Bella MacLeod's Twilight Fanfiction

The Witch and the Widows

By BetterInTexas

Chapter 64:

In her parents’ room, Yelena lay back on the floor holding her little brother above her while making airplane noises and gently moving him side to side. She had recently discovered it was something that made him smile and those smiles never failed to brighten her day. The last few days had been difficult. Wanda was working overtime to practice moving herself and her team from moving location to moving location. So far they had moved from one warship in Sable’s fleet to another successfully and move from a passenger airliner to another in the air and back. She had not failed them yet but Yelena knew Wanda almost as well as she knew herself. The strain was weighing her down.

The twins were regressing due to the new widows and Wanda was encouraging them to explore on their own, helping them with studies while continuing to study herself, staying in constant communication with the widows, both new and old, and trying to offer comfort at night to those who were dealing with the worst nightmares.

She was close to empty.

Yelena was as well. The weight of her parents’ fear, getting to know the new widows while keeping an eye on the emotional state of the oldest tenured widows, wanting to spend time with her brother and fighting not to call Kate every day and unload her problems on the sixteen year old girl she loved was wearing on her. Constantly drilling with her team, going over multiple scenarios and emergency protocols did not make it easier.

This mission was her idea.

This mission scared her. She had always accepted that death for her or the others was a real possibility every time they undertook a mission. Wanda’s bullet wound scar was proof of that. Yet there had always been a feeling of confidence. Even in their toughest and deadliest situation like fighting hundreds of Iron Legion robots in an airport, there was always a quiet confidence that they would all make it back.

That was not the feeling around the compound now.

Perhaps her parents’ fears were affecting her. Perhaps it was the trepidation she felt from Wanda every time a doorway opened between one moving object to another.

She should be more confident than ever. They had Wenwu. The Master of the Ten Rings. The man was a warrior, thousands of years old. Like Agatha, like all of them, he had done many bad things in his extremely long life.

He had also protected this world for over one thousand years. He was powerful, wise and committed. Beside Wanda, he was their greatest weapon.

Despite his presence, the fear lingered in the atmosphere of the Mansion.

At eight A.M. Rachel’s voice rang out over the Mansion intercom as it did every morning.

“Good morning, ladies and the few gentlemen we have living here. Morning announcement time.

“Baseball tournament starts at ten A.M. for any participants. We are all on our own for breakfast but the kitchens in the North, South and East Wing are fully stocked. Please do not take more than two Pop Tarts for breakfast and try to remember to eat at least one piece of fruit. Anya is not happy with our eating habits lately. Cookies and Pop Tarts do not make a healthy breakfast even if the Pop Tart is fruit filled. If we do not begin eating healthier she has threatened to hide the Pop Tarts, cookies and ice cream. This is not an idle threat. She has done it before. It was a hellish three days.

“Pool is opening in fifteen minutes. Please do not overcrowd, do not dive near others and watch out for the children. The bunker gym is also open. Remember your assigned times if you wish to train. We only have so many benches and weight sets. Same with the mats and gun range. Make your own sandwich spread will be in the East wing dining room for lunch and pizza buffet for dinner tonight outside the main dining room. There will also be salad ingredients if you prefer not to eat pizza or want a side dish, but chicken breasts strips must be heated and eaten with the salad per Anya. We need the protein.”

Rachel paused for a moment, likely double checking something.

“Teams on alert for the next 24 hours. Rowan, Team Banshee is first up. Please meet with Everett this morning for briefing. He is working on a lost Widow lead in Bangladesh. Sharon Carter is enroute to confirm with Sable assets on ground. Once confirmed your team will be in the air. Kristina, Team Lioness is up next. Should other teams be needed for back up, leaders may volunteer for duty. First volunteers are first up should the two assigned teams be gone over the next 24 hours. In the event of backup activation you will be traveling via Witch so if you are afraid of moving through tears between dimensions from one spot on the globe to another I recommend you sit this one out.

“The final round of the Mortal Kombat tournament will begin in the big TV room after lunch. Tonight Agatha will be arranging a Resident Evil movie marathon in the big TV room, starting at seven. Please do not forget to fill out your interest forms in a possible trip to see Taylor Swift in concert in Paris. We will need to have an accurate count of the number of tickets needed and Maria will need to hack Ticket Master to buy them and avoid the lottery. If we have enough interest we might buy luxury suites. Now a word from our boss shrink in da house.”

Another voice spoke up over the intercom.

“This is Dr. Zaru, boss shrink in da house. Please remember that all of you who are attending therapy have made an agreement that if you open your file, one of the older tenured widows or your therapists will be notified ahead of time and at least be near you if you do not want the contents known to us. There will be no weapons around the area. This is for your own protection. We take this seriously. We ask that even if you are not in therapy you still ask another widow to be with you when you open your file.

“Find one of the counselors or anyone to talk to if you feel overwhelmed. If one of your sisters has a flashback or an anxiety attack remember our method for calming and caring until it passes. This is a place of love and support. None of you are alone. Have a wonderful day and remember we are here for you.”

Yelena chuckled when the announcements ended. They had come far from Sasha’s group text messages, not that Sasha had stopped sending them.

Yelena sat her brother down in his play pen or cage as she called it, hugged her father and retreated to her room.

Once she closed the door, she collapsed on her bed. She missed Wanda having a room next to her. Normally she would collapse onto Wanda’s bed and curl up next to witch, telling Bucky to get out of her way many times.

Of all her problems, one weighed heaviest on her mind.

