A/N: I took a little extra time with this one. It's been a pretty busy week, so I'm not sure if it made a difference, but I hope you guys enjoy it!

The weeks flew by fast, and eventually, New York was out of rain, and the typical spring weather came. Wanda was thankful for it. The loud, stormy, weather was no longer typical most nights of the week, which meant more time to spend outside. Usually, Peter would accompany her.

Currently, they were both behind the compound. Wanda was swinging in the tire swing, and Peter was hanging above her from a branch. He dropped from the tree, hanging upside down by his legs.

"So, Wanda. Your birthday is coming up. Any ideas?"

Wanda poked her head from the inside of the tire swing, looking up at Peter.

It was true. Her ninth birthday was coming up fast. But she wasn't really sure what he meant.

"What do you mean? Ideas for what?" She asked, confused.

"You know," He said, dropping down from the trees and landing ungracefully onto the grass below. He stood up, brushing off his shorts. "Like for presents."

"Oh, no. I don't know." She said rather quietly, shrugging her shoulders. "I haven't really thought about it."

"Wanda, isn't your birthday in like a week? You seriously haven't thought about it?"

"I have. Lila, Cooper, Nate, and Auntie Laura are coming. I've thought about that."

The truth was, she didn't really want to think about it. Her parents had brought it up to her before, a few weeks ago. She didn't really know what to say, though. She was used to getting nothing, and it was up to her, she wouldn't even have to celebrate at all. In her perfect world, the days would go as followed; May 28th, then the 29th, then the 31st. No May 30th.

Not anymore, now that she had to celebrate by herself.

Peter jumped onto the top of the tire swing, swinging it slightly back and forth by the ropes.

"Well, I could give you some ideas, if you'd like," He said, perching himself on the top and swinging his feet in her face.

Wanda pushed them out of the way.

"Okay. Sure." She said, rather unenthusiastically, but Peter didn't really seem to notice. He was too carried away naming present ideas.

"Oh! What about a bike? Bikes are fun, and I could teach you how to ride it," He said proudly, leaning over to peer into the middle of the swing.

Wanda didn't want to think about bikes. She knew Peter didn't mean to cause her to think about her life before Hydra; he didn't know. But that last birthday before her parents died, she and Pietro had both asked for bikes. It was her sixth birthday, and when they had practically begged them, which they never did, all they were met with were two apologetic faces from each of them. They had said it was too much. That maybe, by their seventh birthdays, they might have enough extra money so they could receive a present as big as a bike. Things were so expensive during the war.

Of course, next birthday never came. Well, it did, but her parents weren't alive anymore and she was stuck in Strucker's lab.

In fact, this was the first birthday she would be celebrating since then. The first one without Pietro, too.

Suddenly, her birthday seemed even less appealing now. Even more, than it was before.

…

The morning of her birthday, Wanda was surprised by the lack of dread she felt. The days leading up to her birthday she had felt awful; just waiting to get it over and done with. An overwhelming sense of dismay settled in the pit of her stomach around a week ago, and it hadn't disappeared.

It wasn't until Lila, Cooper, and Peter had bounded into her room with party blowers that she actually felt a slight excitement bubble up from her stomach.

"Happy birthday!" Lila jumped on her bed, causing her to shriek in surprise.

"Are you glad we're here?"

She nodded in shock, and in a flash, the three of them were gone again down to the main floor, leaving her to her own thoughts once again. She had gotten ready with a smile on her face, mainly surprised that Peter, Lila, and Cooper, seemed more excited for her birthday than she was.

A few minutes later, Wanda joined Nat in the kitchen, pushing up against her side.

"Happy birthday, malyshka," Nat said, lifting her up to place a kiss on her head. Wanda let out a tired chuckle.

"Thank you." It came out less enthusiastic than she had wanted it to, and Wanda internally cringed when she realised Nat noticed.

"Everything okay?"

Her eyes were filled with concern.

Wanda nodded, giving her a slight smile. She knew both Nat and Steve had a hunch on how hard the day might be for her, but she never specifically mentioned it. She didn't want them to worry.

"Okay," Nat said, placing another kiss on her cheek before lifting her off the counter. Lila suggested that you would want pancakes for breakfast, but I think she secretly wants them too. What do you think?"

