Brooklyn found a parking spot, near the dress shop Kitty had made the appointment at, and managed to squeeze her car in. She wasn't sure if the city deliberately made the spots small, or the cars near her were shitty parkers. But she managed it.

Climbing out of the car, she grabbed her messenger bag, feeling the weight of her school books, slamming the door, and hitting the lock function on the fob. She checked the traffic before jaywalking to the other side of the street, pausing as foot traffic came between her and the shop door, reaching out as she came up to it. Pulling the heavy frosted glass door to the upscale boutique, she entered, pausing as the sight of dresses set up as samples and the scent of high end materials hit her. She wrinkled her nose at the yards and yards and yards of white everywhere.

Steve wanted to get married in the church.

This meant, according to everyone around her, that she needed to make the right choices, when it came to their wedding.

Starting with the dress.

Everything she had read, everything she had seen in shows and movies, since she had come out of HYDRA, as well as everyone around her, insisted that the dress was one of the most pivotal choices she could make. It would help set the mood and the tone of her wedding. It was the one thing that most of the other choices would be made around. The flowers had to match the dress. The decorations would either mirror or contrast the dress, depending on the style and cut. The bridesmaid dresses would be chosen after the dress. Hell, according to Kitty, even the reception could be affected by the dress.

The dress was the key to everything else.

Kitty had reserved the twentieth of June, for their wedding. It was a Saturday. And it was in June. How Kitty had managed it, when as far as Brooklyn understood, almost every day in June was reserved, sometimes years, in advance, she wouldn't guess. Kitty was a force of nature, in Brooklyn's opinion. If there was a God, Brooklyn was sure that even He would tremble in the force of Kathrine Marino when she was on the rampage.

Kitty was sitting on a large padded (WHITE) bench talking to a beautiful dark skinned woman with even more beautiful braids that were water-falling to her waist. As soon as the door closed behind Brooklyn, the sound of the city fell away, leaving a island of calm in the midst of the insanity outside.

Noticing her, Kitty stood up, putting her hand on the dark skinned woman's arm, as she passed her, smiling at Brooklyn as she came over to her.

"You found it." Kitty nodded, wrapping her in a hug which Brooklyn easily returned. "How was your first day of classes?"
"Mostly just introductions, going over what is gonna happen in the class. Professors going over what they expect from us, and how they want us to do it." Brooklyn shrugged, adjusting her messenger bag. "But, since they are introductory classes, core classes, they don't expect anything too heavy."

"You'll do fine. How's Steven feel about your schedule?" Kitty stood back, clasping her hands, tilting her head.

"He's happy. He's home, for the foreseeable future. Until they get the new facility upstate up and running." Brooklyn shrugged again. "He's so happy right now, puttering around the apartment, catching up on paperwork, filling out forms, requisitions, setting up training schedules for the new players. Cleaning, housework, laundry, cooking... he's happy as a pig on a stick."

"Pig in shit." Kitty corrected. "But I can see that. Come meet the wedding planner."
Brooklyn nodded, following Kitty as she led her over to the dark skinned woman.

"Brooklyn, Honey, this is Kendra Townsend." Kitty held out a hand, gesturing towards Kendra. "Kendra, this is my daughter, Brooklyn."

"It's such a pleasure to meet you, and to work with you." Kendra smiled, her teeth visible, holding out her hand. "I look forward to making your wedding something for you to be proud of."

"I don't know about that." She shook her head. "I just... I kinda just want it to be over with. Done and dusted."
"Honey, it's for Steven. Remember that." Kitty placed her hand on Brooklyn's back, rubbing her. "I know you are still uncomfortable with the idea of getting married-"
"I'm not." Brooklyn cut Kitty off. "I'm happy. I want to be married to him. I just don't want to waste any more time. Not when we have so much else to do."

"She dragged her feet for a month, giving that man an answer, and now that she has, she wants to flash forward right into the middle of their life together." Kitty joked, rubbing her back again. "Honey, Kendra is here to make it as painless and easy as possible on you. She's going to do the heavy lifting, so you can focus on the other stuff you guys need to do."

Like house-hunting. There were a lot of houses for sale in an acceptable range of the new facility. Steve had hired a real estate agent to sift through them, looking for the right ones for them to even justify the drive up to look at them in person. So far, he mentioned he had his eye on a couple that seemed to fit most of the boxes they had between them. She was willing to bend on a few things, mainly the rose garden. The realistic situation was, even if they found a place, it would take time to make it right for them. Steve said, that as long as the bones were good, they could build. Where he got this information, she didn't know.

Maybe she should not be leaving him alone with the television. That may be were he was getting his more recent ideas, in regards to house owning and renovation. God knew, there were enough shows about it, on different channels. Why he couldn't stick to the news and the guy with the curly hair that painted a whole painting in a half hour, she didn't understand. She might have to correct that, for his own good.

"Does your groom have any opinions on what he wants for the wedding?" Kendra asked, as she walked over to sit on the bench, reaching into a bag to pull out a leather binder, unzipping it and laying it on her lap, pulling out a pen, and flipping it until she got to a pad of paper. "I have the twentieth of June blocked off, and am able to make time for the other days we need. Should I start lining up the bakers for cake tasting and discussions? Have you had a chance to think about flowers? Chosen a color scheme?"

"Steve doesn't have any opinion. He just wants me to have what I want." Brooklyn came closer, tilting her head to look a the binder. "You are going to keep all of our information in there?"

"Some." Kendra nodded. "This is gonna allow me to keep track of what you want, and the dates things need to be done on, and when they need to be done by. Now, I don't know if Kitty told you, but today is going to focus on the dress. And after that, if you could let me know, as soon as possible, what colors you are going to use, I would be grateful. It will make things like the flowers and the decoration of the cake that much easier. Then we have things to talk about regarding the reception."
"The reception location has already been chosen, and reserved." Kitty told Kendra. "Francis and I reserved the Palm House at the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens. They offered to cater, and it might be a good thing to think about, Honey. One less thing to worry about. Plus, their menu looks very acceptable."

"Plus, they won't bat an eye if we request that we bring in our own wedding cake." Kendra nodded, jotting the information down. "I've worked with them before. The reception won't be allowed to be as big as some, but it would work perfectly, I think. Do we have a guest list, yet?"
"We're working on it." Brooklyn offered. "Kitty said that was a very important part."
"It is." Kendra agreed. "It lets us know how many people to plan for, how much food to order, how big the cake should be, guest gifts, things like that."

Steve had shrugged, when she had broached the subject, after they had picked up Juliana from the Marino's house. Granted it had been a few days after he returned from Sokovia. He had needed the time, he said, to wind down and enjoy being a newly husband-to-be. Between the bouts of lovemaking, they had discussed the future plans to move upstate, things about the wedding, what they wanted their married life to be like. Kitty had mentioned working on the guest list, after she had opened a bottle of champagne to celebrate their up coming marriage, and Brooklyn had looked at Steve, who shrugged. Mainly, his friend's list was small. The teammates, for one. New and old. Even Tony Fucking Dumbshit Stark was going to get an invite. A few hold overs from SHIELD. But other than that, it turned out Steve was even more secluded than her, when it came to a friend's circle. Her's at least included a fair amount of people from the Marino organization, as well as a more than a few parents from the PTA, and the club. Mrs. De Luca, a few of the business owners she had gotten close to while in New York.

Between the two of them, there were only about forty to fifty people that they could, by name, say they wanted to have at their wedding. The rest of the space was going to be filled by the 'politcially' right people to have there.

"We'll have the list for you, shortly, Kendra." Kitty promised. "I've already picked out the invitations."
Brooklyn shrugged, not caring about stationary.

"Mrs. Marino?" A tall blonde woman who could have gotten a second job as a coat rack, she was so thin, asked, as she came to a stop in front of them. "Your shopper is ready."
"Good." Kitty nodded, using her hand on Brooklyn's back to push her along. "This is my daughter. She's the one getting married."
"Congratulations." The blonde nodded at Brooklyn, her smile real, but slightly brittle around the edges. "You'll make a beautiful bride. I hope you'll be able to find your dress today."

"That is the plan." Brooklyn allowed, as she saw Kendra stand up and follow, clutching her binder under her arm, while bending quickly to pick up her handbag. "Will this take long? I have school work to do."
The blonde laughed. "Oh, aren't you a dear! It'll take however long it takes."

