HI, HOW THE HECK ARE Y'ALL?
Long time no talk. I've missed you. I know this isn't December, but I figure y'all wouldn't mind a surprise early update. Updates still won't be regular again until after December but I managed to type this one out and wanted to share! Would love to hear your thoughts and also again I love y'all. All the support you guys have given me just warms my little heart I hope this update can make a few of y'all's day!
Chapter 18:
Mischief Managed
"she finally reached a place of knowing she'd be ok, and that is the biggest part of the battle. believing that you are meant for the good more than the bad." –JmStorm
The jet was unlike any quinjet she had ever ridden on. It was smaller. Longer than it was wide. It had enough seats to maybe fit four or five people in total. Nothing like the jets parked at the Compound hangar that could fit the entire team. She sat beside her brother, arms over her chest, as all her focus centered in on the man sitting across from them.
Wanda could remember the last time she saw her Uncle Erik. It had been in the winter. Only a few months before… Well, before their lives changed forever. Their uncle had been from their mother's side. They had been close. What Wanda really remembered was missing him. It was always so much fun when Uncle Erik would come to visit. He'd bring gifts and laughter and would carry her on his shoulders while trying to wrestle her brother. Yet when their mother died, when they watched both their parents fall into a hole to be gone forever, he was nowhere to be found.
"I'm sorry for the dramatics of my entrance." Erik spoke in Sokovian.
"Somehow I seriously doubt that you are." Pietro scoffed.
They had only agreed to leave with their uncle because he promised to leave the Compound. That he'd leave Aj alone. He also promised answers. Wanda had hoped to gather some for herself, but as she stared at him she received no emotion. It reminded her of when she tried to look into Ultron's head and found nothing but silence. It put a rock in her gut. Why couldn't she see his intentions?
Erik gave them a soft smile, "I can't believe how grown the two of you are."
"It wouldn't be such a surprise if you had been around." Pietro spat. Erik's face fell in defeat. He opened his mouth to speak, but Pietro didn't relent, "We lost everything! And where were you!?"
"You don't understand—"
"You're right. We don't." Pietro shook his head. "You preached about the importance of family when we were children and then when we needed you most you weren't there."
Erik hung his head, "I will never be able to express how sorry I am." He sighed and lifted a sad gaze to them. "When I finally found out what happened to…", Erik's voice cracked and he shook his head, "I did come. I was too late, but I did come and I was told… I was told you had all perished. I—I mourned."
Pietro turned to look at her and she looked back to him. She could see the question in his eyes. Her brother wanted to know if Erik was being honest, if he was being sincere, but Wanda didn't know. She shook her head and looked back to her Uncle, "Why can't I see into your head?"
"Right." Erik nodded. "It's the helmet. It's to prevent… an old friend from being able to read my mind. I find it interesting it blocks your abilities."
"You know of my abilities?" Wanda questioned.
"Once I realized the two of you were alive I—I did my research." Erik replied. He shifted in his seat, his hands moving forward, and Wanda tensed just as her brother did. Their uncle noticed this and held his hands up in surrender, "I'm just removing my helmet."
"Slowly." Pietro warned.
Erik nodded and, just as instructed, slowly removed his helmet. The moment the metal left his head, Wanda gasped as a wall of emotion slammed into her. Erik said he mourned, but that was an understatement. Wanda felt raw pain, staggering and tormenting, and absolute anguish. It was followed quickly by anger. Blinding, hot, and white rage. A warpath of revenge. Erik had found the exact men who sent that missile into their home and taken vengeance with his own two hands. Then relief. Not from the revenge. Erik saw them on the news. A picture of the Avengers with them in the background, but it had been enough. Erik recognized them and the relief that flooded his body, the love.
"You look like your mother." Erik said softly.
Pietro leaned over and set his hand on her shoulder, murmuring soft reassurances, Wanda lifted her on hand to swipe away tears that had streamed down her cheeks. She cleared her throat, "You're telling the truth."
"Of course." Erik said sincerely, "I just wish I could've actually been there for you two kids. What you've gone through… To age into your powers without a guiding hand. To have to fight and fend for yourself—"
Pietro shook his head, "Age into our powers?" He let out a sharp laugh. "There was no aging into our powers. We went to HYDRA and they—"
"I know what HYDRA did to you." Erik said, his lips drawn in a tight line. Wanda could feel his rage.
"We chose it." Wanda said firmly. It was a mistake. Siding with an organization like HYDRA to try and find their own version of vengeance. Still, it was their sin and Wanda refused to deny it. It was their cross to bear. "They used something called an infinity stone on us. It turned us into what we are."
Erik shook his head, "You're mistaken. You're like me. You're mutants." Wanda and her brother shared a look, plenty of arguments ready. "Often times, trauma is what brings out a mutant's gift. The x-gene is one of evolution. It allows us to survive. Makes us stronger than humans." Wanda could feel the disdain hanging on the word 'human' and made mental note of it. "The stone was that trauma and it activated your x-gene. Allowed you to survive." Erik pointed at them. "Nobody else survived their experiments, did they? It was just you two."
It was scary how much sense his words made to her.
"But it's okay," Erik relaxed in his seat, "You won't have to handle this alone anymore. I'm here for you. We can be a family again."
Wanda narrowed her eyes, "We were not alone. We have a family."
"The Avengers?" Erik asked skeptically. "Seriously?"
Pietro nodded, "Yes, and we're going back to the Compound after this."
"I don't think that's for the best." Erik argued. "You need a mutant friendly environment to grow in."
Wanda raised an eyebrow at him, "An environment like the X-Men?"
"I'm not affiliated with Xavier's students and alumni." Erik hummed.
"But you know them." Pietro pressed. "You knew Aj. You called her Aimee. We heard you."
At the name, a simple thought drifted from her uncle's mind. It was so faint that she almost didn't catch it. Once she noticed it though, it was too easy to follow back to the root. To see the mal intent. To see that Erik had not just come to the Compound for them like he told Aj. No, he had lied. He had another reason to be there.
He had another motive.
Wanda snapped up from her seat, hand outstretched, and a wave of power flared out from her. It slammed into her uncle and held him against the wall of the jet. He grunted in pain, teeth bared, and Pietro jumped up to side with her even without full knowledge of what she knew.
"He was going to kill her!" Wanda roared. "He was going to kill Aj!"
