Westview || WANDA MAXIMOFF [2]

[09]: How It All Began

2023 ― Westview, New Jersey

Agnes, who had now revealed herself to be Agatha Harkness, a powerful witch that has been alive since the Salem witch trials, was now walking Wanda through all of the events of her life that led up to this moment of her creating the Hex. Wanda had relayed to Christian that she wasn't sure how the Hex started and that she didn't remember starting it if she did start it. Agatha had taken her through the bomb that killed her parents and the experimentation with the mind stone. Now Wanda was back at the Avengers facility in the aftermath of what happened during Sokovia. She knew what this memory was; it was one of her first conversations with Christian Rogers.

Wanda Maximoff was sitting on her bed in her room at the Avengers Compound and barely paying attention to what was on screen. It had been a few months since what happened in Sokovia and the loss of her brother, but she was still working through her grief, and it wasn't getting any easier for her. The main thing she wanted was Pietro back.

"So, where are we?" Agatha asked as they stood in the room with the past Wanda.

"The Avengers Compound. It was the first home Christian and I ever shared. Pietro was dead, and I was in a new country. I was all alone." Wanda said.

Wanda Maximoff could hear inside her head the voice of Christian Rogers debating whether or not to knock on her door as he stood outside of it. "You can come in, Christian," Wanda said. The door slowly opened, and Christian Rogers poked his head in.

"I'm sorry, Wanda. I don't mean to interrupt." Christian said.

"You don't?" Wanda asked.

"Well...-uh... no... I mean, uh...-yes, I intended to come here." Christian stumbled over his words like he always did whenever he talked to Wanda. He always felt so nervous around her, and he didn't want to say the wrong thing, especially not now.

"And now?" Wanda asked.

"And... Well, uh...-Whatever you prefer is fine with me. I can leave." Christian said as he started to open the door again. Wanda shook her head and patted the spot on her bed next to her, indicating for Christian to sit with her. Christian re-closed her door behind him before joining her on her bed. When Christan sat down, the two smiled at each other and were very aware of how close they suddenly were. Christian turned to the TV, Wanda had on a sitcom, and in the show, a man was working on building something on the outside of his house, but the whole thing had just collapsed on him. Christian laughed a little, which made Wanda crack a smile, but it quickly faded away.

"My mom told us she used to distract herself with sit-coms when dad..." Christian trailed off as he realized what he was about to say, and then he took a deep breath. "I'm sorry, Wanda, I don't want to presume to know how you're feeling. But if you want to talk about it, we can, if it would bring any comfort to you to know someone...-well me, to know I'm here for you." Christian said. He could slightly imagine what Wanda was going through because he had no idea what he would do if he ever lost Amaya.

"What makes you think that talking about it would bring me comfort? Did Katherine talk about Steve while he was under ice?" Wanda asked, and Christian sighed.

"I think you'd have to ask her... I'm about 80 years too late...-" She cut him off.

"...-The only thing that would bring me comfort is seeing him again." She slightly snapped at him. Christian nodded his head and looked away; he looked back at the TV screen and mentally kicked himself. He didn't want to say the wrong thing, but that's exactly what ended up happening. From beside him, Wanda sighed. "I'm sorry, Chris. I didn't mean to snap at you. I'm...-I'm just so tired. It's just like this wave washing over me, again and again. It knocks me down, and when I try to stand up, it just comes for me again. And it...-it's just gonna drown me." Wanda said.