Wanda and Agatha in the Multiverse of Gayness

Chapter 3 - Crack in the shell

He held her hand, while he helplessly watched the tears running down her face. Nobody prepared him for that and nobody could've prepared him anyway. That one simple question would crack her up this easily wasn't something he was expecting.
"Please calm down", he mumbled softly and stroked the back of her hand.
"I am just happy to be here", she replied sobbing. Ralph looked around, searching and scanning for something to distract her from whatever caused that reaction.
"Just forget that I asked, okay?"
Agatha paused and then she nodded. With the back of her hand she wiped the tears from her face.
"Okay", she sighed softly. Both of them went to sleep after that strange incident. The next morning came faster than they thought. Agatha stretched and yawned and then she smiled again. That painful smile she couldn't control. She headed to the bathroom and without further hestitation jumped under the shower. Scorching hot water ran over her skin, reminding her of that one time she almost burned at the st- NO Agatha! Bad Agatha! 
She just came out of the shower, when the water was running cold. Her skin was left red and wrinkled, when she toweled it down and blow dried her hair. For a few minutes she was at peace, leaving behind her thoughts and feelings which suddenly crawled back into her mind when a loud banging noise came from the bathroom door.
"Come on, i have to go to work", Ralph yelled and groaned. Agatha buttoned her shirt and opened the door. Ralphed rushed past her inside.

"Good morning, sweetheart!", Agatha said joyfully. Ralph looked confused to the left and then to the right.
"Can you please – I don't know – close the door or something. I really have to go to work. I might be late because of you."
"Oh, don't mind me. We're married, did you forget?", Agatha replied and leaned her shoulder against the door frame.
"Apparently you did forget our conversation from last night. We're still not married. And now ... leave me alone, okay?"
Agatha blinked, while he sighed and closed the door.
"You're not a very bright morning person, aren't you?", she yelled while she headed to the kitchen. She grabbed a few sliced of white pillowy bread. On one slice she smeared a very thick layer of peanut butter – the smooth kind of course. On the other slice she spooned strawberry jam. She folded them both and cut them into  two even triangles.
"Ugh! Why is the water freezing cold?!", Ralph yelled in the bathroom and Agatha smiled.
A few minutes later Ralph returned from his personal ice bucket challenge which was supposed to be a morning shower. Agatha handed him a white paper bag.
"Peanutbutter and jelly Sandwich, a few slices of cucumber and a chocolate bar for my husband", she commented. Ralph sighed. He just gave up and took it.
"Thank you."
Agatha noticed that his hair was still damp and she ran her fingers through his blonde bangs.
"You should really wear a hat or something. You might catch a cold if you're leaving like that, my love."
"Thanks, Mom", Ralph replied dry.
"Stop being so silly, Ralph", Agatha commented and turned around in the kitchen. "What do you want to eat for dinner?"
Ralph stayed silent.
"What?", Agatha asked. Ralph just stared at her. Not angry at all. He looked worried.
"How can you be like this?"
At first she raised one eyebrow, then she waved off any possible concerns.
"I'm just me. You keep asking the same questions over and over again. But that's what I love you for, my funny hubbie."
Ralph grabbed his keys. "I keep asking these questions because you refuse to answer them honestly!"
Agatha grabbed her sternum and looked theatrically shocked.
"How dare you? I was always very honest in this marriage."
With a long sigh he stormed off. Within seconds he left the house without loooking back. Agatha blinked, seriously confused.
"Well now I don't know what to cook for dinner", she said even though nobody was there to listen. She was alone. Not just alone at the house but also alone with her thoughts. Thoughts she couldn't control. Thoughts she couldn't express. Everytime she wanted to say something, she wasn't able to convince her tongue to do it. It seemed like she was doomed to be a powerless watcher of that cheesy part she had to play.
But last night there was something different. For a split second she was able to see light in her darkness. There was that sweet taste of power she was craving for. Not particularly the power of chaos magic but the power over herself. That was all that she wanted. All she asked for.
The rest of the day she spent with the boring tasks of a stereotypical housewife. The patriarchy would've been proud. In the afternoon she left for the groceries. She still didn't know what to cook for Ralph and her for dinner but she was sure she would get some inspiration when she strolled through the aisles.
Again she came across the empty lot next to her house, then she headed straight to the town square. That was where Ralph must've been working. He was some sort of IT-Tech-Guy. Things Agatha didn't really understand or care for. She also didn't understand or care for why that computer thing he had, used the biblical image of a half eaten fruit on the lid.
She also didn't understand that strange, almost shocked reaction of Ralph when she commented this. "That looks fruity to me", was all she said. And he looked at her as if she just confessed that she eats baby kittens. Well she kinda liked eating cats in the remotest sense but that wasn't something she was able to think about right now.
At the towns square were a lot of people living their live and doing there business. Agatha didn't even stand out in that crowd but she earned a lot of stares and glances whenever she came across people. They all recognized who she was. And they mumbled. But she just kept smiling.
Just as she was leaving the towns square to head further to the grocery store a loud bang shook the ground. Smoke came from a small crater in the center of the square and people – probably still disturbed from hostage taking Wanda – ran away. But Agatha was curious. She turned around and headed straight to the place where something hit the earth. And when she came closer, some of the citizens that didn't ran away yet joined her. There were two guys with their small dog and a middle aged woman. When the smoke was fading away they noticed something moving inside that crater. At first she saw something shiny like metal or even silver. But then something glowing red appeared and was pointing directly at her. She widened her eyes in terror.
"Step back!", she ordered the others and she would've been more surprised about her sudden action when a red laser beam shot at the place where she stood just moments ago. Crawling from the crater came at least a dozen robotic spiders with a single, red glowing eye.

