Locksmith

I woke up feeling heavy, a direct contradiction to how I felt yesterday morning with the boys. Everything just felt like it weighed double what it actually weighed, and the thought of going out and doing something for the day only made me feel more irritated. It was no one’s fault but my own. I knew that completely, but that didn’t make it any easier. With a sigh, I pushed myself out of bed and grabbed my phone on the way to the bathroom. I had a text from Tommy requesting that I meet them in the lobby. I knew that could only mean something I wasn’t going to like, and I tried to prepare myself for whatever question I would be asked when I joined them. Once I was ready, I rode the elevator down and found the boys sitting in the lobby. Tommy looked excited, while Billy looked nervous. I took a deep breath before continuing forward towards them.

“Why do I feel like I’m not going to like what you’re about to say?” I asked as I reached them.
“Because you probably won’t…” Billy mumbled.
“Why are we asking me for something you know I’m not going to like?” I asked with a forced smile.
”You just have to have an open mind.” Tommy tried.
”Uh huh, then why does your brother look like he knows that this is going to be a mistake?” I questioned, raising an eyebrow.
”Just hear me out.” He said with a groan.
”Fine. Explain.” I said with a sigh.
”You told us that we would do one day together followed by one day with us doing things on our own.” He reminded me.
”I am aware of this.” I said with a nod.
”Right, so… There’s a zip line at the park.” He said with bright eyes.
”The one we saw when we got there yesterday?” I asked with narrow eyes.
”Yeah…” He said with a nod.
”Dude, abort.” Billy mumbled, his eyes watching me.
”No.” I said with a laugh.
“Mom, come on! It’s just a zip line!” Tommy argued.
“Through a dinosaur-filled paddock,” I said flatly.
“You’re strapped in!” He tried.
“If I wouldn’t say yes to the hamster balls, what made you think I would say yes to that?” I asked, shaking my head.
“Dad would let us do something fun.” He pressed.
“Fine. When your father brings you, he can be careless with your safety. Not only that, was yesterday not fun?” I asked, frustration building.
“It was, but-” He started.
“But what, Tommy? You think everything will be so much better with him, right? Then where is he to rescue you from me? Where is he when you have a game? If I’m such a bad mother, why aren’t you living with him? Maybe it’s because he’s irresponsible, and I’m the one who always took care of you. And I would do it again. I am sorry that it upsets you that your father and I are no longer together, but he was barely around to begin with. So, nothing has changed. The only real change is that, for once I’m happy, and your father is angry because I knew I deserved better. So you can keep saying the things he told you just to hurt my feelings, and you can even report back to him for all I care. But I will not stop trying to protect you from your own stupidity.” I said, my breathing heavy.
“Mom?” Billy asked with nervous eyes.
“No. The two of you can do whatever you want today, as long as it doesn’t require me to sign a waiver to your life. I do not want to see you until tomorrow.” I said before walking away. 

It was wrong. I immediately knew I was. But once the words started, they wouldn’t stop. Everything I told myself I would never say to them came out all at once in a moment of anger. I wasn’t thinking clearly when I blew up on him, not that it was any excuse; in an effort to keep from lashing out at anyone else, I went back to my room. Horrible television and room service would enable me to wallow in my mistakes. Though they were teenagers, I hadn’t blown up on either one of them like that in their lives. There was an overwhelming feeling of guilt that twisted in my stomach, knowing that Tommy didn’t deserve what I’d given him. He was a kid caught between his parents. He was trying to have the love of his father, and I couldn’t exactly fault him for it; I knew why he was doing what he was doing. I just couldn’t go back in time and stop myself from hurting him. My phone began to ring, and I frowned when I saw that it was Pepper. Her calling meant that the boys probably told her that something had happened; I sighed before answering the call.

