AN: Jessica's outfit is up top.

✧

Early the next morning, Jessica and Steve were still in bed, wrapped in one another's arms while the sun barely began shining through the curtains.

The woman stirred as light shone brightly through her lids, causing her to groan before moving to stretch. She paused when the weight of an arm tightened around her, her memory of the previous night flashing through her thoughts.

A lazy smile came to her lips when Steve buried his head in her neck, shifting against her. Jessica turned her head and rolled onto her back, wrapping her arms around Steve's neck with a grin.

"Hi, Mr. Rogers," She whispered, bringing a hand to his jaw. Steve's blue eyes were bright as he lazily smiled, murmuring, "Hello, Mrs. Rogers."

A light red hue crossed Jessica's face and Steve chuckled, resting his head in his palm as his elbow was resting on his pillow. Steve's other arm was stretched out across Jessica's stomach, fingers running along her skin.

"How did you sleep, hero?" Jessica questioned softly, looking up to him. Steve's grin widened, "Really well. How did you sleep, Brooklyn baby?"

"Quite swell," She smirked, "I finally had the love of my life sleep beside me."

Steve chuckled and kissed her nose, causing Jessica to tilt her head in question.

"You missed," She rose a brow, puffing out her lips. Steve gave her a confused look, "But I have morning breath."

Jessica only wrapped her arms around his middle, pressing her chest against his, making him blush as she said, "I could care less. We're married now. I'm not getting ready before you get up so you can get this false image of what I look like when I wake up. So, if you're going to kiss me? Properly do it."

"I know what you look like when you wake up," Steve chuckled, pressing his lips to her's briefly, "Remember that time you fell asleep as I read a book to you?"

Jessica hummed, eyes on his lips while she spoke, "I do. It was the first time I fell asleep in your arms. Your poor seventeen-year-old heart."

"It was about to give out," Steve admitted, nudging his nose with Jessica's. The woman smiled and said, "I know. I could hear it because my head fell on your chest."

Steve simply pressed his lips to Jessica's, his fingers going into her hair as he cupped the side of her neck. The couple's legs were tangled when Steve pulled back slightly, breathless.

"I don't think I'll ever get used to that," He whispered, eyes closed as his chest moved against Jessica's. She smiled, her bruised lips red, "You're going to have to. You and I are a forever kind of thing, hero."

In one single motion, Jessica was on top of Steve, the white sheet pooling at her hips. The man's eyes were wide as he placed his hands on her waist, taking her in.

"You're beautiful, you know that?" Steve whispered, finally looking back at her eyes.

Jessica only hummed, leaning down as she rested her hands above his head on the pillow, "You're just sweet talking me because you don't want me to get out of bed."

"Yes, but you truly are beautiful," He smiled, watching as her hair moved to frame her face, "I can't believe I have the prettiest woman there is."

Jessica playfully rolled her eyes as Steve leaned up and put a stray hair behind her ear, saying, "And she's all mine."

"For as long as you want her."

"Forever sound okay?"

Jessica smiled, "It sounds perfect."

✧

Two hours later, Jessica and Steve walked into the underground bunker hand-in-hand, the couple never not touching one another. Everyone congratulated them as they walked the halls, the man kissing Jessica's hand every time someone did so.

When eight o'clock hit, Jessica and Steve were standing in front of Howard Stark's and Colonel Phillips' office, chuckling at something they had remembered from the previous night.

Jessica turned to see Lorraine and smiled, saying, "Hello, Lorraine."

"Jessica!" The blonde woman stood, setting down her newspaper, "I'm sorry I didn't get to stay long at the wedding."

"You're perfectly alright. I saw you and Peggy leave?" The red headed woman prodded easily, not giving away anything. Lorraine suddenly blushed, looking at her feet, "Yes. Ms. Carter is very kind. She escorted me to my room after our walk in the park."

Steve grinned, "You two gals seem to be great friends. You know each other long?"

Jessica watched as Lorraine's face turn to panic and she simply said, "Now, Steve, we shouldn't impose. They seem to be doing swell."

"Yes, well, is there anything I can help you with this morning?" Lorraine changed the subject, her tone hardening. Jessica gave her an apologetic smile, saying, "We actually have an appointment with Mr. Stark."

"We're actually ready for you," A new voice was heard, the trio turning to see Peggy standing behind them. Her eyes were dark and Jessica simply pulled Steve along, turning back to say, "Thank you, Lorraine."

She nodded and the pair followed Peggy to Howard's lab, the woman saying, "Congratulations are in order. I hope you two had a splendid evening?"

Steve blushed and Jessica simply smirked, "Just doing what married couples do... a lot."

