Hello. Back for chapter number 3. Full disclaimer, with the exception of the forthcoming meeting that was present in "A Different Kind of Speaking" the writing style has changed due to the fact that this chapter unlike the previous two, is whole written by me. So if you have any complaints well sorry but like I said before only 1 chapter of "A Different Kind of Speaking" exists so there is only so much material to use.
I tried to make this chapter a little more lighthearted than the previous two, so hopefullylly you'll get a little more enjoyment at the small things. Have fun!
Later that day Wanda was kind of beginning to regret those words. When she said she was willing to help she meant helping pack supplies for the trip or hell even changing Nathaniel's diaper if she had to (thankfully when that moment did arrive Laura politely declined Wanda's help in the matter because she didn't want her to worry about the mess, which Wanda had no experience in cleaning and quite frankly Laura didn't want to force Wanda to go through the ordeal in question) but what she actually had to experience was far worse an ordeal then anything that she could ever want to imagine having to endure throughout her lifetime
Listening to two kids argue the entire way to the lake.
If there was one thing that Wanda couldn't stand about her powers it was that she was able to feel even the slightest shifts in peoples moods whenever they seemed to be upset and with kids this couldn't have been more insufferable. The kids themselves were fine, they were like the little siblings Wanda had always wanted, if she was being honest but their mood swings were comparable to a pregnant woman on a rampage.
The sad part was that Wanda was in between the two in the truck, so even if she mentally tuned out the emotional aspect of the argument she couldn't shake the literal ringing in her ears coming from the two children screaming on either side of her.
The reason the two were arguing? Well not for the reasons that would be world ending catastrophes to Wanda Clint or Laura. Even Nathanial seemed not to have a care in the world as he was just dozing off in his mother's arms oblivious to his older siblings bickering. Oh how Wanda wished that she could just fall asleep on a whim like that right now. Using her powers certainly wasn't an option; she doubted her hosts would appreciate that even if it did bring them some peace.
Anyway back to the main point, and the answer was – the radio. Of all the things Wanda thought that anyone could argue over it was the radio. It wasn't even that long of a drive but somehow the radio was the most important thing in their lives at this very moment.
The very thought of this being the ordeal throughout the trip was downright suffocating to Wanda but she had no right to parent the children, even though neither Clint of Laura had said anything as of yet.
Mainly because it had been less than a few seconds since the arguing began. Yes Wanda was just in that kind of mood simply because se had less then ten hours of sleep in the past two days and all the caffeine in the world wouldn't be able to save her at this very moment even if she had drank any this morning. All she could do was try and focus on something else, literally anything else until they agreed on a single song on the radio. Hard to do when the kids seemed to have different tastes in music. So her only hope was that either Clint or Laura managed to calm the two down before Wanda's emotional breaking point was reached.
Thankfully Clint lived up to his Superhero name as he was glancing at the rear view mirror ever so carefully and in a few short microseconds was able to see that Wanda was getting annoyed rather quickly by his children's antics and switched the radio off before anyone could so much as blink.
The car went deathly silent as the children registered the fact that there was no longer any music playing on the radio. It seemed to Wanda that this was to be expected, as the kids didn't so much as whine about the music being gone. Thankfully that meant her power-induced headache was slowly disappearing and she couldn't help but enjoy the newfound peace and quiet.
She saw Clint wink at her showing that he was conscious of her current state and Wanda silently nodded in return.
Her gaze wandered to the car window once again watching the world go by. Despite having seen a similar view from the Quinjet during the ride over here, as well as the surrounding view from the farmhouse Wanda had to admit that there was a serene beauty here and she couldn't be more grateful that she chose to come here with Clint despite her unease at being around his family.
Was this how the world really was? Peaceful and quiet, surrounded by love and joy? It made her envy Clint's retirement even more, irritation and jealously bubbling inside her even though she had no right to feel that way. it wasn't her fault a shell impacted her apartment building when she was ten and she spent the remainder of her childhood and some of her early adult life as an orphan. She didn't know how Clint spent his early life. While it certainly wasn't like Tony Stark's lap of luxury just by pure use of logic, she doubted that it was anywhere near as harsh as her was.
