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It wasn't easy to pack your bags and leave for the airport in such a rush, but (Y/N) managed to do so and arrive in time for departure, to the surprise of everyone. It was difficult to decide which clothes to take with her, since she had to consider the weather and the mobility behind every piece of clothing in her closet. In the end, she hoped that she packed enough clothes to last her entire visit.

Her and Peggy weren't lucky enough to sit together during the flight, but they were fortunately on the same plane. They made two stops on their way to Los Angeles, one in Georgia, and another in Colorado. By the time (Y/N) took her seat on the last plane, the exhaustion from her 12 hour trip won over her and she fell asleep throughout the entire flight. The only thing capable of waking her up from her deep slumber was the pilot's announcement of their arrival to the City of Angels.

(Y/N) knew the difference between a Los Angeles summer from a New York one, but that didn't mean she was prepared to exit the plane and be received by an overwhelming wave of heat and sun rays shining down on her. She grabbed her sunglasses from her purse and immediately placed them on so she could properly see everything in front of her without having to squint her eyes. She already knew Peggy was following behind her because she overheard her thanking the crew after they bid her a happy trip, and carefully walked her way down the passenger stairs.

Mr. Jarvis stood a few feet away, the car parked over the tarmac like the others. He held an umbrella over his head to block the bright sun away from his face. "Miss Carter, Miss Dewitt."

"Hello, Mr. Jarvis," (Y/N) greeted him with a genuine smile.

"Thank you for collecting us," Peggy joined her side, her joy at the sight of Mr. Jarvis being visible even behind her red rimmed sunglasses.  "I hope it wasn't a bother."

"Not at all." Mr. Jarvis fell into step with them to guide them back to the car. He placed himself in between the women to have the umbrella cover the three of them. "I'm delighted to see you ladies again. Shall we?"

(Y/N) hooked her left arm with Mr. Jarvis's and allowed him to guide her toward the waiting car, lowering her head slightly to avoid the sun. Peggy, on the other hand, raised her head to take in the car and she couldn't help but stare.

"Uh, Mr. Jarvis."

"Yes?"

"I understand Howard came out west for a defense contract."

"He did."

"And you did say you came out here to arrange his estate."

"I think I see where this is heading."

(Y/N) lifted her head to see what Peggy was staring at and frowned. "I don't understand – "

"You're puzzled, perhaps."

"Puzzled, yes. That's the word I'm searching for."

"It's the flamingo, isn't it?"

"It is, indeed, the flamingo."

(Y/N), puzzled as Mr. Jarvis claimed she was, tilted her head to the side as she took in the sight in front of her. In the backseat of Howard Stark's cream-colored convertible stood a large wooden cage with a flamingo inside. The flamingo, as if it knew they were judging it, made a cawking noise and moved its beak to the side.

"Regrettably, you are not the only house guests to whom Mr. Stark has extended an invitation," Mr. Jarvis explained with an exasperated tone. "Meet the newest member of the Stark mansion menagerie. . .Bernard."

"Bernard," Peggy repeated, as if she still couldn't believe it.

(Y/N) did not remove her gaze from the animal. "Quite an odd name for a flamingo, if I say so."

"Bernard Stark, to give his full name," Mr. Jarvis added. He cleared his throat to change the subject and faced the women. "Ready for another adventure, misses?"

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Mr. Jarvis was kind enough to offer to carry their luggage into the trunk of the vehicle and (Y/N) didn't know she had missed his gentlemen manners up until this moment. He also tied a pink sheet over the bird cage to avoid any gawking people passing by. Unfortunately for (Y/N), she had to be the one stuck in the backseat of the car with Bernard, her legs almost reaching her chest because of how cramped the space was.

"Where is Howard?" Peggy broke the silence after a few minutes into the car ride.

"Mr. Stark's latest hobby keeps him quite busy." Mr. Jarvis diverted his eyes from the road for a second as he answered her question. "He's opening a moving-picture studio. Fancies himself to be Cecil B. DeMille."

"Al Jolson, more like," Peggy raised her eyebrows before changing onto another topic. "(Y/N) and I discussed renting a car and getting out of your hair as soon as possible."

"Oh, no. With Mr. Stark out of town, I can easily shuttle you from place to place."

"I'd never dream of such an imposition."

"Miss Carter, you have no idea how foreign Los Angeles will seem to civilized people such as yourselves." Mr. Jarvis's hands gripped the steering wheel tighter. His face twisted into a combination of disgust and annoyance. "They eat avocados with everything. The foliage is preposterous. Take the palm tree. Would you trust the structural integrity of such a thing?"

"No, I suppose not."

"They afford no shade." He said it in an offended tone. "Everybody says it's a very dry heat, but that doesn't mean it isn't unbearably hot. And worst of all, the drivers are both abundant and abundantly irresponsible."

"While your concern is valid, I am sure we can handle the Los Angeles driving conditions," (Y/N) spoke up, pushing her sunglasses farther up the bridge of her nose.

