TW: Glad you enjoyed it. They already have a plan to deal with Hela, its Thanos that's the immediate problem. Even if Ross did know about Hale (which is 50/50 imo), Hale would never helped him out because it would compromise her own plans.

Queens

Morning

"And in other news, Secretary of State Thaddeus Ross has been arrested. The Secretary is facing multiple charges, including allegations that he was a member of the Neo Nazi group Hydra. Glenn Talbot, who is overseeing the investigation, could not be reached for comment, but there are rumors that Ross was apprehended by the Avengers."

In the living room of the apartment he shared with his aunt, Peter was eating a bowl of cereal as he watched the news report, deep in thought.

The Avengers had obviously been busy; taking down Ross (and hopefully the Sokovia Accords) was a big blow to their enemies. But Peter knew this wasn't over.

With Ross handled and The Accords put into question, Peter would bet his web shooters that the Avengers were going to go after Thanos.

Avengers Compound

Same time

In the conference room, Tony turned off the holographic television that showed the same news report that the Avengers, plus Bucky and Scott, had been watching.

"Well, that should be enough bad press for The Accords for now," Tony said with a smirk.

"The fact that the man spear heading The Accords operations was a member of Hydra won't be looked too kindly upon by most countries," Steve agreed.

"It'll throw the legitimacy of The Accords into question. For now, they're redundant," Natasha added.

"Which lets us focus on Thanos," Clint noted.

"So what's the plan, Cap?" Sam asked as Steve linked his fingers together.

"Before he left, Thor told me he was going to keep an eye on Thanos. We need to find out what he knows about Thanos's recent activities. Thor gave me a way to contact him, so I'll go to Asgard and compare notes with Thor," Steve explained.

"He gave you a way to go to Asgard?" Scott asked with a bit of envy and Steve nodded before pulling out a device that seemed to be a remote.

"Thor said this is a signal and, when I'm ready to take the fight to Thanos, to activate it and Heimdall will bring me to Asgard," Steve explained.

"Seems like as good a plan as any for now," Bucky muttered.

"What about you, Buck? Going back under the ice?" Steve inquired and Bucky was silent for a moment,, feeling Wanda's gaze on him as well.

"No. At least not right away. Seems like you need all the help you can get," Bucky said and Steve nodded.

"Well, hate to interrupt, but I need to get going. With Ross out of the way, I can take Laura and the kids out of hiding and get them back them home," Clint said as he stood up.

"Give them our best," Steve said and Clint nodded.

"You sure that's a night idea? Ross is handled but…" Scott trialed off and Clint grimaced.

"I'll just have to cross that bridge when I come to it," Clint said with a sigh, trying to swallow the unease in his stomach.

Military Prison

Same time

In a cell, Ross was pacing back and forth, trying to come up with a plan that could get him out of this when a voice spoke up from outside his cell.

"How the mighty have fallen."

Startled, Ross looked up to see Fury standing outside his cell, staring at him with a smirk on his face.

"Nick Fury, you're supposed to be dead," Ross said in disbelief.

"And you're supposed to be a loyal American to their country. Things don't turn out the way we think they do," Fury said, still smirking at him. "Prison Orange suits you."

"Yeah? We'll see how well it suits me when everyone finds out you're still alive," Ross sneered, becoming confused when Fury smirked.

"Did you really think I'd let anyone know I was still alive? The cameras should be on a loop for the next ten minutes. So for right now, it's just us," Fury said, reaching inside his coat jacket. "Many years ago, I made Clint Barton a promise, that I would protect his family from men like you. I will keep that promise."

Ross, realizing what was about to happen, opened his mouth to cry out but it was too late. Fury had pulled out a gun and fired, no sound coming from it. A tranq dart hit Ross in the neck and injected him with something. Horrified, Ross glared at Fury, his mind racing in panic.

"What did you just do to me?!" Ross snarled, infuriated when Fury merely smirked.

"It's a synthetic Compound I found in Europe, made from an herb that, in large doses, can create short term memory loss," Fury explained as Ross listened, paling with each word Fury spoke.

"What will I remember?"

"You'll lose a few weeks, nothing major. Just enough that you won't have any idea about Barton's family. Like I said, a promise," Fury said coldly.

"You-" Ross started.

But that was as far as he got. The compound took effect and Ross fell to his knees, looking up at Fury, dazed, before falling on his side, losing consciousness. Fury lingered only a moment more before he turned and left, exiting the prison as quietly as he had entered.

Avengers Compound

Night

Steve was packing a small overnight bag when he felt someone enter his room. Looking over his shoulder, he was unsurprised to see it was Natasha.

"When do you think you'll be back?" Natasha said as she walked in, closing the door behind her.

"Not sure. I'll be gone at least a few days; can you take care of things?" Steve asked and she smirked.

"Things'll be fine. We can survive without you for a few days," Natasha said before pausing. "This is it then. We're going up against Thanos."

"We have to make sure that future never happens. So yes, we are," Steve said, understanding the feelings of dread and anticipation that came over here, for he felt the same. "We'll get through this, Nat."

"At what cost?" Natasha muttered.

Steve didn't say anything, knowing he couldn't guarantee that they all survived. Because in the original timeline, they hadn't. All they could do was try to make sure that they did they best they could to survive.

"We're not going up against Thanos blind this time around, we know what we're dealing with," Steve said before taking her face in his hands. "We're not divided this time around. We're together, and we will win."

Natasha didn't say anything but, after a moment, she nodded, although Steve knew her worries were far from over. Neither were his. They wouldn't be until they beat Thanos.

Instead of trying to give her a pep talk that he knew she'd hate, Steve instead leaned down and kissed her. Some of the tension left Natasha shoulders as she returned the kiss, gripping his shirt tightly.

Unexpectedly, Natasha pushed Steve back. His quick reflexes stopped him from falling and he looked at her curiously, seeing a surprisingly vulnerable look on her face. Steve was about to ask what was wrong when she took off her jacket, dropping it to the floor.

Now, Steve was far from experienced in the ways of relationships, but he knew Nat well enough to figure out what she was trying to say, without actually saying it.

"Are you sure?" Steve asked after a moment.

"I'm sure that I want this. I'm sure that I've wanted it for the last two years," Natasha said as she walked over, linking her hand with his, needing the contact. "Thanos is gonna be the biggest enemy we've ever faced. Maybe it's because I died in the recordings, maybe it's because I know what happens if we fail to top Thanos. But I want you to know all of me…in a way that no one else ever has. In a way that no one else ever will."

The others often joked about how paranoid she was, but Steve knew it was habit, engrained in her by the Red Room and then SHIELD. So Steve, better than anyone, knew what she was offering here. She was doing something that terrified her: she was lowering all her guards, allowing him to see her completely.

Silently, Steve brought her hand up to his mouth, kissing it before he leaned down, kissing her on the mouth once more. When he pulled back, he could see Natasha's eyes had turned slightly darker before she removed her shirt, quickly dropping it to the floor. She then helped Steve remove his own shirt before she jumped up, wrapping her legs around his waist as Steve wrapped his arms around her, their lips meeting in a dance of passion.

Steve then carried her over to his bed, knocking his half packed overnight bag to the floor, neither of them concerned when its contents spilled onto the floor as they resumed where they had left off.

Another short chapter, I know, but hope you all enjoyed it anyway.

Repealing The Accords is a complex process, but leaking that Ross is Hydra definitely begins said process. Because no one wants to be involved with something that Hydra had a hand in.

I don't consider myself a good writer of romance, as I've said before, so hope the Steve/Nat scene was okay.

Next chapter will begin the planning of how to deal with Thanos, as the Asgard cast will make their return. Until then.