*Return Of A Traitor*

*Ironman Buys His Way Back Onto Team*

*Mass Murderer Joins Avengers*

These are just a few of the headlines around the world have to say about the return of Tony Stark to the Avengers compound. After the repeal of the Accords, the genius billionaire had taken a seat back to the hero business. Instead, focusing on making clean energy affordable to everyone. In fact the billionaire had turned into a bit of a recluse. Only venturing out for business, and the occasional fund raiser. He didn't even stay for most of the events at the Stark Expo.

Most journalists assumed the genius had pulled back out of guilt. After the breakup of the original Avengers, the fights over the Accords, and let's not forget Ultron Tony Stark's public image had taken quite a hit. When the earth was under threat (again), several innocents were dismayed to not see Ironman out there defending them. Several media outlets accused the billionaire of being a coward. So it was quite the surprise when sources started pouring in pics of the Ironman armor flying over the new Avengers compound.

Within a week, Captain America had scheduled a press conference to discuss the return of one of the founding members. Journalists jockeyed over the prestige of covering the event. It was common knowledge that the two superheroes had come to blows several times during the Accords debacle. How would the Captain deal with the aftermath of such hostility?

The Captain climbed on stage still dressed in his fighting uniform, minus the energy shield that had become his constant after the disappearance of the original Vibranium one. The original shield had disappeared during the emergence of the Sovakia Accords. Whatever had happened? It was mystery to the world still even today.

The first Avenger made his way to the microphones. He pulled down his cowl, and gave a tentative smile to the gathered media. "Good afternoon. I'm glad you all could make it. I know several of you have questions, but I'm going to have to ask you to reserve them until I've finished speaking. Trust me when I say that you all will have plenty to print once I'm done."

The crowd broke out into murmurs after the announcement, but held their peace. What could be so important to America's golden boy? Was it really that juicy? Most of the veterans shushed the younger cohorts. They've had experience with the Captain before. He had tendency to freeze if interrupted, and then Tony Stark would…Well he used to cover for the Captain, until the man could regain his footing. Their story could be in jeopardy if they pushed too far, so the older reporters strong armed their younger contemporaries into complying.

"Thank you." Rogers nodded to some of the reporters he recognized. Including a blonde reporter that seemed to gravitate to any press event that dealt with Tony. "I know some of you are concerned that some of the previous, um conflict, will get in the way of the Avengers doing their jobs. Well, I'm here to tell you that you are wrong. Tony, Ironman has always been a professional. We're honored to have him back. Especially since, well, I betrayed his trust."

The room broke out into chaos.

Meanwhile on stage, Captain Rogers waited on parade rest for the room to get quiet. Once the media had calmed Rogers resumed. "To be fair, the Avengers had been divided long before Zemo got the chance. It wasn't obvious, but there's been a schism since the moment I decided to keep Tony, I mean Stark in the dark about something that concerned him personally."

Rogers sighed. His gaze turned introspective. "It all began with finding Arnim Zola, or what was left of him in my old base in New Jersey. He dropped a few hints about some of the people that Hydra had sic the Winter Soldier on. People that they had sent Bucky, my tortured and brainwashed friend, to go murder. It was just a clue from an unstable enemy, but in my gut I knew. It wasn't until after Black Widow and I had dumped the encrypted files from the Triskelion that we knew for sure. I swore Widow to secrecy. I knew…that I was taking advantage of her. She was a mess after finding out that the organization she had entrusted her life, her skill, and loyalty to was a sham. Not to say that Fury wasn't for real, or Coulson, but their superiors were definitely crooked. Her moral compass was in shambles, so she trusted in mine instead. That might have been, not it was mistake. I was compromised as well."

The Captain remained silent for several moments. Not even seeming to notice the growing agitation amongst his audience. Finally, the blonde reporter near the front that Steve had nodded to before, gathered her courage. "Christine Everhart, with World News…"

"Yes," Steve cut her off. Breaking out of his introspection to stare at the reporter. "I remember you from the conference where Tony admitted to being Ironman. Tony always said you were ballsy, competent, and a pain in his ass."

Most of the crowd chuckled. Christine threw back her shoulders and smirked proudly. "I think that's a pretty accurate description."

Steve seemed to get himself together. "He also said there was no one better at getting to the heart of the matter. Did you have a question for me?"

The reporter's smirk turned from proud to predatory. "Actually, yes I did. Are you admitting that from the incident at the Triskelion and on you failed to handle your teammate, Tony Stark a.k.a. Ironman, the way the leader of the Avengers should?"