They followed her to the back, where there was a set up of chairs and benches, and she gestured towards the seats. "Your shopper will be with you in a moment. Can I get you anything to drink? A snack?"

"A bottle of water, please." Brooklyn asked, as she lifted her messenger bag over her neck, sighing as the weight left her. "Thank you."
Kitty and Kendra requested the same, and Brooklyn sat down in one of the chairs, sighing again as she got off her feet. Lately, despite her mind knowing she could push through just about anything, it had seemed like she was just a little bit off. The past week or so, she had felt... heavier, than normal.

She hadn't mentioned it to anyone.

Not because she was afraid to. But because she didn't know how to describe the feeling. It was inside her, between her hips, where she felt heavy. Like... she had gained a few pounds there, or she was bound up inside. And it wasn't a constant feeling. It came and went. Sometimes she woke up feeling like it, sometimes it hit her in the middle of the day, sometimes it was during sex. Just.. this heavy feeling. That was the only way to describe it. Heavy.

Kitty took a seat on one of the benches, while Kendra sat next to her.

"Do you have an idea of what you want?" Kitty asked, shifting to tuck her feet under the bench.

"I guess white, right?" Brooklyn tilted her head, fiddling with the ring on her finger. "That's customary."
"Yes. But you don't have to go with it, if it you don't want to. A lot of brides these days are doing alternate colors. Pastels, pinks and blues, red... even black. I did a wedding last year, and the bride chose black and white as her colors. Her dress was black the bridesmaids were in gray. The groom and the groomsmen were in white... it was actually very well done. If I do say so myself." Kendra smiled. "The goal is to choose the dress that you feel the most beautiful in, the one you can see yourself taking your vows in."

"Your Pops and I just want you to be happy, Honey." Kitty told her, smiling. "I wish you and I shared the same body type. It would have been wonderful to pass my dress down to you. But... then again, It is a little dated."
"That is a nice gesture." Brooklyn nodded, smiling back. "I would have been honored."

"I guess I can hope that Junior's future wife might want it." Kitty sighed. "Oh well. But style, yes, speaking of style... You are perfectly proportioned. The issue is..well..."
"I'm small." Brooklyn nodded again. "Pocket sized, Steve likes to call it."

"Yes, that." Kitty frowned. "The big princess dresses might not work so well for you. The tighter ones might not, either."

"I don't know." Kendra paused in her note taking. "A sheath style might look really good on her. As well as an A-line. Can't go wrong with an A-line, no matter your body shape."
"Either way, choose what you feel the best in." Kitty advised, shifting on the bench.

"Oh, so sorry for making you wait!" An effeminate male voice came in, just before a balding man came through the door. "I'm Andy! And you must be the bride!"

He made a bee-line for Brooklyn, his hand extended.

"Yes." She took his hand, giving it a firm shake. "Or so I'm told."
"She's still settling in to it." Kitty offered, holding out his hand for Andy to take. "But hopefully, finding a dress will help her."
"I've seen a lot of brides come through here, in my time." Andy grinned. "Those that are excited, those that are nervous, those that are regretting their choices. But one thing is universal. The moment they put the dress on, and see themselves in it? It all falls away. And they become The Bride."
"I just want to be his wife. I want a life with him. The rest of it? I don't care." Brooklyn told him.

Kitty shot her a look. "But she's still going to have the wedding. Because the families need it, too."

"Understood." Andy gestured to Brooklyn. "Let's get a good look at you. My aren't you a petite thing! Oh, I have some dresses that are just going to look phenomenal on you! Do you have foundations?"
"No." Brooklyn admitted. "I'm sorry. I was in class when Kitty messaged me about coming in today."

"No problem." Andy waved his hand. "I can pull some off the rack. We'll get you all ready, and we can start discussing dresses."

In short order, Andy had brought a strapless bra, and Brooklyn was standing in the room in a borrowed robe, as Andy pulled in a rack of dresses in her size. Kitty descended on it, flipping through them, and pulling out a few for her to try on, just to get a feel of the style.

She was standing in a dressing room, while Andy and his assistant helped her into the big poofy dress, the folds and folds of fabric making her feel like she was wearing one of Carmine's cream cakes. She couldn't see her feet, for all the fabric and lace and tulle. Her arms were covered, right to her hands, and the neckline... it felt... not comfortable.

Andy stood back, pursing his lips, his eyes narrow as he stared at her.

"No." He intoned. "Not... the style, the cut.. the amount of fabric. This is... I'm sorry, if you like it, and you feel beautiful in it I wont- But... I cannot in good conscience send you out in this dress."
"I don't like it." Brooklyn told him, her fingers plucking at the skirt. "I feel.. too big."

"You look like a little girl playing dress up." Andy said, relieved. "I don't know what she was thinking... let's get her out of this." He told his assistant.

Brooklyn helped them, relieved to be out of the layers and layers.

"Something more... simple, maybe?" Andy shifted through the sample dresses. "This one?"
It was a tight sheath dress, the straps thin and barely able to hold up the bodice, which plunged way to deep for Brooklyn's chest. It was tight around the hips, flaring out at the knee into a small train, and Brooklyn shifted, feeling the constriction of the dress.
"No." She turned, looking at herself. "It's too deep, here" She gestured towards the chest area. "he won't like it."

"Maybe... something a little... I don't know.. unconventional?" Andy suggested, helping her out of the dress. "We have some tea length dresses. Those have been really popular lately."

He went over and talked to his assistant for a bit, before she ducked out. Andy came back over, helping her into the robe, before smiling.
"Captain America fan?" he asked, indicating his neck.

Brooklyn brought her hand up, wrapping her fingers around her collar, feeling the shield pendant in her palm. "Of a sorts."
Andy looked at her, before pursing his lips and nodded. "You know... I have helped a lot of brides associated with the Marinos find their dresses. Going on... oh, twenty years now. I'm paid for my silence. That is more than a little bauble of a necklace. That's a collar. And... I can't imagine any self respecting Dom would use Captain America's shield."
She swallowed, looking away. Steve said he didn't want to hide anymore. That if the world found out about them, they found out. That they would deal with it, as it came. He just wanted her.

"So." Andy began to adjust the way the robe sat on her shoulders. "What's going on? You a groupie?"

"I'm his fiancee." Brooklyn let out, softly. "I'm marrying Steve Rogers."

"And there's the meat of it." Andy responded, just as softly. "Well, that does make a bit of sense. So, Cap's getting married. Bout damn time."

Brooklyn blinked, waiting.
"Oh, Honey, don't worry about me saying anything. The Marino's pay me very well, to keep my mouth shut about things. And after everything that man has done for this country and this city? He deserves to have a bit of privacy in his life." Andy put his hands on her shoulder, squeezing slightly. "You just make that man happy, and let him make you happy, and I will consider that payment enough."

"I'm gonna try." She nodded, smiling. "I really want to make him happy."
"Well, the first step is to find a dress that is gonna me him feel like his heart just stopped." Andy grinned. "And knowing a bit about your groom? I think we can manage that."

It took a few more hours, and several dresses, before it happened.

She put on the dress, and before she even looked in the mirror, she felt different.

The dress felt... right.

Like it was made for her.

And when she turned, and looked in the mirror, she looked right.

Andy escorted her back to the room where Kitty and Kendra were waiting. As she stepped into the room, Kitty made a noise, and clasped her hands together, pressing them to her mouth, as her eyes grew wet.

"Oh... Honey!" She said in a thick voice. "It's... gorgeous!"

Andy helped her up on the small dais in front of a bank of mirrors, letting her get a good look at herself, and Brooklyn felt her breath catch, pressing a hand to her stomach.

It was an A-line style dress, with a fitted bodice. The skirt fell to pool at her ankles, but it had a hide away split in the front, so she could lengthen her stride, if need be. The sweeping sleeves ended right above her elbows, but left her shoulders, neck, and top of her chest bare. The best part, in her opinion, was the gauzy feel of the skirt, which was layered and breezy, and covered in embroidered flowers and butterflies. The bodice covered her perfectly, while also pushing up her... assets. It looked see through, but the nude fabric under everything worked to hide her, while giving it that illusion.

