"Hello?"

"Ah, Director Carter. It's Dr Gale, from the Facility."

Louis Gale smiled as he heard the old woman gasp on the other end of the phone.

"Oh, Louis! How are you?"

"I'm just fine, ma'am. I hope you are too?"

Peggy chuckled.

"I would suppose that depends on what it is you're calling me about."

Louis smiled again, and pulled the relevant paperwork towards himself from across the desk.

"I should think you'll be pleasantly surprised. I take it you've had word from Captain Rogers?"

Peggy swallowed. "I... Steve has called me, yes. He said you would be in contact soon with news of my daughter," she said matter-of-factly. Dr Gale knew she was being professional, never one to betray her own emotions.

"He was right." He flicked quickly through the file in front of him. "I want you to know that we woke her up last week."

Peggy went silent. Dr Gale paused, knowing from experience she would respond in her own time. After a moment he decided to explain.

"My colleagues and I have run our tests; her levels are perfectly normal. She's breathing on her own, her heartbeat is strong, all her internal systems are running smoothly. I don't mean to make her sound like a machine, but everything is working just
/as it should," he chuckled kindly. "I would have called you sooner, but we wanted to be sure first."

"No, that's fine," Peggy said quietly. She paused again, and this time Dr Gale just waited patiently. After another moment, he heard her take a deep breath. "How is she doing...mentally?"

Louis felt himself get a little tense, and fought to keep his voice calm.

"Very well, considering her entire being has been inactive for so long. As far as we can tell, her memories are coming back to her steadily. She requires a stimulus, but she's improving."

"And her father..."

"Steve is with her," Louis promised. "He won't leave her side. She constantly recites the stories you used to tell her about him."

"Good. I wouldn't want him anywhere else. I'd frighten her with my age," Peggy said quietly. She cleared her throat. "Thank you for your call, Louis. It's very kind of you to keep me informed. However, I'm sure you are a busy young man, so I must insist
/you get back to work."

Dr Gale grinned fondly. "But of course, ma'am. It's no trouble. We'll let you know as soon as there are any developments. Goodnight, Director Carter."

"Goodnight."

Lily couldn't sit up or walk on her own just yet, as her muscles had lost their tone and the 'seams' holding both sinew and skin together weren't completely healed, so Steve helped her move from her bed to her chair, carried her to and from the bathroom
/so her nurse could help her bathe, and pushed her around the facility's library so she could read and while the hours away as her muscles regrew.

Steve barely let her out of his sight, and slept in the chair in her room on most nights. He tried to teach her what he knew of modern pop culture, and answered every question she had about his time in the war and with the Howling Commandos. Steve noticed
/that she never spoke about her own childhood.

After a week of careful manoeuvring, Lily was allowed to move herself around in a more comfortable wheelchair. Whilst it was still nothing on walking, she could at least shower herself in the facility's wet room and get around without being constantly
/assisted. She had a little of her independence back.

One morning, Lily was sat in her wheelchair by the window in her room, elbows resting on the rail as she gazed out at the gardens beyond. She'd finally been allowed to open the blinds, now she had adjusted somewhat to the time that had passed since her
/accident.

Steve walked up behind her, something precious in hand, marvelling at how perfect she was. He cleared his throat, making her jump.

"Oh! Dad, you scared me," Lily laughed, frowning at him. Steve grinned, heart warmed at hearing her call him 'Dad'. He wasn't sure he'd get used to that any time soon.

"I'm sorry," he chuckled back. Lily turned back to the outside as he drew level with her and looked at her. "I've got something for you."

Lily looked at him, a little wary. Steve grinned.

"Oh?"

The captain couldn't control his smile as he pulled his hand from his pocket and opened it, revealing what he'd managed to find earlier that morning. Lily's eyes lit up at the sight of her precious locket, and she gasped as he dropped it into her outstretched
/palm.

"I found this for you," he said softly. A beautiful smile spread across Lily's face, and she looked up at him.

"Thank you so much. Where was it?"

"The doctor's office. He meant to give it to you earlier, but was afraid it'd upset you. I don't know why, I thought it was just a..."

He fell silent as Lily chuckled and popped the locket open, revealing the pictures she'd cherished as a child.

"It's a locket. Mum gave it to me when I was six. I haven't taken it off since," she said softly, looking lovingly at the photographs before holding it up for Steve to see. His eyes softened as he realised what was in it.

"Oh, I... Wow. You had these all your life?"

"Most of it. Mum wanted me to know everything about you."

Steve smiled a little, thinking of Peggy.

"Sure she did."

