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.CHAPTER FIFTY-SEVEN.
[57]. Deja Vú.
[PART THREE]
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❝ ɪ ᴅᴏɴ'ᴛ ᴇᴠᴇɴ ᴋɴᴏᴡ ᴡʜᴏ ʏᴏᴜ ᴀʀᴇ
ᴀɴʏᴍᴏʀᴇ. ❞
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CURRENTLY, JAMES WAS DEBATING on what to do about seeing Wanda. He needed to go see her, but he was worried as to what she'd do to him. Wanda wasn't herself, and James truly did just want to hold her in her arms. Even if it'd be the last time that he did.
"Are you sure that you'll be okay all alone with evil witchy?" Tony questions worriedly, he hands the man his shield.
James nods, he placed the shield on his back. "I'll be fine. Wanda wouldn't hurt me."
Romanoff narrows her eyes. "She almost burned you alive and she broke your wrist. What world do you live in where that's not pain or hurting?"
James shrugs, eyeing her. "Well like you've always told me, 'pain only makes you stronger.'" he then sighs. "Plus, that's not Wanda, that's the darkhold. I'll be fine, okay?"
"Jaime—"
"He will be fine," Strange announces as he walks through the front door.
Tony scoffs. "Oh yeah? Did your other 14,000,605 futures tell you that?"
"Actually, it was 14,165,839." Strange then shrugs while smirking. "But yes, James will make it past today."
Natasha then joins. "And did any of those realities happen to tell you if we'll all survive tomorrow afternoon?"
"Of course they did—"
James sends Strange a look. Strange quickly clears his throat. "But I cannot tell any of you or it will not go the way it needs to."
"Does anyone die?"
No response.
James let out a shaky sigh. "O-okay, I think that's enough questions. I'll be on my way now," he says as he walks towards the front door. "Don't do anything I wouldn't do," he tells them all.
As the man walks outside, he makes his way to his car. Just as he opens the door, it was slammed shut. He turns around only to see his daughter holding up a fist meaning she cast a spell to close the door.
James narrows his eyes at her. "Uh, what was that for?"
Natasha shakes her head, eyes teary. "You're not going. G-go back inside."
"Tasha, why are you crying?" The worried father walks up to his daughter, he cups his face in his hands. "What happened?"
Natasha sniffles. "I read his mind... dad I know. I know that the only way to stop m-mom is you dying."
With her face still in his hands, James stared at her in total shock. She wasn't supposed to find out. Strange did envision that when he went to the future to see the outcomes of this battle.
"Tasha—"
"I just got you back, why does this have to happen to us again?" The girl cries.
James sighs, he frowns. "You know we've discussed this many times, kid. I-i'm not meant to be here. This is the universe restoring its balance."
"Screw the universe. I- I just want my dad."
James sighs heavily, he rests his forehead on hers. "I know, baby... I know. But I need to bring Wanda back home, like I told Yelena, I will not rest, sleep, eat until you all are safe again. And if my death is the only way to save us, to destroy the magic... then I will do it."
Natasha was still crying, her face was a bit red. "But why dad!"
"Because the four of you mean the world to me. And what type of father." James huffs. "What type of husband would I be to allow two other souls to die for his family?"
"The kind that loves them—"
"I love you!" James scoffs. "You know I love you. I love the four of you more than I love myself. You all saved me from the darkness, now it's my turn to return the favor. Now it's my turn to bring Wanda back home."
The teen sniffles once more, tears falling from her eyes.
"Natasha, you have to promise me you won't do anything to mess this up." James's voice now gets a little serious. "If you do anything to interfere with the timeline, everything could go sideways. You need to allow this to happen, I need to die."
"I can't—"
"Natasha, I'm serious." James sternly says. "Promise me."
"Okay... I promise." Natasha says as she wraps her pinky finger around her fathers, before he leaves she wraps her arms around him tightly. "I love you, Dad. So much."
James smiles, he kisses her on the head while rubbing her back. "I love you."
Once Natasha cooled down, she went back inside of the compound with the others who had been preparing for tomorrow evening. James on the other hand was now in the car on his way to some sketchy-looking motel in new york.
It was also known as the Flushing motel. Now at the motel, James walks through the lobby door. It was empty and cold. There was also no one at the front desk. Still cautious, James walks to the elevator where he was taken to the third floor. Once he was out, he walked to room 316. The door was a little bit open, he pushes it wider revealing Wanda who had been sitting on the bed.
Wanda's back had been facing the man. "Is it true..." she asks in a whisper.
James closes the door behind him, he walks over to her. "Is what true?"
"My vision...your death." Wanda's voice was still so low. "Is it true?"
James now takes a seat in front of her. "How did you found out...?"
"I used the book... there was a spell that showed me how this would all end." Wanda explains. "I saw you dying... in your mother's arms. Please, tell me the book is messing with me. Tell me it's a lie."
The man inhales deeply, he sighs. "I wish I could tell you such a lie. B-but even if I did, you knew me well enough to tell I wasn't speaking the truth."
"We can stop this—" Wanda uses her powers to bring the book towards her. She opens it up and begins to turn through the pages. "I'm sure something in here tells us how t—"
James places his hand on hers, he shuts the book as he looks into her eyes. "Wanda, don't you see what's going on? This is all happening because of this book Wanda. And you're too blinded by this magic that you can't tell that this thing infecting you."
"It's not infecting me, James. This is me. I'm the Scarlet Witch—"
"Yeah? Well, Wanda Maximoff would've trusted me when I told her this book is pure evil." James says, he releases his grip from the book. "She would've believed me. But this new person... you aren't yourself anymore. I don't know this new person. I don't even know who you are anymore."
"I'm still the same person..."
"No, you're not." James shakes his head, he lets out an airy laugh. "You looked into the future and saw me die, and instead of returning the book, your first thought was to seek help in the book. You could change this all, change the timeline. You could skip the meeting tomorrow, come back home, return the book, we could be a family again."
Wanda shakes her head as tears fell from her eyes. "I can't do that, you know I can't. This book is the only thing keeping you alive."
James scoffs. "I die tomorrow afternoon, Wanda. That book didn't do shit." he sighs once more, he crouches down beside her. "If you called me here to join you in the fight tomorrow, I won't. I can't. And you know that." he kisses her softly on the lips, the woman's tears mixed with the kiss. "I will always love you. Even when you aren't... you," he says as he stands to his feet. "You have time to make this right. Please... don't do it for the sake of my life. Do it for the sake of our children."
With that, the man begins to walk towards the door. Just as his hands touched the doorknob, he was stopped from walking out.
"Did Strange show you what happens beyond the fight?" Wanda asks aloud. "Who wins? How does this all end?"
"No, he didn't. I'm just as unsure as the others back home" James replies. "Did you see that far, yet?"
"My magic is limited."
James hums, he hesitantly turns the nob.
And with that, the man walked away.