So, here's the second and last part.

Just to clarify a few things. When I started writing this, I was Team Iron Man; to the point that I downright hated Cap and all his team. Now... I'm still Team Iron Man, but I no longer hate the other side. Apparently they'll turn out to be right! I don't quite agree. Tony might not have realized (or didn't want to believe) how wrong things would go with the Accords, doesn't mean he was wrong when saying they were necessary. I try to express that opinion through Skye in this one.

There's more I'd have liked to write for this, but I couldn't get my head around it. So I decided to leave it as is.

Also, as far as AoS is concerned. Season 1 happened exactly the same. S2 had changes as has been already explained; with more changes at the ending which will be mentioned in this chapter. S3... only the very basics took place, with the obvious changes that have already been mentioned (Grant only went to HYDRA to take down the Malicks and whoever else might have been left, Phil and Skye never stopped trusting each other, etc). Also, I did something with 'Daisy' I hope you like it, or at least don't hate it.

Anyway, on with the chapter!

Part 2

It was messy, and terrible, in ways I will never be able to fully explain. The coming of Thanos… Tony knew he was coming, that he had an army with numbers that most of us would be unable to comprehend. He tried to warn many people, but they refused to believe him. In the end it came down to family. But that was alright, because we are not any kind of family. We're the kind that does things right. We aren't really family by blood, but we're by choice, and in my book, that's even more important…

I first met Phil Coulson in early July of 2010. Happy dropped me at the mansion's doors after picking me up from the airport, warning me that his boss hadn't returned yet. Phil was there already, apparently waiting on him.

"Who are you Miss?" He asked, looking at me carefully.

"Sue." I asked without quite thinking about it.

It was my strategy-of-sorts. The people who knew me I allowed to call me Skye, the name I'd chosen; those that either had known me when I was still in St. Agnes, or with whom I felt I was better acting like I should have when I was that lost little girl, I used the name Mary with them; and with those that made me want to be defiant, I was Sue. Of course that was something that only really made sense to me, but that was okay.

"Mr. Stark isn't here." Phil pointed out.

"I know." I nodded.

"I told her." Happy announced, stepping into the room, having parked the car, he turned to me then. "The room's ready. It's the same as last time."

I thanked him and left, feeling Phil's eyes on my back the whole way.

It was until the next day, when we met in the kitchen for breakfast that I learned his name, and the fact that he was an Agent of SHIELD.

"Well, if you ever need a little hacking-help, give me a call." I offered with a wink.

"But darling, I thought what we had was special!" Tony's words, said in the most dramatic, and almost obnoxious tone ever, announced his arrival (they also kept Phil from saying whatever he might have been thinking at the time).

I stayed about three months in Malibu. At the end of July (the first of those months) Tony somehow managed to convince both Phil and I to go to Portland with him, where the Philarmonic Orchestra was giving a concert. Tony's interest was due to the fact that the new first cello was a childhood friend of his: Audrey Nathan.

I learned a lot about Tony in those days, as did Phil, I'm sure. Audrey and Tony were such close friends since childhood, because she'd been a student of his mother's, a professional musician. Audrey had been her last student before the accident that killed her, when Tony was 21. All along Tony had done his best to be there for Audrey, she was as good as family to him. Also, Tony himself knew how to play many instruments, the cello included, and did it well; he had never done it professionally because for him playing was a very personal, intimate thing.

I only heard him play once, near the end of my stay in Malibu. It was a rendition of a song called 'Nothing Else Matters'. I understood then why Tony said playing was intimate to him, there was something about the way he lost himself in the music, I'd only seen it in his workshop; and then, halfway through the song, he raised his head, and while he never hesitated in his playing, his hyper-focus turned elsewhere. His eyes took my breath away, even when it wasn't me he was looking at in that moment.

The next morning, both he and Phil were late for breakfast. Even as I left I was so sure something had to have happened between then. Then, in December, I saw the news, Tony was dating Pepper. I hadn't the slightest idea of what was going on. Considered the news being nothing more than gossip, until I came across the two of them one day, they were hand in hand, having dinner at a small but very good restaurant. A part of me wondered what had gone wrong, I couldn't have possibly misread the expression in Tony's eyes as he stared at Phil, could I?

