Lyon thought the story would end with Steve reclaiming Peggy, and the old Captain America quietly exiting the stage.
But what happened next nearly made his back give out.
—After a night of passion that was seventy years overdue. Steve once again became entangled in guilt over Peggy's family.
When the dream ended, he struggled countless times and ultimately decided to let go.
But this time, Peggy refused to accept it.
She believed she owed Steve too much and had already hurt him enough.
Besides, the two children she had with the old Captain America were now both over thirty, with families of their own, and had little connection left to her as their mother.
She could very well start over anew.
Caught in this emotional tug-of-war, Steve ultimately couldn't harden his heart enough to walk away.
And the other Steve—the old Captain America—was no different.
He was supposed to return to his own timeline the night he revealed the truth.
But in the end, he couldn't bear to leave Peggy.
She was, after all, the woman he deeply loved, the bond they shared spanning decades.
He stayed behind quietly, thinking that even just stealing a few more glances at Peggy would be enough.
Where this three-way entanglement of love and regret would ultimately lead, no one could say for sure.
In any case, Tony was quite pleased!
The Avengers had gained three super soldier agents in one go, and on top of that, got a live soap opera playing out in front of them—practicality and entertainment, both maxed out.
A few weeks later, when Lyon learned about these developments, he was stunned for a few seconds before finally just sighing, "Turns out Burning Winter is truly everywhere."
But he wasn't really surprised.
Peggy Carter and Steve Rogers, in some ways, were like a perfectly matched charging plug and data cable.
When both were present, they couldn't stay away from each other.
But if one was missing, it didn't prevent them from connecting with other configurations.
For instance, in What If…?
Every Steve Rogers that Captain Carter encountered across the multiverse made her heart flutter, made her consider the idea of staying and spending a lifetime together.
So for Peggy Carter—As long as the other person was a Steve, it was fine.
Whether or not he was her Steve, in a way, wasn't all that important.
And the same went for Steve Rogers.
His love for Peggy Carter was deep, but it wasn't as if he couldn't live without her.
In the original canon, even after Peggy's funeral, Cap still developed romantic sparks with her niece, Sharon Carter.
You could say—they both held a forward-looking view on love.
This was Captain America's private affair, and Lyon had no intention of criticizing it.
He simply had Yelena quietly record everything!!
If there was a chance in the future to get the involved parties' consent, they could make a film titled Captain America: Burning Winter. People would surely be intrigued by the melodramatic story behind that righteous face.
…
The love story between Cap and Carter was, after all, just a small interlude in daily life.
Early the next morning,
After sending Sherry off to school, Lyon returned to Kamar-Taj with Tony.
Tony was there to inquire about Thanos' intel.
Lyon's trip to Kamar-Taj was to assist Wong and Mordo in completing their plans for the magic academy and the fantastic beasts sanctuary.
It was dusk in Kamar-Taj.
Along the way, passing sorcerers bowed and greeted Lyon respectfully.
He and Tony walked past the training grounds toward the library.
"You sure this Thanos guy isn't a problem? That he's really just a piece of cake in your eyes?" Tony asked Lyon once again for confirmation.
"Very sure! By the way, how many times have you asked that since walking in this morning? Tony, Thanos' strength is about on par with Carol's. Right now, you could send Pepper and she could give him a good beating."
Lyon spoke as they walked. "Of course, you'd definitely lose to him. If things get dangerous, maybe consider hiding behind Pepper."
"Not a chance! You see this armor I'm wearing? Mark 11—nano armor! It can instantly form a vibranium laser cannon. Powerful enough to shatter small meteors!"
Tony patted his chest proudly, not forgetting to show off his new suit of armor. "Even Pepper can't keep up with the speed of this suit!"
Lyon glanced at him. "That's probably just Pepper messing around with you. How fast is that suit really? Mach 300? Mach 600?"
The pride on Tony's face froze. "It can reach Mach 27… or so."
"Twenty-seven?" Lyon blinked, as if he hadn't heard such a small number in ages.
He patted Tony on the shoulder. "Actually, going slow can be kind of cute, Tony."
With a chuckle, he continued walking ahead.
Tony, with a blackened expression, chased after him. "Listen, this suit is just a prototype nano-suit! There's still lots of room for improvement! And besides, in old Cap's timeline, even Carol couldn't beat Thanos. Why would Pepper be able to?"
"Because their Thanos had the Infinity Stones, and ours doesn't."
Lyon opened his palm, revealing the green and blue Infinity Stones.
"I already have two stones. If he wants to get them, it's not going to be easy."
"Plus, I've sent the Super Skrulls to track down the rest of the stones—and take care of Thanos while they're at it. You don't have to worry."
Tony raised his eyebrows. "You mean those nearly thousand green-skinned guys? They're going to deal with Thanos... huh, why do I suddenly find them kind of cute?"
"Oh? Like your slowpoke battle suit?"
"Shut it! It's only a matter of time before it outruns you!"
The two joked and laughed as they made their way into the library.
Wong and Mordo were already waiting there, along with Banner and his girlfriend, Betty.
With the consent of the two Grand Sorcerers, Banner had really brought Betty over to help him take care of the magical creatures.
And Betty, being a biologist, was clearly quite interested in the little creatures.
She had directly resigned from her professor position at Culver University and joined Kamar-Taj.
The two of them had gone from being a scientist couple to a mage couple.
They were clearly a lot happier than Strange and his partner.
"Supreme Sorcerer!" Upon meeting, everyone first performed the formal mage greeting.
Then Wong and Banner eagerly rushed up to Lyon.
"Lyon, you're finally here! The spatial fluctuations in my suitcase have been getting worse and worse!" Banner looked anxious.
"Hold on a second," Lyon said as he took the suitcase and opened it for a look. "It's definitely the effect of the Undetectable Extension Charm starting to fade, but shouldn't you be able to repair it yourself?"
The Undetectable Extension Charm could expand space, but it wasn't permanent. Its effect gradually diminished over time.
Two weeks ago, when the Skrulls were still around, Banner had already mentioned this to him over the phone.
Banner rubbed his hands nervously. "My extension charm isn't as refined as Mr. Scamander's—I can't maintain such a large space. So I have no choice but to quickly relocate all the creatures somewhere else to live."
"Then once I've finished creating the micro-world, we'll raise them in there," Lyon nodded.
"Ah—raise them in a micro-world? So we're not reinforcing the extension charm in the suitcase anymore?" Wong looked utterly devastated.
"What's wrong with you?" Lyon asked curiously. "You look like someone just stole your secret stash."
"How did you know? It really was stolen!" Wong was full of grief and indignation. "All the precious metals in the cash box under my bed were stolen by Banner's Niffler!"
"Niffler's on the run?" Lyon turned to Banner.
Banner laughed a bit awkwardly. "After the space inside the suitcase started acting up, I was worried that any sudden collapse might hurt the magical creatures. So, I left the suitcase open so they could escape easily. As for the Nifflers… well, they're a bit more energetic."
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