Steve woke up in a tangle of limbs after Hermione had tried to extricate herself, in vain, from the oversized cot so she could return to Peggy's tent before the whole camp came alive. Apparently, last morning had been a narrow miss and none of them wanted to anger Colonel Phillips enough that he would pull her from the team.

"Morning," he told her. "Bucky giving your trouble?"

"He's like a very warm octopus," she agreed, trying to

pry his left arm from her middle.

"Just five more minutes," Bucky mumbled from her back. "This is the best part of the day. Why are two not enjoying it like normal people?"

"I don't think I qualify as normal, I'm a super soldier."

"And I'm a witch, so..."

Bucky groaned but let her go and turned on his other side, pulling the blanket over his head.

"Meet you two at 0800," Hermione reminded them, then kissed Steve on the lips, the way she used to back in New-York when he was weak and small.

Progress! They were back to what they used to be, or so he hoped. He wanted to pull her back for more, but she really did need to get going, so he let her go, his eyes following her all the way out.

"You're an idiot," Bucky said from his blanket fort.

"You're one to talk, squid-man."

They had duties, priorities… Steve had no doubt he would be sacrificing his personal desires more often than not.

At 0800, The Colonel's tent was filled with his handpicked team. Hermione kept her distance from him to let their superior know the message had been received loud and clear, and that they would be on their best behaviour.

"Stark dropped these off for you sorry lot last night," he said gesturing at his desk.

Steve grinned when he saw his shield, painted in red and blue, a star in its center. He liked it. And Howard had included straps and magnets so he could carry it on his back and retrieve it without too much bother. It was perfect. He owed him again.

Jones and Dernier were gushing over metal contraptions with wires that didn't look like anything he'd ever seen before. They might be toasters for all he knew.

"And the P.R. people got you poor bastards outfitted so you don't look like a bunch of bums wandered on the battlefield. We want you to make us proud."

"And crush Hydra," Bucky added somberly.

"That goes without saying, Barnes. Get ready, you're leaving today."

"Today?" Steve asked in surprise.

They were supposed to have a couple more days to rest up and train.

"Hydra troops are on the move. We don't want our intel to go stale so you need to hit these bases before they've moved all the valuables."

Steve nodded. His team appeared either determined or enthusiastic about the news. Maybe they had been getting a little restless staying in camp. He knew he had, but he recuperated much faster too.

"What the bloody hell is this?" Hermione asked as she held up something colored a sickly green.

"I thought you were the smart one. Figure it out," Philips snapped.

She unfolded the material, revealing more folds of the same gaudy cloth. She looked at the Colonel, then back at her bundle of clothes, then at the corner where Peggy was trying not to laugh as she mimed something, one hand up in the air while the other held a clipboard at her side.

"You've gotta be kidding me, sir."

Hermione sounded outraged while everyone else, himself included, were pretty keen about their own unique uniforms, even if his own was a bit over the top with patriotism. Bucky looked positively smitten with his blue coat that matched his eyes, but he did spare Hermione a worried glance at the sight of the green uniform she held. The Colonel wasn't having any of it though. He snapped his fingers then pointed at him and Hermione.

"You two will be the figureheads of this operation: Captain America and Lady Liberty." Several of the others snickered at Phillips' deadpan announcement of her new codename. "You got a problem with it, you take it to the P.R. department, because I certainly wasn't consulted. I'm just a glorified mailbox, apparently."

"I hope they like warts," Hermione muttered.

"That's just it, Lady," the Colonel barked, pointing a thick finger right in her nose. "Personally, I don't give a Damn how you pull off your little tricks, but we can't have the good people of the Free World thinking an unholy witch is fighting for them, now, can we? That would make us the villains. The personification of Freedom herself, however, she's good for morale back home and for our boys on the front."

"Merlin save me from politics."

"I'm sure you meant God. Now, if no one else has any fashion issues, I'll let you be on your way. Dismissed."

