Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel. All original characters are mine

December 7th, 1941

WAR! OAHU BOMBED BY JAPANESE PLANES!

The news brought widespread panic.

Addie didn't hear about the event until after work. Joe had gone to the clinic to walk her home. On their way, a massive, frantic crowd gathered at the newspaper stand. When they saw the headlines, both were rendered speechless.

The Japanese bombed the military base at Pearl Harbor. Nearly a thousand confirmed deaths, over one thousand have been wounded, and several civilian casualties.

Addie could only stand in horror, the realization of this massive event was just barely sinking in. This was it. This was the moment she had been dreading, praying it would never come to this. After an attack at this scale, to think that the United States would continue with Isolationism would be foolish. She returned home that night, not able to sleep. She could only stare at the ceiling, her mind racing with what was to come.

The day after, Addie never had to go in for work. Doctor Edwards only had a few appointments and told Addie to stay home with her family, a gesture she was immensely grateful for. The headlines informed everyone that the President would be making a speech later on in the day.

That night, Addie and her family, along with Joe, were huddled around the radio. Her hands reached for Joe's, hoping it would calm her nerves. Soon, the President's voice came through, the quality sounding scratchy, but as long as they could hear him it didn't matter.

Yesterday, December 7, 1941—a date which will live in infamy—the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan.

The United States was at peace with that Nation and, at the solicitation of Japan, was still in conversation with its Government and its Emperor looking toward the maintenance of peace in the Pacific. Indeed, one hour after Japanese air squadrons had commenced bombing in the American Island of Oahu, the Japanese Ambassador to the United States and his colleague delivered to our Secretary of State a formal reply to a recent American message. And while this reply stated that it seemed useless to continue the existing diplomatic negotiations, it contained no threat or hint of war or of armed attack.

It will be recorded that the distance of Hawaii from Japan makes it obvious that the attack was deliberately planned many days or even weeks ago. During the intervening time, the Japanese Government has deliberately sought to deceive the United States by false statements and expressions of hope for continued peace.

No one made a noise. Each attendee wanting to hear every word, hanging on every syllable that came out of his mouth. They were all frightened as to what was going to happen next. Was the United States going to declare war on Japan? Addie glanced over at Joe, he had an attentive look on his face making him too preoccupied to notice her staring. Does this mean she would have to say goodbye to him? Is this one of the last times she would be able to spend with him, for god knows how long?

The fear that was eating away at her grew worse with hearing the other attacks by the Japanese. They initiated attacks on Malaya, Guam, Hong Kong, and the Philippine Islands. Japan was sweeping through the Pacific, almost as if they were attempting to make a statement to the United States. As if they were teasing them, seeing how far they could go before the United States retaliated.

As Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy, I have directed that all measures be taken for our defense. But always will our whole Nation remember the character of the onslaught against us.

No matter how long it may take us to overcome this premeditated invasion, the American people in their righteous might will win through to absolute victory. I believe that I interpret the will of the Congress and of the people when I assert that we will not only defend ourselves to the uttermost but will make it very certain that this form of treachery shall never again endanger us.

Those last few words were like a shock to her system. She continuously repeated them in her mind, over and over again. Everyone slowly realized what he had meant.

Hostilities exist. There is no blinking at the fact that our people, our territory, and our interests are in grave danger.

With confidence in our armed forces—with the unbounding determination of our people—we will gain the inevitable triumph- so help us, God.

I ask that the Congress declare that since the unprovoked and dastardly attack by Japan on Sunday, December 7, 1941, a state of war has existed between the United States and the Japanese Empire.

When the broadcast ended, the entire room was engulfed in silence. No one moved or said anything. This was it. Their last moments before America entered the war. Congress will declare war on Japan, it was the only thing that made sense. The attack didn't just kill thousands of their own, it damaged the country's pride. The only way to respond is to join the fight.

Addie stood from the couch and sauntered into the kitchen, her throat having gone dry all of a sudden. Taking a glass from the cabinet, she filled it with tap water and greedily drank the contents. When she pulled the glass away from her lips, a soft sob escaped, much to her own confusion. Was she crying? No, of course not, she couldn't be. She raised a hand to wipe at her cheeks and could feel the tears coating her fingers.

Addie braced her hands against the counter and took in deep breaths, trying to calm her mind. She didn't want her family, or Joe to see her crying.

"Addie?"

She kept her back to the source, knowing exactly who it was. Soft footsteps came up behind her, and hands gently took hold of her shoulders. She turned, wrapped her arms around him and rested her head against his chest. At any moment, her parents could walk in but Addie didn't care. Roosevelt was quite clear in his speech, he asked Congress to declare war on Japan. The possibility of Congress going against Roosevelt's plea was slim at best. Especially, at a time like this, the people of America are crying out for justice. Refusing to do anything would only spark an outcry. Roosevelt had been slowly inching the country's way into this war, now he has the perfect excuse to throw the country's hat into the ring.

