A/N: Very sorry for the formatting issues of the last couple of chapters. It should be fixed now and going forward. Thanks again for all the support and love for this fic 3

As expected, Colonel Phillips soon called them back from their leave, even Jacques who had somehow managed to sneak back to the southern "free" zone of France through occupied territory to check on his nieces and former resistance cell. Gabe still had that goofy look on his face despite having to unglue himself from his mystery girl. Seriously, Steve had seen neither hide nor tail of the guy since drinking at the pub together after their release from hospital, and that had been over a week ago. Don't get him wrong, Steve was happy for him, and for all the others who looked in top form now. He couldn't help the fond smile as he watched them all fidget like kids while the Colonel looked them over, as if gauging if he should send them back to rest some more. But he finally nodded and told them what they'd been fearing: until more intel was gathered on Hydra, they would be balls deep in PR. The press and the people wanted them all together, the whole team, as if they were a collectible set. .

"Raise moral, raise money. The Captain knows the drill. You got questions, you go to him, because I don't give a rat's ass about all that bullshit. But when I call you back, I want you out of your monkey suits at the drop of a hat."

"Shouldn't be too hard since our monkey suits are our uniforms," Bucky muttered.

"What's that, sergeant?"

"Nothing, sir. Understood, sir."

Morita's snicker cut off abruptly, replaced by a poorly concealed whimper after a kick to the shin from Buck's boot. Steve rolled his eyes, wondering how long it was going to take before he got them back under some semblance of order. They were already known as the Howling Commando, he didn't need the press to come up with something worse like the Rowdy Bunch. He'd never hear the end of it.

But they were soldiers first and foremost, so they obeyed his orders to a T. In fact Steve hardly ever got any complaints about them, which was nothing short of a miracle with the prank war which had somehow began between Bucky and Morita, Dum Dum and Monty, Jacques and Bucky, not to mention Gabe and Hermione. He could swear he'd only had his back turned for two minutes and now he had to dodge vegetables and farting cushions… He was just glad they'd left him out of it, although he worried they thought he didn't have a sense of humour. It did give him time and many occasions to draw his team mates in unusual states. His favourite so far was Gabe covered in flour, although Hermione with pigtails was a close second. Bucky was too good at dodging traps, the suspicious sneak he was now, so Steve had yet to add him to his sketchbook of ridicule.

He reasoned it was their way to blow off steam from having to remain still for photographs, follow scripts for filming or recite carefully written answers to carefully chosen questions. It could be quite frustrating. Steve was used to it, but his team found it utterly boring.

Worse was that they had to lie about their relationship, him and Hermione. He sometimes snickered to himself at the thought of their relationship with Bucky too being made public. But since such a scandal would only get them kicked out of the army, at best, probably sent to prison or an asylum at worse, they were careful to deny anything even remotely romantic ever happening. The rest of the team chipped in. As Gabe said it, Lady Liberty was "one of the guys". It was for the best. Later, when there was peace, they would make things right, as much as they could get away with.

The pantomime continued for weeks. Fake smiles, words put in their mouths, kiss the baby, shake hands, pose for pictures, interviews… They had made collectible cards of the team for crying out loud and Hermione even had dolls fashioned after her. The Liberty Doll they called it and according to their PR slaver, they sold like hotcakes. The monkey parade went on for weeks, which felt like years, so when the Colonel sent for them, there was a collective whoop of joy and relief at knowing this nightmare would soon be over.

Seeing everyone standing at attention in their uniforms, like real soldiers once more, made Steve's heart swell with pride. It was plain as day every single one of them wanted to get back to business and do what his team did best. Colonel Phillips had a knowing smirk when he faced them. Whatever he was about to announce was so good even he couldn't keep up his usual level of poker face.

"We've got a tail on Dr Zola. The target, as you know, is as close a second as the Red Skull has. We nab that sonofabitch, we'll deal Hidra and Schmidt a solid blow and get ourselves a goldmine of intel."

Bucky muttered about roughing him up a bit first but everyone pretended not to hear. Steve glanced at Hermione who had been experimented on by the so-called doctor as well, and was not surprised to find her paler than usual.

