The Show Must Go On

Posted originally on the Archive of Our Own at http://archiveofourown.org/works/32218489.

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply
Category: F/M
Fandom: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Captain
America (Movies), Agent Carter (TV), Agent Carter (Marvel Short Film)
Relationship: Peggy Carter/Steve Rogers, Peggy Carter/Daniel Sousa
Character: Steve Rogers, Peggy Carter, Edwin Jarvis, Howard Stark, Ana Jarvis,
Jack Thompson (Marvel), Daniel Sousa, James "Bucky" Barnes,
Howling Commandos, Timothy "Dum Dum" Dugan, James Montgomery
Falsworth, Jim Morita, Jacques Dernier, Gabe Jones, Percival "Pinky"
Pinkerton, Sam Sawyer
Additional Tags: Post-Avengers: Endgame (Movie), Reunions
Language: English
Stats: Published: 2021-06-27 Completed: 2021-11-11 Chapters: 6/6 Words:
14811

The Show Must Go On

by hesthedevilinpink

Summary

When Steve returns to Peggy in 1948, he sees her with Daniel. He's torn between what to
do: maybe she's happier with this new man, this new partner... didn't that use to be him?

Notes

See the end of the work for notes

 An Unexpected Twist

Steve was shaking uncontrollably as he walked up the steps to her door. He clenched and
unclenched his fists, trying to make them less hot and clammy; failing miserably. He lifted one
hand to the door, then withdrew it. Should he just leave a note? It was a little rude to just knock on
her door at 7 o’clock in the evening without any prior arrangements. Prior arrangements. He
chuckled to himself. It wasn’t as if he could just call her up and say ‘Hey Peg, it’s Steve from the
future. Hope you’re doing great, just wondering whether I could pop in later for a friendly chit
chat.’ No. he had to do this now.

He was still in his time travelling suit, his hair was tousled and falling into his eyes and he needed a
good shave. It wasn’t exactly the reunion with Peggy he had dreamed about for so long; but it
would have to do.

He rapped on the door once, his fingers trembling as he shoved one hand into his pocket and the
other tightened its grip on the shield. She opened the door with a sigh, not looking up to see who it
was.

“I admit that punctuality on a date is rather sweet Daniel, but I didn’t expect you so ear-.”

She finally looked up, their eyes locked. Her mouth formed a small ‘o’ whilst she raked her eyes
up and down him. His mouth went dry. He wanted to tell her everything, to spill his heart out to her
and hold her like he envisioned he could. But those were only dreams; in reality, Steve was a
bumbling mess.

“Steve?”

After a few moments had passed, he quickly gathered himself and blurted out a sheepish, “Hi.” His
face growing redder by the second.

She was still looking at him with an unreadable expression, her eyes filled with confusion and
apprehension. But as soon as he had awkwardly muttered his greeting- just as he had done back at
Camp Lehigh- all her previous despondency had vanquished. It really was her Steve.

“Get inside before someone sees you.” She chided quickly, but the ghost of a smile bloomed on her
face, no matter how hard she tried to conceal it.
Steve took a few moments to comprehend the sheer grandness of her house, he admitted it looked
rather big from the outside but looking at the interior it felt like it would go on for miles. He didn’t
think the pay roll for an SSR agent could even begin to cover how much this place must have cost.

Almost as if reading his thoughts, she said softly, “It’s Howards place, me and my friend have been
living here ever since that ass managed to kick us out of our boarding house.”

Steve raised his eyebrows in curiosity and slight amusement.

She smirked. “That’s a story for another time.”

But her smile quickly faded, “I just don’t understand, how are you… here.” Her expression grew
dark. “This isn’t another one of my nightmares, is it?”

If Steve wasn’t red before, he was definitely red now. Does she have nightmares about losing him
too?

He proffered his hand to her, his eyes searching hers. She took it hesitantly, their fingers touched.
He placed her hand over his heart and held it there. Her breath hitched evanescently, but she soon
regained her former composure. She felt his heart thrumming rapidly in his rib cage as she stepped
closer to him. Instead of retracting her hand- as Steve thought she would- she just held it there.
They stayed like that for a few moments, listening to the comfortable silence between them- the
sounds of their hearts in sync.

“How?” She asked eventually, looking up at him with soft brown eyes that made his knees weaken
every time he gazed into them.

“Would you believe me if I said I was from the future?” He couldn’t meet her gaze.

“Probably not.”

He chuckled wryly, “Well, it’s true.”

She inched closer towards him, her left hand firmly against his chest whilst her right rose to card
through his hair. It felt as soft as she imagined it would, her fingers itching for more of him.

“Tell me.” Her expression unreadable, but her eyes were glimmering with piqued curiosity. Her
hands gently ran through his hair, scraping her nails slightly as they traced his skull. He leaned into
her touch like a cat, craving it. He nuzzled her wrist with his nose and finally looked down into her
hazel eyes.

“I’m afraid its much too long of a story for tonight.” He breathed, trying to suppress the yawn that
was brewing at the back of his throat. She opened her mouth to say something but was quickly
interrupted by rapping at her door. She removed her hands from his hair and chest: Steve felt the
sudden heat loss- causing him to almost let out a petulant grumble. She reached for the gun,
stashed in her garter. Steve was far from surprised at her reaction. He stifled a laugh at the thought
that Nat thought his type was girls from accounting.

She opened the door slowly, her gun up against the wall besides it. The hand her gun was in
dropped, so Steve took this as a sign that they were safe, but her face was pensive and almost dour
as she looked at the person on the other side of the frame.

Steve stepped to the right to get a better look at the person: he looked freshly shaven and was
dressed up in an immaculate black and white suit, he was also leaning rather heavily on crutches.
So not just a recent accident then he thought to himself, what if this is the mysterious war-time
husband everyone said she married.

He hadn’t properly acknowledged it before, but Peggy was rather dressed up too: she was wearing
a slim, figure hugging crimson dress with glossy red heels to match; her hair was done up in soft
curls which tumbled down over her shoulders- a far cry from the messy bun she used to wear
during the war. Steve’s eyes met with the mysterious man lurking in her doorway and the man
dropped agape and looked back from Steve to Peggy and back to Steve again.

Steve flushed as red as Peggy’s lipstick as he looked down to his shoes, fumbling for words.

“I-I’m sorry. I- I didn’t realise you had plans o- or anything, not that I’m insinuating that you
wouldn’t have plans or anything I just didn’t…”

Peggy raised her eyebrow at him, watching him intently. Steve had gathered that Peggy and this
other man had intended to go out on a date before he had foiled both of their plans. He wasn’t mad
at Peggy for moving on, as long as she was happy...

But he just wished he could be the cause of her happiness. He fumbled awkwardly for a few more
moments, never managing to meet Peggy’s pressing gaze, so he ran: straight out of the door, past
Peggy, and the other man.

What am I doing? He thought as he drowned out Peggy’s futile attempts at calling him back with
his own deafening thoughts. When had he ever run away from something? Not even when he was a
skinny 90-pound asthmatic had he run away from a fight. Yet here he was- running like a coward.
It was just the sight of seeing Peggy with someone else that drove him to this state. Of course,
Peggy’s already moved on, he thought to himself what were you thinking? All the pain of the past
few years suddenly resurfaced, and even more tears started to stream down his face. Tears for his
missed chance with Peggy, tears for Bucky who he had left behind, tears for Tony and Nat and all
the others who had sacrificed themselves for the rest of the universe.

Now that he had a shot at happiness, he found her with another partner. The right partner, he
thought. Didn’t that used to be him?

He didn’t know where he was going, just that he needed time to think. He continued to run, all the
way to the Brooklyn docks and eventually up toward Capitol Hill- the sky was growing dark
behind him as dusk settled but Steve didn’t care. Without looking at where he was going, he ran
into a tall, lanky looking man.

“I’m so sorry, I ju-,” Steve started.

“No, no it’s alright, I should’ve been looking at where I was going too.” He replied with a small
smile.

A confused expression was etched onto Steve’s face as he looked back at the man.

“You sound oddly… familiar.” Steve replied with his brow furrowed.

The man laughed, “And you look familiar…” He extended his hand. “Edwin Jarvis.”

“Steve Rogers.” He gladly reciprocated, having finally dawned on him that this was Howard’s
butler that Tony talked about and eventually made into his AI.

Well, this is going to be interesting, Steve thought, his mood brightening. His heart still longed for
Peggy, and he knew a small part of her yearned for him too. But he could never pressure her into
anything, he would still wait. For her. After all, isn’t that what he’d been doing for the past 78
years?
 Poolside Shenanigans
Chapter Summary

Peggy bumps into Steve outside of work and, with a little help from Howard, start to
rebuild their 'friendship'.

Chapter Notes

See the end of the chapter for notes

A few weeks had passed since Steve had popped up out of the blue on Peggy’s doorstep, quite
literally. The two hadn’t spoken since, and the tension had culminated when Steve started working
at the SSR. But no matter how happy she was around Daniel, she never felt as complete as she did
around Steve. She knew Daniel had just been a substitute, and she shouldn’t have strung him along
all this time. But after California and Whitney Frost, it was hard to find someone with “shared life
experience”, except for Daniel. She had found solace in his arms and felt secure for the first time in
a long time. But every time he kissed her or embraced her, she always imagined that it was Steve’s
arms she was wrapped up in or his perfect plump lips that she kissed. Yet, seeing Steve again, alive
and breathing, threw her. She was so used to talking to the inanimate version of Steve that appeared
in her visions, instead of the blushing, fumbling one who still didn’t know how to talk to women
after all these years. She still loved Steve- there was no point even denying it- and seeing him a
few weeks ago and now at work almost solidified it. He was so gentle and chivalrous around her,
yet he treated her as the strong, independent woman she was. Over the weeks they’d shared
occasional glances over meetings and filing cabinets, but neither had addressed the situation at
hand; she wondered if he could feel the same magnetic pull she could feel throbbing at the back of
her mind. The space between them was filled with endless things to confess and explain: the
tension was almost tangible. The tipping point for Peggy, however, was the day she stopped off at
Howard’s to drop off some files for S.H.I.E.L.D- the organisation her, Howard and Philips were
building from the ground up. She’d sent the notes over from their last meeting in Washington, she
had to catch Howard up after he dismissed himself when a beautiful blonde entered the room,
carrying coffee.

