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

On to the story!

"Clint, she isn't a little kid like Lila. Let Wanda be," Laura scolded upstairs, watching her husband pace back and forth in their bedroom. "He makes her happy. That's a good thing."

"He's hanging all over her! She's hurt, remember? What if that robot decides he's supposed to turn all of us in? That he's not supposed to be breaking the law by visiting in the first place?"

"Oh, he is not hanging all over her. I bet if you go back downstairs and check, he's still just innocently holding her. I don't get the impression either of them are going to jump to doing much else right now anyway. Frankly if he was going to turn on her, he would have done it already."

Clint stopped pacing and sighed. "That, is the other thing. I can't help wondering if he's just interested in Wanda because she fascinates him...because she's also connected to that mind stone because of her enhancements. I don't want her hanging around someone just attracted to what she has rather than who she is."

"I think she would know if that was the case," Laura said. Privately she thought it had started that way and just wasn't now; why wouldn't it have started with that? It was a natural connection, Wanda felt she didn't fit in correctly anywhere, and here was this other being that also didn't fit in correctly and had a connection to the mind stone, just like her. The Vision probably liked that there was this young pretty human that enjoyed his company and tried to explain human things to him, and she grew on him until she was more than just something that he found interesting. "I think if she did think that was all Vision liked about her, she wouldn't have anything to do with him anymore."

"And she would be hurt. I couldn't do anything to protect her in that prison. Couldn't help her, couldn't even get them to just leave her alone in that cell and stop torturing her. It's partially my fault she ended up in there in the first place. I sure as heck am going to protect her now."

"Clint, will you think for two seconds? Wanda is her own person. She knows letting Vision into her heart might hurt later, but she's deemed him worth that risk. Let her have that. And it is not your fault any of you ended up in the Raft. You did help her. You gave her someone to talk to." Laura shook her head and added quietly, "Quite frankly I don't think she would be here now if you hadn't been there for her in that place."

"I fetched the kid from the Compound, Laura. She might have been pissy about being kept on a fancy house arrest courtesy of Tony telling Vision to keep her there, sure, but at least she was safe." Clint resumed pacing, back and forth, back and forth.

Laura suspected Wanda would not have been safe there indefinitely anyway, not with people like Ross looking for an excuse to neutralize her. She could remember Nat calling the farm and complaining about Ross even before all the current Accords issues occurred, calling him several colorful names, and annoyed but unsurprised that he didn't like her or Wanda seemingly due to where they were from. "Steve's friend would probably be dead then. Sounded like the team needed her in the airport. Nat and Steve got all four of you out. Wanda will be okay. She just needs some more time, like when we had her on the farm last year."

"Honey, she's not okay. You've seen her!"

"I have, and I'm saying she will be okay. She's healing, she's already so, so much better than when you and Nat brought her here. You are so concerned about Wanda, and you need help yourself. You're so jumpy and snappish all the time." Laura put her hands on his shoulders to make him stop pacing. "Don't think I haven't noticed you getting up during the night to check and see if all of your kids are here and safe. Then during the day, you make excuses repeatedly to check if Wanda wants anything, even though you know Nat is with her. You just want to see for yourself that she's safe."

Clint sighed deeply. "I'm trained to deal with this, I'm-"

"You are not. You watched someone you think of as a surrogate kid be tortured for weeks. Your training never, ever accounted for such a thing. The fact that Wanda was relying on you to keep her sane and calmer in that place doesn't help, either."

"That's not her fault!"

Laura gave him a hug. "No, of course not, but being a trusted source of support is tiring, too, especially in a situation like that. Go take a hike up the hill out back in the woods for awhile. Get out of the house. You haven't been outside at all after we unloaded the car when you first arrived, besides going out on the balcony deck and yesterday afternoon when all of us went out to the pool."

"Nat and Wanda haven't either," Clint pointed out grumpily.

"Nat has gone in the pool with the kids, and she's been outside more than you at least. She was not trapped in the Raft recently, either. Even Wanda was able to come outside yesterday for awhile herself."

"She couldn't even go in the pool!"

"She didn't go in the pool all the way because Nat told her not to due to those burns on her neck not being healed enough yet, not because she couldn't or didn't want to," Laura corrected. "I seem to remember her quite content sitting on the edge dipping her feet in; she liked being outside."

"Then she was so tired she slept the rest of the day after she went back inside."

"So? She was happy the whole time, other than those few minutes she was telling Nat about something that made her upset. I think her being happy is much more significant than her still needing extra sleep. And it's good that she's voluntarily talking about things that bother her." Laura gazed at him knowingly. "You are staying indoors and not taking walks because she can't yet. Out. Go take a hike. You hate being cooped up. Why don't you take Lila and Coop with you? Nat and I can stay here to keep an eye on Wanda and Nate."

"And if Stark's robot turns on us while I'm off with two of our kids?"

"Then Wanda will kick him out."

"I don't think she can right now, even if she did want to! That's why I especially don't want him here. What are any of the rest of us supposed to do if that happened?"

