Chapter 19

29 November 2017, Penthouse, Stark Tower, Someplace Else

"So, you cannot expect me not to acknowledge this."

Stark shrugged. "I don't, Rhodey."

"You know that I'm under a different obligation than you are, Tony. Why did you tell me?"

"You aren't going to tattle to Ross any more than I am. However, you do need to know what is coming."

"Who is coming, you mean."

"Same difference."

Rhodes leant back into the low sofa cushion and then replied, "I'm serious, Tony. Why did you tell me?"

Breathing out forcefully, Stark said, "Because there really is something coming, Rhodey. Bruce and I have been tracking some very strange readings. We also got a cryptic, but urgent message from Asgard. Something about draugr, whatever that is. I just don't think that we can afford to be divided like we are now. If some big bad came again like the Chitauri—or worse—we'd be screwed."

"You really think that something like that is coming."

"I know it is. What I don't know is who, what, when, where, or how…why doesn't really matter. So, Cap chose the Winter Soldier over me. Despite appearances to the contrary, I'm a big boy. I can fight beside Rogers in order to save the world, at least, Rhodey. It's time we let the Rogues come in closer, so when they are needed, they'll be ready to jump right into the fight."

Clearly unconvinced, Rhodes asked cautiously, "But you're not inviting them back onto the team, Tony?"

Stark snorted and growled, "No. We aren't friends. We aren't colleagues. We are just fellow residents of planet Earth, who are similarly opposed to being subjugated by alien forces. I'm not fighting against Ross and the UN on Cap's behalf. Whenever this alien force or whatever it is comes, they aren't going to be getting in our way. That's as far as my willingness to deal with Cap and the traitorous gang goes."

"Tony, as much as I am on your side, you know that isn't a reasonable statement."

"I don't care. I can be as unreasonable as I want when I'm dealing with my mother's murderer and my former friend who is protecting him."

"Can you? You honestly believe that you could fight alongside Rogers and the others without first settling this? If you two cannot trust each other, Tony, then none of us will be able to work together. One way or the other, you both have to come to some sort of understanding."

"We are each intelligent, professional men. His people will follow him and he will work with me. He's made that clear. That is as far as I'm going to go."

Rhodes shook his head. "Then you might as well accept failure now, Tony. We all know that the Accords ended up being a terrible mistake. I don't regret signing at all, but I do regret how we handled it. We didn't spend time checking into it. We didn't look into exactly what the regulations meant. We allowed ourselves to be manipulated by people we thought were motivated by justice. As for Steve Rogers, he made the wrong choice regarding telling you about Barnes, but for a very understandable reason: he had to choose between his oldest friend versus his newest."

"Awesome. Perhaps my friendship points just hadn't matured yet, huh?"

"I suspect that if Barnes had been the one trying to blow you away, Tony, then Rogers would have stood in the breach for you instead. Of the two of you, Barnes was the one who was vulnerable at the time. There was no one but Rogers on his side: shoot to kill orders were put out for him based on remarkably flimsy evidence and no one but Wilson and Rogers seemed bothered. I admit that I wasn't."

"Hey, as soon as I realised that, then I did try to do something. And when I got to Siberia, I got the Shield of Lying and Injustice smashed into my chest."

"Oh? You were just standing there all innocent and doing nothing and wham! Rogers bashed the shield into your suit? That's how it happened, was it?"

"Yeah, so was I just supposed to look my mother's killer in the face and do nothing?"

"No, Tony, but you didn't need to try to kill him either."

"Why the h*ll not? He choked her with that f***ing HYDRA death hand, so I blasted it off. He told me that he remembers every victim. He's not just some brainwashed victim. He IS the Winter Solider."

Rhodes stood up and said sadly, "No, Tony. I am sorry, really. I cannot fully imagine how you must feel. However, you aren't right about that. Barnes is far more of a victim than either of us can really comprehend. He didn't choose to murder any of those people, but he has to remember it happening forever."

"Good."

"No, not good. You're better than this, Tony." Shaking his head slowly, Rhodes continued quietly, "If Rogers hadn't apologised and offered to try to make things right, then I wouldn't be sympathetic. However, as far as I can see, the only thing Rogers should have done differently here was tell you about your parents' murder. The rest…sure, he handled it about as dramatically as humanly possible, but he was right. It sucks being wrong about something so big, but we were, Tony. Living in denial like this isn't going to fix anything or make you feel better about this. You're really hurting yourself by holding onto your rage in this way and it worries me."

