Bella MacLeod's Twilight Fanfiction

The Witch and the Widows

By BetterInTexas

Chapter 43:

Wanda sat in the dim library next to a reading lamp, studying another spell book Agatha had gotten her. This was one of the theoretical books, founded on the fundamentals of chaos magic. The witch who wrote it was somewhat of an academic apparently since most witches did not believe chaos magic existed and she was only theorizing its possibilities. Her theories were very accurate, considering she wrote it fifteen hundred years or so before Wanda was born.

It was late and the library had only one other occupant. Eleanor was seated at one of the desks, typing on her laptop.

“What are you doing there, kid? Good book? It looks old.”

“It’s a first edition Harry Potter.” Wanda told her.

Eleanor snorted, not believing her.

“It’s a book on chaos magic written by a woman who lived fifteen hundred years ago and wasn’t sure chaos magic really existed. She based some theoretical spells on it. I’ve been working on a framework spell to make spontaneous creation of life less… spontaneous.”

Eleanor stopped typing and looked over her monitor. “You aren’t thinking about creating life, are you? I’d ask you to think about what a huge mistake that would be, even if you succeeded. I think there is a copy of Frankenstein somewhere on the shelves.”

Wanda smirked. “I am thinking of creating life if you must know. To be specific, I am thinking of creating gardens.”

“Gardens?” Eleanor asked, sounding intrigued.

“Fruit trees, vegetable, trees, grass, life. I also want to know how to create inanimate objects within a framework guided by imagination and desire, not just technicality. I almost had it once and didn’t realize it.”

Eleanor was intrigued. To say Wanda had not been in a very good mood lately would be an understatement. Even after she had stopped giving Eleanor the cold shoulder she was still quiet and withdrawn. Yelena had asked her mother to stop pushing Wanda to eat so Wanda had not eaten more than usual, meaning what she needed to survive. Eleanor didn’t think Wanda had an eating disorder by any means. She ate like someone who had grown up hungry and made meals stretch because you never knew when the next one would be.

While Wanda was on a downward spiral the rest of the house was seemingly on the upswing. Kate had came back from her Paris trip in better spirits than Eleanor had seen her in a very long time even before the assault. She was showing up in the mornings to run with the girls and put on an archery display that very morning that had gathered an impressed crowd. Yelena seemed looser as well. Her and Kate spent every moment Yelena wasn’t training with each other.

The girls had stuck to their decision. There had been no alcohol in the house as far as Eleanor could tell but she didn’t ask or push. She had been assessing the situation quietly. The widows loved Yelena’s parents. Yelena telling the girls she did not want alcohol around them had been a success. As she suspected if Yelena asked, they all agreed.

Though to Eleanor they were all kids, the ones she considered the babies of the team were not going into the field and it surprised her that half the team didn’t want them in the field. Natasha had told her what happened in Wakanda and it had apparently been a productive trip. Even Wanda had been on board with some issues.

The youngest were not as upset as she suspected they would be. Maria had given a list of birthdays to the widows. They now had accurate ages on all of them. Aino was only fourteen, a year younger than expected like Stannic, making her the second youngest. It was suspected some of the girls began the mind control drug at nine rather than ten.

Despite the progress, Wanda was a mess. This desire she had for Barnes had her twisted inside out. She wanted him physically, something that had never happened to her and she had feelings for him. Wanda had told Eleanor once that she had never been in love and doubted she was capable. Apparently this mind meld she did with Barnes changed that. She was still a very confused nineteen year old girl though.

Eleanor knew she was still drinking. It was hard to keep alcohol from a woman who could make a bottle appear and disappear in seconds. The more Wanda was pushed to stop, the more she would fight back. Wanda was a fighter who was always ready for war of any kind.

“So tell me about this time you almost had it.”

Wanda waved her off. “You look busy. It’s not important.”

Eleanor closed her laptop. “Tell me, please.”

Wanda smiled softly and closed her eyes. “After Ultron… after Pietro… I told you I had a small cabin in the woods. I built it with my power. At least I… I made it come together. I wasn’t exactly sure what I was doing or how I was doing it, but it happened. What didn’t happen was wiring or plumbing. I had to hire some locals who were willing to work for what I stole to make it happen.”

Eleanor understood. Wanda had told her this but she had never given it any thought. She took much about Wanda’s gifts as commonplace for the teen.

It did bring up a point though. Wanda did not have lumber or insulation or marble for countertops. Even if she did, how did a kid with no carpentry experience put it all together using telekinesis?

“When I make a hex, everything in that hex is my own reality. I can make things happen based off my desire. If I want a working city with trains and cars and buildings with electricity it as easy as thinking it. I can turn a desert into an ocean and back with a snap of my fingers. But I should be able to do this outside of a hex. The Scarlet Witch can create what she wants. I can affect actual reality, not just false ones. What if I can make working houses and cities with clean water? What if I can grow food, turn wastelands into farmlands? Think of the time I could save Dima from building these additional housing extensions. Think of the yard work we wouldn’t have to do.”

“None of you do yardwork.” Eleanor pointed out.

“Steve does now. Why do you think we let him move in? It would still save time. I need to know how to do this. I need to know how to do everything.”

Eleanor nodded. “It is definitely something to work towards. Is that book helping you get there? What does Agatha say?”

Wanda shrugged. “Agatha knows everything about witchcraft. When it comes to chaos magic, we are both stumbling around in the dark. That is why we are going through these books. Anything the Ancient One has that mentions the words chaos and magic in the same paragraph we read. Too bad I can’t get a degree in this.”

