Thursday

by theyhadadate

It always had to happen on a Thursday.

Okay, so this was only supposed to be a like, a thousand words, but it's four and a half times that. . Oops.

Anyway, it's a little choppy, but I just ship them so much (Doesn't help that my RP partner ended up breaking them up -weeeeep-) and I had to write this.

Not like I'm already circumventing their separation with Sooner or Later and Somewhere.

Disclaimer: Nope, nope.

Every Thursday, Howard Stark would leave his workstation, no matter what he was working on. Every Thursday, he and Peggy Carter would go out for lunch. No, not as a couple; as friends. Three months had passed since Steve Rogers' plane had gone down. Peggy had been distraught, burying herself in work and the search parties Howard had been leading to try to find Steve.

But all they had found was that ridiculous cube. And he felt awful that he hadn't found the Captain, but there was nothing else they could do.

-o-o-o-

It was a Thursday. And Thursday meant his lunch with Peggy. So Howard had politely but firmly told off the men pestering him at his workstation, saying for the seventh time that, yes, it would work, now he had to leave, important meeting, etcetera.

It was always the same place; a perfect little diner just a few minutes' walk away. It was warm, it was homey, it was perfect and quiet and secluded enough.

The bell on the door tinkled softly as he walked in, the waiter at the counter nodding to him, then to the corner booth he and Peggy always sat at. She was sitting there already, sipping quietly at a cola and contemplating a meal choice. He grinned as he approached the table. "Well, Agent Carter, I think that fondue dish is calling your name!" Howard teased as he slid into the seat opposite her.

"Shush, Howard." Peggy glanced up at him, a smile playing at her red lips. She closed the menu and leaned forward, resting her chin on one of her hands. "Easy enough to get out of working?"

"Actually no, it was a pain in the ass. Same guys pestering me over and over, ya know?" He grimaced. "Can I just pick off you, I'm not too hungry."

"Neither am I." Peggy grimaced slightly, waving a waiter over. "Just the fondue dish. Howard, do you want something to drink?"

"Get me a martini." Howard smirked at the disdainful expression on his friend's face. "What? It's been a long day, it's only half over."

The waiter grinned at them and hurried off, leaving the two to sit in rather awkward silence for a bit till Peggy spoke up. "No news?" There was a glimmer of hope in her voice.

"Nothing, Peggy. I'm sorry." He would always hate delivering that news to her, her face falling. "They called off the search."

"I know."

-o-o-o-

Howard always offered to walk her back. It didn't actually matter; they worked at the same place. But while Howard nearly blew up the place and was being scientific, Peggy was off doing paperwork or in meetings.

They stayed relatively quiet, until Peggy stopped outside the entrance. Howard frowned. Had he said something wrong during lunch? Moving towards her slowly, he put a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Peggy, what's wrong? Something upsetting you? C'mon. You can tell me anything." He winked at her, drawing a faint smile from the officer.

"Four months ago… Let's just say… we… fondued." The brunette put a hand over her stomach, smiling wryly at the shocked expression on Howard's face. "I'm due in December, being that it's now July."

"Wow." He was stunned. "I… listen, Peggy. If you need any help…" Howard felt worse now. Peggy would be a single mother, affected by the war like so many others. If he had just found Steve...

"I'll be okay, Howard." She smiled, truly smiled. "I'll be okay."

-o-o-o-

Amelia. That would be the child's name. Her middle name would be Josephine, a small nod to Steve's father. Amelia Josephine Carter. It was a beautiful name, Peggy mused quietly as she wrote it on her daughter's birth certificate. Amelia Carter.

It should've been Rogers, not Carter. Peggy would've given anything for Amelia's last name to be Rogers.

The midwife returned to the room, taking the document from Peggy and handing her the small squalling bundle in her arms. Peggy flashed the woman a smile as the midwife left, then looked down at little Amelia. She already had a small fuzz of dark blonde hair on her head. Her father's hair.

It broke Peggy's heart, just looking at the beautiful little life in her arms. Amelia would never have her father toss her in the air and make her laugh. Steve wouldn't be there when she said her first words, when she took her first steps. He wouldn't be there to kiss her forehead and send her off on her first day of school. Steve wouldn't be able to tease her over boys or walk her down the aisle or see his grandchildren.

