Bella MacLeod's Twilight Fanfiction

The Witch and the Widows

By BetterInTexas

Chapter 50:

“I’m glad it went well.” Eleanor said, listening over the phone to Wanda’s replay of events between Sable and Ava. “So her mother’s voice caused her childhood memories to come back. The girl deserves it. All of the girls deserve it. I’m sure I will see Sable soon. She is not the type to pat her daughter on the back, tell her good job and go back to her Fortress empty handed. I assume Sable is not leaving without Ava and Ava won’t leave her sisters. Sable will be tied to you all now.”

“What do you know about her?” Wanda asked.

“Not much more than you do. When I had overseas clients and no security readily available I contracted security guards through her. Her guards are ex-military or mercenaries, all of them professionals. She charges quite the price but you know if you use her people your client will be safe. I also know she is quite a deadly individual and has very advanced tech. When I first did business with her I had a background search done. Not much is known about her. I knew she had a husband and daughter once but could never find out what happened. I assumed they had died in an accident of some sort.”

“Are you worried?” Wanda asked.

Eleanor was quiet for a moment. “No. I realize our inner circle has grown considerably but it was bound to happen, Wanda. I knew long ago that you and Yelena were building something great, something that would change the world and it was a forgone conclusion that you would grow outside the confines of only rescued black widows. If you are comfortable, I am comfortable.”

Wanda huffed. “You put too much trust in me.”

“I won’t apologize. How are you doing? I know it had to be tough for you to see another reunion.”

Wanda was surprised again at how easily Eleanor could read her.

“I am very happy for her, but… I can’t help thinking of my own parents and brother. I know I will see them one day but only after my fight is done. When fate is done with whatever plan it has for me and lets me die, I will see them again.”

Eleanor sighed and Wanda realized that was probably a bit extra broody and dark after the reunion. “There was a time I felt like that. Many times in my life actually. Only last year I felt very lost. I was still under the thumb of a very dangerous man, I worried about being found out by the federal authorities, I worried about him hurting Kate if I refused to do as he asked. I was fairly certain my daughter may not have hated me but she didn’t like me very much. Then I found a couple of girls on my balcony. Or should I say they found me.”

Wanda laughed quietly, aware of the twins asleep in her bed. Tanya and Sierra were in the extra bed and asleep as well.

“We have made your life more interesting at least.” Wanda teased her.

“Yes, but that isn’t what changed. I had this new light I never expected. Yelena and Kate were crazy about each other but you were the surprise I never expected.”

“Yes, a foreign girl with my powers would be a surprise.”

“That wasn’t what surprised me. It was what happened five nights after I met you. You called me.”

Wanda wasn’t sure what to say. She had called her on a whim, not wanting anything. Yelena had been talking to Kate, the widows were packing up the equipment from the Sokovian base into the jets and Wanda had a bout of loneliness. She only had so many numbers that didn’t belong to widows that included Clint Barton, Steve Rogers and Eleanor Bishop.

“I thought I was bothering you. I don’t remember telling you anything important.” Wanda pointed out.

“You asked me how my day was. You asked me how Kate was and then you just started talking. You talked about sitcoms and asked if I liked any. You asked about my childhood, where I grew up and what my favorite food was. You asked me if I liked my job.”

Wanda grinned, remembering that conversation well despite the mundane nature of it. “You told me you didn’t.”

“Wanda, you were the first person to ask me how I was doing or show any interest in my thoughts in over a decade. Then you did something better. You called me back a night later and told me about your parents and your brother. You told me how much you hated the United States but said I was okay for an American capitalist overlord. You told me New York stunk and you couldn’t understand how I would voluntarily live there. You said it smelt worse than Novi Grad after a storm.”

“It does.”

“I had always felt with Kate that I was losing a popularity contest to my dead husband. You actually cared and wanted to talk to me. You were the first person to want to talk to me in years. You were my miracle. I can’t count the ways you have helped me. I’m so proud of you, Wanda. I don’t think I say thank you enough. Thank you for wanting to talk to me.”

Wanda wiped a tear from her eye. “Thanks for listening. You can still be pushy but I… like it sometime. Sometimes you remind me of my mama. She would like you.

The two were silent for a moment. Wanda felt the emotions in the room and was confident the girls were all asleep.

“Eleanor what am I going to do? The twins…”

“Nadeja and Nela Maximoff. I can’t wait to meet them. I can’t believe you have made me a grandmother so young.” Eleanor said with a small laugh.

Wanda chuckled. “Very funny. I’m lost. I think the shrink has blindsided me. You know I am a mess. Sierra and Tanya are acclimating to the others but the twins… I don’t know what they want from me.”

“Love.” Eleanor told them.

“Of course…”

Eleanor cut her off. “No. They don’t want the same love you all have for each other. You all rely on each other, support one another and it is beautiful to see. But they want something else. They want someone to put them first. They have never had that. They have never had someone to love them. They have only had people use them. You can give them that love. They looked around the house and choose you.”

“Because of my power. I make them calm.”

“You make every one of those girls calm. They sleep near you but none have clung onto you like those two. They sense something else in you, Wanda. They sense protection and they sense that you can love them and you can. Maybe you three need each other. Just give them what you had.”

Wanda was shocked. “A mother?” she asked.

“No, a woman who put them first above all. A woman who loved with her whole heart like your mama. Give them that special feeling you got when your father brought home a DVD or when your mother made you a new dress. Just love them, Wanda. That’s all they want. They want to be the most important people in your life. Everyone wants to have someone like that. They want someone to take them clothes shopping and watch cartoons with. They want someone to tickle them and hug them at night, maybe read them a story. It’s a privilege that you deserve.”

Wanda sighed. “How am I supposed to be that, knowing everything I have to do? I… someday, I don’t know when and I don’t know who or how but someday I am going to have to use all my power to save this world. I am getting visions from across the universe for a reason. I have to master my powers, I have to study and help my people, save widows…

Eleanor once again cut her off. “Wanda, I know you have a lot on your plate and I won’t pretend to know what it feels like to live with your power and responsibility. I do know that one day you are going to save this world. You might fight someone as strong or stronger than you. You aren’t going to beat them because you learned more spells or practiced more hours of the day. You are going to beat them because of the people you love. You already have the power. Now you have a reason.”

