"They ditched their gear. It's a shell game now. One of them has the payload."

Pietro zipped past Steve, hollering "on it" over his shoulder as he ran through Lagos in an effort to find the biological weapon that Rumlow had stolen. Steve could hear Natasha's voice yelling in the distance, telling people to get out of the way, but it was Bucky who caught his attention, "Steve!"

Captain America turned when something struck his shield, realizing it was a bomb moments before hurtling it into the air. As the explosion went off, Steve was struck in the back, sent hurtling into a stand as Rumlow yelled, "There you are, you son of a bitch!"

Bucky threw a punch at Crossbones as Steve stumbled to his feet, but Rumlow smashed the Winter Soldier in the chest with his metal gauntlet, "I remember when you were the best there was. I guess you're more myth than a real threat." He struck Bucky in the face, causing him to fly backward as Steve grabbed Rumlow from behind and tried to choke him, but his former teammate just laughed, "You think you can beat me, Cap? Remember who taught you how to fight? Who do you think taught her?"

Before Steve could register what he'd said, Rumlow bent his knee and flipped Steve over his shoulder, standing quickly to try and stomp down on Steve's neck. Steve rolled away, panting as he sprung to his feet and lunged at Rumlow, trying to get a decent hit in until Bucky grabbed Rumlow and threw him against the wall.

The super-soldiers looked to each other, and Bucky smirked, "Try to keep up, old man."

Steve snorted in response as Rumlow crawled out of the shattered siding of a storefront and stalked towards Steve and Bucky. The two stood their ground, but Rumlow grabbed a small boy and held him by the back of the shirt, "How's your little girl, Rogers? Hope her aunt is still around when they bury you next to her mother."

Rumlow tossed the kid towards the crowd with miraculous strength, and Bucky dove to catch him, rolling and protecting the child with his metal arm as Crossbones turned his attention back to Steve. He blocked every hit Steve threw, every bit the fighter Brooklyn had taught Steve to be. Fighting his own teacher's mentor, Steve wondered if Brooklyn had purposely prepared him to fail in a situation like this so Rumlow could overtake him someday.

After a few moments, Rumlow shoved Steve to the ground, producing a blade from his glove that he prepared to spear Steve with until Bucky appeared from behind. He grabbed Rumlow's helmet and ripped it off, grabbing the man by the neck and holding him up as Wanda and Pietro appeared at the edge of the crowd.

Steve grunted as he stumbled to his feet, snarling at Rumlow as Bucky forced the man to his knees, "Who's your buyer?"

"I wish I could have seen your face…" Rumlow panted, smiling despite being pinned down by the Winter Soldier, "When you realized your precious Brooklyn was Hydra."

"Enough." Bucky snapped, but Steve's jaw ticked as he grabbed Rumlow's vest roughly, "Shut it."

"I can't believe that tramp had your child. How does it feel? Knowing her blood runs in your daughter's veins." Rumlow chuckled, "She's half Hydra."

Steve smashed Rumlow roughly in the face, knocking him from Bucky's grip as Sam called from above as he soared over them. Steve tried to pummel Crossbones, but Bucky pulled him back as Steve snarled, "Don't talk about my family."

"Why not? Don't you want to know who you were sleeping with? I knew her better than you ever will."

"Don't listen to him, Steve." Bucky grumbled, but Rumlow continued to poke at Steve's patience, saying, "I'm just sad I didn't get a piece of her before she broke her back. At least both of you did."

Before Steve could react, Bucky kicked Rumlow against the stomach at the same time he hit a trigger on his glove, causing a bomb to go off as he went hurtling towards the watching crowd.

Pietro grabbed Wanda's arm to pull her out of the way, as Sam flew straight up, looking down as Rumlow's body exploded, taking over a dozen bystanders with him.

Bucky backed up a step as Steve turned to him in horror, then sprinted towards the carnage as Wanda grabbed her mouth and fell to her knees. Bucky watched as she cried, seeing her brother quivering beside her, clearly shaken by what they'd seen. When his gaze fell on Natasha though, she shook her head and nodded away, signaling for Bucky to run while the rest of the Avengers dealt with the aftermath of his mistake.

Despite her warning, Bucky strode forward to Steve, muttering quietly as Captain America checked the pulses on the singed bodies below them while sirens wailed in the distance, "I didn't mean to. I didn't know he had a bomb."