Ava had been gone for six days. Sable had no idea where she was. Wong had disappeared with her as well. Strange had no idea where they were and would not use magic to find them. Nor would Wanda. They felt if she wanted to be alone, it was her choice and not theirs. Yelena agreed with them but it still hurt.

She missed her friend, her sister, her confidante. Yelena loved all the widows but there had always been those her and Wanda were closer to than others. Sonia, Ingrid and Ava were those for Yelena. She had nearly lost Sonia. She knew before Novi Grad was rebuilt, Wanda was close to leaving the house because of the problems Yelena ignored. Now she was afraid she truly had lost Ava for good.

Wanda told her it would work out. Ava had gone through a lot and kept a lot in for the good of the team. It was bound to explode eventually.

Someone knocked on her door.

“Come in.” she said, not bothering to sit up. Training with her assault team was in an hour and she planned to lay on her bed until then.

Ava walked in and Yelena immediately sat up. Ava looked embarrassed but Yelena didn’t have time to note or care. She stood and rushed the girl, wrapping her arms around her and bringing into a tight hug.

Ava was surprised, not knowing what kind of greeting she would get. She returned the hug though just as fiercely.

When they pulled back, Yelena wiped tears from her eyes.

“I am glad you are home, Sister.”

Ava said nothing for a moment then stepped back.

“Take your shots. I deserve them.”

Yelena shook her head. “I will never strike you, Ava.”

Ava winced. “Thanks for making me feel like a bigger bitch. I didn’t think that was possible. I’m sorry, Yelena.”

Yelena grabbed her hand and pulled her to the bd, seating her on the mattress and sat across from her.

“None of that. We have all been there. Everyone remembers when I nearly killed Natasha. I think most of us have lost it at some point. I understand. There is nothing to forgive. How many times have you been there for me, even when I was dumb. I made a mistake. I shouldn’t have left you out. I did it for the wrong reasons. What you said was true.”

Ava shook her head, refusing to let Yelena take the blame for her actions.

“No, it wasn’t. I was furious but it was more than that. I shouldn’t have… Wong was… I had a talk with Mom before I came here. We had to get some things sorted out. Honestly when I left I didn’t think I ever wanted to see her again. He is the one who talked me into going to her.”

Yelena wasn’t sure what to say some she stayed quiet.

“Six months ago I found a ring in Wong’s drawer. He isn’t very good at hiding things and I was looking for nail clippers… anyway, it was an engagement ring. I knew he was going to ask me to marry him. I was going to say yes. I made up my mind the second I saw the ring. I never said anything. I put it back and waited. I thought maybe he was waiting for the right time, maybe Christmas.”

Yelena was slightly surprised but not much. Wong worshipped Ava. When they were together it was easy to see she was the most important person in the entire world to him.

“Then I met Mom. It was great, you know? I had a mother. My memories were coming back, but good memories this time. It was wonderful. I had my sisters, I had my mother and I had this great guy who was devoted to me, who wanted to pledge to spend his life with me, an assassin who was anything but a blushing virgin. A girl that had so much blood on her hands, one who had no problem lying to get what she wanted, but he wanted me anyway.

“Then Mom became a problem. First she tried to manipulate me into leaving the widows with promises of helping us out if I stayed home. Then she attacked Wong before even giving him a chance. She forced herself into our affairs without permission, or even asking. She tried to take over and we let her because we needed her assets but… I was done. When I got left behind I knew it was because of her and how she would react if I went on the mission and I exploded on you. You have given your heart and soul to all of us and I took it out on you. I was wrong. I couldn’t hit her so I hit you. I’ll never forgive myself for that.”

Yelena took that in. She had talked to Wanda about this and no one else. Wanda had guessed the same things.

“I forgive you anyway.”

Ava shook her head. “Why are you so good?”

Yelena shook her head. “I am not so good. I think back on all the mistakes I made. I lied to Kate Bishop for nearly the entire time I knew her. I carried something I knew would hurt her, something we all knew and I refused to tell her. I fell in love with her and let her fall in love with me, knowing I was keeping this from her. I told myself it wasn’t my place to tell her but I betrayed her. She trusted me and I broke her heart. I took everything she gave to me, knowing I didn’t deserve it. I have let myself be influenced by the wrong people. I feel I am sometimes very stupid and not good.”

Ava knew Yelena would always feel great regret over Kate Bishop and how it turned out. “Why don’t you call her? Why not make up for it? Just say you are sorry. You know she will forgive you.”

Yelena nodded. “That is why I cannot do so. She will forgive me and I don’t think I deserve that forgiveness. I knew from the start I never deserved her. I knew I was bad for her but I let it continue anyway. I wasn’t strong enough to walk away. I let her become a part of us then I made her feel like a fool. She deserves better. Enough about me. You spoke to your mother. How did it go?”

Ava shrugged. “Hard to tell. Things needed to be said. I told her the only reason I was even speaking to her was because Wong convinced me to. I hope that stung.”

“Wong convinced you?”

Ava nodded. “He asked me what I would do if we adopted a child. If I loved this child with my entire being and one night in one hour, I found him dead and my child gone. What would I do for revenge? What would I do to find my child and what would I do when I had my child back? I guess I never thought of her trauma. I never really thought about it.”

Yelena could understand. Sable was not the kind to share her intimate trauma. She was the kind to keep her pain locked behind a cold wall. She was certainly not as expressive as Anya.

“Anyway, we talked. I told her I understood her point of view but she didn’t understand mine. I have been through too much to revert back to some pampered princess no matter how much I want to be. I’m a Red Widow. I go into danger and am willing to die if it means freeing others. It is who I am, who I chose to be. It was the only choice I was ever given and I embrace it. If she couldn’t accept it then she needed to stay away before I hurt her worse or she kept hurting me. When his started I wanted to save as many widows as I could but it was also about revenge. Think about what we did.”

