Everyone but Ross moves to the kitchen/living room area, and debate starts quickly. Tony just sits and watches it happen. Grace sits, too, thinking it all over. Tony didn't tell her what the discussion was going to be about before they came.

As Steve reads the Accords, Rhodey and Sam argue.

"Secretary Ross has a Congressional Medal of Honor, which is one more than you have," Rhodey says.

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

"One hundred and seventeen countries want to sign this. One hundred and seventeen, Sam, and you're just like, 'No, that's cool, we got it.'"

"How long are you going to play both sides?"

"I have an equation," Vision butts in.

Sam snorts. "Oh, this will clear it up."

"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 replies.

"Are you saying it's our fault?" Steve asks, looking up.

"Correlation doesn't equal causation, Vis, you should know that," Grace pipes up. Everyone looks at her, surprised.

"I'm only saying there may be a causality," Vision replies carefully. He turns back to Steve. "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."

"Boom," Rhodey says.

Nat looks at the reason that they're all here in the first place. "Tony. You're being uncharacteristically non-hyper-verbal."

"It's because he's already made up his mind," Steve says.

Tony rolls his eyes. "Boy, you know me so well." He stands, going into the kitchen. "Actually, I'm nursing an electromagnetic headache. That's what's going on, Cap. It's just pain. It's discomfort." He picks up a mug and starts to fill it with water at the sink, but then stops. "Who's putting coffee grounds in the disposal? Am I running a bed and breakfast for a biker gang?" He shakes his head as he angrily makes himself a drink, chuckling mirthlessly.

He then places his phone in the bread basket to prop it up, projecting the photo of a boy about eight years older than Grace. "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. No, he decided to spend his summer building sustainable housing for the poor. Guess where? Sokovia." Everyone looks down, or at least away from Tony. He continues. "He wanted to make a difference, I suppose. I mean, we won't know because we dropped a building on him while we were 'saving the world.'

"There is 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, someone dies on your watch, you don't give up," Steve says.

"Who said we're giving up?"

"We are if we're not taking responsibility for our actions. This document just shifts the blame."

"I'm sorry. Steve," Rhodey says, "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."

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

"That's good," Tony says. "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."

"Tony, you chose to do that," Steve argues. "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."

"If we don't do this now, it's gonna be done to us later. That's the fact. That won't be pretty."

Wanda, who isn't a US citizen, who was responsible for the destruction that happened at Lagos, says, "You're saying they'll come for me."

"We would protect you," Vision replies instantly.

And then Nat speaks up. "Maybe Tony's right." Everyone looks at her, shocked, so she explains. "If we have one hand on the wheel, we can still steer. If we take it off-"

"Aren't you the same woman who told the government to..." Sam starts, but then he looks at Grace and clear his throat, "you know what, a few years ago?"

"I'm just... I'm reading the terrain," Nat replies. "We have made some very public mistakes. We need to win their trust back."

"Hold on," Tony butts in. "I'm sorry, did I just mishear you or did you agree with me?"

"Oh, I want to take it back now."

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

But then Grace speaks. "This is ridiculous."

Everyone looks at her again, all silent as they also glance at Tony. After a long pause, he raises a brow at her. "Ridiculous? What, you think the Accords are ridiculous?"

"This entire situation is ridiculous," Grace replies, looking up at him. "Bringing Ross here, the dramatic presentation, all of you arguing back and forth. Are you forgetting how many lives were saved at all those events? I was there, in Sokovia, in case that slipped your mind. I saw it happen. We did absolutely everything we could to save as many civilians as possible — one of our own died." She pauses for a moment, the memory of Pietro like a dull ache in her chest. "But, then, everyone dies, right? Regular people die all the time. And when the enemy you're facing is adamant about causing as much death and destruction as possible, there will be casualties before you can stop it. And the Accords aren't going to change that. In the long run, they might make it worse. That panel or whatever you call it will not make decisions — wrong or right — in a timely fashion, and you know it."

Tony sighs. "Look, sweetheart, I know you're having a tough time right now. And I know you were at that fight — which I'm still not entirely cool with Fury about, by the way... And I get it. But you don't understand — you can't."

"Why?" she asks angrily. "Because I'm just a teenage girl that doesn't know anything? I've never had a bad thing happen to me in my whole life, so I don't understand pain? Or heartache? I don't know what it's like to lose somebody?"

"I never said that."

Grace rises. "Bull crap, Dad! You meant it!"

"I'm sorry, okay?!" Tony shouts. "Is that what you want to hear?! I'm sorry I drove Pepper away! I'm sorry I've put you in danger, I'm sorry your real mom skipped town after you were born, and I'm sorry that I am the only thing you have right now because, believe me, it is not an ideal situation! But there's nothing I can do about any of that now, and you lashing out at me like this isn't helping!"

