▌𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐅𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐲-𝐓𝐰𝐨 ━︎━︎ 𝐒𝐨𝐤𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐚 𝐀𝐜𝐜𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐬 ▌

━︎━︎━︎━︎𝐀 𝐊𝐍𝐎𝐂𝐊 𝐂𝐀𝐌𝐄 on the door. Olivia stood up from the couch, making her way towards the door and pulling it open, coming face to face with Steve. A frown instantly fell on her face. "What is it?"

"We have a visitor." Steve explained. "Tell Nat."

Olivia nodded. As Steve turned to walk away, Olivia called out to him. "Steve." He paused, turning his head to look at her. "How bad is it?" Steve opted not to respond, and instead only shook his head. Olivia's frown deepened before she closed the door. She stood there for a moment, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath.

"Who was it?" Natasha asked, entering the room and walking towards her.

Olivia opened her eyes, forcing herself to be composed as she turned to look at Natasha. "It was Steve. He said there's someone here to talk to us." Olivia turned her attention towards her two twelve year olds. "Girls, Nat and I have to go out for a little bit. Don't leave this room until we come back, understand?"

In unison they answered, "Okay."

Olivia sighed, grabbing her leather jacket and shrugging it on before walking out of the room with Natasha following closely behind. They entered the meeting room where all of the Avengers sat, and at the front of the room was Secretary Ross. "Sorry we're late," Olivia mumbled. She took a seat beside Steve as Natasha took a seat beside her.

Ross started. "Five years ago, I had a heart attack and dropped right in the middle of my backswing." He demonstrated, positioning his hands as if he were holding a gold club and swinging backwards. "Turned out it was the best round of my life because after thirteen 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 the word vigilantes."

"And what word would you use, Mr. Secretary?" Natasha asked, a hint of amusement on her face.

"How about dangerous?" Ross suggested.

Olivia allowed a small smirk of amusement to pull at the corner of her lips as she mumbled under her breath, "Here we go."

"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, frankly, seem unconcerned about what they leave behind?"

Olivia followed him with her eyes as he took a stand to the side, a holographic board popping up and showing a world map with multiple yellow dots. The first yellow dot focused on New York. "New York," Ross said. It showed video of the leviathan, people running for their lives, and the Hulk bursting through the air from a building and leaping over the roof of another before jumping back towards another building. When he slammed into the side, debris fell on top of the camera.

"Washington, D.C.." It showed video of the hellicarriers shooting at each other, people running away, a building that had a line of black smoke coming from it, and then a helicarrier crashing into the water below and sending a giant waved that washed over many people. "Sokovia." This time it showed half of the city floating in the air, a building collapsing on top of other buildings. "Lagos." A building was in flames from an explosion, a body was carted out of the building in a yellow bag, and young dead girl laid there with her eyes still open from the blast.

When Steve saw Wanda look away in shame, he quickly stepped in. "Okay. That's enough."

Ross nodded, drawing the attention back to him. "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." He was handed a thick stack of papers, placing them on the table in front of Wanda. "The Sokovia Accords. Approved by 117 countries, it states that the Avengers shall no longer be a private organization. Instead, you'll opperate under the supervision of a United Nations panel, only if and when that panel deems it necessary."

Olivia reached for the accords, flipping through it and scoffing. She passed it to Steve. "The Avengers were formed to make the world a safer place." Steve said, looking away from the papers. "I feel we've done that."

"Tell me, Captain, do you know where Thor and Banner are right now?" Ross questioned. Steve didn't answer. "If I misplaced a couple of 30 megaton nukes you can bet there'd be consequences. Compromise. Reassurance. That's how the world works. Believe me, this is the middle ground."

Rhodey nodded. "So, there are contingencies."

"Three days from now, the UN meets in Vienna to ratify the accords." He glanced at the group. "Talk it over."

He began to walk away and before he left the room Natasha asked, "And if we come to a decision you don't like?"

Ross paused, turning to look at her. "Then you retire."

When he left, the others stood up and left the room, regathering later to do as Ross had said and discuss the Sokovia Accords. Olivia didn't like it one bit. The thought of being controlled by the government made something inside of her stir with violence. She sat on one of the chairs, Natasha and Tony sat on one couch, Vision and Wanda sat on the other, with Steve sitting in the other chair. Sam and Rhodey were standing behind Steve, arguing.

