Next Target: Clint Barton

21 - Final battle III

The aura of the Phoenix Force circled around Jean and Wanda; Wanda could feel the heat from it radiating onto her skin, cooking her alive. She tried her best to counteract Jean's powers by inserting her red magic between them and Jean's powers; it stopped her from being burned but did nothing to cool the air down.

Jean dropped them both to the ground and used her telekinesis to grab a tree root out of the ground and slam it on Wanda. Wanda blocked it with a shield of magic then blasted Jean back. Jean commanded the dirt around Wanda's feet to engulf her but Wanda counteracted Jean's telekinesis with her own: she forced the dirt to Jean then grabbed a large piece of rubble and threw it.

They continued on like that for a while; just trading attacks and throwing things at each other, with no end in sight. Wanda knew that if they kept fighting just the physical battle then neither one of them would win anytime soon. She had to play the mental battle too. She had to use all of her powers.

Wanda summoned a mist of red fog into a small portion of the sky and flew into it; Jean flew in after her. The clouds in the dome of magic were all red; it was hard to see so Jean tried using her telepathy to sense where Wanda was, but to no success. She spun around in a circle, looking everywhere for Wanda. Meanwhile, Wanda had hidden herself in the mist. Jean let out an explosion of cosmic energy all around to try to disband the facade but the red magic remained.

Wanda flew in behind her and shot a ray of red magic at her —Jean caught it with her telekinesis and threw it back. Wanda shot out two more rays and flew directly towards Jean, she reached her hand out for Jean's head. Jean dodged so fast that Wanda saw nothing but a blur in front of her. She appeared behind Wanda and grabbed both of Wanda's temples. Suddenly the world around her began to change.

Wanda was no longer in the sky fighting the Phoenix force, instead she was back at her house in Westview. Everything was just as she left it, the furniture, the pictures on the walls, even her water cup was still on the kitchen counter. She stood in the living room of the home and took in her surroundings. She heard the patter of footsteps in front of her and watched the kitchen door swing open and two boys run out of it: Billy and Tommy.

"Hey mom!" Billy shouted as the two boys ran past her and up the stairs.

She was so shocked to see them that she couldn't even say anything back, she just watched them run up the stairs to their room. She heard the front door open behind her and turned to see who it was.

"Hello darling." Vision greeted her happily as he set his briefcase on the floor near the front door.

She stared at him in silence, a mixture of happiness and sadness in her face. Without a word she ran up to him and embraced him tightly, not wanting to let go. He was shocked but hugged her anyways then chuckled and pulled her back to look her in the eyes.

"I was only gone a day." He teased.

"Yeah..." She said quietly with a soft smile and tears welling up in her eyes.

"Well anyways, I should go get cleaned up." He said, making his way to the stairs.

She watched him walk halfway up the stairs then freeze. All time around her stopped and the walls of the house began disintegrating.

"This can be real, Wanda." Jean's voice said from behind her.

"It can't..." Wanda whispered back.

"I can make it real... all you have to do is help me."

"I want nothing more than to stay here with them. But this isn't real, and the price to get them back isn't one I'm willing to pay. I see that now." She looked at Vision one last time then formed a runic mandala at her feet.