Sorry for the delay my loves! Will do my best to get out another chapter for next weekend, but it might be another two week break, apologies.
The plan had never been to rely entirely on Ross and the Accords Committee. They were mostly military men, after all, and the Accords had begun in governments.
The meeting with Ross had been Pepper's idea. And now they enacted Natasha's plan.
They filtered the same message they had given Ross to the people in his office, and in the rest of the State Department. From there it was only natural that word of the amendments to the Accords would make their way to the White House, and to the United Nations. Largely they did not have to leak much at all - the Avengers had been seen at the State Department, and word of what they'd brought with them soon spread across the country and then the world. The actual wording of the amendments stayed in the hands of those who'd been given them, for now, but the broad sweep of them quickly became known. Less authoritarian, became the summary whispered in government offices and legislation rooms. In line with the Declaration of Human Rights.
The media began to pick up on these new rumors as well - unable to report on much for now, they continued to attack the already apparent failings of the existing Accords, and wondered if there might be a better version out there somewhere.
Word of the Avengers' new unity spread as well. Their fractious arguing had been plain to see, but now they presented a united front.
While that pot bubbled, the Avengers kept working - in silence, for now. Pepper had wanted to get ahead of things, to hold a press conference, but Natasha had urged her to wait. Trust me, she said. Wait for them ask for us to speak.
A few days after their meeting with Ross, Maggie was walking through the nearly empty front lobby of the Avengers Facility, absorbed in her StarkTablet, when a young-sounding voice called her name.
"Ms Stark!"
Maggie's head jerked up and she looked around, until she spotted the source of the voice: a teenager with head of thick, dark hair, adjusting their glasses as they clutched a StarkPad to their chest.
"Rikki," Maggie's face broke open in a smile and she walked over to where Rikki had been waiting on one of the lobby couches. "What are you doing here?"
"I'm sorry for waiting here, Mr Hogan said it was okay - the Facility has been on essential staff only and the Internship Program is on summer break-"
Seeing the slightly anxious look on Rikkis' face, Maggie's stomach dropped. "Oh, kid - your DNA results, I'm so sorry, I haven't been in my lab since-"
But Rikki was shaking their head. "Don't worry about it, I'm not actually here about that. Do you… have a minute?"
Maggie's head tilted. Rikki looked… anxious and awkward, as always, fidgeting with their brown jacket, but also had something of a determined light behind the shine of their glasses. "Of course I do. How are you doing, kid?"
"Fine. It was weird around here, before we all got sent home." Rikki shrugged one shoulder and then peeked past their fringe at Maggie. "Are you okay? I heard you were in jail."
"I was," she sighed. "My friends are still in jail, I'm… working on getting them out."
"You will," Rikki said, and their confidence made Maggie smile. "But, um… I might be able to help with that. Kinda."
Rikki pulled the StarkPad away from their chest and powered it on, instantly revealing what looked like some kind of spreadsheet, accompanied by a scatter graph and a log likelihood function graph. Maggie's eyebrows rose before she even read a word; the kid had put together some hardcore data.
"So… I don't know if this will help you at all, but I was thinking about the Accords - I know you told me not to, I'm sorry - and thinking about what it would take for a change to happen, and I got curious about the statistics of it all, so… here." Rikki handed the tablet over without ceremony.
Maggie took it, frowning down at the spreadsheet first - she saw names, most of which were familiar, with various attached tables with written data.
"These are… UN representatives. Senators, global world leaders," Maggie murmured, scrolling through the list. One of the columns, next to a certain UN representative, read: Doubt(query): Took 54% longer than average UN member to sign on to Accords. A column next to that read: Reason: History of human rights abuses in own country, local media has accused Accords of being predatory legislation. Further columns beyond that listed key groups and organisations in the relevant country, the country's values and the political alignment of the dominant party, and much more.
"I thought it might be helpful to know which UN members have been having doubts about the Accords, whether publicly or privately. And why," Rikki explained earnestly. "Don't worry, I didn't do anything illegal, I only used information in the public domain."
