Where your loyalties lie (Two New Bartons book 2) (completed)

Team Stark - Pietro

As soon as everyone's changed into their super-suits/whatever they brought that's easier to fight in that they were wearing before, Cap asks, "Is everyone clear on the plan?"

He explained it while we were changing, yelling from behind his tin can of a car.

There's a chorus of, "Yes!" from everyone except me. 

"Piet?" Clint asks.

I hesitate, before saying, "I, um, I think I'm going to hang back here until I'm needed. There's not that much that I can do out there at the moment."

Wanda narrows her eyes at the floor, but says nothing. 

"Are you sure?" Cap asks.

"Yeah. I'll see you later."

He nods, hands me a comm - which I put in my ear - and leads the others away. Before she leaves, however, Wanda glances at me momentarily and thinks to me, What are you doing?

Trust me, I think back. 

Except, I don't want her to trust me. I want to yell, "Stop me from doing this! Tell me this is a dumb idea! Don't let me do it!"

But I don't. I just watch as she turns and follows the others out. 

I slump against the van with a sigh.

I've been thinking about what Clint said: "What upsets you the most? The fact that she's upset with you, or the fact that you can't do anything about it." And I've come to the conclusion that they both upset me equally. The difference between now and before is that, now, I've accepted the fact that I can't do anything about it. Which means that I can't stay hanging around her anymore. I can't keep trying to get her to like me again when I know it's futile. And I can't be around her if I can't try to get her to like me. And there's only one thing I can do to get away from her. 

And it's a really bad idea. It might completely and permanently ruin the tiny sliver of chance I had with Wanda. 

But I have to do it. If I don't, I think I'm going to go mad. 

With a defeated sigh, I pull the comm Cap gave me from my ear. I only put it in so I don't make him and the others suspicious. Then I turn and start running, the world slowing to a snail's pace around me. When I get to the airport's runway, I see Cap and Rhodes talking to Stark. 

There's another guy, too. I can't tell who it is, cause he's wearing a full body suit, keeping his face hidden. His suit looks like a cat. 

As I watch from the sidelines, out of sight, Romanoff joins the little group. I can't hear what she's saying, but she looks slightly disappointed. Sad. 

 And then Stark yells something that sounds like, "Underoos!" and a guy in a spider costume flips onto the scene, shoots something that looks like webs at Cap's shield, which pulls it towards him, wraps more webs around Cap's hand and sticks a perfect landing. 

He starts talking, but I still can't hear what he's saying. I need to get closer. I start moving forward, keeping hidden behind crates, planes and various other vehicles. I get close enough just in time to hear Stark saying, "'Rescuing' Wanda from a place she didn't want to leave, a safe place?"

This is a terrible idea! I can't join the people who tried to put Wanda on house arrest, who planted the first seeds to her idea that she's a monster! What am I doing?!

I shake my head, trying to clear it. I'm doing this for her. For both of us. That's what I tell myself. It's not just for me. It's not the entirely selfish act my mind is making it out to be.

Stark is yelling, "I'm trying to keep..." He pauses, takes a breath, then says, quieter, "I'm trying to keep you from tearing the Avengers apart."

That's fair. 

"You did that when you signed," Cap replies. 

That's less fair. The reference to the Accords gets my mind back into slot, though. They're why we're in this situation in the first place, but they're necessary, I know they are. They're why I'm doing this. I don't agree with Stark on many, many things, but this? This is something he's right about. 

Stark stares at Cap fro a second, and I can almost see the betrayal on his face. Is that what Wanda will look like when she realizes what I've done? 

"Alright, we're done," Stark says, then yells, "You're gonna turn Barnes over, and you're gonna come with us, now, because it's us, or a squad of J-SOC guys, with no compunction about being impolite! Come on."

Cap pauses for a second, and, for that brief moment, I think he's gonna agree, and there won't be a fight. Then he raises his arms, and an arrow cuts through the webs binding his arms. Stark's helmet grows around his head. 

Next second, Lang appears between the spider guy and Cap's shield, knocking spider guy back and taking the shield from his grip. 

He hands it to Cap, saying, "I believe this is yours, Captain America."

"Oh great," I hear Stark say through his helmet. "Alright, there's two on the parking deck."

That'll be Wanda and Clint. Clint was meant to either try get Wanda away from the fighting or draw Stark away from the action. 

Sure enough, Stark finishes, "One of them's Maximoff, I'm gonna grab her."

He and Rhodes rise in to the air, and I can hear them talking, but, between the new distance and their helmets, I can't make out what they're saying. 

The cat dude starts running, and I'm close enough to hear him say, "Barnes is mine."

So they've found Sam and Barnes, then. They must have x-ray scanners or something built into their suits. 

At the same moment, Cap throws his shield at Rhodes, slowing him down, but not stopping him completely. 

Spider guy puts two fingers to the side of his mask, where I guess his comm is, then starts moving, using his webs to pull him into the air.

I guess the fight is starting then.

Word count: 1017

Hey guys!

Sorry this chapter is a little longer than the rest, there wasn't a better place to end it. 

I would also like to let you know that I am no longer in control of this story. I haven't been for a while, I don't think. It has become self aware and is writing itself, so please don't hate me for whatever possibly horrible twists - like twins hating each other (sorry about that!) - come up next. I don't know where this is going, and am just as curious as you. 

Happy reading!

-Ashlley