Who: Cindy and Sharon When: During the Hellmouth plot Where: The Agency What: Secrets revealed Rating/Warnings: Low/None Status: Complete
Sharon was on self-imposed desk duty. Once the vampires started showing up, she decided that it was probably best for her to stay inside the Agency. She could do as much good there (she told herself) by helping coordinate and man the phones as she could do out in the field. She was ridiculously good at her job, having both experience in this world as an officer, an undercover agent, and a homicide detective, and in the Dreams working for SHIELD. If someone else had put her on a desk because of her pregnancy, she would have flipped her lid. But when it was self-imposed it felt different. She was being smart instead of being grounded.
After having dropped off some paperwork, Sharon was at the front desk. While speaking to the secretary in the lobby, she spied a familiar face coming through the front door.
Things were business-and-insanity as usual in Orange County, but then again, it would become suspicious if something didn’t crop up every other month or so. Cindy had detected a pattern, and even when she noticed the slightest bit of change in the winds, she would investigate that too - you never could be too careful, and part of her job as an FBI undercover agent was to hide behind the front of Shoegasm and report back about the buzz of rumored goings-on. However, the real job? Keeping her home safe from the prying and oftentimes not well meaning eyes of the government.
She’d worked hard to get where she was in the FBI, but she’d also worked hard to put down roots and build a home here. It was home, frustrating as it could be.
Now was a good time to hook up with someone in the Agency, when the danger levels were escalating. An increase in crime could be explained, but the supernatural couldn’t. She wanted all hands on deck for this, and she trusted Sharon. Cindy knew it was a good place to start, with her.
Pulling off her sunglasses, she approached Sharon in the lobby, a grin on her face, flicking back blonde bangs with a swish. “Well, hey you. Just the person I wanted to see.”
So, hey. Sharon and Cindy were doing parallel things, weren’t they? Both keeping everyone else safe from Orange County, and keeping Orange County safe from everyone else. Sharon turned to face the newcomer and broke into a warm, surprised smile.
“Hi, there.” Sharon said, and motioned for Cindy to come with her. The Agency had a cover. It wasn’t a very good one, and Sharon sometimes lost track of what she was supposed to be doing. Private security? That sounded right. She would blame it on Pregnancy Brain if asked.
Things were falling apart again in her County, though, so Sharon wasn’t really thinking about fronts. “Fancy meeting you here. What’s up?”
Cindy followed her fellow blonde friend, back to an office (preferably), or some place where they could talk in private. She didn’t particularly need this to be all out in the open. “I wanted to chat about current events,” she stated casually, tucking her sunglasses into her purse. “And tell you a few things. All related, I promise.” Damn, she wished she’d had more coffee this morning. Spiked with whiskey.
Sharon led the way back through the doors, through a room full of cubicles (mostly full with people doing all kinds of phone calls, faxing, other office stuff) and to an office with a soundproof, glass wall and door. Sharon had a nice view. Though she wasn’t in a high rise or anything.
“Current events?” Sharon asked. Her mind instantly went to the vampire stuff that was happening. But Cindy didn’t know about all of that. Maybe she meant something personal? Her relationship? Sharon’s pregnancy? “I’m all ears. Please, sit. Would you like some tea?”
“Tea would be nice, thanks,” Cindy smiled gratefully, settling in one of the chairs near Sharon’s desk, tucking one knee sleekly over the other - she was wearing jeans and a belted, flowing top but the boots she had on were her red ones. The boots that boasted a whole slew of otherworldly talents, brought to her by the dreamworld she saw herself in - and these boots had been well-earned too. Or actually, she’d stolen them from Dorothy, but let’s not split hairs.
They fit Cinderella better anyway.
Her purse, she set that beside her and glanced out the window, watching the scenery for a moment without really seeing it, just to compose her thoughts. “You’re one of my best friends, Sharon, but I’m sorry. I’ve been lying to you.”
Sharon had an electronic kettle in her office, along with some tea making supplies; tea bags, spoons, ceramic mugs, sugar packets. She didn’t have milk, but most of her tea was herbal, anyway. Probably not the best kind for milk. She set about making the tea.
“You’ve been lying?” Sharon asked, turning around to face her friend. She was just about to pour the hot water into the mugs. “About what?”
Cindy smiled a little - secretive, a Mona Lisa type. Her whole life was all about lying to those she cared about (very few actually knew what she did), but if she didn’t, it’d mean bad things. Overall, it was for their own safety - and for her own job security. It was just that extenuating circumstances had forced her hand, in this case. Orange County had a way of doing that.
