Inside the Library, Peggy and Steve found themselves in a reproduction of an old bar from World War II, a place they had visited together on numerous occasions. The atmosphere was warm and inviting, with dim lighting, wooden tables, and a well-stocked bar that seemed to transport them back in time.
As they sat down at a table, a familiar figure appeared before them – James. He looked serious and concerned, which was unusual for his typically lighthearted demeanor.
"Shit hit the fan, guys," he said
"Language" chided Steve
James glanced around the nostalgic space. "Sorry Steve but there is no other way to put it. I felt several stories stirring, and something big is coming. Steve, you're likely going to end up right in the middle of it."
Steve frowned, the weight of the situation sinking in. "Is there anything you can do, James?"
James shook his head, his expression somber. "I'm bound by the same contract as Peggy. I can only make very small changes, so long as it doesn't interfere with the story. I'll keep an eye on innocent bystanders and ensure Peggy stays safe, but that's about all I can do."
Peggy chimed in, her voice understanding and resolute. "He's right, Steve. Now that I've been in the Library for a while, I understand our limitations. We truly can't do more than that."
Steve nodded, accepting the reality of their situation. "Alright, I'll help, and I'll let you both watch through James's little shadow."
With that, Peggy and Steve woke up in her house in Staten Island. The morning light streamed through the windows, signaling the start of a new day. As Steve began to prepare breakfast while Peggy picked up the phone and started making a few calls to gather information about the looming threat.
The kitchen came alive with the sound of sizzling bacon, eggs crackling in the pan, and the aroma of fresh toast filling the air. Peggy dialed numbers with determination, her ear pressed to the phone as she listened carefully to the voices on the other end.
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The scent of bacon, eggs, and toast wafting through the cozy kitchen of the house in Staten Island. The walls were adorned with tasteful artwork and decorations, evidence of SHIELD operatives' efforts to make the secret hiding house feel like a normal home and something Peggy now benefitted from. Outside the window, a densely forested area near Bloomingdale Park provided a serene and secluded backdrop.
Steve's stomach growled in response to the enticing aroma as he set the table, eager to dig in. Peggy bustled around the kitchen, humming to herself as she worked while thinking about the information she got in the last few minutes.
As they finished setting the table, a sharp knock on the door startled them both. "Steve, be a dear and open the door for Nicholas," Peggy called out, her tone laced with anticipation.
Steve opened the door to reveal Fury, looking as imposing as ever. "Fury, please come in," Steve said with a welcoming gesture.
"Please join us, Nicholas. You must be famished, and you look a bit tired," Peggy said, her eyes scanning Fury's face for any signs of weariness. "Did you fly here straight away to find Steve?"
Fury nodded, taking a seat at the table. "Thank you, Margaret. I appreciate your hospitality."
Peggy served up three plates of breakfast, urging Fury to eat. "At 11pm yesterday, a small earthquake devastated the hidden base beneath a mountain in the Mojave Desert," she said matter-of-factly. "Don't just stare Nicholas, please eat. I helped build SHIELD, I know how it moves and still have ways to know what is going on."
Fury raised an eyebrow at Peggy's words, impressed by her sharp wit. "You haven't lost your touch, Margaret."
Peggy simply smiled, sipping on her tea. "Obviously, now you have questions that you won't get answers to now, so please, let's cut to the chase."
Fury's expression grew serious as he turned to Steve. "The Tesseract has been taken," he said, his voice heavy with concern. He couldn't help but notice Peggy's changes. He would investigate further when he had the chance.
Steve's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Taken? By who?"
"Loki, who is not from around here," Fury replied, handing Steve a folder with information on the Tesseract.
Steve's eyes flicked over the contents of the folder, his mind racing with the implications. "HYDRA's secret weapon," he murmured.
"Howard fished it out of the ocean when he saved you. He thinks that..." Fury began, but Peggy cut him off.
"I've heard more than enough about what Howard thinks and what SHIELD tried to do, Nicholas," she said sharply, a rebuke that carried years of bitterness. "Stick to the facts."
Fury scowled but continued. "Captain, we need your help. There's a lot to bring you up to speed if you're in," he said, glancing quickly at Peggy and then back at Steve. "The world has turned stranger than you know," he added, his voice heavy with a sense of foreboding.
Peggy and Steve exchanged a knowing look and a small smile, having seen their fair share of strange things in their time but both doubted that anything could surpass the Library.
"At this point, I doubt anything would surprise me," Steve said with a wry smile.
"Ten bucks says you're wrong," Fury said, a hint of a smile playing at the corners of his mouth.
Peggy chimed in with a smile of her own. "I'll take that bet, Nicholas."
Fury chuckled, standing up from the table. "There's a debriefing packet waiting for you back at your apartment, Captain. I'll be sure to come back for tea another time, Margaret."
"I would like that, Nicholas. We have lots to talk about," Peggy said, her smile warm and reassuring as she watched Fury leave the house "Go Steve, I'll be safe here and keep myself apprised. Don't worry" added as she hugged Steve.
"Still, be careful Peggy" Added Steve as he picked his leather jacket and left.
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Two quick knocks startled Peggy. She had been reading, trying not to think too much about Steve going again to fight.It had been several years since she left that life, and she usually distanced herself from it because she knew it was impossible to stop caring, the only way to cope was to cut yourself off from that life.
Since Steve came back and James helped to heal her everything was going nicely. Sharon was supporting her, not necessarily happy with her choices, neither with being forced to keep all a secret, but she had her back and Peggy was happy for it. Sharon even helped her find this cozy house in Staten Island
And now, for the first time, she found herself on the outside, but she knew that things were about to happen. James's visit to the Library, Fury coming to pick up Steve, and her connection to the Library screaming at her that Steve's story would continue into a new chapter. Every single piece told her that it would be difficult and people were going to die.