They saluted and filed out. Hermione was getting teased mercilessly by the others, but giving as good as she got. He loved how feisty she was, but to think she'd never been very lady-like, from that first day she'd bitten a man to the bone, then rinsed her mouth out by spitting in his sink like a sailor and walking around half-naked the next day… to now be saddled with the name Lady was kind of ironic. At least he got to be Captain, and it seemed a bit sexist now that he thought about it, but he could also understand the Colonel's concerns over her magic. No one wanted to see her burned at the stake by her own side. So Lady Liberty it was… he liked it, had a nice ring to it.

They all got changed, but when Hermione came back, her new uniform, or costume depending on how you looked at it, drew the eye of every man in the vicinity, which was quite a lot. It was cut much like the clothes she had worn when he had first met her. Very… snug, and not as sickly green as it had seemed in the tent. More like a forest green that blended nicely with the woods surrounding the camp. Both changes undoubtedly more practical than what the bigwigs had thought out from the comfort of their desks, he had to give her that. It was quite impressive she had managed to do that without her wand, but on the other hand, he suspected her magic had probably just acted out on its own out of sheer frustration, like the previous night with their two cots melding into one. The Colonel scowled at her but evidently thought better than to say anything, probably wary she would give him the warts she had been muttering about earlier.

"Alright, gather around," Peggy called out, holding a camera. "And no rude gestures. This one's for posterity."

Steve was center with Hermione and Bucky on either side, Morita and Dernier apparently fighting to be next to Hermione before Dum Dum pushed them away with ease.

"Haven't got all day," Peggy warned. "Morita, really? Alright, one, two-"

Steve blinked the flash out of his eyes but he was up for round two because Peggy also wanted individual pictures for their personal files.

Then they were led to the entrance of the camp to find Howard had thought of everything. He had a couple of motorcycles and two Jeeps ready for them, full of supplies and ready to go.

Time to go win that war.

"That's a fucking huge factory to blow up on our own," Morita muttered from their cover under the treeline.

"Not up to the task, my friend?" Falsworth asked with a mocking smile. "You can stay here and watch how the professionals do it."

"There's nothing wrong with staying here," Bucky muttered, still looking for a tree he could climb to cover them.

"Not for a sniper, no, but have you seen Morita shoot?" Dum Dum chuckled.

"Hey, I'm getting better. Up close and personal with my grease gun, you know."

"It's not a competition," Hermione said with a roll of her eyes before following Bucky further down in case he found a tree she could levitate him into.

"Right," Steve said, getting their attention back. "Me, Lady and Dum Dum will go center and draw their attention when they realize something's off. Jones and Dernier, you sneak in from the East when they do and cause a maximum of damage to the structure. Morita and Falsworth, you sneak in from the West and grab every map and file that seems of interest. You two should be clear to snoop around, between the attacks and explosions, we should be drawing every guard away. Our intel says there are no prisoners here, but keep an eye out, just in case. All good?"

"Sounds good," Falsworth agreed with a twitch of his moustache. "I'll keep things quiet if other-James can keep his gob shut for a little while."

"Why am I other-James?" Morita complained. "How did we end up with three Jameses on such a small team anyway?"

"See what I mean, Captain? Permission to gag him?" Falsworth asked in all seriousness.

Or maybe not. It was hard to tell with Brits sometimes and he was dating one. Steve actually considered the request because Morita really was that mouthy, but he decided it would set a bad precedent in the end.

"Denied. Morita?"

The half-Japanese mimed locking his mouth and throwing away the key, but Steve expected that to last all of five minutes. Hermione returned with a thumbs up. Bucky was settled, they were ready to go.

His small group got closer than they thought was possible before the alarm sounded. It was the snow crunching under their boots and an overzealous guard that got them spotted. That one was the first to meet the business end of his shield and Steve was relieved when he avoided decapitating him like the training dummy. Steve deflected a salve of bullets afterwards, Dum Dum returning in kind with his shotgun while Hermione swept off their feet a few of those lodged up in the guard tower, who fell with sickening crunches at their feet. They wrecked havoc as they advanced and he had no doubt no one had noticed the two other duos skirting around the skirmish.

"Lady! Give me a boost!" Dum Dum demanded from behind him.