That being said she probably wouldn't have even met Clint or the Avengers if it wasn't for that. Maybe if it wasn't for her and Pietro's help, Ultron might have wiped out humanity. But maybe it was irrelevant and Pietro might still be alive if she never became an Avenger.
These questions burned within the young girl and it only increased her anguish at the thoughts that might have been.
'Pietro, would you have enjoyed life if you were here in America like I am?' Wanda thought. tears began brimming in her eyes, causing Wanda to close them in an effort to hide her emotions. The last thing she needed was to cause the kids to worry, since Clint was already doing that.
Her reverie was halted however when the car came to a stop not to long later. "we're here!" Clint said, followed by the kids cheering as they both hopped out of the car, leaving Wanda alone in the back of the car. Her eyes snapped open and a most wonderful sight greeted her. Amid all the trees that she had seen during this ride was a clear crystal blue lake simmering in the sunlight. While there was a lake not dissimilar to this one back at the compound, the key difference was that unlike there, she could turn her head in every direction and not see anything man made in sight. Unbuckling her seatbelt, Wanda stepped out of Clint's truck and the crisp clean lake air, the subtle scent of freshly cut grass and lake water permeating in the air, greeted her. This truly was a beautiful location. Never in all her life had she seen such a peaceful environment. She breathed in the scent already falling in love with the surrounding area.
If this is what Missouri had to offer then she wanted to be here full time. Of course maybe traveling to other places in between saving the world wouldn't be a bad thing either. But so far she would have to go with the natural life.
Wanda joined the Barton family at the back of the truck; Clint was grabbing the tarp that they would all sit on, leaving several baskets filled with food that Wanda had helped Laura prepare earlier. Since Clint had the tarp and Laura already had her hands full with the baby and the diaper bag, she decided to take the baskets herself. Better that than having Cooper and lily drop them, even though they weren't heavy. Besides they were kids.
"I'll get the food" Wanda told Clint as the man heaved the tarp on his shoulder fireman style. Clint Smiled and turned to Wanda briefly, "Follow Laura I'll be along in a minute" he told her
Taking the handles, Wanda took out the baskets and followed Clint's instructions trailing after Laura who had the two kids as well, both of them chatting about going in the lake and swim.
"Alright kids!" Laura said to Cooper and Lila, go ahead and swim but remember just an hour and then we will eat ok?" she told the kids
"Yes mom!" they chorused before zooming into the lake at speeds even Pietro would have been jealous of. Wanda watched as they both dove in, quickly resorting to splashing each other for entertainment. It made Wanda's heart swell with joy; she could feel their emotions the sheer happiness was radiating off of them like sunlight on a warm day. She looked at Laura and she saw that she had a content smile as she watched her children playing. She didn't need her powers to feel the sheer wonder coming from the mother.
The sound of material unfolding caught Wanda's attention and she turned to see Clint laying the tarp on the ground, getting it ready for the picnic. Wanda took the baskets and quickly put them on the trap before sitting down on it Clint looked at her "Not going in the lake with the kids? I'm sure you'd enjoy it"
Wanda shook her head "As much fun as that would be Clint, I neglected to bring something to wear that would be suitable for a lake" she replied. That and she honestly didn't know how to Swim but Clint didn't need to know that.
Thankfully Clint left it at that and Wanda proceeded to unpack the food setting it up so that when everyone was ready they could just dig in. Wanda, after setting up the food excused herself from the picnic set up and made her way to the edge of the lake. It was gritty and sandy but Wanda didn't mind, she was used to hard surfaces growing up n the streets. Setting herself down on the ground Wanda folded her knees up to her chest gazing out at the serene view of the lake, the sounds of the children playing fading away from her thoughts. He ran her hand on the ground feeling the rocks beneath her fingertips. A small smile graced her face enjoying the feeling.
Taking a rock in her hand, Wanda started skipping them across the water, watching as it made ripples on the lake's surface. She kept it up for the entire hour until Clint called them all for lunch.
Much like the day before it wasn't anything extravagant, just some sandwich's, but that didn't mater to Wanda. She was just enjoying the Barton's company. Of course, Cooper tried to continue the conversation from the previous day, begging Wanda to use her powers to levitate him, but Laura shot the idea down not wanting him to badger Wanda every time they ate.
