Guilt
WANDA POV:
I woke up, warm and safe in Nat's arms. I didn't want to move but I figured I had probably been asleep for a while.
I shifted slightly and was quickly reminded of why I had been napping in Nat's arms by the fire that was reignited in my backside. I hissed and knew that sitting down, or moving for that matter, would not be enjoyable for the next couple of days. I guess I had earned it though.
"How're you feeling baby?" Nat asked as one of her hands started rubbing my back.
"I'm okay," I told her. "I'm super sorry about everything." I couldn't help but feel guilty, especially about one thing in particular.
"All's forgiven sweetheart, you've been punished."
Yeah, except for I haven't been punished for absolutely everything. I felt terrible about drugging Nat. Now that I was thinking more clearly, I could see how horrific of an idea it really was. My guilt was growing by the minute.
I couldn't just tell Nat though and get another spanking! I knew I more than deserved it but I was also terrified of telling her and making her hate me. I tried to blame it on the fact that I didn't want a spanking but really, it was because I couldn't ruin our relationship. She would hate me, no doubt. I didn't have it in me to come clean.
Nat slowly prompted me to get up as we went down to the kitchen to get some lunch. Everyone was there and by the looks they gave me, they all knew I, and my butt, had just gotten in huge trouble with Nat.
I tried to contain my blush as I sat down. Unfortunately, this only made my blush worse as the pain intensified and I squirmed around, trying desperately to find a comfortable way to sit.
I noticed Steve watching me with a sympathetic expression but he quickly looked at his plate of food when he noticed me watching him.
Nat didn't say anything about it as she sat down next to me with a plate of food. It looked like we were having leftovers for lunch. I still felt kind of sick from both the large amounts of alcohol I had consumed last night as well as the emotional punishment I had just gone through.
"Can I speak to you ladies after lunch?" Tony asked quietly, something that was rare for him.
"Sure," I said quietly while Nat nodded.
I had no idea what it was about but it seemed serious. I just hoped I wasn't going to get into even more trouble.
After everyone had finished lunch, Nat and I followed Tony to one of his labs. He sat both of us down while he started typing on his computer.
"What's this about?" I asked, still trying to get comfortable on the hard plastic chair.
"Nat told me a little bit about last night and I ended up drawing some of your blood to test it for drugs. I got the results back," he told me seriously. Tony was rarely serious so I had a feeling the results weren't great.
"Your blood contained large amounts of Valium, a tranquilizer who's most common side effects are dizziness, muscle weakness, and nausea, among several other things. It's a super common party drug meaning that it is one of the most popular drugs used to spike someone's drink. Guys use this to drug girls so that they can rape them." He paused for a minute to let that sink in.
"I'm honestly surprised that you didn't experience a more severe reaction with the amounts found in your body. Your enhancement must have had something to do with that," he continued. I kind of felt like crying all over again. The night was pretty fuzzy but I did remember the guy bringing me up to the room and laying me on the bed. I shivered as the memories came back. It definitely would not have been my first time being raped but Nat didn't know that. Luckily, the drug hadn't taken full effect at that time so I was able to leave the room before anything serious happened.
"Okay," I said slowly after a few moments of silence had passed. "What do I have to do?"
"Nothing but wait. The drug will leave your system soon, you just have to give it time. If you experience any of the other side effects, let someone know and we can treat them. You're really lucky that you weren't worse-off Wanda."
I was surprised with Nat. She hadn't said one word since we got in here. She observed the conversation, glancing back and forth between Tony and me.
There were a few more moments of silence before Tony said, "That's all."
Nat stood up and left the room, me tailing behind her. I prayed she wasn't mad at me as I followed her to our room.
As soon as we got there, she turned to look at me. "If you have any symptoms that pop up, let me know, okay?"
"Yeah," I told her. She was calm and didn't seem mad as she talked to me. After my response she smiled and pulled me in for a hug. I was slightly confused but I wasn't going to argue.
She released me from the hug and then went into the living room. We ended up watching a movie while she did some work on her tablet. No idea what it was but I didn't particularly care. I watched the movie while lying on my stomach to make the experience more comfortable.
I couldn't stop thinking about drugging Nat. Maybe she knew, maybe that's why she was acting so weird when Tony mentioned me getting drugged. Or maybe she was mad about me getting drugged? I honestly had no idea.
