Steve Rogers
It wasn't uncommon for Natasha to get cryptic calls from Fury. Actually, she wasn't even sure if Fury was capable of reaching out without being cryptic. But something about this time had her on edge, and she didn't like it. He'd called with orders to meet and then sent her an address, one she wasn't familiar with. It turned out to be some kind of medical facility. The uncomfortable feeling in the pit of her stomach got worse when she was greeted at the door by Coulson. He didn't say a word after telling her Fury was waiting for her, which didn't help, Coulson liked to chatter. As she walked beside him as they made their way through the hallway the knot in her stomach got worse. For a moment she wondered if this was about Clint. Had Barton gotten himself hurt on a mission? Or maybe Sharon? Sharon would explain the secret facility. No one but a handful of people knew they were related, or about their connection to her mother. Sharon went by Agent 13, while Natasha herself was known as Agent Romanoff, the name Fury had used for her when he'd recruited her behind her mother's back.
Fury and Hill were standing by a two way window when she and Coulson walked into the room. Natasha's gaze darted between the two but they were almost impossible to read, especially Fury. "So what's going on?"
"There's something you need to see." Fury said while stepping away from the window to make room for her. "It ain't an issue yet, but it could be."
Natasha did her best to steel herself against whatever or whoever was on the other side of that glass, but even the daughter of Peggy Carter didn't have enough steel to be ready for what she saw. Natasha blinked her blue-green eyes several times before she managed to form words. "That's not possible."
"It's very possible." Fury said firmly. "That's him."
"You're absolutely sure?" Natasha asked, her gaze locked on the man in the hospital bed. Her mother kept his picture in a scrapbook. Her uncle Howard had shown her the movies and newsreels. The Howling Commandos had told her stories about him.
"It's him, Nat." Fury nodded.
Fury and Hill started filling her in on what the plan was, but Natasha's thoughts were miles away. Steven Grant Rogers was a live. Captain American was alive. And he was here in a secret SHEILD medical facility, looking just as he did in decades old photographs. Natasha wasn't focused on Fury talking about how shocking it will be for him when he wakes up. She was focused on how this was going to affect the woman he'd left behind, the woman who'd found love again with an automat waitress with dreams of being on Broadway, the woman who adopted a newborn baby girl left under her Christmas tree and raised her as her own.
It was Agent Coulson's voice that finally cut through Natasha's thoughts. "Agent Romanoff, are you alright?"
But Natasha's reply was to Fury. She turned her gaze away from the man in the bed to the man standing beside her. "You have to tell her."
"Not yet." Fury replied with a shake of his head and a firm don't-argue-with-me tone.
"I won't keep this from her." Natasha's voice was just as firm as she turned to face him head on. Oh she was going to argue! "Either you tell her or I will." She pointed at Steve on the other side of the glass. "I am not going to keep Steve fucking Rogers a secret from my mother, Fury."
Coulson was not one of the handful of people who knew who Natasha truly was. "Captain America's survival is the highest classifications of classified there is, Agent Romanoff. You can't…"
The glare Natasha sent Coulson would have made the woman she and Fury were discussing proud. "My mother's clearances are higher than yours, mine, and Hills put together, Coulson. They're equal to Fury's, higher if she decided to keep a few for herself, retired or not."
"That's impossible." Coulson argued. "The only person who would have clearance as high as Director Fury's is…"
"Retired Director Margaret Carter." Natasha smirked. "Yeah, she's my mother."
Coulson shot a look at Fury who shrugged and nodded that it was true. "Did I forget to mention that Nat's real name is Natasha Carter? My bad."
When Hill didn't look surprised at the revelation Coulson looked hurt.
Natasha turned her glare on Fury as she said, "She and my Uncle Howard looked for him for years, Fury. She deserves to know. So are you coming with me or am I telling her alone?"
Not another word was said as Natasha and Fury drove out to Brooklyn to the faded red brick brownstone her mothers once again called home. The discovery of Steve Rogers being alive was causing her a lot of conflicting emotions that Natasha really didn't understand. While Natasha had no doubt that her mothers' relationship was stronger than vibranium, she still couldn't seem to reign in her thoughts. What if her Mum her had regrets or resentment over the life lost to her when Rogers went into the ice? If Rogers had shown up at the Stork Club that night, would her Mum have ended up marrying him and having her own children? Would she have ended up at the SSR to cross paths with Dottie Underwood? The thought of a life anything other then the one she'd had with her mothers twisted Natasha's stomach, and she suddenly wished Fury wasn't in the car. She wished she were going home alone so she could curl up on the sofa between her mothers as they chased away the anxiety knotting up her insides.
