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Miss Maximoff

Part I

Vision carried her onto the helicarrier and then left her to go finish Ultron’s robots. She had been so overcome with her rage and her grief at that point that she had barely acknowledged his rescue of her with more than surprise. He left her on the windswept flight deck, and then someone came out and led her to the interior of the helicarrier with the other civilians. She little minded what they were doing, she just ran to find herself a quiet corner to continue crying.

She had been ready to die, but in that instant she decided that since she had been saved, she would live. But how she did not know, except she would worry about that later.

She was aware of what the other people thought of her, so strong and so powerful, and yet now she was acting so weak. Was this the price of her powers, that she had to be so vulnerable to pain, so sensitive to the slightest injury?

Or was it understandable, though, how she was feeling, in light of what had just happened?

Where was Barton, the one they called Hawkeye? She knew he had her brother with him. As soon as she could bring herself to a point where she could stop crying for a moment, she followed a group into a bathroom and washed her face. A few people glanced at her, but they all thought she was one of them. One of the civilians, so brutally trapped and so miraculously rescued. And now so suddenly homeless.

An announcement came over the helicarrier intercom, a female voice in English, followed by a male translator in Sokovian. All of the civilians were being asked to return to the air-rafts they had come on, and they would be returned to Sokovia City’s remaining portion as soon as possible. There was a mass exodus to the air-raft entrances. Wanda was unsettled by the anxious bodies and minds that pressed around her. She kept glancing over her shoulder at the S.H.I.E.L.D. workers dressed in black, wondering if she ought to talk to them and ask what had become of her new friends.

The crowd dispersed fifty or so people at a time as the air-rafts departed one by one and began to return for more. The air-raft she boarded was already full by the time she had entered. She did not bother looking for an empty seat with seatbelts and sat on the floor. She pulled her legs close to her chest and wrapped her arms around her body, and she spent the short ride looking at the floor.

When the air-raft landed in the ruined street, the civilians riding immediately went their separate ways. Some made a beeline for the ambulances, paramedics, fire trucks, and other relief services that were already parked on the main road. Others disappeared, less in need or less interested. It had been two hours since the end of the battle.

An air-raft had parked beside an ambulance a block down, and a lot of people were gathered around it. That was where the Avengers were, it had to be.

She walked in that general direction, but she took her time. She turned her head to see the people beside her, adults crying with pain, children with hunger and fright, people dirty and bloody and angry. A few brave adults came from the opposite direction, holding out packages of bottled water and American snack foods for whoever would take them.
When she got closer to the parked air-raft, a lone figure came out. Barton. There were scratches and bruises on his face and arms. He had taken off his outer jacket, and his sleeveless suit was dusty.

“Wanda,” he called to her. “Wanda, I-- “

“My brother,” she said. “Where is my brother? Where is Pietro?”

“Wanda, I’m so sorry,” he said. He put his arm on her shoulder.

“Is my brother all right?” she said. Her tears began leaking out again, and her voice choked.

“Wanda, I’m so sorry,” said Barton. “You want to see him, don’t you?”

She nodded.

“Ultron swooped down on us in the Quinjet,” Barton said hurriedly. “I was trying to save a little boy, your brother--”

Wander buried her face in her hands.

“No, it’s okay,” said Barton. He stopped talking and looked at her. Then he wrapped both of his arms around her slowly. “I am so sorry. There, there, Wanda. There, there. I know how you feel. It should have been me. But it’s okay now. Captain Rogers got his body. Did you want to see him?”

“Yes, take me to him,” Wanda sobbed. Her black eye makeup was a mess all over her face now. Barton pulled a handkerchief out of his pocket. She wiped her face again.
With an arm over her shoulder, Barton led her off the busy street. There was an abandoned building with the door open. They stepped carefully over some rubble to the entrance. The lights were off--probably not even working--but the light coming through the shattered window was enough. The body was lying on the table covered with a plastic shroud, which she pulled back. His arms and legs were pulled straight, his eyes closed. Bullet holes riddled his chest and blood stained his shirt. But for those obvious injuries, he might have been asleep.

She pulled herself away from Barton’s arm. “Pietro,” she whispered. “Pietro.” She knelt beside the table, her hands clasped.

“Would you like some time alone?” Barton asked her.

She nodded without turning back to look at him. Barton walked away and closed the door behind him.

She scooted alongside the table to be close to his head. He was so still and cold now. How long had he been dead? She kept hoping, maybe, that any moment now he would start breathing again, that his chest would begin to move.

Maybe this wasn’t Pietro at all. Maybe the real Pietro would come bursting into the room at any moment and ask her why she was so absurdly moping over an empty shell that just looked like him.

She could not bring herself to speak, not to cry, and she could not breathe willingly. Her brother was a part of her life. From their birth, he had always watched over her and protected her. He was her closest friend, the person she trusted more than anyone else. They had gone through so much together--the loss of their parents, Baron Strucker’s experiments, fighting the Avengers with Ultron, and now saving the world. Having him gone from her life so suddenly was like being told the sun wasn’t supposed to come up again.

She tousled his hair. She did not recall the day it had turned white. They had lapsed in and out of consciousness during the regimen of Strucker’s studies, imbibing chemicals, exposing themselves to radiation, doing many strange and horrible and unspeakable things...one day she woke up lying on a lab table next to one with Pietro on it, and seen that his hair had changed color, and wondered if hers had done the same. Pietro shrugged it off later, telling himself maybe when Strucker finally paid them he would buy some hair dye. But that day had never come.

She leaned her forehead against the table. All of this had been because of her, she knew it. Tony Stark had created Ultron as a response to the fear she had possessed him with. And Ultron had urged her to continue to torment Stark’s friends. The devastation in different parts of the world had been massive, and to think that she had caused it….and that now she had brought it back to her home country.

Would there be a way, she wondered, to make this right? What would she do, so that no one else would have to suffer because of what she did, so that cities and nations no longer dissolved into chaos at her mere presence?

And a thought occurred to her. She had the power to control minds and make people do things. She could make matter shrink and collapse and grow and change. Strucker and his colleagues had talked so highly of her. Pietro could merely run, but Wanda...Wanda could do anything.

Could she, perhaps, change the outcome?

She sat up straight. Taking several deep breaths, she held out her hands on either side of her, willing her red energy to take shape and build up, and then to do the thing she needed it to do. Then she raised her arm. The one hand she held next to Pietro’s ear, the other she moved over him. The glowing red light hovered around her fingers.

Now go into him, she thought. Go into him. Make him breathe. Make him move. Bring him back.

She repeated the commands over and over again. Yes. She could do this. She was powerful. She could do anything. She would bring him back to life. Her body began to shake. Sweat began to bead up on her forehead. She felt her desire pressing out of her as she urged it.

But it would not move. It would not do her bidding. It would not go near his dead face.

She realized if she kept it up for much longer that something bad would happen, something would break. So she stopped. She dropped her hands. The power broke from her and spread across the room, fading and cracking the damaged walls and supports of the crumbling building. But she was tired as though she had just pushed something heavy a short distance. Her heavy breathing gave way to a hard sob, and she buried her face in her hands again and leaned against the table.

Brother, please wake up, she begged him with her mind, even though she knew he couldn’t hear her. Pietro, please. Come back. I need you.

She cried like this for several minutes. Then the door to the building opened with a creak.

“Wanda?”

She looked up, hiding her face behind the table.

It was Captain America. Rogers, as he was formally known. And she didn’t need him to see she was crying.

She gasped.

“Wanda, are you okay?” In the dark space, it was not easy for her to see his facial expression as he looked down on her.

“I am fine,” she said, choking on another sob.

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, I am fine,” she said. She wiped her face on her arm.

“Well, if you’re feeling up to it, we’d like you to come out and help now,” said Rogers. “Stark Industries Relief is on its way, and the Sokovian Government will be sending aid pretty
soon as well.”

She had nothing to say to this. She looked at the floor underneath the table.

“Tony thought it would make a good impression, if we--the Avengers, that is--if we helped distribute the first aid supplies. And I think that’s a good idea. Maybe it would help you, you know.”

Wanda curled up and started crying again, her face buried in her knees.

Captain Rogers didn’t say anything. He went to her side and knelt on the floor next to her. “Hey, kid, it’s gonna be okay,” he said to her. He wrapped his big, strong arm over her shoulder.

She smiled a little. Over the past two days, since she and Pietro had left Ultron’s allegiance in Seoul, Steve Rogers had shown her and Pietro nothing but kindness. He acted most of the time like a military commander--which he was--shepherding them along, listening to their concerns and helping them fit in with the team. Deep down, he was an extremely tender, caring person, and more than all the others she regretted hurting him the most.

“I know exactly how you feel,” said Rogers. “I really do. I’ve lost both of my parents. I’ve lost most of the friends that I grew up with. The woman I love more than anything else in the world is too old and feeble to get out of bed. It’s tough, it really is. But you know what, you’ve got to be tougher. At the end of the day, you can’t just keep letting what you’ve lost weigh you down. You need to pick yourself up and get going. Clint says you did that earlier today, and we’re all proud of you.” He pulled her closer to his chest. She didn’t like how tight and stiff his uniform was. “You can let yourself cry later on. It’s okay to cry. It’s how we heal. But we can come back to Pietro later. He will be just fine. I’ll bet you if he were here, he would be out there helping your people. Is that what you would like to do?”

Wanda nodded, sniffing a little. Captain Rogers helped her to stand up, and he led her from the room. A few more tears leaked out, but she put away the rest of her grief for the moment. Pietro would not want me to just sit here.

There were two S.H.I.E.L.D. workers waiting outside of the building. At a nod from the Captain, they went inside--to stand guard.

“Captain?” she said as they walked into the rubble-strewn streets. She could hardly speak.

“Steve. Just call me Steve.”

“Steve, then. Do you know how much longer you will be in Sokovia?”

“Probably not longer than overnight,” said Steve. “Just long enough to get things started with the relief effort. But we might come back. Why, do you want to stay here?”

“No,” said Wanda. “There is nothing for me here. Can I go back to America with you, and stay there?”

“You got travel papers?”

“Do I need some?”

Steve laughed. “Well, maybe Tony Stark can figure something out.”

The helicarrier that had come to rescue the civilians was still in the air, circling the city and the massive crater that had been created by Ultron. Air-rafts and hover-jets were
flying back and forth from the helicarrier to different parts of the city.

“Did you tell S.H.I.E.L.D. to come with helicarrier?”

“Not that I’m aware of,” said Steve.

Steve led her past the long queue of civilians to the main air-raft where the Avengers were directing the relief efforts. Natasha Romanoff was handing out water bottles. Stark was putting together first-aid kits with a black man that Wanda did not recognize. Barton was passing out granola bars and fruit gummies from an open box. And Thor, the demigod, was going back and forth between a parked hover-jet, carrying crates of water and food and other supplies to the air-raft for the others to access.

“Where is the one called Banner?” Wanda asked Steve.

“Dunno,” said Steve. “Maybe he’s just crawled off someplace to cool off. He usually takes a minute to get out of Hulk mode.”

“And Vision?” She scanned the skies above them.

“No idea.”

The others looked up when they saw Wanda approaching with Steve.

“She’s here to help,” Steve said before anyone else could ask Wanda how she was feeling. “That’s going to be the best thing for her right now. Put her to work.”

“Come help me pass out some water bottles,” said Natasha.

“I will help,” said Wanda. She went over to the crate helped Natasha to carry it into the street. The people came flocking towards them. Natasha opened the plastic cover of the crate, and they started distributing the bottles.

Wanda felt useful, handing out water bottles, addressing people in her native language as they came up: “Here you are...you’re welcome. Here is some water. There you go.”
Occasionally someone who spoke Russian came through the crowd, and Natasha would speak to them in that language. But her courteous smiles seemed forced and strained.

“Natasha--can I call you Natasha?” Wanda asked.

“You can call me whatever you like,” said Natasha, not looking at her.

“Natasha, I feel there is something on your mind, what is it?”

“It’s nothing,” said Natasha. “The past few hours...it’s been a little crazy.”

Wanda went back to passing out water bottles until the crate was finished, the crowd dispersed and they returned to the air-raft. Natasha folded up the plastic packaging.
Off to one side, Thor was also passing out water bottles. There was a group of smiling people around him, mostly young children who wanted to touch his armor or try to pick up his hammer. He laughed with them as they spoke to him in broken English.

“Where you find hammer?” asked one.

“This hammer was forged from the center of a dying star. The handle I think was attached later.”

“Why can’t I pick it up?” asked a struggling, dirty boy.

“Because only one who is worthy can wield it, my young friend.”

“No--hammer is too big. I’m not strong enough.”

“You’ll find strength actually has very little to do with it.” He handed the kid a water bottle, and the boy went on his way.

Thor was speaking to the parents of another child when a little girl crept behind him and started to play with his hammer. The girl probably didn’t mean to, but she put both of her hands around the handle and lifted it. It was still heavy for her, but she slowly raised it in the air above her head. Thor didn’t notice anything until he heard the gasping and laughing of people behind him. He whirled around, wondering if there was a problem, but broke into a smile and gave a booming laugh.

“Careful, little one!” said Thor. The little girl was trying to wave the hammer back and forth, but she tottered unsteadily as she went. Thor took the handle, and for a moment they both held it. “You are indeed worthy, but it takes confidence to hold a weapon such as this. You have done well.” They put the hammer down together. The little girl gave Thor a hug and a quick kiss on the cheek, and she shyly darted away to join her parents.

Wanda smiled, and then when she turned to look at the others she laughed at the expression on Steve’s face.

“Hey, Tasha!” Tony Stark called from across the way. “Have you heard anything from Banner yet?”

“I haven’t,” said Natasha, giving her head a dismissive shake.

“Well, just give him a few more minutes,” said the black guy.

“But it’s not like him to be unresponsive like this,” said Tony.

Steve had joined Barton in handing out snacks to the Sokovians.

Thor went to get another crate of water bottles, and he returned promptly, his muscles bulging as he hefted the package.

“Miss Maximoff, you and Natasha can have some more water bottles to distribute.” They went and took the crate to pass out the bottles.

When they returned for another load, Tony and his friend were talking again.

“--of course S.H.I.E.L.D. can take us home,” said Tony.

“But what about all of your equipment and personalized stuff on the Quinjet?”

“I have comprehensive backup files,” said Tony. “It’s nothing I can’t afford to replace.”

“But the new stuff is never the same as the original.”

“Right.”

Tony noticed Wanda watching them. “Wanda, come here, I’d like you to meet my friend Rhodey.”

Wanda came up to shake hands.

“How do you do, Wanda?” said Rhodey. “Tony’s told me a lot about you. And I’m sorry about what happened to your brother.”

“It is all right,” said Wanda. “I thank you for your help today.”

“Your English is pretty good.”

“Most here speak it more or less,” said Wanda.

“Where’d you learn? In school?”

“Does not matter.”

Thor and Steve came to rejoin their group.

“The supplies in our jet seem to have run out,” said Thor. “Should we go back to the helicarrier for more?”

“Naw,” said Tony. “The Sokovian government relief should be mobilizing about now. And we’ll get more from the helicarrier later.”

Natasha leaned against the side of the air-raft and sighed. Wanda saw the look that passed between her and Steve--he was trying to reassure her of something, but she could not see what.

Tony had just said that the Sokovian government was on its way, but it seemed to Wanda that they were taking their time. If Pietro were here, he’d have gone to find out where they’re at, she thought. She looked around her, almost expecting to see her brother come running up with news--and then he didn’t come.

Barton returned to the air-raft, folding up a cardboard box. “Any chance we’ve got any more of those fruit snacks? They’re going pretty fast.”

Wanda had a sudden memory of Pietro stealing candy from Ulysses Klaue’s candy jar back in Africa. Pietro had always liked to try new things. But she forced the thought back down. Now isn’t the time.

“Thor just said we were out,” said Steve.

“Dang, I could use a drink of water right now,” said Rhodey.

“You said it,” said Barton. He looked at Natasha. Natasha was looking at the ground. “Nat, are you all right?”

“Yeah, I’m fine,” she said, not looking at Barton.

“Have you guys still not heard back from Doctor Banner?”

“No, we’re still waiting,” said Tony.

“And it won’t be any use to wait longer,” said Natasha suddenly.

They looked at each other, then back at her.

“I tried calling Banner on the radio,” said Natasha. “I tried to do the lullaby and get him to turn it around---I tried--” She looked up at them. “Then I lost the signal. I don’t know what happened.”

“What do you mean?” said Steve.

“Nat, what did you do to him?” asked Barton.

“I said, I don’t know what happened,” Natasha repeated. “I just...lost him.” She looked away from them, over her shoulder.

“But, look, Nat, we can’t have this,” said Steve. “Banner’s got the Quinjet -- “

“It seems the Sokovian government has arrived,” Thor interrupted. There was an increased murmur from the crowd in the street. Government trucks painted with camouflage pulled up the roadway, moving slowly as the milling people swarmed around them. Relief workers and soldiers carrying supplies got out of the backs of a few of these trucks and started distributing food packets.

“Come on, let’s go help them,” said Steve. They departed from the air-raft and went to assist in distributing aid. The Sokovian government workers set up tents and passed out blankets and MREs. Some people grumbled that this was all they had to eat, and others kept coming back for more. A few tables with tents over them were set up, with some help from Thor and Tony. S.H.I.E.L.D. sent down several more planes with water and foodstuffs, and they also set up a medical tent and a kitchen tent that served beans and bread. Steve and Clint borrowed a truck and went through the streets through the less damaged parts of the city, assisting the police in keeping an eye on looters and scavengers that lurked here and there in the aftermath of the disaster. Wanda kept herself busy, serving as an interpreter between her countrymen and the S.H.I.E.L.D. workers and volunteers, as well as continuing to pass out food and water throughout the long afternoon.

Natasha wore out after only a few hours. She sat in the shade of one of the Sokovian government trucks, not speaking to anyone and looking only at the empty alleyways between the damaged buildings.

A steady stream of S.H.I.E.L.D. jets and Sokovian trucks kept bringing food rations and emergency supplies of every sort to the streets of the city. There were intervals where Wanda didn’t have to think about Pietro Sometimes she would forget and look up hopefully to see him coming around the corner, and then she would have to hide her disappointment and continue to distribute food and water.

A Sokovian truck arrived with a back full of blankets. Steve placed Wanda and Barton in charge of passing them out to the crowd.

They had not been there a few minutes when an old woman wearing a headscarf appeared at the front of the group.

“Good afternoon,” Wanda said cordially.

The woman looked at her and gasped. “Wanda Maximoff? Where have you been?”

“Auntie Matilda?” Wanda could not believe it. She leapt down from the truck and embraced the old lady as tightly as she could without risking breaking her back.

“My dear little Wanda,” said old Matilda. She beamed up at Wanda through a face criscrossed with wrinkles. “It has been too long. Have you been doing well at university?”

Wanda had told Matilda when they last met that she and Pietro were going to university in Slovenia. The old dear didn’t like Baron Strucker, and Wanda hadn’t wanted to break her heart.

“Oh, yes, dear Matilda,” said Wanda. “Pietro and I learned much at university. We came to help save our country from Strucker’s robots.” Many people in the city believed that Baron Strucker had sent the robot army that nearly destroyed them today, and frankly it wasn’t far from the truth, since Ultron and his minions were Hydra’s to begin with.

Matilda nodded. “You have done well. But it has been so many years since you have come to visit. Perhaps you should come home more often.”
Wanda merely nodded back to her. Tears were leaking out of the folded corners of Matilda’s eyes.

“And has Pietro come with you?”

“Yes, Pietro--Pietro did come,” Wanda stammered. “He...He is...he is well.” How did one just say that he had died just earlier that day?

Matilda didn’t suspect her. “Ah, dear. I will see him around somewhere, I guess. You take care. You have made me very proud.” Matilda kissed Wanda’s cheek and turned away, smiling.

Wanda was shaking a little. She turned around to look at Barton, who stood close by. He said nothing, but she could see in his eyes and in the way his mouth was set that he was concerned for her. Wanda nodded to him, trying to smile but only making her frown wider, mirroring his. Barton gave her a pat on the shoulder.

They continued to pass out blankets. Several more people she had known came through the line--a male friend her and Pietro’s age, two of Wanda’s childhood playmates who were shocked that she had survived Strucker’s experiments, and a middle-aged couple who had known their parents. She was cordial to each of them, and in their brief encounters she didn’t have time to tell them what she was really doing there, or where Pietro was, if she wanted to.

Tony Stark, Rhodey, and Steve Rogers came walking back towards them after a while, saying that S.H.I.E.L.D. was bringing them dinner. Only then did Wanda remember how hungry and thirsty she was, she had been so busy helping others not be the same. But S.H.I.E.L.D. had a nice little meal catered for them inside of a hover-jet. Barton took some food and went to find Natasha. Steve and Rhodey didn’t stay very long. Tony Stark tried to make some small talk with Wanda.

“It’s not like after New York, when we all went to get Shawarma,” he commented. “I think we’re feeling a lot less friendly this time around. Ah, well. Maybe it’ll blow over. Or maybe it’s just that Banner’s run off. He’ll be back, and set things right.” He took a big bite of his sandwich while he checked his cellular phone.

Wanda couldn’t help wondering how many sandwiches Pietro would have eaten if he was there. Even before they had gone through Hydra’s experiments, he had always had a voracious appetite. And eaten quickly. But he was always so energetic and eager, maybe that kept the weight off...but then again when in their lives had they ever had enough to eat, except occasionally?

Wanda shook her head. She shouldn’t let herself go just yet. There was still more work to be done.

“Mr. Stark,” said Wanda.

“Hm-hmm?”

“What happened to Vision?”

“Dunno,” said Stark, chewing his sandwich thoughtfully. “Maybe he’s run off somewhere to go take a nap.”

“Vision, a nap?” Wanda laughed. “I don’t think he was built to ever need one.”

“Darn right.”

Thor came into the hover-jet. “I was given tidings that we were provided with victuals.”

“Feast up, meatswing,” said Stark, gesturing at the table. Thor got himself a large sandwich and sat down to eat.

“Thor,” Wanda asked when she thought maybe his mouth wasn’t too full. “Do you know what happened to Vision? I haven’t seen him since he took me to the helicarrier.”

“That is a good question,” said Thor, swallowing. “Mayhap he is off making sure the last of Ultron’s robots have been destroyed.”

“That sounds more likely,” Stark agreed.

“Did someone call my name?” came a serene male voice. He landed silently outside the bay of the hover-jet and walked inside, his feet thumping quietly on the floor.

Thor’s surprised look turned to one of delight. “My friend, how do you fare?”

“I fare well, I thank you,” said Vision, his robotic eyes blinking as he nodded to Thor.

“Where’ve you been?” asked Stark.

“I was scouting the perimeter of the city for the last of Ultron’s minions. It seems they have been vanquished. But a good number of civilians have been trapped under the rubble of buildings that were damaged by falling debris and by the earthquake. I have been helping to extricate them.”

Stark raised his eyebrows. “Well, good for you!”

“You are most noble, my friend,” said Thor.

“Here, have a sandwich,” said Stark, gesturing to the table.

“Thank you, Mr. Stark, but I do not need nourishment as others do.” His eyes fell on Wanda.

“And are you well, Miss Maximoff?”

“Y-yes, I am fine, thank you.” The last bits of her sandwich nearly slipped out of her hands. It was different, seeing Vision in broad daylight, strolling confidently into the hover-jet. His cape draped behind him gracefully, and he stood tall and straight--an ordinary being would have slouched. His mechanical eyes betrayed no weariness at all, only concern for the well-being of the people closest to him--and at that moment, her.

“I am truly sorry,” he said quietly, “for your loss.” He meant every word of it.

“Well...thank you,” said Wanda quietly.

“Is there anything I can do for you?” said Vision.

“I will be all right,” said Wanda, noticing how dry her mouth was. She reached for a water bottle. Vision got it first and handed it to her.

“I will do anything to make sure you are comfortable,” said Vision.

Wanda gave him a slight smile. She looked up at Thor.

“I have no idea where he gets it,” said Thor.

Stark stood up. “Well, back to work. Vision, you want to help us hand out relief supplies?”

“I appreciate the offer,” said Vision, “but I would like to continue helping with the heavy rescue work.”

“All right then,” said Stark. “Well, we’re going back to New York tomorrow morning. If you want to come with us, meet back here tonight.”

“If you say so,” said Vision. He gave Wanda and Thor a final nod and walked out of the room with his head held high.

“That’s what we should be doing,” Thor said, “helping to rescue the civilians that are still trapped in the rubble.”

“If you want to go do that, fine,” said Stark. “I’m staying here to make sure everything goes smoothly.”

Thor walked out of the hover-jet and spun his hammer, and he flew away.

“All right, Maximoff,” said Stark, “back to work.”

The evening passed, and the Avengers continued to work hard at their separate relief tasks, sometimes together in the main streets, sometimes on separate errands. Ultron’s robots were only seen in bits and pieces and broken parts, none ever walking again. People who came up to them told them horrible stories about how the robots had attacked and killed loved ones and destroyed the buildings around Sokovia city. There were other stories about how government soldiers and police and even ordinary citizens had fought them, some destroying the robots and some giving their lives. And there were plenty of people who came around saying that they had found themselves away from their homes with no recollection of how they got to the outer city, and then come to themselves right when the battle started--these had been the ‘victims’, for lack of a better word, of Wanda’s witchcraft in the early morning. There were people Wanda had seen earlier in the day that she had helped to evacuate, and there were Sokovian police and military leaders, who thanked her and the Avengers for saving their lives. A part of Wanda felt terrible because many of these people had lost everything but the clothes on their backs, yet she realized she knew how it felt--to lose home, possessions, a place in society, even family members--and that now she had the chance to give back. And she knew that some of her fellow Avengers--especially Steve and Natasha--had suffered similar losses. For the first time, it felt like it meant something to be one of them.
Night fell, and it seemed like they were making progress towards making sure the survivors had enough to eat and drink. Tony Stark and Captain Rogers worked with the city authorities to talk about getting the electricity and water up and running again. Then afterward they had another meal catered by S.H.I.E.L.D.. Wanda ate with Rhodey, Steve, and Natasha and Vision. Natasha was very quiet and spent a lot of time looking at the floor. Vision sat close to Wanda but looked over at Natasha sometimes.

“I want to help, I really do,” Vision finally admitted, “but I do not know how.”

“Story of my life, bro,” said Steve, who sat downcast with an empty bag of chips in his hand. “But all we can do is...try our best.” He gave a faint smile as he spoke. Then he stood up and got another water bottle.

Rhodey had been filled in late on the story of Vision’s creation, and stared at him in wonder. “Bro, do you even eat anything?”

“I do not have need of nourishment,” said Vision, and he smiled at Rhodey.

“But could you eat anything, if you wanted to?” asked Wanda.

“I can’t say,” said Vision. “I suppose I could. My body would just naturally incorporate whatever I ingested into my system--and with no waste whatsoever,” he added.

“What is something you could try?” Wanda said, looking around. She saw a plate of cookies on a tray beside her. “Why not one of these--what is word in English, cookie?”

“Cookie, yeah,” Steve nodded.

Rhodey smiled. “One of the best words in the English language, if I do say.”

She placed the cookie gently into Vision’s hand. “There, have a cookie.”

Vision smiled bashfully. “You know, cookies really aren’t very healthy for you, especially if eaten in large quantities. And these that were provided by S.H.I.E.L.D.’s catering have a few harmful preservatives--”

“But just one will not kill you,” said Wanda.

“No, just one will not kill me,” Vision echoed her, “but if I ate too many, it would overload my system and I would cease to function properly. I know how to take care of myself.”

Natasha spoke up suddenly. “You know what, Vision, it’s good manners to eat while other people are eating.”

“Oh, really, it is?” said Vision. “I suppose...my functions should allow for some...decorum.” He raised the cookie to his lips and took a bite. He chewed it very slowly.

“Where did he get that kind of a vocabulary?” asked Rhodey.

Steve shrugged. “Thor.”

“What do you think?” Wanda asked as Vision swallowed his bite of cookie.

“I think, this cookie is most excellent,” said Vision. “I shall finish this one. Perhaps it is enough for now.” He took another bite and chewed slowly, savoring every bit.