"Yes," the Captain admitted. Suddenly the room hushed. No one dared interrupt what could potentially earn them a Pulitzer. "The truth is I should've called in Tony to deal with project Insight. It was all tech, which Tony is an expert in. He asked me later, and I told him communications were down. Which was true, but Tony is all about contingencies. If I had taken a moment, I could've reached out, but I was scared. It would've been the smart thing. After all, the helacarriers were based off one of Stark Industries earlier designs, but I didn't. I couldn't afford to. There was a secret in the Hydra files. Something I was terrified Tony would find. So, I recruited Sam Wilson for help. The one decision in that mess I don't regret. Together we sank the helacarriers that held Zola's programming. We revealed several of the Hydra followers, and let S.H.I.E.D. fall apart."

The Captain chuckled, but it didn't sound very happy. More like a tortured man finally breaking, and laughing so he doesn't cry. "It was a bear convincing Tony not to dig into those files. I think we only succeeded because I had him tracking down Hydra bases instead. Better to end the threat now than dig out things that had no bearing on the present. That's what I told him. Completely a bald face law. What those files revealed did come back to bite us in the butt, but I was too busy burying my face in the sand to see that. I focused on Bucky. Had to find him, protect him, and make sure no ever hurt my best friend again. Everything was secondary."

Steve Rogers, America's Boy Scout, the idol of a nation, and the embodiment of generations of American nationalism shocked the audience. The proud man hung his head in shame. Not able to look anyone in the eye as he confessed.

"Everyone else was secondary," Steve whispered into the mike. "Have you ever kept a secret? A big one? One that could shake the very foundations of another person's life? Well let me tell you, they're almost impossible to really hold onto. They have a warping everything around yourself to hide them. How you push away a teammate to distance yourself, so you don't have to tell them another lie. When they get too close you have distract them. If they keep poking, you have to shut them out. Turn your allies against them so they can't get to important information. Justify it by using their own words against them, like bringing up an old evaluation from when your supposed friend was dying, and not in their right mind. You might also set up barriers between anyone that might take their side. Like reminding another teammate that scientists always need to poke. That their curiosity needs to be curtailed. Their experiments thoroughly checked to make sure they are not volatile. Like poison the doubt spreads, and when something happens the whole team is more than ready to jump down each other throats. The worst part? Most of the time you don't even notice until the truth has come to light."

Christine looked around the room. Everyone was too riveted to interrupt, but she…knew that this was a question that world needed an answer to. So she looked right into the Captain's eyes, and asked. "Why?"

The room watched as the man crumpled. As if the burden of more than 3 years of secrets had collapsed right on top of him.

"Really…" The Captain lets out a choked sob. "I was just a coward…I was afraid if Stark…If Tony reacted badly to the truth, that he might turn against me. Against Bucky. He has money, connection, and a suit of armor that can take on a God. He's a heavy hitter, aerial support, and strategist. Even out of the suit he's a force to be reckoned with. During Siberia he took on two super soldiers, and would've won if he hadn't been concerned in making sure I had the chance to stay out of it. To stay down. I was afraid that I wouldn't be able to protect the last piece of my past that I had left. So, I lied to his face. I broke his trust. Undermined him in front of the team. I tattled on him to Fury about his hacks into Shield. Even though he was always right about the stuff they kept from us. I restricted several of his experiments on the authority as leader of the Avengers. I forced him to give me access to his records, his feeds in the tower, and he gave them to me. I smothered him. Looking back…I have to wonder if my high handiness didn't contribute to Ultron in some way."

Rogers broke out into another self-deprecating chuckle. "Even if I didn't. Even if Ultron was truly just an accident caused by the meeting of science and the magic of Loki's staff, I made sure that the rest of the team blamed Tony. You know I even attacked him when he was putting together Vision before the final battle?" The room broke out into mummers. "It's true. Tony wasn't even in his suit at the time. However, the genius pulled out a gauntlet and saved himself. From me, one of his own teammates. Let's not forget that I also let Thor attack him too. Yet, despite everything Tony pulled off another miracle. Out of the ashes of Ultron's machinations Vision was born. Together we defeated the evil bucket of bolts. After the battle though, I forced Ironman to take a break. Claimed it was for perspective. Stark took it gracefully though. He needed time to grieve, we lost his most advanced AI to make Vision, and Bruce took off for parts unknown. He told me he was going to go focus on Ms. Potts, try to rebuild their relationship."