Laura sighed. "I think that if Vision did plan to do anything, he wouldn't have bothered with his ridiculous plumber disguise. He would have just shown up in the night and phased right into the house. Besides, Tony set this place up, remember? Why would he do that and then send Vision here to rat you out or take Wanda away? That doesn't make any sense."

"If Ross suspects Tony is indirectly helping hide her, that's why. Nat too, really. You know he would. Remember, we know he's negotiating on behalf of Scott, Sam, and me. He either doesn't want to or can't negotiate for Nat, who knows...probably doesn't want to for Steve, and he definitely can't for Wanda whether he wants to or not." Clint ran a hand through his hair in frustration. "She's simultaneously stronger and weaker than all of us. Little walking paradox, that's what she is, and it's why idiots like Ross can't stand her."

"Ross can't stand her because she scares him and she's enhanced," Laura told him, certain she was correct. "You know that's why he hurt her. Not to find the other rogues. Not to make any of you talk. I don't need to see him to know that much. The man wanted to break her. Logic says if any of you would talk you'd do it within the first couple days, and obviously none of you did."

"Sometimes I'm scared it worked."

"I know, but I also know you know it most definitely did not work. Because all I see is the same girl I met last year dealing with yet more trauma in a far healthier manner than back then. She might be scared of that man, but she also adamantly hates him, she'd rip him a new one if he went after her again. Also, she works with you and Nat at a very stressful job on top of that."

"I have no idea what any of us are supposed to do next. We can't stay here forever."

"Realistically? You will get house arrest, we'll go home to the farm, and Nat and Wanda will go off to do secret missions with Steve," Laura said calmly. "It may even be a good thing the Vision has a soft spot for Wanda. If Tony's team is sent to...search for them, then he can tell Vision if they're realistically too close, because he can just warn them to conveniently move before they are 'found'." She smiled at Natasha, who had appeared in the doorway.

"Nat, did you leave her with Vision?" Clint asked suspiciously.

"Yes, because we have a problem, and it isn't him. Literally while we were sitting there, he got a message from Tony saying he should come back to the Compound ASAP, because they're sending a team simply to prove that Laura and the littles are the only ones here." Natasha suspected that this very convenient message had been sent knowing that Vision was there, would warn them, and they'd have time to get out and no one would be any the wiser. Tony might even have stalled Ross coming around the Compound to the day he knew Vision was coming to visit. "Coop and Lila have gone up to their rooms."

"Take the SUV and just drive off for a day or two. You have a burner phone, right, Nat?" Laura asked, already starting to gather the few items Clint had out in their bedroom.

"I do. New number again, I'll give it to you. Vision brought Wanda's from the Compound. He said he'd done something to it to scramble any signal someone might try to trace or track, so she can use it safely as long as she doesn't post pictures on social media, obviously. I don't think she has any, anyway." Natasha paused, thinking. "Clint, when Vision leaves, you go with him. Get out of the immediate vicinity and then you take his truck. He can fly back to the Compound like he's supposed to. Wanda and I will take the gray SUV we arrived in."

"That's fine for me, but what about you two?" Clint asked sharply. "You can't hide Wanda, and she'll make it harder for you to blend in too."

"We'll make it work. Clint, we will be fine. We'll either skip around rest stops, or head out and just find us a cheap hotel, I think."


"You are certain you do not wish me to remain here?" Vision asked downstairs.

"Yes. You can't help us if you get labeled a criminal too." Wanda was relieved at hearing the offer, but she knew it wasn't a good idea. If Vision did stay, then he wouldn't be able to continue his work from the other side of the law. Even coming here in the first place was risky. "Did...did he know y-you came here?" she asked hesitantly.

"I did not tell Mr. Stark explicitly, but I know that he knew, because he said I should be prepared for you to not wish to see me, and suggested today was a good day to come," Vision told her. "There was a message, too."

He knew Ross would do this and wanted Vis to warn us...conveniently. Wanda's expression instantly closed off. "I don't want to hear anything from Tony Stark, Vis. I'm sorry. I'm not ready yet," she sent mentally. "You can tell him I said that. I don't mind."

Vision did not press; he merely nodded. "He seems to think you hate him."

"I do not hate him. I just..." Wanda didn't know how to articulate her feelings regarding Iron Man at all. Mostly, she just didn't want to waste any more mental energy on him. "I don't want to think about him," she said finally. She caught Vision's curious gaze on her bandaged neck and instinctively tensed her shoulders, self-conscious even though she knew he was just wondering if she was okay. "I'm fine."

Vision did not believe she was 'fine'. "Do you need anything to make it stop paining you?"

"Not unless you can erase burns. Vis, please. You need to go. I'm not alone here. I will be fine," Wanda said firmly, and then was surprised at herself for actually believing that. Whatever was going on now, she trusted that Nat and Clint would come up with something. And I'm not completely helpless, either. I can at least use a little bit of my magic easily if I really need to. "But, I...I would like if...you visit again." She frowned, eyeing Vision's pocket and wondering when he had gotten a phone. "Are you going to check that?"

Vision's synthetic expression grew darker in a way Wanda hadn't seen from him before after reading the message; he looked angry. "Secretary Ross is at the Compound," he said in a strangely flat tone.

