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The air in Asgard was always warm.
Honey hadn't liked it much, when she and Maximoff (Pietro his name was Pietro) had first arrived. It reminded her too much of...before. But now she was grateful for it, if only because it stopped the shivers from wracking her body.
Pain and Fear had been two of her greatest allies back in Britain, if only because they reminded her that she was still alive. The pain of her bond to Ste-Rogers breaking (red mist wrapping itself around part of her mind and pulling pulling pulling until she snapped) along with the rushed, unexpected birth of her son (it had been like she was about to tear herself in two...or bleed out, whichever came first) made her never want to put her trust in Pain ever again. Fear, however, would still be loyal to her and her needs.
Because Honey Stark was afraid.
Afraid for herself (who wouldn't want to use the woman linked to Captain America).
Afraid for her father (who gave and gave and gave until he was a shell).
Afraid for Pietro (his sister would come for him and try to claim him back).
Afraid, most of all, for her son (his father was a war criminal, his grandfather a target and he was so so small).
As she sat in her rooms in Asgard's Royal Palace, she started to plan out what she had to do. For her son. For James.
A soft cry came from beside her. Immediately she cooed and stroked a finger down her son's face, allowing her magic to trail after it and sooth his own.
"Hush little baby don't say a word...mama's gonna give you the whole damn world."
1. THADDEUS E. ROSS
When she came back to Earth, Honey was greeted with a disaster.
Ross was on the warpath. According to the resources FRIDAY could pull, he was pushing for a Registration Act for all Enhanced, Mutants and Heroes. His spiel stated that it was in accordance with the UN's wishes and would help protect the public, yet the Act would only cover the US and there were no actions being taken else where in the world to create similar Acts.
Honey smelt a rat. And she hated rats.
But there was not much she could to about it at the time. Wards had to be put up on the Compound. James was still too young to be travelling to DC (and his health was constantly in flux) and she had to create a precedence for her actions in Accords matters.
With that in mind, at the next meeting a month after her arrival, she signed the Accords.
(Pietro did as well, but that would have to be examined later)
Two months later, Honey Stark walked down the Halls of Power in her red high heels and with a Sokovian shadow.
Politcal glad-handing was the last thing you'd expect a snobby Californian girl to know. But Honey was the heir of Stark Industries and had learnt the game before she was ten years old.
No one would see her coming.
She met with senators across the spectrum of politics, made sure she was seen at all the right events and even attended one of the First Lady's events. Honey never stressed on the necessity of her (extensive) titles, preferring to be seen as a friendly face compared to Ross, with his grim nature and insistence of being called 'General'.
And when she was sure that she'd swayed them all the way she wanted, she told FRIDAY to send out the files she collected all those months ago.
The reaction is beautiful.
Fox News screams about 'traitors' and 'a lack of patriotism', the public riot and Thaddeus Ross is stripped of all rank and honour and is thrown into a dark pit.
Pietro knows that she had a hand in this, but he seems to approve, if his dark laughter means anything.
2. NATALIA A. ROMANOVNA
Honey was nearly asleep when she felt it - a wave of magic crashing over her.
Someone has passed through the wards. Someone dangerous.
Her first thoughts, as she grabs the Invisibility Cloak and the Elder Wand, go to the Rogues. But how they would have entered the States without being noticed she doesn't understand.
Her next thought - as FRIDAY discreetly informs her that the intruder is heading towards the Infirmary - is that it's one of Ross' leftover lackeys. Who else would be idiotic enough to try to infiltrate a Stark-owned property.
So you could imagine her surprise when she saw the Black Widow standing by the hospital cot her son was sleeping in. The Widow's face was soft, almost filled with wonder at the small boy - which made Honey foolishly relax .
But then Romanoff reached down to James - as if to pick him up - and Honey saw red.
"Stupefy!" The spell left her wand and made contact with the Widow before she could pick the baby up.
