Clint showed up a little after noon, only a few minutes later than originally predicted. Laura greeted him at the door and immediately gave him a hug and a peck on the cheek. "You and the kids didn't have issues when this place got searched the other day?"

Laura shook her head. "Honestly, no. Tony showed up in his Iron Man suit with Vision and about ten strike team members I suppose Ross must've chosen. They did an extremely brief search of the house and asked in passing if we'd seen any of you. Obviously we said no. It seemed more like it was meant to be confirmation that you all weren't here than any serious suspicion on Ross's part about it. I do think he suspects Tony knows more than he's letting on, but not that he did any of the vacation house business as anything more than a favor for the kids and me. Ross did come himself, but he didn't come inside. He stayed holed up in some armored car aside from glancing around outside for a few seconds and ordering his men around."

Clint snorted. "Like an armored car would prevent Wanda from getting him if she was here and she wanted to. He better stay away from me too. I'll snipe him. Bet Nat would too."

"You will not. Killing that man won't fix anything."

"Who said anything about killing him? Nah, if he can just have even a sliver of the pain he caused Wanda-"

"Honey, stop it," Laura interrupted firmly. "She's okay. So is Nat. They're relaxing upstairs now. Cooper and Lila are playing Mouse Trap, though I think they just built the trap and are enjoying setting it off over and over, Nat's watching Nate for me, and Wanda is sleeping for a bit. Why don't you go see them and then come back and help me make us some lunch? We all decided we wanted to wait for you."

"...Fine." Clint hugged Laura again and added quietly, "Thanks for everything you're doing, putting up with our big ragtag family. The baby, two little kids, one bigger one, and Nat on top of just me. Forget the mess that caused all of this."

"I think if we're getting to stay for free in a vacation house that we'd never be able to afford all summer, we aren't doing too badly," Laura teased, "but I know what you mean. I won't pretend I'm comfortable with the situation, but it's not a problem and wouldn't be your fault even if it was."

Clint sighed and climbed upstairs to find all of them in the bedroom exactly as Laura had described. Lila and Cooper were sitting on the floor playing with their board game. Nat was holding Nate in one arm and working on something on her laptop with the other. Wanda was resting propped up with pillows with two small cups of acorns sitting on a tray in her lap. Considering Bewitched was playing on the TV, Clint assumed Wanda had been watching TV and then fallen asleep, since he knew that was one of the old sitcom shows she liked. This did not explain the acorns, though. Still, he was happy to see that the bruises scattered over Wanda's face and arms had faded further over the last couple days, and she just appeared a bit healthier than before in general.

"Welcome back," Natasha greeted him.

"Daddy!" Lila shouted happily, and hopped up to give him a hug.

Wanda woke up with a jerk hearing Lila's shout, and instinctively put her hand to her neck, which made her spill some of the acorns. It's just Lila being happy. Nothing to be scared of here, she reminded herself quickly. She was not sure how long she had been asleep, but if Clint had arrived, it must be around lunchtime.

"You changed your hair," Clint said on impulse; then worried that Wanda might not have even wanted to dye her hair and merely felt she had to.

But Wanda smiled at him and nodded, and clearly she was genuinely happy about it. "Nat did it for me. At the motel. I really, really like how it turned out." She carefully set the cups back up and began putting the acorns back inside one by one.

"Looks nice. I'm glad you like it. Why the acorns?"

Wanda frowned a bit, unsure whether she wanted to explain to Clint, because he would inevitably be really concerned. He's going to find out eventually. I should just tell the truth. "I have...weird tremors when I try to do things too much, and it's frustrating. So I'm just...practicing moving small items one at a time. Lila and Cooper gathered the acorns for me."

Clint knew this had nothing to do with Wanda's magic at all. He had noticed her hand often shook when she signed things, but thought it had been because she was anxious. This sounded more like it was physical damage still left from the Raft. Those many electrical shocks combined with being restrained for weeks unable to move her hands, let alone use them for anything, had probably messed up her fine motor control somewhat. While he was glad Wanda was actively doing something to help herself recover that didn't seem to be stressing her out in any way, he hated that she felt she had to do that at all. Still, Clint was happy that she was talking much better; she sounded almost like her normal self. Not quite, but close. "Well, if you need help with anything, you'd better ask instead of insisting on doing it alone."

I'm trying to get better so I don't have to have help. Wanda still felt guilty that Natasha was not visiting her sister yet, and the faster she proved she could function on her own, then the sooner Nat would feel she could go see Yelena.

"Clint, considering that, again, we can't take her to any PT sessions, which we all know she would hate anyway and insist she could do the exercises on her own, doing something ourselves is smart," Natasha said firmly. "I didn't even have to suggest it. Wanda started doing that herself, and it's a good idea."

"Yeah, but she shouldn't have to."

"She is right here," Wanda put in, an ever so slight edge in her voice. "It doesn't matter if I should have to or not. I do have to, and I will." I can't really fix my head. I can help fix the outside of me, and I'll do whatever I can for at least that.

"Sorry, kid. I'm not trying to talk over you. I just hate seeing you hurt," Clint told her. "I'll stop. Brought you a crutch like Nat told me to pick up for you. I'm going to go help Laura make us all some lunch. You feel up to eating outside by the pool?"

