Live For Me

by DobbyRocksSocks

Captain America!AU. Remus just wants to fight for his country. He wants to be able to love his best friend. He wants a lot of things, but will he get any of them? Or will he die trying. Also... wings.

Disclaimer - I own nothing you recognise.

Note - This story follows a lot of the canon of Captain America very closely, so if that's not your bag, maybe don't read the thing. Obv, is not completely the same but you've been warned.

Beta'd by Sam, Grandma and Ace Panda. You're all marvelous and I love you.

Word count - 13987

Hogwarts Assignment 4; Muggle History, Task 1 - Write a soldier!AU

---

Written for Lo. You're a pain in the ass but I love you :P

---

Live For Me

---

The stamp on his application was so final. Remus walked away, his heart sinking, and his wings drooping behind him. He'd known when he'd filled it in that it was a long shot. His general stature, not to mention the state of his lungs, were against him. And that wasn't even taking into account his pitiful sparrow wings, marking him as a weak target for all to see. Combined, it left him with practically no chance at all of doing the only thing he wanted to do.

Fight for his country.

He sat in the cinema, watching the soldiers on the screen being carried by their fellow countrymen. An idiot in front demanded that the cartoon be played, showing zero respect for those out risking their lives and Remus couldn't stop himself from telling the brute to shut his mouth.

Just the same as he couldn't stop himself from getting up again when said brute punched him hard enough to knock him down. Not that it mattered, since he was only knocked down again anyway.

"You just don't know when to give up, do you?"

"I can do this all day," Remus replied, wiping his bloody mouth, his bravado refusing to let him run and hide. His wings fluttered behind him, almost taunting the man to hit him again. That it earned him his hardest punch yet mattered little in the long run.

Before Remus could force himself back to his feet for the fourth time, Sirius was there, kicking the guy down the alley with little effort.

"Sometimes, I think you like getting punched," Sirius commented wryly, bending to pick up the dropped army refusal card. "How many times is this?"

Remus frowned, ignoring the question as he stared at Sirius's uniform. His wings stood proudly to attention behind him. Remus had always admired Sirius's raven wings, but against the uniform, they looked even more stern and forbidding. "Looks like you got your orders."

Sirius nodded slowly. "107th ships to England tomorrow." He paused. "This is my last night."

"I should be going," Remus muttered sullenly.

Sirius wrapped his arm around Remus's shoulder, letting out a chuckle. "C'mon man, we gotta get you cleaned up."

"Why, where are we going?"

Sirius handed him a newspaper. "The future."

…

"You're about to be the last eligible man in New York," Sirius said, as the two of them walked down the steps towards the Potter Expo. "You know, there are over three million women here?"

"I'd settle for just one," Remus replied, rolling his eyes at his friend.

Sirius waved at someone in the distance and then slapped Remus's back. "Good job I've taken care of that then, isn't it?"

Across the midway, two girls waved back from in front of the Modern Marvels Pavillion, their matching white wings fluttering angelically behind them. .

"What did you tell her about me?" Remus asked, nervously straightening out his hair.

Sirius grinned, a wide and familiar smile. "Only the good stuff."

…

Inside the pavillion, there were people all around, pointing and shouting and having a good time. Remus tagged behind Sirius and the ladies that he'd already forgotten the names of as they pushed their way through a large crowd.

The announcer shouted, "Ladies and Gentlemen, presenting… Mr Fleamont Potter!"

Women lined the raised platform, all dancing around a shining red car as a man with the showiest wings Remus had ever seen walked onto the stage. He was practically preening as the women danced around him.

As Mr Potter talked about his flying car, Remus looked around the area, paying little attention to the stage. Across the way, he saw a sign that made his heart pump just a little bit faster.

The 'I Want You' posted seemed to be pointing right at him, and Remus knew that he had another chance. He could try again.

Being a soldier, fighting for his country, it was all he wanted to do. He wasn't ready to give up on that.

…

Preparing himself for yet another disappointment, Remus readied himself to go and fill in the forms for the umpteenth time. Sirius caught up with him before he could.

"You're really going to do this now?"

"It's a fair," Remus replied with a shrug. "I'm going to try my luck."

"As who?" Sirius asked, raising his eyebrow. "Remus from Ohio? How many states are you going to pretend you're from before you stop trying?"

"I know you don't think I can do this-"

Sirius let out a huff of frustration, his wings arching forwards slightly. "This isn't some back alley, Remus. It's a war. Why are you so keen to fight? There're lots of other important jobs-"

"-You want me to sit in a factory? Collect scrap metal in my little red wagon while the men are laying down their lives? I can do as well as them and I got no right to do any less. That's the thing you don't get, Sirius. It's not about me."

Sirius snorted. "Right," he muttered. "Cause you've got nothing to prove?"

A tense silence filled the air, broken only when one of the women Sirius had met earlier arrived, asking about milkshakes.

"Yeah, we're going," Sirius replied, shaking his head at Remus. He turned to walk away, only managing a few steps before he stopped.

He stilled for a long moment then turned back to look at Remus.

"Promise me you won't do anything stupid until I get back," he muttered, stepping closer to Remus to grasp his hand.

"I can't," Remus replied, his hand trembling minutely in Sirius's. "You're taking all the stupid with you."

"You're a punk," Sirius muttered fondly.

Remus smiled affectionately. "Yeah? Well. You're a jerk."

Sirius sighed and wrapped his arms around Remus, stroking a hand down his wing joint in comfort.

"Be careful," Remus added, a pleading look in his eyes as he watched Sirius walk away. "Don't win the war until I get there."

Sirius turned back to Remus and saluted. Remus ignored how his heart jumped at the show of respect and returned the gesture.

…

Remus was done for. A nurse had come in to collect the doctor, eyeing Remus speculatively as she did, and then they were done and Remus was left to stare at a poster declaring the illegality of falsifying details on enlistment forms.

Before he could redress himself completely, an older man pushed through the curtains, a brown folder in his hands.

Remus couldn't help but stare at the man. He had the most magnificent wings Remus had ever seen. Red and gold with a full plumage that seemed to surround the man like a halo behind his head.

"I'm Dr. Albus Dumbledore. I represent the Strategic Scientific Reserve," the man introduced himself, his head tilted slightly at the odd accent.

"Remus Lupin… I… Where are you from?"

Dr. Dumbledore raised his eyebrow. "Queens. And before that, Germany. This troubles you?"

Remus shook his head, feeling awkward. Why had he even asked that? He was an idiot, and he was in trouble and he was offending the person he was in trouble with. Sirius hadn't even left yet and Remus was being stupid.

"Where are you from, Mr Lupin?"

"I -"

"Is it Paramus, or New Haven or…" He paused, scanning the file. "Five tries. Five exams, in five different cities."

Remus shifted uncomfortably. "That might not be the right file, or-"

"It is not the exams I am interested in. It is the five tries," the doctor replied, peering at Remus. "Do you want to kill Nazis?"

"Is this a test?"

"Yes."

"I don't like bullies, Dr. I don't care where they're from," Remus replied firmly.

"There are already plenty of big strapping men in this war. What they need now is maybe the 'little guys,' yeah?"

Remus shrugged. "Maybe. What do you do, exactly?"

"Let's say I believe there is great potential in every human. It's just a matter of bringing it to the surface." He laid the file out and reached for the stamp. "I can offer you a chance, only a chance."

"That's all I'm asking for."

…

Remus stood in line with the other recruits, feeling even smaller than usual. The men on either side of him were large and muscled, much like most of the soldiers Remus had seen over the years.

He could feel their wings jostling for dominance behind him, most of them were of the bigger breeds. His own wings had plastered against his bag, not even attempting to fight it out with the others.

"Recruits, Attention!"

Remus turned to look at where the voice had come from, startled to realise that it belonged to a beautiful woman. She was wearing a British Army uniform, and immediately Remus thought that she was a force to be reckoned with.

The swan wings held elegantly behind her only proved him right.

"Gentlemen, my name is Agent Dora Tonks. I will be supervising your induction today," she said, standing almost directly in front of Remus.

The man next to him snorted, shaking his head.

Agent Tonks stared at him for a long moment. "Problem, Soldier?"

"I thought we were here to serve the American Army, Your Majesty," he said, clearly highly amused with his own wit.

"What's your name?"

"Evan Rosier."

Agent Tonks nodded thoughtfully. "Hmm. Step forward, Rosier, right foot forward."

He did as he was bid, but before he could make another smart remark, he was laid out on the ground by Agent Tonks' fist.

Remus fought back a smile, looking down at the mouthy recruit before he turned his attention back to the Agent.

"Agent Tonks!"

The men in the line all stood to attention, much straighter as Colonel Moody walked towards them.

"Colonel Moody," Agent Tonks greeted politely.

