Choosing You

Chapter 1 Emptiness

It is agonizing.

Every bullet that goes through him feels so real against my own body.

I start to scream on top of my lungs because it is so painful.

I feel like I'm out of breath. I'm out of life.

I realize that he's gone. Forever.

My only family. My only true best friend. My strength. My twin.

I feel weak and hopeless as I drop down on my knees.

Wanda sat up on the bed still screaming but suddenly stopped because she didn't want to wake up everyone at the compound. She felt the cold tears running through her eyes. Her hair was almost dripping wet from the cold sweat. She sat still on the bed, trying to breathe more slowly, but the nightmare was still fresh in her mind.

It was 5 in the morning and she knew that she should get more sleep to get through the day. The day she would finally going to say goodbye to her other half. The day she had to realize that he would never come back. Not now. Not ever.

But she was so afraid about the nightmare that might come creeping into her sleep. So she decided to have a warm shower to wash out any trace of it. After the shower, she put on a black dress with silver touch, which was her brother's favorite color and a black ankle boots. She dried her hair and let it fall back on her back as usual.

Wanda got out of her bedroom and tiptoed to the front door to get some fresh air. As she passed the dining room, she heard someone called her name. Wanda was kind of surprise that anyone would be awake at this hour. Didn't want to seem rude, she got back to the dining room to find out who was calling her.

"You're up early, Cap." It turned out to be the leader of the Avengers. He was standing near the kitchen set, about to make up some breakfast.

"For the millionth time, just call me Steve." He insisted. "Just get back from my morning run. How about you?"

"Can't sleep." She gave him a short answer. He looked like he was not satisfied with the answer and about to ask something further, like he usually did, but this time, he let it slide. Maybe, he finally realized that she was not going to open up to anyone ever again.

Since her parents died in the explosion, it was always only she and Pietro, together, against the world. He listened to all of her ramblings and made her laugh at his jokes. Now that he was not here anymore, she didn't think that opening up to others would do her any good. She was alone now.

At first the other Avengers were trying to make sure that she was okay. She lied and told them that she was going to be okay. But how could she ever be okay after half of her heart was ripped out? Gradually they came to an understanding that she just wanted to be left alone for mourning time, that they stopped asking. But it was different with Clint and the Captain.

Clint, probably still felt guilty after what her brother had done to him that he tried to be close to her and protected her, as her brother would. She didn't really mind him being like that, because he was really a good guy and she thanked him to let her brother's name lived through his son, but it still hurt her to see him. Otherwise the Captain, probably he just didn't want her to feel left out, after she was recruited for the new Avengers. He was nice like that. She thought that it was because he was from the 40s that he became such a gentleman.

"Do you want some pancakes? I've been known to make quite a tasteful pancakes." He grinned sincerely.

"No, thanks." She gave him a weak smile. She really appreciated the gesture, but lately she didn't have any appetite.

"You going somewhere?" He asked looking concerned as if she would flee out of the compound. Well, she thought about it. Being there in the Avengers Facility, knowing that Stark had every control of it, made her sick. But she had no place to go, as she didn't have anyone else out there. So she stayed.

"I'm just going to go out and get some fresh air before..", her voice trailed off. She couldn't even finish the line without the feeling of her tears welled up on her eyes. She didn't want the Captain to see her like this. Like a fragile child. Therefore, she turned around and slowly headed to the front door.

"Wanda, you know that we're here for you, right?" His voice was so gentle that she almost believed it to be true. But the thought of trusting people other than Pietro was near impossible for her. Without looking back, she gave him a slight nod and continued to go outside.

Wanda walked slowly into the front yard, taking in the feeling of the early morning. Although it was almost the end of April, the early morning breeze was still chilling. The grass was covered with morning dew and the trees were becoming more alive with more branches growing new green leaves. The sun was appearing slowly from behind the trees and the sunlight gave her a warm feeling on her skin. But inside, she felt cold as ice.

Wanda walked around for a bit and finally, breathing heavily, she dragged her feet around the compound into the backyard. There she found some of the Avengers and SHIELD agents such as Thor, Vision, Sam, Natasha, Tony, Rhodes, Maria and Fury. They all turned at her and gave her a sad look. She hated that. She always hated being the center of attention, let alone for a very sad situation. She hung her head down as she walked past them toward an empty seat in the front.

Not long after she sat down, Wanda saw that The Captain and Clint were walking toward them with a black casket on their shoulders. She stared at them feeling empty inside. She felt her tears were welling up but she tried to hold them back. She wanted to be strong, not only for her, but also for Pietro. He was definitely wanted her to stop being sad and start being proud because he died a hero. But that was the problem. He died. When they got to where the people were circling around, they put down the casket cautiously into the ground. Clint took a sit at Wanda's right side and suddenly spoke up.

"Here we are gathered to allow ourselves to say the last goodbye to one of the bravest young man I've ever known. Pietro Maximoff was a hero for all of us and for me he was so much more. He sacrificed his life to let me be a husband and a father, and for that, I will forever be grateful." He said this with sincerity while holding Wanda's hands, tried to give some of his strength to her.

"Pietro Maximoff was the symbol to us all that even in the darkest of time, you can still have the option to choose humanity and did the right things." The Captain continued with the kind words. After several people spoke up about Pietro, they all looked at Wanda again and she knew that it was time for her to say something. She realized that she fell silent for sometime, because she could hear Clint called her name with a worry tone. She tried to open her mouth, but she knew that she couldn't muster up her voice without breaking into tears.

"Wanda?" Clint called her again as he took a strand of her hair behind her ear.

"I..Pietro..He.." Just three words and her tears were already streaming down on her cheeks. She couldn't do this. Her tears kept falling as Clint pulled her into his arms. He held her tight and tried to comfort her. Knowing that Wanda could never say anything between her sobs, Clint nodded to the Captain to lower the casket. As Wanda heard the casket's lowering, she lost it. She broke out of Clint's arms and knelt beside the casket.

"No..No..Pietro..No..! Please..Please don't leave me. Please don't let me be alone. Please.." She cried her eyes out, not caring about all the staring she got, because she knew that this would be the last time. She didn't know whether it was because she didn't get enough sleep or didn't take her breakfast or the inevitable pain she felt, that she suddenly lost her consciousness. All she can remember was the strong arms that kept her from falling into the ground.