A/N: Thanks to everyone who's followed/favorited and/or is reading but not reviewing:)

On to the story!

"...courtesy of Vision, actually," Steve was saying when Wanda woke up again hours later.

Vision? What did he do? Wanda didn't open her eyes or stir a bit, wanting to eavesdrop on this conversation without interrupting it. Multiple times on the Raft, she had wondered if he knew what was happening to her, if he cared, and if he did, would he still want anything to do with her if she escaped. She did not consider Tony telling her that Vision missed her to be a reliable source of information. Vis liked rules. He did not understand breaking them and things being disorganized, and she sort of thought he liked being around her partially because she was the strange, chaotic one that felt like an outsider often, because he did not fit in either being a red synthezoid.

"He really sent you the Raft coordinates?" Clint asked suspiciously.

"He did, he said he found out Wanda was there and 'you must rescue her. It is unfair that she is there and I cannot do it myself'," Steve answered.

"No mention of the rest of you," Natasha teased, "until a separate message that added to clarify that Cap was supposed to get all four of you out, not Wanda only, transmitted a few minutes after."

Wanda felt a tiny, tiny bit of her magic loosen from the anxious pained ball of chaos in her heart, sending a bit of relieved warmth through her. Does Vis know what happened on the Raft? I'm...not sure I want him to know. Could he sense me still? Is that how he found out?

"How long were we in there before the Vision's messages went through?" Clint asked.

"Considering it was less than two days after the airport battle? I'll bet mere hours. A day, maybe. I think he may have been able to track her with the mind stone, since she's also connected to it in a way." There was an odd hitch in Steve's voice that Wanda didn't like; he sounded worried.

"You're telling me Stark's robot can just track Wanda anywhere she goes? That's real great, Cap. That's fine for now, but how about in a couple months when we're off on the run somewhere else? Is he going to turn her in if someone orders him to? What then?" Clint was pacing now, and Wanda could hear his footsteps going back and forth.

"If Wanda is fully recovered, she can handle herself fine. Thought you said she put him through the floor...all the floors, when you fetched her from the Compound." Natasha sounded somewhat concerned, but not like Clint did.

"She did, but she really didn't want to, and we don't know how long it's going to take for her to recover. If we have to leave that vacation house before she's healed, that's...dangerous. Very."

He's not just Stark's robot, Wanda thought to herself, but she couldn't help wondering if Clint had a point. If Vision had known where she was all the time, then couldn't he have gotten her out of the airport? No, he couldn't have, interfering would have simply criminalized his actions as well as hers, and like her, Vision wouldn't have wanted to crash the helicopters containing the strike teams either. Besides, she had sent him away to check on War Machine. He probably thought he wasn't supposed to come back. Couldn't he have gotten her out of the Raft before the endless nineteen days had passed? Maybe? Because if it was only a couple days in, she would not have been totally useless physically for an escape if someone removed that horrible shock collar...or even simply deactivated it so she could rip it off herself. She easily could have helped Vision get the rest of the team and herself out then. Well...he may have been physically unable to break the law in that way so directly after signing the Accords...Vis does still have programming...doesn't he?

Wanda also wondered if she could have mind-controlled multiple guards long enough for her to get it off back at the start too, but after the failed last-ditch escape attempt on day 6, there had been no chance for her to risk trying again, not with extra guards milling around her cell constantly, willing to shock her if they so much as thought she moved too quickly or looked suspicious.

The trouble was that they thought she looked suspicious often, which, to be fair, she probably did look suspicious often, she thought.

"Wanda, I know you are not sleeping anymore," Natasha said now, sounding mildly amused to have caught her eavesdropping.

Wanda opened her eyes and promptly closed them again, wincing as she shifted a bit in her cocoon of blankets and pillows on the floor to readjust her injured arm. It did not help; it still hurt, not as badly as it had for so long on the Raft, but still quite severely. I just wanted to know. I heard you talking about Vis. "I...miss him," she murmured. My arm is fine. Nat and Clint took care of it. It just still hurts anyway. Ignore it.

"Vision?"

Wanda's cheeks flushed the tiniest bit pink, and she nodded slightly. She was a bit mad at him, and distrustful for not helping sooner, but mostly she just wanted to see and talk to him herself and find out why. There had to be some kind of explanation. He wouldn't have sent Steve those Raft coordinates if he didn't care.

"Wanda, if you ever see him, you need to be extremely careful, do you understand? You have no way of knowing what he will do, or if he's capable of defying any law-related orders he may be given even if he genuinely wants to." Natasha did not care for that somewhat moony expression on Wanda's face. "Don't be stupid. I know you love him, and I don't want you ending up hurt because of it."

