Chaos (Sequel to Agony)

Chapter 20

||"She's going to lie to you, with those insecure eyes hiding behind an insincere smile, and you're going to believe her and let her be."||

Leaving Pietro behind felt terribly wrong for some reason, but she rarely had time alone with Steve, and she didn't want to pass up her chance to be with him without the others around.

But she also wanted Pietro to have some time with Katarina as well. She needed him to find someone he could not only love, but trust.

Just in case things didn't turn out the way she wanted them to, she needed Pietro to have someone with him to help him move on.

"What are you thinking about?" Steve asked, one hand on the steering wheel, the other on Wanda's knee, holding it firmly. She traced the veins along his hand, feeling the blood move through from beneath his skin. The magic inside of her bubbled at her fingertips, asking for permission to feel him in touch and in spirit, but she pulled away, avoiding the temptation.

"Pietro can't do anything to help me, and now he feels useless," she said, pondering her own words.

The truth is, he wasn't useless, not while he was living and breathing. Pietro could never be useless, not to Wanda, and especially not to himself. Having him there with her, whether they were arguing or laughing, always made her feel complete. He was her twin, her brother, her best friend—he he would never be useless. His untamed love for her had no boundaries, and she knew he would do anything for her, even if he didn't agree with her choices.

And she believed that even after death, once they both lived their lives and made their own mark on the world, he would continue to love her.

Steve reached for her hand, the sudden warmth of his skin bringing her back, and he gave her hand a sweet kiss. She shifted in her seat so that she was facing him, and she brought her knees up and she placed her head on the head rest and admired him as he drove.

"Where are you taking me?" she asked him, staring as his lips formed a faint smile.

"Somewhere quiet; where we won't be disturbed."

Her body shivered for some reason, and he turned to look at her for a second, his eyes gleaming.

"I need quiet," she told him, their hands still intertwined.

"I know," he responded, and for some peculiar reason, she felt like crying. She didn't know if it was because of Pietro, or because of her situation, or even because of Steve, but she felt like crying. In Sokovia, with Nik, he had taught her how to suppress her emotions. He had made it abundantly clear that her emotions were a dangerous part of her powers—a deadly part, she had decided.

But ever since returning to New York, ever since seeing Steve again, and the others, she had felt that wall begin to crumble. Every day, she allowed a thin part of her emotions to slip past the wall, but she was always cautious, always aware of how much she let out, because even though he wasn't around anymore, Nik's words always echoed in her mind. His words reminded her of their progress, and she would always be thankful for what he'd done, but a person can only go so long before needing to feel.

The GPS brought them to a secluded area near an empty lake. Wanda hopped out of the car and stared out at the lake, the rippling water bouncing against the rocks at the shore. The only sound she could hear were the soft whistles of the leaves as the wind pushed past the trees. Other than that, it was quiet.

"This is amazing," she breathed out, her body automatically walking her over to the water. When she got the shoreline beside the lake, she could see —hidden behind a dozen thick trees—a house. It was covered in stunning reflective glass, with beams of wood holding up the structure in every corner and at every edge.