Chapter Six:

The Present Past

Steve bounced his legs nervously in the passenger seat of Clint's black truck that he borrowed from shield. He was finally going to be seeing Peggy after all these years! To say he was nervous didn't begin to cover how he truly felt at this very moment, but he also felt excited. What would she say when she saw him? What would he say to her? Would she be happy he was back?

"Nervous?" Clint asked, glancing at him.

"Very", he replied with a nod.

Clint didn't say anything as they pulled into the parking lot of Carter Nursing Home, named in honor of Peggy Carter herself. The outside appearance reminded him a lot of Peggy's mother's house, with flowers in every direction. He could still remember all those times he had thanksgiving and Christmas dinner there.

He had known Peggy since high school, but it was during those days he began being experiment on with the Serum that he truly connected with her. He could remember he gentle warm hands, the way she held his own as he went through test after test. It was her presence that had brought him through everything in the end. He wondered if she still remember those little things, as much as he did?

"Want me to go inside with you?" Clint asked.

"Nah, I may be here a while."

"Alright. You have my cell phone number, right?"

Steve nodded as he whipped out the small piece of paper and the portable phone Toni had given him months ago.

"Good, call me when you are ready to leave."

Steve nodded again as he watched the Archer pull away and drive down the street. When the truck vanished from sight, he sighed and pulled himself together as he stepped towards the door. Opening it, he stepped into a cool air-conditioned room with a front desk a few feet away. The nurse sitting behind the desk looked up when he entered and smiled.

"Can I help you, sir?" she asked.

He nodded.

"Uh, yeah…I am looking for a woman named Peggy Walton. She was once known as …"

"Peggy Carter", the nurse interrupted, nodding as she stood up, "You must be Captain Steven Rogers?"

"Uh yeah", he replied, blinking.

"Mr. Barton from shield told us you would be coming ahead of time. Please follow me."

Steve nodded as he matched pace with the woman, following her down the hall to the last room on the left. A gold name plate was attached to the door reading "Peggy Carter Walton, Room 110."

"Here you go. Let me know if you need anything."

Steve nodded as he knocked on the door.

"Enter!" called a female voice.

He felt himself tense when he realized it was Peggy's voice, just the same as he remembered it. Stepping in, it took him a moment to realize who he was looking at was truly his Peggy. While the voice was the same, her body obviously wasn't. She was older now, around eighty years old with pure white hair and fragile bones. She still looked just as beautiful as he remembered, but her beauty now was a mature one that came with experience and age.

The woman looked up from the book she was reading in her recliner and froze, staring at him as they locked eyes.

"You…" she whispered, setting the book down on her lap, but she continued to grip it, "Are you…"

He smiled.

"I am", he replied.

Peggy couldn't find her voice as she stared at the man she had once loved, all those years ago. She had thought he died, but here he stood…just as young as he had been, sixty years earlier.

"You aren't a ghost?" she whispered.

"No Peggy", he replied kneeling in front of her as he looked into her beautiful green eyes, "it's really me."

Peggy was silent for a moment, before the smile she had brightened. Reaching out, she gently touched his face.

"So young…" she whispered as he looked down at her hands, frowning, "so old…"

"You still look just as beautiful", he replied smiling.

She smiled back.

"How are you here? You went down, in the icy water. You died Steven. You…"

"I lived", he replied, "I was frozen, preserved and revived several months ago. Did you not see the news tell about an alien invasion here in New York?"

Peggy smiled.

"I try not to watch the news anymore dear, makes me depressed", she replied before reaching out and taking his hand in hers, "So tell me about yourself. Where are you staying?"

Steve smiled.

"I am currently living with my team in Avenger tower. It's a nice place, though a bit too futuristic for me, although my floor is pretty old in style, thanks to the designer's consideration."

Peggy nodding, listening. She watched as his eyes lit up, talking about his team and what they could all do. Obviously they meant a lot to him. It was the sad, yet fond look he got on his face when he talked about one Antoinette Stark that had her really listening. She knew Toni personally. She had been friends with her father and mother before their untimely deaths. While she couldn't personally say anything good about them, she could still remember the beautiful, lonely little girl that used to follow her around the halls, calling out "Auntie Peggy", every few minutes. It did her heart well to know the little girl was now with her Steve, watching after him and perhaps…something more.

Peggy knew love. She had fallen deep into it for John Walton almost immediately after meeting the young doctor and they had stayed soul mates ever since. Seeing the look on Steve's face now, she could see how dear Toni had become to him.

"You love her?" she asked.

Steve paused mid description of his team and stared at her.