Yelena smirked then sobered quickly, seeing regret on Ava’s face.

“We skinned people alive, Yelena. We invented new ways of torture the Inquisition would have been jealous of. We didn’t just slaughter, we unleashed our rage on anyone we considered a target and we had a lot of rage. We never wanted to be heroes. We just wanted to free our sisters, free kids and hurt people, preferably those who were involved with the Red Room.”

Yelena understood her point. They may have gone a bit far.

“Now look at us. We are fighting aliens and trying to save the Universe. We haven’t properly tortured anyone in months. You and Wanda, all of us are the superheroes of Europe and more popular in the United States than Iron Man and the old Avengers. We don’t just live in a mansion anymore. This place is a legit compound that houses highly skilled girls and people with legit superpowers training constantly to fight evil.

“I’m good with what we have become. This isn’t about revenge anymore. Maybe for some it is but for me… this gives my life meaning. I like who I am. When I put on that suit, I don’t think about killing or torturing anymore or unleashing rage. I only think about saving people. I told Mom she wasn’t going to screw this up for me. I wanted her in my life but I wasn’t changing who I was to be what she wanted me to be. If she couldn’t handle that, then she was going to lose me again.”

Yelena nodded. “This is good. I love who you are. We have all fought so hard to find who we each are. No one should try to change us. It is a hard lesson I have learned.”

The two sat quietly and Yelena reached across and took Ava’s hands.

“Lerato talked Antonia into staying out of mission. Antonia had to admit what I should have already known. She isn’t the same unstoppable Task Master that she had been in the past. I always took her for granted. As long as we had Task Master, we had the most deadly player in the field. It wasn’t easy for her to admit or for me to hear but she didn’t feel she was best suited for the team.”

Ava hid her surprise. Antonia admitting to being anything less than unstoppable was something that would have never happened before and further evidence of how much had changed since they started the mission.

“Who is replacing her?” Ava asked.

“I was hoping you would come back and take her place.”

Ava shook her head. “I can’t, Yelena. I’m sure the whole team knows we argued after the briefing. If I go onto the team now, the girls will think if they argue or fight that orders can be changed.”

Yelena didn’t care. “Maybe they might see we are not Black Widows or the Red Room. We can change our minds, admit mistakes.”

Ava wouldn’t hear of it. “You can’t. Not when it comes to missions. If we decide there is something in the house or the group that needs to be changed we can discuss it but when it comes to missions, your orders cannot be questioned, Yelena. We must have order and that comes from you.”

Yelena snorted. “It comes from Wanda. She is the one who keeps us together.”

“Not alone. Not when it comes to mission planning. They look to you and it has to stay that way. As much as I want on this mission, it has to be this way. No one can question you, not even me. If you change your mind and give me what I want after I assaulted you, anarchy will follow. I’ll do what you asked me to do. If something happens to you… I’ll lead them. I’ll do everything I can to prepare them, to continue to save our sisters still out there but I can’t go on this mission.”

Yelena thought about it and knew she was right. She cursed herself for not making a different call but Ava was making a necessary sacrifice now.

“Any idea who should replace Antonia?”

“Charlize or Chloe.” Ava answered immediately. “I would go with Charlize. Her field medic skills could be needed. Wanda will be busy. If one of you takes a blow while Wanda is busy, Charlize could be the difference in life and death. If the Hand taught us anything, it’s that our impenetrable suits aren’t always impenetrable.”

Yelena chuckled. “At least I know if I die, then I have a good Red 1 to replace me.”

Ava shivered. “Don’t die. You and Wanda are unstoppable together. You always have been. Just remember, if Tony Stark is in trouble and you have to risk your life to save him… it’s okay to leave him to die.”

The two laughed together and Yelena hugged her once again, not wanting to let her go.

Four days later, the team gathered in Switzerland along with Tony Stark, Wenwu and Stephen Strange. Over a hundred widows had also followed.

Strange had a necklace with him with a large amulet attached. Inside the amulet was the Mind Stone. He carefully placed it around Wanda’s neck and her eyes lit up when it touched her. She was already dressed as the Scarlet Witch that was destined to save or destroy the Universe. She felt if she was going to begin fulfilling destiny she may as well dress for the part.

The twins were also present. Though they weren’t making a scene, both were fighting back tears as they held onto Wanda.

Yelena looked over the assembled team. Wenwu was enthusiastic but also focused. She could see the intense concentration on his face and knew he was looking forward to it. He was very old and a new adventure, especially one off planet, had him feeling very young and invigorated for the first time in centuries.

Bucky was hiding his emotions behind his Winter Soldier façade, a stoney expressionless face. He had his flesh gloved hand on Nela’s shoulder but was keeping a tight rein on his emotions.

Wanda was a mixture of anxiety, sadness and determination. She was also reveling in the feel of the Mind Stone being so close to her body. Her eyes were glimmering red and she was making an effort to control her breathing. She had not worn the Mind Stone before today and Yelena knew that was a mistake. They should have practiced with it but it was too late.

Stark’s ever present smirk was gone. He was somber, focused, standing still in his suit with the helmet down, his hands clenching into fists over and over, preparing for a fight. None of them knew what room Wanda would open them into. She would be doing her best just to get them onto a ship. Strange was there for back up with his sling ring. He believed once he was on the ship he would be able to bring them back to Earth through a portal if needed.

They could be walking into a room full of armed and feral aliens or an empty room and need to work their way through the ship.

