A/N- Finally, the story has come to an end. This chapter turned out to be longer than i expected and this is because my dear follower oldmoviewatcher gave me a fantastic idea to involve Angie, and I just had to include her, if only briefly. Thank you so much for your wonderful suggestion. Another A/N at the end, please do read it. Tell me how you found the epilogue, please leave a review :)

EPILOGUE

Peggy Carter woke up groggily from what seemed like a good night's sleep, one she hadn't had in what felt like forever. As she woke up, she had a brief feeling of contentment, of happiness and joy that seemed never ending, as if the piece of herself that she never knew had existed had somehow been brought back into her life and sown into her very being. A silly grin spread across her face, as she turned around to see the face of the man lying beside her. His one arm was draped behind her, the other curled up into a fist. Even when he was asleep he looked attentive, his posture rather straighter than one would expect of a sleeping man. She was cocooned against his body, her hand lying across his bare chest. She looked up at his face, a little bit of morning stubble; head tilted slightly, his forehead free of the frown he wore almost constantly when he was at work. Peggy closed her eyes again, remembering the previous day's events, and the weeks leading up to it.
They were all a blur, but yet oddly memorable.

Peggy remembered that night, when he had asked her the question, how unexpected it had been, how she had felt a whirl of emotions building inside her. Her heart told her to go for it, no question about that.

This was the man she loved, and it was wonderful to have him love her back, to have him ask for her hand in marriage. But suddenly, the analytical side of her brain caught up with her. Does that mean I'll have to stay in New York permanently? Does he expect me to become a housewife? Does he think I'll leave my job and be a homemaker?, she wondered.

"Umm, Peggy?" Jack asked hesitantly, jolting her back to the present, where he stood with a gorgeous ring in his hands, still bent on one knee on the hard gravelly pathway of the park.

"Oh Jack I am so sorry I zoned out for a second, please get up" she apologized.

"I was kinda hopin' to get a solid yes or no" he said, "Do you need time to think about it?" he asked, his tone still nervous.

"Look Jack, you know I love you dearly, I don't remember ever loving so much in my life, not even Steve, but-" she began, as he cut her off.

"You're going to say no, aren't you?" he asked, pain evident in his voice, "I should have known this would scare you, I mean, it's been like what? Seven months? But Peggy-"

"Oh would you listen to me?" she exclaimed, swatting him lightly on the arm.

He nodded mutely.

"I would love to marry you, trust me, I really would, but…. I can't give up S.H.I.E.L.D and I cannot become a housewife who's left to look after the kids" she blurted out the last part.

"That's what you think I expect of you?" he said, surprised.

"Peggy, I have known you for some time now, and I think I can be expected to know that you love your work more than anything, and I would be a fool to ask you to give it up" he chuckled.

"I know you've been very supportive of my career till now Jack, but, a marriage… it changes things, it alters your very life" she sighed.

He took her hand into his own, and said calmly, "Look, you and I, we are the last thing people would call a conventional couple, and yes I admit there was a time when I thought my wife should take care of the family, but that was before I fell in love with a secret agent who could take on the world if she wanted to. I don't want you giving up your dream Peggy, it is one of the things I love the most about you, your dedication and love for the work you do"

"So… you don't want me quitting my job at S.H.I.E.L.D? You don't want me to be the typical housewife, cooking dinner and watering the plants and looking after the children?" she asked, looking at him.

"No, if there is something that I have learned from you Peggy Carter, then it is the fact that a man and a woman should be equals in a relationship, and that's what we are. We will split the work. That is if you say yes to me" he hastily added the last part.

"Angie's going to go absolutely bonkers when we tell her the news" she smiled after a moment's pause.

"Does that mean- Is that…a yes" he asked, still unable to believe it.

"Well you're really smart, aren't you soldier?" she smiled mischievously, "How about I show you what I mean" she said, pulling his tie forward, and giving him a long kiss.

