Kayla bounded down the stairs with James snuggled in her arms. When she saw Tiffany and Sam washing the dishes, she snuck up behind her best friend and rested her chin on Tiffany's shoulder. "Hey Tiff. How's it going?"
Tiffany jumped out of her skin and spun around, sending water splashing onto Kayla and James, causing the baby to screech in surprise. "Kayla! I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to startle him!" Tiffany stuttered, quickly depositing the plate back into the soapy sink. She reached toward the baby, then pulled her hand back like it was a snake.
"Oh, he's fine. Aren't you darling?" Kayla cooed at the baby that she held in one strong arm as she shrugged out of her wet windbreaker with the other. She easily switched the baby to her other arm to shrug off the jacket completely, discarding it on the back of the island chair, "How are you two? Why are you so jumpy?"
"Because you're a loose cannon," Sam mumbled under his breath and Tiffany slapped him with the wet dishtowel. He rubbed his arm teasingly, pulling Tiffany into a chaste kiss before she leaned away. Sam went to work finishing the dishes as Tiffany turned her full attention to Kayla.
"I'm fine Kay. I'm just worried about you. We all are." Tiffany leaned against the counter, looking up at her friend. Tiffany pressed her bare foot against the wooden cabinet, tapping her slim fingers against the countertop.
Kayla could sense the tension in her best friend and it made her feel bad. She wanted Tiffany to feel better. She didn't want Tiffany to be scared of her. As soon as Sam was turned back to the sink, Kayla's eyes began to glow and she watched as Tiffany's did the same before diffusing into their normal chocolate hue. Kayla smiled, seeing her friend's whole demeanor change as she leaned toward Kayla and laughed, "I'm just happy to have you back. It's been so long, you know?"
"I know Tiffany. I know. But everything's going to be okay now." Kayla beamed back, flashing her million dollar smile. Sam stiffened at his girlfriend's laughter, turning over his shoulder to see Kayla's free arm draped over Tiffany as the little brunette chuckled to herself and tickled James. Something was very wrong.
"Why don't you two ladies finish the dishes and catch up. I'll take the baby for a while. Where is Steve?" Sam asked sincerely, looking around for his friend.
Kayla looked at Sam suspiciously, sensing his deceit, but she allowed him to be suspicious of her. "He's upstairs. It's getting late, James should be put to bed. Would you mind?"
"Of course not. I'm glad you're doing better Kayla." Sam told the woman, and she transferred the baby to his arms.
Sam took the child and walked past Mathew and Sandra watching television. Wanda was online, chatting with Princess Shuri in Wakanda. The psychic wanted to know how far the scientist got in extracting the Mind Stone from Vision. Wanda still held out hope that maybe the girl could bring back her love.
Bucky stood by the window, staring out at the open field beyond the house silently, Buddy panting expectantly at his leg. The dog had found a new friend in the Winter Soldier, and Bucky welcomed the company. Buddy liked the man far more than his father did.
"Barnes, a word," Sam said quietly to get the soldier's attention. When Bucky looked over the shoulder of his black jacket, Sam threw his head to the side, motioning for Bucky to follow him. Bucky slowly followed Sam to the stairs, looking over his shoulder as Kayla and Tiffany laughed from the kitchen. Buddy trotted along behind, panting happily as he followed the men toward the spare bedroom.
Once they reached the upper floor of the house, Sam turned to Bucky, looking around nervously as he held James to the chest of his black shirt. "Something is very off, Barnes. Kayla is acting weird, and now Tiffany is acting weird. We need to find Steve."
Bucky nodded to the Falcon, then turned around, grasped a doorknob and pushed open the door to Steve and Kayla's bedroom. "Steve?"
"Buck?" Steve asked as he looked up from his sketchpad to see his best friends in the doorway. "What's wrong?"
Bucky approached Steve, looking the man up and down, looking for some sign that something was off about his friend. "Is Kayla controlling you?"
"No?" Steve asked, looking between Sam and Bucky. "Why would you think that?"
"Because Tiffany was scared shitless of Kayla, and suddenly she's all laughing and happy. Because you ran off worried about your son and she came back with James without you." Sam shot back, taking a step into the room. "Your wife is out of control."
"I'm not worried about her. She's fine." Steve assured Bucky and Sam, but the two men shared a glance, knowing their hunch was right.
Bucky clenched his metal fist, grinding his teeth as he tried to push his anger aside, "The Soul Stone is controlling your wife, and she's changing you. You've been worried about that woman for ten years. I don't believe you've stopped worrying about her now. That's Kayla talking, not you."
Steve rolled his eyes, setting down his pencil as he closed his sketchpad and placed tucked it into the desk drawer. "Let me put James down. I think you two should go."
"Steve," Wanda's thick Sokovian accent radiated from the door frame as the woman slunk into his bedroom. Her eyes glowed red as she approached, her fingers twisting as she snuck her way into Captain America's mind. She put the man in a trance so he couldn't fight her. Her head fell sadly at what she found, "Your mind isn't controlled, she's changed the very essence of who you are." Wanda turned to Sam and Bucky, her eyes still burning scarlet, "She's controlling his soul. She pulled him out and put someone back in who she can puppet."
"What do we have to do?" Bucky asked as he grabbed onto Steve's shoulder tightly. "We can't lose him like this."