"I see you're breaking in the candidates. That's good," he mused, standing beside her and eyeing up the soldiers. His eyes lingered on Remus a second longer than the others before he moved on. "It's been said that wars are fought with weapons and won by men. We're going to win this war because we have the best men... And because they are going to get better. Much better."

He eyed Remus again before moving off, his eagle wings proud behind him as he glared at Dumbledore, who was watching on with interest.

Remus knew that nobody here took him seriously. He hadn't been expecting them to, if he was honest with himself.

All it did was make him more determined to prove himself.

…

Watching the wings of his fellow soldiers was not the most fun experience of Remus's life. He ran up behind them when they stopped, his lungs aching and failing to do their job of providing his body with enough oxygen.

For the first time, he doubted himself.

He wasn't made for running marathons. His body just wasn't capable of doing what his mind willed it to do.

They paused at a flagpole, allowing Remus to catch up and catch his breath. He only half listened as the training soldier told them that the pole marked the halfway point. Remus didn't know what to do with that, but he knew there was no way he could make it the same distance he'd already run.

"If you can fetch me the flag from the top of the pole, you can ride back to base in the Jeep with Agent Tonks," the training officer shouted.

Remus watched as the other recruits jostled and elbowed each other in an attempt to shimmy up the pole. He shook his head. No way were any of them going to be able to do that. Looking at the bottom of the pole, Remus noticed the metal bars that were holding the pole up, and as the other recruits stepped away, defeated, Remus stepped forwards.

Deftly, he pulled the metal grips away, letting the pole fall down to the ground. Snagging the flag from the top of the now collapsed pole, he handed it over to the Officer, before hopping into the back of the Jeep.

Agent Tonks offered him a wide smile, and Remus returned it, pleased with himself. He couldn't be a soldier if he killed himself on a run after all.

…

"You're not thinking of picking Lupin, are you?" Colonel Moody asked, eyeing Dr. Dumbledore.

"I am more than just thinking about it. He is the clear choice," Dr. Dumbledore replied, raising his eyebrow, leaning back against the truck as they watched the recruits do jumping jacks.

"When you invited a ninety-pound asthmatic onto my Army base, I let it slide because I assumed he'd be useful to you. Like a gerbil. I never thought you'd pick him." Colonel Moody shook his head. "You put a needle in that guy's arm, it's gonna come out the other side."

They watched Remus struggling as the recruits moved on to push ups. The sweat was pouring off the small man as he tried to raise himself with much difficulty.

"Look at him! He's making me cry."

"I am searching for qualities beyond the physical."

"Do you know how long it took to set up this project? The groveling I had to do in front of the committee?"

"I'm well aware of your efforts, Colonel," Dr. Dumbledore replied, his lips tilting in a smile.

Pointing at Rosier, Colonel Moody added, "He passed every test we gave him. He's big, he's fast, and he takes orders. He's got the wings of a soldier. In short, he's a soldier. He's what we need."

"He's a bully."

Colonel Moody stared at Dumbledore for a long moment, before he reached into a crate in the truck behind them.

"You don't win wars with niceness, Doctor. You win them with guts."

He grabbed a grenade, pulling the pin and hurling it into the crowd of Soldiers, yelling, "Grenade!"

Remus's eyes went wide, and Rosier yelped, scrambling away along with the rest of the recruits. To Moody's surprise, it was Remus that jumped on top of the grenade, shouting for the others to get away, to leave him there.

When nothing happened, Remus looked up to see Moody staring at him, and Dumbledore and Agent Tonks smiling proudly.

"Uh… is this a test?"

Moody shook his head and walked away, grumbling to himself.

…

Remus sat alone on his bunk. Around him, the other bunks were stripped, the footlockers already cleared out.

Dr. Dumbledore entered, startling Remus. He was carrying a bottle of Schnapps.

"Can't sleep?"

Remus's lips tilted up. "A bit jittery, I guess."

Dumbledore nodded, holding the bottle higher. "Me too."

He sat down on the empty bunk across from Remus, putting the bottle onto the side table between them.

"Can I ask you a question?" Remus asked, then cursed himself because that in itself had been a question.

The doctor smiled. "Just one?"

"Why me?"

Sighing, Dumbledore rubbed at his face. "I suppose that is the only question that matters."

He motioned for Remus to grab a couple of the water glasses across the room, and opened the bottle, pouring a generous amount into each of the glasses Remus handed him.

"I made a mistake. When I first started working on the formula… I used it on a young man before it was tested thoroughly. It… did not go as well as I had hoped, though I believe that was at least half due to the person it was used on." He took a deep breath. "The serum… it enhances everything. It makes a good man great. It also makes a bad man… worse."

He picked up his glass.

"That is why you were chosen. A strong man, he might lose respect for the power if he has had it all his life. But a weak man knows the value of strength...and compassion."

Remus blinked. "Thanks… I think."

Remus picked his own glass up, clinking it with Dumbledore, who said, "To the little guys."

They each moved to drink, before Dumbledore shook his head and grabbed Remus's glass before he could take a sip.

"What am I doing, you have a procedure tomorrow. No fluids."

"We can drink it after," Remus offered, even as Dumbledore drained his own glass before emptying Remus's into it.

"I don't have a procedure tomorrow," he replied, taking a sip. "It's very good, I'll save you a little."

Remus smiled, and after a momentary pause, the two were laughing together.

…

Remus sat beside Agent Tonks in the back of the car, drumming his fingers against his knee nervously.

"I know this neighborhood," he commented quietly, watching through the window. "I got beat up in the alley… and that vacant lot… and behind that diner."

"Did you have something against running away?" Agent Tonks asked, looking somewhat amused.

"You start running, they'll never let you stop. You stand up, push back… they can only tell you 'no' for so long, right?"

"I know a bit what that's like. To have every door shut in your face."

"Who'd shut a door on you? I figure guys would be climbing all over each other to hold the doors open."

Agent Tonks smiled. "Depends which door you're trying to go through."

"I guess I don't know why a beautiful...agent...why would she want to join the army anyhow? She could do whatever she wanted."

"You don't know an awful lot about women, do you, Remus?"

"You got me all wrong, Agent Tonks," Remus replied quietly. "I don't know anything about women. In fact, this is probably the longest conversation I've ever had with one."

She chuckled, covering her mouth with her hand.

"I wish I were kidding," Remus continued. "I… don't have much going for me. And I don't dance. Ever. So…"

"You must have at least danced?"

"Standing on my mom's feet when I was seven? I don't know. Asking a girl to dance seemed so terrifying, and then in the last few years it didn't seem so important. I figure I might as well wait."

"What are you waiting for?"

"The right partner," Remus replied quietly.

…

Remus stepped onto a raised platform, his mouth falling open. The huge, ultra modern lab stretched beneath them, much larger than Remus had expected it to be. There were quite a lot of people around, but Remus could see Dr. Dumbledore, and so he focused on him as he made his way down to the centre of the room.

As soon as Dumbledore spotted Remus, he pulled him nearer, leading him to a white pod device and helped him onto it, waiting for him to strip his shirt and lay down.

"Comfortable?"

"You save me any of that Schnapps?" Remus asked instead of replying.

Dr. Dumbledore winced. "Not as much as I should have."

As the attendants hooked Remus up to the device, Dr. Dumbledore turned to another man.

"How are your levels, Mr Potter?"

Remus's eyes widened when he noticed Fleamont Potter, who turned around with a bright smile, his hair messy.

His flamingo wings had been strapped, but they were still vibrant against his white shirt.

"Coils are at peak, levels are 100%. We may dim half the lights in Brooklyn, but we're ready. As we'll ever be."

That did not make Remus feel more comfortable.

He barely listened as Dumbledore used the microphone to tell those in the viewing gallery what was about to happen. When he was done, he handed the microphone off and turned his full attention back to Remus.

"Are you ready?"

"No going back now," Remus murmured, steeling himself in the device. A nurse appeared with a needle, tapping it and pulling the plunger back before she injected Remus in the arm. He winced, then relaxed into the pod.

"That wasn't so bad."

"That was a tetanus shot."

Dumbledore nodded to one of the techs, who started deploying the the injection pads. They closed over Remus, pressing him to the table.

Remus took a deep breath as Dumbledore murmured, "Beginning serum infusion in five, four, three, two… one." He pressed the switch, and Remus felt his skin pierced in numerous places, the feeling more than uncomfortable.

Padded restrains move in to hold him down as his head started shaking, and then he moved, lifting up as the pod closed around him.

"Remus? Can you hear me?"

"Is it too late to go to the bathroom?" Remus asked through the pain.

"We shall proceed," Dumbledore announced, clearly pleased with Remus's answer.

He could hear Potter counting outside the pod, but almost immediately the pain was all Remus could concentrate on, and he couldn't help but wonder if this had all been some elaborate scheme to kill him in the most traumatising way they could find.

As Potter called out "70," Remus could no longer hold his screams in.

"Mr Potter, shut it down," Dumbledore ordered loudly.

