It had been nearly seventy years since Steve Rogers had seen Peggy Carter. Seventy years since the last time he'd heard her voice. Seventy years since he'd promised her a date and a dance. Nearly seventy years since the fateful day when Steve Rogers - Captain America - had gone Missing in Action. Steve had been gone, but Peggy's life had gone on. Now, nearly seventy years later, Peggy Carter was an old woman. She'd lived her life without Steve in it, never knowing what had happened to him until a few short months ago when a S.H.I.E.L.D. operative had shown up at her home and informed her of the news. Steve Rogers had been found, alive and well, still a young man in his twenties, while Peggy had grown old and gray.

There was also a mystery of an even more personal nature - of twin nieces who'd gone missing just after their birth. She'd learned that they'd been located, but didn't know much more than that. Little did Peggy Carter know that both mysteries had become inexplicably tangled up together and that she was about to come face to face with a ghost and learn the truth of the past.

The flight across the Atlantic was a long one, but Steve weathered it with little trouble and no complaints. Fury had made all the arrangements, bumping them up to First Class, arranging for a car to pick them up at the airport and take them to their hotel, as well as providing transportation to Manchester where Peggy was reported to be residing in a local nursing home. Steve had been quiet most of the trip, quieter than usual, growing more nervous and introspective every day, a little bit lost in memories of the past and needing to put them to rest.

He wasn't the only one nervous of the meeting ahead, but Lucy knew she didn't have any right to be as anxious as her husband for the hours in front of them. The only reason she was even coming along this afternoon was as moral support; she, personally, thought that Steve should have gone alone, not wanting to drop too much in Margaret Carter's lap in one go. But she'd do anything for Steve, including sit in a day room full of elderly men and women who would, no doubt, be very chatty and a bit too eager to get their hands on her little baby bump while he caught up with the last remaining ghost of his past.

Steve knew Lucy was as nervous as he was, maybe even more so. After all, she'd never met Peggy before and had no idea what to expect. Steve guessed he was either going to get slapped for being late for their date or cried on, neither of which was a very pleasant possibility. He'd told Lucy a little about Peggy on the plane, how they'd met, what she was like. He hadn't talked about her before to anyone, not even Fury.

He told her how Peggy had wanted to teach him to dance, how they'd danced around each other for years before their mutual attraction to each other had become apparent to them and to everyone around them. How the last time he'd heard her voice was to promise her a date and a dance they both knew wasn't going to happen. How he'd heard the tears in her voice, and he'd had a hard time hiding his own fear. He knew that he was more than likely not going to survive it, but he'd had no choice. Thousands of innocent people's lives had been at stake. He and Peggy had both known it was good-bye. He'd only kissed her once. One kiss that had been their first and their last.

Manchester was as dull and grey a city as Lucy had imagined it would be. She was sure it had its good points, but right here and now, as their car pulled through the streets in the lingering English winter, it seemed a dreadfully blank place for anyone to spend their twilight years. Her hand stayed wrapped in Steve's, no words spoken between them, as the driver bore them inexorably from the inner city to the suburbs, to a nursing home set back from the road in gardens that someone, at least, had spent a little love upon. Knowing a little more about how the home worked than her husband, she slipped from the car, hugging her coat about herself in the drizzling rain, and led him to the door, pressing the buzzer to wait for permission to enter. Her eyes turned toward Steve in quiet concern. "Are you all right?"

England was familiar and yet unfamiliar, just like every other place he'd ever been. It was like walking through a dream, like an ever-present feeling of deja vu. Some things had changed, while others had not. He was glad Fury had hired a driver, unsure if he'd have been able to find the place on his own. He'd turned quiet again, watching the view outside his window while the car took them to their destination, wondering what he should say to her after all these years. At least, that's the way it was for her. To him, it only seemed like a few months.

He was grateful for Lucy's company, afraid he was going to come apart at the seams, glad to have someone there who would pick him up if he fell. And then, there was the fact that Lucy was Peggy's niece to deal with. He pulled the collar of his trenchcoat up against the drizzling rain. People always thought it did nothing but rain in England, but he knew from experience that they had sunny days, too. Today was not one of them. He looked a little pale in the gray drizzle, but it was hard to tell if it was nerves or just the lack of sunlight. "Yeah, I'm fine," he lied. "Are you all right?" He turned the tables on her, knowing this was no easier for her than it was for him, but it had to be done.

Unlike Steve, Lucy wasn't going to lie outright, shaking her head with a faint attempt at a smile. "Ask me again in a couple of hours," she suggested lightly, jumping when a voice crackled over the intercom. She gave their names, and who they had come to see, and a moment later, the door was unlocked, a very young care assistant in a white tunic who couldn't have been more than seventeen inviting them inside with a cheerful smile.

