A/N: Alrighty, time for another chapter! Expect a lot of scenes from the Punisher series, both seasons. Have fun!
The Punisher ran out of the portal and towards the Westview house, bounding up the porch stairs and kicking the door open with a thundering crash. Wasting no time, Frank pulled out his pistol, holding the frame with both hands, and quickly walked through each room, scanning the area with precision.
"Wanda?" Castle called out. "Wanda, you here?"
As he got to the hall, the door to the right suddenly opened up, revealing a basement. Though he knew it was a trap, Frank grimly pushed on, slowly descending down into the cavernous looking room.
Wait a minute… basements aren't supposed to be caverns…
Before Frank could follow that train of thought, a loud clapping could be heard, causing him to dash forward and kick down a wooden door, seeing another cavern. Four pillars stood before him, magical symbols etched on them, with a black and gold book resting on an altar directly ahead. And at the center of the room was Wanda, her body levitating a few feet off the ground, her arms and legs bound by a violet energy.
"Wanda!" Castle shouted, stepping forward. Maximoff looked over at him, her eyes widening in fear.
"Frank! Get out of here-"
Frank suddenly felt himself unable to move, as that same purple energy surrounded him. The clapping from before resumed, and the energy forced Castle to turn around, seeing a woman with long black hair, wearing a flowing black cloak.
"Frank Castle. It's nice to meet you." the woman gloated. Frank narrowed his eyes in annoyance, as he prepared a retort.
"What do you want, Harkness?"
If Agatha was surprised the vigilante knew of her, she didn't show it. Rather, she strolled forward, reaching up and plucking out one of Frank's black hairs.
"I simply want to reveal your secret to Wanda… and yourself." Harkness grinned, muttering the same incantation that she used to Wanda's strand earlier.
"Repente Moria."
The tiny black hair turned violet, as it floated away from the trio to form a doorway. Odd, the more Frank looked at it, the more it looked like the door to the trailer he and Amy stayed in years ago, complete with buckshot holes at the foot.
"As the saying goes, the show must go on!" Agatha said mockingly, causing Frank to glare at her.
"Go to Hell."
"Oh, sorry." Harkness smirked, before waving her hand. As if an invisible force was pushing them, both Frank and Wanda flew straight towards the new door.
"You seem to be under the notion you have a choice in the matter."
Both captives barreled through the entrance, coming to a stop inside an old trailer. Wanda looked around, seeing an illusion of Frank sitting in a chair, helping himself to a bottle of whiskey. Odd, that's the first time she'd ever seen him drink, even if it was just a memory.
On the other side of the trailer was a young girl with long dirty blonde hair. It only took her a second to realize it was Amy, back when she was still a teenager. Sitting across from her was an African American man with one leg, whom Wanda realized was Frank's friend Curtis- the one who Frank told her got his leg blown off. But the woman right next to him, wearing her dark brown hair in a bun…
"Who is that?" Maximoff whispered to Frank, as Agatha stood off to the side.
"Madani." Castle muttered, turning back to open the trailer door… only to find it just led to the junkyard outside.
"Ah, shit."
Frank turned to glare at Harkness, whose face split into a grin.
"You didn't really think you could leave, did you?" the witch cackled. "You're not getting out of here until I say so."
Wanda narrowed her eyes in anger, until she suddenly heard a familiar voice- Frank's voice, though it wasn't from the one right next to her.
"You know, if you had asked me once, I would've said I was just like everybody else." the vision of Frank murmured, catching everyone else's attention. "You know, all I really gave a shit about was if my family was happy, healthy. And then I lost them. Everything changed."
Frank felt his eyes twitch from the memory, while Wanda's began tearing up, realizing he'd said something similar to Clint Barton, weeks ago.
"I thought… I thought I became something different." the past version of Frank continued. "But last night… I had a little chat with my wife. I sat by her grave, and I realized something: this is who I always was."
