Sue didn't know she ended up at the Avengers Headquarters. Her insistence on retirement was working out as well as Clint's was. His was perhaps better, as he wasn't present at the headquarters. Yet Sue was, and Morgan had somehow tagged along too.
'Still no word from Vision?' Secretary Thaddeus Ross's hologram asked.
'Satellites lost him somewhere over Edinburgh,' Colonel James Rhodes was sat in a chair at the meeting table.
'On a stolen quinjet with four of the world's most wanted criminals.'
'You know they're only criminals because you've chosen to call them that, right, sir?'
'My God, Rhodes, your talent for horseshit rivals my own.'
'If it weren't for those Accords, Vision would've been right here.'
'I remember your signature on those papers, Colonel.'
'That's right. And I'm pretty sure I've paid for that.'
'You have second thoughts?'
'Not anymore.'
From beside Rhodey, the sliding glass door slid open at FRIDAY's operation. The reunited Avengers stepped into view for the hologram of the Secretary of State. They saw Rhodey's legs, which still suffered paralysis, but were powered by a machine that acted as if they worked like normal. The technology was perfected by Stark Industries and gave Rhodey the power to walk again.
With Steve Rogers in the front and with his new look of full of facial hair and darker locks on his head, he stared down the blue haze. The last time the two spoke was over the Sokovian Accords, and they hadn't seen eye to eye. Judging by Ross's narrowed eyes, the bad blood was yet to be washed away
'Mr Secretary,' Steve greeted coldly.
'You got some nerve,' Ross's eyes ran over the team behind him. 'I'll give you that.'
'You could use some of that right now,' Natasha Romanoff whipped, a red eyebrow raised.
Johnny stood behind Steve, his eyes equally as hard. After reuniting with his best friend, Johnny felt invincible. Despite the purple bruise that covered his cheekbone, the Storm could take on an army if he had Captain America by his side. When Steve climbed the stairs of the house in Maine and entered the bedroom, Johnny had squinted through the dark. The shoulder width and height were undoubtable and Johnny lit a finger to confirm his suspicions.
'Hey, Johnny,' Steve had said once his face was lit from the small flame. The friends embraced like men did, and Johnny resisted the urge to hold Steve longer than deemed suitable.
'The world's on fire. And you think, all is forgiven?' Ross eyed the Rogers specifically.
'I'm not looking for forgiveness. And I'm way past asking for permission. Earth just lost her best defender,' Sue resisted a flinch. 'So, we're here to fight. And if you wanna stand in our way... We'll fight you, too.'
'Arrest them.'
'All over it,' Rhodey pressed the box that produced the hologram to cut the feed. He stood from his chair and had no intention of detaining the group.
'That's a court-martial. It's great to see you, Cap.'
'You too, Rhodey.'
The Colonel's eyes switched to the team, nodding to them to show he was glad to see them too. A small whine came from the back, making him step to see around the side. Slightly embarrassed, Susan hiked Morgan up further onto her hip. She used her free hand to push a long piece of hair that slipped into her fringe, before she caught Rhodey's gaze. In the group of superheroes, Sue bounced Morgan to soothe her daughter's whines of protest of being in the strange room of glass walls and government official's holograms.
She sent a tight smile to Rhodey, who beamed for a split second, before slipping back into his poker face for the Avengers. He hadn't seen his goddaughter since the month after her birth. He had been too busy with deployments and military procedures, and he was amazed to see how much Morgan had already grown. It made him feel guilty for missing out on the first months of her life, and he felt even worse when he remembered the location of her father.
The team moved to another room to discuss the current matters. Sue had tried to situate in the living space with some of Morgan's toys, but Wanda had questioned what she was doing. The Storm jumped in surprise, not expecting to be noticed that she slipped away from the team.
'She's a little fussy today. Pepper was working, so... I had to, you know... bring her along,' Sue laughed awkwardly, Morgan already pulling at strands of Sue's brown hair. The woman reached up and gently took her small fist into hers, clenching it lightly.
'You'll miss the meeting,' Wanda looked concerned.
Wanda had matured since the last time Sue had seen her. Who was once a scared kid who didn't know what the future held, Wanda stood confident and beautiful. Her hair glowed a soft orange, and her cheekbones were prominent, emphasised with some light makeup. Her scarlet trench coat was still present against her otherwise black clothes. Sue almost felt old compared to the Maximoff, the months of pregnancy evident in the form of the baby on her hip.
Sue tried not to divert her eyes to the floor. She didn't want to show it, but she felt out of place. An Avengers meeting was no place to bring a baby, and it felt even emptier without Tony. Tony. Sue hadn't forgotten, but she had done well to push his absence to the back of her mind. Conversations were a lot less humourous without him. You could continue your train of thought without a nickname, or a joke being thrown in there. At one point, it used to annoy her, but she never said anything. No one ever did. Because he was Tony, and that's what Tony did. But now, everything felt that little bit colder.
'No one will judge you for bringing her in,' Wanda walked over and put her hands on her knees, lowering herself to Morgan's eye level. The woman smiled, the sight of Morgan's long lashes and soft cheeks a breath of fresh air against the world's mayhem. Morgan blinked at the redhead, a thumb planted in her mouth and her fist enclosed in Sue's hand. Wanda brought her fingers up to the infant's view and twirled a strip of crimson around in a display of sparkles and mist. The giggle that fell out of the baby's mouth warmed Wanda's chest, the smile that rarely graced Tony Stark's face mirrored almost exactly.
'I'm jealous of you,' Wanda stated, her eyes remaining on Morgan's smiling face. 'You're life.'
