After the spar, Sam stayed at the tower for a few more hours.
He sat with Tony and Pepper in the warm living room.
He wanted to make sure they knew exactly what to do for the next few months.
"Pepper,"
Sam said softly, looking at her gently resting hands.
"Your baby is growing basking in your Qi. It is very different from a normal pregnancy. You must guide the energy slowly, like a gentle stream. Do not push it. Let the baby drink it naturally."
Pepper listened carefully, her eyes full of a mother's love.
"Will the baby have magic?"
Pepper asked, feeling a little nervous but mostly excited.
"The baby will be born with a perfect, pure foundation,"
Sam smiled, reassuring her.
"He or she will be incredibly healthy, strong, and have a very long life. The energy will protect them from the inside out."
Tony sat next to her, holding her hand.
He didn't make any jokes. He recorded every single word Sam said.
For Tony, nothing was more important than protecting his family.
Time flew by quickly. A few days passed in complete peace at the mansion.
Then, one quiet afternoon, Sam's phone rang.
He looked at the screen. It was a secure, highly encrypted number.
"Hello,"
Sam answered calmly, looking out over his garden.
"Sam,"
A deep, serious voice spoke. It was Nick Fury, the Director of S.H.I.E.L.D.
"Natasha and Stark tell me you are running my team now,"
Fury said. He didn't sound angry, just tired.
He was used to dealing with stubborn people.
"If you are the leader of the Avengers, then it is time to go to work."
"Is the world ending?"
Sam asked, pouring himself a cup of fresh tea.
"No,"
Fury replied.
"No aliens or monsters. But it is something very important. A recovery mission. My team found an old bomber plane that crashed deep in the Arctic ice."
Sam took a sip of his tea.
He remembered the history of this world perfectly.
"We found a man frozen inside the ice,"
Fury continued, his voice dropping lower.
"His vital signs are barely there, but he is still alive. The ice kept him asleep for seventy years."
"Steve Rogers,"
Sam said simply.
There was a long pause on the other end of the line.
Fury was a master of secrets, but he was always surprised by what Sam already knew.
"Yes. Captain America,"
Fury confirmed.
"We are digging him out and bringing him to a secure medical facility in New York. But waking up after seventy years is dangerous. His body is frozen stiff. His mind will be confused and scared."
Fury sighed deeply.
"Normal doctors might shock his system and kill him,"
Fury explained.
"I need you here, Sam. Natasha told me your energy can heal almost anything. I need you to help thaw his body safely and wake him up. And... as the new leader of this team, you should be the one to welcome him to the future."
Sam looked at the bright, sunny sky outside his window.
Captain America was a legend. He was a good, honest man who had sacrificed his own life to save the world, expecting nothing in return.
He deserved to wake up peacefully.
"Send me the location,"
Sam said, his voice firm and steady.
"I am on my way."
Sam walked into the bright, quiet medical room.
Steve Rogers was lying on the bed. His body was finally warm.
Sam had used a gentle stream of his pink Qi to melt the deep ice inside Steve's bones safely, without shocking his heart.
Steve slowly opened his blue eyes.
He blinked against the bright lights and looked around.
There were no fake 1940s radios playing old music.
There were no actors pretending to be nurses.
Sam didn't do anything special or play any tricks.
He just sat quietly in a chair next to the bed.
"Where am I?"
Steve asked, his voice rough and dry.
"You are in a S.H.I.E.L.D. facility in New York, Captain,"
Sam answered honestly, his voice calm and steady.
"But it is not the New York you remember. You crashed your plane in the ice. You have been asleep for seventy years. The war is over. You won."
Steve froze.
He looked at the modern machines in the room, and then he looked into Sam's deep, serious eyes.
Unlike a normal person who might panic or break out of the room in fear, Steve just sat there.
He took a slow, deep breath. He took everything in.
He was a soldier, and he understood the hard truth when he heard it.
Steve let out a long, heavy sigh. His shoulders slumped, and a deep sadness filled his eyes.
"I had a date,"
Steve whispered softly, looking down at his hands.
"I am late for the dance."
Sam looked at the legendary hero.
He felt a deep respect for him. Sam knew exactly who Steve was talking about.
Peggy Carter.
Sam remembered the history of this world.
Peggy was still alive. She was in a nursing home right now, very old, fragile, and losing her memory.
As Sam thought about Peggy, a sudden, absurd idea popped into his head.
He was a Cultivator at the Middle Level of the Golden Core Stage.
He had a mountain of pure Qi. More importantly, Tony Stark was currently farming the best magical seeds in the universe.
Sam had all the ingredients he needed.
'Why don't I just concoct a Longevity Pill?'
Sam thought to himself.
It wouldn't just be a normal healing pill.
A high-level Longevity Pill could reverse the flow of time in a mortal body.
It could wash away sickness, rebuild old bones, and make a dying old woman young and beautiful again.
He could give Steve his dance.
But then, Sam's mind went one step further.
If he made Peggy young again, and he reunited the two legendary lovers... what would happen if he taught them the path of cultivation?
What if he taught Captain America and Peggy Carter how to dual cultivate?
Steve had the Super Soldier Serum, which gave him a powerful, endless stamina.
If he learned how to cycle Yin and Yang energy with the woman he loved, they could become an unstoppable pair of Cultivators.
It was an absolutely crazy, absurd idea.
But as Sam sat in the chair, watching Steve look sadly at the floor, a small smirk appeared on Sam's face.
It was crazy, but it was incredibly exciting at the same time.
Sam stood up and patted Steve gently on the shoulder.
"Get dressed, Captain,"
Sam smiled, his eyes shining with a mysterious light.
"You might not be as late for that dance as you think."
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