Afternoon everyone! Here is your weekly update. Peter Parker arrives in the story! I know you have all been waiting for his appearance... This chapter will move the story forward a bit more. The next few chapters are going to be quite fast-paced as we near the end of the Civil War Arc.

Thank you for all the comments so far. Please, enjoy!

CHAPTER SEVEN

Trust

Friday 20th May 2016

Queens

A week later, Tony asked Happy to drive him to Queens where he intended to bring Peter Parker into the fold. He'd thought long and hard about how to approach the subject. There was no need for him to take the kid to Germany now. If things worked out the way they were supposed to, the airport fight wouldn't be happening. But the kid still had superpowers and was quickly becoming more and more noticeable in the media, especially with the multiple YouTube videos that were popping up online.

It was time for Tony to step in.

Only this time, Aunt May would be informed of Peter's identity. She had supported her nephew when she had found out the true nature of Peter's internship with Stark Industries, though she hadn't been too happy about Tony Stark keeping the secret from her. She had slightly relented when Peter had told her he had asked Mr. Stark to keep the secret.

Now everything was different.

Tony's first priority was to safeguard Peter. He could simply just walk away and leave the kid to it, but no matter what, the kid would still get involved. For instance, the Vulture was operating in the vicinity, another man Tony was keeping an eye on, waiting for the right time to take him down. He could just as easily shut down the Vulture's operations now but he had a good reason not to. His priority at the moment was sorting the Accords. After that, Tony had a few years to prepare for Thanos, in which he could turn his attention elsewhere.

Right now, it was Peter.

The car pulled to a stop outside an apartment building. He knew the Peter and May would be moving soon as their lease was due to run out and wouldn't be renewed. He'd had to remember which apartment to go to.

"We're here, boss," said Happy.

"Thanks," said Tony, getting out of the car. "Wait here. I won't be too long."

Taking a side entrance, not wanting to be seen, Tony took the emergency exit stairs, disabling the alarms with FRIDAY and ran up the stairs to reach the sixth floor. The hallway was deserted.

Perfect.

Knocking on apartment twenty-three, Tony waited, feeling a bit nervous. He heard footsteps from beyond the door and May opened it, eyes widening as she saw who was at her doorstep.

"Hi, Ms Parker, Tony Stark, may I come in?" He tried his best to appear genuine, flashing a smile at her as he held out his hand for her to shake.

"To…Tony Stark? The Tony Stark?" She extended her own hand and shook his. "I think… you've got the wrong apartment."

"No, definitely the right one. Peter Parker lives here, right?"

"Yes…" She stepped aside, allowing him to enter the apartment, shutting the door behind him.

"Is he here?" he asked.

"What do you want with him?" she asked carefully, her shock at seeing Tony Stark on her doorstep was wearing off and the colour was returning to her cheeks.

"Just a talk. He's very smart for his age and I have an internship I'd like to offer him, if he's interested and you are agreeable to it, of course?" Best way to play this. Keep the internship intact. Peter needed it to so he could reach his full potential.

"How… how did you know about him? He's just a normal kid."

Oh, if Aunt May knew he wasn't just a normal kid.

Well, she'd find out today anyway as Tony intended on revealing to her Peter's abilities, even if the kid did not want it. A part of him worried doing so would prevent Peter coming to trust him and getting close to him. Peter didn't know it would work out. Tony had the foresight to know Aunt May would be very supportive of her nephew.

"As part of Stark Industries recruitment drive, we contact all the schools in the area to determine which students may benefit from an internship. It is a programme which has been going on for a while. I do not personally get involved very often, however Peter's potential was flagged up to me as one to watch, and I figured it would be beneficial to meet with him, to discuss his future career options."

"Oh…" May seem surprised. "He always has been a smart kid. I'll go get him, shall I?"

"Please," replied Tony.

"Take a seat, Mr. Stark." She pointed to the couch. "I'll be right back."

He watched her leave, feeling a bit nervous at the prospect of seeing Peter again and the kid not knowing or fully understanding how much he meant to Tony.

May returned quite quickly with a teenaged boy behind her, his round face surprised at the presence of Tony Stark in his living room.

"Mr. Stark, this is Peter. Peter, Tony Stark."

Tony stretched forward, holding his hand out to Peter. The boy took it, shaking Tony's hand.

