AN: Hey everyone, lyokoMARVELanime here, and I am coming at you full force with a story idea that you've seen under future projects in my profile for a long, long time, until now that is. That's right, we are now officially welcoming the first chapter of my Captain America&Justice League crossover story!

[audience applause]

I'll be honest, I was a bit hesitant to start this story right now, but somewhere inside of me, something was just saying that now was the time to get this story up and running. I mean, I have said I would be eventually doing it for well over a year now, so here we are! Now, I've kept you all here long enough, so by all means, enjoy.

I do not own anything from any of either of the MARVEL or DC Comics franchises or any other franchise mentioned in this story.

Chapter 1: Legend's Return

Since they had first come together just a short while ago, the Justice League had faced some very strange, yet incredible adventures. Though it had not been all that long, the seven heroes had already faced off against an alien invasion of Earth, a conspiracy that would have led to the destruction of the Green Lantern Corp, and just recently, they had thwarted a plot against Aquaman's life, which would have led the citizens of Atlantis and the rest of the world to destruction. What had started as the Atlantean king making an attempt to negotiate peace quickly led the Justice League and Aquaman into conflict with Arthur's brother, Orm, who wished to destroy the surface world and seize the throne for himself. The struggle had nearly cost them the life of Aquaman's son, but the passionate king had not hesitated to sacrifice his own hand in order to save the young baby. From there, it was just a matter of leading the Justice League to the North Pole where an Atlantean doomsday device had been activated by Orm in order to create a polar meltdown.

After a hard struggle against Orm's followers, Aquaman was able to defeat his treacherous brother and reclaim what was his, while Batman and Green Lantern shut down the reactor, and Superman, Wonder Woman, and J'onn J'onzz subdued any remaining soldiers who were not loyal to Aquaman. As a small side bonus, it also allowed Aquaman to put his new hook hand to the test in battle, and Orm would never trouble anyone again. After rounding up all the remaining traitors, Aquaman returned to Atlantis with the Justice League and immediately demanded that his guards remove the traitors from his sights, leaving him alone with his friends from the surface, his wife, and his sleeping son.

"I can only blame myself for all of this," Aquaman sighed as he looked at the hook that had now replaced his left hand. "My fear of the surface dwellers blinded me to those I should've feared most, and it cost me dearly."

"Don't be too hard on yourself. Maybe we've all misjudged," Green Lantern assured the Atlantean king, since he himself had more than a fair share of doubts in regards to Aquaman and Atlantis up until now, to put it mildly.

"Perhaps," Aquaman conceded, and he then walked down from his throne to gaze out at the great city beneath the sea that he loved so much. "All I want, all I've ever wanted is peace and security for Atlantis."

"After what's happened, it won't be easy," Superman cautioned his friend.

"I know, but some sacrifices are worth it," Aquaman nodded before turning a caring gaze to his wife and child.

Everyone nodded in acceptance of this, knowing that Aquaman would definitely do all that he could to keep his people and family safe in the best way possible from now on, and the League then made to leave, some of them already hearing the somewhat immature joke Flash would make once he heard about this and Hawkgirl lightly complaining about missing a good fight, until they were suddenly stopped by another Atlantean with black hair wearing a black vest and pants, along with a gold belt. "My king, something has been discovered at the reactor's former location," the man shouted as he kneeled before Aquaman.

"What is it Namor," Aquaman asked once the new arrival had officially gained everyone's attention.

"The device had been placed in the location it had been because we thought that there was no one there aside from various animal life, but as we were removing it, we discovered that there was someone there," Namor reported.

"Why was this not noticed until now?"

"Because the person in question was actually frozen in the ice, and during the brief time that the reactor had been activated, the ice was melted and shifted just enough for him to be brought to the surface. He is still frozen, but he is definitely alive, and it seems he has been frozen there for many years."

"That's impossible," Batman argued. "Not even an average Atlantean could survive being frozen in ice for several years."

"I assure you this man is not Atlantean, and more than that, he is certainly no average human," Namor replied.

