A/N: Well, as promised, here's another chapter for the night! Without spoiling anything, there will be a lot of scenes that are taken straight from the WandaVision finale, as well as a returning character from a past MCU film. Enjoy!
Oh, I don't usually reply to guest reviews, but to Ellie Bishop, yes, Harkness will. Especially in this chapter.
While Maximoff continued staring at Agatha in stunned silence, Frank grit his teeth against the leash around his neck, letting out a low growl.
"Get the hell off me."
Hearing Frank's voice seemed to break Wanda out of her state, as her eyes suddenly narrowed, while taking a few steps forward.
"My powers work out here, or did you forget?" she asked, tilting her head.
"Oh no, dear. I'm counting on it." Harkness grinned, descending towards the ground. Frank felt the leash loosen a bit, and he swiftly turned around, throwing his fist into the witch's face. Agatha's head snapped back, but her arm pulled back on the strand, choking Castle even further and forcing him to his knees.
"No!" Wanda shouted, firing an orb of crimson energy at the witch. The blast slammed Agatha directly in her chest, sending her to the ground and forcing the violet coil around Frank's neck to dissipate. Castle groaned, rubbing his neck, while Wanda quickly ran towards him, putting herself between him and Harkness.
"Castle, get out of here." she murmured, looking over her shoulder. "Walk away, please."
"Not gonna happen." Frank told her, slowly standing up and pulling out a second pistol- the one that wasn't taken away. "I'm not leaving you here."
Wanda's mouth tugged into a halfhearted smile, recalling a similar conversation they had when they first met, and SWORD had tried to kill her. Hearing a loose recreation of what they had told each other was almost… touching.
"You should listen to her, Castle."
Maximoff turned back to look at Harkness, who was now standing upright.
"Not like it'll matter." Agatha shrugged. "Once I'm done with Wanda, I'll come for you."
That was the last straw for Wanda, as she suddenly fired another energy blast at the witch. Instead of falling to the ground like last time, Agatha caught the ball of scarlet magic, moments before it reached her. Maximoff's eyes widened in horror, as the crimson ball proceeded to shrink in the dark witch's hands, as well as slowly turn a violet color.
"I take magic from the undeserving." Harkness grinned cruelly. "It's kinda my thing."
Suddenly, as if she was getting an uneasy feeling, Wanda looked down, holding up her left hand- the one she fired that energy blast from. To say she was further horrified was an understatement, as her hand began to take on a more wrinkled, black, decayed look.
What the hell?
While Wanda was busy staring at her hand, she didn't notice the blast of magic Agatha had sent her way. But Frank did.
"Get down!" Castle yelled, grabbing Wanda from behind and tackling her forward. As they went down, Frank just barely felt the energy go past his head, slightly grazing his hair. Once the projectile went past them, Castle got up on his knees, looking down at Maximoff in concern.
"Wanda, you good?" the Punisher asked, just before his eyes focused on her blackened hand.
"What the…"
"You two are clearly in over your heads." Agatha called out, making the pair look up at her. "So why don't you surrender your magic to someone who knows what to do with it?"
Wanda stood up, with Frank helping her, and glared at Harkness, as she began to slowly rise up back into the air.
"I'll even let you and Frank go on your merry way once I'm done." Agatha offered. "Whaddya say?"
Wanda didn't respond with words, opting to instead use her powers to fling a red car at Harkness. The witch gasped in surprise, before the two ton vehicle slammed into her and careened into a nearby house, painted white. Maximoff breathed heavily, as she and Frank walked towards the damaged house, looking under the car to find… nothing. No witch.
"Shit." Castle muttered, looking around. Where'd she go?
While Frank continued looking for Harkness, Wanda suddenly felt a gust of wind, followed by rapid footsteps that were much faster than a normal humans. Almost like someone had… superspeed…
Maximoff quickly turned around, seeing a man with a blue and gray longshirt standing before her, his blonde hair all messed up.
"Pietro?" Wanda asked out loud, seeing none other than her brother before her. "Is it really you?"
Pietro Maximoff grinned and nodded, while Frank slowly stood up behind Wanda. Indeed, it really was her twin. And it wasn't the solid astral projection that didn't look like him either, as Agatha called it. No, this was her real brother, somehow brought back-
The speedster suddenly caught three bullets in his chest, causing him to stumble backwards.
"Pietro!" Wanda yelled, turning around to see Frank, his pistol smoking. "What are you doing-"
"That's not him, Wanda!" Castle told her, pointing right past her. With a look of confusion, Maximoff turned back toward her brother, and that confused look morphed into shock. Pietro was still standing, despite those three kill shots Frank delivered. Moreso, his body was covered in much larger bullet holes, almost like from a minigun. And his eyes…
His eyes were a dead white, matching the pale skin he now had, but with a slight purple tint. Like Harkness' magic.
