Between Lies and Love

Chapter 15

Wanda sat at the kitchen table, her hands trembling slightly as she stared at the envelope on the table. It had arrived earlier that morning, slipped under her door without a sound. There was no return address, just her old name: *Maximoff.*

Her heart pounded in her chest. She had been careful—she hadn't used that name in years. But now, the past she had fought so hard to escape had caught up with her. She knew exactly what this meant. S.W.O.R.D. was closing in, and they wouldn't stop until they had her under control again.

As she opened the letter, her worst fears were confirmed.

*"We know where you are. You can't hide forever."*

The note was brief, but the message was clear. Wanda's hands clenched the paper so tightly it crumpled beneath her fingers. She had always known this day might come, but she wasn't ready. Not now. Not when she had already lost Y/N. Not when leaving might mean saying goodbye for good.

A knock on the door made her jump, her mind immediately racing to the possibility that it was someone from S.W.O.R.D. But when she opened it, it wasn't a faceless agent—it was someone much worse. Someone she had hoped never to see again.

It was Agent Daniels.

"Hello, Maximoff," Daniels said, his voice smooth but cold. "Long time no see."

Wanda's breath caught in her throat. She stood frozen in the doorway, her mind racing with thoughts of what to do.

"What are you doing here?" she managed to say, keeping her voice steady.

Daniels smirked, stepping into her apartment without waiting for an invitation. "We've been looking for you for quite some time. You didn't think you could hide forever, did you?"

Wanda's heart raced, but she refused to let him see her fear. "I've stayed out of your way. I'm not a threat to anyone."

"That's not how S.W.O.R.D. sees it," Daniels replied, his tone dripping with condescension. "You're too powerful to be left unsupervised. They want you back under control."

"I'm not going with you," Wanda said, her voice firm despite the panic rising inside her.

Daniels tilted his head slightly, studying her with the detached curiosity of a predator. "You really think you can stay hidden? We know everything about your little life here. And about your friend... Y/N, isn't it?"

Wanda's blood ran cold at the mention of Y/N's name. "Leave them out of this."

Daniels gave her a cold smile. "You know I can't do that. S.W.O.R.D. is very interested in what makes you tick, Maximoff. And if using Y/N to get to you is what it takes, we will."

Wanda's hands clenched into fists, her powers flickering at the edges of her control. The air around them seemed to thrum with tension, but Daniels didn't flinch.

"What do you want?" Wanda asked, her voice low and dangerous.

Daniels raised an eyebrow. "What I want is for you to come back. No more running, no more hiding. We can do this the easy way... or the hard way."

Wanda's mind raced. She could feel the weight of the decision pressing down on her. She could run again, disappear like she had before, but this time... Y/N was part of the equation. She had already hurt Y/N once by hiding her past. If she left without saying goodbye, without explaining herself, it would be the ultimate betrayal. But if she stayed, Y/N would be in danger.

"You're giving me a choice?" she asked, her voice tight with disbelief.

Daniels shrugged. "I'm giving you a chance to make this easier for both of us. If you come willingly, no one has to get hurt."

Wanda's chest tightened. She knew better than to trust anything Daniels said. But the thought of S.W.O.R.D. targeting Y/N made her feel sick. She couldn't let that happen.

Hours after Daniels had left, Wanda sat on the edge of her bed, staring blankly at the wall. She had thought about leaving. It would be so easy to pack up and disappear again, to protect Y/N by removing herself from their life entirely. But the thought of leaving without a word... it hurt more than she expected.

She couldn't go through that again. Not with Y/N.

*Maybe it's time I stop running,* she thought to herself. *Maybe it's time I fight.*

But the danger was real, and Y/N was in the crosshairs. How could she stay and put them in harm's way? Her powers could protect them both, but was she willing to gamble with Y/N's safety?

Wanda ran a hand through her hair, frustration building. Every part of her screamed to leave, to protect Y/N by disappearing. But her heart ached at the idea of walking away without even saying goodbye.

She needed to talk to Y/N, to tell them everything before it was too late.

Wanda stood in front of her apartment's window, looking out at the city lights below. Her mind was a storm of conflicting emotions—fear, guilt, and love. If she ran, Y/N might be safe from S.W.O.R.D. But they would also be heartbroken, left behind once again without answers. Wanda couldn't bear the thought of hurting them any more than she already had.

But staying... Staying meant facing the danger head-on. S.W.O.R.D. wouldn't stop until they had her under control. And Y/N would always be at risk.

A small voice in the back of her mind whispered the truth she didn't want to hear: *You love Y/N too much to leave without a fight.*

Wanda sighed, her hands resting on the windowsill. She had been running for so long—first from her past, and now from S.W.O.R.D. But maybe it was time to stop running. Maybe it was time to stand her ground.

Wanda pulled out her phone and dialed the one person who might understand.

"Hey," she said when the voice on the other end picked up.

"Wanda? Is everything okay?" It was a friend, someone she trusted but had kept at a distance.

"I... I don't know," Wanda admitted, her voice heavy with uncertainty. "Someone from my past found me. They're threatening Y/N. I don't know if I should leave or stay."

"You care about Y/N, right?" the voice asked gently.

"I love them," Wanda said quietly. "That's why I'm scared."

"Then maybe it's time you stop running. You can't keep running forever, Wanda. Sooner or later, you'll have to face it."

Wanda swallowed hard, the weight of those words settling over her. "What if staying puts them in danger?"

There was a pause before the voice spoke again. "You can't protect someone by walking away. If you leave, you'll just hurt them more. But if you stay... maybe you'll both find a way to fight this together."

Wanda closed her eyes, the words sinking in. *Together.* The thought of facing S.W.O.R.D. with Y/N by her side... it gave her a flicker of hope. Maybe they could face this danger as a team, instead of her always running alone.

"I don't know if they'll ever forgive me," Wanda whispered, her voice barely audible.

"You'll never know if you don't try," the voice replied softly.