"How did you find your first grocery shopping trip?" Wanda asked, as they pulled onto the gravel outside the main doors to the compound. "I know, it wasn't very exciting... shopping never is."

Their trip had been relaxed, easy. It had felt nice, doing something so normal with Vision again, something so unimaginable a few weeks ago. It was quiet, nobody recognised them, probably thanks to Sam and Bucky - it was all anyone else shopping was talking about. It wasn't everyday Captain America went out jogging wearing his own merchandise, or the usually reserved Winter Soldier showed off his arm for the world to see. When would Vision be able to go outside, as his true self, without having to constantly look over his shoulder?

Vision stepped out of the car and onto the gravel. That was odd. The gravel outside the front door had been disturbed, with deep tyre marks. He didn't recall it being like that before they left... no, he was probably just over analysing.

"It was an interesting experience." He said, going round to the back of the car where she was reaching for the bags. "I can carry them all, if you like. I don't mind."

"There's five bags. I know you can, but that doesn't mean you have to." Wanda said, as all five bags floated out of the trunk. He pointed at the red cloud of hypocrisy as she locked the car.

"You're one to talk." He pointed out, and Wanda laughed. Vision felt a spark of warmth in his chest and in the stone; instead of burning, it warmed pleasantly.

They made their way up the stairs and to the kitchen, and Vision began to put some things away. Wanda was aware that she probably should be supervising this - she remembered the first year, where Vision had once put the butter in the freezer and the ice cream in the cupboard - but something felt off.

Why was she picking up an air of tension? She glanced at Vision, who was reading the back of a jar as he pulled it out of the bag. It wasn't tense between them.

"Where are they?" She mused. "I hope they didn't get into trouble with that photographer..." Vision looked up from the ktichen, seeing her wandering toward the hallway. "Sam, Bucky?" Wanda called out.

Vision followed Wanda down the hall. They got halfway when frantic footsteps began rushing toward them from around the corner. Bucky skidded to a stop in front of them, eyes blazing with panic.

"Hide!" He hissed, frantically. "General Ross is here!"

"Who?" Vision asked, oblivious. This name had a strange effect on Wanda. The colour drained from her face. Without a word, she threw open the door to the nearest room, pulling Vision inside. "What's wrong?" Wanda looked up at him through the gap in the partially closed door, eyes flooded with fear.

"This man is dangerous, believe me. He can't see you. Stay here until he leaves -"

"But I -"

"-Miss Maximoff, how nice to see you." Wanda stiffened, and shut the door without further explanation. Vision fell silent, hearing footsteps approaching. He already felt a change in the atmosphere, as it began to crackle with tension. He felt his own heart begin to sink with dread. He peered through the gap in the door, and saw a stern looking man with grey hair, dressed in a suit, with small, unfriendly eyes. The stone immediately twinged. You know this person.

Wanda tried to keep her expression neutral as Thaddeus Ross approached, even though every cell in her body was recoiling in fear. Sam trailed behind, looking guilty.

"What the hell is he doing here?" Wanda frantically whispered to his mind. "Did he see us?"

"I don't think he knows, he was talking about a ceremony, we tried to text you..."

"My phone was on silent."

"Where's Vision?"

"He's in Carol's old room."

Sam's gaze moved to the door, and his eyes widened a fraction. "Sir, why don't we take this to the conference room?"

"That's alright, this will only take a minute - Wilson, I forgot to mention. Nice shirt." Sam looked down at the tacky t shirt that mimicked the Captain America uniform.

"Yeah, all my other shirts are in the wash."

"All?"

"I... don't have many clothes."

Vision watched the awkward exchange, focusing on the man they called 'Ross'. He had known this man at one point, and not on friendly terms. The familiar way he walked into the room with his hands behind his back, how his smile was forced, how his cold gaze seared into everything it moved across, searching for faults and threats. This was someone he would rather not remember, someone who undoubtedly didn't like him. This man was the kind Wanda had warned him about.

Wanda's heart raced and her blood rushed through her ears, as Ross moved closer. She could see the shadow outlines of Vision's feet from underneath the door. Sensing that he was too close, Vision stepped backwards - bumping into a chair. He flinched as it scraped across the floor.

