Bella MacLeod's Twilight Fanfiction

The Witch and the Widows

By BetterInTexas

Outtake 10:

Claudia, Tanya, Billie, Nadeja and Nela sat around the round table in the first-floor library, each with their cards in their hands, looking at each other with suspicious eyes.

Nadeja sighed.

“I fold.”

Billie agreed. “I’m out.”

“I raise.” Claudia said with conviction.

That left Nela and Tanya.

Tanya looked at the plastic chips on the table. If she called she would lose all her remaining chips. Bucky was right. Poker had made them better at math. She knew how many chips she started with, how many she had now and how many she didn’t want to lose.

“I’m out.”

Claudia stared at Nela. “You in or out, Maximoff Barnes?”

Nela held her breath. All eyes were on her and she hated being the center of attention.

“I don’t know.” She admitted bashfully.

“My hand isn’t even that good. I can’t believe the others quit.” Claudia mumbled.

Nela grinned and pushed all her chips to the middle of the table. “I am all in.”

Nela showed her hand, a pair of twos.

Claudia showed hers, a full house.

Claudia moved to grab the pile of chips.

“Wait! You said you didn’t have a good hand! A full home is a good hand!” Nela argued.

“Full house.” Claudia clarified. “It’s called bluffing.”

“It’s called lying! Friends don’t lie to each other! Its mean!” Nela argued.

“It’s poker! Your papa said bluffing was a part of the game!”

“That doesn’t mean you can just lie!”

“That is exactly what it means! I asked Sasha and she said bluffing is lying. I made you think I had something I didn’t have, and you fell for it! I played the game!” Claudia exclaimed.

“Maybe we should just start over.” Billie said nervously. She knew what would happen next and hated to see it. Her friends’ behaviors weren’t hard to predict.

It was too late though. She could see it in Nela’s eyes. Her big, brown, watery, red rimmed eyes…

Nela began to cry.

Nadeja glared at Claudia who was suddenly very nervous. Nadeja had a glare that could set them all on edge.

“Happy?” Nadeja asked and stood up. Nela stood and threw her arms around her twin.

“She bluffed me over!”

“What?” Nadeja asked.

“That’s what Sasha said when someone fooled her. I thought she said something else, but she must have said bluff. She bluffed me over!” Nela complained.

Nadeja forced herself to remain calm. “It’s okay. She can go bluff herself. Don’t cry. You can have some of my chips.”

Tanya cleared her throat and bravely spoke. “That’s not really how the game is played. When you are out of chips a person loses.”

“We are twins. There is no one person. There are persons. We are one. Nela can have my chips.”

“That’s not fair.” Claudia argued. “How will we ever have a winner? She didn’t complain when you won last time, Nadeja.”

“We won.” Nadeja clarified. “Don’t be jealous because you don’t have a twin. They are our chips. If I want to give her chips then I will. I will have less chips so it will still be fair.”

Claudia crossed her arms. “No, it isn’t fair. You are changing the rules as we play. These are the rules your papa taught us! Plus, your mama is always saying you are individuals! Isn’t that what you complain about, Nadeja?”

Nela looked up. “You are my friend! Friends don’t lie to each other!”

“Look, take your chips back. I don’t want them!” Claudia told her, not wanting to see her upset any longer and wanting that murderous look off Nadeja’s face.

“Great idea!” Billie said quickly, wanting to deescalate the situation. It rarely happened but she hated conflict among her friends. It also seemed that despite being ten, she was often the adult of the group but would never say it aloud.

Bucky chose that time to walk into the library to check on the girls.

“Hey, what’s going on?”

Nela ran to Bucky and pointed to Claudia.

“Claudia bluffed me over!”

“Claudia did… what… Sasha. Okay, calm down, angel. Tell me why you are upset.”

“Claudia said she didn’t have a good hand, so I put all my chips because I was supposed to win if she had a bad hand, but she didn’t! She had a full home! She lied and friends don’t’ lie and it made me cry and now I feel bad, and I don’t have any chips left! I have to watch everyone else play!”

Bucky looked back towards the hall. Luckily, Wanda was still in bed, eating a gallon of ice cream with Yelena. If she heard about the girls getting upset over poker he would never hear the end of it. She would feel them becoming upset if he didn’t deescalate the situation.

Wanda wasn’t thrilled he had taught then to play poker. Knowing it made Nela cry would have him in big trouble with his hormonally challenged wife.

“Nela, calm down. It’s going to be okay.” He told her in his best soothing tone he reserved for the kids.

Calming Nela down was not easy to do when she became upset. Her, Nadeja and the other two had the emotional maturity of children much younger. Ironically, Billie was more emotionally mature at ten years old than any of the four older girls, but she was also just as traumatized and did not react well to any perceived conflict. Even now Billie looked like she wanted to be far away.

“Look, what she did… remember we talked about bluffing?” Bucky asked her softly.

“Lying.” Nela grumbled. “Lying is bad. Mama said we should never lie unless she wants us to keep something from you.”

“I know it’s bad… your mama said what? Never mind. We can talk about that later.

“Look girls, let’s try something else. There was obviously some confusion about the game and maybe how I explained it. Bluffing isn’t a lie as much as a misdirection. You don’t talk to the other players about your hand. You learn to school your face… make your face… Nadeja show them the look you use when you are looking for possible weapons around a room but pretending you aren’t.”

Nadeja’s face turned blank, no emotion to be found.

“Yes! That is called a poker face. You can’t tell if she is bored or thinking of ways to unleash hell. That is what you want to work on. When you are playing you shouldn’t say anything to your opponent. Your face should be blank. When you bluff, that means you don’t have a good hand, but your opponents can’t tell because you look like Nadeja looks now. Poker face.”

“Like the song?” Tanya asked. “Is dancing allowed?! I love to dance!”

“I want to dance too! Can we dance when we have a bad hand to hide the fact that we don’t have a good hand?” Nela asked, her eyes drying up. “That is so much better than lying!”

Bucky paused, thinking they may be too young to get the complexity of bluffing.

“Okay, let’s start over. Deal me in.”

Bucky pulled up a chair and sat Nela down on his lap. “Alright you little devils. Tonight, we are going to learn about schooling our faces, perfecting our stares, and not letting your opponents know what you are thinking.”

