After giving them a little more time, Sam and Natasha knocked softly on the door and walked back into the room.
Steve and Peggy were sitting close together on the edge of the bed.
They were holding hands so tightly, as if they were afraid the other person would disappear.
Peggy looked down at her smooth, youthful hands, and then she looked up at Steve's face.
"This all feels so magical,"
Peggy whispered, her bright brown eyes full of wonder.
"I look at you, and it feels like no time has passed at all."
Steve gently brushed a dark brown curl behind her ear.
"I am so sorry I made you wait, Peggy,"
Steve said, his voice thick with emotion.
"You didn't have to wait for me. You should have lived a full, happy life."
Peggy shook her head firmly.
"I did live a full life, Steve, but I never married anyone,"
Peggy told him honestly, looking deep into his blue eyes.
"I just couldn't do it. My heart always belonged to that skinny kid from Brooklyn. So, instead of a husband, I married my work."
Steve listened closely, his heart breaking and healing at the same time.
"I gave everything I had to build S.H.I.E.L.D.,"
Peggy continued, her voice growing strong and proud.
"I spent my entire life trying to eradicate Hydra. I wanted to make sure your sacrifice actually meant something. I wanted to finish the fight we started together."
Steve pulled her into a tight, warm hug.
"You did,"
Steve whispered into her hair.
"You did a beautiful job. I am so incredibly proud of you, Peggy."
Peggy rested her head on his broad shoulder, feeling truly safe for the first time in seventy years.
Then, she looked up and saw Sam and Natasha standing quietly near the door.
Steve gently pulled back and looked at Sam.
"Peggy, this is Sam,"
Steve introduced him with deep respect.
"He is the one who woke me up from the ice safely. And he is the one who brought me here to you."
Peggy looked at the young man standing in the room. She could not believe what he had done.
"I really thought I was going to die today,"
Peggy said, her voice filled with pure, overwhelming gratitude.
"I was ready for the end. But here I am, sitting right next to Steve, feeling stronger and healthier than I have in decades. You gave me a second chance at life, Sam. I do not know how I can ever repay you."
Sam smiled warmly. He walked a little closer, standing next to Natasha.
"You do not need to repay me, Peggy,"
Sam said kindly.
"Good people deserve a second chance. But you both have an incredible amount of energy in your bodies right now. If you still want to protect the world together, I can teach you how to use it."
Sam stepped a little closer. He put his hands in his pockets and gave them a charming, confident smile.
"Think of me as a traveling salesman,"
Sam joked lightly, his tone friendly but focused.
"I have two very special offers for you today. And since you just got a second chance at life, I think you are the perfect customers."
Peggy let out a soft, elegant laugh.
"Alright, Mr. Salesman,"
Peggy smiled, leaning against Steve.
"What are you selling?"
"Offer number one is a new job,"
Sam began.
"Nick Fury is putting together a very special team. A group of extraordinary people to fight the battles that normal soldiers cannot win. It is called the Avengers."
Peggy's smile slowly faded. Her bright brown eyes turned serious.
Her sharp spy instincts instantly woke up.
"The Avengers Initiative,"
Peggy said slowly.
"I remember reading the very first drafts of that file years ago. But it was just a theory. Fury never wanted to push the button. He thought it was too risky to put so many volatile people in one room."
She looked at Sam, and then she looked up at Steve.
"If Fury is actually going through with it now,"
Peggy concluded, her voice dropping to a serious whisper,
"That means he is desperate. Something very bad is going to happen soon. Isn't it?"
Sam nodded slowly. He respected how quickly her mind worked.
"Yes,"
Sam answered honestly.
"The world is getting bigger, Peggy. And the threats are coming from much higher places. Normal guns and tanks will not be enough to stop what is coming."
Steve tightened his grip on Peggy's hand.
He was a soldier. If there was a war coming, he was ready to stand on the front lines.
"If the world needs us, we are in,"
Steve said firmly without any hesitation.
"But how do we fight these new threats?"
"That brings me to offer number two,"
Sam smiled, his eyes shining.
"The training program."
Sam pointed to Steve, and then to Peggy.
"Captain, you have the Super Soldier Serum. Your body is perfect, and your stamina is endless. Peggy, you just absorbed a massive amount of ancient, pure Qi from the pill. Your life force is incredibly thick right now."
Sam looked at both of them.
"If you fight separately, you are strong,"
Sam explained gently.
"But if you learn to combine your energies, you will be unstoppable. It is an ancient magical art called Dual Cultivation."
