Bella MacLeod's Twilight Fanfiction

The Witch and the Widows

By BetterInTexas

Chapter 48:

Natasha motioned for Ava to stand behind her while Steve stepped beside her. Ava held her handgun tight and began scanning the yard for potential dangers. Melina obviously had motion sensors they didn’t pick up. She shouldn’t have been surprised. Melina was not just a former Black Widow. She was one of the best, one of the few Dreykov trusted to work on her own, a genius and loyal to him above all, even children she claimed to have almost loved.

“Hold positions. Naomi take Overwatch two.” Natasha whispered.

She motioned for Melina to walk inside. “After you two.”

Melina nodded and turned to go inside. Alexei smirked at Steve and followed her as if he weren’t concerned about the danger behind him. This set all of them on high alert.

The inside of the house was almost the same. It had been repainted recently by the smell. They walked through the living room into the dining room The table was new in the small dining room and the steps still led up to the kitchen which had a door to the backyard. Despite claiming to know they would come one day, Nat guessed the weapons were in the same drawers in the dining room. Melina and Alexei had a seat at the table on the same side.

“If either makes a move toward the buffet against the wall, shoot them.” Nat told Ava. “There is a shotgun inside the top long drawer, two handguns in each drawer below it and an automatic rifle against the wall behind it. Safeties are not on. They were very safe household items I had to make sure Yelena stayed away from when she was three to six. Shoot Alexie in the head twice.”

Melina waved off her concern. “We have invited you into our home. Why would we kill you here? I just had the house repainted. I had your old rooms redone as well. I never thought you would stay but I wanted guests rooms ready if we ever reconciled.”

Alexie looked at Captain America.

“A black suit? Where is your red, white and blue suit and the shield you love so much Captain America?”

Steve refused to be baited by the man but his words stung.

“I haven’t been feeling very patriotic lately. As far as my shield, I picked up a new one. This has a sharper end.”

Steve’s triangular shield he was given in Wakanda expanded from his forearm gauntlet.

Alexei laughed. “Very impressive and very fitting. The world is learning the United States are not protectors of freedom but murderers who force agenda on other countries, even if it means killing innocents. Your shield is appropriate. So what do two Avengers want with us? Oh wait, the Avengers are gone. Judging by my Natalia’s buckle I assume she has joined Yelena’s team. What is it like taking orders from little sister, Natalia?”

Natasha pulled her handgun and sat down, keeping it under the table but aimed at both of them.

“Hands on the table, both of you. We rescued a Black Widow who was under the subjugation of the drug that lasted longer than the others. She received your type 2 second generation, Melina. The one you made after your type 2 first generation girls received brain damage and had to be disposed of. We gave her the antidote but she hasn’t come out of her haze. We need the chemical makeup of the drug.”

Melina shook her head. “Oksana was an idiot to allow you to give her an antidote for one drug without knowing the chemical makeup of the other first. What was she thinking?”

A knife slammed on the table, its sharp end sticking in the wood between Melina’s fingers.

“Oksana takes care of us. You did nothing but cause us pain. Do not speak of her that way.” Ava told her.

Melina grinned.

“Ava. I would recognize your voice anywhere, even behind a mask. I heard it complaining enough as you grew. You shouldn’t hurt the woman you owe your life to.”

Ava hissed in anger and retracted her helmet. “You have never done a thing for me!”

Melina smiled. “Do you know how many times Dreykov wanted you disposed of? You were so resistant to chemical subjugation and psychological manipulation. I suggested you be kept alive so I could study why nothing worked on you. Psychological manipulation always failed. You always held onto your heart, your compassion. It would be beaten out of you but eventually return. You always began to feel emotions. You would cry for your mother when you were in bed at night. Your mother was another reason we kept you alive. She is deadly and I had to see how your natural skills developed. You don’t remember her? I thought your memories would have returned by now.”

Ava scowled at her but said nothing, pulling her knife out of the wood but keeping it in her grip.

“Chemical subjugation.” Melina continued. “You were the only one who ever resisted. Dreykov wanted you disposed of again but again I told him it was important to study you. We had to restart your drug regimen three times. The first two times you resisted orders. You would still cry for your mother, refuse to carry out kills, resist when told to have sex with the handlers. You know they hate it when you girls fought. I could tell before the Red Room fell you were close to regaining your free will again. This time, Dreykov would have killed you and ordered me to dissect your brain. Never think you don’t owe me your life.”

“You should stop talking now.” Natasha told her. “We need the chemical makeup of the second generation drug.”

Melina shrugged. “Of course. I will write…”

“No. You are coming with us.” Nat told her.

Melina’s eyes widened. “You expect me to walk into a lair full of formerly mind controlled black widows? I may as well die now in the place I spent the best years of my life.”

The former back widow addressed Ava once again. “I’m sure your mother has chemists and doctors on her payroll. She could fund a small European nation. I suppose in reality she does. You inherited your natural skills from her. She was also a very big fan of Ava Gardner if you haven’t figured that out. She is an amazing woman, extremely deadly, but has a habit of picking fights with very dangerous people. Its why your father was killed and you were taken. She was unbeatable. They had to strike her weak spots to teach her a lesson. It was a lesson she never learned though. She believes you are dead but still looks for you. She holds onto hope. You should say hello. She would give you the world. I’m sure you have Dreykov’s records. Her name is in your file.”

Natasha stood up. “Not another word. If she wants to know she will look.”

“Your mother is the only person who ever beat me in a fight when I was in my prime.” Melina continued, ignoring Natasha. “I barely escaped with my life. It was quite embarrassing. You see, she found out I was the one who killed your father while other black widows took you. I’ve often wondered what she would think if she knew you owed me your life.”

Natasha turned to catch Ava as she was about to jump over the table with knife in hand. She screamed and struggled to get past Natasha.

“She is baiting you! She wants to die here! We need her alive! Stand down!” Natasha said loudly, trying to hold on.

Ava snapped out of her rage as Nat held her tightly. She shook her head and put her knife up. “I’m good Red 1.”

