The next chapter, enjoy!

Chapter 13

Clint listened patiently to his children as they talked about their rooms and their forays into Elijah's property.

"So you guys like it here?" He finally asked with a smile.

"It's so great here", said Lila enthusiastically. "How long do we stay?"

Clint looked at Laura. "At least for a while." She nodded in agreement.

"Fantastic", said Cooper as enthusiastically as his sister.

"Let's go downstairs, children", said Laura. "Your father is hungry."

Cooper now had the opportunity to take a closer look at his father. He could tell that Clint had received medical attention but he still looked very battered. "Was it bad, dad?"

Clint had no intention of telling the truth to his underage son. "It wasn't a picnic, but it wasn't as bad as it could have been either."

Cooper nodded and didn't believe a single word his father said, but he didn't intend to scare his little sister even more. "That's good, I'm relieved!"

"I am too", Clint replied with a smile.

The family went downstairs together.

xxxxx

Wanda's sleep had been restless and nightmares had woken her up several times. She had dreamed of the Raft but also of the events on the plane. Again and again she had seen, how her powers had drilled into Elijah and almost shredded his body.

She was deeply moved that Elijah had so willingly forgiven her. She owed him and she hoped, that one day she would be able to reciprocate his generosity.

Finally she could not get back to sleep anymore and went downstairs. Curious, she walked through the rooms and admired the pictures and other works of art that she saw. Finally she found the dining room where some staff members were busy setting the table. When they saw her, they gave her a friendly smile.

"Good morning, miss", said one of them.

"Good morning, I'm Wanda", Wanda replied just as gently. "Could I maybe have a cup of coffee?"

"Of course, Miss Wanda!" One of the maids left the room. "The table is not yet completely set but can I get something to eat for you?"

"Coffee is enough for now, thank you. I am waiting for the others." Wanda didn't want to make trouble.

Wanda got her coffee and a few minutes later Sam Wilson and Scott Lang also entered the dining room. Wanda smiled sadly, apparently she wasn't the only one of the former prisoners who couldn't sleep. She wasn't surprised that the two men gave her the same smile back.

Sam Wilson saw the cup in her hands. "Oh, good, coffee!"

He didn't have to say more when one of the maids gave him and Scott a mug as well.

"Of course, we also have tea, cocoa, orange juice, etc. whatever you want!" said the same maid Wanda had spoken to earlier.

"Coffee is perfect, thank you, miss", Scott replied.

The three Avengers retired to a corner of the room, where they weren't in anyone's way. They enjoyed sitting so peacefully and undisturbed together and drawing strength from it.

Apparently the staff members had been given specific instructions, because they were not bothered, unless one of them made a request for more coffee, which was instantly fulfilled.

Within a few minutes the other Avengers arrived, too, until it was only Clint and his family, who were missing.

It was shortly before the appointed time when Elijah also entered the dining room. As soon as he entered the room, he was given a coffee too, the staff knew his preferences, of course. "Thank you, Silvia!"

"My lord", she replied respectfully. "The table is set, your guests can take a seat."

"Thank you! Please take a seat and eat", Elijah asked everyone.

"What about Clint and his family?" Steve asked curiously.

"I am convinced that they are already on their way down", Elijah replied with a smile.

Steve shrugged and sat down, the others followed suit. True enough, just a minute later Clint and his family walked into the room.

There was not much talk during lunch, most of them were still too exhausted from the previous day.

It was Steve, who finally broke the general silence. "Elijah, I would like to thank you again on behalf of everyone for harbouring us. I know you did it mainly because of Clint and Wanda."

Elijah shrugged. "I could help, and it would not have been particularly honourable to let everyone else down." He grinned slightly. "And I doubt Clint or Wanda would have come with me if I had left you to your fate."

"Still, we owe you a lot", said T'Challa calmly.

Elijah did not disagree. "Since you are staying here for a few days, who would like a tour of the house and the property?" he asked instead.

Not surprisingly, all of Elijah's guests were curious to learn more about him and what better way to do this than to see how he lived.

xxxxx

T'Challa as the richest of those present, was the only one who could really gauge how old and precious the house's furnishings and art works were. Even so, there seemed to be no alarm system at all, which was confirmed by Scott shortly afterwards.

"Wow, the last time I saw so many antiques was in a museum but they were far better protected from theft than here", said Scott admiringly. "Hey Elijah, did you know that I was a professional burglar? How about I make your house burglar-proof? I mean, in return for your hospitality."

Elijah chuckled. "In all honesty, every burglar who manages to get into the house undetected, deserves to be rewarded with some of the antiques. But thanks for your offer!"

Sam laughed perplexed. "Are you serious?"

"Yes, of course", answered Elijah. "The people on this property are a close-knit community, any stranger would be noticed immediately. And just because there is no obvious alarm system doesn't mean the property is unguarded or unprotected."

Natasha gently touched the delicate statue of a ballerina, which had caught her interest. "She is beautiful! Where did you get her?"

"She was made about a hundred years ago by an artist, who died of whooping cough far too young." Elijah smiled ruefully. "She was a unique woman! It is the only work of art she has ever finished, but I have a few other unfinished works of her. I can show them to you if you like?"