Stepping into the warmth of her early childhood home helped ease Natasha's mind. She could hear the ticking of the mantel clock in the living room and faint music coming from the kitchen. The air smelled of fading hints of her mothers' perfumes; of something sweet, vanilla-y, slightly cinnamon-y, something fried, and it made Natasha smile, her Ma was making cannoli shells, and of strong black tea freshly brewed. Natasha took a deep breath, filling her lungs to full capacity, and then let it out slowly. Then she called out, "Mum? Ma? Anyone home?"
Peggy was the first to emerge to greet their daughter, a pleased smile on her painted lips at the unexpected visit. Angie's voice could be heard from the kitchen but her words unclear. Peggy chuckled as she called over her shoulder. "She must have sense you were making cannoli, love." When Peggy turned her attention towards Natasha her smile widened, "Hello poppet." Then she saw Fury and her smile disappeared. "Nicholas." Her gaze shifted back and forth between Fury and her daughter, and then crossed her arms over her chest and glared at Fury. "What the hell is going on? What's happened?"
"Mum," Natasha said gently, stepping closer to her mother and putting her hand on Peggy's crossed arms. "We should sit down."
Looking into Natasha's eyes Peggy could see her daughter's concern. She could also tell that whatever was going on it had Natasha upset. Relaxing her arms she took Natasha's hand and squeezed it. "Alright love."
They went into the living room and settled. Peggy and Natasha on the sofa, Fury in a chair. When Angie came into the room and saw Fury she greeted him warmly and then turned to go back into the kitchen, she'd been married to Peggy a long time, she knew the drill, but Natasha stopped her. "No, Ma, you should hear this too."
"Agent Romanoff." Fury growled.
"Don't call her that in this house." Peggy shot back. "There's no point."
Fury huffed. "Yes Ma'am."
"Ma, sit please." Natasha said.
Fury muttered and moaned until Peggy ordered him to get to it. He knew damn well Angie could be trusted. "Stop being a ninny, Nicholas, just tell me."
"There was an expedition in the Arctic." Fury began.
As Fury told them about finding the Valkyrie in the ice that lead to the discovery of what they had thought was Steve Rogers body, only to find out he was still alive, Natasha watched her mother closely. To anyone who didn't know her it would seem as if Peggy was having little if any reaction to the news. She sat primly on the edge of the center sofa cushion, knees together, legs crossed at the ankles. A tea cup in a saucer rested on her thigh, held in place by her right hand, her left gripping her own right wrist. She neither smiled, nor frowned. Her voice when she spoke to ask a question or demand an explanation, was firm, clipped, not quite her Director's voice but close to it.
But to those who knew Peggy, her wife, her child, the man she had trained and trusted with her life's work, they saw the excessive blinking, the way she occasionally licked at the corner of her mouth when parting her lips to speak or take a sip of her tea, they heard the gently clatter of the cup against the saucer. Natasha had moved closer to her mother without noticing, but Peggy had, and had reached over and placed her empty hand on her daughter's knee. Natasha felt a slight tremble in her mother's hand that made her heart quiver.
"He's receiving the best medical attention we can give him." Fury reassured. "If he wakes up…"
"When." Peggy snapped at him, and then softened her tone. "When, he wakes up."
"When he wakes up." Fury corrected. "We'll take things slow, easy him into his new reality. Agent Coulson has already been assigned to the team looking after him, and I'll be adding Agent Ro.." Fury stammered under Peggy's glare. "Agent Carter, as well. Captain Rogers will be in good hands, Ma'am, I promise."
Natasha watched her Ma pat her Mum's thigh reassuringly before standing and walking out of the room towards the kitchen. Now that Fury's visit was nearly over she knew her mother would return with leftovers for him and she had to fight the urge to roll her eyes and smile. Sure enough just as Peggy was walking Fury to the door, Natasha telling him she was staying a little longer, Angie came out of the kitchen. "Eggplant parm. I know it's one of your favorites."
"Thank you Mrs. Carter." Fury replied, accepting the bag she held out to him, and then left.
"Mum?" Natasha said gently as she watched her mother stand there.
Peggy swallowed a lump in her throat, her eyes glassy as she turned her gaze towards her daughter, and she did her best to smile. "I'm alright my darling. I just need a moment. Excuse me my loves."