Tony and I kept meeting every so often through the following months, close to two years. I was happy for him and Pepper (had eventually decided to push aside my confusion at what might or might not have happened that night in Malibu). Then the alien invasion to NY happened…

It was Tony who gave me the news that Phil was dead, I couldn't believe it. Not because I didn't believe him capable of doing exactly what he did that got him killed; but because Phil was the kind of man I didn't imagine could possibly die. Like he had to be immortal somehow, except he wasn't. I wasn't exactly mourning him, it's not like we'd been friends, we were acquaintances, if that. But Tony was mourning, and for some reason kept trying to hide it, and I didn't understand. I didn't like it, not understanding, not being able to help.

Tried to help Tony with his PTSD, didn't work out. We had our worst fight to date and I ended walking away, for more than six months. The next time we saw each other was in January of 2013, as he lay in bed, recovering from his recent surgery. Pepper was in 'seclusion' (sort-of) learning to fully control herself and her changes. I made sure to hack everything that was in any way connected to Aldrich Killian and handed it over, in case it might prove useful. Not that I didn't believe Tony capable of doing it himself, I just wanted to be useful.

"You sure you wouldn't rather stay?" Tony asked me as I prepared to leave, almost a month later.

"What?" I wasn't expecting that.

"You have a room here." He announced, somewhat flippantly. "A whole floor actually. It's fully furnished and equipped, only missing decorations. Though you need only pick colors and maybe patterns, we could get it done in two, three days tops."

"Tony..." I had no idea what to say to that.

"You're under no obligation of course." He said immediately, almost sheepishly. "I just… you are my friend Skye, one of the few I have."

"You're my friend too Tony." I assured him, kissing his brow tenderly. "One day, I promise just… not today. I don't think I'm ready to settle down just yet."

He smiled. And I knew it wasn't at my leaving, but at the hope that one day I wouldn't. I promised myself that whatever it was that made me keep moving around, I would do my best to get it out of my system soon, then I'd move into the tower. Who knew? Perhaps I might even get an actual job for once!

Of course, man plans and god laughs, as the saying goes. I happened to be in LA some six, seven months later, when the 'hooded hero' dropped out of a burning flat and onto the middle of the street, and unconscious redhead in his arms. My life changed completely after that day.

When I saw none other than Phil Coulson standing there, in his usual suit and with his same look of 'pretending to be perfectly harmless' when he was anything but, I could only stare. The shock was so great I didn't put up any resistance and he and the second suit managed to put a bag over my head and take me away.

A lot happened in the next couple of days, and my head never once stopped reeling. And it wasn't just Mike, and Centipede but… Phil was there, he was alive, and he apparently didn't recognize me! Granted, my hair had been black, my clothes in a completely different style (beanie included) and I'd been going by Sue at the time we met in person, but still! I wasn't that forgettable, was I?

When the whole 'TAHITI' thing was revealed… it actually explained a number of things. I still hadn't the slightest idea of how I was supposed to deal with things. I couldn't keep his being alive secret from Tony forever. But how to explain to him that Phil was alive, but something apparently wasn't right with his head? And how was I to explain that to Phil? Centipede, and Raina and the Clairvoyant actually kept us pretty busy for a good time, so I kept putting it off… and then HYDRA was revealed, and SHIELD fell.

I waited until it was all over. Until we'd dealt with Garrett, gotten Ward, Fitz was being seen to, and Simmons was with him, waited until May locked herself into her new bunk and Koenig got very busy seeing to… whatever it was he had to do in our new super-secret base; then I went straight to our new Director's office. Making sure to lock the door the moment I was inside.

"We need to talk." I announced as soon as I was inside.

"Sounds ominous." He quipped, trying for levity, and failing entirely.

"July 7th, 2010, what do you remember from that day?" I questioned.

"Hmm..." He actually seemed to stop and ponder the question. "It was a normal day. Nothing special. Went to the office, did the same as always. Why are you interested in that day?"

"Because you didn't go to the office." I explained with a sigh. "That was the day we met Phil. In Malibu, California. In Tony's living room."

"What?!" He clearly wasn't expecting that. "No, that's not possible, I..."