"You two better be careful," Peggy waved a finger, "We don't need miniature sized super soldiers and elemental witches running around just yet."

"Yes, ma'am," Steve's voice went hoarse, causing Jessica to laugh aloud. She turned to Peggy, saying, "No, maybe not just yet."

Jessica didn't turn as she felt Steve's eyes on the side of her head, simply following Peggy through the busy halls to Howard's lab.

She turned to them as gestured toward a door, "I will be with you shortly. I have other errands to attend to."

Peggy met Jessica's eyes briefly and the woman nodded, understanding where she was going.

Thirty minutes later, Jessica was following Steve and Howard throughout the lab, eyes wandering as the latter of the men said, "Fondue is only cheese and bread, my friend."

"Really? I didn't think-" Jessica cut him off, "He thought that it was a code word for what you do on your wedding night. Imagine my horror when he said it this morning after we started getting ready."

Howard rolled his eyes, "You know nothing about women. I don't know how you just got married. Advice? The moment you think you know what's going on in a woman's head is the moment your goose is well and truly cooked."

"Well, hot damn, Howard Stark," Jessica whistled sarcastically, "You finally broke the code."

He turned to Jessica, gesturing to her, "And see this one? This one is special. Certified genius with magic hands."

Jessica laughed as Howard wrapped an arm around her, pushing him off and going over to Steve as he said, "You're a lucky man, Steve."

"That I am," Steve smiled down at Jessica, wrapping an arm around her shoulders.

Jessica winked up at him and turned back to Howard, saying, "Now, you made us be here at eight in the morning after our wedding night. This better be good."

Howard hummed and said, "Accept my apology, Mrs. Rogers. But I have been working on some things to make sure you and your men do not get killed."

He stopped and pointed to something on the metal table, "Carbon polymer. Should withstand your average German bayonet. Although, Hydra''s not going to attack you with a pocket knife."

They began walking again as Howard continued, banging against Steve's shield, "I hear you're kinda of attached."

"It's handier than you might think," Steve shrugged.

They stopped at a table full of shields and Jessica's eyes widened, running her fingers along them as Howard said, "I took the liberty of coming up with some options."

He continued and Jessica only wrinkled her brow, not liking any of them. Her eyes trailed down the table and landed on one under it, causing her to bend over and pick it up.

Jessica stood and said, "What about this one, Howard?'

"No, no, that's just a prototype."

She deadpanned, "Howard. It's lightweight, tactical and the radial symmetry is perfect for spinning. What's it made of?"

Jessica handed it to Steve and the man whistled as Howard answered her, "Vibranium."

The redhead quirked a brow, "I've never heard of it and I'm a green witch."

"Yeah, well, it's super duper rare," Howard explained, crossing his arms over his chest, "It's stronger than steel and a third of the weight."

"Can I try something really quick?" Jessica questioned and Steve only nodded, holding it out.

Her eyes flashed green as her hand was in front of it,  her fingers flicking to the side causing the metal to bend toward the floor. Howard made a discouraging sound as his eyes widened.

"Jessica!"

"What?" She drawled it out, "I can fix it. Don't get your knickers in a twist, granny."

Howard deadpanned, "Do you know how long that took?'

Jessica simply rose a brow, eyes directly into his as she flicked her fingers back, turning the shield back to normal.

"Don't be such a baby, Stark. Now, continue telling us about it because I can see the look in Steve's eye that this is the one he wants."

Howard only huffed, lips puffed a bit as he continued, "It's completely vibration absorbent."

"Holy shit, so if I were to scream into this thing it could kill someone!" Jessica's eyes were wide, a playful glint in them. Both men looked to her in shock and she innocently said, "What? I said if."

Howard simply blinked, looking dazed as he turned to Steve, "You better watch out for this one."

"Oh, she can do that on her own," Steve chuckled, making Jessica smile up at him before going back to Howard, "How come it's not standard issue?"

"Like I said, it's rare. In fact, that's the rarest metal on Earth. What you're holding there, that's all we've got."

Jessica sighed, crossing her arms over her chest, "And here I thought that Rhodium and Osmium were still the rarest metals on Earth. Where is it located that makes it so rare? Perhaps I can find it and unearth more of it for the troops."

"A tiny place called Wakanda."

Howard, Steve and Jessica turned when another voice was heard, saying, "You quite finished, Mr. Stark? I'm sure Captain Rogers and Dr. Martin have other things to do."

"Doctor, huh?" Howard smirked at Jessica. The said woman shrugged, "I don't know, they just gave me the title without the license. I'm assuming because I took over remotely for Abraham."

"Doctor and first female soldier?"