"I do not!"

"Mmhmm. Then stop making the dreamy face. The two of you were not exactly subtle that you cared for one another before all of this happened."

Wanda found this a bit puzzling since she hadn't so much as kissed Vis in front of the rest of the team; even in private, she still hadn't. She didn't even know if he would want her to do that and was too nervous to ask him, and she most certainly wouldn't do so without permission first. W-E W-E-R-E-N-T D-O-I-N-G A-N-Y-T-H-I-N-G.

"I know, but there was an awful lot of looking like lovesick puppies, cooking together, watching TV in your room, cuddling and hugging, et cetera. And do not tell me you hug some of the rest of us too, because it's not the same. I wasn't born yesterday." Natasha eyed her suspiciously, but Wanda only continued fiddling with the blankets looking uncomfortable. "You two have something different."

It took awhile to explain, but Wanda finally just signed her thoughts, that she didn't exactly trust him, that she was honestly kind of angry, but that she really, really wanted to see Vision herself and give him a chance to explain and tell her why...because stupid or not, she still cared about him anyway.

"All right. That's fair."

"I still don't want you near him until you're capable of defending yourself again," Clint said firmly. "Please don't seek him out. Not by mail, not online, not telepathically, either. Because if he does decide to turn on us, Nat and I won't be able to do much to stop it, and I'm not having Raft crap happen to you again. So no boyfriend for you until you're strong enough to put him through the floor again if you have to."

He's not my boyfriend...is he? Wanda wanted to protest and defend Vision (and also felt rather guilty for putting him through the Avengers Compound floors in the first place before), but she didn't, because she knew they had a point. It would be risky if she somehow saw him right now, and while she didn't believe Vision would hurt her, the scared suspicious parts of her did not want to risk it, either. "Okay," she mumbled finally. At least she no longer believed that her magic was permanently malfunctioning somehow, because it already felt marginally better than before, not much, not enough for her to feel confident she could defend herself easily if they ran into trouble, but still. I don't know how long it's going to take for it to be back to normal, but it's there and it feels more just...hurt like the rest of me than broken now. I can handle that.

"If I grab one of the yogurts I brought from my safe house, will you eat that?" Natasha asked now. She did not want to stuff food into Wanda if she didn't want any, especially because she knew swallowing must be painful for her right now, but she needed to have more than a pudding cup and some juice. "We have some flavored water too now."

Wanda's chin dipped a bit to nod, but she didn't say anything. Yogurt was good. She could definitely eat that. Besides, if she didn't eat or drink whatever she could, then she would probably have to have that IV put back in, which she did not want one bit. Wanda made no protest beyond a stifled pained noise when Natasha gently helped her sit up to eat. I am safe, she silently ordered her racing thoughts, no one is trying to hurt me. Her eyes squeezed shut, trying to prevent herself from crying. Nat was just supporting her broken body, not really giving her a hug, but it felt like a hug, and this suddenly made her feel like crying again. S-O-R-R-Y, Wanda signed as fast as she could.

Natasha handed the yogurt to a worried-looking Clint and really did give the younger girl a hug now. "You're safe now," she said firmly.

"I know," came the quiet reply, muffled in Black Widow's shoulder.

"Okay, good." Nat knew that these tears weren't something to be concerned about. Wanda was not tense, and she seemed relieved that she could have someone nearby holding her and being kind to her. "You tell me when you're ready for the food. Take as long as you want."

Okay. Thank you for everything. Wanda nodded a tiny bit, her fingers going straight to her neck again. Instantly she felt her good hand gently but firmly removed from the injured area with a quiet order not to touch it. "Want...see...how much..." I can tell it's...all over, but I don't know what is there exactly. It just really, really hurts. Though it had 'only' been three weeks, it seemed strange to think that before that, her neck had not been in such constant pain all the time. Now she had been able to have someone take care of the wrecked skin there, and it still severely hurt her.

"It's pretty bad, but it'll heal," Natasha said gently.

H-A-T-E T-H-I-N-G B-E-I-N-G O-N I-T. There were no sharp prongs hot and digging in, no rough collar edges rubbing and chafing her skin, nothing clamped there so tightly it made her feel like she was choking. Logically, she knew this, but all the same sensing there were things there, even if it was just bandages carefully taped in place, made her nervous and on edge. I'm not going to get shocked any more. Don't be ridiculous.

"Understandable. You'd better heal fast then."

Wanda felt Natasha take her good hand and guide her shaky fingers to the edges of the tape, on her collarbone and then along her jawline. She did not protest or even react much, just blinked slowly and tried to relax. Knowing where the edges of the dressings were was helpful.

