Well hello friends, it's been a while! Apologies for the lengthy delay, life kinda got in the way. A LOT has happened over the last 18 month, but I'm back and I intend of finishing this. Now where were we...

Disclaimer: I only own my character, Rose.

The months that followed the Howling Commandos departure were mundane. Rose was thankful that at least it was summer. The hotter months of the year always seemed to pass quicker to her than the winter months. With the team and Howard being gone, and nothing else to do, Rose threw herself into training. She was by no means weak before she had been brought into the MCU, she was quite the gym bunny at home. With the physical enhancement that the Ancient One had given her, after a couple of months she was lifting over 200 pounds. Peggy was also teaching her what Rose had dubbed 'How to be a Spy 101'. She was quite proud of her progress on the shooting range - they weren't headshots, but they would sure slow down whoever her target was.

They regularly received news on the Commandos progress, along with various letters that the team members had sent to be passed on to their families. Rose was surprised when she began to receive letters from Bucky, even though he had told her he would write the morning that they left. He then kissed her full on the lips right there in front of everyone before leaving with a smug grin on his face as she gaped after him.

"I knew it!" Peggy exclaimed after they had left.

However, Peggy's relentless teasing did cease when they were at the cinema watching a short film about the war effort. Rose hoped it was still there, as per the original film, and she was so busy looking at Bucky every time he was on screen that she almost missed it. The Commandos were in the back of a pickup with a map spread between them, Steve was pointing to various locations when the camera focused in on his compass. It held a small picture of Peggy. Rose's head whipped around to look at her. She was frozen in her seat, glancing sideways at Colonel Phillips who was giving her such a look. Rose had to wonder how he had gotten the picture, seeing as Peggy obviously didn't know it was there. Maybe Bucky is more resourceful than a lot of people give him credit for, she thought, smirking.

Peggy and Rose become extremely close over the summer. It began one late night when Peggy knocked on Rose's door to offer a sneaky nightcap after a particularly hard day training. Rose opened the door slowly, trying to hide her face. Peggy tilted her chin up with her hand and immediately pulled Rose into a tight hug when she saw her red eyes and face wet with tears. Peggy lead her over to the small sofa in her room and asked her what was wrong when she had calmed down enough to finally speak.

"I, uh," she cleared her throat, "I guess I just miss my family. My friends." Peggy nodded in sympathy. "I've been here eight months, I never thought, never considered-" she let out a shuddering breath. "I don't know how long I'll be here, or even if I get to go home once it's over."

"It's never easy, being away from home," Peggy consoled, "nor is it easy to accept that you may not see a loved one again. Do you know I lost my brother?" Rose nodded, that she did know. It had been the loss of Michael Carter that had spurred Peggy to leave her job as a codebreaker and pursue a career with the SSR. Hell, she had even ended her engagement over it. "He wanted me to be more, he knew I could be more. Everything I do, everyday, is to make him proud. Think of the people you have left behind. Do you want to make them proud?"

"Yeah," Rose sniffed. "My brother and a couple of my friends would probably flip their shit if they knew where I was right now."

"Whatever you do here, Rose, do it for them."

Rose smiled wryly. "I hope the Commandos aren't away for too much longer. Movie montages are a lot more tedious in real life."

"I…don't know what that means." Peggy picked up the bottle liquor and two glasses she had set on the floor when they sat on the sofa. "Here, this might help." She said opening the bottle and pouring two glasses.

"Thanks, Peggy."

"Rose, we have a mission."

It was little over a week before the Commandos were due back when Peggy approached Rose with a file.

"Oh, fuck, no," Rose shook her head. "Last mission you took me on, I got shot, remember?"

"Your skills have vastly improved since then." Peggy pointed out.

"Gee, thanks."

"You're coming. Read the file, grab what you need. Be ready in an hour." With that, Peggy strode away.

Rose knew it was pointless to argue any further. Peggy was ridiculously stubborn once she had made her mind up about something - it was something Rose had admired about her long before meeting her. Sharon Carter's words at Peggy's funeral were spot on; she compromised where she could, and where she couldn't, she didn't.

A little while later, Rose met Peggy in the foyer of Headquarters, equipped for a mission. The mission itself made Rose's heart sink when she thought about it. A Hydra operative was in London on private business. Normally, an operative this low on Hydra's pay grade would fly under the SSR's radar, but there was something special about this particular gentleman. Werner Fischer worked in Hydra's transportation department. More accurately, he organised the trains. Now the intel that the Howling Commandos has fed back to the SSR so far had indicated that Dr Arnim Zola regularly came and went from a factory that the Commandos had only just located and were planning to take out before heading back to London. The problem was that no one knew anything about where Zola went apart from the fact that a train was involved. Rose and Peggy's mission was to bring Fischer in and find out as much about Hydra's apparent secret railway that they could. Rose had never known how they knew about the train in the movie, but even more, Rose was now a part of the mission. The mission that would lead to Bucky eventually falling from the train. Unless I stop it.

In the months that Bucky and Steve had been away, Rose had gone over scenario after scenario in her head. The best plan she could come up with involved her somehow getting onto the train with them. She was pretty damn sure that she wouldn't be able to convince Bucky to not go on the mission when it came up. He was too set on watching out for Steve. That, and Rose had read enough fanfictions in her time to deduce that no matter what she said, Bucky would get on that train. So she would just have to go with them.

