Chapter 34

[Wanda's POV]

That night was supposed to be perfect.

Steve and I convinced Tony to pay for their dinner, we had Jarvis hack into the restaurant's security cameras so we could watch the whole evening unfold while sitting on the couch eating popcorn...

It was supposed to be perfect.

When the two of them arrived home, neither were speaking. Emily's eyes were red, swollen, and bloodshot. Bucky was stoic, his face not showing any emotion. When they were at the bottom of the stairs, Bucky leaned over and kissed Emily's head before walking up the stairs and disappearing to his room. Emily followed to her room slowly, her movements long and dragged out. I looked over to Steve with a worried expression.

"What happened?" I whispered slightly, my voice shaking. Steve leaned over and gave my hand a quick squeeze before getting up, following Bucky towards his room. I took a minute to center myself before I headed over to Emily's room. I gently knocked on the door and I heard shuffling from inside. The lock turned and she opened the door.

She looked awful up close. Her makeup was smeared from tears and the rain, her dress was ripped and wrinkled, and she was visibly shaking.

"Emily," I murmured, and I swooped in, wrapping her in a hug. She grabbed onto me tightly, sobbing into my chest. "Come on, let's get you cleaned up."

After shutting the door, I made her change into shorts and a baggy sweatshirt, helped her wipe off her ruined makeup, and take down her hair so it wasn't all pinned up anymore. While she was changing, I ran to the kitchen, made tea, and hustled back just as she walked out.

"Thank you," she muttered meekly, taking the mug I offered to her. She walked over to her bed and sat down, tucking her legs up underneath herself. I took a place opposite of her and waited a few moments as she drank her tea before I decided to say something.

"What happened?"

Emily froze and shakily placed the mug on her side table.

"Well, we were pretty pissed that you guys decided to ditch us, first off," she told me, and I gave her a weak smile. She returned it. "But, in the end, thank you. We talked and dined, and we told each other how we really felt..."

"Finally!" I blurted out, my free hand coming to slap my mouth shut. I looked at her with wide eyes and Emily snorted softly. "Sorry..."

"It's okay," she insisted, waving her hand to dismiss the problem. "Anyways, we got up to dance and..." She bit her lower lip and rubbed her eyes with the palm of her hand. "I feel like such a dork saying this..." Emily looked at me and gulped. "W-We were about to kiss when the gunman came in."

"Kiss?" I asked incredulously. The cameras didn't show the dance floor, so all Steve and I saw was Emily and Bucky leaving to dance, and then coming back to take down the gunman. "You and Bucky...kiss?"

"Yeah, kiss," she sniffed, rubbing her nose. "And so, obviously, that didn't happen. But it was such a good night and we were having a good time..." She broke off, her voice cracking. "Why can't we have some happiness in our lives?"

"Emily, you do," I insisted, and she looked away, not meeting my eyes. I placed my mug down next to hers and gently took her hands in mine. "Emily, I know that this night was ruined for you by this man. But I want you to tell me some positive things that came out from this situation."

Emily sniffed again as she looked up at me with watery eyes. "H-He could have g-gone to a different r-restaurant, where t-there would be no one t-to save the patrons."

"Good. Another."

"W-We were able t-to save the people inside without a single injury to ourselves or them."

"Excellent. One more."

"We get free food whenever we go there now." My mouth dropped in disbelief and Emily let out a laugh. I chuckled along with her and leaned forward, using my thumb to wipe away any tears that fell from her eyes. "Maybe next time, you and Steve will actually come, Ms. Lace."

I winced and gave a small, helpless smile. "We couldn't think of any pseudonyms at the time, so..."

"It was better than what you could have done," Emily admitted, giving a small shrug. "And, what's with Tony being my dad? Couldn't he have been Bucky's?"

"He said he would only pay if he was your dad," I defended, holding my hands up in surrender.

Emily laughed and smiled. "Thanks for the night, Wanda. If you don't mind, I think sleep would help me a lot right now."

"No problem," I told her, getting up. I leaned forward and kissed the top of her head. "Goodnight, Emily."

"Night, Wanda," she called out as I headed towards the door. "Oh! And...don't check your voicemail."

:/:\:

[Emily's POV]

My blood felt like ice, and I stood in that clearing, feeling frozen.

That clearing. The minefield behind the Bartons.

