, and of course Narnia didn’t really have other humans but our people were lovely.”
“What sort of people live in Narnia?” Peggy asked, oddly certain she would not like the answer.
“Oh, all kinds. Mostly talking animals, but there were centaurs, dwarves, and giants too, as well as some much rarer and sometimes nastier things like hags and werewolves.”
“Please tell me you’re joking.”
“I’m not. All the creatures we think of as fantastical here actually exist in some other world, as far as I can tell. I imagine that’s where the stories came from, for many of them. Of course, in Narnia’s case I think it may have been the other way around, a bit. The presence of humans in the beginning may have influenced how the world developed. That’s getting into metaphysics, though, which is very much not my area.”
Peggy bolted the rest of her drink. “This is… a lot to take in.”
Susan nodded. “Yes, this is why I told you you had to find out at least some of it yourself. If you hadn’t been there when I stepped out of that closet, you wouldn’t have believed any of this, would you?”
“I… suppose I wouldn’t.” Peggy agreed. “I have seen some truly strange things in my career. I didn’t think anything would be stranger than what happened to Dr. Wilkes, but I am afraid you’ve just beaten it.”
Susan quirked an eyebrow. “Who is Dr. Wilkes and what happened to him? Are you allowed to tell me?”
Peggy considered that for a moment. “I suppose it couldn’t hurt. The case is long over and you technically have the clearance level to access the files.”
“Do tell, then!” Susan urged her, grinning.
“Well, alright. This was back in the days of the SSR, shortly before we formed SHIELD. There was a scientific research organization called Isodyne that we were investigating in regard to some unusual deaths. And by unusual deaths, I mean the people froze from the inside out, sometimes shattering as a result.”
“They froze?” Susan asked, stunned.
“They did. The first one was found in a lake, where it’d frozen the whole thing solid. In the summer, in Los Angeles.”
Susan gaped. “Is that what happened to your Dr. Wilkes?”
“Oh, no. I’m afraid that was much stranger. Isodyne had been investigating this…” She hesitated, looking over at Susan. “Well, they suspected it was from another dimension, now that I think of it. It was a strange substance that they’d accidentally manifested during a nuclear test. Direct contact with even a tiny bit of the thing had devastating effects-that’s what froze the victims. When the whole thing was accidentally released from containment, Dr. Wilkes… well, I’m afraid I never quite understood the specifics of how and why it happened, but he lost all physical mass. He was effectively a ghost, and invisible until Howard figured out he was there and used a chemical he’d developed to make him visible again. It was quite unnerving.”
“What happened to him?” Susan asked curiously
“Oh, that’s… a long story.” Peggy looked away with a sigh.
“I take it he didn’t make it?” Susan asked gently.
“He deserved a good deal better than he got.” Peggy replied. “But unfortunately people who get close to me don’t tend to survive.”
“I… have a similar problem, I suppose.” Susan admitted. “People I get close to tend to be awful. That guy who tried to take over Narnia and marry me by force? I… was into him, for a while. Until I found out how awful he was.”
“Honestly, any woman who pursues a man is rolling the dice, it’s not your fault that roll didn’t work out in your favor.” Peggy told her, patting her arm sympathetically.
“I’m afraid it’s not even just men.” Susan sighed
Peggy stared at her for a moment. “No?”
Susan blushed. “I didn’t mean it like that. My sister, and our brothers. They were under the impression I had become frivolous and shut me out. I couldn’t exactly tell them what I was really doing at Bletchley, after all.”
“Ah, yes.” Peggy nodded, blushing a bit as well. “Well, spies don’t tend to be able to hold on to their families. It’s a part of the job. My brother was the only one who knew what I was really doing, but he died in the war.”
“I’m sorry. Were you close?”
“We were, yes. Although he hated my fiancee at the time.” Peggy smiled. “He was right, too, which is why I ended up not marrying him. I suppose I’ve had my share of bad taste in men as well.”
Susan laughed. “That does make me feel a bit better about it. I would’ve thought you were far too good a judge of character for that sort of thing.”
Peggy shrugged. “We were all young once. I wasn’t as sure of myself yet. Thought I should be a ‘proper woman’.”
