Bella MacLeod's Twilight Fanfiction

The Witch and the Widows

By BetterInTexas

Chapter 49:

Yelena had only been asleep for maybe five hours. She had not bothered going upstairs and instead found a cot in one of the empty bunks below. Kate had lay down with her and the two passed out. The widows dispersed to their rooms after Wanda had left with the twins. Oksana continued to run tests on Tanya to make sure she was completely healed and Rachel was asleep in a chair in front of the big monitor as usual but the rest had forsaken the bunker for more comfortable digs. Only Lucky and Fanny remained her and Kate’s loyal friends below.

Her sleep was interrupted by Rachel’s voice. Rachel was not speaking loudly but Yelena was fine tuned to the voices around her. Rachel was greeting Dani, Zarola and Anastasia home.

That meant the head shrink had arrived. After watching their behavior and the intense attachment to Wanda, she was relieved. They obviously needed someone of her caliber. Yelena hadn’t been crazy about needing someone else in the Mansion who wasn’t a widow but accepted it as necessary.

Today would be a crazy day. She would have to make the doctor feel welcome, introduce her to everyone, keep a tired Wanda from descending into depression, figure out what Everett’s feelings on his current situation and what to do with him and talk to Eleanor about the Silver Sable showing up at their doorstep. She was almost certain the woman would approach at night. She would make herself known from a distance. She wouldn’t be unarmed because she was not stupid but she would come in peace. Yelena had to ensure Sierra was doing well, Steve Rogers wasn’t going to have a break down and start singing the Star Bangled Banner over the intercom, Bucky understood the importance of keeping his distance from Wanda for the moment and ensuring that her mother was not overdoing herself. They all needed sleep and she did not need her Mama in the kitchen cooking breakfast for girls who were too tired to eat breakfast and could survive on toast and cereal for the morning.

Being leader of the Red Widows took a lot of effort. Did anyone appreciate it?

Yes, they did. All her sisters appreciated her. That was something she never doubted. Nat may still second guess at times and her sisters complained about her decisions but she knew they were glad she was making them. This family was started by her and Wanda. The family had decided right away that they would be the heads of the family.

She went to the sink and splashed water on her face. Kate was still asleep and reaching for the spot Yelena had been in, patting the now empty side.

Yelena kissed her cheek. “Stay asleep my love. I will be back soon. Keep the bed warm for me.”

Lucky jumped onto the open spot Yelena had left behind and Fanny followed his master by her side, sniffing the air and determining who was new from the old.

The three and Doctor Imi Zaru were walking off the jet.

Yelena should have given all her attention to the doctor but Anastasia was who caught her eye first. She looked happy but Yelena could tell by her eyes and the sickness she tried to hide that she had been drinking. She had drank a lot over the time they were in Wakanda. Yelena glanced at Dani.

Dani hadn’t been drinking. She was tired, likely from staying up with Shuri all night or perhaps taking care of Ana.

Ana. Yelena internally sighed, disappointed that she could not do more. She suspected what Ana’s problem might be and it was something Yelena could not fix. Ana’s drinking problem was worse than Wanda’s and hers. She attended the ineffective online alcoholic sessions but wasn’t really interested.

It was not anything that could be solved now. She could only offer to listen later if she wanted to talk. Ana was very quiet and held tight to her emotions. It was likely Yelena would get nowhere but she had to try. She would never stop trying.

Her assessment of both Dani and Ana took a second and then she gave all her attention to Dr. Zaru. The woman was close to Antha’s height and had long dark hair that hung straight down her back with no curls or waves. Zarola had only told Yelena a bit about the woman. She was thirty four and had been a practicing psychologist since she graduated a fancy university with a fancy degree at twenty three.

“Dr. Zaru, I am Yelena Belova. Welcome to our home and thank you for coming. I am sorry your arrival is not more attended. It had been an incredibly long night and the girls only got to sleep about six hours ago.”

“I am glad to be here, Miss Belova.”

“Call me Yelena. I will introduce you to the group when we gather but I would like to give the girls a bit more sleep as well as our men. If I wake them up my mama and papa will insist on being here and Mama needs sleep. She is carrying my little baby brother or sister. Growing Belovas is not easy. As you can see we are adorable and this takes a lot of effort to make us this perfect.”

Imi laughed, surprised at the humor from the young girl who was obviously exhausted. Zarola had told her about many of the widows but only brief amounts. There were many girls and they all had unique personalities.

From how Zarola and T’Challa had described her, Yelena Belova was a warrior, a fierce killer on the field, honorable and loyal to friends and merciless to enemies. Imi had expected a battle hardened warrior complete with short cut hair and facial scars.

She had not expected a 1.62 meter girl with long wavy hair, beautiful green eyes, and a cute button nose who had a dazzling smile. This was the deadly assassin and leader of the vicious and blood thirsty Red Widows. This was the girl who killed hundreds.

She was a cute teenager who had turned seventeen not long ago. Yet this cute seventeen year old girl had over thirty girls ready to kill and die for her, the most powerful human on the planet as practically her sister and a furry dog who was wagging his tail next to her.

“You must call me Imi then. I could use some freshening up but first if you could give me a moment I would like to ask you some basic questions about the twins before I meet them.”

Yelena nodded. “The girls will take your bags to your room. It is our newest addition my papa built. It is very nice. Let me introduce you to Oksana. She is the best person to explain the chemical subjugation and psychological conditioning used by the Red Room. She is also our residence chemist, pharmacist, doctor and surgeon when called upon. She is truly a remarkable woman as I understand you are.”

Yelena walked the doctor over to the med bay. Oksana was saying something to Tanya that made her laugh. She smiled brightly when she saw Yelena and the new resident and offered her hand.

“Dr. Imi Zaru, it is a pleasure to meet you.” Oksana greeted her. “We cannot thank you enough for coming to our aid. Yelena, I was going to take Tanya to her room. She checks out fine. Like she is brand new.”

“I am.” Tanya said. “I haven’t felt this way my entire life.”

Yelena offered her hand and Tanya followed. “I will take her upstairs and settle her in. I am thinking we will have meeting to introduce the doctor in a few hours. Give the girls time to rest. I want Wanda and the twins to sleep as long as possible and Tanya needs a nap. I also must check on… I have much to do. I will check in on you as soon as I can, Imi. When you are done speaking to Oksana, Zarola can show you to your room. Oksana, please remember you need sleep too.”