"Actually...yeah. Yes, I am." Wanda felt refreshed by her nap after breakfast, and while she knew she would not be able to stay outside all afternoon, she didn't feel like she had to stay resting in bed to eat, either. I don't feel great, but I can at least do that. Clint's relieved expression made her all the more confident saying yes was the right thing to do. She watched in a contented silence as Clint asked to take baby Nate with him downstairs.

"Of course. Nate is your baby," Nat teased, but she gave baby Nate a very un-Nat-like (or was it?) kiss on the top of his head before handing him over. "He's fat and happy."

Wanda knew Natasha pretended not to be a particularly affectionate person much of the time, but privately she thought Nat was much the opposite. Natasha clearly enjoyed babysitting, and all of the understanding and loving care Nat willingly gave her said enough.

Wanda had initially been looking forward to maybe being able to actually go where she wanted by herself since she had a crutch to use now, but she immediately found out it was not that simple. That fixed the balance issue entirely, but her good arm was still too weak to support her weight much when she tried. Nat had sent Lila and Cooper to play in one of their own rooms in case the experiment didn't go well and made Wanda upset, but Nat could tell Wanda was more angry than anything else. "Nat, you tried to get me something so I could function by myself, and I still can't," she muttered. "I'm sorry."

"I didn't say getting you a crutch was going to immediately fix everything. I told you it might not work yet before you tried," Natasha said gently. "There is no reason for you to be angry with yourself or apologize. It's there for you to use when you are strong enough. If that means not yet, that's fine."

"It's been, what...ten days since you got me out. I think." And I still am like this. I should be better, I should be stronger by now.

"Exactly. Only ten days. You are leaps and bounds better than ten days ago." Nat tried to push the mental picture out of her head of both initially finding Wanda on the Raft, and the photos she and Wanda had snapped back at the motel to catalogue Wanda's injuries for evidence purposes, which was what she'd been organizing on the laptop a bit ago. Natasha had seen plenty of bad things in her life, and objectively those pictures were nowhere near the worst things she'd seen. They were graphic in a clinical sort of way, sure, but it was also obvious the injuries had healed some before being photographed, and that the victim was receiving appropriate treatment. There was no reason the pictures should bother her at this point. Wanda was right in front of her, safe; no one was harming her any further. "I think I have an idea to help you, not necessarily carry, at least aside from the stairs."

"Okay." Wanda still sounded a bit grumpy, but that sounded reasonable to her. "What's the idea?"

"You're able to use at least a little of your magic now without pain, and you can use your power to levitate yourself. Can you channel a small enough amount to make it so you're not actually floating and just use it to support however much weight your arm can't take physically right now?"

Wanda considered this for a minute, thinking that probably would work just fine. It feels weird to think about though. I'm still too weak to do much of anything, but my magic isn't. Even without it functioning normally, I can still do "little" things with it. She remembered using it to knock Clint flat on the floor days ago when he'd asked her to see if she could punch him, and while doing that had hurt then, she didn't think it would now, or at least not much. "I think so. I will try," she announced.

Natasha was delighted to see that yes, it did work for her. Wanda's good hand remained visibly hazed in scarlet where she held her crutch, so this would never work in public at all, but as long as they were hidden somewhere like at the vacation house, it would. And she's already looking happier. Good. Nat stayed next to Wanda just in case, but the younger girl was able to cross the bedroom to the hallway door and back again fairly easily, if slowly. "How's your ankle feeling? And be honest, please."

"Better. It still aches, but this isn't hurting it." Wanda shyly asked if it was okay to give Nat a hug, and instantly wrapped her arm around her friend upon receiving a 'yes, obviously' reaction. Thank you so much.

Nat did let Wanda get down the hallway on her own, but she quickly picked Wanda up before she could attempt the stairs. "No stairs yet. I don't think that's a good idea."

Wanda kept quiet, slightly annoyed but knowing Nat was right. Maybe she could go in the pool soon; doing that might help too. Relying on her enhancements to allow her to limp anywhere meant she was still stuck if they did have to leave again. Still, she felt so relieved to be able to move a bit from place to place on her own that she couldn't bring herself to care right now. "Do you think the pool would help...?"

"I do. You know quite well that will help already, Wanda," Nat told her in a slightly scolding tone. "I don't think it's a good idea to go in all the way to actually swim yet with those burns still like they are, but you could at least go walk the shallow end if you're careful."

"I think I'd like to try." Wanda was glad Nat set her down gently at the bottom of the stairs without her even having to ask. Natasha did stay right next to her just in case, but Wanda didn't mind that.

They made it almost to the kitchen before Wanda's good leg gave out under her. The walls tilted briefly, reminiscent of when she had fainted in that Raft cell and hurt her ankle in the first place, and she squeezed her eyes shut, the crutch clattering to the floor. I'm not there. I have Nat right here with me. She's holding me. She didn't even let me fall. I have access to my magic, too. And I'm not hungry and dehydrated, either, so there.