The widows on the team were doing their best to remain unaffected and to an outsider they did so. Yelena knew better. They may have been checking their weapons, checking their magical ammo, their blades and batons, but they felt fear. Yelena felt it as well.

She would never disrespect them by asking if any wanted to back out. She knew their answer. They were Red Widows. Like her, they would follow Wanda anywhere. They felt fear now. It didn’t matter. Fear was meant to be overcome. That is what they would do.

Yelena had left her parents and brother at the mansion, ensuring them that she would be fine, promising she would return, feeling horribly guilty because she knew she could not promise such a thing but did it anyway.

When she stepped into Wanda’s doorway that led them to Sable’s compound, she took one last look at them and knew this could be the last time she saw them.

Yelena walked to Wanda. “I need a moment, then we can go.”

Wanda nodded and bent down to say goodbye to the twins. No one in the larger coalition had been told of this mission. Not even Nat and Steve were aware. As far as Yelena was concerned it was an inhouse thing and she would not risk Stannic losing a mom or dad because she knew Steve would insist if not Nat as well.

Yelena stepped away from the group out of listening range.

She made a call she had been dreading. She didn’t regret wanting to hear that voice one more time. She regretted it may be the last time. She regretted that she would have to tell Kate she was moving on, even if it was a lie. She had to make sure Kate would move on whether she died today, died on another planet or lived a long life.

Kate answered immediately but said nothing for a moment.

“Yelena?” Kate’s voice finally answered, barely being heard, the longing obvious.

“Hello, Kate Bishop. I needed to speak to you. Are you busy? This won’t take long.”

Kate cleared her throat. “Of course I’m not busy. I was just… how are you?”

Yelena held back a laugh because she knew it would likely be a sob.

“Kate, I need you to understand something. I know I have lied to you before. I have kept things from you I had no right to keep. I have hurt you. You have no reason to trust me but you must believe this. My feelings for you, my love for you, was real. It was always real. It was never about your mother’s help, or for any other reason. My love for you was real.”

Yelena heard Kate breathing heavily.

“I know, Yelena. I am so sorry…”

“No! Don’t you ever be sorry. What happened was my fault. I was wrong and I will always regret that. I just needed you to know, I need you to believe what I felt for you, my love was real.”

“I know.” Kate told her. “Yelena, what is wrong? Your voice… you sound like you do when you are about to do something really dangerous but you want me to believe you are absolutely confident even though we both know you are not. What is going on? Come over. I’m home, just come over, please.”

Yelena almost told her. Kate knew her so well. For so long they talked every day, they slept next to each other almost every day of a glorious summer.

“Nothing is wrong. I can’t come over. That is why I am calling you. I want you to know my feelings were real and I want you to move on. We both need to move on.”

Nothing was said.

“You called me to say that you loved me and I should move on? Yelena, what is going on?”

Yelena sighed. “There have been many changes lately. My life has become much busier. Our lives have become very different. I won’t hurt you again. I will never drag you into this world. Not you or your mother. After his call, you won’t hear from me again. If you call, I won’t answer. You need to move on, Kate. You need to find someone else to give your love to. Would you promise me? I have no right to ask for any promises from me but I am asking you to promise me.”

“You want me to promise to love someone else? I can’t do that, Yelena. I’m not going to give up on us. I know you still love me…”

“I said my feelings were real. And they were. My life has changed though and I have to move on. You should move on with yours.”

“You… what changes? Is there… someone…”

“Kate… please. Do your best to forget about me.”

“Then why did you call me?!”

“I wanted to thank you for all you did for me. Thank you for teaching me how to love. This is the last time I will bother you. Live a happy life and I will do the same. I am sorry, for everything.”

Yelena ended the call. She shouldn’t have made it but she couldn’t die without giving Kate the apology she deserved.

Yelena walked back to Wanda and noted the twins had walked away and were with Ava and Antonia.

“Feel better?” Wanda asked.

“No but I owed it to her.”

“I suppose we both do. It doesn’t matter now though. We have a mission to take down multiple alien ships in a hail of space cannon blasts. Let’s get this done. With any luck we can be back by dinnertime. I need that ridiculous Belova overconfidence right now so don’t go soft on me. Get her out of your head.”

“I am ready.”

Wanda took a deep breath and reached out with her hand. “Let’s do this.”

Wanda slashed a red line into the air and the door opened. There was now the interior of an alien ship standing in midair, only seen from one side.

Wanda rushed in first, a red shield in front of her and Wenwu at her side, his rings glowing and ready to block any attacks.

As soon as Wanda was clear, Bucky and Yelena slid in front of Wanda with weapons raised. The six widows spread out covering behind them as the doorway closed.

They were in a large, open dark space that Wanda recognized as the inside of one of Thanos’s ships. She had been here before but never physically.

A silent puff turned them all around.

Bea had shot one of the Chitauri in the head with her silenced rifle. His body dropped with a thud. He had been near a smaller craft of some sort and Wanda saw many others in line next to it.

“A hangar.” Bucky whispered.

“Thanos is near.” Wanda told the group. “He is in one of the other ships… he can feel the power of the Stones. I have to work fast. I’ll take control of the ship and begin the attack. Stark you know what to do.”

“Find an outlet, start downloading.”

“When I tell you to return, hurry. Don’t get lost.”

Stark, Wenwu and Strange took off, Stark in the lead, looking for the nearest data port or something resembling one.

Wanda stretched out her hands and her eyes glowed brighter than ever before. She gasped as she took control of thousands of alien minds.

