Peggy's Got a "Gun"
Tuesday February 6th, 1945
The SSR troops returned to the base of operations in the early hours of the following morning in victory. However there was a small group of soldier who acted more like they had lost the war.
The loss of Captain Rogers, their brother-in-arms, had hit the Howling Commandos hard, none more-so than Peggy Carter. She may present to the world as pulled together unfazed, but her team knew it was all an act stemming from her British upbringing.
Keep calm and carry on. They say.
When they arrived back in London that evening, Peggy sort Howard out.
Howard was surprised, he figured she bury herself in paperwork to try and mask the pain she was enduring at Steve's loss. He stopped packing to give her his full attention.
Leaning in, as if inspecting his work she asked, "How much of the project rebirth equipment did you bring with you to London?"
"Depends on what your asking for, why?" The last time they had spoken about the matter, it didn't go well for him.
"Do you have enough to replicate it?"
"If you still have the serum you stole..."
"...confiscated!"
"...confiscated... from me. It may take a couple of days to Gerry-rig something up around what I have."
"But will it work?"
"Yes." He looked at her, "May I ask, who are you going to shanghai into this?"
"Me."
Wednesday February 7th, 1945
Howard Stark was a miracle worker. Around noon the next day he pulled Peggy aside to accompany him to the special lab he had borrowed for this procedure. He was even able to set the lab up so that only he and a trusted assistant would be needed to operate it.
Howard told her they were ready when she was. Easy for him to say, he wasn't the one getting nearly naked in front of two men.
One she had been reliably told was in love with her.
Peggy got into the cradle and tried to strap herself in, with a modicum of results.
Howard came and finished the job before looking her in the eyes earnestly, "You don't have to do this. Your giving up everything for this."
"I've already lost everything."
"You still could meet someone, get married, have kids."
"I lost children when Steve stepped into this thing, and meeting someone... I would constantly compare them to Steve. Not intentionally but I would..."
"And they would always come up short."
Howard was smart enough to know when he had lost a fight, lost the girl. He was making his way to the console when Peggy spoke again, "Howard, no matter how much I scream in this. Don't stop."
"Okay?"
Peggy could hear the uncertainty in his voice, "Promise me!"
Howard crossed the distance he had put between them and kissed Peggy like his life depended on it. Peggy would swear for the rest of her days that she did NOT kiss him back and just let him finsih but when Howard finally moved back they were both panting.
"Sealed with a kiss."
He crossed to the console and after a moment looking back at her he hit the switch to close Peggy into the device. He gave it a minute before asking, "Are you ready?" loud enough so that she could hear him.
"Ready," was all she said. Howard took a moment then hit the switch sending Vita Ray and Erskine's formula into the first woman not called mum that he had ever loved.
When they hit her, oh Howard was not ready for this. The scream, her screams. The pain the transformation was causing her... "PEGGY?!" Howard called out, he took a step closer and raised his voice as high as he could, "PEGGY?!" The screaming continued, "PEGGY?! I'M CUTTING THE POWER, HOLD ON."
As his hand hit the switch he hear her voice call out to him, "NOOOOO! NO DON'T," A second later she told him, "I can do this."
Peggy fought the pain, braving it for as long as she could but soon she began screaming again, and just as Howard was reaching to switch off the machine.
The power failed. Everything went dark.
"What's happening?" He heard from Peggy.
"Power's out, we're done." He reached around for the crowbar he had seen earlier, gratefully for the item now.
When he finally wrapped his hand around it he made his way to the cradle and began to try and free Peggy.
After a while he had managed to open it up and began to help unbuckle her from the restraints, catching her in his arms as she fell out. Howard doing his best to not draw her attention to where his right hand had landed. Specifically, which pillowy part of her anatomy that he was certain was larger than it had been before.
When Peggy had come to her full awareness she asked, "Howard. Can you please move your hand?" He moved his left hand from her back. Disdain entered her voice, "Your other hand,"
Howard couldn't resist, he gave the fleshy orb a sharp squeeze.