"Adeline!"

She could hear his voice, and struggled to focus on his worried face. Adeline allowed herself two steadying breaths, before she forced herself to speak. "Steve… I'm fine, I promise… I just… pushed myself too hard. I'll be alright."

She had.

Her body was still healing inside, the skin the only thing mended. She was in pain – not the worst she'd felt, but it was making her vision blurry. The bullets inside her body still would be forced out later – something she wasn't looking forward to.

But the mission…

"We have to get to the rendezvous point now." Bucky said nervously, eyes scanning their darkening surroundings. "The explosives are due to be set off in two minutes."

"Go. Leave me here." Adeline gasped, "I'll be alright. I'll be alright." Steve looked at her, lips thinning and brow furrowing.

"No." he gritted, and stood, lifting her with him, cradling her to him like she weighed nothing. His chin jutted out stubbornly as he looked at Bucky. Adeline felt an odd pang as she saw a flash of the little man she had first met. "Together."

But he was still looking at her, and so she nodded. "Okay." She breathed, and he smiled tightly, and started jogging towards the main building.

Adeline didn't remember when she closed her eyes, but she did remember that when she opened them again – she was still being held by Steve, but they were running through the snow – and the men's victory cries were echoing off the trees, and the base was burning orange behind them.

When she opened her eyes again, she was greeted by the sterile white ceiling of the base hospital.

"Good morning, Sleeping Beauty."

She turned her head to see Howard, sitting cross-legged on the chair next to her bed, wearing a velvet waistcoat and looking characteristically smug.

"Howard." She said, testing her voice. It was steady. Howard watched her for a second, something playing behind his eyes and smirk.

"Gave everyone a heart attack for a hot minute there, Ads." He said finally. "You should be more careful."

"I'm sorry, Howard." She reached out for his hand, and to her surprise, he gripped it. His smirk turned into a soft smile, and she returned it. "Where's Steve?" she frowned.

His face dropped. "Ah… well…" Adeline's heart sank to the bottom of her chest.

"Howard- tell me he's not-" she was already out of bed by the time he had realised what she meant. He held up a hand to stop her.

"No! Adeline, no!" He sighed in exasperation, "He's just not here, is all. I didn't want you to worry."

She shot him a violent scowl. "You could have mentioned that. Where is he? How long will it take me to get there? Do you realise he could be hurt? Dead?" she demanded, still standing. "I need to find him."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Howard laughed, throwing up his hands, "Easy, killer. He's fine. Last I heard he was leading a covert mission in Jerry territory. He's been on the go since he left base."

"How long have I been… out?" She asked suspiciously.

"It's been about four weeks."

"A MONTH?!" Adeline felt her heart sink. "How could this happen – why didn't you wake me-"

"You needed all the rest you could get- your body was still recovering from injuries before you ran that suicidal stunt at the enemy base!" he stood, but she was taller than him and it didn't have an effect. "It was under doctor's orders that you stay in the coma for as long as your body needed- in fact even when you started stirring two weeks ago, they pumped you full of anaesthesia. You were internally shredded, and your skin didn't even heal when we put the IV in. You pushed yourself too hard!"

"I HAVE TO! WHO ELSE CAN DO THE THINGS I CAN? I'M THE ONLY-" She cut herself off, looking away angrily.

"No. You're not the only one anymore. You don't have to be everyone's hero. Steve can-"

"Steve is god-knows where. Without me." She felt embarrassing tears build up in the corners of her eyes, and shook her head furiously. "I can't- he can't be alone- he's too… too good."

"Oh, Ads…" Howard looked torn between discomfort and pity. She brought a hand up, and shoved her loose hair out of her eyes, fisting her hand and tugging until she felt a sharp pain. Howard sighed, and embraced her. "You'll be alright."

"Don't you understand?" she whispered. "I don't care what happens to me… if they've ruined him, I'll never forgive myself…"

The two of them stood there, unwilling to let go. At some point, her fists had clenched in his waistcoat, crumpling it beyond saving.

Adeline was trapped.

Not literally – but she sure felt it.

Whilst she was waiting on doctor's approval, and Colonel Phillip's orders, she was stuck training recruits.

But on the up side, she was free to spend more time with both Peggy and Howard – and she'd also made a new friend. Maria Carbonell was a beautiful and lively young woman who'd started working as Phillip's secretary, and had approached Adeline to ask for help in translating some German documents.

Adeline enjoyed her company – she liked having another female friend, who was less serious than both her and Peggy, and who convinced the two of them to relax. It was an interesting dynamic the trio had – and there was much to laugh about as Howard became enamoured with the woman, who was well-aware of his Casanova ways.

But as with every light, there came shadow.

Adeline knew that each day she spent at the base was another day that Steve moved further away – further into enemy territory. She didn't doubt his ability – she had trained him herself, nor did she doubt his strength or courage. But when she lay awake, thinking about him…

She couldn't help the fear that gripped her heart.

Sometimes all she saw was his face as he realised what he had done in that courtyard – the horror on his face as he realised he could have hurt her, if she had been a second too slow. The blood on his uniform, on the edge of his shield, on his hands…

She wished she could take him and hide him away. She would keep him safe.

February 12th, 1944, Belgium.

"Come on, Steve."

Steve looked over at Bucky, who was smiling at him sadly.

"She's probably up and about – rarin' to go. Hell, Ads might even be flyin' a stolen plane to us as we speak."

Ever since he'd received the telegram from Stark that she was awake and healthy, Steve couldn't stop thinking about her-

Well.

He'd continued his non-stop wishful thinking with less worry and more fervour.

"I know, Buck, but until she's back with me I can't…"

"Can't stop thinking about her? Man, I haven't seen you this mopey over a gal since that broad at the ice-cream parlour left the city." Bucky said jokingly, hoping for some semblance of a smile on the man's face.

Steve said nothing, just kept staring into their campfire unseeingly, clutching his compass. Bucky knew – as did the other men, that their Captain kept a small picture of the absent Commander in there. Where he had found the picture, the others had no idea, but they also knew that he kept the dammed thing on him at all times and that none of them were to comment on it.

Well, no one except for Bucky.

Bucky missed the woman too – they all did. She'd been a legend since before she'd been a part of their team. The German's most powerful soldier, the Grey Wolf, who'd escaped from her country by killing a team of other super-powered men.

That part of the story was always a little fuzzy – the specifics of the team were never disclosed to any, and so the amount of men, and the power of the men depended on who told the story.

And then there was the fact, she'd saved his life – if she hadn't stayed to take a stand, he would have been gunned down. Instead, he'd been captured by a smaller force, rather than killed by the main squad dispatched to deal with the American forces.

And she'd been his only company whilst he'd been taken prisoner…

Her screams – whilst being terrifying, were the only things that grounded him, the reminder that he was still alive, that he hadn't died and gone to hell, that time was passing.

He heard her screaming sometimes. When he had nightmares, and it was the only thing that stopped him from screaming.

He'd never seen Steve like this – never seen him so sad –

But for when his mother had died…

That had been a black time.

Adeline had better get here soon.