Steve's PoV

Chaos.

The Stork Club had turned from a group of people who were out having a pleasant drink, to a stampede of crazy fans, pushing and shoving, trying to reach Captain America. Most didn't believe it, and so they wanted to see for themselves, others just got caught in the middle of it all and had no choice but to push back.

Peggy was shoved into Steve, who reacted immediately and caught her. He helped her stand up straight and their eyes met. They stood there for a few seconds, getting lost in the other's eyes. Just as Peggy opened her mouth to say something, she was ripped roughly from his arms.

"Peggy!" He shouted, reaching his hand out, trying to grab hers over the sea of people.

"Steve!" He heard her call, stretching to reach him, but it was no use. They were getting pushed further and further apart.

He saw her being grabbed from behind and lifted away. His stomach dropped. His attention was dragged away from her with a punch to the side. He looked around and saw that a fight had already broken out.

"For goodness sake," he thought, shaking his head.

He glanced back at Peggy and saw that she had turned the tables on her attacker. She had the man completely incapacitated by twisting his own arm but his back at a painful angle. He smiled slightly at her work.

"That's her," he thought as he dodged another fist and an elbow. "That's the Peggy Carter I know and love."

As the fight got worse, he decided he needed to get out of here. Him being there had started it all and if he stayed there was no chance of it stopping. It wasn't like he was going to knock out a bunch of civilians, just because they were fighting. That wasn't who he was.

He looked for a gap in the group, knowing he'd have to move quickly if he wanted to make it through before the gap closed again. He was in military defence mode now, no attacking, just moving and blocking. That's the way he navigated his way through the crowd.

"Move. Dodge. Quick duck. Block. Move. Back-step. Block. Side-step. Dodge, woah dodge. Watch your back Steve. Move now," he thought to himself as his body reacted.

He reached the door within a few minutes, only getting hit by a couple swings he had missed and only shoving back when absolutely necessary.

As he stepped outside, he took a deep breath, breathing in the cold, smoking air of his beloved city. He stood there for moment in a daze, looking at the lights around him and taking in the New York night sky. He quickly remember where he was and turned around, looking for her. He couldn't see her anywhere, nor him. He hoped that she had already left. Being caught at a fight like this by the police would have led to an arrest, and, being an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D., she would have to lie her way out to avoid awkward questions.

Taking into account what Howard had told him, S.H.I.E.L.D. was kept a secret from nearly everyone. That meant that Peggy more than likely had to lie to Sergeant Woods. Basically, she really would have been up the creek without a paddle.

He moved down the street slightly, keeping an eye out.

"She'll be alright," he thought. "Woods would take care of her," he paused. "What am I saying? Peggy can take care of herself. Woods wouldn't be taking care of Peggy. Peggy would be the one taking care of Woods." He smiled to himself, knowing that he was right.

He straightened his tie and continued down the street, away from the club and, without knowing it, Peggy. He hailed a cab, figuring it would be too far a walk, and as he climbed in he took out his keys to get his address. He smiled at Howard's humour as he read the address in his head.

"The corner of Rogers Avenue and Prospect Place, please Sir," he laughed out.

"Yes, Sir," the driver said, giving Steve a weird look in the rear view mirror. Steve didn't see the weird look. He was too busy smiling like a mad man out the window, watching New York go by.

*

The driver dropped him off in front of what he presumed was his apartment building. He paid the man, before climbing out and looking around him. Steve assessed the area.

The street lamps where all working, the footpath and the road were clean and the buildings looked well kept. In all, it seemed like a nice neighbourhood.

He turned towards his apartment block and headed inside. The reception area of the building was quite minimalistic. The cream walls and the sand tiles worked together to create a relaxing and homey atmosphere. To Steve's left were the post boxes, one for each apartment. On his right was a reception desk, that was unmanned. Finally, straight ahead were the stairs to the apartments.

He climbed the wooden stairs, which seemed to creak every fourth step without prevail. After two flights of stairs, he stood outside Apartment 2B. He dug his keys out of his pocket, checking he had the right door and opening it.

As he stepped inside, he turned on the light, looking forward to see what Howard Stark had planned for him. He couldn't help the smile that formed on his face as he looked around.

Howard hadn't just made it to his own tastes, but more to Steve's.

It was perfect.

He locked the door before going exploring. To his right was the kitchen area with a fridge, a gas hob, an oven and a sink. Just above the sink was a small window that led to the street below. Above the window and below the sink were multiple cupboard stacked with cutlery, plates, food and everything Steve needed. He checked the fridge and found that it too was stocked. Just in front of the kitchen unit was a simple wooden dining table with four chairs to go with it. Steve was taken aback by the number of chairs, until he saw a small note stuck to the back of one of them.