"So… this is a list of everyone having doubts about the Accords, and why," Maggie said, a little numbly.
"Uh… yes," Rikki nodded. "Sorry if it's not helpful, but I've been putting it together the last few weeks and I just thought-"
"This is gold," Maggie said, her fingers tightening on the tablet. She looked up at the wide-eyed teenager. She remembered what Bucky had said about RikkI: That kid… seems clever. What an understatement it had been. "Have I told you you're amazing?"
Rikki's cheeks coloured and they looked down. "I… well… I'm glad if it helps." Their jaw clenched, mostly hidden by their hair spilling over their face. "I don't want the world to lose the Avengers."
"Hey," Maggie said, reaching out to grip Rikki's shoulder for a moment. "We'll never be lost." She waved the tablet. "Especially with this to help us."
Rikki smiled, quick and tight, and even though it was small the smile lit up their whole face.
Maggie sent Rikki's data to Pepper, who responded with astonishment and excitement. The data formed the foundation for the perfect lobbying list, which Pepper, Natasha, and their team got onto straight away.
UN Representatives began to get phone calls.
In the midst of chaos, Maggie and Bucky figured out what it meant for them to be together.
It was almost scary how easily they fell into the pattern of being Maggie and Bucky. Bucky hadn't slept in his own room since that first night, and though they were sometimes separated during the day, they were always drawn back together, like a pair of magnets pulled apart. And despite Bucky's current status as a wanted criminal, it felt strangely domestic. Strangely normal. Time spent over warm drinks before they went to bed, waking together and getting breakfast, traded teasing and jokes and figuring out which side of the bed belonged to whom. Nightmares, which plagued them both, were dealt with with warmth and soft, murmured words.
Maggie realized they were exchanging more casual touches outside of the safety of her quarters as well; his hand on the small of her back, her shoulder against his to steady him, hand brushes and hip bumps and teasing jabs of elbows. Even in the midst of all the chaos it was warm, and fun, and made Maggie's heart flip over inside her chest.
After a long day of stoking the slowly simmering media fire and trying to get updates about their friends on the Raft, Maggie returned to her quarters with bleary eyes and a yawn trapped at the back of her throat. The door slid open and she stopped in her tracks at the delicious smells that wafted out to her; garlic, onions, spices. Her stomach growled loudly and she stepped inside to see Bucky looking over his shoulder from the kitchen with his hair tied back, and a series of dishes laid out on her dining table.
"Just in time," Bucky said, shaking his head to clear a loose strand of hair from his eyes. His left sleeve was tied up to his shoulder, to keep it out of the way. He stepped out from the kitchen and set a bottle of wine on the table, before gesturing at the fully-prepared meal and tableware with a ta-da motion.
"Bucky," Maggie murmured. Her eyes darted from his face to the table; he'd laid out steak, roast potatoes, salad, and a few other side dishes. The lighting in the main room had been dimmed, and a solitary candle flickered on the table, setting light gleaming against the wineglasses.
She dropped her bag of paperwork and her StarkPad on the ground by the door.
"I figured since we can't go to a nice restaurant together," Bucky explained, "on account of how I would definitely be arrested… I'd make us a nice dinner. Take you on a proper date." His eyes glinted.
Maggie couldn't help the stupid smile that crept across her face. But then: "How did you do all this with only one arm?" she asked, alarmed.
His ears went a bit pink. "Well. It took a while." He gestured at a few of the dishes under covers on the table. "Those are going to be pretty cold. Sorry."
She shook her head and strode across the room towards him and the table - his clothes were remarkably clean for having cooked one-handed, and she wondered if he'd worn an apron. She tilted her head at him. "Thank you. I can make you a new arm, you know. I've… there's been a lot on, obviously, but I could do that for you now, have it fabricated for the morning-"
"No," he closed the difference between them and caught her hand in his. He smiled. "Thank you. I'll… I do want some kind of an arm again, eventually, but I'm in no rush."
