AUTHOR'S NOTE: I DON'T OWN CAPTAIN, AVENGERS OR OTHER CHARACTERS FROM MCU!

Four months. It's four months of traveling around the United States, performing his show. His show? When he start thinking like this? He couldn't answer to this question. Right after after his first performance, after the first acclamation, he felt the "glory" soaking through his skin. With each new applause he enjoyed show more and more. At his meeting with the fans came more people, perhaps because of comics about the amazing Captain America, which was published in September. At the first time he was embarrassed to walk around a newsstand and saw the comics exposed on top of the others journals. But in the end he he used to comics and they add to other promotional items with the motive of "American hero". Hero. He never was on the battlefield. He never fought against the Nazis, how they wrote in stories. He never beaten a real Hitler, just an actor. He never clashed Hydra. No, he wasn't a hero. He wasn't a soldier. He was just a pawn in the hands of politicians. The real heroes were outside on the battlefield. That's what people haven't seen. They chanted his fictional heroic deeds, but they didn't know how their sons, fathers, brothers, friends and lovers really fighting for their lives. And it bugged him.

He tried to pointed out to this fact before journalists at a press konference once, but Sherman interrupted him immediately and turn an attention to a new promotional Captain America movie that will be the movieed. Such stupidity. Movieing began the next day. Marching in front of the screen, performing fake fights and final renunciation of the same text about Bonds into the camera. It was embarrassing.

But people praised him for his act and Sherman authoritatively told him that he has to arrive in the evening at 175 N. State Street, Chicago Theatre, where will be premiere a new movie with Franchot Tone and beautiful Anne Baxter, Five Graves to Cairo and before the screening of this movie will be Captain America prommoted shot. He didn't want to go. He felt silly to look at a stupid promotional parody of the war. Especially when there will be movie depicting real desperation soldiers at the front after this. But Sherman was tactlessly reminded him a contract terms and penalties that had befallen him. Steve decided that Sherman entertains extortion fools who himself became. But he hadn't choise, as the last four months.

Words like screening and premiere has begun him to feel sick. He had to drink. Fortunately, around the corner, a short walk from the cinema was a small sunken bar. He needs a drink. Or two. Thank God for the end of Prohibition.

Fortunately the bartender didn't recognize him. The rest of the relatively sparse number of customers are not interested in the newcomer a man. A few drunks, a bunch of laughing friends over a beer at which half of them didn't appreciably age, two young women in a siege of four soldiers. Both women tinkling laugh.

Steve usually drank beer, he had never tolerance on hard alcohol and became drunk very quickly and than he didn't know about himself. Now it was exactly what he need. He ordered whisky and remembered Bucky. Bucky loved whisky, he had more stamina. Another of the many things in which Bucky was better, but he never flaunt in front of him.

He drank a glass at a time and ordered another one. The bartender had poured it without any questions. He enjoys this one and wait until the drunken blissful ignorance quenched him. Then he would be ready to go through the theater door and settle into place. He slowly sipped from a second glass. His throat still burned from the previous one, but he felt no other effect. Usually he need only two glasses and Bucky had to drag him home. His face broke into a smile at one of the memories of their first year they could drink. The second glass was empty except for a warm feeling in his stomach he still felt nothing. For a moment he look at the empty carved glass, wondering whether to risk further. He never got to the third. He doesn't want to embarrass the form of drunken scene. Would that serum did something with his tolerance for alcohol? The bartender approached him with a bottle and asked him if he wanted more. Steve held up two fingers to indicate double. The bartender nodded and started pouring. "Busy day? It falls to you as to an old sailor." He laughed a grizzled man while he poured the golden liquor into a glass.

There was whispers and gasps of two girls on the left side and the frost ran at his spine. Corner of his eye he saw frowning four men in uniform. They recognized him, damn.

"I make a fat-head (Means an idiot in 40's slang) of myself in front of the entire nation." Steve muttered and drank a whole glass. He put it on the table louder than was necessary. He také out the money from his pocket and pulled on the counter. Steve didn't look how much money there were, but it was certainly enough to pay and big tip. He grabbed his coat and walked out of the bar before it was demolished to blows with very angry soldiers. What did they bother? That he have publicly played on a war hero, or perhaps that he grabbed them the attention of two beauties? Steve won't detect it. He opened the door and stepped out into the cold November air. Before the door closed behind him, he could see both women. They were beautiful, a little over twenty. The one with the curly red hair and a few freckles on the nose, the other one was blonde. Both had blue eyes full of wonder. That blonde girl look good.