Steve shook his head. "I'm not too proud of how I acted back then. I knew he wasn't in the best shape. He lost two friends that day, but I was more concerned with getting him away. The suspension as the perfect tool to push Tony further away. Blamed him for everything, and never let him forget it. I knew it wasn't. The freaky automaton was a conglomeration of an accident and the magic of Loki's scepter. Heaven knows the dratted thing has hurt more than one person, Ultron was probably just another of its puppets, but I let the media put all the blame on him. Which wasn't fair. Tony was already blaming himself enough."

"Then…the accords happened. I lost Peggy, and I just let it get to me. Took her eulogy a bit too seriously. Let it blind me to what else was going on in the world. I didn't care about the people lost in the UN bombing. I mean I hated that it happened, I would've loved to meet T'challa's father. He sounded like a great man. Of course the families of the other delegates didn't deserve that either. It was a tragedy, and I'm ashamed to admit that back then I didn't give those victims the proper attention."

Then the Captain took a deep breath, and continued his story. "It was horrible, but to be honest though I was focused on who the supposed perpetrator of the bombings. My friend. The guy who has already been through hell, had just had another target painted on his back. Ross, the UN, and Tony were all going after Buck. I couldn't just standby. I had to protect the last piece of my past that I still had. Peggy, a girl I still think about to this day, always told me I had a problem with tunnel vison. That I was too stubborn for my own good. That I didn't always stop to consider the consequences of my action. I tore apart the task force sent to kill him. Not bring him in. Kill him. Then Tony and T'challa stopped us, brought us all in. I had one more chance to sign, but I refused. That's where Zemo came in. He killed and murdered his way into the facility where they held Bucky, and pretended to be the psychologist meant to evaluating him. Then he resurrected Buck's programming, turning back my friend back into the Winter Soldier."

Steve paused to stare into the crowd. His eyes huge and tear filled. "You have to understand, when Buck's under that he's not himself anymore. In that mentality he doesn't even think of himself as a person. He either refers to himself as the Asset or a weapon. We've done our best to eliminate all the triggers. He's got weekly counseling sessions to prevent relapses. He'll never be 100% the Buck from the past, but this version is still my best friend in the world. The only family I have left outside of the Avengers."

Several of the journalists began to cry. More than a few found the words in their throats clogged. Too many emotions blocking the way. However, Christine Everhart while teary didn't let sentiment get in the way of her question. "How did you stop the Winter Soldier? When did he turn back into Bucky?"

Steve clenched a fist. His agitation showing. "The Avengers moved in to stop the threat, even Tony without the suit. None of us were aiming to kill though. We knew this episode wasn't his fault. Sam, maybe most of you know him as Falcon, and I were able to knock him out of it." He paused to let a strangled laugh. "Cerebral recalibration really seems to work on mind control victims. Helped Hawkeye when Loki was out about turning people into mind slaves. Tony and Bruce developed V.E.R.O.N.I.C.A. to knock out the Hulk. And I've knocked Buck out more than once to cause the Winter Soldier to retreat. It work. To my joy, when he woke up it was James Buchanan Barnes back in control. Even better he knew who he was, bits of our shared past, and best of all decided not to run again. Unfortunately, there was still the frame job Zemo had masterminded. We learned from Bucky about the additional super soldiers Hydra had created. It seemed so clear. Zemo wanted to cause more mayhem and destruction by unleashing Hydra's most destructive force on the world. If we were going to stop him, then we needed to get to Siberia. I knew where a quinjet could be…appropriated. However, we were going to need allies to get to it."

Once again Christine was brave enough to ask the hard question. "Are you referencing the incident at the Flughafen Leipzig-Halle in Germany?"

Steve Rogers seemed amused at that. "Incident ma'am? Battle would be more accurate. Or maybe knuckle down, no holds barred, full on war might be better? It wasn't meant to be that way. At least that's what I told myself back then. Now I wonder if some part of me wasn't looking for that. I can't think of any other reason for who I called in for help. Sam had been there for from the beginning of the whole mess, so of course he was right in the thick of it all. Bucky covered me just like the olden days. Almost like he never left. It felt right, but now I realize that involved people who had no business being dragged into my mess. Hawkeye and Antman have their own people to worry about. Plus they didn't get the whole story. There wasn't time. I also admit involving the Scarlet Witch was a mistake too. She was safe in the compound. Tony had already set up a PR team to get the critics off her back. However, I was angry that it was necessary at all. I still don't agree with the way the press has tried to vilify a young girl that was just trying to help."

The Captain then stared disappointingly at the crowd of reporters. Several felt very uncomfortable. Even Christine Everhart. "It was wrong to blame her for the actions of a criminal that tried to blow myself and the whole block up. It was because of Wanda that there were not more casualties in Lagos, but media outlets all over blamed her. If anything they should have come after me. After all it was me that failed to notice the explosives Crossbones had strapped on. Not to mention that we had just stopped a dangerous chemical from being released into the general public, but nobody said anything about that." Steve shook his head.