Yelena walked off with Tanya. If Zaru thought Yelena looked young she was shocked by Tanya.

“How old is she?”

“Tanya is twelve and six months. The twins are twelve and a month. Sierra also joined us. She turned thirteen two months ago. Stannic is the youngest of the veterans or the original group. She turned fourteen not long ago. Staci, Aino and Mika are fifteen. We have several who are sixteen and seventeen and some who are eighteen. Antha turns twenty next week. She is the oldest rescued widow.”

Zaru nodded. “Tanya didn’t seem tired.”

“She just regained the ability to speak and think clearly for the first time in three years. She is on a natural high. It will wear off and she will sleep for ten hours or so. You have many questions. I will answer what I can now and we can go over the details in depth later on. Yelena was right. I haven’t slept in three days.”

Zaru was shocked. “What has been going on? I knew the twins…”

Oksana raised a hand. “It isn’t the twins. Since Wanda returned they are okay as long as she is by their side. They won’t leave her.”

Zaru found this very interesting.

“Its probably because… Doctor, I am sorry. To explain all this now…”

Imi understood. “Please call me Imi. I understand. Zarola mentioned there was much going on. I could use a rest as I am sure you can. Perhaps when you wake we can speak about the twins before I meet them.”

“Give me a few hours and I will visit you in your room. Yelena will have called the house together by then to meet you. She will let Wanda sleep and that means the twins will stay in bed with her. When Wanda uses a great deal of magic she needs sleep to replenish herself.”

---

Four hours later, Yelena stood in her familiar place at the front of the briefing room with an unfamiliar person. Everyone who lived in the Mansion was present except for, Tanya, Sierra, Wanda and the twins. They were all in Wanda’s room, sound asleep except for Tanya who I her own room wide awake listening to her own voice.

“This is Dr. Imi Zaru. Dr. Zaru, this is everybody.” Yelena introduced her. “You will learn all our names shortly I am sure.”

“Please everyone call me Imi. I will be living here now. Hearing doctor all the time would make me feel like I am at work all the time.”

“Imi is here to work with the twins.” Yelena continued. “She has come to us from Wakanda. She has left her home and her life to help the girls. We will provide her with whatever she needs and make her feel comfortable and welcome. Imi, the floor is yours.”

Zaru cleared her throat. Despite her normal self-confidence, being in a room with so many unfamiliar faces was making her a bit nervous. She had spoken a bit to Oksana thirty minutes before but the woman was still exhausted. She had gotten the rundown on who was all at the Mansion beside the widows.

“Thank… thank you for the introduction, Yelena.

“I understand many of you underwent psychological manipulation and conditioning and for lack of a better term, brain washing, before you were placed under chemical subjugation. I also assume that many of you are leery of psychologists. I want you to understand a few things about me.

“I will never speak of anything that goes on here or what I am told by any of you with anyone else. I am not interested in studying or writing books about you. I will never take notes about you. I realize it may take some time to trust me and perhaps you never will and that is understandable. I am not your enemy though. I hope you can at least trust that.”

Imi looked around the room and saw every eye was on her. None of them looked suspicious or distrusting so she must have been off to a good start.

“I am here to work with the twins however I know all of you have had traumatic events in your life. Being mind controlled is one of the worst things I could imagine happening to someone and it happened to most in this room. You girls have been made to do horrible things and had horrible things done to you. I don’t imagine many of you would be willing to talk about it to someone you do not know. I will say that if anyone does want to speak in a therapy session or just to talk as friends, I am always available and I hope to help you all in whatever little way I can.”

Chloe raised her hand.

Imi hadn’t expected questions this soon but nodded in her direction.

“You will see us for therapy?”

“Yes, I would be glad to.” she smiled, thinking they may be more receptive than she had first thought.

“I would like to nominate Helena for therapy.”

Imi wasn’t sure what to say. “That’s not how it works. A person must want..”

“Me?! You shot a widow bite at my speaker deck!” Helena told her angrily.

“You have headphones! I am not going to listen to Britney Spears and Kesha all day and night through my walls!”

“I don’t like headphones when I am singing!”

“Your singing is horrible too!” Chloe added.

Helena looked at the doctor. “Are you hearing this? This crazy bitch kicked my door in and fired a widow bite into my speaker deck. It blew up!”

“It sparked and shorted out. Don’t be dramatic.” Chloe told her. “Your damn music kept saying hit me baby one more time . I did as Britney told me to. Can you talk to her about respecting boundaries and not blaring old pop songs, Imi? If you could fix her, my ears would be grateful.”

“That’s not…” Imi tried to cut in.

“Again, kicked my door in and fired a weapon at my defenseless and very special speaker deck.” Helena pointed out. “If anyone needs therapy its surfer girl. Did you know she can surf? Everyone else knows about it! All we hear is wow I wish we lived closer to the ocean . There is nothing like the feeling of surfing. It’s so spiritual. How spiritual were you feeling under mind control? She saw Blue Crush one too many times and now thinks she is Kate Bosworth.

Yelena raised a hand. “Enough! This is not good impression. You are both annoying but I am not sure therapy would do you any good. Surfers and pop singers. We have missions to worry about, bad guys to take down and we worry about such things.”

Imi opened her mouth but Yelena interrupted.

“Blue Crush was a great movie. One of the masterpieces of American art on the same level as Eight Mile. I’m sorry, Imi, you were saying?”

Before Imi could speak further Agatha spoke up.

“You are going to need to take notes on me. I would recommend a very large notebook. I have some serious mommy issues that started three hundred and seventy years ago when my mom and her friends tied me to a stake and tried to kill me then I killed her and her friends. I like to practice naked yoga outside around nine at night. It’s my way of communing with nature. Everett, that’s an invitation. So would about ten P.M. to midnight six nights a week be good for you? I wouldn’t want to take all of your time.”

“Staci, you should go to therapy.” Aino suggested.

Staci was immediately offended “Because I’m crazy, right? I’m the girl who kills people while singing Disney songs. I’m the psycho little girl that stabbed her only friend sixteen times then slaughtered her parents. I am doing fine! I don’t need therapy! You’re the one who sleeps with a stuffed bear that has a gun inside!”

Aino looked at her angrily. “I’m trying to be a good friend! I was thinking it could help with your snoring! Sleep therapy! We saw the commercial on television, remember? You wondered if it would work! Here she is, a therapist! She probably knows all about sleep therapy! Why are you yelling at me?!”

