* NO MORE MUTANTS !

@scarletmutant

lorna had various residences in her life – the modest home with her aunt, cold rooms in the mental facility that she couldn’t allow her memory to drift back on, the back of a truck and some motels, an oversized abandoned back turned underground headquarters, a jail cell, the soul stone, the sanctum –  and now, a palace. steel tipped boots echoed too loudly in the empty halls of the living quarters as she sought out wanda’s living space. after the incidents when they first became trapped on the island, lorna insisted that wanda have a place in the capitol palace near her, even if their father didn’t yet understand why.

she shifted dawn on her hip as she approached the door, setting down a bag she’d brought with her in order to rap her knuckles on the door and await a response. of course, the doors and knobs were solid metal and she could open it herself, but privacy was a thing. lorna hadn’t had a sister for very long, the situation was complicated – but there was something in wanda that lorna felt it easy to identify with, parts of them that not everyone else would understand. it made her feel less alone. she had marcos and their friends, she loved them, but there were things that were hard to explain even to them.

hearing wanda at the other side of the door, lorna gave dawn a small bounce in her arms causing her to let out a giggle. “i have someone here that would love to say hi if you have the time.” a smile edged on her lips, always a bit softer with her daughter around and in company she trusted. “and i’m not much of a cook, but i brought food.”

never in her wildest dreams did wanda imagine she would have a home in a palace. only in her wildest memories, wildest realities, had that been possible. but in this one? in a world where she grew up in a country that people were scared to visit because authorities carried assault rifles on the streets and locals protested until they were pushed back with tear gas and bullets? never. but here she was, in an ornate room with the most comfortable bed she’d ever been on, and it was all thanks to lorna. her sister. another thing she’d never imagined in her wildest dreams. she was more grateful for lorna than she was for the palace.

after the nightmare, which was more than a nightmare, wanda felt like an exposed wire – dangerous and sparking and deceptively deadly. at first, she’d resolved to not use her magic, even as they went out for a mission, but that didn’t last, because she couldn’t bear not being helpful. that’s why she was there, after all, that’s why she’d agreed to anything and everything she’d ever agreed to – not to be something greater but to do something greater. to change the world – even if the world started as small as sokovia or novi grad.

and when wanda started to lose control because of something happening with the island, she saw the carnage, and she tried to cling to tony’s voice – come home, kid – the one that pulled her out before – but this had been beyond her, beyond anything she could’ve done. she turned to lorna in desperation, and... and lorna did it. she did exactly what she needed to do. and wanda had never felt more loved or trusted in her life.

wanda was pacing around the room, less like a caged animal and more like a nervous one, waiting for its turn on the great big stage. she muttered to herself, sometimes, soft attempts at her own comfort over the fact that realities would never converge, she would never be that wand – but her words fell into the silence of her palace bedroom and weighed down on her mind. hearing lorna’s voice was the most welcome relief she could’ve imagined. 

wanda practically leapt to the door and threw it open, smiling, eyes wide and soft. “i’m so glad you’re here,” she greeted, and wrapped one arm around lorna’s shoulders in an awkward half-hug so that she didn’t cover dawn. dawn was as beautiful as her mother – vivacious, energetic eyes and soft looks that were strictly confined to babies who hadn’t yet experienced the world. maybe dawn could keep that look forever. that was the whole point of this, right? “i didn’t get to say thank you,” she said quietly, smile softening. “for helping me. when things were going out of control.”

how could she explain, in the simplest and least-offensive terms, thank you for knocking me unconscious before my powers completely wiped out this reality? “can i hold her?” she asked instead, smiling down at dawn before carefully cradling her in her arms. she was tiny and fragile and the most wonderful thing wanda has ever seen. and dawn made her feel calm. “i’m sorry i had to ask you to do that,” she said, choosing to keep her eyes locked on dawn’s. “the thing is, i have no idea what i’m capable of.” she paused, and sighed. “i had no idea.” 

she laughed and shook her head. “i guess i know we haven’t technically been sisters for very long, but...” stop talking, she thought, but words kept pouring out of her as if she’d writtne them all out beforehand, and she felt like all she could do was watch and listen from afar. “i trust you. pretty much more than i’ve trusted anyone other than pietro. but even him... people don’t look at him as... you know.” that was something she and lorna had in common, though truth be told they could argue in circles about the fact that neither of them were really monsters. that’s just not how the world saw it.

“even if i’m... way too late, i’m really glad that you’re in my life. and i’m so glad to have this little one in my life,” she said, leaning down and kissing dawn’s forehead. “guess i have to come clean to magneto sooner or later.” she wanted to call him dad. it seemed like what she was supposed to do. it’s what she did in other worlds. but in this one, they’d only met once – and he’d asked her to call him MAGNETO. 

Where was he?

This wasn’t Earth. This wasn’t even Titan. This was a wasteland, this was hell, and the screams - oh, the screams…

Red shot through his vision then slowly faded, and there it was - the stuff of his nightmares, bodies everywhere. His friends, strewn out dead in front of him, all staring accusingly. You could have done more. You could have done more–

All except one. This was … different. 

