The Valiant (The Seventh Avenger)

Chapter 48

~One Month Later~

I stretch my arms above my head as I prepare myself for my workout today. It's been over a month since I've seen Peter and every day it pains me more and more to think about him without me. Every time a thought of him creeps into my mind, I workout. It somehow works out for me since it helps with my mentality and physicality.

I grab my phone and my towel and make my way out the door but I'm stopped by Vision, Wanda, and Steve.

"What's wrong?" I ask noticing their expressions. Wanda looks worried and Steve just looks nervous in general. I stand there awkwardly waiting for one of them to tell me what's going on.

"Tony's here," Steve says looking up at me, "with the secretary of state."

My stomach drops to the floor. I've never been on good terms with the government especially since Chicago. They're the only ones outside of the Avengers to know my alternate identities. I slowly get up and follow them to the meeting room. We all nod at Secretary Ross before sitting down. I sit at the end and look straight at Mr. Ross before he begins.

"Five years ago, I had a heart attack and dropped right in the middle of my backswing," He smiles at the eight of us before continuing. "Turned out it was the best round of my life because after thirteen hours of surgery and a triple bypass; I found something forty years in the Army never taught me: perspective. The world owes the Avengers an unpayable debt. You have fought for us, protected us, risked your lives; but while a great many people see you as heroes, there are some who see you as 'vigilantes.'"

"And word would you use, Mr. Secretary?" Natasha asks.

"How about dangerous?" He asks. "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, seemed unconcerned about what they leave behind?" Mr. Ross walks over to the screen and a map of the world turns on. Pointed on the map are many of our top missions and a couple of those we have taken on alone. My stomach aches when I see that Chicago is on there.

"New York." A video of the chitauri pops up. People running and getting shot at from them as Hulk leaps from building to building. We can only imagine what the cameraman's fate was. Rhodey turns to look at Natasha who keeps a straight face at the screen, my chest aches at the thought of those people in that building, why couldn't have I done more?

"Washington D.C." Another video pops up of the S.H.I.E.L.D. carriers attacking each other in midair then of one of them crashing into the water, creating waves that sweep people off the sidewalk. Screams can be heard from the video and Steve looks down for a brief second before looking back up at the screen. 

"Chicago." A video of me pops up, facing my sister, tears begin to stream down my face automatically from this. . Flames surrounding our arms as a portal lets in a Harolese ship, allowing a beam of light to shine upon us. The clip switches to one of the gunshot being fired and my sister's body collapsing to the ground. I quickly get up and make my gaze avoid the screen when I hear the screams from that night already echoing in my mind.

"I'm going to need a minute," I say. I wave everyone off when they ask if I want to talk, I just want to be left alone for right now, for just a few minutes. I quickly walk out the door but stop for a moment to look at Ross right in the eyes to show what he has done. He just stares back with a blank expression and that's what sent me over the edge, I run out the door and go to my room. Silently crying into Bella's fur as I wait for my team to finish with their meeting with him.

"Hey, Grace we need to talk," Tony says at my door. I've been staring there for so long that I don't even know what time it is.

"How long have I been gone?" I ask and he just sighs.

"It's been two hours and I was the one who volunteered to come to see you, I couldn't take any more of Rhodey and Sam's bickering," He chuckles, I smile at him waiting to continue. "I came here to talk about this," he holds up a large book that reads 'The Sokovia Accords.' "It's an agreement that will put us under the watch of the United Nations, it will help keep us in check."

"Why do we need the government to babysit us? They can't seriously be blaming us for all this?" I ask but Tony just looks at me with sad eyes. "So they are blaming us, they think that the deaths are our faults and not the bad guys. Really? I'm not signing."

My arms cross over my chest as I stare at Tony waiting for him to agree with me, but it never comes.

"You can't be seriously siding with this? This will just bring us more conflict in the future if we need to go somewhere they will stop us and arrest us. What are going to do? Break more federal laws? If it is what we must do to save the world then that's what must be done, but I'm not going to go back to having my motions controlled like a puppet again. I can't."

"Well, Grace that's the thing, you won't be signing," Tony sighs and I look up at him, confused. "I will be, and since I 'officially' adopted you when S.H.I.E.L.D. collapsed, I am your legal guardian."

"What?" I stand up, "I mean, I'm happy to have you as a dad, but are you threatening me to sign it without my permission. Are you seriously going to sign me into that? Or even consider it? Really?"

"I am not allowed to sign anything, even though I'm your guardian," Tony says standing up. "I asked."

"So you were considering signing me into something for the next four years of my life? Really Tony? What have I done wrong that made you even think of doing something like that, hm?" I am screaming now. I begin to walk towards him, but he takes a step back every time I move.  "Have I killed one of your loved ones? Have I ever hurt anyone? Have I ever done anything else but what's best for the public? What have I done to not have the government's trust? Or even yours?"

"You haven't done anything, it's the team," Tony says putting his hands up once he reaches the wall. "We've all made plenty of mistakes in the past, but this accord can put everything right."

"Is that really what you think? That eight signatures are really going to fix this whole mess that's been building for years. Tony, that's not going to mean shit once greater threats make their way to Earth," My voice is barely a whisper. "Do you really think that this whole thing will help us stick together?"

"I believe it will help us have more allies for the bigger threats," he mumbles. "Could you at least attend the signing? In four years you will be able to sign it, this could possibly change your mind once you see what it's really about."

My hands wring each other before I make eye contact with Tony, nodding my head to just end this fight.

"Fine, I'll go," I say through gritted teeth, "but don't expect it to change my mindset, it just doesn't feel right."

"I understand," Tony says sadly, "but it will at least help with your view with all the politics."

I take a deep breath before looking at him, feeling my heartbeat slowing down as I look at him in the eyes as the realization hits me.

"You adopted me? Like really adopted me as in you're my dad?" I ask, feeling my hands shake. Tears begin to fill my eyes, and for the first time in a long time, they're happy tears.

"Yeah, Pepper and I did for your graduation, but we just never had the time to tell you about it," Tony says, "and then a few days before your graduation, we..."

I wrap my arms around Tony, feeling guilty for releasing all my anger at him; the anger that has been building up for the past two hours, two months, six years, the anger that I never knew was there until now. Tony's arms squeeze me before letting go.

"Just please at least go with an open mind," he says and I feel myself nod. Tony grabs the book and walks out of the room. Bella whimpers at my feet and I scratch her behind the ear and lay back down on the bed. Something hard hits my back and I reach back and pull out my sketchbook, opened to the page with the beam hitting the shield before a large foot. Whatever is happening now must lead up to this moment, but I need to figure out a way to stop it.