stormsinafrica | Entries tagged with post-avengers endgame

Laura Barton sat alone on the porch of her farmhouse, unable to bear being inside a moment longer today as she could see all her husband's unfinished projects. It had been three long and excruciating weeks since Clint's execution, a shocking event that still seemed surreal yet there was no denying it had been all too real. When the order had been given for the shots to be fired, her world and her heart had been shattered along with his. The pain of losing Clint in such a way was almost unbearable, and she wondered if she would ever find solace again.

As she stared out into the distance really seeing nothing, and lost in her thoughts, the glare of an approaching car captured her attention. She sighed, and prayed that the media had not at last found her family's home as she was sure they'd been looking since before Clint's execution. She thought about going inside the house and locking the door before whoever it was got too close, but then she realized she didn't care. If it were the media, then she'd finally have a chance to tell the world about the man she knew and loved. However, when the car stopped, and the occupant got out, she was surprised to see the familiar face of Pepper Potts Stark.

Why was she here? Pepper of all people was only a few feet away from her, and Laura couldn't understand why she would come to see her. But then when Pepper was only a few feet away, Laura could see that her eyes were both red and weary, mirroring the pain she also felt inside. The truth was, their lives had been forever changed by the actions and the loss of the two men they had loved.

Pepper's voice was laden with sorrow when she said, "Mrs. Barton, I am so very sorry for your loss."

Laura nodded in response, tears shining in her eyes, "Thank you for coming, Mrs. Stark—"

"Pepper. Please call me Pepper."

"Then I am Laura. As I was saying, thank you for coming. I... I don't know how to cope with this."

Pepper gestured as the chair to her asking permission to sit, and Laura nodded.

Pepper's smile was a sad. sympathetic one as she seated herself, "I understand, Laura. I know losing Tony was the hardest thing I've ever faced. When he died... after he died,,, the sun didn't just stop shining. There was no sun for me anymore. And, with Clint..."

Her voice trailed off, the unspoken words left hanging heavily between them. Both of them knew just how far Clint had gone during those Five Years in his quest for revenge. SHIELD's decision to actually honor the world's request to execute him had been unexpected, but it seemed even Fury thought he needed to be held accountable.

"Tony's funeral was beautiful... peaceful," Laura said softly, adding when Pepper raised an eyebrow, "I came to the funeral with Clint and our kids. I think you were in the same fog then as the one I've been in since they... oh our kids. Lila and Cooper are old enough to understand what happened to their father but they still can't understand it., Neither can I! I know what Clint did to all those people was wrong, but he wasn't a monster, Pepper! He wasn't! He just got lost in all his anger and pain and he just lashed out!"

Pepper nodded, "And I regret that we didn't do anything to try to help him." She did too, because maybe if they'd tried to help him, he wouldn't have gone on such a bloody crusade, and he would still be here with his family.

Laura laughed sardonically, "Thank you for saying that, but I know you couldn't have helped him if you'd tried. He still had Nat then. And if she couldn't help him, then any attempt you may have made would've been even more hopeless."

"Even so, I am sorry that we didn't at least try to help him."

"Thank you for saying that."

Pepper nodded her eyes were, filled with kinship as she said, "You know you said you don't know how to explain this to your kids in a way they can finally understand what's happened?"

Laura nodded, "Yes?"

"Oh, Laura, there's no easy way to explain or even understand something like this. I wish there were but even after three months, I am still finding myself struggling what to say to Morgan in the moments when all she wants is her Daddy, and that's very often. She and Tony were so close and I'm not sure she still understands that he will never come home again."

"Then what kind of light can there possibly be, Pepper?" Laura asked, wiping away tear, her voice breaking with grief. "Tell me, what's left for us without him? What's left for my kids and me without Clint there with us?"

Pepper took a deep breath, and when she spoke her voice was one of grief and hope, "There is very little, if I am honest. But the sun has started to come out a little for me. I see the sunlight the most when I am looking into my daughter's eyes. I see so much of Tony in her. I see his spirit and his determination. And I am reminded that even in life's darkest times, there's still a flicker of hope. It might be a tiny one, but it is there. You have a daughter and a son right?"

"A daughter and two sons," Laura corrected.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I should have remembered."

"No, don't apologize. There's no way you could have. Not with what you were going through at that time."