An hour later only Billie and Bucky remained in the game, the chips split evenly between them.

Bucky raised, Billie raised, Billie went all in, and Bucky called.

“You did good, little Roo. You do have certain tells though but hardly noticeable. For instance, your eye twitches just a bit before you put a bad hand down. I can tell if you are going to call. You also tap your little finger on the card under it if you are going to try and win with a bad hand. Very good though.”

Bucky showed her his hand of four kings.

“Wow. I am so glad you picked up on me tells!” Billie said gleefully.

“What?”

“The tapping thing and the eye twitch. I hoped you would pick up so I could set you up later. You walked right into it. By the way when you have a good hand your vibranium forefinger rubs your vibranium thumb.”

Billie laid out a straight flush.

“Uh…”

“I win huh?” Billie asked.

Billie looked around the table. The girls seemed to be enjoying this. Even Nela was giggling on his lap.

“Yes, you did. Good job, Billie. You got me. Looks like Shuri’s arm is more reactive to my thoughts than I gave her credit for.”

“We are going to see Mama and I need to take Storm for a walk.” Nadeja said, standing up from the table.

“Meet us at the pool, Nela and Nadeja?” Tanya asked.

“Yes if Mama is all right. I must check on her. If she hasn’t eaten so much ice cream that she cannot move I will talk her into swimming with us.” Nadeja told her.

The room emptied quickly, leaving Bucky and Billie alone. Billie looked at the mess of cards and chips left behind and sighed then began to clean up.

“I will get it Billie. Why don’t you see if Megs will take you to the pool. I know she loves teaching you to swim.”

“Thanks, Bucky. Appreciate it!”

Meg took one last look at the table.

“You’ve always known how to play, haven’t you? You let them win.” the man asked.

Billie shyly nodded.

“Dad… Megs said I can call him dead bastard… the dead bastard would make me go into these gambling houses with him. I’d watch the players and pick up on tells. I got pretty good at it. I had to be. When he lost he wasn’t happy. That meant I got whacked around. I know a lot about gambling and everything else that is illegal. I got pretty good at counting cards in Blackjack and using my own twitches to tell him when to hit or stay.”

Bucky wanted to crush something but kept it together. It was a feeling he often got when he heard about the actions these girls were forced to do and the abuse they suffered. Billie hadn’t been mind controlled but her life had been a physical, mental, and emotional hell.

“Billie, if you don’t like playing you don’t have to.”

“I want to! I like playing with my friends. I’ve never had friends and it is fun seeing them get better. I don’t mind letting them win. They need to win sometimes. I don’t. I’ve already won just being here with my Megs.”

Bucky smiled, wondering how she could maintain such a positive attitude. She was ten and life had given her ten years of pain, five years without the one person she loved the most and the only one who loved her.

“Maybe it’s time to learn a new game, one you don’t know how to play. One we can all learn.”

“Like what?”

Bucky thought for a moment. “Have you ever played Monopoly?”

Billie’s eyes widened. “No but I heard about it!”

Bucky grinned. “Great. It will help you all with handling money and Wanda can get off my back about encouraging the girls to gamble.”

“Aye, I’ve heard she can become stroppy at times since you banged her up. I know she hates it when the girls cry. You should probably get up there and face the music, right?”

Bucky shook his head, amused at the girl. She defintely worked that accent to her advantage. She was usually so quiet and shy except around Yelena for whom she had a severe case of hero worship. Despite that it seemed she only showed her true personality to Megs and him when they were out of listening distance of others.

“She is a redhead. I didn’t have to bang her up for her to get a bit stroppy. It’s part of why I love her so much.” he said in turn giving her his best and yet horrible Australian accent.

Bucky watched her go and began cleaning up the cards and chips. After a bit he decided to face the music.

Yelena was walking out of their room when he was about to enter.

“The twins have fun at poker, yes? Nela is telling Wanda all about it. I wish I could stay and listen more, but I must see to my Kate. She is wearing new bikini for pool later. I told Wanda to come swim because I saw on Discovery channel it is bad for whales to be beached. She is in great mood for you now.”

Bucky watched her go, giggling to herself.

“Thanks Yelena!”

He opened the door and saw Nadeja and Nela on the bed telling Wanda all about their poker game.

“What does Nela mean? She got bluffed over. Did she hear that from you?”

“No!”

“I heard it from Sasha, Mama.” Nela explained but Nadeja expressed doubt.

“I am certain Sasha said she got fuc…”

“Okay! Girls weren’t you going to the pool?” Bucky asked.

He had a seat by the window as the girls ran off to change.

“That Sasha, huh? You should have a talk with her about cursing around the children. You should do that, right?” Bucky asked.

Wanda stared at him, not amused by his distraction tactic.

“You said poker would be fun and no one would get hurt. It wasn’t that competitive. The girls would just learn cards and counting chips. You taught them how to bluff? Are you going to hand out cigars and whiskey at the next game?”

“You aren’t going to be happy with anything I say, are you? What if I told you we were done with poker and are going to start with Monopoly next week?”

Wanda grinned at her husband. “Slightly better but they do not need to become competitive with each other. They have bonded, they need each other, and I don’t want that threatened.

“We are going to need our own cabin soon.” Wanda continued. “Dima and Anya need one as well. Erik is growing and they realize they will have to move soon. They want one large enough for Yelena to have her own room and Anya is thinking of having more children.”

Bucky wasn’t certain he liked the idea of building cabins, at least for now.

“I thought you were going to lay off the magic until the baby is born. Pulling those housing extensions together in the past wasn’t easy and you haven’t channeled a lot of magic since the battle.”

He didn’t need to say which battle he was referring to.

“I agree. That is why you and Dima and some of the other girls who volunteered need to begin work. Dima said cabins are easier since they don’t have to be tied into the existing mansion.”

“Okay we can build the old fashion way. We will need more water and power though.”

“Sable can get us larger water pumps and heaters and as for power…”

Bucky grimaced, not quite on board with the idea.

“I don’t know.”

“The Red Room batteries aren’t going to last much longer. He offered. We would be foolish not to take it.”

She was talking about the arc reactors Tony had offered the Widows. They had stopped Thanos from killing half the universe, but the purple asshole still managed to pull off an impossible feat.