Natasha carefully lowered Wanda to the hallway runner rug and sat next to her, just holding her close. Too much, too soon. I should have stopped her sooner, but I really thought she was okay. Wanda only seemed a little tense, so she said nothing and let Wanda calm herself down instead.

"I'm so sorry. I thought I could do it," Wanda whispered after a moment.

"There is absolutely nothing to be sorry for. That's what I was there for. I should have made you stop sooner, but you genuinely seemed fine. Now we know what is too much for now." Nat was glad Wanda did not seem particularly distressed, just frustrated. This wasn't a good thing, of course, but Wanda being frustrated with herself after getting hurt was normal behavior for her, and Nat would always be glad to see more normal behavior from her right now. "Do you still want to go outside?"

Wanda nodded. I can't get there by myself though. I'm supposed to be better, so Nat can go see her sister. Then another thought she knew was selfish and unfair floated through her head, too: I am nothing but a second-rate replacement. She won't be around any more. "No, no, no, that is wrong, I'm just-"

"Wanda, what is worrying you right now?"

Everything. Wanda didn't know how to explain what was bothering her; she still genuinely wanted her friend to be able to see her little sister. But the scared little girl part of her couldn't help worrying that Nat reuniting with her actual sister meant she would be abandoned and left behind somehow, and that in of itself seemed embarrassing. She wasn't a little kid, and that logic was objectively childish. Natasha could care about more than one person at a time. Feeling otherwise was dumb. I have told Nat to leave me behind, because I make things difficult and ruin things anyway. I just...I'm selfish too. I don't...want her to. Even if I really think she should and that I don't deserve to have a friend like her. And what would Natasha's sister think anyway, that Nat had been staying away to help care for some injured enhanced girl she'd only known for about a year, after barely having the chance to reunite with her actual sibling again at all? Wanda suddenly wanted to ask to just go back upstairs, but if she did that, then Clint would be all concerned and fussy. She needed to pull herself together. "I am okay. I'm just...thinking," she said finally.

Unconvinced, Natasha looked at her suspiciously, but decided not to press at the moment. "If you don't want to talk to me, that's fine, but then you need to talk to someone else." She sensed that something had closed off for Wanda, something that the younger girl didn't know how to express. It was written all over her face, even if Wanda was clearly trying to appear unbothered.

"I can't." That isn't something I can tell anyone. I should not mention anything regarding any of it to anyone, because Nat having a sister isn't my story to share. I won't mess that up for her if it's a secret.

Natasha frowned, not liking that Wanda had abruptly pulled away, burying her face in her knees. "I know something is wrong. You even acknowledged something was bothering you because you said 'I can't', not another 'I'm fine'."

I'm terrified of being left alone and I know it's illogical but I can't help it. "I am just tired," Wanda hedged, hoping Nat would drop it.

"Do you want to go back upstairs?"

"No."

Wanda did let herself participate in having lunch by the pool, but she felt as if some shadow had fallen over her. Luckily not being talkative wasn't strange on her part, so the only one still suspicious was Nat, who was nice enough not to press about it. Lila and Cooper had already stuffed their peanut butter and jelly sandwiches in and hopped in the pool, so she just sat on the edge with her feet in the water, still nibbling her own sandwich. Laura handed Nate to Clint and carried some of the empty lunch dishes inside, asking Natasha for help.

The second they were in the kitchen, Laura plopped the dishes in the sink and turned on the Black Widow. "Something is wrong between you and Wanda, and you're both hiding it from Clint," she stated.

Nay smiled ruefully and shook her head. "Should have guessed you would notice. Guess my poker face is rusty."

"Spill it. I understand why neither of you want to tell him, so maybe I can help?"

"Something is deeply worrying her, but she won't say what it is. I don't understand why when she's confided some...terrible things that happened to her on the Raft without me even pressing her to explain." Natasha began rinsing the dishes slowly, trying to consider what could possibly have set Wanda off. "I know she's frustrated with her body still failing her right now, but there is no way that is what made her close off somewhat so suddenly. I don't think whatever is bothering her has anything to do with that prison ordeal at all."

"Nat, does Wanda know about your sister?" Laura asked. "That she exists, at least? You mentioned to me before that she wanted you to visit and to please not tell her or Clint about it."

"She does. It came up at the motel, and being cagey would have been far worse than just telling her. She was very, very hung up on my going to visit Yelena as soon as possible. I told her no, she needed to heal more first, and I wanted the two of them to meet anyway."

Laura raised one eyebrow. "And, they are pretty close in age, correct?"

"Yes. Yelena is a little older, but not by much."

"Nat, use those super spy senses of yours and put the pieces together. Think about it."

"You think Wanda doesn't want me to see Yelena? No, no way. She wouldn't do that..." Natasha trailed off, realizing Laura did have a point. Even Yelena had already expressed an issue with Wanda over text, not meanly, but an issue all the same. Those two girls probably each thought that the other was going to take someone they loved away from them, even if they logically knew otherwise. Wanda had used the phrase I want you to be able to see your real sister back at the motel. At the time, it had sounded sweet and caring, but now Natasha was quite sure there was a thread of something else there, something disparaging herself. Yelena accused Nat of replacing Yelena with Wanda and flat-out called her a replacement, and Wanda must think she was just that, something to discard in favor of the original.

