Under the Covers (Sequel to Refresher Course)

by CapandCarter

Once she's discovered their past connection, Peggy agrees to work with Captain Rogers undercover to try to out the last section of Hydra that's trying to slither away. But she doesn't expect Rogers to be so good at it. A little too good. Hijinks, capers, subterfuge, tropes galore, and *tension* ensue. Enjoy! Here is the sequel to Refresher Course. It will mostly be fu

9. Chapter 9

Peggy is on high alert as she follows Steve into the massive house. The only sound is quiet music coming from somewhere.

"—but I wanna stay with my dad." The kid protests, trying to wriggle from the arms of the skinny man named Edwin.

"Your father has some visitors he needs to speak with, come play with me and Mrs. Jarvis, hmm? She's made her famous toffee cookies?"

The sly bribery makes the kid hesitate and then he turns to his dad, "you call me if you need me?"

"Sure will, kiddo."

The kid puts his hand into Edwin's and they walk back out the door, sliding it closed behind them.

She glances at Steve who looks positively ghastly. Pale and stone faced, eyes staring at Howard so intensely she's worried he might spontaneously combust.

"So…" Howard starts, then he turns to Peggy, "I'm Howard Stark."

"Peggy Carter."

The man nods, "Carter. Heard a lot about you from Erskine. You're a damn good agent."

The words "I know" want to spring from her lips. But she just accepts the compliment with a nod of her head instead.

"So." Howard starts again. "You're here." Peggy waits for Steve to respond, but his mouth stays glued shut and she can see his pulse thudding in his neck. Howard steps to the kitchen, "Did Fury tell you?"

Steve's eyes glaze further and Peggy has to hold back her own scoff of indignation. Fucking Fury, that manipulative spy. "We didn't find you." Peggy says sharply, when she realizes Steve isn't going to be able to say anything at the moment, "we happened across Ana Jarvis at her shop. Steve recognized her immediately and we followed her."

Howard's brow furrows, "wait… what?"

"We're in Malibu on a mission." She says slowly, "finding you was accidental."

Howard's face pales, "what?"

Peggy scoffs, "you just said you would explain everything! Why are you acting surprised that we know nothing?!"

"I figured Fury gave you the bare bones like he always does and I would have to fill it in! I didn't know you guys—" his face goes sour and he reaches for a bottle sitting on the counter. But then his hand stops halfway and he curls his fingers into a tight fist and yanks open the refrigerator, pulling out a bottle of orange juice. "Shit." He looks up at Steve and his face turns really tired, "Steve?"

"You're dead." Steve finally whispers out, his throat low and harsh, "they told me you were dead."

"Shit." Howard sighs, "shit."

"As expressive as that is." Peggy snaps, "as someone completely unfamiliar with this story, can I please be enlightened?" She looks at Steve who just stands there, his face blank. So she turns to Howard, "well?"

He takes a gulp of orange juice, wiping off his mustache before leaning up against the large marble island. "I worked with Erskine to help him figure out his serum problems. He had the formula, I had the metaphorical needle and together we created magic." He gestures to Steve whose expression turns into a frown. Howard sighs, "well, we thought so anyway. But then Erskine gets killed and—" Steve's breathing shifts and Howard winces, "yeah that was a bad day all around." He takes another gulp, "I'm suddenly in charge of recreating the serum. But I can't, because I'm just the needle guy, right? I don't have the serum and Erskine did it all by memory or coded notes."

She remembers Steve's distraught words when they were still strangers back at the camp:

how Howard went nuts trying to recreate the serum, drinking himself into oblivion?

"I couldn't figure it out. I couldn't." He sighs, "and then Maria got pregnant and my priorities shifted…"

"I'm sorry I wasn't really there." Steve rasps out, "I wish you'd told me."

Howard wrinkles his nose, "Barnes had just died. It didn't feel like the right time, and you were… busy." Peggy's chest constricts. If the world thought Howard Stark was dead, then he probably hadn't been informed that Barnes was very much alive. "Then one night I get this strange feeling. Like someone had been in my lab. Stuff was just off. And at first I thought they were taking my notes on the serum I was trying to replicate. Only to realize they were stealing notes on my needle."

Peggy looks at him, "needle?"

"The sarcophagus. Hell, Steve called it the coffin. It's the thing we shoved him in that made the serum stick to his cells." Steve's eyes are closed and his hands are resting on the marble. But she can see the tension in his shoulders.

"And Fury got real nervous. Because Hydra had stolen the last vial of the serum. And if they had that, and they figured out my application process… well we were in big trouble."

"Why didn't you tell me?" Steve says roughly, speaking the first words he has since entering the room. "I could have helped—"

Howard's face grows somber, "Steve… After Barnes, you were a little busy taking down Hydra. One undercover mission after another. You were doing something. Then… you were preoccupied in the Valkyrie."

Peggy looks at Steve, "what's the Valkyrie?"

Steve flinches and Howard splutters, "what!? You—"

"It's not important right now." Steve says flatly, cutting him off, "but when I got back they told me you were dead. Why would they do that?"

"Because Hydra did try to kill me." He grimaces. "A few days after we lost contact with you in the Valkyrie, they…" he looks out the window, "they ran me and Maria off the road and took us hostage to a Hydra base." Steve's closed eyes open and they stare at Howard in shock. "They—" his voice changes, gets tougher, "they tortured her to get me to do what they wanted." His eyes get a tad wild and Peggy can hear her own heartbeat pulsing in her ears, "I had to Steve, I had to. She was still pregnant with Tony—" The painfully anguished expression on both their faces is heartbreaking, "they forced me. I had to."

"I understand." Steve says, his voice is wrenched tight, "You did what you had to do—"

Howard tosses the glass, shattering it against the wall, "you wouldn't be saying that if you knew what they made me do!" Howard hisses, "you'd hate me! That's why I told them not to tell you—" Howard clutches at his chest, breaths coming faster, "you'll hate me. I'm a coward."

"A coward for protecting your wife?" Peggy asks, "surely not."

"A coward because I gave Hydra what they wanted."

"You were under duress—"

"Would you have?" He stabs a finger at Peggy, "would you have given in?"

Her gaze stays on Howard, but her mind fills with Steve. If Hydra had been torturing him… would she have given in? Her chest constricts at the thought of anyone touching him.

"I don't know." She answers honestly, "it's possible. I've never been in your situation. But I still don't understand." She says, looking between the two men, "if you were captured…" she leaves the question open, but when Howard doesn't speak she prods, "what am I missing?"

"I was with Hydra for the better part of 7 months." He says without emotion, "we were right the whole time. They did have the vial of serum and they did want me to replicate my process with it. So they tortured Maria to get to me to do it." His face goes distraught, "and I did. I did what they wanted." He looks at Steve as if a man facing the gallows, "all that bluster from Phillips about how this program couldn't fall into the wrong hands, how we had to protect this secret with our lives and I gave in in minutes when they started hurting Maria."

"Howard—" Steve starts,

"No!" He shouts, "let me guess? You don't blame me? You don't think it's my fault. You understand, is that it?" He snarls, "but you don't. You can't, Steve because I did it. I figured it out. I gave Hydra the tools for their very own super soldier. I handed the enemy the secret." He's glaring at Steve as if he hopes Steve will be mad at him. "Hell, I worked with that little shit Zola and even figured out how to attach metal to human skin for some person they needed to be patch up." He scoffs at himself and then stabs at Steve, whose face is now sheet white, "Then they want me to make more serum. But I don't have more. The vial is gone, used up on someone they wouldn't even let me see! Wouldn't let me take his blood or anything. So they force me to start from scratch. But I'm not Erskine! Every formula I made turned their lab rats into psycho maniacs, ripping each other to shreds." He grimaces and then looks sick, "but still they pushed for human trials. So I did. Synthesized it for them."

The room is deadly still.

"And just like I told them. It wasn't ready. The 5 subjects tore through that base like it was cotton candy because their brains over heated and they went psychotic. They killed without discretion." He leans on the counter, his head dropping, "the only reason we survived was because we were in hidden cells. They didn't know we were there. Then later, once the screaming and the blood bath had stopped, one of the survivors came and let us out. He had a mask on so I couldn't see his face. But he pointed to Maria and her swollen belly and shoved us along until the door led us outside. Then he told us to 'head home'. But before I started walking I turned to him and I asked, "Шта је са војницима. Шта се десило са њима?'" Peggy translates the Serbian in her mind.

'what about the soldiers? What happened to them?'

And he looked at me through his dark goggles and said 'I killed them. Go home.'"

Howard pinches the bridge of his nose. "We ran. We ran and we didn't look back. We found a safe place to contact Fury and he picked us up and brought us home." He crouches down, staring at the shattered glass, "then they tried to get us one more time. Ambushing us at our house with Tony barely a month old and… and that's when Fury put us in Witpro."

Peggy is sliding pieces together in her mind. Very delicate and precarious puzzle pieces and she looks at Steve, wondering if he is figuring out the same thing she is.

"Howard—" she starts, but Steve cuts her off.

"But why not let me know you were alive?" He asks, hurt coloring his words, "I thought—" and Peggy hears a vulnerability in Steve's voice she hasn't heard since Alabama, "I thought I lost everyone."

"I didn't think you'd want to even look at me." Howard admits, "you used to carry around bleach just to ensure your blood didn't get in their clutches. You were so careful about not letting Hydra get their hands on the serum—" he frowns and picks up a large chunk of glass, "I figured you'd hate me. I did everything I wasn't supposed to. I was weak."

And it strikes Peggy that Howard may not know Steve very well at all.

Steve's voice is angry now, "and what, you think I would have told you to let her die? That this serum is so fucking important that Maria should die for the secret?"

Howard looks up in surprise, confusion and defensiveness in his tone, "I'm just saying you would have figured out a way to not give them the serum and get Maria out safely. I failed her, I failed you, and I failed Erskine." And Peggy is thrown back to words that were spoken to her long ago 'he hates how they put him on a pedestal' Howard's voice gets tight, "Erskine died trying to keep it out of their hands. And I just gave it to them." The guilt, years of it built up, weighs heavily from Stark. "When they found you… I… Fury asked if I wanted to go see you and I said no. I couldn't face you. Not after what I did."

"And what did you do, huh?" Steve asks, knuckles knocking hard on the surface, "you kept your wife and your son alive." Steve's face is earnest and serious, "maybe you lost that battle of them getting the serum, but they haven't won the war, and they won't." He glares at Howard, "and how dare you assume anything. I would have rather had you working by my side to figure this out. Don't you think it would have been important for me to know there was another super—" his voice cuts off and his eyes widen, and he turns to Peggy and the haze of all the muddled conversation with Howard clears and she sees him snap the pieces together. Coming to the same conclusion. "Oh—"

"Hmm." Peggy agrees, "I believe so."

Steve leans over, hand in his hair and shaking his head in disbelief.

"What?" Howard asks, "what?"

"You didn't lose that battle." Peggy says softly, "well, maybe at first, but we got them in the end."

"What are you talking about?"

"Bucky." Steve rasps out, "it was Bucky."

"What was Bucky?"

Peggy opens her mouth at the same time Steve does, but they say two different things.

"The subject with the original vial—" Steve says.

"The guard who freed you—" Peggy says at the same time.

They turn and look at each other and blink.

Steve nods, "you're right. I bet he was the guard who freed them."

She gasps, "the arm, he did the arm." She points to Howard.

Steve's voice is a bit manic but he's nodding, "geez."

"Excuse me?" Howard asks again, his voice sharp.

"Bucky is alive." Steve says softly, "just like you. He's not dead. Hydra had him too. And the person they used that vial on? The first one? That was him. That's why they wouldn't let you see him. Bucky thought it was all Zola… but it makes way more sense that he had you there helping him. And Bucky lost an arm… so the arm you made… that's his too."

Peggy nods, "and I'd bet my nan's house that the guard who let you free was him. He said he had to have constant resets. So his mind was buried there somewhere. Maybe he recognized you, maybe he didn't, but he knew a woman in need of help and he freed you."

Howard sinks from his crouch straight to his knees, "what?" His voice is desperate and lost, "what?"

"Your so-called 'mistake' allowed Barnes to survive long enough to come back home."

Howard buries his face in his hands and he starts to cry. Steve moves quickly, kneeling beside him, "I'm so sorry." He says quietly, "I'm so sorry you and Maria went through all that. I wish—"

"Oh shut up with your guilt." Howard snaps, a wet laugh following quickly after, "you better not try to somehow make this your fault."

And Peggy corrects her earlier thought, maybe Howard does know Steve after all.

"I can't believe Barnes is alive." Howard says for the 50th time. They're sitting at the counter. Steve having filled Howard in on the whole issue with Hydra and the suspected moles. And Howard filling Steve in on the details from the last half a decade of their time in Witpro.