Wanda smiled at Natasha. “I suppose for a Russian woman you are not all bad, Natasha.”

“Well, thanks for the compliment,” said Natasha. “But, of course, I understand if you didn’t intend it.”

“I meant well.”

“I’m sorry, what’s happening?” asked Rhodey.

“I take it there’s some cultural animosity,” said Steve.

“Well, yes, a little,” said Wanda.

“Really?” said Vision. “You both seem to be doing well in spite of it.” He took another bite of his cookie to observe.

“Sokovia was part of the Soviet Bloc,” Natasha explained. “Didn’t you read up on your history, Rogers?”

“Well, I understood that part,” said Steve.

“For many years, Russians oppress my country,” said Wanda. “Then Russians leave, now Americans oppress us.”

“But you still hate the Russians,” said Steve.

“The Sokovians hate the Americans because that was who the communist government taught them to hate,” said Natasha. “But they hate the Russians because they were the ones who kept them from being free.”

“But that’s why when a German guy came around,” Steve interjected, “you had absolutely no qualms about helping him out--I meant no offense, Wanda,” he said, noting Wanda’s raised eyebrow.

“His nationality had nothing to do with it,” said Wanda.

“I’m just saying,” said Steve.

“I know. But Baron Strucker was not trusted in these parts. When Pietro and I go to work for him, we tell our friends and neighbors we are going to University.”

“Really?” said Vision. “Have you seen any of them today?”

“A few of them,” said Wanda. She felt uncomfortable.

“And none of them have guessed the truth?”

“I not want them to know,” said Wanda. “It was all for nothing now.”

“Hey, don’t talk like that,” said Steve. “Everything we give is worth something--even if we lose a part of ourselves. Trust me, I’m an expert on that sort of thing.”

“What sort of thing?”

“Sacrifice. That doesn’t amount to anything.” He shrugged. “But tell me, Wanda, what is it the Sokovians have against America?”

“Funny you should ask,” said Vision, licking the crumbs of his cookie off his finger-tips.

“I’m just curious.”

“Well, Captain America, if you must know,” said Wanda, standing up, “as soon as Sokovia is independent country, representatives from America come demanding everything--we buy American clothes and food, we have American entertainment, we let American business here shut out all the local industry. They demand we take their side in international politics and manipulate our government leaders. Is stupid and is wrong.”

“Well, I’m really sorry about all that,” said Steve. “In my defense, I was taking a seventy-year nap while most of this was happening.”

“I know. Is not your fault. But you should know, Steve, that was why Pietro and I worked for Strucker. We wanted a country not run by Americans, world not pushed around by American superheroes--with a Russian to boot,” she added with a glance at Natasha.

“I see,” said Steve. “But now you’re on that team of American superheroes that pushes the world around. What are you going to do?”

“What do you think? We could help each other. You only want to keep the world safe from people like Baron Strucker who have their own agendas. I want to make the world a place where one person does not have to live in fear of another telling them what to do,”

“Well, in essence,” said Steve, “we want the same thing. But how do you want to achieve that?”

Wanda fell silent.

“Well, give her some time to think on it, Captain,” said Vision.

“She can have it. I’ve got to go back to work.” He picked up his shield from where he had placed it on the floor and put it onto his back. “Come on, Rhodes.”
Rhodey jumped up. He had pulled out his phone when Wanda had started talking and lost track. “Oh, I’m sorry, I was just texting Tony to see if --”

“That’s all right,” said Steve. They walked out of the hover-jet together.

“I suppose we have more work to do still,” said Wanda.

Vision stood up from the table. “May I take your arm, Miss Maximoff?” he asked her.

“Wait. Why you want my arm?”

“It is just a polite gesture, while I escort you outside.”

“All right,” said Wanda, laying out her arm. Vision hooked his around it. It felt cold next to hers. “You coming, Natasha?”

“Give me a few more minutes,” she said. Natasha remained in her corner of the hover-jet and watched Wanda and Vision leave.

“So how about you?” Wanda asked Vision as they went outside. “Are you going to stay with the Avengers?”

“I guess so,” said Vision. “I mean, I wasn’t really created for anything else, except to help people. Aren’t the Avengers dedicated to helping people?”

Wanda hadn’t thought of it that way before. “I do not know,” she said. “I used to think all the Avengers did was go around making up excuses to kill people.”

“Well, you should know, nothing could be further from the truth,” said Vision. “Their job is to stop those kinds of people.”

“And how would you know?” asked Wanda. “Is that what you perceive, or is that what Thor meant you to believe?”

Vision stopped. He bit his lip while he thought. And then he said, “The most correct answer would be a bit of both. Thor gave me an intuition disposed towards goodness, but I perceive much in the world around me.”

Wanda looked at him, craning her head sideways. “You...do seem strange,” she said. She could find no other words in English to express it.
“I know. I do not know myself where I fit in, but I suppose I shall find it soon,” said Vision. “Farewell for now, Miss Maximoff. I will see you shortly.” He picked up her hand and kissed it, and he glided away into the night.

There really was quite a bit of Thor in him, she could recognize his mannerisms. But there was something in Vision that wasn’t quite Thor, Wanda thought. Something even
bigger than the ancient Asgardian warrior. Vision’s goodness was goodness itself, and she could only guess that Thor had somehow channeled it through the hammer, Mjolnir.

The throngs that had pressed them through the day were starting to wear down, but more of the people that did come to them came asking for blankets and bedding. S.H.I.E.L.D. sent down a jet from the helicarrier with bedclothes and cots. People who had homes went off to them, sometimes inviting in friends and relatives and even strangers.

About one o’clock in the morning, they had finished passing out their supplies. Most of the people who came near them were walking past them. Wanda was sitting down on a piece of rubble, her knees and legs ached. A Sokovian government truck rumbled past, its yellow lights glaring at her in the darkened street. Temporary lights had been set up here and there, but most of the street remained in darkness. Barton was nearby, passing out a few more blankets.

Another government truck rolled past but then came to a stop nearby. Steve Rogers got out of the cab and walked towards them.

“What’s up?” asked Barton

“Hey, do you guys have any place to sleep?” he asked.

“The Bed and Breakfast isn’t open, is it?” asked Barton.

“They’re setting up a tent village for the refugees on D_____ Square. And they’ve got a place for us. I think S.H.I.E.L.D.’s just about done for today, and Tony wants to call it a night.”

“Well, all right, said Barton. “Wanda, are you coming?”

“Yes,” she said, standing up and brushing the dirt off her dress. She got into the cab of the truck with Steve and Barton. It was being driven by a Sokovian soldier. Barton and Rogers talked about how the relief efforts were going, but Wanda said nothing.

They arrived at a partly-devastated city square where rows upon rows of tent pavilions had been set up. Many of these had curtains drawn on the sides, but those that were still opened showed people inside of the tents, arranging salvaged belongings and emergency supplies around their cots. Their truck parked on the edge of the camp beside a government building. There was one large tent set up partly away from the others, several government trucks parked beside it. There were ten cots set up inside of it, each with a bedroll and a pillow on the end. Tony Stark and Thor were inside of it already. Thor had removed his cape and was taking off his outer armor. There was a small lantern lighting up the tent.

Wanda chose the cot closest to the wall. Steve asked Clint for help taking off his suit. Clint obliged him. Steve stowed his shield and gear under his bed and started taking out his bedroll. Clint took off his outer vest and his boots. They were talking with Thor and Stark as a Sokovian jeep pulled up, and out stepped Rhodey with Natasha. Wordlessly, Natasha went over to the cot next to Wanda and took out the bedroll.

“Are you sleeping in that?” Wanda asked Natasha, eyeing her combat suit.

Natasha began to remove her belt, boots, and gun holsters. “I didn’t bring a change of clothes,” she said wearily.

A figure landed on the ground outside of their tent, and in stepped Vision.

“Is everyone here?” he asked.

“Everyone we could find,” said Tony. “Romanoff, have you heard from --”

“No,” she cut him off, pulling her blanket out of her bedroll.

“I think he would have contacted us by now,” said Steve soberly.

“Naw, he’ll come around,” said Tony. “It’s taken him longer than this before.”

“Has it?”

Tony shrugged.

“Would you like me to go find him?” Vision asked.

“Find who?” asked Wanda.

“Doctor Banner, of course.”

“Banner? No,” said Clint. “Let’s leave him be.”

Everyone had spread out their bedrolls, but Natasha was the first one lying down. She stared at the tent ceiling a little, but she looked very much like she wanted to be asleep.

“Are you gonna sleep?” Rhodey asked Vision as he set up his cot next to Stark’s.

“I am quite well, thank you,” said Vision. “I am programmed to not be in need of sleep.”

Wanda looked at Tony Stark.

“Well...Banner and I were in a bit of a rush when we finished you, so we didn’t think to--”

“It is all right. I will join the guards in the square who are watching the camp. Have a good night.” Vision bowed to them and left, his cape swishing behind him.

“Well, that guy’s weird,” Rhodey said when Vision was out of earshot. Wanda took off her boots, wristcuffs and jackets and placed them under her bed

“And the worst part is, I don’t know if I have the nerve to offer to change him,” said Tony.

“He’ll get into the swing of things,” said Steve.

“Was the pun intended, my friend?” asked Thor.

“Shut up.”

“Just because you were almost worthy to heft Mjonir doesn’t mean--”

“Almost?” said Stark. “The thing budged like a quarter inch. He wasn’t even close.”

“Less.”

Barton sniffed. “I still think it’s a trick.”

“Well, how about we all just go to bed?” said Steve.

“I like that idea,” said Rhodey. Steve and Thor turned down the curtains on the side of the tent. “But Thor, I still think you should let me have another go at that thing. I just helped save the day, so maybe I’m more worthy now.”

“Don’t get your hopes up, my friend.”

“Lights out, everyone.” Clint picked up the lantern and switched it off.

No one talked as soon as it was dark. In a few minutes, she could hear the sounds of regular breathing that indicated sleep. Wanda lay awake for a short while thinking about the day’s events. It had felt like a lifetime since they had landed in Sokovia City that morning. And every part of that day was blurred into one continuous stream that played together over and over in her head. She thought she would just let her mind wander until she fell asleep.

She thought about how earlier in the day, she had told Pietro she was going to stay and keep Ultron and his robots away from the trigger to his meteor device. Pietro had asked if he could stay with her, but she had wanted him to go find the remaining civilians. Maybe if she had gone with him instead, she would have been able to save him, maybe she would be the one…

Think of something else.

She remembered the afternoon when she had helped the Avengers pass out food and water to her people. She remembered how she had seen familiar faces that she had not seen in years. The flood of memories that she had suppressed sprang to her unbidden…

No, don’t go there…

She remembered their trip to Africa with Ultron to steal the vibranium. Pietro had run to Ulysess Klaue’s candy dish and stuck a piece in his mouth. He had run circles around the Avengers while she had bewitched them all. They had felt so sure they were doing the right thing, and then everything--the monster that Stark had created, that she had created--had spun out of control. They had changed sides in order to stop Ultron, but what good had it done? There were hundreds, thousands dead now. There was now a massive hole in the middle of the city, and there was a massive hole in her heart--

It wasn’t any use keeping back the tears any more. She buried her face in her pillow, blowing her nose unceremoniously, her face stung with the salt, she clung to the pillow for dear life, she felt she was going to explode--

No, she had to stop, she must not wake the others. She was getting a headache. She picked up the water bottle that was beside her bed and drank it dry. She took several deep, hoarse breaths, and cried more quietly until she fell asleep.

She dreamed that they were standing on the edge of the floating city, and it was flipping upside down and around in midair, she was uncertain whether she had caused it or whether she knew how to stop it, and Pietro kept running around in circles trying to stay ahead of it...

“Wanda,” a voice whispered. She half-hoped for a fleeting moment that the voice was Pietro’s, but when she looked up she saw that it was Stark.

“Wanda, Steve is getting ready to go back to New York. Were you still going with him?”

“Uh...yes.”

“Well, you might want to get up now, because he’s going to be leaving in about an hour.”

Wanda wanted to get out of bed that instant, but Stark had more to say.

“And also, before he goes, him and Barton wanted to have a quick burial for your brother--nothing too fancy, we found a spot on the edge of town in the old cemetery. We figured you’d like to join us.”

“Yes, of course,” she said, sitting upright. She pulled the covers off from her and put on her boots, jacket, and wristcuffs again.

“Barton’s planning on going back to his family on his own,” said Stark. “He wanted to say goodbye to you both before he went.” Stark left the tent as soon as she was up.

Wanda thought about folding up her bedding but decided it would be best to leave it. Someone else would remake the bedroll, wash it first and then give it to someone else who needed it.

Natasha had already left the tent, and her bedroll was folded up on her cot. Steve Rogers was in his uniform, finishing fastening up his boots. Rhodey was packing a duffel bag. Thor was gone also. Wanda thought she could smell eggs and sausage cooking outside.

She felt slightly confused--she had just spent the night there, but she had no possessions to take with her except for what she was already wearing. So she left. There were tables and chairs and a pavilion with a giant stove set up outside, and people already gathered to eat and drink and talk over breakfast. The sky was turning pink but most of the city was still in shadow, as the sun was still behind the mountains. Natasha, Thor, and Vision were seated at a table by themselves near the edge of the gathering--most of the Sokovians gave them a wide berth. Stark was in the breakfast line, which for the early hour was already terribly long. When Steve came out of the tent he had a good long look at the line, gave a sigh that clearly said I thought we were trying to get out of here, and joined him. But the long line actually moved very quickly, as volunteers at the stove handed out bowls of the egg, sausage, and cheese mix. It wasn’t filling but it was warm. To drink there was milk, orange juice, hot chocolate, tea, or coffee, and the tea was in highest demand. Wanda was in no mood to fight the crowd and got a glass of juice. She sat down at the Avengers’ table, and Rhodey joined them. Stark and Rhodey talked, but no one else said much. Steve looked like he was itching for seconds but obviously deterred by the line. The square was filling up with people as the sky grew lighter, and beams of bright sunlight started creeping around the jagged edges of the peaks surrounding Sokovia City.

Barton appeared, dressed in his archer’s jacket but missing his quivers. He walked over of their table as they were finishing.

“Hey, you guys,” he said quietly, “I’m all ready to go. If you’re not waiting for anything, we can go ahead and do it.”

“Yes, let’s do it,” said Steve, standing up. Rhodey gathered everyone’s plastic plates, cups, and forks, and Stark got a garbage bag.

“If we’re ready, we can go over this way,” said Barton. He started walking towards one of the streets that led out of D___ Square. They followed him, a few people in the crowd
glancing at them but not paying much attention. Wanda was grateful for their quiet exit. Just outside of the square was parked a borrowed Sokovian military truck. “In the back,” Barton said, looking pointedly at her. Natasha, Steve, and Vision followed her to the back of the truck. Stark, Rhodey, and Barton went to the front.

In the back of the truck, under the camouflage canopy, there were benches on the sides, and placed on the floor was a long, wooden box. Natasha and Steve sat on one side, Wanda and Vision on the other. The engine started, and she heard the crunch of gravel under the large tires. No one in the back of the truck looked at each other, except for Vision, who was looking at Wanda and trying to think of something to say. Wanda alternated from looking at the lid of the coffin to the floor. She could not think of anything that was really worth thinking of right then, during those last moments she had with her brother. All she knew was that she already missed him terribly. She wished he was still with them, to cheer up gloomy Natasha and make everyone else laugh and smile--the Avengers had to be quite lovely people underneath all the bickering and toughness, and when they got along they had a great time--and she had to experience that by herself. Pietro would never be there to share that with her. There was nothing else for her here in her devastated country, she would have to leave him in a hole in the ground, leave him behind with the rest of her old life and go to a strange country and try to find out what was next--that was the catch, she didn’t know what came after this. Those were the best things she could think of, on that final ride with her brother, in their improvised hearse. Tears streamed silently down her face, but no one said anything to her. Vision was at a loss for what to say or to do. Natasha was trapped in her own grief and confusion but trying to find sympathy for Wanda, and Steve knew it was best to let Wanda mourn.

Before she was ready, the truck slowly came to a stop. But she had to resign herself--she had to let go at some point, she might as well do it now.

Barton opened the back of the truck. “Wanda, you can have a few minutes alone with Pietro.” The other three got out.

Wanda slid off her seat onto the floor of the truck. She lifted the lid of the coffin and carefully put it to one side. Pietro had been dressed in a jacket, but no other changes were
made to the corpse. She stared at his face--it did not look at peace or happy, but it did not look unhappy either. She wished she could have some kind of final sign from him, that all would be well, that his warm laugh and playful nature was still somewhere, but she would not find it from looking at his corpse. His body was cold now. Carefully, she touched his forehead, ran her fingers over the features she knew so well. She ran her fingers through his bleached curls one last time.

She remembered how, as they had passed through their teenage years into adulthood, she had had a hard time deciding whether he resembled their father or their mother more.

Some periods it was one, sometimes she would think it was another. Some days she thought it was both. She didn’t feel pressured to make a decision right now, based on this final moment, but she could always keep trying to figure it out, just based on her memories of him. Their parents had died when they were little, but he had left a few mementoes back in New York, photos of their parents, of their childhood years...relics of a time that now, with the closing of the coffin, would be gone forever.

She leaned over the edge of the coffin and gently kissed his forehead. I love you, my brother, she said to herself. She was bursting to say it out loud, but could not bring herself to do it.

Barton came walking back. “Wanda, do you need more time?”

“No, let us do it now.” She got up and walked out of the truck, Barton taking her by the hand to help her to the ground. Her face was a blotchy mess from crying, but the others knew that it was not the time to say anything about it. They were parked in the old cemetery on the edge of the city, with crypts, tombs, and graves of every shape and size around them on a green lawn, though many of them had been damaged in the recent battle as well as in conflicts of ages past. Not far from the ground where they stood was a newly-dug grave, deep and rectangular.

Barton looked at Stark and at Steve. “Are you ready?”

“We’re ready,” said Steve.

“I’m ready,” said Rhodey.

Thor looked at Vision and nodded.

Barton and Steve climbed into the back of the truck. Wanda heard the coffin lid snap shut. Steve and Barton slid the coffin out of the truck. Stark, Rhodey, Thor, and Vision were waiting, and they carried it off the back of the truck. Then Steve and Barton jumped out and picked up the end. Solemnly, the six men carried the coffin towards the grave.

Wanda and Natasha followed behind them. They laid the coffin next to the open hole.

“Wanda, you can go first,” said Barton.

“But what do I say?” said Wanda.

“Anything, just make it brief.”

Wanda sighed. Where to begin? Pietro’s life had been so full. “Pietro Maximoff was my brother,” she said. “Twelve minutes older than me. Our parents died when we were little, and we were raised by various relatives, but Pietro was my real guardian. We both wanted to make the world a better place. He was brave, loud, he liked to laugh. He could make a funny thing out of almost any situation. That was the Pietro I knew.” She did not know how to conclude, and broke off, staring at the coffin.

Barton spoke, “I was probably the first of us to meet Pietro. He was young, but he was a man in every sense of the word. He fought good. He also died saving me from Ultron, when I went out to rescue a little boy who was trapped in the rubble, right when we were leaving. He always liked to say to me, ‘You didn’t see that coming,’ and those were his last words. I will never forget his sacrifice. Because of him, I am going home to my family today. I will honor his memory. We all will.”

Stark spoke. “I didn’t think he’d ever slow down long enough for us to see him, much less to join our side. Banner and I gave him a codename: Quicksilver. It suited him. I’m sorry we didn’t have the time to get to know him.”

Steve said the following, looking down at the coffin: “Pietro, you were a good kid. You were a valuable asset in our fight against Ultron. And I’m glad you learned your lesson about choosing who you work for. I hope you’re at peace, wherever you are.”

Wanda looked strangely at Steve. He couldn’t be serious. Pietro hadn’t gone anywhere, had he? Wasn’t he simply gone?

Natasha spoke: “You were incredibly brave, Pietro. I wish you a long, quiet rest. Thanks to you, we’ll live to fight another day. We’ll come back and visit.”

Rhodey spoke: “I didn’t really get to meet you, kid. Tony did tell me a little about you. You had a lot of potential. But you had something that something that some people don’t have, and that is the courage to give it all for someone else. I’m honored that you were on our side yesterday.”

Vision said, “Pietro, I knew you briefly, and I know that if it wasn’t for you and for Wanda, I would have come into being quite differently. Thank you.” He looked as though there was more he wanted to say, but Thor spoke up before he could continue.

Thor said, “You were no Asgardian, but I would like to think that you have gone to Valhalla, where all the bravest warriors in all the realms go to rest. You have earned nothing less, in my mind. I know none of the rest of you here quite believe in life after death, but my mother made a similar sacrifice for Jane Foster once, so that all of the nine realms could be spared from darkness, and I know she is at peace now for that, and rewarded. Pietro, you fought so that Midgard could be spared the malice and cruelty of Ultron, and you died so that Agent Barton, and an innocent little boy, and all of us could survive. You are truly deserving of a hero’s rest. And Wanda, do not despair. Your brother is at peace.”

Wanda felt insulted. She wanted to spit at Thor, There is no such place, how dare you say such things, don’t give me such false hopes, but she knew that now was neither the time
nor the place.

Steve looked around. “Is that all of us?” Everyone had said their piece. They looked at Wanda again.

“Thank you,” she said. “Thank you all, for your kind words.”

Barton, Steve, and Thor climbed into the grave, and they carefully slid the coffin into the hole, and they lowered it slowly into the ground. Then, solemnly, they climbed out, and Steve and Thor took shovels and filled in the grave. The others watched for a moment and then returned to the truck, talking quietly. Wanda lingered, hugging herself as she watched the coffin disappear, under layers upon layers of dirt. But strangely enough her heart kept on beating, why was she not falling down into the grave after him--why was she still standing up straight, like she didn’t know what to do?

Steve and Barton and Thor placed their trowels back in the rear of the truck. “Come on,” Steve said to her, and she got into the back again with Natasha and Vision and Steve. Barton went up front and started the truck, and they drove back the way they had come.

Steve and Natasha talked quietly on the way back. Wanda partly wished that she could see past the camouflage curtain and look at the city outside. She had been in Strucker’s castle for two years and there were so many familiar sights that she missed and wanted to have a final look at, but she knew that after the destruction they had caused yesterday that nothing would be the same. Vision looked at her curiously, but when she asked if he wanted to tell her anything, he said, “No,” and resumed his silence.
When the truck came to a halt, they were parked outside of a traffic circle that S.H.I.E.L.D. had converted into a landing area for its hover-jets.

“Which one are we taking?” Steve asked, looking around.

“Number 216,” said Barton. “Agent Seegmiller is taking me on 217.”

“You going home?” said Steve, looking at Barton.

“I’ve had enough for a while,” said Barton. “I want to stay with my family until after Laura has the baby. And maybe after.”

“Well, we’ve certainly appreciated your help,” said Steve. “You earned a break, man.” He shook hands with Baton.

Rhodey, Vision, and Thor shook hands as well. Tony came up last to say goodbye.

“Are you flying them back?” Barton asked him.

“Yeah. But anyway, is there any chance you could ever let me come visit again?”

“If you’re good,” said Barton. “But only if I invite you.”

“We’ll call first next time,” said Steve.

Barton smirked. Then he looked at Natasha. She walked up to him and gave him a hug.

“You sure you don’t want to come with me, Nat?”

“No, I don’t need to,” she said.

“Well, you’re welcome any time,” said Barton quietly. He stood up straight and patted her on the shoulder. “Good luck finding Banner.”

“Thanks,” she said, a note of bitterness in her voice.

Then Barton looked at Wanda. “Hey. Come here, kid.” Wanda walked up to Barton, feeling ready to cry but wanting to hold back, she had already done enough crying for one day.

“It’s okay to cry,” said Barton.

“You--you’ve done so much for me,” said Wanda. “And Pietro. I could never thank you.”

“Listen, I know you’re going to have a hard time of it, trying to figure out a new place for yourself in the world. But if you ever need any help, or someone to talk to, you can just call me. Or talk to one of these guys. They’re good. They’ll listen. And I want you to come and stay with my family, if you get the chance. We’ll bring you for Christmas for sure. But you can come sooner if you can get away. We’re getting a new baby, and my older kids will love you. Okay?”

“Okay,” Wanda said, nodding heavily. Barton pulled her into a close hug. “You take care.” He broke apart from her, and then he took a few steps towards his waiting plane. And then he stopped and turned to look as though expecting one of the others to say something. They only watched. So he turned away and continued walking. Wanda let a few tears leak down her cheeks. And then she wiped them on her sleeve.

“How soon do we leave?” asked Thor.

“In about half an hour,” said Tony. “Nat, do you mind helping me drive?”

“Not at all,” said Natasha.

Steve went to talk to the civil and military leaders about continuing operations on the ground. Rhodey was going to stay behind and oversee the relief efforts while Tony took them to Stark Tower. Wanda sat on the ground next to their waiting plane. She saw Barton poke his head outside for a final wave to her, and then his hover-jet took off. She watched it until it was no more than a spot in the sky.

“All right, team, let’s move,” said Steve.

Thor stretched himself and got into the hover-jet.

“Wanda, are you coming?” asked Steve.

“Yes,” she said, getting up.

The inside was small and cramped, and not nicely spread out like the Quinjet had been. Tony and Natasha got in the pilots’ seats to drive and started the engine, and they put on headsets. Steve and Thor stood and talked quietly.

Then Vision came into the hover-jet. “Do I need to ride here with you?” he asked.

“If you want somebody to talk to,” said Steve.

“You are more than welcome, my friend,” Thor smiled.

“Thank you,” said Vision. He sat down next to Wanda. She guessed that he liked being next to her, since they were both new. Thor and Steve strapped themselves in across from them.

She turned her head to take a last look at her home country. She didn’t want to return there. There were too many memories. But that didn’t mean she wouldn’t miss it.

But something she had had on her mind for the last day needed to be said before they had left it entirely.

“Tony,” she said, “do you not bring back the dead? S.H.I.E.L.D. can. I heard rumors. Can nothing be done for my brother?”

Tony Stark stared at her, at a loss how to respond.

“I think it would be best if we just let him be,” Steve spoke up. “I’ve meet too many people in the last few years who’ve died and should have stayed dead. Happy to have them, yes, but the situation is still far from ideal. I think it would be best if we just let it go for once.”

Wanda could tell he was partly referring to himself, but she said nothing.

“Everybody buckled in?” said Tony. “We’re ready to take off now.” He and Natasha hit some switches on the control panel over their head.

The bay door closed, and then the hover-jet lifted off from the ground and from the only life she had ever known. Into what, she could not say. There were no windows inside of the craft except for in front of the pilots, and once they were over the buildings of Sokovia and the snow-capped mountains there was nothing but blue sky and puffy white clouds.

Part II

They traveled all day and all night and into the next morning, stopping for a break at a S.H.I.E.L.D. base in Morocco before crossing the Atlantic. The sun rose behind them over the ocean as they flew into New York City, turning the windows of the skyscrapers pink and gold. Wanda had slept fitfully, not comfortable either lying down on the next seat over or sitting up. Tony and Natasha had drunk several bottles of caffeinated energy drinks to get them through the night, but were starting to wear down as they approached the coast. Wanda was tempted to put them under a mind spell to keep them awake but knew that no one would approve.

The hanger built on the side of the tower was abandoned, and she saw Steve’s jaw clench at the sight. If the Qunjet hasn’t come back here, then neither has Doctor Banner.

The hover-jet landed, and the bay door opened. Wanda was the first to come out. The sounds of the city below her were muted at that height. She didn’t feel like bothering to look down. Walking towards the hangar doors she saw them closed. Steve, Vision, Tony, Thor, and Natasha filed out, stretching and yawning. Tony approached the hanger doors and unlocked them from a keypad on the side, and they opened with a hiss.

“Make yourselves at home,” said Tony, stepping aside as the others came in.

“Thank you,” said Thor. He had slept comfortably for most of the ride and was the least weary of any of them--except for Vision, who did not require rest.

