Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters in this story, nor do I own Sokovia and Wakanda. I also most certainly don't own the picture on the cover.
Sam Wilson. Steve Rogers. Wanda Maximoff. Clint Barton. Scott Lang. According to the government and the news, those were the names of criminals, not heroes.
"Hey, look at that!" Relaxed on a couch, beer in hand, Scott, AKA 'Ant-Man' pointed to the TV. "I'm on TV!" He grinned in a mock smile. "Strangely enough, this isn't how I imagined it. Got my good side, though."
"We get it, Lang, this isn't the best news." Although they had met only a month ago, Sam had already taken a dislike to him. He didn't appreciate how he always joked around and never took anything seriously. Neither did he seem to have forgiven him for ruining his Falcon suit.
Currently, the 'fugitives' who didn't sign the Sokovia Accords were residing at an old apartment in Colorado. It was close enough that they could keep track of the news, but far enough that they wouldn't be found. Scott and Sam were watching the television, having nothing better to do. Steve was busy on lookout. Clint was currently out looking to earn money through gambling, darts, or perhaps street game and Wanda was preparing dinner using her telekinesis. The Scarlet Witch was half a room away, cutting onions, and she heard everything they said.
Scott scoffed. "I'm just saying, I committed a large number of crimes and break-ins in my day, and not one of them landed me in the news with a price over my head and a good clear picture." He took another swig from his beer.
"If this is the price we pay for helping others, then so be it." Cap marched down the stairs, into the room, briskly and efficiently as always.
Falcon glanced at him before returning his gaze to the badly colored light of the TV. Currently, it showed General 'Thunderbolt' Ross assuring citizens they were doing everything they could to bring the 'criminals' in. No one seemed to be paying attention to the young girl at the counter. She continued to chop the onions slowly, tears trickling down her face. In Wanda's mind, if she had been more careful about how she controlled her powers, she wouldn't have dragged her friends into this mess. Now they were all in it together, and they were being hunted down, and like deer, they couldn't do anything about it. After all, the rest of the broken Avengers would have permission to hunt them down.
"There's still the problem with us running forever, and Hawkeye can't earn us money like this forever." Sam quipped. With timing as good as his accuracy, Clint walked into the room with $20. Burying his face in his hands, he gave a long, exasperated sigh.
Sam sighed. "Do you see what I mean?" He gestured to the $20 on the grimy coffee table.
"It really doesn't help that we're fugitives now." Scott said. That was it. Wanda's vision blurred and concentration wavered. The knife that she had been holding with her telekinesis dropped to the chopping board loudly with a thud. The tears now pouring down her face weren't caused by the onions anymore. She walked away briskly, overcome by the guilt. No one noted her upset expression except for Steve.
"Wanda..." He called. She didn't listen.
The Scarlet Witch walked into the bathroom, settling herself. She sighed, sitting on the floor, however grimy it was. As she sat, a bulge became noticeable in her maroon colored leather jacket. Bringing it out, she observed it. A simple electronic, and yet it contained many different memories. A flashback entered her mind. It was from a poorer time, and yet a more joyful time, when she still had a family, when they could afford small gifts. It was her birthday. After a day of playing around, exploring the neighborhood, she and her brother were watching the sunset as young children. How happy that time had been. No worries. No powers. No responsibility. They were allowed to be free, to do what they wanted.
"I wish I could capture this moment" Wanda had sighed happily. Her brother smirked. Whenever he had that look on his face, he was hiding something. "What is it?"
"Oh, nothing..." Pietro had said, turning away to hide the smile that was no doubt on his face.
"Tell me, tell me!" She had cried, punching him lightly.
"Ow! Alright, alright!" He had grinned. "You punch so hard for a little girl..." Wanda had frowned childishly. That is, until he showed his present. It was a small black camera. It was old, large, and had terrible quality, but it was the best present she had ever received. Her face lit up.
"I know it isn't anything like a huge television or anything, but -" Pietro was interrupted by his sister tackling him fiercely to the ground.
"I love it!" Wanda exclaimed gratefully, as she aimed it at the sunset and pressed the shutter button lightly. From that day on, she took that camera wherever she went, and while it never won her any prizes, or made her famous, she kept it close to her heart.
Wiping her tears, Wanda picked the camera. Her brother would help her one last time, through the camera. Placing it on the counter, she began to videotape. With the terrible quality, and such low grade, it couldn't be tracked. The camera slowly whirred to life, light barely flickering as the Scarlet Witch stood in front of it. She had stopped trembling, and her tears had dried, but she still felt so weak, so vulnerable. Wanda could almost hear her brother's heavily accented voice.
