[ big man! she doesn't a very good job of not laughing -- training her expression into little more than a twitching smirk. truth is, steve's boldly owned positions are worth protecting. she suspects natasha, in her accurate age, understands that as well as (if not better) than peggy herself. but she can just about predict the contempt the girl will feel for a claim such as his. ]

Put another way: our circumstances make for strange bedfellows. For alliances -- opportunities -- never thought possible. We'd be remiss not to see what advantages they might bring us. Sometimes, it involves looking at a stranger more like a potential ally.

[ on the outside, it looks a lot like idealism. scratch the surface, and it's pragmatic. ]