"He's here. In Malibu." Steve replies, "I know you guys only met like twice before the train but he'll be happy you're alive. You and he are the only ones who remember me before."

Howard grins, the first genuine smile Peggy has seen. "Speaking of." He turns and disappears, coming back a few minutes later. "When Phillips died, Fury sent me some of his old files."

—

Howard returns and he slaps a folder down on the counter and gestures for Steve to open it. "Never let it be said that Phillips was sentimental. But…"

Steve flips open the folder and there's his old enlistment form. And his picture. He looks up to Howard, "I thought they destroyed all these."

"I thought so too. With the whole persona and everything, but I guess Phillips kept one."

Peggy steps forward, "one what?"

And suddenly Steve feels unsure of what her reaction will be. But he hands it over, "that's me."

He watches her reaction carefully. At first it is surprise, and then his heart melts as something terribly soft and tender enters her expression.

"Well," she says with a smile, "I always wondered if the serum gave you your good looks. But I'm happy to see you had those before." He hears the surprised sound from Howard but Steve's too busy looking at her in shock, she raises an eyebrow at him. "Do you take after your mother?" He nods, unable to form a response. "Well she must have been gorgeous then." Peggy smiles and goes to hand back the photo. He reaches for it but then she pauses, "actually, do you mind if I keep this?"

Howard makes another choked sound of surprise, but Steve just blinks, "uh, why?"

And the smirk she gives him is positively radiant. "Because somewhere, in your home or office or somewhere is a sketch of me. And I find it only fair that I have something of you." Steve feels his mouth gape open and she raises an eyebrow, challenging him to deny it. But he can't. It's true. "Hmm, exactly," she says, taking the photo back and carefully placing it in her back pocket. "Now we're even."

"I'm sorry." Howard says, a full grin on his face, "what the hell is happening?"

Steve feels the flush starting at his neck and he wills it to go away. the clock on the oven gates at him. "Where is Maria?"

"Visiting her far removed cousin. Thankfully one that doesn't draw suspicion."

They nod and Peggy tilts her head. "I had heard that Stark Industries was still functioning, but just under new management… is that you?"

Howard laughs, "yeah, I have some power hungry idiot named Obadiah as my figurehead right now, he's got no idea that the 'silent majority' is just me. But it works for now until I can come out of hiding."

"We're going to make sure that is as soon as possible." Steve states firmly, "we're going to make sure you're safe."

Just then the back door opens and in walks Edwin carrying a sleeping Tony.

"Sorry to interrupt, sir." The man says, "thought I should bring him to his bed."

"Yeah for sure." Howard says, "thanks, J."

"Of course, sir." The man disappears around the corner and up the stairs.

"We should get going." Peggy says, looking at her phone, "it's been a lot longer than we planned and we need to meet up with the others."

Steve nods, then he looks at Howard, "it's really good to see you."

"I'm sorry." Howard says, looking worried, "I shouldn't have hidden from you."

Steve frowns, "I'm sorry you felt like you had to. That I gave the impression I would be—"

"No." Howard cuts him off. "No. This is not on you. It's on me. I wish I could do more to—" He pauses and then snaps his fingers. "Wait here!"

He opens a door that Steve hadn't even noticed since it was so well hidden and he hears the clank of gears. Howard descends and disappears.

Peggy blinks, "is that a sort of dumbwaiter?"

Steve shrugs, "you never know with Howard."

A few minutes later, Howard ascends and steps out of the metal box, closing the door, locking it behind him.

"Here." He shoves 4 see through cloth type things into Steve's hands.

"What are these?"

Howard picks one up and sets it against his face, pressing something in the forehead. It aligns to his skull structure and then he presses something along his jaw. Lights and coding flicker across and then suddenly his face is gone, replaced with a new one.

"What the hell—" Steve says in surprise, blinking at the now generic face staring at him.

"Cool, right?" Howard slides it back off his face and it goes blank. "Great for disguises. Works better without facial hair but it can manage."

"That's amazing." Peggy breaths out, "fantastic!"

Howard grins, "I've got a lot of free time on my hands now. Speaking of which." He reaches into his pocket and pulls out something small and gold. "I made this for Maria, but she said the color was too strong for her, so I made her a lighter one. But I think it will suit you just swell." He hands it to her and Steve watches as Peggy examines it. She turns it over in her hands and looks up with a smile.

"Sweet dreams?"

"A real doozy of a shade. Good for those who get a little too fresh if you know what I mean." Peggy laughs and Steve waits for an explanation but none is forthcoming.

"We really should go." Peggy says again. "But it was nice to meet you Howard."

"And you, Agent Carter. Hopefully we can meet again soon."

She nods, shaking his head and then he turns to Steve. "Say hello to the commandos for me."

"You're okay with them knowing you're alive?"

Howard nods, "yeah, I trust them. And I hope to not need to hide for very much longer."

Steve shakes his hand, "I plan to make sure of that."

—

The walk back to the car is silent and Peggy studies Steve's face, trying to gauge his thoughts.

But he just seems pensive. Lost deep in his own mind.

He starts the rental and they drive it back to the lot. Leaving it there and wiping their prints off it.

They walk back on the 101, towards the house.

"So…" she broaches, "big developments."

Steve snorts, "I swear if I find out Phillips or my ma isn't dead I'll lose it."

"That's quite the macabre level of humor."

He rolls his eyes at her briefly before looking up to the moonlight, "I just…" he shrugs, "the fact that Howard kept the fact that he was alive from me. I must have done something to make him feel like I would react negatively and I—"

"Oh for bloody sakes." She sighs, "Howard specifically told you not to go and make it your fault. Yet, here you are."

He glares at her softly, "I'm just saying."

"Well shut up." She snaps, resting her hand on his arm. "He went through something quite traumatic and people react in all sorts of ways. It's resolved now. Don't waste time focusing on what could have been different."

He nods and it's quiet for a bit as they walk in the cool fall night.

They turn right into their driveway when she blinks and stops. "What is that?"

She points to something attached to their large ornate gate and Steve steps forward.

An envelope with their names on the outside.

Finn & Ana

Steve opens it cautiously and a thick card with elegant writing becomes visible.

Steve hands the note to her and she reads it.

Join us at 28808 Cliffside Dr.

9a.m.

Don't be late.

-G

"And so it begins." She says ominously.

"So it does."

—

When they get close, they see a note taped to the door.

On beach

So she and Steve head around the house and out to the ocean.

—

Natasha sits, leaning against Barnes' chest as they approach.

Peggy smiles at the fact that they seem very much at ease and relaxed. And she wonders if Barnes even knows or remembers what he did. How he saved Howard and Maria. If it was him.

"Where the hell have you guys been?" Barnes asks, head angling back as he watches them approach. "We've been waiting for hours."

Peggy looks to Steve who sighs and slowly sits down, watching the waves, "another Lazarus."

Peggy lets out a small humor filled huff and Barnes looks at them, "come again?"

"Howard Stark is alive." Natasha's neck snaps towards Steve and her eyes go wide, matching Barnes'. So he must not remember she muses.

"What!"

Steve nods, his voice quiet with the roar of the ocean behind it. "He's here in Malibu. He's in Witpro."

Barnes furrows his brow, "Um, what? Why?"

Steve starts at the beginning, giving a shorter and much more succinct version than they had gotten. But then he gets to the part where Howard is kidnapped and forced to recreate the process.

Barnes' hands clench tightly on Natasha's knees and she rests her hands on his. "He didn't know." Steve says softly, "had no idea the arm he was making or the successful serum was for you."

Then he moves on, telling of the unsuccessful trials and how a man with a covered face rescued them.

"We think it was you."

Peggy watches and Barnes' eyes widen, "what?"

"Try to think back, do you remember releasing a guy with a mustache and a blonde woman who would have been very pregnant? This would have been right after the other failed experiments tore down the base."

Peggy does not miss the fact that Steve has yet to mention the 'I killed them' portion.

It's long minutes as Barnes' eyes are far away.

"I—" he starts, shaking his head as if to clear cobwebs, "I think I do remember that. Was this in Serbia?"

Steve nods, "yeah."

Barnes smiles, "I don't remember clear details, bu I remember the pregnant lady. She was so big, it like… broke my programming. I couldn't think past the fact that this was a lady who needed help. Remember when our moms would help all the ladies in the neighborhood?"

Steve nods, "yeah." His expression is soft,

"I think I just remembered seeing her be pregnant and knowing she needed to get out. That was Maria Stark?"

Peggy nods, "indeed, and now there's a little Anthony Stark running around thanks to you placing pressure sensors in the ground."

Natasha and Barnes both look at her, "what?"

Steve laughs, "Apple doesn't fall too far from the tree."

Bucky looks over, "did you just laugh?"

An exasperated sigh from Steve has Peggy smirking, "I won back in Hawaii. No prize for you."

He glares at her, "and you didn't tell me?"

She feels Steve's curious gaze on her, "you didn't tell them?"

Peggy suddenly feels self-conscious. "I hadn't yet. Speaking of interesting things." She says, switching the subject, "I've got something quite interesting I think Barnes will like to see." She reaches into her back pocket and stops. Her chest constricts, "oh no—" she stands, checking both her back pockets and then her two front just in case, "oh no!"

"What?" Natasha asks, "what's wrong?"

She turns to Steve, "your picture, it's missing—" except Steve has a guilty look on his face. "Steven."

He winces, "yes?"

"Stand up."

His eyes stay on the sand. "I don't want to."

She can feel Barnes' and Natasha's curious eyes on them.

"Did you take my picture?"

"First, it's not your picture. It's mine. And no, I didn't."

Her mouth gapes open, "you're lying! Stand up right this instant!"

And then he looks at her with a challenging eyebrow raise and crosses his arms over his chest. "No."

"Steven Rogers, if you do not give me back the photo this instant—"

"I don't have it."

"—I will tackle you."

The threat hangs in the air alongside his lie.

She hears an excited sound from Barnes that Natasha hushes with a soft chuckle.

She takes a step forward and he braces himself, looking ready to take her weight should she decide to actually tackle him.

And it's such an inviting opportunity that she can't resist. She launches herself at him, landing the majority of her weight against his chest and forcing him to topple backwards. But he's like a wall and the air leaves her as well. She sucks in a breath and tries to reach for his belt loop, wanting to reach in his back pocket. But a firm hand grabs her wrist and halts her movement. Then suddenly she's twisted up and both her wrists are being held by one of his hands while he shoves her hips off him and onto the sand. She hits the ground and the pressure releases as he drops her wrists and moves backwards away from her.

Indignation at having been so easily disposed makes her bristle.

She stands brushing herself off and looks at him. He's on his feet now too, eyeing her warily.

"How in the hell did you get it out of my pocket without me noticing?" She snarls, eyeing him with a narrowed glare.

And the grin he gives her makes the beach tilt on its axis, his eyes flash mischievously in the moonlight as he straightens, "maybe you're overestimating your abilities as a spy."

She hears a gasp from Natasha behind her but she's not listening. She charges forward and feigns a duck but instead leaps. Landing her knees against his chest again and forcing them both down. She lands on his ribs and she hears the way his breath leaves him. Sand flies everywhere and she scrambles to get her hands in his pockets, but he regains his wits quickly and suddenly she's being lifted in the air. His hands on her waist and away from him. She kicks out, but he twists, avoiding it,

And she yelps as he drops her the short distance to the sand.

"Go for his legs!" She hears Barnes shout.

"Yeah, Carter." Steve says with a smug expression, "go for my legs."

She doesn't know who this man is in front of her, but she wants to find out.

"Get him Carter!" She hears Natasha call over the distance their scuffle has separated them by.

"Why are you both on her side?" Steve snaps back, rolling his eyes.

"You always win." Barnes fake pouts, "let someone else for a change."

"I do not—" Steve starts to say, but he's cut off by Peggy who does indeed go for his legs, sweeping them out from under him. He manages to catch himself before he fully hits the ground, but she reaches out, shoving him off balance with her hands and he rolls, sand covering him. She covers the foot of distance and lands on his back, forcing him face down into the sand. He splutters and pushes himself up, tilting her weight backwards. she yelps and grabs at his shirt collar as he stands, her legs wrapping around his thighs as she slides down. Quickly she reaches into his left back pocket only to find sand.

"Hey!" He shouts, reaching around to try to get ahold of her.

She's at just the right place where he can't get a good angle. So she yanks her legs which are wrapped around his, pulling them towards her torso, and he stumbles, giving her a precious second to reach into his other back pocket.

"Ah-ha!" She cries, yanking out the picture and letting herself fall onto the sand. "I win."