"Tell me something, how did you meet Audrey Nathan?"

"She was being harassed by Daniels, SHIELD sent me, I helped her. You know this already Skye, we've talked about this before."

"You met Audrey in late July of 2010. Tony introduced her to us, she's his childhood friend. He took us to Portland to a concert of the Orchestra where she'd just become first cello."

"That's not possible."

"Why not?"

"Because I don't remember any of that!"

But I was ready for that, for his denials, I pulled out my laptop and turned it around, showing him a video I'd taken that night, of Audrey performing a solo; halfway through the song the video changed focus, showing Tony and Phil, both close to the edge of their seats, completely lost in the melody being played.

"I don't… I don't remember that." Phil murmured, very softly.

"I know you don't." I nodded.

"I don't remember you either." He added.

"Know that too." I nodded again. "To be fair, I was in a sort-of goth phase at the time and going by Sue. The middle-name the nuns at St. Agnes gave me."

"Why don't I remember any of that?"

"I have no idea." I admitted softly. "But I will find out, I promise." I took a deep breath. "Only… I really, really think you need to talk to Tony, and maybe the other Avengers. From what I know they all took your death pretty hard, but Tony… I know it doesn't always seem like it, but he cares. He probably wouldn't admit it, if you were to ask him, but you were his friend Phil, and losing you, it affected him. He deserves to know you're alive."

It was obvious Phil didn't quite believe me, but he still nodded. So, having done what I'd done there to do, and with my new self-imposed mission (finding out why and how Phil had forgotten all he had), I made to leave.

"I have an offer for you." Phil said unexpectedly.

"What…?" I turned back, confused.

"I wasn't planning on naming a Deputy." He explained. "Our numbers are small enough I can handle things, and May has already promised to help me deal with the paperwork. But after what you just showed me… it's clear that there's something not completely right with me. If things get worse, if I ever become a liability, to this team, to SHIELD, I need to know there will be someone ready to handle things." He must have seen something in my eyes, for he immediately went on. "I need someone I can trust. And dear as Melinda might be to me… she knew about TAHITI and never said a thing. She didn't trust me, I cannot forget that. I trust you Skye, completely. Will you be my second?"

Later on he explained to me that while he'd filled all the forms, we wouldn't be making any official announcements. I'd get the clearance, and he'd justify it with the fact that he'd already been thinking of doing away with the levels. People would only find out the truth about my rank if something ever happened to him, or if I needed to call on that authority during an emergency.

Two days later, I was the first person he called, he showed me the wall he'd spent the whole night carving into. And this began a whole new adventure (mess) for us all.

It took us quite a while to get things together enough to call Tony. First with Ward being in Vault D (and all of us, myself included, so angry with him), then there was his escape, the mess with HYDRA, Raina, my father, San Juan (while running down there I couldn't help but wonder, briefly, if I'd ever get to talk to Tony again, to apologize for not getting in touch with him in so long…). Then there were my powers, Gordon, Afterlife, the 'Real' SHIELD. And I knew Tony had his own mess to deal with, after Ultron and Sokovia.

I also believe that AC didn't want to make that call when there was still a chance that he might go crazy, or worse, with that thing in his blood. And once that danger was past… well, everything else happened. Still, I made sure that we both got to it the moment I was sure the sky wouldn't fall down on us or something.

I will never forget how that particular conversation went.

"Hey Tony." We were locked inside my bunk (it was more secure than AC's office, really), though Phil was staying off my phone's camera's line of sight for the time being.

"Hey! My favorite gal!" He called brightly. "Where have you been?"

"That's a bit of a long story." I admitted with a sigh. "It's been a long two years Tony..."

"You don't visit, you don't call, I thought you had forgotten about me!" He went for joke, but I could tell the underlying sadness in his eyes.

"I wanted to call you I just… things have been complicated. And I'm not just saying that, I promise you. I… I had no idea how to even begin to explain things to you."

"How to explain what? I've no idea what you're talking about Skye."

"She's talking about me." Phil announced, stepping behind me.

I let out a sigh, I just knew Tony wasn't going to take that well, at all. I was right.

"JARVIS!" Tony yelled immediately. "Trace this call! We need to find Skye and..."

