"So long, Darling."

The sparkling golden light faded away to harsh, real sun, Vision's last words still humming through her ears. The house and the contents all melted away. Along with Vision.

Wanda stood alone.

Slowly, she lowered her hands, fingers still tingling with Vision's last touch. She knew she'd done the right thing, but she still felt…

Empty.

She turned, pulling up her dark hood as she did so. She needed to leave. Nothing like this could ever happen again.

She'd barely took two steps before she stopped abruptly. Pacing agitatedly in front of the empty lot where her house once stood, wearing a silver leather jacket that matched his silver hair was the fake Pietro.

Not long ago, Wanda would have reacted in anger, but now she knew that he was just a tool of Agatha's. A tool that would never have been needed if it weren't for her. She had a lot to apologize for; might as well start with him.

As she approached, the man looked up, meeting her eyes. Her heart twisted. Although he looked nothing like her brother, there was something about him that was undeniably familiar.

In a flash, he was right in front of her.

In a flash.

Superspeed.

"Look, I feel like a real jerk coming to you at a time like this, and I'm really sorry about your husband and," he grimaced and skipped over their names, "believe me, you don't know how sorry I am, but I really need some help, and you're the only one I can think of who can help me, so…"

He was babbling. Stumbling over words, impatient, nervous, just like…

"Pietro?" she breathed, and for a second, she was back in her house holding the door open for the twin brother she thought dead.

Wanda took a step back. No, she couldn't let denial and longing take over again. "No," she said, shaking her head. "What…"

"Sorry," the man said again, looking honestly apologetic. "Let me start from the beginning." He took a deep breath and looked at her with a lopsided grin. A grin she knew like she knew her own heartbeat. "Hi. My name is Peter Maximoff. I think I came from another universe."

"Another…" Wanda broke off, feeling like she needed to catch up. You didn't see that coming?

"Universe, yeah," said Peter. "See, in my universe, there are these people with powers called mutants, and I'm part of a team called the X-men, and there are no Avengers, and it's definitely not in the 2020s." He sobered. "Where I come from, my twin sister, Wanda, died when we were fifteen. You don't really look like her, but sometimes you just…"

He paused as if struggling to explain. "Feel the same," Wanda finished.

"Exactly," Peter said with a breath of relief and a grin.

Wanda smiled shakily. He wasn't her brother, but he was close. Then the implications caught up with her. She raised a trembling hand to her mouth. "Did I…"

"No, no, no," said Peter quickly. "Agatha did. She used your power as some kind of booster to snatch me from my universe to use against you. She told me as much when she was…" he grimaced again, and his hand fluttered towards his neck and then away. Wanda remembered the strange necklace he'd been wearing.

"I'm sorry," she said.

Peter shrugged. "You didn't know, at first anyway, and if I could bring my sister back…" he broke off. "But I do need to get home. Got some people who'd be kind of concerned if I just up and disappeared on them."

Wanda shook her head. "I can't," she breathed. "It's too big, I don't know what I'm doing, I could send you somewhere completely wrong, I could…" she stopped the possibilities too much.

"Ah," said Peter, looking crestfallen. "I get it. Wouldn't want to accidentally get torn to pieces or something." But his face showed his disappointment. Loneliness. Homesickness.

Wanda could relate. She'd do close to anything to get that expression off his face, even if he wasn't really her brother. Besides, maybe helping others would help her to heal. She was an Avenger, after all.

And if she sought him out, maybe he could help her learn to control her abilities.

"But," she said slowly, and Peter's whole face lightened in hope, "I know a guy. Maybe he can help."

"Great!" Peter grinned.

Peter walked by her side past the judgmental stares of the townspeople and stood off to one side as she talked with Monica. Then, they left together.

"So, where to?" Peter asked.

"New York City," said Wanda, as she changed her outfit and took to the air. "Follow me."

"Race you," Peter challenged, lowering his goggles and zipping off, a streak of silver lightning along the ground below her.

In what seemed like no time at all, they stood side by side on the doorstep of the Sanctum Sanctorum. Dr. Strange opened the door.

"Hi," said Wanda. "We need your help."

Author's note: I was disappointed when fake Pietro didn't end up being Peter from X-men, so this one shot was my response.