So I was so focused on writing the latest chapter (I'm a few ahead of this one), that I completely forgot I needed to update. My apologies for the lateness, but I'm here now. Also, I'm aware there's a bit of a cliffhanger at the end, so I promise to try my hardest to really update on Friday... Reviews help keep my muse working! (And no, I'm not holding chapters hostage, I just love hearing from you all!).

Song for this chapter is "A Hero Comes Home" as performed by Alan Silvestri and Robin Wright (It's from the OST of Beowulf... the short version of the song).

A Hero Comes Home

No matter what, we all keep trying to find our way home.

I was working in the infirmary (light duty, I'd just returned that day, after being in bed with an awful cold for two days... or at least that was the excuse Labriola had come up with when, after coming down from the rush of adrenaline, and with the way I'd pushed myself past my limits, I found myself unable to so much as get out of bed). It wasn't too bad, I'd managed to heal a lot of people, all who weren't beyond saving by the time I reached them (and some who were). There was no one truly critical left in the infirmary, and if the nurses were claiming that this or that soldier was still bad off, it was mostly so as not to make the sudden recovery of so many seem suspicious, and to give a few of the men a bit of time off.

I was doing some paperwork on a desk in a corner when a sudden spike in emotions, negative ones, made me react before I was fully conscious of it. It was odd, I'd been feeling nothing but happiness, some of it tinged with sarcasm, but mostly joy. I knew that there was a show going on, for the survivors of the attack (someone had apparently decided that the soldiers deserved to enjoy the sight of the dancing girls). Still, that did not explain the negative emotions...

I reached the main tent in time to unwillingly end up listening in on a heated argument.

"What about the others? Are you planning a rescue mission?"

It actually took me a couple of seconds to realize who it was I was hearing. I'd forgotten that the dancing girls being in the base meant so was 'Captain America'. Since I'd still been in bed when they'd arrived, and then spent all day working, it was probably unsurprising that I hadn't seen him yet, but still.

"Yeah! It's called winning the war." Col. Phillips replied bluntly.

"But if you know where they are, why not at least...?" Rogers insisted.

"They're thirty miles behind the lines." Phillips seemed to be trying to explain to him. "Through the most heavily fortified territory in Europe. We'd lose more men than we'd save. But I don't expect you to understand that, because you're a chorus girl."

That was bellow the belt, and I was quite sure even the Colonel knew it. Still, it was not my battle to fight, but Roger's... and I knew he would do it. He was ready... he had to be.

"I think I understand just fine." There was a hint of something behind Rogers seemingly careless words; yes he most definitely understood, and he was ready.

"Well then understand it somewhere else." Phillips snapped. "If I read the posters correctly, you got some place to be in thirty minutes."

"Yes, sir. I do."

I met him, as well as Peggy Carter, as she followed him out of the tent.

"Mr. Rogers." I greeted him politely.

"Mrs. Serrure." He nodded in return.

"Please, call me Arianna." I murmured.

"Did you need me for something, ma'am?" He inquired.

"My husband left this morning, with a group of volunteers, to check the area where the battle was fought," and lost... I'd rather not focus on that part. "They were hopeful they might find some more survivors."

Luke was actually hopeful that Sif might have been able to rescue at least a few, and they'd be brought back; there was a chance that that might be the push Phillips needed to execute a rescue I knew, basically, what had happened, that there had been a rescue (a little over two hundred men of various nationalities), but there were such wildly different stories about the events of those days, it was impossible to know for sure how things had happened, what had pushed that rescue into taking place. Some said that Rogers had asked for a chance to prove himself, others that he'd gone even against orders, a few more that Phillips had sent him against the wishes of his own superiors, and I'd even heard once that Phillips had just wanted to get rid of him and thus sent him into a 'suicide mission' hoping to get rid of him. Of course, there was only one person still alive in my time who might have known the answer to that question, and I'd never thought to ask him (then again, it's not like I actually planned to get thrown 75 years back in time!).

"I just thought you should know." I added with a shrug.

"Think he'll find Sia?" Peggy asked right then.

"Sia...? Sia Serrure?" Rogers obviously hadn't been expecting that. "Your sister-in-law was captured as well."

"Well..." I swallowed, making a split-second decision. "Not exactly." I looked around, making sure no one would overhear us. "It was her choice to stay behind."

"What...?!" Peggy hadn't known that either.

"Sorry." I apologizes sheepishly to her. "Didn't mean to lie to you Peggy, Luke just thought it was safer if no one knew. Luke had to come back with the other soldiers, but Sia was well enough, and she chose to stay, to follow the enemy and see if she could find where the prisoners were being taken. Possibly even a way to get them out. We're hopeful..."

"So, your husband is leading a rescue?" Steve wanted to know.

"No." I hated having to disillusion him. "Phillips wouldn't allow that. But we hope that once Sia gets back with that information, Phillips will allow for a rescue..."

"He won't do it." Peggy shook her head, almost regretfully. "You know he won't, Arianna... Phillips is too focused on the big picture. He won't care about saving a few soldiers... so matter what kind of intel Sia might bring him."

