Disclaimer: Sadly, I own nothing associated with Marvel, Captain America, the Avengers, etc. Only original characters and ideas are mine.

AN: Here's the second chapter. Just so everyone knows: the chapter lengths will vary from here on out; some will be longer, like this one, and others a bit shorter.

Anyway, please enjoy, and don't forget to review. Thanks.

Chapter 2: Government Interference:

A month after the events in Lagos, the atmosphere in Avengers Base was still off.

Wanda still felt guilty over not being able to fully contain the blast that would have killed Steve, even though handling explosives wasn't her forte in the first place. Pietro and I constantly told her that she'd done her best, and had, in fact, saved lives.

"Besides Rumlow, no one else died," I reminded her. "And you saved the life of my husband. I'll owe you for that the rest of my life."

That seemed to make her feel better, and as days passed, her guilt began to ease.

On the other hand was Tony. The former Avenger had chosen not to show up as Pepper asked, and instead had drowned himself in work at Stark Industries. He'd called to apologize, of course, and even sent me flowers, to thank me for being a good friend and putting up with his crap (yes, the card actually said that).

But something still hung over the team, a sense of foreboding that something was going to take a turn for the worst.


After the whole thing in Washington D.C., followed by the events in Sokovia, Steve and the Avengers had been forced into the public eye –and under public scrutiny.

People had once been happy to watch them save the world on television, but now it had come to the point where they started taking photos of the team during their private moments, like when they went out grocery shopping, or to get coffee. The press was one thing, but having people walk up to them, asking for photos and autographs was something else. Most, like Steve and Natasha, only put up with fan requests for a few minutes, then rushed off –Tony was the only one who loved the attention and adoration.

Then there were the critics, who wanted the Avengers to be put on a leash and act more like a government police force than the neutral heroes that they were. The U.S. government was all for the idea of having such a powerful force on their side, working for them alone, but that wasn't what the team was about. They wanted to make the entire world a safer place, not just the United States.

The critics also complained on and on, saying that the Avengers needed to be held accountable, not just for Sokovia, but also in the other instances where a great deal of destruction and death occurred because of their actions.

For the most part, the team agreed that, in a way, they were responsible for the aftermath of their battles. People got hurt, buildings were destroyed, and sometimes, innocent people got killed. Tony was willing to pay for medical bills and property damage (since Stark Industries was still raking in money from his Green Energy projects), but a price could never be put on the lives lost.

While the Avengers felt they did, in fact, need boundaries and rules when it came to their conduct, the problem was finding the right type of authority figure to answer to.

The problem was the fact they were superheroes, and I seriously doubted that there was a nation on earth that could understand how to 'keep the peace' between ordinary people and those with abilities beyond understanding.


In the past few months, the Avengers had gathered several times to discuss the chatter that the world was making about 'accountability.' It was very serious, and something we really needed to worry about, though we never really came up with a solution.

If it wasn't for a few significant details, today's meeting would be no different from the others.

The cause of those standouts was our visitor: the Secretary of State of the United States. Tony had called an emergency meeting of the team, and brought the Secretary along.

The minute I saw Tony's face, I immediately knew that this could not be good.

Formerly a general, Thaddeus Ross was a man Bruce Banner had told me about once. The man clearly hadn't liked Bruce (or at least the Hulk), and just as clearly didn't like 'powered' or 'enhanced' people either. He might put on a serious military face, or an impassive one, but I could tell that he didn't approve of the Avengers or what they had done for the world.

The man was presently telling us, in short, that the team was dangerous. They were based in one country, but continuously crossed into others, imposing their will on other nations whether they wanted it or not, blah, blah, blah.

I barely managed to keep myself from getting up and punching him in his smug face as he began showing footage from the different battles the various Avengers had been part of. In particular, he focused on some of the events involving Steve, such as Washington D.C.

Sam was unhappy watching the D.C. footage, while Wanda and Pietro looked a bit pale as scenes from Sokovia appeared. The twins had gone back to Sokovia in disguise, to help the aid workers, and the experience had been draining on them, physically and emotionally. They would never really forgive themselves for what had happened to their homeland.

From his seat to my right, Tony couldn't bring himself to watch the Sokovia snippets, either. The guilt he carried was heavier than the Twins, since he'd been the one to create Ultron in the first place.

"Okay, that's enough," I snapped, reaching out to put a hand on Tony's shoulder.

Ross nodded to one of his goons and the video stopped. "Captain, in the past four years, you've operated with unlimited power and no supervision. That is something the governments of the world can no longer tolerate." He paused. "But I think we have a solution."