“Well, if it’s the place I was born,” said Vision as he walked in, looking around curiously, “I suppose it is more or less home--as long as Mr. Stark allows me to stay here, of course.”

“Feel free,” said Tony.

“So how long are you going to stay here?” Steve asked Tony as they climbed up the stairs to the lobby.

“Just a day,” said Tony. “S.H.I.E.L.D. will be by here to pick up the jet later today. I’ll take one of my own back to Sokovia. Tony sighed and watched as Wanda came into the
building. Wanda knew he was staring at the patch of sky visible behind her.

Wanda came up the stairs after Steve, Natasha, and Tony. Natasha disappeared through a side door. Vision lingered on the floor of the hanger.

She had been here before, but it had been under very different circumstances. Now she could satisfy her curiosity about the place. Apart from the damage of the recent fighting, most of which had been cleaned up in their absence, it was a nice spot. The furniture was very austere and angular, and there was lots of glass--a surprising feature for a place that regularly attracted danger. There were keypads and microphones and intercom speakers in regular spots. The bar had a nice display of every kind of liquor one could possibly want, and the marble counter and square stool cushions were probably the most welcoming feature.

“Want a drink?” Tony asked her as he approached the bar and picked up the glass.

“Sure,” she said. He got her a small whiskey. It was refreshing on her tongue, but only reminded her head that she wanted a place to lay down.

Steve and Thor were sitting on the couches. Steve had removed his shield and placed it on the coffee table.

“So how long are you sticking around, Thor,” said Steve, “now that all is...said and done, more or less?”

“I do not know,” said Thor. “I will stay here and rest for a few days. I am weary from our recent travels.” He hesitated for a moment, and changed the subject. “Then afterward I think I should like to go back to London and see Jane. I owe her an explanation, I think, of what has happened. And perhaps some more time together.”

“And do you think you’re going to go back to Asgard, like you were originally planning?”

“Eventually. But I think I might not even be going back to Asgard itself when I have left this realm. I am troubled by...well, the visions I saw. I need some more time to think about them, and perhaps to consult with Jane and Selvig.”

Wanda blushed. She knew Thor had just held back from mentioning her since she was in the room. And what was more, he had almost called her the witch. It was the name that the others had given her, when she had fought with Ultron.

Were they really going to accept her?

“And how about you, my friend?” asked Thor. “Do you think you will be returning to your quest?”

“Not for a while,” said Steve. “I think my priorities have changed. Everything’s changed. And if Doctor Banner’s bailed on us -- “

“I don’t think he’s bailed,” Tony spoke up.

Steve looked at him. “All the evidence points to the contrary, Tony,” said Steve. “He wasn’t here waiting for us.” Tony wanted to argue the point further, but Steve continued to Thor, “Anyways, the team has changed up quite a bit. I’m not sure I’m ready to go back to taking care of personal matters if we’re not ready for whatever happens next.”

“We meaning the Avengers?” said Thor.

“Exactly.”

“You are quite right, my friend,” said Thor gravely. “I will be leaving Midgard at some point in the near future. Doctor Banner is absent, and Agent Barton has returned to his family.”

Tony carried his glass of liquor over to the couch and joined them. “I agree. If we don’t have people to call on when the world is in danger, it won’t look good if something does happen. We can’t just leave things hanging.”

“I’m glad to hear you agreeing with me, Tony,” said Steve. “But I think we shouldn’t reach a decision just yet. You probably need to make sure our mess is taken care of over in Sokovia, first,” he nodded at Stark. “The rest of us I think can kick back here for a few days. How long are you going to be gone, Tony?”

“Probably till the end of the week.”

“Well, when you get back, we can continue this discussion.”

“Well, at least I’m going to call on S.H.I.E.L.D. and ask them to keep a lookout for Banner.”

“Trust me on this,” said Steve, “if he wants to stay hidden, let him. But it won’t hurt to know where to find him.”

Tony snorted. “At least if he had the Quinjet with him he’ll have all of his clothes.” Tony got up and left. “I’m going to go take a shower.” The side door opened again, and

Natasha appeared, wearing a pair of pajamas and a bathrobe and her hair wet. Tony passed her and closed the door behind him.

“Are you ready for a nap, boys?” Natasha greeted them.

“I think I could use a little rest,” said Thor. “But first I think I will make a skype call to Jane to make sure she is all right.”

“You do that,” said Natasha. “Steve, your phone is ringing off the hook, by the way, you should go answer it.”

“Got it,” said Steve. “It’s probably Sam.” He picked up his shield and left the room.

Tony and Thor got up to head through the door after Tony. Natasha went to the bar and poured herself a vodka.

“And how you feeling?”

“I am fine,” said Wanda.

“Think you want a place to lie down for a nap?”

“I would,” said Wanda. “Would be nice, yes.”

“Well, said Natasha, drinking her vodka, “I think there’s an extra room down the hallway, if you just follow those boys.” She nodded in the direction of the door.
Wanda yawned.

“Do you have any extra clothes?”

“Just a few,” said Wanda. “Strucker never gave me many possessions. I just wear whatever I find.”

“Well, you’re doing pretty good with it,” said Natasha, giving a nod to Wanda’s wristcuffs.

Wanda chuckled. “So how about you?”

“Hm?”

“Where do you go, now that this is over?”

“Well,” said Natasha, “I don’t exactly have any family or friends to bunk with, except for these guys. I’ll probably hang around here until I find something to do. You’re welcome to do the same, I’m sure. Tony loves having company.” Natasha left the bar with her vodka glass in hand and walked over to the edge of the balcony that overlooked the hangar.

“Hey, Vision,” she called, her voice echoing.

“Yes, Agent Romanoff?” Vision asked her. Wanda could not see him.

“Would you like a place to sleep--or to live in, or whatever you do?”

“Oh, no, I am fine for now, thank you,” said Vision. “And I assure you if there is anything I need I will let you or one of the others know.”

“Fair enough,” said Natasha. She returned to the bar, sipping her vodka.

“Well, I guess I will go now,” said Wanda. “I will take a shower, and then a nap, yes.”

“Every suite is equipped with its own bathroom,” said Natasha. “And you should have soap and shampoo and whatever you need. I’ll be out here for a while.”

“Thank you, Natasha.”

Wanda got up and went to the door to the private rooms. There was a staircase that led up to a wide, carpeted hallway that reminded her a little of a hotel. A room on the left had the door partway open. Inside, Wanda saw Thor sitting at a computer, talking to someone else who was visible on the screen, a woman with brown hair.

“So you’re saying that this robot that Stark created was trying to destroy the world?”

“Yes,” said Thor. “The Infinity Gem that was in Loki’s sceptre gave Ultron a mind of his own, and well, I am afraid he made some rather poor choices.”

“That’s putting it mildly,” said his lady friend.

“Rather.”

Wanda continued walking. Steve came out of his door, dressed in a collared shirt and slacks, freshly showered and carrying his uniform under one arm. His other hand held a phone.

“Yes, Sam, I know, I know...yeah, I wasn’t too thrilled about it. If Ultron had succeeded, it would have killed more than a few people we care about….yeah, that is too bad.” From what Wanda could hear, the person on the other end of the line was talking shrilly. Steve went down the hallway, telling the story of the recent events to his listener. Wanda rather felt that she did not want to hear any more of it.

She came to a room that was unoccupied, no personal belongings, just a bed and some couches ready for use. The furnishings and bedding were all off-white in color. The heavy curtains were closed. When she went pulled them open, bright sunlight poured in, and she had a stunning view of the skyscrapers nearby. She closed them again. She wasn’t ready to look at the outside world quite yet.

Just as Natasha had promised, there was a bathroom in the suite, with a shower. Wanda left the room, closing the door behind her. She went to the Avengers’ supply room where she and Pietro had gone before their recent return to Sokovia. She had left her small pile of extra clothes there, and there was Pietro’s jacket and extra shirt--but she decided to leave those there for now. She got some clean women’s underwear and socks from out of a drawer and returned to her room.

She took a very long shower, taking her time scrubbing her body and her hair. Images of the devastation she had seen in recent days--much of which she had caused--flooded down on her from the showerhead. And she thought of how unfair it was, that in her home country there were people without running water, and she was here in America taking a hot shower in a luxury suite. Why had she come here, anyway? Because she knew the Avengers would give her everything, now that she was one of them? She knew she didn’t have to stay here.

But she didn’t know of anyplace else she could have gone.

And it was no use going back to Sokovia. Not without Pietro.

Wanda got out of the shower and dressed in an old t-shirt and shorts she had found. Her other clothes weren’t exactly clean. She would have to ask later if they had a washing
machine she could use.

She realized as she combed her hair out with a brush she had found on the counter that she had absolutely nothing in the world, no money in the bank, no clothes, no car, no legal identification--nothing with which she could make her way in the world. Baron Strucker had told her and Pietro to surrender all of that when they had gone to him. There would be no need for that, he said, with their new abilities. But she had come to realize very painfully that having superpowers wasn’t everything. She had never felt so helpless before in her life. Or alone.

She laid down on her bed and pulled back the covers to sleep, even though it was nearly noon. She was exhausted. And broken. And she cried herself to sleep again.

The next several days were a blur to her. Steve came by in the evening to wake her up and ask if she wanted some pizza. She came down, ate a slice, and without saying anything to the others returned to her room and went back to bed. Tony Stark left for Sokovia again the next morning while she was still asleep.

Wanda started her period the next day. Natasha called for one of the female housekeepers at the tower to loan her a feminine napkin. Then Natasha told her to shower and dress, which she did, and after a quick breakfast of toast and cereal Natasha took Wanda down into the city to shop for feminine supplies, underwear, socks, shoes, and some new clothes. Wanda did not particularly enjoy the experience, since the entire time she thought only longingly of her bed and having some privacy. It was jarring, to be out in public and surrounded by people who didn’t have a care in the world, while she only felt that her world was falling apart. They only visited one store, and when Natasha offered to take Wanda to lunch she declined. Natasha seemed to be having fun in spite of Wanda’s sullenness, tossing her hair over her shoulders and beaming at the world through her sunglasses.

Wanda came out of her room at mealtimes or to ask Natasha for something she needed or to use the laundry. Steve and Thor ordered takeout in the evenings. Vision spent his time flying around the city, exploring the world he was growing so fond of. In the evenings he would come back to tell Wanda of what he had seen and how he thought it was so wonderful, but Wanda would only shake her head and smile.

Steve would bump into her in the hallway and try to talk to her, encourage her to tell her more about herself, and she would tell him a few things, but she mentioned Pietro as little as possible and broke away from Steve as quickly as she could.

Thor was respectful of her mourning and did not try to press her to speak to him. He did, however, encourage her to eat and drink when their little group ate together.
Natasha was in her room most of the time, working on the computer, but Wanda did not interrupt her much.

In her room, she spent her days looking out at the city for hours at a time. She would sit on the edge or her bed and think, reflecting over the memories of her years with Pietro and resigning herself to the fact that they were now over. There was a television and a computer in her suite, but she made use of neither. She did, eventually, go back to the equipment room to gather up Pietro’s things. She found his photograph of their parents, one of the few possessions that Strucker had allowed them to keep.

She did come across Bruce Banner’s bedroom, once, on her way to the laundry. She went inside of it briefly. There were two small framed photographs that she assumed were of his family, but other than that there were very few personal touches. Most of the wall space was dedicated to corkboards and marker boards covered with scientific notes and mathematical equations, and there was a small microscope next to the computer.

Sometimes she found the others in a small rec room on one of the lower floors, reading or watching television. If the television was on, it was usually to news about the disaster cleanup in Sokovia, which often featured images of Tony Stark. There was also news about political leaders and public figures calling out the Avengers for their actions, blaming them for the chaos they had created the world over. She never stayed very long to watch.

The third night after Stark had left, after dinner, Wanda was in her room, not feeling ready to go to bed.

She was thinking about how she had first met Ultron with Pietro, now weeks ago. She remembered the days before then, when the Avengers had come to Sokovia to attack Strucker’s castle. She and Pietro had only wanted to help Strucker against their common enemies. She had only used her powers the way they were meant to be used. But what
had gone wrong? She had not meant for Stark to react so terribly to the fears she had shown him.

The twins, Strucker had declared, were so full of promise, so much potential. Their physical and mental state when they had first come to the castle was superior. And when, one by one, all of the other volunteers perished in the experiments, and they survived, Strucker’s confidence in them had grown. They would do great things, he had said.

But looking back, Wanda realized that she hadn’t exactly figured out what Strucker had meant by that.

She had not destroyed the Avengers, they would not let her near enough for that, and it had been Ultron’s intent anyway to only use Wanda’s powers to create discord between them. But Stark had never mentioned to her what she had shown him. None of the others had, but his silence towards her she found especially profound.

Were they in the same trouble, her and Stark? Had they meant to create something good, only to produce something evil, quite by accident?

And it was her prompting, furthermore, that had led him to create Ultron. Her mind always came back to that.

It was all my fault, she said to herself. It was all my fault. The fact that she hadn’t meant any of it did not matter. It was her fault that Ultron had ever existed, that the Avengers had done so much damage trying to stop him, that their friend Doctor Banner was gone, that her country was devastated by yet another war, that humanity had nearly been wiped out by an unthinkable disaster--and that her brother had died. She had thought that they, with the Avengers, would be able to stop it. But she had been wrong. It had not been enough to stop her own world from ending.

She knelt down beside the bed and cried. She cried more terribly than she had in any of the recent days. And then, before she noticed, she felt her powers building up again. The red mist was in her eyes and it was gathering around her. And then just when she noticed, she felt as though something in her had punctured, and the red flew everywhere around her. The computer on the desk toppled over. The mirror in the bathroom cracked. The red wave hit the windows and she thought they would burst, but coming to her senses she stopped them. The entire room shook.

She stopped crying. She looked around at the mess she had made.

There was a knock on the door, but before she could say to come in, Natasha opened. Steve was right behind her, and they both entered.

“What happened?” Steve asked.

“I--I lost control,” she said. “I am so sorry. I didn’t mean to break --.”

Natasha sat on the bed and picked her up and hugged her. Steve looked over the broken mirror and the other disturbed objects in the room. Then he checked the computer.

“It’ll still run,” he said. “Are you okay?”

“I--I--”

“Are you okay?” he repeated.

“Yes,” she said. She wanted him to go.

Steve replaced the computer on the desk and left the room, closing the door behind him.

She wanted Natasha to go as well. But Natasha stayed and held on to her.

The next day, she went out of her room for breakfast. They ate in the rec room, which had an attached kitchenette. Thor and Natasha were in there.

“Are you feeling better this morning, Wanda?” Thor asked her.

“Yes, I am fine,” she said very quietly. She got out her cereal and toast and prepared it without comment to the others.

Steve reentered the room, hanging up his phone as he did so. “Tony says he’ll be back tomorrow,” said Steve. He looked at Wanda. “You doing okay?”

“Yes,” said Wanda.

“All right, then,” said Steve.

She went to her room and got dressed, and then she returned to the lobby. She felt like she needed to step out of her room for a while. But Steve was there, sitting at the bar and
looking at his phone. He sighed, and then he looked up to see her.

She looked at him but then leaned against the couch, folded her arms, and looked at the floor.

Steve broke the silence. “I...imagine you’re going through a pretty rough time right now,” he said.

She wanted to retort that it was pretty obvious. But all she could manage was a nod.

“I know it’s not easy, to lose someone,” he said. “But you know what?” He looked up at her, and Wanda realized that he wanted to make sure she got the message.

“What?”

“I was a little like this when I got off the ice. Confused, scared. Lonely. But I had to let go of it. I couldn’t let it hold me back from doing what needed to be done. I mean, sure, I was never the kind of person who held on to the past, but I knew I couldn’t feel sorry for myself even if I had an excuse. Not for forever. I had to make the most of where I was at.”

Wanda smiled slowly. “But your past--it was not as far behind you as you thought it was.”

“Well, some of it wasn’t,” said Steve quietly. “But, anyway, just...don’t hurt yourself by hanging on to your grief for too long.”

“I won’t,” said Wanda.

Later, she was in her room, thinking over what Steve had said, and she realized that she needed to do something to start her life over again. She went down the hallway to Natasha’s room, but did not find her there. So she started back towards her own room, and then she ran into Steve.

“Looking for something?” he said to her.

“Yes. Have you seen Natasha?”

“Natasha’s gone to town today.”

“Doing what?”

“I don’t know. That’s what Nat does, she usually goes off and does things we don’t know anything about. Well...she is a spy.”

“Maybe you could help me,” said Wanda.

“How can I help you?”

“I want to find a place in the world. I suppose you would know something about that.”

“Yes. Well, you were with Hydra for what, two years? Three years?”

“Two,” said Wanda.

“Well...you’re not as far behind as I was,” Steve smirked.

“I know, but, that was the only life I knew, until recently. But what can someone like me do?”

“Well, I don’t know too many people who are doing this sort of thing for a living, being a superhero.”

“Is that my only option?”

“Well, if there’s something else you want to do, like get a job or work someplace, you’ll need a psedonymn or a secret identity, or maybe several. I know Natasha used to have a ton. She could help you out with that. You have your powers pretty well under control, so I say you could do something in public. I don’t know any places that are hiring right now, but I could help you look. You got an email address?”

“I--I did, once, before,” said Wanda. “Baron Strucker made Pietro and I--anybody who worked for him--we had to erase any form of email or legal identification. We could not exist.”

“So you’re back to square one? Well, I’ve been there before. Come with me.”

Wanda followed Steve to his room, and he pulled up an extra chair to his computer. He helped her to set up a gmail account ([email protected]), and with this she set up new Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn profiles (Wanda Maximoff @weirdgirl). Wanda was immediately beset with requests to re-connect with a lot of her old friends in Sokovia, and she obliged them, but several posted on her wall and several sent private messages asking her where she had been and where she was now. Of course, Steve also helped her to connect her new social media profiles to the Avengers and their acquaintances. Thor came in to see how they were doing and was pleased that Wanda was doing something constructive. Vision came over and, seeing what they were up to, asked if he could have help setting up his own email and social media accounts. They were on the computer for most of the afternoon, helping Wanda and Vision to get established ([email protected] and Vision@Wellbehaved).

Natasha came back that night with Chinese takeout for all of them. Wanda had fun figuring out how to eat with chopsticks, but Vision made a mess. They laughed and talked and for the first time Wanda felt that she was truly interacting with the others.

But before she went to bed, she got onto Natasha’s computer again to check on her Facebook friend requests. When she logged off, she was troubled. In bed, she lay awake, thinking about what kind of a life she had ahead of her. She refused to answer any of her friends’ queries about what had happened to her. Would she really be able to transition back to a normal life? Would anyone outside of Stark Tower, anyone in that big, sprawling city and the world beyond it, ever understand her or accept her? Truth be told, she was uncomfortable to tell anyone what was really going on. She knew just from watching the news what the world thought of her, that she was a freak, that she was the cause of so much destruction. Would anyone ever to be able to see past that? To see her?

The truth was, she had lost herself. And Pietro had been the only person in the world who truly knew her, and he was gone now.

What was the point, she wondered, of being by herself? What was the point of her powers, if she had no good reason to use them? Should she even be allowed into the open? Allowed to exist, even?

The next day, Steve took her for a walk to Central Park. She liked it very much, and they talked about many things--Steve’s childhood in Brooklyn, Wanda’s in Sokovia, Steve’s brief years working for S.H.I.E.L.D. and his life in the second world war, and the hopes and dreams Wanda had once had in her past life. He got her lunch at a small restaurant off of Times Square that sold a pita and chicken mix called Shawarma.

When they got back to Stark Tower, she and Steve began to talk very seriously about her career options.

“Like I said, I know how it feels,” said Steve. “When I got off the ice, there really wasn’t anywhere for me to go, since the world had changed so much. There aren’t many people who are interested in my kind of skill set, either. But you’re still young, though. You could get an education and a job and fit back in seamlessly. You could just live a normal life and maybe do some superhero work on the side. We might need you, we might not.”

“It could work,” said Wanda. “But I worry about my powers.”

“What about them?”

“Other people...I could hurt them. Or I could scare them.”

“Last I checked, you still had pretty good control over--”

“Yes, I know what I can do,” said Wanda. “I know what I can’t do, either. But I might not be safe around others. People could be scared of me. Or there could be people, like
Strucker or Ultron, bad people who would use me.”

“You can’t avoid that possibility,” said Steve, looking out over the city skyscrapers bathed in afternoon light. “You can’t avoid everything bad that could possibly happen.”

Steve fell silent. Wanda could tell he was thinking of something, but she did not press her consciousness into his.

Then he regained focus. “I’m sorry, where were we?”

“It is all right.”

As they continued to talk, Wanda found she had to agree with Steve’s opinion, that it would not be easy for her. Maybe there was no place for her in the world. Or maybe there was, but what she would have to go through to find it she did not say.

After nightfall, it was, Tony Stark returned. He was dressed in a cream-colored suit and beaming with pride.

“Everything in Sokovia is going smoothly,” Tony reported to them. Everyone was gathered in the lobby. “Relief foundations from all over the world are pouring in, people are returning to their homes, there is water and electricity in most of the city, and businesses are reopening. Just peachy.”

“So what are they going to do with that massive crater that Ultron left in the middle of the city?” Thor queried.

Steve laughed quietly. “There’s not much you could do with that, really.”

“I think they’re going to fill it in,” said Tony. “Make a lake of it. It’s been raining for a few days and it’s started to fill in. They think it’d do nicely for the tourists.”

“Sokovia never had much tourists,” said Wanda. “I doubt there will be much more now.”

“Well, it will add something nice to the world, I should say,” said Vision.

“Well, my friends,” said Thor. “Now that Mr. Stark has returned, I believe we should have the discussion we promised.”

“What discussion?” said Natasha. “Do I get to be in it?”

“You’re more than welcome to join,” said Tony. “You too, Wanda. And you, Vision. I think this will affect all of us.”

“Has there been any further news on Doctor Banner?” asked Thor.

“I’m afraid there hasn’t,” said Tony. “As much as I hate to admit you were right, Rogers, I’m afraid you were right--he seems to have bolted.” He sat down on the couch.

“Well, let’s not worry about that now,” said Natasha.

“So assuming Banner doesn’t come back anytime soon,” said Steve, “what do we do? I’m still in. Thor is out. Barton’s out. Tony, are you still up to being an Avenger?”
At this, Tony felt silent. He looked at the floor, his hands folded together. Wanda saw the others looking at him. And then he spoke.

“You know what, I think I’ve helped you guys out enough. I’ve already tried to do something to make the world a better place, and it didn’t work out. I’m ready to call it a day, for now.”

“For now?” said Natasha.

“Until I’ve figured out how to do something without destroying half of the world while I’m at it,” said Tony. “And there’s enough public pressure on the rest of you without me drawing attention. I think I’ve earned a break.”

“Fair enough,” said Thor. “And how about you, Natasha? Are you willing to continue to protect the Earth?”

“I am,” said Natasha. “I’m an Avenger, through and through. And besides, somebody’s got to keep an eye on Rogers.”

“Good point,” said Steve.

“So that leaves you and the captain,” said Thor. “But that will not be enough. There were six of us originally.”

“I think we’ll need more than just the two of us,” said Steve. “Who would you recommend?”

“Well, I think Vision would be a worthy candidate to fill my place on the team,” said Thor, looking at Vision fondly.

“Worthy?” said Steve, making a face.

“I meant that in a different sense -- “

“Yes, well, you weren’t planning on leaving your hammer here, were you?”

“Mjolnir, no. Vision is powerful enough on his own. Well, what do you say, my friend?”

Vision looked up at them. “Well, I was built to help protect the world, wasn’t I? I have done good enough so far. I think I shall continue.”

“Very well, then,” said Steve. “Tony, what do you think?”

“Sure. You can have him. He can make his own decisions.”

“I think I’d feel all right working with him,” said Natasha.

“So that’s three,” said Steve. “Who else do we want on this team?” He looked up at Wanda. “Wanda, do you think you would be interested in joining the Avengers?”

“Me?” Wanda said.

“Yes, you,” said Steve. “You’re powers are incredible, kid. You were a big help to us in Sokovia, and in Korea. Do you think this is something you’d like to do?”

“On what basis are we talking?” she said. “Like a career or a part-time thing, or just whenever you needed me?”

“Whenever we needed you, of course,” said Steve. “You don’t have to accept right this minute, but just think about it. I’d rather not saving the world wasn’t a full-time gig, it depends on who we’re fighting. We could totally do this however you wanted--get a job on the side, or do it full time, or make it your own thing. Again, there’s no pressure to accept. You could just walk away if you wanted to. But if you’re interested.”

“Thank you. I will consider it, then,” said Wanda.

“This is quite different, isn’t it,” said Tony, “from how it used to be when S.H.I.E.L.D. was at full power. Running background checks on everyone, and turning people away for
being egotistical morons.”

Natasha laughed. “You’re right. But this is better, I like it.”

“But I am afraid that even when it came down to it S.H.I.E.L.D. didn’t have much choice over who they had fighting their battles,” said Thor. “But now, we are one step ahead.”

“Any other candidates you guys could think of?” Tony looked around at his friends.

They were all silent for a minute and thought hard.

“Hm, can’t say I can think of anyone,” said Natasha.

“Aside from Vision, I do not think I have any friends who would be qualified, or interested.”

“Well, I have one candidate in mind. Two, maybe. But we’ll see how it goes,” said Steve, rubbing his hands together.

“Well, are these people you can trust?”

“I wouldn’t choose anyone that I didn’t feel was trustworthy,” said Steve. “And the same will probably go for any candidates that someone suggests. But just so you know, we
have two open spots right now, so keep an eye open.”

“Right, then,” said Natasha.

“So here’s something else I wanted to discuss,” said Steve. “If you’re not going to be with us, Tony, I don’t really think that we need to keep using Stark Tower as headquarters. It’s nothing personal, Tony, but I think we need something different.”

“Whichever is fine with me,” said Vision.

“I don’t really care much,” said Wanda.

“Well, that’s your decision, Cap,” said Tony. “Of course, I’m still willing to outfit you, and give you whatever tech supplies you need.”

“You think you could do that?”

“Sure. I’m always willing to help.”

“So what kind of a new headquarters do you think you would need?” asked Thor.

“Someplace smaller,” said Steve. “Also somewhere in a different location, a place away from the city. A strategic location, perhaps, for launching an attack, or a central gathering place.”

“What kind of facilities do you think it would need?” asked Tony.

“A little bit of everything--except maybe not living quarters or office spaces. But I kind of like the way S.H.I.E.L.D. had it set up in DC, with training facilities, exercise rooms, a
swimming pool. Something to accommodate us on our days off.”

“Something a little more to your taste, to be specific,” said Tony.

Steve sniffed. “Yeah.”

“I think I know of a few pieces of property that might suit your purposes,” said Tony. “And of course, we could also get S.H.I.E.L.D. to help us out.”

“Yes, I think that would be a good idea,” said Steve. “I’ll contact Nick Fury to see if he’d be interested in helping us. And Director Coulson, of course.”

“I take it S.H.I.E.L.D. has redeemed itself a bit in your eyes,” said Natasha.

“Absolutely,” said Steve. “I think I wouldn’t mind accepting help from S.H.I.E.L.D. in this--provided, of course, that they let us continue to act independently.”

“We could get a contract and make it official,” said Natasha. “They can help us and we can help them, but we’re not actually agents or anything like that.”

“Yes, yes, this is getting better and better!” said Steve excitedly. “Hang on, let me get my notebook app from my phone, I need to write all this down.”

“I’ve got better than that,” said Stark. “FRIDAY, can you please send Steve an outline of what we have just discussed. To his phone. You have the audio.” Tony spoke this aloud to no one in particular.

“Yes, sir,” came a female voice over the intercom. Wanda had heard FRIDAY before--she was the AI system that served as an automated butler, servicing the needs of Stark Tower and its guests. And within seconds, Steve got a text on his phone.

“Yep, that’s about it,” said Steve, scrolling through the message. “Very clever, Tony.”

Tony suddenly looked as though he remembered something. “Oh, Maximoff, I just remembered, did you want a cell phone?”

“What? Oh, yes, sure,” she said, taken aback by the generosity of his offer.

“What kind of a model do you want?” he asked.