“I have people…”

“No, you have sisters who will fight and die beside you. That isn’t the same. You talk about protecting the universe, saving the Earth but I think sometimes you miss the point. Screw protecting the planet and the universe. Protect those cute twins. That’s who you fight for. Not some alien races you will never meet. Not eight billion humans. Fight for them. Just keep in mind that you are fighting to save them and you will be more dangerous than anyone you can face would expect. Watch a lioness protect her cub from pack of hyenas and you will understand.”

Wanda looked over at the twins holding each other, sleeping soundly. They looked so innocent you would never guess the terrible things they had done to them and the horrible things they were forced to do.

“I should go. I will see you Saturday. Good luck talking Kate into going back to school.”

Eleanor laughed. “I am already getting a headache imagining the arguments. Speaking of school I saw your results from Biology and Algebra. Very impressive, Wanda. I’m proud of you.”

Wanda turned red from embarrassment and was glad Eleanor couldn’t see her. “Yeah, thanks. I… I’ll see you Saturday.”

Wanda ended the call and took a look around the room. Changes were coming again in the household. Mika hated the idea of Sierra being downstairs so asked the girl to share a room with her. Staci and Aino decided to free another room and become roommates. Tanya had yet to be determined. She seemed to be doing as well as any newly freed widow had done. Amanda seemed to have taken her under her wing. The two clicked and Amanda was one of the most levelheaded of them all. She suspected she would be moving Tanya in her room to keep an eye on her and help her continue to adjust. Despite having gone through hell Tanya was very joyful. She walked around with a constant smile and even skipped at times.

Wanda looked at the twins on her bed. Nela’s long chestnut colored hair was lay over Nadeja’s chest. If their hair were a few shades darker it would be very close to Wanda’s own color. Their hair was too long, cut unevenly and had split ends, the result of being held captive by men for so long. It had no natural waves to it. Wanda could fix that.

She just needed to take them to a hair stylist.

Their borrowed clothes barely fit them. Nothing in the wardrobe fit them because of their size. Stannic had been bringing them her clothes but they hung from their too small frames. Tanya and Sierra had found clothes that barely fit them but were obviously not made for them.

Sophia still wore her BDUs from her time in Rwanda and preferred old jeans and well-worn t shirts but had nothing that truly fit her. She was built closest to Naomi’s frame so she had someone to share with her at least.

When was the last time any of them had gotten anything new? Wanda had her own clothes from Sokovia. She held onto them tightly and took great care of them. She even had the black dress she wore to fight Ultron. They were tight clothes, provocative and not classy. They were hers though. When she approached the world she wore them because that was who she was.

How many girls wore jewelry in the Mansion beside her? Jewelry that didn’t shock someone that is. Yelena wore bracelets and rings but those were ones she borrowed from Wanda or took back since she considered them hers.

Wanda waved a hand over her body and was in her pajamas. She climbed on the bed next to the twins. Nela immediately crawled off her sister, over Wanda and tucked into her free side, as Nadeja moved closer to her.

She looked around the room making plans. Steve had told her once her room was barren except for a bottle of vodka. It was still barren.

The twins weren’t going to leave her side anytime soon, but perhaps if she could turn this room into one for them to share with her it would help. She could bring in bunk beds like her and Pietro had wanted when they were children. They may not use them but they would have their own beds if they wanted them.

Wanda fell off into an easy sleep for a few hours. When the girls woke and all used her bathroom to shower, Wanda was left with the twins alone.

“We aren’t going to meet with the doctor today.” she told them. “I want to do something before we go downstairs. You know how I healed your wrists?”

Nadeja nodded.

“I want to heal all of your bodies.”

“All of us?” Nela asked.

Wanda heard the doubt in her voice so she looked to Nadeja. “Those scars on your sister, she shouldn’t carry reminders of what those bad men did to her, should she?”

Nadeja grinned. “Yes. You can fix her?”

“Neither of you are broken but I can heal you both.”

Nadeja shook her head. “I will carry. I don’t want to forget. I want to remember how bad Americans are. I am not ashamed.”

Wanda sighed. “You should not be ashamed. But do you think Nela needs the reminder of them every time she sees your back? Would you let me heal you to make her happy? I see you wince at times when you stretch because the scar tissue bothers you, doesn’t it?”

“Please.” Nela said, looking at Nadeja with those same big pleading eyes that both twins had used on Wanda already.

Nadeja agreed. The two took off their clothes and Wanda healed them. It was much easier than when she had healed Antonia’s massive scarring. She was more experienced now than she was then so the process took only ten minutes, compared to the hours she spent with Antonia.

The sight of their smooth backs made her feel better. It was one less trigger. Everytime she saw those scars she came close to losing her temper and burning Washington D.C. to the ground. Steve Wanda’s relationship was already tense. Destroying his nation’s capital would not improve it.

The trio went downstairs for breakfast. Wanda made them toast and eggs. Most of the girls had already sat down and were eating but Anya was making stack after stack of pancakes.

“You shouldn’t cook so much for them. You spoil them.” she told Anya, kissing her cheek.

Anya looked at the large plates. “Do you think they would want some? These are for me.”

Wanda wasn’t sure if that was a joke. She had no experience with pregnant women.

Anya smiled. “Ah Wanda, one day my jokes will make you laugh. How are the little Maximoff twins?”

Wanda’s stilled. Word had gotten around quickly that the twins decided they wanted her last name. She had never heard Maximoff twins though, not in reference to anyone but her and Pietro.

Anya caught on to her mistake.

“I am sorry…”

Wanda snapped out of her surreal moment. “No, of course not. Girls, Anya wants to know how you are?”

“Wanda took the scars away from our backs.” Nela said happily.