Batman was still skeptical of the matter, but Namor's words were enough for the rest of the League to think that it was worth investigating, so they were quick to fly back up to the North Pole and see what Namor had found for themselves. At first glance, there did not seem to be anything noteworthy to any of the League, aside from the many Atlanteans that were working hard to dismantle the reactor that had nearly destroyed the world, until Namor led them to a small encampment that had been set up around the area where they had found the man in the ice. When the league finally saw this person, even Batman became a little wide-eyed at the sight of him.

There, lying on a table, still frozen in ice, was a man who looked to be in his mid to late twenties, in an old World War II uniform that was colored blue, with hints of red and white in certain areas, and a silver star on his chest, and on his arm was a circular shield that was also red and white, with a blue center and a silver star in the middle, and it was this uniform that immediately told everyone in the League who knew their Earth history who this man was.

"I'm seeing it, but I'm still not sure I believe it," Lantern commented as he scanned the man with his ring.

"That makes two of us," Superman admitted. "And yet, it really is him. Captain America, the hero of World War II."

"Or so it seems to be," Batman argued, ever the skeptic.

"Well if it's not him, then it's a pretty good imposter, because even my ring is saying that it's him," John told the Dark Knight of Gotham.

"And more importantly, I can hear his heartbeat. It may be faint, but he is definitely alive," Superman confirmed.

"Hera," Wonder Woman gasped in shock, because even though she had done a little studying up on man's world, there were still things about it that she found shocking, and this situation before her definitely qualified.

"We should bring him back to the Watchtower for medical treatment," J'onn stated with shock seeping into his normally monotone voice. No one disagreed with the Martian, and they were all quick to begin moving the long-lost soldier onto the Javelin so that they could get the captain to their base's medical bay.

Steve Rogers was not sure how long he had been unconscious, but he did know that it must have been at least a few hours since he had been thrown out of the plane that the Red Skull would have used to destroy the entire Eastern Coast of the United States, and even through the darkness that clouded his vision, he could tell that he was likely in some sort of medical room. After regaining a bit of his vision though, and catching a few words from the people around him as he regained a bit of his hearing, it quickly became clear that he was not in a hospital room, and the strangely dressed people he saw quickly led him to one conclusion: he had been captured by HYDRA. At least, that was his first thought, but Steve was not one to jump to conclusions so quickly, so he decided to keep acting as though he were still unconscious so that he could feel the situation out. That plan was quickly thwarted when he heard someone say that they realized he was awake, so he went with the only option available to him at that time.

Thinking quickly, Steve swung his shield into one of the people standing directly over him, and then kicked a second one away before he leapt off the bed and pinned a third person to the wall with said bed. The man in question, who Steve saw was a black skinned man in a strange green and black suit, grunted in pain for a minute before he looked up and calmly said, "Calm down, Captain. You're safe."

Steve was not going to buy it that easily, and immediately demanded, "Who are you? Where have you and HYDRA taken me?"

"I'm not HYDRA," the man stated. "But you've been frozen in ice for decades, and we just pulled you out, saving your life."

"You're creative, son. I'll give you that," Steve admitted, showing that he did not believe a word he just heard. Before Steve could repeat his question, a golden rope suddenly found its way around him, pinning his arms to his side, and pulling him away from the man he had pinned. Looking to the other end of the rope, Steve saw what was probably one of the most beautiful women that he had ever seen in his life staring back with hard, yet sympathetic eyes, long, flowing black hair, and fair skin. Had he been in another situation, Steve probably would have been blushing at the sight of this woman, but since he was more than likely in enemy territory, he was more than able to suppress that feeling, no matter how strong it might have been at the moment.

"Please calm down," the woman told him in a gentle, but firm voice. "Like John said, we are friends, and we don't want to hurt you."

