The screen showed a man with heavy footsteps and a cane walk forward. The camera rose to show that it was Kingpin. He smiled slightly as he walked into his office, "Ms. Bishop."
Steve crossed his arms as the rest of the team watched the screen anxiously.
Maya tensed.
Eleanor stood up from her seat and smiled as he approached her, "Mister Fisk."
Kate looked devistated.
Kingpin smirked and sat behind his desk, "What can I help you with, Eleanor?"
"We've had a good relationship, haven't we, Wilson?"
"This isn't good, Kate," Clint muttered, scratching his neck.
"Yes," he answered; his eyes void of emotion.
"I've never asked questions, I've always done what was told."
"What I'd expect when there's a debt, and your husband owed a small fortune," his expression was cold.
"What?" Kate's voice broke, "both my parents worked for him..."
Clint looked at her sympathetically.
"Which I have repaid tenfold by now."
"All the while doing pretty well for yourself," his eye twitched, "Like you said, it's been a good relationship, which is why I'm a little confused where you're headed with this."
Sam and Bucky looked at eachother nervously before returning to the screen: something bad was going to happen.
"I handled Armand like you asked," Eleanor sighed, "My fiancé is taking the fall for Sloan. But my daughter, my daughter is home now, and she's getting too close. And that's where I draw the line."
"Excuse me?" The young archer choked on her words, "she... she killed-"
"So Jack is innocent!" Tony cheered proudly; standing up.
A wide grin spread across his face, "I knew it! I told you so!"
"Tony, this is not the time," Natasha rolled her eyes, "sit down."
Kate's head fell in her hands in distress.
"There are no lines in this business."
"And that is why I have to leave this business," she replied.
Kate looked up.
"I have a feeling he's not going to like that," Steve winced.
"Eleanor, don't be rash," Kingpin warned.
"I want you to know that I have been keeping an insurance policy..."
"Eleanor..." he grumbled.
"...Copies of everything, in a safe place," she continued.
"Oh no," Clint grumbled.
"In the spirit of the holidays, I'm gonna give you a minute to think about what you're starting right now," he exhaled deeply, staring at Ms Bishop angrily.
Everyone watched nervously.
"I don't need a minute," She stared at him for a second before walking out the office.
Kate shook her head in disbelief.
Wilson Fisk watched her leave in frustration as the scene changed to show Kate watching the video on her phone.
"Things aren't looking good, Tabitha," Tony sighed, looking at Kate.
"Who sent this?" Clint asked a stressed Kate.
"Yelena," she shook her head, "Apparently my mom is the one who hired her to kill you."
"How did you even manage to record them without being seen?" Bruce questioned Yelena.
She just shrugged and ate some mac and cheese, "it was pretty easy."
Clint sighed as he absorbed that piece of information, "Oh, wow."
"It doesn't make any sense, Kate's voice quavered, "My mom doesn't even, she doesn't even jaywalk. And now she's working with the mob? She killed Armand?" She gasped softly before standing up from the table, "My God, I need to talk to her."
"Kate Bishop, you need to relax," Yelena insisted with a wave of her hand.
Kate looked at her incredulously.
Shuri shrugged, "I mean... she has a point, you know."
Clint stood up; his face full of worry, "Kate, wait. You gotta calm down, okay? Let's talk this out."
"See," Shuri smirked, "even Clint agrees."
Yelena chuckled as Kate crossed her arms.
Kate groaned as her mother didn't answer her phone.
"Just take a breath, okay?" Clint suggested with a calm tone, "But your mom needs our help. That video, Kate, it's not good. The Kingpin will not take this lightly. He is going to react, and he's gonna do it in a big way."
Steve took a deep sigh.
Kate looked up and frowned, "Clint, this is my mess to clean up. You should go home, you should be with your family. You can still make it in time for Christmas."
Clint looked over at her and smiled sadly.
"Kate, you're my partner," he announced with a sincere tone, "Your mess is my mess. I'm not going anywhere until this is finished."
"Yes, finally!" Thor cheered.
"Aww, you admitted that you're partners," Bruce grinned.
Kate stared at the screen with wide eyes and back at Clint, "really?!"
Clint smirked, "sure."
Natasha looked at the pair contently.
Kate looked at him appreciatively and sighed as the scene changed. Maya walked into a room. Kazi and Wilson Fisk were sat opposite eachother and both stood up when she arrived.
Maya sat up in her chair, she furrowed her eyebrows.
"Here she is," Kingpin smiled, "I've seen you at the end of some tough matches, but this? Do you want to tell me what's been going on?"
Maya looked at Kazi.
Yelena looked at Maya and saw her irritated expression; she tilted her head and returned to the screen.
"I always taught you to keep a low profile," Kingpin signed.
"I'm sorry. I got carried away," Kazi translated what Maya signed, "You know what my father meant to me."
Everyone watched nervously.
"To all of us," her uncle agreed.
"Bullshit," Maya signed with a scowl.
"I've come to my senses. I need to focus on the job. Stop chasing ghosts."
Kingpin took a step forward and looked at Kazi. Then back at Maya, "That's quite the turnaround."
"He doesn't believe you," Yelena announced and everyone looked at her.