Steve whirls around and sees the picture in her hand. He lunges forward and tries to snatch it but she yanks it away. "Uh-uh." She waggles a finger at him, "I'll give it back when I get to see the sketch."

He groans, "but that's all the way back in Brooklyn!"

She gasps, "so there is a sketch!"

He sinks to his knees, flopping backwards, laying horizontally on the sand. "You already knew there was."

She crawls forward, feeling positively victorious and haughty. Sitting right beside his chest and drumming her fingers on his sternum. "I assumed." She says smugly, "you had never confirmed."

He glares at her, but there's no real heat in it. "Well, now you know. Can I have my picture back?"

"That's not the deal and you know it."

He sighs and stares up at the moon.

Peggy looks over to Natasha and Barnes who are staring at them in shock, but Barnes looks ready to explode with giddiness.

She waves him off and he laughs, hugging Natasha tightly and kissing her cheek. She laughs in response and presses a kiss to his lips.

Peggy looks back to Steve who has his eyes closed, his face and hair just glowing in the moonlight and she wishes she had the courage to do the same in this moment.

—-

They walk back slowly to the house and as they near it, Natasha speeds up to walk next to Steve and Peggy drops back to walk near Barnes.

Steve and Natasha wave goodnight as they head inside the main house and Peggy's about to open their door when a hand grabs her and pulls her back. Barnes leads her far enough away so they can talk.

"Yes?"

Barnes smiles, "I just…" he looks to the door they had just disappeared through. "I've never…" his face goes into a soft sort of frown, "honestly thinking about it now it's kind of sad, but I've never really seen him tease and play with someone. Sure the commandos used to joke around and they would tease him but it was mostly one sided. He was always so serious. Even when we were kids and…" he sighs, "I just never saw him fully relaxed or having fun. Not really. So that—" he points to the beach, "if that's what you being around him does?" He leans forward and kisses her on the cheek, before looking her earnestly in the eyes, "thank you. Whatever you need, whenever you need me. I'm there. Anyone who can get Steve to wrestle in sand and—" his smile grows brighter, "hell, he teased you! Full on flirted! I've never seen him do that. Not ever."

Warmth blooms in her chest and she smiles back, "I think having two best friends back from the dead helps."

He nods, "sure. Sure. But we're not the ones rolling around on the beach with him."

She laughs and he points to her pocket. "So what's the picture?" She pulls it out and hands it to him. Barnes looks at it in surprise and looks at her, "and what did you think?"

She rolls her eyes, "what the hell do you think I think? He's as handsome in that photo as he is right now, and I told him that very thing."

He crushes her in another hug and kisses her cheek again fiercely. "God bless you, Peggy Carter."

She laughs and shoves him off, "what, do I come off as vain? Hmm?"

He laughs and he starts walking back towards the pool house. But this time she catches his wrist, halting him. He looks at her curiously and she sighs. "The 5 other soldiers. The ones who got the bad serum. Do you remember any of them?"

His expression darkens briefly before turning sad, "I remember all of them."

—-

Steve wakes and finds Natasha curled up against him again. He's noticing the pattern. She runs cold and is drawn to his warmth. He smiles and shakes his head, one of the few people to do so. When her alarm goes off she stretches like a cat and then rolls to face him, "are you nervous for today?" She asks, already in character.

He gently brushes her cheek with the back of his fingers, "No. whatever they want me to prove, I'm willing to prove."

"Do you want to bring Rory and Lily?"

"I want them to be involved in the family as well, so yes, I feel like they should come."

She nods and kisses him cheek. "I'll get some breakfast started."

He grabs her wrist. "No, I will." He kisses her cheek and gets up, stretching and grabbing a shirt.

"Can I have French toast?" She asks with a giggle.

He raises a brow, "of course. Any other requests?"

"French toast and your famous coffee, and the breakfast potatoes you make."

She smiles at him, and he laughs, "you got it."

As he walks down the stairs, he chuckles to himself. She'd just listed Bucky's favorite meal.

He pulls out the bowls and whisk and gets started.

—

Peggy steps into the house and inhales. "My that smells amazing." She comments, finding Steve working in the kitchen.

"There's plenty for you and Rory too. We need to be leaving by 8:30."

"Of course, sir." Peggy says with a nod, "I'll go tell him."

—

They pull up to the large house and get out. Peggy watches them all subtly check their weapons as they approach the front gate.

Someone beeps them through and they enter the foyer.

"Welcome!" A man that she does not recognize says to the group. "I am Petrov, and we are excited to see you all here."

Natasha hugs him and introduces them one by one.

"Well," he says with a clap of his hands, "Grigory is waiting for you all down below. Come, come."

He leads them to an elevator that they take down several stories. Peggy feels Barnes' breathing change, and she knows Steve does as well because his eyes flick to him briefly. They step out and walk down a long marble hallway. They walk long enough that Peggy suspects they are no longer under the house.

"Here we test lots of things to see where you fit into the group." Petrov says with a grin, "we already know Ana's skills." He winks at Natasha, who winks back. "But we know not yours." He enters a code and a large metal door opens.

It's a training room, or something similar. She sees a gun range far to her left, and a sparring mat. Then other choice weapons laid out in a row. Comfortable chairs and tables are around. And she sees three men approaching them.

"Ana, Finn, it is good to see you again."

Peggy watches as Steve and Natasha both incline their heads in a show of respect to the man. This must be Grigory. Then she studies the two hulking figures behind him. and suddenly she has a bad feeling about what Steve is going to have to do.

"Come," Grigory says, motioning them to follow him to a set of leather seats, "let's discuss the future and the family, hmm?"

—

Natasha is tucked onto Steve's lap. Her side presses against his chest as he draws lazily circles on the skin of her thigh that is facing them.

Barnes stands behind Peggy's chair, eyes on Grigory as he explains the need for assurance in their family.

"We don't like to not know who is fighting for us, you understand?"

"I do." Steve agrees easily, "what can I do?"

"Well, Ana tells me great stories about your skills. Let's begin with those."

They walk to a table lined with pistols. "How is your marksmanship?" Grigory asks with a snake-like smile.

Steve gestures to the targets. Which would you like me to hit?"

"As many as you can." Grigory says in an amused challenging tone.

Steve selects a Glock .9 and loads it efficiently.

He steps to the target and fires three times. Peggy blinks and is surprised to see only one bullet hole. Her brow furrows, had he missed the other two times?

Then he steps to the next target and fires three times again. Same thing, only one bullet hole. "Rory, taught me that trick." Steve says, gesturing to Barnes. "He's a better aim than I."

Then it strikes Peggy what just happened. He hit the exact same place all three shots.

"Is that so?" Grigory asks in surprise, "show me." Barnes steps forward, picks up a .45 and proceeds to fire 3 shots.

Only one bullet hole.

Awe fills Peggy but she keeps her face cool and collected. It makes sense, but it's still hard to fathom.

"Impressive." Grigory says, looking a bit more gleeful as he points to the rifles, "how are you with long range?"

"I'm worse." Steve admits with a smile, "but Rory is better."

Grigory's eyes get excited. "Show me."

Steve shoots with a rifle and the bullet hole is wider this time. As if he still hit the same mark but all three bullets weren't exactly in place.

But Barnes picks up the rifle and fires 6 shots, one right after the other and Peggy wants to gasp at the way there's still one perfectly precise bullet hole that all 6 went through.

Steve laughs, "now you can see why I chose him to be my bodyguard."

"Indeed."

Barnes nods, sets down the rifle and stands back next to her.

"Well done." She whispers to his sensitive ears. His head dips infinitesimally.

Next was knives. Steve throws those with deadly accuracy, and they have a long discussion of materials and suppliers that Peggy listens to, mentally jotting down names that Grigory mentions.

"What about computers?" Grigory asks, "did the Irish ever evolve to trust technology?"

The subtle digs at the Irish are a test. She can tell Grigory is trying to see if he can get under Steve's skin.

But it doesn't work. Steve chuckles knowingly. "They try. But it's hard to teach old dogs new tricks. If I need something done on a computer, I ask this one." He points to Natasha who smirks at him and as if on cue pulls out her phone.

"Well." Grigory says, and Peggy can sense some sort of excitement in it. "Anastasia has told us of your fighting prowess, let us finish with that for today."

One of the hulking figures steps forward and Grigory points to him. "This is Diev. He is one of our best fighters. He will assess your fighting skills."

Even without him doing it externally, she can sense Barnes' internal sigh. And she feels similarly.

—

Steve stares at the man in front of him. Peggy, Bucky, and Natasha stand off to the side, watching with careful eyes as the man cracks his neck and knuckles.

"Come on, Irishman," His voice is thickly accented, "show me what you have."

Steve tilts his head and gestures for the man to begin.

—

Natasha gasps as Steve makes quick work of the man he's fighting. Peggy stands still as Steve gestures for the man to start, and then quick as a flash, knees him in the chest, drops his foot, dashing it harshly from side to side to unsettle the man into almost the splits, and then yanks him forward and off balance. As the man stumbles, Steve steps around and then kicks out, his boot connecting with the man's back and he goes splaying forwards.

Steve straightens and waits.

Peggy's not sure what she expects but Grigory cursing is not it.

"Blasted Irish and their dirty tricks!" The man seethes, stepping onto the mat and pointing at Steve. "If you are to join this family then you must fight like this family."

Natasha steps forward, "I'm sorry. I should have told him. I didn't know this was happening today."

Grigory gives her a tight smile. "It is alright little one, you are not expected to be kept abreast of the way the mans' world works." Peggy feels her blood bristle at the comment but she stays quiet, as does Natasha. "Kneel." Peggy blinks up in surprise as Grigory points to Steve and commands him to kneel.

Steve sinks to his knees without hesitation.

"In this family there are consequences for your actions. We will have none of that Irish scum and their dirty tactics. We will beat it from your system. You have been tainted but we will make you clean as a Russian snowfall. Understood?"

Steve nods.

"Diev?"

The hulking man looks furious and steps forward. "How many times did he make contact with your body?"

Peggy counts back. Knee to chest, both his ankles, pulled forward, and then kicked in the back.

"пять."

Five.

"Then you must strike back five times." Grigory turns to Steve, "are you willing to receive the punishment for your wrong doings?"

"Yes." Steve says easily, staring Grigory directly in the eyes, "I apologize for my actions."

"Lessons learned the hard way stick, do they not?" And he says this with such glee Peggy can't shake the thought that he intended for this very thing to happen. Grigory steps aside and gestures for Diev to begin. The man, who looks furious at Steve for humiliating him, steps forward, reels back his fist, and slams it across Steve's cheek bone with a crack that fills the room.

Steve's head moves with the movement, reeling back and making his body off balance for a second before he catches himself.

Grigory is off to the side looking on impassively. "One."

Peggy can feel the absolute tension radiating off of Barnes.

Diev shakes his right hand subtlety and reels his left hand back, catching Steve's temple and knocking him sideways. Peggy's breath catches in her throat as it looks like he's struggling to stay upright. His hand slips on the floor but he catches himself on his elbow and pushes himself back up, kneeling again. She can't tell if it's a show for them or not. But the bruising she can see forming is not.

"Shit." She hears Barnes whisper so quietly that she almost believes she imagined it, "shit."

"Two."

Diev reels back his right fist again and this time aims for Steve's mouth.

Blood is immediately visible from his lips cutting against his teeth as his head flies back. Diev this time lets out a grunt of pain, shaking his hand, and Grigory eyes him in annoyance.

"Three."

She's almost for sure it's for show as Steve shakily straightens back up, sitting on his heels, knees still in the same place. Steve looks up to Diev and waits, eyes expectant.

When Diev doesn't move to strike again. Steve looks at Grigory in confusion.

Grigory looks at Diev and his eyes flash. "Again."

Peggy can now see the bruises forming on his knuckles. A smile almost escapes. At least he will feel the pain of having hurt Steve in some way.

His left hand pulls back and he uppercuts Steve. Making his knees lift off the ground just a bit with the strength behind it. Peggy can see Steve panting, eyes tight, and again she can't tell if it's for show, but it's painful to watch either way.

"Four."

Dieve nods and rubs at his knuckles before reeling back with his right hand and smashing it against the bridge of Steve's nose.

Diev lets out a shout of pain, shaking his hand forcefully.

Steve's head snaps back and she watches as he makes no motion to catch himself. Letting his back smack against the sparring mat. Then he slowly pushes himself back into the kneeling position. His nose looks a tad off and there's blood pouring from it. He spits onto the mat, his teeth gruesome and bloody. But he waits, looking at Grigory.

The man studies him before nodding, "five. Stand."

Steve stands, blood coating his face, beard, and the front of his shirt and he waits.

"Do you understand this lesson, Finnick?"

"I do." Steve's Irish lilt is stronger, his nasal passage more blocked, "and my mistake won't happen again. I look forward to learning how to properly fight from you."