Ross looked immediately at the door. "It's probably just the cat." Bucky said, mildly. Ross moved closer toward them, and now he was standing directly in front of the door, unknowingly mere inches from Vision. Wanda's heart was in her mouth, as her mind worked around every possible scenario.

"Hands," Sam whispered under his breath; they were glowing without her realizing. She hastily pulled her sleeves down, feeling her hands burn as fiercely as her anger, which was slowly rising to compete with the fear.

Ross continued gruffly, not noticing the tension. "Two things. I'm here to ask a favour. There's a new memorial being built, a statue. It's going to be revealed on next Friday at a national park. I was hoping that all three of you would be at the opening ceremony, maybe say a few words. It seems as though everyone else has disappeared off the face of the earth. Everyone's either busy or ignoring my calls."

Wanda bit back a comment. Who would want to answer a call from you or do you a favour, anyway?

"Well - Bucky and I could." Sam said, looking to Bucky for back up, and he nodded enthusiastically. "Providing nothing comes up."

"What about you?" Ross turned to Wanda. "You've disappeared from the public eye for some time now. People are wondering where you are."

Wanda found this strange. If anything, Ross wouldn't want her there - in fact, all three of them were the last people he would ask, with their history. Hadn't he declared her 'dangerous and unstable' when he announced the kill-on-sight orders following the Raft outbreak? Wanda could only imagine that he was being forced to invite them.

"I'll have to see."

"I'm sure you have plenty of time on your hands."

"I said I'll see." Wanda said, forcibly. "Is that all?"

"Oh yes, one more thing." Ross' displeased smile disappeared. "Would you care to explain why the quinjet flew to Scotland and back three days ago?"

The silence was deafening. Bucky and Sam shifted uncomfortably. Behind the door, Vision had to stiffle a cry of pain, as the stone suddenly felt like a burning coal in his forehead. Wanda laughed nervously, heart like a lump of ice in her chest.

"How did you know that?" Wanda's tone immediately gave the game away.

"I thought it might be something to do with you. Is that where you were the other night, when the biggest bank in New York was being robbed? Edinburgh?"

"We had that under control, what does that matter?" Bucky challenged. "And how did you know about the jet?"

"What were you doing in Edinburgh? Again?" Ross demanded. "And why did you need the jet to do it?" Did he know about Vision? Was this some sort of cruel test before hundreds of soldiers flooded the compound and arrested them all? Think of something!

"If you must know, I took a break in Scotland, but I used the jet to come back."

"You don't look very well rested." Thanks, She thought, bitterly. "You took a jet that costed millions of US dollars to fly back from your weekend getaway?"

"It didn't cost the US anything. It was a gift from Wakanda. It's ours." Wanda's eyes hardened. "I needed a break. That's the reason. Besides, I don't think me leaving the country concerns you."

Wanda and Ross looked stiffly at one another. Her expression was neutral, but inside, she was furious, powers still surging to her fingertips; she didn't think her sleeves were going to hide it for much longer. Ross then asked an insensitive question.

"Why would you want to go back to Edinburgh after what happened there?"

The air crackled, but Wanda wasn't the only one who was angry. Behind the door, Vision felt his density increase without him meaning to, his fist clenched as a wave of anger rolled over him.

"Where I go is none of your business. There's no law saying I can't travel." Wanda said, coldly.

Ross looked at her, eyes narrowing a fraction as he analysed this answer. There was the jingle of a bell, as Goose padded down the hallway. His bouncy trot shifted to a stiff walk, as he sensed the tension, spotted the stranger. He settled himself by Wanda's foot. He pressed against her calf, ears flattened, bristling at Ross, who took a nervous step back.

"Are we done here, General Ross?" Sam asked, shifting to stand between him and the door. "Next Friday at noon. We'll be there."

Ross looked at each one of them in turn. "Alright, then." He said, gruffly. "I expect to see you all at the national park." He turned, and headed off down the corridor - as he passed, Goose hissed at him, and he almost tripped over trying to avoid him.

"Good flerken." Bucky muttered under his breath, hurrying after Ross. "I'll see you out." Goose slunk after them, hissing the entire time.