But he would be with Amelia, always. Peggy would make sure of that.

-o-o-o-

Howard grinned at Amy Carter, flicking her nose lightly. "Happy birthday, Amy!" He hugged the girl tightly. Seven years old, Amy resembled both her parents, with long, dark blonde hair and chocolate brown eyes. She had all of her father's honest nature but her mother's sass.

"Thank you Uncle Howie!" Amy giggled and hugged him back. For reasons neither Howard nor her mother could explain, she would never call him Uncle Howard. No, it was Uncle Howie. It cracked Peggy up and annoyed Howard. "Mummy's in the kitchen!"

"I figured, Ames, I can smell her cooking!" He smirked at the girl, sniffing at the air exaggeratedly.

Peggy poked her head out from her kitchen. "That better be a compliment!" Her brown hair was tied up in a messy bun, and she was wearing an apron over her uniform. Howard couldn't get used to the look of his best friend being domestic; he had met her as Agent Carter, not Peggy.

"Oh, it is."

-o-o-o-

Peggy sat next to Howard on the blanket, watching Amy chase around a butterfly, laughing and squealing. Peggy had been getting by these last few years; after the war, Howard had given her a job at Stark Industries, which had been a real blessing. It meant that she would be able to work, but still be around for Amy.

"So, has she asked about him yet?" They both knew who 'him' was.

Peggy bit her lip, resting on her elbows. "Yes. I sat her down and told her about Steve." Her bottom lip trembled slightly. "She asked if he saved the world."

"What'd you say?"

"That he did."

The two were quickly distracted by a grinding noise, and they hopped up immediately. Amy ran towards her mother, clinging to Peggy's skirt. As the three stared on, a blue box materialized in front of them. Their mouths hung open as the door flew open.

The man that stepped out seemed to be rather… strange. For one, he was wearing a brown tweed coat. With a bowtie. He was looking around expectantly… until he noticed Howard, Peggy, and Amy staring at him. "Oi, what're you staring at?"

Peggy was the first to speak up, her voice reverting to the one she used upon addressing the men in the boot camps. "You just appeared in my backyard, I will stare all I want!"

"A backyard, you said? Drat, old girl, you've landed me in the wrong place again! He said bunker, not backyard!" The man seemed to be addressing… the box?

"Who are you?" Peggy disentangled Amy from her skirt gently and stepped forward, her hands resting on her hips. Amy moved to cling to Howard, who patted her head nervously.

"Me? Oh, I'm the Doctor, just the Doctor, thank you, and you must be a former officer, I can tell by the way you act! And the uniform, may I say it looks fantastic!" He bounded forward a bit, holding his hand out. It dropped as he observed the icy look on Peggy's face. "Now, who are you all, then?"

"Agent Peggy Carter." Peggy stared at him, her eyes narrowing slightly. The Doctor's confused expression changed to one of realization and joy.

"OH! Well, Agent Carter, have I got a surprise for you!" His eyes flickered over to Howard and Amy. "I'm sorry, I didn't catch your names…"

Howard cleared his throat. "Howard Stark."

"Nice to meet you, Mr. Stark, and what about the little one?" The Doctor moved to look at Amy, who imitated her mother and shot the stranger an icy look. "Oh, well isn't that fantastic!" he cried, looking between the two Carters. "You're her daughter, that's brilliant! What's your name, little one?"

In a clear, sassy voice, the girl responded. "My name is Amelia Josephine Carter! But if you call me Amelia I'll throw a… a…" Amy's face screwed up in frustration. "A… a pillow at you!" she finished, seeming proud of herself.

"Well, Amy… I had a friend named Amy once, she was fantastic." The Doctor blinked. "Sidetracked, now anyway, Agent Carter…" He sauntered back over to the brunette. "I have a surprise for you, now come along, bring Amy, and we'll be off!" The Doctor grinned at the three.

"I'm not so sure about this, Doctor." Venom laced the woman's voice. "How can I trust you?"