Wanda found it a bit unnerving that her own mannerisms of speaking that way when displeased sometimes seemed to have rubbed off on him, though obviously Vision didn't have the same accent she did. "...Can I see?"

'Vision, you'd best finish buying your paprikash ingredients and get back here ASAP. Step on it. Already told you, Ross is here and he's not happy at being made to wait. Wants to send a small team out arriving in three hours simply to prove no ex-Avengers being present in my vacation house I lent Laura Barton, and you're not here.'

Wanda thought Tony knew exactly what Vision was doing and that he would warn them, both because of the paprikash comment and now giving a specific time frame. It was, admittedly, nice that he was doing this much. She still didn't want to talk about or to him, but at least she knew for sure he wasn't trying very hard-or at all!-to apprehend the rogue Avengers. Mostly just the idea that Ross was somewhat nearby unnerved her, even though she knew that if she did run into that man, it wasn't like he could do anything to her unless she let him recapture her. Which, she thought morbidly, was never going to happen; she would kill herself before letting Ross have her again if necessary. "You should go."

"All right, you two, we need to get out of here," Natasha informed them as she returned to the living room, bags from upstairs in hand. She put Wanda's duffel and the backpack Vision had brought for her on the sofa next to her within reach. "Wanda, you're coming with me. Find your boots. Don't put on all of your normal everyday jewelry that Vision retrieved for you from the Compound," she added, noticing that Wanda seemed to have already slipped several rings on her good hand. "Keep a couple on if you want, but you need to take the rest off."

Wanda looked mildly disappointed but listened, struggling to get her bad hand to cooperate enough to pull the extra rings off, which was not working. She could understand why Nat didn't want her wearing them-they were something people could use to help identify her if others had noticed she wore them all the time before. Though, she couldn't help thinking that right now there were a lot of other more obvious things that would immediately ID her than some rings.

"You have a little under three hours, unless Mr. Stark is able to stall the secretary longer," Vision said. He showed Nat the most recent message, figuring this would help prove the information.

Natasha glanced at it and nodded. "That'll be plenty of time. Can you let Clint take your truck? I figured you two could take it a little ways from here and then you fly back to the Compound."

"Yes, of course."

"Then you can help Clint and Laura load up. I'm going to help Wanda get ready to leave."


Loading up everything into the two vehicles didn't take long. "I will come find you if you wish," Vision told Wanda quietly, back in his human disguise again for now.

Wanda kept her good hand on the car for balance as she shook her head. "You can't be caught with me. I'm not the only enhanced person that...needs someone willing to...help." I don't know how to explain, but this is much bigger than just me, or even all of the rogue Avengers team. To her, Vision needed to stay on the good side of the official laws, because if he did end up getting caught with her, then even assuming they got away safely, Vision would no longer have any potential influence to get the Accords altered. She also suspected that if Vision did get found out, Tony would also get into trouble as well, because everyone considered Vis to be 'Stark's robot' even though he was not the only one who made him. While she had no wish to speak to Iron Man herself, she didn't want him getting dumped in that despicable prison, either. Wanda suspected Tony's endless money and tech could save him from that fate if something like that did happen, but still.

"Let's get going here," Nat said quickly. "Wanda, tell him good-bye. We need to go now. There's no way to know if Ross plans to just send some ordinary reconnaissance team here to 'check' sooner than what he told Tony. I doubt he trusts Tony completely, to be honest."

Wanda didn't even say anything else to Vision; she just lifted her hand unsteadily and gave him a hug. Vision did tell her goodbye and that he would try to come find her soon if it was safe to do so, and she nodded, letting Nat help her climb in. The idea of having to ride in a car again was extremely unappealing and starting to make her anxious already, and the door wasn't even shut yet. I'm fine. I'm fine, it's not even dark, and I don't feel confused and sluggish now.

"See you two in a day or two, hopefully," Clint was saying now. "You and Nat be safe."

"We're fine, Clint," Nat said firmly. "Hey, you might have more trouble staying hidden and safe than we will," she teased. "People always underestimate Wanda and me when we aren't recognized."


Wanda squeezed her eyes shut the second the door closed and the other two Avengers had departed down the winding gravel driveway. I can't do this. I am going to mess up and get us caught.

"...can do this. You're safe," Natasha was saying calmly.

Wanda glanced at Nat worriedly. "I'm going to...get us caught," she whispered. M-A-Y-B-E L-E-A-V-E M-E H-E-R-E.

Nat did not expressly tell Wanda she wouldn't get them caught, because that was a legitimate concern. "Leaving you behind isn't an option. We're going to avoid attention if possible, but even if we do get pulled over or otherwise need to produce an ID, we have fake ones. Yes, it's true I can be on the run more easily alone. Still not leaving you. You're part of the team." She paused, studying the younger girl closely. Last time, riding in a car had made Wanda panic, or rather, the seatbelt did. Nat doubted one week would have erased this fear. "What exactly about being in the car is making you anxious?"

