AN: Enjoy!

While Vision didn't need to sleep, he soon encouraged Wanda to head off to bed, making sure she was well rested for the battle to come.

Wanda.. Was definitely something special. Her inner strength, her ability to think the best, even after all she had been through. Vision wanted to believe the same way Wanda did, wanted to believe that everything would turn out alright, even though the odds were not necessarily in their favour. He wanted to, but it was hard to believe in the best when life so far had not given him much reason to do so.

Vision sighed, resigning himself to a long, quiet night, as, not needing to sleep, he had offered to keep watch over that area of the town. He might not be able to keep Wanda safe in the battle to come, but he could ensure that she slept peacefully tonight.

It wasn't long after sunrise the following morning that Rocket's equipment detected the approach of Ronan's ships. Everyone rushed about, making their final preparations. It was decided that the local children would be best tucked away safely with Mantis, so while Vision was carrying out a final check on his own systems, Wanda took Tommy and Billy to Mantis's home, which Rocket had rigged up with extra security.

"Mama!" Billy whined, clinging to Wanda's sleeve as she tried to depart. "Mama, no go!"

"Mama has to go help Vision and our new friends" Wanda gently explained, though her heart was breaking at Billy's distress. "You'll be safe here with Mantis, and Tommy will be here too, and your little friend Groot. I'll be back as soon as I can."

"Pwomise?"

"I promise" Wanda kissed the top of Billy's head, then Tommy's. "Both of you try to be good.."

"'Kay Mama.." Billy sniffled.

"'Kay, Mama" Tommy nodded.

"You'll take care of them?" Wanda asked Mantis, feeling quite nervous, but not scared, not really.

"Of course. Your little ones will be safe here" Mantis reached out to comfortingly pat Wanda's shoulder, before her antennae glowed, brow crinkled in slight confusion."Oh.."

"What?" Wanda frowned, her own brow crinkling. "Is something wrong?"

"No.. it is just.. Your emotions.."

"What about my emotions?"

"Most of the people coming to drop their children off with me Today seem.. Afraid" said Mantis. "You are not so much."

"Well.. I've seen a lot of things.. Experienced a lot of things" Wanda shrugged. "There's not a lot left to scare me."

"I see. Mostly, your feelings are.. Jumbled" Mantis explained.

"Jumbled?"

"A bit.. Confused. About your Partner, mostly."

"My Partner?" Wanda jumped, suddenly defensive. "Vision isn't my partner. We're just friends."

"But you and he work together, don't you?" Mantis asked. "Survive together.."

"I have nothing to do with his work. He saved me, and the boys, which I'll always be grateful for of course, and we have survived a few situations together I suppose, but that's out of necessity, it's not something we've really sought out at all, and.."

"You care about him" Mantis touched her arm again. "Oh.. now you are scared.. I'm sorry.."

"I'm not scared!" Wanda snapped, then sighed. "I should go, take my position before everything starts going to hell.. Be good for Mantis, boys..

As Wanda made her way back outside, in a moment of terrible, or perhaps very good luck, she crashed right into Vision.

"Oh, dear.. I'm sorry, Wanda. Are you alright?"

"I'm fine.. Don't be sorry, it's my fault, I wasn't watching where I was going" Wanda blushed, quite brightly. "Um.. er.. Don't you have somewhere you should be?"

As in, she thought, absolutely anywhere that was not right here, right now, making her awkward, complicated feelings regarding him anymore awkward and complicated?

"I do" said Vision, "And I.."

"Shouldn't you be getting there now, then? I mean, we agreed to help out here, and everyone is relying on us.." Wanda didn't want to seem like she was cutting him off, or shooing him away, but Vision's presence, at that particular moment, right after her conversation with Mantis, was not very helpful to her.

"I know, and I was on my way.." said Vision, "But before that, I just wanted to drop in and see the twins.."

"The twins?" Wanda blinked, a little surprised. "Why?"

"I.. I feel like I need to.." Vision scratched the back of his head a little awkwardly. "I know you believe everything will be okay, but there are really no guarantees, and when you are heading into a dangerous situation, you want to spend time with people who are important to you.. And although I haven't known any of you long, I only have you really, and Tommy and Billy.."

"Oh.." Wanda felt her heart break and melt and a million other things, suddenly guilty for wanting to avoid him at all.

"And.. well, they are what we are fighting for, aren't we?" Vision continued. "The boys, their future.."

"Yes, of course."

"I just wanted to give myself a reminder of that, before the fighting starts.." He smiled at her. "So, I'll just go, see them for a minute.. At Mantis's place, isn't it?"

"Yeah" Wanda felt herself nod. "Mantis's.."

"Alright, thank you.."

For a moment, Wanda felt like she could see everything in him, everything she wanted for the twins, and maybe one day herself too, a future, a family.. She was still lost and confused and broken in so many ways, not at all ready for the things she imagined. And yet..

"Vision.." she called out to him, "Wait."

"Yes?" He turned back to look at her.

"I do want to believe we'll be okay.. That the universe owes us a win. But you're right, there are no guarantees.." she took a few steps closer to him. "This is going to seem like mixed messages, but on the chance that anything does go wrong, I wouldn't want to die without trying this at least once.."

"Trying what?"

Before Wanda lost her nerve, she leaned up on tiptoe, took Vision's cheeks in her hands, and gently pressed her lips to his.

It was a soft, shy kiss, awkward and clumsy since neither of them had any idea what they were doing, but it was sweet and beautiful at the same time. When Wanda broke the kiss, both of them were blushing.

"I'm broken, and lost, and putting all those broken pieces of me back together could take a while.." Wanda whispered, one hand still cradling his face.

"I know.." Vision couldn't help leaning into her touch.

"But when I do.. When I'm not so broken anymore.. I think I could love you. So be careful out there Today, okay?"

"I.. I will. I promise."

Wanda's hand slipped from Vision's cheek, and she walked away without another word. But as he moved on towards Mantis's house, Vision couldn't help a small smile spreading over his face.

Ronan's ships were close, their shadows looming over the planet, but just for that moment, they and the trouble they brought with them seemed very far away.