"Oh, sorry." Agatha's voice cut through the air. Wanda and Frank looked in the direction of her voice, seeing Harkness rematerialize on a nearby roof.
"I forgot to mention I had time after all to bring your real brother back. I also forgot to make the glamor spell permanent. Awkward, right?"
Frank's eyes darted from Agatha to the undead Pietro, as he tried to come up with a plan. He couldn't hope to take on that witch, but Wanda's brother...
"Hey." Castle murmured to Maximoff, making her look towards him. "I got your brother, yeah?"
Wanda looked nervously at Pietro, but reluctantly nodded. With Frank taking care of her brother, she can focus her attention on Harkness. She just hoped Castle would last long.
With Maximoff locking her gaze on Agatha, Pietro sped forward, grabbing Frank by his trench coat and carrying him around the neighborhood, while the witch began flying towards the heart of town. Wanda looked back towards the shrinking blur that was her brother, hoping that Frank would be alright, before using her own powers to levitate off the ground and chase after Harkness.
In all his years of being the Punisher, Frank had never gone up against someone with superspeed before. Which was a bad thing, as Pietro smashed him into just about every solid structure there was in town, before throwing him into the middle of the street. Castle groaned, getting up on one knee, and pressed a hand to his aching ribs. There wasn't a shred of doubt that a couple of them were broken.
Pietro didn't let up, zooming towards Frank and slamming his fist into the older man's jaw, using his speed to knock him off balance. Castle growled in irritation, throwing his own punch, but the younger Maximoff easily dodged, before delivering an uppercut that knocked him back on the ground.
"What, you didn't see that coming?" Pietro gloated, while Frank struggled to get back up.
Once Wanda arrived in the middle of town, she descended onto the street, deciding to continue searching for Agatha on foot. All around her, citizens were looking at her, both in anger and fear. Dottie, no- Sarah. Norm… no. His real name was Abilash. Her neighbor Herb, no, his real name was John. All these people that she controlled… she thought she had put herself past this, but seeing them again-
Wanda suddenly felt a blast of energy hit her in the back, forcing her to tuck and roll forward, just like Frank taught her. Once she slowed her fall, Maximoff got up on one knee, looking over her shoulder to see Harkness standing on the roof of a brick building.
"Ah, come to admire your handiwork?" Agatha cackled, her eyes glinting with wickedness. "Do you know how much pain you've caused these people? The pain they still feel?"
Maximoff looked around her, seeing her 'neighbors' paling in fear.
"What? No." Wanda quickly reassured everyone, before glaring up at Harkness. "I didn't come here to hurt them again. I came back to stop you!"
"Stop me? Wanda, you've never gone up against another witch before." Agatha snorted. "So much power, yet so inexperienced. did you know that there are entire chapters devoted to you and Castle in the Darkhold?"
Upon Wanda looking at her in curiosity, the witch continued, "That's the book of the damned!"
Harkness proceeded to wave her hands in the air, and that same book she and Frank saw in the basement was conjured out of thin air, opening up by itself.
"'The Scarlet Witch is not born, she is forged.'" Agatha recited. "'She has no coven, no need for incantation.'"
"I'm not a witch!" Wanda yelled, her eyes glowing crimson as she fully stood up. "I don't cast spells, no one taught me magic!"
"Your power exceeds that of the Sorcerer Supreme." Agatha revealed, completely ignoring what Wanda said. "It is your destiny to destroy the world… yours and Castle's."
Maximoff stepped back in shock, though her eyes were still narrowed.
"What are you talking about?"
The witch grinned, as a few pages of the Darkhold magically flipped.
"'The Reaper is a chosen soul, handpicked by The Great Shadow.'" Agatha read. "'Though he cannot wield magic, he is able to wipe out entire armies, an emissary of death and destruction!'"
Wanda's mouth hung ajar, as she recalled the memory of Frank Castle murdering that entire building of Insurgents. And that voice… that terrible, grating voice… was that what Harkness had called The Great Shadow-
No. Wanda shook her head in disbelief. He couldn't be what that book mentioned. They couldn't. She couldn't.
"We're not who you say we are!" Maximoff shouted, throwing up her hands in despair.
"Is that so?" Agatha grinned, motioning around to the frightened townspeople. "I'm pretty sure that all your meat puppets are evidence to the contrary, especially with their strings now cut."
