Author's Two Cents:

Thanks to my one reviewer :) Glad you are enjoying my story...I'm enjoying writing it. I like the diversity of the characters and the potential for a good, sound plot to develop. Each character is struggling, and they are intertwined. It's going to be fun to hash this out.

I know I'm way behind the times...I'm still trying to catch up on the Marvel shows...Just saw The Black Panther with my older kids this weekend. My 12-year-old daughter adores Shuri *smirk*

SO, tell me...I know I have lots of lurkers who are reading along...which side are you on? Team Tony or Team Steve? Who is right? Should the Avengers sign the Accords or not and why? I'm honestly interested in knowing your opinion.

You're in for a ride with my story.

Cheers!

~Sawyer~

Tony's head pounded with what he referred to an electromagnetic headache. Lately, he seemed to earn one daily. He was sure he was going to ruin both his kidneys with all the Tylenol he was ingesting. Of course, with all the alcohol he'd consumed in his lifetime, he was surprised he still owned two working kidneys. He rubbed his temples as he got into the back of his car and rested his head against the seat.

"Where to, Boss?" asked Happy, peering back at him.

"How about Costa Rica? Or some unknown Caribbean Island?"

Happy smiled sympathetically. "Meeting went well, I see."

Tony groaned. "Oh, about as well as a root canal on an abscessed tooth." Tony reached out to grab a bottle of water from his mini fridge. He popped a few pain pills and closed his eyes. "These friggen Accords are gonna be the death of us all, Hap. Take me home."

Happy nodded without saying anything, leaving Tony to his thoughts.

Tony groaned as he massaged the tension out of his neck and shoulder. He couldn't believe how difficult it was to temper the Accords. It came down to the fact that Tony wanted to conceal the identities of the Avengers. Even when they discussed it the first time, Sam had been very clear about being lojacked. The man had been correct. Signing the Accords meant revealing identities. All the other issues set aside, that was the something Tony himself couldn't agree with either. It put people like Clint Barton and others like him out of the game. Clint would not put his family in danger. Tony understood that. Tony had made a conscious decision to reveal his identity. There had been consequences for that, like when his house was decimated and he and Pepper were almost killed.

Tony's mind turned in a bunch of different directions, thinking back to when the Accords had first been brought to his attention. Little did any of the others know that he had been against them wholeheartedly too. He knew it wasn't good for the Avengers, but the guilt he felt over the losses. He couldn't reconcile himself to continuing in the face of that guilt. People died and it was on them. Blood was on his hands, even if it was for the greater good. Who got to decide what the greater good was? Tony was tired of being the one to decide that. Suddenly, he became okay with someone else deciding the greater good just so he could wash his hands of it.

The phone rang bringing Tony out of his reverie. He leaned forward and hit the audio switch, not wanting to be face to face with anyone right at that moment. His head was still pounding to the beat of its own drum.

"Ya, Stark here."

"Tony," said a soft voice.

Tony sat up, his heart rate picking up speed in his chest. "Pepper?"

"Yah, it's me. Hi."

Tony smiled feeling lighter than he had in months. Just hearing Pepper's voice was like soothing balm to his soul.

"Hi. What…I mean how…what are you doing?" He stumbled over his words.

Pepper laughed nervously. "Are you hiding from me?"

"What? No, why…"

"No video…" she said. Tony could hear the teasing in her voice. God, he'd missed that.

Tony rolled his eyes and hit the video button. Immediately the screen jumped to life and Pepper's beautiful face lit up the backseat. Tony sucked in a breath as she smiled at him. He puffed out his cheeks and suddenly felt speechless like a pimple faced schoolboy trying to talk to his crush for the first time.

"God, Pep, you look so damned good."

Pepper's face flushed making Tony chuckle. He loved how quickly he could make her blush. The curse of being a redhead. Pepper's lavish red hair tumbled down the side of her face and onto her shoulders in ringlets and her freckled nose wrinkled in amusement.

"Likewise," she said softly.

Tony sat staring at her, feeling like he had no words to express how much he loved her and missed her. 'Taking a break' was killing him but he had been prepared to give her as much time as she needed. The Avengers disbanding and the fight with one of his best friends had been devastating but nothing was more shattering to him than the thought of losing Pepper. She was his lifeline. He could not imagine life without her. He was willing to do anything to keep her.