As the vision continued speaking, the mental image of Frank sitting in front of Maria Castle's gravestone appeared in Wanda's mind, his form hugging his knees to his chest.
"And Maria… she knew. She knew what I was. She loved me anyway."
"So tell me…" Agatha interjected, leaning in between Wanda and Frank. "Did you really think you were always like this? Wanting to kill criminals, to punish them? Are you sure there wasn't a time where you just… became something else?"
Frank seethed in anger, as he suddenly turned around, grabbing Agatha by the throat and forcing her against the trailer's wall.
"Let us out. Now."
Harkness simply chuckled, before a blast of violet energy knocked him backwards, crashing through the trailer door.
"You're in no position to make demands, Castle." Agatha snickered, while Wanda hurriedly approached Frank's prone body.
"Are you alright?" Maximoff asked, placing his arm around her shoulder and hauling him to his feet, with considerable effort.
"I'm good." Frank grunted, brushing himself off. "Thanks."
Wanda's mouth tugged into a smile, despite their circumstances, before suddenly looking around, seeing… nothing. They were in complete darkness. That was, until a spotlight shined down several feet away from them, revealing another vision of Frank. This time, he was wearing a gray undershirt, his entire body sporting cuts and bruises. In front of him was a woman with long blonde hair, wearing a white and blue flower dress. Maria, from what Wanda remembered from looking in Frank's mind once.
"It's time." the apparition declared. "You have to choose."
"Choose… don't make me do that." the bruised and bloodied Frank murmured. The vision of the wife smiled, holding out her hand.
"Come home, Frank."
The scenery suddenly shifted to what looked like an underground chamber. Frank, still beat up, was tied to a chair, while a bald man in a bloody white shirt glared down at him, as he grabbed a fistful of his hair.
"Stay with me, Frank. You're gonna wanna be awake for this." the man sneered, walking over to a nearby table and picking up a blue epipen.
"Frank…" Maximoff murmured, about to ask him who the man was.
"Rawlins." the real Castle murmured.
Oh. Now she remembered who he was. William Rawlins was Frank's superior, the one who had him kill Zubair.
"Adrenaline. A little something for what ails you." Rawlins announced, before stabbing the pen into Frank's knee, making him gasp loudly.
"Oh there he is! Boom, boom, boom!" the bald man said gleefully. "Oh, you're really quite something."
"What's the point of this?" Frank growled, looking over his shoulder and seeing Agatha leaning against the chamber's concrete wall.
"I told you, Castle. I'm going to help you realize what you really are." Harkness shrugged. Frank clenched his hand into a fist, but suddenly felt a hand on his shoulder.
"Frank, don't." Wanda pleaded. "She's already shown we can't do anything."
Castle turned to look into her eyes, seeing she was practically begging him to not attack the witch. Slowly, after taking a deep breath, Frank relaxed, turning back around to continue the memory.
"It was always going to come down to you and me, Frank." Rawlins told the captured Punisher, as he held up a knife. "Time for quid pro quo."
"Come home, Frank." Maria's voice interrupted, bringing Wanda and Frank to that space of darkness with the one light. Her hand was still outstretched, with the beat up Castle looking down at her palm. His wife smiled warmly, as he finally reached out, grasping her dainty hand in his large and blood spattered one.
"Let's go home." Maria coaxed, beginning to pull Frank away from the light. She stopped, however, when Frank tightened his grip, staying rooted to the spot.
The world shifted back to that underground chamber, with Rawlins getting up in Frank's face, his knife poised to stab Castle's left eye.
"You're a dead man, Frank." William grinned evilly. "Your heart just doesn't know it yet."
As the knife got closer and closer, Wanda reached out, trying in vain to stop the offending instrument, when she suddenly heard a faint snap. She looked down in confusion, noticing that the thing that bound Castle's hands together- a simple ziptie- had been cleanly broken. At the same time, the vision of Frank and Maria in the spotlight reappeared, with the Punisher slowly letting go of his wife's hand.