Aside from that though the picnic went off without a hitch, the sun shining and the birds chirping making for the perfect picturesque moment of Wanda's trip so far.
After finishing the food, Laura brought out some ice cream for dessert. Wanda decided to go with some vanilla, though she of course had to add some Nutella.
After finishing the dessert, Wanda turned to the Barton's "Thank you for this." she said, a smile on her face, one of the first genuine ones that she was able to muster in the weeks since her arrival in America. She couldn't help it. Clint had taken her in for no other reason than the love in his heart and it had turned out to be one of the best decisions that had ever been done for her. there truly wasn't anything she could do to repay him for this debt.
Laura looked at Wanda with a kind smile and shook her head "we are happy to have you Wanda. You're like family." She said.
Wanda blinked, the words taking her by surprise. In fact she seemed to have frozen all together like a deer in the headlights. Did Clint really feel like that? Unfortunately Wanda was unable to come up with an answer her mind going blank by this revelation; she didn't even think to use her powers to read Clint's mind to validate that claim
Clint, noticing Wanda's statuesque demeanor, waved a hand in front of the girls face. She didn't so much as twitch "Wanda" he called gently, snapping his fingers the Sokovian didn't blink, her eyes glassed over like she was in a daze. Struggling to hold back a laugh, Clint looked at his wife with a large grin on his face. "Honey, I think you broke her." he said, while Laura sheepishly smiled back at him
The kids just giggled at the display in front of her, Wanda no longer aware of her surroundings.
Later that day. Wanda found herself back in the land of the living, having recovered from her shock by then (Apparently Clint had to drag her from her spot back to the car and she hadn't put up a fight at all.) and was currently back on the porch with Clint watching the sunset. It seemed to be their thing whenever they were together. Given Wanda's newfound love for Clint's home she couldn't find anything better than this.
Laura and the others were inside baking some Nutella cookies, but Wanda preferred the fresh air, rather than the scent of baking cookies, and wanted to give Clint some company as well since the others didn't seem to want to join them outside at least for the time being.
To be fair though she hadn't exactly seen much during the past two days. Yesterday had only amounted to settling in and today they had spent most of the day at the lake. Wanda wanted to see more of what America had to offer. The only thing was, she was kind of stuck with Clint and his family. Not that it was a bad thing but she was forced to rely on him in order to do anything that was outside of his house and there was only so much that could be done here that didn't amount to babysitting or doing household chores. Wanda was glad to help with either situation but she wanted to do more until Clint decided that she should return to New York to continue her training as an Avenger. She certainly didn't think there was much in this part of Missouri but Laura had mentioned that there was a town not to far from the Barton farm, if Wanda wanted to do some shopping. However if she wanted to do so herself she would need to learn how to drive. Her eyes drifted to the Quinjet, which Clint had left nearby.
There wasn't any chance that Clint would let her pilot the Quinjet in a test run anywhere near his farm house; even if he did it was not Wanda's desired mode of transportation on this trip. The truck was somewhat out of the question since the Bartons would need it for their own concerns and Wanda certainly couldn't deprive them of it for her own selfishness.
Which begged the question, where was she going to learn to drive? And with what? She wasn't really sure why she suddenly wanted this independence all of a sudden, but she was an adult and despite her personal troubles didn't want to be treated like a porcelain doll all of the time.
Of course she was getting ahead of herself since she hadn't even asked Clint if he would teach her. So she turned to the man who was drinking a soda, enjoying the cool crisp night of the air.
"Clint can you teach me how to drive?" she blurted out.
Clint's eyes widened as he registered that question and in his shock choked on his drink, coughing hard as he pulled the glass away and pounded on his chest to ease the unrest in his air pipe.
Despite herself Wanda couldn't help but giggle, though she tried to hide it by covering her mouth with one hand. After a few moments Clint managed to cam down and he placed his drink on the table beside his chair turning his gaze on the young girl with a puzzled look on is face. "Drive?" he echoed.