Anya reached down to kiss her cheek but Nadeja stepped in front of her. Instead of backing away, Anya knelt in front of the two.

“You are darlings. You know I am Russian. Do you know what Russians like to do?”

Nadeja shook her head.

“We like to kiss cheeks. If you wanted to go first you could have just said so.”

Wanda tensed when Anya wrapped her arms around Nadeja and hugged her, kissing her cheek, then did the same to Nela.

Nadeja wasn’t sure what to make of it. She looked utterly confused and disoriented.

“No one will hurt you when I am here, right?” Wanda reminded her.

Nadeja nodded.

“Anya is a very loving and affectionate person. She kisses Yelena’s cheek about thirty times a day. Now do you want some pancakes?”

Wanda and the girls walked into the dining room and had a seat. The extremely long table that had seemed too grandiose for the girls when they had first moved in was now too small and several smaller tables were in surroundings rooms and in the corners of this one. There were three open spots next to Yelena. Yelena always saved her a spot.

“Good morning. Ava has been in her room with Sable all night. I kept Sasha away. No time for her to be nosey.”

Wanda rolled her eyes. “Sasha isn’t nosey. She cares about everyone very much and it makes her feel better to make sure everyone is doing well.”

Yelena waved her off. “You defend everyone. No one can do wrong in your eyes.”

“How did training go this morning?”

Yelena looked to the other end of the table where Imi was seated. “She ran with us. Ten miles. On the last half mile when the Mansion was back in sight she beat us.”

Wanda was shocked. “What do you mean she beat you?”

“She beat us. Outran us all. She outran me, Antonia, Ingrid, Antha, all of us.”

Wanda barely held in a laugh. “You got beat by a therapist in a ten mile race. I wish I could have seen that.”

Yelena shrugged. “Afterward we found out that she had run London Marathon twice and Berlin Marathon four times and placed in top one hundred women out of 47, 000 finishers at her last race. I do not feel so bad now. She is impressive lady but I do not think she likes the way we do things.”

Wanda snorted. “No one likes the way we do things. It started when…”

Wanda quieted but it didn’t matter. Yelena knew what she had been about to say.

“After Siberia. It’s not so bad now though, right? She is doing well. She is fitting in, right?”

Wanda forced a smile on her face. “Yes, she is doing well. I am happy for you.”

Yelena recognized the false sincerity but was interrupted before she could press the issue.

“I know you.”” one of the twins said loudly, grabbing onto Wanda’s arm. It was Nela.

“Quiet, Nela.” Nadeja whispered. “Dangerous!”

Wanda looked towards the direction Nela was speaking in. Her eyes widened when she saw her eyes locked with Steve.

“You are Captain America. The men who owned us had a big picture of you on the wall. Peyton said he was a fan of you and we had to be great patriots like Captain America. Did you know them?”

Steve turned red. “No, I did not.” he said. “I wish I had known them though. They would not have been my fans.”

Nela was undeterred. “He said you owned a Black widow too. He said she had big boobs and a nice…”

Wanda interrupted quickly. “Okay, Nela, we get the picture.”

“You can’t hurt us.” Nela said with a hint of pride, clutching onto Wanda tighter.

Steve slowly stood up and came around the table. Nadeja stood from her seat to place herself in front of Wanda and Nela. Wanda placed a hand on her shoulder. “Calm down, Nadeja.”

Steve approached carefully and dropped to one knee beside Wanda and the protective twin.

“I will never hurt you. I swear on my life. I will destroy anyone who tries to harm you. Any of you. You may not believe me now, but you will one day and I will keep reminding you of it until you do.”

Steve stood up and walked back to his place.

The room relaxed when Nadeja sat back down.

“So is it true you owned a black widow with a nice ass?” Nela asked.

The room erupted in laughter and Wanda buried her head in her hands. She looked across the way to Imi who was laughing as well. She winked at Wanda.

Nela was smiling widely, happy to have made the room laugh, even if it had been a legitimate question she wanted an answer to.

“No. I didn’t own anybody. I worked with a former black widow who told me what to do all the time. She still does.”

Wanda politely asked Nela to eat her breakfast.

When everyone was beginning to clean up, Wanda rose.

“Listen up ladies. Everett, you and the guys should stay here. Kate you will have to sit this one out unless you wear a veil. Natasha there isn’t much point in you wearing a veil. You are with us. The world should know. I’m not sure what Ava’s plans are but I will check with her. The rest of us are taking a trip to Novi Grad.

“Our newest members need clothes that fit them. Some girls are changing rooms and may want new items and some do not have any items at all. None of us have had any new clothes, or trips to stylists or any other fancy girl stuff. The kids need toys and Anya will need maternity clothes soon. It is time to shop. I’m going calling Novi Grad and have their airport make room for us. Prepare all six jets. We are going to need them all for our bags. We are having a girls day out and are going to spend so much we will boost the Novi Grad economy for the next year.”

A cheer erupted in the house and the widows ran off to clean dishes and then prepare.

“If I give you a list of…”

“You are coming with us, Rachel.” Yelena told her.

“Who is going to be on coms?”

“Believe it or not, we used to only have those three jets outside, a cave to operate out of and missions we all took part in.” Yelena explained. “When we returned our cave was still there. We can navigate without someone watching over. We have Captain America and Winter Soldier watching over place. Now go get ready. We are burning daylight. I am getting pedicure. Kate, let us fit you with veil. I want us to get our feet rubbed by strangers.”

Wanda put a hand on Yelena’s shoulder and looked up.

“As soon as we check on Ava I will be back.” Yelena finished.

The two made their way to Ava’s room and the twins followed a few steps back. Wanda gently knocked on the door.

A red eyed Ava opened the door and waved them inside. An equally red eyed Sable was on her bed looking through photos on Ava’s phone of the fun the widows had since they had been free. The bed was still made so it didn’t appear they had slept all night.

“We wanted to let you know we are all going to Novi Grad today.” Yelena told her. “We don’t expect you to go but wanted to let you know. I am sure the two of you continue to have many things to talk about.”

