Sorry For Your Loss | ScarletWidow

11.) A Rose Bush

It was late Monday night and Wanda couldn't sleep. Natasha had been gone for two days now, and she was starting to feel depressed again. She started realizing just how much Natasha helped her.

Without her there, she missed having someone hold her in her sleep, or just whenever she needed it. She missed Natasha's faint earthy scent. The smell lingered on the sheets, but it didn't compare to the smell Natasha carried. Wanda never even realized that the scent comforted her until it wasn't there anymore. Without those strong arms wrapped securely around her and that scent with every breath in, she couldn't sleep.

She let out a heavy sigh as she finally got up and headed downstairs. She thought she was the only one awake until she saw Laura in the kitchen doing her weekly meal preps.

"Why are you up?" Laura asked as she looked at the redhead, who was clad in sleeping shorts and one of Natasha's shirts.

"Can't sleep," Wanda sighed. She walked over to the cabinet and grabbed a fresh bottle of wine and a glass to pour it into. She filled the glass before walking over to the table to sit down at.

"Because Nat's gone, or something else?" the older woman asked.

"Both, I think."

"Want to talk about it?"

Wanda took a long sip of her glass of wine. "I guess I've just gotten so used to sleeping with her—like, having someone there to hold me again. So, without her here, it's really hard to sleep again. And... just overall, I really miss her. I didn't realize how much she helped my moods until she left the other morning."

Laura smiled sadly. "I understand what you mean. I hardly get any sleep when Clint's gone. It was even harder when we first got married. She'll be back before you know it, though."

"Yeah... you're right. I guess, I just..." Wanda sighed before taking another sip of the liquor.

"Just what?" Laura asked softly as she started placing the prewrapped food into the freezer.

"I guess, I've just really gotten used to being around her. Like, always with her, always having her hold me in one way or another. It's comforting, and I'm just now realizing how much it meant to me. I feel like I took it for granted because I didn't realize how much it helped." The redhead explained.

Laura looked over at Wanda with a soft gaze. "Sounds like she means a lot to you." She knew that Natasha liked Wanda, and she had wondered if Wanda felt the same. With the way she was talking, she started to suspect that the answer was yes, but she was going to let Wanda come to that conclusion on her own.

"She does. I mean, she was there when no one else was. She comforted me on some of my darkest nights. She was the one who decided to get Vis for me. And then, being here, helped a lot, too."

Laura just nodded softly, listening.

It took Wanda a few seconds to talk again. She stared at nothing as her finger traced the rim of her wine glass. She took a deep breath. "I guess... sometimes things blossom more than you expected them to. You can plant something as a seed and expect it to be a single rose, but... but there's always a chance you've misunderstood things. Or a weed can turn out to be something as amazing as a tree... and if you acknowledge it, take proper care of it, you'll have something amazing growing for the rest of your life. Like, an apple or orange tree. Or possibly something as beautiful as a rose bush. It's something so simple, but it's oh, so sweet." The corners of her lips curved upward into a small smile. "I suppose I've found that what I thought was a simple rose is actually a whole rose garden, blooming much before the time I thought it would." Her green hues slowly looked up at Laura, seeing the woman smiling at her.

"That was beautifully put... I think I know what you're trying to say."

"Yeah," Wanda smiled. She bit her lip before taking another sip. "God, I don't know what I'm going to do." A small chuckle left her lips.

"Tell her how you feel. There's no harm in that." The other woman said.

"I'm a little nervous, honestly. I mean... I love Vis, I really do—did... but what I feel for Natasha is so... so different?" Wanda seemed to question her own words, but she smiled as she thought. "I don't know how to describe it."

"Try," Laura smiled.

"Well, she makes me feel safe. She makes me feel comfortable and loved, especially when I didn't feel those things. After Vis died, I thought I would be alone forever. He was my soulmate after all, so I just assumed now that he's dead... that I wouldn't find anyone even comparable to him. Natasha's always been an incredible friend, and since I've been back, she's been even better. She's always there for me, whether I want her to be or not. She knows how to make me feel better. How to make me smile or laugh." She took another sip before finally setting the glass down on the table. "She's incredible, really. Ever since we got here, though, I've started feeling like maybe I've mistaken my feelings for friendship... it's something much more than that. The night we buried Vision, I told her I loved her, but as a friend. It felt right, but not in that context. I'm not sure how she meant it, but when she said she loved me too, my heart wanted to explode with happiness. I haven't felt this great in a really long time. She just makes me feel whole again." She let out a happy sigh, looking back up at Laura.

The other woman held a smile as she listened. "That sure is love alright."

Wanda bit her lip shyly. "Yeah... I-I don't know what to do with myself now." She chuckled again. "I want her home so badly, just so I can talk to her."

Laura smiled sweetly again. "She should be home in two days from what I heard Clint say the other morning before she left."

Wanda nodded. "I hope I can wait that long." She said before getting up. "Thank you for listening to me ramble on about Tasha. I'm going to try and get some sleep now that I feel better."

"Of course. You can always come talk to me." Laura said with a gentle smile.

Wanda returned the smile before grabbing her wine off the table. She returned to the bedroom. She finished the red liquor before she climbed back into bed. She grabbed Natasha's pillow, nestling her head into it as if it were the woman she was missing so much before she finally fell asleep. Her dreams were full of Natasha, and only Natasha.