Pietro leveled a glare at Erik as he barked out a curse. Erik tried to move his arms, but her glowing, red energy kept him pinned, "It isn't what you think…"
"I saw your intentions." Wanda snapped. "You cannot lie to me."
"Aj is our family. We love her and you will not cause her any harm." Pietro added to her words. "We won't let you."
Erik sighed, "I didn't hurt her. I stopped. I stopped for the two of you."
"But you still want to." Wanda shook her head.
Their uncle leaned his head against the back of the jet wall in frustration. He opened his unclenched hands and suddenly something grabbed Wanda from behind and yanked her back. The same thing happened to Pietro and she noticed it was metal from the jet's built-in chairs that was wrapped around them. It pinned her hands to her side and Wanda couldn't find the concentration to use her abilities without her hands. Erik dropped from the jet's wall and landed on his feet with a sigh.
"Your friend—"
"Family." Wanda spat.
Erik clenched his jaw, "HYDRA wants her. I'm sure you know that, but I don't think you, or any of the Avengers, know how bad it will end once they get their hands on her."
"Why?" Pietro demanded, straining against his own restraints, "Why do they want her so badly in the first place?"
"They want a weapon." Erik said. "And that's exactly what she is. She's the kind of weapon that can devastate the world." He knelt down so he'd be more eye level with them. "I came to get you, my family, first and foremost. She was a secondary mission if anything."
Wanda shook her head in disappointment, "Secondary mission or not, you want to hurt someone who has done nothing but love us. You have no idea what she's done for us."
"I'm trying to protect you." Erik argued. "I'm trying to protect the world."
Wanda could see it now. Their Uncle was not the same man who used to carry her on his shoulders or bring her trinkets from around the world. Time had hardened him. Erik had a tragic past, Wanda knew of it, and from it she remembered that even as a child she had taken notice of how haunted his eyes would look when he thought no one else was watching. Now though, there was something cold in his gaze. Something sharp.
Erik rose back to his full height, "The two of you will grow to understand this one day. You'll grow to forgive me."
For some reason, every time something went wrong it had to go wrong in an avalanche of ways. They never had to deal with just one crisis. It was always a handful of them, and boy was Clint real sick and tired of it. He wanted to talk to the cosmic planner that strung this shitshow together and ask them why the hell they thought it was so entertaining to watch the Avengers struggle. Luckily, this was his millionth shitshow and Clint was kind of getting good at multi-tasking.
Being an archer probably helped.
He was used to having to watch multiple targets at once.
Right now, standing in the corner of Tony's lab leaning against the counter with his arms crossed, Clint was watching three separate trains that were all on the verge of derailing. Aj was sitting on a fold out chair with her arms outstretched and hands resting on the counter top while Tony tried to pry her out of her crumpled gloves. Her lips were drawn in a tight line. It was a mix between her 'worried sick about someone' and 'trying to hide her pain' look.
Meanwhile, Tony had a kind of focus in his eyes that Clint typically only saw when the genius was 72 hours into a project with no sleep or meals under his belt. Every time Aj flinched, Tony would flinch with her. Between trying to fix the busted gauntlets and comfort Aj, Tony would call out to FRIDAY in an attempt to get her to respond. That had been their clue to something being very wrong. The quinjet had been notified that the breach alarm was going off and then FRIDAY stopped responding to all queries.
Then of course, smoking, on fire, train three, was Bucky Barnes who stood behind Aj stiff in stature, glaring at Thor who was talking with Sam. Considering Bucky had a staring problem even on the best of days it shouldn't be an issue at all. However, since Clint still had a drawing of Bucky shooting Thor dead hanging on his fridge it deserved a little concern.
"Fu—!" Aj squealed, but she bit down on her lower lip halfway through the curse so it didn't slip all the way out. Bucky immediately set a hand on her shoulder and Tony stopped what he was doing to look up at her. She quickly shook her head, her voice cracking, "I'm fine. I'm fine. Keep going. Just—Just sore."
Rather than listening, Tony tossed his gear onto the table and shook his head, "This piece of metal is stuck in your palm. Any time I try to move it the damn thing just digs in fucking further."
"Rip it off like a band-aid." Aj argued. "Just do it. I can take it."
"Stop talking." Tony replied and walked away to look for something.
The lab doors slid open and Clint glanced over just in time to see Star barreling toward him. He turned as she leaped toward him and he was able to easily catch her in a hug. Star surprised him by burying her face into the crook of his shoulder without a word. Clint glanced at Natasha who shrugged in response.
"сестра, are you alright?" Natasha asked.
Aj, recognizing the Russian pet name, raised her hands with a grimace, "Living the life. Have you heard—"
"I'm going to find Steve right now." Natasha replied, already knowing where the question was going, "We're going to find the twins, okay?"
Aj nodded solemnly. Natasha shot him a tired look once before turning and leaving. Vision was already out trying to see if he could follow any trail of where Magneto went with the twins, while Natasha and Steve worked on a different angle. He was still trying to wrap his head around the fact that the only known Omega level mutant kicked down their door and kidnapped the twins who he was apparently related to. Fuck that cosmic planner and their weird desire to screw with the Avengers in the most ironic ways possible.
"Ah! This is the Asgardian I have come for." Thor boomed in his usual, loud tone. He stepped away from Sam to step closer to Clint. "May I see her?"
Star wrapped her arms around his neck even tighter. Clint had to clear his throat before speaking, "She, uh, Star is a bit…shy. Takes a while to warm up to strangers."
"Don't take it personal, Thor." Aj spoke up. Bucky was squeezing her shoulder in comfort while simultaneously glaring a hole into the back of Thor's head. Wow, he was a better multi-tasker than even Clint was. "Star still doesn't even like me very much."
Clint rubbed Star's back comfortingly. The attack on the Compound probably spooked her. Coulson had mentioned she had a rough go of it before SHIELD found her. Aj locking her in a safe room was without a doubt for the best, it kept her safe from attack, but it hadn't done anything for her peace of mind. He was certain of that.
"I'm sure she'll feel much better once I get her home." Thor replied and took a step toward him again.
Clint kept one arm around her, "We should let her calm down first, Thor."
"And get her home?" Sam called out. "You leaving already, man?"