"I know you didn't, Buck."

"I would have never… I didn't- I'm sorry." Bucky stammered, looking up when the Fire and Rescue arrived. They started running towards Steve and Sam while Natasha comforted Wanda nearby, but despite being surrounded by his friends, Bucky felt alone. He sprinted away as fast as he could, putting some space between himself and the Winter Soldier's most recent victims.

"I killed a bunch of people."

Dallas hummed in response as she poured Cupcake's kibble into his dish, "Mmm, bad people?"

"No." Bucky answered, and she paused as the dog wagged his tail at her feet. "There was an accident."

"What happened?"

"Rumlow happened." Bucky mumbled, and Dallas continued moving about the kitchen, filling Cupcake's bowl with fresh water before setting it back down. She was trying her best to be patient, knowing her boyfriend was a man of few words, but Dallas wanted to know what was on his mind. She started to ask, but he interrupted, "He had a bomb vest. He detonated it as I kicked him away from Steve and I… I threw him towards a crowd of people."

Dallas swallowed hard, grabbing the remote and turning the kitchen's television on to see the news reports from Lagos. She collapsed into a chain and rubbed her face roughly, looking over her shoulder to watch Denver put together a puzzle, "Are you okay?"

"No, I murdered a bunch of people."

"Not on purpose." Dallas sighed, rubbing her temples, "It was an accident."

"You can't defend this. This was me, Dallas. I did this."

"On accident." She argued, catching Denver's attention.

The little girl called, "Is that Uncle Bucky? I say hi!"

"Denver says hi."

"Hi Denny." Bucky's voice was lackluster, but Denver didn't seem to notice, instead snatching the phone from her aunt's hand and ambling away with it, "Is Daddy there?" Bucky didn't answer for a moment, so she asked louder, "Is Daddy there?"

Dallas reached down and gestured for the phone, and Denver handed it back, tossing her head back and groaning loudly before stomping away, "Somebody is experiencing the terrible twos."

"She's three."

"Mmmm, well, she had her father's temperament for the first two years. Now she's turning into her mother. Difficult." Dallas teased as Denver lapped up water along with Cupcake. "Denny, no, please." The little girl stopped but ran out of the room, going somewhere else to amuse herself while her aunt ignored her, "Is Steve okay?"

"No."

"Is he dead?" Dallas asked casually, knowing her boyfriend would have started with that if she was Denver's legal guardian.

"No."

"Then he'll be fine." Dallas picked up a cookie from the hot tray sitting on the oven. She took a bite, hissing as she fanned her mouth, "When will you be home?"

After a long pause, Bucky answered, "Soon. We're on the jet. You wanna talk to Steve?"

"I don't need to. I'd rather talk to you." Dallas answered, leaning her tailbone against the counter, "It was really bad, wasn't it?"

"Yeah. It was. Steve hasn't spoken to me since we left."

"Get home. I'll see you soon. I love you." Dallas murmured before hanging up, taking a deep breath and blowing the air out through her lips as Vision phased through the wall. "Dude, doors!"

Vision looked around, noting that there were no doors leading to the kitchen before turning back to Dallas, "I'm assuming you've heard from the team."

"I have."

"And they are returning successfully?"

"Depends on your definition of success." Dallas grumbled. She scratched her scalp, thinking about how she needed to cut her hair. She'd spent the past ten months working with the Avengers' tech team, making sure the weaponry and uniforms were top notch, while simultaneously keeping a quiet eye on her niece's vitals when her father wasn't looking.

Vision nodded slowly, and Dallas raised her brows, silently asking what Vision wanted to ask her. He gazed at her for a long moment before admitting, "I saw the news reports from the mission. We have also received word that the United Nations will be investigating the incident and Sergeant Barnes's involvement in it. I thought you'd want to know."

She huffed, pushing her hair out of her face, "Okay. Thanks. I-uh, better check on Denver."

"If it makes you feel any better, the United Nations will be investigating everyone's involvement in the incident." Vision added and Dallas turned before reaching the edge of the kitchen. She paused and looked over her shoulder as he explained, "Apparently, Miss Maximoff's powers were witnessed while we were at Disney World, and people of the internet are wondering why she didn't use her energy shields to protect the bystanders, instead allowing her brother keep her out of harm's way."

