Peggy's PoV

To say that she was worried about him was an understatement. Ever since that mission, their first mission together since he had come back, the first they had met The Winter Soldier, she knew that he wasn't okay.

Steve Rogers wasn't the kind of guy to just sit down a take a beating, no matter who it was, but that's where she and everyone else were wrong. There was one person who could reduce him to a sitting duck like that, the only person who had always been there for him and that person was supposed to be dead.

When Steve had told her everything about what she had missed on that mission, when she had seen the pure agony in his eyes as he finally said it was him out loud, how could she not believe him. The way he had told her, the way it caused him so much pain, it was clear that he didn't want it to be true, especially after learning what they had done to him, but the fact that he still believed it, that's what convinced her. He had let his Captain America façade drop, allowed himself to be vulnerable and cry in front of her, making her believe as much as he did and making it almost impossible not to cry with him. Almost. She knew how much he loved Bucky, he was his best friend, his brother, and seeing Steve in the pain he was in was nearly unbearable, but she held herself together. She had to. She had to be strong for him.

"Peg, it's Buck. The ghost, t-the Winter Soldier. It's him. I'm tellin' you. I saw his eyes, Peg. It's him. I know it, I just know it."

Steve's words ghosted around Peggy's head as she climbed the stairs to his apartment. She wanted to surprise him, to take his mind off things while they waited for more updates on The Asset's whereabouts.

When she arrived at Apartment 2B, she repositioned the pie that she was carrying in her left hand and knocked on the door. She waited a few moments, but there was no answer. Peggy furrowed her eyebrows as she waited. She knocked again and listened carefully. Still no answer.

Peggy frowned, disappointed that he wasn't home for the surprise. She decided to go and she could always come back later. Just as she turned to leave, she tried the door handle and was surprised that the door was unlocked.

"Okay, since when does Steve not lock his door?" She thought to herself as she cautiously opened the door.

As she stepped into the apartment, she was on high alert, ready for an attacker when she heard the sound of running water. The shower.

Peggy sighed and closed the door before moving into the kitchen. As she started making some tea, she heard a sound that caught her attention. She turned slightly so that she could see the bathroom door, focusing on it as she listened carefully. She was met with something she wasn't quite expecting. A soft melody made its way across the apartment to her. The words of Fred Astaire breaking the silence of the otherwise quiet apartment as Peggy listened to the sweet tune coming from her Captain.

She felt a large smile break out across her face as she hummed along to "Shall We Dance". Peggy danced her way around the kitchen, singing along quietly as she put the kettle on and started getting two cups ready for tea.

While Peggy waited for the kettle to whistle, she sat down at the table and started reading the newspaper that was placed there.

She scanned through it, looking for anything of particular interest.

"Government, government, taxes, post-war taxes, taxes, government, jobs, government, snow, taxes..."

Peggy did a double take and went back to the snow article. She figured snow was going to come sooner or later, it was already November and you could almost feel the bitter cold weather on the way. She began looking through the article for specifics, when, where, how much and the like.

Just then she heard a door open, causing her to look up from the paper.

Her jaw dropped as she took in the sight before her. Steve Rogers. Post-shower. His muscular torso shining as the light hit the water droplets that still covered him. His hair wet and in a complete mess. And in just a towel.

He hadn't seen her yet, he was just walking to his room, the towel hanging loosely around his hips, while Peggy found her eyes glued to him, unable to look away.

Sure she had seen him shirtless before, but that was years ago and the memory was not half as good as seeing it first hand.

She could see the muscles in his back move even as he walked, the curve of his broad shoulders, his strong arms, his toned abs, all the way to the towel that covered his hips.

"Bloody Nora," she whispered quietly, not even realising that she had spoken.

That's when he saw he and jumped half a kilometre backwards.

"JEEZ, PEGGY!" He shouted as he clutched onto his towel as if his life depended on it.

She quickly jumped up and turned towards the kettle which had started whistling as she tried to hid the red tinge that had covered her cheeks.

"May the Lord have mercy on my soul, but god I forgot how good he looks... Without a top on... Wow."

Peggy quickly busied herself as before her mind could go further on those thoughts.