Susan made a face. “God, they tried that on us, in Narnia. Lucy and I were told to stay away from the actual battle because ‘battles are ugly when women fight’. Like they’re any less ugly any other time. And they didn’t see any particular need to keep us away from the bloody aftermath, when Lucy was playing nurse for everyone.”
“Of course.” Peggy agreed dryly. “When they need a woman’s aid, suddenly all that talk of protection goes right out the window. But how did your sister manage to be a nurse at seven?”
“Ah, that.” Susan shrugged. “We were given gifts to help us in the fight. Lucy’s was a bottle of cordial that could heal any injury or illness. That’s what was in the diamond bottle you saw me bring back, actually. I thought perhaps I could find a sneaky way to slip a sample to a trustworthy scientist here, see if it could do some good.”
Peggy stared at her. “You must be joking! That can’t be possible. Multiple worlds or not, that’s pure magic.”
“Well… yes.” Susan agreed. “Narnia has magic. I thought the dwarves and centaurs and werewolves would have given that away? I don’t yet know if any of it even works here, though. I’d hoped to get injured in Detroit so I’d have an excuse to test the cordial but I didn’t get anything worse than a few bruises. I’m not about to waste the cordial for that.”
“... I think I need another drink.” Peggy replied.
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Something had changed between the two of them, after that night at the bar, but neither of them seemed inclined to acknowledge it. They spent a little more time together, trusted each other a bit more with their lives outside of work, had lunch or drinks after work at least once a week. Peggy enjoyed the comfortable companionship, but there was something building between them that she was hesitant to look at too closely.
Peggy was ready for and comfortable with friends. She was starving for them, really, especially female friends, as a relief from Howard’s incorrigible womanizing and Jarvis’ flawlessly polite restraint, and Sousa’s lingering feelings. It was nice to have a friend she could hug casually or joke about past relationships with, who knew her work and didn’t have to be protected.
She was bemused, therefore, by her own odd behavior. Sometimes a completely innocuous touch would linger a bit too long, their faces would get a little too close, a quiet moment would become oddly strained. It wasn’t as though she was unfamiliar with the idea of having feelings for a woman, but she was unused to her body and subconscious betraying her quite this openly when it came to someone she determinedly wanted to stay on platonic terms with.
Susan was not helping the situation, either. Peggy could see that she was amused by romantic tension. She would occasionally seem to be deliberately heightening it, often at blatantly unsuitable times such as in the middle of a getaway or while in Peggy’s office, which was admittedly quite private but not at all appropriate for liaisons of that sort. She wasn’t about to start dallying about like Howard!
Things finally came to a head during a stakeout, the two of them alone in their car in the dark. Peggy had reached over to retrieve her dinner from the bag by Susan’s feet, and Susan had leaned in with a smile, their faces impossibly close.
Peggy pulled back in a hurry, red faced, abandoning the thought of food in favor of staring stonily ahead. She was so flustered, all she could think to do was snub Susan so thoroughly she would stop pushing things and go back to being just a friend.
They’d spent nearly an hour in stony silence, when Susan finally spoke up. “Peggy?”
“Yes? Do you see something?” Peggy responded in her best no nonsense Agent voice.
Susan sighed. “I’m sorry. I think I misunderstood you, and now I’ve made you uncomfortable. I apologize.”
Peggy relaxed a jot. “Apology accepted. We really should focus on our work, however.”
“No, listen to me. We’re not expecting anyone for another half hour at the earliest, we should talk about this. I’ve truly behaved abhorrently.”
“I… wouldn’t say it was as bad as all that. It was merely… inappropriate. I’m not a fan of those sorts of games, Susan.”
“I know. I knew better, and I pushed it anyway. I should have just asked you plainly and accepted your answer.” Susan sighed.
“Asked me what?” Peggy asked, curious despite herself
“Why, if you were interested in me, of course. I’ve been an abominable flirt. I should have known that being direct with you would be better. I… got rather used to having to flirt horribly with boys to make my interest clear, it’s a bit of a habit.” Susan smiled sheepishly. “I am dreadfully sorry I upset you.”