I didn't say anything. Wanda figured she should just tell the truth. Maybe it would help, and anyway, she knew Natasha wasn't going to think whatever she said was stupid. "It's...closed in," she murmured finally. Then, because she didn't want to explain it verbally, she signed that the seatbelt was going to make her feel like she was being restrained again. "And it...hurts, which makes it...harder to...convince myself I'm not there anymore." I hope that makes sense? It doesn't even make sense to me.

"All right. Thank you for explaining honestly." This was something to work from, at least. Natasha considered this for a moment; they could not just sit there and let Wanda get used to riding in the car again right now, and there wasn't any quick fix, either. She opened all the windows a crack, figuring that might help at least somewhat with the closed-in part, and then focused back on Wanda. "We're going to buckle the seatbelt quickly, and you are going to describe to me exactly where we are. I don't want to scare you, but we cannot instantly make this comfortable for you, and we need to get out of here."

Wanda nodded but stayed quiet; she could feel Nat's gaze on her waiting for her to talk and she reluctantly obeyed. "Outside the vacation house. Inside a...a gray car. I can hear birds. I see clouds. One looks like...a cat. There are-"

The unwanted seatbelt pulled across her body and buckled closed, and Wanda instantly jerked in her seat, squeezing her eyes shut again. She felt a gentle squeeze on her shaking fist and knew Nat was hoping a bit of physical contact would help ground her. It did help, a tiny bit anyway. I'm still scared. Why am I like this? Just...stop it. Stop it, stop it.

"Wanda, open your eyes and look at me," Nat ordered, keeping her voice quiet. "Tell me where we are."

"It...warm."

"Yes, it's warm in here. It was cold in the Raft. So you cannot be in that place now, no?"

Wanda still didn't relax, but she did open her eyes. Tiny red wisps hazed her fingers defensively, but she did not use them for anything, and strangely her friend had not shoved her dangerous hand away, nor were the little bits of scarlet harming Nat in any way, either. She pulled her own hand away all the same. "No. I'm in the car...w-with you. And you weren't s-stuck in there," she whispered. I'm fine. I'm with Nat, and we're sitting in the SUV. I am not in that awful place again. This is real.

Satisfied that Wanda was not going to have a full-blown panic attack, Nat sighed in relief. It was obvious the girl was still very anxious-the little defensive scarlet wisps being visible said that much-but she was thinking clearly, at least. That would have to be enough for now. "That's right. Do you want a pillow for your arm? I threw a couple in the back."

"...Yes."

Natasha reached back to grab one and slid it under Wanda's injured arm. "I'm going to drive now. When you're able, I need you to put the defensive magic away. Then you can pick out some music for us." She began backing up to turn their car around and head out, and realized Wanda had closed her eyes again, her shoulders visibly tense and trembling. "Don't close your eyes until we get out of the driveway. It won't be as jerky once we get out on the road, so it won't hurt as much. Look outside instead, please."

Wanda nodded. Okay. Those are simple things. I can do that. She knew Natasha was just trying to distract her, but having simple things she was supposed to do was helpful, as usual. "Can I...get rid of the magic...a-after we are...off the driveway? It...helps."

"That's fine." Natasha knew she was going to have to discuss this later, because that magic was the most identifying thing about Wanda, and they couldn't have her going about visibly using it as a reminder that she could do so now, just to keep herself calm. There were plenty of other dark-haired, green-eyed females around Wanda's age. There was only one that also had mysterious magical enhancements nobody understood, and was injured, and had a Sokovian accent. "Tell me something you would like to do if this were a real vacation and not a forced mess of sorts."

Wanda blinked, realizing that being told it was fine and simply hearing Natasha's voice continue talk to her rather made it feel like she...didn't need to see her magic to know she could access a little of it if she wished. The scarlet wisps retreated, and she balled her hand into a fist instead, gazing out the window. "Swimming. I'd like that," she decided.

"You mean you'd like to doggy paddle for ten seconds and then just lay around in the pool on a...an inflatable," Nat teased, realizing saying 'raft' probably was not the best word to say right now. Luckily she'd caught it in time. "Assuming we get to come back in a couple days as planned, you can do that soon. You just need to wait for those burns to heal more first."

"Raft. The good kind," Wanda said, knowing quite well what word had not been said. "You can say the word around me." Why does that not bother me and being in a car...does? I don't understand. She did feel much better about the situation than the first time she'd been in a vehicle, probably because it was not dark outside, she didn't have remnants of unknown sedatives still in her system anymore, and she didn't feel quite so helpless now. Not great by any means, but still. "They weren't saying the...the word all...the t-time or anything." Wanda tugged at her seatbelt nervously, her palm slick with cold sweat. I need to calm down. I want it off. And my arm hurts.

Natasha didn't like still hearing the shaky hesitant tone, but figured there wasn't much to be done to help Wanda further right now. She would probably remain uncomfortable and anxious until they could get out and be safe somewhere new. At least she was engaging when spoken to. "Driveway's done. No more gravel."

Thank goodness. "Where will we go?" Wanda asked after a minute.