"Well, he should!" Rogers snapped.

Seemingly making his mind about something he turned around and began walking away. In seconds he was climbing a jeep; Peggy and I looked at each other in shock for a couple of seconds before hurrying after him. We reached him just before he started it.

"Wait!" I called, though I wasn't quite sure what to say to actually stop it... or if I even wanted to.

After all, if it was his destiny to go, and his choice (that was the most important part) shouldn't I just let him do it? On the other hand, what if he wasn't supposed to go? What if I was supposed to stop him? In the end, it wasn't my choice to make.

"What do you plan to do?" Peggy demanded. "Walk to Austria?"

"If that's what it takes." And he really sounded like he'd do it if he had to.

"You heard the Colonel, your friend is most likely dead." Peggy tried to reason with him.

"You don't know that." Steve shook his head.

"Even so, he's devising a strategy to take..." She began, though it didn't sound like she truly believe it herself.

"By the time he's done that, it could be too late!" Steve actually snapped for a moment. "You told me you thought I was meant for more than this. Did you mean that?"

"Every word." There really was no doubt in her (not in her voice, or her aura).

"Then you gotta let me go." He told her, softly but purposefully.

"I can do more than that." Peggy offered.

"Howard!" I blurted out at the same time.

Peggy nodded at me. We'd obviously had the same idea. Steve, of course, had no idea what we meant, but there was no time. So we just pulled at him, explaining on the way.

xXx

Hours later Luke arrived, along with the small number of volunteers, and a couple of soldiers who'd apparently managed to survive and avoid capture (probably playing dead). They were in awful conditions, but still alive; which was probably what truly mattered. However, there was something I focused on more: Sia's absence.

"She wasn't there." My Maverick explained to me. "I couldn't find a trace. I'm confident that she's not perished..."

"We'd know if she were dead." I agreed with him.

Since the recovery of our memories from my time as Tinúviel we'd both become very close to Sif; just like we'd been back then. The best of friends, almost siblings.

"Regardless, she might be captured, or simply stalking the enemy, waiting for a chance." He went on thoughtfully.

"I choose to believe it's the latter." I decided. "And the opportunity is on its way right now."

"What do you mean?" He'd been so focused on the mission he hadn't taken a glimpse into my head all day.

"Rogers found out about what happened, a few hours ago." I explained. "Apparently a good friend of him was with the 107th. A Sergeant Barnes..."

"James Barnes, goes by Bucky..." My love nodded. "I remember him. Good soldier, loyal, always talking about his little brother, back in Brooklyn..."

"Well, it'd seem his brother is no longer in Brooklyn, nor, exactly, what most would consider little..." I quipped, unable to help myself.

"Phillips's not gonna like this." Luke muttered, as if only then realizing that.

"No, he won't." I agreed. "He'll probably want Peggy's head on a pike, and Howard's..."

"He won't touch Howard, the army needs him... he's their main weapon's developer and producer right now." He murmured soberly. "Peggy on the other hand..."

"The world needs Peggy." I pointed out.

Even if there was nothing we could do, if things were destined to go as I remembered from the history books, with Captain America and his lady love forever separated by time and the cruelness of fate... even then, Steve needed her in his life. She was one of the people who'd shape Captain America into the hero the world would remember for decades... or had shaped him? It got confusing! Living in the past, knowing things that hadn't yet passed... Still, the point remained.

"Then we'll make sure she'll be safe." My love decided.

I nodded in agreement. It was a promise. Peggy Carter might not know it, but she'd earned our friendship, our trust, and our loyalty... perhaps that might make some difference in the end.

xXx 3rd Person POV xXx

Steve Rogers had been forced to walk for several hours, in the dark night, trying to be very careful so as not to be discovered, and with nothing but the stars to guide him in what he hoped was the right direction (he'd only gotten a quick look at Col. Phillips's map, after all).

He'd just reached a spot from where he could see the lights coming from the factory, when he heard a voice speaking to him from above.

"Well, well, well... what have we here..." The female voice drawled.

Rogers actually froze in shock for a second, giving an involuntary step backwards when the figure dropped from a branch on the tree closest to him, to stand right before him.

"Miss Serrure..." He barely managed to keep his voice to a somewhat loud whisper.

"Please, it's Sia..." She told him with a smile. "I believe I told you that back in Brooklyn. Miss Serrure... is way to stuffy for me..."

Also, Sif was completely unused to surnames. She hadn't had a family name since her father had pretty much disavowed her, after she'd insisted on becoming a warrior, rather than accepting her place as another of the 'golden ladies' of Asgard (like her mother, and her sisters...). It'd been a hard choice to make, no doubt about it, but by that point Sif had already fought too hard, gone too far, to back down (she'd actually participated in the annual tournament, where gifted amateurs were chosen to be trained by the best among the Einherjar; she'd won, and prince Loki of all people had taken her directly to Val, the quartermaster).

In any case, she knew that the name Serrure was necessary, it was part of the facade they had created for themselves upon arrival to the past; that didn't change how much not-used to it all she was. The name Sia at least was familiar to her, it was the one she'd use in the past, whenever she happened to join Loki and Tinúviel in their trips to Midgard (those two had also had aliases of their own: Serrure and Rossi -short for rossignol-).

