Wanda's never been to the Bartons' farm before.
She's met the Bartons, of course. They've come to the compound a couple of times, and she liked them well enough. But she's never even thought about visiting their home before.
And yet, here she is.
Right outside their front door.
... Is it too late to turn back now?
She's sure they know everything by now. Even if the kids don't watch the news, Laura must know. She must have seen the footage. She must know what Wanda did in Lagos. She must know about all the people Wanda hurt. How are they supposed to act normal after that?
Pietro, meanwhile, is ecstatic to be here. He brought his 3DS he got for Christmas, and he's been talking the whole way over about how he can't wait to try some more of the kids' games. It's the only reason she agreed to come, really: because Pietro really wanted to, and how could she say no to him?
The two older kids greet them at the door, nearly attacking Clint and Natasha with hugs. In spite of her uncertainty, Wanda finds herself smiling. They're such a nice family. She's so glad these two get to grow up not only with two amazing parents, but with an amazing aunt as well. She would have given anything as a child to experience this. She would have given anything to keep her family together. She hopes they know just how lucky they are.
Laura comes into view next, and Wanda's almost surprised to see that there's no baby in her arms. She hardly ever seemed to put Nathaniel down when they met at the compound. Maybe it's different when they're home – or maybe he's taking a nap? She doesn't know much about babies.
Laura greets them with a warm smile that really does help put Wanda at ease. She wouldn't smile like that if she thought Wanda was a bad person. She wouldn't smile like that if she was judging her for what happened in Lagos.
Laura gives Pietro the first hug, more a brief squeeze than anything as they exchange pleasantries, and then it's Wanda's turn.
Laura pulls Wanda into a hug, but unlike with Pietro, she doesn't let go after a few seconds. If Wanda let go first, she's sure Laura would do the same. She doesn't have to keep hugging her. But something about it is just so... nice. It's comforting. It's reassuring. And though she knows she could stop – that she should stop, even; it's already been so long – she just hugs Laura tighter.
"I'm glad you came," Laura murmurs. "It's so good to see you again."
Wanda hums softly in agreement. It's good to see her, too. It's good to be held by her. She needed this.
"How are you doing?" Laura asks quietly.
Wanda sighs. "I don't know," she admits. It's been an awful week. She hasn't even begun to process all of it. She hasn't even begun to process what happened in Lagos, never mind everything that's happened since.
"Is there anything I can do for you?" Laura asks.
Wanda shakes her head minutely. "Thank you."
"Of course." Laura kisses the side of her head. "Let me know if there is."
Wanda somewhat reluctantly lets her go – only because everyone else has finished their hugs, and she's sure this is starting to look weird – and offers her a small smile. She doesn't know what she did to deserve this, but she's so grateful for it.
"Is Nathaniel sleeping?" Clint asks his wife.
Laura nods. "But if you want to wake him up a little early to say 'hi,' I'm sure he wouldn't mind."
"I don't think we–"
"Yes, we do," Natasha interrupts, already speeding down the hall, presumably to wherever Nathaniel takes his naps.
Laura shakes her head to herself, a slight smile on her face that echoes the look on her husband's. The two share a look, and Clint takes off after his friend.
Laura rests a hand on Wanda's shoulder. "Make yourself at home," she tells her. She looks over at Pietro. "Both of you."
"Thank you, Mrs. Barton," Pietro says politely. (Sometimes Wanda forgets that he can be polite. He's usually just a pain in the ass – in the most loving way possible, of course.)
There's a twinkle of amusement in her eye, and Wanda wonders if she's thinking the same thing. "You can just call me 'Laura.'"
Pietro smiles. "Thank you, Laura."
So Laura goes after her husband, and the four kids – are she and Pietro still considered kids? She feels like they are – are left alone by the door.
Pietro wastes no time in getting down to what he really wants: "I have mastered the DS. I am ready for our Mario Kart rematch."
Cooper grins. "Oh, you're on!"
The two boys run off to go set up their game, and Wanda can't help but smile. She's glad Pietro's having fun. And if Cooper kicks his ass in this game, she'll be ecstatic for him. Somebody needs to knock him down a peg, and who better to do it than a teenage boy who's probably spent the majority of his life playing these kinds of games?
