Chapter Three
A/N: Thank you guys for the amazing reviews. It means the world to me and keeps me writing!
Things were different after he made love to Wanda.
And that's what it had been. Making love. It didn't matter how anyone else would have perceived their sex, it wasn't some crass hookup. Just because they had knocked everything off of Clint's desk, toppled a couple of chairs, and somehow managed to move the heavy desk as well... Well, that was just a measure of the passion they had shared.
He couldn't stop smiling when he thought about it.
He would never forget the way she looked, spread out on the desk all naked and aroused, fixing him with her sultry gaze. God, he still wanted her. Having her for one blissful morning interlude only made the need that much worse.
But things were different now, so maybe that was okay.
Since then, they spent more time together. Vision found himself spending his off hours at the store with her. During slow periods they would end up on the floor in one of the aisles, just talking. He found her absolutely fascinating. She had the most amazing mind. He loved her humor and her teasing. He loved watching her light up when she talked about something that excited her. He loved listening to her speak- her voice, her accent, they went straight to his heart. And he loved her laugh. He loved being the one to make her laugh.
She talked about her brother sometimes. Pietro. Her twin. She told him about their childhood, how he loved to run, what a free spirit Pietro had been. She told him how protective Pietro had been, and how he hated seeing anyone suffer. She talked about how she had depended on Pietro, how he had been a lifeline for her in a world that felt overwhelming, how his courage had always given her courage.
And she told him about Pietro's death.
They were sitting on the floor, facing each other across the aisle, their legs stretched out next to each other.
"Pietro liked to go fast," she said. "Always. He was impatient. I always worried about him, but he would laugh it off and tell me that only the good died young." Her eyes were unfocused. She was staring at her memories, not seeing the world around her. Tears formed in her eyes. "I worried even more, because Pietro was good. He was a good man, with a good heart, and if the world was going to take anyone, it was going to be him."
Her eyes focused on Vision. He grabbed her hand and threaded their fingers together, silently offering her any support he could. Tears slid down her cheeks, and she wiped them away on her sleeve.
"He was driving. James was with him. They had been friends for a long time, and James and I were already together." She paused and sighed. "Pietro lost control of the car. It was bad. He...he died. And James lost an arm."
"That's terrible," Vision said softly. "I'm so sorry."
She smiled at him- a sad, soft, wistful smile.
"Thank you, Vis."
He raised her hand to his mouth and pressed a soft kiss to her knuckles.
He didn't ask her the question that had been on his mind since that talk until days later.
They were on the floor in the back room, on a blanket he had laid out. She was still on top of him, and that's exactly where he wanted her. They were both basking in the afterglow of their lovemaking.
Vision ran his hands over Wanda's back, and he felt her soft lips press against his throat. Having her in his arms truly was a slice of heaven. He couldn't get enough. And while he hated to ruin their peaceful moment, he needed an answer to this question.
"Wanda," he said, hesitantly.
"Yes, Vis?"
He paused, trying to decide how to approach the subject.
"Do you care about me?" Not what he really wanted to ask, but it was a start. The real question burned inside of him.
Wanda sat up and looked at him.
"You know that I do, Vis."
"Do you love me?" he asked, needing to know.
Wanda's gaze was steady as she studied his face. He didn't know what she was looking for, and she was quiet for what seemed like an eternity.
"I do," she said, finally.
Vision closed his eyes for a moment and took a deep breath.
"Do you love him?" There. He had said it. When he opened his eyes, she was still staring at him, an unreadable look of her face.
"Yes," she said, "but its complicated." Wanda sighed and moved to sit next to him on the floor. The loss of their body contact pained him, but he sat up and waited for her to explain.
"I've loved James for a long time," she said. "He and Pietro and I used to be inseparable. After the accident, we needed each other badly, so we only grew closer. He started to become possessive in a way he had never been before. I didn't notice haw bad it had gotten until the first time he hit me." She was staring down into her hands.
"We had gone out for drinks. James was sitting at our table, and this guy came up and started hitting on me while I was at the bar. I thought it was funny. He was just so drunk and ridiculous. When I went back to the table with our drinks, James was standing there waiting for me, looking really angry. He slapped me, right there in front of everyone." She drew in a ragged breath. "I was hurt and humiliated, but when he walked out, I followed him. I needed him, Vision. I couldn't let him go."
Vision listened, calm on the outside, but seething on the inside. Just imagining the man slapping her was enough to make his blood boil.
"He called me a tease and a whore. I kept apologizing, over and over." She looked at Vision, her eyes sad, but without tears. "That was the first time, but not the last. Things kept going downhill. And now here we are." She shrugged.
"James has a lot of anger inside of him, and I understand his rage. Pietro took so much from him with his recklessness. Maybe I still feel guilty about that. Maybe I've stayed partly because I'm trying to make up for what Pietro did. My brother would be so angry at me, and at James. It's just that... I care about him. I want him to be happy, and there are many times when being with him makes me happy."
