Lara was excruciatingly uncomfortable. The cuffs were digging into her back, and she couldn't move or the electricity would come at a higher charge. She wanted to curse whoever made these, an her guess was Tony. But she couldn't. Tony was her family, and she may have not agreed with his terms about the Avengers, but she still would consider him family.

The journey to Berlin was hard. Lara was made more comfortable, her hands now resting on her lap, but the cuffs still sent an electric shock through her. And every bump in the road made her wince in pain as the whole truck moved. Steve was looking at we apologetically, and she just shook her head. She could take the pain, as long as what they are doing is right.

Lara could see the building they were getting driven to, her stomach falling as she knew Tony and the other members would be there. It was only a matter of time before Tony would be scolding her like he was scolded by his father. And Lara had tried so many times to defend the poor man from those verbal beatings his father bestowed upon him.

"So you like cats?" Sam asked T'Challa, breaking the silence between everyone. Lara glanced over at the two men, her blue eyes looking between them.

"Sam," Steve scolded, his voice giving Sam a warning to stop while he's ahead.

"What?" Sam asked. "Dude shows up dressed like a cat and you don't wanna know more?"

"It's an honour thing," Lara cut off. She had been to Wakanda before, as this day and age's Lara, and she had fell in love with the culture and the people. Though, she had never seen T'Challa when she had greeted T'Chaka for S.H.I.E.L.D. "He thinks Bucky killed his father, so he's trying to avenge him. I'm sorry for your loss, Your Highness. You father was a great man."

T'Challa didn't answer her, just stared straight ahead as they continued their journey to the place. Lara smiled sadly, before looking back out the window, slightly scared as to what was to become of her. She wouldn't sign the Sokovia Accords. She refused once, and she was going to do it again.

"Your suit? It's vibranium?" Steve asked, his voice curious yet serious. Like he already knew the answer.

"The Black Panther has been the protector of Wakanda for generations," Lara heard T'Challa's accent echo through the small space, her mind thinking of the beautiful country. "A mantel passed from warrior to warrior. And now because your friend has murdered my father, I also wear the mantel of King. So I ask you, as both warrior and King, how long do you think you can keep your friend safe from me?"

Lara bowed her head, looking at the cuffs on her lap. She hated this. Bucky may not be the same person he was before he 'died', but Lara could never see him doing this. It was too unlike him. Even if he had been taken by Hydra and his mind wiped for evil purposes. Her Bucky was still in there somewhere, and she was determined to figure out where.

They had been lead into the building now, Lara still in handcuffs as Steve and Sam got theirs taken off. Steve had tried to protest, but Lara shook her head, knowing this is what made these people feel safe. If they felt safe, then Lara could deal with a little bit of electricity running through her veins.

Lara sent a sad look over to where Bucky was trapped in a cage, not fighting as they hauled him off to where he was going to stay. She blinked, watching the man go before Steve was taking her upper arm and leading her with him. He wasn't tugging her meanly though, but pulling her gently to a short man in a suit standing next to Sharon, and three German Special Forces officers.

Lara didn't listen to anything, she just moved her wrists uncomfortable in the handcuffs, and walked when she needed to walk. She sent a look over her shoulder, her eyes meeting Bucky's, and sent him a sad smile. One that he returned, before he was leaning his head back against the seat he was sitting in.

When they had walked into the offices of the place, Lara spotted Tony on the phone, talking to who she assumed was Mr. Secretary. Tony saw her, and his eyebrows pulled together in confusion at the sight of her in handcuffs. He motioned to them and shook his head, and someone came over and undid them carefully, as to not shock themself. Lara rubbed her wrists when they were off, looking at the bruising they had caused her with a cringe.

"Consequences?" Steve asked, looking at Tony with a serious look on his face. Lara knew that this was her time to hear if she was really going to jail, or if this was all some giant 'misunderstanding'.

"Secretary Ross wants you three prosecuted," Tony answered, giving them all a very serious look. Lara shifted uncomfortably, wishing she could teleport away, but that would just make things worse. She had to stay here and face the Justice she deserved. Even though she was trying to save an innocent man from being executed. "Had to give him something."

"Not getting that shield back, am I?" Steve asked, as Tony joined Natasha in walking down a small hallway.

"Technically, it's the Government's property. Wings too," Natasha shot over her shoulder, Lara snorting a little.

"That's cold," Sam said, making Lara smile at him. At least he could slightly see the humour that was in this.

"Warmer than jail!" Tony shot over his shoulder, Lara tensing at the words before she relaxed. Thank God, she actually wasn't going to jail.

Lara sighed as she looked around the office, not listening to what anyone was saying after that. She regretted listening to Fury now. The girl should have stayed in her small apartment in Manhattan, kept to her small office job that paid her more then it should, and had a boring life. Maybe if she wouldn't have read those damn trigger words everything would have been all right. But, instead, she had been arrested by the Government and was probably going to rot in some jail cell somewhere as she thought about Bucky, and if she could have saved him from a life of living Hell if she would have just looked for him back in 1943.

Life was really unfair, it seemed.

She had been waiting in one of the conference rooms when she heard the door open, Lara turning her head to see Tony in the doorway. Lara shook her head, not wanting to hear him as he was probably going to scold him. "Tony, I don't want to hear it."

"I wasn't going to say anything," Tony retorted. "Maybe compliment you on those superb cookies, but not go on about the fact that you should sign the Accords and make all of this go away."

"If Pepper was framed for being a terrorist, would you sit on the sidelines and watch her get executed for the crimes that she didn't commit?" Lara asked, not looking at Tony. "Bucky is my Pepper, Tony. And if signing those Accords also signs his death warrant, than I'm afraid I can't. Because I wouldn't be allowed to step up and try and fix the mess that Hydra had made him."

"Lara, the man hasn't been in his right mind since 1943. Are you sure there is anything worth salvaging in his mind? Any of that old Bucky Barnes in there for you to try and save?"

Lara looked at Tony, right into those brown eyes that she thought were so pretty when he was a child. She could still see that innocent kid in Tony, one that had been changed by time and the tragedies that had befallen him in this life time. The girl leaned forward in her seat, her eyes narrowing as she stared at Tony. "Yes."

Tony looked at her for a second, the two just staring at each other before he sighed, staring at the girl with a sad look on his face. "Auntie Lara, you know you are making a huge mistake. Please just sign the records. Dad would hate me if it was my fault you couldn't do anything productive."

Lara shook her head, leaning back in her chairs, crossing her arms over her chest. This was one thing that she was going to be overly stubborn about. She was not going to let Bucky get arrested for doing something that he didn't do. She knew for a fact that it wasn't Bucky, and that the man himself was being framed.

With a swallow, she looked around at the place that they were keeping them, her eyes locking on some of the screens before she turned back to Tony. "And Howard would hate it if I didn't stand up for what I believed in. Same with Marie."

Tony sent her a pained look, Lara hearing him gulp before he stood up, starting to walk out of the room. When he got to the doorway, the doors automatically opening up, Tony turned back to Lara, an emotion the girl didn't recognize on his face in a while showing through. Sadness. "Thanks for the cookies. You still got the baking gift."

And with that, Tony left the room, leaving Lara sitting in the chair, a guilty feeling in her stomach for bringing up Tony's parents.

__________

n.e.

damn, tony and lara are my faves. ): it's sad about pepper though, right? they were otp, even though she ends up with happy in the comics.