"Miss Dewitt, since our last adventure, my life has consisted of oiling floorboards, cleaning pools, and. . ." He trailed off and barely glanced back at the bird cage. "Transporting exotic livestock. I'm profoundly and exhaustively bored. Please, at least until Mr. Stark returns, let me drive you around."

(Y/N) leaned forward on her seat, enjoying the breeze that the car's movement provided against the heat. "So, when can we expect our esteemed Mr. Stark to return from the preproduction of his motion-picture?"

"That depends on how long the location scout allows Mr. Stark to. . .scout her locations."

"Gross."

Mr. Jarvis could only hum in agreement and rounded the corner to another block of the city. (Y/N) couldn't help but notice the lack of skyscrapers all around the city, and how it was filled with hundreds of different cars and not that many walking along the sidewalk. A few more minutes passed and Mr. Jarvis parked the car beside the sidewalk to the building of the West Coast SSR bureau. Instead of hiding to the public eye as a phone company, this building was disguised as the Auerbach Theatrical Agency.

"Are we positive this is the place?"

(Y/N) was relieved to stand up from her cramped seat and slammed the door behind her. She nearly forgot her purse in the car, but thanks to the car being a convertible, she was able to reach inside and grab it without anyone else noticing.

"Positive as pie," Peggy replied as she slammed her own car door shut.

"Thank you, Mr. Jarvis," (Y/N) waved in farewell and the man found himself doing the same, although quite awkwardly to say the least.

(Y/N) suppressed a laugh and turned toward the door of the building to join Peggy, both desperate to escape the heat. The brunette turned the knob and peeked her head through with (Y/N)'s head beside hers, not sure what or who to expect on the other side of the door.

"Hey, Peg! Hello, (Y/N)!"

Rose, one of the old phone operators back in the New York office, greeted with an enthusiastic smile. It seemed like she was grateful for the sudden interruption.  "I didn't realize you were both in town."

(Y/N) took in the state of the reception, which was the complete opposite to the New York office. Rose, instead of sharing a desk with someone else, had her own near the corner of the room. There were two tall file cabinets beside it and a clothing rack filled with different tipes of costumes, to keep the illusion of a theatrical agency to anyone who wasn't part of the SSR, just like the duo tap-dancing in front of Rose before (Y/N) and Peggy walked in. The female duo continued their routine even though Rose's attention was somewhere else, and the sound of their shoes clicking against the floor with no music behind it was enough to create an awkward atmosphere.

Rose moved around the duo to reach Peggy and (Y/N). "Let me show you right through to Mr. Auerbach."

The duo did not get the hint and did another combination of steps, followed by a turn and opened their arms to form a V-figure for their grand-finale. The girls smiled with pride and the sound of their gasps for air due to the exhaustion of their routine was the only audible sound in the room.

"I'm sorry," Rose glanced at them with an apologetic look. "I don't think you're right for the Auerbach Theatrical Agency. Have a nice day."

The girls dropped their arms and smiles with different sounds of disappointment, heading toward the entrance as one of them muttered under her breath, "That's the third place this week."

(Y/N) waited until they were out of earshot to nudge Peggy's side with her elbow. "That can be you and I if we try hard enough."

"Oh, please."

Rose's innocent smile didn't waver until the girls walked out the front door to drop it. Once she made sure the door slammed back shut, she turned her attention to (Y/N) and Peggy with a desperate look behind her eyes, as if this wasn't the first time she had witnessed something like that.

"We don't advertise. Our sign is barely legible. Our address is wrong in the city directory. And yet, somehow, they find us." Her tone indicated she was on the verge of snapping, but then she recollected herself as if nothing happened.  "Come, I'll show you right though."

(Y/N) and Peggy allowed Rose to lead them to the back of the office, which was filled with dozens of black, metallic file cabinets. (Y/N) wasn't sure if they were hollow or if they were truly stacked with old paperwork, and she made a mental note to ask about it another time.

Rose glanced behind her shoulder. "You out here long?"

"Possibly," Peggy answered for both of them.

"Well, that pasty skin's gonna get burned if you don't cover up," Rose commented with a laugh, her words directed to Peggy.

"Is California to your liking?"

"I was so sick of those New York shadows." The redhead paused her steps to answer that question. "The moment I heard Chief Sousa was heading up the new L.A. bureau, I leapt at the opportunity. It's hot out here, sure, but it's a – "

"Dry heat?" (Y/N) guessed.

"Yes." Rose smiled, her glasses moving as she scrunched her nose. "Do you know I took up surfing?"

Rose dropped the lighthearted conversation with a shake of her head once she found the cabinet she was looking for. She moved to the side so both women could see it and learn to spot it over the others. "The 'R to the S' cabinet."

"That's easy enough to remember."

Rose grabbed the metallic handle of the cabinet and turned it sideways like she instructed. It didn't take a second before the sound of the gears shifting into place rang in (Y/N)'s ears. The secret door slid open with a metallic clank! and revealed a pale white staircase, not an elevator like she had expected. Before she could take a step forward, (Y/N) was stopped by Peggy asking one more thing to Rose.