Natasha watched as her mother walked off towards her study and didn't hesitate in taking a step to follow. She was stopped by a sudden strong grip on her upper arm. Turning to look at Angie she said simply, "Ma?"
"Leave her alone, Nat." Angie said firmly.
"But Ma, she's not ok." Natasha argued.
Angie nodded her agreement. "No, she's not. But she asked us to give her a moment and that's what we're gonna do, because your Mum hardly if ever asks us for anything." Angie refused to let go of Natasha's arm, pulling her towards kitchen. "Now, come help me in the kitchen, and tell me all about the trouble you and Clint have gotten yourselves into. Well, the trouble you can tell me about and won't give me a damn heart attack, anyway. Your Mum's made a roast for dinner, you'll stay, and we'll be there for her when she's ready for us."
Natasha, the fearsome Black Widow with the worldwide reputation that makes grown men wet their pants, sighed softly as she easily crumbles to her mother's demands. "Yes Ma, and what makes you think Barton and I have gotten into any trouble?"
"Mother's intuition, angel." Angie chuckles.
Peggy joined them for dinner, the red puffiness of her eyes giving away the fact that she'd been crying. "I want to make one thing perfectly clear to the both of you." She said as she looked at her wife and daughter as the three of them sat around their kitchen table. "I would not go back and change a single thing about my life. It's wonderful that Steve is alive, a damn bloody miracle it is, and I hope he gets a chance to live a life as full and joyous as the one I have been blessed with." She smiled softly, a genuine smile. "Once upon a time, long ago, I may have been Captain America's sweetheart, and Steve will always hold a special place in my heart. But that heart belongs to the two of you, it always has and it always will. Now my darlings, that is enough of that prattle."
"You alright there, English?" Angie teased as she reached out to wrap her fingers around her wife's hand. "That was a lot of emotional talk for a Brit."
"I'll admit I'm feeling rather overwhelmed." Peggy said honestly. "Hearing that Steve is alive, after all this time, it's surreal. I suppose it will continue to feel that way until I see for myself that it's really him."
"I'll keep you as updated as I can, Mum." Natasha promised. "I'm not really sure what Fury's play is here. I saw him, Captain Rogers, laying there and my first thoughts were about you."
Peggy reached out her other hand for her daughter to take and she smiled warmly. "I know you will do what is right in this situation, Nattie, and I know I can trust you to do what is best for Steve."
No pressure or anything, Natasha thought as she nodded at her mother.
"Good." Peggy said, her voice returning to her normal tones. "Now darling, tell me why I shouldn't send you straight to your room for that stunt you and Agent Barton pulled in Kosovo?"
"Well," Natasha replied, a little wide eyes. "First off I'm a grown ass woman."
"Natasha Elizabeth, watch your mouth at the table." Angie scolded.
Natasha rolled her eyes. "Secondly, Mum, you're retired. How do you even know about Kosovo?"
"I have my ways, young lady." Peggy replied.
Angie shook her head, a teasing smirk on her lips. "Think she's getting to big for her britches, Peg."
Natasha knew that any further discussion about Steve Rogers would not be happening tonight so she just rolled her eyes and smiled at her mothers' teasing.
Over the next few weeks Natasha did her best to keep her promise to her mother. She kept a close eye on Rogers recovery. Physically he was fine, they were just waiting for him to wake up. They'd put him in a room styled to look like something from the time he went into the ice so he wouldn't freak out when he woke up. It wasn't a bad idea per say, and it might have worked if someone hadn't switched out the pre-approved music for a baseball game. What was really stupid was whatever happened that led to Steve Rogers burtsing out the front doors in a frenzied panic, and taking off at a full run right past Natasha as she was getting off her bike. Taking off after him she triggered her earpiece and started giving out orders between swearing at the agents who were meant to be handling this.
Natasha groaned as she watched several black SUVs encircle Rogers, and as the agents they carried began to pour out. Rogers looked like a trapped animal. A trapped animal with superhuman abilities. "Stand down!" She ordered, as she pushed her way through. "Everyone stand down!" Breaking the perimeter she held up her hands and smiled at Rogers. "Easy Captain."
"What's going on?" Steve demanded, his eyes darting from one armed man to the next. "Where am I? What's happening?"
"You're in New York." Natasha said honestly. "It's just that it's all a bit different because it took you awhile to get back."
"How… How long?" Steve demanded to know.
"Awhile." Natasha said. "We'll explain everything, I promise. I just need you to come back with me."
He glared at her, clearly sizing her up. "Why should I trust you?"
Natasha smiled and simply said, "Stork Club, eight p.m sharp."
