Chapter Six
August
Natasha had declared it girls' night in the flat, which meant that Steve and Sam had to find a way to entertain themselves. They usually would have gone to the pub but Sam fancied a change of scenery.
"You serious?" Steve asked when he saw the bowling alley.
"Hey, it will be a laugh," Sam replied.
"For who?"
"You are great at bowling. Why are you so worried?"
"I'm worried that you are going to be pummeled." There was a smug smirk on Steve's face that knew would touch a nerve with Sam.
"Yeah right," Sam scoffed.
"Do I need to remind you of the first Avengers bowling tournament that you lost?"
"I would not have lost if Nat did not keep feeding me booze."
"You could have said no." The bickering continued as they collected their rental shoes and set their fakes names up on the computer by their assigned lane. Sam threw first, knocking four pins down on the first throw and then another two on the second. "You sure that don't want the bumpers up?"
"I will get enough to beat you," Sam countered, trying to not his show his pride being bruised. Halfway through the game, Steve was leading, though he was restraining himself in a bid to not make Sam feel bad over his pitiful score. "So, you and Wanda good?"
"Yeah, everything is great," Steve asked as he prepared to take his next throw.
"Well, I was thinking, you've been together a year - nearly. Isn't it the time where you start putting a ring on it?"
Steve would be lying if he said he had not thought about proposing to Wanda. It was not as though he did not want to, however, he was not sure whether they could legally marry. If he was to marry her, he would like them to do it under their real names and surrounded by more people that they cared about.
"Maybe if we weren't fugitives," Steve answered simply as he took the throw. He hit seven pins. "Wanda deserves better than to have her name stripped from her on a marriage certificate."
"I suppose you have a point. It sucks unless we can find a priest who can marry you both legally."
"Like that would happen."
Meanwhile, Natasha was pouring a glass of wine for herself and some fruit infused water for Wanda while Wanda was looking for something to watch. Wanda had already put a sheet mask on her face. Eventually, she came across Keeping Up With The Kardashians so she settled on it. It was mostly for background noise while she and Natasha had a chat.
"Here," Natasha stated holding out the grapefruit, strawberry and mint water to Wanda.
"Thanks," Wanda replied. "Do you reckon the boys are having fun?"
"Well, I imagine Sam is having a great time losing at bowling." Wanda smirked as she took a sip of her water. Natasha sat down and ran her finger around the rim of her wine glass. "So, you and Steve have been together for a year right?"
"Nearly. Why?"
"Any pangs for a ring to go on that finger?" Wanda nearly choked as she took another sip of water "Okay, maybe not?"
"I haven't really thought about it," Wanda replied tapping her chest. "I guess given that we're on the run, I doubt whether we could marry legally. And if we were to get married, I would like us to be able to do it under our own names."
"True. Wanda Rogers has a nice ring to it."
"It wouldn't be Wanda Rogers. No one else in my family has the name Maximoff, and I don't want the name to die with me. I haven't told Steve this, mostly since we don't know if we ever will get to marry." Natasha could hear Wanda's sadness about the situation in her throat. She got a sense that Wanda would marry Steve in a heartbeat, but she was right. Wanda sipped her water thoughtfully and started running her hands through her hair. "Marriage is just a piece of paper really."
Natasha did not believe that Wanda thought that was true, but could only give a sympathetic smile and reassure, "It will happen eventually. However, there is nothing wrong with just living together as life partners. You could still have a family."
"I guess." Wanda admitted that their time in Stonebridge had been one of the best times of her life, despite the fact that they were hiding from Vision and had to lay low. There was something about their domesticity that reminded her of her parents that she wanted to cling to that more than anything in her life. "I'm okay really. I am just being…"
"Pessimistic?"
"Realistic."
"Maybe it is nice to dream Wanda."
-o-
September
Steve had wondered what to do to acknowledge that it was his and Wanda's first anniversary as a couple but before he could suggest that they celebrate the occasion, Wanda was struck down with a bad cold. The first couple of days were filled with mostly sleep. On the day of their anniversary, she seemed perkier as Steve saw her sat up in bed and watching the television. Steve could not help but smile as he saw Wanda wrapped up in blankets and her nose so red it could guide Santa's sleigh.
"How's the patient?" he asked. He was holding a tray containing a bowl of tomato and basil soup, toast and some chocolate.
"A bit better I guess," she croaked. She lifted her hands to take the tray from Steve and she rested it on her lap. After she took a sip of the tomato soup, she commented, "I never knew how good you were at making soups."
"I didn't make it. It came from the tin," he told her as he sat beside her. He gave a smile and pressed his lips to her forehead. "You look adorable."
"I look disgusting. You have to say I look adorable in fear of upsetting me."
