Author's Note-Hi guys, Starlit Anabelle here, or as you might know me on NaNoWriMo, Bridget McTavish, here with my (winning!) fic 'Light of the Frozen Star Prelude' aka 'And It All Comes Together'. So a couple friends and I are roleplaying and working on a fanfic called Light of the Frozen Star, and hopefully I will get that out and onto here eventually. But in the meantime, here's a collection of fics that lead up to that story. Please note that this is a work in progress and I'm not doing all of it chronologically (although certainly trying whenever and wherever I can manage), so as I continue to add on to this fic, I may decide to go back and squeeze another part into the timeline. So keep an eye on those chapters and on the dates, because things might end up being shuffled around a little bit here and there.

As a note to the events in this particular chapter, I'm a major Irish history buff, so please excuse me while I geek out for a second with explanation. Feel free to skip it if you wish, but it does help to clarify just a little bit.

As it so happens, Steve Rogers happens to be first generation American, while his parents-or his father, at least-happens to be Irish. As the period coincides with one of the most tense and turbulent times in Ireland's recent history to date, it does cover the Dublin Lockout. Let's just say, in the shorthand, that there's been a lot of reasons Ireland and the UK didn't get along. In this particular instance, at the time, the economy in Ireland was absolutely terrible. Wages were driven down to the extreme as there were many people in Ireland looking for work. Many people decided to try and strike in order to protest these low wages and terrible working conditions, but as a result, many business and factory owners shut their doors and locked out the protesters. These owners won out in the end, with a result of civilian arrest, injury and even a few casualties thanks to strike breakers who would come and try to break up the protests. A number of former workers were also blacklisted from many companies due to their involvement in the protests, which is an issue that comes to mention in this fic. Ultimately, this was all pretty terrible as it further seeded the already-growing discontent in Ireland, a sentiment that wasn't at all helped by the fact that a Home Rule bill was looking at being overlooked for the third time.

-clears throat- Anyway. With that little blurb of history geekitude, strap in because we're about to start weaving this universe together in three...two...

-1913-

This story begins, like many stories, with two brothers.

Slam!

More specifically, with the turbulence of two brothers.

"You can't be fecking serious, Cathal, you can't!"

Raised voices. The tiny Dublin duplex was still rattling a bit from the force of the slammed door. An older man-Donal Rogers-looked up from some paperwork he was doing at the table in the back of the kitchen, closest to the fireplace-likely some sort of rent issue or another, property costs were getting higher while wages were being driven down lower all the time. The duplex was mostly dim, lit mainly by the fire that crackled and snapped behind the older man.

"You see? This is why I hesitated in telling you, Joseph. I knew you were going to lose your head!" The younger brother said, eyeing the older one with exasperated but worried green eyes.

"And why wouldn't I? She's an Englishwoman! Have you been paying any bleeding attention to what's been in the papers lately? To what's been going on before our very eyes?!"

"Yes, yes, the lockout and the beatings and…the blacklists-but Ida has nothing to do with that! She can't help her nationality!"

"But her father's Edward Winchester. Right? I've heard of him, he's a lieutenant of the British Army. Cathal-he would show up here in Dublin to arrest and murder me, you, our whole damn family for just a few pounds added to his paycheck, just as they did to god knows how many civilians during the Lockout, just like Nolan and Byrne and Brady!"

"Her father's not like that! Not all of the English people are like that-and who are you one to talk anyway?! Going around, talking like some member of the Irish Citizen Army all loyal to the 'Irish cause' when really we all know you're just running off to America like a coward to lick your wounds!"

The younger brother barely had a chance to finish his words as his head snapped to the side at the punch, and when he turned his head again, he could see the rage etched across his brother's features.

"Don't you ever, ever call me a coward! I was the one who was sent off to some in a Welsh prison fighting for what's right while you were off in London making doe eyes at some Anglo bitch-!"

Cathal reached over to grab Joseph's shirt, glaring daggers. "Don't you ever talk about Ida that way-!"

"Boys!" The father finally said loudly, moving to wearily rise from his seat with a sigh. Making his way around the table and over to the two as Cathal released his brother, he looked from one to the other before his eyes rested on Cathal. "That's enough. Joseph is right-"

"What-?!"

"All those months in a Welsh prison standing up for a cause we can all believe in- he's paid his dues. Overpaid, in fact, considering he's been blacklisted from working at most companies since. Not that I would be too supportive of his choice for immigration…" He glanced over at Joseph with a look, causing the older brother's anger and conviction to falter for just a couple of seconds, but then returned his eyes to Cathal. "But it's better than him being a bum. And things are only going to become more violent here."

"He only got thrown into prison and blacklisted because he decided to pick a fight with one of the strike breakers! That wasn't necessary, plenty of workers got accepted back into their companies," Cathal pleaded, but they all knew what was already beginning to show in his eyes: he wasn't going to win this argument. Maybe against Joseph, but not against their father. "What Joseph did wasn't the noble act of a patriot fighting for a cause, it was the act of a few drinks and a short temper-!"

"Regardless, this argument isn't about me!" Joseph added, with a particular quickness, Cathal noticed. Well, fine. Point taken, this argument wasn't about Joseph's leaving, it never was. No, this was about himself and Ida.

Turning back to their father, he shook his head. "Ida is a good and decent woman and she comes from a good and decent family. A family that's accepting of me, despite who I am and where I'm from, despite that I'm of an Irish family of low prestige. They're even willing to provide me with work in their family business! Why can't the two of you follow in their example?"

Their father looked over at him with judging hazel eyes. "Because we're not like them. We are not traitors to our nation-"

"Our nation is their nation! Are we not all a part of the United Kingdom?" Cathal questioned, but all hope was becoming fainter and fainter. He wasn't going to win this one…

…But he wasn't going to leave Ida, either…

"The way things are going? As long as we are a part of the United Kingdom, we will always be second-class citizens," their father replied. "And if you wish to be Anglo, then so be it. Walk like them, talk like them, play your games of pretend. Even marry one of them. But never expect to be welcomed back here. Englishmen bear no welcome in my house."

Cathal blinked a few times, staring at the two for a moment. Joseph looked almost just as shocked as he was, but was quickly (with some struggle) hiding it in the presence of their father. Of course. Daddy's 'good' son.

"…Fine," Cathal finally replied as his expression grew stony, a bitter note to his voice as he turned away and headed to his room. "I'll get my things. Rest assured ye will not be bothered by my treasonous presence again."

Author's Note-And here we've kicked off our story and it only takes off rocketing through time from here (and with more cannon characters, promise). Please drop me a review, flames will be used for holy oil as I trap any angels attempting to stop me from unveiling their growing conspiracy. Until the next update~!