Dallas's breath caught in her chest, seeing the writing on the wall. The Avengers caused irreparable damage, and all walk away unscathed. It wasn't a good look, and after D.C., Sokovia, and Disney World, the Avengers were on thin ice. Especially Captain America, who was often at the center of all the chaos and destruction.

Later that evening, Steve tucked Denver into bed, smoothing back her hair as she chattered about her weekend with her Aunt Dallas, "And then we ate cake, and went swimming, and drew on the walls, and then pretended to be pirates, and then Cupcake ate one of your socks."

Steve looked over his shoulder, seeing Cupcake laying on the floor with his sad eyes locked onto Steve, telling the soldier of his daughter's tales, the sock thing was most likely true. "Sounds like a fun time. Hopefully, you didn't give her too much trouble."

She giggled, pulling her blanket up over her mouth to hide her grin, but her blue eyes sparkled in the lamplight, "I'm happy you're home, Daddy."

"I'm happy I'm home too, Sweetheart." He pressed a kiss to her head and whispered, "Go to sleep. Tomorrow we're gonna go meet some other kids."

"Why?"

"Because you are a kid, and you should know other kids." Steve said bluntly, worried enough about taking his daughter to daycare. Dallas, being a former OBGYN and possibly the smartest person Steve had ever known, was very adamant that Denver wasn't going to develop proper social skills unless she spent time with children her own age. Although there were more than enough people in the compound to watch her, Denver needed to go out in the real world.

Denver took a deep breath, "I've never met a kid."

"I know, and that's a problem, so you're going to go to daycare and hang out with some. Make some friends."

"Cupcake is my friend."

"Cupcake is a dog. You need human friends. Human friends your own age."

"Fine." Denver mumbled and closed her eyes, "Love you."

"Love you, too. Sleep well. I'll be back soon, okay?"

"Okay." She sighed. Steve stood and watched her for a few moments, worried about his young daughter. He hoped the other parents wouldn't realize who he was, and he hoped her parentage wouldn't cause her issues. If he had any hope of getting her into a school in a few years, he needed to socialize her now. Most people didn't have this problem. Most toddlers knew other toddlers and didn't have to be professionally socialized like a dog at a PetSmart.

To Steve's surprise, Dallas was waiting outside his apartment door, "You ready for tomorrow?"

"No."

"You want me to take her?" She offered, but Steve shook his head, "She's gonna be fine. She's such a sweet kid, she's gonna make friends and not even want to come home."

"What happens when she tells all her new friends her dad is Captain America?"

Dallas shrugged, "They'll either thinks she's super cool or a liar? Lots of kids say their dads are the President or their mom is a princess or crap like that. She's gonna be fine."

Steve's chest felt tight as he led Dallas away, wishing he had a legitimate reason to keep his daughter at the compound. If he did though, he was just as bad as Brooklyn. She'd hidden Denver away in order to give her a normal life, away from the solitude she'd feel as Captain America's daughter. If Steve didn't at least try, Brooklyn's worst fear for their daughter would come true.

After a few moments, Steve paused when Dallas asked, "It was really bad, wasn't it? The Lagos thing? James bunking in a spare room, and Wanda won't talk to anyone, even Vision… Are they gonna be okay?"

"I don't know." Steve admitted, looking over his shoulder to look Dallas in the eye, "It was all an accident, but people are dead. Bucky's being held responsible for the death. Wanda's being held responsible for not stopping it, because the general public knows she could have. It was a moment of weakness all around." He ground his teeth together, huffing through his nose, "They were my team. I was responsible, and I should have killed Rumlow before Bucky had to deal with him."

Dallas drew her brows together, silently asking for more information, but Steve didn't want to tell her what Rumlow had said. What he'd illuded to. Whether Rumlow was lying or not, he'd suggested that Brooklyn had been sleeping with Bucky, something that would hurt all parties involved, but would devastate Dallas most of all. "He was an ass. He got what he deserved."

"Hmm, okay. That's not very Captain America-like."

"He called Brooklyn a tramp."

"He got what he deserved."

Steve smirked and continued to the conference room, finding Natasha and Sam already there, "I have to debrief. Let me know if you get Buck to talk."

"I will." Dallas hummed, allowing Steve to file his paperwork for their mission. He wouldn't realize until much later that it was the last time he'd sit down to fill out an official statement as Captain America.

