“Why don’t we begin with what about the situation makes you uncomfortable?” the therapist, Donna Rankin, suggested. She was a middle aged woman with kind brown eyes and shoulder length brown hair. The first time that Wanda had seen her, she had wondered if this was what an American ‘soccer mom’ looked like. But she was kind and patient and she had been helpful. When her trainers in Wakanda had suggested that therapy might help her control her powers, she had been resentful of the implication that she wasn’t in control of her emotions, but, after three months therapy with Donna, she had to admit she was finding it easier to keep control. It was also nice to have an older woman to talk to who wasn’t somehow in charge of her. In addition to issues of guilt and anger, Donna had also answered her questions on American culture; things that she couldn’t ask the other Avengers, like about dating apps. But today she had started the session saying she felt very uneasy at a developing situation among the Avengers.
“Well, I told you that Barnes is in the country for therapy?” at Donna’s nod, Wanda continued, “And I told you how I went to check on him, like Steve asked and my conversation with Stark?”
“Yes, if I remember, he persuaded you not to use your abilities on Mr. Barnes and we had a discussion about consent.” It had been an eye-opening discussion for Wanda. After it, she had asked her Wakandan trainers via video call about their thoughts and they had backed up what Stark and Donna had said. It was another aspect of using her powers that she had never thought of – the downside of learning morals from Hydra. She continued, “Well, then you remember that Barnes is staying with Stark and…it makes me uncomfortable.”
“Can you break down why so we can address the underlying reasons?”
“It’s the whole situation. I mean, having Stark…having him living with Stark.”
“OK – are you upset because Barnes has to live with Stark...”
“No!” she interrupted, “The other way! Steve, the team, they were always so understanding of my discomfort with Stark. But Barnes did kill his parents and why is that not the same? Steve says that Barnes wasn’t responsible and they said that about Stark and me too. But Barnes was actually there! Not just his name on a weapon.” She stopped and considered, “I think they are being hypocrites. Why was it OK for me to refuse to see Stark and not OK for Stark to refuse to see Barnes? How can Steve even ask this of Stark when he never even asked me to be other than civil?” There! She had said it; she had been worrying it over in her mind for the last few weeks. It had taken her almost a week to admit that she was uncomfortable with the situation at Stark’s. It took her another week to say in her own mind that she felt Steve Rogers was behaving in a less than good manner. Ever since she had met him, Steve had been her ideal of a person who makes good decisions, who knows the right thing to do. To find herself in disagreement with him, to think that he was wrong was worrying.
Donna Rankin was internally cheering. Wanda had been a somewhat frustrating patient, alternatively combative and stubborn. But at this moment, she finally seemed to be thinking for herself with a degree of empathy that the therapist had almost despaired of getting out of her. To get her to finally question the decisions of Steve Rogers was a step towards maturity that Donna had thought would take another year. Thank god that Steve Rogers had done something that touched on her deepest trauma; the one area in her life that Wanda was sure of (even if that frustrated Donna as well). “So, you are saying that it makes you uncomfortable that Stark is being asked to house and help Barnes since in the same situation, you were not asked to do such things. And you think that you, in a similar situation, would be very unhappy to be asked to do what Steve is asking Stark to do. Finally, that Steve has never asked you to do what he is asking Stark to do and that is wrong. Is that all of it?” She waited patiently for Wanda to process the series of statements. She had found that Wanda needed time to really think through statements of her feelings, to come to a decision about their correctness.
“Yes, I think so.” Her tone was considering at first but gained strength as she continued, “They should not ask Stark to do this and they should be grateful if he agrees to do this as he does not have to and I am going to tell them so.”
Donna did an internal fist pump and dance of victory as she placidly agreed that Wanda should express her moral concerns to the rest of her group.