Pepper nodded, and continued with what she was going to say, "I have Morgan but you were... blessed to have three children with Clint. They're three chances and places to look for signs of him whenever you're really missing him. Clint lives on through them, just like Tony lives on in Morgan."

She sighed, and went on, "I know this is going to sound like a tired, old cliché but with every day that's passing I am learning it's truth. Time heals all wounds. It may not feel like it right now, but eventually the pain will lessen, and you'll find a way to move on."

"Move on? How can you say that, Pepper? Clint is gone, and my kids will never see their father again!"

"I'm not saying you have to forget him, Laura. But you need to try to focus on the good memories and the life and the love you shared with him. You have to keep going, for both you and your kids. I know I don't know you well yet, but I believe you are a strong woman. You would have to be, to have been married to someone who was an agent a long time before he became an Avenger. So I believe you can do this."

"I'm not feeling particularly strong, Pepper. Instead, I feel like a hollowed out shell of who used to be Laura Barton. Everything, everywhere I look I am reminded of him, and I don't how to make the flood turn off."

"It won't, Laura, or at least not entirely. But with time, and taking it day day, you'll start to feel like yourself again. Or as much as you can with someone you loved so much being gone. And, in the meantime, if I am not too much of a stranger to be saying this... but I want to be here for you, if I can. If you want me too. I know the circumstances of our husbands deaths were not quite the same, but we're in the same boat, and I just want you to know you are not alone in this, okay?"

Tears streamed down her face and Laura wiped them before she reached out to take Pepper's hand, "Thank you, Pepper. I really appreciate you reaching out to me like this. We don't really know each other, but I would like to get to know you. It would be nice to have someone to be able to talk to and cry with when one or both of us need it."

A sad smile graced Pepper's lips, "We'll get through this. Together."

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innitmarvelous_og

When Clint's eyes fluttered open, his surroundings were a distortion of blurred shapes and colors. He felt as though someone were banging on his head with Thor's hammer, with every beat of his heart sending a jolt of pain through his temples. He struggled to make sense in his disoriented state, to find his way through the fog that had wrapped itself around his thoughts.

Little by little, tiny fragments of memories pierced through the fog. He recalled the cold, rigid touch of the metal pole against his back, the din of the SHIELD STRIKE team readying their weapons, and the deafening shots that still echoed in his ears.

"What the..." His voice came out as a raspy murmur, barely heard above the muted ache that pulsed through his body when he made an attempt to sit up. He clenched his teeth, then he yielded to the protesting of his enervated form, his muscles refusing to comply.

With a renewal of determination, he forced his eyes to open once more, striving to understand his surroundings. The room, saturated in sterile white, enlightened his blurred vision. The unforgiving glare from the lights overhead penetrated through his fogginess, magnifying the pounding in his head. As he took a deep breath, the sharp of disinfectants seized his nostrils, flooding his senses and leaving an almost metallic taste in his mouth.

At that moment, a door swung open on the other end of the room, revealing Nick Fury, the Director of SHIELD, clad in his customary black attire. Clint's heart, which shouldn't have been beating at all, skipped a beat in his chest. As he watched Fury approach, conflicting emotions swelled within him. This was the man who had betrayed him, the one who had carried out the order for Clint's execution. In the moments leading up to his supposed death by firing squad, Clint had told Fury he had understood why he had to be the one to give the order. But that'd had been a lie. The truth was, he couldn't comprehend how Fury, the Director, could have been the one who ordered his own agents to kill one of their brothers.

Fury's face was as stern as it ever was when he approached Clint, but also he got closer, Clint could also see a tiny bit of kindness. He wasted no time with a preamble but told Clint simply in a low, steady voice, "You're alive now because I arranged for your death to be faked at your execution. There was no way I could let the world take you away from your family forever."

Clint's emotions were a tangled web while his mind raced. All he'd wanted to be with his family again through those five long years they were dead. He'd literally had two weeks with them following Tony's funeral, and then he'd been arrested. He doesn't know how the world learned about what he'd done so quickly because even when he'd been consumed by his rage, he concealed his identity. He doesn't know how the world found out... unless one of the Avengers who had known of his Ronin identity had given the media their anonymous tip.

"How long have I been here, sir? How long since my exe.."

"It's been eighteen hours since you stood in front of the firing squad."

