Good news! Chapter 5 is finally done, and this whole thing will be six chapters long, seven at most.
DISCLAIMER: I don't own 'X-Men' or 'WandaVision', or any of their characters.
WORD COUNT: 1,077
"Actually, her brother's name is Pietro. I specifically need you to pretend to be Pietro Maximoff."
Pietro Maximoff?! That's so similar to Peter Maximoff, it's scary.
"I'll fill you in on everything you need to know." And she goes on to tell a tale that's disturbing for multiple reasons, partly because it's bits and pieces of mostly-public knowledge of the tragic life this young woman, Wanda Maximoff, has led, but also because the few parallels between Peter and Pietro are unnerving. Raven knows that Peter has a dead twin sister named Wanda, knows that this is part of the reason why he waited so long to tell Erik that he not only has a son, but that he also has another dead daughter he never got to meet. The news that could have been a balm after Nina's death (or, alternatively, salt in the wound, according to Peter's worst insecurities) would have come with a fresh gut-punch of loss.
Pietro was also a speedster, just like Peter, but evidently not as fast, because Peter is too quick to be taken out by mere bullets. Still, the mention of the young man's death briefly has Raven flashing back to Cairo, to the sight of her old friend's son trapped and at the (nonexistent) mercy of an insane, godlike mutant. It's a horrible story overall, and Ralph's comment, at the end, that Agatha sugar-coats things too much, is dripping with sarcasm.
The basic idea, Raven gathers, is that this world's Wanda Maximoff has been through hell, and eventually, she snapped and somehow created this perfect little sitcom-themed world in a pitiful attempt at coping (although this seemed more like the worst case of denial ever). Agatha is interested in the 'somehow' part of it all, more than in freeing Raven and Peter and everyone else in town, so she's sending Peter/Ralph/Pietro in to try and gain some insight into the whole mess.
"I was going to eventually trot you out as my lazy, layabout husband," the witch reveals, "But… this will be far more useful. And besides, I did imply that dear old Ralph wasn't much of a looker, and you…" She eyes Peter with a downright flirty smirk. "Your pretty face couldn't pull off that lie."
Raven still isn't sure if Agatha knows of the disturbing similarities between the real Pietro and the man whom she's conscripted to play her fake one, but at this point, she's not sure if it's immediately relevant. The shape-shifter knows that grief can be a powerful force, and if this Wanda is as powerful as she thinks, whoever tries to trick her with the memory of her dead twin is in serious danger.
But she doesn't get to voice her concerns. Patsy chirps about wanting her Ralphie to be back before sundown, and scowls when told that he'll probably be sleeping over at Wanda's house for a while, especially since none of these plans involve him looking for a real job.
To add insult to injury, Agatha, as she's leading Ralph out and chatting about how she'll spell him to have Pietro's powers, spots the picnic basket and snatches it up, murmuring about how she has a wine that'll go great with what Patsy has prepared.
And then Raven is left all alone in the attic.
More time passes, as Raven wakes up the next morning in an outfit not too dissimilar to the fashions that she's familiar with (but still not her style), and she notices that the TV is a newer, sleeker model than anything she's seen before. When Agatha lets her out to cook, she casually updates 'Patsy' on 'Ralph''s progress: Wanda has inexplicably let him into her house without question, despite the fact that he doesn't look a thing like her brother, and her kids have really taken to him. He's embracing the typical sitcom role of 'zany relative who shows up in town and causes general mayhem and headaches', and the 'fun uncle' position in the family, which Raven finds actually suits Peter rather well, given how he gets on with the kids at the Institute.
However, Ralph comes back at the end of the night, wearing a ridiculous outfit covered in bits of hay and complaining about how he pissed Wanda off and got blasted into a whole pile of the stuff. Agatha's disappointed, mostly in the intel – or lack thereof – that he's given her (how, Raven doesn't know, because aside from a random trip next door to "appear in the opening theme", greeting Wanda, Ralph, and the kids when they surprisingly show up for Trick-Or-Treating, and some other errand later in the evening, she's been in the basement the whole day). Either way, Agatha tells Ralph to give Wanda time to cool off before approaching her again, and sends "mother and son" off to bed.
That's the last night they spend in that godforsaken attic.
Raven is so confused. In what has become the usual routine, Agatha lets Patsy out to cook breakfast, then ushers her back to the attic, and not ten minutes later, she leaves the house and comes back shortly thereafter, but she's not alone. The voices of two young boys accompany her, but neither Patsy nor Ralph seem overly curious, with Ralph once again fixated on the TV, which is playing a movie called 'Predators'. Even when the voices disappear into the basement, the pair don't bother to investigate.
On the inside, of course, Raven is extremely concerned when Agatha comes back up without the boys, and instructs Ralph to keep up a patrol around the house and bring any snoopers up to the attic.
It isn't long before he does just that, carrying an unfamiliar black woman in his arms. The woman is unconscious on arrival, but wakes up shortly thereafter. Patsy is perfectly kind, in her own dimwitted way, treating the woman as a welcome guest and offering her some of the small amount of food Agatha has allowed her to bring upstairs. It is clear, however, that Monica, on the other hand, is perfectly aware of how messed up their situation is, and tries to escape, but Ralph, using the limited speed powers Agatha has "gifted" him with, knocks her back on her ass.
It only lasts for a couple of seconds, however, because Monica reveals that she has powers of her own, and reveals them by hurling an energy blast that throws Ralph/Peter through the attic window, allowing her to actually escape.
I know the scene with Monica plays out a bit differently than in canon, but we'll chalk it up to Raven/Patsy being there.
