A/N: Welcome to my third story centered around Frank Castle and Wanda Maximoff! After I wrote that oneshot in the foxhole, I always wanted to write another that not only wrapped up the plot threads of the WandaVision episodes, but also dived deep into Frank's memories across Seasons 1 and 2!
Frank Castle opened his eyes, staring up at the cracked ceiling of his cheap motel room. The smell of cheap booze, most likely from the room right next to his, quickly assaulted his nostrils, making him groan in disgust. As he tiredly got off the lumpy bed, Frank rubbed his eyes, blinking twice to rid the sleep from them.
"Hey, Wanda… time to wake up." Castle murmured, reaching over towards the bed right next to him without looking. Instead of his hand resting on the soft bump of someone's shoulder, like Frank was expecting, his arm fell onto the flat mattress and blanket. In an instant, his head whipped to the right, seeing that the bed was empty, with the covers pulled off only slightly.
"Shit." Frank's eyes widened with worry, instantly jumping out of bed. After throwing his hooded jacket over his already clothed body, he ran out of the motel room, calling out with the alias he and Wanda agreed to use.
"Scarlet? Scarlet, where are you?!"
Wanda Maximoff levitated through the air, flying towards the town of Westview, New Jersey. It had been so long since she had been here last, when she mind controlled every citizen to take part in her fantasy world. So long since she met Frank for the first, and realized that what she was doing was wrong.
Just how long had it been exactly? Weeks? A couple months? Wanda merely shook her head, knowing it was best not to dwell on the matter. She was going back to Westview for a reason. A selfish reason, perhaps, but still a reason.
She supposed it all started a week or so ago, when she began to hear her sons' voices in her head. Every time, they would scream for their mother, before suddenly going silent. Last night was the worst, with Tommy and Billy screaming in agony, as it showed the image of her old neighbor Agnes' house in Westview.
"Mom, help us!" they would scream. "We're home, help!"
That's when she woke up in that motel room, feeling sweat dripping down her forehead. That was the moment Wanda decided to go back.
She didn't want to leave Frank without saying goodbye. She really didn't. But deep down, she knew she had to, no matter how much it hurt either of them. If she didn't, Frank undoubtedly would've tried to convince her not to go, making her decision all the more harder. No, this was the best option, even though she felt nothing but sadness for the man who had become one of her best friends, even more so than any of the Avengers.
Frank ran straight towards his van, throwing open the back doors and looking inside. On some nights, when Wanda would want to be alone, she'd climb into the back of the van and just lay there, right next to all his firearms and other weapons. Not that she cared, despite Frank offering to temporarily move them.
Much to his disappointment and worry, Maximoff wasn't laying down in his truck. In fact, nothing seemed out of the ordinary, except…
Castle turned his head slightly to the right, catching an empty space out of the corner of his eye. There, in the middle of the truck's inner wall, was supposed to be where he had left one of his pistols. The Kimber Warrior, his old friend in the Marine Corps, to be exact. Now, the bare area faced him, almost screaming at him that the firearm was gone. And he had a pretty good idea who took it.
"Shit."
As Wanda continued flying towards Westview, she felt a light slapping against her hip, not enough to hurt, but enough to be noticeable. She looked down slightly, catching a glimpse of the black gun holster hitting her thigh, which housed one of Frank's favorite guns. The Kimber Warrior, he called it, when he and Amy Bendix first taught her how to shoot.
Wanda grimaced, already feeling guilt deep inside her. Guilt for leaving Frank without saying goodbye. Guilt, for taking one of his weapons without asking first. But then, she reminded herself, Frank would've told her not to go, saying it was a trap. It was most likely true too, hence why she took the pistol in the first place. Despite having flown all the way, she was still afraid of using her powers, even after Frank and Amy encouraged her not to be. And even if this was a trap, as heavily implied by the fact her dream showed Agnes' house instead of hers, she had to know for sure.