"My apologies, Miss, but this soldier doesn't listen HYDRA agents," Steve retorted, and he immediately grabbed the rope around him and gave it a hard pull. The woman was clearly caught off guard, as Steve had no trouble pulling her towards him so that he could shove a knee into her stomach, winding her just enough for her grasp on the rope to be loosened to the point that Steve was able to slip out. Once he was freed, Steve had immediately grabbed the woman before she hit the floor, and gently lowered her down, not wanting to harm her anymore than he already had since he was a bit of a gentleman. Before he could make any other moves, he felt a hand on his shoulder, and glanced up to see a large, broad shouldered man in a blue suit, red belt, and red cape with a strange looking "S" on his chest standing behind him.

"There's no reason to worry," the man told Steve. "We don't want to hurt you."

"The feeling's not mutual, buddy," Steve shouted, and he instantly grabbed the man's arm and flung him over his shoulder, right into another man in a strange looking, black and grey suit. Seeing that everyone in the room was down for the moment, Steve immediately raced towards the door, out into the hallway, and off into what he hoped was the direction of the hangar in this base so that he could secure a vehicle for his escape from this place. He did not get very far though, as he soon found his path cut off when a green-skinned man in a blue cape, pants, and boots, with a red "X" on his chest suddenly rose up from the floor in front of him, causing him to pause in shock at the man's sudden appearance.

"You must calm down," the green man stated in a monotone. "There is no reason for you to be frightened or mistrusting of us."

"What are you, Mister," Steve demanded. "One of Zola's experiments?"

"No. I am a Martian," the green man replied, catching Steve off-guard more with how casually the man had said it than what he had said.

"Okay, that's different," Steve admitted, but before he could further inquire about this, the sound of a battle cry from behind him grabbed his attention, and he immediately spun around with his shield ready. Steve paid no mind to the supposed Martian's pleas for his attacker to stop, as he was more concerned with the shockwave that the new arrival's weapon had unleashed when they struck his shield, but thankfully, Steve was able to stand his ground and withstand the blow, and after holding the person back, he glanced around his shield to find another startling sight before him.

This new person was a red haired woman in a yellow and black suit, and a bird-like mask. The woman's fiery glare was only matched by the amount of strength she was using to push down on Steve's shield with her mace that sparked with electricity, but the shocking thing about this woman was the fact that she had a large pair of grey wings sprouting out of her back. Steve did not let this bother him for long, and eventually managed to push the woman back, only to stare in mild surprise when he saw her right herself in mid-air after spreading her wings a little. The woman was about to charge again, when the Martian suddenly appeared in front of her telling her to wait. Steve could tell that this new arrival did not like being told not to attack when she thought there was a fight to be had, but he did not stay to pay any mind to the argument that was about to ensue, and began racing through the base again while they were distracted.

Steve continued to make his way through the base, finding its numerous grey halls gave it a maze-like feeling, until he finally came into a large room that was clearly at the center of everything in the place. Knowing that there was likely a control panel he could use to discover an exit, Steve was more than prepared to run in and find such panel, until he looked out the large window and saw the most startling sight he had seen since waking up. There before him, was Planet Earth, in all its peaceful, wondrous glory, and upon walking up to the window and tapping the glass, Steve could tell that it was no illusion or trick of any kind, so he could only stare in awe at the fact that he had somehow ended up in space until he sensed someone approach him from behind.

This time, Steve did not attack the person, and let them approach before he slowly turned around and saw that it was the man with an "S" on his chest coming up to him. "I'm sorry about all the confusion, but we were hoping that you would be a little calmer when you finally woke up, and that we would be able to break the news to you slowly," the man stated.

"What is this place," Steve finally asked after a minute of silence. "Who are you people, and what news are you talking about?"

"This is the Watchtower, our headquarters," the man stated. "I'm known to the world as Superman, and our group is known as the Justice League. As for your last question…you've been frozen in ice for decades Captain. World War II has been over for a long time."

"How long," Steve nervously asked.

Superman hesitated for a minute, making Steve repeat his question at least once, until he finally replied, "Almost seventy years now."

Steve gasped in shock when he heard this, and nearly stumbled into the wall behind him at hearing this news. When finally collected himself again, he looked up and asked, "Did we win?"

Superman smiled and said, "Yes we did, thanks in large part to you."