"So the world thinks I'm dead?" Clint asked.

"Yes, they do. We made sure we staged your execution so convincingly that every person who tuned into the broadcast now believes they watched a SHIELD firing squad shoot you through the heart," Fury replied.

"Okay, I'm dead to the world. What now? Am I going to have to spend the rest of my life in some hideout somewhere, where I'll never see my family again? Is that what I've been saved for?" Clint countered, his anger and despair rising with every word.

Fury frowned, as it was his turn to get angry, "You are not listening to me, Barton!"

"I told you he wouldn't be able to listen to you," a new voice contributed.

Clint whipped his head towards the door, "Laura? What the..."

His heart, his perfectly whole not shot through with bullets, heart skipped a beat when he saw his wife standing in the doorway. She looked so weary, her eyes betraying all the anguish and pain she had to endure during this entire ordeal. Her presence was both a comfort and a bewildering mystery.

"Laura, wha... how?" Clint's voice trailed off, as he was unable to form a coherent question.

Laura walked over to his bedside, then instead of answering him with words, she seated herself beside him, and she kissed him like she had in his cell in the SHIELD facility. Fury looked away to allow them a moment of privacy in their reunion, but he finally cleared his throat when Clint's heart rate shot up. Laura pulled away from him but didn't stand up. Instead, she intertwined her fingers with his, and kept her eyes on him as Fury spoke.

"You want to know what is going on, Clint," the older, gruffer man began, "and how it is you're here, not dead, instead of being buried six feet in the ground actually dead?"

Clint nodded, "Yes, sir, I do," Everything had happened so fast that he can't figure out a way the Director had been able to save his life instead of letting the execution actually succeed.

"To begin, I had gotten wind that your identity as Ronin had been exposed a very short time before your arrest. There wasn't enough time to warn you, so I had to settle with ensuring your survival, regardless of whatever happened next or whatever punishment the world deemed to be the right one for your actions.

"Needless to say, convincing the world of your death seemed like the best course of action since they were so thirsty for your blood, and wouldn't settle for anything less. So we orchestrated what the world thought to be your execution to be just that, an execution in which you were shot through the heart by a SHIELD firing squad."

Clint didn't miss he said we, not just him, but he knows it would be pointless to ask who else was involved. Fury would never tell him, and anyway, he could guess that Maria Hill had been one of those involved. In the end it didn't matter, and maybe it was better that he didn't know who else was involved. Instead, he squeezed his wife's hand so she'd look at him.

"You knew?" he asked.

Laura nodded.

"Did you know when you and the kids came to... when you came to see me before the..." Clint couldn't finish the sentence.

Laura nodded once again, "Yes, I knew Nick had arranged to save your life. I knew that you wouldn't actually die when they fired."

He couldn't help but marvel at his wife's acting skills during their goodbye. When he had looked into her eyes during their goodbye, he'd a depth of grief and pain that he'd never seen there before. Laura had looked and acted the part of a woman whose husband was about to be executed and she was helpless to stop it. It'd been over a decade since she'd been an active agent in SHIELD herself, but it seemed it was just like riding a bicycle for her. He marveled until an awful realization dawned on him.

"Lila and Cooper, they... they thought I was going to die."

Tears glistened in Laura's eyes as she nodded, her voice choked with emotion, "Yes, they believed you were going to die, Clint. They're kids and not trained agents. They had to believe you were going to die in order for anyone who might be watching for signs of deception to believe that you were actually executed. Looking my children in the eyes and tell them you were going to die, that they were saying goodbye to you, was the hardest thing I have ever had to do in my life."

Clint squeezed his eyes shut when he heard this, the weight of the revelation weighing down on him like a ton of bricks. Learning that his oldest two children had suffered such anguish because of the level of deception that had to be used to save his life, hurt him in a way nothing else had before. He hated him too in that moment because Lila and Cooper didn't deserve to know that kind of pain, and now they had, all because of him.

When he felt tears well up in the corner of his closed eyes, Clint squeezed them even more tightly shut. When he spoke, his voice trembled, the words barely finding their way past his lips, "I... I can't... what they've been feeling since... I'm their father, and they were never supposed to know this kind of pain! I was supposed to keep them for it! I will hate myself for putting them through this for the rest of my life!"

Laura reached out and grabbed his chin, turning his face towards hers, "Clint, look at me!"

