Peggy's death throws a wrench into everything. Not only do the Avengers have to send their signatures off to the UN (the ones who want to sign at least), but now they have to deal with the funeral of a close friend.
Steve knows that Peggy hadn't been close to all the Avengers, but she had been Tony's godmother, and his and Bucky's friend, and even Clint and Natasha had revered her as SHIELD's founder, so her death hits as a shock to all of them.
Another complication is the timing of the funeral. Peggy and her family had known she was dying, so her will and funeral wishes are in order, but Peggy had chosen not to be embalmed, which means that the funeral has to be soon, giving them little time to prepare, and even less to deal with the Accords.
"Of course it has to be on the same day," Tony grumbles a day later as he pulls at his hair, sitting in front of his laptop at the counter. "Nothing can be simple for us, can it?"
Tony, Natasha, and Rhodey had sent off their signatures to the UN earlier that morning, but the Avengers are expected to make an appearance at the actual ratification meeting tomorrow, which just so happens to be on the same day as Peggy's funeral.
"Will you be ready in time?" Steve asks, looking up from his phone as he texts confirmations and clarifications back and forth with Peggy's family. He and Bucky had been asked to be pallbearers, which is a bit of a daunting responsibility, but he doubts he is as nervous as Tony, who had been asked to speak.
Tony sighs and runs a hand through his hair again, giving it an exhausted tug. "Yeah," he says finally, looking at the typed-up document in front of him. "Peggy already told me that she wanted me to speak at her funeral, so when she got sick, I started planning out some things. But I'd hoped…"
He trails off and Steve knows that he had hoped not to have to use his plans for a while yet. He swallows and looks back down at his phone. It hurts, Peggy dying. There are very, very few people left that he knows from his past life, and Peggy's death acts as a sharp reminder to the fact that he has outlived most of the people he used to know.
Will I outlive the Avengers too? he wonders suddenly, the thought cold and horrible in his brain. He hadn't thought about it much before, but… he doesn't actually know how fast he ages. In theory, the serum protects his cells… so if it protects his cells from aging…
He blinks and gives his head a sharp shake. There is no point in worrying about that now, he thinks a little desperately. He has no way to really know about his aging, so stressing about it now is unhelpful and pointlessly distressing.
Instead, he needs to focus on Peggy, and Peggy's funeral, and then the ratification of the Accords and then… figure out what he is going to do with his life now that he can't fight as an Avenger.
He suspects that once these next few days are over, he is going to need to schedule another appointment with Jason.
In the meantime, he spends the day before Peggy's funeral finding his dress clothes and confirming schedules with her family, and doing everything he can to stop from thinking too much. He finds himself sitting in his room afterwards, his eyes zoned out and his head blank as he sits curled up on his couch, staring emptily at the fading light from his window. He doesn't want to move, because if he sits still like this, then he doesn't have to think.
He doesn't want to think about Peggy's funeral, or the abruptness of it, or the equally abrupt Accords and split of the Avengers. It feels like everything in his life is suddenly falling out from under him, all in three days, and he isn't ready yet. Sure he'd talked with Jason about retiring, but he hadn't even really agreed to do it… but now suddenly, he is, and he has to figure out what that is going to look like, as well as deal with the fallout from the Accords, and Peggy's death.
He lets out a deep sigh and drags his hand over his face, closing his eyes in mental exhaustion as his thoughts spin. One step at a time, he reminds himself. That is what Jason would say. One thing at a time.
In that case, the next thing he needs to do, the most immediate thing he needs to do, is get up, and go to bed. Tomorrow will not be any easier if he is running on inadequate sleep. Even so, the thought of actually moving is so unappealing that it takes him a full five minutes to even get started.
Just grab the couch and push off, he thinks to himself as he finally sits up, his head unbearably heavy. He stands up and grits his teeth, swaying slightly. He sucks in a breath and turns towards his room. One foot, then the other, he thinks, as he makes it to his room, one step at a time.
oOo
The Avengers get up early, dressed in solemn clothes as they file into the quinjet and prepare to fly out to London. They can't exactly land at the church, but Tony has cars waiting for them after landing, which drive them the rest of the way.
Steve hadn't actually been to London since the war, but he doesn't see much of it as he stares blankly out the windows. Not that it really matters much. All it would show is how much things have changed, and he doesn't need any extra reminders of that today.