Wanda nodded, lacing her hands together in her lap, trying to calm her nerves. It seemed to her that her sudden courage faded. Clint made her feel like a child under his gaze; she had seen that judgmental look before many times before as a child. At least it wasn't nearly as menacing as Strucker's gaze during her time in HYDRA.
"Where did this come from kid?" Clint asked Wanda. He didn't know why he was surprised. "Didn't you or your brother learn how to hotwire a car?" he asked. Pietro might have loved that idea, or so Clint thought with his ideas of what amounted to teenage delinquency.
Wanda sucked in a breath at the mention of her brother, and even Clint seemed dumbstruck by his words. Wanda's lip quivered at the reminder of her dead twin her gaze going downward. She knew Clint didn't mean any harm, but…
Clint was the first to recover and he cleared his throat gently, "I'm sorry Wanda, I didn't mean…" he trailed off as Wanda wrapped her arms around herself.
Clint's heart dropped at Wanda sudden change in attitude, going from the vibrant teen he knew to the sullen heartbroken child that was born when her brother died what a way to end a perfectly wonderful day.
His paternal instincts taking over, Clint stood up and went over to Wanda drawing her in his arms. The girl leaned into Clint's chest appreciating the comfort. After a few moments Clint pulled away placing his hands on Wanda's shoulders. "Hey Wada." He said gently. Wanda lifted her head to meet Clint's gaze. "Come with me." He said, turning away and leaving the porch. Wanda quickly leapt out of her seat and followed the older man.
To her surprise, Clint was taking her to the Quinjet. He wasn't going to seriously let her drive it was he? They shouldn't be going anywhere; Wanda certainly hadn't packed for a return trip; Clint would have requested her to do so if they were leaving for any reason.
Clint lowered the ramp to the Quinjet, and then quickly entered the vehicle, with Wanda following him up the steps.
Once inside, Clint made his way over to what appeared to be some sort of console in the middle of the jet. Wanda had seen it before but she never bothered to touch it. Clint pressed his hand on the touchpad on the console,; to Wanda' surprise, the console lit up, and she caught a glimpse at the touchpad registering Hawkeye as an official Avenger. A moment later, the console split open like an egg, revealing, to Wanda's surprise a rather sharp looking motorcycle. Her eyes widened as she drank in the sight of the rather cool vehicle.
No wonder Wanda didn't know about this, even if she had known the console was a parking garage for this, she wouldn't have been able to open it in the first place. Wanda's credentials hadn't been loaded into the Quinjet since she was still in training and since she couldn't fly it yet that likely wasn't going to change anytime soon.
But if she could at least get her hands on something as cool as the motorcycle she wouldn't complain about not having the authority to fly the Quinjet.
"Natasha had this built a while back before we ended up in Sokovia" Clint explained noticing Wanda's awestruck gaze. "It's actually the prototype for several models back at the compound that Tony helped design. Since that's the case Natasha thought it would be best to keep it in the Quinjet in case of emergencies. Such as teaching a young enhanced girl how to drive."
Wanda turned around so fast that Clint was surprised that she didn't have super speed like her brother. "I get to learn how to drive THIS?" she all but screeched happily, her eyes shining with glee.
Clint sniggered at her energy his eyes shining mischievously.
"I'm going to kill you old man!" Wanda yelled angrily as she tried to balance on the bike that she was on. Of all the things she could think about doing to learn how to ride a motorcycle THIS was definitely not at the top of her list.
When Clint had told her they needed to prepare Wanda to ride a "Avenger Certified hot rod" Wanda was expecting him to show her how the bike worked, have her go on a training course at very slow speeds or have her watch him while she rode in a side car or as a passenger.
Instead Clint had the wonderful idea to take baby steps with Wanda by having her ride an actual bike! So here she was on Laura's bike, with a helmet and pads to protect her more vulnerable areas in Clint's yard, currently struggling to maintain her balance on the dirt.
Clint stood on the porch with an amused grin, obviously enjoying the torment that Wanda was feeling. Wanda didn't need her powers to know that either. If only she actually hated him she would flick her wrist and make Clint think he was a Gorilla trying to skin his hair off. But no he was her friend and she really didn't want to traumatize his kids or explain to his wife why the archer had a bizarre change in personality.