The guilt ate away at me for the rest of the day. I couldn't enjoy anything due to the overwhelming feeling of guilt. I just wanted to fess up and get my punishment over with but I was too scared she would kick me out.
That night, I got no sleep, just playing possible conversations of me coming clean in my head. Nat slept soundly next to me while I stared out the window, trying not to cry from the guilt I felt.
By the morning, I felt absolutely terrible. I was nauseous and my head hurt, a combination from guilt, worry, and no sleep. It was Sunday and I was kind of dreading going back to school. I wondered if Blair or Ashley had been caught.
I didn't think there was any way I could make it through school with the guilt that was continually growing. I felt like puking.
"Wanda, I need you to eat," Nat told me at lunch. She had let me skip breakfast but now it was lunch time and she wasn't being so lenient.
"I'm not hungry," I mumbled.
"Are you feeling sick?" she asked as she placed a hand on my forehead. I shook my head no. "You don't feel warm."
"I'm not sick, just not hungry."
"Well you need to eat something sweetheart. What about a banana?"
My stomach was churning with guilt. I couldn't eat anything. I almost threw up from the mention of putting a banana in my stomach. I fiercely shook my head, letting Nat know eating was not an option for me at the moment.
"You're not leaving the table until you eat something," Nat told me firmly. She wasn't being mean but her tone made me tear up. If she was mad at me over not eating, she was going to be furious after I told her about the drugging.
I felt myself losing the battle with my tears so when she turned around, I got up and ran down the hall. I didn't go to our room because she would think to look there. I heard her calling me but I kept running as tears ran down my cheeks. I felt absolutely horrible.
I ended up hiding in the supply closet in the gym.
In no more than 5 minutes, Nat was in the gym, knocking on the door. It didn't take me long to realize that FRIDAY probably told her where I was. I was releasing loud sobs and my entire body was shaking. I just wanted to tell her and get it over with but she would hate me.
"Wanda, what's going on?" Nat asked me gently from outside the door.
"I can't tell you!" I sobbed out.
"You can tell me anything baby," she coaxed.
"Not this, you'll hate me." I was choking on my sobs as I tried to talk.
"I could never hate you honey, never. Sweet girl, please tell me what's going on."
I just wanted Nat to hug me so I unlocked the door and threw myself into her arms.
"I can't tell you mama, please, make it stop!" I was panicking and felt like puking. I couldn't handle this guilt. I had hurt my favorite person, my mama, I could never be forgiven. I hurt the one person who had taken care of me.
"Honey, you need to tell me what's going on. I can't help if I don't know what's happening."
"You'll hate me! Everyone will hate me!" I was gripping onto Nat tightly, scared that this was the last time I would ever be able to be held by her.
"No one will hate you baby. Shh, you're okay, calm down. Take some deep breaths." She guided me through some breathing exercises but nothing was working. I was distraught. I was torn between telling her to help my guilt but then making her hate me and suffering with the guilt, but knowing that I'm hiding something from Nat. At least then, she would still love me. It would be a false love though.
I sobbed harder at these thoughts. I had had my eyes squeezed shut but I felt dizzy so I opened them, only to realize that my vision was getting spotty. I was hyperventilating.
Nat sank to the ground with me in her lap, rocking me slowly as she hummed and tried to calm my breathing. "Is this about food?" she asked.
I shook my head as I continued to cry.
"I can't tell you mama, you'll hate me!"
"Baby, I promise, whatever it is, I will not hate you."
I contemplated for a few more minutes while I sobbed in her arms, trying to grasp as many memories as possible of what it feels like to be held by someone who loved me. I knew that after I told her this, she would hate me and never touch me again.
All of a sudden, I said it. "I drugged you!" I cried out. I froze, surprised that I had said it, before I started crying heavily as I gripped onto Nat. My cries were hysterical as I basically screamed, my entire body shaking with fear and panic.
"I'm so sorry mama, I wasn't thinking. I know you hate me! Please don't kick me out! I'm so sorry, I promise I'll never do it again! I'm sorry mama, please! Please mama, I love you!"
"Woah, woah, calm down baby. I need you to take some huge deep breaths before you pass out." Nat gently pulled me away from her chest so she could look at me. I was crying too hard to hear her so I thought she was pulling me away to kick me out of the house.