He had made Tony Stark and Wanda Maximoff good friends, not just temporary allies.

While he did trust Stark to an extent, Bucky considered him an outsider. It was the best option though. Sable didn’t have the clean sustainable energy that Stark’s reactors had. She relied on generators providing electricity.

“I suppose.”

The girls ran out of their room dressed in swimsuits with Storm behind them and called for their Mama to hurry.

Wanda locked the door behind them and stood. She walked less than gracefully to the closet and began undressing.

Bucky couldn’t take his eyes off her. Wanda often told him she felt unattractive, and he told her constantly that was a lie and meant every word. She was seven months pregnant and looked more beautiful than he had ever seen her which was saying a lot. From the first moment he saw her at the airport he knew he would never see anyone as beautiful as her.

“Do I look so horrible that you can’t look away?” she asked as she pulled on a swimsuit.

He stood, held her from behind and wrapped his arms around her swollen belly.

“I’ve never been as turned on in my life. You can always feel my emotions. You are the one person I can never hide from. You know I’m not lying.”

Wanda leaned her head back on his shoulder and relaxed, basking in the glow of his love. It was a beautiful moment.

Until Bucky’s phone rang. He held onto her tighter ignoring the obnoxious device. He knew the ring tones for the Widows phones and only two people not living in this compound had his number, Stephen Strange and Steve Rogers. Stephen Stranges ringtone was the theme music to the Twilight Zone and Roger’s was the Star-Spangled Banner.

The Star-Spangled Banner was now playing.

“Answer him.” Wanda said.

“The kids are at the pool. We have the room to ourselves for at least an hour before they come looking for you.” Bucky suggested.

Wanda shook her head. “Bucky, I had the same thought… until I heard that damn song. No Sokovian would ever be in the mood after hearing that damn song. Answer him and then change the ringtone please. If you must use an anthem, play Sokovia’s. Do not forget what country you are a citizen of.”

Wanda put a robe over her bathing suit clad body and then walked off, leaving Bucky somewhat frustrated.

His phone rang again.

“What?!” he answered.

“Hey Buck… Wanda giving you a hard time? I thought her moods had kind of leveled out. Is she still angry about teaching the kids poker or Nadeja getting hit with a baseball at her last game.”

“No, we were actually alone just now and having a very calm, happy discussion before you decided to call and ruin the moment! What do you want, Steve?”

Steve cleared his throat. “Well, it is going to be nice weather tomorrow and Clint and I were talking about grilling at his place. Maybe we could make a day out of it. You still haven’t been to our house and Stannic wants to show Wanda her horse. I thought the girls might like to see the chickens and…”

“You called me to ask if my girls wanted to see chickens? I just missed out on alone time with Wanda because you want to know if my kids want to see farmer Steve’s chickens. They’ve seen chickens, Steve! They prefer them cut up into nuggets and deep fried!”

“C’mon man. It’s been a while since we got to hang out. You and Clint don’t know each other well. Sam is flying in. Nat is asking Yelena and Kate to come. It would be nice if you and Wanda could join in the fun. Stannic would love to see…”

“Don’t use Stannic against Wanda.” Bucky warned him. “Stannic can come over anytime. Wanda hasn’t been in the mood to travel anywhere, and she isn’t astral projecting while she is pregnant. Besides, my team is on call tomorrow. Ross and Carter are closing in on a pipeline in Sudan. If its legit we are meeting with T’Challa and his squad and raiding it.”

“Your team?” Steve asked with evident confusion.

“Yeah, my team. With Zarola spending most of her time lately in Wakanda, Ava in Symkaria and Michiko hanging with her grandmother in Japan, the teams needed new leaders. All three teams wanted me. Sasha put up a poll and the entire house voted unanimously to let me lead a team. Some names were drawn randomly from the three teams and now I got a team of the best Red Widows in the house, ready to go. White Wolf Squad. Zarola choose it. Its what I am referred to as in Wakanda.”

Steve sighed. “I had to practically beg to go on missions with them. The house nearly tore apart because Yelena started putting Nat in charge of teams… You were asked. They all voted for you to be a team leader. All of them. Unbelievable.”

“We aren’t in the same boat Steve.” Bucky said, understanding his frustration. “I know what it is like to have been mind controlled, I was never an Avenger and I waited until I was asked. I never tried to push my way in. What does it matter? Anyway, maybe another time. Maybe after Wanda has the baby… why now? I told you she isn’t a fan of moving lately. Her back is aching, her feet swell all the time and apparently the baby pushes on her bladder quite a bit meaning she is constantly needing to pee. You know this isn’t a good time so why now?”

“I was about to get to that. Fury wanted to meet Wanda. We invited him… or Clint’s wife did. Fury arrived last night. He is staying with Clint tonight and mentioned he would like to meet Wanda. They have only seen each other once and it was a very bad day. I don’t think they talked.”

Bucky paused, a million thoughts going through his head.

“Did you tell him she is pregnant?”

“No!” Steve assured him. “But Nat might have let it slip. You can’t keep this secret from the world forever, can you? Wanda is a public figure! Fury isn’t the director of SHIELD any longer.”

Steve was quiet for a moment.

“I don’t think he is the director of SHIELD any longer. He might be. Would it kill you to ask her? Maybe, just maybe we could all be friends? Even Wanda and Nat have been getting along, right?”

“Of course they get along. They don’t live in the same country and only speak to each other when absolutely necessary.”

Steve sighed. “C’mon Buck. I have a wife, you have a wife, I have a daughter, you have two daughters and a third along the way. We need the people most important to us to get along.”

“Fury is included in that group?”

“No… but the man has been through a lot with us. Being friends with him isn’t a bad thing.”

Bucky wasn’t so certain of that or even knew if they could be friends. “You know Wanda is going to read his mind and if she finds out that he knows the location of the compound she will kill him and whoever told him then she will wipe the knowledge from everyone else’s mind.”

“He doesn’t know! You know we would never tell anyone that information, Bucky.”