Steve was faster than any of them, but they had their tricks to make up for it, and soon Dum Dum joined him with a howl of utter joy and insanity as he was levitated through the air and pushed forward, his shotgun going off left and right. Hermione hadn't managed to boost herself yet. It was too unstable, but she trained on it every day and was getting better, despite her fear of heights.

A Hydra soldier he hadn't spotted dropped from the wall above him, a bullet to the head. Steve turned and saluted towards the woods, then started bashing the doors in. Dum Dum leaned into it too and the wood creaked ominously until it suddenly gave out. They waited a couple of minutes for Hermione to catch up, panting, her cheeks red.

"I need to do more cardio," she muttered.

Steve knew future-talk when he heard it and shrugged off her comment, but Dum Dum looked confused.

"Want me to give you a piggyback ride?" Dum Dum offered.

"Yeah because that's going to strike fear into our enemy's heart," Hermione snorted. "I'm fine. Let's keep going. I saw Gabe and Jacques blow their way in. I don't think those understand the concept of discretion."

Steve rolled his eyes. That'll teach him to choose a bunch of hot heads as teammates. But in the end, even if they were loud and not at all disciplined, all their objectives were met and they left a pile of smoking rubble behind them.

"Meh, it wasn't that big," Morita concluded around the campfire that night. "What have you got lined up next, Cap?"

Steve looked up from the maps he and Falsworth had brought back. He still couldn't pinpoint where all the weapons were being sent, just a general direction up North. Maybe if they found two more similar maps, he could triangulate a smaller region.

"More of the same. Sorry."

The men groaned in mock consternation, but he could tell they were proud of their victory today and looking forward to more. Every single one of them had very good reason to hate Hydra with a passion. Even him. He would keep his promise to Erskine and remain a good man, but that didn't mean he wouldn't avenge him for his murder. He was brought out of his thoughts by a chorus of laughs.

"Le vin! More superior! French, bien sur," Dernier claimed with a thick accent as he dug a dark wine bottle from his bag.

"Whiskey," Dum Dum argued as he produced a bottle of said liquor from his own breast pocket. "That's what real men drink."

"Is that how you grew your moustache?" Morita snickered.

"At least, we can grow one," Falsworth replied to general laughter.

Only Hermione and Morita had smooth faces by now, and his girl patted Morita's back to comfort him.

"I only found this," Jones said and placed a bottle of clear liquid next to the other two. "It stinks. I think it's Vodka. Or maybe paint remover, what do I know? The label is written in gibberish."

"Wait," Steve said as he stared at the three bottles. "Were you guys looting?"

"You said we couldn't compete by tally, so we had to improvise and bet who would find the best bottle," Dum Dum replied.

"Which is unfair since I can't even play," Bucky muttered.

Steve glanced at Hermione and she turned pink as she retrieved a small bottle of rum from the green folds of her coat.

"I hoped to find sone Sherry, but this just proves they're inconsiderate barbarians. Did you find any?" she asked her British comparse.

"Unfortunately not, my dear. But I did find this."

"Absinth?" she asked as they all stared at the green bottle. "Okay. I think you win on alcohol concentration alone, but I am not drinking that."

"It's really that strong?" Steve asked curiously.

The vibrant green colour of the liquid had him intrigued, but as far as he knew, alcohol had no effect on him because of the super-serum.

"It's been banned in several countries," Hermione warned. "It's also known as the green fairy and is said to cause hallucinations. Drink at your own peril."

Far from deterring the others, her warning only spurned them on.

"Don't come complaining tomorrow when we have to set out and you feel like death warmed over," Steve cautioned, but just like Hermione, his warning fell on deaf ears and they opened the bottle to pass it around.

Hermione stood after the first round and tapped him lightly on the back as she walked passed him. Looking at his team, he knew there was no point in trying to make them see sense, not even Bucky. They'd learn the hard way tomorrow morning. Nice and early. Steve got to his feet and went after Hermione, finding her sitting on the hood of one of the jeeps, looking up at the stars.

"We can finally get some alone time," she said when he approached. "I feel like we haven't had that since… well, since before."

Before?

