I would also like to apologize for any inaccuracies when it comes to how I describe certain customs/greetings within the military. I did as much research as I could but I'm not perfect.

Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel. All originals characters are of my own creation.

"I do hereby establish a Women's Army Auxiliary Corps for non-combatant service with the Army of the United States for the purpose of further making available to the national defense the knowledge, skill, and special training of the women of this Nation." - President Roosevelt

June 1942

….

Dearest Joe,

I am not sure whether the news has reached your base yet. President Roosevelt has established an auxiliary corps that will allow women to serve in the military. The point of this letter is more than to share this news with you. I have signed up with the auxiliary corps to start training as a first officer. My training starts in only a few weeks. Knowing how you are, you are probably worried about me getting involved with this war. You don't need to worry, the women in this auxiliary will not see any combat. You may be wondering why I chose to enlist, I simply wanted to serve my country as you are currently doing. Before leaving, you told me to keep myself focused on my work and school. While I tried my best to honor this wish, I simply couldn't do it. I felt the need to do more. And when the corps was established, I had to enlist. I couldn't simply stand by while you were risking everything. I believe it also brought me a small sense of comfort knowing that me being enlisted would help you in a small way. Please, I ask that you don't worry about me. I promise that I am well and safe. And, perhaps, this will help to bring you home sooner.

With love,

Addie

When July rolled around, Addie said goodbye to her family and left for Fort de Moines. The training camp was crowded with hundreds of other women when she arrived. She wouldn't admit it to anyone, however, it was a little scary. She was all on her own, with unfamiliar faces surrounding her. Despite her initial hesitation, Addie and the rest of the women were thrown into basic training. Since she had signed on to train as First Officer, Addie and the other candidates were trained separately from the other recruits. It was grueling. Their trainers didn't hold back. Some days, Addie was able to handle it, then there were other times when she felt like breaking down. She felt as if her resolve was being torn down when it was supposed to strengthen with this kind of training.

As days turned into weeks, Addie became accustomed to the constant barrage from her trainers. She felt her personality become hardened. That comes with having to obey various strict customs. She found herself often exhausted because of it. The only solace she had were in the form of letters from home. She wrote to her parents whenever she could, their replies would be the one bright point in her week. Each response was nearly the same-that they missed her and wished that they could visit her. And, whenever she could, Addie would write a few letters to Joe. As she thought, his initial reaction of hearing about her recruitment was one of surprise and worry. But with each letter she wrote to him, his worry would slowly dissipate.

By August 19th, Addie had completed her training. She was then stationed at a new WAAC camp located at Fort Devens, Massachusetts. There, she and the other First Officers got to work with taking over basic training. Despite how rigorous the training was, Addie found that it brought her much closer to the other women. To the point where she had befriended a few of them, even though they were all first officers, Addie enjoyed being their company. It was enough to take her mind off the fact that she was thousands of miles away from home and Joe would be shipped out soon to fight in this godforsaken war.

By October, Addie had been well emersed into her official duties.

Again, the only solace she had came in the form of letters that were given out during breakfast. One such letter came as a surprise. Addie had retrieved her breakfast and settled down at her designated table. One of the mailroom technicians had approached her.

"Private Fredericks," she handed over a letter, which Addie took with much confusion.

"Thank you," Addie waited until the technician had left before opening the letter. It was from Howard. Curious.

….

Dear Addie,

I'm sorry that this is my first time writing since you've left for training. Things have been hectic with work. I've made significant progress on my latest prototype. When this war is over, I'll take you through the many changes, I think you'll find it rather interesting.

I do hope you are well. Things have been rather quiet since your departure. I think Joan misses you quite a bit. She visits me several times a week, mostly to talk. We both know how she is. Joan wouldn't dare to tell you that, but I believe she feels alone without you being at home. If you have time, I do believe you should write to her again. Every letter she receives from you always puts her into a better mood.

Your parents are fine as well. They miss you dearly, especially your mother. She hates the thought of her daughter having any part in this war. I've done everything I can to ease her mind to little success. The only thing we all can do is hope that this war will be over with soon.

Take care of yourself, Addie.

Howard

….

