"Indeed... but... well, it's no real secret with things around here; considering Nola and Joshua, but... was Steve somehow in there with you?", Abraham asked politely and curiously.
Peggy groaned lightly, "I didn't realize that when you and Thaddeus got younger, you got more brainpower, not that you were intelligent back then, Abraham, but still... Yes, yes, he was in with me...", with a warm smile.
Abraham nodded, "Must be a relief to see him alive. Was he in the astral plane?", and Peggy nodded, "Yeah, he was...He felt that I was in pain, probably due to our crystals and the fact that I was becoming like him...", as they made it to the bench, with Thaddeus nodding to them with a smile, leaving them, heading downstairs, as Abraham helped Peggy take a seat.
"I just hate that I don't know where he is... damn it!", Peggy then cursed. "I should've asked! I'm so stupid! Could've easily found him if I had asked!".
"Peggy; there's a good chance that he himself doesn't know where he is.", Abraham tried to tell her. "And if we had to guess where; it's still such a large place to search, and he's on the move.".
Peggy exhaled deeply as she nodded, knowing that Steve is a person of action, yet he's also a person of patience...And she couldn't blame him for focusing on her, assisting her to ease the pain away, and he couldn't blame her either for needing him, needing his presence, his voice, his touch to help her fight through the pain.
"You're right, Abraham.", Peggy said, relieved that the cushions and pillows are softening up the sore numbness from the entire changes and of course, the quickie she had with her husband, and Abraham raised an eyebrow, "I'm not going to be really personal to ask but did you and Steve react similarly like Joshua and Nola?", with a slightly teasing, gentle smile.
Peggy blushed, and Abraham chuckled, "I'm just glad that you made it through with his help, Peggy...There's no better solution than love and support.", with a nod before hearing footsteps, and looked down with a smile.
"I will join Thaddeus, and we will tell the rest of the family that you are taking a long breather before feeling ready to come down. Audrey got little Marina and Asher in her arms, and Brooklyn is at her side. I think she will stay with you, having some sister time while feeding the kids.", Abraham replied.
Peggy smiled thankfully, "Appreciate it, Abraham. And yeah, she probably wants to make sure that I'm fine, keeping an eye on me.", as Abraham smiled back, and then headed down the stairs, as she heard a faint comment, and she took a deep breath, waiting for Brooklyn and Asher's reactions as they get closer.
"It's okay, you two.", Peggy said. "Mama just looks a little different now.", she attempted to assure them. Brookyln let go of Audrey's trousers, and walked slowly, hearing her mummy's voice, looking at her mummy all over with a tilt of her head, and saw the familiar glint of fond and warm love in her eyes that's reserved for Brooke and Ash, and she smiled widely, "Mumma!", running the last few inches to her.
Peggy reached to hug and pick her up, surprised to feel that her daughter doesn't feel heavy any more like a army pack, but like a bag of sugar, kissing her face, shocked to feel like she is naturally controlling her strength in the hug, "Mumma, me love you too! Mumma awfully pretty and strong like Dada, but still Mumma!", looking back at her little brother.
As Audrey came closer, with Marina in her sling incubator, in one of Audrey's arms, and Asher in her
other arm, seeing that his big sister had declared that their mumma is still their mumma, he gurgled, calling out for attention as he reached out for her.
"Well, if that's not a sign he's good with you too, I don't know what is.", Audrey chuckled. "By the way, Peggy, you actually look really good; if you don't mind me saying.".
Peggy raised an eyebrow, smiling, "Better than several minutes ago?", and Audrey smiled as he gently passed Asher into Peggy's other arm after taking off her tank top, "Definitely...So, ready to see if Asher is good to nurse?".
With a nervous exhale, she took off her bra, adjusting Asher to one of her breasts that has grown a size bigger, which Asher slowly took to, testing the waters by tasting her new milk, and his eyes widened as he tasted the extra nutrition and super colostrum of the milk, and squealed happily.
Audrey whistled impressively, "Dang, that's even more milk, and he really likes it. Wait, is he looking a bit healthier already?".
"You don't think…", Peggy muttered. "Now hold on a sec; let's talk about this before you start to grab Marina and test your theory on her!", Audrey argued.
Brookyln looked confused, looking between her mummy and her auntie, "Mumma, can me try?", and Peggy looked down at her, "Well, since this is a major celebration for me becoming a super soldier like your father, I suppose this is another one-time thing...again.", with an amused chuckle, "But yes, you can try, but two minutes, and that's it, young lady, is that clear?".
Brookyln looked excited, giggling happily, and glanced at her little cousin who is awake and glancing through the glass of the sling incubator, "No worry, Rina, I going to say good since Ash cannot talk!", before moving in to take into Peggy's other nipple, gulping steadily, enjoying every bit of milk as her eyes closed in content delight.