Denver looked up at the small brick building with a sense of fear Steve wasn't used to. She squeezed his hand tightly while holding her small yellow backpack strap with the other. "I don't wanna."

"You're gonna do great." Steve told Denver, kneeling before her and grabbing her shoulders, "Look at me. Have fun. Play with the other kids. Be nice, and be gentle, don't break their things. And remember to keep Daddy's secret, okay?"

"I won't tell anyone you are Captain America."

"Exactly." Steve pulled his baseball cap farther down over his face, "I know you'll be brave. It's just for a few hours, and I'll be back to get you, sounds good?"

"Sounds good."

"Alright." Steve straightened up and grabbed the glass door, pulling it open and gesturing for Denver to lead the way. She looked around until a blonde woman with thick black glasses appeared and knelt before her and thrust forward her hand.

"You must be Denver! It's so nice to meet you! I'm Miss Alice and I'm going to be hanging out with you today."

Steve nudged his daughter gently with his calf and she shook Miss Alice's hand and introduced herself timidly, "I'm Denver. This is my Daddy."

"Steve." He said casually with a weak smile. Miss Alice nodded, already knowing who was leaving his daughter in her care. They'd spoken on the phone for almost an hour on the flight back from Lagos. "Denver is a little nervous."

"Don't be nervous, Sweetie, you're gonna have lots of fun. Let's put your stuff away and introduce you to some of the kids." The woman looked to Steve and his heart clenched, knowing he had to leave, "Do you want to stay for a little while?"

"I better not. I have a meeting, and I don't want to draw too much attention." He said under his breath, looking down to see Denver watching the other kids. He knelt down and opened his arms, "Be good, okay? I'll be back at two. I promise. Love you, Sweetheart."

"I love you too, Daddy." Denver parroted and hugged him tightly before looking to Miss Alice expectedly, "Will you be my friend?"

"Of course! And I'll introduce you to all my friends, too." The blonde said, offering Steve a wave before taking Denver's hand and leading her over to the small group of kids and parents playing in the toy corner of the room.

Steve swallowed, wishing he could sit and play with his daughter and converse with the other parents. Ask them for advice. Make sure he was doing okay. Instead, he had to head back to the compound to meet with Stark and Secretary Ross about the Lagos incident. They'd been home less than a day, but the Avengers were already being summoned by the Secretary of State, which most likely meant Steve, as well as his best friend, were in deep trouble.

"I just want to start by letting you all know that what I've come to talk to you all about is not in response to the events of your mission in Lagos this weekend. This has been in the works for a long time, but after this weekend, pressure from the President to present it to you has increased." Secretary Ross shot Bucky a look before turning to Tony, "The world owes the Avengers an un-payable debt. You have fought for us, protected us, and risked your lives for us, but while many see you as heroes, some prefer the term vigilantes."

Natasha tilted her head, smiling diplomatically as she taunted, "And what term would you use?"

"Dangerous." Ross answered, meeting Bucky's steely gaze, "What would you call a group of US-based, enhanced individuals who routinely ignore sovereign borders and inflict their will wherever they choose and who, frankly, don't seem concerned about what they leave behind?"

Steve narrowed his eyes, offended by Ross's depiction of their actions. The Avengers weren't perfect, but they were able to fight threats that nobody else could. That was what they were formed to do, and if the government was able to catch Rumlow, they would have done it two years ago when he became and enemy of the state, but only the Avengers could succeed.

Ross showed a slideshow of New York, Sokovia, and Lagos, showing the carnage the Avengers had left behind and the body count at the side. When the screen showed the helicarriers crashing into each other in D.C., Steve shuddered, praying the video footage hadn't caught Brooklyn plummeting into the water.

"Enough." Natasha snapped, and the screen went black. Steve crossed his arms, glaring ahead as Ross's aid began passing out a massive packet to each of the Avengers at the conference table.

When he handed them to the Maximoffs, they looked at each other with drawn brows until Pietro asked, "What is this?"

"The Sokovia Accords. Approved by one hundred and seventeen countries. It states that the Avengers will no longer operate as a private organization but will be governed by a United Nations panel. Only when, and if, that panel deems necessary. This is the middle ground. Compromise."

"So, there will be contingencies?" Rhodey asked, looking back at Tony to see his best friend looking downtrodden and a little guilty. Tony already knew this would shatter the team.

