Archive of Our Own

Steve took a deep breath before walking into the tall glass building that was in the heart of downtown Manhattan. It oozed expense and class in a way that had him feeling out of place in the well-worn (and only) suit that he owned. Normally he would have never even considered this firm, but Natasha had pulled strings to get him this meeting and Steve wasn’t about to give up this opportunity. Not when the most important thing in his life was at stake.

“You need someone, Steve,” Nat had told him over a glass of bourbon last week. “Someone good.”

“I can’t afford anyone, Nat. Especially someone good. That’s how I ended up here.”

Natasha stared at him for a few moments, and he could practically see the gears in her head turning.

“What?” he asked exasperatedly.

“I may have a solution.”

“I thought you were going to be out of town during my hearing.”

“I am. I’m also not a custody lawyer. But you just let me work my magic, Rogers,” she told him. “This isn’t over.”

“Excuse me,” Steve asked the chipper-looking redheaded secretary at the front.

“What can I do for you, sir?” she asked brightly, adjusting her glasses.

“I have an appointment with Ms. Carter this morning.”

“Of course honey! Just down the left here, take your next right, and it’s at the end of the hall. That’s where you’ll find Angie, Ms. Carter’s assistant. You’ll know her when you see her. She’ll let you know when Ms. Carter’s ready for you.”

“Thank you Miss…”

“Miss? Oh I like you,” the woman grinned. “Mrs. Roberts. But you can call me Rose.”

“Thank you, Rose,” he said with a small but genuine smile.

Steve found the office just fine. Even if it had been a complicated journey, the woman perched at the desk in front of an office typing furiously on her MacBook would’ve given it away.

“Steve Rogers?” she asked as soon as he was within her sights. There was something about her that looked familiar, but he couldn’t quite place his finger on it.

“Yes,” he confirmed. “Angie I presume?”

“The one and only,” she winked before picking up the phone on her desk.

“Your ten o’clock is here, English.”

She hung up, and just a few short moments later, the door opened behind her.

A woman with shoulder length wavy brown hair appeared at the doorway, and Steve lost his breath. She was wearing a long sleeve maroon button up blouse and a pencil skirt. There was something about the way she held herself that told Steve she was a force to be reckoned with.

Ms. Carter hadn’t said a word, but Steve could already see why Natasha had led him to her.

“Steve Rogers?” she asked.

He swallowed hard. Nat hadn’t told him about the British accent.

“Yes ma’am,” he answered.

“I’m Peggy Carter. Please come in.”

Steve didn’t have to be told twice.

“Thank you for taking the time to see me, Ms. Carter,” he said after he’d closed the door behind him and she gestured for him to take a seat. “I’m sure you’re quite busy.”

“Your case came recommended by a dear friend,” she told him as she settled herself in her chair. “I always have time for friends.”

“Still, I really appreciate it. Especially since I don’t think I’m like your usual clientele.”

“What makes you think that?” she asked, her tone amused. “Is it all the men walking around in suits worth five thousand dollars a piece, or the fact that this floor alone has more windows than a greenhouse?”

“It was the cold bottles of water and three kinds of mints available at the front desk,” he quipped, which earned him a smile from her.

“Tell me about your case, Mr. Rogers.”

“I thought Natasha sent you the files,” he frowned.

“Yes, and I assure you that I’ve reviewed those. But I want to know your story, not just the facts of the case. After all, your journey is more than your records and files. Start from the beginning.”

Steve took a deep breath.

“My late wife, Lorraine and I were high school sweethearts. After high school we stayed together but I joined the army. Didn’t really have any choice about it. We tried to make it work for years, even though we knew the distance was too much for us. But neither of us were ready to admit that the real problem was that as a couple, we were incompatible. We had been together for so long that we just sort of… settled for each other. And then she got pregnant. When I found out about the baby, I did what I thought was the right thing and proposed. She said yes. I left the army so that I could be there for her and for our child.”

Ms. Carter nodded sympathetically. 

“We weren’t in love, hadn’t been since senior year of high school. Still, with Sarah — my daughter — in the picture we found a way to live and parent together so that she could have a normal-ish upbringing. It wasn’t conventional, but in a way it was almost easier. Being married and living together meant we could share expenses to provide Sarah with more, I could be on Lorraine’s healthcare plan, and we found a really good rhythm when it came to co-parenting.”

Steve paused and took a deep breath.

"Lorraine got sick when Sarah was 4 — three years ago. Cancer. They caught it early, she went through chemo, and she beat it. Then it came back about a year and a half ago. She uh- she didn’t…”

“You don’t have to continue,” Ms. Carter said sincerely. “I understand.”

Steve chanced a glance at her. For a moment, he almost thought she did. 

“Her parents — Lorraine’s parents — they never liked me. Thought their daughter was too good for some low-income Brooklyn kid whose only option after graduation was the army. They were furious when we got married, that we named our daughter after my mother and not Lorraine’s, and that she chose to live with me instead of them after Sarah was born. Lorraine and I may not have been in love, but she always defended me, no matter where we stood with each other. Now that she’s gone, they want Sarah to themselves. And they’re not holding back.”

“I understand that you represented yourself at your preliminary hearing,” Ms. Carter said.

“Yeah. I… With the medical bills and taking care of Sarah I couldn’t afford anyone. I tried representing myself but… about five minutes in I realized just how in over my head I am.”

“Because your daughter’s grandparents hired some white collar, upper class lawyer who’s trying to claim that your experience in Afghanistan has made you violent and unstable?”

“I… yeah. Good guess,” he said sheepishly.

“I told you, I read the files. Besides, PTSD is common in war veterans. Episodes of anger or violence as a result is the easiest and most effective route to take if you want to prove someone an unfit parent.”

“I’m not,” he told her, his tone coming out more forceful than intended.

“I never said you were. I only said that it’s a good tactic.”

“Then you can congratulate Fred Wells on his strategy,” he said bitterly.

“Fred Wells?” she asked, her tone almost sharp.

“Yeah, Fred Wells is their lawyer. Natasha did some digging when I told her what happened and she found out he had someone else step into his place for the preliminary hearing because he was unavailable that day, but the strategy was all his and he’s going to be present at the hearing that will determine whether or not I get to keep custody of my daughter. I’ve only met him once since. He’s-”

“The smarmiest man you’ve ever met?” she asked, her voice cold. “Satan incarnate, perhaps?”

Steve tilted his head.

“Yeah, how’d you-”

“We’ve met.”

“Well he’s helping Sarah’s grandparents try to take my daughter away from me,” Steve said acidly. “By making me out to be something I’m not.”

“But he’s not going to get away with it,” Ms. Carter responded decidedly.

“I - what?”

“I’ll take your case, Mr. Rogers. Pro bono.”

“Really?” Steve asked, feeling absolutely dumbfounded. “You will?”

“Yes. I’m going to do everything in my power to make sure you keep custody of Sarah.”

“I… I can’t thank you enough, Ms. Carter.”

“Considering the amount of time we’re about to spend together, I believe you can call me Peggy,” she smiled. 

“You can call me Steve,” he responded in-kind, unable to help the smile on his face. “How do we start?”

“Let’s make a schedule of when to meet. I know that your home visit is upcoming, and you’ve been requested to be deposed as well, which means we have a lot of ground to cover in very little time. We’ll need to balance multiple plates if we’re going to pull this off.”

“I’ll do anything it takes.”

They had three days before the home visit, just under a week before Steve’s and Sarah’s psychiatric evaluation, a week and a half until his deposition, and four weeks before the custody hearing.

A lot of ground to cover was putting it lightly, which meant it took no time at all for Steve to learn that Peggy was nothing if not efficient. Even so, she was still incredibly thorough. They spent two hours in her office that first day going over everything they had to prep, what their schedule together would look like, and Peggy asking him questions he didn’t even know were relevant to the case.

“A stone left unturned can be thrown through your window in court,” she’d told him when he’d commented on her exceeding attention to detail.

“They teach you that in law school?”

“Just the good ones,” she quipped, in a tone that came the closest to teasing that Steve had heard her use yet. “Now, as I’m sure you’ve found out through your own research, a lot of the process we’re about to go through is unusual for your situation, which does make things more difficult than normal.”

“I’ve noticed,” he frowned. “I thought custody battles were only this intensive when the two biological parents were fighting for custody of their child. How can they do all this?”

“To be frank, your ex-parents-in-law are wealthy and white. Not only that, my contacts suspect that they have at least a few judges in their pocket, and the childcare system has a bias toward women as caretakers and against those who are low income, which means you’re at a severe disadvantage in almost every way.”

Peggy was also incredibly blunt, which Steve didn’t know how to feel about sometimes.

“So do I actually have any advantages going for me?” he sighed.

“Yes. Me.”

While Sarah was at school the next day, they’d arranged time for Steve to show Peggy his home, and give him advice on what the person from Child Protective Services would be looking for.

“This is charming,” Peggy said as she walked inside, shrugging off her lavender spring coat and hanging it on the coatrack.

“That’s rich people talk for small,” he told her.

“Actually, it’s English for ‘I like your home so I’m paying it a compliment like a normal human being would’,” she quipped.

Steve smiled. He liked Peggy’s quick wit. While sometimes he felt as though he couldn’t keep up, it gave him high hopes for her ability to recover quickly if they got blindsided in court like he did.

“Sorry.”

“That’s alright,” Peggy said as she set down her black purse. “Let’s begin.”

She was silent as she walked around his house. Occasionally she would hum at something or tilt her head. It was unnerving, to say the least.

“Not bad,” she told him finally after she’d taken a look through everything.

“So, it’s perfect?” he asked hopefully.

She gave him a kind but apologetic smile.

“All right,” he asked knowingly. “What do I need to fix?”

“Nothing drastic,” she promised, before rattling off a list longer than the grocery list currently on his fridge. She went through every minor detail including how he should arrange the contents of said fridge (and pantry), the half-read books that were sprawled throughout the house, and the art Sarah had made that was currently displayed throughout the house, among other things. 

“Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate this, but that all seems… excessive.”

“But necessary,” she assured him. “Now, next thing, I need to meet Sarah. Preferably tomorrow. I need to know where her mindset is at so I can help you both prepare for the visit.”

“Okay, you can come over after school. 3:30pm sound alright?”

“That’s perfect. And if it’s alright with you, I’d like to speak with her alone when I come over.”

Steve felt a protectiveness flare in his gut. 

“Sarah’s not really comfortable around people she’s just met.”

“And who do you think is going to be conducting the home visit?”

Steve’s jaw tightened.

“Steve, a perfect stranger is going to spend an evening here and then want to spend at least a few minutes alone with her in a separate room,” Peggy reasoned in a soft voice. “We need to give it a test run to see how she’ll react. Someone on the outside might mistake her shyness for a sign of something else. Something that can be used against you.”

As much as he hated to admit it, she was right.

“Okay, fine,” he said. “A few minutes alone.”

“I promise that you can trust me.”

Despite them only having known each other for less than 48 hours, Steve nodded.

“I know.”

When he picked up Sarah from that school and walked her home he watched her closely, just as Peggy had asked him to. There was a heaviness to her that hadn’t been there a year and a half ago, though this wasn’t new. She had grown up fast when Lorraine got sick the first time, and then twice fold the second time around, except this time she wasn’t bouncing back as quickly. Not that he blamed her at all.

“Hey sweet pea?”

“Yeah daddy?”

“We are going to have someone visit our home tomorrow.”

“I thought that wasn’t until Friday.”

“No, this is a different person. She’s a friend of your auntie Nat… and she’s helping me with the court case.”

“So she’s helping us stay together?”

“Yeah. She’s coming to visit so that she can meet you and give us both advice.”

“She’s going to make sure I’m not taken away from you?”

Steve swallowed the lump in this throat and squeezed her hand.

“She’s going to try her best.”

Peggy arrived at their home at 3:30pm sharp the next day. Steve ushered her in and took her coat.

“Hello, Sarah,” Peggy said sweetly when she saw her. “I’m Peggy.”

“Hi,” Sarah said, looking at her warily, despite Steve’s warning.

Steve didn’t blame her. The events of the last few months had left her more than scarred.

“How are you today?” Peggy continued, looking undeterred. 

She shrugged.

“Yes I usually feel the same when the weather is like this: endlessly cloudy. If the sun is going to hide it might as well rain so that I can splash in some puddles.”

Sarah stared at her for a few long moments, as though inspecting her thoroughly. For her part, Peggy didn’t wilt under her intense gaze. 

“You’re friends with my auntie Nat?”

“I believe the term is ‘BFF’,” she smiled. “But I am also your father’s lawyer.”

“You’re here so that I can stay with my daddy?”

“Yes.”

In a burst of energy he hadn’t seen in months, Sarah rushed forward and hugged Peggy. Her eyes widened in shock and she stood frozen for a moment. Finally, she placed a tentative hand on Sarah’s head and stroked her hair. Steve swallowed hard at the sight.

“I don’t want to leave my daddy,” Sarah whispered.

“I know, sweetheart,” Peggy said softly.

Sarah pulled away and looked Peggy dead in the eye. Steve could see Peggy’s well-hidden surprise. For a seven year old, she was surprisingly intimidating. 

“Promise that they won’t take me away from daddy.”

“Oh, I-”

“Promise.”

Peggy inhaled sharply and looked helplessly at Steve. He’d never seen Peggy look so out of her element. It was almost endearing. He gave her a reassuring nod.

Peggy took another breath and kneeled down so she was face to face with Sarah.

“I can only promise that I will do everything in my power to make sure you stay with your father. I’ll fight harder than I’ve ever fought before.”

Sarah nodded and hugged Peggy again, her arms flinging around her neck.

This time, Peggy’s arms went around her immediately. Steve smiled softly at the two of them, something warm tugging at his heart. When they separated, Steve took a step toward his daughter.

