1 month later, SSR Bunker:
"Johann Schmidt belongs in a bug house. He thinks he's a god, and he's willing to blow up half of the world to prove it, starting with the USA." Philips says. The others are at the large, circular, meeting table. Carter, Stark, Sousa, Rogers, and the other Commandos.
"Schmidt is working with powers beyond our capabilities." Stark explains. "He gets across the Atlantic, he will wipe out the entire Eastern seaboard in an hour." Rogers and Sousa continue look at the files in front of them.
"How much time we got?" Jones asks.
"According to my new best friend, under 24 hours." Philips says. Another Agent from the crowd asks where he is, and Philips explains. "Hydras last base is here. In the Alps, 500 feet below the surface."
"So what are we supposed to do?" Asks Morita, one of the Commandos. "I mean, its not like we can just knock on the front door."
"Why not?" Rogers asks. The whole room goes silent.
"He's right, why not? Maybe that's exactly what we should do." Peggy looks at Daniel, puzzled. He discretely reaches over and touches her hand.
"Not 'should do'. Thats what we're going to do." Steve says. And they set the plan into motion.
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2 hours later:
"Peggy! I got something I want to show you."
"What is it now, Howard? I'm rather busy at the moment." She says, reading over a file for the mission.
"I know, I know, I know. Just - come look!" She breaths a deep sigh and follows him. As they walk, she begins to hold her stomach. Although she is starting to see the bump, her uniform is tight and buff enough to hide it. She and Daniel have agreed to hide the child as long as possible, and when its not...they'll come clean to the military and run off till the baby is born. When it is, Daniel wants to stay home with him or her while Peggy works. Although shes tried to argue, he insisted.
"What is it that I'm suppose to be looking at ...?" She asks as they enter Howard's lab. She has an idea, but shes afraid of his answer.
"Well what does it look like? Its a crib."
"Yes, but....Why?" Peggy tries to calm her increased heart rate because of fear; fear of what he will say next.
"Do you really think I haven't noticed? The late nights and sneaking around to see Sousa. The running away and getting sick... AND the mysterious doctor visit? I'm a genius. Its not that hard to figure out that you're -"
"Stop." She closes her eyes and takes a deep breath. He looks away, ashamed.
"I'm not gonna tell anyone, Peg. I just...wanted to help out." She looks away for several moments, not knowing what to say.
"Thank you, Howard. We appreciate the thought. But..I'm barely 4 months along. We won't need it for some time, and even then...I- I don't know where to put it. I don't even have a home to place it." She sighs in defeat.
While she is happy to have this child with Daniel, she is also terrified. Not only is her career on the line, but they are not married, nor do they have a house together. There will be enough gossip wherever they go about them living together, let alone having a baby in the middle of a war.
"You'll find somewhere eventually." He says. "And besides, who cares what other people think. As long as you two are happy, that's all that matters." She looks at him, shocked. "Don't look so surprised. You're not married. People will talk about anything, you just can't let it get to you."
"Valued advice, thank you."
"Just off topic here..." Peggy turns to look at him. "You do know that, uh, the army does provide- I guess you can say...protection to prevent these kind of situation." She glares at him.
"Thank you, Howard again. We had absolutely NO idea that was an option." She says sarcastically.
"Well if you knew then why didn't you-" He stops and laughs. She looks at him confused. "I get it." He laughs again. "You did use it, but the serum is just to strong to-"
"Alright that's quite enough." She raises her hand to stop him.
"Agent Carter," She turns to the door as an agent speaks her name. "Everyone's prepping for the mission. Colonel wanted to let you know to get ready."
"Of course. Thank you." He leaves and she turns to Stark. "Thanks again, Howard, for the gift. I will be sure to tell Daniel all about it after."
"Wait what mission? Should you really being doing that while you're-"
"I'm perfectly fine. I will not stop doing my job until it is impossible to move. Now if you will excuse me, I have a mission to prepare for." She starts to walk away and then stops. "And before you say anything, yes Daniel does know I am going, and no I don't need his permission to do my job. I do what ever I damn well please and need no mans approval." And then shes gone.
"I was just gonna say good luck." He shakes his head. "Women..."
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Outside of Hydras Base:
"We all understand the plan?" Sousa asks.
"We're all good to go." Dugan says.
"I hate the fact that I'm the bait." Steve says.
"Well, you've been captured before. To them it'll be considered a win." And with that everyone gets into place. Rogers revs up his motorcycle and takes down soldiers, a tank, and drives up the wall and into the base. He fights soldiers left and right, but soon is encircled by fire and surrounded by other soldiers. Hes put in cuffs and taken to Schmidt.
"Arrogance may not be a uniquely American quality trait, but I must say, you do it better than anyone." Schmidt says as he walks to Rogers. "But there are limits to what even you can do, Captain. Or did Erskine tell you two otherwise?"
