A/N: random idea. Hope you like it! Review! :)
Disclaimer: I don't own any Marvel characters
Steve had tried to keep himself from too much contact with the others. He'd go on outings with them. But he tried to keep from talking too much. He didn't like this new world. He liked it better in the forties. Where everything was familiar. This was just strange.
Natasha Romanoff was the only one he let in. He didn't really know why or when. One day he had been beating on a punching bag when she came in and asked him if he wanted to spar with her. He agreed. From there they progressed. Sometimes they would spar. Sometimes they would sit and drink coffee, black for both of them, in peace. Sometimes they would just talk. Natasha would tell him of some of her past missions. In turn he would tell her about defeating HYDRA. Either way they bonded. That's how Natasha knew when something was wrong.
One year after Loki's attack...
Natasha saw less and less of Steve. He refused to answer her calls. He didn't leave his apartment except to get food. He shut himself in. One day she went over to his apartment. The door was unlocked. Steve would never leave the door unlocked. She pushed it open. What she saw broke her heart. Steve Rogers, Captain America to many, sat on his couch crying. His hair had grown long and shaggy. He hadn't shaved in at least a month. His shirt and sweatpants were dirty. But he was sobbing his heart out. Natasha closed the door and sat down next to him. She rubbed his back and soothed him. Finally he stopped crying a little.
"What's wrong?" she asked.
"I keep forgetting her face. I'll see it clearly laughing and smiling one minute and the next it's all blurry. I can't see Peggy's face any more," Steve said whispering. Natasha's heart broke into even smaller pieces. He was still in love with Peggy very deeply. That was so obvious.
Steve reached and grabbed a file from the table. He opened it. Natasha looked at it. It was Peggy's file. She was still alive. She lived in England.
"Go see her. Steal Stark's jet. I'm sure he won't care. I'll even go with you if you want," Natasha told him.
"I can't. I can't bear to see her. She as an old woman and me still young," Steve said. His voice cracked with emotion.
"You need to," Natasha said.
"I can't," Steve told her. "Now please leave me alone." He stood and pushed her towards the door. He closed and locked it in her face. Natasha shook her head and walked away.
The next day Natasha heard a knock on her door. She opened it to see Steve. He had a duffle bag on his shoulder.
"Let's go," he said simply. Natasha grabbed the bag she had prepared and they drove to Tony's hangar at the airport. She had already talked to Tony. They climbed into the waiting plane.
Several hours later they landed in England. The took a cab to the address in the file. Natasha followed Steve to the door. A young woman answered the door.
"She's been waiting for you," the woman said with a smile. She ushered Steve and Natasha into the room. It was a small sitting room.
"I'll just wait here," Natasha told Steve. He smiled weakly at her. She smiled back trying to give him courage. He followed the woman upstairs. Natasha sat back to wait.
Upstairs Steve followed the woman into a room. It was plain. Just a bed and a dresser and a trunk. Sitting in the bed was a frail old woman. Her silver hair still held hints of the dark color it used to be. She was still strikingly beautiful. Her dark eyes were still clear and bright. Her fingernails were painted a bright red. She smiled when she saw Steve.
"I was wondering if you'd come to see me," Peggy said.
"I wouldn't have come. Except for one of my friends pushed me to. She's downstairs," he said.
"I'm glad. I wanted to see you one last time before I pass on," Peggy said.
"Oh, grandma, I told you you'll still live a while yet," the young woman said.
"Steve, this is my granddaughter, Marie," Peggy introduced the woman.
"Nice to meet you. But I should probably go see about the tea I put on a little while ago," Marie said and excused herself.
"So you got married," Steve said when Marie was gone.
"No. I never did. I was kidnapped and raped after the war ended. Some morons thought that you dying was all a scheme to scare other countries. They tried to beat what they thought was the truth out of me," Peggy said. Steve swallowed and clenched his fists.
"Did they get the guys?" Steve asked. MMS"You betcha. Colonel Phillips marched right in there and shot the guys," Peggy said.
"Good for him," Steve said. Suddenly they were interrupted. Natasha poked her head in.
"Sorry to interrupt but we have a situation. Justin Hammer escaped from prison. Tony thinks he's planning something big," Natasha said, "Fury wants us ASAP, Steve. I'm sorry."
"No I should have expected something like this to happen. Just give me a minute," Steve told her.
"Okay. Nice to meet you Agent Carter," Natasha said tilting her head to the old woman. Peggy smiled at her. Natasha left. Once the door was closed again Peggy looked at Steve.
"I loved you. For a long time-" she started to say.
"I loved you too and-" Steve interrupted but Peggy interrupted him.
"Let me finish. I loved you for a long time. But I'm going to die. And you need to let go of me. I see the way you look at that young woman. Go after her. I won't be around much longer," Peggy finished.
"I don't know what to say," Steve said after a moment of silence.
"Good bye Steve. Your country needs you. Go to them," Peggy said.
"Good bye Peggy," Steve told her. Then he turned to the door. He looked back at her one last time before he closed the door. She smiled at him reassuringly. He closed the door. Not only on Peggy but on his life in the forties. Time to live life in the 21st century now.
The next morning Steve was watching the news. They were doing a special story.
"Early this morning a decorated war veteran from World War 2 passed on. Her name was Agent Margaret Carter. She served for the American army even though her roots were British. One of her accomplishments include accompanying the famed Captain America on many missions. They served together and it is reported that she was there when he was given the serum to make him a super soldier. She was a great woman and she served the USA proudly. We are sad to see her leave this world."
Steve sat there and let the tears slowly fall. Peggy had died. She had said she would. She had known. She had been waiting for him.
When his Stark Phone rang Steve remembered today they were working on finding Justin Hammer. He turned off the TV and wiped the tears away. He officially closed the door on his old life. He had a new life. One where he was Captain America in the 21st century. Where he was a part of the Avengers. Time to open a new door.
A/N: That last paragraph is kind of corny but whatever. Tell me what you thought in that magical review box right down there!