I still do not own Marvel, and I still love these guys.
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It had become almost dinner time, at least an hour having passed in relative silence and peace, when Steve finally spoke. "Peggy says she doesn't want to see me anymore."
"Well you can tell that stubborn old..." Tony, who had been lurking around the door for just a few (slightly less peaceful) minutes, started, only to be interrupted by a hand over his mouth. Somewhat surprisingly, perhaps, it belonged to Clint of all people. Nobody had seen him arrive.
"Thank you, Clint," Claire acknowledged, getting a grin from the archer. She then turned her attention back to Steve, voice sympathetic and kind as she asked, "Tell me what happened?"
Stutteringly, and on the verge of tears, Steve did.
Just like he had done ever since the first few months after awakening from the ice, Steve had gone to see Peggy in the nursery home she had retired to after turning ninety. He was by no means her only visitor: her husband (she had eventually settled on somebody else, ten years or so after thinking Steve permanently lost) had been dead for some years now but she had several daughters and a whole flock of grandchildren. The youngest of said grandchildren were still in the lively running-about sort of age, but the oldest was a charming young woman of twenty-one, fresh out of University and just a little bit taken by Steve, though he never noticed.
Like he did often, Steve had come there to visit with Peggy. He had been shown into her room and started their normal ritual by asking her how she was. Only this time, things had taken quite the unusual - and distressing - turn and the visit had ended with her asking him never to come again, despite his pleading with her to the contrary.
Claire listened patiently to the story, which had Bruce frowning in puzzlement and Bucky in concern (and Tony being entirely silent, which said more than anything) and then she merely shook her head, muttering about stubborn old ladies and the general silliness of human beings.
"Okay..." Clint had stated, backing away overly slowly, as always trying to make a joke. Tony had hit him, only somewhat gently, and asked no questions at all - clearly sure that his adopted god-daughter knew what she was doing entirely. He, it seemed, was waiting to hear her plan, while Bruce just kept being patiently supportive, and Bucky concentrated on comforting Steve. They were all confused, not least of all Steve himself, who still did not understand Peggy's decision. It had all come out of the blue, too.
"I think," Claire finally took pity on them, "that Peggy is being self-sacrificing here. It sounds like it, anyway." She cut off Steve's protest - or if it was a question - before he had time to begin. "If you don't mind, I'd like to go speak to her myself. See if I can sort this out. I have an idea."
Naturally, nobody argued with Claire - they did not know what Peggy might possibly be thinking, and so they needed all the help they could get. And the next Thursday, Claire Thomas went to see Peggy Carter.
And wasn't that a blast, in an almost too literal sense.