Where your loyalties lie (Two New Bartons book 2) (completed)

Lost little witch - Wanda

Pietro. Not Pietro. Please not Pietro. 

He betrayed me. 

He's scared of me.

He doesn't trust me.

He thinks I need to be controlled.

I crouch at the top of the building, breathing heavily and shaking. The realisations don't stop coming. The world is still red, and I can't get it back to normal. Every time I come close to calming down, I hear incidents like Lagos in my mind, and have to start again. 

Every time I hear it, I feel like I'm being destroyed all over again. The fist, the electricity, the knife, they all come back. I'm just starting to think I may never recover, when I hear footsteps behind me. 

"Did you miss me?"

I jump to my feet, energy already balling in my hand as I spin around.

"What are you doing here?" I demand as Loki swaggers forward. The energy doesn't vanish. 

"It would seem you've forgotten all my lessons." He tuts. 

All the fight goes out of me. The world goes almost back to normal, but there's still a slight red edge to everything. The energy around my hands fades away. I'm on the verge of collapse. 

Loki drops his confident, teacher-like air and steps forward, his brow knotted in concern. 

"Are you alright?"

I don't answer. I try to, but the second I open my mouth, I burst into tears and fall to the ground. 

I can feel Loki's confusion, but it's almost imperceptible under my own hysteria. 

After a second, I feel a hand on my shoulder. Unable to restrain myself, I turn and sob into his chest. 

He pats my back awkwardly, and says, "Do you... wanna talk about it?"

That is an excellent question. Do I want to talk about it?

"No," I decide.

He shrugs. "Okay."

He sits down next to me, one leg bent to his chest, the other dangling down the edge of the building. We stare out at the city together, watching lights in houses flicker on and off, headlights speeding through streets. One of those probably contains Clint and Pietro.

Pietro.

"He was all I had," I whisper before I can stop myself.

"Your brother?" Loki frowns.

I nod. "We've always been together. Always had each other. I trusted him, he trusted me. It worked. It kept me going. And now..." I trail off, not trusting my voice to hold out any longer.

"And now...?" he prompts.

"And now... I don't know." I bury my face in my hands as the emotions return and, with them, the energy staining the world red. "I don't know anymore. I don't know who I am without him."

I expect more uncomfortable silence or awkward comfort. Instead, the god of mischief starts singing.

"Lost little witch, 

Scared little witch,

Longing after the dead, little witch.

Scared little witch,

lost little witch,

Was it worth the cost, little witch?"

Loki's voice is quiet, but sweet and steady. It reminds me of my mother, and the lullabies she used to sing to me. The memory brings tears to my eyes, and it takes me a second to realise that that's the only thing restricting my vision. No red glow.

There's a moment of silence, then he whispers, "My mother used to sing that to me when I was a boy. I never told her, but, at times, it was the highlight of my day."

"She's gone too, isn't she?"

He just nods. 

More silence. And then...

"Look," he sighs, "I know I'm not the best at this comfort thing, but if you need someone to talk to, I'm right here."

Now it's my turn to nod. "Thanks."

We sit like that for a few hours, neither of us speaking, just staring out at the twinkling lights above and below.

Then Loki gets to his feet, saying, "I should go. The people will be noticing I'm gone soon."

My first thought is, Please don't leave me alone. But I can't say this. Instead, wiping my eyes, I nod and stand up, too.

"Remember, if you need me, just call," he tells me. Then he turns and walks into the shadows. When I move to look, he's already gone.

I stand completely still for a moment, just looking at the spot where he just disappeared. Then I turn to the edge of the building, take a deep breath and launch myself into the air in a flash of red.

I don't know where to go. I'm not ready to face Pietro yet, but there's nowhere else to go. I can't go back to the Avengers compound, though I doubt Vis will still be there, and I can't go to Clint's farm, because that might get him in trouble, and those are the only place I've felt safe recently. 

I touch down on top of a tree in the middle of a small wood to think. Where do I go? 

Then it hits me. The recruit in San Francisco that  Clint mentioned. Get my mind off Pietro and Vis and get something done at the same time. Two birds with one hex.

I close my eyes and rally my concentration, then reach out my mind to Clint's. 

Can you hear me? I ask.

Wanda? Clint's voice fills my head. Where are you? Are you okay?

I'm fine. I'm going to SF. Go to Germany, I'll meet you there.

But-

GO.

There's a moment of silence, then he thinks, Pietro wants to know if you're alright.

I shut off the connection. 

Word count: 882