Chapter Text
"Uh.. what?" Wanda blinked in shock, while Vision just stared at Shuri, quite dumbstruck.
"About twelve weeks.." The Wakandan Princess continued, but Wanda did not hear much more than that.
She started doing the math. Twelve weeks. The final fight with Thanos had happened nine weeks ago.. Which meant Wanda had already been pregnant before the Decimation. Wanda felt a lump in her throat. How it happened didn't matter. Soulmateship brought with it a magic that made impossible things happen. No, what worried her was everything that had happened since.
Wanda had taken a few hits in Edinburgh. On the battlefield in Wakanda. She'd even been at the centre of a missile strike that sent her flying. She'd been pregnant through it all, but she didn't know. She had never tried to be careful. Never known to be careful. How could a tiny baby get through all that unscathed? She'd already had one miracle today. How could she ask for another?
Shuri had a doctor, one more experienced in this area than she was, bring in a machine to give her a scan, and Wanda almost cringed away as they pressed the doppler to her belly, not wanting to know about the damage she had inevitably caused this child. But Vision, oh, her poor sweet Vision, seeming a little overwhelmed, but happy, was shuffling his seat forward, closer to the screen. Still holding Wanda's hand, and smiling at her, a soft little smile. They had discussed children.. as a far off, rather abstract idea, but they had discussed it, as something they both wanted, someday. She couldn't bear to tell him what she had done.. because whatever was wrong, it was all Wanda's fault, even though there was no way she could have known.
Wanda felt an ache in her heart as they switched on the screen, and screwed her eyes shut as they searched with the doppler, not wanting to see her Soulmate's heart broken when it had only just started beating again.
"Here we are.." said the Doctor, a woman about Okoye's age, then paused. "Hmm.."
"What is it?" Vision's voice sounded panicked. "Is something wrong?"
"No" said the Doctor, but Wanda didn't hear her.
She'd squeezed her eyes even tighter shut. She didn't want to know how she had hurt her baby, the little piece of Vision she had carried with her when he was gone, the little piece of him she had failed to protect. Vision was trying to speak to her, squeezing her hand. Shuri and the doctor were speaking to her too, but she wasn't registering anything at all, heard nothing through the barrier she had imposed upon herself.. until one sound broke through.
Just a little flutter, but somehow, she knew exactly what the sound was, even if she couldn't quite let herself fully believe it. She made herself open her eyes. Looked at Vision, who now seemed relieved, to the squirming shapes on the ultrasound screen.
"Th-That sound" Wanda's own heart fluttered. "Is that.."
"Two little heartbeats" the Doctor smiled.
"Two?" Vision jumped.
"Mmhm" Shuri smirked. "It seems you are expecting twins.”
"And they.." Wanda swallowed, "Are they.."
"It's early, but they both seem perfectly healthy" the Doctor confirmed.
Wanda sobbed in relief, and then, started laughing, the most wonderful, joyous laugh.
"Wanda?" Vision frowned, confused, and a little concerned. "Are you alright?"
"I was worried.. but they're okay. Our babies are okay!" Wanda continued to laugh, and Vision found the sound contagious, so he laughed too. It was, after all, a wonderful outlet for some of the nervous energy he'd built up throughout the day.
"Our babies.. oh.. I'm going to be a Daddy!"
"I'm going to be a Mommy!" Wanda pulled Vision closer to kiss him, their soulmarks glowing.
They were together again, both alive, happy and whole, and blessed with another little miracle.
This was how things were meant to be.
--
Wanda gave birth to she and Vision's twin sons, Thomas and William Maximoff, about seven months later. While Wanda had held onto some concerns regarding the twins wellbeing, they were both born healthy and screaming, entering the world swaddled in scarlet energy.. Wanda had been protecting them from the moment of conception without ever knowing about it.
William, or Billy, had been born with his soulmark, the words 'Look out!' across his tiny shoulder blades.
