Maria Hill was driving down the streets of New York City. The sky was getting darker, moving from evening to night. While sitting at a red light her phone made a ping noise marking a destination on a GPS map of the city. Maria looked down at her phone screen to see her now intended destination labelled on the map. The address: 3 East 53rd Street in Midtown Manhattan. The destination: Paley Park.
Why she was heading there requires some explanation. Yesterday she attended a funeral for Peggy Carter. She passed away at the age of 95. Agent Carter was one of the original founders of S.H.I.E.L.D. and helped pave the way for someone like Maria. Although Maria had never met her in person she attended the service out of respect and also to support Captain Rogers. Tony Stark attended for the same reasons. There was also the fact that Agent Carter had worked closely with his father, Howard, who was responsible for bringing Peggy aboard to help create S.H.I.E.L.D. in the very beginning.
The person with the deepest connection to Agent Carter was Steve Rogers. Captain Rogers delivered a heartfelt eulogy. He spoke of how they first met when he was chosen for the super soldier program. He detailed his first foray into action and how she and Howard Stark flew him behind enemy lines to save over a thousand captured soldiers. Peggy was the last person he spoke to before he heroically crashed a HYDRA plane in the arctic waters where he lay frozen for the next 70 years.
He was thankful he had the chance to reconnect with her after all these years. He would visit her at the retirement home. Sitting at her bedside they would talk about the old days and the life she had built for herself since. He said Peggy helped shape who he is today and without her there may have never been a Captain America.
Steve spoke with his usual air of confidence and steady calmness. The congregation hung on his every word. He went on to say goodbye and thank you to Peggy and gave her casket one final salute.
Immediately after the burial Steve got on his motorcycle and left. That was 29 hours ago. No one had seen or heard from him since.
Maria now works at Stark Industries. With S.H.I.E.L.D. no longer in existence Stark Industries was getting into the business of privatizing global security. Maria came on board to be a part of that. Also part of that were the Avengers. Tony Stark set aside plenty of resources and financial backing for the Avengers. He went as far as securing training facilities for the team and sleeping quarters for each member in Stark Tower. Because of Maria's S.H.I.E.L.D. background, experience, and familiarity with the Avengers, she was often tasked as being somewhat of a liaison for the team. Steve had been staying at the Avengers facilities for awhile now but he had not returned or checked in since the funeral. He wasn't answering his phone either. That was not like him.
Concerned, Maria activated a tracking chip in Steve's phone and got in her car. This takes us full circle to where we are now.
Maria arrived at her destination in Manhattan. She found a parking spot down the street and walked the rest of the way. On her way to Paley Park she found Steve's motorcycle parked on the street. She placed her hand on the engine. It was cool to the touch so it must have been parked there for some time now.
At first glance Paley Park looks out of place sandwiched between large concrete buildings. The park offers a quiet urban oasis in the middle of a bustling Manhattan. The park is surrounded by walls on three sides and is open to the street (with an ornamental gate) on the fourth side, facing the street. The walls are covered in ivy, and the overhead canopy formed by locust trees adds a degree of serenity to the park. A 20-foot high waterfall spans the entire back of the park. The waterfall creates a backdrop of grey noise that masks the sounds of the city. Soft lights in the ground directly below illuminate the waterfall creating a nice contrast with the darkness of night time slowly setting in. It helps to create a peaceful, almost romantic setting.
The park isn't very large (roughly 4000 square feet) giving Maria a relatively small area to search. Running the length of the park are two rows of white tables with matching chairs. There is a small smattering of people sitting or walking around. Maria continued walking and scanning the park from left to right looking for Captain Rogers. She finally notices a solitary figure at the back of the park. The glow of the lights behind the waterfall cast a clear silhouette of the man. He is standing near the back corner of the park looking off into nowhere seemingly lost in thought.
"Captain Rogers?" Maria asked as she approached him. The waterfall sounds partially drown out her words.
"Maria?" Steve responded taking a few steps towards her trying to make out her face in the low lighting.
"Steve, are you OK?" Maria looked him up and down. He was still wearing the same black suit and tie from Peggy's funeral yesterday afternoon.
"I'm fine," he replied. "Is everything all right?"
"No one had seen or heard from you for over 24 hours. You haven't been answering your phone." A look of concern was on Maria's face. "We were worried about you."
"Stark is worried about me?" Steve replied. "I find that a little hard to believe."
"Well...I...was worried about you." Maria admitted. "I activated the tracker in your phone to find you."
"You could've just called me."
"I did, you never answered."
"I don't remember getting any calls-" Steve said as he reached into his pocket to retrieve his phone.
"Oh, I turned it off at the funeral yesterday," he realized. "I'm sorry. I must've forgotten to turn it back on."
