Chapter 47 Family Matters

I don't own Captain America

Saturday, September 10, 1961

Steve & Margaret Rogers Residence, Scarsdale, NY

The early morning sun shined through the open window, bathing the white carpet and the wood furniture with warm light, illuminating the darkened room. The tiny dust particles danced in the rays of sunlight, playfully bounding to avoid the dark. But as the sun continued to rise slowly, so did the light rays that eventually climbed up the walls of the room and reflected off the handful of various movies and sports posters. It didn't take long for the sunlight to reach the sleeping form on the twin bed, presenting the morning sun on Michael's face.

Michael groaned as the warm ball of light filtered through his thin eyelids, waking him up early on a Saturday. The morning sun had kissed him awake. The teenage Rogers slowly opened his eyes and was momentarily blinded by the natural brightness of his room from the rays reflecting onto several objects in his bedroom, which decorated its otherwise simplicity. He blinked a few times, in an attempt to help his eyes adjust to the illumination directed at his figure. Michael drowsily rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and yawned. Though he didn't check the clock, he knew it was early.

He sat up and sighed with frustration for being up this early on the weekend, especially after being up late last night with his friends to watch the varsity football team play. For Michael's JV team first game and the season opener, last night against Port Chester High School's JV team ended in a dominating victory with a score of 36-20. For his first-ever organized sports game, Michael did extraordinarily well, with over 300-passing yards his first game and no sacks*. Granted, he's superhuman, but he credited most of the passing success to his receivers and running backs. Though the JV team did well, the varsity team didn't fare as good, with a loss of 14-21.

Michael yawned, then swung his legs off his bed and stood up, stretching to get the circulation going and fully wake up his body. When he flopped his arms down to his side, he instantly heard the high pitch whistle of his mother's kettle going off downstairs. His parents were generally up before him and his siblings, aside for Angela, who was always up around the same time as them, which meant it's before nine in the morning. Sure enough, when Michael glanced back at his clock on his nightstand, it read "7:30."

Figuring it wasn't worth going back to sleep and the fact he was already standing out of bed, he decided to get his day started. Still in his pajamas, Michael left his room, leaving his bed a mess to greet his parents downstairs.

Michael stepped out of the hallway and into the upper foyer and could hear his mother and father talking amongst themselves in the kitchen. He took a quick peek over the railing to the floor below and noticed he left his football duffel bag and helmet by the front door again. Shaking his head at the impending lecture that he'll receive from his mother, he continued downstairs to greet his parents.

Michael walked into the kitchen and saw his parents, still in their sleepwear, sitting next to each other at the dinner table, talking and smiling at each other. "Good morning, Mom. Good morning, Dad," he greeted.

Peggy, with a cup of tea in hand and wearing her pink and black robe over her short nightgown, quickly glanced at Michael in surprise and smiled, "Oh, good morning, darling. You're up unusually early for a Saturday."

"Yeah," Michael sheepishly said as he sat down next to his mother.

Steve, in a white t-shirt and sweats, took a sip of his coffee and smiled, "Morning, bud."

Angela peeked over the couch in the adjoining family room and smiled, "Good morning, Big brother."

Michael waved, "Hey there, sis."

Peggy smiled, "So, darling, why are you up this early?"

Michael returned his focus to his parents and frowned, "Uh. I left the blinds open again, and the sun woke me up."

Peggy took a sip of her tea and chuckled, "Would've thought after years of that happening you would've learned by now."

"Yeah, I know, Mama," Michael chuckled.

Steve smirked, "Well, I'm not going to start making the pancakes until everyone is up."

"Oh I know, Dad. No rush. I came down because I couldn't go back to sleep," Michael replied evenly. He smiled, "Oh, thanks for coming to the game last night."

Peggy looked at him surprised, "What? Are you kidding? We wouldn't miss it for the world, darling." She chuckled, "Though I don't understand football as well as your Dad, I did enjoy it. It was a great game. Congratulations on the win."

"Thank you, Mom."

Steve chuckled, "You did great out there."

"Really good," Peggy agreed.

"Thanks, Mom, Dad." Michael shrugged, "But there's still room to improve."

"There always will be, kiddo," Steve responded with a smile.

Peggy nodded and spoke in a serious tone, "Darling, always remember you can't win the game yourself. It's a team sport. Use your position as the quarterback and leader to develop your leadership style. You're the captain of the team, and you have to command your troops. Their attitude reflects your leadership."

Michael sighed and smiled, "I know, Mom."

Peggy laughed, "I'm just telling you, sweetheart."

"Our son is an exceptional leader and athlete, hon," said Steve.

Peggy proudly smiled, "That he is." She leaned over to her son and kissed his cheek, "I'm so proud of our football player. No matter what, darling, I'll always be your number one fan. More of a fan than your Dad."

"Hey!" Steve retorted. "You used to resent the idea of the very idea of our kids playing organized sports."

Peggy smiled, "But now I'm all for it. That is until they reach high school for John and Angela." She chuckled, "But I'm very proud of Michael."

Michael shook his head and smiled at his parents exchange.

Peggy cocked her head to the side, "Speaking of football. Do you know what you forgot last night?"

"Put my football stuff away and not leave it by the front door," Michael responded instantly. "Again."

"Can you please do that some time this morning. I'm not your maid, Darling," Peggy plainly said.

"Yes, Mama."

Angela then hopped off the couch and walked over to her parents at the table, "Daddy, what are we doing today?"