Addie smiled. Then, she folded up the letter and stashed it into her pocket, making a mental note to write a letter for Joan later. After breakfast, Addie went to work on her assigned duties. She checked in with the filter board-no aircraft had been spotted which was good, especially when it came to enemy crafts. Addie made the report for her superiors and dropped it off at their main office.

As Addie headed for her barracks, she was approached by another officer with a letter. It was a little late in the day for letters. But the young officer stated it was misplaced during sorting that morning. Addie nodded her thanks and brought the letter to her barracks. She was surprised to see that the letter was from Erskine. Addie tore open the letter and began to read.

….

Addie,

I may be the last person you expected a letter from. Howard notified me that you had enlisted and accepted as a First Officer. Congratulations, that is a wonderful accomplishment. While we have only known each other for a short time, I can say that I am very proud of you. Your decision to enlist is quite admirable. And I do hope that you are well. I can only imagine being involved with this war is rather hectic.

I have been thinking about our first conversation back in March of this year. I said that with your intelligence and determination, you would be of great use during this difficult time. And I was right in saying so. You are a First Officer, working with other women to help bring an end to this war. I know that your decision will bring forth a much bigger outcome for yourself. I can promise you that.

Take care of yourself and I look forward to seeing you again.

Abraham Erskine

October 1942

….

Addie was at her desk in her private barracks. She was finishing up a letter to her sister that she hoped to deliver to the mailroom soon. She had just signed her name at the bottom when an officer entered the barracks and approached her.

"Officer Fredericks," the young woman greeted. "Ma'am, you have been asked to come to Sergeant's office."

Addie looked up, her hand still holding onto the pen. "Why?"

"He didn't say, ma'am. Only that he needs you there as soon as possible."

Addie glanced down at the letter, then folded it and placed it into an envelope. She quickly wrote out the proper information, then stood from her seat. "Could you please deliver this to the mailroom?" she asked and handed the letter over to the officer.

"Yes, ma'am."

"Thank you," Addie fixed her jacket, then marched out of the barracks.

With fall approaching, daylight became much shorter and nights became a lot cooler. Addie balled her hands into fists in an attempt to keep them warm. It had been a long and tiring day. She hoped that this would be over with quickly, that way she may retreat to her barracks for much-needed sleep. Her feet sank into the damp soil as she arrived at the designated location. Cursing under her breath, she ignored the mud stains on her shoes and strode into the cabin. The main room was empty, save for one person, the head Sergeant, who was standing at the far end of the room outside of their office.

"Officer Fredericks," he greeted.

Addie nodded at him, then straightened into a more casual pose. "Sir, may I ask why you wanted to see me?"

"It's not me who wants to see you," he opened the door to his office, then motion for her to enter.

Addie did so, but with great hesitation. If he didn't want to see her, then who did? When she entered, the Sergeant closed the door behind her. Addie looked ahead to find a much older man sitting at the desk. When she took a better look at him, she noticed his eagle insignia on his collar. He was a Colonel. Her eyes widened at this information but she was caught off guard when he met her gaze.

"Officer Fredericks, I'm glad you're able to make it, I'm Colonel Chester Phillips," he rose from his seat, she took a few timid steps forward and nodded.

Addie secured her hands in front of her, while simultaneously, pinching the inside of her palm to try and calm herself. "If you don't mind me asking sir, but why is it you wanted to see me?"

"Well," Phillips sat back down in his chair, his hands going to mess with a bunch of files in front of him. "It's more so that someone else wanted to see you."

Her head ticked to the side, mouth agape in confusion. "I'm sorry sir, what do you mean?"

A door in the corner of the room, behind Phillips, opened and Abraham Erskine entered. That took her mind for a spin. The man saw Addie and his face lit up with a smile, "Ah, Miss Fredericks, it is so wonderful to see you again."

"Uh," she must have looked like a fish out of water with how wide open her mouth was. What the hell was going on? "Professor Erskine, uh, what are you doing here?"

"Oh," Abraham cast a quick glance over at Phillips before looking back at her. "I've come here with the Colonel to see you."

"Oh, but why me?"

"If you would Officer, please take a seat," Phillips pointed at the chair in front of the desk.

