Lay Down This Armour.

Four

Steve pummelled the punching bag. Three years worth of anger, regret, blame and shame ran through his mind. For all that he was always stubbornly optimistic, he was truly afraid this time. He was afraid that there was no fixing the divide between his team, his family.

Natasha looked out the expansive windows of common floor to the grounds below. She was not one to try and predict what would happen without all the facts. She had lost a friend when she walked away from him from the exact spot. She did not know what was walking back into her life. She was not in control of this situation and it made her uncomfortable.

Bruce busied himself in his lab. The same lab that had Tony's phantom presence haunting him for the past months. He had not been there for his friend. The Other Guy had been in distress when they could not find him the first year. When he surfaced, his other half had been filled with hope of seeing Tin man. That hope had never waivered and he hoped that both of them would be able to adapt to the man in their friend's body.

Clint was absolutely torn and he hated it. He and Tony had been very close and that had stoked his anger concerning the Accords. He felt betrayed, but rationally he knew that he had not heard both sides of the story. He did not know Tony's motivations and slight guilt nudged at him. Thinking of what he had done to Wanda brought back his anger again. Tony was the one who had tainted their friendship and trust. Three years of not seeing his family were on him.

Wanda sat on her bed, staring at a framed picture Tony had gifted her. It was of her and her brother. She remembered how nervous he had been when she removed the wrapper. He knew she resented him for the death of her parents and had been expecting being shouted at by her. When she hugged him, the fearful surprise she picked up from his mind had been heartbreaking. It was during their exile in Wakanda that she began to appreciate his remorse and generous heart that she had taken for granted. Now she mourned the loss of that giving spirit. When she had gone into his tainted mind, she saw the man she knew was still there, but he was buried beneath pain, anger and demons that had taken over his mind. Trust came to him with difficulty before. Now she was confident that earning it would be near impossible. She hoped that his sweet child would bring a ray of light in his darkened soul.

Pepper looked at her little bundle of joy that slept soundly on her bed. Tony had gifted her such a beautiful being. Because of him, she knew joy she didn't think ever would. She owed it to him to make sure he found a semblance of this joy as well. He deserved that and more. She had abandoned him once. She would not do it again.

'Sue dear. I can't find my reading glasses,' Reed shouted as he rummaged through the lounge.
' I hid them. Once you start your work you are impossible to peel away from it. We can't afford that today,'
' Why?' he grumbled.
' Coz we get to go decide what to do with our very own psycho billionaire,' Johnny said from a couch.
' Be sensitive, Johnny. He is that beautiful little girl's father and she probably doesn't get to meet him for some time,' Ben scolded him.
'Hey, I am just saying. Who knew that arrogant playboy could pull off the angel of death look. Those eyes will never stop freaking me out,'
' I am just glad that we are not working over time to stop him anymore. Doom never gave us this much grey hairs before,' Sue added.
' Do you think he might let me get a sample of his blood to study?'
'Reed!' Sue exclaimed.
' You can ask him. Lucky for you you got the elasticity going for you. That way, if he decides to crush your throat, you won't die. Please ask him when I am there,' Johnny begs, his eyes filled with curious glee.
' Alright people that is enough out of you,' Ben huffs.

' I am going to the compound, Dad,' Hope said as she entered Hank Pym's study.
' Why you keep bothering with that lot is beyond me,'
' Is that not the reason I am Wasp for? I can only do the lone insect act for so long, Dad. Besides, I get to see my favourite two year old,'
' Fine. Tell Miss Potts I hope everything works out for her family. A child needs a father, more importantly a loving one,'
' I think it will eventually work out for her. He is not who he was three years back, but I think he will try everything to be the man and father he is needed to be,' she said as she kissed him on the cheek.
' Behave. And give that errant ant hell for me,'
' I endevour to not disappoint in that department,' Hope laughed as she left.