More than a few in the crowd hung their head in shame.

"Regardless," Steve said, trying to get the conference back on point. "Lagos was one of several incidents that fanned the Accords into action. I still don't agree with it, but I can now see where Tony was coming from a little better. I do think there should be hearings, or at least a review of the Avengers methods. However, the original document tried to tie down enhanced individuals to the whims of the politicians. It was too agenda oriented, and I was not going to sign for it. What I didn't know, what I didn't understand, was that Tony wasn't planning to let the original document stand forever. He wanted us to support him while he was getting the changes we needed done. That was his plan all along. I didn't understand that back then. All I heard was that the damn pile of papers was the will of over 117 nations. Which in retrospect was a pretty darn good reason to back down."

"But I didn't…Instead I fought it. No compromises. I had a buddy to protect, and if the whole world was against us? Well so be it. I would plant myself into the ground like a tree, and tell the world: 'No you move!' Except that world also included members of my team, and members of the next generation of superheroes. I assume Tony only included Spiderman to remind of the larger implications of my actions. Well other than the kid is pretty damn strong. He's gonna be real contender in the future."

One of the photographers almost swoons unexpectedly. Steve is about to abandon the pulpit to go check when the kid gives a thumbs up from the ground. "I'm okay!" The Captain seems unsure, but returns to the microphones when the young man stands back up.

Steve clears his throat, and picks up where he left off. "Ahem, where were we? Ah, the battle in Germany. Right. Both Ironman and I had assembled a team, and neither side was going to stand down. I tried to tell Tony about Zemo, but didn't seem interested in anything I said. Probably I was just spouting off to protect Bucky. Which made angry, and more stubborn. Later though I realized he had been listening, because he was the first to uncover Bucky's innocence. Spiderman tried to steal my old shield, kind of disarm us before things could escalate. However, I'm a super soldiers ladies and gentlemen. It's a great tool, but I can fight without it."

"What followed could only be described as a Superhero smack down. The fight was too even to guarantee us all making aboard the quinjet in time to stop Zemo. Hawkeye and the others offered to lay themselves on the wire so Buck and I could make it. Antman pulled out his secret weapon, Giantman. It gave us the perfect distraction. Black Widow tried to intercept, but I pushed past. I remember telling her that there was no way I was going to stand down. I guess I proved that since I didn't even let the arrest of my teammates get in the way of stopping Zemo. Their time in the RAFT? Yeah that was all on me."

The Captain clutches the wood on the pulpit till it starts to creak. The next part was going to be agonizing to admit. "The worst thing? All that fuss about Hydra Super Soldiers going berserk? It was just a smokescreen. Zemo never wanted more Super Soldiers running amok. He blamed the Avengers for loss of his family in Sovakia. He wanted us destroyed, from the inside out. He set up Bucky to draw me out, and left all the clues Tony would need to figure out the frame job. Knowing that Tony would put aside his personal feelings to do the right thing. Even after all the fighting, he still came in the armor to help out once he found out Bucky was innocent. He tried to bring it to Ross first, but the man wasn't interested. The former Secretary had even locked up our friends in the RAFT, one of the prisons meant for supervillains. He wasn't interested in justice, just locking us all up. So Tony came alone, trusting in me not to attack him. We called for a truce, at least until Zemo could be brought in."

"In a hidden bunker we finally found where Zemo was hiding. He hid behind a wall of the strongest metal on earth, while we surveyed his set up. Inside were four enhanced Hydra soldiers, never to wake again because Zemo had shot them all through the head. Instead he directed us to a machine with a particular video all set to play. A Hydra trophy from one of the Winter Soldier's successful missions. I knew what it was, but I was paralyzed. Too frozen to speak while Zemo spitted out his poison. I could only watch in horror as Tony began to put the pieces together. It was my worst nightmare come to life. I still hear those words in in my sleep. 'I recognize that road…'

"What…was the mission?" Christine Everhart hesitantly asks.