Michael nodded, "Yeah, is there anything we got planned today?"

Peggy shook her head, "Not really. Other than chores around the house, we don't have anything planned. I think your Dad is thinking about cooking on the grill today."

Michael nodded, "Oh. That sounds good."

Steve shrugged, "Weather is still pretty good outside. Does grilling up some steaks or prime rib sound good to everyone?"

Angela smiled, "Yeah!"

"Prime Rib. Definitely prime rib. Getting hungry thinking about it," Michael responded.

Peggy smiled at her husband, "I guess that settles that."

Steve chuckled, "Alright, I'll head down to the store, grab some prime rib for dinner."

Michael grinned excitedly, "Yes!"

Peggy smiled at her two kids, "While your dad grills, I'll cook up some delicious sides for dinner."

Angela grinned from ear-to-ear, "Mama, are you going to make Yorkshire Pudding?" Peggy nodded with a grin. "Yay!"

Steve spoke up, "Say dinner be around seven?"

"I can't wait," Michael said happily.

"Let's call it a victory dinner after the success of your first game," Steve grinned.

Michael laughed, "Okay."

Peggy nodded and chuckled, "I like that idea." She then stood up and affectionately gripped Steve's shoulder, "I'm going to get more tea. Want more coffee?"

"Please, thank you, hon," Steve replied with a gracious smile.

As Peggy walked back to the kettle, Sarah and John suddenly walked in, both in their pajamas and rubbing the sleep from their eyes. Sarah yawned, "Good morning."

John followed suite and greeted his parents too, "Good morning, Mama, Good morning, Dad."

Peggy smiled at her other two kids, "Goodness, everyone is up early."

Sarah chuckled, "Heard the commotion down here."

John nodded, "And I heard Sarah complaining about being up so early."

"I wasn't complaining," Sarah retorted.

"Yeah you were! I heard you complaining about being up before nine!"

"Was not!"

Peggy shook her head, "Kids, keep it down for me please. Too early in the morning for yelling."

John nodded, "Sorry, Mama."

"Sorry," Sarah said, shaking her head at her little brother.

Peggy put her teacup down on the counter and smiled at Steve, "Looks like the kids are all up."

Steve nodded, "Yeah, I'll start making pancakes in a little bit."

John bounced with joy, "Yes!"

Peggy glanced over at her youngest, "John, darling, can you grab the paper for me, please?"

John nodded, "Okay." With that, he walked off to the front door to grab the paper.

Michael looked over at his sister, "Got anything planned for today?"

Sarah nodded, "Yeah, planning to meet some friends at the diner downtown this afternoon."

Peggy grabbed the teapot from the stove and turned around, "What are your plans today, Sarah?"

Sarah glanced at her mother, "Well, after chores, I was planning to go downtown to the diner with some friends this afternoon for some shakes and things. Is that okay?"

Peggy nodded, "Yes, but with a few conditions. We're having a cookout tonight, and your dad is making prime rib, so be back for dinner before seven."

Sarah grinned, "Oh! I can definitely do that. And what else?"

Peggy began pouring tea into her cup, "Since you're going downtown today, can you help deliver the four crates of strawberry jam that I made to the Parr's shop on your bike, please? I made a little extra for them."

Sarah nodded, "Sure, Mom."

"Might need to have Michael come with you. I don't think all four crates can be strapped to your bike."

"Sure, no problem," Sarah said with a warm smile.

Michael nodded at his twin sister, "I can go with you. I'll drop off the stuff and head back, so you can hang out with your friends."

Sarah smiled at him then looked back at her mother, "Is that all you need?"

Peggy put her teapot back down on the stove, "And bring your little brother with you to the diner."

Sarah looked confused, "What? Why?"

Peggy raised a brow, "because he wants to spend time with you. He feels like it's been a while since you're so busy with school and extracurriculars. Plus, you know how much he loves ice cream."

Sarah sighed, "Ah, Mom, do I have too? I just want to spend some time with my friends and people my own age. Besides, I don't think having him tag along with my friends and me will be very fun."

Peggy gave her a knowing look, "Not fun for you or him?"

Sarah shook her head, "I mean for him. Are you sure it's a good idea to have him tag along with a bunch of older kids he doesn't know?"

Peggy raised a brow, "You aren't doing anything bad, are you, Sarah?"

"No, Mom. We're just getting shakes and hanging out."

"Okay, well, John is very talkative and social, so I think he'll be fine." Peggy smiled, "And this way, he gets to spend time with his big sister, have ice cream, and you can spend some time with your friends."

"But Mom—"

"No 'buts' young lady. John's going if you want to go out today. No exceptions," Peggy interrupted.

Sarah sighed, "Yes, Mama."

It wasn't that Sarah didn't like spending time with her little brother or was self-conscious around him when in public or with her friends, but it was the simple fact that she wanted some time with her friends. She did care genuinely for John, but right now, she would prefer to spend more time with people in her age group. Especially on a Saturday afternoon out in the town.

Sarah glanced back at Michael who raised his eyebrows and said in a hushed tone, "Want to ask Angela to come too? Might as well." Sarah reluctantly nodded. Michael looked back at his younger sister, "Angela, want to come with us too?"

Angela shook her head, "Nope, I'm going to help Mama with the pudding. If she lets me."

Peggy chuckled, "Of course you can," she said to Angela as she grabbed the coffeepot and walked over to Steve at the table.

As Peggy poured her husband another cup of coffee, John walked back in with the newspaper in hand. "I got the paper!" John called, placing the paper down on the table.

