The Ordinary Days

A/N: Another chapter goes live! Some important things happen in this one and we really start to get the ball rolling as far as their married life goes. :) As always, please consider posting a review if you like this story!

Warnings: There are talks about consummating their marriage but it is very brief and not graphic at all. It's in the first scene between Peggy and her mother and again about halfway in when Steve and Peggy are in the hotel room.


Chapter Four

As a young child, Peggy had always envisioned her wedding as a grand, opulent affair with friends, family, and all of society's best members attending. Instead, what her wedding turned out to be was a small ceremony at a local chapel with just her family, Steve's mother, and a few other people who Peggy assumed were Steve's friends. In total, there were less than ten people in attendance, but Peggy still felt that she was about to walk down the aisle with a million eyes on her.

Standing before a floor-length mirror in the narthex of the small church, Peggy looked at herself in her simple tea-length white dress and birdcage veil. This was not at all what she had dreamed of for her wedding, but there was no use in getting sad about that now, she told herself. She was lucky to be getting married at all after what had happened to her and she should be grateful of the fact that Steve had so selflessly offered himself to her.

But…after all was said and done, the fact remained that Peggy was about to marry a perfect stranger. It was extremely daunting to think of how drastically her life will change as a farmhand's wife, hardly seeing her family and friends again after she has a house to tend to.

And children, most likely…she thought numbly. Her monthly still hadn't arrived which put her nearly a month late, so Peggy had to accept the fact that she had indeed been made pregnant by Jack Thompson. She still could not visit a doctor until after she was married to diminish any suspicions about the timeline of her pregnancy, but there was little doubt in her mind anymore that she would be having a baby likely within the year. It was coming and there was nothing she could do about it.

And what about Steve? Was it fair to him to entrap him in this marriage where he would end up being married to someone with a bastard child? Surely, he needed to know the truth before walking down the aisle with her…didn't he?

Mrs. Carter came in and stood beside Peggy, holding a string of pearls in her hands. She gave her daughter a sad smile.

"I know this is not what we had always hoped for you, my dear," she said as she helped fasten the gleaming pearls around Peggy's neck, "but it gives me relief to know you'll at least be taken care of."

"I wish Michael were here," said Peggy sadly, and her mother nodded in solemn acknowledgement.

"I wrote to him so he will know the news soon, but I'm sure he sends his best wishes. I think he'd like Steve if they met. Steve seems like a good man, truly."

Peggy looked at her mother in the mirror with pleading eyes. "I have to tell him about the baby, Mother. He needs to know before he marries me; it's only fair."

Mrs. Carter sighed. "He won't marry you if he knows, Peggy. And then your life will be ruined–"

"But what about his life?" Peggy questioned sharply. "His life won't be ruined by being saddled with a child that isn't even his? And a wife he doesn't love but feels he has to be with only out of obligation? He will despise me if he finds out I hid the baby from him before marrying him."

"Margaret," she commanded in a harsh tone while gripping Peggy's shoulders, looking squarely into her eyes. "It is too late for this now. You will tell him about your pregnancy after you have been married for a little while and he won't suspect a thing. You will have to say the baby is his or the town will find out everything and you'd become an outcast, even if you were married. Now take a breath and calm down, dear. Everything is as it should be."

Peggy did as her mother instructed, taking a deep breath and feeling her nerves settle a little. "Alright, Mother. Perhaps you're right."

Mrs. Carter nodded reassuringly. "Now…you do realize too, Margaret, that after the wedding you'll have to…give Steve a reason to believe the baby is his, and not someone else's?"

Peggy looked at her mother quizzically. "What do you mean?"

"Well, you'll be a married couple and as your husband he will be expecting you to fulfill your…wifely duties. Which you will have to oblige as quickly as you can, of course, otherwise he'll know he didn't father the child."

"Oh…oh." Peggy's eyes got wide as she realized what her mother was saying. "I hadn't…I hadn't thought about that…"

Peggy felt like a foolish child once she realized her mother was right. Why hadn't she thought about the fact that of course Steve would expect to have a "full" marriage with her if they were going to be spending the rest of their lives together? And she would not be able to put him off for long because of the timeline of her pregnancy. If they do not consummate their marriage quickly, Steve will get suspicious of the baby's due date and eventually figure out the baby is not his, thereby learning that Peggy had tricked him.

