Chapter Six
After a week in the transition ward, Wanda was declared well enough to be discharged from Acres Recovery Hospital. It was clear that she was no longer a danger to herself and her moods were stable enough that she could live a normal life. As she brushed her hair, Wanda looked in the mirror. Her cheeks were fuller, her eyes were sparkling, and she looked like she was before they had gone on the run. Her optimism for the future was so much stronger than it had been in years. She had Steve. She had a chance to make a great life for herself. No pressure of saving the world. No pressure of being on the run. No pressure of guilt or loneliness. Just a path of hope, dreams and love.
Steve was due to collect her at 11:00. It was enough time to ensure she had everything packed and to say goodbye. She had her outpatient plan. She would continue to have therapy once a week, she had her prescription for lithium carbonate and a food diary for the next few weeks, so she kept a track of what she was eating. She felt ready. All she wanted was to be home with Steve, and with her friends.
There was a knock on the door and Wanda immediately ran to grab it. As soon as she opened the door, she launched into Steve's arms. Steve chuckled and kissed the side of her head.
"I take it you want to leave," he said putting her down on the ground.
"I just want to be with you," Wanda replied. "Home."
Steve smiled and pressed a kiss to her lips. He took her hand and then her suitcase as they went to the reception to check Wanda out. Susan was there and gave Wanda a great big smile as Wanda signed the forms.
"I bet you'll be glad once you are home," Susan commented. "You're going to do well, I can tell."
"Thank you, Susan," Wanda replied.
She took one last look at the hallway and followed Steve out. Once outside, she took another look up to her old bedroom window. Calliope was sitting at the window and Wanda waved goodbye with a smile on her face. She had promised to write once she had settled back in the Compound. However, ten minutes into the journey, Steve turned right rather than left towards the Compound.
"Hold on," Wanda said looking confused. "Isn't the Compound the other way?"
"We're not going to the Compound," Steve replied.
"Then where are we going?"
Wanda frowned as they entered what looked to be The Bronx. Then they drove through Manhattan. They then arrived at the Brooklyn Bridge, and Wanda was starting to wonder why Steve was bringing her to his birthplace. Steve pulled up outside a house about ten minutes after they had left the bridge. Wanda looked at the front of it. It was a terraced red brick house with a stone staircase that led to a white door. She turned back to Steve, who smiled at the look of confusion on her face.
"Welcome home," he said.
"You bought us a house?" Wanda asked.
"Well, I thought we could do with our own space and it could be a fresh start. You want to see it?"
Wanda smiled and nodded. Steve gave her the key and she got out of the car and walked up the stairs as Steve grabbed her suitcase from the trunk. Wanda put the key into the hole and opened the front door. Her eyes went wide. The living room was a soft apple green with a grey stone fireplace and two yellow couches facing a widescreen television. She moved further into the house to an enchanted Eden green coloured kitchen.
"I thought I would use calming colours. Make it seem more like a relaxing environment," Steve explained.
"I thought you couldn't afford a house in Brooklyn," Wanda commented.
"Well, I had to get a loan. It was cheaper than renting an apartment in the long run. Do you like it?"
"You've done a spectacular job with it." Her hand wandered over the granite-look countertop. "Is there anything else?"
Steve nodded and took Wanda's hand. He led her up the stairs, firstly to the bathroom painted ocean ripple blue with a bath big enough for the two of them. He then took them to their bedroom. It was a mixture of red and white with a white duvet cover that was decorated in red and black flowers. After two months of sleeping in a single bed, she was grateful to be able to share the same bed with Steve again and feel the security and warmth of his arms. Then a room at the end of the hallway. White-coated wall, a white crib rested in the corner of the room and a white wardrobe on the other end.
"It's not done, but it's a start at least," Steve said. "It'll be ready for when we have a baby."
Wanda looked over the crib. It was the same one she had bought when she thought she was pregnant in the midst of her mania. It seemed like a long time ago and she wondered whether she was okay with the crib being there given that it was linked to the straw that led to her breakdown. However, it looked beautiful now it had been set up. The room was not done, but they had more than enough time. She had ideas for this room, whether their baby turned out to be a boy or a girl.
She smiled and walked over to kiss Steve. "One day," she whispered. "But we need to be married first."
"I know. Fifteen days." Steve brushed the hair out her eyes and kissed her forehead. "Where do you want to start?"
"Well, I think we're going to need a little bit of help. I know we have the dress but there are some major details we need to organise. How about we invite everyone for dinner but order pizza?"
"You sure you want loads of people?"
"I haven't seen anyone aside from you and Nat in two months. I think I am ready."
Steve smiled and kissed her head. "Okay, I'll call Nat and hopefully everyone should come over. 17:00?"
"17:00."
-o-
Later that afternoon, Wanda had laid out some nibbles on the oak coffee table and just as she had fluffed up a pillow for the fifth time, the doorbell rang. She took a deep breath and opened the front door.
"Sorry, I was looking for the Maximoff-Rogers house," Natasha commented. Wanda smiled and the two women hugged. Natasha had dyed her hair red again and it seemed everything was back to normal. "God, you look so well."
"You look great Wanda," Bruce added. "Glad to be home?"
"Yeah, and this was a great surprise," Wanda replied.
She let Natasha and Bruce in. Thor came into view and gave her the biggest bear hug in the world. "It seems as though the hospital has done wonders on you," he commented.
"Well, I wouldn't worry about me running away again anytime soon," she replied. Once Thor was into the living room, she saw Rhodes walk from the car. "Hey, Rhodey."
"Hey Wanda," he replied.
"Listen, I said a lot of horrible things when I was unwell. Tony is your friend and I shouldn't have spewed all that."
