Chapter Twenty-two
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Steve pushed the last button through the buttonhole and tugged at the hem of his WWII dress uniform jacket to straighten it. He had flatly refused to wear the Captain America suit to his own wedding. "That's my work clothes," he had tried to explain to Tony. "Before I was an Avenger, I was a soldier for my country. This is the uniform I signed up to wear."
Tony didn't get it. Peggy had understood perfectly.
Picking up his hat and shield, Steve took one more look in the mirror, trying to get his hair to lay flat before giving up and pulling his hat down firmly over it. For a moment he looked at his reflection, taking a moment to slow down and actually process everything that was happening.
It was his wedding day. He took a long breath, and his reflection grinned back at him.
"Steve?" It was Pepper - the click of her stilettoes was audible all the way down the hall. "Are you almost ready? The ceremony starts in forty-five minutes, so we should leave in ten." She was the maid of honor, and was capably managing everybody's schedules. It was thanks to her that this whole wedding had been thrown together at such short notice. If it had been left to Peggy or Steve, the whole affair would have been far smaller and more private.
When he opened the door, Pepper audibly caught her breath, staring. Feeling suddenly awkward, Steve gave his uniform a quick once-over. Everything looked all right as far as he could tell, but she was still looking strangely at him. "Is this not okay?" he asked slowly.
"Oh, no, no, no," Pepper snapped back to herself. "I mean yes, it's okay. It's more than okay. Wow. You look really, really sharp." She stepped closer, brushing invisible dust off of his shoulders, hands fluttering over the rows of medals pinned to his chest. "Oh, Steve, I'm so happy for you!"
He couldn't wait any longer. "How is she?"
Pepper couldn't help but laugh at the eager look on his face. "She's fine, very lovely, and she's already at the church. You ready to go?"
Sam Wilson was waiting in the parking garage, dressed to the hilt in his dress blues. He straightened to attention when Steve came out. The action was almost completely involuntary - he had never seen the captain in uniform before.
"Wow, man, looking good," he teased. "Too many girls try to hit on you, just pass them on to me, will you?"
Steve's face was bright, and he slapped his friend on the shoulder. "The only girl I'm after is the one I'm marrying," he announced cheerfully. "If there are any others, you can have them."
Pepper was talking to the chauffeur, so after a quick look around to make sure nobody was in earshot, Sam laid a hand on the captain's arm, sobering. "Hey, you sure you want me to do this? We both know the guy that should be standing with you today. I don't want you asking me to take his place just because we couldn't find him in time."
Steve set his shield in the back seat of the car before answering, choosing his words carefully. "I'm not gonna lie," he finally admitted, looking up with serious eyes. "I always thought Bucky would be my best man, if I ever managed to live long enough to get married. But he - he's not himself," Steve shrugged sadly, "and I can't get word to him. I didn't ask you as a replacement though, Sam. I asked because you're my friend."
Sam swallowed hard. Somehow it was ridiculously difficult for him to listen to Steve Rogers at his most earnest without getting his emotions touched. "Yeah, I guess that's a good enough reason," he admitted. "I can live with that."
Steve swung into the car, and Sam cleared his throat as he crossed around to the other side. "Captain America's best man," he said to himself, and laughed a little incredulously, shaking his head. "Wait until I tell the girl at the VA."
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No wedding in the history of the earth has ever gone off without a hitch. This one was no exception.
The media showed up. The area in front of the church was packed with cameras, since no members of the press were invited inside. Some of the more ambitious newscasters were there with microphones, hoping to get interviews with people on the way in. As the car pulled up, they pressed closer, calling questions through the glass.
Steve frowned, concerned. They had hoped to keep this out of the news, both for Peggy's safety and that of the Avengers. The fewer potential angles for enemies to take advantage of, the better. Pepper growled and pulled out her phone. "If Tony thinks he can turn this into a media circus…" She left the threat unfinished, which didn't bode well for Iron Man at all.