“Shoegasm is just a front,” she started. “At least for me. None of my employees know that it is, of course, but for me running the business is my cover. I’m really an FBI agent, and I’m supposed to report back on the rumored oddities in Orange County. I’ve done all sorts of things undercover but this one’s a little more personal, because the OC’s my home. So I’m just careful about what I report on. Now, with the vampire situation...”
She tensed a little. “I thought it might be good to work with someone else on the inside of it all. Someone here in the Agency.”
Sharon simply stared at the other woman for a moment. Then she burst into laughter. It was a good-natured sort, a jovial, laughing-at-myself-but-happy-about-it kind of laugh. “Seriously?” She asked, grinning brightly. “Wow. I am really, really out of my game. I had absolutely no idea.” She set a mug of tea in front of Cindy, then slipped into her chair once more. “Well. Let’s get down to business, then. How would you like to proceed?”
Damn, Cindy had to hand it to her - Sharon took that well. But it wasn’t like Cindy meant any offense by keeping her ‘other life’ a secret. That was just, unfortunately, the way it had to be. Her smile turned a little more relieved, as she took the mug of tea and sipped a little from it - after adding a sugar packet, just a bit of a kick of sweetness.
“I guess that’s a compliment for me, then, if you had no idea,” she chuckled. “My dream self is a little more...flamboyant, you could say. Boisterous.” That Cinderella thought she was hot shit, but she’d been around longer - and she could easily slip into whatever role was required of her. She was very much an enigma. “Anyway, business...”
Another sip from the tea, thoughtful. “I’d like to be privy to whatever coverups the Agency’s spinning, for all this? That way I can make sure it matches in my reports.”
Sharon nodded. “I spent time undercover in both this world and my Dream one, but really. I don’t know if I can even blame it on my pregnancy hormones. You’re just that good.” She couldn’t help breaking into a grin. A new admiration for her friend was bubbling up within her. “All right, business.”
Sharon set her tea down and moved to the printer. There were pages sitting in there, having just come through the machine. She picked them up and held them out for Cindy to take. “I’m only just now getting the Agency’s information about how they’re spinning the current crazy. I can make copies for you to take, CC you on the emails.”
The papers were taken from Sharon, and sifted through, Cindy nodding as she did. “These are great, thanks,” she smiled in relief. “However I can be kept in the loop, I appreciate. My goal is to reveal just enough, but not too much - it’s a pretty delicate line to balance. But an important one.”
That brought her to the next point, which was along the same lines. “For future instances - “ Because it wasn’t like this particular bout of crazy would be the last, “...we can stay in contact, sort of work on things together? I guess you can consider me sort of the liaison to the FBI,” she smiled.
“Absolutely.” Sharon understood those fine lines, the delicate circumstances. She felt like she was toeing the same line often when she spoke with the local authorities. It was good to have a pre-made story, something that the higher-ups put together for her. Sharon could absolutely make things up on the fly, but the hormones and pregnancy brain made her head foggy sometimes.
“That’s wonderful. I’m definitely looking forward to working together in future.” Sharon smiled warmly. Hey, she and Cindy were already friends. This was going to work out well. “And you can always contact me if you need anything at all.”
The papers weren’t meant for prying eyes, so Cindy tucked them away into her purse. She’d go over things in more detail when she sat down to write up her usual reports given to her superiors at the FBI. Being a quasi-double agent was just so exciting - usually. The actual paper pushing part, not so much. But it was all for a good cause, as in, no government hacks invading her home and taking people away to be donated to science.
“You can always contact me as well,” she made sure to point out. “Do you need anything else from me now?”
“Not at the moment. I will be sharing this information with Peggy, but otherwise your secret is safe with me.” Sharon said, then laboriously stood. The extra weight in her baby bump made standing a little harder, and threw off her center of gravity. She smiled and stepped around the desk to see Cindy to the office door. “I’m glad it was me you told.”
Cindy didn’t mind Peggy knowing - she was the Director, after all, and things probably couldn’t go on behind her back. It didn’t make for an ideal situation, and never would Cindy want Sharon to get reamed for anything. Therefore, a little transparency was best. “I’m glad too,” she said sincerely. “Like I said, I trust you. So thanks for all this.”
Her fingers wiggled in a goodbye, for Sharon, and then she added, “Later, Viv,” to the little cinnamon roll still baking - though of course she didn’t touch her friend’s stomach and coo mindlessly. That was annoying, and likely there had been enough of that for poor Sharon as it was.
Sharon gave a grin and a wave. “Bye, Cindy.” She was pleased to have such a good friend. And now that she knew the truth, all the better. Less secrets between friends. Once Cindy had left the office, Sharon moved back around her desk to get back to work. They both had a lot to do taking care of Orange County.