"What do you want me to do, Rhodey? How am I supposed to feel when I'm confronted with my parents' murderer?"

"I don't know. I guess if you really believe that Barnes is that man, then you turn him over to the authorities. However, I kinda think that your parents' murderer is already dead. Wasn't he shot to death in the Triskelion? Pretty sure that definitely happened, Tony."

Stark bared his teeth slightly, as he snarled, "Barnes remembers killing her, Rhodey. He said so. How does that not make him my mother's murderer?"

"Killer or murderer?"

"What's the difference?!"

"You know the difference, Tony. We've had this conversation enough times that you know what I have to say about it. The enormity of what was done to Barnes may make it difficult to believe, but that doesn't make it untrue. I cannot do this conversation with you again right now, Tony. Please."

"Fine."

"If we are going to plan to work with them against some dangerous future invasion force or whatever, then we need to start the process now."

"Maybe. I'm not ready yet, Rhodey."

"Yeah, I can tell that, Tony, but the question that I have is this: will you be ready in time?"

29 November 2017, 38th floor, Avengers Tower, New York City

As Clint exited the apartment into the corridor, he gestured to the analyst that she could re-enter, then he stalked towards the waiting area near the lifts for his and Natasha's flats. When he reached the seating area, he dropped forcefully on the seat next to Natasha.

With a surprisingly sympathetic expression, Natasha asked a little stiffly, "Well?"

After a questioning look at Natasha, Clint groaned, "I'm so f***ed, Nat. So completely f***ed. She thinks that I don't really love her anymore. And it is all because I've made incredibly stupid decisions. I know that I'm unworthy of her, Ubiytsachka, but I cannot bear thinking that she believes that she is the one who is worthless. I have to fix this."

Natasha leant back into her chair and stared at him with an immediate return to hostility. "It's bad, Clint. She has given up on herself."

"I know. I know. I have to fix this. She's got to see that she's amazing. She's…she's everything, Nat. First thing tomorrow, I will have JARVIS send paperwork formally firing that f***ing quack of a doctor. Tony sent me another message about it earlier. He says he'll show me the list of other Omega docs he's vetted when they return from the mission tomorrow."

Her eyes narrowed dangerously, Natasha insisted, "Physician, Clint. Omegas see physicians. Like so many things about them, the terminology is purposefully different. It matters to Eleanor, so you need to remember."

Clint waved his hand dismissively, "Does she really care about proper terms for things that much? Seems ridiculous."

Not particularly kindly, Natasha explained with a sigh, "She cares about whether you notice her world, you absolute fool. She is desperate to know that you pay attention. Honestly, I think she's longing for any approval she can get from you. She's starving for love, you idiot. Not a sister's love, but yours. If this could have been fixed by anything that I could do, then we would not be in this situation, Clinton. My sister needs you, so you're going to take your manhood in hand and make this right."

"Nat, I…"

Pulling away from him furiously, Natasha viciously snarled, "No! You couldn't see her expression when you were hugging her at the beginning of the session, Clint, but I could. Relief, hope, and desperation. The only thing that is going to make this better for her is something that you can do. SO DO IT."

Clint stood up abruptly and walked over to the wall next to the lifts. He flopped back against it and stared up at the ceiling hopelessly. "S***, Nat. Why did I keep listening to her physician? You told me that the isolation was making her fade away instead of get better. You saw it. Why did I ignore everything?"

Natasha threw a knife-sharp glance his way, as she sneered, "Well, Yastreb, primarily you are so convinced that she doesn't care for you that you made some angry, bitter decisions, as well as some thoughtless ones. You did not consider how she would react to essentially being ignored and kept away in a room all by herself. Secondarily, you blamed yourself for what happened and you felt unworthy of her, so isolating her was useful for you."

Shocked, he turned his gaze on Natasha and demanded, "Useful? F*** that, Nat. No. I did not intend to keep her a prisoner in that room. But that's how she's felt, isn't it? Like it was a punishment for the capital crime of being unhappy. F***. F***. F***!" Clint punched the wall hard enough that it left a dent, which in turn made him yelp in pain.

Natasha sat very still on her chair and waited for Clint to calm down. Finally, she said with stone cold causticness, "Are you done being an idiot? Because that is not helping anyone. The question is, what are you going to do now?"

Clint gestured rudely at Natasha. "Stop isolating her, for one."