No. Remus couldn't let them do that. He could do this. He had to do this.

"No. I'm… I'm okay. I can take this."

The numbers started again, and then it reached 100 and Remus had never felt pain like this in his entire life.

And then it was over.

The pod released, and Remus, still panting, looked down at Dumbledore. He barely realised that the pod that had seemed so big when he first got in it now felt kind of cramped by comparison.

He was helped down from the pod, and staggered against Dumbledore.

"Remus?"

"Did it… did it work?"

"I think… yes."

"Holy fuck," Fleamont muttered.

The area was soon filled with people, but Remus couldn't concentrate on any of them. His limbs felt weird, heavy even, and his mind was still trying to catch up to what had happened.

"The serum didn't just work on your body," Erskine said, his eyes wide. Remus looked over his shoulders, blinking when he found himself blinded by brown and grey and white.

His wings certainly weren't those of a sparrow anymore.

It was a struggle to concentrate on anyone thing at once though, so he pushed the thought away for later. He thought that that was why he didn't see the gun until the explosion, and by then it was already too late.

Dr. Dumbledore fell as Remus watched on in horror.

Remus crossed the floor to him in an instant, dropping to the floor to cradle the doctor's head.

"Doc," he whispered.

He sat and watched as the life left Dumbledore's eyes. Looking up, he saw the man who'd fired the gun leaving through the doors at the top of the steps. Enraged, he gently placed Dumbledore's head on the ground, and climbed to his feet, following after the man.

…

Remus raced through the corridors, leaping through the flaming wreckage of the shop that fronted the lab just in time to tackle Agent Tonks to the floor before she got hit by a car.

"I had him!" she shouted, shoving at him angrily.

Remus tried to get up, but failed, his new body not working to his advantage. Rage forcing him on, he pushed forward, taking after the cab that the shooter was in. Veering down an alley, Remus cut across as many streets as he could, picking up speed as he got used to his new stamina.

Back on the street, behind the cab, he lost control of himself and ran straight through a shop window, the glass spilling everywhere as it shattered. Not wanting to give up, Remus forced himself back to his feet and set off again, racing between lanes of traffic to catch up.

He almost ran into a car, leaping at the last second and running over it instead. Vaulting off the car roof, he landed on the taxi he was chasing, clinging on for dear life. When a truck came towards the taxi, the shooter tried to move out of the way, but the taxi was side swiped, rolling over in the middle of the road.

Remus barely managed to throw himself from it before he was crushed beneath it. Struggling to his feet, he saw the shooter exiting the car, his gun held aloft as he wiped at a trail of blood on his brow.

Across the way, tourists waited in line for the Statue of Liberty ferry, and they watched, gaping when a bullet hit the concrete right by Remus's feet. He picked up the torn-off taxi door, holding it like a shield. From the corner of his eye, he could see a tourist taking pictures.

The bullets keep coming, tearing into the door. Eventually, realising that Remus wasn't going to just go away, the shooter turned tail and ran, shoving through the pack of tourists and grabbing a little boy.

He put the gun to the kid's temple, and Remus stopped dead. He locked eyes with the scared child, not knowing what to do. The shooter dragged the kid with him as he moved away, and Remus followed, at a more careful distance the time, not willing to risk the safety of the little boy.

The shooter pointed the gun at Remus again, firing, only to find no bullets in the chamber. Instead, he tossed the gun and picked up the kid, throwing him into the water. Remus raced forward, shooter forgotten for a moment as he looked over the side to see where the kid landed.

The kid swam happily. "It's okay, Mister, I can swim. Go get him!"

Remus took off again, catching sight of the shooter climbing into some kind of submarine. He dove into the water after it, pushing his limbs to swim faster and faster.

Catching up to the sub-thing, Remus punched the chamber the shooter was in, once, twice and a third time, until the glass around him broke. Pulling the shooter out, Remus swam to the surface, tossing the man up onto the dock before climbing up after him.

The serum container the shooter had stolen smashed, the serum dripping uselessly through the cracks of the dock. Remus ignored it, rolling the man over and pressing his knee into the man's chest.

"Who are you?" Remus demanded.

"The first of many," the shooter sneered. "Cut off one head…" he pressed his tongue against a false tooth in his mouth, the clicking sound noisy to Remus's ears. "And two more shall take its place."

He bit down before Remus could realise what what happening.

"Hail…The… Dark… Lord," the man gasped out before falling still, his head lolling off to the side.

Remus stood slowly, horrified by what he'd witnessed, and looked down at his body for the first time. Muscles where muscles had never been before caught his attention, and it suddenly dawned on him what had happened.

Before he could move, a sedan screeched up, Agent Tonks leaping out. Moments behind her, more Jeeps pulled up, the area filling up in seconds.

Remus paid no mind to any of it, looking out at the water as he tried to process what had happened.

…

"You think you've got enough?" Remus asked, looking at the many vials filled with his blood on the table. The nurse smiled apologetically, but shrugged.

"All of Dr. Dumbledore's research and equipment is gone. Any hope of reproducing the program is locked in your genetic code. But it would take years," Agent Tonks said from the doorway. "At the moment, you're the only super soldier there is."

Remus rolled down his sleeve, his eyes catching on Dumbledore's glasses on the desk.

"He deserved more than that," he muttered, shaking his head.

"If it could only work once, he'd be proud that it was you," Agent Tonks replied, her tone soft.

…

"I spoke to the President this morning," Colonel Moody announced. "As of today, the SSR's being re-tasked."

Agent Tonks blinked, her shock obvious. "Colonel?"

"We're taking the fight to The Dark Lord. Pack your bags, Agent. You too, Potter. The three of us fly to London tonight."

Remus stepped forward. "Sir? If you're going after Riddle, I want in."

"You're an experiment. We're sending you to Alamogordo."

"As what?" Remus demanded. "A lab rat? The serum worked!"

Remus's heart sunk as Colonel Moody just looked away.

"With all due respect, Colonel, I think we may be missing the point here," Senator Fudge put in. "You've seen Remus here in action. More importantly, the country's seen it." He took a newspaper of the New York Examiner from his aide. "Enlistment lines have been around the block since this hit the newsstands. You don't take a soldier, a symbol, like this and hide him in a lab."

Remus watched on in surprise. He hadn't expected Fudge to step up for him.

"He needs to be out there, showing the world what the American fighting man is made of!"

He turned to Remus.

"Son, do you want to serve your country? On the most important battlefield in this war?"

Remus nodded eagerly. "It's all I want."

"Then congratulations. You just got promoted."

…

He stood in the backstage of the small theater, sweating and feeling sick to his stomach. His wings, those of a bald eagle he'd learned since his first sight of them, were pressed into his back, a reflection of just how much he didn't want to be there.

"I don't know if I can do this."

Fudge's aide stood beside him, and offered him a small smile. "Nothing to it. You sell a few bonds, bonds buy bullets, bullets kill Nazis. Bing bang boom, you're an American hero."

Remus swallowed hard. "Not how I pictured getting there."

"Senator Fudge has a lot of pull on the hill. Play ball with us and you'll be leading your own platoon in no time."

Remus considered the words before he heard a bugle play. The curtains swung open, and after an awkward pause, Remus stumbled forward, Senator Fudge's aide giving him somewhat of a helping hand in getting there.

Looking down at his outfit, he couldn't hold in the sigh. He knew he looked ridiculous, his 'Captain America' costume just a part of the show, but he didn't want to do this.

The dancing girls around him are watching him expectantly, and then the music plays and they start singing.

Thankful to the cue card taped on the inside of his triangle costume shield, Remus said, "Who's fighting to keep you safe at home?"

The girls sang, and Remus stumbled through his next words, "It's the American soldier, that's who."

The girls continued their song, and Remus fell into it a little more. If this was what he had to do to prove himself… he could do it.

He had to do it.

…

Dates after dates after dates, Remus performed his show. They got more and more spectacular, the dancing, the props, the audiences. Remus had been thoroughly transformed into Captain America.

It was fine. All fine.

Or at least it was until he was sent to an army camp. He'd never been more ashamed as he was when he was heckled off the stage.

Hiding away, Remus sat on a wood decking, watching the rain fall as he sketched a monkey on a tightrope. A dancing monkey.

That's all he was, that's what they'd turned him into.

"That was quite a performance."

Remus looked up, surprised to see Agent Tonks standing by his side.

"Yeah. I… had to improvise a bit. The crowds I'm used to are usually more… twelve years old."

Agent Tonks smiled. "I understand you're 'America's New Hope.'"

Remus looked down, noticing as he did that his 'Captain' suit was exposed. Pulling his coat closer around him, he looked back up at her.

"People buy bonds, bonds buy bullets, bullets kill Nazis. Sales rise ten percent in every state I visit."

"Is that Senator Fudge I hear?"

"Hey, Moody was going to stick me in a lab. At least Fudge got me here," Remus defended, though his heart wasn't in it. He knew she was right. He'd been turned into a walking advertisement.