"My aunt tells me you'd like to offer me an internship?" asked Peter, his voice shaking a bit.

"I do," confirmed Tony. "You have unique skills Stark Industries and the Avengers would be interested in." He emphasised the word Avengers, hoping the kid would understand the meaning.

He did because his eyes widened, but he tried to maintain his cool.

"I think… think you've got the wrong person, Mr. Stark. I'm not sure I can help you... And I do not have any skills which would benefit the Avengers either…"

Tony smiled. "Nonsense. You can. I know you can. I have proof." He held up his phone.

Peter squeaked which caused Aunt May to look at him in surprise.

"What's going on, Peter?" she asked.

"Can I talk to you… alone? Mr. Stark?"

"If your Aunt is fine with it…" Tony gave the ball over to May.

"Sure… that's fine." Though she did look a bit worried.

Tony followed Peter to his room.

As soon as the door was closed, Peter sat on the edge of the bed, fiddling with his fingers, determining what the best question would be.

"You're probably wondering why I am here," said Tony quietly, already guessing what the kid's question would be.

"Yeah."

Tony pulled out his phone, flipped it and projected a video of a kid swinging through New York. "That's you. Isn't it?"

"No!" Peter replied too quickly. "It's just a home-made video."

Glancing up at the ceiling, Tony pointed up with his finger. "If I opened the small loft space you've got up there, I wouldn't find a suit then?" He knew it was where Peter kept it hidden.

Peter's face paled. "Erm…"

"Kid, I'm here to help you." Tony continued gently. "I know who you are and what you can do. I'll open the loft if I have to."

"Please don't! Just… don't tell Aunt May. She'll freak out!"

Tony winced. He'd agreed with that condition before but he couldn't this time. "Sorry, your Aunt needs to know." May had been angry at first, then scared for her nephew but then had accepted Peter's new role as the friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man. He didn't see any reason why she wouldn't be supportive this time.

"She'll ground me!" Peter protested.

"She won't."

"You don't know that!"

Tony wanted to laugh but Peter was becoming more and more agitated, so he sat down on the edge of Peter's bed. "I'm trying to help you. You underestimate your Aunt. Look, I need your help and I cannot have it on my conscience if something happened to you and your Aunt could never know the truth. Sometimes it is best to let go of our pride. The people who love us will understand." Because Pepper did despite the continual fears she had he'd kill himself. Tony hoped to avoid that outcome.

"What do you need me for?" asked Peter quietly. "Mr. Stark?"

"Call me, Tony," he smiled gently. He could just recall Peter saying' Tony' in a broken voice. The kid had been devastated at seeing Tony's wounds. If Tony could have spared Peter from seeing it, he would have done. It felt good to be talking to Peter again, even though the relationship they'd once had was no longer there. It would take time to build up again but Tony hoped Peter could come to trust him again. "You have superpowers, unique abilities we could use. We need people like you on the Avengers."

"You want me to join the Avengers?" Peter gasped, his eyes widening in surprise and his mouth hanging open. He struggled to close it in his shock.

"No, not just yet. You need training," reaffirmed Tony. The kid's face deflated a bit. "You wouldn't be allowed on the team without sufficient training and knowledge of certain protocols. You'd be on the reserve team, to be called up if we desperately needed you. But that isn't all. I'm serious about an internship: a genuine offer to you to come and work for me. But, the catch is, your Aunt May has to know the full truth."

Peter swallowed. "If I said no would you still tell her?"

"I feel as the adult in this room it would be my moral duty to inform her," replied Tony carefully.

Peter's shoulders dropped. "Either way, she's going to find out."

"She'll find out eventually. Isn't it better for her to know the truth?" Tony studied Peter. He could see him considering the options Tony had given him, already knowing Tony would not be leaving Aunt May out of it.

"I guess…"

Tony leaned forward. "It doesn't have to be today. I'm not going to push for an answer just yet." He still had time. "Think about it." He pulled a card out of his pocket, passing it to Peter. "My number. Call me."

Avengers Compound

Steve was waiting for him when Tony returned to the Compound, making his way towards his office. Surprised to see him there, Tony made himself comfortable on the chair, whilst Steve leaned forward with his elbows on his knees, looking across at him.

