the strongest avenger

thirty

2015

Tony Stark sits at a table across from Wanda Maximoff. Talia's in her room, reading as usual while the two talk.

Sokovia was a few weeks ago, Tony wanted to give Wanda a little time to grieve her brother before asking this favor of her.

Tony clears his throat, a little nervous to start.

"I have a favor to ask of you."

Wanda tilts her head to the side. "Go on."

"As you know, Talia has been with us since the attack on New York in 2012, three years ago. But she...still doesn't open up to us. She's very closed off, wakes up from nightmares several times a month. I don't know what to do. I want to help her." He takes a breath. "I think wherever she was—they treated her badly. I think they hurt her, physically and mentally. And it haunts her, I—I just don't know what to do. She's almost sixteen, I want her to have a normal life. A happy life...but whatever her past is, it haunts her."

"So what do you want me to do about it?"

"I've been thinking about this since we met you." He hesitates. "I want you to make her forget. Go into her mind, and lock away her memories, her past. I want you to replace them with memories of a mother and—basically normal memories. Like doing stuff on Christmas, baking cookies."

"So, let me get this straight. You want me to go into her mind, which she has told me not to do, and plant false memories in her brain so that she doesn't remember her true past?"

"Yes."

"Stark...I don't know. I mean—"

"What's the worst that happens? It doesn't work? Then she stays the same. No big deal. But, we have a chance to make her happy. I've never seen her smile in the three years I've known her. Only a little closed lip, grimace thing. I don't even think she knows how to smile. Please, Wanda."

Wanda takes a few minutes to herself, contemplating the pros and cons. She's been in stilted conversations with the girl, she's always slightly rude and quick with her answers. Straight to the point, maybe it would benefit her to alter her past.

"Fine. But I need to know exactly what you want her new past to be."

"Make her think that I'm her real father, it would explain why she lives here and stuff. And then you can make up a mother, but have her die when she's young, so that Talia doesn't really remember her. Home schooled all her life. Definitely add memories of her with Steve, Sam, Nat, Clint, Bruce, Thor, Rhodey, Pepper, You, and me. She needs to have those core memories so that she's friendly ya know. I want her to know that we're her friends and that we love her. I want her to know she's part of our family."

"Okay. Okay, I've got it. I've got a plan. When do you want to do it?"

"As soon as you're ready."

"Okay go get her then."

Tony stands and quickly makes his way to Talia's bedroom, knocking on the door, and then popping it open. He finds her laying on her stomach, a book in her hand.

"Hey kid, can you come meet me in the kitchen. I wanna talk to you and Wanda about something."

The girl nods and gets up, following Tony back to the kitchen. She sees Wanda there, a slight pang on unexpected sadness hits her heart when she thinks of her dead brother.

"Hey." Wanda says as Talia sits down next to her.

The girl says nothing, waiting expectantly for whatever Tony wants to say. He sits down and glances at Wanda.

"I'm sorry." Wanda says, and Talia has no time to defend herself as Wanda quickly places her finger tips on the girl's head, rendering her unconscious.

Talia slumps back in her seat, her head leaning back against the chair. Wanda turns their chair so that they're parallel to each other and takes a deep breath.

She places her fingers on Tal's temples, and takes a deep breath. Bracing herself, Wanda plunges into Talia's mind.

—

It feels like hours have passed when Wanda finishes, but in reality it was only a few minutes. She pulls from the girl's head, tears streaming down her face.

"What's wrong?" Tony asks Wanda.

She wipes her tears, looking at a sleeping Talia.

"Her past...I—"

"It's that bad?"

"I'm surprised she even got any sleep. Or that she talks to you guys at all." Wanda takes a breath. "She's very strong."

"Are you gonna tell me about it?"

"No. No, her past is not something to be shared unless she wants to tell you."

"Okay, I get that."

"I'm gonna wake her up. She thinks that we were talking about training."

Wanda reaches over and taps her temple, a red mist quickly gets absorbed into her head and Talia's eyes snap open.

"What were we talking about again? I forgot." She says with a smile.

Tony resists the urge to cheer.

"How you wanted to start learning how to throw a knife from Nat." Wanda says.

"Oh yeah!" She brightens up. "I also want Thor to work with me a little on controlling the lightning cause that's one of the hardest to control for me. And dad," She turns to an open mouthed Tony. "I think we should make those cookies that we did on that one Christmas, cause I know Steve likes them."

Just then Steve enters the room and the three of them turn to look at him. Wanda's smile falters a second, while Talia's grows.

"Steve guess what?" The blonde blinks, a little confused.

"Um, what?"

"Dad and I are gonna make those cookies for everyone that we did a couple Christmases ago."

Steve's eyebrows shoot up on high on his forehead and he glances at Tony.

'Go along with it' Tony mouths to him.

"That sounds fun. Tony better not burn them this year." He says with a forced smile.

Talia laughs, surprising everyone. Tony's eyes bug out from his head, Steve's mouth slightly opened.

"Okay well, I'm gonna head down to the training room and work out a little. See you at dinner."

With that, Talia gets up and heads to her room to get changed. Steve watches her go, and then storms over to the table.

"What the fuck did you two?"

"Hey, hey hey." Tony says with his hands up. "It was my idea Spangles just listen. I had Wanda change her past, so she thinks I'm her dad and that we're all one big happy family."

Steve blinks at Tony. "I can't believe you did that. Did you ask permission first?"

"No..."

"God! Tony!"

"It worked didn't it? She smiled Steve! And she laughed! When have you ever seen her happy? This is for the best."

"I—just...this goes against everything I believe in." He rubs his jaw. "I am furious with you Stark. But, it was nice to see her smile. You should go warn the others because they're going to be in for quite a surprise."