Chapter 3

Hearing nothing, Bucky poked his head in the door. Steve Rogers, Captain America, America's wonder boy, he who possesses America's ass, was crying. He bit down hard on his lower lip, doing everything in his power not to make a comment, a snort escaping in spite of himself.

Steve looked up, hurriedly wiping his eyes. "Look who else is here," he whispered to Peggy.

Confused, Peggy whirled around, staring at the shaggy, one armed figure standing in the doorway. "I…who are you?"

Bucky gave her a suave half smile, rather like Howard's, she thought. "It's Bucky, Peg. James Buchanan Barnes, best friend of lover boy over there."

Peggy's mouth remained agape.

Bucky's face fell. "Damn, you really don't remember, do you?" Mr. Barnes was not used to be immemorable, that was little Steve's job.

"I remember you being dead."

Bucky shrugged. "Well, Agent Carter, Steve was dead, I was dead, you are dead. With all due respect, not everything is as it seems."

"I am not dead!" Peggy snapped. "This is madness, I was going about my day, and I've ended up here! Where is even is here? How did I get here?"

Steve took her shoulders gently. "Peg, I won't lie, I have no idea how or why you're here-"

"-in the future, might I add-" Bucky said.

"I wanted to break it to her gently, Buck," Steve cautioned.

Peggy ignored Steve, "Bucky, what do you mean?"

"It's 2019," Bucky started, more gently this time. "What year was it this morning, for you?"

"1945."

Bucky nodded, "you've been sent forward seventy-four years."

Peggy Carter did not faint. Peggy Carter did not faint. Peggy Carter did not-

"How about a glass of water, Peg?" Steve appeared at her right, gently settling her into a kitchen chair.

"Please."

"You're looking a little pale, you ok?"

"This is why I wanted to break it to her slowly," Steve forcefully whispered to Bucky. "Of course she's not ok!"

The water in Peggy's glass sloshed slightly as another occupant arrived in the kitchen.

"Oh, it worked!" He took in Peggy's shocked expression. "Dr. Bruce Banner, and you must be Peggy Carter?"

Slightly deterred but putting on a brave face, Peggy nodded, excepting the massive green hand extended to her. "I am, it's a pleasure."

Dr. Banner smiled, "hey, it's alright. You've probably never seen anyone like me before. I don't bite, you've got nothing to worry about."

Peggy visibly relaxed, "I can't say that I have. You see, I don't know where I am-"

Bruce raised a hand, gently cutting her off. "I know. You see, I'm the reason why you're here."

"What?" Steve furrowed his brow, "Why didn't you tell me?"

Peggy placed her hand on Steve's. "Please, continue."

Bruce glanced over to Steve, "I didn't tell you because I wasn't sure if it would work. Tony left me the plans and wanted to give it a shot, but," he took a deep breath, steadying himself. The mood of the room sobered. "I thought I would give it a try."

"Give what a try? And who is Tony?"

"Tony Stark, son of Howard Stark, and the man who inherited Stark industries."

Peggy scoffed, "that's impossible. Howard Stark is not one to be tied down, much less have children." She thought a minute, "though, given my current circumstances I can imagine that anything is possible. Even for Howard Stark."

A blonde woman in impossibly high heels appeared from another room, Peter Parker just behind her. "Where is she?" The crowd parted before Peggy.

"Hello?"

The woman pounced, throwing her arms around Peggy, who sat frozen in her chair.

"She's not a hugger," Steve whispered.

The woman stood back, wiping her eyes. "I'm sorry, I just-I'm Pepper Potts, Tony's-" her voice broke, but she collected herself, "-widow."

"I'm so sorry for your loss," Peggy murmured softly, sensitive to the pain of losing a man you love.

"Thank you. Really, thank you, you…you raised Tony!"

"I…what?"

"We haven't filled her in that much yet, Pepp. We're still trying to hammer out the big details."

"Yes, Dr. Banner, you were saying that you are the reason I got here?"

"It wasn't all me, Agent Carter, it was mostly Tony. That time machine he made?" Everyone nodded but Peggy. "Well, he made two. There was another one, that used facial recognition via photographs."

"He was just looking through old photo albums the other day," Pepper offered. "It's-wasn't-like him to be sentimental about the past."

Bruce nodded. "He was looking for a photo of Peggy from 1945 or thereabouts. He wanted to find a picture as close to the Peggy Steve knew as possible."

"Why?" Peggy asked.

"He wanted to bring you back for Steve."

"Steve did mention that I am dead in this…universe."

Dr. Banner nodded again, "correct. Tony wanted to make Steve happy."

"Bruce, Tony didn't care very much for my happiness. He was more of the torturous older brother, type."

"His words were something along the lines of, 'make him stop moping and bring his girlfriend back'."

Steve blushed furiously.

"And I think Tony missed you as well," Pepper offered.

"So, he left me a picture of you to use, I put it in the machine, and here we are."