"Better?" Natasha sounded so hopeful that it made Wanda instantly want to assure her friend that she was completely fine.

But Nat would know if she lied, so Wanda simply said, "Knowing helps," which was true, and nothing else. She nodded when offered the yogurt again. Peaches were good, peaches were bright and summery and made her think about being outside in the sun.


"We're about to land," Natasha announced awhile later. She gently nudged Wanda's shoulder since Wanda had fallen asleep yet again after eating the yogurt. "If you want to stay sleeping, that's fine, but I thought you would want to know what's happening."

I do. Thank you. Wanda did not open her eyes, but she nodded a bit to express that she did want to know.

"You're going to stay here with Steve, just in case something goes wrong. Most likely everything is fine, but let Clint and I make sure we have the vehicle secured safely. Then we'll run back to get you and the rest of the supplies."

Wanda nodded again, thinking it was ridiculous that she was still so tired after...doing pretty much nothing since the big Raft escape. And the more time that passed and she felt more alert mentally while awake, the more she was growing aware of just how much everything hurt. She was absolutely not looking forward to riding in some car for over an hour. If they were in the middle of nowhere, then the roads would probably be terrible. But...it's safe. I'm not alone and I am not on the Raft. It's fine. Not being able to talk very much was fine as long as she had enough energy to sign whatever she wanted to say, but right now she mostly just didn't want to move if she didn't have to.

"Hey, timing couldn't be better. Something going perfectly for us," Steve said a minute later. "Looks like your ride is here right now." The lights from the quinjet illuminated a nondescript charcoal SUV with a red and blue suit-clad figure sitting on the roof waving excitedly.

Wanda strained her ears to hear what was going on, but Clint and Natasha had immediately closed the hatch and she couldn't hear a thing. She sighed and watched Steve pacing the interior of the quinjet.

"I don't think I'd told you thank you for helping Bucky," he said abruptly. "I told the rest of the team, but you were sleeping before."

It was the right thing to do. Y-O-U-R-E W-E-L-C-O-M-E. "Is...okay?" Wanda asked softly.

"Bucky? No, he's not, but at least he's safe in Wakanda. Maybe he will be eventually..." Steve clearly missed his friend anew, and Wanda couldn't help wondering if her mind-based abilities could help Bucky somehow. Could she erase the Winter Soldier programming from the man's head entirely? Obviously she could not do anything like that right now, but selfishly, it would also feel awfully nice if she could actually do something else with those powers besides giving people nightmares or mind-controlling someone.

Wanda kept this idea to herself, because she didn't know if it was even possible and she was quite certain Steve would not want her meddling with his friend's already traumatized head, even to try to help him. Bucky probably wouldn't like the idea, either.

She realized Cap had also just casually told her where Bucky was, too. He wouldn't tell me that if he didn't trust me. So there, Ross, you nasty little excuse of a human.

"Off topic, but for whatever it's worth, I don't believe Vision would ever hurt you intentionally. If you were listening earlier, I suppose you heard what I said about the mind stone. I'm just worried that connection between the two of you will end up being used against you somehow if the wrong person finds out. That's why you need to be careful." Steve appeared quite wistful and happy now, thinking about Peggy, as he went on, "But, I believe you might have a pleasant surprise sometime."

Wanda's expression immediately lit up. V-I-S C-O-M-I-N-G T-O T-H-A-T H-O-U-S-E?

"I don't know, but I believe he might. So...be extremely careful, but also I hope you two reuniting helps you feel better quicker." Steve looked a little pleased that he had gotten her to smile. "I personally think you should tell Nat and Clint, but I didn't mention it, either. That's your job, and I'm trusting you to do the right thing, either way."

That's strange that he didn't tell them. It feels nice to have a decision that's all mine, though. "Okay." Wanda decided she would tell them, obviously, but she would wait a bit and hope her magic began functioning more normally again, because then she could demonstrate that she could defend herself if she had to. It wasn't like the rest of her injuries all needed to be completely healed also in order for her to use her powers properly. Except...that would be selfish. I should tell them now. Wouldn't I be making them worry though...? A lot?

"You want to wait and tell them when you feel stronger, don't you." Steve did not sound as if he were asking a question. "Maybe, just maybe, it might be a good idea to wait a day or two only and tell them anyway regardless?"

Wanda looked away and closed her eyes, feeling a bit silly that Steve knew her mental plans already and she was supposed to be the telepath. "I will."