"He's on the move as we speak so you'll be dropped off ahead of his itinerary and we'll wait for the best opportunity to extract him. The eyes we have on him will keep us updated. Questions?"

Steve couldn't wait to be away from the cameras and all the media circus they'd had to deal with since that newspaper special on them, so he only really had one question.

"When do we leave?"

The schedule was tight and they only had time to grab their pre-packed bags before boarding a plane. They were all in much better shape than when they had arrived which gave Steve even more confidence that they would succeed.

Once they were parachuted as close to the optimal location to intercept Zola, Gabe received a message from their informant the doctor had suddenly changed his plans and was due to board a train near Munich to head south through the Austrian mountains.

"We can still make it," Steve decided, putting together a hasty plan to steal nazi uniforms and a truck to move quickly through occupied territory. It made his skin crawl, both at the underhandedness of the plan and wearing the enemy's uniform, but it was vital they captured Zola so he stomped down on his morals and merely wrinkled his nose as he put on the beige shirt and weird puffy slacks. Morita and Gabe had to go in as random prisonnier though. The two of them were quite happy at not having to wear the hated uniform, but guilt are at Steve at excluding them based on stupid nazi beliefs. Hermione, on the other hand, had to dress as a stray boy soldier of the Hitlerjugend because she couldn't fill a man's uniform convincingly enough, and the less questions thrown their way on their trip through enemy territory, the better. That done, they took turns driving while the others slept in the back, and shot anyone who didn't fall for the trick. Infiltration was dirty business, but he knew it would be worth it in the end. The whole operation might have been last minute, but they made it to the top of a mountainside, ready to board the train Zola was travelling in at high sped through the snow. Bucky was checking his straps for the umpteenth time.

"This is payback for making you ride the Cyclone on Coney Island, isn't it?" he asked.

"'Course not. I already got payback for that when I threw up on your shoes, remember?"

Steve couldn't help grinning at Bucky's discomfort though. Only three of them could board the train in the limited window of time they had for the train to pass, so Bucky needn't have volunteered. Dum Dum or Falsworth would have gladly taken his spot, but Bucky had a bone to grind with Zola and had been adamant he be one of them. As much as she hated the man, Hermione hadn't volunteered because of her fear of heights. It was all she could do to step closer to the mountain's cliff to bid them good luck.

"This plan is idiotic," she muttered as she hugged him.

"And that's why it's going to work," Steve replied, tilting her chin up for a kiss. "We'll be back before you know it."

Hermione let go of him and turned towards Bucky.

"You'll watch his six?"

"Always, doll," he said as he pulled her into a hug.

"Be careful," she said and kissed him too, apparently not caring what anyone saw or thought in that moment.

That was fine, he didn't either. They might really end up like bugs on a windshield, after all. He had to admit this plan was a bit reckless, but there were not all that many options to board a speeding train. They had missed the opportunity to infiltrate it before departure, but even if they hadn't, it meant they would have had to make it through a hoard of Hydra agents in the middle of enemy territory which was just plain impossible. If they could do that, they'd just go after Hitler and stop the war right now.

"Maintenant!" Jacques shouted.

Steve launched himself onto the zipline first without hesitation, closely followed by Bucky, then Gabe. The landing was rough and the train roof more slippery than he had anticipated, but they all made it aboard safely. For the first few seconds anyway. As soon as they made it inside, they were set upon by heavily armed Hydra agents and separated. He had no idea where Gabe was but he managed to fight his way back to Bucky in time to toss him a gun. That kept the Hydra agent occupied while Steve circled around to knock him unconscious.

"I had him on the ropes," Bucky groused.

"Sure you did, pal," he chuckled and gave him a hand up before the familiar blue glow of a Hydra gun caught his eye. "Watch out!"

Another Hydra goon burst in from the next wagon, his shot missing them by a hair's breadth, but the blast gutted the side of the train wide open instead.

"Fucking hell!" Bucky muttered, then rolled forward just in time to grab his shield and use it to deflect the next shot.