"I'm saying she's hurting and doesn't have any of her biological family left. She's attached to you, anyone can see that, and now she finds out you have a long-lost sister. She's probably terrified of being abandoned and won't say so." Laura paused, knowing none of this was pleasant to discuss at all, and the plastic cup in Natasha's hand was buckling as she squeezed it.

"I pretty much did abandon her. For three weeks. No wonder she might be scared of that, even if she kept telling me repeatedly to leave her somewhere because her presence makes it difficult to hide." Nat shoved the rinsed dishes into the dishwasher and slammed the door.

"Because she cares about you more than her own fears. You didn't abandon her, and same as I told Clint, nothing that happened in that prison was your fault. You need to get your needy little siblings together and show them that the other one's existence doesn't mean you care about them any less." Laura gave her a hug and added, "For the record, I don't think this needs to be an issue. Perhaps arrange a visit and come right back. Yelena will be mollified because she gets to see you, and you returning will help Wanda see that she doesn't need to be scared of losing you."

"I can't leave her yet. I know, logically, there was no way I could have extracted her from Leipzig alone. But honestly? I let the team down by signing in the first place. It really does feel like I just let her be tortured for weeks to save my own skin."

"Nat, you know you had no way of knowing what Ross would do to her. If she, Clint, Sam, and Scott were treated fairly, waiting nineteen days to be rescued would not have been a big deal," Laura said quietly. "They may have been a little hungry, bored, and tired, but not harmed."

Natasha clenched her hands into fists. Maybe not to the extent it was, but I certainly knew she would be mistreated. "Ross is a prejudiced asshole. His being involved automatically meant she'd be hurt. He was always rude to her before; me too, just not as...much, since I am not enhanced like Wanda. Couple of foreign female Avengers just offend his fragile senses, I suppose."

"Then, put that way, your options were interfere with their arrest alone in the airport and get you two killed, or wait knowing she'd be hurt and rescue her successfully later. Knowing that doesn't mean you did the wrong thing."

"Doesn't make it easier. Honestly? I'd love to eliminate every single person that participated in what happened to her in that place. Use my Red Room assassin training on people that would one hundred percent deserve it."

Wanda easily sensed that Laura had known something was not quite right between Nat and her, more because she knew Laura did not actually need help with the dishes than their body language or her powers sensing something. She blinked down at the last bit of sandwich, thinking that if she ate any more, she would probably feel sick. Lila and Cooper were splashing around in the deep end of the pool, clearly far more confident swimmers than she was, even if she wasn't injured. Clint came over and plunked himself down beside her, offering a content-looking baby Nate. "I can't hold him."

"Eh. You supported yourself walking a little, and I think you weigh more than a baby," Clint teased, but he didn't ask why Wanda said she couldn't hold him.

Wanda smiled slightly and hesitantly reached for Nate's pudgy little baby hand, wondering if little Nathaniel Pietro Barton looked anything like she and Pietro did when they were babies. Well. He's probably much fatter than we were, she thought, knowing both Pietro and herself had been scrawny little things as far back as she could remember. Nate squeezed her finger and then babbled happily, which strangely made her feel better. Nate was just a baby; he didn't talk other than 'mama' and 'dada', but he still seemed happy to interact with her. "You're very, very lucky, Nathaniel Pietro," she whispered. Wanda felt an arm around her own shoulders and scooted herself closer. And despite everything, maybe I am too. Lucky I'm not completely alone. Lucky that place didn't completely...break me. Pietro, can you see me now? I still miss you, but I'm...me, I think. I am coping. I didn't try again after the once last year, at least. I am hurt, but I'm getting better.

You're still scared of losing your friends like you lost me. Don't be.

I can't help it. I never wanted this job-I just wanted peace, quiet, home, family, normal. But you did and so I do too. And now you are not here and I still am, so I have to keep going for both of us. Wanda thought her deepest wish was just plain selfish at this point. Even if she wasn't labeled an international fugitive and felt she could actually trust her enhancements, didn't she have a responsibility to use those abilities to help others? Thinking about that made her wonder what the other half of their rogue team was up to. "Have you talked to Steve, Scott, or Sam?"

"No, but I know Nat can get into contact with them if you want to."

"And you don't?"

"Right now? Not really. Bit pissed at Steve, and Sam and Scott are reminders of what happened."

Wanda tensed, wondering if she should go away too then. Clint is upset, way more upset than he's been letting on, even with his snapping and being overly concerned. "If they are reminders...seeing me like this should be much worse."

"Maybe, but I'm glad you're here anyway. I'd rather be able to see you for myself and confirm you're safe." Clint was glad Wanda seemed to be okay for now. Seeing her outdoors sitting in the sun and finishing an ordinary lunch without help made him feel better.

Wanda instinctively jerked herself away when little Nate tugged on her hair. In a second she had slipped into the pool with a splash, and that startled her enough to realize that the water was shallow enough that she could stand here just fine. She did not need to be scared of drowning or passing out or someone injecting drugs into her neck again. I'm fine. I'm fine. It was just Nate, nothing else. "Nat is going to be mad at me," she muttered.

