"A week next Saturday at the Stork Club" those words rang through Peggy Carter's head. Nothing she did could stop her thinking about her last moments talking to Steve. The lump in her throat grew larger as she fought back the tears that threatened to spill over.
"I don't wanna step on your –" and then he was gone. Peggy hung her head and stared into her lap, clenching her jaw to stop herself from crying.
The music was loud and cheerful, women dancing with their soldiers, happy to have their loved ones home.
"You're torturing yourself" Peggy looked up, meeting the sad eyes of Howard Stark. She frowned and picked at her red dress, the same one she wore to see Steve in the bar.
"I know" she nodded quietly, glancing around the room at all the happy faces, sucking in a breath
"I just thought – " she cut herself short, looking back at Howard and shrugging slightly
"I hoped he would surprise me" Her voice broke mid-sentence and she looked back down at her hands, not wanting Howard to see her cry, she felt she had burdened them all too much the past week with her crying, despite trying to hide it.
"Your faith in him is incredible. And not without cause. He was –" Howard stopped as Peggy snapped her head up and glared at him. She still felt he was alive, somewhere, somehow.
"Is. He is a wonderful man." He corrected himself, taking a seat next to Peggy and sighing softly, taking her hands into his and smiling weakly
"I love him" She forced out, tears rolling down her paled cheeks and splashing onto their hands
"I know. He knows." Howard attempted to comfort her, but fell short. She was now cursing herself for not telling him, instead she made him promise to turn up in a club to go dancing. She forced her eyes shut, envisioning them dancing, him falling nervously and apologizing repeatedly. But she wouldn't have cared. She wanted her feet to ache, from both dancing and from him stepping on her. She wanted to feel him shake nervously as they moved without grace. But most of all, she wanted to tell him she loved him from the moment she laid eyes on the scrawny boy from Brooklyn that was too stupid to run away.
"Do you want to dance?" Howards voice broke her thoughts. She looked up at him, frowning once more as if he had multiple heads or had just announced he was pregnant. She pulled her hands away from him and stood quickly
"Mr Stark, you have shown nothing but kindness to me this past week, and I am forever grateful for your patience, but I do not dance" she breathed loud enough for only him to hear. She turned on her heals and proceeded to leave, weaving through the dancing couples and apologizing as she bumped into a few accidently.
"I'm sorry" Howard called, but to no use. Peggy Carter certain of a lot of things, but none so much as the fact she would never dance with anyone again.
She left the building and called a cab, climbing into the back and giving the driver her destination. Ignoring the strange look and staring out of the window in time to see Howard run out and watch her leave.
The street was still in ruins, and made it difficult for the cab to go right to the place she needed to go, so Peggy paid and walked the rest. Stepping over broken bricks and parts of buildings, crunching glass and snapping branches.
The brunette woman stepped into the rubble filled pub, her eyes wondering. The last time she was here, Steve complained that he couldn't get drunk, and promised to bring down the Red Skull. She walked further in; the table he was sat at was still in place, the half drunk bottle sat next to a glass in front of their chairs. She sat quietly and sighed softly to herself, picking up the bottle and pouring herself a small glass, raising it
"To Captain America" she breathed, drinking the vile liquid.
Peggy Carter never drank another drop of Alcohol. And sadly, never danced again.