"Wait!" Andy called, all but skipping over. "Wait till we have the veil on!"

"Veil?" Brooklyn asked, confused. "I have to wear a veil?"
"You're getting married in the Church, Honey." Kitty explained, coming over, wiping her face. "I can get you around a lot of things, but there is no way you are gonna be able to get married without a veil."
Andy placed the veil on her head, arranging it to fall down around her, and stepped back, grinning. "Oh, yes. That... is PERFECT!"

Brooklyn felt the same way, and she felt her eyes start to sting as she looked at herself. This was a dress that would make Steve's breath catch. This was the dress she wanted to be in, when she married him. This was the dress she wanted emblazonment in his memory, every time he looked back at that day. This was the dress she hadn't known she needed.

"Honey?" Kitty asked, coming over to fiddle with the folds. "What do you think."
"I think," She took a deep breath, trying to control herself. "I... I think this is the one. No." She straightened. "I know this is the one."

Kitty, Kendra, Andy and his assistant all cheered, and Kitty gave her a side hug.

"Perfect!" Andy clapped. "Okay! So... we need to do fittings, obviously. We need to hem it, and make sure you bring in the shoes you are going to wear, so we know we get that right."
"Rush job, Andy." Kitty told him. "Wedding is in June."
"We can do that." Andy assured her, as he fiddled with the veil. "The veil too?"
"No. Not this one." Kitty cocked her head. "Mine will fit wonderfully with this dress."
"Are you sure I have to wear a veil?" Brooklyn asked, reaching out and catching the edges, feeling the satin on her fingers.
"Blusher, too." kitty informed her. "Besides, imagine Steve's face, when he lifts it. He's going to be... oh, god, he's gonna be so happy, Honey. You'll see. And this dress... this is the dress that's gonna help make that happen."

It was little matter, after that, to make the arrangements for the fittings. She hadn't chosen the cheapest dress in the shop, either. Kitty waved her off, when she made noise about paying for the dress herself, saying that as the mother of the bride, it was her duty to make sure the bill was paid. That seemed to be a running theme, with all of these plans. Kitty had hired Kendra, and was paying her. The Marinos had rented the venue for the reception and were picking up the full tab. Kitty had already indicated that the cake was going to be paid for by them as well. She was starting to suspect that Kitty and Pops were going to pay for everything related to the wedding.

"So, now that is done... Any thought on the bridesmaid dresses?" Andy asked, as he helped her out of the dress and back into her street clothes.

"Simple." Brooklyn answered. "Then again, I don't know how many bridesmaids I'm going to have."
"Flower girl? Ring bearer?" Andy folded the robe over his arm.
"...my sister is going to be my flower girl." Brooklyn told him. "I don't know about the ring bearer."

"You'll figure it out." Andy nodded. "So, we'll see you in about a week for the first fitting. Make sure you have your shoes by then, or at least a pair in the height you are going to want."

She nodded. "Will do."
"Well, that's it, for the day. Congrats, you found a wedding dress. The rest of it from here should be easier." Andy headed towards the door. "See you in a week."

"Thank you." She nodded, finishing dressing, before she left the dressing room. "You were really helpful."
"Well, it was a bit of a challenge." Andy shrugged. "You came in without a vision. Usually women come in with an idea about what they want. Either they've been planning this since they were little girls, and have that dream they want realized, or they know what they kind of want, based on the movies or TV shows. Hell, I once had a bride walk in, tell me the exact name of the dress from a designer, because she had seen an actress wear it in a magazine, and figured she could wear it better. But you, you had no idea. It was fun, in a way. To see if I could find something that would make you feel what it's going to be like to be that bride, on your special day. So you could imagine what it's going to be like to walk down that runner, that you chose, to the man that is going to make your life the dream you deserve to see to reality. I'm just one part of the dream makers you are going to meet. Each one of us lives off of making brides make their dreams reality. One way or another. And like I said, he deserves his. And it is more than an honor to help that happen, for both of you."

***************

Steve was frowning over some paperwork he was working on, when she came into the apartment, but was quick to smile when he saw her. He stood up from the table, shuffling the papers aside, as she hung up her keys, lifted the strap of her messenger bag over her head, and toed her shoes off.

He took the messenger bag from her, bending down to kiss her.

"Have a good day?" He asked, smiling against her lips.

"Yeah." She nodded, smiling back. "Sorry it took me so long."
"Well, Jules and I didn't know what to do with ourselves, so we did homework, and then watched television for a bit." Steve kissed her again. "She's in the bedroom playing, right now. You ready for dinner?"

"I could eat." She nodded. "I want to go over the books, make sure I'm getting a jump start on things. I don't want to fall behind."

"You won't." He assured, leading the way to the table. "I won't let you."

"You need a hobby." she complained.

"I have one." He grinned. "Taking care of my girls. That's a more than a hobby. It's a full time job."

He was noticeably not asking about her time at the dress shop, she noticed. She could tell he wanted to, it was there, in his body language. But he was resisting. She decided to broach the subject.
"I found a dress." She sat down, resisting the urge to groan, as the heavy feeling returned. "I think you are really going to like it."
"Don't show me any pictures." He rushed out. "I don't want to give us any bad luck."

She blinked, looking at him, before she burst out into laughter. She covered her face, trying to get herself under control.

"What?" Steve asked, clearly confused. "What did I say?"
"Bad luck." She inhaled, humming. "You are worried about us, having bad luck. Steve... you spent nearly seventy years in an ice flow. I was born and raised in HYDRA. How much more bad luck could either of us have left?"

"I just don't want to risk it." He shrugged. "I want this to go off without a problem, and for us to spend the next sixty years just... being happy. We've earned it, Babydoll."

Brooklyn felt herself go soft inside, and reached out to take his hand. "Oh, Steve... I'm gonna make the next sixty years of your life so fucking miserable, you are gonna regret you ever met me."

"Promise?" He smiled, his face happy. "Because I'm gonna hold you to it."

"I promise." She smiled back. "So... dinner?"
He nodded, pressing a kiss to her hand, before letting it go. "Yeah, it's ready, just staying warm in the oven."
She watched him as he happily puttered about the kitchen finalizing dinner, and plating it. He brought over two plates, setting one in front of her, while setting the other in front of Juliana's place at the table.
"Juliana!" He called. "Dinner time, Sweetheart!"
There was a moment of silence, and then the slapping of feet heralded the arrival of her little sister who came running at full speed.
"Slow down!" Steve ordered, as he returned to the kitchen. "You're gonna fall and crack your head open. And then what will we do?"
Juliana slowed, obediently, coming to a stop in front of her chair. She shrugged, before climbing up into her booster seat. "I donno. Get me a pretty band-aid?"
Since Juliana's sickness, Brooklyn and Steve had stocked up a fairly comprehensive at home first aid kit. Between her connections through the Marinos and Steve's through the Avengers, the only thing they didn't have in it seemed to be the machinery used in a hospital. And they had been using the first aid kit, liberally. Juliana got a scratch, and Steve was quick to clean it with bactine and covering it with a band-aid. She got a bruise, and Brooklyn was rubbing it with a witch hazel ointment that the pharmacist swore by.

"If you crack your head, it's gonna take more than a pretty band-aid." Brooklyn informed her, picking up the fork on her plate. "It might mean calling the doctor."

"Ew." Juliana frowned, as she picked up her fork as well, stabbing her dinner with it. "I don't like doctors."
"I know." Steve came to join them, sliding his plate on the table, before sitting down, scooting the chair closer. "But we are gonna work on not having issues with doctors, aren't we?"
"Yup!" Juliana nodded, as she picked up a bite of the chicken Steve had made. "Because doctors help us get better."

Brooklyn raised her eyes at the response which seemed like a drilled answer. "Is this what we are doing now?"
Steve shrugged. "If it helps her learn to put her fear aside, yeah."

Putting a bite of food in her mouth, she hummed, "Indoctrination."
"No." Steve pointed at her, shaking his finger. "I'm not doing that. I'm simply trying to help her get over her fear."
"Okay." Brooklyn decided to leave it alone, for now.

"Oh." Steve set down his fork, leaning to the side, picking up a folder. "The real estate agent got a hold of me today. She thinks she's found a few acceptable places for us. One of which is... really close to where the compound is going to be. So, before I went and picked up my little Sweetheart from school, I went by her office and picked up the information packet."