Wanda peered over the stove, to where the batter sat in perfect circles on the stove. Definitely her dad's doing. Nat couldn't make pancakes even if her life depended on it.

"Can I have chocolate chips in mine?"

Nat chuckled.

"Absolutely, you can. Now, you better go join your cousins before they burn the whole compound down."

She laughed, running out of the room. The day was already off to a relatively good start. She still felt sadness; more like emptiness, and she knew it wouldn't completely go away. But she was thankful that it had seemed to settle out more than it had been the past week.

Wanda was grateful for her cousins, especially Lila. The busy nature of the girl kept her mind busy, and she ended up whirring through most of the day playing outside, her thoughts fixated on the enthusiasm present in the atmosphere.

At around four o'clock, they had spotted Tony, Yelena, and Clint setting up something across the outside property of the compound.

"Tony," she asked in confusion after running over to him. "What is that?"

Before he could answer, a shriek emitted from Lila, who ran to join them, interrupting him.

"Is that a volleyball net?"

Tony nodded, hooking the last part of the net onto the pole.

"Sure is, baby hawk. I found it in the old storage room, thought you kids could have some fun with it. Go nuts."

"Thanks!" She said, picking up the ball. "Come on, Wanda. Let's go get Cooper and Peter and play."

Wanda adjusted the hat on her head, scrunching her nose.

"I don't know how to play."

"It's fine," She said, yanking her towards the boys. "We can teach you."

They had played a few rounds, Yelena happily joining. Wanda was finally getting the hang of it when Steve had come to retrieve them.

"Wanda!" Lila jumped on the spot beside her. "I think you get to open up our gifts now. You're going to love what Cooper and I got you!" She exclaimed excitedly as they headed inside.

As they all gathered in the living room, Wanda couldn't help but feel awkward. Yes, she was surrounded by her family, but being the centre of attention made her feel uncomfortable. She sat on the edge of the couch, and Liho jumped up beside her, despite Nat's protests of 'no dirty paws on the couch.'

"Quite honestly milaya, your dad and I were stumped on what to get you. But then your Auntie Laura had this great idea." Nat said, handing her the first present. It was a small box with a red ribbon tied around it.

Wanda looked up at her, her eyes wide. Beside her, Liho sat up and pressed against her, almost as if he was peering over her shoulder.

Inside the box was a small silver charm bracelet. There was one charm, and it looked like an angel.

Wanda smiled, admiring the silver charm.

"It's like the защитник детей," she said, referring to the craft she had made with Nat during the Christmas holidays. The small angel, made of sticks and yarn, was so much more than just a fun Christmas craft, though. It had been a symbol of hope for her, and a huge part of her coping and healing process when she was rescued by Yelena. To this day, it still sat above her bed at night.

"Exactly," Nat said, smiling. Steve took a seat on the other side of Wanda.

"Now you can have the little hope angel with you wherever you go." He said.

"Thank you," Wanda whispered, her voice full of delight. She went to go and clasp it onto her hand, but Nat stopped her.

"Just wait, malyshka. There's more."

Lila handed her a small bag.

"Another charm to go with your bracelet!" She said excitedly, jumping onto Nat's lap to watch Wanda open her gift.

Clint facepalmed.

"Lila, you really couldn't have waited ten more seconds for Wanda to open the gift?"

Lila ducked her head apologetically. She was horrible at keeping secrets, especially when she was so excited. It had taken all her willpower all day not to give away the surprise.

The small gift bag was labelled, 'from Lila, Cooper, and Baby Nate.'

Inside was another charm to add to the bracelet, this one in the shape of a horse.

"It's so you can always have a piece of the farm with you, even when you're not there," Cooper added, smiling.

Wanda smiled up at them.

"Thank you, guys, so much." She really hadn't expected this. It was so overwhelming.

Next, Laura handed her a similar bag.

As Wanda opened the next gift, it became clear that Yelena was shocked at the present.

"Laura! You copied me!" The room erupted into a fit of laughter from Yelena's complaints, but she wasn't wrong. They had both gotten her charms that were almost the exact same. Both said, 'best aunt ever.'

Laura shrugged, clipping the charm onto the bracelet.

"I couldn't let you get away with being the only favourite Aunt."

Yelena laughed, clipping her charm onto Wanda's bracelet as well.