Feeling as if she was being watched, Wanda looked around to the residents of Westview, taking in their expressions. Some of them still had pale faces, while others were cowering, not even looking at her. But they were all still fearful of her. Fearful that she was back to continue what she did weeks ago.
"I'm… I'm not…" Wanda whispered, finding the words were caught in her throat. She so desperately wanted to tell them she wasn't here to hurt them. That she was just here to stop Harkness from doing anymore harm. But aside from herself, had Agatha actually harmed the town at all?
Maximoff felt herself go weak in the knees, as she collapsed onto the street, feeling an overwhelming sense of fear. Just like with Frank's memories, she could sense everyone's emotions around her.
"I'm sorry." Wanda whimpered. "I didn't mean to…"
Agatha's cruel laughter cut through the air, causing Maximoff to look up at her.
"Now you see, Wanda? While you've been running around with Frank Castle, you tried to avoid what you did here. And now you're feeling the damage you've truly caused." Harkness gloated, as she used her powers to suddenly lift up several of the residents high above the air.
"And to think you care about them, after enslaving them for weeks." the witch sneered, causing the violet wisps around the residents to dissipate, dropping them several stories down. Wanda gasped, holding out her hand and using her own powers to stop the citizens from dropping to their deaths, suspending them a few inches above the ground. Maximoff let out an exhale she didn't know she had, before making the crimson energy disappear, and the residents returned to the ground fully.
"You're pathetic." Agatha taunted. "Such a waste of power."
Just as Harkness finished speaking, a blue and white blur zoomed by, slowing down to reveal the undead Pietro, carrying Frank by the scruff of his neck. Wanda's 'brother' carelessly tossed Castle across the ground, where he rolled over to her, bloodied and bruised.
"Frank." she murmured out worriedly, checking to see if he was still alive. Once she felt his body rise and fall, she breathed out a small sigh of relief.
"Wanda…" the Punisher groaned, looking up at her.
"Hi." she barely whispered, taking a moment to look back up at Agatha. Upon seeing the witch was firing a blast of violet magic directly at her, Maximoff's eyes widened, standing up and holding out her arms, like one would for a hug.
"NO!"
A dome of scarlet energy suddenly formed around Wanda and Frank, and Agatha's magic slammed against it. The resulting force strained Wanda's powers, but also blew the residents of Westview and Pietro backwards, as well as destroyed a chunk of road. Harkness wasn't done however, as she suddenly began to leech Wanda's magic from her, shattering the dome and manipulating the crimson energy into shooting out towards her in a thick trail. Castle looked up at the witch, seeing her with a hazy look on her face, as she absorbed the scarlet magic.
Once the stream of energy finished trickling out of her, Wanda fell to her knees, causing Frank to heave himself up off the ground, grabbing her arms to stop her from collapsing in the middle of the street. His eyes widened in concern, seeing that both her arms were now withered and gray- like a corpse.
"How sweet." Agatha mocked, floating down towards the two, until she was mere inches above ground. A few moments later, Pietro sped towards the small group, coming to a stop by Harkness' side.
"Pietro." Wanda gasped, taking a timid step forward. "Why?"
For a moment, Pietro frowned, as the purple tint of his dead white eyes faded, before his irises changed to their hazel hue- back when he was alive.
"Help… me…"
Agatha scoffed, twisting her fingers in a circular motion. In an instant, the speedsters' eyes went back to their dead white color, while the purple tint intensified. The very sight made Wanda's heart plummet, until she felt Frank's hand on her shoulder.
"Wanda, get behind me."
Maximoff turned to look at Frank, her gaze hardening. She knew he was trying to prevent her from getting hurt, as evidenced by his reaction to her withered arms, but he couldn't protect her from this. The cuts and bruises on Castle's face already demonstrated that Pietro was more than a match for him, and Agatha… Wanda herself could barely defend herself from that witch. Frank wouldn't survive.
With a heavy heart, Wanda shook her head, and turned to face Agatha and Pietro.
"There has to be some way to free him." she murmured, looking at her undead brother.
"Yeah." Frank mumbled back, as he pulled out his pistol. "I think I got something, but…"
Wanda didn't need to hear the rest, knowing that he was implying. That he'd have to kill Pietro. As much as she hated the idea, she knew it had to be done. Pietro had been dead for almost ten years now. She had to accept that.