“Well, I…” Peggy replied, even more flustered but now no longer having the dignity of being offended to hide behind. “You’re a lovely woman, Susan, but I want to focus on my work. A romantic entanglement… would complicate things.”
Susan nodded. “Yes, I understand. Have I completely ruined our friendship?”
“No, I don’t think so. Provided you stop flirting so much, and in so many unsuitable places and ways.” Peggy patted her arm
“I promise, I will.” Susan told her earnestly
“There is a time and place for such things.” Peggy told her, blushing a bit. “A bit of flirtation on our downtime, without pushing the matter… is quite different and much more likely to be pleasant.”
Susan stared at her for a minute, then smiled. “I can manage that. You will have to let me know if you decide you’d be inclined to change your mind about dating.”
“I will.” Peggy promised her with a wry smile. “I would not count on it, however.”
“Truthfully, I hadn’t ever planned on dating, either. I don’t intend to get that close to anyone who doesn’t know about Narnia, and I hadn’t intended to tell anyone.” She shrugs
“So, what, am I just your only option then?” Peggy teased, grateful for the opportunity to shift the conversation in a slightly more comfortable direction.
“No, it’s just… a happy accident. Or, more likely, Aslan looking out for me.” Susan smiled.
“Aslan?”
“He’s… well, he’s quite a lot of things. But he’s the one who calls me to other worlds or arranges for me to be called. He’s sort of… a guardian, who watches out for the good of various worlds.”
“But what could he have done to make sure I found out?”
Susan smiled. “Well, I don’t choose when I come or go, he could have easily made sure it happened in front of you, I’d imagine.”
“You don’t choose? You just… get sucked into another world? That sounds… disconcerting.” Peggy frowned
“It can be, but I’m fairly used to it. I’ve done it for most of my life, now.” Susan shrugged. “I suppose you can get used to pretty much anything”
“I hope this isn’t an unpleasant conversation, but is that what happened to your siblings? Did they just never come back? They’ve been missing for quite a long time, but you haven’t seem particularly concerned about it when you talk about them”
“Exactly, yes.” Susan nodded. “There are so many worlds, after all, and Narnia… Narnia didn’t particularly need us anymore. The goal of a new world is always for it to be self sustaining. Only a world that can do that can ever truly be what it should be, for better or worse. Earth, for example, is a particularly old instance of a fully realized world.”
“Mmm, I’m not sure I agree that we are what we should be here.” Peggy muttered, much to Susan’s apparent amusement.
“Fully realized just means that we don’t need outside interference to do what needs to be done in our world. In fact, we are so far along the track that, according to the Professor, a large number of natural portals manifest here. He studied them extensively, trying to figure out how and why they formed and whether they could be tracked or predicted.”
“Can they be?” Peggy asked
Susan shook her head. “He never found a way, at any rate. But, there are so many of these portals that there are quite a lot of humans who find their way in other worlds and have no idea what’s going on. Most find their way back harmlessly, but some… well, some want to take advantage of the opportunity they’ve found in these vulnerable worlds. In Narnia, for instance, a band of pirates from our world accidentally found themselves in theirs, and caused all manner of trouble before eventually crowning themselves kings. It turned out alright, in the end, their descendants were decent people once they clawed their way out of old habits. But in other places it does not.”
Peggy nodded, taking all of this in. “So what does this have to do with what happened to them?”
“They… moved to another world, basically. One that needed protecting. Some particularly unscrupulous humans had found their way there and found that gold quite literally grows on trees, there. It needed much more active protection than could be provided by hopping in here and there, and so they went. They were never particularly attached to earth, anyway.”
“Why didn’t you go with them?”
“Oh, I… felt I was needed here. We fought about it, at the time, Peter said I was abandoning the family, but Aslan told them to let me stay. I visit when I can, none of us have been able to stay angry at each other for long.”
“Why did he want them to go but not you?”
“Professor Kirke and Ms. Polly were so old, they were ready to move on, but my siblings and Eustace and Jill just… weren’t tied to their lives here. At least, that’s what Aslan said. He said I was needed here, and in other worlds. The others…” Susan shrugged. “Aslan doesn’t tell anyone anything he doesn’t think they need to hear, and he doesn’t think I need to know.”