Bucky sighed. “I’ll ask Wanda. Gabby’s team could switch days with me. I wouldn’t hold my breath though. The last time Wanda was in the same place as you, Clint, Fury, and Nat was on a Helicarrier with her brother’s body. It probably won’t bring back warm fuzzy feelings. She has always had mixed feelings about Clint. She likes him but she also wishes he were dead, and Pietro was alive. It makes her feel weird to talk about. Don’t expect her to be… nice to anyone. She will likely be extra…”

“Extra Wanda?”

“Don’t put words in my mouth.” Bucky told him quickly with a bit of anger. “Extra edgy.” He clarified.

“No problem. Thanks for agreeing. It’s going to be a great time. See you tomorrow. Bye!”

“I didn’t agree to anything!” Bucky shouted but Steve had already ended the call.

“Damn it.” Bucky whispered.

He put on a pair of shorts and made his way to the pool. He wasn’t a fan of swimming and never had been, even as a kid. His enjoyment of swimming didn’t matter. He was there for other reasons.

Mainly standing in the middle of the pool, lifting the girls up and tossing them into the deep end so they could swim back, and he could do it again.

After the youngest had enough, he swam over to Wanda who was floating next to Yelena, Kate, and Sonia.

Wanda wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him.

“Have I ever told you how hot it is when you do dad stuff?”

“Why do you think I put up with the abuse? History’s most advanced, indestructible, prosthetic arm used as a pool toy. Shuri should be proud.”

Bucky caught Yelena’s face out of the corner of his eye and saw the impish grin on her face. He closed his eyes, waiting for the blow back.

“Wanda, I forgot to mention, Nat invited Kate and I to Clint’s tomorrow. Mama and Papa are coming with us. They are having big cook out. There will be chickens and horses and maybe cows and Avengers and Nick Fury.”

Wanda winced. “You are going? You are going to a place where Nick Fury and other Avengers are hanging out voluntarily? You are taking Kate so Nick Fury can connect the two of you? Nick Fury, the genius director who couldn’t figure out his organization was a front for Hydra. You want to go?”

Yelena nodded. “Very much so. I am sure Coulson has told his daddy all about me and my Kate. It should be fun time for all!”

Wanda shrugged, admitting Coulson probably had opened his mouth to Fury about everything despite promising to keep everything quiet. She had often expected Fury to arrive with Coulson and his SHIELD buddies, but the man never did. “Have fun.”

“Oh… Nat said Steve was going to ask Bucky and you to attend. Bucky did Steve not ask you?”

Bucky wondered how upset Wanda would be if he strangled Yelena. Not to death… just a little.

“He called before I came to the pool. He interrupted a discussion Wanda and I were having. He mentioned it.”

Wanda was surprised. “I hope you told him no.”

Bucky shook his head. “No, I didn’t. I said I would ask you. It was a decision we should discuss together and then do what you wanted.”

Wanda laughed. “That is not my crowd. If you want to go play with Steve be my guest. You two can play frisbee with his shield. I’ll open the door and you can call me when you are ready to return.”

“I’m good.” He told her.

“Wanda, please!” Yelena asked. “You could use some fresh air. You need a change of scenery.”

Wanda looked at her as if she had lost her mind.

“We live in the French Countryside in a remote valley, surrounded by hills with wildflowers, beautiful forests, and breathtaking mountains. Why would I need a change of scenery?”

“It won’t be as fun without you. I think Steve has live chickens.” Yelena pointed out.

“And if I decide I want to learn voodoo then I will pay him a visit but so far chaos magic has served me well.”

“Bah. You are no fun. Fine, we will not go either. I will tell Mama and Papa no. They were very excited…”

Wanda raised her hands. “Wait, why can’t you and Kate and your parents go? Why do I need to be there?”

Yelena shrugged. “I don’t want to leave you alone while you are pregnant.”

“I’m not due for another eight weeks.” Wanda reminded her. “Oksana is here, Stephen is a phone call away, I am surrounded by over a hundred Red Widows and my husband, the deadliest man alive. I think I will be safe.”

Yelena shrugged. “Not the same.”

“The twins don’t like being left behind.” Wanda pointed out.

“So, bring them! Barton knows you have adopted twins. They have your name legally along with identities as Sokovian citizens. Adoption papers are public record. Sokovians know about them and that means others do as well. I know you are closing borders and embassies and driving embassies out of Sokovia, but people talk.”

Wanda became irritated quickly. “I am… those are not my decisions. Sokovia is instating tougher border control policies. We are not closing our borders. As far as embassies and what countries we have diplomatic relations with, that is not my decision. I have nothing to do with it.”

Yelena snorted. “You and Zenger talk all hours and it isn’t sweet nothings or Bucky would be angry. He dictates policy that you agree with to the President because he does not want to go against your wishes. I don’t care what you do with Sokovia. I am only saying that like my Kate, you cannot keep the daughters of the most popular superhero in the world a secret forever. They have said they wanted to see Stannic’s horse. Bring them. You promised Stannic we would visit one day.”

“I didn’t mean when Nicky Fury was there!” Wanda snapped.

Yelena’s face fell and she shrugged. Kate kissed her on the cheek.

“She is right.” Kate said. “I will take my Yelena to the party. Wanda needs to stay here. If she doesn’t want to go she will just be miserable and make everyone else miserable.”

“Go bluff yourself, Kate.” Wanda told her.

The redhead was quiet for a few minutes, in deep thought. She let herself be held in Bucky’s arms and enjoyed the slight waves caressing her caused by the movement of so many widows and children in the pool.

“Fine. I will go.” She spoke.

The three looked at her.

“Go where?” Bucky asked carefully.

Wanda rolled her eyes. “To the Avengers party. We will take the girls. Nick Fury caused a problem last week in Sokovia and I would like to speak to him about it. It is time for us to be introduced.”

Bucky winced. “What kind of problem did he cause? Is this about the spies your spell caught?”

Wanda had placed a spell over the Presidential residence, the Security Department building and the Executive Building. Anyone entering those places due to deception immediately glowed a bright green and were arrested. One new housekeeper at the Presidential residence and a new archivist at the Executive building were arrested their first day of work. An in-depth background check showed their well-made identities were false. A few days later they admitted they were given a potion Wanda made in their water and admitted to being agents of SHIELD.

“Yes.”

“You are going to ruin party.” Yelena realized. “Kate is right. You stay here.”

Wanda wouldn’t hear of it. “Too late. I was invited. I won’t ruin anything. I just plan to get to know Nick better.”