The words had concerned Wanda, a little. What would her son have to 'Look out!' for? It didn't help that Billy quickly proved to be the quieter, gentler, more sensitive of the twins, and thus, sparked more of Wanda's maternal need to protect him. That, and the fact that around age two, he had begun exhibiting powers similar to Wanda's own. Vision was less concerned about their son's mark. After all, 'Look out!' didn't mean have to mean looking out for something dangerous. It could just be a football, or a frisbee. In any case, whoever was going to say those words to Billy was his soulmate, his other half, as Wanda was Vision's, and Vision was Wanda's. They could never wish against him having that meeting, even if it meant a little danger, and Wanda knew he was right.
Tommy's mark had appeared a few months after his birth, 'Watch where you're going!' appearing on his forearm during a bath. It made sense. He was a handful from the start, wilful, energetic, gung-ho in his approach to the world. And, from the moment he'd been able to move on his own, Tommy was almost as fast as Pietro.
The stress of having a speedster child was what made Wanda and Vision hold off on having any more children, until a happy accident when Tommy and Billy were nine. Wanda was initially quite concerned to discover she was expecting another set of twins. Thankfully, Vivian and Vincent (Viv and Vin), were little golden-haired angels, and much more mellow than the more troublesome of their older brothers. Viv enjoyed video games, with healthy daily time-limits of course, while Vin was happiest with his head in a book.
As time passed, Wanda forgot to be worried about Billy's soulmark. Until, one day, the then Eighteen-year old Tommy and Billy ventured off for a solo fun day in New York.. the same day the city fell under attack, again, by surviving Hydra agents.
--
Wanda and Vision were told by Sam, by then the leader of the Avengers, that the situation was under control. He, Bucky, Peter, and a new recruit were handling it. Wanda and Vision should stay home with the younger twins. If anyone saw the boys, they would send them straight home.
Wanda and Vision, of course, were having none of that. If there was a chance their boys were in danger, they were going to find them. They called Peter's Aunt May, with whom Wanda had become friendly, to watch Viv and Vin, and were getting ready to go as soon as she arrived, until Viv called out, pointing out the window.
"Mama, Tommy and Billy are back!"
"Oh, thank goodness!" cried Vision, as he and Wanda rushed out.
"Are they alright?" asked Wanda, panicked.
"Yeah" said Viv, "But Billy's got a boy with him, and I think he's hurt his arm.."
Wanda threw open the door to find Billy, supporting a blonde haired boy, larger and taller than him. The boy was bleeding from a wound on his upper right arm.
"Mom, Dad, this is Teddy" said Billy, sounding much more concerned than the severity of the blonde's injury warranted.
"Hello Ma'm, Sir.." Teddy extended a hand for them to shake, wincing as he twinged his wound.
Wanda and Vision could both see the scarlet words on his bicep, in their son's handwriting:
"Oh gosh, are you okay?"
They now immediately understood Billy's concern.
"Teddy's hurt.." Billy continued. "Could we patch him up?"
"Of course" Wanda stepped aside to let them in.
"Vincent" Vision called to his youngest son, "Could you go fetch the First-Aid kit from the bathroom, please?"
"Yes Daddy" Vin hurried off.
Through the still open front door, Wanda could see Tommy on the front lawn, looking uncharacteristically sheepish, yet still smiling cheekily, as a dark haired girl with a bow strapped to her back scolded him.
"Who's that with your brother?" Wanda asked, raising an eyebrow.
"And may we ask what exactly happened?" Vision added, as Vin handed him the first-aid kit.
"Well, you know how Uncle Clint was training a new archer for the Avengers?" Billy began, and his parents nodded. "That's her, Kate, with Tommy. Tommy ran into the middle of the fight wanting to help, and I tried to stop him.. He crashed right into Kate and made her miss her shot. The arrow almost hit me, but Teddy pushed me out of the way and it grazed his arm.. he was just in the wrong place at the wrong time."
"Actually" said Teddy, "I think I was in exactly the right place."
"Anyway" Billy blushed, "Kate told Tommy to watch where he was going, and Tommy actually listened. He's been listening ever since.. Kinda weird, actually."
Wanda and Vision looked at each other, chuckling, and smiled knowing smiles.
Some things were just meant to be.