I don't own anything except any original/own characters and any original plot.

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Chapter 18 - The Accords

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"All right, what do you see?"

"Beat cops. Small station. It's a good target."

"There's an ATM, which means-"

"Cameras."

I leaned back in my seat, taking a sip of th foreign coffee in front of me. Before we had settled down at the cafe, I had shifted into a blonde woman with tanned skin. She- I- was dealing with the hot weather in shorts and a t-shirt.

"That means our guy doesnt care about being seen. Doesn't care about casualties. You see that Range Rover around the block?"

"Yeah, the red one? It's cute."

"It's also bulletproof," Nat added, "Which means private security, which means more guns, which means more headaches for somebody. Probably us."

"Did you forget that I can move things with my mind? (Y/n) can use magic as well."

"Looking over your shoulder needs to become second nature."

"Anybody ever tell you you're a little paranoid?"

"Not to my face. Why? Did you hear something?" That made me chuckle.

"Eyes on target, folks. This is the best lead we've had on Rumlow in six months. I don't want to lose him."

"If he sees us he's going to be running for the hills," I chuckled, making eye  contact with Wanda.

"Says the woman who can transform into anyone."

"Hydra created detectors. If they have them I won't be much use in a different form," I argued.

"Sam, see that garbage truck? Tag it," Steve ordered.

I looked over to the truck Steve mentioned. It was driving through the middle of the market recklessly, with no regard to what it was destroying.

"It's a battering ram."

"Go, now!"

Jumping up and out of my chair, I shifted into my uniform. Joining Nat and Wanda along the way, all of us ran to the Institute for Infectious Diseases where the fight was taking place. Steve and Sam were already a step ahead of us, taking out Rumlow's men.

"Rumlow on the third floor," Sam reported to us.

"(Y/n), boost me up."

"What about the gas?' Wanda questioned, looking up at the building wearily.

"Get it out," Steve said simply before full on sprinting towards me.

Squeaking in surprise, I threw both of my hands up and boosted Steve up to the third floor. He crashed through the glass, allowing the gas to leak out and into the air. That was when Wanda stepped into action, filtering the gas until it was harmless. Talk about air pollution.

"I'm at five, (Y/n) you gotta hurry up."

"Shut up Sam," I punched one of Rumlow's men across the jaw, knocking him out immediately.

"I think the meditation is helping out. Thanks for giving me the lessons after the Christmas heist. Even if you didn't end up winning."

"We don't mention the heist unless it's heist time," I stretched my hands out to create a whip, "I'm about to be at eight."

"Eight? How are you at eight?"

I swung the magical whip around my head, taking out the men that had been rapidly closing in around me.

"I'm just that good," I mocked good naturedly.

"Rumlow has a biological weapon."

"I'm on it."

Nat sprinted towards a soldier and took him out in under a second.  She ran forward, taking out soldiers through hand-to-hand combat and with her Widow's Bite cuffs. I was watching her absent mindedly while fighting myself. This fight was too easy.

"I don't work like that no more." I gasped as Rumlow dropped Nat into one of the humvees, dropping a live grenade inside soon after.

"Wurn," trusting that Nat could handle herself, even with a live grenade at her feet, I took off after Rumlow.

He had jumped into the closest truck and took off. But because of all the things in his way, and perhaps because of the Talisman, I easily kept up with him until he crashed. Four men got out with him, scattering as soon as their feet touched the ground.

"I got Rumlow," I shouted into the com, "You guys handle the others."

As I searched through the market ground, a harsh kick was delivered to my chest, stealing the air form my lungs. Coughing dryly, I blindly reached out for something to grab on to so I could pull myself up.

"Cap's little squeeze," Rumlow picked me up out of the rubble by my neck. I kicked and punched, but none of my hits affected him, "I'm gonna enjoy killing you."

I spread my hands apart from each other, a sparking whip forming in between them. Throwing it forwards, it wrapped itself around his calf. I pulled back as hard as I could, falling onto my back when he stumbled and let me go.

"Payload secure. Thanks, Sam."