"Wanda, are you okay?"

Wanda glanced at Clint, splashing down the pool steps and still holding the baby. "I'm fine, really, I just...Nate pulled my hair. It startled me," she admitted.

"Yay, you came in too!" Lila said happily, trying to tug Wanda by the hand into deeper water.

"Lila, let go of her," Clint ordered. "You want to play with her, ask first, and don't get her neck underwater, okay?" He could tell Wanda really was safe for now and hadn't hurt herself, but he hated that little Nate pulling her hair was all it took for her to be startled enough to scoot off the edge into the pool.

Lila seemed to understand, and stopped pulling while still holding onto her. "Okay. Will you play with me?"

Wanda knew the water wasn't even chest-high for her, and the children obviously swam like fish, so they were not in any danger either. "I...I think I just want to stand here for a bit. I'm sorry."

Lila nodded and made her serious face. "Okay. You're not s'posed to say sorry for politely saying you do or don't want to do something," she said, blinking innocently.

This made Wanda smile, and she nodded. "I know." Thanks, Lila. I do know that.

It was so nice to just be standing by herself and not feel like she was going to collapse that Wanda just stayed put watching the children until Nat and Laura returned. Besides, the cool water felt nice on her sensitive fingers. Rather than being upset with her, Nat actually looked happy. "Mind if I join you?"

Wanda shook her head, still wondering if she should tell Natasha what had bothered her earlier. Then she grew more surprised when her friend went straight to the point, asking if what was bothering her had anything to do with Yelena. "Not...exactly." I should be honest, but make it clear clear clear that I know I'm being ridiculous.

Natasha looked like she was thinking 'I knew it', which she probably was, Wanda thought. "You're not some replacement for her, you know," she said gently. "I can care about both of you. It is not a one or the other thing."

"I know." I'm just still scared anyway. Wanda ran her fingers along the edge of the pool, wondering if Laura had suggested the idea to Nat, or if Nat had realized what was wrong on her own. "I still think you should go visit. I just...don't want you to leave. But...you really, really should. It is not fair to Yelena at all." Nat didn't get to see her sister for years and years, since they were kids. She's only just found Yelena again and I have no right to want her to stay. And if I was Yelena, I don't think I'd want Nat to automatically bring me along, either. "I think if I feel like this, it...must be much worse for her. She should get to...have you to herself a bit."

Natasha thought about Wanda's words for a couple minutes, mostly just relieved to have an explanation. Wanda did have a point, but Nat still did not feel comfortable leaving her yet. Yelena was safe right now, at least, and...so was Wanda, really. No one was going to harm her more, and Clint and Laura would certainly take care of her if Nat left for a day or two. Still, she was hesitant to leave all the same. "I'm going to wait until we actually straighten out Scott's deal and Tony drops by here so we can discuss things. At that point, I will go visit Yelena briefly if she doesn't mind, and if you're recovered enough to travel easily by then, you are more than welcome to come," she said finally.

Wanda didn't smile, but she nodded. This seemed reasonable to her, though she had no wish to speak to Tony in person and planned to stay away from him if possible.

The next couple days passed peacefully with the little group simply staying indoors and hanging out together as a major rainstorm rolled through the area. While Wanda initially worried the storm would set her off somehow with all the noise, she found herself contentedly watching the storm through the living room windows whilst resting wrapped up in a warm fuzzy blanket on the rather questionably-printed flowered sofa. Clint had joked that Tony should redecorate, which amused her.

"You want more hot chocolate?" Clint asked now, on the second indoor rainy day.

Wanda shook her head, slowly and carefully setting the empty cup on the coffee table. Since it was not thundering for now, Nat had decided to go for a run up and down the long winding gravel driveway despite the rain, and Laura unsuccessfully tried to convince Clint to go too. Wanda rather wished she was strong enough to do that herself, but that was definitely not happening right now. "You should have gone with Nat. I'd be perfectly fine," she whispered, knowing Laura would be willing to stay with her anyway, so she wouldn't be alone regardless.

"Nah, that's not fair to you since you can't yet."

"I don't need my enhancements to sense y-you're...punishing yourself. Because of what happened to me." Wanda thought for a moment and then stood up, leaning on her crutch. If I say I want to go outside then he will have to, also. "I want to take a walk outside." So if you want to stay with me, then you have to come too.

Clint stared at her, knowing quite well what she was up to. "I don't think that's a good-"

"Come with me, then." Wanda felt confident she could at least get out the door alone; Nat's idea to use her magic to help herself a bit was very helpful, and it was nice to know that she was helping her magic slowly improve along with her body slowly recovering strength. "I will go outside alone if you don't come."

Clint sighed and followed her. "You're going to hurt yourself overdoing things. I don't want you aggravating your injuries further."

Wanda's green eyes sparkled with a hint of mischief. "Better come stop me then," she said, appearing quite unbothered. "But, I will stay put and rest. If you go outside yourself." Please? I don't know how to help, but I know very well that staying inside all the time is bad for him, especially when I'm very sure he's doing so just because I can't do much. I'm much better, but still not...good, either. Wanda still had not tried the stairs, but she was mostly okay moving about the house otherwise now, as long as she didn't try to do too much at once.

