Disclaimer: Characters belong to MARVEL and DISNEY and Stan Lee. I'm just taking them out for a little walk in the park.

One-shot #2

Two months had passed since the first mention of the Sokovia Accords, two months since the Avengers had fought one another at an airfield. Two months since the members of Team Cap were captured and put in the Raft, a month and half since they'd been rescued from said prison and still some of them couldn't come to terms with what had happened.

Thanks to Steve—and Natasha who had found Steve in Wakanda—the members of Team Cap had regained their freedom though not their past lives. They were all fugitives and criminals in the eyes of the governments of the world. Clint's family had to leave their home and they were also residing in the suites that T'Challa had thoughtfully provided. Scott couldn't see his daughter for fear of his ex-wife giving him up to the authorities and Sam for the first time found himself on the wrong side of the law. But what possibly hurt them all most was the loss of what they'd managed to build, the loss of their family.

Wanda walked through the halls of the apartment she shared with Natasha and Steve wondering if things would ever be the same again. It would take a lot—she thought—for Tony to come to terms with what Cap had kept hidden from him, but it could happen. In the mean time, they all spent their days exploring the Wakandan countryside while Natasha and Steve worked on how to repeal the Accords. Thinking of Natasha made the only other female Avenger pause in her trek through the gardens—she knew Natasha had been tortured, that she'd had to escape but no one aside from Steve, and maybe Barton, knew exactly what she'd been through.

Wanda herself only knew because she shared a living space with the spy. The sorceress mused to herself that if it hadn't been for the occasional screaming coming from Natasha's room late at night, she would've never known the redhead had been tortured before meeting back up with their Captain. Natasha knew how to keep up a mask, and did that almost to perfection, but that mask would always disappear around Steve or Clint and Wanda had been witness to it enough times to know that the spy was not as emotionless as everyone thought her to be.

The truth was quite the opposite, and lately it had become increasingly apparent. Natasha's nightmares would come on nights she slept alone in her bed because Steve was away for some reason or another. And, although Wanda had tried to help, Natasha would always push her away. Last night had been just like that, Steve was with T'Challa and Clint on patrol deep in the jungle and far away from the palace and Natasha had woken up screaming. The young sorceress had tried to comfort the spy—whom she had come to see as an older sister of sorts—but Natasha had pushed her away. And now as she walked through T'Challa's gardens the young Sokovian girl wondered if Natasha did it because deep down she still didn't trust her.

"Hey," Natasha's voice came from behind her making Wanda jump slightly. The spy giggled, "Sorry, didn't mean to scare you."

Wanda smiled, "No harm done, I was just lost in thought."

"I could tell, I've been following you for a while now," Natasha said playfully. "Can we talk?"

"What do you wanna talk about?"

"Last night and pretty every other night when I've had bad dreams."

"Oh."

Natasha moved closer to the brunette, "Wanda," she sighed and bit her lip, a tell tale sign that she was nervous. "I'm sorry about pushing you away last night. I know you meant well, but talking isn't my strong suit. Not telling you about my nightmares has nothing to do with trusting or not trusting you in case you were wondering."

Wanda gaped, "How did you know?"

Natasha gave her a half smile, "I'm a spy, it's my job to know."

"What was your nightmare about last night? I know I'm not Steve and I'm not trying to be…"

"Good, because you don't have to be him. I confide in Steve and Clint because… well because Clint was the first ever person to trust me and other than him only Steve has ever trusted me in the same way. I've known them for so long, that it's just habit to unload with only them. Besides, you've got your own nightmares to work through and I don't want you to worry about me."

"I worry either way, Nat. It isn't easy to hear you cry yourself back to sleep on the nights Steve isn't here. I hate it. You, all of you, became my family—the only family I have left and I just want things to go back to the way they were."

Natasha smiled sadly at the younger girl and hugged her tight, "Wanda, I'm afraid things will take a long time to go back to how they were, if they ever do. I know you care about us, we care about you too. That's why I didn't want to tell you about my nightmares last night. You went through a lot in the Raft and it was in part my fault. I let them put you there. I'm the reason you had a shock collar around your neck, and I can't forgive myself for that. You trusted all of us and look where it got you."

Wanda shuddered at the mention of the electric collar, but she was resolved on setting Natasha straight, "That wasn't your fault. I knew what I was getting into when I decided to side with Cap. We all had a choice, we were free to make that choice, just like Ross was free to decide over what happened to all of us. He chose to put me in that collar—it wasn't something that you did. You helped Cap put an end to it while Tony just visited spouted some words and then left. You aren't responsible and neither is Steve."

"How can you say that? You've lost so much ever since you met us…"

"Pietro's death wasn't your fault, and I've got my freedom back. And as for losing, look at all that I've gained. I've got you and Cap looking over me, with occasional bad advice by Clint, I've got Laura and Cooper, Lila, and Nate. I have Sam to play music with and Scott to annoy me and for a time, I even had Vision who was as much an outsider as I felt. Would I want Pietro to still be here? Hell yes, but my life isn't so bad and I have you and Cap to thank for that."

Natasha frowned, "Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I am."

Natasha smiled at the girl in front of her and hugged her again, her fears about Wanda resenting her for the part she played during the Civil War at rest.

The two were still hugging when strong arms wrapped around them both, and the familiar scent of Steve enveloped them in warmth, "I'm happy you think of us as family, Wanda."

Wanda smiled, "How long have you been listening?"

"Long enough."

The two girls giggled, "You're getting better at spying," Natasha complained.

"It was time, after all I've had three master spies teaching me their craft for long enough."

The three of them laughed at that—knowing that even now Fury was around somewhere still digging up intel to feed them through Maria and knowing that Hawkeye was somewhere inside the palace probably embarrassing his kids. It wasn't the life Wanda had envisioned for herself back when she and Pietro had escaped Hydra. And it was definitely not the life she thought she'd have after the death of her twin, but it was a life—a family and it was hers. And the girl—no the Avenger knew she would do anything to bring it back together and keep it that way. Tony might be hurt now, but family forgave everything and eventually they'd all be assembled once more.

AN:

Let me know what you thought in the reviews, and if this got emotional in the end it's because I was sad and it kind of influenced my writing.