"Oh, God…Mother, I don't think I can do this," she implored, panic starting to rise in her stomach and throat as she heard the wedding march start to play on the organ.

"You can, and you must," said her mother as she handed her the small bouquet. "You are strong, my dearest daughter, and you can do this."

Mr. Carter came in through the oak doors and Peggy's brief glimpse into the sanctuary revealed that Steve and the reverend were already standing at the altar.

"Are you ready, darling?" asked her father, and Peggy nodded weakly.

"Good luck, my dear," said her mother as she kissed her cheek and departed for the sanctuary.

Peggy took a brief moment to steady herself, and then she and her father opened the double doors and started to descend down the aisle, going slower than was probably expected. Peggy's heart was hammering intensely as she walked down. She glanced on either side of her to see her sister and mother and a couple of others she did not recognize because they were probably Steve's relations. She did not even look at Steve until she was almost to the altar. He was wearing a plain but smart brown suit and his hair was combed neater than she had ever seen it before. He was smiling at her, but not in a beaming, I'm-about-to-be-married way, but more like a knowing smile to show that he was nervous, too. Privately, Peggy appreciated the tiny gesture.

She kissed her father when she reached the end of the aisle and then she took her place beside Steve at the altar. The reverend began his speeches on the sanctity of marriage but Peggy hardly took in a word, spending all her energy focusing on breathing evenly so she wouldn't faint. Quick glances at Steve revealed he was more composed than she was, but she could still detect a faint trace of nervousness in his handsome blue eyes.

"May I have the rings?" asked the kindly reverend, and Steve's eyes widened slightly.

"I didn't…I don't have rings," he confessed quietly, looking apprehensively at Peggy, but she shrugged him off.

"It's fine, I don't need a ring," she whispered back.

Steve hesitated for a moment, but then looked back at the reverend who continued on. "No matter, we will continue on to the vows. Do you, Steven Grant Rogers, take thee, Margaret Elizabeth Carter, to be thy lawfully wedded wife?"

"I do," replied Steve with a nervous smile at her.

"And do you, Margaret Elizabeth Carter, take thee, Steven Grant Rogers, to be thy lawfully wedded husband?"

Peggy swallowed. "I do."

"Then by the power vested in me by God and man, I now pronounce you man and wife. What God has ordained, let no man put asunder."

There was a brief pause where both Peggy and Steve were expecting the reverend to say "You may now kiss the bride," but thankfully he did not. He instead asked for the witnesses to step forward to sign the marriage license, which Peggy's father and Steve's mother obligingly did. And then just like that, Steve and Peggy were married and the ceremony was over.

There was a tiny reception afterward with some dainty refreshments and a few of the guests hung back to wish the couple their congratulations. Steve's mother was the first to approach them with a beaming smile.

"It's so nice to finally meet you, Margaret," said Mrs. Rogers after she kissed Steve on the cheek. "My sincerest congratulations."

"It's a pleasure to meet you as well, Mrs. Rogers," replied Peggy meekly. She had been nervous to meet Steve's mother because she knew she was fully aware of their situation and Peggy was afraid she judged them for it. But to Peggy's surprise, she received nothing but kindness and warmth from Mrs. Rogers, which she greatly appreciated.

"Oh, please call me Sarah. After all, you're the new Mrs. Rogers now."

"Only if you call me Peggy," she countered politely. "My parents only call me Margaret when they're cross."

"Very well, Peggy. Once you two are settled and have a place of your own, I would love it if you two would come visit occasionally; if my health allows it."

"Of course, Mother, we'd be glad to," replied Steve, looking at Peggy who nodded in agreement.

She shuffled along to shake the reverend's hand and then a couple whom Peggy did not recognize approached them.

"Howard!" exclaimed Steve in surprise. "I'm surprised you made it."

"Nice to see you too, pal," said Howard as he shook his friend's hand, and then suddenly it dawned on Peggy that this was Howard and Maria Stark, two of the richest people in town. Peggy vaguely remembered shaking hands with them years ago when she was a girl at parties, but she could barely recall having a conversation with them. Which was why Peggy was surprised to see a family as grand as the Starks at their meager wedding.