"You can't!" Aj stood from her seat, slipping out of Bucky's grasp. Clint could see her fraying at the edges. Losing the twins to a mutant was a staggering blow and having Thor back just to watch him leave wasn't something her heart could take right now. Aj needed sleep. She needed to get those crumpled gauntlets off her hands and needed to slow down before she burned herself out. "You just got back, Thor."
Thor pressed his lips together and shook his head, "I can always come back, but I must return the Asgardian back where she belongs."
"Who is she?" Clint asked. "Where's her family?"
"It is… difficult to explain." Thor replied vaguely. "Just know she will be safe with me."
"Got it!" Tony came back into view with a new tool in hand. "Also, I still can't get FRIDAY to respond to me. I don't know what that magnet motherfucker did to her but—" Tony cut himself off, grumbling under his breath, before looking to Aj, "There."
He motioned for Aj to sit back down, but she did the exact opposite. Bucky tried to catch her by the elbow, but Aj was already beside Thor. She tried to cross her arms, but flinched when the metal shifted and settled with reaching out to awkwardly set the clumps of metal on Thor's chest, "Please stay. We could really use your help here. Everything is a mess right now and with the twins… Please?"
Thor reached out to cup the side of her face with his large hand, offering a soft smile, and nodded, "For you, of course."
"Adorable. Now that that's settled," Tony motioned back to the chair he stood in front of, "Can we get back to freeing your hands?"
Aj followed his instruction, dropping into the seat unceremoniously, then cracked a smile that didn't reach her eyes, "If I had known you were gonna drop by today, Thor, I would've worn that bra I know you like."
"I'm sorry—what?" Bucky pressed from behind her. Sam snickered in response to Bucky's obvious distaste for the idea of Thor seeing Aj in her underwear. Clint would've laughed as well if the picture of Bucky shooting Thor wasn't still haunting him. At this rate, Bucky was gonna shoot Thor for a relationship the god and Aj didn't even actually have.
"Long story." Clint blurted. "They are not lovers."
All eyes slowly turned to look at him in confusion. Probably at his panicked tone. Clint shrugged and Tony rolled his eyes. Clint gave the genius a sheepish smile that was promptly ignored so he could go back to freeing Aj from her new shackles.
Clint was distracted from everything when Star shifted in his arms. He adjusted his hold so she didn't fall and Star raised her head just enough so she could whisper, "I want Wanda."
"I know, Star." Clint rubbed her back as Star laid her head back down sadly. "I know."
"Stop picking at it." I glanced up from my recently stitched hands to shoot a halfhearted glare at Sam. He crossed the infirmary to drop down onto the bed I was sitting criss cross on, "Why are you still here? You should be in bed."
I shrugged, "How am I supposed to sleep when the twins are missing?"
"They aren't missing. We know where they are."
"All we know is that they're with a powerful Omega level mutant. That's worse."
Sam shook his head, "Their uncle. I doubt he means them harm."
"But you don't know that." I replied. My gaze dropped back down to my hands. I had two stitches on the palm of my left hand and one stitch on the back of my right. About a dozen smaller scratches scattered along my skin with splotches of blue and purple bruises. They'd fade though. They always did. Sam pulled my attention back to him when he reached out and began to wrap my hand with gauze. "You don't have to do that."
"Hush."
I watched quietly as he worked. His hands gentle and careful not to touch any really tender spots. When he finished I gave him a thankful smile. It was late, and by late I meant it was stupid early in the morning. Most everyone else had disappeared to either go to bed or mope about the twins' absence like I was in the privacy of their own space. Sam never let anyone mope for longer than what was good for them.
"It's not your fault." Sam said firmly.
I chuckled and shrugged, "Is it weird that I know that?" Sam raised an eyebrow at me. "I know it's not my fault. I tried to stop them. But they chose to go with him. I get it."
"You get it?"
"He was their family." I replied simply.
Sam reached out, setting a hand on my knee, "You're their family too." My eyes snapped up to meet his. "They love you. So much. Don't doubt that."
"How—" I let out a disbelieving laugh, "How do you always know what's going on in my head? It's a little scary now."
Sam grinned in amusement and just bobbed his head toward me, "Practice? I think I'm fluent in Aj Bradshaw now."
"God, that's tragic for you." I joked. "You poor thing. Fluent in a language as fucked up as that?"
"It's not so bad." Sam shrugged. "Easy enough to learn. Just gotta put in a little effort. Well worth it." I rolled my eyes at that and he laughed. "Come on. Let's get you into bed. Something tells me the next 24 hours are gonna be a pain in all our asses."
I let Sam help me off the bed and I hooked my arm through his. Sam let me lean my head against his shoulder. He wasn't wrong. Things would be fine though. We'd find the twins. Make sure they were safe. If they wanted to be with their Uncle I wouldn't stop them, but I sure as hell was going to make sure they were safe first.
Bucky was pacing the floor. He had a feeling if he looked down at his path he'd see a groove worked into the expensive wood beneath him. It couldn't be helped. Bucky still felt disorientated from Yakov taking over not even 12 hours ago. He didn't even have the time to fully comprehend what the hell had happened with that. He was too busy panicking about the supposed god of thunder who had dropped down out of nowhere to save them all.
He wasn't impressed.
"Buck?" Bucky forced himself to stop when Steve stepped out of his bedroom with a sleepy, confused look on his features. "What're you doing up still? You okay?"
He was not okay. Aj was hurt, Yakov could've done so much worse to her, and his twins were missing. They could be in danger right now for all he knew. All of that and yet what really ate at him right now, in this singular moment, was how much he'd like to punch Thor in his pretty, straight white teeth.
"Bucky. Seriously." Steve walked over in his tank top and sweatpants. "Is this about the twins? I promise they're—"
"You trust this Thor guy?" Bucky demanded. "Enough to just let him sleep under the same roof as us? As Aj?"
Steve's eyebrows both rose in startled bewilderment. He just stared at him for a long moment before finally speaking, but the only word to fall out of his mouth was a single, "Huh?"
"Thor. God of Thunder?" Bucky replied. "What is his story?"
"He's…Thor the god of Thunder?" Steve shrugged. "Is this about the fight? He didn't know who you were. He thought you were kidnapping Aj, he's seen it happen before technically—"
Bucky waved his hand between them with a shake of his head, "It's not that."
