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𝙉𝙊𝙏 𝘼𝙉𝙊𝙏𝙃𝙀𝙍 𝙏𝙀𝙀𝙉 𝙈𝙊𝙑𝙄𝙀.

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𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐓𝐖𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐘-𝐒𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐍: Intermission

𝐔𝐍𝐊𝐍𝐎𝐖𝐍 𝐒𝐄𝐑𝐕𝐄𝐑 ─ 𝐋𝐎𝐂𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 𝐔𝐍𝐊𝐍𝐎𝐖𝐍

𝟗 𝐉𝐔𝐋𝐘 𝟐𝟎𝟏𝟔

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☆

WHiH World News via Twitter: "BREAKING NEWS! The Avengers have been located in Berlin. Wanted fugitives Captain Rogers, Bucky Barnes, and Sam Wilson identified."

WHiH World News via Twitter: "Confirmed: Spider-Man, spotted frequently in New York City, is on the scene."

WHiH World News via Twitter: "Pictures attached of a New Avenger with arrows? Speculation that she may be related to the Black Widow with her red locks. What are your thoughts on a Widow-Hawk?"

78% of people YES!

22% of people Sorry, no.

WHiH World News LIVE via Twitter clip: "...Christine Everhart here. We interrupt your scheduled broadcasting with Breaking News on the Sokovia Accords. The Avengers have just been spotted at an airport in Germany, footage coming live from a German pilot in the area...currently visible are the following Avengers: Tony Stark, James Rhodes, Clint Barton, and wanted fugitive, Steve Rogers. In this video, we see an unidentified individual believed at first to be Natasha Romanoff. This was later denied when Romanoff appeared...oh, I'm sorry—the video seems to be..."

WHiH World News via Twitter: "War Machine, Colonel James Rhodes, has been injured during the Battle of the Avengers in Berlin."

WHiH World News via Twitter: "Maximoff, Lang, Wilson, and Barton among the individuals arrested by the new Secretary of State, Thaddeus Ross. Reports that they will be sent to the Raft,  built for enhanced individuals. "

WHiH World News via Twitter: "BREAKING: Captain Rogers and Bucky Barnes, wanted for the Bombing in Vienna, still at large. If you have any information, please contact one of the following contacts below."

SUOMYNONA via Twitter: "Click here for HD pic—"

Delete.

RADIOHERD via [CLICK][RISING TIDE]: "Who is the redhea—"

Delete.

DRGONPIECE via [RISING TIDE]: "Do we have updates on who the girl is?"

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PRGRM48HH via [UNKNOWN SERVER]: Confirmation?

REC00HH via [UNKNOWN SERVER]: Status Offline.

PRGRM48HH via [UNKNOWN SERVER]: Activate system block.

WHiH World News via Twitter: "Spider-Man is back in town! The web-swinger went from fighting Captain America to fighting neighborhood crime."

Service received.

e=function(returned)12.edit.HYDRA.=(response)(edit)

Deleted.

Midtown Softball Team via Twitter: "Happiest of birthdays to our junior right fielder, C.T. Clemins. Sweet sixteen!"

OFRSNGTIDE via [USER EDIT]: "Anyone with info about who the red headed Avenger is—/=(edit.remove.)f=removed.HERE.

───○☆ ✸ ☆○───

𝐔𝐏𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐓𝐄 𝐍𝐘 ─ 𝐍𝐄𝐖 𝐀𝐕𝐄𝐍𝐆𝐄𝐑𝐒 𝐅𝐀𝐂𝐈𝐋𝐈𝐓𝐘

"Physical therapy is a bitch."

Colonel James Rhodes hissed out the words as he did his best to stretch with the new machinery on his legs. Marbles were placed on the floor for him to try and retrieve, and the sight reminded her of the strenuous, emotional P.T. sessions she had to have for her shoulder. Rhodey was paralyzed that day, an unfixable fracture to his spinal column that took away his range of movement in both legs. From then on, Lizzie received updates about the man from Pepper Potts via her father's phone. The woman was unconventionally kind to her and respectful of Lizzie wanting no contact with Tony. The strawberry-blonde also notified her that the man would be gone from the Upstate Avengers Institute, packing up the belongings of the old Avengers Tower as they continued the move permanently.