"I'm just... I'm just gonna..." Steve trailed off and Peggy just waved her hand over her shoulder to tell him to go ahead.

She exhaled loudly as she heard his bedroom door close. The agent turned around, a hand on her forehead as she tired to figure out if that just happened, but it obviously had or else she wouldn't feel like a giddy teenage girl and be blushing like crazy. She took the apple pie out of its container, set it on plate and brought it and the tea to the table before sitting down.

She poured some tea and cut a slice of pie as she waited for Steve to return, which he did moments later.

It was dressed in a plain white top and comfortable trousers, his hair still damp from the shower.

Yep. He definitely looked good.

"Tea?" Peggy asked as Steve sat down.

"Eh.. Yeah, please."

Peggy poured him a cup, while Steve scratched the back of his neck as he often did in awkward or embarrassing situations.

"Sorry if I scared you-" she said, handing him his cup and picking up her own. "- your door was open and I had pie."

Steve chuckled quietly, noticeably eyeing up the pie, still not fully meeting her gaze.

"It's not your fault, Peg. I just wish I had been more-" he paused for a moment glancing up and her and blushing. "-dressed, I guess."

Peggy laughed lightly.

"Well, I'm not complaining. At least your easy on the eye," she said with a wink.

He blushed even more at that, causing her to laugh again. She handed him a slice of pie and stood up, stepping over to the sink and placing her plate in it.

She looked over at him and sighed quietly. Somehow, even when he blushed, Steve gave Peggy butterflies.

Steve opened the newspaper as Peggy washed her plate.

"Say Steve, did you hear about the blizzard that's on the way?"

"Yeah, I just hope it's not as bad as they're sayin'. I mean-"

Steve turned to face her as Peggy turned away from the sink.

"-I like snow as much as the next fella, but it's Brooklyn. It's not like the richest of the rich live here. If the snow gets bad, people are gonna suffer and then it's up to people like us to try and save the neighbourhood."

Peggy looked at the frown that had formed on his face as he looked down at his pie. She couldn't help the small smile that tugged on her lips and she walked over to him and lifted his face up so that she could look at him. She cupped his cheek with one hand and ran the other through his hair, meeting his dazzling, heart melting, blue eyes with her own warm brown ones.

She leaned down and placed a soft, lingering kiss on her cheek before pulling back.

"You are some man for one man, Steve Rogers," she whispered.

She moved to step away when Steve placed his hand on top of hers and looked at her with such loved that made her heart skip a beat.

"But I wouldn't be half that man without you, Peggy Carter."

He flashed her that knee- weakening smile, the one reserved only for her.

"That was smooth," Peggy said, her mind clouded by that smile, that face, that man.

Steve shook his head, chuckling lightly before smiling at her again.

"Sweet mother of divine."

"Why thank you, Agent Carter," he said with a slight bow of his head.

Peggy took a step back, still holding onto his hand as she did an over exaggerated curtsy.

"The pleasure is all mine, Captain Rogers."

Steve held Peggy balanced as she nearly toppled over, but he pulled her up just in time, making them both laugh before he pressed his soft lips against hers in a sweet, chaste kiss.

-
As Peggy settled herself into her desk, she couldn't rid herself of the smile that seemed to be permanently etched onto her face.

She was finally happy. Completely and utterly so. So much that every cell in her body, every fibre of her being seemed to sing.

Sure, there had been plenty of times in her life when she had been happy or thought that she was happy, like when she got the job with the SSR, or when Scott had proposed. For some of these things she was genuinely happy, but for the latter, she always subconsciously knew that it wasn't true happiness, it wasn't true love, but it was the closest thing she could find.

Now, as she sat in the S.H.I.E.L.D. Headquarters, she knew that she had finally found it. She had found it in him, in her Captain.

"Agent Carter."

Peggy looked up at the agent who had spoken.

"Agent Simons?"

"You're needed in the Colonel's office, right away," the tall, skinny man replied.

"Thank you," she said, standing up and smoothing down her navy pencil skirt before heading towards the office alongside Agent Simons.

"Something big has come in, Carter," he said quietly as they walked through the busydesk area, his eyes flickering around them.