His lips were on hers now, and they both closed their eyes, marveling in this new feeling, of joy that seemed to last an eternity. He cupped her face, his kiss trying to show her how she meant the world to him now. She kissed him back with equal fervor, returning his love for her. Their hearts were thudding inside their chests, their hands never straying beyond each other's faces, yet this kiss seemed to be their most passionate one, and also the sweetest one, both of them breathing in the scent of the other, the kiss that would be seared into their memories as they would remember this night in the future, a kiss befitting the moment. Finally, as the need for oxygen became eminent, and they had to come up for air, though they both very much wished that they wouldn't have had to.

Jack gave her a small kiss on the nose, and took out the ring from the box, and slipped it on her finger, the smile never leaving his face. And as Peggy looked up to him, she thought her heart would burst with this happiness.

"Oh my god is that a ring?" Angie shrieked, as Peggy walked into the L&L Automat, a place where they still hung out at times, because of their fond memories associated with it.

"Yes and thanks for alerting half of Manhattan with that news" Peggy said wryly, shaking her head as she took a seat besides Angie.

"When did this happen? How did he propose? When are you getting married?" Angie began, her tone excited.

"Last night at the park.." smiled Peggy, and told her everything that had occurred.

When Peggy had finally exhausted all the details, she said, "You do know I want you as my maid of honor, right. I mean, you'll be the co-maid of honor, technically, since I have to ask my sister as well, but, will you?"

Angie shrieked, and Peggy wondered how one person could hold so much excitement inside themselves, "Oh my God, Peggy of course I'll be your maid of honor. Oh we have so much work ahead of us Pegs, the wedding dress, the venue, the food…of course I'll have to manage the timings if I want to keep this broad way thing goin"

"Hold on, Angie, Jack and I don't want a lavish wedding, we just want a simple ceremony and we only want a few people close to us, to attend it" replied Peggy.

Angie's face fell, "What? Why? You only get married once…well, not necessarily, but still this is going to be one of the most special moments of your life-" when Peggy interrupted her.

"Yes and we want to share it only with the special people in our lives Angie, just our families and a few close friends"

"Alright, we'll see about that-" said Angie slyly and Peggy knew she wasn't going to give up easily. She sighed, well, you can't win them all, she thought wryly.

It was exactly four weeks later that Peggy and Jack stood in a small church, surrounded only by their family and close friends. Peggy's family had flown in from England, her parents had met Jack the last time they were in New York, and had approved of their daughter's choice. Peggy's father walked her down the aisle, her mother already tearing up, even before the ceremony had started, her handkerchief on her nose, trying to stop her sniffling. Peggy's sister and Angie stood at the front, and Jack had Daniel as his best man, while his parents sat in the front row, looking happy, holding each other's hands.

Peggy looked radiant, she had been coerced into wearing a fancy gown for the occasion, even though there were barely fifteen people in attendance. Peggy had managed to convince Angie to give up on the idea of a lavish wedding for them, at some big church. That's not who we are Angie, she had said firmly. However, Angie had put her foot down when it came to the dress, she had threatened to sever ties with Peggy if she didn't listen to her when it came to the dress. Now as Peggy walked down the aisle, Jack stood at the end, beaming at his bride, wondering how he had managed to have her in his life, how lucky he was.

They both exchanged their vows, a mixture of traditional ones and the ones they wrote themselves, and kissed as a married couple. After the short ceremony, Howard had insisted on taking everybody out for lunch, insisting that since Jack and Peggy refused to have a big wedding, it was his moral duty to throw them a 'lavish lunch'. As Peggy and Jack sat there, basking in the glow of their new found happiness, surrounded by the people they loved, their families, Angie, Howard and Maria, Daniel and Evelyn, Edwin Jarvis and his lovely wife Anna, Jack looked at Peggy, kissed her hand and thought, I hope this never ends.

As Peggy lay there, her mind remembering the events of yesterday, she didn't realize she was being watched by her husband, who had woken up moments ago.