"No! No, mama! Please!" I screamed, my sobs getting even louder.
"Wanda! Wanda!" I heard over my cries. I lowered the volume of my cries so I could hear Nat. "You're okay, calm down."
I felt myself being moved slightly and then leaned back. My back made contact with the mats on the gym floor and I felt my arms being pinned down. I felt like I couldn't breathe.
I then felt a warm hand on my face and was able to make out the blurry face of Natasha above me. She looked worried but not mad. She was exaggerating her breaths, trying to make me copy them.
I tried my hardest and it took me about 10 minutes to breathe somewhat normally again. I was still crying but it was less than before. It was more out of fear of what was going to happen next.
"Good job baby," Nat soothed as I laid on the floor crying.
After I had calmed down some more, she slowly picked me up from the floor and pulled me back into her arms. I rested my head on her shoulder as I took some deep breaths. One of my arms was wrapped around her neck while the other was resting on her chest, gripping tightly onto her shirt.
"Good, shh, you're okay, I'm here," Nat repeated as I laid on her chest, calming down fully.
Soon, I had stopped crying and my breathing was back to normal. I pulled away as she started talking.
"Okay, now that you're calm, let's try that again, what happened?" I didn't think I could say it again. I looked at her with desperation and she must have understood because she followed her previous statement with, "When did you drug me?"
"Friday night, before the party," I breathed out quietly, almost afraid that if I was too loud, she would get mad.
"Okay, and how did you drug me?"
"I put medication in your hot chocolate." I could feel weight getting lifted off of my chest as I spoke but it was replaced with a feeling of dread. Nat was going to kick me out.
"Okay, what types of medication did you put in my hot chocolate?"
"Um." It took me a second to remember all of them. Tears came to my eyes as I said, "Melatonin, Ibuprofen PM, and NyQuil." My voice was a whisper as I stared at the ground, not wanting to see her reaction.
"Okay, where did you get those meds?"
"You're room, in your bathroom."
"Okay, how much did you put in my drink?"
Tears were rolling down my cheeks again as I responded with, "Um, two ibuprofen PM pills, I think 5 melatonin pills, and a tiny splash of NyQuil." I couldn't remember the exact amount of melatonin I put in so I guessed 5.
I heard Nat sigh as she said, "Okay, why did you drug me?"
This made me release a sob as I said, "I'm so sorry mama, I wanted to go to a party and it was early. I wanted to make sure you fell asleep so I could leave." I stole a glance at her to see a neutral expression. "I'm so sorry," I breathed out in a whisper. "Please don't kick me out, you can spank me again, please, anything but kicking me out. I love you."
"Wanda, I'm not going to kick you out."
"You're not?"
"No."
"Do you hate me?" I asked, scared of her answer.
"No Wanda, I don't hate you."
She went silent and I looked at her again. She had a blank expression on her face.
"Are you going to spank me?"
She hesitated a moment and then replied with, "I honestly don't know what to do Wanda, I just need a minute."
I watched as she got up and left the gym. I had never seen her look more defeated and I felt terrible. It took everything in me not to start sobbing again. I just couldn't stand that I was causing Nat this much pain.
I wanted comfort. I felt absolutely terrible that I was worried about myself in this situation but I desperately needed comfort. I was getting really upset and I didn't want to do anything irrational.
Nat wasn't an option so I went in search of Pepper. I found her in her office, like usual.
I didn't even knock and instead walked in, going straight to her desk while tears ran down my face.
"Wanda, what's wrong?" Pepper exclaimed as she jumped up from her desk.
I sobbed as I collapsed into her arms, not answering her question.
"Baby, do you need Nat?"
"No! She hates me!" I explained as I sobbed harder into her chest. "Pep, make it stop! Please!" I couldn't stand all this pain, I wanted it to be over. I absolutely hated myself for what I did to Nat.
I felt my legs starting to collapse as I fell. Pepper, being stronger than I thought, picked me up before I fell to the ground. I wrapped my legs and arms around her as I sobbed out all my pain.
She spoke soothing words into my ear as she rocked me, gently patting me on the bottom. It stung a bit from my previous punishment but it was also comforting at the same time, as she did it gently.
I was barely aware of her leaving her office as she walked to Tony's lab, still holding me while I sobbed.