Maggie looked down at their fingers laced together - her knuckles were still bruised and scratched up from all their fights in Europe, but his had faded. She then looked up into his face. He stood just a couple of inches taller than her, and the corners of his eyes crinkled as he looked at her. "You're worried about your words." She frowned.
He smiled sadly. "Yes. That's part of it. I'd rather be less of a weapon, while I'm still a risk-"
"You are not a weapon-"
"But I can be made into one," he said gently. He brought her hand to his chest and pressed her hand over his heart. The warmth of him seeped through his shirt and into her skin. "That's part of it. But also… I only have one arm, doll. I think… I need to figure out what that's like. Who I am, as I am. Without needing to be fixed. Do you understand?"
She frowned up at him, searching his eyes, until finally her frown faded. "Of course I do." She leaned down, and with her free hand unfastened her prosthetic leg, letting it fall away. She straightened, on one leg, balancing perfectly as she faced him with her hand on his chest. He held her there with his eyes on her face. For a few moments they just stood like that, he with one arm and her with one leg, smiling at each other.
He leaned down to kiss her first. She wrapped both arms around his shoulders, pulling him in, and his hand landed on her hip, steadying her.
It had been a while since Maggie had been kissed by anyone, but she was convinced that no one in the world could do it like Bucky - he kissed her, held her, looked at her, like she was the only thing in the world, like he was seeing her for the first time and she was the best thing he had ever seen. All thoughts scattered.
When they pulled apart, she smiled and tried to catch her breath. "The food is definitely cold by now."
"Your fault," he murmured against her lips.
"Help me get over there," she replied, tracing the back of his neck, "and I'll cut your steak for you."
He grinned. "Sounds like a deal."
Other than Natasha, Tony was the first to say something.
He chose his moment at the end of a moderately successful meeting, when Natasha, Pepper, Bucky, Vision and Steve had left, and Maggie was packing up her documents. Her sleeve was stained with coffee, and her hair tied back in a chaotic bun - their work was long and exhausting, and they'd all given up on appearances when they were just amongst themselves.
When the others had left, Tony planted his hands on the table, pushed himself up to his feet, and then:
"So you and Barnes are definitely doing the horizontal tango, right?"
Maggie grimaced as she slid the last few folders into her bag. "You have such a way with words." But despite the joke, when she glanced up she could see a more cautious light to his eyes.
"You definitely are though, right?" Tony queried. "Because if not, then Jesus Christ, get a room-"
"We are," she said, and couldn't help her chin lifting defiantly.
Tony let out a breath, almost as if he was relieved. The setting sun turned the room around them gold. "Okay. And it's…?" he trailed away.
Her eyebrows rose. "Are you asking about the quality of the sex I'm having?"
"No. God no-"
"Because it's really very good, I was worried at first since he's from another century but he-"
"Please stop." Tony held up his hands.
Maggie's taunting smile faded, and her eyes dropped. A moment passed. "I understand if you're uncomfortable," she said rigidly. "Or if you… disapprove-"
"No," Tony cut in, and circled the table toward her. "Not… not disapprove. He's a good guy, I know this. Despite the whole wanted criminal thing." He dropped into the seat next to her. "And the being much older than you thing. And the… you know, the" - he waved a hand over his face - "the stare. Personally, I don't get the whole appeal-"
"Tony," she sighed.
"I just…" Tony shifted, and couldn't quite meet her eye. "I just want to make sure…" he let out a sigh, and seemed to age before her very eyes. He finally met her gaze and the gravity in his dark eyes startled her. "Does he make you happy?"
"Yes," she said instantly. She swallowed. "He…" she began shaking her head. "I can't explain it, Tony. It… he knows me. He knows what I'm thinking, he - he sees all my lies and fears and hopes, and he - he makes me laugh. I can't imagine my day without him." Her brow knotted. "I - he-"
"You love him," Tony said, almost sadly.
She blew out a breath. "Of course I do." She leaned back in her chair.