He opened his eyes, and looked into hers.

"I want you to listen to me, Clint. We can't change what happened or what we had to do to keep you alive. Lila and Cooper, they'll understand all of this, in time. You love them, and they now that. They know how much you love them, and in the end all that will matter is they will have their father with them to still love them."

Fury, who had been silent in the corner, took a step forward to remind them that he was still in the room. "Look, I understand your regrets over the pain you've caused them, but dwelling on the past isn't going to change anything. You've got to find a way to focus on the future because in order for this to work, you've got to have your head completely in the game, Barton."

"In order for what to work, sir?"

"In order for you to have a life with your family."

Clint laughed, without mirth, and when Fury glared at him he said, "A life with my family/ How? I'm supposed to be dead, sir. Dead! The moment I step out of this facility into public, whichever one I'm in, facial recognition will have me made in a split second, and they'll just kill me again. And my kids are not going to live out their lives in SHIELD facilities or safe houses, isolated away from the rest of the world."

"And they're not going to have to do that," Fury in a firm voice, "I will say it again, we have a plan that is going to allow you to be with your family, and you'll all be safe. Unfortunately the plan isn't one that is going to happen over night or even over several nights. It won't be quick because of what we must do to ensure you won't be ID'd the second you step out into public with your family."

"What does that mean exactly?" Clint asked, trying to understand the gravity of the situation.

"What it means is through both surgery and technology we're going to create an entirely new identity for you, that no one on the world is aware of. We are going to give you a completely new face that even the facial recognition scans won't be able to ID you as being Clint Barton. You will have a new name to go with the new face, and a new personal history that you will have memorized frontwards and backwards. Clint Barton is dead in the eyes of the world, and that's exactly how he'll stay. When you are finally ready to step back into the world in general, you'll be someone else completely, and the world will never know you were not, in fact, executed like they wanted you to be."

Laura squeezed his hand in support because she knew what Fury was about to say next would be the most difficult part for her husband to hear.

"Now here is the bad part—"

"You mean besides me being erased from existence, and looking into the mirror to see a stranger staring back?" Clint quipped.

"Clint!" Laura murmured, "This is the only way forward for you to stay alive and be with us at the same time!"

He nodded, and looked at the other man, "Sorry, I know this is going to be a lot of trouble, and already has been. I don't mean to sound ungrateful you did and are doing all of this to keep me alive."

Fury gave a curt nod, then continued, "Fifteen months. Fifteen months is the bare minimum is the estimate as to how long it is going to take to completely change your identity, and get you reintroduced into the world."

"Fifteen months? And I'll have to be away from them the entire time," Clint surmised.

"Correct. I'm sorry that it will take so long after the five years you spent without them but this is a painstaking process, and one we can't afford to make any mistakes on as your life quite literally depends on it. We get one shot to get this right, because if the world learns you didn't die at your execution, then I believe they would simply have you taken out this time. With extreme prejudice."

Extreme prejudice.

Clint knows those two words are just another way of saying that they would come after him without any regard for any innocents that might be around him at the time. His heart sank when in that moment he realized fully the gravity of the situation, and that in order to keep everyone he loves safe, things would have to done this way. They couldn't risk the lives of his wife and children just so he could be with them sooner.

"I understand," Clint finally said aloud, resignation in his voice, "If this is what it takes to keep my family safe, and allow me to be with them, then I will do whatever I have to for it to make it happen." The fifteen months would be a long time, but he could do it because unlike before, he has the hope of knowing they're alive, and well, and that he will be with them again.

"Good," Fury said, nodding in acknowledgement to Clint's commitment to the plan, "We'll start the preparations immediately. I've put together a team of experts who will handle the entire process, from the surgical procedures to the creation of your new identity. When they're done, Clint Barton will truly be dead, and a new man will be in his place."

"How do we know that none of them will tell the world who I really am?" Clint asked, "There's a lot riding on this, sir. and just for me." He looked at his wife, and thought of their children.

"Because I know each of the team members personally, and I know they can be trusted to keep your secret for as long as you live. They will take this with them to their own graves. We need to get started on this ASAP, so I'm afraid you both need to say your farewells now because it is going to be a long time before you're able to see each other again."

"Could we have a—"

Fury walked towards the door, "I'll leave you two alone."