"This isn't about the Accords," started Steve. "It's something else. Something I should have told you years ago…"

Ah, my parents.

Tony was surprised. At least he was assuming it was about Bucky.

"But I need to know something first…" Steve was hesitant.

Tony could guess. "They want to bring the Winter Soldier in, Steve. If they ever need to go after him, they will only kill if they have to but it will not be their first option."

"It shouldn't be an option at all," stated Steve.

"And if he kills people because he's been activated? There is a way out there to control him but we do not have it in our hands," replied Tony carefully. I hope we get the Red Book soon before Zemo gets his hands on it.

"Bucky shouldn't be punished for the actions of other people into forcing him to do things he doesn't want to do," argued Steve, pointing out the obvious.

"I know that, Steve, but what if he was on the brink of destroying a whole city with a push of the button and the only way out was to shoot him dead? What would you do? Sacrifice a whole city on the off-chance you could save your friend? How would Bucky Barnes take it if he found out you chose his life over thousands of others?" Tony leaned forward. Steve couldn't be this close-minded. "I know he is your friend but sometimes we have to make difficult choices, no matter how much it hurts us, just to save the world."

"I'd choose the city…" Steve admitted quietly.

Tony wasn't sure Steve was sincere in his answer. His experiences before coloured his view of Steve. Steve had prioritised Bucky over the safety of the general public. He'd been misled into believing there was a kill order for Bucky. Sharon Carter had been misled by Thaddeus Ross. The soldiers in Bucharest had not gone in with kill orders. They'd been told to bring the Winter Soldier in for questioning, but if necessary were to kill if he resisted arrest.

Sharon's bad advice to Steve had caused the whole mess in the first place.

But that deception hadn't happened yet and hopefully wouldn't.

"Tony…" Steve asked quietly. "How did you know I was going to ask about the Winter Soldier?"

"I read the Hydra files, Steve. There is a lot of information on the Winter Soldier out there. It is all in the public domain. However, there are still some things from the Hydra files that have yet to be decrypted. I'm sure all their secrets will come out eventually. I know what Bucky Barnes means to you and I promise you I will do everything in my power to protect him." Tony meant that. Despite what Barnes had done to his parents, he hadn't carried out the task willingly. He'd had no choice and Tony had accepted it. It didn't mean he should condemn the man who had carried it out.

Steve bowed his head, almost in shame. "I'm not sure you will still want to protect him after I tell you what I need to."

Tony swallowed. So this was about his parents.

"I'm telling you this because we need to trust one another and stay together. The Accords are trying to split us because we have different views about them but if we are to stay together I have to be truthful and not keep secrets. I've kept this from you for longer than I should have done and I'm sorry for it. I was afraid of your reaction."

"Steve?" Tony proceeded cautiously. "You can trust me."

"I know." Steve raised his head, took a deep breath and said: "The Winter Soldier murdered your parents."

Steve had said it. He'd come out and said what Tony had wanted to hear. Steve was trying to build bridges, build the trust between them that should have always been there.

"Ok," replied Tony.

"Okay?" Steve looked at him suspiciously. "You already knew?"

Tony shrugged. "As I said, the Hydra files leaked onto the internet. It was within them. I did a search for 'Stark' and it gave me all the information Hydra had on me and my parents. I didn't know you knew though. How long have you known?" Originally, Tony had never made that specific search into the Hydra files, deciding he didn't want to know what was there. But this had been one of the algorithms he had been searching for since coming back in time. He wanted to know what Hydra had on him.

Steve winced. "When I was at the old training base during the brief time I was on the run, I found out there. Armin Zola told me. He showed me newspaper cuttings of Howard's death and how it had been made to look like an accident. He implied the Winter Soldier was responsible. I figured Bucky was the one to kill them but I don't know for sure if he was responsible. I'm telling you this now because I do not want it to become an issue that can be exploited against us later. If you can find out your parents were murdered, others could too."

They could. It was a risk which Tony could not eliminate unless he had Friday do a deep search of all released Hydra files to find the information and delete it. But there was a lot of information to traverse through. Ultimately the information would become public knowledge. Tony could keep it hidden but he just didn't want to.

"You've known for a while though," noted Tony. "Took you a while to come and tell me."

