Thank you to everyone who has reviewed, followed and favorite this story so far.
Green Hal27: Thank you. Glad to hear it. Indeed he will.
Ellie Bishop: Glad to hear it.
Jinero: Not really. As big of a problem as Ross is (and he is a big problem), removing Ross doesn't eliminate the Accords. The UN would just put someone else in charge.
hunter41963801: Not really. I don't have much interest in the MCU post Endgame, especially not Loki and What if.
Echo Five: I think they'd be more freaked out and bewildered than anything.
Guest 1: Tell me about it.
Guest 2: Thanks.
Guest 3: We will see Coulson and a few members of the SHIELD team will pop up.
Guest 4: No, we won't be seeing Hive in this story.
Avengers Tower
Mid afternoon
Tony was going over the data files FRIDAY had pulled up on Toomes when he heard the clicking of high heels. He didn't need to turn around to know it was Maria Hill.
"Pepper wants you to-"
"You're fired," Tony said abruptly and Hill paused, her brain taking a moment to process the words.
"What?"
"You're fired. Unemployed. You no longer work here. Your services are no longer required. Get out," Tony said flippantly not looking away from the data.
"Are you drunk or something?" Hill asked incredulously, bewildered by Tony's actions.
"Haven't had a drink in days. Don't let the door hit you on the way out. Say hi to Phil for me," Tony said and Hill stiffened.
"You know," she muttered and Tony finally turned around to face her.
"What, you thought you could keep it quiet forever? That we'd never find out? We had a right to know!" Tony snapped.
"It was Coulson's choice not to tell you the truth," Hill said defensively.
"But it was your and Fury's choice to let us think he was dead. To not tell us you were going to try to save him," Tony accused and Hill didn't deny it. "Well, my choice is I don't want to work with someone who keeps lying to me. Get out."
Hill considered arguing but thought better of it. There would be no reasoning with Tony right now, she knew. Perhaps when he had calmed down a bit, she would be able to talk some sense into him. For now, it was best to leave. So Hill turned and walked out of the room as Tony stared after her.
Tony briefly wondered if he had acted too rashly before banishing the thought, turning back to the data on Toomes.
Avengers Compound
Same time
In the conference room, Natasha, Sam, Rhodey and Vision all sat at the table, looking at Steve as he stood in front of them, gathering his thoughts.
"So…where do we start?" Sam asked, repeating the words he had uttered to Steve nearly two years earlier.
"Wait, shouldn't Wanda be here for this?" Rhodey interjected.
"I went by her room, she said she needed to be left alone to think. Scarlet said something to her before she left, I think she needs to deal with it on her own," Steve said before getting back to the topic at hand. "Our first order of business is Zemo and Bucky."
"Should we not consider the Accords first?" Vision inquired.
"Considering we're all on the same side this time it makes more sense to focus on Zemo first," Natasha noted and Steve nodded at her in agreement.
"Well, since we know where Barnes is this time, I say we go get him. Not only do we have eyes on him, but we can give him an alibi when Zemo attacks, if we fail to stop him from bombing the UN," Sam pointed out.
"He's been on the run for two years, and he didn't seem too keen on going with you in the recordings," Rhodey pointed out.
"He thought I was there to fight him and the whole world was looking for him. He might be more willing to hear me out in more controlled circumstances," Steve reasoned.
"Just to be on the safe side, it might be better if I went with you. He might listen to me," Natasha pointed out.
Steve merely nodded, uncomfortable with the reminder of Natasha and Bucky's past. Though he really wasn't sure why.
"Why would he listen to you?" Sam asked confused.
"Because he might," Natasha said shortly, looking at him with a look that said 'back off'.
"Just asking," Sam said raising his hands in an 'I come in peace' gesture.
"What about the Accords? And Ross?" Rhodey inquired.
"Even though we're united, the UN will still play hard ball," Natasha noted.
"And considering what he did to Bruce, I doubt Ross will take our refusal to sign the Accords lightly," Steve noted.
"Perhaps it would be best if Wanda was sent away when Ross comes to give us his ultimatum," Vision suggested and Steve nodded.
"Couldn't hurt," Steve agreed, not trusting that Wanda wouldn't be a target of Ross, considering his history.
"I doubt Clint will mind if she came to visit the farm," Natasha proposed.
"Okay, that leaves Rumlow," Rhodey pointed out.
"Since we know what he's planning, we have a few months to gather Intel and make a plan. A few months to make sure things don't go the way they did," Steve pointed out.
"What about Thanos?" Sam inquired.
"Thanos is a much larger problem, one we have two years to prepare for. And I think we should all be here for that. In the meantime, we stick to our immediate problems," Steve ordered and no one had a problem with that.
In her room, Wanda sat on her bed, absentmindedly playing her guitar as she thought hard about the conversation she'd had with Scarlet before they had all returned to the present.
"We need to talk," Scarlet said as she sat down next to Wanda.
"About what?" Wanda asked as she looked at her future self in confusion.
"You. I know you better than you know yourself, because I am you. So you need to listen to what I have to say," Scarlet said as Wanda looked at her oddly. "You need to forgive yourself."
"What?" Wanda asked in confusion.
"You blame yourself. For Ultron, for Pietro, for Sokovia and the things to come. Now I know that it's called survivor's guilt," Scarlet said, thinking back to the therapy sessions following her breakdown.
"Well, it was my fault. I showed Tony the vision, knowing he would self-destruct," Wanda said in self-loathing.