“Oh, it does not matter,” said Wanda. “Just a smart phone, like Steve’s, perhaps.”

“All right. We can look over models tomorrow,” said Tony.

The evening ended with small talk. Steve was in his element, emboldened by his plans for a new Avengers team. Wanda went to bed and lay awake for a while, thinking about the possibilities that Steve had mentioned. Her, joining the Avengers? But what would they possibly do?

The next day, after breakfast, Thor came into the room dressed in his full armor, and he announced that he was leaving.

“I wish you success in your new endeavors, Captain,” he said to Steve, grasping his arm firmly. “And as always, it was a pleasure to fight at your side.”

“Mine as well,” he said to Thor. They embraced warmly.

“I will come back and see how you are coming along, before I leave Midgard,” he said. “And you, Stark, I hope you will not be too idle, now that all is said and done.”

“Oh, you know me, point break,” said Tony, shaking hands with him, “it’s never too long before I find some more trouble to get into.”

“Vision,” said Thor, approaching the android, “my friends will take care of you now.”

“I hope you have a good trip to England, sir,” said Vision.

“I will keep in touch,” said Thor. “And you can tell me about your new life--skype, email, Facebook, any of those Midgardian ways of communication. They are so much fun,
aren’t they? Mind you don’t spend too much time on social media.”

“Of course, Thor,” said Vision.

“And take especially good care of that precious jewel in your forehead,” Thor added. “It is what gives you life--and it is more important than you know.”

“I understand, sir,” said Vision. Thor hugged him lightly, and they separated.

“Agent Romanoff,” Thor said to Natasha, “You will be missed.”

“It’ll be pretty quiet around here without you,” said Natasha.

“And Miss Maximoff,” he said, turning to Wanda last. He put his large hand on her shoulder, and he was very gentle for someone of his size. “I cannot tell you how sorry I am for your loss.”

“I will be fine,” said Wanda. “But do you think he’s really gone to Valhalla, or wherever you said?”

Thor chuckled quietly. “That is where I’d want him to be, but I am sure there are as many realms for the dead as there are for the living. Our friend the son of Coul is proof of that. You will meet him, perhaps. But in the meantime, you have my vote of confidence for your future.”

“I will...make the most of it,” said Wanda.

They followed Thor out to the hanger and the landing platform. It was a slightly breezy day.

“I wish you all good luck in finding Doctor Banner,” said Thor. “I sorely miss him.”

“Don’t worry, we’ll keep our eyes out,” said Steve.

“Yes. Indeed.” Thor gave a look to Steve that Wanda didn’t quite know the meaning of.

“Say hello to Selvig and Foster for me,” said Tony.

“I will be sure to do that. Until next time, my friends.” Thor held out his hammer and spun it rapidly in the air. And then he flew away, his red cape rushing behind him.

“Just how long does it take for him to get from place to place when he flies like that?” asked Steve.

“Dunno,” said Tony. “He’s usually arrived to wherever he’s going in just a few hours.”

“Well, if you ask me,” said Vision, “it’s usually just long enough to make it an enjoyable trip, but short enough that it doesn’t take all day.”

Steve and Tony looked at Vision irritably.

“I will return inside,” said Vision, and he turned and left, followed by Natasha.

“At least with Thor gone they can’t both swing the hammer in our faces,” said Steve.

That afternoon, Tony got Wanda pulled up a computer screen in midair and he showed her several online catalogues of cell phones. He ordered one for her, a model that he thought wouldn’t be too complicated for her to use, and it was delivered to Stark Tower the next day. Steve gave her Thor’s number, and she texted him, and Thor sent her back pictures of himself with his other friends in London. Wanda had never had such a nice phone in her entire life.

During the next several days, Steve Rogers spent time in one of Tony’s laboratories to discuss plans for a new Avengers base. She sat in one one or two of the discussions, and was treated to watching Tony Stark generating 3D interactive models that he could change or adjust with the swipe of a hand.

It was much quieter without Thor. Steve and Wanda went out more to the park and to the shops in the city. Tony had given Wanda $500 for her personal needs. She used a little bit of that to buy herself a hat and sunglasses. People recognized Steve from the news, even with his baseball cap on, and Wanda was self-conscious about being seen with him in public. When they were in the secluded areas of Central Park, Steve would have long talks with her about what her future might be with the Avengers, and he would often relate his own experience working for S.H.I.E.L.D..

“I am not ready for a normal life again,” said Wanda. “I’ve thought and thought about it. It is not going to work out.” They were standing on a bridge, watching some ducks swimming peacefully up and down an artificial lake.

“I know it must be hard,” said Steve. “And even if you could go back, after a while -- “

“I do not know. I need to be able to take care of myself. But in short term, might be difficult with superpowers, no?”

“Yeah, it’s pretty hard to hide,” he said. “You know, we could discuss your options with S.H.I.E.L.D.. Like we were saying, with the Avengers, you wouldn’t have to work for them
directly. They could just pay your bills and stuff, and I’d be in charge of your employment.”

“You? In charge?”

Steve shrugged. “I’m sort of the boss now,” he said. “I mean, I was before. Ever since last fall, when we got back together, I just took the lead, making sure the Avengers were functioning as a team. And now I guess I run them. But it’s not really a company, it’s more like a service.”

“A service?”

“To...keep the world safe, yeah. But is that what you want to do?”

Wanda folded her hands together. He had asked that before. It was something she still reflected on a lot. “Pietro and I...we wanted to make the world better. We wanted the
power to bring about the changes we wanted.”

“But HYDRA gave you a little more than you bargained for?”

Wanda smirked. “As did Ultron.”

“But do you still want that? To change the world?”

“Yes, I do,” said Wanda. “But...not the way Strucker said we could. Differently now. Is...hard to explain.”

“I think I know what you mean,” said Steve. “Like you told me, on that first day back in Sokovia. You want people to be able to determine what’s right for themselves and not have anybody else tell them.”

“Yes. That is it.”

“But I imagine my ideas and your ideas about protecting the world are pretty different.”

“True.”

“Yeah. You won’t be as easy to please as Vision. Or to take care of. All he needs is a roof over his head and someone to talk to. Something to do. But you on the other hand -- “

“Did someone say my name?” A gust of air rushed over them, and Vision glided down gently over the water so that he hovered in front of the bridge.

“Vision, what are you doing here?” Wanda asked, startled.

“I have been out enjoying the fresh spring air.” Vision took a deep breath. “And these duck creatures are quite amusing, don’t you think?” He turned around and glided down in
front of a paddling duck.

“Hello, there,” he said to the duck.

The duck started quacking violently, and it turned around and flew away.

“Oh, do come back!” said Vision, flying after the duck. “I did not mean you to be frightened.” But the duck flapped madly until it was out of sight, and Vision half-heartedly stopped in midair and returned to Steve and Wanda.

“I suppose ducks are a little more temperamental than I thought,” he said.

“Well, perhaps you shouldn’t be scaring them like that,” said Wanda, laughing.

“I don’t mean to be scary,” said Vision. “It’s just that...I come across to other creatures as a little different. Especially to other humans.”

“Really?” said Wanda.

“I suppose it is my bizarre appearance,” said Vision sadly.

“Well, but haven’t you been wandering around getting to know the world?” said Steve. “I’d have thought people would be used to you by now.”

“Well, the same people are never in the same places every day,” said Vision. “And all of the people I’ve met are so different. And they all think I am strange. They would
just...prefer not to talk to me.”

Steve nodded.

“Well, Vision, that is too bad,” said Wanda. “But you can always spend time with us, you know.”

“I suppose I can,” said Vision. “Anyway, I suppose I will see you back at the tower.” Vision glided away.

Steve chucked good-naturedly. “Poor guy. I guess he’ll get there eventually.”

“But you see what I mean,” said Wanda. “Why I cannot be with people. Sure, I am a little more...normal than Vision, but once people know what I am capable of, they do not want me near them.”

“Well, yeah, but you haven’t been around enough people to prove that, have you?”

“Hm, good point.”

Wanda knew he was right, that it was her own fear of being rejected that kept her from going out in public, but she did not know whether or not she wanted to try.

In the lobby at Stark Tower that night, Vision returned to tell the story of some of his encounters with various people in the city. But while he was talking, Wanda was distracted with her Facebook app on her phone. A very dear friend of hers in Sokovia named Anita Limenda had just reconnected with her, and seeing she was online had sent Wanda a chat message. Wanda asked Anita how she was, of course, and how she had survived the recent chaos in Sokovia City. Anita, on her part, asked Wanda what she had been up to and where she had been. It does little good to more than summarize their conversation. Wanda, since she felt so dearly for this friend, told Anita everything--her work with Strucker, her alliance with Ultron, and now how she had helped the Avengers, and how Pietro had died. The only emotion that came across from Anita’s reply was disgust and disappointment that Wanda had been so dishonest and that she had been behind so much of the terror of the battle. Anita had heard, of course, about her efforts in rescuing the civilians, but she was devastated that such a good friend of hers--someone she had known--had been through so much and done so much. Anita finally had to log off--it was the early morning in Sokovia, but she said to Wanda that they would talk later.

But Wanda put away her phone feeling like Anita would never speak with her again. Finally she had unburdened at least some of herself, but the person she had confided in had not been as sympathetic as she would have liked. She tried looking up at her friends and listening to their idle chatter, but she was so lost in thought that she turned inward again.

And again, her sorrow and anger came rushing back to her. She tried to breathe, she tried to keep it down, but it reached a fever point in her head, and she wailed aloud. There was a burst of red light around her that broke a vase on the side table and shook the furniture, and then the lights flickered and went out.

The others muttered in shock and surprise.

“Whoa, what just happened?” said Natasha

“Why did the lights go out?” said Tony.

“Wanda, are you okay?” asked Steve.

“Everyone remain calm,” said Vision.

“FRIDAY, get the lights,” said Tony.

The lights came back on at once. Everyone was looking at Wanda. Vision had walked over and knelt by her side.

“Miss Maximoff, are you all right?” he said.

Wanda saw only the fear and confusion in the faces of the others. “I am sorry,” she gasped.

“It’s okay, it’s okay,” said Tony quickly.

“What happened?” asked Steve.

“I was chatting with a friend on Facebook,” said Wanda, breathing quickly. “I told her everything--”

“It’s okay, you’re just upset,” said Natasha.

“It is all right,” said Vision, taking her dangling hand. She was unsettled that Vision wanted to make physical contact with her, but she was in no mood to complain.

Tony ran to the bar and poured a shot of whiskey, and he brought it over to her. “Here, have a drink.”

“Thank you,” said Wanda, draining the glass quickly. “I am sorry to have disturbed you, my friends. I was--not focusing.”

“No, no, it’s all right,” said Steve. “Are you okay?”

“I am fine,” she nodded.

“Miss Maximoff, do you wish to go to bed?” asked Vision.

“Yes--I suppose, is late now.” Wanda stood up and let Vision lead her upstairs. The others called out good night to her as she left. When she was in her room, she threw herself onto the bed and cried.

I am too dangerous, she thought. Too dangerous and too careless. I should not be allowed to live. I should not even be near other people.

But when she awoke the next morning, the thoughts had subsided. Her head felt clearer. It was late. The others had allowed her to sleep in.

Wanda poked her head out of her bedroom door. She thought perhaps she would go to the rec room and get something to eat. But then she thought she heard a movement down the hallway.

She walked down the hall to the other bedrooms. The door to Banner’s room was open.

She only let herself look in just enough to see Natasha’s slender outline looking over one of Banner’s marker boards. And she could feel what Natasha was thinking--thoughts of longing, and sorrow, and loss.

When she had eaten, showered, and dressed, she went to find Steve and Tony. They were in Tony’s laboratory, looking over the models of the proposed Avengers facility.

“You’re going to need some science laboratories, Steve,” said Tony as Wanda came in. “They don’t have to be too big, I’m just sayin’. But Doctor Cho and Doctor Selvig want in, and possibly Jane Foster. They’ve got to have space to work. And depending on what kind of stuff you’re facing, you’ll want them to be able to do research.”

“I get that,” said Steve. “Cho and Selvig are nice enough people. I could let them.”

Tony looked up to see Wanda. “How’s it going, Maximoff?”

“I am well,” said Wanda.

Tony and Steve returned to their model.

“Anyway,” said Steve, “I don’t want the lab space to go here.” He moved around a part of the hologram. “I want more room for the hanger on that side.”

“Well, Doctor Cho is going to need a fairly large space for her lab, though,” said Tony. “The kind of equipment she uses takes up a lot of room.”

“I get that,” said Steve, nodding.

“But if you want more hanger space, how about you move it over here -- “

“So how’s the crash course in architecture going?” asked Natasha, who had just entered the room. She nodded hello to Wanda and went to join Steve and Tony.

“Not very good,” said Steve. “I keep getting good ideas and Tony keeps changing them.”

“Well, I think it looks great the way it is,” said Natasha, looking at the projection. “Do we got any land for the facility yet?”

“There’s an old Stark Industries storage facility Upstate,” said Tony. On a screen behind them, he pulled up a picture of a grassy green area in some unknown location, with a complex of old buildings off to one side.

“Looks spectacular,” said Natasha.

“There’s room for a whole new building to ourselves down here on the right. They’re going to start building next week,” said Steve.

“Then I guess we’re not wasting any time. I got a message from Director Coulson. He says that he’s started putting out applications for our task force. Any qualifications you’re looking for, Rogers?”

“In candidates? Try commitment and honesty. Being in good physical shape is a plus. And experience won’t necessarily be a factor, as long as they can do the job. And tell Coulson to go easy on the background checks.”

“Got it,” said Natasha. “You know he’s in Denver this week?”

“Doing what?”

“He’s got a lead.”

“Oh, really? Well, you should have him tell me all about it.”

Wanda thought she could sense that this subject was important to Steve, but he was extremely casual about it, engaged as his mind was in the building of the new Avengers’ headquarters.

“Where’s Vision off to, anyway?” asked Natasha.

“He’s flying up the river today,” said Tony. “Said he wanted to go exploring.”

“How long have you two been in here?”

“Since seven,” said Tony.

“No, Tony, we got up at seven. We’ve been here since eight.”

“Well, why don’t you guys go out and get some fresh air,” said Natasha. “In fact, why don’t we all? Let’s go have a picnic or something. You call up JARVIS or Vision or whatever
his name is now, Tony. You and me, Steve, let’s get a picnic basket together. Wanda, you want to come?”

“Oh, yes,” said Wanda eagerly. “Is there anything I can do, to get ready?”

“Nope, we should be fine,” said Steve. He and Natasha started to walk out of the room. Tony was looking over some blueprints he had made on the computer.

Wanda went back to her room. She opened up the curtains to let in the daylight. She had enough time to check her email and other accounts before they left for their picnic.
There was no new message from Anita.

Just after noon, Vision returned, and before landing he flew by Wanda’s window. Then Wanda, Tony, Steve, and Natasha got into one of Tony’s cars and drove to Central Park,
where Vision flew out to meet them in a secluded grove of trees.

Steve and Natasha had prepared ham and cheese sandwiches on huge hoagie rolls, so big that Wanda could barely fit hers into her mouth and so tough in the crust that she could barely chew it. She washed it down with a beer and listened to Tony and Steve and Natasha reminiscing about some of their previous adventures with the Avengers, from before they had come to Sokovia. Vision listened with great interest. Wanda was listening, but she was also spread out on her back and relaxed.

After the food had been eaten, Tony and Steve decided to go for a walk, and invited the others to go with them. Vision went gladly, but Natasha and Wanda remained behind. Natasha found a park bench nearby and pulled out an iPad to read an eBook. Wanda stayed lying on the picnic blanket for a short while. She thought about perhaps taking a nap in that comfortable spot. But then she felt Natasha’s thoughts. Natasha had put down the iPad and was just staring at the trees. Looking over to the other side, Wanda saw Steve,
Tony, and Vision walking on a path in the distance. Natasha was partly watching them but also deep in thought.

Wanda sat up slowly. Natasha didn’t pay her any mind. But Wanda went over to the bench.

“You mind if I join you?” she asked.

“Go ahead,” said Natasha, not sounding like she cared.

Wanda wanted to ask Natasha about what was on her mind. Natasha seemed like she didn’t even mind being asked.

“You were in love with him, weren’t you?” said Wanda. “With Doctor Banner?”

“It felt like it,” said Natasha quietly. “It’s been a while since I’ve been in love.”

“A long while?”

“Yeah.”

“But why did you let yourself do it?” asked Wanda. “You knew you had a very professional relationship, you had other duties. And you had every reason to reject him.”

“I know,” said Natasha. “I just thought we had something going. Something that maybe we could make work, if we’d had the time, or not had to fight Ultron...Ultron just got in
the way of everything.”

Very slowly Wanda put her hand on Natasha’s shoulder. “I am sorry Natasha.”

“What about you? Have you ever been in love?”

“Once or twice, when I was a teenager,” said Wanda, smiling wistfully. “I remember, two boys I knew in my neighborhood. Went out with one of them for a few months, the other my brother didn’t approve of.”

Natasha laughed silently. “Kind of hard to get a date, when you’ve got an older brother, isn’t it?”

“Yes,” said Wanda, giggling.

Natasha smiled. “I was separated from my family when I was very little. I don’t even know if I had brothers or sisters or not.”

“But the Avengers, they were your family, no?”

“Yeah, they were, kinda. But then you don’t date somebody who’s your family, do you?”

“Or want to date them.”

Natasha looked on the ground.

“You could have walked away,” said Wanda, reading her thoughts. “You could have gone away with him. But you didn’t. You’ve always had to put your personal interests aside, for something else, yes?”

“I don’t think we could’ve gotten very far that day without him getting angry at one of Ultron’s robots,” said Natasha.

“True.”

Wanda saw the memory clearly of Natasha’s actions on that day.

“I didn’t mean for him to take it like that,” said Natasha. “I wasn’t saying that I wanted him to be the monster permanently. I just needed him to be the Hulk, one more time at
least--just so we could make some headway. You guys wouldn’t have stood a chance without him there to smash up half the robots.”

“I know,” said Wanda. “You know, they don’t think less of you, for trying.”

“Tony does.”

“A little. But that is because Bruce and him were friends.”

“Tony blames me for Banner running away.”

“That isn’t true. He knows Banner too well to think that of you.”

“Tell me, Wanda, do you think I am weak?”

“You? Weak?” said Wanda. “Never. You are one of strongest people I know.”

“A lot of people tell me that,” said Natasha. “But letting myself love him...I think I failed myself somehow. I’m supposed to be the strong one, the one that keeps the team
together. I had to put away my own fears so I could face the Hulk.” Wanda had a glimpse of Natasha’s memories from her first encounter with the Hulk. “But I wasn’t counting on falling for the man underneath the green. And then not getting him in the end. I am still a woman. No matter what other people have done to me or said to me over the years, and no matter what else I have done, I am still a woman. I am still me. And I have feelings. The risk I was taking was no different from anyone else’s.”

“But it wasn’t your fault, in the end.”

Natasha was reassured, but she gave Wanda a look saying how clearly she still thought it was her fault that Banner had left.

They heard voices, and looked up to see their gentlemen friends returning. Tony was just winding up an amusing story about himself and his absent mistress, Pepper Potts.

“You two girls having a nice chat?” asked Tony.

“Yes, we are,” said Natasha, straightening up. The side of her that Wanda had just seen now shrank from view.

“Either of you ladies feeling up to returning to the tower yet?”

“I could stay here all day,” said Wanda. “They don’t have parks nearly this nice in Sokovia.”

“Well, that’s one of the perils of living in New York,” said Steve. “You spend too much time in Central Park and you’re spoiled rotten.”

“It is true, there are few places I have been in my short life to rival this place,” said Vision.

“I think I wanna go for a walk,” said Natasha, standing up.

“Care if I join you?” said Steve.

“Sure,” said Natasha.

Wanda could tell that Steve only wanted to talk Avengers’ stuff with her, and wanted to warn her, but Natasha was strolling away with Steve before she could open her mouth.

Tony Stark pulled out his cell phone and walked away to talk. “Hi there, Pepper. Yes, we are doing great today.” Tony disappeared into the trees not far away. That left Wanda
alone with Vision.

“Well,” said Wanda.

“Well,” said Vision.

“Would you care to sit down?” she said, gesturing at the bench.

“Of course,” said Vision, and he sat down next to Wanda and crossed his legs. “It is a beautiful afternoon, don’t you agree?”

“I do,” said Wanda. Then she fell silent.

Vision looked at her. “Are you sure you are still all right?” he asked her. “You seemed rather distressed last night.”

“I am better now, thank you,” said Wanda. But truth be told, she was still sad about it.

“And you said it was a friend you were messaging?”

“Yes, on Facebook,” said Wanda.

Vision nodded. “Well, that was very kind of her to message you and ask you about your welfare. You know, I have been on Facebook two weeks but I do not think I have had the chance to chat with anyone yet.”

“Oh, really?” said Wanda. “Well, I should chat with you, then.”

“All right then,” said Vision. “If we are ever traveling apart, we should have a Facebook chat conversation. It would be quite lovely.”

“Yes,” said Wanda. They lapsed into silence for a minute.

“Did your friend not know what had become of you after the battle in Sokovia?”

“This was my dearest friend from childhood,” said Wanda. “We had not seen each other in years, not since she went away to University and Pietro and I went to join Strucker. We were...not in contact, during those years. I wasn’t in contact with anyone.”

“And you are finding it hard, Wanda, to talk to other people, about what you’ve been through?”

“Is just so much to explain,” said Wanda. “Two and a half years without ever talking to anyone. And then all of this happens.”

“And Pietro?”

“Pietro was only person I was close to in that time,” said Wanda. “Our handlers--men of science, not interested in how we were feeling, only what the sceptre was doing to our
bodies.” She looked up at the Mind Gem twinkling on Vision’s forehead. “It was hard. I want to share my feelings with someone, but is too much to understand.”

Vision nodded. “Yes, I have seen firsthand. People can be afraid of what they are not ready to accept. It takes some time for them to get used to things.”

“But you are not me,” said Wanda. “You have done only good things for others. But I have done terrible things. I fought to kill, to intimidate. People like me do not get accepted, they get sent to jail. Outcast by society.”

“Yes, you have done terrible things, it is true,” said Vision. “But look at the good you have done. You turned from serving Ultron to helping the Avengers to stop him. You saved your city and your nation from total annihilation. You saved the world, even. You even helped in my creation, and made sure that I was meant for good and not for evil. And just now, you were being a comfort to Natasha in her need. You have been a friend to Thor, and to Mr. Stark, and Captain Rogers and Natasha since you came here. And to myself. You are a good person, Wanda, and you have many great and beautiful things to contribute to this world. Your life is worth something. Do not seek to devalue it, because of the mistakes and misdeeds of your past. You are loved and valued and wanted, even if not by the people who once knew you. Do not forget it.”

Wanda looked straight into Vision’s android eyes as he spoke, hanging on to his every word. They did not say anything after Vision had spoken. Tony meandered back to them, hanging up his phone as he approached.

“Hey, kids, let’s go back. Wanda, you want to start packing up the basket?”

“I will do that,” said Wanda, sliding off the bench. Vision helped her to put away the picnic things into their basket and throw away the trash. Steve and Natasha returned, and
they headed out.

Steve was busy in Tony’s lab over the next several days designing the new Avengers building, but in the afternoons he liked to go out to Central Park, and Wanda usually accompanied him. Sometimes Natasha or Vision or Tony or more of them would join.

One afternoon they were out walking while it was nice and sunny outside. There were hardly any people in that part of the park.

“Kids these days,” Steve muttered, looking around. “They don’t get out nearly as much. In my day we didn’t have television or video games to keep us outside.”

“The future isn’t perfect, is it?” Wanda asked.

“No, but I didn’t expect it to be.”

“In Sokovia, we do not have much entertainment for children as well,” said Wanda. “Communists tried keeping us indoors. I remember Mother told me how she and her girl
friends would go outside, play in the streets, listen to the Beatles when they were older. And when Pietro and I were younger, we played in streets with other children. No one bothered us. No safety rules. Pietro always went and climbed on things, I always worried he would fall and hurt himself. Children these days in Sokovia don’t have much either.”
She paused thoughtfully for a moment. “Why is it Americans want us to be like them? Aren’t we good enough how we are?”

“It’s not Americans in general,” said Steve. “It’s the people who came after my generation, I think, who ruined things for the rest of the world, if that’s what you want to call it.
Well, we’ve always had an irresistible urge to conquer, and to achieve. And if we think our way of life is better, it’s because it’s what’s made us happy.”

“No,” said Wanda. “It’s because it is all you know.”

Steve said nothing in reply, but looked at the sidewalk as they walked over it, and kept his hands in his jacket pocket. Then he looked up. He was staring ahead, but Wanda
couldn’t be sure what he was looking at, if he was looking at anything at all. And then he began to sing, quietly.

“East Side, West Side,
all around the town,
the tots sing ‘ring-a-rosie’,
‘London bridge is falling down’.
Boys and girls together,
Me and Mamie o’Rourke,
tripped the light fantastic
on the sidewalks of New York.”

And Steve fell silent again.

“Was that a song from your childhood?” Wanda asked.

“Yeah,” said Steve.

They only heard the sound of cars in the distance and, nearby, the birds singing.

The next day, a Saturday, Natasha came and found Wanda in her room.

“Hey, Wanda, I’m going to go by a baby present for Clint’s wife. Wanna come?”

“Oh, sure,” said Wanda.

“Cool. And we can get lunch while we’re at it.”

Wanda changed into some jeans and a blouse--she had been wearing a t-shirt and shorts earlier. She grabbed her sunglasses and hat and the little purse that Natasha had gotten for her.

They went down the elevator to the garage. Natasha had a little car that Tony Stark had loaned to her.

Wanda was friends with Clint Barton on Facebook, and he frequently shared pictures of his family and their farm down in Indiana with a select group of online friends to which she
had been added. She knew that his wife Laura would be having a baby soon.

“They’re having a boy,” Natasha reminded her as they drove out of the Stark Tower garage.

“I know,” said Wanda. “So is this a thing in America, to buy presents for other people’s babies?”

“Yep,” said Natasha. “Did you get invited to the baby shower?”

“A baby shower?”

“It’s a party they have for the mother, right before she has the baby. I’ve never been to one before, actually. None of my friends are the settled type.”

“But this is for your friend Barton’s wife.”

“Well...Laura and I get along pretty well. She was a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, back in the day. It’s how they met. But I didn’t meet Barton until after Lila and Cooper were born. This is
the first baby they’ve had for a while.”

The streets were crowded with taxi cabs and cars and buses of all sorts. They drove to a shop-filled street a dozen or so blocks away, and Wanda saw a sign for a baby boutique
above them.

“A friend gave me a good recommendation for this spot,” said Natasha. “Thought I’d get Laura something nice. But you don’t have to get anything. I’ll just say it’s from both of
us.”

“Oh, no,” said Wanda, “I have money from Mr. Stark. I want to get something for Barton--well, for his baby.”

“You do that,” said Natasha as she put change in the parking meter. “And I was thinking I would get a card for the boys to sign, too.”

They went into the building and up a flight of stairs to the boutique. Everything was heavily decorated in frills and bows. Most of the items were bright pink or pale blue, but here
and there were spots of yellows, greens, purples, and reds. There was one corner of the store devoted to supplies: cribs, baby monitors, blankets, towels, pacifiers, bottles, and
so forth--items the purpose of which Wanda could only guess at. There were shelves and shelves of diapers. The middle of the floor and the lower walls were devoted to baby
clothes, in sizes ranging up to a year. There was a section for baby foods including a rack containing no less than twelve brands of formula. There was a section for stuffed animals, most of which had round faces or soft textures or were very small. Natasha lingered by the section devoted to mobiles of every sort--little cloth bunnies, tiny airplanes, fish, music notes, the solar system, anything one could imagine.

They even passed a small stand of pastel-hued skeins of yarn. “That’s for people who want to decorate their own stuff,” said Natasha. “I never learned how to crochet.”

“So what kind of a thing could I get for them?” said Wanda. “Most of these things are very expensive, no?”

