||"Just because you have only known pain in your life, doesn't mean that it should be the only thing. You deserve happiness too."||
"You are getting so big!" the chef of the facility clapped his hands together and smiled warmly at Wanda. "My wife has blessed me with ten beautiful children and when I tell you that every time she has one, watching her belly grow is my favorite part of it all."
Wanda and Vera placed their hands over their mouths subtly as they tried not to smile, but Wanda heard herself snicker nonetheless as he continued to gloat about his beautiful wife and children. It didn't help that his Italian accent added to the entire conversation.
"Alright now, we'll be on our way," Vera guided Wanda toward the double doors, smiling and adding small bits of laughter as she attempted to end their small talk. Finally, they were free of the cooks' glee and questions, and they began their walk back upstairs to their yoga class.
"I didn't think we'd ever get out of there," Wanda said, rubbing her belly gently. "They talk so much."
"They sure do," Vera said. "But they're so kind, and in this world that we live in, I like to think that the kind people--however loud and enigmatic--should be thanked for trying to brighten our days, even if they do not intend to."
Wanda leaned into Vera and agreed, thinking suddenly of Nik. The kindest person she knew. One who knew only of love and wonder. She missed him, but she didn't think too long of it, because the adamant headache that continued to torture her began to grow behind her eyes, so she shook her head and forced herself to listen to Vera as she listed off today's plans.
During their yoga session, their instructor had both Vera and Wanda lay down on their backs, and Wanda groaned as a few cracks split down her spine. Their instructor smiled, making it known that it was normal for the body to release tension when sprawled out in such a way.
"Now, close your eyes and breathe in long deep breaths, then release it through your nose, and repeat this until you feel yourself grow calmer and calmer."
Wanda did as instructed, and she sucked in a large breath before loosing it out of her nose, and she continued to do this until she felt her heartbeat grow slow. This was a satisfying feeling, as if time were slowing down around her, and her senses were heightening in ways she hadn't experienced anywhere else except for when she used her magic. She'd missed this feeling, and the power that it made her feel.
The soft instrumental music that their instructor always played began to fade, and Wanda's fingers twitched as she lay there, her mind white with uncertainty. Nothing was in her head at this point, just the relaxing feeling of her body and her soul becoming one.
She could have sworn she was falling asleep, because when she opened her eyes for a moment, she wasn't in their yoga room anymore. She was in the forests of Sokovia, laying on the grass like she used to do with Nik.
In a confused state, she sat up, wiping her eyes in an attempt to wake herself up, but she was still there, sitting on the thick grass of her beautiful country. She waited, listening as the birds and animals moved about, unbothered by her presence.
Wanda got to her feet and scanned the familiar area around her, trying to figure out if this was only a dream, or, if by chance, it was real, and that everything she had endured in the last few months had only been an awful nightmare, and that she was still in Sokovia with Nik and Pietro, healing and growing.
She would have believed this, had she not looked down and realized that her belly was still there, holding the child she had created with Steve.
So this was just a dream, and soon she would wake and find herself back in the room with Vera and her yoga instructor. But, for the time being, she decided she'd stay right here and enjoy this. It'd been a long while since her home had wandered into her dreams.