“Hey sweet pea, do you mind if Peggy talks to you alone for a bit?”

“Why?”

“It’s so that I can get to know you,” Peggy explained gently. “If I get to know you, then I’ll be able to help you and your dad better.”

“It’ll only be for a few minutes and I’ll be right in the next room,” Steve assured her. “You can leave any time or call me in.”

Sarah looked between them for a minute. 

“Okay,” she said softly.

Steve tried not to pace as he waited for them - though with only marginal success. Though he hadn’t known her for long, he trusted Peggy with Sarah. The fact that she’d consulted with him beforehand instead of just asking Sarah outright was a good indication. 

Still, he was curious about what they could be talking about.

True to her word, Sarah and Peggy emerged shortly. To his surprise, Sarah was giggling.

It had been at least two weeks since the last time he had heard his daughter laugh.

“Daddy! Did you know that Peggy rode a horse in high heels once?” Sarah asked.

“No, I didn’t,” he said amusedly, raising an eyebrow at her.

“You wouldn’t believe half the things I’ve done,” Peggy said with a wink.

“In heels?” Sarah asked.

“In heels,” she confirmed. “Although I would definitely recommend proper footwear for horse riding. That was a one-time-only emergency. But at the end of the day, what’s important to know Sarah, is that a woman - or girl - can do anything she sets her mind to. Whether it be something small like climb a tree, or ride a horse while wearing heels. You can’t let what other people tell you define who you are. You have to know your own value.”

Steve watched Sarah drink in every word Peggy said with wide eyes. He himself listened with rapt attention.

“Does that mean I can be the first astronaut to wear heels on the moon?” Sarah asked in hushed awe.

“Of course,” Peggy told her. “As long as you’re safe about it.”

“Wow,” she gasped. “Did you hear that, daddy?”

“I sure did, sweet pea,” he said, raising an eyebrow at Peggy, who merely shrugged.

“I’m going to be the first astronaut to wear heels on the moon!” Sarah cheered.

Steve laughed.

“You’ll need to practice first, and to do your homework.”

Sarah frowned.

“Your father’s right, Sarah. Homework is a crucial step in the whole process,” Peggy agreed, sending Steve a discreet wink.

“Okay, but if I do my homework really fast, can Peggy stay for dinner?” Sarah asked.

Steve’s eyes widened. Other than hearing about Peggy riding a horse in heels, it was the last thing he expected her to say today.

“Oh, well-” he stuttered.

“I appreciate the invitation, Sarah, but unfortunately I have another commitment tonight,” Peggy answered, saving him from having to.

“Oh,” Sarah said, visibly deflating. “But maybe tomorrow?”

Peggy gave her a sweet smile.

“I’m sure we can figure out another opportunity. Right Steve?”

“Yeah,” he said. “We’ll figure something out.”

“Promise?” Sarah asked.

“Promise,” Peggy told her, hooking her pinky with Sarah’s when it was offered to her.

“But you still need to do your homework, sweet pea.”

“Okay,” Sarah conceded begrudgingly, and she gave Peggy a hug before walking to the dining room to start on her homework.

Peggy looked over at Steve and gave him a kind smile as they walked toward his front door.

“So?” he asked. “What do you think?”

“She’s been through a lot, but she’s a tough kid. And she wants so badly to stay with you.”

“Will that be enough?”

“I can’t guarantee that your inspector will be as warm and fuzzy as I am, but I don’t see any reason why anyone would think that Sarah would want anything other than to be with you. That’s certainly a point in your favour.”

“Thank you.”

“I’ll talk to you tomorrow so we can go over the questions you might be asked during this visit, as well as everything you can expect when they arrive.”

Though they had already been over everything quite a few times already, Steve nodded gratefully.

“That sounds good. Thanks.”

“No need to thank me,” she smiled. “But I really should be going.”

Steve nodded and grabbed her jacket. Without thinking, he helped her put it on as though it was second nature to him.

He tried to ignore the funny feeling in his stomach as she flashed him a warm smile over her shoulder before grabbing her bag and leaving.

“We’ve been over this a million times,” Steve said the next afternoon, working hard not to sigh into the phone.

“Hardly, and I like having all our bases covered,” Peggy told him.

“Believe me, I know,” he said amusedly. 

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Nothing,” he promised. “I’m just stressed.”

Peggy hummed, but let the comment go.

“One more time,” she continued. “When was the last time Sarah went to the doctor?”

“One month ago for a routine check up.”

“When was she last vaccinated?”

“About three months ago.”

“For?”

“The flu. She’s up to date on all her shots.”

“When was she last sick?”

“It’s been about six months, just a cold, it lasted about three days.”

“What’s her favourite colour?”

“Yellow.”

“Her favourite thing to draw?”

“Stars, space. If she’s sad she tends to stick to oceans.”

“And how often has she been sad in the last year, year and a half?”

“A fair amount. More than usual.”

“And why is that?”

“Her mother’s cancer came back and she died,” Steve said as calmly as he could muster. "Now her grandparents are fighting me for custody. She’s scared of losing the only parent she has left.”

“That was good, Steve,” Peggy said, the kindness in her tone returning. “Even if the answer to something seems obvious, they’re obligated to ask,” she reminded him.

“I know,” he sighed. “Doesn’t mean it isn’t annoying.”

“As long as you get your frustration out now rather than the actual home visit, I’ll have done my job.”

Steve snorted.

“Alright, well I must pop off to another meeting, unless there’s anything else you wanted to ask or go over again.”

“No, I’m good. Bye, Peggy,” he said, hanging up. 

“So?” Nat asked when he returned to the gallery, offering him the coffee he’d left behind when Peggy had called. 

“So what?”

“She’s good, isn’t she?” Nat smirked.

“Yeah, she is,” Steve agreed with a soft sigh. “I just hope that it’s enough.”

“Trust me, with the way she fights, it will be.”

“Sarah tells me you have a new friend,” his ma told him as they tidied up his home together while Sarah was at school in preparation for the home inspection. “One that is apparently really good at doing things in high heels.”

Steve snorted.

“Her name is Peggy Carter and she’s my lawyer. She comes highly recommended by Nat. They work at the same firm.”

She paused, her eyes wide.

“Steve, I know how much Natasha charges, how in the world can you afford to pay for her services?”

“Actually, Peggy agreed to take my case on pro bono.”

“Really? Why?”

“I have no idea,” he shrugged. “I think Nat might have called in a favour. Honestly I’m just grateful. It’s barely been four days and I already don’t know what I’d do without her.”

“That’s hopeful, isn’t it? After the past year and a half I’d say it was about time your luck turned around, and it makes me happy that you found someone who wants to help you.”

“Well you should thank Nat for it, she’s the one who arranged the meeting and convinced her to help me.”

“Well be sure to invite her and Bucky to dinner as my way to thank her. And you know what, invite this Peggy as well, since she’s doing the heavy lifting.”

“Ma-”

“Oh no, I know that tone of voice,” she interrupted. “I don’t want to hear any excuses. She’s helping you keep my granddaughter in your life, I want to thank her properly.”

“All right, I’ll ask her, but she’s a really busy woman.”

“And I am a very patient woman,” his ma smirked. “Now, finish fluffing those pillows and I’d say you’re good to go."

“How’d it go?” Peggy asked Steve the second that he entered her office on Monday morning.

“Good morning to you too, ma’am,” he said amusedly.

Peggy scrunched up her nose distastefully as Steve set down a coffee on her desk.

“Absolutely not.”

“What?” he frowned as he took a seat. “It’s a caramel latte with two shots of espresso and extra whipped cream. I made sure to get your coffee order from Nat.”

“No, that I appreciate. I mean don’t call me ma’am. It makes me sound old.”

“It’s a sign of respect.”

“If you really respect me, you’ll call me Peggy or hey you.”

“Alright, fine. Good morning, hey you.”

Peggy smiled and gratefully grabbed her coffee and took a sip.

“Much better,” she teased back. “Now tell me, how did it go?”

“It went well, I think. Honestly, Sarah was the one who knocked it out of the park. I mean, Ms. Danvers didn’t actually give much indication on what was going through her head but Sarah was great.”

“I had faith in the both of you,” Peggy smiled.

“So that’s why you drilled me on how to tweak my home and how to answer questions?”

“You’re so dramatic,” she said, rolling her eyes. “That was for your own good and you know it."

Steve grinned at her.

“Thank you,” he said honestly. “Whatever it was you said to Sarah really helped her open up to that social worker.”

“Clearly,” she said with a smug grin. “Though I suppose I can’t take all the credit. Sarah is quite an extraordinary child. You’re a wonderful father, Steve.”

He felt his face heat up a bit.

“I’m trying my best. Honestly, since we lost Lorraine it’s been… we’ve both been having a hard time. I know I can’t replace Lorraine but a lot of the time it’s felt like I haven’t been doing nearly enough.”

Peggy’s face softened.

“I know that what you’re going through is incredibly difficult, but believe me Steve, you’ve done a very good job raising Sarah, even with all this going on.”

“She makes it easy,” he admitted.

“I can imagine,” Peggy said softly. “But don’t discount your own efforts. She’s very kind and clearly has a strong sense of self, as well as a passion for adventure.”

“She’s also really smart,” he gushed. “You wouldn’t know it from her current grades, but she’s normally top of her class.”

“What do you mean her current grades?” Peggy asked with a frown.

“Since her mother died she’s been struggling a lot with school, and it’s only gotten worse since she found out about the custody battle. It’s all I can do to help her keep them from falling even more.”

Peggy hummed thoughtfully for a moment. 

“I’ll need a record of all of Sarah’s assignments and exams this past year with the dates they were completed. If you have some from last year, I’d like those as well. As many as possible.”

“You wanna hang them on your fridge?” he asked dryly.

Peggy snorted.

“It is looking terribly bare,” she quipped. “Though I had more court-minded thoughts.”

“Figures,” he joked. “I’ll collect them and send them to you tonight or tomorrow.”

“Perfect. Now, back to our matter for today: your character references. I know I want Bucky for certain. He’s known you since you were children and can attest to how Afghanistan hasn’t changed you into someone unstable or unfit to be a parent.”

“Makes sense.”

“Not to mention that we’ll have a subconscious sympathy angle with his prosthetic arm.”

“That’s awful,” Steve frowned.

“I’m merely stating a fact, Steve,” she said plainly. 

“You could also not have.”

Peggy huffed. 

“Prosthetic arm or not he’d still be my first choice because of his relationship with you and the fact that he’s Sarah’s godfather. However, the fact is that the prosthetic is there and it’s one more thing we can count in our corner.”

“I don’t like counting it as an angle in order to help us. It’s low.”

“You’ve already seen how dirty Fred fights and he wasn’t even present at your last hearing-”

“That doesn’t mean we have to stoop to his level,” he interrupted.

“For Christ’s sake Steve, it’s not like I’m dangling it as shark bait! It was just an open observation.”

“An open observation I didn’t like, and it’s my case.”

Peggy’s mouth formed a thin line.

“How many custody cases have you won?”

Steve frowned, but didn’t answer.

“How many times have you gone up against Fred Wells in court - and won?”

Steve’s jaw tightened, but he remained silent.

“You may not always like why I approach things a certain way, or even how I phrase things, but you have to trust that I know what I’m doing. Everything I do and say is because I want you to win. I’m not going to patronize you, Steve. We both know very well what’s at stake here, and I’m going to go for every point we have in our corner.”

He huffed but nodded - barely.

“Fine, but I’m not telling Bucky that his prosthetic is something we’re counting as bonus sympathy points.”

“I wasn’t planning on it,” she agreed. “But I can almost guarantee you that he himself has probably already thought about it.”

Steve frowned and looked away.

Peggy sighed softly.

“Shall we continue?” she asked finally.

He nodded slowly and met her eyes.

“Alright, I’m going to need to meet with both Bucky and your mother to begin prepping them for the hearing. But let’s put a pin in that for now. First, we should talk about yours and Sarah’s mental health evaluation.”

Steve let out a deep breath when Peggy gently placed her hand on his knee. He hadn’t realized he was bouncing it.

“Is it a bad sign that Sarah’s evaluation is taking so long?”

“Not at all,” Peggy answered.

She had accompanied them to the office where they would be having their evaluations done.

For moral support, she’d said when he asked why.

“But she’s been in there almost as long as I was.”

“Steve.”

“Yeah?”

“Breathe.”

He let out the breath he didn’t realize he’d been holding.

“Sorry.”

She gave him a reassuring smile.

“It’s natural to be nervous,” she told him. “But Dr. Coulson is one of the best, and we go way back. If you’re having trouble trusting him, at least trust me, yeah?”

“I do,” he told her.

“I know,” Peggy smiled, squeezing his knee before removing her hand from his leg.

Before Steve could linger too much on the fact that his knee was tingling from where Peggy had touched it, the door opened. Steve stood immediately as Sarah walked out and straight to him.

“How you doing, sweet pea?”

“I’m okay daddy,” she told him. “Dr. Coulson is really nice.”

“He usually is,” Peggy said before turning to the man in question, who had followed Sarah out. “Thank you, Phil.”

“Wait, like Dr. Phil?” Sarah asked, her attention no longer on Steve. “Are you the Dr. Phil that I’ve seen on TV?”

Peggy snorted and Dr. Coulson raised his eyebrow at her before giving Sarah a kind smile.

“No, but I get that a lot.”

“Are you two related? Like are you twins? Because neither of you have a lot of hair on top of your head.”

Peggy clamped a hand over her mouth but Steve could still hear her muffled snort.

“Sarah."

“That’s okay,” Coulson interjected. “She’s very observant, and I can see how she connected those dots.”

“Still,” Peggy said, having seemingly recovered. “It’s getting late and we shouldn’t keep you any longer. We’ll get out of your hair.”

