Girl At War

The End - 40

**Final chapter! If there's anything funky about it, please let me know, because I basically patched together all the pieces I'd written for the ending beforehand. I hope they're in the right order! ;)**

The next morning found the team training. Eloyse was practicing using her powers with only one hand. Bruce had been right; her powers had weakened, but she was hoping if she worked at it, she could strengthen them again. Shyden was shifting back and forth, wildly chasing Bucky around. The two weren't really practicing, they were more like playing. Nat, Clint, and Steve were sparring as a triad. Tony was in the shade of the jet, tinkering with his suit. Pietro was trying to coax somebody or anybody into playing tag, but having no luck. Wanda was working by herself for a while, then she teamed up with Eloyse. When the two combined their powers, they were quite the formidable force.

Finally tiring of training, they turned their attention to pranks. Bucky was taking a break from being chased, so Shyden was in human form tearing after Pietro, who was kindly not using his speed. 

Both giggling madly, Wanda caused her brother to trip, while Eloyse sent hers rolling down a short incline. In a record amount of time, the two boys arrived. However, instead of revenge, they were looking to join the fun. Putting their heads together, they came up with plans to prank.

Wanda, from their safe distance, began slowly gathering all of Tony's tools into one spot, while Eloyse kept his hands away from the pile. Both girls went easy enough on the magic there was scarcely any visible. To round off their fun, they waited until Tony was getting frustrated at not being able to reach the pile, then Pietro dashed through, taking all the tools with him. He zipped to a spot a little distance away, but still on Tony's sight. Shyden, in his wolf form, bounded into view. Grinning maniacally, Pietro threw the tools, and the wolf brought them back as fast as he could. Finally Tony couldn't stand it. With a shout, he rose and headed for his tools. Shyden gave an odd little squeak and shifted in time for Pietro to swoop him up and be gone.

Their next joke was on poor Clint. He had quit sparring, and was methodically polishing his arrows. Pietro ran off, but soon returned and raced past Clint with a wet rag flapping in the wind. The archer sputtered and shouted after the speedster, but he was already gone. Appearing at Wanda's side, Pietro displayed his idea.

"Sprinkle dust over it."

Wanda grinned and snickered. She lifted a little dust from nearby and caused it to whirl around like a small dust storm. It whirled right through Clint and his polishing station. His eyes comically widened upon seeing the wet, muddy arrows he'd been polishing.

"This is mean.." Pietro snickered.

"He doesn't need clean arrows!" Shyden argued, laughing. The three teenagers agreed, giggling as they moved onto their next fun.

**********

Memories, flickering, there for a second, then gone. Maddeningly hard to remember, but Eloyse thought she had finally figured them out. She ambled off in search of Wanda, but instead found her twin. A moment of consideration, then she decided he would work just as well.
She stepped in front of the silver-haired speedster. "Help me."

"With what?" 

"An experiment."

Reluctantly, Pietro agreed. Facing her, he took her offered hands. Eloyse stared into his eyes, hard. The memories of words she'd heard after waking in the dark room were coming back more and more.

She has power.

Pietro stared back, seeing his reflection in her melt-brown eyes. Eloyse concentrated, forcing her mind to quit wandering.