It worked, but he must not have expected the kickback from the impact because he was violently thrown back. Then everything happened so fast, not even his super reflexes could make a grab for Bucky fast enough before he was sucked right out of the train like a puppet with his strings cut. He was just gone, in the blink of an eye. It was so sudden…

"No!" No, no , no , no , no. "Bucky!"

He stumbled towards the gaping hole then stuck his head out, losing precious seconds to the rushing wind blinding him as much as sheer panic. Then relief washed over him when he found his friend hanging onto the side of the train, the rushing wind whipping his hair and clothes around him. He got as close as he could and held out his hand.

"Bucky! Bucky, take my hand!"

Please take my hand. Don't let go, Buck.

Bucky reached out, but he was too far down, hanging on for dear life onto scrap metal, but Steve tried inching closer, dangerously close to toppling over himself, but he had to try. Almost there. He was almost within reach when the metal bar Bucky was hanging onto whined and snapped. Dread and surprise filled Bucky's eyes. He seemed to fall so slowly, without a sound, Steve thought he could still catch him, but the train sped on, uncaring, and Bucky disappeared in the white nothingness between clouds and snow.

Steve stared at that spot, confused, unable to believe what had just happened. It couldn't be. Not Bucky. Not like that. He had been so close. It was too sudden…

The train whistled, a long, strident wail which pulled Steve out of his shock. He closed his eyes and pushed everything away but the mission, or this would have been all for nothing. Steve wiped his eyes on his sleeve and soldiered on, and if he hit without holding back, leaving a trail of pain and death behind him, if he didn't care to be hurt or killed, well, there was no one at his six to scold him about it now.

He just kept going on, straight ahead, because going forward was easier than looking back, and he found doctor Zola cowering at the front of the train, averting his eyes as if he was the angel of death come for his pitiful soul. The temptation was there, but he couldn't…. Thankfully, Gabe arrived soon after. Just in case.

"Bucky?" he asked with a frown, glancing behind him as if he expected him to appear any second now with his crooked smile and one of his cocky comebacks.

Steve shook his head, unable to speak past the lump in his throat. Gabe cursed and radioed in the news for him.

"Package secured. Bucky didn't make it."

Steve hated himself for letting Hermione learn it this way, but he couldn't say those words, not to anyone and especially not to her.

Getting back to the base to deliver their prisoner went by in a blur. He was barely aware of what was going on around him, or of the people. Shock, probably. He had delayed dealing with losing Bucky and now it was all coming crashing down. He'd even tried drinking himself into oblivion but that had been a complete waste of time.

"Hermione."

She was still there. Hadn't left his side as far as he could tell, her small hands holding onto his on the wooden table. Her eyes were puffy and red, her nose too. He was a terrible boyfriend. She loved Bucky too, she was grieving too, and they only had each other now.

"I'm sorry," he said.

"You've nothing to be sorry for, Steve."

"Did you… read my report?"

Hermione nodded.

"You wouldn't talk, so… Yes, I did. I had to know… for Bucky. It wasn't your fault. You know that right?"

Steve wanted to argue and she must have seen it because she spoke again before he could answer.

"You did everything you could. So did Bucky. Stop blaming yourself for something you could not have changed. Bucky wouldn't want that. Pretty sure he'd call you a little punk and hit you over the head for it, in fact."

Steve could picture him perfectly doing just that, with that twinkle in his eye and that half smile that made his heart skip a beat every single time. Now his heart felt heavy, as if it was going to drop right through his chest to land on the gritty floor. He still couldn't believe he was gone. Bucky had always been there. He was a fixture, like the sky. And the guilt was eating him up, no matter what Hermione or anyone else said. He was their leader. He had approved the mission, and he had been so close to saving Buck. He should have tried harder. It should have been him, not Bucky.

"I'm going after Schmidt. I'm not gonna stop until Hydra has been destroyed."

It's what Bucky had wanted after all.

"You won't be alone," Hermione said, squeezing his hand. Steve expected the nightmares, the replay of Bucky's fall over and over again, each one more horrific than the last. He hadn't expected Hermione's though, nor their consequences. He heard her scream a split second before a blast of magic sent him clear across their bedroom, making a dent in the wall before plaster rained down on him. Monty appeared in a nightshirt, gun in hand, but one look at the scene and he put it away.