Steve chuckled, "Thanks, buddy." After Peggy finished pouring him another cup, Steve smiled up at his wife, "Thanks for the coffee, hon."

"Mhmm," Peggy hummed in response, walking back into the kitchen to put the coffeepot back in the maker.

Steve took a sip of his fresh cup of coffee then stood up, "I guess I'll start making pancakes now."

John and Angela both grinned, "yes!" they expressed in unison.

Downtown Scarsdale, NY

Later that afternoon, Sarah, Michael, and John rode their bikes into downtown, passing through the quiet streets on their way to the Parr family store. It was a relatively peaceful sunny Saturday afternoon downtown, and it didn't seem much was happening today. The streets and sidewalks were quiet, with a few cars and pedestrians traveling about — just another Saturday in town.

As the trio rode their bikes deeper into town, the stacks of two small wood crates of Peggy's homemade jam remained secured to the cargo racks on the backs of Sarah's and Michael's bikes. Though the glass jars within them jingled over every bump on the road, they were well secured for the trip. John, however, didn't carry anything on his bike and was just along to spend time with his older sister.

When the Rogers trio arrived at the Parr's shop at the corner of a street, they parked their bikes against a brick wall on one side of the store before unloading the jam crates from the two bikes. Sarah picked up her two boxes from her bike and looked at her little brother, "Stay here, John and watch the bikes," she said in a sharp tone.

John frowned, "I want to say hi to the Parrs too."

As Michael picked up his crates from his bike, he smirked at John, "Just hang here for a little bit, John. We won't be gone long."

"It's not like anyone is going to steal our bikes, Sarah," John countered, wanting to come along.

Sarah sighed as she and Michael began to walk away with the jam, "just do as you told, John," she coldly said not looking back.

John frowned and stayed by the bikes, kicking a rock on the sidewalk in frustration.

As Sarah and Michael rounded the corner to the front of the store, Michael glanced at his twin sister, "How are you doing?"

Sarah stopped and scowled at her brother, "What do you mean, 'how am I doing?'"

"You seem pretty hard on John. That's not like you," Michael responded evenly.

Sarah sighed, "Yeah, well, I'm not too thrilled with John tagging along with me to see my friends."

"Makes sense."

"Kind of just want to be with friends and people my age today." Sarah frowned, "Mom says I haven't been spending time with him, but last week I helped him with his homework a handful of times, and we all went to see your game. I spent a lot of time with him on top of my other school stuff."

Michael shrugged, "Well, did you two actually do anything relaxing together? Draw together or do anything fun other than school-related and family stuff?" Sarah shook her head. "Well, there you go. John probably feels like the only time you spent with him is to help him with school stuff. Other than Mom, you know John loves spending time with you more than anyone else in the family."

"Yeah."

Michael nodded, "And you know as well as I do that spending time as a whole family isn't the same thing as having good quality one-on-one time with siblings."

Sarah nodded again, "Yeah. I know." She grumbled, "Why do you have to make sense. You're making me feel like I'm a bad big sister."

Michael laughed, "Sorry. But you're not a bad sister; you're just seeing your side of things right now because you're frustrated, and I'm giving you the bigger picture." He shrugged, "But you're not a bad sister."

"Yeah," Sarah sighed.

Michael chuckled, "Come on, John tagging along isn't the worst thing. Mom could've just said no to you."

"That's true," Sarah said evenly.

Suddenly, the store door swung open and out stepped a slim and athletic looking woman with medium brown hair in a green dress and a black store apron. "Is that Sarah and Michael Rogers I see loitering in front of my store?" the woman said with a big grin.

"Hi, Mrs. Parr," the two teens greeted in unison.

"How are you doing this lovely afternoon?"

Sarah nodded, "Not too bad."

Mrs. Parr smiled, "Good to hear." She nodded at the crates in their arms, "Is that the English jam I asked your mother to make for me?"

Sarah nodded, "Yes, Ma'am. She said she made a little extra for you."

"Your mother is so sweet." She nodded into the store, "come on in and drop them off at the counter for me. I'll hand you the money to give your mother," the woman cheerfully said.

Michael nodded, "You got it." With that, the twins walked into the store with their crates of jam.

Back around the corner by the bikes, John impatiently paced back and forth as he waited for his older siblings to be done. Though only a few minutes passed by since they left, he felt like it's been a while and didn't understand what took so long to drop off crates of jam to a family friend.

Suddenly, a group of high school kids, mostly boys, and a few girls, came up from behind and surprised him. A teen boy gripped his shoulder and turned him around, pushing him toward the wall. "Hey, isn't this kid one of the Rogers kids?" said the teen boy.

John looked at the big group of high school kids surrounding him with a cold stare.

"Yeah, it is. I think his name is John or something," said another.

The teen boy that originally grabbed him, who seemed to be the leader of the group, had thick brown hair and wore jeans and a leather jacket, violently pushed John back against the wall again. "His older sister and brother are strong. Let's see if this one shares the same thing."

The group all laughed at John as he stared back at them.

As John stepped away from the wall again, the leader of the group pushed him again, with more force than last time, sending him stumbling back and falling on the ground. John groaned in pain and looked up at the teens with a mix of apprehension and anger in his eyes, both afraid and enraged at the group of big kids surrounding him.

He has never been bullied before, and right now, he was overcome with a wave of rage, helplessness, and vulnerability. But John did nothing but watch as the older teens laughed and taunted him.