Eleanor though of asking Wanda again if she ever considered going to school but Wanda had laughed so hard she cried the last time she had brought it up.

“What were you working on?” Wanda asked.

“Quarterly shareholder report. Very exciting. I admit working from here or home is much better than going into the office. Much less distractions here.”

“You find a house with teenage girls more relaxing than going into the office?” Wanda asked.

“Yes.” she answered. “This isn’t exactly what I expected to be doing with my life. I was a math nerd in college. Math and coding. I was the geeky girl who never came out of her room. I spent most of my teen years babysitting brats to get enough money to keep my laptop working. I wanted to be a mathematician. I thought maybe I could work for NASA writing codes for missions to Mars. Then I met Derek.

“I fell in love and he gave me the most important gift of my life. He gave me Kate. Then he died and my goals had to be put aside. I had a company to run, a debt to pay to a very bad man and a heartbroken daughter to raise alone. Things don’t always work out the way we thought but when you take a moment and look back at the good things in your life, you appreciate what you have and those first dreams don’t seem as important.

“What did you want to be when you were little? What was the first thing you ever wanted to be?”

Wanda grinned, remembering the performances she would put on in front of the television for her parents and forcing Pietro to play along.

“Ironically, I wanted to be an American.” she said. “More specifically I wanted to be an American actress. I wanted to be on TV like the women I admired. I wanted to live in Hollywood in a big house. I would buy a house on the beach for us and we would go swimming every day. Mama and Papa would not have to work. Pietro could drive fancy race cars he talked about when he was a boy. I would be famous and sign autographs. I practiced my autographs sometimes. Pietro thought I was silly for writing my name over and over on the same sheet of paper. I never told him what I was doing.”

Eleanor enjoyed hearing Wanda talk like this. When Wanda talked of her parents and Pietro without obvious pain and even some happiness in her voice Eleanor hoped it was a sign that she was healing. She still missed her twin. No matter how many people surrounded her that loved her, she would always be missing that part of herself.

“I wish I could have known them.”

“Pietro would have flirted with you. Fair warning.”

Eleanor laughed loudly at the idea of a nineteen year old boy flirting with her.

“I’m going to try teleporting to my room.”

“The last time you did that you wound up five hundred yards from the house.” Eleanor reminded her.

Wanda sighed. “Practice makes perfect. Agatha says any witch that doesn’t know how to teleport at least short distances should have her broom shoved up her…”

“Got it.” Eleanor stopped her, well aware of Agatha’s crude language. “Goodnight, Wanda. I love you.”

Wanda paused and clenched her fists.

“I know.” Eleanor told her. “I’m going to say it to you all the time anyway. I don’t need anything from you. I just want you to know.”

Wanda closed her eyes. When she opened them she was in her room. It was late and no one was inside her room. Chloe and Yasmine had spent many nights here recently but with all the training, the girls usually passed out in their own beds and slept through the night, even Mika and Staci, her most frequent nighttime visitors.

Four days. T’Challa had contacted Steve and told him the Wakandans had narrowed Bosco’s position. In four days the Red Widows would be entering Rwanda, prepared to take out a drug manufacturing facility that made the evilest drug in existence.

Deciding to take the night to herself, she stepped out onto her balcony and flew up to the roof above her. Once there she had a seat and poured herself a drink.

She really missed drinking with Yelena. They drank way too much together but it was so much fun. When she drank with Yelena they laughed, joked, made fun of everything about life. When she drank by herself, she was more introspective, despite drinking to forget.

Wanda had more than a few things on her mind that she could not forget. One in particular. A part of her past she had put behind, moved past and buried… until she saw it in Monica Rambeau’s head. She saw that asshole and his friends. She had hoped they died in the battle of Sokovia, but they hadn’t. They were there on the same side of the city, with the same girls, blaming her for being raped and calling her a slut.

She hadn’t told anyone. What she saw in people’s heads sucked. Bucky had seen it in her head, along with everything else, but he had never mentioned it. She doubted he had paid much attention to Monica Rambeau.

Bucky. He was in his room right now. She could feel him there. She imagined he was reading a book by the window. He would be deep in thought. Maybe about the mission, maybe about her, maybe both. She had rebuffed him lately. She hadn’t given him the cold shoulder but she also hadn’t gone out of her way to talk to him. She supposed she was projecting because he left her alone, only giving a few sad smiles.

She wasn’t angry with him. It was just hard to pretend to be okay when someone was too close. He would see what was bothering her and figure it out quickly. He wanted her to talk and she refused. Of all the things she didn’t want him to see in her head, that experience was the clearest for him.

She heard a sound and found Yelena had climbed up to the roof. She had been so engrossed in thinking about Bucky that she had forgotten to pay attention to her surroundings. Not that there was a need to. Since Stannic started treating Natasha like her teddy bear, she didn’t come up here any longer. Her and Stannic were the only ones she knew of, who visited the roof.

Wanda sighed, finished her drink and snapped her fingers, making the bottle and glass disappear.

“I hope you did not do that for my benefit. Don’t let me stop you.” Yelena said humorlessly.

Wanda shook her head. “It’s an alcohol free house. Nobody said anything about above the house.”

Yelena shook her head. “You are funny. Always so witty.”

“Why aren’t you asleep with Kate?”

“Kate sleeping with Eleanor. Mama and Papa wanted to be alone tonight. I think they are… I do not want to think… I figured you were up here. I heard your balcony door open and thought you would either be flying like a red Peter Pan in leather or brooding on roof.”