"So, where are the troops?" Sif asked him, though a part of her already suspected the answer.

"I'm afraid I'm all there is, ma'am." He shrugged a bit sheepishly at her as he said it. "It was decided that any significant group would call too much attention and only bring more danger to the prisoners. Also, the possible casualties were considered unacceptable."

"You don't have to sugar-coat it, you know?" She said quietly, an understanding hand high on his arm. "Phillips, or his own superiors, they decided not to send anyone. That's not exactly a surprise, considering the situation. Still, I'm glad you decided to come. I can work with this..."

"Excuse me...?" Steve obviously wasn't expecting that.

"Well, you don't think I'll just stand here and let you go into enemy territory all alone, do you?" It was a rhetoric question, so she didn't wait for him to even try to answer. "Besides, I've been here for two days now, and have done an in-depth research of the place..." She cut her off, deciding to get to the point. "I know the way in."

Steve probably wouldn't know for sure what made him decide to accept that. With anyone else, he'd have insisted she turn back, get away as far as possible before anyone realized he was there. Even with Peggy (or maybe it was, specially with Peggy); but Sia was different; even if they were both women, both strong (both agents) there was something about Sia Serrure that told the young blonde that she understood war in a way few people did, in ways that went beyond the knowledge gained from a book, or even the battlefield, as if war were in her own blood (and maybe Steve was getting too poetic for the time and place, but still).

Neither of them said a single word more, Steve following Sia quietly through the last few trees and right into enemy territory. His last conscious thought before instinct took over a quiet prayer that Howard and Peggy might not be getting in too much trouble because of him.

xXx Nightingale's POV xXx

Howard and Peggy arrived shortly before dawn, alone, of course. Luke and I did everything we could to keep Phillips from finding out what had happened. And even the dancing girls had done their best to help us; but, of course, eventually he realized. Not only where Rogers was, exactly, but also who'd taken him there. It was bad.

Phillips didn't wait quite 24 hours before deciding there was no way Steve could have survived. It's not like he didn't try, he'd sent pilots out, and even a few volunteers as scouts, none of them had been able to find any sign of him. Though I still thought he was giving up much too soon.

"Senator Brandt, I regret to report that Captain Steven G. Rogers went missing behind enemy lines on the third." He was dictating a letter to one of his subordinates. "Aerial reconnaissance has proven unfruitful. As a result, I must declare Captain Rogers... killed in action. Period."

I had a few choice words to say to him about his rather obvious lack of hope and, some might say, faith... but was interrupted by the arrival of none other than Peggy.

"The last surveillance flight is back." She announced evenly, settling some reports down before Phillips. "No sign of activity."

Phillips sent the corporal away before turning to Peggy (I was quite sure he'd have sent me away too, if he'd thought for even a second I'd listen... though by then he'd already learnt that I simply didn't work for him).

"I can't touch Stark. He's rich." He stated in a tone that was somewhere in between nonchalant and almost threatening. "And he's the Army's number one weapons' contractor. You are neither."

"With respect, sir, I don't regret my actions." Peggy replied, rather calmly. "And I don't think Captain Rogers did, either."

"What makes you think I give a damn about your opinions?" Phillips practically snapped. "I took a chance with you, Agent Carter, and now America's golden boy and a lot of other good men are dead' cause you had a crush!"

"It wasn't that." Peggy honestly didn't seem bothered at all by his words, she remained calm through it all. "I had faith..."

She had faith on someone, instinctively, even against all odds... that was a sentiment I could empathize with.

"Well, I hope that's a big comfort to you when they shut this division down." Phillips insisted.

For a brief moment I wondered what he'd think, were he to know that over seven decades later their organization would still exist... granted, SHIELD wasn't exactly the same thing as the SSR... but they were connected enough, the SSR being/having been one of the 'mother agencies' to SHIELD. I didn't actually get the chance to ponder on that for long, as a sudden rush of elation filled me.

Every inch of my body could feel it. It came so fast I almost gasped in shock. And then the shouting and cheering began:

"What the hell's going on out there?!" Phillips demanded as he stalked out of the tent.

I chose to stay at the back, letting Phillips and Peggy make their way through the soldiers that had gathered together to receive the newly arrived group. Captain Rogers, Sergeant Barnes and Sia were standing at the front of that group.

"Some of these men need medical attention." Sia pointed out.

"Girls!" I called automatically. "We've got wounded!"

In an instant the nurses were walking out of the infirmary and to the nearest wounded soldiers. Though most refused to move until the formalities were over.

"I'd like to surrender myself for disciplinary action." Steve stated formally.

"That won't be necessary." Phillips stated evenly.

He was no fool, he must have known the crowd would have never allowed that, not after the miracle Rogers had managed to pull.

"Yes sir." Steve bowed his head respectfully.

"And what are we going to do about you?" Phillips turned to Sia next.

"I don't see why you would do anything about me." Sia drawled.