The leader made a smug look, "Come on! Get up, John!" he said in a mocking tone. "Fight back!" John remained on the ground, watching with fear and anger. "Get up!" he yelled again.

John frowned and coldly stared back at the teen, yelling at him.

The teen jolted forward with his fist as if he was going to punch John but stopped suddenly, causing John to flinch. The teen and his group of friends laughed at him. "Is that it? Too scared?" the teen said. "Is that all you got? Nothing?"

John didn't respond, and only frowned.

"Your sister is the fighter, and you're the coward of the family?" the teen grinned. Again, John didn't say anything. "Come on! Show me what you're made of!" the teen yelled. "Coward!" he yelled again when he didn't get a reaction from him. The teen then spits on him to try and coax John into a fight.

John gritted his teeth, full of anger and, at the same time, the feeling of helplessness. How the teens surrounded him and taunted him quickly made him feel that helpless. Though he had the strength to probably crush their bones with one hand, thanks to inheriting his parent's abilities, he made the conscious decision not to fight back. John remembered the constant lectures his parents gave him and his older siblings about fighting and watching his strength, and decided he wouldn't fight. He thought it's better not too even though he wanted badly to hit this teen in the face.

The teen leaned forward and smiled, "John the coward is it? That's what this town will know you as now." The group laughed in response.

Suddenly, Michael and Sarah rounded the corner and instantly saw what was going on with their little brother. Michael gritted his teeth and clenched his fists, making a beeline toward the group of teens, "Oh hell no."

Sarah frowned, instantly recognizing the kid picking on her brother, "I'll hand this." She pointed at the group, "Hey, you, you don't want to do this. How about you back off and take you and your friends on home."

The lead teen of the group looked at the two Rogers twins and stepped back away from John and immediately squared up to them. His group of friends also started to position themselves in a way to emphasize their superior numbers.

Michael nodded, "I'll listen to her if I was you."

The lead teen smiled, "Look what we have here — the leader of the pack. The princess," he said, commenting on Sarah's nice clothes. Michael frowned with frustration at the group of teenagers in front of him. The teen smiled, "Your little brother is a bit of a coward. Needs big sister and brother to come to save him. He's not worth anything, is he?"

Sarah frowned as she stepped closer to the teen, "Listen here, Willie. Most people grow up, change, and learn from past mistakes and experiences. But it seems you're one of the few exceptions that doesn't learn a thing."

William, or Willie as Sarah likes to call him, is the same boy who Sarah got into a massive fight with during grade school, and hasn't changed a bit since becoming a teenager. He's still the same bully and punk.

William made a cocky grin from ear to ear and eyed Sarah as she spoke. The boys of the group tried to look tough while the girls stayed in the back and whispered and snickered amongst themselves.

Sarah kept inching closer as she spoke in a very calm tone, "Change is a very good thing, Willie. It is. You should run into many changes in your life and you should welcome it all the same." Michael smirked at his sister's rambling. "Now, do you want to be this person for the rest of your days? Change is inevitable, Willie. You can either run from it or embrace it and better yourself. Or you can stay the same and be that same punk I laid out as a kid."

William again smiled with a cocky grin, holding his ground in front of Sarah.

"What I'm trying to say is, that life is changing. And it is changing. You don't even see it."

William cringed, "What are you talking about?" he said, taking a quick glance back at his friends.

With that, small moment in time, just as William started to look back at Sarah, Sarah lunged forward and punched William in the face, sending him down to the ground.

Sarah stepped forward and coldly eyed the group in front of her, clenching her bloody fist. The group of teens quickly turned around and ran away in fear. They were all equally responsible for picking on her little brother and they knew Sarah Amanda Rogers would seek retribution.

"Let's get out of here!" one of the boys said, running away as fast as he could down the road.

Michael nodded, "Yeah. That's what she's talking about."

William laid on the ground and groaned in pain, blood streaming out of both nostrils, his nose broken and severely swollen and contorted in one direction. His nose looked like it was moved to his cheek after being punched by Sarah.

Sarah stepped over Willie and looked at John with soft eyes, "John," she said, wiping her bloodied hand on her clean clothes before offering him a hand up.

John stared at Willie who was rolling on the ground in pain, blood steadily pouring out of his broken nose.

"John," Sarah repeated, still holding her hand out for him.

John shook his head and took her hand and stood up, dusting himself off from the gravel and dirt he was on.

"Did they hurt you?" Sarah softly said.

John shook his head, "I'm okay," he said, looking back at Willie.

"I meant, are you all right?" Sarah corrected, talking about him emotionally.

John nodded, "I wanted to hit him. I want to hit him so bad."

"Why didn't you?" Sarah shot back.

Michael bent down over Willie and hoisted him up onto his feet. "You heard Sarah the first time right?"

Willie started to tear from the sharp pain in his face, "Wh-What?"

Michael pushed him, "She said go home. Your legs aren't broken, at least not yet, so move your ass and go home." He smirked, "And it probably wouldn't be a bad idea to go so see a doctor."

William nodded and slowly walked away in defeat.

John looked back up at his sister, "What?"

Sarah frowned, "Why didn't you fight back?"

"Because I didn't want to get in trouble with Mom and Dad about getting into fights." John shrugged, "Always told to watch my strength and… And I didn't want to get into trouble."