Steve rubbed at his face, "He's a good guy, er, god. I trust Thor with my life. He's had my back on and off the field. Fighting alongside him was always, well, it was fun." Steve chuckled. "Working on missions with Thor actually reminded me of us," He motioned between the two of them, "Kinda like how we worked together. I always thought of you."
"Well, I'll try not to take offense to that considering I hate him." Bucky mumbled and stalked to the kitchen to grab a drink. He had found a whiskey he liked and Tony always made sure it was in stock in their apartment. The alcohol didn't do anything to him anymore, but he liked the taste all the same.
Steve followed after him, "Buck, you can't be serious. You just met the guy."
"I have a bad feeling about him, Stevie."
His old friend followed after him and leaned against the kitchen counter. Bucky poured himself a drink, lifting the bottle towards Steve in question who shook his head, and then leaned against the counter himself with drink in hand. Steve let him take a few long sips before speaking, "Why? Tell me why you don't like Thor then."
Bucky twisted his lips and stared down into his drink. He took another sip before replying, "I don't think my reasoning will help my case very much."
"Come on. Talk to me."
"Fine." Bucky tossed back the last of what he had poured. "I don't like the way he looks at Aj."
Steve blinked once, "Uh… what?"
"I don't like the way Thor looks at Aj." Bucky repeated more firmly this time. Steve cracked a smile and he turned to grab more of the whiskey. God, he wished this stuff still had any sort of effect on him. "Steve—"
Steve cut him off, "They're friends, Buck. Good friends at that. Plus, he has a girlfriend. You don't have to be jealous—"
"God, I'm not jealous!" Bucky argued loudly. He was not going to mention that jealously was exactly what he felt when Aj mentioned wearing Thor's favorite bra because that was not the point of all this. His bad feeling stemmed from something more than just jealously. Steve kept on, trying to convince him of Thor's merits, but Bucky let it pass through one ear and out the other.
It wasn't just jealousy. He wasn't jealous when he caught Steve watching Aj from across the room with awe drawn across his features. The look in Thor's eyes today had been predatory. There was a gleam there, something dangerous. Maybe it was the restless Yakov hiding just under his skin, but Bucky felt like it was more. His instincts were warning him of something and even if he was wrong, even if he were making it out to be more than it was, he refused to run the risk of Aj getting hurt.
The halls were empty at the moment which is why the only sound came from her heels clicking against the wooden floors. The mansion she had been spending most of her time at these days was run like a boarding school and right now all classes were in session. Sharon turned the corner and made her way towards where she new Professor X's office sat. Fury sent her here to try and smooth things over as both sides tried to duke it out with HYDRA. That was the official mission, at least.
More than just being an advocate for SHIELD, Sharon was here to gather as much information as she could about the X-Men.
The X-Men was a well-organized group of mutants that discreetly acted around the world to protect the rights of mutants all over. It was impressive how under the radar they managed to be. The group was run by a man named Charles Xavier, dubbed Professor X by everyone in this mansion it seemed, and it seemed there was no set roster of who went out on missions. It wasn't like the Avengers. The X-Men were a long list of mutant alumni from this school who rotated out on various missions. In fact, Sharon had really only met four main 'X-Men' while here. All the others seemed to come and go.
As Sharon reached the wooden doors, she paused to knock and when a voice called out to her she slid the two wooden doors apart to step in. The office was filled with morning light that made the dark red accents and chestnut wood glow. Sitting behind his desk was Xavier, but he wasn't alone in the room. Standing by the windows was Roberto de Costa. He was dressed in a pressed and expensive suit and wore a look of annoyance on his features. That seemed to be the only look Sharon ever saw on him. In a chair parked in front of the desk was one Aubrey Bradshaw. The sister to the infamous Aj Bradshaw.
"We're in the middle of something, Carter." Roberto spat.
Sharon gave him a dry look, "I'd say I'm sorry to interrupt, but I'm really not. You have a call." She stepped forward, setting the phone in her hand onto the desk, then pressed the speaker button, "You're on, boss."
"Xavier!" Fury barked out of the phone and though Charles was very good at maintaining a professional façade, she could still see him wilt in exhaustion. "Why the hell did you mutants take my fucking twins!?"
Aubrey's eyes widened and she leaned back in her seat while mumbling, "Is the language really necessary?"
Aubrey Bradshaw was a far cry from Aj 'fuck that, fuck this, fuck you' Bradshaw.
"Nick—" Xavier began.
"Wait, wait." Roberto shook his head and motioned to the phone, "Did you send a team to grab the Maximoffs? You promised us that Aimee was the priority!"
"Roberto is right." Aubrey added. "The longer we wait—"
"The motherfucker broke into our Compound—"
"If everyone will just give me a moment." Xavier spoke loudly, his voice firm. There was a pause where the man took in a breath. "That was not an X-Men sanctioned mission. Erik took matters into his own hands."
Roberto let out a groan as he turned around to face the window. Sharon crossed her arms, but Fury was the one to ask the question, "Erik?"
"You know him as Magneto." Xavier replied. Sharon raised her eyebrows in recognition. She had seen that name sprinkled in many of the Project Omega files. He was the only named Omega mutant they knew of. "I warned him to wait, but he is not known for his patience. Not when it comes to his family."
Sharon asked the question this time, "Family?"
"Erik Lehnsherr is the uncle to the Maximoffs."
Roberto let out a chuckle as he turned back around, "Maybe Lehnsherr has the right idea. Why don't we follow his lead?"
"Because I would extinguish your ass faster than you could buy more stock in your own damn company, de Costa." Fury replied. Sharon shot the man a look to reinforce her boss' threat. Roberto locked his jaw and crossed his arms. "Xavier, I respect you." Sharon couldn't help but let the look of surprise cross her features. She wondered how far back the history between the two went. "And you should appreciate that fact because the list of people I offer my respect to is pretty damn short, but if the twins aren't back by the end of the day—"
"You'll what?" Roberto spat despite the Professor sending the man a look of disdain as he held his hand out to him. Roberto stepped back at the motion.
"It's what I won't do." Fury replied simply. "I'm keeping the Avengers at bay, but if I don't hear back from the Maximoffs by the end of the day I'm texting Tony Stark and Steve Rogers your fucking address."
Without another word, and without even waiting for a reply, the line went dead. Roberto began to curse under his breath, muttering in his own language, and Sharon stepped forward to scoop her phone off the desk. She tilted her head a bit, "Fury isn't known for idle threats."