"So, what's up? How're tricks? Keeping busy? The company is doing amazing as usual. Couldn't do it without ya, Pep. I'd probably be a poor pauper somewhere if it wasn't for your business know-how."

Pepper smiled. She'd heard Tony say the same words more times than she could count. She knew he was grateful that she'd taken over the company. She was a born CEO. Running the company was something she did with ease and with integrity. Tony wasn't a businessman. He was an inventor at heart. She knew he often referred to himself as the billionaire, genius, playboy philanthropist but Pepper knew that was the façade he hid behind.

"We should talk, Tony."

"Of course, my casa is your casa. Come over, I'll make you an omelet and we'll talk."

She chewed her lip for a moment. "I'm sorry about the Avenger's division. I know they are your friends. It must be so difficult to see everyone at odds with one another."

Tony heaved a sigh. He could not deal with this conversation with Pepper right now. Things between them were so fragile and if Tony allowed himself to be vulnerable, he would lose his edge and his bravado would crumble. Pepper was the only one he would let his guard down for and he wasn't sure where they stood as a couple. He couldn't allow himself to…Tony shook his head to rid himself of that thought. Pepper was his antithesis but also his soulmate. He scrubbed a hand across his face.

"Yah, I can't get into that," he stated curtly. "So, when can I expect you?"

Pepper's eyes filled with tears at his words and Tony silently cursed himself. He hated that he was the one to put the tears there. He was a son of a bitch and he knew it. He couldn't stop being a jackass no matter how hard he tried.

"I'm so sorry, Tony. I should've been there when I heard about the Sokovian Accords. I knew that there would be division. I knew..." she paused as her voice broke under her emotion.

Tony's heart plunged. He physically ached all over when she cried. He never knew he could love someone so much until he met Pepper. How had he been so wrong? How had he put avenging ahead of her? Barton was a freakin' smart man to hide his life. Tony wished at that moment that he too had kept his anonymity so he could keep Pepper and him a secret and guarantee her well-being. It was too little too late.

"Don't cry, Pepper. Please. You know I can't take that…I can't," Tony ran a hand through his dark hair. "God, I just want to hold you. How close are you to me? Let me come to you?"

Pepper shook her head and forced herself to calm down. "Um, no, I umm need a few hours, okay?" Pepper swiped her tears away and looked deeply into his dark eyes. "Tony, promise me you will tell me everything, please. I can't have any more secrets between us. I'm willing to deal with all, but I need to know, okay? I can't handle not knowing, so you need to tell me everything. Will you promise me that? Please? If you almost die, I need to know. If you fight a creature from some unknown planet, I need to know. If you fly into space on a rocket to save the earth, I need to know…"

Tony smirked, getting the idea. He raised his hand to stop her rambling. "I'll tell you everything and then some, Pep, but please just tell me you'll come back and never leave me again."

Pepper reached her hand out and touched her screen. Tony reached out and touched his screen, in essence touching her hand. Tears shimmered in her eyes and then the screen went black. Tony sat staring at the empty screen, his gut aching in her absence. His face twisted in despair and agony. He now knew what it was like to exist without air. His entire soul ached in anguish. Just then an alarm sounded on his wrist.

"I must inform you, Mr. Stark, that Peter Parker is off grid this evening."

Tony forced his heart rate to slow and his focus to sharpen as he recognized Jocasta's warning system. It was set to alert him whenever Peter went out of his allowed limits. He'd given the kid a radius to patrol and thought he'd been pretty clear about it.

"Damn it," he muttered under his breath. Now wasn't the time he wanted to deal with a pain in the ass teenager. "Happy, how much longer?"

Happy looked in his review mirror, startled at being spoken to after being blocked from Tony's conversations until then. The back part of the car was completely soundproof unless Tony gave him access. Happy was accustomed to driving Tony places with very little interaction with him.

"Traffic is heavy, Boss. Probably a half hour yet."

Tony frowned. "Don't be surprised if I send for a suit,"

"Something wrong, Boss?"

Tony waved a dismissive hand. "Nothing a little bug killer won't handle."

Tony secured the back once again. "Speak to me, Jocasta. Where is the spiderbrat?"

