We Rise, Only To Fall / Steve Rogers

26

Explosion in Vienna

Peggy's funeral was beautiful, but sad. 

Steve had carried her coffin in with tears streaming down his face, and I watched him struggle not to break. When he sat down next to me, I placed my hand on his knee and squeezed. His hand shot out and took mine, lifting it shakily to his lips to press a wet kiss to the back of it before he placed both of our hands down gently in his lap. 

My own tears were threatening to spill over. Peggy had been there for the first few years of my life. She was all I had left of my parents, besides Tony. 

I watched as the man up front announced that Peggy's niece, Sharon, was going up to say a few words. That made me frown; they didn't ask me to speak. I had never heard of Peggy having a niece, then again her private life was just that - private. But Peggy had been my Aunt Peggy. My father's close friend. But apparently that wasn't enough. 

When she stood up at the front, Sam, on the other side of Steve, looked at me with wide eyes. It was her - the agent who had been living next to Steve - Sharon...or Agent 13. She was Peggy's niece. Sam nudged Steve, whose eyes widened when they saw her, too. I pulled my hand out of his and clenched my fists. I wasn't a particularly jealous type, but I couldn't get the image of him asking her out out of my head. 

"Margaret Carter was known to most as a founder of S.H.I.E.L.D. but I just knew her as Aunt Peggy," Sharon said. I could feel Sam's eyes on me, watching me nervously. Steve's mouth had dropped open slightly. I tried to calm my breathing. It wasn't Sharon's fault that she had had some interest in Steve. Who could blame her? 

"She had a photograph in her office. Aunt Peggy standing next to JFK. As a kid, that was pretty cool. But it was a lot to live up to. Which is why I never told anyone we were related." Sharon looked pointedly at Steve and he finally smiled and looked down. "I asked her once how she managed to master diplomacy and espionage in a time when no one wanted to see a woman succeed at either. She said, compromise where you can. Where you can't, don't. Even if everyone is telling you that something wrong is something right. Even if the whole world is telling you to move, it is your duty to plant yourself like a tree, look them in the eye and say "No, you move." 

She had said the very same thing to me once. 

~

I found Natasha after the ceremony. Steve had said he needed a minute alone with Peggy and Sam and I had obliged, leaving the cathedral with the other guests. She was looking at me intently, leaning in a doorway with a grim smile on her face. Her eyes scanned mine and then behind me, where Steve was. I offered her a weak smile back as he stopped in front of her. 

Sam nodded at her. "Nat," 

"Hey, Sam," she greeted him, pushing off the wall and straightening. She turned her attention back to me. "How you doing, kid?"

Tears sprung to my eyes but I blinked them back. I would not cry. "As good as I can do. She was family, y'know? And a blast from Steve's past showed up."

Nat's eyebrows quirked upwards. "The neighbour?" 

I gave a sardonic laugh. "You got it." 

"I don't know why you're worried, Rose, she's nothing compared to you." Sam said supportively, but his tone was obvious. He found her hot, he just didn't want to admit it in front of me. 

I patted his arm. "You tried." 

Sam nodded. "I tried."

Nat laughed. "Come on, let's go get him."