She couldn't hide the confusion she was feeling, the expectant look on both Erskine and Phillips' faces were a testament to that. While the presence of the Colonel was worrying, Erskine being here made Addie throw away the possibility that she was in trouble for something. Surely if she was, Erskine wouldn't be needed here… would he? Regardless, to prevent the Colonel from getting agitated with her, Addie took her seat and gave both of them her attention.

"I can only surmise that this is all confusing for you," Phillips said, he saw the way her lips twitched at the corners, solidifying his assumption. He merely smirked, then continued. "We are here because we believe that you can be of great service to this country, and I'm not talking about your time here." He gestured all around them, meaning this specific camp. "No, we are here because we need your help."

"My help?" She asked, then laughed at how absurd that sounded to her. It honestly sounded like some kind of joke. But when Phillips and Erskine didn't join in, she went silent. "You really want my help?" The two men nodded. "With what?"

"Unfortunately, due to confidentiality with the U.S. government, we can't divulge the full details to you, that is unless you agree to help us." Phillips tapped his fingers against the desk, waiting for her to respond with...anything.

"I'm sorry sir, but if I don't know what I'm going to be involved in, I'm not sure I want to help." That was a rather bold statement, one that made Phillips' eyebrows raise. She wanted to slap herself in the face. Addie, what are you doing talking to the Colonel like that? In her own embarrassment, she smiled at him, hoping it would show that she didn't mean any disrespect.

However, the Colonel didn't seem offended by it, much to her relief. "It's a top-secret project that Erskine has been helping to develop."

"And you want me to help with this project?"

"Yes."

"Oh, sir, I'm flattered that you would come to me, but I'm not sure what qualifies me to help with a secret government project."

"Trust me," Phillips leaned back in his chair, looking back at Erskine then sighed. "I thought the same exact thing when Erskine brought you up." He saw the way Addie cringed at his statement, then went to make up for it. "This project is nothing like you've ever seen. Erskine has been the head of this project and needs some of the brightest minds to help him achieve it."

"And you, Addie, are one of those people." Erskine, who had been standing quietly in the back, finally jumped in. "What we are trying to achieve, calls for individuals with the purest minds and hearts. And we need to find suitable subjects. And I do believe that if I have you on our team, we'll be able to make this a success."

"I still don't understand."

"Your work with Doctor James Edwards," Erskine clarified. "Your excellent work in school. I've met with Doctor Edwards and your professor, they had nothing but great things to say about you. Your work ethic is astounding, your attention to detail and most of all, your intelligence. You have excelled marvelously in your field of study."

"Not to mention your record in the military," Phillips opened up the files that had been sitting on the desk. "Adaptability, one of the highest graded in your squadron, excellent combat skills, marksmanship, oh and again, strong attention to detail. You're one of their best First Officers."

Oh, she couldn't help but smile. Being in the military often didn't bring her such nice compliments. At least it was written down in her file. "Again, Colonel Phillips, Professor Erskine, I'm humbled that you thought of me but I'm just a young woman with barely a psychology degree, I'm not qualified for this."

"You won't be the only one making the important decisions," Phillips said. "You will be working with Erskine, myself, and a few other individuals, we will be making the decisions together. It took a lot of convincing on Erskine's part, but I do hope that you will agree and help us."

Addie went to argue against his statement, thinking that she wasn't qualified. The last thing Addie wanted was to screw up something these people have been working hard on. She wouldn't be able to forgive herself if she did.

"Before you say anything else," Phillips interrupted. "Do you know someone who enlisted, who will be fighting in this war soon."

Her mouth snapped shut and she slowly nodded her head.

"With your help, if we're able to make this project a success, we'll be able to end the war early and all those men will come home."

That got her attention. This top-secret project could end the war early. That means Joe wouldn't' have to fight, at least not for long. It could save his life. He'll come home. And they could get married and start their family. It's something they both have wanted, something they've talked about for over a year. She could have that sooner than she thinks. All she has to do is help them. "And you're sure that you want my help."

Again, the two men nodded.

If it meant that the war would be over and Joe could come home, what reason did she have not to help them with this? A few more minutes of silence, Addie inhaled a deep breath and then nodded her head. "Okay, I'll help you."

A/N: Sorry for the wait for this chapter! But I do hope you all enjoy it and I hope it won't take me a long time to update again! If you could, leaving a review would be much appreciated!