"I am home." he murmured, as the image of Maria Castle faded away into the darkness.
In the chamber, the bloodied Frank reached out, stopping Rawlins' knife from stabbing him, as he delivered a headbutt to his former superior, sending him sprawling to the floor. Rawlins quickly scrambled back up, while Castle calmly stood, waiting for the bald man to make his move. William reacted out of pure terror, stabbing Frank in the gut in a desperate attempt to stay in control. Castle didn't even react, grabbing Rawlins by his throat and kicking his leg out from under him, causing him to trip and fall back to the floor. The Punisher proceeded to rip the knife out, approaching the fallen Rawlins menacingly.
"You're wrong." Frank declared, stabbing the blade into Rawlins' shoulder once, twice, three times… Wanda eventually lost count.
"Hey, Wanda…"
Maximoff looked up, seeing the real Frank trying to press her face into his chest.
"Hey, you don't have to see this."
Just before her view was obscured completely, Wanda squirmed slightly back, turning to look at the memory of Frank maiming Rawlins.
"I know." she whispered, her eyes hardening from the sight. "But I want to."
The answer made Frank's mouth go dry, as he looked down at Maximoff. Did he do this? Had travelling around with him for weeks turn her into him?
While Castle was busy wondering, Wanda continued watching the gory display. She couldn't entirely explain it, but she could feel Frank's pain, his grief, and most importantly, his rage. Rage at William Rawlins, for forcing him to kill Zubair. Rage for torturing him in this chamber, and very nearly killing him. She wanted to watch him die, no, she needed to watch him die.
"I'm a reminder." the memory sneered, as he began to pound his fists into Rawlins' face.
"All- men- die!"
With each word came a more powerful punch, as Castle pummeled the bald man, making it seem like the very ground shook. It was only after it looked like he was going to calm down, when Frank grabbed William by the chin, forcing the man to look up at him. Wasting no more time, Castle plunged his thumbs into the man's sockets, making Rawlins desperately wriggle in an attempt to escape.
"DIEEEEEEEE!" the Punisher screamed, until the bald man's body finally stilled. With his work finished, the memory collapsed to the floor, right next to William's body, and closed his eyes through labored breathing. All at once, the rage that Wanda felt was gone, replaced with… satisfaction. That feeling began to grow in Wanda's chest, as she still stared at Rawlins corpse-
"Wanda." Frank murmured, turning her towards him. "You good?"
Maximoff looked up at the taller man, as that satisfied emotion was suddenly replaced with fear. She'd never felt like that before, even when she and her brother felt angered towards Tony Stark. The passing thought made her heart sink into her stomach, while a tear rolled down her cheek.
"I… I wanted to see him die." Wanda choked out. "What's happening to me?"
Before Frank could answer, the chamber began to morph around them, seemingly dissipating before their very eyes. As expected, he and Wanda returned to the spotlight in the darkness, seeing the bloodied Frank looking around.
"Maria… I'm sorry."
The memory faded away, and in its place was Agatha, wearing a mocking grin.
"Do you get it yet, Castle?" she asked in a taunting manner. Frank continued glaring at Harkness, clenching his fists.
"I don't know what you want from me, witch."
Agatha's grin widened, as she snapped her fingers.
"Poor Frank Castle. Maybe this will help you see."
The darkness suddenly morphed into the interior of a military tent, revealing Frank in his uniform, Rawlins in front of him, and two other soldiers in identical clothing to Castle's. Wanda squinted, just barely able to see the names on their nametapes.
Schoonover and Russo.
"This terrain means we won't be able to land anywhere without the enemy noticing, so we'll land here." Colonel Schoonover declared, pointing to a square on the map in front of them. "North of this ridge. We'll go on foot. Once both teams are in position, we'll go to the compound."
"No air support?" Russo frowned.
"This is a clandestine mission, Liutenant Russo." Rawlins said condescendingly. "Air support would negate that."