He glanced up, recognition dawning on him. Wanda. Had she done this? Was she responsible for the carnage, or was she just a survivor, like him? Then she starting screaming at him, the words making his eyes widen. Children? Babies? “Wanda, what have you done?” he whispered, his voice torn with horror. 

But a moment later, her words stabbed him right in the chest. I wanted to end the war. A heartwrenching, gut twisting echo of the same words that he’d said to Cap, another lifetime ago - that was what they were all fighting for. To end the war. To end the bloodshed. To go home.

He was frozen in indecision. Options sprawled out before him – two roads diverged in a yellow wood, his mind sing-songed – don the suit and take Wanda down? Try and talk her out of it? Walk away? Run? He stood no chance against her. He didn’t need to be a genius to calculate those odds. If he was smart, he would cut his losses and run.

But she started going to pieces, and the power around her surged, and her voice broke as she yelled at him to leave, and his heart shattered.

The suit wrapped around him in an instant as he flung his shields up to maximum, hoping against hope that the technology that had withstood a direct blast from the power stone would hold out for a while. Long enough for him to do what he had to do.

Which was run. And run he did - not away, as every instinct was yelling at him to do, but towards her, fighting through the magic tearing at him. “Wanda,” he said. “Wanda!”

God. She was so young. Young, cursed with a terrible burden, and crying –

– he never stood a chance. “Listen to me, this isn’t your fault. You can control it! You’re strong enough, you’re brave enough, you’re stubborn enough.” 

Warnings flew up on his HUD as the energy levels around him spiked, FRIDAY warning him of the high possibility of failure of his shields. “Mute,” he muttered, pressing on with every step, trying to reach her in every way that counted. 

Distract her, his brain said, and he dove for the first thing that came to mind. 

“Hey. Hey, focus on me for a second. Remember the time we tried to have a cook out at the Compound?” He’d been thoroughly awful at it. He was utterly cursed where it came to cooking. “And how I managed to blow up pancakes? Wasn’t it you who saved breakfast and saved the day?” 

   Come on, kid. Follow my voice.

            Come home. 

what have you done?

wanda choked back a sob, wishing, for just a moment, that she could really be THE SCARLET WITCH that everyone thought she was and not just wanda maximoff, young and scared and out of control and so stupid. she wished the reality she’d created could have stuck, wished that the fighting had stopped so she could go back to pretending to be human, raising the babies she would never have in a palace run by a pleased father and happy siblings. wanda was the human child. she hungered for that now.

“it is my fault,” she said, her heart pounding harder and faster in her chest, because it was true. she’d said the words. why did you do that? she didn’t have to say them, she knew she shouldn’t have said them, she knew the CONSEQUENCES and yet she’d muttered them anyway, let them fall from her lips tasting bitter and cold.

the world would be safer without her in it. the world would be happier if she never existed at all.

come on, kid. follow my voice.

               c o m e     h o m e .

                                                                          h o m e .

he hadn’t said it out loud – but did he know? could he possibly know? wanda’s heart ached and her mind strained against her – you don’t have a home, but even as the thought pushed its way inside her she thought about the compound. she did remember the pancakes and the way they laughed about it. she remembered how normal it had been, the way she dreamt families were like, the way they were in books and magazines even in sokovia. she remembered the way tony stark felt like a person rather than a name on a bomb, and how she almost, almost believed that maybe he saw her in the same way. 

WEAPON OF MASS DESTRUCTION, she thought, WHO MUST BE KEPT AWAY FROM EVERYONE ELSE.

he was fighting to reach her – risking everything to get closer, with his shield up. for the briefest of moments, she was convinced that he was doing it to attack – but that didn’t feel right. his voice, the way his mind was working – he just... wanted to help.

“i’m so sorry,” wanda whispered, her voice long lost in the chaos of her magic, her own voice ringing in her heads, three words that destroyed so many –

wanda could at least save this one life. she took so many... and she thought about the pancakes. the smell of syrup and butter and jam and home, the sound of laughter, the feeling of warmth – and there’d been no pietro; there, he’d died and it wasn’t because of her, he wasn’t crumpled on the ground at her feet, dead eyes staring up at her because it had been her fault – it was another life, a softer one –

wanda maximoff just wanted to go home.

she clung to the memory of exploding pancakes harder than she’d clung to anything before – and she clenched her fists. her power stopped, freezing, glowing red energy surrounding them in stagnation, and the world went silent. wanda braced herself and squeezed her eyes shut, imagined the faces of her found family smiling back at her, let out a controlled breath from between her lips. she opened her eyes, gazing out at the graveyard that had once been genosha, staring at IRON MAN, wishing desperately that she was capable of this. “i’m sorry, stark,” she said, just in case, “for everything.”

there were so many mistakes to make up for. so little that sorry could cover.

but even still...