"How is. . .everything?" she paused when she realized she would've asked something else.

"Everything is through the first door on your right," Rose told her, giving her a knowing look. "You can't miss him."

Peggy wasn't able to hide her smile before taking a step forward. (Y/N) followed beside her up the steps to the sterile white staircase and when they reached the top, what she saw wasn't an exact replica of the New York office. It was brighter, the light that was coming from the windows instead of the artificial lights. The walls had a design as a tribute to the war, something that wasn't easy to miss because of the classic red, white and blue colors all over it. She passed the SSR insignia drawn on the wall and several other agents, majority of them male, all distracted in their own case loads and phone calls.

When Peggy halted her steps, (Y/N) knew she had already caught sight of Agent Sousa. He was hunched over another agent's desk, whispering out orders to him. She couldn't help but wonder how Sousa was as a boss, but she was completely sure that he was better than Thomspon.

"Hello." Peggy broke the awkward silence and took a step forward. "Chief."

Daniel Sousa whipped his head in her direction so fast he might've given himself whiplash. His eyes widened like saucers at the sight of the brunette and he opened and closed his mouth twice before ever saying a word. "Peggy."

"And. . .(Y/N)."

(Y/N) awkwardly raised a hand to wave at him.

"What are you doing here?"

"The Lady of the Lake killer," Peggy stated like it was obvious.

"Right."

"Thompson said you requested backup."

"Yes, yes. Yes, of course." He pinched the bridge of his nose to cover up his surprise, but his attempts were useless.

"Unless you've solved it already."

"No, no, no," he jumped to defend himself. "I. . .I was expecting — "

"You didn't put the request in."

"No, I did."

"But not for me," Peggy's disappointment was audible, and she immediately corrected her words. "Us, I mean."

"I. . .I just didn't think you were coming 'till tomorrow," Sousa stumbled through his words, moving his free hand as he talked. He offered an awkward smile. "Welcome to Los Angeles."

"Thank you."

(Y/N) glanced between them with a repressed smile, feeling as if she was intruding in an intimate moment. She took a step back as Peggy took one closer to Sousa, and pretended to fix her attention somewhere else in the office, while her ears were set on listening to whatever they had to say.

"I know that all your time has been consumed with setting up the SSR's West Coast bureau."

"It has been."

"Traveling across the country."

"And staffing the office."

"But I did call in several occasions."

"I'm sorry, I uh. . ."

"Why didn't you return my messages?"

"Because sometimes, a three-hour time difference feels like a lifetime."

(Y/N) hid her smirk behind her palm at Sousa's statement. Unfortunately, Peggy wasn't allowed to respond to Sousa's comment because another voice rang through the office space, forcing them to step away from each other and direct their attention toward the upcoming person. (Y/N) frowned at the unfamiliar man approaching them with two heavy cardboard boxes in his arms.

"Okay. I've got three more boxes of old case files downstairs."

The man dropped the boxes on an empty desk and Sousa snapped from whatever daydream he was on to introduce the people in front of him. "Detective Andrew Henry, LAPD Homicide, this is Agent Peggy Carter and Agent (Y/N) Dewitt, SSR, New York."

"How many of you agents do we need?" Detective Henry turned to Sousa with a frown, rejecting the handshake (Y/N) offered in the process.

Peggy took notice of his condescending tone as well. "As many as it takes to catch the killer."

"Well, that's zero," Detective Henry retorted back. "This new body means I'm gonna have journalists clawing down my door. With help from the press, I'll catch our bad guy before evening rush on Cahuenga Pass."

"Statistically, the press rarely aids an investigation," (Y/N) pointed out and crossed her arms over her chest defensively. "It is more likely that media attention validates the killer and makes him feel important. That can lead to more victims."

"Exactly," Peggy nodded toward her friend. "Besides, what if the frozen lake and the murder aren't connected?"

"How do you figure?"

"You think they're unrelated." Sousa caught onto what she was implying right away. "The body was dumped at another time. . ."

"But was found only when another incident caused the lake to freeze."

"Unlikely."

"Most doubtful."

"But not impossible."

Is this going to be a regular occurence? (Y/N) thought to herself. She could handle Sousa and Peggy encouraging each other's ideas, but if she was going to work with them from this day forward, she could only take so much.

"What was that old Dooley saying?"

"'Explore all avenues for unturned stones'," Sousa quoted their former chief's words with a hint of nostalgia in his tone.

Detective Henry felt left out. "What's a Dooley?"

"The SSR came on board because a body of water froze during a heat wave." Peggy ignored his question. "First step we should take is to determine whether or not the dead body and the frozen lake are the same crime."

here we go !! the irony of y/n complaining about peggy and sousa while she is going to have her own drama as well is hilarious tbh. i'm so excited to write the scenes i have planned for howard and y/n during this act !!

rose gives me so much penelope garcia vibes idk if it's just me.

- see you soon, bex <3