"Howard, this is Peggy. We know each other from the war," he added to Peggy, who nodded in understanding as she shook Howard's hand. "And his wife, Maria."

"A pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Rogers," said Maria with a beautiful smile, shaking her hand warmly.

"Pleasure to meet you," returned Peggy, an uncomfortable jolt coursing through her body at being called "Mrs. Rogers."

"Are you back from the war?" asked Steve with confusion, and Howard shook his head.

"On leave," he explained. "Imagine my surprise at the perfect timing when a week ago my dear wife said you were getting married. I didn't believe her at first, honestly, but when Mrs. Carter confirmed it for me, I knew I had to come."

"My mother told you?" asked Peggy, shocked that the Starks knew her mother well enough to reach out to her. "And she didn't tell me you were coming?"

"Well, about that…" Howard dug into his breast pocket to pull out a piece of paper. "She thought it best I surprise you after the ceremony so you wouldn't try to talk me out of it…But I've decided to gift the two of you a house."

Both Peggy and Steve's jaws dropped as Howard handed over the piece of paper, which appeared to be a deed, to Steve.

"It's a lovely little farmhouse out in Wilson with a few acres of land currently being used as a beet farm. A family friend, Mr. Barker, lived there for a while but after he died last year, he passed the deed along to me since he didn't have any children. Mrs. Carter telephoned me last week - a little bit out of the blue, I might add - and asked if I'd be willing to help out my friend Steve with something and I listened to her explain your situation. I've been debating what to do with this old place for months now, and then here comes the perfect solution!"

He beamed at the newlyweds and Steve and Peggy tried their best to turn their shock into appreciation.

"So…my mother is the one who asked you to do this?" asked Peggy slowly as she glanced across the room and saw her mother chatting with the reverend.

"Indeed she was, but I was happy to help out my ol' pal, Steve," he replied as he clapped Steve on the shoulder. "She didn't have to beg or plead, I can assure you."

"Wilson isn't too far from town, isn't it?" figured Peggy, trying to make sense of her mother's plan. "So it's close enough to Denver to be near our families but far away enough we can make our own lives?"

Peggy saw her mother look over at her and smile knowingly. That cunning woman, she thought to herself.

"That's a good way to put it," said Maria as Howard wrapped his arm around her. "I'm glad we could put that old farmhouse to use."

"That is very kind of you, Howard, Maria," expressed Steve. "I really don't know what to say."

"Say you'll take it! I made sure the turnover process from me to you went as quickly as possible, but my attorney said the deed will officially be in your name by tomorrow. In the meantime, I booked you two a hotel in town to stay for the night since it'll be a long drive out there tomorrow. Don't thank me all at once!" he interrupted Peggy and Steve's about-to-be protestations, throwing his hands up. "My butler, Jarvis, will meet with you tomorrow morning at the hotel and accompany you to the farm to make sure everything is ship-shape. It's all been arranged."

Steve stepped forward and gripped his hand. "Thank you, Howard, truly. I appreciate you looking out for the two of us."

"You're most welcome, pal. Now if you don't mind, I am going home to spend more time with my lovely wife before being shipped back to Europe. Have a happy marriage, you two."

"My sincerest congratulations!" chimed in Maria. "Good-bye!"

The couple left and Steve and Peggy merely looked at each other, at a loss of what to say.

"Did we just…" started Steve incredulously. "Did we just…suddenly gain a house? And a farm?"

"I suppose so," Peggy shrugged. "What an odd day this has been."

Steve chuckled. "That's one way to put it."


When the post-ceremony hand-shaking and "thank-yous" were all over, it was time for the newlyweds to say goodbye to their respective families.

"I have no doubt you'll be a good husband, my darling boy," said Sarah tearfully in her son's ear as they embraced. "But if you need anything, you just pick up the telephone, alright?"

"Yes, ma'am," he whispered back, and gave her a kiss on the cheek. He pulled away to look her square in the eyes. "And you take care of yourself, okay, Ma? If you need anything I'll drive straight over to you, okay?"

Sarah smiled reassuringly. "Sure thing."

Peggy hugged Sharon and chided, "Don't get into trouble, darling. You hear me?"

"I'll be a perfect saint, sissy," said Sharon as she hugged her sister back tightly.