Wanda laughed quietly. “Brooding is on the table for tonight. You should go to sleep. Its not long before you have to be training. I can sleep in.”

“But you won’t. I can’t sleep. I have bad feeling. I can’t get it out of my head.”

Wanda frowned, not liking to hear that. “What is it? Tell me.”

Yelena sighed and looked over the yard and the dark forest beyond.

“I get this feeling after Rwanda, my best friend, my sister, she might leave. I think my ride or die is going to ride without me. Maybe she thinks I don’t need her as much as I do.”

“Yelena…”

“Maybe she doesn’t need me anymore?”

Wanda shook her head. “Yelena, don’t. I will always need you. But… I’m not going anywhere.”

“You said but.” Yelena pointed out.

Wanda shrugged. “Look, things are going well. You have Kate and Nat and your parents. The girls have each other. They are closer than ever. Agatha is there to support the team with magic. You have Bucky and Steve… I just think I need to go somewhere, maybe where I can work on these powers with no one being in danger.”

Yelena huffed. “You never had problem working on powers here. You never lose control. Why are you lying? You know it is dangerous to work without Agatha. What is going on, Wanda? Do you not want to be with me anymore? Is it because I am not as much fun? I know we haven’t spent as much time together…”

Wanda placed a hand on Yelena’s knee. “Don’t! Don’t say you aren’t as much fun. You were never that much fun.” she teased her.

Yelena brushed her hand off, irritated that Wanda was deflecting. “Tell me what is wrong. I’m not going to tell you anything you need to do like everybody else. What is it? I can’t lose you, Wanda.”

“You aren’t going to. I just have some things I need to work on by myself. I need to figure this all out and be alone while I do.”

“You are talking about leaving. I know things have changed and with my parents and the girls and I know Stannic and Nat bother you even if you don’t say it.”

“Why would they bother me?”

“Because Stannic used to sleep with you when she was upset.” Yelena bluntly told her.

Wanda said nothing, not wanting to talk about it or admit her jealousy.

“If you leave, I come with. We are a team. Till the end of the line, right? You swore.”

Wanda snapped. “You aren’t going anywhere! Look around you, Yelena. You are so close to having the life I wanted for you since I first met you. You are in love and you have a family and maybe soon, you can stop fighting and… maybe you go to school with Kate when she goes back. Maybe, the girls can get along without you for a few months and you can have something close to a normal life. I’m never going to have that and you will never have it with me. I’m not going to weigh you down. I love you too much for that.”

Yelena was silent for a few moments. “If you leave, I will come. If you leave me behind, I will not stop until I find you and you know I am stubborn enough to never stop. You want me to be happy, then stay where I can see you.”

Wanda rolled her eyes. “Thanks for not emotionally blackmailing me.”

“The girls would be devastated.” Yelena told her, adding to the emotional blackmail.

“Look, I didn’t say I was… let’s get through this mission. Then I have something to take care of. We can talk about everything after that.”

Wanda stood to go but Yelena placed a hand on her shoulder.

“I thought maybe it was Nat and Bucky and Eleanor. Then I thought it was probably just Nat. But I get it. This darkness you are in, it is something else, isn’t it?

“I don’t know what you are talking about. I’m not in any special darkness. You know me. I’ve always been a little… dark. I’ve always been surrounded by darkness since those bombs fell. Everyone who lived through that day has lived with darkness. Thousands of Sokovians live in darkness. I’m not special.”

Yelena shook her head. “We have been together too long. I can feel you the same way you can feel me. You have been falling deeper into it. I have feeling if you leave I will never see you again. We once told each other everything. Please tell me, Wanda. This is your Yelena. Tell me the truth.”

Wanda let out a breath and closed her eyes. “Something has been on my mind lately. I keep pushing it away but it shows up in my nightmares and I can’t afford to have nightmares else I’ll project them to the entire house. I haven’t been sleeping because of it. It has been happening for a while but it is wearing me down. I… I want to do something very bad to some people. I want blood, Yelena. I want more than blood. I have put it off, concentrated on other things but… I need to get it out of my system. I need to deal with it and then I have to do something to fix myself. Right now I hate who I am. How am I supposed to move on? How can I love anyone the way they deserved to be loved if I hate myself?”

Yelena waited for Wanda to gather her thoughts and hoped she would continue.

“I need to go back to Novi Grad. I need to go home.”

Yelena raised an eyebrow. “The cabin?”

Wanda shook her head. “No, I need to go to my real home. I need to go to those streets. I need to finish something I should have finished before. I am a nexus being. I am supposed to be this overpowered badass that is important to the Universe in some way. Yet, all I can think about is personal revenge. I need to go hunting.”

Yelena nodded. “So let’s hunt.”

“You can’t. You need to be here for training. Maybe I can get Dani to give me a ride in the morning since she is out of the field.”

Yelena shook her head fiercely. “No. You go, I go. I doubt either of us will sleep. It is quick flight. Dress like you still live to go to raves in abandoned building and dirty dance with a crowd of thousands. Normal I mean. I’m going to get my vest. It is a genuine Sokovian artifact. If we are hunting I will suit up. I’ll let Kate and my parents know. Rachel is sleeping in operations as usual so she can give message to others.”

Yelena swung down into her room and Wanda stood, taking in the night sky.

She didn’t want Yelena to come but she couldn’t deny her. She could never deny her. Perhaps it was best to get this out of the way now.