Phil gave her an unimpressed look at her cheeky tone.

“Oh that’s hilarious.”

“One of the reasons you keep me around,” she grinned before turning to Steve and Sarah “Come on, I’ll drive you both home.”

“Here we are,” Peggy announced as soon as they pulled up to their little brownstone. “Have a good night you two.”

“Wait,” Sarah said quickly.

“What is it, sweet pea?” Steve asked.

“Since Peggy drove us home, does that mean Peggy is staying for dinner?”

Steve looked over at Peggy, who’s jaw had dropped open a bit.

“Well I-” she began to answer.

“Because you promised that you would and my daddy says it’s important to keep your promises.”

“She’s got both of us there,” Steve admitted. “But if you have plans-”

“Are you cooking?” Peggy asked him instead of answering. “Because truthfully, I could use a meal that isn’t takeout.”

Steve smiled.

“Yeah, I’m cooking.”

“Well I suppose I can’t miss that,” she smiled, turning the ignition off.

“Yes!” Sarah cheered as she quickly undid her seatbelt and raced to the front door.

Steve shared an amused look with Peggy and they both got out of the car — though their much slower pace had Sarah groaning and complaining that they were taking forever.

He led them inside, only to notice then that the light in the kitchen was on and the house smelled like there was already food being made.

“Hello?” he called out.

“It’s just me, string bean!” his ma called out from the kitchen.

Peggy snorted, but quickly covered it with a cough.

“Nice save,” Steve told her with a raised eyebrow.

She at least had the decency to look somewhat sheepish.

“Maimeó!” his daughter squealed, immediately dropping her bag and rushing to the kitchen.

Steve hung up his and Peggy’s coats before following to the kitchen, Peggy trailing behind him.

“Ma, what are you doing here?”

“My shift at the hospital ended early and so I thought I’d surprise my favourite granddaughter with her favourite dinner,” his ma said as she set Sarah down and kissed her head. “Oh, who’s this?”

“I’m Peggy Carter. I’m-”

“She’s daddy’s lawyer and she’s really nice and she’s staying for dinner because she promised and she knows it’s important to keep your promises.”

Peggy blushed and ducked her head.

“It’s lovely to meet you, Mrs. Rogers.”

“Please, call me Sarah. We’re delighted to have you.”

“Are you sure that it’s alright if I stay?” Peggy asked. “I wouldn’t want to intrude on your family dinner.”

“Nonsense,” his ma said. “Besides, as I never got a response about my dinner invitation I was worried I’d never get to meet you until the hearing.”

“Dinner invitation?”

“Didn’t my son invite you over for dinner at my house?”

Peggy turned to him with a raised eyebrow and Steve internally swore.

“He didn’t, actually.”

“Must’ve slipped my mind,” Steve said sheepishly. “Besides, I figured you’d be busy.”

“Well, despite my son’s negligence, I would be delighted if you stayed for dinner,” his ma said pointedly.

“How can I say no?” Peggy smiled before looking to Steve for confirmation. “That is, if you don’t mind?”

“Not at all,” he smiled.

“So Peggy,” his ma began once they had all taken a seat at the table. “I’ve heard all about your high heel exploits from my gariníon, but I’d love to know more about you.”

“Oh, well I grew up in Hampstead, went to an all girl’s private school, started my law career in London and then decided that perhaps America would be a better fit for me. So here I am.”

Steve exchanged an amused glance with his mother, knowing very well the brief overview of Peggy’s life wouldn’t be enough to satisfy her curiosity.

“Did you always know you wanted to get into law?”

“Not exactly. Growing up my mother said I had a penchant for getting into trouble, but truthfully I just never liked bullies.”

“You sound like my son,” she said conspiratorially.

“Oh?” Peggy said with a curious smile in his direction.

“The stories I could tell you,” his ma continued. “But suffice to say that there was never a bully he met that he could back down from.”

“Daddy says it’s really important to stand up for what’s right,” Sarah added matter-of-factly.

“He’s right,” Peggy agreed sincerely. “I think that’s what first attracted me to law. It gives me a way to give back and help out the little guy.”

“Like my son,” Sarah smiled.

“But daddy’s not little,” the younger Sarah noted, scrunching up her nose.

“It’s a figure of speech, sweet pea,” Steve told her with a smile.

“Does that mean I can add it to my list?”

“Yes, but you have to finish your dinner first.”

Sarah sighed but her spaghetti disappeared very shortly after all the same.

After dinner and dessert (the latter of which Steve saw his mother make only after Peggy had agreed to stay), he helped Peggy with her jacket again, and she smiled, her cheeks turning a soft shade of pink.

“Thank you for staying. For dinner, I mean,” he said.

“I had a lot of fun. I can see where you get both your kindness and good looks.”

“Well I don’t know about good looks…”

“Do you really not know what you look like?” Peggy asked, raising her eyebrow at him.

“I ah… I was small. Short and super skinny until I joined the army.”

Peggy tilted her head.

“Is that why your mum calls you string bean?”

“I… yeah.”

She grinned.

“I would’ve like to have known you then.”

His eyes widened slightly in surprise and he stared at her. What was more shocking was that he could tell she meant it.

Peggy cleared her throat and it was only then that Steve realized they had been looking at each other for a long time without saying a word.

“I’ll um, I’ll see you later, Steve.”

“Yeah. Text me when you’re home safe?”

Peggy grinned.

“I will.”

After another lingering look, she left, and Steve let out the breath he didn’t know he’d been holding.

“Do you like her?”

Steve startled and turned around, finding his ma and his daughter both staring at him with twin knowing grins.

“What?” he asked Sarah.

“Do you like Peggy?” she repeated.

“Sarah-”

“Because I think she likes you, daddy. Like likes you likes you.”

“Sarah Marie.”

“I’m serious.”

“Even if I did — which I’m not saying I do — it’s not appropriate.”

“Why?” she frowned.

“She’s my lawyer.”

“Does that mean you’ll tell her you like her when she’s not your lawyer?”

“Alright, enough out of you, it’s bedtime.”

“It’s only 7pm,” Sarah cheeked. “I still have another hour.”

Steve looked to his ma for help.

“She has a point,” she conceded. “And not just about her bedtime.”

After that night, Sarah asked Steve almost every day if Peggy was going to be staying for dinner.

He knew there was significance to this. Even though she had stayed for entirely non-romantic terms, Peggy was still the first woman around his age other than Natasha that had spent any significant amount of time with Sarah since Lorraine had passed a year ago.

Steve also knew that he wasn’t exactly not interested in Peggy.

Still, he couldn't just ask her out. Like he had told Sarah, it would be inappropriate.

“Alright, what’s up with you?” Bucky asked him over lunch a week after his psych eval.

“You mean other than the fact my life is slowly falling apart in front of my eyes?” Steve said drolly.

“Yeah,” he answered honestly. “I can tell something else is on your mind.”

He sighed.

“If I tell you, you can’t tell Nat.”

“Doesn’t mean she won’t figure it out herself,” Bucky pointed out. “But alright, go ahead.”

“It’s about Peggy.”

“Your lawyer for the custody battle?”

“Yeah.”

“What about her? There’s no way she’s dropping the ball. I’ve met her a couple of times and that was all I needed to know she’s serious. Also Nat always talks about how if they had the same specialization they would either be epic rivals or the unbeatable duo. Changes depending on the day.”

Steve smiled despite himself.

“She’s great. Perfect even.”

Bucky’s eyebrows furrowed for a moment before his mouth formed an “o” shape.

“You like her. I mean like her like her.”

“Really, you too? What is this, high school?”

“You’re the one with a crush on your lawyer,” Bucky pointed out.

Steve shook his head.

“Despite this turmoil that my life has become, she’s been this ray of sunshine that’s broken through the clouds. She’s sharp but kind and great with Sarah. But… she’s my lawyer.”

“And now you’re torn between your head and your heart,” Bucky supplied. “Like always.”

“Yeah,” Steve groaned, running his hands over his face.

“Alright, what does your head tell you?”

“That not only would it be incredibly inappropriate and creepy if I asked her out while she was working my case pro bono, but it’s only been a year since Lorraine…”

“Steve-”

“I feel like I’m disrespecting her. She just died and here I am having feelings for another woman. What the hell is wrong with me?”

“She’d want you to be happy,” Bucky said. “Besides, it’s not like you were actually in love with Lorraine. You married her because you wanted to make your lives easier when you found out about the baby. You both admitted to me that you wouldn’t have ever even made it to a proposal if she hadn’t gotten pregnant.”

“I know…”

“So what does your heart say?”

“That Peggy’s the first person I’ve actually allowed myself to even contemplate… anything with in forever. While I was living with Lorraine it was a nonstarter even though we were really just friends and co-parents, but now…”

“But now you’re a single man, and even though you’re still a father, you’re allowed to have feelings for people.”

“I feel like a teenager again,” he sighed. “I mean she has this incredible dorky snort that she tries to hide and the brightest smile you’ve ever seen and her eyes. They’re gorgeous. I mean seriously, why don’t more people write songs about people with brown eyes?”

“Beats me,” Bucky smirked.

“I know I know, I’ve got it bad,” Steve admitted. “But it’s not like anything can happen. I’m just her client.”

“Hey none of that,” Bucky chided. “You are an extremely handsome man who has proven himself a capable and devoted father, and that’s just the things she’s seen thus far. Maybe don’t count yourself out of the race just yet.”

“You sound like my mother.”

“Good, your self esteem needs all the help it can get,” Bucky grinned.

Steve thought a lot about the conversation with Bucky over the next few days as Peggy worked with him to help build his case. Between his own work at the art gallery where he provided tours, and taking care of Sarah, he was almost always at her office to go over some details about his life with Sarah, his past with Lorraine, and everything he knew about his ex-parents-in-law. Despite the case-related topics that dominated their conversations, Steve always looked forward to seeing her. She was easy to talk to and always managed to make him smile. He talked about Sarah and his mother, and he even learned a little about Peggy’s own family when his mother invited her over for dinner again. He really liked being Peggy’s friend. 

Maybe, just maybe, when Peggy helped him win the custody battle, it could be something more.

He didn’t bother contemplating what would happen if they didn’t win. His heart couldn’t stand it.

“What’s on your mind sweet pea?” Steve asked as he walked Sarah home one day. She hadn’t said a word, which while that wasn’t unusual lately, he could see the gears in her head turning as she stared at the sidewalk.

“If you marry Peggy, does that make her my new mom?”

Steve stopped walking entirely and kneeled down in front of her, his eyes wide as he placed his hands on her arms.

“Hey, where’s this coming from?” he asked, trying to keep his voice even and not panicked.

“I just… I miss mommy a lot.”

Steve gave her a sad smile.

“So do I.”

“Really?”

“Of course I do.”

“But we don’t really talk about her and I’m confused.”

“Why are you confused, sweet pea?” he asked gently.

“Because you and mommy weren’t super in love like most parents are.”

Steve inhaled sharply, trying to ignore the burning sensation in the back of his eyes.

“Your mom and I might not have been in love, but she was still one of my best friends. And I miss her every day. I’ve been so busy trying to make sure that you’re okay that sometimes I forget to let you know how I’m feeling. But that’s no excuse. And I am so sorry if I made it feel like you can’t talk to me about her. Because you can talk to me about anything. Especially your mom. Okay?”

She nodded and sniffled. Steve reached up and wiped the tears that were streaming down her cheeks.

“And I need you to know that if I ever start dating someone, your approval matters to me. I won’t ever bring anyone into your life that you don’t like. At the end of the day it will always be you and me above anything else. And if I ever do marry someone - which I can guarantee we won’t have to worry about for at least another few years - they are never going to replace your mom. Ever. Okay?”

Sarah threw her arms around his neck.

“I love you daddy.”

“I love you too, sweet pea. More than anything in the world.”

Slowly, Sarah pulled back, and Steve carefully wiped her cheeks.

“Daddy?”

“Yeah?”

“I do like Peggy. She’s really nice and she gives good advice.”

Steve let out a slow breath, but his lips twitched upward all the same.

“You know that I would never date anyone without your permission, right?”

Sarah nodded.

“I know, but if you wanted to date Peggy after she helps us… I think I’d be okay with that. She makes you smile and laugh which means she’s good for you.”

He chuckled and kissed her forehead.

“You’ve been spending too much time with your maimeó.”

“Not that I don’t like having you here, but why are we doing deposition prep in my house instead of your office?” Steve asked the next day as he ushered Peggy inside.

“This isn’t going to be fun, and I thought your home would be a less stressful environment for us to practice in, at least to start. Which is also why I brought donuts.”

“Can depositions really be that bad?”

She shot him a look that he could only interpret as just you wait.

“We’ll go through a few rounds of this and then-”

“A few rounds?”

“It’s better to be over prepared than under,” she reminded him him. “Besides, there’s a million questions they’ll ask and we need to be sure you’re prepared to answer all of them in the best manner possible.”

“As opposed to the truth?”

Peggy merely gave him a sympathetic smile.

“Let’s begin, shall we?”

And so Steve went to his dining room table with Peggy and sat down. She made sure he had at least taken a bite of a donut before beginning. Steve, knowing how important this was and trusting Peggy’s methods, followed along.

However, after an hour, Peggy had asked an obscene amount of probing questions, many of which had no relevance.

And Steve, who was running on four hours of sleep, finally lost his patience.

“Okay what gives?” he snapped.

“What do you mean?” Peggy asked, though he could tell that she knew exactly what he meant.

“You keep asking me an inane amount of things that have nothing to do with my abilities as a father.”

“Of course.”

“Why?”

“What part of they’re going to play dirty have you still not grasped? They’re going to ask a million irrelevant questions about the most minuscule things. They’ll do this because they hope that you’ll say something that you think is irrelevant that they can then twist and use against you. Or that you’ll end up contradicting yourself on some minor detail and blow that inconsistency out of proportion. Or they hope that you’ll get so frustrated that you’ll get angry with them, which will feed into their anger issues angle.”