“He sounds a bit condescending.” Peggy noted with a frown.
“Oh, no. Aslan is... “ Susan considered for a moment. “Well, I suppose he could be considered a god. Narnia certainly did. I suspect he’d consider himself more of a naturalist, only intervening where necessary to preserve life and happiness on a grand scale, and on his own time scale. He doesn’t like to meddle more than he has to, and that includes telling us things we don’t need to know.”
“I’m not sure whether you having interacted with a god or there being someone out there who’s detached and advanced enough to play naturalist with us is more alarming.” Peggy admits. “Either way, I think I’m glad that it’s you and not me.”
“And I’m glad it was you and not me who did so many of the things you’ve done.” Susan replies with a laugh. “But I’m glad we’re happy in our own lives, I suppose.”
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At a certain point, the Head of SHIELD had to admit that she could not in good conscience take on any missions herself, as in demand as she was in the office. She’d long since stepped away from all but a few, but those last precious few excuses to do fieldwork slipped away for Peggy and for Susan, who had by then been Peggy’s unchallenged second in command for years.
The two of them bore up well under the circumstances, Susan in particular escaping now and then to other worlds where she was called upon for truly unusual sorts of fieldwork. It became routine for the two of them to get together at one of their flats to talk over Susan’s new adventures and make sure Susan hadn’t forgotten anything important, considering the time dilation. This started out as almost a debrief, but the meetings quickly became much more casual, involving wine, take out, and often staying the night. They started to get together on other nights as well, to unwind and relax together. If perhaps they had shared drunken kisses a few times on such nights, both of them were aware enough of Peggy’s boundaries to not bring it up in the morning.
The morning after one such evening, Peggy awoke in Susan’s bed, both of them half undressed, and decided she desperately needed a shower. She felt sticky, and had the vague memory of spilling her last glass of wine all over her front, which was, she assumed, also why she was undressed. A shower would wake her up and get rid of the unpleasant stickiness.
She headed to Susan’s closet to retrieve a towel, only to find herself looking through a doorway at a vast, grassy plain, with two suns in the sky and unfamiliar flowers sprouting here and there. She shut the door and turned to the bed. “Susan, I’m afraid you’re being called away again. But your lion has misjudged his timing a bit.”
Susan yawned and looked over at her. “Whatever do you mean?”
Peggy opened the closet door again, confirmed that there was still a plain on the other side, and gestured to it. “I doubt this was meant for me.”
Susan sat up, grinning. “No, if you opened it, it was meant for you. I suppose we must be intended to go together, this time.
Peggy, slightly hungover and still desperately wanting a shower, frowned. “That can’t be right. This is your thing.”
“New people have to come every now and then, or else no one would ever travel between worlds!” Susan replied excitedly
“But you said it’s children who do that sort of thing. Or at least, they have to be children at the start.”
“Professor Kirke’s uncle wasn’t a child. He was horrible, but there’s no particular reason only horrible people could start later in life. Peggy, this is going to be wonderful!” Susan climbed out of bed and started changing into clean, practical clothes.
Peggy blushed and looked away, staring through the door instead. “I just… would have preferred a little warning, I suppose. I’m used to having the opportunity to sign up for a thing before I get roped in.”
“You don’t have to join me. But I’d think after how much you’ve sighed about being stuck behind a desk, you’d be jumping at the chance for some adventure.”
“I suppose that’s true enough.” Peggy agreed. “But I do wish I had time to shower.”
“Since it’s a door, we do have a bit of time. If it’s particularly urgent, we’d have just gotten sucked in. Go have your shower, I’ll make us a bite to eat, then we can set out fed and clean.” Susan smiles at her
Peggy smiles back. “That sounds lovely. I prefer to go in prepared when I can.”
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An hour or so later, Peggy and Susan stepped through the door. Peggy’s hair was still damp and Susan still had a bit of toast in her hand, but neither of them was willing to wait any longer. Peggy was eager to step out into this beautiful new world and see what adventure waited there. And Susan…
Susan hadn’t yet admit it, but she was delighted to get to share this with the woman she loved most.