With them gone, it's only Wanda and Lila left, and honestly, she's really not sure what to do now. How do normal young girls spend their time when they're not living on the streets of a war-torn country after their home was destroyed and their parents were killed before their eyes? When she was this age, she was more concerned about staying alive than staying entertained, and she's pretty sure that nothing she used to do on the streets of Sokovia would be of any interest to children who've grown up with smartphones and DSes and Wiis.
Fortunately, it seems that Lila has that covered.
"Wanda?" Lila says. "Have you heard of Rainbow Loom?"
Wanda furrows her brows. "'Rainbow Loom'?" That sounds... interesting? Fun, dare she say? Whatever it is, it sounds like it could be fun. Probably.
Lila grins. "Oh my god, you need to see this," she tells her, and, before Wanda even knows what's happened, Lila's grabbed her hand, pulling her along through the house.
And then they're both seated cross-legged in Lila's bedroom, as the girl pulls out bag after bag after bag of little elastic bands in all different colors. Wanda watches, silent in her curiosity, as Lila goes about setting up whatever elaborate plan she has for them today. She's excited, really. She needs some fun, elaborate, mysterious, colorful activities to keep her occupied.
"Okay," Lila says, plopping a big book between them. "So, this is Rainbow Loom. This is the loom." She pats the little plastic pokey rectangle between them. "And this is, I guess, the rainbow part." She gestures to her collection of elastics.
"What does it do?" Wanda asks. That feels like a very important piece of the puzzle that she's missing right now.
"You use it to make bracelets!"
Wanda cocks her head to the side. "You use this to make bracelets?" The elastics, she can understand, to an extent. The plastic pokey rectangle – the loom, she'd called it? Not so much.
Lila picks up the book and hands it to her. "Look through here and pick which one looks the coolest and I'll show you how to make it!"
Wanda takes the book from her uncertainly, but if this is really what Lila wants her to do, who is she to argue? She sets the book down in front of her and begins flipping through the pages. It makes a little more sense, she thinks, now that she's seen some examples. She can see how, exactly, the rubber bands are used. The loom pattern beside each photo means nothing to her and she certainly couldn't replicate it, but at the very least, she understands what role the elastics play in them.
She wants to choose one that looks simple, but every single one of them looks so hard. Finally, she settles on a design – "Starburst," it's labeled – that has what looks to be a few little flowers in it. It's cute, she thinks – and it looks equally as difficult as the rest of them, so she doesn't feel so bad about asking for it.
"This one?" Lila says, turning the book toward her to get a better look. "I love this one. I have, like, six of them already."
"It's a good one, then?" Wanda asks. That makes her feel better. It can't be too difficult if Lila's already made so many of them.
"It's one of my favorites," Lila tells her. "What colors do you wanna use?"
Wanda sifts through the bags of elastics thoughtfully. The photo has different colors for every little flower, but that sounds a little... young. She's not eight anymore. A rainbow flower bracelet just sounds weird. But maybe...
She pulls out the black elastics. "We could use these for the border," she suggests, "and then the flowers can be..." She pulls out two more bags. "These?"
Lila gives her a curious look. "Red and blue?" she says. "That's a weird combination – no offense; I'm sure it'll look really cute!"
Wanda cracks a smile. That was cute. A horrible save, but cute nonetheless. "Well, my magic is red," she explains, "and when Pietro runs really fast, there's a trail of blue. So red and blue is like me and Pietro."
"Hmm," Lila hums thoughtfully. "I wish I liked my brother as much as you like yours – but my brother's just a pain in the butt."
Wanda laughs. "Pietro can be a pain in the butt, too," she tells her. "But he is my pain in the butt, and unfortunately, I am stuck with him."
Lila nods, a look of understanding on her face that Wanda has to fight not to laugh at. "Yeah..." She purses her lips. "I hope Nathaniel's not as annoying as Cooper. I don't know what I would do if I had to deal with two Coopers."
"I think we're about to find out," Wanda tells her. "Your brother and my brother are allies now. I don't know if we're going to make it out of this alive."
Lila's eyes go comically wide. "Oh no," she whispers.
Wanda just nods. "'Oh no' is right."