The Eternal Avenger: Book Two

Chapter Three: Westview

(Wanda's POV):

I pulled into Westview, glancing around the quiet town expectantly. It may have been my grief clouding my perceptions, but the people here didn't seem thrilled to be living life in idyllic, small-town America. They looked almost sad. Hopeless. Well, then I should fit right in. The guy posting some kind of paper on the message board looks like the only thing he had in the world just got taken from him. I knew that feeling. The older woman at the coffee shop, waiting for company that was never going to show. I felt a pang in my chest, trying to remember my last happy moments with Vision. It had to be in Scotland, before we knew any of this was happening. Before Thanos. I shook my head suddenly, trying to rid my brain of the unwelcomed thought. My red Buick glided down the streets, covered in leaves. Fall was always so pretty. I turned left, noticing the street, finally pulling into the driveway of what was supposed to be my forever home. My home with Vision. He called it a place for us to grow old in. My breath caught in my throat as I choked down a sob. The house never materialized. The foundation was begun, but then I'm guessing that construction slowed down significantly after the snap. With both of its future owners gone....well the house was never finished. It was barely begun, really. Much like me and Vision's relationship. On top of his loss, my best friend wasn't even here anymore to pull me back from the ledge. Steve told Vision once that Avengers didn't trade lives, but that wasn't really true, was it? Vision traded his life to try to protect the Mind Stone. Claray traded her life to allow Clint and Natasha to retrieve the Soul Stone. We traded lives all the time, and at this moment I would gladly trade mine for either one of theirs. As I walked through the space that should have been the front door, I clutched the property deed to my chest, Vision's careful and mechanic hand writing imprinted on the inside. I fell to my knees, unable to hold myself up any longer. Finally, the sadness was rolling out of me in waves. The sadness turned to grief. Grief turned to anger. And anger prompted my magic. Red plumes flowed from my entire body seemingly outside of my own control, and I screamed uncontrollably into the air.

(Claray's POV):

I felt a strange tingling sensation during one of my normal walks around the planet. Desolate didn't even begin to describe this place. I hadn't seen another living thing here, aside from Steve briefly and – well I didn't know if the red guy was alive or not. There were hills and plateaus. There were pools of water that tasted funny. There was the mountain, and there was me. I used to think that I enjoyed solitude, the quiet that exists when the world around you seems to slow down. After being stuck here for however long I'd been stuck here, I realized that belief was incorrect. Even during the times I felt most alone, that separateness was nothing but an illusion. There were people everywhere, and all I'd have to do to break the stillness if I got lonely would be a simple walk outside. The silence here was deafening, almost maddening. I looked down at my hand, noticing a slightly reddish hue hovering around the skin. It was strange – it almost looked like...Wanda. All of a sudden, I clutched my head, screaming in pain. Something was horribly, terribly wrong. I gasped, falling to my knees in agony, my eyes squeezing shut in pain, pulling on my hair. "Wanda," I gasped. The pain let up for just a moment, but it returned with a vengeance. Now my entire upper body was tingling. Something was happening to me. I took a deep breath, closing my eyes and sitting up slightly on my knees. If this was the end, then I wasn't about to go out screaming. I bit my lip as another wave of pain returned, leaning on one hand to steady myself before sitting back up. I opened my eyes, staring up into the purple sky. I couldn't help the smile that crept across my face. It was peaceful, honestly. Quiet. My thoughts drifted to Natasha. I wonder if she survived. I thought of her green eyes, the way her dimples would deepen when she tried not to smile. How goofy she was when no one was looking. I knew where she was ticklish. I knew how to melt her with a single touch. I knew all of her buttons, and she knew mine. The smile on my face grew and the tingling sensation spread, reaching now throughout my entire body. I held my arms out to the side, palms up. I was ready.

(Natasha's POV):

I looked over my shoulder suddenly. I was trapped on the couch between Lila and Cooper, and Nathanial was currently sitting on my feet. I swear I felt something. My eyes swept the fields in front of the window. I didn't see anything moving. I gently pried myself away from Lila's grasp, standing up slowly. "Stay here guys, I'll be right back," I whispered. The kids, no-doubt assuming I was playing some kind of game just nodded, thoroughly engrossed in the movie that was showing on the television. I walked around the couch, approaching the side of the window, using the wall for cover scanning the far side of the house. Still nothing.

"Nat?" Clint startles me as he walks into the room, holding a hammer. He had been talking about demolishing the wall in the dining room ever since Sokovia, and with me here helping to keep an eye on the kids, he finally had a good excuse to do it. I glanced over at him. Noticing my position and glancing anxiously over at the kids, he walks over to me instantly. "What's wrong?" He demands, scanning the field outside of the window as well.

"Nothing, nothing. I'm just losing my mind, here." I relax, pushing him lightly on the shoulder.

"Don't scare me like that!" He laughs. "Especially when I'm holding this!" He gestures to the hammer. I smirk.

"You're no Thor, Hawkeye," I tease. "You know I could take you." He laughs, and the kids all look at us in unison, rolling their eyes.

"Aunt Nat, do you want to go practice shooting?" Lila suddenly stands up, staring at me excitedly. Clint raises an eyebrow, folding his arms over his chest. Lila rolls her eyes. "The bow and arrow, dad," she snarks. Clint looks fake-angry, but everyone can see the smirk he's trying to hide.

"Come on, Hawkeye," I gesture to Lila, "show your old man how the women do it," I glanced over my shoulder at Clint who's now shaking his head, holding in the laughter.

(Claray's POV):

I woke up in something that felt like grass. It smelled like grass too. I groaned, shaking my head slightly but instantly realizing it was a bad idea. "Ugh." I muttered. I dug my fingers into the ground. It was dirt. I was able to stand a few minutes later, but it took a lot longer than that for me to fully process what I was seeing. I might be losing my mind, but this looked a lot like the Avengers campus – if the campus got hit by an atom bomb. My eyes widened. Oh god.