The woman in the photos looked different than the older one lying in the bed; she looked different even than the one in Beth's memory.
"Time sure dose fly doesn't it?" Beth looked at the old woman who was smiling kindly "only when you're doing long division"
Peggy carter smiled weakly "it seems like only yesterday I was asking you to come into the program, do you remember?"
Beth smiled "how could I forget, you gave me something I can never repay you for" Peggy rose one eyebrow "you didn't seem to think that when I kept asking you to work for us" Beth rubbed the back of her neck "I guess I was more focused on actually living for once"
Suddenly she sighed heavily and slumped in the chair "I didn't want to be a hero, I wasn't cut out for it, I still don't think I'm much of one" Peggy shifted just enough to look at her fully "you're a good woman, you've been protecting your brother in your own way for years, it was why you joined the program, you had a promise to keep" Beth lowered her head a little.
"you were so much like captain rogers, I still miss him" Beth looked at the woman sadly, her alzheimer's had been getting bad recently, she had told the woman that Steve was back so many times and even told Steve where to find Peggy and knew he'd visited at least once, but she couldn't remember.
"I know peg, but I'm nothing like the cap, whatever it is that's flowing though my veins now? It might have come from his blood but it didn't make me like him" Peggy smiled again "no, you're a good woman, I know these things"
"how can you be so sure?" they had never gone through a discussion like this before Peggy rose a wrinkled hand and touched a finger to Beth's breast bone "this is how, this does not change, it only got stronger" Beth smiled and reached up taking the woman's hand she kissed her knuckles "if you were just a few years younger"
It made the old woman laugh "it wouldn't change anything" Beth smiled despite her failing memory this woman knew her so well, knew the gossip was just that, gossip.
She had come to this woman many times with her fears and confided in her in a way she couldn't even with her brother.
She saw Peggy as a mother figure she had lost so many years ago.
Setting down the woman's hand she leaned to the side slumping in the chair "tell me about the good old days with the captain"
A fond smile came over the woman's lips "have I ever told you about the time a blizzard trapped half our battalion behind German lines?" she had heard it a million times but she still shook her head, Peggy smiled sadly "yes I have, you're a horrible liar Elizabeth, your eyes give you away"
Beth smiled right back at her "I can lie when it counts, besides that's my favorite story"
Peggy smiled wider and settled back to tell her story.
"Well alright, but one day I'll have to tell you about some of the adventured he had with the howling commandos. Now where was I, ah yes it was a nasty winter that year and Steve-"