"I don't know. If you think you can stay in-character long enough for us to get into a hotel, we can do that once we're out of the area. Otherwise, I'm finding rest stops and we can skip from place to place every three or four hours since those all have time limits." Natasha sighed, unsure which would be worse: take the risk of getting Wanda into a hotel room safely unrecognized, or take the risk of making her anxious enough to make a visible reaction with her magic by being stuck in the car.

"I would rather have to...hold together for a few minutes' acting, than...be stuck in here." Wanda knew exactly what her friend meant, because if they did go to a hotel, then they needed a story and she couldn't be herself; she needed to be the ordinary girl on her fake papers, Lina Kostić.

"Then I'm trusting you not to use your magic. You cannot let it out because you're feeling panicked or anxious. You cannot let it out just because we see someone vaguely suspicious of us."

"I know."

"I'm reminding you, because you're using it as a defense mechanism on instinct. Think of this as an ongoing undercover mission. No using your powers unless we absolutely cannot talk our way out and we can't simply run or drive off either. I'm worried if someone does recognize us and they know nothing except what has been on the news recently, they may not...react well to seeing your powers, even if they'd be horrified knowing details of what happened to you."

Wanda knew what that meant also; she could just imagine what the media had been saying about her. She slowly pulled out her phone and simply put her own name and the word 'avenger' in the search engine. It took a few tries to type it out because her hand was still shaky, and she dropped the phone in her lap once, but she finally managed. Then she frowned, more curious than disturbed at the first result. "Someone thinks I...made Captain America not sign the Accords?"

Nat's head whipped toward her younger teammate and then back to the road. "Close that garbage right now, Wanda. You don't need to read that."

Wanda continued doomscrolling, her curiosity piqued. There were a whole slew of unsavory descriptions in this article, but she also noticed that in the comment section, there were quite a few people that clearly disagreed with the article too, along with the crude and offensive ones.

'F in the chat for the rest of us. I'd rather have the newbie and the other heroes around, thanks. Where tf are they now?' There were several replies to this comment with ideas for where the rogue Avengers might be, all of which were wildly inaccurate.

'HEY ROGUE AVENGERS IF U READ THIS WE LOVE U'

'Accords are shit. Who cares if the foreign enhanced girl did convince Captain America not to sign? Good for her.' This comment had many more replies than the other one had, and a lot of them were nasty. "Nat...I don't even know some of these words-"

"I told you to stop reading that," Natasha interrupted. "I mean it. Stop or I'm taking the phone away from you."

You're my friend and mentor, not my mother, Wanda thought peevishly, but she did exit the page and quickly pull up Spotify instead. "Music choices?"

Natasha was glad Wanda seemed to have obeyed and moved on. "Nope, I told you that you could choose. Just pick whatever you'd like."

Wanda scrolled about on her playlists for a bit before finally selecting a song she thought about quite often.

"...I try to; I desire to know who I am

And I fight to; find it tough to be myself

And all those words I didn't say

The dreams I had or have today

And pain I feared and faced and went away

The things I've done, the games I played

Made me to what I am..."

"This is rather sad," Nat said quietly, but she was used to hearing the sounds of both vintage sitcoms and quite a lot of Wanda's preferred music coming from her room back at the Avengers Compound before all of this had happened.

"I know. I like this song." Wanda had her eyes closed again, but she seemed slightly less tense now. Being with Nat and having music to listen to made riding in the car at least bearable, even if she still hated it.

They drove in silence aside from the music for awhile, until Natasha realized they would have to stop, because they needed gas. "I'm going to pull in here to get us some gas. You are going to have to wait in the car while I go in to pay cash. I'll be right back." She knew leaving Wanda unattended in their car wasn't the best idea, but there wasn't anything else for them to do at the moment. "You absolutely cannot let your magic out. Even if you feel panicky, you must keep your powers inside. Open your window all the way if you need to, but don't get out or try to follow me."

"...Okay."

"I'll come right back. You can see the register inside from here. I am going to walk in, pay, and come straight out."

"Okay," Wanda said again.

"Repeat back to me what we are doing." Nat could tell Wanda did not want to be left alone in the car, but she wouldn't say so, and even if she did, Nat could not take her inside the store safely right now.

"Getting gas. I have to wait here. But I will be able...to see you the...whole time. I can't...use any magic." Wanda felt herself growing more and more jumpy; she wanted to get out. I'm fine. I can wait for her to come back. I survived that prison. I think I can wait in a nice warm car for a few minutes.


Everything went smoothly until Natasha was finished filling the gas tank. Wanda remained anxiously watching her, fingers nervously tapping the door, but she did not feel like she was going to have another episode, either. Then there was a cop car pulling up at the pump next to theirs, and Wanda instantly felt herself shoving terrified Wanda down and yanking out confused Lina instead. That I can do. Don't say a word. Let Ana handle it if we have to talk to him, she ordered herself, remembering the name Nat was using currently.

But the policeman seemed to just be getting gas himself, and paid them no mind whatsoever. Natasha climbed back into the car nonchalantly and pulled out, not appearing concerned at all. "See, no problem. That wasn't so bad, was it?"

"There was a cop," Wanda whispered, her hand clearly nervous and twitchy as she tapped her fingers on the door.