“Oh…” Staci said, calming down quite a bit and looking embarrassed. “My bad, Aino. I love Bullet Bear by the way. Don’t tell him I said that. Imi can you help get rid of my snoring?”

Imi shook her head. “That’s not the kind of therapy… bullet bear… stabbed sixteen times… okay give me a moment. I should probably give a bit more explanation of what therapy is and isn’t.”

Ava interrupted her. “I have a recurring dream where my boyfriend is dressed like a clown and chasing me all around the Emerald City from Wizard of Oz. Do you know the place? There were munchkins and flying monkeys there. I’m not sure what to make of that. I let him catch me once but I woke up just before he touched me. The thing is I kind of liked it. Is that weird? I’ve never consciously had a thing for clowns before but now I’m thinking why not. Maybe I did and never realized it. Should I ask him to dress like a clown or would that just be completely out of bounds? Its too weird to ask. We’ve never role played because the only role I play is me and I’m very good at it. I don’t want him to think I would rather him be a clown than a sorcerer but I can’t stop thinking about it.

“Oh and my billionaire assassin mother is probably around. We think she might be anyway. If she is then she will approach us soon. She doesn’t know I’m alive and of course I’ll have to tell her and explain that I was too scared to open my file and find out about her before now. Truthfully I want to run to her and hide from her at the same time. That has to be two sides of my psyche at war with myself, right?”

Imi took that in for a moment. Before she could say a word another widow spoke.

“I had sex with a clown once.” Antha said. “It wasn’t as funny as I thought it would be. I am too tall for those little cars. I have a question, Imi. I was ordered to pose as a model during many of my assignments. Sometimes I was a fashion model but most of the time bikini or lingerie. I think I got a little too into the role because all I can think about is sex and violence most of the time. Here is the thing though. I haven’t had sex since I was freed. Okay, that isn’t true. I met a lovely man and woman in Wakanda who I share beautiful memories with. That isn’t my point. I could be having sex whenever I want it and I do want it. Yet I spend all of my time trying to have phone sex with a blind lawyer in New York City who claims he isn’t interested, even though we both know that’s not true. I certainly don’t want a relationship with this guy so why haven’t I gone to another clown convention and tried to fit into a car?”

“There really are clown conventions?” Ava asked.

Michiko offered some advice to the doctor. “Imi, for your own sake. Don’t ask Wanda if she wants therapy. She will drive you insane.”

Imi’s stomach dropped. “Insane? So she can do… that?”

Michiko nodded. “Easily, if you let her talk too long. It gets so repetitive. I am Wanda Maximoff. The world will bow at my feet. The universe will tremble in fear of my name. I will unleash hordes of demons on earth to feast on the bones of the wicked and cause the righteous to beg me for mercy. Over and over, it’s all she ever talks about. You ever heard someone threaten to unleash Armageddon in a Sokovian accent? She sounds like a villain in one of those bad Bond movies Romanoff made us watch.”

“You all loved them!” Nat interjected. “Those are great movies and you weren’t complaining.”

“It is annoying when you say the lines before they are spoken.” Naomi pointed out.

“I do that?”

“The entire damn movie.” Michiko agreed.

Naomi addressed the doctor. “Michiko is right. Stay away from Maximoff. We usually keep tranquilizers on hand if it looks like she might really go off the deep end. We will give you one to keep on you at all times. Just point behind her and say what is that ?!” She will turn to look. She always does. It doesn’t matter how many times we do it, she always turns to look. Stick the needle into her carotid artery and she will go out for a few hours.”

“Unless she is high on pixie dust.” Mika pointed out.

Bea nodded. “Yes, when she is high on pixie dust, all bets are off. She usually paces around the house breaking bottles over her head and chewing the glass while singing death metal songs. If she asks you what her name is try not to answer. It could be Wanda or it could be Scarlet Witch. She either has one of those multiple personality disorders or is actually possessed by Gozer the Gozerian.”

Imi had no idea what to say. The room was silent now. All eyes were on her and she was sweating.

“Holy shit, it’s been five minutes and I think we broke her.” Stannic said.

The widows all began to laugh and it snapped Imi out of her spell.

They were screwing with her. They had to be. She could work with that.

“Okay, first of all, there is nothing wrong with Blue Crush or Britney. I can understand how Kesha might get old quickly. Helena you shouldn’t sing Britney songs aloud unless you have the absolute right pitch. There is a reason most of her songs aren’t sung in karaoke bars. Her voice was a once in a lifetime talent and had a quality that others have tried to imitate but never gotten right. If you must sing a Britney song perhaps one of her slower songs like Everytime or Lucky would be more appropriate.

“Chloe I would recommend getting some noise cancelling headphones and listening to soothing ocean sounds before kicking in anyone’s door and destroying property. By giving into your anger you are allowing it to control you and nothing should control you.

“Ava, there is nothing wrong with having sex dreams about clowns. Many people are terrified of clowns. I understood you started a mass prison riot in Iran and stood on the roof of a control room waiting to jump onto a jet as it flew overhead. It doesn’t surprise me that you would think about having sex with a someone many are frightened of. If you start fantasizing about killers from slasher movies like Jason Vorhees or Michael Myers come talk to me immediately.

“As far as your mother goes, your psyche isn’t at war with itself. This will have a huge impact on your future. This is something momentous and life altering. I would be worried if you didn’t have mixed feelings and high emotions. Follow your heart. Dani told me you have a huge one. Embrace the good that will come of this. Take a leap of faith that everything will be okay.

“Staci, therapy can’t help you stop snoring but I do have the same problem and use some great nasal strips I would like you to try.

“Aino?”

“Yes?”

“Is the gun in Bullet Bear loaded?”

“A gun isn’t very good if it isn’t. How else can Bullet Bear watch my back while I sleep?”

“We need to talk about sleeping with Bullet Bear then. Bullet Bear is going to become fake rubber bullet Bear.

“Antha, you have been made to use sex as a weapon by evil people. You are determined to use sex as a weapon against others now on your own terms. It is understandable. It likely gives you a sense of control. You are obsessed with this blind lawyer because he is a challenge. He can’t judge you by your pretty face. He has to be attracted to who you are inside. Unfortunately you are hiding behind a mask you have constructed as a carefree seductress and not giving him a chance to know the real you. You know what you want but are ensuring you are not going to get it to protect yourself from exposing yourself to another.”

Imi looked around at the stunned faces.

