Almost overnight, or maybe more like a week or two, Freckles was the most popular Avenger. The PR team had quickly established his Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube accounts, which were gathering followers by the minute. The most adorable footage released of their new shaggy mutt had been his interaction with Vision as the latter had attempted to teach the former to sit on command. Wanda couldn't stop rewatching the two of them sharing a Milkbone when Freckles had eventually succeeded. He wasn't perfectly trained yet, but he had absolutely succeeded in his number one mission – convincing everyone at HQ that he was an amazing mascot.

In Wanda's opinion, Freckles was the perfect addition to the team. He greeted everyone who came into whatever room he was in, showed affection generously and played whenever anyone offered him a ball or Frisbee. The fact that he was a rescue dog from the local shelter had brought even more positive press for the Avengers after the recent media blitz. According to Hill, most of the incoming press requests had been related to him, which suited the rest of the team just fine. Hill had been especially eager to offer the dog for public consumption on the Internet; she hadn't ever been the subject of media scrutiny before appearing in public with Sam. She seemed even more uncomfortable with being in the public eye than Natasha.

For her part, Natasha hadn't shied away from appearing in pictures or videos with Freckles. He slept in her bed every night, a fact Steve had only pretended to bemoan. If anything, people vied competitively for the dog's attention.

It was fortunate that everyone on the team, with the exception of Bucky, had almost immediately bonded with Freckles, resulting in plenty of material for his social media accounts. Although Bucky didn't let on, Wanda could tell it bothered him. She sat down beside him for breakfast after another morning perimeter check on which the team had been joined by the dog. "Good morning."

"Hey." He brushed his hair out of his eyes as he focused on her over a cup of coffee. "I mean, yeah. Good morning."

"Sleep all right?"

"Uh huh. You?"

"Yes." Wanda sipped a cup of tea as he returned to his plate of food. She realized that she could have had this conversation earlier if she hadn't been so focused on tossing a tennis ball Freckles kept bringing back to her during their run. "You have been…not that I think you…"

"It's okay. You're not the only one who's noticed we haven't had a 'Code Winter' since the dog showed up." He scooped scrambled eggs and hashed browns into his mouth. "Not gonna complain about it."

"Yes, but…"

"Don't worry about it. There was a cat that lived in the alley in back of my building in Brooklyn that thought I was the devil incarnate, even though I kept trying to give it tuna. Hope it did okay when I left for Europe." He slurped his coffee. "Probably better if I'm not in contact with Natasha that often."

"I don't think…" Wanda trailed off as she realized she didn't want to lie. "She has been very focused on Freckles."

"Yup. Robo-guy explained it to me."

She found that she was annoyed that she had to make the correction. "Vision."

"Yeah, Vision. I should talk, huh?" He flexed his metal fingers before turning his attention back to his meal. "Anyway, he said that dogs are, like, pack animals that follow the alpha male, so it makes sense that he'd be trying to get in good with Steve." He paused as he took another bite of food. "And Natasha."

"I don't think it is that…"

"See ya." Bucky disappeared before Wanda could turn back after glancing over her shoulder to see that Natasha had entered the galley with Freckles on her heels.

She got a bowl of dog food and requested extra bacon before fixing her coffee and sitting across from Wanda. "Morning."

"Good morning." Wanda scratched Freckles between the ears as he nuzzled her underneath the table, then attacked the bowl Natasha had set down. "You know, if you ever want a night alone…"

Natasha quirked an eyebrow before slipping a piece of bacon beneath the table. "He goes in the bathroom when he realizes we're, um…well, he's very discreet. Then he shows up at our feet sometime during the night."

"Oh. I wasn't saying…I just…"

"Sam, Rhodey and Vision have also volunteered to let him sleep with them." She offered two more pieces of bacon under the table before saying, "I think he's just trying to follow the top dog."

Wanda paused in raising her tea to her lips, remembering her brief conversation with Bucky. "Steve?"

"Yeah. Obviously." Natasha glanced around the room. "He's just hungry, or he'd be waiting until Steve finished his shower."

"Right."

"Freckles respects the chain of command, don't you, boy?" The dog responded with a whine and two paws on Natasha's thigh. She gave him another piece of bacon. "That's right. You're an obedient boy, yes, you are."