"I know." Xavier sighed. "I'll talk to Erik, but he's never been…rational when it comes to family matters."
Aubrey was the one to steal back the focus, "Maybe we should let the Avengers come."
"Aubrey, no." Roberto shook his head. "It would only end in a fight."
"Maybe not." The woman shook her head and stood from the chair, "Maybe they'd bring Aimee with them! If I could just talk to my sister, get her to listen—"
"They wouldn't." Sharon cut in. "They would never bring Aj here. It's too dangerous."
Roberto scoffed, "We'd never hurt her."
"I think you're underestimating what your existence alone would do to her." Sharon replied simply. The room fell silent at the words. It was a well-known fact that Sharon was not the biggest fan of Aj. It wasn't personal. The distaste was born from distrust, and now, even though she knew Aj most likely meant the Avengers and SHIELD no harm, Sharon still didn't like the woman's brash attitude. Aj was too loud, too hot tempered, too much of a wild card for Sharon to ever really rely on. Despite all of that, Sharon wouldn't wish this truth on her. She wouldn't wish this scenario on her worst enemy even. "You keep picturing a happy reunion, and I think you're being much too optimistic."
Aubrey shook her head firmly, "I know my sister. She'll forgive me. Once she hears my side of the story, she'll forgive me."
Sharon wasn't so sure.
The coffee in my mug had long ago simmered to room temperature bordering on cold. I stood at the kitchen island, leaning my elbows against the countertop, with my bandaged hands hovering around the sides of the mug. Technically speaking, I was probably lucky none of the bones in my hands were broken considering they had just been crushed in what was basically a metal compacter. I was more bummed at the loss of my gauntlets than I was any injury. Both of those issues paled in comparison to the twins still being gone.
My head snapped up when Steve strolled back into the kitchen. He held his phone up, motioning it toward me before nodding once, "Fury wants us to sit on our hands."
"You've gotta be kidding me." I straightened my posture. My hands balled up into fists sending a sharp pain shooting up my arms but it was clarifying. Awakening. "Why would we—"
"He called the X-Men." Steve sighed. "He's giving them the day to settle this themselves before we go starting a war."
I scoffed in annoyance, "Who gives a damn!? I don't care if we start a war with those assholes! I want the twins back now!"
Steve wandered over to stand beside me. His eyes glanced down at my hands briefly, and before I could stop him he reached out to set his much larger hands on top of my own. Unwillingly, I felt my hands began to relax under his warm touch. Steve slowly began to coax my fists to unclench. He flipped one palm over and I could see a small dot of bright red blood through the gauze.
"You popped your stitch." He said.
"Steve—"
"We're going to get them back." Steve's eyes snapped to meet mine. There was a firmness in his gaze, a dedication and resolve that settled my bristling anger. "They're family and we don't abandon family. But Aj…"
I groaned and pulled my hands away from his to pick at my bandages, "Why did I know you were gonna add a 'but'?"
Steve's lips twitched into a small smile before straightening back into his 'this is serious' Captain look, "They chose to go with Magneto. He was their Uncle. If we find them and they want to stay with him… That's their choice. We'll make sure they're safe above all else, but…"
Considering I had just found my long, lost Uncle, I could technically relate. It still left a bad taste in my mouth though. I tugged at the medical tape holding the gauze to my hand. More than anything I understood the concept of choice. This was their choice and I would never take that from them. That understanding didn't change the ache I felt in my heart.
Steve began to speak, but a different voice cut him off, "Greetings, my friends!"
We both looked up to see Thor walk into the kitchen with a bright grin. Oh, I had missed the ray of sunshine warrior. I returned the smile and motioned to the armor he still wore, "How come you're still all suited up, Thor? Kick back and relax a little."
"As tempting as that may be, I must get back to Asgard." Thor replied.
"Like Aj said", Steve shook his head, "You just got back. Do you really need to go so soon? We could use your help here."
Thor shook his head, "I wish I could be of service. However, I simply came to gather the young Asgardian so I can return her to where she belongs." He strolled around the island to come stand on my other side, and he set a hand at the back of my neck, giving it a small squeeze, "I can always return afterwards."
I felt Thor's thumb moving up and down, lightly rubbing the skin at the back of my neck, and I felt a chill run down my spine at the motion. Immediately, guilt gnawed at my gut. Thor was finally back and I was in such a pissy mood that I couldn't even enjoy his presence. A familiar clearing of the throat had us glancing toward the mouth of the hallway opposite of the direction Thor had originally walked in from.
Bucky stalked in and I raised an eyebrow at the murderous look on his features. Rarely did I ever see this kind of glare on him. I knew he was probably just as angry and anxious as I was about what went down with the twins, but the heated look of intensity burning a hole in our direction was startling. Steve shot the man a look, a silent argument, but Bucky ignored him entirely. I was in the process of trying to connect the dots when Thor shifted his hand and let his arm wrap around my shoulders so he could pull me into his side as he turned to face Bucky directly.
"Ah! You again. I apologize for yesterday's battle. You were a worthy opponent, but I would never have bested you in such a way if I knew who you were." Thor laughed and Bucky did not respond or let his glare simmer in the slightest. "I saw our dear Aj in danger and just acted."
I cracked a smile to try and ease the situation, "You're lucky Thor didn't have Mjolnir on him."
Thor let out another booming laugh, "Yes, he is lucky, isn't he?"
"Aj, can we talk?" Bucky said but the words were hissed out through clenched teeth. Steve shot his friend another look that again was ignored. Without hesitation, I slid out from Thor's grasp and reached out to take Bucky's hand. I gave it a comforting squeeze and he didn't hesitate himself to immediately begin to drag me out of the kitchen. I didn't say a word and just followed along as Bucky led us through the halls until we ended up near the recreation room where I knew Bucky liked to go to read. He turned to face me but kept his hand in mine, "Aj…"
"Is this about the twins?" I asked. "I'm upset too, but tomorrow if we still haven't heard from them Steve said I'm allowed to start a war. Well, he didn't say it in those words exactly but that's what I heard."
Bucky shook his head. He clenched and unclenched his jaw, I could see him rolling his thoughts around in his head, and finally he spoke, "I need you to stay away from Thor."
"Huh?"
"Thor. I need you to keep your distance from him. Okay?"
