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Spring 2018; set during Avengers: Infinity War
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Freya sighed as she looked down at the dark forest beneath, the same forest where she left her sister two years ago. What the hell were they doing?
Wanda and Vision usually kept their agreement, always checking in at least once a week, often with video calls, but two weeks ago Vision turned off his transponder, meaning that he is invisible to all radars and GPS, and no one of the two spoke with the others again. And now Steve, Sam, Natasha and Freya were on the way to Scotland where they left them, hoping that they wouldn't be too late.
"Hey, Freya", Steve called from the front. He had a beard now which he grew while they were on the run and Freya had to admit it looked quite good on him.
"What is it?", she asked and came over to him.
He pointed to the screen in front of him, where a news report was currently showing pictures of New York - and a huge, huge spaceship that looked a bit like a doughnut standing in the middle of the streets, leaving destruction in its path.
Freya gasped. "Who are they?"
"I guess we'll find out soon enough", Sam answered and pointed out of one of the windows. Everyone rushed over to him to look and there it was - the same spaceship, looking even bigger up close, floating right over the city. Fear crawled up Freya's spine and she shivered, not just from the cold. Were they too late? Were Wand and Vision already-? No, Freya didn't finish that thought.
"Land close to it, but not too close", Freya said, not caring that she just gave Steve an order. It was about her sister. She wouldn't let her down. Not again.
To her surprise, Steve obeyed without question and a minute later, they landed on a nearby empty marketplace.
"Freya, can you find out where they are?", Natasha asked.
Freya closed her eyes and searched for the minds of Vision, of the intruders, of anyone. And then she found Vision's and went into his head.
He was lying on the ground in what seems like a train station, holding a deep wound on his stomach. Wanda was kneeling next to him, a nasty wound on her head and coming towards them two alien-looking creatures, both with blue hair and grey skin. But the only thing Freya felt was relief, that her sister was still alive, that they weren't too late. At least not yet.
"Train station", Freya said and ripped herself out of Vision's head, not wasting any time as she conjured her wings and every bit of power she had in her, ready to defend her sister, her girlfriend, her family.
"Don't kill them, only when necessary", Steve ordered and then looked around. "Okay, let's go." He didn't waste any more time as he started running, closely followed by Natasha, while Sam and Freya flew over them and finally landed on the glass roof of the train station, right next to a hole which was next to them. Someone must have crashed through it.
Freya leaned forward a little and glanced down at her sister now standing next to Vision, facing the two aliens. Her right hand lit up with red energy, then her left one and Freya couldn't help but feel proud. Her sister was a true warrior.
A train drove past and then Steve stood there, coming out of the shadows. Freya almost rolled her eyes at his dramatic entrance, basically hearing heroic music playing. Did he really just wait for a train to come by just so he could make a show?
One of the aliens, a female one, Freya suspected, threw a spear at Steve, but he leaned to the side and caught it with ease.
"Show-off", Sam murmured beside Freya and she could only chuckle and nod in agreement as she watched how her sister and Vision turned to look at Steve.
Without the need to say anything, Freya and Sam swooped down from their place at the roof and into the station, Sam taking on the female while Freya crashed into the other alien, a male one, and threw him to the ground. She called a wind that sent him flying against a wall with an audible crack and then she rushed over to Wanda and Vision on the ground.
"Are you hurt?", she asked Wanda and wiped away a drop of blood coming out of a cut on her cheek, but she shook her head and pointed to Vision instead. "Okay", Freya said. "Get him away from here. The jet is on an empty marketplace not far from here. We will handle these things."
To her surprise, Wanda didn't object and Freya turned around to the fight again, ready to help where she could.
Steve threw the alien spear at Natasha who plunged it into the male's torso, blue blood spraying. She kicked him in the chest and landed on one knee, her head whipping up.
"What a poser", Freya murmured.
She ran towards the female now coming in their direction and the spear flew from Natasha's hand right to the alien. Freya hit her with her wing and sent her flying to the ground, but not strong enough. She stood up again, but Steve and Natasha were already there, helping to try to get the alien down. But she always managed to block them with the spear, twisting and turning out of their way.
"Hey, Steve, is it now necessary to kill her?", Freya asked and grunted as the other end of the spear hit her in the ribs.