It was several minutes before either of them spoke again. Clint remained leaning against the wall, twirling one of his knives as he glared at the large potted plant between the chairs. Natasha, on the other hand, was intently watching Clint much in the same manner as a leopard regarded its dinner. Eventually, she said in a deadly whisper, "Maybe you should consider talking to her about what she thinks. She's an intelligent woman."

"I know. She's smarter than me, Nat. I'm well aware of it."

"Yes? Then why did you treat her like a child?"

"She isn't a child. She is my match and a guardian-class Omega. I am not just expected to make these decisions: I am required to. It is literally my job as her Alpha, Nat. I'm a total f***up, ok, but even I read up on what is expected of me in a bondmatch. Do you not understand what is at stake? Stark's lawyers say that the OPS bastards are monitoring us, you know. If I don't do my part or she has to be admitted to treatment, they will come barging in to offer 're-education'. I promised Eleanor that she would never have to deal with those f***ers again and I will do whatever it takes to keep that promise."

Natasha nodded and icily answered, "I do know that, but I wasn't aware that you were aware just how far OPS is willing to go. They may despise your bondmatch, but it is now public and you are a popular figure. There has even been speculation in the media that you may be a level-5 Alpha, since, in addition to what the public knows about your job, you managed to bondmatch to a very beautiful AAA Omega. OPS will not allow you to have a public failure now, Clint."

Clint pushed off the wall and gestured widely. "I'm concerned about Eleanor's feelings, not OPS's agenda or the public's perceptions, Nat. I cannot allow Eleanor to be touched by any of that. And it isn't like the media has it wrong. I am a level-5. I don't get why that s*** has to be classified anyway."

"So, do the right thing. Worry about her. Make Eleanor happy and then OPS won't even matter. She craves your guidance and attention, but she does have feelings and opinions. She won't admit them to you though unless she is absolutely sure you want to know them and that she won't be punished for her opinion either."

"Have I made her feel like that in the past? Does she feel like I punished her for having an opinion at some point? S***. I am such a bastard."

"No, Clint, but did you in some way make her feel as if she was not meant to talk unless it was to reply to you? Have you treated her like a person with legitimate feelings and thoughts? Because I have to say that it has been clear to me that you've been so wrapped up in your own feelings that you didn't pay much attention to hers."

"Хуй тебе!"

"Трахни тебя, твой мозг настолько полон дерьма, что ты не думаешь!" Natasha lunged at him and pinned him to the wall as she snarled, "You will fix my family, Clint. It might have been partly my fault that Lenochka felt so trapped after that party initially, but you have compounded everything with your decisions. I cannot do your job for you. FIX. THIS."

Clint shoved her off and wrestled her into the ground before they both got back up and began circling each other with the chairs in between them. As he watched her cautiously, Clint responded bitingly, "That is what I am trying to do RIGHT NOW, Natalia Alianova. I cannot make it happen instantly, but I'm ready right now, today, to find out what I do need to do. I will do literally anything to make it right. It does not matter what. Anything. And I will do it immediately. I accept that I f***ed up before, but all I can do is change what happens now."

Her arm swinging out, so she clotheslined him just as he swept her feet so they both went down in a tangled mess, Natasha growled, "Are you truly going to do it?" From her position underneath him where they fell, she demanded, "You're going to try to learn how she sends messages to you almost entirely with her actions? You are going to watch what she does not just what she says? You are planning to actually pay attention to Eleanor the person, not the woman you feel spurned you?"

Clint put his forearm over her collarbone and replied, "Yes. I did not realise that I was treating her like that, Natalia Alianova. I thought that I was doing everything I could for her. I am not a total d*ck, you know. It may hurt like f*** that she doesn't feel the same as I do, but that is really unimportant. I just want to see her happy and give her everything she wants."

In one swift move, Natasha freed herself and remained crouched on the floor beside Clint, ready to spring. "If you mean that, then I will yield, Clinton Francis. Do I yield?"

Clint got up and stepped back with his hands up. "I mean it, Nat."

Natasha jumped up from the ground and stood in front of him. "Very well, then I yield."

Both of them stood breathing heavily and watching each other warily for several moments, before Clint said gruffly, "I didn't mean to be the one to f*** up our family, Nat. I thought I could do this better. I will do it better."

"I told you that I would always be your best friend, your partner, your sister. I have not changed my mind, Clint. I am fully invested, which is why I am so angry with you."

