SENTINEL ↝ MARVEL CINEMATIC UNIVERSE [1] [ON HOLD]

[1]

The angelic sounds of the choir echoed through the cathedral to the mourners all dressed in black, gathered together that day to celebrate the life of Margaret Carter. One of the pallbearers carrying the casket down the aisle, James stood in front of the group, opposite his father, an expression of stone written on the boy's face.

James avoided the watchful eyes of the people gathered in the pews, his gaze trained straight ahead at the altar as he focused everything in himself into keeping it together. While Peggy had lived the majority of her life with her son asleep in a cryogenic chamber, for him, it had only been the equivalent of almost a year since he was seeing both her and Howard every day. Now, the only two people he'd ever really known his entire life were gone, replaced by a cousin of his he'd never had the pleasure of meeting before Sharon woke him out of his chamber, and the father he'd always believed to be dead.

Once the casket was placed at the center of the altar, James and Steve took their seats next to Sam Wilson, a friend of his father's that James had been introduced to earlier that morning on the car ride to the cathedral. James watched as a priest stepped up front to begin speaking, the words flowing from the man's mouth about the type of woman Peggy was, and how her bravery and sacrifices helped shape the future of the United States with the founding of S.H.I.E.L.D.

It was all James could do to look at the pictures that lined the shrine at the front of the room, of everything she did over the years while he'd been asleep behind locked doors. In another world, James would still be sitting in the front pew, wrinkles lining the seventy year old man's face as he reminisced on his favorite memories with his mother throughout the years while surrounded by his grandchildren, rather than the teenage kid sitting with his father, only childhood memories of testing and training alongside Peggy and Howard evident in his mind. Perhaps in the other world he was a co-founder of S.H.I.E.L.D., and he was present in a number of the pictures showing his mother in her later years.

"And now, I would like to invite Sharon Carter to come up and say a few words." the man concluded his speech, stepping away from the altar to allow Sharon to take his place.

As Sharon took the stand to begin her eulogy, James noticed Sam nudge Steve's side with a gesture in her direction, and could feel his father tense up next to him at the sight of the Carter woman, causing James to furrow his eyebrows together slightly in confusion before turning his attention back to Sharon.

"Margaret Carter was known to most as a founder of S.H.I.E.L.D." Sharon began her speech, and James watched as her eyes moved around the room for a moment before hesitantly landing on Steve. "But I just knew her as Aunt Peggy. She had a photograph in her office, of Aunt Peggy standing next to JFK. As a kid, that was pretty cool. But it was a lot to live up to, which is why I never told anyone we were related.

"I asked her once how she managed to master diplomacy and espionage in a time when no one wanted to see a woman succeed at either." Sharon continued. "And she said, compromise where to can. But where you can't, don't. Even if everyone is telling you that something wrong is something right. Even if the whole world is telling you to move, it is your duty to plant yourself like a tree, look them in the eye, and say no, you move."

The congregation applauded softly as Sharon concluded her eulogy, signaling an end to the service. As everyone began to flood back out of the cathedral into the foggy London air, Sam rose, turning back to James and Steve.

"I'll give you two a minute." Sam offered. "I'll be just outside if you need me."

"Thanks, Sam," Steve said, and Sam bid them goodbye, joining the crowds making their way out of the room.

The last guest finally departed from the cathedral, leaving James and his father alone in the room. It was only once they were alone that Steve rose from the bench, pacing slowly at the front of the aisle. The two Rogers men sat in silence, which was soon broken by the soft sound of a pair of high heels moving on the carpet, belonging to a redheaded woman whose gaze was trained on Steve.

While James had never seen the woman before in his life, his father's reaction to seeing her was one of familiarity, and of friendship. Another member of the team Steve had explained to James, he guessed, alongside Sam, and Howard's son, Tony.

"Hi," he said as she reached the two of them, her gaze moving from Steve to James as the boy slowly stood up from the pew.

"Hi," she said, nodding in James's direction, her eyes moving between the two of them, no doubt catching the similarities. "Who's this?"

"James, meet Natasha Romanoff." Steve introduced, looking back at James. "One of the best spies you'll ever meet. Natasha, this is James. My... well, my son."

As he spoke, the woman's eyes widened slightly as she stared speechless at them for a moment. "I see," she said finally, nodding. "I didn't know you had-"

"I've been away for a while." James spoke up, as a brief explanation. "A long while, you could say."

"Yes you have." Natasha agreed.

"When I came out of the ice, I thought everyone I had known was gone." Steve said. "Then I found out that, not only was she alive, but that I had a son, too."

"And they had you back, too." Natasha said, James nodding in agreement.

Steve was silent for a moment before speaking up again. "Who else signed?" he asked, causing James to look back at his father in confusion.

"Tony, Rhodey, Vision." Natasha explained, James's eyes moving back and forth between Steve and Natasha, waiting for somebody to explain the situation to the boy.

"Clint?" he asked.

"Says he's retired."

"Wanda? Elysia?"

"Both TBD." she said with an uneasy expression. "I'm off to Vienna for the signing of the Accords. There's plenty of room on the jet, for both of you, even."

"Signing?" James asked finally. "What kind of signing? What are the Accords?"

"They're called the Sokovia Accords." Natasha explained, and James couldn't ignore the grimace on his father's face at the mention of their name. "For the members of our team, as well as other enhanced beings out there. A way to keep Earth's Mightiest Heroes in check for a while, and to make sure there's no unnecessary destruction in a fight. It seems the world governments think we've been a little reckless lately, though I can't say that's a completely inaccurate statement." 

"But you don't think it should be signed." James concluded, looking back at his father, who simply shook his head in response.

"Just because it's the path of least resistance doesn't mean it's the wrong path." Natasha reminded him. "Staying together is more important than how we stay together."

"What are we giving up to do it?" Steve replied, leaving Natasha in silence. "I'm sorry, Nat." he said. "I can't sign it, and I can't let James sign it either. Not when he hasn't yet seen the world we live in, and can't make the choice for himself. It's just not right."

James watched the two of them speak, his mind considering the magnitude of the Accords. While he didn't know much about them, nor the past destruction the Avengers had caused to create the need to enact such a document, he could see how strongly his father felt about the situation. From what he'd heard, the Avengers had saved the world in more ways than one, and how that would affect their abilities to help others he couldn't quite be sure.

But James knew his father was right.

He couldn't sign the Accords. Not at least until he could come to know the new world he was now a part of.