Author's note: Sorry about the wait with this. I have been through the wringer lately with my personal life and stuff. I feel like I am back on steady ground again. So updates should be more normal.

Two

Peggy Carter came to a stop next to Hannah who was standing just off of the stage watching them finish building everything a few weeks later. "How are you feeling?" Her question startled Hannah out of her thoughts causing the younger girl to look at her. She and Howard both had been MIA for one of the shows and she and Steve had figured out what was going on.

Piecing the symptoms together and how instead of going over to Europe like originally planned, Howard stayed stateside to be with his sister.

"I told Howard we should have told you." She started, "but he didn't want to take this away from me. He thinks the senator would pull me away."

Peggy laughed at that, the Senator was completely enamored by the younger Stark, it would take a lot for him to remove her from this.

"I have always been sick even when I was younger. We figured it was because it was the environment we grew up in. But a couple of years ago, I got really sick and against my wishes, Howard took me to the doctors."

Steve had now joined them and was listening to her story, curious about the younger Stark sibling, they had heard about Howard and his escapades but Hannah was quiet. Almost like him.

"And they found cancer. It is contained for now in my uterus and ovaries."

Steve colored, this topic wasn't discussed in polite conversation.

"Sorry." The younger Stark sibling mumbled looking back at the stage, her fingers twisting together, she was embarrassed to have let it slip. But Peggy and Steve were too smart not to figure it out. "They give me a year, maybe less. You are the only two outside of me, Howard and my doctor know about how sick I am. We didn't even tell our mother."

Their mother was on death's door and their father had been killed the year before. And they, mostly Hannah, didn't want to burden her anymore. So the two Starks kept it to themselves and shouldered her sickness, the expo, and the company without much complaint.

Steve went to open his mouth to offer some sort of awkward sympathetic statement but stopped when Peggy put her hand on his arm.

"It's okay." Hannah said softly, turning to look at them both. "I told Howard that I was okay with dying."

"No one should ever be ready to die." Steve finally said, reaching his own hand out to touch her shoulder.

"But I am Steve, and it's okay, I am just trying to make the best of the time I have left. "

"Why don't you do the super soldier serum?' Peggy felt like that was a good question to be asked.

"I told Howard no every single day leading up to the day Steve became this." Hannah motioned up and down Steve's frame.

"Why?"

"Because I don't want to go through that whole painful process for it not to work."

"It worked for me."

"I know but Steve, I am okay with this. Truly. I just have to find someone to take care of Howard."

Howard and the Senator had arrived and heard the end of the conversation.

"And I told you a thousand times you don't need to."

Hannah shrugged her shoulders and reached up to dry the tears that escaped her eyes.

"Oh, sweetheart." Peggy cried, pulling her into a hug. "Everything will be okay."

Those words sounded hollow to even her own ears. They all shouldn't be going around making promises that they could not keep but in this time frame, she had wanted to give them all hope. Something that was desperately needed for them all.

"Well, we came to talk to you about the changes we have as we go forward."

The senator spoke, trying to break up the uneasiness. The three turned to him while Howard shook his head, this wasn't the time that he wanted this to happen. Especially when Hannah would be liable to say yes.

"We are going to send this overseas to military camps.."

Hannah blinked her eyes rapidly as Peggy released her from her embrace and looked at the Senator, "Are you sure that's a good idea? You want to send Steve over there when they have actually been fighting the war and have him ask if they want to come along while he punches Hilter in the face?"

"Han." Howard started, he knew that Hannah was right and this wasn't the best angle to go but there was no telling the Senator no.

"Sorry." She immediately apologized, it was a stupid idea to do this and it had slipped out before she could fully think about it.

The older man waved it off and turned back to speak to Howard again.

"Well, Captain it looks like you are getting your wish, you will get to see Bucky again." Peggy started.

"Who is Bucky?" Hannah threw in as the Brit lead them backstage where the rest of the cast and crew were getting ready for the show.

"His best friend. He is a handsome one. You would like him, Hannah."

"Oh no Peggy, that one date was enough, I am never doing that again." She laughed, "And besides, the deal was I would go on that one date with you and what's their names and then you would help me find someone suitable for Howard."

"And Love, I will, we just have to take care of you too. We can't forget about you. You are important too."