Wanda laughed in spite of Natasha's toothless glare. She finished her breakfast quickly and asked, "Would you like me to take him out while you are eating?"

Natasha tuned to see where Freckles was watching Steve enter the room. "Sure. Do you wanna go play with Wanda? Of course you do!"

He paused to greet Steve on the way out of the galley. "Hey, boy. I can't believe you still have energy."

"He is very energetic."

"Well, he naps on and off from breakfast to lunch, then from lunch to dinner, so…" Steve's gaze drifted toward Natasha. "Anyway, why don't you two go out and play?"

"Of course." He had walked away before Wanda remembered to say anything about Bucky to him. A few minutes later, she flicked her wrist and sent a Frisbee flying across the wide lawn in front of HQ. Freckles bounded after it enthusiastically. Although he had yet to master catching the Frisbee in the air, he was good about grabbing it and bringing it back after several tosses to himself on the grass. She praised him as he returned it again and readied himself for another launch.

"He has become very adept in the short time he has lived here."

Her throw went errant as she turned toward Vision, walking across the lawn toward her. "He does learn quickly."

"Had you had pets before?"

"We had a cat growing up." She felt her eyes tear up as she knelt on the ground, thinking about playing with Mushka on the floor of their living room with Pietro while their parents looked on. Mushka had disappeared in the bombing that had killed their parents, either dead or frightened away. Freckles licked her face, as if sensing her distress. "I have not had a pet for a long time."

"I must admit that the experience is…enlightening." When Vison extended his hand, Freckles immediately went to him to be petted. "It is strange how fondness for an inferior species develops so quickly. I would question it, if not for the simple fact that it seems to affect everyone."

"Almost everyone." She tossed the Frisbee again, sending Freckles off in a rush.

He was quiet for a moment as the dog grabbed the toy and shook it with a playful growl. "I assume you are not speaking of yourself, although you were raised as a, hm, cat person?"

"I don't think dogs were allowed in our building. Mushka was very friendly though. She always met us at the door when we returned from school. She would purr and rub against our legs and…" Before she knew what was happening, she found herself supported in Vision's arms as she cried. Freckles circled them, whining with concern. "I am sorry. I do not know what…"

"Memories can be very powerful. Or so I understand." He wasn't emotionally awkward as he stroked her hair gently. "Perhaps you would like to go inside and sit? Would a cup of tea be in order?"

She sniffed hard. "I think it is almost time for us to gather in the gym."

"I am sure we would be excused, especially if we are providing Freckles with companionship."

"I…" Wanda couldn't find a reason to argue. "A cup of tea sounds lovely."


Wanda rolled under a truck as the building behind her collapsed in a heap of bricks and wooden supports. Ignoring a sudden flash of pain in her left calf, she held a hand over her mouth to keep the worst of the dust out as she tried to remember why she was fleeing explosions in Gdansk. There had been a threat to an international summit on war crimes. It had quickly escalated into a hostage situation, resulting in a request for the Avengers' intervention. The terrorists who had infiltrated the conference had proven better equipped and organized than anyone had suspected. Hence the need to shelter beneath a truck while the world blew up around her.

When the sounds of crashing masonry had dropped to a steady clatter, she opened her eyes and tried to make out what had happened to her leg. The back of her left boot was shredded leather, sticky with blood. It was painful when she reached down to try to determine the extent of the injury, but she was pretty certain nothing was broken. Her comms were not working and no amount of psychic energy could push through the panicked thoughts of people in the surrounding area without doing serious damage. So she needed to find her teammates the old fashioned way while dealing with a painful but not life-threatening injury.

Now fully aware of the situation, Wanda felt calmer. It really did help to focus on the mission; as Natasha had summarized – save hostages, apprehend terrorists, don't die. She took as deep a breath as she could and limped into the street for cover in an undamaged building across the way.

A man in black combat gear suddenly appeared around the corner and raised his assault rifle. Before she could react, he was slammed into a wall. Bucky stood over the crumpled man and kicked his weapon away. She nearly threw him with a burst of energy when she realized he was just taking out a set of the zip ties they had been given to restrain anyone taken alive in the melee. He glanced toward her. "Hell of a first mission."

She nodded as he bound the unconscious man's hands. "It is like a warzone."

"I'd make an argument about Italy in '44 was a warzone if I hadn't read up on Sokovia. No offense, but aren't you used to this kinda thing?"