“She would be very interested in your organization. The Red Widows. I have no doubt she is tracking your team and Maximoff and none of you ever noticed.” Melina continued. “Her name…”

Nat turned and fired a widow bite at the woman, striking her in the neck and she fell over on the table unconscious. Alexei moved to attack but Steve struck him, picked him up by his throat and slammed him through the table.

Alexei rolled away from the smashed wooden remains and Melina’s unconscious body.

“You won’t take her.” he told Natasha. “She was the only mama you ever knew! She won’t walk out of there alive! You know it, Natalia!”

Alexei moved to ram Steve in the gut but Steve caught him and threw him over his shoulder. Alexei stood once again quickly, only to find a boot in his gut and an uppercut that knocked him into the living room. Steve picked him up by the shoulders and threw him through the wall into the backyard.

As Alexei laid on the grass Steve circled him, staring down like a predator ready to eat his prey.

“Stand up.” he told the former Soviet super soldier.

Alexei did as told and began attacking him but having no luck. Every blow was met with a counterstrike. He felt his ribs breaking with every punch he took to the body. Steve Rogers was stronger and faster than he could have imagined. He pulled himself from the ground over and over until he couldn’t anymore. Steve began hitting him over and over, breaking his jaw and cheek bones.

Finally Steve grabbed Alexei’s hair and pulled him from the ground to his knees.

“Every birthday you ignored, every Christmas with empty boxes for presents. You betrayed the only child who could have ever loved you. You gave Nat back to the Red Room, even as she begged you not to. She begged you to help her save Yelena and you did nothing. Now you sit in this suburban house in Ohio, betraying them again by living the life that should have been theirs.”

Steve struck him again and again, over and over until his eyes were swollen shut.

“The next time I see you, I will kill you. I know where you live now. I will be back for you one day. I’m going strangle you with my own hands and watch your pathetic life leave your eyes. Don’t bother running. You can’t hide from me.”

Steve punched him once more in the jaw, sending him to the ground unconscious.

He turned and saw Natasha with an unconscious Melina over her shoulder.

Natasha took a long look at Alexie on the ground and Steve over him with blood dripping off his black gloved hands.

“We should probably go.” she suggested.

He nodded and the two walked back into the house and out the front. The team converged and lines were dropped from above.

As the jet began to take off sirens were heard in the distance but they were too late. The Red Widows had struck again and taken what they needed then left without being seen.

In the jet after Melina was given a strong sedative through an IV, handcuffed, zip tied and then duct taped, Nat moved next to Ava who was sitting on a bench staring at the unconscious and now hooded woman.

“She was just trying to goad you into killing her. She is afraid of looking at the faces of those she harmed.” Nat said.

Ava nodded. “Thank you for stopping me. You are a good team leader. Facing her couldn’t have been easy. Facing them both in the house you spent three years pretending to be a family must have been hell.”

Natasha silently agreed. It wasn’t easy. She was glad Yelena hadn’t been there. Her feelings were nothing compared to what Ava was going through though. It wasn’t fair. The girls should never be told about their past. It was theirs for the taking and it was their decision to look or not. Yelena had that taken away and now Ava did as well. Another decision taken away from her.

“She wasn’t lying though.” Ava said, echoing Nat’s thoughts. “We both know it. Everyone in this jet knows she was telling the truth. You know I always thought I was Spanish. I had this idea I was born in Spain for some reason. My memories should have returned. I should remember something from before the Red Room, right? I wonder how old I was when I was taken. I don’t remember any babies crying in my past so I must have been sent straight to the Red Room instead of the nursery. I should remember something before the Red Room, right?”

Nat sighed, not sure what to say then gave it a shot.

“I don’t think its unusual. It sounds like you spent most of that strong will breaking through the psychological manipulation and chemical subjugation. It wouldn’t be a shock if you suppressed some memories. Are you… are you going to look at your file?” Nat asked.

Ava smirked. “Why bother? Melina didn’t have to say her name. We all know who the players are. How many women in the world are super rich, picked fights with the very dangerous people and could beat the Iron Maiden in a fight?”

Nat knew of only one.

“I am glad I didn’t get her hair color.” Ava continued. “I wonder what my father looked like. The sad thing is I can never meet her. If she found out I was alive and what I did, she would find out everything about us. We would be compromised. She would find out about our operation including Eleanor’s involvement. Its bigger than me.”

“You don’t know that. I bet she would do anything in the world to have you back. If you asked her not to look, not to become involved, I don’t think she would. She would do anything you asked just to know you were alive. Look at what happened with Yelena’s parents.” Nat pointed out.

“It’s your decision of course.” Nat continued. “We would all support you no matter what you decide. Eleanor would. At least I finally figured it out.”

“Figured what out?” Ava asked.

“How you did it. How you fought off the spell in Rwanda. I know how you are able to love Wong so quickly and without reservation. I know why you were so accepting of me. You have a huge heart and a strong mind, Ava. No one could ever break you, not even the Red Room. I’m not sure I have ever met anyone like you. A child who fought off psychological conditioning and chemical subjugation over and over. Amazing.”

Nat paused for a moment. “I met her once. She saved me and Clint on a mission when we worked for SHIELD. She saved my life from a HYDRA assassin. She wears a Kevlar lined suit but her head was unprotected. She took a bullet for me anyway, right in her back. She knew I was a former Black Widow. She saw my suit and weapons and asked me about the Red Room. I told her Dreykov was dead and Clint confirmed what had happened. She seemed satisfied but also sad. I get it now. Finding him was the lead she needed.”

Nat sighed. “You are just like her. Relentless, fearless, and a hero. Get some rest and try not to kill Melina until we get the formula and Tanya is better. After that, she is yours.”

Red Widows Mansion

Everett Ross stared out the cockpit window speechless. He had been allowed by Kristina to fly over the Atlantic but had given up control to her as they approached the landing zone.

Now they were hovering above a glorious mansion. It was huge and looked as if it had been added onto recently. Kristina had called someone named Rachel to open the hangar.