Novi Grad, Sokovia

Cenck and his girlfriend Dalenka walked into the old orphanage, not quite believing their eyes. They had never been back since they escaped as kids. The place was near the center of Novi Grad and should have been obliterated by the explosion that destroyed the city. None of them ever had a reason to come back nor did they want to. It took over an hour to traverse the debris field in this area. It was so dangerous even scavengers hesitated to venture here.

Perhaps that was why Ctibor had found the stash of cocaine in the orphanage that, against all odds, had survived intact and whole, as miserable as it looked when they left.

He felt a chill seeing the orphanage but not enough to stop him from going inside. It was misplaced, a solid building among rubble, almost as if it were living. Living here had been horrible but it was also in a strange way, some of the best years of his life. Him and his brother ruled this place. They were the top dogs.

Until Pietro Maximoff killed his brother.

They entered the place through an old, rusted metal door, the same door that had always been there. Something wasn’t right. It hadn’t just survived. It looked just like it had the day he and his followers left.

“This isn’t right.” Dalenka whispered, obviously shaken. “This can’t be real.”

Cenck agreed but the urge to explore was too great. It was real. It was wrong but it was real. He pulled her inside.

The inside was barren. The check in counter was unmanned of course and covered in graffiti. The place had become a hangout for those who had never been sent here, after the U.S. Invasion had ended. Graffiti marked the area, gang tags he was familiar with.

They walked past it and down the dark hall, using a light to make their way through. It was night and the place was pitch black giving it a foreboding aura.

They made their way into the cafeteria and saw a light coming from one of the common bunk areas. It was the same bunk he had stayed in. The room was huge and had over fifty bunk beds. He remembered Wanda Maximoff had stayed on the top bunk when Pietro was in solitary, hoping that would save her from him and his friends. They pulled her down all the same.

The bunk beds were still there, frames with rotting mattresses and threadbare blankets.

There was an open area in the middle of the room that split twenty five bunks from the other twenty five bunks. A trash can was on fire, lighting up the room. Thankfully the room had very tall ceilings. The open area was where they lined up for count every morning. His friend Ctibor was there, as well as his girlfriend.

Also present were the rest of his crew and their girlfriends. Dalek and Dalibora, Filip and Ema, Jakub and Milania and over a dozen other pairs that hung out on his side of the city and once stayed here. The room was full.

“It’s about time you showed up.” Ctibor told him. “We have been waiting an hour. Where is the coke you said you found?”

Cenck paused, not liking what he was hearing. His heart began racing.

“What are you talking about? You texted me. You said you had found… did all of you get texts from me?”

The others looked around at each other.

“I didn’t get a text. Cell service is out today as usual. You sent that kid, Petor to find us. He gave us a message to meet you here tonight.”

Cenck felt a chill race through his body. “I got a text from you telling me to meet you here.”

Dalek laughed. “That little shit Petor played a trick on us. I’m going to beat the hell out of him when I find him.” he said, hiding his fear through bravado. He and his girlfriend walked away from the group to the door that led to the cafeteria.

When they opened the door he found the former exit now covered in brick. He backed away slowly. One of them shined their light on the lone window that had been in the room in the past and found only brick. There were no other exits.

They were trapped.

“What is this?” Cenck asked, already shaking. It didn’t make sense.

A blonde in a tight black suit covered with guns and two batons on her back stepped out of the shadows.

“It’s a deathtrap. Kind of like a roach motel. You check in but you don’t check out. Very bad place. It smells in here and the smoke isn’t helping but she put a hole above so we could speak without dying. Its too soon for that.”

“Who are you?” Cenck asked.

“Yelena Belova. Leader of the Red Widows. Maybe you heard of us? We are a big deal. I’m not the only leader. Maybe you know the other?”

A little girl walked out of the shadows. She had light red hair tied in a ponytail, a standard dress that was given to the girls to wear, rough grey material, warm in the cold but hot in the summer. The light shade of freckles on her cheeks, those green eyes, Cenck remembered every detail. How many nights had those eyes cried underneath him until they finally stopped filling with tears and took on a dead look as she accepted the inevitable.

“You remember me?” the voice asked.

The others backed away and rushed to the door, banging on bricks uselessly.

A shot rang out and they all turned back to the middle of the room. Yelena had fired into the ceiling.

“Come closer to the fire, boys and girls. It is story time.”

They joined the little girl in the middle of the room, the females hiding behind their partners.

The little girl smiled creepily. Then she giggled. The room glowed red and the adult form of Wanda Maximoff was before them.

“Hello, Cenck. Nice tattoo. A snake. It fits. How are you all doing? Well, I hope. I hope you have lives you don’t want to lose. Killing people who have nothing to lose takes the fun out of it.”

No one said a word.

“Did none of you ever think you would pay for what you did? I wasn’t the only one you raped. Every girl trapped here was at your mercy and you showed them none. You showed none of us mercy. You all took what you wanted. You are the ones still alive who took what you wanted. Did none of you ever think you would see me again?” she asked.

Again she was met with silence.

“Ladies, tell me I asked for it. You told the American I asked for it, didn’t you Dalenka? Say it now. Tell me I asked for it.”

Quiet once again except for an occasional whimper.

“You stood by and cheered your boyfriends on as they raped me. You did anything they asked for protection. You cowards. Someone tell me I asked for it. Cenck? Filip? Somebody say it!”

They were frozen in terror, shaking uncontrollably.

Wanda looked at a blonde in the back. “Najeda. You didn’t cheer while they raped me. You simply stood by and said nothing. You averted your eyes when I looked your way. That makes you a coward but not a sadist. Because of that, Yelena has a gift for you.”

