"Steve," Alexis muttered, staring solemnly and sadly at the carpet beneath her feet. Steve sat on the sofa, his head in his hands. A letter hung from his hand, addressed to the twins. A single tear dripped onto the carpet from the man, mirroring the one Alexis had let out from her position curled up into the corner of the couch. She shook herself out of the blank stare that had previously held her features captive, trying to get her brother's attention.
"Steve," she said again. Said man turned his head slightly, his eyes still on the ground.
"What?" He asked, his voice breaking in the middle of the word. Alexis sighed, her nose becoming stuffed as the side affects of sadness began to set in. Her face was becoming streaked with tears as the reality of the situation began to set in.
"Are you gonna go?" She asked. Steve's head fell back between his hands, rubbing his temples as a headache formed behind his eyes due to the tears forming.
"Yeah," was all he could get out. Tears leaked from Alexis' eyes as she moved to rub his back comfortingly, her feet tucked underneath her. She sucked in a sharp breath as a burning sensation engulfed the back of her throat, sobs threatening to arise.
"Me too," she said. Steve nodded. His foot tapped the ground quickly, his eyes closing as his eyebrows furrowed, squeezing another tear out from its previous place in his eye. Alexis stared at the TV in front of her, even though it was off. She could see her reflection in it, recognizing how broken her and her brother -two superheroes- looked at this moment. Blonde hair fell in front of her eyes, the hairtie previously holding it up long forgotten as she tugged it out, it causing an ache in her scalp.
"It's on Thursday," she said. It was Tuesday, so the two would need to leave for London as soon as possible. Steve nodded.
"Yeah," he whispered. He shook his head, wiping his eyes as they opened again.
"Nat needs us to go to the Accords though," he brought up a true point. Alexis shook her head.
"It'll have to wait," she insisted. "We have to be there.. for Peggy." Her voice broke as a new stream of tears clouded her vision and clogged her throat.
"For Peggy," Steve agreed, his own tears causing the same affect. Suddenly, a heavy sob escaped his lips, Alexis squeezing his shoulder soothingly as her own tears dripped onto the plush gray sofa beneath her, Steve's tears darkening the white of the carpetted rug. Alexis puller her knees up, hugging them close to her chest as she sank back into the corner of the couch, distancing herself from her also grieving brother. Peggy had just died. Her friends and family had seen it coming for a while; she was quite old and had Alzheimer's. But, it still hit Alexis and Steve hard, Alexis even more so than her brother. She had spent almost every day with the woman for years, later seeing her regularly throughout the 60s, 70s, and so on. Alexis' heart pained at the thought of losing her best friend, but it was an unfortunate reality. The Rogers girl was one of the few people Peggy actually remembered on a daily basis, the only other few being her husband Daniel, her granddaughter Cathleen, and her other granddaughter Jule. Peggy would randomly forget Steve in the middle of their conversation, causing her to find him all over again, tears forming in her beautiful brown eyes as she found that Steve was alive. It was tragic.
Steve was to be one of the men carrying Peggy's casket down the aisle, Alexis giving a short speech as to who Peggy was. Alexis was basically part of the family already, helping raise many of the kids of Peggy and Daniel. So, it seemed fitting as Peggy's best friend and being a non-blood family member that Alexis give a speech.
"I'm gonna go start packing," Alexis muttered, rising quickly and speedily walking to her room. Steve stayed in the girl's living room, his eyes wattering rapidly.
"Okay," he breathed out, his voice strained and clogged.
--
A single tear fell from Steve's eye as he walked down the aisle, one arm holding up the casket of his past lover. He set it down with the other men before taking a seat next to Alexis, holding her hand in a comforting way. After two speeches and a musical number, it was Alexis' turn to go up. She stood with a microphone by her mouth, her hand clutching the stand.
"Hi, I'm Alexis Rogers. Many of you know me as 'Aunt Lexi', even though I'm not technically related. I was Peggy's best friend. We met in the fall of '37, going on to work together for another 50 years before she retired, despite me continuing in the work. We stayed best friends through thick and thin. I was her Maid of Honor at her wedding, and was present for all three of her kids' births, so I think I'm qualified," this sent a wave of laughter through the audience, including Steve, Alexis chuckling with them.
"I'm going to start with saying that Peggy Carter was... amazing. She had a way with words and an integrity that kept her on the straight and narrow. She was always there for her friends and family. The girl knew her way around a gun as well as an oven, which is a skill I wish I had. Peggy co-founded SHIELD, a government program responsible for creating the Avengers Initiative, as well as serving her country in the Army years before that. Well, it became her country, she's really a Brit," another wave of laughter.
"But, despite her great achievements and qualities and talents, the thing that I admired most about Peggy Carter was her perserverence. At the time where she wished to join the US Army, women were not as valued as they are now. They weren't allowed the same freedoms, equality of pay or of opportunity. Women were not respected as they are now, they were expected to stay at home, take care of the kids, and look pretty. Of course, most respected women - I had little problems out in the streets of Brooklyn - but Peggy could not relate. When she joined the Army, there was heavy discrimination against her and her abilities, and I truly came to understand and appreciate her when I began experiencing the same thing. Peggy pushed her way to the top and managed to drag me with her to where I am now. I owe so much to her. She didn't care about what they thought, only about being able to show them what she could do. Peggy was kick-a** and didn't let anyone tell her what she could do.
"She changed and taught people, being a light and an example to any and everyone to who knew her. Peggy was truly amazing, determined to bring peace to the world and country and soothe the hearts of the public. She-" Alexis choked back a sob.
"She was my best friend. And I'm gonna miss her so, so much." The next speaker stood and took the pulpit, starting on Peggy's life story. Alexis sat heavily next to Steve. She let out a quiet sob, a single tear excaping her eyes as she attempted to supress it due to the many eyes surrounding her. It was the end of Peggy Carter.
YOU ARE READING
Rogers' Sister
Fanfic••• Alexis Rogers; also known as the Starred Soldier; also known as SHIELD's greatest weapon; also known as Steve Rogers' sister; also known as the old lover and fiance of the one and only Bucky Barnes. When Alexis joined the underground operation i...