"Oh. Before my 'growth spurt'?"

"Bucky will be pleased you're going with that instead of ''procedure'."

She reached for his hands, pulling him forward to stand between her legs. She hugged his middle, her head resting just below his chest and he had to dip his head quite a bit just to be able to smell her curls. Still that spring flower scent he remembered from back home, even way out here after a day filled with blood and smoke.

"We used to fit so easily," she said a bit wistfully.

"And I'd end up wheezing for every little thing," he reminded her.

"True. That was selfish of me. I think I need to… learn you again? Find the other ways in which we fit. It's a bit strange starting from scratch with the same person," she stopped babbling and looked up at him, biting her lip uncertainly. "If you want to, of course. This isn't sounding nearly as smooth as I'd planned."

"Maybe because you're overthinking? I swear I'm still the same guy inside, despite the new packaging. I love you, Hermione. That hasn't changed. "

He took advantage of her surprise to lean down and capture her lips. How he had missed her soft lips and clever tongue. If her moan was any indication, so had she. But he had to admit their height difference wasn't all that comfortable in the long run, so he scooped her off the jeep's hood, holding her up easily with one hand under each thigh, his fingers just grazing her shapely behind in her tight pants. She giggled and her face was hot against his, but they didn't break their kiss. It went from languid to frantic, and he wanted more. He wanted her naked skin under his. He wanted her as unclothed as she had been that night before his asthma attack had ruined everything. Maybe even more. Maybe tonight.

Hermione's breathing became erratic and he wondered if she was having an asthma attack of her own

"Alright?" he asked.

"Yes," she said breathless. "I want- I need- more."

"Tent?" he asked, and she nodded.

They had four tents of two for when they were out on the road with no shelter to be found, like tonight, and they had easily paired off, even if Bucky joined them more often than not. No one had commented on it so far, but they did get speculative looks thrown their way every now and then.

Steve walked to their tent, still carrying her up against him and keeping to the shadows to stay out of sight of their companions. Imbibed as they no doubt were by now, Steve knew wouldn't hold back on the lewd comments tonight.

As much as he would have liked to ravish Hermione on the spot, Steve had to let his girl go so she could magic their two cots into one. He couldn't even fondle her as she did so since she needed to focus and even then it could take some time. Maybe he should have ravished her right there on the car's hood. The thought did make his cock twitch in interest, but for their first time, a little intimacy and comfort wouldn't go amiss. In any case, Hermione's small cry of victory told him she had succeeded and she climbed on it with a surprised gasp.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"Try it out and you'll see. I think my magic overdid it."

Steve lay beside her and was surprised by the feel of a real bed, more comfortable than any he had ever slept on.

"This is what I imagine sleeping on a cloud would feel like," he said with a wide smile.

Hermione rolled over and straddled him, making his breath catch when she rubbed against his erection. She frantically began undoing his buttons and buckles, pulling his uniform off with both impatience and reverence. Steve helped as much as she'd let him, just as impatient as she seemed to be. When his top half was naked, she faltered for a moment and he wished it wasn't so dark so he could see her expression, but the campfire was too far off, casting more shadows than light in their tent. He knew he had no reason to be nervous however, the super-serum had done a perfect job, but he recalled that night he had panicked, thinking she would see his weak body with all too much clarity. He didn't know what to expect but her diving headfirst to tease his nipple with her mouth was not it, and yet… he groaned at the sensation. It certainly was new, and he seemed to be hypersensitive in that area, but then she trailed kisses up his neck, nibbled his ear before continuing down his chest, over his stomach and hell, he was just sensitive all over. The sensations were maddening, too much and too little all at once.

"Can I?" he asked trapping her hands in his before she could go any lower.

At this rate he would be naked and quite done while she would still be fully clothed. She nodded and got rid of her coat herself while he started working on her many, many buttons. The P.R. people had overdone it a bit and he would have had a terse word with them about it if he could have justified why it irked him so.