"He's off-grid, Mr. Stark."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"It means he is out of my surveillance range."

Tony groaned. Why were all his AI's so damned difficult? He had programmed Jocasta to be able to pinpoint exactly where Peter was no matter where on the planet. The fact that she was hedging meant Peter had hacked his security or made friends with the AI. Tony glanced at his watch noting that it was half-past seven. It was a Friday night which meant that the kid was allowed to be patrolling. His Aunt May was likely on a late shift leaving the teenager on his own. While most teens would consider it party time, he knew his spiderling would consider it patrolling time - Mr. Friendly neighbourhood spider man to the rescue. Tony tried to swallow the annoyance building within him. Tonight was not a night he wanted to be dealing with this, not when he needed to prepare himself to talk with Pepper.

"Friday, please send a suit."

"Yes, Mr. Stark."

Tony rested his head forcing himself to count to 10. If Peter was giving Jocasta an off-grid reading, it meant he was outside of Brooklyn. Why would the kid do that without telling him? That wasn't their agreement. Peter was supposed to let him know anytime he left the area. That was their deal.

"Jocasta, are you with Peter or did he manage to disband you?"

"I am still in place, Mr. Stark but unable to provide any details of his whereabouts."

Tony pounded the window with his fist. "Blasted, kid! You better have a damned good reason for screwing with my evening, spider baby," grumbled Tony under his breath.

A loud thump alerted him to the fact that his suit had arrived. Tony groaned at the thought of maneuvering himself enough around in the car to suit up and pretty much crawling out the sunroof.

"Aw, hell, this is crap. Happy, pull over, will ya? I'm too old for this shit."

Feeling the car come to a stop, Tony set the suit in motion and it enclosed around him. Stepping outside the door with all eyes on him, he disappeared into the sky. He knew he was going to hear about this from Secretary Ross. Even though he wasn't doing anything that broke the Accords, being a public spectacle was begging for attention.

"Friday, can you get me a location on the delinquent spiderling?"

Tony waited but Friday didn't answer. "Friday?"

"Peter made me promise not to divulge his destination, Mr. Stark."

"What the hell? Friday, whose AI are you? Where is Peter Parker?"

"I cannot tell you."

Tony groaned. "Damn it all to hell, Friday. I don't have time for this shit tonight. Tell me right now!" Tony felt his temper rising to the boiling point. Why would Peter tell his AI to not divulge his whereabouts? He knew the Friday would never keep that promise if Pete was in danger, so that part put his mind at ease but Peter knew better than to go out of bounds. Tony had made it perfectly clear that he needed to stay within the limits. They were already playing with fire with the Accords right now. Tony didn't need an incident right now.

"You're pissing me off, Friday. I could reinvent you, you know."

"Yes, Mr. Stark."

"Why do you like that damned kid better than me?" growled Tony, flying aimlessly around, scanning the area manually for the boy. It was really a waste of time and he knew it. Tony searched his head for a way to figure out where the kid was and what he was doing?"

"Contact Karin and do a status update," commanded Tony, hoping the AI would respect that command. He never could tell because his AI's tended to develop their own unique personalities.

"Very well, sir."

Tony headed towards Manhattan just guessing where the kid might go. Crime could have been on the low side, forcing the boy out of the city limits searching for people to help. He never knew what was in the kid's head from day to day. Tony shook his head, mentally kicking himself. It had been a few weeks since he checked in with the kid's Spidey adventures. As long as Tony never got an alert, he never paid any attention to what the kid did, and Peter never talked about it. Peter was always good to show up on Saturdays but Tony had to admit, he was preoccupied lately. The kid was brilliant so Tony used that to his advantage most days but he never gave the relationship much thought.

"Karin is operating within normal parameters, Mr. Stark."

"I'd like you to test her safety protocols for me, Friday, particularly her training wheels program. Check to see that it is up and running within normal specifications. If it has been tampered with then Peter is in danger."