He smiled. "New feeling?"
"Like this? Yeah. There's no one like Bucky."
"That's for sure." He cocked his head at her. "You never brought home… anyone serious before. Boyfriend, or girlfriend."
"I didn't think I could do serious," she confided. She looked down at her hands, open in her lap. "But this… I don't want anything else."
He smiled, and the sadness hadn't left it, but she felt a little easier for it. "I know the feeling." He reached over and ruffled her hair. "I'm happy for you, Magnolia. I'm not convinced he - or anyone - deserves you, but…"
She looked up. "Oh, please don't be all stereotypical big brother about this," she complained. "It is not a good look on you."
"I look good in everything," he grinned. He rubbed his beard. "Maybe I should give him the shovel talk. Show him round the armory, make a few veiled threats-"
"I'll kill you." She looked down and sighed. The golden light trapped in the meeting room seemed to swell. The light was warm on her skin. "Tony, you…" she looked up. "I've forgiven him. Years ago. But is it still…?"
He shook his head. "No," he murmured. He reached out to take her hand. "No. Don't let HYDRA and Zemo and all their shittiness ruin any more good parts of either of your lives. If you and Barnes can stand each other long enough to build something good, then do it. And don't look back."
Maggie opened her mouth, but couldn't find words that would be enough, so instead she just leaned across and wrapped her arms around her brother.
After a few moments, he rubbed her back, fingers skipping over the metal ports on either side of her spine. "Just no tango dancing in public areas," he muttered. "I've got heart problems, I don't want to risk it."
She huffed a laugh against his shoulder. "That ruins my weekend plans."
The Amended Accords kept bubbling their way through the Accords Committee, and speculation and demands for change kept bubbling in the media and the public. But the bubbling went on a little long for Maggie's taste. Their friends had been weeks in prison now. She could hear Natasha and Pepper worrying about it, too - something needs to happen, Nat had murmured, something to push their hand.
So Maggie decided to be that push.
She started by hacking into the Raft. It was a near-impenetrable system. But no system was entirely impenetrable, and with a specially designed and entirely waterproof drone probe, some help from F.R.I.D.A.Y., and some creative digital cloning, she had everything she needed.
July, 2016
The White House, Washington D.C.
President Matthew Ellis stood up from behind the Resolute Desk in the well-lit Oval Office, adjusting his tie as he did so. "Well, folks, I think we had better leave it there. Tanaka tells me there's a good spread in the dining room for us."
He watched as the gathered cabinet members and officials rose from the assembled chairs, a few tired sighs being let out, a few annoyed looks cast around. This morning had been one of many meetings about the ongoing Accords mess. Ross was first to rise, straight-backed like a good soldier, his keen eyes never missing a thing. Ellis liked him well enough; had appointed him on the advice of many people he trusted, and Ross had been determined, and exacting as Secretary of State. Ellis didn't know how fair it was to blame the last few weeks of chaos on Ross, but Ross certainly seemed sure he could resolve it.
The others gathered were those you'd expect; Vice President, Secretary of Defense, Attorney General, Chief Justice, a couple of ambassadors and a couple of cabinet members. The kind of group that only gathered all in one place if things were really getting hairy.
They'd just spent the last hour arguing about Accords policy. Ross, of course, wanted full US backing to continue, but with the rumblings of doubt coming out of the U.N., Mary Byrne, his Secretary of Defense, was understandably cautious. Not to mention the calls he kept getting from State Governors, persistently reminding him of the growing backlash against particular parts of the Accords from their constituencies. No one wanted the UN legislation to impact their electoral chances.
Ellis pinched the bridge of his nose as he stood, following the others as they drifted toward the door guarded by Secret Service. He'd got into politics for moments like this; where the winds were changing, where a strong hand could take the wheel and find a good course. He just always forgot how stressful it was at the helm.
The dark-suited Secret Service agent closest to the door opened it for Mary, who was cracking her knuckles as she spoke to Williams, the Chief Justice. The door swung open and they all looked up at the sound of laughter.