Steven instantly relaxed and began walking towards Natasha. "Who are you?"
"Agent Natalia Romanoff." It wasn't a total lie, that's who the men and women surrounding them knew her as, that's who she knew Fury would want him to think she was for now.
"How did you know that?" Steve asked once they were face to face.
"She told me." Natasha said honestly, their gazes locked.
"Stand down soldier." Fury's voice boomed as he approached. "Look man, I'm sorry about that little show back there, but we thought it best to break it to you slowly."
Steve's gaze lingered on Natasha a moment longer before he stepped back from her to look at Fury. "Break what?"
"You've been asleep for along time, Cap." Fury told him. "We're creating a bit of scene out here. Let's go back and we'll talk about this."
It would take three months after his release from protective custody before Steve reached out to her, asking her to meet him at a coffee shop away from SHIELD, away from the apartment SHIELD had set up for him. As she approached she watched him, sitting quietly by himself sketching in a book. Her mother had mentioned he'd been an artist, even had some of his work in her momento box on the top shelf of the closest in her study. She watched him for a few moments longer, watched the waitress flirt with him and rolled her eyes both at the waitress and Roger's cluelessness, and then she walked over to him. "Captain Rogers." To his credit he didn't flinch at her sudden appearance, but his eyes twitched letting her know she'd surprised him. Natasha loved doing that to people. Well most people, her mothers tended to smack her for doing it to them. "You wanted to see me?"
"You knew about the Stork Club." Steve said when she sat across from him. "I need to see her."
Natasha fished her personal phone from the pocket of her leather jacket and shot off a quick text. "Are you sure that's what you want?" She asked him, looking him in the eyes, watching and reading him closely. "She isn't going to be the same woman you left behind at that HYDRA factory with Phillips."
"I understand that, Agent Romanoff. But I just," Steve was flustered and frustrated. He sighed deeply and shook his head, unable to explain. "I just really need to see her, so please, if you can set something up I would really appreciate it."
Her phone buzzed, Natasha checked it and smiled. "You busy right now?"
"Now?" Steve's voice squeaked a bit. "Like, right now?"
"If you're free, she is." Natasha nodded.
Steve swallowed against a suddenly dry throat and then nodded. "Yeah, sure, now's fine by me."
Natasha stood and jerked her head in the direction of a sleek black Corvette parked on the street. When they were in the car and she turned it on the radio blared a catchy, upbeat song that clearly sounded as if it were from Steve's time. The chorus of female voices was singing something about, "Make way for tomorrow today." Natasha reached over to turn it off with an apology.
"I've heard that before." Steve says softly. "At one of Howard Stark's expos."
"Yeah, I share this playlist with someone and this song drives him nuts." She chuckled as she pulled out into traffic. "Which is why I added it."
The ride was a quiet one after that. Steve was nervous, he kept rubbing his hands on his jeans between tapping his fingers against his thighs. Natasha wondered what was going through his mind as he stared out the window. She also wondered what was going through her mother's mind. She was probably playing with whatever necklace she was wearing, and would have a whole pot of tea drunk by the time they got there.
"Brooklyn?" Steve said with surprise.
"She moved to New York after the war, made her home in Brooklyn after she was married, and moved back from D.C. after she retired." Natasha told him. Out of the corner of her eye she saw him smile and the nervous hand movements stopped. When they finally pulled up to the faded brick brownstone she reached for his arm to stop him from getting out of the car. Turning to look him square in the eye, she said, "I don't know what kind of old fashioned sentimentally you're still carrying around with you, but do not say or do anything that will hurt her, because if you hurt her there's not enough serum in your blood to keep me from kicking your ass."
Steve blinked, clearly surprised. "I would never hurt her, Agent Romanoff." He reassured her, and then narrowed his eyes a bit. "You're very protective of her."
"Damn right I am." Natasha said, then got out of the car and heading up the steps to the front door.
Steve was surprised when she produced a key and let herself in. He followed tentatively.
"Nattie darling is that you?" Peggy called out.
Natasha could hear Steve's breath hitch behind her. Shrugging out of her jacket she hung it on the stand by the door. "Yeah, Mum, it's me. Who else is just going to walk into the house?"
That caused Steve to suck in the air that had rushed out of his lungs at the sound of Peggy's voice. "Mum? Did you just call her mum?"
"Natasha Elizabth Carter, did you not tell him who you are?" Peggy scolded, appearing in the doorway to the living room with her hands on her hips.