Recovering, Rumlow sprinted towards me. I somersaulted past him, wrapping the magic whip around his hand. Tightening my grip, electricity roared along the weapon towards him. He flinched, jerking his arm. But it didn't have the harsh affect I thought it would. He wrapped his arm around the glowing whip, giving it a harsh tug.

With no control, my body flew towards him. Before I was even touching the ground, two punches landed on my stomach. I gasped, my concentration fading and the whip disappearing from my hands. That was the thing about magic. Just like shifting, concentration was important.

I spun around, kicking him once, twice across his helmet. He flew back into the same rubble I fell into. Taking a few menacing steps towards him, he pulled his helmet off. I held back a grimace upon observing his extremely scarred face.

"Who's your buyer?" I asked, tone telling him I wasn't joking around.

"You know him. So does your boyfriend, fiancé sorry. Your pal, your buddy, your Bucky."

"You're lying," I growled. I could feel the Talisman heating up on my finger. It was feeding off of my anger.

"He remembered you two. He got all weepy about it. He wanted me to tell you something. He said, 'When you gotta go, you gotta go.' And you're coming with me."

My hands jerked forward as Rumlow pressed down on the trigger for the bomb he had been carrying the entire time. Instead of him exploding and most likely killing me, his body was lifted into the air, contained. I glanced to the side. Wanda was handling the situation, Steve next to her.

"I'm sorry, I had to make sure the situation was under control-"

BOOM!

Everyone's heads snapped up in the direction of the blast. I gasped out in shock. In her hast to get rid of Rumlow, Wanda had accidentally sent him off near a building and let go. The explosion destroyed the outer layers of a few of the floors.

"Wanda, Wanda look at me," I put my hands on Wanda's shoulders, forcing her to look into my eyes. She was shaking, and I was too, "None of this was your fault. Alright?"

"(Y/n), damage control!" Steve shouted, finger pressed against the com in his ear to hand out orders.

"I'm on it," with a jumping start I was in the air near the building. The whole situation wasn't good practice for levitation, but I would have to make do with what I had the ability for.

It would have to be enough if I could save as many people as possible. Taking a quick look back down at Wanda, my heart broke a little to see tears streaming down her face. Hardening my own expression, I focused back on the task at hand.

It wasn't her fault.

~*~

"Wakandans were among those killed during a confrontation between the Avengers and a group of mercenaries in Lagos, Nideria, last month. The traditionally reclusive Wakandans were on an outreach mission in Lagos when the attack occurred."

"Our people's blood is spilled on foreign soil. Not only because of the actions of criminals, but by the indifference of those pledged to stop them. Victory at the expense of the innocent, is no victory at all."

"King T'Chaka," I scoffed in disdain, shutting the computer off, "He's no king of mine."

"Wanda's watching it too," Steve informed me when the newcast could still be heard throughout the compound, "Come on."

Together, Steve and I walked to Wanda's room. Sure enough, she was perched on the edge of her bed watching the news report Steve and I had just shut off. Steve picked up the remote, shutting it off before Wanda could listen to anymore of their harsh words.

"It's my fault."

"That's not true."

"Turn the TV back on. They're being very specific."

"I should have checked him over before I started asking questions," I spoke up, sittin next to Wanda on her bed, "You tried to make up for my mistake. Because I hesitated, people died. And now you're the one suffering."

"It's both of our faults," Steve sat down as well, the bed creaking under our combined weight, "We try to save as many people as we can. Sometimes that doesn't mean everybody. But if we can't find a way to live with that, next time maybe nobody gets saved."

Vision suddenly phased through the wall, very casual about it.

"Vis, we talked about this," Wanda seemed to scold.

"Yes, but the door was open so I assumed that-" He cut himself off, knowing it was useless, "Captain Rogers wished to know when Mr. Stark was arriving."

"Thank you. We'll be right down," Steve smiled politely.

"I'll use the door," Vision motioned to the ajar door, "Oh and apparently, he's brought a guest."

"Who is it?"

"The Secretary of State."