TONY STARK WAS RIGHT.

she could get a handle of this. she could stop it. she was the scarlet witch and these powers were hers.

she opened her palms and released her magic – but instead of exploding outwards, it hurled itself back into her – red and bright and red – and she spread her arms wide like she was welcoming them back into herself with a gracious and friendly hug. but her eyes were red, her teeth clenched as she drew it all towards herself, feet lifting gently a few inches off the battle-ridden ground – and when it was done she fell.

her body collapsed forward and she caught herself on the ground, hands unfeeling to the dirt and debris beneath her. slowly, wanda lifted her head, looking out at the desicated battlefield where stark was still alive.

WANDA, YOU KNOW HOW THIS ENDS.

don’t say it don’t say it don’t say it don’t say it don’tsayitdon’tsayitdon’tsayitdon’tsayit ––

“daddy...”

DON’TSAYITDON’TSAYITDON’TSAYIT ––

“NO MORE MUTANTS.”

an explosive white light and screams but none of it touched her because none of it would change anything, only hurt ––

the light dimmed and color slowly came back to the world, and as the dust began to settle, there was one person standing – one living man in a sea of dust and missing bodies. his face was unmistakable. TONY STARK. something flashed in her mind – a memory, another reality – hers. he hated her. maybe he had a right to. she’d fucked up. but worse still was that he feared her. vision had all but made that clear – to tony stark, THE SCARLET WITCH was nothing but a nuclear bomb waiting to go off.

and had she not? the carnage and rot and destruction around her was worse than any nuclear bomb. she’d destroyed them. all of them.

“get away!” she screamed, lifting her two shaking hands and clutching them to her chest. pietro was still limp in front of her, dead and it was her fault. she wanted so badly to believe that it was because of ERIK, her father, that all of this was because of him, but NONE OF IT would have happened if she could’ve just kept it together.

KEEP IT TOGETHER. it’s a dream. IT ISN’T REAL.

“you don’t understand! he destroyed us! because of him my children died! they were just babies!” she screamed, tears streaking down her face in an uncontrollable grief. she felt like her heart was being twisted by her own hands and her chest ached, her features twisting in horror. “i just wanted to end the fighting... i wanted to end the war, don’t you see? but it never ends!”

there was fear in her voice now, instead of rage and anger – because she knew she couldn’t control it. she could never control it. not before, and not now.

her powers surrounding her hands, glowing and pulsing red. “no, no, no, not again,” she whispered desperately but the energy only grew, and she couldn’t stop it. no one had ever taught her. not in this universe. not stephen. not erik. no one to hang on to her during her mental collapse. nothing to remind her what it was like to just be wanda maximoff and not the scarlet witch. all she was, was unstable, a monster, who destroyed everything over and over.

“leave! i don’t –– i don’t want to hurt you too ––  !!”

It took Stephen a delayed moment and a half to realize that Wanda had thought he’d opened his arms for a hug and then ultimately dropped the idea when she hesitated. Mentally slapping himself, he inwardly sighed before taking the step forward and dragging her into an (albeit) awkward embrace - though it soon turned into a genuine one of comfort.

Times were very trying in that moment and Stephen knew that any sort of positive comfort given was to be cherished. Plus, given the woman’s heritage and her father, Stephen was certain that she didn’t get enough affection. Pulling back, he smiled at her, gently patting her shoulders and stepping away. “Of course,” he responded to her thank you, happy to help her in any way that he could.

Intrigue, however, quickly filled his mind as he rose a brow at her explanation about being able to destroy an infinity stone. “You held Thanos back and destroyed the Mind Stone?” He asked, repeated - completely impressed and in wonder at her. “That’s amazing–” but her words about not knowing how she really did it, and the underlying fear of lack of control did worry him. More for her own health and less for anyone else.

“I will do whatever I can to aid you in helping you with your control on your abilities. Wanda, you are powerful and you’re magnificent – learning to harness your powers will ensure that no one harm you or your loved ones again.“ He whispered, having a full set of belief in her that she would use her abilities for positive matters. But as soon as she brought up feeling the stone, Stephen gave a glance down to his own before nodding.

“I understand that, I can feel and hear mine–“ he paused, hesitated when she dropped the heaviness that she felt another, as he did too. “The Reality Stone-“ he stated almost at the same time she said her piece about reality stirring. “It’s worrying, and we should find it–I will train you with what I know and together we can hunt for the stone, I will also be asking Wong for assistance, if you don’t mind?“

wanda half expected him to laugh when she realized he noticed her near-hug – but instead he closed the space between them and wrapped his arms around her. the show of affection startled her but she welcomed it graciously, returning his hug. for the first time since lagos, she knew she was safe and understood – and she tried to memorize that feeling, the warmth and comfort that came from it, knowing she couldn’t store it to think of whenever she wanted but wishing she could anyway. “you’re a good man, stephen strange,” she said when they separated, and hoped he understood that his small act of kindness meant more to her than he could’ve known.

at first, wanda couldn’t pin exactly why she felt such great comfort in stephen’s words; he spoke highly of her in a way that would typically make her uncomfortable, but when he finished talking and held her eye contact, it felt like a warm release of pent up anxiety. like she’d been waiting for someone to say it. it took until he was on to the next sentence that she realized what it was that struck her – he didn’t talk about her like a monster, or a thing. he didn’t talk like he expected her to become one. her mutation was a part of her very being, and when people feared their powers, they feared her – even her friends and family. so few of them considered it as a real opportunity to do something good. to protect rather than destroy. she’d begun to realize that even vision hadn’t seen or understood that.