Before she knew it, Wanda was hovering above the town, or more accurately, above Agnes' house. The young woman took a deep inhale, as she slowly lowered herself to the ground, stopping directly on the front lawn. As she was about to walk right up the steps, Maximoff heard a faint gasp behind her, causing her to turn around and seeing a woman with medium blonde hair staring at her in fear. If her memory was correct, Dottie was her name-
No. Her name- her real name- was Sarah. Or at least according to the nightmare she had a while ago. When was that? Days, weeks? It pained Wanda that she couldn't remember how long ago it was, but she could remember what she did. She took Sarah's time from her, from all of them. She kept them from their real families, forcing them to play the roles she wanted, for weeks. Seeing her now, it made Wanda sick to her stomach from the atrocity she committed.
"Sarah… I'm sorry." Wanda murmured, looking down at the ground. She knew apologizing was moot, what she did couldn't just be waved away. Even after both Frank and Amy understood why she did what she did, it didn't erase her guilty conscience. Not fully, at least.
Sarah quickly averted her eyes, audibly swallowing a lump in her throat, before turning and briskly walking away. She was still afraid of the former Avenger… and she had every right to be. It didn't stop Wanda's heart from sinking as low as it possibly could though.
Shaking her head, Wanda quickly pushed those feelings back down, turning back to look up at the red brick house with blue and white trimmings. With another deep breath, she hastily walked up the steps, opened the door, and stepped inside.
"Boys?" Wanda cautiously called out, looking around the home. Nothing. Just furniture that looked like it hadn't been touched in days. Why was this in her dream again?
"Tommy? Billy?"
As she began to walk around the house, Wanda just now realized how quiet it was. Deathly quiet. The television in the living room wasn't turned on. The dishwasher in the kitchen wasn't running. There wasn't even a dripping sound from a sink-
Maximoff suddenly heard a rapid chewing noise, and she spun around, seeing a large brown rabbit in a cage, munching on its food. So someone was here after all. But was it Agnes? Was she still living here?
"Agnes?" Wanda called out. Still, no one answered, but a door in the hallway opened up, revealing a stairwell that led to the basement. Wanda frowned, knowing that she didn't do that, but nevertheless approached the dark entrance, slowly walking down the stairs.
"Boys?" she called out again, reaching the bottom to see a normal looking basement- that was, until she noticed the tunnel towards the back that had vines and overgrowth.
"Agnes, are you there?" Maximoff raised her voice, hearing a gust of wind from the tunnel. Unsurprisingly, she got no answer, prompting Wanda to unholster her pistol and carefully enter the tunnel, walking through an iron door to see an underground chamber, with strange markings etched into stone pillars that held up the ceiling. In between those markings was a ram's skull, displayed above a case filled with even more skulls and macabre items. On a shelf opposite of the case was a book, bound in leather, but there was some kind of energy coming off of it. Odd, Wanda tilted her head in confusion, feeling as if the book's energy was dark… evil, even, with a sinister voice whispering to her...
"Wanda, Wanda, Wanda…"
A metallic screech was heard, most likely the door opening, as a woman in a black garb and messy black hair revealed herself, holding onto the rabbit Maximoff saw moments ago.
"You didn't think you were the only magical girl in Westview, did you?" the woman chuckled. Wanda herself was awestruck, both in shock and confusion.
"Agnes?" she finally croaked out, once she found her voice.
"Not quite." the woman snickered, flicking her wrist and making the door close on itself. "The name's actually Agatha Harkness. It's so lovely to finally meet you, dear."
After paying the motel manager, Frank jumped back into his truck and sped down the road, his eyes locked straight ahead. Castle's fingers reached into his pocket, fishing around for the burner phone he usually kept on him, and finally pulled out the small device, flipping it open and dialing the only person he knew could help. Seconds ticked by, with the ringing going off, until a familiar voice could be heard on the other end.
"Frank? That you?"
"Yeah, David." Frank murmured, continuing to drive down the road. "Listen, I need your help."
"What? Frank, what happened?" David Lieberman's voice asked worriedly. Castle sighed, casting his gaze out the window, before answering.
"She's gone. Wanda left."
There was a palpable silence on the other end, before David mumbled out, "I'll see what I can do. Call you in a bit."
"Yeah, you know my number Lieberman." Frank muttered, before ending the call and continued driving.
Wanda stared at Agatha Harkness in curiosity, seeing her simply stroking her rabbit with a smug smile on her face.
"Hmm? What's that?" Agatha suddenly asked, holding up the animal to her ear. "Oh, I know. She does look a bit shocked to meet the real us, doesn't she?"