Ava nodded and glanced at her smiling mother.

“Yeah… I’m…”

“I am taking her home.” Sable interrupted.

Ava cringed. “Only for a few days. I’ll be ready if a mission comes about. She has photo albums and my room is the same…”

Wanda raised her hand. “You don’t have to explain, Ava. Follow your heart.”

Ava’s eyes widened. “Only for a few days! I’m not leaving. I will be back. I just want to see where I grew up and see my home country.”

Yelena hugged her. “Do what you must. If you feel it is your place to stay then stay. If you want to come back, your sisters are always here.”

“I’ll be back.”

Wanda kissed her on the cheek and the foursome walked away. Before they got to the staircase Sable called them. She had closed the door behind Ava who was packing.

“I can’t thank you enough for what you both have done for her and facilitating our meeting.”

Yelena nodded, knowing this was more than a thank you. “Of course.”

Sable looked back at the closed door and spoke quietly. “I hope you take no offense, but I will do my best to convince her to stay at our home. It is not my intent to take a valuable warrior from you, but I want my daughter safe and happy. I never wanted my life for her. If she decides this is where she belongs I will not stand in her way but I shall do everything to convince her not to return.”

Yelena nodded. “I expected no less. We didn’t not free the girls to make them into assets. We freed them to give them freedom. Everyone has the choice to walk away at any time with our love, support and new lives if they wish it. We only want what is best for all of them. If Ava decides staying with you on a permanent basis is what she wants, I can think of no better outcome.”

Sable smiled. “Thank you for understanding.”

“But she won’t.” Wanda added. “She won’t leave the missions or her sisters any more than you would if you were in her position. You know that though, don’t you?”

Sable sighed not wanting to admit it was the likely outcome but knowing it was true. “I must try. If she does decide to return you know I will become very involved in your future. What you have built is beautiful.”

“Thank…”

“But it could be better.” Sable cut off Yelena. “And if Ava stays or not, I will make it better. Ross has no doubt already found flaws in your investigation techniques. Relying on facial recognition software isn’t getting the job done fast enough. No matter her decision, I will be back. I hope we can consider ourselves allies.”

Yelena shook her hand as did Wanda.

Ava and Sable left before the girls left for Novi Grad. Most of them told her to have fun and not one admitted their fear that she may not come back.

The group returned home at long past midnight. Most of the bags were left in the jets to be unpacked in the morning.

Wanda sat up until the girls were prepared for bed. They had gotten three inches cut off their hair and it no longer looked like a frizzy mess. They had also gotten manicures for the first time in their lives but Wanda vetoed Yelena’s idea on pedicures. They were very well behaved but Wanda did not want to tempt fate by having someone touch their toes. She had been on the receiving end of one of their kicks.

When she emerged from the bathroom the twins were asleep and she fell into a deep sleep between them.

It was two AM when Nadeja banged on Yelena’s door. Yelena answered in seconds prepared for anything.

“What is wrong?” she asked the girl.

Nadeja pointed to Wanda’s room. “Wanda is floating with her legs crossed under her and she is glowing and we can’t wake her. She is crying but won’t say anything and somehow changed clothes. I’ve never seen her dressed like this and she didn’t buy it today. Can you help her?”

Yelena nodded and patted the girl on the shoulder. “She isn’t hurt. We have to wait this out. Come with me and we shall sit together.”

Yelena walked into the glowing red room to find the Scarlet Witch floating in the air, her legs crossed under her and her palms facing up on her thighs. Nela was sitting on the bed in rapt attention and eyes wide, taking in the sight.

“She is crying.” Nela whispered.

Yelena saw this was true. Large tears were silently rolling down her cheeks.

“Can we do something to make her feel better?” Nadeja asked Yelena.

Yelena sat on the floor and shook her head. “She may be a bit disoriented when she comes to…”

Wanda gasped in the air and Yelena was no longer in the room. Instead she was on an alien world standing next to Wanda.

Wanda was crying as she watched a war rage around her. A bloody battle was being fought in the sky. The air was rocked by constant explosions and the ground shook. They were in the middle of an obviously alien city. Dark skinned, mindless monsters, some appearing humanoid and others closer to large, vicious dogs were overrunning the inhabitants, tearing them to pieces or biting them savagely. Other aliens resembling the ones that had invaded New York were also present, firing their weapons on men, women and children indiscriminately. Screams filled the air and blood flowed on the streets.

A tall alien woman and a gargantuan man beast of some sort strolled in the middle of the chaos, finding the destruction obviously amusing. They looked towards Wanda and Yelena or right through them, obviously unable to see them.

“What is this Wanda?”

Wanda turned to face Yelena with wide eyes. “What are you doing here?!”

Yelena shrugged. “I am watching an alien war horror movie in my robe. The twins told me you were hovering over your bed so I came to check and them I am here.”

Wanda looked around in a panic. “They aren’t here are they?”

Yelena didn’t think so. If Wanda would have brought them in, she would have done so before they found Yelena.

“No. You have only invited me to this lovely scenario. If you are going to pull me into a dream why can it not be a beach, or mountain getaway or maybe castle where people feed us grapes while fanning us with giant feathers?”

Wanda sighed. “This is no dream. This is happening right now. This is Xandar. The Nova Corps headquarters is that large building in front of us. They are trying to fight but are being annihilated. Thanos’s army is too much for them.”

Yelena saw the building in question was the only one that wasn’t on fire.

“This is happening all over the planet. I have been trying to stop it but I can’t. I can’t do anything.” Wanda explained, the despair in her voice obvious.

“You shouldn’t try.” Yelena told her. “Your astral form is not powerful to face this.”

Yelena kept the tremor out of her voice but she was nervous. It wasn’t the sound of battle, the sight and sounds of the dead. She knew such things and had become accustomed to battlefields. What set her on edge was the sheer size of this army. It wasn’t hard to guess who it belonged to. She had thought the aliens in New York was impressive. That was nothing. She had no doubt this was happening all over this planet. The massive spaceship in the sky was approaching them and blocking the sun from the ground it flew over.