Ellis's eyebrows shot up his forehead.
In the corridor beyond the Oval Office three figures waited on the distinctive historical carpet, watched carefully by Secret Service; two of the figures bent together, laughing, not having yet noticed the Oval Office door open.
The closest figure was Hiroki Tanaka, Ellis's Chief of Staff, in his usual tidy suit and glasses. He tipped his head back as he laughed, one hand on his chest. The other figure laughing with him was none other than Margaret Stark.
She wore a suit too, though more colorful than Hiroki's, in a dark reddish kind of shade, her hair pinned up and a sharp sort of professional look about her; photos of her in the press these days usually were of her in a similar outfit like when she'd visited the Department of State, or any number of pictures of her in her Wyvern getup. Two very distinctively different looks.
Behind Stark and Tanaka stood Pepper Potts, in a paler suit with a patient smile on her face. She'd noticed the Oval Office open, and she cleared her throat softly.
Tanaka's head snapped over, and his laughter faded as an embarrassed look flitted over his face. Ellis didn't bother with an admonishing look. They'd become friends these last few years since Tanaka took over.
Stark straightened, facing those who'd just emerged from inside the Oval Office. Ellis could feel Ross bristling, a few steps ahead, but Stark got in first:
"Mr President," she gave a polite nod. "It's good to see you again. I hope you don't mind me intruding."
He took a step forward, hand outstretched. "And you, Ms Stark." He didn't let any of his confusion about her presence show on his face, and smiled as she returned the handshake. Firm grip, same as her brother. He'd met them both a few times, due to the nature of their work, but the one time that stuck in his mind was, of course, when they'd saved his life.
He could still remember stumbling out of the Iron Patriot armor aboard the Norco and seeing her handcuffed to a pole, bloodied and her leg stump bare. Then later, after Rhodes had rescued him, she'd flown above them on large, dark wings, still one-legged, but grinning like she belonged in that chaotic landscape of fire and danger. Time for you two to get clear. Ellis was no warrior, as his political opponents were quick to point out, but he recognized one when he saw one.
He nodded at her left arm, secured in a brace. "How's the arm?"
She smiled. "Better every day. Be good to have at least three functioning limbs soon!" She stepped aside so he could shake Ms Pott's hand. She smiled diplomatically and warmly, as she had in every meeting he'd had cause to have with the CEO of Stark Industries.
Ms Stark glanced around at his other colleagues as he greeted Potts. "Listen, I'm sorry for the intrusion, Mr President, but I was hoping to speak with you about a sensitive matter, and Hiroki said you might have a spare fifteen minutes?" She gestured to his Chief of Staff, and for a moment Ellis frowned at the use of his first name - until he put it together. Hiroki had been at MIT - started off as a Chemical Engineer, of all things - that must be how he and Stark knew each other.
"I don't think you should be speaking alone with criminals, sir," Ross said tightly. He'd pushed forward so he was practically right beside Ellis. His eyes were fixed on Stark, and Ellis wouldn't want to be on the receiving end of that look, but Stark appeared not to notice.
"Oh, you're all welcome to stay and listen too," she said with a smile. "I welcome it, in fact."
Ross stiffened, and Ellis wondered if Stark had trapped him somehow. The others traded a few glances.
"Fifteen minutes, you say?" he murmured, then looked at his watch. Lunch would be waiting, but he had a feeling this was more urgent. "Alright then. Back in, folks."
Maggie started gentle. "I know I've been in the news a lot recently. I'm sure you're all quite sick of hearing about me and mine." That made one or two of her gathered audience smile. Ross's stony expression did not shift, but she wasn't here for him. "But I've come today… with a matter of our country's reputation."
Maggie was no stranger to politicians and leaders. There'd been a few former Vice Presidents and other important people at her childhood birthday parties, for one thing, and her career with Stark Industries and then the Avengers had meant she rubbed shoulders with the high and important often.
