Author's Note: Yayy, more Peggy and Daniel! I'm in a weird place where I really want to write them but I'm soooo low on ideas that wouldn't just be plot spinoffs where one of them gets hurt XD

"We have to do this tactfully," Peggy muttered in a very low voice as she and Daniel hurried past the good-morning greetings of Rose and into hallway leading to the SSR. "If we don't, we will be on the receiving end of belittling comments and teasing side-eyes for the rest of our time as agents, and possibly the rest of our lives."

"You don't think that's a little dramatic?" Daniel asked, bemused. "Peg, we're just telling Jack that we're dating so he doesn't find out from someone else or... walk in on us or something."

Peggy pulled up short, scandalized. "We will not be making out in the SSR!" she cried, a bit too loudly.

"Okay," Daniel agreed quickly.

"Sorry," Peggy sighed. "It's just... I've worked very hard to earn the minimal amount of respect that I do have in this place and... one misstep could send it all down the drain. You may be celebrated for your... conquest, but I would be labeled as a slut or a whore, trying to get in good with my superior on the off chance he becomes chief."

"Peg," Daniel said gently, reaching out the hand that wasn't grasping his crutch and resting it on her bicep. "I would never see you as a conquest. And I'd never let anyone else see you that way, either. If the boys start talking bad about you, I will take care of it."

"You'll try to take care of it," Peggy corrected, offering him a weak half-smile. "But it's better to play it safe so you don't have to. We must retain professionalism while at work. Agreed?"

"Agreed," Daniel replied, dropping his hand from her arm to hold it out to her.

They shook on it.

When they walked into the office, Peggy was half expecting some sort of reaction. Maybe some smirks from the other agents, or a couple claps on Daniel's back. But people barely spared them a glance.

And that made complete logical sense. Peggy and Daniel had only made their relationship official on Saturday evening over glasses of chardonnay and gourmet pasta. They had told no one save for Jarvis, Ana and Peggy's best friend Angie, which would have meant there was absolutely no leak back to the agents they worked with.

Peggy let out a breath once she reached her desk, feeling like the hard part was over. She sank into her chair and watched Daniel do the same. It was nice to sit behind him; to be able to keep an eye on him throughout the day. It also made her somewhat frequent staring a bit less obvious.

Peggy settled into her work. There was nothing exceptionally big going on at the SSR or at that moment, just some rudimentary cases and paperwork. She was buried in the case file of what seemed to be a cut-and-dry murder when a soft throat-clearing made her look up.

Daniel was standing in front of her, holding a mug in his hands. "Coffee?" he offered, extending the drink to her.

Peggy's eyebrows raised, surprised. She was used to getting him coffee, and if not him almost everyone else on her floor. She wasn't sure if anyone had ever brought her a coffee before.

"Thank you," she said, carefully taking the warm mug. "You know, I could get used to this kind of special treatment."

The corners of Daniel's mouth lifted. "Well, you deserve it," he said, a little awkwardly. "I should, um, get back to work."

"Yes, right," Peggy agreed, her cheeks coloring. The two of them were still falling into the rhythm of being a couple, and having to hide their feelings wasn't helping either of them to get used to it.

But Peggy knew it was important that they kept on like everything was normal. Coffee could be considered normal, right? Daniel was a considerate man. And besides, there was a very slim chance that anyone had noticed, anyway.

The morning dragged on. Daniel and Peggy coordinated their lunch breaks to line up and walked to the lounge area together to take their much-needed break.

"You haven't..?" Peggy asked hesitantly as she opened up her small cooler and took out a salad.

"No," Daniel replied with a heavy sigh. "Every time I thought I could get him alone the opportunity just felt... wrong." He shook his head. "I can see this going two ways: Either he slaps his knee and laughs out loud and says 'finally!', or he just stares at me like he's not sure why it was important that I tell him." He sent her what could almost be considered a pout. "Do we have to tell him?"

"Yes," Peggy said firmly. "Yes, we have to tell him! We are agents, Daniel, and the chances are high that the three of us will end up in the field together again. Our... relationship could be a dangerous secret to keep when it comes to putting our lives on the line. Our judgement will be clouded by our feelings; there's no getting around that. He deserves to know that that's the case."