Some things never change. Peggy thought to herself, humming a Bing Crosby song in her head as
the cab rolled through the entrance to Howard’s estate. She’d been in a great mood all day and a
quick visit to see Ana, Mr Jarvis and Edwin was sure to top it off. The warm sun tickled her face as
she stepped out the car, its gentle rays caressing the aches and pains of the previous week off her
face. Howard led her inside. Peggy could’ve sworn there was something devious in the way he
smiled at her, but it could’ve been a reflection of the light.

“Really Howard. Genevieve.” Peggy sighed, exasperated at her friend’s idiocrasy.

“What can I say? A guy needs to let off some steam once in a while.” Howard countered whilst
leading her toward the quad.
“What, by sleeping with everyone woman in New York?”

“It’s not my fault I’m irresistible.” He replied, waggling his eyebrows suggestively.

Peggy rolled her eyes and scoffed, “Well if they’re dumb enough to sleep with you, they probably
get what they deserv- “

Peggy stopped mid-sentence, her mouth forming a small ‘o’ as she gaped at the sight before her.
Ana was sitting besides the pool, laughing heartily at Mr Jarvis tackling a flustered yet overjoyed-
looking Steve on the patio behind. He blended in with the surroundings so well it was if he had
never left. Mr Jarvis had put Steve into his ‘patented tortoise of fury’ hold and the pair looked
rather hilarious together. Large grins were plastered on both of their faces, but Peggy only had eyes
for one.

Steve’s hair stuck up in soft tufts- he’d obviously cut it since she saw him last at the office- a thin
white shirt clung to his bulging muscles as he pushed Mr Jarvis off him and threw a weak jab at his
stomach. She could tell he was holding back; she’d analysed his body language during the war,
and she found herself analysing it now. Despite holding back, Steve was beaming from ear to ear
as he countered Mr Jarvis’ attempt at flooring him.

“Go for his legs!” Peggy found herself calling over to Jarvis. Steve swivelled round and the radiant
smile quickly slipped off his face when he saw her. Using his moment of vulnerability to his
advantage, Mr Jarvis swung at Steve’s legs, which buckled beneath him and sent him flying to the
ground. A startled yelp escape Steve’s mouth: although Mr Jarvis beamed triumphantly, Steve’s
face was anything but that. He looked up at Peggy from the opposite side of the pool, he looked
like an injured puppy- his face contorted with pain and almost fear. Peggy suspected most of that
pain wasn’t from his fall.

Despite seeing him at work almost every day, things between were still tense and neither had
brought up the topic of how or why he had returned. So many unanswered questions hung in the
air, as well as a myriad of unspoken confessions.

“Hello Steve.” She spoke softly, her eyes warm but with a glimmer of sadness.

She could see Steve’s shoulders relax slightly as he sat up- he couldn’t quite meet her eye as he
replied.
“Hi Peggy.”

Peggy turned towards Howard for an explanation, she knew Steve had to have some sort of ally
helping him out. She still didn’t know how the hell he’d returned after he crashed the Valkyrie in
’45. She’d cried the night he came back: she was just so angry and frustrated, at herself and Steve.
He’d managed to waltz back into her life and break down all her meticulously placed barriers to
her heart, the barriers that she’d had to construct after hearing him plunge into the freezing depths
of the Artic waters. She was angry at him for leaving her the first time, but at herself for letting
him back in so easily.

“He’s been helping Mr Jarvis and myself redecorate some of my New York townhouses, in
exchange for a room here.” Howard said, breaking Peggy away from her train of thoughts.

That explains the paint-stained trousers, Peggy mused to herself. As sad as she was to see him once
more and still not hers, she found herself almost gawking at seeing him in anything other than
army regulation uniform or his suit. Her heart thrummed loudly in her chest as she raked her eyes
over his well-built figure: watching him sweat and pant in only a pair of trousers and a thin white
shirt exasperated Peggy. It was just plain unfair for someone to look so good in something so
simple. She shook her head, dismissing the thought quickly. She was with Daniel; she couldn’t do
that to him. Besides, things between her and Steve were far too complicated for any real feelings to
develop… right? She thought she’d suppressed her agony and heartache for him enough for her to
move on with her life, but now she wasn’t so sure.

“So, is this what you’ve been doing with your days off then? Being Howard Stark’s personal slave
and Mr Jarvis’ sparring buddy?” Peggy teased.

Steve turned away and a small blush crept on to his cheeks.

“You were meant for more than this you know.”

Steve finally met her eye and a silent understanding passed between the two.

“They’ve been good to me, y'know.” He replied quietly.

“Besides…” He looked over at the Jarvises and Howard, grinning, “The company’s not all that
bad.”
 “It’s great ta have you back, pal.” Howard smiled back, tears pricking in his eyes.

Peggy knew Steve’s death had hit him hard, not only was Project Rebirth the one good thing he did
in his life, but Steve was a good friend. The night of the anniversary of his death, Howard had sat
down with her at the Stork Club and held her hand. He’d told her of the night him and Steve went
drinking and Steve practically carried him back to the barracks he was so drunk; or the night him
and Steve snuck into Philip’s tent and, despite Steve’s futile protests, drew a moustache on his face
with a marker pen. He’d missed Steve just as much as Peggy had because Steve was one of the
only people to look under his snobbish, sarcastic façade and see the real Howard Stark beneath.
That was what they both loved about Steve, his ability to see everyone, not for who they were on
the outside, but by the content of their heart.

Peggy cleared her throat, trying to dissipate the melancholy mood that had fallen upon them, “Well
do continue with your duel, I’m rather eager to see who wins.”

“My money’s on Steve, he’s a freaking super soldier for crying out loud.” Howard interjected.

“Ah, we’ll see how well he copes against a master judoka.” Peggy countered, beaming at Mr
Jarvis, who gladly reciprocated.

“Can’t be as formidable as you were with that gun of yours. Although don’t’ try anything this time,
I haven’t got my shield with me.” Steve replied. There was a certain confidence about him now that
hadn’t been there during the war. It wasn’t a smug confidence, but more of a self-assured one,
showing that he was more comfortable in his shoes. She still didn’t know what on earth had
happened to him, but she wasn’t going to look into the gift horse’s mouth. She was just glad he had
come back to her, back home. Even if it wasn’t in the way she wanted, she was still grateful he was
right there with her. Her darling. Her partner.

Meanwhile, mere metres away from them a figure lurked in the bushes. Crouching down, hidden
by the dense foliage, his eyes trained on the target.

“Doctor.” He muttered, in Russian. “He is here.”

Chapter End Notes

Rushed this chapter, sorry. But next chapter will be good i promise. Kinda just did this
to show how Peggy was feeling about the whole situation and i wanted some Jarvis
and Steve bonding time because i think they'd be really great friends.
 A little bit of turbulence
Chapter Summary

After Steve turned up unexpectedly on her doorstep, not many things could surprise
her. Except for maybe one...

One morning, Peggy walked into the office- as per usual. The stack of folders and case files in her
hands were stacked up high and she was struggling to regain her balance. If everything went to plan
in the next couple of weeks, she’d have an assistant to do all this for her.

Director Peggy Carter she mused to herself, humming contentedly.

She kicked open the door to her office, which resulted in a yowl of pain erupting from the other.
She looked in to see Howard standing behind the door, clutching his nose; Philips in the other
corner barely able to contain a smirk; and none other than the person who’d been avoiding her for
the past three weeks sitting at her desk.

Steve looked up from the mounds of paper he was scanning through and stumbled to his feet,
knocking over the chair as he did so. A beautiful blush bloomed high on his cheekbones and when
brown eyes met blue, Steve felt his heart stuttering uncontrollably in his chest.

“Is everything ok?” Peggy asked, rather concerned as to why they’d all congregated in her office.

“Apart from the fact you just broke my nose, yeah sure everything’s swell.” Howard sulked
petulantly.

Peggy rolled her eyes and muttered under her breath, “So dramatic.”

Steve smirked at her words; she’d forgotten about his enhanced hearing.

“We were just coming to celebrate actually.” He rounded on her, still rubbing his nose.
“Celebrate what?” She asked, turning to Philips for confirmation.

The Colonel just sighed, “S.H.I.E.L.D’s first field mission.”

She opened her mouth to speak but Steve interrupted her, “Bucky’s alive.”

Peggy stared at him, mouth agape and eyes wide.

“How- “

“I’ve been tracking him.”

Suddenly everything clicked into place, all those files she’d seen Steve spend hours pouring over,
all those maps he’d scribbled on furiously. Peggy thought it was just part of the job he had to do as
a strategist for the SSR. She couldn’t help but feel like she should’ve been there for him, helping
him track down his best friend, but he’d been avoiding her for weeks now, she tried to tell herself
there was nothing she could’ve done if he didn’t want to spend time with her. But still that guilt
crept in.

“Do we know where he is now?” She asked after she spent a few moments composing herself.

“Siberia, in a research facility around…. Here.” He gestured to the area inside the circle he’d just
drawn. “It’s a lab inside the mountains, well disguised and in the middle of nowhere.”

Peggy rounded the table, so she was standing besides him, their shoulders lightly brushing. At such
a small insignificant moment of contact, Peggy felt an electric buzz coursing through her.

“And you’re sure he’s here.”

Steve down at her with such conviction and hope, “I am.”