"You are the best of best friends, the most incredible of partners, and the only sister I could ever want. I deserve for you to be angry, but please help me going forwards. We are going to turn this around, Nat. I know she means a lot to you, too."

"Yes. She does. But she's your match, not mine."

"I know, Nat. You do know, Nat, that if you ever…"

Natasha cut him off. "No, I don't want that. You know that is not who I am, Clint. Lovers are convenient, but disposable when I lose interest. I do not have time or the desire to coddle a man."

"Yeah, I know you said you won't bondmatch an Omega of either gender and I get that. But you could make an Alpha life-partner bond. Like Richards and Storm did."

She laughed without bitterness, but also without any humour. "No, I do not think that I could trust another Alpha like that again. I am satisfied with our family, Clint."

They both turned around as the door to the apartment opened. Natasha coldly regarded the analyst for a moment until Clint wrapped an arm around her, which she surprisingly accepted. Then they went inside the apartment behind the analyst.

Eleanor was sitting on a chair across from the sofa and did not get up to move over next to them. Yet, she was clearly waiting for something, which confused Clint immensely. What did she need from him?

He walked over to her side and held out his hand to her. She took it tentatively and stood up beside him. Uncertain what she was expecting him to say, he asked, "Are you ok, baby?"

Her tone was very flat as she replied, "I don't know, but I am ready to talk."

"Will you sit next to me, Ellie? Please?"

Eleanor appeared flustered, but pleased as she replied, "Ok." She flushed with surprise when he led her over to sit down and wrapped his arm around her like he had earlier. Natasha also sat on the sofa, but gave Eleanor and Clint a significant space between her and Eleanor, unlike before.

Dr Swanson looked pointedly between Clint and Natasha before she stated coldly, "I think that Mrs Barton and I have had a very beneficial discussion while the two of you were…conversing. She has, however, asked me to lead the next portion of our session. Is this acceptable to you both, Mr Barton and Ms Romanova?"

Natasha tilted her head and asked sharply, "What is the purpose of this proposed discussion?"

"We are going to talk about communication."

Clint sighed. "Yeah, ok, we definitely need that." He noticed with delighted surprise that Eleanor moved a bit closer to him, so he added, "I know that I've been pretty s*** at it."

"The intention is not to pass judgement or to blame anyone, Mr Barton. We will be simply hoping for the three of you to state how you each feel currently, what you each would like to happen, and one thing that you believe you are willing to do to work towards that goal."

Natasha's frustration and annoyance were so palpable that—misunderstanding the reason for her anger—Eleanor reached out her hand and tucked it into Natasha's, as she asked, "Please, Natashenka?"

Natasha nodded curtly, then pushed herself to smile more warmly at Eleanor, before turning back to wait for the analyst to speak.

The analyst regarded Natasha for a moment before she said, "Very well. Ms Romanova, I think you might be the best person to begin."

"If you like." Natasha coolly stared at the analyst, as she lounged back on the sofa. "I am concerned because I feel that a series of mistakes has occurred that compounded misunderstandings that probably date from the original situation that brought Clint and Eleanor together. I would like to see us have a better understanding of what each of us needs as a part of this family, but it would probably help if we all had a clearer grasp of how both designation and gender are at play here. Our family situation is unusual, so we cannot use common assumptions to understand our unique needs. Lastly, I'm willing to make an effort to be more patient. I have several times been unfair towards Eleanor, both because I am used to putting Clint first and because I am unused to considering the perspective of a female who is a AAA Omega versus my own level-4 Alpha designation."

Eleanor squeezed Natasha's hand gratefully and whispered, "Thank you."

"Yes, thank you for such a forthright answer, Ms Romanova. Would you like to go next, Mr Barton?"

Clint looked down at Eleanor and said slowly, "Yeah, ok. Uh, I feel angry and frustrated as all h*ll that things have gotten to this point." He then looked over at the analyst and continued, "I think I f***ed it up pretty good because I didn't understand what Eleanor required. As her Alpha, I'm supposed to know what my match needs, but I definitely didn't." He then turned towards Natasha before looking back down at Eleanor. "I realise now that I need to talk with her to see how she is feeling—instead of mostly listening to outside sources—before I make a decision. And what I want is to see Eleanor feeling safe. I know that this is important to her, so I want to focus on that."

Clint felt Eleanor grip his hand in both of hers, which made him look down. His extreme discomfort and tension started to ease somewhat as he saw the surprised, hopeful look in her eyes. He had not seen her look that way in a long time.

