(MCU) Arcs Collide: Chapter 26 – Rogue Encounters

Chapter 26 – Rogue Encounters

Summary: Tony finds himself in a position where he has to deal with Rogers, while Laura and Carol endure a conversation with Barton and Romanoff. Blood is spilled.

The conversation with his aunt, Hope, Scott, and Hank lasted for over an hour and had its highs and lows. More lows, to be honest, and much more anger than Tony had ever seen from his aunt.

But finally, after all spirits had calmed down, they were ready to leave the room. As they walked down the hall, Tony spoke, “I guess you can stay with Hank in his room until you decide what to do.”

Both Hank and Aunt Janet looked excited by the idea of private time in his room, and Tony didn’t even want to have that as a passing thought.

Luckily, Aunt Janet changed the subject quickly when she pointed out, “I’m hungry, and it’s been decades since I had normal food.”

Before Tony could suggest anything else, Friday’s voice chimed in, “Lunch is being served right now in the cafeteria. Today’s main meal is spaghetti and meatballs.”

Tony gave the closest camera a side-eye as if it had personally offended him. The dreaded response came a moment later when his aunt said, “Oh, sounds perfect.”

With a sigh, Tony led the way to the elevator and pressed the button for the fourth floor.

Just as they stepped out of the elevator, Tony heard a beep from the watch he was wearing. Before he could even ask, Friday frantically called out to him, “Boss, Rogers and Maximoff have cornered Peter, Harley, and Cooper in the cafeteria. One of the workers noticed and alerted me, but he’s unsure if he should intervene.”

Tony immediately began running toward the cafeteria, the others with him completely forgotten. “I’ll be right there,” he replied to Friday.

When Tony entered the large room, it was almost empty, which wasn’t surprising since lunch started in five minutes, and no one usually arrived early.

But the workers preparing lunch were there, as well as a couple of people in suits, all watching with concern toward the corner of the room. Cooper was pushed against the wall, with Peter and Harley standing in front of him. Peter, dressed as Spider-Man, looked ready to fight.

Rogers stood over them with a puffed chest and crossed arms, clearly trying to intimidate them. Shaking his head disapprovingly, he said, “I’m disappointed in you, Spider-Man. You can be a great hero, but you need to act accordingly. It won’t do for heroes to keep secrets from each other.”

Tony heard the others join him at the entrance, all glaring at Rogers.

Harley glared at the man trying to bully his friend into revealing his identity and snapped, “Like the one you kept from Dr. Stark?”

Rogers’ eyes widened for a moment, as if just realizing there were other people in the room. Narrowing his eyes, he responded, “You’re too young to understand the situation we were in. Who are you, anyway?”

“Someone who hates your guts,” Harley curtly replied.

Maximoff had a manic grin on her face as she raised her hand threateningly. “Looks like Stark has already corrupted you, but don’t worry, I can fix that. Once I’m done, you’ll understand that Steve’s side is the only right one.”

Tony waited for a reaction from the self-proclaimed leader, but all the blond musclehead did was raise his eyebrow at the teens.

Pissed off, Tony quickly turned his watch into a gauntlet and fired a full-powered repulsor shot a millimeter from where the two criminals were standing. It forced both of them to jump back and stare at the small smoking hole in the floor.

Tony started walking toward the scene, just about reaching the kids when Rogers and Maximoff turned to him with glares. He glared back, growling, “Stay away from the kids, or the next shot won’t miss.” The repulsor in his gauntlet glowed to emphasize his point.

He used his other hand to pull the kids behind him, starting with Cooper. Rogers gave Tony a disapproving look and said in his patronizing voice, “Tony, we were simply talking with the young ones. There’s no need for hostility.”

Tony looked bored but spoke firmly. “A forced talk that none of them wanted, while you scared them into doing whatever you wanted. And let’s not forget you broke the law by demanding Spider-Man reveal his name. The Accords protect all heroes who choose to use only their code name.”

Before Rogers could respond, Cooper spoke from behind Tony, “He also told me I have to go talk to Barton, even when I told him I didn’t want to, Uncle Tony.”

Maximoff sneered. “Wow, you won’t call Clint your father, but you’ll call that monster your uncle? There’s something wrong with you, boy. I’d love to fix that right now.”

She raised her hand and started to move her fingers like she usually did when her scarlet mist appeared, but nothing happened. She frowned.

Tony smirked. “Already forgotten about Strange’s ward, Scarlet Witch?”

Maximoff clenched her fists and gritted her teeth. Rogers glared at Tony and scolded him, “That’s no way to treat your teammate, Tony.”

Tony snorted. “Did you forget, Rogers? You kicked me off the team when she joined. I helped build the new one, so I know for sure she isn’t on it. She never was, nor will she ever be, my teammate.”

Rogers frowned deeply and reached out to grab Tony’s arm. Despite all his therapy, there were some things Tony couldn’t shake, and the thought of Rogers grabbing him filled him with dread.

As Rogers did this, he began saying, “We need to talk about the way you treat your family and start fixing—ugh!”

