Peggy stepped into the large ball room, the celebration of the end of the war thick in the air. The room was dressed to perfection, laughter ringing loudly through it. Music played from the band on the stage as people danced on the dance floor. The people they had lost in the war were forever in their hearts but tonight was the time for celebrating.
Peggy scanned the dance floor for her but couldn't find the brunette. She checked the bar before looking at the tables that surrounded the dance floor. Peggy spotted her sat at the corner table, her foot tapping lightly to the music with a sad smile on her face. Peggy made her way over to the other woman before coming to a stand in front of the table.
"Hello, Maria right," Peggy said and the brunette looked up at her, eyes narrowing.
"What's it to you?" She asked, going on the defence.
"I'm Peggy Carter of the SSI. I worked closely with Captain Rogers in his time in the war," Peggy informed her and Maria nodded. She remembered the woman, she had been the one to phone her about Bucky's death. "May I sit?" Peggy asked and Maria nodded, gesturing to the chair next to her.
"Be my guest," she simply said before looking back at the dance floor. Peggy took a deep breath, trying to pluck up the courage to say what she was about to say.
"He wanted you to know that it was his choice," Peggy said, causing Maria to look sidewards at her. She only nodded, a simple gesture that she had heard Peggy. "He also wanted me to tell you that there's a spare key under the plant pot and that you'll understand what he is on about when you enter his apartment," Peggy said and Maria took a breath. She suddenly stood, planning on heading to his apartment straight away.
"Thank you for coming to tell me," Maria said as Peggy stood. She nodded with a smile.
"Would you like some company?" Peggy asked, curious to why Steve would tell Maria where the spare key was.
"I'll be fine on my own, thank you though," Maria said before leaving the ball room.
Within the hour Maria was stood outside Steve's apartment, the spare key held tightly in her hand. She couldn't bring herself to unlock it, half of her wanting to open the door and the over half telling her to walk away.
She decided to unlock the door, slowly pushing it open.
The apartment seemed the same, just a thin layer of dust covering every inch of it, showing it hadn't been lived in for a while.
The only thing which was different was the small box and piece of paper laid on the kitchen table. She moved over to it and picked the piece of paper up.
It had Steve's scribbled writing across it with a couple of doodles around the edge of it.
Maria's eyes scanned across his smudged writing, her heart picking up pace as she read.
Maria Wilson-Hill. A year ago you walked into my life, I remember you asking me why I was upset then calling me a terrible lair. Over our year together I have come to realise I will never be upset with you by my side, so Maria... Will you marry me?
Maria's breath caught in her throat before her eyes slowly moved to land on the small dusty box.
She gently picked it up and with a shaking hand opened up the box. It was a ring, an engagement ring if she was being more precise.
She slowly lifted it out of the box, the sunlight from the open window hitting the stone just right.
Tears filled her eyes as she came to realise Steve would never say the words on the paper, never be here to hear her say yes, never see the ring he got her rest on her finger.
She swallowed thickly as she let the tears fall, finally coming to terms with the fact that Steve was gone forever. She sank into the chair, elbows resting on the kitchen table.
As her heart broke yet again she forced herself to swear to herself that no matter what she wou,d never fall in love again.
So this took a while to update and i'm sorry about that. If you read The Take Over, expect there to be a delay in an update for that, my computer has broken and i've lost all my chapters, nearly broke down crying. Anyway, this story is safe, so that's ok. Tell me what you thought of this quick chapter, it'll make my day.