She took a deep breath before looking him dead in the eye. “Then when do we leave?”
“Ah,” Howard grinned from the corner of the room, forgetting about his injured nose for a few
seconds, “Now that I can help you with.”

Three hours later, Peggy found herself boarding a plane with Howard, Steve and- unfortunately for
her- Jack Thompson.

As soon as their meeting had finished, they’d caught him standing outside with one ear pressed
against the glass. He’d nearly toppled over when Philips opened the door. Despite his embarrassing
situation, he’d managed to convince the four of them that they ‘needed him’ and he’d tell a
newspaper editor that Captain America was back and flying over to face the Commies if they
didn’t take him. Steve clenched his fists, but Peggy merely rolled her eyes, used to his annoying
behaviour. And so, she found herself on a 10 hour flight to Russia: Howard was making comments
about the broad he’d left behind just so he could pilot them to Russia and back- causing Steve to
flush a scarlet red; Thompson wouldn’t stop rambling on about how honoured he was to be going
on a mission with the Captain America and his Howling Commandoes; Steve just shifted
uncomfortably in his seat, turning his attention back and forth between the window and her face.
Once or twice, she’d caught him staring and he’d stuttered out broken apologies before turning
back to the window.

She took out her Agatha Christie novel, another one of her Miss Marple books.

Steve looked over at her with a smile, “Y’know… you always reminded me a little of Miss
Marple.”

Peggy looked up at her book, surprised at his forwardness.

Jack was asleep besides him and the door to the cockpit was shut: they were alone.

“Pray tell.”

She loved watching him squirm and fidget helplessly under her gaze, and there was something so
endearing about the pink blush that crept up his neck.

“Well, you’re both English I suppose…”

Peggy raised an eyebrow.

Steve quickly righted himself, “And you both love solving puzzles and have a strong sense of
justice. You’re both relentless and incredibly stubborn…”

Peggy stifled a chuckle at that.

“You’re brave, cunning, devious and very amusing at times…”

He studied her for a moment “…and despite your ingenuity people don’t take you seriously...”

She was surprised by his last remark, it had thrown her slightly because he was right- nobody did
take her seriously. Despite her best efforts at trying to prove herself they’d shut her down for the
mere fact she was a woman.

He nudged her knee with his own, “…but your never afraid to stand up for who or what
you believe in.”

She was speechless, her mouth bone dry. During the war, Steve would never have had the courage
to say something like that. She wondered what on earth had happened between crashing the
Valkyrie in ’45, to now that had caused him to change. It wasn’t just his confidence that she’d
noticed had changed, it was his eyes too. During the war they were gleaming blue orbs of hope and
justice, and now they looked tired and world-weary, more of a wise twinkle to them now. But she
didn’t miss the old Steve so much, she rather liked the new one: the commanding presence he
carried, the authoritative tone, but also the fierce protectiveness he showed- just like that time when
he stood up for her in front of some of the other men in the officer who were jeering at her after she
spilled some coffee. Damn this man.

She cleared her throat, hoping to regain some moisture.

“Thank you, Steve.” She said quietly, a small smile flickering at the edge of her lips.

He just grinned in reply, “Anytime.”

Suddenly, the walls of the plane seemed very small- she needed to breath. But instead, she found
herself gazing more attentively into his eyes.

A crackling hum pierced the silence as the radio spluttered to life.

“Once you two lovebirds have finished ogling at one another, I was wondering whether Cap could
come up here and look at something for me.”

This time it was both of them who flushed red.

“You didn’t tell me there were microphones on this plane Howard.” Peggy muttered, furious.

“And cameras lets not forget!”

Steve groaned, with his head in his hands.

“By the way, if you two need any help with protection I’ve got a whole stash of johnnies in the
compartment above your heads.”

Peggy didn’t think Steve could grow any redder.

“Ah Juliet… I’ll never forget that night… always keep a stash in here from now on.”

Peggy looked around at the seats in disdain, “Howard. Once we get off this plane you and I are
going to have a very serious discussion about which way I kill you first.”

“I say take him into the woods and leave him to rot.” Steve muttered.

“Agreed.”

Howard just chuckled as Steve made his way begrudgingly to the cockpit. He flashed her one more
shy smile- reminding her of her old Steve- before he opened the door to the cockpit.

Peggy slumped against the walls of the plane; this was going to be a long journey.
 Starry Starry Night
Chapter Summary

Steve's nervous about meeting his Howling Commandoes again, how would they react
to him AND Bucky being alive? Steve finally makes a few moves on Peggy (its about
time) and Jack goes missing...

Chapter Notes

See the end of the chapter for notes

Steve watched with quiet amusement as Peggy’s head snapped up abruptly. She’d been sleeping for
the past few hours and Steve had never seen her look so… docile. But now she was on full Agent
Carter mode.

“Ah, look who’s finally awake.” Jack teased from beside him, Steve bristled.

“Ah, look who’s still an ass.” Peggy retorted.

Jack just grinned at her, clearly amused, and quite frankly so was he.

“What are you smiling at?” Peggy asked him, she’d clearly woken up in a bad mood which only
served to entertain him more.

“Nothing, nothing, I just…. Never experienced you without your morning tea before.” Steve
replied chuckling. She merely poked her tongue out at him and turned to inspect her make-up.

“About to touch down, I’d fasten my seatbelts if I were you.”

And right on cue, the aeroplane quickly descended- the walls of the plane were quivering and there
was a slightly concerning rattling coming from the propeller. As if sensing his nervousness, Peggy
nudged his knee with hers and shot him a reassuring smile. She’d obviously flown with Howard
many times before because he couldn’t think of any other reason she’d be this comfortable right
now- maybe she’d gone insane.
Howard stepped out of the cockpit with a grin plastered on his face.

“Told ya this beauty could fly.” He smirked and patted the wall beside him, something rumbled
and fell from the ceiling, a whisker away from his manicured moustache.

“It may need some… adjustments.” He muttered quietly. He turned to Steve again, fixing another
grin onto his face. His fingers hovered over a large red button protruding on the side of the cabin.

“You ready, Cap?”

Steve exhaled slowly through his nose, trying to calm his nerves. “As I’ll ever be.”

Howard nodded and pushed the button, the door on the side of the plane slid open with a groan
causing Steve to wince. Peggy looked at him, as if studying his every move. He shrunk in on
himself at the sudden attention he was getting from her, feeling so small under her imposing gaze.
He tried to compose himself, tell his brain that he’d been through far worse than this in the future,
why was he suddenly terrified now? It was the same feeling he felt when he went to see Peggy on
the first night of his return. He’d never forget her face when she opened the door: scared,
apprehensive, but he’d never forget the sparkling twinkle in her eye as she lay eyes on him for the
first time. Maybe, maybe, it was the same glimmer of hope and adoration he’d felt for her. Maybe,
there was still something there…

No, He’d chastised. No, she’s happy. I’ve got no right to try and take that happiness away from
her.

This was the mantra he chanted repeatedly in his head each time he saw her. The magnetic pull
he’d felt toward her was unbearable, especially when he’d been trying to avoid her for so many
weeks. But that same glimmer of hope remained in his heart, reserved just for her.

Cold Siberian wind flooded into the compartment as soon as the door slid open- its icy fingers
slithered their way through the cabin, clawing at any bare skin they could find and leaving a trail
of goosebumps in their wake. Peggy shivered involuntarily and Steve automatically took off his
jacket and wrapped it around Peggy. He knew he couldn’t be with her, but it didn’t mean he
couldn’t take care of her. She gave him another one of those indecipherable looks before turning
and following Howard and Jack out of the plane.

Steve could hear Dugan before he could even see him.

“PEGGY.” He boomed, clearly overjoyed to see her.

“Timothy.” Peggy replied curtly, but he could just imagine the small smile she was failing to
suppress at the sight of him. “It’s good to see you.”

“When Howard telegrammed to say he wanted the Howlies back together and in Siberia of all
places, I thought he was pulling, my leg. He’s a few months too late if he’s here to commemorate
Cap’s death with us again.”

Steve exhaled deeply; a new surge of fear awakened in Steve’s heart. Would they be angry at him
for crashing that plane and causing them so much strife? Would they even speak to him after all
the pain he must’ve caused them, especially after losing two Commandoes so close to one another?
From what Steve could tell, only Dugan was there.

The others must be waiting back at camp, he thought.

“I’m just grateful we don’t have to endure Thompson and Stark by ourselves- would’ve driven us
mad by the end of the week!” Dum Dum continued.

“Aw, just admit it Dugan, ya missed me.” He teased.

“After spending a month babysitting you and your machines Stark, I think It’s safe to say the
quiet’s been… a nice break.”

Howard just chuckled, “Yeah well, I didn’t think I’d be your No.1 favourite person on this trip any
way.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

Howard chuckled again, “You can come out now y’know, he’s not gonna bite.”

Steve inhaled sharply and walked toward the entrance of the plane, stopping right at the doorway
so he was half in half out.

Steve smiled wryly, “Hey Dum Dum.”

Dugan’s mouth fell open wide enough to fit a whole crate in there.

“It’s rude to stare, Timothy.” Peggy reprimanded, her eyes twinkling again.

“Bu-but… you-,”

“Crashed a plane into the middle of the Atlantic? Yeah, I heard.” Steve laughed mirthlessly. His
face turned solemn once again, “I’m so sorry Dugan.”

Dugan strode towards Steve with a dark look in his eye. Steve thought he was going to punch him
and immediately put his hands up to defend himself when he found his arms tightly constricted in a
bear hug.

Dugan sniffled into his shoulder, “Don’t you ever pull something like that again, ya hear me?”

Steve struggled to fight back tears as he slowly relaxed into Dugan’s hug, “I promise.”

As the two embracing men finally broke apart, they’d become aware of the others staring at them.
Steve just cleared his throat and walked toward the line of trees.