Clint frowned, glad Wanda was pulling a stunt like this trying to make him go outside and that she clearly felt fine emotionally at the moment-her eyes said that much-but he still didn't feel like he should go off and do something she probably wanted to do and couldn't at the moment. "Okay, let's go outside, but you stay under the little porch awning so you don't get soaking wet," he said finally. "Laura! I'm going outside with Wanda, okay?" Clint shouted upstairs.

Wanda flinched at the shouting but didn't react further. She could hear Laura saying, "Good, I'm glad someone convinced you," which made her smile.

"Still don't want you overdoing it or getting a chill," Clint muttered, grabbing an extra throw blanket off the living room sofa.

"I'm already wearing a hoodie. I am fine," Wanda informed him, but she didn't fuss at him gently wrapping the plush blanket around her shoulders, either. I have been getting cold easily...I don't know why. She could tell he was still worried anyway as they went outside, because he seemed fidgety, and not in the same sort of normal way Pietro used to be. Pietro was always bouncy and physically fidgety whether he was happy or not. In fact, it was when he wasn't fidgety that she would get concerned. Clint was not like that; he was normally a pretty calm, chill person in general. This is my fault. I know Clint, Nat, and Laura don't think that, but it is. "I think I hurt you by...talking to you in my head, on the Raft," she said slowly, struggling to find the correct words. "And I think...you need help too."

"I'm fine, I wasn't the one being tortured every day, and I've had training to deal with enhanced interrogations anyway."

"But, that isn't right either. You care about me. So that hurt y-you too. I think..." Wanda paused, watching raindrops plink into the large puddles dotting the driveway. How can I possibly help when I'm a mess myself? I have to try. "I think you are hurting. And you are not taking care of you. You help me only and not you."

"Well, I hardly think that hellhole was half as bad for the rest of us," Clint said, sounding a touch peevish, "and I'm not hurt, so there is nothing to take care of."

Wanda blinked, knowing she probably should sit back down somewhere soon, but not willing to do so when she was still trying to convince Clint to go running for himself instead of staying with her. "Me being hurt doesn't mean you were not. Doesn't matter if it was...as bad or not." I'm just imagining when I saw Pietro hurt before. I always thought I'd so much rather it be me than him. And I know he thought the exact same thing.

"I think I'm fine. I just need to take care of all of you now and it won't matter." Clint glanced at Wanda, still wondering if she was stressing her still-healing body by standing outside for this long, but she seemed okay other than leaning on him a bit. "I've had training for dealing with this and I have been tortured before."

Now Wanda tensed as she struggled to figure out what to say to that. I have no idea how to help. What am I even doing? I can't help someone else when I can't really help myself. "You s-said 'before', so you know it happened again, then," she whispered finally. "And I don't have any training for that, but I...I'm not sure that is...helpful, anyway. Other than increasing pain tolerance maybe." Which wouldn't help him in this case regardless.

"I hardly think some shoves and slaps is torture. You took all the brunt of the crap that went down in that place."

"And I messed up...accidentally making you feel my pain. So, yes, you did get physically hurt. Indirectly." And it's my fault. Wanda frowned and moved to the little porch swing finally, not trusting herself to stand much longer. She was glad Clint had insisted on wrapping her in a blanket, because she did feel a bit chilly, and being cold reminded her of a lot of things she did not want to think about, not just being trapped in that Raft cell.

Clint came and sat next to her, still frowning. "You're still blaming yourself about that, aren't you?"

"It's a fact. You, um..." Wanda closed her eyes and then just stared down at her bare toes. The cement porch felt damp and a bit rough, but she liked sensing something on her feet besides prison slippers (which had somehow gotten lost at some point during the failed escape attempt and were never replaced), the freezing smooth floor in her cell, or the brace wrapped around her bad ankle. Still, she pulled her legs up on the swing too and tucked herself into the blanket entirely. I don't know what to say. If Nat and Laura couldn't help, why would I be able to? Wanda thought about Nat, offering help and understanding by expressing something similar that had happened to her. Natasha always helped. "That prison was using me to hurt you, exactly like Hydra liked...using Pietro's safety against me, a-and the other way around, too. So I know you need help. And I'm a telepath. I can sense it passively without trying."

Clint sighed and ran a hand through his hair in frustration. She's not exactly wrong. "You two were kids. I'm a grown-ass person responsible for protecting you." While Wanda did not talk a whole lot about her own experiences with Hydra before, he knew that whatever had been done to her and her twin while being experimented on was torture itself. The few times he had glimpsed a bit of those old scars on her back that she kept covered constantly said that much. Knowing that also made him angry.

"Okay, you just acknowledged you aren't okay then." And you're not responsible for protecting me, even if that makes me feel like I still have a family.

"And what do you prescribe, Dr. Maximoff?"

This made Wanda smile a bit, even though she hated being around doctors with a passion. "I think you should go running with Nat, or alone, if that is better."

"You want to do that yourself, I can tell that much, and you can't," Clint muttered.