The next day just before noon, the group seemed to have walked out of thin air with only a brief flash of red to alert the residents at Clint Barton’s farm. Everyone was sitting around a grill while Clint flipped meat. His wife and three kids were there as well as Stannic, Steve and Nat.

As promised, Sam Wilson was there. Wanda never got to actually meet him beside the time she invited him to join the coalition.

There were others there that she had not expected.

Scott Lang and Hope Van Dyne were present. So were Coulson, May, and Daisy.

Short blonde hair caught her eye and at first she thought Nat may have taken steroids and cut and dyed her hair but when he turned the beard told her it was undoubtedly Thor.

Tony wasn’t here. At least he wasn’t part of this ambush.

Next to the grill, looking directly at her with a huge smile was the eye patch himself, Nick Fury. He was smiling widely like a kid on Christmas morning who had gotten everything on his list and more.

The group stopped. Even Yelena was surprised at the extra additions and Wanda could feel her tense. She didn’t have to see Bucky moving the twins behind him to know he was. Kate had gotten over her hero worship of Clint or any Avengers long ago and was more tense than Yelena.

“This is a set up.” Wanda whispered.

“Nat wouldn’t do that to us.” Yelena told her.

Wanda glanced at her.

“She wouldn’t do that to me.” Yelena clarified.

Kate stepped behind Bucky and lifted his shirt, taking one of the guns he had holstered there. The twins noted the shift in atmosphere and didn’t resist when Kate placed her free hand on Nadeja’s shoulder and gently guided her and by extension Nela behind her, farther away from danger if a fight should break out.

“Relax, Kate.” Yelena told her.

“Wanda is right. It’s a damn set up. Open the door, Wanda.” Kate said.

Wanda was about to do so when Thor stood.

“Friends!” he shouted.

Kate, Bucky, and Yelena aimed guns at him while red globes of energy lit up in Wanda’s hands.

“Whoa!” Steve shouted, standing in front of Thor. “No need for guns or any fatal blasts of cosmic energy! We just had more guests than I expected. Thor arrived this morning and Scott and Hope had a change of plans and were able to make it. Phil gave them a ride on a quinjet… sorry, I should have called and warned you.”

Nat walked out with Laura, both holding empty pans for burgers and bags of chips. They froze when they saw the new arrivals.

Nat looked towards her kid and Laura’s kids. Stannic looked slightly alarmed but Nathan, Lila and Cooper were frozen in their seats with their mouths and eyes wide open. Nick Fury was no longer smiling.

She had told Steve to call Bucky and update him on the additional guests, but he was afraid Wanda might refuse to come.

“I mean no harm. I simply meant to welcome you all. I understand I have you to thank for avenging my brother’s death.” Thor told her.

Kate hissed and walked forward quickly before Yelena could stop her, so the blonde followed her instead. To Yelena’s horror over Kate’s safety, Kate stepped around Steve and put her gun to Thor’s head.

“This gun is loaded with an enchanted bullet, strong enough to pierce vibranium. Do you think it can kill a god?” she asked. “We did what we did to save the universe, not to avenge your murdering, piece of shit brother. That asshole killed my father. He killed many people. Killing him was the only good thing Thanos ever did. Say thank you again for avenging him and I will cave your skull in.”

Thor sighed, nodded, and backed away. “I apologize.”

“Why don’t we all calm down? I made a bad decision not calling ahead, but there is no need for violence. Just a friendly get together I promise.” Steve said, putting a hand on Kate’s shoulder.

“Take your hand off of her, Rogers.” Yelena told him warningly and Steve obeyed, acting as if Kate had burned him.

Laura put down the pan and chips she was holding and walked to Wanda.

“Hi. I’ve waited a long time to meet you.” She said, putting her hand out to Wanda despite the witch’s glowing fists. “I am sorry about the welcome, but I am glad you came. Nate has been hearing stories about Wanda and Pietro for his entire life. I know he is excited to meet you. All the kids are. Stannic has told us so much about you. If you want to leave I understand. Maybe you could come back when it isn’t so crowded if that would make you feel more comfortable.”

Wanda looked at her and sensed her sincerity. She had no hostile intentions.

The energy in her hands went away and she shook Laura’s hand.

“It is… nice to meet you, Laura Barton. Kate, perhaps now is not the best time to shoot the god of rain.”

Kate stepped away from Steve and moved back to Bucky’s side. Instead of handing his gun back to him, she holstered it in the back of her jeans and let her shirt tail hide it from view.

“I’ll get more chairs!” Nat said and rushed off. Stannic joined her, hoping the situation may calm itself before she returned.

The group slowly approached the others who were already sitting. Wanda looked at the lawn chair doubtfully. Bucky must have read her mind because he gently helped her lower herself to the seat.

“Stannic and I rode our horses over.” Nat said in the silence. “Girls would you like to see them?” she asked, addressing the twins.

“No.” Wanda said as the twins said yes. They looked at her with mild disappointment Wanda hated to see. “Horses are very large. They can easily kick you and you would be harmed very badly. Let me sit for moment then I will accompany you. That way I can place shield around you in case horse reacts badly.”

“You keep them wrapped in pillows when they run around also?” Scott Lang asked. “They are kids. They won’t get kicked by a horse.”

No one breathed and Scott seemed to realize he maybe shouldn’t have spoken.

Stannic cleared her throat, seeing Wanda’s head beginning to tilt and her eyes glowing a soft red.

“I will watch them, Wanda. I promise my girls don’t kick.” Stannic said quickly, saving Scott’s sanity.

Wanda’s attention was taken away from Scott by Stannic’s words. She smiled. “Of course, Stannic. I am just worried. Nadeja was hit in the head by a baseball a few days ago because my husband thought it would be a good idea for her to learn baseball.”

“I had a helmet on, Mama.” Nadeja argued. “I was fine.”

Wanda winked at her. “Then why did you try to attack the pitcher?”

“She hit me with a baseball.” Nadeja said as if it should be obvious. It seemed fair.

“Please Mama?” Nela asked.

Wanda sighed. “Okay.”

The girls cheered and ran off with Stannic.

Wanda looked over at Bucky and raised an eyebrow.

