"John, it's good to see you. You too, Bobby..."
The hospital room almost felt crowded with the amount of people surrounding the bed. Lyndon looked... different, much different than the last time Robert Kennedy had seen him, which had been in this same room now that he thought of it. With the Secret Service agents accompanying the Presidential couple, not to mention Bobby himself, the bedside of the Vice President was getting rather cramped, but Bobby couldn't get over the change of the man lying in the bed, his hand clasped over his daughters sitting next to him. Last time he was here... well, there was no other way of saying it, he looked half in the grave already. It wasn't even the injuries, he'd seen men come home in a far worse state during the war, but Lyndon... he'd looked like a dead man walking, like his physical death was just a formality that had been annoyingly put on hold. His voice had been flat and lifeless, like speaking was an ordeal.
The man in front of him was Lyndon Johnson as he remembered him, before Dallas, before Ladybird, before... everything.
Next to him, Jackie spoke "Lyndon, Lynda, I... I'm so sorry. Claudia was an amazing woman, she didn't deserve this. None of you did. I just, I wish..." Jackie trailed off, unable to think of anything she could say that would possibly be enough.
There was a flash of pain across Lyndon's face, but he closed his eyes, and held Lynda's hand tighter, and it soon faded once again. "It's... well, no, it's not okay, I doubt it ever will be, but... it doesn't feel like I have to lie here and wait to die along with her anymore. It feels like I still have a life to live here. I'll always love my Ladybird, but I don't think it's the end for me, not just yet anyway. A few nights ago, I had this dream, and..." Lyndon laid back against his pillow, staring up at the ceiling for a few moments.
"...Lyndon?"
"Right, sorry" Lyndon shook his head "It was..." he chuckled "It's hard to describe, you know? Hard to put into words, but somehow... somehow, I know that I'll see her again. That she's waiting for me, where ever she is now. And until then, there is still work for me to do here. And, well... Bobby?" Bobby looked up, surprised "I'm... sorry, the way I acted when you visited me. It wasn't-"
"Lyndon, I didn't think anything of it, you weren't-"
Lyndon cut him off, holding up a hand "No, please, let me finish. It wasn't right, the way I talked then. It wasn't fair to you, or John, or my daughters. Or hell, even our COUNTRY! I see that now. I'm not the only one dealing with pain and grief, and I'd forgotten that. I'm the Vice-President of the United States, and it's time I started to act like it again. It's time to get back to work!"
"Are you sure, Lyndon?" John said, concern in his voice "You're still injured. No one would hold it against you if you stayed away longer, atleast until you've finished healing!"
Lyndon just shook his head "No, I'm not gonna lie, these injuries smart like hell" he said, rubbing his bandaged ear "But I'm going stir crazy in this bed, and I'm not an invalid just yet! And there is a lot left to do, for all of us..." he paused for a moment, before turning towards John "But, John, I do have one request... it doesn't have to be top priority, but I'd consider it a personal favor..."
.....
DALLAS MORNING NEWS, DECEMBER 18TH, 1963
HEADLINE: PRESIDENT KENNEDY AND VICE-PRESIDENT JOHNSON ANNOUNCE NEW MEMORIAL GARDEN TO BE CONSTRUCTED IN DALLAS.
PHOTO: [A large black and white photo of Lyndon Johnson shaking hands with Govermor Preston Smith, using his left hand as his right arm is in a sling]
The great state of Texas, and our entire nation as a whole, is still grieving over the horrific events of November 22nd, which led to dozens of deaths at the hands of a group of superhuman terrorists, led by the fugitive Nazi war criminal Heinrich Zemo. Amongst the dead were our own dear governor John Connally, as well as the Second Lady of the United States, Claudia "Ladybird" Johnson herself, both of them survived by their spouses. Though still reeling from the death of his beloved wife, upon his discharge from the Parkland hospital earlier this week, Vice-President Johnson announced that his first action upon returning to his office is to create a memorial for the victims of the tragedy. Alongside Neill Connally, the now-widow of our former governor, as well as President Kennedy's full support, Johnson has pledged to build something for the future, so that something good may come from this loss. Among other things, this memorial will feature a large, open garden, alongside a tribute to the fallen....
....
December 20th, Avengers Mansion, New York City, 1963
"An Avengers what event?"
Steve Rogers rubbed the back of his head, feeling a bit awkward. The idea had seemed sound when he thought it up, but now when he tried to actually spell it out for the rest of the team, he couldn't quite get the words right. "Ah... I mean, back during the war, the higher-ups used to have me star in stage shows and charity programs whenever I wasn't needed at the front, and in '43, there was this one show, where they asked me and... me and..." he still couldn't quite find himself to ignore the twinge of loss at the thought of Bucky "...me, and Bucky, we took part in a Christmas show for the troops in Britain, and... well, it was a big hit."