“Finally, Wanda Maximoff. The Scarlet Witch. Nice try, but a girl who saves sinking ships, brings people back from the brink of death, heals brain damaged girls, uses her power to rebuild an entire city, saves children and inspires the kind of loyalty I see you all have to her does not walk around this mansion talking about starting Armageddon. If she is chewing glass, her mouth would be too bloody to sing death metal or any other type of songs and if she is possessed by Gozer the Gozerian we would all know. Giant marshmallow monsters are hard to miss. Also pixie dust does not make anyone violent. It allows people to fly so long as they think happy thoughts. I expect girls who live with two witches would know this.”

Imi crossed her arms and smiled.

“Did I miss anybody?”

“Holy shit, she is good.” Stannic said.

Yelena cleared her throat and offered the doctor an empty seat in the front row.

“Thank you, Imi. We are very glad to have you. If anyone wants to speak to her…”

Every hand in the room raised.

“You will be very busy woman, Doctor, but let us all remember our youngest need her the most right away. The twins will be meeting her as soon as Wanda wakes and brings them down. Let us move on to another matter.”

Yelena offered Imi a seat in the first row.

“We have new household members and I thought since we were mostly all here this would be a good time to go over the rules and some new ones that need to be added. Sasha, you will need to put Imi on the group text and get her a digital copy of the Red Widow welcome manual. Everett and Imi there is a hard copy in the first floor library. It is red book on big desk that has skull and crossbones on front. Very classy leather binding.”

Yelena cleared her throat.

“Rule number one is still that we do not take clothes and makeup from each other without asking. I have heard grumblings that this rule is being broken occasionally. I myself had a Hammerbox shirt that seemed to have disappeared from my closet. Coincidentally I saw Maria wearing one exactly like it last week. It even had the same hot sauce stain. If I didn’t know better I would think she had taken it from me. That is not possible because she knows I love that band and would never betray me like that. She would never break rule number one, would you Maria?”

“Of course not.” The girl answered quickly.

“Rule number two, Widows never travel alone. This goes for all members of the house even Bucky, Cap and Everett. If one of you needs or wants to visit somewhere, you take one of us. This rule does not apply to Ava since she is special because she has sorcerer boyfriend who can travel anywhere. Ava gets to do as she pleases.”

“I follow the rules!” Ava said quickly. “Most of the time.” she said a bit quieter. “We like to step out to Hawaii some nights for just a moment to enjoy a sunset… I’ll start taking someone with me.”

Yelena rolled her eyes. “The kitchen rules are in the manual. The basics. Clean up after yourself, do not drink straight from carton, do not put empty cartoons back into fridge.

“The house rules. Your room so do what you want but if you start growing fungus or attracting cockroaches you will clean it. The dusting, vacuuming and window cleaning in the general areas are taken care of by a weekly spell Agatha performs. You will not leave your shoes and personal items lying in the communal area. The magic spell does not put them away for you.

“Video game tournaments are seeded on individual game performance prior to tournament. For our newest members we need four gameplays of at least an hour before we can seed you. Until then you will be lowest seeds.”

Yelena saw Everett almost raise his hand and then drop it. Perhaps he wanted to play but was too embarrassed to ask.

“There is no shooting, stabbing or electrocuting other widows. Widows do not fight off the mat. I broke this rule once. I nearly broke my poor dumb sister. I forgot how old and bad a fighter she was and nearly killed her. It is only because of my Kate Bishop that she is alive. This is why we fight on mats. She is lucky to be alive because I soundly kicked her ass so hard…”

“I am going to kick your…”

“Not now, poor dumb sister.” Yelena scolded Natasha. “If there is a disagreement that cannot be worked out, you go to the mat. The winner is the one that draws first blood or makes opponent tap out. There are no killing moves. No attempts at breaking necks, no smashing noses or throat strikes and no knee strikes. Torso is fair game as are the large muscle groups. Pressure points are allowed. As always, once the fight is over, the winner is right and the disagreement is over. It will not be brought up…”

Yelena stopped speaking when she noted the doctor looking at her with displeasure.

“What? This is no good?”

Imi shook her head. “I would think arguments could be solved less violently. I understand you all love each other very much. I don’t think fighting would be a healthy way to solve issues.”

Yelena shrugged. “I said no killing moves. What would you like us to do? Play chess to solve dispute?”

Imi sighed. “We can talk more later.”

Yelena shrugged. “As you say. Now we have new rules. We have very young children not in this room. I especially speak of the twins. The doctor will meet with them and then meet with all of us so we can be told how to act around them. We are all screwed up but maybe we give them chance to have restart at good life. This means changes. They are very… childlike. No more leaving grenades, widow bracelets, guns and blades around the house. Every weapon should be locked in your room, on your person or locked in the armory. We must make sure they do not sneak down on Horror Movie Fridays in Big TV Room. No cursing around them. No sex talk around them. If you must have phone sex with vigilante make sure door is closed. Yes I am looking at you, Antha. Use soft, gentle voices and above all, do not tell them what to do. We know how to handle newly freed widows. This is doubly important for them. Perhaps that will change as the doctor works with them and we must set boundaries or something like that. She will keep us informed. When it comes to the twins and how to treat them, what she says goes. We need to put these new rules into practice now anyway. In six months we will have little baby running around and must make our Mansion baby proof.”

Rachel raised her hand.

“No jokes about protecting Mansion from babies.”

Rachel lowered her hand.

“No Widow under seventeen is allowed on strike team. You can do a variety of other jobs we will teach you if you ask but you will not kill anyone. If we wish to revisit this, you can ask me to set up a meeting and not have a crybaby festival like after Rwanda. I get it. Killing bad guys can be fun. We have had good times tearing bad guys to pieces and making them suffer and squirm as slowly send them to hell. I will never forget gutting Teller and tossing him out plane and winning bet on what would kill him first. Good times. Who can forget Denver ? Dani you were so cute with that chainsaw, and then Stacie in the shootout in Canada was one of her best performances but… what? What did I say?”

Imi was staring at Yelena once again.

“This is no good? I told them no killing. What else do you want from me?”

Imi sighed. “We can talk later.”

Yelena huffed. “I have a feeling you and I will talk very much. Meeting is over before I get headache. Someone wake the Scarlet Witch so she can bring her minions downstairs.”

Upstairs Wanda had woken to not just two children practically on top of her but Sierra who was literally in her bed on top of her. She was covered in sweat and understood why.

She tried to figure out a way to move from under the pile without waking them but was having no success.

“You make the bad dreams go away.” The slightly smaller twin said to her.

