Somewhere along the way the plan had messed up. It was suppose to be an easy assignment. Steve and Tony were to pick up stolen blueprints of weapons before they could be sold off to the wrong HYDRA hands. And yet because of their amateur mistake, innocent people were in danger. What's new.
"I told you to check the system to make sure it was secure. Those bastards knew our location the whole time." Tony Stark's voice barked into the Captain's earpiece. Steve grunted as he pushed his motorcycle to accelerate in and out of the midday New York traffic. Tony was somewhere above Steve, tracing the now on the run thieves. The iron man suit had captured their license plate and only said they were a few cars ahead of the duo.
"How would I know they would be able to hack into our coms?" Steve knew if he got the opportunity to punch those villains he would be picturing Tony.
Easy there Cap, he could practically hear Fury telling him.
Steve took a deep breath as he finally saw the tailgate of their target. He was made for war, and he was out here playing cat and mouse. The future was differently different in many ways.
When the truck made a sharp left, Steve followed without a second thought. Tony was mumbling in his ear but before the words registered Steve realized the problem. They had all turned down a one-way street. Steve, being on a motorcycle, was able to quickly move for cars coming at him. The idiots in front of him however were not so lucky. It took only a moment before too many cars were coming at them for the men to serve to one side or another and hit a car dead on. A small red car ended up with the worse end the truck speed off with nothing more than a slight dent on the hood. Steve drew focus to the car and the tuck took another turn off the busy street.
"Check to see if that person needs help, I've got these guys." Tony said before giving the suit more power and disappearing the way the truck went.
Traffic was able to bypass the car, but whoever was inside the thing was stuck. Steve jumped off his bike, hoping they did not have to get the police and ambulance involved. He threw his helmet off and it fell to his side as the door swung open.
It was an old woman, Steve guessed she had to be around eighty, and her head was badly bleeding. They made eye contact at the same time. Steve realized how weird he must look in his uniform without any other Avengers or world threatening situations around him.
"Ma'am?" Steve started, walking up to the car and bending down to her level. The woman swung her legs outside of the car, like she was about to get out, but upon feeling the gash on her head changed her mind and stayed seated.
"What happened?" She asked. At least this situation was easier to explain than aliens.
"The truck that hit you was trying to get away with stolen documents." The woman looked concerned. "Don't worry, I'm sure my partner can handle it."
The woman nodded, leaning her gray haired head back on her seat and closing her eyes.
"Ma'am, I'm going to call you an ambulance ok? But you can't take a nap on me, I need you awake." He got ahold of the help line and when the worker on the other end asked for the injured woman's information, Steve realized he had none.
"Name?" The man asked.
"Steve Rog-"
"The woman's."
Steve could hear Tony snicker through the headpiece. Drowning him out, he got down on his knees next to the car. He asked her name.
Ever so feebly she told him.
Steve put his phone back to his ear, numbly he replied; "Peggy."
I'm Agent Carter. I supervise all operations of this division.
The man thanked him and said help was already on the way. Steve shoved his phone back into his tight pocket, or maybe he threw it by his discarded helmet.
He looked back at the woman. At Peggy. It was not his Peggy. Steve balled his hand into a fist. He did not have a Peggy he had to remind himself.
"Peggy?" He asked her.
She nodded. "And you're Captain America right?" She asked with droopy eyes. Her skin was getting pale. Steve swore at himself for not having anything to stop the bleeding.
"Peggy you can't close your eyes. We don't know if you have any brain damage."
"What ever you say Captain."
You can't give me orders!
Steve gave a sad smile. He thought he could hear sirens over the noise of the busyness around them.
"Steve I got them. Let's go, I want to get these prints back asasp." Tony spoke, making Steve jump.
"Give me a minute; I can't leave this woman." Peggy.
Please don't do this. W-we have time. We can work it out.
"Rogers, don't make me come down there." Howard.
Help had arrived and the EMS stopped right in front of Peggy's car. A woman got out with a stretcher. Steve knew his job was done. He started to rise up, but first he reached his hand out, and for the first time he touched her shoulder. She gave a weak smile before focusing on the medical staff. He walked back to his bike.
"Thank you for staying with her." A man had also gotten out of the ambulance and spoke to Steve in passing, as he walked towards the car and the two women.
I understand you're America's new hope.
Nodding, Steve put his helmet back and sat back on his bike. This time following the road directions, he left the scene.
I couldn't call my ride
"A small car chase got you this shaken up old man?" Tony asked, after they had settled back at the tower some time later.
"That woman was named Peggy."