“Well, if you want something thoughtful and not too pricey, you could probably get them something useful. I know Laura is already getting baby towels from her sister. But
maybe some baby clothes wouldn’t hurt.”

Wanda approached one of the clothes racks. “Does the size matter?”
“Not really,” said Natasha.

Wanda browsed through the racks of baby onesies for boys. Some of them had cute patterns on them, like elephants or trains. Others had logos of sports teams or cartoon
characters that she was unfamiliar with. She figured she would want something plain or patterned, something that Clint or his wife would not be too picky about. And Wanda found one she thought she liked, a yellow one-piece patterned with stripes of squares and rectangles, size age newborn to three months.

Then she went over to the baby toys section. If Clint’s other children were older, then maybe there was a shortage of toys for infants in his house. She found a large plastic ring that was folded into oblong shapes, and there were smaller rings with beads dangling off of it. She also got a stuffed animal, a small, very round rabbit made with soft fur and ears almost as long as its body.

Satisfied with her selections, she went to find Natasha. Natasha had a store basket dangling off her arm, and she had picked out several toys as well as a set of baby bottles, a
pacifier with a clip, and several onesies and a bag of socks. She was looking at accessories.

“What do you think?” she said, holding up a little yellow hat with a plastic band on it. “Do you think that’ll be cute?”

“I think so,” said Wanda. “Look at the onesie I found. It could almost match.” She held it up against the hat.

“Yeah, not quite the same shade, but almost,” said Natasha. “I think I like that.” Natasha added it to her basket. “I think that’ll be enough. Let’s go pick out a card.”

There was a display of greeting cards right beside the checkout counter in the back. Wanda saw a few nice ones with beautiful fonts and illustrations. But Natasha was drawn to
the funny ones. She picked out one that had a cartoon of birds in a nest.

“He’ll love that,” said Natasha.

“Do we go to pay for these now?”

“Uh-huh, just right back here,” she said, and she went strolling up to the counter. The clerk was a nice young lady with her hair in a ponytail and wearing a tight-fitting t-shirt.
Wanda’s items cost about fifty dollars, but Natasha’s total purchases came out to nearly two hundred. Natasha, furthermore, asked for gift wrap for both of them. There was
wrapping paper and ribbons behind the checkout desk. The clerk put all of Natasha’s things in a large box and wrapped the box in paper patterned with Noah’s Ark and lots of animals. Wanda only asked for a small bag and some tissue paper for her gifts.

They left the store in high spirits and put their purchases in the trunk of their car.

“Interesting place,” said Wanda.

“I know,” said Natasha.

“Stores like that are unheard of in my country.”

“They’re unheard of in most places that aren’t New York,” said Natasha as they got into the front seats. “Now where would you like to go for lunch?”

“Doesn’t matter,” said Wanda.

“I know of an Italian bistro just up the street from here. Wanna try that?”

“Sure,” said Wanda. “Whatever is fine.”

Natasha pulled out of their parking space. They found the Italian Bistro all right, but there was no place to park around there. They had to go about half a block away, and then
backtrack to the other side of the street.

“You don’t mind jaywalking, do you?” Natasha asked her.

“Jaywalking?”

“Just running across the street?”

“Oh, that. No.”

They got out of the car, and as soon as Natasha had fed the parking meter they waited on the other side of the car. The street was packed with cars racing back and forth, and
Wanda had no idea how they were going to get across.

“As soon as the light turns red and the cars stop moving,” Natasha said, looking back and forth over her shoulder.

“Couldn’t I just use my powers?” asked Wanda. “I could change the light, or something.”

“No, just be patient,” said Natasha, looking up and down at the traffic lights on either end of the block. They both changed to red within ten seconds. “Look, they’ve slowed down.
Let’s go.” She and Natasha began running across the street. The cars going one way were gathering in front of one traffic light, but she was too busy watching them to see a car
going the other way that passed just in front of them, honking loudly. Wanda yelled in exclamation, and they stopped as two other cars sped in front of them. A third approaching car was only a few seconds away.

“Go,” said Natasha. Wanda ran after her before the car was even close to them.

As soon as they had reached the curb, Natasha laughed at her. “You worry too much.”

“You do not worry enough.”

“Hey, you did good,” said Natasha. “High-five, right here.” She held up her hand. Wanda returned the gesture but her hand slipped out of the way and missed. “Nope, try again.”
Wanda failed. “Third time’s the charm.” This time, Wanda’s hand made contact with Natasha’s. There was a satisfying clap. “We’re good to go now,” said Natasha. They turned to enter the restaurant. It was busy. They went to the counter and looked over the menu while they waited for the other customers to order.
Wanda, however, could sense that Natasha was not focusing on the food.
“Are you all right?”

“I’m fine,” said Natasha, giving a half-smile and shrugging.

Wanda gave her a look.

Natasha shook her head and took off her sunglasses slowly. “Yes, Banner and I came to lunch here back in January. It was just the two of us. The first time we’d ever been alone together, since we’d first met. And the first time…” She trailed off, but Wanda knew exactly what she meant.

“Do you want to leave?” asked Wanda.

“No, do you?”

“I just don’t want you to be upset--”

“I’m not upset,” said Natasha. “We can eat in.”

They ordered meatball sandwiches, and ate at a booth next to the window. They didn’t talk very much.

They jaywalked across the street afterward, and they returned to Stark Tower without much else happening.

“By the way, how good is your Russian?” asked Natasha.

“I learned it but do not speak it. Why you ask?”

“It’s still a good language to know. Lots of people who still fight against S.H.I.E.L.D. and the Avengers speak it.”

“A language of evil, yes,” Wanda smirked. “I am not wanting to be a spy.”

“Well, when you’re an Avenger, you’re not strictly a spy, you need to be flexible.”

“Well, when,” said Wanda. “But do you think the question is more ‘if’?”

“If you’re doubting that Steve’s going to pick you for our new team, don’t,” said Natasha. “I’m pretty sure you’ll make the cut.”

“He is being nice, no,” said Wanda. “Because I have lost everything? Because I have nowhere else to go?”

“No,” said Wanda. “He actually thinks you’re qualified. If there’s anybody who is being nice, it is me.”

“What?”
“I’m just kidding.” Natasha had a good laugh.

They returned to Stark Tower and carried their gifts upstairs to their rooms.

“Hey, Natasha,” said Steve as they passed his open door. “Do you girls need help carrying anything up?”

“Nope, we’re good,” said Natasha. Her box was a little uncomfortable to carry along with her purse, but Natasha was never the type to complain. She placed the box on her bed.

“You can keep your present here for now,” said Natasha. “I can take it when it’s time for the baby shower.”

“Thank you,” said Wanda. “But when is the baby shower?”

“Next weekend,” said Natasha. “I would have thought Clint would’ve invited you.”

“Well, no, he didn’t.”

“Well, I’ll drag you along anyway,” said Natasha, sitting on the bed. “They wouldn’t complain.”

“Wait, what day is this thing?” asked Steve as he came into Natasha’s room.

“Next Saturday afternoon. In Indiana.”

“Are you planning on taking the whole weekend to go down there?”

“Yes--well, we weren’t at Clint’s longer than a day. Cooper and Lila didn’t get to spend that much time with their Auntie Nat.”

Steve sighed. “Well, I just came in to say that S.H.I.E.L.D. is going to start construction on our new facility early next week.”

“That’s wonderful!” Wanda gasped.

“And?” said Natasha.

“And I just wanted to run this by you, but how would you like to move up there? There’s a few towns nearby where we could live, I need to do a little more research but you two
are more than welcome to come. And I’ve invited Vision, too.”

“And what does he think?”

“He says it’s a great idea, he’d like to get out and see more of the world.”

“Wait, so did S.H.I.E.L.D. not go with your idea of having sleeping quarters in the base?” asked Natasha.

“Well, no, they did, but I don’t see any need to stay in there twenty-four seven,” said Steve. “We could rent an apartment or two--I’ve talked to Coulson, he says he’s going to look into some apartment buildings to recommend.”

“So it’ll be just like DC all over again. Brilliant.”

“Just the good bits, I hope,” said Steve. “Wanda, what do you think? Would you like to go live upstate?”

“Do I have any other options?’ asked Wanda.

“Well, it’s quite a commute from down here,” said Natasha. “Does Tony know about this?”

“Yes, and he’s all right with it,” said Steve. “It’s for the best. We’ve got a new team, we’re going to want a new way to do this. You could either get your own place, Wanda, or you
could room with one of us. Or S.H.I.E.L.D. could find a roommate for you.”

“Well, I will think about it,” said Wanda.

“But how soon were you thinking of going up there?” asked Natasha.

“As soon as we can,” said Steve.

“Well, if next weekend isn’t too soon,” said Natasha, “I’d still like to go to Laura’s baby shower.”

“Oh. Okay then,” said Steve. “How about the weekend after? That should give us plenty of time to find a place, or a few places, and decide on living arrangements.”

“Fair enough,” said Natasha.

Steve looked at the parcels on Natasha’s bed. “So are these your gifts for Laura?”

“Yeah,” said Natasha. “The big one is mine.”

“I figured. What’s in it?”

“Odds and ends. Baby clothes. Bottles, blankets. A passy.”

“Nice. Auntie Nat sure knows how to spoil the baby.”

“I don’t think the rest of us need to get any gifts,” said Natasha. “I’ve got us covered in the gift department.”

Steve sniffed. “That would be one spoiled baby, getting gifts from all the Avengers. And what did you get, Wanda?”

“You want to see?” said Wanda, picking up her little bag. She rummaged through the tissue paper. She pulled out each of her gifts and showed Steve.

“Oh, and also,” said Natasha, digging in her purse, “I got a card for all of us to sign.”

“Sure,” said Steve. “I guess this’ll double as a thank-you card for their hospitality--what, three weeks ago now?”

“Yeah,” said Natasha. “We could do that.”

Before the night was over, Tony and Vision had also signed the card. Though Wanda had expected that Vision did not know how to write, he ended up adding a very loopy
signature to the card.

The next week passed much as the one before had, with long afternoon walks with Steve and Natasha in the park, sometimes joined by Vision. They had another picnic with Tony on Wednesday. They spent a lot of time on the internet in Steve’s room, looking for apartments in one of the surrounding towns near the location of their new base. They decided they would take a trip up the following week to actually go look at these locations before deciding.

On Thursday, Steve got a phone call right after breakfast, and when they joined him in his room they had an announcement for them.

“My friend Sam wants to come up and join us,” said Steve.

“Who?”

“Sam Wilson, he’s a weirdo,” said Natasha.

“You mean the opposite, of course,” said Vision.

“Sam is a weirdo, yeah,” said Steve. “But in a good way. But he said his apartment contract in DC was running up and wondering if I’d changed my mind about moving to
Brooklyn.”

“You have?” said Natasha.

“I’m not paying for an apartment for twenty-five grand a year,” said Steve. “Corinth will be much cheaper. I’d have thought it was pretty obvious.”

“Well, I thought you were still pursuing a place in your hometown for sentimental reasons,” said Natasha, folding her arms. There was something on both her and Steve’s minds
that Wanda couldn’t quite understand.

“Well, those reasons can wait.”

“And Sam Wilson’s fruitless search in DC, can that wait, too?”

“Yeah,” said Steve.

“And I assume he’s interested in taking one of the openings on our team?”

“Well, he’s interested,” said Steve. “But he’s not really committed. He wants to come up to New York next week. He’s going to see about taking up Tony’s offer to make him a
new Falcon suit. There’s not really much point in him joining the team without one.”

“Right,” said Natasha. “So that makes you, me, Vision, Wanda, and Sam. We still have one more.”

“Is this Sam Wilson person very good?” said Vision.

“Oh, he’s about as good a guy as you can find these days,” said Steve. “And he’s loyal--that really sets him apart.”

“Loyal to a fault,” said Natasha. “But as far as roomming goes, do you want to room with him?”

“Maybe. We’ll see.” Wanda took that as a no.

“Do you know who he’d want to room with?”

“Good question. So where were we looking at yesterday?” said Steve. They logged onto the Upstate apartment listings and started going through the day’s search results.

On Thursday night, Wanda and Natasha packed their things for the trip to Indiana. Steve loaned Wanda a duffel bag for her possessions. The next day they flew out of New York
in a private jet, with Natasha piloting. Wanda had a few things she wanted to ask her, but did not want to distract Natasha from driving.

They went to a secluded, hilly place far out in the country, arriving in the late afternoon. They had a good view of a small farmstead as they flew overhead and landed in an empty
field beside it. When they came up to the house with their bags, two children, a boy and a girl, came running out of the house to meet them, and Natasha dropped her baggage at
once and embraced them. A pregnant woman--Mrs. Laura Barton, she recognized, from the Facebook photos--was waiting on the porch.

The boy and girl, Cooper and Lila, had already picked up Natasha’s things and were carrying them into the house. Natasha came up the porch steps and embraced Laura.

“How are you, Nat?” she asked.

“I’m doing great,” said Natasha. “Where’s Clint?”

“He’s in the house, helping me get dinner ready. We wanted to be ready when you arrived.”

“Oh, that’s so nice of him! So nice of you, too, fixing dinner for us. What’s on the menu?”

“Hash browns.”

“About the only thing Daddy can cook,” said Lila as she passed them.

“Lila, be nice,” said Laura. She turned to Wanda. “So you must be Wanda? I’m pleased to meet you.”

“Thank you,” said Wanda. “It is a pleasure to be here, and thank you for your hospitality.”

“It’s not a problem,” said Laura, leading them into the house. “Clint’s told me a lot about you--and your brother, too. I’m really sorry about what happened.”

What Laura didn’t say was how she felt so indebted to Pietro.

“Thank you,” was all Wanda could manage. “I am all right, now.”

“Are you sure?”

Wanda nodded.

“Is that Wanda?” said a male voice from the kitchen.

“Barton,” said Wanda. She went into the living room to meet him. Clint Barton looked very different, dressed in jeans and a collared shirt. Wanda gave him a big hug.

“How’re you doing kid? Really?”

“I am...trying to accept it,” she said. “is different. But I have a new life now, in America.”

“So I hear. Enjoying Stark Tower?”

“Is very nice. But Natasha and I are leaving--did you hear?”

“Yeah, I did,” said Barton.

“Barton, get in here,” Natasha called. She was already in the kitchen. “You’re gonna burn something.”

There was a loud beeping noise, so shrill that it made Wanda’s ears ring. Lila squealed and Cooper looked annoyed.

“Too late,” said Laura, running to the smoke alarm on the wall.

“I’ll get that,” said Barton.

“No,” said Natasha, who had turned off the stove and pulled away the pan. “I’ll get it.” Laura had already pulled down the smoke alarm, but it was Natasha who fiddled with it and got it to stop beeping. “Dang it Barton, how many times do I have to tell you? You’ve got turn the smoke alarm off before you cook.”

“I just made lots of smoke,” said Barton. “Do we got a window we can open in here?” He went to the living room and opened one of the windows to let the smoke out.

“You live in a hundred-year-old house, don’t you think you could care a little more about not burning it down?”

“He’s just fine, Tasha,” said Laura. “Make yourself at home, Wanda.”

Wanda sat down on the couch while the others went back to the kitchen.

“Don’t you really think now that you’ve got some time off that you could learn to cook something besides hash browns?”

“It’s my go-to meal, and besides, it’s what she’s craving.”

“Don’t blame me for your cooking, Clint,” said Laura.

“I’m not.”

“I was really hoping we’d have something else for dinner, you know,” said Natasha. “You know how I’m not a big fan of your cooking.”

“Budapest. Good times,” said Barton. “That wasn’t all I fed you, though. Remember those sardines?”

“They made me sick.”

“That wasn’t my fault.”

Laura stuck her head out of the kitchen. “Lila, could you set the table please?”

“Yes, Mama,” said Lila, coming in to the kitchen. Cooper sat down on an armchair in the living room and read a book. Wanda didn’t really know what to say to him.

The hash browns, in spite of the sausage being slightly burned, were really excellent. Natasha and Laura and Barton made most of the conversation, talking about Barton’s work
on the farm since returning home and how they were getting ready for the baby. Laura did ask her how she was liking America, and they were amused at how Wanda thought it was a very strange, chaotic place.

“Well, that’s what you get for living in New York,” said Barton. “You’ll like the change of pace, when you leave.”

That night, Wanda and Natasha shared a large bed in an upstairs room and slept quite comfortably. The next day was the baby shower. Natasha drove, and Laura sat in the front
seat while Wanda sat in back with Lila. Cooper had stayed home with his father.

There was a small town about a fifteen-minute drive from the house, and in a neighborhood there, one of Laura’s friends was hosting the baby shower. There were cake pops and
yellow iced cupcakes and strawberries and punch.

“So what are you going to name the baby?” somebody asked Laura.

“Clint and I have settled on Nathaniel for a first name,” Laura answered her. “But unfortunately we’re still arguing over a middle name.”

Natasha didn’t really know anybody there, but she was the soul of sociality, making lively conversation with the other guests (mostly women Laura’s age) and saying she was a
‘friend of the family.’ Wanda mostly watched.

“But you’re really one of his Avenger friends, aren’t you?” said a narrow-faced woman with glasses to Natasha. “You’ve been on the news quite a few times.”

“Yes, I have,” said Natasha. “It’s nice to be recognized.”

Wanda got the feeling that the lady didn’t care that Natasha was a friend of Barton’s and not just a notorious assassin.

“How does it feel,” said the lady, “having so much power, after you blackmailed a major government agency last year?”

“It feels great, actually,” said Natasha. “I’ve really been able to do some good with it.”

“You have strange ideas of doing good,” said the lady. And then she turned on Wanda. “And you. You haven’t been on the news, but you’re one of her friends. So obviously you
haven’t been up to anything good, either.”

“Is not true,” said Wanda. “I am an Avenger now. We’re keeping the world safe, so nice people like you can go to baby parties.”

“I don’t appreciate your cheek,” said the woman.

“Mrs. Flint,” Laura called from her chair, “don’t you think a baby shower isn’t a place for this unpleasantness?”

“Of course not, Laura,” said Mrs. Flint. But turning back to Wanda, she said, “but what do you think you’re doing here? Certainly you aren’t safe around other people, if you’re one of them?”

“Okay, I think you’ve said enough,” said Natasha. She grabbed Wanda’s shoulder. “Don’t listen to anything she’s saying. Wanda Maximoff is a friend of Clint’s. And any friend of Clint’s is more than welcome to be here, like any other person. Just take a deep breath, Wanda. Don’t let her get to you.”

Wanda let Natasha turn her around. She could already feel her rage building up inside of her. But the last thing she needed was for something to happen when she was away from
Stark Tower, in front of all of these people…

“I meant no offense,” Mrs. Flint said. “But shouldn’t you be a little more careful, who you bring out in public?”

“Wanda, don’t--”

Wanda stepped out of the room to the hallway, and then into the bathroom. She had to let it out somehow, but she couldn’t hurt anyone, she just couldn’t.

The window was open, and Wanda thrust her hand out the window. There was a crack, and a bolt of red energy shot out of her hand. And she had hoped it would just go into the
sky and disappear, but instead it hit the telephone pole that was connected to the house. The power box beneath it was covered with red static, but then absorbed the shock.
Wanda gasped for breath, and then she let herself slip into the bathtub with relief.

Natasha came running, followed by Laura. “Wanda, are you all right?”

“Yes, I am fine,” said Wanda. “Did...did anything happen?”

“You made the lights flicker,” said Laura. “It wasn’t anything bad.”

The woman who owned the house came up behind Laura. “Is everything okay?”

“One of Clint’s friends….” Laura started to explain.

“Yes, I see. Well, as long as she’s all right. You can come back now, sweetie. Nobody’s been hurt.”

“No one is hurt?” asked Wanda. The others nodded their reassurances, and Wanda went back to the party. Mrs. Flint was sulking in a corner with some of her other friends, and
she did not make eye contact with Wanda for the rest of the afternoon. The other guests were shaken by the lights going out, and a few of them gave Wanda strange looks, but
Natasha sat her down next to Laura and went back to mingling. No one else dared mention the Avengers to Natasha. The hostess started handing Laura her gifts. Wanda was
really amazed by the generosity of Laura’s friends--but then again, it wasn’t sharing from their abundance so much as showing off their friendship in the gift-giving, she felt. The other guests were astounded by Natasha’s present, and one or two, Wanda could sense with her powers, thought Natasha was showing off. But the party ended without further incident from Wanda or from anyone else.

Back on the farm that night, Natasha took Laura’s gifts upstairs while Wanda told Clint what had happened with Mrs. Flint.

“Do people treat you like that?”

“No, they don’t,” said Barton. “I mean, the people around here know what I do for a living, but they respect me. I wish that translated over to them being able to trust the people I
work with a little more, but that isn’t how it works.”

“Well, you don’t have superpowers,” Wanda shook her head. “It is different.” She sighed. “It is a nice world you live in, yes? No politics or war, no strange science or
superpowers.”

“You think it’s nice?”

“Yes. A little quiet, perhaps.”

“Well, I like having someplace quiet to go to,” said Barton. “When it’s all over.”

Lila came into the room. “Daddy, Cooper wants to watch Bolt again, and I wanna watch Frozen.”

“Well, who picked last time?” said Barton.

“He did.”

“Well, then tell him it’s your turn. And he doesn’t have to watch it with you,” he said firmly. He huffed as Lila left the room. “Kids these days. You have to make the point over
and over again.”

“May I go watch? With them?” asked Wanda.

“Yeah, sure,” said Barton. “I’m just gonna hang out with Laura for a bit.”

Natasha was in the upstairs rec room, helping them set up the TV.

“Have you seen Frozen?” Natasha asked her.

“No. I have been in Strucker’s castle for two years. We don’t get much American movies in Sokovia anyway.”

“Well, you might like this one,” said Natasha.

Wanda sat on the couch with Lila while Natasha sat on the floor. Cooper sulkily played with his legos in the corner while the movie played. Wanda wasn’t sure she would like the
movie at first, but as soon as she realized that Elsa’s story was her story, she started to pay attention. Lila liked to sing along to the songs, and Natasha sang with her. Wanda thought they were funny.

The next day after breakfast, Laura said she could feel the baby moving. After Natasha got to feel it, Wanda asked if she could feel the baby as well. The baby reminded her of
Vision when he had been in his cradle.

“He is happy,” said Wanda. “A happy baby. And a healthy one.”

She and Natasha left the farm that afternoon. It had been a nice respite from the city. As soon as they landed and returned to Stark Tower, Steve and Vision were there to meet
them.

“I took the liberty of flying to upstate New York to check on the progress of our new facility,” Vision told them. “It is going to be magnificent.”

“Sam’s going to be here on Tuesday,” said Steve. “Do we want to go up to Corinth on Wednesday and do some apartment shopping?”

“Wednesday sounds good,” said Natasha.

Part III

Sam Wilson turned out to be a black man who, unlike Rhodey, had facial hair and a shorter stature. But he was very good-natured.

“It’s nice to finally meet you in person,” said Sam as he shook hands with her in the Stark Tower lobby on Tuesday afternoon. “Steve’s told me a lot about you--well, he tells me a lot about people.”

“All good things?” Wanda asked.

“Ha ha.” Steve looked a little embarrassed.

Then Sam turned to Vision. “And I hear you’re the other interesting one.”

“I...would say so, yes,” said Vision. “I am one of a kind. But so are you, I understand.”

Tony Stark came into the room. Over their dinner that night of take-out Dominoes’ entrees Tony showed Sam on an iPad some designs for a winged combat suit that Wanda had
heard much talk about.

The next day, Wednesday, Tony Stark got them into one of his private jets and flew them to Corinth, New York. The view below them was of rolling hills and tidy farmlands like a patched quilt, and the only clouds in the sky were high and puffy and pleasant. Vision flew on his own and made circles around the jet.

When they landed at the community airport, there was a rental car waiting for them. They drove out first to the countryside and had a tour of the construction site of the new
Avengers facility. The site was supervised by several S.H.I.E.L.D. agents. Steve was pleased with the progress. Sam Wilson was most impressed.

“So you’re doing all of this for us? For the new team?” Sam said as they walked away.

“Not just for us,” said Steve. “There’s a lot of people who want to help out. S.H.I.E.L.D. has already put together an impressive list of candidates--a lot of ex-military people like
you, you should like that.”

“I get it,” said Sam.

They went back to the town to look at apartments. They visited several places, mostly large, condo-like settings on the edge of town. The managers were all very polite, though flustered that they were hosting the Avengers. And nearly all of them commented on how there had been a sudden upswing in the housing market in the last two weeks. Tony kept pointing out some of the security or architectural flaws in the apartments they visited. Wanda knew that it was just out of habit for Tony to do so, but when Steve suggested that maybe Tony didn’t want them to move out he was quiet.

They got lunch at a small cafe near the center of town. On the flight back they talked over the apartments they had visited. Wanda and Natasha decided that they would like to
live together--”just the two ladies,” Wanda put it--and live in a complex called Aspen Creek. Steve and Sam debated mostly between either Royal Ridge or Streamwood. Vision said he was fine with either. Tony was taking Sam’s side that Royal Ridge had the nicer apartment, but Steve liked Streamwood because it had better amenities.

The next day, Natasha called Aspen Creek Villas and agreed to sign two contracts. Tony Stark and S.H.I.E.L.D. had prepared legal papers and identification for Wanda, and she and Natasha filled out the forms over the internet, with S.H.I.E.L.D. agreeing to pay their rent. Sam and Steve, however, did not decide to call on Streamwood apartments until Friday.
They agreed that they would all move up together on Monday.

“Is there anything you need, Wanda, before we go up there?” Natasha asked her. “Corinth is a much smaller town, and they don’t quite have all the things you’d want for an
apartment up there.”

“I do not need much,” Wanda protested, but after some persuading, she, Natasha, and Steve went to town on Saturday to do some apartment shopping. Natasha kept making
suggestions to Wanda about stuff they might need or like, such as soap dispensers, coordinated towels, or small appliances, things that Wanda thought were nice but not really
necessary. Wanda did get a laundry hamper and a small trash can, and a set of bedsheets covered with gray flowers and a matching comforter, and a lamp with a deep red cover.
Steve hardly bought anything, and Wanda had a sneaking suspicion that he was only there to help them carry stuff back to the car. Natasha had bought some large items,
including a small flat-screen television and a blu-ray player, and a bookcase.

Natasha also took Wanda clothes’ shopping on Sunday. It was their first shopping trip together that Wanda really enjoyed. Natasha also helped her to pick out a red suitcase set
as well. They stopped by a flag store to get one of the few personal touches that Wanda required, which was a Sokovian flag to hang on the wall of her new bedroom. She also got two picture frames, one for Pietro’s picture of their family, another for an old picture of Pietro that she had printed from Facebook. Anita Limenda had shared it with her.

That night at Stark Tower they had a little farewell party, with chicken enchiladas ordered from a gourmet Mexican restaurant. When they were all a little tipsy, Sam was congratulating Wanda on something and asked her for a fist bump. Their fists made contact, but then there was a flash of red light and another one of Stark’s vases exploded. Wanda nearly panicked, but Tony Stark calmly went to pick up some of the larger pieces.

The next day they set out for Corinth at nine in the morning in two cars. Wanda rode with Natasha and Vision in the car that Tony Stark was going to let Natasha keep for her own use. Their entertainment was Natasha’s travel mix, and though Vision didn’t quite enjoy it Wanda thought that Natasha had interesting taste in music, pop mixed with new age, classical, and International bands. Natasha had some songs on her mix that had been popular in Sokovia three years ago.

They had a late lunch in Corinth with Steve and Sam--Vision thought he would be a bit of a bother to people with his peculiar appearance, and went out flying for a while. Then they separated to their different apartments. Aspen Creek had small apartments, with two private bedrooms, and a shared bath and vanity area. Wanda and Natasha spent most of the day unpacking and setting up house. Vision dropped by occasionally to see how things were going. In the evening, when they felt they had reached a stopping point, Steve and Sam came over with pizza and beer to have a housewarming party. Natasha offered to take Wanda shopping for food the next day.

“Might I come along too?” asked Vision. “I have always wanted to see the inside of a grocery store.”

Wanda laughed at his absurdity.

“Well, you can,” said Natasha.