"Well, you look a damn side cuter than I did when I used to get colds."
Steve had not thought of his pre-enhanced self for a while. He knew the list of his ailments like the back of his hand. It has also been a long time since he thought of his mother, who had to sacrifice a day's pay each time he fell ill. The worst had to be the rheumatic fever when he was ten, which led to further heart issues before his enhancement at twenty-five. That was also the closest he had been to dying.
"I'm sorry," she whispered.
"What for?"
"Complaining about being ill with just a cold when you have faced worst aliments than this."
"Well, I think complaining is a good sign that it isn't serious." Steve had to be thankful that this could be treated with over the counter medicine. If it was worse, Steve would have had to take her to see a doctor. "You took your meds?"
"Which ones? The bipolar meds, the cough medicine or the anti-virals?"
"Well, all three."
"Yeah. Took all my doses." Wanda gave a sweet but tired smile. "I love you, you know that right?"
"Of course I do. Why are you thinking that?"
"I don't know. I think sometimes I feel like I don't tell you enough."
"Well, you always let me know in other ways, so don't worry about it." He took the risk of pressing a kiss to her lips. That was also him proving his love in other ways than saying it. He loved her in sickness and in health. It also helped that he did not stand the risk of catching her cold. "So, is there anything on Netflix that you fancy watching?"
"I guess we could continue Orange is the New Black."
"I was thinking Suits."
"I'm the sick one here so I get the choice."
"Coin toss?"
Wanda won on heads. However, she drifted off to sleep in the middle of the episode. Steve shook his head a little but still moved the tray off her lap and covered her with the blanket. He gave a soft loving smile and kissed her on the forehead.
-o-
October
When Wanda had suggested that she and Steve went to see the newest adaptation of Stephen King's IT!, Steve looked a little unsure about it. Not because he was scared of clowns, or really scared of anything the film had to offer. He was just curious why Wanda wanted to see that particular movie.
"Well, I read the book and there is nothing else on in the cinema," Wanda explained. "It might be fun, you never know."
"Yeah, nothing screams fun like watching a killer clown mutilate children." Steve had also read the book upon Sam suggesting it to broaden his pop culture horizons. While he thought the writing style was rather good, he could not say that it would be a book that would stick with him his whole life. In fact, it had been a rather uncomfortable read in places. "All right, if you want to see the movie, I'll come with. It's your birthday." Wanda smiled and wrapped her arms around his neck. "I guess it is something different before we see The Last Jedi in December."
Steve and Wanda walked to the nearby cinema, bought the tickets, drinks and popcorn, and found their seats near the back of the screening room. The screening was half full, which did surprise Steve since the movie had been out for over a month. Granted, since it was nearing Halloween, he imagined many people were going for the atmosphere. Wanda sipped her Diet Coke and took a handful of popcorn.
"You know I think I remember seeing a version of this one Halloween," Steve commented. "It was the Halloween after the Battle of New York and Tony thought it would be a good bonding experience to watch the miniseries version."
"Any good?"
"Depends on whether you define weird as a positive description."
He suddenly remembered Maria Hill's concise description of Wanda and Pietro's powers ("He's fast and she's weird."). He was not sure if Maria was using it as a positive description given the context of the conversation. He did remember how quickly he was the empathise with them. He had read how the HYDRA manipulated the test subjects under the guise of S.H.I.E.L.D so they could use them as weapons. As much as he did respect and care for Doctor Erskine, he knew Project Rebirth was designed to turn more people into weapons to beat the Nazis. He guessed the main difference was that Erskine was completely honest with Steve from the start.
"You okay Steve?" Wanda asked.
"Just thinking," he replied.
"You do too much of that sometimes. I wonder how much can fit into your head."
"There is not enough space to be honest."
"I know I am a mind reader but what do you think about?"
"You mainly."
"Is that you trying to be romantic?"
"Is that so bad?"
Steve smiled and pushed some of her hair from her face. He leaned in to kiss her softly and Wanda smiled into his lips. They broke apart as the lights dimmed and the screen flashed with the British Board of Film Classification information meaning the film was about to start. Two hours later, both emerged from the cinema looking completely bewildered by what they had just seen.
"Did Pennywise actually do that dance?" Wanda asked.
"Well, they don't call him a dancing clown for nothing," Steve replied taking her hand. "You okay?"
Wanda had jumped quite a few times during the film, and at one point she gripped Steve's hand so hard, he felt the circulation cut off. She took a sip of her Diet Coke and replied, "I think so."
On the way back to the apartment, they passed a music store and Wanda spotted a guitar in the window. It reminded her of the guitar she had back in the United States. She remembered the first time she had gotten it. Doctor Ahmed had suggested taking up a new hobby to focus on outside of training and she had managed to learn a couple songs on the guitar once she got a grasp of the chords.