He wasn't a very good liar, and as a rule, didn't lie, but he didn't want to worry her more than she already was, and so he considered it a little white lie. Not much different than the lie he and Peggy had shared the last time they'd talked, each of them pretending everything was going to be okay when they both knew it wasn't. But the past was the past; there was no changing it now. All they could do now was forgive and forget and move on. Steve held the door open for Lucy as she stepped inside, stepping in behind her and taking a brief look around.

It was, as homes go, quite a pleasant space they stepped into, a wide hallway that opened on one side into a medium sized tea-room of sorts. On the other was a set of stairs leading upward, wrapped about a - thankfully - modern elevator, and ahead of them, in the direction the young carer beckoned them to follow her, was a long, bright corridor, off which was visible the dining room, kitchen, nurses' office, and day room, as well as a few personal rooms. It seemed that the majority of the residents were in the day room, enjoying a little live entertainment laid on by the home itself, while carers and nurses moved back and forth, going about their work cheerfully.

The young carer who had let them in led them past all these, and paused by a door which was half-closed - open enough to hear the music, but closed enough to preserve a little privacy at the same time. The girl smiled at the couple with her. "Peggy's in there," she told them with a nod. "I'll get a tray of tea and bring it in to you."

Lucy held up a hand to stop the girl from knocking hurriedly. "Actually, I was wondering if I could speak to the matron?" she asked curiously, giving herself a reason to snoop while Steve reintroduced himself to his first love.

The girl nodded, anxious to be helpful. "Of course, I'm sure that's fine," she assured Lucy, raising her hand to knock on the door and call inside. "Visitors for you, Peggy."

Steve arched a brow at Lucy, a questioning expression on his face, wondering what she was up to. Wasn't she coming with him to meet Peggy or was she going to let him enter the lion's den alone" Lion or lamb, he wondered. Which one was he going to be meeting today' He felt his heart thumping wildly in his chest, not from fear exactly, but anxious with anticipation. They'd come all this way to see her, and now that they were finally standing just outside her door, he felt like the nervous kid he'd been the first time he'd met her.

Oh, she wasn't tiptoeing as much as she seemed to be. Peggy knew they had to talk about what had passed, but she wasn't the sort to just leap straight in. She had to give herself some kind of entryway. "As talkative as ever, I see," she mused on his quiet, uncomfortable answer, folding her own hands in her lap as she looked him over once again. "It's all very different these days," she said thoughtfully. "I find it hard enough to keep up with all the advances myself, and I've lived through them. I can't imagine how difficult it must be for you."

"It was, at first, but I'm getting used to it." Slowly but surely, anyway. The hardest part was dealing with those he'd lost, more so than the changes in the world. It was a little overwhelming if he thought about it too much, but he was learning more every day. There was nothing he could do about those who'd gone before him. It was hard waking up to a world where no one who really knew him was around anymore. "I think you're the only one left," he said, letting her infer what she could from that. In some ways, he said more by saying less.

She nodded, and in her eyes was reflected for a moment all the pain of growing old. Of losing not only the friends and family of her youth as one by one they died or slipped away, but also of losing her own capabilities. Of losing him. "I was never inducted fully into S.H.I.E.L.D.," she told him calmly. "I chose not to take part in what the S.S.R. became, though I was kept somewhat in the loop, thanks to my connection with Howard Stark. Though even that suffered over time." She looked away, her expression fading to one of very faint anger. "Some things are unforgivable, no matter the good deeds that might seem to balance them out."

Steve listened as Peggy let him see a little of her own pain, her own regrets. He knew she'd never married, but that didn't mean she hadn't had a few relationships along the way. He wasn't sure he wanted to know. He frowned as she mentioned Stark again, knowing why she might harbor some anger toward him, even after all these years. Maybe he could help heal the pain of the past, if he could just find the right words. He knew she wasn't talking about him, or at least, he hoped so.

"Peggy, there's....there's something you should know." How should he put it' How could he explain in such a way that would cause her the least amount of pain" "I know about the twins."

Her eyes returned to his, a veneer covering the anger that had flared for a moment as confusion made itself known. "I haven't the faintest idea what you're talking about," the old woman said sharply, her tone too crisp to be anything but defensive, anything but aware of what he was talking about. "Howard Stark was involved in a great many things, some of which even he felt some shame for. It took him years to admit to me that he had some hand in the creation of the atom bomb, for example, a weapon that should never have come into being." She shook her head, accustomed to explaining away her anger at the deceased entrepreneur with her opinions on his chosen field of study and development, rather than the intimately personal mistake he had made that had harmed her own family so badly. "I went to the Stork Club, you know," she said suddenly, making a wild stab at changing the subject, laughing a little bitterly at her own youthful hopes. "For some reason, I was absolutely certain you would be there."

