You Didn't See That Coming?

Lost

The war had ended, yet the pain and suffering had not.

Wanda, still and cold sat frozen in the corner of the Quinjet staring off in a daze. Wanda clenches and squeezes her eyes closed as she feels the urge to take a sharp breath of air. All she can feel is the pain that often comes with loss and the feeling of falling as if she will never land. The vision had been the one who went back to the falling country of Sokovia, he had been the one to save Wanda from falling with it. He had flown her to the Quinjet, where the avengers and her twin brother's body waited. She couldn't allow herself to be brought out of her current state and back into reality where the truth was waiting to bury her alive in grief. Her brother Pietro, the only thing in her life that had ever been constant, the person who raised and protected her since the loss of their parents was gone. Now she had no one. No one to comfort her, to hold her, or tell her everything was going to be okay, even if it wasn't. The pain was becoming almost insufferable, she felt a pain that she could never explain to someone who had never felt this type of loss. Her emotions were bubbling inside her chest and pounding in her head, the feeling of self-control was quickly unraveling.

Wanda was lost in her emotions and battle for control that she did not notice the avengers watching her from the other side of the jet. They sent looks of sympathy towards one another, they all knew what it was like to lose someone close to you. None of the Avengers could say they particularly liked the young girl who had managed to break them apart earlier in the week in just a matter of seconds, but no one could deny the sight of her grief was upsetting and disturbing to all.

Wanda squeezed her eyes tighter and pulled her knees to her chest while wrapping both of her arms desperately around them, trying to seek any form of comfort. Wanda's mind was engulfed by memories of her brother flashing through her mind when she felt a hand gently touch her shoulder. She flinched harshly and jumped out of her seat to face the man who had interrupted her grieving. Once she turned she saw Clint Barton, also known as Hawkeye facing her with his handheld slightly up as if to indicate he meant no harm.

"Wanda," he started while slowly making his way closer to her.

"I know it's hard but you need to keep your eyes open and your body moving, once we get to the safe house you'll have all the time in the world to grieve but right now we need to talk about what happens next."

Wanda could feel her breath catch in her chest, her eyes became misty and her hand clenched at her sides. She took a deep breath and nodded, agreeing with Clint.

Clint taking his chance swiftly walked beside Wanda and put an arm around her back, gently urging her to walk with him, and she did.

Clint lead her closer to where the team was sitting, Natasha was leaning against the wall with Bruce sitting near her feet, Steve was sitting in one of the chairs on the right wall, Tony swiveled around in the pilot's seat to face the group, Thor was standing towards the back of the jet, and Clint and Wanda made their way to sit in two open seats across from Steve. Wanda felt all their eyes on her, it made her forget just for a moment about her grief and reminded her of the pain she had caused them. Once she sat down next to Clint she shrunk down and pushed herself as far back as possible into her chair. Tony was the first person to speak.

"What happened today was not a win. We lost an entire country. People died today, too many people died." He said frustrated.

"Maybe the best course of action is to take a few months off? Unless we are needed of course." Steve suggested. "I think everyone here deserves some normality, even if it only for a short period." All the Avengers seemed to silently agree, some subtle nods were exchanged amongst the ground and murmurs of agreement. An awkward silence filled the room, Wanda was beginning to spiral with grief.

"How long until we land?" Wanda whispered to Cint. Clint looked over at her, slight surprise displayed in his eyes as if he was not expecting Wanda to initiate conversations.

"Not very long now, I'm thinking ten minutes." Clint's expression softened when Wanda let out a yawn. "If you want you can rest for a bit, you must be exhausted".

The concern that Clint had towards the young girl left Wanda feeling surprised and emotional. No one besides Pietro had cared about the amount of sleep she got. Wanda took a shaky breath while trying to contain the tears threatening to escape. She was losing the battle within herself for control.

"Wanda" Clint started softly "I know it's hard but it will get easier to handle the pain."

Wanda tightly squeezed her eyes shut, not wanting to see everyone looking at her as if she's a kicked dog.

"When will it end?" She asked without opening her eyes, her voice beginning to get tighter every time she spoke.

"It will never end, but it will start to hurt a little less every day. I promise." Clint says while twisting his body to directly face her while they both remain seated. Clint puts an arm on her shoulder, as an invitation for the comfort she so desires. Wanda opened her eyes at the sudden contact. Tears began to slowly flow down her cheeks, her breath becoming more unstable and her hands beginning to shake. Wanda knew the team was watching her, waiting to see how she chose to react. She did not want to appear weak to the people who are considered 'Earth's Mightiest Heroes', yet her desire to not be alone overpowered her insecurities. The thought of never seeing her brother ever again controlled her and she could no longer resist. Wanda flung herself into the comfort of Clint's arms.

Clint held the sobbing girl in his arms all the while whispering reassurances into her ear, he stroked her hair every so often to let her know she isn't alone.