Avengers: A Darker Shade of Scarlet

Has Anyone Ever Written Anything For You

Something in the air shifted. Dean looked at Wanda, noticing how her expressions quickly shifted from the tragic sadness to something more lost and distant. He reached out with his power and tried to feel her emotions. The hurt and sorrow had evaporated completely. Confusion took the place of those feelings, along with the edge of fear. Dean's eyes widened in shock as he stared into Wanda's and saw the total lack of recognition in them. Though the exterior was recognizable, the psyche within wasn't Wanda.

"Where am I?" she asked as she looked around self-consciously. "Who are you?"

She looked so afraid and small that Dean wanted to gather her up and protect her. He held back his emotions, not wanting to frighten her. Focusing his mind, he reached into hers and did everything he could to give her a sense of ease. Slowly, her expression shifted from fearful to just confused.

"Excuse me, ma'am," Strange said as he quickly moved in. "I'm a doctor. I can help you."

"I'm not hurt," Wanda said in a distant and lost voice. "I just...I don't know how I got here."

Steve and Tony exchanged concerned looks. Kyle looked at Dean and mouthed the words what the fuck?

"It's alright," Strange said as he placed a gentle hand on Wanda's shoulder. "You're safe. Like I said, I'm a doctor. Perhaps I can help you?"

Wanda became lost in thought, then, with a trembling voice, she looked up at Strange and said "I can't remember anything."

Dean turned his away and held Magni up against his chest as he struggled to keep himself together. Conscious of Dean's distress, Thor moved to him and put a protective arm around him while his other cradled Modi. "She's gone," Dean whispered.

"Why don't we go to a less crowded place so we can talk," Strange offered to Wanda, who acquiesced.

"Okay, what the hell just happened?" Sam asked after Wanda had been escorted from the room.

"She erased her memories," Dean said in a surprisingly calm voice. He turned around to face the room. "I looked in her mind and..." his composure failed him and he looked down at the floor and began to cry. "I looked in her mind and I couldn't recognize what I saw there."

Magni began to cry in Dean's arms and he welcomed the chance to put his focus on something else. He rocked the baby and kissed his head. "It's okay," he whispered. "It's okay. It's going to be okay." But he wasn't sure who he was reassuring more at that point.

"Dean," Sue said as she approached and put a hand on Dean's shoulder. "Why don't you go and lay down? You've got to be so tired."

Dean shook his head. "No. No, I want to be with my babies."

"Dean," Bruce said in a concerned voice. "You're running on fumes. You're exhausted."

"Fair One, I will bring the boys into our room and we can all be together," Thor gently explained. "You must rest."

"I need to know that she's going to be okay," Dean whispered.

"Strange will make sure she gets the help she needs," Steve said. "Now it's time for you to help yourself. Your family needs you and you can't pour from an empty cup."

Kyle nodded in agreement and moved to hug him. "Go get some rest," he said. "I'll call you later."

"Assuming I'm not grounded from my phone," Dean sighed.

Thor sighed and gently took Magni into his other arm. "Come, Fair One."

Dean walked beside Thor out of the room. As they moved, he spied Wanda sitting with Strange. She looked up at him but, as before, there was absolutely no recognition in her eyes. A flash of memories raced through his head, each as bittersweet as the last. He saw the scared and uncertain young woman who had no one. She came to live and work with the Avengers. And somewhere along the way, she found love and a family with them. He had watched her grow in confidence, and soon her smile came easier, along with her laughter. He weathered hardship and tragedy at her side. He took her pain into himself without hesitation because she had become a sister to him. What she had ultimately become and the horrific deeds she had carried out couldn't take away his love for her. They couldn't erase the joy of those memories they had shared. He promised himself that they never would.