Steve looked at her and asked, "Do you want the guitar?"
Wanda looked at him and replied, "Probably costs too much money."
"It's only thirty pounds. Not that much."
"Where would we put it?"
"We'll find space. Come on," he said leading her into the store.
Truth be told, Steve really liked hearing Wanda sing. It was a sweet sound and he hoped that getting a guitar would help encourage her to sing again. Five minutes later, they emerged with the guitar in Wanda's hands.
"You do too much for me," she commented.
"I know, but I would not lie if I did not say that this isn't for some selfish reason," Steve replied. "You have a talent for music, and I like hearing you sing."
"It's hardly a great voice."
"You undersell yourself." He wrapped his arm around her and pressed a kiss into her hair. "We can try it out when you get back."
"Well, I am not sure if I can sleep after that movie so I guess it is worth brushing up on my skills."
-o-
November
"Dive bar on the east side, where you at?" Wanda sang as she strummed a C chord on her guitar. Wanda had listened to Taylor Swift's new album for the first time, and the song that had stuck with her the most was 'Delicate'. She felt like it resonated with her the most and she wanted to try to learn it on her guitar. Since getting the guitar, Wanda had learned Oasis' 'Wonderwall', Johnny Cash's 'I Walk the Line', and The Chainsmokers and Halsey's 'Closer'. She had been surprised by how easily she had managed to pick up the skills again for her to learn three songs, in addition to the two songs she had learned before they went on the run. She strummed a D minor chord and sang the next line, "Phone lights up my nightstand in the black."
"Hey, how is it going?" Sam asked walking into the kitchen.
"Not too bad," Wanda answered. "I've only gotten to the second line. I just need to put lines one and two together, and then go to line three, and combine the three lines."
"That sounds like a load of work."
"It's actually quite easy once you get a hang of the chords. I'll show you." Wanda adjusted her hand back to a C chord and began to strum as she sang, "Dive bar on the east side, where you at?" Her hand moved to a D minor. "Phone lights up my nightstand in the black." Then it adjusted to an A minor. "Come here, you can meet me in the back." On the final word, it shifted to an F chord. "And then I repeat the chords for the next three lines."
"So why this song? If I was you, I would have pulled evil, vindictive Taylor by learning 'Look What You Made Me Do'."
"I think my vindictive days were over when Pietro died." Wanda strummed a C note again and looked at the lyrics. She strummed again and sang, "Dark jeans and your Nikes, look at you."
"You haven't really mentioned your brother for a while," Sam commented.
"I still think about him. I wonder what he would think about this situation. I wonder what he would think about Steve and me. I hope he would be happy for me."
"I think he is. I think he would want you to be happy, and you are clearly happy with Steve."
"I am. I think you are right. I just wish he got a chance of happiness as well, but at the same time, I am proud of what he did. Does that sound weird?"
"Trust me, I get the feeling. When Riley went down, they gave him a medal of honour and while I was proud of the sacrifice he made, he deserved to have a full life."
Wanda smiled a little. Truth be told, when she first met Sam, she did not think they would have much in common. He was friendly enough to her, and always tried to include her as much as everyone else. However, it was a group therapy session suggested by Doctor Ahmed that showed her she was not alone that changed that view. She could argue that was the moment her bond with Steve, Natasha and Sam was born.
"I know this may sound a bit of an odd session given that Wanda is my only patient here, but I think it might be worth you three discussing your own issues with post-traumatic stress to show Wanda that there are people around her who understand how she is feeling," Doctor Ahmed explained.
Steve, Sam and Natasha were sat in a sort of crescent-shape while Wanda was sitting on the sofa. Wanda was not too sure she wanted to know this about her teammates, even if she got why Doctor Ahmed had suggested it. It just felt like she was butting in on their personal business.
"I guess I'll go first," Sam said taking the stick from Doctor Ahmed. "Well, I guess it started when my wingman Riley was knocked out of the sky by an RBG. It felt like everything just stopped. Complete cliché I know but it did. The shock just numbed me. I think I remember trying to call his name but nothing came out. It was his funeral that was the worst bit. I remember his mother screaming that I could have done something. She's fine now, but after that, I just did not feel as though I could carry on in the military. It was like losing a limb or something. I could not sleep for months after. I just kept picturing him falling to the sand, and what he looked like on the floor. His body had been cut in half." There was a catch in Sam's throat that Wanda detected and she tried to hold back some tears herself. "I did come close to the edge. I know that much. I don't know when I broke out my funk, but I know I would not have been able to do it without my family and the people around me."
He gave Wanda a small but reassuring smile, and it was the first time that Wanda felt as though she was not quite alone.