Two minutes seemed to be torturingly slow before Peggy poked Brookyln's belly, "That's two minutes, come on...", as Brookyln groaned but pulled away, smacking her lips and smiling at her mummy and auntie, "Milk tasting really good, better than old milk! Me feel strong!".
"Can't say I blame you… certainly is something. But I think we're gonna have to start weening you off soon.", Peggy chuckled.
Brookyln pouted, "Me both not like to grow up and liking to be big...Me more being big girl now, Mumma?", and Peggy nodded, "That's right, you must be a big girl now...After all, you've been eating solid food for the past five months, thanks to your advantage of age...It's time to be weaned off, young lady...even if I want to spoil you so badly.".
Audrey chuckled, "I think you can spoil her in other ways, Peggy...After all, I think she hasn't tasted chocolate, has she?", and Brookyln looked curious, "Choca?".
"Chocolate, Brooke, but if you behave, and not ask for milk for perhaps a month, we will see if you then get spoiled with chocolate.", Peggy explained, and Brooklyn looks determined, "Me going to be big girl, and not going to ask no more for mumma's milk even if it's really good!".
Peggy smiled, kissing her forehead, "That's my good girl.", and Brookyln smiled, "Me play with flowers there?", pointing to a patch of flowers. Peggy replied, "Of course, but stay away from the edge, understand?".
Brookyln nodded, "Yes, Mumma!", before squirming off the bench and skipped-toddled over to the patch of flowers, sitting down, as Peggy then glanced at Audrey, "Well, you heard my daughter...My milk is clearly more nutritious, and healthier with a stronger boost of vitamins. And Ash is clearly enjoying it!", with a chuckle as she stroked her suckling and content son's head.
"Looks that way… Marina might could use that too; but obviously, I'm not exactly very comfortable in her drinking straight from you. No offense, I just don't want my own daughter to start liking you more than me.", Audrey said.
Peggy replied, "Oh...Hey, didn't Nola say that they got those Atlantean fancy milk expressors? I've been letting you nursing Asher when I was gone that day with the boys before I got back later...And if you are uncomfortable with me having Marina as a nursemaid, I could always get some milk out into newborn bottles for Marina...And besides, it would feel better as they really feel strange being bigger and heavier...not that I don't like them, but I do, as it's good for Asher, but I hope they get maybe down half a size to the size of being a super soldier woman over time after weaning Asher off.".
Audrey looked surprised and relieved, "Really, you'd do that?", and Peggy nodded, "Yeah, of course, you're practically my younger sister, and I couldn't leave my niece in the dust like that, and you can make a schedule out of it, like 4 times for straight nursing from the breast, and 4 times for the bottle for the day, to mix it up.".
"That actually would work...So, you don't mind expressing some milk if I ask Nola to bring one of the milk expressors while on the way to the dining table after you finish up with Asher?", Audrey smiled, and Peggy smiled, "The sooner, the better to try.".
Audrey hugged her with one arm, "Thanks, Peggy! I really want the best for Marina...She's getting better, yeah, but she's still so small and sure, with all so much fresh air here, she is able to last longer out of the sling up to an hour now, yet still.", with a sigh as she gently put a hand into a slit of the sling to play with Marina's hands as she softly giggled, grasping it as she tested her little fingers.
Peggy replied, "She really is precious...", with a smile, and Audrey chuckled, "It's funny...I always thought I'd be the tough woman, the lady who would be proving people wrong that women can truly fix cars, engines, radios, anything with a wrench to work on...yet Bucky gave me so much...he became somebody I really needed...and now I couldn't imagine life without him or her...".
"You can still do that, Audrey...After all, your father taught you practically since you were four, right?", Peggy replied, and Audrey smiled, "Yeah, but I wouldn't squash her dreams if she wants to be something else...She is both of us, yet she is herself, you know?".
Peggy nodded, "I can understand that way more than you'd ever know, with Brooke and Ash now...", with a smile, and Audrey smiled before her smile turned into a teasing grin, "Abraham hinted that you had help in the machine, saying it was Steve?".
Peggy blushed. "Could he not keep his mouth shut?", groaning dramatically as she rolled her eyes while Audrey chuckled. Audrey replied, "Don't worry, he ain't telling the others...He probably thought you'd want a girl-to-girl talk. So, was he there for mental support, or did he help in the physical department?", with a wiggle of her eyebrows.
Peggy blushed a bit more, "Minor for the first part, but it was majorly for the latter part...He was in the astral plane which you all couldn't see him come into the lab and all when he felt that I was in pain, and he willed himself to be seen and be able to touch and talk in between all the pain...Oh, Audrey, you have no idea how much I was so happy to see his beautiful eyes, that smile, feeling his love...".