"Do what you have to do." Maximoff told Frank, trying to mask her sorrow with a gruffness more accustomed to the Punisher. Castle gave a hesitant nod, as he aimed his pistol at Pietro, while Wanda stared Agatha down, her hands conjuring orbs of scarlet energy. The undead speedster cracked his neck, before zooming forward, grabbing Frank and speeding off, while Wanda and Agatha levitated above the ground. Harkness grinned, throwing a sphere of her magic at Maximoff while flying. Instead of countering with her own power, Wanda simply dodged, as she remembered what Agatha recited in the Darkhold.
She has no coven, no need for incantation.
If Agatha Harkness wanted a witch, then Wanda would be damned sure to give her one. So instead of attacking her foe, Maximoff focused her power on a new ability, one that she had already seen Agatha do quite often.
With a snap of her fingers, Wanda teleported away, leaving only sparks of her scarlet energy in her spot. Agatha looked around in confusion and discomfort, as the crimson sparks faded away as well, leaving nothing but air in her midst.
Pietro sped into the Westview library, slamming Frank into a bookshelf and repeatedly punched him in the face, making blood fly out of his mouth. The speedster swung his fist at normal speed again, but Castle ducked this time, before smashing his knee into the dead man's abdomen and throwing his own punch, making Pietro's head snap to the side. That was all he got though, as the undead Maximoff twin resorted to using his powers, punching Frank with lightning fast fists until the man dropped to his knees, spitting out a wad of blood.
"You can't beat me." Pietro told him, in a mechanical-like voice. Frank grunted in pain, as he stealthily pulled out a ka-bar from his boot.
"That right?" Castle muttered, before stabbing the blade down into Pietro's foot. The speedster screamed, while Frank quickly stood up, pummeling him with his bloodied knuckles, until Maximoff sunk down to one knee, reaching toward the ka-bar. Frank didn't stop, delivering a brutal kick to his face that made Pietro collapse to the floor, with his leg twisted at an odd angle due to the knife in his foot.
The Punisher proceeded to yank his knife out, elicitating another scream from Maximoff. Before he could get back up, Frank quickly slashed the ka-bar downwards, slicing both of Pietro's achilles tendons, preventing him from being able to get up and speed away. Ignoring the speedster's screams of agony, Castle kicked him in the side, the act forcing his body to roll onto his back, while Frank gripped his pistol tightly. Instead of giving him a blank stare, Pietro gave him an almost pleading look, as the purple haze in his white eyes faded slightly.
"D-do it… kill… me…"
After a moment's hesitation, Frank obliged, emptying three rounds directly into Pietro's skull. Instead of blood, violet colored magic- Agatha Harkness' magic- poured out of the wounds, as his dead white eyes returned to the hazel color, just for a moment.
"Thank you…" Maximoff whispered, staring up at Castle. "I'm sorry… Wanda…"
Pietro's eyes closed, with his mouth stretched into a half smirk, as his body stilled. Just as he stepped back from the body, Frank felt as if he was being watched, swiftly turning around and pointing his weapon at… Wanda, who was standing there in stunned silence.
"Hey Wanda." Castle sighed, holstering his pistol. "How long were you there?"
"Long enough… to hear him say goodbye." Wanda murmured, as a single tear ran down her cheek. Frank was about to step forward to comfort her, but she beat him to it, lunging forward and wrapping her arms around him.
"Thank you, Frank." Wanda sobbed into his chest. "Thank you for freeing my brother."
"Yeah." Castle murmured, rubbing her back the same way he used to do with his own daughter. The two of them could've stood there forever, but there was one burning question on his mind:
"Where's Harkness?"
Wanda suddenly looked up, blinking away tears.
"She's… still out there. Looking for me."
Frank grit his teeth in annoyance, before he gently pushed Maximoff away and pulled out his pistol.
"Okay. I'm gonna take care of it-"
"Wait!" Wanda suddenly shouted, grabbing Castle's arm. Frank looked back at her in confusion, as her pupils began to glow crimson.
"I have an idea."
Before Frank could ask her just what that idea was, Wanda wrapped her arms around him again, and Castle felt his vision be engulfed by a scarlet haze, as they were both teleported out of the library.
Agatha flew through the sky of Westview, settling on the roof of the movie theater, her eyes scanning for Wanda. No matter where she looked, she couldn't find her-
"HARKNESS!"
The witch looked over towards the library, seeing Frank Castle walking out, pointing his pistol at her. So he was able to care of the undead Pietro after all, but was now foolish trying to take her on.