She'd never been in the Oval Office before though. She barely had a moment to take in the strangeness, the excitement of it, because she wasn't here to be a tourist. So she'd ignored the iconic blue floor and historical furniture, waited for them all to take their seats where they'd just been having a meeting, found a position by the window opposite Pepper, who sat next to the Secretary of Defense, and she'd begun.
(It was not a surprise to her to find the President not alone - she'd found out about this meeting with all the top brass and purposefully arranged her visit to coincide with it. Hiroki seemed to be aware of this, but he hadn't minded. It had been good to see him again.)
Her audience watched her with a mixture of suspicion, confusion, wariness, curiosity, and rage (the last, of course, belonged to Ross).
Maggie laced her fingers together and ignored the sweat beading on the back of her neck. "The Accords are not a matter for the U.S. Government to legislate on, I know this." Ellis's brow knotted. "But the Accords and its incumbent media storm are not separate from this government. From you all. I imagine that's what you've all been meeting about." She paused. "Now I can see your worried looks, and I want to reassure you; I'm not here to ask you to weigh in on the matter of the Accords and any proposed amendments at all. That's not what I'm here about. I'm here about this."
She held up her StarkPad and hit a button. Instantly a holo-screen projected itself, glowing bright even in the sunlight filtering into the office. Those watching appeared impressed; this was still prototype technology outside of Stark Industries.
The holoscreen was blank at first, until Maggie hit another button.
Wanda. In the blue prison scrubs which Maggie herself had worn not that long ago, curled up against the wall of her cell with her arms strapped to her body by a straight jacket, and a deadness behind her eyes. The footage was remarkably clear, for being from a surveillance camera; the Raft had spared no expense. The Oval Office went still. Ross leaned forward with a frown.
"How-"
The scene changed. Scott Lang, lying on his back, his hands laced over his stomach as he stared at the ceiling. It changed again: Clint, bouncing a pair of socks against the wall endlessly, hitting the same spot every time. Sam with his eyes closed and his head bowed. They were all in the same grim uniform. Well fed, and healing from their injuries, but with a similar look to their eyes.
Ross bristled and stood up. "You shouldn't have-"
"I'm not done," Maggie replied calmly, even though her heart was pounding. Today was one of her biggest risks yet, the one most likely to land her right back in the Raft. She hadn't told anyone but Pepper and Natasha, because she knew anyone but them would stop her. But no one else in the room had moved, too fixated on the footage she had been showing them, so she changed the screen again.
This clip had sound.
More than a few eyebrows in the room rose when Maggie appeared on screen - in blue prison scrubs herself, bruised and still spotted with dried blood, her arm freshly strapped into a brace. She was being led down a dark, windowless corridor made of metal, limping slightly and flanked by two grim-faced guards.
On the other side of the President's desk, Pepper's brow knotted.
"I'd like to call my lawyer," said the Maggie on screen. Maggie in the Oval Office made sure to look up at the Chief Justice, George Poitier.
The guards on the screen ignored Maggie, and after a moment she sighed. "Yeah, that's what I figured."
They walked offscreen.
The President leaned back in his chair, face inscrutible. The Vice President and the Chief Justice exchanged a look.
Maggie changed the scene again: another one of her.
"Stand up and face the wall! Now!"
Looking slightly less banged-up, the Maggie on screen hurried out of her bed in the Raft prison cell and moved to the back wall. Four guards entered this time, and everyone in the Oval Office watched them pat Maggie down.
"We've got orders not to cuff you, with your injury," one growled, clear over the speakers. "But if you so much as breathe the wrong way, I'll break your other arm."
The Vice President rubbed his temple.
"Prisoner abuse, nice," Maggie's tired voice came over the StarkPad.
"You what?"
The scene changed again.
This one wasn't from the Raft, and it had actually been easier to get. Now, the scene showed an Operations Room, familiar to both Maggie and Ross; it was the Joint Counter Terrorist Centre operations room, packed with soldiers and analysts in the midst of a mission. Secretary Ross was visible front and centre, leaning over the back of an analysts chair. There was chaos, shouts and movement.