"That would be nice", Natasha muttered. She wasn't sure why, but this statue spoke to her.

Finally Elijah had shown them the whole house, the only exception was his wing with the request not to enter it unless he was there.

Next the group went outside, where Elijah showed them the stables, the school, the infirmary and other things, he thought were interesting to them.

"It's practically a small town in itself", said Steve, genuinely impressed.

"We are completely self-sufficient", said Shana, who had joined the guided tour, proudly.

"What about electricity?" T'Challa asked interested.

Elijah grinned. "We get it and water in the usual way but there are several generators under the house that can take over the power supply for the entire property, if necessary. There are deep wells that can provide us with water even in the summer." He shrugged. "It is a side project of mine to ensure the independence of this property!"

"You like to be prepared for anything", Wanda said softly.

"At least I like to have back-up plans", Elijah replied dryly. "These are the most important facilities but each of you are welcome to keep looking."

"Would it be possible for someone to take me to my plane?" T'Challa asked politely. "I want to check how the search for us is going and if we are in danger of being found."

"Of course, T'Challa," Elijah replied. He looked over at Shana, who nodded and left the group. A few minutes later she came back.

"A jeep will be in front of the main entrance in half an hour", she reported.

"Tajo, you will come with me", said T'Challa.

"And I'll come with you, too", said Okoye firmly.

"Of course you will", said T'Challa resignedly.

"I'll go to the infirmary now", Shana said. "Anyone who wants to speak with me professionally, is welcome to follow me."

"I'll pass", said Scott and shrugged. "I've been in jail for years, the Raft wasn't something I couldn't handle."

"I would like to come back to your offer, but not now", Sam said calmly. "I want to explore the property a little more."

"Like I will, but I have to talk to someone else first", Clint said, looking at his wife.

"What about you, Wanda?" asked Shana friendly.

"I'd like to come with you", Wanda said shyly.

"Let's go then!" The two women left the group.

xxxxx

The two women entered the infirmary and Shana led Wanda to a small room attached to it. Shana used it as a treatment room for her sessions and it was therefore comfortably furnished.

"Would you like some tea, Wanda?" asked Shana. "Please sit, wherever you want to and make yourself comfortable!"

"Yes, please, Shana." Wanda looked around. There was a sofa and a small table with two comfortable armchairs by the window. She chose the armchair from which she could look outside. She had stared at bare walls enough in her life and enjoyed being able to see the landscape now.

Shana brought a tray with a pot of tea, two cups and saucers, and a few biscuits to nibble on. She poured tea into Wanda's cup and then hers, before she sat down too. "Have you ever been in psychological therapy?"

Wanda sighed. "Yes, but I felt like I couldn't trust her and stopped the therapy."

Shana humped thoughtfully. "It is important to be able to trust the person who sees you so vulnerable."

Wanda smiled shyly. "I always had the feeling that she wasn't really interested in my well-being, she gave me bad feelings when I was in her vicinity."

"You're a witch, which means that your instincts often tell you things that others don't notice. What do your instincts tell you about me?" Shana asked gently.

Wanda replied, "That you want to help me."

Shana laughed softly. "I am delighted to hear that. How do you want to proceed? Do you want to tell me what moves you or should I ask questions?"

Wanda blinked. "But this is not the usual procedure."

"You're not a common patient either." Shana leaned forward. "You are a powerful witch with massive trauma and these traumas affect your power. I feel that you are usually balanced and set within yourself. What you need is someone, who will listen to you without prejudice, without judgement." Shana smiled slightly. "If it turns out that you could also benefit from normal therapy, we can always do that too."

Wanda couldn't help but laugh and then she started talking. About her childhood in Sokovia, the death of her parents, how she and Pietro had been recruited by Hydra without their knowledge. The experiments, the scientists had done, the changes, she and Pietro had undergone. Ultron, the dead of Lagos, the Sokovia Accords, Stark's betrayal, the civil war among the Avengers, her imprisonment in the raft and what the prison conditions had been like, finally her attack on Elijah.

Wanda, who had long since grown hoarse, wanted to finally drink her tea and grimaced because it was now cold.

"Allow me", Shana said with a motherly smile, waved her hand over the cup and the tea began to steam again. "It will definitely taste better hot!"

"Much better, thanks." Wanda gratefully drank the tea. "Can you teach me that too?"

"If you have a tendency towards this type of magic, of course!" Shana took a sip of tea too. "This is a moving story. You're a strong woman! What you experienced would have killed many others or made them lose their mind.

Let me say one thing first! Did you make mistakes? Of course, be it through ignorance or in the heat of the moment, but you are human, you are allowed to make mistakes. But once you became aware of your mistakes, you have done your best to correct them, which some will never be able to do."

"Tony Stark", said Wanda disdainfully.

"From what I've heard, yes", Shana replied. "He will never be able to learn from his mistakes, he will always be a pathetic human being. You are worth a thousand times more than he will ever be!"

The women continued to talk well into the evening hours about Wanda's experiences and ways of coping with them.