"You ignored orders, refused to return to base..." Phillips began.

"I must remind you, Col. Phillips, I'm not, technically, one of your subordinates." Sia told him evenly. "I am here to help, but I'm not a soldier you can order around. And regarding my choices and actions... I did what was necessary to ensure good men survived. I do not regret it."

"She was awesome!" Several men began calling, loudly. "A goddess!"

"No!" A man with what sounded almost like a northern accent, called. "Nothing so plain as a goddess, the lady is a Valkyrie!"

I was almost sure there was a tinge of hysteria in Sif's laughter right then, and it wasn't surprising because, really, what were the chances of that man calling her by her very title? Still, there was no way he could know the truth, it was simply an extraordinary coincidence.

The comments went on though, some talking about the things Captain America had done, but a few were talking about Sia, about her own actions...

Phillips move was sudden and violent, as he drew his gun and pointed it at my dear sister. Sif's reaction was immediate, she was moving before the Colonel had finished his own motion; he hadn't quite managed to aim before the gun was already in her hands, having been twisted out of his in a move too fast for anyone except maybe Steve, and my own family, to follow.

Phillips didn't seem angry at her actions; in fact, it seemed like he'd actually been expecting for exactly that to happen...

"I was lead to believe that Rogers was the only success of Erskine's experiments." Col Phillips said rather bluntly.

"I am not an experiment." Sia almost hissed. "And for that matter, neither is Steve, he's a lot more than what that serum made him..."

"Still, there is only one super-soldier registered..." Phillips insisted.

"That's because I was never subjected to any of that." Sia cut him off. "I am what I am, what I've always been. What you need to understand here, Colonel, is that I was born like this. No one made me into what I am, no one but myself."

"I see..."

I doubted he did, but at least it didn't seem like he'd be insisting on the matter. Really, the last thing we needed was for the world to go crazy over there being two super soldiers... one was shocking enough, I wasn't sure the world could take two. And there was no way we were explaining Norse gods, Asgard and the Nine Realms to the 1940s human-race. They'd hardly been ready for that in 2011 (some might argue they still weren't ready, not even in 2016, but they'd found out, so it was a moot point).

Phillips turned away from Steve and Sia then, only stopping before Peggy briefly.

"Faith, huh?" He muttered, it sounded actually rhetorical.

Peggy didn't reply to him, instead she went straight to Steve, where she began berating him... something about being late. I wasn't paying attention. And then came Barnes own words:

"Hey!" He called loudly. "Lets hear it for Captain America!"

"And the Valkyrie!" Someone else added.

The cheering that followed would have blown the roof... if we'd been inside a building. As it was, I felt almost drunk on everyone's joy an excitement.

And so it began. In the following days the dancing girl's tour was officially canceled, and Captain America was given an official promotion and put at the front of the team that would be taking down HYDRA, one base at a time. Phillips had wanted to create the team himself, formed by the soldiers he considered to be the best, Steve declined, creating his own team, out of some of the men he'd saved: the Howling Commandos. Sia, publicly known as the Valkyrie, was also part of the team. Luke and Peggy, while not official Commandos, were part of it as well.

It was the start of something new, something that would change the world...

xXx 3rd Person POV xXx

Agent Sia Serrure, dressed in her 'agent' suit, with her favorite leather jacket on top for good measure, snorted quietly into her drink as the loud-singing from Captain America's (increasingly inebriated) new team reached her ears. She'd chosen to have her own drinks away from them after she began getting a few disbelieving looks at the quantity and speed with which she drank (of course, they had no idea that Sia was in fact Sif, Aesir Goddess of War... and how hard it would be for her to ever get drunk on midgardian alcohol).

The actual surprise had been when Sergeant Bucky Barnes had chosen to join her. He'd eyed her mug (she'd lost count of just how many she'd drunk that night), but didn't say a word; instead toasting her in a heartfelt tone before drinking heavily from his own. She knew that Steve Rogers had told him about her own actions, and how they'd helped with his rescue. The soldier being unable to face her with that knowledge and actually thank her for her actions wasn't exactly surprising (nor the first time it happened to her); and it wasn't like she needed the thanks or the recognition. A commendation had been added to her file, and she was supposed to return to the States to receive a medal, along with the Captain... however, they'd both decided they'd rather stay in Europe and continue helping with the war.

And so they'd come to where they were in that moment, with Steve explaining to his new team what he was planning. And the fact that she was part of said team.

"See?" Bucky called to his old friend as he joined them. "I told you, they're all idiots."

Steve shook his head at his best friend, his almost-brother, before turning to Sia:

"And I told you they'd have no problem with you being part of the team..." Steve commented, then revised. "I think Jim and Gabe might actually be relieved to know that the 'Valkyrie' is joining us on the missions."

Sia snorted, that nickname had apparently stuck, people were beginning to address her by it, rather than Agent Serrure... though that might also be to differentiate her from the other Agent Serrure, her brother Luke...

"Think that's part of them being idiots too?" She asked Bucky in a drawl as she raised her mug to take a swing.

"No, I think that might be the only smart thought in their heads." Bucky deadpanned.