Peggy turned to her parents, who each clapped a hand on her shoulder.

"Let us know if you need anything, dear," said Mrs. Carter and Mr. Carter nodded with her.

"I will."

Steve turned to Peggy and extended his arm, which, after hesitating for a second, she took as they made their way to Steve's truck. They climbed in, waved one last goodbye to their families, and turned the corner into town as the sun began to set in a brilliance of oranges and pinks.

The little hotel was not far and when they made it to the reception desk they checked in as "Mr. and Mrs. Rogers" (which made Peggy blush and Steve clear his throat). The desk clerk excitedly checked them in to their so-called finest room, which was on the second floor of the small two-story building.

Upon unlocking the door, the two of them were flushed to learn there was only one queen-sized bed in the modest room.

Peggy placed her suitcase on the floor and sighed, feeling a wave of apprehension wash over her. Tonight was their wedding night…would Steve expect anything of her?

No, she thought, he said on the day he proposed that he wasn't expecting a 'real' marriage or anything like that…But he is a man, isn't he? "Wifely duties," isn't that what Mother said earlier? Would he want what all other men want as soon as the "I do's" have been said?

Steve thanked the clerk and closed the door behind him, looking awkwardly around the room. He must have sensed some apprehension on Peggy's face because he said gently, "We don't have to share the bed if you don't want to. I'm not expecting anything."

Peggy nodded and breathed a small sigh of relief. I guess not all men, she thought.

"Thank you, I appreciate that."

"Would you like to use the bathroom?"

"Yes, I'll start getting ready for bed, I suppose. If you don't mind."

"Of course."

Peggy grabbed a few things from her suitcase and shut the door behind her in the tiny bathroom, looking at herself in the mirror. She realized she will have to take off her makeup and be bare-faced and pajama-clad in front of a man, something she hadn't done since she was a child. Wearing makeup was almost like a suit of armor for her because it made her feel capable and powerful, so stripping all that away in front of a perfect stranger was difficult for her.

She took a deep breath to steady herself and began her nightly routine of face creams and hair braiding.

Steve, meanwhile, had hastily started changing out of his suit when he was sure Peggy had closed the door to the bathroom. He rushed as quickly as he could to prevent her from suddenly opening the door while seeing him half-dressed, knowing he would be mortified if that happened. Not for his sake, necessarily, but because he would hate for Peggy to think he had any ideas about what they would be doing on their wedding night. He knew she would be in a fragile state emotionally at the moment having just married a man she barely knew. Sure, Steve thought Peggy was a beautiful woman and he could not deny he was a little proud to be able to call someone like her his wife, but the thought of doing anything that she did not want to do made him feel awful.

Thankfully, she was still in the bathroom when he finished changing out of his suit and into his button-down pajama shirt and bottoms. He folded his suit neatly and put it away in his suitcase, wondering when (or if) he'll ever wear it again. Steve stood looking around the small room and thought about what to do regarding the sleeping situation. Of course he would let Peggy sleep in the bed, but there were no sofas or cushions he could use to sleep on.

Oh well, he thought to himself as he gathered up a couple of pillows and blankets and started arranging them on the floor, I've slept on worse as a soldier.

When Peggy came out of the bathroom, Steve was sitting in his pile of blankets on the floor. He looked up at her and was surprised to see she was still in her wedding dress.

"Um…Steve?" she asked in a small voice. "Would you mind helping me with something?"

"Oh," he said, jumping up, "sure, what do you need?"

"I hate to ask, but…" she slowly turned around and lifted up the back of her curled hair. "I can't undo all the buttons in the back. Do you think you could…?"

"O-oh, um…" he swallowed, trying not to stare at her exposed neck. "Yes, let me see what I can do."

Steve carefully approached her and saw that the first few pearly white buttons on Peggy's dress were already undone, but the ones that fell on the middle of her back were still fastened. He swallowed nervously before delicately starting on the buttons and unfastening them, going slowly. As he went down her back, the cream-colored slip under her dress was starting to show and Steve tried very hard to focus on the buttons and only the buttons.

When he got to about the fifth button, Peggy said, "Okay, I can get the rest. Thank you."

Steve immediately stepped away. "My pleasure."