Wanda sighed. “I know.”

Her voice woke Sierra. The twins rolled off her bed and Sierra rolled off of her to the side of the bed then fell back to sleep almost immediately.

Wanda took in the twins with their identical matching bed heads. They were still in Stannic’s slightly oversized shirts and shorts. Wanda would never understand how anyone could hurt these girls. Sadly she wasn’t surprised by the wickedness of humanity. That same wickedness was why she never lost sleep over the lives she had taken. She lost sleep for too many other reasons.

“You two need a shower. Let me start it and you can take turns.”

Wanda got the temperature correct and called the girls in. Rather than one entering they both undressed and entered together. She became furious when she saw the signs of abuse all over the girls, fresh and old. Several long scars marked their entire backs from their necks to their knees. They also had scars that looked like knife wounds on their fronts. Wanda figured now was not the time to offer to heal the scars or address any past abuse until they had spoken to the doctor. She wasn’t sure what to do or say so she was doing and saying as little as possible, too afraid of making a mistake.

When they were finished, Wanda watched the taller sister dry her smaller sisters hair and then brush it. They switched places until they were both somewhat presentable.

She opened up new toothbrushes for them to use. She was happy they had basic grooming and sanitary techniques down. When they walked out of the bathroom, Wanda wasn’t sure what to do with them. Sierra was still fast asleep and she didn’t want to wake her. There was a knock on her door and Stannic was there with fresh clothes and a message that the doctor had arrived and met everyone. She would be in the library when Wanda was ready to bring the two girls down.

Wanda told the girls to change and then they would meet someone new who was very nice and would spend time with them. The girls weren’t excited but they hadn’t gotten excited about much except Wanda’s arrival from the States.

Wanda texted Aino and her and Mika showed up minutes later to sit in her room until Sierra woke. Then she walked to the library with the kids holding her hands.

“Hello.” Wanda greeted the doctor. She was sitting in a very large chair reading the Red Widow’s welcome manual Sasha had written and Agatha had bound in leather.

The doctor smiled brightly and stood, offering her hand to Wanda. They shook hands but when she bent down to offer her hand to the girls they pulled back and clasped onto Wanda tightly.

Wanda gave an apologetic smile. “They seem to have become very attached to me. I mean that quite literally.”

“I understand. It is good to finally meet you, Wanda. I am Imi Zaru. Please call me Imi. Could we all have a seat. I would love to get to know your friends. Would you mind?” she asked the two children. They looked to Wanda and then back to the doctor, shrugging their shoulders.

“I am going to let you get to know the doctor for a few minutes and get a cup of coffee. I will be right back. Afterward we can eat lunch, okay?”

Wanda turned to leave and the twins followed her. She closed her eyes and turned around with a smile, making her way to a chair. She used her power to bring two chairs next to her so the three faced the doctor.

“Or I could stay here. Is that okay, Imi?”

Imi nodded. “It may be unavoidable for a while. Can one of you girls tell me why it is important that you stay near Wanda always?”

The taller one sat straighter and eyed the doctor warily.

“If anyone tries to hurt us, Wanda will hurt them first. She will protect my sister. As long as she is here no one can’t hurt us. Not you or anybody else. She won’t punish us. She will punish people who hurt us. She already has.”

Imi nodded. “Understandable reasons. How do you know how powerful Wanda is?”

She shrugged. “We just know.”

“Do you have names?”

The twin who had spoken shook her head.

“What do you call your sister?”

“Sister.” she said as if it should be obvious.

Imi smiled. “Would you like names?”

The girl shrugged. “Everyone else has them. Sister deserves name.”

Imi was happy with that reasoning. If the one twin had little self-worth as she suspected, she obviously thought highly of her sister. “What names do you like?”

The girls looked at Wanda.

“Who named you?”

Wanda glanced at Imi who gave a faint nod.

“My mama. My papa named my brother.”

“You never said what mama was.” she reminded Wanda.

Wanda took a breath and thought of her words carefully.

“A mama or mother is the woman who gave birth to you. In your case she gave birth to both of you.”

“We have mamas?”

Wanda nodded. “Everyone does.”

“Where is she?”

Wanda shrugged. “I don’t know. Your files don’t say who she was or where she was. Bad men took you from her as babies. We have been running DNA searches but have had no luck so far.”

“I killed a mommy once.” The shorter one said. “I shot her and this little girl kept asking me why I hurt her mommy. I didn’t understand. I was told to kill her. Don’t all children do as they are told? Was the woman I killed the one who gave birth to her??

Wanda looked at the doctor who nodded slightly, paying close attention to the interaction.

“Yes but it wasn’t your fault. Some very bad people told you to and you didn’t have a choice. You have choices now. Now you can say no.”

“And no one will hurt sister?” the smaller one asked.

Wanda shook her head. “No one will ever hurt either of you again.” she said with an intense conviction.

“If we don’t have mama then you name us.” The taller one said.

Wanda was taken back by the request.

“I think that is a good idea. Wanda, do you have any ideas?”

Wanda looked at Imi in a panic, not sure what to say or do. The twins were waiting on her and she was on the spot.

“I… I don’t know. I…”

“Did you have any close friends as a child, Wanda? Were their any storybook characters you liked or special television shows you enjoyed?”

Wanda huffed. “I’m not naming them Rachel and Monica.”

She took a moment to calm down and began to think.

“We had two neighbors down the hall before… we had known them our whole lives it seemed. They were two girls and probably my best friends. One was ten and the other was fourteen when I last saw them. Pietro had such a crush on the fourteen year old. They were the only girls I played with as I was growing. Finding friends was not easy where we grew up.”

“Where?” one twin asked.

“Sokovia. Novi Grad, Sokovia.”

“What were their names?”

“Nadeja and Nela.”

“What happened to them? Are they still alive?”

Wanda was taken back to that horrible day her and Pietro had been pulled from the rubble. They had lived in mortal fear right up to the moment they were clear and away from that bomb. She watched the bomb be taken out of the rubble and one of the freedom fighters disarm it. Then she watched her two friends and their parents bodies pulled out of the rubble.

“No.” Wanda whispered. “No, they aren’t. They were killed by bad men. The same kind of men who hurt you.”

“Americans?” the taller one asked quietly.

Wanda nodded.

“I like the names.” The shorter one said. “Do you think they would be mad if we used them?”

Wanda smiled sadly. “I think they would be very proud if you took their names.”