Thor was waiting for them at the curb, and took it upon himself to get Pepper, Sam and Steve into the building without undue harassment. He pulled it off surprisingly well, centuries of diplomatic experience coming to the fore as he deftly steered them around the news cameras. Most of the media representatives drew back when they saw him, allowing him to pass. Not only was Thor intimidatingly large and dressed in his full Asgardian regalia, but he had been known to fry electronic equipment when sufficiently annoyed.
Tony met them at the door of the church and pulled them in. "I swear it wasn't me," he told Pepper in a rush, throwing his hands up before she could get a word in edgewise. "Well, maybe indirectly, but not on purpose." He put on a dazzling smile, waving at the cameras outside before swinging the door closed.
"What happened?" Pepper asked very flatly. Tony tried to look innocent and almost succeeded.
"Somebody may or may not have seen the suit come in," he confessed. "And Thunder Boy here isn't exactly inconspicuous."
There was one good thing in all the mess. While the media been attracted by the unexpected appearance of two of the Avengers, they didn't so much as know of Peggy's existence. Pepper groaned internally as she realized her arrival with Steve in full uniform wouldn't help at all - the tabloids would be full of this tomorrow. She could see the headlines now: Secret Wedding of Iron Man and CEO Potts. Or perhaps she would be paired with Steve this time.
"Well, we can't hold a wedding with them all outside," she decisively stated, talking over Tony as he kept explaining. "We'll never be able to get Steve and Peggy out afterwards. Sam, be a dear and get them to go away."
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, wait - me?" Sam asked, startled. Steve smothered a grin at his friend's discomfiture.
Tony protested too. "'Sam be a dear?' Why not me? I can be a dear. I'm very good at being a dear."
"Yes, but you're also good at attracting the media, and right now we need them to go away," said Pepper shortly, though she finally relented. "Fine, you boys work out something to get them to leave. No, Tony, you may not pull out the suit unless it's a last resort. I'll finish getting the bride ready."
Peggy was in the little antechamber just off the main church entrance, putting the last touches to her hair. Pepper took a moment to admire the pretty picture before she lifted the veil off the back of a chair and stepped briskly around to where her friend sat in front of the mirror. "Here, let me get this on for you."
Carefully pinning the veil into place, Pepper spread out the filmy lengths, sparkling like frost over the dark curls. "You're the loveliest bride I've ever seen," she told Peggy, and then stopped short as she caught sight of the other woman's face in the mirror.
"Why Peggy," she murmured softly, fingers pausing their busy work. "Are you all right?"
Tears were shining in the bride's eyes as she looked at herself in the mirror.
"I can hardly believe this is real," she whispered very softly. "I wish - there are so many people I wish could be here." She didn't go on, but Pepper understood and her heart melted.
"My dear," she crooned as she sat next to Peggy on the bench and wrapped her arms around the other girl's shoulders. "I know it isn't any comfort, but there are a lot of other people out there who are happy for you."
Peggy laughed shakily despite her wet eyes, and Pepper felt something relax in the girl's spine. "I know. It's all so much like a dream, though."
"Well, I should think so. You're going to marry one of the best men I know, and live happily ever after with a guy who's ridiculously, completely, head-over-heels in love with you." Pepper hugged her friend and laughed softly at Peggy's blush when she thought of her promised husband.
"Steve's here, then?" asked Peggy, and Pepper nodded against her friend's shoulder before pulling away.
"He is, and we'd better hurry if we don't want you to be late for your own wedding."
Peggy laughed at that. "I'd never hear the end of it if I was," she admitted, and quietly folded her wistful thoughts away. Yes, there were many people she would have liked present today - her parents, the Commandos, Colonel Phillips - but Steve was here, and only a few short months ago that had been more than she ever could have thought possible.