Next to him, Bucky nudges his foot with the toe of his dress shoe, and Steve offers him a half-hearted smile and sits up slightly. "You know," he says, clearing his throat as the first few words come out a little rough. "This is actually the second funeral you've attended with me."
Bucky's hair sways as he nods, and Steve flicks his eyes over the half-pony tail his friend had put in for the occasion. "Your Ma," the man says quietly. "I remember."
Steve swallows and looks down at the tops of his knees. He wonders how many more funerals like this he will have to attend. If he really doesn't age, thanks to the serum, then he could conceivably have to bury every one of the Avengers.
I suppose there is an irony in not having to bury Bucky any time soon, he thinks darkly, the car turning and pulling up to stop in front of the church, the old stone building casting a shadow of them as they open the doors and step out onto the sidewalk.
The summer air is already starting to warm up the day, and Steve sucks in a breath as he straightens his suit jacket and swallows, his eyes glancing warily over the stonework, knowing what is waiting for him inside. Behind him, Bucky and Sam get out of the car and come to stand next to him, Sam glancing over him once, before reaching up to grasp his shoulder comfortingly.
"The wake is inside, yeah?" he asks, the question probably more to give him something to focus on and a direction to go in, rather than for actual information.
Steve nods gratefully and looks over at Bucky as the rest of the Avengers pull up in their cars. He, Bucky, and Tony are the only ones invited to the wake, so the three of them split off as they step inside, the Avengers going into the chapel to wait, while they go in to see the body.
He isn't prepared for any of it.
He isn't prepared for the room of people, some of them crying, some of them chatting quietly as a piano player in the corner plays a soft tune over everything. He isn't prepared for the crowd of people from Peggy's life that he hardly knows, and he isn't prepared for her body in a casket.
He steps towards it, only vaguely aware of Bucky and Tony at his side as his eyes jump up to Peggy's pale face, her eyes closed peacefully as her long grey hair sits in waves over her blue burial dress. She looks so still, so quiet and empty, and it's so wrong to see her this way. The Peggy he had known had always been full of life, even in her old age, even as her mind had faded, she'd always—
He doesn't realise he's crying until he sucks in a gasp of air and finds his face wet, his vision blurry as Bucky comes up behind him to wrap an arm around his shoulder. He wipes at his face with a shaking hand, but more tears keep coming, his breath rattling around in his throat as he looks over Peggy.
He hasn't had to do this before, not in years. He wasn't there to bury any of his friends. He'd woken up, and they had all been dead, but he hadn't had to bury them. Even Bucky, they hadn't had a proper funeral for, but now he is standing in a room full of mourners, people from Peggy's life that he hadn't been around to know, and Peggy herself is old and empty and dead and he can't seem to stop crying.
There are chairs set up in a few rows throughout the room, and Bucky leads him over to one, settling them both down as Steve breathes in and leans forward, placing his elbows on his knees as Bucky rubs his back.
His tears slow after a few minutes, and he knows his eyes are red as he wipes them, sniffing a little as he looks up to watch Tony still standing by the casket, the man's hand on the rim as he stares down at Peggy, his eyes too far away to read.
Bucky pulls away slightly as he sits up, and when he looks over, he can see a bit of redness around his friend's eyes too, the man looking over towards the casket with something almost wistful in his gaze.
"I wish I remembered her better," he admits softly, his throat flexing as he swallows. "I remember, but it feels disconnected sometimes, and I wish…"
He trails off, but he doesn't have to finish for Steve to understand. He breathes in and wipes his face again, letting out a sigh as he leans into Bucky's shoulder and waits for Tony to come over. Tony looks unnaturally still by the casket, and Steve wonders if he had had a chance to visit Peggy before she had died. They had all been so busy with the fallout from their mission, that he can't be sure.
He hopes so, even if Peggy had started to recognise him as Howard near the end.
That's what dementia does, is all Tony had said about it. It makes people confused about the timeline. The kid she knows can't be my age, so she sees me as Howard.
And she had seen him and Bucky as dead.
He shakes his head a little to get rid of the depressing thought and watches as Tony turns away from the casket and steps towards them, his hand coming up just briefly to dab at his eyes. He isn't crying when he reaches them, and Steve doesn't think that he had been before, but one look into his eyes makes it clear that that isn't much of an indicator for his feelings.
Tony sits down next to them with a sigh, and they watch quietly as a new group of mourners come up to stand by the casket. An old woman that Steve doesn't know leans towards Peggy, her silver hair in loose ringlets, reminding him of how Peggy had used to wear her hair. His ears are sensitive enough to hear her whisper the words "Oh, English," to her, and he turns his head away in an attempt to give her some privacy.