“Eh, I dunno,” said Sam. “I’m not too sure about how people are gonna take your appearance.”

“Well, it’s a small town, and I’m sure people here are nicer than they are in New York,” said Steve.

“Tell you what, Vision,” said Natasha. “It won’t take much to dress you up.”

“I am perfectly comfortable with my appearance, Agent Romanoff,” said Vision.

“I wasn’t suggesting we could change you permanently,” said Natasha. “But maybe something temporary.”

“No,” said Vision, “I think if I’m going to be living and working here, people need to start getting used to my appearance.”

“I think so as well,” said Wanda.

They planned to go at ten the next morning, but at nine o’clock when Wanda was barely waking up and Natasha was still asleep there was a knock at the door. It was Vision.

“You don’t mind that I’ve come over early, do you?” he said.

“No,” said Wanda. “Do-d-do come in, have a seat.”

“Of course I will, thank you.” He entered the apartment and sat down on the living room couch.

Wanda went into the kitchen and helped herself to some cereal.

“Can I get you anything to eat? Or to drink?” she asked him.

“Just a glass of water would be fine, thank you,” he said. Wanda set her milk on the counter but didn’t pour it. She got a glass of water and filled it with ice and gave it to Vision.
He drank from it slowly while Wanda ate her cereal at the table.

“So what brings you out so early?” asked Wanda.

“I wanted to spend some time on my own, and maybe make the acquaintance of a few of the townspeople,” said Vision. “Steven said it wouldn’t hurt.”

“Steven? He lets you call him Steven?”

“He did get tired of my addressing him as ‘Captain,’” said Vision. “He said to save it for when we ‘go out avenging’.”

“Right,” said Wanda, crunching her cereal.

Natasha came out of her room, rubbing her eyes. “Hey, Vision. What’d you come over early for?”

“I wanted to enjoy the fresh morning air,” said Vision. He sipped his water. “The tap water has a bit of chlorine in it. I would have preferred distilled. Oh well.”

“Well, Wanda and I will go and get ready here in a little bit,” said Natasha as she put some hot water in the microwave for her tea.

After eating, she and Wanda got ready for the day. Natasha wore shorts and flip-flops and a black tank top. Wanda wore one of her new outfits she had gotten in New York, navy
blue pants and a loose blouse that was partly turquoise and partly blue.

They went out to Natasha’s car. Vision opened the passenger’s side door for Wanda and got into the back seat.

“So where are we going?” asked Wanda.

“I was thinking we’d go to that place on Main Street,” said Natasha as she turned on the ignition.

The morning traffic was steady in the center of town. They found a parking spot at a reasonable distance from the store entrance.

In front of the automatic doors there were several displays of large items, notably lawn chairs, kiddie pools, and gigantic flowerpots.

“Those are quite nice,” said Vision, pointing to the flowerpots.

“What are these doing here?” Wanda asked, confused. “I thought this store would sell only food.”

“They sell extra stuff, you know, little things for your house,” said Natasha. They entered the breezeway of the store and she picked out a cart.

“Little? I should hardly say so,” said Wanda, eyeing a grill that was on display.

Walking in to the grocery store was like stepping into a tidal wave. The checkstands off to the side were beeping and making most of the noise aside from people talking. There
were colorful displays on every side--cereal bags, picnic supplies, mums for Memorial Day (though Wanda didn’t know what that was), firecrackers for Independence day (which
wasn’t for another month and a half), pinwheels, a bin full of boxes of pop tarts ten for $10 and another bin of instant Chinese noodles 78 cents a package. And they hadn’t even entered the main part of the store yet.

She held on to the side of Natasha’s shopping cart.

“Just stay calm,” Natasha said. She put her sunglasses up on her forehead and looked at the instant noodles. “What do you say, Wanda, do you want to get some of these?”

“Sure,” Wanda shrugged, not really caring either way. Natasha threw four of the noodle packets into their cart, and they bounced and made the metal ring as they landed.

A few shoppers who were passing nearby gave Vision strange looks. A few of them stared. Most of them looked away. A little girl even pointed, and Vision waved at her. Wanda
and Natasha nodded at them and looked away.

They turned to one side and passed an in-store buffet that sold Chinese food, chicken wings, fries, and home-quality foods. Wanda involuntarily inhaled the scent--her breakfast
hadn’t really been that filling.

“Just keep looking forward,” said Natasha. They passed a large deli with mouth-watering displays of meats and cheeses, and then they entered the bakery and bread section.
“What kind of bread do you want?”

“Well, what kind is there?”

“Well, there’s always the cheap sandwich bread,” said Natasha, “but I don’t set much store by that, the wheat doesn’t taste very good and the white is mostly made from glue.”

“Glue?”

“Well, that’s what they tell me. Most commercial bread brands come in wheat or white, sometimes there’s flavors like oat or rye. What do you think?”

Wanda looked up at the shelves full of bread. There were endless varieties of even the plain kind of bread, not to mention the english muffins, bagels, and donuts. It was more
bread than she could ever hope to choose from.

“What kind of bread do you like?” she asked Natasha.

“I like regular whole wheat, nothing fancy,” said Natasha. She pulled a few loaves from off the shelf. They were pre-sliced but not very big. “And maybe let’s try some honey oat, just for fun. It’ll make some nice toast in the mornings.”

Someone behind them, a small child, shouted, “Hey, Mom, look, a robot!” The child was hurried away before Vision could reply.

Wanda was still watching them leave when Natasha asked, “Is there anything else you want?”

Wanda gave a little jump but regained her composure quickly. “How about some bagels?”

“All right then,” said Natasha. “We’ve got plain, or cinnamon, blueberry, or there’s cinnamon raisin.”

“I’ll get the cinnamon raisin,” said Wanda.

She got two bags and put them in their cart. They walked on past the boxes of fresh-baked cookies and donuts and cakes to the next aisle, which was breakfast cereals.

Natasha pointed at the more colorful varieties with cartoon characters on the packaging. “That stuff’s really sugary, you probably won’t like to eat that on a regular basis. Here’s the healthy stuff.” They came to boxes with special logos and illustrations of bountiful cereal bowls. Natasha pulled down several boxes of Special K with nut clusters with almonds and dried fruits and such. Wanda was more drawn to the generic brand chex squares and simpler cereals. Vision would lean over her shoulder occasionally to ask what she was getting, and she would tell him to go off while she was making up her mind.

They carried on to the next aisle, which had canned goods, pasta, and sauces.

“It is a wonder that any of these things are edible for you humans,” Vision observed. “Most of them are filled with preservatives and artificial ingredients. They’re hardly even
healthy--all for taste and not quality.”

“Well, thanks for putting a damper on that,” said Natasha. “But so you know some of us are trying.”

When the other shoppers stared at Vision, Wanda could sense their confusion and fear, and it agitated her, distracting her while she was trying to shop. She was tempted once or twice to use her powers to make things fall on the people with more malicious thoughts, but Vision put a hand on her shoulder and gave her a look. Natasha saw them interact and told them to focus.

They combed the following aisles for various items. Natasha asked Wanda if she wanted peanut butter, but Wanda said it wasn’t really that widely used of a food staple in Sokovia. So Natasha stuck with two kinds of jam for their toast. She got ranch dressing and ketchup and mustard, but what they would use that for Wanda was not certain. She was sure that Natasha was getting some of these items just to have, but she thought she might give offense if she said Natasha was being wasteful.

Vision was much more excited by the produce section, where Natasha stocked up on potatoes, lettuce, radishes, carrots, celery, asparagus, and spinach. In the frozen food section they got chicken and a few frozen dinners--”for when we’re on the run,” Natasha said. And Wanda kept on wondering if the store sold milk at all until at last they came to the dairy section. Natasha got a gallon of skim milk for herself, and Wanda got two-percent. They got eggs and cheese and sour cream.

Wanda was beside herself whenever Natasha asked her to pick something. There were so many varieties of the same thing that she couldn’t tell which brands were better.

Natasha sometimes gave her hints, but Vision sympathised with her confusion.

“In my country, they don’t have stores so full of things,” said Wanda. “They just have a few shelves of each item--some bread here, some milk there, they sell fresh produce in the markets, but not a lot. And people can’t afford to buy so much, much less to sell it.” Their cart was getting so full, and she was certain that half of it they didn’t really need.

They got to the non-foods sections. Wanda was amazed at the toy aisle. “American children have such pretty things,” she said. She stayed to stare at the plastic jewelry and toy cars while Natasha and Vision wandered up the aisle to look at school and office supplies, and she would not have noticed that they had left unless Vision had called to her. They loaded up on paper goods--paper towels, napkins, toilet paper, kleenex, and a small supply of paper utensils and cutlery, just in case, Natasha said. In case of what, Wanda didn’t know, and when she asked Natasha gave her a vague answer.

They got cleaning supplies, a mop, a broom and dustpan, clorox wipes and laundry detergent. Natasha would point out the values of each product as they went along, because half of the time Wanda did not know what they were used for.

What would Pietro think of all this? Wanda wondered more than once.

When they went through the makeup section, Wanda had to question why they had bothered buying the expensive name-brand variety in New York, if this little grocery store sold them for not even a quarter of the cost.

And of course, as they headed to the checkout stands at last, they passed several bins of last-minute bargains on snack foods, sunglasses, towels, movies, and other small items.
She was distracted by a rack of colorful tank tops for ten dollars apiece, but reminded herself that she had plenty of nice clothes at home.
The department stores and specialty shops in New York City had been even larger than this little main street grocery store, but this little store still carried enough goods to feed an entire apartment building in Sokovia City.

They arrived at checkstand eight just as another customer was leaving. They had walked by the aisle that had sold candies and snacks, but on either side of the checkstand were candy bars and packs of gum in redundant abundance. Natasha picked out three boxes of mint gum.

“Did you find everything all right today?” asked the cashier. She was a woman about Wanda’s age with her mouse-colored hair pulled in a ponytail, and she wore a t-shirt with the store’s logo on it and a nametag that read Danielle.

“Yes, we did, thank you,” said Natasha. “Wanda, could you and Vision please help me unload?”

‘Yes, sure,” said Wanda. She and Vision stuck their hands into the cart and loaded their items onto a conveyor belt that moved them to the checkstand. The cashier scanned the
items and put the items on a smaller conveyor belt. Danielle stared at Vision wide-eyed, and as she made small talk with Natasha she mentioned hearing that the Avengers were
moving to town. Natasha was happy to tell her a few things.

“Vision could you two bag our stuff?”

“Yes, Natasha,” said Vision. He and Wanda went to the far side of the checkstand and started stuffing the groceries into plastic bags.

“Be really careful with the eggs and the bread,” Natasha called to them. “You don’t want to smash anything.”

Wanda watched the computer behind the cashier add up their purchases. It was almost sickening, how quickly it added up--first over one hundred dollars, now over two. Their
total ended up being close to three hundred. If S.H.I.E.L.D. hadn’t been paying for their room and board, Wanda would have wondered where in the world they would have gotten
the money. But Natasha swiped a debit card, and the cashier printed out a receipt for her a mile long.

“Have a great day,” said Danielle.

“Thank you. You too,” said Natasha quietly.

Wanda and Vision finished reloading their shopping cart and went with Natasha out of the store. A few more people gawked at Vision as they walked out of the store.

“Well, that wasn’t so bad, was it?” Natasha said to them.

“It was an interesting experience, to say the least,” said Vision.

“Natasha, is that how much groceries usually cost in America? Is that how much people usually pay?” Wanda asked.

“When they’re moving into a new apartment, yes,” said Natasha. “A typical grocery store run costs about a hundred dollars or more.”

“I had no idea,” said Wanda softly. “I had no idea that groceries cost so much.”

“Well, in Sokovia people don’t normally buy this much, do they?”

“No,” said Wanda, “and there usually isn’t this much to buy.”

Vision put a hand on her shoulder. “Don’t be ashamed of yourself, Wanda. You haven’t done anything wrong.”

But she felt so hopelessly confused. Here she was, living with the Avengers, living a life of ease and plenty in America, but hadn’t she signed on to work for Strucker in the first
place because that was what she resented?

“I will pay you back,” she said to Natasha. “For anything that is mine.”

“Oh, don’t,” said Natasha. “S.H.I.E.L.D. is paying for it.”

“Please, Natasha, you shouldn’t have to be so generous.”

“Wanda, if you want to pay me back, how about don’t ever try to control my mind again like you did in Africa.”

Wanda gasped. “Is that all?”

“Help me put this stuff away,” Natasha said, popping the trunk of her car with a button. “Well, Wanda, if we’re going to be roommates, too, there’ll be other things to take care of on your end. But don’t worry about it. We’ll figure it out.”

“Where do we go next, Agent Romanoff?” asked Vision as he helped load the groceries.

“Well, if you want, you can come back to the apartment with me and Wanda and help us put the groceries away, and then we can take you back to Steve’s. How does that sound?”

“Excellent,” said Vision.

So they returned to Wanda and Natasha’s apartment as planned and unpacked their groceries. They had a lunch of spinach salad and buttered bread. They drove Vision back to the apartment he shared with Steve and Sam. Neither Wanda nor Natasha had been over yet, and they were excited to see it.

“So are they still in the middle of unpacking?” Natasha asked Vision, who was sitting up front this time.

“No, Steven has actually already unpacked most of his things,” said Vision. “He didn’t bring that much. He still has his books to unpack, though, but he is going to be putting
them in the front room. But Samuel went back to Washington this morning to pick up a few more things from his last apartment.”

Wanda snorted. “Samuel? He lets you call him that?”

“It seems that people let me get away with things that otherwise would not be acceptable.”

“That hammer, for instance,” Natasha said.

“That was not intentional. I was just handing it back to Thor.”

“You do realize how mad you’ve made everybody by being able to pick that up?”

“Thor explained it to me. But like I said, it was not intentional.”

Streamwood was a much larger condominium complex than Aspen Ridge. It had an exercise room and indoor swimming pool that Steve especially wanted to make use of. He had
just gotten back from a workout when they arrived at his apartment, and was newly showered and dressed.

“So did we have fun today?” he asked them.

“Yes, we did,” said Natasha. “And these two behaved themselves, didn’t you?”

“You are much fun to be with, Natasha,” said Wanda, smirking.

They sat down to talk for a moment, and then Vision got up to go flying for a while. Steve and Natasha sat on the couch and talked, mostly over Steve’s ideas for their new
Avengers team and how he was liking the new apartment . Wanda was feeling antsy and asked if she could look around Steve’s apartment.

“Go right ahead,” said Steve. Natasha was telling him about some apartments she had lived in over the years.

The living room and the kitchen in Steve’s large apartment were still filled with half-unpacked boxes. There were four bedrooms and two bathrooms. Wanda didn’t think Steve would mind her peeking into the bedrooms. There was one door that was closed that had duffle bags and a couple of boxes stacked on the floor and on the bed. She guessed that this was Sam’s room. The next room over to Sam’s had a bed made with white sheets but absolutely no other decorations or possessions--she guessed that this was Vision’s quarters.

Across the hall there was Steve’s room, with the door left partway open. The bed was made neatly, with blue sheets and a cozy-looking blue comforter. Quietly, she crept inside
for a closer look. There was a small bookcase set up with books filling both of the shelves, a mix of ancient volumes that she thought were Steve’s from the thirties and forties, and mixed in not a few glossier covers. There was a suitcase on the floor that had been rummaged through earlier in the day but was still unpacked. The closet had hangers but only a few clothes hung on them. There was a large collage picture frame on the wall of black and white photos, and on the floor was a box of framed photographs waiting to be placed. The shield was leaning on the nightstand, and On top of the nightstand were two framed black-and-white portraits. She went to have a closer look at these.
One of them was of a woman wearing a military uniform. She had her head held high, and her hair was curled perfectly around a porcelain face and fierce, dark eyes. Wanda put the photo back down and noticed something else on the bedside table--an antique compass. She picked it up and opened it. There was a picture of the same woman inside of
the lid.

He must have loved her.

Then she replaced the compass on the table to look at the other picture. There was Steve, wearing what was obviously an older version of the Captain America uniform, and he had his arm around a young man who might have been about Steve’s age but didn’t appear to be a relative. He had dark, curly hair that was a bit unkempt, and a funny smile, and he wore a ragged shirt and a couple of dog tags. Wanda didn’t think he was particularly handsome, but he certainly looked charming, almost roguish. She put the picture down. Hoping Steve wouldn’t notice that she had touched his possessions--and praying she wouldn’t have to use her powers to convince him--she left the room.
She was thinking it might be a good idea to return to the living room, but Steve and Natasha were still deep in conversation, and there was still one more bedroom. It was just
Steve, Sam, and Vision who lived there. Perhaps the fourth room was being used for storage.

But on opening the door, she did not see any cluttered boxes or discarded possessions on the floor. The room was quite empty. The bed, however, had been made with a set of pale blue sheets and a fleece blanket. She entered the room for a closer look. What could Steve possibly be hiding in here--if he had anything to hide?

The fleece blanket was patterned with the logo of an American baseball team, the Los Angeles Dodgers. Steve had a baseball cap he was particularly proud of with this logo. He said back in the day the Dodgers had played in his home borough of Brooklyn.

Maybe it was a guest bedroom. But it had to be for a particular guest. The bedside table had a lamp and a framed black-and-white photo. There were two young boys in it, one short and almost deathly skinny, the other tall and rather healthy, but leaning his arm supportively around the weaker one. The smaller one had to be Steve before the serum she had heard of, but then who was the other boy?

Then in her mind’s eye she saw the other picture in Steve’s room of him and his friend from the war. It was them, in childhood.

Before Wanda could really ask herself what was going on, the door opened. Steve was there, with Natasha behind him. Steve wasn’t angry, just a little disappointed that Wanda
had been snooping around. Natasha at first thought Wanda was being cute, but her face fell when she saw the bed, and folded her arms.

“Did you find anything?” Steve asked.

“Who is this?” Wanda asked.

“Oh great, here we go,” said Natasha.

“What, are you getting tired of this story?” Steve asked her.

“Well--don’t tell me you’ve set up this bedroom for him!”

“What is all this about, Steve?” asked Wanda.

“Do Sam and Vision know about this?” asked Natasha.

“Well, Vision was okay with it, but Sam didn’t think there was much of a point.”

“I should say there isn’t,” Natasha said a little cooly.

Wanda read Steve’s mind, and then looked back at the picture. “This boy--this man now, he is your friend, no? He is on your mind much, yet I have not heard you speak of him
much. Who is he?”

Steve smiled, but it wasn’t a happy smile, but a smile of someone who could hardly explain something he knew so much about.

“Have a seat on the bed, if you want,” said Steve. Wanda sat down, and he sat next to her.

“This was taken in 1933,” he said, looking at the photo. “That other kid is James Buchanan Barnes--we called him Bucky--and he’s my best friend.”

“He is?” asked Wanda. “Or was? You do not make sense.”

“Is,” said Steve.

Natasha rolled her eyes. She leaned against the wall next to the empty closet to listen.

“Bucky and I fought in the war together,” said Steve. “He fell to his death before I went on the ice. Or so it seemed. Have you ever heard of the Winter Soldier?”

“Yes,” Wanda said. “Strucker spoke of him much. The Asset, they called him. He was in Sokovia many years ago, before the Communists left. A terrorist responsible for destroying the uprising of 1968, Hydra said--but no one of my people had a name for him.”

“The Winter Soldier was Hydra’s private assassin,” said Steve. “As it turned out, my friend did not fall to his death. He was captured by Hydra, brainwashed, and made into a
human weapon.” Steve refrained from adding just like you.

“Pietro and I volunteered,” said Wanda. “But I only ever heard one thing about the Asset from Strucker himself. He was Strucker’s inspiration. Only, we would be better.”

Wanda thought that Steve was feeling like he was going to be sick.

“But if the Asset was your friend, did he remember you?”

“Only enough to stop himself from killing me,” was all Steve would say aloud.

“But where is he now?”

“Most of Hydra’s organization fell apart when S.H.I.E.L.D. did last spring,” said Steve. “And the Winter Soldier disappeared. Sam and I have been looking for him--well, Sam’s
been doing a lot of the heavy lifting, since the Avengers got back together. But, we’ll find him. We’ll find him,” he reiterated.

“And this room is for him?”

“Yep.”

“Well...is a bit much to hope for, no, if your long-lost friend doesn’t want to be found?”

“Well, I don’t want him to have to sleep on the couch.”

“Is this why you got a four-bedroom apartment?” said Wanda. “So all your friends could be together?”

“I really don’t know what’s going to happen,” said Steve. “But I just thought it would be nice, you know, for him to have a place to stay if he does show up. I mean, he doesn’t have to join the Avengers. But I’d like someplace to keep him around.” He nodded.

“Well...you certainly are the optimist, Steve,” said Wanda. She put the picture back on the bedside table. “I think I would get a drink of water.”

“Sure, you do that,” said Steve as she got up. “Maybe I’ll get one too.”

“Just a moment, Rogers,” said Natasha just as Wanda had left the room.

Wanda didn’t know what to think of Steve now, after all of this. She had thought that he was adjusting well to life in the present--he thought of himself as a different person now, even. But what was this clinging, this longing to an old friend of his? Was this the reason, or part of the reason, of his anger towards Hydra, his determination to snuff it out at all costs?

She did not return to the bedroom, after she had had her glass of water. But she lingered on the edge of the living room and listened.

“Is Bucky really going to remember you?” Natasha berated Steve. “Is he even going to remember himself, the way you knew him?”

“Look, Nat, that’s the best-case scenario that he does, but I’m really willing to accept him under any circumstances.”

“And do you really expect him to just waltz in her and be comfortable? Does he want this? Because from what you and Sam have told me about your little search he keeps running
away from you.”

“I’ll admit, it hasn’t been easy,” said Steve. “But I want to be ready whenever he is. That’s what this is for.”

“Well, it seems like a waste of money, renting an entire room for a guy who’s probably never going to show up.”

“It’ll be worth it in the end, I think, wherever this ends up.”

Natasha and Wanda drove home in silence. Natasha read a book during the afternoon and Wanda was on Facebook and Twitter, catching up with some of her old friends, though not really saying much about what was happening with herself. She told most people that she was living in America and had found a job there.

Natasha took her to town again the next day, this time to set up a bank account, and over the remaining course of the week Natasha gave her driving lessons. Wanda got an official driver’s licence the following Monday. But other than that they didn’t go out much.

They didn’t see much of Steve or Sam but Vision came over nearly every day to visit. Sam came back from DC, only to go down again with Steve during the weekend. Then on Monday as he was driving back up he called Natasha.

“Steve says he wants us to come over to his apartment tomorrow. He wants to talk about a training course for you and Vision.”

“Training?” asked Wanda. “Is this for the Avengers?”

“What else could it be?” said Natasha.

At Steve’s apartment the next day, they had a lunch of BLT sandwiches, and Steve talked to Vision and Wanda about his ideas for the new Avengers team.

“Sam’s already got experience, so he won’t need much. But with you two we are starting from scratch,” said Steve. “Vision, I think you won’t need much for physical and combat
training.”

“That is all right, sir,” said Vision. “I would like to learn. It is good to have a broad range of skills.”

“And Wanda, I know you have your own style of fighting, but I still think you need to learn how to fight without your powers. I want you to be prepared for any kind of situation you may find yourself in.”

“I understand,” said Wanda.

“There’s also going to be a lot of reading and studying I would like you two to do. Mostly history and combat theory.”

“So on mental and physical aspects, we would be holding them to the same standard as S.H.I.E.L.D. agents. Is that what I’m hearing?” said Natasha.

“It won’t be quite as academic,” said Steve. He laughed. “S.H.I.E.L.D. school was fun, but I don’t want that for anybody who’s working for me. It’s not about certification anymore.
It’s about knowing your stuff. Wanda, Vision, Sam has agreed to be your instructor in hand-to-hand combat.”

“I told him I wasn’t an expert,” said Sam modestly. “I’m just experienced. I guess having experience is the thing now, isn’t it?”

“Is this why you wanted apartments with exercise facilities, then?” asked Wanda, “to help us with the training?”

“Exactly--especially you. But I have confidence in you. You’re gonna do great.”

“I think this is going to be splendid,” said Vision.

Steve drew up a training schedule for them. They would have to read one book a week on Steve’s chosen topics of history, military science, combat theory, and S.H.I.E.L.D. history
and methods. Steve wanted Wanda to come over three times a week for physical training in the gym at his apartments, and on her off days he expected her to be exercising on
her own. She needed to be able to run, carry weight, put up with extended physical activity, and move quickly.

“When our new headquarters is finished,” he told her, “we’ll have more resources for you to use, and you can start practicing using your powers to fight and applying them to what
you’ve learned. But one thing I learned at S.H.I.E.L.D. school is that you’ve got to know the basics first.”

Wanda didn’t use her powers much, but in her free time she was manipulating objects in her apartment or that she saw around the neighborhood. She even possessed a stray cat
to be friendly to her, but Natasha was fairly disturbed and asked her to release it.

On Mondays and Wednesdays she and Steve practiced different physical exercises for toning her body, mainly push-ups and sit ups. He also had her practicing punches and kicks on a punching bag. The gym at Streamwood had an open area as well as a room with weights and treadmills and such, but they didn’t use the equipment that often. During their time together they talked about the reading assignments and related ideas, Steve oftentimes drawing from his personal experience. Vision, of course, was with them most of the time to keep them company. Sometimes he would do the exercises with them, other times he would test out the exercise equipment to amuse himself.

Steve was a maniac about keeping in shape: Wanda was amazed that he didn’t take his enhanced abilities for granted. He would go running several miles every morning and then come back and train with her for several hours, and where it took several hours of exertion for him to break a sweat Wanda was gasping for breath within minutes. But she enjoyed the challenge, however, of keeping up with somebody much stronger than her. Natasha took her to buy some exercise clothes, including running pants and a sports bra, but Natasha usually wore a tight t-shirt over her workout wear. Natasha sometimes exercised by herself, and sometimes she would join Wanda on her solo workouts on Tuesday and Thursday, and sometimes on Wednesdays and Fridays when she wasn’t out doing something else (Wanda and Steve didn’t know what half the time) she would join their training sessions. The other residents of the Streamwood complex didn’t mind them--they were entertained watching Steve and Wanda work out and Vision fiddling around with the dumbells like they were pillows, sometimes they ignored them.

On Fridays Sam would work with Wanda in training her to fight, and they would be in the empty room of the complex. Steve was usually absent, but sometimes he or Natasha would come and watch or give them pointers. Wanda often teased Steve about when he was going to let her fight him, but he would smile and say she wasn’t ready yet.

“You’ve got to be able to beat Sam first in a fair fight,” said Steve.

Wanda also asked Natasha if she would fight with her, but Natasha said the same thing.

“What happens if I beat you in a fair fight?” Wanda asked Sam.

“That’s when I join the Avengers.”

On the weekends, Natasha stayed home to work on the computer, and Wanda borrowed the car and went for long drives in the country. Some days she would go to visit the
construction site of the new Avengers facility, which was making rapid progress. She was amazed that any building could be built so quickly, but then again S.H.I.E.L.D. had resources and equipment that other organizations could only dream of.

Tony Stark had sent Wanda her own laptop computer. Wanda set up a Netflix account and spent her evenings watching movies, mostly the American films she never saw growing
up. What she couldn’t find on Netflix she rented from Corinth’s city library.

The third weekend of May, Steve and Sam went to New York again. When they came back, Steve drove up on a motorcycle. He drove by Aspen Creek to offer Wanda a ride, and
she said yes. It wasn’t terribly awkward, wrapping her arms around Steve’s torso for support. He took her through the country and past the park. She loved feeling the wind in her hair.

One Thursday afternoon at the end of May, Natasha said she was going to get her hair done and asked if Wanda would come with her. Wanda said yes. They went to a little hole-in-the-wall salon on Newcomb Street. Natasha only trimmed her hair, but Wanda got highlights as well as a trim. They stopped at the grocery store on the way home, and Wanda, thinking she could do with a change for her nails as well, bought some nail polish, red, green, and also more black, and some cotton swabs and polish remover on the side.

