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Sitting bolt-upright in bed was not a new thing for Wanda, considering she almost never had any restful sleep, though she didn’t remember dreaming this time. Her astral projection still hovered, not far from her bed, searching through book after book, hoping to find out where the voices were coming from. Her children needed her, but much to her frustration, she hadn’t made any progress in finding them yet.
She frowned, slowly glancing toward the cabin window. A light fog fell over trees, blurring the haze of early morning. It was always peaceful here, secluded from everyone who hated her, a spot where she could no longer hurt anyone. She was miles away from the nearest town. Perhaps she would become the new ghost story. Being forgotten, she thought, was better than being hated. It was better than being dangerous.
Still, something seemed wrong about this particular morning. She stood up, flicking a hand for her projection to return to her body. If her bad feeling held water, the last thing she wanted was to be put at a disadvantage. Sparks danced in her right palm, but she kept them hidden as she moved toward the cabin door, carefully pushing it open.
Half of her expected Hayward, despite being locked away. The other half expected the police. She was wrong on both fronts.
Not far from the lake was a silhouette. Even in the fog, Wanda could tell it was a human silhouette, laying in an unmoving heap a few feet from the water. Red danced on her palm for a moment longer before extinguishing, her heart beating in her chest. She feared the worst. Had she done this, somehow, while she was asleep? What if it was someone she knew?
Somehow, she mustered the courage to approach, ready to use her magic if the silhouette moved. Even so, she found herself wishing, hoping, that whoever it was wasn’t dead, even if there was a chance they were here to kill her. As she grew closer, she noticed it was a man, laying on his side facing the lake with his back toward her. His hair was white, not unlike the murky water he lay near. She stood for a moment, not daring to do anything, afraid he might be tricking her, afraid he might get up and attack at any moment.
But he didn’t move, and despite her fear, she knelt beside him, carefully rolling him onto his back. He didn’t look particularly dangerous, and in fact, had a pained look on his unconscious face, though there was really no way to tell for sure. Pressing two fingers to his neck confirmed a pulse, and if she looked close enough she could see a slow rise and fall to his chest.
There was no way he could have just stumbled here, not with all of the mountains around. Her gaze drifted toward his head, where she could check to see what his intentions were. It felt dirty, doing so while he was unconscious, but she didn’t have much choice. She needed to know if he was a threat to her here. She couldn’t afford to be found out, not after all the progress she’d made.
She reached her hand forward, but reeled back as a loud, deep gasp, escaped the man, his eyes opening wide to stare up at the sky above. Wanda moved backward to stand, red flickering between her fingers, her own eyes steady on the stranger. “Why have you come here?”
Unfocused eyes moved to meet hers, and he frowned a little. “I…don’t know,” he managed, pushing himself to sit up, wincing as he did so. He didn’t look wounded, but his movements told her he was hurt. The possibility of him being a threat seemed less likely. “I was…” he frowned, gripping his torso tighter for a moment. His eyes were still glossy. “Am I dead?”
“Dead?” she repeated, unable to hide the note of concern in her voice. What had happened to this man? Once again, she had to hope it wasn’t her fault. “No, you’re…you’re just fine.”
“Oh. That’s good,” he murmured, before his eyes rolled back into his head and he fell back on the grass, unconscious once more.
Wanda stood there for a moment, trying to make sense of it. She could tell he was fine, seeing breath escape through slightly parted lips, though the reasoning for how he had gotten here was a mystery. It seemed that that was also a mystery to the man himself. He must have hit his head and suffered amnesia.
Although she had been very careful, reclusive, keeping to herself, she wouldn’t stoop so low as to ignore someone who needed help. So, perhaps, despite her better judgement, she flicked a wrist. Red tendrils engulfed the man and lifted him from the grass, his head lolling uselessly to the side as she carefully guided him toward her cabin. She was careful not to jostle him too much, unable to see what was really ailing him at the moment.
The cabin was small and only had the essentials, which meant she didn’t have a couch for him to take. She would just have to hope she made the right decision by helping him, and with that in mind, brought him to lay on her bed. As she set him down, discomfort played along his expression. “L…L…”
Wanda wondered if she ought to intervene. If he was dreaming, she could help, but…perhaps it was a memory returning to him. She paused, waiting. The man groaned.
“Lo…ki…” he mumbled, then fell still again, his face very slowly relaxing.
Taking a step back, the witch narrowed her eyes for a moment. She’d never had the pleasure of meeting the God of Mischief, but she’d heard plenty about him, especially from Clint. And it was nothing good.
She wasn’t quite sure what this would entail. Perhaps this seemingly simple man was really from Asgard?
Well, she would wait. She could very easily pull memory from his mind right now, but she would wait, because the man deserved to attempt to explain himself, first. So she pulled a blanket over him, watched a moment longer, then headed to the kitchen to make some tea. She was nervous, but more than that, she was curious.
So she would wait.