"Don't suppose you two have found a way to contain the magic?" he asked with a twitch of his moustache while he watched Hermione hover several inches above the bed.

"You know?" Steve asked as he circled back to Hermione's side.

He'd rather the hits were directed at him than at Montgomery since she would be mortified to learn she broke their host's bones in her sleep.

"Tents don't make good walls."

Steve chuckled.

"The others?"

"They're all idiots."

His smile told him he didn't mean it in the least, but Falsworth must have been running interference for them.

"Thanks. You know… It's not my secret to tell, and Hermione has had a lot of prejudice thrown her way for what she is before."

"I understand."

Steve took Hermione's hand and called her name softly so as not to startle her, coaxing her back from wherever her mind had taken her. Her breathing slowed and her eyes fluttered for a few seconds, then she fell back ungracious on the bed with a squawk.

Montgomery let himself out without a sound. Steve knew he was real lucky to have someone like him on his team. He was lucky to have all of them, but now, he was equally terrified of losing them because of his poor decisions.

"Steve? I'm sorry. Did I hurt you?"

"You couldn't hurt me if you tried, love. Go back to sleep, it was just a nightmare."

She nodded sleepily and snuggled down against him, still exhausted from crying the day away. Steve held her close, listening to her breaths, feeling the slow up and down of her chest against him and the warmth of her hand clinging to him. Very much alive. He wished he could convince her to stay back, but he knew her too well, and she was as stubborn as he was.

Because the Colonel had Zola, and it was only a matter of time before he started squealing. The so called doctor was a coward who believed in nothing and could be bullied into anything. Knowing Phillips, Zoal would tell him where to find Schmidt and Steve would get his revenge very soon.

Twenty four hours. That's all they had before the Red Skull unleashed hell on earth. Hermione was terribly pale and she was shaking, her magic acting up at the slightest provocation. It was taking all her willpower to keep it under control, but Steve still had to step on the bar of her chair to keep it from levitating at that announcement.

Hermione had told him about the atomic bombs that had ended the war on the eastern front in her own world, and quite frankly, these Hydra bombs sounded worse, much more powerful. The whole easter seafront back home would be gone if they didn't stop the Red Skull, and that was without counting the rest of the world. Thank God Zola was a blabbermouth. How the Colonel had made him talk was a mystery, but he seemed pretty confident about the veracity of his intel, including the base where the last of Hydra was departing from, deep down in the Alps.

"So, what are we supposed to do. I mean, it's not like we can just knock on the front door," Morita muttered as they looked over they knew of this secret base.

It was impregnable from all sides, unlike the ones they had raided all over the rest of Europe, more heavily armed and manned than all of them combined. A frontal attack would be suicide. Maybe that's why Morita's derisive comment made sense. If the only access was the front door, they might as well knock at the door to be let in.

"Why not? That's exactly what we're gonna do," Steve replied before exposing his plan to the rest of the room.

It wasn't exactly well-received, but they were running out of time.

"If you don't make it, I swear I'm going to find a way to bring you back to life and kill you myself," Hermione growled in his ear before his drop-off.

"I love you too. I'll see you in a bit," he promised.

Probably a bad idea to make such promises in the middle of a war, after Bucky, but he fully intended to make good on it. He couldn't leave her on her own, cause her the same grief and pain they were already struggling with. Saluting the rest of the team, Steve jumped. Letting himself get captured by Hydra was so counterintuitive, it took him much longer than expected. In his defense, he couldn't make it too obvious that was his aim, so the trail of death and destruction Steve left behind him until they cornered him was entirely justified… for credibility's sake. Putting his hands up in the air in surrender was just as alien to him. His whole body and soul was screaming at him to stand up and keep fighting, to no give up.