“So how far is it to camp?”

Dugan quickly obliged and pointed in the direction of their hideout, they started up conversation
and before long it was if he had never left. Dum Dum was jeering teasingly at him about
something Peggy couldn’t hear, but she didn’t fail to notice the subtle blush creeping up his cheeks
as he shoved his hands into his pockets. Then Dugan turned and gestured at Peggy and then back at
him.

“If you something to say about me Dugan I’d rather you say it to my face, I am partial to a bit of
gossip actually.” She called out to him.

“Just admiring your jacket, Carter. Looks oddly familiar…”

Peggy internally cursed and Jack snickered beside her. She shot him a warning glare. Howard had
left with the plane, handing them a transponder with instructions to radio them once they’ve
rescued Barnes. Steve still hadn’t told Dugan about the mission, maybe he was waiting till they
were all here.

***********************************************

Three hours passed and Peggy was sitting around a campfire, with Morita and Falsworth on either
side of her; Jones and Dernier boiling the tins of beans over the fire; Pinky and Sawyer trying to set
up their tent (but failing miserably) and Dugan and Steve pouring over maps and coordinates
nearby.

“I just can’t believe he’s alive.” Falsworth said quietly beside her, “I can’t believe they’re both
alive actually.”

“It all seems like someone’s looking down on us from up there doesn’t it.” Morita drawled, looking
up at the sky.

“There can’t be if I’m still stuck here with you lot.” Peggy teased, smirking.

“Clear off, Carter. You wanted to come here with Steve, admit it.” Jones called over from where he
was warming the food.

“Well, I suppose I am rather fond of you idiots…” She said, rolling her eyes.

“One of us more than the others…” Falsworth muttered beside her, which caused Peggy to elbow
him sharply in the ribs.

“Point taken.” He choked out, wincing.

They all laughed and suddenly it felt just like the good ol’ days, where they were sitting around the
campfire and sharing stories. Peggy smiled warmly at the memory and then at the reality.

“What about Sousa, back at home? Things still going well with him?” Jack asked, emerging from
his tent.

Peggy could’ve punched him for bringing up Daniel’s name, Steve was probably listening to this
whole conversation.

“Yes, things are going fine, actually.” She replied curtly, picking at the hem of her sleeve.

“Been together for quite some time now…” He paused as if considering something, “See any
wedding bel-,”

“Dinner is served!” Jones called out abruptly, interrupting a now fuming Jack. He knew how to
wind Peggy up and enjoyed doing so, but the Howlies knew better and God Bless Jones for getting
her out of this one.

Everyone came to sit around the fire, Steve was sitting opposite her instead of his usual spot during
the war- right next to her. He’d probably heard their conversation and was trying to put some
distance between them.

Curse you Jack Thompson Peggy thought, her mind seething. They’d been making good progress
over the past day, Steve was finally joking around and letting his guard down around her. But then
Jack had to muck it all up as usual.

They finished off their beans quickly and washed it down with a bottle of Bourbon, Pinky even had
a bar of chocolate he’d saved from a village in Austria.

“Might want to pick off some of that fluff.” He apologised as the bar was handed around and
chunks were broken off. “I’ve had that since last Christmas."

“You know Peggy, anything even remotely close to chocolate and it’s hers.” Sawyer joked, “Even
if it has got pieces of mould attached.”
They all laughed heartily, Peggy caught Steve’s eye and she saw how they wrinkled in amusement
at the corners.

“I still haven’t thanked you for that bundle of chocolate you sent me on my birthday.” She said,
looking directly at Steve.

He fidgeted shyly on the log, “What bundle of chocolates?”

“Don’t play coy with me, I know they were from you. I am a spy after all.”

“Wait, wait, wait. What bundle of chocolate? Where was my bundle of chocolate?” Morita sulked
jokingly.

“Oh, just that I found a large basket, filled with bars and bars of Fry’s chocolate, on my desk one
morning. I remembered telling Steve about my deeply rooted love for Fry’s chocolate on one of
our recon missions, and the fact that there was a drawing of me attached to the handle.” He blushed
furiously, making her grin, “I still don’t know how you managed to acquire so many chocolate bars
in the middle of the war though.”

Steve sighed shaking his head, but smiling nonetheless, “Bucky promised a few of the girls to go
dancing with them if they gave him their chocolate. Obviously, they swooned at the sight of him,
but when Bucky asked me if I wanted to go dancing with any of them, I told them no: I only had
eyes on one partner.”

Peggy drew in a sharp breath; he’d never been so forward before. Steve quickly realised what he
had said and try to recover, “I- I mean I’d probably step on their toes as well.” He snatched the vile
of whiskey from Dugan’s hands- much to his displeasure- and took a large swig of it.

“Right well, who wants to share tents with who.”

“How about we do it just like we did in the war?” Jones suggested.

“I’ve only got four of ‘em which means someone’s gonna have to share with Carter.”
All eyes turned to Steve. “Wh-why don’t we share with whoever we’re going on lookout with,
saves us from disturbing each other.” He stammered.

Jones just grinned, “Great idea, Cap! You take the first shift with Carter, I’ll take the second with
Dernier, Jim can go with Monty, Pinky can go with Sawyer and Dum Dum… you can go with
Thompson.”

“What?! Why do I have to go with Thompson?” Dugan protested loudly, probably waking half the
forest.

“Keep your voice down!” Peggy scolded, “But it’s probably so the rest of us don’t have to put up
with your snoring.”

He muttered something along the lines of ‘yeah, yeah nice to see you too Carter.’ Which caused
Steve to chuckle. It was like music to Peggy’s ears; she’d rarely heard him laugh recently and
she’d rather missed it. She’d missed him.

“Right, I’m going to bed.” Monty declared.

“You two behave yourselves out here.” Morita called out over his shoulder. Peggy shot him a
withering glare, but Jim just smirked and ducked into his tent. They were finally alone.

Peggy rounded the fire and sat herself down on the log besides him, their knees gently touching.
She looked up at the velvety indigo sky laced with silver sequins, her eyes were a reflection of the
starry constellations. Steve looked across at her: her lips were upturned into a small smile, her hair
slightly tussled by the evening breeze and her eyes glazed over. He’d never seen her look so
peaceful and at ease until that moment, just sitting there, looking up at the stars. A strand of her
blew into her face. Without thinking, Steve tucked it back behind her ear, revelling in the way her
velvety chestnut curls feel around his finger. He left his hand there momentarily before meeting her
eye, she sat there staring at him wide-eyed, like a deer trapped in headlights. He didn’t realise
they’d ben sitting so close until he could see the odd speckle of green in her hazel iris. Their harsh
and uneven breaths mingled in the cold night air.

“Steve.” Peggy whispered breathlessly, “What are we doing?”

He gulped, “I don’t know.”

He leaned forward again, “All I know is that I… I can’t take this anymore… this… distance
between us.”

“Well, you don’t seem very far aware now.” She muttered.

He gave her one of his shy boyish smiles, something bloomed in Peggy’s chest.

He blinked at her, suddenly solemn again, “You know what I mean.”

Peggy intertwined her fingers with his, looking down at them and then back at his blue orbs of
light that shone brightly in the darkness. He brought her fingers up to his mouth and he kissed them
reverently. She felt something constrict in her heart once again before she leaned closer to him, so
that their noses were touching.

“I’ve missed you, my darling.”

And with that Steve clashed his soft, plump lips against hers and wrapped his arms around her
waist- tugging her closer. She happily obliged and kissed back with equal fervour, her hands
carding through his tussled golden locks.

When Peggy told him she missed him, she was speaking about much more than him avoiding her
for the past few weeks, she was talking about everything. She’d missed the way things he’d stutter
and stumble over his words whenever he’d speak to her; she missed the way his eyes lit up
whenever she entered a room; she missed the way he’d spoken to her so openly about his thoughts,
trusting her to truly see the real him; she missed the way he’d respect her and listened to her in a
way that no one else did. She’d just missed… him. And now, in the half darkness, she could truly
convey how much she’d missed him and was thankful they’d received this second chance.

As Steve’s hands roamed her body all coherent thoughts flew out of Peggy’s mind. All that was left
was Steve.

Their kisses turned more insistent, and Steve felt Peggy’s tongue on his bottom lip, trying to pry
his mouth open. He opened warily. A shiver ran down his spine. If he thought that what they were
doing before was amazing, this was a whole other level. Peggy’s tongue swirled in his mouth,
fighting for dominance over his. He let out a soft whimper, which grew into a guttural moan. She
was now straddling his lap for better access.
“Peggy.” He moaned as she trailed searing hot kisses down his neck. “We- we should-,” He lets
out another deep groan into her neck as she moves her hips slowly against him. She frowns at the
fact he’s trying to suppress his sounds of pleasure.

“You don’t have to be quiet for me, darling. I want to hear how much you’re enjoying this.” She
emphasises that last part with a firmer press of her hips.

“But wha- what about th- the boys.”

“What about them.” She whispers into the shell of his ear; he flung his head back. This woman
would be the death of him.

“I think we shou-,” He curses under his breath at her, she can feel how aroused he is already. “I
think we should slow down a bit.”

At that she pulls away and looks him dead in the eye, challenging him to continue.

Steve’s face goes bright red, has he really just turned down Peggy Carter’s advances on him?

He splutters helplessly, “It’s just that I think we’re both a little tired and adrenaline filled and that’s
causing us to make rash decisions.”

“Rash decisions…” She repeated.

God, what Is wrong with you Steve? He thought, internally smacking his head.

“It’s just that… you’ve got Daniel at home, and I don’t want you to make any decisions you might
regret.” He implored, trying to get her to look at him.

“So, what, you think I’m going to regret this? That I’m going to regret us?” She replied sharply,
shooting him that look that she gives to whatever poor soul crosses her- this time it was Steve.
“No no no of course not, I just think we both need time t-.”