Peggy bit her tongue. "Alright, then how are Steve and Bucky alive?"

Steve and Bucky gave her the watered down version of the last few decades, with comments added in by Bruce when he could.

"So, there you have it!" Bucky smiled. Peggy's head was spinning. Pepper had disappeared around half way through.

"Any questions?" Bruce asked.

"Yes: how do I get back?"

The room silenced.

"What?" Steve questioned, shocked.

"I think I've been pulled from my regular life to be a wife to you," Peggy said icily. Bruce scratched his head uncomfortably.

Steve put his head in one hand. "I had no idea you were coming, Peg."
"I know you didn't but I have work to do with S.H.I.E.L.D!" Well, that wasn't entirely true, she was between projects at the moment but she left that out. "And what will happen when I'm gone from my world? Howard will have no idea where I've gone!"

Bruce shook his head, "that's the thing about time travel: we can't change the past. The Peggy Carter that Howard Stark knew is still there, still going to work at S.H.I.E.L.D. for as long as she needs before retiring, still going to raise Tony Stark after the death of his parents."

Peggy's heart cracked at the thought of her friend dead, but she needed to focus. "You realize that's confusing?"

"Of course."

"You still haven't answered my question."

"That's the thing, Miss Carter, I uh…I don't have it."

"What?"

"Tony left no instructions or plan for a return, and the time machine that I made without Tony was faulty to say the least." He sighed, "Peggy, it's safer for you that you stay here."

Peggy closed her eyes, feeling defeated.

"Let's give her some space, folks," Steve said. Nodding, the rest of the Avengers cleared the kitchen, leaving Peggy and Steve at the table. The pair sat in silence for a minute. "What are you thinking?"

"I don't want to leave my old life to just be someone's wife. I've never wanted that."

"To be married?"

"To leave my career behind."

"I'm so sorry, Peggy." Steve said, hiding his hurt.

Peggy realized her words. "It's not that I don't care for you Steve, I do. It's just…it's so much to take in. I feel like I'm trapped in a box with no way out."

"We don't…you don't have to…" he sighed. "You don't have to marry me, Peg. You don't even have to-"

"Stop. I tried to give up on loving you; you were gone for two years and I convinced myself that I would never see you again." She inhaled deeply, "when you first came here, to what is now the present, were you so ready to change everything?"

"No, it was so difficult. I missed you, Bucky, everyone, so much."

"That's how it is for me now. I just need time, Steve. Everything I knew is gone."

"Not everything," Steve offered. "Jarvis?"

"Jarvis is here? He must be…" Peggy paused to do the math but realized she didn't even know Jarvis' age in 1945, "…elderly."

"He's not here, here. Tony had him set up Jarvis to help with his experiments and…whatever it was Tony did. I still don't fully understand it myself."

"Hello, Mr. Rogers. If I may, I think I have just the thing." The lights suddenly dimmed, 'La Vie en Rose' playing softly from somewhere. Peggy blushed furiously.

"Hey, woah Jarvis, no I-um…Peggy needs clothes!"

"Oh, I am sorry sir. Shall I scan Agent Carter to find her approximate clothing size?"

"Yes."

Peggy glanced about. "Is he…going?"

"Indeed I am, Agent Carter. Scan completed."

"And I can get clothes just like that?"

"Just like that, Agent Carter."

Steve shrugged. "I have no idea how he works, but he's very interesting."

"Do all the homes here have him?"

"Not a Jarvis, per se. Some have something like him, named Siri and Alexa."

"Fascinating," Peggy exclaimed, still trying to comprehend how her friend had effectively become the…house.

Steve studied her, wanting to memorize every inch of the face he had longed to see outside of photographs for years. Peggy took a half step forward, eyes taking in her lost love. She was glad to see he hadn't changed; he still wore his button up shirts tucked neatly into his pants, held in place with a belt. All these years later and he still wore his hair the same. He took another step, closing the gap, gently touching the soft curls he knew she worked hard to make perfect. His eyes wandered down to her ruby lips, thinking back to their last kiss. They leaned in-

"Peggy? Oh, am I interrupting?" Pepper's voice forced Peggy to jump back, leaving a 1940's appropriate space between her and Steve.

"Oh, no, you're alright."

Pepper smiled, "I set up a room for you upstairs."

"Thank you, that's very kind of you." She turned to Steve. "Goodnight, it's so good to see you again."

"And you," he added awkwardly, still unsure of how to talk to women he fancied. The two ladies headed up the stairs, leaving Steve in the dark kitchen.

"You should've kissed her."

Steve turned and saw Morgan standing in the opposite doorway. He sighed, "yeah, I know." He smiled down at the sweet little girl with Pepper's face and Tony's coloring. "What do you know about kissing, huh? Gotta a boyfriend that Peter and I need to visit?"

She laughed, happily scooped up in her uncle's massive arms. "No!"