“I can’t hold them all for long. I can’t understand them!” Wanda complained.

Yelena and the Widows stood tall, rifles at the ready circling her and protecting her with their bodies.

“You got this Wanda. Feel their intentions. Just like the animals you read.” Bucky encouraged her from her side.

“Thanos will feel both stones so he will know Strange is with me. We don’t… I have it.”

Wanda fed her intentions into the minds of those on the ship. She focused in on the Chitauri but was losing her grip on the feral beasts that also roamed this small city in space.

“The beasts are getting lose.” Wanda said through gritted teeth.

“Focus on the gunners. Attack a ship. Any ship.” Yelena ordered. “We will handle these monsters. Stark is the com working?”

“I hear you. We are a thousand yards away in an engine room. I’ve got a port. Wenwu just sliced and diced a few of those roaming monsters. Do your thing, Wanda.”

The guns of the ship slowly rose and locked onto the nearest vessel. Forty guns fired at once, rocking the nearest vessel, causing catastrophic damage. The barrage continued until the side of the ship opened and thousands of bodies flew out, freezing as they hit the coldness of space.

Then Wanda was thrown to the ground when another ship struck the one she stood in.

“Party is over, Stark. Get back. They are all loose and we are under attack, just as planned.” Yelena informed him.

“I need a minute.”

“You don’t have a minute! Come back now. You can download the rest at the next vessel. This one won’t last long.” Yelena told him.

A portal opened up and Wenwu, Strange and Iron Man stepped out.

“I have a lot more info to download.” Stark told her.

Wanda nodded and opened another doorway. The group jumped inside and found themselves in a very large control room that had a window looking out onto two ships in space that were collapsing and thousands of bodies being sucked into the vacuum.

They were also surrounded by many Chitauri who noticed them immediately.

The widows and Bucky opened fire. Wanda fired a blast of energy that disintegrated twenty of them but Wenwu reminded her of what her role was. He jumped into the fray along with the rest, while Strange stayed beside Wanda and protected her from blasts. Alarms were going off and the room was filled with the sounds of gunfire, laser weapons splitting the heated air and screams as Wenwu cut through the aliens.

Wanda focused, this time fighting through the feelings of terror on the ships coming apart and those onboard watching the ships come apart and what the alarms could mean.

Yelena and Bucky led the way through the first wave of attackers from behind her, while Stark downloaded as much information as possible with one arm while using his other to take out as many aliens as he could.

Two of the widows, Charlize and Bea were struck by Chitauri weapons but their suits held and they got to their feet quickly and continued fighting.

Wanda did her job and the ship they were on was firing at the nearest vessel.

Unlike last time, they weren’t immediately bombarded by another vessel.

“Keep downloading Stark.” Yelena ordered.

“Why isn’t another ship attacking?” Wenwu wondered. “Begin firing at others Wanda.”

Right then a blue light shown in the room. A tower of energy hit the ground and two individuals walked out. One was the size of the Hulk and the other was a blue female, very tall and very angry.

“Look who came to play.” Yelena said. “I saw these assholes on that planet the Power Stone was taken from. It will be a pleasure to kill them.”

“The witch and the sorcerer are not alone!” the female said, no doubt into a com. “There is a boarding party…”

Ten glowing rings struck her in the torso, the force shattering her ribs. Bucky rushed as she sat up in pain, he struck the female in the neck with a vibranium blade and continued to slash, opening her throat and causing her life blood to pour down her neck until her eyes went lifeless.

The large one watched in horror as she died on the floor then turned to them in rage.

Stark raised the one arm that wasn’t busy downloading and fired a repulsor blast into the side of the creature’s head, gaining his attention. Wenwu cut through his knees with the rings and the widows and Bucky jumped on him, climbing the colossal figure, pumping ammo at point black range while others stabbed him in his massive throat until he hit the ground spurting blood from several wounds.

Wanda looked to Stark.

“Tony, how much longer?”

“You called me Tony!” he shouted with a huge smile.

Wanda rolled her eyes.

“Massive amounts of data. Give me the time you can…”

Everyone was rocked off their feet by a blast. The wall in front of them with the windows that looked out on the fleet cracked.

“No time.” Wanda decided and opened another doorway. The team immediately jumped inside.

This time they arrived in an engine room and the widows shot six aliens immediately to clear the area. Stark found a port but before he could hook up to it an explosion rocked the ship.

“What happened?” Bucky asked.

“Thanos is tracking the stones’ energy. He is firing on our vessel before we have the chance to fire.” Wanda explained.

“How many are left?” Wenwu asked.

“Ten, probably ten to twenty thousand enemies on each.” Wanda said with confidence but it was more of a guess based off a feeling.

Another blast rocked the ship.

“No time to take control.” Wanda shouted and opened another door.

Despite most of them being in world class shape, all of them were breathing heavily when they reached the next ship. They walked into a battle again. This time it took Wanda and Tony fighting with the others as they were surrounded by hundreds of snarling creatures in some sort of fighting pit or training ground for the monsters. The force of the battle shook the entire massive ship. Bucky had taken a shot to the ribs that sliced his skin open from one of the creatures claws. Yelena stood over him, firing over and over again while Charlize wrapped his wound. Strange and Wenwu unleashed hell on one side while Wanda and Tony fired over and over on the other, killing them in droves yet they continued to rush the heroes.

The ship was struck by an outside blast and the animals stopped rushing. Fear spread among them as they realized they were about to be sacrificed.

Wanda opened a door and the team jumped in, this time with Strange and Wenwu helping Bucky.