That evening, she sat at the kitchen table and tried to do her own nails. Natasha came in and asked her if she wanted some help. Wanda accepted. Natasha painted her nails--
fingers and toes--and then Wanda offered to paint Natasha’s nails. Natasha said no. But while they sat together, Natasha coaxed Wanda into practicing her scant Russian and
talking about boys.

As the month of May passed into June, Steve’s apartment became a sort of temporary headquarters for the people who would be assisting the Avengers. Tony Stark came to visit a few times, as did Nick Fury, the tall, black ex-director of S.H.I.E.L.D. who wore an eyepatch and was going to be serving as an advisor for the Avengers. Their visitors included Maria Hill, who was Fury’s assistant and sometimes Tony Stark’s assistant; Dr. Eric Selvig, an astrophysicist in Thor’s acquaintance; and Helen Cho, whom Ultron had used to create Vision. Wanda and Vision were both pleased to see her again, and Steve was thrilled that she would be offering her services.
Vision would make frequent trips back to New York City to visit Stark Tower.

“Mr. Stark is as well as ever,” Vision reported, “but I think he is a little lonely. His friend Rhodey comes to visit often. Ms. Pepper Potts and Thor have come back to see him for a few days.”

“And how does he feel, seeing you?” Wanda asked him once. “He uploaded his old butler JARVIS into you, but you are not JARVIS.”

“That is true,” said Vision. “He looks for JARVIS in me, I think. And FRIDAY hasn’t been quite the same for him.”

Two weeks into June, Wanda finally beat Sam in a fight. Steve had not been watching, so Sam had to text him to come over to the gym so they could repeat his humiliation. Steve
laughed and applauded.

Sam picked himself off the floor and groaned, rubbing his head.

“Well, Sam, do you think she’ll make an Avenger?” said Steve.

“I dunno, man,” said Sam. “You’d have to ask her about it. But as for me, I think I should’ve asked you to fight with her before I agreed to join. I think you made it too easy.”

“Well, that makes five.” Steve pulled Sam onto his feet.

Then Vision came into the room.

“Good afternoon, friends,” he said.

“Do I gotta repeat getting hit in the face for you, too?” Sam asked.

Wanda and Steve laughed.

“No, but I am pleased that Wanda has made progress,” said Vision. “I have just returned from New York City. Colonel Rhodes says that he is considering joining the Avengers.
And he would also like to help with Miss Maximoff’s training.”

Wanda gasped happily.

“You mean it, Vision?” said Steve.

“All right, that sounds cool,” said Sam, wrapping his sweat towel around his neck. He took a drink from his water bottle. “That’s all we needed was one more person, right?”

“Colonel Rhodes has not said his decision is official,” said Vision. “But he is considering it. And if you ask me, I think he is in favor of joining.”

“Hm, another black air force dude,” said Sam. “I think we’ll be okay.”

“So when is he coming up?” asked Steve.

“He said to tell you that he will be here a week from Wednesday.”

“Perfect.”

On Thursday morning, after coming back from her run, Wanda got a text from Steve.

Steve: Hey, Wanda. Director Coulson is here and he wants to see the new HQ and take us to lunch. Wanna come? Wanda: Sure. Steve: Great. You can come over with Natasha.

Natasha returned to the apartment from some unknown errand as Wanda was cleaning herself up.

“Did you get the text from Steve?” Natasha said.

“Yes, he says he wants to take us to lunch. You were invited, weren’t you?”

“Uh-huh.”

“What time are we supposed to be there?”

“Eleven-thirty. So in an hour.”

Wanda shrugged. “Is not so bad.”

Wanda dressed in a pair of jeans and a red blouse, and she did her hair back in a ponytail. Natasha wore her khaki shorts and black sleeveless blouse. They left the apartment at
a quarter after eleven.

When they entered Steve’s apartment, they let themselves in. Their visitors were a middle-aged man with a comb-over and a girl about Wanda’s age with very straight brown hair.
They sat on the couch across from Steve, the man talking with him animatedly while the girl looked shy and awkward. Steve was kind of avoiding her gaze.

The man got up the moment Natasha and Wanda entered the room.

“Coulson!” said Natasha, embracing the man.

“Romanoff, good golly I’ve missed you!” he said. Then they broke apart and he saw Wanda. “Hello, I’m Director Coulson of S.H.I.E.L.D..”

“Wanda Maximoff.” She shook hands with him. She knew just by looking at him what his story was.

“I’ve heard a lot about you,” said Coulson. “It’s a pleasure to finally meet you.”

“I hope you’ve heard nice things about me,” said Wanda with a smirk. Coulson knew her as “the witch”--just like everyone else.

“Steve here was just filling me in on your training,” said Coulson. “He says you are an excellent pupil.”

She saw Steve smiling at her proudly behind Coulson.

“Steve speaks too kindly of me,” said Wanda. “And who is this?” she said, gesturing to the brown-haired girl.

“This is my assistant, Agent Hillary Tanner.”

Hillary stood up and shook hands with Wanda. “How do you do?”

“I am fine, thank you,” said Wanda. Hillary seemed distracted by something.

“You’ve meet Agent Romanoff, haven’t you, Hillary?” asked Coulson.

“Of course. She came to Phoenix a few months ago, didn’t you?”

“Yes, it was me and Barton,” said Natasha. “How are you?”

“Doing well. Coulson treats me all right. I haven’t given him too much grief.”

Natasha sniffed. “Not as much grief as you’ve given Rogers, I hope.”

“Did he tell you about that?”

“Well, when the Avengers hang out together, we tend to gossip a little.”

Coulson laughed.

“And where is Vision and Wilson?” Wanda asked.

“Sam’s gone back to New York to see Tony about his suit,” said Steve. “Vision went with him.”

“Well, those two will have fun,” said Natasha.

Steve shook his head. “Sam already texted me. Vision is driving him up the wall.”

“So that’s the five of us, then?” said Coulson. “How about it, will we all fit in your car, Steve?”

“We can take mine,” said Natasha. “I’ve got gas.”

“Sounds like a plan,” said Coulson. They filed out of the apartment.

Natasha and Steve sat in the front, leaving Hillary, Coulson, and Wanda in the back. Wanda sat next to Hillary. Hillary seemed uneasy about something, but it wasn’t anything to do with Wanda.

Coulson made small talk with Steve and Natasha about his work with S.H.I.E.L.D.. They had another friend named Mitch who was back in Washington, D.C., and whom Hillary was texting at the moment. There was a lapse in the conversation, and Wanda decided to talk to Hillary.

“So, Hillary, you are American?”

“Yeah.” She was keeping herself from saying “duh.”

“Where in America are you from?”

“Arizona. It’s that state that’s down by California--but that probably doesn’t make sense to you.”

“Arizona, I hear is very hot and dry there, no?”

“Yeah, it is,” said Hillary.

“Very would be an understatement,” said Steve. Natasha laughed.

“So what’s this town called again?” Hillary asked as they drove beyond the city limits.

“Corinth,” said Coulson.

“Corinth, eh? Yeah, there’s quite a few Greek place names around here. Corinth’s gotta be a fun place to live if you’re a Christian. You’ve got two whole books of scripture with
your name on it--get it?”

Steve gave a chuckle.

“Is not funny,” said Wanda. “The last person I knew who quoted scripture so carelessly was Ultron.”

“Oh-oh-oh I’m sorry,” said Hillary nervously. “I didn’t mean to--”

“Is all right,” said Wanda.

Hillary returned her attention to Steve, trying to break some of the tension that Wanda could feel between them.

“Hey, Steve, so remember those distant cousins you said you had? Do they live around here?”

“Yeah, they do, actually,” said Steve. “I haven’t had the chance to see them yet. Probably won’t get around to it. I’ve been pretty busy.”

“That’s what I hear.”

They sat in silence for the rest of the ride. The tour of the new Avengers Headquarters took them about half an hour. They still had to wear hard hats in the construction zone,
but there was being substantial progress made--most of the exterior was complete, and a lot of the science labs and aircraft hangars were nearly finished. But for most of the tour Hillary and Steve stood apart, on opposite ends of the group.

At the end of the tour, Coulson was talking to one of the site construction managers when Steve drifted apart a little from the group. Hillary followed after him. They went over
by the fence to talk.

Steve looked slightly ashamed of himself. But Hillary was blushing.

“So how’s….everything?” said Hillary.

“Everything is fine. Great, actually. How are things with you?”

“They’re okay,” said Hillary.

“I understand you guys were just in Denver.”

“Yeah. We were. A month ago.”

“Any sign of our mutual friend over there?”

“Well, he’s dropped off the radar again. And in case you’re wondering, he hasn’t contacted me.”

“How about that girl you said he was...dating?”

“Kristie got to meet with her. But I don’t think that girl’s seen him recently.”

“Well, then, I’ll tell Sam to head over there.”

There was an awkward pause. Then Hillary said, “Look, Steve. I know I’ve already apologized to you over the phone, but I want to say it to your face: I’m sorry.”

Steve didn’t say anything.

“He made me and my family promise not to say anything,” said Hillary. “Especially you. It’s what he wanted. You’re not still angry with me, are you?”

“Just disappointed,” said Steve. “But a lot has happened since then.”

“Yeah,” Hillary said, letting herself laugh a little. “You said, ‘when I get back from Sokovia, we’re going to have a long chat about why you shouldn’t hide Steve’s stuff.’ And then
you didn’t.”

“Well,” Steve shrugged, “when I got back from Sokovia, I was coordinating with S.H.I.E.L.D. to keep an eye out for Hydra. Then Thor wanted to do some sightseeing around New
York City. And then Barton and Natasha wanted to hang out, And then Tony needed help setting up for the party--well, as it turns out he wanted me to take over the setup while he was working on Ultron.”

“And I thought maybe after saving the world again you’d have some time to catch up.”

“Yeah, well, I appreciate you staying on top of it. But I’ve been busy, putting the new team together, training Wanda and Vision -- “

“Right, right,” said Hillary. “That’s understandable. Well, I guess he’s earned a break. I can fill you in on what happened in Denver later.”

“Yeah, let’s do that.”

Another pause. Hillary looked at the floor and rubbed her arm. “Steve. I just don’t know if I’m happy to see you or not. I mean, yeah, I am, after what happened--who wouldn’t be?”

“Well, then you should be glad to see me,” said Steve. “For old times’ sake.”

“Okay.” They embraced.

“Hey,” said Coulson, interrupting them. “Are you guys hungry?”

“Sure,” said Hillary.

“Know any good places around here to eat?” asked Coulson, walking towards them.

“There’s this burger joint on main street I’ve been wanting to try out,” said Steve. “Let’s go there.”

“All right, whatever you say,” said Coulson. Their little group began to walk out of the construction zone.

It seemed that Hillary had relaxed quite a bit after her talk with Steve. She was joking back and forth with Steve on the drive back to town, occasionally interrupted by Natasha’s
sarcastic comments, and Wanda, Steve, and Natasha gave Coulson and Hillary some of the inside details of the Ultron affair.

“So how long have you known Steve?” Wanda asked Hillary. “Since he worked for S.H.I.E.L.D.?”

“Yeah, he was at S.H.I.E.L.D. school with me for a semester. We had a whole gang of friends. Crazy, all that Hydra stuff. Me and Steve are like one of the five people in that group
still working for S.H.I.E.L.D.. And we did an assignment together. It was fun, wasn’t it?”

“Yeah,” said Steve.

“So now we get to help out the Avengers, don’t we, Coulson?”

Coulson chuckled. “In our spare time. I think Steve here will be doing the heavy lifting.”

“Was the pun intended, Phil?” said Natasha.

“No.”

A waitress came by with a tray loaded with their orders. Wanda dug in to her cheeseburger, but Coulson and Hillary continued to talk to her between bites.

“But you shouldn’t be too worried, Wanda,” said Coulson. “Steve’s a stiff commander, but he’s easy enough to please if you’re on his good side.”

“Yeah, don’t worry,” Hillary affirmed. “I went to S.H.I.E.L.D. school with this huge dweeb. He’s not so bad.”

“That was one semester--,” Steve began.

“I even fought him. And I beat him--only because he let me, but still.”

“If I hadn’t gone easy on you kids I would’ve made pancakes of the lot of you.”

Natasha forked her salad. “Unlike me.”

“Well, you didn’t have to go to S.H.I.E.L.D. school, did you, Natasha?”

“Nope. I just had to shadow Coulson and Barton for two years. I’d already learned what I needed.”

“But you’ve always said you’re willing to learn more, Tasha,” said Coulson.

“Given time.”

They continued to make small talk and laughter. They even took pictures on Coulson’s and Natasha’s phones. Wanda could not remember when she had been this happy since
Pietro had died.

“Are you on Facebook?” Wanda asked Hillary as they left the restaurant.

“Yes I am,” said Hillary. “But you’ll see me around again.”

“We’ll be coming to check on you guys occasionally, for sure,” said Coulson.

“Hey, wanna take a pic with me?” asked Hillary, pulling out her phone.

“Yeah, sure,” said Wanda. She leaned her head next to Hillary’s.

“It doesn’t have to be formal or anything.” Wanda settled for raising her eyebrows while Hillary puckered her face. Hillary was excited about taking her ‘selfie with the Witch’, but
Wanda didn’t say anything.

They were back at Steve’s apartment before Wanda was ready. Hillary and Coulson were talking about their recent trip to Denver which, among other things, included evidence of
recent appearances of Steve’s wandering friend. Hillary promised to send Steve an email of the report.

As they parted, Wanda shook hands with both of them.

“It was very nice to meet you,” said Hillary.

“You too, Hillary.”

Coulson hugged Natasha, then he shook hands with Wanda. “I’ll look forward to working with you in the future,” said Coulson.

“Me too,” said Wanda. And maybe someday he would be as good friends with her as he was with everyone else he had gone to lunch with that day, she thought.

“Take care.” He waved as he got into Steve’s car. Hillary waved back to Wanda from the passenger’s seat. Steve got into the diver’s spot and drove away with them back to the
regional airport.

With Sam still absent the next morning and Natasha on an errand, Steve agreed to fight with Wanda in the gym at Streamwood. Wanda was amazed at his self-control, throwing jabs and kicks at her with just enough strength to throw her off balance if he struck but not enough to overwhelm her. They ranged across the room, and he made sure Wanda got the chance to defend herself from as many angles as possible. Sometimes he would accidentally hit her a little too hard, and sometimes she would get some of her powers to throw him off balance, but they were both good sports about it.

Steve called for a break after about half an hour. Exhausted, Wanda fell to the floor and lay there on her back. Steve grabbed his water bottle and joined her, facing the opposite
direction.

“You’re not an expert at training people to fight, are you?” said Wanda.

“No,” said Steve. “More of an on-the-job training type.”

“And do most of the people you have met fight like this?”

“More or less. I either shoot or fight hand-to-hand.”

“But you do throw your shield around a bit.”

“A bit, yeah,” Steve laughed. “It’s been handy to have. But I still make it a point to be able to fight without it if I have to. That’s why I’d like you to be able to fight without your
powers, in case …”

“In case I need to use something different,” said Wanda. “Does your shield just come back to you?”

“Depends on how I throw it. Usually it gets stuck somewhere. And more than once I’ve nearly lost it for good.”

“But is dangerous, is it not, to go back looking for that shield when you leave it?”

“Well, it’s been a valuable enough asset. I’d like to hold on to it.”

“Yes. I suppose a man as powerful as you can afford to go back for it. And if you get killed, you walk it off.” She smiled, remembering when Steve had first said that in Sokovia.

Steve, however, sat up. “You remembered that?”

“Yes...well...not all of us were able. It wasn’t Pietro’s fault.” She shrugged, staying on her back..

“Look, Wanda, I’m sorry about that,” said Steve. “When I said, ‘walk it off,’ I didn’t mean--”

“We knew what you meant,” said Wanda, sitting up.

Steve laid back down, rubbing his face with his hands.

“Steve,” said Wanda. When she had his attention, she continued, “I am meaning to say, for some time now, thank you for bringing his body back. It meant much to me.”

“I know it did,” said Steve. He put his hand down by his side, close to Wanda’s. Their hands intertwined. “I’ve had too many friends who died in the war that we never got their
remains back. It’s always so much worse.”

“And then your friend...who was taken by Hydra,” said Wanda slowly. “You had to take it for granted…”

“Yeah.”

Steve let go of her hand and helped her up. They started to fight again.

Steve drove Wanda back home, and while she was in the shower she wondered if it was going to be another quiet weekend at home for her and Natasha--well, as relatively quiet
as their weekends went.

Then as she was finishing dressing, she heard Natasha opening the apartment door and calling for her. She came out of the bedroom pulling her shirt over her head.

“I am here, Natasha,” said Wanda. “What is the matter?”

“I just got a message from Clint. He and Laura had their baby!”

“Oh!” Wanda gasped. Natasha unlocked her phone to show Wanda a picture that had been texted to her--the small, wrinkled reddish baby with thin hair wrapped in a blanket.

“Oh, he is so precious.”

“Steve said we could go down and visit them early next week.”

“Really? When do we go?”

“Monday, after they get back from the hospital.”

“Oh--but so soon?”

“Clint says he doesn’t mind. We’ll be able to help out Laura anyway.”

It was a quiet Friday after all, but enlivened by the news of the Bartons’ new baby. On Saturday Natasha wanted to go to town to check out the thrift store on Maple Street, and
Wanda went with her. Natasha found a few knicknacks for the apartment, including a printed canvas of an abstract design to hang on the wall and an odd-looking vase to put in the corner. Wanda found something she liked very much: a red bathrobe made from a crimped silk material that hung all the way to the floor and with flared sleeves. It was more of a gown than a practical bathrobe, but she thought she would get it, just to wear around the apartment.

“You seem awfully fond of the color red,” Natasha observed as they drove home. “Is that your new favorite color since you started working for Strucker, or -- “

“Oh no, it’s always been my favorite,” said Wanda. “I guess...with Strucker’s experiments that’s how it came out.”

“Not really much of a coincidence.”

“No...I guess it was really a reflection of personality.”

“Okay. Was that too personal of a question?”

“No, no. Is fine. Small detail.” She knew Natasha would never answer a question like that voluntarily.

On Sunday Steve came over and they watched a movie together on Natasha’s laptop. On Monday morning, bright and early, Steve drove the two ladies out to the regional airport,
where a jet that Natasha had hired awaited them. The flight to Indiana took only a little longer from Corinth than it had from New York City. When they landed and walked up to
the farmhouse, everything seemed subdued and quiet. No one came out to greet them, but they let themselves in just as Clint Barton was coming into the entry hall.

“I just on my way to let you in,” said Barton.

“We got in just fine,” said Natasha.

"Can I get your bags?”

“No, we’re good, where’s Cooper and Lila?”

“They’re in the den playing video games--I’ve told them three times already to do the dishes.”

“Well, leave them be.” Natasha put her bags down by the door, and Wanda did the same. “How’s Laura?”

“She’s doing great. She’s upstairs resting, but she was awake just now, and she just finished feeding the baby.”

“So we came just in time.” Natasha was the first one up the stairs. Barton followed her. Wanda went after both of them to Clint and Laura’s bedroom.

The bed was made, and Laura Barton was sitting on top of it, propped on pillows and wearing a short, ugly nightgown. The baby was being burped and wore a set of baby
pajamas that Wanda remembered Laura getting at the shower.

“Hello there, Natasha,” said Laura with some mustered enthusiasm.

Natasha leaned over the bed and hugged her. “I’m so happy to see you,” she said. Then she turned to the baby and added in a baby-talk voice, “and I’m so happy to finally meet
you, even though you’re not a girl, silly traitor baby.” She leaned in just inches away from the baby’s face. Laura managed a quiet laugh.

Barton leaned against the wall with his arms folded. “Oh, Nat, you’re not gonna rub that in his face for the rest of his life, are you?”

“No, I’m not,” said Natasha as she sat down on the bed next to Laura. Wanda sat down on the foot of the bed, watching. Laura greeted her cordially. While Laura finished burping
the baby, she and Barton talked about how the labor and delivery had gone. Then when the baby was finished with, Laura very gently handed him and a burp cloth to Natasha.
And while Natasha rocked him, she talked to Barton about life on the farm.

“It’s such a relief to be doing normal stuff,” Barton commented. “Making runs to the grocery store, working on the tractor, digging up the garden. I’ll have to show it to you, by the way, it’s coming in really nice. So anyway, I’m spending time with the kids. Practicing my cooking skills, even. Nobody’s been poisoned yet.”

“Glad to hear it,” said Natasha.

“Well, he hasn’t really been cooking,” said Laura. “Mostly heating up the casseroles I made in advance.”

“Hey, at least the salad’s fresh,” Barton protested.

“You know, there’s a reason that Tony never let you be in charge of food,” said Natasha.

“Because you told him.”

“Because we needed your skills elsewhere.”

“Hey, it was one time, all right,” said Barton. “Gosh, I can’t believe you haven’t gotten over it.”

“I thought what happened in Budapest stays in Budapest,” said Natasha.

Barton changed the subject to his trying to persuade Laura to renovate the dining room. Wanda scooted around the bed to be closer to Natasha and to get a good look at the
baby.

“It is a little strange, to have Clint home so much,” said Laura, looking lovingly at her husband.

“But I think you’re getting used to it,” said Natasha.

“I’m the one who’s getting used to it,” said Barton. “This is the longest I’ve been home in years. I think my record is two months straight. I should do this more often.”

Laura shook her head. “You’ll get antsy again before you know it,” she said.

“Yeah, well, I’m not in a rush.”

“So did we finally settle on a middle name for Nathaniel?” said Natasha.

“Yes we did,” said Barton. “Wanda?”

Wanda looked up at him. “Yes, Barton?”

“Wanda…” he was hesitant to say it out loud. He folded his arms.

“I know what you are going to say already, said Wanda, who could scarcely believe what she read in his mind.

“I know--well,” said Barton uncomfortably.

“What Clint’s trying to say,” said Laura, taking Wanda’s hand, “is that we went ahead and picked the name without asking you, so we hope that it’s all right.”

“Oh, of course--”

“Well, here’ s the birth certificate,” said Barton, pulling a small piece of paper from the dresser and placing it in Wanda’s hands. On the line for the child’s name, there was written:

Nathaniel Pietro Barton

“You--you named him after my brother,” said Wanda. She was stunned.

“Your brother saved my life,” said Barton. “Without him, I wouldn’t have been able to come home to my family. I wanted to honor him, and Laura agreed, in the end. We debated
it right until he was born. We even argued about it while you were in labor, weren’t we?”

“Wasn’t the most effective distraction,” said Laura.

“But anyway, Wanda, we just wanted you to -- “

But Wanda had jumped off the bed to embrace Barton in a back-crushing hug.

“I love you too, kid,” he said, patting her.

“Wanda, would you like to hold him?” said Natasha.

“Oh, yes, of course,” said Wanda, breaking away from Barton and sitting back on the bed. Natasha handed over the burp cloth first, then carefully placed baby Nathaniel in her
arms.

So this was how her brother’s legacy would live on, then? As the middle name for this tiny baby? And that meant that she and Pietro were now a part of Barton’s family--of an
Avenger’s family.

Years ago she had never even stopped to think about it--the Avengers were people, too. And now she was holding the proof of it.

She did not recall ever, ever having held a newborn baby before. When she was a teenager, and in the years leading up to her and Pietro volunteering for Strucker, she had been
so caught up in campaigning for social and political justice, for wanting to make her country and her world a better place, that she had never taken time for the littler things--for the littler people, even.

She and Natasha took lots of pictures that day. Natasha divided her time between holding baby Nathaniel, doing chores around the house for Laura, and playing with Cooper and Lila. Wanda spent most of the afternoon either watching baby Nathaniel or holding him, wanting to be as close to this little piece of her brother as she could.

They flew back to Corinth early the next morning.

On Wednesday, Sam Wilson came back up to Corinth with his new Falcon suit, and Rhodey and Vision were with him. It was very fancy in red and black and it flew remarkably well. Sam took it for a test flight outside of the new Avengers headquarters and they all came out to watch. Vision flew in circles around Sam, and though he protested that he was there in case Sam had any engine trouble, Sam came back to the ground very irritated.

“Do you know what he said when he passed me?” Sam huffed, taking off his goggles. “Do you KNOW what he said when he passed me?”

“No, what did he say?” said Steve, looking unamused.

“I only said, ‘On your left,’” said Vision.

Steve cracked up.

Colonel James “Rhodey” Rhodes was there to pay a preliminary visit to the new Avengers facility and talked to Steve about possibly joining the Avengers. While he still harbored
some reservations, he did ask Steve if there was anything he could do to help with training Wanda and Vision.

“Actually, I was thinking about starting them on swimming lessons,” said Steve. “Sam’s already offered help in that department, but I’d rather keep him for the fighting stuff. And
he says you’re a much better swimmer than him.”

Rhodey laughed. “Wilson’s being modest, but I can take you up on that.”

Rhodey agreed to begin swimming lessons for Wanda and Vision the following week in Streamwood’s indoor pool.

Wanda and Natasha went shopping over the weekend at some of the clothing stores in town. Wanda bought a pair of goggles and a bathing cap, and two swimsuits, both red: a
fitted, more covering suit for her lessons, and one for her personal use that had a halter top.

Her first swimming lesson with Rhodey took the place of her regular fighting practice on Wednesday. The Streamwood swimming pool, indoor though it was, was huge and had a deep end with a diving board. Wanda was the first to arrive, and while she was taking off her outer clothes Rhodey came.

“How’s it going?”

“Is good,” said Wanda. “I am well. And yourself?”

“I’m doing all right,” said Rhodey. “Drove up here from New York last night, staying in a third-rate hotel--can’t complain, though. Besides, they said the tourist industry around
here’s gonna beef up once the new Avengers facility is finished.”

“That it will,” said Wanda.

“You got your bathing cap?”

“Uh-huh.”

“Put it on. You can get in the water. Where’s the other guy?”

“Vision? I do not know. He likes going out in the mornings.”

“Hmph,” said Rhodey as he removed his sports pants to reveal his trunks. “I think I about convinced Steve last night that Vision didn’t need swimming lessons. Maybe he talked
him out of it.”

“No. Vision would not change his mind. Is something he wants to do.”

“Well, we won’t wait around.” Rhodey put on his own bathing cap and headed to the shallow end of the pool. He got in and swam a couple of lengths while Wanda finished tucking in her long, wild hair under her bathing cap as best she could. She met Rhodey in the shallows, still folding in stray strands of her hair as she went.

“Now, the first thing we’re gonna do is talk about safety,” said Rhodey. “Have you ever been swimming before, or learned how to swim at all?”

“Not really.”

“Well, the first thing you ought to know is -- “

The door to the pool room opened and in stepped Vision--and Wanda had a hunch that he hadn’t even touched the doorknob.

“I am sorry, Colonel, good morning, Wanda,” he said, striding briskly towards the poolside. “I was having a chat with Captain Rogers just now.”

“Well, did he tell you that someone with your powers and abilities might not really need swimming lessons?” Rhodey said, his hands on his hips. “Cuz honestly I don’t see the point.”

Vision stood on the edge of the pool, his arms folded. “I think there is a point, Colonel Rhodes, to my learning how to swim. Powerful though my body may be, I still wish to learn
the proper movements for aquatic exercise. Besides, I would like to keep Wanda company.”

Rhodey looked at Wanda. He sure missed the days when Tony Stark had almost trained JARVIS to call him Rhodey--whatever was left of him had clearly regressed, in his mind.
He gave Wanda a look imploring her to dismiss him.

“Vision can join us,” said Wanda. “It will be fun, I think.”

“Definitely.”

“Well, then, suppose first you take off your fancy spangled suit and cape and get on in here.”

“Of course, Colonel.” Vision’s clothes faded away into a pair of gold and green swimming trunks.

“I am completely waterproof, Colonel Rhodes,” said Vision. “I do not see why I need to be wearing trunks at all, but they add a nice touch.”

Vision, of course, was the star pupil from day one, though Rhodey still acted partly like Wanda was his only student. Vision could move across the length of the pool without
moving his arms or his legs, slicing the water like a plow. When he jumped in or dived, his vibranium-alloy body made gigantic splashes that churned the entire pool and slopped
water on the sides, although with some instruction he learned to temper these movements.

