A few weeks had passed by, and Vision had visited Wanda regularly unbeknownst to the other Avengers. Natasha had joined their ranks, which made it even harder to sneak around, as she was quite quick to pick up anything that seemed suspicious. They had settled in Norway for the time being. Natasha had a connection from previous work, and they had been safe and out of the government's watch.

Because of all of this change, Vision's visits were quite short which disappointed him greatly. He couldn't risk being seen in the daylight as his appearance made him stand out, so he always visited in the evening. Their time together had consisted of small talk, mostly of Wanda speaking about whatever discrete mission Steve wanted to go on next. It helped them cope, and it helped them believe that someday they could make a return to normalcy. Vision felt a sense of sadness as he thought about it.

He looked out of his window and onto the street before him, the pavement glistening from the rain that had just fallen. This hotel room wasn't much, but it was enough for now. Because he stood out, he didn't check in for a room like he normally would have. Finding an empty room and deciding to occupy it himself was sufficient shelter for the time being, as he could not risk being found. It would not only compromise himself, but Wanda and the others as well.

Vision turned his gaze over to the television, which had been playing in the background. Naturally, he wanted to keep up to date with current events, so the news was playing. A story had been running the past few days about him "missing" from the Avengers Compound. News reporters were placing the blame on Tony for losing yet another one of his creations. People being interviewed were frantic that the "peace keeping android" had gone "off his programming." Knowing he would never be able to return to the Compound now without putting Tony in even more danger, he scoffed and turned the television off.

A small pain shot through his forehead, and he flinched. Placing his hand on the stone, he tried to calm the feeling. He had begun to feel this stabbing sensation in the stone every once in a while. It had caused him no great alarm, as he just imagined it could be similar to a human headache. Attempting to distract himself from the pain, he glanced over at the clock on the small table beside his bed.

9:00 P.M.

It was late enough for him to visit Wanda without many people being on the streets to notice him. Standing up and preparing himself briefly, he phased through his window and elegantly glided down to the pavement where he landed. Looking around, he saw no one, and began walking. The walk wasn't entirely far, he ensured he chose a hotel that was close enough.

Vision had visited Wanda at this location several times already, so he knew which room she was residing in. Checking his surroundings before doing so, he quickly floated up to her window, where he knocked softly.

The curtains opened almost immediately, and he was greeted with a wide smile. This same event happened almost every single day since the first day he visited her in Germany, yet it felt as if he couldn't get enough of looking at her smile. It made him feel as if he had been jolted with Thor's lightning, only stronger. She gave him the nod, and he phased inside.

Quickly, she pulled him into a tight hug. This had been a fairly normal occurrence as well, and a welcome one at that. Strangely enough, the more Vision had visited her, the more he missed her when they were apart.

She had to have been listening to his thoughts as she replied "I've missed you too, you know – ever since yesterday."

He laughed softly and pulled away from the hug "My apologies, I just enjoy spending time with you Wanda."

"I know, Vis." She smiled and squeezed his hand as affirmation that the feelings were mutual. He had never felt such sensations in his body prior to all of this whenever he was touched. Her hand felt warm, soft, and safe. It was her speaking that cut him off from reaching out to touch it once more. "I've been thinking…about our situation."

Analyzing the tone of her voice, he realized she sounded hesitant. "Wanda.."

"I want them to know you're here. I think they'd be happy about it. You did save us after all."

"Wanda, it's not that simple. The more people who know what I am doing, the more risk I am putting you all in. Have you not seen the news reports? The government is aware that I am missing. I could not live with myself if…" he cut himself off, but she fished for the rest in his thoughts without resistance

"Nothing is going to happen to me Vision. The more you hide, the harder this is going to be for all of us. I would love seeing you any other time than night time." She laughed softly.

"You know why I can't." He murmured, feeling self-aware and embarrassed. There was one thing that would always separate him from any one person and any one man – his appearance. He could tell she sensed his embarrassment, and she placed her hand on his arm.

"I've never seen anyone as stunning as you, Vis. You stand out – but in a good way. That doesn't make you any less of a person."

Person. The word kept coming up, and every time it did, he wanted to correct them. People were made of human flesh, of human organs, and human emotions – none of which he believed himself to have.

"You are." She responded to his thoughts, looking up at him with a hard stare. Sometimes he wished he hated being so in tune with each other's minds.

He turned away from her "I am unsure of how to give you what you ask of me, Wanda. I cannot become a man."

"You are a man. So you look a little different. That's okay. If you're worried about getting caught…maybe you could…" she paused, and he turned back toward her, reading her thoughts

"I do not know if that's possible Wanda, it has never been attempted." She had believed that it could be possible for him to phase into a human disguise. He didn't want to inform her of the pain he'd been experiencing from the Mind Stone, as it surely would complicate things and make matters worse.

"It could be worth trying? Imagine if you could…if we could, walk outside and just enjoy something for once." She laughed as she said it, but he knew it was true. Rarely had any of the Avengers taken any time for themselves, and especially now as tensions were high.

Hesitation consumed his voice as he spoke "If I tried it, would you be happy?"

"I want you to try it because you want to, Vis. If you think it's not a good idea, you don't have to." She sat down on her bed and looked down at her lap

It didn't need to be said, but there was an unspoken agreement between them. An agreement that they would look out for each other and do what they can for each other. He wasn't sure if it was guilt due to the previous incidents where they had been enemies and what that had all led to, but he vowed to do everything in his power for her. Knowing the risk she was taking every single day to see him and indulge in being his friend, he knew she felt the same.

"I will try it." He said simply. "But I will need some time. May I practice in here for a bit in case I need assistance?"

