After
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| AFTER
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TO MANY, WANDA MAXIMOFF HAD DISAPPEARED OFF OF EARTH.
Not many people knew her. Well, really knew her. Not many understood her. The ones who had — they were dead. Six feet under the ground, rotting into a skeletal corpse.
Her brother was taken from her, and she'd felt completely lost. Without her parents, her twin, her home, even her damned country she'd felt like she had no other choice but to join the Avengers. Yet . . . She wanted to. She was compelled to them, the idea of possibly gaining another family. And for a while, it was like that. Things were . . . Peaceful. If she closed her eyes and pretended, she could act like everything was alright.
But after that damned treaty with the government Tony Stark (their leader) signed, everything changed. The Avengers split up, like a giant rift shifting. Wanda chose to follow Steve Rodgers, since she had grown closer to him and . . . She trusted him. He guided her steps, each one, and he taught her how to maintain self-control. He helped her a lot, so in return, she provided him with her loyalty. She'd follow him anywhere.
Except — something, or someone — almost held her back. Vision . . . She was compelled to agree with the wretched treaty, to succumb to the orders of the government and lock herself up, away from the public. If only to please Vision. It wasn't too bad, either, confined in the Avengers Tower. Vision entertained her plenty.
But . . . She craved freedom. She didn't want to be trapped, which was exactly what she was. She wanted to go out, and no one could stop her. With her friends' help, she managed to disobey Vision, Tony Stark, and the government and forge her own path.
In the process, it led to a lot of fights. Like . . . One at the airport. She'd battled so many people, some of who she didn't even know existed. A man in a black panther suit with impeccable speed had caused her many problems, and of course Tony himself in that enhanced iron suit had really given her a run for her money. Yet, she managed.
Through all the chaos, she'd noticed a boy. He seemed youthful, maybe around her age, even. If not, younger. He talked too much, and seemed to admire the people he was fighting. He complimented Captain America, even after taking his shield. Wanda found that fascinating. Was he naïvely innocent, or just plain stupid? She guessed—
Both.
She discovered he was called Spider-Man — judging from the costume, and webs he shot out from his wrists, it made sense. He also seemed to have super agility and even strength, since when she attacked him with cars he managed to fend her off well enough. She felt (slightly) bad for fighting him, but what else was she going to do?
It was her duty. Everything depended on her escaping with her comrades. She couldn't let anything slip up, or get ruined. And even though she'd ended up getting captured and locked up, in the end, she was freed by her friends. She had faith in them, and knew they'd get to her eventually. With them, she felt freer than . . . She'd ever been.
While she was on the run from the government (who were thirsty for her head) she reunited with Vision. All the past feelings she'd held for him, or could have, resurfaced. He'd offered her a secretive place to stay somewhere in London, and pleaded for peace with her. She'd agreed, and they'd rekindled the flames they used to have. It was slow, and it was steady, but Wanda trusted Vision, no matter what happened. She knew he wouldn't intentionally hurt her. Not if he couldn't help it . . .
She'd really loved him. Truly. Even just thinking of him, her throat constricted and her heart swelled. Her stomach erupted and twisted with butterflies. She wondered if her brother would approve of her tragic romance. Probably not. But it wasn't like she could ask him. He'd left her long ago, and no matter how much she hoped, she couldn't —
She couldn't bring him back . . .
Just like she couldn't bring back Vision.
She had feared, deep down, that she'd lose him. He held the Mind Stone within himself, which made many enemies crave for his death. Only a few would be powerful enough to actually kill Vision — that few, included Wanda. But she never dreamed of murdering the person she considered her lover. Sure, she once forced him psychically away from her to escape the Avengers Tower with Clint Barton, but that was different.
She wasn't trying to kill him, she was just trying to leave with her friend for a better life. And she knew Vision only wanted to help her. He sought to protect her, but Wanda's version of protection didn't match up to Vision's. Their views weren't the same, and so they fought — but then again, didn't all couples? It was only natural.
However, when a sinister threat rose up from the ashes, she realized she would have to potentially sacrifice the only person she romantically loved. No matter how much she argued against it, and refused, Vision still insisted. They'd spoken of it before, her destroying the Mind Stone (and him) to save the world. But she hadn't thought—
She didn't think she'd actually have to do it someday.