Howard moved over to her, Amy trailing behind him timidly. "Peggy, are you sure about this?"

She looked at him, her glance answering his question.

"Well, Agent Carter, I happen to know a very good friend of yours in the future!" The Doctor grinned brightly. "Blonde hair like little Miss Amy's, blue eyes, very sweet guy. Talked about you a great deal. Kept saying you were possibly the most beautiful woman he'd ever met. That, and that you knew how to handle a gun. Poor guy, though, he's like a lost puppy."

Peggy's eyes flashed then cooled. "Who would that be?"

The Doctor opened his mouth, only to be cut off by Howard. "Peggy, it's got to be Steve."

"Steve Rogers! Yes, that was his name." The Doctor shot a quick look at Howard, then turned his attention to Peggy. She seemed to be struggling on the inside. "He told me that if I ever met you, to tell you he'll always remember you. Bit sappy, but I promised."

"I…" Peggy was at a loss for words. "Could I… Could I…"

"See him? Of course, why do you think I'm here! Mr. Stark, you could cover for the two, say they needed to move away, right?" The Doctor grinned at them.

Howard nodded and put Amy down. "Go, Pegs."

"But… the company…"

"You have one chance, now go. The job will be waiting for you wherever you're going." Howard wrapped his arms around her, kissing her cheek, then hugged Amy. "Now go!" He pushed Peggy towards the box. "Take care of her, Doctor."

"Will do, Mr. Stark!" The Doctor ushered the two Carters in, the door closing.

Howard watched the box disappear.

This was an odd Thursday.

-o-o-o-

"Well." Peggy sat on the small couch in the TARDIS, not even fazed by the sheer size of the interior. "How… How did you meet Steve?" Her hands absently stroked Amy's hair, the \girl asleep on her lap. "How… How did he survive the crash? We searched for him for so long."

The Doctor sauntered over to her, sitting by her. "Crash landing near the poor guy. He was off, running in Central Park, and I nearly ran him over." He cringed slightly at the look on Peggy's face. "NEARLY! But after he'd calmed down and he figured out what the TARDIS was, he asked if he could send me back with a message, and here I am! A few years late, however, I went through a regeneration, so I doubt he'd recognize me, but he might recognize the TARDIS! As for how he survived, I don't really know. You would need to ask him that."

"Oh." Peggy looked down at Amy, biting her lip. "You know," she mumbled, "I never thought I'd see him again." Her eyes flickered up to meet the Doctor's. "Thank you for this."

"No problem, Agent Carter." The Doctor pushed himself up.

"Call me Peggy."

"Alright, then, Peggy. Hang on to little miss Amy, we're going to be landing soon!" He pulled a lever, the TARDIS jerking sharply. Peggy clung to a now awake Amy with one arm and the chair with another. Grinding noises filled the room. "And we're here! I do hope the TARDIS landed in the right spot…" He bounded past a confused and somewhat worried Peggy.

"What do you mean, landed in the right spot? Can't you fly your own ship?" The sharp edge had returned to her voice.

"Yes, yes I can!" The Doctor pushed the door open, his head glancing around. His body stiffened slightly.

"Doct-" She was cut off by a wave of the hand behind his back, and Peggy quickly moved her hand over Amy's mouth. Her eyes darted around, landing on a gun nearby the couch. Making a motion to Amy to stay quiet, Peggy eased herself off the couch slowly to grab the gun. She could hear the Doctor arguing with someone and he pulled his head back in, shooting Peggy a worried look before stepping out and closing the door.

"Mummy?" Amy hissed in a panicked whisper.

"What is it darling?" Peggy didn't look at her, checking to make sure the gun was loaded. It was. She got up, bending down to kiss Amy's forehead. "I'll be right back, Amy, don't you move a muscle. Mummy will take care of everything." She straightened, gun in her hand and safety off.

Amy nodded and watched her mother scoot towards the door.

-o-o-o-

"I simply miscalculated, I didn't mean to land in the middle of a battle, really!" The Doctor was pleading with the group, who all had their guns pointed at various body parts.