"Good morning" he smiled, his voice slightly hoarse.

"Good morning to you too" she grinned at him, surprised but pleased.

He moved slightly and kissed her thoroughly, ignoring her protests of "Jack, I have morning breath". She gave in after a moment, deriving far too much pleasure in kissing her husband to care much about anything else.

He moved on from her mouth to her jaw, and then to her neck, kissing it gently and murmured, "It would have been a better morning if I had gotten any sleep beyond two hours"

"Oh, so you regret not getting enough sleep on your wedding night, do you?" she smirked, as she lightly ran her fingernails all over his arm.

"I don't think we're going to be getting much sleep these next few days…Or years" he said slyly, as she now began kissing his shoulders and then nibbled gently at his neck.

"I can stop if you want me to" she said, challenging him, teasing him with her gentle kisses.

"Oh you're going to be the death of me, my lovely wife" he sighed, "It's a good thing we don't have to be anywhere today, I don't think we're going to be getting out of this bed anytime soon"

"That's a bit presumptuous, don't you think?" she gave him a sly look.

"You tell me" he said, capturing her lips again, as she gave in happily.

As it turned out, Jack was right to assume that neither of them was going to leave their bed anytime soon.

10 Years Later

"Becky, would you mind grabbing your brother's red cap? I think it would be unwise to travel without it given the temper tantrum we witnessed the last time we forgot to bring it with ourselves to uncle Howard's." rang Peggy's voice across the living room, as she was making a strong cup of tea for herself and a coffee for her husband for breakfast.

"Yes mamma" replied Rebecca Thompson, Peggy and Jack's seven year old daughter, who had Peggy's dark hair but her father's striking blue eyes.

"And ask your father to stop dolling up and come here for breakfast" Peggy said.

Becky giggled as she ran to her parents' bedroom and called out her father, "Daddy, mamma's asked to stop dolling up and come for breakfast"

A few seconds later Jack Thompson emerged out of his bedroom, his attire almost complete except for the lack of a coat which he would don at the end, his hair perfectly combed, just the way he liked it.

"So now you're encouraging our seven year old daughter to make fun of me too?" he chuckled, "I thought your days of mocking my appearance were over after we got married"

"Well, you were sadly mistaken, weren't you Chief Thompson?" Peggy smiled as she put his coffee on the table along with some buttered toast.

"I guess I was, wasn't I, Ms. Carter, Head of the New York division of S.H.I.E.L.D?" he joked.

"By the way, I already packed the lasagna, you know…the one that I made" he said proudly.

"I must say, you've come a long way from that night you made burnt pasta" she chortled as she buttered her own toast as she sat next to him on the dining table.

"Hey! It was smoky, alright?"

"Whatever pleases you Chief" she said, a half smile grazing her lips.

"It feels like yesterday, doesn't it? Me makin you pasta, you still eating it to avoid hurting my feelings" he said nostalgically.

"Yes, I mean, it's been ten years since you gave me this" she said, looking fondly at her ring.

"I'd say it was pretty good that they allowed you to move back to New York permanently, I don't know how our life would've been like if you still had to travel back and forth like you used to." he said.

"Yes, travelling to England once in two months is better than staying there alone for weeks at an end" she agreed.

"Did the kids have their breakfast already?" he asked, sipping his coffee.

"Yes, both of them did. Alfred's finishing his sketch which he will give to Evelyn when we meet, and Becky's deciding which shoes would go well with her dress" replied Peggy.

"I don't know where the kid picked up his drawing skills, I mean I can't draw a proper circle and I don't think you can draw particularly well" he mused.

"Well, we all have our own talents, don't we?" she smiled, "Come on, let's get them ready to go"

"Another reason I am glad you transferred to New York, is that it would have been rather difficult to have those two little monsters and see them grow up" he said, getting up, "Admittedly our jobs still don't allow us as much time as we'd like with them, but it's still good enough"

"Also, it would have been rather difficult for me to give you a kiss when you said things like these" she smiled, leaning forward to give her husband a well deserved kiss.

