Hey everyone! Here's a short, but kinda sweet chapter. I would've written more but I didn't want to leave you guys on a cliff hanger.

Like always, I don't own anything.

Enjoy!

X_X_X

Wanda ran into her room and froze when she saw Pietro sitting on her bed. Or, at least the image of him was sitting on her bed.

"You're not real," she said, closing the door behind her.

He reached over and knocked a pencil off her desk. Wanda's breath caught in her throat as she tried to make sense of what was happening.

"When are you going to start believing that I'm actually here?" he asked.

"Clint saw you die. I saw your body covered in bullet wounds. We buried you, Piet. How do you expect me to believe you're actually here?"

"You're limited by your mind."

Wanda took a deep breath and held it for five seconds. When she exhaled, she glared at Pietro.

"Maybe so, but then, so are you. You're just my mind showing me what I want to see," she laughed.

His image rippled and his eyes turned black. As he came closer, she could feel the air around her become harder to breath.

"Is this what you want to see?" he asked as his face began falling off, revealing the flesh underneath. His skin started to rot and the stench of death filled her nose.

"Stop," Wanda gulped.

She could hear the bits of flesh falling to the floor in a sickening squelchy sound. She closed her eyes and held her breath.

"You can't get rid of me that easily," Pietro laughed.

"Go away!" Wanda yelled, instinctively reaching out to hit the figure in front of her.

A hand wrapped around her wrist and stopped her assault. Wanda's eyes opened in fear.

"But I just got here," A blonde-haired Natasha said with an odd smirk.

Wanda looked around her and saw her room back to how it normally was. Even the smell in her nose was beginning to fade.

"I-" Wanda stuttered.

"I'll forgive your attack if you help me unpack. My room is right across from yours," Nat said, letting go of Wanda's hand.

Wanda furrowed her eyebrows and looked around her room once more.

"Is there somebody here?" Nat asked, reaching into her sweater and pulling out a gun.

"Uh, no. I just… I forgot what it was that I came in here for. Oops," Wanda giggled, tapping her head with her palm.

Nat didn't seem to buy it, but put the gun away anyway.

"So… You're blonde now?" Wanda asked as the pair walked into the room across from Wanda's.

Natasha wrinkled her nose.

"The red was drawing too much attention to me. I had to bleach it."

Wanda cringed. Natasha loved her hair.

"I'm sorry," she said.

Nat shrugged. "It's hair, it'll grow back eventually."

"How much do we have to unpack?" Wanda asked, not sure if she was up for doing much after what happened in the room.

"Actually, now that I think about it, why don't you unpack for me? Your attack back there could have really hurt me," Natasha said solemnly.

Wanda raised her eyebrow at her because there's no way Wanda would ever be able to hurt the Black Widow.

Nat smirked at the younger girl and opened the room to her bedroom. Wanda peaked in and saw a lone duffle bag on the bed.

"That's it?" she exclaimed.

Natasha laughed.

"Now I remember why you and Steve get along so well," Wanda muttered under her breath and began unpacking as Nat sat on the bed. They chatted away like long time friends, although, neither of them would ever admit to it should anyone ask.

X_X_X

At exactly six, Wanda heard a knock on her door. She got up from her bed and straightened out her summer dress (which she did not wear just for this meeting, she actually wanted to try it on and got too lazy to take it off again...).

Walking over to the door, she opened it to see James on the other side with two cups of coffee and a bag of pastries.

Wanda couldn't help the smile that formed on her face.

"I brought coffee and croissants," he said.

"I can see that," Wanda replied.

She stepped to the side and he walked in, moving to sit on her bed.

I really need to get a couch in here. Everyone always sits on my bed, Wanda thought to herself.

"So you wanted to talk?" she asked, sitting at her desk chair and accepting the coffee from James.

"Yeah, about earlier," he said.

Wanda felt her nerves vibrate under her skin but she took a gulp of coffee and tried to ignore her anxiety.

"Where's Steve?" she asked, trying to change the subject.

"He's moping around in his room because Natasha's sleeping right now so he can't talk with her. Anyway, don't change the subject," he said, easily reading her intentions.

Wanda met his eyes with confidence she most definitely didn't feel. "Alright. What about earlier did you want to talk about?"

"Who's Wendy?" he asked, getting straight to the thing that was bothering him.

"Does it matter?" Wanda deflected.

"It does if you think I'm going to leave you for her," James answered.

Wanda felt her heart clench. "We're not even together, James."

"Because the moment I tried to approach the subject you said I'd leave you for her. So who is she? Do I know her?"

Wanda didn't know how to explain that Wendy was a person from her dream. How could she tell him that she was letting herself be held back by her nightmares?

James could see the distress on her face and reached over to grasp her hand. Wanda looked up into his blue eyes, glistening with concern.

With a sigh, she opened her mouth.

"She's someone I know," Wanda half-lied. "She likes you and you'll like her as soon as you two meet."

James looked at her and she looked away in guilt.

"Okay, then. Introduce her to me," he said.

"What?" Wanda exclaimed, looking back at him in something similar to horror.

She felt the tug on her arm as he shrugged.

"If you think I'll like her, then introduce us so I can prove you wrong."

Wanda's mouth was left open as the response she had died on her tongue.

James pulled both her hands into his.

"I like you, Wanda. Not Wendy, not Natasha. Not Steve, even though he's apparently my type" he said with a smirk.

Wanda rolled her eyes, but a smile still graced her lips.

"What can I do to make you believe me?" he asked.

"I-" Wanda looked down. "I don't think there's anything you can do."

James moved to kneel in front of her and released her hands to cradle her face. Wanda felt something blocking her airways as she lost herself in his eyes.

"What's wrong? Please talk to me, Wanda. I want to be with you, but I won't do anything if you don't feel the same way."

Wanda swallowed and reached up to wrap her fingers around his wrists.

"I do feel the same," she confessed, closing her eyes.

She felt his forehead rest against hers. She could taste his scent on her tongue as she took in a deep breath.

"I'm scared," she said, opening her eyes and looking into his.

"Of what?" he asked.

Wanda could hear the soft chuckle behind her. She shook her head and tried to ignore it.

"I'm scared that this is just a dream," Wanda confessed. "And that when I wake up nothing will be real."

James rubbed his thumbs across her cheeks as he wiped away tears that she hadn't noticed she'd begun to shed.

"Wanda…" he began, but Wanda shook her head and cut him off.

"I don't know what's real anymore, James. My hopes and dreams bleed into nightmares and nightmares cross into real life. I think I'm losing my grip on reality."

Wanda rubbed her nose against his.

"Let me help you," James pleaded.

"No. They're my demons, I have to face them alone."

James chuckled and Wanda pulled back slightly, indignant.

"You stubborn woman," he smiled at her. "You don't have to face them alone. I want to be there for you."

Wanda felt warmth spread in her chest as the presence behind her faded.

"Till the end of the line?" she teased.

James leaned back and laughed. "Steve won't like me using that with anybody else, but until we can find another line, then yes."

Wanda leaned over to kiss his nose.

"Alright," she said, trying to ignore the heat spreading across her face.

"Alright," he repeated with a slow grin.