“What did they tell you?” I asked with a sigh.
“You want to clarify that one for me, sweet cheeks?” She asked slowly.
“And why would they do that?” She questioned.
“Because I’m an asshole, and I tore into Tommy for basically just being a teenage boy who loves his father,” I said with a groan.
“And you did that because?” She asked.
“Because he kept saying Victor would let them do these things that put their lives in danger. It isn’t that I want them to hate him; he’s still their father. But I am so tired of being their punching bag just for being their only parent.” I explained with frustration.
“That’s what Billy said in his text, too. He let me know you may be needing a friend.” She said softly.
“That kid… Something the two of you said really clicked for him. I can’t say I’m upset about it.” I admitted with a laugh.
“He also told me to ask you about Natasha.” She said in a tone I hated.
“I’m going to kill that kid,” I mumbled.
“Please tell me he is not talking about Romanoff. Tell me you did not talk about that park because you knew she worked there.” She said with a sigh.
“What if I can’t tell you that?” I asked nervously.
“You need someone stable, Wanda. She is not stable.” She said firmly.
“She’s grown up a lot,” I argued.
“She works at a dinosaur park. Since when are you into women?” Sounding confused.
“Since Natasha and I basically dated in high school,” I said nervously.
“Huh! I did not see that coming. You surprise me constantly, little red.” Tony said, chiming in.
“So, you dated your best friend’s sister. Does she know?” Pepper asked, ignoring Tony.
“No…” I mumbled.
“Does she know you’re at the park where her sister works?” Tony asked, sounding like he had a mouth full of food.
“No, I… I stopped sharing my location with her so she wouldn’t see.” I admitted with embarrassment.
“At least that was smart,” Pepper mumbled.
“Ah, I wouldn’t be so sure. All it takes is her looking at the app once, and she would notice someone missing.” Tony said, making a ton of noise.
“Would you get out of here?” Pepper growled.
“Fine. But little red?” He asked lightly.
“Yes?” I asked, nervous to hear what he said to say.
“Maybe call the scary, little, blonde one. Tell her about the things you haven’t been honest about, just a thought.” He said as his voice got further away.
“You know I hate to admit when he’s right, but unfortunately, this is one of those times I have to agree,” Pepper said with a sigh.
“You really think I should call her and come clean?” I asked with a sigh.
“Honey, she knows her sister better than anyone. If you’re serious about her, come clean. Maybe she’ll help you figure out how to catch her attention.” She said gently.
“What if it ruins our friendship?” I asked quietly. 
“If it ruins your friendship, is it that good of a friendship to begin with?” She asked gently.
”I hurt her sister. I can’t just expect her to not care about that.” I argued.
”Look, regardless of if you hurt her or she hurt you, I’m sure both of you felt pain, Yelena is logical, at the very least. She won’t hate you, she knows you.” She tried softly.
”Fine. But if it ends badly…” I said slowly.
”Yes, yes, you can tell me you told me so.” She said with a snort.
”Fine, I will call her.” I relented with a sigh.
”Right now.” She said firmly.
”Yes. Right now.” I said, rolling my eyes.
”Let me know how it goes, and apologize to the boys. Tommy, at the very least.” She suggested.
”I will.” I said, agreeing easily.
“I love you. Go handle your business.” She said with a gentle voice.
”I love you. Have fun with Tony.” I said with a laugh.
”At least you still have your sense of humor in the face of impending doom.” She said with a snort.
”You’re not funny.” I said flatly.
”Goodbye.” She said with a breathy laugh.
”Bye,” I said before hanging up the call.

The last thing I wanted to do was call Yelena. I didn’t know how I was going to explain everything to her in a way that wouldn’t make her hate me. If she had hurt Pietro the way I hurt Natasha, I knew that I wouldn’t be okay with it. In an attempt to avoid losing my best friend, I instead focused on apologizing to Tommy. Pepper was right about him deserving an apology; he did. I took my feelings out on him, and it wasn’t right. If it were my parents, they wouldn’t apologize, but because I actually believed in apologizing when I was in the wrong, even if it was to my children, my hands were tied. I got out of bed and pulled on a pair of shoes before making my way to their room. I took a deep breath before knocking on the door and waiting for someone to answer.

“Mom?” Billy asked with a frown as he pulled the door open.
“Will you send your brother out here?” I asked gently.
”You’re not going to kill him, are you?” He asked, his eyes focusing on me.
”No, I’m here to apologize.” I said, holding my hands up in surrender.
”Okay.” He said before calling for Tommy.
”Thank you.” I whispered.
”She promised she’s not going to kill you.” Billy said as Tommy replaced him at the door.
”Why are you here?” He asked quietly.
“To apologize,” I said gently.
”Apologize?” He asked with a frown.
”You were wrong to say what you said to me, and you knew that it wasn’t a good idea to ask me about something like that the day after you agreed that it was my job to keep you safe. But I should never have blown up on you the way that I did. It was wrong, and none of it was fair to you. So I am sorry that I lost my temper.” I said with a sigh.
”Pepper called you.” He said with a curious look.
“Just like she called the two of you,” I said, shaking my head.
”I’m sorry, too.” He said with a sigh of his own.
”You are?” I asked with surprise.
”Yeah. Billy told me that it wasn’t a good idea to ask you about it, and I knew it wasn’t, but I still did. And then when you said no, I shouldn’t have brought dad up.” He said quietly.
”Thank you.” I said with a soft smile.
”For what?” He asked with a frown.
”I mean this in the best way you could imagine, okay?” I said slowly.
”Okay?” He said with a confused look.
”For not being the same man that your father is.” I said with a sad smile.
”Oh. For sure, mom.” He said, slowly going over my words in his mind.
”I’m just very thankful you’re willing to admit when you’re in the wrong.” I explained.
”Sure thing, mom.” He said with a nod.
”I’m going to go. The two of you should go do something fun at the park. That I don’t need to sign a waiver for.” I said quickly.
”Will do, mom. Thanks.” He said with a smile.
”Of course.” I said with a nod.
”See you tomorrow?” He asked gently.
”I’ll see you tomorrow.” I agreed with a nod.