In all fairness, it had actually been sometime since Wanda had ridden a bike, so Clint wasn't entirely wrong by having her take baby steps to make sure she could handle the change in balance, but she couldn't help but feel it was slightly ridiculous considering that despite them being similar vehicles, one was foot powered and the other one was engine powered. So why was she trying to learn to balance on the one she was less likely to use?
Oh yeah, Clint just wanted to tease her.
Said man just laughed at Wanda's irritation "easy there kid, you'll work up to the real thing soon." He joked.
"Shut up!" Wanda snapped at him as she slowly began pedaling, trying her best to ignore the urge to hypnotize him.
While she was busy trying to ride the bike, the front door opened and out walked Laura with some lemonade on a tray. She was surprised to see her husband on the porch watching their guest trying (and apparently failing, judging by the fact that Clint was snickering and Wanda looked moments away from swearing loudly.) and a small smile touched her lips. "Honey?" she said gently. Clint turned to see his wife with the lemonade and he gave her a loving smile. "Laura" he said going over to her and taking the tray from her, placing it on the table before he gave her a chaste kiss on the lips. "Nate's asleep?" he asked. Laura nodded "had to sing that Russian lullaby for him several times over, but he should be out for the rest of the night" she said before looking at Wanda. "What's going on over there, she asked gesturing to Wanda." Clint let out a bark of laughter and said, "oh you know, just a little teenage rebellion going on." Laura giggled at her husband's antics, before giving him a bemused look. "She wants to learn how to drive, but I didn't want her to get in over her head so…" he waved his arm, gesturing to Wanda "she needs to ride with training wheels before I take them off."
Laura looked back at Wanda, before looking at Clint once more "she's going to kill you for that you know she whispered. "Clint just shrugged, "what's she going to do give me nightmares?" he joked.
"I can do more than that!" Wanda yelled behind him. Clint turned to see Wanda pedaling towards the house at a slow rate, murder in her eyes and her teeth clenched in annoyance. After she got closer to the house, she stopped and quickly hopped off the bike, making sure not to leave it to fall carelessly on the ground, before giving Clint an angry glare. "Hi Laura," she said, her voice level, but did nothing to hide her annoyance." Laura didn't acknowledge the girl's mood instead taking the glass of lemonade she bought and handed it to the young girl "Lemonade?" she asked.
Wanda took the drink and sipped it, giving Laura a small "Thank you." before she turned to Clint "I think I'm going to turn in for the night." She said before going inside the house, leaving her hosts on the porch.
After he left, Clint sighed and sat back in his chai, before placing his head in his hands. Laura noticed his change in mood and went beside him, pacing a hand on his shoulder. "What's wrong?" she asked.
Clint raised his head to meet his wife's gaze. "I'm just worried about her," he said sincerely. She said she wants independence from us while she is here; to explore the world she missed out on, but…."
"You don't think she is ready for that?" Laura asked puzzled.
Clint said nothing at first. He knew it was an odd feeling, but he couldn't help it. Wanda barely knew much about the world around her. She was not the most naïve of individuals but between her trying to adjust without her brother and the fact she was now an Avenger, essentially a celebrity, whose life would be under a microscope for the rest of her life, the last thing he wanted was for her to be overwhelmed.
"I just don't want her to get hurt any more than she already has. Steve asked me to help her heal emotionally as you know. What if something happens to her out there?"
Laura gave Clint a sad smile "She is a big girl honey." She said sadly "she is going to have to face it all sooner or later. But as long as you are there for her, she'll have the support she needs." She told him.
"I know" Clint responded, "But there is only so much I can do." He said, "I've never had to deal with a teenager before."
"Tell you what" Laura said "I'll take Wanda into town tomorrow, have a girls day with her. at the very least I can teach her how to be a regular teenage girl." she said with a sly grin. "Think you can handle the kids without me for a few hours?" she teased
Clint just matched her grin "after dealing with an army of robots the kids will be a piece of cake." He said with confidence
Ok, I will admit, that last bit with the bike came to me as I was writing the chapter and i just couldn't resist the idea. Besides it gives Clint and Wanda more time to bond. As always leave your thoughts.