Secret Widow

One

Wanda sat numbly on the floor, staring at the wall.  

She felt alone in the cell.  Sure, Sam, Scott, and Clint were in the cells that made a circle, but she still felt alone.  The cuff around her neck muffled her powers, causing an echo of pain around her neck and chest.  

The blue suit she had to wear was also to dampen her powers.  It was stiff and uncomfortable, and it made her feel weak.  She was weak.  After everything, now she was left to rot in a cell.  There was no telling what Ross would do to her.  

"How you guys holding up?"  Scott asked.  "I've been in prisons before, don't worry.  We can probably escape through-"  

"We're not escaping,"  Sam butted in.  "This prison in the middle of the ocean."  

Wanda sighed, wishing they'd go back to being quiet.  It was draining her energy by listening to them talk.  Part of her wished she had just stayed at the compound.  But she knew she'd done the right thing helping Steve, even if she was in constant pain and discomfort.  

She wished she could see Vision.  He was always there for her, always made everything better in his own way.  Instead, she was trapped in the cell, wearing a suit and collar to restrict her powers.  

Suddenly, the lights flickered, then turned off.  Wanda couldn't bring herself to stand.  She heard footsteps, a cell door opening.  Then two more.  Next was hers.  The glass door opened and none other than Steve Rogers was revealed.  

"Wanda..."  he said, seeing how miserable she looked.  "Are you okay?"  

Wanda managed to stand.  "Fine,"  she said blankly.  

Steve's eyes stayed on her for a second before turning to the rest of the ex-Avengers.  Clint and Scott decided to stay; they'd been offered a deal by Ross.  Sam and Wanda joined Steve and made their escape from the miserable prison.  

- * - 

"Try not to draw attention,"  Steve said.  "And be quick.  The longer we're here, the easier they'll find us."  

Wanda and Sam were now dressed in their clothes they'd had during the stand-off with Stark and the others.  It was sure to draw attention, but they didn't have anything else.  Currently they were going into a small Thrift-store to get supplies and clothes.  

Wanda immediately went to the back, grabbing a hat and putting it on to try and shield herself slightly.  She found a rack with cheap hoodies and T-shirts, along with leggings, flip-flops, and toys.  

She grabbed a plain white shirt and changed in the backroom, tucking it into a red skirt she'd found that almost went to her knees.  She kept on the shoes she had, not wanting to have to wear cheap flip flops.  

After stuffing her suit in a bag, she looked down at her outfit.  It would have to do.  It definitely wasn't her favorite outfit ever, but it was better than the stiff blue fabric back at the prison by a long shot.  

When she met up with the boys again, Sam was wearing jeans and a T-shirt, pretty much what he had on under his falcon wings.  Steve had already found normal clothes before he rescued them, so she was the only one who had to change.  

"Did you pay for that?"  Steve asked, looking at the tags on her clothes.  

"My suit didn't exactly have pockets,"  she told him, eyeing a pack of rings hanging up on the way to the register.  

"You know, usually you pay for things before putting them on,"  Sam said.  

She tilted her head at them.  "I thought the point was to not draw attention."  

"Those tags draw attention,"  Sam said.  

She snapped the tags off, giving them to Sam before walking out the door to wait for them.  Her eyes watched each person, and she couldn't help but wonder if they'd lost anyone in Nigeria from Rumlow's explosion.  The one she'd caused to hit the building and kill innocents.  

Sam and Steve came out, Sam tossing her the pack of rings she'd been admiring in the store.  She looked at them and smiled lightly, tilting her head and putting them on her fingers.  When she looked at Sam's expression she sighed.  

"What am I apologizing for?"  She asked.  

"For throwing the tags at me,"  he said.  "Come on, say it."  

Wanda glanced at Steve, who just shook his head, a hint of a smile twitching at his lips.  "Let's go before anyone recognizes us."  

On the way back, Sam kept trying to convince Wanda to apologize, which she ignored.  Not even stepping up on the ramp, she knew someone was already in the jet.  It was more obvious than her senses telling her.  They hadn't left the ramp down.  

"There you guys are,"  Natasha said, walking down the ramp.  "Took you long enough, thought you might've been spotted or something."  

She wore an army green vest with loads of pockets over a black suit, and her hair had been cut above her shoulders, now platinum blonde.  She smiled and hugged Steve, then Sam, but Wanda just nodded to her.  Something in Natasha's eyes made her uneasy.  

"We need to talk,"  she said, nodding to Wanda.  

"Whatever it is can wait.  I think we wore off our welcome,"  Steve said.