"He told us you were insane."
"Ahh. He resented my genius and tried to deny me what was rightfully mine. But he gave you and Sousa everything. Tell me, where is he at this moment?"
"Don't know. I just came here to avenge my friend." Schmidt snickers.
"Mhm. So, what makes you two so special?"
"I can't speak for Sousa, but for me? Nothing. I'm juts a kid from Brooklyn." The Red Skull gets furious and punches Rogers in the face and gut, and that makes him fall on his knees. "I can do this all day." He pants.
"Of course you can, of course. But, unfortunately, I am on a tight schedule." He pulls out a gun and aims it at Rogers head. But before he can pull the trigger, the commandos zip line through the window and shoot off rounds; while Sousa tosses his shield at Schmidt and hits him in the face. The room fills with shots fired as the Commandos and Hydra soldiers fight against each other.
"Sousa! Rogers! You two are gonna need these!" Dugan and Jones toss them their shields. They say their thanks and run after Schmidt.
"You go that way, I'll head in the other direction." Steve grumbles but agrees. Daniel takes the hall where Schmidt ran, and Rogers takes the one filled with soldiers.
"We're in! Assault team, go!" Morita shouts over the radio.
Colonel Philips gets the message and he, Agent Carter, and the rest of the SSR soldiers and Agents run into battle. The Commandos take the hall Rogers did and they all fight them off, one kill at a time. As the Allies move out into the field, Peggy runs along with them; trying to keep herself together. Shes shocked to see the advancements in Hydras weaponry. With each shot fired, a blue light hits a soldier, and they obliterate into nothing. She tries to stay focused and not get hit. They make there way into the Bunker by exploding the door. The Red Skull takes a gun from a dead soldier and starts to fire as he runs away.
"Cut off one head two more shall-" A soldier begins to say, but Philips kills him.
"Lets go find two more." He says as he and his army march deeper into the base.
Sousa continues to chase after the Red Skull and uses his shield to protect himself from the gun blasts. He tosses it against the wall and it stops as the door starts to close; keeping it held open. As a soldier advances toward him and uses the same flame thrower that encircled Rogers, he hides behind a wall. More shots are fired and Agent Carter kills him.
"Don't touch my man." She mumbles. Daniel looks at her and smiles.
"Peg!" He runs to her and lightly touches her stomach.
"We're fine. I promise." He nods his head and looks behind her, the others are still fighting.
"You're late, you know." Daniel says, she looks into his eyes and smiles.
"Sorry. Things got a little out of hand." He touches her belly once more and then Rogers shows up. He looks between them and notices Sousa's hand.
"What the hell?" He says. Peggy glares at him and looks at Daniel, placing her hand over his.
"Weren't you getting ready to...?" She gestures to the door.
"Right!" And he runs after Schmidt, Rogers follows him. SSR Soldiers shoot down the Hydra agents that were trying to board the airplane after the Red Skull. He places the tesseract in a secure box, sits in the pilot seat, and gets ready to take off. As the turbines start, and the engine goes, the Valkyrie starts to wheel out of the hanger. Sousa and Rogers chase after it, buts its no use.
"Now what?" Rogers says, looking around for another option; but that option drives up too them.
"Get in" Philips orders. He and Carter stole Schmidt's car. Daniel stands in the back with Peggy and Rogers gets in the front. Philips hits the accelerator button and the car takes off at full speed. They stand up and get ready to jump.
"Wait!" They both look down at Peggy. She reaches up, grabs Daniel by the head, and snogs him. "Go get him." Steve can't believe what he just saw...They both turn to the Colonel.
"I'm not kissing either of you!" Daniel looks at Peggy again.
"Yes ma'am," He replies with a smirk, and then they jump.
When they get on board and sneak on the ship, they notice the bombs on board labeled New York. They stop when they hear footsteps and run into Hydra operatives. Rogers jumps up onto the railing and kicks one of them, and Sousa takes his shield and jabs another in the throat. They continue to fight until 2 operatives try to board the small aircraft with the bombs. Sousa gets in one while Rogers jumps on it. He kills the two pilots and Rogers makes his way onto the Valkyrie again.
"Rogers! " Sousa radios.
"Go back to base! I got this!" He cuts it off and fights the Red Skull. Daniel debates on helping, but decides against it; he won't get himself killed and leave Peggy alone with the baby. To him hes done his part, now its up to Rogers not to screw up his. He lands back onto the hanger and runs to Peggy.
"Daniel?!" She runs to him and they meet in the middle. "What happened? Why are you-" He cuts her off and presses his lips to hers.
"I've done my part, Peg. We both have." He holds her close, with one hand on the baby. She laughs and holds him tight.