"And are those your only options?" she asked, eyeing his sketch. "Lab rat or dancing monkey? You know you're meant for more than this."

Remus sighed. "All I dreamed about was coming overseas, being on the front lines, serving my country. I finally get everything I wanted...and I'm wearing tights."

He looked up to see a platoon of tired, wounded soldiers. An ambulance rolled up to the hospital tent and wounded soldiers were unloaded out on stretchers.

"Looks like they've been through hell."

Agent Tonks nodded. "These men more than most."

Remus eyed her, understanding. "The Dark Lord and his Death Eaters?"

"Not officially."

"Back home, that's a yes," Remus replied evenly.

The agent stared at him for a long moment, considering protocol before she leaned in.

"Riddle was moving a force through Azzano. Two hundred men went up against them, less than fifty came back. Your audience contained all that's left of the 107th. The rest were killed or captured."

"The 107th?" Remus asked, horror causing his hands to tremble slightly in his lap. It couldn't… he couldn't…

"Yes, what?"

Remus stood up, pulling her with him. "Come on."

…

Colonel Moody was signing a stack of letters when Remus barreled into the tent, Agent Tonks a step behind him.

"Well, if it isn't the 'star-spangled man with a plan.' What is your plan exactly?"

"Azzano," Remus replied, ignoring the baiting. "I want to see the casualty list."

Colonel Moody pointed at the rank insignia on his collar. "You don't get to give me orders, 'Captain'."

"I don't need the whole list," Remus replied desperately. "Just one name. Sergeant Sirius Black from the 107th."

The Colonel turned to Agent Tonks, raising his eyebrow. "You and I are going to have a conversation later that you won't enjoy."

"Please, just tell me if he's alive, sir," Remus begged.

Agent Tonks, noticing Remus's resolve, turned to the Colonel herself. "Sir, Lupin is only on loan to the USO. Officially, he is still SSR."

Moody stared at Remus. Finally, he relented. "Black?"

Remus nodded, feeling sick.

Moody picked up a thick sheaf of letters, leafing through the first few. "I've signed more condolence letters today than I'd care to count. But the name does sound familiar. I'm sorry."

Remus felt faint as the words sank in. He stared at the map of Austria on the wall, alongside aerial photos of a facility.

"What about the others? You're planning a rescue mission?"

"Yeah. It's called winning the war."

"But if you know where they are-"

"They're thirty miles behind enemy lines," Moody retorted sourly. "Through some of the most heavily fortified territory in Europe. We'd lose more men than we'd save. I don't expect you to understand that, because you are a chorus girl."

"I think I understand pretty well."

"Then understand it somewhere else. If I read the posters right, you've got someplace to be in a half an hour."

Eyes narrowed, Remus squared his shoulders. "Yes, sir. I do."

He took a last look at the map before exiting the tent. He had work to do, and it didn't involve being heckled on a stage.

…

On the plane, Remus sat on the bench, a stolen helmet beside him as he buttoned fatigues over his 'Cap' shirt. He'd strapped his wings down, not willing to fight with them out until he'd learned to use them correctly.

Never before had he had so much respect for people with larger wings. They were a pain in the ass.

He'd been willing to make his way by himself, but Agent Tonks had caught him before he left.

While he didn't want to get her or Potter in trouble, he knew that without their help, it would take so much longer to get to the facility and he just didn't have time to be stubborn.

"The Death Eater camp is in Krausberg, tucked between two mountain ranges. It's a factory of some kind," Agent Tonks told him, looking over a map.

"We should be able to drop you right on the doorstep," Fleamont added from the cockpit.

"Just get me as close as you can," Remus replied, dropping his hands onto his lap. He turned to Agent Tonks. "You know, you're both going to be in a lot of trouble when you land."

"And you're not?"

Remus shrugged. "Yeah, but where I'm landing, if anybody yells at me, I get to shoot them."

"They're undoubtedly going to shoot back."

Remus twisted, showing her the shield that was strapped to his back. "It's got to be good for something, right?"

"Agent Tonks," Fleamont said, turning in his seat to look over his shoulders. "If we're not in too much of a hurry, I thought we'd stop in Lucerne for a late night fondue."

He grinned before turning back to look through the windows.

Remus felt a little odd. Did that mean… were they?

"Why is he saying "fondue" like that? What's fondue?"

Amused, Agent Tonks replied, "Potter's the best civilian pilot I've ever seen, and mad enough to brave this airspace. We're lucky to have him."

"Do you, are you two...fondue?" Remus asked, his head tilting slightly.

Agent Tonks gave him an odd look, before she handed over a device. "Take this transponder. Activate it when you're ready and the signal will lead us right to you."

Remus looked at the insignia, Potter Industries. "You sure it works?"

"It's been tested more than you have," Fleamont replied cheerfully, before a bang sounded and then lurched the plane to the left.

With Fleamont executing evasive maneuvers, Remus strapped on his parachute and threw open the jump door.

"Lupin, get back here. We're taking you all the way in!"

Explosions rocked the air, and Remus hesitated for a moment, the depth of the situation dawning on him.

Turning to Agent Tonks, he said, "Once I'm clear, turn this thing around and get the hell out of here!"

"You can't give me orders!"

"The hell I can't!" he replied, bracing himself on the doorway. "I'm a Captain!"

As the plane lurched again, Remus jumped.

…

Remus peered out at the guards patrolling across the main gate. He dropped to the floor as headlights swept across the road, and he stayed down as three trucks rumbled towards the gate.

As one of the guards checked the driver's papers, Remus snuck into the back truck, hiding under the cover. The truck rolled into the compound, the gates closing behind them. Guards hurried to unload them, and as one peered into the back truck, he was hit in the face with the shield as Remus leapt into action.

The guard dropped to the floor, and Remus emerged from the truck. Keeping to the shadows, Remus followed the guards across the compound. Waiting until there was one left alone, he knocked him out with a single punch to the head and stepped back to wait. When his partner came out, cursing quietly at the guard for sleeping, Remus took the opportunity to knock him out with the truncheon he'd taken from the first.

Slipping inside, Remus made quick work of the warders, the shield coming in handy as he hits them over the head with it. The prisoners in the cells below all look up to see Remus perched above them.

"And who the hell are you supposed to be?" one of them asked, brows furrowed.

"I'm… Captain America," Remus replied, unsure. He noticed the way the excitement on many of the faces faded away, and cursed the numerous 'performances' again.

Dropping down, Remus released the prisoners from their cages.

Glad that he could help them, but not seeing the person he needed to see, he searched through the soldiers.

"Are there any others?" he asked, hope still holding steady.

"They did take a number of the men to isolation ward. I'm afraid we haven't seen them since."

Remus considered that as the prisoners gathered round him. Finally, he handed them his pistol and grenades.

"The tree line's northwest, about 80 yards from the gate. From there, just follow the creek bed," he told them, turning to leave. "I'll meet you in the clearing with anybody I find inside."

"Wait. You sure you know what you're doing?"

"Sure," Remus replied, though, honestly, he was anything but sure. "It'll be fine."

Remus moved out, trusting that the soldiers could take care of themselves. He circled the factory, searching for a way in. There was a guard standing watch at the door. Remus decided to take the simple route and knocked, tapping quietly on the door.

As soon as the guard opened it to see what the noise was, Remus threw his hand through and punched him in the face, knocking him out.

Remus entered the factory, creeping in between bombs and crates. He made his way through until he stepped onto a catwalk, only to be met with another guard, this one already pointing his pistol at Remus's head.

Remus knocked the gun from his hand, smashing him in the face with the shield. The guard fell, but got back up, charging at Remus. Remus swung from the beam, kicking the guard in the chest and knocking him from the catwalk.

Looking over the factory floor, taking in the full scale of the bomb-making facility, Remus almost missed the guards who came at him from either side. When they shot, he twisted and spun out of the way, his instincts guiding him more than his brain.

It didn't take him long to take them down and he headed up the stairs. As he reached the top, he heard alarms blaring throughout the factory.

Turning onto a corridor, Remus saw an older man coming out of a room. As soon as he saw Remus, he fled in the opposite direction. Remus thought to follow but chose to enter the room instead.

Past the scattered files and specimen jars, he saw a large cage atop a rusty drain. A prisoner lay slumped against the bars. Upon hearing Remus's footfalls, he calls out wearily.

"Black, Sirius. Sergeant. 32557038."

Remus gaped, stunned. He couldn't believe it.

"Sirius?"

Silence.

"Sirius?"

"Who… who is that?"

Remus raced over to the cage. He could now clearly see a beaten Sirius Black staring out. Sirius squinted at him, unable to focus.

"Is that…"

Remus smashed the lock off, holding his hand out, his smile so wide it hurt his cheeks.

"It's me, Sirius." he murmured.

"Remus?"

