CHAPTER THREE: The Day After

SHIELD Safe House

When Steve woke the next morning to bright rays of light streaming through the window, he wasn't sure what to expect. He felt his arm had gone numb and glanced to see Wanda lying next to him, facing him. Her usual discontent and anger at life seemed to have vanished. Now, she just seemed at peace. His head raced as he tried to think of what to do and push aside what they had already done. They had definitely stepped over some boundaries. This was not supposed to happen and to be quite frank, he wasn't sure how it even had. He decided a shower would help clear his head and was careful to move slowly to not wake Wanda before taking off for a long soak.

When Wanda woke up, she let herself stretch out onto the bed, feeling a slight pain. From the strain of last night's mission to what she had participated in at the end of the night, she was definitely now feeling the light ache. What had she done? She took a deep breath and cleared her head, switching her worry off. She couldn't dwell on it. She smiled up to the ceiling, brushing away her worries. She was trying her hardest not to think of the implications of her actions even as replays from the evening flashed in her head. What she had done was incredibly stupid.

A noise, coming from the bathroom, took her out of her thoughts. She could hear the water running and knew Steve must have slipped in. Her head immediately jumped to inappropriate thoughts which she tried to shove away but the sudden tingling between her legs told her otherwise. Damn the consequences and overthinking. She just needed to do something- anything.

This was going to be stupid but at this point, she had already made a mess of the situation. What was the harm in continuing? She crept out of bed and opened the restroom door. Her eyes landed on the figure of Steve washing his hair through fogged-up glass. She quietly made her way to the open shower entrance and stepped in behind him. In daylight, he looked so much better.

"Don't take all the hot water." Steve twisted suddenly at her words.

"Wanda? What are you doing in here?" She watched as his hands fidgeted nervously, not knowing whether to cover himself. His eyes stayed focused on her face.

"Just wanted to wash off." She laughed and stepped up to him, "Or get dirty again?" Steve swallowed hard.

"Wanda, we crossed a boundary-."

"We did." She crossed her arms around his neck. "So there's no use in going back now." He held his breath, unsure of what to do. He had never been the type for this sort of relationship. He wanted so badly to say the right thing but all he could think of is her nude body pushing up against his. "Let's pick up where we left off." Her lips crashed onto his and she pressed herself even tighter against him. He wanted to say he tried to push her off but he'd be lying if he did. He let himself cave into her and wrapped his arms around her small torso before picking her up. She smiled in delight. Steve pulled back to look at her. She grinned and bit her lip. This wasn't like him- any of it. But something in him just wanted to have someone, be with someone, even if it was in this way.

When they were finished in the shower, they rinsed off silently and walked back into the bedroom. Steve handed her the clothes he'd found last night; it was better than throwing the uniforms on. After all, they didn't know how long they'd be here. Steve handed Wanda a T-shirt and some shorts while making minimal eye contact. Neither one of them knew what to do in this situation. They weren't exactly the closest of friends prior to this and really all that had changed was physical. Neither's thoughts shifted about the other. Steve thought Wanda was naive and reckless and Wanda saw Steve as pompous and too self-righteous.

Steve finished changing and wandered out of the room while Wanda took her time getting dressed. It was strange for her to be wearing such casual clothes. With SHIELD, she was always either in her suit or in a sleek, SHIELD uniform, and prior to that, she and Pietro only wore what they could manage to find. The thought of Pietro made her heart sink and she knew she needed to stop.

When Wanda was done changing, she walked out into the living room where Steve was standing in front of the TV. She glanced and saw the news on, boring her, and made her way to the coffee maker. Steve had already brewed some coffee and by the look of the empty mug in the sink, had his. She took a drink of her cup and walked past him to the boy's room. Coffee cup in hand, she peered in to see him still passed out on the bed. She opened the door wider and walked up to the bed to examine him closer. He didn't look anything special, just like any other kid. She reached her hand out towards his head.

"Don't," Steve said sternly from the doorway. She turned to look at him.

"So then you don't want to know why Hydra's hunting him down?" He shot her a look. She didn't know why he set her off the way he could.