"I know," replied Steve quietly, his face burning. "I should have told you years ago. Even if I didn't know who their killer likely was, I still should have told you they had been murdered rather than killed in an accident."

"It matters you admitted it," reassured Tony. "Thank you for taking the time to tell me. You can trust me not to go after Barnes. I know he wasn't of his right mind if he did kill them. It would be bad form if I attempted to kill him for something he didn't have a choice over." After the fight in Siberia, Tony had realised he had reacted badly to watching the video of his parents murder and his subsequent attempts to hurt Barnes as much as possible. He wished he could apologise for it, now he never could since the Siberia events would not be happening.

Steve visibly relaxed, as if he had finally released tension which had been holding him back. "Thanks, Tony."

Thursday 2rd June 2016

Tony had a meeting with the President, a request he had put in himself to discuss the Accords and the Avengers concerns over Ross's appointment to the role. Movement on the changes of the Accords had begun to shift before Ross had clamped down on them and no new progress to legislation changes had been made.

Ross was proving to be problematic for Tony, still attempting to block any changes he and Nat wanted to put through, though the other representatives from the continents were more than happy with the changes. Ross was still able to block them because the panel had to be united in order for changes to be made to the draft document.

This had frustrated Tony's attempts to get the changes into law before the signing date. He was running out of time to keep the team together.

He pulled a few strings at the White House to get a meeting with the President. He did owe Tony for helping to save his life a few years ago.

"Mr. President." Tony held out his hand and the President shook it, indicating for him to sit down in front of his desk.

"Mr. Stark," President Ellis greeted. "It is good to see you again and to hear good reports from the negotiations with the Accords citing your agreement with them."

"In part," Tony clarified. "The Accords are what I need to discuss with you."

President Ellis placed his hands in front of him. "Oh."

"Specifically it is about the representative for the United States of America," began Tony cautiously. "I remember your speech when you announced Thaddeus Ross to be our representative on the panel. You wish for the Avengers to collaborate with governments worldwide and yet Thaddeus Ross is the sticking stone to bringing in all the Avengers on the Sokovia Accords. He may have experience with the Hulk but the fact his own involvement in that disaster has been covered up is inherently wrong. Are you aware, Mr. President, that Ross believes Bruce is the property of the Armed Forces? The only reason he is leaving him alone is that the Hulk saved his life, yet he would do anything to be able to control the Hulk. You're confident he would be able to work with allies abroad and the Avengers, however he is doing everything in his power to block changes the other representatives wish to make. Those changes were brought before the committee by myself and Natasha Romanoff and they were agreed. The rest of the countries took these amendments back to their governments and there is support for them. Has Ross spoken to you about the changes we requested?"

"No… he has not," the President frowned. "Ross told me the Accords were accepted as they are."

That bastard!

Anger coursed through him. "He's trying to sabotage the Accords because he doesn't agree with the changes put forth."

"What were the changes you requested?" Ellis grabbed a pen and a bit of paper. "If they are reasonable I will accept them."

Tony sighed. He hadn't expected Ross to not take the changes back to the President. No wonder there was a delay in inputting the changes. The President had never been informed. He ran over them in short detail. "The tracking bracelets should only be implemented if there is a requirement for it, not to be tracked constantly from day one of the signing. Secondly, detaining us without trial? That is illegal. We all have a right to a trial if we arrested. Not surprisingly, that was Ross' specific piece of legislation. A lot of other countries are not happy with it. It was agreed that we could be held if awaiting trial, either in a secure prison or house arrest, depending on the severity of their crimes. And, finally, in the face of world-ending threats, the Avengers should be allowed to intervene without permission, providing we notify the country in advance as we travel there of our intentions." Tony folded his arms across his chest. "I do not see these as unreasonable changes and these are the three aspects of the Accords which are preventing Steve Rogers from signing."

"I'm surprised Ross has not brought these to me," murmured President Ellis. "I agree they do not seem unreasonable. Between you and me, Stark, I have had a few requests from the other representatives to remove Thaddeus from his position. It is finding someone else to fill his shoes."

"There has to be someone else you trust enough to work with the Avengers and the Accords on a non-bias basis," suggested Tony.

The President's eyes clocked on Tony. "How about you, Mr. Stark?"

"Me?" Surprise flickered across his face.

"Yes."

