𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐝𝐨𝐰𝐬

"Secretary Ross has a Congressional Medal of Honour, which is one more than you have." Rhodes argued with Sam, stood behind where Steve looked over the Accords.

Sam scoffed, saying, "So let's say we agree to this thing. How long is it gonna be before they LoJack us like a bunch of common criminals?"

"117 countries want to sign this. 117, Sam.  And you're just like, 'no, that's cool, we got it.'" Rhodey continued, looking like he was criticising Sam for his opinion.

"How long are you gonna play both sides?" Sam asked, before they were interrupted by Vision, who stepped forwards.

"I have an equation," Vision claimed, his robotic voice stopping Rhodey and Sam's argument before it could continue.

"Oh, this'll clear it up." Sam said, crossing his arms as he stood defensively.

"In the eight years since Mr. Stark announced himself as Iron Man, the number of known enhanced persons has grown exponentially. And during the same period, the number of potentially world-ending events has risen at a commensurate rate." Vision offered, making small gestures with his hands as he explained.

"Are you saying it's our fault?" Steve asked Vision, rather offended at his equation.

"I'm saying that there might be a causality, our strength invites challenge. Challenge invites conflict. And conflict... breeds catastrophe. Oversight... oversight is not an idea that can be dismissed out of hand." Vision continued.

"Boom." Rhodey spoke smugly, moving his arms out in victory before returning to his position. Then Natasha spoke up, her eyes on Tony who lay on the sofa with a hand over his eyes.

"Tony.  You're being uncharacteristically non-hyper-verbal." The redhead stated, drawing the other heroes' attentions to the genius.

"It's because he's already made up his mind." Steve decided, the crease in his forehead very obvious.

"Boy, you know me so well." Tony scoffed, standing up with a face of discomfort before he rubbed the back of his head.
"Actually, I'm nursing an electromagnetic headache." He told the group, walking towards the kitchen area and grabbing himself a mug.
"That's what's going on, Cap. It's just pain— it's discomfort. Who's putting coffee grounds in the disposal? Am I running a bed and breakfast for a biker gang?" Tony continued, looking at the group with an annoyed face.

The Stark placed his phone down, tapping it and making a picture project into the air of Charles. He looked towards the ground, before looking up again, pretending to finally notice the picture of the boy.

"Oh, that's Charles Spencer, by the way. He's a great kid. Computer engineering degree, 3.6 GPA. Had a floor level gig at Intel planned for the fall. But first, he wanted to put a few miles on his soul, before he parked it behind a desk. See the world. Maybe be of service. Charlie didn't want to go to Vegas or Fort Lauderdale, which is what I would do. He didn't go to Paris or Amsterdam, which sounds fun. He decided to spend his summer building sustainable housing for the poor. Guess where, Sokovia." Tony explained, having done his research on the boy.

The group's faces changed, all of them looking effected by the news. They could guess where it had gone from there.

"He wanted to make a difference, I suppose. I mean, we won't know because we dropped a building on him while we were kicking ass."
Stark took a painkiller with his coffee, before he turned back to the others.
"There's no decision-making process here. We need to be put in check! Whatever form that takes, I'm game. If we can't accept limitations, if we're boundary-less, we're no better than the bad guys."

"Tony," Steve immediately started, "if somebody dies on your watch... you don't give up."

Tony paused. "Who said anything about giving up?"

"We are if we're not taking responsibility for our actions. This document just shifts the blame!" Steve told them, looking frustrated.

"I'm sorry, Steve. That— that is dangerously arrogant. This is the United Nations we're talking about! It's not the World Security Council, it's not SHIELD, it's not HYDRA." Rhodey spoke, and by some of the others' facial expressions... it seemed they agreed.

"No. But it's run by people with agendas, and agendas change."

"That's good, that's why I'm here. When I realised what my weapons were capable of in the wrong hands, I shut it down and stopped manufacturing." Tony claimed.

"Tony, you chose to do that! If we sign this, we surrender our right to choose. What if this panel sends us somewhere we don't think we should go? What if there's somewhere we need to go, and they don't let us? We may not be perfect, but the safest hands are still our own." Steve said, speaking with so much confidence that the group were reminded of why he was Captain America.

"If we don't do this now, it's going to be done to us later! That's the fact. That won't be pretty." Tony defended, having a very good point.

"You're saying they'll come for me." Wanda spoke, her accent cutting through the conversation as her face turned even more grim.

"We would protect you." Vision immediately replied.

"Maybe Tony's right," Natasha considered, making everybody look at her as Tony watched, surprised.
"If we have one hand on the wheel, we can still steer. If we take it off—"

Sam interrupted, asking, "Aren't you the same woman who told the government to kiss her ass a few years ago?"

"I'm just..." she sighed quietly. "I'm reading the terrain. We have made.. some very public mistakes. We need to win their trust back."

"Focus up, I'm sorry, did I just mishear or did you agree with me?" Tony interjected, a faint smile on his face.

"Oh, I wanna take it back now." Natasha replied, smiling at her friend who quickly spoke after her once again.

"No, no, no! You can't retract it. Thank you. Unprecedented. Okay, case closed— I win." Tony said victoriously, grinning.

Before anything else could happen, Steve's phone buzzed. He read it, sadness weighing down his shoulders.
'She's gone. In her sleep.'
It referred to Peggy Carter — the only woman he had loved in his life, and he continued to love her. The fact she was gone, one of the last links to his old life, broke his heart.

With tired sigh and a heart drowned in sadness, he stood, saying, "I have to go."

●

Pietro Maximoff let out a heavy sigh, stalking up the stairs in the house he shared with Ava. He got to the door of her room, which had been slammed loudly by the ginger girl inside, but before he knocked, he rubbed his eyes tiredly.

He hit the door with his knuckles three times, not hearing a reply. He did it again, before he got a huff from the inside of the room.

"What?" Ava asked, tired and angry. Angry at Secretary Ross and his 'I'm better than everybody' attitude— angry at herself, just angry.

"Open the door, little one." Pietro told her, knowing that if she he had asked, she would've said no.

With a long breath, Ava stood from where she had sat on the floor and walked over, twisting the handle and opening the door for the speedster. He entered quickly, closing the door behind him gently.

"Come here," he said, and she didn't hesitate as she basically threw herself into his arms so he could hug her tightly. "Everything's gonna be okay, you hear?"

"Yes," she replied, digging her face into his shoulder as she held back any outbursts she felt like she would have. "I'm sorry."

"No, no!" Pietro denied. "You have nothing to be sorry for. You should've never been involved with this, Ava." He told her, hugging her tighter as she clutched at his shirt.

"Is everybody going to be okay, Piet?" She asked him, shortening his name to the nickname barely anybody used.

"Yes, we will make sure of it." He reassured her, letting go of her as she leaned back slightly and released him.

"Pinky promise?" She asked, holding out her pinky for him to join with his own. He smiled faintly, before linking their fingers together.

"Pinky promise."

author's note!—

hi. here's a chapter.

i have to say something...

i really appreciate the support & love of this story!! really, i do. but if i haven't updated in a while, the chances are i have other things going on.

it gets really difficult to keep on top of writing when there are other things that need more effort & attention than the stories. you have to remember that writers have lives outside of their books.

sorry about that, but it had to be said.