Yelena threw a knife and it struck the girl’s heart burying deep inside her. She looked at it for a second and then collapsed dead. Her head made a sickening sound when it bounced off the concrete.

“Cenck, I want an apology. Apologize for raping me.”

The man tried to open his mouth and speak. He would have told her anything but couldn’t stop shaking or form words. His eyes darted from her to the dead girl on the floor, back and forth. He couldn’t catch his breath.

A gunshot broke the silence and Dalenka screamed, falling to the ground, clutching her foot where Yelena had shot her.

The sudden noise shocked him.

“I’m sorry! I’m sorry I ever touched you! Please forgive me! Please! I’ll do anything!”

Wanda Maximoff was no longer there. In her place was the innocent, frightening girl with dead green eyes.

“There is nothing you can do. You were the start. You and your brother and your band of followers. You are the reason I can’t trust anyone. You are the reason I can’t be with someone who loves me. You were the start of the hate in my heart. I was grieving and you tortured and violated me. You laughed and humiliated me. When I needed to heal after my parents death, you pushed me further into hell. Do you know how many nights I have dreamed of all of you? Do you know the fear I felt in those dreams? Do you know the pain I can still remember? It has been seven years but it seems like it happened minutes ago. You helped make me what I am. You all did. So you will all share my pain. It is only fair. All of you go to your assigned bunks now.”

The others’ eyes turned as red as Wanda’s and they began walking to the old beds they once called home. Dalenka crawled, her foot shattered by Yelena’s bullet.

Once they took their places, The Scarlet Witch sat cross-legged on the floor. The fire went out but her power lit up the room.

She reached out her hands and tendrils of red danced from her fingers and spread out to each of her former tormentors.

Each one screamed when the tendril of chaos magic entered their minds.

“You will all live my moments of pain. You will all live my rapes over and over. It will never stop. You are not allowed to leave your bunks. You will live with my pain and in my body until you go insane and die from thirst. This is the rest of your life. This is my hell and I share it with you.”

Wanda stood from the ground, the garb of the Scarlet Witch gone. Yelena walked near her, not saying a word, listening to the screams, the pleading for it to stop, the thrashing of the bodies on the bed.

“Are you sure this is everyone left alive?”

Wanda nodded. “I believe so. Some who were dark figures have left the city but if I should ever encounter them, they will suffer the same fate. These were the worst. These fill my nightmares every night. They fill the thoughts in my head I cannot let out or I would traumatize others. Every night, the same. How long until they die, do you think?”

Yelena did calculations in her head. “Three days, so long as they do not vomit much. At three days organ failure starts. It is possible organ failure can take longer so they may not die for four days.”

Wanda nodded. She wished it could be months or years but she had done the worst she could think to do. As far as ways to die, she had found one that was horrible. Their voices would be raw soon and they wouldn’t be able to even scream.

Yelena and Wanda walked outside. Wanda sealed up the entrances with bricks again. She had done well bringing it back to life. With the entrances sealed no one would be able to help them. Though it might be better if someone tried to keep them watered, she wanted them to die in their bunks. It was poetic in her mind. A macabre poem only Edgar Allen Poe could love but one she greatly enjoyed.

Her and Yelena walked through the debris field throughout the night. They had to be careful and stumbled more than a few times despite Wanda using her magic to make a path.

As the sun rose, they found what appeared to be old headstones some whole and some cracked, littered over an acre. Among the headstones were burnt, crushed and broken bones scatted everywhere.

“Victim’s bones?” Yelena asked.

Wanda shook her head. “This would have been the area where a cemetery was. At least when the city fell it spread out geographically in the same area. My parents were buried here.”

Yelena thought of making a comment about Wanda using a fancy word like geographically but knew this wasn’t the time or place.

As they walked among the area, Yelena realized that the many pieces of wood that littered the ground were broken coffins.

“My parents had weak plywood coffins. I was shown their grave once. They let us visit before we were interred in that hell. They only had wooden crosses. Most did. Me and Pietro never came back to visit after we escaped. We could never bring ourselves to. It brought so much hate to think about. We wanted the Avengers dead so badly. Seeing their graves… but now there is nothing left to visit. All the evidence they ever existed on Earth is among this debris. So many people that were never recovered from the debris weren’t even given funerals. Some may not have enough to recover.” Wanda said.

Yelena listened to the pain in her voice and it pained her as well. She thought of their home now. She thought of the widows playing games or watching movies in the living room or dancing in the bunker. She thought of the girls who raced up and down the stairs, who trained together, ate together, loved each other.

If she ever lost the Mansion they could move on. They would have each other but the pain would be great. It was the first true home Yelena ever had, since the lie that was Ohio came to an end. Wanda had lost more than her apartment. She lost her family, her friends, her city and she lost herself. Yelena wondered, more than once, if Wanda would have taken the Darkhold if she didn’t have her and the widows. She was terrified of what would happen to her if she ever left them.

Wanda was not meant to be on her own. She would destroy herself. She may not die but she would never live again.

Wanda used her power to move some large chunks of concrete and knelt on the newly opened ground.

“I believe their graves would have been close to here but I can’t remember. I can’t. I should have visited. I should have brought flowers. I should have cleared weeds. We left their graves untended and weeds must have surrounded the wooden crosses. I would guess it was difficult to even tell a grave was here. We were too busy taking care of ourselves that we never came back to take care of the ones who loved us first.”