Maximoff narrowed her eyes, as her pupils began to glow. Ever since she left Westview, she had always avoided using her powers to read people's minds. She came to find the act intrusive, an invasion of privacy, but she had to know who this woman was, just this once. Instead of peering into her head, however, all she found was the image of a solid wall, made of what looked like iron.
"Oh, that is adorable!" the witch mocked, making Wanda's eyes widen in surprise. "My thoughts aren't available to you, toots. They never were."
Wanda's looked around the room, trying to find something that could give her a clue to this witch, as Harkness continued speaking.
"Hey, don't go giving yourself a migraine, honey. We've got a lot of work to do!"
"Where are my children?" Wanda demanded, holding out her hands. "I know I heard them!"
"Wrong, you heard them in your dreams." Agatha shrugged. "The same dreams I sent you."
Maximoff's felt her anger flare up, as she thrust her hands forward, preparing to strike the witch with her powers. All she got for her trouble was a few sparks of crimson energy leaving her fingers, before fizzling out.
"Oops, forgot to mention: your magic's no good here." Agatha grinned, pointing up to the strange markings on the columns. "See these runes, Wanda? They're a basic protection spell. Means that in a given space, only the witch who made the runes can use her magic."
Wanda stared at her hands in horror, hearing her breath quicken upon realizing the grave danger she was now in. Out of growing desperation, she pulled out her borrowed pistol, pointing it right at Agatha. Before she could squeeze the trigger, Harkness rotated her hands, and a purple energy formed around the gun's frame, ripping it out of her hands.
"Interesting toy. Got it from your boyfriend, right?" Agatha snickered, stepping forward. The gun slowly floated towards the witch, who reached out and grabbed it, while pointing right at Wanda's chest.
"Honestly, Wanda. You have all this power, yet you don't know the fundamentals of magic? And you're using a weapon that is beneath you-"
Agatha got too close, and Wanda reached out, grabbing the pistol's barrel and pushing it to the side. Before Harkness could react, Maximoff snaked her hand under the witch's wrist and twisted her hips, effectively taking her gun back. Just like Frank and Amy Bendix taught her. Wanda wasn't done though, as she slammed her elbow into Agatha's face, before grabbing her outstretched arm and throwing the witch over her shoulder. Harkness groaned, landing on the cold floor, while Wanda pointed her weapon at her. Adrenaline took over, as she squeezed the trigger, again and again, hearing bullets rocket out of the chamber. Just before the deadly projectiles hit Agatha, they stopped in midair, surrounded by the same purple energy.
"Not bad, Wanda. You actually surprised me there." Agatha smirked, getting back up and holding out her hand. Within seconds, the pistol was taken from Maximoff again, before suddenly disassembling in front of her, piece by piece.
"But I think playtime's over."
Harkness twisted her hands, and Wanda felt her wrists and ankles forcibly bound together, as she was raised a foot off the ground. Maximoff hissed in pain, while Agatha stepped closer, grinning from ear to ear.
"Who… who are you?" Wanda gasped.
"Oh no. The more important question is who are you?" Agatha fired back. "All those costumes and hairstyles, taking over this entire town to reflect different eras. Oh, I was so patient, waiting for you to reveal your true self. Really, I was so close with fake Pietro, Fietro, if you will-"
"That was you?!" Wanda widened her eyes in surprise. "I thought… I thought I did that on accident-"
"Oh please. Did you really think you'd bring your brother back, only to look completely different?" Agatha scoffed. "But, it wasn't literally me. I didn't shapeshift, I simply created a… solid astral projection. Now, I couldn't use necromancy, because your real brother was on another continent, and I was on a tight schedule… but you were so crippled by self doubt, you actually believed it!"
Wanda's mouth hung open, as she hung her head, feeling tears threaten to streak her cheeks. How could she have been a fool, to think that… that thing, was her brother? He didn't even look like Pietro.
"And then Frank Castle had to show up and ruin everything." Agatha continued with a sneer. "Honestly, do you know how long it took for me to actually track you two down, then send you those visions? I actually considered sending him a nightmare or two, for all the trouble he caused me-"
Wanda suddenly looked up, glaring at Harkness. If looks could kill…
"Don't you dare touch him!" Wanda yelled, feeling her face contort in anger. She wasn't even sure why she was so enraged, but Wanda knew she had to protect Castle.
