If I Burn (Avengers/Agent Carter Crossover)

Chapter 2

Everything was a blur. Peggy wasn't sure how she ended up in this apartment. One moment she was staring straight at. . . Steve? No. That couldn't be possible. She knew Steve was dead. This had to be some strange imposter. Maybe they gave this man plastic surgery of some sort to catch Peggy off guard. Perhaps they wanted war secrets from her. This unknown agency must have thought Steve Rogers would get to her. He was a dead man. Nothing could prove otherwise.

She kept her eyes closed to pretend she was still knocked out. There was a foul odor in the air, it smelled like sewer in a way that made Peggy want to crinkle her nose. A slight noise in the background signified talking. There were a few different voices. They spoke so softly Peggy couldn't understand what they were saying. One of the whispers sounded like the real Steve Roger's voice. It must have been some sort of recording. Her unknown enemy was going to great lengths to mess with her mind.

She moved both her hands. She expected some sort of jingle from handcuffs or rope tying her down, but there was none of that. She was completely free to move around. She opened her eyes and scanned the room. She knew where she was. Peggy and Howard had visited here mere months after Steve's death. It was Captain Rogers' apartment. Howard had brought drinks along and poured them both some as they went through Steve and Bucky's items. They took the more valuable ones for safe keeping and left everything else in place. Howard paid the rent every month so Steve would always have a home to go back to. Anger flared inside Peggy that these people were using Steve's home as some sort of hideaway.

A beautiful woman, bright red hair curled around her shoulders and a skintight black suit hugged her curves, walked towards Peggy. Behind her was the blond man Peggy had originally meant to arrest. He had said his name was Clive Barker? Clint Bassinet? Clint Barton?

"Are you alright?" A second woman questioned. Peggy shifted from where she had been placed. A spring pushed into her back and she sat up properly on the couch. She blinked away the black spots that crowded her vision.

This woman was just as pretty as the first. Long dark hair fell down her back, an ill-fitting black dress hid most of her body. She didn't see the fake Steve Rogers from her position. Instead of making it obvious she was looking for him, she kept her eyes on the dark-haired woman as she walked around the couch to stand with the other two.

"I would like some sort of explanation on why I'm here. You went to great lengths to create a fake Captain America. I'm quite impressed."

The three exchanged a look. They had some sort of silent conversation. Peggy didn't miss the way the dark-haired woman's eyes flashed red.

"I'm Natasha," said the redhead, "this is Clint and Wanda. We aren't holding you or forcing you to be here. We have a couple questions and then we'll try to answer any of your questions."

Peggy frowned. She did a second once over of this strange group of people. They seemed tired and ragged upon a closer look. She decided to listen to their questions.

"What's the date, including the year?" Clint asked. He seemed nervous.

"December 13th 1946," Peggy said, slowly.

Clint sank to the coffee table. He folded in on himself. Peggy had seen this before. It's how Chief Dooly's wife acted when they gave her the news of his death. It's how nearly anyone acted when they lost someone they loved. Natasha knelt next to him and rubbed his back, gently. Wanda blinked and closed her eyes. She took a deep breath and shakily exhaled. Peggy remained silent. There was a slight noise behind her. It came from where the bed was in Steve's one room apartment. Peggy knew it was their fake Steve. It made her feel sick to look at him.