By the time Tony came in to check on them at five minutes to the hour, both women were almost ready. Pepper was on her knees, fussing with something on the side of Peggy's dress, so she didn't see the brief flash of unguarded affection in Tony's face when he looked down at her. Peggy saw it though, and wondered privately if there would be another wedding soon.
The moment passed, and Tony whistled loudly in admiration. Pepper threw a hairbrush at him without looking; her aim was good enough that he had to dodge. "Wow, it's dangerous in here. You girls about ready? Our soldier buddies are headed for the front."
Pepper scrambled to her feet, doing a last-minute check of all the details. Peggy smiled warmly at her friend and took a long, steadying breath. "I'm ready."
Heart very full, Pepper pulled the bride into a quick hug. "Congratulations," she whispered. "I'm so very, very happy for you."
"Yeah, happy," Tony agreed, slipping his sunglasses on. As Peggy stepped up to him, he hugged her briefly and whispered in her ear. "Just so we're clear, you break his heart, I'll dye your hair blue or something." The threat had no real venom behind it, and he grinned at her amusement before stepping back and letting her pass.
Jarvis was just outside the door, immaculate as always, ready to take the bride's arm. He struggled to his feet when she came out, leaning heavily on his cane and staring wordlessly for a moment. "Miss Carter," he breathed, "you look like an angel." She clasped both his old, trembling hands in hers, still youthful and strong.
"Thank you, Jarvis - for everything," she whispered fervently.
He pulled her hand through his arm, and straightened his spine as far as he could. "It has been an honour, Miss Carter."
So it was that on Peggy Carter's wedding day, Edwin Jarvis prepared to walk her down the aisle, his old heart nearly bursting with gratitude. There were no bridesmaids; Natasha had turned down the invitation in lieu of sitting in the choir loft with her gun at the ready. Settling the muzzle on the railing, she industriously scanned the church for the hundredth time. Nobody would spoil this wedding, not if she had anything to say about it. Clint was somewhere among the organ pipes with his bow, for the same reason.
The media had finally departed, but it wasn't Tony who managed to get them to leave. A taxi had pulled up to the curb, carrying a deceptively mild-looking man in glasses and a wrinkled tie. The media representatives stared at him, wide-eyed. Apparently quite a few of them recognized him from the leaked SHIELD files, and the ones who didn't were quickly enlightened by their neighbors.
Bruce Banner sighed and rubbed his face. "Please leave," he said quietly. "I really don't like cameras."
Thor, standing at the door of the church, shifted his hammer in his hand and thunder rolled across the clear blue sky. Catching a cameraman's eye, he nodded warningly.
Ten minutes later, there had not been a single reporter or camera left within a three-block radius. It seemed none of the news outlets were willing to risk triggering a Hulk rampage over a little gossip. Bruce raised his eyebrows as he joined his friends.
"Amazing what they'll do if you say 'please,'" he commented dryly, and Sam had almost died laughing.
Now Tony, Bruce and Thor were settled into the front row to watch the ceremony, along with Jane Foster who had flown out from London for the occasion. Anna Jarvis was to have sat with them, but her health would not allow the trip. Steve and Peggy had plans to stop by and see her on the way back from their honeymoon.
Nick Fury had slipped into the building just a few minutes before, taking a seat in the back row. He hadn't exactly been invited, but nobody asked him to leave. After all, he had started the Avengers Initiative - they were all indebted to him.
Narrowing her eyes, Natasha took a closer look at a too-inconspicuous man sitting in the most shadowed corner, and almost smiled, shaking her head fondly. The disguise wasn't nearly good enough to fool her. She should have known the agent would go to any lengths to see his hero get married, although most people would have considered coming back from his own death to be a little extreme. Still, she supposed nothing could surprise her anymore.
Up at the front of the church, Steve was nervous. It was ridiculous but true - he was terrified that something would go wrong. His shield was half-hidden behind a floral arrangement, close to hand in case of need. He also knew for a fact that Sam had a gun under his jacket, Thor had Mjolnir at his belt, and Tony had stashed no less than three suits behind various pillars, on the off-chance that anything got past Natasha and Clint.