Steve huffed and leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms over his chest. 

“That’s manipulative.”

“I know, but we still have to be prepared for it, which means asking you every possible question they could come up with so that you can learn how to answer everything properly.”

“I thought this was supposed to be about telling the truth.”

“It should be, but I’m afraid things like this can often come down to who has the best strategy, the truth be damned. And I think we need to err on the side of caution given how far Sarah’s grandparents are willing to go to get custody of her.”

Steve sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

“I hate the politics of this. This is supposed to be about whether I can take care of my daughter and they’re trying to make me into a monster - and it seems like no matter what I do they’re going to succeed.”

She gave him a sad smile.

“I’ve discovered the hard way that Fred can act quite monstrous himself. He doesn’t care who he hurts in his pursuit for power. Which means I’m going to do everything possible to protect you and Sarah.”

There was something in Peggy’s tone that made Steve want to inquire further, but she was sorting through her files pointedly and speaking before he could.

“I know it’s nearly impossible, but try not to stress too much. I am going to continue prepping you until you are more than ready, and I will be in the room with you to stop things from getting too out of hand. You won’t be alone.”

He gave her a soft smile.

“My hero,” he joked.

She rolled her eyes, but he saw the top of her cheekbones turn soft pink.

“How about I make us a cuppa before we go again, hm?”

Peggy arrived on his doorstep two days later, after Sarah had gone to sleep, a bag of Chinese takeout in her hand. 

“I thought you were prepping me for the deposition,” he said as he eyed the large brown paper bag in her hands. 

“Which is why I’ve come with another peace offering: the best Chinese food in Manhattan,” she smiled.

“That’s incredible. You’re incredible.”

“Long day?” she asked knowingly.

“Sarah had a bad night last night. I’ve been up since 3am.”

Peggy frowned.

“You poor thing. Do you want to reschedule for tomorrow so you can get some sleep?”

“No, I’m fine,” he shrugged off.

He was exhausted enough that he felt as though he could fall asleep standing up, but truthfully, he didn’t want to give up any time he had with Peggy, even if most of that time was going to be spent with her grilling him.

It was important for the case, of course. 

“It’s as important that you rest as it is that we prep.”

“I’m fine, Peggy. I want to prep,” he assured her as he led her further inside. “Besides, I can never say no to Chinese food.”

“You know, I never thanked you for what you said to Sarah during dinner last week,” Steve told her as they set up the to go containers on the dining room table.

“It was no trouble,” she shrugged. “I just offered my honest opinion on her current classroom drama. I quite enjoyed the conversation.”

“It means more than you know. She really took everything you said to heart.”

Peggy laughed softly and gave him a genuine smile.

“I’m glad I could be a good influence. Can I get you to call my mum and tell her that contrary to popular opinion, I do actually have a single maternal bone in my body?”

“Deal,” Steve laughed softly.

“Now I have a very important question for you,” Peggy said.

“Shoot,” he told her.

“Would you like a spring roll?” she asked, opening the container as though there was treasure inside.

Steve smiled at her.

“No thanks, I don’t like them.”

“Pardon me?” she asked, her eyes widening.

“What?”

“You don’t like spring rolls?”

“Not really.”

“How?”

“I just don’t? It’s not that big of a deal.”

“Not that big- wow. Just wow. I knew there had to be something wrong with you. You were too perfect.”

Steve snorted.

“I’m far from perfect.”

“I’m serious, up until this very moment, you were the perfect man. Devastatingly handsome, kind, a wonderful father with a quick wit. And now that image is just gone. Shattered. Completely and totally ruined forever with no chance of recuperating it.”

Steve couldn’t help but grin widely, despite his blush. He was finding her personal offence to this absolutely inconsequential issue adorable.

“I’m sorry to disappoint.”

“No it’s alright,” she sighed. “I suppose it was good for me to know before we got any further along in this process.”

“You know what?” he reconsidered. “I’ll try one.”

Peggy’s face lit up.

“Really?”

“Why not? How bad can it be?”

“These are the best spring rolls in Manhattan, therefore they’re the best and you will love them,” she promised, practically bouncing on the balls of her feet with excitement. If anything, seeing her so delighted would be worth it.

“Like I said, I’ll try,” he reminded her, emphasizing the last word for good measure.

“There is no try. Only do.”

“Was that a Star Wars reference?”

“Of course,” she winked at him before offering him a spring roll. “Now eat it.”

Steve rolled his eyes but took it and bit into it.

“So?” Peggy asked almost immediately, watching his expression closely.

“They’re okay?” he said tentatively after he had swallowed the bite of the spring roll he had taken.

Peggy’s eyes practically bugged out of her head.

“You’re not serious? Only okay?”

“They’re the best ones I’ve had to date,” he tried to appease her.

“But you still don’t like them,” Peggy frowned, shaking her head.

“Sorry?” he asked.

“I can’t believe it,” Peggy said slowly.

“Are you going to be okay?” he teased.

“I may need a moment, but I’ll survive,” she sighed dramatically.

“Are you sure?” he asked her seriously.

“I must persist. For Sarah, if nothing else.”

Steve snorted.

“You and me both.”

Peggy’s lips twitched up into a genuine smile.

“I meant what I said, Steve,” Peggy told him, reaching out and taking his hand in hers. “She’s a wonderful child. You should be proud. Especially considering her father’s aversions to one of the best foods on earth hasn’t ruined her development in any form.”

“Gee thanks,” he frowned.

Peggy winked and grabbed the sweet and sour pork, diving in with no hesitation. Steve watched her for a few moments before following her lead with the rice.

Steve had already made up his mind that depositions weren’t great. He had genuinely tried not to automatically rule them out as the absolute worst right off the bat, seeing as he figured that in her hopes to properly prepare him, Peggy’s line of questioning had gone further than today would.

That didn’t mean he was particularly excited for it. Peggy picking him up after he’d dropped Sarah off at school only made him feel marginally better.

“Better to show a united front from the get go,” she’d explained once he’d gotten in the car.

“Do they teach you that in law school too?”

“If you’re lucky.”

Steve snorted and looked out the window, trying not to think about how much more knotted his stomach was becoming with each mile they drove. 

“I can hear you thinking from over here,” Peggy commented eventually.

“My bad, I forgot to mute my brain.”

Peggy cracked a smile.

“You’re more than ready for this, Steve.”

“Thanks to you.”

“That goes without saying,” she teased.

Steve felt a small amount of tension leave his body, and he returned her smile. Peggy began to make idle small talk, which Steve figured she was only doing to keep him from actively worrying.

It was moments like these that he couldn’t help but wonder if she did this sort of thing for every client, or if it was a side effect of having worked around children for years now. He figured that was probably the case, but she had a way of speaking to him and sneaking glances as she drove that made him question just the smallest bit whether there was more there.

He shook his head. This was no time for that kind of wishful thinking. Besides, Steve learned a long time ago that the fairy tale ending wasn’t for him.

Peggy parked the car, and together they walked into the building and up to the conference room where Fred Wells was waiting for them.

“Good morning, Mr. Rogers,” Fred said before turning his full attention to Peggy. “Peg. You look incredible, as always.”

Fred’s comment was seemingly professional in tone, but the way his eyes raked over Peggy’s body, gave Steve half a mind to knock him on his ass. He’d been bad enough when he was only the lawyer helping Lorraine’s parents try to take his daughter away, but the way he was treating Peggy was only serving to irritate Steve further.

“Fred, you’re vile as ever,” Peggy replied easily with a pleasant smile on her face. 

“How I missed your charm, love,” Fred said drolly. 

“If only you had some for me to miss.”

“You haven’t changed a bit, Peg.”

“Wishful thinking,” she said tartly and firmly, signifying the end of whatever the hell that exchange was.

“Well, I suppose we should begin,” Fred said, plastering a fake smile before indicating for Steve and Peggy to enter the room.

Steve glanced at Peggy, and in an instant the sour look on her face softened into a genuine smile. She gave him a reassuring nod and led the way inside. 

“Mr. Rogers, Peggy,” Fred said. “Would either of you like a coffee before we begin?”

In the end, Steve wasn’t sure what to make of the deposition. 

True to her word, Peggy had been by his side, intervening whenever the questioning got particularly aggressive or when a question was extremely irrelevant. If you’d asked Steve, more than three-quarters of what they’d ask had no relevance to the matter at hand, but he understood that he had to comply as much as Peggy indicated through her silence. This was for Sarah. 

“Were you ever unfaithful to your wife at any point in your relationship?”

“No.”

“Even emotionally?”

“Lorraine and I didn’t love each other, but we were committed to making our arrangement work for Sarah’s sake.”

“It’s a yes or no question, Mr. Rogers.”

“I did not pursue or even think of pursuing another relationship with anyone during the time I was with Lorraine.”

So he answered every damn question, using the particular phrasing that Peggy coached him on, no matter how exhausted he was getting.

Once or twice, when he was feeling particularly worked up, he felt Peggy’s hand on his knee under the table, a subtle reminder that he wasn’t alone. Both in presence, and in his anger toward Fred and Lorraine’s parents. It was her only way of being able to communicate that he had someone in his corner. 

“Did you ever physically harm your late wife? Purposeful or not.”

“No.”

“Have you ever physically harmed your daughter? Purposeful or not.”

“No.”

“Have you ever had any thoughts, no matter how fleeting, about physically harming your late wife and/or your daughter?”

“Never.”

Peggy’s hand squeezed his knee, and he let his shoulders relax slightly. He wondered if she knew how grateful he was for it all. 

For her.

“Do you think you are a fit parent, Mr. Rogers?”

“I know I am.”

“That will be all, thank you.”

Finally, thankfully, it was over. 

Peggy led him out of the room, and back to her car, where he finally dropped his composure and ran a hand through his hair, not bothering to smooth it back down.

“That was awful,” he muttered as he leaned back into the passenger seat.

To his surprise, Peggy smiled.

“I’m glad my pain is so amusing,” he frowned.

“It’s not that. As awful as it was, you did well.”

“Did I?”

“As well as you could have.”

“Is that enough?”

It seemed like that was the only question he was asking these days.

Peggy’s eyes softened.

“It will be. Just you wait and see.”

“That feels really optimistic,” he pointed out, almost as a warning.

“I do, on occasion, like to practice a little optimism when in the face of successes while going up against the scum of the earth.”

“You know, I knew Fred Wells was an asshole, but the way he looked at you, and what he said when we first got there - what the hell was that?”

“I did tell you in our first meeting that I knew him,” she said simply as she started the car.

“How long have you known he was an asshole?” Steve asked, only half-jokingly.

“We met in law school in England,” she told him offhandedly as she began driving out of the parkade. “Unfortunately I didn’t piece the scum of the earth part together until much, much later.”

Steve frowned at the implication. He thought about the way Fred had looked at Peggy when he first arrived, leering, but familiar.

You haven’t changed a bit, Peg.

“Why do I feel like there’s a lot more to it than that?”

“So perceptive,” she told him, not unkindly.

“I’m smarter than I look,” he quipped. 

He could see Peggy almost crack a smile.

“You know,” he continued. “I’ve been told I’m a great listener.”

“By who, Sarah? Or your mother?”

“Obviously both, but my point still stands.”

“You don’t want to hear this.”

“I wouldn’t have asked if I didn’t mean it. That being said, that’s only if you want to share it.”

“How long have you got?” she asked wryly.

“Three hours until I have to pick Sarah up from school,” he said honestly. “Until then I’m all yours.”

They stopped at a red light. Peggy regarded him closely for a moment before letting out a small breath.

“Fine, but we’re getting pizza and going back to your place.”

“Deal.”

“I’m afraid it’s far too similar to a sob story for my liking,” Peggy began as they sat on the living room floor between the couch and the coffee table, a box of pizza and two sodas in front of them. 

“Peggy, you’re representing a man whose late wife he wasn’t even in love with, and who might lose his daughter in a custody battle with said late wife’s parents. Believe me, I won’t judge.”

To his surprise, Peggy gave him a grateful smile.

“As I said, I met Fred in law school. Our relationship began as practically enemies to playful rivals to friends, to more. We never technically dated during that time, but we were an unspoken item, if you will. I didn’t mind that our relationship at that point was nothing much other than studying together and the occasional fuck. I was too focused on my studies to take on a full time relationship, and he felt the same. It was nice to have someone going through the same things that I could also blow off steam with.”

Steve nodded, and Peggy took a breath.

“We both ended up top of our class, and got hired to the same law firm around the same time. Our relationship naturally bloomed to something more official as our careers progressed. I thought that I loved him, and I thought he felt the same about me.”

Peggy stared at her untouched pizza, her eyes growing sadder. 

“You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to,” he told her gently.

She paused for a few more moments before she spoke again.

“About two years after I’d gotten hired at the law firm - when I’d finally gone from an intern to an associate - I was walking home late one night by myself and I was… I was assaulted. I escaped by the skin of my teeth before he could actually get my clothes off or… do anything.”

Steve sucked in a sharp breath.

“Peggy-”

“It’s alright, I’ve gone to therapy and made peace with it.”

“It would be okay if you hadn’t,” he assured her.

She gave him a mirthless smile.

“Fred found me the next day in the staff kitchen because I hadn’t returned his phone calls from the previous night or that morning. It was only during that confrontation that I realized that I’d dropped my phone in the scuffle, and my laptop was at the office so even if I did want to reach out to him, I couldn’t have. I was in what felt like an eternal daze, and for some reason, there was a part of me that didn’t want to share what happened to me. It might have been because I hadn’t actually processed it, or maybe because a part of me knew deep down I couldn’t trust him. So I told him that I’d lost my phone the previous night and that I was sorry but I didn’t want to get into it, but he wouldn’t let it go. He kept pestering and pressing and he refused to let up because as his girlfriend I owed him as much. So I broke down told him what happened.

