Peter Parker & The Avengers oneshots - 2

Long Time Secrets

Pt.2

The pair just stood watching one another for minutes or more, even though each second felt like an eternity.

"Pe- Peggy?" Steve asked once again, checking it was her name coming from his lips. Meanwhile, Natasha and Clint held the same expression whilst Peter held one as if he was ready for something to be thrown at him.

"I'm really here." She assured him before stepping forward. "You've not aged a day."

Steve felt his heart relax at her smile. "Niether have you."

That was when Clint stuck his hand up. "I'm sorry, but...can someone explain this to me? Because, if you haven't noticed...you're meant to be 70 or more now."

Peggy looked towards the semi-familar avenger before she stepped forward, placing her hands on the kitchen counter. "Yeah, well, that's what we've been trying to figure out."

"What? An anti aging cream?" said Clint before Natasha elbowed him in his side, shutting him up.

"I'd like to know how you're involved in all of this." Natasha said, looking towards Peter. Except, Peggy quickly intervined.

"Don't be angry at him." She spoke quickly, "I made him promise me he wouldn't tell anyone about me or this place."

"Why?" Steve asked her.

"Because, by doing so I've managed to uncover a lot more that any of you."

Peggy spoke bluntly, a side that Steve had always been fearful off, especially when it came to seeing what she could do to someone who provoked her. She was the only one, besides Natasha who scared him half to death.

Everyone was silent, allowing Peggy to explain how she'd gotten here and how she could possibly still be alive. "I was on a mission, in 52. Only meant to be small, and I took a small team with me. Turns out, it was bigger than anyone could have imagined. Even myself. But then, one of my men got captured, so I went to get them out. Until I realised, they'd already killed him before I got there and then some big tank thing started rattling behind them, and the next thing I know - I'm here. In this house before this kid comes running inside."

Steve looked towards Peter. "What was you doing around here?"

"I wasn't here." Peter told them, "I'd gone out since May was on a date with Happy, so I swung around the neighbourhood for a bit until Karen alreted me. It wasn't that far, so I went to check it out."

"So what happened after that?" Natasha asked, turning back to Peggy.

"I had to find out as much as I could. Thankfully, his girlfriend knew where to get the information and how to make sure no one saw me."

Clint looked towards Peter, except Peter gave no response back. "You have a girlfriend?"

"So how many people know you're actually alive?"

"Excluding you three? Just 3."

"3?" Steve questioned, "Who's the third?"

"May." Peter answered. Steve and the other just nodded. They could trust May, she'd take anything and everything to the grave.

"You said you've managed to uncover more than us." Natasha stated, "What do you mean?"

"Hydra?" Peggy asked rhetorically, "They're back. Every note you've been getting, there from me. Cut off one head, two shall take its place, turns out they actually believe that. And, I found out something else too, but you're not going to like it."

"We can handle it." Clint said, except Peggy shook her head.

"I wasn't talking about you two."

Slowly, she turned and looked towards Steve, but Steve just kept his head down. He knew what she was talking about.

"It's not a pretty site, Steve." She told him.

"Where is he now?"

"He was last spotted in Germany, heading towards Serbia." Peggy answered. "But that was months ago now, so he could be anywhere."

Steve just nodded. Peggy knew how this was crushing him. He'd already lost Bucky once, but this was worse. It was Bucky's body, but for all they knew, Bucky wasn't there anymore. Steve had seen a glimps of him on the helicarrier, but that was nearly 3 years ago now.

"Have you found out anything about Hyrda? Where they're located, next mission?"

Peggy nodded, pulling out a file from the kitchen draw. "Spain. Seems they wanted to take a slight vacation."

Handing the file over to Natasha, Peggy kept hold of it for a moment. "1976 records. Third shelf of the eleventh row. Everything you need to know is in there."

Natasha nodded in response, taking the file fully from Peggy's grasp.

"Why couldn't you reach out, Peg?" Steve asked her, wanting to know the full truth.

Peggy sighed. "Because I thought it would have been too tough, for both of us," she told him, "I was already trying to adapt to the new world and I already saw how much everything would have just been turned upside down."

Natasha looked around, reading the room before locking eyes with Peter. They both knew that the out of time lovers needed to talk alone, in private.

"We'll head towards HQ. Just call if you need us."

Leaving Peggy and Steve inside, Peter, Natasha and Clint all walked out. Peter hugged Peggy, kissing her cheek before he left. Somehow, Peggy had began to see Peter like a nephew to her since, once she landed in the future, May and Peter seemed to become her family.

Clint gave a little prostest in leaving since he wanted to find out more, but Peter managed to drag him back towards the car as Natasha closed the door.

She'd seen Steve and she knew how happy he'd been with Peggy and never once had she seen him as happy as he'd once been. Sure, he'd enjoyed hiself, but she could see it in his eyes. Peggy was his home, Bucky was his home.

She just hoped they'd both find a way to make up for lost time, and they did...