Wanda felt her finger involuntarily twitch, as a spark of anger formed within. Seeing this man again was starting to make her rage from before come back-
Maximoff suddenly looked down, seeing her finger twitching as if she was pulling a trigger- just like Frank's when he was anxious.
God. Just what the hell was happening to her?
"You got something to add, Castle?"
Wanda looked back up, seeing the memory of Frank looking at Russo, then at their commanding officers.
"Sir, this looks like an ambush."
"And what makes you think that?" Rawlins asked snidely. "Do you have factual evidence to support your analysis? This man has been a target for months, his whereabouts are finally confirmed. We're not going to get this chance again."
"So what, he's just here now? Waiting to be caught, where there's no easy exfil, where the terrain's a death trap?" Frank argued. "You know what people call teams like ours? The American Taliban. We go in, in the middle of the night, and people disappear. We've been doing it for a year!
"Now look, they know about us, and they want us dead. I think it's a trap. I think it's a trap, because it's exactly what I would do."
Rawlins and Schoonover stood silent for a while, until the Colonel looked over to the other lieutenant.
"Russo?"
"I trust Frank's instincts, sir." Russo quickly agreed.
"And I trust hard earned, thoroughly vetted intelligence." Rawlins said mockingly. "I'll take my facts over the vague notions of the 'War Whisperer' over here anyday."
The comment made Wanda's irritation grow, but she wasn't the only one.
"Hey asshole, lemme tell you something!" the memory was about to snap, but was interrupted. "You don't have any operation-"
"QUIET!" Schoonover barked. "Last I checked, neither you nor Russo were in command! Now prep your teams."
"Sir." Russo mumbled, preparing to leave. Frank stayed rooted in his spot, speaking calmer this time.
"Sir, I think if we do this, a lot of men are gonna die."
Schoonover let out a frustrated sigh, while Rawlins glared at Castle.
"I pointed. Now you need to go shoot."
"Dustoff's at 0300. Now get the hell out of here." Schoonover continued with a snarl.
"Roger." Frank muttered, before he and Russo turned to exit the tent. Wanda, the real Frank, and Agatha followed them, finding the memories sitting down on their beds, as they prepped their men for what was to come. While Russo was speaking though, Wanda and Frank suddenly heard a deep, raspy voice cut through the air, seemingly speaking to the Castle in the memory.
What stopped you, Frank? You could have killed that piece of shit Rawlins and Schoonover easily. You could have staged it like an accident, Russo would have had your back. No one else would have known. No one else would have cared, not even Billy. You'd be the acting commander of Cerberus Squad, right when they'd need you most.
The memory of Frank furrowed his eyebrows, as his eyes darted around. Who said that?
Because that's what it's all about, right Frank? The lives of your men. Protecting Cerberus Squad. That is why you're against this operation, right? Because you're scared that they'll die. Especially Russo.
Frank's past self continued looking around, trying to locate the voice. Unfortunately, no one in the platoon sounded like that.
That's all it is. Nothing more than that. Nothing like… maybe… you wanted to kill Rawlins. Makes you wonder, right Frank? How easy it is for you to hurt, to kill someone, as long as they're the enemy. That urge you get, to give every one of these assholes exactly what they deserve? Because you can, Frank. We both know the real reason you told them it was an ambush. You don't want this end.
Come on, don't be shy. I know you love this. Talk all you want about your duty, stopping Afghans from coming in and killing half of Cerberus Squad in their sleep- we both know that's not it. When did you feel so alive before? So full of fierce black joy?
The real Frank audibly gulped, as he tried to pretend he was listening to Russo, instead of this knew voice.
But even if you were able to get them to call off the operation, we both know you'd just delay the inevitable. I can fix it for you though, Frank. Just say the word and I'll do it. That's the gift I'm willing to give you- to give every single one of them what they deserve.
Frank took a deep inhale, as he racked his brain on figuring out if he heard this voice before. Apparently, that's what his past self was doing too, as the voice seemed to talk to both of them.