Before Rogers could touch Tony’s arm, a fork stabbed into his hand. Standing next to Tony was a furious Aunt Janet, growling, “Stay away from my nephew, criminals.”

“Your nephew?!” Rogers said, outraged while nursing his injured hand.

He turned to Tony, no doubt about to launch into a lecture, when a new, deep voice called out, “Mister Rogers and Ms. Maximoff, you’ve already caused enough trouble. Leave.”

Rogers turned his head to see the imposing figure of Nick Fury approaching. The ex-idol looked like a kicked puppy when he said, “Sir, it was Tony who started with the threats, not us.” He then noticed Scott standing there and smiled reassuringly. “Scott can vouch for it.”

Scott glared at Rogers before speaking loudly and clearly. “I have no idea what Rogers is talking about. Tony only intervened because Maximoff threatened to use her powers to find out Spider-Man’s identity.”

Rogers looked at Scott, wide-eyed, completely betrayed. Tony was surprised Rogers hadn’t gotten the message when Scott escaped him at the first opportunity in Wakanda.

Fury gave a short nod before speaking to the troublemaking duo again. “You’ve already delayed lunch by twenty minutes. Leave, and you can return in that time to eat if you wish.”

With no other choice, the two left, not without throwing glares at Tony and Scott. Tony hadn’t realized that none of the Rogues had found jobs yet, and without money, they were forced to eat the free meals the cafeteria provided three times a day at specific hours.

With everything calming down a bit, Tony spoke, “Maybe a restaurant would be better.”

He received a few nods in agreement.

AC AC AC AC AC

Before Carol came back to Earth this time, she couldn’t remember the last time she had fun—actual, honest fun that had nothing to do with saving lives or kicking some ass. But ever since she met and befriended Tony Stark, things began to change slowly.

Now she had a family of her own for the first time since the accident that gave her powers the Kree wanted. And that family made sure Carol had at least an hour of real fun each day.

Right now, she was walking back into the tower with Laura, Lila, Cassie, Holly, and the baby. They had all taken her out for a little pick-me-up after that god-awful meeting, and Carol couldn’t thank them enough. She really needed it and now felt so refreshed, smiling all the way back.

“Auntie Carol, you’re smiling! Did we cheer you up?” Lila asked, jumping around her with a beaming grin.

Carol chuckled and smiled down at the girl. “You sure did, little firecracker. You’ll be an awesome hero. All three of you will.” The three girls gave her proud smiles, but then the baby began to make bubbling noises, and Carol amended, “I meant the four of you.”

Laura laughed wholeheartedly, and Carol was glad to see happiness in the woman’s eyes. When Carol first met Laura, she had always been kind and put on a happy front, but Carol knew how much her ex-husband had put her through and how it affected her. After a year with a new family, Laura was finally at peace.

They had just entered the main lobby of the tower when the most unwelcome voice called out, “Laura!”

Carol gritted her teeth as Barton approached. When he was about to reach for Laura, Carol stepped forward and got in his way, saying dryly, “Mr. Barton, have you forgotten your restraining order? You’re breaking the law.”

Barton snorted dismissively. “I’ve heard that before.” Then he glared at her and, as if ordering her, said, “Now go screw that monster you call a fiancé and let me talk to my wife.”

Carol wanted to punch the man so badly and probably would have if not for the kids behind her. Speaking of, Lila chose that moment to ask, her voice laced with fear, “Auntie Carol, you won’t leave us with him, right?”

Barton’s eyes widened, and this time it was Carol’s turn to snort as she answered her honorary niece, “Not a chance, little firecracker.”

Before either Carol or Barton could argue again, Laura spoke up with a deadly cold tone, “If you’re looking for your wife, Mr. Barton, I suggest you keep going because she isn’t here.”

Barton had the audacity to look honestly shocked and asked in an offended voice, “Laura, baby, what are you saying? You were always my wife.”

Laura sneered at the man. “Oh, and here I was thinking it was Wanda Maximoff.”

Barton’s face turned a little green, and he sputtered, “Wha… Why… What the hell?! Why would you think something like that?!”

Laura shrugged and shot back, “Well, you chose her over me and my kids, just because her name was mentioned in a single phone call. Seems like a reasonable assumption to me.”

Barton’s eyes narrowed over Carol’s shoulder as he retorted, “Stark locked her up for no reason other than to force those Accords on her.”

Laura groaned. She stepped around Carol, handing her the baby. “Watch over the kids for me.”

Carol gave her a reassuring smile. “Always, L.” She considered stopping Laura, but the woman deserved closure.

With the baby in safe hands, Laura rounded on Barton. “I know you weren’t the smartest one, but this is ridiculous.”

Barton looked as if he’d been slapped. “Laura…”

He was cut off by Laura’s glare as she continued, her tone hard. “Maximoff is a psychotic time bomb. And as for locking her up? She had the entire compound and Vision to do whatever she wanted while Tony tried to help clean up her mess. The best solution for her was the Accords!”