"I bet. I thought the screams sounded a bit off...Let me guess, a quickie?", Audrey smirked, and Peggy blushed even redder, "I expected him to go the pleasure route, but he went beyond the horizon, doing both routes...I actually felt for the first time that I can finally catch up with him, to keep up with him, and to feel him not holding back anymore, and it surely has been ages since he made my knees weak when he was normal...".
Audrey widened her eyes, whistling in shock and awe, "Dang...now I'm jealous since that sounded hot.", and Peggy smiled smugly for a moment, glad to impress Audrey with the fact that she can do lovemaking all day and all night with Steve any time now, that is, after their reunion and all, of course.
"You realize that you might be pregnant?", Audrey replied, and Peggy blinked, "Wait, what?", and Audrey clarified, "Well, Sweet, or Joshua now, he got Nola pregnant when he was in danger and being a spirit and all, remember? And well, since you're not all human anymore, being a super soldier now of the serum and Atlantean genes, it makes you even more compatible and more fertile than ever...And well, face it, you haven't been taking the anti-conception tea since...well, since you went down to London to help Bucky and Steve before the whole Valkyrie thing a few hours then.".
Peggy blushed hearing that as she took a deep breath. "I kinda hope not.", she admitted. "Kinda happy settling on just two kids? I can't blame ya. Family gets too big can cause a bit of problems when someone worries that they aren't getting enough attention.", Audrey replied.
Peggy exhaled, "Actually, I would be happy to make it a finale of having a third child, but I hope I don't get pregnant as of now, since I don't want to give birth again around war again...It was a relief that Brooke came out healthy and loud despite the stress of worrying for Steve, and Ash, he was a miracle, and I wouldn't blame him ever for coming on Christmas Day during break which was a good thing...I hope they couldn't remember the stress and everything as they grow up, including the trauma of the attack on London for that first time...I just want to have a normal pregnancy and everything without working so hard in the SSR and worrying for Steve, to have that dream of giving birth in our cottage back in America, or here in our bell tower home...and I don't want to risk chances of losing them even if I finish Hydra in weeks instead of months now, even if I'm stronger and healthier and such...I just want to give Brooke and Ash time to grow somewhat before I give them a sibling they can watch over, while I and Steve are on dates and such, you know?".
Audrey looked surprised before exhaling, "You're right...We all thought the base was able to stand stuff and all, and that we were safe...And yes, I wish I would have talked with you for taking the kids to your folks sooner before everything...Maybe I would have given birth by the due date in your folks' home or the rental cottage, and Marina would have been completely fine and healthy...At least Whitland wasn't far and torturingly slow for letters and such like America...I would have been stressed for Bucky and you guys if I had stayed in Whitmore's mansion, or down in Mexico with Papi...but I...we would have been safer, and no war to scare her...", with a sigh as she glanced at her daughter in the incubator sling, still playing with her hand of her small fingers.
"It's not your fault; we all got a bit too complacent at times. We thought England was mostly safe… then came the buzz bombs, the rockets, and then those started slowing dow the more ground our forces took. Then came HYDRA's gift…", Peggy said.
Audrey nodded, "Yeah...Somehow they had really accurate bombers underwater, submarines, I bet, not exactly U-boats, otherwise the Nazis and Hitler would have taken the spotlight if it wasn't for Berlin getting attacked too like Rome, Paris, and all...Gods, all our Allies would have a harder time to recover...but it gives the soldiers more motivation to finish this war. Thank the Great Kings that Steve stopped the Valkyrie from going for America...My family, they wouldn't have any idea...until it was too late...Detroit and Mexico...".
Peggy squeezed her shoulder, "But they didn't have to know that now...They got saved, Audrey...Of course, there would have probably some stray pictures of the explosion and all, but we saved more people than losing more lives...Did Bucky tell you anything?".
Audrey exhaled, "Yeah, 50,000 from the first attack of the Hydra bombs, and then with the Valkyrie gunners and such, 20,000...I heard that the bomber planes for Berlin and Paris took 40,000 lives each, while the bomber subs for Rome and Budapest took 30,000 lives each...And they're still counting, from what Bucky said after getting the info from Phillips before we left...The front lines are going to be a mess when we, or just you, go back after a bit of you being trained up.", with a shake of her head and sigh.
"At the very least, things are on the verge of ending. We're planning on crossing the Rhine soon and making sure to keep it, while the Russians are blitzing all the way to Berlin's streets itself. All HYDRA did was create a short distraction for everyone.", Peggy said.
Audrey nodded, "True...I bet they didn't account for that, and the extra motivation for the soldiers.", with a growing smug grin.
Peggy chuckled, "Indeed.", before noticing that Asher is now finished nursing, and she went to burp Asher, and he gave a satisfied, hearty burp, and Audrey laughed warmly, "Well, that counts as another vote!", as Peggy fixed her bra into a higher notch to fit her breasts better, and then took her tank top back on.