Steve turned his phone on and placed it back in his pocket.
"Where have you been?" Maria asked. "Were you here this whole time?"
"No. I went for a drive. I needed to clear my head." Steve let out a long sigh. "It's been a rough couple of days."
Steve had a somber look on his face. Maria couldn't help but feel sorry for him.
"She meant a lot to you, huh." Maria said in a soft, comforting tone. "You want to talk about it?"
Steve hesitated. He looked like he wanted to speak but he wasn't sure what to say or where to start.
"I went back home. To my old neighborhood." he said. "Then I drove up to my old boot camp in New Jersey."
"Why did you go there?"
"I don't know. I guess because it reminds me of the old days. It reminds me of good times. It reminds me of Peggy." Steve said wistfully.
"After that I just got on the road and started driving. I drove all night and all day going nowhere in particular. I eventually ended up here."
Steve motioned to the table nearest to them so they can have a seat. Always the gentleman, Steve pulls out Maria's chair for her. Once she was seated he sits down across from her.
"Tell me about her." Maria said, trying to get Steve to open up a little more. "What was she like?"
"She was a strong, no-nonsense, take-charge kind of woman." Steve said. "She had to be to survive. It was a different world back then."
"She sounds like my kind of girl." Maria said with a smirk. Her comment made Steve smile for what seemed like the first time in days.
"She was smart, resourceful, capable, strong, and beautiful-" Steve paused and turned his head towards Maria. A look of longing appeared on his face. "...you remind me of her."
Flattered at the comparison Maria tries not to blush.
Maria searched for something to say to break the silence. "You got to visit her before she died. That must have meant a lot to both of you."
"It did," Steve admitted. "But it wasn't easy."
"Peggy had Alzheimer's disease." he went on to say. "One moment we would be talking, the next she would forget I was ever there." Steve lowered his head in regret upon his admission.
Maria noticed the look of heartache Steve was conveying. Most people viewed him as an invincible superhero, ready to spring into action at an instant. At that moment Steve was a man grieving over the loss of someone special to him. She couldn't help but feel for him at that moment.
"I keep thinking back to the last conversation I had with Peggy in 1945, before I crashed that plane in the Arctic." Steve said.
Maria recalled Steve mentioning the story in his eulogy the day before. At the time he didn't really go into the specifics of what was said.
"What did she say?" Maria asked.
"She once talked about what she would do after the war. Peggy mentioned that when it was all over that she would go dancing. All she needed was the right partner. That partner should have been me." Steve recalled.
"When I was up in that plane, I knew I wouldn't make it back." Steve admitted. "I told Peggy I needed a rain check on that dance. She said 'A week next Saturday at the Stork Club. Eight o'clock on the dot. Don't you dare be late.' "
Steve looked off into the distance in quiet contemplation. "She was the only girl I ever loved. I missed out on a life with her. She was the last living link to my old life. And now she's gone."
Maria sat in silence. The feeling of sorrow Steve had was now mutual.
"I guess that's why I ended up here," Steve revealed.
"What do you mean?" Maria asked.
"Up until 1965 this is where the Stork Club was located." Steve said. "It was torn down and this park was built in its place."
Steve retrieved his phone from his pocket and looked at it. "Wow, look at that," he said turning the phone towards Maria, showing her the clock.
"It's 7:59 on a Saturday night." Steve said with a solemn tone. "Looks like I made it to the Stork Club for my dance a minute early. But I'm actually 70 years too late...Better late than never I suppose..."
Steve sighed with regret. "I would give anything to go back and have that dance with her."
Steve's sadness was evident in his demeanor. His chin was sitting on his chest. Dejected, he stared straight down at the table in front of him.
Maria reached across the table and placed her hand onto his. Their eyes met. Maria had a look of sympathy. Steve had a look of mourning.
Maria thought to herself for a few moments and stood up. Still holding Steve's hand she pulled on his arm to get him to stand as well.
"Maria, what are you doing?" Steve said as he got up out of his chair.
Maria looked back at Steve's phone on the table. The clock was still visible on the screen. It now read eight o'clock.
"It's eight o'clock, Steve. It's time for your dance."
Maria picked up Steve's phone. "Do you have any music on this?" she asked.
"A little, but it's all really old stuff that you wouldn't-"
"No," Maria interjected. "That's just what we need."
Maria scrolled through Steve's collection of music. There wasn't a whole lot there. It looked like all of it was from the 40's. Nothing modern at all. This made sense being that Steve was a man out of time and all.
"You know," Steve said rather hesitantly. "...I still don't know how to dance."
"Don't worry," Maria replied. "I'll play something slow. Just follow my lead."
Maria stopped to think about what she had just said. The irony was not lost on her. She was going to lead Captain America.