Honey threw the Cloak off of her and ordered FRIDAY to send for an Accords team, saying that she'd caught the Black Widow. And her son had slept through it, she was proud to note as she walked around the crib.
There was the question as to why she was there. Clearly Rogers had sent her, but what for.
While she was protected by the laws of the Wizarding World in cases of torturing for information...but it wouldn't look good for them if the spy appeared in court shaken and possibly drooling.
With that in mind, Honey chained her up and force fed her Vertiserum.
"Why did he send you?"
"A boy belongs with his father, he told me."
"He already has one - and it's not Rogers."
The next morning Stark Industries published a statement: Natasha Romanoff was to be persecuted for industrial espionage (on the orders of Nick Fury), breaking the Accords (along with attacking the King of Wakanda) and the attempted kidnap of James Stark, supposedly on the orders of Steve Rogers (a well known fugitive and war criminal).
Honey smiled in victory and watched as Pietro tried to coax their son into saying his name.
3. NICHOLAS J. FURY
Honey felt ill.
How had those videos been made public? That bastard Zemo was behind bars and the only others who could possibly know were in 'hiding' in Wakanda.
...But that couldn't matter now. She had to deal with the fallout.
"What do you plan to do?" Pietro asked, not taking his eyes from the screen. Honey blinked.
"FRIDAY...I want this video taken down and a message sent to all news station. If they use clips of this video they will be sued...and contact Pepper, we need to set up a press conference."
It was the fastest mobilisation of the press in Honey's memory. Within two hours of the announcement hundreds of reporters were outside the Compound (including a certain Christine Everhart). Honey stood at the podium with Pepper on one side and Pietro on the other.
"Thank you all for coming today," She began, "It is with a heavy heart that I can confirm that the videos that were leaked on Youtube are one hundred percent authentic..." she swallowed heavily.
"The fact that my grandparents murder was covered up as Howard Stark drunk driving means that there has been an obstruction of justice. Research into old SHIELD files show that Nick Fury and Margaret Carter decided that covering up a double murder was the most sensible course of action...Margaret Carter is dead, the Winter Soldier is being protected by the former Avengers and 'Captain' America. Nick Fury may be at large, but I am confident that he will be held accountable for his actions." Honey looked them all in the eye.
"And I will not accept anything less."
4. SHARON CARTER aka AGENT 13
Okay, so this one might have been personal. And it may have been Rogers' fault more than anyone else. But it was slightly more complex.
Professionals had been looking over the Battle of Leipzig and had begun to ask questions about how Rogers and Wilson had come to repossess their signature weapons.
Honey was instantly in the clear (seeing as she wasn't even on planet) and Romanoff had been questioned but was cleared (not that it meant much for her future).
FRIDAY was given permission to download the security footage from the carpark block onto her servers and both the Starks sat down to watch (complete with popcorn).
"See, the problem with security cameras," her dad began after half an hour of watching Rogers, Wilson and Barnes sit in a car, "is that none of them record any sound. We could see them, but if they're in disguise we'd never figure out who it was for possibly months."
Honey went to retort when another car appeared. Any levity in the room disappeared and shock set it but with was soon replaced with horror. The younger Stark felt faint...and so angry.
"FRIDAY...I believe that the head of the CIA would be interested in this." Tony hinted to the AI.
"And Fox News would love this scoop." Honey rejoined with a growl. Tony raised an eyebrow but didn't protest.
5. STEVEN GRANT ROGERS
"This could backfire on you - you do realise that don't you." Matt said, eyeing her from across the room.
"I know," Honey replied, keeping her eyes fixed on the papers in front of her, "but if it's true - how it all looks, how it probably was...then I can't let him yet away with it."
"...Is this Pietro's idea?" The lawyer asked.
"He brought it up, but didn't make me choose this course of action."
"This could wreck you're reputation, even if the charges stick."
"I'm willing to take that risk. For my son."