"What?" Wanda frowned.
"She's right," Maya signed.
Natasha translated what she said to the group and everyone returned back to the screen with anxious expressions.
"I've realized no matter what I do, I can't bring my father back," she shrugged slightly, "Finding whoever killed him, that won't change anything."
Everyone in the room that had attempted to get revenge at one point, watched the screen awkwardly.
"He would've wanted you to move on," Fisk agreed, stepping forward, "He always wanted... The best for you. I only wish that he could be here now to see you and all of your accomplishments."
"Wow, I hate you," Bucky and Sam said at the same time at the screen.
They looked at eachother suspiciously before returning to the show.
Maya nodded and began to sign. Kazi translated "If it's okay with you, I'd like a couple days off, to clear my head."
"Yes, that's reasonable."
Maya turned around but Fisk stopped her, "Maya..." he began to sign, "I love you."
"Oh my God," Shuri chuckled, "the look you just gave him was a death glare!"
She smirked, "I love you."
Maya shook her head.
Maya turned around and left the room as Fisk's smile faded from his face. He turned around slowly to look at Kazi, "The Ronin is running around the city. An Avenger has taken an outsized interest in our operations."
T'Challa grimaced, "this is not looking good."
"I'm nervous," Ned whispered to Peter and MJ.
"And the Bishop woman, she thinks that she can quit her job, as if she works for Goldman Sachs," he yelled.
Kate exhaled sharply, her eyes wide.
Kazi stared at the wall in front of him; frozen to the spot.
Maya sighed at her terrified friend on the screen.
Fisk shook his head as his voice quivered, "And Maya... My Maya... She's turned on us."
Maya shuddered.
Kazi stood uncomfortably and gulped, "Yeah."
"What will we do about it?" Kingpin stood opposite Kazi and muttered angrily, "The people need to be reminded that the city belongs to me."
"He is terrifying," Peter exclaimed, worry filled his face.
The team nodded in agreement.
The scene changed to show Kate and Clint sat together in a moving train.
"Kate, I'm really sorry how this has all turned out for you," Clint frowned as the younger archer shook her head.
"Yeah, it sucks," Kate grumbled, crossing her arms.
Yelena chuckled.
"Well... Can't think about it right now. We've gotta focus on tonight."
"You're right. We need a ton of gear," he exhaled before looking at Kate; hoping to lift her mood, "Like a whole batch of way-too-dangerous trick arrows."
Kate sat up in her chair.
"Yes," MJ muttered with a smirk.
"You can make more?" Her mouth formed a smile.
Clint smirked.
The scene changed to show Clint and Kate making trick arrows together in a montage.
The Avengers watched with a smile on their face.
MJ and Ned sat forward curiously and Maya raised her eyebrow.
Yelena ate her mac and cheese.
"Hey, Kate, have you seen that pepper spray?" Clint asked as he attached different arrowheads to the arrow stick.
"Ooo, a pepper spray arrow!" Peter smiled enthusiastically.
"Yeah, I've got it here."
Clint handed her an arrow head and she placed it next to one that read PYM.
"Please," T'Challa shook his head with a chuckle, "not another giant arrow."
Kate looked through the arrow heads in a box and lifted one in her hand, "What is this one?"
"Way too dangerous," he glanced up.
"Very specific, Katniss," Tony rolled his eyes.
"Too dangerous," Kate placed it down carefully and started to make a label for it.
"Yes!" Steve nodded in approval, giving Kate the thumbs up.
Clint rolled his eyes and scoffed.
The screen showed a variety of arrows on the screen; including a magnetic arrow and a box of Stark Tech.
"Hey," Tony smirked, "me."
Kate sniffed as she poked a dart into a bottle of liquid. Clint looked up at her, "So, this, uh, this holiday party tonight, is it a fancy thing?"
"Yeah. Formal."
Yelena laughed slightly when she remembered the fight and the elevator.
"You think this is funny?" Kate turned around, her eyebrows raised.
"Well no... but also yes," the assassin shook her head humourously, "you'll see."
"You know, you don't have to do this," he sighed before continuing, "It is part of the job. It's always inconvenient. It's lonely. You will get hurt. Heroes have to make some tough decisions. So, if you're gonna do this... I just wanna know you're ready."
"Good speech," Steve smiled.
"It isn't very motivational," T'Challa grimaced.
"It's quite negative," Vision frowned.
"It's honest," Natasha leaned back in her chair.
Clint looked at her and nodded.
Kate looked down at the table, "When I was younger, aliens invaded. And I was alone. And I was terrified. But then I saw you, fighting aliens with a stick and a string. I saw you jump from that building even though you can't fly, even though you don't have superpowers. And I thought, 'If he could do that, then I didn't have to be scared.' You showed me that being a hero isn't just for people who can fly or shoot lasers out of their hands, it's for anyone, who's brave enough to do what's right, no matter the cost."
Everyone watched Kate's monologue with a sad smile.
Clint looked up at her and exhaled sharply.
Kate nodded, "I'm ready."
"I'm not," Ned groaned.
"This is about to be intense," Bruce sighed.
"Let's goooo!" Thor beamed at the screen in anticipation.