Sorry for the delay everyone! I didn't mean for it to happen! I hope you enjoy this chapter :) Please review!

Chapter Four

Waving, I slipped into my room, forcing him to return to his sister and preventing him from mentioning the dangerous thoughts floating through his mind. The way he saw me, the lightness, the warmth he always felt about me… it was overwhelming. Sweet, but overwhelming. And after everything that happened in Lagos, I honestly couldn't handle any more overwhelming thoughts.

With a long-suffering sigh, I threw myself onto the bed in the center of the room. Tossing my glasses onto the end table, I shoved my face into the soft, cool pillow and drifted off.

/

"Aurelie."

"Fuck what?!"

Flinging up from my bed, I searched wildly for the poshly-accented intruder, throwing punches and kicks that he easily avoided. Though he didn't remove himself from the edge of my bed, Vision simply changed his form, allowing the strikes to go through him rather than take them.

"Was this… inappropriate?" he queried innocently, rising to his feet and staring perplexedly at me, "forgive me; Mr. Stark mentioned entering and waking you himself. I didn't realize-"

"No, Vision, it's… it's cool," I pressed a hand to my heart and swallowed thickly. Raking a hand through my mussed hair, I glanced blearily up at him, "I mean, not the best way to wake someone up. Just knock next time, but don't beat yourself up."

"I wouldn't do such a thing, Aurelie," he replied hastily, before catching himself and pressing a finger to his lips, brows furrowed, "that was a metaphor, no?"

"Yes," I exhaled, reaching my arms out toward my toes and stretching, "God, what time is it? I need to get back to Queens…"

"Actually, Mr. Stark requested your presence downstairs," he noted, peering at his wrist and adding, "and it's noon."

"Noon?" I repeated, aghast, "shit, I didn't mean to sleep that long. I-" couldn't sleep, not with those goddamn nightmares, "-what does Stark want? Why didn't he come himself? Actually, scratch that- probably a good thing he didn't."

I didn't think I could trust Stark in my room while I was vulnerable.

"Right," Vision agreed, rising to his feet and making for the door. It was strange to see him in human clothes, what with the magenta skin and the glowing stone sticking out of his forehead. He stopped at the door, oblivious to my silent observations, and turned back to me, "As for what he wants, there's a man with him. The Secretary of State. A General Ross?"

"Okaayy," I mused slowly, perplexedly, blinking the sleep from my eyes and flinging the blankets from me, "what does he want with me? I'm not part of your team…"

"General Ross requested it," he replied, "and so did Mr. Stark. I believe they seem to think you are part of the team, Aurelie."

Humming, I watched him go and climbed out of bed. I didn't know Ross personally, but I knew him by name. And what I knew wasn't good. He was anything but friendly, a hard, cold man who believed the philosophy of 'my way or the highway' was a way of life.

Which didn't sit well with Bruce Banner, that was for damn sure.

And I didn't think it sat with Tony either, not when he followed that philosophy himself half the time. There was only room for one person's way in that way of life.

So why he had allowed the general in the compound, I couldn't be sure. Nor did I know why he wanted me to be present, either. Despite what Vision said, what Tony and the general might have thought, I wasn't part of the team; whatever they had to discuss didn't include me.

Still, I peered in the mirror, fluffed my hair and smoothed my wrinkled shirt to make myself somewhat presentable. With a yawn, I made my way down the hallway, down the metal staircase, and into the conference room. The others were already there, some greeting me as I entered, albeit surprised at my appearance.

"Aurelie, what-"

Raising my hands in surrender, I shrugged, "I was summoned. Figured it'd be polite to show up. Other than that, though, I'm clueless…"

"I'm not sure how that could be, Ms. Reynolds, after yesterday's fiasco in Lagos."

Rounding on the general, I wasn't surprised by what I saw. An aging man with a rather impressive mustache, dressed in a sharply pressed suit with a no-nonsense black tie. Stuffy, stiff, and no doubt a stickler for the damn rules.

"Oh right, that," I replied sarcastically, pulling up a seat beside Tony, away from the table, "I forgot."