“I think 4 years is long enough time to have had to mull this over, Steve.” She shot back, the
accusation piercing him like a blade of ice.

A few moments passed until Peggy got up off his lap suddenly.

“I’m going to bed.” She muttered.

He just nodded, that was all he had the strength to do.

Ducking down into the tent, Peggy turned around to look at Steve one last time. She could see the
tears in his eyes by the way the fire that was reflected in them was hazy. Her eyes softened slightly
before she steeled herself once more and crawled into the shelter.

Steve had royally mucked it up. He’d finally got the shot with Peggy he’d always dreamed about;
he’d craved her kiss ever since he crashed the Valkyrie and knew what her lips taste like. But those
kisses tonight were on a whole new playing field entirely. And then he’d gone about telling her that
she wasn’t in the right head space to make decisions and she’d regret them. His eyes teared up
slightly at the thought that he had mucked up his one chance with her for good, he could’ve sworn
he'd never stuttered like that around anyone else back in the future. He laughs wryly at his
phrasing, knowing no one will understand why he finds it funny till 36 years’ time.

He sighed dejectedly and approached Dugan’s tent.

“Hey,” He whispered, shaking him slightly in between his loud snoring, “Hey Dum Dum.”

He mumbled incoherently, “What do you want?”

“Can you finish off my shift? There’s something I gotta do.”

Dugan merely sighed and rolled over to face him, “Whatcha do now?”
Steve looked away but quietly told him what happened.

“S’lemme get this straight,” He slurred, half awake, “You rejected the Peggy Carter’s moves on
you cuz you were worried she was gonna regret kissing ya?”

Steve nodded and blushed.

“Ya stupid big dumb hunk of muscle, OF COURSE SHE AINT GONNA REGRET KISSING
YA.” Dugan bellowed so loud Peggy- and the entirety of the forest- had probably heard him.

“Keep your voice down.” Steve chastised.

“Tell ya what, just for the fun of it I am gonna take your shift as well as mine just so you can go
apologise to Carter for the mess you’ve made.”

Steve smiled ruefully, “Thanks Dum Dum,”

“Don’t, mention it. Now go and grab Thompson from the forest, as much as he annoys the hell
outta me I can’t make it through the rest of the night alone.”

Steve looked around the tent, suddenly realising he wasn’t there.

“When did he leave?” Steve asked, suddenly concerned.

“About 10, 15 minutes ago… said he wanted a quick smoke before he went off to bed.”

Dugan saw Steve’s concerned look, “I’m sure it’s nothing, Cap. Go on, make it up to your girl. I’ll
be by the fire when she kicks you out.”

Steve rolled his eyes and just sighed in mock exasperation, “Good night Dugan.”
“Night, Cap.”

Steve stalked off back to his and Peggy’s tent, quickly scanning the forest for any sign of Jack. His
search came back fruitless, and he sighed, maybe he just wants to be alone. Steve tried to reason.

As Steve made his way back to the tent a twig cracked from nearby. He spun around but no one
was there. Probably just a deer, he thought.

Steve lifted the tent flap to see Peggy lying on her side, snoring softly. Her hair was matted, and
her clothes looked dishevelled underneath the sleeping bag. He tread softly around her to get to his
own sleeping bag so as not to wake her, but alas he tripped up on himself and fell backwards, his
head on her stomach.

Peggy sat up straight and reached for gun instinctively, but as she squinted in the darkness, she
realised it was only Steve tangled up in his sleeping bag. She tried to suppress the smile that tugged
on her lips at the sight of him looking so flustered.

He started to apologise but she cut him off, “That’s quite all right, Captain. I suppose it was rather
silly of me to put my sleeping bag so close to yours… what with the hazards of tripping of course.”

She started to slide away from him, but Steve wrapped his arm around her waist and tugged her
back. She rolled over to look at him and the pleading look in his eyes mollified all her animosity

“Stay?”

She nodded but Steve kept his arm on her waist, tracing idle circles on her fabric.

“I’m sorry for saying that you were going to regret us…” He said quietly.

She merely watched him which Steve took as a sign to continue.

“Truth is that I…” He took a steadying breath, “I know that… you’re happy where you are now
 and that you’re happy in the future and I don’t want to jeopardise that in anyway.”

“What do you mean in the futu-?”

“So I thought it’d be best if I just don’t interfere and put distance between us.” He continued,
ignoring her question.

“Peggy…” He started, lifting his hand to her cheek, “Your happiness is the most important think to
me, whether that’s with me or with Daniel, I just-.”

He inhales sharply, “I just don’t want to hurt you.” He mumbles timidly.

Peggy’s solemn face morphs into one of sympathy and adoration as she grabs him by his collar.

“You big, stupid, beautiful man.” She mutters, exasperated as she clashes her lips against his
passionately. His eyelashes tickle her cheeks as he kisses all around her face, causing her to grin at
him and pull him down to kiss him on the lips.

“No more making decisions for me, got it?” Peggy asked, with one eyebrow raised as they drew
apart finally.

He grinned, “Yes ma’am.” And snuggled up besides her on her sleeping bag, draping his over the
two of them.

She carded her fingers through his hair as she lulled him to sleep.

“What am I going to do, my darling?” She whispered to herself, “What am I going to do…” Her
eyes fluttered closed, and she drifted off to sleep, her arms wrapped around Steve protectively
whilst he nuzzled his nose further into her collarbone. For the first time since he’d returned, he’d
finally felt at home.

Chapter End Notes

This took so long! I hope you enjoyed it! Also, Steve told the Howlies about the
mission to save Bucky as soon as they were all gathered, i just didn't add it in so this is
just for clarification. Any guesses where you think Jack could be?
 Snake In The Grass
Chapter Summary

The story finally comes to a head! Battle between the Russians, Super Soldiers and
Steve. We finally see Bucky! Aaaaaand my back is hurting from all this writing

Chapter Notes

The words/ phrases in italics means its spoken in russian- except for the parts where
they're talking to themselves or the word's emphasised.

Sorry this chapter's a long one. Enjoy!

See the end of the chapter for more notes

Steve heard him coming before he’s even fully awake: the hairs on the back of his neck bristled
and he jolted upright suddenly in a cold sweat. His actions caused Peggy to wake as well, much to
her dismay, and she was soon rubbing soothing circles on his back.

“Peggy,” He whispered shakily, feeling a bead of sweat trickle down his forehead.

“Shh shh, I’m here Steve, I’m here.” She mumbled; her voice thick with sleep as her eyelids were
already starting to droop.

“There’s someone outside the tent.”

Peggy paused, her hazel eyes glowing dangerously bright in the darkness.

“And you’re sure it’s not Dugan or Morita?”

Steve shook his head solemnly.

She inhaled sharply, “You stay here my darling, I’ll be right back.”
He opened his mouth to object, but she shushed him, “What did I always tell you in the war?”

“Do as Peggy says.” He grumbled.

She smirked and kissed him on the cheek, “There’s a good boy.”

And with that she was gone, out of the tent in a flash with her gun aimed at the trees. She slowly
flicked her safety off and curled her finger round the trigger.

“Who’s there?” She called out into the half-darkness, her eyes scanning the trees.

Falsworth and Morita ran toward her from the campfire.

“Carter?” Jim asked, “What’s going on?”

“Steve thinks there’s someone outside the tent.”

“Well, he always had a sixth sense for this kind of things during the war.” Monty added.

A tree branch snapped somewhere and Falsworth fired instinctively at it. A squirrel shot across the
ground in front of them, lucky escape Peggy thought.

“It was only a squirrel.” Morita sighed, “Tell Cap we need our beauty sleep- can’t be chasing after
squirrels all evening.”

“Yeah, especially you.” Falsworth called over.

Jim started chasing him with the butt of his gun, “You know what, Monty!”
Peggy smiled at the sight of the two of them mucking around and crawled back into the tent.

“It was only a squirrel.” She whispered at Steve, placing a hand over his pounding heart.

“Are you sure? ‘cause I coulda sworn I hea-.”

“It’s alright, my darling, there’s nothing out there.”

Steve grumbled and wrapped his arms around her, “If you say so, Peg.”

Meanwhile, perched on a tree just 3 metres from their tent sat a lean shadowed figure, watching
their campsite. He brought a radio to his mouth and whispered in Russian, “The American was
speaking the truth. The captain… is here.”

***************************************

3 hours later

“Peggy! 3 o’clock.” Dugan yelled.

Peggy swivelled round to see two officers running at her, guns raised and knives dangling from
their belts. They took aim and fired; she swiftly tucked herself behind the wall before firing twice
at them, direct shots to their hearts. Blood stained the stone floors and Peggy tried not to look.

Dugan and Jones ran up behind her,

“Seems like you’ve got this all handled then.”

She ignores him and switches on her radio, “Happy and Monty, any news on where they’re
keeping Thompson?”

“Keep moving down the corridor for another 500 yards before taking the first door on your left.”
Sawyer responded.
“I say we just leave him to rot, he dobbed us in after all.” Gabe muttered sourly.

“We may have lost the element of surprise due to his… idiocy… but we never leave a man behind.
Understood?”

They grumbled a yes before sprinting down the corridor behind her.

********************************************

“Cap, from what we can see Bucky’s being kept in some kinda lab on the south side of the
building. A patrol of around 7 or 8 are headed your way, might wanna watch out.” Morita reported.

“I see ‘em.”

Steve had never been the best of shots, but he could throw a punch well. He ended up knocking out
half of them before they could really touch him. They threw a punch to his gut, making him double
over in pain, Pinky and Morita appeared moments later and a shower of bullets rained over his
head. All 7 guards dropped to the floor like flies.

Steve took a few moments catching his breath, “Thanks.”

“Anytime, Cap.” They said, clapping him on the shoulder.

