A/N: Wrapping up this chapter took longer than I anticipated. You may see why soon… BUT, here we are. Yay…?

FIRST, though… THANK YOU, so much, for your amazing reviews and love! They SERIOUSLY mean a lot. (HUGS)

Awkay… Are you ready for the final battle? This chapter is IT. I REALLY hope that you'll enjoy the ride!

Family Matters

It was like some sort of a dance. And under different circumstances it could've been considered beautiful. The colors the collisions of fire and ice created were absolutely breathtaking in their beauty. And the tense yet carefully thought through movements of the two men fighting were pure poetry.

Unfortunately the reality was something far less lovely and Shakespearean in its tragedy.

"Barney, I swear!" Clint stood firm, despite the bite-marks ice had left on his cheeks and pain from improperly healed gunshot wounds. Fire danced all over him, pulsating along with his heartbeat like a living organism. But despite all that power the archer felt like the teenager who mourned the death of the last family member he'd had. "I didn't know that it was you! I would've never shot you with those arrows if I knew that it was you!"

Barney snorted. "You think I believe anything that comes out of your mouth?" The man screamed from frustration when his latest attack was met by fire's uncompromising embrace. "For years, Clint…! For years, since mom brought me back, I've been dreaming of this!"

"I am sorry for what happened to you." And Clint was, so sorry that his heart ached. "Doesn't matter whether you believe me, or not… I am." The archer inhaled several deep breaths. It hurt, but it also helped ground him. Kept him from losing what little composure he had. "You…", he hissed as even more flames appeared. "… shouldn't have dragged my family into this."

"Why?" Barney dodged his attack narrowly. "Isn't this a family thing?" His older brother sneered. "Mom hasn't stopped talking about you. She's kept telling me how special you are. But she's not here to stop me from killing you now, is she?"

Grief filled Clint. The kind he'd already imagined to be a thing in the past. "No, she isn't. Because she knows that I can kill you without even using my powers." It was a sad, horribly bitter truth. But the truth nonetheless.

This wasn't a trap – this was his mother punishing him for being weak and welcoming him back.

Steve Rogers had always fought for what he thought was right and for those who needed help. Even before he became Captain America. But what was the right thing to do now? Who was he supposed to fight for when one side was Tony and the other Bucky?

Apparently he wouldn't have to be the one to make the first move. Tony raised a metal covered fist and fired. Steve was barely fast enough to bring his shield up to meet the attack. The ensuing sound was like thunder. "That…", Tony growled. "… was for Clint."

Those words hurt more than any physical attack. "I swear, if there was any other choice… I would've never done that." Steve clenched his jaw. This wasn't the time for a guilt trip. "Tony, get out of here. Right now."

"Oh, no, Rogers. Hell no. I'm not going anywhere before I've taken down the man who killed my parents."

"He's not himself!" Steve was desperate to defuse this, anxious to make at least one of his friends see sense. Tony would probably never forgive him and there was no telling if he'd ever get Bucky back. But the thought of them tearing each other apart… It was more than he could stand. "He wasn't himself the night your parents died and he isn't now! He's been programmed to…!" He never got the chance to finish.

For someone of his size, Bucky moved incredibly quietly and quickly. Before he or Tony got the slightest chance to see it coming the billionaire went down with a loud crash. A metal-cocooned hand rose to deliver a countering blow but Bucky had a limb to match. A growl, a twist and a sickening crushing sound. In less than thirty seconds there was nothing left of that piece of Tony's suit. Satisfied with his work, the Winter Soldier delivered the next three blows at the billionaire's head. Metal caved and Steve wondered with ice-cold dread just how much damage was done to the skull inside. Steve expected Tony's response until he realized that the man was probably too dazed to do a thing. Was the Iron Man even conscious anymore? The realization Steve came to stung like acid.

The Winter soldier would carry out his orders and kill Tony and there was only one person present who could stop it.

His heart sinking and the crushing guilt that'd been his constant companion since he shot Clint, Steve took action. He threw the shield and had to use all his willpower to not look away when it made contact. Bucky took a horrifying flight, landed and remained still. "Bucky, snap out of it!" he roared. Begged. "This isn't you! Snap out of it!"

Unfortunately Edith's programming wasn't undone quite so easily. But his words were good for something. The Winter Soldier's attention wasn't on Tony anymore. Steve had the time to detect movement before a metallic hand tossed him to the floor like a ragdoll and crushed against his throat.