She'd changed the subject, and he'd lost the opportunity to tell her about Liv and Lucy, for the moment, letting her say whatever it was she needed to say. This conversation had been delayed too long, too many years had passed to hurry it. He linked his fingers together, still folded in his lap, debating whether or not to reach for her hand, deciding against it for now. He sensed the bitterness in her laugh, and it wounded him like a knife. He'd been to blame for missing their date, and yet, he hadn't. No one else could have done what he did, no one else could have saved all those people. In the end, he'd really had no choice, and she knew it. Their lives meant nothing when compared to the greater good. "When I woke up in New York..." He paused briefly, lifting his gaze from his folded hands to meet those intelligent brown eyes he'd fallen in love with a long time ago. "The first thing I thought of was you."

She was quiet for a long moment, grateful that he had not shied away from her words, though she regretted letting him see the bitterness, the lingering resentment that still colored her memory of the years she had spent learning to live with what might have been. "Why didn't you come to see me then?" she asked him quietly, not quite brave enough to meet his gaze with her own. "Why wait so long?"

It hadn't been that long really, not compared to all the years they'd lost. Her question was one he'd been asking himself for months. There was only one way to answer it really, and the answer was difficult but an honest one. "I was scared," he admitted with a frown and a shrug of his shoulders. "I was worried what would happen if you saw me again. I didn't want to cause you any more pain."

Perhaps surprisingly, this produced a gently wry smile on the feminine face that looked now into his. One elegant, if gnarled, hand reached over to touch his where they lay folded in his lap. "I'm an old woman, Steve," Peggy reminded him gently. "I cried my tears over you many years ago. The pain and grief ....they are long gone by now. I won't tell you that there haven't been times when I resented your decision, even the entire war, for preventing something that could have wonderful. But I don't hold onto that anger, Steve. What I do hold onto is something no one ever managed to take away from what might have been." Her hand, softened and delicate with age, squeezed his painfully for a brief moment. "Your wife is a remarkably lucky woman, whoever she is. I hope neither of you have to grieve for someone you love too soon."

Her words, while thoughtful, honest, and sympathetic didn't really ease the pain in his heart. She might have grieved for him decades ago and come to peace with his presumed death, but for him, it hadn't seemed like more than a few months. It was going to take a little time, but seeing her was a step in the right direction, he hoped. "I feel like I've been grieving all my life," he replied. "I'm trying to move on." I need some time, he'd told Lucy. He hoped he didn't need too much time.

"All your life?" Peggy's brows knitted together as she considered him for a long moment, choosing not to point out that he'd had a lot less to grieve over and less time to do it in than others born in the same year. "Do you remember what I told you when your friend, Barnes, died" I should hope so - if I can remember, you certainly can. You should apply the same rule to the world around you, captain. Yes, there are many changes, and it will take time to get to know them, but people don't change. Don't forget to see the good with the bad. There really is far more to smile about than to ache for, even in circumstances as extraordinary as these."

It wasn't just the war. It was his father and his mother and Bucky, all the people he'd lost in the war and those he'd woken up to find gone. He'd been given the gift of a new life with new friends and family and a wife to share it with. The sting of the losses would fade over time. "I'll be fine, Peggy," he reassured her with a small smile, her touch as warm and gentle as it had always been all those years ago. "I'm happy. I am. I have a lot to be thankful for. It's just hard sometimes." He didn't have the experience or the wisdom that Peggy had. She was an old woman, and he was still little more than a kid. A kid who'd seen a lot, been through a lot, but a kid nonetheless.

"I'm sure it is," she agreed, allowing him that, at least. "But you have time, Steve. It may not heal all things, but it does make them easier to bear." Her other hand patted his gently. "And now you know where I am, I expect regular visits. I may even track down your wife and plot with her to get you here more than once a year."

She couldn't have that many years left. That thought did little to console him, but maybe it wasn't about counting the years but making the years count. Or something like that. "Peggy, there's something you should know..." he started, feeling that nervous tension again, needing her to know just who he'd married. Would she be angry or relieved" There was no way to know unless and until he told her. She was going to find out one way or another, and he thought it would be best coming from him.

As she listened, all the fight went out of Peggy Carter. She closed her eyes at the quiet realization that Steve Rogers didn't love her anymore, at the acknowledgement that she had expected him to pine for her as she had pined for him and that, for a moment there, she had been cruel enough to want to hurt him for finding someone to spend his life with. It didn't matter that the someone he had found was a girl who bore relation to herself; obviously the woman had something she had not, something more than the resemblance that had drawn him to her. The old woman fell silent, turning her face toward the fire, lost in memories that had somehow never been put aside. Movement by the half-open door caught her eye, yet when she looked that way, there was no one there. But it didn't take a genius to guess who it must have been ....and what she must have heard.

He hadn't noticed the movement at the door, too lost in his own thoughts, in his own feelings of guilt. What was he supposed to do' What had happened had happened. He could never make it up to Peggy. Life went on. Should he feel guilty for being lucky enough to get a second chance" For falling in love again? "I shouldn't have come here. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to cause you pain," he said quietly from where he stood at the window. "I thought....I thought maybe you'd want to know what happened to the twins. I thought maybe you could be happy for us. I guess I was just being naive." He closed his eyes, feeling worse than when he'd arrived. It had been a mistake.