They continued to walk down the corridor for the next 5 or so minutes before Happy’s voice
screeched through the radio.

“STOP.”

Pinky and Jim almost pushed Steve over at how quickly they stopped.

“There’s someone walking toward you at the opposite end of the corridor.”
“It’s fine; we can take them.” Pinkerton responded, cracking his knuckles.

“No, stop you don’t understand.” He took a shuddering breath. “I don’t think this guy’s… normal.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well for starters he’s got one leg and some sort of prosthetic… no offense to your guy, Carter.”

Steve visibly stiffened at the words ‘your guy’. They hadn’t talked about what would happen once
they got back home, Steve didn’t want to bring it up because it might mean their wonderful little
bubble they’d been living in for the past 7 hours might burst and Steve would be left alone. Again.

He heard her mutter an annoyed, “None taken.”

“But he’s got this… weird, possessed look in his eye. Doesn’t look human, Cap. And the fact he’s
got no backup is odd too… he’s not dressed like the other soldiers either.”

Cap stopped suddenly, realisation dawned on his face; Jim and Pinky must’ve picked up on it.

“What is it, Cap?”

“You two go find Bucky; I’ll deal with this guy.”

“What? No! We can take ‘im.”

“Just… trust me on this one. Please.”

“Alright, Rogers.”
And the two jogged off down the corridor adjacent to him.

“Steve… what are you doing?” Peggy’s voice crackled through his radio.

“Yeah, Cap, what do you know?” Dum Dum called from behind her.

“I know who this guy is… or at least some version of him.”

“What do you mean by ‘some version’?” Monty pitched in.

“He’s from the same programme that Bucky’s from, The Winter Soldier programme.” He took a
deep breath and continued. “During the war, HYDRA kidnapped and tortured soldiers, trying to
brainwash them into doing their dirty work.”

“Like Bucky in Azzano.” Monty chipped in.

“And now the mantle’s been passed onto the Russians. In some cases they succeed, and create
another form of the super soldier- enhanced metabolism, strength, speed, but all controlled by
whatever sicko they hire to brainwash them.”

“So, this guy…”

“Is part of the Winter Soldier program.”

“Shit.” Dugan cursed

“Language, Timothy.” Peggy reprimanded.

Steve smirked quietly to himself, God, he’d missed her.

“Once you turn this corner, Cap, you’ll be able to see him.” Happy radioed.
“Got it.”

“Steve.”

He swallowed down a lump in his throat.

“Yeah?”

“Just… just be careful.”

He smiled, ruefully, knowing she was thinking the same thought as him.

“You too, Peg.”

*****************************

Peggy’s chest was heaving by the time she’d disarmed the five gunmen who’d run round the
corner, taking them all by surprise. Jones was busy tampering with the electrical wiring needed to
open the next door. Dugan had offered to shoot it, but Peggy and Jones had quickly yelled at him
at how stupid an idea that was- ok, maybe the sudden swarm of guards wasn’t so ‘sudden’ after all.

“And… got it!” Jones yelled, proudly admiring his work.

“Wahoo!” Dugan exclaimed.

“What is it with you and wahooing?” Peggy sighed, with mock exasperation.

“Happy, Monty, what’s the update on Steve?”

Peggy held her breath.

“He’s doing fine, taken a few hits to the stomach but mostly he’s… wait no take it back he’s been
shot.”

“WHAT?” Peggy bellowed down the radio, wincing at how the noise echoed down the hall.

“It’s only his shoulder, nothing serious. Maybe he’ll have matching ones like you, Peg.”

“Couple goals.” Happy muttered over the radio.

“What was that Sawyer?”

“Nothing Carter.” She could practically hear the grin on the other end of the radio.

“I hate you all.” She mumbled, unable to wipe the grin off her own face.

“You’re coming up on the room now. Should be the first one on the left.”

They were about to run around the corridor when a voice stopped them in their tracks.

“Make sure we prep Sergeant Barnes for surgery later, we don’t want a replay of Moscow to
happen.” The voice rambled in Russian.

Peggy could feel Jones tense behind her, she’d forgotten he was fluent in just about every
language.

“We’ll see how well The Captain holds up against Dimitri, if all goes to plan, we’ll have ‘Captain
America’ helping us tear down his own government from the inside by tomorrow afternoon.”

The men around him snickered. The echo of footsteps gradually decreased as they walked off
down the corridor.

“What was that all about?” Dugan asked, clearly confused as to what just happened.

Jones and Peggy shared a look, they were both scared.

“They’re gonna try and turn Cap into one of them.” Jones whispered quietly.

“WHAT?” Dum Dum, Monty and Happy screeched in unison.

Peggy tried to steady her breathing, “They said that if all went according to their plan with Dimitri
then they’ll have him converted by tomorrow afternoon.”

“Who’s Dimitri?” Falsworth asked.

“We can only assume he’s the super soldier Captain Rogers is fighting now.”

“Shit.”

“Precisely.”

“You go grab Thompson, I’ll try and get through to, Cap.”

She nodded, despite the fact she knew he couldn’t see her, but the reassuring gesture was more to
herself than him.

They rounded the corner and made a dash to the room they were holding Jack in. He was bound to
the chair with rope with a gag in his mouth; a large black bruise bloomed just below his bloodshot
eye and blood was dripping down one of his arms.

The trio shared a look before helping to untie the unconscious Jack Thompson. Dugan helped him
to his feet where his eyes squinted open. Peggy unwound the gag and Jack spluttered awake.

“Carter?”

“Look who’s saving your sorry ass again, Agent Thompson.” Peggy quipped over her soldier
whilst walking away.

Jack merely scoffed, causing Peggy to look back, “That’s two you owe me, Thompson.”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever Carter.” He grumbled.

“Incoming from the south corridor.”

They all turned around them, only to have guards shoot at them from behind.

“Monty…” Peggy warned.

“Sorry, sorry, wrong camera.”

“How’s Cap looking?” Dum Dum asked, worried.

“Not too good to be honest. He’s taken some pretty serious blows to the stomach and that gunshot
wound from his shoulders bleeding out. You can tell he’s in pain from the poor right hooks he’s
throwing.”

Peggy took a shaky breath out which Happy Sam must’ve heard over the radio.

“But the oppositions not looking too well either.”

“Yeah.” Monty chimed in encouragingly. “At least he hasn’t got a knife.”

A few seconds passed, “Wait, no, I take it back. He does have a knife.”

“Monty?” Peggy growled in the middle of socking a guard on the jaw.

“Yes?”

“Never speak again.”

“Loud and clear.”

Peggy turned around to see more guards filing in.

“Someone use the transponder and radio Howard, tell him Thompson’s been injured.”

Peggy ran off in the opposite direction.

“Where are you going?” Jack called out.

“To find Steve!” She yelled back, after shooting the man just about to pounce on Thompson.

“That’s three!” She called back in a sing-song voice.

“Damn you, Carter.” He muttered.

************************************

Steve took yet another blow to the jaw before just managing to swerve out of the way of the super
soldier’s knife. He tried to throw a couple of punches, but the gunshot wound in his shoulder was
screaming with pain and he faltered every time. The super soldier picked up on his weakness and
started aiming throws there and making him use his right hand as much as possible.

If only I had my shield… or even a pocketknife. Steve thought, cursing himself internally for not
packing either of those things. He’d given Pinky his knife earlier when he said he’d forgotten his,
but now Steve couldn’t help but think he might need it a little more than him right now.

The sound of footsteps approaching him pulled him from his thoughts. The super soldier opposite
him turned, momentarily distracted by the noise; Steve took advantage and tackled him to the
ground with all the strength he had left. He grabbed a knife from the soldier’s belt and threw it at
whoever was approaching him from around the corner. He pinned the assassin to the floor with his
hands and looked up to see who he’d thrown the knife at. Peggy was standing there, frowning at
him with her hands on her hips- he noticed the knife stuck in the wall beside her.

“Peggy.”

But before he could continue, the super soldier kicked him in the stomach and leapt out of reach
from Steve.

Steve and Peggy continued to deal blows to the assassin, he continued to weaken, and they quickly
found out the best tactic to go by was to swipe at his legs. Peggy grabbed the knife from the wall
and flung it at the super soldier’s head, only for her stomach to drop moments after. He’d caught
the knife with ease and was cocking his right arm back to swing it at Steve. Everything seemed to
happen so quickly after that.

Steve couldn’t fully comprehend what was going on until he saw Peggy with a knife plunged into
her stomach and Steve pushed to the other side of the room. The super soldier rounded Peggy,
pulled the knife out and held it to her throat.

“Put your hands above your head or I’ll kill her.” The assassin commanded.

“Steve…” She whimpered before her eyes fluttered shut and slumped in the man’s arms.

“Do it!” He yelled.

Steve complied and kneeled on the ground with his arms above his head.
Seconds later, a swarm of guards surrounded them, along with a doctor.

“Ah, Captain.” He snarled, his voice sharp and condescending, “So good to finally meet you.”

“What do you want?” Steve growled, his eyes never leaving Peggy’s limp body.

“You.” His thin lips curled into a wicked smile, “Help him up.”

Two guards dragged Steve to his feet. The doctor stepped forward, “Don’t worry, we’ll take care
of your little girlfriend… you’ll see her and your other friend very soon. Just… sleep…”

Steve felt something sharp slam into his neck before his vision clouded with an ominous, empty
blackness.

“Sleep…”

**********************

Steve awoke a few hours later to the sound of muffled voices speaking in Russian.

“Any sign of his… friends, yet?”

“No, but the Commander and his gang of misfits are looking for them.”

One man scoffed, “They’re useless, there must be hundreds of towns out there missing their village
idiots. They all ended up here.”

The other man snickered.