Mike Carter didn't say anything about how long it took Lizzie to get out of his car after they pulled up to the front. In her mind, the minutes felt like seconds and the pit of her stomach churned the longer she spent on the soil—because what did the building represent now? Loss? War? Emptiness? Those who made it whole were gone. That, Lizzie hadn't expected. The painful memories, she readied herself for. What didn't anticipate was expecting to see Vision at the entrance of the building to greet her and take her book-bag; the two turns, and a long pathway where Sam and Natasha trained until Sam was hopping a ride on Carson's wheelchair; the weekly phone-call made between Wanda, Clint, and Lizzie all while his children (Lizzie's best friends) tried to get their air-time.

Lizzie didn't realize just how gut-wrenching it was to expect something you would never receive again. None of that—not an ounce of it—reflected the loss that Rhodey experienced that day.

"It is," she confirmed, attention falling on all of the metal. Despite the burning in her eyes, Lizzie couldn't help sending him a short smile. "Guess I'll have to show you the tricks to avoiding metal detectors."

Rhodey chuckled breathlessly, and he sat back up in the chair after stretching. "I'll probably be avoiding airports for a while. Tell Mayfield I said thanks for leaving her blueprints behind next time you hear from her."

Like a vacuum-seal, the air inside of the room became heavier and Lizzie had a harder time exhaling correctly after that. "I...um, I don't think I'll be hearing from anyone."

"You never should have been there," Rhodey said calmly, and his body remained so despite the present-cringes of pain he ignored. The instant 'fight-or-flight' kicked in for the teenage girl, a sensitive wound that never stopped being picked at. "I'm not kidding around here. You shouldn't have been there, and Steve shouldn't have put you there."

Steve. She didn't even notice herself flinch at his name.

"It was my choice."

"And you'd do anything for him, wouldn't you?" came next, pointed toward the sore subject in the room. Lizzie said nothing to that. What was she supposed to say? No? Not when she knew the truth, not when Rhodey knew the truth too. "That's the problem, Lizzie. He knew the consequences of his actions. He knew what it meant to help Barnes. He knew, and he still did it."

"I knew what it meant to leave with them that day. I knew what it meant to stand with them, too. I knew what the cost was for me. I was prepared to pay it."

Rhodey raised his eyebrows at her. "Were you? You would have been giving up your life—no more softball, no more plant projects, no more freedom...you're fifteen. You haven't even gotten your driver's license yet, Lizzie...look, I'm not trying to patronize you. What happened, happened, and we're all going to have to live with the cards we were dealt. I can live with mine. Can you?"

Yes. Lizzie knew her answer immediately. She didn't know what happened after Steve and Bucky escaped from the tarmac in the midst of Rhodey's injury. The only thing that gave her any semblance of hope was seeing their faces on the news—still at large. At the very least, Lizzie could hold onto the knowledge that they were alive. Every morning, she found herself sitting in front of the TV, expecting the worst news. Barton, Maximoff, Lang, and Wilson all contained at the Raft. Sokovia Accords to be rewritten. Romanoff on the run for aiding in the escape of Rogers and Barnes. Headlines said the same thing every day, but she watched every time.

"It's not that simple."

"War usually isn't. Sometimes, we make choices because we believe in the cause. Sometimes, we make choices because we don't want to find out what happens if we don't fight back." Rhodey gave her a shrug, a softness to his gesture when he noticed her body language and how defensive she had become. "I know you don't want to see him right now, but you need to give him a chance to tell you his side of the story."

"I'm not ready for that yet."

"You never will be. That doesn't mean you don't listen. You know how many times I've had to have the hard conversation with him?" Rhodey asked. He paused and he glanced down at the machinery on his legs, then back to her. "Tony's got a lot going on right now, but his first priority was making sure you and the kid were safe. Everything else came second."

