ＳＬＡＴＥ ◼ STEVE ROGERS◼

ＴＷＥＮＴＹ

Peggy Carter walked slowly over the debris in the remains of the bar in London, the same one that she knew Lottie and Steve had formed the Howling Commandos for the first time. She knew that of all the places he could run, this was where she'd find her missing friend.

And right she was.

Steve Rogers sat at the half destroyed bar, swirling his drink around in his cup, but never taking a sip. Peggy walked forward, leaning against the counter as she watched him.

" Dr. Erskine said that... the serum wouldn't just effect my muscles, it would effect my cells. Create a protective system of regeneration and healing. Which means um...I can't get drunk. Did you know that?"

"Your metabolism burns four times faster than the average person. He thought it could be one of the side effects," Peggy told him softly. She glanced down at her shoes for a moment before looking back up to Steve. "It wasn't your fault."

"Did you read the reports?"

"Yes, I did,"

"Then you know that's not true,"

"You and Lottie did everything you possibly could. Did you believe in your friend? Respect him?" Steve turned back to look at Peggy briefly, giving a small nod. "Then stop blaming yourself. Allow Barnes the dignity of his choice. He damn well must have thought you and Lottie were worth it."

"I'm goin' after Schmidt. I'm not gonna stop till all of Hydra is dead or captured," Steve told her, glancing back down at his drink. Peggy took a step toward him, watching him carefully.

"You won't be alone, but there's someone back at base that needs you right now,"

Steve finally looked up at Peggy, her words registering.

◼ ◼ ◼

My Darling Charlotte,

It's taken me many years to write this letter, thought I've thought about it many times before. I never knew if you would want to hear from me, thought you'd still resent me, as you have every right to.

I was a horrible mother after your father passed, I won't try to tell you that I wasn't. One of the hardest things I have ever had to go through was losing the man I loved more than life itself, and I never thought it would be topped. Not until I woke up that morning to find out you were gone.

I won't lie, I was angry at first to learn that you had left, tried to pretend that you didn't even exist. Then I saw you, side by side with Steve, Captain America and Slate, and I realized that you had left to become the woman you were always meant to be, the woman I was too blind to help you become. I will never be able to tell you how proud I am of you for who you have become, and I know your father is looking down in pride as well.

I chose to write to you now because I heard about James. Rebecca stopped by, invited me to the funeral. I heard about what happened, and I want you and Steve to both understand that it will never be your fault. I don't know many people that could stop James Barnes once he set his mind to something. That boy would do anything for the two of you.

I know this letter will never make up for the way I treated you, the way I abandoned you, but I needed to write it. War is fought by good people who would do anything for their countries, and you are one of those people. I don't know if I will ever get to see my gorgeous daughter again, I don't know what lies ahead in your future. All I want you to know is that I am watching, I am proud, and I want you to do whatever it takes. Be the woman you were always meant to be.

And for god sake, darling, tell Steve you're in love with him. Before it's too late.

With Love, Forever,
Dorothy Watson

Charlotte let a tear slip down her cheek as she clutched the letter to her chest. Her eyes shut as she let her mother's words sink in, let them wrap her in the hug she never knew she truly needed, and she let a smile paint her lips for a split second.

"Hey doll,"

Lottie looked up, the small smile still on her lips as Steve stood in the doorway of her small bedroom in the headquarters. He stepped inside, closing the door behind him as he walked toward the bed, taking a seat beside his best friend.

"Hey Stevie," Lottie whispered, eyes still cast down to the letter as she folded it back the way it had arrived.

"Let me guess, mom?" Steve questioned, gesturing to the letter in her hands. Lottie laughed, placing the folded letter back in it's envelope and throwing it to the end of her bed.

"Yeah. She ran into Rebecca, finally decided to write," Lottie voice trailed off as Steve frowned at her, seeing the smile drop and the sadness return to her eyes. "I miss him."

"I do too," Steve told her quietly.

Lottie finally looked up, brown eyes meeting with the familiar baby blue ones. Lottie suddenly lurched forward, gripping onto Steve's torso. Steve took a moment before wrapping his arms around Lottie as well, placing a kiss to her forehead as he held her close.

"We can't let him die for nothing," Lottie whispered, her head resting in the crook of Steve's neck. She felt him nod, but her focus was solely on Bucky. "We have to take down Schmidt, dismantle HYDRA. We have to win this war, whatever it takes."

"And we will, together,"

Steve and Lottie pulled back from one another, their faces just inches away from the other. They each wanted to take the leap of faith, live boldly and close the gap without realizing the other wanted to as well. But now wasn't the time. They'd win the war, and then they'd confess.

◼ ◼ ◼

"Johann Schmidt belongs in a bug house. He thinks he's a God. He's willing to blow up half the world to prove it, starting with the USA,"

Lottie nodded her head as she listened to Colonel Phillips speak. The Howling Commandos sat around the table with Colonel Phillips, trying to devise a plan. They had learned about the weapons and Schmidt's plans with the blue cube, Steve having stole one of their weapons while they rescued the 107th, from Doctor Zola after his capture.

"Schmidt's working with powers beyond our capabilities. He gets across the Atlantic, he will wipe out the entire eastern sea board in an hour," Howard told Colonel Phillips. He was a genius, but compared to the technology that the cube had been able to power, this was far out of his league.

"How much time we got?" Steve questioned, sitting at the head of the table. Lottie stood beside him, flipping through the folder before her filled with all their remaining information on the cube and HYDRA.

"According to my new best friend, under twenty four hours,"

"Where is he now?" Peggy spoke up from the other side of the table from where Howard was sitting.

Colonel Phillips picked up a picture from the table in front of them, showing it to everyone sitting around.

"Hydra's last base is here. In the Alps. Five hundred feet below the surface."

"So, what are we supposed to do?" Jim Morita questioned his team, the rest of the Howling Commandos nodding along with him, "I mean, it's not like we can just knock on the front door."

"Why not?" the room turned to look at Lottie, Steve lifting his head as she met his eyes first before looking around the room. "That's exactly what we're going to do. He wants Steve, so let's give him what he wants."