He watched the manicured yard split open, two giant concrete roofs under the grass and soil, opening wide like a mouth in the earth to be fed.

“I used to think you girls were holed up in some underground cave and slept on stone floors. I felt bad for you. I’ve been living in an economy apartment and you have all been living like secluded billionaires in the French countryside surrounded by beautiful mountains.”

“We hope Dima will show us how to build a pool next but he is determined we need more additions and housing first. We are at least getting a very large hot tub soon.” Kristina told him.

He stayed quiet as the quinjet lowered into the massive opening. Once inside it moved to the right, touching down in an empty slot next to two other jets and across from three empty slots.

“Reaper 4 is home.” Kristina called out.

“Where are the others?” Everett asked, finding it heart warming that they called the compound home and not a base or headquarters.

“Reaper 1 is almost to Romania, Reaper 3 is on its way back from Ohio and Reaper 2 is in Wakanda.”

“Wakanda?” he asked not having expected that. “Why are Red Widows in Wakanda?”

Kristina remained impassive but he could tell she was not happy. “Asking for help. Sokovia and Wakanda are the only countries we consider allies and we don’t want any Sokovians to know the location of our home. There are spies everywhere in the country and Wanda hasn’t had time to root them all out. T’Challa and Shuri will never betray the location of our base nor would any of their people. The chances of spies being in Wakanda and in their government are very low.”

The back opened and Agatha grabbed Everett by the arm, locking his with hers. “C’mon handsome. I’m staking a claim before Antha gets to you. She has a thing for hot older men. She is the tall blonde that looks like a runway model. Eyes off, sweetie. You are mine.”

“Uh…”

“Aunt Agatha, let the man breathe.” Kristina said, humored at Agatha’s behavior.

“He is so adorable though! I want one!” she complained but did let go of him.

Everett’s mouth dropped as they exited the hangar area and walked into the larger compound.

Over twenty Red Widows were waiting for him. They weren’t dressed in their typical black outfits or even the ones Shuri had made for them. They looked like the teenagers they actually were. He had only seen a few of them dressed casually in Wakanda.

There were exceptions. Oksana was there wearing a white lab coat. There were also Yelena’s parents. He hadn’t had a chance to speak to them in Wakanda. When they weren’t with Yelena they were very close to whatever room she was in and he didn’t want to disturb them.

“Welcome to our home.” Kristina told him.

He stopped and looked around. To his right was a large open space. There was a very large gun range. Next to the gun range was a huge gym complete with weights, mats, gymnastic equipment and punching bags. It was huge.

To his left he saw bunks, an open room that looked as if it were for meetings of some sort and glass walled rooms that were filled with hospital beds. First aid stations and a chemist lab were next to it. He suspected that was where Oksana produced the antidote and made medication and immunity boosters for the widows. Farther down were more bunks and then to the left was a giant armory. Weapons of every kind filled the walls and work benches littered the room with various tools.

To the right he saw the heart of the Red Widows operations. Giant screens filled one wall as well as dozens of smaller computers and communication stations. Coding was on the monitors but the large one was split into several smaller visuals showing bodycam footage and vital signs from the widows who were suited up all over the world. Another large screen showed a world map and the positions of the three jets in the air.

The room was a separate entity and many widows who had been watching the screens were now watching him.

He met each of the girls eyes. Beside Yelena’s father, he was the only man here.

The man walked up to him and offered his hand.

“I am Dima Belova. We never got to speak in Wakanda. It was an overwhelming time for us. I look forward to knowing you.”

Everett shook his hand. His wife followed and then the widows surrounded him and began applauding. He was shocked by the reception, not knowing how they would take his presence. Each began walking up to him and shaking his hand and some even hugging him.

A very tall woman with a Russian accent approached him last and gave him a firm handshake. “I am Antonia. You will learn everyone’s names eventually if you stay.”

Everett recognized her immediately. He had never spoken directly to her or most of the widows but he knew some. She was Dreykov’s daughter, the one who he experimented on and used as his ultimate weapon. She wore fearsome armor and was called Taskmaster.

“I am a bit surprised by the welcome.” he admitted.

“We do not have many allies. We do not take our friends for granted. They appreciate what you have done for us. It is why you are here. We will keep you safe. Considering your ex wife had agents still willing to follow her commands, and Wanda and Yelena just attacked a United States secret base and left many dead soldiers behind, others will seek to use you to get to us. I am afraid your home may never be safe for you to return to.”

Everett shrugged. “I’ve never become attached to one place for long… did you say Wanda and Yelena attacked a United States secret base and left bodies behind?”

Antonia nodded. “Bucky Barnes was with them. The soldiers were protecting your ex-wife. They were given a chance to run and some did. Some of those who remained were killed.”

Everett sighed, not surprised. Leave it to Val to throw as many people in front of her to stop a bullet. Self-preservation had always been her strong suit.

“Where is my ex who was so ready to use me as a hostage?”

“Insane. Wanda and Yelena just dropped her off on top of the Romanian capital building. She was drooling when they left her. They should be back soon.”

Everett chuckled, wondering how the United States government had taken that news. He read on the flight over President had resigned and the Vice President had been sworn in as the new leader of the country. The United States was in turmoil and they had to deal with the Scarlet Witch, her boyfriend and Yelena Belova taking a C.I.A. director from a secret base with probable ease.

He would defintely not be in a good spot if he were still in the States.

Everett wasn’t too upset or surprised. He always suspected that one day his friendship with Wanda Maximoff would possibly be used against her and put him in danger. Everyone wanted to use him as a way to contact or work with her. He knew that would change one day. It was how intelligence services worked and no matter where he hid in the United States, they would have found him and used him as a way to control her. He had accepted that long ago he would be in danger and likely on the run. It didn’t matter to him. Wanda Maximoff and the Red Widows were the heroes he knew they would be when he first heard about them. Their mission and getting to be a part of it in a small way was worth the danger.

“All the girls would be here but some are having to take care of Sierra. Others are keeping a close eye on the twins. Let us help with your bags. We have a room ready for you. You will be the first occupant of the new wing, designed by Dima and built by him, Steve Rogers, Bucky Barnes and the girls who were interested. I think you will find it suitable to your needs.”