Tony let out a deep breath as he sat beside Steve on one of the many couches. "I see. And now you're thinking about your Peggy."
The moment you think you know what's going on in a woman's head is the moment your goose is well and truly cooked.
"She's not my Peggy."
I couldn't leave my best girl
"And now you want to go to DC and see her." She was safe. As safe as Steve could make her. He tried to keep her hidden from the news. But when word broke of SHIELD being compromised, Peggy, on of the original founders, was being put back in the spotlight. He moved her to a new facility and had her security increased. It was the only thing he could do, considering he was not real family.
"You know what happens when you go." Tony did not mean to be rude; he just knew how Steve acted anytime after seeing Peggy. "She has her family."
Steve jerked away from Tony, "I can still visit her!"
"That's not what I'm saying!"
"I'm basically her family. And so are you!" They always ended up here. Steve was standing now, towering over the still sitting Tony. "She practically raised you!"
"You don't think I know that?"
Steve was angry. He was angry for Peggy, who had no idea why he had stopped visiting. "Then why don't you visit her?" Steve knew the others were on the other side of the wall listening by now; but he could not care less how loud they were being.
You're always so dramatic. Look, you saved the world. We rather... mucked it up.
"Because she called me Howard." Tony finally got out. The man leaned forward, placing his elbows on his knees and his face in his hands.
Steve ran a hand over his face and let out a low sigh. "She did?"
"And every time I have to tell her I'm not him. And she asks where he is. And guess what? I have to tell her what happened to him. Over and over again. I don't know how you do it Rogers."
"I don't know either. But I wouldn't know what to do if I didn't put myself through it every time. It's only been two years for me." He paused, "My first thought after Fury got ahold of me was Peggy."
I have lived a life. My only regret is that you didn't get to live yours.
"They say she doesn't have much longer." Natasha said, walking back into the waiting room from the help desk and settling back down by Clint.
All right. A week next Saturday at The Stork Club.
Steve closed his eyes. It was cold out, the convertible car leaving the heated base and pulling out on the runway in the tailwind of the jet. Steve braced himself to climb up into the base. Something tugged at his jacket; his eyes left the plane's to meet Peggy's. And her lips were on his. He barely had enough time to kiss back before they had to pull away. She whispered good luck but he couldn't hear her over the sound of the fireworks in his head. He had felt like the war had already been won; nothing else mattered for those few seconds of bliss. Had Steve known these were going to be the last seconds he ever saw his Peggy, he would have cherished her longer. He would have noticed how she had never looked more beautiful than that moment. He could have seen the water in her eyes and would have hoped it was from the wind and not because of him. He would have said something back to her like 'wait for me' or how he really felt about her. He would have done anything to keep her like that.
He was awoken by a call from her son at two in the morning telling him to hurry to the hospital. Steve woke the rest of the tower and Tony offered to give him a lift. New York was currently unguarded; as all the Avengers had offered to come with Steve. He was grateful for the company after the staff had made it clear only family was allowed back to see the patient.
I'll-I'll get Howard on the line. He'll know what to do.
Steve nodded. Pepper wiped a tear off her cheek and placed her head back on Tony's shoulder. Natasha was curled up on another couch, her feet in Clint's lap. Bruce sat in a armchair shaking his leg like a madman, probably beating himself up inside for not working harder to cure Peggy.
The door that was hiding the hallway that leads to Peggy opened and Steve jumped up.
"John" Peggy's son had came out into the room. His face was unreadable.
"She wants to see you." He turned to the sectary before she could tell him the rules. "This man is family, he's coming back." Like mother, like son.
Steve wasted no time giving the group a glance over to receive well wishes and thumbs up before following Peggy's oldest past the wooden doors. All of Peggy's family was crowed outside her door, and gave Steve a sad smile. He placed his hand on the door handle. Suddenly he was weak. He couldn't face her. Not now. Not ever.
Faster, ladies! Come on! My GRANDMOTHER has more life in her, God rest her soul. MOVE IT!
The door pushed open, by itself or if he somehow managed enough energy to do it Steve had no idea. But he was in the room. A different room than last time he saw her; the pictures of loved ones were gone and different medications took their place on the bedside table.
"Peggy?" He could not get his voice above a whisper. But that was enough; her eyes opened at her name.
I'm here.
"Steve?"
Steve. You're alive. You came back.
He prayed she would remember him. Just this once. He got as close to her as the hospital would allow.
"I had to see you once more." She got out.
Eight o'clock on the dot. Don't you dare be late. Understood?