PREVIOUSLY ON | 13

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Juniper Lea walked into a bedroom, not hers, rather a new Avengers. She leaned against the doorway, tapping a skeleton like hand against the door.

The brunette turned to her tears in her eyes.

"I head about what happened, I'm sorry for your loss and I'm Juniper, or you know Death, take your pick. Joking, but I was wandering if you would like to maybe say a goodbye to your brother."

"I'm sorry?"

"Oh."  The bleach blonde girl chuckled slightly, her short and choppy hair bouncing as she made her way in, taking a seat next to Wanda.  "I'm able to commune with the dead, sometimes I'm strong enough to conjure them, but only for a short amount of time."

Wanda looked at her, watching the ghost like girl with caution. She meant no harm but Wanda wasn't ready to see her brother just yet. She shook her head and the other nodded in understanding.

"That's cool, so Wanda Maximoff, yeah?"

"Yeah —"

"So what are we watching?"

"We?"

Wanda looked at the woman in bewilderment. Had she just invited herself to join her.

"You need to someone to cry to, listen grief follows me, I'm happy to play therapist or be your friend."  Juniper said, patting the girl on the shoulder.

She was aware that she was being forward but from her own experience people sometimes felt better if they knew they had someone to lean on.

"The Dick Van Dyke show."  Wanda said, settling down next to Juniper on the bed.

It was nice, having someone there. Juniper was almost like a breath of relief and Wanda needed that. The girl rested her head on Juniper's shoulder, she smiled down at her, resting hers on Wanda's.

Juniper liked this. She needed someone who knew her outside of some druggie, some useless druggie. Juniper was so much more then that — she had to prove it, she will prove it.

"You know, I'm making a huge sacrifice here."

Wanda glanced up at Juniper.  "You are?"

"Yeah. I mean Tony said I could help him make myself a new watch, it's meant to help me, apparently. But instead I'm watching sitcoms."  She shook her head slightly, laughing to herself.

Wanda joined in.

"They're not that bad."  Wanda defended.

"Please."  Juniper dragged out, smirking as Wanda looked at her with a mock off offence.

•••

"Juniper Lea, huh, Death herself."  Agatha commented, she watched the two women interact for the first time before looking down at Wanda.

"It was the first time we met, she was fresh out of rehab, I was new. She was easy to be around." Wanda said, sadness in her eyes as she stared at her late best friend. Her dead best friend she had brought back to life — sort off.

"I can't imagine why."

•••

As the show went on Wanda couldn't help but begin to tear up. Juniper looked dow at her, moving her arms to hold the women close, rubbing her back as Wanda latched on to her.

"He says he's so proud of you, all of them are."  Juniper promised, accidentally causing Wanda to sob.

She appreciated the words, she truly did. Wanda didn't mean to break down on Juniper.

The Lea women didn't care, she held Wanda, allowing her to cry, to grieve. From the sound of it Wanda was pretty powerful person, and powerful people are allowed to cry.

Wanda related Juniper's hold to that of a mother's. Juniper would of made a splendid mom, she just didn't want to be one.

"I don't know what you are feeling, but I am here, I will be at your side and I will listen when ever you need me."  Juniper promised, feeling Wanda grip her tighter.  "Ok, I can't do that if you crush my ribs."  Juniper told her.

Wanda mumbled a sorry loosening her grip as the girls rested back down, Wanda wrapped up in Juniper's arms.

"You told Jar —"  the girl shook her head,  "— vision! You told Vision the only thing that would bring you comfort would be to see Pietro again, and I'm still kind off high, do not tell Steve or Tony, but when I'm completely sober up maybe you can have a conversation with him, I mean I'll have to be in the room but I can put my headphones in."

Wanda dried her eyes, her head still resting on Juniper's chest.  "I'd like that."

•••

"Oh, what a sweet angel, shame she killed —"

Wanda snapped her eyes from the scene, giving Agatha Harkness a warning look. It was one thing walking down memory lane but it was another to hear someone brush of her best friends depression.

"— herself."  Agatha said.  "What was it that caused that? It can't have just been her depression."

"She was on drugs, she was depressed, she was reliving flashbacks."  Wanda listed sadly.

Oh, if only she noticed. If only Wanda had seen the pit Juniper had fallen down, the ever growing rabbit hole.

"How selfish of her to not bring herself back."

"What?!"

"Juniper Lea, the physical embodiment of Death, she knew how to bring back people, including herself."

"She wouldn't though."  Wanda stated.

"No."  Agatha hated to agree.

Juniper knew that to bring herself back, three people at random would have to die, simply to balance it all out. Juniper was powerful and that had a price. A life for a life in most cases but the girl was Death, she was an angel, as she was a demon, and due to the power she held, she would have to let three others die.

The two girls left the scene, Wanda wondered on, looking around at the room whilst Wanda watched her.

•••

Juniper and Wanda had fallen asleep, limps intertwined with the blanket over them and the Dick Van Dyke show playing in the background.

It had been Steve Rodger's who had found them like that. He held a small smile as he stared down at them, moving to turn the show off before taking Juniper's phone from her coat, taking it to her room to charge — he had dealt with her many times worrying and wittering on because she forgot to charge it.

He soon moved back in, slowly taking Juniper away so she could sleep in a way that wouldn't leave her in pain, or if Juniper were to lash out in her sleep she wouldn't hurt Wanda.

There were a lot of precautions that had to take when it came to Juniper and her history of dealing with night terrors and attacks from the spirits.

No matter what they tried, the terrors and the nightmares wouldn't leave.

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