Year 2050
An older woman stands alone over a headstone in a cemetery. Her long gray hair is braided and draped over her shoulder. Her face shows signs of age but her golden eyes were still bright as the sun. She stares down somberly at the headstone that reads:
James "Bucky" Barnes
1917-2027
A hero from the past and saved the future
In the midst of her thoughts she smelled someone coming up behind her. A small smile curves on her face. "Glad to see you've returned safely," she calls out, not bothering to look behind her. A young man in his early thirties chuckles to himself as he walks up to the woman. He was followed by a black and gray husky with piercing blue eyes. His dark brown hair is long enough to be pulled back in a small ponytail. His gruffy face makes him look severe but the smile wrinkles around his hazel eyes shows his kinder side. "How did you know it was me?" "I may be old and losing my hearing but my nose is still sharp. I can smell your scent for miles…like I always did with him." The last part she said more quietly. The man stands next to her and looks down at the flowers laid on the grave. "All these years and it still hurts?" he asks curiously. The woman pats the man on the shoulder affectionately. "You'll understand some day, Xander," she responds.
Feeling a bit tired she takes a few steps back and sits on the stone bench next to the grave, sitting conveniently underneath an oak tree. "Probably sooner than I like to…" the man, Xander remarks gravely. "Killing me off already? Shame on you," the woman said crossly before cackling. "You okay?" he asks with a concerned face, seeing how tired she looked. She swats at the air with her hand. "I'm fine. Just get tired sometimes. You'll understand that someday too." Xander rolls his eyes before sitting next to her. The husky comes up to the woman and places his head lovingly on her lap. She smiles and pets his ears. "Such a good boy, Rex." "Tell me about him," he comments out of nowhere, "How you two met...How you fell in love…Tell me everything." The gray-haired woman squints her eyes suspiciously at him.
"What's the matter?" she asks. The man snorts with a smile. "You sure you don't read minds too?" he asks playfully. The woman cocks an eyebrow to encourage him to explain. Xander exhales loudly before responding. "I'm not sure what side I want to choose…some members of the team believe the Accords should be reinstated while others are…not wanting to go back to how things were before. I've heard countless stories from the past and how bad it got when the Accords were first introduced…" The woman nods, remembering the same stories too. "I'd hate for it to happen to us and for some of the older members to go through it AGAIN." She smiles to herself. She's known Xander since he was very small. She's become proud of the man he has grown to be. She can tell he will be a good leader of the Avengers someday but she knows he still has a lot to learn. "You're hoping to find the answer in my love story?" she questions with a smirk. He meets her eyes and shrugs. "Why not." The old woman places a hand on one of his knees and sighs. "Where do I start…"