"Sousa! Wheres Rogers?" Colonel Philips interrupts.
He knows about their relationship, and about the baby, but he always kept it to himself. He didn't think it was worth the trouble of saying anything.
"He's still on the plane, sir. He's with Schmidt as we speak."
"Good, lets head back to the station and wait for him to radio back with Intel. Hopefully it doesn't all go to shit." Peggy laughs and nods as they walk there.
When they reach the command room Daniel sits down in a chair, and Peggy sits on his lap. While the other commandos are present in the room, the two love birds don't care. Everyone of them is aware they have something going on, and they've never questioned it; the only one who did was Steve Rogers. Peggy leans over and kisses Daniel.
"You came back to us..." She says as Daniel wraps his left arm around her waist and holds her, while his right holds her stomach.
"Did you ever doubt I would?" She bites her lips to hide her smile; but it doesn't work.
"Never." They snog again, but this time it isn't rushed by the need to stop a psychotic mad man from destroying America with his airplane. Instead they enjoy this small moment. There's a commotion outside and the Commandos leave the room to fight off and apprehend more Hydra soldiers.
"Come in. This is Captain Rogers. Do you read me?" Steve finally reached the radio.
"Steve? Where are you?" Sousa says over the intercom. Peggy shoves his shoulder and glares at him.
"Let someone else handle him." She whispers.
"Sousa. Schmidt's dead. He grabbed the tesseract and...He vanished into space."
"What?" Peggy looks at Daniel and takes over. "What about the plane?" She asks him
"Peggy..." She grumbles and groans when he says her name. Daniel holds her tight to calm her down. "That's a little harder to explain." She rolls her eyes.
"Give us your coordinates and we'll find you a landing site." Daniel keeps his left arm on Peggy's waist while he looks through the maps.
"There's not gonna be a safe landing." Daniel curses under his breath. "But I can try and force it down." Peggy looks at Daniel as if asking for help. He mumbles the word Stark. She nods her head and radios back.
"We'll get Howard on the line, he'll know what to do. He can help get it down."
"There's not enough time. This things moving to fast and its heading straight for New York."
"Hes right. There are bombs on the plane all labeled New York."
"I gotta put her in the water..." Steve says.
"Rogers are you sure there's nowhere around you where you can land? Maybe try getting out of there in the bombs. You could -"
"Wheres Peggy? I thought I was talking to her." She groans and takes the mic.
"Rogers-"
"Peggy! Thank god." She mumbles under her breath. 'I swear I'm going to kill him one day' Daniel hears and chuckles.
"I need you to know that this is my choice." 'Obviously.' she mumbles. "And that I'm gonna need a rain check on that dance..."
"What?" Peggy says, and Daniel looks at the mic.
"I know that you have a thing for Sousa... but maybe we can-" She cuts off the radio.
"Peggy. What-" She stops Daniel from speaking and kisses him.
"I don't 'have a thing' for you, Daniel. I'm in love with you." They continue to snog in the chair until Philips enters the room again.
"What in the hell is going on in here?" They explain that Rogers had to put down the plane and he couldn't get out in time to survive. He shakes his head and walks off, the only words the could hear are' dumb ass' , 'rogers', and 'damn Nazis'.
"I love you too, Peg."
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Several days go by, and not a word from Steve Rogers. Everyone in the SSR believed he was dead; and so did his comrades. The Commandos mourned him and Barnes at the Stork club, nursing their beers and bellowing their songs. The War wasn't over yet, but the enormous battle of Hydra was nearly won. There were still a few rats loose on the world from this gang of Schmidt followers; but the SSR was going to catch or kill every last one of them; including Agent Carter and Captain Sousa. Although Peggy Carter won't be able to fight for too much longer, she and her Captain will have another fight on their hands; a fight with a small being with both of their genetics.
Together they go to the Stork club, not to mourn like they others, but to celebrate. Celebrate a long battle won and for the family they are starting. Howard Stark presented the young lovers with a state of the art bassinet and crib, each equipped with an alarm to alert the two of them if anything is ever wrong with the baby. At first they were hesitant, but Daniel saw the benefits of it if the baby inherits the serum. Philips said he would vow for them and they can work as long as they want, but when the little one is born, one must go.
They dance and dance throughout the night, and although Peggy can't drink a real drink and Daniel can, he doesn't. Instead they enjoy their time together, talking and laughing and dancing. Around and Around he spins her, only for her to return to him. Her belly shows much more in her dress, but she doesn't care. She will build a life with the love of her life, and she couldn't be more happy about it. All of the Commandos said their congratulations, and begged to see the baby when its born; of course the two lovers agreed. The Howling Commandos are family. But tonight that family consist of only the three.