“It is okay…”

“No it isn’t, Yelena! None of this is okay! None of it! Nothing I have done is okay! Look at this city! Look what I did! Pietro is dead because of Ultron! We helped him get the vibranium that powered the weapon that almost ended the humanity! We were manipulated?! We should have been smarter! Our parents deserved more from us! These people deserved better from us. I should have been smarter. I should have… I should have… damn it! All my power and what have I done for the people who lost everything? The people who suffered as we suffered. Nothing! I have done nothing! I had my revenge but so what!? What about their revenge?! We live in a glorious mansion while they live in rags!”

Yelena stood still, watching Wanda shaking as she ranted and her eyes turning red. She wanted to touch her, to hold her, but didn’t want to set her off. She needed to get this out. It was a parasite that had been feeding from her soul for so long. She had taken care of others since she first found Yelena and now that the others were beginning to take care of themselves, she was losing control.

The Scarlet Witch losing control was not a good thing, but Yelena wasn’t afraid. She would never be afraid of Wanda. If she sent them both to hell then so be it. Till the end of the line.

Yelena knelt next to her.

“Then do something. Do something now. Channel your pain into something good. There is so much light in you. Let it shine. Use your emotions for something other than destruction.”

“How?! All I know is pain!” Wanda shouted, on her knees, hands wrapped in her long hair, crying unconsolably.

Yelena looked around at the debris and destruction around her. Wanda’s barriers were breaking. She didn’t know how she knew but she did. The ground was shaking, pebbles were floating in the air and the wind was beginning to howl.

“Rebuild this city.” Yelena told her, whispering in her ear. “You know you can. You are the Scarlet Witch. Show the world your power. Rebuild this city, brick for brick. Make it better than it was before. Make the land fertile. Give the people a life you never had. You can do it. Use that emotion, Wanda. You gave the guilty what they deserved. Now give the innocent what they deserve. You hurt for them. Use that to heal them. Heal yourself. Rebuild it. Make this city what you want it to be for all of you. You can do it. I’m here.”

Wanda stopped pulling her hair and looked with red swollen eyes at Yelena. Yelena met her gaze, full of confidence in her.

Wanda looked to the sky and arched her back. She screamed in rage and grief as red energy flowed from her entire body and shot into the air.

Around them, debris shifted then moved quickly through the air. Gravestones returned to their spots, bones and coffins reformed.

Across the city, the residents panicked but had nowhere to go. They simply stood and watched the world around them come to life seemingly of its own accord, urged by the burning red cloud above. Buildings were reformed. Grocery shops, apartment buildings, schools, houses, churches, all coming together as if the destruction was being played in reverse. The broken streets returned to their original state. The bones of the unrecovered dead materialized into the new hospital’s morgue.

The manufacturing plants were repaired and flowers grew around the city, shrubs lined the park where a playground came into existence. Outside the city large acreage was covered in potato and wheat fields. Her power continued to lash out, reaching her brother’s grave and beyond. The family in her house who had been sharing a bedroom with their child suddenly found a new bedroom and bathroom. Forests that had been wrecked all around the city were brought back to life. The capitol building reformed. Brightly colored playgrounds surrounded by flowers came into existence.

Wanda collapsed on the ground on her hands and knees. She was spent, but not harmed. She had no idea how many self-imposed barriers she had unlocked. She was afraid if she looked at what she had wrought she may find she had incinerated what was left of the city.

“боже мой!” she heard Yelena whisper, awe in her voice.

Wanda knew she would have to open her eyes eventually, so she did.

The first thing she saw was her parents graves. They had beautiful headstones. Next to theirs in a previous open spot was the headstone she had carved for Pietro and the one with her name next to his. She placed a hand on the ground and closed her eyes. She could feel their bones buried underneath her.

Then she heard voices. Hundreds of voices.

She looked up and saw Yelena smiling. She took the blonde’s offered hand.

The cemetery was beautiful but what caught her eyes was the city around them. It spanned for miles. The debris was gone and Wanda saw the city she knew as a child, before the dark times came. Yet it somehow seemed brighter. The dreary buildings weren’t as dreary anymore.

Hundreds of men, women and children had ran towards the source of the red light after they realized what had happened. The area was becoming surrounded by those who were talking in hushed whispers and taking photos. Some used old smart phones and some used old disposable film cameras or polaroid scavenged from the debris field.

“Is this a hex?” Yelena asked.

Wanda shook her head in disbelief at what she had done. “This is real.”

Wanda looked at her arms and realized she was in the same garb she wore as the Scarlet Witch, something that happened when she emitted great power. She changed into her normal clothes, her black pants, red top and the red light jacket she wore.

“How did you do this?” Yelena asked, a dazzling smile lighting her face. “I didn’t expect all this. It’s beautiful.”

Wanda shrugged. “I have no idea. I was in so much pain and then I heard you tell me to rebuild it. To make it better. So I did. I let go and… this happened.”

Wanda saw the people were getting closer and the first thought in her mind was not trampling on the graves. She walked out of the cemetery with Yelena by her side.

The murmurs and whispers of the people turned to silence as she approached. The crowd opened up for her to walk, then followed her.

Thousands were outside the cemetery. It was disconcerting to see so many people not saying a word.

They continued to walk, taking in the city, that seemed too large for the now small population.

“Why is no one speaking?” Wanda asked.

Yelena could see it in their faces. “You gave them paradise, Wanda. You are divinity to them now.”

“I am not divine.” she said immediately.

Yelena shook her head. “It does not matter. You will never convince them of that. You are an answer to their prayers. They have prayed for a miracle for so long. They prayed for their home to be returned. You just gave it to them.”

Wanda wiped a tear from her eye as she continued to walk and people continued to part for her. She had become used to the silence and jumped when she heard a sound she had not heard in a very long time. She heard children’s laughter.