Steve tilted his head, a little confused.
"Dual Cultivation? What is that?"
Natasha stepped forward, a soft, playful smirk on her beautiful face.
"It means sharing your energy, Captain,"
Natasha explained smoothly.
"Through deep physical and spiritual intimacy. You merge your Yin and Yang energy together. You make love, you share your souls, and your bodies naturally grow stronger as a couple."
Steve's eyes went completely wide.
His face instantly turned bright red.
He was a polite boy from the 1940s.
Hearing a beautiful spy talk so openly about making love made him completely freeze up.
Peggy, on the other hand, didn't blush.
She looked at Steve's red face, and a brilliant, excited smile spread across her lips.
She had waited seventy years for this man.
"Well,"
Peggy laughed warmly, wrapping her arms around Steve's strong waist.
"I must say, Sam... that is a very good sales pitch. I think we will gladly take both offers."
Sam chuckled softly at Steve's bright red face.
"Relax, Captain,"
Sam said gently.
"You do not have to jump into the deep end right away. We will start with something much simpler. Let's start with the basics."
Sam had Steve and Peggy sit comfortably on the edge of the bed.
He guided them through the fundamental breathing technique.
"Close your eyes,"
Sam instructed, his voice calm and steady.
"Breathe in slowly. Let go of the past. Breathe out gently. Accept this new life."
He told Steve to focus on the endless stamina from the Super Soldier Serum in his blood.
He told Peggy to feel the warm, green energy still glowing from the Longevity Pill.
In just a few minutes, both of them felt it. A tiny, warm spark of light ignited in their stomachs.
Steve opened his eyes in amazement.
He could feel a new kind of power flowing through his veins.
It wasn't just physical strength anymore; it felt like a deep, peaceful connection to the world.
"That warm spark is your Qi,"
Sam explained with a proud smile.
"You have officially taken your first step. But I am not going to be your everyday teacher."
Steve looked up, slightly confused.
"Then who will teach us the rest?" Steve asked.
"Tony,"
Sam answered simply.
"Tony knows the theory, and he has the technology to measure your progress. I want you two to move into Stark Tower. He has plenty of room, and it will be good for you to bond with Howard's son. He will teach you how to move your energy safely."
Peggy smiled. She liked that idea. It felt like keeping the family together.
"What about Dual Cultivation?"
Peggy asked playfully, giving Steve's hand a small squeeze.
"You will learn that together, naturally,"
Sam laughed.
"But to help you both grow faster, I will concoct more Heavenly Pills for you. They will strengthen your bodies and prepare you for the battles ahead."
"Thank you, Sam,"
Steve said firmly. He stood up and gave Sam a deep, respectful nod.
"For everything."
"Just take care of your girl, Captain,"
Sam smiled.
Sam and Natasha said their goodbyes.
They left the room, leaving the two reunited lovers alone to enjoy their miracle.
They had a lot of catching up to do, and Sam knew the nursing staff was going to be completely shocked when a twenty-five-year-old Peggy Carter walked out the front door.
The sun had already set by the time Sam and Natasha got into their car.
The drive back to the mansion was quiet at first. The dark roads were peaceful.
But the air inside the car was slowly growing hot and heavy.
Natasha shifted in her seat. She reached across the center console and placed her hand softly on Sam's thigh.
Sam looked over at her.
Her green eyes were glowing in the dim light of the car. The cool, serious master spy was completely gone.
Right now, she was just a woman looking at the man she loved.
She had watched him fight the sky.
She had watched him give an old hero his life back.
His power and his kindness were incredibly intoxicating.
She had missed him so much while she was away on her mission.
"Drive a little faster,"
Natasha whispered, her voice low, husky, and full of pure desire.
"Are you in a hurry, Nat?"
Sam asked with a teasing smile, keeping his eyes on the road.
Natasha leaned closer. She gently kissed his neck, letting her warm breath brush against his skin.
"Yes,"
Natasha answered honestly, her hand sliding a little higher up his leg.
"I want to go home, Sam. I want to lock the bedroom door. I want to dual cultivate with you so badly it is making me crazy."
Sam felt a rush of heat from his Golden Core respond to her words.
He smiled, gripping the steering wheel a little tighter.
"Hold on,"
Sam said softly.
He pressed his foot down on the gas pedal.
The car sped down the highway, racing back to the quiet mansion as fast as it could.
Craze: 50+ more chapters on [email protected]/phelio