"You may have just given those… those… those bastards a chance to destroy the earth!"

"Well, I'm very, very good at saving the earth! Done it hundreds, no, thousands of times! Someone told me it was a god complex once, always thinking I needed to be the one to save everybody, but if I do, is it really a complex or just the truth?" The Doctor grinned slightly, then drooped, hearing the guns click. "Well, I am just saying!"

-o-o-o-

Peggy took a deep breath. Who knew what the future was like, anyway? Other wars could've broken out, other things could've happened. She exhaled, glancing back at a shaking Amy, then pulled the door open and put the gun up.

The sight that greeted her was rather odd.

It was a group of people, the Doctor in the center. All guns had been pointed at the Time Lord, until one of the people swung their gun to point at Peggy's head. It didn't faze her. She was used to that, after the war. There had been many a gun pointed at her. She cleared her throat, eyes roaming the group. "What the bloody hell is going on here? Who are you people?" She saw a few of them shift. "Put the guns down."

"Put yours down and maybe we'll talk." The woman who had her gun pointed at Peggy glared. Peggy returned it with an icy stare of her own. "Put. The gun. Down."

"Tell your friends to put theirs down. Or at least point them elsewhere." Peggy stepped out of the TARDIS finally, closing the door behind her. Her lips curved into a smile as the group tucked away their guns, except the woman. "Thank you." She stepped to the Doctor's side, hissing out of the side of her mouth. "You're welcome, I just saved your arse."

"Yes you did, Agent Carter, so I thank you!" The Doctor grinned at her.

"Shush." She flicked the safety back on and shoved the gun in her waistband. Her attention returned to the group. Only four people, she noted. She could probably take on two before something happened. "I'm Agent Carter. And you are?"

The woman lowered her gun, stepping forward to stand in front of Peggy. "Agent Carter. What kind of agent are you, exactly?"

"Officer with the Strategic Scientific Reserve during the war." Peggy lifted her chin slightly. If this woman wanted to have a stare down, she could go for it. Peggy wasn't going to go down that easily. "You didn't answer my question. Who are you?"

The woman opened her mouth to speak, but was cut off by a man in a gold and red suit landing next to her. Peggy's hand twitched towards the gun, but the Doctor simply put his hand out to stop her and tugged her back a few feet.

"Who-"

"Shh." The Doctor turned to look at her, a faint smile tugging on his lips. "Just be quiet."

"Natasha!" The man's helmet retracted and Peggy's mouth dropped. He was the spitting image of Howard. "Heard you had someone cornered over here."

"Stark. Where's Cap?" Natasha gave him the same icy glare she had given Peggy. "If you abandoned him, again, I will personally make sure to kick your ass."

"Calm down, jeez! He'll be here in a second." His eyes fell on the Doctor, who was mouthing words quickly to Peggy. "This the one?" He stepped over to them, his gaze falling on Peggy. "Well, hey there."

"Hello!" The Doctor grinned cheerfully, stepping forward and holding his hand out. "I'm the Doctor, just the Doctor, and I'm here to help! And you are?"

"Tony Stark." The two men shook hands. "Genius billionaire playboy philanthropist." He turned his attention to Peggy. "And you are?"

Peggy shook her head, scrunching her nose. "Dear god, it's like looking at Howard!"

"Howard? As in Howard Stark, my dad? How do you know him?" Tony frowned. "And I still didn't catch your name."

"Howard is- was- is…" Peggy frowned. "Tenses are now confusing. But Howard is my best friend." Her eyes narrowed for a split second, before she burst out in laughter. "Sorry! Just hard to believe Howard would ever have a child."

"Thanks." Tony turned his attention to the Doctor. "So what'd you do to piss off Tasha here?"

"I… I apparently landed in the middle of some battle of some sort? Is that it? I don't know, I was doing a favor to somebody!" The Doctor pouted slightly.

"A favor?" Natasha's voice was laced with venom. "Was it giving the bastards a chance to attack again?"

"No! No, no, no!" The Doctor shook his head furiously. "It was to bring Agent Carter here!"

"Agent Carter?" Tony glanced at Peggy again, who rolled her eyes.