"Funny," the general replied dryly, turning to the monitor beside him and rattling off names and locations where the Avengers - and me, admittedly - had gone and saved the world. Or destroyed it, in his mind. We were a threat, he said, dangerous and worrisome. We killed without a thought - untrue, I mused - and innocent lives were lost in the meantime.

That, I couldn't argue with him on.

"The Sokovia Accords are going to keep you all accountable for your actions," he announced, tossing a heavy book on the table and shoving it toward Wanda, leveling her with a dangerous scowl, "which is something you all desperately need. One hundred seventeen countries are signing in it in three days. With this, all actions by you will be sanctioned by the United Nations. You will not go out on one of your misadventures unless they approve. If you do, consider yourself a traitor to your country and the UN. The Avengers will no longer be a self-governing organization."

Quirking a brow, I met Cap's gaze as he turned and glanced at Tony and I; the Iron Man made eye contact with him for a moment before dipping his head, shifting uncomfortably in his seat. Cap's brows furrowed low over his eyes, his jaw clenching intermittently. He wasn't happy.

And neither was I.

"Talk it over," Ross ordered, giving Tony a nod as he made for the door, followed silently by his guard.

"And if we come to a decision you don't like?" Nat queried, somewhat sarcastically, though the smile never left her face.

"Then you retire."

"And me?" I queried, quirking a brow and staring perplexedly at the general. He stopped, rounding on me and offering me just as confused a look, "What about you?"

"I'm not an Avenger, General, in case you'd forgotten."

He snorted, shaking his head and pursing his lips in disbelief, "Like hell you're not. Ladies. Gentlemen. Three days."

The minute he left the room, the table exploded in chatter.

"Damn, this is fucking serious." "What are they thinking?" "Are they really saying we have no choice?" "How the hell am I an Avenger?"

A round of eye rolls and amused laughs echoed through the room and Tony leaned back in his chair, rubbing his palms on his knees. He shot me a partially amused grin and tilted his head to one side, "You've always been an Avenger, GG. You just never wanted to admit it."

"I never-"

"C'mon, Aury, you're totally one of us," Nat shook her head, "it's been eight years. Too late to back out now."

Throwing my hands in the air helplessly, I shrugged, "Alright, so I guess I'm an Avenger. What are we going to do about the Accords then?"

"What do you mean?" Rhody queried, face twisting in confusion, "there's nothing to do. Sure, he gives us time to talk it over, but this thing is happening. Whether we want it to or not."

"Do we want it to, though?" Pietro queried hesitantly, glancing around the table cautiously, "do any of us want it to happen?"

"Who doesn't want it to happen?" Rhody retorted, rising to his feet and fisting his hands on his hips, "I mean, we do need to be kept in check if you think about it. We don't follow any written rules; we just go in, guns blazing."

"Sometimes that's all that's required, Colonel," Steve noted, grabbing the draft of the Accords and flipping through it, though it was obvious he was distracted, "that's all we can do. We don't have time for someone to decide whether a situation is necessary or right. Only we can do that."

"But who are we to make such a decision?" Vision queried calmly, peering at all of our faces, each betraying an array of emotions that he didn't seem to be able to replicate, "what makes our determination on right and wrong any more relevant than another's?"

"Sometimes the line between right and wrong blurs," I admitted, drumming my fingers agitatedly against my knee, "but sometimes, the times we've gotten involved, have been worth it. Right? We've never gotten into a situation that we - and the rest of the world - would've said was potentially wrong."

"No, because it's been right," Sam agreed.

"To us," Tony interrupted, standing and stalking to the kitchen, grumbling about coffee grinds in the sink and then expanding an image from his phone, "oh, that's Charles Spencer, by the way. Good kid. 3.6 GPA. Computer engineering degree. After college, he wanted to help people, so instead of going to Vegas, which is what I would've done, or Paris or Amsterdam - sounds fun - he went to Sokovia. He wanted to build affordable housing, at least, he did before we dropped a city on him when we were kickin' ass."

