A House Divided
"A House Divided against itself cannot stand" – Abraham Lincoln
Clint sighed as he tiredly walked into his kitchen to answer his phone. It was what? 2:30 am? He knew that only a few people had his phone number, and if it was this late, it had to be important, or important enough that he should answer. He grabbed the old flip phone that he still insisted on using (he had his S.H.I.E.L.D. phone for missions) and answered it.
"Hello" He answered flatly.
"Glad to be met with such a warm welcome." Said a familiar sarcastic female voice. Clint smirked a little bit at the response. Typical.
"Well, usually people don't call at 3:00 am in the morning-"
"2:30" Natasha cut in.
"- so you can't complain. You woke me up" Clint said, finishing his sentence.
He could hear Natasha sigh on the other side of the phone. They were joking now, but he knew something was up. He had known Natasha long enough to know when something was wrong. So he waited for her to give the bad news.
"Clint I wouldn't wake you up if it wasn't important," The Widow said, getting serious.
"yeah, I know Nat. What's the deal? Is Tony being an ass again and you need me to break the tension?" Clint said, only half-joking.
Again, Natasha sighed. "You're not too far off Barton. There is this… Accord. This new Law people want to pass"
Again, she paused. Clint waited as she paused, he knew she would continue in a moment. He did not want to interrupt her as this seemed like a pretty serious topic. When was the last time the Governments of the world had thrown them a huge ass party? That's what he wanted, not whatever this was. A Nice party and maybe a yearly 'thanks for saving us' bonus would be nice.
"After what happened with Wanda, the explosion and all, it pushed people over the edge. They think we act without consequences. This Accord will please them, set them at ease."
Clint knew there was more than what she was saying. He could tell she was holding back.
"What does it do?"
"It holds us accountable for our actions" She answered.
"Give it to me straight Tasha, I'm a big boy. I can take it."
Natasha paused for a moment, probably considering holding back information again. That's how he knew this was something he wouldn't like. She was trying not to upset him, she was carefully treading the waters. Natasha was always calculated, but this hesitancy was something different. She was anticipating that Clint would not like what was coming next. Not just that, she was anticipating whatever this was to be catastrophic for their relationship and the Avengers team.
"It's a U.N. regulation. People were concerned that we do what we want without a care. They think it's best if we report to a group of people representing each country. They send us where they think we should go, and we are held accountable for our actions."
There was a heavy pause as Clint took in what she was saying, not sure what exactly he should say. The only thing he knew was that it was way too early in the morning to be having a conversation like this.
"It is a split house Barton, we can't seem to agree on this one, and I don't think anyone will give in".
Clint groaned. He knew this would come, it was only a matter of time before the government wanted total control of the Avengers. They are a super army, who wouldn't want to be able to point an army of heroes in the direction they wanted and let them do their dirty work? He ran his hand through his hair in frustration, still not saying anything.
"Clint, they want us to stay neutral as far as governments go. They don't want people thinking we are some branch of the American military, and they don't want us to continue to waltz into places, mess it all up and leave like it's no big deal. Many countries have signed, all they need is our signatures"
"Dammit Natasha, you know it's more than that," Clint said in frustration.
He was aware of Laura walking down the stairs to join him in the kitchen, she was no doubt worried about the phone call. He watched as she walked barefoot across the kitchen to stand next to him, rubbing a comforting hand up and down his back. Clint looked at her and he knew what he had to do. For his beautiful and amazing wife, and his adorable children.
"Clint-"
"Who is signing?" He asked, cutting her off.
"Tony for sure, he and Ross are the ones who proposed it to us. Vision signed a few hours ago. Rhodey also signed...that was easy to see coming."
Clint just knew that Natasha has signed. He could hear it in her voice. The Avengers was all Natasha had, she would do anything to keep it together. She always had a mission...she would go out, do what she was told to, and then return back to base. It was like she was programmed for it at this point. The U.N. would be her next KGB, her next S.H.I.E.L.D., she needed someone to point her in a direction and fire. Sure she was never one for rules, but without a boss and without a mission, she felt like she would be nothing. She would be idle, and that was the worst thing that Natasha could have, and Clint knew that. To Natasha, the Avengers were her family. She was signing this accord for the same reason Clint knew he could not, for her family. The Avengers were like a family to Clint, but unlike Natasha, he actually had a family he had to think of and take care of. Unfortunately, this put him at odds with Natasha on this law. At this point Laura had moved to stand in front of him, her arms crossed over her chest, a worried look on her face. She reached out and grabbed his empty hand in a comforting way. The two stood in the dark kitchen, the only source of light being the hallway light behind Laura and the light from the moon outside.
"Natasha?" She mouthed. Clint just nodded in response.