I needed all the comfort I could get. I was going through the most emotional pain I had in a long time. I would even say that this was worse than when Pietro died. At least then, it wasn't due to the disappointment, resent, or anger he had towards me. Nat left because she needed to get away from me. I really screwed up.
I felt another set of hands on my back and I turned to see if they were Nat's. They were not. Tony was standing next to Pepper, trying his best to comfort me.
I felt ridiculous, crying like a baby in Pep's arms, but I really wanted Nat and she was choosing to not be with me because of something I had done. This was different from all of the other times she had left me to be by myself and I was having a hard time dealing with that.
Pepper sat down and passed me to Tony. I honestly didn't care who was holding me right now, I just wanted comfort. I gripped onto Tony's shirt as he sat with me, trying to offer me comfort.
"Shh, Wanda, you're okay," Tony told me as I cried into his shoulder.
I didn't say that I wanted Nat like I would normally do in this situation. Nat didn't want me, she needed to be away from me due to my actions. I wasn't going to further my terrible actions by forcing her to be with me.
The panic I felt grew more and more as I sat with Tony. He tried standing up while holding me like Pepper did but it did little to calm my meltdown. "What can we do for you?" he asked me gently. "Do you want us to get Nat?"
"No!" I cried. "She hates me Tony, she hates me!"
"I'm sure she doesn't hate you, let's call her down an-"
"No!" I cut him off as my crying grew more frantic. That would only make her hate me more. "Don't call her in here! She'll hate me more! Please Tony!" I begged.
"Okay," he said as he bounced me in his arms slightly. "We won't call her, shh."
"Sir, Mr. Rogers is asking if you require assistance," I heard FRIDAY say.
"Send him in Fri," Tony spoke as he walked around the room while holding me. I still hadn't calmed down. I just wanted this all to be over.
"Do you want to go to Steve?" I heard Tony ask me quietly.
I just continued to cry, not caring where I went.
I felt myself being passed and realized I was now in Steve's arms. Again, I didn't care who I was with, as long as they were willing to offer me comfort. Steve had the biggest arms and was easily able to hold me as he rocked back and forth.
I pressed my face into his shoulder and just cried, wishing I had never gone to that stupid party.
TONY POV:
I was working in my lab when Pepper entered with a crying Wanda. I had no idea what had just happened. At first, I thought maybe she had gotten hurt.
I rushed over to her to see what I could do to help.
"What's going on?" I asked Pepper quietly. I knew Wanda wouldn't hear me over her panicked cries.
"No idea, something about Nat hating her."
That didn't make any sense. Nat loved this girl more than anything in the whole world. I don't think there's anything Wanda could do to make Nat hate her.
I started rubbing Wanda's back, trying to get her to calm down before she threw up or passed out. As soon as I touched her, Wanda moved her head off of Pep's shoulder to look at me. My guess was she was checking to see who else was touching her.
She then turned back into Pepper's chest and continued to sob. Pepper looked like she was getting a bit tired of holding Wanda so I led her over to a chair and helped to get both of them situated.
"I'm going to text Nat, can you take her?" Pepper asked quietly, to which I nodded. I gently grabbed Wanda and pulled her into my arms.
She didn't fight as she transferred over to me and then held onto my shirt, all the while continuing to sob.
I heard her cries getting louder so I popped up to try to comfort her by movement. I paced my lab while rocking and bouncing her gently. I had no experience with crying children but I watched Pepper when she first came in and this seemed to help.
I gave her comforting words, the same ones I had heard Nat say to her during panic attacks or when she used to be restrained.
At one point, I asked if she wanted Nat, figuring that this would be the best option for her. This induced even more of a meltdown. I quickly told Pepper to stop texting her because whatever this meltdown was caused by, it seemed to be fueled by mentioning Natasha. Maybe she just needed some time away from her. I had no idea but I did know that Wanda was refusing to see Nat at this moment.
I saw Steve walk to the outside of my lab from the glass walls and FRIDAY announced that he was checking to see if he could help. He probably heard Wanda's cries from down the hall or even downstairs and came to check what was wrong.
We needed all the help we could get in calming this girl down so I let Steve into the lab. His first question was what was going on but again, both Pepper and I didn't really know how to answer that.
I ended up passing Wanda to Steve to let him attempt to calm her.