America was going to war. And this country will need more men to serve. That included Joe.

And there they were, standing in the middle of the kitchen, embracing one another in complete silence. It was all they could do. Joe couldn't think of anything to say to comfort her. Words probably would have made her feel worse. All she wanted was to enjoy the moments with him before their lives would be altered.

Nearly an hour later, a radio broadcast went out announcing that Congress has declared war on Japan.

The day arrived faster than she had anticipated. It was a clear, sunny day in New York, despite the temperature being frigid, it was beautiful.

Standing outside Grand Central near the buses, Addie glanced around at the crowd of young men who were about to be taken out for their training. Joe is one of them. She focused on the man in front of her, he was dressed well for how cold it was, despite his nose already starting to turn red.

"You keep yourself as warm as you can out there," Addie fixed the collar on his coat, trying to keep him as warm as possible. "This winter has been extremely harsh."

"I'll be alright," Joe commented and took her hands in his and kissed them. "Don't try and worry too much, it is just my training after all."

Addie smiled, faintly. "Yes, but after the training...comes the actual fighting. If I had the influence to keep you at that camp, I would."

"I know you would," Joe remarked, smiling fondly at the notion.

A volunteer blew a whistle, calling for all the men to board the buses. It was time.

Addie took in his features one more time. They both leaned forward, their lips meeting in a warm, soft kiss. Her hand moved to cup his cheek, keeping him close to her for as long as she could. It would be quite a while until she could do this again, just to have him next to her. She was going to savor this moment until the very last second.

The whistle was blown again.

The two reluctantly pulled apart.

"I love you."

"I love you too." Joe pressed a kiss to her forehead then pulled himself away from her hold and turned to board his bus.

Addie remained standing in her position, her eyes never leaving the bus until it was well out of her sight. She felt her cheeks tingle as warm tears spilled onto her cheeks. She immediately felt silly. Joe was right. It was just training, that's where he will be for the next few months. Nothing to worry about. No, it wasn't that part she was worried about. It was the inevitability that he will be shipped out, leaving her without knowing if she was ever going to see him again.

There was a persistent knocking at his door, it came at an ill time as well. Howard had been cooped up in his basement working on the latest prototype. He had not been expecting company. Pulling off his glasses, he pulled the door open ready to tell whoever was there to leave. The last thing he expected to see standing at his door was Addie, her cheeks red from the cold and a hand curled into a fist.

"Addie, what are you doing here?" Howard questioned, eyeing her with small concern.

"Is that how you're greeting your friends now, Howard?" Addie asked, mocking disappointment.

He rolled his eyes. Howard cleared the doorway and motioned for her to come in. She brushed past him and he quickly peered out of the door. "Did you walk here?"

"All the way from the bus station."

Howard quickly closed the door and turned to her. "You walked here all the way from the station? In this weather?"

Addie removed the scarf from her neck as she eyed him curiously. "That is what I just said. I went to see Joe off."

Oh, Howard stashed a hand in his pocket and nodded solemnly. "He left for his training."

Addie messed with the scarf in her hand and nodded, trying her best to keep her composure. "The 107th Regiment." She took a moment to gather herself, then looked up at Howard with a newfound determination. "I need to use your range."

Howard merely raised his brow at her request.

"I feel the need to shoot something right now."

Within minutes, Howard guided Addie down to the basement, where he had his own personal shooting range. Something that he used for his experiments more than anything else. The only person who used the range for its initial purpose was Addie.

In 1940, only a few months after creating Stark Industries, Howard hired Addie's father onto his personal team of engineers. Peter worked closely with Stark, eventually introducing the young businessman to his family. Addie and Howard's initial meeting was a rather positive one. Howard tried his hand at flirting with the nineteen-year-old, she was able to shoot down his advances rather effectively since she had just begun her relationship with Joe at the time. She assumed that would be the end of their interactions, it wasn't. Despite the initial awkwardness, Addie and Howard became close friends, rather quickly. Howard admired her intelligence and curiosity, she admired his charisma and humor. It was an unlikely friendship. But it was a friendship they both were grateful for.

Addie came to using Howard's shooting range by complete chance. She had been visiting him while he was using it and had asked if she could try. Although he was surprised, Howard allowed her the opportunity. Now, it was something she did in order to relieve stress.

Addie emptied the cartridge and placed the gun down on the table, then removed the earmuffs. She eyed the target, which was riddled with bullet holes, a good distance from her. Then, she sighed in content, she felt somewhat better.

"Do your parents know that you went to see Joe off?" Howard was leaned against the wall a few feet from her, his arms crossed over his chest.

"Of course."

"Are they expecting you back at a certain time?"

