Christmas had arrived. The landscape was covered in snow, and for Peggy, it was almost impossible to move outside the apartments they rented only for a few days to avoid being tracked.
Initially, their cohabitation without Natasha was somewhat awkward. On one hand, they wanted to overcome all the conventions that had bound them until then, conventions which they both were used to from the previous millennium. On the other hand, the fear of misinterpreting each other's gestures and smiles held them back.
If only they could overcome their uncertainty and start communicating with each other honestly. However, as time passed, these conventions began to fade between them, and their relationship began to flourish. Not that either of them referred to it as a relationship. The word had not been spoken between them and was, therefore, a taboo.
One afternoon, Steve returned from a longer shopping trip than usual, looking exceptionally pleased. Peggy tried to ask him about the reason for his mischievous expression, but Steve just shook his head, saying he had managed to find cheaper oranges.
Instead of a Christmas tree, they planted a small pine branch in a small pot. They decided not to move during Christmas, hoping that SHIELD agents would also want to celebrate Christmas. They reasoned that moving during Christmas would be more noticeable than staying hidden in their current rented cottage near the Canadian border.
It was half-past eleven on Christmas Eve. Both dressed in their warmest clothes. Steve faced a dilemma about whether to bring a weapon with him. If they were going among people, he should have it, but on the other hand, he couldn't bring himself to take it to the place they were headed.
Guns don't belong at midnight mass. For a moment, he imagined what he would do if SHIELD agents found them in the church. He knew he wouldn't pull out the gun. He wouldn't brandish it during mass. In his mind, he pictured the horrified expression on his mother's face if she knew he had even thought about bringing a weapon.
It's Christmas. They needed a bit of that Christmas miracle. If something happened, he would have to act without a weapon.
He helped Peggy into the car, and together they drove to the nearest small church where bells were calling people to midnight mass. The church was on the edge of a small village with only a few dozen residents, but the parking lot in front of the church was full. In front of the church entrance was a square, from which one could see down the snowy landscape, illuminated by the moon.
As soon as they entered, Peggy, leaning on Steve so she wouldn't need crutches for a moment, heard carols playing. New carols had been created in the last seventy years, but this mass belonged to those they knew. "Silent Night, Holy Night." The priest's words also sounded familiar. Peggy had silent tears streaming down her face, while Steve marvelled at why, during all this time in this peculiar era, he hadn't sought out a church to remind him of the things he knew. For the first time in a long time, they both felt the safety emanating from a familiar environment.
Originally, they wanted to leave with the final blessing, but in the end, they waited until the choir finished the last carol. The whole church sang, and they felt calm. They were home.
They left the church as one of the last couples. Steve lingered. Peggy understood. He didn't want to escape from the Christmas atmosphere just yet. She looked at him. With a fluffy cap and thick glasses, he was unrecognizable as Captain America. No one paid them any attention, and she was grateful for that. However, when he said he wanted to thank the organist and wish him Merry Christmas, she thought he was crossing that line of risk they tried to avoid as much as possible. But there was such enthusiasm in his eyes, something she hadn't seen since the small Steve Rogers became Captain America.
She couldn't tell him not to do it.
He sensed her concerns but smiled encouragingly.
He was away longer than she liked.
For a moment, she wondered if something important was happening on the choir that would significantly affect their future escape efforts.
He was away for ten minutes.
For the first time, she wondered how it was possible that she hadn't brought a weapon with her.
But guns don't belong at midnight mass.
She tried to listen to the church's silence, but she heard nothing.
The feeling of safety that the Christmas mass had evoked in her disappeared.
She started trembling uncontrollably.
Then Steve descended the stairs, smiled at her with a radiant smile, and extended his hand. While taking it, she tried to calm her breath and convince her hands to stop shaking.
When they stepped out of the church, most of the cars were already gone. Steve didn't close the door, and Peggy wanted to turn and alert him to it. However, at that moment, the organ played again, and the tones echoed into the snowy landscape. Peggy took a deep breath, and when she turned to Steve, her breath caught. Slowly, to adjust to the change in her fragile body's posture, he began to kneel.
"Peggy," he began uncertainly.
"Yes!" she exhaled. She immediately understood why he lingered at the organist for so long.
"Peggy," he started again with a smile. "Would you be..."
"Yes!" she repeated, now outright laughing. But looking at him, she understood he wanted to finish the question and that he would only stand up once he did. Often, he was as stubborn as she was.
"Peggy, would you be my wife?" he finally finished.
"Yes," Peggy said for the third time, now with a calmer voice but with tears in her eyes again. Yet today both had tears of happiness. Steve took a simple gold ring with a small gem in the middle from his coat pocket. He put it onto her ring finger, then quickly stood up, almost causing Peggy to fall with his smooth motion, and pulled her into his arms.
They stood there in a tight embrace for a while. They were interrupted by a figure emerging from the church. It was the priest who had served the mass. He smiled at them with a radiant smile and shook their hands.
"Merry Christmas," he said to Peggy with a smile. Then he reached out to Steve.
"Merry Christmas, Captain Rogers," he whispered. Nodding at them, he briskly walked towards the car.
Peggy and Steve stood there as if paralyzed. What has just happened? They were recognized! But what did it mean for them? A joyful moment was mixed with a heaviness in their stomachs. Should they disappear? But it's a priest! A priest wouldn't betray them! Or would he? Uncertainly, they looked at each other, and then silently headed towards their car.
In the cottage, they decided to stay for another night. After all, the priest left before them and didn't know where they stayed. They chose to trust him.
Under the blanket, Steve snuggled up to Peggy to share some of his warmth. She was constantly cold, but his accelerated metabolism could warm her. Moreover, in his embrace, she felt completely safe. They fell asleep tired and happy.
However, at two in the morning, they were awakened by a banging on the apartment door.
They exchanged frightened looks.
We shouldn't have trusted him, both of them thought, but it was too late.