Chapter 4
For the next week, Wanda grew more comfortable as she and Steve settled into a routine. Sometimes in the morning Sam would stop by and the three of them would have breakfast, or sometimes it would just be her and the Captain. They would usually eat in the living room and watch the news. Towards the afternoon, Wanda would usually go for a walk and once she found the bank card Fury mentioned to her, she might grab a coffee or a snack. What Steve did in his afternoons she wasn’t sure of and didn’t want to pry. Later, in the evenings Steve would usually order some food and they would eat it while watching the news once again. Three meals a day, loaded with actual nutrients did wonders, and Wanda thought she might look less like a malnourished child and a bit more her actual age.
They didn’t speak much, and after she was done she would usually tell him goodnight before grabbing one of his books and reading until she was tired enough to fall asleep.
It was a relaxed schedule they were on that seemed to suit both of them for the time being. But she still checked the phone constantly, just waiting for Fury to finally call and tell her that Pietro was alright. Steve also had a habit of checking the computer and watched the news religiously. She felt his anxiety, and fervor to find… somebody. Sometimes she picked up on images of a man with dark hair and blue eyes, but mostly she tried not to listen to his thoughts once she decided he wouldn’t hurt her.
And she was fairly certain he wouldn’t hurt her. She could never feel any malice from him, directed towards her. If anything, there was a light curiosity but he always kept it at bay and tried to stay out of her way, something she appreciated the first few days she had been in his home.
With time she felt relaxed enough to go through the cupboards in the kitchen. There wasn’t much, what was there were flavorless food bars packed with calories and a few cans of soup.
Disrupting their schedule that day, a little over a week after she arrived, Wanda hit the supermarket and grabbed what she might need. A lot, when she remembered the bare cabinets.
When Steve got back from whatever it was he did most days, she was nearly done with the paprikash.
“I hope you don’t mind,” she called over his shoulder, “but this was my favorite growing up.”
“Smells good, but what is it?”
“Paprikash, now sit down. It’s almost finished.”
Instead of going to the living room where they usually ate, he sat at the little table just beside the kitchen. She loaded up two plates and sat one on either side of the table when she joined up.
She was only a few bites in when she felt the need to share, “this was the last meal I had with my parents.”
Steve looked up at her but she ignored him while she looked for the right words, “in our apartment when we were ten. My mom usually made paprikash on Wednesday.” Wanda shrugged and took a big bite.
“When I first got out of the ice and tried to figure things out, the trip to the grocery store was the oddest thing… well, after the internet anyway.”
She couldn’t help but smile, “why was the store weird?”
“There had been war rationing when I went under, and before that the country was in a depression. It was just weird to see a store so full. I thought it was all overpriced but had to keep remembering there was inflation.”
“Must have been a tough transition.”
“Nothing an alien invasion couldn’t distract from.”
She remembered the hole in the sky and the people running as fast as they could while a group of strange people gathered on the television, determined to stop the attack.
“Were you afraid?”
“No, it was familiar.”
And maybe she could understand that. For all the freedom she seemed to have now, since Wanda had been a child she was kept on a short leash. It hadn’t mattered, so long as Pietro was there in Strucker’s lab or whatever came next. But she was afraid now, of an uncertain future that may or may not involve her brother. It would have been familiar had Fury just locked her away in a SHIELD prison, but this was so much more strange to her. Nice, but strange.
Perhaps it was overkill, and maybe he didn’t want to hear it, but she just wanted somebody to know.
“I miss my brother. It’s like… like I’ve lost a part of myself. All I can think of most days is if he’s okay, how he’s doing and where he’s at. It would just be so much easier if I only knew he were okay.”
Steve had stopped eating but he wasn’t looking at her. His fist was balled up and Wanda sat down her fork and waited. The images that were flashing through his head were rapid but she caught them as though they were her own.
The man with blue eyes and dark hair, screaming shut up! Shut up! Shut up! In a uniform at the end of an ally, younger and a little less broken. Smiling, later in a land of snow and a train in the distance. And then falling, falling, always falling in Steve’s memories, one arm reached out and a sharp scream that could be heard even over the howling wind.
“Who was he?” Wanda asked, her voice shaking but she thought she might be seeing Steve for the first time.
He looked up at her, startled to be pulled from those terrible thoughts but doing his best to put on a peaceful façade. It failed when he saw her eyes, and as most people did when they saw the red, he grew fearful.
“Can you see into my thoughts?”
She felt her heart stop. She had shown her hand, and that her powers went beyond levitating things. She wanted to see how angry he was but stopped herself and looked down at her half-finished dinner.
“Yes.”
He sounded calm when he spoke, but she couldn’t bring herself to look back up. Her eyes were still their unnatural color and she didn’t want to frighten him anymore than she must have already. “Can you read anyone’s thoughts?”