"Let's try this one." She pressed play and placed the phone back on the table. The song she chose was called It's Been a Long, Long Time.
The music began to play. Thankfully it was a slow song. It started with the sound of trumpets playing before the rest of the orchestra joined in creating a soothing melody. Maria turned up the volume slightly so they could better hear it over the sounds of the waterfall behind them.
Steve stood in place with his arms at his side not sure what to do. Maria approached him and took his hand into hers raising them to about shoulder height. She took his other arm and wrapped it around her lower back bringing herself closer to him. She placed her free arm around his back. Their bodies now were only inches apart.
"For Peggy," Maria said.
"For Peggy," Steve repeated softly.
They began to slowly dance. Steve, still unsure of himself, tried to follow along as best as he could. Soon he got the hang of it. They got into a rhythm, both moving quite well together. Their eyes eventually meet. Steve smiles, exuding a look of gratitude. Maria returns the look with a tender smile of her own.
As they continue dancing Steve imagines himself transported back to 1945. He's on the dance floor of the Stork Club. The band is on stage playing the music. He looks down to see Peggy in his arms dancing with him. She's wearing that red dress he remembers seeing her wear way back when. Her crimson lips and striking brown hair complete her stunning look. She brings herself in closer to him. Turning her head to the side she gently rests her head on his chest.
A woman's voice begins to sing over the music. The lyrics seem to fit Steve's feelings for Peggy perfectly.
Kiss me once, then kiss me twice
Then kiss me once again
It's been a long, long time
Haven't felt like this, my dear
Since I can't remember when
It's been a long, long time
You'll never know how many dreams
I've dreamed about you
Or just how empty they all seemed without you
So kiss me once, then kiss me twice
Then kiss me once again
It's been a long, long time
With Peggy in his arms, Steve is sharing the dance he had always dreamed of having. For that one brief moment, he's happy, maybe more happy than he has ever been in his entire life.
Steve closes his eyes momentarily and opens them again. Suddenly, he's transported back to today at Paley Park in front of the waterfall. The music is still playing from his phone on the table. He looks down and sees Maria, her head resting on his chest where Peggy's once was.
The scene of them slow dancing makes for some beautiful night time imagery. From a distance you could see a silhouette of a man and a woman in an intimate embrace slowly swaying to the music. The soft lighting from the waterfall behind them and the moonlight from above create a romantic setting, like something out of a movie.
The song comes to an end and Maria and Steve stop dancing. They are no longer moving but they continue to hold each other in the same positions that they started in. After a few beats Maria slowly lifts her head from Steve's chest to look at him. They gaze into each others eyes both secretly wanting the moment to last a little longer.
"Thank you," he quietly says to Maria. He stares deeply into her eyes. "Thank you for giving me what I thought I could never have."
"You're welcome, Steve." Maria softly responds. She returns his deep stare with one of her own. "I just wanted to give you the dance you were always meant to have."
"You gave me more than just a dance," he continued. "...you gave me...closure."
"A guy like you deserves to be happy," said Maria. "...I'm sorry you lost Peggy."
Maria leaned in and gave Steve a soft kiss on the cheek.
They continued staring at each other longingly, still standing in their original dance poses.
Steve slowly lowers his lips to hers. Maria meets him halfway. He tenderly kisses her. Maria kisses him back. She lets go of his hand and rests her arms around his shoulders. He places both of his arms around her back. Finally they both pull away from their kiss still holding each other in their arms. Both are breathing somewhat heavily.
"For someone who doesn't know how to dance, you weren't half bad." Maria said, trying to cut the silence with some levity.
"I just followed your lead." Steve replied with a grin.
They leave the park together, walking to the street arm in arm.
"I'm glad you came looking for me." Steve says to Maria.
"I'm glad that I found you." Maria replied.
Having taken separate vehicles there, Steve and Maria part ways.
"I guess I'll see you at the Tower?" Steve asks.
"Tomorrow is Sunday. Unless some type of global crisis goes down, it's my day off."
"Do you want to meet for lunch?" Maria offers.
"I'd like that." Steve responds with a smile.
They say their good nights and leave, Steve on his motorcycle and Maria in her car.
As they drive away they think about the dance they just shared together. They're both wondering when they can do it again.
Author's Note:
Was inspired by Peggy's mention of the Stork Club as the place to meet for their dance in the first Captain America movie.
After doing a little research I found that it was a real place that was turned into a beautiful park. After seeing pictures of the park it seemed like a natural setting for the story. I tried to describe the park as accurately as possible.
The song used in the story is called It's Been a Long, Long Time by Harry James and His Orchestra. It can be heard in Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Steve hears it playing loudly in his apartment when he returns from visiting Peggy.