𝚃𝚘𝚗𝚢 𝚂𝚝𝚊𝚛𝚔 𝙳𝚎𝚏𝚎𝚗𝚌𝚎 𝚂𝚚𝚞𝚊𝚍

6*

ᴛʜᴇ ᴇɴᴅ

In the end, they all said their goodbyes in their own ways. Once she was locked up in her cell again, more crimes were added to her sentence.

"You played this wrong," Natasha, voice kind and so very condescending as she refused to acknowledge her own precarious position. Acting like she was in any place to be giving advice.

"Why would you do that Wanda? People aren't just toys you can mess around with when you're bored," Sam, pleading for her to find some shred of humanity. Scott, silent and pale beside him.

"I'll get you out, I'll save you Wanda, I promise," Steve, all empty words and promises, rushing to leave so he could try and get his precious Bucky to speak to him again.

Bucky didn't visit.

Even without her magic, she could suddenly see her teammates so much more clearly now. Natasha and her need to come out on top no matter what, siding with the strong. Steve, kind smiles and uplifting words were all meaningless in the end as his actions were so very selfish. Sam and his desperation to believe that he hadn't befriended a villain. Scott and his quiet acceptance of how badly they'd screwed up.

Laura showed up again. This time she wasn't alone, hands wrapped comfortingly around Clint's. He glared at her as the silence stretched between them.

"I'll never forgive you for what you did. Burn in hell you witch."

Those were the last words she ever heard from Clint. Laura coaxed him out of sight with gentle words and soft touches.

Their marriage was shattered but apparently they were willing to start piecing it together again. Wanda envied Laura for the soft, grateful look in Clint's eyes when he looked at her. He used to give her that look when she eased his headaches or listened to his rants about Stark.

They were all fake though, weren't they? Manufactured by her own magic. He was never hers. He always belonged to Laura. To his children.

To Stark...

Even some of the New Avengers visited.

Jessica Jones stood on the other side of the bars for a long time, silent. "If you ever go after my friends again you bitch, I'll kill you." Her tone was dark and the words were a promise.

Wanda was left shivering long after she left.

Logan showed up as well, head tilted to the side as he studied her. "I've seen a lot of kids make bad decisions and use their powers in the wrong ways. But you weren't a kid when you got them. You weren't a kid when you hurt people and threatened the world. Were you?"

She mutely shook her head.

"The world's not kind to mutants Maximoff. And people like you make it harder for them to accept us."

He left without another word.

Strange visited with his Cloak wrapped around his shoulders.

"Magic is a gift. It can do incredible things. Why did you only use yours for destruction?" he asked.

"I didn't. I tried to help people."

"Did you? Or did you do what you thought would keep you in the Avengers? Where it was safe and you had people who would protect you. Where you had easy access to Tony Stark and got to live off his money?"

She stayed quiet and he nodded after a moment.

"I thought so."

And he was gone as well.

Loki of all people, visited next. "Do you know what it's like to be under mind control?" He asked conversationally, leaning against the opposite wall. He continued when she didn't answer. "Your thoughts change as you think them. Your mind is forcefully twisted into new shapes. You can be screaming but you won't make a sound. It is... a horrific experience. I went through it. And I will forever carry the guilt of forcing the experience on others. Barton has a deep hatred of me and it is justified. But to repay him for what I put him through all those years ago, I will ensure that no other can control his mind. There will never be another 'Wanda Maximoff' incident."

"Are you threatening me?" she asked uncertainly. She didn't have her magic anymore so why would he?

Loki only laughed though. "If I were threatening you, you would know little mortal."

"Then why are you telling me this?" she asked, frustrated.

"My warning is to encourage you to stay in your little cell Maximoff. To live out the rest of your life in prison. This is your punishment for what you did. My punishment is to make sure no other can do what you did. If you escape again girl, the Avengers will not be the first to find you. I will."

His eyes glowed green for a moment before he disappeared.

She wistfully watched the magic fade from sight. The lack of magic left an aching emptiness inside of her.

Her most surprising visitor came three weeks after her escape and recapture.

Tony Stark stood watching her for a few minutes. His fiancée stood beside him, glare heated in comparison to his blank expression.

"It didn't have to end like this," Stark finally said. "You didn't have to let Hydra win."

She closed her eyes and looked down. Because that's what had happened. At least in her case. She allowed them to use her and manipulate her.

And in the end, she was locked up for life.

"I regret it now. I really do," her voice cracked.

Potts scoffed softly but Stark kept his steady gaze on her.

"I believe you," his voice was surprisingly gentle. Even as he said the next few words. "But it's too late now."

She bowed her head and listened to them walk away.

It was a month into her imprisonment when she heard an unfamiliar voice.

"My my, such a waste of potential."

Wanda looked up in confusion to see a brunette woman watching her with a grin.

"The Scarlet Witch didn't really amount to much hmm?" the woman sighed dramatically.

Before Wanda could ask who she was, Strange appeared from a portal looking annoyed.

"Agatha." His tone was warning and she shot him a charming smile.

"Oh I know I know. I couldn't resist. I just wanted to take a peek. See if the little chaos witch really was powerless."

Strange raised an eyebrow and Agatha pouted.

"You and that Asgardian mage really did a fantastic job. Makes a girl a bit nervous you know?"

Strange sighed and gestured to the portal.

"Oh come on doctor," Agatha purred. "Lighten up. It was just a little fun."

"I dread the day you meet Tony," Strange muttered as he followed her through the portal.

It closed behind them and Wanda never had another visitor. She held out hope for a long time that Vision would visit. She wanted to apologize, finally seeing what she did wrong by attacking him.

He never did though.

And the world forgot about her, left as a footnote in Tony Stark's and the Avenger's stories.