“Oh right.” He mumbled. “I’m going to go watch them enjoy the horses. Steve, follow me. We should catch up.”

“Uh… yeah… let me help take some burgers to the oven inside…”

“Now Steve!”

Steve chuckled, shrugged his shoulders and walked off behind Bucky.

“How have you been feeling, Wanda?” Laura asked, taking the seat next to her that Bucky had just vacated.

“My feet and ankles stay swollen, I feel like I can’t walk in a straight line, my back constantly aches, and I toss and turn all night. Despite that I am…”

“Excited?” Laura guessed.

Wanda nodded. “Yes, excited.”

“That is great. Have you decorated the baby’s room?”

Wanda shook her head. “She will stay in our room for a while before we move her to her own. Decorating is easy. I just tell Bucky what I want done and poof, it is done. No magic needed.”

Yelena appreciated Laura’s efforts at making Wanda feel welcome. She had never met the woman in person, but Nat held her in high regard, and it was easy to see why.

“Kate, the world keeps wanting to know who the female archer was with the Red Widows. It won’t die down.” Clint pointed out. “Are you ready to take the Hawkeye mantle?”

Kate shook her head. “I’m Kate Bishop. That’s good enough for me. I don’t care what the world wants to know.”

Clint was taken back by her tone. It didn’t seem that long ago that he was flying with a fresh-faced excited teenager from France who asked nonstop questions and wanted nothing more than to be an Avenger.

Of course she had gone through much since then. She had been nearly beaten to death by a psychopath, found out horrible truths about her parents and secrets her girlfriend kept from her, had her heart broken, lost her spirit and then took back control of her life despite the odds. She may have gone into the battle of Thanos still an idealist, but she came out of the battle a realist. It saddened him but he was also kind of proud. She grew up to soon, like all the girls had. Stannic was regaining parts of that childhood she should have had but Kate was shedding what was left of her childhood. He knew she was going on missions with the Red Widows. She would graduate high school next month and planned to take a year off to train and keep taking missions with Yelena.

“I must congratulate your organization.” Nick Fury said, speaking for the first time and looking directly at Wanda. “Taking down the Samson group was no easy feat. Chasing them across the globe and systematically killing the heads was impressive.”

“It is what we do.” Wanda told him in a bored tone.

“Everett Ross and Sharon Carter are also very good at what they do.” Yelena said. “Sharon Carter told us you attempted to recruit her to SHIELD. Are you director or not?”

Fury paused a moment and his surprise shown just long enough for Yelena to catch it.

“She told you that?”

“It is truth, no? So, are you director?”

Fury grinned to hide his unease. “I have an ambiguous role. I suppose I could be described as an advisor to SHIELD. Phil is the Director.”

“Congratulations, Phil.” Yelena told him. “Do not try and recruit one of our own again. If they work for us you cannot afford them.”

Phil nodded. “Sharon’s exact words were you cannot afford me. I do hope we can be friends one day instead of allies thrown together for a common cause. I like to think what we went through bonded us in a way. If Wanda Maximoff and Tony Stark can become good friends, anything is possible.”

Wanda stood up and Yelena stood up as well. “Nick let’s talk. Perhaps we can discover if we can be friends.” Wanda told him.

“I would like to speak to you as well.” Phil said.

Yelena laughed. “We want to speak to the man in charge, Director Coulson. You stay here. We need to get business out of the way then we can relax and enjoy the party.”

The trio walked towards the back of the barn, in sight of the others but far enough away most of them wouldn’t be able to hear. Neither girl had any idea how good Thor’s hearing was.

“You have beautiful daughters, Wanda.”

“Yes, they are.” Wanda agreed. “Something tells me you are using this as an excuse to recruit a new Avengers team. Tony told you no, so you need Steve. Stannic moved here because she wanted a new, normal life with Steve and Natasha. If I find out they are going on any Avengers missions I will kill you. I will deal with them later, but I will kill you first. Stannic is very dear to us. Her happiness comes first.”

Nick smiled. “I open with a compliment, and you open with a death threat. I thought you were working with Sokovian government officials. Of course, considering Sokovia is cutting itself off from many countries, I suppose diplomacy is not important right now.”

“Sokovia owes this world nothing. Why should we allow embassies or keep ours open in countries like Russia who supported the Red Room or the United States who killed our people?” Wanda asked. “It is no concern of mine. What countries Sokovia trades with or keeps lines of diplomacy open with are none of my concern. I protect my home. I do not make decisions for it.”

Fury shook his head. “Everyone in the world knows that isn’t true. You are the one who is creating the massive amounts of rare metals and minerals that are being discovered and have made Sokovia an economic powerhouse overnight. You mean you had nothing to do with Sokovia withdrawing from the United Nations or NATO?”

“The United Nations is weak. The world has been calling for economic sanctions against the United States for their terrorist actions against Romania, but nothing has happened. Why should we waste our time with an organization that is a joke? As far as NATO we both know that is nothing but a scheme for the United States to have first strike capabilities and readymade allies to fight Russia if needed. Sokovia will fight beside friends. We will not fight for the United States.”

Fury grinned. “Pretty powerful words from a twenty-year-old girl not involved in her government’s decisions.”

“She is a pretty powerful person if you haven’t noticed. Of course you wouldn’t know that. You weren’t at the Battle.” Yelena pointed out.

Fury’s smile faded quickly. “I regret that but…”

“He was preparing plan B in case we failed.” Wanda said. “Carol Danvers. What you didn’t understand was if we failed there would not be a chance for a back up plan. I thought Coulson would have made that clear to you.”

Fury said nothing.

“I don’t understand. What is it going to take for Carol Danvers to come out to play? I have terrorized her god daughter, threatened her former lover, and set up a battle for the universe. Yet the self-named Captain Marvel has refused to introduce herself.” Wanda complained.

“Why is she hiding, Nick?” Yelena asked.

“She isn’t hiding. I asked her to stay away. You are still a street kid at heart, Maximoff. You want to be the biggest on the block. Thanos was big but he is gone. Now you want to knock off Carol Danvers. As you showed yourself against Vision, you get a kick out of absorbing cosmic energy from beings powered by infinity stones, just like Carol Danvers is. She was very angry at what you did to Monica Rambeau. I talked her out of fighting you and I have kept her away from you because I am protecting her.”