"Don't be so foolish, Steve," Peggy sighed softly, guilt touching her tone, her eyes, as an unfamiliar female form passed from behind the door in the direction of the day room. All she really saw was brown hair and a cream coat, but there was only one person who would dare to stand and eavesdrop before entering. The old woman looked over to him where he stood by the window. "I have never lied to you, and I refuse to start now. You need to tell me about ....about Beth's girls. You do. And I am pleased to see you. But you have given me a lot to think about, to take in."

A knock at the door signaled the arrival of the young carer with a tray of tea, all beaming smiles, seemingly oblivious to the awkward tension in the room. As she set the tray down on the table in front of Peggy, the girl looked up at Steve. "Oh, Mr Rogers" Your wife asked me to tell you she's gone for a walk, but she won't be any more than half an hour, and could I make sure you knew so you didn't worry."

As much as Peggy claimed to never have lied to him, he wasn't sure he believed her. She didn't seem particularly happy to see him, and why should she" He was part of a painful past she had most likely tried to forget. "You're not going to like it," he warned. She especially wouldn't like S.H.I.E.L.D.'s part in the story, covering up the truth and telling no one, not even those who should have known, who could have helped. It had come as a shock to the twins, as much as it had to everyone else, but Steve had hoped somehow there'd be healing in the truth.

There had been enough lies. He drew a hand across his face as he heard a knock at the door, turning his head toward the young woman as she entered with a tray of tea he no longer felt like drinking. "A walk?" he asked, turning back to the window to see if he'd catch a glimpse of Lucy. He had no reason to think she was doing anything but what she'd said, but why did she find it necessary to take a walk now, unless she'd overheard and wanted to give him more time with Peggy.

"Yes, she said she'd stay in the grounds," the carer offered helpfully, still smiling, squeezing Peggy's hand fondly as the old woman thanked her for her care. "Should I ask her to come straight here when she comes back in?"

Peggy glanced at Steve for a moment, uncertain how long his explanation might take, as Lucy's familiar stride took her into her husband's eyeline. It was still raining, but she didn't seem agitated, simply walking slowly along the stone path that wound through the misty gardens surrounding the home. "She's very welcome to come and see me," the old woman said finally. "If she'd like to." Nodding, the young carer straightened, slipping out of the room with with quiet discretion, leaving them to their tea and talk.

Steve felt torn in that moment, yearning to walk hand in hand with Lucy through the gardens, to take her in his arms and kiss her in the rain. But there was Peggy, asking for an explanation, deserving one after all these years. He still thought it was Lucy's story to tell, but he'd owed Peggy at least that much, if that's what she wanted from him. What was Peggy going to say when she learned Lucy was pregnant' "She filled a hole in my heart, Peggy." A hole not only left by Peggy but Bucky and everyone else he'd ever loved and lost. Had he moved too quickly' Maybe. But what was the point of waiting" Life was short enough. He watched his wife until she moved out of his eyeline, afraid to turn back around lest Peggy see the tears in his eyes.

The time for recriminations and accusations was already past. Peggy knew she would never truly forgive Steve for falling in love with someone else, but if it could have been anyone, she was grateful that it had been one of those lost girls who should have been raised by their grandmother. "Do you ....does she know her sister?" she asked quietly, not daring to look around at the quiet soldier by her window. "Does she know she isn't alone?"

"Yes," he replied, not turning to look at her. "They've always been together. They grew up mostly in orphanages, in and out of foster homes, until they were old enough to live on their own. They knew nothing of their past, nothing of their parents. The truth was kept from them, until recently. I think..." Steve furrowed his brows at an unpleasant thought. "I think if it wasn't for me, they might still not know."

She heard the frown in his voice, wondering how he could possibly see that as a bad thing. "Ironic, isn't it?" she said quietly. "You gave her the past, and she gave you a future. I'm glad that they had each other, even if none of us knew where they were. They would have been loved, for Beth's sake, if not for their own." Peggy shook her head sadly. "Please, Steve ....tell me why we never knew each other."

He knew what it was like to be an orphan. It was one of the things that had drawn him to Lucy, a connection that had bound them together. As much as he often felt there were few who could truly empathize with him, Lucy seemed to understand him better than anyone. It wasn't a bad thing that they'd found out the truth because of him; what bothered him was the fact that if it hadn't been for him, he wondered if they'd ever have found out at all, despite what Fury had told him. It was ironic, in a way. He'd often thought that very thing that Peggy was suggesting. His frown deepened as he realized telling her the rest of the story was going to make her angry again, but not with him. "You won't like it," he warned, turning toward her finally, unable to hide all the conflicting feelings from his expression now that he'd let his guard down. The whole reason he'd come here was to try and heal the pain of the past, not cause more of it.