My expression dropped at the statement. Thought I couldn't see myself, the twisting in my gut told me that my face had paled dramatically. I hated government workers. Not in an overall sense, but when it came to handling politics...It was never my thing. With SHIELD I didn't have to. And the Avengers usually had Steve or Nat handle the press and other representatives. Because every time I was with one of those workers, it was like they only saw me as a threat, or a weapon they could manipulate. I hated it.

"You two can go on ahead, I'll join you in a minute," Wanda stood up from the bed, Steve and me following soon after.

Steve and I, after sharing a concerned look, reluctantly left Wanda's room. We both felt awful about how much backlash Wanda was receiving for trying to save the people in the market. The media didn't understand that it was a matter of saving more or less. In the end, it was my mistake that caused all of this.

"Humans refer to certain people as snakes, do they not?" I looked over to Steve, shifting my comfortable clothes into a pencil skirt and blouse. I held back the urge to shift my skin as well. I couldn't hide behind a human form anymore.

"Kids these days call people that yeah," Steve cringed after he said that sentence, "I sounded like I was ninety."

"Steve...Honey, you're ninety-seven," holding back a laugh at his expression, I continued my earlier statement, "A lot of the politicians I have met seem to fit that description. Liars, slithering to get what they want. It's a bit frightening."

"Everything will be alright," Steve leaned down and pressed a kiss to my temple, stepping back when we entered the conference room.

The majority of the Avengers were already there, waiting for us. Vision and Wanda completed the group a few seconds after Steve and I sat down. Secretary Ross regarded all of us for a few moments, before he began his speech.

"Five years ago, I had a heart attack. I dropped right in the middle of my backswing. Turned out it was the best round of my life, because after 13 hours of surgery and a triple bypass I found something 40 years in the Army had never taught me: Perspective. The world owes the Avengers an unpayable debt. You have fought for us, protected us, risked your lives, but while a great many people see you as heroes, there are some who would prefer vigilantes."

"And what word would you use, Mr Secretary?" Nat crossed her arms, voice slightly snarky.

"How about dangerous? What would you call a group of US-based, enhanced individuals who routinely ignore sovereign borders and inflict their will wherever they choose and who seem unconcerned about what they leave behind?"

Ross activated the screen behind him. Several clips of news footage played, "New York, Washington DC, Sokovia, Lagos."

Wanda looked away from the screen, eyes listening with tears.

"That's enough," I used my 'Royal Voice'.

"For the past four years, you've operated with unlimited power and no supervision. That's an arrangement the governments of the world can no longer tolerate. But I think we have a solution," Ross slid a thick book across the table, "The Sokovia Accords. Approved by one hundred and seventeen countries it states that the Avengers shall no longer be a private organization. Instead, they'll operate under the supervision of a United Nations panel, only when and if that panel deems it necessary."

"The Avengers have made the world a safer place several times," I laughed in disbelief, "And you want to make us have one hundred and seventeen countries meet if we want to go on a mission?"

"Tell me Miss Altovar, where are Thor and the Hulk right now?"

"Thor is in Asgard," I drew a blank on Bruce's location, instead opting to defend my friend, "And  the Hulk is also Bruce Banner, both of which are capable of taking care of themselves."

"If I misplaced thirty megaton nukes I would be in trouble. Compromise, reassurance. That's how the world works. Believe me, this is the middle ground."

"So there are contingencies?" Rhodey pointed at the book.

"Three days from now, the UN meets in Vienna to ratify the Accords."

"And if we come to a decision you don't like?"

"Then you retire."

Soon after that abrupt statement, Secretary Ross took his leave, allowing the Avengers to talk over what they wanted to do with the Accords. Steve and I actually began to read them over.

"I know you aren't going to sign them, no matter what," I whispered to Steve, making sure the others couldn't hear me.

"I'm not going to retire either."

"Steve, we've had to move our wedding date twice. Missions and waiting for Bucky have been getting in the way. I want to wait for Bucky, but I also want to marry you. I want to be (Y/n) Rogers. And if that means retiring..."

