"What are the odds we can pretend we misheard that?" 

Margaret Carter was an exemplarily woman. She dazzled and rendered speechless everyone who crossed her path. A role model for women everywhere. She broke the barrier. Proved women could be as powerful, tough, and take leadership as a man could. 

Casey prided herself on the honor to know her. 

Back in D.C., where Peggy had been hospitalized, Casey met her one day while visiting the patients, having conversation instead of training at SHIELD. 

She accompanied Steve with Sam to London for the funeral. Steve hadn't spoke much since he walked out of the room during their meeting. Casey found him crying in the stairwell an hour later.  

Both dressed in black, Casey and Sam sat in the front row, waiting for the service to start. Steve would join the group in carrying her casket down the aisle. 

"How's he doing?" Casey quietly asked Sam on her right. The man creased his forehead. 

"The love of his life just died, how do you think he's doing, child?" 

Her face went monotone, "Gee, I didn't piece that together," she sarcastically hummed. "Has he talked to you about it at all?" She huffed. Her and Sam were too similar and often had literal conversations where they ended up bickering easily. 

Sam just shook his head. 

The procession started and the choir began singing and solemn hymn. Casey turned in her seat to see the large casket, coated in a red and white striped cloth with a bundle of white flowers on top. Six men, three on each side, lifted it onto the shoulders, carrying her in. Steve walked in front. 

Heartbroken, red eyes, he held his head high, taking the gentle strides to the front of the church, gently placing the casket at front. Steve turned to take his seat with Sam and Casey. 

The service carried on. Then the priest invited a familiar blonde to the podium for a few words. The agent posing as a nurse in Steve's building from D.C. She took to the podium, looking down to the familiar three on the bench up front. 

"Margaret Carter was known to most as a founder of SHIELD but I just knew her as Aunt Peggy," Sharon said, catching Steve's eye to see his reaction to learning her connection to his lost love. "She had a photograph in her office. Aunt Peggy standing next to JFK. As a kid, that was pretty cool. But it was a lot to live up to. Which is why I never told anyone we were related.

"I asked her once how she managed to master diplomacy and espionage in a time when no one wanted to see a woman succeed at either. And she said, "compromise where you can. But where you can't, don't. Even if everyone is telling you that something wrong is something right. Even if the whole world is telling you to move it is your duty to plant yourself like a tree, look them in they eye and say "No, you move.'" 

Everyone cleared out when the service ended. Steve hadn't moved from his spot. He continued to stare at the picture of Peggy propped up at the front. Casey and Sam exchanged a look when they realized he wasn't ready to leave anytime soon. The blonde gave a small nod she would hang back. 

"She was beautiful," She spoke up, walking back towards the front. Steve remained unfazed at her sudden presence. 

"She was," he quietly agreed. 

She lightly laughed, "She loved you so much. When I was training in D.C., and would sneak off, I ended up at the hospital one day. I don't know why. But I went to talk to people all alone, and I found Peggy," she recalled. Her and Steve had crossed paths one day during one of her excursions to the hospital and then hours later they witnessed Nick Fury die, so they thought at the time. "All she wanted was to tell me stories of a scrawny kid who surprised everyone during base training."

A faint smile grew on his face, "She said 'scrawny?'" 

"No, I'm calling you scrawny," Casey revealed, making him laugh. "I'm sorry. I know you're hurting," she mumbled. One of her abilities was empathetically connecting with people she cared about. It was great when everyone was happy and having a good time together, and only made her happier. But days like these, it was a knife to the heart. 

She placed a light hand on his shoulder and the man finally stood up, turning around to wrap the girl in his arms. 

She wrapped her arms around his shoulders, feeling the heartache in his chest. She looked up, seeing a familiar red head over Steve's shoulder. Casey pulled away, giving Steve on last smile, "I'll see you at the hotel," she told him. 

Cap turned seeing Natasha. Casey shared a hand squeeze with Nat as they passed by each other. She wasn't expecting her to show up. 

In the lobby to the church, Sam was still waiting with a bitter look on his face. 

"What's wrong?" Casey asked, walking out into windy London. 

"Natasha didn't tell you?"

She frowned, "No, she's in there for Steve."

"Stark, Rhodey, and Vision all signed."

Her heart dropped. Tony wasn't surprising, but none the less disheartening. She hoped he would see it her way. Even though they had made a lot of tragic mistakes, losing control over the team could be disastrous. 

"She's heading to Vienna to sign," he added. 

"Oh," Casey mumbled, staring empty at the concrete under them as they moved along the sidewalk. "And your–"

"No way in hell signing it," he intercepted. 

"And thank god for that."

Back at the hotel, Casey was starting to tear the formal dress off and get back into something comfortable to sulk in. While wrapping her hair in a bun, Sam began pounding on the door. 

"Casey, get out here!" 

She bit the bobby pin between her teeth, pinning her hair up as she walked out into the main room. Sam was watching the TV. There was a bombing. In Vienna. 

"Oh my god," she gasped, knowing Nat was there. She fumbled for her phone. No answer. "She's not answering."

"I'm sure she's fine," Sam quickly responded. "They haven't named her in the body count."

A horrified look pasted on her face, "Body count? Seriously, Wilson?" 

Sam sighed, "Look, can't you feel if someone is in pain? What's she feeling now?"

"That's more of an emotional thing," Casey corrected, dialing Nat's number for the third time. 

"...released a video of the suspect who they have identified as James Buchanan Barnes, the Winter Soldier."

Their faces went white hearing the news anchor speak. Slowly, they turned to look at each other. "What are the odds we can pretend we misheard that?" Casey asked. 

"Not great."

Casey groaned, throwing her phone down on the couch. "We gotta find Cap," Sam said. 

The girl nodded, "Okay, you try to reach him, I'm going to look for him," Casey said, grabbing the random coat lying on the front table and running out the door to the elevator. 

No one had seen Bucky since D.C. They looked and looked. Steve was convinced he was awake, meaning he was conscious of himself and was starting to remember everything HYDRA washed out of him. She wanted to be supportive for Steve. But she was only 13 then and the Winter Solider tried to kill her so she wasn't super eager to find him again. 

The elevator opened in the lobby. Casey gasped gratefully to see Steve and Sharon in front of her, waiting for the elevator. "Oh, thank god," she cried, not wanting to run through London searching for him. "You need to come upstairs, now."

Steve frowned worriedly. He got right into the elevator with Sharon and Casey jumped anxiously waiting for the box to arrive back on their floor. 

"Tank, what's going on?" He asked. 

"Okay, okay," she breathed. "There was a bombing at the UN in Vienna. Nat isn't answering her phone," Casey explained. 

"She's going to be fine," Cap immediately promised. 

The door opened to their floor. Casey led the way back to the room, "As much as I love Nat, that's not the worst part..."

She opened the door. Sam turned, relieved she arrived back with Cap so quickly. Sam rewinded the news, hesitantly looking at Steve as he played it. 

"More than 70 people have been injured. At least 12 are dead, including Wakanda's King T'Chaka. Officials have released a video of a suspect who they have identified as James Buchanan Barnes, the Winter Soldier. The infamous HYDRA agent, linked to numerous acts of terrorism and political assassinations."

"I have to go to work," Shanon sighed, getting off the phone with her boss. 

"Can we get a ride?" Casey asked. Two heads turned to the young girl. She noticed them, "Oh, come on. We all know you're going to get involved," she said to Steve. 

✩✩✩

Hope you enjoyed :)

Next chapter will be more action packed.