Authoress Note: Welcome to Chapter 7 of Always. Thank you to those who have kept up with this story and have left reviews. It really does mean a lot to me that you've been enjoying this. I hope that you guys continue to enjoy this story. I hope you like this next part. Without further ado Chapter 7. Enjoy!

Chapter 7

Dorothy stood out in the crowd watching Steve confidently alone on stage and everyone was quiet. Dorothy pursed her lips together as she looked at what Brandt had done to the first super soldier and it disgusted her.

"Okay...I'm going to need a volunteer." Steve called out looking into the crowd.

"I already volunteered. How do you think I got here?" One of the GI's had said scoffing a little bit.

The crowd laughed.

Steve stiffened a little.

"BRING THE GIRLS BACK!" Another guy said.

"I think they only know the one song, but...I'll...see what I can do…"

"You do that, sweetheart!"

Hodge nudged one of the guys in the crowd. "Where do they get these guys?"

The guy next to him shrugged his shoulders.

They began to boo and the rest of the crowd joined in.

Steve looked bewildered and tried his best to keep the order. "Hey, guys, we're all on the same side."

"Hey Captain, sign this for me!" The guy then mooned him.

The GI's all laughed.

Someone then threw a tomato at him.

Steve blocked it with his shield.

Dorothy shook her head lightly and went to go and find Peggy. She found her not too far away. "The troops are terrible." Dorothy said, shaking her head lightly.

Peggy looked over at her friend. "They've been through a lot."

"Yes, but that does not give them the right to treat Rodgers the way that they are."

Peggy let out a breath and looped her arm through Dorothy's. "Come on."

Dorothy nodded her head following her friend towards a tent as it began to rain.

Steve was underneath it drawing something.

"That was quite a performance." Peggy said as she came under for cover from the rain pulling Dorothy with her.

Steve turned to see the both of them there. He stood up. "Yeah, I...had to improvise a bit. The crowds I'm used to are usually more...twelve."

"I understand you're "America's New Hope.""

He looked down and saw that his suit was exposed. He quickly shut his coat and sat back down. "People buy bonds, bonds buy bullets, bullets kill Nazis. Sales rise ten percent in every state I visit."

"Is that Senator Brandt I hear?"

"Hey, Phillips was going to stick me in a lab. At least Brandt got me here."

"And are those your only option?" She looked at the drawing. "Lab rat or dancing monkey? You know you're meant for more than this."

Steve sat there silently taking it all in. "It's just, you get enough people telling you you're a hero, after years of them telling you you're nothing… 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." Steve looked up, seeing a platoon of tired wounded soldiers.

An ambulance rolled up to the hospital tent. Corpsemen unloaded the wounded on stretchers.

"Looks like they've been through hell."

Dorothy took a breath. "These men more than most." She admitted softly as she crossed her arms.

Steve eyed the two of them in understanding. "Hydra?"

"Not officially." Peggy said softly.

"Back home, that's a yes."

Peggy considered the protocol but leaned in near so he could hear and Dorothy could throw her two cents in when it came time to do so. "Schmidt was moving a force through Azzano. 200 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?"

"Yes, what?"

Steve got up to his feet pulling Peggy up to her feet. "Come on." Steve said as he began to move quickly.

Dorothy quickly followed the two of them letting out a soft breath as she quickly moved. She knew that she and Peggy were going to be in some deep trouble.

Steve barreled in with Peggy and Dorothy hot on their heels.

"Well, if it isn't "the star spangled man with the plan." What is your plan exactly?" Phillips questioned looking up from his work.

"Azzano. I want to see the casualty list." Steve said, looking at Phillips with hope.

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

"I don't need the whole list. Just one name. Sergeant James Barnes from the 107th."

Colonel Phillips looked at Dorothy and Peggy pointing at the two of them. "You and I are going to have a conversation later that you won't enjoy."

"Just tell me if he's alive, sir. BA-R.."

"Do not spell at me, son."

Peggy looked at Steve, seeing the resolve. She turned to Colonel Phillips. "Sir, Rogers is only on loan to the USO. Officially, he is still SSR."

Phillips stared at Steve. Finally, he relented. "Barnes?"

Steve nodded his head.

Phillips 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."

Steve's face went pale. He stared at the map of Austria on the wall, alongside photos of a facility. "What about the others? You're planning a rescue mission?"

Dorothy pursed her lips knowing that Steve wasn't taking this too well.

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

"But if you know where they are…"

"They're thirty miles behind the lines. 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 hour."

"Yes, sir. I do." Steve then exited the tent taking one last look at the maps as he went.

Phillips went back to writing on the letters. "You got something to say now's the time to keep it to yourself."

Peggy and Dorothy looked at one another and quickly left his tent.

"I have an idea." Dorothy said softly to Peggy. "Howard can help."

Peggy gripped Dorothy's arm as they went towards the tent where Howard would be. "You think Howard would fly into the territory?"

"Willingly? Most likely. Anything to help the troops if not… then I'll end up doing it instead."

Peggy looked at her friend with wide eyes. "I didn't think you could fly."

Dorothy smiled a bit cheekily. "Well, Howard wanted to make sure that I knew how to fly if he wasn't going to be able to."

Peggy nodded her head slightly in understanding.

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This is the end of Chapter 7. I hope that you guys enjoyed it. I tried my best with writing this and it took me a little bit to figure out what I wanted to do for it, but I figured it out. I can't wait to show you who Dorothy will be hooking up with. Any ideas of who you think she might end up with? Please leave a review and let me know what you think. Reviews keep me going. Until next time.