Why does that matter? "I do, but that...that doesn't mean I can't be happy here resting. I am okay, I'm just...not strong enough yet." Wanda perked up when she saw Nat running back toward them. "I think Nat will agree. Nat, he should go run, too, shouldn't he?"

Nat was glad to see both of her teammates outside, but quite sure Wanda had only come outside in the chilly rain because she'd been trying to convince Clint to go do something active outdoors for himself. When she'd left, Wanda had been very content watching the rain from inside sipping hot chocolate under a blanket. "She's right, Clint. Laura said the same thing. I'm doing two more driveway laps. Why don't you come along?"

"Well..."

"Perfect, I shall go back inside now," Wanda said quickly. Debating was close enough; she knew both of her friends well enough to know that Nat would make Clint go. Mission accomplished.

Wanda settled herself back in her spot looking out the living room window, first realizing that she didn't particularly want to be alone at the moment, and then thinking that was ridiculous. She could hear Laura coming downstairs and two pairs of thumping feet anyway. Lila and Cooper were wearing rain boots and coats and eagerly shouted hello before barreling toward the door.

"Kids. Wait, please," Laura ordered. "You may play in the rain as long as you like, but do not go past the hammock hung between those two trees along the first bend in the driveway, understand?"

Lila and Cooper nodded. "We know. That's always the rule," Cooper pointed out.

"I know you do. Just a reminder. I'll be here with Nate and Wanda." Once the children went outside, Laura went back into the living room carrying Nate and asked Wanda if she wanted anything at the moment.

"No thank you." Wanda sounded happy, and she remained curled up on the sofa where she was. I do not feel...great, but I really do feel better today too. It was annoying that she kept tiring so easily, but that was better than constantly being in so much pain that she didn't particularly want to move. Right now she could ignore it.

"I'm glad you convinced Clint to get out of the house and do something. Thank you."

"He shouldn't still blame himself for me being hurt. I'm not sure I helped much...but I tried."

"You convinced him to go running, so I count that as a win," Laura pointed out. She did not say so, but she knew Clint wasn't exactly his normal self. More than once she woke up during the night to Clint hugging her tightly and muttering that they should have just all stayed on the farm last year, period. Except, then when she actually tried to get him to talk, he would go silent, give her a kiss, and tell her to go back to sleep. "You're absolutely sure I can't get you anything?"

Wanda nodded. "I'm honestly fine right now. I like watching the rain." Even just hearing the raindrops patter against the windows was nice, and the cinnamon-scented candle lit on the marble coffee table made the ambience cozier. Though there was still a long list of things that deeply bothered her, at the moment that was muted and she was happy right now.

"All right. I'm just going to sit here and watch the rain with you, then."

Wanda smiled a little and scrunched herself further into the blanket. "Thank you for staying with me."

In a couple minutes, Wanda felt her phone vibrate in her pocket and fumbled to pull it out. It's Vis. I will pick up, definitely. She showed the screen to Laura and then answered it. "Hello, Vis."

"Hey, I know I'm not who you wanted to-"

Tony. Wanda scowled and nearly hung up, but something in Iron Man's voice made her pause. She could also hear Vision in the background saying he had told Tony he should have answered first. Something had to be very wrong. "Why are you on Vision's phone?" she asked cautiously.

"Because you wouldn't pick up if it wasn't him. Listen carefully. You need to get in contact with the Capsicle half of your rogue team, now. Tell them get out of Romanoff's safe house in Norway ASAP."

"They are not in Norway," Wanda said flatly, still suspicious.

There was a deep sigh on the other end of the line. "Fine, be like that. Tell them get out of not-Norway then." Tony quoted the exact location of Nat's safe house as proof that he was not just fishing for information and already knew.

Wanda bit her lip and glanced at Laura, awkwardly stabbing at the phone to get the call on speaker. Is this a setup? What's going on?

"Little Red, you listening? Falcon's been sighted by locals there, which could be easily ignored as rumors, but some hikers stumbled on the quinjet. You need to get word to them and tell them get out, now."

Laura gave a start hearing the call, and moved closer to Wanda. "Tony, this is Laura Barton. I'm here with Wanda. Do we need to leave the house here also?"

"No, you guys are safe. But the rest aren't. Ross is hella pissed and he's out for blood. You've got maybe an hour before shit goes down. Couldn't get word to you sooner. I'll explain later." Tony paused before adding, "Wanda, I do have a plan, but you aren't going to like it."

Wanda closed her eyes, knowing her hand was shaking badly, but she spoke clearly. "What is it? I can't exactly...do much right now." I need to calm down. Not sound like I'm about to panic. Stop, stop, stop.

"Vision's made it so your phone can't be traced. I can give you a phone number and I want you to call it. Tell Ross-"

Is he crazy? "I am not talking to that man," Wanda interrupted, her voice sharp. "Are you out of your mind?" She looked up at Laura desperately, wishing that Nat or Clint was back already.

"Gimme a second here. I said you weren't going to like it!"

Not liking is a little different than trying to get me to talk to the same person that had me tortured for weeks, Wanda thought, but she didn't say that. "Why would I do that?" Then she closed her eyes and quickly sent a telepathic emergency message to Clint, "Please tell Nat I need her to get back as quickly as possible. We need to contact Steve, Sam, and Scott immediately. Emergency. They need to leave Nat's safe house."

