The Daughter of War (Captain America: Civil War)

Chapter 2

I sighed before closing my book and standing up from the leather couch and walked towards the glass desk where the computer was playing the news cast.

I leaned against Steve's back, reaching forward and stopped the news cast from playing any further.

"Stop torturing yourself." I wrapped my arms around his chest and squeezed tightly. "Torturing yourself isn't going to change the past."

His hand reached up and rubbed my arm and I felt goosebumps arise.

"You saw it happen didn't you?" He asked me.

"Yes I had the vision." I said and laid my head on his shoulder. "But visions can change."

"No they don't." He said. "If I just didn't freeze-"

"Steve, stop." I said. "He was going to blow up the bomb anyway."

"But-"

"Steve." I said sternly. "It's not your fault or Wanda's or anyone's. The person at fault is Rumlow."

I turned my head, hearing what sounded like another news cast. I pushed myself off of Steve and patted his shoulder.

"Don't torture yourself for something that isn't your fault, it doesn't help anything in the end." I said and pushed myself away to go to turn off the other news cast. I knew Wanda would do this. She and Steve do it all the time. I mean we all do, but you know how it is.

I walked towards Wanda's room and turned off the news cast and leaned against the wall directly next to the door.

Steve leaned against the doorframe.

"It's all my fault." Wanda said not turning towards us.

"That's not true." I said.

"Turn the TV back on. They're being very specific." She said. I could tell she had been crying. Or at least was starting to.

"I should've clocked that bomb vest long before you had to deal with it." He walked over and sat next to Wanda. "Rumlow said 'Bucky'... and all of a sudden I was a 16-year-old kid again, in Brooklyn. And people died. It's on me."

"It's on both of us." Wanda said.

"It's neither of your faults. The only one at fault is Rumlow and no one else sees that." I said.

"This job... We try to save as many people as we can. Sometimes that doesn't mean everybody. But if we can't find a way to live with that... next time... maybe nobody gets saved." Steve said and I sighed before sitting on the other side of Wanda.

"The ones at fault are the ones who cause this. The bad people. Rumlow and his people. And because they are dead, the need someone to blame. It sucks shit but they just need someone to blame. Somewhere out there, there is a person and a group of people that stand up for us. They will make everyone realize." I said and gave Wanda a side hug.

We all looked up as Vision materialized through the wall.

"Vis! We talked about this." Wanda said. I rolled my eyes.

"Yes, but the door was opened so I assumed that..." he gestured towards the door and I sighed again. He'll get it. "Captain Rogers wished to know when Mr. Stark was arriving."

"Thank you. We'll be right down." Steve said and I stood and started to walk towards the door.

"I'll... use the door." He said and followed me. "Oh, and apparently, he's brought a guest." I stopped to hear the answer.

"We know who it is?" Steve asked.

"The Secretary of State." Vision said.

I sighed again and my shoulders fell. This is going to be a long day.

"Five years ago... I had a heart attack. I dropped right in the middle of my backswing. Turned out it was the best round of my life, because after 13 hours of surgery and a triple bypass... I found something 40 years in the Army had never taught me:" How to annoy others? "Perspective. The world owes the Avengers an unpayable debt. You have fought for us... protected us, risked your lives... but while a great many people see you as heroes, there are some... who would prefer the word 'vigilantes'."

"And what word would you use, Mr. Secretary?" Natasha asked.

"How about 'dangerous'?" He asked. "What would you call a group of US-based, enhanced individuals... who routinely ignore sovereign borders... and inflict their will wherever they choose and who, frankly, seem unconcerned about what they leave behind?" Secretary Ross displays a map on a big screen, zooming on to a city.

"New York." It's a video of when we fought in New York. With the Chitauri. I looked down. That one might have been totally my fault.

"Washington DC." This was when Steve fought of HYDRA and the helicarriers fell into the water splashing and probably drowning people.

"Sokovia." It showed when Ultron has lifted the block of land. And buildings falling. That was when we lost Quicksilver.

"Lagos." It showed the smoking building and people coming out covering their mouths to try to stop the smoke from infecting their lungs. It moved to a shot of a woman laying on the ground with her eyes open. You could tell she was dead.

I looked over to Wanda who looked down and it looked like she was gonna start crying. She was still emotional after Lagos.

"Okay. That's enough." I said and laid my hand on the table. Can't he see that we already know about all of this? That we blame ourselves? Does he want us to be more guilty?

"For the past four years you've operated with unlimited power and no supervision. That's an arrangement the governments of the world can no longer tolerate. But I think we have a solution." He puts a thick document on the table. "The Sokovia Accords. Approved by 117 countries... it states that the Avengers shall no longer be a private organization. Instead, they'll operate under the supervision of a United Nations panel, only when and if that panel deems it necessary."

"The Avengers were formed to make the world a safer place. I feel we've done that." Steve said trying back everyone up.

"Tell me, Captain, do you know where Thor and Banner are right now? If I misplaced a couple of 30 megaton nukes... you can bet there'd be consequences. Compromise. Reassurance. That's how the world works. Believe me, this is the middle ground." Ross said.

"Um, actually Thor is on Asgard and Banner is far, and I mean far, away from people right now. I've been keeping tags on them." I said.

"How do you know for certain that Thor is on Asgard?" Secretary Ross asked me.

"He is actually my brother. It seems right to keep tabs on the guy. He is my only family left so..." I said and shrugged.

"So, there are contingencies." James says trying to keep me and Secretary Ross out of a fight.

"Three days from now, the UN meets in Vienna to ratify the Accords." I saw Steve glance over to Tony. "Talk it over."

"And if we come to a decision you don't like?" I asked him. He sent a small glare my way. I don't think he likes me very much.

"Then you retire." I stifle a smile.

What an ass.