The Witch's Shadow (Wanda Maximoff x Girl)

Twenty-One

"Are we going or not?" Wanda asks as I stare at her. I still can't believe that she would want to come with me after seeing everything.

"You still want to? Even after seeing everything?" I ask her, needing to double check.

She nods, "of course. I love you Ray, and nothing will change that."

"Even though I.. have a daughter?" It felt odd to say those words out loud when I'd been keeping her a secret for so long.

"It makes me love you more," she tells me. "To know that you're fighting for someone and not just fighting out of vengeance." She holds her hand out to me and I gladly take it, "let's go, Ray."

I didn't need to be told again.

Taking us into the shadows, I don't immediately take us to the apartment. I stay in the shadows, letting Wanda see the extent of my powers, which are pretty impressive if I do say so myself.

Everything in the shadows looks just as it does in the light, only darker, obviously and more fuzzy unless I focus specifically on something or someone. When I do that, then whatever I was focusing on appears in front of me. I'm not sure how it all worked, only that it made traveling really easy.

Wanda looks around in amazement before looking at me, "it's beautiful."

"I've always thought so," I admit. As much as I love how colorful the light is, there's something oddly satisfying and beautiful about the shadows.

She looks down at our hands and muses, "what happens if I let go? Will I be stuck here until you come get me?"

My grip on her tightens, "you'd die." I take us out of the shadows, not really paying attention to where we were until Wanda gasps at something behind me. Turning around, I see what she was looking at and joke, "what? Never been to Paris?"

"Never," she says as she keeps gazing up at the Eiffel Tower.

Chuckling, I pull her towards it and in a blink we are at the top, standing on the platform and looking down at the spot we were just at. Wanda clings to my side and I wrap my arms around her, "don't tell me that you're afraid of heights too."

"Then I won't tell you," she mutters against my side.

"Want to see my favorite place?" I ask her. She nods and I flash us to a small cafe that still had a view of the tower. We startle a group of pigeons and the cashier Clarissa looks up at us through the window and smiles. "You can look now."

Wanda tentatively looks around and sighs in relief to be back on the ground. "Where are we?" She asks as she looks around the small area. And while the cafe may be small and tucked out of the hustle of the city, it was the most beautiful place in all off Paris in my opinion.

"My favorite cafe," I tell her excitedly as I pull her into the small building. "The croissant and blackberry jam is to die for."

"Welcome back Miss Ray," Clarissa says warmly. "We were starting to think that you'd found another cafe."

"I could never do that to you Clarissa," I explain. "I was away on business and only just got back." I glance over at Wanda who was engrossed in the menu and lean towards the counter, motioning Clarissa to come closer. Whispering to the amused woman I say, "I promised my girlfriend the best breakfast in Paris. Think you can hook a girl up?"

Clarissa nods mischievously, "one party platter coming right up."

"Thank you," I smile. Leaning back, I nudge Wanda, "let's go out onto the patio."

"But we didn't get anything," she pouts.

"Yes we did," I chuckle. "Clarissa will bring our food out soon."

"Usually I don't like people ordering for me," Wanda says teasingly as she follows me back outside. "But when in Paris."

"Technically it's when in Rome," I point out. "Which we could be, in a flash, if you wanted." We sit down at a small table and I tell her seriously, "we can go wherever you want. I'd take you wherever your pretty little heart desires."

"After we kill Dreykov and rescue your daughter," she adds.

I nod slowly, "yes. Or.."

"Or?"

I sigh deeply, "I can drop you off and come get you when it's safe."

"Ray," she says in exasperation. "No. We've already decided that I'm helping you with this."

I put my hands up in a mock surrender, "I just had to ask one last time."

"Stop asking," she orders. "I'm coming with you and if you try to ditch me, I will hunt you down." Images of her in all her powerful glory flood my mind and while it was scary, it was also incredibly sexy. She rolls her eyes as she undoubtedly hears my thoughts, "is sex going to be the only thing you think about now?"

I shrug, "not my fault. You started this, Wands."

"And I don't regret it for a second," she tells me with a hint of vulnerability.

"Neither do I," I assure her as Clarissa comes out to us with a tray piled high.

"One party platter," she says as she sets the tray on our table. "On the house, as a thank you for last time you were here."

Her hand rests on my shoulder for a moment as I give her a sincere thank you. When she's gone, I notice a slight red in Wanda's eyes, "what's going on babe?"

"What did you do last time you were here?" She asks suspiciously, the red in her eyes staying strong.

Deciding to have a little bit of dangerous fun, I ask, "what do you think I did?"

She glares at me slightly, "it better not be what I think you did or else I won't be able to eat all this delicious looking food. Especially after I destroy the cafe."

"It's not what you think," I finally tell her after deciding that maybe I'd rather keep this cafe standing. "There was some mobster that was demanding money for protection and Clarissa couldn't pay it so I may or may not have.. made the mobster disappear."

"Disappear huh?" She asks as the red in her eyes fades.

"I promise you, that you are the only person I've had sex with in years," I assure her. "And, more importantly, you're the only one that I want to have sex with."

She nods, "good answer."

I laugh as we start to eat, both of us settling into a comfortable silence. Occasionally we sneak a look at each other, or offer bites of our food, but neither of us feel the need to speak.

We don't need to.

And once we are stuffed, Clarissa comes over with several boxes and we package what's left. Despite her telling me that it was on the house, I do leave her a hefty tip just like I always do. Wouldn't want my favorite cafe going out of business.

Standing up, I offer a hand to Wanda, "ready?"

"Let's do this."

In a blink we are in the living room of the apartment and the sounds of arguing can be heard from the spare bedroom. "Stay here," I sigh. "I'll let them know that we have a guest." Picking up the leftover breakfast, I head towards the voices and shove open the door, holding the bags up in front of me like a shield. "Here you hangry bitches! Fresh from Paris!"

The girls look at each other in surprise before grabbing the bags and pulling out pastries. "Where have you been?" Yelena asks with her mouth full.

"I went to get breakfast," I answer as innocently as I can. "Ran some errands."

"Uh huh," Natasha mutters as she bites into a bagel.

"What is on your neck?" Yelena asks.

"Mosquito bite," I grumble as I move my hair over the.. mosquito bite. "Paris is having an outbreak, wouldn't recommend going there anytime soon."

Wanda decided just then to walk into the room and the girls exchange another glance before Natasha laughs and says, "hey mosquito, it's about time you got here."