"I don't need rescuing Tony." I cut him off. "I'm perfectly safe. Yes, this is Phil. Yes, he's alive. I know that is insane. I know you might not be ready to believe it. And before your mind runs away from you. We… I did not keep it from you because I didn't trust you but because I had no idea what was going on. I needed to be sure that he was alright, that whatever they'd done to him wouldn't go wrong at some point. That if he came back into your life, he wouldn't hurt you."

"It wasn't your responsibility..." Tony and Phil began, practically at the same time.

I could have laughed at them.

"It'd have been if I'd been the one to put you back in touch with each other." I pointed out, looking at Phil over my shoulder. "With the hell the GH325 has been giving us, all the things you still don't remember."

"What doesn't he remember?" Tony demanded.

And so we explained things to him. I'm sure I didn't hallucinate the pained look in Tony's eyes regarding everything Phil had forgotten.

"Does anyone else know?" Tony asked eventually.

"Aside from my team, Fury, Hill, and a few people at SHIELD, half of who turned out to be HYDRA, most of who are now dead? No one." Phil answered with his usual deadpan expression.

"Your boy didn't tell me anything about this Skye!" Tony yelled at me.

"Why would he have told you anything? Before I sent him to you Grant didn't even know that you and I knew each other." I pointed out. "He's no idea that you and Phil know each other, aside from the basics, with him being SHIELD and you being Iron Man."

"Right." He nodded. "We need to arrange a meeting. An in-person meeting."

"Why?" Phil didn't understand, though to me it seemed pretty obvious.

"Because I won't believe any of this until I see you face to face." Tony answered, dead-honest.

So we arranged for a meeting. We were already planning on going out, to see Cal, make sure he'd settled alright after going through the TAHITI protocol himself. We could easily take a little longer and arrange a visit with Tony somewhere private (and Grant, by that point I'd accepted that I loved him, completely, and I really needed to see him again).

I don't know how Phil managed to get Tony to open up, about Sokovia, and Ultron, and all that somehow lead to that point. The Avengers had failed him, but we wouldn't. And so we became his Plan B for dealing with the threat we all knew was coming…

After rescuing Tony from Siberia (and sending that message to King T'Challa) we stayed in NY. At first it was supposed to be something temporary. Until Tony came out of surgery, until he made full recovery, until we knew he'd be alright… we just kept finding excuses to extend the deadline, time and again. Until we just had to accept we weren't leaving. Then we decided to take it one step further.

The Avengers were decimated in the aftermath of the so-called Civil War. I had no doubt that Tony would find a way to make Col. Rhodes walk again. But Spider-Man wasn't ready to be an Avenger, Vision was depressed (I didn't even know he could get depressed) and Tony was busy handling the Accords. So I decided it was time to step up.

Everyone came out from whatever room they usually hid in upon our arrival. We were all in casual clothes, except for the matching leather jackets each which had, somewhere on it, the symbol for the Secret Warriors. It was Joey's idea, to show our unity even when we weren't on a mission and we all liked it.

"Who are you all guys?" Rhodey asked, rolling to us confused.

"This is my team." I announced, proudly. "You already know Grant. Then there's Lincoln, Alisha, Joey and Elena. We're the Secret Warriors."

"You all have powers?" Peter asked, approaching, curious.

For all answer Elena flash-stepped to him, poked him and then got back. Peter actually squeaked a bit, making us all laugh.

"This is awesome!" He cried out, delighted.

"Who started a party and why was I not invited?" Tony called loudly as he stepped out.

"Tony Stark!" I called, very seriously, knowing that would make him snap to attention. "Consider this your invitation." That certainly through him for a loop. "Welcome to the Secret Warriors."

In a heartbeat Elena had gone and gotten his jacket. Then returned. His had, aside from the SW symbol, a design allusive to his own Iron Man armor. All our jackets had personalized designs (Grant knew someone who made personalized leather jackets and gave him a good price), though none was quite as obvious as his.

"Are you sure about this?" He asked me quietly.

