Chapter 2
“What, you can't call first?”
From within the charred circle on the lawn the demigod rose and turned, beaming. “Steven.”
Steve ran across the still smoking yard to hug the Asguardian, who boomed with laughter. They broke apart, still grinning, and Thor held out his arms to Natasha.
“Don't mind me,” she smirked. “I'm just enjoying the show.”
He crossed over to her in three bounding steps and scooped her up into a swirling hug. “I have missed your quick wit.”
“Okay. Fragile mortal lungs, remember?” she gasped, ruffling his hair. He released her gently and she smiled up at him, a real, open smile. “I've missed you too.”
Sam and Rhodey came outside just then, shouting cheerful greetings. Thor wrung each of their hands and clasped Vision's shoulder.
“How are you?” he said, blue eyes gazing piercingly into the android's.
“Well,” Vision said, clapping Thor's hand. “Truly.”
Thor grinned and dropped his arm, turning to face Wanda. He dropped to one knee and kissed her hand. “Lady Wanda.”
“What brings you back, man?” Sam said. “Please don't say aliens.”
“No, nothing so dramatic,” Thor said. “I simply wanted to check in. I was visiting Jane-”
“Uh-huh,” Rhodey cut in smoothly. “We can imagine. No need for details.”
Thor grinned at them. “Where are the others?”
“Stark should be here in a few hours,” Natasha said, checking her watch. “He stays in the city for the most part, running the company. And the Bartons are still packing up the farm to move out here, but Clint is due any minute now.”
“It's good to have you back,” Steve said, clapping Thor's shoulder. “I've wanted to talk to you lately.”
Wanda tried to convince herself she had imagined Steve looking at her with concern as he said it.
“So this woman keeps going on and on about all this stupidity and how she was just trying to protect the kids, right? For at least five minutes and finally I stood up – Laura was about ready to kill me, I swear – And I just threw this pencil right at the podium. Of course, it hits, and the woman looked like she was about to piss herself, and I'm standing there all avenger-y and I just say-” Clint paused for dramatic effect - “I think my good friend Captain America would have something very strong to say to you, lady.”
Everyone burst out laughing.
“Laura must have loved that,” Natasha said.
“I was sleeping on the couch for a few days, yeah,” Clint said. “But come on. It's 2015 and this whackjob wants to ban books?”
“Good for you, Clint,” Steve said, rising to get more food.
“You're lucky all you had to do was sleep on the couch,” Tony said. “Last time I picked a fight like that at a board meeting Pepper demoted me for a week.”
“And you were sleeping on the couch,” Rhodey said, chuckling.
“And I was sleeping on the couch. Which, despite being very expensive, was very uncomfortable.”
“So did you win the vote?” Sam said, passing the potatoes down towards the end of the table.
“Of course,” Clint scoffed. “Who in their right mind is going to ban Darwin's book now, for god's sake?”
Natasha shrugged. “I used to use books like that to send messages.”
Clint stared at her. “Really?”
She nodded. “It's old-school but effective. Pretty easy to find in most libraries.”
“Bullshit,” Clint said. Everyone's heads snapped up.
“Language!” they called gleefully. Next to the buffet, Steve was turning bright pink.
“Whatever,” Clint said, waving a hand to dismiss Natasha, who was already chatting with Thor. He turned to Wanda, sitting on his other side. “So how ya doing, kid?”
She shrugged. “I think you already know.”
He nodded, chewing on a chicken leg. “Yeah, but I figured I'd give you a chance to tell me.”
“There's nothing to tell,” she said steelily.
Clint watched her for a few more seconds. “Okay,” he said finally, taking a long sip of his beer. “I can come by tomorrow if you want to hit the range again.”
“Maybe.”
“Or you can come see the kids. They'd like that.”
She looked down at her plate without saying anything, guilt tightening her stomach. “I'll be right back,” she said, pushing back her chair and rising.
“Grab me another beer while you're out,” Clint called as she left.
She pushed her way into the bathroom and found it dark. It was soothing, calming, after all the noise and light of the dining room. She ignored the lightswitch on the wall, instead splashing cool water on her face, letting it drip from her cheeks back into the basin in slow motion, aware of every bead falling.
“I'm not saying she's dangerous,” Steve said.
“Then what are you saying?” Tony said, tapping his foot anxiously.
“I think she's – sick.”
“She is grieving,” Thor rumbled. “It's natural.”
“Not like this,” Steve said. “This isn't healthy. It's – strange.”
“You're really worried about it?” Tony asked quietly.
“I really am. It's like there's something more going on, something that I just can't put my finger on. I don't know what it is, but it's there. And I've talked to Sam, and he agrees with me. We can't tell if it's her powers or what but whatever this is, its more than just post-traumatic stress.”
“You think it's magic,” Thor said.
“Do you?”
The vision of a young boy, dark-haired with eyes too large for his face flicked into the demigod's mind, talking quietly to the air. “What are you saying?” the child-thor asked. “I'm asking the dead a question,” the dark-haired boy replied. “You can't do that,” Thor said. The other boy shrugged. “Sometimes the dead aren't quite gone, Thor,” he said. “Sometimes they just wait in hel for somebody to save them.” The child-thor shivered. “And if no one does?” The other boy stared back at the wall. “Some of them go on. Outside hel, to whatever comes after. Others – others stay there forever.”