Brief surprise flashes before it's schooled into amusement. "Yes, of course. We will discuss this at dinner tomorrow evening. Meet back here at 8pm."

He gestures to Natasha who sprints forward. And Peggy watches with an ache in her chest as genuine concern floods Natasha's face as she gently places the palm of her hand against his non-bruised cheek.

"I'm sorry to have embarrassed you." Steve says softly, still very aware that Grigory is listening.

Natasha gets on her tippy toes and kisses his cheek, "we all make mistakes. You will do better next time."

Steve nods and lets Natasha take his hand, leading him off the sparring mat.

Peggy's eyes get wide as he gets closer. It looks even worse up close, the bruising and the way his nose is off kilter. Barnes looks completely passive, but she knows him well enough to know he's furious.

"Let's go get some food." Natasha suggests, holding Steve's arm and smiling at him, "and some ice, hmm?"

Steve nods and winks at her and the other goon who is still nameless leads the way back towards the elevator.

—

It's late afternoon as they pull into a little beach parking lot.

When they step out of the car, Peggy is surprised that Natasha is the first to react. "That bastard!"

She tugs Steve forward to a bench and shoves him down on it, leaning close to his face and peering at the bruising.

"It's fine—" Steve starts to brush it off.

"No." She snaps. "He did that shit on purpose!"

"Yeah," Steve rolls his eyes, "we knew he was going to test me, that's the point."

"Yeah but he told me he was going to see your skills. Not how you fight like a Russian! He set me up to ensure you failed—"

"It's not your fault." Steve responds, looking at her with a shrug, "he wanted to make sure I was submissive. I got no problem with that."

"Steve." Barnes says sharply, "you—"

"Guys." Steve snaps, annoyance in his expression, "you're acting like one, I've never had the shit beaten out of me, which I have. Multiple times. Most before I had a body that could take it. And second, what was I supposed to do? Rip his head off? Not exactly the best way to earn their trust. And Bucky, you'll only have to redo it a few times—"

Barnes curses at the same time that Natasha looks at them in confusion, "what?"

And it hits Peggy what he means. "He heals too quickly. If we're to meet up with Grigory tomorrow, the bruises and cuts will be too far healed by then. Barnes will have to replicate them."

"I swear you do this shit on purpose." Barnes snaps at Steve.

Steve scoffs, "what you think I like this?" He gestures to his face, and the frown he makes then turns into a wince as it tears at his lip and it starts bleeding again. "You think I like pain?"

Barnes is gearing up to say something Peggy knows they don't have the time for.

"Stop." She orders, "we're losing focus. We need to figure out Grigory's game because he obviously still distrusts Steve and we will be here forever if we don't rectify that." She glares at the three of them. "I understand it's hard to work undercover with all of us, we're too—-" words shuffle through her head: volatile, comfortable, familiar, in love. Before she settles on, "protective. We have to embody our characters or they'll catch us being mad about Steve being hurt. Before she can stop herself, she reaches out and brushes her thumb against his bleeding bottom lip, feeling how soft it was under her touch. Silence follows as she retracts her hand. Steve's eyes on hers. "Tomorrow at dinner we must be perfect."

Natasha sighs and nods, "you're right. We will be."

Barnes is still glaring off at the ocean but he nods.

Steve is still looking at her, the bruises changing colors as they start to heal. His eyes are electric with the fading sunlight and something charges in the way they look at each other. It's broken by Natasha turning towards the sidewalk, "Angiano's is this way."

Steve stands, and follows after her.

"You going to be alright?" Peggy asks Barnes quietly as he walks beside her.

"Thrilled." He growls out, "fucking thrilled I get to add to his fucking torture vendetta for himself. Love it."

"This wasn't in his control." Peggy tries.

"It wasn't?" Barnes asks sarcastically. "Somehow it always works out this way. Him taking the brunt of the hit."

"He was your captain." She tries again, "sort of his job."

He glares at her, "whose side are you on?"

"Are you on opposite sides?"

"When it comes to whether he deserves to be tortured, yeah."

She links her arm through his and smirks at him, "I'd be happy to punch you five times if it would make you feel better."

He glares at her and she laughs, hearing the bell jingle as Natasha and Steve enter the door to the restaurant.

—-

"Hey Rory, wanna take a run on the beach?"

Both Natasha and she look up from their laptops immediately, it's an unusual request, out of the ordinary.

And Barnes nods, "sure." They walk out the door and Natasha looks at Peggy, something curious under her calm expression.

"Why let the boys have all the fun?" Peggy says, "want to go tan for a bit?"

Natasha smiles, "you're a genius. I'll go change into my bathing suit." She winks at Peggy and then goes up stairs quickly.

Peggy stands and slides the door open and closed behind her. She hasn't even looked at the suits that were packed for her.

—-

"Holy hell." Natasha gasps as she steps out from the back gate and catches sight of Peggy. "You're trying to kill him?"

Peggy turns slowly towards her. "No. Why would you think that?" She eyes Natasha suit, a black bikini with bright red threading.

"Because you're wearing that." She points at Peggy's suit, "where the hell did you get that anyway? It looks… gorgeous and vintage!"

"I didn't pack this!" Peggy scoffs, "if you'll remember that I received this suitcase from shield." She shifts her towel to her other arm.

Natasha circles her and sighs, "I guess it makes sense."

Peggy furrows her brows, "what do you mean?"

"Fury packed Steve's clothes all a size too tight."

Her mouth gapes open for a moment, "he what?" She had noticed, but now knowing the reason she huffs, "that one eyed bastard!"

Natasha laughs, "he can hold a grudge. What did you do to him?"

"Me? Nothing! Steve's the one who pissed him off. And he's been relentless since!"

They start walking and Natasha looks at her, "you look like a model. It's not fair. You're even wearing lipstick."

Peggy laughs and shakes her curls, "let's just go find out what this 'run' is actually about."

—-

Except it becomes crystal clear when they're about to cross over into the public section of the beach and they hear a huff of air.

Someone in pain.

"ah geez!" They hear Barnes exclaim, "that's why I should have used my right!"

Natasha's stepping forward when Peggy grabs her hand, forcing her to stop.

"You woulda broke your knuckles." She hears Steve respond, and then spit, "it's fine, it will heal by tonight."

"If I have to do that again tomorrow I'm going to lose it."

"It's fine, Buck. Doesn't bother."

"Steve." Barnes starts, then he pauses and Natasha looks at her with a raised eyebrow, the roar of the ocean a constant background noise. "You and—"

"Natasha's a cuddler." Steve says flatly. Cutting Barnes off. "She runs cold and she cuddles."

Peggy turns to Natasha who looks at her and shrugs unapologetically while mouthing 'sorry'. But Peggy doesn't really care, she's more interested in why Steve chose to say that.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Barnes huffs in annoyance. "Stop changing the subject."

"I'm just making sure you know that before you say anything else stupid that we have an audience. Isn't that right Natasha? You run cold?"

"Damn." Peggy mutters, "forgot about his bat hearing."

They step forward around the brush and onto the small walkway that's hidden from the public beach goers. "Oops." Natasha says, "we just were coming out to tan."

Steve and Bucky turn towards them and the girls stop. Steve's face is freshly beaten and he catches her eyes almost apologetic. She steps forward tossing her towel onto the sand, "what is that!"

She points to a cut on his temple and Barnes groans, "an accident." He flexes his metal arm and their earlier conversation makes sense.

"We needed to do it early-ish so that it would be the proper amount of healed before the dinner tonight." Steve says easily, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. "The cut should be mostly gone by then."

She stands, ready to huff about them not coming outside prepared with ice or a towel when she hears Barnes laugh, "geez Carter."

She goes to smirk at him when she sees Steve turn to look at her and he finally notices what she's wearing. His eyes immediately flash away to the sand in front of him and she swears his ears go pink.

"I told her she was trying to kill us." Natasha smirks, "it's illegal to be that hot."

Peggy scoffs and reaches down to grab her towel, "technically your suit covers less square footage than mine."

Natasha full on laughs, "yeah, but I don't have the shape you do. Hell, they got the term hourglass from you." Peggy narrows her eyes as she hears how thick Natasha is laying it on. She looks over to see Natasha staring at Steve curiously, watching his reaction. But Steve is busying himself with standing and brushing the sand off his jeans. "Don't you think so Steve?"

His head snaps up, and he keeps his eyes on Natasha's face. "Peggy doesn't need me to validate her."

He hasn't said her name in so long that it sends a thrill through her.

"True." Natasha says, "but I do." She turns to Barnes, spinning slowly, "what do you think?"

He laughs, grabbing her waist and pulling her close, kissing her fiercely. "You're the prettiest spider I've ever seen."

She smacks his arm and he leads her a bit away, throwing a very unsubtle wink in Steve's direction.

The man in question groans and he looks at her wryly. "Sometimes I wonder how any of us are spies."

She smiles, "speak for yourself."

He narrows his eyes, "I seem to remember you not noticing you got pick pocketed two nights ago."

Her mouth parts in surprise and then he grins, and she realizes he's teasing her. "Yes, well I remember handing your ass to you that night when I got it back."

"If I had wanted to keep that photo I would have."

His face is deadly serious as his eyes dance with mischievousness.

She stalks forward, closing the distance between them. "Is that a challenge?"

His throat bobs and as his eyes stay on hers, she wishes their mission was over. That this was just them. That she could close the distance and force him to his knees for other more fun reasons than being beaten by idiot mobsters.

She can hear the sound of Natasha laughing and Barnes teasing her from wherever they've walked too. Out of sight. And she knows that's purposeful.

"You are beautiful." He says quietly, his eyes now looking away from her, towards the sliver of ocean they can see through the trees, "I know you don't need me to tell you that. But I wanted to. You're—" he looks back to her and she can see him hesitate, wondering if he's somehow being disrespectful or crossing a boundary.

So she steps closer, "I'm?"

The back of his fingers brush against her cheek.

"You are such a force to be reckoned with."

Without thought, she reaches up and runs her fingers through his hair. His eyes close and his throat makes a content sound that she wants to elicit over and over. She steps closer, gently pressing against his front, and then she reaches for his wrists, grasping them and lifting to rest his palms on her waist. The heat of his hands against her instantly causes her skin to react in goosebumps.

The intensity of his gaze matches hers and his fingers tighten gently. "Steve?"

He swallows thickly, "yes?"

"Now would be a good time to kiss me."

Surprise flits across his face, "you want me to?"

She lets out a disbelieving scoff and shakes her head, curls bouncing, "kiss me." He only pauses a second before he leans down and pulls her up against him, pressing his lips to hers. Her chest constricts at the electricity that emanates from their contact. She reaches up, wrapping her hands around his neck and against the nape of his hair.

His hands slip around her waist, enveloping her in his arms and she smiles, feeling elated as what she's wanted for so long finally happens. She tugs on his hair gently, scraping her nails against his scalp and the sound he makes in his throat makes her positively giddy. So she does it again.

"Stop that." He growls at her, breaking their kiss for a moment.

"Why?" She asks breathily, "you don't like it?"

He doesn't answer, just captures her lips again and this time, one of his hands finds its way into her hair, and she relishes the way he cradles her head and neck as he deepens their kiss.

Then he pulls back, a wince on his face, "sorry—" he wipes at his lips where new blood has started to flow. "Forgot."

She laughs, "you forgot your best friend just punched you in the mouth?"

He grimaces, "don't think you'll enjoy the taste of blood." He wipes it away and the blood flow slows.

"Spy problems." She sighs, wrapping her arms around him and resting her head against his chest.

He responds, wrapping her up tightly and resting his cheek on the top of her hair. "Peggy?"

"Hmm?"

"Would you let me take you on a date? When this is all over?"

She lifts her head, looking at his hopeful and hesitant expression. "I would love to, Steve."

And in a move that surprises her, he slowly twists her around so that her back is pressed against his chest, and she feels his fingers push the strap of her swimsuit to the side. She's about to ask what he's doing when she feels him gently bite, right where her neck meets her shoulder, just like in the club.

Heat instantly rises in her stomach and she practically sighs when he then kisses the same spot.

"I still think about you." He says quietly, "in that dress. I wanted to draw you so badly."

"You thought about me in clothes?" She teases.

He spins her back around and that bare vulnerability is back, "I think about you in your shield tac gear when we were back at that camp. I think about you in the ocean in Greece, I think about you on the porch in Alabama and the torn dress in Argentina. I think about you in those dresses in Spain and I think about some day in the future where you are in pajamas, sharing the same couch as me while we sit and do mundane things like word searches while Pietro and Wanda do their homework—" Her hand slips up to cover his mouth and stop him. The words die in his throat and suddenly his expression changes to guilt. He steps back from her. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said all that. I don't mean to imply—" his jaw gets tight and he backs another step away, "I'm not saying I expect that of you, I—" he looks positively unsettled, "that was unprofessional of me—" he says, and she can see him closing himself off, but he doesn't understand. That's not why she stopped him.