Her smile had returned, the familiar quirk of lips in wry, rueful acceptance that the story was not going to be a family favorite. She patted the arm of the chair he had vacated invitingly, wanting him nearby when he told her. "Shall I tell you what I know already?" she suggested mildly. "Perhaps I know more than you suppose."

He wasn't sure he wanted to take that seat again, wasn't sure he was ready to be that close to her again. She was Peggy and yet she wasn't Peggy. The Peggy he'd loved had died with him nearly seventy years ago. This was an older and wiser Peggy and one whose days were numbered. He wondered, not for the first time, if he'd done the right thing in coming here. Unable to deny her, he reclaimed the chair he'd vacated, looking even more tense than he had when he'd arrived.

It was a relief when he took that chair once again, assurance that she had not damaged their friendship beyond repair with her unthinking reaction to his news. She twisted to face him a little better, part of her glad to finally be able to share what she knew with someone who might be able to fill in the gaps for her. But where to begin" "Beth loved Howard Stark," she told Steve quietly, remembering the flush of love on her niece's face when she had first confessed that feeling to her aunt. "She had idolized him for years. My brother's daughter was something of a mechanical genius in her own right; mechanisms fascinated her, so naturally a man so talented with them held that same fascination. I never found out if he loved her in return, but I assume he felt some affection for her. I don't like to think she was used."

"We are all products of our time, Steve," Peggy told him gently. "Until you have lived a while longer in this time, you will still feel out of place. But you have a wife who knows this time, and who knows you. You will never be short of someone who can make the past and future combine into something that is uniquely your own. The sooner you have children, the better, perhaps - you will be able to learn the world with them."

Steve arched a brow when Peggy mentioned children. Should he tell her or not' She was going to find out soon anyway, as soon as Lucy walked in the door. He was damned if he did and damned if he didn't. He thought it was probably best to prepare her, but he wasn't sure how she'd take it. She'd either be hurt or happy. He knew it was more than likely she'd feel a little of both. Anger, resentment, regret. He understood all those feelings, but he also knew - like she'd said - they served no purpose. Nothing could be done to change the past; all they could do was accept it and move on. Forgive, but never forget. Forgetting was for fools. There was a moment's hesitation again while he debated what to do, deciding finally, as he usually did, that honesty really was the best policy. "She's pregnant," he told her quietly, as gently as he could.

Again, the old woman went still, careful this time to absorb what she was told without reacting immediately. There was more to celebrate in that last little bit of news than there was to mourn, but the happiness would always be touched just a little with sorrow. But her smile was warm, brown eyes understanding as she nodded, accepting what he told her with as much dignity as she could muster. "And the walk?" she asked, inclining her head toward the window and the ground beyond, where Lucy was just visible making her way back through the drizzling rain.

He glanced toward the window, catching sight of Lucy as she made her way back, just as he knew she would. "I don't think this is any easier for her than it is for us. She never had any family. It's always just been her and Liv. She tries to pretend it doesn't bother her, but I know better. She wants to know you, Peggy. She wants to know her family." In all honesty, he thought this might be even harder for Lucy than it was for him or Peggy. She'd been caught in the middle of something she couldn't control, manipulated by S.H.I.E.L.D., abandoned, lied to, used, but not by him and not by Peggy. "I just want her to be happy," he said, turning away from the window as Lucy passed out of sight. He knew his time alone with Peggy was growing short, but hopefully, he had done what he came here to do and more good would come of it than bad.

"Then we will have to try to make it easier for her, won't we" Pour the tea, Steve." Once Peggy made up her mind to something, she rarely gave an inch, and it appeared that she had made up her mind. She wouldn't make this meeting any harder on either of them if she possibly could. It would take a while, yes, for her to fully absorb the implications of everything she had been told today, but that was no reason to be unwelcoming to either an old friend or a great-niece she had never known. "Which one is she" Elder or younger?"

"Elder, but not by much," he replied, leaning back in his chair and exhaling slowly, feeling slightly relieved, at least for Lucy's part in all this. It seemed she would get her wish. She'd finally get to meet someone of her own flesh and blood. He wondered if Tony would be even half as understanding as Peggy had been. "She's a doctor. A damned good one, too." It wasn't like Steve Rogers to use expletives as adjectives, but sometimes no other word would do. "I've seen her in action," he added as he leaned forward to pour Peggy a cup of tea, remembering how she liked it, as if it had only been yesterday that he'd made her a cup. He preferred coffee himself, but having spent a good portion of the war in England, he'd had little choice but to develop a taste for the stuff. "Still take it the same?" he asked, before adding cream and sugar.

"Naturally," she chuckled. "You don't think someone so impeccably English as myself would ever be unfaithful to my favorite brew, do you?" The pride in his voice as he referred to his wife's profession and her place in it was heartening to see and hear, reassuring to note that at least one of Beth's girls had a vocation that suited her. "Damned good, hmm' Perhaps I should transfer myself to America and put myself entirely in her hands, then."