"Listen, it's cool. I could see it from your point of view, even if you were extremely depressed and drunk."
"Well, I am no longer depressed and am now completely sober, so you don't have to worry about it anymore." She offered a reassuring smile as she allowed Rhodes in. Finally, there was Pepper. "Hey Pepper."
"How are you feeling?"
"Better. I feel as though I actually have some hope."
"Well, maybe you could give me some of that hope."
"I take it there has been no luck finding Tony."
"No. My guess is that Thanos killed him, either before he came to Wakanda or he went with the rest of the universe." Wanda furrowed her brow. "You okay?"
"Yeah, I'm just thinking. When I saw Thanos take the Time Stone, Tony was there, and he was alive. Badly injured but alive. I know what you may say about this, but I kept hearing the voices of people who died that day. I heard Sam, Bucky, T'Challa, Groot. I heard that young boy Peter because I recognised his voice from Germany. I kept thinking that if Tony disintegrated with them, I would hear him. I'm not convinced that was part of my psychosis because I am connected to the Infinity Stones."
"You think Tony is alive?"
"It's been over four months. My guess is that it is fifty-fifty, and from experience, fifty percent is better than nothing."
"Twelve percent is better than nothing." Pepper gave a small smile of thanks before she passed Wanda to enter. Wanda looked out to the street. She took a deep breath. New York air. Not as clear as the air in Acres but it felt familiar. It felt like home.
With all the pizzas delivered, the team caught Wanda up with things that happened in the Avengers Compound, which was not much.
"Mostly it's been quiet," Natasha commented. "Nothing really, we can do. That's the problem with losing half the population of the world: the scum and villainy are not so plentiful."
"Basically, we're bored as hell," Bruce added. He watched as Wanda devoured a large slice of pizza without issue. "So, was all this just to celebrate bringing Wanda home?"
"Well, you know that Steve and I are engaged?" Wanda asked rhetorically. "Well, we've set a date."
"I know this is going to be a surprise, but we are aiming for 31st May," Steve added.
Everyone looked at each other as they tried to piece together what Steve and Wanda had just told them. Pepper was the first to vocalise her concern, "You mean 31st May 2018?"
"As in nearly two weeks from now?" Bruce added.
"I know it sounds quite short notice, but we thought that we don't want to waste any more time," Wanda explained. "We're not having a big wedding anyway, only our close friends."
"It's doable," Natasha commented. "Have you made a list?"
"Um… Well, no."
Natasha grabbed the pad of paper from by the phone and started making notes. "Firstly, we need to get a location. Where were you thinking?"
"Will a church have a slot free now that summer is coming up?" Rhodes asked.
"It won't be a church," Steve answered. "Wanda's Jewish so we thought maybe a registry office would be better."
"Well, you need to get a marriage licence but you could get it the day before," Pepper inputted. "If you're going to do it simple, I think we should go all out on the after party."
"I see Tony has been rubbing off on you," Rhodes commented.
"Maybe not all out," Wanda said. "I don't mind having the party here."
"Fine, but at least let me bring in some party planners." Wanda nodded as a deal. "So I know you are not going super traditional but have you got an idea of what you want in the wedding."
"I made a list," Wanda replied. "I was thinking that I could walk down the aisle to an Annette Hanshaw song - undecided because Steve has to choose it. Maybe one of you could read a poem. Then Steve and I will read our own vows and do the declarations."
"Sounds as though you have it figured out," Thor commented.
"The issue is that I wanted Clint to give me away but...," Wanda added. "But… Maybe I want Natasha to do it."
Natasha dropped her pen and paper in shock and asked, "Wanda, are you sure?"
"Well, you've been there for me after everything, and you have always supported Steve and me. We could not have picked anyone better."
Natasha nodded and moved to hug Wanda. "It would be my honour."
Pepper, who had already grabbed a writing utensil, tapped her pencil. "So that will just leave the rings, suits, music and the dress," Pepper reported.
"I have a dress. Steve and I bought one in Poughkeepsie."
"And Sam gave us a playlist," Steve said grabbing a USB from the draw. He opened the laptop and inserted the USB into the port. "Well, I think he was waiting for us to get engaged and wanted to surprise us."
He clicked on the USB, opened the file called 'Wanda and Steve Wedding', and clicked on the first song in the playlist. 'When the rain is blowing in your face, And the whole world is on your case. I could offer you a warm embrace, To make you feel my love.'
Steve looked to Wanda who softly smiled as the song continued. He had not believed that they would be able to reach this point considering everything that had happened in the previous five months. He wished - ached - for Sam and Bucky to be with them to celebrate but given that they would not want him to harp on the past, Steve was grateful for what he had.
He had Wanda home, safe, healthy and determined. They had a whole life to look forward to, and he was ready to see what that future would bring.
End of Part Seven
So... when I first started drafting the wedding, Clint was meant to be there - and giving Wanda away. They were going to do it on the farm. Then the trailer came out. So I now have to wait to see where I can bring him back. Only three weeks to go people.
I did manage to get a ticket. The movie better be spectacular for the amount of stress it put me under just trying to get the tickets. What happened was that my friend said on Monday that there was a possibility the tickets would be released on Tuesday - and it was true. So, I asked him to get me one as I would likely be at work. He did. So, yay, I had my ticket. However, the Odeon website crashed, so many of my friends could not get tickets. So I ended up having to battle the website crashing to get six tickets. Then my card was blocked and had to sort it out. Then I managed to buy the tickets.
That said, it wasn't the great 75p Infinity War ticket caper of 2018.
Anyway, return next week for the wedding of the year that will be better than Harry and Meghan's wedding. Watch Meghan have her baby the same day.