What's that? Who am I? Is that what you're asking? Well… who do you think I am, Frank?
That voice… Wanda never heard it before, but it sounded so familiar. She looked back toward Frank, seeing that his face had paled. He was trying hard to look calm, but even she could tell that the voice instilled fear in him.
"Frank… are you okay?" Maximoff asked, placing her hand on his shoulder and looking up at him. In a moment, Castle swallowed his fear, quickly nodding.
"Yeah, Wanda. Yeah, I'm good."
"Oh, we both know that's not true." Agatha chortled, as a loud explosion went off. The tent suddenly disappeared, in its place was a rocky terrain in the dead of night. There were soldiers firing their rifles in all directions, while one man laid on the ground, his right arm completely torn off and coating the ground a dark crimson. Upon closer inspection, Wanda realized the man who lost his arm was none other than Colonel Schoonover.
After witnessing the exchange he and Rawlins had with Castle and Russo in the previous memory, Wanda had expected she'd find some sort of amusement from the predicament. After all, she felt rage, then satisfaction, to Frank killing Rawlins in the first place, so anything was possible. But no, all she felt right now… was fear.
"Once they get those mortars ranged in, they're gonna pound us into the ground!" Russo muttered, firing blindly into the night. Frank scanned the area, searching for something, anything, that could help them. He found it in the form of a building several yards away, that looked perfect for them to call in a chopper to get them out of the particular sticky situation. Unfortunately, it was also most likely crawling with Insurgents.
"I'm gonna get to that building. Clear an evac." Castle declared, firing over the ridge.
"You outta your mind?!" Russo yelled, taking cover.
"Whaddya wanna do, Bill? You wanna die here, like a rat in a jar?" Frank asked sarcastically, while popping up periodically to shoot. "It's about time I had a fair fight. I'm going!"
"Then I'm coming with you!" Billy told him, getting up as well.
"No Bill, you gotta stay here. Keep 'em safe."
"What're you talking about?" Russo asked, crouching low. "Are you crazy?"
"No, stay here." Frank ordered. "Keep 'em safe, yeah? I need cover."
"Wait, Frank-"
"I gotta get home to the boss, Bill." Frank interrupted. Russo stared at him for a moment, before nodding and standing up, squeezing the trigger on his rifle. Meanwhile, Frank ran towards the downed Schoonover, eyeing his arm.
"How you doing, sir?"
The Colonel was breathing heavily, straining to even speak. Once he finally found his voice, he humorlessly joked, "You reap what you sow, eh, Frank?"
"Gonna do some reaping of my own." Castle vowed, as he stood up. "Just don't bleed out, you hear me? Imma get you home sir. I'll get you home."
Schoonover rapidly nodded, while Frank looked back toward the building letting out several angry breaths to hype himself up.
"COVER!"
The rest of Cerberus Squad fired their weapons all at once, giving Frank the necessary time to sneak towards the building, ducking behind cover and picking off Insurgents when he needed to. Once he got in, he was going through the motions, rapidly firing at anyone else he saw with his rifle. Eventually, he had to lose the firearm and pull out his pistol, aiming precisely at the head or center mass. One such Insurgent got too close, and Frank grabbed him around the neck and used him as a human shield, before firing his sidearm at the man's head at point blank range.
Throughout the haze of blood and sweat, Frank took off his helmet, clearing his vision just a tiny bit, but enough. Just like his rifle, his pistol ran out of ammo, forcing him to take out his pump action shotgun and fire slugs directly at the Insurgents' heads, until that weapon no longer had any ammunition either. Once that happened, the memory picked up a discarded AK rifle, rapidly firing into the night.
"What's the point of all this?" the real Frank asked, turning to look at Agatha. Wanda turned her head as well to glare at the witch, wondering the same thing.