"Vision?" Sam croaked, after Ross and Sam's footsteps faded. "You can come out now."

The door handle turned slowly, and Vision poked his head out from Carol's empty room. All aggression from Goose disappeared as he trotted up to Vision, meowing happily as he bumped his head against his shoe in greeting.

"Who was he?" Vision asked, incredulously. "He made me feel uneasy..." That was an understatement. His synthetic heart was pounding and the stone was still burning, causing him to wince.

"Thaddeus Ross." Sam said, grimly. "That's the man who helped organise the Sokovia Accords."

Wanda hadn't said a word, but her eyes looked glazed, and her fingers were still glowing faintly. "I... I need a minute." She went down to her room, and shut the door. Vision looked after her in confusion.

"Why is she so afraid of him?" He looked at Sam, who had averted his gaze to the floor.

"I don't have the right to tell you. It's personal."

Wanda leaned against her cabinet, her heart threatening to burst out of her chest. She dug her nails into the wooden surface, waiting for the wave of nausea to pass.

A door. A door had been the only thing between Ross and Vision. What if he had seen him? If Ross ever found out that they were hiding him, and what Vision had done...

Wanda hated to admit how afraid she was of him. On his own Ross wasn't a threat, or even directly responsible for the accords and the fallout. But to her, Ross represented the Raft. He was there. He had watched and stood by as all four of them wasted away in those cells. He heard her screams as the collar activated.

Did Ross feel even a little remorse? Did he ever think about what being in a place like that could do to someone's mind?

She hadn't seen him in the flesh since Tony's funeral. She had been so wrapped in her grief at the time that the sight of Ross from across Tony and Pepper's front yard didn't make her feel sick. So consumed in her new nightmare that she had forgotten the older one...

There was a soft knock at her door. "Wanda? Are you alright?"

She blinked rapidly. "I'm okay." She didn't know whether she wanted Vision to come in, but she didn't protest as she heard the turn of the door handle.

He stood there with a cup of tea. Strange - he always used to bring her tea when she was upset.

"I, um - made you this." His relief at seeing her was short lived. She looked tense and a little ill. The colour was taking it's time to return to her face, and her eyes had acquired that same glassy look they'd had in Edinburgh, as a terrible memory had her in it's grasp. "Are you sure you're okay?"

She brushed off his concern. "I'm fine. It was just a bit of a scare."

Vision was uncertain how much territory he could cross until she pushed him back. "Did he hurt you?"

Wanda stared into the tea. The old Vision knew everything. Was she ready to tell this one? "Not directly. But he was partly responsible."

"What happened?"

"I'd rather not talk about it right now." She tried to change the subject. "We'll have to come up with a cover story soon, the sooner the world knows about you the better... if he had found you, it doesn't bear thinking about..."

"This isn't about me." Vision said. "Wanda, honestly. You don't have to tell me anything, but you seem shaken. Is there anything I can do for you?"

"You already do enough just by being here." In an ideal world, Wanda would have liked a hug, but this wasn't such a world. "Seeing him so close to you... the thought of losing you again -"

Vision couldn't hear a word of what she was saying. All he could think about was how afraid she looked. Her eyes were starting to glisten with the beginning of tears, how her fingers glowed faintly with out of control magic, how the tea was shaking in her hands, so much so that she had to put it down.

Without thinking, Vision hugged her. He had his arms around her, and she was standing, frozen, against his chest. "You don't have to worry about me. I'm not going anywhere." He began to draw back when he felt Wanda tense. "I'm sorry, I thought it would help..."

She almost knocked the tea over as she hugged him back.

Vision held her, questioning whatever possessed him to hug her in the first place, but he didn't regret the decision for a moment. This felt nice, natural, melting the existing awkwardness. Wanda was small and warm in his arms, notes of sage lingering in her hair from her shower that morning. How could someone so powerful feel so soft, so delicate at the same time?

Wanda leaned into him, her cheek pressed against his chest. She could smell the fabric softener in his sweater, feel the reassuring murmur of his circuits, and the beat of his synthetic heart. It had been so long since they'd last held each other, she had forgotten how safe she felt in his arms.

"I missed you."