War of Hearts ~ Joaquin Torres

Alice I

Alice woke up to the feeling of falling. Just kidding, after the disbanding of the Avengers that rarely happened. She returned to her home town Fayetteville and nowadays her only problems were job interviews and financial issues, other than those she was fine. Her powers weren't really helpful to continue the life of a vigilante so her carrier as a hero was long forgotten in her opinion. That is until a certain falcon became the next Captain America. It all started on a normal Wednesday.

Alice was in the kitchen trying to make dinner for herself. The rain outside was pouring, and only the knocking of water drops on the window  cut the silence.  Knock. Knock. Knock. Came the sound from the door. 

"Coming!" Alice shouted, and hoped she was loud enough so the visitor could hear it. She wiped her hands clean and walked to the entrance. To her surprise Sam and another man stood at the door. Before she could closer the door Sam stopped her.

"We only want five minutes," he started waiting for a reaction from her, that he did not get "please, just... just five minutes" 

"Fine... Come in" she said reluctantly, and opened the door for them.

After they were all sat on the couch it wasn't Sam who spoke up, but the person who came with him. "Woah, this place is nothing like I imagined" he mumbled, and looked around in her room as if it was the habitat of the caveman exhibited in a museum.

"Oh yeah, Alice, this is Joaquin Torres, the new Falcon. Joaquin, this is Alice Mason otherwise known as Ace" Sam spoke looking worriedly how she will react to all of this, but mostly to Joaquin, who had a proud smile on his face at the mention of his new hero name.

"Not anymore" that's all she said and almost went back to the kitchen to continue cooking.

"You could be, again, the world needs Ace, and so do we"  he continued and earned a piercing glare from her.

"It does not" she stated and strode calmly to the kitchen, the two guys following her steps.

"Oh come on, Ali, you can't just hide away because your brother died! We've all lost someone!" Sam reasoned still trying to win a lost battle.

"Oh really? Did you have to watch your brother bleed out in your arms just because you were too weak to prevent it? Because I did" she said harshly and leaned on the counter with folded arms.

Memories from the past made their way into her thoughts, the events of her last mission flashing before her eyes. The last breath, the last actions and the last words of her brother replaying in her mind. Don't cry, little sis. It'll be alright, I'll be alright.  

"Go" that's all she could say. She didn't trust her voice, not in these situations, not with her brother mentioned. The two guests walked out the door,  disappointed that they couldn't convince the girl to change her opinion.

"So what now?" Joaquin asked and leaned against the closed door.

"I don't know she was our only hope," Sam sighed as he paced back and forth "we could ask Clint too, but nobody knows where he is"

The door suddenly opened revealing Alice standing on the other side of it.

"Fine" she said and folded her arms "but I have one condition."