#this was... an attempt

"You know, you don't have to do this," there was reluctance in Wanda's voice when she finally said it. In truth she was grateful that Emma had offered- no, insisted to drive her to S.W.O.R.D. Emma had wanted to be there for her when she went to get Vision's body. But this was too much kindness from her, and she wanted to do this alone. She's wants to be there for Vision, alone.

"I know, but I had the time," she answered, not looking away from the road. She paused for a bit and finally glanced at the red-haired girl in the passenger seat. "And you need a friend." At that Wanda sighed, her face worked to fight away the tears that suddenly flowed from her eyes.

"Wanda, I know you want to be alone but believe me, you don't deserve to be." Emma said, softly. She took one hand off the wheel to rub Wanda's shoulder, encouraging her to let out the pain she had been bottling up all day.

Wanda kept her eyes on the road, trees drifted past them quickly, but she noticed the car slow down slightly. Emma sighed, that made Wanda look at her fully now. She let her guard drop fully right next to her.

She noticed the older woman's shoulders were hunched, her jaw clenched with a fear that she had gotten used to having through the years. She kept her hair at shoulder length, but that was where her physical maintenance seemed to stop. Emma had only aged five years since the fight in Wakanda, but she had experienced a lifetime of grief and loss. All of which seemed to crash down onto her the same way it threatened to crash down onto Wanda.

She vowed never to look into Emma's mind again. It was intrusive, yes. But it also hurt. It was too much. Her life had been too much, and when she first brought out her fears from her mind, all those years ago, she felt all her pain pierce her own heart like a bullet.

But Wanda had never seen her hesitate like that. She sighed when she was planning something big to end a fight. She sighed when she was about to barrage someone with murderous, downright terrorizing threats. But those sighs came with a dark look on her face, one where the life in her eyes is replaced with anger, vengeance, bloodlust even.

But the sigh that came from her now, is one of hesitance, like she wants to say something she'll forever regret saying.

It took forever for her to say it, but she finally did when they stopped in the S.W.O.R.D headquarters parking lot. Emma had turned to face Wanda completely now, and her eyes demanded for Wanda to listen.

She sighed again, and raked a hand through her hair. "...I made a promise, remember? To you and Pietro." Wanda nodded, staying silent, still trying to keep her tears at bay. "I promised that I would protect you. I mean, it was less a promise and more a deal, you knew my deepest darkest secrets back then," she chuckled. "But now that those secrets don't matter to me, it's a promise now. And I intend to keep it. Pietro... He would want me to keep it. For you.

"A long time ago, I made a shit ton of promises to people I loved that I couldn't keep. I promised to bring someone back home, but I couldn't. I let him get hurt. I promised..." She let her tears spill, allowing herself to be vulnerable in front of the younger woman. "I promised I would marry the man I loved, but I couldn't, because I did something stupid. I pissed off the wrong people, and now he's gone too." She sniffled. Wanda felt her own tears spill now.

"I promised so many people I cared about that I would be strong. And I would fight. But I got scared, and I froze. I don't know if I can ever do that again. I don't know if I can be strong again. I know for sure that I don't want to fight again. But I know I can protect you, Wanda. And if I can't do that then I'll at least be here for you."

Emma's eyes hardened, and she took Wanda's trembling hand. "I hope you know that even if you don't want me around I will be, 'cause I'll be damned if I let you deal with this shit alone. No one deserves to have to do something like this on their own. And whether you grow to hate my ass or love it, I'm not leaving you.

"Do you understand Girlie?" Wanda nodded, "Yeah..." They let out watery laughs. Emma had just broken down the wall that Wanda still wasn't finished building, by throwing the bricks of her own at hers. Toppling something Wanda had grown tired trying to create.

She reached to open the car door with a newfound courage. As they walked through the lot, Emma spoke again. "You know, you're one of the strongest people I know, Wanda." She paused at that, "How?"

"Besides what you did to that purple bastard, what you're doing for Vision now... It's a lot."

Wanda's eyes widened at the realization. "You never got his body back. The Captain, your fiance..." Regret washed over her again, she really wishes she never looked into her head. "Ehh, well... I wasn't around for his funeral. Or for anyone's for that matter, 'cause they were holding mine too. But..."

Oh...

Some walls aren't ready to be toppled over. And Wanda can't throw bricks the same way Emma can.

"All his stuff went to me. I even got to keep his toothbrush." They smiled at that.

Emma and Wanda stared at the door to The S.W.O.R.D. headquarters. She glanced towards her, encouraging her silently. "Are you ready?"

Wanda didn't answer. She marched in, without looking back. Emma's words gave her strength, but her love can't stem the flow of her determination to have Vision back to her, one way or another.

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I had to write it down, get it off my mind. This had been clankingnaround my head for some time now, and I gotta thank good ol @darke15 for the inspo, and the supportive gifs. And also @violetvictoriabarnes @kippykasey ... Supportive mutuals who are also big fans of Darke's terrific fucking writing. I'll let you guys be the judge.

Oh and I forgot to change the names to (F/N) oops... But I gave Ghost the name Emma so that explains that. I kept it as reader-friendly as possible besides that. Sorry :/

It's not my best, especially since I wrote it at 1 am after speedrunning Homer for a test... Forgive whatever typos or redundancy I left in... I am such a responsible student I'm so gonna ace that test

It's fanfiction for fanfiction. Huzzah.

Please tell me what you think of this thingie... Cause I enjoyed it and would like to continue but have no idea how.