AN: If you are here without having read my first book Project English Rose, I HIGHLY suggest that you go read the prologue to that book first so that you have a full understanding of what's going on. If you are here from that book, WELCOME! You have chosen to take Peggy on a much different path, one that does not involve going into a cryogenic chamber but does involve lots of undercover work. Will she get the answers she's looking for or will she be too late?

She found out by doing paperwork of all things. The form had Howard's signature of approval so she didn't really know why the file was mixed in with the others she needed to read through but she was glad it was. She knew Howard wasn't a good man by most people's standards but he was good enough. Good enough to earn her trust and earn it back after he broke it the first time.

Her heels clicked loudly as she marched down to the lab Howard had claimed during his current stay. He was planning something else that had to deal with the SSR as a whole and she hadn't quite figured that one out yet but she did know that Phillips was involved so she didn't really put too much thought into it. His current project, however, made her see red and it apparently was written across her face, for people made sure to stay out of her way when most of the time they didn't notice her at all.

She slammed open the metal doors leading into the lab. Howard and Dr. Zola, who had been brought into the SSR under Operation Paperclip despite her and her future SHIELD co-founder's efforts, were standing at the main work station. The long table was cluttered with papers, syringes, test tubes, and other sciencey items that she didn't quite know the name of. Zola filled one of those syringes just as she burst through, causing both men to look up in shock.

Howard's shock quickly turned into fear and guilt before his usual suave and charming expression remained on his face. Zola had dismissed her, focusing back on the task at hand even if he was a bit more on edge with her around. Peggy may just be a woman but he knew what she was capable of.

"Were you ever going to tell me? What happened to not wanting to let the government get their hands on this, hm?" Peggy said as she marched right up to the table.

"It's not like I'm actually using his blood, pal."

"And you think he's actually helping you recreate Erskine's work?" She asked in disbelief.

She didn't trust Zola, not in the least bit. Howard could have very well been working on how to create the Super Soldier Serum once again but Zola could have been doing the complete opposite. He could have created a bioweapon for all she knew. She pushed down her nerves, focusing on her steely determination, and snatched the syringe out of Zola's hand.

That caused an uproar. She didn't register the words that were being thrown back and forth. She was too focused on the syringe in her hand. She knew Steve's name was said, trust was brought up, idiocy, greediness, lies, and her theory. Peggy felt a quick pain in her arm as a warm sensation flooded through her body.

The syringe dropped to the floor, glass shattering as it hit the concrete. She gripped onto the stool beside her to keep upright as she felt her knees give out from under her. This was it. Her theory was true. Her vision blurred and sounds muffled. Her body ached with an uneasy pain that was more annoying than painful. It felt as if she was growing, changing on the inside despite nothing of her outside appearance becoming different. So maybe whatever was in the syringe wasn't a bioweapon like she had originally thought.

"You insolent girl! Do you know what you've done?" Zola shouted. The German doctor had been quite certain that he and Stark had figured out a Super Soldier Serum and the fact that it now flowed through Peggy Carter was not one he liked.

Howard jumped into action. He was about to have a rather difficult conversation with his friend and he was not about to have it with Zola around. He wrapped an arm around Zola's shoulders and steered him out of the lab. "Hey, doc, why don't you go grab some lunch or something. I'll fix things in here."

By the time he got Zola out and the doors locked, Peggy was already sitting on the stool she had held onto earlier. Her vision had returned to normal. Well, better than normal it seemed. She could read the label on a beaker as clear as though it was right next to her. Her hearing even came back for she now heard the low hum of the air vent.

"How ya feeling, pal?" Howard asked, staying far enough away that she wouldn't be able to punch him.

"What were you thinking Howard? Honestly?" She gave him a pointed look. She crossed her arms over her chest, feeling her sleeves strain a little more than normal. She added that to the mental list of changes she had noticed.

"I was just trying to make the best out of a bad situation, Peg." He tried but was quickly shut down.

"No, Howard, you were not. You were once again looking to make a personal gain and because you weren't examining Steve's blood this time you thought it would be fine."

"We've already had this argument, Peggy. Do we really need to have it again?"

"Apparently so!"

He flinched back, glass crunching under his foot from the broken syringe. Not really knowing what to say next. He wanted to test things. Needed to know that Peggy was doing alright and not reacting badly to the serum. But right now she wasn't going to let him anywhere near her. So he started to clean up the lab while continuing to check on Peggy.

Peggy glared at him as she watched him move around the lab. As he kept looking over towards her, checking to see if she wasn't furious, it wore her down a little. She had never really seen Howard nervous and the fact that he preferred to actually clean the lab instead of talking to her made her laugh.