“Who was the oldest?” the taller one asked.

“Nadeja.”

The taller twin nodded decisively. “Then I will be Nadeja and Sister will be Nela. Nadeja and Nela Maximoff. I like.”

Wanda’s eyes widened and she met Imi’s eyes, wondering what had just happened. Imi mouthed to her to stay calm.

“It is your choice. Are you both happy with the choices?” Imi asked the girls.

Yes,” Nadeja answered. “We have two names like Yelena Belova. Can we have two names?”

Wanda kept opening her mouth but no words came out. She finally gave in at the hopeful looks on the twins faces. “You can have anything you want.”

“Guns?”

“Except that. You are not Black Widows anymore. You are children. You want me to protect you and I will. Let me protect you and be children. Can you do something for me?”

The twins both nodded.

“I am going to step outside the door. I will be just outside. Can you feel my presence? You felt it when I landed yesterday… or two days ago. I’m not even sure what day it is. You can feel where I am at, right?”

The girls shrugged.

“You can. It would make me happy if I could leave you alone with Imi and you can get to know her, answer her questions and be friends. She is going to help you both a lot. She has traveled a long way and moved from her home, just to talk to you. You are very important to her and she needs to get to know you. Can you do that for me?”

The twins looked at Imi and nodded. Wanda slowly got up and walked out, aware that they were watching her the entire time.

When she closed the door she leaned against it and covered her face with her hands. Her breathing quickened and she thought she may lose control of the myriad of emotions swirling into her. She could hear Pietro’s voice in her head, his laughter, telling her she had done it now. He would have been amused by this. He was always the one who was good with kids. Wanda had usually avoided them at all costs. Kids mean hanger ons and hanger ons meant mouths to share food with.

She smelt coffee and opened her eyes. Bucky was there with a cup.

“Enhanced hearing. I walked by and heard a little bit but kept walking. Thought you could use some caffeine.”

She gratefully took the cup. After drinking half of it, she her concern was mirrored in his face.

“I think she just set me up!” Wanda whispered quietly. “What the hell was that about?”

Bucky rubbed her shoulder. “They were already attached to you. Trying to change that right away will only make them cling further. They need a guiding light right now. They need a rock and that’s you. She is working with it. The girls wouldn’t have said a word to her alone. You go in and they open up and decide on names they like. That’s a big deal. She is important to their mental health but so are you.”

“I’m not ready for that! I can barely hold onto my own mental health!”

Bucky pulled her in for a hug. “You don’t give yourself enough credit. You are my rock. Maybe I don’t make that clear enough. That needs to change. I see you overcome and it inspires me to overcome. I would be a very different person without you in my life, Wanda. They are going to be better people with you in their lives. Relax and just be you. You are the best person I know.”

Wanda smiled gratefully then sighed. “We are going to need to keep our distance for a while until this hating men thing passes. Bucky I saw the scars on them. They are all over their little bodies. I wanted to throw up.”

Bucky wasn’t surprised. They all knew those girls had been abused and it was likely only men who had done it.

“The doctor is bringing the girls out. I should step away.”

He kissed her and moved off quickly.

The door opened and the two girls stood by the doctor. “We had a nice chat. The girls would like to eat but I asked if they would stand out here while the two of us talked for a moment.”

Wanda nodded. She assured the girls she would be right back and followed the doctor in. When they were far enough from the door Wanda talked quietly to her.

“What the hell are you thinking?”

Imi offered Wanda a seat but the redhead made no move towards it.

“An attachment like the one they have formed to you is not going to go away. They are strangers in this house and will be looking to you for guidance. I can’t change that. I don’t know if its your power, or your presence or this feeling of calmness Zarola told me about, the one that lets girls sleep around you without nightmares. Whatever it is, the ones who need you most are drawn to you at night. These girls need you the most.”

“I’m a screwed up nineteen year old! I don’t turn twenty for another few months! I am trying to get a learning diploma of some kind and work with the Sokovian government, control my power and take care of an entire household! I struggle not to drink every day! How am I supposed to be what they need? You should have pushed them toward Anya or even Oksana. Someone older who knows what they are doing with children.”

Imi looked curious. “Interesting that you mentioned Oksana yet left Natasha Romanoff out. I understand she has done quite well with Stannic.”

Wanda glared at her but to her credit Imi did not back down.

“Another time perhaps. I don’t care how old you are. You are the woman who lost everything, who probably thought of killing herself often, lost herself in a bottle to forget the pain. You are also the woman who harnessed your power to fight Ultron, to fight HYDRA. You are the one who took it upon yourself to free Yelena Belova and then rescue mind controlled girls at risk to your life. You are the woman who took a bullet in the Red Room to protect girls you did not know. You are one of two people these girls look to for leadership. You are the one who is struggling everyday to better herself and knows what that fight is like. You are strong.

“That is who those girls need. You are going to be that for them because you have always been what these girls need you to be. You are still going to accomplish everything you set your mind to. You aren’t going to drink, you are going to get a college degree if you want to and history will know you as one of the greatest heroes this world has ever known. Do you know how I know this?”

Wanda was too shocked to answer.

“Because Zarola believes in you. They all do. I have seen and read about your actions and listened to the girls stories. Oksana told me you healed a girl with brain damage last night. You cried glowing red tears while you did it. You are incredible. You will figure out how incredible you are someday and I will be here to see it when you do. The girls need you. You will be there for them. Its who you are. I want to speak to them every morning with you and then want to speak to them alone and then speak to you alone.”

“I don’t need therapy.”

Imi laughed. “That is the lie of the century. Relax, I’m not going to push inside your head and psychoanalyze you. I won’t ask you to talk about your life or give you therapy. I don’t force myself onto others. If you ever want to talk about you that’s your call. We will talk about the girl’s development and any questions or concerns either of us might have. For now, I want you to keep doing what your instincts are telling you to do. Give them choices, give them guidance but be strict about certain things like not ever holding a gun again. You think you can handle that?”

Wanda took a moment and closed her eyes.

“Yeah. Whatever you need, whatever they need, I’ll do.”

Imi smiled. “Good. I’m going to keep reading up on Sasha’s welcome manual and then her daily update texts she has been sending out for a very long time. I also told girls who want to speak to me to stop by the library throughout the day to set up times. I have a feeling more will show up than I expected.”

Wanda was surprised by that but didn’t comment. “Thank you for coming to us. Thank you for helping us.”