"Steve." She says her voice hoarse. "Steve, stop."

"I will." He says, face going calm and collected, "I'll stop. I'm sorry—"

"Steve." She says sharply, regaining her wits, "would you stop bloody apologizing? BI just—" she feels her throat catch on emotion and she shakes it loose. "I had to stop you. Because if I didn't…" she says slowly, his eyes looking at her in confusion, "if I didn't stop you, then I would have started crying, and I hate to cry."

He pauses, "cry?"

"Yes, you idiot!" She says stepping close to him again, "how would you expect me not to cry when you've just said the most beautiful thing I've ever heard in the world?" But he's off kilter now, not sure of himself, "I want you to take me dancing."

"Dancing?"

"Yes." She says firmly, a smile on her lips, "for our first date. Then, I want you to teach me how to draw for our second date, and I think you'll need to propose by the fifth. I tend to get impatient."

His eyes widen and she laughs, feeling elated at the thought of the future. Suddenly she's being held, feet off the ground and spun in a dizzy circle as he hugs her. Something about Brooklyn boys and their hugs, she thinks offhandedly. She feels his lips on her neck and under her jaw and his hands are holding her tight.

"About time." She looks over Steve's shoulders to see Natasha wrapped in Barnes' arms, watching them, both with happy grins on their faces.

She expects Steve to be embarrassed but instead he seems emboldened, setting her down but not letting her out of his grasp. "Eavesdropping, you jerk?"

"Big brothers gotta do what he's gotta do, punk."

Peggy and Natasha laugh and she can't deny the downright giddy feeling that rushes through her. She angles her head up and he looks down, smiling at her and brushing his nose against hers.

—-

When she and Barnes enter the pool house, he's smiling at her so wide she has to gently smack him playfully to get him to stop. "What are you wearing to the dinner tonight?" She asks, trying to remind him of the mission.

"I'm not sure, I want to impress them." He says with a thoughtful stare at his closet, he turns to her and there's still mirth in his eyes, "any suggestions?"

"I have a few." She responds back, meeting his happiness with her own.

—

Natasha hauls him up the stairs, swinging their joined hands and teasing him the whole way. Except he can tell this is her way of congratulating him. She's happy for them.

Peggy wants him. She wants to be with him. And Steve can't remember the last time he felt so excited for the future.

—-

They walk out the door, on time and relaxed. Peggy's pretty sure this is the first time they've all been so at ease. After her conversation with Steve, it was like something had shifted, settling everything into place exactly how it should go. Steve steps into the driver's seat, with Natasha besides him and they all talk normally about things that are safe topics.

As the car winds through evening traffic and back onto Cliffside Dr. Peggy catches Steve's eyes in the rearview mirror. And even though his bruising is quite colorful, what catches her are the intense blue eyes that convey so much through a single glance.

And she remembers Barnes' joke in Hawaii.

He's giving you eye contact? Geez get a room.

And the memory makes her smile.

—

A butler of some sort greets them at the door and they are led to a new section of the house they haven't seen before. They're dropped off in a sort of lounge sitting room where they take seats and wait.

A blonde woman, probably around Grigory's age enters the room and smiles at them. "Welcome." She gestures to them, "I am sorry to have to be the one to welcome you tonight, as Grigory is not home yet. I am Riavia, Grigory's wife. Welcome to our home." She looks at them and the points to each one. "Anastasia, Finnick, Rory, and Lillian. It is wonderful to have you, come to the dining room. Dinner is ready."

—

A guard is stationed at every door and Steve glances around briefly to get his bearings. Something about Grigory not being here surprises him and makes him wary.

But Natasha sits on his left and Bucky sits on his right, Peggy next to him, and he knows no matter what, that all four of them together would be difficult to outmatch.

—

Steve's posture reminds her of when they were playing strip poker. Perfectly at ease, but ready to pounce.

Something has him on edge.

She mentally checks her weapons. The knife in her shoe and the small pistol on her thigh and the sharp pins in her hair. The lipstick is in her purse, but she hadn't put it on, not wanting Barnes to forget and accidentally kiss her.

Natasha is speaking with the woman, talking in fast Russian about… Peggy listens, trying to understand through the quickness of their speech and the dialect and slang they use. She thinks they're discussing their childhoods.

And suddenly she hears the blonde woman say Red Room.

Her mind whirls. This woman is a widow. Or was.

She glances at Natasha. It's a dangerous game to hope she doesn't get recognized. But Peggy supposed the woman is old enough to not have seen her at all.

A door somewhere slams and Riavia stands and smiles, "that will be Grigory."

When she leaves, they continue with small talk as normal, even though Peggy can tell Steve is attempting to listen.

The food is bland since Peggy can't even focus on tasting, her other senses on high alert.

A few minutes pass before Grigory enters the room. His eyes immediately go to Steve and Peggy watches as he examines his face. The bruising and cut lip very apparent.

"My apologies for being late." He says with a smile, "you know how business can be."

"Of course." Natasha says, "any word on Nolania?"

He shakes his head, "no, I fear the worst. The borders from Kazakhstan are getting stricter. Harder to pass the trucks through."

Natasha 'hmms' and goes back to eating.

"So." Grigory starts, sitting down to his own plate of food, "Rory, what has Anastasia told you or your wife about my business?"

Barnes looks up and sets his fork down. This was already a conversation they had practiced for. "Nothing except that you move necessary goods and keep those who are loyal safe."

Riavia smiles and nods, swirling the liquid in her glass.

"And you approve?"

Barnes sips at his water, "I have seen the heads of families turn on their own sons. The ones who helped make their community what it was. I think the best thing a family business can do is keep their own family and territory safe. If people get out of line they need to be reminded."

Grigory smiles, "and you don't think marrying someone in secret who is in another family is out of line?"

Barnes turns to her, and his eyes get heated as he reaches for her hand and presses a kiss to her knuckles, "love has no lines, sir." She knows he's speaking towards her, but she also knows these words are directed at Natasha. "Why would we deny any hardworking, dedicated, loyal, loving souls admission into our family?" He pauses and nods at Steve, "I know by these three alone that family can be forged in many ways. Blood is not always thicker than water."

Riavia looks at him with a raised eyebrow and Grigory sits quiet for a moment before he inclines his head, "I hear what you are saying. It is a new notion, and I am an old man, but I am not yet deaf."

"Finnick." Steve looks at Grigory, "you would vouch for these two with your life?"

Steve nods, "I would. Without question."

"Well then," Grigory says with a smile, "an issue just came up with one of my drivers, and I am in need of extra hands. What better way to prove yourselves than on the job, don't you agree?"

Natasha nods eagerly, "of course, what do you want us to do?"

He leans back, his fingernails clinking against his glass, "I will send the details to you soon. And once that is completed, we can discuss your places in this family."

—

They walk slowly from the car to the house.

"Anyone else feel like something is off?"

Steve sighs, "my biggest concern is that even if we complete this mission for him, and the next 20 he assigns us, why would he tell us the name? He's so suspicious of everyone, I can't imagine him giving something that big away. What was Fury thinking by sending us here?"

"All the mission briefings just said infiltrate and gain trust to gain information."

Steve shakes his head, "I don't like it. Something's off. About all of it."

And she looks at Barnes. The man who had told her all that time ago to trust Steve's instincts. He's frowning.

"Then we tread carefully." Natasha says, "if Fury thinks we can get him to trust us, then we can."

They enter the house and split off.

—

Two days later, Diev arrives at their home. Natasha greets him at the door and accepts the envelope and the keys to a truck that is parked in an inconspicuous lot a few blocks away.

When she shuts the door, she reads through the envelope before giving it to Steve, her face blank. Steve reads it, and while his face is impassive as he hands it to Barnes, his eyes are enraged.

When Barnes hands it to her, his grip on the papers is tense.

And she finds out why.

A truck of young girls is being transported across the California/Mexican border where it will take a flight to Russia. For them to be placed in the Red Room.

That means at this moment there is a truck full of scared little girls sitting in a parking lot somewhere within a 10 mile radius.

She stands, slipping the papers back in the envelope. "When would you like to leave, sir?" She asks the question calmly and at ease, looking at Steve.

He turns to her and speaks calmly, "it's a short trip across the border. Just a few hours. So we don't need many supplies. I'd like to finish this task quickly so Grigory knows we are willing workers. Ana?"

Natasha's having the hardest time staying calm of them all, and for good reason. "I just need to change my clothes." She says with a fake smile, "and I think we should bring our car. It will be cramped if all 4 of us try to sit in the cab."

"Good thinking." Steve says, "let's plan to leave in the next 10 minutes, sound good?"

—-

She and Barnes ride in the car, keeping up idle conversation even though both of their minds are preoccupied with the truck that is driving directly in front of them.

It takes about 4 hours for them to get to the location that the envelope had stated. They pull up into the parking lot of an old motel and Peggy watches as Steve steps out of the driver's seat and Natasha climbs down from the passenger side. Something about their calm demeanor and impassive faces has her thinking they've been doing a lot of silent planning.

Steve stretches and walks over to Barnes, "man, I'm thirsty, and honestly hungry. Could you run to that little corner store we saw a block away and grab me some water and maybe a snack or something?" Steve pulls out his wallet and hands him a card.

"Me too." Natasha adds. "That drive made me really thirsty."

Barnes looks ready to protest but Steve's eyes flick to the back of the truck threateningly and then he smiles and claps Barnes on the back. "Really thirsty. Thanks, Rory."

There's a truck parked opposite them, and Peggy knows that this is a show for wherever might be watching or listening. So Barnes nods sharply and walks, turning the corner and disappearing.

Steve leans against the truck, and she can see that he's listening to the girls on the inside. They hadn't been able to open it when they'd picked it up. Grigory's men had been there watching them, pretending to oversee their departure. And Natasha had alluded to the fact that the truck had GPS and therefore they couldn't make any unauthorized stops.

The doors to the other truck open and out step three men, clearly Russian and armed to the teeth.

"Welcome." One of the men says, "we've been expecting you."

"Hope we aren't too late." Natasha responds looking at her watch, "we weren't sure the exact time you wanted them."

The man grins with a snake like predatory gaze over Natasha. "No, on the contrary you are early. Which, we prefer. Gives us more time with the product." His eyes flick to the truck and Peggy feels every cell in her body ordering her to tear these men to shreds.

"How do we confirm with Grigory that you received the product?" Steve asks, leaning calmly against the truck. "I don't want to leave until he knows we've correctly made the transfer."

"The truck's gps signal should have alerted him to your arrival. I should be receiving a —" His phone starts to ring and he smiles, "speak of the devil." He pulls it out of his pocket and slides the answer button.

"Sir?" A voice on the other end. "Yes, they are here." A pause as he listens, "I haven't looked, I will do so now." He steps past the three of them and pulls a key from his back pocket. Peggy's eyes are on him as he unlatches the lock. Her heart starts thudding madly as he pulls up the back, the metal screeching as it reveals a mass of cheap mattresses and dirty blanket bundles. From which wide scared eyes and matted hair peer out from under. Heat and stench exits the back and it takes every, every, ounce of willpower to not immediately snap the man's neck. "Yes, yes, the product is here." The man laughs, "don't be ridiculous I'll make them shower before I spend my time with them."

Her vision is red. Rage exuding from her so strongly that she can sense Natasha's eyes on her. She looks up to see Natasha very slowly and subtly shake her head 'no'.

"Yes, the plane flight is in two days, they'll arrive in Moscow and can be take to the Room then." Grigory says something that makes the man laugh, "yes, yes, Dreykov will be pleased. There's quite the amount of young ones." A nod as he 'mhmms' something and then he's saying his goodbyes. "Goodbye, sir."

Peggy watches as his thumb slides across the end call button. And his screen clicks dark. Then a sound makes her startle and she jumps slightly. The man looks at her blankly and blood begins to drip from a hole that has sprouted in his forehead. She looks up in shock to see Steve turning, his face deadly calm, and a silenced pistol in his hand. Two more shots ring out and the men he'd arrived with crumple to the ground.

Something about the show of deadly force makes her blink.

"The motel." Steve says, looking at Natasha, "buy however many rooms you think they need." He turns to Peggy, "stay here with them." Then he's gone, walking towards where Barnes disappeared too.

Peggy turns to Natasha who is staring at the girls with blank eyes.

"Was this the plan?" She asks quietly, feeling her mind reeling from the last minute.