"And you visibly pulled out your Lina alias. I saw you. It was subtle, but you did. I think you're underestimating yourself. I'll bet you even gave Lina Kostić some basic story, even though we haven't really talked about it yet."

"I...did." Wanda realized this was true. Those pieces fell into place for her smoothly now. She was not nearly as good at such things as the Black Widow, but she could do it, because she and Pietro had plenty of experience acting when they were little and trying to, well, steal food and blankets and such to survive. And now she also had a year of being with the Avengers and learning to use those same old acting skills on undercover missions. "I decided Lina is a Sokovian refugee, like me. But she doesn't speak much English. She has a cousin that grew up here-you. Ana invited her on a road trip, but on the way to...to meet you, Lina was involved in a car accident." Wanda paused, wondering if Nat approved of this story, but the older Avenger was unreadable. "We, um...decided to...have the trip anyway?"

Natasha knew Wanda wanted her opinion on the made-up backstory. "Anything else?"

"I think we should change my hair," Wanda said quietly, eyeing Nat's short blonde bob. If Natasha had changed her hair, she probably should too. I can't instantly fix being injured, but we could change my hair, at least. She rested her head back against the seat and chewed the inside of her lip, realizing she hadn't been up this long at once at all so far. There was a reason for this; she was so, so tired and sore, and she suddenly wished she was back at the vacation house in the bedroom with Lila next to her and Nat chilling over on her own bed.

Nat actually had considered this already, but hadn't wanted to suggest it yet when she knew Wanda didn't feel well. "I have a few different colors of dye in my suitcase. You can pick something out and we'll do that as soon as we can. The story is fine." She glanced at Wanda for a second, thinking that the younger girl's tone was starting to sound a bit 'off' in the way that meant she was tired and in pain but not wanting to admit it. "Let's find a cheap motel for the evening. It's already after six anyway."


Looking it up online from Wanda's phone, they finally found one that satisfied Nat's criteria: a free breakfast, decent outdoor lighting, something inexpensive, and no lobby where they had to go through it to access the rooms. It would be easier to get Wanda into the room safely if they only had to get from the car across the parking lot directly to the room than through a lobby where there would definitely be people watching them. Without access to using credit cards right now, they had a limited amount of cash on hand to use, and she didn't want to blow any of it on some expensive hotel. Frankly if Wanda was not still anxious about the car and hurt besides, both of which would make it difficult for her to rest in the car, Natasha would just have them sleep in the car and take turns driving. Once in the parking lot, Nat turned to Wanda again. "I'm going to go in the lobby and book us a room. I'll come right back, just like at the gas station, okay?"

"It has to be." Wanda knew she was starting to just shut down for the day entirely, because she simultaneously felt grumpy, exhausted, and frightened. Knowing that just made it feel worse, because she knew all of this would not be nearly as bothersome if it wasn't for her. Natasha continuing to be so patient with her was...guilt-inducing. Instead of just easily slipping off on her own, Nat was stuck dragging her around instead.

Wanda really did not think she was adding anything to this fugitive venture at all. "Nat," she said quietly, "if you want to leave, it...is fine."

"No. That's not fine. If it was me who was injured, would you leave me?"

"Definitely no."

"Then don't suggest that again."

"If you are caught with me, they...won't be fair to you." Wanda did not actually want Natasha to leave her anywhere, but logically she felt otherwise.

Natasha sighed. "To be honest, I don't think I'd get a fair deal from Ross if caught whether I was with you or not. We just have to not be caught, then. Let's get ourselves safely inside and regroup. I'll be right back again, same as we did earlier for the gas."


Natasha returned from successfully booking the room for two nights to find Wanda curled into a ball in her seat, her knees pulled to her chest, though there was thankfully no sign of any scarlet wisps, either. "We have a room. You don't have to stay in here anymore." When Wanda didn't answer or look up at all, she gently touched Wanda's shoulder to get her attention. Instantly Wanda's head jerked up and the girl squeezed herself against the car door. "Wanda, it's just me. You are safe."

Wanda blinked and slowly nodded, trying to get herself to relax again. S-O-R-R-Y S-O J-U-M-P-Y. T-I-R-E-D, she signed.

"That's fine. Let's get you safe inside the room, and then I can come back to grab our bags." Nat suspected Wanda was not just 'jumpy', because now she wasn't talking out loud again, and she looked like she'd been crying. "Can you be Lina just until we're inside? That's all I need." Hopefully no one would talk to them at all, but Natasha didn't want to risk helping Wanda out of the car and inside the hotel room until she was sure Wanda was thinking clearly enough to be her made-up alias if she really had to. That, and to make sure she wouldn't let her magic react defensively on instinct should someone talk to them.

I can do that much. Wanda nodded again and yanked her hood over her hair, thinking if she and Natasha were going to dye her hair, she should hide her brunette hair now so no one would see it. Then whenever they left, anyone that potentially saw her would just assume her hair had been the new color all along. She still didn't feel like talking out loud yet, but she did sign that she was ready.