He always liked the two kinds of women. Blonde women and emancipated women. If Peggy was blond, he should have problem to not to salivate when he saw her. But he does't hear any news about her for four months. From Erskine's death, and since argument he hadn't seen her. He didn't know why thinking about her now. She wasn't here. But the blonde was here in the old bar across the street. Perhaps he should go back and ask her for a date. After years it would be the first time when he asks for date himself, and he doesn't wait to Bucky instead of him and Steve blame him for it later. He could do it. It's just a few steps away. No. There are those soldiers, and Steve doesn't want to risk skirmish. Who knows what would have his new unnatural strength do to them , he still doesn't get use to it. Certainly they are good guys who just wanted to flirt with beautiful women.

On the corner senator Brand was waiting with his wife, Sherman and a woman beside a black and red Duesenberg. "Captain." Senator Brand exclaimed at Steve and went to shake hands with him. Senator looked like he welcoming a good friend. "Let me introduce you my wife Grace and daughter Holy. Holy will be your accompany tonight."

Steve looked at the young woman at Sherman's right side. She was pretty. Delicate face with narrow pointed nose lined with perfectly combed brown hair and in dress printed with blue flowers, which Sherman stripped by eyes. Steve was immediately clear that if Sherman didn't like him, from now he will hate him. Definitely not good.

When Steve saw himself on the screen, he couldn't believe it. He didn't look silly, perhaps just that costume. He looked like a soldier, a real soldier fighting in the war and saving lives. When a promotional movie ended, they had to pause a screenings Five Graves in Cairo for a few minutes, due to tumultuous applause. Steve, who sat between Grace and Hope, blushed and with a silly smile enjoying his five minutes/four months of fame. He felt happy. But luck ran out when he saw the first few minutes of the movie. It was immediately clear that he won't like it.

The rest of the movie he has just wondering how those soldiers on the front line fighting and dying, while he enjoys the glitz momentary fame. He remembered the last letter from Bucky, which arrived last month. The food was worse than the beginnings of cooking from his sister, which was unbelievable, and the mood was dark. Bucky witnessed three conflicts already and he was wounded once. Fortunately not seriously, and insted a small scar it will be consequences. Then he begged Steve to give attention to his sister and remind her to send him more socks, cigarettes and some biscuits which could be exchanged for more cigarettes. That's Bucky who they know. One day he will have a cancer from the smoking. Did he fell something like a soldier in the movie? The same fear and despair every time he sees a German soldier? Did Germans feel the same thing when they see them?

Buckys sister, Becca, Steve hasn't seen more than five months. Bucky doesn't know it, at least he hopes. Steve banned Becca to write to Bucky that he managed, or that he became Captain America. Especially that. Bucky certainly think that Steve is still in Brooklyn, where he vainly trying to talk to women without him, so he tries to dispel him with worries about Becca, while Bucky wrote to Becca the same thing: Please take care of Steve and don't let him get into trouble. This seems like Bucky.

The movie ended and Steve did not know how. People began to rise, some congratulated the actors and the director sitting in the first rows. But what was more surprising, many of them went to congratulate him as well. As if he's acting in whole movie and not just in a short promotional shot before the main movie.

When, after long thirty minutes full of praise from strangers, ended and everyone go in the main hall, Steve finally could leave. When he was near the stairs, a little boy stopped him. Steve wondered how the boy's parents could allow him to watch a movie about the war, after all of this he will have nightmares. Steve hoped that during the moments, which he was engrossed in his own thoughts, haven't been a scene that could comments the boy to the end of hislife.

"Could you give mea n autograph on my comics, sir?" His voice was still childlike, high. His eyes were bright of respect.

Steve smiled. "Sure. What is your name, kid?"

The boy paused, as if he wasn't texpecting that his hero can talk. "P-Peter." The boy stuttered and blushed.

"Aren't you young for movies like this, Peter?" Asked Steve, hoping the boy replies that he closing his eyes and plugging his ears in terrifying and tense scenes.

"I-I-I haven't watch a movie. I wanted to catch you before, but I came too late and movie start already. So I waited here until the movie's over." The boy said, and avoided Steve's eyes as if he had done something wrong.

Steve stopped. This boy has been waiting more than two hours, only to ask him for an autograph? This thought warmed Steve's heart. He was his hero. And he didn't deserve it. He had to get to the front. He need help there somehow and not make something what he's not from himself. This is a promise. And as a promise Steve put it on paper, while they go down the stairs, Brant with his family and Sherman behind him, as if it didn't concern them.

To my new friend Peter.

I want to protect this country for people like you.

Captain America

Steve handed it back to Peter and looked around. He sought escape from his shadows: the Brants and Sherman the devil's servant. He needed to be alone, to devise a plan to be able to fight. Really fight. Before he could escape, a beautiful blonde from the bar appeared before him. She nervously smiled at him, red-haired friend at the wall. "Hi." The blonde whisped timidly.