"Run!", she ordered and the two guys took their dog and ran. The woman just stood there like she was petrified. Agatha tried to grab her hand and run with her, but the woman stared at the spiders in terror.
"Please come with me - now!", Agatha cried.
"This ... this is the end", the woman stuttered.
The two guys ran across the town square when one of the spiders which was closer to Agatha and the woman suddenly focussed on them.
"Target spotted", the spider declared in a raspy mechanical voice and suddenly all the other spiders turned their red eyes towards the men. They didn't no longer crawl, they ran.
"Hey!", Agatha yelled but the spiders ignored her. The men ran as fast as they could towards the public library. The spiders came after them, shortening the distance with every breath Agatha took. They were hunters and these men were the prey. But why?
"Agnes", Ralph said next to her. "We have to go!"
Agatha looked at him. She shook her head. Then a cry in agony shattered into her mind. Just when she wasn't looking one of the spiders shot a red beam at one of the guys and he dissolved into glowing particles.
"You can stop this", the woman stuttered. "I know you can. We know you can."
"I-i don't understand", Agatha replied. The spiders were now focussing on the other guy.
"We all saw that on that very day you fought that red woman. Help us!", the woman demanded.
"We have to go!", Ralph threw in. The remaining man was sinking to his knees, tears running down his face, while he picked up the tiny dog. The spiders came closer. The red glow of their eyes became brighter again. They were preparing another shot.
"Hey! Leave him alone!", Ralph suddenly yelled and the spiders turned their heads around.
"Target spotted", all of them said in their robotic voices.
"Uh-oh", he mumbled when he noticed that the spiders now came after him, Agatha and that woman.
"Do something! Do your purple magic!", the woman begged.
"I ... I can't. I'm Agnes. I'm just a neighbor", Agatha mumbled mechanically."
"That is not the time for that!", Ralph snarled. "Run!"
But the spiders were already to close. Agatha was in panic. She knew that this woman was right, but she wasn't able to perform any magic or sorcery. Still Agatha threw her hands forward like she was hoping for a miracle. Maybe there was a little bit of magic left. Enough to avoid those spiders.
"Stay back!", Agatha demanded and then she closed her eyes. If she wasn't able to do something then this was meant to be her end. But then a bright flash lit up the town square. When she opened her eyes, the spiders were struck my lightning, broken and shattered into pieces. In surprise she opened her mouth.
"I ... did this?", she asked.
"No", a voice behind her answered from the sky. "I did this."
A black haired young man in a blue robe and red cloak was levitating 10 feet above her. His eyes were glowing in a cold blue light while he hovered down to the ground.
"Who ... are you?", Agatha asked.
"That is not important right now", he replied.
"You are dressed like Doctor Strange but you are not Doctor Strange", Ralph noticed confused.
"Agatha Harkness! You have to come with me", he said straight to Agatha, ignoring anything Ralph said.
"I'm Agnes. Agnes Bohner. You must confuse me with someone else", she replied with a painful smile.
"Can you do something about that? She's doing that all the time", Ralph sighed.
"I cannot. But I know who can. Come with me, Agatha. Please."
Again Agatha felt that cracking feeling inside her chest.
"Just give me a second", she said and walked past the broken pieces of the robotic spiders.
"Dave...", the man sobbed kneeling to the ground. Agatha knelt beside him.
"I am sorry for your loss", she said genuinely. The man looked up. He was like 35 years old at most.
"He can't be gone. He was my husband. We just moved here", he sobbed and Agatha gently stroked his back.
"I will avenge him", she said with a never known determination. Then she stood up and returned to the sorcerer and Ralph.
"I am ready. I will go with you", she said.
"That's it? You're just leaving?", Ralph stared at her.
"I have to."
"Good. We don't have much time. These things will return otherwise."
"I will go with you", Ralph said sternly.
"You won't be much use for us and you shouldn't risk your life for that", the sorcerer said with a mild smile.
"I'm her husband. Tell him, Agnes."
"I am Agnes Bohner", Agatha replied and nodded heavily. The sorcerer rolled his eyes.
"Fine!", he opened a ring of glowing sparks. "We have no time for further discussions!"
Then all three of them left through the portal. And when the portal closed the town of Westview survived another threat ... for now.