“Even now?” Wanda asked. “I am at my weakest. Look at me.”

Fury smirked, not fooled a bit. “See I don’t believe you have ever been as dangerous as you are right now. I managed to talk Carol down for her protection. You have a plan for her if she ever becomes a problem. I know you do. As far as Rambeau, what you did to her was excessive. Did you really believe no one would ever look into your past?”

“Did you really believe I would not retaliate when someone did?” Wanda asked.

Fury was silent and turned to watch the gathered group who were conversing rather freely. Thor was understandably more subdued as he had been when Fury had seen him in the past but understood why. Whatever he was saying seemed to amuse the gathered heroes. Steve, Bucky, the twins, and Clint’s kid along with the little black widow Nat had adopted were making their way back. Nat flashed a worried look when she saw Yelena and Wanda alone with Fury but focused back on the group.

“That is what I told her. Maria should have never sent Monica. Let’s talk business. Just like you wanted to talk to the one in charge, I wanted to talk to the one in charge of Sokovia, Wanda. What is it going to take to get my agents back?”

Wanda snorted unladylike. “Agents? You mean spies.”

“Agents, spies, call them what you want. They are my people. I want them back. Let’s make a deal.”

“You have nothing we want.” Yelena answered. “How can you make a deal with us if you have nothing to offer.”

Fury nodded. “Then let’s say I owe you a favor.”

“I don’t want a favor from you. You spent spies to my government. They were caught. Espionage is a crime.” Wanda pointed out.

“So is crossing into other countries and leaving a trail of dead bodies, even if they are human traffickers. Do you think no spies will come into Sokovia? You are closing embassies, controlling borders… if one didn’t know better, you would think you were preparing for war. Every country in the world wants to know what Sokovia is thinking.”

“We are thinking others should leave us alone and not spy on us. The United States should definitely not spy on us. It would make them look worse.” Wanda pointed out. “Many spies have been caught in recent days. Perhaps the world will soon learn that Sokovia is impossible to spy in.”

Nick caught that. He had wondered how his agents had been caught so quickly.

“Magic.” He realized.

Wanda snapped her fingers and small sparkles came out of her hand.

“Magic. I am not going to interceded on your organization’s behalf. Sokovia will announce to the world that United States agents have been arrested. They will look even better in front of the world. If you truly want to help the world, spread the message. Leave Sokovia alone.”

Fury sighed. “Wanda, why did you work with Everett Ross? What about him made you trust him so much that you even accepted him into your lair or home, wherever you hang your broom at? You took a chance and made a friend, and it paid off. Why do you push others away who want to be a friend? Did friends not help defeat Thanos?”

“Everyone in that fight had a stake in ensuring Thanos was defeated. They didn’t fight because they were my best friends.

“However, we do have friends. We are friends with Wakanda. We are friends with the true Ten Rings. We are friends with the Masters of the Mystic Arts. We are friends with Symkaria and Latveria by association. We are friends with Romania and Türkiye. We have friends in Central and South America. We are just choosey about who we consider friends.”

Fury shook his head. This wasn’t going the way he hoped it would.

“What about the next Thanos? There will always be another big bad coming to destroy the world, the universe, or maybe just a city like Novi Grad. There will always be another Loki or Ultron. Another A.I.M or Hydra or Red Room. Are you saying you couldn’t use a team you could trust in addition to your own?”

“If you form another Avengers leave Clint, Steve and Nat out of it.” Yelena told him. “Pietro died so Clint Barton could raise his children and I believe we have made our position clear on Stannic’s happiness in regard to Steve and Nat.”

“Afraid they might say yes if I asked?” Nicky Fury asked. “Do you make decisions for them as well? Maybe they recognize the need for a strong SHIELD that isn’t a tool of Hydra. I don’t make decisions for Sokovia, and you can’t decide…

Fury was thrown in the air against the barn wall, red energy enveloping him. Wanda had her arm stretched out towards him and began squeezing her fist as her eyes glowed.

“You seem to mistake our conditions as suggestions, Nick Fury.” Yelena told him.

Nick’s arms were spread wide.

“This… is… why… you… don’t have… more friends!” Fury shouted.

“Wanda!” Steve shouted but Bucky grabbed him.

“Lay off her, Steve. You don’t want to become involved. One call from Yelena and this farm is going to be crawling with Red Widows who are very protective of their pregnant leader and are no fans of SHIELD.”

Natasha did not care about Bucky’s words. She ran toward the two women. She could see Nick was beginning to choke and Wanda’s eyes and fist were glowing brighter.

Nat heard Stannic say Fury was screwed but focused on Yelena.

“Yelena whatever he did, do not kill him! Wanda even you know it is bad manners to kill someone at a party!” Nat shouted, hoping to get through to her.

Wanda looked strangely at Nat then dropped her arm. Nick dropped six feet to the ground.

“Has he asked you and Steve to be part of SHIELD again? I thought we had an understanding when you adopted Stannic.” Wanda reminded her quietly.

“We told him no. Nothing has changed. Sam and Scott are considering it, and Thor is a full-time resident of Earth now so he is considering it. He spoke to others as well who turned him down. Bruce and Tony told him no. He promised we would just talk about the old days with Phil and May… he isn’t used to dealing with someone like you.”

“What is that supposed to mean?” Yelena asked.

“Bossy with a temper bordering on psychotic and unfathomable power.” Nat clarified.

Yelena nodded. “That is fair assessment of me. Wanda is also short fused. Little Erik’s nap time should be over. I will call Mama and you can open the door Wanda. I know you are hungry, and I bet Laura has cookies.”

Wanda took her eyes off Fury. “Cookies?”

“You love cookies.” Yelena reminded her. “Maybe big glass of milk. First you must let parents in and then walk to see Stannic’s horse.”

Yelena walked off.

Wanda took a breath.

“She is your everything.” Wanda said, speaking of Stannic.

Nat nodded. “She is the only thing.”

Wanda looked over her shoulder at Fury on the ground and smirked. “Tell Carol I said hello.”

She gave her attention to Nat. “I have to let Yelena’s parents in. I admit the burgers smell good. What is Stannic going to be doing this summer?”

Nat began talking and guiding Wanda away from the spy on the ground.