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

Sam stood there with his arms crossed over his chest. "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'."

Sam scoffed. "How long are you going to play both sides?"

"I have an equation." Vision interrupted.

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

"In the eight years since Mr. Stark announced himself as Iron Man the number of known enhanced persons has grown exponentially. During the same period, the number of potentially world-ending events has risen at a commensurate rate."

Steve, who was holding the Sokovia Accords in his hands about to turn the page, glanced up at Vision. "Are you saying it's our fault?"

"I'm saying there may be a causality. Our very strength invites challenge. Challenge incites conflict. And conflict. . . breeds catastrophe." He paused. "Oversight. . . oversight is not an idea that can be dismissed out of hand."

"Boom." Rhodey said, looking at Sam.

"Tony." Natasha's voice grabbed their attention. Tony, who had been holding a hand to his face, dropped his hand to look at her. "You are being uncharacteristically non-hyperverbal."

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

"Boy, you know me so well." Tony sarcastically replied. He forced himself to sit up, wincing in pain at the motion before standing up and walking towards the kitchen area. "Actually, I'm nursing an electromagnetic headache. That's what's going on, Cap. It's just pain. It's discomfort." He grabbed a coffee mug, glancing down at the sink. "Who's putting coffee grounds in the disposal? Am I running a bed and breakfast for a biker gang?"

He grabbed himself a pot full of water, setting down a device and taping it. A picture of a young boy popped up and Tony pretended not to notice. "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 continued, "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." He quickly took some pain medicine before chasing it with water. "There's no decision making process here." He leaned his back against the counter, crossing his arms as he face them. "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 not better than the bad guys."

Steve shook his head. "Tony, someone dies on your watch, you don't give up."

"Who said we're giving up?" Tony asked.

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

"I'm sorry, Steve." Rhodey quickly cut in. "That-that is dangerously arrogant. This is the United Nations we're talking about. It's not the World Security Council, it's not S.H.I.E.L.D., it's not HYDRA."

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

"That's good." Tony said, walking over to them. "That's why I'm here. When I realized what my weapons were capable of in the wrong hands I shut it down and stopped manufacturing."

Steve shifted in his chair to face him. "Tony, you chose to do that. If we sign this, we surrender our right to choose." The thought alone made a shiver crawl down Olivia's spine. "What if this panel sends us somewhere we don't think we should go? What if there is 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." Tony calmly said. "That's the fact. That won't be pretty."

Wanda, who had been quiet the entire time, softly said, "You're saying they'll come for me."

"We would protect you." Vision replied.

"Maybe Tony's right." Instantly, Olivia snapped her head towards Natasha. "If we have one hand on the wheel, we can still steer. If we take it off. . . "

"Aren't you the same woman that told the government to kiss her ass a few years ago?" Sam interrupted, looking at her in disbelief.

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

"By letting the government control us?" Olivia asked, a frown on her lips as she met Natasha's eyes. "There's no life in that."

"Focus up." Tony grabbed Natasha's attention. "I'm sorry. Did I just mishear you or did you agree with me?"

"Oh, I wanna take it back now." Natasha muttered.

"No, you can't retract it." Tony denied. "Thank you. Unprecedented. Okay. Case closed. I win."

Olivia humorlessly chuckled, shaking her head. "I'm not signing that thing."

"Come on, Liv. Think about your kids. You have a family now."

Instantly, her eyes flashed blue, an animalistic growl leaving her lips. "Don't bring my kids into this."

Tony held his hands up. "You're right. I'm sorry."

"I have to go." Steve's voice grabbed her attention. A frown fell on her face when she saw him glancing down at his phone before he stood and walked away. Olivia didn't hesitate to stand and follow after him.

He stood in the stairway, his back pressed against the railing as he put a hand over his face. Olivia carefully made her way towards him, gently placing her hand on his shoulder. "Hey, are you alright?" Steve removed his hand from his face and Olivia noticed his eyes glossed over with tears. "Steve, what's wrong? Talk to me."

He swallowed, forcing himself to control his emotions. "It's Peggy. She passed away."

Olivia's heart broke for him. "Oh, Steve." She pulled him into a hug and he tightly hugged her back. "I'm so sorry."