"Do you remember that song that you played me after that session where you three came in to talk about your experiences with PTSD?" Wanda asked.
"Kendrick Lamar's 'Alright'?"
"Yeah. I felt it gave me some hope that things would be alright eventually."
Sam took the laptop and opened YouTube. Soon the chorus blared, "We gon' be alright. We gon' be alright. We gon' be alright. Do you hear me, do you feel me? We gon' be alright." Sam and Wanda started bopping along to the beat with bright smiles on their faces.
-o-
December
Sam was chewing his burger thoughtfully. Wanda was looking around the table and nibbling at her fries. Natasha sipped her lemonade and Steve was tapping his fingers on the table. They were eating at a Gourmet Burger Kitchen following a Christmas trip to the cinema to see Star Wars: The Last Jedi. They had been rather quiet since the credits had rolled.
"It was… interesting," Natasha offered uncertainty.
"I am not quite sure what the point of the casino scene was," Sam added.
"It was… fine I guess," Steve commented. "The Luke-Rey-Kylo side was good."
"And the porgs were cute," Wanda imputed. "Though I did find the Leia stuff a little awkward considering…"
"That is true," Natasha agreed.
"But that scene with Rey in the pool was pretty awesome," Sam countered. "And the battles were pretty great."
"Yeah, it was a good movie," Steve confirmed.
"It's not as good as The Force Awakens," Natasha countered. "Wanda, what do you think?"
"My mind is still a little blown from the last fifteen minutes," Wanda replied.
"It does make me wonder what they are going to do with Episode IX," Sam imputed. "You know since The Force Awakens was Han's movie, this one was Luke's..."
"Could be Lando's," Steve joked. "Well, they brought Peter Cushing back to life in Rogue One so the sky's the limit."
Once they finished their burgers, they returned to the apartment and watched Elf for some light relief after the intense nature of Star Wars: The Last Jedi. Steve and Wanda snuggled on the sofa while Sam drifted off and Natasha began reading her book. Wanda chuckled at some of the antics in the film as Steve played with her hair. He pressed his lips to her head and looked at the clock. It was nearing 23:00 and he did have the intention to go to midnight Mass at the nearby Catholic church.
"You okay Steve?" Wanda asked lifting her head up.
"Yeah, I just need to got to midnight Mass," he replied.
"Oh." Wanda had not really known Steve to be religious. She knew he came from an Irish Catholic background, but she had not seen him go to church every Sunday and he clearly had no issue with having sex before marriage. She wondered where this sudden urge to go to a traditional church service came from. "How come?"
"I'm not sure. I just feel the need to for some reason."
Wanda looked at him and bit her lip, "Do you want me to come with you?"
"You don't have to."
"I know, but I just don't want you to be on your own. It's Christmas, and we're practically family. We need to do things together. You celebrate Hanukkah with me so it is only fair that I go to midnight mass with you."
Steve pushed the hair out of her eyes and smiled, "Okay. Best get ready then."
Given that Wanda had changed into a nightdress, she decided to switch to something warmer. She opted for a grey jumper, black leggings, her winter boots and green beanie with a green coat shielding her from the cold air. Steve smiled when he saw her emerge from the bedroom. He had his dark jacket on and some jeans and Wanda thought he had not looked more handsome than in this moment.
"Come on," she whispered taking his hand.
The two walked hand in hand to the Catholic Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus where the congregation was already gathering. They probably looked a bit exposed but once everyone started to pile into the building, Wanda and Steve sat at the back.
"When was the last time you went to church?" she asked. "That wasn't a funeral?"
"Dunno. Maybe the Christmas before Ma died," he answered. "I just never found the incentive to go since then."
"So why now?"
"I guess I actually have something to be grateful for." He smiled at her and pressed a kiss to her lips. "You've made my life complete in a way I never dreamt was possible."
Wanda gently kissed him again and then the priest began to open the Mass with the introductory rites.
"In the name of The Father, The Son, and The Holy Spirit," he declared as he made the sign of the Cross. Steve did the same. Since Wanda was not Catholic she did not do the sign but bowed her head in respect.
She listened to the liturgies and sang along with the hymns. Steve held her hand throughout, giving small smiles as he listened to her sing. Once the Eucharist had been delivered, everyone sat quietly as he or she heard the choir sing, "Fall on your knees, O hear the angels' voices, O night divine, O night when Christ was born."
Steve wrapped his arm around her and whispered, "Perfect day."
Wanda smiled as the warmth filled her heart. She had never felt so loved and happy. She felt that nothing could break this feeling.
End of Part Four
*Rubs hands together* Okay, join us next week for the first part of Avengers: Infinity War.
Also the effort it took not to make a parody of the discourse surrounding Star Wars: The Last Jedi was like me looking at an open bar of chocolate.
