TC Stark: Saw Captain America last night and was blown away. I had never expected it to be that good! I could go on and on all day about it, but one scene in particular stood out to me. I wanted to a small musing of Steve's thoughts as he sat beside Peggy's hospital bed. Very short, but still hope you enjoy.
Disclaimer: All characters belong to Marvel. I make absolutely no profit off of what I write.
In the night, he can feel her against him. With his eyes closed, he could see her as clear as day. Brunette hair curled around her face and a smile that awoke every sense in his body. Only when it was completely silent, could he hear her gentle laugh. Her lips pursed against his ear, her hands on his shoulders and their feet moving in perfect harmony.
He's not a good dancer, but she's a great teacher. Patient at every mistake he made, even laughing when his toes caught her foot. He would shrug and say he was sorry; she would just smile and tell him it was alright. They were dancing and that was all that mattered. He hadn't been late and she had thrown her arms around him in joy. Nothing else concerned her; just that he was moving along with her to the smooth rhythm of music.
When he pulled her closer, the scent of oranges wafted his nose. It warmed his insides and made him smile happily, while swaying with her. The feeling of content in his heart eased his soul, all the stress of fighting washing away with her around. He had gotten his happy ending, all because he had her by his side. The war was won and the scrawny kid from Brooklyn had found his perfect partner.
"Steve?"
When Steve Rogers opened his eyes, he saw that he was not in a 1940's club dancing with Peggy. They had never gotten the chance to do so, as he had been frozen for seventy years. While his life had stopped, hers kept on. She was one of the founding members of SHIELD, had gotten married, and for a long time, Captain America was only a memory.
The Peggy Carter in modern day was much different than the one he knew. Still beautiful. Steve looked at the elderly woman lying in the bed and smiled, seeing who she once was and feeling her warmth still radiate off her. He was glad she was able to live a full life after his accident, even if he hadn't been around to see it.
Peggy had dementia and though she remembered him, her mind went in and out at times. They could be having a normal conversation and no more than a second later she would be delighted to see him. Or even forget they were talking, crying that she had missed him so much. In those moments, he wondered if she was the girl from the 1940's or the elderly woman bedridden.
Steve hoped Peggy's husband had treated her right. Had held her in the nights, appreciating everything about her. When they made love, he hoped her husband let her know how special she was and he hoped she never had a doubt in her mind of how great she was. He hoped that she knew her work was important and that she never felt discouraged as a woman, because she was stronger than any man he knew. And he hoped she knew he would have wanted her to move on and be happy and hope that his death didn't make her too sad.
Ruefully smiling, Steve took a hold of the brittle hand and applied little pressure, but just enough to hopefully ease her mind, "I'm here, Peggy. I would never forgot my number one girl."