Natasha shakes her head, "Steve's definition of 'incapacitate' and my definition vary." Then she looks at the man whose lifeless eyes stare into the sun as he lays on the cracked asphalt. "I'm okay with this though."

Peggy remembers his words.

—don't be ridiculous. I'll make them shower before I spend my time with them—

"So am I." She growls.

—-

Steve can barely remember to breathe he's so angry. When the man opens the truck and 17 pairs of eyes stare at them in fear, it's just too much. He waits until the man is off the phone, allowing them time for Grigory to believe all is going well, and then he is snatching the pistol from the holster under his arm and he takes aim. A shot straight through the forehead and then he turns, dropping the other two without hesitation.

The girls need a place to feel safe. So he instructs Natasha to get rooms. Then he turns and knows that Peggy will be able to provide more comfort to the girls than he could. "Stay here with them." He says, taking after Bucky to make sure he gets enough supplies and to make some phone calls.

—-

It takes some coaxing, and a few different languages, but Peggy finally manages to convince the girls to come out of hiding. The youngest is 4 and Peggy holds her hand tightly as they walk them into the one room Natasha had acquired. Then she and Natasha head back outside, load up the men's bodies into their truck and lock it.

The girls huddle together and mostly stay quiet. Natasha turns on the tv and plays something cheery as she paces in front of the door.

"Just one room?" Peggy asks, "they'll need more space—"

"They won't want to be separated." Natasha responds quietly. "Trust me."

Peggy just nods and doesn't argue.

A while later a knock sounds and Peggy opens the door. Steve stands there, arms loaded with bags. Barnes behind him with more. "Here," they set them down just inside the room, not stepping inside, "there's water, food, clothes of all sizes, and some toiletries. What else can we get?"

She sees his careful angle to make sure he doesn't seem like he's a threat. To not even get close to entering their space.

Peggy steps towards him and kisses him fiercely, his compassion and righteous anger at the girls' treatment filling her chest with love for him even more. "Let me help them eat and get cleaned up and then I'll let you know, okay?" She says as she pulls away, his eyes surprised but fiery still.

He nods, "I need Natasha."

Peggy whistles her over.

"Yeah?"

"Get in the truck, we need to start it and then decide to get food. That way we can buy more time on the GPS." He turns to Bucky who has been standing quietly behind him, "you stay here outside this room and get anything they need." Barnes nods and then they're walking to the truck.

"We can't leave them." Peggy says quietly, "what is he planning?"

Barnes huffs out a laugh, "he's already called Maria. She'll be taking care of the logistics and details on the side of the Russians. Ensuring it appears like the girls did board their flight and land in Moscow. And then Maria will make it look like the Russian police catch them there." Barnes wrinkles his nose, "he then called Scott. Have you met Scott?"

She shakes her head.

"He's not really a part of Shield, but he's a good guy, and his wife and him live in San Fran. They're already on their way to his father-in-law's airfield to get down here. He's got a connection with the police force there and then they'll take these girls somewhere safe until their families can be located. Or if they don't have families they can be placed somewhere safe." She blinks.

"He arranged that all incredibly quickly." She says softly in surprise.

He shrugs, "pretty sure he's been thinking of plans and strategizing since he read the file. He even called Sam. You met Sam right?" She nods. "He's in Louisiana right now, but he got Sam and his sister Sarah to agree to fly to San Francisco to help Scott out. These girls will be well taken care of." She smiles, glancing back at the girls who are still quiet but seem a bit more at ease. "He'll make sure of it." Barnes says firmly.

"I know." She agrees softly.

—

Natasha knocks on the door almost an hour later and fills her in that they started driving and about 20 minutes into the drive she told Steve she was hungry so they decided to stop and eat, and "explore" the local nightlife.

"Buys us good time." She says looking at the girls. Steve and Barnes are still outside.

They are sitting there quietly talking when they get a soft knock on the door. The girls all go rigid but Peggy assures them not to worry and both she and Natasha slip out the door. Barnes is there, a slightly concerned look on his face. "Steve heard the man's cellphone ringing—"

They glance over where Steve is pulling the man's phone out of his stiff dead hand.

He wipes off the blood and then slides to answer. And Peggy watches in shock as he closes his eyes and angles his neck, "hello?" Natasha's eyes are as wide as hers are as Steve speaks, replicating the man's voice perfectly. "Yes, this is he." Barnes seems unsurprised but Peggy listens in shock as he speaks. "No, I won't be able to be there tonight—-" Steve makes an irritated noise and then speaks, "I'm busy." He snarls, his tone matching the Russian accent perfectly, "tell him I don't care, I'll see him next time." Then he hangs up. He then turns the phone off and slides it into the man's pocket. Glancing up at them as if nothing just happened, "Someone from Shield will be here to pick up these bodies in the next hour or so. They're sending someone from the New Mexico division."

"Holy shit." Natasha breathes out, "how did you do that?"

Steve's voice comes from their side, "muscle control." They whip towards Barnes who is smiling. And he speaks again, mimicking Steve's voice, "look, Steve, I can do it now too. The commandos are going to flip."

Natasha shivers, "wow, that's creepy.

Steve laughs and looks at Barnes, "I didn't even think about the fact you could do it. We gotta do that thing, with Jones and Denier—"

Barnes slaps at his leg, laughing, "oh hell yes! Dugan was so pissed."

Peggy holds up her hands, "can you mimic women?"

Steve pauses and genuinely thinks about it, "I—" he pauses, "don't know. I don't think I've ever tried. Maybe if she had like a really low tone? You know? Like a deeper voice?"

Barnes' eyes flash mischievously and then he's pointing his chin down, tilting his face at an angle and closing his eyes, "Barnes, you bloody idiot—"

She hears a decent approximation of her own voice exit Barnes' lips and she gasps. Smacking his arm, "stop that!"

Natasha sputters out a laugh and Steve grimaces, "no. That's not what she sounds like."

Barnes scoffs, "well you would know."

They glare at each other before laughing and then Steve shakes his head, looking like he's trying to relax. "I've ordered more food and it should be here soon. Are the girls cleaned and changed?"

Natasha nods, "yes they are."

"What else can we do?"

"Now we wait."

—

The girls are mostly dozing but there's an older blonde one who doesn't seem able to relax. She's old enough to probably understand most of what is going on and she seems watchful over the other girls.

"What's your name?" Peggy asks after finally having convinced her that there was enough food for her too.

"Yelena."

"I'm Peggy. It's nice to meet you." The girl just eyes her warily and Peggy can't blame her for that. "Where is your family?"

"No family." She says, "they took me out of red room to complete a mission in USA. And now I am being sent back."

"No." Peggy says firmly. "You're not being sent back."

The girl looks at her and then towards the door. "That man." She gestures with a hand that holds a fork, her mouth full of bread, "the one who killed Slav. Who is he?"

"A friend."

The girl raises an eyebrow. "You kiss all your friends?"

Peggy laughs, leaning back against her chair, "well he's a very good friend."

"He killed those men."

Peggy nods, "yes."

"Why?"

"Because they were bad—"

"No." The girl says quickly, "no, I know they are bad. I know this. What I ask is why he killed them. Is he not man? All men are bad. Only want to hurt girls. Make them obey."

"No." Peggy says quickly, "no, not all men are bad. And not all women are good. You have been hurt and beaten by men who are weak and insecure. Whose only sense of power in this world is the ability to lord over those who cannot protect themselves—"

"I can protect myself." The girl says viciously.

"I'm sure that you can." Peggy corrects quickly, "but you can't protect all of them. There are men coming here to help you all, and you need to know there are some men you can trust and some men you can't. And it is important to learn the difference."

"How do you know the difference?"

Peggy stands, "do you think the girls would be okay if I brought those men inside this room?" She pauses, "I don't want them to lose their feeling of safety."

The girl eyes the room and then the door. "You guarantee he is safe?"

"He would never hurt a single one of you."

The girl shrugs and Peggy internally winces at the fact that this girl has had little to no autonomy in her life, even Peggy offering a choice means little.

But Peggy walks to the door and opens it. "Can you both come in here please?"

They look at her in question, and suddenly Natasha is at her side. "What are you doing?"

"We need their trust. Let the men earn it." She gestures to Steve and Barnes again. "Come in."

The slowly get up and follow her into the room.

"Girls?" Peggy says softly as 17 pairs of unsure eyes stare at the four of them. "This is Steve and James. They are not going to hurt you or ask anything if you in any way. They are going to tell you the plan so that you understand you are going to be taken care of until we can get you to a safe place." She gestures to the floor where both Steve and Barnes sink immediately. This puts them at or below the level of the girls eyes, and it's purposeful. Creating a height imbalance of the men being shorter or below them will help put the girls at ease. Hopefully.

"My name is Steve." He says, his bruised face open and kind.

"I'm James." Barnes adds softly.

"We're going to be helping you guys make it back home, or to a place safe enough to call home." The girls are still silent. "Do you have any questions for us?" Steve asks softly, "whatever you need. We are here for you."

A girl on the edge, with hair as black as night looks at them both, "donde estamos nosotros?"

"en una ciudad a las afueras de Ensenada." Steve answers easily. Four pairs of eyes light up at the use of their language. And Steve notices, taking a chance. "De que ciudades eres?"

"La Rumorosa." One of the older girls says. Then she points to two younger ones. "San Felipe."

"Bahia de los Angeles." The other girl says.

Steve looks over to Barnes and Natasha. "Can one of you call Sam? We should take any girl who knows where their home is back immediately instead of the detour to San Francisco."

Barnes nods, standing slowly and walking out the door with Natasha in tow.

"Can anyone else tell me where their home is?"

Two girls look hesitant but one speaks up. "I'm from Oakland."

"California?" He clarifies.

She nods and then Steve turns to the other, waiting patiently.

"Phoenix. Arizona."

Peggy is already writing this down, "and your names?" She asks.

They begin a process. Taking their names and if they know their home states and cities. The older girls almost always do, but the younger girls are less sure. They have to work through 6 different languages to cover them all, but in the end Peggy feels satisfied with the information they have to start working on. Barnes and Natasha have returned and they listen quietly.

The girl, Yelena, walks over to Steve and she kneels in front of him. Sort of raised up on her heels so they are even at eye level.

Suddenly there's a knife at Steve's throat and she's glaring at him, the point pressed against his jugular. "Why should we trust you?" She says fiercely, "this could all be a trap to get us to make it easy for you."

Steve doesn't even flinch. He doesn't look down at the knife or grow tense. He just looks at her, those same open vulnerable eyes Peggy's used too.

"I'm sorry that everyone in your life has failed you so far." His voice is calm and gentle and Peggy knows he means every word. "I understand why you might feel that way. Because you should never have been allowed to go through what you have. But that ends now. If you so choose, we want you to live a safe and healthy life. Somewhere where people take care of you. Not use you. You can choose to do whatever you want to do. No more fighting a fight for someone who doesn't care for you. No more fighting at all if you don't want to."

"You're lying." She says through clenched teeth, pushing the knife against him harder.

"It's hard to distinguish the truth when everything you've ever known has been a deception." He responds calmly, the entire room watching them with tense eyes. "But I assure you I'm telling the truth. I would never be a part of what those men were doing."

"You shot them."

At this Steve's eyes close and he sighs, the knife pushing at his skin. "I did. And I'm sorry for doing that in front of you and them." He looks at her, genuine guilt and sadness in his features, "that wasn't kind of me to subject you to seeing something like that. But I did it because I wanted you guys to be safe. And they were not keeping you safe."

She keeps the knife at his throat but her other hand reaches up and touches the bruises on his face.

"What happened to you?"

"Someone needed to prove they were big and strong. And they thought they could accomplish that by hurting someone else."

The words are not said sharply, but the girl understands his meaning immediately. The knife lowers and she sits back on her heels. "You are different."

"I hope in a good way."

"We will see." She says with seriousness in her tone.

And Steve smiles, "you know, you remind me of some people I met a while back. Where are is your home?"

"I was born in Moldova. My family is dead." She says flatly, "I have no home."

And Peggy watches the same look cross over Steve's face as it did on that phone call all the way back in Sokovia. "James?" He says calmly. "You think Wanda and Pietro could use a friend?"

Barnes huffs a laugh and looks at Yelena, "you like food?"

She blinks at him, "yes."

"Do you enjoy watching TV and running around outside?"

Her eyes narrow in unsurety, "I do not know."

Barnes smiles at her then turns to Steve, "let me make a call." He says as he walks out the door.

Natasha walks towards the girls and she looks at them softly. "When I was a widow—" Yelena's eyes widen as she continues, "—I thought there was no way out. I trusted no one and nothing and I lived alone. Scared even though I pretended not to be. But that's no way to live. Then I met people I could trust. And suddenly I understood what I had been missing." Natasha walks over and surprises the whole room by kissing Steve's cheek. "Never lose the ability to trust those who deserve it." Then she smiles at them again and walks out after Barnes.