He waved, and I returned it before turning to make my way back to my room. I was still slightly floored by the fact that he apologized to me. In all of the years I’d been with Victor, he apologized to me only once. And the only reason he’d apologized was because Yelena had overheard him say something to me. He more than likely apologized because she demanded that he did, but it was still an apology. When I made it back to my room, I came to the realization that I needed to call Yelena next. I’d been so excited about being able to avoid it that I hadn’t considered the fact that I’d still have to do it. I pulled out my phone and just stared at her contact information on my phone. My heart was racing, but before I could change my mind, my thumb dropped down and hit the call button. The phone rang one and a half times before she answered.

“Wanda? Where are you?” She asked with a slight panic.
“Why do you sound worried?” I asked with a frown.
“You turned your location off. I went to check in on one of my favorite Sims, and you were just gone.” She explained.
“Because I didn't want you to know where I was going,” I admitted with a sigh.
“Why? It’s not like you’re with Victor. You’re not with Victor, right?” She asked flatly.
“No, God, no. If I did that, you can feel free to take me out back and kill me before I start foaming at the mouth and threatening to bite people.” I said with a snort.
“Why didn't you want me to know, then?” She asked slowly.
“I didn’t know how you would react, and there are things I also haven’t told you,” I said with a sigh.
“Things like what? Are you seeing someone new?” She asked quickly.
“No, I am not seeing someone new,” I said, shaking my head.
“So then… What’s up?” She asked, trying to nudge me toward explaining.
“Can I send you my location and then explain?” I asked with a sigh.
“Sure. If you think that will help?” She said in confusion.
“I think something may become more clear,” I said, resharing my location.
“Are you with Nat? I didn’t know the two of you were still close. Or even kept in touch. Neither one of you talks about the other… Holy shit… Holy shit… Are you dating my sister?! Is that why you got a divorce?” She asked rapidly.
“No, that’s not… No, I’m not dating her, and no, we do not keep in touch.” I said with a sigh.
“So, then, why are the two of you in the same place at the same time?” She asked slowly.
“Remember how I said I would explain? May I?” I asked slowly.
“Please do.” She said gently.
“Do you remember in high school when we all used to hang out, and Natasha and I were close?” I asked, letting out a breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding in.
“Of course. The two of you were impossible to pull apart.” She said with a laugh.
“Right, because we were kind of… Not, like, officially or anything, but you know… We were kind of dating without a title, but also, she called me her girlfriend. She just never asked me to be, and I never asked her, but like it was basically dating.” I rambled quietly.
“You dated my sister? When?” She questioned.
“Her senior year…” I mumbled.
“So you’re the reason she left.” She said flatly.
“She asked me to come out because she planned to, and she didn’t want to hide… But I wasn’t ready to, and then Victor asked me out, and you encouraged me. I didn’t know how to say no.” I explained.
“You weren’t ready to come out, so she ran away?” She asked slowly.
“Me being with Victor was her final straw. She left and disappeared from my life.” I said as shame settled over me.
“So that’s why she always found an excuse not to invite you. I thought she had a thing for you, but because you were what I thought was straight, she couldn’t be around you because it was too painful.” She said softly.
“You thought she liked me?” I asked with a frown.
“Wands, I’ve known her my entire life. I knew she had feelings for you. I mean, she hung out with you more than me at one point. She rarely likes anyone enough for that.” She said with a laugh.
“So, you’re not mad at me? Because I kind of hate myself, and I thought you would too.” I said cautiously.
“You weren’t ready to come out, and you panicked. It’s hard to be mad at you for that.” She said with a gentle laugh.
“Thank you,” I said as relief flooded my body.
“And I don’t hate you. I don’t think you should hate yourself, either. But wait, so why are you where she works then?” She asked, slowly coming back to where we started.
“I may have found out that she worked here and talked about the park a couple of times around the Starks… The next thing I knew, they booked us a vacation to come here.” I said with a sigh.
”Wait, you’re there with the boys? Because you found out Nat works there?” She asked slowly, clearly confused.