Turning, towards one of his aids, Ross accepted a Bible-sized book, and turned to offer it to us. "The Sokovia Accords. Approved of by 117 countries, it states that the Avengers will no longer be a private organization. Instead, you'll operate under the supervision of a United Nations panel, only when and if that panel deems it necessary."

Steve did not look happy. "The Avengers were formed to make the world a safer place. I feel we've done that."

Ross, who had been pacing around the table, looking over everyone closely, stopped by Steve's shoulder. "Tell me, Captain: do you know where Thor and Banner are right now? Because you can bet if I misplaced a couple 30 megaton warheads, there'd be consequences."

I huffed heavily, showing my annoyance. "No, we don't know where Bruce is," I snidely stated. "And Thor went back to Asgard a few months after Sokovia. We have no idea what he's doing, or when either he or Bruce are coming back."

The Secretary of State eyed me as though I were some sort of insect. "I'm sorry, Mrs. Rogers, but I'm afraid I don't understand the purpose of you being here. Since you aren't an Avenger, none of this really concerns you. You're free to leave until I send someone to call you back."

All the other Avengers stiffened in their seats, and once he saw the hardened expressions on their faces, Ross knew that he'd made a mistake. "It seems I've underestimated your value to the group," he grudgingly admitted.

"Yes, you have," Natasha declared, giving me a supportive glance.

Ross cleared his throat. "Compromise and reassurance; that's how the world works. Believe me, this is the middle ground."

"So there are contingencies," Rhodes asked, gentle tapping the document with his fingers.

Pulling out his phone, Ross began skimming through it nonchalantly, like a teenage girl when she's tired of listening and talking to other people. "Three days from now, the U.N. meets in Vienna to ratify the Accords."

I saw Steve give Tony a pointed look as he said, "We'll talk it over."

Natasha picked up the thick document, frowning slightly. "And if we come to a decision you don't like?" she asked, echoing what I was thinking.

"Then you retire," Ross said bluntly. Waving his aids over, the Secretary took his leave.


Several silent seconds ticked by as the Accords slid around the table, passed from hand to hand until they landed in mine.

Flipping it open, I pulled out Sunny and began scanning the whole packet into him. I hated reading legal stuff, and Sunny would be able to provide a good summary of the Accords, and answer any questions I might have about them.

Meanwhile, the others began talking quietly amongst themselves. It wasn't long before the muttering turned to talk, and talk began edging towards shouting. Soon, the room was divided, with some for the Accords, and some against.

I stood up, surprising everyone into silence. "Okay, we aren't going to get anywhere by shouting at one another," I told them. "And everyone does have the right to their own opinion on this matter. Can we all agree on that?"

The others nodded, though some were obviously ready to start arguing again. I held up a hand for silence. "Okay. So, we have people who want to sign the Accords, and those who don't. I've heard most of what everyone has been saying, except for two: Steve and Tony. Guys, what do you think?"

Tony, who had been stretched out on the couch, clutching his head as though fighting back a migraine, sat up with a sigh. Whipping out his own AI phone/computer, Friday, he pulled a photo of a young African-American man.

"This is Charles Spencer; great kid with a bright future who'd just graduated from college," Tony said, as though the weight of the world was on his shoulders. "Charlie wanted to go out into the world, and do some good rather than live it up somewhere, like Vegas or Paris. So, where did he choose to go? Sokovia; where we dropped a city on him while kicking ass."

He retrieved the photo and stuffed it in his pocket as he went and poured himself a scotch. "We need to be put in check. If we can't accept limitations, or boundaries, we're no better than the bad guys."

"And how long do you think it'll take the 'bad guys' to figure out we are running under rules and limitations?" Pietro snapped. "Once they know we have our hands tied, they will know that there will be certain things we can't do, and not care. Do you honestly think they'll restrain themselves, like the Accords will do to us? Or do you think they will simply make things worse by laughing at us and causing even more damage than before, while we're forced to stand down or do nothing to stop them?"

Steve sighed. "Tony, I know you feel bad about what happened in Sokovia, but when someone dies on your watch, you don't just give up."

Tony looked impatient. "Who says we're giving up?"

"We are if we're not taking responsibility for our actions," Steve insisted, clearly ready to verbally fight this out. "This document just shifts the blame."

Rhodes was now looking as impatient and frustrated as Tony. "Sorry, Steve, but that is dangerously arrogant. This is the United Nations we're talking about. This isn't the World Security Council, it's not SHIELD, and it's not HYDRA."