Sarah sighed and rubbed her little brother's shoulders, "John, it's never wrong to defend yourself. If you have that choice and the ability too, take it." She frowned, "Some people feel like they don't have that choice or ability and can't defend themselves. And they feel like they have no other choice but to take it and suffer. But you can defend and stand up for yourself, so you should always take it."

John frowned.

"John, always stand up for yourself. Just like what Mom and Dad always say, don't ever. Ever. Accept injustice or abuse from others. You understand?" Sarah sternly said. John nodded. "You've always been the adventurous kid, never lacking in dumb courage, don't let big kids strike fear into you, okay? Protect yourself."

John nodded again, "But what about mama and dad?"

Sarah smiled and softened, "Mom and Dad will understand if you defend yourself. They'll only get mad at you if you pick fights all the time like I did and not watch your strength and end up sending kids to the hospital." She sighed, "Like what I did today. I'm probably going to get an earful from Mom for that."

John nodded, "Is he going to the hospital?"

"Yeah. I messed his nose up pretty bad."

Michael laughed, "He probably needs reconstructive surgery."

"Oh," John responded innocently.

Sarah hugged her little brother, "I was just defensive over you."

John hugged her back, "Are we still going to the diner for shakes?"

Sarah grinned, "No, sorry. We should get home." She shrugged, "Should tell Mom about this."

John nodded, "That's okay. I understand. But will your friends understand?"

"Yeah they will once I talk to them," Sarah said with a gentle smile. She nodded to the bikes, "Are you ready to go back?" John nodded. "Alright, let's go home."

With that, Michael, Sarah, and John, hopped back up on their bikes and headed for home.

Steve & Margaret Rogers Residence, Scarsdale, NY

An hour and a half later, the trio arrived on their home street and noticed their Dad, just getting home from the grocery store, parking his car on the driveway, and opening the garage. The trio cruised on their bikes for the last handful of yards to their house before coming to a stop by their Dad's red and black Chevy.

Steve stepped out of his car and greeted his three kids with a surprised look, "Hey, there, you guys are back early."

Sarah nodded, "Yeah. We ran into a little problem," she said as she walked her bike into the garage, John, and Michael follows suit.

"What sort of problem?" Steve asked as he opened up his trunk to get the groceries.

After putting her bike in its place in the garage, Sarah walked back outside to join her Dad, "Uh. The fighting kind."

Steve stopped with what he was doing and leaned over to look past the open trunk to eye Sarah suspiciously as she walked toward him. "Go on," he said carefully.

Sarah stopped by her Dad, "Well—"

"Wait," He interrupted. Steve quickly noticed the dried blood on her hand and the smear on her clean clothes, "Is that your blood or someone else's?"

Sarah nodded, "Right. Someone else's."

Steve grew stern, "What happened?"

John ran up and stood between his older sister and father, "I was being picked on by a group of big kids and Sarah protected me," he said quickly.

"Wha—" Steve began.

Sarah sighed, "A group of teenagers, in my class, were picking on John while Michael and I delivered mom's jam in the Parrs shop." She shrugged, "they got physical with him because when we got back, John was on the dirt."

"Hm. I see."

Michael joined the conversation and stepped beside his sister, "Sarah did tell them to leave, but they wouldn't listen to her."

"Go on."

Sarah nodded, "So I punched the guy in the face who was responsible for pushing John on the ground and bullying him."

Steve smiled, "Sounds like he got what he deserved."

"But I punched him a little harder than I'd liked too and broke his nose pretty bad. Hence the blood," said Sarah.

Steve chuckled, "I see. Is he alright?"

Michael nodded, "He got up and left. He could walk and talk, he just has a severely broken nose and maybe a mild concussion."

Steve shrugged, "Oh well." He glanced over at Sarah, "Are you worried you weren't careful with your strength?" Sarah nodded. "Well, don't worry about it. I know you restrained yourself enough only to give him a broken nose and not break every bone in his face and give him permanent brain damage." He smiled, "You did good, Sarah. The bully was still able to walk away, sure with a trip to the hospital and a concussion, but the damage wasn't severe as compared to what you can do."

Sarah nodded, "Okay."

Steve chuckled, "It's not as bad as the fights you got into when you were kids."

Sarah furrowed her brows, "Yeah. Let's not relive that."

Steve laughed, "You know, your mom, before we were married and had enhanced strength, used to break noses all the time when she was still a field agent."

"Really?" asked John.

"Oh yeah," Steve grinned. "It's not uncommon in fights. Concussions too." He nodded to Sarah, "You and Michael did good watching out for your brother. I see why you came back early though." Sarah nodded.

Steve looked at John and squatted down to his level, "Are you okay, Buddy?" John nodded. "Is this the first time someone picked on you?"

John nodded again, "I was afraid of fighting back."

"Why?" Steve asked confused.

"Because I didn't want to get into trouble. I didn't want you and Mom to get mad at me for fighting." He frowned, "You always tell us to watch our strength and Sarah used to get in trouble for fights all the time, so I thought it best not to fight."

Steve frowned, "Oh, Buddy. We didn't mean not to defend yourself." He smiled, "We meant, don't lose control and accidentally send kids to the hospital. We mean be aware of how strong you are compared to others so you don't do that."

John nodded.

"Sarah and Michael used to get in trouble because they used to lose control and didn't show restraint, and a handful of times, they sent kids to the hospitals with all sorts of injuries. Your mom and I don't want you to do that, that's why we're so stern on self-control." Steve smiled, "Sarah used to pick fights all the time, and that's why she got into loads of trouble."

Sarah sighed, "I didn't pick fights."