"You can't just wander into people's heads, Wanda. It's not right."

"I would say this is an exception." He just held her gaze, stubborn as always. "Fine. Do it your way." She flicked her wrist and the kid began to wake up. Steve sighed in his frustration with her and her methods. The boy sat up slowly, dazed at first. When he came to, he scurried up to the headboard, eyeing them worriedly.

"It's okay," Steve approached him carefully. "We're here to protect you." The boy's eyes darted between them.

"From what?" This got a squint from both Avengers. He didn't know.

"Hydra." Steve glared at Wanda for her non-subtlety. She just shrugged.

"Hydra?" Aaron looked at Steve for clarity.

"It's an organization for a lot of bad people." Wanda rolled her eyes at his response.

"How'd you wake up from my hex last night?" The boy's eyes shifted. It was clear her presence made him uneasy.

"I don't- I don't know. I just woke up and ran," he mumbled the last bit.

"We're going to protect you but you have to tell us what's going on," Steve reassured.

"I don't know." In a flash, Wanda's hand flew up and a string of red light connected her to him. She scrubbed his recent memories but found nothing of use. He was just a spoiled kid. Steve jerked her back, reeling her out of Aaron's mind.

"Wanda!"

"What did you do?" the kid stammered, blinking rapidly.

"Took a little trip down your memory lane," Wanda jerked out of Steve's grip. "He's clear. He doesn't know anything." With that, she walked out.

"Stay here." Steve marched after her into the living room. "You couldn't have waited to talk to him rather than dig through his head?"

"We would've never known if he was being honest." She shrugged her shoulders.

"How many times have we gone through this? That's a violation of someone's mind." Now it was her turn to get mad.

"I know what I'm doing. I don't go around doing it whenever I want, Steve. I do it when I need to."

"You didn't need-."

"Yes," she said sharply. "I did." They just glared at each other for a long moment. "Go talk to the kid. Talk all day if you want. At least you'll stay out of my hair then." That was all she said before taking off.

She wandered outside the house and into the nearby field. She was angry and annoyed but overall just tired. Whether she had cared to admit it or not, yesterday had been hard on her. Seeing everyone celebrate the survivors of Sokovia knowing Pietro wasn't among them had hurt. She knew it wouldn't be easy but she thought she had healed more than she did.

Wanda had no idea what she was doing. She had no home, no family, no one. She had joined the Avengers in that it was the only place she had to go. She may have also gone out of fear of retribution. After all, she had started on the wrong side of the fight. Part of her knew that the government would have gone after her had she not been initiated into the team. She wiped sweat off her forehead. It was so damn hot today. She swallowed her pride and made her way back into the air-conditioned home, relieved to be out of the heat.

She decided to go to the bedroom and heard Steve from the hallway. He was explaining what had happened to the boy. He had a deal more patience than she ever could. She plopped on the bed and began sifting through TV channels. It didn't take long for the heat of the day to creep inside. Even under the fan, she could feel it. She tied her hair up and fanned herself with her shirt. She heard a throat clear and saw Steve at the door. As she opened her mouth to say something, Steve walked in with a tablet where Maria was waiting on a holographic screen. Good thing she hadn't.

"Maximoff," Maria nodded. "We've assembled an extraction team. ETA 40 minutes. We're still digging into the kid's history but it looks like his father was heavily involved with Hydra. For now, sit tight and a team will be there shortly." Maria turned to look at Steve. "We have updates on Kaznia and Lorabu missions when you return." Wanda shifted slightly as if looking away from the screen meant she wouldn't hear anything. The agency still only trusted her with very little information.

"We'll see you soon." Steve signed off and put the tablet away. He sensed her unease and she could feel his eyes on her. She didn't want his pity or concern.

"Don't you have a child to look after?" He sighed in frustration and walked out of the room. It was a battle he'd tackle later. He waited with Aaron until a quinjet landed in the nearby field. He sent Aaron its way and poked his head into the bedroom to get Wanda. She was sitting on the bed, facing the TV but her attention wasn't on it. Her gaze was just off of it and her expression was both pensive and heavy.

