At What Cost

Protection

All was peaceful in the car as Y/n sat quietly in the front seat. Tony was going on about how she needed to be moved back to the compound, along with Rhodey, because it was safer. Although what Tony was saying was important, Y/n couldn't stop thinking about what she had seen on that video back at the tower. Her stomach felt hollow as she replayed the scene in her mind. The way Steve had screamed was haunting her. She had never heard someone so broken, so lost. It hurt to think about it, so she shook her head and shifted in her seat.

Tony noticed this and glanced over at her. She was staring out the window with a blank expression. He pursed his lips before sighing. With a small smile he moved his hand from the steering wheel so he could hold hers. She looked over at him and forced a smile. He kept his eyes on the road, but glanced at her frequently.

"I know that it's been hard lately, I really do. And you don't want to be brought back to where some not so nice things happened. I know the tower is your home, and the last thing you need is to be taken from your home. But it will be safer if you go back to the compound. I'm not going to be around a lot, so I need someone to care for you...."

Y/n shifted in her seat and ripped her hand free of Tony's. "For God's sake Tony! There you go again! Every time I think you understand, that you get what's going on, you pull a stunt like this! I'm a grown woman! I can take care of myself! But now you're going to have Vision babysit me?!" She turned to face him, clearly upset with the choice he had made. Tony sighed and looked over at her. He slammed his hand on the wheel before pulling into the compound driveway. The car came to a halt as Tony turned to face Y/n, his gaze ever darkening.

She had sounded just like Steve when she said that. He didn't notice until now how alike the two were. Hearing her speak that way shook him up quite a lot. He looked over at her, but all he could see was the friend he had let down. The one he drove away.

"Look, okay. This one is out of my hands. You were an Avenger Y/n. You lived with us, you helped us, and you loved as all. And we loved you, but now the Avengers are dead.

The world knows you were one of us, and you may not have super amazing abilities, but you are still a threat. Because of how much you care about us.

That's what makes you dangerous.

I've lost my whole team; I've lost my family for the love of God. I'm not going to let them take the one piece of happiness I have left.

And if that means you have to have Vision as a babysitter, then so be it. I trust you with my whole heart. It's the world I don't trust. The Avengers fell apart the day Barnes showed up... I'm not going to let you leave too."

Y/n's face grew grim. She thought back to when this all started. They were all sitting at a table watching videos of the time they had saved the world. 

No..... The times the Avengers had saved the world.... Not her....

She had never been an Avenger. She was just a distraction that they would come home to. She was never a member of the team. The only person who ever made her feel like she was worth anything was now gone, and she knew he was never coming back.

She remembered that some wanted to sign that damn document, and some didn't. It was all because of the one stack of paper that Steve, and the rest of her family, was gone. She wanted to scream, she wanted to lash out at Tony and release all the anger and pain she kept inside. But when she looked in his eyes, she couldn't do it. He looked like a lost kid who needed to be held.

No matter how angry she was, she knew that neither Tony, nor Steve, were to blame for this. They were both just as broken. This was in the hands of the Government, and Zemo.

She took a deep breath and unbuckled herself. "This was not James's doing." She spoke sternly, "The more you blame him, the less chance you have of seeing your own faults and trying to fix them. This was not your fault, and it was not Steve's. It was both of you together. You let Zemo creep in and tare you apart. You lost trust in one another......" Tony looked out the window, he was fighting tears again. Y/n opened her door and climbed out. She looked back at Tony, "All Zemo had to do was say the goddamn words."

She slammed the door and made her way to the front. She clutched her bag closer to her body as the stiff cool breeze blew thru her hair. She wiped a tear from her eyes and took a deep breath in. The air smelled of rain and pine trees. She exhaled and shook her head, the sound of Steve's scream ringing in her ears once more.

"Miss Y/n."

She looked up and was greeted by a loving gaze from Vision. "I'm so glad you arrived unharmed. I am truly sorry for what happened when Wanda-"

She placed a hand on his shoulder cutting him off. He looked at her, confused by the sudden gesture. "It's not your fault Vision. You didn't want to hurt her. I understand." He nodded at her as she walked to the door. "Will Mr. Stark be joining us?" Vision questioned as he looked to Y/n.

She looked at him sitting in the car, his head against the steering wheel. She felt sorry for him. He had been thru a lot, just like everyone else. But that didn't give him the right to act the way he had been.

She squeezed her hand tighter around the strap on her bag; a single tear falling from her right eye.

"No, I don't think he is."

She turned and walked inside; Vision close behind.

"He has a lot to think about...."