Swan Song ✧ STEVE ROGERS [✓]

71 - Pardon My French

THREE YEARS LATER (HBT)...

RAEVANNA WOKE UP TO THE FEELING OF HER PHONE VIBRATING AGAINST HER CHEEK. Opening her eyes, she saw that it was still dark out, and her eyes had to squint for a moment as they adjusted to the darkness. Frowning slightly, she reached under her pillow and pulled out her phone, and her frown deepened when she saw it was Wanda. 

The truth was, Raevanna hadn't heard from Wanda in awhile. Natasha and Blake had helped set up the young Sokovian woman in a safe house with Vision, and even though Wanda had promised to stay in touch, she had gone radio silent for months. It was worrying, and Raevanna had feared that something had happened to her, but seeing the call told her that Wanda was still alive, which offered some relief. 

Pressing the answer button, Raevanna raised the phone to her ear, then said in a teasing yet firm voice, "You better have a good reason for dropping off the face of the earth for five months." 

"I know, I'm sorry," Wanda said. "We just wanted some time to be alone." 

"I get that, it's just-" Raevanna stopped herself when she sensed the worry behind Wanda's voice. "Hey, is everything alright?" 

"Yeah," Wanda said. "Everything's fine, it's just..." She sighed. "Vision's stone is acting strange. And this is the third time in three weeks that it's happened." 

Raevanna sat up, instantly on full alert. "Seriously? Wanda, that's not something you keep to yourself. Why didn't you tell us?" 

"I'm probably just worrying about nothing," Wanda said dismissively. "It's fine, don't worry about it." 

Raevanna shook her head, frowning. "Wanda-" 

"It's probably just me," Wanda went on. "Forget I ever called. Bye." 

Raevanna started to tell her to wait, but Wanda immediately hung up before Raevanna could even get a word out. Worried and confused, Raevanna looked at the phone screen before putting it back under the pillow and turning to Steve, who was asleep beside her. 

"Steve," Raevanna said, shaking his shoulder. "Steve, wake up." 

Steve groggily opened his eyes, lifting his head as he looked around. "What is it, what's happening?" 

"Wanda just called," Raevanna said. 

That woke Steve up almost immediately, his eyes snapping open as he abruptly sat up. "She did? Are she and Vision okay?" 

"I'm not sure," Raevanna admitted. "She said Vision's stone was acting strange." 

Steve frowned. "What kind of strange?" 

Raevanna shook her head. "She didn't say. She just dismissed it and hung up, said it was nothing." Steve's frown deepened, so Raevanna went on, "But she did sound scared. Something's going on, something bad." 

Steve rubbed his face thoughtfully, staying silent for a moment before getting out of the creaky old hotel bed. "Well, we have to get to them and make sure they're okay." 

"Wait a minute, Steve," Raevanna said, holding out a hand to stop him. "Vision's stone is from another planet. If something's going on with it, then we're gonna need some serious help." 

Steve furrowed his brows. "You're saying we need some otherworldly help?" 

"I'm saying we need someone who knows how to deal with otherworldly things," Raevanna said. Then, an idea hit her, and she smiled before adding, "And I know just the place to look." Jumping out of bed, she grabbed one of Steve's jackets and tossed it to him. "Hurry up and get dressed, and I'll call Sam and Nat. It's time to visit an old friend."