She still couldn’t look up, feeling enormous shame for the invasion of privacy he must have felt because of her. After all he had done, Wanda knew she was probably out. Maybe it would be a SHIELD prison, because Fury must also feel compromised that she’d been able to see into his mind. She was dangerous, a freak with powers incomprehensible even to herself and much to hazardous to be left alone let alone a guest in somebody’s home.
“A bit,” she answered honesty, she owed that much. Her voice was shaky but she did her best to be non-threatening, especially since she couldn’t get her eyes under control. Still focused on her food and trying not to let her voice crack she answered quickly. “Telekinesis and mind reading. I feel what people feel if I open myself to it. And this,” She waived her fingers and watched the familiar red energy wrap around her fingers and listen to her silent commands. It was raw power and she knew it could do damage, but she dispelled it and locked back down.
“There might be more, but I’m not sure,” she whispered down to her lap.
“Wanda, it’s okay.”
“No, it’s not!” She responded instantly, knowing she had been wrong but unsure how he could possibly think it was okay. “I betrayed your hospitality, and I betrayed Fury’s kindness.”
Shame and guilt, that’s all it took for a few tears to escape, much to her horror.
“I’m sorry,” she managed to get out, despite the tears escaping now.
“Don’t be. Wanda, look at me.”
She inhaled and choked down her sobs before slowly looking back up. The edge of her vision was red, so her eyes probably still hadn’t returned to their natural state. What a devilish sight she must have been.
“You’re in a country you’ve never been to before and asked to trust two strangers with your life and your brother’s. If I were in your shoes and had your powers, I’d do the same thing.”
But he couldn’t possibly mean it, and before she could stop herself she was trying to look inside.
“Is that you?”
He felt her.
She let out a sob and looked away. “It’s instinct now,” she admitted.
Steve wasn’t looking at her but she was too afraid to look at anything but her plate. When he spoke, she prepared herself for the worst. “When I first got the serum… a lot of things happened at once. I wasn’t in pain anymore, and I could breathe without trouble. It didn’t feel like my body but my mind was still mine. It all took a lot of getting used to… No Wanda, I’m not angry and I do mean it when I say I understand.”
She took a deep breath, if only to calm herself and maybe stop the horrible choked feeling she had each time a sob came up.
There was the scrape of a fork against a plate before Steve spoke up again, “this stuff really is good.”
She couldn’t help but smile at that despite the few tears still ruining her eyeliner. Maybe everything would be alright after all.
The next night, after a day of normalcy between her and Steve, Wanda thought everything really would be okay. She had just set one of Steve’s books down and was getting comfortable in her bed when the phone rang.
It took her a moment to understand what was happening, and when she did her hands shook so badly that she struggled to answer the incoming call from Fury.
“Hello?”
“Just me, no signs of your brother yet.”
The disappointment was crushing but she tried not to let it sound in her voice, even if her shoulders slumped and she wanted to be upset.
“Oh, how are you Fury?”
“I’m fine. I just wanted to check on how things were going there?”
She sunk into the pillows she had propped up, “good, Steve is very nice. Sam too. It’s been fun exploring the city.”
“Met Wilson too, then?”
“Yeah. He comes by some mornings.”
“Well there are a few leads I’m going to take a look into, hopefully the next time I call it will be with your brother next to me.”
Wanda nodded, one could only hope for that much. Before he could hang up though, she had to ask, “Fury, did you bring me here because you want Pietro and I to be in the Avengers someday?”
The long pause that followed may have been answer enough.
“It was something I hoped you would be open to someday. We don’t have to figure anything out now, but once you’ve been reunited with your brother perhaps it’s something the two of you will consider.”
She doubted it but couldn’t speak for Pietro or where she might be in the future.
“Yeah, maybe.”
“Alright kid, I got to go but I’ll stay in contact.”
When he hung up, Wanda knew there would be no falling asleep so easily. She picked up the book and fluffed up her pillows before settling in for another few hours of reading.
She woke up late the next morning after having stayed up so much longer than she was used to. Mostly, she thought of Pietro and what she would do if she never saw him again.
When she finally did fall asleep, it was always with the image of a blur running away from her. Distant and alive, but deaf to her screams to come back.
It was just as she came out from down the hall, fresh from the shower and in a loose dress did she realize Steve had a guest that was not Sam.
The woman at the entrance was beautiful with curly blonde hair, but Wanda’s senses could pick up the lethal undertones that radiated from her. Steve didn’t seem super happy to have her here, but otherwise stayed off to the side.
“You must be Wanda.”
“I-yes.” She was unsure and weary of the woman before her.
“I’m Sharon, I live right next door.”
It took her a moment to place the name but it clicked eventually, “oh, you work for Fury? I think I have your phone number.”
“Yes. I was an agent with SHIELD before it collapsed. I’m with the CIA now, but Fury asked me to watch out for you along with Captain Rogers.”