Laura touched his face, her voice steadied as she told him, "We'll be waiting for you, Clint. No matter what name they give you, or the face you are going to have, you are always going to be the man we love."

Clint opened his arms, "Come here, honey. I need to hold you,"

Laura scooted up closer to him, and let him wrap his arms around her as she wrapped her arms around him. They didn't talk, just held onto each other, and finally she laid her head on his chest to listen to the sound of his heart beating.

When the ten minutes were up, Fury returned, but stopped at the door without speaking. There was much they still needed to talk about such as the logistics and the security protocols for the next fifteen months. But looking at them now, he knew what they needed to talk about could wait a little longer, and so he let them have it.

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innitmarvelous_og

Morgan was lounging on one end of the couch flipping through some pictures of her parents together while Pepper was on the other end reading a book. She eventually came across a photo of her Dad in his Iron Man armor standing beside her Mom who was in a suit of armor of her own, a suit Morgan knew was called Rescue. Morgan looked at the photo for a long time, then finally said to her mother, "Mom, tell me about the time you and Daddy flew to the moon together please."

Pepper looked up from her book at her daughter and smiled, "Well, it wasn't exactly a real mission, Mo. It was just for fun."

Morgan grinned, and she asked eagerly, "What sort of fun? Did you have to fight aliens? Did you bring back moon rocks?"

Pepper chuckled as she marked her place in her book. and began to remember, "No, Morgan, we didn't fight aliens. We went just to explore the moon and we had fun while we did. Your Dad just had an idea one day to create a modified rocket that could get us there. He spent weeks getting it ready and perfect."

Morgan gasped, "Oh wow! That is too cool, Mom! What did you do there on the moon?"

Laughing as she thought about their adventure, Pepper replied, "Well, we jumped and bounced around for one thing. Even with our suits of armor on we could since the moon's gravity is so much less than it is on Earth. We pretended to be space explorers and your Daddy... even had a Frisbee with him. We spent I don't know how long throwing it back and forth. Tony... your Daddy said it was the best game he'd ever played."

Morgan giggled, "Daddy always loved to play games and make things fun, didn't he?"

Pepper nodded, "Yes, he really did. I'm so glad that we had that time together. It was an adventure I'll always treasure and never forget."

The little girl sighed, feeling sad all of a sudden, "I wish I could have gone with you, Mommy. But maybe someday I can go to the moon too!"

Pepper scooted closer, and hugged her daughter, "Maybe you will someday, sweetheart. The possibilities are endless. Your Daddy always believed that anything is possible if you put your mind to it and don't give up."

"I miss Daddy, but it was nice to hear about the fun you had together. Thanks for telling me about it, Mom."

Pepper kissed her daughter's brow, "Anytime, Mo. Your Daddy and I loved having adventures together, and I love sharing them with you."

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innitmarvelous_og

James Rhodes, highly regarded as War Machine to the world, has been so much throughout his years of service. Years ago, he'd been paralyzed from the waist down at the German airport, and while some would have let that be the end of them, he didn't. He had fought back to return to walking, and thanks to a little help from Tony's special apparatus, he had walked again. Yet, with every battle and every victory, that had followed especially after the loss of Tony, it had all started to feel hollow to him.

Rhodey had been thinking about retiring from not only being War Machine, but also from the military. At his age, the constant battles have taken its toll on his body, and he knew he just couldn't keep fighting forever. Tony's death had rocked him down to his very core, and he been questioning if this life was really worth it anymore.

One day, when he was in his quarters of the rebuilt Avengers Compound packing, he heard a familiar voice behind him ask, "Going somewhere?""

He turned around, and saw the holographic version of his late best friend, and a pang of sadness hit him again, "Yeah, I just retired."

The Tony-hologram chuckled, but it was a chuckle without mirth, "You know, I really thought that the two of us would retire together. That we'd be old men, sitting on a beach somewhere exotic, and we'd be downing Mai Tais while we talked about the days we were out here kicking bad guys butts!"

Rhodey couldn't help but smile as he thought about the absurdness of getting to live a quiet, retired life together with Tony. Then the sadness that would never happen now hit him. He sighed, "Yeah, that would have been nice."

"But of course the universe had other plans," Tony-hologram said, flicking a second, "But I'm glad you're retiring, Rhodey. You've done more than enough for the world. It's time you looked after yourself first!"