"Come on, we gotta get out of here fast," Clint said when he returned to the jet shortly. "The spider kid said everything was safe but began sensing something after we landed, so we should hurry up. He's going to hang around the area until we're out of here safely just in case. Nat is with the SUV and the supplies we carried over at first."

"After we landed? He's probably just sensing Wanda and me," Steve pointed out. "But yes, of course we'll hurry. Wanda, you ready?"

No. Wanda stayed quiet, but she nodded a bit. She tensed when Steve picked her up, blankets and all, and like during the first bit of the Raft escape, she hid her face against his shoulder. I am not there any more, she reminded herself yet again, because every time someone picked her up, it caused her more pain, and it reminded her of still being there and things pressing on bruises, her broken ribs, or that battered arm.

"Cap, you're hurting her," Clint scolded.

"I'm not doing anything! What do you want me to do?"

"...Nothing. I know, sorry. I'm just still on edge, that's all."

"I'm fine. I'm fine." Wanda's quiet voice muffled against Steve's shoulder made Clint more worried rather than less, because it was very obvious she was not fine and just saying that hoping he would stop worrying.

"Do you want a sleeping pill or something for the car ride?" Clint asked.

"No!" Wanda said instantly. I don't want anything like that. Right now the very idea of choosing to take anything made her skin crawl. She had had quite enough drug things injected into her to knock her out or sedate her for a lifetime, and obviously choosing to take a sleeping pill was not the same as some weird unknown drug being forced on her, but it felt too similar and she didn't want anything to do with it.

Steve carefully set Wanda down in the backseat of the SUV. "You rest and recover fast. We'll be looking forward to seeing you again soon," he said quietly. "All your forged paperwork and the fake IDs are in that duffel Sam packed for you. Nat will help you get in contact with the rest of us as soon as you're ready for missions again, or even if you just want to talk, okay?"

Wanda blinked, trying to get herself to focus on the idea. Again it seemed so odd to hear Steve sounding so blasé, assuming she would just...heal, presumably in a few weeks, and just go back to doing hero missions as if nothing had happened and none of them were technically international fugitives.

"Steve, let her alone. Tell her bye and get that quinjet out of here before someone potentially sees it," Nat said from the driver's seat. "We've got it from here. I'll contact you soon once we're settled."

Wanda lifted her good hand and waved at him once Steve shut the door. Then she rested her head on the window and closed her eyes once again.

"Stuffed the rest of the supplies in the back, so we're good to go. What about some Advil? It might not help much, but it wouldn't make you feel loopy at least, and it'd be better than nothing. I have that in my pocket," Clint suggested, climbing in on the other side of the backseat and then reaching into the hatchback for some pillows. "Here, let's get that seatbelt fastened and get you some pillows."

The second Wanda sensed something pulled across her body that felt like she was being strapped in place, she immediately began struggling, heedless that it hurt and that she knew, rationally, that it was not some bad thing restraining her all over again. "Get it off. Off, please, I...I don't want any more!" she blurted. A wisp of scarlet shoved Clint away to the opposite side of the vehicle, and she pulled her legs to her chest, clutching her bad arm close, eyes scrunched shut. I'm not there. Not there. Stop it, stop it.

It was dark. Dark and silent and disorienting and that horrible freezing metal table would be there, forcing her to lie still and rough straps holding her down and nobody being there at all and awful old Ross might come back and hurt her further. If he showed up right now she would try to knock him out, collar or no collar. ...I just used my magic a tiny bit. It is not on me anymore. I am not strapped in that awful straitjacket anymore, either. I can too move. Wanda's hand flitted to her neck, just to clarify this to herself. It still throbbed badly and touching it made her cringe in pain, but she didn't feel any rough jabbing collar anymore, just her own damaged skin and the bandages there protecting the burns like before. There were voices nearby. She should listen and figure out what was going on.

"...did you think would happen?!" That annoyed, concerned voice was Natasha. Driving. Sitting in the front seat.

"I don't know! I didn't think it was a good idea not to have seatbelts on, after all." That worried voice was Clint, sitting next to her.

Wanda pulled herself into a tighter ball, making herself as small as possible against the car door as she rested her head on her knees. They are right here. I'm not imagining them like I did Pietro...right?

"She probably felt like something was restraining her all over again. Wanda, you are safe; you are not on the Raft anymore. We're on the way to the vacation house. You're riding in a car with Clint and me." Natasha continued speaking calmly, describing the vehicle and what they were doing. "Reach and touch Clint or me when you can. You can move. You have friends with you. You are not isolated alone or restrained somewhere. This is a safe enclosed space, not a threatening one."