Michael shrugged, "You kind of did though."

Steve shook his head and focused on John, "But it's okay to defend yourself, okay? Just don't lose control. Be aware of how strong you are, okay?" John nodded. "Next time, I don't care who it is, big or small, some kid gets physical with you, you stand up for yourself and clock him in the mouth."

John smiled with confidence, "Okay."

"Now, if you're scared. That's okay—"

John shook his head, "I wasn't scared. I was mad."

Steve laughed, "Okay." He nodded, "And the Rogers family doesn't like what?"

"Bullies!"

Steve nodded, "That's right. Give me a hug, big guy."

John instantly lunged forward and tightly hugged his Dad. Steve kissed him on the side of the head before letting go and standing up to talk to his teens.

"Well. We better tell your mom," said Steve.

Michael smiled, "That's why we wanted to talk to you first. We can explain these sort of things better to you and you can protect us from Mom's wrath." Steve laughed and shook his head.

Sarah bit her lip, "Uh one more thing, Dad."

"Hm?"

"The kid picking on John. It was Willie." She shook her head, "Sorry, his name is William. William Cooper. The kid I got into handful of fights with back in elementary school."

Steve furrowed his brows, "Hm. Interesting." He nodded to the house, "Well, lets' go tell your mother," he said, grabbing the two big paper bags of groceries from his trunk.

"Here, let me grab one, Dad," Sarah said, taking a bag from her Dad.

In the kitchen, Peggy and Angela stood around the island, aprons tied over their dresses as they worked together on making the Yorkshire pudding. While Peggy handled getting flour and salt together in one bowl, Angela beat together eggs and milk in another bowl with a whisk. The scene in the kitchen was one of controlled chaos with the island and countertops in the kitchen cluttered with various ingredients, pots, pans, and bowls for this evening's dinner.

Angela tipped her bowl to show her mother what she did, "Is this okay, Mama?"

Peggy looked away from her bowl to inspect her daughter's. She smiled, "It looks good, darling. Keep whisking it so it looks more foamy and light."

Angela nodded, "Okay."

As Peggy got back to her bowl, she saw Steve and Sarah walk in with grocery bags. "Looks like Daddy's home. Going to get a Prime Rib dinner soon," Peggy smiled at Angela.

"Yay," Angela replied happily without looking up from her work, whisking the eggs in her bowl.

As Sarah and Steve put the grocery bags down on the kitchen table, Peggy glanced at her oldest daughter with a confused look, "Sarah, what are you doing home so early? Did something ha—" She paused and furrowed her brows when she spotted blood on her nice clothes. Peggy frowned, "Sarah, why is there blood on your clothes?"

Sarah bit her lip and glanced at her Dad, suddenly nervous to talk about what happened to her mother. Steve nodded at her, "Go ahead, Sarah."

Peggy stopped with what she was doing and placed her hands on her hips and sighed, "What happened?"

Sarah nodded, "While Michael and I dropped off the jam at the Parrs, we left John to watch the bikes."

"Mhmm," replied Peggy

"When we came out of the store, we saw William, William Cooper, and a group of his friends bullying John." Sarah frowned, "And John was on the ground, looked like he was pushed down." She shrugged, "We tried to tell them to back off, but they didn't listen, so I uh, punched William in the face and broke his nose pretty bad."

Peggy frowned, "I see. John got bullied?" Sarah nodded. "Is he okay? How is he feeling?"

Sarah shrugged again, "John is okay. He was more scared to fight back and defend himself because he didn't want you and Dad to be mad at him for fighting."

"Oh," Peggy sadly said. "That's not what we want him to feel like. I need to talk to him."

Steve interjected, "I clarified to him, but I think it's a good idea for you to talk to him too."

"Right." Peggy cocked her head to the side, "Sarah…"

"Yes, Mom?"

She nodded, "I think you did a good thing, standing up for your little brother. It doesn't sound like you were too overly forceful." She furrowed her brows, "Were there any other inuries?"

Sarah shook her head, "Just that really bad broken nose and probably a concussion."

"Okay."

"I thought I was too forceful. His nose was really bad. It was practically moved to his cheek," said Sarah.

Angela finally looked up, "Ouch."

"But he did walk away from it."

Peggy smiled, "Well, maybe a little forceful, but that's all you did, and that was enough. You clearly demonstrated restraint and didn't make it worse. Proud of you, darling, for both watching out for John and demonstrating self-control."

"Michael was helping too."

Peggy smiled, "I know he was." She nodded, "Again, you did the right thing, dear." Peggy gave her daughter a knowing look, "Is this why you came home early?"

"Mhmm," hummed Sarah.

"Well, thank you for coming home to tell us this," Peggy said in a grateful tone. She paused for a moment, "I need to talk to John." She glanced back at Angela, "Angela, Darling, want to keep going without me? I'll tell you the next few steps if you want to continue."

Angela nodded, "Okay!"

Peggy smiled, "Stir in the ingredients from my bowl into yours until it's uniform." She turned around to the counter behind her and grabbed the pie pan she left, "Then pour the drippings into this pan. I'll do the rest when I get back."

Angela nodded, "Okie doke."

Peggy wiped her hands on a nearby towel then on her apron before stepping away from the island to head upstairs. As she was about to leave the kitchen, Sarah called back to her, "Mom."

Peggy stopped and glanced back at her, "Yes, sweetheart?"

"The boy I punched. I mentioned it was William Cooper. The same kid I got into fights with a lot when I was in grade school."