The kid. Peter Parker. Lizzie knew that he was back in town from Berlin, and that he had been shipped back to New York three days before her, after the first sighting of him as Spider-Man showed up on the news. His new suit had received attention from the media, prompting a conversation between herself and Taylor yesterday morning when the girl voiced her opinions on it ("Do you think Iron Man made it?" Yes. "Probably, he was on his team." She wasn't. "I want to know if Black Widow has a little sister. Do you think they're related, like genetically red-hair, or it's box-dye?" Lizzie stopped replying after that.)

"He also just got back."

Her eyes widened at Rhodey, panic wiring into her brain. "What?"

"Rhodes! I brought back those cheeseburgers. Don't run too fast, you'll get a stitch in your side—God, I'll tell you, if I never have to talk to another man in a suit again..." Tony Stark's monologue to his best friend had been cut short when he appeared around the corner, and the white take-out bag almost dropped when he saw who was standing there with Rhodey. "Lizzie."

Her back straightened. "Tony."

"I didn't know you'd be here. I would've...ah, brought you back something," he offered sheepishly, only stuttering once out of surprise. He glanced down at the white bag, and then to Rhodey again, who nodded encouragingly to him. "Did you get your new phone? I told Happy to make sure it was hand-delivered."

"Worried about those updates to Ross?" she asked pointedly, raising her eyebrows at him. Lizzie found herself surprised at how quickly the anger came back for Tony, pressing her further to make sure the man knew. "What, the psych eval wasn't enough for him?"

There was a throat clearing from behind Lizzie, and they both turned to see that Rhodey looked deeply uncomfortable to be intruding on their conversation. "Why don't you guys go to the conference room? I'd love to leave but...you know—hey, Tony, leave the bag, too."

Tony hesitated, looking to Lizzie for confirmation that that was what she wanted. She debating leaving. Happy would have been the one to drop Tony off, which meant he was lingering around here somewhere, and would gladly be her get-away driver. What stopped her was the possibility of knowing what happened after Tony left her in Berlin. They didn't speak to each other after she was released; they hadn't exchanged words since the airport, and the conversation they did have was not enough. So she nodded and Tony exhaled deeply before pointing a finger at Rhodey, walking over to where he was seated to hand him the take-out bag.

"Don't eat my burgers."

Rhodey was quick to reply. "What are you gonna do about it if I do?"

"I'll let you think about it."

The short exchange would have made her smile before, but there was only pain as she watched Rhodey and Tony. If Lizzie believed the conversation with Rhodey had been hard, then what she was about to experience with Tony would be devastating. Lizzie led the way to the room, not sparing a glance at the billionaire when she had to clip past his shoulder to avoid hitting him. No amount of upset could ever force her to disrespect the man like that, and Tony must have taken that action with the hope that their next words would not hurt them both more. Lizzie had a feeling it wouldn't be so simple.

Tony didn't face her when they entered the room. The long, mahogany table was empty, and neither one of them could focus on the chairs where certain individuals used to sit for more than a glance. Lizzie focused on Tony instead, doing what she knew best and trying to get a gauge of where his mind was wandering. His shoulders sat high, tension unreleased, and his posture reminded her of her own. She dropped her shoulders at once and crossed her arms again to try and alleviate some of the anxiety building in her chest.

Finally, Tony turned to her, and her hands fell limp at her sides when she saw tears. "Did you know?"

"Know what, Tony?" she asked quietly, confused.

"Did you know what he did to my mom?" his added detail did nothing to stop the way Lizzie's face twisted at the question, trying to understand what he was asking her. Who was he talking about? Tony, defeated, realized then. His arms sunk into him. "He didn't tell you either."

"Tony, what are you talking about?" she repeated her thoughts as they processed. Taking a step forward, the natural reaction to try and console him stuck in her movements. She had to stop herself from going any further, and instead, asked again. "Who did what?"