"I thought you were dead," Remus said, helping Sirius up.

"I… thought you were smaller," Sirius replied, leaning heavily on Remus as he climbed down from the cage.

It was painful to look at the damage done to Sirius, but more painful was the damage done to his wings. The usually full black wings were grey and drooping, missing some feathers while others were bent at odd angles.

When Sirius took in his friend properly, his mouth gaped open.

"What happened to you?"

"I joined the army."

Before either of them could say anything more, an explosion rocked the building.

"We gotta go," Remus said, panicked. Helping Sirius, being careful not to touch the wings more than necessary, the two stumbled from the room and back towards the catwalk.

Remus managed to get a look at a large map on the wall on his way out, but decided that it was probably more important to get them both out of there alive than to stop for a closer look.

Remus helped Sirius limp down the corridor, holding him steady when more bombs went off.

"Did it hurt?" Sirius asked, gesturing to Remus' new body.

"Little bit."

"Is it permanent?"

"So far," Remus replied with a shrug.

"You are going to get so many girls," Sirius chortled.

Remus shook his head. "Not the time, Sirius."

They reached the catwalk, and Remus saw Tom Riddle on the other side, smiling at them. Remus tried to get a glimpse of his wings, but he couldn't see anything. The other man must have strapped them to keep them hidden.

"Captain America," he murmured, his voice carrying even over the explosions. "How exciting."

Leaving Sirius safely at the side, Remus approached the walkway, slowly walking forwards as Riddle did the same from the other side.

They studied each other carefully.

"So the old man managed it after all. Not quite an improvement, but impressive."

Remus hit Riddle in the jaw, sending him reeling. "You've got no idea."

Riddle straightened up, looking oddly pleased. "Don't I?"

He swung but Remus managed to block it with his shield. It left a dent in the steel. Remus blinked, surprised.

When he looked up, it was to see Riddle's fist flying into his face. He went down, left to stare up at Riddle, who loomed over him.

"Dumbledore said your experiment was a failure," Remus taunted, kicking up and driving both of his feet into Riddle's jaw, making him tumble to the floor.

The scientist that had been with Riddle scrambled for the catwalk controls, forcing the two sides to retract away from one another.

When Riddle stood and turned back towards Remus, his face looked strange, the skin around his neck torn.

"A failure? Oh, no, Captain. I was his greatest success."

He pulled on the torn skin, pulling it back to reveal a white face with strange features. Prominent cheekbones, made more obvious by the lack of a nose, and very thin lips. He grinned, hideous.

Remus stared in disbelief.

"You don't have one of those, do you?" Sirius asked, gaping at the scene in front of him, before looking worriedly at Remus.

Remus had heard tell of Voldemort, the more evil counterpart to Riddle, but he'd never dreamed that it would be the same person. Voldemort tossed the mask away, the fake skin falling into the fire below.

"You're a liar, Captain. You pretend to be a simple soldier, but in reality, you're just afraid to admit we've left humanity behind."

Another explosion from below threatened to knock Remus over, and he gripped the rail tightly, his eyes never leaving Voldemort.

"Unlike you, I embrace it proudly. Without the masquerade… without fear."

He stepped back, pressing the elevator button. The doors slid open.

"Then how come you're running?" Remus asked, scowling as he watched helplessly as the two stepped into the elevator.

There was no reply, not that Remus expected one. Turning to Sirius, Remus gestured to a gantry above. They climbed up carefully, and Sirius ran onto it. It creaked. Remus stepped on, encouraging Sirius to go as fast as he could.

He limped across, getting to the other side as another bomb exploded, causing the gantry to collapse.

Remus stood alone, trapped. Sirius looked around frantically, looking for another gantry or way across.

"There's got to be a rope or something," he called, panicked.

"Just get out!" Remus shouted.

"Not without you!"

The roof around Remus started to fall in, and he eyed the impossible gap. "Ah hell."

Backing up as far as he could, he swallowed hard. Keeping his eyes on Sirius, he took a run and leapt from the edge, just as another bomb, the biggest yet, exploded beneath him.

…

They walked up the path to the camp, and Remus didn't think he'd ever felt better in his life. Sirius kept step beside him as they led the many prisoners of war home. His uniform was filthy and torn, his shield a useless husk of metal, battered and bent out of shape, but he walked with his head held high.

"Lupin?"

Remus stopped in front of Colonel Moody, saluting.

"Colonel, some of these men need medical attention," he said, nodding his head at those behind him.

At the Colonel's nod, medics rushed in.

"I'd like to surrender myself for disciplinary action."

Moody eyed Remus' uniform and shield before looking up to meet his eyes.

"That won't be necessary."

"Yes, Sir," Remus replied with a small smile.

The Colonel turned away, leaving Remus's attention on Agent Tonks, who approached with her arms wrapped around her body and tears in her eyes.

"You're late," she reprimanded with a smile.

He pulled out the transponder she'd given him and showed her how mangled it was.

"Sorry. Couldn't call my ride."

They stared at each other for a long moment, before Sirius interrupted.

"Let's hear it for Captain America!"

…

They stood in a briefing room, Remus leaning over a large map. "The fourth one was in Poland," Remus told them, pointing at a specific point. "Here, not far from the Baltic. And the last was outside of Strasbourg, say thirty, forty miles west of the Maginot line." He looked up, shrugging at Agent Tonks. "I only got a quick look."

"Nobody's perfect," Agent Tonks replied dryly.

An aide picked up the map, carrying it across the room as Colonel Moody arrived. He moved across the room to the map.

"These are all of the Dark Lord's factories?"

"The ones we know of," Remus confirmed. "But Sergeant Black said the Death Eaters shipped all of the bombs to another facility, and that one wasn't on the map."

Moody nodded, stroking his chin. "Agent Tonks, coordinate with MI6. I want every allied eyeball looking for that main base."

Agent Tonks nodded.

"We're going to light a fire under Tom Riddle's ass. What do you say, Lupin? It's your map. Think you can wipe the Death Eaters off it?"

Remus smiled, the fulfillment of being and doing everything he'd ever wanted filling him up for a moment before he nodded.

"I'm going to need a team."

"We've already started lining up the best men."

"If you don't mind, Sir," Remus said, clearing his throat. "So have I."

…

Cresswell leant forward on the table. "Let me get this straight. We barely got out of there alive, and you want us to go back?"

Remus weighted the dart in his hand before he shrugged. "Pretty much."

The men seated around the table looked at each other for a long moment.

"Sounds like rather a good time, actually. I'm in," Prewett agreed.

Remus smiled, turning to Weasley with a questioning look in his eyes. Weasley nodded silently, taking a long drink from his glass.

Bones shrugged. "I'm down. But… you gotta do something for me."

"What's that?"

He held up his empty glass. "Open a tab."

The soldiers around the table laughed loudly, and Remus picked the glasses up from the table and moved to the bar where Sirius was standing, nursing a whisky glass. Remus slid the empty glasses towards the bartender, and asked for a refill.

The bartender looked impressed. "Where are they putting all this?"

Remus shrugged and turned to Sirius.

"That was the easiest battle of the war," Sirius commented, nodding his head to the table.

"What about you?" Remus asked, raising his eyebrow. "You gonna follow Captain America into the jaws of death?"

"Hell no," Sirius replied, sipping from his glass. "That little guy from Brooklyn who was too dumb to run away from a fight? I'm following him." He nodded at the cancelled tour poster on the wall of the bar. "But you're keeping the outfit, right?"

The soldiers at the table got louder, singing merrily. Remus turned to watch them, grinning. He noticed Agent Tonks enter, looking stunning in a beautiful red dress.

He stood up to greet her, Sirius only a second behind him.

"Agent Tonks."

"Fleamont has got some equipment for you to try. Tomorrow morning?"

Remus nodded. "That sounds fine."

He chuckled when the soldiers lost interest in checking Agent Tonks out and returned to their boisterous song.

"I see your crack squad is prepping for duty."

"You don't like music?" Sirius asked, his head tilting.

Remus knew the look in his eyes, knew that Sirius was about to start flirting. He ignored the way it made his stomach dip uncomfortably.

"I do actually," Agent Tonks replied, her eyes never leaving Remus. "I may even, when this is all over, go dancing."

Sirius grinned, nodding at the dance floor. "Then what are we waiting for?"

Agent Tonks smiled at Remus. "The right partner. 08:00, Captain."

The two men watched her leave, and Sirius shook his head. "I might as well have been invisible."

Remus grinned, patting Sirius's arm. "Maybe she's got a friend."

…

The look in Agent Tonks' eyes made Remus feel like he was going to throw up. He stepped back from the receptionist, flustered.

"Captain. We're ready for you… if you're not otherwise occupied."

Her tone was flat yet angry and as she turned on her heel and stalked from the doorway down the corridor, Remus could only chase after her, feeling wrong footed.