"Innocent people died," Wanda agreed, "some of which we knew. That was our home. But… we can't focus on the negative. We can't."

No, she certainly couldn't, not after yesterday. I didn't need to remove my glasses to see that.

"Dead people aren't just a negative, Wanda!" Rhody exclaimed, aghast.

"That's not what she meant, Rhodes, and you know it," Pietro muttered, his tone low, dangerous, his gaze flicking from his sister to me, "we know how terrible it is, more than any of the rest of you."

"Uh, no," Tony scowled, while Steve rolled his eyes to the ceiling. We had all known loss in some form or another, not necessarily more or less than Pietro, but it certainly wasn't the best thing to say to the Iron Man.

"Regardless, the Accords are gonna happen and we have to figure out whether we're going to stand with it or not," Steve shoved the book away, folding his large arms across his chest.

"It's that or retire, Rogers," Tony noted, pushing away from the island in the center of the kitchen, "you heard the general. This is the way it is now."

"It doesn't have to be," Steve retorted, "not if we don't agree with it. This, this document was made by people with agendas. It might not be dangerous at first, but agendas change. And then what? We do what they say? 'Sure thing'?"

His phone buzzed suddenly and he glanced at the message, his face falling, paling. He stood suddenly and powered out of the room, more upset than he had been throughout our argument, "I have to go."

Chewing on my lip, I fought the urge to peer through the wall, through his phone, before standing myself, "I don't agree with this shit. Ross calls, tell him I said that. I better go, too."

"GG-"

"No, I've got stuff to do and - whether I'm an Avenger or not - I can't stay here," I made for the door, before turning back to the others, "I don't care whether or not any of you agree with this. You're still my friends, my team. I'll fight with you, but I won't fight you."

Slipping from the room, I jogged down the steps, calling for one of Tony's many lackeys and asking for a car. Steve stood at the base of the stairs, his head in his hands, and I stopped at his side. Staring up at the taller man, I touched his arm and queried softly, "What happened?"

He glanced down at me, eyes red-rimmed and wet. He chewed on his tongue for a moment before admitting with a sad laugh, "She's gone. Peggy. I-I need to go to London."

"Do you want someone to go with you?" I inquired, frowning and pulling at his arm. He didn't budge for a moment and I scowled half-heartedly, "I'm trying to give you a consoling hug, Cap, and you're not making it easy."

He grinned despite his sadness and enveloped me in a warm hug, "Thanks, Aurelie. And I'll be alright. You go home. I don't think the funeral will be for a few days anyway. If you want to go-"

"Let me know when it is and I'll be there," I replied, pressing a kiss to his cheek and forcing him to look at me, "it'll be okay, Steve. And we're here for you; all of us. Despite what happened upstairs. Give me the details when you get them and I'll come to London with you, 'kay?"

He nodded, offering me a broken thank you, and shooed me toward the door, "Keep an eye on that kid, yeah?"

I offered him a quick salute, grinning, "Of course, Cap."

/

"Aury, you- you're an Avenger."

"Ah, fuck. Pete-"

"No, I saw you!" he exclaimed, walking backwards through the hallway and bumping into Creeper Joe and shuddering when he skulked away, "I did! Online! It was quick, but I saw you. I know it was you! And you were gone all day and it makes sense and I don't know where you were last night, but it's gotta be somewhere Avengers-related. Headquarters or, or something."

The wild-eyed teen accosted me the minute I walked into the apartment building, probably using his spider senses or whatever the hell he called them to determine when I was near. He followed me into the elevator, down the hall, and to my door, exclaiming in a rather loud whisper about my secret identity and the disgusting fact that I never told him.

"What do you want me to say, Pete?" I queried, resting my head against my door and groaning when he pumped his feet into the air, "you saw it. I didn't want to tell you. I don't want to tell anyone; it's dangerous. It gets people into situations they shouldn't. You know, same reason you haven't told Aunt May."

He froze, like a teenage deer in the headlights, and wrung his hands together, stuttering, "W-wha-what do you mean? Tell Aunt… tell Aunt May what?"