"No, but its run by people with agendas, and agendas change," Steve pointed out.

"And that's a good thing," Tony snapped. "When I realized what my weapons were being used for, in the wrong hands, I shut it down, stopped manufacturing."

"But you chose to do that," my husband reminded him. "If we sign this, we give up our right to choose. What if they decide to send us somewhere we don't think we should go? Or what if there's somewhere we need to go, but they don't let us? We're not perfect, but when it comes to keeping the world safe, the safest hands are still our own."

Tony finished his drink and slammed the glass down on the table with a loud clank. "If we don't do this now, it'll be done to us later. That's a fact. And when it happens, under their rules, the results won't be pretty."

Pietro and Wanda immediately reached out to clasp hands. "You're saying they'll come for us," Wanda whispered, fear creeping into her eyes.

Vision stiffened in his seat. "We would protect you."

Natasha, who had been silent through this exchange, reached out and took hold of the document. "Maybe Tony's right. If we have one hand on the wheel, we can still steer where we need to go."

Sam looked over at her in disbelief. "Aren't you the one who told the government to kiss her ass a few years ago?"

Vision held up a hand. "If I may?" he asked, looking over at me. After I nodded, he continued in his soft voice, "In the years since Mr. Stark revealed himself as Iron Man, the number of enhanced individuals has increased exponentially –as has the number of potentially world-ending events."

A number of the group clearly did not like where he was going with this, but it was Steve who spoke up. "Are you saying it's our fault?"

Vision shook his head. "I'm saying that there is a link between the two. Our existence and strength invites challenge, which incites conflict. Conflict leads to catastrophe. I believe oversight is an idea that cannot be dismissed."

"Boom!" Rhodes said, as though he'd just won the argument.

"I disagree with that assessment," Cyan put in, causing everyone, including Vision, to look at him in surprise. "Not all of it had to do with Mr. Stark's revelation as Iron Man. The events in New York were caused by Thor's rivalry with Loki. That began in Asgard, not here. Loki only brought his army to Earth because he knew it would hurt Thor, not because he wanted to fight the Avengers, because the Avengers did not exist until after the threat had appeared."

He nodded towards Wanda and Pietro. "As for enhanced individuals -yes, their number seemed to increase after the emergence of individuals like Captain America and Iron Man. However, it is possible that such individuals had already existed, and simply used the emergence of the Avengers as a sign that it was time for them to show themselves. Even though the Twins had their powers given to them late in life, there is the possibility that there have been dozens, or hundreds of individuals who were born with abilities, but dared not reveal themselves until we, as superheroes, had."

Vision seemed unsure how to take those ideas, and kept quiet as he tried to think about what his 'brother' had just said. Meanwhile, Tony and Rhodes didn't look happy at having someone poke holes in what they considered a flawless argument.

"So, we know where everyone apparently stands on this," Rhodes said. "Adena, you've been pretty quiet, aside from moderating this whole thing."

"What do you think?" Natasha asked. "I've got to say, you have a more unique view of this than the rest of us. We're all heroes and stuff, but you're a civilian, a person without powers. How do you feel about this whole Accords thing?"

Oh, now that was a good question, and one I was divided over.

On one hand, I did sort of see Tony's view. I agreed that terrible losses had occurred every time the Avengers had gotten involved in events, whether it was fighting a single bad guy, a group of mercenaries, or enormous forces trying to take over or destroy the world.

And unlike the rest of the team, who simply went around in a 'business-as-usual' sort of way, I lingered over the Internet, day after day, checking up on what people were saying about the team. I watched videos and news reports, and read blogs and articles on what the public was saying about my friends and my husband.

For the most part, I knew that for every group of people who supported the Avengers and were grateful for what they were doing (or what they had done), there was another who wanted the group disbanded or reined in by a higher order. For every group that thought the Avengers 'rocked,' there was another where they feared what might happen if the team 'went bad,' and decided to take over the world for their own purposes.

The Avengers might not have considered it, but fear was a powerful emotion, and one that spread rather quickly. It makes people do or think things they normally wouldn't under calm circumstances, which was why it was so dangerous.

So, from the average person's view, I could see that, logically, that a team as powerful and skilled as the Avengers did need someone to answer to when it came to missions. They needed someone to lecture them if they did something stupid, and dish out some kind of punishment or retribution when necessary.

"All actions have consequences," Dad had told me once. "Whether they're good or bad depends on what the action was."

