"Steve?" Clint spoke over the ear piece.
"Yeah?"
"I can see her, she's coming up fast" Clint explained as he watched from the top of an old scaffolding building in a builders yard.
"Do you have eyes on Natasha?"
"Negative, they are staying out of sight until either you or I call them in"
"Good, tell me if I lose her, we need to get her into the builders yard"
The builders yard was deserted. It wasn't clear why but it also didn't matter to any of them. It was the perfect place to settle this.
"Clint?" It was now Natasha's voice that spoke to Barton.
"I'm here"
"How's he looking?"
"He's okay, but nothing has happened yet"
Clint sensed a long, rather dramatic pause from the other end. Natasha gulped heavily and finally spoke "He's going to be so mad at me for saying this but if you have to, take her out"
"Nat, Steve specifically said-"
"I know and a part of me does care, if it gets too much, if she having the upper hand to him, you have to end it"
Clint sighed and scratched his forehead. Natasha had a clear point on what she was saying. And deep down, Steve would agree with her if things do go that far. Steve grew closer and closer to the builders yard, and with Peggy following. She was also moving in.
When Steve got into the buildr yard, he got off his motorbike and turned. She wasn't there. Why wasn't she there? She was just behind him, not even Clint saw her disappear "Visual?" Steve asked looking around the buildings. Clint was good at staying in the dark as requested.
Clint looked. He really looked. Finally he locked on to a figure moving behind Steve, hiding behind scraps of scaffolding.
"Steve, she's behind you, behind the scaffolding on your left"
"Copy that" Steve mumbled. He walked slightly forward and stood still, with his back still to Peggy. He waited until he heard her move for himself. Peggy watched him, she stared at him. When she took a step to the side from the scaffolding, revealing herself more. Steve turned his head. His heart was beating like a racehorse, the mere sight of her in the corner of his eyes was making it difficult to enter this situation. With a heavy gulp, Steve slowly turned around to face her. She didn't seem real to him at first, it was still as if she was a ghost. Peggy was stood in a strong, intimidating stance. A thick blade gripped in her right hand and a gun gripped in the other. Suited up. Hair tied up with strands of hair flopping down. Her face was stone cold, he knew that face. It was the face that told she meant business. She was determined.
There was something about looking at Captain Steve Rogers that felt different to when she looked at him in the pictures. And Peggy couldn't put her finger on it, but it was something that started some sort of flicker inside of her. But, the flicker soon died out. As if her body was rejecting a feeling that she didn't know about. She was confused as to why he, unlike her, wasn't suited up for protection. But again, her body didn't let her think about it. One thing was screwed on into her mind. And that. Was kill.
Peggy took a tighter grip of her dagger and stared at him, if looks could kill. He'd already be dead.
Steve took a deep breath and opened his mouth. He didn't know what to say, the only words that came from his mouth were "Peggy?"
It was just, an impulse. He hardly even gave it a second thought, he still hoped that all he had to do was say her name and everything would be better. But no. Instead of Peggy greeting him with a hug. She greeted him with the throwing of her her dagger that Steve quickly dodged. Peggy ran towards him, launched a punch towards him, Steve took the blow of her fist clashing on his face. He underestimated how powerful she had become from the serum. Sure he always knew she was tough, but now she's just as strong as he is. And like he said before, he refused to hurt her. Peggy grabbed the back of his neck and threw him. Buying herself time to pick up the dagger. When Steve spun back around to face her, Peggy launched her hand to his face again, this time with the dagger in her hand. Peggy took him by such surprise that he only just dodged the dagger, it still managed to scrape his jawline, making him bleed.
It didn't hurt though, not too much anyway. Peggy then pointed her gun towards Steve, he took her hand and pointed it to the ground where the bullets ended up in. But Peggy soon spun her hand up and punched him once again. She placed herself back to back with him, wrapped her arms around his neck and flung him over her body. Flattening him face first on the ground. Now that was harder to pick himself up, especially when she kicked him back down straight in the stomach when he was attempting to pick himself up.
From his building top, Clint mumbled to himself as he watched the two on the ground
"Come on, Steve, don't make me do this" Clint did not raise his bow to Peggy just yet, but he was getting prepared for the worst.
"Peggy" Steve coughed as he tried to stumble up from the ground, to then be punched across the face again. But he still stood and faced her. He then stated "I'm not going to hurt you"
Peggy stared at him, fists clenched. Ready to fight.
But Steve shook his head and breathed out "Not again"
Peggy looking into his lost, blue eyes. And felt...nothing. No pity. And certainly no mercy. Quick as a flash, she raised her gun and shot at him. To the left side of his body. Now that hurt. Steve hissed from the pain and stumbled backwards. As he was off guard, Peggy ran. Jumped. And kicked Steve in the chest.