“thank you,” she said quietly and smiled. the longer she spent here, the more confident she began to feel – in her powers and in herself. “wong is a sorcerer like you, right?” she asked, and shrugged off her jacket, letting it hang down at her elbows. “if we’re right – if something is happening – the more of us we have, the better.” she could feel herself getting excited – a funny thing, since what they were facing could be annihilation… but the idea of working with two of the best magic users in the universe, of being able to actually help something rather than hinder it – she was finally starting to feel like she might really, one day, be worthy of the title of hero.

“when the stone in vision’s head was at rest, to me it felt like… like a pulse, almost, a heartbeat,”  she explained, starting a small pace in front of the library shelves. she moved her hands as she spoke, a gentle red light of energy surrounding them and weaving through her fingers. “at first i thought it was him, until i felt this. because that’s not what’s happening with the reality stone right now.” she stopped, sighed, looked back to the sorcerer supreme. “as powerful as they are, an infinity stone won’t really do anything unless it’s under the influence of something or someone, right? so it has to mean that someone has it. and that someone is not one of us.”

with everything that was going on, she didn’t know whether that was a good or bad thing. she knew that, if she’d gotten to the reality stone after the destruction of the compound and the school – she might have done something catastrophic, too. she’d have tried to change everything, to fix it. but she knew, even as she considered that option, that the other side would be thinking the same thing. she kept that thought to herself, trying to avoid the bias of the situation. and besides, it didn’t make sense. the friends of humanity were just that. humans. normal, average humans. “in its pure, unharnessed form, an infinity stone is too much for any regular being to handle. it would tear them apart.”

Stephen was relaxing in his tea room, a stolen moment that he knew he wouldn’t necessarily have for long with the given circumstances of what had been going on. He had a tome on protection spells open and on display on his lap with a cup of hot tea in his hand as he waved his free hand to idly change the pages as he read and absorbed the knowledge that it held.

He wasn’t expecting anyone to visit him within his giant mansion, not even Tony who had been busy trying to recon and see if he could give his own aid where he was needed most. Nor was he expecting the many mutants that passed through his halls to the opened portal he kept standing at Erik’s request.

But the moment he sensed her, he knew that she was strictly and pointedly looking for him. Waiting patiently, he glanced up when she called his name, waving his hand to close the tome as he expressed a small smile towards her. “Wanda Maximoff,” he relayed in greeting, sending the book through the air and towards his shelf before standing to offer his shaking hand to her, “yes, I do recall the conversation that we had.”

Stephen stopped short of speaking and set his lips into a thin line, offering her a minuscule smile before setting his tea aside and nodding once, keeping his head bowed. “Yes, of course,” he answered, glancing back up to peer into her face. She was the eldest daughter of Erik’s, a sorceress in her own right and one that Stephen could argue as being far more powerful than anyone else. But he also saw through it, he saw who she was, and saw how frightened - yet determined she was.

“Wanda, I want you to know that if you ever need assistance, that I am always glad and willing to give it to you.” He offered her a brighter smile, spreading his arms and allowing her to see the full depth of the library. “Where would you like to begin?“

at first wanda expected him to turn her away – for which she could almost understand. the sanctum, his home, was slowly becoming a mad house. mutants from genosha came and went, and she wondered if he worried that its location would go public like the compound’s or the school’s. she doubted that, though – nobody, not even professor x, could hide something as well as the sorcerer supreme could hide the sanctum sanctorum. needless to say,  his warm welcome was a relief – she felt as though a physical weight had been lifted off her chest and made it easier to breathe.

“thank you,” wanda said quietly, and even smiled. she didn’t do so much of that lately, and even though it felt misplaced during the times, it felt good – almost like . a release.

for the briefest of moments, wanda thought that he was opening his arms in a gesture for a hug – and with everything that had been going on, with the friends of humanity and meeting her father and feeling an infinity stone, she had half a mind to take him up on it. it was rare for someone to show that kind of affection towards her, and she always forgot how much she craved it until it was presented – she took the smallest of steps towards him, arm lifted halfway at her side before she realized that it wasn’t his intention at all. she dropped her hand and cleared her throat, hoping he hadn’t noticed, and trying to hide the slight sadness that she’d been wrong.

“the infinity stones,” wanda said finally, and bit her bottom lip. “i mean – before we were all in the soul stone, before thanos snapped his fingers... i destroyed one. the mind stone. i’m not really sure how i did it. i didn’t even know i could.” and she wasn’t sure that she could do it again. it was the only time she’d exhibited that level of power – the ability to destroy an infinity stone and hold thanos. she wondered if it had been situational – a result of extreme emotion. she wanted to be able to tap into that again without the pain and anger that came with it. pain and anger made her feel unstable.