Jessica rolled her eyes playfully, "Technically? I'm not. The first female soldier was Deborah Sampson. She disguised herself as a man in 1782 during the Revolutionary War, twice, and eventually joined the 4th Massachusetts Regimen."

Everyone stood there in shock as she continued, "During her first battle she sustained a head injury and two musket balls to the thigh. She escaped the hospital before it could be discovered she was a woman and removed one of the bullets with a sewing needle and penknife. She lived the rest of her life with the other one stuck in her leg and the wound never really healed. Also? Over four hundred women disguised themselves as men during the Civil War. But, you know, because they were women, they were lost in history. Quite a shame you don't know, Howard."

"How do you know all that?" Howard's eyes were wide, his voice barely above a whisper. Steve simply chuckled, placing a hand on her shoulder, "Because she's too smart for words."

"I do try," Jessica sarcastically wrinkled her nose, blowing him a kiss. Peggy shook her head and said, "I believe the genius title now.

"As you all should. But, enough about me."

Steve then smiled and turned to Peggy, asking, "What do you think?"

Peggy simply turned to the table next to her, grabbing a gun and pulling the trigger toward the shield. Steve gasped before covering his face, Jessica's eyes widening as they turned green and stopped the bullets mid-air.

Howard watched as they were crushed, Jessica's hand making a fist before she forced them to the ground.

"Jessica, we will never know if it works if you don't let me try," Peggy gave her a look.

Jessica's eyes were dark at the thought of Steve getting hurt when the man said, "Agent Carter is right, Jess. We need to try."

The woman turned to him and they stared at one another for a moment before she sighed, licking her lips, "Fine. But if you get hurt it's not my fault."

"For science."

Jessica stepped back and nodded toward her friend, Peggy pulling the trigger three more times toward the shield. They watched as the bullets crumpled to the floor, the sound of metal reverberating echoing through their ears.

Peggy sarcastically smiled and said, "Yes, I think it works."

She placed the gun back down and walked toward them, only to turn past Jessica at the last minute. Howard, Steve and Jessica all looked to one another in shock, silence overcoming them for a moment.

Jessica was the first to speak, saying, "I think something is wrong. I'll go speak with her."

"Be careful," Steve grabbed her hand. Jessica turned and smiled at her husband, "I love you, too, hero."

She kissed his hand before she began walking away, hearing Steve and Howard begin to talk about his suit that he had sketched two days ago,

"Please take it in on his ass, Stark!"

Howard laughed sad Steve blushed, "Will do, doctor!"

Jessica playfully rolled her eyes before leaving the lab, heels rapidly clicking against the cement as she caught up with Peggy. She grabbed her arm and Peggy turned, eyes glossed over a bit.

"What's wrong, Pegs?" Jessica whispered, eyes wandering over her friend's face. Peggy shook her head, voice coming out hoarse as she said, "Nothing."

Jessica deadpanned and dragged Peggy into a utility closet, shutting the door behind her so she couldn't leave before turning the small light on.

Her arms were sternly crossed over her chest, lips pursed as she met Peggy's eyes, "What's wrong? You seemed to be so happy last night and fine earlier."

When Peggy didn't answer, Jessica sighed, "Come on, Pegs. Keeping it all bottled up is not good for your energy. I'm gonna have to cleanse this outfit with sage and desert chaparral if you keep this up.

"You do realize have no idea what you're talking about?" Peggy mustered a chuckle. Jessica's grin was light, "I plan on that. Now, as your friend...  mind telling me what's wrong? I can't help if I don't know."

Peggy bit her lip slightly as she looked to the ground, sighing after a moment and whispering, "It's Lorraine."

"Okay," Jessica's voice was softer, understanding the topic was sensitive, "What happened?"

"I just realized trying to pursue this idiotic idea that we could ever be together is ridiculous," Peggy's accent was thick as she spoke rapidly, "We could never be happy and she doesn't seem to be interested."

Jessica thought for a brief second before she said, "Peggy, can I ask you a personal question that you don't have to answer?"

Peggy nodded and Jessica continued, "How long did it take for you to realize your... indifference toward men?"

"Part of me has always known," Peggy whispered, eyes glossing over a bit, "In school I always was made fun of for never having friends that were women. Called terrible names by some. But I really only accepted it when I joined."

Jessica nodded and walked over to her, sitting on the small table that was in the closet holding storage. She grabbed her hand and Peggy turned, wiping her eyes gently to not show she was crying.

"Maybe, Lorraine is trying to accept the same thing. If it took you some time and you've always known, it could be happening to her too," Jessica reassured her, "I promise it will work out. The universe has a way of doing that."

"You do have a way of making one feel better," Peggy sniffed, a small smile coming to her red lips. Jessica chuckled, bumping her shoulder with hers, "That's what friends are for, Peggy. I'll always be here."