...I think I used my magic and pushed him away. Why did I... "'m sorry," Wanda whispered finally, though she still didn't move, embarrassed that she had reacted like that over a stupid seatbelt. A seatbelt. Why on earth had she panicked? I knew only Clint and Nat were in here, and I just...I freaked out.

"Don't you dare apologize," Clint muttered. "I should've realized that might happen." He moved to the center seat so that Wanda was sandwiched between the door and him and she couldn't fall over, and he could easily just use an arm to brace her if they had to stop short or go around any sharp turns. "Are you okay now?"

No, but...I don't feel all irrationally scared anymore, either. Wanda didn't answer, but she hesitantly leaned on her friend rather than the car door, her knees still pulled to her chest. Clint was warm, and solid, and he would protect her. The panicking and breathing hard and struggling made her broken ribs and her arm hurt even worse, and she could feel herself shaking, trying to hold back tears. They are not going to judge me or hurt me for crying, and it's dark. They can't even see the tears, Wanda thought silently.

"Kid, you're going to tear your ankle up more or hurt your arm further sitting like that. Try to relax and stretch out. There's room," Clint said quietly. "You're gonna be fine."

I don't even care that he's calling me a kid. I feel like one anyway. I hate me. Wanda jerkily uncurled herself from her tense ball, but she still didn't say anything. She felt a pillow slide beneath the injured arm and then Hawkeye putting his own arm around her shoulders. It was fine, fine, she absolutely did not need to attempt hiding fear or pain anymore right now...right?

"You're safe. I'm sorry I scared you. Try...try to sleep. We'll get there as fast as we can." Clint did not bother asking if the girl was okay; it was obvious she wasn't, but he wasn't sure what else to do for her. Wanda was not panicking anymore, but he was pretty sure she was crying and hoped no one would notice.

Wanda did willingly accept the offered Advil and water a minute later, though she had trouble swallowing the little pills, which just frustrated her further. Half the water bottle was gone by the time they finally went down successfully. "...Thanks," she whispered. Wanda did not particularly believe Advil was going to help her very much, but maybe it would at least take the edge off. Anything would be better than nothing, but she would rather be in pain than feel all drowsy, sluggish, nauseous, or a mixture thereof.

"Nat, slow down, we don't need to get pulled over," Clint said now, which Wanda found a bit funny.

"I'm going three over; nobody gets pulled for three over. We need to get there as quickly as possible. I don't like us being on the road out in the open like this right now." Natasha didn't want to be paranoid, but sometimes being paranoid would save your butt. Having herself, Clint, and Wanda in a vehicle would look far too coincidental and suspicious if they did get pulled over, even if whoever pulled them didn't recognize the trio in any way. They had too many supplies, not all items one would normally take on a trip. Wanda looked like she should be in a hospital, and that ring of wounds covering her neck was too distinctive of an injury pattern to claim some accident easily if someone realized what it was. She did not want to attempt explaining away any of that.

Luckily the rest of the trip was uneventful aside from a brief tense moment when Natasha noticed blue police lights behind them...but then the cop car zoomed past chasing down some other vehicle, and it turned out they hadn't been in any danger of being found out in the first place. "Almost there. Just up this winding driveway and we'll be safe," Nat announced.

Wanda tensed at all the bumping and jostling as they went up the gravel driveway, but she simply bit her split lip and said nothing. Clint kept his arm around her, and this hurt did not make her upset like before; this was okay. So close. Just have to get inside and then I can yank covers over my head and be in bed and stay there and sleep.


"You're here! I'm so glad it worked," a woman Wanda recognized as Clint's wife Laura exclaimed the second she opened the door at the vacation house. "I've put the kids to bed, but they know you're getting here tonight, so don't be surprised if Lila and Cooper get up anyway. They're very excited."

"Hey, honey. You are a sight for sore eyes," Clint greeted Laura, sounding exhausted himself. "Where's Wanda staying? I just...need to make sure she's safe. Right away."

Laura did not know all of the exact details of everything that had led to this setup, though she had a pretty good idea. Looking at the injured young Avenger clutched in her husband's arms said enough on its own. "She's going straight upstairs, same as the rest of us. Wanda, Lila wanted you and 'Auntie Nat' to stay in one of the big bedrooms next to hers. Would you mind that?"

Wanda liked the little girl very much, and knowing Lila had been actively looking forward to her and Nat arriving made her happy. She shook her head slightly, her expression much more chipper than it had been minutes before, even though she didn't smile, either.

"Aw, she didn't want her daddy staying next door to her, did she?" Clint joked, following Laura upstairs.

"Now, Clint. Of course she's excited to see you too. She knows the three of you being here is a secret unless I inform her otherwise, but I thought it would be better for her and Cooper to know you were coming, so any excitement on their part could be blamed on having a vacation, not...three rogue Avengers staying here with us. They're used to keeping secrets, after all."