Everett turned to go back to the jet to retrieve his few bags. On his way there, he looked closer into the open medical room and saw a young girl sitting on the bed, being given some drink through a straw by Oksana. She looked drugged as she sat lifelessly. He suspected this was Tanya.

Before he made it to the jet, several of the girls were walking towards him with his bags in hand, not that he had brought much. He turned and followed them since they knew where they were going and he didn’t. He was as surprised by the Mansion as he was by the bunker underneath. It was beautiful and even larger than it appeared from above. The foyer had a large staircase that circled up towards the second and third floor. He could look up and see the ceiling high above. He knew there were mostly bedrooms on the second and third but suspected many other rooms like libraries or ball rooms were there.

The place was clean, especially considering how many teenage girls lived there. Next to the foyer was a large room with a huge television. A couch and love seats adorned the room as well as many bean bag chairs and large pillows on the floors.

Kate Bishop was in the room with a one eyed dog who gave him a passing look. Everett wondered how much of what he was seeing would be erased from his head. Kate Bishop was here. That meant Eleanor Bishop knew about her connection with Yelena and had no problem with it. Dozens of questions filled his head but he let it go for now. Some questions were better left unasked.

Kate was crouched in front of two little girls in a corner with their arms around each other. She was speaking to them softly. Another young widow was smiling reassuringly at them. It looked like she was offering them a cupcake.

The twins were having none of it. They wanted nothing to do with them. They were visibly shaking. He could see it from this distance.

He suddenly felt sick.

“Those are the girls the C.I.A. team was using.” he said, not asking a question but stating a fact.

Antonia nodded.

“Wanda!” One of them yelled angrily towards Kate and the girl with the cupcake.

Everett looked up at Antonia in question so she explained. “Wanda emits an aura of calmness and serenity, especially when she is very protective over someone and that person is in distress. Girls who have difficulty with nightmares often sleep in her room at night. She is rarely alone in her room. Wanda offered to heal their wrists from the chafing caused by the handcuffs when they first met. They refused her. Now that Wanda had to leave, we suspect the calming influence, the warmth they felt from her is gone and they realize it came from her. They want her back and want her to heal their wrists. They likely feel she left because they turned her away. We have tried explaining she will be back but they will not listen. They are frightened. Their handlers are gone and they are surrounded by new people who are not giving them orders. They are having difficulty coping and are lost.”

Everett heard a shrill scream from a room down the hall that chilled him to the bone.

“We have ran out of rooms on the second and third floors.” Antonia explained. “Some of the girls have rooms on the first. You just heard Sierra. She was given the antidote days ago and her memories are returning. It is quite a traumatic process, especially for a thirteen year old. Discovering emotions for the first time in years and having foggy memories of not being in control of your body and mind is difficult. You should not hear us in the new addition but do not be surprised if you do hear many screams at night. Many of us have nightmares, even the ones who have been free the longest.”

Everett’s throat burned and his stomach was nauseous. He had spoken to Wanda a little about what went on here but she was usually tight lipped like most things in her life. Hearing the cries and seeing the shocked and traumatized girls in person was like being slapped in the face. The organization he had sworn an oath to serve had hurt those little girls and who knew how many more were out there.

He followed Antonia to a very large and nice bedroom. Once she left him alone he ran to the bathroom and vomited. He stayed kneeling on the floor thinking about those two twins, the listless girl with Oksana and the Siera’s screams.

For the first time in a very long time, Everett Ross cried.

While Everett was acclimating to the Mansion, Kate and Staci were trying to calm the twins. Too many people talking to them at once was not good and Mika needed a break so Kate stepped in to give it a shot. She had Lucky by her side and hoped he would be the key in relaxing them, like he helped her relax when she slept.

The dog sat down with his head on the floor but slowly shuffled towards the girls in a non-threatening manner.

“Do you want to pet him? He likes that.” Kate told them.

The twin in front eyed Kate and then Lucky suspiciously. She had an arm in front of her slightly small sister and pushed her completely behind her. She looked at Kate once more and then knelt and reached out for Lucky.

Lucky wagged his tail and moved closer, within her reach.

She touched his head experimentally and Kate realized she had probably never petted a dog before. The girl almost grinned as Lucky lay still and closed his eyes. Kate was once again impressed by how the dog abandoned on the streets was so empathetic to human’s needs, her needs and now these girls.

He rolled over and she began petting his belly.

“It is okay. Be careful.” she told her twin who had been behind her. Kate wondered how the two had ever been apart for missions but supposed if they were told to do so, then that is what they did.

The twin who was being protected stepped around from behind her sister and knelt, reaching out hesitantly to touch the bottom of Lucky’s chin.

“He liked to eat pizza. Do you like pizza?” Kate asked.

The two girls looked at her strangely and then continued to pet Lucky who had rolled over and was enjoying his back being gently rubbed by the girls and his ears scratched.

“I doubt they have had pizza. Maybe they were given leftovers.” Staci said. Kate noticed Staci wasn’t as lighthearted as usual. She kept a smile on her face but her eyes were very frightened, not of the girls but for them.

“We are going to change that.” Kate said softly, slowly joining them petting Lucky. Staci had placed the cupcake away. Anya was hurriedly cooking a dozen different dishes, hoping Tanya, the twins and Sierra would eat one of them. Her motherly instincts were high with Yelena having been gone on a dangerous mission and the hurt girls who lived with them now plus her own recent pregnancy making her even more maternal than usual.

Kate absolutely adored Yelena’s mother. The woman was a saint in all of their eyes.

The twins stood up quickly and their eyes widened.

“Wanda!” they both shouted.

Staci pulled Kate to her just as the twins ran past where she would have been. They chased the twins from a distance, not crowding them but keeping an eye. The twin who was the protector hit the elevator button. They waited a few seconds and then made for the stairs impatiently.

Staci opened up her com.

“The twins are on their way down!”

“Witch, Red 1 and Tin Man have just arrived.” Rachel responded.

