Note: And so we come to the finale.
Peggy didn't remember air travel being so tiring. Of course, the last time she'd been on a plane, she had definitely not been accompanied by an over-excited six year old. Stephanie was in her element, kneeling on her seat to watch the clouds go by and occasionally pulling herself away to ask another question she already knew the answer to. By the time they landed at Howard's private airfield, Peggy wanted nothing more than a hot bath followed by a long nap.
Howard's chauffeur met the plane and ushered them into a sedate town car before whisking them away to the flat they'd be staying in until the wedding. As with all of Howard's residences, it was luxurious, filled with priceless art, and utterly unsuitable for a young child. They had settled in, bathed, and changed into fresh clothing when there was a knock on the door.
"Daddy!" Stephanie raced across the room and flung the door open, launching herself into Steve's arms as Peggy followed behind. Steve swung her up onto his hip as Stephanie chattered away, telling him every detail of their flight.
When Stephanie finally paused for breath, he leaned over to kiss Peggy. "Hello", he said.
"Hello", she grinned. "Now that you have an appreciation for what the flight was like, would you like to come in?"
Stephanie squirmed and he let her drop to the ground. She grabbed his hand. "Come on, Daddy, I want to show you my room."
When he had taken the time to properly appreciate their new home, Steve took them on a tour of the city. Peggy had been there before, of course, but Stephanie was enthralled by the buildings and the sheer number of people. It was a far cry from the small town she'd spent her life in. They ate dinner at a local automat, then Steve came back to tuck Stephanie into bed before she collapsed from jet lag and exhaustion. She fell asleep almost instantly, and Steve and Peggy curled up on the sofa.
"Is she always like this?"
Peggy rested her head against his shoulder. "She's had a big day", she answered. "She's always very energetic, but today she was exceptionally excited. It's not every day you move to a new country and get to see your father again. She's quite taken with you."
Steve brushed a kiss against her forehead. "I'm taken with her too", he said. "I can't wait until we can move into our new place together."
"Two more weeks", Peggy said. "I hope you've succeeded in keeping Howard out of the wedding plans."
"Howard's busy with a new business venture", Steve answered. "He has an army of lawyers sorting out how to change your name back and correct Stephanie's birth certificate, and his butler Mr. Jarvis has been helping make arrangements for the wedding. Mrs. Jarvis wants to take you and Stephanie shopping for clothes on Tuesday."
"I suppose we do need a few new things. What are we doing tomorrow?"
"It's up to you", Steve answered, "but I thought we could go look for a place in Brooklyn."
"Mmm", Peggy replied, nestling closer.
"It sounds like I should go", Steve said. "You are as tired as your daughter."
Mrs. Jarvis bustled around, tying the sash on Stephanie's dress and fastening the clasp of Peggy's necklace. Peggy pinned a last curl in place as Stephanie twirled in her new dress, enjoying the feel of her skirt flaring out around her.
"Look, mummy!", she shouted a moment before the dizziness overcame her and she collapsed on the floor.
The small party piled into Mr. Jarvis's car for the short drive to the small church. It was a cloudless, sunny day, and Stephanie kept up a running commentary about the people she could see, the buildings there were passing, and an interesting bird that landed on a nearby lamppost.
Howard met them at the church, and Stephanie went inside with Mr. and Mrs. Jarvis. Howard held out his arm. "Ready? There's still time to change your mind, you know. I always thought you and me would be good together."
Peggy glared at him.
"Thought you were looking a little pale there", he said as the sounds of the wedding march filtered out through the church doors. "That's much better. Shall we go? It sounds like they're playing your song."
And that's the end.