As Time Goes By

1: 10

Steve took over the plane's controls. On a screen he read 'Ziel New York City' and tried the radio which was picked up by the HYDRA control tower occupied by Peggy, Colonel Phillips and Morita.

(Target New York City)

"Come in," Steve said. "This is Captain Rogers. Do you read me? I have Private Nelson with me."

"Captain Rogers, Private Nelson, what are your..." Morita was cut off as Peggy took his place.

"Steve, is that you?" Peggy asked. "Are you and Katherine all right?"

"Peggy! Schmidt's dead."

"What about the plane?"

"That's a little bit tougher to explain."

"Give me your coordinates, I'll find you and Katherine a safe landing site."

"There's not going to be a safe landing. But I can try and force it down."

"I'll get Howard on the line, he'll know what to do."

"There's not enough time. This thing's moving too fast and it's headed for New York. I gotta put her in the water."

"Please, don't do this. We have time. We can work it out."

"Right now Katie and I are in the middle of nowhere. If we wait any longer, a lot of people are gonna die. Peggy, this is my choice. Katie's okay with this choice." He forced the plane toward the water. "Peggy?"

"I'm here."

"I'm gonna need a rain check on that dance."

Peggy, with tears in her eyes, said, "All right. A week, next Saturday, at the Stork Club."

"You got it."

"Eight o'clock on the dot. Don't you dare be late. Understood?"

"You know, I still don't know how to dance."

"I'll show you how. Just be there."

"We'll have the band play somethin' slow. I'd hate to step on your..." The line went static and Peggy began crying.

"Steve? Steve? Steve? Katherine?"

Katherine closed her eyes as an image of Bucky flooded her mind. She would never have another dance with him and it hurt to dwell upon such thoughts.

She braced herself for the chill of the water, ready to accept her fate. Death would be a welcome friend.

May 8, 1945

The world celebrated the victory over Nazi Germany. The Howling Commandos were in a bar looking solemn.

Falsworth said, "To the Captain and the Private." The group drank.

ARCTIC SEA - SHIP

Howard was on his search for the Valkyrie. They found the Tesseract.

"Sir?" Howard's engineer called. Howard stepped to him and watched on a screen as a submarine grabbed the cube.

Howard said to the captain, "Take us to the next grid point."

"But there's not a trace of the wreckage. And the energy signature stops here."

"Just keep looking."

---

Peggy was handed a file about Steve. She pulled out the photo of the man she'd fallen in love with and looked at it sadly.