Brooklyn nodded, holding out her hand, taking the folder from him. "What's the damage, financially?"
Not that she gave a shit. She had the money. Pops had already said he would help them, if they needed it. But Steve was concerned about the final dollar amount. So, she would at least pretend to be concerned about it, too.

"It's actually pretty reasonable, considering how much property we would be getting. Eight acres, the three story house, the barn, the out buildings. It has a fairly good sized stream that cuts through the bottom part of the property, and all the wooded area. The nearest neighbor is is actually farther away than the eight acres, seeing as the properties on either side are undeveloped wildlife habitats. And it's only about a ten minute drive to where Stark is building the compound." Steve continued to eat. "The house was built in the early part of the last century, and comes with a finished basement, and a semi finished attic. Lots of space for a growing family."

She nodded, going through the pictures. The house was wonderful. It was well loved, and she was attracted to the partial wrap around porch. She paused at one.

"Is this... what is it called... a greenhouse?" She held up the picture.

"Sun room. The glass needs work. As does the floor." Steve informed her. "The people who were living in it used it as an indoor greenhouse, of a sort."
"Why are they selling?" Brooklyn continued to go through the pictures. "It seems like it's too good a price for what they are offering."
"The husband died this past summer. The wife is getting older, and the kids don't want the house." Steve picked up his knife and cut up his green beans into more manageable sizes, despite the fact that she was well aware of how he could stuff his mouth with food if he was inclined. "All of them live in other states, and she's going to move closer to some of them. Add that to the fact that she has been more than a little concerned about the compound being built where it is.... and we end up with a steal of a deal on a house that actually matches our needs. With a few adjustments."
Brooklyn nodded. "And there's the window seats."

There were several of them. One in the living room area, one in what looked like a library, and another in what was the master bathroom.

"I only asked for one." She pointed out, gently.

"I'm an over achiever." Steve shrugged. "I figure, once we get the sunroom cleaned up, and updated, you are going to want to spend a lot of time in there. And I was thinking I could use one of the outbuildings to keep my bike, for the winter months. I can work on it there, as well as keep... more objectionable things there." He darted his eyes at Juliana, who was silently eating, but watching them. "And... the school bus comes by, for the kids."
"School bus." Brooklyn set the pictures down. "No."

"Brooklyn." Steve sighed, setting down his cutlery. "Look, she's.. she's gonna be safe. Okay? It's perfectly normal. The school is going to be outfitted with security, because of how many of our people are going to be sending their kids there. This is what we want for her, right? A chance to be normal? This is that chance for her. And... taking the bus to school... is the first step."
"I want to take her, everyday." Brooklyn insisted. "That's... I need to do that, Steve."
"Babydoll," Steve took her hand. "Look... we need to start... we need to give her a bit of independence. Little bits, here and there. We can't... we can't smother her, trying to protect her."

"I'm not smothering her." She denied. "I'm protecting her. I'm keeping her safe."
"Babydoll-" He turned his head to look at Juliana. "Jules, are you done? Want any more?"
Brooklyn looked at her sister, who was watching the two of them very intently. And she bit her lip, realizing they were about to have a small fight about Juliana, in front of the girl. That could not have been a healthy thing to do.

"I'm... I want more." Juliana stated, almost apologetically. "Are you guys gonna fight?"

"No." Steve shook his head. "We are just discussing things, Sweetheart. And right now, we are just disagreeing."

"It's because I worry about you, all the time." Brooklyn told her sister. "It's one of the reasons I chose the school you are going to right now. But... we talked about this. Things are gonna change, next year. And Steve and I are just... figuring out how best to keep you safe, while..." She looked at Steve. "While also making sure you are given as many opportunities as we can give you to... be yourself."

"If we move, I gotta take a school bus? Like the ones we see in the streets?" Juliana asked, frowning. "Like we see on the TV?"
"Yeah, Sweetheart." Steve stood up, picking up her plate. He went into the kitchen and began putting more food on Juliana's plate. "It's gonna be a big yellow bus, and you'll get on in front of the new house, and then get off at the school. And then coming home, you'll do the same thing, only get off in front of our house."
"But how will Nonna come get me for the day, if I gotta get on a bus?" Juliana asked, playing with her fork.

"Nonna won't be coming to get you, as often, Sweetheart." Steve explained, calmly, as he came over and put the plate in front of her. "I mean, she's still gonna be able to come get you for the weekends and such, but for the most part, you are gonna be coming to our new home, every day."

"That's not fair." Juliana sighed. "I don't want to move, if I don't get to see Nonna all the time! She's gonna get lonely without me!"
"Nonna will be fine with it." Brooklyn, reaching out, placed her hand on her sister's arm. "She wants us to move to keep you safe. And... right now, Steve's job is moving. So, if we wanna stay a family, we have to move with him."

"It's still not fair." Juliana pouted, as she began to eat.

"Fair or not, it's what's happening." Steve stated firmly. "Your sister and I have made this decision, and we didn't make it lightly. We all want to spend as much time as possible as a family together. If we stay here, I'm not gonna be able to see you before you go to school, and I wont be able to be there when you come home. In fact, I won't be able to spend much time with you, at all, because I'm going to have to travel back and forth every day. And just think, we'll be closer to Auntie Nat, and Uncle Sam. Because they are moving up there, too."
Juliana seemed to perk up at this, a bit. "Really?"
"Yeah." Steve nodded his head as he resumed eating. "And we are going to be able to do a lot more stuff there. We are gonna be able to go swimming in the pool. There is a lot more space. And since everyone knows you, we don't have to hide."

Juliana heaved a sigh. "Oookay."
"It's not like we aren't going to be seeing Nonno and Nonna, Jules." Brooklyn told her. "They are still gonna see us. Because they are gonna come up to visit, and we are gonna come down to visit them. We are just... putting a bit of space."
"Because you and Steve are gonna get married, and married people need space for themselves." Juliana said, nodding. "Nonna tol' me that."

Brooklyn stabbed her food, shoving a bite in her mouth. "There is that, as well. You're probably going to get a bigger room. We are looking for a place with a big enough backyard for you to play in. This is gonna be a good thing. You'll see."

Steve reached out, taking Brooklyn's hand. "It's gonna be such a good thing for us. A fresh start. For all of us. As a family."

Hours later, after Juliana had been put down for bed, and they were in the kitchen cleaning, Steve took a deep breath, before speaking.

"I know you are worried about the bus." He began, scrubbing at a pot. "But... Brooklyn, you need to start letting her explore the world. Nothing is gonna help her, if you keep hovering."
"I hover because I worry." She stated, opening the fridge to pull out a bottle of water. "I hover because I know what can happen to little girls, when they aren't watched closely. The amount of time she spends away from me... it sometimes feels like it's too much, as it is. Too many things out of my control can happen, if I'm not there."
"She's going to school." He let the sponge and pot slip from his hands into the soapy water, coming over to wrap his arms around her. "There are going to be so many other kids on the bus, with her, that... realistically, she's probably safer than she is when the two of you walk to school, here."
"You really want this house?" She asked, tilting her head back to look up at him. "Where's my rose garden?"
"There are a few bushes along the front porch. And more than enough room in the yard to put in more. You will get your roses." He informed her, giving her a small smile. "I just want to go up to look at it. The house ticks all of our boxes. And... it's priced well enough that we will be able to have enough funds to do what we need to, to make it ours."
"Like what, exactly?" She looped her arms over his neck, ignoring the cold bottle in her hand.
"Well...." He took a deep breath. "I want to update the kitchen, and the bathrooms. The master needs a little love. Plus, I was thinking, we could knock out the wall between the master and the room next to it, put in a door, and wall up the door in the hall."
"Why would we need to do that?" She asked, frowning.

"Babydoll... some of the things we like to do? We could do so much more, if we had the space." He bent his head to kiss her. "We could put in... well, an adult play room. Make it sound proof, so you can get as loud as you want. Keep the door locked, when we aren't playing, and not have to... hide, our toys as much as we do now."
"Don't oversell." she warned him. "We haven't even seen the place in person. For all we know, it's being held together by a coat of paint, and there are the skeletons of old husbands buried in the basement."