Barney stared at Clint. Then started to laugh. "Really?" His idiotic little brother couldn't be serious…! "You want to do this without powers? Fine." At his right Ross took a step closer to Laura. Barney glared at the human and narrowed his eyes. "Leave. This is a family matter."

Ross fled the room, pathetic relief radiating from him in waves. Barney would educate him, too. Later. For now it was time to teach his baby-brother the man's last lesson. They looked at each other, for a couple of seconds remembering the small boys they once were. The bond they once shared.

They weren't little boys anymore.

Clint struck with more force than Barney had known to anticipate. The first kick sent him flying and he crashed down with such force that rendered him breathless. But he wasn't left unable to fight back. A quick sweep took Clint off his feet and without wasting another second the older Barton was attacking him. The fight was nowhere near over.

Until it was over.

The kind of a force Clint attacked him with… It didn't seem like anything human. Barney had an incredible amount of combat experience but it didn't help him.

Barney did get a lot of kicks and punches in. But in the end he lay on the floor barely conscious, blood running from his broken nose. A trembling, burning hot hand had been pressed against his neck. It wasn't heavy and harsh enough to choke him but the burning sensation was nothing short of hellish. There was a torn look in Clint's eyes, almost like his so-called brother would've actually cared. "I… I'm sorry", Clint whispered, so quietly that it was hard to hear. "I'm so sorry that… that it had to come to this."

Barney smirked. The best as he could, anyway. He wouldn't be conscious much longer so he'd have to act now. A long, knife-sharp spike of ice was starting to reach out from his right hand. "I'm not." His hand moved, sealing his final attack, seconds before his world turned black.

Edith felt it, vividly, and shuddered. The battle between her sons was over. She was fairly certain that a proper parent would've felt sadness. All she experienced was disappointment.

She wrestled and struggled, but Charles' hold of her mind remained harder than metal. She felt him searching and laughed. 'Are you trying to find seeds of hope? Mother's love? Tiny little remnants of something like humanity?" She lashed out and was sure to make it hurt as much as possible. 'I am not human, Charles! I'm better!'

'No, Edith.' Charles sounded horribly sad inside her head. 'You're still the six-year-old her parents handed over to a team of Hydra scientists when they were terrified of her powers. I wish that I had met that child sooner. Maybe then I would find words that'd make a difference.'

Edith smiled wryly. 'Looks like the righteous Professor in facing a problem. You won't be able to… cure me. And no prison will ever hold me. So what are you going to do to me?'

To her embarrassment, Edith didn't realize that she'd been speaking out loud as well as telepathically until a new voice was heard. "He won't have to do anything but hold you still for the next five minutes." Natasha emerged from the shadows like an angel of death and vengeance, hiding something behind her back. "It would be poetic justice if Clint would've gotten the chance to do this." She tilted her head, the infamous Black Widow in all her glory. "But you'll have to settle for me instead."

'Natasha, think about what you're doing…!'

"I have, Charles." Natasha sounded deadly calm, her eyes locked with Edith's. "I have been thinking about this moment since the day she took my best friend from me."

Laura could only watch, her eyes wide from horror and her mouth still not hers to use, as Clint gasped and shuddered. For several long, agonizing moments time itself stood still. Then, slowly, her husband straightened. In an instant his eyes were on her, scanning her for injuries. "Did they hurt you?" She shook her head the best as she could. Because they didn't, not in the way he was thinking about. (They took you away! They got our little girl!) Clint relaxed barely even marginally. "Good." Then, as though reading her mind, he did his best to smile. "Hey, don't look at me like that. I'm fine. Everything's gonna be okay."

Laura wanted to believe him. But her mind was in a state of chaos and she couldn't get a word out of her mouth. Shock must've made her lose grip on the present for a moment, because the next time she was able to focus Clint was melting the ice holding her still. Gently, incredibly carefully, his flames caressed the ice that burned like a blade. Next he took care of the other restrains. With those gone, nothing was holding her back.

Laura clung to him as tightly as she could, tears streaming down her cheeks and shaking from shock. "I… I lost you…!" It was like a spell had been broken. All of a sudden she was able to speak again, even if it was only those three words. "I lost you…" Oh, god…! She thought she'd never see him again. And now… Now…

"I'm sorry." Clint kissed her head and held her every bit as tightly as she embraced him. "I'm so sorry… But hey, shh… I'm here. I'm here."