"Why?"

"You are an Avenger, Mr. Stark, and a part of the team that has saved the world on numerous occasions. You are a hero to many, respected for the work you do. Perhaps the best way for the Avengers to work with the governments of the world is to have one on the Accords Committee. And I trust you to make those difficult decisions on whether the Avengers intervention is needed."

Tony swallowed. He hadn't been expecting that. "Can I at least think about it?"

"Of course. If you choose to decline, I'm sure I will find someone else. Nevertheless, I shall call Thaddeus today and inform him he will be removed from office, effective immediately."

It was the most Tony could have hoped for.

"Are you going to take him up on the offer?" Natasha asked over the phone.

Tony was on his way back to the Compound and had Natasha on speakerphone. "Me as a politician? Technically one, anyway."

"I think it would work, Tony. We'd have someone on the inside, fighting for us, an advantage we didn't have before." Natasha pointed out the obvious. "It would work best for us."

"This is going to make me a big target of Ross."

"We'll deal with him if he tries anything," vowed Natasha, her voice hard.

"If there is one thing I didn't expect when I went for this meeting was to become a part of the Accords committee," moaned Tony.

Natasha laughed. "Only if you accept."

"Any replacement of Ross' could be worse, even if they say they are neutral. They could still try to hinder us, something we cannot allow to happen, not with Thanos on his way." Tony leaned back in his seat.

"No," replied Natasha quietly. "This might be a good change. You're not going to become Secretary of Defence if you take Ross' spot on the Accords committee are you?"

Tony's eyes widened. "God, I hope not!"

"You're accepting then?"

"I don't think I have much of a choice. It is the safest option. And it demonstrates how we do want to work with the governments of the world and respect their sovereignty. I'll call the President when I get back and accept the proposal."

The very next day it was announced to the world of Tony's appointment to the Accords Committee. In protest at being removed from the Accords Committee, Ross had resigned as Secretary of Defence though he refused to answer questions from the press about why Tony had usurped his position. The President still had yet to decide on a new Secretary of Defence.

It didn't take long for a new draft document of the Accords to be created, making the changes Tony and Natasha had requested.

Now, all that needed to be done, was to ratify the Accords.

And Tony's job to keep the team together would be completed; one step closer to defeating Thanos for good.

Monday 6th June 2016

Monday morning came and found Tony in his office at the Compound, reading through his emails forwarded to him regarding the developments of the Accords when Natasha arrived, a grim look on her face, holding an envelope in her hands.

"I found it among the post. Just one word written on the front. 'Stark'. I do not recognise the handwriting. Appears to be an attempt to hide who it is from, though I can take a guess as to who is responsible."

Tony frowned. "It's from someone who has been in this building recently otherwise it wouldn't have reached here."

"All the scans have come back negative. It is safe to open."

Tony slit his finger underneath the envelope. "I think it is from Ross. He's not too happy about losing his position. He's been made to look like a monster. I figured he might come after me, especially since I have ruined his career of making legislations against superheroes. He probably got the letter through security here by planting it on someone to put in the post."

"I'm surprised he would be so open about it," replied Natasha calmly, though there was a hint of hardness in her voice.

"He's lost everything," replied Tony. "He has nothing else to lose since his whole reputation has been tarnished. Taking Ross out of play means the Accords are more likely to be amended. We've got to consider every variable towards the endgame, Nat. We cannot leave any piece left unturned."

"Agreed." Natasha watched as Tony pulled out a piece of paper, opened it up and then promptly showed it to her.

Written in pen, which was supposed to be a bad attempt at a child's writing were the words:

Mark my words, Stark. I'll get you for this.

To be continued...

Please let me know what you think!

So, Ross is threatening Tony? What will he do? *evil laugh*

The scene in Civil War where Steve sees Bucky for the first time, which I briefly mention early on in this chapter, I don't think they were given kill orders to kill Bucky. The way the scene is set up makes me think they were intending on bringing Bucky in but only kill as a last resort. The fact that they capture Bucky when they had him surrounded after the chase instead of killing him says a lot to me that Steve was misled about the orders concerning Bucky. But that is just my opinion. They could have easily shot Bucky instead of taking the effort to bring him in.

Next chapter: Zemo finally makes his move!

Until next time,

the-writer1988