"Then let's go up and look. We can go tomorrow. Just drop Juliana off at school, and then go up and take a look at it. I can call the real estate agent, leave a message, and tell her to meet us up there." Steve pushed gently. "We go up, we look at the place, we get a feel for it, and then we can make a choice. We can either put in a bid, or keep looking."

"Okay." she agreed, sighing. "Make the call."

He grinned, kissing her again, before letting go and returning to doing the dishes.

"Oh, I also wanted to talk to you about this weekend." He looked at her over his shoulder. "I know you are going down to DC to talk with Sam. I was wondering if you would mind if Jules and I tagged along?"
"You want to tag along while I go down and talk to Wilson about my emotional state?" She raised an eyebrow, opening the bottle of water. "Where is the excitement in that?"

He chuckled. "No, I was thinking that while you and Sam have your talking time, I would take Juliana to the Smithsonian. They still have the Captain America exhibit there. But they updated the information on your father. I thought she might like that. Also, there are a lot of other things to see in DC than just an exhibit about me. I was just thinking it would be a nice thing to do with her, since we didn't do anything during her spring break."
"She'd like that." Brooklyn nodded. "Sounds like an idea."

"We can go down, spend the night, and come back on Sunday." Steve suggested. "I can make the arrangements, get a hotel room."
"Let's do it." She grinned. "It can be our own weekend."
"Yeah, that's what I was thinking." Steve gave her a smile over his shoulder. "A mini vacation, just the three of us."
Well, as much as a vacation as they could have, with everything else going on, she thought.

And later that night, when he rolled over, pulling her into his chest, while their bodies cooled and their hearts returned to their normal paces, if she felt the heavy feeling again, she ignored it.

There was nothing to worry about. Not when her life was finally evening out, and headed in the right direction.

***********************

Brooklyn opened the door of the SUV, stepping out into the driveway, pausing as she looked at the house. It was... bigger, than it looked in the pictures Steve had shown her. The porch was larger, big enough to put furniture on it, to enjoy the breeze. She turned her head, looking at Steve, who was smiling, still in the driver's seat.

"Nice, huh?" He asked, as he pulled the keys out of the ignition. He opened the door, climbing out as well.

"Let's wait until we see the inside." Brooklyn muttered, shutting the door.

"HI!" A cheerful voice caused her to return her attention the porch. An woman of Asian decent waved at them, as she skipped down the stairs, tossing her overly long bangs out of her face. "You found it! Have any problems?"
"There was an accident on the freeway." Brooklyn offered. "At least one person dead."
"No." Steve spoke over her, giving her a look that clearly said 'not helpful', as he came around the SUV, offering his hand. "Thank you for arranging to see the house."

"It was no problem." The woman pumped Steve's hand, while looking at Brooklyn, winking. "They are really eager to sell. The family is not a fan of Stark, and hearing that he's expanding the property down the road? Big incentive to sell. They are basically looking to unload this place at a rock bottom price."
"That'll be good for us." Steve grinned, placing his hand on the small of Brooklyn's back. "Shall we?"

"Of course." The woman gestured to the house. "So, the place was built in nineteen oh one. It's been in the same family since it was built. The roof was redone last winter, and the foundation was updated the year before. There is a little bit of work needed on the gutters, and it could honestly need a new coat of paint, but the bones are good."

She led them up the stairs of the porch, and paused, letting them look around.

"The property covers eight acres, with the possibility of paralleling it out, for building. If you are looking into that sort of thing. The barn needs a little work, to make it habitable for animals. The out buildings all do need work, to be honest. But the land is good. It hasn't been worked for over twenty years." The real estate agent began to chatter, pointing things out to them, while she input the code into the lock box. It opened, and she pulled out the key, putting it into the lock, turning it. "The windows were all updated within the last five years, as has the plumbing."
She opened the door, and stepped aside waiting for Steve and Brooklyn to enter.

The inside was... impressive. The hard wood floors were worn, but loved. The walls were freshly painted, if the smell coming off of them was any indication. The entry way was not wide open, but it wasn't a narrow hall, either.

"Do you want me to walk through with you, or would you rather I just.. left you to it?" The real estate agent asked, folding her hands.

"We would like to just... have a wander, if that's okay." Steve told her, reaching down and taking Brooklyn's hand.

"Of course. I'll be in the kitchen. I have a few calls I need to make, so take your time." She smiled, pointing in a direction.

Steve nodded, waiting for her to disappear, before turning to look at Brooklyn, his eyes bright and excited. "Let's go, Babydoll. Let's see if you can imagine living here."

He led her to the other side, into the living room area, where the first window seat was located. She went over to it, looking out the window. It looked over part of the yard, the glass clear and clean, the upper part of the window done in with red and yellow stained glass diamonds. The cushion was worn, but still well padded, and lifting the seat revealed a hideaway spot.

"For blankets, and such." Steve explained, watching her. "The fireplace needs a good cleaning, and probably the flue needs to be cleaned, too. But it'll be nice when the snow comes in."

She came over to look, running her hand on the heavy wood mantel. "You gonna cut wood for me, Rogers?"

"Yeah, Babydoll." He smiled, reaching out to brush his fingers down her arm. "I'll cut down forests for you, if that's what you need."
She smiled back. "We'll see. The rest of the house?"
"Upstairs, first." He took her hand, leading her out of the living room, and back into the hall. He pointed down it. "There is a room, which we can turn into an office. And another bathroom."
She nodded, going up the stairs with him.

"Bedrooms. The Master, with it's bath..." He led her into the room, letting her look around. The current owners had left little behind to stage. There was a chair in the corner, a great big wing back, which looked like it was positioned in such a way as to look out over the property. "I don't know how I feel about the carpet in the bathroom."
Brooklyn came over, frowning at the light pink, plush carpet. It was older, and there was an odor coming up from it. "That has to come out. It' cant be sanitary."
"That's what I was thinking, when I saw the pictures. But... look at the tub and the shower!" He went over, pulling open the glass door to the shower, which was pushed into the corner. "Double heads."
"That'll be nice, when you come home from a mission beat to hell and back." Brooklyn turned looking at the tub, which was surrounded by two steps. "Tub looks pretty big."
"And old." Steve hummed, placing his hands on his hips. "We can put in one with the jets. That'll be nice, wouldn't it?"

"Yeah." The side by side sinks were clean and new. But maybe not a color she would want in there. "Get rid of the carpet, change the color in here... it could be really nice."

He nodded, walking out to show her the large walk in closet, before pulling her out of the room to show her the other rooms. The one on the end of the floor, which he indicated was the one he wanted to completely re-do for their adult activities was glossed over, while the room on the other end of the landing, across from the master, was perfect for Juliana. There was lots of natural light, and while she didn't care for the color scheme, she had a feeling that once she let Kitty loose on the place, her little sister would have a bedroom that would make little girls everywhere sick with envy.

The third floor simply revealed the library, with the third window seat, and two small bedrooms. The partially finished attic held no real appeal to Brooklyn, other than possible storage.

Or a place to hide bodies.
Steve led her back downstairs to the first floor, pulling her through the house, until they were in the sunroom. Here, Brooklyn felt her breath pause.

The whole back of the house, was the sun room.

The glass did need work, several panels needed to be replaced, and Steve's earlier assessment that the carpet needed to come up was true. But even with all of that, Brooklyn could see it as a place to enjoy her day. She could put a table up in here, do homework, read... just... live. A few plants would keep the air fresh, while she could watch as Juliana played in the backyard.

She went over to the back of the sunroom, leaning her hands on the ledge, looking out over the property.
"We could do this." She told him. "We could make this a home."

"Yeah." He agreed, coming over to lean his hip against the ledge. "We could. Do we?"
"I haven't even seen the kitchen, or the basement... and I'm..." She took a deep breath, looking around. "I could live here."
"So could I." Steve turned his head to look out the glass. "There's plenty of room. We could put up a play set for Jules. There's more than enough room for you to plant all the roses and flowers you want. We could put in an herb garden."

"Let..." she took another deep breath. "Let me see the kitchen... the basement... then... I want to think about this. This is... it's one thing to discuss it, Steve. It's another to do it."