"It just doesn't really feel real," he hears Tony mutter next to him, and he turns to him, the man's eyes still on the casket, his hands clasped between his knees. "She was always there, you know? Even when I was going off the rails, she'd just—"
He swallows heavily and Steve nods, blinking away a fresh sheen of tears as he thinks over all of Peggy's accomplishments. She had lived through the aftermath of the war, and had fought to make the world a better place, and he wishes he could have known her then. He wishes he could have seen it.
They sit in silence after that, waiting in painful solidarity while mourners come to visit Peggy one last time. He is certain people recognise them, but he is grateful that for the most part, nobody walks up to them and attempts to engage with their superhero personalities.
He doesn't want to be Captain America right now. Not at Peggy's funeral. Thankfully, the other mourners seem to respect that.
There is movement up at the front of the room, and he looks up as an usher steps in, his gloved hands clasped respectfully in front of him. "The service will be starting soon," he says gently. "If those who were asked to be pallbearers could come forward, we will start the procession to the chapel."
Steve and Bucky stand up as Tony as the other guest start to gather themselves, and a set of ushers step forward to prepare the casket. Steve finds his breath catching again as the lid closes over Peggy and the Union Jack is draped over it, but he doesn't cry.
He doesn't cry, and he focuses on that as he and Bucky, and the other four people chosen as pallbearers step forward and take up positions along the coffin. Bucky stands behind him as they simultaneously reach for the casket, lifting it off of the wheel bier and settling it on their shoulders.
He can't decide if it feels heavy or light. It is heavy with the weight of what it means, but it is far too light to be holding all that is left of such an important person.
His throat is tight and swollen as he begins the slow march to the chapel, and he can hear the other mourners behind him as they assemble and begin to follow a few paces back, but he mostly just tries to stay focused on putting one foot in front of the other and in keeping his vision from blurring.
There is a children's choir singing beautifully once he reaches the chapel, and he keeps his eyes down as he walks forward, unable to look at the crowds of mourners filling the room. The chapel is full of people Peggy had loved and touched throughout her life, but he hardly knows any of them. He hadn't been there to know them, and there is a spot in his chest that feels empty and aching at the life he had missed out on here.
There is another wheel bier waiting for them at the front of the chapel, and Steve and the others carefully set down the casket, before they step away and move to be seated along with the rest of the family.
Bucky's elbow brushes his as he steps closer, and Steve looks up to see the Avengers all seated together in a bench a few feet away. He follows Bucky over, and soon finds himself seated between him and Sam, the two of them leaning subtly into his shoulders as he sucks in a tight breath and looks down into his lap.
Up front, the priest addresses the crowd, introducing the first speaker, someone named Sharon Carter, and Steve knows that Tony must have been ushered away to await his turn to speak. He presses his thumbs together and swallows. In a way, he is glad that it had been Tony who had been asked to speak, and not him. He wouldn't have been able to do Peggy justice. All he would have been able to talk about would have been her past, not her life—
Next to him, Sam suddenly nudges him, and Steve looks up, his gaze catching on the face of "Sharon Carter", AKA Agent 13, his SHIELD neighbor from D.C, standing at the podium. He stares, and up front, Sharon breathes in.
"Margaret Carter was known to most as a founder of SHIELD," she starts, before her eyes flicker down for a second. "But I just knew her as Aunt Peggy."
Shock spikes through his system and Steve takes in a breath, his mind spinning. How had he not realised—? Of course he had heard Peggy talk about her great-niece Sharon, but he hadn't connected the dots. He had never even known what Sharon's last name had been.
Up on the podium, Sharon continues, and Steve tries not to get overwhelmed by the sheer amount of Peggy's life that he had missed. "She had a photograph in her office," the woman continues. "Aunt Peggy standing next to JFK. As a kid, that was pretty cool. But it was a lot to live up to." Her eyes flick to Steve's for a second, and he blinks. "Which is why I never told anyone we were related."
Steve's mouth twitches and he drops his head, glad at least, that his ignorance hadn't been entirely his fault. Sharon continues to speak of Peggy's inspiring words, and out of the corner of his eye, he catches Natasha sitting with glistening eyes. He watches her for a moment, before mentally trying to calculate dates. He can't remember for sure when Peggy had retired from SHIELD… but looking at Natasha, he wonders if the two women had ever met in that capacity.