Rhodes felt a weight lift off of his shoulders, "Thanks... Tony. I'll miss you." Even if you're not the real deal, you're the closest I've got now.

Tony-hologram gave him a warm smile, one of satisfaction and the knowledge that Thanos had been stopped once and for all time. Then the hologram smirked, "I know. But I'm always going to be with you, in some way or another."

With that, Tony-hologram vanished leaving Rhodey alone to finish packing which he did. Once he was finished, he took one last look around the room, then walked out of the door to get started on whatever the rest of his life would be. This might not be the retirement he'd dreamed of, but whatever came next was a new chapter of his life, and he was eager to get it started.

Current Music: 470 words

innitmarvelous_og

Peter Parker was nervous when he walked into the offices of the Daily Bugle. Why was he nervous? Well because he knew he was already skating on very thin ice with the newspaper's editor-in-chief, J. Jonah Jameson. The editor had already verbally shredded his latest batch of photos of himself as Spider-Man calling them "uninspired" and "bland," and as a result Peter had a sinking feeling that his days as a freelance photographer for the Bugle were numbered.

From the very second he stepped into Jameson's cluttered office, the editor got straight to the point just like he always did. "Listen, Parker, I'll make this quick. I need a new, spectacular picture of Spider-Man and I need it in the next 24 hours. If you can't deliver, you're fired for good."

Peter's stomach did flip flops. He had been struggling to capture a new angle on himself as Spider-Man for weeks now, and he had no idea how he could come up with something truly spectacular in just one day.

Of course he he couldn't let himself get fired. He needed the money, and he needed to keep his connection to the Bugle, even if it meant putting up with putting up with Jameson's not so nice personality.

After taking a couple of deep breaths Peter set out to find new inspiration for his secret identity. He went swinging throughout the city, in the hopes something, anything, might catch his eye.

With most of the day already having gone by, Peter could feel his desperation get bigger and bigger. He took some pictures of himself stopping a few petty crimes here and there but so far he'd captured nothing that was sensational enough for Jameson's standards.

Peter had just nearly given up any hope he had of saving his freelance work with the Bugle when he spotted a group of children trapped in a building that was in flames. He didn't hesitate, swooping into the flames using every bit of his physical enhancements to get them all to safety.

As he rescued each child from the peril, he saw the flashes of cameras, and one time he turned his head to look to see who was taking the pictures. A group of reporters were nearby capturing all of the action. Peter couldn't help but smile to himself as he felt some hope, because perhaps just the sort of shot Jameson would want had been captured.

Sure enough, the next day's edition of the Daily Bugle featured a front-page photo of Spider-Man saving the children from the burning building. Jameson sings the praises of the shot calling it spectacular and iconic and Peter breathed a sigh of relief.

Of course, Peter knows he will never ever be able to satisfy the editor all of the time, but at least for today, he'd managed to keep his job. But best of all, he'd been able to rescue those little kids from an awful fate. That was the best thing of all.

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innitmarvelous_og

Before he left to return the Infinity Stones to their proper places in the past, Steve had already decided to remain there and have the life he'd longed to have ever since he'd woken up seventy years in the future. 

When he'd see Peggy in 1970 during the Time Heist, she'd looked older of course but she had been as beautiful as he had remembered her. He had wanted to make his presence known in her office so much that it had almost hurt physically.

However, things didn't exactly go as he thought they would when he arrived in the 1950's. For one thing, he found that she was already a high ranking member of SHIELD, having helped Howard and now General Phillips found the agency. But more to the point, Peggy had moved on from him, and she had made a life for herself.

Steve had found where she lived, and since she had some visitors, he'd waited to reveal himself to her when he was certain Peggy would be alone. The day finally came when he was sure no one else was in the house but her, and he decided the best approach would be to simply knock on her front door. So he walked up to the door, and knocked on it.

"Just a moment!" her voice called out from within.

While he waited, he tried not to draw attention to himself by looking around, yet he knew the longer he was on her doorstep, the more of a chance he'd be recognized. Still, all he could do was wait for the door to open, and when it did, there was a gun pointed directly at his face.

"You've got five seconds to explain to me why I shouldn't blow your head off!" She said, a hard look on her face.

Steve looked into her eyes, and said, "Peggy, it's me. It's Steve."