"I understand." He came closer, bending down to kiss her. "Is it odd that I can see us living in this house? Making it our home?"
"You're a dreamer." She murmured. "People don't think you are, but you are. I mean, it takes a pretty big dream to lie to the war recruitment people... what was it, twenty times?"
"Considerably less than that, Babydoll." He kissed her again. "I just wanted to be the one to take the hit, so that someone with a family could come home to them. Better me than them, that was my thinking."
"Instead, you became the one who everyone wanted to come home." She bit her lip, looking away. "Too many men, too many families."
"Yeah." He pressed his lips to her temple. "But, I came home. Then I found you. And in a few months... you're gonna be my wife."
"Indeed." She grinned. "I guess my punishment for all the things I've done in my life has finally begun."

"Oh, you don't know the kinds of punishment I have been thinking up, once we have the space." His eyes sparkled.

"Show me the kitchen, Rogers, then the basement." She ordered, pushing against his shoulder. "I need to know about it all, so I can make a decision."

"Whatever you say, Babydoll." He nodded, taking her hand and pulling her towards the door of the sunroom. "Whatever you say."

***************

"So, we like the house." Wilson asked, a few days later, while handing her a cup of coffee.
She nodded, taking a sip, lifting a leg to cross over the opposite knee. She shifted in her chair, setting the cup to rest on the kitchen table. "We like the house. We are going to put in a bid."

"And you are really okay with leaving Carroll Gardens?" Wilson took a chair across from her, sipping his own coffee.

She shrugged. "It's my duty as his wife, to follow him." She grinned, giving Wilson a wink, to let him know she was joking. "No. I'm... okay with it. A year I've hidden there. A year, I've built a life, with no idea what to do with it. Spending that life with Steve? Yeah, I am more than okay with it."

They had gotten to DC a few hours ago, and after Steve and Wilson caught up, on what she didn't know, seeing as how they had only seen each other less than a week ago when Wilson had come up to fill out paperwork to join the Avengers, Steve had rounded up Juliana and headed off to a fun filled day wandering museums.

Brooklyn had resisted the urge to make a comment about making sure he didn't end up as one of the exhibits.

Barely.

Considering one of the exhibits they were going to was one about him, she felt the matter would be moot, anyhow.

Wilson had given her a bit of time, before suggesting they have coffee and talk. Hence why they were now in the kitchen.

"So, how's it feel, to be settling down with him?" Wilson asked, sipping his coffee. "I know you were pretty... on the fence about it."
"I need it. I think I need it as much as he does. It feels right, to know that... legally, physically... in every way that matters, we will belong to each other." She turned the cup around in her hands. "I mean, I don't understand half of the things I need to do, before June. But... Kitty says that is what Kendra is for. To help me make those choices."

Wilson nodded. "That is what a wedding planner is usually there for. How do you feel about her hiring you one?"
"It's needed. Considering how quickly the wedding is coming." Brooklyn sighed, shifting again. "Wilson, do you really want to sit here and discuss wedding plans?"
"It's your time. This is something big. It's a life changing event." Wilson sipped at his coffee, his eyes watching her, before he sighed. "What else do you want to talk about?"
"I need to go see someone. I would ask Steve.. but... I'm afraid he's a little too close to the situation to be okay with taking me." Brooklyn let the words out slowly, when she wanted to rush them. It had been something that had been on her mind for the past few days, since they had seen the house. The idea that Steve was settling down, to some extent, had brought it to her. And now, in the interest of putting as much of her past behind her as she could, so she would be able to focus on her future, she felt it was something that needed to happen.

Most of the people who had hurt her were beyond her grasp. Death, either natural, or unnatural, had stolen the chances to confront them from her. But one still remained. One was still alive.

"Who?" Wilson had a confused look on his face. It was a cute look for him. She could see the attraction that women had for him, even if she wasn't herself. "I mean, who could you possibly need to see? If it's a politician, I'm gonna say no."
She laughed. "No." She took a slow deep breath. "I want to go see Carter. I need to... I need to put that part of my past down."
"Down." He watched her, steady. "Not a good word."
"Behind me. Lock it away. Put it in the ground." She blinked. "Figuratively. Not literally. I'm not going to... as much as I might be tempted to, I'm not going to hurt her. There is no honor in killing an old woman in her bed, no matter what type of monster she is."

Grimacing, Wilson nodded. "And you're sure you don't want to do this with Steve?"
"Like I said, he's a little too close. Besides, if I lose my temper... I don't want to hurt him like that. Some part of him, I think, still holds a fondness for her. He hasn't said it, but if he can fall in love with me, I wouldn't put it past him to still hold a small sliver of love for her, still. He's good like that." She gave a sad smile. "I'd like to imagine, that if we hadn't figured things out in January, he'd still hold love for me. So I can forgive him for it. Besides, he's mine."

"He is." Wilson blinked, before sighing, turning his head away. "Fine. We can go see her. Just... quickly. Okay? There and back. No making a mess."
Once he agreed to take her, it wasn't much to get ready, leave his house, and get into his car. Steve had taken her Volvo to drive Juliana around in. She felt bad about making Wilson drive her around, but the pragmatic part of her shut that side down. There was no use in weeping over lost time, or lost resources.

This was something she needed to do.

She needed to close the door on this part of her life. Confronting Carter was part of it. She couldn't keep holding onto that locked box of darkness, feeding it when Steve's back was turned. She couldn't keep making plans to let it open, if her world fell apart. How quickly had she started the plans to burn the world, when she thought Steve had died? Using the people around her, who had done nothing but care about her, and support her in her fledgling steps in freedom?

She could never honor him, if she did that.

For all his promises to always return to her, there may come a day when he would break that promise. Either because the choice would be taken out of his hands, or because the cost of the world or innocents would be too large for him to walk away from. She had to be pragmatic, even knowing that losing him would rip her inside out, until she bled to death from the wounds. She had to make the plans now, to find a way to keep breathing, even after he stopped.

She needed to, for Juliana. For her father.

While she was too weak to ever recover, she knew that her family would still need her to stand, if only long enough to bring her father home. Once he was, and he was back on a level where he could take care of her sister without Brooklyn having to worry about things.... maybe then she would let herself drop. Once she could pass on the burden of protecting her family, maybe then she would be able to stop, and turn to stone.

And one of the ways to make sure she did that, was to destroy the keys to the locks that held the darkness away.

"So, why the sudden need to see Carter?" Wilson asked, as he drove, focusing on the road.
"The past needs to stay the past. But, I need to... I need to make sure I put it there." Brooklyn watched the traffic as they passed. "Too much of my past I cant confront. Carter is still here. She may not remember me. She may deny everything. But at the very least, I can express myself. That has to be therapeutic, right?"

"Cathartic." Wilson corrected. "And yeah, its supposed to be."
"Well, there you go." She shrugged. "I'm trying to do something cathartic."
He sighed, shifting in his seat. "Explain to me how this works. She's got Alzheimer's."
"She'll remember me." Brooklyn stated, assured in herself. "She can't forget me."
"She might have. So what, you go in, and just unload on this woman, with her looking at you like your crazy?" Wilson darted a look at her.

"Yeah." Brooklyn nodded, grinning. "That's what I'm gonna do."
They lapsed into silence, until Wilson drove them into the parking lot of the nursing home.
She got out of the car, and stood, looking at the building.
"So, this is where evil directors of SHIELD go, when they can't hold their urine anymore, huh?" She asked, looking over the top of the car at Wilson.
He pointed at her. "Keep the snark in check, or I will shove you back in the car, and drive you back to the house. And if that doesn't work, I'll call Steve and tell him what you are up to, and leave it in his hands."
She stuck her tongue out at him, shutting the door. "Well, let's get this over with."

It was amazingly easy to gain access to the home. Either because it was a place for people to die, or because no one cared. Brooklyn wasn't sure which was the truth. And in all honesty, she didn't give a shit. No one asked them for identification. No one asked them to prove that they were allowed in the building. Wilson just walked up to the front desk, signed in, and asked for the room number for Peggy Carter.
She held her arms tight against her, taking shallow breaths as they went down the halls. The scent of urine and death was heavy. She paused outside a room, where an wrinkled and gray man sat weeping in a chair, while a nurse stood over him, her arms folded across her chest. She stood, her heart breaking, as she watched him. He turned his head, and his blue eyes, thick with age, looked at her, as he continued to sob.