"Agent Tonks, wait a second," Remus called, striding quickly behind her. She didn't pause, but he caught up to her easily.

"Looks like finding a partner wasn't all the difficult after all," Agent Tonks commented coldly.

"Dora," Remus begged. "That wasn't what you thought it was."

"I don't think anything, Captain. Not one thing." She continued on towards a metal door of the end of the hallway. "You wanted to be a soldier. Now you are one. Just like all the rest."

Remus stopped, flustered and upset. "Well, what about you and Potter? How do I know that you two haven't been… fonduing the whole time?"

Agent Tonks whipped around, her hand on the door. "You still don't understand a bloody thing about women."

Pushing through the doors, she left Remus standing in the hallway at a loss. Squaring his shoulders, he followed after her, finding Fleamont waiting for him just inside the door.

"You look shocking," Fleamont commented, raising his eyebrow.

Remus told him what had happened, scowling when the genius chuckled at him.

"Fondue is just cheese and bread, my friend."

Remus stared for a long moment. "Huh."

He looked around the large underground lab, seeing techs and mechanics all working on different projects.

"I didn't think-"

"Nor should you, pal. The minute you think you know what's in a woman's head is the minute your goose is well and truly cooked." He stopped at a table filled with high tech fabrics that Remus didn't understand. "Me? I concentrate on work. Which at the moment is making sure you and your men don't get killed."

He unrolled an impressive metallic weave. "Carbon polymer. Ought to hold its own against your German bayonet. Of course, the Death Eaters aren't likely to come at you with a pocket knife." He turned to Remus's battered shield lying on the next workbench. "I hear you're attached?"

Remus ran his fingers over a bullet hole. "It's handier than you might think."

"So's the hotel chambermaid, but I wouldn't take her into battle." Fleamont pulled up a cart with a number of shields, some built, some half finished. "I took the liberty of coming up with a few options." He picked one up. "This one's fun. It's fitted with transistorised relays."

Remus ignored him, pulling a plain, round shield from the bottom shelf. He spun it between his palms. It was light, balanced. Remus pinged the simple shield, making it ring like a bell.

"What about this one?"

"Oh, that's just a prototype," Fleamont replied, uninterested. "Now this one," he offered, holding out another, but Remus waved him off.

"What's it made of?"

"Vibranium. Stronger than steel and a third of the weight."

Remus slid the shield onto his arm. He liked the weight and feel of it.

"It's completely vibration absorbent," Fleamont said, putting the other shields down. "Should make a bullet feel like cotton wool."

"How come it's not standard issue?" Remus asked, as Agent Tonks approached.

"It's the rarest metal on earth. You're holding all we've got."

"Are you finished, Mr Potter?" Agent Tonks asked, leaning against one of the lab tables. "I'm sure the Captain has some unfinished business."

Remus attempted to smile at her, but she didn't return it, looking at him coldly.

"What do you think?" Remus asked, holding up the shield.

She stared at him for a moment, expressionless, before she turned and picked up a gun from the table and shot it three times at Remus. He blocked with the shield, the bullets hitting it and falling uselessly to the ground.

Agent Tonks put the gun down calmly. "I think it works."

She stalked from the room. Remus and Fleamont watched her go, and Fleamont whistled lowly.

Remus shook his head, turning back to Fleamont. "About my uniform," he muttered, handing over a couple of sketches. "I had some ideas."

"Whatever you want, pal."

...

The missions were going well. Remus had never been prouder to be part of a team before in his life. They worked seamlessly, taking out base after base, working together and clearing the map.

With Sirius at his back, Remus felt invincible.

They stood on a high platform, Bones listening to the transmission, Prewett wielding binoculars. Cresswell and Weasley adjusted a winch at the cliff's edge. Remus stood with Sirius at his side, eyes overlooking the terrain.

They'd received word that Malfoy, Riddle's lead scientist, would be passing through the area via train, and Remus's team had been sent on the retrieval mission.

"There," Prewett muttered, nodding his head to a spot in the distance. "They're moving like the devil is on their tail."

Remus checked his rifle as Sirius looked over the cliff edge.

"Remember when I made you ride the Cyclone at Coney Island?"

"And I threw up?" Remus asked, patting himself down to make sure he had all of his equipment.

"This isn't payback, is it?" Sirius asked, looking over the edge again, swallowing hard.

Remus looked up with a grin. "Now why would I do a thing like that?"

"Jerk."

"Punk."

They could hear the train's whistle shrieking through the pass.

"All aboard, Gentlemen," Prewett announced, as Remus, Sirius and Bones attached T-bars to the cable. "Mind the gap."

"Okay, this is a very short, very fast train," Remus said quickly. "We've got a ten second window, tops. Mistime it and you'll be a bug on the windshield. Be careful."

Cresswell checked his watch, glanced at the train, then checked his watch again. "Better move it, bugs."

The three of them slid down the cable, Remus in the front, and dropped almost silently on top of the train. Their eyes met for a moment, the relief evident that they'd all made it, before Remus edged along the train, moving onto the side. He kicked the door open, sliding inside with Sirius at his back.

Except, there was nothing in the compartment.

Remus headed into the next car, only to find that one empty too.

"There's something wrong with this," Sirius muttered.

Remus unhooked his shield warily, yanking open the next connecting door. Sirius followed him in, realising too late that it was a trap, as a steel plate dropped over the door, sealing them in.

The lights got brighter, and Remus saw a Death Eater standing before them, six and half foot tall and heavily armored, both of his arms holding huge cannon-like guns.

Remus and Sirius opened fire, but their machine gun bullets bounced uselessly off the Death Eater's armor. The Death Eater took aim at Remus, and the blue pulse knocked the shield right out of his hand, slamming him back against the wall.

Remus temporarily dealt with, the Death Eater turned his attention to Sirius and fired. Sirius dived out of the way, the blast ripping a hole in the wall behind them, leaving them open to the elements.

The Death Eater turned back to Remus as he got to his feet, aiming at the star on Remus's chest. Sirius grabbed the shield off the floor and leapt in front of Remus.

"Sirius, no!"

The cannon-like weapon fired, hitting Sirius square in the shield and blowing him through the hole in the wall. With a last, desperate effort, Sirius snagged the bar on the outside of the train, as Remus took advantage of the Death Eater's pause to kick him down before he moved rapidly to the hole, looking out for his best friend.

"Hold on," he begged, moving cautiously towards Sirius, holding out his arm. "Take my hand, Sirius!"

Sirius reached out to try and grip him, but the bar he'd been holding onto unbolted from the train, and Sirius fell into the bottomless gorge.

Without thinking, Remus threw himself after Sirius, pulling the strap that was holding his wings against his back. The freefall was exhilarating but terrifying and the seconds before his wings spread left Remus breathless.

He flailed for a moment, not knowing how to push his wings to keep him airborne, but as they flapped once, he realised that they didn't need his direction to work. They pushed hard, and as the bottom of the valley approached with a sickening speed, Remus managed to snag Sirius' wrist, yanking him up into the safety of his arms.

His wings strained at the additional weight, but Remus managed to fly them over to where the team awaited on the snowy mountain top.

"Bones captured Malfoy," Cresswell informed as Remus landed. The others were staring, mouths gaping with shock.

Remus set Sirius down, then fell to his knees, his wings folding up against his back. Sweat poured from him, a first since the serum.

"You ever do that again, I'll kill you myself," Remus gasped out to the stunned Sirius.

"Remus…" Sirius whispered. "How… wings aren't actually supposed to fly."

Flopping down onto his back, Remus replied, "Haven't you heard? I'm Captain America. I can do anything."

…

He sat on his bed, his head in his hands. The nightmare had felt so real. He knew, he knew how close he'd come to the nightmare being real, because his wings shouldn't have worked and Sirius should be dead.

"You okay?"

He looked up, not surprised to see Sirius standing in front of him, his face ashen.

"Nightmares," Remus admitted.

Sirius nodded, sitting down on the bed beside him. "Me too. I just… I always knew I could die in this war, but," he shook his head. "The falling… I can't stop thinking about falling."

Remus sighed. "I can't… I keep seeing you die. You were so close to… I can't lose you, Sirius. I can't."

"You saved me, punk. Seems like it's your thing now."

"After how many times you've saved me?" Remus asked wearily. "I think I still owe you a few."

"You don't owe me anything. You say that you can't lose me, but it goes both ways, Remus. I need you to be alive too."

Remus fell sideways, resting his head in the crook of Sirius' neck, the smell comforting in a way that nothing else had ever been.

"I love you, Sirius."

"I love you too."

Remus pulled back and stared at Sirius for a long moment, before he leant forward, his hand caressing Sirius' cheek as he pressed their lips together.

Sirius kissed him back, pushing into the kiss for a second before he pulled away, shaking his head.

"We can't do that, Remus. It's illegal."

"Since when has that ever worried you?" Remus demanded, dropping his hand away from Sirius' face.