Then a beam of light struck the top of the Nova Corps headquarters.

“How do you know so much about this planet?” Yelena asked. “How did you know to come here?”

Wanda pointed a shaking finger to the tallest building. “The Power Stone is in there. It cried out to me. I did not astral project myself. I was brought here to witness.”

“Witness a massacre?”

Wanda shook her head slightly. “Witness our future if we cannot stop him. I must have brought you here so you can see. Thanos is in the building now.”

Yelena and Wanda were pulled into the building and inside a vault room of some sort.

The large purple alien was in this room. A thin grey one she recognized from the last time she had faced Thanos was also here. He waved his hand and the large metal door was ripped from its hinges.

Thanos stepped inside and picked up a glowing jewel. He quickly put it on a gauntlet he wore. The gauntlet glowed and then lessened as the Power Stone accepted its new possessor.

Thanos looked around the room as if searching for someone. His eyes swept the spot Yelena and Wanda stood at but didn’t stop on them or show any signs of seeing them.

“What are your orders, Master?” the grey alien asked.

“The same as always. We have only one stone. Until we possess six, we must do it ourselves. Kill half the population.”

“As you command.”

Thanos waited until he was alone then looked to the ceiling.

“I know you are here Scarlet Witch. The Infinity Stones speak to you but this one obeys me now. You should have killed me when you had the chance. We will see each other soon. You may well be the nexus being of this universe but when we meet again, you will not be the only one. You will be the weakest one.”

Thanos walked out of the room and Wanda reached for him but her power would not work. She screamed in frustration.

Then she was falling and her back hit the mattress. On the floor, Yelena gasped and sat up.

The room was full of people. The lights were on. Nela was patting Wanda’s cheek and Nadeja was lightly splashing water droplets on her forehead with her tiny fingers.

“She is okay.” Nadeja told her sister.

“How do you know?”

“She changed back into pajamas.” she pointed out to Nela.

Wanda slowly sat up and looked down on the floor where Yelena sat covered in sweat.

“Are you okay?” Wanda asked her.

“Define okay. Thank you for patting my cheek and sprinkling water on me, little Maximoffs. Your concern touches my heart.”

Agatha knelt between the two. “Want to tell Aunt Agatha what happened, kids?”

Wanda nodded and then looked at the twins. “In the morning. Little ears shouldn’t be bothered with things like this at night.”

“It is eight A.M.” Agatha pointed out. “You two have been gone for hours. So a girls’ astral trip is a new one.”

Wanda waved her fingers towards the blinds and covered her eyes when the sunlight poured inside.

“We can meet in the living room in an hour. I need to get the girls ready for their session. While that is going on we can talk in the living rom.”

Before Nadeja could object Wanda raised her hand. “Only a few rooms down while you talk to the doctor. You will be fine and you can feel me. Relax and trust me, okay?”

An hour later, Wanda and the twins walked into the library. The twins were each holding one of her arms tightly as if helping her walk. In reality they had been scared she was somehow hurt and were clinging to her for comfort.

Imi was waiting for them.

“I heard you three had an interesting night.” she greeted them.

“Wanda had a bad dream.” Nadeja said.

“Is that all it was?” Imi asked.

“It is all you need to know.” Nadeja responded.

“Nadeja!” Wanda quietly scolded. “There is no need for rudeness, is there?”

Nadeja was on edge all night but she shook her head. “No, I am sorry for rudeness, Doctor.”

Imi smiled at her and motioned them to have a seat. “Apology accepted. Wanda, are you okay?”

Wanda nodded. “I would like to say it has never happened before but it has. The twins did not get much sleep last night and as you know we had a very long day yesterday. Did you enjoy yourself?”

Imi had enjoyed herself. She hadn’t bought anything. Instead she followed whatever group of girls were closest to Maximoff and her twins to observe their behavior and how the Sokovians reacted to her.

Despite Wanda’s obvious embarrassment, she did take photos and sign a few autographs for those brave enough to approach her. The rest of the citizens were doing the same as Imi, following from a distance. They watched Wanda as if she were a holy person, a religious icon and Imi realized to most that she was. Yelena also had quite the fan club and relished in signing autographs and having pictures taken with kids. Natasha Romanoff stayed with various girls throughout the day but concentrated mostly on shopping with Stannic, buying her new things and some dolls Stannic insisted were collectible action figures.

One interesting observation she made of the girls as a whole were a lack of cliques. She expected such a large group of teenage girls would have their own like-minded peer groups they would gravitate towards but that wasn’t the case. Some stayed together like those in a romantic relationship and some obviously were closer to each other as sisters, like Aino and Staci, but the groups mixed and matched members all day and mostly stayed together as they wandered the city. She had observed the same behavior in the dining areas at the Mansion. The only ones that normally sat in the same spot all the time were Yelena and Wanda.

Wanda seemed very happy. The girls were having a great time even if they wouldn’t leave her side and were constantly scanning the area for danger. Wanda had smiled genuinely throughout the day, something Imi hadn’t seen before. She also noted Wanda was encouraging the girls to pick out items for their room which she suspected they would share with Wanda. Bunk beds were bought, new paint, matching pillows and sheets and a large amount of clothes by all three of them.

On the return trip, one jet was loaded only with their bags.

“Doctor, I was hoping you could just speak to the twins today and I will be back to pick them up. The older widows need to have a meeting in the living room. The three of us can talk afterward.”

Imi picked up on what she really meant. Keep the kids away from the living room. She nodded and Wanda walked off with the twins watching her leave anxiously.

Wanda gave them a last wink and closed the door. They turned to look at their doctor. Neither smiled.

Imi sighed, wondering how many questions would be answered with that is only need to know information.

The living room was full by the time Wanda made it. Every widow was present along with Steve, Bucky and Everett. Even Tanya and Sierra were present to Wanda’s irritation. Yelena was already explaining what had happened hours earlier to the occupants. Wanda had a seat on the floor next to Yelena while the others circled them, some sitting on couches and chairs but most standing.