I hadn't asked him if he wanted to join, because I knew he would, yet would never admit it. Was doing him a favor, taking the choice out of his hands. I'd also purposefully used his name, no 'Not Recommended' shit from us. I knew who he was and I wanted all of him on my team. I also believed we would be able to give him what he needed, the team he dreamed of having when the Avengers were formed. They always kept him at arms-length. Never allowing him to truly belong. We'd never do that. We were more than a team, we were a family. It didn't even matter if he wasn't inhuman. Mike Peterson wasn't inhuman either, but he was set to join our team once he returned from his family vacation.

"Yes." We all stated in unison.

And so we came to stay at the Avengers Compound. We began all training together right away. Officially I was the leader, with Grant as my second; but everyone knew that if Tony ever gave an order it was to be followed without hesitation. We understood that he was a genius in every sense of the word, and if he wanted one of us to do something it was for a good reason, so there was never any doubting, or posturing, or fights for dominance.

At the same time I stepped up as leader of the Inhumans, joining Tony in finding ways to make the Accords better, safer for everyone, both human and gifted.

We did all we could to prepare for the upcoming battle. As soon as we were sure the Accords were good enough (and Tony had gotten Ross behind bars, for good) we were on the move. Phil moved his contacts in the government, enough to grant SI and several other companies, working together, the authorization and part of the funds needed to build a defense system for the planet. Meanwhile my Warriors and I took to recruiting. Not for our team, but to make sure that as much of the world would have people willing and ready to defend it, if it came down to it.

I cannot be sure when exactly Tony and Phil got their act together. At times it seems like it's just happened, the way they act with each other, like everything is so new for them. And then there are the times when they just stared at one another, and there's a history behind their eyes, like they've been in love forever… It's an odd dichotomy. It makes me want to go to Grant and hold him in my arms and never let him go.

So much happened to those two, so many bad things, and somehow they still managed to find their way to each other. They're an example that love exists, even if it may seem impossible. I've promised myself that, no matter what happens, I will make sure they don't lose that again, no one will hurt either of them ever again. I will make sure of it. They're my family after all, more than anyone else, except maybe Grant. They were even before I got my new name!

"Miss." FRIDAY calls to me. "The Avengers are here."

Yes, they're Avengers now/again. They laid claim to that name when the battle began. I wonder if they expected that doing so would automatically group them with those they betrayed? Or maybe they are petty enough that they thought to do it as a way or 'punishing' the one they insist on claiming betrayed them? It doesn't matter. They may be Avengers, but to us they're nothing. We are Secret Warriors and that's what truly matters.

Still, they're on their way to be a problem, and thus I have to deal with it. Don't want to bother Tony and Phil, they're still celebrating the victory…

"Where is Stark?"

Rogers being at the front of that group, making demands doesn't surprise me in the slightest. The way at least half of his (remaining) teammates hang back, not quite looking at me, does.

"What do you want?" I ask, standing straight, arms crossed.

I'm not wearing my tactical clothes in that moment, though I am wearing my gloves. Tony working with FitzSimmons managed to create a 'softer' version of the gauntlets I use in battle. They absorb my power when I don't want to use it and am having trouble controlling my emotions. Usually that wouldn't happen much, not anymore, but during the battle I used my powers a lot, so they're closer to the surface than they used to be. I just need to find my balance once again (which won't happen with the Avengers bothering us!).

"I want to talk to Stark!" Rogers demands. "He owes us a few apologies, and he will give them. No more hiding behind his robots and a bunch of children..."

"Puh-lease!" I scoff. "Children? I know you like considering people under thirty children, but we're not. Then again, wouldn't that make you a child?"

I'm provoking him, and I know it, but I don't care. He hurt my family! He won't get away with that. The moment he gets too close I uncross my arms, readying myself for a fight.

"Miss, we don't want to fight..." Scott Logan, standing behind and to his right, where someone else used to, calls out.

"Don't you?" I ask testily, looking straight at Rogers.

"We will go in..." Rogers begins.

"No, you won´t!" I snap.

The moment he puts a hand on me, I snap, two fingers on his wrist, and then I let go. Not completely. I'm quite certain that not even a super-soldier would be able to handle me going all out (there are some who believe I may have the power to 'quake' the very Earth apart, if I ever have the inclination… not that I'd ever do it. I want to protect people, not hurt them).