Tony hadn't bothered to reprogram the suit but Friday didn't know that. It had served its purpose. He had put it there initially to actually see a) if Peter would allow Ned to know he was Spiderman, b) if that happened, would he let Ned look in depth at the suit and c) would he say yes when Ned offered to turn it off? Tony had banked on all 3 happening as part of his "initiation" and purposely gave the protocols names that would irk the teenager so that he would turn them off. The only way to know whether Peter was Avengers material was to test him in that way, give him parameters and see if he'd break them and if so, by how far. Peter had managed to go the full nine yards.

"System is disabled," commented the AI. There was a brief silence and Tony waited. He knew the AI would be forced to reveal the teenager's location if she felt he was in danger.

"Friday?"

"Peter Parker is on a train heading to the Bronx."

"Thank you, Friday."

Tony smiled at his trickery. He had to stay one step ahead of the females in his life - AI and human. It seemed like all of them were out to get him in one way or another.

"I wonder if Pepper is going to fall smitten to Peter as well," mumbled Tony out loud, thinking that he had a lot to tell Pepper about his life, including the introduction of bouncing baby spiderling.

~~~~ISLAND~~~~

Peter sat on the top of the train munching on a banana, lost in thought. It had been a rough week. Homework and preparation for mid-term exams were weighing heavy on him. He'd managed to get himself in hot water with his Aunt May over the last test in Biology. Being that she was a nurse, she couldn't understand why he hadn't asked her for help on some of his assignments. It wasn't that he hadn't wanted to, but she was literally always working late. By the time she got home, he was asleep, and when she was around, he was doing other stuff. He hadn't done it to avoid her. Aunt May had freaked out which made him freak out and he ended up grounded. This meant explaining the whole mess to Mr. Stark because he wasn't allowed to go to for his internship on Saturday. He really didn't relish explaining it to his billionaire mentor.

Peter sighed and tossed the banana peel aside with a groan. The whole thing seriously sucked. Biology was not his forte and he certainly didn't plan to do anything with the knowledge. It was a waste of his time and energy to get the credit. Peter looked around him and lifted his chin in the air, feeling the night air on his face. His mask was off which probably wasn't a good idea but he just didn't care at the moment. He was patrolling but not. Mostly he was just enjoying the space. Aunt May would be working until 3 am so he had lots of time to think.

"What's up, buttercup?" said a voice from behind him. Peter jumped to his feet and his jaw dropped open when he saw Ironman hovering above him. Peter took a step back, slipped on the banana peel and fell backwards off the train.

Ironman's quick reflexes caused him to grab for the boy before he could tumble to the ground, but at the same time, Peter's quick wits enabled him to shoot webs to grab the nearest pole, yanking him from Ironman's grasp. Peter rappelled safely to the ground. Tony landed beside him, his face mask opening revealing his scowl.

"Mr. S-Stark," stuttered Peter, his face white. "What- What are you-you doing here?"

Tony glared at him. "I should ask you the same thing, Underoos. This doesn't look like Brooklyn to me."

Peter looked around him, his face suddenly paler. "Uh, yah, um, well I- I…"

Tony lifted his hand to forestall the boy. "I don't have time to get into a dissertation tonight. We'll talk about it tomorrow. Get your ass home now. Your patrolling time is finished for tonight."

Peter's jaw dropped. "What- What do you mean? It's early. I haven't even started yet."

Tony's hands went to his iron hips. "I said I don't have time tonight, Pete. I've wasted enough time already tracking you down. Jocasta informed me you were off grid. That wasn't part of our deal so you're finished. Hang up your tights and go home. Now!"

"No, wait…I can explain. I wasn't…it just…I wasn't paying attention…"

Tony shook his head and raised his finger. "Yah, I don't care. Go home now!"

Peter's face reddened. He was already irritated and feeling misunderstood by one adult in his life. There was no way he was going to put up with it any longer. He needed to be out patrolling tonight. It wasn't an option.

"Yah, no, that's not gonna happen." Peter lifted his hand and shot a web across to the nearest building. "You don't have time and neither do I. By the way, I won't be there tomorrow. I have things to do." With those final words, Peter disappeared into the distance.

Tony stood there stunned. "Well, that went well. Son of a bitch. Why can't anything be easy in my life? Just once. "Tony looked up into the sky as if he was talking to a higher being. "Is that asking too much, huh?"

~~~ISLAND~~~

T'Challa came into the room and smiled kindly at Clint and Steve. Both men were reclining in silence staring out the window. T'Challa walked to the window and looked out as well. Steve rose to his feet and joined the man at the window.