"We need to rid Kayla of the Soul Stone. But I don't know how." Wanda told the men as her eyes settled into their normal color and Steve began to fall forward until Bucky caught him and pushed him back up into the chair, unconscious.
"She's controlling Steve and Tiffany. Who's to say she won't try to control all of us. To steal our souls?" Sam argued, gently placing James into his crib as he began to cry. At the baby's cries, Zawadi came bounding up the stairs from the living room to perch his paws at the edge of the crib, looking down with his massive chestnut head to make sure no harm was coming to his little master.
"I think you all should leave."
Wanda, Sam, and Bucky whipped around to see Kayla standing in the doorway, her hands glowing amber as she stared daggers at the trio. Even though they were inside, her hair moved on its own, almost as if her tension created a weightlessness within her. Almost as if she was about to levitate off the ground itself if the people before her didn't leave. Her serum filled muscles tensed as her eyes darted from Zawadi to Steve, seeing her dog was protecting her baby even if her friends had disarmed her husband.
"Kayla. Let's work together. Tell me what you need. Tell me why you took the Soul Stone." Wanda asked gently as she took a step toward her friend, her own hands glowing red beneath her baggy black sweatshirt.
"I have to save Natasha. It tempted me. It wanted me. I'm the only one who can wield it. Help me get to Vormir. Help me bring our friend back." Kayla choked out, and through the glowing eyes and wicked smile, the slightest glimmer of real Kayla appeared. "It controls me, not the other way around. Help me overpower it."
Wanda flickered her hand behind her back, sending a message into Sam's mind as she never took her eyes off of Kayla.
Call Carol.
"Let's take this outside Kay. You don't want anything to happen to James." Wanda warned, taking another step towards Kayla, but the name worked as a trigger and the woman sidestepped the Scarlet Witch to dart at the crib, leaning over Zawadi to see James sound asleep.
"I'll protect him. I'll never let anything happen to him."
"I know, but right now we need some air. Look, Zawadi's got him. And Bucky. You trust Bucky, don't you?" Wanda asked evenly, as Kayla's eyes flickered from the baby to the assassin.
"Hmmm, enough." She settled, grinding her teeth at the dark man who stayed by her unconscious husband. "If that child gets so much as a scratch, I'll destroy you."
"Noted." Bucky mumbled quietly, shifting his weight under the woman's gaze. Her eyes simmered back to their normal green and she shook her head violently as if that could push away the powers that tried to overtake the blonde.
Wanda grabbed Kayla's arm, and they both felt a jolt of electricity as Wanda gently pulled Kayla toward the door. Zawadi looked at Kayla expectantly, not understanding why Kayla was acting strange and Steve was asleep in his desk chair. The dog's hair rose up on his back as he emitted a low growl at Kayla as she passed, and the action seemed to snap Kayla back to her senses.
Kayla turned around in the doorway and did a double take when she realized Steve was unconscious. She darted back to Steve and knelt beside him as she stroked his knuckles, "Did I do this?"
"You did something to him. He's not himself. You changed him and Tiffany." Sam spat, charging toward Kayla and she stumbled back onto her heels to get away.
"I don't understand- the Stone is a part of me. I don't know how to control what it does." Kayla stammered as Wanda held her upper arms supportively, her red magic ran across Kayla as her pale skin glowed amber in panic. Kayla spun around to face Wanda, grabbing onto the woman's shoulders, "Please help me." Kayla began to shake, and her eyes darkened as her smile returned, the Soul Stone hungry for more power.
"Let's take this away from the baby. You're struggling. Let's go outside." Wanda warned, her voice low and husky as she tried to control Kayla, but her efforts only agitated her friend. Kayla's eyes narrowed as she followed Wanda out of the room, the latter backing away from the bedroom to keep her friend's focus on her.
"What's wrong?" Tiffany whined as she passed Wanda and Kayla down the stairs. The brunette pouted, and Sam wrapped his arm around her shoulders as he brought her to the picture windows overlooking the fields beyond the home as Wanda opened the front door and led Kayla outside. Kayla swaggered her way toward the witch, excited for the impending fight.
"It's worse than we thought isn't it?" Sandra asked weakly as she came to stand beside Sam and Tiffany.
Sam looked to the former First Lady with a grim smile, "Yeah, but we're working on it."
Outside, Kayla leaned against their red car, yawning to show she was bored. She lifted her hand and showed a gentle orange glow radiating from her palm. She looked at her own hand for a moment before moving her eyes to Wanda, waiting for the Scarlet Witch to make the first move. Her muscles pulled against the thin fabric of her black running top as she scuffed her black boot into the dirt like a horse preparing to race.
Wanda wiggled her fingers, red smoke emanating from them as she shifted from side to side, loosening her shoulders. She took a step backward, taunting Kayla to follow her. The blonde grinned and took the bait, taking one long step toward Wanda to back her farther away. Wanda stood her ground, waiting for Kayla to approach her. Suddenly, a bright light exploded from the sky, knocking the woman out into the grass.
Author's Note: Aww you guys! Thank you for already following and favoriting this story after only one chapter! I super appreciate it! Please continue to review and leave me thoughts! Since this is an original story the reviews and thoughts really help moving forward! 3,000
Siobhan- Thank you for being such a loyal follower and reviewer through From Erskine to Ellis! I'm so glad you enjoyed the first chapter and I hope I continue to deliver!
FernieRee- I'm glad you like how it starts! We're just getting started- lots of drama and chaos to come!