Rogers hisses, pulling back instantly, I'm quite sure he must have gotten at least a fissure, not that it'll last long, but he now knows I'm not playing games.

"Like I said." I state stoically. "You wanna talk to a Stark, you talk to me. You should realize how lucky you are, since I'm the only one who's willing to even look at you." I stare daggers at him. "If you try to force your way in Iron Soul is liable to blow you up where you stand, and if that were to fail… well, FRIDAY has complete control over the Compound's defenses, and we have a lot of those, considering that all non-fighters in our families took refuge here during the battle."

It looks like Rogers is about to start ranting, again, when Romanoff shifts her stance.

"You're a Stark?" She narrows her eyes at me, like she cannot believe that's possible, that there can be another Stark and she not know.

As I stand back, standing tall and in my best pose, my smile is predatory:

"I am Skylar Genisys Stark."

"What do you mean that you'll make me a Stark?" I was completely shocked. "I'm not a Stark. Or a minor. You cannot adopt me Tony!"

"I don't have an heir, thanks to the fucking palladium poisoning I will never an heir… not of my blood at least." Tony explained, way more serious than he usually was. "There are two kids… their mother is dying, cancer. Arrangements have been made, their mother is getting the best care money can buy. I cannot keep her alive, but I can make sure that what time she has left she'll be comfortable, and she'll never worry for her children again. When the time comes they'll become my charges. The boy… we've all talked with him already, he's a mechanical genius, R&D will become his, if he wants it, eventually. His sister… she can have whatever she wishes. They all changed their names already, had no interest in keeping that of the coward who abandoned them years ago." He sneered at the mere thought of the man. "Harley… he's a wonder, truly."

"That doesn't explain why you want me."

"Well, I could be logical and tell you that it's convenient. If something happens to me before Harley turns eighteen, they will need someone who can take care of him and Tessa. And if something happens to Pep before he turns 21, someone will need to take over SI." He let out a breath. "But this isn't about practicalities, and I'm sure we both know that. Skye… we're shit at feelings, both of us. But I've no doubt that I'm not the only one who considers the other family."

He was right about that.

"I know you have even more family issues than I do, I just..." He ran a hand through his head. "If we were normal people it wouldn't matter. We could call each other family and have that be enough. But we're not normal people. And while just saying might be enough for us, doing it legally, it can do more, for both of us. I may not be able to give you the past, the childhood you deserve, but I can make sure you'll never want for anything, ever. That if anything were to happen to me, your future will be assured. And most important, I want to give all that to you, give you a home, a place to belong… a family…"

"You gave me all that years ago." I assured him, so softly, barely able to hold back my tears.

"So… Daisy Stark?" He offered.

Of course he knew what my legal name was. But, truth be told, when I decided to make that my legal name, I hadn't been thinking clearly. With everything that happened in Afterlife, with Raina and my birth-parents, and the so-called real SHIELD. I wanted… needed… a place to belong, something to hold onto. And I decided that the name I was given upon my birth was the thing. As if calling myself that would somehow make things better. Not only it didn't do that, but I at some point realized that, not only I hadn't gained anything, I was losing. Losing the person I had been, losing Skye… I didn't like that.

"No." I shook my head. "I think I'm done with being Daisy. Done with holding onto the name of a stolen baby girl, as if that will somehow make me the person I was supposed to be. I'm not that girl, I'll never be that girl. And that's okay." I took a deep breath. "I used to be so proud of the person I chose to be. Of Skye… I think I need to do that again."

"Skye Stark?" He proposed then.

"Genisys..." The codename slipped through my lips without me even thinking about it.

I no longer cared for being Daisy Johnson. I was Quake when with my Secret Warriors. But there was one other name. It could never be my code-name, I was already Quake, but the name was still mine. And I was almost as proud of it, as I was of being Skye.

"Skylar Genisys Stark." I decided.

I wonder, if when Tony and Phil finally get around marrying each other, will Harley, Tessa and I have to change our names again? Or maybe Phil can just join us being a Stark? Not like it matters in the grand scheme of things, my mind just tends to wander.

"You're Stark's daughter?!" Several of the newcomers demand.

"Why the hell didn't we know that?" Barton practically snarls.