Rose shook her head, brushing those thoughts aside. Before she could figure out how to get in on that mission she had to first make sure it would happen. The plan to get Fischer was to sneak into a Gentleman's club that Fischer supposedly frequented and pose as waitresses. They would then lure him away from the main room and subdue him for transport back to headquarters.

"How are we going to subdue him?" Rose asked, playfully taking a fighting stance and raising her fists.

"We," Peggy side-eyed her and placed her hands on top of Rose's, lowering them, "aren't. You are." She reached into her pocket and produced her Sweet Dreams lipstick. Rose's eyes went wide.

"Oh hell no! I'm not seducing him! Why can't you do it?" Rose complained. Peggy pushed the lipstick into Rose's hand and began walking their car.

"You'll be fine." Peggy assured her. "Besides," she fixed Rose with a knowing look, "gentlemen prefer blondes."

"If you're saying that it has to be me because I'm the picture of Aryan perfection, Carter, I fucking swear…" Rose muttered, following after Peggy, who chose to ignore her.

They parked in an alleyway behind the club and Peggy handed Rose an apron that would identify her as staff, putting one on herself.

"Ugh, I had hoped I had left the customer service industry behind." Rose grumbled as she tied the apron on.

"If you've done this before, you should be a natural and blend in here then." Peggy commented.

"I worked in a bookstore, it wasn't exactly serving cocktails to rich people."

There was no arguing with Peggy and she exited the vehicle and picked the lock of the back entrance of the club. It clicked open and she held the door open for Rose.

"After you."

Rose pulled a face at her and stomped into the building.

Inside Rose found it surprisingly easy to blend in with the other waitresses, who paid her no mind. Probably don't want to get in trouble in this stupid misogynistic establishment. Rose followed them down a hallway, picked up a tray when she spotted one, and went through the beaded curtain that led to the main lounge area. She spotted Fischer quickly with the grainy photograph they had managed to obtain of him. Inwardly cringing when she noticed that she had already caught Fischer's eye, Rose flitted across the floor towards him, trying desperately to imitate the air of allure and demure that the rest of the waitresses seemed to have.

"Good evening," he drawled in a barely concealed German accent. Rose painted her best sickly sweet smile across her face.

"Good evening, sir, how may I help you?" At this, Rose received some side-eyed glances from the other girls in the room. Well I clearly haven't followed whatever customer service script they follow.

"Can you be discreet, my dear? I have something in my case upstairs that requires a more… delicate touch than my own hands"

Fucking. Gross. Rose knew he was probably referring to the more detailed map of Hydra's bases he was rumored to have with him, but that didn't stop the request from sounding any less creepy. Luckily, years of practice kept Rose's fake smile in place.

"Certainly." She replied.

Fischer stood, gesturing for her to follow him. He led her down the hallway which she had entered previously, the doorway through which she had entered the building at the end. Disgust at the thought of using Peggy's knockout lipstick on the Hydra agent built, and realising the hallway was empty except for the two of them, Rose thought fast. She looked from the metal tray in her hand to the back of Fischer's head, to the doorway that held Peggy and her escape. Before she could weigh the pro's and con's of the situation and lose her nerve, Rose lifted the tray and smacked it against the back of Fischer's head as hard as she could. There was a resounding clang as metal met bone. Rose froze, as Fischer crumpled to the ground, relieved that her enhanced strength hadn't failed her and praying that the noise didn't draw too much attention. She jumped as the door at the end of the hall swung open to reveal a wide-eyed Peggy.

"What the hell are you doing?!" Peggy whisper-shouted at her.

Rose shrugged as if to say 'oops?'. Peggy shook her head and strode down the hall and tried to begin dragging Fischer out of the building.

"Are you going to help or not?" She snapped at Rose.

"Oh, sorry," Rose mumbled, helping Peggy drag him out, still amazed that hitting him on the head had even worked.

"I had to go back, sweet talk my way into Fischer's room to get that map. You nearly cost us the mission!" Peggy was berating Rose back at headquarters.

"Well it sort of worked, didn't it?" Rose responded defensively.

"I gotta admit, even I'm a little impressed." Howard piped up from his desk.
"Zip it." Peggy held a finger up to shush him. "Lucky for you, we still got the intel we needed. We know when and where to find Zola. The Commandos can even carry out the mission before returning to headquarters." Rose's blood ran cold.

"Before?"

"Yes, the train will be running through the Alps not too far from their current position in three day."

Three days. Three fucking days. Rose didn't know how she was going to convince Peggy or the Colonel, but she needed to be there. Rose looked at Peggy with eyes she hadn't seen since Steve had all but begged to cross enemy lines to rescue the 107th, the very mission that had brought Rose to them.

"I have to be there."

Peggy didn't respond immediately, thinking it through. Rose supposedly knew what the future held for all of them, therefore wouldn't say such a thing without knowing the danger it would put her in. Considering this, Peggy responded with four simple words;

"What do you need?"

Thanks to everyone who has reviewed even while I've been away, it's seriously the only that motivated me to keep going. Oh btw, the next chapter is gonna be fun :)