Peggy was, for the moment, blissfully unaware of this, interpreting Susan’s delight at joy about adventure and the beautiful meadow they found themselves wandering through. The flowers were a dramatic shade of neon blue that Peggy suspected would glow in the dark, and the grass was a soft yellow, and the overall effect was enchantingly unique. The two of them walked through it together in delighted silence for a good half hour before Peggy reluctantly stopped to look over at Susan.
“This is all quite lovely, but how are we meant to proceed, precisely? I’m afraid it’s hard to get any useful intelligence out of a field of flowers without any signs of people in sight or the slightest understanding of the terrain.” Peggy frowned thoughtfully. “Perhaps we should make our way to that thicket of trees over there and climb one?”
Susan shrugged, looking unconcerned and utterly delighted. “The best thing to do when first stepping through a doorway is to follow our instincts. We specifically were brought here for a reason, which means that we are the right people to uncover what needs to be done and do it. If your inclination is to climb a tree, we should do that. I can’t yet tell if I’ve been here before, so it’s likely the best option anyway.”
Peggy nodded. “Alright, then. Do you truly think it’s so straightforward as doing what feels right? That seems… sloppy.”
“Compared to SHIELD work, it invariably is.” Susan agreed. “But it’s quite effective here. The first time any of us came to Narnia, Lucy stumbled upon the White Witch’s tyranny quite by accident because she agreed to take tea with a faun.”
“Too much going around on impulse might well drive me mad.” Peggy mumbled, amused
Susan laughed. “You truly aren’t the type to let things happen. Perhaps that’s why you’re here this time. Maybe we need that here.”
“Perhaps so.” Peggy replied, squaring her shoulders a bit. “Let's make for the trees rather more directly, then. This meadow is beautiful but quite open. I can’t help feeling like we’re being watched.”
Susan nodded, and Peggy could see her eyes dancing around trying to see if there were any visible watchers. “Yes, I see what you mean. Shall we?”
The two of them were a bit more subdued as they made a beeline for the trees they could see toward the edge of the meadow. They were both careful to not appear too suspicious, but some of the air of delight was gone from the day with the reminder that they were here to work, even if it was very unusual work.
In the absence of delight came excitement, however, and the clarity that came with the knowledge that danger could be lurking anywhere. No one became a spy who didn’t love that thrill, and Susan and Peggy were no exception.
The tree was strange, with pale bluish bark and strangely regular limbs, looking rather like some overzealous painter had gotten a hold of one of those bottle brush christmas trees that were so popular during Peggy’s childhood. The branches were reassuringly sturdy when she started to climb, and the regularity of the branches made it easy to scale it all the way to the top.
“Can you see anything?” Susan called up to her from the base of the tree.
Peggy took a good look around. “I think so. I’ll come down.”
She slid down the tree as quickly as she could, wishing she’d not spent quite so much time behind a desk lately. Once she was on the ground, she sighed. “There’s a wisp of smoke off in the hills over that way.”
Susan nodded, glancing over that way. “Did you see where it was coming from?”
Peggy shook her head. “No, but there was a lot of tree cover. There could be a whole town or army under there and I wouldn’t have seen it from above.”
“Shall we go check it out?”
“Yes, I suppose it’s the most reasonable way forward.”
The two of them headed accordingly for the hills, which they quickly found were much further away than they had appeared initially. The suns were starting to set by the time they reached the vague area Peggy had seen, which was getting quite dim due to the thick canopy of leaves overhead.
“Perhaps we should find a safe place to spend the night?” Susan suggested, squinting around. “We can’t do much if it’s too dark to properly see.”
Peggy sighed. “I think we’ll have to. I hate to do it when there could be people so close, but we can’t find them like this. How are you at camping?”
Susan grinned. “I know my way around a campfire. We won’t be able to get a tent with what we have, but we’ve got enough supplies for a decent dinner and the moss seems soft enough for sleeping.”
“Alright, I’ll leave that to you and have one last look round nearby, just in case there’s something or someone there. In a forest like this we can’t properly have something at our backs but this’ll do.”