"The jet is here." This made her head snap up to look at him. She blinked a couple times and got up. She went over to the corner she knew their suits were in and grabbed them.

"Can't forget these," she joked but it came out strained.

"I've got them," he said gently and took them. They just looked at each other for a moment. Wanda was never comfortable in silence anymore so she felt the need to say something.

"Too bad we don't get another night in this place." She raised a brow at him and a smirk lined her lips. Surprising himself, he let out a light chuckle.

"Yeah, too bad." They made their way to the quinjet and flew silently the entire trip home. Steve sat near the front of the hanger with Aaron and Liam, a SHIELD agent who had been going over details of Aaron's father with them. The boy was surprised to learn of his father's dalliances with the Hydra but handled it better than expected.

"So she's one of the good guys?" Aaron eyed Wanda nervously. She had sat down near the back of the jet and was staring out of a small window.

"She's learning to be. She's just been through a lot." He noticed Liam raise his eyebrows next to him, making his opinion clear. It seemed to be the general consensus to mistrust Wanda throughout the organization. He understood where their fear stemmed from but she had proven herself out on the field time and time again now. He glanced over at the girl. She could have been a dangerous enemy but she had chosen instead to join the Avengers and do better.

As soon as they landed, Aaron was swept away by agents before they had even finished walking off the ramp. Though Wanda had been next to him, he was suddenly flanked by two agents and she was subtly pushed away. The agents shoved tablets at him as they began their debriefings but his eyes stayed on Wanda. She hung her head just the slightest and seemed to drag herself through the facility before she disappeared from his line of sight.

Wanda made her way through the crowds and towards the Avenger's quarters. She kept her head down to avoid meeting the gaze of any agents passing by. She wasn't always welcome here, even if the agents never directly said so. Once, in a moment of panic, she had opened their minds to her and their thoughts hadn't been kind.

"She shouldn't be here."

"What were they thinking?"

"We can't trust her."

"She's probably still Hydra."

She wasn't trusted here, not yet. She had tried to prove herself out on the field but trust was just something that would take time. She found herself wandering into the empty quarters before settling down in her room. Everyone must be out on missions. It was rare anyhow to have all the Avengers together now anyway. There was a world to protect and it kept everyone busy. She wasn't very close to any of the team- if anything she tried to shut them out constantly. At times like this though, she wished someone was here.

Steve stayed in his debriefings for another couple of hours before he could finally leave. The child was being moved to protective care and all other missions were on track. All of the other Avengers were out on missions. He looked at the time 2:00 am. There were still agents wandering the halls but fewer from when they had arrived. He rubbed his tired eyes.

Steve made his way to the quarters and entered the dimly lit common area. The only illumination came from the dull, under cabinet lighting. He sighed and went to his room, thankfully the nearest to the front door. He changed into comfortable clothing before settling on the cold bed. He looked around the plain room. You wouldn't even think it was used much less belonged to someone. It was lacking anything personal.

A noise caught his attention. It sounded like laughter. He stepped out of his room to follow the sound. It was quiet but after a moment he heard it again, this time clearer. It was a laugh track like the ones played in sitcoms. He followed it to Wanda's room. White light danced under her door, no doubt coming from a TV. Why was she still awake? He timidly knocked on her door. The noise disappeared and light footsteps padded over on the other side. Wanda opened the door, surprised.

"Steve?" His bright blue eyes stared into her warm, green ones.

"I heard the TV and just wanted to check on you. It's late." Wanda shrugged her shoulders.

"Couldn't sleep," she paused, "and I can't stand the quiet."

"Me neither. Such a big place with no one around can be..." Lonely, they both thought and stared at each other.

"I should- uh…," Wanda turned to look away from him and at her dismal and now quiet room. "I should get some-." Steve caught her arm as she turned and pulled her in. His eyes searched hers which held the same desperation to not be alone. He bent down and locked his lips onto hers. She responded immediately and quietly, they shuffled into the room, never breaking the kiss.