This poor girl, we had absolutely no idea what was going on but she was obviously very worked up about something that had to do with Nat.
After several minutes of listening to her cry on Steve, she cried, "Pep!" as she lifted her head off of Steve.
"Right here baby," Pepper was quick to assure her as she started rubbing her back.
I watched as Steve set her down so that she could hug Pepper. Pepper led her to a chair and pulled her into her lap so that she could continue to cry while being comforted.
"Ms. Romanoff is requesting a location for Ms. Maximoff," FRIDAY notified us.
"Really?" Wanda asked, seeming equal parts terrified and relieved.
"Yes Ms. Maximoff, should I give her your location?"
Wanda didn't answer but I replied with, "Yes, give her the location." It was obvious that Wanda needed comfort right now and who better to offer that to her than her mom.
NATASHA POV:
Wanda had been acting slightly weird since her spanking. I was worried I had gone too far with her. When I voiced this concern to Clint, he told me that if anything, I went easy on her. I was constantly texting Clint since this whole ordeal, wishing more than anything that I was with him and Laura. I needed the support.
On Sunday, Wanda decided to skip breakfast. I let it pass since she hadn't missed a meal in a while. By lunchtime though, I made her eat. I told her she couldn't leave the table until she had eaten something.
She looked almost sick as I discussed food options with her. I turned around to go look in the cabinets for some food when I heard the sound of feet running on the floor. I whipped around and saw Wanda running away from the kitchen.
"Wanda!" I yelled, getting frustrated. She had just gotten in trouble for running away from me and she's going to do it again?
I ran to our room, figuring that's where she had gone. When I opened the door though, she was nowhere to be found.
"FRIDAY, did Wanda leave the compound?" I asked quickly, already preparing to go find her.
"No Ms. Romanoff, she is still in the building." Well that was a relief.
"Where is she?" I asked. I still had no idea why she had taken off.
"Ms. Maximoff is currently in the gym, hiding in a supply closet."
"Thanks FRIDAY," I said as I headed off in search of Wanda. Why she was hiding in a supply closet, I had no idea, but I was about to figure it out.
As soon as I entered the gym, I heard loud sobbing coming from the closet. Any and all anger I had towards Wanda for running away immediately melted away. Something was definitely wrong with my girl.
I quickly rushed over to ask her what was going on. The door was locked so I settled for standing outside of it. She insisted that she couldn't tell me and that I'd hate her. I had absolutely no idea what she was talking about but I assured her that I could never hate her.
After a few more back and forths, the door swung open and Wanda threw herself into my arms, sobbing intensely. She was gripping onto me and I was worried, this was the hardest I had seen her cry in a long time.
Her breaths were quick and shallow so I tried to coax her through some breathing exercises. None of them worked too well and I felt Wanda getting heavier in my arms as her legs grew weak.
I decided to sit with her on the floor while I continued to try to calm her.
I continued to try to convince her to tell me but every time I mentioned it, her crying grew more hysterical. I was at a loss of what to do so I just held her close while she cried.
"I drugged you!" I made out after a few minutes of silence. I stopped, trying to think of what that meant. What did she mean she drugged me? I was trying to figure out whether or not I had heard her correctly as her cries grew louder and more frantic.
I could feel her body trembling as she apologized and begged me not to make her leave the house. She kept repeating 'mama' and it was breaking my heart to hear my little girl cry for me to not hate her.
She needed to calm down but wasn't listening to a thing I said. I gently removed her from my chest as I pushed her back onto the matted floor. She struggled against me but still ended up on the floor.
I pinned her arms down using my legs against her side while I gently caressed her cheek, trying to get her to breathe. I was worried she was going to pass out.
She slowly calmed down as she lied on the floor, me hovering over her. It took about 30 minutes before she was basically completely calm.
She looked exhausted as she lay on the floor, the occasional tear still sliding down her face.
I gently picked her up off the ground and pulled her into a hug, now fully focusing on what I thought I heard her say earlier. I had kind of pushed it aside due to the major meltdown Wanda had been experiencing but now that she was calm, I was starting to feel the full-effect of what she said.
I asked Wanda to try again but she looked at me as if I asked her to do something impossible so I stepped in to help her. "When did you drug me?"
She responded, telling me that it was right before the party. She looked absolutely broken as she spoke, her voice barely above a whisper.