"We didn't know he would plug it into the internet, use it on a program he knew was flawed, and lie to the others about it," Scarlet pointed out and Wanda was silent. "Blaming ourselves for everything doesn't make everything our fault. We showed Tony a vision, that's on us. What Tony did after that is on him. The two of you did a bad thing, that doesn't make you bad people. You need to learn to forgive yourself Wanda."
"You say that like its easy," Wanda scoffed.
"It's the hardest thing in this world," Scarlet said darkly and it was silent for several moments.
"Was that all?" Wanda asked finally.
"No. I also wanted to talk to you about Vision," Scarlet said and Wanda raised an eyebrow.
"What about him?"
"He's not a bad person…but he's not a good boyfriend. He has good intentions, he does…but he makes decisions for and about us without our consent. It took me years of therapy to be able to see this, even longer to admit. But just like Ultron confused saving the world and destroying it, Vision confuses protection with control," Scarlet told her surprised past self. "Vision, he needs to learn how to live as a person before he can be in a relationship. And we need to work through some of our issues."
Before Wanda could respond, the pair noticed Steve walking over to them.
Wanda put her guitar down, deep in thought. She had a lot to think about.
Asgard
Same time
"Thanos kills me?" Loki asked once Thor had finished.
"Along with half the universe," Thor said grimly. "We need to stop him brother."
"You don't stop Thanos. You can't," Loki said, a terrified look on his face.
"I've seen a world where we do," Thor said, placing a hand on Loki's shoulder. "We have two years to prepare. You, me and the Avengers, we can beat Thanos. Hopefully with a lot less casualties this time."
Before Loki could react, Thor then grabbed him and placed hand cuffs around his hands, the same ones that Loki had been placed in after the invasion of Earth.
"Of course, if you think I'm foolish enough to trust you, you are sadly mistaken," Thor said as Loki looked shocked. "We will remain here for a few days to clean up your mess. Then, we shall return to earth to free father from your spell and regroup with the Avengers."
San Francisco
Same time
Outside his ex-wife's house, Scott rang the doorbell. Scott fidgeted, nerves running wild. It was just picking up Cassie. But after seeing the future, he was now keenly aware of how fast Cassie could actually grow up. Every moment had suddenly become more precious.
The door opened and Maggie stood on the other side.
"Come on in Scott, you know you don't need to ring anymore," Maggie said as she let him in.
"You'd get sick of me if I just barged in," Scott pointed out.
"Maybe," Maggie said with a laugh.
"Cassie ready to go?" Scott inquired.
"She's just getting her bag," Maggie said as Jim walked in.
"Hey buddy," Jim greeted.
"Hey Jim," Scott greeted as the two shook hands. "How's work treating you?"
"Tough but rewarding," Jim said as they dropped hands.
Before the conversation could continue, the sound of footsteps alerted them to Cassie's arrival before she came down the stairs and into the living room.
"Daddy!" She exclaimed happily as she rushed towards him.
As Scott went down to his knees and caught her in an embrace, he became choked up at the feeling of his arms wrapped around his daughter. This was a gift, not a privilege or a right. He would never take it for granted again.
"You alright there buddy?" Jim asked as he noticed the look on Scott's face.
"Yeah, yeah I'm fine," Scott said, coughing slightly as he stood up. "Just had something in my eye."
"Have fun on your weekend with your daddy, okay sweetie?" Maggie told Cassie.
"I will Mom! Come on Daddy let's go!" Cassie said as she grabbed his hand and began leading him towards the door.
Scott laughed as he allowed his daughter to lead him away. He knew he had a lot to do. He needed to talk to Hope and Hank, figure out how to explain things to them, get Janet out of the Quantum Realm along with work with the Avengers to stop Thanos, and hopefully figure out a way out of the Sokovia Accords. But for now, he was happy just to have a weekend with his daughter.
Wakanda
Later in the afternoon
T'Challa had a rare moment to himself, staring out at the city from a window in the palace, his mind on his conversation with his father earlier in the day. He almost didn't hear someone walk up beside him. But he hadn't achieved the title of Black Panther on birth right alone; he had trained and honed his senses and skills for years.
"I assume my mother sent you?" T'Challa inquired.
"She is concerned about you. You and your father," Okoye noted. "I will not ask what happened, but if there is division in the royal family, it could present weakness to the people."
"My entire life…I thought I knew the man my father was. I've tried to emulate him for as long as I can remember. But I recently learned I was wrong," T'Challa said lowly. "My father is not the man I thought he was. In order to forge a new future, in order to do what is best for Wakanda…I can no longer emulate him. I must be my own man now."
T'Chaka sat on the throne, deep in thought as the doors opened and Zuri entered.
"You wished to see me my king?" Zuri inquired as the doors closed behind him.
"T'Challa…he knows about my brother, about the boy," T'Chaka said after several moments and Zuri paled.
"I assure you my king; I've spoken of it to no one," Zuri said immediately.
"I know you did not. But regardless of how he knows…he knows," T'Chaka said and it was silent between the two men for a moment. "T'Challa told me a few things I did not like to hear…but he is not wrong."
"What will you do now my king?" Zuri asked and T'Challa was silent for a long moment.
"Many years ago, I could have done the right thing but chose not to. It has haunted me ever since. But I will do the right thing now," T'Chaka said before telling Zuri of his plan.
Considering, in the Infinity War tie in comic, Tony fired Hill simply for telling him something he didn't want to hear, I don't think he'd have any problem firing her after finding out about Coulson.
I know Peter hasn't appeared yet but he will be in the next chapter.