"Because I think you can convince him he should help bug boy go home on house arrest so he can see his kid. Dude is terrified of you. You do this and nobody will have to use the prison footage you guys have. Besides, he'll be distracted talking to you and give more time for them to leave the area."

Wanda squeezed her eyes shut more tightly and curled herself into a smaller ball, trying to focus on the texture of her fuzzy blanket, the sounds of the rain outside, and the scent of the cinnamon candle. I won't be able to talk to Ross in any kind of reasonable manner right now. I'd either break down in a panic or just sound like an angry unhinged nutcase. I hate him.

"Wanda, forget the rest for now," Vision was saying in his gentle voice. "That can be discussed and solved another day. You do not have to do any such thing. Merely warn Mr. Rogers and the others to vacate their current location, that is all." I do not wish for her to do that regardless.

Wanda nodded, forgetting that they could not actually see her, and dropped her phone. She could hear Vision in the background saying it was unreasonable to expect her to be comfortable 'conversing with the main perpetrator of the human rights crimes committed against her', and then Tony saying that he knew that but it would be an easy fix for the problem, which admittedly was true. And...I could literally just mind-control Ross. I'd have to see him to do that, but I know I could. Would that really be so wrong if I was helping someone else?

Laura quickly jumped in and just said they understood and thank you for the warning. She gently squeezed Wanda's shoulder. "Did you warn them yourself in your head or do I need to grab Nat's laptop?"

T-O-L-D C-L-I-N-T. "I...can't reach the others. Too far away," Wanda told her, and was surprised when Laura carefully set Nate on her lap. "I can't-"

"Yes, you can. You don't have to carry twenty pounds of baby around. He's just going to sit there nestled against you and the sofa. Nate likes you, see?" Laura was glad to see that little Nate was content with Wanda; he was making happy noises and showing her the rubbery teething toy rattle in his hand. "If he gets wiggly and too much to handle, you can put him in his playpen with your magic. Tony, we're working on it. Give Wanda the phone number so we at least have it."

Wanda blinked in surprise as Laura ran out in search of the laptop. Why is Laura trusting me with her baby? And telling me I should use my magic to pick him up if I have to? Laura definitely would not leave her baby with someone she did not trust, and knowing that was the case felt reassuring to her. Laura did not think she was going to mess up again and hurt Nate. She was even directly telling her to literally use magic to hold him if she had to.

"Hey. Little witch, you listen. I've got the number here."

"You cannot expect Wanda to do this," she heard Vis insist again. "It is not fair to her."

The phone fell to the floor as Wanda tried and failed to get her hand to stop shaking. Little Nate was just happily resting on her, his pudgy baby fingers touching the splint on her injured arm curiously. Nate was warm. Nate did not care if her heart was racing and her thoughts all scared and confused. She squeezed her eyes shut and buried her face in the baby's messy dark curls. I'm okay. I'm safe. I need to get it together.

"Got your message," Clint said, running inside. "You sense something or did Vision tell you?" He spotted the phone on the floor and picked it up. "Are you okay?"

Natasha didn't even pause-she stuck her head in the living room, waved, and headed for the stairs.

Wanda nodded, still clutching the baby as much as she could. Nate wiggled but didn't try to get away from her. "Vis...Tony, I...Get the phone number. Get the dumb phone number, please." I can't do this myself.

"Hey. Wanda says I'm supposed to get a phone number." Clint scowled. "The hell? You want her to call Ross?" Well, that explained why Wanda was so shaky and upset. Clint began pacing the living room and then kicked the coffee table.

"Mr. Barton, Wanda asked to merely have the phone number for now. We do not expect her to do that," Vision said calmly. He quickly gave them the unwanted number, and then added, "Wanda, you are safe now. Should you change your mind for Mr. Stark's idea, the secretary cannot hurt you any longer."

I know. I know, I'm just...still scared anyway. And angry. I hate that man. Wanda didn't reply, and she could hear Vision asking Clint if she was okay.

"No, you two bumbling idiots scared her," Clint said rather snippily, and continued pacing.

"I am fine." Wanda spoke up now, not wanting Vis to be wherever he was and remain worried she was not okay. "Good-bye, Vis."

Clint took this to mean he should hang up, so he ended the call. "Why did you let them talk you into taking that number?"

Wanda let him take Nate from her and stood up as quickly as she could. "Because he has a point. Ross hates me. He's also...scared of me." She shakily went over to the window, still using her crutch. Looking outside was helpful. The little rivulets of raindrops trickling down the window. Cooper and Lila stomping in puddles. Leaves on the trees rustling a bit in the breeze. Calm down. I need to think.

Currently her theory was that Tony had known the specific coordinates to Natasha's safe house in Norway all the time, and had ever so helpfully shared them with Ross after the Sam sighting and the quinjet being found, since at that point there was nothing to be done anyway. Then Tony would look like he'd helped Ross, even though sharing that information would make no difference at that point.

"Wanda, are you sure Tony wasn't lying to you?"

"I'm sure. Why am I defending him to you? It used to be the reverse."