The Witch's Shadow (Wanda Maximoff x Girl)

Fourteen

The next several days was spent getting Wanda recovered enough to move into her room, or rather, my room. Now that our feelings were out in the open, at least to each other and Nat, it only made sense that I looked after Wanda while she recovered.

Tony came in one day with my collar and demanded that I put it back on. He didn't even seem to wonder why I was sharing Wanda's hospital bed. All he did was fume and threaten when I told him no. "Tony, if I wanted to escape, I would have by now." I told him calmly.

"Why are you still here then?" He asked perplexed.

I raised an eyebrow and looked at the sleeping Wanda in my arms and back to him. "Are you blind? For a genius you're pretty stupid." His jaw clenched at that remark and I smirked, "Why would I leave when Wanda is here?" I placed a kiss on her head and watched the confusion and finally the realization flash across Tony's face. His mouth opened and closed a few times before he finally turned and left.

"That man was very confused," a sleepy Wanda said.

"His face was priceless though," I told her.

She chuckled softly, "so were his thoughts."

"Oh you little eavesdropper," I teased her. I kissed her head again and pulled her closer to me. I loved these moments with her, no pressure to be anything other than just me, just us. It had been a lifetime since I had felt this kind of peace.

The day Wanda could finally leave the infirmary was a joyous day. As much as I loved cuddling every night, that hospital bed was not kind to my back. Bruce had finally given his ok and I couldn't wait to get Wanda into my bed. And thanks to my abilities, she didn't even have to get up.

I flashed us to my room and we stayed in bed for a solid week. It would have been longer if Natasha hadn't come in one day and dragged me out, much to Wanda's amusement.

"What the hell Nat?" I asked, slightly irked.

She crossed her arms and faced me, "we need to talk."

"About?"

"You. Joining the Avengers."

"HAH! Are you serious?" She couldn't be, but judging by the look in her face, she was. "Nat I can't be an Avenger."

"Why not?"

"Well for one I killed the star spangled idiot."

"And we have forgiven you for that," she said dismissively.

"Ok well for two, I don't want to." I crossed my arms in a slight stance of defiance.

"Ray," something in her voice concerned me, "you might not have a choice."

"What do you mean?" A sinking feeling settling in my stomach.

"It's best if I just show you."

Turns out that when I had rescued Wanda and the others, a camera had caught it all. And that would have been fine if it wasn't for the Godlike person who was on the video. As I watched it, I knew it was me, but I couldn't believe that it was.

I had long black horns, almost like antlers and my hair writhed around like it was alive. My skin was pale except for around my eyes, and those were pitch black. My magic had formed a suit and if I wasn't terrified of what I was seeing, I'd say I looked pretty hot.

"So my options are join your boy band or go to jail for unsanctioned magic?" I looked at Nat and the others perplexed.

"The president is concerned that an unaligned magical being poses a security risk," Tony said. "Especially one that looks like a god."

"Security risk? I'm not a security risk. I didn't even know I could do... that." I waved my hand at the monitor where I stood frozen on the screen.

"Well you can and the powers that be don't like it, and neither do I for that matter." Tony came and stood in front of me. "I still hate what you did to Cap, but you did save us."

"Only because Nat would have killed me if I had left you behind," I tell him.

"Stop being an ass for five seconds!" He exploded. "I don't think you realize just what's at stake right now. Either you join us or you go to the Raft. Do you have any idea what they'd do to you there? It would make Hydra and the Red Room look like a day spa."

"I will not be a prisoner again, Stark." I told him calmly. "Yours or anyone else's. I would rather die." And I meant it, I would die before I had my freedoms taken again.

"Ray," Nat said as she put a hand on my arm, "think about this. You wouldn't be our prisoner, you'd be a member of this team. You'd be going with us on missions, no more staying behind while Wanda goes out to fight."

"That's low."

"Or you go to the Raft, where you would be a prisoner. No powers, no freedoms of any kind. You'd be alone again."

I knew what she was doing, using my fears against me. And it was working, and she knew it. "Fine. I'll join your band, but just so we are all clear, I'm not doing this for you guys."

"Oh we know, self preservation is a big motivator," Tony said sarcastically.

"Apparently not to some," I glared at him with hatred.

"Ok that's enough!" Nat exclaimed as she came between us. "Ray go back to Wanda, Tony and I need to talk."

"With pleasure, boss." And then I was gone. But not back to Wanda, not yet. Instead I flashed to the one person who I knew would be able to talk sense into me. The one person I'd secretly spent the past few months trying to get back to.

I appeared in a small apartment, dimly lit. The sound of a train passing by filled the air. A person was sleeping on the couch, blond hair falling around her face. I crouched by her head and moved a strand of hair behind her ear. Her eyes opened at the contact and she smiled when she saw me.

"You're late," she said sleepily.

"Sorry Lenny," I said softly.

"Did you bring macaroni?"