They headed up a flight of hardwood stairs and down a hallway that smelled in a way Wanda could only describe as woodsy. She wondered what the outside surroundings must look like; she knew they were in upstate New York and there were mountains, but that was it. Laura opened a door to a large bedroom and that revealed two guilty-looking but excited pairs of eyes staring from their owners' perches on the two beds. The two children immediately ran for Natasha and pounced on her with a hug.

Clint carefully set Wanda down on one of the beds while Cooper and Lila were occupied. "You opened that busted lip again," he scolded, and immediately grabbed a tissue from the nightstand.

"I'm fine...really," Wanda whispered, but she took the dumb tissue and pressed it to her split lip anyway, because it would probably make him feel better. Wanda was much more at ease seeing the children hopping around excitedly and knowing this place was, in theory, quite safe. She did not need to be on edge and hyper-vigilant, scared that something else terrible was going to happen any second here...at least not at the moment. A bleeding lip did not bother her.

Lila, finished with pouncing on Natasha, happily hugged her father next, and then scrambled up on the bed next to Wanda. "Are you okay? Can I see your magic? Please, please, please?" The little girl did not pounce on Wanda with a hug, obviously knowing doing that to her would hurt, but she scooted closer, gazing at Wanda hopefully.

"Lila, not now, sweetie. She needs to rest," Clint said firmly. "Maybe another time, but only if she wants to."

I could show her something tiny, at least, Wanda thought, but she really didn't feel like tearing any more bits of scarlet free at the moment, and Clint had given her an out, so she just gave Lila a smile. "I can tomorrow," she said quietly.

"Okay!" Lila sounded so excited that Wanda was immediately reassured that had been the correct answer, though both Clint and Natasha were eyeing her suspiciously.

"Was it the bad guys on the TV?" Cooper asked, sounding very invested. "Mom won't let us watch the news anymore. Did you get hurt helping Dad and Auntie Nat catch them?"

Wanda stared at the child, unsure what she was supposed to say to that or what Laura might have told Cooper or Lila to make them understand why their presence needed to be a secret. She could hardly explain to two little kids what had really happened, and even if she was told she could, she would not traumatize them by sharing those things.

Clint took Cooper into the hall and bent to his eye level. "We're not gonna discuss the news. Do you know where we were before we came here, Coop?"

"A prison, which is stupid," Cooper proclaimed confidently.

"Okay, well, there were some bad men at that prison. Those are the people that hurt her, and it's not nice to talk about. Do you remember the bullies in your class at school you told us about a few months ago? These are just adult bullies."

Cooper appeared to understand, but then he made a face. "You told me I should defend myself if they bugged me anymore."

"I did, yes. And then I told you that you might have to take a few punches, too," Clint said quietly.

"Yeah..."

"Are we going to ask her any more questions about it?" Clint asked.

"Yes," Cooper said solemnly, "but only once and don't keep asking the same things over and over after that because it would be rude. And I should wait until she feels better."

Clint sighed. "All right, but if she says she doesn't want to talk about it, you drop it entirely, Coop. Understand? Promise."

"I promise."

"Now go back to bed. Auntie Nat and I need to unload the car."


"Lila, bedtime," Laura said firmly. "They'll still be here in the morning."

"Can I sleep in here?" Lila asked hopefully. "I want to have a sleepover. A big, grownup Avengers sleepover." Lila sounded quite pleased with this idea.

Wanda thought she would not mind if little Lila stayed in the room as long as she was quiet and didn't bounce on the bed. "I don't mind," she whispered.

"See, she doesn't mind! Auntie Nat, do you mind?"

"I think maybe another night would be better," Natasha suggested. "We still need to unload the car and you should be asleep. But, you could ask your mom if you could stay until we're done unloading before you go to bed," she finished, knowing quite well that Wanda genuinely didn't mind Lila being in the room and that, if anything, Lila being present was helpful. Wanda wasn't smiling, but she didn't look so tense or upset now, either. Like when she had been around Lila previously, the little girl helped Wanda relax simply by being nearby, and Wanda seemed to like children in general anyway. The few times she'd been recognized in public before by kids, she made it clear she did not like having her picture taken at all, but she also willingly spoke to the children and would show them her magic upon request.

"Can I stay?"

"You may stay only if you promise not to disturb Wanda," Laura said. "No bouncing on the bed, no more asking for magic. Do not climb on her, either."

