In Darkness, Be My Light

Flashbacks

Warning: Mentions of force-feeding.

"Wanda, please eat," Natasha begged.

Wanda shook her head. She had been refusing to eat for three days. She wouldn't talk and explain why she didn't want to eat, so Clint stepped in and told Natasha what happened in the Raft, that her overseer force-fed her. Natasha felt more sympathy for Wanda after hearing an explanation. The poor thing can't even eat without fear. So she decided it would be good to sit and help her begin eating with light, easy foods to down. She decided that today would be a good day to start with a warm bowl of chicken soup. However, she knew it would take time for Wanda to easily eat a meal.

Natasha sat next to Wanda in her bedroom so they could remain undisturbed. She had previously grabbed a foldable table and set it in front of Wanda where she sat, letting her legs dangle over the bed, and put the bowl of soup on the table. She knew that Wanda had to eat on her own, and if Natasha tried to lift the spoon of soup up to her, she might have a breakdown from the memory of being fed. So, Natasha has been giving her comfort and support, rubbing her back and giving her words of encouragement.

Wanda stared at the bowl of soup in front of her. Worry spread across her face and her breathing became heavy. She sniffled a bit.

Natasha sighed and held Wanda's hand. "Please try to eat. It's not good for you to not."

Wanda looked at her and then looked back down at her bowl. Natasha was right. There would be consequences on her body if she didn't eat, but she just couldn't put her mind at ease. She pursed her lips, and with a shaky hand, carefully lifted the spoonful of soup and slowly, but shakily, she put it up to her mouth. She paused for a second before opening her mouth for a bit and putting the spoon in. She forced the chicken soup down her throat and, out of the corner of her eye, saw Natasha smile slightly before feeling her hand go up and down her back comfortingly.

She heard someone knocking on her door before Natasha yelled, "Give us a minute." She assumed Natasha didn't want anyone unintentionally bothering this moment and was afraid that Wanda would freakout from the attention. Wanda was grateful that Nastaha was so thoughtful of the current situation she was in. Despite Wanda hardly talking to Natasha and not at all to her teammates, Natasha still looked out for her.

Wanda quickly set the spoon back in the bowl and started to pant slightly.

"I've got you. Remember to stay calm," Natasha said while still trying to remain serene.

She nodded for a few seconds and took a deep breath. She looked at the bowl in front of her and again, with a shaky hand, slowly reached for the spoon. She lifted it up to her mouth and swallowed it. She felt her body shake and she dropped the spoon.

The guard slipped the spoon in her mouth before she had time to protest. His other hand was on her hip, squeezing slightly before he rubbed her thigh.

"No need to be afraid, sweetheart. I won't bite, especially when I get to be around a pretty girl like you," he taunted.

Her hands were clung to the sheets of her bed on the sides of her, and she was hunched over slightly. Natasha put a hand on her shoulder and Wanda flinched, almost hitting her. Her breathing was ragged and her pupils were dilated. Natasha quickly pulled her hand away.

"Are you okay?" she urgently asked Wanda.

She shook her head violently, then put her head in her hands and started to sob.

Touching hadn't been easy for Wanda ever since she escaped the Raft. The only person that could touch or hug her was Natasha, and even that was almost never. She would shrink away from everyone else. The first day of escaping the Raft, no one knew that Wanda would react from touching, so when Steve tried to comfortingly hold her hand, she backed away and whimpered, showing fear in her eyes. In her eyes, she saw them as predators. "Damn, she doesn't deserve this. This is so completely wrong!" is what Scott said when he saw what happened.

What haunts all of them are the screams they hear from her at night. Her nightmares were unbearable. Every time she has a nightmare, Natasha would always run into her room to comfort her (which would happen at least two or three times during the last two nights) and sometimes sleeping with her since she's the only person that Wanda is comfortable being physically close to. So not only is eating an issue, she's been sleep deprived. Sam suggested that her issue with eating could be affected, not just by the trauma, but because of the sleep deprivation.

"Oh, honey," Natasha started softly. "It's okay. We'll get through this together. I've got you."

Wanda put her hands down on her lap and looked at Natasha with tear-filled eyes.

"I just wish that you can start feeling like yourself again," Natasha whispered. "I hate those bastards for the shit they did to you. They deserve nothing but hell." She clenched her fists and tightly shut her eyes.

But then she felt Wanda lean into her side, wrapping her arms around Natasha. She opened her eyes and softened. She smiled and wrapped her arms around Wanda; one around her waist and one on the side of her head, almost protectively.

Then a knock came at the door.

"Oh my God," Natasha grumbled. "What?" she yelled.

"Hey, uh, we got a minor issue," came Steve's voice.

Natasha felt her heartbeat quicken. A minor issue isn't always a "minor issue" when Steve says it. "And what's that?"

"You need to come out here for yourself."

Natasha sighed. "I'll be right back honey," she whispered to Wanda, nuzzled her head, and wrapped a blanket around her. She had a big sister-like affection towards Wanda.

She opened the door and was immediately greeted with the worry on Steve's face. She bit her lip slightly and followed Steve into the open area of the Polish cabin. She felt her stomach turn with nervousness. When Natasha walked into the open area, she saw that everyone was gathered, and with them was Vision.

"What are you doing here?" she asked as calm as she could. She was still upset with Vision, especially taking the role of being Wanda's caretaker. Even if Vision did save her life, and she didn't doubt that he cared for Wanda, she was still highly guarded when it came to him since they were both on the same side under Tony Stark during the battle in Germany.

Vision didn't hesitate to answer the woman. "I know you don't fully trust me yet, Miss Romanov, but I can assure you that I'm here under good terms. As I mentioned, I care for all of you, especially Wanda, which is why I am here." He sighed and then continued saying, "My duty to Mr. Stark and The Sokovia Accords has me under the leadership of the United States government. They decided that it is best that my role is to help find the fugitives: you. I do not plan to take you in for reasons most of you know, however, I came to warn you. During a meeting as of yesterday, it has come to my attention that special operators under the head of the Raft have decided to put certain countries under a strict watch list. These countries include Germany, Austria, Sokovia, Italy, and Poland."

Natasha grew worried and not just for her team, but for Wanda. She'd rather suffer the trauma of the Raft than her. "This is why you came here... We need to leave."

"But when?" Scott asked.

Natasha looked over at him. "Tonight is best. We can't risk a second with them hunting us while we're in a country under their watch list."

"But where would we go?" Clint asked, concerned.

While most thought about a good, secure location to travel to, Steve killed the silence by saying, "Wakanda."

Everyone looked at him, and Clint almost glared at him. "What?"

"Wakanda. That's where we'll go. King T'challa and I have kindled a friendship while you were all in the Raft. Bucky decided to go into cryo in Wakanda and I was there for a while before finding this safe house located here. That's the best place to go."

They all looked around the room, waiting for rejections.

Then Natasha spoke saying, "Alright then. Let's pack up."