I slowly let my hand untangle from his as I pulled it back. When it got clear from his, Bucky reached out again to grasp it but I crossed my arms over my chest. He let his hand fall to his side and let out a sigh.
"Aj—"
"What the hell are you talking about?" I narrowed my eyes at him. "The twins are gone and you're more concerned with Thor? Thor?"
Bucky shook his head, "You don't understand."
"You're right, I don't."
"I don't trust him." Bucky said firmly. "I don't trust him, I don't like the way he looks at you, I—"
I let out a loud, disbelieving laugh, "Bucky, seriously? Oh my God, what is—Are you… Are you jealous?"
"No!" Bucky barked and I raised an eyebrow at him. He groaned and rubbed at his face, "I don't like him and I don't want you around him!"
My eyes widened and I could see it dawn on Bucky that he said the exact wrong thing. He closed his eyes for a moment, shook his head, and tried to backtrack, but I cut him off. I scoffed, "Bucky, he's my friend. He's a good friend. He's family. And as for whole 'I don't want you around him' bullshit, I don't care. Bucky, your opinion means everything to me, but you don't get to decide who I spend time with or not."
"I know, I'm sorry, that's not—that's not how I meant to say it."
"Regardless of how you'd choose to say it, that's obviously how you feel about it." I shook my head. Bucky stepped closer, but I didn't backpedal away. Cautiously, he reached out and when his hands grasped the sides of my arms, I just raised an eyebrow at him. "Buck, I know you mean well, but you're overstepping."
Bucky sighed, squeezed my arms lightly, and hung his head, "Right. I'm sorry, doll. I am." He lifted his chin to meet my gaze and I offered him to smile as a peace offering. Bucky had good intentions, and I knew he meant well by it. Thor was still a stranger to him and their meeting had been tense. "But it doesn't change my mind." I blinked once in shock, but he kept talking. "I'm begging you. Stay away from Thor."
"You…" I let out a disbelieving laugh and shrugged out of his grip. Bucky's lips pressed together and I twisted my own in annoyance, "This conversation is over, Buck. I gotta go."
It was a half-truth. I did have somewhere to be. I told Natasha I'd keep training with the new recruits and it would be a good way to distract myself while waiting to hear from the twins. Technically though, that wasn't until after lunch. I just really didn't want to argue with Bucky. Not today.
"Aj—"
"I'll see you around."
I could hear Bucky calling out to me, but I didn't let it slow my pace. To my surprise, I felt his metal hand clasp around the crook of my arm and gently tug me back. I gave him a questioning look and he just held my gaze wordlessly. I shook my head, "What're you doing?"
"Will you at least promise me you'll be careful?" Bucky pressed. His hand slid down my arm to carefully find my hand. Luckily, it was the one I wasn't bleeding through my gauze otherwise that would be a whole other battle of him trying to change my bandages for me. "Please?"
I gave him a small smile to try and convey that despite this whole mess I wasn't upset at him, "Aren't I always?"
"Right." Bucky chuckled and lifted my hand up towards him so he could carefully press a kiss to a bare spot on my palm where the gauze didn't cover a bruise. He didn't let his stormy eyes drift away from my own. As always there was something calming in his gaze that settled the anxiety that had been building in my chest. "Maybe just be a little extra careful? A little less reckless and selfless and brave?"
"Those really aren't factors in the reason why I get into the messes I do." I replied with a smile I couldn't bite back. "It's more shitty luck and me being an idiot." I pulled away from him and pointed at him as I began to backpedal away, "You're a charming bastard you know that, right?"
"So, you say." Bucky smirked. He was letting it go for now, but I could still see the tension in his frame. Everything would be fine. We were in the Compound safe and sound, and hopefully the twins would be too. Hopefully.
Tony was about a solid 30 seconds away from just punching the system and hoping for the best. It would accomplish about the same as he was getting right now. FRIDAY's entire mainframe was glitching. It was worse than just some asshole shutting her down for a few moments or resetting her hardware. Hell, if Magneto, or whatever the fuck he called himself, had just wiped her system it would be easier to fix. It was as if somebody was still actively messing with FRIDAY. Crossing wires and shorting circuits as he fixed them.
With every correction he made, there was a new mistake to tackle.
"What is happening?" Tony breathed in confusion.
He wished, for the millionth time, that Bruce was around. Another set of hands to tackle this at the same time as him would go a long way. Plus, when he was getting overly frustrated on a project his friend always knew the perfect thing to say. Maybe Vision would have some insight into this issue. Tony still hadn't quite gotten used to hearing JARVIS' voice from the android, but desperate times and all that.
"Tony," He glanced over his shoulder to see Natasha come in with a plate of food. She shot him a look before setting the plate onto a nearby countertop and knocking her fist again the table, "Come boy."
"You're funny." Tony replied but pushed himself off the floor to wander over to where she had brought him food.
Natasha smirked in amusement as he began to eat, but then gradually the smile simmered back to the baseline mood of the day. Worry. The red head nodded once, "Any luck with FRIDAY?"
"No. It's a nightmare. I have no idea what's going on." Tony sighed irritably. There was very little that Tony truly hated, but being in the dark was one of them. He took a bite of the sandwich on his plate, tucking it into his cheek, then asked his own question, "What about you? Hear from Fury yet?"
Natasha shook her head, "I stepped out of training a while ago to call him, but he didn't answer. Figured I'd make sure you don't starve before I try again."
"Thanks." Tony replied simply, but he truly meant it. He had always been a big believer in actions being louder than words. Call it a love language. Tony was halfway through his sandwich when his phone began to vibrate from across the room. It was odd to not hear FRIDAY just announce his calls for him. He'd have to get used to this if he didn't fix this issue soon. Tony pointed to the phone, and Natasha halfheartedly rolled her eyes before grabbing it and tossing it to him. He caught it and offered her a muffled 'thanks', food still in mouth.
Tony didn't recognize the number but brought it to his ear all the same, "Hello?"
"Stark." He furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. The voice was vaguely familiar. "We need to talk."
Then it hit him. Tony turned to look directly at Natasha who gave him a questioning look of her own, "Roberto de Costa?" Natasha's questioning look turned to one of distrust. "Where the hell are Wanda and Pietro!?"
"That's what we need to talk about. We should meet."
Training with the new recruits was always fun. It was a whole group of people to spar with and they were always asking my opinion when it came to fighting. Asking what I would do in this scenario or how I would throw this or that punch. It was nothing if not a small boost to my ego.