He looks up as Sharon makes her closing remarks and steps down, the priest quietly announcing Tony as the next speaker. He watches as the man steps up to the podium, and he offers him a flicker of a smile when the man glances over, his hands fluttering up to straighten his tie once, before he turns to address the crowd.
"I knew Margret as Aunt Peggy too," he starts off quietly. "Of course, she wasn't really my aunt." He offers the audience a crooked smile, his eyes bright as he teeters back and forth between a mourning friend, and the Tony Stark from TV. His smile softens slightly, and he looks down, breathing in. "She was my godmother," he continues. "And I was lucky to have her."
He lets out a small huff and shakes his head, his eyes darting up. "Anyone who knew Peggy, knew that she had a spark to her. She wasn't afraid to put you right when you were wrong…" He trails off and swallows, his hand up reaching to grab the podium. "But she also knew when to believe in people. She had a belief that could move mountains, and a will that could finish the job if she had to do it herself."
Tony's eyes flick over the crowd, and his chin raises. "Aunt Peggy believed in a better world," he says quietly. "And she inspired those around her to reach for it."
Tony's eyes meet his for a moment, and Steve thinks that, in a way, they are both trying to follow Peggy's example.
After the service, he and Bucky help to carry the coffin out to the hearse, and they drive along with the funeral procession out to the burial ground, walking slowly with the others as they carry her to her final resting place.
He knows the preacher speaks a few words, but he doesn't hear much of them, his gaze mostly fixed on the plaque bearing Peggy's name, the brass lettering nowhere close to being able to encompass everything she was.
The Avengers stay standing with him once the body is lowered down into the grave, and groups of mourners stand around as they talk quietly to each other, a few coming up to Tony to thank him for his words and share small stories with him about his godmother.
Too soon, the man has to pull away from them, and he steps up to stand next to him, his eyes on Peggy's grave. "The meeting in Vienna is soon," he says lowly, his eyes glancing up to Steve. "You don't have to come, you know. It's alright if you want to stay."
Steve sucks in a breath and wipes a hand over his face. "No," he says, shaking his head and looking over at Tony, his shoulders squaring determinedly. "I'll come. I want to support you guys through this, even if I'm not signing. I think we need to show a united front, show that the Avengers go beyond just the Accords."
Tony nods as he looks over, and Steve can't help noting the tired lines on his face. The pacing of the last few days has been tough on them all, and while Steve knows that the UN couldn't have foreseen Peggy's death, he still can't help being a little annoyed at them that they have to deal with both the Accords and Peggy's funeral at the same time.
The UN could have definitely given them the Accords a bit earlier, although he imagines there are very definite reasons why they hadn't.
It can't be helped though, and he turns away with the Avengers, heading out to their cars so that they can be driven back out to the waiting quinjet. Most of them are coming to the meeting in Vienna, even if they all aren't signing, but they leave Bruce behind as they board, the man choosing to stay in London rather than get any closer to Ross than he has to.
"I'd come with you if I could," he says, as he waits by the cars. "But I don't think it's a good idea." Steve finds he can't blame him at all for that, and he offers a Bruce small smile and a final wave before they get ready to lift off.
The trip to Vienna is short, and mostly silent, besides a few murmured conversations here and there about Peggy, and sometimes the Accords. They don't have time to change out of their mourning clothes before the meeting – although Steve finds the fact morbidly appropriate – and they are soon landing in the designated hanger outside a United Nations building.
There is a car waiting for them as they disembark, and Steve breathes in, trying to settle himself as they get in. No matter his turmoil about Peggy's death, and the splitting of the Avengers thanks to the Accords, he needs to box it up right now and put it away for later. Right now, he wants to present a united front with the Avengers, despite their individual decisions in regards to the Accords.
Right now, the world needs Captain America, and he can feel his gaze sharpening and his shoulders squaring as he pulls a blanket over his emotions and settles into the role.
His resolve gets tested almost immediately though.
The car drives them through a crowded street of news reporters, before stopping in front of a tall skyscraper and letting them off to be checked through security. It should be relatively simple, but they run into trouble almost instantly.
To get in the building, they are directed to step through a metal detector, the agent at the desk scanning them for any possible weapons or other dangerous items. Coming straight off of a funeral, Steve doesn't have much on him besides his dress clothes, and he steps through easily, the other Avengers following behind him one by one.
And then Bucky tries to step through.
