Peggy squeezed down the last rung of the ladder and found herself inside a slightly warm room.
"There we go. Belly of Ship. This will do nicely for you. You can watch the kid for me so I can get back out there." Rocket said.
"Sorry, the kid?" Peggy asked. The room looked empty.
"Yeah, Steve and Natasha's kid. He snuck on Ship without them knowing. He's too young for that if you ask me. I think Natasha brought him along and lied about it." Rocket shrugged. He looked around and then let out a whistle as if he was calling a dog. "Hey James, get out here. We got company."
Peggy stared at Rocket, appalled at his behavior. He turned to her and shrugged again.
"He must be asleep or something. Look, you see him, you watch him, okay?" he said.
"Sure, I got it." Peggy said with a nod.
"We get outta here, we go rescue Groot. So don't think I'm a dick. I just have priorities, and that smelly kid ain't one of them." Rocket said as he climbed back up the ladder.
Once she heard the hatch door slam shut, Peggy took a walk around the place, searching for the kid, James. She couldn't think about him as Steve's son yet. She was still grasping the fact that Steve was alive, she didn't need to understand that he had been with another woman and produced a child with her. That was not something she wanted to think about, but when the blonde boy tiptoed slowly from the shadows, he reminded her so much of him that it was impossible not to accept it was Steve's son.
"Hello, are you James?" Peggy asked in a pleasant, maternal voice.
"Yes," the boy said. "Who are you?"
"I'm Peggy. I'm a friend of your father." She said. He was much younger than she imagined based on Rocket's ramblings, maybe only three years old. She looked around for somewhere to sit and found a cot, which she went to and sat down. She patted to the space beside her on the cot and looked at James expectantly.
He walked to her, slightly hesitantly at first, but then with some gusto, and jumped up on to the cot next to her.
"So, did you really sneak onto the ship?" she asked him.
"Well," he started. "Yeah."
"And why was that?"
"I was scared." He said.
"But isn't it scarier here then back home?" she said. "Wouldn't being there alone be better?"
"Nothing is scary with my parents around." James said, almost defiantly. "They can kill anyone."
"I see." Peggy said. She wondered how different Steve was now. If it was 2019, it had been quite a long time. Peggy couldn't deny she had changed quite a bit since Steve went into the ice. She was married now and had two children to look after. Two children who were most definitely not as advanced as James was when they had been three years old. She looked down at the boy and asked, "How old are you?"
"Three Earth years old." James said.
"Right, yes." Peggy nodded. "Earth years, of course."
"Where are you from?" he asked.
"I live in New York." She said.
"You don't sound like it. You sound like you're from Andromeda." James said.
"Where is that?" she asked. She had never heard of it.
"It's the galaxy Rocket's from, and Mr. Starlord, the captain of Ship." James said. "And their friends who got captured."
"Groot, was it? Rocket's friend?"
"Yes, and Miss Gamora and Mr. Drax and Mr. Pietro and his sister, Miss Wanda, and Uncle Bruce."
"Uncle Bruce?" Peggy asked, wondering if Steve's wife had a brother.
"Most people know him as Hulk." James explained.
"Never heard of him." Peggy said with a shrug.
"Then you're definitely not from Earth." James said without any doubt in his voice. Peggy wondered exactly who Uncle Bruce was and why everyone on Earth knew him. He must be very famous, maybe a movie star.
"Well, I'm not from Andromeda." Peggy said. "When were they captured? Was it by this Thanos guy?"
"No, one of his minions, mom said. She can explain it to you." He said.
Peggy smiled at him and nodded. She knew his mom would not explain it to her, since she was not there any longer. She was in Howard's parlor explaining her sudden existence Peggy could only imagine how. Peggy realized James' mom was lucky to land in Howard's house. He was open-minded enough to believe her. At least Peggy thought he was. He had certainly been open-minded with her over the years, but time travel was a step beyond social equalities.
"Do you know any games?" James asked.
"Of course!" Peggy exclaimed. "There's one clapping game that's good fun. Maybe you know it, but maybe not. Here, hold up your hands like this."
Peggy turned to face James' tiny body and held up her hands, palms facing him. He mirrored her. It was a game she would not have taught her kids at this age, but for some reason James seemed capable of learning it.
"Okay, so we say a rhyme while we do some hand motions. I'll do it slowly a few times and then we can speed up. You have to say it too though."
"Okay, let's try." He said.
Peggy began to do the hand motions while she said the rhyme, "Pat-a-cake, pat-a-cake, baker's man, bake me a cake as fast as you can. Pat it, shape it, and mark it with a J, and bake it in the oven for James and me."
"Oh my gosh!" James exclaimed, clearly never having played the clapping game before. "Let's do it again."
Peggy laughed and repeated the nursery rhyme and clapping sequence with him. As he got the hang of it, she added in the second verse and they sped up their clapping. James began to change the words up to bake cakes for the various people he had mentioned were captured. After some time, they felt the ship move.
"Are we flying?" Peggy asked James.
He laughed and shook his head, "You say funny things, Peggy."
"What's funny about flying?" Peggy asked with a laugh.
"People fly. Spaceships travel." James shrugged.
"So, we are traveling then?" Peggy asked.
"You felt it. Of course we are." James said. "Mom will be here any second now. She always comes to check on me."