She was the naïvely innocent and stupid one, now.
When Thanos' army arrived to take Vision, she fought. She fought as hard and fiercely as she could, and for the most part, it worked. She protected Vision like he'd tried to protect her, and their roles were reversed. He begged her to let him go, but she just didn't want to. It was so hard — too hard — to let go of someone else she loved dearly.
Steve backed her up, claiming it was too big of a sacrifice to make. And so, hidden within Wakanda, Vision had undergone an operation. The man in a black panther suit who she'd previously fought had turned out to eventually be her ally, providing her with the resources she needed to get Vision help. Apparently, the Black Panther's little sister could perform a surgery which would safely remove the Mind Stone from Vision.
Wakanda truly was a magical place, and Wanda had wondered why she didn't come here before. The technology was remarkable, and she admired it well. The Winter Soldier was also there, with his metal arm, and him and Steve often moved off to talk quietly amongst themselves. When Thanos' army arrived for a second time, Wanda realized they might not have enough time for the surgery to properly be conducted.
And she was right.
In the end, she'd had to sacrifice Vision. She'd lost him. She'd killed him. The Mind Stone was destroyed, and Thanos was stopped. She thought he couldn't do anything to fight her anymore. Until — he used the Time Stone to rewind time, and kill Vision himself. He took the Mind Stone forcefully, and Wanda was helpless to stop anything as she was forced to watch her partner die a second time. Only, now it was much more painful, and at a complete stranger's hands. That revelation filled her with pure fury.
When Thanos had claimed he understood her pain — she'd wanted to wring his neck, right then and there. She'd lost everything. He had taken everything from her. And she would never forgive him. Never. Not until the day she died. As long as she was up and breathing, she would not rest until she hunted down Thanos, and made him suffer.
When he snapped his fingers, with that damned gauntlet, she'd . . . Felt herself die. She had felt it coming as it crept up on her. A slow, inkling sense of terror had filled her up as she gradually dissolved into dust. She had watched herself fade away, and had tilted her head up to the sky and let it happen. She figured maybe, she'd end up with Vision.
After what felt like a few seconds to her passed, she returned. She knew she had died, but somehow, she was . . . Brought back. She felt just like she had before. Angry, and thirsty for vengeance. When her fellow magic-user 'friend' Doctor Strange had helped her up and told her it'd been five years since she was 'dusted' she'd felt . . . Horrified.
So many things had changed. So many people had changed. The world had moved on without her, and that was . . . Scary. She knew life moved on after people died, but she never expected to die and then come back to see the changes after death. It was frightening, but also infuriating. She was alive again, and going to make who killed her, and her comrades and friends, pay. She was going to make Thanos go through hell.
And she did.
She kept her vow to herself, and tracked down that purple bastard through the battlefield. She stopped him, right in his tracks. He didn't even remember her. The prospect made her want to both laugh and snarl with anger. If he couldn't even recall her after he'd taken everything from her, then she'd improvise. She'd make him remember. She'd make him know exactly who she was. He'd never forget her again.
She had been so close, too. So close to killing him . . . She'd lifted that asshole up into the air, and concentrated with all her might and power. Which was a lot. She could feel herself ripping him apart, she could feel as she began to tear him in two. She was only stopped when Thanos himself panicked, and ordered his own troops to rain down fire.
He sacrificed his own army just to stop her.
He was scared of her. He understood her power, and that she was a threat.
He barely managed to escape from her. But in the end, it didn't matter. He might have gotten away from Wanda for a second time, but she'd done her job. She'd made him suffer, gave him as much pain and terror as she could. And Tony Stark — he finished her duty for her. He killed Thanos, and all of Thanos' troops. Turned them all to dust.
At the cost of his own life.
The loss of Iron Man hit the world hard. No one knew what to do. The world had lost her greatest defender. Without Tony, everyone was in a disarray. The planet's most intelligent, sharp man was dead. A hero was dead. Wanda had attended his funeral. She'd seen everyone there, standing mournfully. Some holding back tears; others crying. She'd stared at the memorial being slowly lowered into the lake, and read the words imprinted upon dark metal. 'PROOF THAT TONY STARK HAD A HEART.'
Then she'd had to try and hold back tears, too.