They got lucky and found themselves alone. Wanda rushed to Bucky and healed him, though she couldn’t replace the massive amount of blood he had lost. He assured her he was fine and she knew it was a lie. He was too pale and cold to be fine.

“You need to go home.” Wanda she told him.

“We need to get the job done. Can you track him like he is tracking us? Fire at Thanos’s ship. Buy us time.” he told her, standing up and checking his weapons. The widows and Bucky were out of ammo and only had batons and blades to rely on.

Stark flew ahead with Strange while Wanda’s eyes lit up. She forced the gunners to fire on Thanos’s ship before he had a chance to fire on them. She then turned to the nearest ship and began firing. The ship on the other side that wasn’t being attacked began attacking them and a barrage was crumbling their vessel. Their plan to cause damage to the fleet was a success if nothing else.

Stark and Strange stepped out of a portal.

“I’m never going to have time to download everything.” Stark told her. “They are onto our plans. From what I can tell there are six ships left plus the biggest we just fire on. It has better shields.”

“I have a plan for that. There is one ship they won’t fire on.” Wanda said. “Stop with the downloads. The widows are down on ammo. We need Chitauri weapons. Romanoff gave us the rundown months ago when we first started talking about Thanos. We can use them so we need to get them.”

Tony nodded. “Let’s go shopping then.”

Another door opened and another ship entered.

Stark and Wenwu moved like lightning, severing limbs and blowing holes through bodies. The widows and Bucky scrambled, picking up Chitauri weapons and began the assault. Yelena took a shot to the head that took her off her feet.

“Yelena!” Wanda screamed.

“Focus!” Bucky shouted. “I got her!”

Bucky knelt by Yelena while Wanda took out the one who had shot her. She then began trying to take over the minds of the entire ship. The fighting in the room stopped as the Chitauri stood still then raised their own weapons to their heads and fired, killing themselves.

Wanda grabbed her head. It felt like it was splitting. She had so many emotions from others, mostly fright and confusion from thousands of aliens around her that she was becoming lost. The Mind Ston was glowing and giving her more power than she ever had but she was close to overloading and felt close to losing control.

Charlize pulled down Yelena’s helmet and placed some smelling salts under her nose. Yelena woke immediately.

“Welcome back, Red 1.” Charlize told her.

“Did we win… oh… we are still fighting. Great.”

“How many fingers am I holding up?” the medic asked.

“Twenty six. I am good. Give me stupid alien weapon. My arms are too short for these things. Give me a spear as well. Wanda! What is wrong?!”

Wanda was on her knees, grabbing her head. Despite her state, they could feel the guns of the ship rising. A blast followed by a rocking of the ship, loud explosions inside, walls shaking, floors buckling…

Wanda stood and opened a doorway and the group moved again.

“How many left?” Bucky asked, noting that Wanda’s nose was bleeding.

“Enough.” she said. She closed her eyes and then opened them once more. “Thanos is ready to fire. He isn’t waiting.”

She ripped another doorway and they arrived in a new ship. This time by a window and they saw the ship they had just been on blow up from one shot of Thanos’s massive guns.

“He is sacrificing his own fleet for a chance to kill you.” Wenwu realized. “This is very good. Do not strain yourself taking over the minds of these monsters. Let him track us and fire.”

“He knows if we die the Mind Stone and the Time Stone are his to pick up from space where they will be floating.” Wanda said, agreeing with his assessment.

This time no creatures rushed into the massive hall they were in.

“How did he get such a massive ship?” Tony asked. “Didn’t you blow up his first throne room ship?”

“Two ships.” Bucky guessed. “He had another waiting for him somewhere. That’s the planet we need…”

Wanda closed her eyes and reached out then shouted…

“Self-destruct!”

She ripped another door and the group rushed through. She closed it just before the fire could fly through after them. Around them the fleet was falling apart. Ships that appeared to be some sort of flying donuts they hadn’t seen before were blowing up as well.

“He’s destroying every ship simultaneously.” Yelena realized. “He is leaving us no safe harbor. We have to leave now. We accomplished our goal.”

Wanda shook her head.

“Not every ship.” She noted. “Not his. We still need the information. Stephen portal them to Earth. Stark and I…”

“No! We all go.” Yelena told her.

“We can’t let two stones get that close to him…”

“I am leading this operation! Follow orders, Wanda!”

Wanda growled but did as told.

They ran into Thanos’s ship and stood before his new throne.

“Not the ideal area.” Wanda mumbled.

“He isn’t here. Download Stark. Find us that planet.” Yelena ordered. “The rest of us form a defensive perimeter. He won’t come alone.”

As they waited, the team looked all around them. What had been empty peaceful space was now full of debris, frozen bodies and body parts.

“Be ready.” Wanda told them. “He… is coming alone.”

“Wenwu, Strange, protect Stark. We have this.” Yelena told them.

The group waited while Tony Stark stayed plugged in and protected by the two most powerful individuals outside of Wanda.

Wanda’s nose was bleeding and her head was killing her. Yelena felt woozy and several areas of her body were suffering from burns under the vibranium suits. She had taken more shots than she thought. The other girls were in the same situation. Bea had a broken hand but held the alien weapon on her other arm up with confidence. Charlize was favoring one leg. Sonia appeared about to double over and was leaning into Michiko who was shaking as well.

Bucky appeared strong but Yelena could see he was shaking a bit and still pale from blood loss. He looked as if he were seconds away from passing out.

Now the toughest opponent was on his way and he was no doubt fresh and armed with the Power Stone.

Thanos’s footsteps preceded his arrival. They were slow, unhurried and heavy.

Then his enormous form entered the room.