"Do you want to retire?" Steve asked, and I shook my head in response, "I want to marry you too. And as soon as this blows over, I swear to you we will. I'll- With or without Bucky, okay? We'll find a way to do this, to keep being heroes and be married."

"Don't promise me that," I mumbled, "Just promise me that we can get married. That's all I want Steve."

"I have an equation," Vision announced, "In the eight years that Mr Stark has come out as Iron Man, the number of unknown enhanced persons has raised exponentially. Since the Avengers have formed, the number of potentially world ending events have risen at an even larger rate."

"Are you saying it's our fault?"

"I'm saying, our very strength invites challenge. Challenge incites conflict. And conflict breeds catastrophe. Oversight, oversight is not an idea that can be dismissed out of hand."

"Tony. You are being uncharacteristically non-hyperverbal," Nat commented, looking over to Tony who was laying on the couch.

"It's because he's already made up his mind," I rolled my eyes in annoyance.
In response, Tony stood up and walked to the kitchen, pouring himself a cup of coffee, bringing up a picture of a young man on the screens.

"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, he wanted to put a few miles on his soul, before he parked it behind a desk. He decided to spend his summer building sustainable housing for the poor. Guess where, Sokovia. He wanted to make a difference. I mean, we won't know because we dropped a building on him while we were kicking ass. There's no decision-making process here. If we can't accept limitations, if we're boundary-less, we're no better than the bad guys."

"We are taking the blame for our actions," I pointed out, "We always have. If someone dies while protecting billions of others, you don't give up. That's what we'd be doing."

"That is dangerously arrogant," Rhodey cut in, "This is the United Nations we're talking about. It's not the World Security Council, it's not SHIELD, it's not Hydra."

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

"That's good. That's why I'm here. When I realized what my weapons were capable of in the wrong hands, I shut it down and stop manufacturing."

"You chose to do that Tony. If we do this, we give up our right to choose," I picked up the Accords, flipping through until I spotted my name. My eyes widened, and I read what I found out loud, "'During a meeting between Steve Rogers and Natasha Romanoff it was suggested that (Y/n) Altovar be sent to a secure location for further testing and examination. So that the world could be more safe from her potentially catastrophic abilities. At least once month, three months out of the year, she will report to a secure government facility to be tested. If any test goes wrong and results in injury, the United Nations will be held accountable.' They want to experiment on me?"

I dropped the book onto the table, backing away, "No, no. You're willing to let them perform potentially deadly acts on your friends? I'm not signing this."

"Princess, they'd be accountable for their actions."

"When has the world ever been accountable?" I screeched, losing my cool, "They'd cover everything up as some big accident, or make me disappear. You know that, all of you know that. I'd be better off going back home!"

With that I left the conference room, leaving the others behind. I tried to play my cards right, I did everything I could to show that I was on the side of the people, but power could never handle meeting their match. It was like that all over the universe.

Once I made it to Steve and my bedroom, I shifted into more comfortable clothes, sitting down on the bed. Burying my face in my hands, I cried. And cried. I cried for stress relief, I cried for the chance of losing who I considered my family, and I cried for myself. I was finally feeling comfortable in my own skin, and they wanted to take that away from me.

My phone buzzed, bringing me out of my sadness. I rubbed my eyes, reading over the text from Shannon.

Aunt Peggy's gone. In her sleep.

I shot up, running my sleeve under my eyes once again before I left the room. After checking in a few, more isolated spaces, I found Steve leaning against one of the staircases. I crashed into him, wrapping my arms around his torso in a tight hug.

"I'm okay," Steve tried to assure me. I knew he was lying.

"No, you aren't. And that's alright Steve. She's one of the last people connecting you to your old life. I understand, you can cry, and be upset. It's only natural. You've done so much for people that want to take everything away," I cupped Steve's cheeks with my hands, "If you don't want to sign, don't sign. If you want to sign...If you want to sign then I'll support you, because I love you, no matter what."

A few tears escaped his eyes as he pulled me close, "I would never sign something so biased against you."

"I love you," I repeated, kissing Steve quickly, "Now come on, we have somewhere to be."