Sia opened her mouth once, then closed it again, choosing to drink instead of trying to come up with something to say; truth was, she could think of nothing at all. She had no idea if that was supposed to be a joke, though it sounded like he meant it... which was exactly why she'd rather not say anything at all.

"How about you?" Steve asked his best friend. "Are you ready to follow Captain America into the jaws of death?"
"Hell, no." The Sergeant's answer actually froze both Steve and Sia for a second, until he went on. "That little guy from Brooklyn who was too dumb not to run away from a fight... I'm following him."

That made them all smile. Sia knew the two of them were best friends, had been for many years. She also knew there were things her sister in law, Arianna, knew, thanks to her studies... and many that no one knew, and might never know, for they were too personal. From the moment they'd landed in the middle of nowhere, and about three quarters of a century in the past, Sif had been asking herself the same question (or variations thereof) Why? All the Hows in the universe were irrelevant when compared to that question. Why? Why had they been thrown into the past? If the Norns watched over the Fates of the universe, they wouldn't allow such a trip, unless it was supposed to happen, possibly even needed to a point... why?

The raven-haired woman was distracted from her brooding when she picked up on the sudden silence. Even the drunken soldiers had stopped their crazy singing. And then she saw the reason: Agent Peggy Carter had just entered the bar, wearing a simple but quite fetching red dress, and no one could miss the fact that she had eyes only for Steve...

"Captain." She called, somewhat stoically.

"Agent Carter." He greeted her respectfully.

"Ma'am." Bucky murmured, somewhat at a loss by the situation.

Sia could have snorted, at the amount of attention Peggy paid him... which was none at all.

"Howard has some equipment for you to try." Peggy informed Steve. "Tomorrow morning?"
"Sounds good." Steve nodded in agreement.

The part of him that was still the Steve Rogers of old (the small, scrawny kid) could remember the Stark Expo he'd been to, before Bucky had joined the army, before he'd become 'Captain America'; he remembered the flying car (even if it didn't do so for more than a few seconds). At the heart of it, Howard Stark was an inventor, and Steve couldn't wait to see what he'd come up with for Steve and the new Howling Commandos to use.

"I see your top squad is prepping for duty." Peggy commented, and while there was certainly a tone of chastisement to her tone, there was also a hint of humor beneath that.

"You don't like music?" Bucky spoke up, trying to make conversation.

"I do, actually." Even as she answered, Peggy's eyes never strayed from Steve. "I might even, when this is all over, go dancing."

"Then what are we waiting for?" And Bucky kept trying.
"The right partner." There was little doubt of who exactly she considered to be that partner.

The comment hung in the air for several seconds, as if Peggy... as if the whole universe were holding its breath, waiting for something... which never happened.

"0800, Captain." She stated crisply before turning around and leaving.
"Yes, ma'am. I'll be there." Steve called to her retreating form.

Sia really wanted to smack herself, or maybe just smack him (and she could do it), could the boy be any more oblivious?

"I'm invisible." Bucky blurted out unexpectedly. "No, I... I'm turning into you. It's, it's like a horrible dream."

Sia chuckled into her drink at that. Granted, she'd never seen Steve before he'd been 'improved' (she'd been on another part of the building, working on a different matter, until the explosion happened, but by the time she'd rushed to the scene it was already too late).

"Don't take it so hard. Maybe she's got a friend." Steve quipped.

"Oh, and wouldn't you guess?" She'd no idea what made her speak up, Sia just followed her instincts and did it. "I'm actually Peggy's friend!"

For a moment Bucky honestly looked like a deer caught in the headlights, so much the raven-haired agent decided to cut him some slack and change the topic.

"And you," She turned to Steve. "Could you be any more... stupid?"

She was going to call him blind, possibly oblivious, she honestly was, but in the end it just came out like that; and it wasn't like she wasn't thinking it.

"What...?!" Steve obviously wasn't expecting that.

Bucky let out a loud guffaw.

"Do you honestly think that woman came all the way here, in that dress, only to tell you to be at some meeting tomorrow morning?" There was honest disbelief in Sia's tone as she said that. "If that had been all they could have sent someone else, anyone else..."

"But I... she... I... she said..." The 'super soldier' was honestly speechless in that moment.

"And the dress!" Sia insisted. "It's a sin for someone to dress up like that and not to be asked to dance, at least once!"

She was probably exaggerating by that point, but it was just so much fun! Who would have thought a man like Steve could get that particular shade of red... a part of her mind wondered how far that blush went, the other part reminded her she wasn't actually attracted to Steve Rogers; not like there was anything wrong with him (aside from the fact that one of Sia's few friends had already set her sight on him), he just wasn't her type: too sweet, too... good. She liked her men darker, both in looks and in disposition (not cruel, just a bit... wild).

"She said she would dance when the war was over." Steve tried to excuse himself.

Sia wasn't the only one snorting at that.

"We might all be dead by the time this war is over." Bucky said, somewhat bluntly.

It was crude, though, as Sif well knew, painfully true.