Wanda was a little nervous at first about putting her head underwater or moving into the deep end. Rhodey started her on treading water and kicking and that day they tackled an easy stroke. When she got her swimming form right in later lessons, they mastered several different strokes and dives.

Vision was always ready to give Wanda a demonstration, especially when her mind wandered and Rhodey had to repeat his instructions. And then sometimes in those first few lessons she would panic about floating or holding her breath for too long, and Vision would stay close to her and calm her down, especially when it looked like her powers were acting up and Rhodey didn’t know what to do. Wanda was always terribly afraid of striking Rhodey on accident, and there was nothing more unsettling than the light on the water turning red and reflecting around them. But they got through those moments, and Wanda learned to swim.

She always got out of the pool sore and with the bathing cap giving her a headache. A few times Steve or Natasha or Sam would come by to watch, sometimes to give them
pointers.

And her physical fitness and hand-to-hand combat lessons continued as normal. Natasha was now in charge of her fight training. She was a much tougher opponent than Sam,
not quite as heavy or stiff but a lot more flexible, a flexibility that gave her an advantage. As easy as it was for Wanda to read Natasha’s mind as they fought, she resisted the urge to predict Natasha’s moves and fought as fairly as she could.

“But when it comes down to it, though,” Natasha said when she revealed this to her, “it’s totally a good idea to use that. That way your opponent can’t cheat. I knew a psychic fighter, once. She was…” Natasha broke off, “well, she wasn’t as dramatic as you, but she knew how to put it to use.”

“Whatever happened to her?” Wanda asked.

“She died...about six months ago. Went to do something on Thor’s home planet and never came back.”

“But she wasn’t from here to start with, was she?” Wanda divined.

Natasha shook her head. “I made my point already.”

Wanda was glad that it was an indoor pool, since outside it became hotter and stickier as the month progressed. She had little patience for humidity--it made her hair frizzy and her temper short, and that only created chaos with her powers.

The reading assignments that Steve had given her took up most of her other time besides training. The books and manuals he had her reading were boring and put her to sleep.
Thankfully, when she hung out with Steve he would always explain what she needed to know.

The last weekend of June, Wanda went to the Streamwood pool on her own. Not thinking to ask Steve for the key, she unlocked the secured door with her powers.

In her casual bathing suit, she had her hair done up in a bun, not really caring if the water ruined it, only glad to be rid of the irksome bathing cap. By herself, she got into the pool and swam a couple of laps, and then she just floated in the shallows, thinking.

The only swimming pools in Sokovia were in public recreation centers built by the Communists in previous decades. Only once, when she and Pietro were eight, did their parents take them to one of the pools in Sokovia City, having a grand reopening after having been refurbished by a grant from an American company. Wanda had stayed close to both of her parents the entire time, content to just wade in the shallows. Pietro, however, kept wandering off towards the deep end, and twice their father had to get out and chase after Pietro when he escaped to get in line for the diving board. He even urged her a few times to come with him, but she refused. Wanda was terrified of drowning as a girl. Pietro never did make it to the high dive but he did jump off the side of the pool where the water was twelve feet deep. Their father went to get him, and he dragged him out of the pool and told him to sit on a bench for the rest of the time they were there. Pietro was proud of himself for jumping into the deep at least once. Wanda refused to talk to him for the rest of the night.

Wanda did not laugh, but smiled at the memory. She savored the alone time, just her and the lapping water. But then she read the mind of a friend entering the pool room. She did not sit up to greet them, but continued to float in the water.

Vision drifted over the pool in midair and looked down at her. “Good day to you, Wanda,” he said pleasantly.

“Hello, Vision. How are you?”

“I am well, thank you,” said Vision. “How is the water?”

“It is just fine,” said Wanda. “You could join me, if you liked.”

“No, thank you. You like having the pool to yourself for once, don’t you?”

“Yes,” she smiled. “You can read minds much more easily than I can, can you not?”

“I can,” said Vision. “I just don’t take advantage of that fact much.”

“So...you can control when you can read minds?”

“Yes, I can, more or less. I understand that you can’t?”

“No,” said Wanda. She stood up in the shallow end of the pool. “But I’ve learned to tune it out, some of the time.”

“But that’s why you like to be alone sometimes?”

“Yes,” Wanda nodded. “I like being in the country better, really, than the city. Many fewer minds around me. Sometimes off in the distance I would see something
curious...someone acting strange...I would have to ignore it. Nearly drove me mad.” She took a couple of laps to the pool’s edge. Vision followed her and sat down with his feet
in the water, while Wanda put her arms on the concrete.

“I imagine it wasn’t easy for the people who gave you your powers, as you were learning to control them.”

“No, it was not,” said Wanda. “They were afraid of me. The only person I could really be near was...Pietro…”

Vision nodded. “Of course, because his powers came from the same source as your own.”

Wanda nodded. “But it was more than that. Pietro and I...I guess it was just because we were twins. But we shared a bond. He could always just tell when I was close by, or
feeling sad or angry. And I could for him. It wasn’t anything supernatural it was just...how it was between us. But Strucker’s experiments with the sceptre made those feelings into
something much bigger. We could sense the details in our feelings. We could share thoughts, we could be in completely different parts of the castle and still find each other, still go to each other. We could protect each other the way we never could before. That connection was a part of us. And then Ultron broke it.” She paused. “That is why I went to kill him, because no one’s connection to another person should be severed like that.”

“I see,” said Vision. “But think of it, though--you did leave your post to go find Ultron. And one of his robots turned the key to release the meteor after you had gone. If Thor and Mr. Stark had not been able to destroy the meteor after you had left your post, the whole world might have been destroyed--every connection to life, and between life, would have been lost.”

“I know,” said Wanda. “I was angry. I knew I shouldn’t have left. But nothing else mattered any more.”

She curled up against the side of the pool and scowled bitterly at the water. Her powers were bursting to be released but she held them in.

Vision put his hand on her shoulder. It was fleshy, but she could feel the metal underneath--it was like a car seat covered with thin padding, but much smaller.

“Well...on a different subject, I am wondering--do you feel a connection to me? of any sort?”

“As friends or--?”

“Not in the interpersonal sense, no--I don’t know you nearly well enough for that. But our powers have the same source. Do you feel that sort of--attachment--I guess you could
call it?”

“No, I do not,” said Wanda. “I do not feel that connection to you. It seems it would be likely. But no, it isn’t. I don’t have a connection to anything--or anyone. Sometimes I wonder, after my brother died, how I am supposed to go along in the world without being connected?”

“Well, I suppose you’ll have to find a new one, won’t you?” said Vision.

“It is not that simple.”

“I see,” said Vision.

Wanda looked up at Vision. She saw the gem on his forehead glowing faintly.

“That stone in your head is peculiar, no?” said Wanda.

“What makes you say that?”

“It isn’t just powerful,” she said. “It...is conscious but it doesn’t really think. It exists. Yet it is not you. You are not connected to it, are you?”

“I am, actually,” said Vision. “It gives me life, I share energy with it. But you are right that it isn’t me. It is a separate entity. It is not a person, actually. It is...alive. And yet it is more than alive.”

“What do you mean?”
“Even I, with my extensive intelligence, cannot say. But it contains an essence of powerful forces: not just life and death, but creation and destruction. It contains, in part, the universe.”

“What Thor said about the stone,” said Wanda, “was that it was an Infinity Stone. Did he explain that to you?”

“He himself knows little of it, but he told me what he could. There are several Infinity Stones, hidden across the universe. They each control a different aspect of existence--this one in particular, the mind and thought.”

“Where did it come from?”

“This particular stone was in the sceptre of Loki, who brought it from realms of space unknown--Thor said his brother never mentioned where he had been in his absence from Asgard. But Infinity Stones came about at the dawn of time, when the Universe had finished forming. They were the collapsed remnants of six singularities.”

“Singularity, like Black Hole singularity?” She knew a few things about black holes from an astronomy page she liked on Facebook.

“Yes, that kind.”

She gave a quiet gasp. Baron Strucker’s experiments--he had tapped into the energy of one of these particular stones to give people superhuman powers and create an army to destroy the Avengers. And he was doing who knew what else with it. Tony Stark used the sceptre to create Ultron, and Ultron used the sceptre to create Vision. But these were petty, insignificant achievements compared to what they could really do, with what they really were.

Vision let her read from his mind what Thor had said to him--the Infinity stones could alter the shape of space and time, destroy entire worlds--the Tesseract cube, used by Loki three years ago, had created the portal that had allowed the Chitauri to invade New York City.

She looked up at Vision. “All of this power, is inside of me?”

“Some of it, yes,” said Vision. “Strucker was only testing a few specific aspects of the stone’s power on you. Your brother got a different kind of power from it as well.”

“Well, Strucker said he reacted to it differently.”

“Well, that too.”

“But the point I am making,” said Vision, “is that you and I--and your late brother--we are more powerful than anything that was ever used to make the Avenges. We are the
universe itself.”

She didn’t like what this meant--mostly that she had more power than she knew what to do with.

“But the others--do they realize this? Do they trust us?”

“We are coming to earn their trust,” said Vision. “Especially Steven and Natasha. Thor I think understands that I am willing to work with them. Tony Stark--well, he partly created
me, so he is fond of me. But he is, notably, keeping his distance.”

And she realized what a tremendous thing it was, indeed, for Agent Barton to love her like family, enough to name his son after her brother.

Vision got up and said he was going out for some fresh air--he didn’t like being indoors that much when he could avoid it. So Vision left, and Wanda swam a few laps and then
dried off.

Wanda never talked about her time with Hydra to anyone. Anyone. Steve asked her, occasionally, aside questions, but he distrusted her a little for it--not that he wanted to, but
because his displeasure with Hydra and with its enhanced minions was that deep-seated. She laid back on one of the lounge chairs by the pool.

A little under three years ago, she and Pietro had volunteered to work for Strucker. The world was terrified of the Avengers, in some places like Sokovia more than they were of the aliens they had repulsed. Strucker was offering anyone brave and willing enough to submit to experiments with a power unknown to science the chance to become a superhuman that could stand up to the Avengers. She had gone in not sure of what she wanted to become, fearing that she might come out as some unrecognizable monster, but to her surprise both she and Pietro had retained their human shapes, but what they were able to do was not anything remotely human.

Time, space, emotions...she could unlock all of it, it was hers to manipulate, to master, to distort as she pleased. It had gotten to the point where some of the researchers had refused to come near her for fear of what might happen to them, and as she had learned to control it, she realized that her power was more than just a gift, it was a weapon she could use at will, and she had used it, gladly, to attack and destroy the Avengers.

The serums and injections they had put in Pietro had given him lots of energy, so much that he had not wanted to be confined in his tiny cell between treatments and experiments. He had told her that he felt like he could run to the end of the world and back without stopping or ever getting tired. And little by little as they acclimated to their powers, their keepers had let them out, one small area of the castle at a time, and Pietro found that he could run as fast as he wanted to, faster even, and he had only to take a step and he was across the room, across the entire building, in the blink of an eye, and anything in his way was broken and blown over. They were skeptical of what kind of a life was in store for them, with these abilities, but they had known they would be dangerous, dangerous to the Avengers and to everything the Avengers represented.

And now, in a series of odd twists of fate that were partially Wanda’s own doing, her brother was dead, she was living in America, and she was working for the Avengers. Captain America wanted to create a new team of superheroes with her in it. She was a long way from ever agreeing with the political, philosophical, or moral ideas of the people she worked with, but not only were they living together they were friends. What was more astonishing was that she was very happy to be there.

The Fourth of July was a week later. Sokovia’s Independence Day, March 13th, was celebrated with flags and military parades and protests and speeches. Here in America, Independence Day was a much different matter. On holidays, Americans liked to pretend that there was nothing the matter with their country or the world. The small town of Corinth, New York, had a huge parade at nine in the morning that lasted for two hours, by the end of which Wanda had a sunburn in spite of her hat and sunscreen. Steve, Natasha, Sam, Rhodey, Wanda, and Vision had headed to town at eight to stake out their seats, and there were so many people out there waiting already that they had to park at the elementary school a good two blocks away from the parade route, and the best seat they could get was in a gutter facing the sun. The parade had no soldiers except for a few war veterans who rode in old-fashioned cars at the head of the parade. The national, state, and other flags were brought by a posse on horseback. There was the high school marching band, followed by colorful floats, dancers, fire trucks and other service vehicles, and cartoon characters passing out candy to children.

“Both years during the war when I was on tour with the USO,” said Steve, “we ended up being hired out to small towns for their fourth of July celebrations. Small-town parties never really lost their charm for me after that.”

Wanda wanted nothing better than to go home and drink a tall glass of water after that. But after the parade they went to the park for a picnic, which was already overcrowded with people doing the exact same thing. Over lunch, Steve badgered Wanda about getting her American citizenship. But Wanda protested that she wasn’t ready to take that step yet.

They did go home for an afternoon nap, and Wanda took a shower as well. That night they went to a barbecue put on by a man in the Streamwood complex that Steve had befriended. They went back to the park that night to watch fireworks.

She had only ever seen fireworks once before, and that had been once when she was a small child. She and Pietro had both thought they were amazing. Pietro would have liked
this display as well, but she tried not to let herself think about that.

The next week, it was back to training as usual. On Monday, it was bright enough outside that Steve didn’t turn on the light in the exercise room. Steve led her through her physical training, changing up their routine so she could strengthen different parts of her body. They did a few exercises around the punching bag. Steve even did some sparring with her, but did not quite go “all-out” with her.

“I don’t think you’re quite ready for that yet,” Steve laughed. “You’ve still gotta beat Natasha first.”

Wanda had to bite her tongue. She was tired of people telling her she “wasn’t ready”--it irked her even more than when she heard people calling her, in their minds or behind her
back, the “witch”.

Sam came by just then and said hello.
“Are you headed out?” Steve asked him.

“Yep. Tony Stark said I could park my car at his place no charge.”

“Good. Wanda, you mind if I step out for a moment?”

“Go ahead,” said Wanda. Steve went out into the hallway to talk to Sam, but left the door open. Wanda could hear them talking. They were just making small talk about travel arrangements--Sam was going to Denver for a week.

Wanda turned her attention to the punching bag in the corner. She decided to test her powers on it. The red energy unhooked the punching bag from its chain, and she lowered
it carefully until it was hovering only a few inches from the ground. Then she began to move it in different directions, spinning it, flipping it, making it hover around her and bend. Steve and Sam were just right outside and she was making plenty of noise, but the two men were very engrossed in their conversation--they were talking about Steve’s missing friend now.

Now Wanda was animating the punching bag so that it fought against her. She positioned it just so she could practice the punches and kicks Steve had shown her. It was quite a bit of fun. But all the while she was fighting she could hear Sam and Steve talking.

“So you’re having fun with Wanda now?” said Sam.

“Yeah, we are,” said Steve eagerly.

“I suppose you’re still not ready to let her fight you properly, are you?”

“Nah. Not for a while, yet. Maybe this week, though, she’ll beat Nat.”

“Well how about those powers of hers, though?” said Sam. “Once you’ve done teaching her to fight your way--”

“I think she’ll be able to figure out how to apply her powers with that,” said Steve. “But no, I’m not going to let her practice on me. I’ve got it all worked out with Coulson, she can
have dummies to practice blowing up at the headquarters.”

“Uh-huh. Dummies.”

“She’ll have plenty of opportunites in the field--”

“I know,” said Sam.

“Sam.”

“Yes?”

“I trust her.”

“Good,” said Sam. “I trust her, too. But pretty scary, though, what you’ve told me, what her powers can do to people. Isn’t that how the whole Ultron thing got started?”

“Might’ve had something to do with it,” said Steve. “But Stark I think bears the ultimate responsibility--but that’s just my opinion. It was a lot of things.”

“A lot of things,” said Sam. “She’s psychic, like Emily Bridger was?”

“Emily Bridger was completely different.”

“I know. But Wanda’s pyschic too.”

“Yeah. Well, she’s more than psychic, she can do things to your mind that...it’s hard to explain what I saw. It was like a memory or a nightmare...or something that might have happened. I don’t know.”

“You told me, man.”

“That’s right, I did.”

“But how about brainwashing? I mean, I’m sure she can do it, you’ve told me. But do you wonder if she can reverse it?”

“You’re wondering if she’s the answer to our problem?”

She could feel them looking at her now. She kept manipulating the punching bag.
“Well, do you?”

“I don’t know,” said Steve. “I haven’t seen her do anything to anyone’s brain that was nice except evacuate half of Sokovia city.”

“And the mean stuff?”

“It didn’t sit well with me,” said Steve. “But...I dunno, maybe it was something in my subconscious that I wouldn’t have understood otherwise. I’m still trying to make sense of it.”

“Well, isn’t that Bucky’s problem?”

“From what I understand, yes. But I don’t think he’ll need her help. Whatever point he’s at now, he’s functioning enough to take care of himself.”

“Functioning enough to lead us on a wild goose chase.”

“Yeah.” Steve added in a quieter voice, “Personally, I don’t know if anything good would happen if they were in the same room together. I don’t want to chance it. So it might not
be good to let her near him. At least not until we’re sure she won’t hurt him.”

“I gotcha. Well, I’d better take off.” He shook hands with Steve, and then they hugged, and Sam turned and left.

Steve Rogers came back into their training room, leaning on the doorway to watch her fight with the bewitched punching bag. Wanda finally let it fall, exhausted. And she turned to look at Steve. He was leaning on the doorway and looking at her.

Could you help him? he wondered. Could you?
Wanda shook her head and turned away. I don’t know.

Sam came back from Denver without any news of Steve’s other friend, and there was no talk of going out again to continue the search. There would be others, Steve said, who would look.

And so it was that a golden summer passed. Natasha and Wanda made friends with some of their neighbors in their apartment complex. They did lots of things together as roommates and with their growing circle of friends: sunbathing, shopping, eating out, watching movies, parties. Corinth didn’t have as many amusements to offer as Manhattan but there was enough if one wanted to do something. And Vision liked to hang out with her and they would often sit and chat or go for a walk.

But Wanda still spent much time by herself. She often went for walks in the park alone. With two and a half years in Strucker’s castle behind her, it was a joy to be free to go outside and enjoy the warmth and the sunshine. But she only missed Pietro worse for it.

Laura Barton posted pictures of baby Nathaniel on Facebook, and he grew into a chubby, happy child. The Bartons skyped frequently with Natasha so that the baby and Cooper and Lila could see their auntie. Thor, who felt bad that he had only stayed a few minutes when he had come to the Bartons in April, paid them a proper call, and posted pictures on his Facebook of him holding a rather confused baby.

Steve and Sam did a brief search of their old colleagues and friends from S.H.I.E.L.D. to see if they knew anyone who would like to be an Avenger. Nobody else was interested, and in the end Rhodey finally agreed to join the team.

As the new Avengers headquarters neared completion, more S.H.I.E.L.D. personnel and other people who would be working with them moved into the area, some into Streamwood and Aspen Creek. Wanda and Vision continued their training. Wanda finally beat Natasha in a fight at the end of July. Steve started working with her. It was much more intense, fighting him when he had lowered his restraint, and he kept apologizing after his hard hits. The first few times she just laughed, but after a while she got tired of it, and then used to it. Steve let her use her powers to give her extra strength as she fought him, and they were fairly matched. But Wanda was glad she had dealt with Natasha and Wilson first.

Steve and Wanda met in July with a few equipment designers from S.H.I.E.L.D. to talk about getting her a uniform to wear for working with the Avengers. In two weeks, the suit of red leather was waiting in her closet.

August came. It was still fully summer, but there was a change in the air that hinted of a readiness for the cool of autumn.

Wanda and Natasha were at home one night when there came a knock on the door. Natasha answered it and Steve was there.

“Hey, Steve,” she said. “How ya doing?”

“Doing fine, thanks,” said Steve. “Can I come in?”

“Sure thing,” said Natasha.

“Hello, Steve,” said Wanda, looking at him from the kitchen table.

“Hey there, Wanda. I’m sorry I didn’t call ahead or anything -- “

“No, it’s fine,” said Natasha. “What can we do for you?”

“I was wondering if I could talk to Wanda for a few minutes, if that was all right.”

“Oh, sure, of course,” said Wanda.

“Do you need to be alone?” said Natasha.

“Yes, if you don’t mind,” said Steve.

“If you need her to go, then,” said Wanda.

“I’ll just be in my room,” Natasha said, turning to leave. “Have a nice chat.”

Natasha left, and Steve sat down at the table.

“How’s your day been, Wanda?” he asked her.

“It has been fine,” said Wanda. “Didn’t do much today. Went for a walk. Worked out. Finished that reading you gave me--is there going to be another book next week?”

“Actually, no,” said Steve. “That was about as far as I had planned. I’d say your training is complete.”

“Really?”

“Well--you still have a lot to learn, but from now on it’s all on-the-job. I came by to tell you that our new headquarters is finished. We’ve already got personnel moving in.”

“Really? Is finished today?”

“They were done putting in the flooring upstairs this afternoon. Still got a few touches to make, but we’re ready to be operational.”

“Well...that is wonderful,” said Wanda. “But...what do we do now?”

“I want to have a meeting with the new team tomorrow,” said Steve. “Well--I know we’ve been hanging out all summer, but an official meeting. As the Avengers. And I need you
to be there in your uniform. Will you come?”

“Yes,” said Wanda.

“All right. I’ll see you there at eleven. Tony and Thor are coming up at ten, so I’ll meet with you guys right after I’ve talked with them--they want a tour of the new facility. I think
they’ll like it.”

“When is Thor going back to Asgard?”

“Tomorrow.”

Wanda looked down at the table. “So this is it, the end of the original Avengers?”

“Yeah, looks like it--at least for now.”

“Will Thor be coming back?”

“I don’t know. He says he has some stuff to take care of. He doesn’t know how long it’ll take him. But, I think with them going their separate ways, it’s time for us to come forward. So are you ready, Wanda?”

“To be an Avenger? Officially?”

“Uh-huh?” Steve nodded at her.

“Yes,” she answered quietly. “I am.”

“Good. Now, I just wanted to come over tonight to talk to you over a few things, see how you were doing. Are you happy where you’re at right now?”

“Yes, yes I am.”

“And how are you coping with...Pietro’s death?”

“I am coping,” said Wanda. “I’ve had time to mourn, time to think things through. But I will always miss him.”

“I know the feeling,” said Steve. “But can you live without him?”

“I’ve learned to. I know that if he were here, he would not want me to be too sad. He would want me to do something. And I think I will be okay. And I do not forget, you know how it feels.”

“I should say you do,” Steve huffed. “And how do you feel about yourself? Are you comfortable with your powers now?”

“I am more than comfortable with them,” said Wanda. “Is just...what other people think, sometimes.”

“Oh, you can’t let that get to you.”

“I know...but they say on the news sometimes, that we are too dangerous to be out in the open, that we cause too much trouble. Sometimes I wonder, are they right?”

“Not as long as we can do some good in this world with what we’re given,” said Steve. “People who are bullies will always find a reason to tear down the people they don’t like.”

“To think I was once one of those people,” said Wanda, “who only wanted to tear the Avengers down.”

“Yes, you were, once. But that’s why I want you on this team, Wanda. Because you changed what you wanted to do with your life. Other people, you have to remember, can change too. And if they don’t, then they’re not worth worrying about. If I had spent my whole life worrying about what other people thought of me, I would never have volunteered for Doctor Erskine’s experiment. I wouldn’t be here, Wanda. And neither would you.” Steve paused to change the subject. “How are you liking your teammates?”

“I like them well enough.”

“Do you and Natasha get along as roommates?”

“Oh, yes, very well. She is a good person to talk to. A good friend.”

“Great. And how about Sam?”

“Sam is...a good man. Likeable.”

“And Vision?”

“Vision is very understanding. I think I relate to him very well. And he enjoys being friends with me.”

“And how about Rhodey?”

“Rhodey is interesting. But I think, I get to know him better, he isn’t so bad.”

“Okay. Cool.”

Wanda knew that Steve wanted to ask about how she felt about him next. But he looked a little embarrassed to do so.

“Well, Steve?”

“Well, you don’t have to say anything nice about me. Be honest.”

“I like you as a friend, Steve,” said Wanda. “Is that honest?”

“Yes, that’s very honest.”

“I think you are a good teacher and a friend,” said Wanda. “Captain America, I do not know how well I like him--he was always the one I disliked most of the Avengers. But he is
not so bad, now, I guess, that I work with him, and I know what he really stands for. But Steve Rogers, you are a good man. I am honored to know you.”

Steve sighed quietly. “Well, thank you. Now, I didn’t want a self-appraisal or anything--”

“I know--”

“I was only--okay, maybe I did want to know how good of a teacher I am--”

Wanda laughed.

“But that’s not the point I’m trying to make. The point is, the reason why I’m telling you all this is because I want this new team to be different than the one that was before--one that not only the public but that the team itself can rely on. Friendship and camaraderie are fine, but I need us to be more than that. I want a team that is built on trust. Open communication about the stuff that matters, that needs to come first. No secret agendas, no going behind each other’s back. That’s where we went wrong before. And we need to be able to rely on each other. Now, can I count on you to be a part of that kind of a team?” He looked her in the eyes.

“Yes,” she said. “I will. I agree with what you want.”

“Good. That’s what I want to hear.”

“So what are we going to do, these new Avengers?”

“We’re going to protect the world from evil, that’s what,” said Steve. “Hydra is still out there. So are other people who want to push their own agendas at the expense of everyone
else. We’ll stop them. And we’ll make the world a better place for doing so. Listen,” he said, leaning forward, “Tony Stark thought that Ultron would be the solution, that a giant suit of armor would stop anything bad from every happening again. But no, he was wrong, the way S.H.I.E.L.D. was wrong when New York happened and wrong again when it built Insight. I’ve learned this lesson over and over again. The key to protecting the world isn’t a weapon. The best way to protect people is with people. To fight if we can, and sacrifice if we must.”

Wanda agreed with him, but she sensed something deeper, and she said it aloud. “You have looked so hard for closure, and now you have accepted that there isn’t going to be
any. Is that what I am hearing?”

“No, I’ve found my closure,” said Steve. “It’s continuing to fight for what’s right.”

“It isn’t your responsibility alone, Steve,” said Wanda. “You don’t have to think that.”

“But why wait for somebody else to come along and do it?” said Steve. “And who knows if they’re going to do it the way it needs to be done?”

“Well, Steve, I thought you said you believed in trust?”

Steve chuckled. “I guess I set myself up for that one. But, don’t worry about it.”

Wanda went to the restroom and then told Natasha that she could come out to the front.

“So hey, Steve, what’s happening?” said Natasha.

“Well, our new headquarters is finished,” he said.

“Yeah, I got a text from so-and-so. Are we going to celebrate?”

“Not tonight. Maybe later,” said Steve. “But tomorrow I want you at Headquarters in uniform. We’re meeting up with the guys at eleven.”

“Great,” said Natasha.

Natasha sat on the couch, and so did Steve and Wanda, and the three of them made small talk for a little while.

“But there is one thing I am wondering about,” said Wanda. “You other five have superhero names--War Machine, Falcon, Captain America, Black Widow, and Vision. But what
about me? What do people know me as?”

“The Witch,” said Steve, blushing faintly.

“It’s only an euphemism,” said Natasha. “Tony Stark called you something different first, but -- “

“I told Tony to watch his language once and you guys wouldn’t stop giving me a hard time about it,” Steve chuckled.

“So we called you the Witch, and it stuck,” said Natasha.

“But is that what I am, then?” asked Wanda. “A witch?”

“Well, a witch is someone who...makes things happen,” said Steve. “Things that other people don’t really understand. And they get blamed for bad luck, too, some of the time.
And you--well, you made things happen to us. And you’ll make things happen to our enemies, for sure.”

“And you’ve made good things happen to us, too,” said Natasha, “since you became our friend.”

“Still, I am not sure I like it,” said Wanda.

“Well, Witch is your official codename for now,” said Steve. “But if you come up with something better, we’ll be happy to change it.”

Steve got up to leave.

“Don’t stay up too late, ladies,” he said as he opened the door to head out. “Tomorrow morning, time to assemble.”