I hissed while changing my bandages. The session had ended long ago but I had stuck around to pound away at a bag on my own. It was a good way to kill time since we still hadn't heard from the twins or any mutants apologizing for taking them. Natasha left the training session early to call Fury again for an update, but she hadn't come back yet. I didn't know if that was a good sign or a bad one.
"Does that hurt your hands?"
I glanced over my shoulder to see Thor stepping into the training gym, still wearing his armor. With a smile, I grabbed my water bottle and began to walk toward him so we'd meet halfway, "You know me. Always a glutton for punishment. Any news on the twins?"
"None that I was told." Thor shook his head. He must have noticed the disappointment on my face because he reached out to squeeze my shoulder in comfort. "I'm sorry."
"It's fine." I lied.
"I'm actually here to ask you a favor." Thor spoke suddenly. I nodded once, an encouragement to continue asking. He knew I'd do anything to help him out. "I need the Asgardian child." I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion at the statement. "As much as I would like to stay, I need to take her home."
I shrugged, "Thor, Star is safe here. You don't have to worry."
"You don't understand the importance of this. None of you do." Thor replied.
"Because you won't tell us." I retaliated warily. The energy pouring from Thor was uneasy and odd. He seemed panicked, but I still didn't understand why. All I really knew was that his nervous aura was making me nervous.
Thor stepped closer to me, "All I need of you is to distract Clint so I can take the child." I glanced around the room and noticed it was just the two of us. The rest of the training gym was empty. That was unusual in and of itself. Where was everyone and why was Thor asking me to be part of a thinly veiled kidnapping scheme. Thor pulled my attention back to him, "Will you help me?"
"Of course." I forced a smile. Bucky made me promise to be careful and being careful meant not ignoring the blaring, warning sign that was flashing in my brain and telling me to run. Something wasn't right. "Why wouldn't I help you, big warrior?"
It was a nickname he knew well, and I was beginning to realize it was a nickname I hadn't called him since his return. It went hand in hand with a very familiar nickname that he had yet called me while being here.
"Thank you, my love." Thor pinched my chin between his two fingers. The smile on his features wasn't the kind he usually wore for me. It was wrong. All of it was wrong. It was all I really needed to convince me of something that Bucky had somehow figured out all on his own.
"Mhmm." I shook my head. "Wrong nickname, asshole."
Fake Thor's eyebrows scrunched together and I lifted my leg to kick him in the chest as hard as I could. Fake Thor stumbled back and I turned to run. He might not be the real Thor, but this was not a battle I was gonna win with two busted hands. "FRI—oof!"
Something hard hit me from behind and I slammed into the ground with a Thor sized person lying on top of me.
"You call out for Stark's security? The voice in the walls?" Thor's voice chuckled in my ear. "You're a fool if you think I didn't think ahead." I threw one elbow back, making contact, but I was flipped around with ease and a large hand clamped over my mouth as I stayed pinned to the floor. It was Thor's face hovering over mine, but the sinister smile was not his and Thor had never looked at me with that kind of cruelness before. "You have such fight in you. I like that. I simply craved your help, but if you won't give it willingly then I will take it forcefully."
The words made little sense, but I didn't have long to ponder on it. His hand was gone and instead a pair of lips smashed onto mine. It dazed me for a moment. I had been expecting a punch to the face not a kiss. I was being kissed. Jesus, when was the last time that happened? Technically it was back when… For some reason, I thought this would immediately devastate me, send me spiraling, but there was nothing. It was a pointless kiss that meant nothing and made me feel nothing. Actually, that was a half lie. Yes, I wasn't spiraling into a traumatic breakdown which was something, but it did make me feel something and that something was complete and total rage. You know. My go to emotion.
The lips were pulled away and I blinked again in shock. The 'obviously not Thor wearing a Thor face' grinned down at me in triumphant amusement. He hummed, "How do you feel about helping me now, my love?" I let a small smile paint my lips before slamming my head forehead into the nose of the person who thought some shitty kiss was gonna change my mind in any sort of way. "You bitch!"
"Get the fuck off me, you psycho!" I tried to shove the body off me, but they were too heavy and the position I was in left me with no leverage.
The hand slammed onto my face again. Fake Thor snarled at me, "I don't know why that didn't work, but no matter." I watched in horror as the blond hair above me slowly turned to a familiar shade of brown. Thor always had blue eyes, but the blue staring down at me now were the same ones I woke up to every morning. In less than ten seconds, I had gone from being pinned by Thor to being pinned by myself. "I like this look. I may use this one more often."
The person wearing my face now squeezed my face in their hands tight enough so they could lift my head then slam it back into the ground. I grunted in pain, lights flashing in my eyes, but the second time she did it everything went black.
She glanced at her reflection as she passed the floor length windows in the hall. The girl was pretty, no doubt, but not very. In her opinion, the nose was a bit too large and she considered the freckles to be just as much of a flaw as the scar on her cheekbone. Not to mention her figure was built for battle not seduction. Her thighs were too large and her arms too muscled. It was growing on her though. This face and body exuded strength and power. She liked that.
"Aj?"
She turned at the name that was not her own. Steven Rogers, Captain America, marched toward her. The man was handsome and innocent. Oh, how she would love to ruin him. If she wasn't so busy at the moment, she'd adore the chance to systematically bring him to his knees.
"Yes?" She replied with a smile.
"Have you seen Thor around?" Steven questioned.
She shook her head, "No, sorry. Is everything okay?"
"It's fine. I just wanted to talk about a few things with him. Get him caught up on everything going on." Steven sighed.
"You know, all that worry is gonna make you go prematurely gray, Rogers." She stepped into his space and lifted a hand to quickly run through his blond hair. She could feel him stiffen as he sucked in a sharp breath at her touch. With this face, breaking him would be even easier than she thought. "Did I ever tell you how much I love your hair like this?"
Steven cleared his throat, "Once or twice, I think."
She could see her charm working on him, the glazed look in his eyes forming, she let her fingers trail down the side of his face, "Do you know where Star is?"
"With, uh, Vision. Yeah. Clint and Nat had to…" Steven's words trailed off as she traced shapes across his jawline then down his neck. "…do something."
She was tempted to seal the spell now. All it would take is one simple kiss, but considering that had already failed once she wouldn't run the risk again. There was no telling why her magic wasn't working right now, but that was for a later time.