He looked towards Stark who was plugged in and Wenwu and Strange.

“So the Ten Rings are not a myth any more than the Scarlet Witch. I have underestimated Earth. The legendary Ten Rings, wielded by a human. A waste.”

He stepped closer to Wanda.

“I did not expect this tactic. It was a brilliant move. Unfortunately it backfired. It led you right where I wanted you. You have brought me two stones. Thank you.”

Wanda stepped in front of Bucky and Yelena.

“More are coming.” she told the team.

Thanos raised his hand that was covered in a gauntlet. On the gauntlet was the Power Stone over one knuckle. A burst of power lit up the room, temporarily blinding those who were looking at it. Only Wanda’s red vision remained clear as she threw up a shield protecting her husband and sisters.

Thanos aimed towards Stark but the Ten Rings hit the gauntlet, slapping it back into Thanos’s face.

Wenwu winked at him. “A true shame a human has wielded them for the last thousand years. You would think I might have become a master of them if I wasn’t such a pathetic life form.”

The room filled with beasts and the widows began firing. Strange stood in front of Stark while Wenwu went on the attack, ignoring Thanos and tearing into his beasts.

The widows split apart, taking different sides and Bucky jumped into the fray.

Thanos and Wanda stood forty meters away from each other, neither moving.

“Your human body cannot handle using the power of one Infinity Stone for very long. Does your nose often bleed? Can you see clearly through the pain in your small skull?

Wanda raised her hand and the floor rose and trapped Thanos. A bolt of metal came from the roof and wrapped around his gauntlet, trying to pull it off.

“You should remember your stories. I’m more than a vessel for Infinity stones. Chaos magic. Reality warping. You are a pretender using rocks. I’m the real thing.” she told him.

Thanos yelled and ripped his arm from the metal hold and began cracking the metal casing around his body. As soon as he was free, a blast of red energy struck him in the mouth. Wanda flew towards him and with a glowing red fist, struck him again in the head.

Monsters continued to stream in and Wanda reached for the door to the Throne Room, turning it into a solid wall. She used her other hand to block a blast of the Power Stone.

Wenwu shouted in pain and Wanda heard a bone snapping behind her from one of the girls. This was getting out of hand.

She blasted Thanos again and in the split second raised her hands and forced the creatures to attack themselves. Her head once again felt as if was splitting apart but she remained focused.

Thanos rose and sent a blast of the Power Stone towards her. Strange flew in front of her and lifted a shield. It barely held and the force threw him into Wanda and sent them both flying back.

“We need to get the stones out of here and Stark needs that data.” Wanda told him as they stood. “Take my stone and portal everyone but me and Stark home. I’ll distract him while Stark does what he does.”

“Wanda…”

“They are hurt! Open the damn portal!”

She handed him the Mind Stone amulet. “Take it!

“You need it!”

“No I don’t. Open a portal home!”

Strange hated it but saw the wisdom in her words. The animals would break down the wall soon and the team was hurt. They weren’t ready for a final showdown. In a worst case, Thanos would destroy his own ship to kill them and take the Stones.

Stephen did as ordered and multiple portals opened up behind the team members.

“Wanda no!” Yelena shouted.

“I’ll be right behind you! Go!”

No one moved so Wanda waved a hand and tossed them all into the portals. Stephen reluctantly followed in his own.

The room only had Thanos, Stark and Wanda in it.

Wanda flew in front of Stark and raised a hand, blocking Thanos’s shot. She used her other hand to fire back, grinding his march to a halt and they both strained in a stale mate.

“Stark?”

“One minute!”

Wanda threw out her hand but instead of a burst of energy, chaos magic wrapped around Thanos.

He found himself in unknown surroundings. He thought it was an Earth City and was in some sort of eating establishment.

“What is this?” he asked, taking in the surprising new surroundings.

“The Central Perk from Friends, asshole. Welcome to my new reality. The Power Stone is powerless in this one.”

Wanda unleashed hell on him, constantly bombarding him while he broke down to his knees. She blasted him from the coffee shop into the New York streets. She unleashed wave after wave of chaos magic. She used her telekinesis to throw cars into him and drop buildings on top of him.

Despite not having the power stone at its full potential in this reality, he was incredibly strong. Thanos continued to push back. He rushed her and for the first time she was unable to get out of his way. When his shoulder hit her torso and lifted her into the air. Her breath was knocked from her, her concentration gone and the hex disappeared. They were back in the throne room. Wanda was floating in the air and continued the assault, forcing Thanos to guard himself from above.

“Done!” Tony shouted and turned, sending a repulsor blast into Thanos. Wanda swooped in and with chaos magic swirling around her fist struck Thanos underneath the jaw, sending him flying back into the throne, shattering it.

The solid wall crumbled and Thanos’s beasts rushed in. She opened a doorway behind Tony and telekinetically pushed him inside to safety. Taking a last look at Thanos on the ground, her eyes glowed and she growled, unleashing a wave of Chaos magic throughout the ship to cause as much damage as possible. As the structure crumbled around them and the bests stumbled in their rush towards her, Wanda threw herself into the doorway and landed face first on soft grass. She turned and closed the door then remained on her back, taking deep breaths and looking at the dimming sky as the sun dropped and gave way to night.

She heard a groan.

Wanda rolled over and saw her team mostly in pain. Wenwu was being treated by Agatha. She was using magic to heal a large stab wound that went through his upper leg.

Bucky held her tightly and Yelena grabbed her from the other side.

“You dumb bitch!” Yelena shouted. “What were you thinking?!” Yelena shouted.

