The next morning, after a quick stop at my apartment so I could freshen up and be ready for work, Jack and I arrived at the SSR. He had been subtly hinting at my parents until we got into the elevator where he was very direct.

"Tif, why haven't you talked about them? I was extremely unprepared last night when they called you out and now I feel like an idiot," Jack complained.

I groaned as the elevator doors opened and hurried out, Jack following behind. "Would you please just give me a minute to get my thoughts organized? We will talk about it later," I said, frustrated but quiet since we were in the bullpen now.

He rolled his eyes and stood by my desk when I sat down. Then, he looked over at Peggy who had been watching us ever since the elevator doors opened. "Do you know who her parents are?" he asked, and Peggy slowly shook her head. "Members of high society New York- two the richest people in the city!"

Peggy's eyes widened at me. Daniel, who of course was listening, looked up with shock as well.

I stood up and shushed Jack, then grabbed his arm and started pulling him into his office. "Peggy, Daniel, join us, won't you?" I asked with fake pleasantness through clenched teeth.

They quickly got up and followed behind. I let go of Jack once we were inside his office and then shut the door behind Daniel. The blinds were already closed, so I just took a deep breath and turned around to face them.

"Your father is the head of the second biggest weapons manufacturer in the country- fifth in the world!" Jack exclaimed.

I pinched the bridge of my noise and squeezed my eyes shut as Peg and Daniel looked at me in shock. "Wait," Daniel started. "Are you talking about Frederick Jones? That man's a multi millionaire!"

"Yes, yes! Okay!" I shouted, quieting the others. "I'm that Jones. But I haven't associated with them in years. I'm damn lucky my last name is so common because nobody batted an eye at it."

Peggy squinted her eyes. "But why wouldn't you tell anyone? Not even us," she brought up.

My anger calmed at this and I sighed as I leaned against the door. "It wasn't because I don't like any of you, it's just... I guess I grew used to the fact that I wasn't a pampered princess from a rich family. It was nice to be a regular person. Besides, there was a point I got worried that people would use me for my parents' money."

It was quiet as they all absorbed what I had said. I was worried about what I had done to my relationships with all of them, so I kept talking. "While growing up, I thought my life was the normal. When the stock market had it's crash in '29, there was some tension around the house for a few months but then it went away and I thought nothing of it.

"It was when I started hearing about what was going on everywhere else in the country that I realized I was very sheltered. When news about the terror in Europe started hitting my household, I saw how I was extremely sheltered. My brother was one of the first people to volunteer for the army because, like me, he saw that the life we lived was not the same for everyone and he wanted to do something. So, I wanted to do something."

Peggy was the first to speak up. "We didn't know you had a brother, either," she said. I could tell she wasn't mad about it, just curious.

I nodded and pushed away the tears threatening to come out. "He died in the war so I don't really like to bring him up."

It was quiet again. I didn't know if I should say anything else, so I didn't, and let them ask me any questions they had. It almost felt like I was presenting a mission and they were taking it all in.

"Why are things so hostile between you and your parents?" Jack asked.

That didn't surprise me since he saw all that last night. "Well, I didn't exactly leave on the best of terms. They were thrilled when Will decided to fight, be a part of the war effort! They didn't appreciate it as much when I decided to move to the opposite end of the country to do my part. The day I left for Miami was the last time I saw them. Well, until last night, that is."

Everyone nodded. "I can understand tough parental relations," Peggy said. I knew she would- she had told me about how after he brother died she decided to help the war effort instead of getting married. Our stories were similar, I thought.

"Look, I'm very sorry you guys," I said. "My hope was to completely forget about that part of my life and be normal. I'm learning more and more, however, that that can never be."

Peggy walked up to me and gave me a hug. "Well, we appreciate you telling us now. Daniel and I are going to go back out there and continue our work, okay?" I nodded and moved away from the door so she could leave.

As Daniel passed by, he gave me a supportive shoulder grab and I smiled at him. Then it was just me and Jack.

I walked over to his desk and stood in front of it. "I really am sorry, Jack. I would offer to try and arrange a dinner between the four of us but I'm not quite sure it would go so well," I said with a small chuckle.