Deciding against uttering a single word to the Punisher, Agatha lazily flicked her hand, sending a sphere of her magic straight towards the rage filled man. Instead of instantly killing him like she had hoped, the moment her orb connected with Frank's body, crimson wisps of energy erupted, which caused his body to fizzle away. Harkness' eyes widened, realizing that it was a just an astral projection. A solid one, like the Pietro she created several weeks ago. And that meant-
Agatha suddenly turned around, just in time to see Wanda rush towards with supernatural speed, with Castle right next to her. With one hand on Frank's shoulder, Wanda used her other to shoot out tiny strands of crimson energy directly at her head, watching them phase through Harkness' skull and enter her mind. All Agatha could do was gasp, as her pupils turned scarlet, and she was suddenly no longer in Westview.
Agatha looked around to find herself in a darkened forest, with only a few torches to provide light. A glance at the ground revealed there to be several corpses in black cloaks and hoods, all of whom she knew well. Harkness herself was standing on a stone slab, her back up against a wooden beam that was stood upright.
"No." Harkness gasped in fear, trying to move. Her eyes widened further, as she found her hands bound behind her, while the dead bodies around her began to twitch.
"No."
While Agatha was still gasping, two figures emerged from the darkness, revealing themselves to be Frank and Wanda. It only took a moment for Castle to realize they were in the witch's memories, in contrast to his own or Maximoff's.
"You see, the difference between you and me is that you did this on purpose." Wanda told Agatha, before looking down at the ground to let out a quiet murmur.
"Not that what I did is excusable…"
Frank tilted his head, hearing her words, while Wanda glanced over to the corpses, willing them to rise up.
"No." Agatha shouted, seeing her victims from centuries ago strain to stand back up. "No, no, no, no, no!"
The bodies continued to rise, much to Harkness' terror, who began to look around frantically.
"No, please!" the witch groveled. "Please, I beg you!"
Wanda tilted her head, her eyes beginning to glow crimson, as the corpses fully stood up, as Agatha continued looking on in horror, until… she didn't. Within seconds, her terrified visage was replaced with a smug look, as the decayed witches all looked at Maximoff and Castle.
"Did you really think you could play mind games with me, Wanda?" Harkness smirked, as the corpses began chanting the pair's names.
"Wanda… Frank…"
The bodies continued chanting, as Frank stepped forward, protectively putting himself in front of Wanda.
"You…"
Maximoff and Castle suddenly whirled around, seeing a witch body with flowing white hair point an accusing finger at Wanda. No, not just at her… the both of them.
"...are the Scarlet Witch." the corpse told them. "And you… the Reaper."
"So it is written." the other witches began to chant, inching closer towards the two. Now it was Wanda's turn to be afraid, as she looked back towards Agatha.
"Told you so." the witch shrugged, appearing nonchalant at the sight before her.
"Harbingers of Chaos and Death!" the white haired witch declared. Frank narrowed his eyes, before swinging his fist and clocking the corpse in the jaw. Taking his cue, Wanda elbowed a nearby witch before kicking a third in the chest, while Castle slammed a fourth's head into his knee. Unfortunately, the bodies seemed to keep coming, until they eventually overwhelmed the pair, pushing Wanda up towards the slab and against the beam, while Frank was forced to his knees.
"You guys can't win." Agatha gloated, having removed herself from the slab moments before Wanda took her place. "Power isn't your problem, it's knowledge."
The witches' corpses suddenly gasped, causing Castle to look up in confusion. Upon seeing what made them make that peculiar noise, Frank's eyes widened slightly.
Sitting on Wanda's head was a crown made of crimson energy, looking similar to the headpiece from her Halloween costume. Castle tore his eyes from the spectacular sight, looking at Harkness to see her own awe-filled gaze.
"Give me your power, and I will correct the flaws in your original spell." the witch offered. "You can have Vision and your children again. The residents will forget all about what happened. No one will ever have to feel the pain you caused again. Not even you. Then you, your family, and the people of Westview can all live together in peace."
Frank turned back to look at Wanda, seeing her stop struggling. He wasn't sure what was going on in her head, but he had a pretty good idea: she was considering Agatha's offer. In all honesty, he wouldn't blame her. He couldn't. God knows he'd accept that kind of deal in a heartbeat, but something told him the witch wouldn't hold up her end…
The moment Agatha offered to bring back her children, Wanda froze, listening intently to her offer. Indeed, a large part of her, larger than she wanted to admit, was screaming at her to give Harkness her power. Despite everything, accepting that she couldn't just enslave an entire town to create her own family, travelling around with Frank and learning from him, a part of her still missed Vision, and Tommy, and Billy…
She wanted to take Agatha's deal. She really did. But when she looked towards Frank, seeing his eyes cast towards the ground, she remembered what he told her that night they sat in the foxhole together.
So don't be afraid of who you are, alright?