"Doesn't mean I like it." She frowned and hit two commandos with a burst of energy. There was no time to be annoyed about anyone's interpretation of her homeland at the moment. "Where is everyone?"

"Lookin' for you." He stuck a finger into his ear. "Steve? Yeah, I found her. Her leg's bleeding, but she's walking. Fine. Right." He wiped his finger on his pants, a gesture that would have been disgusting if not for the burst sewer main somewhere close by. "We're meeting in Artushof. Do you have a map of this place?"

Wanda would have yelled at him if not for Vision's sudden appearance from the haze. "Ah, there you are. Unhurt, I hope?"

"Nothing serious."

He nodded curtly at her acknowledgement. "Excellent. Local forces will be 'mopping up,' as they say. This way."

He strode off purposefully. Bucky rolled his eyes before falling into step beside Wanda. "Looks like it would be a nice place under other circumstances."

"Gdansk, also known historically as Danzig, has a very colorful history…"

Bucky interrupted Vision, "Hard to see much color through the smoke."

"Well, as I was saying, it is not the city's first experience with tragedy, unfortunately."

Wanda spared a small smile for Bucky before rushing to catch up with Vision's long strides. "My grandmother lived in the Free City of Danzig before the Second World War. She was just a child when the Soviet Army liberated the city."

"I can interpret from your tone that you are using 'liberated' ironically."

"When the options are Hitler and Stalin…" she trailed off as he raised his hand. "What?"

"Shh," Bucky hissed, also listening intently on comms. "Run."

"What? Why?" Wanda realized her question didn't require an answer as Vison flew in the direction they had been walking and Bucky took off at a sprint. Something was obviously very wrong. Using her powers, she shot into the air and followed the two men.

Vision was already using a ray of energy from the mindstone when she arrived in the strangely clear square behind Bucky. No enemy combatants were visible, but it was possible they had been killed or driven to ground with the combined barrage of Vision, War Machine and Falcon. She flew past an elaborate fountain to where Bucky was now kneeling.

He grabbed Steve's shield from Natasha's arm, allowing her to use both hands to staunch the bleeding from Steve's chest. Wanda automatically spread an energy field around them to protect them. "What happened?"

"Sniper. I should have seen him," Natasha replied, never taking her eyes off Steve.

"Must have been a good shot," Bucky mumbled, still holding up the shield defensively in spite of Wanda's energy field. "I've seen Steve dodge bullets. Actual bullets."

"They weren't aiming at Steve."

"Don't."

In spite of Steve's whispered order, Natasha continued, "He took the shot for me."

To Wanda's surprise, Bucky laughed. "Stupid punk. She's already crazy about you. No need to put on a show."

Steve chuckled, a wet, humorless sound. "Couldn't get my shield up fast enough."

"None of that guilty shit. You gotta be a more careful hero."

Wanda lowered her energy field as Sam landed nearby. "Rhodey found the shooter. Guy's dead. How's Steve?"

"Where's the quinjet?" Natasha asked in response, still pressing both hands against Steve's chest as blood seeped around the soaked gauze.

"ETA is sixty seconds. Me, Rhodey and Vision will hold things down here. You guys clear out."

"I'll be fine once the medics…" Steve's declaration was cut off by a fit of coughing.

"Take you to Landstuhl," Natasha supplied. "Things are calming down here. Sam has it covered."

"Absolutely," Sam agreed.

Steve shook his head weakly. "I'll go, but you stay. Make sure."

The roar of the quinjet above them dispelled any further argument.

Wanda still wasn't sure how she found herself lifting off aboard the quinjet with Steve and Bucky less than a minute later while Natasha remained on the ground in Gdansk. He had pulled rank and ordered her to stay, but there had to have been more to it than that. Wanda wanted to ask him why he had left Natasha in the fight when she'd clearly wanted to be with him.

Bucky suddenly pulled Wanda away as the medics worked on Steve's wound. "Don't worry. She's got his shield."

"What?" She sank into a seat, allowing him to raise her leg to his knee. He began to tug her boot off, causing blinding pain to surge through her body. Her last thought faded was a memory of Steve holding Natasha's leg in a similar position in a quinjet months ago. She was unconscious before she could assign any meaning to the thought.