“Had to get the stones away and you were all done. You couldn’t help anymore. We needed that data. How is everyone?”

“Doll, Wanda…”

“You almost died.” Wanda reminded him. “You were low on blood. The team was beat. One of us had to come back and take care of the girls and one of us needed to stall Thanos. I made a battlefield decision that I was in better shape to handle Thanos. We can argue later. For now, just hold me okay?”

Bucky did as told, knowing she had made the right call as much as it terrified him to be thrown through a portal without her.

“How is everyone?” Wanda asked.

“Broken bones and some burns. Some nose bleeds. Bucky needs a blood transfusion but he refuses. Ironically Dr. Strange is going to need medical attention. Probably a big concussion and a few broken ribs. I’d say we came out good. You look like hell.” Yelena told her. “Maybe wipe blood off your face and change back into mom clothes before you see your girls.”

“Where are they?”

“Antonia took them inside. She wasn’t sure they should see us when we first came back.”

Wanda was relieved. The last thing she needed were for the twins to see them covered in blood and wounded. Bucky had obvious scars from where he had been ripped open. The bruising and swelling on Yelena’s face was becoming more obvious and Wanda knew she must have made a gruesome sight herself.

She took in her surroundings. The widows that had been with them when they left were still there with the exception of Antonia and the girls.

They were all silent. The older widows were smirking, knowing what was going through the minds of the newer widows. They had just seen their leaders undertake a dangerous mission in space and accomplish their goals despite being injured. They had never really understood. They had never seen leaders place their own lives in danger. They had heard the stories. They had heard about Wanda taking a bullet in the Red Room. They knew about Yelena stepping on a landmine for Maria and taking the full brunt of the blast.

Hearing stories were one thing. They had the proof in front of them now. This was why the older widows had pledged themselves to Yelena Belova and Wanda Maximoff. It was why they swore to follow and fight beside them always. They didn’t just talk. They led from the front.

“Ugh. That brought back bad memories. I’m hungry for shawarma now. Seriously does anyone in this very tiny country know where I can find some shawarma?” Tony asked, stepping out of his suit.

Wanda walked to him.

“I’m not great at alien code but I am pretty certain I got the location of the planet he hangs his hat on. Do I get a hug now?” he asked her.

He wasn’t sure what to do when she actually hugged him. He slowly wrapped his arms round her shoulders but was afraid to move more than that and ruin the moment.

“You did good Tony.” Wanda told him. “I’ve got other people to hug and I need to see my girls. Take a shower. You stink.”

Yelena knelt on one knee and touched her forehead. She was still feeling a bit dizzy and knew she would be staying awake and under observation despite how exhausted she was. The widows were beginning to approach her and congratulate them all on a successful mission.

Then the group quickly parted and Lucky was licking her face.

“Stop, you mutt. My face hurts. Even your tongue is making it sore… Lucky?”

Yelena shook her head hoping she wasn’t suffering from hallucinations but he was still there.

“Hey, Yelena.” Wong greeted her.

She looked up at the grinning man.

“Kate called me. She said she got a strange call from you, and that you were acting weird. I told her you were probably nervous since you and Wanda and a few others were invading Thanos’s space fleet and planning on destroying it and you weren’t sure if you would all make it back alive. She freaked and asked me to bring her over.”

Yelena looked away from Wong and saw Kate Bishop not far from her.

“Wong what did you do?” Yelena asked quietly, her eyes unable to leave Kate’s tearful gaze. How long had she longed to see her face.

“I saved you from making a huge mistake. You can kill me later. You are welcome.” he told her and walked away.

Yelena shakily stood up.

Kate ran towards her. Yelena was nearly tackled when Kate reached her but the brunettes arms held her up.

“You idiot! You brave, foolish, arrogant idiot!” she whispered in Yelena’s ear. Yelena didn’t pull away. She didn’t have the choice.

“Kate, you shouldn’t be here. You…”

Kate pulled back to look at her but didn’t let go.

“Shut up. You don’t get to do that anymore. You don’t get to decide what is best for me. You had your chance at making rules and it all got screwed up. It’s my turn now. It was over for me when you shot the guys who were trying to kidnap me. I can’t just walk away from you. You are a part of me now. No more lies, no more secrets and no more pushing me away for my own good. I’m taking the lead now. Do you understand?”

Yelena closed her eyes and laid her head on Kate’s shoulder.

“Yes, I understand. I love you, Kate Bishop.”

Kate gently tilted Yelena’s face up and kissed her.

“I love you too, Yelena Belova. I’m done being away from you. No more. We need to get you looked over by a doctor, then I am going home with you and you can introduce me to your little brother. We have a lot of time to make up for. It looks like you have many more people to introduce me to.”

Yelena smiled, the first genuine smile she had in months. Wanda laid back against Bucky and watched the two of them embrace. She caught Kate’s eye when they broke apart and winked at her.

“As Mika would say, baller move.” she whispered to Bucky. “Looks like Kate has some serious game.”

“Yeah, great, we are still going to talk about you throwing me back to Earth.”

Wanda stood up and waved her hand over her body, changing into her comfortable jeans and a sweatshirt and cleaning the blood from her face then cleaning the blood smears across Bucky’s torso. The twins sprinted towards them with large smiles and wrapped them in their arms.

Surrounded by loved ones, Bucky, Wanda and their kids held each other and Kate and Yelena would not let one another go, continuing to kiss as the widows looked on.

Wanda thought it was the perfect ending to a story.

Unfortunately they all knew it wasn’t the end. The end was approaching and another fierce battle would be fought, with possible lives lost.

Today she would take the win.