Pulling Me

Part Forty-Eight. Save Us

"I will kill you when I get out of here," Yelena stated from the floor. She didn't budge at all. Her head still lay on her arm and her face stayed calm. To Kate, that was the scariest way to see her. She knew that Yelena would stop at nothing to bring this to an end.

Y/N looked down at her when she spoke, smiling to themselves. It was clear that she meant something deep to them for Wanda to have done this. As they looked over her features, though completely exhausted and drained, she was beautiful. Even someone at their best could not compare to the woman they saw before them.

"I'd love to see you try," Wanda smiled. "You'll be locked away in this cell for the rest of your pathetic life." She laughed as she began walking away, but stopped just before passing by Y/N. "Actually, you're coming with me."

Before anyone could stop her, Wanda had vanished with Y/N. They couldn't even reach a hand out to try and catch either of them. The two were gone with nothing left in their tracks. 

Kate leaned forward a bit as she lost the weight from Y/N's hand. Her eyes widened before meeting with Yelena's as she sat up from the floor. "What just happened?" Yelena asked. "Where did they go?"

"Fuck," Clint stammered. 

The three were left with just the air that had held Wanda and Y/N just moments before. There was no clue as to where she might have taken them. All they knew was that Y/N was in more danger now than they'd ever been before.

Kate's mind started swirling. If Strange came back with the other Wanda, where would he even take her? They needed Y/N for any of this to work. 

And just as she thought, a portal started sizzling behind them in the hallway. "Awful damn timing, oh my god."

It opened wider and wider until Strange stepped through with another universe's Wanda. She looked brighter, happier. Either she'd never had to endure all the pain that this universe's Wanda had or she had just managed to do it with much more grace. They weren't sure just yet.

"Kate, Clint, this is Wanda 595," he introduced her as he helped her step through the portal. She smiled lightly, easing everyone in the room. Even Yelena's hardened face managed to fade into a quiet calm. 

Wanda 595 waved, "It's nice to meet you all."

Kate reached out to shake her hand, "You have no idea how nice it is to meet you. We've never been as happy to see your face as we are right now, trust me."

Clint snorted quietly to himself at her stab, but all Kate could do was smile. Part of her was worried that when the portal opened, Strange would walk through it alone and apologetic for not being able to find someone to help them.

"We just have a slight problem," Kate nervously laughed as she dropped her hand from Wanda 595's grasp. "Our Wanda just left with Y/N."

Strange's head pushed forward, straining his neck to make sure he heard her correctly. "Excuse me? What do you mean she just left with them? Wasn't your only job to keep her away from them?"

Kate gulped. The last thing she needed was to have the blame from this placed on her. Clint stepped forward to take on the fight for her, "You should know that our Wanda would do as she pleases whether Kate tried to hide them or not. You've seen what she's capable of."

He nodded, annoyed but understanding. 

"It sounds like I'm not the best version of myself here," 595 assented. It was eerie to see just how much she looked like their Wanda but also how different. Her hair was smoother, face brighter, smile softer. Just her presence felt warmer than the other. 

Even Yelena's stern face dropped a bit as she entered the room. This Wanda wasn't a threat, but each Avenger wondered how much help she would be. What if she was too soft? What if she didn't have the powers needed? What if she had no idea how to go about this?

Kate scratched her head, thinking hard about how to get Y/N back. "Can't you just do that ring thing you just did? Just open another portal and find them."

"It's not that easy," Stephen sighed.

"Actually," 595 cut in, "It is that easy." Stephen looked over at her, baffled that she would know something like that and he didn't. "All you have to do is begin your portal opening and ask it to show you Y/N or your Wanda."

His eyebrow crunched down, confused how that would work. 

"Seems easy enough to me," Clint shrugged.

"Yeah, let's get to it before they get too far," Kate agreed.

Stephen closed his eyes, taking in a deep breath before reiterating to them all. "It's not that easy."

595, Kate, Yelena, and Clint all looked at each other. Stephen was the one who just jumped through different universes to find this Wanda, why would it not be that easy to find their own? They all watched as he tried finding the words that would make it make sense. 

"Our Wanda, having already tapped into the darkhold, is able to shield herself from things like this. With you," he turned to 595, "it was different. You didn't have guards up, shields to keep us out."

She shrugged, "Why would I need that?"

"Exactly," he pointed at her. "You don't. Our Wanda does because of her own plans. I can try this, hope that she hasn't already put things in place to keep us out, but we all know how smart she is. We all know that she takes many steps ahead to make sure she's secure. That's why it's not that easy."

Yelena stood to her feet, "The least you could do is try. That's all we're asking. Just try."

He looked over to her, noting the way her eyes glossed over as they held back all the feelings she was having. Yelena was breaking more and more each day and this might be the last bit she had to go on. If Y/N was gone, there was nothing left here for her. 

"Okay," he nodded. "Okay, we'll give it a shot."

Stephen cracked his neck both ways before holding his hands out, swirling them around until a portal began cracking. "Find Y/N," he stated as it opened. It grew wider and wider as they all looked through.