"I'm not trying to mock you Steve." She said, voice kinder, quieter. "But you cannot keep your life on hold, waiting for the 'right time'... because that time might never come... and there's nothing worse in life than regrets."

Steve didn't answer, though Sia believed he looked thoughtful and might actually be taking her words to heart. She honestly hoped so because, knowing what she did (which, granted, wasn't much), Steve would still be alive over seventy years from that day... she'd no idea how that would come to happen exactly, had never thought to ask, but the point was, he'd most definitely be there, and the chances of either Bucky or Peggy being... well, he didn't deserve to have to live with such regrets for however long his life might actually last.

Steve left shortly after that, and at first Sia expected Bucky to do the same; instead he finished the last of his beer, and then turned to her.

"Would the lady let me buy her another one?" He offered in a very gallant tone.

Sia looked down at the mug in her hands, only then realizing it was empty. She'd no idea how many she'd had; and the same could be said about the man beside her, for that matter; though he didn't seem any more drunk than she. In the end she decided to take her own advice and she offered her mug over with a smile.

"Sure, why not?" Why not indeed...

xXx Nightingale's POV xXx

It wasn't quite eight o'clock yet and I was doing some paperwork. Hakon was sitting before a desk in a corner, doing some math exercises. My husband had just stepped into the little office, carrying what looked like several more inches of paperwork, when we both heard the soft boom of an explosion somewhere in the building. I had no doubt that my brother was involved; yet that wasn't my focus, not really, as a second later we could all feel the wave of power as it expanded.

"Is that...?" I couldn't quite believe it.

My love didn't reply, but the fact that he pretty much dropped all the papers before taking off at a run was enough confirmation. After giving a quick order for my boy to stay in that office, I rushed after him.

*That feels a bit too much like the Tesseract.* I started a mental conversation as we moved.

*It's not, not directly.* He replied. *But, as I'm sure you must realize, there's a connection.*

*Like with the weapons SHIELD created... will create.* I began, then revised.

We got to the area where my brother's labs were located, in time to see a technician helping first Howard and then his new assistant, back on his feet.

"What did you just do Howard?" I asked even as I went to stand beside him.

It took no time at all to find his wounds, thankfully they were slight and it took me no effort to heal him. Regretfully I couldn't do the same for his assistant; at least the injuries weren't bad.

"Thank you sis." He murmured quietly before adding, louder. "Quinn and I were looking over the little device Rogers brought us from the HYDRA base."

"You were doing more than looking it over Howard." My love pointed out.

"Very little!" Howard defended immediately. "Honestly!"

It was hard to believe him, considering his track record, and yet I could sense his honesty.

"We had it contained, and were using machines to hold the piece up and extract the nucleus." Howard elaborated. "The moment we touched it... it blew!"

"That thing sure packs a punch." Assistant Quinn wheezed as he recovered his bearings. "I have no idea how much TNT it would take to replicate that."

"A serious amount, that's for sure." A technician offered.

"We need to bring this before Col. Phillips." Howard decided. "If HYDRA has many more of this... and according to Rogers, they sure do... we need to do something about it. And fast."

We let them move past us. I didn't quite pay attention as Howard told me to be on the lookout in case Steve arrived before he made it to the main floor; both Luke and I were a bit distracted watching the result of the explosion that had taken place, and while in containment... granted the technologies available in 1943 were nothing compared to what they had in the 2010s, but still.

*HYDRA is making weapons that let out an energy similar to that of the Tesseract.* I summed up. *Most likely because they're using the Cube to make them... much like SHIELD did, or will do. You get my point!*

Luke just nodded. For a brief, wild moment I wondered if there was something we could have done to stop that from happening, to stop Johann Schimdt and HYDRA as a whole from getting their hands on the Tesseract. Or was that supposed to happen?

*We're going to have to be very careful.* Loki murmured quietly into my mind.

*Why?* I didn't understand his sudden attitude.

*You and I have been in contact with a number of Infinity Stones thus far.* He reminded me. *Between the Tesseract, the Mind Staff, the Aether... and then there's the fact that, if our theory holds, we were all in very close contact with the Time Stone... That's four of six stones. There's no way of knowing what might happen if we end up coming in contact with the remaining two. And not just that, while I came in much closer contact to the Cube than you, there's a trace of its energy in you too; there's no way of knowing what will happen if we were to come in contact with the Tesseract of this time. Will it recognize us? Will it react to us? Granted, there's always a chance that nothing at all will happen... but I don't think that's a chance we ought to take.*

I agreed with him wholeheartedly. The situation was already complex enough without adding things like legendary stones into the mix, particularly long before humans were supposed to find out that things like magic, and gods, and other worlds existed.

"Steve's here." My husband announced.

A second later I felt a rather sharp spike of jealousy. I'd no idea what had just happened, but something told me it had involved Steve. Perhaps his obliviousness had finally gotten him into trouble (we all knew that was going to happen sooner or later).

By the time we got to the main room it was too late. Steve had most definitely gotten into trouble with Peggy, as was quite graphically demonstrated when she shot at him repeatedly (more like, at the prototype shield he was trying, but still).