"Yes?"

"Like… Peggy Carter? My dad used to talk a lot about you. You and uh…"

"Amy," the Doctor and Peggy said at the same time. Peggy frowned at the Doctor, who glanced towards the TARDIS door quickly. Peggy whipped around, seeing a small blonde head poking out of the police box.

"Amelia Carter! What in the world!" Peggy skittered over to her daughter, sweeping her in a hug. "What are you doing, silly?" Her laugh was slightly panicked.

"Mummy… I just… I got worried! I heard yelling and then I got scared." Amy looked away, ashamed.

Peggy released her and smiled, taking her daughter by the hand and pulling her out into the open. "You brilliant, silly girl. Stay here behind Mummy, okay?"

Amy nodded, shooting a nervous, abashed look at the Doctor, who simply smiled at her.

Just then, another person ran over to them. "Tony! What was that? You just left me back there!"

Tony laughed awkwardly. "Well, you should've kept up, old man!" He glanced towards Peggy, who was busy fussing over Amy. Clearing his throat awkwardly, he drew the attention of the younger Carter, who tapped her mother twice. Peggy straightened up, looking at Tony with a rather irritated look.

"What?"

"Just clearing my throat, Agent Carter." Tony grinned.

The new arrival stiffened, turning their gaze over to where Peggy, Amy, and the Doctor stood. His eyes met Amy's, familiar eyes staring at him from a younger face. Amy stepped away from her mother tentatively, moving towards him. Peggy was too busy arguing with Tony and the Doctor simultaneously to realize her daughter had made her way over to the man.

"Hi." Amy looked up at him.

"Err… hello." The man squatted down to Amy's eye level, laying his shield on the ground and resting his hands on his knees. "What's your name?"

"Amelia Josephine Carter." Amy glanced down at her feet. "But most people call me Amy. And Uncle Howie called me Ames sometimes."

"It's nice to meet you, Amy." A faint smile played on the man's lips. "I'm Steve."

"I know. You look like my Daddy. Mummy used to show me pictures of him. She said he was really brave and that he saved a lot of people. But it made her sad to talk about Daddy." The girl's lower lip jutted out in a pout. "I didn't like seeing Mummy sad."

Steve cracked a grin. "I don't think anybody does. Does she still get violent when she's upset?"

"She punches Uncle Howie whenever he says something rude. But he always says something rude."

"That, I believe." The two chuckled. Amy stopped, looking at him seriously. "What?"

"Are you my Daddy?" The statement drew her mother's attention, and Peggy turned to look over at her daughter. A strangled gasp escaped her mouth, and she used one hand to stifle the choking noises that she was emitting. Amy turned to glance at her mother, then back at Steve. "Are you my Daddy?" she repeated.

"Amy…" Peggy took an involuntary step towards her daughter and the man she loved. "Amy… Amy, please…"

"I… Yeah, I'm your dad." Steve glanced up at Peggy, smiling at her briefly before Amy nearly tackled him to the ground in a hug. Everyone was looking at the three now, expressions ranging from pride (Tony) to slightly disturbed (Natasha) to ecstatic (the Doctor). Amy finally disentangled herself from her father and grinned, skipping away to the Doctor and babbling excitedly. Steve stood up, facing Peggy. She tilted her head slightly, a wry smile playing on her red lips.

"You're… you're late." Peggy laughed slightly, blinking away tears.

"I know." He moved towards her, using a finger to tilt her head to meet his eyes. "I'll make up for it, Peggy, I promise."

"You better."

"I will." He couldn't take it anymore. He pressed his lips against hers, one of his arms slipping around her waist and drawing the brunette closer to him.

Time stopped. She could only feel him, his lips on hers, his arms tugging her close to him.

He could feel her heart beating furiously; he could feel the tears on her face, her arms wrapped tightly around his neck.

Peggy pulled away, her eyes shining as she regarded him. "Well, that surely makes up for… something." His laugh brought a smile of pure elation to her face; it was good to hear that again.

"It better, doll." Steve laughed and let her go, picking up his shield with one hand and lacing his fingers with hers in the other. "How old is Amy now?"