“He looked at me as though I’d grown a second head. He said that this was why I shouldn’t have been walking alone or wearing those skirts that he had always thought looked too much like an invitation to other men to hit on me. That I should have had the decency to at least try to find a way to contact him. I stood there simply stunned. Until then I thought him to be a good man but after spending five minutes of him pressuring me to talk about what happened, he completely dismissed me and my feelings and the entire experience and made it out to be my fault… I felt so betrayed.”

“That’s awful of him, Peggy. He had no right,” Steve said in a barely controlled voice. “What did you do?”

“Actually, I slapped him.”

Steve couldn’t help but let his jaw drop a bit in awe.

“It was quite satisfying,” she admitted, her fingers picking off a piece of pepperoni absentmindedly. “But in doing so, I gave him the shovel to dig my grave. He was furious. He told HR that I’d slapped him after he told me that he wanted to see other people. Since it happened in the communal kitchen there were cameras that caught me slapping him, though the audio was conveniently not working. Word spread around the office like wildfire and suddenly I was just the crazy bitch that couldn’t handle being broken up with. They allowed me the dignity to quit my job instead of being fired outright, but at that point my reputation had been tarnished enough that I couldn’t find work at any reputable law firm in London.”

“So you moved here,” Steve said softly.

Peggy nodded.

“One of the senior partners at the firm, Chester Phillips, he always disliked Fred and knew that the rumours going around about me were full of shit. Though he couldn’t stop me being forced to leave, he gave me a glowing recommendation to one of his contacts here.”

“At SHIELD,” Steve realized.

She nodded.

“By the end of whatever conversation Phillips had with Fury, the position was mine. They even paid for everything I’d need to take in order to be able to practice law in the US. So I packed up what was left of my life there and the rest is history.”

“Peggy that’s… I’ll kick Fred's ass ten ways to Sunday.”

Peggy let out a small watery laugh and shook her head slightly. 

“I’m serious, Peggy. For what it’s worth, if I didn’t have to prove that I’m not prone to acts of violence right now, I’d march up to him right now, punch his smarmy mouth and shove my foot where the sun don’t shine.”

She gave him a small smile.

“Now that I’d like to see.”

“It’s something I’d really like to do. I have a personal score to settle,” he told her. “It’s not just about defending your honour — though it is a big part of it.”

“It’s so strange,” she murmured.

“What?”

“You’re just… so kind.”

“You deserve kindness, Peggy. In all its forms.”

For a moment, she looked shocked at his statement. Then overwhelmed. She looked away suddenly, but he didn’t miss the way her tears started streaming down her face. His heart sank. How long had it been since anyone had validated her feelings?

“Hey, c’mere,” he said gently. “Can I?”

Peggy nodded, but didn’t look at him. He wrapped an arm around Peggy and pulled her to him. She went willingly, and allowed him to hold her to his chest. Her shoulders began to shake in earnest, but otherwise remained silent. Steve stroked her hair, fighting the urge to press a kiss to her head.

“Thank you,” she whispered eventually. “I promise it wasn’t my intention to cry all over you.”

“You don’t have to apologize. I meant what I said, Peggy,” he told her firmly. “If anyone deserves kindness, it’s you.” 

“I think we both deserve more kindness,” she told him quietly.

“Here’s hoping we find some soon,” he half-joked.

Peggy snorted, keeping her head rested on his chest. For a moment he worried that she could hear how fast his heart was beating.

“Here’s hoping,” she echoed quietly.

With the deposition over, Peggy was now ready to focus on prepping both Bucky and his mother as Steve’s character witnesses.

“Before we begin, you should know that Fred Wells will be cold, calculating, manipulative, and at times, downright cruel.”

“Oh don’t hold back on our account,” Bucky smirked, sipping his coffee as he leaned back on Steve’s dining room chair.

Peggy simply arched her eyebrow up at him.

“While he won’t be the one asking you questions, the current judge assigned to our case, Arnim Zola, is known to be just as bad. While I am currently working to have him removed from our case on the basis that he has a personal history with the Smiths, we need to expect the worst. What that all means is that neither of you are going to like me much during this prep.”

“Oh now I don’t about that,” his ma said.

“Believe her, she prepped me for my deposition,” Steve assured her. “You’re not going to like her much during this.”

“And did you or did you not do well?” Peggy asked, turning her arched eyebrow at him.

“I never said I didn’t,” he told her. “And it was all thanks to you and your merciless dedication to my prepping.”

“Are you quite finished?” she asked, though her tone was slightly amused.

“I’m just happy that I’m not on the other end of the questioning for once.”

Peggy shook her head - in a way that was fond at least, Steve hoped.

“At least I bring treats as compensation.”

“Touché.”

“Now,” she said, turning back to both his ma and Bucky. “Who would like to go first?”

“I’ll bite,” Bucky said. “Nat’s always talking about how good you are. Do your worst, Carter.”

Peggy smirked.

“Please state your full name for the record.”

“James Buchanan Barnes. But my friends call me Bucky.”

“What shall I call you then?”

“You can call me Bucky. Zola, however, will not receive the same honour.”

The corners of Peggy’s mouth twitched upward for a brief moment.

“Alright then Bucky, how long have you known Mr. Rogers?”

“Since I was five years old and he and his ma moved to the neighbourhood. Steve was just four.”

“I understand you’re also Sarah’s godfather.”

“I am.”

“I assume you were chosen to be her godfather because of your relationship with Mr. Rogers.”

“I was also close with Lorraine. We all went to the same since high school, and for the last three years of it the three of us all had the almost the same schedule. Like the three musketeers.”

“So they made you Sarah’s godfather because you were like the three musketeers?”

“I also like to think that I’m trustworthy, and I have good judgement.”

“And that good judgement led you to sign up for the army straight out of high school?”

“She is good,” his ma murmured to Steve under her breath. 

Steve smiled in agreement, not taking his eyes off of Peggy as he watched her work. In this setting where he wasn’t the one under the microscope, he could truly appreciate her form, like a lion waiting to pounce on its prey when it made one misstep.

“I wanted to do my part for my country, ma’am.”

“And we thank you for your service, Bucky. Now, you enlisted with Mr. Rogers, is that correct?”

“Yes. We were deployed together in the same unit.”

“How long were you both there?”

“Steve was there with me for 6 years, I stayed for an extra year after he left.”

“So you would know better than anyone of his experience overseas.”

“I do.”

“You were both party and front row to all the violence, the horrific acts needed to be carried out all in the name of American patriotism.”

“No more than the average soldier.”

“Still, that sort of things stays with you.”

“Of course.”

“PTSD can take many forms. I’m certain you probably know some of them. Dissociation, nightmares-”

“Is there a point to this?” Bucky asked, and Steve noticed that his jaw clenched ever so slightly.

“Experiencing years and years of endless battles can change a person drastically.”

“It isn’t easy,” Bucky agreed tentatively, and Steve watched as he tried to compose himself and think carefully about the next words out of his mouth. Bucky had never been one to be comfortable when it came to talking about their time in Afghanistan with anyone other than him and Nat, and even though Peggy had warned them well in advance that they would need to get into it, Steve suddenly felt extremely uneasy. “But it doesn’t change a person entirely, and it can be helped with things like therapy."

“But despite that therapy, those affects can bleed into every day life, correct?”

“Maybe - but never consciously and definitely not on purpose-”

“Even still, that potential for volatility is precisely the sort of thing that could compromise Sarah’s safety, and would therefore make Mr. Rogers unfit to be a parent, wouldn’t you agree?”

Steve saw the exact moment in Bucky’s eyes when he realized that Peggy had backed him into a corner.

“No I - that’s not - what the - how the fuck did you do that?” Bucky asked.

Peggy merely smirked and picked up her coffee.

“And that is precisely why we prep,” she said smugly before taking a sip. “Though your effort was admirable, Bucky.”

“That was incredible,” his ma blurted. “I mean awful, but incredible. I almost pity the man who you’ll be facing in court.”

Much to Steve’s surprise, Peggy blushed.

“I’m certain you won’t be saying that when it’s your turn up here,” she deflected.

“Probably not,” his ma agreed. “But right now I’m enjoying this.”

“Wow, thanks mom,” Bucky frowned.

“Are you ready for notes in how to ensure that doesn’t happen?” Peggy asked.

“Alright, hit me. Just watch, I’ll be your best student, Carter.”

Steve snorted and Peggy winked at him before turning back to Bucky.

“Alright then, let’s start with what you did wrong.”

After Peggy had spent two hours prepping Bucky and his ma, she had helped Steve make them all lunch - an apology for putting them through the wringer, she had said. She and Steve bumped elbows and hips as they figured out how to put together enough food for four people from the contents in his fridge while Bucky and his ma teased and joked from the dining table.

Then she had dried the dishes that he washed, his soapy fingers brushing hers every time he handed her a plate, which did nothing to lessen his feelings for her.

But he couldn’t do anything, he reminded himself. They couldn’t. Peggy was still his lawyer, and he shouldn’t even be pining after her like this.

“So,” his ma said after Peggy had left. “She’s rather incredible, don’t you think?”

“Are you really trying to play matchmaker right now?” he asked her incredulously.

“Obviously.”

“Ma-”

“Don’t ma me,” she chided. “You like her. And she likes you.”

“That’s not - even if she does, we still can’t do anything while she’s my lawyer. That’s so unethical they’ve probably written whole textbooks about it.”

“I highly doubt that. And still, there’s no problem in promising each other a dance after all this is over.”

“You know I can’t dance,” he frowned.

“But Peggy does,” she told him triumphantly, as though she’d been planning to get him to this point from the beginning. “And I’m sure she wouldn’t mind teaching you a few moves.”

Steve felt his cheeks heat up and he covered his face with his hands.

“This is embarrassing. You’re so embarrassing.”

“Just think about it, okay?” she said, prying his hands away from his face.

He sighed, but he nodded, knowing she wouldn’t let it go otherwise.

Slowly but surely, Peggy was becoming a semi-regular fixture at their home in the evenings. Every other day she would either pick things up directly from Steve’s home or drop him off there after a meeting, where she would get persuaded into staying for dinner by either Sarah or his ma. Each time it took less and less for her to say no.

Dinner would often then turn into dessert, which would turn into Steve and Peggy drinking some tea on the couch afterward simply talking about non-court related things and enjoying each other’s company. (Platonic company, he would remind his mother when she inevitably asked.) Steve would normally tuck Sarah in during this time, and Peggy would use the few minutes to send some emails or sometimes she would listen to the stories that Steve told his daughter. They would then spend another hour or two continuing where they left off.

It felt like the most natural thing in the world, spending time with her.

Usually Sarah would sleep through the night, however, just as they were finishing the tea in their mugs on this particular night, he heard a familiar set of footsteps coming down the stairs.

“Hey, sweet pea, what’s wrong?” he asked once Sarah was in sight.

“I can’t sleep,” she muttered as she crawled onto Steve’s lap.

“Why not?” he asked softly, stroking her hair as she tucked her head under his chin.

“It’s too dark,” she whispered.

“Do you want me to find your nightlight so you can have it on tonight?”

“No because I'm 7 and I shouldn’t be afraid of the dark.”

“It’s okay to be afraid of the dark,” he told her. 

“And you know Sarah, you’re never truly entirely in the dark, even if it feels like it,” Peggy added, her voice surprising both of them.

“What?” she mumbled, scrunching her eyebrows together.

“Even though your room may be dark, the moon is always looking out for you.”

“It is?”

“Of course,” she grinned, sliding closer to them on the couch. “I’m going to tell you a story that my brother told me when I was little, about the moon. Now the moon is not just a rock in space, she’s a beautiful, kind spirit. During the day she’d play with the Sun, and nighttime would usually be her time to sleep, just like everyone else. But one night, she found herself wide awake. Not knowing what to do and unable to fall asleep, she decided to come out and explore the world at night. When she did, she lit up the night sky brighter than ever before. Bright enough that every bad thing that lurked in the shadows to scare and hurt humans ran away. They had nowhere to hide. The humans, realizing that the moon had unknowingly protected them from these terrible things, begged and pleaded with the moon to stay out every night. The moon wasn’t sure at first. She was already up all day, if she didn’t sleep at night, she would be very tired. But when the humans told her of the dangers that awaited them in the dark, the moon, being so kind and so caring, agreed to stay out to protect them. So that is why, even though it feels dark at night, you’re never really alone. The moon is always there in some capacity, watching over us.”

Steve, who had been just as engrossed in the story as Sarah, looked down when his daughter spoke.

“Is that true?” she whispered

“My brother never lied to me,” Peggy told her, reaching out and taking her hand. “The dark can be scary, but you’re never alone, Sarah.”

She nodded and squeezed Peggy’s hand, looking up at Steve. He smiled and booped her nose.

“Ready to go back to bed, sweet pea?”

Sarah smiled and nodded.

“Can both you and Peggy tuck me in?” she asked quietly.

Peggy looked at Steve with uncertain eyes, but he nodded reassuringly.

“Of course,” he told her.

He picked her up with ease and carried her up the stairs, hearing Peggy’s quiet footsteps behind him.

While Steve tucked Sarah back into bed, Peggy carefully opened the curtains just enough that the light of the moon was just peeking through.

“See?” he told Sarah, who was now properly underneath the blanket with the stuffed monkey that had been a gift from Lorraine for her third birthday. “So that you don’t forget the moon is looking out for you.”

They both stayed with Sarah, Peggy standing near the window and Steve sitting on her bed humming and stroking her hair until she fell asleep. Once Steve was sure she wouldn’t wake up again, he smiled at Peggy and tilted his head toward the door.