In his hotel room, he was alone. He didn't want to admit it, but it scared him to try phasing in a new way after the sporadic pains he felt in the stone. The last thing he wanted to do was something that would put the stone in danger.

"Sure, but don't blame me if I fall asleep. Don't make too much noise if you don't want them to know yet."

"Of course." He smiled down at her as she got comfortable in her bed.

Then he moved to a corner of the room and began focusing his energy on the stone, and his body. Thoughts of a human male's form came into his mind, and he continued to channel it toward the stone. Closing his eyes and clenching his fists, he pushed even more energy through is body, feeling the pulsing rush through his circuits and up into his mind. Phasing normally was quite simple, but because he had no idea how to accomplish this sort of phasing, he knew it would require more energy than normal. A burning feeling erupted from his head and he backed away from himself, recoiling in pain and bringing his hand up to cover the stone. Wanda didn't seem alerted to this reaction, however, and as he looked back over to her on the bed – he noticed she had already fallen asleep.

He managed to muster up a smile at this sight. She had stayed up to see him, and it was apparent she was tired. Her preference for his visits being earlier in the day continued to make more sense.

After a moment to relax, he attempted several more times – each time getting slightly more successful than the previous time, but still ending the same way. Fearful that he was somehow harming the stone and causing his sporadic pains to become more frequent, he decided that he would take a longer break. Sitting in one of Wanda's sofa chairs and turning on the television, he tried to relax himself. His fingers grazed the remote and turned the volume down as to not disturb Wanda's slumber.

The pale blue light of the television illuminated the room slightly, and he looked over at her sleeping form. At first, she looked somewhat peaceful, but as his gaze remained on her, he noticed her body tossing and turning quite often. Soft murmurs came from her mouth, followed by whimpers of pain.

His eyebrows creased as he watched, unsure if this was just a typical part of her sleeping routine. A dull red glow sparked in her fingers as he watched her grasp the pillow she was resting on tightly. Vision stood up slowly, realizing that this was definitely not a typical sleeping behavior for her, but remained cautious.

A louder whimper came as she sent a blast over to the lamp beside her, knocking it over and breaking it. The shatter of the lightbulb immediately woke her up. He watched as she sat up, breathing heavily – her eyes a glowing red.

Walking over to her quickly, he knelt beside her bed. "Wanda… Wanda." His voice remained calm and soft. Not once had he seen her this way before, but he remembered the times she was afraid to hurt him and told him to go away. Even now, experiencing her worst fears, he felt like she would never hurt him.

Tears were sliding down her cheeks slowly, and her hands sparked a brighter red. He clasped one hand over her own, and felt the energy surge through his body. "Wanda, it was just a nightmare. It's me."

Gradually, her eyes dulled, and her hands lost their spark, but her cheeks remained stained with tears. "Vision…" she choked out.

He didn't ask for her to explain. He didn't want her to. Demons had haunted both of them in their own ways. Swiftly, he took her in his arms and hugged her tightly as she cried. This time it was his turn to read her thoughts. "I am not afraid."

A muffled sob came from his chest, followed by a small laugh. Her hold on him tightened, and he felt his chest do the same. "I hurt you, didn't I?"

"No, I was not harmed at all." He almost laughed at her question. Of course she would immediately assume she harmed him before thinking of herself in this situation.

Vision pulled back slowly to look down at her. She looked up at him with soft, green eyes. Only the television had illuminated the room, but he felt as if he could see everything he needed to see. She was the most incredible person he knew, and if the world couldn't see her for who she was, he would gladly take that responsibility.

Silence had fallen over the two as he reached up to wipe her cheeks of tear streaks. He noticed her arm moving as well, as she reached up to lightly graze her fingers over the Mind Stone, then down onto his face.

Her hand hovered on his cheek and he struggled to think of something to say. It was as if every circuit in his entire body had completely fried all at once.

It was Wanda who broke the silence "I saw something…in my dream."

She sounded alarmed, as if whatever she saw could be more than just the production of a nightmare. "What was it?"

Her hand dropped from his cheek slowly as fear shined in her eyes "I don't know. But it hurt you and..the stone... It hurt us… all of us. I couldn't do anything to stop it."

Vision's chest pounded when she mentioned the stone. Were they having pains caused by the stone in different ways, and if so, why? The thought troubled him, but he was primarily focused on ensuring Wanda was okay. "It was just a nightmare, Wanda. I can assure you that nothing is going to happen to us, or the stone."

Unsure of what he was doing, he lifted his one hand to stroke her hair slowly and softly, hoping it would comfort her. She seemed somewhat surprised at the action, but noticeably moved a little more into him.

He became acutely aware of how close they were to each other. He was so focused on ensuring she was safe that he hadn't even bothered with paying attention to irrelevant details. His mind had become so haphazard since she had touched him. Vision enjoyed being there for her when she needed it, but this situation had been so different than previous chats of comfort. This felt like they were both reassuring each other, like they needed one another.

"I'm sorry I've kept you here so long… God it must be so late and here you've been practicing your phasing." She laughed, but he could tell she was embarrassed. In another bold move of uncertainty, he moved his hand from her hair to her back, where he lightly ran his hand up and down soothingly.

"I am here of my own accord. None of this is your fault, Wanda."

She smiled, her genuine smile that made him feel as if he could do anything. Leaning in close to him, his breath hitched at the lack of distance. He felt heat rising to his face but didn't know what to do about it. Everything in him froze, and his hand on her back stayed still. Her lips landed softly on his cheek – the same one her hand had been on only moments earlier.

"You're amazing, Vis."