At this, Wanda felt a spike of annoyance from Steve. Bad blood, she decided.
“I’ve been away for a while, but I’m here now if you need anything.” Sharon pointed to the door just visible through the open entrance, “and of course you can call me if something comes up.”
Sam’s presence registered to Wanda long before he made it down the hall and to the apartment just before things started to get awkward. He was carrying a small pile of newspapers and loose papers, his focus so intent on not dropping anything that, like she had done, it wasn’t until he was nearly into the apartment that he noticed Sharon.
“Oh, hey again. Back for good or just packing up?” he asked casually, perhaps sensing the tension between her and Steve.
Sharon wasn’t so easily shook, though, and shrugged it off easily. “I’ve been away but I’m back now,” she flipped open a badge, “Agent Carter, CIA.”
Sam smiled and said something that Wanda failed to catch. Sharon had seen the papers Sam had set down and while she had no outward appearance, Wanda could feel a mixture of emotions from the other woman.
Unsure if it would be right or wrong, the Sokovian took a light peak into Sharon’s mind and tried to pinpoint what emotions had been triggered by the documents Sam had brought with him.
Guilt, was the primary one she found. A little fear, and some uncertainty.
The Winter Soldier isn’t in the U.S. anymore. All intel points to Europe.
Sharon’s thoughts were a little muddled, but this piece of information she was going to keep to herself even though… well Wanda didn’t know why she needed to keep it to herself.
“Well I best be off, got a lot of unpacking to do. Wanda, again, if you need anything please don’t hesitate to call.”
It took her a moment to center herself, when she did she could only nod a bit, “ok, thanks.”
The door closed but Wanda was already gathering up her things. “I’m gonna go into the city for the day.”
She was too distracted by Sharon’s thoughts to know if Steve or Sam said anything before she left. She didn’t bother with a cab and enjoyed the fresh air as she put some distance between herself and the apartment.
At the café she had begun to frequent, she got the usual latte and blueberry muffin before continuing her walk.
Usually, she would have Pietro to be her soundboard, he would listen to her problems without judgement before giving advice, just as she did for him. Their separation was becoming more and more acute each day and it was only getting worse without knowing when she might see him again. She finally stopped her walk and took a seat on a bench just on the edge of a large park.
If Pietro were here right now…
So, I’ve been reading the thoughts of those around me, she would tell her brother. He would nod, long accustomed to her listening to him. Steve knows, but he might just be the only person who didn’t hate me when he found out.
At this, Pietro might tease her about having a crush on the Captain, it’s sort of hard to hate somebody when you like them more than you should.
She would deny it, and tell him Steve was just a good guy, but before he could start up his teasing again she would tell him all of her troubles. And today, there was a woman named Sharon. She seems nice, but it seemed very important to her that Steve not know this Winter Soldier wasn’t in the U.S. anymore, and that made her feel guilty. What are the ethics involved with mind reading? Do I ignore everybody around me unless it’s an immediate threat? But I owe Steve, so do I tell him?
And Pietro would say… what would he say, she wondered.
She finished off her muffin and balled up the little paper it came in.
It’s up to you. He might say.
These things are complicated…
She reached out with her powers as though Pietro would be close enough that they could be connected again. She reached out as far as she was able to go and found nothing familiar, too far to even pick up on Sam or Steve let alone the last of her family.
When she pulled away she nearly crumbled, feeling the loneliness once more.
You don’t have all the facts. Pietro would tell her, it’s up to you, but if Steve is as nice as you say he is, you should just be able to ask him what’s up.
That’s what Pietro would say, almost certainly.
She’d used to much energy reaching out and couldn’t quite reel it all back in. The tips of her fingers glowed red and she felt the wave of power that begged to be lashed out. Gently, she sent the red wisps away and watched them surround the nearby group of businessmen having lunch outside. They were in a heated debate but as soon as her powers surrounded them, they all seemed to calm down as she willed them to take a break.
Influencing was something she had just started to really practice in Strucker’s lab. First with small animals with mixed results. She had been able to get a rat to abandon his meal and return to the wall, and later could get men who were not paying attention to leave the room. If somebody was paying enough attention or concentrated on resisting her, there usually wasn’t much she could do and they would be able to break free.
Later, Wanda still took her walk around town as she tried to build up some of her strength. Years spent in Strucker’s lab may have enhanced her powers and mind, but her body still seemed mostly human and it needed conditioning to not grow so tired after just a bit of movement.
It was a little later into the afternoon when she made it back to the apartment. When she walked by Sharon’s door, she knew the woman was inside working. There was a bit of stress, but nothing excessive. Sam was gone, but Steve was still home and in the living room when she got inside.
“How was your walk?” he asked once she set her bag down, though she took the phone out and always kept it on her person.
“Good. It’s beautiful outside.”
She cleared her throat and wondered if she was overstepping her place before diving head first into things. “Who’s the Winter Soldier?”