Steve hunches his shoulders. Tears fall onto the mikes as he admits the long hidden truth. "The assignation of the Starks. There was a camera that captured everything. Instead of a close friend, me, telling the horrific truth, Tony had to watch as psychopath revealed the brutal murder in the most painful way possible. He had to listen as Howard called Bucky's name, and his mother's sobs as the Asset ended their lives. Then Tony turned to me, and asked if I knew. I denied it, but it's almost impossible to lie to the genius. He called bullshit on my answer, and suddenly I couldn't lie anymore. All the secrets and lies reached critical mass, and the world imploded. Tony dived for Bucky, and I just lost my head. Turns out I was right to fear Ironman. Even outnumbered it was only because he wasn't willing to use lethal force on me that we both made it out the bunker that day. Bucky lost his cybernetic arm to a repulsor blast, but Tony didn't stop. I had to shut down Tony's arc reactor in order to stop him. I left him there, alone, and powerless while I dragged Bucky out of there. I can remember Tony telling me I didn't deserve the shield I carried. That his father made that shield for a hero. That I no longer deserved it, and some part of me deep down knew that. So I left it behind. Just like I did Tony. I chose one friend over the other, and there isn't a day that I don't regret finding some other way."

"Thank god for T'challa. He was the true hero that day. He only joined forces to get vengeance for his father. He followed Tony to get to Bucky. He was there. Lurking in the shadows as Zemo's plan came to fruition. While the rest of us were busy knocking the hell out of each other, he tracked the man down. After watching us try to tear each other apart, he decided that the quest for vengeance had garnered enough victims. Instead of getting his revenge, he did the noble thing. He brought Zemo to justice. T'challa was the only reason that charges against Buck were dropped, and his name cleared. He's the only reason the day wasn't a complete tragedy."

You could've heard a pin drop in that room. Never before had a room full of reporters been so reluctant to ask a question. What do you do when your heroes admit their clay feet? No one knew what do. Until Christine got up from her seat. She marched up to the stage, and right over to Cap. Then with a loud smack she asked the question that burned in her heart. "Was it worth it? After all that was it worth it? Tony Stark and I don't exchange Christmas cards, but we both a healthy amount of respect for each other. If for no other reason that we both know how to present the truth for maximum effect. He was your friend, and you betrayed him in the worst possible way. Even worse you convinced most of your team to turn on him too. So I'll ask again. Was it worth it?"

To give the man credit, even though he was obviously hurting (mentally, the slap really couldn't stand up to the serum), he didn't dodge the question. "I'll never regret saving Bucky, but there were better ways I could've gone about it. Like including the smartest man I know from the start. Trusting him to be able to look past the weapon to the people that ordered the hit. This was the man who was the first to trust in the Hulk. To not walk around on eggshells with Banner, and to treat the man's alter ego with respect. Tony's always had a heart of gold under the armor, and I lost sight of that. I held onto a skewed perception of my teammate, and it cost me his trust, and his friendship. As to the purpose of this conference? We're lucky Tony will have anything to do with us at all. It's going to be a long hard road to forgiveness. So Miss Everhart, can I assume that you'll be there to document it?"

Christine narrowed her eyes. Not entirely sure if he was being patronizing. "Well it seems you have a problem with everybody's secrets but your own. Seems like calling you out on it might be a public service."

The Captain grinned at the snark. "I'll be holding you to that ma'am."

"Don't think that this is going to be typical." She pointed at the still quiet journalists. "You had a decent image to protect you. After this gets out, that'll be gone. Plus, while our editors won't let us admit it, most of the reporters in this room have a bit of a soft spot for Tony."

The room exploded with questions. The journalists finally breaking free of the spell that held them quiet for so long. Christine smirked at the Captain's dismay. He nodded to the reporter before retreating to the backstage. However, someone was waiting for him.

Out of the shadows stepped Tony Stark. He raised an eyebrow at the media frenzy. "I don't remember asking you to do this. In fact I don't remember asking you for anything."

"I know." Steve admitted quietly. "It just felt like something I had to do. I wasn't going to let them tear at you like that. You didn't deserve that. The criticism. The blame. You never did."

Tony snorted. "It won't change their perception for long. I'll always be tainted to them, the only difference is now you're tainted too. The next press conference won't be as smooth as this one, and I'm not covering you anymore outside of Avengers stuff."

"I think that was part of the problem. You spent so much time protecting us, providing a home, and never asked for anything back. Which to be fair we should've offered. This time we need to provide for you. Like petitioning for your time, and paying for your consulting outside of official Avenger business."

"That's right. Friday tells me you have an appointment scheduled." Tony said with a raised eyebrow.

Steve blushed crimson. "Yeah. It's not scheduled for a few more months, but I'll be there." He looked up at his estranged friend. "I can give you my word on that."

Tony turned around with a wave. "Well, right now Rogers your word means shit. We'll see in a few months."

"Deal."

Tony paused at the doors leading out of the staging area. "However, this? Seem like a pretty good way to start." Then the man left without another word, and for the first time in months Steve feels like there might be a way past all the pain after all.