Life continued.
Amelia got a job in a factory sewing clothes and spent her days standing in the same spot doing the same motions over and over again. She often left work with cramping hands and sore knuckles that only felt better after she stretched them for a few minutes. When she got home each evening she ate dinner with her family and spent time with her nephew. Joseph was always more than eager to play with her, and she found herself anticipating the day she and Bucky would have their own kids.
The first week had been the hardest. She didn't know what to do with herself that first day with Bucky gone, and when she had gone over later that day she found out that Steve hadn't made it home the night before. Two hours and a frantic dash across the city to the Expo later, she learned that Steve had been accepted into the army as well.
Every moment since had been spent worrying about her boys. She had written to both Bucky and Steve, but at first she only got a response from Steve. His letter had been heavily censored by the government, large chunks blacked out, but she was relieved to learn he was still in the country. He was at a special camp, being trained for something- she didn't know what, as it had been censored- but at least he wasn't fighting overseas.
They wrote back and forth a number of times, and his letters became increasingly censored. It frustrated her to no end, even if she knew the government had their reasons for blacking the information out. She highly doubted Steve was writing about national secrets or information that would threaten the country's safety, so naturally she wondered what was in his letter that they felt they needed to cover.
When she finally got a response from Bucky, almost a month after she first wrote to him, she had run up the stairs and locked her bedroom door. Like Steve's letters, it had been censored in places but he assured her that he was safe. She was so relieved to hear from him that she actually cried over the letter. He ended it telling her that he missed her and dreamt of her every night. She had immediately taped the piece of paper to her wall and composed another letter to him in response.
And so life continued that way for three months. She found the routine of her everyday life monotonous and dull, but she did what she had to do. It made her proud that she could pitch in to help buy groceries, and she always made sure to set a little money aside for her and Bucky's wedding.
And then one night she came home and found Steve on her couch.
She did a double take when she first saw him and he laughed at the look on her face. She couldn't help but stare; the man sitting on the couch had her friend's face and laugh, but her Steve was much, much smaller and weaker. The man in her house was the image of perfect health and fitness. When he stood to hug her she actually had to look up at him. Puzzled, she accepted the hug gladly; she might have only reached his shoulder now, but he was still Steve.
"I know they had you in some special boot camp," she said, "but what happened to you?"
"It's… a very long story," he says sheepishly. "I'll tell you all about it later."
"I guess you don't need me or Bucky to look out for you anymore," she joked. "You're not that skinny little kid I remember."
"Maybe that's a good thing," her father said from the corner. "Maybe now we won't have to bail him out of a fight."
He laughed and rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah, I guess so, sir. Oh, Amelia, this is Senator Brandt."
The man shook her hand enthusiastically. "Pleasure to meet you, Miss Fowler."
"The pleasure's all mine," she smiled.
"So, Mr. Rogers tells me you're quite the dancer."
"You and I will have words later," she hissed at Steve before filing out to the stage with the other girls. They all took their places, smiles wide and waving to the audience as they applauded. She got into position, waiting for Steve to emerge from behind the curtain and the music to start, and praying she didn't mess up the steps. The other girls had had weeks to perfect the routine, whereas she was sort of just thrown in the week before and had to play catch up. Finally Steve came onstage and waved awkwardly to the crowd. She and the other girls sang their part as Steve read his lines off of cards taped to the back of his shield.
It was definitely not what she had expected when she agreed to it. The Senator had told her she could do what she loved and help the war effort at the same time, so obviously she agreed. It seemed like a dream come true to her. Of course she knew she wouldn't be performing with the Rockettes or anything of that caliber, but Amelia hadn't exactly expected this either. She had spent 10 minutes backstage tugging at the skirt of the showy outfit; she felt she might as well have walked onstage in her undergarments.
The only upside she could see was that she was with Steve. As promised, he had told her all about Dr. Erskine and the Super Soldier Serum, answering all her questions. And naturally her friendship with Steve didn't stay a secret for very long.
"Have you really known him since childhood?" one of the dancers asked her when they finished a show in Boston. Amelia thought her name was Linda.
"Yeah," she smiled as some of the other dancers gathered. "I was only 10 when I met him, but he was 12. His other best friend, Bucky, didn't like me, but Steve was such a sweetheart. He stood up for me and insisted I be allowed to hang out with them."
"That's so cute," another dancer, Caroline, squealed. "So are you his best friend in the world?"
"I like to think so," she laughed.
She often wrote to her family to let them know she was okay, and in turn they kept her updated on events back home. Her mother told her that Molly seemed to finally be recovering from the blow of losing Danny, which relieved her greatly. Joseph turned four while they were in Los Angeles, and she sent a snow globe for him with her next letter home. She found herself homesick on more than one occasion, but though the manager, Charles, told her she could take a few days off and visit home, she never did. She didn't want to be treated differently just because she knew Steve, and she felt guilty for even contemplating taking the offer.
The tour stretched on for almost a year, and during that time she became very good friends with the other performers. She and the other dancers got to know each other very well, and she had to smile when they all fawned over the men of the drum line that was invited to perform with them in one city. She learned that a few of the other girls also had sweethearts fighting in the war, and she prayed that they all made it back safe and sound. At night they often lounged around and exchanged stories and occasionally Thomas, their resident "Hitler", joined them with Steve in tow.
There were also a number of movies made featuring Captain America, boosting morale and nationalistic pride. Steve always blushed whenever the audience applauded and cheered for him as Captain America gunned down the Axis Powers on the screen, a fact that entertained Amelia to no end. She often teased him about it, calling him the Star Spangled Man with a Plan endlessly.
"I really do wish you'd stop calling me that," he told her in Chicago, but he was smiling as he said it.
"In you dreams." She laughed at him and danced away, humming the tune loudly.
And then their manager had announced that they would be traveling overseas to visit the soldiers fighting there. Amelia and Steve shared a glance, both thinking of Bucky. Though they had both written to him a number of times, they had only gotten a handful of responses, and she had laid awake many nights twisting her engagement ring around her finger. She prayed he was alright, and every day that went by that his name wasn't on the casualty list she thanked God.
Steve sat next to her on the plane ride over the Atlantic, laughing when she refused to let go of her death grip on the arm rest the entire flight. She scowled at him as he laughed and tried to distract her.
"It's not funny," she snapped at him, releasing her grip long enough to punch her friend.
"You should see your face, Amelia."
She spent the rest of the flight giving him the silent treatment.
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