Agony (Wanda Maximoff)

Chapter 22

||"Guilt is perhaps the most painful companion of death."||

Had there been a way through her grieving, Wanda would have taken it, but there wasn't. It was a ruthless routine of trying to survive with herself. Her chest pains had ended, but now all she felt was a hole inside of her that she desperately wanted to fill.

With a bowl of grapes in her hands, Wanda walked out of the farmhouse and into the woods, towards the cliff that her and Steve swam at. It only took a few minutes to get there, and she immediately made herself comfortable on the soft grass.

It seemed as though recently, Wanda had become part of her own universe. She spent the nights with Steve, asleep on the bed, and the afternoons with the children and Laura. But in the early hours of the morning, when everyone was still deep in their slumber, Wanda liked to take time for herself. In the last few days, she'd thought of herself as nothing more than a girl with a broken heart. She spent her nights dreaming of her brother, and of her parents, and how she wanted it all back.

Because Wanda knew that, deep down, under all of her sorrow, things happened for a reason. She forced herself to believe that Pietro's death was not in vain, and that one day she'd see him again. Maybe up in the clouds or in the galaxy where souls traveled to when their time on earth ended, or maybe in heaven. She wasn't sure which to believe, but she knew she'd meet him again somewhere.

Wanda peeked over the edge of the cliff and threw a single grape down. It landed in the water with barely a splash, and she watched it travel down the stream like a green flower.

"Miss Wanda," she jumped, her bowl of grapes spilling out over her. She looked up and saw Vision floating near the trees, his eyes bright as ever. Wanda stood, forgetting about her grapes, and stumbled over to him. She self consciously checked her hair, and ran her fingers through it in hopes of making it less tangled. "How are you?" he asked her.

"I'm--I'm well, thank you." He hovered down and stood in front of her. His shiny exterior glistened under the morning sun, and Wanda felt her mouth dry up. Everything about Vision was beautiful to her, and she struggled to straighten her thoughts as he smiled down at her.

"I'm glad. I can sense that your chest pain is no longer an issue." Without warning, Vision placed his hand on Wanda's upper chest, on her sternum, and the fine metal of his skin sent shivers down her torso. There was some shock of electricity between them, and Vision sucked in a breath that worried her.

"Is something wrong?" she asked him.

"No. Nothing at all. Your pain is no longer present, which is great news." His hand retreated, and his gaze lingered on her for a few moments before looking away. "Forgive me for not greeting you in person the last time I visited here. My sincerest apologies, Wanda." She gave him an understanding nod, and he bowed his head in response.

"Mind my asking, but...why are you here?" It was as if her words triggered something bright inside of him, and he grabbed her hand gently before giving it a firm squeeze.

"I've come to see you, Miss Wanda," her eyes averted to the ground, afraid he might catch the warmth that invaded her face. But she couldn't keep her eyes away from him for too long, and within seconds, she was already glancing back up at him. His eyes hadn't moved from her, and she shifted in place as his stare dug deep into her.

Then, out of nowhere, a thought came into her head.

"I never thanked you for saving me that day." The memory opened itself up in her mind, and she remembered Vision coming back for her after she went to rip Ultron's heart out. She expected to die there, and she was waiting for it, but Vision had returned for her, and she never even thanked him.