"I'm surprised you remember how to use a broom." She commented once she had decided that she had tortured him enough.

Something akin to hope flashed in his eyes as he moved closer to her. "I don't have Jarvis with me all the time."

She let out a sigh and uncrossed her arms before holding out the arm she injected the serum into. He grinned before grabbing a few supplies and setting them along the table next to Peggy. Soon he was all work. He didn't know how she would react to the serum and he didn't want to risk anything since he knew how they both felt towards the "ex-HYDRA" scientist. So he looked at the injection site, looked in her ears, behind her ears, down her throat, and felt along her neck for any swelling.

"Howard, I'm fine." She nudged him away. "Stop fussing. Just tell me what I injected myself with."

It was his turn to sigh. He pulled over another stool and sat in front of Peggy. "It really was the serum, Peg. I - I should have told you. When you discovered my vial of Steve's blood after you left, I promised myself I would never break your trust again but apparently, I can even break promises to myself."

"Why didn't you just tell me, Howard?"

"Because you would have shot it down."

"Of course I would have. Dr. Erskine had his own reservations about his own invention. And do you honestly think that either he or Steve would have wanted you to be working with Zola on it?"

"But Peggy, there's so many opportunities and not just super soldier sized. It could be used to find cures for diseases. It could do so much good. I was only using Zola for the parts that I didn't know. The doc had been experimenting with a version during the war."

"You're not going to convince me that this was a good thing, Howard. No matter how noble the cause, you're still after it for all the wrong reasons. If you really wanted to figure out cures, you would be in a far different lab."

He looked down at his lap. When he usually apologized to women it wasn't said with any heart or even from his own lips. Flowers, chocolates, sparkly things were usually involved but this wasn't just any woman. This was Peggy Carter. One of the only people he could actually consider his friend, his best friend even. "I am sorry, Peggy. Truly. I should have told you sooner. I had full intentions to tell you if it worked but I see now I should have told you when I thought of the idea."

"Promise me that you'll destroy everything. I'm the last one. This is it, Howard, I'm serious." She gave him a pointed look when he tried to argue. She was starting to grow tired. Didn't care to argue with him any longer. He had given her an apology and she knew that he was being genuine. She just couldn't have him going back to the project. She didn't trust Zola, especially if Howard determined that it was successful.

"You mean, you're not even a little curious about the effects?" He asked instead, steering the conversation in another direction.

Peggy rolled her eyes. "I don't think my skull is now red if that's what you're worried about. I'm starting to get a little tired. Feel a little warmer but other than that I think I'm okay."

She shouldn't have said anything because soon she had a thermometer stuck in her mouth. She sat there exasperated as Howard started taking her blood pressure. He knew that she hadn't actually grown taller but the sleeves around her arms seemed tighter as if accommodating more muscle mass.

"If I promise to destroy all the hard work that I just did, will you let me keep watch of things? We tried something new, putting the vita radiation in the formula already so I don't know what'll happen."

"If you promise." She agreed after a long silence filled with Howard writing down her vitals after removing each tool used.

"Then I promise."

"Then do it right now. Destroy everything while I watch to make sure you keep your promise."

Howard groaned. "You're killing me here, pal."

Peggy just shrugged and stood from the stool she was sitting on. "Then I guess I'll just keep watch of things myself."

It wasn't two steps before Howard caved. She watched as he destroyed everything that had been laying on the lab table he and Zola were working on. "Happy now?"

"Quite." A small smirk tugged at the corner of her lips.

Over the next few months, she learned how to control her extra strength and speed with the help of Howard and Mr. Jarvis. Well, it was mostly Mr. Jarvis. Howard only stuck around so he could record things. She wouldn't let Howard take any blood. She remembered the countless viles that they had taken from Steve. She had felt bad as she watched on as they took vile after vile. She knew she would definitely not have the patience as Steve had. She barely had the patience for Howard to check her vitals after each activity.

She knew that she had signed up to be her friend's personal lab rat but she hadn't expected how that would actually make her feel. She was always thrilled when she was done with the tests of the day. She also started trying to dodge some of the tests too. Her running time certainly wasn't going to change within 24 hours. Not to mention she felt like they were being fairly obvious when they were meant to be keeping things secret. Zola didn't need to know that they had been successful in recreating a version of the serum. He was already upset over the fact that all of their research had been destroyed.

Her measurements, not just height and muscle mass but speed and strength, were under Steve's records. Peggy had for all intents and purposes remained looking the exact same. The only physical difference that could be seen was that her muscles were more toned and firm than they had been from her usual agent work. Her sight and hearing, however, were better than Steve's numbers but that didn't mean that his wasn't still impressive. If they weren't keeping her abilities a secret she wouldn't ever have to wear night-vision goggles again.