Think of it as a time out, he kept telling himself as he schooled his face into a hangdog expression, shoulders drooping, and slowly followed his captors with their Hydra guns and flamethrowers aimed at him. It was so tempting to sidestep the one on his left who was slower due to his gear and use his own weapons against the others. It would be so easy. With a sigh, Steve focused on the snow-packed path ahead, at the looming grey hangar doors dug into the side of the mountain, almost invisible. Howard's little spy thingy he was carrying under his uniform better work, or he really would be in trouble if the team didn't know when and where to jump in.

Soon, he thought as they made him kneel in front of the hideous Red Skull.

"Arrogance may not be a uniquely American trait, but I must say you do it better than anyone. However, there are limits to what even you can do, Captain," Schmidt said as way of greeting. "You could at least have brought your little sorceress with you. Now she has true potential."

Steve bristled at the way he talked about Hermione, with a creepy sort of fondness… Steve bit back his more colourful retorts, needing to gain some time for now.

"You're insane."

Schmidt chuckled darkly.

"That's what Erskine said. He never understood what greatness is, he never could understand with his weak view of the world, what it is meant to be. I have obtained true power now, not you."

Schmidt hit him, hard enough to whip his head to the side.

"I have mastered the Tesseract, harnessed its power," he continued, hitting him every time. "I will control your sorceress and I will rule this world."

Steve spat out blood then glared at him.

"I can do this all day."

Although he hoped his team got here soon. The Red Skull packed quite a wallop, and he really, really, wanted to give as good as he got. Make him suffer like he was for killing Erskine, for torturing Hermione, for taking Bucky away from him, for wanting to inflict more pain on the world…

"Of course you can, but I, unfortunately, am on a tight schedule, so if you'll excuse me…"

Schmidt pointed a pistol at his head, the blue light emanating from its barrel leaving no doubt as to what powered it. Fortunately for him, dark shapes rapidly growing in size were making their way right for him. They crashed through the window and the gun pointed at him flew right out of Schmidt's hand, before he even had time to turn around. He didn't waste a second making a run for it though.

Montgomery tossed him his shield as he went in hot pursuit of the Red Skull. Hermione called after him, but he couldn't wait for her. She'd never be able to keep up anyway, and this was too important. It was all he could do to catch up to him, but then he ran into that idiot with the flamethrower and the thing was actually very efficient inside. No match for Peggy though.

"You're late," he quipped and went on his merry way.

But Schmidt had boarded his plane. The plan had been for the Colonel's troop to disable it before it could take off, so he must have encountered more resistance than expected. Steve ran and ran, but even a supersoldier was no match for a plane about to take off.

He turned at the sound of a roar at his back: a sleek, shiny car catching up to him. He was levitated into it, then dropped into the tiny back seat while Peggy jammed the accelerator and whooped.

"I'll get us on that plane," Hermione shouted over the roaring engine. "Ready?"

Contrary to Dum Dum, Steve didn't like the sensation of weightlessness levitation gave him, but he stood in preparation when they were close enough.

"Now!" Hermione yelled.

Steve leaped and was magically propelled the rest of the way to the open hatch which he jammed for Hermione to make her jump. He held on to the side and turned to observe her progress, ready to help her in, but to his horror, the speeding car was running out of runway, and Hermione seemed to be running out of magical steam, although she was only halfway up and the plane was starting its ascent, gaining more speed.

The tires of Peggy's car screeched and burned, but it stopped inches from the precipice. Hermione's jump faltered. She was too far from the plane, too far from the cliff… No… He couldn't do anything to help her, he couldn't catch her… she fell.

No! Not again!

"Hermione!"

She became smaller and smaller as the plane took him away, then disappeared. Steve was numb. He stared, willing her to reappear suddenly, by magic, but he was too far now, whisked away by the speeding engine, above the clouds. It was Bucky all over again. He couldn't make sense of it, he was dying from inside, it was agony. He was surprised he even felt the boot that hit his back as a Hydra goon tried to kick him out through the hatch. He reacted on instinct once he did though, and pure rage took over. His attacker was tossed out in his stead, the next had his neck broken and the one after that was shredded by his own plane's rotors. Broken bones, split organs, or simply claimed by the woosh of air passing beneath them, Steve tore his way to the front of the plane with one fixed idea in mind: to kill the Red Skull.

To end it all.