***
Two hours passed by with not much change. Wanda spent that time looking through her book, distracting herself from the stranger in her bed, but without total concentration, she didn’t make much progress. She couldn’t hear Billy or Tommy anymore, but...she wasn’t going to give up anytime soon.
Nursing a cup of lukewarm tea, she took a small sip, almost dropping it upon seeing a figure out of the corner of her eye. Somehow, the strange man had both awoken and moved silently enough not to alert her, and now he stood, confused and dazed, in the doorway. She met his eyes, blue like the lake she found him by, and he blinked, a hand on the doorframe to keep himself upright. “Uh, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you.”
Wanda didn’t look away, watching him over the rim of her cup for a moment. It didn’t seem like the stranger was putting on some kind of act, but if he was aligned with Loki Laufeyson, there was always a chance. She wanted to be wary. Still, she gestured to the chair across from hers. “You should probably take a seat. It looks like you’re about to fall over.” He watched her for a moment, then nodded, slowly walking toward the chair. As he sat, she lowered her cup. “Are you hurt?”
Pausing, the man looked down at himself, gingerly touching his sternum. Seemingly to his own surprise, he shook his head. “I don’t think so. Just a little sore.” He watched her for a moment, swallowing. “...Thanks, by the way.”
“You’re welcome.” The good news was that he seemed much more coherent than he had been by the lake. Perhaps he wasn’t suffering from amnesia at all? Then again, he still looked pretty confused. She waited a moment, just studying him; dark bags under the eyes, messy hair, sad eyes. She recognized his demeanor. The best way she could describe it was...like he had just been betrayed. “Who are you?”
The stranger shifted somewhat uncomfortably in his seat, then brought his gaze up to hers, managing a small smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. “My name’s Mobius. Big fan, by the way.”
She stiffened. So he did know who she was, and she couldn’t imagine that being a very good thing. Still, no matter what happened, he didn’t seem to be in any condition to attack her. She would just have to keep her guard up for now. “I haven’t met many people who would consider themselves to be a fan of me,” she said softly, twisting her hand, enveloping the tea kettle in red to bring it closer, along with another cup. “Tea, Mobius?”
“Yeah, that would be nice.” His gaze followed the kettle as it floated over, and he didn’t bother to hide his admiration. “That’s...you know, that’s really something else. It’s one thing to see it on TV, but seeing it in person...it’s amazing.”
Frowning a little, Wanda didn’t take her eyes off of him as she poured him a cup, pushing it toward him. She searched for any sign that he might be joking or hostile, but there was none. He seemed genuinely impressed by her powers rather than fearing them. That was new. She just settled on saying a small, “...Thank you.” He nodded as he reached to take the cup, his shoulders releasing some tension as he took a sip. “Do you know how you got here?” she asked tentatively, burning with about a hundred other questions, but this was the most important at the moment.
He lowered the cup carefully, staring down at the rippling liquid inside of it. “It’s...a bit of a long story,” he admitted after a moment passed.
“I have time.”
She would be lying if she wasn’t amused by the slight flicker of surprise on his face. And then, to her own surprise, he chuckled. “Fair enough.” He tapped a finger on the cup, sighing a little as he looked away. “This long story is...crazy, though. You probably won’t believe me. Think I’ve gone insane.”
A smile pulled at the corners of her lips. “To be fair, I already thought you were when I found you. And you might not know this, but I am pretty accustomed to ‘crazy.’”
Nodding, he let out a quiet chuckle. “Well, okay then. Try this on for size. I work…” he paused, correcting himself. “ Worked for the organization that handles the smooth passing of time. Turns out I’ve been lied to this whole time, I found out too much, and I thought…” his brow furrowed. “I thought she…” A flicker of sadness washed over him, but it was gone in a second. “I thought they had killed me. They did what was called a pruning, which essentially means erasure, and yet here I am, alive, breathing, in your little cabin. I guess no one really knows what happens after pruning.I always assumed it was death.”
“Hm. That’s pretty good.” Wanda raised a brow. Crazy, sure, but an organization handling time wasn’t the weirdest thing she’d ever heard before. She had no reason to distrust him, not yet, anyway. In fact, she was pretty certain the back of his jacket had the letters ‘TVA’ inscribed on the back.
“Told you.”
The conversation paused long enough for them both to sip at their tea. Perhaps it was a bit selfish of her to think this way, but it was nice to have someone to talk to, even if it turned out he really was crazy and just making all this up. Mobius seemed to be thinking about something, an almost sad look on his face. Wanda paused, moving to set her empty cup down on the table, watching for a moment before daring to ask the more pressing question in her mind.
“You were mumbling, earlier, in your sleep.” She waited a beat, then continued. “A name. Loki.” Mobius had less of a handle on his reaction to that information than anything before. He looked away, his grip on the cup tightening just a little, and she blinked. This was quite honestly the most surprised she had been since meeting him; this reaction was unlike what she had been expecting, especially based on the stories she had heard about Loki. If anything, she had expected him to be saying Loki’s name out of fear, not like…
Not like he was someone he cared for.
