November 2nd, 1943. Italy.

The commotion among the nurses made Beth's head ache. It was hard enough that she was posted alongside the 107th after they had been hit and harder still when Bucky hadn't returned with the men no matter how hard she prayed. She'd just finished assisting Edward with his current patient and stepped out of the tent, wiping her hands on a towel. She was exhausted and since beginning her surgical training, it had gotten worse. When another van pulled up with more wounded soldiers, she all but swayed on the spot, thinking of the hours it would take to treat them. Edward came up behind her put a hand on her shoulder.

"Go and take a break. You deserve it." He said gently.

She gave him a nod, promising to be back by the end of the day and began making her way back to her tent. A loud, excited squeal from one of the nurses had her scowling.

"What on earth is going on?" she asked angrily.

"Did you not hear? Captain America himself is here! You just missed his performance but rumour has it, he's staying a few days!"

The towel dropped to the floor and Beth took off running towards the tents the nurse pointed towards. Part of her was hurt. Why didn't he tell her he was coming? Unless he had but the letter just hadn't reached her in time. The other part of her was excited at the prospect of seeing him again as it had been almost five months since the last time.

As she approached, her heart soared to see him sitting under an awning, talking to Peggy. Suddenly, he shot up and raced over to the general's tent and her heart dropped back down like a stone. She jogged over to avoid getting drenched, quietly entering the tent behind Steve as he asked for Bucky's status. As the general announced Bucky's assumed death, she wrapped her arms round herself and fought not to go to Steve, seeing that he wasn't quite ready to give in to grief. He asked about a rescue mission and she forced herself not to lash out angrily as the colonel called him a chorus girl. She grit her teeth and the colonel ignored her as he exited the tent. She kept her eyes on Steve, seeing him studying the map and this time she did say something.

"Steven Grant Rogers, don't you even think about it." She said, her voice stern.

He spun to face her so quickly, she was sure he'd given himself whiplash. Despite the sorrow in his eyes, his face lit up and in two strides she was in his arms. She ignored everyone around them and let out a gleeful laugh as he spun her round, her arms flinging round his neck. He held her tightly and she felt his shaky breath on her neck, knowing that in that moment, he was drawing strength from her. It didn't matter that he was now a giant compared to her. For so many years, he'd relied on her physically for strength and she turned to him for emotional support. Now, their roles had reversed and she was more than happy to fill the role. When they separated, she saw the pleading look in his eyes and found herself swallowing a lump in her throat.

"Is it true? About Bucky?" he asked, his voice begging her to tell him it was a lie.

"The fact the regiment was attacked is true, but I refuse to believe he's dead. I'd feel it."

The fierce refusal in her voice made Steve stand straight, determination in his eyes as he turned his gaze back to the map.

"You're going to try and find them, aren't you?" she asked, looking at her brother with concern in her eyes.

"I have to."

She held his gaze, nodding in understanding.

"I know. I can help."

"No. I need you to stay here. God knows what I'll find out there, and I can't drag you into that kind of danger."

Beth took a seat, rubbing her head with her fingers. Steve took the moment to truly take her in, noticing that despite the fact she looked tired, she was vibrant. Her hair was pulled back into a loose ponytail, a few strands managing to escape and fall into her face, and she wore the same clothes as the men around them; dark green pants, olive t-shirt and a pair of boots, all stained with blood. She looked like a hardened soldier, not the innocent young woman she'd still been the day of his transformation. She looked up, feeling his gaze on her and gave him a puzzled expression.

"You look different." He commented, a sheepish smile on his face as he realised he'd been caught.

She chuckled, settling further into the seat and waving a hand at him.

"Look who's talking, goliath."

He barked out a laugh and moved to sit on the chair next to her. when she reached out a hand, he took it, holding it tightly in his lap as she rubbed his skin with her thumb.

"You're right though. I have changed. I don't think I'll ever be able to go back to our old life after this."

Steve made a noise of agreement.

"I know. Peggy told me you're being trained up as an actual surgeon now. Think you'll continue after the war?"

"I hope so. At first, I wanted to run home screaming, but now, I can't see myself doing anything else. I've already been offered two jobs once we're back to civilian life."

Steve's eyebrows rose in surprise and she smiled, a blush spreading across her face.

"Edward, my trainer, has his own hospital and he's offered me a place on his team once I'm certified. I've also been offered a position with the SSR as a medic and agent."

The second one shocked him to the core and if he hadn't been sitting already, he certainly would be now. Beth saw the expression on his face and sniggered, leaning over to rest her head against his shoulder.

"I know, it's a shock to you, but it's not to me. the past few weeks, Peggy has been teaching me how to fight and a few of the soldiers have helped teach me not only how to fight but also how to shoot. In return, I've been teaching them basic first aid and that's why the colonel approached me."

"Wait, the colonel asked you?"

He couldn't believe it, not from the colonel he knew anyway. He was dumbstruck and could only sit there, staring blankly at the little sister he'd finally realised was no longer little. In the same way he'd found his calling, she'd found hers and pride swelled in him.

"If only mom could see us now."

"Somehow, I always think she knew we were going to do big thigs. Remember the night she died?"

He nodded, remembering her last words all too well. He sighed, his head falling back on to the chair.

"When are you going to leave?" Beth asked, her voice quiet.

"Tonight."