"I'm gonna go spend some time with Star. I'll see you around, Cap." She hummed and dragged her nails lightly against his skin before sauntering away leaving him where he was. The daze would fade quickly without her being in his vicinity anymore, but she got what she had wanted.
As she reached one of the many rooms packed into this ostentatious building, her eyes landed on the little, baby Asgardian and the metallic figure wearing the mind stone. Perhaps, after settling this issue she'd come back for that stone. It'd look lovely around her neck.
"Aj," Vision rose from his seat. If any person or thing were to realize she was not who she pretended to be it would be the voice in the walls or this figure playing man. It was why she took out the voice on arrival. As for this thing… He seemed too distracted to even look closely enough to see the truth. He hurried forward, the little girl who colored on the floor stilled and lifted her wide-eyed gaze, "I'm glad you're here. Natasha has news on Wanda and Pietro we must—"
"Go. You should hurry." She nodded quickly. "I'll watch Star, it's probably best she's not involved in this. Too much stress. You go find Natasha and then bring me back the news. Yeah?"
"Of course." Vision hurried off and she let a slow grin paint her new features.
She took a step forward and the little girl, Star, glanced around in panic. She crouched down a few feet away and smirked, "You know I'm not your friend, don't you?" Star nodded once. The Asgardian clutched the papers on the floor to her chest as her lower lip quivered. "You need not be afraid of me, little one. I'm only taking you home."
"Where is Aj?" Star whispered softly.
"Don't worry," She hummed, "She's coming with us too."
Before the girl could even think of running, she flicked her fingers forward. The blue and green color of her magic wafted through the air and sprinkled around the child's features. Her golden eyes grew heavy and as the little girl fell forward in a deep sleep she rushed forward to catch her. While humming a tune, she rocked the young child in her arms. She used the last of her traveling spell and the bright colors of the Bifrost blinded her momentarily. Traveling without the help of someone opening the Bifrost gate was difficult, but guardians like Heimdall, even if he had been there, didn't open it for the likes of her anyways. She's had to become… creative.
Her feet touched down on the marble floor of an inornate bedroom decorated in shades of dark green and gold. The balcony doors were swung open allowing all of Asgard to be in sight. The King's bedroom would of course have the nicest view.
"What is the meaning of this?"
She turned in time to see Odin step into view. His older hand motioning to the bed where she had discarded the girl who fought her spell earlier. She set the young Asgardian down beside her then motioned to herself, "I'll drop mine if you drop yours."
Without waiting, she waved a hand over her own face. Dark hair turned gold and she watched her reflection morph back into her true self. Taller and full-bodied, the curves that she missed wearing, and the other woman's drab clothes turned back into a full length, dark blue gown decorated in jewels and silver.
"Oh, I've missed being myself." She hummed and let her hands roam over her own figure. She glanced at Odin who let out an aggravated sigh. He snapped his fingers and in a flash of green the older man was replaced with a dark haired, handsome young god. His robes green, golden, and regal. She slid toward him, pressing her hands to his chest, "Now this is a face I wouldn't mind wearing. You're much more handsome than your brother, Loki."
"I'm aware." Loki smirked. He peeled out of her grip and motioned to the bed, "Now tell me why you brought me a Midgardian, Enchantress."
"That's so formal. I've told you before. Call me Amora." She sauntered forward and draped herself against his shoulder. Loki shot her a glare and she sighed irritably before stepping away from him, "Isn't it obvious? I grabbed the Asgardian like you asked but I thought you might enjoy a plaything. She's pretty enough, isn't she?"
Loki shook his head, "I have no interest in courting a Midgardian. I am not my brother."
"You're no fun." Amora rolled her eyes. "I was going to take her for myself, but she's useless to me. You didn't tell me some Midgardians were protected from my enchantments."
"They aren't." Loki argued but he stepped forward to look closer at the woman on the bed. "Most, save a few, don't have magic."
Amora crossed her arms, "Well she must be one of them! She's wearing a protection charm or something. I kissed her and she headbutted me in return."
Loki laughed in amusement and her own frown deepened at the action, "That must have come as quite the shock to you. Not many can turn down someone so lovely. What face were you wearing?"
"Thor." She replied and stepped forward to glare down at the woman, "Is she magically inclined?"
"No. It's the other reason you always choose to forget." Loki hummed. She narrowed her eyes at him, and the god of mischief just sneered at her, obviously enjoying this moment, "She must be in love."
Amora scoffed, "Oh, please. I've strengthened my enchantments to overcome that useless emotion. Love." She rolled her eyes. "It holds no candle against my charms."
"Apparently it does." Loki grinned. "The Midgardian in front of me holds no protection spell and is home to no source of magic."
"Well, that's incredibly aggravating." Amora unsheathed a dagger from her thigh holster, "I'll just put an end to that then." With quick movements, she thrust her hand down to stab the wretched woman in the heart, but a hand caught her wrist. She shot a glare at Loki, "You do not want her so let me clean up my mess."
Loki glared at her, "Murdering a Midgardian in the King's bedroom is the opposite of cleaning a mess. It's creating a bigger one."
"Fine." She leaned forward to growl at him. "I'll take her to the outskirts of the city. Drop her off the edge of the world. How about that?"
"You'll do no such thing. You've brought me what I needed, I'm done with you." Loki replied. "Leave."
Amora smirked in amusement and found a chink in the god's armor, "Aw, how sweet. Baby brother doesn't want to upset Thor by killing one of his friends. Is that it? Still too weak to—"
A hand wrapped around her throat and she dropped the dagger trying to pull that hand away from Loki's grip while using her other to uselessly claw at the vice around her throat. Loki pulled her in closer, his voice low as he spat out his threat, "Be wise of how you speak to me. I am a King and a god. I will not put up with your vile attitude. Do you understand?" Loki squeezed his hand tighter and she quickly nodded her head in agreement. He threw her aside, but as her body met the floor she could only gasp in relief at the air that filled her lungs. "Pathetic. Leave my sight, Enchantress. Your payment is where we promised. Do not show your face in my kingdom again."
Amora glared at the back of his head as Loki began to use his hands to create a spell. She'd collect her payment and go for now, but he hadn't seen the last of her. Amora would make the mock King pay for his insolence toward her. She swore it.