"Why do you think that?" he asked, a bit snappishly.

Peggy realized almost immediately what it must have sounded like to him. Like she was blaming him.

"Steve", she replied smiling as she took his hands, "I am so happy you have someone like her by your side."

Steve continued staring at her.

"I have lived my life Steven", she stated as she glanced out the window towards the pond she had perfect view of, "I have had three wonderful children, several marvelous grandchildren and even have a great on the way. I married the love of my life and we lived together in happiness until just recently."

Steve didn't respond, didn't move as she continued to talk.

"I can see how you look at me", she told him, still smiling, "I can also see how you look when talking about her."

"I don't…" he whispered.

She shook her head, placing a single finger on his lips.

"I love you, Steven Rogers", she replied looking deep into his eyes. Steve felt she was looking into his soul. "But you know you don't love me. Not anymore."

"I…Peggy…"

Peggy smiled again.

"I love the fact that you came to see me Steve, the past is in the past. Toni is in the present. Don't let her slip through your fingers, like I let you. It will haunt you…every day of your life."

"Peggy, please…" he whispered, heart breaking as he realized what she was about to do next.

"I release you Steve Rogers", she whispered as she leaned forward and kissed his lips, "you once told me you loved me and wanted to spend your remaining days with me. I release you Steven, because I broke that promise first when I married John."

Steve closed his eyes as she wrapped her arms around him and he could imagine her the way she used to be. He could see her bright, awe-inspiring green eyes and her bouncy brown curls. The image however was quickly distorted as another face began to appear in his mind. A young face with straight black hair pulled sloppily into a ponytail. Grease stains streaked across a tanned face with chocolate milk colored eyes. The beautiful, intelligent, and captivating smile that followed blew his mind as his eyes snapped open and he gazed back at an elderly woman he had once known, but knew no more. This wasn't his Peggy, this was John Walton's Peggy.

Peggy leaned back, taking her lips from his as she smiled.

"Go to her Steve, tell her you love her and don't ever release her. Before it's too late."

Steve didn't turn back as he practically ran out the door.

Peggy watched him go, mixed feelings fluttering through her chest, but she knew she had done the right thing. Her time with Steve was over and she had moved on years ago, the day she met and married John. Now it was time for Steve to move on as well.

Clint didn't have to say a word to know that something had changed in his friend when Steve climbed back into the truck. Whatever happened, Steve now seemed all the more confident and all the more resigned about how things were now. Clint knew it was for the better.

"Take me to Toni", he replied and Clint didn't need to be told twice as he started up the truck and took off back towards Avenger tower.

AVNGRS

Toni and Bruce had been working day and night for the past few nights since the hulk-out room incident. Toni didn't feel the need to stop and Bruce knew it was only a matter of time before she would give out, but he wanted to wait until she was ready. That didn't stop him from napping on and off throughout their time in the lab thought.

"I think we can finally begin the first real experiment", Toni replied, smiling, "Dumm-E! Hurry up and get me the tools I requested hours ago!"

The small bot came back, beeping and carrying on as it laid the tools down on the table where Toni was working. Toni smiled, petting the bot tenderly before taking the tools and doing some last minute touch ups.

"Alright, ready Bruce?"

Bruce nodded as he slipped on his protective goggles. Toni did the same as she nodded her head, giving him the signal to hit the lights. In complete darkness, save for the shine of her arc reactor, she grabbed the handle and pulled it down. A whirling sound filled the silence around them and Toni watched with interest as the small gem like stone they had pulled from the ray began to glow.

A warning alarm began to go off and Toni frowned.

"What's happening?" yelled Bruce over the alarm.

"I don't know, this can't be right! The sensors say that the stone is building up energy."

"Energy?" called Bruce, concerned.

"My scans show energy levels have risen nearly 15% Ma'am and still rising", Came Jarvis' reply.

"Shut it down!" Bruce yelled.

I can't! I already tried and for some reason it won't turn off." She paused and her eyes widened. "Hang on, I am going to try something!" she yelled as she took off across the room to her Iron Man Suit model IIX.

Grabbing the gauntlet, she ran up to the thing and concentrated its power on the gem.

"Toni, do you think that is such a good idea?" Bruce called nervously.

"Nope, but it is all I can think to do right now!" she called back.

Toni took a deep breath, praying this worked as she opened fire. The repulsor struck the gem, but the energy was only absorbed. Frowning, she lowered the glove just as the gem fired back at her. Toni's eyes widened comically as the blast struck her straight in the Reactor and the gem vanished.

"Toni!" Bruce shouted, but that was the last thing she heard as darkness overtook her.