"Oh man," Bucky, who'd apparently arrived just in time to witness it all, called. "Just what did you do to her?"

Steve shrugged helplessly; and, the worst of it, was that he looked like he honestly had no idea...

I also couldn't help but notice that Sia had arrived right with him, after not getting home (or to what passed for home, for the time being) the night before. I had no idea what was going on there exactly, I just knew something was. Still, I could be patient; Sif was a dear friend, she'd tell me in her own time.

xXx

Time passed. A little over a year. During which Captain America and his Howling Commandos took down a great many HYDRA bases. Destroying high-tech weapons, killing enemy soldiers and rescuing prisoners as they went. And while they weren't going against most Nazis, or Hitler's troops, their actions with HYDRA were proving more than enough in the war.

They also gained allies along the way, mostly parts of the army of allied countries. A few they met while in camps, like the friends we'd made while in Italy, others had to be rescued. Like was the case of Miss Cartier, a french singer that had played the part of 'courtesan' a number of times in order to spy on the German and pass on information to the allies. She'd been captured, threatened and nearly tortured for her actions; though, thankfully, the Commandos had gotten to that particular base in time to save her. She was then sent into hiding, along with others.

Many short videos were filmed through those months, recording the campaign that Captain America was leading, with his Howling Commandos, against HYDRA. In each and every one, Sia always made sure that they wouldn't take her face (much like the rest of us had tried very hard not to leave any pictures of ourselves). It'd be easier, rather than having to explain, at some point, why someone in a picture in the 1940s looked identical to us. In her case it also helped that with her extremely short hair (an accident in Howard's lab had burnt a lot of it on her left side, and she was forced to cut the rest to match) and dressed in fatigues and a bulky leather jacket, she could pass as any of the other Commandos when caught from behind.

Luke was always working with Howard to create all kinds of gadgets for the group, while I mostly assisted the medical teams, and would sometimes attend meetings of the higher-ups, to act as interpreter (either when another wasn't available, or when they believed the contents of the meeting to be too important to risk with those they couldn't fully trust).

Through it all I saw Sif in Bucky's company many times (though she always called him James, in a tone that seemed to be hiding a dozen secrets). She never came to me, or to my love about it, and I wasn't sure if that was because, whatever was going on between them, meant nothing to her, or because it meant so much she just wasn't ready to face it.

The plan had been to give her space, give her time to make her own mind. That became next to impossible when January of 1945 came... according to some spies, Arnim Zola would be on a train moving through the mountains. The security was said to be minimal. It was probably the only chance we were going to get to catch the insane scientist and weapon's developer in time to possibly stop HYDRA's master plan.

I also remembered something else, from my (past) studies (in the future). The 'casualty' from the mission, the only Howling Commando to have been lost in the war: Sergeant James Buchanan 'Bucky' Barnes... I didn't know the details, never had (WWII really hadn't been my specialty), but I knew the gist of it. Something would go wrong in the mission, and Bucky would fall off the train, while still in the mountains.

In the past (my past, at least) I hadn't thought much about it. It was the past, history, something that was and couldn't be changed... in that moment I wasn't sure anymore. What if it could be changed? In the end, things weren't so simple anymore, Bucky was no longer just a name, a soldier lost in war... he was a comrade, a friend, the lover of one I called sister in all but blood. He deserved more...

I caught up with Sif before they could all get on board Inanna (she wasn't just part of the team on the field, she was also their pilot in the missions that required it).

"Sia, a word please." I asked her quietly.

She followed he to a corner of the hangar, obviously curious about why I would be calling her. To make sure we wouldn't be overheard I chose to switch languages, to Old Norse:

"Do you love Bucky?" I asked straight out.

She might have actually squeaked at that.

"I'll word it differently, do you care for him?" I said next.

"Very much." She answered, finally, I could sense something in her, or more like the edge of something, something so huge she couldn't fully contain it inside... or maybe it was just the start of it, like the bud of a flower preparing itself to bloom...

"Enough to challenge the Norns for him?" I worded it as carefully as I could, but by the way her eyes widened, I knew she got it.

"How bad?" Even as she asked the question, we both knew the answer was quite obvious.

"According to the registries, only one Howling Commando lost his life during the war." I was dead honest. If she was going to do something about it, she'd need to have all the information I could possibly give her. "It happened... or will happen, tomorrow."

"What?" She demanded. "What happened? What will happen?"

"I don't know..." I began, and when seeing the wildness slipping into her eyes I hurried to add. "I speak the truth, sister! Steve... in the future, he never talks about it. All I know I learnt during my studies. And even then the information was rather scarce. Something went wrong... or will go wrong. All anyone knows for sure is that Bucky fell off that train and down the cliff. His body was never found; and believe me, they tried to find it. No one ever knew if the snow covered it, or something else happened to it. Some say the Captain tried to save him and failed, a few even used to say that he almost died trying to save him, but there was nothing that could be done. In the end, like I told you, very little is actually known, Steve and Bucky were alone, inside the train when it happened, no one else saw anything, aside from Bucky falling..."

And, of course Steve would never talk about that, the day he'd lost his best-friend, his brother...