Maybe her and Tony had their fair share of fights. Maybe they bickered and argued, and she got along much better with Captain America than him. Maybe she got on his nerves, and maybe he got on hers. Maybe they didn't care for each other as much as they cared for other people. But — they still cared. Deep down, they did care for each other. Wanda had learned that when she'd confronted Tony for helping to lock her up in the Avengers Tower. He'd claimed he was just trying to protect her. And . . . He was.
It hurt when he died. It hurt when she saw the people around her broken and shattered over his death. It hurt when she saw that young boy she'd thrown cars at crying into his sleeve, sitting at the shore of the lake by himself. It'd hurt when she'd seen another boy, Harry or Harold, maybe Harley? move over and comfort him. It'd hurt especially when she saw Tony's daughter confused as to why her father was gone.
Clint had seen her standing by herself, simply watching, and had approached her. They'd talked — of Tony. Of Natasha. Oh, Natasha — Wanda's heart still dully ached.
The fellow redheaded woman had sacrificed herself to help bring Wanda and the others who'd been 'dusted' back. She'd saved Clint's life, and offered up her own. She'd killed herself jumping off of that damned cliff. Mount Vormir, was it? A place marked with tragedy. Upon learning of her death, Wanda had been secretly devastated.
Maybe if she hadn't been killed, she could've saved Natasha.
The woman had done so much for her. While Wanda was on the run with Steve, Natasha had paid her frequent visits. Giving her advice, tips, and even helping her train. She didn't assist her with her magic like Steve did, but she did teach her hand-to-hand combat. She instructed Wanda on how to rely on things other than her mind.
With Natasha, Wanda felt . . . Empowered. Like she wasn't alone. Because she wasn't. She still remembered that battle at Wakanda, where she'd gotten pinned down by that one blue bitch she didn't know (or couldn't remember) the name of. Just when she thought she was going to die, Natasha appeared. A light in the dark, she'd saved her.
"You're going to die here, alone."
"She's not alone."
Wanda wiped at her face, sighing. She dwelled on the past too much. But there wasn't anything to think about other than the past. She had no future. The world still feared her, and she couldn't control it. She couldn't prevent it. There was no use in trying, either. All she could do was focus on herself. But . . . She just didn't know what to do.
Steve was gone. When he'd retreated back in time to return the Infinity Stones, he'd come back old and withered away. She'd been horrified to hear of his condition. Her basic mentor, her close friend, had given up everything. Everyone. She didn't understand why. It had broken her heart, but she tried her very best not to let it show.
Bucky seemed to catch on, though. He'd approached her after talking with Steve, and had rested that metal arm on her shoulder. He'd comforted her, and promised her that Steve was just old, not dead. Yet went unsaid between them. They had relied on each other heavily, and Wanda had taken solace in the fact that at least Bucky was still with her, and Sam. The people who'd been on the run with her . . . Weren't all dead — yet.
Now, she was hiding in some beaten-down bungalow in Europe. Bucky had gone with Sam, helping him as he took on the role of the new Captain America, approved by Steve himself. Steve was living with the Hulk — or, Bruce as he insisted everyone call him. Bruce had managed to control his anger and was now much calmer when he transformed into that huge, bulking green beast. Still, he sometimes freaked her out.
Rolling over on her futon which she pretended was a bed, she wondered where that sad spider boy was. Or . . . Spider-Man, as he called himself. But he really was no man. Just a terrified kid with superpowers. Much like her. She knew without needing to be told that he'd been close with Iron Man. Like how . . . She was close with Steve. Maybe even more so. And even though she'd fought him, she still had become his ally during the last war with Thanos. She'd seen him fight yet another time. Carry that gauntlet.
And . . . She'd also protected him.
She sighed, and closed her eyes.
Things weren't as simple as they used to be. She'd thought she had a purpose being with her brother, protecting him. But when he died, she lost her purpose and sense of will. Joining the Avengers, she thought she could regain it. But she'd lost that, too, when the world turned fearful of her, and she'd become a criminal. She thought she'd found a purpose with Vision, loving him and just being with him. But when he died, she'd lost that as well. She thought she could have a purpose with Steve, helping him as Captain America. But when he returned much older, she realized he was lost, too.
And now so was she.
She wondered if she'd ever find another purpose ever again.