"Lina wouldn't know ASL letters. Lina can talk to her cousin Ana in Sokovian or her limited English, or she can just not say anything until they are inside. Ana doesn't care which." Natasha thought for a moment and then just climbed back into the car herself, pulling partway around the motel parking lot in front of room 199. She hadn't personally cared about the distance from the parking spot to the room, but Wanda could not walk far yet and this would be better. "All right, let's try again. Room 199 is right there."

Wanda glanced out the window and realized the motel room was still a good two or three times the distance from the bit she'd walked out onto the balcony deck back at the vacation house. I'm going to collapse and some random person might come over to help, and then we might get caught. "I can't walk that far," she admitted reluctantly.

Natasha sighed, knowing the younger Avenger must feel awful if she was expressing that out loud without being prodded or asked. "Then I'll carry you to the door, and you will stand there while I unlock it. Let's get inside. I don't want us outside here after dark, especially you." While she was not concerned about running into an ordinary unsavory per se, it would also be more than a bit suspicious if a couple of what appeared to be random young women beat the crap out of some mugger or something. That certainly would not help them to stay hidden.

Wanda didn't protest; she willingly let her friend lift her out of the car and over to the door. She kept her head down once Nat set her gently on her feet, but she couldn't help feeling tense anyway. There was someone walking by, someone she instinctively knew she didn't want near them instantly. I don't like his eyes. "Ana, I-"

"I know. Get inside," Natasha whispered, pushing Wanda ahead of her, shutting and locking the door behind them quickly. She heard a small thump and muffled yelp, and located a lamp before checking on Wanda.

Wanda was on the floor now, kneeling and leaning on her good hand, her eyes screwed shut again and breathing hard. That man is still out there. He has no idea who we are, but he would hurt us if he could anyway. Though she had not literally read his mind, both instinct and common sense said they were in a not-so-great part of town and this man thought they were a couple of easy targets. He emitted malice like Damian back at that prison to her, and she didn't like it. This one might hurt them like Nat had been concerned might have happened to her in that prison but hadn't; he'd been eyeing Natasha when she had seen his eyes for a moment. She wanted to chase him away, knew she could, but if she did then her friend might be mad at her. They were safe now. She was not supposed to use mind tricks on people. We are fine. I need to calm down. "He's still there," she said finally.

"You're safe. He can't hurt you in here," Natasha said firmly.

"No, I mean..." Wanda hesitated, unsure how to explain what precisely had disturbed her about this man without sounding like she had poked around in his head, or that she was just freaking out without good reason. "I think that man wants you," she whispered, "I did not like his eyes."

"Did he pay any mind to you when you saw his eyes?" Nat asked sharply, far more concerned with that than the fact that this lowlife might mean harm to her.

Wanda shook her head, sure of that much, at least. It was like I wasn't even there. "He was focused on you," she continued whispering. "Not...not like he knew you at all, just..." Much to her surprise, Natasha actually chuckled a bit. Why is that funny?

"Oh, forget him. I've seen worse on those honeypot missions you know I hate. He's not going to hurt us. Let's get you settled in bed, and then I'll get our bags and get our unwanted visitor out of here." Natasha figured as long as this man hadn't been paying any attention to Wanda anyway and would therefore be unable to describe her, it would be easy enough to get rid of him before he actually caused them any problems.

Wanda wondered what exactly Nat planned to do to get rid of the man, but realized she did not care what happened to him at all, so long as her friend didn't get hurt. She glanced around the tiny motel room cautiously as Natasha helped her onto one of the beds. It seemed rundown, wallpaper torn and bedspreads faded, but also appeared clean.

"It's not the Ritz, but it will do," Natasha teased, noticing her teammate carefully casing and judging the new surroundings.

Wanda did not care how fancy or scruffy the motel was. She just liked knowing where things were and what things were like. Despite the shabby tiny room, this place did not make her feel closed in at all. "Can I...help with anything?"

"I want you to sleep. You told me you couldn't walk here from the car without even being asked directly, so you must be feeling worse than I thought. Rest and I'll get our things."

"That man is still outside," Wanda said quietly. She knew quite well that Nat could more than easily take care of herself, but confronting him also made it more likely to be recognized, too. He's walking back and forth out there waiting for Nat to come out. Realizing just how easy it would be to just dip into this man's head, and force him to go away and forget he had seen 'Ana' at all made Wanda feel guilty. But she had promised not to use any mind tricks, and she'd done that enough during the failed Raft escape attempt and the successful one. If Natasha carried her back outside, she could wreck that bad man's mind to shreds in two seconds if she wanted to, and he would not be able to express that she had done it to him, either.

Natasha sighed; she could hear the footsteps herself and she knew that Wanda probably was not, in fact, anxious over nothing. The man probably assumed one or both of them would emerge from the room shortly to retrieve a bag or suitcase. "Then I'll wait a few minutes. Maybe he'll get bored and move on. I still want you to sleep, though."

