||"They hate to blame her for so much...but they're also afraid of her."||
2 Weeks Later
Wanda ran her hand up and down her stomach, turning to the side to examine the growth.
At 11 weeks, she wasn't big at all, but as she ran her hand up and down, she could feel a slight bump. Soon enough, she'd start feeling the weight of the baby expanding inside of her, and hopefully, by then, she'd be out of this place.
Maybe, once back with Steve, they could start thinking about names.
"Wanda?" Vera's voice startled her, and Wanda pulled her shirt down and fixed her hair before turning off the bathroom light and walking out. Vera was seated on her bed, flipping through one of the magazines Wanda had left laying around. "Are you ready?"
Nervously, Wanda brought her hands together and curled her fingers around each other. The metal of her rings grazed against one another, giving off an unpleasant sound. Vera obviously noticed her discomfort, and quickly stood and put a hand on Wanda's shoulder.
"Must I go?" Wanda asked, looking at the open door where to guards waited.
"All you have to do is sit down with him and talk. I'll be there with you and if it starts to feel like too much, I'll bring you back here and call it a day."
Sit down and talk
"Okay," was all Wanda said.
Vera softened her expression, but Wanda could tell that the woman was wary. Thankfully, she didn't press Wanda about it.
"Since we're already ten minutes late, how about we take a detour to the cafeteria and grab some of the cherry pie you had last night?"
Wanda smiled, releasing the tension in her shoulders. "That sounds great."
They took their time walking to the kitchen, stopping only to talk with the cooks, who to Wanda's surprise, were more than friendly.
The chef was a big man, built like some of the men she remembered from her town growing up. He had a kind smile and a deep but welcoming voice.
By the time they got to the other side of the building where the doctor waited, she felt slightly less nervous.
"Remember," Vera said. "We leave whenever you want, but try and keep an open mind."
The room was large, maybe even the size of the living room at the compound. It was simply furnished and seemed as though it was rarely occupied. To her right, there was a small rectangular table with four chairs and a small bowl in the middle full of protein bars. Not that far off was a door that she presumed was a bathroom. To her left, two couches were facing each other and two accent chairs adjacent to them.
On the couch facing away from her sat a man.
He stayed seated as Wanda made her way toward him, her footsteps silent against the carpeted floor.
When she reached the couch directly across from him, she sat down and looked over at Vera, who was sitting at a table near the door. She gave Wanda a warm smile. Nervously, Wanda shifted her eyes to the man in front of her.
"Ms. Maximoff," he began. "It's a pleasure to meet you."
The man wasn't young but not old either, and he wore jeans and a dark blue cardigan with a cream-colored button-up underneath. The watch he wore wasn't expensive, nor were his clothes and shoes. He looked and dressed like an ordinary man.
"My name's Elijah Richardson." He smiled at her and it made him appear younger than he was. His hair was thick and dark brown, the ends of it curling out behind his ears. He had a beard and a mustache and wore a pair of worn-down glasses. Nothing about him was threatening in the least.