Wilson came up, looking where she was, before putting his hand on her shoulder. "This way, Queenie."

She let her eyes linger, one last time, before following Wilson to a door, where he knocked.

A soft summons to enter had her reaching for the door, and Wilson stopped her.

"Maybe I should come in with you?" He asked, frowning. "Just... to be safe?"
"I'm not gonna kill her, Wilson." Brooklyn sighed, shaking her head. "I'm just going to talk to her. That's all. A little friendly chat between former colleagues."

"Yeah." Wilson snorted. "Just a chat."
Brooklyn rolled her eyes, pulling off her messenger bag, holding it out to him. "Here. This should put your mind at ease. No weapons, no nothing. Just me."
"That's enough." He sighed, taking the messenger bag. "Alright. Don't... just..."
"I won't kill her, Wilson. I don't know how many times, how many ways I can say that. I just want to talk." Brooklyn reached up adjusting her collar. "How do I look?"
"Beautiful." Wilson shook his head. "Don't make me have to explain to Steve that you... did anything."
"I won't!" She shook her head, reaching for the door. "Just.. stay here. I'll be back in a bit."

The room she entered was higher class than some of the ones she and Wilson had passed in the hall. Thick carpet cushioned her feet, as she made her way tot he bed. Nice wall paper, a window over looking a garden, hell, even the furniture indicated this was one of the more upscale rooms.
And nestled in the bed, her grayed and thinning hair haloed around her head on the pure white pillows, was Peggy Carter, former director of SHIELD, and the woman who had overseen some of the worst of the things that had happened to Brooklyn growing up.

Her eyes, while a little hazy with age, were still bright with intelligence. That, at least, hadn't faded. Brooklyn wondered how much of the Alzheimer's was real. It would be something a woman like Peggy would do, if only to make herself seem like she was no longer a threat to the intelligence community. If the person couldn't remember, she couldn't spill secrets.

She smiled, slightly, as Brooklyn came closer to the bed.

"Victoria... or do you prefer I call you by Brooklyn?" She cocked her head slightly, her voice still as accented as Brooklyn remembered. "That is what you go by now, isn't it?"

"It was always my name." She shrugged, stopping at the foot of the bed. "Time hasn't been kind to you, has it?"
"I got old." Carter's face twisted. "You didn't."
"I wasn't allowed to." Brooklyn corrected, folding her arms across her chest. "I always thought I would be the one to put you in your grave. But I don't' have to. Nature is gonna do the work for me. Bit disappointing."
"You aren't here to kill me?" Carter's eyebrows raised. "I never thought I would live to see the day when you would restrain yourself. Your body count... I don't think anyone in SHIELD ever topped it."
"Well, what can I say. The love of a good man has made me see the other side of things. These days, I just prefer to yell at someone, rather than stab them in the eye." Brooklyn turned her head, taking a deep breath. "I am learning to take the high road. It's difficult, given the years of training and how I was pushed to make that my first option. But... it's happening."
"Does this 'good man' know what you are? What you were made for?" Carter asked, coughing slightly, before struggling to sit up. "Does he know that you are soaked in blood?"
"He does." Letting go of herself, Brooklyn looked at her left hand. "He even asked me to marry him, knowing all of that."
"A fucking saint, then." Carter sneered. "So, if you aren't here to kill me... why are you here?"
"To tell you that I won." Brooklyn held up her left hand. "You know how put this ring on my finger? Do you know who loves me so much, that he is willing to put his reputation on the line, and let me claim him as my husband?"

"Whoever he is, he's an idiot. You'll never be able to suppress it forever." Carter declared. "You'll always be the weapon, the future mother of generations."
"Yeah, he is an idiot. But he's mine." Brooklyn smiled. "Steve likes it, though. He's happy to be mine."

Carter blanched. "Steve? As in Rogers?"
"I am going to be Mrs. Steve Rogers." Brooklyn smiled wider, proud. "I am going to marry that man, and make his dream of a family, of a happy life, come true."
"He won't do it." Carter denied. "He won't marry you. Not after I tell him everything you've done!"
"He knows." Dropping her hand, Brooklyn looked at the ring again. "He doesn't care. He loves me. He wants to build that life, with me. He loves me."
Carter laughed. "They all love you, until they get to know you. Trust me. My husband was the same way. He loved me. And then I started making the choices that were needed, and suddenly... he loved me a little less."
"That's you." Brooklyn took a step forward. "You are not me. You will never be me. And I will never be you."
"Then why are you here?" Carter coughed again. "Because it cannot be to ask my permission."
"I told you. You lost. I will outlive you. I will outlive everything you allowed them to do to me." Brooklyn put her hands on the foot of the bed. "And I will do it with the man who you tried to take control of. Because can you honestly look me in the eye, and tell me you would have let him take control of your relationship? That you would have been able to keep him, once he knew the deal you made with HYDRA?"

Carter glared at her. "He would have been mine. He would have followed my orders! He knew the chain of command."
Brooklyn burst out into laughter, the absurdity of the statement Carter had made driving it. "Oh, god. You didn't know him, at all? All that time with him! The years, during the war! And you NEVER KNEW HIM!!! Meanwhile... I knew him less than a three months... and knew more about him. I knew what he liked, I knew what his dreams were. I knew that all he has ever wanted, his entire life, besides trying to always do the right thing, is a family of his own. And he doesn't care how that family is built. You think he would have bowed his head to you? He would have blindly followed orders? He gives orders. You think he would honor the chain of command? I'm a fucking Queen, and he still brings me to my knees! He never would have been yours. Not really. And especially never once he knew what you had done to his best friend." Brooklyn straightened, still chuckling. "You act like he was a weapon you could have wielded. Like you did me. When he is the one who would wield the weapon. When he is the one who would decide how much power you would ever have."
Carter looked at her, horrified realization on her face. "You spread your legs for him, you stupid slut!"
"Not stupid." Brooklyn shook her head. "And I am only a slut for him. He has been the only man to ever touch me, and if I have my way, he will be the only one, ever."
Carter started laughing. "You thought you had a choice, didn't you? You chose him, right? God, you are so fucking stupid. Why do you think I had you put on those suppressors? Huh? I knew what would happen! I saw it! With Steve!"
"What are you cackling about, you British bint?" Brooklyn snapped, tired of the back and forth.

"Zola infused you with Steve's blood. I hid the paperwork, burned it, when he told me he had a sample and had put it in you. Then you started... collecting followers, around the place, right about the time you started puberty. And I knew, you were showing the same signs Steve did. God, those stupid whores would follow him everywhere, loose legged and wet knickered, just hoping he would lower himself to rut on them." Carter gave her a disgusted look. "Where do you think it came from? Huh? There was nothing in your makeup that would indicate you would be able to do that!"
"Zola put Steve's blood in me, and that is why I produce the pheromones." Brooklyn repeated, slowly. "Well, what do you know."
"It's a little different, isn't it? When you know you aren't in control of your own body?" Carter looked triumphant, and Brooklyn felt a wave of sympathy for her, the poor miserable woman. "Guess the wedding is off, isn't it?"

"No." Brooklyn shook her head. "But it makes a lot of sense, really. I imagine he knows. And he didn't tell me. Most likely so we wouldn't go through what we did, back in January. He wouldn't take that risk, again. Not now. So, that tracks. Steve would do whatever he had to, to make sure I didn't leave him. It's a flaw of his, unfortunately. Right next to the fucking idiocy he often displays."
Carter clearly didn't like that her ploy didn't work. "He'll still leave you. You're the daughter of his best friend! It cant ever work."
"It will work, because we will make it work." Brooklyn folded her arms again, starting to get bored. This wasn't going how she had planned. Granted, she hadn't really done much planning before coming here. "We want to make it work. That is why it will. My Papa... he'll come around, once he sees how much Steve loves and cares for me. That type of love? I'm pretty sure its the kind they write the stories about. The songs, the movies... all of that. That is our love. Just... a little harder, than most. I mean, when he gets in the mood? Oh, god... hours and hours of sex. The man has stamina that, as I understand it, most men just never achieve. And he's mine. I own him. He belongs to me. And after I marry him... I'll belong to him."
Brooklyn cocked her head, staring at the old, dying woman before her. The scent of death was rolling off of Carter. It wouldn't be long, really, before this demon of hers would be dead and buried. It left a bad taste in Brooklyn's mouth that she would most likely be buried with honors, all the mourners believing she was such an upstanding woman.
"And you will die, before too long." Brooklyn continued. "So, I just want you to know.... if it's the last thing I do on this earth, I will burn everything you have ever done, and expose you for the monster you really are. Your grandchildren will never grow up hearing about 'brave Peggy Carter'. Instead, they will be told 'don't tell people about Grandma'. I will drag your shame to the light, and let the press and haters pick it apart, and display it like the pictures on your nightstand. The whole world will know the deals you made with HYDRA to gain your power, all in the name of 'protection'. That is my promise to you."