"Well, then it's quite obvious what I must do." Sif announced with a huff.

I arched a brow, wondering if she was pretending for my sake, or if she truly felt that confidence about her chances defying the Norns over Bucky's fate.

"Is it?" I inquired softly.

"I'm not leaving them alone." She stated simply. "Wherever those two go, I go. They're not leaving me behind this time."

With her being a pilot, and one of those with the most experience, whenever the Commandos needed to be 'dropped' somewhere, Sia would fly them over, as close to the bases as possible, and give them the chance to jump, before flying off. Apparently, she wouldn't be doing that for that particular mission.

"I need to go talk to Howard." She stated, before walking away.

Of course, they'd need another pilot, and I didn't think she'd trust her bird to just anyone... I quietly wondered if Sif's presence alone would be enough to change things.

xXx

A week later I couldn't help but wonder if it'd all been a punishment, for daring to try and change what was supposed to be, what the Norns had decreed would be... not only had Sergeant Barnes fallen off that train and the snowy cliff, but Sif had very nearly fallen with him. She'd tried so hard to save his life that she'd almost ended going down with him, if it hadn't been for Steve's quick actions, she'd have been lost too. I'd have never forgiven myself, if that had happened, because it'd been my idea. I was the one who wanted to change things, who even gave Sif the idea to try and do it. And even with all her Aesir abilities, it'd been a near-miss.

Which was precisely why it'd taken a week before we were ready to 'ring the bell' as it were. We didn't have a body to bury, and no time to go back to Brooklyn and do a proper ceremony, though everyone had agreed it'd be done... as soon as Schmidt was dead and buried. At least Zola was captured, the mission, as it were, had been a success. Bucky hadn't died in vain... I didn't think that Steve, or Sia, believed it to be worth it.

In any case, a week later we all met in a small wooded area, not far from base (though enough to be private). All the Howling Commandos were present, in dress uniform, my family in what we had that could be considered funeral attire, and even Peggy and Howard had asked to be there. Words were spoken, in remembrance of Bucky, most of the Commandos had things to say about his missions, or the insanity he got into while they had time off. Peggy spoke of his loyalty to Steve above anything and everything. Steve and Sia got more personal, they'd gotten the chance to see other sides of Bucky, one as brother, having known the man for almost his whole life... and the other as his lover over the last year. Howard and the rest of us hadn't known him much, but we still offered what we had.

Then the moment came. A bell was placed on some rocks and it was tolled three times by each: Steve, Sia, and Dugan (in representation of the Commandos). Then Jones insisted on everyone having a drink in memory of their comrade, Howard agreed wholeheartedly, he'd also apparently been planning something like that, seeing how he had a bottle of whiskey (very good whiskey, according to the others) with him. They each took a swing (they had no glasses) and even Luke accepted the bottle when it was passed over to him. Then, when there was only a little left, they placed in on the same rock where the bell had been... Bucky could have the last of it.

No one said a word for a while, and it was beginning to look like we might break off, allow each to grieve on their own. Only I didn't think it was a good idea. Steve and Sia were still crumbling inside, and I was still feeling guilty, and neither of us truly knew what to do...

So I did the only thing I could think of, the same thing I always did, when I needed to let my heart, my soul speak... I sang:

"Just wait though wide he may roam
Always a hero comes home
He goes where no one has gone
But always a hero comes home..."

"He knows of places unknown
Always a hero comes home
He goes where no one has gone
But always a hero comes home..."

It probably wasn't enough, nowhere near enough to express all the grief I could sense in the air. Even though they were soldiers, and we were at war; even though we all knew, in our heads, that we could die at any moment, without warning, that there were no guarantees in a conflict such as the one we found ourselves in... Bucky's loss had still hit us hard, and completely by surprise.

In the end, the Commandos were the first to leave, one by one, after offering their condolences to Steve and Sia one last time. Howard, seemingly wanting nothing more than to cheer things up, picked Hakon off the ground abruptly and began running with him, calling something about flying and some game they'd apparently interrupted at some point... as I heard my son's shrieking laughter I could only feel relief, that the grief had not affected him too badly.

My husband and I were about to take our leave, give the others their space, when Steve and Peggy approached us unexpectedly.

"There's something we'd like to talk to you about." Peggy murmured, when Steve's words seemed to fail him. "It's about us..." She took a deep breath before blurting it out. "What just happened. It's showed us that life is too fragile, and we have no guarantees. We said we'd wait until the war was over, but I don't want to wait anymore. I don't want to risk there not being an after..."

"What are you talking about?" I murmured, though I was beginning to get an idea... a crazy idea. They couldn't possibly mean what I thought they meant...

"You've told us about you, your origins and power." Steve finally spoke us. "We want your help."

"Nothing we can do will guarantee your survival in this war." Luke pointed out, apparently he hadn't yet reached the same conclusion I had.

"It's not about survival." Steve tried to explain. "It's about having no regrets..."

"We want you to marry us." Peggy finally blurted out.

Yeah... I really have nothing else to say right now. Except, hope you enjoyed, don't forget to comment, and see ya next week!