"And now, Mrs Barton, shall we tell your family your answers to these questions?"

Eleanor nodded, then pulled her hands back and tucked them between her knees. She hunched down awkwardly and said uneasily, "Yes, please."

"Very well. As you requested, I will read what you told me, Mrs Barton, but you are free to add to or change what I read at any time."

She nodded, but did not speak, keeping her eyes focussed solely on the carpet in front of her. Clint moved his other hand across to lay it on her knee, but she did not respond other than to look across at the analyst.

"Mrs Barton has relayed to me that she has felt trapped by the treatment she was prescribed and shameful both about her actions that led to the situation and that she cannot overcome the unpleasantness of her isolation to improve her health. She wants both Ms Romanova and Mr Barton not to feel embarrassed and disappointed by her any longer, so she says that she is willing to do whatever they envision for the next stage of treatment. Mrs Barton would not specify a specific cause of action that she would choose, but said that she was even willing to submit to electro-sedation if that is what they believe would be best. I think it is important for them to understand, Mrs Barton, your state of mind when you made that offer."

Eleanor darted a terrified look up at the analyst. It could not have been clearer that she had not expected to be asked to talk. Finally, without a glance at either Natasha or Clint, she whispered, "Scared."

"You told me something about your feelings towards electro-sedation, Mrs Barton."

"Yes."

"Would you be willing to share them with your family?"

Eleanor's reply was nearly inaudible. "Please, no."

Clint cleared his throat. "This electro-sedation c***, that's electroshock therapy, right?"

The analyst pursed her lips and then said carefully, "Not precisely. ECT, which is the current name for what you were describing, is administered under general anaesthesia. Electro-sedation, however, is not."

Natasha hissed furiously and leant forwards on the cushion as she demanded, "Is this what they did to my sister previously?"

"I believe so, which is why Mrs Barton is so reluctant to enter any form of treatment."

Outraged, Natasha asked further, "Is this done merely as a punitive measure or do they also feel that there is a treatment benefit?"

The analyst sighed. "I am immutably opposed to electro-sedation, Ms Romanova, which I should make clear. However, the bulk of the Omega Health Physician's Association supports its use. If Mrs Barton were admitted into treatment, Mr Barton would need to submit a document from his attorney that clearly states that any use of electro-sedation was not only disapproved by him but would be met with legal action. In my experience, that is the only way to ensure that it is not used."

Clint shook his head and insisted furiously, "I will never let my match undergo that s***, are you kidding me? That is torture."

"Although there are some therapeutic benefits to ECT as it is used on Beta patients in Standard Practice Medicine, it is contraindicated for all Alpha patients and poorly tolerated by most Omegas. Statistics are really very clear, but decades of common practice take some time to overturn. I think that you understand that the deterrent factor is also a portion of the continued usage of electro-sedation in young guardian-class Omega patients who are being treated for the major complexes of agonia, teleiomania, anorexia, autolavoma, or narkotikethismos."

Clint looked over at Natasha for clarification, but Natasha was too focussed on the analyst to react to him. She breathed out harshly through her nose. "These are truly that common?"

"Amongst guardian-class women from privileged, wealthy backgrounds? Exceptionally so. Every school for these young women has a treatment facility. Guardian-class girls who attend state schools have significantly lower diagnoses, possibly because of the different lifestyle and pressures exerted by their families. If any of those women display one of the five 'Omega complexes', then they are sent to an OPS state facility and rarely fare well. A mark is made upon their identification that they have a history of that complex."

His face red with anger, Clint demanded, "And this would occur if my match were sent to a hospital?"

"Most definitely."

"Well f*** that then. Look, Dr Swanson, what does my match truly need? We can help her here, right? With someone other than that jagoff that I have been allowing to treat her until now? I want to know what is best for her." Clint looked down at Eleanor and said more quietly, "What you need, not what they say, is really all that I'm interested in providing for you, baby."

The analyst was not entirely successful at hiding her surprise. "It is possible, yes, Mr Barton. However, your match has been diagnosed with three of these conditions. Any physician is going to recommend aggressive treatment."

"Clearly, I want my match to have treatment, Dr Swanson. She has not been happy and I won't be satisfied until she is healthy and content. However, I want her to have appropriate treatment, not this isolation cr** or the electro torture s***. You're the specialist, so you know more than I do in this case. What does Eleanor need here?"