Funny, that felt so long ago… but then something in Wanda's mind clicked: Agatha never mentioned anything about Frank in her offer. Sure, she said she'd bring back Vision and her children, and even threw in that she'd make the residents of Westview forget about what happened, but not once did she mention Castle and his family. The thought made Wanda's blood boil, as her eyes glowed crimson. She knew what she had to do to end this. Meanwhile, Agatha's anticipating face fell, her expression morphing into one of dread.
Wanda let out a yell of anger, as a wave of scarlet energy erupted, dissipating the scarlet crown and knocking away all the reanimated corpses from her and Frank, as well as Agatha. The yell itself wasn't nearly as rage filled as Castle's, but for what it was worth, it made him proud. Maximoff proceeded to rush towards Frank, quickly placing his arm over her shoulder and helped him up, while Harkness slowly stirred.
"Are you alright?" Wanda asked, running her eyes over Frank's body.
"Yeah, Wanda. I'm good." Frank grunted through grit teeth. Maximoff gave him a quick nod, and, seemingly sharing the same thought, the two of them charged towards Agatha. Wanda let loose another angered yell, but Frank soon joined her this time, as his rage fuelled roar dwarfed her own.
Upon seeing the two harbingers running towards her, simultaneously screaming in anger, Agatha's face paled, her hands shaking uncontrollably. Having no time to react, Frank and Wanda slammed into her, with Maximoff using her powers to rip them out of Harkness' memory and back into the real world.
Frank, Wanda, and Agatha were sent tumbling over the edge of the movie theater's roof, with Harkness and Maximoff quickly using their powers to keep them from falling into the street. Wanda looked down, seeing Frank still falling, and reached out, engulfing him in scarlet energy. Castle felt his body slow in its descent, until he was gently dropped to the ground, the crimson layer around him fading.
With Wanda occupied on the ground, Agatha attempted to simultaneously drain both Frank and Wanda, firing magical spheres at them both. While Castle quickly rolled out of the way, Maximoff conjured a scarlet barrier, catching the blast head on. Before Harkness could leech her energy from her, Wanda pushed outward, expanding the barrier around herself and Agatha until it formed into a rather large, scarlet cube.
"Take it then!" Wanda yelled, firing a powerful blast at the witch, then another, and another.
"I don't want it!"
The third blast hit one of the cube's walls, making Agatha look at her in confusion. The expression was gone, however, when Maximoff through a fourth ball of energy, hitting Harkness energy chest.
"Yes!" Agatha grinned, absorbing the power. "Come on, Wanda!"
From where he stood, Frank could just barely hear what Wanda had said, about telling Harkness to take her powers. Something didn't feel right though, as she saw the look in her eyes during the witch's memory. It wasn't a look of defeat, it was one of defiance. He knew it well, it was the one he always wore when he stared down the barrel of a gun, or when he faced certain death. And when she created that cube of her energy, she was firing blasts that were clearly missing Harkness and hitting the wall. After all those days of training with firearms and tactical thinking, Frank knew that this wasn't just Wanda having bad aim.
So what was Wanda planning?
Back in the sky, Agatha let out a triumphant laugh, as Wanda continued firing magic blast after magic blast. Some of them hit her, allowing the witch to absorb Maximoff's power, while others continued to hit the walls of the cube surrounding them.
"Come on, Wanda!" Agatha cackled, as Wanda took a moment to look at her withered, gray hands. "Escape your fate! Release your burden!"
The former Avenger looked back at her fire, continue to fire blasts of crimson magic, much to Harkness' delight.
"There's more. I want it all!" Agatha declared, while in the process of absorbing one of the blasts. Wanda obliged, beginning to hit Harkness with everything she got, with the occasional blast striking another wall. Eventually, Wanda stopped firing orbs of her magic, and instead sent a solid scarlet stream right at Agatha, who absorbed it with glee. The witch cackled in delight, until all the magic left Maximoff, leaving her body a shrivelled, wrinkly husk. Just like the corpses in Harkness' memory.
"WANDA!" Frank shouted, staring up the young woman's body, while Agatha exhaled, fully absorbing the crimson energy.
"Ah… now, about our deal…" Agatha grinned wickedly. "Once cast, a spell can never be changed. Now matter how much time passes, the town of Westview will always be broken. Just… like… you."
Harkness' mouth tugged into a cruel smile, as she stared at Wanda's husk of a body.
"Oh, don't worry about Castle. I'll take care of him soon enough." the witch promised. "But first…"
Agatha thrust her arms forward, preparing to blast Wanda to pieces with her own magic, when… all she got were tiny purple colored sparks, which quickly fizzled into nothing.
