A/N: Warning, though this is AU, there are spoilers for CA: CW. Watching the trailers for "Captain America: Civil War," I really wanted someone to smart off to Ross during his speech to the Avengers. Seeing Clint's reaction when Tony visited the prison, I'm sure he would have done it, if he had been there …

If Clint Had Been There

When Clint Barton heard about Lagos, he called for a ticket on the next plane to New York. When Lauran Barton heard about Lagos, she packed his bag.

"They're a mess, but they're your mess," she said, giving him a kiss on the cheek.

On the airliner (like any civilian), he watched the newsfeed's scathing words about the Avengers. They castigated his friends for not caring about casualties, when he could plainly see Cap and Falcon rescuing people from the burning building. Clint clenched his fist when they said Wanda was too dangerous to run free, as if she were a rabid dog.

There was also talk about a U.N. resolution called the Sokovia Accords, but all the newscasters were vague about it. Someone was keeping the details close to his vest, Clint thought. It made him nervous to think that he, an Avenger (ret.), hadn't heard about these Accords.

He pulled his rental car up to Avengers headquarters. A couple of suits tried to stop him, because they were protecting the Secretary of State! But Avengers staff members knew him and helped him get in.

Wearing faded jeans, a T-shirt and a purple and tan plaid flannel shirt, Clint barged straight into the meeting and plunked himself down next to Wanda.

"Sorry I'm late," he said breezily. "What did I miss?"

His easy cheerfulness was like a breath of fresh air blowing away the gloom in the room. Clint could see his friends were shaken by what happened in Lagos, but Wanda, Natasha and even Steve gave him a smile of greeting.

"Barton, what are you doing here?" Tony asked. "I thought you were retired."

Clint gestured at his informal dress, "I am retired. Can't I come and see how my friends are doing after a mission goes sour?"

Thaddeus Ross cleared his throat.

"Oh, Clint, have you met the Secretary of State?" Natasha asked oh so innocently. She knew darn well he had.

"Sure, but he was just General Ross back when I was cleaning up after him in the old days," Clint said, giving Ross a friendly and much too informal wave.

"Barton. We were having a meeting," Ross growled, or maybe it was just that deep, gravelly voice of his, Clint thought generously.

"Barton is still on the Avengers roster," Steve said. "He's a part of this, too. Whatever this is."

Ross took the broad hint and began talking about "perspective."

When he said not knowing where Banner or Thor were was like losing nuclear bombs, Clint couldn't help but snort. Ross had never been able to keep track of Banner!

Saying some people thought Cap was a hero, while others thought he was a vigilante was mean, because this was Captain America! The most upright guy Clint had ever met. And showing pictures of Manhattan, D.C., Sokovia and Lagos was uncalled for. When Wanda flinched away from the Lagos destruction, Clint spoke up.

"Got any pictures of Harlem in there?" he asked. "Because I remember you being responsible for destruction in New York, too." His friends might be too shaken to defend themselves, but he would support them.

"That's not the point."

"Kind of is," Clint corrected. "I don't know why you're accusing the Avengers of this destruction. They didn't make these problems; they only tried to stop the bad guys. Even Stark, well, making Ultron was a mistake, but he had no reason to think that a new AI would be born insane. But you created the Abomination AFTER you saw what happened with the Hulk. So Harlem is all on you, general."

"I take full responsibility …"

"If you took responsibility, you wouldn't be Secretary of State," Clint said bluntly. "I was there, cleaning up your mess. I saw the civilian casualties. I saw the destruction. I didn't see you called before a senate committee or condemned by the U.N."

"Easy, Clint," Steve soothed, though his eyes smiled appreciation for the defense.

"No, Steve. Mr. Secretary doesn't get it, and as a military man he should," Clint was angry now, fired up in the defense of his dysfunctional family. "Collateral damage happens. It happened in every war you ever fought, general. It happened in your science projects. The Avengers have done their best to limit casualties, or haven't you noticed that most people survived these events?" He waved at the screens.

"Let the man talk, Barton," Tony said. He sounded exhausted.

"I've seen the light!" Clint belted out the hymn ironically. "I've seen the light!" then he spoke to Ross, "So, you and Stark had a revelation and the rest of us need to sing along? What, to make you feel better about yourselves?"

"This isn't about us, Barton. This is about responsibility," Ross growled.

"No," Clint countered. "You gave yourself away talking about Banner and Thor as if they were just weapons and not men with lives of their own. What? You'll chain them in the junkyard and only let them loose when you feel threatened? You don't want oversight. You want control!"

Ross decided to ignore him. "You've operated with unlimited power and no supervision," Ross told the real Avengers. "That's something the world can no longer tolerate."

He laid out the purpose of the Sokovia Accords.

Clint groaned. "So, for the Avengers to get anything done, we'd have to go through committees, maybe have a voice vote," he said in scathing tones. "Where was the U.S. military when Chitauri were rampaging through Manhattan? The only thing I saw was a nuke that would have blown us all up. Talk about collateral damage! Where were the U.N. helicopters evacuating people from Sokovia when it was floating in the air? If it had been up to 'official channels' to save us, millions of people — millions! — would have been dead …" He counted on his fingers. "Manhattan, Insight, Ultron — at least three times! The world really is full of ungrateful wretches, isn't it?"

Ross clenched his teeth until Clint finished. The archer was sorry no one had joined in his passionate defense, but he understood. They were still reeling from the innocent lives lost in Lagos. The Secretary had deliberately hit them when they were at their lowest point.

Clint was still fuming later when he watched his friends debate signing. It didn't look good to him, though he could see both sides. Cap was right that once they signed, they'd be on a leash. They could only fight when the U.N. said, even if the cause seemed wrong. But Nat was right too, when she said if you keep one hand on the wheel, you can help steer. Whether they signed or whether they didn't, he couldn't honestly imagine any of them not rushing to help if they saw danger. And then — signee or not — they would be in violation of the law.

He realized sadly he couldn't help his Avengers family. All he could do was protect his wife and kids.

"What about you, Clint?" Steve asked.

"I'm not signing," he said gloomily. "I'm retired."