“and before then, i could feel it. in vision’s head, i felt the stone.” at the time she’d believed it just to be him – hadn’t realized quite how much of him had come from that infinity stone. she shook her head. “i can feel another one. a different one. and...”

wanda pressed her lips together, unsure how to explain the shift she felt, the sharp pain in her head. but if anyone was going to believe her about this and actually help her with it, it was stephen strange.

“i think reality is stirring.”

@scarletmutant

With Scott who knows where, and Pietro also… who knows where, Jean had decided the estate was no longer safe for the kids they’d taken in. So here she was, bundled up in a non-descript jacket again, ushering the kids through the portal to Genosha.

She didn’t plan on staying. She had to get her team together. Had to find Scott and Pietro and everyone else. She couldn’t face Lorna or Marcos. She could already hear Lorna’s exasperation about how she and Scott had abandoned the school. Could already imagine Marcos’ rage about how she had promised the school was safe for Dawn. And now it and the compound… they were gone.

She kept her hood up over her head, not wanting Erik to see her here. The moment he did, she knew he would ask her to join him. But she couldn’t. She wasn’t going to stay on Genosha without Scott. When she was sure all the kids were through, she let out a breath and pulled her jacket closer. Time to go home. To go look for her teammates. Get the team back together. And…

Jean was pulled from her train of thought when her eyes locked with a familiar figure dressed in red. She wanted to look away- but the fact tha she saw her too just forced her to lower her hood as she approached. “Wanda,” she managed, looking away from the other, “I’d say I’m happy to see you, but the circumstances aren’t the best.” she admitted, running a hand through her hair. “But I’m glad you’re okay. I can’t stay- on Genosha without Scott- so before I go looking for him, I- I’ll stay for a couple hours to catch up.”

wanda felt the warmth of camaraderie when she saw jean on genosha. the island was in chaos and disarray; what had once been peaceful, a place for mutants to live, had quickly become crowded, a place for mutants to hide. the friends of humanity were going farther and farther with their attacks, and nobody really seemed to know what to do about it. in wanda’s mind, it was the first sign of a war that she hoped would never see the light of day. thinking of it made her blood boil, and she could feel her powers pulsing through her body – possessing a strength that she didn’t even understand.

“circumstances aside, i am happy to see you,” wanda said with a gentle smile. she wanted to tell jean about how she was finding a new home on genosha – about how she and lorna had bonded over their shared heritage together – but jean’s words brought a stop to it.

“without scott?” wanda paused, pressing her lips together as she considered jean’s words. “i don’t understand,” she said, shaking her head, “why?” she understood a little, it was practically pouring out of jean – she was in love. love could make you do all kinds of things. even love that isn’t really love. wanda knew that better than anyone. “jean, your place is here. with us. with your kind,” she pressed, taking a step closer to her fellow mutant. “take scott out of the equation. he doesn’t dictate who you are or what you do. these kids – the ones who survived what happened at the school – a lot of them look up to you. they need you. charles trusts you for a reason.” 

it was probably more than wanda really deserved to say – she’d made her fair share of mistakes. she’d never been a hero, even as an avenger – not the way jean was. her whole story was riddled with them. that’s why she was trying so desperately to make them right.  “don’t leave for scott. stay for them.”

ever since what happened in wakanda, wanda hated the stones of infinity. they were the source of everything horrible that had happened, and if she’d had it her way,  all of them would’ve been destroyed.

and yet.

wanda could feel them. at least, she could feel one. the reality stone was shifting. she’d finally managed to sleep – it was a restless sleep, true, but more than she’d had in days – but the stone woke her up with stabbing pain in the front of her mind. she shot up in bed, gasping in agony, broken out into a cold sweat. the last she’d heard about the reality stone was that it had vanished. any use they may have had for it, any desire to protect – irrelevant. until now. 

the sun had barely risen when wanda entered the sanctum from the portal strange had opened between it and genosha. she admired his magic and his handle of it. he was older, so she shouldn’t have been surprised – but . she envied him all the same. in another world, she could handle her magic with the same grace. in this one, all she could remember was lagos... and the vision of m-day.

“doctor strange,” wanda greeted, doing her best to smile though her heart grieved almost as strongly as it had when she thought she’d lost pietro. “some time a go, you said you could help me. i have these powers, and... i can only control them to a point. i’m capable of more, but every time i try – it’s dangerous.” she was nervous, that’s why she was rambling. it was all true, of course, but she had her purpose. her concerns... and fading hope that she clung to in sheer desperation.

“i was wondering if, considering everything, that offer was still on the table.”

Thor was lost.

He had wandered aimlessly throughout the city, listless. He was not dressed for the cold, but it barely nipped at him. He was numb to it- numb to a lot, lately. 

What did one do when they had no purpose?

His purpose had been to build New Asgard, and that had been completed. Now what would he do?