They both agreed, and Susan got a small, covered fire going and started heating up their dinner while Peggy made her circuit, so that by the time she returned she could greet her with a toasted sandwich and an apple.
“Better than I expected for dinner.” Peggy told her with a grin, sitting down next to her by the fire. “That smells wonderful, and not just because I’m hungry.”
“The bread takes up a bit of space in my bag, but it’s well worth it, I think.” Susan grinned back. “I have to warn you though, we don’t have a lot of variety. It’ll be cheese on toast with more apples in the morning, unless we find something we trust to eat.”
“I’ve had worse. Field rations during the war made this look like a gourmet dinner, don’t worry.” She bit into her sandwich. “Do you think we’re likely to find anything we’d recognize as edible here? The plants here seem… strange.”
Susan shrugged. “We might. I’ve seen a few normal looking plants here and there. Nothing edible yet, but the birds seem reasonably similar to our own, so if we find them eating something it might be worth a try. I doubt Aslan would have sent us somewhere everything would poison us without warning.”
“Mmm. Do you think I’ll meet Aslan? I never thought I would, but if I’m here…”
Susan shrugged. “He doesn’t always come. But he probably will, at least for a short while. He usually at least sees me off when it’s time to go home.”
“Does he?” Peggy frowned. “What is he like, truly? You’ve never said much about him.”
“He’s hard to describe.” Susan answered honestly. “But I suppose I should go ahead and tell you he’s a Lion, to start.”
Peggy stared at her, sandwich halfway to her mouth. “He’s… a lion?”
“I did tell you in Narnia the talking Animals were the majority of the residents.” Susan reminded her.
“Certainly, but… you didn’t mention that your Aslan was one of them!”
“Does it matter that much?”
“Well… mostly that he’s a lion” Peggy pointed out. “Is it safe to be around him? They’re not precisely known for being friendly to humans.”
“I wouldn’t call him safe, exactly. People in Narnia used to say ‘He’s not a tame Lion’ as though that explained him. But he’s very, emphatically good, and would never hurt anyone without a good reason.”
“Not… entirely reassuring. But I’ll take your word for it that he’s unlikely to hurt us. What is he like, though? Other than being a Lion?”
“He’s… inscrutable. One minute he’ll be the wisest, most solemn person you’ve ever met, the next he’ll be frolicking about like a kitten.”
“Not with us as the toy, I hope?” Peggy joked
“No, but occasionally with me on his back. When it’s important, he will let people ride on his back. He’s much larger than a lion in our world. All the Talking Animals are larger than their counterparts.”
“Large enough to ride?” Peggy shivered a bit, imagining a lion that size. “I hope I won’t need to, I can’t imagine an animal like that would want to wear a saddle, I imagine it would be hard to hold on.”
Susan smiled reminiscently. “No, not really. He doesn’t wear a saddle, of course, but he’s good about not jostling the people on his back, and he doesn’t mind if you hold onto his mane to keep your balance.”
“And why should I, when I am the one who suggests you do so?” A new, deep voice asked, as a huge golden lion stepped into the ring of firelight.
“Aslan!” Susan jumped up happily and curtseyed before rushing over to hug him around the neck.
“Susan. It is, as always, good to see such a loyal old friend. Will you introduce me?” Aslan asked, nodding over at Peggy once his head was free again.
“Of course. Aslan, this is Peggy Carter. We work together.” Susan told him, flashing Peggy an encouraging smile. “Peggy, this is Aslan.”
“I… am honored.” Peggy told him, standing up in something of a daze. “Thank you for letting me come here. Wherever here is.”
“A mate must share in all things with their partner.” Aslan replied, stepping over to sniff delicately at Peggy.
Peggy and Susan blushed bright red. “I think you may have misunderstood the situation, sir.” Peggy replied, not daring to look at Susan.
“Have I?” He glanced between the two of them. “Your scents are all over each other.”
They both blushed further. “I’m wearing Susan’s clothes.” Peggy replied defensively
He stared at them for a long moment that made Peggy feel uncomfortably like she’d just given the wrong answer in her favorite teacher’s class. “That would not explain why Susan smells so strongly of you, Agent Carter.”