"Oh… you mean like everyone knew about your wife and children?" I question in a sing-song manner. "Except, that may not be the best comparison, seeing how we're still a family, and you on the other hand…"

I know, even before I finish saying the words, that I've touched a nerve (or more like stomped on it). He pulls out a gun and shoots before any of his companions can utter a single word (cannot use a bow when his arm was shattered in the fight), not like I think they care at all. I don't mind either, it doesn't take more than a thought for me to divert the bullet. It's turned to cinders before it ever touches the ground, and a moment later, we're surrounded, my whole team around us.

We're not all whole. Lincoln is dead, at some point he focused more on the injured than on really fighting, died protecting those who couldn't protect themselves, not due to an actual injury, but he used his powers so much that his body eventually just gave up on him. Mike is in the infirmary, he was badly hurt, very badly, only survived due to his enhancements. Though he lost a leg, Tony already promised him a new one as soon as he's ready for it. Alisha is in a coma, after losing more than half of her doubles during the fight. We know she'll recover, but it'll take a while. Joey is alive but he's gone, left as soon as we were sure Thanos was gone and not coming back. The whole thing traumatized him so badly, he just doesn't want to fight ever again.

Still, the rest of the team is there: Grant, Elena, Vision, Peter and Harley are all there, in their civilian forms, but making no secret of their powers. The more human members of our group: Bobbi, Lance, Mack, May and even Pepper (well, she's not exactly-fully-human anymore… but still); are just behind them, weapons at the ready. Even Dr. Banner, Loki, Brunhilde, Thor, Jane, Darcy and the Guardians have approached, though they stay by the Compound's door, standing guard but choosing not to get involved. While they fought with us, and they all respect us (and my family), they recognize they're not really part of our team.

"Tony Stark must receive us, he owes us that much." Rogers insists.

"Dad owes you nothing!" Harley practically roars.

While I might not feel comfortable calling Tony something like that (even if I do call both him and Phil family), Tessa and Harley have no compunction about it. Harley especially seems to take great delight in using that title to refer to him. Just as he takes pride in being Iron Soul.

"What…?" That throws all the Avengers for a loop.

"He's an Avenger, he will see us." Natasha demands.

I cannot help it, I laugh, as do almost all on my side of things.

"What the hell are you laughing about?" Scott demanded.

"Oh Scott, Scott…" A new voice calls.

I'm not surprised at all when Hope (in the Wasp suit) is on my left side, a few feet away.

"Hope!" Scott's smile is so great… until he realizes she's glaring at him. "What's wrong? Why are you on their side?"

"Haven't you realized it yet Scott?" She asks with a slight roll of her eyes. "You chose the wrong side, again. This time you might not end up going to prison, the world is still thankful enough for being saved. But you certainly won't be having a lot of fans, or people willing to work or even be around you outside your little group."

"I don't understand." Scott admits quietly. "We're Avengers, we saved the world."

Again, laughter.

"The Avengers fought to save the world, yes, as did dozens of other teams around the world, both of gifted and baseline humans." May states, approaching. "You did your part, but you didn't save the world. Everyone did."

"Oh, and just so we're clear." I add. "Tony's not an Avenger. He's not on your team. Hasn't been since you all betrayed him."

"We didn't betray him… he betrayed us!" Clint retorts.

"You betrayed him when you thought you knew better than 117 nations." May hisses. "When you thought you had the right to make all the decisions, simply because you have power. When you had the gall to tell those same 117 nations that they didn't have the right to demand accountability from you!"

"The Accords were wrong." Rogers begins.

"The Accords weren't perfect." I correct. "But that's been fixed. That you might have been right about the danger such a document represented, doesn't automatically mean that Tony was wrong in saying something like that was needed. It was, and if even now you cannot see it, cannot see that people, civilians, deserve to feel safe, to feel that the heroes are truly here to protect them, not to hurt them. That we're human, we may make mistakes, but we will make things right, or as right as we can… then I've no idea what to say to you."

If he still doesn't see it (cannot see it, rather than him just being in denial), then I'll really worry about him, about what it means for us all. We've just defeated an insane warlord looking not to conquer the universe but to downright destroy it, the last thing we need is a sociopathic Captain America putting the world in danger next time.

