Can't Ask, Don't Need, Won't Acknowledge

Chapter 18: Civil Discourse

“I didn't want you to be alone.” Natasha pulls the man into a tight hug, “Come here.”

Wanda sat awkwardly at the piano, she couldn’t bring herself to play anything but her fingers on the keys gave her a lot of comfort.

“Penny for your thoughts?” asked pepper. Wanda just shook her head. Pepper sighed and went and sat down next to the teenager.

“You know I saw the clips from Lagos, I heard what you called Steve,” she said keeping her tone soft.

Wanda turned red, “it was a mistake.”

“I don’t think it was Wanda. There is nothing wrong with wanting a family.”

“I don’t need a family,” she snapped back unhappy that Pepper was poking at her soft metaphorical underbelly.

Pepper wrapped her arm around Wanda’s shoulder, “you keep telling yourself that, your uncle Tony has just left for Vienna. So it will just be me, you and Vision here for the next few days.”

“I want to go! Why has he left without me?” Wanda angrily replied.

“Because you are not involved in this, your Mama and Uncle Tony are sorting this.”

“It involves me! I should be there,” argued Wanda back. “This is all my fault.”

Pepper looked at the teen sadly but knew she was not the right person to convince her otherwise. “Come on Wanda, get ready for bed darling. Then we can video call Natasha if you want.”

“No thanks, Good night.”

Pepper watched as Wanda slowly slunk away to her bedroom, anguish dripping off her body language.

……………………………………………

The next few days passed slowly for Wanda, she felt lost. Without training or a schedule, she was structure-less. Her days just revolved around cooking meals and moping. Vision was trying his best to lift her spirits with home comforts but it wasn’t really working. It was further compounded when the news broke through of the bombing in Vienna. Natasha had called her to tell her that everyone was ok, and she was to stay put in the compound. Despite the chaos around the world. Wanda was going to argue but she heard Natasha’s weary tone and thought better of it.

Vision wouldn’t even let her leave the building so she couldn’t even relax with the grass beneath her feet. She was trapped. It was the evening Pepper had gone out for a late dinner meeting such was the life of a CEO. She was stood next to Visions slowly stirring the dish of food. When an explosion outside lit up the window of the complex.

Wanda turned in worry, “What is it?”

“Stay here please.” Vision flew through the walls of the compound. Wanda felt the noise of someone entering the room behind her, she flung the knife off the side towards the assailant. She stopped the attack dead before it made contact when she realised who it was.

“Guess I shoulda knocked.”

“Uncle Clint! What are you doing here?”

“Disappointing my kids. I’m supposed to go water skiing. Cap needs our help. Come on.”

Clint reaches his hand out to Wanda, before quickly raising his bow again when Vision reappears in the room. “Clint, you should not be here.”

“Really? I retired for, what, like five minutes, and it all goes to shit.”

“Please consider the consequences of your actions,” replied Vision calmly.

“Okay, they’re considered,” joked back Clint, before turning his attention back to Wanda, “Okay, we gotta go. It’s this way.”

Wanda hesitated for a moment, “I’ve caused enough problems.”
Clint jogged over to the teenager he wrapped his arms around her, “You gotta help me Wanda. Look you wanna mope you can go to high school. You wanna make amends, you get off your ass.”

Wanda pulled away and looked into his eyes, for the first time she saw someone finally talking to her honestly not handling her like she was fragile and breakable. She nodded in agreement. Vision seeing Wanda’s reaction attacks Clint grabbing him in a headlock as he avoids Clint’s blows back by phasing.

“Clint, you can’t overpower me.”

“I know I can’t. But she can.”

“Vision, that’s enough. Let him go. I’m leaving,” stated Wanda firmly, her arms up in an attacking pose.

“I can’t let you, I promised Tony, Pepper and Natasha I would keep you safe here,” replied Vision.

“I’m sorry,” was all Wanda said as she sent him hurtling through the floors of the compound.