"Steve Rogers was lost almost twelve years. Try again, and make it quick," she countered.

"Okay, how about I tell you something that only you and I know?" Steve suggested.

Peggy's eyes narrowed as she considered what he'd said. "Fine, one thing. But make it quick, and know this is your one chance to convince me," she said, lowering her gun slightly.

Steve takes a deep breath, "I still owe you that dance, Peggy," he said softly, his eyes locking with hers.

Peggy's eyes widened then softened a fraction, "Steve?" she whispered.

Steve nodded, "It's really me, Peggy," 

Tears welled up in Peggy's eyes, and she threw herself into Steve's arms. "How? How is this possible? After the plane went down, they told me they couldn't find any trace of it or of you!" she said, her voice muffled against his chest.

Steve held her tight, savoring the feeling of holding her again, his own tears threatening to spill over. "It's a long story, but I'm here now, Peggy. And I'm not going anywhere," he whispered, his voice choked with emotion

After a few seconds, Peggy pulled away and at his surprised look she said, "Let's take this inside, shall we, before everyone in the neighborhood takes notice."

Steve followed Peggy inside, and as they walked through the small but cozy house, Steve couldn't help but notice the pictures on the walls along with the knick-knacks on the shelves. Each and every one of them were a testament that Peggy had made a full life for herself in the years since he'd last seen her.

"Steve," Peggy said, drawing him out of his thoughts over to where she was sitting on a sofa by a fireplace, "I never expected to see you again for as long as I lived and I... I need you to tell me how it's possible you're here now."

With a nod, he crossed the room, and he sat down on the sofa beside her, "This is a long story..."

"Go on. I've got the time," Peggy confirmed.

Steve nodded, and began to tell her a version of what happened to him after the last time they spoke to each other in 1945. Although he told many details about his life in the future, he left out the fact he'd known and lost her as an old woman, He was also vague about the details of how they had pulled off the Time Heist, and how he was able to travel back in time. When he finished, the reaction Peggy gave to his story was not the one Steve had not expected.

Anger filled her eyes, and second later, her palm met forcefully with his cheek, "You never let me go! How dare you!" she shouted.

Steve stared at her in shock, raising one of his own hands to the cheek she'd slapped hard enough to actually leave a sting!

Peggy's voice was filled with disappointment as she went on, "Steve, I can't believe you would do something like this. from what you told me, you clearly knew that I moved on with my life. You knew I found love again with a wonderful man, and that I had a family with him! You knew I had made a new life with Danie," she said, her voice quivering with emotion. 

Steve hung his head, realizing the extent of the pain he had caused, "I'm sorry I never meant to undermine the life you built, Peggy. I guess I blinded by my own desires and being so alone in the future. I didn't stop to think this all the way through."

Peggy's eyes welled up with tears, "Steve, you have no idea how hard it was for me after I lost you.Your death hurt me for a long time but I knew I couldn't wallow in my grief forever. I knew I had to find a way to move forward, to create a life for myself. And I did. I found happiness with Daniel, and we have a family together."

Steve nodded, his own eyes glistening with unshed tears because he knows now for certain he will never have any kind of future with her. The door on the life they might have had is forever closed and locked up tight behind them. He knows there is only one thing he can do now if he truly loves her, and that's to wish her well before he finally lets her go.

"You deserve that happiness, Peggy, and I am glad that you found it. Your husband must be a special man."

"He is. Daniel truly is. From the moment we met, he tried to always treat me with respect, and he wanted to be a friend to me at a time when I was alone."

So, they had started out as friends. That's good. That's very good since that's the way so many of the best relationships, the best marriages began. If that were true, and Steve knows that it is, he also knows there is nothing else for him to do but bow out of this as gracefully as he can, and live her life forever.

But there's just one more thing he needs and wants to do before he does that. Steve looked up at Peggy, "You're right, Peggy. I should have never come back without considering the life you've built for yourself. I apologize from the bottom of my heart."

Peggy nodded, her anger subsiding slightly. "I understand why you did what you did, Steve. But it doesn't change the fact that you hurt me deeply."

"I know, and I'm sorry. Is there anything I can do to make it up to you?" Steve asked, feeling the weight of his mistake heavy on his shoulders.

Peggy thought for a moment then she smiled, "Actually, there is something you can do."