"I went back and looked into things after you were released. I thought about what you said, so I listened. The Unabomber—Zemo—he'd left behind a trail, so I followed it. I went to find Rogers and...Barnes," the utter hate that exuded from Tony's body when he spoke their names terrified her, and Lizzie mourned. Her body fell numb as she realized she was reliving the events through Tony's eyes after Berlin. What she had been asking herself for days. "When we got inside, the super-soldiers were dead. Zemo killed them."

Lizzie's eyes burned and she shook her head. "That doesn't make any sense. Why go through the trouble he went through, just to kill them?"

"It wasn't about them. It was about us. His family had been murdered in Sokovia. He wanted revenge on the Avengers...I believe his exact words were 'I lost everyone, and so will you'...something about an empire being dead forever when it crumbles from within."

So will you. Tony shook his head and scoffed, and with his nervous tension, he started to pace back and forth on either ends of the glass doors. Lizzie watched him as best as she could, with her eyes starting to burn the longer she went resisting the tears. Something had happened, she repeated. Over and over, as she watched the distress seep out of Tony's body the deeper he remembered the events—and that meant something terrible occurred.

"Tony," she croaked out. "What happened there?"

"Zemo showed me a video of the night my parents were killed...want to playing a guessing game on who else made a cameo?" Tony's words were hurtful now. Anger flipped every inflection and he stopped to face her. The hint of understanding that flashed in her brown eyes made him sneer. "Ding, ding, ding. We have a winner."

"That wasn't him, Tony."

Tony scoffed again and his eyes burned into her. "God, you sound just like him!"

"Because I have seen the moments that are him, Tony. I know first-hand who the Winter Soldier is, and I know the only reason I lived was because of Bucky," Lizzie could barely recognize herself as she talked, all her words choked up around the lump in her throat. Tony faltered at that. "You saw it, too."

"He still did it, Lizzie."

"I'm sorry," she whispered, ignoring the stinging in her eyes. "I'm sorry that you had to see that, and I'm sorry for what happened to them...I know you never got closure. I know you're still grieving...but the person responsible for their deaths was not Bucky, Tony. HYDRA created the Winter Soldier."

Lizzie wondered just how much she sounded like Steve Rogers in that moment, because when Tony stared at her, he seemed to stare through her. "He knew. Steve knew. He knew, and he didn't tell me."

She understood now. The implication he made in the very beginning. The light dimmed from her face, and she finally recognized the gravity of the situation right now. The direction she believed the talk would lead took a sharp, right turn—because now, the questions came down to truth and loyalty, and Lizzie had not been prepared for that. Not with Tony.

"I didn't know, Tony. I didn't...I would've—"

"You would have, what, Lizzie? Told me?" he noticed the way she flinched at his harsh language, and he stopped himself again by falling back a few steps. "I know where you stand. I don't...I know what you and Rogers have went through together, but you need to stop protecting someone who stopped protecting you."

Now it was Lizzie's tongue that burned to speak, snapping her head up to him. "You don't get to say that. You don't get to talk about protecting people—"

"Parker had his moment, and he's done. I got him out after Berlin. I got you out after Berlin, and I'm the one who has to kiss Ross' ass because if one small infraction happens with you, you get locked up with Maximoff and Wilson like a criminal...is that what you want? And where's Steve, Lizzie? Where was he when they put you in cuffs? Where was he when Ross threatened you? Where is he now?"

Lizzie glared at him, burning red. "You don't understand sacrifice, do you? I didn't follow Steve because of what he means to me. This isn't about Steve. I couldn't just sit there and watch another corrupt person torture Bucky again. I have been lied to by the government—by people who I loved—and I have seen firsthand what can happen to a person that thinks they're doing the right thing."

"Did Steve think he was doing the right thing, MJ?"

The nickname was a low-blow.

"I'm sorry about your parents, Tony," she began calmly, and she meant every single word of it, but there was a brim of anger resting underneath her tone as she grit her teeth together. "I'm sorry you had to see that, but that doesn't give you the right to open fire on me. Go ahead and let Ross lock me up. Go ahead, Tony—I'm serious. Call him right now, tell him I'm conspiring with the enemy still—because I'd rather be in there with the others than out here right now. I know what I did was the right thing."