Before Steve could answer, Sam came from... somewhere and kicked the alien in the chest, allowing Steve to grab the spear. The alien flew backwards, so hard that she landed next to her companion already lying on the ground, wounded. Sam raised his guns and Freya's hand lit up with black fire, but the female crawled to the male, kneeling next to him.
"Get up", she said.
"I can't", he answered, his voice weak from the blood loss.
"We don't want to kill you", Natasha said and tilted her head. "But we will."
"You'll never get the chance again", the female hissed and pressed a button on her wrist. Blue light came from the spaceship above and the two aliens flew up, closely followed by the spear which got ripped out of Steve's hands.
Freya turned around and saw Wanda and Vision standing close to the exit of the train station, watching. "I told you to get to the jet", Freya said furiously and laid her arm under Vision's, letting him lean on her.
"I'm sorry", Wanda answered.
Before Freya could say anything else, Vision said with a raspy voice: "Thank you, Captain."
Steve simply nodded in response and slowly, way too slow for Freya's liking, they made their way towards the jet, Vision's weight between her and Wanda only slowing them down more. On the whole way, no one said a word and only when everyone was on the jet, Vision lying on a table, and the engines powering up, Freya turned to her sister.
"What the hell?!", she asked furiously. "We had a deal. Check in, don't take any chances. And what do you do, you turn off your transponder, we don't hear a word from you in two weeks, meaning that you could possibly be dead, and when we find you you are attacked by aliens!"
"I'm sorry", Wanda said again. "We just wanted some time alone."
Freya sighed and flung her arms around her sister, who at first stiffened under her arms, but then relaxed and returned the hug. "Don't do that again. Ever." Freya released herself and Wanda nodded.
"What did they want?" Steve came over and looked between Wanda and Vision, who was still lying on the table, the stab wound in his abdomen glowing yellow. "Why were they here?"
"I think they wanted the stone", Wanda answered.
"They want all of the Infinity Stones", Freya whispered, remembering her vision from years ago, a vision she almost forgot amongst everything that happened. Was it Thanos? Did he try to find the stones?
They all stayed silent for a while until Sam cleared his throat. "Where to, Cap?", he asked and Freya now realised that they were just floating over the ground with no destination.
Steve looked around. "Home."
Hours later, Freya found herself waking up in Natasha's arms, sitting against the wall of the jet. She carefully turned around so she wouldn't wake Natasha, but when she faced her girlfriend, she saw that she was already awake. When she saw Freya, she smiled. "Good morning, Love", she whispered and pressed a kiss to Freya's forehead.
"Hey", Freya murmured and sat up straight, her back aching from sleeping in a weird position. "Are we there yet?"
"No. Soon", Natasha answered and looked out of the window.
"Hey", Freya said softly and put a strand of Natasha's short hair behind her ear. "What is wrong?"
"Nothing", Natasha answered, but then she added: "It's weird going back, isn't it? After everything that happened."
"I know. The last time we saw each other we were fighting over these stupid accords and I can barely remember when I've been in the Compound the last time."
"It's not just the Compound or the Avengers." Natasha stirred where she sat, pulling her knees closer to her body. "It's just... everything. America. The world. The last time I saw Ross or anyone from the government I barely escaped. They are the reason why I had to go on the run, why we all had to, the reason why you were in this god damn prison for almost a month." She sighed and went through her hair. "It just feels different now."
"Everything feels different now." Freya took Natasha's hands and stroked them with her thumb. "We are all different now. These past two years changed us all, just like the people back there. And about Ross... I guess he'll have to get over it or he'll have to face me."
Natasha laughed. "He wouldn't get out of this fight alive."
"I think I would beat him in two minutes."
"I'd say one."
Freya grinned, but when she saw Natasha's look, her smile faded. "There's still something."
Natasha sighed. "I am scared, Freya", she admitted. "Of going back. Of fighting again. What will we lose this time?"
"We won't lose. Not this time." Freya thought back to her early days at Strucker, to Thanos stealing the sceptre. He smiled at her when she killed his men. If her theory was correct, if it was him they'd have to face... She just hoped she could keep that promise. "When all this is done, we'll get our cottage", Freya said. "Somewhere far away from the city, away from fighting."
"Yeah", Natasha answered, but she didn't sound very convinced.
And even though Freya wasn't a religious person, she prayed to anyone who would listen that she could keep that promise. She would do anything in return. But she wanted Natasha to be happy.