The Witch's Shadow (Wanda Maximoff x Girl)

Eighteen

I watch the shock radiate across Natasha's face, "what do you mean, your daughter? We can't have children, Ray."

"The honey trap," I say softly. "It was my graduation, remember? It went.. badly, to say the least." I motion for her to follow me out of the bathroom and into the living room where sit down in one of the chairs as I try and steady myself to tell Natasha the whole truth. "I was supposed to seduce an arms dealer who had a penchant for young girls. It wasn't hard, I didn't even really have to do anything to get his attention. He gave me a drink and.. that's the last thing I remember." I take a deep shaky breath, "I woke up a month later in the Red Room, where I was told that he had beaten and.. raped me over the course of several weeks and that they had only found me a few days prior to me waking up."

"Ray.." Natasha breaths out as she sits on the couch facing me.

I shake my head at her, "let me finish because I am only telling this once." Yelena, who had somehow gotten the vodka and poured me a drink in the span of a few seconds, hands me a cup as she sits next to Natasha. I take a sip before continuing, "when I woke up, they told me what had happened and that Dreykov said that I'd failed my graduation. And I knew what that meant. Either he'd kill me or sell me, but not for nine months. Because somehow that man had gotten me pregnant and Dreykov wanted something from that mission as a form of compensation." Downing the rest of my drink, I lean back in my chair and close my eyes so I wouldn't have to see the look that Natasha was giving me. "So for the next nine months I was kept in a cell away from everyone until I gave birth. I got to hold her for five minutes and name her before she was taken and I was shipped off to Hydra to be their new test subject. They gave me my powers, which was a mistake in their part and I escaped, destroyed the Red Room while looking for my daughter." I open my eyes and finish, "and the rest you know."

The room is quiet as Natasha figures out what to say. Finally she says the only thing that could be said right then, "we'll get her back."

I give her a sad half smile, "we've been trying. For years. And we're no closer to finding him than I was when I escaped Hydra."

"Well, you didn't have me."

"Or your ego," Yelena scoffs.

Natasha slaps Yelena's arm lightly, "I'm serious. I know him better than you do. I was his favorite, remember?"

"Oh how could we forget," I joke. "For a while there it was like you were his real daughter. It got really annoying."

"Not like I had a choice," she reminds us. "But that's besides the point. Where's your research?"

"Spare room," Yelena tells her, pointing down the hallway. "I'll walk you through it."

They disappear down the hallway and I was glad that Yelena was showing everything to Natasha. I don't think I could have done any more talking tonight.

Not about this at least.

A wave of exhaustion crashes over me and I make my way to Yelena's room and fall onto the bed. But even as tired as I was, I couldn't fall asleep, my mind still reeling with the events of the last twelve hours.

I was glad that Natasha knew the truth now, I hated lying to her, but I couldn't help but to feel guilty for taking her away from her life. For me and Yelena, this was our life and had been for years, but Natasha had gotten out, had made a real life for herself.

A life I almost lost myself to with Wanda.

I hope that she was alright. That she was safe. I hated the way I had to leave, hated that I hurt her, hated that any of this had happened in the first place.

Maybe one day she could forgive me, but I wouldn't blame her if she didn't.