Chapter Fourteen

Steve woke up the next morning and found Wanda lying on his couch, with the blanket just barely covering her body and still asleep. Deciding not to disturb her, Steve went to the kitchen to make some coffee and some breakfast. He was surprised that she had slept through the night, knowing how bad her nightmares could get and her memories coming back would have made them worse. He supposed the drugs that S.H.I.E.L.D had worked on to block the nightmares from her mind helped her sleep. When he returned to the living room, Wanda was still asleep but some intangible words were coming out of her mouth until he realised she was starting to wake up.

"Morning," he said handing her a coffee. "You seem to have had some sleep."

"Well, it wasn't a bad memory so I just about lasted the night," Wanda answered taking the coffee.

"Then what was it about?" asked Steve sitting next to her.

"It was my mother. We spent one night near the Wundagore Valley, and I was hearing strange voices that only I could hear. My father thought I was crazy or just being a wuss. They kept telling me that there was nothing there and so to get me to fall asleep."

"What was the story?" he asked out of curiousity.

"Once, Reason met Fortune on a footbridge. 'Let me pass,' said Fortune. Reason was inexperienced and did not know who should go first and said, 'Why should I let you pass? You are not better than me'. 'The one who manages to do more,' answered Fortune, 'is better'.

"The suitor to a king's daughter fell out of favour with the king, who ordered his head cut off. Fortune said to Reason, 'You see, he is not very well with you. His head will be cut off. Get out so I can get into your place. When Fortune got inside the suitor, the headsman's sword broke, giving the king's daughter time to change the king's mind. Reason came to the wedding reception but seeing he would meet Fortune, he ran away. Since that time, when Reason meet's Fortune, Reason moves so Fortune can pass."

Steve looked blankly for a second. "So Fortune is better than reason?"

"Reason has its perks, however so does Fortune. I was fortunate to have met you. I suppose the moral is to use reason when appropriate, like you do."

"Like I do?"

"Yeah. You were a solider. You have to use reason to work out what to do. So, what are you going to do about you and me?"

"What do you mean?"

"You know exactly what I mean."

Wanda stroked his cheek and their lips pressed together, tenderly at first until Wanda opened her mouth allowing their tongues to collide. Wanda lay down taking Steve with her, their lips still attached.

"You got your memory back?" asked Steve kissing her neck.

"I figured it out last night."

"Last night? What happened last night?"

"I could sense it. I could feel it when you touched me, when you were bathing me, the way you talked to me."

"You feel the same?"

"You know I do." Their lips connected again, more desperately and with more passion. "Steve … As much as I want to kiss you all day, we need to defeat Dr Faustus."

"You're right but, just a little while longer."

"No. We have to beat him. I need to beat him."

"Okay," Steve gave her one more kiss and got off her.

-o-

"Do we have any idea where he has ran to?" asked Steve walking beside Fury through the S.H.I.E.L.D corridors.

"We caught him catching a flight to Vienna last night. We don't know what his plan is but there isn't any chance of finding him. As soon as he landed, the trail went cold. The card in his cell was destroyed as was any credit cards. I'm sorry Rogers. There isn't much we can do and I am just as annoyed as you are."

"Great so he brainwashes Wanda into trying to kill me and he just decides to slip off the face of the earth."

"That was what I said. How is Ms Maximoff since you discharged her?"

"She's … She's back to her normal self. I think the knock on the head did her some good."

"You might want to thank Agent Carter for that. From what the psychologists said Wanda's memory had been tampered with and she would have shot you anyway."

"I'm not letting him get away with this. He has done too much damage."

"Look, now is not the time to go on a vendetta. Even I have had to accept that. Right now you need to make sure that Wanda is healthy and back to herself."

"I suppose you are right," Steve murmured. Revenge sounded too tempting but Wanda mattered to him more, especially after that morning. "Thanks I suppose."

Fury knew it was much to expect Steve to be happy with the arrangement so he offered some advice, "Rogers, just be glad that he has no way of getting to Wanda now we have her back and under your protection. Faustus would be incredibly stupid trying to get to her through you."

-o-

"Agent Carter, can I come in?" Wanda asked nervously.

"That depends if you want to shoot me," Sharon asked in a deadpan voice.

"I don't, honestly. I just wanted to thank you for hitting me over the head. I never thought I would say that."

"In general or to me?"

"In general. It's hardly something to be thankful for, but it is in this case."

"I could have shot you but I went for the one that had more chance of working and would get me in less trouble with both Director Fury and with Steve."

"And me to be honest. I don't think I would be impressed with being shot. I don't think anybody would."

"I made the right call then. Or you could call me a jealous ex."

"I don't think you are a jealous ex. I think you are a smart, independent person who made the call to save not only her ex but my life as well. That makes you a better person than me."

"So how are you after having your brain been messed with?"

"I … I … My head has been half normal, half a completely jumbled mess trying to piece together my life though I wish I had forgotten half of them."

"You cannot forget the bad memories. Strangely they make you better."

"What doesn't kill you makes you stronger. Have been told that too many times but I guess it is true."

"So, you were jealous of Steve and I?"

"No I just … If someone was threatening someone I cared about … Just asked Bucky."

"You were not even aware that happened."

"Exactly. It depends on the person to be honest with me."

"I think you and I might be more alike that we realise. If it had been Faustus with the gun, I would not have hesitated to shoot. I know you are a good person so I spared you the pain and gave you a concussion instead."

"Fair enough."

"Hey," said Steve walking in. "So, I have some bad news. Faustus has disappeared and there is no way of finding him. It means that there is no way of bringing him to justice; however, I don't think he will get to you. S.H.I.E.L.D is making sure that he doesn't."

"Do I still get to stay at your place?" asked Wanda.

"I would not have it any other way." When the two left the room, Wanda laced her fingers with his, causing Steve to ask the question, "So what does this morning mean for us?"

"The fact that we made out?"

"Well, you did say you suspected that I had some feelings for you. What does this mean for the two of us?"

"You know what, as unromantic as it sounds, I do really like you Steve."

"So does that mean we are boyfriend and girlfriend?"

"If we're going to be juvenile about it, then I suppose we are."

"By the way, your brother wants you back by tomorrow night."

"I do think I can persuade him to allow me to stay at yours … Permanently."

"You want to move in with me?" asked Steve.

"I like your place and I feel more at home there than I do at my brother's. You'd be surprised at the stuff I can here through the walls."

"I wouldn't be. Okay, if you can persuade him to allow you to move in then I would love it." Wanda wrapped her arms around his neck and let her lips kiss him.