The analyst frowned. "I will be perfectly frank with you, Mr Barton, as I have been with your match. I do not agree with the physician's diagnosis. I have adjusted it on my treatment paperwork; however, although I have rights to prescribe treatment, I cannot prescribe medication."

"Yeah, but I'm asking about treatment, not medication."

"I do not believe that your match is suffering from agonia. She has anchodia, however, this is so prevalent amongst Omegas along with douloprepeia that they are widely considered secret categories on the testing scale."

Clint growled angrily, "What is with the names you people come up with for all this? Does any of this correspond to something an Alpha or even a Beta might experience? Most of us do not understand Greek."

Natasha snorted. "Anchodia is anxiety, Clint. Douloprepeia is submissiveness or subservience."

"Then why can't you call it that? Why the secrecy hiding behind all the fancy sounding Greek and Latin?"

"Greek is used for Omega treatment, Mr Barton. Latin is used for Alphas. This is standard practice. For an Alpha, one would describe Anchodia as Pavor. Similarly, Abjectio is the parallel to Agonia. Treatment is different for both the Omega and Alpha designations, but so is diagnosis."

"Right. Not any secrecy there at all, huh? Whatever you actually say, Dr Swanson, you mean that my match has anxiety."

"Anchodia, yes, which is both severe and acute. Mrs Barton experienced some significant trauma directly before your bondmatch, correct?"

Clint grimaced and nearly bared his teeth before he replied, "Definitely."

"The nature of your work takes you away often and puts you in significant danger, Mr Barton. This is true of you, as well, Ms Romanova."

Natasha nodded briefly and looked over at Clint, who shrugged antagonistically at Natasha and then stared at the analyst.

"Mrs Barton has told me that she does not want either of you to adjust your schedules to accommodate her, since she believes your work is too important. I understand that you have so far been refusing to accept missions where the both of you would be gone at the same time even though it was previously your practice to work as partners."

"Yes." Clint narrowed his eyes at the analyst and leant forwards in his seat aggressively.

"This is unlikely to be tenable for the future, however, correct?"

"It is definitely not sustainable, yes." Natasha snorted and continued. "The Avengers have hired a companion that is shared between Barnes' and Rogers' matches. This is one of several possible solutions that Clint and I have discussed for Eleanor."

"Yes, so I understand. Mrs Barnes is also my client, Ms Romanova, but I cannot discuss her situation, as you are aware."

"Well, I can, so that is not relevant. Do you think that we need to have someone like a companion come in more regularly? I mean, even outside of the missions that my brother and I might take."

Eleanor moved slightly closer to Clint, who looked down at her. "Did you have any ideas about this, Ellie?"

"I…I don't know." Eleanor turned towards the analyst and said, "No one really can replace Clint or Natasha, you know? I don't like being alone, but no matter how nice a companion is, they aren't my family."

"What does that mean, baby? You don't want a companion?"

"I just mean that I'm supposed to miss you when you're gone, right? It doesn't seem natural to expect me not to feel that way just because I have a companion for a few hours. Is that wrong?"

Clint shook his head. "Of course not. I miss you intensely when I'm away, baby. What we are concerned about is whether you are taken care of. Right?"

Natasha added, "We are concerned about your daily needs, Lenochka."

"Oh, well, perhaps that makes sense."

Clint added more gruffly, "We need to make sure you have your meds, have help with your daily activities, and have regular companionship so you are not isolated again, Eleanor."

Eleanor stared up at him and then finally said with wide eyes, "I am not refusing a companion, Alpha. I am willing to do whatever you think is right."

Natasha cut her eyes at Clint, who muttered, "F***." Then he turned towards Eleanor. "Baby, look. We are all three of us figuring this out with Dr Swanson's help. We gotta get our balance, right? It might take a few tries, but I know we will get it. OK? I don't want you to simply submit out of fear. I want you to be happy. That is incredibly important to me."

She did not reply, but simply watched him anxiously, as if trying very hard to read his true intent. Eleanor only turned away from uneasily regarding Clint when Natasha's hand wrapped around hers. In a soft voice that she only ever seemed to use with Eleanor, Natasha explained, "We want to make this right for all of us, sestrenka."

Eleanor sighed. "Ok, Natalia."

"Mrs Barton, perhaps it would be beneficial to take a break for a few minutes? This has been a particularly intense session and has run more than twice the normal length."

"Yes, yes, please. Would that be alright?" Eleanor was looking nervously up at Clint, who nodded.