"Oh, relax." Agatha rolled her eyes. "I'm not going anywhere near him. You're the one who has my full attention… for now."
Maximoff was breathing heavily now, but did her best to calm down. What was it that Frank said one time, after he killed the director of SWORD so she wouldn't have blood on her hands? Take five seconds? God, why did she have to chase after that dream? Why didn't she just stay in that motel room with Frank?
"After I sensed the afterglow of so many spells cast all at once, I just… I couldn't make heads or tails of it!" Agatha explained, while walking over to one of the columns and picking up a cicada.
"Pelio, Imperium, Animi."
Purple energy coursed from Agatha's hand, and the insect was forced to stand upright, as if being forced against its will.
"Mind control. Classic spell." Agatha explained, as she willed the cicada to fly towards Wanda, landing on and crawling all over her face. "You had thousands of people under your thumb, forcing them to interact through complex storylines."
Just like so many nights before, Wanda felt a wave of guilt crash into her. Yes, she did that. She enslaved the minds of thousands of residents in this town. Every night, she would wake up sobbing, with Frank letting her cry against his chest. Usually, he'd try to say something to get her to stop, not that it worked, but it was strangely kind of the Punisher, especially after what she did. Here, she was alone. Alone with a witch, that is.
"And of course, there's transmutation." Agatha continued, calling the cicada back to her and waving her hand.
"Tranformi Ficcolo."
Within seconds, the cicada became a small gray pigeon, flying around the cave-like chamber.
"Also known as an advanced glamor. Takes years of study to achieve even the most basic illusion." Harkness. "But you, Wanda… you did all this, right down to the very last detail! You were even casting illusions miles away at the edge of town!"
Agatha suddenly reached out, grasping at the pigeon, as she stared into Wanda's eyes.
"How'd you do it? What's your secret?"
Wanda looked at Agatha in bewilderment, shaking her head in confusion. Truth was, she didn't know what she did. She couldn't remember.
"I didn't do anything. I'm not-"
Agatha crushed the bird in her bare hands, before purple energy formed. Maximoff suddenly felt her body get thrown to the side, smashing into one of the columns, before flying straight across to the other side of the room.
"I tried to be gentle, Wanda…" Agatha growled, bringing the red head back to the center of the chamber, inches away from herself. "But you would rather fall apart than face the truth. Fine, you've left me no choice."
Harkness beckoned a finger forward, and Wanda felt her chin involuntarily lift up.
"What… what are you going to do?" Maximoff asked nervously. Agatha stepped even closer, staring deeply into her fearful eyes.
"What was it you said to your fake brother? That you only remembered the feeling?" Agatha recalled. Yes. Wanda did say that, shortly before she discovered Vision was clawing his way out of the force field she created. Before she met Frank.
"Just emptiness. Alone. Let's start there." the witch continued, reaching up and pulling a single hair from Wanda's head.
"It's been fun playing pretend, hasn't it?" Harkness cruelly mocked, while a door to their left began to glow purple.
"Repente Memoria."
The strand of hair began to glow the same purple color, while the door itself morphed from a dark brown wood to a plain white with a turn knob.
"But it's time to look at some real reruns."
Agatha parted her hands, and Wanda felt her bonds evaporate, dropping her unceremoniously on the floor. Wanda grunted in pain, as she looked up at the witch in anger.
"Alright, let's go." Agatha muttered, nudging Wanda with her foot. Instead, Maximoff continued glaring at the other woman, uttering out a single word.
"No."
Harkness chuckled at Maximoff, seeing her stand up and tense in preparation for a fight.
"Oh, I'm sorry. You seem to be under the notion you have a choice."
Wanda stood her ground, continuing to glare at Harkness.
"Fine, you want more incentive? If you don't go, I'll find Frank Castle." Agatha threatened. "I will bring him here. I will torture him, and force you to watch, as I kill him."
Maximoff suddenly felt her body relax, as her eyes widened in terror.
"No. No, you wouldn't-"
"It's your choice." Harkness shrugged, waving her hand and causing the white door to open, revealing an old, 1950s era kitchen.