“That is what people like us do, Wanda. We help in anyway we can. I am glad to be here. I’m glad you are here. What you and Yelena have built is beautiful.”

---

It was dark before the alert that all were waiting for came over the intercom.

They had all eaten dinner. The twins and Tanya had eaten seconds then thirds, trying to make up for months of malnutrition and starvation in a night. The others were too happy to see them eating to tell them to slow down.

It was an hour after the girls finished cleaning the dishes that Rachel called for everyone’s attention.

“Our perimeter alarm has gone off and a woman with silver hair is looking into one of our hidden cameras. At least it was hidden. She just waved and dropped the camera. Okay, now she is walking towards the Mansion, about two hundred yards away and closing. I think she is alone. The sky is clear on radar but stealth jets could be above us.”

Yelena pressed the button on the living room intercom. “Stand down ladies and… guys. Wanda and I will handle this. Red Widows stay in bunker or your rooms until all clear is given by me or Wanda. Lock it down just in case she isn’t alone.”

Wanda knelt in front for the twins.

“I need you two to go downstairs to the bunker. Can you do that for me? I will be with you soon.”

The girls shook their heads. “We will stay with you. Give us guns and we will watch your back.”

Wanda shook her head. “What did I tell you? You are never picking up a gun again. Neither of you are. There is something I need you to do. You need to watch Kate and Lucky and Anya and Dima. Can you do that? Let them know that it will be okay. Tanya is probably a little freaked too. Can you help me?”

“We want to stay with you.”

“I know but I need to handle this with Yelena. There are times I must do things that only the older girls can do. You are both brave and can calm the others down who might be afraid now. Please, can you do this for me? Then you two can shower and I will wash your hair and brush it out for you. We will watch television before bed. Just the three of us. First I need to deal with this situation. Can you please help me out?”

The twins looked doubtful but walked off to the elevator where Dima and Anya were waiting for them.

“You are good with them.” Yelena told her.

Wanda said nothing. She felt she was close to stepping on a landmine with every word and action.

Yelena turned to Ava who had ran to the front of the Mansion looking as pale as a ghost.

“We haven’t asked in all of this if you want to meet her.” Yelena pointed out. “Do you? If not we can delay her.”

Ava’s voice was uncharacteristically quiet and shaky.

“I… I’ll meet her… can you and Wanda approach her? Warn her that I am inside. I’ll stay by the door but… could you…”

Wanda placed a hand on her shoulder. “I understand. Do you want Wong here?”

“God no! I told him to stay away for now. The last thing I want is my assassin mother meeting my thirty two year old boyfriend after she just found me.”

Yelena smirked. “Good call. Stay here. We will bring her in.”

Yelena and Wanda stood in front of the Mansion waiting on Sable to approach.

They didn’t wait long.

She lived up to her name. Even from forty yards away her long silver hair that hung past her shoulders seemed to glow in the moonlight. She wore the white Kevlar bodysuit she was known for and a silver overcoat which both girls suspected hid many weapons.

Her face was calm and stony, giving away no emotion.

Sable stopped ten yards away from Wanda and Yelena and showed her empty hands.

“Thank you for not greeting me with hostility.” she said in a thick European accent that rivaled Wanda’s.

“Thank you for not being hostile and giving us a warning.” Yelena replied. “Does anyone else know the location of our home?”

Sable shook her head slightly. “When my operative informed me that Ross had been picked up in a Widow Quinjet I personally took control of my satellite and tracked your jet through visual. Not easy to do but I am not easy to shake. I kept this off company servers. This is very personal to me and I know secrecy is of upmost importance to you. I have been tracking you for a long time but you are hard to find. You are as good as I expected you to be, Yelena Belova.”

“That means much coming from you. I am a big admirer of your work.”

“As I am of the Red Widows. You are true heroes in my opinion.”

Sable looked directly at Wanda. “I admit I expected some a bit scarier, Wanda.”

“I can be very scary when I need to be.” Wanda told her humorously.

Sable smirked. “Not when you have fingernails on one hand painted blue and the other painted pink.”

Wanda closed her hands into fist. Yelena rolled her eyes. “Staci wanted to give me a manicure. You know I can’t tell her no.” she whispered.

“Natasha Romanoff told me once that she had killed Dreykov.” Sable pointed out. “She lied to me.”

Yelena shrugged. “It wasn’t purposely. She thought she had killed him. She had no idea she had killed a body double.”

“She didn’t verify the kill?” Sable asked calmly.

Yelena shrugged once again and looked apologetic. “I was taken when I was three and placed with Melina Vostokoff as her fake daughter. I had no idea it was fake of course. Natasha was taken from Red Room training and posed as my big sister. She would dye her hair multiple colors and let the roots grow out. Red, pink, blue, it was a mess. She looked like a clown. You see she wasn’t very smart to begin with. I believe as the years have gone by and while her bosom and bottom has grown larger, her brain has grown even smaller. She thought she had killed him. She meant no deception. She can just be dumb at times.”

“I am going to kick your ass so hard you are going to need Wanda to heal you!” Natasha whispered through the com.

“I received an encoded message routed through the Sokovian Intelligence Service with an address in a small town in Ohio. I sent operatives to check the location and they found evidence that Melina Vostokoff had been living there. Her house was wrecked and she was nowhere to be found. I assume that was your work?”

Yelena nodded. “We took her two days ago. We encountered a widow under the spell of a new type of drug she had made in the past. We forced her to work on an antidote. We then placed a tracker inside her. She told us what she did to your daughter and husband. We thought it should be your pleasure to hunt her down. We always have her location. When you are tired of playing with the mouse we will tell you where her hole is and she will be yours.”

Sable grinned. “Harsh. It wasn’t enough to kill her. You have her fearing for her life and looking over her shoulder for the one woman she fears most. As I said, you continue to impress me, Yelena Belova.”

“It wasn’t my idea.” Yelena told her.

Sable began looking over the front of the Mansion as if searching for snipers. She saw several heads looking out windows. Like Yelena, they appeared to be dressed casually and had no weapons aimed in her direction.

“I wasn’t sure if you were hacking Eleanor Bishop’s company to use her software or working with her. Then I tracked the ownership of this place. I am surprised. I have known Eleanor for years. We have done business together. She never struck me as the type of person to jaywalk, much less fund a vigilante group”.

Yelena chuckled. “I spoke to Eleanor about your past business dealings. She provides us support and we are sure you will keep that to yourselves. We mostly fund ourselves. The Red Room and Osborn’s billions have been good to us. Eleanor has provided this humble home and software to us. I trust that will go no further.”