Laura wished, from the bottom of her heart, that she would've never had to let go of him again. But eventually, reluctantly, she let him pull away enough to let her see his clothes. She emitted a bizarre mixture of a sob and a chuckle. "What… are you wearing?"

Clint grimaced, glancing at his dark outfit. "I… found some allies. They all wear these on missions. The most uncomfortable thing I've ever pulled on."

The more Laura listened to him, the more she dared to believe that he was really there. Overwhelmed and still in tears, she leaned closer. Her lips were just about to brush his when they were interrupted. "There's now a clear hallway out of here", a young woman's voice announced.

They jumped apart like parents who'd been ambushed by their kid in the middle of an intimate moment. "Good", Clint murmured. His hand clutched at hers. Clearly he wanted to let go as little as she did. "Get Laura out of here, make sure that she's safe." He met Laura's eyes, his so full of guilt and apology that it broke her heart. "I'll find Lila, I promise. I won't leave this place without our little girl."

"And you expect me to leave without you two?" Laura exclaimed, incredulous.

She regretted her words when pain flashed in Clint's eyes. "Laura, please…" No longer caring about their audience, he pulled her to a searing kiss. "I'm sorry", he murmured as soon as they parted. "Love you."

"Barton…!" Laura tried, but he'd already left the room.

Laura was still struggling to pull herself together when the girl who arrived approached her. "My brother will protect them", she tried to reassure her. "Now, we have to go. Clint… would not be pleased if I broke my promise to keep you safe."

Even under the circumstances Laura had to smile at that one, just a little bit – at the absolutely horrible absurdity of it all, if nothing else.

Lila had always hated the dark. Sitting in a tiny, heavily locked closet with absolutely no light, she couldn't keep herself from sobbing while she pulled her legs to her chest. She didn't know how long she'd been there. To her it felt like decades.

"Please…!" she whimpered. She didn't care if she was behaving and sounded like a baby. Not when she was terrified out of her mind. "Please…! I… I don't wanna be alone anymore. Mommy? Uncle Barney? I… I don't wanna be alone."

Her watery eyes widened when steps approached. And then the closet's door was torn open. Light flooded in and blinded her, but not before she saw the outline of a man. Silly, childish hope made her heart jump. "Daddy?"

"Don't worry, brat. I'll take you to him." Ross' hissing voice made her start trembling. "And then I'll kill you both."

"Really, Ross? You'd murder an innocent child… Just to hurt me? And you call me and others like me monsters." Was that really…? "Let her go… or I'll tear you to pieces with my bare hands. You know I could."

Slowly, slowly, Lila was lowered to the floor. Her vision was finally clearing, allowing her to see her daddy's face. His eyes were the same soothing, tender ones she remembered. (She was so focused on them that she didn't notice the gun he held at Ross' head.) "Hey, sweetheart." Hearing his familiar, comforting voice was enough to trigger a new flood of tears. "Close your eyes, alright? And keep them closed until I tell you to open them."

Lila obeyed without hesitation, trusting her daddy from the bottom of her heart. She was so relieved that she didn't even flinch at the sound of two gunshots. Or at the sound of a skull crashing against the floor, twice. Especially when a pair of arms she recognized easily wrapped around her and pulled her close. She held back, sobbing so hard that she could barely breathe. "Where… Where were you, daddy? Mommy, and Coop… They said you were gone…"

"I… was lost in a really dark place." He sighed. "I'm sorry it took me so long to get here, sweetheart."

Lila buried her face to his shoulder. "'s okay, daddy. You're here now." That was more than enough.

Clint was physically and emotionally overwhelmed as he held his daughter, walking towards the room's door. And Lila still had her eyes closed. Which was why neither noticed how one of Ross' eyes cracked ever so slightly open and the man's hand wrapped around a carefully concealed firearm. Until Clint heard metal scratching against the floor.

When Tony looked back on the events of that day later… He couldn't recognize the monster of a man grief and wrath transformed him into. The bloodthirst he felt when he looked at Bucky… It was something terrifying. Memories of his mother and the footage of Clint's death enforced the darkness rising from within him.

Tony didn't know for how long Bucky's attack left him unconscious. The whole world spun and swayed in front of his eyes when he finally began to wake up. It took longer than it should've to remember what was going on. When he did… Rage wiped away all of his rational thinking, again. He turned his head with effort. What he discovered made him see red almost literally.

Steps away Steve lay on the floor, with Bucky's metal arm choking him.