“That was incredible,” he whispered the moment they were safely downstairs.

“I had terrible night terrors as a child,” Peggy explained with a small shrug. “The only thing that ever helped was my brother telling me that the moon was looking after me, taking all the bad things from my nightmares away.”

“I can’t thank you enough for sharing that to help Sarah,” he said, reaching out for her hands.

“It really was no trouble, Steve,” she said softly.

“I owe you so much,” he whispered. “And not just for tonight.”

“You’re lucky I’m not keeping track.”

They smiled, holding each other’s gazes for what felt like endless minutes. For a moment, he even thought that their faces were slowly inching closer - until Peggy cleared her throat.

“It’s late. I… I should get going.”

“Yeah,” he agreed quietly, though he wanted nothing more than for her to stay.

She pulled away and began to slowly gather her papers and laptop into her bag, Steve watching her with his heart and mind still racing.

He helped her with her coat, as had become a goodbye tradition for them, and as always, Peggy smiled at him from over her shoulder.

“I’ll see you later, Steve.”

“Text me when you’re home safe,” he smiled back.

“So, how’s Peggy?”

“You know you’re not subtle, right ma?” he said with a fond roll of his eyes as they finished putting the cookies in the oven.

“I never pretended to be,” she grinned. “So how is she?”

“Working tirelessly to save my life.”

“Sarah speaks about her endlessly.”

“Does she?”

“Oh yes. She told me all about the very kind, very gentle moon spirit that keeps everyone safe at night.”

Steve felt his cheeks go pink.

“Yeah, she’s pretty cool.”

“The moon spirit, or your lawyer?”

Steve frowned and finally turned to her.

“Really ma?”

“I’m just saying,” she said, raising her hands up innocently, though she was anything but. “I don’t think I’ve seen either of you smile this much in a long time. And anyone who can make my babies smile like she does is good in my books.”

Steve, though his cheeks and ears were burning, smiled.

With her point proven, his ma started tackling the dishes.

There were now only four days until the court date, which meant that Peggy was ironing out every last detail, fortifying every line of defence, and digging up anything else she might have missed, both to use on their side and to prepare defences for in case they came up. Since Steve wanted to remain heavily involved in the preparation, she had practically set up a second office in his home, seeing as it was easier for him to be involved if he was physically there to give his thoughts and support. This way he also didn’t have to arrange child care, which, seeing as how one of Fred’s arguments was that the amount of time Sarah spent at her grandparents’ homes in the last year showed incompetence and neglect on Steve’s part, any amount of time Sarah was left with anyone else would only work against them now.

Peggy at this point had officially become a part of every dinner - much to Sarah’s delight. Steve couldn’t deny that he loved watching her interact with Sarah, sometimes joking, sometimes offering sage words of advice. At this point, he couldn’t tell who was more excited every time Peggy agreed to join them at the table, his daughter, his mother or himself.

Not that he’d ever admit that out loud.

Especially not to his ma.

Something had been shifting between them ever since Peggy had told Sarah about the moon spirit. There were more lingering gazes, more small touches as they passed each other. But still, they couldn’t cross that line.

They were due to be in court in four days, for Christ’s sake. He had to stop getting lost in her eyes and get his head on straight.

The thought of returning to court made him feel nauseous. The last judge - Judge Erskine - had been kind enough to give him more time to prepare his defence, but this was his last chance.

He had no idea what he would’ve done without Peggy.

“No way.”

“Yes way.”

“No way.”

“Yes way.”

Steve followed the bickering voices to the kitchen, where Peggy was pouring tea for him, Sarah, and his ma.

“No way,” Sarah argued again.

“Yes way,” Peggy rebutted.

“No. Way.”

“Yes way.”

Steve grinned widely and took a drink of his water, content to watch them both debate the probability that Peggy had actually met Rapunzel.

He couldn’t ignore the way his traitorous heart stuttered when Peggy handed him his mug and their fingers brushed, but he pointedly avoided his mother’s gaze, knowing very well that as always, she was watching them closely.

Later that night, after his ma had gone back home and he had tucked Sarah into bed, he returned to the kitchen to find that Peggy was washing the dishes.

“Hey, you didn’t have to do this.”

“You cooked,” she pointed out. “I figured it was the least I could do.”

“You mean other than be my lawyer for free?”

“That homemade stir fry you made tonight almost evened out the playing field,” she smirked.

“Almost?”

“I’m not a fan of green peppers.”

“Just the green ones?” he asked, grabbing a cloth and drying the dishes she had already rinsed.

“Yes, but I don’t know why that is, so don’t ask.”

“From my experience in being a dad, it’s probably because green is the ickiest colour when it comes to food.”

Peggy’s jaw dropped and she turned to fully face him.

“Did you just call me a child?”

Steve paused and mulled over his own words.

“I guess I did, didn’t I?”

Peggy blinked slowly, but before he could apologize, she burst out laughing. Steve’s shoulders dropped in relief and before long he was joining her. When their laughter finally subsided, she set the towel down that she had been using to dry her hands on the counter and took a step toward him, propping her hands on her hips.

“What are we going to do with you, Mr. Rogers?”

He grinned and instinctively matched her step forward. Her heels had been long discarded, leaving him towering over her more than usual. At their proximity she had to crane her head up to look him in the eye. They stared at each other for long seconds, until Peggy’s eyes flicked down to look at his lips. Then one of them, Steve couldn’t tell who - maybe it was both of them - started leaning in. Within the next moment they were both moving forward until they had their foreheads pressed together. Steve’s nose brushed against hers and he felt her inhale slowly. They hadn’t done a single thing but Steve already felt breathless. It would hardly take anything for him to brush his lips against hers and find out if they were as soft as he had always dreamed they were. They were so close and yet…

“Steve… We can’t,” Peggy whispered, her voice suddenly hoarse.

“I know,” he answered quietly, letting some of his frustration seep into his voice, though he found himself unable to move away from her. “I just wish…”

“Me too,” she told him.

“Peggy?”

“Yes?”

“After this is over-”

“After we win,” she corrected.

“After we win,” he smiled. “Maybe we could grab a cup of coffee?”

“And this cup of coffee would be different from the other ones we’ve had thus far?”

“Yeah, well for starters, I’d pay.”

Peggy laughed softly and tilted her head up to look at him properly. Somehow, even with the movement, their lips were still just a breath apart. 

“Alright, Mr. Rogers, a cup of coffee on you. In 4 days,” she said wistfully.

“Just 4 more days,” he breathed out.

“4 days.”

They remained unmoving for a tiny eternity with their gazes still locked. For a moment, he thought one of them would break and close the distance, but then Peggy finally stepped back, shattering the fragile moment.

Steve went to check on Sarah after starting a load of laundry. With any luck he’d be able to get another load in and help her with homework before Peggy arrived later this evening. Since their moment in the kitchen two nights ago, Steve had hardly slept. Between the elation he felt that Peggy wanted to grab a non-platonic coffee with him and the frustration that they couldn’t just do it now and the ever-present guilt at the fact that he was thinking of that when he was so close to possibly losing his daughter, he had hardly gotten any sleep. 

He felt his heart begin to race at the thought of seeing her at dinner. Maybe he could orchestrate it so that they washed dishes together again. At the very least he would help her with her jacket at the end of the night. Anything to get him through this last stretch. Turning the corner, he schooled his dreamy smile so that Sarah wouldn’t notice, ready to see if she needed help with her homework.

The last thing he was expecting to find Sarah shaking and crying over her reading comprehension.

“Hey,” he said gently, quickly kneeling in front of her. “What’s going on sweet pea?”

Sarah immediately threw herself into his arms and sobbed. Over her shoulder, Steve was able to get a peak at the short story she had been reading, which was about a little girl whose mom was in the hospital. Steve silently cursed himself for not having taken a look at the contents of her homework when she’d set them out, and held her tightly.

“I’m scared, daddy,” Sarah told him.

“It’s going to be okay,” he promised immediately, rubbing her back. “We’re going to be okay.”

“I don’t wanna lose you,” she cried. “I already lost mom and I can’t lose you too!”

“I’m not going to let that happen,” he promised her as he fought back his own tears. “Peggy and I are going to make sure that you stay with me. You’re not going to lose me ever.”

Sarah let out another sob and he repeated it again.

He kept repeating it until Sarah stopped crying.

Until they both half-believed it again.

“You’re distracted,” Peggy said, looking up from the paper she’d been reading to him.

She wasn’t wrong. Sarah’s breakdown earlier today certainly hadn’t done anything to help his already increasing anxiety - not that he blamed her in the slightest.

Theoretically, he knew that Peggy had prepped his case to the last millionth of an inch. She’d be able to undo all the damage caused the first time around, and prove that he was more than fit to be Sarah’s father and full time guardian.

“Steve?” 

Still, his daughter was on the line. The light of his life, his whole world. He promised her she wouldn’t lose him. And he couldn’t lose her.

He couldn’t.

“Steve?” she asked again.

Peggy’s voice sounded distant in his ears, even though she was sitting beside him on the couch. He took deep breaths as his chest began to tighten, but it felt like he couldn’t keep up, so he screwed his eyes shut.

“Hey, it’s okay. Just breathe with me,” he heard her say, though it felt like he was underwater. 

She gently took his hand and held it to her chest. She then placed her own hand on his over his heart.

“In and out,” she instructed gently. “Slowly. Just follow my lead.”

Steve stuttered and gasped out harsh breaths, trying to mimic Peggy’s rhythm. This went on for what felt like hours, Peggy breathing in and out slowly and consistently while Steve tried to follow her lead. Finally, when he had managed a few even, calm breaths in a row, he was able to open his eyes and look at her.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered.

“You had a panic attack, Steve. There’s nothing to apologize for.”

Steve let out a slow breath and Peggy reached over to gently wiped his tears away. He hadn’t realized he was crying.

“Come here,” she prompted softly.

She slid over and gently wrapped her arms around him. Without missing a beat, Steve buried his face in her shoulder, grateful that Sarah was asleep and wouldn’t see him like this. One of Peggy’s hands stroked his hair while the other held him tightly to her.

For the first time since this entire custody battle started, he allowed himself to succumb to the fear of the very real possibility that he might lose the one thing that meant more to him than anything else.

In the warmth of her arms, Steve couldn’t help but begin to relax. He didn’t know how long it was, but eventually, the tears stopped, and he fully slumped against Peggy, who hadn’t let him go.

“We’ve done a lot of work tonight,” she whispered. “Let’s get you to bed now.”

Steve couldn’t help but yawn at the suggestion, feeling like his body had been run over by a truck.

“Come on, up we go,” she prompted.

They both stood, and Peggy kept an arm around him as she walked with him to his room. No matter that she was shorter than him — shorter than normal since she’d kicked off her heels promptly after arriving — she was solid enough that it felt like she could hold him up.

By the time she was helping him into bed and covering him with the blanket, it clicked in Steve’s head that she was taking care of him.

His heart clenched at the thought. He liked that Peggy was taking care of him.

She was suddenly moving away and Steve panicked, scared to be left alone when he still didn’t entirely trust his own mind not to betray him again. He reached out and grabbed her hand before she could get too far.

“Don’t go,” he pleaded in a whisper.

“You need water,” she said softly, giving his hand a squeeze. “I promise I’ll be right back.”

Steve nodded slowly and let go of her hand, feeling embarrassed at his outburst. Still, she gave him a reassuring smile and brushed his hair away from his forehead before leaving to grab the water.

He closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths as he heard Peggy putter about the kitchen downstairs.

Finally, Peggy returned to the bedroom. She sat down on the edge of the bed beside him and offered him the glass.

“Drink,” she ordered gently. 

Steve sat up and accepted the glass of water from her, gulping most of it down in one go.

“Thank you,” he whispered hoarsely.

Peggy took the glass from him and set it on the nightstand, looking at him curiously.

“Can I ask you a question?”

Steve nodded.

“When was the last time you talked to someone about this?”

“This?”

“Lorraine, Sarah. Everything going on in your life.”

He inhaled slowly.

“I mean… I talk to Nat and Bucky and my mom, but…”

“But?” she prodded gently when he trailed off.

“But I try not to bother them. They’re all so busy I don’t want them to worry more about me than they already do.”

“Steve,” she said, her voice nowhere near as judgemental as he expected. “They’re your family. I’m certain that they wish that you would confide in them more.”

“You’re probably right,” he sighed.

“You know I am,” she said in a light teasing tone. “And it’s not healthy to keep all that in.”

“I know… I just… Lorraine’s cancer, her death, this custody battle. It’s all taken over my life and I don’t want it to take over theirs as well. I wanted some part of my life to be… less clouded by all of that.”

Peggy didn’t say anything for a few moments, and for a second he thought he’d said too much, but then he felt her fingers brush his stubborn hair out of his forehead again.

“I know it doesn’t feel like it right now, but everything will be alright,” she told him.

“How do you know?” he asked sincerely.

“Because I don’t make a habit of losing, Mr. Rogers,” she said, her tone only slightly teasing.

“They’re not going to make it easy,” he sighed rubbing his face with his hands. “They’ll fight dirty.”

“That’s the unfortunate thing. When the price is so high, sometimes morals fly out the window. But we’re going to beat them with ours fully intact.”

“I can’t let them take Sarah from me.”

“They won’t,” she assured him, taking his hand in hers. “But right now, you need to rest. You’ve been put through the wringer this past year, and you’ll need to rest for this final stretch.”

With Peggy’s gentle prodding, he laid back down and she covered him with the blanket.

“Peggy?” he whispered.

“Yes?”

“Can you stay?” he whispered. “Just for a bit? I… I don’t want to be alone.”

He was so tired of being alone.

