Juniper, Billy, Tommy, Wanda and Sparky were at home whilst Vision was working, on weekend.
Billy was teaching Sparky tricks whilst Juniper was teaching Tommy the ways to win every game that involved a fifty-fifty chance.
And for the record, it was x I win, y you loose. So inevitably the you win because the other person doesn't listen properly.
Wasn't Juniper smart? The answer is yes, she won't accept any other answer, thank you.
The three on the sofa clapped after Billy had gotten Sparky to spin.
"Oh, bravo, Billy! You weren't so bad either, Sparky." Wanda complimented the duo.
A man's best friend is a dog, after all. Why would they be any different.
Juniper was slightly worried for the boys development. They aged quickly and as they pleased, surely that couldn't be healthy. You can see why she's worried, right?
"That was radical!" Tommy added, before turning his head towards him mother. Thoughts and wonder creeping around his mind. "Where dad! We gotta show dad!"
Tommy got of the sofa, ready to race and find his father.
Juniper looked at the boy. Again with that worry. She worried a lot. It was weird. But Vision had gone to work to escape and she couldn't help but feel bad for the kids.
"Oh. He's, he's at work." Wanda told the kids.
The twins were confused, Juniper couldn't blame them. They turned around, their joyful faces morphed into loss and confusion.
"Huh?"
"It's Saturday."
"No, it's not. It's Monday."
Juniper furrowed her brows, she looked at Wanda with intense confusion.
"This morning was Saturday."
Time in Westview was known to go at peculiar speeds, but the Maximoff twins and Juniper were fairly certain it was just Saturday. Then again, who knows?
Wanda was briefly lost for words, looking at her best friend with hopes for help.
Juniper just sat, head tilted, brow raised, arms crossed watch as Wanda looked for words. She saw no reason to help, for she didn't even know what was going on. Life was a mess and Westview was strange.
"There was an emergency at the office, and your father had to go in." Wanda decided, looking away from her friend and over to Tommy and Billy. "End of story."
The boys weren't convinced. They looked at each other, worry set in stone. They turned to their mother after the silent conversation.
Wanda had wide eyes. She knew Billy and Tommy didn't believe her, it rather hurt but she supposed they were just confused.
"Look, he just. He needed a distraction." The woman told them.
Oh lords. That was definitely not the answer the children were looking for.
Juniper's eyes widened as she stared at Wanda. Who on earth would think that was the thing to lead with? But then again, Wanda was a new parent to ten year olds with out ten years of practice.
"From what?"
"From us?" Tommy asked, his voice sorrowful.
Juniper shook her head at them.
"No! No way, no." Wanda said, quickly getting up to help them through her mistake. She guided the boys onto the sofa, Juniper moved to sit on the arm. "Sometimes your dad and I aren't on the same page, but that's just temporary." She promised. "Like the two of you might fight over toys, by he's always going to be you brother." She put an arm around Billy. "And he's always going to be yours." She said, placing her other arm around Tommy. "Because family is forever."
"Do you have a brother, mom?" BTommy questioned, looking at his mom with a tilted head.
"I do, yeah. He's far away from here, and that makes me sad sometimes."
Sparky began to bark, interrupting the families moment. The dog jumped out of Billy's hands and rushed his way to the door, yelping and barking at it.
"Hey, Sparky, what's up, boy?"
The dog growled.
"Something's scaring him."
Wanda's attention caught something. And soon enough Juniper caught the noise. Was it a helicopter? It sounded like one. Maybe a drone? Who knows?
"Stay here." She told the three as she got out, opening the door to go look, letting Sparky run free.
"Sparky!"
The three followed Wanda.
A drone was in the sky. Out of instinct, Juniper put her hands in front of the children, pushing the boys back and behind her whilst Wanda's eyes began to go red.
•••
Juniper, the boys and Wanda were in search for the lost pup. The boys called for the dog and Juniper listened to hear if her usual group of ghouls had seen anything.
Natasha, Tony and Pietro hadn't.
"Hey, what's the the trouble, little dudes?" A post man asked.
"We can't find our dog."
"Ah, don't worry. He's sure to turn up, your mom won't let him get far. Ma'ams."
Juniper looked at Wanda in confusion. God, that sentence hurt her head. Why would it be in Wanda's control? She didn't run Westview and sort out every second and every detail of it. At least, Juniper isn't aware that she can.
Once the post man left the four kept walking.
"I don't know where he could've gone."
They had practically done a loop when rustling could be heard from Agnes' bushes. Huh, how strange. Oh! Dog.
Juniper was wrong to think it was a dog playing in the bushes, but rather it was Agnes with the dog in the bushes. Normal Saturday afternoon in Westview.
Oh. Oh, fuck. The dog was dead.
"I, I didn't wanna come until I wrapped him up."
Juniper covered her mouth with her hand. Oh, oh poor Sparky.