Tony wasn't sure if he'd ever forgive Steve for what the Captain did to Clint. Or for hiding the truth about his parents' death. Or for choosing Bucky. He also wasn't sure if he'd ever consider them friends again. But there, in that moment… He knew that he didn't want Steve to die just as badly as he wanted Bucky… gone.

Wrath tends to lead to things people regret for the rest of their lives.

The exact same second Tony raised his hand Bucky's eyes widened. Stared into the Captain's. "Steve…!" the soldier choked out, so quietly that the billionaire couldn't hear.

Bucky was there. Bucky was really, actually there. Back with him. It was all Steve could focus on. Until he saw Tony's raised hand and felt his stomach drop.

A swift, hard sweep of a leg pushed Bucky off him and to the side, out of harm's way. One of Steve's hands rose placatingly. But it was too late because Tony had already fired.

Tony watched, his eyes wide and cold filling his whole body, as the pulse of energy hit Steve instead of Bucky. It might've been almost harmless if it wasn't for some modifications Tony had done to his suit. This pulse of energy was hard enough to cause a sickening cracking sound.

It was an appalling, bitter twist of irony that the look in Steve's eyes as they met Tony's was familiar. It was the same look there was in Clint's when the soldier shot him. Then the Captain's eyes closed. The man slumped to the floor and lay unmoving.

"Steve?" Tony had no idea if it was his voice calling out or Bucky's. There was no reaction. "STEVE!"

Pietro was fast. Often, at least according to Wanda, too fast. In that moment he was glad for it.

To him it all happened in slowed motion. Ross lifting a gun. Clint, his arms full of a scared child and with no chance to do anything else, grouched over his daughter in a desperate need to shield her. Then a bullet was fired.

Pietro was faster than a bullet and definitely faster than a dying man. Pushing his powers to the extreme he dashed to the father and daughter. Shoved, mindful to not cause damage, until the three of them were out of harm's way. The bullet slammed harmlessly to the wall and two seconds later Ross was no more.

Clint gasped. Was that a chuckle? "Some… timing you've got, Roadrunner…!"

"And you're too slow, old man." Pietro looked at the little girl in the man's arms. "Hey Lila."

"Lila? Sweetie?" Clint brushed the child's hair comfortingly. "That's Pietro. He's annoying sometimes, but he's also a friend. I need you to go with him. When you're outside… you can open your eyes."

Something about the whole thing bothered Pietro. Set off alarm bells in his head. Then there was an explosion and the whole building shuddered. Time was running out. "I wanna stay with you, daddy", Lila argued.

Clint swallowed. "I'll be right out, too, soon. I… need to check something first." (Pietro was willing to bet money that the archer wanted to… visit his mother.) The archer kissed his daughter's forehead. Lila cried out when the girl was handed to the speedster. "Hey. Pietro's a nice guy. And he'll get you out of this nasty place real quick."

"It will be fun", Pietro soothed, trying to sound joyful. The child was tense and trembled in his arms. He frowned, focusing on the dad instead. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah." Clint's eyes hardened when another explosion made the building shudder and dust rained down on them. "Get my daughter out of here."

Pietro was fast. Often, at least according to Wanda, too fast. If he only just slowed down at that very moment he would've seen…

He would've seen how Clint, leaning against the wall, gasped and brought a hand to his stomach. To the wound Barney gave him. The limb was quickly covered in the blood his dark suit was able to disguise. The archer blinked sluggishly. Then, unceremoniously and with nothing more than a tiny gasp, the man fell. Unmoving, almost lifeless. With no one around to see.

TBC

A/N: (Fun fact? The Word-file I have this chapter on is named 'brotherly love chapter'…)

SOOO… Did you guys spot the 'AoU' and 'CW' scenes I toyed with? How mad are you at me right now…? (winces) I'm SO, SO SORRY! But THIS chapter, right here… Is the one this story has been leading to all along…

Will there be a happy ending? Will everyone live? AND, most importantly… Was this chapter good at all? PLEASE, do leave a comment! I LOVE hearing from you.

Awkay, because I have this sudden urge to… hide from thrown objects… Until next time! I REALLY hope that you'll all stay tuned for that one.

Take care!

SomeRandomHuman: LOL! Bitter, I suspect. HORRIBLY bitter and sour. And I wouldn't touch it with a stick…

I'm so sorry, but not Cooper. SUCH a cool thought, though! (grins) We'll see just how the battle ends…

Colossal thank yous for the review! Until next time.