”Look, I never stopped having feelings for your sister.” I said with a groan.
“So, you’ve been in love with my sister since high school? Gross.” She said with a grossed-out tone.
“And we kissed,” I said with a grin.
“You should be stoned in the town square… With rocks.” She said, clarifying her statement.
“Well, I don’t know about rocks, but I did manage to sneak weed with me so I could get stoned in the fun way instead,” I said with a laugh.
“Of course you did.” She said with a breathy laugh.
”I foresaw it being a stressful trip.” I said with a grimace.
”She doesn’t hate you.” She said quickly.
”And you know that how?” I asked with a dry laugh.
”How could she ever hate you?” She asked with a sigh.
“I broke her heart,” I said flatly.
”That doesn’t mean she hates you.” She said gently.
“You’re right. She left me, which is worse, and I don’t hate her,” I said with a bitter laugh.
“Come on, that’s not fair.” She argued.
“No. Not fair is everyone acting like I can’t be just as hurt as she is. It’s bullshit.” I said firmly.
“I never said you can’t be just as hurt, Wands, come on. But she is my sister.” She said with a sigh.
“I know she is. And I know I hurt her. Trust me, I think about it very often. But I hurt her because I was young and afraid; it was never because I didn’t care about her.” I said, shaking my head.
“I know that. I’m sorry. I just… You moved on with Victor, someone you ended up married to. It’s hard to see that has a loss for you.” She said honestly.
“Except I have never liked Victor. I just knew he would make my parents happy and keep Pietro off my back. I never loved him.” I said, holding back the tears that were threatening to spill.
“Why did you never say something to me? I would’ve kept your secret, but I had no idea you didn’t love him.” She asked slowly.
”I didn’t even know how to tell you I had feelings for your sister. Did you think telling you I didn’t love my husband was going to be easier than that?” I asked curiously.
”No, I guess not.” She said with a sigh.
”It isn’t that I didn’t want to if that means anything. I just didn’t know how to.” I explained.
”You don’t need to explain yourself, Wands. Well, not about that.” She said with a slight hesitation.
“Meaning?” I asked with a frown.
”You’re at the park where Nat works; you have feelings for her; what’s your plan?” She asked easily.
”I don’t… Really have a plan. I don’t even know if she’s single. I just know that I want her.” I admitted.
“You’re there, and you’re not even sure if she’s single?” She asked slowly.
”Yes…” I mumbled quietly.
”You realize how insane that is, right?” She asked with a snort.
“Yes, I had that realization when I saw her for the first time,” I admitted with annoyance.
”Next question, why are you telling me all of this now?” She asked, trying to figure out the whole picture.
”Pepper may have suggested that I talk to you about Natasha.” I mumbled.
”Alright. Let’s think of something together.” She agreed slowly.

I told her about my feelings and how long I would be at the park. She was more shocked to find out that when I’d found out that we were going on the trip and the Starks were paying for it, I made a donation to the park and asked them to keep my name anonymous. There was going to be a gala tomorrow night that I had to go to, and I had two different options with me to wear. I got her opinion on which one would look the best and get her sister’s attention after convincing her that it wasn’t a weird thing to ask about. She made a comment about how bad I had it for her sister, and I ignored everything she had to say. It did feel nice to be able to talk to her about her sister and the feelings I had for her. She listened to everything I had to say and let me know that Natasha was single, so I did stand a chance. But I knew that I had a lot to make up for, and it wouldn’t be easy. Nor should it be easy for me to just pop back into her life after I hurt her the way I did. But it had been years since I’d hurt her, and we’d both grown up a lot. I was no longer the scared young girl who had to rely on her parents anymore. I was more than free to love her as loudly as I wanted to. I wanted to make her laugh, so I let her know that Billy had clocked the fact that there were feelings, and she let out the loudest laugh I’d heard from her since the call started. I was slightly less nervous about the gala and seeing Natasha again, but Yelena devised a plan to figure out if she would be going to the gala or not and planned to let me know as soon as she found out. Once our plan was solidified, we ended the call and I was finally able to relax into the bed after the long day it had been.