Sable smiled, taking her eyes off the mansion. “As I said, I have no wish to endanger you. I have been studying you for a very long time. My respect for Eleanor has grown. She is more than I thought she was and few people surprise me. I believe I know more about the Red Widows than all intelligence agencies in the world combined. Not much makes me laugh but when you stole those six jets from Tony Stark, I smiled for days.”

Sable became serious and her humorous tone was gone. “You know why I am here.”

Yelena nodded. “It is obvious to anyone who gave us true thought that we have Dreykov’s Red Room records. We have used them to help find widows still in the world who need us.”

Sable nodded. “If Melina told you what she did, then you know she killed my husband and while I chased her, a band of black widows raided my mansion and took my daughter. She was five. Today she would be eighteen years, seven months and six days old. I have accepted that Dreykov likely killed her but if there is a chance she lived, I must know. Even if she is dead… I must know. I need to know what happened to her. I need to see his records to find any clue to her fate. We are professionals and mean each other no harm. I trust you will have no problem sharing these records with me.”

Yelena shook her head. “There is no need to see the records. You should understand our girls have access to their own records. Not many of them remember their parents. Most have been very afraid to look. Until Melina told her what she did two days ago, Ava had no idea who her mother was.”

For the first time, Sable’s stone façade cracked. Her eyes widened slightly and her entire body stiffened.

“Ava is one of you?”

“She is not just one of us. She is one of our leaders. She is a rock others rely on. She is loving, brave and the most compassionate of us all. She is a warrior of utmost skill. She is a hero. She is also the only widow to break through chemical subjugation twice. They tried to break her but they never could. She is strong.”

Tears began to fall down Sable’s cheek but she remained calm outwardly.

“She is here?” she asked, her voice beginning to crack.

Yelena nodded.

“She is on the other side of the door waiting for you. It was her idea to let Melina walk out of here. She thought you deserved the kill. She is very nervous right now but wants to meet you very badly. She asked us to greet you.”

Yelena and Wanda walked to the front porch and Yelena opened the door. They stepped aside for Sable to enter.

Sable stumbled with her first step but then ran past them and into the foyer.

Her and Ava’s eyes met.

“Ava.” she called out softly.

It was her voice. Ava had seen hundreds of pictures of the woman since she had found her true identity. None of them sparked any recognition in her. The woman was a stranger to her.

But hearing her voice sparked what the pictures hadn’t. Wave after wave of memories washed over her. She remembered that voice reading her bedtime stories, holding her in bed during storms, singing happy birthday to her.

It was all so vivid. Flashes of herself even younger, playing with silver hair. Her mother chasing her around the yard, playing hide and seek and calling out her name as if she couldn’t find her.

She remembered her native language. Of all the languages Ava knew, she couldn’t believe she had forgotten the one she had first learned to speak but it came back to her in a flash.

Ava grabbed her head and closed her eyes. It was like when she was freed from the drug. Then memories of everything that happened to her and everything she had been forced to do were overwhelming her then. This was not much different, only she remembered happiness instead of pain.

Ava controlled her breathing and forced herself to calm down. She needed to take it step by step. The first thing she needed to do was open her eyes.

Before she could do so, a familiar hand touched her cheek and she smelled a familiar scent. Her mother’s perfume, the feel of her skin triggered new memories.

How could she have forgotten? Ava had gotten her mother’s perfume once and sprayed it all over herself and her room. Her room smelt like that perfume for months. She had also sprayed her dolls.

Ava opened her eyes and blinked to clear them of tears. Her mother was looking down on her with her beautiful ice blue eyes. She was still several inches taller than Ava, making her feel like a small child.

“ My baby. Do you remember me at all?”

Ava nodded. “Your voice, your touch, your perfume… I remember everything, Mommy.”

The two threw their arms around each other and began crying, their fingers digging into the other. They fell to their knees still holding not each other. Ava’s face buried in her mother’s neck and her own hands wrapped around her waist, never wanting to let go. Sable held her head close to her chest, not letting her move, squeezing her tighter and tighter then cried uncontrollably.

Wanda and Yelena watched the reunion from the other room, having stayed out of it. Yelena pulled Wanda close and held on to her tightly. Wanda wrapped an arm around her.

“This is what it is about, сестра.” Yelena whispered. “This whole week, pain and madness, sickness and sadness and then hope. It is worth the pain to find the hope yes. For every tragedy, there is a victory. Sometimes Wanda, sometimes we truly win.”

Wanda smiled down at her but said nothing, just enjoying the sight. She had seen this twice. She had seen the emotional reunion Yelena had with her parents and now saw another success. She had also been to Rowan’s mother’s funeral after Rowan had mercifully ended her life. She had watched Stannic’s depression after finding her own origin. She had sat more than a few nights with Ana as she relayed her childhood memories. She had held Yelena so many nights when they first met and experienced her anguish.

She had to focus on the wins. Zarola had found her way back home and though it wasn’t the tearful, joyous reunion this was, she did have family that loved her and a culture, a country to call home. She had a chance to build that kind of love with people that loved her.

Tanya was free from the drug, free from the Red Room and no longer a captive, trapped by her own brain.

Sierra never had to kill again.

Two girls who had been treated as things their entire short lives, who had been beaten, whipped, stabbed, drugged, mind controlled and not even given names, now had names and those who considered them the precious people they had always been. They had love.

Yelena was right. It wasn’t just about giving girl’s back their free will. It was about more than that. It was about giving them a chance to find that happy ending they deserved. It may never happen for the majority of them. No kid who wound up trafficked usually had a great origin story. More than likely most were sold by drug addicted mothers like Stannic or taken from orphanages.

All the blood, pain and tears, all the screams at night, were the price to pay for them to have a chance at this and to give chances to others still out there stuck in a nightmare. Moments like this made it worth it and every widow was sharing in it right now with Ava even if they weren’t in the room.

“We should leave them alone.” Wanda whispered to Yelena. “I need to check on the twins.”

Yelena nodded. “Let us go. I want to go hug my mama and papa. I want you to hug them too and then call Eleanor. She should know how this turns out.”

“Then you call her.”

“I am not the one who she wants to hear it from, Wanda. Call her. Tell her you love her. I know you think you will never get an ending like these girls but you have more than you realize. Call her.”

Wanda gave a last look at the mother and daughter holding each other as if their lives depended on it.

“I will.”