Steve nodded in thanks for that information, and promptly passed out from exhaustion, barely noticing how Superman's teammates had just arrived when he did, or how the Justice League agreed to get him back to the medical bay just to make sure he was only suffering from exhaustion.

A few hours later, Steve had woken up again, and then found himself being introduced to the rest of the Justice League, or at least the members who were there at the time. The first person that Superman introduced him to was the beautiful woman that had tried to tie him up before, and she turned out to be a princess from an island that was completely populated by women. The woman introduced herself as Diana, and that the world knew her better as Wonder Woman, and if her appearance was anything to go by, Steve could see why. The woman was exceptionally beautiful, now that he was able to get a better look at her, and it was taking every ounce of restraint he had to keep his eyes on her face and away from the rest of her body, given how the leotard she wore left very little to the imagination. It honestly amazed him that Diana did not seem to be too upset with him about their previous encounter, so when Diana explained that her people were trained as warriors from birth and that she possessed incredible strength, Steve was thanking whatever higher power made sure that she was not upset.

The next person he met was the first man he had really spoken to after waking up: John Stewart, alias Green Lantern. Apparently, John was a former marine and now served as part of a large group of intergalactic peace keepers, if what Steve was told about the Green Lanterns was any indication, and shortly after John, Steve was properly introduced to the winged woman, Hawkgirl. Unlike Diana, Hawkgirl seemed to be a little more upset with how her fight with Steve had gone, but she was clearly smart enough to not let such petty things as pride keep her from being polite once she heard a bit more about his situation.

The two people in this team of heroes that Steve honestly felt a great deal of sadness for were probably Superman and J'onn, when the two explained that not only were they aliens from other planets, but that they were also the last of their kind. Superman explained that his home planet had been destroyed when he was just a baby, while J'onn explained that he lost the other Martian people to an attack from violent invaders. Steve was a bit more sympathetic to the Martian than he was Superman, as he knew very well just what kind of sorrow and tragedy wars could bring, plus, given that Superman still had one living relative, it was a bit easier for Steve to feel more sorry for J'onn than it was for the last son of Krypton.

The last member he met was probably one of the strangest, not only because of his outfit, but because out of all the people on this team, it seemed like this last person was the only one without any special powers. This final individual was Batman, the Dark Knight of Gotham City. Even though Steve could not see his eyes under the white lenses of his cowl, it was obvious that Batman was glaring at him with distrust, but Superman was quick to assure Steve that Batman did not really trust anyone all that much or that easily, a policy that Steve could not fault the caped crusader for. After spending a little time with Batman though, Steve could see why he was a part of this group, as Batman was more focused on using his skills, tools, and mind to resolve a situation as opposed to brute strength and special powers, like most of the League seemed to be, from Steve's perspective at that time. The fact that someone who was only a mere man was able to stand side-by-side with people who were practically gods was more than enough for Steve to give Batman a great deal of respect.

The only Leaguer that Steve did not meet was someone that everyone referred to as Flash, but they all assured him that Steve would not likely forget him when he finally did meet the last member of the Justice League, and once he had been fully brought up to speed with a little help from Batman and J'onn, Steve found that there was really only one question left for him to pose to the six heroes that now stood before him in the Watchtower's observation deck. "What do I do now? Everyone I ever knew…my whole world…it's all gone. I can't really believe that a world that's changed so much and that now has so many heroes could still need Captain America," Steve said, sadly.

"I know this is a lot to take in, but we'll be more than happy to help however we can," Superman assured the formerly frozen soldier. "In all honesty, we'd be more than happy to welcome you into the League, but maybe you should try to see the rest of the world first, just so you can see if there's still something in this era that you consider worth fighting for."

Steve nodded in acceptance of this, and then asked, "So where should I start?"

"How about Metropolis," Hawkgirl suggested. "It does seem to be where we do most of our work usually."

"That sounds good," Superman agreed. "I'd be more than happy to help show you around as well, if you'd like, and if you want, you can also see the other cities that each of us has come to protect."