Get up already! What would those people think if they saw you like this, huh? Where's all the strength you have?
Tony got up in the morning with a huge migraine. He felt dizzy and tired. Going down the stairs of the Avengers tower, Natasha walked up to him.
Handing him a tablet, she said, "Take a look at this," then walked away.
Taking the tablet, he peered at the headline. 'Scarlet Witch' Releases Video
Tony's eyes widened at that. It would be the first time he had heard from them in a month. Try as he might, Tony Stark couldn't get any contact with them without the government knowing about it. Never would he admit it, but he missed them. After all, they were still his friends. As Natasha often put it, he let his pride get the best of him. He pressed the small arrow symbol in the middle of the screen, and the video started.
The Scarlet Witch stood in a plain little room. She was dressed in her regular leather jacket and black shirt, necklace on her neck. A Sokovian accent was prominent in her weary voice. Whether she was physically or emotionally tired, Tony couldn't tell.
"My name is Wanda Maximoff. To the public, I am the Scarlet Witch, a former Avenger." She took a deep sigh and continued. "So, Tony, if you're watching this, Steve wanted to send you a message. He's out on guard right now, but he wanted you to know how we're doing right now... Said you'd be worried about us." Wanda gave a light smile to the camera, attempting to hide the sadness that was threatening to break, although it still showed. "We're all doing fine, I think. A little tired, a little stressed, but otherwise alright. Clint says he's fatigued, Sam keeps complaining, and Scott keeps making bad jokes, but Cap keeps us in line." Looking at her, Tony wondered if Wanda was lying. She didn't look all that well.
5 000 kilometers away, the ruler of Sokovia was watching the video as well. Iskra thought very little of the Avengers, even worse of the so-called Scarlet Witch. Her son, aged 9, was put into a coma from the battle. Iskra visited him every day, but the doctors had said there was little hope for him left. In her opinion, young ones should be trained before being put in the battlefield. Furthermore, Sokovia had to be built up again, and there wasn't even rubble to start from. As a result, she was a large supporter of the Sokovia Accords and was glad when it was put into action. Yet she still watched the video… "This is to the families and friends of the victims…" It was strange, Iskra thought, that it seemed so hard for her to talk about such things. After all, she had come out unscathed, while there were many more innocents that died from their actions, Sokovia getting the worst of it. "I know that this apology will never make up for what happened in New York, Sokovia, and Wakanda. I know these victims will never come back from the dead, maybe never recover from their injuries. But I beg you to just listen. Just take a little of your time to hear what I have to say." There was a desperate look in her eyes, and for the first time, Iskra saw something else in her eyes. Many say that the eyes are windows into the soul, and in that second she believed it. Wanda's eyes were filled with a mixture of sorrow, regret, and hurt. So Iskra kept listening.
"My twin brother Pietro died that day in Sokovia. Many of you probably don't know because he didn't die in a magnificent spectacle, nor did he save hundreds." She gave a sad smile. "He saved two people. It was only two people, but he sacrificed himself anyways because he believed two lives were more important than his own." The Scarlet Witch was choking back a sob now. Only then did Iskra notice that the pain she saw in the girl was almost a mirror of her own pain, her own heartbreak. "He was always the stronger one, always the braver one. Certainly always the faster one." The girl's voice was cracking now, tears flowing freely down her face. She put a hand in front of her mouth, but she failed to stop a choked sob. "He always joked that I ran like a girl. Other than that, as twins usually are, we were one and the same." Wanda cleared her voice, trying to stop the pain from coming, the pain of remembrance. Clearly, it still affected her.
"My hope here is that this video would help, even if it helps to see me weak like this, deal with your circumstances. That you wouldn't be consumed by the bitterness and rage as it did me. Please don't let your grief consume you and drag others down with you." Wanda took a couple of seconds to collect herself. "And if we are not there to help others, to fight the evil that still lurks, who will? Who will be there to protect those who cannot protect themselves, to take down the villains? I ask that you would consider what I have said. That these thoughts would follow you. Scarlet Witch out." With that, the screen that had, just a second ago, shown something so important, flickered out of life. However, the message still followed all who watched it, and they did consider it. The message stayed with them.
Author's Note: Thanks for reading! I created this one-shot on the thought of whether or not the people who insulted Wanda knew her brother had died. Anyways, I really hope you enjoyed it, this has been my first one-shot. Comments, questions, concerns, and light insults are appreciated. Bye!