Peggy looked at him from the side and raised her eyebrows, to which Steve stammered, "I-I meant, 'you're welcome.' For helping you. It…It wasn't a pleasure, but…You know."

Peggy gave a sad smile. "I know."

She went back into the bathroom and closed the door, and Steve distinctly heard her turn the lock. He sighed deeply and returned to his nest on the floor, resting his forehead on his hands.

Stupid, he chided himself. Why did you have to say something like that to her? Don't give her any other reasons to hate you.

He exhaled and laid back on the cushions on the floor, his mind not letting him forget about the awkward comment he had made. Would she ever feel comfortable around him? Steve couldn't imagine she would trust any man after her assault, and he decided it was best to give her as much space as possible until she was ready to open up to him. He would never want Peggy to do anything she didn't want to do, and if that meant shutting up and letting her live her own life, he would do it.

Pangs of shame coursing through him, Steve closed his eyes and suddenly found himself quite tired due to the emotional toll of the day.

Several minutes later, Peggy emerged from the bathroom in a modest nightgown and robe with her hair braided back and face fresh. She braced herself for some sort of comment or look from Steve, but was surprised to see he was asleep in a pile of blankets on the floor. His eyes were closed and he was breathing slowly and Peggy felt a little bit relieved that she did not have to entertain a conversation with him before turning in for the night.

She pulled back the sheets on the bed and sat, glancing at the clock which, to her amazement, read that it was barely past eight o'clock. Peggy chuckled to herself that she and Steve were both in bed so early but she supposed it had been quite an exhausting day.

Rather than draw out the inevitable, Peggy turned off the lamps on either side of the bed and pulled the sheets up over her, laying on her side facing away from Steve. She was tired, but the events of the day rapidly played out in her mind.

She had married someone today…which was a concept that was hard for Peggy to grasp (but being called "Mrs. Rogers" several times today slightly helped to reinforce the idea, she supposed). She was also most likely pregnant with another man's child and would have to prepare herself, physically and emotionally, for that. How would Steve react if he found out the baby wasn't his? Would he cast her out and she would be doomed to live the rest of her life with a bastard child as a pariah from her family and friends and all she knew?

But the alternative was almost worse: What if Steve believed the child was his and never found out it wasn't? He would raise it, feed it, play with it, and never even suspect that it wasn't his own flesh and blood while Peggy and her mother and who knows who else knew what a fool he was? The thought made Peggy's blood turn cold and tears sprang to her eyes. How could she do that to a man as honest as Steve, who said at dinner a week ago that he didn't think he was good enough to marry someone like Peggy – and probably meant it?

Peggy internally cursed the hot tears that fell from her eyes and it took everything in her to repress her racking sobs. Thank God Steve is asleep, she thought, or he'd have to be subjected to hearing his new wife crying on their wedding night.

Unbeknownst to Peggy, Steve laid in his pile of blankets with his eyes wide open, listening to her shaking cries, and feeling like the lousiest person in the world.

It's because of me, he thought morosely. Was marrying her a mistake? Does she hate me for convincing her that this was a good idea?

Steve couldn't bear the thought and turned over onto his side to face away from Peggy. He heard her cries pause for a moment as she listened to him stir, but moments later he could hear her unmistakable sniffling. He breathed long and slow so she would think he was asleep and he heard her cries slowly dissolve into hiccups, and then they stopped altogether once she drifted off to sleep.

Thinking back over the events of the last week, Steve realized there had been several moments where he had thought about - and even been excited about - the prospect of being married to Peggy. He had always found her attractive: when they met for the first time as he was dropping off a delivery at her house, his breath was taken away by how beautiful she was. And when he got to know her, he found her personality to be very charming and interesting. Perhaps once or twice, even before he proposed to her, he had thought about asking her out…imagining where he would take her and how it would feel to get closer to her both socially and physically…

Suddenly Steve's heavy eyelids fluttered open as he realized something:

He had feelings for her. He had feelings for her for months.

And then the first time she told me she was in a predicament I proposed to her? Steve thought incredulously to himself. Was I insane?

He tried to calm himself by thinking that it was too late to worry about that now because they were already married. But then, he had another thought:

What would she do if she found out I secretly had feelings for her for months before offering to marry her?