When it was over, none of them were sure what to say.

It was Nat who finally spoke. “So this army is more than the Chitauri. The Chitauri can be killed easily, at least on Earth. After the control ship was destroyed, SHIELD found a neural link imbedded into each of them. It worked as a means to control the Chitauri and prevent them from rebelling and as a life support system. Chitauri physiology is delicate on some planets I suppose. The link provide a way of filtering Earth’s oxygen from their blood. SHIELD was still studying exactly how it worked when they fell. Once the control ship was destroyed the neural link would have not only cut off their life support but also triggered their deaths as a failsafe against rebellion. We got lucky.”

“So we just destroy a giant control ship in space and then we can fight the rest of the alien dogs and apes.” Ingrid said. “No problem, except for the fact that the only one with a chance of destroying the control ship in space is the one who will be fighting Thanos on the ground. I doubt Tony Stark is going to be able to throw a nuclear missile at it again. They will have prepared for that scenario now.”

Nat nodded. “True but maybe the control ship doesn’t have to be destroyed. Shuri and Tony could come up with a way to block the signals. If the signal is blocked to the neural link, then it takes out a large percentage of their army. As for the rest, we need to know more. Unfortunately we won’t know their weaknesses until we actually fight them.”

“The rest are dumb.” Yelena added. “The Chitauri used weapons. The others were more liked crazed animals. I didn’t get the feeling there was a lot of intelligence there. They did avoid the two aliens we saw surveying the field. Those two were perhaps the commanders so they do have some awareness. The alien with the telekinesis also faintly resembled them the field commanders. Thanos must have ranks and they are the generals.”

The room was quiet as they all took that in before Steve spoke. “Wanda, I understand it is called the Power Stone for a reason but how powerful is it?”

Wanda sighed. “I had trouble blocking Vision’s energy blasts from the Mind Stone and it wasn’t made for that kind of attack like the Power Stone. The Power Stone can manipulate any form of energy in the universe and harness it as a deadly weapon for its holder. It is the one stone that cannot be touched for more than a few seconds without burning the holder up.”

“The four morons held it though.” Madison reminded them of the dream.

Wanda nodded. “Yes, they all held it and it nearly killed them. One of them must have been more than he or she appeared. The truth is, if he comes to Earth with the four stones in the Universe, and we know he has at least one, he will be unstoppable.”

“Ha!” Agatha said sharply. “You have to be joking.”

Wanda looked towards her unamused. “This isn’t funny.”

“I find your lack of faith disturbing.” Agatha responded.

Wanda raised an eyebrow, shocked at her flippant tone though she should have been used to it by now.

“Lack of faith? I’m talking about the fall of the Universe and a creature with four of the most powerful objects in existence showing up on Earth and you are quoting Star Wars.”

Agatha become very serious. “I find your lack of faith in yourself disturbing. Those stones are not the most powerful objects in the universe. If they were, why do they call to you for help? Chaos Magic, Wanda. There is no greater power in the universe than the one you already possess and you don’t need shiny rocks to use it. So what if he gets the Reality Stone? Reality answers to you. You don’t like him having the stone, then change reality and make it go away. Make him go away.”

Wanda couldn’t believe she said that. “You of all people know how dangerous that is for me to even think like that!”

“And you just said the fate of the universe was at stake. You can’t fight four stones with only the power of the one you possess. This isn’t going to come down to a battle of who has the most rocks. This is you showing him who this universe belongs to. The Scarlet Witch, a creature of unfathomable magic, capable of changing reality and spontaneous creation, harnessing the energy of the cosmos in the palm of her red hands and looking stylish while she does it. Yes it was dangerous for you to think of before but not anymore. You have been slowly growing into your powers. Every step you have taken has prepared you for what you will face. If he comes to Earth with those stones, turn them into necklaces and make his skull into a handbag.”

The room quieted once again as they all took in Agatha’s words. Every widow in the room believed in Wanda. There was not a doubt in their minds she would win. Only Wanda was doubting herself.

“I thought the biggest concern I would have here is overhauling the investigation techniques without ruffling any feathers.” Everett said. “You told me you let Stark off the hook because he would be needed one day. You said something big and bad was coming. I suppose this is what you meant?”

Wanda nodded.

“Wow. Okay.”

Yelena sighed. “At least I know an answer to one question that had been bothering me. I know why he attacked New York. He knows two stones are on Earth, not just the Mind Stone.”

Wanda was surprised but didn’t doubt her. “He knows Strange has the Time Stone?”

Yelena nodded. “I couldn’t understand why he would have given the one Infinity Stone he possessed to this Asgardian so called god with the ridiculous helmet. Why try to take over Earth in the first place? Why start in New York and not Washington where the Pentagon is, or NATO headquarters, or one of the larger European cities.”

“Because the Tesseract was in New York.” Steve mentioned.

“Was it?” Yelena asked. “Nat, you said he took it from SHIELD secret site. Was site in New York City? He could have taken it anywhere after he had it.”

“Loki had a huge ego.” Steve pointed out. “Using Stark Tower was the kind of play he wanted. He wanted to make a big splash.”

Yelena shook her head. “He didn’t know Stark. Maybe he did want to go there but Thanos did not give him an army and the Mind Stone for the purpose of making Loki king of the Earth. Why would Thanos care? Loki’s job was to take over New York and retrieve the Time Stone. We learned from the Ancient One that it was in the New York sanctum or the sanctum at least had a portal directly into Kamar-Taj. He sends Loki in with the promise of making him king so long as Loki takes over the one building Thanos wants. Loki failed and the Mind Stone stayed on Earth.”

Wanda sighed. “And the Space Stone went with Thor back to Asgard.”

The two former Avengers were taken off guard by that statement.

“Thor took the Tesseract with him to Asgard.” Nat pointed out.

