Sorry if that last chapter seemed rushed, but it was the only way! XD I should have broken up the chapters, but decided not to, must be my ADHD kicking in... I really needed this plot to go on for key elements so bear with me folks. That last chapter should have been three, but there was no time to waste…

This one is a little short so forgive me! ;D

Steve POV

When Steve woke, his shoulder was sore and he suddenly realized how small the couch really was and it barely contained his frame. He had to go to the bathroom.

He was suddenly nervous about doing this, he wasn't exactly certain why. He even went into the private stall rather than the urinals along the wall. Once he unbuckled his belt and winced as he stared down…

It looked the same… Steve took a breath and almost laughed. He had no idea why it would worry him so much, but he thought of Howard when it hit him.

He rushed and washed and dried his hands on the towel and headed to the front desk.

"Can I see Howard Stark?" Steve asked.

"Yes he's in the room E…" She didn't finish.

"I know, and thank you so much." Steve was already walking to Howard's room.

"Hey…" His smile widened as he reached Howard's bedside.

Howard coughed and clutched his stomach. The cough sounded deep.

Steve leaned down and hugged him as gently as he possibly could.

"Are you alright?" Steve asked, concerned. Howard's eyes looked almost black against his alabaster white skin.

"I'll live… and I get to leave soon because the bullet missed my organs." Howard stopped and started breathing slowly, trying to maintain his composure.

"You don't have to pretend with me sweetie." Steve leaned in and hugged him.

"You look amazing… I wasn't sure at first if the procedure was something I could live with… With you… changing…" Howard paused, "It scared me how much the operation would change you. I didn't think it would be this drastic… Outward appearances, yes but… Not the inside." Howard placed his hand on Steve's chest, where his heart was.

"Maria said she wanted to watch…" Steve blurted out, red in the face.

"Huh?" Howard's eyes widened. "Watch?" His puzzled expression slowly came to realization.

"Watch us have sex?" Howard's eyes narrowed. "Fuck that you're mine and she doesn't get to have any of you." Howard started getting mad.

His eyes looked so black, it scared Steve.

Steve looked at the monitor and it started beeping furiously again.

"Oh no… Howard calm down, please they'll make me leave if you don't keep your heart rate down." Steve was genuinely concerned.

"Fine…" Howard humored him while Steve read him a book. Howard didn't pay much attention to the words, but he watched those strong hands holding the book, Steve hands…they were so much bigger now. His dark eyes glanced lower and he could see Steve's thigh muscles straining against the pants that had been baggy on him this morning. Steve was still just as innocent when he was beneath him but he was just so much bigger now… Like a lamb turning into a lion.

Howard gulped. He didn't know what to do… Howard Stark didn't know what to do now, that was a first.

Steve's face still looked the same, but his jaw line was more prominent but those beautiful blue eyes were still the same amazing shade of the bluest sky. Howard started to drift off as Steve leaned closer and kissed him on the forehead…

Colonel Phillips POV

He stood tall over Heinz Kruger and punched him in the face.

"Where are his Hydra bases?" The Colonel snapped.

"I just lost two more units out there." He pointed off unknowingly in the direction of a Hydra base when he lost the units.

Kruger licked blood off his lip and spit it at the Colonel.

Phillips snapped…

He gathered Kruger in his arms and yanked him up by the scruff of his shirt.

"Where the hell is your commander?" Phillips roared.

Kruger remained silent and avoided the Colonel's angry glare.

Phillips got to the point that if he stayed any longer he would be stripped of his rank and title for killing the man… Not to mention dishonorable discharge…fuck that.

Phillips instead, slammed the door so hard it made the other man jump.

"Are you alright?" Erskine waited outside the facility, pacing bath and forth.

"Yeah but we're getting nowhere with this little shit…" He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. It sure was difficult to be the Colonel sometimes. He might have caught the bad guy, but it wasn't worth a shit if he didn't talk…

Erskine leaned on her tippy toes and kissed him on the cheek.

She should've known…

The Colonel leaned in closer and kissed her full on the lips, stealing her breath away. She stumbled slightly, allowing him to catch her. It wasn't until a cough interrupted them.

"Oh yes Maria?" Phillips casually leaned off to the side, pretending they weren't snogging in the hallway or anything.

"I need to have some files looked at… To make certain they're correct?" She asked. The Colonel nodded towards Erskine and she waved him by, with a heavy blush to her cheeks that could only have been caused by him.

He looked over her files and praised Maria for her dedication despite the recent events that had been holding up the entire facility.

"How's Stark?" the Colonel asked.

Maria folded her arms, "He's not in critical anymore, but he still can't have visitors yet."

The Colonel nodded and he flipped through the remaining files.

He was pissed that a lifetime of research on the SSR project had been taken and by whom, he wasn't certain but he would get Kruger to talk if it killed him. He snarled to himself as he finished the last file.

Maria knew that snarl wasn't meant for her so she accepted the files so she could get the hell out of the lab and sneak some alcohol to Howard. She knew the man rather well enough that he'd thank her over a million lifetimes.

Not as much as Steve could thank him…

She chuckled down the hallway as she turned in the files to a blonde woman with red lipstick. Maria eyed her and smiled as she leaned down, showing off her cleavage.

The girl looked shocked and jerked away from her. Maria continued walking, but rather stomping down the hallway in her high heels.

"What a bitch…"
She snorted all high and mighty.

Blondie must be a hard edge when it came to men she guessed…

Maria opened Howard's office door and rifled through his desk for any unfinished paperwork. She noticed a bottle in the top right drawer…

"Hmm…" She picked it up and dropped it in her coat pocket and then found a sketchbook beneath it. She finished and finally found some files on the floor beside the trash can.

"Figures…" She picked those up too, along with the sketchbook and went towards the door.

"Hey Colonel I'm gonna clock out. Is that alright?" She asked Phillips, giving him doe eyes.

"Sure, just be sure to check in early tomorrow, but if anything comes up, expect a call." She nodded and left to go see Steve and Howard.

Bucky POV

He felt lost, angry, confused…hated, but even worse… he felt loved…

Bucky grimaced as he suited up in the unfamiliar black Hydra armor. His body was numb. He couldn't fit his hands into the gloves right, but he couldn't show Johann his fear; he wasn't that ready to give in or up. Before he knew it, they were close to the same area where he'd been captured, along with his unit.

The tank stopped and they were deployed…

Bucky didn't want to kill anyone… the bad guys; the Nazis were the ones he should have been fighting.