Sorry for the late update AAAAH, had a lot going on for the past week. Here it is though, hope you like it. -F

He felt a sharp tingling sensation on his right cheek.

Before he could even think about what it was, he already saw Peggy's hand form into a knuckle and that was directed at him. The impact caused him to stagger and he moaned, letting out an "Ow!". His hand moved to his cheek and that gave him the confirmation. He had just been punched by the love of his life. It took him a few seconds to respond to this, for it all happened so fast.

"'The hell did you do that for?" Steve frowned at her.

Agent Carter straightened her uniform and ran her fingers through her hair in a swift motion. Once she did so, she gave him a stern look. "That's for making me say that you were dead."

"I di-" He started to say but stopped himself as soon as an image recurred his mind.

Around that time he was touring around the Captain America Exhibit in Washington, D.C., located in the Smithsonian Air and Space museum. He was inside one of those small museum rooms with a projector flashing on the wall.

"That was a difficult winter," Peggy's face flashed on the screen. The subtitle on the upper bottom shows, "Agent Peggy Carter, SSR" meanwhile on the lower half, "New York, 1953". She wasn't looking directly at the audience; it was someone else. Steve watched, his eyes full of sorrow. "A blizzard had trapped our battalion behind the German line." She went on. "Steve, Captain Rogers, he fought his way through a HYDRA blockade that had pinned our allies down for months."

Giving a small sighed, she went on further. ""He saved over a thousand men. Including the man who would become my husband, as it turned out." He remembered how his heart still ached at that very moment that word husband was said, despite having to visit the museum whenever he had the chance. Opening the compass and having a glimpse of her picture added even more to the pain that he had felt. Losing her was the most depressing thing that has ever happened to him back then, besides from losing his best bud. "Even after he died, Steve was still changing my life."

Right after he recalled everything, he noticed that the once Agent who stood at him with such authority was now bawling her eyes out. Peggy glared at him, her eyes all swollen and red.

"Hey, hey..." He moved towards her, reaching out his hand to touch her cheeks overflowing with those tears.

All of a sudden he felt a grip on his arm and it was turned, a force pinning it down on his dorsal. Steve could only wince at the jolt of pain.

"This is for scaring the shit out of me." She snapped at him.

"Ow! Language!" He replied through gritted teeth.

She even pinned it harder. When Steve was already whining out loud, she let him go, satisfied with it.

"Thank you." The Captain panted, turning once again to her.

"How did you even manage to be," Peggy stifled a laugh, throwing her hands in the air and still crying . "Oh, I don't know... alive for so long without even telling me?"

"I can explain–"

"What's going on here?" A voice echoed, just a few steps away.

Steve cocked his head and recognized the source of the voice walking towards them. That poise when he entered the room and the way he held his chin upright to show his arrogance. Steve couldn't help but smile. Howard. He and Tony were really similar in a way.

Howard frowned as he walked up to him.

"You," He started, examining him from head to toe. "look slimmer."

Steve laughed. "Is that all you wanna say to me, Stark?"

"Well no, there are other few things too." He chuckled and pulled the captain in a hug then sealed it with a quick pat on the back.

"We fished you out of the sea, Cap." The scientist went on after pulling away. "But what really confuses me is how you got out."

"Look," Steve glanced at Peggy who still has her arms crossed and is listening in on the conversation. "I would love to explain everything but right now I gotta get this stone back otherwise–"

"Wait, what kind of stone?" Howard interrupted.

"The blue one." replied Steve.

The two frowned at him, exchanged glances with one another and then looked at him again. Steve recognized their look and sighed.

"The blue one. The one that controls space. The one that fell into the ocean when I dove the whole thing into the water?" He said, waving his hands and about.

Howard thought about it for a moment and then snapped his fingers. "Ah! The cube. Yes, I stored it here somewhere." He then started to walk. "Very dangerous. High levels of gamma."

"Yes." Steve nodded.

Howard stopped to find something on the ground; a hammer and a briefcase.

"What's all this?" He asked.

Steve sighed once more. "That's Thor's." He said, pointing at the hammer. "And," Then, pointed at the briefcase. "That's where the stone is being held."

"I was searching this for weeks now only for you to tell me that it was in your possession?!" Howard turned to him now, suddenly all furious. "How did you even manage to find this place and get it from here?"

"We needed the stone." Steve replied, calmly.

"Needed the stone? For what?" The scientist shook his head in disbelief. "You know what it does to people, Cap. You know that it turns genius minds into a complete lunatic and makes you want to dominate the whole goddamn world! Use it for what–"

"Howard." Peggy chimed in. "You know Steve. He wouldn't use the cube for his own personal ambitions."

Steve looked at her and gave her a smile. She gave him a look instead that says, We need to talk later.