"I still love him," she said. "I don't think anything will or could ever change that. We've known each other too long, and been through too much together for it to change. But I think he killed a part of my love with his fists, because Vision, I love him, but I'm not in love with him. Does that make sense?"
She was looking at him pleadingly. Vision brushed her hair back behind her ear and leaned forward to place a soft kiss on her lips.
"I understand," he said gently. Tears sprang into her eyes as she gave him a radiant smile. She looked so relieved.
She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him deeply, opening her mouth to him like she had opened her heart. He could feel her need, and so he pressed her back into the floor and buried himself inside of her. She cried out his name as he began to move.
Neither one of them cared that they opened the store late that day.
The store had become their little bubble of happiness. A place that stood outside the real world, where they could steal touches and indulge their love a little. Vision spent as much time there as possible, as did Wanda, even asking to pick up more shifts so they could be together. If Clint noticed anything strange, he didn't say anything, but that was his way. Clint was happy as long as everyone else was happy and the business was running smoothly. Vision could both respect and appreciate that.
His mind lingered on thoughts of James when he wasn't with Wanda, though. Her presence had a wonderful way of shutting down all the negative aspects of his life, but without her there, he couldn't help but think about what they were going to do.
They hadn't talked about it yet. Wanda seemed perfectly fine with things the way they were. Vision suspected she was desperately trying to put off having to deal with the situation, but he knew their happy bubble wouldn't last forever. James needed dealt with if they were ever going to really be together.
He was beginning to feel guilty for being "the other man." If for no other reason, that had decided him that he and Wanda needed to have a serious talk. He loved her so much, and he wanted her to be his in all ways. He wanted to be able to walk down the street holding her hand, or put his arm around her where other people could see. He wanted to not have to be wary any time he wanted to be physically affectionate with her. He wanted to take her out to eat, to the movies, to anything. The brief touches they managed during daytime hours at the store were not enough to satisfy his need for her anymore.
James was the lucky man who got to put his arms around her any time he chose. He was the lucky man who got to hold Wanda at night, sleep next to her, and wake to look at her beautiful face. He was the man who knew what Wanda's sleepy bedroom eyes looked like. Vision wanted those things. Badly. His envy of James ran deep.
"Wanda," he said one morning while they were dressing. "You know we have to talk about James." She glanced at him as she pulled her shirt on.
"I suppose we do." She sighed. Vision tipped her chin up and kissed her lightly on the lips.
"I love you, Wanda. I want to be with you, always, and I will do whatever it takes to make that happen. Will you?"
There was real pain in his voice, and in his heart. He hadn't realized it until he'd vocalized it, but her hesitation had left him feeling insecure in her feelings for him. Did she really want to be with him, or was he expecting too much? Did she ever have any intention of leaving James?
From her horrified expression, he could tell that Wanda saw all of that doubt on his face. She could see his pain.
"Oh Vis, I'm so sorry," she said, "Of course I want to be with you. I'm sorry I've made you doubt that." She cupped his cheek with her soft palm, her gaze sorrowful. "I'm just scared."
"I understand."
"No, you don't." Wanda pulled away from him, arms wrapped around herself. She looked smaller somehow.
"Tell me."
She took a deep breath.
"Do you remember Sam?"
"You mean the man who worked here before me?" Vision was confused by the sudden change of subjects.
"Yes. Sam and I got to be friends. Nothing else," she added quickly. "Just friends. James found out. He saw us laughing, saw us hug, and he assumed the worst. He lost it. He started threatening Sam. I don't know exactly how bad it got. Sam wouldn't talk about it with me, but it was enough for him to quit his job here. I haven't seen or heard from him since." She looked up at Vision with tortured eyes. "I keep thinking...what if that happens with you? What if James threatens you enough and you leave too? I don't want to lose you. I can't."
Vision saw the tears she was trying to blink away, and his heart broke. He hugged her tightly, pressing kisses into her hair.
"I would never, will never, leave you, Wanda. I promise you. I will always be here. Nothing he can do will ever change that."
"Sam was dismissive of my warnings about James too," she said softly.
"I am not being dismissive," he said. "I am making a pledge. I pledge to never desert you, to never leave you. I will be yours forever."
He felt her arms snake around him, clutching him close, and he pressed his cheek against her head. She felt so right in his arms. He couldn't imagine ever leaving her behind.
"You will eventually become absolutely sick of me, though," he said, half jokingly. "I cling."
"Never," she said. "I need you, Vision. Like I've never needed anyone else. I'll fight for you, even if it scares me to tell James I'm leaving, and I will never let you go."
"I'm afraid of him hurting you," Vision said, nuzzling her hair. "He hits you."
"I won't lie to you. He'll try to hurt me, but you are worth it. Getting away from him is something I've needed to do for a long time anyway. For myself. I've stuck around too long, for all the wrong reasons. I have to do this."
She was silent for so long that Vision thought the conversation was over.
"Tonight," she said quietly. "Can you come with me after work tonight?"
"Of course," he said, and leaned down to kiss her softly. "You did not even have to ask."