“Do not let the kids in the hangar area until the jet has been secured! We are following.”

Yelena had landed the jet safely and quickly. Wanda was in the seat next to her passed out. She had used much magic that day and Yelena knew she must have been exhausted. Bucky moved to carry her but Yelena shook her head and then placed a hand on his face when he kept trying.

“Hey! Cyborg! She needs to wake and walk to her room. The girls will not see you carrying her like some damsel who passed out unless something drastic happens like disintegrating robot.”

“She needs sleep.” Bucky argued.

“And you need to remember when it comes to her and the girls I know what is best. Know your role. The new girls must see her strong.” Yelena countered. “I stand up for you. Don’t make me look stupid. Wanda hates to be carried. You should know this. Maybe you do and think you can change it. You won’t.”

Bucky raised his hands in surrender and Yelena shook her awake.

“Are we home?” Wanda asked, then her eyes widened.

“The twins are coming this way!” Wanda shouted. “Open the back slowly so they can get out of the way. They are very distressed.”

Yelena did as asked and as soon as the door touched down, the twins were standing at the opening. Somehow the girls had managed to get them in clean clothes. She recognized them as Stannic’s jeans and shirts though they were oversized on the kids who did looked even younger than twelve.

Kate and Lucky were behind the girls. Fanny had ran to join them and was sitting next to Lucky, waiting for Yelena as usual when she was gone.

Wanda stepped out and the girls held out their chafed wrists.

“Heal?” one asked. She turned to the one behind her and they exchanged some silent communication. The twin in back moved slightly farther away.

Wanda knew this wasn’t the twin in front wanting to go first because she wanted to be healed immediately. It was the twin in front making sure it didn’t hurt before her sister was healed.

Wanda’s heart clenched painfully. How many times over their life had Pietro done this for her. She couldn’t count. Whenever there was even a slightly perceived danger, Pietro would put himself in front of her. Clint Barton would never know how close he came to death when he shocked Wanda. Pietro only left him after knocking him through that glass window because they had a mission to complete and he had Wanda in his arms.

When they received their powers, Wanda read and felt the true extent of his love and protectiveness and it’s absence still left an empty hole inside her.

She focused on the present and slowly approached the twins. She took the first one’s wrist and her hand glowed a gentle red. The girl’s eyes lit up in wonder as the red covered her wrist and then went away. The girl looked at her wrist and smiled, then grabbed her sister and pulled her in front of Wanda.

“You can heal her?”

Wanda nodded and repeated the process.

“Have you two eaten?” she asked, when she had the twins’ full attention.

The sisters shook their heads.

Wanda looked back at Yelena for guidance. “Just remember to ask questions. Don’t tell them to eat.” Yelena instructed her quietly.

“Are you hungry?” Wanda asked.

The girls nodded.

“You can feed her?” the protective one asked, looking towards her smaller sister.

Wanda smiled warmly at her. “I can feed both of you if you will allow it. It is your choice. Yelena’s mama is cooking for you. She is a very good cook. She has food if you want it.”

The girl in front was confused. “What is a mama?”

Wanda was shocked for a moment, not sure what to say. She looked at Yelena who looked away so the kids would not see the flash of anger on her face.

“A mama is… would you eat if I took you to her? I can hear your stomachs growling.”

The girls nodded.

Wanda walked to the elevator with the twins following only a few feet behind her while Yelena and Kate went to check on Tanya.

Wanda planned on setting the children down to eat with Anya and then checking on Sierra before returning to Tanya. Natasha’s team was only minutes away. She also needed to check on Everett.

It became apparent that her plans would be delayed. The girls did sit to eat but when Wanda told them she would be back, they picked up their plates and began following her, eating while walking.

She sat back down at the table and waited patiently for the twins to eat which didn’t take long. They were starving and already too small and malnourished. Wanda had lived in the streets with kids like this. She had been a kid like this for a while.

Once they were finished, Anya made her way down to check on Yelena and Wanda walked to Sierra’s room. Stannic was holding her on Sierra’s bed as the girl cried.

“Hello Sierra. I am Wanda.”

The girl looked up and saw the red head and the twins behind her.

“Hello.”

“I know this is a difficult time but as you can see we are all here for you. We won’t leave you behind. You are home now.”

The girl nodded. “What time is training?”

Stannic frowned, wondering where that had come from. “You and Yelena are our leaders. That is what everyone says. What time is training?”

Wanda sighed. “There will be no training unless you want it. We do not give orders in this house. We are not handlers. This is a home, not a base. We are a family, not a military strike team. You are no longer an assassin. I would appreciate it if you took time away from training. There is much you have to learn.”

Sierra didn’t understand. “I am a proficient killer with all weapons.”

“You are also thirteen and I would bet you have never seen Star Wars or Harry Potter or Disney movies and many other things. You have probably never had time to read a book for fun or played video games. You will learn to be a kid before we talk about what else you might want to do in the future.”

“How do I protect myself if I do not train?”

Wanda smiled at her. “Protecting you is my job. It is all the older widows jobs. We are going to protect you while you learn to be a kid. Stannic is working on being a kid too so you can help each other out. I need to check on Tanya. Yelena will be here soon to say hello.”

When Wanda and her two shadows made it downstairs, Nat had already arrived. A very drowsy Melina Vostokoff was stepping out of the jet.

Several very angry girls watched Melina look at the results of Tanya’s blood work and her brain scans. Melina had mentioned Oksana making a mistake by giving Tanya the antidote and Oksana struck her so hard it cracked her cheek bone. Melina didn’t make any negative comments after that.

They waited all night while Oksana made another antidote with Melina watching over her shoulder. Yelena had insisted Kate stay upstairs the entire time so Melina did not know she was there.

Wanda wondered if this was a sign that Yelena thought Melina was leaving the Mansion alive. She thought of warning her of the overwhelming rage she was picking up from the group but Yelena must have known. Perhaps she didn’t want Kate to see a repeat of what Yelena did to her fake mother last time.