"Technically he doesn't have the clearance to know who I am." Natasha said as she walked over to hug her mother. "Plus, I really like seeing the looks of shock on people's faces when they find out. I thought Coulson was going to actually faint."
"Cheeky." Peggy replied. "You don't get that from me."
Natasha snorted.
"Peggy." Steve's voice was soft and full of awe. There she stood, older yes, but still so beautiful.
"Steve." Peggy replied as she looked him over.
"Still the prettiest dame I've ever laid eyes on." Steve said as they gravitate towards one another.
Peggy smiled, her full attention now on Steve. This time it was her breath hitching, her doe eyes widening. He looked just as he did the last time she saw him. "Steve." She moved towards him, their gazes locked on each other. When she was close enough she reached out just as she had when he'd first come out of Howard's machine, pressing her palm against his chest, feeling his heart beating, his warmth. Tears welled in her eyes as she looked up into his. She smiled. "You're late. I said eight o'clock sharp."
"Sorry about that." Steve said softly, reaching up without thinking to cup her face with one hand, his over covering her hand on his chest. "My ride got stuck."
For a split second it looked as if Steve Rogers was going to kiss her mother, and Natasha's hand went to the weapon at the small of her back. Then she felt a warm hand on hers and she turned to see her Ma give her a gentle shake of her head and a disapproving look before jerking her head towards the kitchen, a silent command to leave Peggy and Steve alone. Natasha sighed softly and let her Ma lead her away.
Peggy put her hand on top of his and closed her eyes. "It really is you."
"You had doubts?" Steve asked.
"Wouldn't you?" Peggy said with a soft chuckle.
Natasha paced the kitchen until her mother's voice demanded, "Natasha, sit down, you're driving me nuts. You're mother's fine, angel. Why are you so worked up about this?"
"I just don't want him to say or do anything stupid that will hurt her." Natasha grumbled as she allowed her mother to force her into a kitchen chair.
"I can't imagine he would ever hurt her, Nattie." Angie poured coffee into a mug for her daughter and then rethought it. Reaching for a second mug she made Natasha tea instead.
"Not on purpose, but what if he says something stupid when he finds out about you." Natasha huffed. "He's old, from an older time, he might…"
"You didn't tell him she was married to a woman?" Angie laughed.
Natasha sighed. "I thought something like that might be something she'd want to tell him herself."
Peggy sat beside Steve on the sofa and watched his face as he worked out everything she'd just told him about her life, about Angie, and Natasha. She was actually rather nervous about his reaction. "Steve?"
"So, um," Steve said as he reached back to rub his neck. "You're queer now? And you're married to a woman? And that's legal?"
"If you want to get technical about it, I'm bisexual." Peggy answered. "And yes, Angie is my wife. We've been together for several decades now, and first said our vows shortly after adopting Nattie. As for it being legal, it is in some places but not everywhere, not just yet."
Steve still looked confused. "Were you, um, this way back then?"
"Yes, I was." Peggy answered honestly. "So, no, I did not suddenly become attracted to women because I lost you."
Steve's gaze darted from Peggy to the pictures she had around her home. Peggy and a ten year old Natasha sitting on a sofa, Natasha snuggled in close to her mother's side. Peggy and a dark haired blonde woman lounging side by side in beach chairs under a beach umbrella. The blonde must be Angie, Steve thought. Peggy, Angie, Natasha, a little girl with blonde hair, and a teenage boy with dark hair standing in front of a castle wearing mouse ear hats. Pushing off the sofa Steve walked over to the fireplace mantle and picked up a framed picture of Peggy with a baby in her arms, Angie beside her, and gathered around them were Howard, some of the Howling Commandos, and a couple Steve didn't know. They seemed to be standing in a church and given the way the baby was dressed, it must have been Natasha's christeing. In each and every picture Peggy looked happy, full of joy, and as if she were just where she was meant to be.
Setting the picture back where it belonged he turned to Peggy and said, "Not going to lie Peg, it's a little strange, but I could never think bad of you. I'm happy you've had a good life, Peg, one full of love and joy."
"It has been, and continues to be." Peggy replied as she stood. "Would you like to meet Angie? She's in the kitchen keep Natasha distracted."
"Why would she need to be distracted?" Steve wondered.
Peggy laughed. "For a moment it seemed as if you might kiss me." Steve blushed and Peggy smiled. "Nattie is very protective of her mother and me."
"So your saying your wife is keeping me from getting shot by your daughter?" Steve chuckled.
"Pretty much." Peggy nodded.