There was a clanking of the hatch opening and boots on the ladder down to the hull.
"See!" James said and stood up to go greet his mom.
"Hey you!" Steve said, squatting down to grip James under his arms and throwing him up in the air. James' squeals of joy filled the space and both Steve and Peggy let out a laugh as Steve caught James and put him back on the ground.
"Where's mom?" he asked.
"She had to go on a mission." Steve said. "Miss Peggy's helping out in the meantime."
"Why didn't she tell me?" James asked backing away from his dad.
Steve knelt down so he was closer to eye level with James. He waited until James looked up at him before he started talking. "Mom wanted to say goodbye, but she didn't have time. You know how everyone's lives are at risk, right? How dangerous this all is?"
James nodded, still pouting some.
"Mom had to leave to try and save more lives. Do you understand?" Steve said.
James nodded again.
"She loves you very much. You know that." Steve said.
"I know." James said quietly.
"This is why we told you that you had to stay home. We knew that we would have to go without any warning. We knew that would be hard for you." Steve said.
"I'm sorry." James mumbled.
"It's okay. Come here." Steve said and pulled his son into a hug. When he released him, Steve flashed James a grin and asked, "What did you do with Miss Peggy?"
"We played a game!" James said, lighting up.
"A game?" Steve asked and looked at Peggy.
"Oh yes, James is quite talented at Pat-A-Cake." Peggy said.
"Pat-A-Cake, really? I haven't played that game since…" Steve trailed off as he and Peggy shared a look.
"Since your earlier years, I assume." Peggy smiled.
Steve nodded.
"Dad, I can show you!" James said.
"One time," Steve said. "And then you need to go see Uncle Tony. He has something to show you."
"What?"
"I can't tell you. You'll have to see him." Steve said in a playfully stern tone.
James mulled it over for a moment and then exclaimed, "Okay, I'll show you later and see Uncle Tony now. Be ready later, Miss Peggy!"
"I'll be extremely prepared." Peggy nodded once at James and then he raced for the ladder and lithely scaled it.
"Close the hatch! No open hatches!" Steve called up after him. Rocket had fallen through the open hatch too many times for Steve to risk his own kid falling.
James didn't reply, but the clanking noise confirmed that he had shut the hatch door. Steve walked over to the cot Peggy was on and sat down next to her. He let out a sigh and Peggy smiled to herself.
"Ah, parenthood." She said.
Steve turned his head to look at her, a few of his blond follicles falling across his forehead and hanging slightly over his left eye. Before she could stop herself, Peggy reached up and pushed his loose hairs back, combing them into place on his head. Steve leaned in without warning and kissed her softly on the lips. Peggy kissed him back. Her fingers traced backwards through his hair and she pressed her mouth deeper into the kiss. After a few breathless moments they both abruptly pulled away from one another and gasped for air.
"I apologize. That was inappropriate." Peggy said.
"Sorry, I'm so sorry." Steve said at the same time as Peggy's apology.
"Yes, well," Peggy said and breathed out a laugh. "Honestly, I think we needed to get that out of the way in order to carry on with this new reality."
"I agree. Wholeheartedly." Steve said, nodding.
"But, we're both married, and…well, you know." Peggy said, still flustered.
"Oh, I'm not married." Steve said.
"Oh." Peggy said, startled. "But James?"
"Yeah, Natasha and I are…" Steve stared. "It's complicated. She's complicated."
"I see."
"But you're married. Who'd you decide was worth bossing around at home?" Steve grinned.
"Well, he's no Captain America, but you remember Dugan?" Peggy said.
"Wait, you married Dum Dum?" Steve blurted out. "Sorry, that was rude. That's nice. He was a great guy."
"He is a great guy, and not my husband." Peggy said. "No, Dugan's sister's husband's brother, a man called Thomas, is my husband."
"Sorry, what?"
"I know, it's…removed." Peggy laughed. "But he's lovely and our children are wonderful. And most importantly, I never have to cook."
"Well, that's something. I am always cooking for Natasha. Maybe lack of kitchen skills is a spy thing?" he grinned.
"Oh, Natasha's a spy then? Howard's going to love her." Peggy rolled her eyes.
"Howard…Stark?"
"Yes, she landed in Howard's parlor and was screaming for you and James." Peggy said. "My god, it's 1972 there. I hope she's adaptable."
"That one word basically sums her up." Steve nodded with a frown.
"I'm sorry this happened." Peggy said, softly. She placed her hand on Steve's bicep empathetically and he put his arm around her and pulled her close to his body for a hug.
As he kissed the top of her head, Steve murmured, "It's a wild universe, but please don't apologize for reappearing in my life. You died three years ago in my time and it still eats at me."
"I died?" Peggy asked.
"Sorry, maybe I wasn't supposed to tell you that. I don't know. But yes, you were quite old and lived a rather productive life. You basically changed the world, Peg." Steve said. "You were one of the last of my former friends to survive. It felt like I was closing out a chapter. More than that. Like I was closing out an entire book of my own life."
"You've had two lives, in a way. That must be so strange." Peggy murmured, relaxing into Steve's embrace.
"I've missed you so much." Steve whispered.
Peggy wrapped her arms around his armored torso and pressed her cheek against the hollow beneath his shoulder. When she closed her eyes and felt him against her, she could almost imagine that nothing had changed for them, that no time had passed.