In the Oval Office, Ross stood again. "This is too much, with all due respect Mr President, these are secure areas and this footage isn't authorized-"
But at that, President Ellis arched an eyebrow. "Isn't authorized for my eyes?"
Ross opened his mouth, but it didn't matter anyway. They all broke off as the Ross on screen roared:
"Take out Ms Stark as a matter of urgency, lethal force authorized."
In the Oval Office, Ross's dark eyes met Maggie's, and she could see he still meant every word.
A minute later:
The Ross on screen slammed his fist down onto a desk between analysts, making them jump, and roared: "Someone needs to take out Maximoff, now!"
It was not just in the Oval Office that a few uneasy looks were traded - in the JCTC footage it was clear some analysts were not entirely sure about their orders.
Maggie hit the power button for her StarkPad, and the glowing footage abruptly fizzled out.
She carefully slid the protective cover back over her StarkPad. When she looked up, she still had the fixed attention of all the important men and women gathered in the room; they had been trading glances, but none spoke, as if afraid of what words might do to the tenuous atmosphere in the room. The President remained inscrutable.
Pepper watched with her hands folded, her keen gaze on their audience.
Maggie cleared her throat, and all eyes went to her face. She weighed their expressions, seeing nervousness, confusion, and wariness behind the expressions they did their best to conceal. Some of them were leaned forward, hands over their chins, brows knotted. Maggie was reminded of images of the President and his team awaiting news from a key mission overseas; listening with bated breath and tense expressions, waiting for the words to break the spell.
Maggie patted her tablet. "No, those clips aren't being spread anywhere else." Ross leaned back, still looking furious. "I don't want that. I don't want to see the public lose complete faith in this country, in the Accords. I don't want to see the utter disruption and chaos that would cause. Because I care about this country, and I care about the world." She gave them all a hard look. "I also care about my friends."
She took a breath, then stepped forward. She paced away from the window, across the front of the President's desk, keeping their attention from where they sat or stood. She gestured at the StarkPad. "Is this what American justice looks like?" She took the tablet out of its cover and powered it up again, instantly going to a grid-view of the Raft Cells. She held it where they could all see it, holding up her friends in front of the President and Secretary Ross and everyone.
She pointed. "Clint Barton. Hero of New York, and father of three. American. Grew up being told about all the rights he had - Sixth Amendment, for one. Scott Lang, he's got a little girl. He recently helped prevent US technology from Pym Tech being sold into HYDRA's hands. American." She pointed again. "Sam Wilson. A US Air Force Veteran who's given back to this country his whole life; he went from serving in combat to working at his local VA, counselling other veterans."
Finally, she pointed at Wanda. "Wanda Maximoff. She's Sokovian, sure, but she's made our country her home. She could've told us all to go to hell and tried to tear the Avengers apart. Instead she joined us, and has worked to protect everyone she could since then. She's been in a straight jacket for over three weeks." She let that settle in the room. "Is this how this country treats its heroes?"
After a few moments, she shut down the screen again and shoved it into an inside pocket of her blazer. Her audience watched silently. In practice, no one in here but Ross had the legal power to do anything about her friends' situation. But she'd spoken to the Accords Committee. Now she was speaking to the group who might be able to help her convince the Committee. The group who held Ross's job in their hands. She could see Ross weighing that fact now with every second, holding himself back from whatever vile thing he wanted to roar at her. His knuckles were white where he gripped the arms of his chair.
She drew a deep breath. "The Accords look great on paper. Formalizing the decision making process, making sure power goes through checks and balances." She lifted her chin. "But I'm yet to see any kind of check or balance on the Accords power so far. Just kill orders, indefinite imprisonment, and arbitrary decisions made by one man, with a proven grudge against enhanced people." She didn't even bother looking at Ross. She let her eyes settle on the rest of them, one by one, until her gaze fell on the President. "I don't see any kind of justice in that."