At some point, Anya and Dima Belova had made their way down and were glaring at the woman. Wanda was almost blinded by the hate they were emitting and fought to keep her shield up in her exhausted condition.

Bucky had approached Wanda many times but the moment he touched her the twins would hiss at him and grab her hands.

It was noon the next day when the antidote had been complete. Oksana paused for a long time with the syringe in her hand before working the courage to inject it into Tanya’s IV port.

It took many minutes, but there was a change in her. She seemed more aware, but still wouldn’t talk. She sat up and looked around, meeting the eyes of her sisters who were looking at her hopefully.

Tanya opened her mouth but only muffled sounds came out.

She was frustrated and shook her head. She stood and nearly collapsed. Oksana caught her but the girl had trouble walking. She grabbed her head and moaned.

“She has ABI. Acquired Brain Injury” Melina said in a clinical fashion. “It was likely present before the antidote. The type 2 second generation subjects had less problems than the first gens but the two girls I was able to examine had loss of speech. She will also have debilitating headaches. I suspect the problems with coordination came after the antidote or she would have been disposed of by her handler. A silent black widow is no problem. One that cannot fight is a problem.”

Yelena stepped up to her. “This is your legacy. You sit in Ohio reliving good old days and your legacy suffers in this world. What is it like, knowing if there is a hell you will burn in it for eternity? What is it like to hope everyday that there is nothing after death, no heaven, no hell, just ceasing to exist? I promise you there is an afterlife. There is justice and you know you will be punished.”

Melina shook her head. “I never had a choice.”

“Natasha did. Oksana did. They broke free. They were no one’s puppets. Your excuse is invalid. It is pathetic.”

Melina sighed. “I have given you what you want. Shall I be taken home or will you all draw lots to decide who has the privilege of killing me?”

No one answered. They were too surprised by Anya placing a gun against the woman’s head.

Yelena watched Melina’s hands to make sure she didn’t strike her mother. Anya was too close.

“Mama.” Yelena said quietly, wanting her to back away from the dangerous Iron Maiden.

“You took care of my baby, made her love you and then betrayed her. You could have brought her back to me. You gave her over to become a slave. You enslaved all these girls.”

“Mama there are children here.” Yelena reminded her.

Anya nodded. “Take them upstairs.”

Yelena placed a hand on the gun pressed against Melina’s head. “Mama you have a child growing inside you. You have my little brother or sister. Do not have blood on your hands while you carry a child. You are too good for that. This is not you. Please don’t kill. I will kill her if you insist but not you. Never cross that line, Mama. Please never go there. You cannot come back. I never want you or Papa or my baby brother or sister to know what that is like to take a life. Give me that gun. Such an ugly thing does not belong in your hand.”

Anya lowered the weapon and then spit on Melina’s face. Melina closed her eyes and didn’t bother to wipe her face.

“Ava, it is your decision.” Yelena said. “She killed your father.”

Ava stepped up to the woman.

“Do it, Ava. Yelena is right. You deserve it.” Melina told her.

Ava smirked. “That is true.”

Tanya groaned and the room looked towards her except for Ava.

“Aunt Agatha?”

Agatha walked up beside Ava. She took a medallion and pushed it against Melina’s chest. The medallion melted inside her and disappeared.

Melina’s eyes widened watching it enter her.

“What was that?!”

“A tracking talisman.” Agatha told her. “No matter where you are in the world, I will always know your location.”

Ava nodded. “And we will anonymously give your location to my mother often. She will hunt you. You won’t be living a happily married life in small town Ohio. You are going to run. You will spend the rest of your life running because when she catches you, she will kill you in a more brutal manner than we could possibly imagine. You killed her husband and took her daughter. You psychologically tortured me and drugged me. I was abused, raped and forced to kill. I had to kill children when I was a child simply to survive. I am going to tell her everything.

“She is going to torture you worse than Satan could. Somebody drug this bitch and get her out of our home. She can only prolong death now. She can’t avoid it. Drop her off in Ohio. I’ll send out her location an hour after you leave her.”

A needle was placed in Melina’s neck by Oksana and no one caught her when she hit the floor.

Kristina and Naomi picked her up and carried her to Reaper 1 with a few of the other girls volunteering for the trip.

Wanda watched them go then gave her attention to Tanya. The girl tried to stand again and this time Rowan was there to catch her. She began moving her mouth but could only make unintelligible sounds.

“Ava, call Wong and ask him to wake Stephen. We need a brain surgeon here.” Wanda told her.

“Surgery won’t help. Strange isn’t a surgeon any longer regardless.” Oksana reminded her. “But I do need an expert to look at her scans and blood work. Maybe there is a chance at rehabilitating her damage. We can at least try to give her movement back.”

Thirty minutes later, a portal opened and Wong walked out, followed by Dr. Stephen Strange.

He shook Wanda’s hand.

“Thank you for coming.” Wanda told him.

“Thank you for asking me. Wong has given me a rundown of the situation. I should get to work.”

The rest of the day and night, Strange and Oksana conducted tests on Tanya. She had difficulty eating, her speech appeared to be permanently impaired and they were examining her motor functions.

The team had returned from dropping off Melina, leaving her an unconscious and beaten heap on her front lawn.

Wanda looked at the time at one point and realized she and many others had been up for over three days except for her short nap in the jet.

The twins had fallen asleep in a corner close to where she was standing, propped against each other. Stannic had come down with Sierra who slept in a bunk then Stannic curled up with her head on Natasha’s lap who was sitting on the floor and quickly fell asleep. Steve was pacing the entire time and Yelena and Wanda stood motionless, like many others never taking their eyes off Strange, Oksana and Tanya.

“Who is Ava’s mother? Everyone seems to know but me.” Agatha asked Wanda quietly.

Wanda shrugged. “I have no idea. Yelena?”

“Her name is Silvija Sablinova.” Yelena said quietly. “She comes from a family of deadly assassins that go back to before the second world war. Military, law and intelligence services know her as Silver Sable and she is the owner of Silver Sable International. It is the largest and deadliest group of mercenaries in the world. She is the best of them. If the stories are true she is the best assassin in the world.”

