Epilogue

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Peggy woke up slowly, and for a moment she wasn't entirely certain where she was. Then she felt her new husband's arms around her and smiled, remembering. One large hand slowly traced a path up and down her back, rumpling the silky fabric of her nightgown. The room was dark, although moonlight spilled in through the curtains; she guessed there must still be a few hours left before morning.

"Are you still awake?" she murmured sleepily, and his hand paused. When he answered, his voice was almost sheepish. "Yeah. Did I wake you up?"

Tipping her head back, she tried to look at his face through the darkness, snuggling a little closer. "You should be sleeping. I'll still be here in the morning, you know."

Steve's hand came up to reverently touch her curls, and she wondered for the thousandth time exactly how well he could see in the dark. "I know. It's just that you - us - this - it's incredible, Peggy. I don't want to miss a minute of it."

Peggy reached to cradle his cheek, the angle of his jaw prickly and warm beneath her palm. She kissed him, soft and sweet and slow, because he was her husband and she could. Steve tightened his arms around her, cherishing their new, tender intimacy, dizzy with the freedom of it.

"How'd I get so lucky?" he asked a little breathlessly when she pulled back, and her sleepy laugh made his heart leap. Then she nestled close, tucking her head under his chin with a contented sigh.

"Peggy?" Steve whispered after a minute.

"Mmm?"

"I love you."

He sounded so adorably bashful that Peggy melted, and gave up on the idea of sleep altogether. "I love you too, my darling," she told him softly, "so very much." With a rush of joy, Steve gathered her more securely against his heart, and she slipped her arms around his neck, unbelievable happiness trembling in every tender touch.

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The next morning, eating a very late breakfast in the hotel dining room overlooking Niagara Falls, Peggy laughed until she cried at the picture Pepper had sent her.

Steve looked up inquiringly, a smile spreading across his face in response to her amusement. Not that he needed much of an incentive to smile; he had been beaming ever since waking up to her soft weight in his arms and a vision of tumbled curls and warm brown eyes that fluttered open under his gaze. Watching his wife wake up, Steve had immediately decided, was the very best possible way to start a morning.

He scooted his chair closer to hers and boldly slipped his arm around her waist. With a glance up at his face, she leaned back comfortably against him, holding the screen so he could see it. Distracted by her nearness, it took him a minute before he could focus on it, but then he chuckled until heads turned at nearby tables.

The photo was of Steve and Peggy descending the steps behind the church with the rest of the Avengers grouped around them. That part was all very conventional, but everything else about the picture was pure chaos. Pepper had decided to reinstate an old tradition that would be familiar to the bride and groom, and it had backfired slightly.

Thor, hands scooped together, had been caught throwing a jet of rice straight into Bruce's surprised face. Apparently nobody had remembered to tell him that the rice was supposed to be tossed at the bride and groom. Natasha too, was breaking tradition, sneaking up on Sam with the evident intention of dumping a handful of rice straight down his back.

All the rest paled, however, in comparison with Clint and Tony. For them, the traditional wedding farewell had turned into a personal free-for-all. Tony had both hands full of rice, doing some kind of dramatic I-am-Iron-Man pose as he prepared to fling it in every direction imaginable while Clint, caught mid-leap, was directing a well aimed double-fisted barrage straight at the bride and groom.

Steve had his shield raised, deflecting as much of the rice storm as he could, and Peggy hung onto his other arm, pressing close to him as she ducked beneath its shelter. Somehow Pepper had captured the adoring, wonderful way Steve was looking at his wife, and the tender answer in her eyes as she smiled up at him.

"I think I'll be finding rice in my clothes for weeks," he commented wryly as she set the screen down. Peggy pursed her mouth, trying not to laugh again as she remembered the ridiculous amount of rice that had ended up in her hair and Steve's shoes. The floor of their room upstairs was speckled with it despite all their efforts to keep it neat.

"So what do you suppose will happen next?" she suddenly asked, looking up at him. "I mean, now that we're married and all."

Her face was close to his, and he very much wanted to kiss her, but they were in the middle of a public place and he wasn't quite certain how she would feel about that. Tearing his eyes away, Steve took her hand in his and tipped it back and forth so the jewel on her finger flashed in the light.

"I don't know what's ahead," he told her honestly, gently tracing the edge of her wedding ring with his thumb before looking back at his wife. "But whatever it is, I'm pretty sure we can weather it together. I've found the right partner, and I plan on sticking with her for life."

Peggy's face was shining, gloriously happy and proud, and suddenly Steve's heart overflowed with gratitude for this second chance that they had been given. Grinning boyishly, he pulled her closer, and she curled her fingers possessively around the front of his shirt. The look in her eyes made everything else fly out of his head as he clumsily tried to put into words the breathtakingly sweet things that he only dared whisper, ever mindful of the other patrons around them.

She didn't let him get very far, public place and curious patrons notwithstanding.

After that, Peggy had to borrow his handkerchief to wipe her lipstick off his mouth again, though they were both smiling so broadly that it was almost impossible. Their love was warm and strong and true, and together they thrilled at the wonderful hope of their new life, stretching out before them as far as they could see.

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THE END

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Thank you all for your support of Sarcophagus - I can't tell you how much it means to me.

If you enjoyed this, then whoever you are, whenever you're reading this, please drop me a line and let me know. It doesn't have to be much, but it makes me incredibly happy to hear from you - you have no idea how gleeful my smile gets.

Now go read my oneshot Keeping the Faith. It's set a couple weeks after the wedding, and it's got some nice Steve/Peggy feels. Consider it a tag of sorts, plus it ties off something Steve mentioned in Chapter Five.

Want more? I'm pleased to announce the sequel, Cradle, which has now been posted. It follows the adventures of Peggy and Steve up through Age of Ultron. And don't let the title fool you. I had my reasons for naming it that, and they're not what you're thinking.

Thanks, everybody! See you around!

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the storyline.