Divided |2|

twelve

Now, if I were a silver-haired speedster, where would I be hiding?

Victoria had made her way around the building about ten times before she gave up, opting to rather sit on the floor of one of the many conference rooms. She stared out the ceiling-to-floor windows at Vienna. She felt all her energy be drawn out of her now that she was finally sitting, quietly.

The past couple of days had been really rough, and Victoria didn't quite know what to make of them. She was practically a criminal now, and funnily enough – she didn't mind the title at all. She was just dreading the inevitable phone call with her father—or worse—her mother.

"Much on your mind?"

She glanced back to find her speedster standing behind her, sending a sad smile to her. She turned her head back to the skyline and she felt Pietro sit behind her. He placed his head on her shoulder and sighed.

"Is this how you felt with Katja?"

"You mean that bubbling, irritating feeling in the pits of your stomach that make you want to shove a toothpick under their nail?" Victoria felt him nod, and it was her turn to sigh. "Yeah, then I guess it is."

"I am sorry. I overreacted with the Accords, but Victoria, this is exactly what I did not want to happen."

"Whether you wanted it to happen or not, Pietro, I'm doing what I believe is right. And, screw whoever or whatever piece of damn paper thinks it's wrong!"

"Alright."

They remained silent as they stared blankly at the view. Victoria had a question just bubbling around in her throat, and before she could stop herself, she blurted it out.

"Why did you sign, Pietro?" She twisted herself around and leant against the window, fiddling with his hand. "As far as I know, Wanda still hasn't decided... And I didn't sign... So, why?"

"I lost everyone, Vic. I lost them due to people with special little gadgets and fancy powers who thought they could win wars that they started. Yes, I still have Wanda. But she's slipping to her own power and her new life, one I am not much included in. These powers—suits, machines, weapons—they hurt people. They destroy people... They destroyed me, and my life. If I could do something to stop that, then I would take it."

"But... These powers can also be used for good, Pietro. Sure, there are some who don't—"

"—And it is those who do not that I am afraid of."

"We try to save people. Try being the key word!"

"Well, sometimes trying is not enough!"

"It has to be!"

"It is not enough anymore!"

By now, they were standing. Victoria was on the verge of tears – in fact, the moisture was glistening in her eyes as she stared into his. They portrayed so much emotion – so much hate. Towards who, she couldn't distinguish.

"Well, I'm sorry, Pietro. But sometimes—sometimes—people have to die in order for things to change."

"I guess they do."

They held eye contact for a couple more seconds, before Pietro sped off. Victoria stared at the open door before she collapsed to the floor again. Tears leaked out of her eyes and she sobbed—loudly—not caring who heard her.

Had she made the right choice?

***

"Hello?"

Victoria had barely put a foot into her office that Ross had assigned her to, when her phone rang. The Imagine Dragons tone still rung proudly as she fumbled in her pockets for the device. Shutting her eyes and sighing, she answered her father's call.

"Are you alright?"

"I—Excuse me?"

"Are you okay?"

"What? No, 'I'm so disappointed in you, young lady!' Or, 'We did not raise you like this!' Or a, 'You're in so much tr—'"

"—For the love of God, Victoria! I'm asking you if you're okay after all the shit—"

Clint was cut off by his wife in the back ground. "—Is that Victoria? That child, I swear! Hand me the phone!"

"Okay, daddy – I gotta go—"

"—Victoria Selene Barton! I'm so disappointed in you!"

"And there it is."

Victoria sighed and flopped into the chair behind the table and rested her head on it. The phone was still held to her ear as she quietly wallowed in her sorrows.

"—Going against the law! I knew you should've come home the minute you finished the Lagos mission!" Her mother took a deep breath and when she released it, she lowered her voice. "I'm proud of you."

"For the second time in the past five minutes... Excuse me?"

"You heard me. You did what was right."

"So we can scrap the whole disappointed speech and whatever?"

"I'm still upset about you being arrested—uh, it is still being arrested if you're a superhero, right babe? Well sorry that I didn't know that, but you guys are considered above the law normally! Yes, the Accords, blah-blah—wait, what was I saying again? Right! Disappointed mother speech!"

The power went out momentarily and an alarm was set off in the building. She spotted Steve and Sam running past her room and she stood up. "Hey Ma, I'm gonna have to get that speech later. Emergency."

"I'm not quite done with you, Vic—"

"Love you, bye." She hung up, shoving her phone into her back pocket as she caught up with Sam. "What's up?"

"Turns out the UN hired one of the bad guys to look after Barnes."

"Don't tell me—"

"—Yep. Prepare for the Russian Devil, and I'm not talking about Natasha this time."

Victoria sighed, running down the stairs with them. "Never gonna catch a break, at this rate."

They made it to the bunker and noticed all the bodies of agents slumped on the floor. She sighed, again—damn, she's been doing that a lot lately—and bent down to check for a pulse of one. A slight thump was still felt and she nodded to herself. She grabbed that agent's baton and glanced it over.

"Not quite my bow, but it'll have to do." She glanced at the agent on the floor again. "Don't worry buddy, you'll get it back. I think." Sam sent her a look and she raised an eyebrow at him. "What? Would you like little pieces of Victoria to be scattered around the room because I didn't have a weapon against the Russian Devil?" He just shook his head and continued. "Thought so."