31 Plays in 31 Days, #9 - “Receiving Line”

[breakinglight11]

God damn it, another idea for a fan fic in my “after Steve’s retirement” series Forever Captain. In Day #3 - Sides, he and Tony discuss how his older self had to speak to his younger self when he attended Peggy’s funeral, and it struck me that might be a good moment to dramatize. This method of laying down the dialogue like a dramatic scene has proven an effective drafting tool, encouraging me to edit it and fill out the narration in order to make the prose piece. Of course, these fan fic scenes are way easier to figure out than any more important original work, so now that I’m no longer traveling— I went home to PA to visit my dad for a few days —I need to buckle down and work on more significant pieces.

This is kind of scene-setting, introductory bit to that conversation. I included Steve’s daughter Elizabeth Carter, an original character I created in previous fan fiction His Part to Play. She’s only a baby in that story, born in 1950, but according to the math she’d be getting up there by 2016. Of course, I picture her taking after Steve with a lot of his super-soldier advantages, so she probably doesn’t quite look her age.



Day #9 – “Receiving Line”
From Forever Captain
By Phoebe Roberts
~~~

GRANT CARTER, Peggy’s WWII-veteran widower, 109
ELIZABETH CARTER, Grant and Peggy’s daughter, 66
STEVE ROGERS, Captain America, 32

New York, 2016
~~~

(GRANT CARTER sits in the church rectory at the funeral of his wife, PEGGY CARTER. Their daughter ELIZABETH pokes her head in.)

ELIZABETH: How you holding up?

GRANT: Surviving. But we’re almost done.

(Pause.)

GRANT: Aren’t we?

ELIZABETH: He’s been waiting for you out there, you know.

GRANT: Who?

ELIZABETH: Oh, you know. You.

GRANT: (Sighing) Jesus, I almost forgot.

ELIZABETH: Want me to get rid of him? I can see him out. Tell him you’re tired.

GRANT: No, no. I’ll talk to him.

ELIZABETH: You sure? I spoke to him already, that might be enough.

GRANT: It’ll seem strange if I avoid him. It’s the right thing to do.

ELIZABETH: Oh, really? You’re the one who’s always telling me to leave him alone. Thought you said he didn’t need our help.

GRANT: He doesn’t, most of the time. But, right now, well… he’s in agony. Trust me. I know.

ELIZABETH: Hm. Fair enough.

(Pause.)

ELIZABETH: Do you need a minute?

GRANT: (breathing deep) No, I’m ready. Send him in.

(ELIZABETH nods and disappears. After a minute she returns, leading STEVE ROGERS, subdued and weighted in a black three-piece suit. GRANT stands as he enters.)

ELIZABETH: Dad? You remember Steve.

GRANT: Of course. Good to see you again.

ELIZABETH: Well. I’ll give the two of you a moment.

(ELIZABETH exits, leaving GRANT and STEVE alone.)