“I think it is something,” Thor said.
“Yup,” Stark said. “Definitely something.”
“Oops! Sorry,” Sam said, startling as he almost walked into Wanda's back. “I didn't realize it was occupied.”
“No,” she said, toweling off her face. “I am done.”
“Hey,” he said, catching her arm lightly as she made to leave. “You okay?”
She nodded. “I ate a little too much.”
“Okay,” he said, watching her closely. “Just checking.”
She managed a smile and pushed out into the hall.
Sometimes the dead aren't quite gone.
Wanda was going to get her brother back.
Clint Barton was a simple man. He just wanted to do his job and take care of his family.
It wasn't his fault the two had started overlapping.
“Going somewhere?”
Wanda froze in the doorway, silhouetted by the moonlight. Clint pulled out of the shadows and planted himself in the hallway. “How'd you disable the alarm?”
Her eyes flashed red in answer and Clint nodded thoughtfully. He sighed. “Where are you going, kid?”
“Doesn't matter.”
“It kinda does. You say, 'I'm meeting a cute boy to go to the movies,' I send you off, no problem. 'I'm going out clubbing,' also no problem. 'There's a supervillian controlling my every move' is a bit more of an issue, but, hey, we can work it out.”
“There's something I have to do.”
“What?”
“You wouldn't believe me.”
Clint chuckled. “I stopped not believing things after New Mexico, kid. Try me.”
Wanda chewed her lip for a moment. Clint stepped forward, hands slightly raised, his body language soothing and non-threatening.
“Look in my head, okay?” he said. “You can trust me.”
Her eyes glowed crimson. Clint held her gaze steadily.
“The god,” she said finally, eyes brown once more. “He thinks my brother is still out there. In his world of the dead. I saw it.”
“Wanda-”
“I can't just leave him there!” she snapped, red light pulsating out of her.
“Whoa,” Clint said. “Easy, kid.”
She sucked in a few deep breaths until her eyes faded back to brown.
“What's the plan?” he said cautiously. “You just gonna march up to the gates of hell and scream until your brother comes out?”
“Maybe,” she said bitterly.
“Wanda,” Clint said. “Be smart about this.”
“I have to do this,” she said, and her voice was like knives, it was so heartbreakingly desperate.
Clint sighed. “Yeah,” he said, dragging his hands down his face. “You do. But not alone.”
“This is impossible. Thor, tell her this is impossible!”
Thor sat quietly, eyes fixed on Wanda's over his folded hands. She met his gaze steadily, lips tight with defiance.
“I can't believe you're encouraging this,” Steve barked at Clint.
“Look, if there's a chance it could work-”
“You're messing with things you don't understand-”
“All of us are here because somebody messed with something they didn't understand!”
“This is life and death, Clint. Remember what happened the last time we messed with that?” Next to Steve, Tony shifted guiltily. “Remember why Pietro isn't here?”
“Yeah, he died saving me! So if there's any chance at all I can repay that favor, you bet your ass I will!”
“Thor, why aren't you backing me up on this?” Steve snapped, whirling around to glare at him. “Thor!”
Thor raised his glance to meet Steve's. “Because she is right.”
Steve slumped. “I can't believe this.”
“I don't know for certain if what I believe is true,” Thor said. “But I have seen others with her powers, and it seems likely to me.”
“What does?” Steve said tiredly.
“When Loki and I were children, he was – often strange.” Thor began.
“Stranger than he became, you mean?” Clint said bitterly. Thor ignored him.
“There is a place, where souls can go, in some rare cases. Asguardians call it Hel, although it is different from your Midguardian version. I believe Jane would probably call it a – pocket dimension. I do not know if you understand that.”
“I do have a doctorate, I can keep up,” Tony said tightly.
Thor nodded, too involved in his own thoughts to notice the tension in his friends beside him. “Loki would often be able to hold conversations with those within the veil. And occasionally, they would torment him. Once they latched on, it was very, very hard to convince them to let him go.” He placed a gentle hand on Wanda's. “I fear that may be happening to you now.”
“So, what, Pietro's ghost is haunting Wanda and that's what's been causing her to – whatever?” Steve said, his voice heavy with scornful disbelief. “That doesn't make any sense. Why would he even end up in some Asguardian dimension anyway?”
“Captain Rodgers, if I may,” Vision interrupted smoothly in his usual quiet and thoughtful tone. “In principle, I agree with you. What's dead, unfortunately, should remain dead. But this death is – wrong. More so than any other. And I think we can all guess why.” He knelt next to Wanda. For the first time she looked slightly fearful, refusing to meet the android's eyes.
“Wanda,” Vision said softly. “He was with you, wasn't he? When he died?”
“I could feel it,” she murmured. “I could feel him.”
“An imprint of his mind was left in hers,” Tony said, startlingly quiet for him.
“So he's not really dead?” Clint said.
“He has not passed,” Vision said. “And it is our duty to either return him to his body or deliver him to the other side.”
Steve was biting his lip worriedly. Sam slid a steadying arm around his waist. “I think we should do it,” Sam said quietly. Steve nodded slightly.
“You're sure about this?” he said to Vision.
Vision nodded, not looking away from Wanda.
“Okay,” Steve said. “Let's figure this out.”