"You're right." Howard considered before calming down and picked up the briefcase. "It's in S.H.I.E.L.D.'s possession now and that's the only thing that matters." He then scrutinized the briefcase and nudged the locks. Once it popped open, he felt relieved to see the stone. After closing it, he turned to the Captain once more. "I don't know how you managed to get the core itself but now I need to build a safe container for it."

"Do what you have to." Steve shrugged. "It's all yours."

Once they were finished talking, Peggy went up to him and touched his arm. "Are you free to have a chat sometime later or do you need to go somewhere else again?"

Steve kept his smile. "No, I'm right where I want to be."

"Was I supposed to blush?" The agent remarked at him and rolled her eyes.

"Cap, I found your uniform by the dumpster, by the way." Howard walked up to them again. "And it appears you used the poor man's uniform."

Steve couldn't recall anything until he gestured at the name tag. The Captain's expression changed. "Right... I have to give this back to Dennis." He laughed.

"Poor guy." Howard shook his head and approached them once more. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have to finish this thing that I'm working on." He finished with a wink. "Peggy."

She smiled and nodded.

"Steve." He patted him on the shoulder. "God, you're tall."

The two watched as the scientist made his way out of the room.

The room went silent as the footsteps faded away in the distance. The door was closed shut. The only thing that Steve heard was the continuous beating of his heart as he couldn't believe that he's now standing beside the woman of his dreams. All of the years of sorrow went away as soon as he and her spoke. He knew exactly then that he would never let her go. How could he? She's the right partner.

He stared at his shoes and felt a smile forming on his lips. He knew what he wanted to do next. The only thing he's dreamed of saying after they've had their first kiss but couldn't do because of how vulnerable time was on their side.

They faced each other.

He has to say it.

He needs to say it. There and then.

"So, what about about the hammer?" He heard her say.

"The hammer..." Steve frowned. He could only focus on her eyes; oh how he loved staring at those eyes. It kept nagging at the back of his mind; the thought of asking her but he really couldn't for some reason. It seems that there's something that he's forgetting-

"Steve!"

The Captain blinked.

Peggy had just given him a look that says, What are you doing? and he noticed that her palms were also intact which means she must've clapped to get his attention.

"Yes, the hammer?" She asked, looking at him in the eye sternly. "The one that you dropped and was obviously not metal from around here?"

Steve thought about it for a moment and then when his eyes started wandering, he caught sight of Mjolnir resting by the supposedly container for the Tesseract. He thought Howard took it as well. He must have been so engrossed in this moment. Of meeting her again.

"Oh right, the hammer." He cleared his throat sheepishly. "I'm taking it with me again."

Steve went over to pick up the hammer and walked back again to where he was standing. Peggy straightened herself once more and cleared her throat as well. "Well, I guess I'll see you later then."

He only smiled at her.

She gave him a smile as well and was about to walk once she turned, her heels making a sound in doing so but was stopped abruptly when something touched her by the arm. She cocked her head in the direction of where she was touched and yes, it was still him, fingers holding it. He stared at her as if he was about to say something else and so she urged him to get on with it by releasing her arm and facing him once more.

"Yes, Steve?" She asked simply.

"I-" He immediately removed his hand and then shook his head, frowning. "Where are you going?"

"To fulfill my daily obligations as an agent." She frowned. "Why? Is there a problem?"

"No," He shook his head, and then chuckled. He must've been conscious of his actions. "I- I, um, just wanted to ask, you know to clarify things and all that, where'd you wanna meet up?"

"Ah," She smiled. "There's a diner somewhere nearby, just a walk from here. It's called Millie's."

"Okay, okay," He chuckled, running his fingers just above his nape again. His other hand felt for the pocket of the pants. Good thing he didn't forget to bring it along with him when he swapped his clothes. It was there, as he instantly remembered what he was supposed to do. Not yet. There's still something that I have to do. "I have to talk to you about something."

"Do tell." She agreed. "You need to explain to me a lot of what's going on."

"Yeah," He could only agree.

All in the right timing.

"Well," She continued. "If that's your only concern, I'm heading out now. Is that alright?"

"Yes! Yes, absolutely." He looked really embarrassed.

"6 pm on the dot." She gave him one last smile. "And don't you dare be late."

All of it recurred to him once he heard those words. He felt a twinge in his chest but only for a quick moment as the images flashed in his mind. This was the second time that she said it. He didn't want to mess up anymore.

"I'll be there this time," He gave her a nod, smiling still.

"I know you will, Steve," She replied, trying as hardest as she could not to let him hear even just a tiniest bit of her voice cracking. It was time for her to go on about her duties and so she walked away after that and left behind a man holding back his tears of joy all this time, holding Mjolnir on one hand.