Lily then let out a contented sigh as she fastened the chain around her neck and snapped the locket shut. Steve watched her carefully, wondering if he should ask what he had in mind. Licking his lips, he decided to go for it. This was something he couldn't
/stop thinking about.

"Did you have a happy childhood, Lily?" he asked gently, gaze steady. Lily looked away from him, busied herself with polishing her locket with her fingers.

"Of course. Why do you ask?" Her voice was quieter, more tense. Steve noticed instantly.

"Because I'm your father. It's important to me."

When Lily didn't respond, Steve sighed and pulled a chair from the corner of the room. He sat down beside her, more comfortable now they were on eye level. When she still didn't move, he reached over and pulled her hand into both of his own.

"Please tell me."

Lily looked at him quickly, then sighed and looked back at her locket. She seemed to steel herself, then spoke with a nervous voice.

"It's...or rather, it was hard," she started carefully. Steve noticed the beginnings of tears in her eyes. "The kids at school, they said horrible things about Mum. We always said my dad left her a widow in the war, but after a while the rumours started.
/They used to say she was a sleeper."

Steve's heart sank.

"Did you believe them?"

Lily looked at him then, horrified that he would even suggest it.

"No, never. But lots of people did." She frowned, then chuckled to herself. "They stopped when she got married. But then they'd tell me no one wanted me because..."

She stopped, not sure if she should say the reason. It was too painful, with Steve sat next to her. He frowned.

"Because what?"

Lily hesitated another moment, then shook her head. He may as well know. He had a right.

"Because my daddy never came home," she whispered. Steve felt as though his chest had been ripped open.

"Oh, honey...I..."

"It's not your fault," Lily said firmly. She wiped her face and nodded to herself. "You would have been there if you could. But you had to save the world. And you didn't know. Neither did Mum." She looked at him then, and Steve simply melted when he saw
/the steely resolve in her face. The resolve that had gotten her through ten years of snide comments at school.

Guilt swirling in the pit of his stomach, Steve placed a hand in her hair and kissed his daughter's forehead. He had no words to reply to what she'd said, and could only hope that his gestures would demonstrate how he felt.

He was so proud of her.

The next morning, when Steve sought out his girl, she had managed to escape the building and wheel herself to the top of the steps to the garden, where she was sat simply watching the world go by.

"I've just been speaking to the doc."

"Anything new?" Lily sighed, watching geese fly overhead. She envied their freedom, as she wasn't expecting anything exciting. She didn't see Steve's face split into a huge grin.

"He said it's time for you to speak to your mom."

Speak to your mom.

The wordsspun in her head as Lily turned to stare at him, her mouth falling slightly open. She hadn't been expecting that.

"My mum?"

Steve nodded.

"She's still alive?"

At this, Steve couldn't help the pang of sadness that hit him in the chest. No one had even thought to tell her Peggy was still alive, and waiting to see her.

"Of course she is. She's been waiting to see you again for all these years."

Lily said nothing, just looked back out at the gardens, tears pricking in her eyes. Why a facility like this had such beautiful features, she couldn't understand. Steve reached and squeezed her shoulder.

"Do you want to do it now?"

Lily took a deep breath, then nodded quickly. Her eyes flitted along the side of the building, where she knew there were researchers working, and across the few people who were sat outside.

"Inside, where they won't hear us."

She reached for the wheels of her chair and spun herself around, surprisingly agile, and rolled back to the glass door that opened right into her room. She looked up at Steve as he followed her in and shut the door behind them.

"Will you help me up?"

Steve smiled at her and leaned down to scoop her legs up in one arm and wrap her torso in the other. Lily bit her lip against the pain as she wrapped her arm around his neck, and stifled a cry as he lifted her onto the bed. Taking shallow breaths to fight
/the pain, she arranged her legs into a comfortable position and beckoned for her father to sit down next to her. As he did, he shifted her pillow and frowned.

"I'm sorry that has to hurt so much."

Lily shrugged. "It's fine, I'll cope."

They looked at each other for a moment, and Steve could see her getting nervous. Wordlessly, he punched Peggy's number into the phone and lifted it to his ear.

Steve winked at Lily as Peggy picked up on the other end.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Best Girl. How are you?"

"Steve!" Peggy was delighted. "Oh, wonderful, how are you?"

"I'm just fine," Steve told her, smiling. He reached over to stop Lily's fidgeting hands. "You remember what I told you a few days ago?"

"Oh, of course," Peggy said softly. Steve smiled.

"I've got someone here who'd like to talk to you," he said gently. He heard Peggy gasp as he held the phone out to Lily, and she gripped his hand as she took it shakily. Slowly, the girl lifted the phone and looked at it.

"Mum?"