She came to him? These soldiers won't be happy. Somewhere camera flashed. He looked at her carefully. Tall, slim, soft features and a nice smile. In the gloomy tangle of gray suits and women wearing in cold shades, she got all attention of the entire male visitors with her red. "H-hi."

"My name is Anna. We saw each other in the bar, and... I was thinking..." she nervously played with a small notebook in her hands. She bent her head without looked into Steve's eyes and she continued: "Could you give me an autograph?"

"Sure." Steve breathed. He had hoped for something different. She appeared here after she watching him in a bar... Could he invite her somewhere? He just need to say something. And how she looked at him... He's sure she wouldn't refuse him.

He subconsciously scrawled dedication and signed. He returned the notebook to her and touched the fingers when he do it. He paused. Steve looked into her eyes. He cannot do it. " It has been a pleasure, ma'am." He said, and turned to leave.

He walked barely two meters. " Wou-would you come with me to dinner?" She called to him louder than was necessary. People began to spin to her. Even Steve turned to her. Anna blushed and bowed her head and she began to play with her notebook again. "Tomorrow... With me." She said softly.

Steve stared at her with open mouth. This was the first time when some woman invited him somewhere. Dancers from his show span around him, but they wanted only a flirt, nothing more. But here she was, Anna. Shy blonde Anna which invited him to date ... He didn't know what to say.

"Unfortunately, a captain has a busy program." Interrupted the senator and put his hand on Steve's shoulder. "Tomorrow we'll be on the way to New York. I'm sorry. But you can give him the contact and he may contact you when he'll back in town. "

Both Steve and Anna, surprisedly looked at the senator. Is he trying to manage a personal life too? " Perhaps I could for breakfast. " Steve retorted. He refuses to give up.

"We leave early in the morning. I'm sorry." Senator's tone was uncompromising. He frowned at Steve and gave him a clear message Listen and do not mess! Then he turned to Anna "Give the contact to my representative, Mr. Sherman and he gives between others. " Oh, great, now Steve will look like womanizer, who has girl in every city to have fun with. Before Steve could say anything, senator pulled him out.

When they avoid the crowd of journalists and got into Duesenberg's silence, this time black one, the senator turned to him. "What's that supposed to mean?" Shouted the senarot. "I thought you know what role you have in all of this. You have to be a hero! Exemplary citizen! And not lugging at bars and flirting with every share crop (term for a promiscuous woman in slang from the 40's)! If you want someone to be showing by your side, take Holy, she knows how to behave. It will be good for everyone. "

Is he serious? Had he just sold his daughter to my? It's disgusting. But at least it gave Steve's ace in his hand. "No." Steve replied with the steadiest voice which he could use.

"N-No?"

"No. I'll socialize with whomever I want and act how I want. You can control me on the stage, but not my private life! "

Senator was silent.

Steve make a innocent look and said: "But we could make a deal, of course."

"Speak!" Senator snapped.

Steve raised his chin. "I will behave like your exemplary citizen, if you send me to the battlefield."

Senator him studied him thoroughly and tried to find any trace of doubt. Nothing. It was clear that Steve Rogers was determined to go for it. "Good. We go to New York in the morning. After show you will take my daughter out to dinner. You finish your tour and then I will send you on the battlefield. Italy, perhaps." Italy. There does Bucky go, doesn't he?" We will see how long you can stand there when you find out how's that place look like. "

AUTHOR'S NOTE: A few notes to this chapter:

Chicago Theatre = The theater was opened on October 26, 1921. I do not know if it had been projected a movies, in any event, today there are projected for the Chicago International Movie Festival. So please excuse any wrongs.

Five graves at Cairo Movie = Mvie was published in 1943. I chose it because of the story. The peculiarity in this movie is that there German soldiers aren't describe as heartless monsters, which was unusual at that time.

This chapter takes place in late November and don't I know month of the premiere, so I'm sorry for any wrogs again.

Duesenberg = I mean a luxury model SJ Duesenberg by American company (you can see this model in movie The Great Gatsby-that yellow one), which produced automobiles from 1920 to 1937. In 1970 the company was restored and they produced a replica of their previous models.

Characters = Grace and Hope are inspired by women who are sitting next to Steve at the cinema when watching his movie. Peter and Anna are in other scene, Peter is a boy, which is Steve signed to and Anna is a blonde who greets him after that (the same actress supposedly playing the mother of Peter Quill-Guardians of the Galaxy, which was also my inspiration for naming the boy)

Costume = I know Steve met "Peter" and "Anna" after his performance, because he had Captain America's uniform, but I change it for this story, so sorry.