The children were playing in the park. It was such a beautiful sight.

“I never thought I would see that.” she admitted.

The laughter of the children seemed to break the trance the crowd had been in. They erupted in cheers so loud Yelena covered her ears. The streets were alive. Wanda saw news helicopters above her and wondered how they had gotten there so quickly. She checked her watch and realized they had been walking for a few hours. Her feet weren’t even sore. She had never felt so alive and at peace.

Then she looked at Yelena, wearing her Red Widow suit and thought about the thousands of cameras taking pictures of her and recording her face.

“I think the world knows your face.” Wanda said.

Yelena shrugged and wiped at red eyes. “I don’t care. It is worth it to be a part of this. We are good for more than killing, see? We save. We are more than just vengeance. You are more than vengeance. You see that now. Together, there is nothing we can’t do. After all, you said this was my idea. You would still be throwing fit on ground if not for me. What would you do without your Yelena to keep you focused, huh?”

Wanda laughed. “I would be very lost.” she admitted in a broken voice, fighting away tears again. “We should go. We have another stop to make.”

Yelena nodded. “I’m parking the jet in the front of the building this time. I think we deserve it.”

Red Widow Compound – 12:00 PM

The Widows who had been training with Bucky and Steve hurried into the Mansion. Mika had called them all to the bunker along with every resident of the house.

When they arrived the girls were already crowded in front of the giant screens.

“What is happening?” Natasha asked. She knew it must be bad for training to be interrupted and everyone called to the bunker.

“Breaking news story in Novi Grad.” Rachel told her and the others. “Major story but no one is sure what is going on. Wanda and Yelena left for Novi Grad at one this morning.”

The reporter finally spoke, obviously reading notes off a teleprompter. His eyes widened at first. The screen split and a view from a helicopter was shown of Novi Grad.

Steve and Nat looked at each other, seeing what was wrong, or right, immediately.

This wasn’t the Novi Grad the Avengers had left in ruin. This wasn’t the Novi Grad the Sokovian government had given up on.

“I am receiving reports from reporters on the ground that Wanda Maximoff and a female believed to be Yelena Belova were in Novi Grad this morning, near the middle of the city, on what was once the location of a cemetery. Residents reported what one describe as an eruption of red energy that covered the city. Debris began shifting and structures reforming. Hold on…”

The reporter listened to more news coming into a small earphone.

“Yes, it appears Wanda Maximoff has rebuilt the city of Novi Grad, Sokovia to its former glory in minutes. Wheat and potato fields have grown instantly, once a large base of income for the people of the city as well as… power lines have been repaired and… that’s impossible… the water is reported as drinkable. As the world knows, Novi Grad had been left in ruins and declared unlivable since it was destroyed during the battle between the Avengers and Ultron. Despite that, many residents stayed, having nowhere else to go and have lived in horrible conditions on the outskirts of the city. This appears to be over. Children are playing in parks… I understand Wanda Maximoff and Yelena Belova have left the city. The citizens of Novi Grad are dancing in the streets. We will continue coverage, when he have more information on the miracle that happened this morning.”

Klobouky, Sokovia – Presidential and Executive building and residence, Underground Situation Room.

President Jozef Polievka sat at his desk in the situation room, watching reports come in from Novi Grad. His advisors were also present, taking in the miracle. His office had called numerous random numbers in the former city and many were picked up by people saying their homes had been returned to them by Wanda Maximoff.

“We must have someone enter the city.” He said. “It cannot be military. Wanda Maximoff may not like that and the last thing we wish to do is anger her. This is the first act she has done for the country since the world learned of her. Despite saying she is from Sokovia and turning in Ross, she has had no real link with us. This changes everything. Ladies and gentlemen we now have a true national hero our people can take pride in.”

The phone rang and the president’s secretary answered.

“Mr. President, you have visitors.”

He waved the phone away. “I will hold a press conference when I know more. Tell them to wait.”

“Security said Wanda Maximoff and Yelena Belova wish to speak to you. They have parked a Quinjet with the Red Widows’ symbol on the street outside the building and are at the front gate.”

Silence filled the room.

The President cleared his throat. “Have the guard escort them inside. I will meet them there and take them to my office alone.”

“Sir…”

He held up his hand to his security guard. “Do you think if she wanted to harm me she would have asked to come inside? For that matter, if she wanted to harm me, could you stop her? This is a pivotal moment in Sokovian history. It has to be handled right. Stay here and gather reports from Novi Grad and give me recommendations on how we can help.”

Soon the elevator opened and the President was standing in front of Wanda Maximoff and Yelena Belova.

“Dobré popoludnie slečna Maximoff a slečna Belova. Som Prezident Jozef Polievka. Prosím, volajte ma Jozef. Je mi potešením konečne vás oboch stretnúť.”

“It is a pleasure to meet you as well, Jozef. If you wouldn’t mind if we speak English, Yelena only speaks Russian and English.”

“Of course. Can we talk in my office?”

Wanda nodded and the three made their way up to his office on the fourth floor. They had seats in front of his desk. Rather than sitting behind a desk, he pulled his chair out to sit in front of them, hoping to put them at ease with a more intimate setting.

“I must say I am still coming to terms with the magnitude of what has happened to Novi Grad this morning. I understand it was your work.”

“It was ours. The two of us are a team. We always have been. Novi Grad is restored and safe. I wish to speak of its future.”

“Of course, as do I. I would love to hear your ideas.”