Steve thought the idea over for a minute. Aside from Hawkgirl, J'onn, and Wonder Woman, each of the other members of the Justice League had been known to do a lot of good work in a certain city, with the main examples being how Superman and Batman each normally operated in Metropolis and Gotham, respectively, so seeing a bit more of the new world he had woken up to by starting with the cities that these new friends he had found both lived and defended did seem like a good option to him. With all of this in mind, Steve found that there was really no real reason for him to say anything other than yes to the offer, and with that, he and Superman were set to depart once they were both ready.

Before they had reached the hangar though, Batman stopped him for a moment and said, "You might want to consider getting a change of clothes, and if you do want to keep fighting the good fight, you'll also want to get your uniform repaired."

Steve looked down at his old, worn and torn suit for a minute before he asked, "Don't you think the stars and stripes might be a little old-fashioned now?"

Batman did not say anything for a minute until he finally said, "Sometimes people need something a little old-fashioned in their lives for one reason or another." Batman let that hang for another minute before he looked back at Steve and said, "If you want, I can have someone look in to getting you a more modern version of your suit, but until then, I'd suggest you figure out how to patch up the one you've got."

Steve nodded in thanks for the offer, and then let Superman show him where he could find a set of civilian attire that he could wear while on Earth. He was extremely thankful that the Watchtower was setup to act as a second home if anyone on the team needed it to be, and that at least one or two of the leaguers were about the same size as him, so once he had secured everything he needed, he flew down to Earth in a shuttle with Superman, and then found himself being flown to the apartment that the Man of Steel stayed in. Steve was well aware that Superman's identity was a secret to the world, and he was about to inquire as to why Superman would bring him to his apartment, when Superman beat him to the punch.

"I figured that it would be a little strange for you to stay in a hotel and then be led around by a stranger while you are here, so I don't think there's really any harm in telling you this," Superman stated. He then held out his hand for Steve to shake and said, "My Earth name is Clark Kent, reporter for the Daily Planet Newspaper. It's an honor to meet you, Captain America."

Steve stared in surprise for a minute until he finally accepted the handshake and said, "The pleasure's mine, son, and please, call me Steve. Steve Rogers."

AN: Okay so, a few things I want to make clear before this goes any further. This story follows the timeline of the Justice League cartoon from 2001, you know, from the DCAU, and basically acts as though Captain America were part of that universe, but don't think that there won't be other MARVEL characters as well. As for the appearances of the characters in this story, right now, I'm telling you that just about everyone that's appeared in this chapter on the Justice League looks the same way they did in the original cartoon, with the exception of Superman and Batman. Their suits basically look like the ones they wear in Justice League: War, you know the animated movie. As for Cap, at the moment, his suit is like the one he wore in Captain America: The First Avenger, but it will eventually change to be like the one he wears in Avengers Assemble, the TV series, just in case that wasn't clear.

Now, the reason why this chapter is so short is because I mainly wanted to just introduce Steve into the world in this chapter. The focus here was Captain America waking up and learning about how the world has changed while also meeting most of the Justice League. I didn't have him meet Flash yet because I wanted him to meet the speedster after spending time on Earth, and if you think that Cap learned who Superman was a little too easily, don't worry, that won't be the case with every hero in the Justice League who actually has a secret identity in that series. I may have him learn one other secret identity before we get into the main episodes of the Justice League series, but before that, Steve's going to spend a little time with certain members of the League, starting with Superman, and the next few chapters will basically highlight all of that while also showing Steve's journey in rediscovering the world and learning about the Leaguers, and anyone that is associated with them, like Batgirl, Robin, and Nightwing for Batman for example.

Speaking of the next few chapters, Onto the Preview!...

Steve's adjustment to the modern world begins with an adventure in Metropolis. Meeting the people that are part of both Superman and Clark Kent's lives is a little surprising for Steve at first, especially given all the things he discovers while here, but the only thing that he finds more shocking are the various supervillains that Superman goes up against. When the Man of Steel suddenly goes missing after flying off to stop one such villain, can teaming up with Supergirl allow Steve to do something in order to help? Find out next time in…Chapter 2: Metropolis Mayhem.

Please read and review, and I'll see you all next time, hero believers!