Agatha was impressed.

“She usually sells her services to countries or individuals seeking out war criminals, weapons dealers and cartel heads.” Yelena continued. “Some say she is a villain whose brutality is unmatched. Some say she is a hero. She is basically like us. She practically runs the nation of Symkaria. It is a very small European state next to Latveria. She is not a woman you want as an enemy. If she knows Melina killed her husband and Dreykov took her daughter then she has been interested in us for a very long time. I have no doubt she has been tracking us.”

“How could she track us without us knowing?” Agatha asked.

“As I said, she is not a woman you want as an enemy.” Yelena repeated. “She likely has spies all over Sokovia and in the United Nations. She has no doubt been watching Everett Ross, hoping he would lead her to us one day.”

Wanda and Agatha’s eyes widened but Yelena remained calm.

“We brought Everett here.” Agatha realized.

“I will place a hex over the Mansion so no one can see us.” Wanda decided.

Yelena shook her head. “Do not bother. If she followed the jet somehow to this area, no hex is going to make her go away. The stealth tech can beat radar but not make us invisible. She has spy satellites with crystal clear video and high altitude drones. If Everett had a permanent tail he or she would have launched the drones the second we were spotted over his apartment building.”

“I cloaked the jet.” Agatha reminded her.

“So the spy would have seen you and Everett get into an invisible hole in the air?”

Agatha looked a bit embarrassed. “No, I had to uncloak it so I wouldn’t’ t hit my leg on the strut like last time. I never recloaked it when we flew off. Damn it.”

Wanda shook her head. “We couldn’t have guessed, Agatha. What do we do now?”

Yelena shrugged. “Nothing. We will talk about it all together. I personally believe Ava should approach her when she arrives. It will be soon. She may already be here.”

Wanda cringed. “If this woman digs deeper into us she will find information on Eleanor and Bishop Security working with us. Eleanor would be compromised by a very large and powerful corporation.” she reminded Yelena.

Yelena smirked. “If this woman is as good as her reputation, she is, she already knows we have been using Bishop Security software and cameras all over the world to find widows. She is a tactical genius, Wanda, probably only second to me. As I said, there is nothing to do but wait. She has what she wants. Everett is here. We brought the trojan horse already inside but we have the knowledge that the Greeks are inside. We just have to wait for her to introduce herself.”

Wanda shook her head. “Every country in the world has been looking for us and none have a clue about our location or our connection to Eleanor.”

“No country is her. Silver Sable International is more than mercenaries and they are more than independent agents. They are an international intelligence agency. Being hunted by them is bad. Being hunted by the Silver Sable herself is worse. There is no point in worrying about it. She won’t approach us now. She knows we are dangerous and she knows Wanda is here. The woman does not make rash moves. I suspect she has told no one in her organization of our location. This is personal to her. She will want to make friends. Much easier to get information from us that way.”

Everett made his way down and Wanda greeted him with a hug which he returned fiercely. The twins had woken by that point and hissed at him as well. Wanda was beginning to realize they had not only become attached to her, they also hated men. Understandable but something that would need to be worked on. Zarola was expected back in the morning and she had found a psychologist who could possibly help them.

Another new person in the Mansion. T’Challa vouched for her and that was good enough for Wanda.

“Remember when it was just you and me in a cabin in Sokovia?” Wanda whispered to Yelena.

Yelena nodded. “Much simpler then. Much simpler mission, much simpler powers, no aliens or magic, just me and my guns and knives and you and your wiggly woo powers. Then it was us and our sisters in a cave. A small group compared to now.”

“Do you miss it?” Wanda asked.

Yelena looked around the room. Every Red Widow had stayed in the compound. Steve Rogers had not left Natasha and Stannic’s side and Bucky stood near him. Everett looked overwhelmed and in anguish at what he was seeing. Anya and Dima had not left either except to bring down food. Yelena had told Kate she could come down and rather than staying by Yelena, Kate being Kate sat by the twins and encouraged them to pet Fanny and Lucky. She even made them smile a few times.

“I miss the time when it was just the two of us on the road, laughing at stupid jokes, putting up with your horrible driving, drinking vodka and talking about our lives late into the night. But I wouldn’t change anything. I have you, I have my Kate and I am proud of this family we have made. What about you?”

Wanda shook her head. “I miss it too, but I wouldn’t change a thing.”

Yelena smirked “Beside, look at the team we have built if Thanos ever arrives.”

Wanda raised an eyebrow, not having given Thanos any thought in days. She wasn’t surprised Yelena had. Yelena was constantly thinking of hundreds of things at once and always planning, whether it was dinner, trips, missions or outfits to wear, her mind was constantly thinking.

“Team?”

“If Thanos arrives he will likely attack in force with his army to keep you occupied while he attempts to gather the remaining stones. It will be up to you to fight him and up to me and our sisters to keep you safe from his army while you do.

“We will also have all the Masters of the Mystic Arts, Shuri’s intelligence, T’Challa and the Dora Milaje, I suspect the Ten Rings if I call on them, the Sokovian military, Agatha, Steve and Bucky, probably Stark and maybe his spider boy. If this works out the way I suspect it will, we will also have Silver Sable International with thousands of mercenaries ready to protect you while you destroy that purple bastard. We haven’t done so bad for a couple violent, unstable, antisocial teenage girls that started in a cabin in the Sokovian wild outside a destroyed city, with only a couple hundred thousand Euros, a sweet green vest, macaroni, hot sauce, vodka and a stolen car.”

Stephen Strange stepped away from the girl on the bed with Oksana and the widows gathered around her and Yelena as he addressed them.

“There is brain damage obviously. She will have trouble coordinating her movements. She will need to walk with a walker or use a wheelchair. No amount of physical therapy will change that.” he told them in a clinical and professional tone but Wanda could feel the disappointment rolling off him.

