Disclaimer: all characters are property of Marvel Comics. I'm only playing with them.
We are going after Wanda.
No matter how many times Steve repeated those words in his head, he still couldn't believe it was finally happening. The attack on Avengers Mansion had left scars so deep that he could still feel that despair returning like it was yesterday. When Magneto took her from his arms, he had wanted to protest, to just run away with Wanda until he could make her better, and he genuinely believed he could, if only he knew how. Alas, he didn't, all he knew that night was that nothing would ever be the same, and for once her father seemed her best chance.
For months, he contemplated dropping by Genosha and seeing how she was, but there was always an emergency demanding his attention. Or so he told himself. Truth was, he didn't know what to do, what to say to her, Magneto, and Xavier, how he could help her. He hated nothing as much as feeling useless, and he suspected his presence would be anything but helpful, as he still didn't fully understand how everything had derailed thus. He didn't even know what exactly happened between them! In the months leading to that fateful night, they were growing closer than ever, until he started seeing her everywhere, and the rest was unclear. Was that how you attacked me? You made sure I fell in love with you and then made me question my own sanity by denying that night had ever happened? Did you even know what you were doing, Wanda?
He could still remember that night; Wanda, in that darkened room, believing herself surrounded by the sons that never truly existed. He could see she knew the truth, that they weren't there, but made herself believe otherwise because the alternative was too painful. He could remember Doctor Strange's words, showing them the reality they couldn't accept, and later breaking her mind even further than all she had gone through already had. He remembered Carol and Simon crying, Henry and Sam protesting, his own helplessness at knowing Strange was right no matter how bad they wished it wasn't so.
And now Steve was on a plane with an anxious Magneto, an impatient Pietro, a murderous Wolverine and an overprotective Simon. After Hawkeye informed them the kids had found her, she was alright, she was back to herself, everything went in a blur, and it was all he could do to focus on the controls and make the plane keep bringing him closer to her. The X-Men were there when they arrived, he barely had a chance to talk to her before they were fighting among themselves, Doctor Doom showed up, Cassie Lang died, and any hope of things going back the way they were two years ago slowly died. But he had to try. Doom, of all people, had just given them the way to prove Wanda's innocence on both the attack on the Avengers and M-Day. Can we believe it? He didn't know, and didn't truly care; all that mattered was convincing Wanda of rejoining the Avengers and the others of taking her back.
She wouldn't even look at him. Somehow that hurt more than all that happened all those years ago. The shame, the guilt and self-loathing written on her face, the same face he had known and loved for years wearing a desperate isolation he had rarely seen anywhere other than a mirror, brought all their failures crashing down at him at once. Simon is right. You were always there for us and we failed you as a team, as your friends, as your family. We failed you and we were too self-absorbed to notice it. In that moment he decided he'd do whatever it took to fix their mistakes, to pay back all they owed her, no matter how long it took.
We will never fail you again. That, I promise you.
AN: Hi, there! It's been six or seven years since I last wrote any fics, so, sorry if my writing is a bit rusty. This is my first story in English, and the first thing I've written on the Marvel fandom.
I'm thinking of writing other POV's on those events if people are interested in reading them, so please, let me know what you think. I hope you liked it!
AN.2: People have been asking me to continue this story; I promise you I have every intention of doing that! But first I must find the time to re-read Children's Crusade and a few other things to make sure everyone is in-character, which is impossible for me right now. But keep an eye out for I'm certainly updating by late October, at least!