When I asked her how she had drugged me, she responded that she put melatonin, ibuprofen PM, and NyQuil that she had found in my bathroom into the mug of hot chocolate she had made me.
I had tasted something weird that night but I trusted my girl. I never in a million years thought that she would drug me.
She had been holding up pretty well until I asked her why she had drugged me. That made her release a sob as she told me that she needed to ensure that I slept so that she could escape to the party.
My entire heart hurt. I was betrayed by my daughter and I had no idea how to react.
"Please don't kick me out, you can spank me again, please, anything but kicking me out. I love you!" I heard her sob out and I knew she was working herself up again.
"Wanda, I'm not going to kick you out," I told her blankly. No matter what she did, I would never kick her out.
"You're not?" she questioned, sounding relieved.
"No."
"Do you hate me?" she asked quietly and I had to strain to hear her over my thoughts.
"No Wanda, I don't hate you." I was becoming overwhelmed with emotions though. How could my daughter, who I have done nothing but try to keep safe, do something so terrible to me? I just couldn't wrap my mind around it. I was torn between yelling at her and crying. I didn't know what to do.
"Are you going to spank me?"
I looked at her while I thought it over. I was scared to spank her right now. I was scared I wouldn't know when to stop. I didn't have control over my emotions right now.
"I honestly don't know what to do Wanda," I spoke quietly. "I just need a minute." I got up and left the room, leaving Wanda alone on the floor. As soon as I was out of her earshot, I told FRIDAY to keep an eye on her and let me know if she left the compound or did anything to hurt herself.
I headed straight to my room, trying to hold back the tears until I got there. The second the door closed, I let them fall.
I grabbed my phone and called Laura with my shaky hands, trying to get my tears back under control. They just kept coming though.
The phone rang a few times before Laura picked up. "Hi Nat!" she exclaimed excitedly. I was silent except for the sobs that wracked my body. "Oh my gosh, Nat, are you okay?" I heard Laura ask. I was scared to talk, knowing I couldn't control the shake in my voice but Laura already knew I was crying so there was no point in hiding it.
"No," I cried out, still fighting against my tears to try to make them stop.
"What happened honey?" I heard her gentle voice ask.
"Wanda drugged me. She drugged me Laura, before the party." Laura already knew about the party, I had texted her and Clint all about it.
"Oh honey, deep breaths," she soothed me over the phone. I missed her. It was embarrassing crying over the phone to her but I needed her comfort.
"Laura, I don't know what to do," I said, calming down slightly.
"Right now, your only job is to calm down. Keep taking deep breaths for me."
I tried to listen but I felt like I couldn't intake any air. I felt panicky and shaky but I didn't know why. I wasn't afraid of Wanda, why was I shaking?
"Laura, I just left Wanda after her meltdown, I couldn't be in there anymore, I screwed up," I sobbed, tears picking up again. How could I be such a terrible mother and leave Wanda alone in the gym. I got up to go find her.
"No Nat, you didn't screw up, Wanda was the one who messed up in this situation. I want you to take some more deep breaths. In, and out."
I was walking down the hall now, heading back to the gym, while I choked on my sobs.
"I need to go find Wanda," I told Laura.
"No Nat, she's fine, text someone to have them go find her. You do not need to comfort her right now, where are you?"
"I'm looking for Wanda."
"Go to your room Tasha," she told me with a firm edge to her tone.
"I can't, I need to find Wanda, she could be panicking right now."
"Natasha," Laura snapped. "Wanda is fine, you are the one panicking right now, you need to go to your room to finish calming down." Laura had a way to make me feel like a child with one word. I listened though and turned around and walked back to my room.
I hated myself for falling apart like this but I couldn't handle my emotions. I couldn't believe that Wanda had drugged me. It was a little too much for me to handle.
"I'm in my room," I mumbled to Laura after I got back to my room.
"I'm sending Clint over to the compound now, he should be there in a few hours max, do you need me to come too?"
"No Laura! You don't need to send Clint, I'm fine, I promise!" I tried to convince her. I couldn't keep taking Clint away from his family to deal with me and Wanda.
"Then you're coming over here," she told me matter-of-factly.
"I can't, Wanda has school."
"So Wanda stays there and you come."
"I can't leave Wanda," I told her. There was no way I was leaving Wanda. She was already terrified I was going to hate her. If I left her, she definitely wouldn't like it.