Steve tried moving his head up to assess the situation, but he found he couldn’t move it. He tried
lifting his arms and legs to his head, but they were just as useless. Trying to ignore the numbness in
his body he attempted to lift one eye open and was met by a blinding light, stunning him
momentarily. Once he got his bearings, he looked down, only to find himself strapped to a metal
bed at an angle, held up by leather straps. Suddenly, all the blood rushed back to his body in an odd
tingling sensation, like a body of ants were crawling up and down his body. He could feel the cold,
metal on his back, causing his hairs to shiver and stand on end, and the coarse roughness of the
leather pressing into his bare stomach and arms. He tried to move again, with all his remaining
body strength, only causing a strained grunt to slip out of his mouth. The doctors spun around at
the sudden noise; a pool of rage formed steadily in Steve’s stomach as he watched the devilish grin
snaking onto one man’s mouth.

“We didn’t expect the sedative to wear off so quickly.” One of them said. His hair was a greasy
brown shade with mottled patches of grey at the roots. A pair of spectacles clung to the bridge of
his abnormally large nose, and course stubble hugged his jawline. “Then again… the great
‘Captain America’ never does abide by the rules, does he?”

“Where’s Peggy?” Steve snarled, accompanied by an almost animalistic growl.

“Now, now, Captain. We’d thought you’d might like to see your dear friend, James, first.”

At that, the door swung open with a groan and a bed was rolled in. Matted, black hair was swept
messily over the edge; a dun white hospital gown covered wan skin with blotches of purple and
blue; a metal arm hung limply over the side of the trolley. Steve was almost sick at the sight of
him, but it was only when they spun him round so Steve could see his face that the phrase ‘chilled
to the bone’ became all too real.

“Buck…” He choked out, eyes threatening to spill with tears, “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry Buck. One
of my reasons for coming back was to try and save you from…” he gestured to the room, “This.”

He slammed his head back against the metal bed, “I guess I just failed at that too.”

The door groaned open again, this time revealing the man who had drugged him.

“You.” He spat, “Let us out of here.”

A toothy smirk appeared on the man’s face, “Herr Schmidt was right, all those years ago.”
The sound of his boots falling against the stone floor rung in his ears, he shut his eyes
momentarily, hopping that all these noises would just go away. Damn his super soldier hearing.
When he opened them, the doctor was leaning over his metal cot, “The star-spangled man has no
plan after all.”

“You got no idea.” Steve spat.

“Oh. You’re referring to your little ‘friends’, aren’t you? You still think they’re going to come and
rescue you? Well, they may have taken your little girlfriend, but they will never take my most
prized possession.”

“Peggy? Is she ok? What did you do to her?”

“Relax dear boy, we’ll have her and your other friends back into our hands shortly.

But for now… your procedure. We’ll give Barnes some company whilst he’s having his mind
wiped again.”

The doctor turned to the other assistants in the room.

“Prep them both for surgery, I want these two super soldiers under my command by tomorrow
morning, do you hear me?”

“Yes, sir.”

The doctor turned back to Steve with a dangerous glint in his grey eyes.

“Nighty night, captain.”

******************************
“Where’s Rogers?” Jones barked at the soldier, who merely turned his nose up in disgust.

Dugan hit him again. More blood started pouring out from the soldier’s nose, he had to fight the
urge to wipe his won nose since his hands were tied securely behind the chair.

“I’m not gonna ask again, scumbag. Where. Is. He.”

The soldier once again looked away, so Dugan struck him again.

Morita and Pinky walked into the room,

“He let anything slip yet?” Jim asked, his face stoic and grim.

“Not yet. I suppose we’ll have to dispose of him at some point, no good to us now.” Dugan said,
his eyes trained on their bloodied captive.

At that, the soldier looked up.

“I thought you said you’d let me go.”

“On the condition that you talked.” Jones spat out.

“I’m talking now, aren’t I?”

“Yeah, he’s no use to us now.” He said in English to the others

“Alright fine, fine I’ll tell you.” He cursed under his breath, “Fedorov is going to kill me.”

“Who’s Fedorov?”
“The man behind all of this, pulling the strings, recruiting HYDRA agents, tracking down you and
your pal ‘Steve’.”

“How did he know he was alive?” Asked a voice in the background, all the guys turned to see
Peggy standing there: one hand on her stitches and the other balled up into a fist.

“Peggy? Do you really think it’s a good idea for you to be up and walking again? I mean for God’s
sake you’ve just been stabbe-.”

“I’m well aware of what’s happened to me, Timothy, and I’m also aware of the fact that if it hadn’t
been for my incompetency Captain Rogers would be here in this farmhouse with us right now.”

“Peggy, you don’t know that.”

She shot a sharp glare at him, “I do, and the rest of you know it too.”

She stepped forward and looked the soldier dead in the eye.

“Answer the question.”

“Th-there was a spy sent out to America, inside the SSR. He’d been spying Stark for months and
saw the captain there. Next thing I know we’re being told to come here to prepare for the captain’s
arrival.” He had started to sweat under her glare.

“Get Howard down here.”

The bunch of Commandos looked at each other with worried expression.

“Now!” She snapped.

They all ran off, like obedient dogs at her every command. None of them wanted to cross Peggy
Carter when she was like this, they’d seen it once before after Steve died and didn’t want that to
happen again.
“Where is Captain Rogers being held?”

“The lab on the first floor, it’s their experimentation room, where they programme and reset all
the Winter Soldiers.”

Peggy froze.

“All the Winter Soldiers.” She repeated, suddenly unsteady on her feet.

“The ones that Fedorov and the others have recruited.”

If Steve wasn’t even able to take down one of them then how could they take down this whole…
squadron of them, so to speak? She thought.

Howard ran into the room, rubbing the back of his neck anxiously- a bad habit he’d picked up from
Steve himself.

Peggy turned around, all the anger and animosity she’d previously felt toward him for not realising
thee was a Russian in his back garden earlier had soon dissipated and was left with the cold, hard
feeling of pure fear.

“We’re going to need a pretty big explosive.”

***************************************

The sound of a drill whirring filled Steve’s ears to the point he thought they might burst. He woke
up, sweating violently, his breath coming in short sharp bursts. Doctors filed in and out of the
doorway in a constant stream, until a deafening claxon sounded, and they all ran out. The room was
illuminated in an eerie red glow and the sound of the drill was quickly drowned out.

“Steve?” Asked a groggy voice from beside him.

“Bucky? Bucky, oh my God your awake. Hey, hey look at me.”

Bucky lolled his head to the side, dazed.

“I’m gonna get us out of here, Buck.” He started trying to fiddle with the straps restraining him on
the chair.

“I recognised you.”

Steve paused and looked over at Bucky, who was staring straight ahead.

“When they sent me to New York to eliminate Howard Stark, I saw you. At his house. Sitting by
the pool, staring at your compass.”

He laughed mirthlessly, “I just… froze. The one coherent thought that flashed into my mind was
‘Jerk’. And then it all came back to me.”

He frowned, “They shipped me back here to reset my mind, told me it shouldn’t have been possible
to have had my memory restored like that. It hadn’t happened in all the years I’ve been working for
them… until I saw you.”

He looked over at Steve with tears in his eyes, “It’s good to have you back, Steve.”

“I’m with you till the end of the line, Buck. No matter what.”

He laughed again, “I’ve changed Steve, I’ve done things…” A visible shiver ran down Bucky’s
bare spine.

“That wasn’t you, Bucky, that was that… thing they put in your mind. You didn’t choose to do
those things- they made you.”

The tears were forming again, “But I could’ve fought harder, Steve. I could’ve…”
“No.” Steve cut in sharply, his voice harsher than he intended. “Don’t do that to yourself, Buck.”

“Once I found out you were dead I just… I just kinda gave up.” He looked him straight in the eye,
“What would my Ma say if I came home without you, huh? What would your Mum say, if she
were still alive? That I’d let her only son die while I was asleep on a metal cot in the middle of
Russia.”

“She’d say it wasn’t your fault.” Steve laughed despite himself, “I may be the world’s biggest
hypocrite right now though. Can’t tell me how many nights I spent lying awake, wondering what I
could’ve done to help you, what I could’ve done to save you.”

He breathed in shakily, “Trust me, I know what It can do to a person. The point is that we’re both
here now, so let’s focus on that.”

“You always were a stupid know-it-all, punk. ‘S Why people always used to beat you up.”

“Yeah, well, I always had you for that.”

A few moments passed of them just smiling happy watery tears at one another until a large metal
grating fell to the floor. A coil of rope unravelled from the ceiling and down slid Jim, Gabe, and
Monty.

Morita spun around to see them, “Aha! I told you it was this vent!”

Bucky looked at Steve with faux exasperation, “Did you have to bring this lot along?”

“Barnes!” The three cheered in chorus. They started making their way toward the three when
Pinky slid down the rope and landed on Monty’s head.

“Watch it, Pinky!”

“Sorry, thought you lot had moved your asses already.”

Peggy’s voice crackled through the radio, “Percival Pinkerton if I have to walk inside that building
just to move your ass into gear so help me I-“

“Peggy!” Steve cried. “Oh, thank Thor you’re alive.”

“Never took you as a believer in Norse mythology, Cap.” Jones snickered.

“Shut it Jones, just hand me your radio.”

“How are you gonna do that if you’re all tied up?” Monty interjected, smiling wickedly.

“I hate you all, now are you gonna help us or what?”

***************************

Peggy listened intently through the radio set in the farmhouse. She was under strict instructions
from the other Howlies that since she was injured, she was forbidden for stepping foot one foot
into the Russian base. Peggy objected rather indignantly and started walking toward the gaggle of
men, only to find that halfway there she’d popped her stitches- again. So, Peggy Carter found
herself once again positioned on the side-lines, but at least she had the radio. Hearing Steve alive
and unharmed soothed her immensely, just the sound of his voice put her at ease.