However, Natasha then replied with a glare of challenge at Clint. "Of course, sestrenka. We have discussed some very emotional things. Perhaps you would like to go down to your room in my flat? It would be a change of scenery and give you some privacy."

Surprised, Eleanor looked eagerly at Clint. "Yes, may I?"

In response, Clint stood up and held out his arm to her. He glanced furiously at Natasha, but then almost immediately looked with a slight smile down at Eleanor.

29 November 2017, Fontaine Home, North Haven, New York

"One and half million dollars, Lilith."

Lilith ran her hand along her newly cut hair and said sulkily, "For what, Jonathan?"

"For moving my family's business several blocks away into a building that I don't even like. A move that would not be necessary if you had not taken it upon yourself to swan into the Avengers Tower and try to blackmail my sister's match."

"Oh please. Like you wouldn't have been pleased if I could have walked out with a nice, fat settlement. Do you know how much dowry a AAA Omega commands these days if she is decent looking and educated at one of those special Omega schools?"

Jonathan stared at his wife and commented miserably, "You are so common. Father told me that you were low-class, Lilith, but I was too in love back then to listen."

"How dare you talk to me like that!"

"I have put up with your schemes for years, Lilith. And every time that I think that I'm actually through with you and I cannot take one more embarrassment or filthy fight, you reel me right back in somehow."

Gesticulating angrily, Lilith insisted, "I won't sit here and be talked to like this, Jonathan. I am the one who has had to put up with everything around here. Your father never liked that you married a Beta and not some perfect little Omega. He always talked down to me and took your sister's side in every disagreement. He spoilt your sister shamefully and then you would have done the same. Your family squandered shocking amounts on her hair, clothing, shoes, perfumes, and all the things that there never seemed to be any money for me, your wife, to buy. The whole reason your family spent so much on her was so you could get a good dowry for her. And we got cheated by that piece of trash that eloped with her without even getting the family's approval."

Jonathan dropped his head into his hands as he leant forwards on his elbows against his desk. "She is my sister, Lilith. That is how guardian-class Omegas are supposed to be treated by their families. She was equally my father's child, so she had every right to be pampered and spoilt by the family. In fact, as a daughter, Eleanor had far more right to my family's money than you do, Lilith, as merely a daughter-in-law. Of course, I didn't like that she was Father's favourite, since I could never do anything right according to my father. But she devoted all her time towards being perfect for Father, so she really deserved his favour more than I did. Anyway, I cared about Eleanor and it wasn't her fault if my father spoiled her a bit more than average. She reminded Father of our mother."

"Bulls***, Jonathan. Eleanor was a family investment. And you let that go out the front door. Hundreds of thousands of dollars."

Clearly horrified, Jonathan growled, "We do not SELL our Omega siblings, Lilith. A dowry is traditional, but is not required. And my sister was the one who had the right to choose her match. We were merely supposed to vet and then present the candidates."

Lilith laughed. "Are you that naïve? Do you think that Allardyce offered such a huge sum because it was traditional? He was expecting me to make the match happen, Jonathan. I promised that to him and he was prepared to repay that generously."

Jonathan frowned. "What do you mean Allardyce was planning for you to make the match happen? If Eleanor said no, then there was nothing more to be done. I don't like the man myself, so I cannot blame Eleanor for being repulsed. Not that I understand the appeal of whoever she did choose, but that's her affair."

"You are a spineless, hopeless fool! This is why we lost out on the opportunity to control your sister's bondmatch and receive a dowry. And why you ended up having to pay to move your company, since she's clearly got Stark fooled and he's bankrolling the legal attacks. Besides all that, Jonathan, you know exactly how to force an intractable Omega to acknowledge a Claim."

Jonathan bolted up from his chair and pounded his fists on the desk. "Are you telling me that you actually conspired to have my sister forced? That red-headed terror that visited me implied that we had done something of the sort, but I thought it was just a threat that she would publicly accuse me of that if we challenged Eleanor's bondmatch to Barton."

Lilith raised one eyebrow and laughed. "Don't be naïve, Jonathan. It is quite common. The little b*** is supposed to be obedient, isn't she? Well, she didn't want to do her duty. She just wanted to sit around and spend all our money on things like dresses that cost 20 times what you allow me to buy. So, I just left Allardyce alone in the house with her."

Jonathan came around the desk and pushed Lilith up against the wall with a snarling growl. "You had no right to do that. None. That is utterly repugnant."

"Get your hands off of me, Jonathan."

"No. Did that sack of s*** rape my sister?"