"And you signed too didn't you Nat?" Clint asked, breaking the silence. Natasha sighed, and he knew she was nodding her head, wherever she was.
"I'm going to the U.N. meeting tomorrow as a representative. I will sign it there"
Clint sighed heavily. He loved her to death, but sometimes they didn't see eye to eye. This was a big deal, and he couldn't just ignore it.
"So Cap didn't sign. Who else?"
"Sam didn't, he will follow Rogers until the end. Thor and Banner are still absent. Wanda hasn't decided, but I think she's a no."
Clint nodded, even though she couldn't see him. He had guessed they would never sign. Cap had had a little too much experience with governments trying to take control, WWII and the S.H.I.E.L.D. fallout. Steve knew how things worked when a group of people try to regulate and force another group to do as they say. People would assume based on the fact that the Captain's name held the word "America" in it, that he would blindly stand by the government no matter what. Those people would be wrong.
"What happens to Wanda when she does not sign? They all hate her right now right?" Clint asked a little bit of anger in his voice. The poor kid didn't deserve this.
"They may deport her, she's not a US citizen or anything. Currently, she's at the base, for safety measures"
"Safety? She's just a kid Nat. She won't hurt anyone! You Can't lock her up like that" Clint demanded.
"Just for now, until things get sorted out." Natasha tried to assure him.
"Yeah? Well, what if they lock her up in a prison 'For safety'? What if they lock me up, or my family? Or anyone else for that matter?" Clint demanded stepping away from his wife and rubbing his hand over his face. Things were starting to point downhill, he could smell a storm brewing and this one wouldn't blow over.
"We would never let that happen, I wouldn't"
"Yeah, well you can't control everything, Natasha." He could tell Natasha was frustrated with him, but he knew she understood his reasons, just as he understood hers.
"What are my options? Sign or what?"
"Sign, retire or be a fugitive from the law. Cap won't peacefully retire. I think He's going to try and fight this out"
She was right. That was the Steve way. He couldn't just stand back and let injustice happen, Steven Rogers was born to fight for justice, and the others would follow his lead. This was heading in a direction Clint desperately wanted to avoid. He never wanted to see the Avengers split like this. He loved them all too much to want to fight them. Maybe Bruce was right...they were a bomb waiting to go off. It had been a matter of time, and maybe their time was up? A team like this was cosmic, when it worked together it shined bright like the brightest of stars. However, bright stars burn out and create horrible black holes. If they weren't careful the Avengers would collapse in on themselves and quickly turn into a black hole, nothing but a remnant of the amazing team they were to start with.
"If you fight it, they will send us to track you down. Once we find people who are fighting against it, they get locked up."
"Nat, I am sorry, but I can't sign it. I have a family to think of, if I get regulated people will know about them. I think you know that this Law is not a good thing. I can't willingly sign something like this, sign something that will turn south. We will have no control, and we may be sent to do things that we don't agree with, Nat." Clint said looking over his shoulder at his wife. She nodded encouragingly, she didn't know 100% what was going on. But she heard enough to know she stood with her husband and his choice. She would be ready to pack up and move or grab a gun and fight, whatever he needed. He was thankful for that.
"So what happens to me now?" Clint asked his best friend.
"You lay low. You retire and then disappear like a ghost. Be a legend, a story. People will ask where you went at first, but they will eventually let it go. Spend time with Laura and the kids. Fade away, and you won't have any trouble"
Clint considered what she said. It would be nice to just stop. Stop fighting, and stop risking his life. Live a life with his family, for once to be the father they needed. He could live a quiet life. Yet...Clint did not know if he could do that.
"I don't know Nat. I don't know if I can sit around and let this happen to my friends. I don't know if I can just let it be"
"You think about it. When Stark asks, I'll say you retired. I'll cover for you. I recommend you take the easy out. If you decide to fight this...someone might get hurt and I would hate for that someone to be you. "
"Is that a threat?" The archer asked.
"Not from me. But you know Tony doesn't play nice. I'd hate to see you get hurt, and I'd hate to have to fight you" Nat responded, that was about as deep as the ex-assassin was willing to get. Clint knew how to read between the lines, she was worried for him. She didn't want to fight him just as much as he didn't want to fight her.
"Well, I'd hate to fight you as well. "
"Lay low okay Clint? If you fight with Rogers against this, there is not much I can do to help you and your family" Natasha warned one last time.
"I can't promise that. Stay safe Natasha" Clint said before the line went dead. He sighed and shut the phone, setting it on the kitchen counter. Clint took a deep breath trying to control his anger. He brought his fist down onto the table in anger. He felt his wife place her hands on his shoulder. Clint turned to face her, looking into her eyes. She stepped forward and wrapped her arms around him in a hug.
"It's not going well is it?" She asked softly.
"No, it's not."