Wanda watched the two women leave, which left her alone with Lila. Nat actually left me alone for a minute or two. That...feels okay. She had not expressly said whether she felt okay being left alone temporarily, and it was kind of nice to know nobody minded her being left unsupervised with a little kid.

Lila did not bounce on the bed or ask to see magic, but she did sit next to Wanda, hugging a plush deer tightly and staring at her. "I like you and Auntie Nat. Mama said there were bad men at the prison you and Daddy were in, and Auntie Nat and Captain America were getting you and Daddy out. Are you okay?" She was eyeing the bloody tissue Wanda was still holding.

Wanda nodded, thinking that for once she did not feel like saying yes to that question was lying. Lila looked concerned, but in an innocent little kid sort of way; she didn't know about all of the inside hurts and even if she did, Wanda did not believe for a second that Lila would treat her any differently whatsoever.

"Why did the bad men hurt you and not Daddy? Because, he looks fine. He's just tired."

"I..." Wanda closed her eyes briefly, trying to consider how to answer that. I know why. And I can't tell Lila any of it. "It hurts to...talk," she finished lamely, hoping Lila would drop it. Luckily Lila seemed to understand, and she simply curled up next to Wanda, saying she shouldn't talk then and she would totally feel better in the morning. Thank you, Lila. I'll come up with some kind of explanation for you...hopefully. Wanda dropped the tissue in the small trash can next to the nightstand, and hesitantly put her good arm around Lila, who was mumbling something now about wanting to watch a movie tomorrow, clearly tired despite her excitement before.

Wanda's eyes drifted closed again, grateful to have little Lila with her. Thank you for staying with me, thank you for not making me feel like a shattered broken thing even if I am just that. Sensing something was wrong, Lila lifted her head sleepily and spied a tear trickling down the older girl's bruised face.

"Safe now," the little girl said firmly. "The bad men aren't here." Though she did not really understand the specifics of whatever happened, she knew enough to understand that this was not the same as when her daddy returned home hurt from one of his missions and just wanted to rest a bit. This reminded her more of when Auntie Nat had appeared on the farm with Wanda last year. Something was hurting her heart inside again. Maybe Wanda was crying because she was injured, the same as when Lila skinned her knees, but Lila didn't think so. "Is your heart hurt again?" she asked innocently.

Wanda's eyes flew open, and she stared at Lila, instantly knowing what the child meant. She knew no one had given Lila any details of what had been wrong with her then, but the simple reasoning somehow made sense, and wasn't wrong, either. Rather than lie and say 'no I'm fine', she simply said, "I don't...know." I don't feel like I did last year, but I know there is still something wrong with me. Wanda didn't want to worry Lila, but something prevented her from lying, some tiny bit of her that wanted to scream for someone to fix her, even though she didn't like exposing those feelings at all. Lila would still treat her the same as always.

Lila did not ask anything else. She merely nestled herself closer, saying that was okay.


When Natasha returned, she found the younger Avenger and the little girl both fast asleep looking peaceful and happy. She draped a blanket over both of them and silently padded back into the hallway. "They're both asleep," she said softly to Clint and Laura. "If you don't mind, maybe Lila can stay, if that's all right. I don't really want to wake Wanda up again if we don't have to."

"Of course," Laura said quickly. "Lila did want to stay anyway. I just didn't want her disturbing you and Wanda trying to get some much-needed rest."

Clint peeked into the room and immediately felt like some heavy weight had fallen from his shoulders. Seeing his little daughter again and the much-older surrogate one together and genuinely appearing content made him feel much better. He did not have to wait months or years to see Lila again; she was right there. Wanda still looked like she had been through hell and back, but she also appeared quite happy resting now, protectively hugging little Lila. "They're okay," he said, voice rough. "Nat, take care of them," he added a second later, abruptly going off to his own bedroom he and Laura were going to use.

"I'll stay with them," Natasha assured him.

Laura sighed and ran a hand through her hair as the other bedroom door clicked shut behind her husband. "I assume the Raft was, in fact, even worse than Tony Stark implied. I did wonder why on earth he would go to all this trouble so quickly to help the...other side, shall we say."

"Yeah, whatever you're picturing, whatever he told you, it's worse. The place is a hellhole," Natasha said honestly. "They were using threatening to hurt Wanda to attempt getting the rest of the team to talk."

"She looks like she's been tortured, Nat. Not just threatened."

"Because that's accurate. Cap and I found her barely conscious in there. She's not sick, at least, but...she's not in good shape, either. That prison really put her through the wringer. Tony can't possibly even know just how bad the conditions were, because I'm sure he was shown a somewhat sanitized view when he visited the Raft, and there was no security footage of the interrogation room being used, only the cells. I even looked. I don't know everything, either."

