The Child of Winter ~ Book 1

17. Epilogue

    Wedding bells rang out into the spring morning and people were slowly filling into the church. In a side room, the bridesmaids were finishing up last minute preparations of the bride's dress and a very nervous groom paced before the altar.

    He looked to be the pinnacle of perfection in his ebony suit, ivory tuxedo shirt, and now-loosened tie. His hair was swept back with the help of gel and his shoes were shined to absolute perfection; however, Steven felt as though he'd been locked in a cage with lions all night. A nervous sigh left him for the umpteenth time as he muttered, "I have never been this nervous before in my life!!"

    Bucky shrugged and looked guiltily towards his pacing son, "I wish I could help you, Steven, but I wasn't able to really marry your mother." He caught Steven by the shoulders gently then and sighed, "I'll tell you this... All these nerves will instantly vanish once you lay eyes on your beautiful bride. Stand tall for her and you'll be just fine."

    The young man nodded slowly and smiled as he moved to where he would be standing for the ceremony; however, his heart was still hammering away in his chest. If he thought about it, honestly, he kind wished he was facing down several Hydra officials at that moment.

~*~*~*~*~*~

    "I can't do this!"

    Sharon calmed her panicking daughter as best she could and said gently, "You can do this, Peggy, and I bet Steven is just as nervous about this day as you are."

    "Really?" Peggy met her mother's gaze gently as she heard her say this, "You honestly think he is?"

    Another gentle bout of laughter left her mother as she recalled, "Oh, I know he is! Your father was a complete wreck on the day of our wedding! Bucky even told me that Steve fainted before he had to adorn his suit."

    Peggy felt a little bit better knowing her future husband was about as nervous as she was. Mother and daughter embraced gently as the ceremony was about to begin.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

    The pastor presiding over the ceremony, a gentleman named Aaron, called everyone into the main room of the beautiful church and said gently, "Welcome to the union of Steven Grant Barnes and Peggy Buchanan Rogers. We will begin the ceremony shortly, so please find your seats." 

    Their guests consisted of several members of the Avengers and a handful of S.H.I.E.L.D. trainees known to both the bride and groom. They quietly complied, buzzing with anticipation of what was about to happen. Suddenly, the tune announcing the arrival of the bride began to play. All those in attendance turned their heads to the center aisle, while Steven looked up to face his beloved.

    An angel was slowly approaching him in his opinion. Peggy's dress looked as though it had been sewn with the stars themselves! The rippling, snowy gown had diamonds sprinkled around the different folds to make this effect possible, making Steven a little weak in the knees. Her hair was pulled back into a elegant bun to expose the beautiful open back the dress had. His bride wore no veil; however, the gown had a beautiful swath of cloth that glittered like fallen snow as it followed her and was being held off the floor by two of Peggy's friends. Walking arm in arm with the bride was her father in his old WWII-era military dress uniform, a look of calm happiness on his face. Steve slowly handed her over to Steven with a tearful smile and the true joining of the two commenced.

    "Steven Grant Barnes," the pastor addressed him calmly, "Do you take Peggy Buchanan Rogers to be your lawfully wedded wife?"

   Steven's metal hand cradled Peggy's, "I do."

    "Do you swear to remain beside her, in sickness and in health? To love and to hold her, till death do you part?"

    "I do," Steven breathed out the two words and smiled in awe at Peggy.

    The kind pastor now turned to Peggy, asking her the same questions. She answered swiftly both times with her own soft, "I do."

    Smiles lit up the room as the pastor stepped back and Steven slid the ring he'd made with Stark's help onto Peggy's finger. She slid a similar ring onto his digit and they both held hands as they said their personal practiced vows aloud, "We swear on this day to stand with each other now and 'till the end of the line. We both will guard the other, love the other, and care for the other 'till the end of the line. May one of us fall, the other will carry on 'till we meet again at the end of the line."

    Again, the old pastor smiled warmly and stated, "Steven, you may now kiss your bride."

    Peggy and Steven then shared a beautiful, tender kiss and the church erupted in applause and cheers! Steven swept his wife off her feet, careful not to harm her or the dress, as he laughed giddily along with her. White and red rose petals rained down onto them as the groomsmen and bridesmaids tossed them gleefully into the air and they made the scene even more memorable for everyone present. The bells even sang their approval of the joining as the new husband and wife slowly walked back down the aisle together. Old oaken doors creaked open and they stepped out into the beautiful sunlight, dodging the rice that everyone threw with contagious smiles.

    Happy, Tony's personal driver, opened the doors of the limo and Steven helped his wife into the limo before ducking into the vehicle himself. As the door closed, Steven and Peggy just stared at each other for a moment as they both came to terms with what they had just done. Peggy slowly lay her head on Steven's chest and whispered, "Well, Mr. Barnes... What now?"

    Steven chuckled, "Now? We've got an after party at Avengers Tower to attend, Mrs. Barnes, and then... we can go anywhere you'd like."

    The two shared another gentle kiss and hugged each other close as the car took them towards the party of a lifetime and towards a future filled with uncertainty. Both Steven and Peggy were still so young to be married, but they couldn't be happier with the new life that lay before them. In the end, they knew that they were going to take each day as it came to them and that was enough for them.

The End