"You're right, of course you're right," Daniel relented, letting out another sigh. "Maybe you should do it. He might think it's less odd if he gets the news from you."

Peggy's lips pinched. "He's your friend, Daniel," she reminded her partner. "In case you'd forgotten, Jack and I have always had a... challenged relationship." She paused, an idea coming to her. "How about this? You take him out for drinks this evening and tell him then. Then it's not coming from one of his agents, but from one of his friends."

Daniel's face fell. "But we were supposed to do dinner tonight," he protested. "I've been looking forward to it all morning."

Peggy was unable to resist a smile. "We can just bump it to tomorrow night," she said practically. "I think that telling Thompson takes precedence."

It was clear from the look on Daniel's face that he didn't completely agree with her, but he gave in anyways.

That afternoon, Daniel made sure to wait to clock out until Jack was gathering his things. Then he casually fell into step beside his superior. "Hey, want to head to the bar?" he asked, trying to sound like the idea wasn't completely premeditated. "We can have a few rounds, catch up. It's been awhile since you and I spent time together outside of work."

"Ah, can't tonight," Jack said, pushing up his shirtsleeve to check his watch. "I'm meeting a girl, actually."

"A girl?" Daniel repeated, sounding more blank than interested.

"Yeah, a girl," Jack told him, bemused. "You know... a female? I'm pretty sure Carter's one but I'm not positive."

Daniel frowned deeply. "Carter- Peggy is most definitely a woman," he said stiffly.

"Sousa, I know." Jack squinted at him a little. "It was a joke."

"Right, right." They had reached the stairs by now, and Daniel extended an arm to Jack so he could go first. His lips pinched in frustration the minute the other man's back was turned. Clearly, Peggy's grand plan wasn't going to go as well as either of them had hoped.

When Daniel got home, the first thing he did was call his girlfriend in the hopes that they might be able to meet for dinner after all.

"Oh, Daniel, I'm so sorry," Peggy said apologetically. "I accepted an offer from Ana and Mr. Jarvis to have dinner with them this evening." Her voice brightened. "Why don't you come with me? It's been awhile since the four of us spent a nice night together."

Daniel sighed, a little disappointed that he would have to share Peggy's attention with two other people. "You don't think they'll mind me just... barging in there?"

"Of course not," Peggy said decidedly. "The Jarvis' have a more-the-merrier mentality that will most certainly extend to you. I'm set to meet them in an hour."

"I'll be there," Daniel told her, and they said their goodbyes and hung up.

The Jarvis' were, as Peggy had predicted, quite happy to have Daniel joining them for dinner. Ana in particular was eager to observe the new couple, and peppered Peggy and Daniel with questions about their relationship until even Jarvis was looking scandalized. The two only got a moment alone when Ana went to help Edwin take a pie out of the oven for dessert.

"So," Peggy said, her cheeks almost permanently red from that evening.

"So," Daniel replied, before both of them started laughing and couldn't seem to stop.

When they finally did calm down, it was only for Peggy to bring up their Thompson situation again. "It suppose it would be a little obvious if you invited him for drinks again tomorrow," she said regretfully.

"Yes," Daniel agreed. "It would be."

"We'll find a time," Peggy told him, reaching out to cover his hand with her own. "And until then, maybe we shouldn't force it. I'm sorry I made you cancel our date tonight and ended up making you come... here." She glanced over her shoulder to make sure Ana and Edwin weren't on their way back to the dining room yet. "I had really just anticipated a nice, quiet evening instead of being interrogated about everything from the outfit I wore on our first date to what our dream house would be."

Daniel snorted a little. "Well, at least we've been trained to withstand interrogations," he said. "But it's okay. And I promise I will do everything in my power to make sure Thompson knows about us before it ends up putting anyone in a dangerous situation."

Unfortunately, Daniel had just made a promise he couldn't keep. He and Peggy had barely been at work for an hour the next day before Jack came striding out of his office. "There's been a breach at one of our off-site labs," he reported, grabbing for his jacket. "Sousa, Carter- suit up. We're going in."