But she could see it, plain as day, written all over his face. Even still, he recovered just a mere moment later. “Sorry about that. Must’ve spooked you. I don’t normally talk in my sleep. Yeah, he’s, uh, an old work partner.”
“He isn’t just that,” she replied softly, sadly, because God, did she recognize that pain in his voice. She kept her gaze on him, steady and sympathetic. “You love him.”
Mobius sputtered, red creeping up his neck and toward his cheeks. Upon seeing she was firm in her assessment, however, he dropped his gaze, staring at the floor, knowing he probably wouldn’t get away with lying to her. “...Yes.” His voice was soft. “And he loves someone else.”
Feeling her heart drop into her stomach, she let out a quiet sigh. Love was fickle, it seemed. Still...she leaned forward a little, lifting her hand. “May I? I won’t hurt you.” She met his eyes, and he blinked, then nodded slowly. Wanda gently placed a hand on the side of his head. His eyes flashed red, and so did hers.
“Look at your eyes. You like her.”
“What?”
“You like her. Does she like you?”
“Was she pruned?”
“I mean, no wonder you have no clue what caused the Nexus event. Both of you are swooning over each other.”
“Tell me the truth!”
“You know, of all the liars in this place, and there are a great many, you’re the biggest.”
“Why, because I lied about your girlfriend?”
“Oh, no. That I can respect. I mean the lies you tell yourself.”
“So I just have to trust the word of two Lokis?”
“How about the word of a friend?”
“You can be whoever, whatever you want to be, even someone good.”
When Wanda pulled her hand away, Mobius gasped, a violent shiver wracking his body. “Breathe. You are fine,” she soothed softly, resting a hand on his shoulder. Tears stuck in his eyes that refused to fall, and he still didn’t look at her.
“I was terrible,” he chuckled humorlessly, shaking his head. “I was awful to him.”
She nodded. “It was just jealousy.” Satisfied enough that he had regained his composure, she sat back down in the seat across from him. “…I don’t know him, Mobius, but I don’t think you give yourself enough credit. In your memory, the way he looked at you, even while you fought…he was worried for this woman you claim he loves, but who’s to say that he loves her romantically?”
Mobius shook his head then, taking a deep breath. “I...I’d rather not talk about this right now.”
“Okay.” She knew what true love was. She knew how it could hurt, and she supposed that a stranger telling him what was in his mind probably wasn’t what the man wanted. So instead, she poured some more tea, giving him the cup. “Here. It will keep you warm.”
He took it, thanking her quietly, and he managed a weak smile. “Thank you for showing me such kindness.”
“Not many people will agree, but I was a hero once,” she replied with a small smile.
“Hey, I don’t know much about you, but I mean…God, with everything you went through, I don’t think there’s many that would have passed up the opportunity you had.”
She froze, knowing he had to be referring to the Hex. And her heart lurched as she looked down. “Keeping a whole town hostage? I don’t know anyone else who would do that.”
“You’re human. You’re allowed to feel things. And, well, after what you’ve gone through, I think you were allowed to be a little selfish, if only for a little while.” He paused, glancing around the small kitchen with a little smile. “You seem to have done well for yourself since, though. I’m glad you’re okay. And not just because you took care of me.” His tone was somewhat teasing, but there was a note of genuity in it, too. She was honestly touched.
“…Thank you,” she said finally, smiling genuinely for the first time since Westview. Then came that feeling again. Her relaxed demeanor dropped and she stood up, sparks flickering in her hands. “We are no longer alone. Stay here.”
Wanda inched toward the door, and as expected, upon opening it, found four strangers in her front yard, standing in front of a shimmering gold door. Though as she looked closer, one of the strangers looked familiar, looking frantically from side to side. And Mobius hadn’t stayed put, like she’d asked him to, and stood now over her shoulder.
“Loki!” Almost as soon as the word left his mouth, Mobius was heading down Wanda’s steps, rushing toward the other. Loki’s eyes widened, and even from a distance, Wanda could tell he was tearing up.
Mobius stopped not far from him, and the two regarded each other carefully, as if afraid that if they looked away, the other would disappear. She could relate to that all too well.
“I thought you were dead,” Loki breathed, and Mobius let out a breathy chuckle.
“I thought I was dead, too.”
It was then that the taller man pulled Mobius into a tight embrace, holding on for dear life, afraid to lose him again. It was bittersweet for Wanda to watch, but she was grateful that they had been reunited. She could return to working on reuniting with her own family, but for now, she just watched, a small smile on her face.
She couldn’t hear much of what else was said, muffled by how tightly they were holding each other. The other three just stood off to the side, seemingly bored, but she kept her gaze on them. When they finally pulled apart, Mobius turned around, his face red but a relieved smile on his face. “Thank you again, Wanda. I’m sure we’ll meet again!”
“Remember what I said! Take care!” she called, waving, with a small smile, as the five of them disappeared through the shimmering door, leaving her alone, standing in front of that lake that had brought her some peace.
It wasn’t much of a happy ending, not when they were just beginning. Now it was time to work on her happy beginning.