There was silence for a moment, then Peggy gasped. "Oh, darling, is that really you?"

"Yeah, I think so."

Peggy laughed- a bright, nervous laugh that showed how shocked she was feeling. Steve had put her on speaker so that he could listen.

"Oh, my love, my Sarah-Lily, I can't believe you're alive..."

"I know, mum, me neither."

"And you're English."

Lily paused, then burst into laughter. Steve chuckled too.

"Yeah, I don't quite know what's happened there. Perhaps it's listening to all these English doctors in my subconscious for the last fifty odd years."

"It suits you," Peggy said softly, a smile in her voice. Lily couldn't help but grin.

"Thanks."

Peggy paused for a moment, and Lily glanced at her father as he winked at her again, immensely proud that she was holding it together. Peggy piped up after a long sigh.

"So, tell me, how are you faring at this moment in time? Is your body in full working order? I understand Dr Thomas' team have done a full restoration," she said calmly, clearly trying to treat it as a formal matter. Steve could hear the tension in her
/voice, as he knew Dr Gale had already explained this to her and she just wanted to hear it from the girl herself. Lily glanced down at herself.

"Well, sort of. I'm in one piece, for a start. I've got full feeling in my legs, I'm pretty sure I'll be able to move everything in good time. I'm just sore at the moment."

"Good. And how's your head?"

Lily smiled.

"Took a while to kick in, but I can remember everything. I don't know how, but they saved my brain. I'm so glad they did that," she admitted. Peggy chuckled.

"Yes, me too. You know, darling, I was so relieved you made it to your teen years. That was what made Dr Thomas decide to try his theory. You were almost properly developed, but with enough potential to grow into whatever changes he needed to make."

"Yeah," Lily chuckled. She sighed, and nodded a little. "I died on my birthday."

"So did your father. Did you know that?"

Lily looked up at Steve then, a curious smirk on her lips. He smiled in amusement.

"No."

"Well, he did. That's what makes you both special," Peggy told her matter-of-factly. She chuckled, and Lily smiled at the sound. Peggy was quiet for a moment.

"Oh, my dear, I don't know what else I can say. I've waited for this day for so long, not even knowing if it would ever come."

"Since the first of March, 1960," Lily whispered, hearing the pain in her mother's voice. Peggy sighed.

"Since the first of March, 1960," she repeated thoughtfully. "And I can't wait to see you."

Peggy waited for Lily to say anything, but noticed when her daughter went frightfully silent. Steve frowned as Lily pulled back the hem of her skirt to reveal one thigh, and saw for the first time the long, pale slashes that covered it. The lines went
/in all directions, bits of skin not quite the same colour, making her look like a patchwork doll. Steve's heart dropped as he noticed that the scarring covered the entirety of both her legs, and guessed that her ribs and stomach were the same. Lily
/swallowed as her thoughts followed the same path, and on the end of the line her mother's voice was serious.

"Lily, darling, what's the matter?"

Lily fought back tears. "Nothing, mum. Honest. You might not want to see me just yet, is all." She forced brightness into her voice. "I've got to go, but I'll call you as soon as I can, I promise."

"Hm. All right, my darling. I'm glad you're ok. I love you."

"I love you more."

Peggy chuckled, and Lily hung up. She set the phone on the bed and moved her other hand to her leg, tracing the raised slashes across her thigh. Steve watched in silence, ready to stop her if she upset herself too much.

"Lily," he said softly. She blinked, and pulled back the rest of her skirt, revealing the same kinds of scars on her other leg.

"Look at me," she whispered. She looked quickly up at her father, and his heart broke as he saw the tears in her eyes. "How can I honestly tell her I'm ok and on the mend when I look like this? She wouldn't want to see me in this state."

Steve put a hand under her chin and tilted her head up, coaxing her eyes away from her legs so they met his.

"There is nothing wrong with the way you look. And to your mother, anything is better than when she last saw you under that truck."

She tried to look away, a few tears falling down her cheek, but Steve held her gaze.

"You are beautiful, Lily. And I'm not just saying that because you're my daughter," he promised. He wiped away her tears with his fingers, then pulled her into a hug. "Although I am half responsible for your good looks."

This made Lily chuckle, and she wiped her face.

"Thank you," she murmured. Steve just held her tighter.

"I mean it," he whispered.

Hello!

I've finally got this bit up! Yesss! ^_^

Thank you for all your support, it really is very kindof you all. I absolutely love writing these scenes. I must apologise again for the disjointed style but I promise the whole thing will fill out as I get more ideas. I'm just awful at writing chronologically xD

One shots coming soon! I've beenhaving trouble with the app, hence the delay.

Thank you for reading!