Bucky's Anchor

Chapter 22 - Defying the Accords

I watched Steve as he paced back and forth in the small living room of the safe house. His face was set in a hard, determined expression. I'd seen that look before—the one he got when he was about to make a decision that would change everything. My stomach twisted in knots because I knew what was coming.

He stopped pacing and looked at us, his eyes locking onto mine first and then Bucky's. "I can't support the Sokovia Accords," he said firmly.

The room went silent, the weight of his words settling over us like a heavy fog. Bucky leaned back against the wall, his face impassive but his eyes reflecting a mixture of understanding and concern. I swallowed, trying to make sense of the emotions swirling inside me.

"We knew this was a possibility," I said, my voice sounding steadier than I felt. "But Steve, are you sure? This will change everything."

Steve nodded. "I know," he replied, his voice carrying the weight of his conviction. "But I can't sign away our freedom. The Accords would put us under the control of a governing body with its own agenda. Today they might align with ours, but what about tomorrow? What happens when they order us to do something we know is wrong?"

His words hung in the air, and I glanced over at Bucky. He was staring at the floor, his jaw clenched tightly. I knew exactly what was running through his mind. Bucky had spent years as a puppet for HYDRA, following orders without any control over his actions. The idea of surrendering his freedom again, even in a different context, must have been unbearable.

"We've been controlled before," Bucky said quietly, finally looking up. "I can't go back to that. Not in any form."

Steve walked over and placed a hand on Bucky's shoulder, their eyes meeting in a silent exchange that spoke volumes. Steve understood Bucky's fear more than anyone else. He turned back to me, his gaze unwavering.

"Emily," Steve continued, "I need to know where you stand on this."

I felt a lump in my throat. Steve was asking me to choose sides, and I knew that whatever decision I made would have consequences. The Sokovia Accords were meant to ensure accountability, to prevent us from making mistakes that cost innocent lives. But they were also a leash, a means of control that could be used to manipulate us.

"I..." I hesitated, struggling to find the right words. "I believe in accountability. But I also believe in free will. If we sign those Accords, we lose the ability to make our own choices. We become weapons again, just in different hands."

Steve nodded slowly, as if he had been expecting my answer. "I don't want us to become weapons," he said. "We've fought too hard to be more than that."

I felt the tension in my chest ease slightly at his words. Steve wasn't asking for us to be rogue agents causing chaos. He was asking for the right to choose our battles, to fight for what we believed was right without being told who the enemy was.

"But this isn't just about us," I said, looking between the two of them. "If we go against the Accords, we're not just making enemies of the governments. We're dividing the Avengers. We'll be fighting against people we care about."

Steve's eyes darkened, and I could see the pain in his expression. "I know," he admitted. "But sometimes the hardest choices are the ones we have to make. I can't sign away our freedom, even if it means standing against our friends."

I glanced at Bucky, searching his face for any sign of doubt. But he looked back at me with a grim determination that matched Steve's. "If we sign those Accords," Bucky said, his voice low and resolute, "we lose ourselves. We lose everything we've fought for."

I closed my eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath. Bucky was right. We had all been through too much, sacrificed too much, to let ourselves be controlled again. The world was a dangerous place, and sometimes that meant we had to make choices that weren't black and white.

"Okay," I said finally, opening my eyes. "I'm with you. But we need to be prepared for what this means. This isn't just about paperwork. This is about fighting for the right to be who we are."

Steve's expression softened slightly, a hint of relief washing over his features. "Thank you," he said quietly. "Both of you."

Bucky gave a small nod, his gaze steady. "You've always fought for what you believe in, Steve. And we'll stand by you."

The room felt heavy with the enormity of our decision. We were about to defy the world's governments, to become fugitives in the eyes of the law. And it wasn't just about us; it was about every Avenger, every hero who believed in the ideals we stood for.

"What's our next move?" I asked, needing to focus on something tangible.

"We need to reach out to the others," Steve replied. "We need to find out who's willing to stand with us. And we need to be ready for when they come to enforce the Accords."

Bucky's eyes narrowed slightly. "You know they'll come after us, right? Stark, Rhodey, all of them. They won't just let us walk away."

"I know," Steve said grimly. "But we have to try to make them understand."

I felt a knot of dread form in my stomach. The idea of facing Tony, Natasha, and the others as enemies was almost too much to bear. These were people we had fought alongside, bled with. How could we stand on opposite sides of a battlefield from them?

"Do you think they'll understand?" I asked, voicing my fear. "Do you think they'll see why we're doing this?"

Steve's eyes flickered with uncertainty for a brief moment. "I don't know," he admitted. "But we have to hope that they do."

I nodded, though it felt like my heart was breaking. I knew what this decision meant. It meant that the Avengers as we knew them might be over. It meant that we were walking into a fight not just for our freedom, but for our very souls.

"Alright," I said, trying to keep my voice steady. "Let's do this. Whatever happens, we face it together."

Steve and Bucky both looked at me with a mixture of gratitude and respect. In that moment, I knew we were on the precipice of something that would change us forever. The lines were being drawn, and we had chosen our side. We weren't just fighting against the Sokovia Accords. We were fighting for the right to be more than the weapons the world wanted to turn us into.

Bucky reached out and squeezed my hand briefly, a silent promise that we were in this together. I squeezed back, taking comfort in the fact that no matter what happened, we would stand side by side.

"Together," Steve echoed, his voice filled with a quiet strength.

As we stood there, the reality of what was to come settled over us like a storm cloud. We were about to go to war, not with an enemy from another world or a rogue organization, but with the people we had once called allies. And it was all for the belief that we had the right to choose our own path.

For better or worse, we were committed. And now, there was no turning back.