"Seven." Peggy's lips pulled into a thin line as she tugged him over to Amy and the Doctor. "She's seven."

"I missed… seven years?"

"There's so many more left, love." The pet name rolled off her tongue easily, and she blushed, her cheeks almost as red as her lipstick.

"I guess… I guess you're right." It broke him inside to know he had missed his daughter's first words. Her first steps. The first day of school. He glanced at the TARDIS, a look of recognition dawning on his face. "Hey! That almost crashed into me, two months ago.

The Doctor looked at Steve, grinning sheepishly. "Yes, I'm sorry about that, but I kept good on my promise, didn't I? Look! Peggy and Amy Carter, in one piece! Well, two. They're two separate people, you know…" He trailed off.

"You don't look anything like the other guy."

"Regenerated, changed my face and such!" The Doctor grinned. "Well, I must be off, need to pick up Rory and my Amy, I'll try to pop in every now and then, take care!" He rushed forward to give Peggy a quick hug, then ruffled Amy's hair. He stopped, pulling a piece of paper and a pen out of his pocket and scribbling a number on it. The Time Lord shoved the paper towards Peggy, who took it. "In case of emergency! Just remember, I'm here to help!" He grinned, hopping back into the TARDIS. "Goodbye, Carters!" The Doctor disappeared back into the TARDIS, which promptly disappeared.

"That's not strange at all." Tony broke the silence, glancing between Amy, Peggy, and Steve. "So… You two… have a kid…"

"My name is Amy!" The blonde girl pouted, drawing laughter from much of the group. "Amelia Josephine Carter!"

"Amy, love, stop being strange." Peggy let go of Steve, sauntering over to her daughter and ruffling her hair. "Anyway. Amy and I should find a hotel of some sort to stay at for the night."

"Hotel?" Steve sounded somewhat offended. "You really think I'd let my doll and my daughter stay in one of those?"

"Maybe." Natasha shrugged, a skeptical look on her face. "And how do you even know this kid's yours?"

"Peggy wouldn't lie to me." Steve's tone was firm, and it brought a small smile to the brunette's face.

"Well, do we get to call you Pops now?" Tony cut in, a sly smile on his face. Peggy rolled her eyes. "I'm just asking, Agent Carter."

"And I'm saying, don't try it."

-o-o-o-

Nine months later

Peggy rolled over in the bed, the face of her beloved Captain greeting her. "Good morning." She laced her fingers in his. "Sleep well?"

"You were next to me. Of course I did." Steve tugged her over, kissing her gently. "You?"

"Same reason, darling." She returned the kiss, fingers tangling in hair until their door flew open, a cranky seven year old standing in the doorway. "Amy! What have we told you about… knocking!" Peggy sat up and frowned at her young daughter, who ran and jumped onto their bed, crawling between her parents.

"I knocked. You and Daddy didn't answer!" Amy snuggled into Steve, who laughed and brushed hair out of her face.

"Sorry, kiddo, your mom and I were talking."

"I know, that's all you do." Amy pouted. "Daddy, are we going to the park today?"

"Ask your mom."

"Mummy?"

Peggy lay back down, cuddling with the two. "Sure. Why not?" Amy squealed excitedly, bounding up and out of the room in seconds, the door slamming behind her. "She's a handful sometimes."

"Like her mom?" That earned Steve a small slap. "Okay, I got it, not funny."

"Never will be." Peggy rolled out of the bed, smiling at Steve. "Come on, then. No need to have an angry Amy storming back in here!"

Steve smiled and got out of the bed, coming behind her and wrapping his arms around her body. "I love you."

"I love you too." Peggy looked up to smile at Steve. It was a perfect moment.

That is, until Amy banged on the door begging to get a move on.

What a wonderful Thursday.

Thursdays to Kaeyla is just Sherlock. -weep-

If you haven't figured it out yet, Steve met Ten, not Eleven.

Curious why I chose the name Amy? It's pretty. And I thought it'd be funny to hear the Doctor saying 'Rory and my Amy.' Yes? No? No. Okay.

Review and let me know how you think this one shot gone mad came out!