She watched as the translucent, greyish version of the pup ran around the boys, it's little ghost tail waggling. Oh, sweet puppy
"What happened to him?" Wanda asked, stepping over to Agnes.
"Found him in my azalea bushes. Don't know how many leaves he ate, I didn't find him until it was too late." Agnes looked from Wanda to the still boys. "Tommy, Billy, I'm so sorry."
Juniper placed her hands on her nonbiological nephews, squeezing their shoulders. She bowed her head down, so the words she was about to utter would only reach them.
"He says goodbye, he's happy if it helps." She whispered her little promise.
The boys nodded at one another, coming to an agreement. One can only assume to age and run past the grief they felt
"Wait. Don't. Don't." Wanda said, kneeling in front of her pain filled sons.
"Don't what?" Tommy asked, his voice coming across defensive and snappy.
"Don't age yourselves up. The urge to run firm this feeling is powerful, I know." She placed her hands onto of Juniper's, reminding the boys that they had them for as long as they needed.
"It's too sad."
"You can fix anything, mom. Fix the dead."
Wanda was slight taken away.
It wasn't like it was l-
"What?" Wanda asked, thinking as she shook her head, taking a cautious look at Juniper. "No."
"You can do that?"
"Jupiter, please." The boys turned to ask, whilst Wanda looked at Agnes after the woman asked a question.
Wanda hands fell from atop of Juniper's, so the girl turned the boys to face her as she crouched down to be eye level.
"Tommy, Billy, I'm dreadfully sorry for your loss, but it's unfair on the dead to make them come back alive. They have to relive that pain, feel only that until their time comes around the second time. Do you really want Sparky to be in that much pain?" Juniper asked in whispers, looking up to make sure Agnes wasn't listening.
"No." The boys said softly.
"I will happily keep tabs on Sparky and I'll be your little translator, ok, but what is grief if not love?" Juniper asked, her thumbs rubbing circles on the boys' shoulders. "Somethings are forever, their are rules to living you know, you get one shot at it, you shouldn't rush it and you shouldn't try and relive it, death is final, it's inevitable and we can use it to grow."
"Mom said family is forever." Billy reminded them.
"He is family."
"The emotional aspect is, but no one can live forever, their memory can, ok. The love you feel for Sparky, is forever, not his physical being."
It was only a few seconds later Vision turned up.
Juniper stood up, placing a kiss on both of her nephew's heads.
Vision looked to see Agnes holding the dead dog. He slowly brought his hands out of his pocket and brought his sons towards him, bringing them in for a hug. "Oh, boys. Come here."
•••
Juniper, Billy and Tommy were upset, the three were lying on the girls bed, watching 101 Dalmatians. The boys had their heads on her chest, she had her fingers running through their hair, trying desperately to distract them from the pain they were feeling.
"Jupiter?" Billy asked.
"Yes, B?"
"Where is Sparky now?"
"He's curled up on the corner of my bed, next to my jumper." Juniper told him, placing a kiss to his head.
Tommy had fallen asleep roughly twenty minutes into the film, light snores leaving his mouth.
Juniper didn't remove her arm or stop playing with his hair, instead she let him sleep with his head on her chest to give the boy comfort.
Billy and her were awake, sharing a whispered conversation. Mostly about Sparky.
Tommy was forced away by the sound of Vision raising his voice. He groggily lifted his head not to sure what's going on.
Juniper pushed his head down gently, shushing him as she placed her hands over the boys ears, trying to keep her face neutral, as though there was going on.
Tommy was to tired to fight it and quickly fell asleep.
Billy looked at his aunt with wide eyes, he took her hand from his ear, his lip slightly jutted out.
"Jupiter, why are they fighting?"
"I don't know, darling, I don't know." She whispered.
The doorbell interrupted them.
"Stay here, I'm going to check on them, Sparky is there —" she pointed near her jumper, "— if you want to talk to him."
Billy nodded, lifting his head to free Junipers arm. He stayed, watching as his aunt carefully pulled herself from Tommy before leaving the room.
Juniper griped the banister and made her way down the stairs as Wanda pulled the door open.
"Long lost bro get to squeeze his stinking sister to death, or what?"
Juniper furrowed her brows from where she stood next to Vision. The two shared a glance. Neither of them knew who he was.
"Pietro?"
The bloke nodded slightly and Wanda wrapped her arms around him. 'Pietro' returning the favour.
Once the 'siblings' had pulled away, Pietro looked at Vision and Juniper. "Who's the popsicle?" He asked, his eyes defensively on his sisters husband, before moving on to the best friend.
Once their eyes met. Juniper felt pain. Juniper's eyes closed tight and her hands found their way to her temples. Flashes ran through her mind, a lot of them being his face. She didn't get it. She had never met this guy yet he seemed to be the most clear thing in her mind.