"Just wait." Harkness grinned, motioning towards the memory. The two captives went to look back at the soldier, witnessing him get shot in the shoulder, his blood spattering against a concrete wall behind him. Wanda placed her hand over her mouth, her eyes widened in shock, as he struggled to get up, but still fired his rifle. Seconds later, Maximoff looked on in horror, as the weapon suddenly made a loud clicking noise, signalling the rifle was out of bullets.
"No…" she whispered, as the memory tossed the rifle to the side, slumping against a pillar. As he continued struggling to stand, they all suddenly heard that same, raspy voice from before, making dread pool in Wanda's stomach.
It's time to shit or get off the pot, Frank. Look at you, you're exhausted. You've just been shot, and all your ammunition has dried up. I can help you, but you have to say the word…
The injured Frank groaned, clutching his shoulder, as blood began to pour from his mouth onto the cement ground. Through it all, Wanda could feel the man's pain, reaching up to feel her own shoulder.
Come on, Frank, you know you want to. You did two tours in Afghanistan, not to mention Fallujah and Baghdad, before you joined up with Cerberus. You've been seeking without realizing. Going into the nightmare again and again. What was it that kept you coming back? What else would you be looking for but this?
Again, the bloodied Frank tried to stand up, only to sink back to the floor from tiredness.
I can give it to you, Frank… there'll be a price of course, but nothing's free. Say no, and you're just a KIA here in Kandahar. The rest of your squad will soon follow. Like rats in jars, as you said. But if you say yes, I'll help you get them home, and then some. I'll give you what you've wanted all these years. But you have to say it, Frank. Say it… say it…
Wanda tried reaching out towards the memory, but as expected, she couldn't actually change anything. What she didn't expect was her hand going straight through the injured Castle, as if she, Harkness, and the real Frank were ghosts. Meanwhile, the memory looked over his shoulder, hearing footsteps and vague shadows in the distance.
They're coming, Frank. I'll help you get the rest of Cerberus Squad, and I'll even give you what you want: a war that lasts forever. A war that never ends. But you have to say the word, Frank-
"Yes." the memory blurted out, startling Wanda. That single, powerful word… it was so sudden, sounding almost like a desperate plea from an otherwise dying man. The memory slowly got up, and Wanda felt him receive a sudden burst of strength, as he pulled himself up against another pillar and took out his combat knife.
"COME ON!" Frank roared, listening to the patter of footsteps. A few seconds later, an Insurgent got to close to the pillar, and Frank swiftly grabbed his clothes, stabbing his knife into his collarbone several times. Upon hearing another Afghan behind him, the memory turned around, bullrushing him into a concrete wall and stabbing his neck, before whirling around and sinking his blade into a third man's eye, causing his arm to shoot up and fire his rifle at the ceiling. Just as Frank was about to repeatedly stab him, another Insurgent blindsided him, punching him across the face and making him drop the knife. Undaunted from having no weapon, Castle resorted to grabbing the sides of the man's head and forcing him against the wall, slamming his skull into the concrete.
While Frank continued to hit the Afghan's head against the wall, a loud whistling noise could be heard, too close for comfort. Thinking quickly, the soldier fell backwards onto the ground, pulling the Insurgent on top of him as the whistling turned into a deafening explosion. Thankfully, whatever went off didn't kill him, as Frank slowly stood back up, stumbling around as if he was drunk. His eyes darted around madly, until he spotted one of the Afghans on the ground was still breathing.
At this moment, Wanda felt Frank place his arms on her shoulders, trying to turn her around and face him. Just like he tried to do when she saw Rawlins' death. And just like before, she kept staring, even as the bloodied Frank in uniform picked up a sizable rock from the ground.
"Wanda…" Castle murmured. "You don't need… you don't want to see this."
Despite what he said, Wanda's eyes narrowed, feeling her anger rise up. The same anger from the injured Castle, as he raised the rock above his head. It wasn't that she wanted to see this- she had to see it. She had to.