"Well, I'm sorry that I'm upset because my whole family is about to fall apart!" Grace shouts back, tears in her eyes. "First Pepper, and now this?! Look at yourselves! You're becoming divided, and I... I can already tell it's just gonna get worse..." She practically dissolves into tears, and Tony steps toward her, but she turns away and starts walking out the door. "Just leave me alone. You've done enough."

Nat gets up and follows her, Wanda close behind.

And then Steve's phone buzzes. He looks at it, then stands. "I have to go."

~~~~

Peggy Carter died. The woman Steve loved before he went into the ice — he told Grace a little bit about her once — she was gone.

He went to the funeral, and Nat came to support him.

By that time, Tony, Vision, and Rhodey had already signed the Accords. Nat put her signing on hold to be there for Steve, deciding to sign it in Vienna at the official ceremony instead.

Since Tony already signed the Accords, he doesn't have to go, so he doesn't. He'd have to take Grace, most likely, since Happy can't come stay with her. She'd be alone, and it'd make him uneasy. But she definitely doesn't want to go anywhere with him anytime soon.

So, they watch the ceremony on TV. To see Nat.

Grace is sitting on the opposite end of the couch from Tony, snacking on gummy bears. They've only spoken to each other when necessary since the fight at the compound. He's not mad at her anymore — he wasn't as soon as he saw the tears in her eyes — but she's still mad at him, and he wants to give her space.

"At a special United Nations conference, one hundred and seventeen countries have come together to ratify the Sokovia Accords," the news anchor says.

After more voiceover of things that both Tony and Grace already know and more footage of the outside of the building, they finally get to King T'Chaka of Wakanda's speech.

"When stolen Wakandan vibranium was used to make a terrible weapon, we in Wakanda were forced to question our legacy. Those men and women killed in Nigeria were part of a goodwill mission from a country too long in the shadows. We will not, however, let misfortune drive us back. We will fight to improve the world we wish to join. I am grateful to the Avengers for supporting this initiative. Wakanda is proud to extend its hand in peace."

But then a man — Prince T'Challa — rushes forward to his father, shouting, "Everybody get down!"

Everyone starts to do as he says, and that's all they have time for.

The glass wall behind King T'Chaka explodes, and the camera feed cuts out.

Tony jumps up, probably going to make calls. Grace watches the news for hours as they try to make sense of the situation.

"A bomb hidden in a news van ripped through the UN building in Vienna," a news anchor is saying at least an hour later. "More than seventy people have been injured. At least twelve are dead, including Wakanda's King T'Chaka. Officials have released a video of a suspect who they have identified as James Buchanan Barnes, the Winter Soldier — the infamous HYDRA agent, linked to numerous acts of terrorism and political assassinations..."

Grace knows who that is. Steve told her. Nat and Sam told her too. She sits forward on the couch and shouts, "Dad!"

He runs in. "What is it? What happened?"

She turns around, scared and shocked. "They're saying it was Bucky Barnes."

~~~~

Nat calls Grace eventually to tell her she's okay, but it's short a call. She's worried about something, but Grace doesn't know what it is until Tony tells her he has to go because Cap, Sam, Bucky, and Prince — now King — T'Challa have just been detained.

"I have to go. I have to smooth this over, or... something," he says.

"And I'm staying here?" Grace asks, standing. Of course, she's worried about Nat, Steve, and Sam. And, again, being completely alone in this big tower and worrying about everybody still sounds like torture. She's never stayed by herself before at all. Tony's made sure of that.

He bites his lip. "I mean, I don't know what else to do. Happy can't get here, I don't even know where Pepper is-"

"We're not bothering her," Grace says.

Tony sighs. "I need to leave, like, an hour ago, and I can't just take you to some secret government base-thing."

"Then, I'll just stay here. By myself," Grace replies, sighing. "I'll be fine... I have Friday. And Sai."

Tony knows there's no other way. "Okay. Keep Savior close. I'll call you whenever I can, and I'll try to be back soon. I love you."

Grace hesitates, then says, "I love you too, Dad." He smiles a little, then rushes out, making phone calls on the way.

Grace sighs and plops herself back down on the couch. After a moment of sitting back, trying to think of something to do, she grabs her phone off the coffee table. The first app she sees that looks mildly interesting is YouTube, so she taps on it.

One of the top trending videos is titled, 'QUEENS' NEW HERO???? WEIRD GUY IN A SPIDER SUIT!!!'

Grace's brows furrow. "What?" she asks under her breath.

She begins watching the video.