sunset. [wanda maximoff]

1.3

Scottie smiled softly at Wanda as the girl entered the room with Steve and Vision. Quickly moving across the room, she took the red-head's face in between her hands as she placed a soft but passionate kiss to her lips before pulling back. Wanda leaned her head into Scottie's palm, placing her own over it for a second to hold it there before Sam coughed to alert them to Thaddeus Ross' presence about to enter the room.

Scottie moved away from Wanda with a reassuring squeeze of the hand before moving to take her place at the table beside Steve. Tony was sitting on her other side, casting her the occasional glance to make sure that she didn't have any discomfort from her healing arm. While she usually healed quite quickly from her own burns, the explosion had seemingly revealed to them all that it was simply only her own that she would heal quickly from.

General Ross stood at the top of the table, his beady eyes flicking between them all with his harder glares especially reserved for Scottie and Wanda. Scottie had never gotten along with the man when she had met him in passing - and he had been one of those who had called for her to be imprisoned when she had first discovered her powers and accidentally killed her parents.

Since then, she had pretty much tried her hardest to just stay out of the mans way. Until now that was. The man was staring her down with a grimace on his lips as he watched her stare right back at him. Tony and Steve both shared a look with each other after witnessing the staring match, not sure if this was something that was going to come back and attack them.

"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: Perspective. The world owes the Avengers an unpayable debt," Ross said, his eyes flickering to Scottie as he let the word Avengers fall from his lips. It was no secret that he did not believe she had earned her place on the team. "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"."

Natasha fake smiled at the man as she crossed her arms over, titling her head as she studied the man. "And what word would you use, Mr. Secretary?"

Scottie stifled a smile as she saw the question irk the man, a small snarl falling on his lips as he continued to pace in front of the team. Scottie could feel the anger coming from the general as he worked himself up again.

"How about "dangerous"? 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?" He asked, turning around and pressing a button on the table to activate the screen that was placed behind him.

Scottie sunk slightly into her chair as she watched the footage of past Avengers missions and the occasional SHIELD battle flash across the screen. Footage of Loki wrecking havoc across New York was the first to appear on the screen, footage of Hulk smashing into buildings and taking down Chitauri leviathans.

"New York," he narrated, ending the clips of New York on a  final clip of a very much younger Scottie screaming as she shot sunlight from her palms. The girl sunk even lower into her chair as she flinched from the footage. Natasha shot her a look of sympathy, knowing that Scottie hated watching any footage of her powers in the slightest.

"Washington DC."

Scottie looked back up as the scene changed to footage of the Insight helicarriers crashing down from the sky, massive waves of water engulfing citizens and buildings as it ripped apart the area. The burning triskelion caused Sam to look down just like Scottie had previously.