Wanda pointed to her head. “I told you the stones talk to me in my sleep. I know where they are, I see their surroundings and feel their power. The Tesseract was a housing for the Space Stone the same way Loki’s staff held the Mind Stone and Strange’s Eye of Agamotto is a housing for the Time Stone. When I see the Space Stone I see it surrounded by a bright blue cube and on the other side I see a museum of sorts. Weapons of all kinds, some ancient Earth and others advanced, likely aliens. Thor took the cube so the Space Stone is in some kind of vault on Asgard. If Thanos knows where the Time Stone is, then he knows the Space Stone is on Asgard. Do either of you have a way to contact Thor?”

“Yes, can you do some special rain dance to send prayers to the god of thunder and surfing?” Yelena asked. “I would love to see that. Maybe Papa can give you hammer to throw into sky.”

Steve grinned but shook his head. “No, he doesn’t carry a cell phone or have an email address. If he did, I would ask him why his vision didn’t show him Vision going nuts and having to be taken out. Asgard is protected. Thanos would not have an easy time taking the Stone from there.”

Nat shook her head. “We don’t know what Asgard is capable of. What do we know of the place beside Loki and Thor? Yelena you said he told the guy with the telekinesis to carry out the same orders as always. Kill half the population of the planet. A strange order. Why half?”

No one had an answer.

“I suppose I could just ask him.” Wanda finally stated.

No one in the room said a word. No one breathed.

Not hearing any objection, Wanda changed her seated position into one she had spent most the night hovering in. She crossed her legs and…

“Are you nuts?” Yelena asked, grabbing her shoulder. “You want to astral project to him?”

“I’ve done it before.”

“By accident after you were hopped up on Chaos magic and Mind Stone energy.”

Wanda looked at her for a moment then Agatha who slightly nodded. “Please bring the twins in here. When I do this they will no longer feel my presence and freak.”

Wanda waited for Oksana to bring Imi and the twins into the living room.

“The girls were telling me they can’t wait to put up their bunk beds but have no plans to sleep in them yet. They are still talking about the pros and cons.” Imi reported pleasantly then became somber when she took in the mood of the room.

Wanda ignored her, focusing on the little girls.

“I have to take a short trip and have a conversation with someone. My body will be here but my mind and everything else that makes me… me, will be gone for a while. You won’t feel my presence. You can stay in here and watch over my body but do not panic. This shouldn’t take long.”

“Where are you going?” Nadeja asked.

“Across the Universe to talk with an alien warlord.”

Nadeja shrugged. “I will watch your back. Take me with you.”

Wanda leaned forward and kissed her cheek. “Not this time, kid. Watch my body while I am gone.”

Wanda turned to Yelena who was still scowling and gave her a wink. “Relax. Just a friendly chat between sworn mortal enemies.”

Wanda called on her all her cosmic and magical powers. She lost herself into the chaos until she was hovering over her body. Her body was clad in the garments of the Scarlet Witch and hovering in the air. She preferred this to passing out like a limp, lifeless doll which was usually the case.

Yelena was correct. She had never done this purposely before. She had been called or involuntarily taken to where she needed to go but never intentionally.

The key was not making it harder than it needed to be. She relaxed and cast her mind out over the universe, expanding it deeper and deeper into nothingness. She remembered after they had rescued Kate when she had difficulty crossing the Atlantic Ocean to find Vision and she had the actual Mind Stone to follow then.

Agatha was right. She may not have felt it on a day to day basis but looking back she had become more and more powerful and handled them more easily.

She didn’t find Thanos at first but she did find the Power Stone. He was wearing it on that golden glove as he sat on the throne she had first encountered him on.

He looked down on her from that throne when she appeared.

“I was wondering if you would show your face. I felt you on Xandar, little witch.”

“Unfortunately I was not able to show my face. The Power Stone called out to me in distress. I was not there in my astral form, only in a dream… this is all very complicated magic and you don’t strike me as the brightest creature.”

Thanos stood and walked down the steps towards her.

“I know more than you could possibly imagine. You are powerful but just a young human. Do not pretend to be wise. Your gifts make you strong but not knowledgeable.”

Wanda smirked. “I wouldn’t have given up one stone to an idiot failure like Loki in a bid to get another. I would have done it myself. You hate not knowing everything before you attack. You wanted to know what defenses Earth had so you sent in a test dummy. You were frightened to take on the unknown so you lost two stones.”

Thanos walked past her then circled his throne to the large widow that was behind it. Wanda joined him. She saw his massive fleet of ships. She counted perhaps twenty of massive proportions.

“And by giving him the Mind Stone it allowed a simple human witch to become my most dangerous adversary. Even the wise make mistakes.” he admitted. “I shall rectify that soon. One day, all the stones will be mine.”

“Doubtful.” Wanda said. “Considering there is no Mind Stone any longer. There is only me.”

Thanos turned to her questioningly. “What did you do?”

“I became the Mind Stone. I absorbed it into myself. I may not be large but I don’t think I will fit onto your shiny glove.”

Thanos tried to hide his surprise. “That is impossible. No vessel could absorb an Infinity Stone.”

Wanda shook her head and smiled. “Then you haven’t read enough about the Scarlet Witch. Impossible isn’t in my vocabulary. You did tell me when we last met that I was supposed to be a myth. What did your myth tell you?”

Thanos shook his head. “I will rip it from your corpse if need be child. The myth told me the Scarlet Witch would one day destroy the universe, perhaps even the multiverse. The irony is the prophecy will be proven correct if I cannot defeat you. You think you are the hero of this story and I am the villain. You are not. If you stop me you will ensure all life in the Universe will suffer and the stars will die out one by one until there is nothing dead matter.”

Wanda decided to goad him. “Yet you are the one who just killed half a planet’s population. You call me the villain?”

“I save those people!” Thanos roared. “Do you not understand? Of course not! You are too young and foolish, believing you are the hero and you do not even know what battle you are fighting!”

“We haven’t begun to fight yet. I promise you will know when we do. Tell me of these precious battle you deem so important. I want to know what I am stopping when I have your head in my trophy case.”