"What?" Harkness asked aloud, winding back and thrusting her arms again. Worse than the last time, no energy came out at all, making the witch look over to Wanda, just in time to see her lift her head. Before her very eyes, Maximoff's skin returned to its normal, healthy appearance, as she raised her hand, flicking a no longer decayed finger to reveal flickering symbols that were burned into the cube's walls. Some of them, Agatha recognized.
"Runes." the witch gasped. Wanda levelled her gaze with a cold stare, as she recited what Agatha herself said hours ago.
"'In a given space, only the witch that cast the runes can use her magic'." she recited. "Thanks for the lesson."
Harkness cursed under her own breath for her slip, as the crimson crown suddenly reappeared on Wanda's forehead.
"But we don't need you to tell us… who… we are."
Agatha's eyes widened, while Maximoff's turned a dark crimson.
"No." the witch murmured, but quickly raised her voice. "No, no, no, no, no-"
Wanda stretched her arms out, willing all her magic to leave Agatha and return to her, as well as take away harkness' own magic. As she absorbed the colossal amounts of energy, Harkness continued to scream, feeling her power being sapped away.
"No! NOOO!"
Within moments, all of Wanda's power had returned to her, absorbing the scarlet cube back into herself, as well as taken away all of Agatha's magic. When the crimson haze was finally gone Harkness gaped at Wanda, seeing her attire change. Instead of the maroon hoodie and jeans she wore moments ago, she was now wearing a dark red, tight sleeveless dress and cape like skirt, with that crimson crown made manifest on her head. Her hair was let loose from the ponytail, while her arms sported elbow high gloves, and on her feet were black high heeled boots, accompianied by matching leggings.
"Oh God." Agatha murmured. "You don't know what you've done."
Wanda lifted her hand, holding a small orb of her magic, and with a flick of her wrist, she and Harkness were slowly lowered back to the ground, landing a few feet away from Frank. While Wanda landed gracefully though, Agatha fell with a heap, quickly using her hands to push herself up and part her hair from her face. As Wanda kept her distance, Frank took several steps toward her, wearing a half smile.
"So this is who you are."
Wanda slowly turned her head in his direction, having a small smile of her own.
"No, Frank. This is who we are."
Castle slowly nodded, before looking back towards Agatha, who was staring at them in hate.
"Good girl." Harkness muttered sarcastically. "So, what now? Just gonna lock me up somewhere?"
"No. Not 'somewhere'." Wanda shook her head. "Here."
Agatha's expression changed to that of confusion, as she looked around.
"Here?"
"That's right." Maximoff nodded, taking a few steps forward. "I'll give you the role you chose- the nosy neighbor. Agnes."
Harkness' eyes widened, as she tried taking a step back. In the process, the Darkhold book was revealed from under her cloak, which Frank quickly picked up and placed in his trench coat.
"No, please…"
"I'm sorry-" Wanda tried to say, but was interrupted.
"No you're not, you're cruel!" Agatha shouted. "You… you have no idea what you two have unleashed! You'll need me!"
"If I do, then I'll know where to find you." Wanda told her, as she began to reach out.
"No, wait!" Harkness yelled, backing up further. "Don't, please-"
"Wanda."
Maximoff turned around, seeing Frank looking towards her, gripping his pistol.
"Wait a sec, yeah?"
Realizing what he was implying, Wanda nodded, stepping away from the depowered witch, while the Punisher stepped forward.
"What… what are you doing?" Harkness asked fearfully. Frank didn't answer right away, instead deciding to take the magazine out of the pistol, then proceeded to partially pull back the slide to see the one bullet still in the chamber.
"Time for you to make a choice." the Punisher told her, dropping the gun to the ground and repeating an ultimatum he gave to a criminal years ago.
"You take that gun. You stick it in your mouth. You blow out the back of your head… or you live. But you live as Agnes. Death or chaos. Your choice."
"What… what kind of choice is that?!" Agatha yelled.
"The kind of choice I make every time I pull the trigger. The kind you're gonna make right now." Frank retorted. "If I shoot, that's another shitbag that won't hurt anyone ever again. If I don't, another innocent life that's snuffed out. Either way, I'm a killer."
The entire time, the now depowered Harkness stared up at the Punisher in unbridled terror, as she locked her gaze with Wanda.
"I'll do it." she said frantically. "I'll take my role as the nosy neighbor, anything!"
Wanda gave a slight nod, as she reached out and placed her hand on Frank's shoulder.