"We both know it's me, right?" She whispered into Wanda's ear, causing Wanda to chuckle lightly and Laura to give a playful glare.

"What did you say?" She asked accusingly.

"Nothing! I didn't say anything!" Yelena said, playing innocent.

Laura narrowed her eyes playfully in response.

"Thought so," She said, although unconvinced.

They went through the rest of the team, each giving a personalized charm. From Tony and Pepper, she had gotten a small red one, with 'baby witch' engraved into it. Wanda couldn't help but smile. Tony had always called her that since day one, and it had even spread to other members of the team. Peter had given her a spider-man charm, sending the team into another fit of laughter.

"What?" He asked, confused. "Was I not supposed to give her that?"

Sam laughed.

"Nah, It's fine because my charm is a bird, so.."

Wanda was thankful for the laugh to lighten up the mood a bit.

"Here's one more, sweet pea. Your mama and I picked it out, but it's from all of us. Together."

She pulled it out of the bag, rolling it over in her hands. It was a small blue charm, a lightning bolt engraved into its face. On the back was engraved 'Pietro.'

"We thought a lightning bolt might suit him best, you know, because of his powers. But we can exchange it for something else if you think a different one would suit him better." Nat said, leaning over her shoulder.

"No," She whispered, staring at the charm with a sad smile and foggy eyes. "It's perfect."

She leaned into Nat's side.

"Thank you." She wiped away a tear as soon as it fell, afraid of anyone noticing it. Today was supposed to be a happy one. Even she knew that.

She moved over to embrace her dad too. She turned her head to face everyone else, before letting out a small thank you. Wanda was actually surprised it was audible, because she definitely wasn't expecting an eruption of 'you're welcomes' to fill the room.

Steve clapped his hands together, standing up. Wanda was thankful for the attention to be diverted from her, even if just for a moment.

"Alright. How about some cake?"

The cake was so beautiful, Wanda had never seen anything like it. Not even in the bakeries she and Pietro would help clean in exchange for something to eat.

Nat had ordered it from the nearest bakery driven a half-hour into the city to pick it up. She was going to just make it herself, but pleas from Steve and the rest of the team to just have it made stopped her, especially after the cookie incident from a few weeks ago.

It had little horses and flowers decorated in frosting, and it read 'Happy Birthday Wanda.'

It should say 'happy birthday Wanda and Pietro,' she thought. But she pushed the thought out of her head. It would just make her cry in front of her whole family, and she really didn't want to do that.

The singing, laughing, and being with her family; it was supposed to make her happy. Filled with joy. But she couldn't help but feel a pit in her stomach, now aware of the constant reminder of her brother around her wrist.

Pietro would love this. He should be here.

"Wanda, you can blow out your candles now! You blow out the candles since we are finished singing," She heard Lila say, but she didn't respond. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Laura place a hand on her cousin's shoulder, indicating her to be quiet.

She couldn't blow out the candle. Her body wouldn't let her. It wasn't her job. It had always been Pietro's. He was the oldest, so he always got to do it. It felt wrong for her to do it now. Like she was taking something away from him.

A few moments later, she felt a hand on her shoulder, too. She wanted to look up at her mother, but she knew as soon as she made eye contact, she would start to cry. Her eyes were watering, brimmed with tears, and there was a huge lump in her throat.

"Wanda, milaya, is everything okay?"

She squinted her eyes shut, accidentally letting out a sob. She didn't want to cry. She couldn't cry. Not after everyone went out of their way to make sure today would be fun for her.

But something about Nat's concerned voice sent her over the edge, and the tears started flowing freely.

She had nodded forcefully, answering Nat's question, but she couldn't find her voice.

Looking around, her family held the same, sympathetic expression, and she couldn't help but feel embarrassed. So, she turned on her heels and ran up the stairs to her bedroom.

Wanda had immediately regretted it as soon as she made the decision, but it was too late now.

She sat down on the floor by the window, not before grabbing the small angel from above her bed. She placed her forehead on her knees and letting her tears out.

Wanda didn't think she had ever missed Pietro this much. Not during the Christmas holidays, or even the first few weeks following his passing. There was just something about having to spend her birthday alone when she had always had him before. Even in Strucker's lab, during the two birthdays that passed while they were there, they used to face each other between the cells and lay down on the floor, pressing their heads against the small gap between the wall and the ground. They would talk about the things they wished they could have, and sing 'happy birthday' together. It was the only good memory of her time there, and it was because her brother was there with her.