To my relief, Jack laughed a little. "Well, I'm glad we talked about it. Are there any other secrets you've been keeping from me? Might as well get it out here now," he said. I could tell he was serious, but saying it in a joking kind of way.

I thought for a moment, racking my brain for anything that I should tell him when I remembered the file that Frank was sending. "Yes, a small thing. My old Chief from Miami is sending me a file on something that happened before I came up here. Should be here soon."

Jack nodded. "Well, when you get it, I'd like to look at it with you if that's okay," he said. I knew he just wanted to be closer and so I nodded in agreement.

I gave him a quick peck on the cheek then went back out to my desk. As I sat down and started to do some little things, I thought about how the only other person who knew about my life before the SSR was Howard, and how we hadn't talked in a while.

I decided to give him a call to see if he wanted to have lunch. His phone number was in a little book I kept in my bag- it had everyone I knew's name, address, and number. Part of it was so I knew how to meet up with them, but also a paranoia thing. It makes me sleep better at night knowing if anything happened, I could call one of them and knew where to go if they needed anything.

Howard was one of the more recent entries in my book, so it was easier to find. I dialed the number and listened to the ringing. He might not be home, and in that case I will just go out with Peggy or even stay in the office today. If he was busy then I'll just make up an excuse as to why I called.

"Hello?" A voice on the other end answered. However, this one was far too British to be Howard.

A smile spread across my face. "Mr. Jarvis! How lovely to talk to you," I said.

"Ah, Agent Jones, it's been too long," he said. I was glad he remembered my voice, otherwise that would've been a bit awkward. "To what do I owe this pleasure?"

I cleared my throat. "Right, I was calling to see if Howard is available for lunch? I'd like to consider him a friend and we haven't seen each other in a while," I said. To keep my hands busy, I continued to do my file work and held the phone to my ear with my shoulder.

"As it happens, Mr. Stark is free today. I'm sure he'll be thrilled to have lunch with you- and he also considers you a friend," Mr. Jarvis added. "I can whip something up for lunch if you'd like to stop by here- the one where Agent Carter and Ms. Martinelli are currently residing."

With a smile, I agreed and we decided I would arrive around noon, meaning I'd leave the office around 11:30 to get there on time. We said our goodbyes and then I hung up.

Both sides of my boyfriend would want to know about my plans, so I got back up and walked into his office again. He looked up when I entered. "Did you miss me or something?" he asked and smirked.

I rolled my eyes and crossed my arms. "No, I just wanted to let my boss know I'll be leaving around 11:30 to go to lunch. As for my boyfriend, I wanted to tell him I was going to have lunch with Howard today to catch up."

Jack thought for a second, then his nose scrunched in distaste. "Howard as in Stark?" he asked. I knew he wouldn't like it, which is precisely why I wanted to tell him before. Key words: tell him, not ask.

"Yes, we're friends and I haven't seen him in a bit," I explained. Trying to get this in a lighter tone, I added, "You know, when you have friends, you usually eat a meal together if you haven't seen them in a while."

Jack rolled his eyes and smiled (I was secretly glad he understood the joke of the comment), but then he thought for a moment. "Does he know? About your parents?"

I didn't like this question and subtly froze at it. Jack wouldn't like this question in a second, either. He might already know the answer. "Yes- but only because he ran in the same circles as my parents and attended some of their parties. Not because I told him on a whim," I explained.

The air was tense and I knew Jack didn't like the answer, but I sure as hell wasn't about to lie to him about it. I thought to add on a small comment to see if it would help. "My parents invited him to a party they threw and I saw him there, exchanged a few polite words, and then I left. That's about all the interaction we had up until the case a few months back."

He nodded but it didn't feel like he got any less tense about it. "Well, just say a quick goodbye before you head out," he said, sort of asking.

I smiled at him and nodded. "Of course," I said quietly, then walked back out to my desk. It wasn't too long before I head out for lunch and popped back into his office. "I'll see you later," I said and then left.

A/n: Aaaaand the truth is out. Well, it had to come out eventually.

Thank you guys for being patient with me! I recently had another role transfer, so I'm more likely to have my mornings/early afternoons free again, and once school is done, I'm hoping to be able to focus on writing this book. I hope you guys are as excited as me!