A heavy silence fell. Maggie could feel the weight of the thoughts and questions brewing in the Oval Office, but she didn't wait for anyone to voice them. Instead, she looked at her watch.
"That was fifteen minutes," she pushed up her sleeves and nodded to Pepper, before turning back to the others. "I won't keep you any longer. Thank you for listening, Mr President."
And with that, Margaret Stark turned and strode out of the Oval Office, her head held high and her gaze fixed ahead; never looking back. The President and his cabinet watched them leave.
After waving goodbye to Hiroki, Maggie and Pepper continued their purposeful walk out of the White House, escorted by a Secret Service agent.
Maggie leaned in to Pepper. "You didn't say anything," she murmured.
Pepper smiled. "I didn't need to."
Avengers Facility, Upstate New York
"The beleaguered Accords Committee have just announced that the captive Avengers - Samuel Wilson, Clint Barton, Wanda Maximoff and Scott Lang - will be transferred from their current classified detainment facility into the custody of the United States Correctional System, pending parole arrangements. The Accords Committee spokesperson confirmed-"
It would take a while to find out what their spokesperson had confirmed, because at those words the group in the Avengers Facility common room burst into cheers.
It had been two days since Maggie and Pepper's visit to the White House. There'd been a great deal of turmoil in the Accords and in the US Government since then, and though no one consulted the Avengers directly, they'd been able to keep track of the doubts and questions and change bubbling up within each institution. But this was real, public proof, being announced live on WHiH news.
Maggie, Tony, Steve, Nat, Pepper, Bucky, Vision, and Rhodey (in his wheelchair) drowned out the TV screen for a moment - cheers, clapping, and exuberant hugs and slaps on the back. They knew that this meant their friends would just be headed to a US-based corrections centre, but that was better than an underwater casket outside of the law. This was a start. Tony and Steve gripped each other in a quick hug, Pepper beamed and patted Natasha's back, and Rhodey let out a loud whoop and high-fived Vision.
Maggie turned, grinning as her heart pounded, and found Bucky smiling at her. She mouthed we did it, and then - she wasn't sure if she or Bucky initiated it - they simply leaned in and kissed. It was only for a moment, his hand at the back of her neck and hers around his waist, his hair falling over her cheeks, and then they pulled apart, still grinning.
Then Maggie blinked and remembered where she was. She glanced around, her cheeks warming, but there were no shocked or horrified faces. Tony wasn't even paying attention, turned toward Pepper to say something. Steve had seen, but only watched them with a small smile, his arm around Natasha's shoulders. Rhodey and Vision also definitely saw, but were already back to whatever conversation they'd been having. Pepper, over Tony's shoulder, beamed.
Bucky met Maggie's eyes, his hand falling to her hip, and shot her a look that said huh.
Maggie heard the WHiH reporter again: "Some are wondering if this is a sign that the Accords Committee may be willing to relinquish some of the unprecedented power and control in their hands, lending credence to the rumors of an Amended Accords. This news certainly comes at a time of growing worldwide doubt in the Accords, and only time will tell whether this is an appropriate concession to those doubts, or a failure of judgement."
"Meanwhile," said another voice, probably the reporter back in the studio. "There is still no word on those members of the Avengers who remain fugitives."
Reviews
The1975Love: Thank you so much, it took a while to rewrite the Accords but I'm glad you guys feel they were a good balance :) And no worries, glad you've been enjoying the story :) Interesting that you're leaning toward this version of the story more than the Wyvern!
Shorttrooper: I am so so glad you liked the last chapter, I've been nervous for ages about twisting canon this much (since I've not really done it to this extent before), and all my notes said before last chapter was 'write your own Accords'. It took a while, but I'm happy with what I came up with and so glad you guys like it too! I'm glad you like Bucky and Maggie's moments too ;) Hope you enjoyed this chapter!
Strawberrycheeze: Thank you so much! Ross will continue to get more annoyed ;)