Peggy looked conflicted for the tiniest fraction of a second, but she gave a small nod and adjusted herself to sit properly beside where he was laying down. Though she didn’t move, she began carding her fingers through his hair. Steve felt the remaining tension slowly leave his body, and he sighed. He curled up and tentatively placed his arm over her lap, pressing his nose against her hipbone.

She didn’t tense, and continued stroking his hair.

Peggy might have said something then, but Steve was already mostly asleep if she did.

Steve awoke to something shifting beside him, disrupting the wonderful but vague dream he’d been having. He sighed and tightened his hold around Peggy’s waist, pulling her back to him and burying his face in her hair.

Wait.

He snapped his eyes open, shifting his head back to take a better look.

Peggy was in his bed. And they were spooning. 

“Hello, sleepyhead,” she said quietly, turning her head back to look at him.

“What?” he asked. “You… how? What?”

“It seems you can be quite stubborn when you want to be,” she teased. “Even in your sleep.”

“Shit. Sorry,” he mumbled, sitting up.

“Don’t be,” she murmured, turning so that she was laying on her back.

In his bed.

Peggy was in his bed.

Peggy was in his bed smiling at him like it was a common occurrence that she was in his bed.  

“No, no I shouldn’t have made you-”

“You didn’t make me do anything I didn’t want to,” she told him, sitting up. “I’ve always enjoyed a good cuddle. Even an unplanned one.”

Steve turned bright red and covered his face with his hands.

“I’m never going to live this down.”

“It’s not the worst thing to ever happen, Steve.”

“I shouldn’t have kept you here - literally. I shouldn’t have forced-”

“We both needed to rest,” she assured him, her tone just firm enough to let him know that she was serious, and that was the end of this conversation.

Besides, Steve had to admit that he’d just slept better than he had in months with Peggy in his arms. Even in the few dreams he’d had of her since meeting her, he never could have imagined it would feel that nice.

“Yeah… I guess,” he conceded.

She gave him a warm smile.

“How do you feel?”

“You mean other than how I want the ground to swallow me whole?”

She arched her eyebrow up at him amusedly.

“Yes but please go on being dramatic. Best you get it all out of your system now.”

Steve went to retort when his eye caught the clock on his nightstand and noticed that it was just past midnight.

“It’s late,” he frowned.

He’d been asleep for almost two hours. 

With Peggy in his bed and in his arms.

“Which is why you should get back to sleep,” she told him decidedly. “And why I should be going home now.”

“But-”

Peggy put her hand on his cheek and the rest of his sentence got caught in his throat.

“Rest,” she ordered gently. “For me?”

How could he deny her that? Especially when she looked at him with such warmth. Steve found himself nodding and settling back on the bed.

After lifting the blanket to cover his chest so that he was properly tucked in once again, Peggy leaned down and pressed a kiss to his forehead, and his breath hitched. In the dim lighting of the room, with her head above his, she looked like an angel.

“I’ll see you soon, Steve,” she whispered.

“Text me when you’re home safe,” he murmured.

“Yes, sir,” she said teasingly before standing up.

He watched her stretch and leave the room, closing the door behind her. Steve tried hard to stay awake so that he’d be able to receive her text, but his eyes fluttered shut of their own accord. 

He did however, hear the door creak open a few minutes later.

“Peggy?” he murmured, opening his eyes anew.

“It’s me, daddy.” 

Steve shot up, now wide awake.

“What’s wrong, sweet pea?”

“I had a bad dream. Can I sleep with you?”

“Of course,” he told her. “C’mere.”

Sarah crawled into bed and under the blanket with him. He held her tightly to his chest.

“Why did you think I was Peggy?” she asked once she was snuggled into his arms.

He was grateful for the darkness that hid his blush. 

“No reason.”

“I like Peggy,” Sarah yawned, snuggling closer. “She’s really nice and she makes you smile.”

Steve didn’t answer, choosing to stroke Sarah’s hair instead. It wasn’t long before she fell asleep, at peace in his arms. 

A few moments later, his phone buzzed.

Peggy Carter 12:44am

Home safe 

Sweet dreams

Steve felt a warmth bloom in his chest reading her message. He grinned slowly. 

You 12:45am

Glad to hear it

Sleep well, Peggy

Steve looked back down at Sarah, the way she snuffled into his chest.

The end of this custody battle couldn't come soon enough.

Two days later, Steve fidgeted with his tie for the hundredth time since arriving to the courthouse. He, Sarah, and his ma had gotten there far too early, so they’d had to wait outside the courtroom.

“Stop fussing with your tie,” his mother said gently. “You look nice.”

Peggy arrived next, which he was thankful for. He didn’t know what he would’ve done if he’d had to face Lorraine’s parents by himself. Or Fred. He’d only met that man twice, but each time was more than enough to make him want to punch him. Not only for what he was helping Lorraine’s parents do, but for what he had done to Peggy. 

His mother greeted Peggy with a hug, and he smiled softly at the sight.

“Hello Peggy,” his ma greeted when she had finally let her go.

“Hi Sarah,” she reciprocated - although with a newfound pink tinge to her cheeks.

“Hi Peggy,” his daughter greeted, though she wouldn’t let go of Steve’s hand.

“Hi Sarah,” she said sweetly. “Steve.”

“Hey,” he said, trying to muster up the confidence that he was currently lacking.

“Breathe,” Peggy told him, evidently seeing right through him. “Peggy’s orders.”

He let out a slow breath.

“See?” she prompted. “I promise you’re in capable hands.”

He gave her a small smile.

“I know. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

“Good thing for you, you won’t have to find out,” she teased before reaching out and adjusting his tie.

Steve inhaled slowly as he looked down at her. She spent longer than what he thought was necessary but he didn’t mind at all. Finally, she looked up at him, keeping her hands on his tie.

“There, you look perfect.”

“Thank you,” he murmured.

“Happy to help,” she smiled before turning to Sarah, who was looking a bit pale. “Are you alright, sweetheart?”

“I’m scared,” Sarah whispered.

Steve felt his heart break. He put his arm around her and held her close. 

“I know, sweet pea, but we have to have faith,” he told her.

Peggy kneeled down in front of her.

“You know, I get scared too, when I go to court,” she admitted.

“But you’re always so brave,” Sarah said.

“Everyone gets scared, Sarah. I get scared because I really want to help the people I represent and I don’t want to let them down. But do you know what always helps me?”

Sarah shook her head. Peggy smiled sweetly and unclasped her necklace, a small silver shield pendant that she always wore. 

“My brother gave me this as a present when I got into law school. This reminds me to have confidence in myself, that no matter what the world throws at me, I can take it. And I want you to wear it during this trial. That way, you’ll also be very brave today.”

“Really?”

Peggy nodded.

“But what about you?”

“If you win, I win,” Peggy told her with a smile. “What do you say?”

Sarah looked from Peggy to the necklace before nodding in agreement. Peggy smiled at her and clasped the necklace around Sarah’s neck, adjusting it so it fit over her forest green dress.

“Perfect,” Peggy said proudly. “Now you’re the bravest person in this courthouse.” 

Sarah hugged Peggy tightly.

“Thank you, Peggy.”

“Anytime, sweetheart,” she said, giving her a tight squeeze before standing back up properly.

Steve glanced at his mother, who was looking a little teary-eyed at the exchange. When she met his eye, she gave him a discreet thumbs up.

He felt another set of eyes on him and found Peggy looking at him. Steve mouthed a silent thank you, and her smile grew.

“Hey, it’s the happy family,” Bucky said as he approached them.

Steve rolled his eyes fondly.

“Hi uncle Bucky,” Sarah greeted, hugging him tightly.

“Hey peanut,” Bucky said, scooping her up and spinning her around until she was giggling. What do you say we scope out those vending machines before we go in? I think I saw some high quality chocolate bars on my way in.”

Sarah gasped and shifted in Bucky’s arm to face Steve.

“Can I daddy?”

“Sure sweet pea, go ahead. But only one.”

“Why don’t I join you?” his mother suggested. “I could do with a snack. Steve, Peggy, would either of you like anything?”

“No thank you,” they answered simultaneously.

“Onward!” Sarah cheered.

Steve smiled as Bucky set Sarah down and took her hand as they ventured to the vending machines with his mother.

“Alone at last,” Peggy teased once they were all gone.

“Something tells me on purpose.”

“You didn’t just figure that out, did you?” she joked.

Steve smiled and ducked his head bashfully.

“You know, I don’t think I properly thanked you for what you did the other night.”

“There’s no need to thank me.”

“Yes there is,” he said, taking a step closer. “What you did… Peggy I will never be able to tell you how much it means to me.”

“I would do it again,” she whispered. “Anytime.”

Steve swallowed hard as he gazed into her eyes.

“Peggy, I-”

Peggy’s eyes suddenly narrowed, and a familiar, cold voice crept up behind him.

“Peg, how nice to see you again.”

Steve stiffened and turned around, finding Fred approaching, with Lorraine’s parents in tow.

“Fred, it’s always nice seeing you right before I beat you in court,” Peggy replied sweetly.

“How I’ve missed our banter, love,” he quipped.

“If only I could say the same.”

“Matthew, Loretta,” Steve greeted politely.

“Steven,” Loretta replied simply, the ever-present scowl on her face worsening as she looked at him. Despite the fact that she stood at a mere 4’11” (a nearly comical difference when she stood beside her husband who was just over 5’10”), she somehow had a way of making Steve feel like he was still that scrawny teenager who showed up to his first date with Lorraine in a suit that was two sizes too big.

After a few moments of tense silence, Steve opened his mouth.

“So… Anyone got any jokes?”

He heard Peggy stifle a snort from beside him and he felt some of the tension in his shoulders dissipate despite how hard his heart was thrumming.

“Are you incapable of taking anything seriously?” Matthew sneered. 

“I swear your manners have only gotten worse since high school,” Loretta added. “I feel so terribly for poor Sarah who has been forced to be raised by someone with the same emotional maturity as her.”

“You’ll have to forgive me if I think completely otherwise, Mr. and Mrs. Smith,” Peggy defended immediately. “Steve is a more than capable father, in every aspect.”

Fred scoffed.

“Of course, he’s paying you to say that.”

Steve wanted to argue back that he actually wasn’t paying her to do anything, and by the look on Peggy’s face, it looked like they were thinking the same thing.

“I’m a woman of my own mind,” Peggy said tartly. “And I use my abilities to stand up for what’s right. You once did too, Freddie.”

“I’ve simply grown up, Peg. It’s a shame you haven’t.”

“If this,” she said, gesturing to him. “Is what growing up is like, I rather think Peter Pan had it right all along.”

The doors to the court opened, halting any response Fred might have had. He turned his nose up at them before escorting in Matthew and Loretta Smith.

Bucky and his ma returned with Sarah a few moments later, which Steve had a feeling they did purposefully. She was holding a large Kit Kat bar, although it was unopened, looking at Steve uncertainly.

“It’s going to be okay,” Steve assured her. He gave her a tight hug. “We’re going to be okay. Your uncle Bucky and maimeó will take turns looking after you while we’re in there, okay?” 

Sarah nodded.

“Okay,” she mumbled.

Steve kissed her head and pulled away. Almost immediately, Bucky was holding her hand.

“I’ve got you, peanut,” Bucky promised her before looking up at Steve. “Good luck, punk.”

“Thanks, jerk,” Steve said, managing a small smile before Peggy led him and his ma into the courthouse.

His ma was seated in the first bench behind him and Peggy. Steve glanced over at Matthew and Loretta, who were glaring daggers his way. His jaw clenched, then he felt Peggy’s fingers brush against his own, out of sight of prying eyes.

“I won’t let you down,” Peggy promised him in a quiet voice.

“I know,” he whispered.

“All rise for the honourable Judge Flynn.”

Steve blinked at the announcement. He couldn’t help but wonder what had happened to Zola. As if reading his thoughts, Peggy whispered just loud enough for him to hear:

“Oh ye of little faith.”

“Believe me, when it comes to you, I have nothing but faith,” he murmured.

Peggy paused and looked up at him.

“Do you really mean that?”

“Every word.”

First, Flynn went through the overview of the case, listing the reasons that had been given as to why Matthew and Loretta wanted custody of their granddaughter. He then looked to Fred to present Matthew and Loretta’s custody plan. Unsurprisingly, they wanted full custody of Sarah, with no visitation allowed from Steve until he went to therapy for his “anger management problems”. For Sarah’s safety, they claimed.

Steve took a deep breath. He was expecting this. And they had a plan. A foolproof plan.

“Carter?” Flynn prodded, and Peggy stood.

“Your honour, all of the claims founded by Mr. and Mrs. Smith regarding Mr. Rogers’ mental stability, as it were, are entirely baseless. Mr. Rogers hasn’t shown any inclination or evidence of purposeful or random bouts of anger or violence. In previous couples counselling sessions between Mr. Rogers and his late wife, of which we have the records - she never once mentioned his PTSD as an attributing factor to their difficulties together. And as you can see by the written testimony provided by Dr. Coulson, both Mr. Rogers and Sarah Marie are suffering grief due to the loss of Lorraine Smith and the stress of this custody hearing, both of which are also the attributing factors to Sarah’s fallen grades and withdrawn behaviour at school. Again, it’s nothing to do with Mr. Rogers himself, merely the present circumstances of her life.”

For the betterment of Sarah’s mental health, we propose that full custody of Sarah Marie Rogers remains with her father. It would be cruel to separate her from her only living parent, especially when he is a dutiful father and they have such a strong relationship.”

Flynn hummed thoughtfully as his eyes perused the documents that Coulson had sent over, and Steve held his breath.

“Afghanistan, huh?” he asked Steve.

“Yes, sir - ah - your honour.”

Flynn looked from him to Loretta and Matthew.

“I’d like to hear from your character witnesses, Mr. Rogers,” Flynn finally stated.