She was honestly glad that she didn't have the dancing monkey option like Steve had from the USO but she certainly understood why he chose it instead of being locked away in a lab when those were the only two options he had originally been presented with. She had the chance to continue working and protecting democracy. Not that she would need the added boost from the serum but she did eventually go on to take down an entire team of henchmen just so she could retrieve a weapon called The Zodiac.

That mission happened the night before her announcement of her joining the high ranks of the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement, and Logistics Division was revealed. Howard had called the New York SSR chief himself, even told Chief Flynn to help her carry her things down. She declined and soon she was with Howard and Colonel Phillips at Camp Leigh once again. Nostalgia filled her bones and when she came to that rusty flagpole on her first run there, she paused and let the grief wash over her a bit. Ever since she had injected herself with the serum she wondered what Steve would say, what he would think. Would he tease her about being dramatic when she would often do the same to him? Would he be angry with her? Would he just accept it and then goad her into a race? She sniffled, wiping away her tears before going back to her run. She couldn't focus on the what-ifs. She just hoped that no matter what, whatever was in store for her future, she would make him proud.

A few months settling into the director's chair, Howard came waltzing into her office and laid out his theory. Ever since their run-in with Dr. Fennhoff, both she and Howard had silently agreed that they would let Steve go and move on, or so Peggy had thought. Howard started spouting out his theory about how the serum could have actually kept him alive in the ice and then asked if she'd be willing to test it out.

After processing through the hurried babble that Howard shot off, she realized she had an emotion fill her chest that she hadn't felt in quite some time: hope.

Even with the hope she felt, she knew how big of a decision this was. So she sent Howard on his way, telling him she'd think about it. And she did, for a while.

She didn't want her legacy to become something akin to Betty Carver, waiting for Captain America to come rescue her. But things did seem to be going well for SHIELD and she trusted Howard and Phillips to take care of things for her. She honestly could even make Rose interim director while she was testing out theories. The redhead had a level head and seeing how she kept the LA SSR office running, on top of her help with Whitney Frost and Zero Matter, she really didn't need to think hard about it. If anyone was to take her place, she'd much prefer it to be Rose.

Howard checked back weekly for her answer and each week she pushed it off. She wanted to make sure that SHIELD truly could work without her. The Jarvises had invited her over one night for dinner and while she appreciated Edwin's opinion on the matter it was the late-night talks with Ana that helped her finally land on a decision.

Peggy had told Howard to keep looking for Steve but due to her investigation into the Arena Club, she couldn't test his theory in the way he truly wanted. He still tested it, however, just in a different way.

Howard had come sauntering in, as much as he could carrying two large bags of ice, and ordered everyone else that was in the locker room out. Peggy stared at him in bewilderment from the tub she was taking an ice bath in. Before she could even get a word in, he was opening the bags and dumping the ice inside the tub.

With a gasp of the new cold, Peggy sat up straighter, glaring over at Howard. "And just what on earth do you think you're doing?"

"Testing my theory. I gotta get the water the right temperature." He said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, even going so far as sticking a thermometer into the water.

"Oh, honestly Howard. We've tested everything else surely from those tests you can deduce that there is a high probability that the serum has helped preserve his body." She moved to get out of the bath. She had a long day and she just wanted to get home to try and sleep some.

"Then it's still just a theory and not a proven one so sit back down." He pushed her shoulder so she would sit back down.

She honestly could have resisted, quite easily too, but she supposed she was growing a bit soft for she went easily back into the water. She really should have expected something like this to happen when she told him that she wasn't going into a freeze chamber. Soon a blood pressure cuff was around her arm and a thermometer was in her mouth. As her body got colder and colder, she grew more tired, slipping a little further into the tub. Howard made sure that her head remained above the water when she had drifted to sleep and when her skin began to show signs of turning blue, he roused her. He had gotten what he needed.

Howard helped her out of the tub and sat her on a chair. He not only wrapped her in a towel but blankets as well before bringing over heat lamps. He treated her with care, something she rarely saw him do with anyone.

"Did you get what you needed?" She finally asked when she felt like her teeth wouldn't chatter when she tried to speak.

"Sure did. It's not the extensive data I originally had hoped for but it's enough."

"Good. Now, will you hand me my bag and give me a little bit of privacy. I'd like to go home." She motioned to where her duffle bag sat by the lockers.

"Aw, c'mon, Peg, where's the fun in that? You sure you don't need another helping hand?"

And there was the Howard she knew. She took the bag with an exasperated look before shooing him out. Her bed was calling her.