Fury walked back over to the circle of chairs and had a seat.

“So how did it go?” Coulson asked.

The entire group began laughing. Fury was not amused.

“I told you to speak with respect and humility if you ever wanted to get anywhere with her.” Steve pointed out.

“Respect?! Respect! She was ready for a fight from the first moment!”

Clint nodded. “Yeah, sounds like Wanda. Its kind of typical. That’s why Steve told you how to approach her.”

Kate shook her head. “You have no idea how lucky you are, do you?” she asked Fury.

“I got two agents in Sokovian custody and a world that needs heroes working together.”

“We do work together.” Kate told him. “We just aren’t the heroes you want. Your opinion is irrelevant.”

“I thought she was wonderful. She is certainly glowing… pregnancy glowing I mean.” Laura said. “Clint are the burgers done? I thought maybe you could start a rack of ribs.”

“I’m not sure.”

“I’m sorry. I wasn’t clear. You are starting a rack of ribs.”

Eventually the tension was released, and Yelena and Wanda even rejoined the circle. Conversation remained light, mostly focusing on the kids’ activities. Dima and Anya arrived with the newly walking Erik and let him run around. A few other widows joined including Ava, having heard from Kate about Wanda throwing Fury into a barn.

As darkness fell and the party entered the house, Nick Fury was left alone sitting outside. His mission had been a failure. He wanted to form some sort of friendship with Wanda. He had multiple goals for wanting this. The first was to get his agents out of a Sokovian prison. The second reason was to hopefully develop a possible working relationship with her, even if only part time. He didn’t need over a hundred assassins but with Nat and Steve refusing to rejoin he definitely could have used Yelena Belova and Bucky Barnes and Wanda Maximoff could more than make up for the loss of Tony’s power a hundred times over. Thor had agreed to help as had Sam Wilson on an unofficial basis. If he could have Maximoff, Barnes and Belova ready to call in an emergency it would be a coup.

He wanted to know what Sokovia was thinking. They were pulling away from the world, all of the world except their allies. Other countries were begging Sokovia for resources now and it was almost as if the country were holding try outs to see who would be let into the club.

Being friends with Wanda, meant being friends with underworld characters like the leader of the Ten Rings, magic users like this Stephen Strange he heard so much about, Wakanda and Silver Sable International.

Coulson told him it was not possible. He warned him that Maximoff did not play well with others. Fury knew what Barnes, Belova and Maximoff had done to the Airforce base when they took the CIA director. He had hoped that was a one off. He had bet on his ability to get people to eventually do what he wanted.

He lost the bet.

He decided to join the party inside, rather than stay outside and lick his wounds.

“Here.”

He was so lost in thought he didn’t hear a tiny girl approach him.

It was one of the twins.

She was offering him a flower.

He took it and smiled. “Thanks.”

“You looked like you were having a bad day. When I feel bad, I like to pick flowers. Its hard to be in a bad mood when you are holding a flower. I’m Nela. You are Nick, right?”

“Yes. It is nice to meet you, Nela. Thanks for the flower. I feel better already.”

Nela smiled widely. “I want to open a flower shop in Sokovia when I am old enough. Papa says that means I will be a florist. But Mama said we have a lot of money so I will just give flowers away instead of selling them. I’m going to grow them myself. Then when everyone has flowers it will be impossible to ever be angry. Why are you having such a bad day? Stannic said you fell off the barn. What were you doing up there?”

Nick sighed and leaned back in his seat.

“I had hoped to become friends with your Mama today, but I don’t think she likes me very much.”

“It’s because you are American. It takes a while for Mama to like Americans. Except for Uncle Everett. She told me she liked him from the first time they met. She seemed to like the Laura woman and I think she likes Steve and the Clint guy. She laughed at something the Scott guy said. Mama is the nicest, most beautiful woman in the world. If you are nice she will like you eventually.”

Nick grinned despite himself at the girl’s optimism.

“Yeah, but I was hoping she might like me today. I needed a favor from her. I don’t think that is going to happen.”

Nela tilted her head, a move she picked up from her adopted mother, but the evil smile and glowing eyes were absent. Instead, she had a look of genuine interest.

“Maybe I can help. I think you might be a nice man.”

Nick laughed quietly. “I don’t think you can help, sweetie, but I appreciate the offer.”

“You don’t know until you ask. I’m good at a lot of stuff. Mama and Papa tell me all the time.”

Nick shrugged. “I have some people who work for me in a jail in Sokovia. I wanted to get them out.”

Nela frowned. “Why are they in jail?”

“They are spies.”

Nela opened her mouth widely and gasped. “They spied on my country. How rude!”

Nick nodded. “So, I have been told. They did it because I told them to. I made a mistake, and they are paying the price.”

Nela squinted at the man. “If Mama gets them out will you promise not to spy on my country anymore?”

“Yes…”

“You aren’t trying to bluff me over, are you?” she asked shrewdly.

“Bluff you… no. No bluffing. I just made a mistake and was hoping… its adult stuff. Thank you for the flower, sweetie.”

Nela patted his hand. “Next time we meet I will make you a flower tiara. I make them for my papa.”

Nela ran inside.

Nick shook his head. “You got some great kids, Barnes.”

Bucky walked from the shadows he had been watching Nela from.

“Don’t lose the flower. They really do make you feel better.”

Bucky walked inside and Nick decided to stand and follow. He would stay quiet, stay in the background, and enjoy seeing old friends enjoying themselves and keep working on getting Scott Lang and Hope Van Dyne to join a new team. When he walked inside, Kate was holding Nela up so she could whisper in Wanda’s ear.

Wanda looked at Fury and her shoulders sagged. He watched her take out her phone and make a short phone call. When it was over she asked if the living room floor could be cleared of people.

Once it was, her hand slashed the air and it bled red. Some sort of buzzing red… door opened. She reached in and motioned to something inside.

Two SHIELD agents walked out wearing Sokovian prison clothes.

“You are lucky my daughter likes you, Fury.” Wanda told him.

The room quieted, realizing Wanda had just brought two SHIELD agents from a Sokovian prison into Clint Barton’s living room.

The silence was broken by Laura.

“You two look like you have had a bad couple of days. Who wants wine and grilled ribs?”