"After you, superstar."
As Frank continued driving, he suddenly felt his burner phone vibrate in his pocket, signaling David's call. That didn't take too long, thank God. Without taking his eyes off the road, Castle pulled out his device, flipped it on, and placed the receiver against his ear.
"What do you got, David?"
"I'll be honest, Frank, not much." Lieberman's voice confessed. "I was able to hack into satellite footage, but could only track her for so long before she suddenly vanished."
"You know which direction she was going?" Frank pressed.
"Yeah, she was flying a bit Northeast."
Frank cursed under his breath, having an idea where she was headed. But goddammit, he hoped he was wrong.
"Thanks David." Castle muttered, before abruptly shutting off his phone. He was about to stomp hard on the gas pedal, but an orange ringed portal suddenly formed a mile away, forcing Frank to press the brakes into the floorboard. The van let out an ear piercing screech, stopping just a few feet in front of the magical gateway. The Punisher swore again, quickly getting out of his vehicle and slamming the door shut, just as a black and white haired man stepped out of the sparking ring, wearing a blue tunic and red cape.
Frank sized the man up, already knowing exactly who he was. After all, he had been seen fighting alongside Iron Man and Spider-Man in New York five years ago, as well as being one of the individuals who participated in the battle against Thanos months ago. But before that, he was a renowned surgeon of Metro General Hospital, with an unforgettable name to boot.
Doctor Stephen Strange.
"I appreciate that you stopped your van from plowing into my Sanctum." Doctor Strange said in a clipped voice. Frank narrowed his eyes in suspicion, as he took a step forward.
"What do you want, Strange?" Frank asked in a growl. The Doctor's eyebrows furrowed, as he held up a hand toward the portal.
"Come with me, Mister Castle. There's much we need to discuss."
Wanda saw her life flashing before her eyes, courtesy of whatever spell Agatha cast over her. As if she was someone else, she witnessed her early childhood, all the way up to the last couple weeks. Watching sitcoms with her family. That Stark Industries bomb killing her parents and turning herself and Pietro into orphans. Joining HYDRA as willing volunteers to being experimented on with the Mind Stone. Vision comforting her in the Avengers' facility, while watching old sitcoms with her. It wasn't until her memory flashed back to storming the SWORD facility, did Agatha begin to narrate.
"You see, Wanda? You took Vision's body-"
Maximoff's flashback revealed… herself, shattering a glass barrier and descending into a lab, using her powers to freeze the technicians and SWORD agents in place. With everyone immobilized, Wanda picked up the remains of Vision from a metal table, scarlet energy keeping the dismantled pieces together, before abruptly flying out, ignoring the sounds of sirens.
"You flew all the way to New Jersey-"
The flashback shifted to the scenery of Westview, with Wanda and Vision's corpse floating down to a patch of grass, surrounded by an outer layer of stones- the beginnings of a house. Maximoff watched her past self gently lay the body onto the ground, as she pulled out a piece of paper. She didn't have to see it to know what it was. It was the property deed to this house that wasn't built with, along with a final message from her dead lover.
To grow old in. -V.
Wanda winced in pain, remembering that day, while her past self collapsed to her knees. Despite Frank helping her get through those painful memories, they still hurt.
"What was it that SWORD Director said?" Agatha suddenly interjected. "That not everyone has your power to bring something back online- or back to life?"
All of a sudden, the memory version of Wanda screamed, as crimson energy exploded from within her. Waves of scarlet transformed the plot of land into a beautiful house, but Wanda wasn't done, expelling a steady stream from her chest and into Vision's body. While another wave shot out towards the town of Westview, changing its appearance to that akin of the 1950s, the robot's body parts slowly mended themselves together, until the Vision stood up, wearing a sweater, pants, and a tie, while all his color had washed out in favor of shades of grey.
Before the memory continued, Agatha suddenly snapped her fingers, causing the flashbacks of Wanda and Vision to freeze.
"Bravo!" Harkness said sarcastically, as she slow clapped in mockery. "After the death of Vision, your grief triggered you to unleash your power. But then your boyfriend Castle had to screw everything up by getting you to reverse your spell."
Wanda frowned, her eyes hardening in annoyance. Again, Frank was referred to as her boyfriend. Why?