Susan blushed more. “Aslan, we… Peggy and I have an understanding not to define things like that. We’re both very dedicated to our work.”
“I understand that your world makes it difficult, especially for women.” Aslan told them gently. “But there is nothing to be gained in hiding even from yourselves.”
Susan nodded, looking as abashed as Peggy felt. “We’ll… talk it over, Aslan, I promise.” Susan told him.
“Please tell me that you’re not here just to pry into my romantic life?” Peggy asked archly, trying to recover a bit of her lost pride.
“I am here because you had questions that Susan could not answer.” Aslan told her, padding off to the side. “Take a walk with me.”
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“I see what you were trying to tell me about Aslan.” Peggy told Susan thoughtfully, once she’d returned. “I don’t think I’ll ever be able to describe that.”
“Yes, walks with Aslan tend to be like that.” Susan agreed, then hesitantly added “You were gone for over an hour. You must’ve had a lot to talk about?”
“I… suppose we did.” Peggy replied, finding that she could not remember a word of it.
Susan waited a moment to see if she would elaborate, then sighed and patted the spot next to her. “We should talk about what Aslan said, if you’re up for it?”
“Hm?” Peggy frowned. “Oh, about… about us.” She did remember that part, and blushed again
“Yes, about us. He called us ‘mates’. He was… pretty certain. I know that you said you hadn’t wanted to have a relationship…”
Peggy shrugged. “I didn’t. But that can’t last forever, can it? And… I suspect he was right. We have been regularly meeting up in private and engaging in… physical intimacy for years.”
“Is that alright with you?” Susan asked, a worried note creeping into her voice. “I would understand if you didn’t want that.”
Peggy came to sit next to her and took her hand. “It’s been years since any of my plans for the future haven’t had you in them. I felt less committed when I was engaged.”
Susan laughed and leaned against Peggy a little. “When you put it like that, how could I doubt you?”
“I’m glad to hear it. I’ve made up my mind, and you know I don’t do that likely.” Peggy leaned her head on Susan’s shoulder. “But what about you? Are you alright with this? Beyond your initial flirtation and some delightful kisses, you’ve never been quite clear about your feelings on the matter. I suppose that’s my fault.”
Susan shrugged her free shoulder. “I respect you and what you want, so I kept it to myself. But truly, I’ve loved you since that gunfight in the library years ago.”
“That long?” Peggy asked, startled. “But you hadn’t even started flirting yet.”
“Well, I think I told you before, I could never be with someone who didn’t know about Narnia and believe me about it. I thought you were unlikely to. I was so glad to be proven wrong. Aslan must really think we’re good for each other.”
Peggy laughed. “Does he often show up to play matchmaker, or was this a special case?”
“I suppose in a way. He always helped the four of us settle things between each other. Well, until the train crash, I suppose.” Susan smiled wistfully
“I don’t know what I’d expected, but that was not it. He’s… so much more than I’d imagined. And…” Peggy turned to look at Susan. “So, I think, is this.”
Susan, understanding her intentions as she always seemed to, closed the gap and kissed Peggy warmly, the two of them laying back in the grass to put their arms around each other as they did.
“Ahem.” A very apologetic, gravelly voice came from the opposite side of their fire. It came from an odd, tall creature with blue skin and large, tusklike teeth.
Peggy sat up immediately, resisting the urge to blush. “Excuse me, where did you come from?”
“Apologies, ladies, but the Lion said you were coming. We’ve been looking for you for days!”
Susan and Peggy looked at each other for a moment regretfully, then sat up to get to work.
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When they got home, still flushed with victory and eager for a proper shower after two weeks of camping and fighting, the reality of their situation sunk in a bit. Peggy was leaning against the bathroom wall waiting for her turn in the shower when Susan stuck her her head out, looking suddenly worried. “Peggy?”
“Hm?”
“You’re not going to change your mind now that we’re home, are you?”
“Why would I do that?” Peggy asked, bemused
Susan sighed. “We’re back home. It was exciting and magical when we were in another world where no one would know or care, but now it’s… complicated.”