He jerked his head up at her suggestion, arching a brow in surprise, wondering if she was serious. A thought came to mind as he mulled that over that made him smile a little, wondering what Fury would think of Peggy who, despite her advanced age, seemed as spunky as ever. It was the first time he'd smiled since he'd arrived, the thought amusing him for some reason. As if Fury didn't have his hands full enough with Lucy and Tony, he could only imagine what the man would think to have to deal with Peggy, retired or not. "She works for S.H.I.E.L.D. now. I'm not sure you heard. There was a hurricane a few months ago. She helped with that." As did he, though he didn't mention that. He fixed her tea just as he remembered she liked it and carefully handed her the cup.

"We don't get much in the way of detailed news when it comes to domestic affairs in America over here, Steve," Peggy smiled as she took her cup, balancing it comfortably on the arm of her chair as she watched him, pleased to see his smile at last. "That business with Loki was only a headline for three days here; the storm wasn't even headline material. And the younger" What does she do for her living?"

A gentle knock on the door came in answer to that query; Lucy had arrived, her hair wet and curling, looking cold and bit bedraggled, but calm. "Liv works for Jonathan Granger, the actor," she told Peggy quietly, her eyes traveling to Steve, uncertain of her reception. "She's his personal assistant."

Peggy's brows rose, wavering on the edge of taking offense at the girl not having waited to be invited in before she remembered herself. "She must be very good, then," she nodded slowly. "Goodness, girl, you're soaked. Steve, get your wife out of that soggy coat and bring her over to the fire."

Steve straightened at Lucy's arrival, his attention turning immediately to that of his bedraggled wife, wondering what had made her decide to go for a walk in the rain in the first place. He didn't really need Peggy to tell him what to do, but her direction pulled him out of his thoughts and over to Lucy, leaning in to kiss her cheek before helping her with her coat. While he didn't want to hurt Peggy any more than he already had, it was Lucy who held his heart now. It was Lucy who he loved.

Though it was a little painful to see how quickly Steve moved from her side to that of his wife, Peggy couldn't keep herself from smiling a little at the obvious connection that existed between the pair. She watched as Lucy drew her arms out of her coat, as the young woman turned toward Steve for the support she seemed to know he would give her, even as she gave him the same support, her hand tangling with his, ignoring the drip of cold water from her hair. And Peggy found herself glad that they had found each other, however it had come about. Her gaze dropped momentarily to the swell at Lucy's waist with a bare twinge of regret before she reached toward the pair. "Come here, Lucy," she said, her old voice as gentle as she could make it, understanding now she saw the girl Steve's concern that perhaps this meeting might be a little much for her. "Don't be afraid of me."

Lucy hesitated, her hand tightening in Steve's as she glanced up at her husband warily. She had overheard a little of what had gone on before she had taken her walk, wary now of walking into the midst of it. But at the same time, she didn't want to walk away too soon. She owed it to Liv to go through with this first meeting as best she could.

Steve smiled reassuringly at his wife, his demeanor changing a little from hurt to supportive. Lucy didn't need to see how seeing Peggy again had caused him pain. The worst of it was over now. He had weathered the worst for Lucy's sake, and for Peggy's, too. It was him now who felt he might be in the way, sensing that both Lucy and Peggy needed this time to get to know each other as aunt and niece, not as ex-girlfriend and wife. "It's all right," he told Lucy quietly with a warm reassuring smile, peeling the wet coat from her arms. He didn't really need to say anything more. Peggy would take care of the rest.

And Peggy did take care of it. Refusing to let either of them sit quiet and still, she welcomed Lucy to her side, displaying all the charm and charisma she had at her command to draw her lost niece into conversation. She asked about Lucy's life, about her sister, about her likes and dislikes, teasing out little sparks of common ground between them, laying the foundation for something that might someday be more familial than this. Neither was Steve neglected; it was his opinion that was sought on some subjects, including an embarrassing interlude on the evolution of lingerie which Peggy had delighted in when Lucy brought it up.

She could see elements of Elizabeth in the lively doctor, and elements of Howard, but Lucy was clearly her own person, and deeply protective of her twin sister. It pleased the old woman to notice it, to understand why she was not going to meet Olivia this trip. It seemed the whole of the little family the twins had formed was devoted to keeping the worst of things from Liv, as they called her.

"Oh, so you're used to Spotted Dick and Toad in the Hole, are you?" she teased him lovingly, sliding down into the car as he held the door for her. After a moment of struggling, she managed to slide over the seat to make room for him, unbuttoning her coat and reaching beneath her top to undo the top button on her trousers with a low groan of relief. "Oh, that's better."