Peggy, who would normally be overjoyed to be ordered into the field, let out a soft groan of exasperation. "The one time he picks me," she muttered as she and Daniel hurried out of the office to get some Kevlar and weapons.

When they reached the lab, Jack was about to leap out of the van when Peggy caught at his arm. "Look, Jack, there's something we need to tell you."

Jack looked at her, eyebrow raised. "Could it possibly wait until after we deal with this breach, Carter?" he asked incredulously. "If we go now we might still have a chance to catch these guys before they're halfway across the country."

"Fine," Peggy sighed, her lips pinching as Jack slid open the van door and lead the way out.

"You tried," Daniel said, offering her a sympathetic smile.

"I did," Peggy allowed, though just trying clearly hadn't amounted to much.

When they reached the lab, they found the front door blasted off it's hinges and the security guards thrown to either side. Daniel knelt stiffly and felt for a pulse. "They're unconscious," he reported, relieved. "I'll call medical backup so we can get them to a hospital."

Jack nodded his agreement, peering through the open space where the door had once stood and into the shadowy hallway beyond. "Ready?" he asked Peggy, and she nodded, lifting her gun protectively in front of her.

The two of them hurried inside, clearing any side hallways with a quick, searching glance. They had barely made it a quarter of a way into a building when they heard a shout from the outside.

"Daniel," Peggy gasped, turning around and starting to run towards the doorway.

"Carter!" Jack cried, startled by her sudden reaction. "Carter!"

When Peggy reached the doorway, she found Daniel wrapped up in a tussle with a masked man. Both of their guns were lying on the ground, and Peggy was quick to raise her own. "Freeze!" she ordered, cocking the weapon.

The masked man immediately grabbed Daniel and turned him into a human shield. "Lower your weapon," he ordered in a low voice. "I've got a knife."

Peggy hesitated. If she aimed perfectly, Daniel's attacker was just tall enough that she would be able to hit him in the shoulder and hopefully make him reel enough that Daniel could get out of his grip.

If she missed... she'd hit Daniel in the neck and almost certainly kill him.

"Take the shot," Daniel told her, seeming to read her mind. His eyes bored into hers. "I trust you."

Peggy took a slow, deep breath, steadied her hands, and pulled the trigger.

The bullet sank into the masked man's shoulder and he stumbled backward with a cry. Daniel used that opportunity to twist out of his grip and hit him firmly across the face with his crutch. The man crumpled.

Peggy felt the adrenaline pumping in her veins and stared over at Daniel. He looked back and let out a long breath. "Nice shot."

Peggy strode forward and threw her arms around him, kissing him hard on the lips.

"Well, well, well." A voice from behind her made Peggy abruptly pull away from Daniel and spin around. Jack was leaning against the still-open doorframe, arms crossed and a very large smirk on his face. "It is about time."

"Told you," Daniel muttered, his hand still spanning Peggy's waist.

Peggy cleared her throat, cheeks a dark red, and shifted uncomfortably. "We had had the full intention to tell you, Jack," she said uncomfortably.

"Oh, so this was already a... thing? Before now?" Jack raised his eyebrows, surprised. "See, my bet was on a life-or-death experience bringing the sexual tension to a head and finally getting you two idiots to realize your feelings for each other." He paused, considering. "Either that... or it'd be some quiet moment in the office where you'd both been there working late and..." He trailed off, noticing that both Peggy and Daniel were standing and staring at him in bewilderment. "What?"

"You've put quite a bit of thought into this," Peggy commented lightly, her lips quirking.

Jack shrugged, unashamed. "You've given me long enough to come up with a dozen scenarios, never mind just two," he shot back, before stuffing his hands in his pockets and starting to stride back towards the van.

Peggy turned back to Daniel, who's eyebrows were still furrowed. "Well that... that went pretty well, I would say," she said, biting her tongue to keep from laughing outright.

"Uh huh..." Daniel replied vaguely. He glanced from her to Jack's receding figured and then back to her. "We should probably-"

"Yes, right," Peggy agreed, taking his arm and joining him in walking after their friend.

Author's Note: HAHA Jack XD XD

Lowkey tho I feel like Jack is such a matchmaker- we all saw how he sent over Peggy to California in the beginning of Season 2 ;)