"You… you're Captain America, you can't -"

"I'm also Remus Lupin, the kid from Brooklyn that you've never stopped believing in."

Sirius shook his head again. "We can't, Remus. I won't… I won't ruin you like that. Hell, have you ever even kissed someone before?"

"Yes," Remus muttered. "I have."

"Agent Tonks? She's exactly who you should -"

"I don't want Agent Tonks, Sirius, I want you! And no, it wasn't her."

"Go to her," Sirius said sadly as he stood up. "Let her be what you need, Remus. I can't… We can't. It's not… it's not allowed."

Remus could only watch as Sirius walked away.

…

Agent Tonks stepped through the door and saw Remus sitting at the bar, sipping a beer. She moved forward, taking the stool beside his.

"Dr. Dumbledore told me the serum wouldn't just work on my muscles and reflexes. He said it would work in my cells, create a protective system of healing, of regeneration. Which means," he turned to look at her, somber but clear eyed, "I can't get drunk. Did you know that?"

She nodded slowly. "Your metabolism burns three times faster than average. He thought it could be one of the side effects."

"Probably didn't want anybody stealing his Schnapps."

"What sorrows are you attempting to drown, Remus?" She asked softly. "Because after what happened with your friend, you should be feeling on top of the world right now."

Remus shook his head. He couldn't tell her.

"You know… we could… we could go dancing? I know the war isn't over yet but…"

"I... I can't." He looked up to meet her gaze. "I know I've been giving you mixed signals. I fucked up. But… I can't do this, not now, not with you. Probably not ever with anyone."

"Remus…" She watched him for a long moment before her eyes widened. "Black. Are you and he…?"

"No," Remus yelped. "We're not. It's… it's not allowed."

"But you want it to be."

"What I want doesn't matter," Remus muttered bitterly. "I'm Captain America."

Dora rolled her eyes. "You're an idiot. If you want him… fight for your man, Remus. Isn't that what Captain America does? Fights for what he wants?"

Remus stared at his beer. "What I want right now, is to end this war. So, as soon as I finish this, I'm going after Tom Riddle. I'm going to burn out every hole there is for him to hide in. And I'm not going to stop until he and all of the Death Eaters are captured or dead."

Dora nodded, taking his beer and downing it. "Let's go then."

Remus stared at her for a long moment. "I really am sorry. You're the most beautiful woman I've ever seen, and if… if things were… you'd be the only one I'd want."

She patted his arm softly. "Let's end the war, Lupin. Then we'll work on getting you your man."

…

Moody stood at the head of the table, his features grim. Remus, Sirius, Dora, Fleamont and the rest of Remus' team sat around the table, eyes on Moody.

"Tom Riddle belongs in the bughouse. He thinks he's a god, and he's going to blow up half the world to prove it." He stabbed his finger at a map of the United States. "Starting with the U.S.A."

Cresswell shook his head. "That's insane."

"So's Hitler, but he's gotten pretty far with less than Riddle has," Agent Tonks replied quietly.

"But the Dark Lord would need millions of men, fleets of transport. They'd have to be fed, fueled," Prewett put in.

Fleamont shook his head. "Riddle's working with powers beyond our capabilities. He gets across the Atlantic, he'll wipe out the entire eastern seaboard in an hour."

Remus stared at the map, eyes inevitably drawn to New York. "Every able bodied man we have is either here or in the Pacific. Our borders are wide open."

"How much time have we got?" Sirius asked.

Colonel Moody rubbed at his face. "According to Malfoy, under twenty-four hours."

Dread filled silence filled the room.

"Where is he now?" Prewett asked.

Moody pointed to a spot on the map. "The Death Eaters' last base is here, in the Alps."

Cresswell shifted closer, eyes on the map. "What are we supposed to do? It's not like we can just knock on the door."

The room went silent again, and Remus turned to find them all looking at him. "Actually… that's exactly what we're going to do."

…

"Remus… you can't do this. This is a suicide mission," Sirius hissed as the team suited up and prepared to move out.

Shaking his head, Remus replied, "We don't have any choice. We can't let him win."

"You can't die."

"I won't. I'm Captain America," Remus sneered, turning away from Sirius, still stung by the man's words from the previous night. "Look, just… do your part, and stay alive. We can… there'll be time to talk after."

"And if there's not?"

"There will be."

…

Remus blasted through the forest on a motorcycle, trees whipping by as he weaved through the woods. Only his sensitive ears told him that he wasn't alone, moments before several bikes pulled in behind him.

Pressing a red button that Fleamont had installed, he smiled grimly to himself as flames shot out from his exhaust pipe, laying down several yards of fire behind him. The nearest Death Eater was helpless as his uniform and saddlebags caught fire. He veered off course, the heavy impact into the tree sounding a bang.

Only one rider managed to keep up with Remus, and he pulled up alongside him, grabbing a hand grenade from one of his saddlebags and moved to throw it. Remus snatched it from his hand, and punched the Death Eater in the jaw.

The Death Eater's helmet dropped, blinding him, and he wobbled dangerously. Remus bit down on the grenade pin and yanked it out, before he tossed the grenade back into the saddlebag.

Remus hit the throttle and pulled away as the grenade went off.

Alarms sounded ahead of Remus at the base, and Death Eaters leapt over the wall, scrambling to get into position. Remus managed to get his shield in place to block the shots being fired at him, and rode up a ramp fast enough that the bike took to the air, smashing through the barbed wire and into the compound.

The guards opened fire, and Remus swerved, tossing a grenade into the crowd of Death Eaters. He fought and fought, taking down attacker after attacker but the sheer volume was impossible to beat.

They moved in, pummelling him from all sides, giving him no chance to fight back.

…

The Death Eaters dragged Remus through the base, pausing only when Voldemort stepped forward. They held him tight, keeping him on his knees at Voldemort's feet.

"Arrogance may not be a uniquely American trait… but I will say you do it better than anyone else," Voldemort said thoughtfully. "There are limits to what even you can do, Captain. Or did Dumbledore tell you otherwise?"

"He told me you were insane," Remus spat, glaring up at Voldemort. "That seemed like enough."

Voldemort shook his head, his eyes hardening. "He resented my genius and tried to deny me what was rightfully mine. Yet he gave you everything." Voldemort looked down, his eyes searching Remus's face. "What made you so special? Why did you get wings when I didn't?"

"Nothing…" He looked up to meet Voldemort's eyes, a smirk lifting his lips. "I'm just a kid from Brooklyn."

The hit to the face was expected, and Remus was able to brace against it. The guards gripped him tightly, holding him in place as Voldemort took his anger out on Remus's face.

When Voldemort stepped back, Remus was panting, beaten and exhausted. Yet, he still managed to raise a smile.

"I can do this all day."

Voldemort nodded. "I believe you can. But I am on a schedule."

He pulled out a gun, pointing it directly at Remus's face.

"So am I," Remus admitted.

Right on time, there were three consecutive thunks. They all turned to the window to see three specks in the distance, flying towards them at considerable speed. Voldemort growled, turning back to level his gun at Remus's face once more, pulling the trigger as Remus swung one of the Death Eaters holding him around to take the hit.

Cresswell, Prewett and Bones smashed through the windows on ziplines, guns at the ready as they started shooting at the Death Eaters. More soldiers start shooting down the lines and Voldemort took a few steps back, bullets shooting from his gun, before he turned tail and ran through the open doorway.

Prewett tackled the Death Eater holding Remus' shield, tossing it over as soon as he'd wrestled it away.

"Cheers," Remus said, strapping the shield into place before he took off after Voldemort. He could just see him at the end of the corridor and he tore after him, rounding a corner to find himself immediately under a barrage of bullets.

Voldemort dashed through a doorway and hit a button. Blast doors started closing, but Remus, calculating quickly, tossed his shield, managing to time it perfectly to jam the doors open.

He moved forward again, only to be stopped by a Death Eater with a large flame thrower stomping out of an intersecting corridor, blocking his way. The Death Eater raised his flamethrower and aimed towards Remus.

Remus raised his arm only to remember a second too late that his shield was jammed in the door and not on his arm. Panicked thoughts crossed his mind, but then there was a bang, and the Death Eater staggered, falling to the floor.

Sirius stepped through the doorway, his gun still in hand.

"You're late," Remus told him, stepping forward, his heart beating rapidly in his chest.

"Tell me you're not complaining about my timing," Sirius replied, his tone smug and a hint of a smile on his lips. He nodded to where Remus' shield was still holding the doors. "Weren't you about to…?"

"Right."

He sprinted for the door, slid below the shield and grabbed it as he did. The doors slammed behind him and he ran towards the next door.

It opened to a huge hanger. A rumbling shook the base, and Remus could only watch on in amazement as the biggest plane he'd ever seen rolled past. He skidded down the ramp onto the runway, watching the plane pick up speed.

