"I had strings. But now I'm free. There are no strings on me."
Margaret Maribel Carter; the granddaughter nobody knew about. Taken at a young age, she became something that could destroy cities in one night. After finding out her brother is taken...
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"I have lived a life. My only regret is that you didn't get to live yours."
Chapter Twenty-Three
Four months later
Peggy dropped her gear onto the floor of the house, Bucky not far behind her as she headed towards the kitchen for a glass of water. They had just returned from a mission and seemed to have dragged along quite a few of the Avengers with them. Tony propped his suit up in the corner of her living room while Thor landed on the couch next to Bruce. They began to chat about the mission and what went down as well as just talking about life. Peggy worked on handing out glasses of water to people as Bucky handed out bandages to those who needed them.
Nat started up another argument with Clint, this time talking about how much weight a super soldier could take on before they collapsed. Tony and Bruce discussed a scientific topic, Peter joining in every once in a while, to give his opinion. They seemed to have adopted him into the family just as they did to her, which showed quite often. Tony made sure Peter never felt like he didn't belong and she noticed he did the same with her when they were in meetings.
Peggy pulled her hair down from its usual tight French braid as Bucky wound his arms around her waist. His chin settled on her shoulder allowing her to relax into him. This was a comfort she always loved when they were home. He would shift back into being James Bucky Barnes, the man who she married and not the Avenger she fought alongside with. He sighed against her, a small grin on his face as she turned to look at him.
"I never would have believed that one day the Avengers would be here in this house," Peggy said laughing at the thought of what her grandmother would have said.
"What's so funny about it? You are an Avenger. I hope you know that." Bucky played with her hair absentmindedly. It made her relax even more and she wondered if he knew that.
"Nothing, I just keep thinking what she would think about all of this," Peggy mused.
"She would probably tell Clint to get his blood-stained boots off the coffee table," Bucky responded, laughing as he talked. An aspect about him that she found adorable. He always seemed to be laughing now that he had her. She did the same now; smiling whenever she could, laughing at things, and feeling a sense of joy she never felt before.
Peggy wiggled out of his grasp much to his dislike to go upstairs and clean up before ordering dinner for everyone. He tried to convince her to let him join her in the shower, but she refused telling him that she didn't want everyone in the house to know what they were doing. Going up the steps she paused at the door to her left. To her surprise she found Steve standing in the middle of her Nan's old office looking at a picture of her. The expression on his face pained Peggy in a way she figured only he would understand. He knew her; more than she ever got to.
"She was an incredible woman," Steve choked out hearing her come in.
"I've heard the stories. Hell, she told me many of them herself." Peggy said joining him in the room.