Wanda continued staring up at the peeling plaster on the ceiling, her fingers twitching nervously. Maybe this was why people like Ross hated her, because her darker impulses were things she could follow through on so easily. Things that would be easy even now when she was injured, in pain, exhausted, and her magic still wasn't functioning normally yet. That nasty man outside technically hadn't even done anything to either of them. He just wanted to, and she had been thinking she could literally rip his mind apart. She rolled over onto her side and scrunched herself into a ball, ignoring that doing this made her arm and ribs hurt more. It should hurt, I am being awful, this is me being a terrible person, not destructive ideas Hydra put in my head or something. It's me. It's all me.

...If I was going to fold and dip into whatever mental abilities I have anyway, I should have done it to Rumlow before he could even set that bomb off. Those poor people in Lagos wouldn't be dead, then. She felt something gently but firmly pulling her into a sitting position. S-H-O-U-L-D-V-E L-E-F-T M-E I-N R-A-F-T, she signed shakily, blinking back tears.

"What? Wanda, what the hell are you saying that for?" Natasha had just been wanting to stop an upset Wanda from lying on her injured arm, but now she was all the more concerned. Clearly something was bothering her much more than just worrying some random person outside might mean them harm. This in particular wasn't something Wanda had expressed even once over the past week.

"I could rip that man's mind apart. Even now."

"So what? I don't see you doing so."

"I was thinking that I could. I could...should've wrecked Rumlow. That way. Lagos."

Oh. "You do realize that interfering by wrecking his mind would not have saved those victims. The bomb had already been activated," Natasha told her quietly. "You also were ordered specifically not to use those mental aspects of your power, because all of us decided it was safer for you and everyone else if you didn't."

I know, I just...I think that there is something wrong with me. "I don't want them. I liked being connected t-to...Pietro, but...he is not...here any more," Wanda mumbled after a moment, her accent thicker than normal, "and those enhancements are no...good...otherwise. It is like..." She searched for words, not sure how to explain herself, in English or otherwise. That she did not think she was deserving or capable of handling that power properly. That being ordered not to use it felt like confirmation that it was something bad, and that felt like she was being excluded and stifled too, even though she didn't even want to access that portion of her enhancements, because she didn't trust herself. That realizing she didn't care if horrible people like Ross or Rumlow lived or died felt like she must be a bad person too. "I cannot...explain correctly. I think I'm disappointing him, you...everyone."

"Nobody is disappointed in you, we just-"

"I have heard Clint, okay?" Wanda interrupted, her voice edged with frustration now. "He isn't mad at me. I know that. But it's like..." She hesitated, squeezing her good hand into a fist. "He acts like that...that place broke me. And that feels...срање." Shit. That's what it feels like.

"He just hates that you were being hurt and he had to watch while being unable to do a thing about it. So now he feels guilty that you're still feeling crappy now. He does not think that." Nat turned toward the door; they could hear shouting voices outside, something about a purchase being a ripoff, and then footsteps stomping off.

"Someone chased him away," Wanda said matter-of-factly.

"Drug dealers." Nat decided to take the moment to retrieve their things from the car since now the man was gone anyway. "You wait here."

"Okay." Wanda realized she really did not mind waiting in the little motel room, because the lamp was on and it did not feel claustrophobic to her. She was far more concerned with Natasha going outside alone, in case that man came back.

But she returned within a minute or two with no incident. "I can't make Laura's good homemade soft dishes or smoothies, especially not here, but we do have some pudding and applesauce cups and instant oatmeal packets. Do you want those, or try something else?"

Wanda didn't answer immediately, because at this point she genuinely did want something else besides the soft and liquid foods she had been eating since the rescue, which all stayed down just fine. The throwing up episode previously had not had anything to do with food anyway, but it kind of scared her, even though she knew that had been her own anxiety making her stomach upset, not any actual food. If she ate something else and then it did make her sick, she wouldn't be able to talk for hours again because it would hurt her throat and ribs yet again. "I don't know," she said finally.

Natasha sighed, digging through their supplies. "Why don't you try a nutri-grain bar? Eat that and see how it goes, and if it goes down okay, you can have more. Then I want you to sleep for a bit before we do anything with your hair. Was there a certain color you already had in mind?"

This was something Wanda could answer easily. She liked her dark hair, but the idea of dyeing it seemed fun. Mostly she hadn't ever tried because Pietro had wrecked his hair bleaching it and ended up looking ridiculous until they'd been able to fix it. Privately she had thought he still looked silly even after they had stolen more supplies to 'fix' it, but he had been pleased with the results, anyway. But Natasha had dyed her hair herself, and she looked nice. "Red," Wanda stated emphatically, quite confident about that. Nat's hair used to be red, and it seemed very, very satisfying to make her hair red to help disguise her appearance when her magic produced red psionic energy and that was what she was supposed to hide.

Natasha was glad that this thought seemed to be something that brought a bit of spark to Wanda's tired green eyes. She appeared more than a little pleased with herself. "Red it is."

A/N: Welp, obviously the week of peace and quiet wasn't going to last forever, but hey, they might be able to return there soon if everything goes smoothly...

The song Wanda chooses in the car is I Lost Myself by ReVamp, which I felt suited her and would probably be something she likes listening to and connected with easily. Soooo yeah

Next chapter coming soon!:)