He laughed at her remark. Unlike most "Yanks", he knew what those were. "Not my favorites, no, but when you're hungry, you'll eat just about anything." A small hint there at the difficulties people have suffered through during the war. As part of the military, there was always food of one sort of another provided, most of it edible, but there had been times when they were out in the field when obtaining a hot meal hadn't been that easy. "Maybe it's time to go shopping," he remarked with a smirk as she loosened her pants. He chuckled to himself as he came around to the other side of the car and climbed in, leaning forward a moment to consult the driver on the best fish and chips in Manchester. And then they were off.

Lucy smiled, leaning into his side as he settled back against the seat. "Maybe it is time, at that," she agreed reluctantly. "Well, to get the trousers, anyway. I deliberately got maternity tops so I wouldn't make you look bad in front of Peggy, but I thought I could get away with tucking my trousers under the bump. More fool me, hmm?" But at least she wasn't complaining about the smock S.H.I.E.L.D. had provided for work anymore, finally appreciating the expanding looseness of fabric as she grew.

"You should have Liv take you when we get home. I think she'd like that. Doting on you for a change." He smiled and tucked an arm around her as she leaned into him, resting his head against hers, feeling an odd sense of peace and relief as the day wound to an end. He was looking forward to dinner and a quiet evening with Lucy, a few hours respite from the world at large.

"Maybe," she said again, nestling close. She had a feeling that Liv was struggling a bit with the knowledge that she was going to be an aunt - not so much the familial relation as the fact that Lucy herself was pregnant when she'd never expected to be. Would it be cruel or kind to get her twin involved in the details of that state" She didn't know. "She's going to be doting on Johnny for a good long while yet, and good for her. I suppose I should call and make sure they know they're welcome here, but I'll wait until after the honeymoon. What do you think?"

He was at yet unaware of Lucy's worries about the pregnancy, assuming Johnny and Liv would be happy for them, even if the baby had been unexpected. He was sure they'd raise a family of their own one day, given time. "I think we should let them have a little fun before we bring them back to reality."

"A little fun?" Lucy snorted, unable to help herself as she broke into loud giggles. "Johnny in Disney World isn't a little fun. It's insanity on a scale Liv's never experienced before. I just hope he's got that stick out of her arse, or she'll ruin it for him without meaning to."

"Give her time. If anyone can bring out the fun in someone, it's Johnny. Besides, I've been accused of having a....a stick up my *ss once or twice," he admitted with a small smile that was half frown. He tipped his head down to press a kiss against her head, pausing a moment to breathe in the scent of her. She smelled like a mix of rain and shampoo and that underlying scent that could only be Lucy.

"Baby, your stick is getting shorter and more easily removed by the day," his wife assured him with her familiarly impish, teasing smile. "As soon as you get a baby in your hands, you'll be right as rain, I promise you." Lifting her head back, she returned his kiss, brushing her lips against his jaw. "I'm sorry if I left you for too long this afternoon. I, um ....I overheard something I think I shouldn't have and I didn't want to intrude on anything else."

He arched a brow at her confession. He'd had no idea she'd heard anything that had been said between himself and Peggy, and he wondered now what it was that she'd heard. A piece of something taken out of context that could have been easily misunderstood" He wanted no secrets with Lucy. Anything he'd said he could have said in front of her. His smile faded as he was reminded of his conversation with Peggy. "What did you hear?" he asked, with a worried expression on his face.

"Nothing that you haven't told me before," Lucy assured him with a faint smile, not wanting to upset him with her uncomfortable reaction to what she had heard being said. "I just ....I heard her ask whether or not she should be angry that you'd married someone else while you were still in love with her, and ....Well, your answer did include the phrase "she reminded me of you?." She shrugged slightly, shaking her head. "I wasn't expecting to hear it, Steve, and I know I shouldn't have been listening anyway. I just needed a little time so I wouldn't go in and make things worse."

"You did remind me of her," he admitted, a serious look on his face, sad or worried or a little of both, his heart sinking a little to know she'd overheard him and maybe misunderstood, but he hadn't said anything she didn't know already. "You still do sometimes, but that's not why I fell in love with you, Lucy. That's not why I married you." He sighed, hoping somehow she'd understand.

"I know," she promised him, her hand rising to curl gently to his cheek as she showed him her softest smile, adoration shining in her eyes as she looked up at him. "And that's why I didn't burst in and lose my temper. I know you love me, Steve, and I know that your loving me doesn't have anything to do with how you felt about Peggy. Her question took me by surprise; I was angry on your behalf, because she was being unfair. I had an insecure hormonal moment, that's all. It's nothing."

"She's right, you know," he said with that same sad frown, not for himself so much as for Peggy. He had Lucy, Lucy had him. Peggy had gotten the raw end of the deal right from the moment he'd decided to ditch the plane in the ice, but what choice had he had really' If he'd made any other decision, he wouldn't have been able to live with himself, and the guilt would have killed him. "It's been years for her, but only a few months for me. Maybe I was moving too fast, but after I met you..." He shrugged his shoulders, as if there were no words left to explain.