Addie laughed, then glanced over at Howard. "What, are you suddenly worried about some kind of scandal with me being here?"

Howard chuckled. "The last thing I want is for your parents to be on my case about all of this." He gestured at the shooting range and the gun in front of her. Typical Howard. More concerned about getting caught letting Addie shoot a gun than the rumors that could be circulated about her being here.

"You don't need to worry." Addie opened the cartridge and slipped in new rounds of ammo. "I'll make sure that they never find out about this. God knows that if my mother discovered what I do here, she would probably have a heart attack."

"Knowing your mother, you're right."

They both put the earmuffs back on and Addie shot off the gun, hitting her target until the gun was out of bullets again. All of the bullets either hit or were a few inches off the center target. Howard could only hum in his approval. Instead of reloading it, she placed the gun down and leaned her hands against the table.

"What is it?"

"I can't stop thinking about Joe."

Howard understood why. He couldn't fault her for being so worried. "He will be fine. It's just his training, you don't need to worry about it."

"I know that, Howard." Addie snapped. She turned to face him. "That's not what is bothering. I know it's just training. But soon, they're going to ship him out. They're gonna put a gun in his hands and make him go fight in a war that we were never supposed to be a part of in the first place. What if," she hesitated, her lip trembling at the thought. "What if he doesn't come back?"

He took a small step towards her, "Addie."

She shrugged and shook off Howard's attempt to comfort her. "Perhaps, my mother was right. Maybe I should have just married Joe. But we weren't ready. My mother seems to think we were...she was wrong. It's too late now, I can't go back and change anything."

"You are already thinking too far ahead, you can't do that to yourself, you'll end up driving yourself mad."

"How can I not?"

Howard went to stand next to Addie, he stared out at the target, trying to collect his thoughts on this particular subject. "You know that I usually try to keep the mood light, but for your sake, I will try and be serious about this. Worrying about what will happen isn't going to help. The best thing you can do is to just carry on."

That wasn't exactly what she wanted to hear. Addie leaned her head back and sighed, about to argue against him, but Howard continued. "Listen, you have your work, school, family, and friends. Focus on all of that and before you know it, Joe will be home and the war will be over."

"That seems too much like wishful thinking."

"Maybe," he smiled faintly. "But, that's the one thing everyone has to keep them sane throughout this war."

March 1942

….

Dear Addie,

The days are starting to get less frigid, which all the men seem to be grateful of. To settle your mind, I am well. I made it through winter with relative ease, a few of the men got sick which was to be expected. I was among one of them. Do not worry about me, I recovered in due time and I am stronger than ever. Especially, since we were expected to tough through the harshest conditions. The winter seasons out here are unbearable. You and I usually talk about how cold it gets in New York, perhaps one day, I shall bring you out here during the winter. You can experience it as well.

Training has been rigorous. There have been a few occasions where I feel completely out of my mind. Thinking that I do not belong here, but I have met quite a few men who help to keep the morale high. We have all become like family to one another. Although, it doesn't take away how painful it is to be away from my family, and from you.

I do hope that you are well, Addie. And I hope that your family is doing well. How is work? And school? Please, try not to worry so much about me. While I understand it is justified, I am still here at training. I am still safe.

Sincerely,

Joe

Addie folded the letter and stashed it away in the drawer of her vanity. She would write a reply later. For now, she had to get ready. Howard invited her over for dinner, saying that he wanted to introduce her to someone. A scientist who is also a friend, that was his response to her question about the other guest.

Nevertheless, Addie got herself ready and headed out the door. Despite how far Howard's home was, she still opted for walking. It was time for herself. With Joe out for his training, she was finding many ways to clear her mind, to not think about the inevitability of him fighting. She thought back to his letter, him asking her to not worry so much. It was a simple request, one that would benefit her more than him. She needed to try and honor it.

When she arrived at Howard's residence, she was greeted by the host and the special guest he had talked about. It was an older man, much older than her own father, he was starting to bald and wore thin-frame glasses. And, he had a very distinguishable German accent, which she noticed when he first greeted her. He introduced himself as Professor Abraham Erskine.

"You are Ms. Fredericks?" He extended his hand out to her.

Addie took it into her own, offering a brief smile. "Yes, but please, call me Addie."

The three started dinner with relative ease. Howard and Abraham carried on hushed conversations, although Addie didn't seem to notice it. She had become lost in her own thoughts, thinking about Joe and what she would right back to him. It wasn't until both men turned to her, seeing the dazed look in her eyes.

"Addie?" Howard leaned forward, trying to gain her attention. "Addie,"

She gave a small jolt and looked at the men. Howard was looking at her, his brow raised in a questioning arch. "Sorry," she quickly apologized. "I got a little distracted." She returned to eating her food, the two men followed suit, with Howard keeping a careful eye on her.