To hear Bucky was alive and alright was a relief too, despite being an annoying, self-centred,
loveable dumbass- Peggy still cared for him, and he was Steve’s brother (so to speak).

“Take the third door on the right. No. No that’s the second one, nope that’s the fourth.” Jack
lectured, sighing deeply.

“Did none of you ever go to school?” He snapped.

“We did, but those damn girls sitting right in front of us…”

“Ya think they were those short skirts on purpose, just so we’d fail the exams?” Jones asked to one
of the Howlies. Peggy could just imagine Steve’s face growing beet red.

“Once you boys have gotten your heads out of your pants, take the next left and you should be
going home straight after that.” Peggy commanded.

“Are the bombs all rigged?” Howard asked, standing in the doorway.

“All set here.” Sawyer reported.

“Et ici.” Dernier radioed.

Radio silence from Jim.

“Dugan, do you copy?” Peggy repeated.

Radio static filled the comms.

“Does anyone know where Dugan is?”

“Last I heard he was coming back from the east wing, bombs all set.” Happy Sam responded, the
fear clear in his voice.

“And nothing since then?”

“Nothing.”

Silence filled the radio for a few more beats till Steve’s voice crackled through.

“Where did he say he was last?”

Following on from Steve’s train of thought Peggy quickly tried to shut him down.

“Steve, whatever it is that you’re thinking right now, don’t.”

“He’d do the same for me, Peg. And I can’t lose another brother, not again.”

“And I can’t lose you again.” Peggy cut in sharply. She tried to hide the emotion in her voice, but it
obviously hadn’t worked since even Jack swivelled round to look at her.

“I’m sorry Peg, but I gotta do this.” He took a steadying breath, “I just, I just want you to know
how much I lo-.”

“Save it till when you get back, soldier.” Peggy cut in.

“And then we’ll have that dance?”

She smiled, despite herself, “Then we’ll have that dance.

Now go get ‘em.”

******************************

Steve raced down the corridors, knowing that the whole building could blow at any minute; he had
no radio, no weapons, just his strength and determination to save his brother-in-arms. He just kept
running down corridor after corridor, each one just kept getting longer and longer and rescue
seemed futile, until he heard a ticking. His super soldier senses kicked in, he tried to focus solely
on the sound of the tick. He followed it through labs and medical rooms, all with Russian
propaganda dotted on the walls. Eventually the sound grew louder and louder, until he heard it
right above him. But there was no sign of Dugan, just a bloodied handprint on the device. He
followed the trail of blood till he reached a long corridor. On the opposite end was Dugan, slumped
against the wall and with a trail of blood leaking from his shoulder.

“Cap?” A hoarse voice whispered.

Steve sprinted to the other end and crouched down in front of Dugan.

“Just a gunshot wound,” He grunted as he tried to turn, “Nothing… aargh… fatal.”

Steve ripped off the sleeve of his shirt and wrapped it around his shoulder, Dugan cried out in pain.

“I know, I know. But you gotta keep the pressure on it.” Steve assessed the pool of blood
encircling him, “Looks like you’ve lost a lotta blood.”

“No shit, Cap.” He said whilst trying to stand, only to slump back down against the wall.

“Language, Dum Dum.”

Dugan let out a laugh, only to be followed by a series of coughing and spluttering.

“You’re starting to sound like Carter.”

Steve slung one of Dugan’s arms around his shoulder, “Might not be such a bad thing. C’mon.”

He pulled Dugan to his feet and let him rest all his weight on him.

“Any idea when this place is gonna blow?” Steve panted as he tried to move them faster down the
corridor, but Dugan’s body wasn’t letting him.

“Soon I recon.” Dugan pushed away from Steve, “Go on, I’m only slowing you down. Get outta
here.”

“I came back for you, you idiot, so I’m planning on leaving with ya.”
 Dugan accepted Steve’s outstretched arm, “Stubborn ass.”

Steve slung Dugan over his shoulder, much to Dum Dum’s dismay, and sprinted back down the
corridor, ignoring the way the ticking ticked far more rapidly than last time. As soon as he made it
out of that corridor a burst of fire exploded out from the hallway, engulfing everything in its path as
it continued to spread.

“SHIT.” Dugan yelled over his shoulder. Steve adjusted him once more then sprinted. He passed
offices and medical rooms, knowing they’d all be in flames seconds later. If it wasn’t for the serum
Steve and Dugan would be burnt to crisps by now, Steve just prayed that all those running sessions
he'd been doing during The Snap would pay off. But the problem wasn’t that Steve might get tired,
it was the lack of oxygen and smoke that burnt his lungs that left his legs faltering.

Just two corridors to go. Steve willed himself to think.

Sure enough, they were on the last passage, the entrance hall. Steve could see the white snow on
the ground, and the array of trees in the distance. He could’ve sworn he could see Peggy as well,
standing by one of Howard’s planes. Maybe it was just the lack of oxygen. But with every step he
took, the exit grew longer and longer, each stride felt as if he was getting further away. His legs
began to give out and the world was spinning on its side.

The last thing he saw was darkness. Cold. Empty. Darkness.

Chapter End Notes

oooooooh the suspense. I'll try and post another chapter soon, hope you're enjoy it so
far.
 Final Curtain
Chapter Summary

Not every story has a happy ending...

Chapter Notes

Four months since Ive updated this one lol. BUT IM FINALLY FINISHED.
I'm really sorry for the wait but its here now! Thank you so much for all the kudos and
comments! They really mean a lot :)

See the end of the chapter for more notes

Steve woke up in darkness. An endless, all consuming darkness. He couldn't move his hands, feet,
legs, nothing. He strained his ears, desperate to hear some sort of sound: a whisper, a bang,
anything. But there was nothing.

A part of him wondered if he was dead, was this what death felt like?

No. What was to come was far worse than death, but Steve didn't know that.

His back was pressed up against something cold and flat- Steve could tell that much at least- and if
he couldn't move any of his other limbs he must be strapped down to something. Right?

A small, barely audible click could be heard from the corner of the room. Like a door shutting.
Then sound felt familiar, somehow, a distant nagging feeling at the back of his mind.

"Mission number103." The voice reported mechanically.

Mission number 103? What does that even mean? How long have I been here? Wha- Steve thought
nosily, a million thoughts running through his mind at the same time, but he was quickly cut off
when a bright light shone down on him.

He could see everything. The viewing screen in the corner, the blacked out windows, the multiple
medical apparatus scattered everywhere. Glass cylinders, filled with a bubbling green acid, were
stationed around the room, connected by wires all hooked up to...

Him.

Steve could taste bile in his throat. What the hell was this place? Where were the others? Did
Dugan make it out ok?

He caught a glimpse of his reflection in one of the silver cabinets around the exam table he was
strapped to.

His hair had been shaved off, and in it's place black dots and lines had been charted across it. He
was naked from the waist up, two wires stuck to his chest, connecting to the heart rate monitor
beside him. But the most startling thing of all in his reflection, was the bionic leg where his real
one should be.

What the hell? Steve thought, thrashing about on the table, his limbs strapped down by thick cable
wires.

"Nineteen." The man said, looking at Steve so intensely that Steve had to drop his gaze back down
to his new leg.

What was this guy on about?

"Paintbrush."

The heart rate monitor beside him sped up. Distant memories of him painting as a child with his
mother drifted into his mind.

"Roses."

Steve felt his fingers twitch involuntarily. The first double date he and Bucky went on he gave the
girl an enormous posset of roses, which dwarfed his smaller body. Bucky had to carry them home
for him when the girl didn't even turn up.

"One."

A small throbbing started at the base of his skull, sending shivers crawling up his back. A memory,
too distant in his mind, flashed once then disappeared. Why couldn't he remember?

"Darkness."

The throbbing increased to a dull thumping. There it was again, the emptiness, the helplessness.

"Eight."

He felt his muscles spasm and contract, the thumping increasing to a loud ringing.

"Ice."

Steve squeezed his eyes shut, that one hit home somewhere. He felt his mind splitting in two,
dredging up buried, traumatic memories.

He could almost feel the ice creeping onto his body, suffocating him, rendering him powerless.

"Shield."

He couldn't breathe; he couldn't think. His mind was only focused on the words coming out of the
man's mouth.

More memories, more sorrow. He could see everyone he had ever saved, defended, attacked with
that shield. Every life he had saved, yet at the cost of losing a part of himself.

"Homecoming."

His vision blurred, his heart throbbed, he felt himself falling further and further into the rabbit-
hole.

He had wanted to come home, that was all. To have a place to rest once the battle had been fought,
 once the war had been won. His home had always been with Peggy.

"Red."

The red dress; the red lipstick; the red in his shield; Tony's red armour; Natasha's hair. Every
memory of red ran through his mind, yet it felt like it was all being ripped away from him.

Steve screamed at the top of his lungs in agony, his brain felt as if it was about to explode.

Then it stopped. There was only silence in the room.

The man looked up from the crimson, blood-stained book he was holding. It looked about 30 years
old.

"Soldat?" The voice sinisterly.

"Ready to comply."

Chapter End Notes

This wasn't like Bucky's memory wiping scene in the start of Civil War. I kind of
wanted to change it up a bit, and this was a lot easier to right and wouldn't have given
away the ending as quickly.

Steve's trigger words are different to Bucky's because the trigger words used on Bucky
symbolised things from his past and his desires (homecoming, freight car) so I thought
I would do different ones for Steve. That was hard tho bc the russians didn't know
steve had come from the future so obviously I couldn't include any Avengers topics,
but I hope you understood my references.

Thank you sm for reading it means a lot <3

End Notes

This is my first piece so I hope you enjoyed reading. Pls leave Kudos and shoutout to JJ for
helping me with this. I promise more chapters soon. I'm also working on another piece at
the minute so it may take longer than expected...

Please drop by the archive and comment to let the author know if you enjoyed their work!