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Billy was younger, in his dreams. He was the age he should have been, and wore a different face. Tommy was usually there too.
And Wanda Maximoff. The Scarlet Witch. But in his dreams he called her Mom.
They didn’t have powers in every dream, every world, but in those where they did, his were always similar in nature to hers. Wanda would pull Billy aside sometimes, wanting to teach him things, and if he managed to master the lesson, she would smile the most wonderful, proud smile, and kiss the top of his head.
Billy could not remember the lessons when he woke, no matter how hard he tried to cling to the information, but the ghost of her kiss remained, and her smile. Always that smile..
–
But now, a few times, there had been a different sort of dream. A dream that felt more real, and less, somehow all at once.
He was in his current body, the body of William Kaplan, wearing the outfit that had manifested with his powers. His location was in an orchard of apple trees, and walking a little ahead of him, occasionally stopping to tend to one of said trees, was the Scarlet Witch.
The first time he’d had this dream, he said nothing, unsure of what was going on. The second time, he made himself speak.
“H-Hey..”
She had turned, her soft green eyes fixing on him.
“Hi.. I like your cape.. the patterns are like your Dad’s.”
“Oh.. um.. thanks, I guess?”
“You’re taller than me now” Wanda sighed, seeming just a little sad. “I thought I might have longer before that happened..”
She turned her attention back towards the trees.
“What is this?” Billy asked.
“An orchard.”
“I know that. I mean.. is this a dream? Well, obviously it’s a dream, but a normal dream or a kooky witchcraft dream? Like, are you really here?”
“It’s not necessarily an ‘either or’ situation..” Wanda replied, pausing by a tree to prune one of the branches. “All of those things can be true.”
“But which one actually is true?” Billy huffed. “What’s going on here?”
“I don’t know.”
“Oh, that’s convenient.”
“Hey, I told you once before. You might expect me, as your Mom, to have all the answers, but..”
“Maybe you’re not my Mom!” Billy snapped, frustrated, but immediately regretted the outburst when Wanda flinched. “Wait.. no.. I didn’t mean..”
“Yes you did. And you’re right, maybe I’m not. Maybe that’s a choice you get to make again, all things considered. Either way, I still don’t have all the answers you want. You probably know more about Witchcraft at this point than I do” Wanda sighed, walking on, and a chastened Billy hurried after her. “What I do know, whether I’m actually here or not, is that your powers are quite similar to mine.. And sometimes we create, even without meaning to..and we can create some quite convincing copies.”
“Oh..” Billy was chastened further. “Right..”
“So I have no idea if we’re both actually here.. If I created you, or you created me. Whether this really is all just a dream or not.”
“Right..”
“But..” She paused again.
“Yeah?”
“Whether this is real or not, it does feel nice to see you.. To talk.”
“Yeah..” Billy managed a small smile. “I suppose it is.”
Quite suddenly, Wanda hugged him, tightly, and though he was slightly startled, he found his arms slowly wrapping around her in return. The hug was warm and soft and wonderfully familiar. Despite being that little bit taller than her, Billy strangely felt quite small. Small, but safe.
“I love you, Billy” Wanda whispered. “Whatever choice you make. I loved you first. And I’m proud of you.. I’m sure the real Wanda is too, if I’m not her.”
“Okay.. th-thank you.”
She smiled up at him. Always that smile. Why did it stick in his mind so much whenever he saw it? Why did it seem so important?
“Tell your brother, too. When you find him..”
“I.. I will.”
“Good boy..”
Wanda’s smile brightened, and Billy was touched by the vaguest of memories, of the world before..
–
He was with his brother, because they’d belonged together even before they were born, were always meant to arrive together. But they were not Tommy and Billy, they were not anyone, not yet.
There was an important choice to make, and they were waiting, for the right time, the right person. They chose a kind smile, because the second they saw it, they knew..
–
“Mom.. Mom!” Billy called out, but Wanda was gone, the orchard was gone, and he was in his bed in Eastview.
The ghost of Agatha Harkness, a constant presence now, hovered at the end of the bed, raising an eyebrow.
“You alright, kid?”
“Were you telling me the truth?”
“About what? I’m gonna need some specifics.”
“When you told me you didn’t know if my Mo.. If Wanda Maximoff was alive” Billy clarified. “Were you telling the truth?”
“I was. I do not have a clue if Wanda is alive or not.”
“Are you sure?”
“Hey, if you don’t believe me, believe in my sense of self preservation” Agatha shrugged. “Our little Coven Two arrangement relies on you liking me enough to not try and banish me back to the afterlife again. If I did know anything about Wanda, there’s no good reason for me to hide it from you.”
“Alright. I guess that makes sense..” Billy nodded.
“What I will say is that the power of the Scarlet Witch is beyond what most of us can really understand. If anyone could survive something that was supposed to kill them, it’s probably her.. If that makes you feel better.”
“I don’t know” Billy sighed. “Maybe a little.”
“Tell you what.. Maybe one lost relative at a time, huh?” Agatha suggested. “We’ll track down Teddy..”
“Tommy” Billy frowned.
“Isn’t that what I said? We’ll track down Tommy, and then maybe the Coven Two point five can find some answers about your Mom.. I mean, Wanda. But it’s late, kid. Get some more shut eye, we’ll start fresh in the morning.”
“Sounds like a plan..” As Billy lay back down, he caught sight of a photograph of a slightly younger William with Rebecca Kaplan. She had been so good to him, loved him.. But Wanda had loved him first. “Agatha?”
“Mmhm?”
“People can have more than one Mom sometimes, right?” He asked. “Like, love more than one person like a Mom?”
Agatha took an unneeded breath, and sighed. Though she knew it wasn’t what Billy meant, her mind drifted to Rio, and her smile, which she could never entirely hate because it had also been Nicky’s. She would never be able to look at her without seeing him.
“Yeah. You can have more than one Mom.”
–
Somewhere, hidden away across the world, Wanda Maximoff woke from a deep sleep.
For a moment, she thought she had dreamed of her son.. And she smiled.