He finally uncovered her warm, soft skin, smooth save for that scar he remembered peeking from the upper right side of her bra. He studied said contraption for a moment, letting his hands wander over it, but for the life of him couldn't figure out how to undo it. Thanks for nothing, Bucky. Or did his friend just have to look at one with his patented smoulder and it popped right off? In the end, he was saved the embarrassment of asking when Hermione's arm disappeared behind her back and it fell away. He bit his lip as he cupped one breast, brushed against her nipple, and he had thought the rest of her was soft before. He flipped them over with ease, making her squeak in surprise, and leaned over her to tease her the way she had just teased him with his tongue and mouth, satisfied at the way she panted and squirmed beneath him.

"Steve, please."

Oh, and the way she said her name with such need. That was definitely a new experience. His cock responded too, thrusting forward at the sound, wanting to please and be pleased. It was all he could do not to rip the rest of her uniform right off, but he did get her undressed in just a matter of seconds.

"Steve," she breathed out, almost a whine, as she tried to get his own clothes past his hips.

He shimmied out of them, his cock jutting out from the confines, hard and heavy and hot. The need to simply drive into her was overwhelming, but he knew -thanks Bucky- that wasn't done, so he took a deep breath, regaining some semblance of control, then losing it almost immediately when he felt her fingers on his erection.

"Wait," he begged.

Her hand froze, then retreated.

"Sorry," he said. "It's… a lot. I need…"

She seemed to understand, or he thought so before she sat up and muttered to herself while she reached for her clothes.

"What? Hermione?"

He was utterly confused now. Had he made some major faux pas?

"Condom! Merlin! I got so carried away, I almost forgot!"

Steve chuckled in relief, even if the scare had made his erection wane a little. Maybe not a bad setback, all things considered. They'd both gotten a bit carried away.

"Hold on to that thought," he told her as he settled back between her legs.

Just having her spread like that for him with such trust made his desire surge like wildfire caught in a strong wind, but first, make sure she's ready too. With some of the wild tales from Bucky's trysts in mind, most of which he was not at all ready for, Steve leaned over her, kissed her breasts, caressed her sides… God, she was so soft, smelled so nice, so warm… she responded to his touch, pushing into his hands, small moans escaping her even as he could hear her trying to bite them off. He kissed her, her lips swollen while his finger trailed down to her center and he found her ready, eager even. As hot as he felt and her slickness making it so easy to caress her folds without fear of hurting her. He had worried a bit, he had to admit, as she seemed so small now compared to him.

"Steve, I swear if you don't fuck me right now-"

A startled laugh escaped him and he tsked at her language.

"Yes, love," he murmured.

Her fingers sought out his cock, sliding down his length, then a second time but with the rubbery feel of the condom enveloping him, the sensation strange but he eventually forgot all about it as he realized he could take Hermione, although he was still a bit weary of hurting her.

"Would you rather-" Hermione started when he hadn't moved yet. "I think I should ride you," she said, taking the decision out of his hands and he was glad, not to mention aroused at the thought.

She pushed him back and he could see her more clearly now that she faced the tent flap, a sliver of golden light landing right over her pale figure and halo of curls. His breath caught at her beauty, at the way she straddled him, but he lost himself to the sensation of her sinking down onto his cock. He thought he would burst. She was so tight and warm, pressed all around him. It was unlike anything he knew. Amazing. And then she started moving over him and it was driving him completely insane with lust. He wanted to be good to her in return, but honestly, it was all he could do not to give in too soon while she rode him, there was no other word for it. He held her hips as they twisted and lifted only to take him in again, and he moved with her, again and again, the need for more spurning him on, faster, harder as he inched ever closer to a precipice that he would gladly fall into.

They'd been so careful to be quiet but a deep, guttural groan escaped him. He couldn't articulate a single word if he tried, he was sure. Hermione moaned just as loudly soon after, his name on her lips, and she clenched around him, making him lose his grip on his control. He came hard, a sweet, delicious agony, and yes, definitely glad Hermione was on top or he might have crushed her from losing himself to his release.

As it was, she laid over his chest, breathing heavily and they stayed that way for a bit, just catching their breath.

"That was…" she said, but never finished her sentence.

"Yeah," he agreed with a chuckle. "That really was."