The Soldier and the Agent dancing and smiling all the while ignorant to the world around them. Her hand is in his while the other wraps around his neck, and his lays softly around her waist. They sway to the slow music surrounding them, bliss in this moment. What they are not aware of is the figure looming outside, watching their every move. And yet that's how they stay, until Peggy's legs get tired. She starts to walk away, but he grabs her hand and stops her. She turns to look at him, and finds him down on one knee...
"Peg." She gasps, and the entire room goes quiet; their fellow comrades watch intensely, waiting. Even Colonel Philips watches without making a sound. "So I know we've kind of done this backwards," She laughs, "But I don't care. From the moment I saw you on that field, radiating beauty, and then knock Hodge on his ass, I knew you were the one for me." She covers her mouth and wipes away her tears. "You have been...an idol rock for me and a nonstop supporter. No matter how many obstacles I faced, you were always there to talk me though it or to help me get there. I wouldn't be here if it weren't for you, Peggy. I love you with every fiber of my being. So..." He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a velvet box.
"Oh my God..." She says as she takes a deep breath.
"Margaret Elizabeth, Peggy, Carter. Will you do me the honor of spending the rest of your life with me as my wife?" She continues to cry happy tears and laughs. "Will you marry me, Peggy?"
For several moments the room is completely silent, no one makes a sound; not even the band. Everyone is waiting for her to answer. She gets down on her knees and kisses him with all her might.
"Yes!" And they kiss again.
"YEAH!!!" The Commandos all scream and clap. Although the Colonel doesn't shout, he does smile and clap his hands. Daniel lifts Peggy off the ground and and carries her out of the club. As they leave the Commandos all congratulate them and order more drinks to celebrate. Although this night was seemingly perfect for them, they were not aware of the man that was still watching from afar. He follows them to their hotel room and waits.
"How long were you planning on this!?" She asks, only briefly taking her lips from his.
"Maybe... a few weeks before you told me you were pregnant..?"
"Daniel!" He lays her down on the bad and sits next to her. "You've been waiting THAT long!?" He laughs.
"I'm sorry. I just...wanted to wait for the right time." They stare into each others eyes as she sits up. They lean forward and kiss until they are out of breath; only stopping for air and then returning to their love. For minutes they are in paradise, enjoying the time they have alone....until the door is kicked down.They jump out of bed and see a dead man.
"Rogers? How the hell-" Steve Punches Daniel in the face, and he falls back.
"Daniel!" She runs to him and looks at Steve. "How the HELL did you survive?"
"Doesn't matter. I just did. I came back for you. For our dance."
"Our Dance!?" She fumes. "What bloody dance? I told you I was never interested. The kiss with Daniel should have been a big enough hint for you to stop pursuing... WHATEVER its was you were pursing!"
"Move out of the way, Peggy." She steps in more and shields Daniel.
"NO." She stands her ground. He walks toward them and shoves her aside.
"Peg!" Daniel punches Steve in the gut and knocks the wind from his lungs. "Haven't you learned by now I'm stronger than you, Rogers?" As he holds his gut and Daniel uppercuts his jaw, and then he falls down. Daniel catches his breath and looks over at his fiance. "Peggy..." He runs to the bed and helps her sit up.
"I-I'm okay...We're fine.." She keeps a hand on her belly and looks at Rogers, who starts to stand up.
"Are you out of your damn mind! Who in their right mind would shove a pregnant woman?" Daniel shouts, his hand lays over hers to protect the baby.
"What?" Steve looks down and finally notices. He balls his fist and charges at Daniel. "That should be my kid... You took her from me!" Peggy reaches over into her bag and grabs her gun, then BANG! Steve backs away, shocked. She shoots again and again, until the chamber is emptied.
"I was never yours to begin with you sickly obsessed bastard." He stands there, holds his chest, and falls to the ground. "Enjoy your trip in hell." Daniel wraps his arm around her and hold her tight, the need to protect her and the baby overwhelms him.
"You okay?" He finally asks.
"Of course I am. I'm Peggy Carter" She cheeks, and he laughs. "Soon to be Peggy Sousa..." He stops breathing for a moment as the thought settles in his mind. She laughs at his pause and kisses him gently. "I can handle anything, Daniel. Especially with you by my side." They smile at each other and hold one another close.
Eventually Colonel Philips and the SSR are called. They inform them of Steve Rogers demise. He didn't die in the Valkyrie crash, but he did die by Agent Carter's hand. He had become violent, erratic, obsessive, he harmed her and tried to kill Captain Sousa; the love of her life and the father of her child. The serum was meant to amplify everything in the human body, the good and the bad. It seemed Steve Rogers was more bad than good. For the rest of the night the SSR worked on taking care of Rogers body, and the two lovers from war set out to enjoy the little family they had started.