"What do you mean he can't come in?" Steve finds himself asking, his voice sharp, his head darting over to the agent as his hands clench in irritation and surprise. The man at the desk looks back at him undisturbed.
"Like I said, sir," he repeats pointedly, annoyance flickering over his face. "I can't let him in with that arm. It's an unknown. I can't let any weapons inside."
Steve can feel his nails digging into his palms, and his teeth grind together as he glares. "It's not a weapon," he gets out, taking a step closer. "It's a prosthetic. You make everyone remove their prosthetics before they come in here, or just him?"
The agent shakes his head, not backing down. "I'm sorry, sir, but I can't let him in. It's protocol."
Steve scoffs, because he imagines the 'protocol' has more to do with Bucky's previous history with Hydra, rather than the actual metal of his left arm. He finds himself taking another step forward, his patience for the day rather thin – thanks to everything else – and he plants a hand on the desk, leaning forward.
"And if he took it off, then would you—"
"Steve," Bucky interrupts, and Steve looks up, his eyes meeting Bucky's on the other side of the metal detector. "Steve," he says again. "It's fine. I don't want to take my arm off anyways." Steve bites his tongue, because it isn't fine, but he lets Bucky continue. "I'll just wait for you outside," he says, his expression practically radiating calm as he defuses the situation. "There's a park across the street. I'll be fine."
Steve closes his eyes and breathes in, feeling almost shaky now, after his initial rush of anger. Today is a stressful day, and he is certain that Bucky can tell how on edge he is, which is probably why he is being so calm about this. He doubts that his friend — or any of the Avengers for that matter — really want an outburst right now, so soon after Peggy's funeral.
So, he will let it go. Begrudgingly.
"Are you sure?" he asks, opening his eyes.
In front of him, Bucky nods, shrugging his shoulder. "I'm not an Avenger anyways," he says, offering Steve a sliver of a smile. "And now I get to miss out on a boring meeting."
Steve huffs out a breath at that and drops his head before giving a final nod. "Alright," he agrees reluctantly, looking back up at Bucky and taking a step back from the desk. "See you soon."
Bucky's smile turns into a smirk. "If you're lucky," he replies, and Steve can't help smiling at that before he turns away to the Avengers.
He can tell from the expressions on their faces that they aren't exactly impressed with what had just happened, and he hears Tony mutter under his breath something about his previous arc reactor and the protocol's application, but he breathes in and tries to move on, turning to follow their waiting aid up to the meeting room.
They are guided into an elevator, and he stands at attention inside, breathing in, and then letting it out again.
He can deal with today's frustrations after the meeting. Once the meeting is over he will have time to rant about everything to his heart's content – likely to Jason at some point – and, he will see if he can figure out how to file a complaint against the UN, because screening prosthetics is an absolutely ridiculous and harmful protocol.
He tries to push it from his mind though — if only to remain calm — as the UN staffer leads them out of the elevator and into a large meeting room. His eyes dart around in a perimeter scan, noting the rows of desks in a half circle, facing a podium at the front of the room. There are already a few dozen people milling around when they arrive, and he is reminded all over again of the sheer number of countries that will be ratifying these Accords.
He thinks of some of the things stipulated by the Accords, and he swallows, dragging his eyes away and turning to follow the aid as they are shown to their seats.
The meeting hasn't started yet, so they don't have to sit down right away, and he finds himself standing and watching as the Avengers spread among the crowd. Rhodey seems to know some of the people in the room, and he and Tony get roped into talking with them, while Clint and Sam seem to make it their mission not to do that, and end up shuffling off to the side, leaving Steve to stand with Natasha.
"How are you doing?" she asks him, leaning just slightly towards him and keeping her voice low, her eyes scanning over the room.
Steve rolls his shoulders in a shrug, and clasps his hands in front of himself, his eyes glancing over to the tall glass windows at the front of the room. He wonders if the park Bucky had mentioned is visible from here.
His lips purse for a second as he remembers why Bucky is currently not here, and he looks back at Natasha. "I'll be happy when this is over," he responds tiredly. Her mouth twitches for a moment in agreement, before her attention gets drawn away by an approaching delegate, a Black man dressed in a sharp looking suit.
"I suppose neither of us are used to the spotlight," the man says in a deep voice, his eyes skating over them as he comes to stand in front of them. For his part, it takes Steve a moment to place the man, since he hadn't bothered to memorise the invite list, but it doesn't take long for him to connect the man to King T'Chaka, whom he had seen on TV recently.