Things had been tough back in the States, sure, but even his own experiences during the worst days of the Depression had been nothing like seeing the aftermath of the Blitz, and the British trying to keep going in the face of a very grim future. Of course, their original purpose in Britain had been dealing with the theft of a superweapon by a Nazi operative calling himself The Scarab, but the mission hadn't taken nearly as long as expected, as The Scarab had turned out to be a rather transparent ploy by a British fascist sympathizer named Dr. Cyrus Maldor, a museum curator who wasn't even an actual Nazi agent, but once their mission was done, the military brass had decided to take advantage of the sudden open schedule and enlisted them in an impropmptu Christmas show, both for the troops station in Britain, as well as the civilians.
After '43, there hadn't been time for Christmas, or anything else than the seemingly endless war, and that one final celebration had been one of the few good memories he'd made during the darkest days of the war. And then there had been the ice, and...
Janet's voice broke him out of his reminiscence
"I think it's a wonderful idea!" She said, her legs crossed over the edge of the backrest of the recliner Pym was sitting in, her Wasp form making her red dress with the white fur trim around the neck barely visible "It's been a tough years for everyone, and not just for those of us in this room! Steve's right, I think the Avengers spreading some christmas cheer around New York would really be appreciated! What do you say, guys?"
The other men in the room, Stark, Banner and Pym, gave eachother an uncertain glance. While the team hadn't really gone into detail about their personal lives, it wasn't exactly a secret that most of them weren't big on family holidays. While Pym was simply not close to his, Banner had flat-out refused to speak of his parents at all, and a near-appearance of the Hulk the one time the subject had been brought up had put an end to any further attempts. As for Stark, his lack of connection with the remaining family he had was a bit of a running joke for the tabloids, and his Christmas celebrations usually revolved around the annual Stark Industries party.
Banner was the first to speak, putting aside the notebook he had been doodling some complex-looking formulas in "Well, I usually just work through Christmas, but... well, it's been the first time in quite a while I had a reason to celebrate it. I know Hulk is the actual member of the Avengers rather than myself, but if you want me to, I'll be happy to help!"
Stark chuckled, walking over to the couch and slouching down next to Banner, draping an arm over the doctors shoulder "I keep telling you Bruce, Hulks and Banners, you're both part of the secret clubhouse! You both got the secret handshake and everything! As for me, my company usually throws a pretty big Christmas shindig every year, but what the hell, no reason I can't take part in two parties this year instead of just one! Hey, why don't we invite Richards crew too and make it three? I hear that Storm kid is a bit of a party animal!"
"I don't think that's quite the kind of Christmas event Steve had in mind, Tony" Pym said, giving a quick glance towards Janet before answering "As for me, I'd be very happy to help as well. What did you have in mind?"
Steve smiled "Well, we still have to ask Johan, Thor and Spider-Man, and I know Spider-Man might have a family, since he's been worried about revealing his real identity, so he might have other plans on Christmas. I thought maybe-" He stopped for a moment, looking around the room "Hey, speaking of which, where are everyone else? I haven't seen them all day..."
Stark shrugged with one shoulder, his other arm still around Bruce "I think Spider-Pup is still in school. Johan took off this morning though, and I think Thor might have gone with him. He said..." Stark blinked, as he thought of something "Huh... did he ever tell anyone where he was from?"
The room fell silent as everyone simply shook their heads.
"No, I don't think so" Janet said "Only thing I can think of is that he's mentioned a few times he's not actually from the U.S. Why?"
"Because before he left, he said that "the holidays were making him a bit homesick...""
...
December 20th, Nättraby, Blekinge, Sweden, 1963
The church is the only place that looks the same way I remember. Which I suppose shouldn't come as a surprise, since it was built long before there even was a Sweden anything like the country I grew up in. The village around us is small, even smaller than the one I remember. The school, well, there's A school in the same spot, but the one I went to won't be built for years yet. The stores, most of the houses, with a few exceptions, most of it is missing. Or rather, they're just not there yet. But some things are already here. The trees, the bridge, the river. And, like I said, the church. Even the white paint on the walls outside looks the same.
It's strange the things you never quite stop associating with "home". I haven't been here since I was 16, I'm not even a christian, but... this is where my school always held it's Christmas and Summer graduations, and something about the December cold in New York just drew me back here in a way nothing had in years. It's strange, the way some childhood experiences never quite leave you.
The ground of the churchyard is frozen, but there isn't any snow just yet. I hear Thors heavy boots crunching the frost beneath us as he walks up behind me, a fur-lined coat hiding his Asgardian armor, his long, blond hair flowing freely without his helmet on. An Avenger turning up into an obscure Swedish village might have raised a few eyebrows.
"It's been a long time since I spent any real time in the North. I remember it rather differently..."
I nod "You and me both, buddy. Though I suspect your memories are probably a bit different than mine..." We stand there for a moment, listening to the silence of the winter morning "You can go inside a church without something weird happening, right? I'd like to listen to the sermon, and I think you being struck by lightning or something might cause a bit of a stir."
Thor just smiles "No one has objected to my presence in these places before, friend."526