"Thank you." Maximoff whispered, before leaning down an tapping her finger against Agatha's head. With a crimson flash, Harkness' hair was a wavy black, with her black garb replaced by a gray shirt and sweatpants. Agatha Harkness was no more. In her place was Agnes.
"Hiya, hon!" the nosy neighbor said cheerfully, eyeing Maximoff's outfit, while Frank steadily picked up his gun and reloaded the magazine. "Say, that's quite the getup you got. Did I forget to turn off the oven, or is that just you?"
Wanda chuckled softly, before taking a step back towards Frank.
"You live here now." she told the powerless witch. "No one will ever bother you."
Agnes grinned, as she chirped out a playful, "Okey, dokey, artichoke!"
Wanda's face split into a humored smile, with even Frank trying to hide a small smirk.
"I'll- we'll- be seeing you, Agnes."
Frank looked towards Maximoff, realizing she meant him as well. The Scarlet Witch shot him a sly grin, while Agnes continued speaking.
"Not if I see you first, hon! And hey, looks like you found yourself a new man!"
That's what made Wanda finally pause, feeling her breath hitch in her throat. Seeing her uncomfortable, Castle looked back to the neighbor, letting out the best he could come up with.
"Something like that, Miss."
Maximoff shot him an appreciative smile, as they both turned back towards the center of town… only to find the citizens of Westview staring at them, mostly in fear. Some in anger. Some in sadness. But Wanda could feel all of it, as well as waves of guilt crashing into her.
"I'm… I'm sorry…" Wanda murmured, looking down at the ground. "I will never know… what I took from them. From all of them…"
Maximoff turned to look at Frank, tears brimming her eyes.
"Frank… please." Wanda pleaded, gently grabbing his gun arm and raising the weapon until it pointed at her heart. "Kill me."
"What?" Castle asked aloud, feeling his hand shake. Wanda kept her hand on the gun barrel though, and pressed it right at her chest.
"I took so much from them… their time… their lives…" Maximoff whispered, as tears rolled down her face. "What I did to them was unforgivable…"
"Wanda, don't." Frank told her. "I'm not going to kill you-"
"When I became an Avenger, I swore to never harm an innocent life." Wanda interrupted. "And look at what I did. I've harmed hundreds, enslaving them to roles I chose for them… confining them to this town… keeping them from their own children…"
Wanda paused for a moment, looking back towards the residents in the distance, before turning back towards Castle.
"You're the Punisher, Frank. I've hurt innocent lives. I have to be punished."
Frank felt his mouth go dry, while the tears kept pouring down Maximoff's face. On the one hand, she was right. She did enslave an entire town into whatever reality she pleased. But on the other, he felt that she had punished herself enough, even though that wasn't true in the eyes of the law.
With a heavy heart, Castle let go of his pistol, allowing the pistol to fall from the ground as a result of Wanda's delicate grip. Before she could pick the firearm up and finish the job herself, Frank wrapped his arms around her, pressing her face against his chest.
"Hey, shh. It's okay." Castle murmured. "It's okay. You're okay."
Frank and Wanda held each other like that for several minutes, as he listened to her sobs. Once her sobs stifled into sniffles, Wanda looked up, the tears already starting to dry.
"I'm not gonna kill you, Wanda." Frank repeated, swiping his thumb across her face to remove anymore tears. "I won't."
Wanda still wore a sad expression, as Frank reached down, picking up his gun and holstering it, all the while still holding onto her.
"But… where will I go? The Raft?" she whispered.
"No." Frank shook his head, as he heard a familiar crackling noise. "No. No, we're going somewhere else."
Wanda frowned in confusion, while Frank had a grim look on his face.
"But where-"
She suddenly stopped, looking past Castle. The Punisher looked over his shoulder, seeing the magical portal was complete, revealing the inside of the Sanctum Sanctorum.
"Let's go, yeah?" Frank nudged his head toward the gateway, as Wanda nodded.
"Yeah."
Castle kept his arm around Maximoff, and the two walked towards the portal, knowing what was in store for both of them. As they stepped through the ring, Wanda looked back once last time, taking in everything that happened here. Everything she did. That moment was gone as soon as it came, and she and Frank crossed the threshold, leaving Westview, Agnes, and the residents behind.
A/N: Man, this chapter and the last one were the most fun I've had on any of my Frank and Wanda fics!
All I really gotta say is that this chapter was the reason why I bumped it up to an M rating though. Between Frank giving Agatha the option to commit suicide, and the bit where Wanda almost begs Frank to kill her, before implying she tries to do it herself, I'd say it warranted a more mature setting.
Got one more chapter that wraps everything up. It'll come out tomorrow, because I'm too tired right now. Have a good one!