"He's not my boyfriend." she groaned.
"Oh really?" Harkness challenged, snapping her fingers and causing the house's front door to open. Wanda peered curiously inside, seeing what looked like a busy airport, one that looked awfully familiar…
Maximoff timidly stepped through the doorway, just in time to see herself and Frank walking towards an escalator. Had she not already remembered where and when this was, she wouldn't have noticed her past self wearing a dark green jacket and black baseball cap, while Frank wore a black hoodie.
"Standard tag team." the flashback of Castle murmured, nodding towards two men dressed all in black, as they pressed a finger to their ears. "Two in front, two in back."
"I see them." the disguised Wanda replied grimly. Looking back on it now, it was risky for the both of them to go to an airport at all. Not that they were going to get on a flight, they just thought the place would be good for a quick bite to eat while on the road.
"Put your arm around me and laugh at something I said."
"What?" Frank frowned in confusion.
"Just do it. Trust me."
Castle did as told, wrapping his arm around her shoulders and began to chuckle, walking right past the pair of guards. The two of them made it to an escalator, the machine descending, while a lone guard began riding up towards them.
"Kiss me." Maximoff more or less ordered.
"What?"
Again, Castle looked at her in bewilderment. What the hell was this?
"Natasha Romanoff taught me how to hide in plain sight. Public displays of affection make people incredibly uncomfortable." Wanda quickly explained. "Now kiss me."
Frank still looked at her in confusion, but Maximoff suddenly grabbed his head, leaning in and kissing him full on the lips. Castle quickly adapted to the predicament, placing his arms around Wanda's waist, as they passed the agent. Once they were in the clear, Wanda pulled back, looking up into Frank's eyes. Her gaze softened, as the Punisher recognized a look of longing in her features.
"We should…" Frank was about to suggest, but suddenly lost his train of thought. Luckily, Wanda knew what he was thinking.
"Yeah."
The younger woman turned to face the bottom of the escalator, leading Frank through the airport and into the garage, where their van was waiting for them. Before they reached the vehicle, the memory dissipated, leaving Wanda and Agatha back in the basement chamber.
"You were saying?" Harkness asked smugly. Wanda was at a loss for words, taking a step back in shock. She never considered the implications of what she did that day. And if Agatha knew that she was growing feelings for Castle…
"You won't harm him!" Maximoff yelled, running forward with her fist raised. Agatha rolled her eyes, as Wanda's arm was engulfed in purple energy, her punch stopping just inches from her face.
"Harm him? Why would I do that?" Harkness asked, wearing a shit-eating grin. "Once I realized what you are, it didn't take too long to figure out what Frank is."
Wanda opened her mouth in shock, her eyes widening to the size of dinner plates.
"What are you talking about? What is he?"
"Oh, don't worry, you'll see." Agatha chuckled, as she used her magic to push Wanda's hand away. "You'll both see, once Castle comes to us."
Now wearing his Punisher vest and trench coat, Frank stepped out of the portal to find himself in what appeared to be an old mansion, with a stairwell before him. At the top of the stairs was a large circular window, with four curved bars intertwined. Odd, he'd seen that window before. Where was it at? Baker… no, Bleecker Street.
While Castle looked around, he heard the portal fizzle out, followed by footsteps. Frank slowly turned around, giving the sorcerer in the red cloak an annoyed look.
"I'm here. Now what do you want?"
Stephen took a deep inhale through his nose, as he stared curiously at the vigilante.
"Take a seat." Strange told him. Before Castle could protest, he felt himself sitting down, seemingly out of nowhere. Magic was the most likely culprit.
"Do you drink?" Stephen asked, as a cup full of light brown liquid magically appeared in Frank's hand. The Punisher let out a low grumble, as he set the drink down.
"Enough of the goddamned magic." Frank snarled. "What the hell do you want?"
Again, the Doctor looked at him curiously, before speaking.
"I've been following you and Wanda Maximoff." Strange revealed. "You two have made quite a mess everywhere you've gone. Killing the SWORD agents that have gone after you-"
"I never killed anyone." Frank denied.
"Oh no?" Stephen inquired.
"They came after Wanda and myself. They died of terminal stupidity."
Strange glared at Castle, clearly not amused, as he leaned forward.