Jerking my head toward my apartment, I opened the door and ushered him inside. He hesitated, but I pursed my lips impatiently and he reluctantly followed. Dropping myself heavily into a seat at the island, I propped my head up on a fist, staring silently up at him.

He stepped from foot to foot and remained tight-lipped. I stared, unblinking, and he tried desperately to avoid all eye contact.

"C'mon, Pete. I know you're Spiderman just like you know I'm Sage."

"Your codename is Sage?" he queried, jaw slackened in awe, "like, you can, do you know everything? Like, or read minds? Seriously? What- how do you do it? Like, is it some genetic mutation, or-"

"Pete, calm down," I laughed, pressing a hand to his shoulder and forcing him to sit beside me, "it's not that. I mean, it's a lot. I guess I'm kinda all-knowing, if you wanna look at it that way. When I look people in the eye. I can do… a lot of things when I look people in the eye."

"So the glasses…"

"They help," I replied, nodding, "I take them off, bad things can happen. Sometimes. I've got it under control, though, mostly. But you… you're Spiderman. I know you are."

"Can you… see through walls?" he queried, flushing red, and turning away from me in embarrassment, "is that one of your things?"

"Yup," I nodded, nudging him playfully, "but don't worry; I don't always stare through your walls. I'm not a perv, Pete. Not like you."

He laughed and shook his head, ducking it sheepishly before sighing heavily, "Yeah. I'm Spiderman. But you can't tell Aunt May. She wouldn't believe you and if she did, she'd freak out. Make me stop, but I can't. I have to-"

"I get it, Pete," I squeezed his shoulder reassuringly, "I do. You do it for the same reasons I do. You have to help. But you don't want people to know; you don't want to hurt them, or get them hurt. Which is why I don't tell people either; why I didn't tell you. Get it?"

He nodded, lips drawn to one side as he smirked, "I knew you were doing top secret stuff, Aury, but I didn't think it was Avengers top secret."

"Well, I didn't even admit I was an Avenger til today, bud," I snorted, rolling my eyes, "but yes, the stuff I go off to do is Avengers level top secret."

"So what took you so long today?" he queried, folding his arms atop the counter and staring curiously up at me, "were you cleaning up after yesterday? What happened? I saw what Scarlet Witch did…"

"It has to do with that, yeah," I sighed, rifling through the cabinets and retrieving a bottle of vegetable oil and flour, "but it's kind of… well, don't worry about it, kid. Just business."

"But we're both superheroes, Aury," he offered me a boyish grin, "you can tell me. I can even help-"

"Uh-uh, no way, Pete," I mused sharply, "I'm not dragging you into this. If you're not part of the Avengers, you don't have to worry about this crap. Just stick with the guys you're picking up for now. Maybe I can help you. I know-"

"Oh my God, Aury, will you train me?!" he queried excitedly, nearly bouncing off of his stool, an excited little puppy if ever I saw one, "we could be a team and then I could join the Avengers and we could fight crime and it would be so frickin' awesome!"

"How 'bout I make you muffins and give you some pointers for now?" I bartered.

He beamed, nodding fervently, "I'll take it!"

/

So no Bucky yet, but I'm hoping I can work him into the next chapter. If not, it'll be the one after for sure! I'm sorry it's been awhile since I've updated; I've been working on another Bucky/OC called Frumusete, and then I just started a Faraday/OC for Magnificent Seven. Please check them out! I'd really appreciate it!

Fat Old Sun: haha yeah it looks pretty wild! I think it's gonna be great!

Food Lover 1: Thanks! I'm glad you do! I love your username too haha

Aandm20: oh yeah, I can't wait for that to happen! He's not gonna be thrilled, that's for sure!

Inperfection: haha yeah, I couldn't kill him off! I hated that they did, so he's alive in mine lol

Kaayrakoi: Thank you so much! I really appreciate that! I was hoping it would be a unique skill and I'm really glad she doesn't come off as a Mary Sue. Yay!

Kallmered: haha I will, don't worry! Andn I'm glad you like it!

Verrokami: haha aww thank you! That's so nice of you! :D