Peggy smiled, "I know who he is, darling. I remember. Some people never change, and you have to accept that." With that, she walked out to the foyer.

Sarah just nodded silently in response.

As Peggy got to the foyer, she called upstairs for her son, "John! Are you up there?"

"Coming, Mama," called John's muffled voice from the upstairs hallways.

"I'll go to you, darling. I'll be right up!" Peggy called as she walked up the stairs.

Peggy didn't make that far up the stairs when she heard a series of forceful knocks on the front door. She frowned and walked back downstairs, "Geez, a doorbell exists, you know," she grumbled.

Peggy opened the door and, not to her surprise, revealed William Cooper with a bandage over his nose and his furious father, George Cooper, a large burly man who looked overweight. Before Peggy greeted them, she took a quick note of William's face, which already began to bruise with part of his face turning a bright red, and his nose looked severely swollen.

"Can I help you?" greeted Peggy in a sarcastic tone.

George Cooper raised his booming voice in a thick New York accent, "Yeah, you can help me! Where's that witch of a daughter that broke my son's nose!" He pointed a finger, "This is the last time she gets away with this shit!"

Peggy frowned, "Watch your language, Mr. Cooper. I have kids in my house."

"I don't care!" George turned to his son, "Look what your daughter did to my son! She's an animal!"

Steve suddenly appeared at the door behind Peggy, "watch your mouth, Cooper."

George frowned, "That's twice now she broke his nose! Your daughter deserves to be sent in some mental institution for violence. She's crazy!"

Steve stepped around Peggy and closed the distance between himself and George Cooper, "Maybe your son's nose wouldn't be broken if he didn't bully my youngest son." Peggy stepped outside with her husband and put a hand on his chest to stop him from getting any closer to the Coopers.

"Did she really need to break his nose!" George replied, angrily. "And how are you even raising her? She's so aggressive. What kind of attitude are you allowing her to have? I'm telling you, a woman isn't supposed to have an attitude like that, let me tell you."

Peggy frowned, "And what attitude are women supposed to have?" she asked coldly.

"Attitudes that don't cause that," George pointed to his son's nose again.

Sarah suddenly appeared, stepping beside her mother, "Mr. Cooper, I'm sorry, but let me explain."

"I don't need you to explain anything to me, girl!" George yelled.

"I think you should know—"

Sarah was interrupted when George suddenly slapped her across the face. In a flash, Peggy caught George's wrist and grabbed his throat, turned him, and slammed him up against the wall, cracking the wood panels next to the door. Sarah watched as she placed her hand on her cheek and winced at the stinging pain.

Peggy stared at George with an ice cold stare as she put pressure on his wrist and throat, "Don't you EVER lay a hand on my daughter again!" She gripped tighter, "What right do you think you had to strike my daughter, huh! You're lucky I don't break your nose!"

George cringed in pain and looked at Steve, almost like he was begging for him to intervene.

Steve shook his head, "Don't look at me. You shouldn't have hit my little girl." He stepped closer to him and spoke sternly, "And if my wife was a tiny bit slower, I would be the one crushing your windpipe right now."

Sarah watched in astonishment at her two parents while William nervously took a step back, afraid of getting into another confrontation.

Peggy gripped George's wrist so tight that she was on the edge of breaking it, "Instead of finding out what's wrong with my daughter, you should find out what's wrong with your son. Your son is fourteen and hasn't learned how to be a man or a decent human being for that matter." She eyed him sternly, "My daughter wouldn't have broken William's nose if he didn't bully my son. Now get that through your dumb ape like head."

George frowned.

Peggy kept her ice queen persona up, "If I ever see you on my property again, your son won't be the only one with a broken nose." With that statement, she let him go and took a step back and fixed her swing dress, smoothing out any wrinkles she might've made.

George fixed his collar of his shirt and frowned, "I can charge you for assault."

Peggy smiled, "You think you can arrest the Director of SHIELD after what you just did to my daughter. And trust me. I'll make sure they know" George frowned at her. "Now get out."

George grumbled and looked at his son, "Come on, William." With that, the pair walked off the front porch and back to their car parked on the street.

Steve looked back at his daughter and wrapped his arm around her, "Are you alright, Sarah?"

Sarah nodded, "I'm okay. Stings a little." She glanced at her mother with a surprised look, "What I just saw you do was…"

Peggy shook her head, "No one is going to hit my children and get away with it."

Sarah frowned, "After he slapped me… part of me wanted you to break his arm. Is that bad?"

Peggy shook her head, "Part of me wanted too, but that wouldn't be right, and it wouldn't make you or me feel any better." She made a small smile, "the thing is Sarah. Unlike your father and I, we didn't grow up with the abilities you and your siblings have. We kind of just fell into it. You're still growing and we truly believe you'll be stronger than us one day."

Sarah didn't say a word as she listened to her mother speak.

"You have to decide what kind of woman you want to grow up to be, Sarah. Whoever that woman is, good character or bad, she's going to change the world," Peggy said in a soft voice. Sarah nodded and looked down, taking in what her mom just told her. Peggy took a step forward and kissed her daughter on the head.

Steve smiled and gripped his daughter's shoulder, "Ready for me to make dinner?"

"I sure am," said Peggy as she turned back to the door. She suddenly stopped when she looked at the damaged wall paneling, "Damn it. Going to have to get that fixed now."