Sue hadn't expected to hear that Wanda was jealous. If anything, Sue was jealous of her. Wanda was young and powerful. She loved Vision and the two were happy, despite the controversy that could occur from their relationship. They didn't let anything get in between them, and Wanda had a whole life ahead of her. Whether she wanted to spend it as being a part of the Avengers, or a part of a family, she had a choice. Sue didn't have a choice, and that was evident by her presence at the headquarters. She had been part of the Avengers from the start and Tony played a large part in the team. It was only a given that she would also be present, no matter how much she tried to distance herself. She thought moving to the house in Maine would finalise her departure from the team, but she was proven wrong once again.
'There's nothing more I'd like than to have a family,' Wanda's smile faltered, her voice breaking. 'We were in Scotland, you know. Me and Vis. We were happy. We could have two boys and be a family. You have that. You have everything, Susan. I want everything. Like you.'
'I did have everything...' Sue swallowed, her grip on Morgan tightening at the thought of Tony.
'You still do. Don't give up.'
Sue straightened her shoulders and took a deep breath. Wanda stood up straight and stared at the Storm, her eyes gleaming with the reflection of her words. The women's confidence bounced off each other, giving the other their hope and power. Wanda put a hand on Sue's arm, squeezing her bicep to show that she was there if needed. Sue blew out a gust of air, feeling the weight of Morgan become that slightest bit lighter. The baby's lips buzzed together in a raspberry, unaware of the chaos that surrounded her.
'Come on,' Wanda motioned her head to where the team had settled. 'Can't leave saving the world completely up to the men.'
---
'So,' Bruce started the discussion. 'We gotta assume they're coming back, right? And they can clearly find us. We need all hands-on deck. Where's Clint?'
'After the whole Accords situation, he and Scott took a deal. It was too tough on their families,' Natasha informed. The woman's hair was dyed completely blonde, the new look a fresh change for the Romanoff.
'Who's Scott?'
'Antman.'
'There's an Antman and a Spiderman?' Bruce questioned but shook his head. 'Okay, look... Thanos has the biggest army in the universe. And he is not gonna stop until he gets...Vision's Stone.'
'Then we protect it,' Johnny shrugged as if it was obvious.
'No, we have to destroy it,' Vision spoke up, JARVIS's voice flowing from his lips. 'I've been giving a good deal of thought to this entity in my head, about its nature. But also, its composition. I think if it were exposed to a sufficiently powerful energy source, something, very similar to its own signature, perhaps... Its molecular integrity could fail.'
'And you with it,' Wanda intervened. 'We're not having this conversation.'
'Eliminating the Stone is the only way to be certain that Thanos can't get to it,' Vision stared down at the woman he had grown overly fond of.
'That's too high a price.'
'Only you have the power to pay it. Thanos threatens half the universe. One life cannot stand in the way of defeating him.'
'But it should,' Steve stopped him. 'We don't trade lives, Vision.'
Sue could see how devastated Wanda looked at the mention of losing Vision. It was a look she was sure she had worn too much in her lifetime. Vision took hold of Wanda's hands, and they shared a moment in each other's eyes. Sue prayed that Morgan would stay quiet for the few seconds. The little girl did so, and Sue was relieved.
'Captain,' Vision turned and walked towards Steve. 'Seventy years ago, you laid down your life to save how many millions of people. Tell me, why is this any different?'
'Because you have a choice,' Bruce spoke up. 'Your mind is made up of a complex construct of overlays. JARVIS, Ultron, Tony, me, the Stone. All of them mixed together. All of them learning from one another.'
'So, he isn't just the pebble?' Johnny raised an eyebrow.
'I'm saying that if we take out the Stone, there's still a whole lot of Vision left. Perhaps the best parts.'
Natasha went to ask who could do that and where it would be possible. Sam, who Sue had barely spoken to since the team reunited, turned at the sound of Morgan's little wail. It had hit two o'clock and Morgan was due an afternoon nap. The room was brightly lit and no place to fall asleep in, so she was beginning to get irritated.
'Is she okay?' Sam whispered, leaning down to make sure his voice carried.
'Yes,' Sue mumbled, trying to laugh. 'She needs to nap. I-I should go and-'
Steve had stated that he knew somewhere where the Stone could be removed from Vision, when Morgan let out a loud cry. The team's heads swivelled around as tears streamed down the baby's cheeks, her throat choking out sobs from tiredness. A wince appeared on their faces as the volume pierced their ears, and Sue had never felt so embarrassed.
It was perfectly normal for babies to cry. But when the situation was dire and the atmosphere was tense, Sue felt her cheeks heat up at the attention Morgan brought. She hurried to stand, pulling Morgan off her lap and over her shoulder to pat her back. Her cries continued and Johnny prepared to stand, seeing how jerked Sue's movements were. He felt like he should help and wanted to save some of the embarrassment, but he knew the deed was done when he saw his sister bite her lip. And she bit it hard.
'I-I'm so sorry,' she stuttered, flickering her gaze up and wished nothing more than to disappear with her powers. 'S-She's just tired. I knew I shouldn't have brought her. I-I'm so sorry-'
'It's okay, Sue,' Steve tried. 'We understand.'
Sue pushed the chair forward and turned away. Her lips were tight as she carried Morgan out of the room, the heat on her back from the stares almost as hot as the heat in her cheeks. She heard Rhodey clear his throat and bring the attention of the room back to him. He watched the woman leave and felt sorry for her, knowing how she felt. He had known Sue almost as long as Tony had, and despite her growth in confidence, she was still a sensitive person. And without Tony by her side, she was even more prone to self-consciousness.
The meeting resumed and Sue left, wanting nothing more than to have Morgan's father back where he belonged.