"He won't let you." Carter coughed again, narrowing her eyes at Brooklyn. "Steve won't let you destroy the memory of a dead woman. And I will always have that part of him, first."
"Yes." Brooklyn nodded. "You will. But I will burn that out, eventually, as well. I imagine, once he sees how the world starts to view you, it'll blow away in the wind. Ashes to ashes, and all that, right?"

She turned her head, looking at the door. Wilson had to be getting antsy by now.

Carter sneered. "I should have made sure you were dead, after that last mission you never came back from."
"It might have been better." Brooklyn allowed, nodding. "But you didn't. I meant less to you than a lost sock in the laundry. Which, by the way, how the hell does that happen? I swear to god, I know I put five pairs of Steve's socks in the laundry, and yet when I pull them out of the dryer, there's always one sock missing. I can't figure it out."
Blanching, Carter stared at her. "He's living with you?"

"Yeah. The past few months. He really likes it. I guess that's one of the reasons he wants to get married. We work together. Really well. He's happy." Brooklyn raised an eyebrow at Carter. "I mean, so fucking happy. He likes waking up, having breakfast, going off to his office, then coming home and having dinner, messing around, and then going to bed, every night. He likes the normality. We both crave it, I think, after everything we both have been through."

"You'll never be able to keep him. He'll realize the monster you are. Then he'll turn on you." Carter started coughing harder. "Then... he'll... he'll... turn you over... and you'll... do what you were meant to do."
The older woman broke off into a fit of coughing, hacking harder and harder. Brooklyn stood there, watching her, as she gasped for air, her wrinkled and liver spotted face turning red, her hazy eye watering, until she broke off, gasping for air. Part of her wondered what she would do, how she would explain it, if Carter dropped dead in that moment. The other part of her didn't give a shit.

Carter heaved as deep a breath as she could, sighing, before lifting her head and looking at Brooklyn, blinking. There was a moment, and if Brooklyn hadn't been watching her so intently, she would have missed it, where her eyes sharpened before she blinked and went hazy again.

"Don't try it." Brooklyn snorted.

"Pardon?" Carter asked, in a polite voice.

"I said, don't try it. Don't try to pretend that you had a little episode." Brooklyn sneered. "Even Steve is a better actor than that. You know perfectly well who I am. And what I am. And why I'm here. So, don't try to pretend otherwise."

"Why are you here? Really?" Carter asked, flopping back on the bed, apparently tired.

"I just had to see you, as you are now. Not like how I remembered in my head. I needed to replace it." Brooklyn looked down at her hand, before bringing it up again. "And to tell you that I won. Despite everything you did to me, or tried to do to me. Even with as hard as you tried to push me down, I rose up. I got out. I'm living my life, with a man who loves me. A man who... worships me. And would do anything for me. I am going to go on with my life, and live it. A long, long life. And you are going to lay in this bed for the rest of your life, pissing and shitting yourself, gasping for air, until one day... you can't, anymore. And while I may never do anything in my life worthy of the history books? One day, your name will fade, and you will be nothing but a line in a book, or a question on a quiz show. You didn't win. I did. That's why I'm here."

"So you won. Congratulations. If you did, It's only because I pushed you to." Carter coughed again, before letting out a small groan. "At least get me a drink of water."
"I don't take orders from you. I don't owe you anything." Brooklyn took a deep breath. "But I will go to your funeral. I will wear the most revealing red dress I can find. And once they put you in the ground? I will dance on your grave. That is what I owe you."
"Disrespectful little cunt." Carter sneered at her weakly. "Get out of here, if you aren't going to help me."
"Yeah, I should leave." Brooklyn turned and headed for the door. "Steve promised me a surprise, later tonight. Something to do with lube. I can't wait."
She opened the door and strode through, shutting it quietly behind her. She had been so tempted to slam the door, but in the end, there was no need.

What she had told Carter was true. She had won. She would outlive her. She would dance on her grave, in the prettiest red dress she could find. Maybe even dance with Steve.

It was a petty reaction, to be fair.

But Brooklyn felt like being petty.

Even as she took a deep breath, outside of the door, she opened her eyes, and smiled at Wilson, who looked like he was on the verge of a nervous break down. How the hell someone who flew god knew how many combat missions in that little bird outfit of his, not to mentioned joined a fight against her father, and had decided to sign back up to the fight by joining the Avengers, was still able to be nervous, she didn't' understand. But then again... Wilson was a small man, playing in a world of Gods. She could forgive him for that.

"All good?" Wilson asked, coming over to place a hand on her shoulder.

"All good." She nodded, suddenly feeling... lighter. Like she had put a heavy burden down. "Actually, better than good. I mean, I need to talk to Steve... but, nothing too big, really."
"Yeah, you're gonna have to talk to Steve." Wilson groaned. "I mean, the new girlfriend having a chat with the ex? Not gonna make him happy."
"No. It was the fiancee telling the old flame that she is now... and forever, irrelevant." Brooklyn shrugged, reaching for her messenger bag. "Shall we go? I want to get back before Steve and Juliana do. I don't want him to think you and I ran off to do something we aren't supposed to."

"Not like we already did that." Wilson muttered as he followed her down the hall. "He's gonna have my ass. This was such a bad idea."
"She's alive, Wilson. Calm down." Brooklyn laughed. "I didn't even touch her. Not once."

He groaned again, shaking his head. "Steve is gonna have my head."
"No, he won't." Brooklyn assured him. "It'll be fine."

It was not fine, as she told him. Steve was, in fact, upset she had gone to talk to Carter. He didn't understand why she felt the need to both go see Carter and go behind his back to do it.

She sat on the bed in the spare bedroom of Wilson's house, and explained that she wasn't able to confront many people from her past. Carter was still alive. She could tell the woman face to face what she needed to. And yeah, she wanted to rub it in the woman's face that she was going to marry the man who had both of them in knots. She left out how she had promised Carter to dance on her grave, and to attend her funeral in a red dress. She was sure that Steve would not be amused by that.

Then, she took a deep breath, and asked about the pheromones.

Brooklyn watched as Steve entered full panic mode.

He was honestly terrified she was going to leave him, because of it.

He explained that Banner had told him, after Juliana's sickness. How he had begged the doctor to not tell her, because he had been frightened she would react the way he had, when they had been told about hers. That Banner had told him how she came to produce the pheromones. And that despite everything, he loved her, and didn't want to lose her.

Brooklyn could have done many things, she knew. She could have thrown his engagement ring in his face, called him a thousand insulting names, or even kicked him out of the bedroom. Hell, she could probably have beaten the shit out of him. And he would have taken it all, as his due. He would have felt that she was well within her right to do all of that, and more, because of what he had kept from her, especially after telling her god knew how many times that he only wanted honesty between them.

Instead, Brooklyn took a deep breath, stood from the bed, and came over to him, wrapping her arms around his waist and resting her head on his chest, listening to his heartbeat.

"It doesn't matter." She told him. "I love you. You belong to me. And in June? I will take legal ownership of you."

His arms held her so tight, she was worried she would squeak. "I love you. So fucking much, Babydoll. Thank you. I'm sorry. I should have told you."
"I understand. It's in the past." She closed her eyes. "I'm trying to put so much in the past. Let's put that there, too."

Steve took a deep breath, letting it out. "Okay. Thank you."

"The past is the past. For both of us." She listened to the comforting sound of his heart thumping in his chest. "Let's work to keep it that way."

A/N: HAPPY BIRTHDAY STEVE!!! Vote and comment!