Lost in his thoughts, he bumped into someone. How typical. “My apologies.” He inclined his head and made to walk past, but something about the other person made him pause.

wanda had taken it upon herself to quietly roam the streets, find stranded mutants and other non-humans and bring them to safety. for the most part they kept themselves hidden – she wouldn’t find them without using her powers and, unfortunately, her powers were quite visible. she kept a scarf pulled high over her lips and a hat pulled low over her head, hair tucked neatly into it so she could make herself as unrecognizable as possible. maybe heroes like daredevil with their secret identities and masks had the right idea.

thor odinson – though she didn’t realize it was him at the time –was much bigger than wanda, so when he bumped into her he almost sent her flying to the ground. on instinct, she used her powers to catch herself, and the second she did, her stomach sunk. “боже мой,” she muttered, and steadied her mind and body for a fight, preparing herself for one of the mutant killers wandering the streets today. but when she got up, hands already lit with red energy, she finally recognized the norse god who’d knocked her over.

“THOR?”

for a moment, wanda couldn’t believe it. thor odinson, out in public on a day like this, like... like nothing was happening. if these people could get to her, to lorna, to jean – nobody was safe, not even the god of thunder. she looked around them quickly, and when no one was looking she yanked him into an alley and out of sight.

“my name is wanda maximoff,” she said quickly, taking off her hat and pulling down her scarf, “i’m an avenger and you cannot be here.”

Everything was wrong, things had just… turned out worse than he had ever hoped them to be. The only good thing that had come to light out of this entire situation was Peggy’s arrival. And even then he had to question how long that would last. Sucking in a breath, the soldier shook his head and moved forward, pushing himself to the front of the protesting crowd to see what was actually going on.

It wasn’t until he’d gotten to the front that he’d spotted the issue at hand and it made his blood run cold.

“Ross,“ he gritted his teeth, curling his hands into a fist before turning to leave the crowd, his own inner rage reaching its boiling point. This wasn’t good, not for mutants, not for enhanced, not even for the civilians that were inevitably going to be caught in the crossfire. Spotting someone familiar, Steve began to break through the crowd to them, waving his hand to gain their attention. “Hey-Hey!“ he called out, getting closer to them.

Able to be within feet of the person, he reached out and placed a hand on their shoulder, “it’s not safe, we need to get you out of here.” Steve warned, locking eyes with them and hoping they’d understand the gravity of the situation. “Let me take you to the school or the compound, I can make sure you’ll be alright.”

genosha wasn’t secluded enough for wanda not to see what was happening back in new york – how out of control things were getting. in the beginning, she trusted that the avengers and the x-men together could take care of it short-term, while she stayed with her father to create a long-term plan. something that could prevent this from continuing to happen over and over until there were only humans left. but the new avengers – ross’ most recent moves against people like her – that red flag was too bright to ignore. too dangerous. she’d felt a tightness in her chest because she knew that people would die – and she couldn’t stay on genosha and let that happen.

the worst thing – the thing that made her head spin with anger and devastation – was to hear the way people were cheering in the streets. televisions in bars, window displays, times square – all surrounded by thousands and thousands of people who wanted nothing more than to see the avengers and the x-men and every type of person they didn’t understand dead. this was worse than anything that had happened in novi grad. worse than the coups, the militarized government, worse than the poverty and the rage, worse than the armed police knocking down doors… this was the first step towards genocide.

it was a good thing people were more focused on the news than the faces of those around them. wanda was wearing a hat and fake glasses, her hair tucked into her winter coat, scarf pulled up to her chin. her first reaction to hearing someone shout hey was fear – that someone had recognized her, that this crowd would quickly turn into a public execution. or an attempted one. she was done not fighting back.

but the voice was familiar, and he was a welcome sight.

“steve?” his name came out in a relieved whisper. he was the one who always pulled her back. he’d believed in her when no one else did, not even herself, and it was him who made her second guess her recent moves with her father. she hadn’t told him, yet, that she’d been on genosha. hadn’t told him about magneto. wanda put her hands on his arms, eyebrows creased, and shook her head. “what are you talking about?” it took her a moment before she realized he didn’t know. he didn’t see the whole news.

“steve,” she whispered again, her voice cracking. “the compound, the school… they’re gone.”

Transferring from one place to another was really the safest thing to do, but leave it to unlucky little Pietro to be caught in between right when the Compound was attacked. He had tried to fight back, already done with acting nice with these assholes who wanted nothing but their deaths, but they were outnumbered. Not even Tony’s intricate security detail could hold the men back. Trask, Ross, both out for blood and blood was what they got.

Pietro had been shot at, beaten, and it took him so much to get away, but he didn’t run much farther. He knew there were people in the Compound, people he needed to help, people who might still be alive. From afar, hidden away behind trees and tall grass, Pietro stood, trying to survey the area after the fall. He can see the anti-mutant groups hunting around the grounds, to take the survivors? Or kill them? Who knows?