Sam, standing just behind the captain, was grinning widely. "Deep breaths, Cap," he whispered out the corner of his mouth, and Steve tried to slow his hammering pulse. He was checking that he had the ring for the hundredth time when the organ began to play and a rustle through the building announced the entrance of the bride. He looked up toward the doors - and forgot how to breathe.
She was radiant.
Her dress was white, and there was some kind of veil on her head, but it was the expression on her face that arrested his attention, full of trust and hope and love so deep that it took his breath away. In all the world, there was nothing else but her. She smiled at him across the church, and his heart flipped in his chest. It had been his dearest dream for a very long time; Peggy Carter coming to him, dressed in white, but the reality was far, far more wonderful than anything he had ever imagined.
Peggy, meeting Steve's eyes from her place on Jarvis's arm, found that any lingering sorrow was suddenly swept away before his happy, awed expression. He looked so fine in his uniform; she was pleased that he had chosen to wear it. Looking into his blue eyes, she couldn't help smiling breathlessly. He was the right partner - she had never felt more sure of anything in her life.
Jarvis pressed Peggy's hand a little closer in the crook of his arm, deeply gratified at the thought that he could do this service for her on her wedding day. He alone of all the guests and friends present, had seen firsthand a little of the sorrow and struggles Peggy had gone through after Steve's presumed death. He had seen her - lonely, unappreciated, aching with a loss she could not openly grieve - and his heart had broken for her. Seventy years earlier, he made a promise to himself that he would stand by her and be a friend when all else were gone.
Reaching the front of the church, Jarvis straightened himself nearly to his former height as he placed Peggy's hand in the hand of her husband-to-be. For a moment, he held onto both of them, meeting Steve's eyes, silently passing on his trust. Steve nodded, wordlessly accepting the responsibility, and Jarvis stepped back.
Today, his duty was done, passed over to the man she was about to marry, the man she had loved faithfully for all those years. For the briefest of moments, Jarvis wondered if perhaps this was the reason he had lived so long. From her place behind the bride, Pepper dabbed surreptitiously at her eyes with a tissue, and gave him a watery smile. Then Dr. Banner was at his elbow, helping the old man back to the pew where he could sit and watch the rest of the proceedings.
Steve held Peggy's hand as if it was the most precious thing he had ever touched, and neither of them could help smiling as their eyes met. He had no words, struck dumb by her beauty and the wonder of the occasion. His adoration left her breathless, and she pursed her lips, trying to regain her composure as they faced the preacher.
The ceremony wasn't long, but for the rest of their lives Steve and Peggy would remember the vows of mutual love, respect and faithfulness they took before God and man that day. Steve's hands were very steady, very strong as he slipped the wedding ring onto her finger, and there was a solemn sort of incredible joy in his face that Peggy could feel mirrored in her own.
"I now pronounce you man and wife," the preacher finally said, looking down at the couple standing before him. Over half a century had passed since they had met and fallen in love, and each had surmounted the most impossible obstacles to reach this culminating moment. "You may kiss the bride."
"Mrs. Rogers," Steve whispered, and Peggy's dark eyes shone back with infinite promise as she met his gaze.
"Stop talking and kiss me, Captain," she ordered softly. His hand was warm on her waist and he grinned irrepressibly as he reached up to cup her face. Tangling her fingers in his lapels, Peggy pulled him closer, and the heady scent of the roses in her bouquet hung in the air around them both.
"Yes, ma'am," Steve answered with a twinkle in his eye, and kissed his wife quite thoroughly as the organ music lifted and swelled triumphantly through the church.
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Merry Christmas, everybody! As my gift to you, here's the chapter you've been waiting for. The epilogue will be up in the next couple days. Thank you for your reviews.
Thoughts?
Disclaimer: I only own the storyline.
Guest - I hope everything goes well with you. Merry Christmas.