"You never know when you're going to need more than one chair!
-HS"

Steve shook his head, smirking slightly, before he moved across to the other side of the room.

On this side was a smaller wooden table with a bowl of fruit on it and a couch just behind it. To the left of the couch, just beside the door was a small cabinet. Steve opened up its door and saw that the first two shelves were stacked with books and the third with art supplies. Steve furrowed his eyebrows as he saw another note.

"A little birdie told me that you liked to draw so I hooked you up with some fresh supplies.
You're welcome!
-HS"

Steve replaced the note and closed the doors.

He was flabbergasted.

Howard had pulled out all the stops and done everything, down to the very small details.

He turned towards the bottom of the room. There were two doors, so Steve went to the one on the left first. He opened the door to find a bathroom that was also completely stock with everything Steve would need, including one box of something that made him blush deeply. He tore off the note written on it and put it in the bin.

"You never know, Rogers. You never know."
-HS"

Now the colour of a tomato, Steve left the bathroom and went to the door of what he presumed was the bedroom. He opened the door slowly and walked in. As he stepped inside, the first thing he saw was a double bed that looked freshly made and very comfortable. Just beside the bed was a small bedside table and a lamp. To his right was a chest of drawers, which again, was completely stocked full of clothes, as was the wardrobe to the right. There was a large window on the wall to the right, which showed a better view of the city, even if you couldn't see very far. The view helped to tie the whole apartment together for Steve, making it feel even more like home. There was a note on the bed and Steve picked it up, taking a deep breath before reading it.

"I hope you like the apartment Cap!
Enjoy.
-HS"

Steve tossed the note back on the bed, before turning to the chest if drawers and search for some pyjamas. He quickly changed into a pair of check pyjama pants and a grey t-shirt and climbed into bed.

He lay there staring at the ceiling thinking about his day. The last thing he knew, he had been crashing a plane into the ice, in an attempt to defeat HYDRA. The next thing he knew, he was being held against his will in some strange place, or so he thought. While trying to escape he had run into Howard Stark, quite literally, and spent the rest of the evening learning about the two years of his life that he had missed! After his talk with Howard, he had gone to The Stork Club and, to his surprise, seen Peggy. He had tried to talk to her, but he failed miserably as he accidentally started a riot, just by being there. Now, here he was, in an apartment decorated by Howard, lying on a bed that felt like a marshmallow. Every time he moved he felt like he was going to sink to the floor.

His mind wandered back to Peggy. She had looked stunning tonight and almost the happiest he had ever seen her. Steve remember the look on her face when she saw him. It was a mixture of shock, disbelief, confusion and pain.

A new wave of guilt crashed over him, but he knew he deserved it. He sat up, putting his face in his hands.

What had he done? She was happy! She had moved on with her life and he had ruined that. He hated himself for being so selfish. He slapped himself. How could he put her through that?

Whatever hurt she was feeling now was his fault. She thought she had lost him and he hadn't even given her an explanation as to how he was back.

He was so angry with himself. He knew that if things had been the other way around, if he had lost her he wouldn't have been able to keep going. Not after Bucky.

Tears started forming in Steve's eyes. He tucked his knees up to his chest, trying to stop the pain in his chest. It was his fault, the pain he had caused Peggy and losing Bucky. He hated this. He hated hurting the people he loved the most.

Angry tears slowly fell down his face and thought about his best friend and his best girl. They had been there for him when he needed them most, so why was he there for them? He knew why. They were stronger than him, stronger than he could ever be and he was proud of them for that.

Once he had calmed down, he realised that he had to fix things and it needed to be done now. He began to plan everything he would say, to both Peggy and Woods, given such a chance. As he began his list of things to say, he lay down and before he knew it, he was asleep, emotional exhaustion dragging him under.

*

He woke up with sunlight streaming in the window. He sat up groggily, shielding his eyes from the harsh morning rays that light up the room.

He sighed as he realised he had forgotten to close the blinds the night before. Steve walked to the bathroom thinking as he went.

"Well at least this time the sleep didn't last two years."

He opened the bathroom door and turned in the tap, before splashing water in his face to wake himself up. He put his hands on the side of the sink, leaning on it slightly and looked in the mirror, his face dripping water. The Captain's mind was racing again and he only knew two ways to slow it down; running or drawing. He went for the faster of the two. He searched through his drawers again and found some suitable running gear before leaving his apartment.

When he got out the building, he turned right, barely making it 500 metres before he saw a black car, traveling at the same speed as him. He was about to speed up, when he heard someone calling for him.

"Captain Rogers," the voice in the car said. "You're coming with us."