He keeps his distance, turning back around and collapsing against a tree. For now he’d have to stay away, wait for everyone to leave, so instead he pushes himself off and starts to move around to see where the others had run off too. Tony, anyone, he needs to find them.

wanda’s time on genosha, however brief, had all but confirmed her greatest fears: maybe, just maybe, erik lehnsherr her father had a point. it was dangerous to be a mutant – dangerous to be anything other than human. not because you were dangerous, but because of how you were perceived. she’d started to learn that long before – when tony stark ordered vision to keep her on the premises for the protection of others. as if she hadn’t dedicated herself to being an avenger and saving lives. as if there was anything she'd meant for that explosion to murder so many in the hospital. all she’d wanted to do was help, and the world thought she was a murderer. a villain. because she was different.

if anything could’ve pulled wanda away from genosha, it was this. these attacks were everything she feared would happen – but the fear, trepidation, and mercy that held her back before was slowly ebbing away. how many times must they prove themselves? how many times must they tolerate the abuse, the genocide just to prove that they aren’t evil?

she was only on the premises for a moment – if even – before she could feel pietro. pietro, who she’d felt die, who she’d spent years mourning. pietro, who was alive. and in trouble. she skirted around the compound, lifting herself a few feet from the ground to avoid making any noise in the brush. when she spotted him she landed with grace in front of him, finger on her lips telling him to be quiet. but even in their silence, she wrapped her arms around him, holding him close. she’d lost him once. never again would she take advantage of his presence in her life.

“you’re okay,” she murmured, and pulled back so she could look at him. she wondered where he was on the matter – how he would react to her own changes. no matter what happened, theyw ere the maximoffs. there is nothing he could do that she would not support. 

“i’m done running,” wanda said, finally. she put her hand on her twin’s cheek softly – but her look was hard, decisive. “let’s finish this.”

The girl was young, but the strange red light coming from her hands did not bode well for Peggy. Unfamiliar with the technology - if technology was even the right word - Peggy considered her options, forcing herself to take a steadying breath.

She could ignore the girl’s command and keep her weapon up. On the one hand, she knew she was a good shot and the gun provided protection in an increasingly hostile environment. On the other, she had no idea what the person in front of her was capable of, and whether she bore any ill will. Though it was promising that she hadn’t shot Peggy on sight, that was about the only display of temperance she had to go on. 

If she surrendered now, she might be able to bide her time, get a bit more information about the situation she was plopped into. She did, after all, have an impressive track record when it came to withstanding interrogation.

Slow and measured, Peggy raised her hands and let go of her gun, letting it swivel around her thumb and rest useless in her palm. She was about to identify herself, and then… the absolute stranger did it for her. 

Honestly, what was the point of being a covert operative?

“You’re really not supposed to know that,” Peggy sighed, brow furrowing. “My name, I mean. I’m certain we haven’t been acquainted. Who are you?”

wanda stared at her openly, mouth opened slightly in awe. “how did you find us?” she asked, stunned at the fact that, of all people, peggy carter managed to find avengers headquarters – stumble upon it, even, if wanda was reading her face correctly. she could feel excitement and nerves rising in her chest, the trepidation of meeting someone you look up to and the fear of being a disappointment. or worse – the fear of being hated or feared. the red magic circling around her hands might as well have been a big, flashing sign that said MUTANT, and she could never tell how anyone would react to that anymore. she slowly lowered her hands, her pulse energy fading to nothing.

“most people know your name. you made history,” wanda said. “not the kind of history they taught us in sokovia, but... i learned about you the same day i joined the avengers. the same day.” her voice quieted at the end as she took in peggy’s appearance – so put together, strong, young... nothing like the woman who’d passed the year of the accords. wanda swallowed. “agent carter, you died.” it came out less sensitive than wanda had intended – but the woman standing in front of her was hardly the woman who’d been buried in london.

“i’m sorry,” wanda said quickly, wanting to search for an excuse for her bluntness, knowing she’d never been the best at first impressions anyway. and she wanted to impress margaret carter, the woman who’d started it all. a woman who had shaped the world against all odds, despite what everyone thought of her just because of her sex. she was a hero in an age before heroes – the type of person wanda aspired to be when she joined the avengers. 

“english isn’t my first language.” a lame excuse. surely peggy would see right through it. “my name is wanda maximoff. most people call me other...” she almost said things; it would’ve been true, but peggy had not exactly been around during a time where mutants were a world-spread problem – “names. but i’d... really like it if you called me wanda. i’ve heard a lot about you, agent carter, and it’s an honor to meet you.”

wanda had lost one father and been given another – one that she knew only through memories of a universe now non-existent and the role he’s played in the mutant community. they still hadn’t met face to face; she couldn’t even be sure that he would know who she was to him. it would have been easy to show him, if he would let her – but she didn’t see that happening any time soon. she knew because she wouldn’t let someone show her, either, if she had a choice. and with his helmet, he did.