Steve smiled as he wrapped his other arm around Peggy, holding both his daughter and wife in his arms, "Well. I think it was worth it."

Sarah giggled, "me too."

Peggy smiled, "Thank you, darlings."

A few minutes later, Peggy opened the door to John's room and saw him happily playing with his action figures on his bed. "John, darling," Peggy called out to him softly.

John put down his toys and looked back at his mother, "Yes, Mama?"

"Can I talk to you for a second?" she asked, stepping into his room and closing the door behind her.

"Mhmm," John hummed as he hopped up onto his bed. "What was going on outside?" he asked as his mother walked over to him.

Peggy moved his toys to the other side of the bed so she can sit next to her son, "It was nothing but unwanted company."

"A lot of yelling."

Peggy smiled, "As I said. Unwanted company." She turned serious, "So about what happened today."

John nodded, "Yeah…"

Peggy leaned into her son, "We didn't mean to make you think that defending yourself was wrong. It's never wrong to stand up for yourself, darling."

"I know," John said, remembering the earlier conversation he had with his dad. He shrugged, "I guess, I don't know when I should fight and when I shouldn't. I don't want to get in trouble like Sarah."

Peggy chuckled, "Don't compare yourself to your older sister, sweetheart. You don't always have to end up in fights. But that decision when to fight and when not to fight, that's something only you can make." She nodded, "Sometimes you need to choose peace over force, and other times you need to use force over peace. But its' always good to aim for peaceful conflict resolution first and have the strength to overcome any situation should peace fail."

John nodded, "okay."

"And if you can't stop someone from bullying you peacefully, you can stand up for yourself and hit him back. It probably won't make you feel better, but it is an option to protect yourself and stop them from bullying you." Peggy urged, "All we ask is that you be careful of the strength you use so you don't end up gravely injuring someone, okay?"

"Okay," he said again.

Peggy nodded, "And if you're at school, you can always grab a teacher."

John nodded.

"Are you excited for a good prime rib dinner tonight?"

John smiled happily, "Yup!"

"Me too."

Suddenly, John's door swung open, revealing Michael and Sarah. "Hey, John," Michael greeted before he saw his Mom on the bed with his little brother. "Oh, sorry, Mom. Didn't mean to interrupt."

Peggy smiled at her oldest son, "No, it's okay. We're done. What do you need?"

Sarah smiled, "We want to know if John wants to join us in grilling the meat with Dad. Since Angela is helping with the pudding, I feel like we should be helping with stuff too."

John smiled, "I'll help."

Peggy chuckled, "Not everyone needs to help your father grill the meat. How about one of you helps me with making some greens and mashed potatoes?"

John faked gagging, "Ew! Greens!"

"They're good for you," Peggy retorted.

Michael nodded, "I can do it."

Sarah grinned, "Great, glad we didn't have to argue that because I didn't want to do it."

"I know you didn't," said Michael.

Peggy smiled and stood up, fixing her dress from wrinkles, "Thank you, darling," she said to her oldest son. "Is your dad seasoning the steak now?"

Sarah nodded, "Yup."

"Well, we should get started with the other dishes then," Peggy said, heading for the door.

Sarah grinned, "I'm excited for dinner."

"Right?" said Michael.

Peggy stopped by her twin teens and kissed Michael on the cheek, "a good family dinner to celebrate your first football victory."

Michael smiled, "Thanks, Mom."

Peggy wrapped her arm around her tall son, "Now, let's get to work to make sure your meal is as good as we dreamed it to be."

Michael chuckled, "Alright." With that, mother and son walked off to get started on the side dishes.

Sarah smiled at her little brother, still sitting on his bed, "Well? Are you coming to help?"

"Yup!" John said, hopping off his bed and running over to his older sister.

Later that evening, the Rogers family sat around the outside patio table with a wonderful assortment of delicious food. The delightful smell of freshly grilled prime rib, vegetables, fresh-baked Yorkshire Pudding, and other dishes filled the air as the whole family waited anxiously to dig into the delectable meal.

John, who sat next to his mother, smiled happily, "Mmm," he hummed as he took a big whiff of the food.

Peggy smiled at him, "Smells good, huh." John nodded enthusiastically in response.

Angela grinned, "I can't wait. It looks so good!"

"Oh yeah," Sarah responded in turn.

Michael shook his head, "Waiting this long to eat should be a crime."

Peggy chuckled, "patience, darling."

Sarah groaned and looked to her father at the head of the table, "Can we eat now, Dad? You always do this when we have big meals like this. It's torture!"

Steve laughed, "Yes, but after we say grace." The kids all groaned while Peggy only laughed. "But before we do that—"

Sarah frowned, "Dad. You're killing me." Michael chuckled.

"As I was saying," Steve grinned. He picked up his glass, "A toast." Everyone picked up their assorted drinks and raised them high in the air. "To our wonderful family. And congratulations to Michael on his fist football victory."

"Cheers!" everyone called as they leaned forward and clinked their glasses together over the table.

Sack*: In American football, is tackling the quarterback while he has the ball behind the line of scrimmage.

Line of scrimmage is the imaginary line separating the opposing teams at the beginning of each play that can't be crossed until the offense begins the play by moving the ball.

Another chapter. A little of fluff and a little of drama. Hope everyone enjoyed it.

Parts taken from Lawless and Man of Steel

Coming up next: Jumping forward a year. To the Cuban Missile Crisis. (That's the plan at least lol)

Thank you for reading! Hope everyone enjoyed and please review, good or bad, I value it all!