Peggy softened, "I've never had a friend who was a girl before."

"Well, you have me," Jessica winked, "But I've always have been called one of the guys, too. It just happened being so close to Steve and Bucky all the time. People always thought that I was bouncing between them."

"That's terrible. Did they know?"

Jessica chuckled, looking down to the floor in thought, "Bucky did. He and I were together one day after school because Steve was sick, like he always was, and some guy came up to me and called me whore for letting them "share me". Needless to say, Bucky split his lip and broke his nose."

"How horrible," Peggy shook her head in disgust, "And Steve?"

"Steve doesn't know," Jessica whispered, meeting Peggy's eyes once more, "I actually really loved that about him. He was so involved in our conversation that he never took anyone else but me into account."

Peggy smiled, "I'm glad you have a love like Steve's. You deserve it."

"And so do, Peggy. If I tell you something, you have to promise not to tell anyone. I am the only one who knows it... not even Lydia."

The brunette nodded, furrowing her brows, "Of course."

"My grandmother, her name was Lorraine actually," Jessica laughed, making Peggy as well, "Well, when she was living in San Francisco at the time, she fell in love with a woman named Maddy."

Peggy's eyes were wide, "Wait, really?"

"She fell hard, too. Until one day, she had a premonition of Maddy's death. Of course she warned her, but Maddy dismissed it, telling her that she was in love with her in secret before she accidentally drowned in the nearby lake."

Jessica let a long breath, "The reason I'm telling you this, Peggy? I don't want you to feel hopeless and inadvertently drown yourself in your despair. If you feel something for Lorraine and you think there may be even a small chance? Don't be scared of what others say. All you need are a few good people in your life who support you."

The woman beside Jessica was quiet for a moment before saying, "And you? Would you support me?"

"Of course I would, Pegs. There's nothing wrong with being in love with a woman just because it isn't a societal normality. You two are both consenting age appropriate adults. If you two want to be together? Then you be together."

Peggy couldn't help the smile that came to her lips, no trace of sadness on her face as she said, "Thank you, Jessica."

"What are friends for?" Jessica winked before jumping off the table, her black heels clicking against the floor as she did so.

She smoothed out her skirt before smirking over at Peggy, "Now, would you like to get out of this dingy room? We have work to do."

Peggy laughed and followed Jessica out of the closet, flipping the light off for the redhead.

She hugged the woman, causing Jessica's eyes to widen for a moment before she hugged back.

"Thank you," Her friend whispered. Jessica pulled back, placing her hands on Peggy's shoulders, "No. Thank you for trusting me."

"What are friend's for?" Peggy restated Jessica's previous statement, making her laugh. She went to say something when her name was called out, "Jessica?"

They turned to see Steve walk over to them, eyes panicked, "There you are. I got scared when I couldn't find you."

"Oh, I just stole her for some much needed girl talk," Peggy coolly played off, stepping back to let Steve wrap his arm around Jessica's waist. Steve smiled, saying, "So you wouldn't mind if I stole her?"

Peggy chuckled, "Not at all. She is your wife after all. And I have something to tend to, actually. I will see you later."

Jessica smiled at her as she walked off before turning to Steve, who grinned down at her.

"You miss me or something, hero?" She wrapped her arms around his neck. Steve shrugged, giving her a playful hum, "Just a bit."

"You're funny. What else is on the list for today?"

Steve's grin turned into a smirk and Jessica rose a brow, one coming to her own lips, "You have a look in your blue eyes, Steven."

"We're done for the day, actually. Stark is sending us away until tomorrow when our suits are done."

Jessica reeled back a bit, shaking her head, "Our suits? I never said I wanted one."

"But I designed you one because I think you're going to need one. I just want you safe," He quickly told, "I'm sorry if I overstepped."

"You're a sweet man, Steve," Jessica ran a hand across his jawline, "But won't he need my measurements?"

Steve shook his head, "I may have already given them to him."

"And how would you know my measurements?" Jessica rose a brow, leaning up on her toes. Steve placed his forehead on hers, "Because I remember them from going with you to look for dresses for the school dance."

Jessica softened and pressed her lips to his in a loving kiss, smiling against him after a few seconds, "And this is why I married the sweetest man known to Earth."

"And can he whisk you away for some fondue?" Steve smirked, wiggling his eyebrows, making Jessica roll her eyes, laughing.

"I guess so."

✧
AN: Just so everyone remembers, Jessica and Lydia Martin's grandmother, Lorraine Martin, was actually in love with a woman named Maddy in the show Teen Wolf- which is her origin book.

I kept it because I figured it would be an important talk for Jessica and Peggy.