A Scarlet Vision FanFic - Dear Vision,

Chapter 1: the aftermath

Wanda sat at the small table looking at the laptop screen in front of her. Her nails were digging into her palms and she bit her lip as she left the Skype call to ring for a few seconds longer. After a couple more moments she unclenched her hands long enough to accept the call.

The camera took a moment to adjust to her surroundings and took in the dull lighting above her. Apparently in the five years since The Snap, as people were calling it, the hotels had gradually degraded since there weren't enough people utilising their services. The room that was captured and displayed on the screen of the Skype camera was derelict, the paint peeling from the walls. She was sitting in the cramped kitchenette of the suite she had hired that morning, on an uncomfortable wooden chair. In the middle of the frame she saw herself sitting in said chair, her hair pulled up into what semi-resembled a pony tail, a black cardigan draped over her shoulders, and her face... her eyes were red rimmed and puffy. She almost didn't recognise herself. Though the last five years had lasted no longer than a second between her disintegration and reincarnation, Wanda still felt like she had aged or at least lost a little bit of life that she'd had five years earlier.

"Wanda." The voice from her screen said and Wanda was brought back to reality and the short haired women that could be seen on the other side of the Skype call. "I'm Lauren, Clint passed your contact information and a little bit about your situation onto me, I hope this time is okay for you?"

Wanda swallowed thickly. "Yes, this is fine."

"Well then, I'll start by telling you a little bit about myself just to get you feeling a little more comfortable." Lauren started setting the folder that she had rested on her knees to the side and locking her fingers together atop the pencil skirt she was wearing. "I was lucky some might say, to not be part of those who lost their lives five years ago. Though living for five years without my husband and six-year-old son was the curse that those of us left behind had to deal with. Before The Snap I was a social worker but after losing my family and seeing so many people hurting I made the decision to specialise in grief counselling. There was a surplus of loss and mourning going around but no one was making any progress on the healing part."

Wanda was only half listening, her eyes focused on the screen, but her mind seemed like it was behind glass. The room surrounding Lauren felt too bright and happy for a grief counsellor's office, with butterflys and flowers painted behind the apple green couch that the woman was perched on.

"I trained for a year and then opened up my own practice to try and help families and individuals cope with the loss of their loved ones, in the process it helped me deal with my own grief." Lauren said crossing one of her legs over the other. "I didn't expect to still be getting work after everyone returned but it is clear that some of us weren't as lucky."

Wanda nodded silently.

"Do you want to tell me a little bit about yourself?"

"I..." Wanda began looking down at her hands and wondering where to begin. "I lost my parents when I was ten years old. I grew up with my twin brother and eventually we were recruited to a research programme where they experimented on us. I ended up gaining these..." Wanda said raising her hands and working her magic through her finger tips, sending little swirls of red from one hand to the other. "Not long after, I ended up joining the Avengers, that same day my twin brother was shot and killed." Wanda swallowed and tried to steer her mind away from Pietro. "I worked and trained with the Avengers for a year before I was pronounced a fugitive by the Secretary of State and forced to go into hiding. For two years I stayed underground, taking a few low-profile missions here and there but nothing that would draw enough attention to get me caught." Wanda's voice wobbled as she realised, she was reaching the part of the story she wasn't ready to tell. "Alongside all the running and the hiding there was one thing that was semi stable in my life. Every couple of months I met up with my..." She paused wondering how on earth she was to describe her relationship with Vision in one word, boyfriend didn't quite do their connection justice. "... partner, when we could steal some time but there were... complications and he was..." Wanda's face crumpled and she pressed a hand to her mouth to stop the inevitable sobs.