"Regardless, there are more pressing matters."
The sorcerer stood up, as did Frank, as he already knew what Strange was going to say.
"Yeah, that's right." Castle agreed. "Wanda's missing."
"I know. I was able to track her to a certain extent, but then she… disappeared." Stephen frowned. "It was like she suddenly vanished."
Frank's scowl deepened, as he eyes bored into Strange's.
"You don't know where she is?"
"I do not." the Doctor shook his head. "However, I have theorized that she has returned to Westview…"
"That right?" Castle asked, even though he had a similar hunch. After speaking with Lieberman, where else would she go?
Doctor Strange didn't respond to Frank, opting to clear his throat first.
"I believe she's returned to Westview, after I discovered that someone was sending her visions of her children."
Her children. Right. Those two boys that Frank had seen with Wanda her fake brother when he entered the world she created. The Hex is what SWORD had called it. Wait a minute… visions?
"Someone got into her head?" Castle's eyes narrowed in inquiry. "Who?"
The Sorcerer Supreme adopted a grim expression, as Frank could see the nervousness in his eyes.
"A powerful witch, named Agatha Harkness." Strange answered. "Inside the transformed Westview, she masqueraded as a character of Wanda's world, calling herself Agnes."
Frank's frown deepened, recalling the name Agnes before. The night he arrived in Westview, Vision had mentioned her. All this time, she wasn't just some resident of the town, apparently.
"Now, I'll need a strand of Wanda's hair to pinpoint her location." Strange declared, right before Frank felt a hand graze his shoulder. He looked around, just barely seeing the hand pick up a single red hair from his vest. Must've been from all those times Maximoff used the thing as a pillow.
With the hair collected, Stephen got straight to work, muttering an incantation and conjuring the same orange sparks that ringed the portal from earlier.
"Done." Strange announced, as a portal formed. Inside the ring was the image of a blue and white house, much to Frank's confusion.
"Harkness is here?"
"Don't let the appearance fool you." Doctor Strange said gravely. "She's just as dangerous as she was in Salem."
Frank slowly nodded, feeling the frames of his twin pistols. He should've taken his shotgun or assault rifle, if this Agatha Harkness is as much a threat as what the sorcerer said. Oh well.
Castle turned back towards the portal, about to step through, when Doctor Strange uttered, "Good luck."
"What?" Frank asked out loud, turning to look at Stephen. "You're not coming?"
"I cannot go. She'll only listen to you."
At first, Frank looked at Strange in bewilderment, until it dawned on him.
"You want to lock her away." he accused. Strange's expression darkened, as he let out an exhale.
"You know what she's done, Frank." the sorcerer murmured. "She took an entire town hostage."
"And I get that. I do." Frank mumbled. "But the Accords are still in place. SWORD, the Feds, they're not gonna give her a fair trial. You know that."
"All the more reason to bring her to me." Stephen interjected. "Only a prison of magic will be able to contain her and her powers."
Frank looked down at the ground, feeling he was at a crossroads. Of course Wanda should be held accountable, he understood that, but the reason he took her in was because he knew that the system was corrupt. Now that Doctor Strange was finally giving him and Wanda an alternative, he couldn't help but wonder: could he be trusted?
Castle looked towards the portal, then towards Strange, as he finally made a decision.
"Okay. Okay." Frank nodded. "I'll get her back, and have her stay here. But I'll do it on one condition, yeah?"
Stephen furrowed his brow, but reluctantly nodded.
"Name it."
A/N: So it begins.
I only skimmed over Wanda's memories because, aside from taking Vision's body herself from SWORD, none of the memories changed. Except for the one I added where she and Frank kiss. That's taken right out of the Winter Soldier movie. Yeah, I'm having at least Wanda realize she has feelings for Castle, but she's not going to reveal them... yet.
Oh, and that bit at the end with Doctor Strange is a bit inspired from Aragorn II Elessar's oneshot Penance, where Wanda let's him lock her away for the Westview incident. As fun as the first two oneshots were, Wanda does have to be held accountable for what she did. That ending of the final episode ticked me off, especially what Monica said, while standing in front of the victims.
But, instead of locking her away forever, I have something else planned that's a bit more balanced. Stay tuned to find out.