“It doesn’t have to be.” Peggy shrugged. “Aging women live together all the time. And I’m afraid we’re getting up there, we qualify.”
Susan laughed a little. “Oh, god, don’t say that. I refuse to believe it until we start getting gray hairs.”
“Oh, I’ve passed that mark, Susan. You never noticed? I thought it was quite obvious.”
“Well I- No, that’s beside the point. Are you really sure, Peggy?”
“You seem to have missed it, but I’m so certain I just invited you to live with me, Susan.”
Susan was quiet for a moment, then stuck her head out again to stare at Peggy. “You… want me to live with you?”
“I do, yes. I suspect you’ll be by far the most pleasant housemate I’ve ever had.”
“Have you had other ‘housemates’ before?” Susan asked, a tinge of jealousy in her voice.
“No, not like that. But I’ve shared flats before. I wasn’t always the head of SHIELD, after all.”
“Yes, of course.” Susan laughed a little.
“But, as I have told you, I’ve been engaged before, and I have been involved with other men that I cared quite deeply about. Is that going to bother you?”
“What? No, of course not.” Susan retorted, sounding startled.
“You sounded quite jealous of previous housemates, after all. If you’re the jealous type, I’d prefer advance warning.” Peggy teased
“No, I… It was just because this is so new. Besides, those were all men, and I know full well, even Captain America can’t compete with the High Queen of Narnia.” Susan teased back
“Oh, are you sure I’m good enough for you, your Highness?” Peggy joked. “I’m just a commoner, after all. Are you sure your royal siblings wouldn’t be scandalized at the thought of your lowborn lover?”
“I’m sure I’ll have the chance to introduce you at some point.” Susan replied. “They’ll be delighted to meet you. I ah… I may have told them all about you on previous visits. I have a hunch Jill and Lucy might be betting over when we would finally get together.”
“Meet them?” Peggy was mildly alarmed at the thought. “I had never considered that. I’d always assumed they were too far out of reach. But I suppose if I can travel between worlds now, there’s no reason why not. Your family is… understanding?”
“Jill’s already got a wife.” Susan assured her. “And Eustace has had a truly startling amount of boyfriends. It’s quite normal there, they’ve made sure of it.”
“That’s the benefits of shaping your own world’s culture, I suppose.” Susan murmured a touch wistfully.
“Yes, I suppose so. But we’ll get there here, I think. The leader of SHIELD being in a relationship with a woman will probably help with that, even.”
“I’m… not sure it would be wise to be open about that.” Peggy admitted. “In our position, the last thing we need is to have our private lives become publicly discussed. Ideally, we would barely even exist to the rest of the world.”
Susan sighed. “Why can nothing ever be simple?”
“Well, you could be queen of a world where gold grows on trees, I bet that would be much simpler.”
“And more boring.” Susan retorted, stepping out of the shower and started to dry off. “Go on ahead. I’m sure you want this as badly as I did.”
Peggy took a moment to eye Susan appreciatively first. “Mmm, but which this is a matter of some internal debate.” She joked, shucking off dirty clothes and stepping into the shower.
“You are quite tempting, even covered in muck, but I think we’d much rather be clean and fed before we engage in that sort of behavior.” Susan told her regretfully.
“You could always get back in with me.” Peggy told her, sticking her hand out from behind the shower curtain to beckon her in.
“That doesn’t account for fed, Peggy. I’m not doing anything more strenuous than getting into my car to go to the drive in until I have a burger and a cup of coffee.” Susan laughed.
“Oh, god, a burger.” Peggy agreed with a groan. “Alright, I see your point. But isn’t it still morning, here? It was morning when we left.”
Susan stepped out of the room to look at the clock, then came back laughing. “A hearty breakfast then. I’d even be glad to have beans on toast, if we could get proper beans here.”
“I wouldn’t mind a full English, either.” Peggy admitted. “But the diner down the road does wonderful breakfasts. And we can have as much coffee as we like.”
“Perfect.” Susan sighed. “Then, after we’ve eaten, you can ravish me. Or I’ll ravish you. Really, as long as there’s ravishing involved I’m quite happy with it.”
Peggy laughed. “Sounds like an ideal morning, really.”