It was a little awkward. Addie decided to extinguish the tense mood. "Professor Erskine, Howard told me that you are a scientist, do you study anything in particular?"

He smiled, looking quite excited about her inquiry about his career. "I mostly busy myself with the creation of various compounds, particularly serums."

The creation of compounds. Addie gave a hum, her surprise could be easily picked up. "Any particular reason as to why you would want to create serums?"

He paused for a moment, stared down at his food, then his eyes were back on her. "My dear, forgive me, but that is for me to know. It is sensitive information that I can not go into extreme details with you."

"I understand." She waved off his apology, wishing that she didn't ask the question. "How did you and Howard meet?"

"We are working together on a project, for the United States Military."

She narrowed her eyes at Howard, then said, "then, you both must have met very recently. Howard has never mentioned you before."

"Quite right." Abraham took a drink from his glass before continuing. "I just recently came to the United States from Germany and I have offered my services to this country."

Addie was vastly interested in this man. He left Germany to come here. She wanted to ask about his life back in Germany. How did he manage to escape under the Nazi rule? And she would have asked him. However, there was a glazed look in his eyes. The excitement he initially had was now dim. She watched him a little longer, noticing the way his hand twitched slightly and how his lips moved as if he was talking to himself. Something happened, something that still holds a profound impact on him. Addie closed her mouth, refraining herself from asking any more personal questions.

Abraham recovered, not realizing that the young woman had witnessed the entire thing. He wiped his mouth with the napkin, smiled and looked at her. "However, Howard has told me quite a bit about you since I met him. He says that you are studying to be a psychologist?"

"That was the plan at the beginning." She was rather quite relieved that the topic had been switched.

"Is it no longer your plan now?"

"It still is, but with the war, it sort of isn't my main priority at the moment. I still attend my classes and I work under Dr. James Edwards, who was amazing enough to allow me to work for him and I have a mentor at school that I study under as well." She thought about it for a moment and really forgot what an experience it has been, to study in this field. In the beginning, she was beaming with excitement. With the war, that light slowly grew dim. Now she uses work and school as nothing more than a distraction. "It all just gives me something to do, to help keep me occupied."

"Don't sell yourself short Addie," Howard was the one to speak up this time. "I've spoken with Dr. Edwards, he says that you're progressing amazingly well with the patient sessions. And, you are doing phenomenally with your school work."

Addie shrugged off Howard's words, though she couldn't help the smile that appeared. "Like I said, it keeps me busy."

Abraham cupped his hands in front of them and leaned his elbows on the table. "Tell me, Addie, what is it about this subject that intrigues you so?"

"I read The Behavior of Organisms by B.F. Skinner, a friend of mine owned a copy and they allowed me to read through it." The book, which Joe had lent her, was still sitting on her bedroom shelf, despite having finished it over a year ago. Yet, Joe never asked for it back. If it fed her curiosity about the subject, he wasn't going to take that from her. "After that, I started reading anything I could get my hands on about the subject. It completely fascinates me how our minds work. What makes us behave the way we do? What influences us to make all the choices we make every day? Why do some people make really good decisions, while others make terrible ones? The human mind, it's all so complex and that's what is so fascinating about it." For a brief moment, she felt that familiar spark deep in her chest. The same excitement she felt the first day of classes, sitting in that classroom during her first lecture. It was all still there. "I convinced my parents to allow me to take classes. Of course, it's a rather male-dominated area, they were worried about me since most would rather see me fail."

"But you are still pursuing with this career." Abraham pointed out, then smiled. "Determination, that is key to overcoming any obstacle you may face, including anyone you tries to stand in your way because they aren't able to comprehend what they don't know."

"I try my best, sometimes I feel it isn't good enough."

"Oh but it is. My dear, you have the perseverance. I saw it just now, that light is still within you. The only thing you have to do is tap back into it. You have already made it this far, don't stop. Someone like you, with that kind of mind and attitude, would be of great use for this country, especially during this war."

His words made her chest swirl with pride. Not even Doctor Edwards, who is an amazing mentor, couldn't make her feel this way. "Well, thank you for the encouraging words Professor Erskine, but I don't think a young woman with barely a psychology degree can do much to help in this war."

She gave a sad smile, then returned to her dinner. Abraham's mood didn't falter, he admired the young woman before him, slowly nodding his head. "Your time will come, Ms. Fredericks. I promise."

A/N: So, it's starting to pick up just a little bit. Like I said in the previous chapter, the first few chapters of this story is buildup. However, we get a glimpse into her relationship with Howard, and she got to meet Abraham. I think some of you will be able to piece together how she gets involved with Project Rebirth. If not, don't worry you'll find out later. From my outline, we have only one more chapter of buildup and then we'll be right in The First Avenger. Hope you all are excited! A review would be much appreciated!