So when the memory bashed the rock into the Insurgents' head, again and again, Wanda didn't so much as flinch. Even when the man's head became a mushy pile of blood, brains, and other gore, she didn't make a single sound, until her vision became blurred. Or was it the memory itself?
Maximoff was suddenly snapped out of her thoughts, when she felt Frank's hands on her shoulders begin to shake.
"Frank?" Wanda asked out loud. She was about to ask why he was shaking, when her brain caught up with her eyes. The scenery had morphed from a compound in Kandahar to a bedroom- Frank's bedroom, with him sleeping in bed. Wanda knew it well; having accidentally dived into his memories before. Now, she was afraid of what she thought was going to happen.
"Ah, finally." Agatha smirked. "Last stop!"
The door to Frank's room opened, and in walked his wife, her long brown hair flowing freely, while wearing a white dress with blue flowers.
"Hey, sleepyhead." Maria Castle smiled warmly, sitting down on the bed and stroking her husband's face, causing him to suddenly wake up.
"Hey." Frank said groggily, reaching out and touching his wife. "What time is it?"
"Ten thirty." Maria whispered, letting out a soft chuckle. "You needed your sleep. Besides, there's plenty of time, now that you're home."
The memory smiled up at his wife, as she suddenly pulled away walking back towards the door.
"I'm gonna go get breakfast."
"Okay." Frank murmured, watching her disappear down the hall. Almost as if on cue, Maximoff, Harkness, and the Punisher heard that raspy voice cut through the memory.
Frank? You there, buddy? We haven't talked in a while, you've been so busy.
The Frank Castle in bed looked around the room, trying to find the source of that voice. Unfortunately, he found nothing.
Early discharge, instead of transferring back to the force like your friend Billy did. You got a medal or two, including the Navy Cross… that's a lot of shut-the-hell-up for a man who doesn't even care about all that…
But Kandahar was so far from beyond the normal disaster that they don't want anybody talking. And the looks on those faces, Billy's included, when you broke Rawlins' face… well.
An image suddenly flashed in Wanda's mind, just for a brief second, of a bloodied, bruised, and pissed off Frank attacking Rawlins in the tent, punching him so hard, his left eye went completely blind, before Russo and two other squadmates had to pull him away. And just like that, the image left her mind, returning her to the bedroom.
Anyway, down to business. The voice continued. You said yes to my offer, Frank, and I delivered. Not every day you beat two dozen men to death and soak up a bullet or two, right?
The memory continued looking around the room, his eyes seeming more frantic now, as Wanda felt that dread in her stomach begin to grow.
Oh, you can say all you want it was for your men. For Schoonover. For Russo. You needed to get them home. But I know your secret. You said yes because you wanted more. You wanted it to be forever. And… well… how can I put this…
Remember when I told you there'd be a price?
At that moment, almost as if the voice was waiting for this moment, Maria returned to the bedroom, holding a breakfast tray in her hands. A pang of fear went through Wanda's chest, as she felt her heartbeat quicken.
Sorry, it's too late, Frank. Nothing you can do about it now, you've already set things in motion. Besides, in a moment or two, you'll forget this little talk of ours entirely, so you might as well enjoy what you've got for the short time you'll have it.
The real Frank's shoulders sagged, realizing what the voice said was absolutely true. He had forgotten about that voice in his head. He had forgotten about that 'talk', and the price… until now.
And to answer your question last time, who am I? The voice asked. Well, let's just say we're in the same line of work, Frank. And trust me, I've been at it for a lot, lot longer than you. But let's just say we'll be good friends, even though you'll never hear from me again. See, you'll keep me busy doing what I like to do…
So let's just leave it at that.
Maria made her way over to the bed, setting the tray down and looking at her husband in concern.
"Are you alright, Frank? I feel like I lost you for a moment."
Frank quickly shook his head, blinking a few times to get the sleepiness out of his eyes.
"I'm okay. It's nothing, honey." Castle lied, as he pulled Maria in close and wrapped her in a hug.