Remus gave chase, but the plane gained more and more speed. Suddenly, a car pulled alongside him, and he glanced to the right to see Colonel Moody at the wheel.

"Get in."

Remus jumped into the back without the car ever slowing down. In the back seat, Dora was loading her gun. Moody pushed the engine, gaining on the plane.

The plane's rear propellers spun into a blur, and the plane widened the gap. Remus growled, frustrated. Moody hit a button on the dash of the car and suddenly the car moved much faster.

Remus climbed over the windshield, steadying himself.

"Closer," he pleaded, ducking just in time as Moody drove beneath the propellers.

"Hold it steady," Remus said, preparing to jump.

"Wait," Dora cried, surging up. She pulled him close using his uniform as leverage and pressed her lips to his cheek. When she pulled away, she smiled up at him. "Go and get him."

Remus nodded, a look of determination on his face. He looked to Moody who grimaced at him.

"I'm not kissing you!"

...

Remus managed to snag a hold on the landing gear just as the plane shot over the edge, sailing into the air. He locked his arms around a strut as the plane gained altitude, looking for a way in.

Before he could find one, the landing gear groaned and the wheels retracted. Remus found himself riding the landing gear right up onto the flight deck.

Remus stared around, awestruck.

A bullet ricocheted off his shield, forcing him to concentrate on the matter at hand. Eight Death Eaters ran at him. Remus flipped into a flying spin kick, dropping two of the Death Eaters where they stood. The others moved in on him. Picking one up, he threw him across the flight deck and out of the plane, before smashing another with his shield.

He fought the remaining Death Eaters until he was the last left standing. He quickly found his way to where Voldemort was steering the plane.

"You just don't give up, do you?"

Voldemort shot at him with a cannon-like machine, which blew out a pane of the cockpit glass when Remus dodged out of the way.

"Nope," Remus replied, swinging off one of the bars to kick the machine out of Voldemort's hands.

They grappled, each straining against the other, well matched by the serum in both of their blood.

"You wear a flag on your chest and think you fight a battle of nations? I have seen the future, Captain. There are no flags but mine."

"Keep the future," Remus replied. "I'm looking for a little here and now."

He slammed Voldemort in the jaw with the shield. Voldemort staggered and Remus used the momentum to draw back, slamming him with an uppercut. The impact drove Voldemort into the autopilot controls, forcing it to disengage.

The plane lurched violently, spinning into a barrel roll.

Remus and Voldemort tumbled to the ceiling, crashing around the plane as they fought for the upper hand. Voldemort tried to reach the autopilot but Remus used him momentum to swing around a strut and slammed his shield into Voldemort's head.

Voldemort bashed back against the wall, but adeptly bounced back, using another strut for leverage as he kicked Remus towards the back bulkhead.

Voldemort managed to get to the autopilot, reengaging it as Remus slammed against the back wall.

The plane pulled out of its dive and righted itself, making Remus smash to the floor, dazed as his shield rolled away.

"You could have the power of the gods." Remus looked up to see Voldemort advancing on him. "And yet you will not admit you want it?"

"I want what every soldier on the battlefield wants," Remus said. "I want this war to end."

He slammed his heel onto the shield, flipping it into the air as Voldemort fired at him. He jumped to his feet, hurling the shield.

It hit Voldemort in the ribs with a sickening crunch, knocking him off his feet and smashing him into a console.

Blue energy arced and crackled from the damaged machinery. The energy gauge pinned at overload. Voldemort pushed himself back to his feet, hand gripping at his side as he stared at the machinery in alarm.

A glowing blue cube rose from the machine, glowing with a violent intensity. Voldemort stared at it, reaching out and extracting the cube. Remus could only watch on in horror as it burned the glove off Voldemort's hand, exposing the scarred flesh.

Voldemort just stared, overcome and amazed. Blinded by the light, Remus staggered toward the controls. Suddenly, the cube started vibrating violently, and Remus saw that Voldemort looked worried.

"No," Remus muttered, whipping up his shield as energy shot out from the cube. Energy bolts ricocheted off the ceiling and struck Voldemort, vaporising him in front of Remus's eyes.

The cube went nova, a massive column of energy shooting up to the sky, growing in intensity until it exploded outwards.

Remus stood in the cockpit, woozy and disoriented. When his vision returned, he saw the inert cube lying innocently on the floor. He took a step towards it, but before he could get further, the plane banked violently, the engines roaring. Remus raced for the controls, the forgotten cube tumbling across the flight deck before it flew out of a hole in the side of the plane.

Remus climbed into the chair, staring at the many buttons on the dash. The control stick steered automatically, and Remus wrestled it, trying to override the plane, but it wouldn't alter course.

He stared at the monitor and the green map of Manhattan. He couldn't let that happen.

Grabbing at the radio, Remus pressed the button. "Is anyone there, come in," he begged, repeating himself when there was no answer.

"Remus? Is that you? Are you okay?" Sirius asked, his voice panicked and desperate.

"I'm fine."

"Where's Riddle?"

"He's dead," Remus informed him, his heart beating rapidly. He didn't want to have this conversation with Sirius. He couldn't… how was he supposed to tell him that he was failing to keep his promise?

"What about the plane?"

"That's a little bit harder to explain," Remus muttered, staring at the New York map on the dash. His compass lay open on the control board, a picture of Sirius looking back at him.

At one time, he'd put it there to remind him of his friend who was at war. Now, he was staring at it for an entirely different reason.

"Give me your coordinates," Sirius demanded. "I'll find you a landing site."

"There isn't going to be a landing. Riddle's locked the navigation system, and there's more than enough power to reach the East Coast."

"I'll get Fleamont on the line, he'll know what to do."

"I'm sitting on a hundred tons of explosives. Hotwiring this thing is not an option." He looked out of the window at the vast, blue expanse of ocean. "I've got to put her in the water."

"But you said you couldn't steer it."

Remus could hear the tension in Sirius' voice and he swallowed hard. He spotted a thick cable running from the ignition to the engines. "I can't steer it. But I think I can crash it."

He yanked the cable out. Blue sparks flared and then all the lights died and the engines slowed to a stop. The plane went quiet.

"Remus, don't do this," Sirius begged. "We've got time, we can figure this out."

"Right now, I'm in the middle of nowhere. If I wait any longer, a lot of people are going to get hurt." He paused, and then added quietly, "Sirius, this is my choice."

"You don't get to do this," Sirius snarled. "You don't get to leave me. I love you."

"We can't -"

"Screw the rules. Screw the world," Sirius replied. "I love you and you love me, and we'll find a way. You're Captain America. We… Remus, you can't leave me."

Tears fell down Remus' cheeks. "I'm so sorry, Sirius."

He leaned on the stick with all his might. The plane fell into a dive.

"You can fly dammit. Fly home, fly to me."

"I don't think I can," Remus admitted. "I don't know how long they'll hold."

"We'll send rescue ships out. We'll find you, just try. Please, Remus, just try."

Unstrapping his wings, Remus let out a large breath. "Okay. Okay, I'll try. Just… if I don't… I love you, Sirius. Forever, I have always, and will always, love you."

"Then live for me."

Clouds whipped past the windows as the plane plummeted. Remus pocketed the compass and slid his mask over his face as Arctic ice rushed up the cockpit window.

He moved over to the hole in the plane side and took a deep breath, the cold causing icicles to appear on his uniform. He squeezed his eyes shut, and he jumped.

The plane crashed, floating for a moment before it sank into the icy depths.

…

Sirius' arms were warm. That was Remus' first thought when he stirred into consciousness, his eyes blinking against the soft light in the room.

"Hey you," Sirius greeted, stroking a hand through Remus' hair. "You did it. You lived."

"I…"

"I love you. I'm sorry I was an idiot, I just…"

"I get it," Remus whispered. "I get it. I love you too."

"We'll figure this out, Punk. I swear to you, we'll figure it out. Just… don't ever leave me."

Remus lifted himself up, pressing his lips to Sirius'.

"I promised I'd live for you, didn't I? What kind of life would I have if I left you?"

Sirius wrapped his arms more firmly around Remus and held on tight. There would be problems ahead, they both knew that. Homosexuality was against the law, and no matter that people engaged in it secretly, they both knew that Captain America wouldn't be allowed such privacy.

One way or another, they'd find a way forward. One way or another, they'd hold on to each other.

---

Written for;

Disney; T2. Someone managing to be courageous despite their fear.

Dark Lady's Diabolical Lair - 6. Missing

Angels Arcade - E-123 Omega. Metallic / Dark / Walking

Lo's Lowdown - C5. Someone with great endurance

Buttons - P3. SIriusRemus

Showtime - 11. "No going back now."

Ami's Audio - 7. A character doing or experiencing something unbelievable

Feline Fair - 8. Someone headstrong

Supernatural - Fairy. Wing!Fic

Auction - Wing!Fic

Slash September - RemusSirius

Sewing 101 - Step 4. Giftfic for Lo.