ONE MONTH LATER

★ ★ ★

The sun shone brightly in the New York sky. Compound workers scurried around the grounds, birds flew freely, and the vibrant green trees surrounding the facility grounds whipped gently through the spring wind. Marlena stood at the window in Wanda's room, wishing more than anything that she could be back home with her brother and Greyson. Given Bucky's absence and the incident that had taken place back in Lagos, Marlena had been a bit emotionally unstable, though she seemed to be doing a fairly excellent job in containing it.

Tony refused to take a risk, however. After learning about what had happened, he suggested Steve bring her back to the compound so she could be monitored. He knew Marlena had been working diligently on controlling her powers since he had allowed her to go back home Christmas of 2014, and the control she had far exceeded that of Wanda's, but Tony cared too much about Marlena to risk letting her harm someone she loved; she'd never forgive herself if she did, and considering the incident regarding Lagos and Bucky, he felt Marlena being around the team was safer than her being around civilians such as Greyson and her brother.

The sound of Wanda's television caught Marlena's attention, and she moved away from the window. She strolled over to where her cousin sat at the edge of her bed and sat down in front of her on the floor, her gaze falling upon the screen. She swallowed the growing lump in her throat as she watched footage from Lagos flash across the screen.

The incident had been weighing heavily on Marlena's mind, and Bucky leaving only made it worse. She and Wanda had never meant to cause such destruction—such devastation. All they wanted was to finally rid the world of Rumlow, and they did, but in doing so they also rid the world of several innocent civilians, all of whom would never get the chance to live the lives they deserved to live.

"Eleven Wakandans were among those killed during a confrontation between the Avengers and a group of mercenaries in Lagos, Nigeria last month," the reporter spoke. "The traditionally reclusive Wakandans were on an outreach mission when the attack occurred."

Marlena ran a hand over her face, unable to listen to the news report she was sure she had heard too many times within the last month. It was almost as if she were reliving that day over and over again without actually physically doing so. There was enough footage, however, to make her believe so.

"What legal authority do enhanced individuals such as Wanda Maximoff and Marlena Claire have to operate in Nigeria?" a voice continued after several moments.

The television switched off before anything else could be said, and Marlena looked over to find Steve standing in the doorway. He looked at Marlena with sad eyes, and she let out a breath before shifting her gaze to the carpet.

"It's our fault," Wanda spoke.

"That's not true," Steve tried to assure her.

"Turn the TV back on; they're being very specific," Wanda retorted, her voice slightly strained.

Steve pushed himself off of the wall and started towards the two girls. "I should've clocked that bomb vest before you two had the chance to deal with it. Rumlow started talking about Bucky, and all of a sudden I was a sixteen year old kid again in Brooklyn."

Marlena clenched her fist and turned away at the sound of Bucky's name, earning a frown from Steve. The topic surrounding Bucky had been a fairly sensitive one to Marlena, a topic she had really only ever opened up about to Steve.

Steve let out a breath and sat down on the bed beside Wanda. "People died. . .it's on me."

"It's on all three of us," Marlena said quietly playing with her hands.

"This job—we try to save as many people as we can, but sometimes that doesn't mean everybody," Steve said. "But if we can't find a way to live with that, next time. . .maybe nobody gets saved."

Wanda merely looked down at the floor, while Marlena's attention remained on her hands. The two of them weren't sure how they should respond, and even if they had they wouldn't have been given the chance as Vision came materializing through Wanda's bedroom wall.

The three of them looked over at the android, each with different expressions on their faces.

"Viz," Wanda chastised. "We talked about this."

"Yes, but the door was open, so I assumed that. . ." He trailed off, unsure of how to excuse his actions. "Captain Rogers wished to know when Mr. Stark was arriving."

Steve nodded and looked down at the floor. "Thank you, we'll be right down."

"I'll use the door," Vision said, gesturing to the door. He stopped in the doorway, however, and turned around to face the three of them. "Oh, and apparently he's brought a guest."

"Do you know who it is?" Steve asked.

"The Secretary of State. He is requesting your presence as well, Marlena," Vision informed the three of them before heading out of the room.

Marlena sighed and stood up, smoothing out her clothes with her hands. "I'm gonna go grab my shoes," she said quietly before hurrying out of the room.

Steve followed behind her, stopping her bedroom door before it could shut. He shut it behind him, however, and shoved his hands into his pocket before sauntering further into the room.

"You okay, Mar?" he asked as he watched her pull on her black ankle boots.

She glanced up at him before focusing back on her shoes. "I'm as okay as I appear to be. I could ask you the same question, though. Have you heard anything?"

Steve shook his head and sat down beside her on her bed. "Not in a few days."

The two were talking about Peggy. During the last month, Marlena and Wanda hadn't been the only ones dealing with the torturous commodity of life. It was only several days after arriving back to the compound from Lagos that Steve had been informed of Peggy's deteriorating health. He had only spoken to Marlena about it, and he had been keeping her updated as much as he could when he received some piece of information.

"You'll know something soon," Marlena assured him, giving his arm a comforting pat.

Steve sighed and looked down at the floor. "Thank you, Marlena."