Thanos calmed himself and looked back over his fleet. “You have no idea how perfectly a living cell must be balanced to work efficiently.”

Wanda thought of the biology test she took not long ago but decided not to bring it up.

“There must be balance to all things. Every planet’s dominant race is a cancer. They grow and grow, taking more and more of the planet’s resources until the resources are gone. The planets fall out of balance and all life dies. If the universe is not balanced all will die, not just some.”

“So by killing half the population of planets, you are restoring balance and saving the universe.” Wanda reasoned.

“Yes.”

“Why not just double the resources?”

Thanos was quiet for a moment.

“I…”

“Because you enjoy causing death.” Wanda concluded. “Of course you are the hero.”

Thanos smiled grimly.

“You think with all six Infinity Stones you can kill half the population of the Universe and restore balance.” Wanda told him.

“You know I can.”

Wanda said nothing but knew he was right, even if his logic didn’t make complete sense.

“Of course then you will throw your own work out of balance. You just killed half the population of Xandar. If you use the stones to kill half the Universe that means you will have been responsible for killing seventy five percent of them. That doesn’t seem fair.”

Thanos looked down once again, appearing amused.

“Perhaps I will keep you alive. You are an entertaining conversationalist even if your mind is simplistic.”

Wanda’s eyes glowed slightly and she smirked. “Can my simple mind ask you’re a question, oh great one?”

Thanos nodded slightly.

“Can you survive in space?”

“What?” he asked sounding a bit nervous.

“It is a simple question from a simple mind. Can you survive in space with no space suit for life support. Could you jump out of this ship right now and float around without dying? I would guess you can but it won’t be comfortable. It may be inconvenient. Wouldn’t that be a shame.”

Thanos stepped away from her.

“No.”

Wanda smiled cruelly. “Yes. You slaughtered a planet. How many are on this ship? I can feel over ten, perhaps twenty thousand. I doubt they can survive in space.”

Wanda raised her arms and power flowed through them. She saw him try to grab her only to find she had no more physical structure than air.

The walls began to shake as she unleashed her power on the ship, grabbing onto its metal form and crushing it in on itself. She felt the fear and listened to the screams of thousands of creatures as the walls buckled in and around them.

She found the enormous engines but Thanos had already ran. He had made it to an escape pod hatch under his throne.

She unleashed the chaos magic surrounding her. All along the massive fleet of ships, the soldiers became momentarily blinded by nightmarish visions. The entire ship glowed red and then exploded around her.

All of Thanos’s army felt the presence of the Scarlet Witch.

She was floating in space, surrounded by pieces of the ship and over thousands of bodies, the same ones who had committed genocide on Xandar. She had never projected herself into space. The lack of an explosive sound when she destroyed the ship was disorienting. Unlike television there was no sound in space and her destructive urges weren’t fully satisfied.

She saw an escape pod landing in the nearest ship.

Wanda flew towards it and through the wall into the hangar where Thanos was being pulled from his pod. He saw her and she relished the fear she saw in his eyes.

“I said you would know when we began fighting. Now you do. Return the stone, cease this mission of yours and live. Carry on and I will rip everything you hold dear to pieces and imprison you in a hell your nightmares cannot fathom. I don’t care who you think is the hero or the villain of this story. The ending will remain the same. This is my universe. Challenge me and suffer the consequences.”

Wanda disappeared and hit the floor back at the mansion. She sat up quickly, gasping for air. Others tried to touch her but she shrugged them off and ran, making it to the end of the room before she fell to her hands and knees.

“Breathe!” Yelena yelled. “Just breath, сестра!”

Wanda fell into Yelena’s arms, shivering and having difficulty controlling her limbs.

Then she began laughing.

Wanda couldn’t stop laughing.

Yelena pulled her into a sitting position. “Calm down. Don’t make me slap you! Get a hold of yourself and breathe!”

Wanda stopped laughing but lay on the floor on her back, taking in deep breaths.

“I can sense the magic around her. She just channeled a huge amount. What did you do, Sabrina?” she heard Agatha ask. “Somebody get my little apprentice some sugar water.”

Agatha touched Wanda’s cheek and purple energy flowed into the Scarlet Witch. “There you go, kid. Just a taste of Aunt Agatha’s magic. Soak it up.”

Wanda relaxed as Agatha’s power flowed into her.

“I have the water.” a worried voice called out. She thought it might be Steve.

“Give it to me.” Yelena ordered.

Then Wanda gasped and sat up after the entire glass of water was thrown into her face.

“It was for her to drink.” an annoyed Agatha told Yelena.

“This way works better.” Yelena responded. “No laughing like crazy person or shaking. My witch is as good as new. Right, Wanda? You’re okay. No seizures, alright? Me and Mama will make you that nasty Sokovian soup that smells like ass if you relax and be okay. Look, your little girls are worried about you. You don’t want them to go crazy, right? Nadeja is already eyeing guns and widow bracelets.”

Wanda calmed herself, finally gaining control and grounding herself back into this reality.

The twins pushed through the crowd and sat next to her, taking her hands.

“What happened?” Antonia asked.

Wanda took a calming breath. “Thanos and I had a conversation. He called me an idiot and I destroyed his throne room and his giant ship and about ten to twenty thousand of his soldiers on board. Unfortunately the coward had an escape pod and was picked up by another. I followed him, threatened to send him to hell if he didn’t stop but I didn’t have enough in me to destroy that ship. At least he is going to need another throne.”

Yelena shook her head. “Do you remember when you had seizure after saving Ross from small ship in Wakanda? Now you use powers that crazy over the whole universe. Do you learn nothing?”

Wanda smirked. “I’m alive, aren’t I? I’d say I am learning quite a bit. What do you think, Agatha?”

Agatha smirked. “I think you just showed that asshole whose universe this belongs to and made him look weak in front of his army. Great job, Scarlet Witch.”

Nat spoke up for the first time. “Did you learn anything about him that we didn’t know? What is his reason for doing this?”

Wanda nodded.

“He is an environmentalist.”