The fact remained that people had gotten hurt or killed during the team's past actions. Even though the Avengers hadn't meant for that to happen, there were hundreds, or thousands, of angry people who wanted answers –and who wanted the team to answer to someone.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Steve shift uneasily in his seat. Yes, his was the other side of the debate, which I could also see and understand, though my support of his argument wasn't just because he was my husband –I knew where he was coming from, too.

After what had happened in Washington, Steve's trust in world governments had been shattered. He believed that if HYDRA had infiltrated SHIELD, as well as the US government, then it was possible they still held sway over other world leaders, possibly all the way up to prime ministers and other elected officials.

And if the governments ordering the movements of the Avengers were possibly corrupt, they would definitely have hidden agendas. I knew that Steve's worst fear was being sent to seeming help innocent civilians, only to find out later that they'd instead helped HYDRA (or some sort of tyrant or bad government) take over a nation, or win against those battling against them.

'Or, what if they're sent into a trap?'

That was my worst fear. I did not want to be on the other end of the communications link and find out that the Avengers had been sent into a trap, where they would be picked off by enemy fire. True, the team could find themselves in a trap at any time, but for them to be ordered somewhere and have their supposed allies turn against them…

Out of the corner of my vision, I saw Tony shifting on his feet. The guilty look on his face upset me even more, because I knew why he was siding with the Accords.

"I'm sorry, Tony, but I know the only reason you're for the Accords is because you want to alleviate your guilt over Sokovia," I said.

He tried to protest, but I stopped him. "You created Ultron, very stupidly using alien technology you didn't understand, all because of a bad dream Wanda gave you. Because of what you did, Sokovia City was destroyed. Now the other Avengers have this document in front of them, and are being asked to pay the price for your arrogance and your actions."

I turned towards Rhodes, who looked ready to come at me for insulting his friend. "Also, didn't the World Council, who acted as a sort of United Nations, want to nuke New York when Loki's army was coming through that giant wormhole? That would have been a very stupid move, by the way, since I doubt a nuclear weapon would have done much to close a hole in space. All it would have done was kill the army on the ground, as well as millions of innocent people, which would have been much worse than anything the Avengers did."

Again, Rhodes tried to argue, but I ignored him. "And those Helicarriers that were built to 'take down dangerous individuals'? Those were built to spy on millions of innocent people, then execute them if they didn't agree with what was going on the world. They might have been built by HYDRA, working through SHIELD, but they were backed by government funds, the World Council, and who knows how many powerful politicians, all of whom wanted Captain America to operate under their orders. So, can you really blame Steve for questioning the motives of world governments and the orders they might give him, as well as the Avengers?"

Rhodes shut his mouth, but I wasn't done yet. "And let's not forget how relatively incompetent the United Nations is. I hate to say it, but they can barely agree on who to allow into the UN itself, or on peace treaties with each other. How can you expect a committee of delegates chosen by the UN to work together to give the Avengers permission to do their jobs, when the only thing we can expect is that they won't look out for the world as a whole, but only for the good of their own individual countries, just like the UN does?"

I let my eyes drift towards the thick packet of papers. "So while I can agree that you will need someone to watch over you and make sure that you don't try anything too stupid or destructive, I can't agree that this is the way to do it. If they'd bothered asking you for your opinions and ideas on how to handle this, it would have shown that they really did want to figure this out, and that they were willing to work with you on this. But they're forcing the Accords on you, along with consequences if you don't obey. I can't agree with that."

Retrieving the packet, I flipped it open. "What happens if one of you stops a crime on the streets? Would they treat you like they would an ordinary person who stops a thief on the streets, or an armed robbery? Ordinary people get praised, even rewarded for that kind of bravery. What would happen to you guys? Would you be sued, or would they jail you for doing what's right, because you're heroes and have to go by a different set of laws and standards?"

I pushed the papers away. "I'm sorry, Tony. I can't agree with this, and I'm very disappointed that you're only signing this to make yourself feel better about Sokovia."

Suddenly, Sunny began chiming urgently. Since he wasn't saying anything, I knew it was something important, but also something I probably didn't want the others to know about.

Checking the screen, I saw a quick text message from Sharon Carter.

She's gone; passed away in her sleep.

Steve must have seen the look on my face, because he immediately hustled me to a nearby stairwell without a word to the others.

Once we were alone, he forced me to look at him. "What is it? What's wrong? Is it something about your family?"

I swallowed hard. "Steve…Peggy Carter is dead."


AN: Cliffhanger! Review?