"How can you stand there and defend him when he left you? Is this what he taught you, Mini-Cap?" Another blow, and she fell back another step. "Loyalty? Because he doesn't have that. He was my friend, too. And he didn't choose us. He left. He's gone, Lizzie. He's not coming back—"

"Shut up, Tony—"

"—because at the end of the day, all Steve Rogers cares about his Bucky Barnes, and he would tear this family apart just to save him."

"It wasn't all him. You know it wasn't."

"Incredible," Tony stared at her in amazement, baffled at her response. "You're still defending him. What is it? What is it about Steve Rogers, Lizzie Carter? Is that it? Is that what this is?"

Lizzie didn't believe those words actually came out of Tony's mouth that time. The lowest he could have dragged her through, and he did so by bringing in her surname. He knew that he had gone too far with her when he saw the way her body locked up, and a robotic stare took over her face. She shook her head and walked past him, hitting the man's shoulder with her own. Her bad shoulder, to be exact. Lizzie could hear the muttered sounds of Tony talking under his breath, and then the sound of footsteps training after her on her way to the front entrance.

"Lizzie, wait—MJ—"

She whirled around at the nickname, pointing a warning finger at him with tears staining her hot cheeks. "You do not get to call me that! You have lost that right. Is this what you wanted, Tony? Huh? It wasn't enough that you called my classmate to help fight me, but you needed to hurt me because you couldn't hurt them? It wasn't enough fighting each other on that tarmac?"

Tony's jaw clenched, and he ducked his head for a moment. Then, he raised it once more to face the pain on her face. "I'm sorry. But I won't forgive him."

"I'm not telling you to. But I won't stop fighting for him. No need to worry about the updates with Ross. I'm done, Tony."

As expected, Happy took her home. He had been cleaning the exterior of the vehicle's mirrors to make sure they were in pristine care when she slammed the front door behind her, scaring him. Lizzie had heard enough conversations between the front door and the driveway to know that he, and likely Rhodey, had both heard the end of their argument. No words needed to be exchanged when Happy saw her, tears falling down her red cheeks and staining the back of her hand as she rushed to wipe them.

The drive back to the Carter apartment was long, with mid-day traffic on a weekend in the summer, and Lizzie barely acknowledged the abrupt, loud profanity from Happy when someone cut him off. Happy caught her before she could pull on the door handle when they arrived, and she turned her head at the sound.

"Hey...I'll always be there for you, kid. You call me if you need anything. Even if it's just a ride."

Lizzie hoped her gratitude for the man showed in her eyes, because she couldn't get out anything but a small nod before she swiftly exited the vehicle. The second the fresh air hit, the weight of today's conversations followed.

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𝐂𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐀𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐌𝐄𝐍𝐓 ─ 𝐍𝐘𝐂, 𝐍𝐄𝐖 𝐘𝐎𝐑𝐊

𝟏𝟎 𝐉𝐔𝐋𝐘 𝟐𝟎𝟏𝟔

"Have a good day, Stan."

Lizzie waved off the older man and didn't think anything of it when the FedEx driver handed her a package addressed to their apartment number. Stan had a habit of finding odd jobs around the area, and she wasn't surprised to see the newest pursuit of a FedEx driver where he claimed he could "look up all the hot spots" to get drunk later that night. She'd just returned from the local gym down the street from their complex, an old boxing studio, with the kindest (and largest) men she'd ever seen. They'd welcomed her with open arms when she and her father came in to sign up three days ago, giving them a free boxing lesson that ended up being 45-minutes of Mike Carter proving that Carter women were superior beings.

Her parents weren't home. Sophia had been working over-time, and Lizzie had peeked at some of the files one night only to find two familiar names 'LANG' and 'BARTON' both sticking out. That gave her some hope. Her mother was already a scary creature, but when children were involved, then she became another being entirely. If her mother was negotiating a way to get the men out, Lizzie wagered her begs on the Carter woman winning against the government every time.