Nate's crippled body laid on the ground by my feet, bleeding and no longer breathing. I couldn't breathe and the world was spinning dangerously. A cold hand laid itself onto my shoulder. Pain, like that of a gunshot wound, raced through me and I let out a scream of pain. I gritted my teeth and stood my ground, watching as my mother walked around me. She was wearing a beautiful white blouse; it was the same one I gave her for Christmas when I was sixteen. The midriff was stained red with blood. Her jeans were ripped and dark with blood stains as well. Half of her hair was missing there were long claw marks crawling down her face from one eyebrow to the opposite side of her face. She looked at me and gave me a disappointed smile.

"Emily, Emily, Emily," she sighed, shaking her head. She gave me a cruel smile and moved her hand until she was dragging her finger along my cheek. I hissed with pain as I felt blood being drawn and painfully looked down towards Nate. My mother followed my line of sight and clicked her tongue in disapproval. "I told you. He didn't know where the bombs where."

"I-I should've been there to save him," I gasped as the situation finally sunk in. Nate was dead. Clint's son...he was dead. "I-I could've been there..."

"Not everyone was destined to be a superhero," she commented, shaking her head slightly. "Some need to be villains." She laughed cruelly and a painful shiver shot through me, forcing me to my knees. My white-knuckled hands gripped at the dirt tightly as I let my tears continue to fall. "I mean, look at your father and me. We aren't exactly what you would call perfect parents."

"D-Daddy?" I whispered in confusion, looking up to meet her cold eyes. "What do you mean? Dad's dead. And besides, he was a better parent than you will ever be!"

"Your father left us," she growled, kneeling down in front of me. She grasped my jaw with her hand and the red-hot pain returned, causing me to whimper in pain. "He had a choice and he decided he wanted more power. He left because he didn't love you or me. He tried to destroy people and was sent away because of it. I don't think he'll ever return. For you or anyone else. Face it, Emily: he doesn't love you. Nobody does."

"N-No," I stuttered, crawling away. "H-He doesn't...He..."

She gave a loud cackle as she stood up. She tilted her head and shot me an evil smile. She made a move to take a few steps towards me but a deep rumble filled the air. She froze and looked around, startled.

A shadow fell over me and I watched the shadow in fear. Two wings spread out from the body shape of the shadow and the rumble came back.

My mother looked up and gritted her teeth in anger. "You."

"Hello, Charolotte. Been a while, hasn't it?" the person behind me rumbled. It was a deep, rich baritone voice with a hint of an accent. Australian, if I had to place it. "Now...what are you doing here?"

"Can't I say hello to my daughter?" she hissed, and for once in my life, I saw a hint of fear in her eyes.

"Not when you're supposed to be dead," the man responded. I kept my eyes trained on the shadow, shaking too hard to try and move. "Emily is my ward. I have taken her under my wing, so to speak. You mess with her, and I get to mess with you."

"You..."

"Yes, we have established that I am Titan and you are Charolotte, just as she is Emily," the man snorted, and I could visualize him rolling his eyes. "Now, begone from Emily's dreams, or I will have to take measures into my own hands."

My mom gritted her teeth and let out an ear-piercing scream as she dissolved from view.

All of my surroundings suddenly fell away and was replaced by a blank, white expanse, and I found myself seated on a plain white couch. When I looked down at my clothes, I had switched from 'that' outfit and was in a plush v-neck white knitted sweater with warm skinny jeans. Gray knitted slippers were on my feet, and on the cute coffee table was a cup of hot chocolate.

Across from me, in a single white chair, sat a man wearing a completely black outfit. He had shaggy white hair that fell into his eyes occasionally, and bright blue eyes. He wore a black v-neck, along with a black leather jacket, jeans, and shoes. What really surprised me was what was attached to his back.

A pair of giant, crimson wings.

"Welcome, Emily dear," the man purred, sending me a dazzling smile. It was the same Australian voice. "Now that you're out of your nightmare, we need to have a talk."

Quietly, as loud as I dared to say, I whimpered, "Titan."

A/N: Hey y'all. Sorry! I know I haven't posted in a while. I was busy with schoolwork and I've been hitting a bit of writer's block when it came to this story. I figured it just needed a push.

So, now y'all know what Titan looks like (face-claim: Bren Foster).

I would like to thank everyone who has read my story and/or is still reading my story! I appreciate it a ton.

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Guest and FanGirlForever19: Cate Blanchett, Elizabeth Mitchell, and Rachel Bay Jones are all Charolotte to me XD Is there a way to combine all three women?

FanGirlForever19: I completely forgot about that line until you said it XD

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