Yelena is staring at the door in shock and then she turns to Steve. "She trusts you."

He nods, "and I trust her."

The girl falls silent, her thoughts clearly in a whirlwind as she scoots back and sits against the bed.

Then Peggy gets an idea. "Steve?"

He turns to her, "yeah?"

"Would you braid my hair?"

He blinks at her in surprise but she holds her face steady, trying to communicate her intention behind the request.

"Of course." He says quietly. Gesturing for her to sit in front of him. But she gestures to the short stuffed chair by the rickety AC unit and he moves, slowly and with telegraphed movements.

Then she sits at his feet and pulls out the ponytail she was wearing, handing him her hair tie. "Can you do a French braid?"

She feels him nod and she pretends not to notice 17 incredibly shocked pairs of eyes staring at them. Steve's fingers are gentle but firm as he deftly works a braid into her hair, tying it up quickly at the end.

She turns to Yelena, "what do you think?"

The girl wrinkles her nose, "I think two braids are better."

Peggy angles her head up to Steve. "You heard her, she thinks two are better, can you do two instead?"

And even though she can tell he doesn't exactly understand her plan, he nods and smiles, "of course." Quickly he undoes her braid and she feels his pinky run across her scalp as he creates a middle part. It takes a bit longer but soon she feels the two braids rest against her head and tied together at the bottom with the one hair tie.

"Thank you." She says with a smile.

The girl, the one with the dark hair looks nervous as she slides off the bed. "¿Puedes trenzarme el pelo? Mi mamá siempre lo trenza antes de irme a dormir."

And Peggy watches as realization finally clicks in Steve's mind.

"por supuesto, una trenza o dos?"

"Dos, por favor." She says with a smile, walking over shyly and sitting at his feet. Her hair is still damp from her shower so he carefully separates it without tugging too hard.

"Can you do an inside out French braid?" Yelena asks, eyeing the braid he's started on the left side.

Peggy's very sure that he knows how to do so. But he pauses and looks at her, "would you show me how?"

Yelena nods, walking over and carefully grabbing the three sections out of Steve's hands. Peggy can sense the girls watching enraptured as Yelena instructs Steve on the proper form. And their surprise grows when he listens. He nods along and asks a question or two and then when she steps back, he thanks her.

"Thank you for teaching me that." He says earnestly, following her instructions as he moves to the second braid, "you're a good teacher."

And the smallest, tiniest curve on Yelena's lips makes Peggy think that her plan is working.

"Gracias." The girl says softly, feeling the braids with her small fingers.

She looks up and smiles at Steve and he smiles widely back, "de nada."

The littlest girl in the room waves her hand eagerly, "mund të kem gërsheta?"

Peggy watches Steve as he flits through the Rolodex of languages he must have. It's a pause but then he speaks slowly, "po, sigurisht, do të dëshironit një bishtalec apo dy?" He asks, settling on Albanian.

"Dy!" She says eagerly, and then surprises the room by instead of sitting at his feet, which admittedly she would be too short for, she climbs up onto his lap and sits there as if he is Santa Clause. Smiling at him and waiting eagerly.

And Peggy feels the knot in her throat at the way Steve looks at the little girl, disbelief that she trusts him so much, and a fierce protectiveness alongside it. He nods and carefully arranges her on his knees and gets to work, her thick hair deftly being braided with ease.

Peggy watches her plan fall into place. The girls start to gravitate towards them. Sitting at Steve's feet and near her, asking them questions in their own languages and she and Steve make sure they answer everyone as kindly as they can and in their native tongue. Between them they're able to cover any gaps in knowledge.

6 girls have had their hair braided by the time Barnes and Natasha walk back in. Barnes looks at the girl who sits at Steve's feet, her hair half braided and he pouts, "hey, no fair! I taught Steve to braid, do I get to braid someone's hair?"

Peggy looks at him with a question at the remark and Steve just chuckles, "James here had to learn because Rebecca," he looks at the girls briefly explaining, "that's James' little sister, well she wanted braids and then he taught me."

The absolute endearing quality of that story makes Peggy's heart want to burst. Natasha sits in front of and pats on the chair besides Steve's "you can braid mine first."

Barnes smiles and gets to work, undoing the braid she already had and reworking it into a fishtail braid.

Steve looks over and his eyes widen, "where did you learn that?"

"She taught me." Barnes leans down and kisses Natasha's cheek and she smirks at him. And Peggy hears the room react in little gasps and 'aws' and it stabs her in the gut for this to possibly be one of the few times they've ever seen a male be affectionate or kind to any female.

Steve notices it too, his braiding becoming even more gentle and when he finishes the braid he rests his hands palm down on his legs. And she thinks they shake just slightly.

—

Steve is sitting in the chair, waiting for Scott who should be getting close. As the girls either doze lightly or talk quietly amongst themselves. He notices that Peggy blinks a little bit longer than usual and he wonders if she's tired. He stands and points to his chair which is probably softer than the bed she is sitting on. She waves him off but he insists, and she sighs, rolling her eyes but settling into the chair. She then points to her legs and he nods, sitting down and leaning his back against the seat of the chair, her legs behind his shoulders.

—-

Peggy doesn't remember dozing off but she must because she wakes and the light in the room has changed. And she wonders what woke her only to see Yelena staring at Steve. She glances down to find that the littlest girl is crawling into his lap again. She curls up against his chest and shivers. On instinct his hands carefully wrap around her and she wriggles a bit before looking at him.

"Ti dukesh si babai im." The little girl whispers, and the way Steve's face morphs into something incredibly sad and protective before he hugs her closer makes Peggy want to cry.

You look like my papa.

—-

Scott arrives with Hope and introductions are made before Scott turns towards the girls. And Peggy's not sure if it's because he's less physically intimidating than Steve and Barnes, or maybe it's because he has a daughter and knows how to interact with little girls, or perhaps he just exudes safety and charm, but the girls take to him and Hope immediately and they easily load up in vans. Scott even has the proper car seats and everything ready. He has the girls giggling and squealing at his antics and Hope is quick to make the older girls feel included and a part of the process.

"Hank has an old friend who has an airstrip maybe an hour away." Scott starts, pointing in a direction, "that's where we landed. Hill and Sam have been in contact. They've taken the info you've sent them and gotten a 'missing alert' for almost all these girls. The ones who don't will be brought to Shield eventually and homes found."

"Yelena—" Steve starts.

But Scott just laughs, "Barnes already called me, I already checked with Sam who checked with Fury who apparently didn't respond except with an unflattering emoji."

"Good." Steve says, eyeing the blonde girl who was talking with some of the other girls and keeping them occupied. "Scott, I'm trusting you. I expect you to make sure every single one of these girls either makes it home, or somewhere safe. You understand?"

Scott, instead of cowering under the weighty expectation, just smiles and bobs his head eagerly, "you got it Captain. You can count on me."

Steve nods and then steps back. Peggy watches as he heads to Yelena, presumably to give her the same choice he gave to the Maximoff twins. They all watch quietly as Yelena's eyes open wider and wider. Steve motions to Barnes and Natasha, who wave slightly, and then Peggy hears him say, "the best family you could ask for, trust me, I know." And then he's finishing his offer, falling silent and letting her think about it.

When she doesn't answer right away, Steve steps back and says, "you think about it all you like. Scott and Hope will take good care of you until you decide. And if you pick somewhere else, there's no hard feelings at all. I just want you safe and happy." And with that he steps away and back to the other van to do a last check on them.

"When she picks to stay—" Natasha says quietly, watching the young blonde girl who still stands rigid, surprise and uncertainty across her face, "—because she will, I want her living with us." She motions to Barnes and herself.

Peggy laughs, "I think he'll fight you on that." She says looking over at Steve who is interacting with the girls as they nibble on the snacks they've been handed.

"He already has claimed Wanda and Pietro." Barnes says with a huff, "he can't claim them all."

Another laugh escapes her and she shrugs, "I will just be happy as long as they are. Wherever they choose."

"We should go." Steve says, appearing beside them again, "we will be cutting our story very thin if we don't leave now."

They nod and Natasha and Peggy say their final goodbyes to the girls and Scott and Hope wave goodbye as they take off, each driving a van.

"Grigory is lucky he has information we want or I would snap his neck when we get home." Natasha says with a cheery and deadly smile.

—

When Natasha gets into the truck, she stumbles slightly and slurs her voice. "Mmm, baby." She says with a giggle, "I haven't had that much fun since Montauk."

He knows her game and he plays along with it. "I don't know what it is about you and road trips." He responds, adding a heavier Irish lilt and sporadic pauses as if his alcohol filled mind is trying to catch up. "But I need to take you driving more."

She giggles again and sighs, as if she's tired, "what time is it?"

"Late." He grumbles, "hope they didn't need the truck back at a certain time."

"Mmm," she says again, "don't think so." Then she catches his eyes and looks at him seriously, even as her tone stays in character, "you did good today, baby. I'm really proud of you."

He smiles at her and nods, and raises an eyebrow, "you too, we make a good team."

She laughs silently and nods, "course, baby. We are a team. Now let's get home."

—-

Three days of silence has all of them on edge, but they finally get their summons and arrive back at the large house.

"I received word that the product landed in Moscow." Grigory says with a grin, "so I will keep my promise and discuss your futures here in this family."

He leads them to a large office and points to chairs for them to sit. "In three days time a friend of mine will be hosting a Halloween party. While I do not personally care for the holiday. This man and I share a brothership over territory and it is tradition for us to attend each other's events to show support. However there is word that spies or moles from the Italian scum to our east might try to come and ruin the party. There will be many precious people to me at this party, and there will also be family meetings happening and I do not want it ruined or interrupted. I know of your skills in guarding with weapons—" he points to Barnes and Steve, "and you know the proper fighting technique—" he points to Natasha. I would like you to attend this event and ensure it goes smoothly. Anastasia, would you teach them how to fight properly like they belong in the Russian family?"

"Of course, sir." She responds quickly.

"Are you quick learners?" He asks Steve and Barnes. "Is that something you can accomplish?"

"Yes." They both respond easily.

"The details and invitation to the party will be sent along soon." He gestures to the door, "Masimov will bring them by when they are ready."

It's not much later that they leave the house. And while they keep up the required small talk to ensure nothing seems off. They glance at each other as they walk towards their own house and trepidation fills each of their faces.

—

"He's suspicious and then suddenly he wants us to guard a family party?" Barnes asks with a scoff, "hell no. This is a trap."

"It doesn't matter if it's a trap." Natasha says, "we're going anyways."

"So what, they can have Diev shoot us execution style while the rest of the Russians watch? Hell no!"

"Buck." Steve cuts in quietly, "we have to go. What if the person we are after is there? Or, more likely, what if someone else important is there and they spill what we need to know? Parties mean drinking and more people give information away under the influence than any other way. Their mental walls come down. This could be our chance!"

"To get killed, Steve." He grinds out, "you know something is off. Come on!"

Steve's voice is serious as he looks at his best friend, "I absolutely understand, and you're right something is off. Maybe we should split into teams." He looks at Natasha, "are you still okay with attending?"

Barnes, looking relieved that he was starting to get through to him, now sputters in protest as Natasha nods, "absolutely."

"Okay, you and I will go as normal, and pretend that they've come with us, but you both—" he points to her and Barnes, "can be our back up if something goes wrong."

"No!" Peggy shouts, the roar of the ocean punctuating her protest.

"That's not what I meant, Steve!" Barnes snaps, "none of us should go! This is a trap."

Steve is infuriatingly calm, "which means they'll have good bait to catch us with right? We always make it out of the scrapes, okay? So don't worry. You and Peggy can—"

"Can nothing!" Peggy growls out, "I'll not be benched!"

"Carter," Natasha starts, "it won't make sense for the three of us to go if James doesn't—-"

James is suddenly kneeling in front of Natasha, "don't." He says, his voice catching, stunning the rest of them into silence, "I just came back. I just got back. And you. I just got you back." And it breaks Peggy's heart to see him so vulnerable, begging her. "I have a bad feeling about this. Trust me. Trust me this once. Don't go."

It's quiet for a moment before Steve speaks, "he's right. Trust him."

Surprise flits through Peggy at his willingness to back down until Barnes turns towards him and there's suddenly a snarl on his face, "I'm talking to you too!" He stabs a finger at Steve's chest, "you're both too reckless. You aren't going either!"

"Buck—"

"You're not going." He snaps, a feral expression in his eyes. The soldier that Hydra had created, "none of us are going. We will find another way."