"Hey, Lady," she muttered, pressing a gentle kiss to the top of the golden retriever's head. She grinned at the big dog when she nudged her snout against Lizzie's kneecap, a gesture that she was ready for her daily walk. "We'll go on a walk in a few minutes. I've gotta look at this—"

Finally looking down at who it was addressed to, the box fell with a thud against the kitchen countertop.

"Kate and Emily Culver. Two sisters from New York City that moved to Washington after their parents' divorce. Big fight led to Emily living with her older sister, Kate, instead of their father who currently lives in Bethesda."

EMILY CULVER

She stared at the package until she started seeing double, and after a few necessary breaths to ensure her heart was working, Lizzie grabbed the box. Ripping the top of the package, she almost wished there had been more trouble in opening it. Nothing stopped her from figuring out what was inside now. Well, nothing except fear. She fought that fear and tilted the box over until a piece of paper came sliding out quickly, nearly flying off the counter. Lizzie's hand reached out on instinct, catching the paper before it fell.

MJ,

               Felt weird to write out Emily again. Don't roll your eyes over having to read a letter. I can see your face now. Welcome to the 1940's...I spent an hour trying to decide how to start this. I sent one to Tony, too. Things didn't end on the best of terms with us, and part of that is my fault. Tony cares about you, and I know he will keep you safe. I don't know what all happened after we left, but from what I pieced together, you had to meet Secretary Ross for the first time. I hope you gave him hell.

Bucky is still with me. He said something to me after we left Berlin. "I don't know if I'm worth all this, Steve," and that was the first time I allowed myself to accept what I had given up.

You are my family, MJ. From the day I met you, you became my family, and you gave me back moments I never thought I would see after waking up from the ice. You are the reason for my second chance, and I'm sorry that things had to end like they did. I'm sorry that I ruined what you, Sharon, and I had. It was a beautiful life, and one I wish we had more time in.

By the time you're reading this, the others will be free. Bucky, Natasha, and I are working on a way to get them out. Then we are en route to Wakanda, where T-Challa has offered to help clear Bucky's head. I don't know what comes after that. I'll try to get in contact with Sharon to see where she and Carson are...don't worry about us. I'll find her. We will be okay. I will be okay.

I don't know when the next time we see each other will be. Ross will be looking for us after I break out the others, and that means we need to lay low until he gives up. Don't let this knock you down, MJ. I wish I could have done a better job protecting you, but I know you're not a kid anymore. Peggy knew that. Took me a little longer to understand, but I do now. Just...for me, try to be. Go to parties. Make friends. Show them what you can do on the softball field...and go to dances for me.

I don't think I can say goodbye either. So I'm not going to. I love you, MJ.

Your Neighbor-Steve

P.S. Keep this super-secret, Blindspot.

In her hands was a disposable, burner phone. Despite the tears, Lizzie couldn't help but laugh—she laughed until they mixed into sobs—and Sophia Carter found her in that same spot an hour later, the tears dried up on the blue-inked paper in her hands.

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Author's Note:

I'm in pain. This is the official intermission between Civil War & Spider-Man...what, y'all thought he wouldn't send MJ a letter too? Psh. Just to add to the heartbreak of the conversation between Tony and Lizzie. I wanted to make sure that there was an official "end" to the Civil War discussions, and the questions brought up about Lizzie's loyalty and understanding of the situations. Unfortunately, that involved a tough conversation with Tony that didn't end well. Their relationship will be explored more in Spider-Man: Homecoming...and yes, I'm well aware I broke hearts by mentioning Tony and sacrifice. It hurt me too.

Also, what was going on in the beginning of the chapter? Any ideas?

Let me know what you thought of this chapter!

One more thing: check out the BEAUTIFUL graphics @pattayexpressway made for this story. The depiction of Lizzie in this cover is exactly how I pictured her and more. Thank you so much again!