"For what?" she asked as she pulled on her remaining boot.

"For being there—for being someone I know I can count on," Steve spoke, glancing up at her.

She smiled softly and stood up. "I'm always gonna be here, Steve," she assured him as she held a hand out to him. "Now let's get downstairs before Stark has a conniption fit. I love him, but I'm in no mood to deal with him."

"When are you ever?" he teased, reaching up to grab her hand.

The walk to the conference room was silent. The two headed inside the room, attracting everyone's attention, even the attention of Secretary Ross who had been in the middle of telling a story to those present.

"Glad you two could finally join us, Captain Rogers," he said, nodding towards the two of them.

Marlena responded with a curt nod before taking a seat in between Sam and Vision, while Steve sat across from her in the seat beside Natasha. Tony smiled at her from the corner in which he sat, and Marlena returned it before averting her attention back to the Secretary.

"As I was saying," the Secretary continued. "Five years ago I had a heart attack. I dropped right in the middle of my backswing. It turned out that it was the best round of my life, because after thirteen hours in surgery and a triple bypass, I found something forty years in the army never taught me: perspective. The world owes the Avengers an unplayable debt; you have fought for us, protected us, and risked your lives. But while a great deal of people see you as heroes, there are some who would prefer the word vigilantes."

"And what word would you use to describe us?" Natasha questioned with a smirk on her face.

Secretary Ross's expression became serious. "How about dangerous? What would you call a group of U.S. 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."

Marlena pursed her lips as she listened to his words. They were mostly true, but at the same time they weren't. She was more than aware of what she had left behind in Lagos, and she was far more concerned with it than he gave her credit for.

Secretary Ross moved towards the monitor at the head of the table, and each person at the table fixed their gaze upon it as they watched footage of previous missions flash across the screen.

Footage of the devastation in Washington D.C., Sokovia, and Lagos had affected Marlena the most.

She had never been directly involved in the battle at the Triskelion, but Washington D.C. was her home, and it had also reminded her of Bucky, who just so happened to play an outrageous part in the destruction.

Sokovia was where the Claire family had originated from, and it was also where she watched her younger cousin sacrifice himself in order to save Clint and a younger boy.

Lagos, however, was where she had left a mark completely different than the one originally intended. Lagos was where she ended the lives of the innocent; Lagos was where she changed the lives of multiple families for the worst. She couldn't stop the tears from welling in her eyes as she watched the footage—as she watched the covered bodies being rolled out of the building she and Wanda had accidentally destroyed.

Steve noticed the sadness on each of the girls' faces and looked at Ross, removing his hand from the side of his face. "Okay, that's enough."

Ross nodded and switched off the monitor. "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."

The man standing beside Ross handed him what seemed to be, at first glance, a book. He slid it towards Wanda, and she inspected the cover for a second before sliding it over to Rhodey.

"The Sokovia Accords: approved by a hundred and seventeen countries. It states that the Avengers shall no longer be a private organization," Secretary Ross explained. "Instead, they'll operate under the supervision of the United Nations panel only if and when that panel deems it necessary."

"The Avengers were formed to make the world a safer place; I feel we've done that," Steve defended.

Ross tilted his head to the side, placing his hands behind his back. "Tell me, Captain—do you know where Thor and Banner are right now? If I misplaced a couple of thirty megaton nukes, you can bet there'd be consequences."

Ross moved away from him and headed back towards the front of the table. "Compromise, reassurance—that's how the world works. Believe me, this is the middle ground," he said gesturing to the accords, which were now in Marlena's hands.

She furrowed her eyebrows as her eyes fell upon a line with her name printed below it. She wondered why her name was on the page along with the rest of the Avengers; she wasn't an Avenger.

"Mr. Secretary," Marlena spoke up, attracting everyone's attention. "I understand that I've been on maybe four or five missions with the Avengers in the last couple of years, but that doesn't make me one officially; I don't believe I understand the reasoning for putting my name on this."

Steve perked up at her words and grabbed the book from her hands, only to find that her words were true. He let out a sigh and closed the book, sliding it down the table towards Rhodey. The last thing Steve wanted was for Marlena to get dragged into this.

"As far as I'm concerned, you are an Avenger, Miss Claire," Ross said to her, crossing his arms over his chest. "You've operated alongside them on various missions, meaning that you are every bit as responsible as they are. I fail to see what is so difficult about accepting that particular responsibility."

Marlena simply frowned and began picking at her nails. She wanted to argue with him; she wanted to tell him to shove the accords up his ass, but she couldn't bring herself to do so.

"So, there are contingencies I presume," Rhodey spoke up, saving Marlena from another one of Ross's remarks.

"Three days from now the U.N. meets in Vienna to ratify the accords," Ross said to him.

Steve exchanged a look with Tony, to which Tony responded by looking down at his hands.

"You can talk it over," Ross instructed, moving towards the exit.

"And what if we come to a decision to don't like?" Natasha inquired, looking up at him with a small smile on her face.

Ross stopped in the doorway. "Then you retire."

Natasha simply nodded in response. Ross soon left the room, leaving the group to ponder in their thoughts.