"Who knows when we will get the chance." Steve says calmly, not reacting to Barnes' anger, "we can't afford to wait that long. If we burn this bridge who knows when we'll get another chance—"

"We will—"

"You saw those girls." Steve says sharply. "You saw them. How many truckloads of product have we not been here to save?" Steve's voice is getting deeper and more serious, "the longer Hydra is allowed to operate, the longer they can bankroll bastards like Grigory and the Red Room!" He shifts, standing and glaring out at the ocean, "I can't sit by if there's a chance to end this. Every moment we waste some girl is being taken from her family or innocent people are being bullied by a mob that thinks they own the territory." Steve's eyes flash in the moonlight, "they took you and tortured you. And when you fell, I vowed I wouldn't stop until all of Hydra was killed or captured. And I meant it. So I'm going."

He's walking back the house, the moonlight illuminating his silhouette.

And Barnes lets out a frustrated groan. "Dammit!" He snaps, his fist clenching at sand. "Dammit!"

Natasha leans forward and places her hands on either side of his face. "It will all work out." She kisses his forehead and then leans hers against his, "there's no better team than us four. We can handle this."

Barnes sags, shoulders dropping as he accepts her support and just shakes his head. "How in the world did I end up with the two most reckless people in my life?"

Natasha laughs and taps at his nose, "the universe knew we needed you." She looks up and over to Peggy. "Carter? You in?"

And even though dread curls in her stomach, she forces out a chuckle and rolls her eyes, "I was never out."

Natasha lays back on the sand, dragging her fingers through Barnes' hair. He leans back, using her stomach as a pillow, and stays silent.

Then Peggy is reminded of something, "Barnes, don't worry, what's the worst that could happen?"

His head instantly snaps up and he glares at her.

She laughs, but the dread in her stomach only multiplies.

—-

The day of the party dawns foggy. The ocean mirroring their mood as the descent to winter makes its first strong appearance.

Peggy and Barnes are relatively quiet as they get dressed. Thankfully neither she or Barnes were required to be in costume. They would just be dressed in standard black to blend into the crowds. She stares at the items Howard had given them and she debates for a moment before slipping them into her purse.

When she enters the main house, Peggy has to gasp and show proper appreciation for Natasha's costume. She's dressed and face painted as if she's a Russian doll, even a thick black line around her waist to symbolize where she would separate.

They talk about it excitedly and Natasha smiles and bats her eyelashes, "I had Finn do my face, he's so talented with his hands." She giggles for affect but there's that raised eyebrow that Peggy wants to laugh at.

"Well he did a wonderful job, ma'am." Peggy agrees, "what's he dressed as?"

"I didn't pick it." His voice floats from the stairs he's now descending. "Anastasia did." They both look up and thankfully Natasha's forced giggle and her excited clapping masks Peggy's sharp intake of air.

Shorts cling to his hips, a boxer's silk robe hangs on his shoulders, the broad expanse of his chest on display, and his knuckles are wrapped in boxer's tape.

"Damn you look good!" Natasha squeals running and jumping into his arms. He catches her and they laugh as he admonishes her to be more careful with her perfectly painted make-up.

The scars on his body, the still healing bruises, and the cut on his lip create the perfect visage of a fighter.

And it reminds her of their fight in the ring, how she'd shouted from atop his shoulders and how they'd shared a look. A look she now realizes meant they both wanted more in that moment.

She nods her approval of both costumes and then makes a show of searching for her phone. "Rory and I will be right behind you guys." She says as if in a rush, "don't wait for us."

Natasha and Steve wave goodbye to her and they head out the door.

—

Peggy and Barnes make it to the party less than an hour after Natasha and Steve. And they carefully search each room, pretending to meander and mingle but instead mapping out the layout as best they can and making note of the exits and locked doors.

She catches sight of Steve and Natasha occasionally, as they are moved about and introduced to other family members. Grigory circles them time and again, watching as if he's waiting for something to happen.

She can feel the tension rolling off of Barnes and she squeezes his hand to get him to calm down. He nods tersely and they keep up their act. Thankfully their actual job coincides with their false purpose of being here.

She's walking through a room lined with glass windows and watching the party that is taking place in the room and down below on the patio.

The feeling of dread starts to ebb slightly as the night continues.

—

Steve keeps his eyes out for the three of them. Eyes watchful and mind on alert even as he shakes hands and memorizes names. Grigory is like a hawk, introducing them to people and watching their faces as if he expects them to react a certain way. But he and Natasha just smile and mingle and stay calm as Bucky and Peggy flit from room to room.

—-

Peggy is holding a glass she only pretends to sip from when she looks up and catches her reflection in the glass window. But that's not what catches her eye.

She looks to a face that is reflected just behind her, to her left.

The smug smiling face of Sitwell.

—-

Steve feels the tension change. He's not sure what it is in his gut that tells him the trap has been sprung but he knows things are about to change. He looks around the room, trying to see Peggy or Bucky but they aren't visible. He looks down to see Natasha still chatting with Riavia and he knows the window for their exit is starting to close.

"Anastasia." He says lightly, drawing her close, "I want Rory and Lily to meet the Novinia brothers, would you go grab them for me?"

She smiles at him and kisses him quickly, "of course, I'll be right back."

Steve watches her go and turns to Riavia, "so, where is this perfect vodka you spoke of?"

She laughs and begins to lead him towards the buffet tables which are closer to one of the better exits.

—-

Only a second passes before recognition clicks and she turns around, expecting to find him there.

But he's not. The room is filled with the same party goers she's been studying for almost 2 hours.

Then she's moving, quickly walking and catching Barnes' eye. He comes to meet her and she reaches into her purse, pulling out the two face meshes. He looks at them in confusion and she carefully tucks them into his pocket. "These will disguise you as you exit."

"What—"

"Barnes, take her and get out."

"But—"

"But nothing. You were right. It was reckless to come here tonight. Take these, get her and go. I'll go grab him."

Panic crosses his face, "What's happening. What did you see?"

She grabs his collar and pretends to kiss him, but instead snarls at him quietly, "get the hell out of here. Now. Grab her and don't look back. Don't go to the house." Her voice softens, "we will meet at the place where you wanted to go in and we didn't."

Then she gently shoves him into the crowd and takes off in the opposite direction. She doesn't look back to see if he follows her instructions. She just trusts that he will.

—-

When Natasha doesn't return, his senses and everything else go on high alert. He's about to make his way through each room, when Grigory stops him.

"Come." He says, "let us talk in my office."

—-

She makes it outside, using the connected balcony to walk to the other room faster so she doens't have to walk through as many people.

Then she pauses.

And the fact that there are no people makes the hair on the back of her neck stand up.

"I hear you have been looking for me."

Her spine goes rigid straight. She slowly turns around to see a man in an expensive suit standing just under the light fixture. The shadow it casts, and the Phantom of the Opera mask he wears makes her unable to recognize his face, but his voice.

She knows that voice.

And he steps forward, hand reaching up to remove the mask.

And her blood slows to a stop as the head of the World Security Council, Alexander Pierce, smiles at her. His head cocked and an eyebrow raised in amusement.

"Well," he says, "here I am."

—

Steve sits quietly as Grigory pours them a drink. He accepts the glass and waits for the man to say something.

Only for Grigory to tilt his head, "I apologize, let me go grab some ice. I will be right back."

He leaves quickly and Steve stands, knowing he's probably still being recorded but too uneasy to stay sitting.

He's about to just walk out of there and figure out another plan when the door opens.

Steve freezes, unsure if Grigory could have returned so fast, when Peggy steps through the door.

"Lily?" He asks, "do you need something?"

He feels confusion at her appearance and the calm expression on her face. She smiles easily at him and gestures for the door, "Yes, Rory says Anastasia isn't feeling well, so he took her home, but I thought you'd want to know."

No plan had included this, so he goes along with it, "okay, was she alright?"

"I don't think it's anything serious, sir. But I do think we should go home and check on her."

"Okay."

She gestures for him to follow her and he does. He expects to run into Grigory or someone else wondering where they are going, but they don't. They make it all the way outside to the car he'd driven here with Natasha, but Peggy heads towards the driver's seat and he moves to the passenger, wondering what is going on.

She drives towards the house but then passes it, not stopping for a long time. He wants to ask what's going on but she doesn't speak, so he follows her example. Eventually they pull off the freeway just over an hour later and his eyes grow wide as they pull under the same sign he had right before this mission.

Downtown Disney

She parks in the parking garage and steps out of the car. He follows suit and it's only then in the glare of the harsh fluorescents can he see how red her eyes are.

"Peggy?" He asks, knowing they're far enough away from the car. "What's wrong, what is happening."

She makes a non-committal sound in her throat and tears her fingers through her hair, fingers catching on a tangle.

"Peggy," he says softer, "what is going on? What happened?"

"I figured it out."

"Figured what out?" Steve looks at her, and other than her red eyes, something about her appearance is off.

"How to trick the Russians." She says firmly, her eyes getting steely as she looks at him, "do you trust me?"

"Of course I do." He says instantly.

"Okay." She says, wiping at her eyes and then taking a deep breath, her lips parted slightly. And that's when it hits him.

"Were you wearing lipstick before?" He asks, his mind fixating on that fact for some reason he can't explain.

"Yes." She says quickly, "come here." She gestures for him to sit on the ground, "beside the car."

And he wants to ask why. But he's just said he trusts her, so he does. He sits on the concrete and waits, looking at her expectantly.

She walks around to the other side of the car and kneels down, peering at him from the other side. "Give me your hand."

He leans back and eyes her curiously, but her face is patient and he extends his hand, reaching towards her under the carriage of the car. She nods and grabs his wrist. And from somewhere he can't see, she produces handcuffs and clinks one end on his wrist and the other around a pipe on the car.

She's up and around back to his side, kneeling beside him.

"I trust you," he says firmly, "but you have to tell me what's going on."

"Barnes and Natasha will be here somewhere."

"Okay, and we're going to be meeting up with them?"

"Yes, you will. They'll come find you." His hand reaches out, snatching her wrist to stop her from grabbing whatever else it was from out of her pocket.

"What do you mean, find me." He says harshly, "where will you be?"

"I have something I need to do."

"Which is what?" He asks, fear and confusion filling his chest at the way she was speaking.

"Just something." She yanks her hand out of his grasp and then he watches as she forces a smile. "You trust me, right?"

He nods, and she smiles again, her eyes watering. "Good." Then she leans forward and she kisses him.

He kisses her back, one hand still pulled beneath the car, but he uses the other to pull her closer.

She pulls away after a moment and stands, "I love you Steve, say goodbye to Wanda and Pietro for me."

He blinks.

And then he blinks again. And he needs to say something. He needs to speak. His mind feels cloudy. Why is his mind so slow? Why can't he think. His eyes catch on the lipstick that's now smudged and realization cuts through the fog.

The lipstick.

From Howard.

He growls, trying to force his brain and body to cooperate.

"Stop." She says, her voice harsh and broken, "Steve, stop."

But she's crying now and he can't have that. So he starts to get up, to go to her, to comfort her.

"Please." She says, touching his face, "just sit down, okay?" She's pushing him down, but then trying to leave and he doesn't want her to leave, so he grabs her wrist. "I have to go now, Steve."

But he doesn't let go. Even through the haze of his mind he knows he doesn't want that.

Then she is kissing him again. So fiercely and so passionately that he can't think of anything else but to kiss her back. Her hands thread through his hair and she's crying.

Why is she crying?

Then she's not in his arms any more.

His vision is blurry. And he needs—

There's—

Tell her. That's not—

Don't—

His eyes close and the world fades to black.

—-

Peggy feels the ache in her chest as Steve follows her orders without question. He trusts her. Even as he asks her what she's doing she can sense the trust emanating off him.

And she expects that to be that as she kisses him.

Except it's not.

She watches as he fights it. Which stuns her, because as she had walked to Grigory's office to collect Steve, she'd tried it on a passing party goer and he'd dropped the second it had touched his lips.

But there Steve is, fighting it and blinking at her as if he's just woken up.

The serum.

She steps back and it's not till he's moving towards her and dragging the car along with him that she begs and pleads with him to stop.

And when he doesn't, she pushes him back down and kisses him again. Every emotion, every memory, every moment that she has loved him and would have loved him, she imbues her kiss with that. Steve kisses her back, even though she can tell his brain is fighting his body, but he kisses her and she then feels the effect finally happen. His muscles start to relax.

The last look he gives her before his eyes close for good is confusion and concern.

And her heart breaks.

She kisses his forehead and runs her fingers through his hair one last time. Then she gently maneuvers him under the car, hiding him from prying eyes. She almost leaves then, but instead pulls out a receipt and scribbles on the back.

She sticks that into the pocket on the robe and brushes her fingers against his cheek. "Goodbye my, Darling."

Then she stands and walks towards the black car that is waiting for her at the end of the row.

—