"Then Clint is going over there, this is not up for discussion Natasha." There she goes again, making me feel like a teenager again.
"Fine," I mumbled, not happy that I was pulling Clint away from his family. Lila and Cooper were going to start hating me soon.
"Good, you sound calmer," Laura exclaimed. I had mainly stopped crying and was now just sitting, trying to pull in big breaths of air.
"Yeah, I am, thanks Laura," I told her sincerely. I had no idea what I'd do without her. "What do I do? I can't exactly spank her again, I already punished her."
"Nat, she stepped way out of line, that can't go unpunished. She should never, ever have drugged you."
"It was only with melatonin and NyQuil," I told her. I didn't mention the ibuprofen PM but even that wasn't a big deal.
"It doesn't matter, she still drugged you to try to achieve something. She knew what she was doing and could have easily not done it. This is not on you Nat, this is not your fault. You don't have to justify Wanda's actions, she was wrong. She's 16, she should know better."
"Yeah but it's not like she injected me with anything."
"She still drugged you Nat, it was not okay and she needs to know that. I know you know what I would've done if you had done that to me." I knew exactly what she would have done but I had already given Wanda several spankings. I couldn't give her another one.
"I can't give her another spanking Laura, she's too sore."
"That never stopped me from doing it to you." I squirmed at that statement, not enjoying the memories that came with it.
"I know, she'll hate me," I protested weakly. I really didn't want to have to spank her again. "Besides, I only spank her when she puts herself in danger."
"Nat, drugging you put her in danger. I know you know that. Listen, I know it's hard but you have to be firm or she'll do it again. She needs to know that she crossed a line that night. If you had overdosed, she could've died on that sidewalk that night." That made my tears pick up as my heart clenched, thinking about losing her. If I hadn't found her when I did, I don't know what would have happened.
"I know," I whispered. I knew what I had to do but I didn't think I would be able to.
It had been a while and I had calmed down. Laura was still on the phone with me and Clint was currently on his way.
"Thanks Laura, I have to go check on Wanda now," I told her.
"Are you sure you can handle it? You can wait until Clint gets there."
"No, it's okay. She's probably worked herself up into a full panic attack by this point. I really need to go find her." I could feel my worry spiking as I thought of Wanda lying alone in the gym, sobbing her little heart out, struggling to breathe.
"Okay Nat, call me if you need anything. I love you."
"Love you too."
I hung up and went into the bathroom to rinse off my face, trying to remove the red splotches. As soon as I finished that, I took off in search of Wanda. I really quickly checked our room and then asked, "FRIDAY, where is Wanda?"
FRIDAY paused for a second and I asked again, waiting for a response.
"FRIDAY?" I questioned, wondering if she was turned off.
"Sorry Ms. Romanoff, Ms. Maximoff is in Mr. Stark's lab." My heart rate jumped up when I heard that. There were a lot of dangerous things in there.
"Is anyone with her?" I asked frantically as I started towards the lab.
"Yes Ms. Romanoff. Mr. Stark, Mr. Rogers, and Ms. Potts are with her currently." I was glad that Wanda had a support system when I was too weak to take care of her. I still hated myself for leaving her.
As I got closer to the lab, I was able to hear heart-wrenching cries. I knew that they belonged to Wanda and it killed me to hear her cry like that.
I entered the lab and saw Pepper holding her, bouncing her in her arms. Everyone but Wanda looked at me as I walked in. I didn't know if Wanda would want me so I stood by the door, watching as Wanda sobbed. I felt tears spring to my eyes at the sight.
Steve came over and gave me a hug. I choked down some sobs as I pulled away, heading to my girl.
"Wanda?" I spoke gently. She didn't lift her head off of Pepper and instead tried to bury further into the crook of Pep's neck. "Wanda baby, I'm here, I'm sorry I left you," I spoke, placing a hand on her back.
"I'm sorry," she cried as she lifted her head off of Pepper and turned to look at me. "I'm so sorry mama." I watched as Pepper set her down. Wanda just stood there, curling into herself as she cried and I moved over to her and pulled her into a hug.
"Shh, I'm sorry I left," I whispered into her ear as I rubbed her back.
I had no idea what to do next but for right now, I was perfectly content with holding my girl.