"Who are you anyway?" Barnes, with only one arm yet again.

He had a new metal arm during the battle; something tells me it must not have been that great, if he no longer had it. Either it was destroyed during the fight, or it just wasn't a good fit for him. Wouldn't surprise me if, along with demanding ridiculous apologies, the so-called Avengers were here to insist that Tony make an arm for him. Probably using some kind of excuse like Tony was the one who destroyed his old one…

"We're the Secret Warriors."

We don't time it, don't even look at each other, but somehow we still manage to speak almost completely in sync. Makes our declarations sound all the more powerful, somehow.

There is no response to that, and I know why. Everyone in the world knows who the Secret Warriors are. It's hard not to, we were the ones in Ground Zero. Where the biggest battle took place. And not just that; Grant, Tony and I took on Thanos himself, while the rest of the team handled his lieutenants.

It was insane, nearly killed us all. At the same time it has allowed for Inhumans to be considered more than just threats. We're all heroes or potential heroes nowadays. It might not be perfect, but things are better than they were when the Outbreak hit, and that's enough for now. The Watchdogs are gone, and there are no more talks about Inhumans having to register themselves; only if they wish to be 'superheroes', and even then their civilian identities will be kept confidential, their privacy respected. Yeah, things are much better than they were just two years ago.

"So you see Cap." I inject just enough sarcasm in the last word as I say it. "We don't need you, Tony doesn't need you. He already has a team, and what's more, he has a family. People who care about him, who will not betray him. Who will not leave him behind in a cold, abandoned bunker, trapped in a dead suit, after crushing half his rib-cage with a vibranium shield..."

The horror that statement is received with, from the Avengers themselves, tells me Rogers never told them what happened. Captain America lied to his own team! Why does that not surprise me?

"You're not welcome here." I state simply. "You will never be welcome here. Leave."

They do. It surprises me actually. I expected more of a fight. Then again, they're probably too shocked for the time being, doesn't mean they won't return eventually. Still, we're not going anywhere. If they try it again, we'll be ready.

I have no idea what the Avengers might be planning on doing. Do they even have a place to go? It's not like I care actually, but I do feel bad about the people they might try to bother in order to get something, anything. Like Hope said, no one is going to be in any hurry to help them (and not just Scott, the same is true for all of them). It's all on them really, they made their choices, now they have to live with the consequences.

When I finally turn around I realize who else is standing just inside the doors of the Compound. With so many of us all around I managed to miss their vibrations, somehow. It's Tony and Phil.

"You didn't have to do that, you know?" Tony comments quietly.

"Yes, I did." I answer immediately. "You're family. I will keep my family safe, always."

"Well, lunch is ready if anyone's interested." Darcy offers, already en-route to the kitchen.

That gets everyone moving. Really, there's absolutely nothing that can get everyone moving as fast as the offer of food. Especially the food Darcy cooks when she's feeling inspired. That girl should have been a chef rather than poli-sci…

We all take our seats in the big dinning-room table. Tony and Phil both purposefully pass by me on their way to their seats at the head of the table; the former pulling at one of my bangs almost childishly, while the latter lays a hand on my shoulder briefly. For most it might not be much, for me it's a reminder that they love me as much as I love them. That we truly are family.

"Everything alright love?" Grant asks softly, taking a seat beside me.

"Everything's perfect." I respond automatically.

And it is, it really is…

For those wondering. I imagine that something did happen between Tony and Phil the day Tony played the cello. They kissed, maybe even slept together. But in the end Phil was still a SHIELD Agent, and Tony was... Tony. They weren't ready for 'Them' in that moment. So they parted ways. I also believe that Phil might have been holding so hard onto memories of Tony when he died, and during all his suffering as they brought him back, that when they took away the memories of that suffering, those other memories went as well. It's how I explain him not remembering Tony. Also, because of the 'cello' thing, all his feeling for Tony were grouped with those he had for Audrey.

Sorry for the deaths. But if it was war... it had to happen. You might have noticed I implied deaths on the side of the Avengers too. Even if I was never too specific. Clue? Consider who never spoke during that exchange.

Also, in the end Skye didn't do much against them. But I decided she'd see it as simply not being important anymore.

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