genosha was like nothing she’d ever seen – an island like she’d never imagined. riddled with mutants and inhabited by… dinosaurs. the knowledge she had from genosha were memories from another version of herself, and they were fuzzy, distracted by the events of M-DAY that rang in more clearly. she didn’t feel comfortable or at home, but she felt… familiar in a distant way. the way she might feel if she saw an old kindergarten classmate.

but it was a safe haven for mutants. wanda clung to that. maybe, maybe her father was on to something. despite his more extreme views, he had created a place where mutants could live in peace and harmony, without the threat of anti-mutant criminals kidnapping them out of their beds while they slept.

it didn’t take her long to find him – after all, genosha was magneto’s territory, and he was welcoming newcomers. he looked younger than the man in her memories, but no less experienced. maybe traumatized was a better word. there was a rage in his eyes that she recognized and understood – an exhausted anger from the hell that was the daily life of mutants in the world. wanda wore her uniform, curly dark hair loose around her shoulders, boots making her look taller, more imposing. she wished she had her old headpiece. maybe that would’ve meant something to him, even upon a first glance.

wanda maximoff kept her head held high. erik lensherr was probably the only person on earth she could face right now with her chin above her shoulders.

“genosha is beautiful.” she greeted him in a way that felt infantile but necessary – after all, it isn’t every day that you have to break the ice with a father who doesn’t know he’s your father. it wasn’t really something she’d been pre-prepared for. but it’s funny, she thought. she’s not nervous like she expected herself to be. “should i call you erik or magneto?” she asked, glancing over his shoulder at one of the dinosaur-like creatures that inhabited this island. there were too may distractions – she refocused. “my name is wanda.”

The move was smooth, like shifting water. 

Peggy had been walking down a familiar street in Red Hook, Jarvis trailing nervously behind her. She’d ducked her head to step carefully over a sewer grate, and when she’d looked back up she’d found open skies, a singular (somewhat ugly) gray building, and swathes of lush green grass beneath her feet. She couldn’t help but draw in a sharp, stunned breath, turning on her heel to review the sudden change with Jarvis, though a quick scan of her radius informed her he was nowhere in sight. Panic flooded her stomach, quick and cold.

Peggy reached for her gun – a belated reaction, but a due one just the same. There was no one in her immediate surroundings, but years of espionage had taught her that didn’t mean there wasn’t someone watching. She didn’t feel capable of doing much, besides just staring at the giant building in front of her like a ridiculous, gaping fish. Even setting aside the feelings of displacement brought by such a sudden change, Peggy was struck with the overwhelming notion that something about the scene before her wasn’t quite right. Like she didn’t belong. 

Letting out a slightly quivering breath, she kept her gun in front of her and turned her back to the building, trying to make something out of the rest of her surroundings. The strangeness of it felt like a lingering dream, but even as the thought crossed her mind, Peggy knew it held no merit. She could feel goosebumps rising on her collar, grass tickling her ankles, and cold air pulling through her lungs. As impossible as it seemed, whatever was happening had to be real.

At the slightest sound of rustling grass behind her, Peggy tensed, grip tightening on her gun. There was nowhere to run to, really, and the approaching figure could already have their weapon drawn, for all she knew.

“I don’t mean you any harm,” she said, proud that her voice didn’t shake. She ducked her head, trying to catch a glance at the stranger’s shoes without fully turning. “Or - at least I don’t think I do. I’ve had a bloody weird morning. Everything feels a bit topsy turvy at the moment.”

wanda had only been back at headquarters for a few hours after the rescue, and she was restless. things hadn’t been as easy as they were supposed to be. the collars had proved more complicated than she anticipated. but they were out. they were free. and wanda was ready to train harder than ever to make sure something like that never happened again. the avengers existed to help people, to save people, at any cost. her father was recruiting mutants to genosha, and whatever he was planning wouldn’t make protection easy.

wanda was working on altitude – flying as high as she could manage before feeling nervous or unstable – when she spotted a figure in the grass below. she tilted her head, trying to see the person’s features despite the sun being at her back – but it didn’t take every long to determine that it wasn’t anyone who should’ve been at the compound. she dropped down with quiet stealth into a defensive posture, wearing street clothes rather than her usual suit.

“lower your weapon!” wanda demanded, hands held out in front of her to form a protective energy shield. an explosion she could catch – but bullets were too quick. if pietro couldn’t outrun them, nobody could. she opened her mouth to instruct the stranger to identify herself – after all, shield headquarters wasn’t exactly a place someone stumbled across – but she stopped cold as she took a step forward and the woman’s features became more clear. 

“i know you,” wanda said, though where she’d seen the woman’s face, she couldn’t recall. she obviously wasn’t from sokovia, so she thought back to the last few years, ever since ultron. it’s the woman’s red lipstick that really triggers wanda’s memory of a founding member of shield. a woman whose portrait she’d seen a few times – most memorably at the smithsonian. she’d known steve before he was captain america.

she was also dead.

wanda slowly lowered her hands. a woman back from the dead. it wasn’t so strange anymore. pietro was back from the dead. her son from an alternate universe was here. why not her? “agent carter?”