Laura glanced at the two sleeping girls again and then back at Natasha. "Whatever he saw when he visited, sanitized view or not, disturbed him enough to actively help, even though he's so angry with Cap, and still doesn't trust Wanda. He wouldn't tell me any details."

"They were keeping her restrained in a shock collar and straitjacket at all times, even when they weren't interrogating her. Tony saw that much, at the very, very least. That would be enough," Natasha said softly, "especially when said collar was his prototype invention."

"That's..." Laura sighed. "Well, yes, I suppose that would do it. How is she doing?" she asked, gesturing at her own head. "Especially after why you made her come to the farm last year."

Nat sighed. "That, will be a work in progress. All things considered, I think she's doing better than expected, honestly, especially after seeing her in that place. I think being here will help, too. She'll just need some time."


Natasha silently slipped back into the room and climbed onto her own bed with her laptop after confirming both Wanda and Lila remained asleep. First she sent an encrypted message to the rest of the team as planned, saying that she, Clint, and Wanda were safe. Steve was still not the best with technology, but she had made sure he would do this much safely before launching the rescue so that the group could communicate after splitting up. If he had issues, he could always just ask Scott or Sam for now.

Then she sighed and put in her earbuds, accessing the security footage they'd pulled from the Raft. Someone needed to go through it, and pull any helpful evidence clips. Starting from the date stamp when the four rogue Avengers arrived, Nat found herself already growing angry. There was nothing from the Raft entrance-she hadn't been able to pull that also, and figured the cell block would be more useful with limited time to grab videos-but it appeared trouble had started the moment of arrival if these were anything to go by. The first word that popped into Nat's head was unnecessary. Scott, Sam, and Clint each had one guard escort. Wanda had two, despite her unique restraints. All four of them were shoved into individual cells much more roughly than need be. The boys had their ordinary handcuffs removed and their cell doors slammed shut. Wanda was left in her restraints, and she immediately fell upon being pushed into her cell since she couldn't catch herself.

Nat could tell Wanda was carefully surveying the guards as she chose one to request water from and instantly judged the other as one she didn't like. However, the guard she talked to sent his coworker to fetch it, and he wasn't happy. Upon returning, he stalked into the cell, slammed a tumbler down on the bench, and stalked out again. Natasha frowned, watching the footage continue as the collar clamped around Wanda's neck went off and sent her seizing to the floor. There didn't seem to be any reason at all for anyone to have done this, and it didn't look like Wanda had tried to use her magic, either; her eyes weren't even glowing.

Nat rewound the footage a bit, searching for something, even if it was just Wanda giving the guards a death glare. But no, Wanda remained sitting still and was not doing anything at this moment. Natasha reluctantly continued perusing the footage, noticing when Wanda evidently figured out she could message Clint telepathically, feeling oddly satisfied knowing that whatever other things happened in that prison, no one had ever realized that Wanda could do that. The lights never dimmed for the night-that was worth a note. Wanda barely slept, and then was cruelly jerked awake by the collar activating again, from a bad dream or a guard doing so intentionally, Nat couldn't tell from the video. Clint shouted about this, Sam tried to calm both of them, and Scott somehow remained asleep for several seconds after Clint began shouting.

This was the first night, before any of them were questioned at all, Natasha thought darkly. It would only get worse, so Nat decided to stop once she reached morning and the measly breakfasts were delivered. Then she grew annoyed because one member of the team hadn't been given even that, only more water. She made another note with the timestamp in a document before closing the computer and glancing over at Wanda, who remained sleeping placidly with her good arm around little Lila. Can't undo any of what already happened, but I won't let it happen again, period.

A/N: they are safeeeee, finally! At least for awhile:)

Heh, yes I will have Vision show up sometime soon. Writing romance is not my strong suit at all, but I'll do my best since him and Wanda are one of the very very few ships I'm actually invested in.

I'm kind of tempted to go past IW and do my own thing with that also since I know I'm already changing canon a bit already (lol) with what I've written so far here. But we will see. I have plans up until IW at least!

I know Wanda is kind of sleeping on and off a lot at the moment, but i figured she would after everything that's happened. She's not fine, she's hurt, but she also has friends there with her, so she'll be okay. I do not find it believable that she or the others would escape the Raft mentally unscathed and I'm trying to...show that, I guess? Like Clint isn't physically hurt, but he's being extra overprotective and such, along with feeling snappy and worried. The seatbelt in the car made Wanda panic temporarily (yes, we'll revisit that since obviously she can't just permanently avoid those...). Etc. Anyways.

Next chapter coming soon!:)