"Three days from now, the United Nations meet in Vienna to ratify the accords. Talk it over."

"What happens if we come to a decision you don't like?" Natasha asked and Ross responded shortly, "You retire."

Natasha fought back a little smile, and Steve wondered if it was because she was ready to get out, or because she knew Ross and his Accords couldn't force them into retirement.

Ross and his team swept out of the room, and Steve looked down at his phone, seeing he still had two more hours before he had to leave to pick up Denver, meaning he had two hours do read over the packet in front of him and make an informed decision.

With Ross gone, Dallas peeked her head into the room, looking around until Natasha gestured for her to join them, "This affects you too, in a way. The government wants to regulate the activities of the Avengers."

Dallas bopped her head from side to side, "I mean, that's not the end of the world, right? Structure is good! Accountability…" She met Steve's bitter gaze and closed her mouth for a moment, then quieted added, "Isn't that good? Isn't that what we ask of everyone else?"

She watched as the Avengers pushed away from the table to head towards the living room connected to the kitchen, finding a spot to read or contemplate, or bicker.

She sat down beside Natasha to look over the woman's shoulder, noting that her boyfriend had left his packet and was leaning his elbows against the kitchen counter as he rested his mouth on his fist. Steve, on the other hand, studied the Accords intently as the people around him began to argue. He didn't give them his attention until Natasha addressed Tony, "Tony, you're being uncharacteristically un-hyperverbal."

"It's because he's already made up his mind." Steve answered evenly, seeing the guilt on Tony's face as clear as his determination.

He rolled his eyes, "Boy, you know me so well." He stood up and moved about the kitchen while Steve read a few more paragraphs, but suddenly Tony pulled up a hologram photo of a young boy Steve had never seen before. "Oh, that's Charlie Spencer. Great kid. Computer engineering degree, 3.6 GPA. Before he planted himself behind a desk for the rest of his life he wanted to put a few miles on his soul, and guess where he did it? Making sustainable housing for the poor in Sokovia last summer. He wanted to make a difference, I suppose. We wouldn't know because we dropped a building on him while we were kicking ass."

Dallas swallowed and looked to Natasha, seeing her green eyes staring at the packet in her hands but not reading. Tony paused for a few moments, but after receiving no response he raised his voice, "There's no decision making here! We need to be put in check! If we can't accept limitation, then we're no better than the bad guys."

"When somebody dies on your watch, you don't give up Tony." Steve argued, and Dallas winced at his words, as if she could practically hear Tony's words before he spoke them.

"Like you?" Tony snapped, shutting down his phone, "Like when your girlfriend broke her back and left your daughter without a mother? You don't give up, right? Even though with these, you could have been saved from yourself."

Steve stood slowly, keeping a surprising among of composure despite Tony's accusation, "So you're saying it would have been better to let Hydra murder millions of people while waiting for directions from a panel? What if someone on the panel was Hydra. Then we'd all be dead. I don't regret my actions because it was the right thing to do."

"But, Steve," Dallas groaned, looking up at him from under her thick lashes, "Now you are to blame. What happens when somebody sues you? What happens when the government calls for your arrest, what happens to Denver then? If you sign these, there's rules, yes, but there's also protection. If you kill somebody on a mission you're sent on, you can't get in trouble. When you kill somebody on a mission you sent yourself on, you are the only one responsible for that. What happened in Lagos? If that had been under the Accords, there wouldn't be investigations right now… You need to think as a father, not just Captain America. You need to do what's right for Denver."

"She's right, Steve." Natasha said, and Dallas saw Steve's heartbreak clear on his face. Nat looked from Dallas to Tony, then explained, "If we have one hand on the wheel, we can still steer. If we take it off-"

"Weren't you the woman who told the government to kiss your ass a few years ago?" Sam asked, but Natasha remained even, keeping her gaze locked on Steve's, "I'm just reading the terrain… We've made some very public mistakes. We need to gain their trust back, and we need to protect ourselves. Dallas is right. Signing this will protect you, and by association, Denver."

"But-" Before Steve could state his argument, his phone buzzed, and he looked at it, seeing a message from Peggy's caretaker saying she'd passed in her sleep. He swallowed, keeping his expression neutral as he stood to leave, "I have to go." He didn't feel like sharing his grief with his teammates. He had to pull himself together enough to go pick up his daughter.