This, he realises, must be the man's son, prince T'Challa.
He nods at him in respect, and T'Challa and Natasha make small conversation about the Accords for a while as they wait for the meeting to start. "I wouldn't think you would be particularly comfortable in this company," the man says, looking at her.
Natasha's mouth quirks upwards, although her expression still retains a level of diplomatic neutrality. "Well," she says. "I'm not."
T'Challa smiles at that. "That alone makes me glad you're here, Miss Romanoff."
Steve blinks in surprise at the comment and he leans forward. "Why?" he asks. "You don't approve of this?"
T'Challa turns to him and flicks his eyes minutely around the room. "The Accords, yes," he says. "The politics, not really." His eyes meet Steve. "Two people in a room can get more done than a hundred."
Before Steve can respond, a new voice cuts in, and he turns to see the king of Wakanda stepping up to stand next to them. "Unless you need to move a piano," he says, and, despite everything, Steve finds his mouth twitching upwards at the comment.
T'Challa greets his father warmly, and the king soon turns to them, meeting their gaze as he greets them both. "Miss Romanoff, Captain Rogers."
"King T'Chaka," Steve replies, nodding his head in respect, his stomach churning slightly as he thinks of why the man is here. "Please, allow me to apologise for what happened in Nigeria."
"Thank you," King T'Chaka replies, his voice resonating deeply. "And thank you for coming here today. I am sad to hear that you will not be signing with us today."
Steve swallows. "No," he says, before opening his mouth to explain. "It's not that I don't believe there should be regulations," he says, because the last thing he wants is for the king to believe that he doesn't regret the deaths in Nigeria, and that he doesn't think that something should be done. "I just don't feel comfortable with how these ones are playing out."
Before King T'Chaka can respond, someone calls for them to be seated and for the assembly to begin. The man smiles at them briefly as he bids them goodbye, and Steve soon finds himself seated between Tony and Natasha, the room quieting as they settle in to listen to the opening remarks, presented by the king of Wakanda himself.
The king steps up to the podium, his figure backlit by the vast windows behind him as he places his hands on the stand and leans into the microphone. He is obviously a seasoned public speaker, and he starts off on the topic of Wakandian vibranium, its dangerous potential, and the efforts to steal it.
Steve doesn't know much about Wakanda – in the news it is mostly portrayed as a poor country, with a nearly depleted resource of vibranium – but even so, king T'Chaka seems very determined to handle it responsibly, which Steve has to respect.
Off to the side, T'Challa stands by the windows, his hands clasped in front of himself as he listens to his father recount the disaster in Lagos. "Those men and women killed in Nigeria, were part of a goodwill mission from a country too long in the shadows," he says, looking through his glasses onto the crowd. "We will not, however, let misfortune drive us back. We will fight to improve the world we wish to join."
The man's eyes land on the row of chairs containing the Avengers and Steve breathes in, wishing that he trusted the Accords more, and that he could be happy about this development. "I am grateful to the Avengers for supporting this initiative," the king continues, and out of the corner of his eye, Steve spots T'Challa, glancing out the window, the man seeming to spot something down on the ground.
Up front, the king continues speaking to the crowd. "Wakanda is proud to extend its hand in peace."
Next to him, Natasha twitches as T'Challa steps away from the windows, and in slow motion, Steve watches as he turns to them, his eyes wide as he makes to sprint towards his father, his voice high with panic. "Everybody get down!"
The words rocket out of his mouth, and Steve's heartrate doubles as T'Challa makes a desperate leap for his father— and every window in the room blows inward.
AN: Prepare for rant:
So, one FUN thing I had to do for this fic, was figure out why on Earth Peggy's funeral was so FAST.
We know it was on the same day as the funeral, because we see Natasha there with Steve, and then her at the Accords (in the same clothes), and also we see Steve and Sharon meeting after the funeral, before they learn of the attack in Vienna.
And we KNOW Peggy got buried ridiculously fast, because Ross told the Avengers they had three days to sign. Peggy died day one, so she got buried within TWO DAYS of dying. In Western culture, that is very fast. The average is three to five days. AND they had to bring her body from America to London, which is even more complicated.
The reason I came up with for this story is that Peggy didn't want her body embalmed (preserved), (but we all know Marvel did it for drama).
Anyways, besides the funeral, we also had the ratification of the Accords, which, is just going… great.
(sorry for the late upload, I thought I posted it this morning, but I forgot to add it!)