"Just hold on tight."
While the memory version of Frank hugging his wife slowly faded away, Wanda felt Frank's hands continue to shake, causing her to turn around and look up.
"Frank, are you-"
Maximoff stopped, seeing tears streaming down his face. She was going to ask if he was okay, but she kept her mouth shut. No, he wasn't. He was far from okay.
"Hey, Frank." she spoke softly, placing her hands on his shoulder. "You're going to be alright…"
Wanda's voice trailed off, trying to think of what to say. When she found she couldn't think of anything specific, she decided to go with the same thing Castle said to her, when they first met.
"Just take five seconds, okay?" she asked in a whisper, trying to sound like when she'd console Pietro when they were children. "Just take a deep breath."
Frank numbly nodded, and squeezed his eyes shut for exactly five seconds. Once he opened them, he took a deep inhale, before exhaling the air through his nose.
"You good?" Maximoff asked, smiling half-heartedly. Frank let out a small smirk as well, as he whispered out a single word that only she could hear.
"Yeah."
Before either of them said anything else, they suddenly heard clapping, causing Wanda to look past Frank. Right behind them was Agatha, leaning against a cavern wall. So they were back in her basement now. Maximoff's eyes narrowed, beginning to pull away and step forward as the witch wore a taunting smile, slowly clapping at them in mockery.
"Bravo." Harkness said sarcastically, before snapping her fingers. In an instant, she teleported away in a mist of violet energy, but that's not what made Wanda's eyes widen. No, what got her attention more was the fact that she suddenly couldn't feel Frank's body anymore, instead seeing wisps of that same purple magic where he should have been.
"Frank?" Wanda called out worriedly, looking around the chamber. No one else was there, and interestingly enough, neither was that book that was on the altar when she showed up. Upon realizing that she was the only one in the basement, Maximoff quickly dashed back towards the entrance and up the stairs, two at a time, before running through the house's hallways and bursting out the door. She ran out into the street, just as Agatha reappeared, with Frank with her. The witch now wore an eerie black garb, with coils of her magic levitating her off the ground. In the middle of the street was Frank, with strands of the same magic coiling around his neck and slowly strangling him, while a longer strand rose up to meet Harkness' outstretched fingers. Like a dog's leash.
"I know what you are, Wanda." Agatha proudly proclaimed, as she tugged Frank's neck back with the magical leash. "What you both are."
Maximoff's eyes showed her fear, as she conjured up balls of scarlet energy in her hands.
"Frank, it's okay." she kept saying quickly. "It's going to be okay."
Harkness laughed, while Frank continued choking.
"You two have no idea how dangerous you really are." Agatha told them. "You're supposed to be myths! One of you, a being of spontaneous creation, and the other, a reaper of death and destruction. Yet here you are, together. Oblivious to what either of you can really do."
Wanda grit her teeth, beginning to feel the rage from before begin to return. She'd had enough of Agatha's games, and if she kept choking Frank…
"Let. Him. Go." Maximoff snarled stepping forward. "I don't know what you're talking about-"
"Of course you don't." Harkness interrupted. "But bringing Vision back to life, turning Westview into your own personal playground… this is Chaos Magic, Wanda."
Maximoff frowned in confusion, staring up at Agatha in curiosity.
"And that makes you… the Scarlet Witch."
Wanda took a step back in shock, having never heard anyone call her that before. The Scarlet… what?
A/N: So, not much to say here, really. Like I said in the first chapter, I skipped over Wanda's flashbacks because nothing was changed. For Frank's though, even though there wasn't much that changed with them, they were still added in so that Wanda could see what happened to him. Oh, and it was nice to have Wanda more or less telling Frank the same comforting things he told her.
As to Wanda experiencing those emotions of wanting to see Frank murder Rawlins and those other guys, I'm adding "empath" to her abilities. It won't be directly explained in this story, so I might as well add it here.
The next chapter will be up tonight. In the meantime, have a good day everyone!