She snorted with disdain as she replied, "Allardyce? No. He was too drunk to get the job done. He said he needed liquid courage, since he wasn't used to doing that sort of thing. Spineless worm. A real Alpha would have marched in there and gotten it done. Anyway, Jonathan, she is an Omega. Literally their entire job in life is to look pretty and to do whatever an Alpha tells them to do. So how is it rape, especially when the Alpha bondmatches them afterwards?"

Jonathan's rage was so intense that he clenched his hands together to keep from lashing out physically. He then backed away from Lilith and spat out, "Leave. Pack a bag. Leave now before I change my mind and report you. I will have my attorney send the final settlement papers."

"What are you talking about? Are you talking about divorce? You're an Alpha. Alphas don't divorce!"

"Yes, I am an Alpha, which you seem to conveniently forget much of the time, Lilith. Alphas never break bondmatches. However, you are a Beta, so this is merely a contract marriage. And I am calling it finished."

"You cannot do that!"

"I can and I just did. Don't you even remember the contract you signed, Lilith? It wasn't a secret. I do not need to prove any cause to end our marriage, which fact will work in your favour. You do not want it to be known that you tried to have my sister forced. That is a felony."

"You bastard! I will fight this. I will drag your name through the courts and I will take every penny that I can. You are barely an Alpha. That contract cannot possibly be legal."

"I am the son of a 7th generation Alpha and my blood tests were solid. You will have no hope of challenging my determination status, Lilith. You should know that the contract stipulated a divorce settlement. No attorney will take you on once he learns that your ex-husband is an Alpha and you had a contract marriage."

"That can't be legal. It can't! I don't believe it."

"Didn't you listen to anything that Mr Sopwith said that day, Lilith? He explained everything to the both of us. I should have done this years ago." Jonathan stalked across the floor and opened the door of his study. "I will give you two hours. Everything you brought into the marriage, in addition to your clothing, jewels, etc are yours. Everything else stays."

"I don't have any money!"

"Neither did Eleanor, but that didn't stop you from pressuring me to kick her out. I allowed myself to be convinced that she had acted inappropriately and needed a drastic scare to get back into line. But I think I always knew it was a lie. It was just easier to let you have what you wanted. I should have stood up for her. Now you can see how you like being cast adrift. At least you can rent a hotel room, get a job, order food in a restaurant…none of which Eleanor can legally do. I'm sure you will find a way to get by, Lilith."

29 November 2017, Knowhere

Quill stared ahead of them as he slowly began to say, "That is…"

Rocket interrupted sharply, "A head."

"A gigantic, floating space head, yeah."

"I am Groot."

Turning around for a moment, Quill frowned and then said seriously, "No, it doesn't hurt him, buddy. That guy's dead."

"Dead a long time, Groot. Don't worry about it. So…where are we supposed to be going now?"

Gamora continued flipping through the screens on the tablet in front of her, but she replied without looking up, "I already gave you the coordinates. We are meeting with an informant."

"Right. Because we can trust people who live inside an ancient space skull. Sounds good."

"This is part of the plan, Rocket, therefore, you're going to need to get on board with it or get off the ship. I'm not in the mood for debates today."

Mantis looked mournfully at Rocket and then over at Drax, who was stoically staring into the ghostly green haze surrounding the skull in front of them.

Rocket punched something into the computer as he muttered sourly, "At what point is she ever in the mood for a debate, I'd like to know?"

"So who was he? He looks very sad. I think he was a very unhappy person when he was still living."

Rocket glared at Mantis, but it was Gamora who answered. "Probably. It was a celestial, which is why they are mining the head for the last dregs of celestial bio-material inside. But that's not why we are here. What matters to us is that Tanaleer Tivan lives here."

"His museum was destroyed."

Gamora turned sharply and asked Drax furiously, "What do you mean?"

"Three years ago, when I fought here against the treacherous Kree, Ronan the Accuser, there was great destruction. Much of the inside structure was damaged, including the Collector's museum. Ronan attempted to keep the orb for himself, but after I killed him, I believe that the Collector did eventually procure it."

"Uh, is this Collector guy the person we are supposed to see?"

Gamora shook her head. "No. However, we do need something from inside his collection."

Quill groaned. "Stealing or just borrowing?"

"All we need to do is use it."

He sighed. "And what about when it is time to leave? This Collector guy isn't going to send an army after us or something?"

Gamora smiled grimly. "Who said that we were leaving?"