Wanda shook her head. “Less ideas and more terms. I have watched what you have done with Sokovia. You have weeded out corruption and brought honor to this office once again. Our country does not have much money though.”

The President nodded. “We lost many exports when Novi Grad was destroyed.”

“You should be good now.” Yelena told him. “You have much wheat and potatoes and some factories there now. More money, right?”

He nodded. “Yes. Money that will improve this country and start repairing the damage that has been done to it by a long history of violence.”

Wanda sighed. “Our home has not had a happy history but I believe you can change that. If I did not, then you would not be here.”

Jozef ignored the underlying threat because he knew enough about her and her friend to know this was true. He was still here so he had nothing to worry about. He had loudly supported her during the data leak and pushed for punishment of General Ross. He had called her a national hero and it was paying off.

“I expect the people of Novi Grad who live there now to be rewarded for their loyalty. I do not want to see them working for scraps while the rich become richer. I did not rebuild the city for it to become a prison. The people have suffered. They should be rewarded for staying near their homes.”

“They will be.” He assured her quickly. “Perhaps those there can be given ownership of the plants and directors appointed by vote to run them, so they can all share in the profit. The same can be said of the farmland. The owners of all factories and farmlands sold their land to Sokovia after the destruction. It belongs to this office and can be distributed as I order. I will take care of the people. I swear it.”

Wanda paused and he noticed a slight red shine in her eyes and felt a tingling in his head. It wasn’t painful but did feel off putting.

Then it was gone.

She nodded, apparently satisfied with his answer.

“The Capital building is restored. I think that would be a perfect place for you to oversee the renewal of the city.” Yelena said. “This city is no capitol.”

Jozef nodded. “I agree. Novi Grad is and will continue to be a beacon of Sokovian pride. A symbol of the future, our country rising from the ashes, thanks to our hero… heroes. The Red Widows will always be considered citizens of Sokovia. We can build you a big compound like the Avengers had in New York perhaps?”

Yelena shook her head. “We are way cooler than Avengers. We are not far. Do not worry. If you need us, we will be here.”

“Speaking of the Red Widows, I am sure you, like most countries in the world know or suspect James Barnes is with us now. I have freed him from mind control. I would like him made a citizen of Sokovia and a diplomat with full diplomatic immunity. He should be able to walk where he wishes without hiding.” Wanda said.

Jozef winced. “Mr. Barnes has killed many people. I understand he was under mind control but…”

“Think of how many countries this will anger.” Yelena pointed out. “You never need to worry about invasion again. Sokovia is secure now. Wouldn’t it be fun to tell the world to kiss your ass?”

The President thought of this and did enjoy the idea of angering the world that had looked down on them for so long.

“I will send out a press briefing. Probably best to leave it out at the press conference. I will also announce that you and your Red Widows are considered national heroes. Is there anything else I can do?”

Wanda began to shake her head then paused.

“There is an orphanage in Novi Grad. I have it bricked up. Go inside in a couple weeks. You will find over thirty bodies of men and women who hurt me very badly when I stayed there. After you, quietly, remove the bodies and throw their ashes in a dump, tear that place down and build a place that truly cares for orphaned children. I will be visiting it often, so make sure the staff knows to treat the children with love and respect. I will know if they don’t.”

The President listed to her words solemnly. He was not a weak man. He was strong and he had a daughter as well. He understood what she meant by being hurt. He would not cry for those who did it and those who stood by and did nothing.

“Consider it done. I will keep it quiet. May I talk you into lunch?”

Wanda shook her head. “I am afraid we must return home, Jozef, but I thank you for your hospitality and the time you have given us. I believe we can make this country something it never has been before. A home its people can be proud of. This county will never be at the mercy of foreigners again as long as I live.”

Jozef shook their hands and walked them out onto the street where hundreds of reporters were taking pictures and asking questions.

They didn’t answer any and the herd stood back as Yelena lifted off and then flew from the city.

“Damn it!” Yelena said.

“What is it?”

“I wanted key to city. Maybe country. Do they have keys to country? Mama and Papa would have been proud. Maybe put it on wall in room.”

Wanda laughed, relaxing for the first time in hours.

It had been an emotional day. She felt purged. It wasn’t a bad feeling. It felt good.

“You did good.” Yelena told her.

“We did good.” Wanda said. She looked out the window and saw Yelena had taken a detour and flown over Novi Grad once more. “We did do good, didn’t we?”

Yelena nodded.

An hour later the President of Sokovia held a press conference in front of the world. He told them of his discussion with Wanda Maximoff and Yelena Belova and informed them of what Wanda had done in Novi Grad. He discussed the plans for the restored city and the people who resided there and those who would be returning to their homes that had been lost. He declared Wanda Maximoff and the Red Widows heroes of Sokovia and reiterated her dedication to preserving Sokovian independence and freedom.

Wanda and Yelena landed in the bunker to cheers and tears of the occupants of the Mansion.

In New York a smiling Tony Stark raised a glass to the television and toasted her. She had just become the most famous superhero in the world without throwing a punch.

Clint Barton sat with his family in front of the television with tears in his eyes, holding his youngest son while telling him stories about the time he fought beside his Uncle Pietro, Aunt Wanda, Aunt Yelena and Aunt Natasha. They were stories he would tell the boy his entire life. He would tell him about the day that Aunt Wanda resurrected a city from the dead in minutes and gave renewed hope to thousands.

The Ancient One watched a small television proudly next to an amazed former surgeon and broken man named Stephen Strange, a proud Wong and a worried Mordo.

Night was falling but the world knew a new day was dawning.