'Once a spy, always a spy' she thought. Of course she had ways to make herself appraised of global events, of what was going on. That is the issue with retiring. She needed to control herself and stop learning. Seeing Sharon for years going to missions, not knowing when she would go back, how it went. She though that she had made her peace with it...
Maybe it's a good thing that spies tend to die in the line of work. For someone who always needs to knows or, worse, a professional paranoid like Nicholas, retiring could be impossible...
Two quick knocks cut Peggy's musing.
'Thank the convenience of a spy's safe house,' thought Peggy as she displayed the front camera feed in the small living room. The TV showed James looking straight at the camera and smiling at her.
"Heya Peggy, no need to get up. Do you mind me coming in?"
Peggy chuckled and waved him in. She didn't know how he saw that or how he got in since the door was still closed but James just walked in like there is nothing in his way.
"James. Was not expecting you to come back so soon"
"Well, I promised Steve to protect you and thinking you might be bored came to offer you a little peek behind the curtain"
"What do you mean" asked Peggy with curiosity
"Let's just say that I understand your position and also collected the stories of several spies so I can offer you a glimpse into what happened"
"At this point I'm a bit tired of asking but how?"
"Easy, I'm sort of an expert with manipulating shadows, yeah don't give me that look, I know your universe simply thinks that shadows are just the absence of light in a particular place. But look" said James as he was about to take a seat. His entire jacket just wooshed like a dark brown smoke into his hand and vanished.
Peggy just stared. It was hard at this point to think that nothing could surprise her but that was straight magic. Her mind tried to understand it, it was like smoke. Could it be some kind of particle or gas?
"Feeling your disbelief Peggy, don't you notice anything strange?"
James was just sitting there, and yet his own shadow remained standing. Peggy could see literally the shadow that he casted remaining there in place, with a wave of his hand the shadow flew like smoke under the chair and disappeared.
"Well yeah, I can manipulate shadows and I left a few small shadows with some people, they will alert me when their stories begin to awaken. That's how I ended up last night in the secret facility watching as that Loki guy came to earth. And since I saw and I'm seeing then I can show you, if you want that's it"
James leaned forward, a playful smile on his lips. "So, Peggy, would you like to see what happened with Loki? I can show you how he arrived on Earth, and maybe give you a better understanding of the events that are unfolding."
Peggy hesitated for a moment, weighing the consequences of knowing too much. But her curiosity got the better of her. "Alright, James. Show me."
James nodded and gave her a reassuring smile. "I'll use my shadows and the Library to transform the room so it feels like we're right in the middle of the action. Just remember, we're only observers; we can't interact or change anything."
With that, James extended his hand, and shadows seeped out from under the furniture, swirling around the room. As they began to dissipate, the cozy living room had transformed into the secret facility where the Tesseract was being studied. Peggy looked around, her eyes wide with astonishment.
As the scene unfolded, Peggy watched intently, feeling both fascinated and uneasy. The Tesseract flared up, opening a portal from which Loki emerged, looking disheveled and unstable.
"That's why the Villainous Villains magazine went under, awful clothing line"James joked trying to relax Peggy
She observed as he effortlessly overpowered the SHIELD agents with his powerful scepter and how he brainwashed both Barton and Dr. Selvig.
"Clint," Peggy whispered under her breath, recognizing the archer and feeling a pang of concern for him. She knew that he was important to Natasha.
The scene continued, and Peggy's unease grew when Barton fired his gun at Fury, hitting him squarely in the chest. "Oh, Nick," she murmured, her knuckles white from the pressure. She knew that it was the past and he seemed fine, but the shock was real.
Once the scene ended, the shadows swirled again, returning the room to its original state. Peggy was still shocked by what she had seen.
"Relax, Peggy. This already happened, and you've seen Fury yourself. Also, that Hawkeye has a lot of story left, so he should be okay after whatever happens."
Peggy relaxed for a moment, then locked eyes with James. "Why are you here, James?"
"Do you mean in your house, or are you asking a more metaphorical question, like 'Why are we here?'"
Peggy stated firmly, "You knew who Steve was."
"That's not a question, Peggy," James replied playfully, smiling.
"Did you target him?"
"I could have collected his story without interacting with him. You've seen that already," James said, maintaining his smile.
"You don't need to make contact; you aren't interfering, but you are interacting. I understand the book limits you; I felt it when I tried to tell Steve about your life. You're older than the Earth, and yet you act like this. Why?"
James' smile grew warmer and more serene, like a wise grandfather looking at a child. "Because I choose to. There's so much I could share, so much I could teach you. I am who I am by choice. That's also why I came to you – for your choice."
James pulled out his book and held it. "There's much to discuss, but today's question is simple. Do you still want to see? Do you still want a book, even if you can't help?" His voice was soft, but each question shook Peggy. "I gave you your book, I'm your sponsor, and I want to know if you can handle this. If this was just a means to an end, you can give it back; you'll keep your benefits and enjoy the rest of your life. Or you can keep it and know that more awaits you in the Library, even after death."
Peggy sat frozen in her seat, her mind in turmoil.
James stood up. "I've given you enough to think about for now. If, and only if, you wish to keep the book, let me know, and you'll see this story as I collect it. You can even take it as an introduction if you like." He patted Peggy's shoulder, seeming to bring her back to reality. "I'll come back later when I have more pieces, and you can tell me your answer. Goodbye, Peggy." And with that, James left the way he had come.