Steve couldn't take these punches. That will get him nowhere, even though he still stands by not hitting her. He decided it was right to block her attacks. And whilst he did this, he was going to do the one thing that Peggy finds hard to ignore. Talk.
"Your name, is Peggy Carter"
*Dodge*
"You're an agent for the SSR"
*Block*
Steve then decided to get more personal.
"Your favourite song is The Way You Look Tonight"
*Hit*
"You hate the smell of petrol. It makes you feel nauseous"
*Hit*
The more Peggy heard. The more upset he felt, and then she was angry because she didn't understand why she was upset in the first place.
Peggy swung her fists to Steve, but to her surprise. Steve grabbed her wrists. He pulled her close to him. Faces merely inches away. Steve then stated "And I love you"
The flame that flickered inside Peggy previous hit a spark again. She didn't understand. How could he make her feel this way? Make her doubt her mission when usually she was so determined. It scared her. With those feelings piling up, Peggy did her absolute best to ignore it all. She pushed him off her again. Steve ran and grabbed his shield, as he turned. Peggy shot at him four times. There was something about that moment that ran a sense of familiarity to Peggy.
Something about shooting at him, the number. Four. And the way he held his shield up. Something in her gut was making her feel familiarity.
And by her the look on her face, Steve felt a glimmer of hope that something was happening to her, something good to get her back to the way that she was "Peggy?"
"Stop calling me that!" Peggy screamed running back over to him, Peggy grabbed him by the neck and lifted him off his feet. Her strength was astounding. She threw him on the ground. Smashed him on the ground more like, she pressed her hand down on his neck still. She then crouched over his body. And held a blade to his throat.
"Shit" Clint whispered to himself, unaware that what he just said was heard by Natasha.
"What? Clint! What?"
Clint sighed as he knew what Natasha would say to him "She's got him locked down, Nat she's beating the shit out of him because he refuses to fight"
"Then you know what you have to do"
Once again he sighed, he knew she was right but a part of him wanted to see if Steve could recover, to get her back. He waited, he gave him forty seconds. Else he'd shoot. And he was getting prepared.
Holding the blade to her throat, she was looking at him with a sense of rage in her eyes. Peggy then grew surprised when she saw Steve place his head on the ground. As if to admit defeat. But Steve was accepting. He was accepting his new turn of fate, he was accepting that Peggy was never going to be who she was, he accepted that he was nothing more than what he was to Bucky. A mission. A target. Natasha was right, the woman he lost was truly dead, she's gone. This isn't Peggy. And it was okay. Deep down nothing has changed with this fate, he was still going to die loving her. His biggest regret was not saving her, not saving Bucky.
Giving up. Steve whispered "It's okay, I understand" he gulped heavily and stared into her eyes, and then he added "I'm just sorry I was late"
Peggy furrowed her eyebrows, now more confused than ever. And that flame no longer flickered, it was a roaring open fire.
Steve closed his eyes and waited. Clint raised his bow and aimed it to Peggy. Fifteen seconds.
All of a sudden, Peggy got a sharp pain run through her mind. When Clint show Peggy back down the dagger, he then backed down his bow. She slammed her eyes shut from the pain. Looked down to the ground. Things flashed through her brain.
"I just don't why why'd you wanna join the army if you were a beautiful dame"
"If it could work only once he'd be proud it was you"
"Peggy, this is my choice"
"Y'know I still don't know how to dance"
"I'll show you how, just be there"
"I owe you one pal"
"Miss Carter"
"Agent Carter"
"Peggy, don't run"
"Everything alright, English?"
When the voices. The memories. Stopped. Peggy slowly opened her eyes, she blinked a couple of times to clear her vision. Peggy felt like crying, she didn't know why.
She didn't understand where she was. It took a moment or two for her to see that there was a body beneath her. Peggy stared at the hand beside her, her breath hitched. She knew that hand. But it couldn't be. It was impossible. Slowly she turned, her heart began to beat so fast when she saw Steve, eyes closed. Was she hallucinating? Tears began to stream down her face, Peggy moved her hands and lightly touched his face. Making Steve slowly open his eyes. Was he dead? Was this heaven? But no, if it was heaven then his body wouldn't feel so damn sore from the beating and the bullets.
Peggy gulped heavily and spoke, still feeling as if this was all a dream.
"Steve?"
Yay she remembers! I really hoped I got this good enough, I was stressing about this chapter big time. Please leave reviews :)