Although they only spent two birthdays together in the Hydra lab, it had become a sort of tradition. She would give anything to have him back. To celebrate with him.

If anything, she thought, he deserves this more than me. He was the brave one. The one who died trying to save the world, like a hero.

Almost immediately after sitting down, she felt a presence on either side of her and instantly recognized them as her parents. Wanda slipped the angel into her pocket.

She leaned against Nat to her right, taking in a deep breath as she heard her whisper comforting words.

It took a while, but when she finally found her voice again, it had been at least few minutes.

"I'm sorry. I know I shouldn't have run away like that, I-"

"Hey," Steve warned, putting a hand on her back. "Don't apologise. It's okay, we know how hard it's been."

She nodded, acknowledging him.

"Yeah," Nat agreed, placing a kiss on her hair. "We're sorry this hasn't been a great day for you. We probably got too carried away," She admitted.

Wanda's head shot up in protest.

"No! It's not that, it's been great, it's just…"

"Different?" Steve interrupted; a sad smile plastered to his face.

Wanda nodded. "Yeah," she said, bringing her knees up to her chest. "I miss him."

"I know, malyshka."

And the truth was, Nat really did know what it was like to lose a sibling; or thought she had at least. Fifteen years ago, Clint had broken the news to her that Yelena was killed. That she didn't make it out of the Red Room in time. Of course, she had, but at the time Natasha didn't know that. Wanda wished that would happen with Pietro. That one day, he would just magically come back like Yelena. But it wasn't possible. She had been there, seen him get buried into the ground. It was all too real, and it made her nauseous to think about it.

"He was the best brother ever," She reminisced. Nat eyed Steve, who gave her a similar look. It was very rare for Wanda to talk about her past voluntarily. But every time she did, she became just a little bit stronger than she was before.

"He always stuck up for me, and he was funny, and we never fought," She choked out, her voice catching on the tears in the back of her throat. "I can't remember ever fighting with Pietro. We were best friends."

She sighed, emitting a soft sob which earned her a hug from Steve.

"I miss him so much. Sometimes I go a few days without thinking about him and then I feel guilty. He probably thinks I'm forgetting about him or something."

"Aw, kiddo. He doesn't think that. If anything, he'd be happy. He wouldn't want you to be sad all the time, right?"

She nodded, wiping away a stray tear.

"He would have loved you guys. He would've loved having a mama and daddy again."

Nat shut her eyes, willing away tears, but as soon as she opened them, her vision became foggy again. She immediately looked to Steve, who seemed to be having the same problem. Now all three of them were crying.

"Do…" Wanda took a deep breath before continuing, "Do you think we can go visit him? I mean, his stone?"

Nat smiled sadly, tucking a loose strand out of her daughter's face.

"Absolutely we can. We could go right now."

She nodded, standing up to take both Nat and Steve's hands.

"I'd like that," She said, slipping between them.

…

The weather outside had changed drastically, just like how it did in the movies. It was cooler, and clouds covered the last little bit of sun which threatened to pour rain.

A sombre mood filled the air as they walked to where Pietro was buried; at a back corner of a private cemetery, which drew very little attention to the name.

Nat and Steve stood back away, giving Wanda some room to talk to her brother herself.

She didn't know what to say, or if he could even hear her, but she felt some comfort just to be in the presence of him.

She sat cross-legged on the ground in front of his headstone, fiddling with the bracelet on her wrist before coming to a realization. She had her symbol of hope. It was on her wrist.

So, she slipped the small angel out of her pocket, staring at it as it rested in her hands.

"This is for you now, Pietro. I have another one now, so I thought that you'd like it," She whispered, barely enough for even her to hear her own voice. "You deserve a birthday present, too."

She placed the angel on the ledge of the stone, letting her hand linger as it traced the letters.

Pietro Maximoff

30th of May 2007- 2nd of June 2015.

Beloved son and brother.

"I miss you, Pietro." She said, a tear falling. It hit the stone, right beside the spot where she placed the charm.

"Happy birthday."

A/N: Thanks to thatstrawberrygirl for this one! If you are seeing this, you are amazing! Prompts are still welcome, as always