Time. Yes, she supposed, they had time to spare finally, hopefully without threat of war or hostile subterfuge getting in the way. He was six steps ahead of her, like he’d played this game of chess a hundred times before and knew the best strategies while she was the novice playing with luck. Steve had always been hopeful, even in the darkest times when he’d lost Barnes. There had always been hope. Now, it seemed, hope was coming to fruition.
“I don’t want you abandoning him and your children for me, Steve. I don’t wish for anything to change, they’ll only resent me down the line for making it so. How old are they, your children?” she asked quietly. How long had he built a life with this other version of her? Had he seen her get older too?
Peggy couldn’t say it surprised her, not entirely, that he asked to love them both when neither alone was enough. It did cut her, that little part of her brain that wondered where this was all going to lead to – a heart broken, or a family mended but incomplete. She doubted she’d ever feel whole without her babies in her arms again. All she said to his question was a small, acquiescing nod. She was scared, in truth, but more so of losing him.
“I couldn’t bare it, you know,” she said quietly, reluctantly. “You’re all I have.”