“She won’t regain the ability to speak clearly. With years of work she can form simple words and perhaps write legibly but don’t expect much more than that. She will have long and short term memory problems making any therapy more difficult. She is aware of her surroundings and can differentiate between people but she will have difficulty comprehending complex problems. I will be glad to work with her as much as I am able. I will give Oksana a list of exercises she can walk her through to give her the best chance she has at a tolerable… I’m sorry I can’t do more. Unfortunately this isn’t something surgery can fix and no magic that I know of can help her either.”

Wanda sighed, fighting back tears. “Thank you, Stephen.”

“I didn’t do anything.”

“You tried.” Yelena told him. “That is what matters to us. We called and you answered without hesitation. That is not something we take for granted. Not many have done that in our lives. You are a good friend, Dr. Strange.”

Yelena took his hand and firmly shook it, conveying her sincerity.

Stephen took a look around the room and saw many disappointed faces, some he recognized like Steve Rogers and others he barely recognized from the Ancient One’s funeral. Others he was clueless as to their identities.

“Quite an eclectic group you have here.” he told Yelena.

“Yes they are quite eclectic but they are our family. Family can be weird like that.”

Stephen nodded and walked a ways off with Wong who opened a portal. Wong explained that Ava had asked him to stay and Stephen left alone and disappointed.

Wanda finally shouted in frustration.

“Damn it!”

Yelena patted her on the back. “Calm down. We can handle this. We will take care of her.”

Wanda brushed her off and sat against a concrete wall, bringing her knees up and placing her head in her hands. She began pulling her hair.

The twins sat on either side of her as closely as possible.

No one said a word, all of them eventually turning back to look at Tanya who was lying down but wide awake.

“You can heal her?” one of the twins asked Wanda.

Wanda looked at her with bleary, blood shot eyes. She shook her head. “I can’t heal minds.”

“You can heal her.” The other twin insisted.

Now the room was looking at her.

“You can heal her.” The girl repeated again more firmly.

Wanda shook her head once again. Stephen Strange was a brilliant brain surgeon and had learned and mastered more spells in a short time than all of the Masters of Mystic Arts. It was in his nature to heal. If there had been a magical solution he would have used it.

The twin took her hand and patted it. “You can heal her.”

Wanda stared at the hopeful but confident look on the girl’s face. She looked at the other twin on her right who was nodding with certainty.

Then she looked at the entire room.

Everyone in the house was there.

They were all looking at her hopefully.

If Strange couldn’t’ t do it, what hope did she have? He was a genius and obviously an incredible sorcerer having reached where he was so quickly.

Healing her would go against the natural order. Sorcery worked with the natural order. If a brain was damaged it stayed damaged. That was reality.

It took chaos to change reality.

She just needed to control the chaos magic that constantly surrounded her begging to be used.

She knew her chances were slim.

But the hope on the two girls faces, their simple faith in her was surprisingly giving her confidence. Two kids who didn’t know her believed she could do anything and she was beginning to believe it as well. Their faith in her was strong enough that it was breaking through her shields. Her family was surrounding her and once again had no doubt that she could pull off the impossible. Some like Steve looked skeptical but no one showed any doubt.

The room was silent when Wanda shakily stood and began slowly walking to the hospital bed.

Tanya was still lying on her back but her eyes locked onto Wanda’s.

Wanda placed her hands on either side of Tanya’s head. She leaned over her and kissed her forehead and one of her red glowing tears fell on the damaged girl’s cheek.

Wanda let go, feeling herself become one with the magic. She floated along, searching for the girl’s mind and then feeling her life force and merging her’s to Tanya’s. She felt the girl’s entire body, from the blood running through her veins to the slight electrical impulses dancing across the cortexes of her brain. She then began to do something she spent most of her life fighting not to do.

Wanda was the Scarlet Witch. What that meant was up to her. Changing reality was what the Scarlet Witch did so that was what Wanda would do.

Her astral hand touched the girls brain, feeling the slight stinging of the currents, allowing herself to feel what was wrong and changing it. She was taking the chaos and ordering it to reverse itself. She had done the same in Sokovia. The Scarlet Witch was a destroyer but she was also a healer. It was Wanda that made the decision on who the Scarlet Witch was. Chaos answered to no one but her.

It was working. Wanda saw the horrible images of the girls life, her trauma, her pain, her fear and the confusion and terror she felt as she lost the ability to speak. The antidote had unlocked those memories but she couldn’t even talk about it. That had to change. Her magic covered the girl like a gentle ocean wave.

When it felt right, when Tanya felt right, Wanda backed out slowly. She reigned her magic in, pulled it back into her soul and saw nothing but darkness. She felt Tanya’s forehead pressed with hers.

When she opened her eyes and lifted her head off the girl, Tanya was crying.

“Are you hurt?” Wanda asked her quietly.

“You fixed me.” Tanya said in a steady voice. “I can… I haven’t felt this way in so long. I wanted to die. I was begging someone to kill me. I thought you were but… oh god, are you an angel? Are you a goddess?”

Wanda shook her head. “I’m a Sokovian street rat with a great family that you are a part of. Welcome home, Tanya.”

Wanda kissed her forehead once again and backed away. She almost walked into the twins who were right behind her and smiling brightly.

Everyone in the room was crying silently, even Bucky and Cap.

She made her way through the crowd as the widows patted her on the shoulder and back while others hugged her.

Steve, Bucky, Everett and Natasha were speechless. They knew Wanda could heal and they heard she saved Aino from the brink of death but they had never seen her heal like that. They were too shocked to speak. They had just seen a side of the Scarlet Witch only the widows had seen before. Steve had been proud of her, feared for her, and been angry at her in the past, but he had never been in awe of her as he was now.

As she made her way to the elevator, Dima and Anya stopped her. They kissed her cheek and hugged her tightly.

She walked up the stairs rather than flying. She knew the twins were behind her. They showed no intention of leaving her side. She wasn’t sure what to think of that and was too damn tired to worry about it now.

The girls pulled pillows off the other bed in Wanda’s room and crawled in on either side of her, curling tightly into her body.

Wanda noticed one of them was sucking her thumb and while it should have worried her, at the moment it looked adorable. Then sleep finally took her.

She had no nightmares that night.