Barton frowned, trying to ignore most of her points. “Stark had no authority to order her to do anything.”

Laura frowned right back at him. “No, Tony didn’t have the authority, and he didn’t order her. She stayed at the compound of her own free will. She found out about her ‘house arrest’ from Vision the same day you decided to ‘rescue’ her.” Her frown turned into a glare. “Actually, after Vision told her, she seemed pretty content with the arrangement until you butted in and convinced her otherwise.”

Barton shook his head frantically. “No, Laura, you’ve got it all wrong. Wanda’s just a kid. She didn’t do anything wrong, so Stark had no right to keep her locked up. I had to do something.”

Laura sighed wearily. “So killing people is fine by you? The only thing you had to do was talk to me before leaving, something you conveniently forgot.”

Barton’s eye twitched, but before he could respond, a new voice called out, “Mr. Barton, what exactly do you think you’re doing here?”

Barton glared at the man, gritting his teeth. “I’m here to see my wife and kids, Rhodes, so back off.”

Rhodey glared back. “I thought I already reminded you of the restraining order at today’s meeting.”

Barton’s face turned red, and in a fury, he swung a punch. Lila screamed, “Dad!” But she had nothing to worry about. Rhodey caught the punch and stopped Barton’s kick by crouching and sweeping his other leg out from under him.

Barton fell to the floor with a thud and stared at Rhodey, wide-eyed. “But… the suit…”

Rhodey sneered down at him. “Even before Tony made me War Machine, I was a Colonel in the Air Force. You might’ve trained in a circus, but unlike your leader, I was trained by the U.S. military.”

Lila bounced in place, cheering, “You go, Dad!” which earned her a wink from Rhodey.

Carol was a little surprised. She knew things between Rhodey and Laura were going great, but she hadn’t heard about this development. Barton seemed to notice too, and his face contorted into something murderous. He jumped to his feet, snarling, “Dad?! You little crippled bastard! How long did you have to kneel in front of Stark for him to give you new legs and that bitch of a wife? I’ll—Augh!”

Rhodey’s face had been turning red with fury at each of Barton’s words. Before Rhodey could hit him, Laura was there, punching Barton so hard in the face that he fell back to the floor, blood streaming from his nose.

Laura glared at her ex-husband and spat, “Shut up! You will shut up!”

Barton glared back, furious, and spat, “You bitch! You think you can leave me?! You think you can take my children away from me?!”

Laura sneered at him hatefully and snarled, “You were the one who left us! Don’t come begging now that we’re fed up with that fact.”

“Laura, let’s calm down and talk about this rationally,” a new voice tried to soothe, but if anything, it caused the entire room to tense up even more. When Lila noticed the redhead approaching, she hid behind Carol, with her friends flanking her protectively.

Not losing her cool, Romanoff got closer to the scene. Seeing the baby in Carol’s arms, she smiled a little and said softly, “I’d like to hold my godson. How is little Nath?”

Carol tightened her hold on the baby and glared harshly at the Widow. Laura took a couple of steps back and took a deep breath before answering flatly, “He isn’t your anything, and his name is Anthony James Bishop.”

Romanoff looked genuinely offended. “Why?”

“I know what you did, Romanoff,” Laura retorted, causing the Widow to pale. Laura pressed on, “I will never allow my son to be named after a woman who would have made sure he was never born.”

Barton, back on his feet, furiously asked, “What did Nat do? And you named our son after Stark, of all people?!”

Laura glared at both of them and growled, “Romanoff forgot to mention that during her info dump, the only thing she bothered hiding was her own file. Our names, address—everything—was on the internet because of her. And when all of you ran off to rest in sunny Wakanda, Ross found out that information and came after us to force you out.”

Romanoff looked panicked, while Barton’s face grew red again. Nevertheless, Laura pushed on. “And you know who saved us? Tony Stark did! The moment he found that information online, he deleted it from everywhere he could and installed scanners all around the farm in case someone came. Something you knew about and didn’t bother telling me! Anyway, when Ross came to kill us, Tony was the one there, and he took him down, injuring himself in the process. So yeah, there’s no Nathaniel Barton anymore. It’s Anthony Bishop.”

Barton’s face turned a new shade of red as he screamed and advanced toward Laura. “Nat did what she had to. Stark should’ve done a better job deleting the info so even Ross couldn’t find it. I will not have you changing the name of our baby. His name is Nathaniel, and it will stay that way.”

Laura pulled a gun, and Rhodey was instantly engulfed by his suit. Laura hissed at Barton, “You have no right to that choice anymore. The court granted me full custody of the kid. Funny how they didn’t care to hear the side of an international terrorist. Both the kids and I hate you, and we have no wish to see you ever again. So get the hell out before we force you to.”

Barton’s fists clenched, and he was nearly foaming at the mouth, but Romanoff glanced around at the gathered crowd, all with their hands on their weapons. She frowned and, with no other choice, began dragging Barton away.

Once the duo was out of sight, there was a collective sigh of relief from everyone in the room, Carol included.