"What is it?" Steve asked eagerly.

"You promised me a dance, Steve. All those years ago, and I never got it," Peggy said, her eyes softening.

Steve smiled back at her. "I did, didn't I?"

 "Well, Captain, I'm waiting. Are you going to make good on that promise?"

Steve stood up, taking Peggy's hand in his. "I wouldn't dream of breaking a promise to you, Peggy." Peggy turned on the radio, and then took his hand.

They moved to the center of the room, and Steve took Peggy in his arms. The music playing in the background was soft, and they swayed together in perfect harmony, lost in the moment. For those few minutes, both the past and the future didn't exist, and just lived in the present, together.

As the song ended, Steve looked down at Peggy and smiled as much as he could under the circumstances. "Thank you for this dance, Peggy."

Peggy smiled back at him, a hint of sadness in her eyes, "It was lovely, Steve. But I think it's time for you to go now."

Steve nodded, since he knows that he couldn't stay in the past any longer. He gave Peggy one last hug and had turned to leave, but she stopped him.

"Steve, wait," Peggy said, and he turned back to face her.

"I just wanted you to know that I will always love you and I'll always cherish the time we had together, even if it wasn't as much as we wanted. And I hope you find happiness and someone of your own. Stop mourning what you lost, Steve, and move on," she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

Steve smiled at her, feeling a sense of peace settle over him. "I will. And I will always love you too, Peggy."

With one last look, Steve walked out the door and back to his own time, ready to start a new chapter in his life. But he would always remember the dance he shared with Peggy, and the love they had for each other, even if it could never be again.

Current Music: 1642 words

innitmarvelous_og

Before her Daddy died, Morgan had worn pajamas that were her favorite colors, or favorite cartoon characters, or had designs with her favorite things on them. She was a little girl who loved unicorns, fairies, and other things her mother had called whimsical. Morgan didn't know what the word whimsical meant, but she knew it was a good thing.

But after her Daddy died, Morgan still wore the same pajamas to bed each night. This did not change for the first few months after her Daddy's death, and it wouldn't change until one day when she went shopping with Mommy and Aunt Tina. As they were walking through a store, Morgan spotted something in the sleepwear department.

"Mommy, look!" Morgan said with excitement, interrupting her aunt.

Pepper gave her sister an apologetic look, then turned to her daughter and spoke in a gentle tone. "Morgan, sweetie, you interrupted Aunt Tina. It's important to be polite by waiting for your turn to speak."

Morgan looked at her aunt. "I'm sorry, Aunt Tina."

"It's okay, sweetheart," Tina said, smiling kindly at Morgan. "So what did you want to show us?"

"I just saw the neatest pajamas!" Morgan exclaimed, her face lighting up.

"Where are they?" Pepper asked.

Morgan took her hand, and led her back to the sleepwear department. They only had to backtrack a little way, and when they arrived at what she wanted to show her mother, she pointed to the pajamas. "Look at them! Can I get them, Mommy?" Displayed before the three of them was a pair of pajamas that looked like Iron Man's suit.

Tina looked at her older sister, and when she saw the tears in her eyes, she wrapped an arm around her shoulders. In the meantime, Pepper took a quick deep breath and nodded, "Of course you can have them, sweetie."

Morgan squealed with excitement.

Pepper smiled through her tears, happy to see her daughter excited again. "Okay, you need to try them on before we buy them." She took Morgan's hand and guided her towards the changing room.

While Morgan tried on the Iron Man pajamas, Pepper and Tina sat outside the changing room and talked quietly as they waited. Pepper opened up about how difficult it had been to help Morgan cope with her father's death while at the same time she was trying to deal with her own grief. "I just want to make sure she's happy," she concluded.

Tina gave her sister a sympathetic smile. "I know it's tough, Ginny, but you're doing a great job. Morgan is such a wonderful little girl." she said. "And those pajamas are sure to bring a smile to her face."

Pepper nodded, so grateful for her sister's support again. A few moments later, Morgan came out from the changing room, a great big grin.

"Look, Mommy, I'm a superhero!" Morgan said, striking a pose, "Just like my Daddy!"

Pepper laughed despite how much her heart was aching and hugged her daughter tightly. "Yes, you are, my little superhero," she said, feeling a sense of hope and joy in her heart for the first time since Tony's death.

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