Steve smirked. "Wouldn't be the first time a Carter shot at me for kissing the wrong girl."
Peggy laughed as she disappeared into the kitchen. Angie and Natasha were sitting at the kitchen table with mugs in their hands and a plate of cookies between them. She couldn't help but smile as she recalled all the times she's come home from work to find the pair like this, Angie helping Natasha with her homework or Natasha helping her Ma with dinner. It sent a warm burst of happiness through Peggy that centered in her heart and spread all the way out to her fingers and toes. It helped to ground her in the moment, in the present, which was much needed seeing as how her past was currently standing in her living room looking at the photographs that told the story of the happy moments of her life without him.
"You alright, English?" Angie asked, looking from their daughter to Peggy as her love moved across the room towards them.
"It's a bit surreal." Peggy admitted as she stood behind Natasha, putting her hands on the redhead's shoulders and giving them a reassuring and affection squeeze. "It's going to take some getting used to on everyone's part, I suspect."
"He hasn't said anything stupid has he?" Natasha asked, her voice as tense as her body. "Maybe I shouldn't have brought him here like this, without telling him more."
Peggy slid her arm around Natasha's shoulder and across her chest in a way that pulled her back so she could press her head against Peggy's abdomen. "He was a bit blindsided by the news but he hasn't said or done anything to hurt me, Nattie. Steve is someone you never have to worry about hurting me."
Reaching up with both hands Natasha grabbed hold of her mother's forearm. "I'll kick his ass if he does, super soldier serum be damned."
"I love you too, poppet." Peggy said, dropping a kiss to the top of her daughter's head. Then she looked over at her wife and smiled, "So, my love, would you like to meet Steve Rogers?"
"You bet your sweet curvy ass I do." Angie replied.
Natasha crinkled her nose, and then rolled her eyes when her Ma leaned forward in her chair to kiss the tip of her nose. She felt her Mum give her one more squeeze and then let her go to hold out her hand to Angie, and then Natasha followed them out to the living room after making up a tea and coffee tray. Honestly she was surprised her mothers hadn't offered Steve anything as soon as he walked in, but she guessed they were both a little off their game at the moment.
It didn't take long at all for Steve to see that Angie was everything he could have wanted for Peggy,. She was kind, strong, feisty, fully up to the task of dealing with Peggy Carter. He liked her a lot, and the fact that she was a Brooklyn girl only sealed the deal. She must have liked him too because she invited him to stay for dinner, insisted in fact.
Natasha watched all evening as a weight seemed to be lifted from her mother's shoulders. Guilt over never being able to find Steve or guilt over having lived a life he'd never had the chance to, she wasn't sure, perhaps a bit of both. She also noticed that for the first time since waking up Steve seemed relaxed, and for a few brief hours he didn't look like a man drowning as he tried to catch his breath. And she had to admit, she was enjoying hearing new stories about her mother.
"Laid him out flat with one punch." Steve laughed. "No one ever called her anything but her name again. Well, except Dum Dum, he was determined to get a nickname to stick."
Peggy groaned while Angie laughed. "He's still trying. Every once in awhile he'll call her Mrs. Union Jack."
"Ginger bastard." Peggy muttered affectionately.
After dinner Angie ordered Natasha into the kitchen to help her pack up some leftovers for Steve. "Is Clint in town, angel?"
"Yeah Ma, just got back yesterday." Natasha answers.
"We'll pack up some for him too and you can drop it off to wherever he's staying." Angie said.
Natasha snorted. "You mean my couch?"
Steve and Peggy retreated back to the living room to talk. Steve finally feeling comfortable enough to talk about why he needed to see her so badly, and Peggy feeling centered enough to give him advice. Their conversation was just winding down when the room suddenly filled with music, something slow but a bit more jazzy than big band, and when they both looked over towards the stereo Angie just gave them a shrug, a brilliant smile, and said, "It's almost eight o'clock."
Peggy lit up and if Steve had had any remaining doubts about her and Angie, they disappeared under the light in Peggy's eyes. When she turned to look at him he blushed a bit. "I still don't know how…"
"I'll show you." Peggy said softly.
Natasha watched from the doorway as her mother and Steve slow danced in the living room. When she felt her Ma step up behind her she smiled. "You're amazing, you know that?"
"Like I've said before, angel, your mother doesn't ask for much for herself." Angie replied. "The least we can give her, given them both, is closure. Besides, who am I to deny Captain American a dance with his best girl?"
"His best girl's wife!" Natasha said with a giggle as she was pulled back into the kitchen.