"Really? Do you know what exactly?"

"Nah, that's above my pay grade, but I sure as heck wanna know why everyone is acting like its Christmas Eve and they haven't gone shoppin' yet. I ain't seen panic and excitement like it since the war."

Peggy pursed her lips. That cannot be good. She allowed end her pace to quicken slightly as they wove their way through the desks and into the main room.

"I'll be leavin' you here ma'am," he said, stopping a few paces back.

"Alright, well thank you for the escort Jeff, but it really wasn't necessary."

Jeff Simons, fixed his raven hair and cleared his throat.

"I know, sorry 'bout that. I was just tryin' to work up the courage to ask a pretty dame out dancin'," he said with a cocky grin.

"Wha- oh. Oh."

"So, d'ya wanna?"

"Ehm.. Thank you for the offer, Jeff, but as it turns out, I'm actually with someone. I'm sorry," she said with a kind smile.

"Oh, oh... 'Kay. I-" the other agent turned a pink colour as he fixed his tie. "-sorry, I'll just-"

He didn't finish his sentence, he just hurried off in the other direction.

Peggy took a deep breath and let it out in a long sigh, as a smile formed on her face.

"Sorry boys, this sugar is rationed."

Peggy walked out of the office area and into the main room, the smile dropping from her face. She knew what Simons meant the second she was there. There was an eerie sense of excitement and panic around the room as she walked through it. She saw several people watch her as she headed for the Colonel's office, almost all of them leaning over tables, looking at maps and planning attacks. Even as she neared the door, she could feel the eyes around the room on her back as if trying to make a hole through her with the intensity of their stares.

When Peggy reached the door, she knocked quickly and awaited a reply, but she didn't need to. Almost instantly, the door opened and Peggy was met with the worried face of Mr. Howard Stark.

"Howard?" Peggy asked, surprised by the tense look on his face. 

"C'mon in, Peggy. There's lots to go through."

Peggy felt her eyebrows furrow as she walked into the office.

"Carter,-" the Colonel motioned for her to sit in the seat opposite from where he sat at his desk. "-we haven't got long, well we have t-minus two hours and seven minutes to be exact," he said, looking at his watch.

"To do what?" She questioned as she sat down.

"To give you your orders, get you ready and to the east docks, to Dock 13," Howard said, his face painted with disapproval as he stayed standing, his arms crossed over his chest.

"In two hours-" Colonel Phillips began. "Our newest lead has a meeting at Dock 13. Now..."

The Colonel filled her in on the plans of how things would go and gave her her orders which were:

"1. Don't die. I'm serious Carter, don't be stupid and don't die.
2. Bring him back at all costs, as long as those costs don't include your life. Don't die.
3. Get whatever the hell he's collecting or delivering at the docks, even if it's just info."

"But who's the new lead?" Peggy asked, siting on the edge of her seat as she took in the information.

"We believe him to be the new head of HYDRA, well actually we know it. The files you brought back from the USSR confirmed it," Phillips said, as Howard handed her a file labelled 'TOP SECRET'.

"His name-" Howard Started as Peggy began untying the binds on the file. "-is Herr Ulrich Ormand, literally meaning Mr. Leader Serpeant, which quite frankly suits him, but I mean, who would call their child that..." Howard trailed off at the disapproving look the Colonel shot him.

Peggy looked up at the men before them, concentrating on the information they could tell her before she read the rest.

"We know he's somewhere in America, in some kind of high profile job, maybe army, airforce, navy, we don't know, but no one has been able to match his face yet," the Colonel said, clasping his hands in front of him as they waited for her to open the file.

She looked down at the large pile of papers in her lap and finally opened it. She scanned through the pictures, looking for a half decent one, by-passing the hoods, the hats and the backs of head until she reached a side profile one and she froze.

She felt bile shoot up the back of her throat as her eyes widened.

Peggy knew this man, or she thought she did, but not as Herr Ulrich Ormand. No, she had known this man by another name and in what felt like another time. She had known him alright, but he wasn't the head of HYDRA, not to her. To her he was her ex-fiancé.

Sergeant Scott Woods.

***