Lucy twisted in her seat, raising both hands to cradle his jaw, making him look her in the eye. "That's something that's just between us," she told him quietly. "It's really none of her business, or anyone else's. As for her end ....when she's ready, she'll talk about it. Maybe not to you, or to me. I think of all of us, she's more likely to talk to Liv about it. But what?s done is done, Steve. No one can change the past, no matter how many wishes you spend to do it. We have to live in the here and now, and so does she. And if she's anything like me, she's too stubborn to let a little heartache ruin something more important."

He couldn't pull his gaze away from her. Even if he tried, he knew she wouldn't let him. His gaze darted briefly the front seat, not wanting the driver to hear their conversation. Now that they were mostly alone, away from Peggy, he felt the tears coming again. He'd never wanted to hurt her. He knew it wasn't really fair that he'd found love again when she had not, but Lucy was right. Nothing could be done to change the past, and grieving about it solved nothing.

"I never meant to hurt her, Lucy. I had no choice. There wasn't any time to think of another solution. It was either put the ship down in the ice or risk a lot of people getting killed. Whatever there was between us once is impossible now. How long do I have to be alone before I'm allowed to move on' How long is long enough?" It was more than he'd said to Peggy, not wanting to hurt her with words that he knew would only cause her pain. He drew a breath that made his chest ache with unshed tears. He didn't want to cry about the past anymore. Lucy had changed all that. Lucy had made him happy. "You're not alone," his wife reminded him, her voice gentle as her fingers stroked down his cheek, her hand dropping to take his, to lay his palm against the smooth swell of her belly as she gazed into his eyes. "And no one gets to say how long or how short a time you should grieve for. You made a decision that saved millions of lives, knowing it would kill you. The fact that it didn't is just a fluke, something no one could have predicted. She knows that. She just needs a little more time to process everything she's learned today, that's all. She still loves you, Steve. But that isn't your fault, and you are not responsible for her heart or her way of coping with that. You can't take on the burden of blame for everyone in the world, baby. I won't let you."

"That's just it. She told me she didn't. She told me she was over me, and then when she found out I was with you..." He shrugged again, at a loss to sort it all out. Who could understand the human heart' Whether she still loved him or not, it was an impossible situation, and they both knew it. He'd known it right from the moment he'd realized it wasn't 1945 anymore. He drew another slow breath, blinking away the tears before they could fall. Maybe later, when he was alone, but not here, not now. He slid his fingers against the swell of her stomach, gently, protectively. This was what his life was about now - Lucy and the baby. Maybe, if things had been different, he and Peggy could have had the same thing, but he wasn't so sure, and now he'd never know. "Maybe someday she'll forgive me."

"Whatever happens, she's obviously decided not to make a fuss and not to drive you away," Lucy told him softly. "She wants your friendship, Steve, and she enjoyed teasing you as much as I did this afternoon. I know it's hard. I know I can't possibly imagine just how hard it is, but try not to read anything into what she says and does. If she wants you to know something, she'll tell you. Until then, just be her friend again."

He nodded silently, rubbing a hand over his face, not wanting to talk about it anymore. At least, not tonight. The worst was over. She'd accepted Lucy with open arms. Hopefully, they could move on from here, and the pain would eventually lead to healing. The car stopped as they arrived at their destination - a small local pub that was purported to have the best fish and chips in all of Manchester.

"And now," Lucy went on, dropping her hands from his face to poke her husband fondly in the midriff, "hungry wife needs feeding, mega-man." She grinned at him, leaning in close to brush a kiss against his lips before hustling him toward the door on his side of the car, much to the amusement of the driver. Dinner was definitely a priority in Mrs Rogers' mind now the difficult part of the visit was over, and it was up to Steve to provide it or face the grumpy consequences.

Steve was only too happy to distract himself with the task of feeding his wife. While painful, the hard part was over. He and Lucy had paved the way for Liv and Johnny. Who knew what the future held now that the first step had been taken. Though it wouldn't be an easy task, the healing process had begun. Peggy was no longer alone, and the mystery of Liv and Lucy's past had been solved. For the first time in a long time, Steve felt hopeful. Now if only Tony could forgive the past the way that Peggy had.

But Tony was another problem for another day. Today was a new beginning in its own right; in the space of a single afternoon, Steve had restored a family to an old friend who had thought herself all alone, and given his wife someone she could hold onto. And he'd begun himself to lay the past to rest properly, looking to the future with a lighter heart. All they needed now was for Liv and Peggy to meet, and the little broken circle would be whole once again. And that, he reflected as they made their way into the little pub, was really all anyone could hope for.

((Well, that's been a long time coming, hasn't it' Went rather well, I thought. No one got shot. The title is taken from a Cole Porter song, more for the feeling of the music than the lyrics. Many thanks to Steve's player - awesome loads of fun, as usual!))