Steve nodded and looked at Peggy, who didn’t look fazed. While he didn’t think that it would be so simple, Peggy’s opening had been so firm and confident that for a moment he had hoped that she had convinced Flynn just like that.

Still, they had prepared for this.

“Please state your full name.”

“Sarah Niamh Rogers.”

“You are Steve’s mother, yes?”

“Yes.”

“I’ve always thought mothers are an interesting choice when it comes to character witnesses,” Flynn commented. “In my experience, I’ve found that they can be rather biased.”

“I am a woman of my own mind, your honour,” his ma said firmly. “I can give you an accurate account of who Steve Rogers is as a person, and that is the truth that I hope you’ll see. I’ve been by his side through his marriage, and this past year after Lorraine’s passing, and since Sarah’s birth Steve has walked through everything with his daughter at the forefront of his mind. Sure, he can be a picky eater, and is stubborn when it comes to letting others help him, but he has a good heart, and he is an incredible parent.”

“Very well. Thank you, Mrs. Rogers,” Flynn said before turning to the security guard present. “Now, can you please get Mr. Barnes? I’ve been told he’s watching the littler Sarah just outside.”

Steve inhaled slowly as Bucky left to go swap places again with his ma following his testimony. He didn’t want to jinx anything, but in his mind, it had gone well. At least, it didn’t go terribly and Peggy seemed calm, which had to mean something, right?

She gave him a discreet smile when he looked in her direction, but it was enough to fill his stomach with butterflies. Nicer than the ones that had been there for the last half hour.

“Thank you,” he mouthed. Peggy winked in return, and Steve only remembered to look away from her when he heard Fred begin to speak.

“Your honour.”

“What is it, Mr. Wells?”

“As heartwarming as these character witnesses were, I feel as though we are allowing sentiments to get in the way of the facts.”

“Have you discounted the testimonies from Dr. Coulson and Ms. Danvers?” Peggy interjected. “I wouldn’t call any of those sentimental. And everyone here has had access to the deposition, which shows no inconsistencies in Mr. Rogers’ behaviour or answers to any of the Smith’s accusations.”

“Even so, if we’re to consider who the best person to be teaching Sarah, shaping her young mind and helping her learn how to act ethically, well I’m sad to say that that person isn’t Mr. Rogers.”

“Your theory of Mr. Rogers’ PTSD-related anger has already been disproven, Mr. Wells,” Flynn said in a bored tone. “So unless you have something new to present-” 

“Actually I do.”

Steve froze as Fred pulled a small but thick manila envelope out from his folder.

“I’d like to present these photographs as evidence of Mr. Rogers’ unethical behaviour that impact his ability to be a proper parent to his daughter,” he continued smugly, handing the envelope to the security guard who then handed them to Flynn.

“What photographs?” Peggy frowned as Flynn began looking through them.

Steve looked at her with concern. It was taking him all of his strength to keep himself from spiralling. Whatever those pictures were, they should still be fine. After all, they had an airtight case.

Right?

After Flynn had leafed through all the photos, he ushered Steve and Peggy to his podium to view them as well. When Steve saw what they were his stomach sunk.

There were several of him and Peggy at the pizza place where they had ordered lunch after the deposition. She had been trying to cheer him up, and so in many of the pictures she was grinning, laughing, or standing much closer than what could be considered platonic if taken out of context. The following photos consisted of the few times they had grabbed a coffee just before or after meeting together in her office. It captured their stolen glances, the way they had sometimes caught eyes or laughed together. The way she smiled at him when he opened the door for her on more than one occasion. The largest part of the stack showed Peggy’s car parked just outside his house, on what Steve had to assume were various different nights by changes in the sky and the other cars parked around the street.

Looking at the pictures of the two of them together now, Steve wondered how he could have ever thought that Peggy hadn’t felt the same way.

Still, if Fred was taking this in the direction Steve thought he was taking it, this evidence was downright damning.

“As you can see, your honour, Steve Rogers clearly has no qualms about his own conduct when it comes to engaging in an unethical relationship with a person who he has hired and has power over. And what more needs to be said about bringing a strange woman into his home for what we know was at least nearly two weeks consecutively, the home he shares with his daughter? Clearly he doesn’t care about her safety, or that she hasn’t emotionally recovered from her mother’s death before trying to find a replacement.”

“That’s not-” he tried to interject. 

“Or if Ms. Carter isn’t a replacement for the late Ms. Smith, is she simply the first of many who will be coming in and out of his daughter’s home, leading to an even more unstable home life? How then, your honour, could Mr. Rogers be trusted to take care of her physical and emotional well-being?”

Steve’s jaw dropped in tandem with his heart.

“Your honour,” Peggy cut in, using a venomous tone of voice that he had never heard from her before. “I would like to point out how suspicious it is that the Smiths had Mr. Rogers and I followed, to the point where they have captured what looks like nearly all of our interactions that occurred in a public area over the last four weeks. It makes me wonder the kind of people they are, and how controlling they would be as guardians. If we’re talking about ethics, I wouldn’t put this behaviour high on that list.”

“Objection-” Fred began. 

“However,” she pushed on as though he hadn’t interrupted. “Even if we put all the above aside, I can tell you that Mr. Rogers and I are not and have not been involved either romantically or sexually, and that Mr. Wells is either attempting to provoke Mr. Rogers to snap out in anger to prove his argument, or rile you up into thinking that Mr. Rogers is an unfit parent by slandering myself and Mr. Rogers. We are smiling in these pictures because we became friends over the last four weeks. My car was at his house because we conducted many of our court-related meetings there so that he could still be present for Sarah Marie and not have to worry about childcare. An accommodation I have made before for previous clients of mine, I can even give you names and contact information if you don’t believe me.

“And the fact still remains that this hearing isn’t about me nor my relationship - or lack thereof - to Mr. Rogers. It’s about ensuring that Sarah is taken care of by a guardian who is the best for her. That person is her father, and if-”

“Enough,” Flynn barked, looking as though his head was going to pop off in frustration. “The only person I would like to hear anything else from is Sarah Marie. And I expect everyone,” he said with a pointed look at Fred and Peggy. “To behave when she enters.”

The security guard nodded and walked out of the courtroom, opening the doors and gesturing for them to come inside. Sarah walked into the courtroom hand in hand with Bucky. Her eyes immediately found Steve and she rushed toward him, hugging him tightly when she finally reached him.

“Hey sweet pea,” he whispered, hugging her back just as fiercely and kissing her head.

“Is it done?” she whispered back.

“Not quite yet. Judge Flynn wants to hear from you first.”

She nodded and looked over at Matthew and Loretta. Loretta’s smile grew and she opened her arms, but Sarah stayed planted firmly at Steve’s side.

“Come here, little one, I’ve missed you,” Loretta prompted.

“No thank you,” Sarah said shakily.

Loretta’s smile froze, but she seemed to know good enough to at least not comment aloud with Flynn in the room before he had yet to make a decision. Fred ushered the Smiths back to their table, and after a small nod from Peggy, she too returned to their table.

Steve gave Sarah an encouraging smile before nodding at Flynn.

“So you’re Sarah Marie?” Flynn said, his tone surprisingly kinder than it had been throughout the entire hearing.

“Yes sir.”

“You know, I’ve been hearing these guys and plenty of others go back and forth for the last two and a half hours talking about what would be best for you,” Flynn told her. “But I think it’s important to know what you think before I make my decision.”

“I want to stay with my dad,” she answered immediately. “He takes care of me, like he makes me eat my vegetables - even the ones I think are gross - and he loves me so much that he’ll always stay up if I’m sick or I have a bad dream and I don’t want to lose him because I love him a lot. Pretty please, your honour sir.”

Flynn nodded.

“Okay. Thank you for your input, Sarah.”

Sarah, who looked near tears, nodded and hugged Steve tightly. He picked her up and held her close as he rejoined Peggy back to their table, his hand gently rubbing her back.

“Alright, I’ve seen and heard everything I need to,” Flynn announced.

He paused for a moment, whether to make them squirm or because he was changing his mind at the last second, Steve wasn’t entirely certain.

“I pronounce that full custody of Sarah Marie Rogers will remain with her father, Steven Grant Rogers.”

Steve could have sworn that he left his body the moment those words were uttered. All at once he felt an intense combination of happiness, triumph, and relief. After everything he had been put through over the last year, something - the most important thing - had gone his way.

He tightened his hold on Sarah in his arms, kissing her hair several times, and this time he couldn’t hold back the tears that were threatening to spill from his eyes.

“We did it, sweet pea,” he told her. “We won.”

He could feel Sarah smile into his shoulder. Steve then turned to Peggy, who had a radiant grin on her face. Steve pulled her into his hug with Sarah without a thought.

“Thank you,” he whispered into Peggy’s ear. “Thank you, thank you, thank you.”

“It was my pleasure, darling.”

Steve felt himself go pink at the pet name, but with the way that Peggy was holding him, her chin tucked over his other shoulder, he couldn’t bring himself to say anything about it.

Sarah then wriggled in his arms so that she could face Peggy.

“Thank you, Peggy,” she said.

Peggy maneuvered an arm to hug Sarah while she was still in Steve’s arms, and his heart melted. He instinctively tightened his grip around both of them, wanting to live in this moment forever.

“You don’t have to thank me, sweetheart,” Peggy told Sarah.

“But daddy says that it’s important to thank people when they help you, and you helped us a lot.”

“You know, I think she loves you more than she loves me,” Steve teased.

“Oh don’t be daft,” she scolded him.

“Yeah, daddy, I love you most,” Sarah said seriously, untangling herself from Peggy to hug Steve properly again.

“I love you most too, sweet pea,” he told her, kissing her forehead as Peggy took a small step back. 

“What do you say we go out and get ice cream to celebrate?” his ma suggested, opening his world up again. He and Sarah gave her a tight hug and she kissed both their foreheads. “We’ve all very much earned it, I’d say.

“I’d love to,” Bucky said. “But I have to pick up Nat from the airport in an hour. But you should definitely take Peggy along.”

Not caring how blatant of a set up it was, Steve smiled at her.

“What do you say?”

“I’d love to,” Peggy said softly.

“But I’m paying,” he insisted.

“Oh, if you must,” she teased.

“Onward?” he asked, setting Sarah down.

“Onward!” Sarah squealed, grabbing both his hand and Peggy’s and tugging them forward.

“Sarah, you need to ask before you can hold someone’s hand,” he reminded her.

“Sorry. Peggy, can I hold your hand?”

“You may. Thank you for asking,” she said.

Peggy shared an amused look with Steve and then turned her attention to the girl between them, who was practically skipping with glee, his ma following just behind them.

As it turned out, Peggy was just as much of an ice cream fiend as both Sarah and her namesake. Between the three of them, they decided to split six scoops in a bowl (each a different flavour of course), and Peggy and his daughter stole half of each of Steve’s two scoops (which he’d purposefully made sure to get flavours different from theirs).

It was worth it, though, just to see Sarah talk enthusiastically about her previous school day, and for Peggy to offer her opinions and sage advice ranging from “I agree that the colour yellow doesn’t get enough love” to “I don’t care if Cassie said he likes you, that’s no reason for him to pull your hair. He needs to treat you with respect, and you need to accept nothing less.”

Steve watched in awe along with his mother as Sarah took all of Peggy’s advice to heart, and continued to ask her opinion on other things. Though Sarah wasn’t necessarily particular, she seemed to bond faster with Peggy than he’d ever seen her bond with anyone, and Peggy welcomed it in stride. She fit into their dynamic so easily, like she’d always been a part of their lives.

Even after they polished every last bit of ice cream, the four of them remained seated around the small round table for another hour just talking and joking. Eventually, they gathered themselves up to leave, and Peggy offered them all a ride home. His ma had driven him and Sarah to the courthouse that morning, so after walking her back to her car, she coerced Steve into accepting the offer. She made a point of saying don’t be a stranger Peggy, before giving Steve a significant look and getting in her own car.

Despite the pleasant car ride and the giggles coming out of both Sarah and Peggy, every mile that Peggy drove toward his house felt like their hourglass of time together was running out.

“Can I unlock the door, daddy?” Sarah asked when they had arrived.

“Sure,” he said, fishing out his keys and handing them to her. Sarah hopped out of the car and enthusiastically ran to the door.

“So,” he said.

“So,” Peggy echoed.

“I really wanted to thank you, Peggy.”

“You already have,” she teased. “At least twice every day since the day I met you.”

Steve smiled and rubbed the back of his neck.

“I don’t know if I could ever say it enough.”

“Then why don’t you take me out to dinner instead and we’ll call it even?”

His eyes widened and he felt himself go bright red.

“Yeah. I mean, you’d want to?”

“Steve, if I really need to answer that, I may have to label you a lost cause.”

Steve’s breath hitched at the meaningful look in her eyes. Before he could lose his courage, Steve leaned down and kissed her. Peggy let out a soft noise of surprise, but reached up to cup his face. He pulled away, and leaned their foreheads together.

“In case you couldn’t tell, that was a yes for going out to dinner.”

Peggy smiled slowly and let out a breathless laugh before slowly tilting her lips up, hoping to meet his again.

“DID YOU JUST KISS?!”

Steve and Peggy jumped apart at Sarah’s voice, and Steve swore as his head his the ceiling of the car. He rolled down the window with one hand as the other gently rubbed what he sure would form into a small bump tomorrow.

“I thought you were unlocking the door.”

“I did unlock the door but you were taking so long so I came back to see why and it’s because you were kissing. Does this mean Peggy’s staying for dinner? When are you going to ask her on a date? You said you’d ask when she wasn’t your lawyer anymore and now she’s not.”

“This would probably be a good time to offer you a way out,” Steve told Peggy sheepishly as he felt his cheeks heat up.

“Not a chance,” Peggy grinned. “You’re not getting rid of me that easily, darling.”