"How is she?"

T'Challa placed a hand on Steve's shoulder in comfort. "She'll be just fine. We've removed the arrow." T'Challa turned to Clint with a kind smile on his face. "You are quite the marksmen, Mr. Barton. You didn't damage anything vital."

Clint nodded. "I know. I never miss a shot."

"So, no permanent damage?" persisted Steve.

"None whatsoever. She'll be tender for a few days but with our expertise, the healing will be accelerated." T'Challa pinched his nose carefully. "I need to speak with you both…"

Steve cleared his throat and stared out the window blankly. He knew where this was leading and he knew he wasn't going to like it.

"First, I want to apologize for my sister's nosiness. I warned her to mind her own business. She has a habit of meddling in others affairs…"

Clint stood to his feet, stretching out his back. "Sounds like a normal teen girl to me. How old is Shuri?"

"14 going onto 30. My mother does her best to rein her in, but often I feel the need to step in. It's not my place really, and it makes my mother feel unsettled. Shuri is highly intelligent, a genius really, but also very much a child. She lacks self-control and wisdom on life but she means well. I do genuinely believe she wanted to befriend your ward. I know she never meant to intrude on the girl's privacy."

Steve turned, sticking his hands in his pockets forlornly. "Shuri is a delightful girl, T'Challa. You have no need to apologize for her. I'm glad she spied on Wanda and told me. I'm not entirely sure what would have happened if we hadn't discovered her today."

Clint scratched the back of his head. "Can we see her?"

"My mother and Shuri are with her right now. I hope that's okay. My mother has a way with Shuri when she is upset. I thought she'd be able to help Wanda too."

Steve nodded and walked back to the chairs to sit down. T'Challa and Clint followed suit, both sitting down in the large, comfortable recliners overseeing the spectacular landscape. Steve remained sitting forward, resting his elbows on his knees.

"You want to harness her powers, don't you?" asked Steve.

"I feel that is safer for everyone, Captain Rodgers. You cannot control her. You saw that for yourself, and I don't think Mr. Barton wants to shoot her every time she gets out of control."

Clint leaned forward as well. "I feel like crap about that."

Steve smiled sympathetically. "I know, Clint; it's okay."

T'Challa leaned back more and crossed his legs. "My mother thinks we should just do it casually without her knowledge. She won't notice because it will be so subtle. She will still keep her abilities but she won't have the power to hurt anyone or herself."

"She will notice," said Steve, knowing that he would notice immediately if his powers were suddenly withdrawn or depleted. Wanda's abilities were part of who she was and there was no way she wouldn't notice the drain. "I know we are staying in Wakanda because of your graciousness in granting us asylum. We appreciate it and don't wish to stick our noses up at your authority. I just beg of you to second guess this decision. Taking Wanda's powers from her is like taking part of her very being. Her telekinetic abilities are part of her chemical makeup and I want her to learn to control them. She can't do that if she's being dialled back."

T'Challa nodded his understanding. "I can appreciate that, and I hear you, but I cannot allow her to endanger my people, Captain Rodgers. You can understand that, can't you?"

Steve sighed and nodded. He did understand and while every single part of him disagreed with it, he had to respect the decision. One thing Steve could do was honour and respect authority. They were seeking sanctuary in another country and the least he could do was honour its rules.

Steve stood up again and reached out a hand in amity. "I do and I thank you. We owe you a debt we can never repay, T'Challa."

T'Challa nodded and stood up, shaking hands with Steve. "It is our pleasure, Mr. Rodgers. Believe me, I understand your plight and even agree with your stance. Sometimes it's a matter of the greater good." He looked at Clint and nodded. "I must go. Wanda should be ready to see you now."

Clint remained quiet, as did Steve as T'Challa walked away. Steve ran a hand through his short, blonde hair. His jaw clenched several times before he turned to face Clint.

"So, any bright ideas, Cap?" said Clint.

Steve deadpanned. "I was hoping you'd have some, Clint. You're the dad. I'm the 100-year-old war hero."

Clint chuckled as he stood up once again. "Well, we might as well go face the music. I'm pretty sure she's gonna be pissed at me."