Two hours later, they were at Daniel and Evelyn's place, which was just outside of the city. They had, just like Jack and Peggy, decided to raise their family outside of the hustle and bustle of New York. Although living in two different corners of the city made it rather difficult for their families to meet regularly, they made it a point to meet once a month, when all of their busy schedules permitted it.

The doorbell rang. Peggy got up to open it and was greeted by Howard and Maria Stark, who had married a year after Peggy and Jack. Maria was carrying young Tony, who was just a year old, in her arms. Peggy smiled at the sight of them and welcomed them in.

Peggy had hoped Angie would be able to make it, but alas, her best friend was still busy as a bee, and was working on her latest Hollywood film, the shooting for which was going on in California. Angie had apologized profusely on the telephone, but Peggy said she understood how much Angie's work mattered to her. She could hardly blame Angie for working too much when her own life was so hectic. The initial years after the establishment of S.H.I.E.L.D had been very demanding and it was only when she had settled into her new office after finally having Colonel Phillips convinced that she would be better suited to handle New York, that she and Jack had decided to start a family.

She had been terrified of having to juggle her family and her work, worrying that she would be jeopardizing both, but Jack had been more supportive than any man Peggy could ever have imagined. The first year after Rebecca had been born, he got up at night to change her, he took her out in the park when Peggy was working late hours at the office, he tried to be there as much as he could, despite his own demanding job.

When Alfred was born, Jack had taken it upon himself to finally learn how to cook a decent meal, and not just the basic stuff he knew from his days in the navy. Initially it had been a bit difficult for them to get a hold of things, professionally and on the personal front, but their undying devotion to their family drove both of them to navigate those waters.

As the adults sat in the living room, catching up with each other, Peggy's mind drifted elsewhere. She saw her friends together, Howard and Maria, Daniel and Evelyn, how they were part of her family too. She chuckled quietly, thinking how 10 years ago she would have laughed out loud if someone had told her this is what the future would bring, a stable career, a loving family, an extended family that would consist of Jack, Daniel and Howard being friends. She suddenly remembered how much Jack had despised Howard, and now seeing him talking to Howard, asking him about his inventions, was something she could never have possibly imagined. She thought about her kids, Becky and Alfred, how they enjoyed spending time with Daniel's son David, who was eight, and how Maria glowed when she looked at her young son.

She was brought out of her reverie by Jack, who came and sat next to her and said "Earth to Peggy"

She smiled at him and said, "I was just thinking how we managed to have all this, how lucky we've been"

"Yeah, who would have wondered Peggy Carter would marry Jack Thompson, whom she famously referred to as a toe rag" he chortled.

"That was one time, and I cannot believe you remember it after all these years" she replied indignantly.

"I remember every second of my life with you" he said lovingly, "God Peggy you made me such a sappy man, not that I am complaining….much" he added.

As Peggy laid her head against his shoulder as they sat on the couch, she sighed happily, "We have a good life, unpredictable as it may be"

"Well the unpredictability is partly why it's so good, don't you think?" he asked her.

"Yes I suppose" she smiled, "After all, you and I are not normal people with ordinary lives, are we?"

"That is one thing we're not, contrary to what the world assumes about us" he agreed.

As Peggy and Jack sat there against each other, they were both glad for their extraordinary, complicated yet simple life.

THE END

Okay, so it's finally over, my first ever piece of fanfiction. It has been an amazing experience for me to write something like this, and I remember how two days without wifi helped me bring this idea to life. As I kept on repeating, I am not a writer by nature, but your continuous support for it made me feel a little less nervous about writing this story about my two favourite characters. I want to thank every single one of you, everyone who read the story, who followed it, who reviewed it and motivated me to continue this story, which is so close to my heart. I hope it lived up to what you expected from this story. Thank you so much for your support, I could not have done this without it. I love you all. Tell me your views on the epilogue, leave one final review :)