Make You Feel My Love
~Book III~

Disclaimer: I do not own the Avengers nor do I own the plot of Age of Ultron. All rights go to Marvel.
All I do own are my own characters and their stories.

~Chapter 17~
Farmhouse

When Maria had come back around, she had been greeted with the face of Tony looking down at her with a worried crinkle on his forehead. He had helped her up and walked her back over to the Quinjet, Steve and Clint (who was helping Steve walking) following behind them. Although Steve and Maria had been placed side by side, Steve had moved away from her the moment his strength had returned to him. Normally this would have probably worried Maria slightly. Though now, with all she had seen, she didn't feel anything. If anything, she had felt relieved when Steve moved away from her.

The Quinjet was so quiet, Maria was sure she could drop a needle and hear it land. No one had informed the affected of what Bruce had done yet under the influence of Wanda, though no one had to tell them that it had been horrible considering Bruce looked as though he had just been the death of the entire universe. Remorse, guilt and sorrow were only a few of the emotions Maria could read coming off of him.

Even Thor, who had been so confident he wouldn't be affected, was looking a little pale. Seeing as he had been helped on board the Quinjet as well, Maria knew he had been affected just as badly as the others.

Tony came to sit down next to Maria, Clint staying behind the controls at the front of the ship.

"So…" said Tony, quiet enough for the others not to hear. "Cap already knows… But, uh, Hill just informed me that, after the Hulk's little scene, we need to stay low for a while."

Maria pulled the blanket she had been given tighter around her body, nodding her head; "U-Ultron might do something while we do…"

"We'll keep an eye open for any of his activities of course. And we'll keep on trying to figure out his master plan," he said. "But I don't think the team minds a day or two's rest."

"No, I don't think we do…" replied Maria simply.

Tony seemed to consider his next words rather carefully before he silently said them; "How are you feeling?"

The question made Maria's heart do a somersault and the air in her lungs was nearly pushed out of her. How did she feel? Bad? Beaten? Scared?

"I don't know… Honestly, I don't," she said quietly, shaking her head as her gaze wandered over to her engagement ring. "It just feels as though everything suddenly fell apart."

"Why do you say that?" asked Tony quickly. "Nothing's changed. All the little witch did was show you all what fears are lurking deep down there."

"All?" asked Maria, raising her voice slightly, earning several looks from most of the Avengers except Bruce and Clint. "All!? Yeah, sure, that's all she did. Isn't it? Just a bit of fear, nothing else!"

"Maria-"

"No, just – leave me alone," said Maria, turning her head away from Tony and clenching her hands into fists.

Although she knew the shouting hadn't been necessary, she couldn't deny the fact that his words had struck hard. He didn't know what Wanda's powers had showed to her. How could he even begin to assume it was as easy as just their fears? It had been more than that. It had been deeper than that. Wanda's powers had showed Maria what was wrong in her life. It had brought back memories of her old life, showed to her that she was a broken and wrongful woman with more blood on her hands than possibly even the Winter Soldier. They had showed to her memories she didn't even have in her conscious mind, memories she must have tried to forget at some point in her life. Memories of her mother that she fought she didn't have. And it scared her that she didn't know everything about herself. What had it been that her mother hadn't wanted her to do? What had it been that her mother had been so angry about? And would that explain why her mother had always been so angry with her?

Though those new, frightening memories weren't the only thing they had showed her. They had also showed her the future. The future she and Steve would have; unhappiness. How she ever thought anyone could ever want to be with her, want to take that one big leap into becoming married just to never be able to take the next big step into parenthood with her, she didn't know. All she knew was that she thought it foolish of her to ever let Steve bind himself to her in such a way. At least, try and do so. They were only engaged after all. She could still call it off, which she probably was going to do now too.

But, was that what she wanted? The joy she had felt when Steve had asked her, the happiness she had felt when she was with him… Was it not worth it? Besides, Steve had said he didn't mind. Would he keep true to his words or come to regret them later on; as she had seen in her mind just now?

The conflict inside of her was too powerful along with the fear and worries of what other things she had seen and she couldn't help the small tear that slipped down her cheek. Surprisingly so, Tony hadn't left her side. Maybe her thoughts hadn't taken as much time as she thought they had or Tony had simply stayed in one position all that time. Though she doubted that last part and when she looked back at him, seeing the way his face turned from worry to realization at the sight of her tear, she broke.

It was silent and the others barely noticed it, though she cried. And Tony, albeit a little awkwardly, embraced her as she did.

No one noticed, apart from Steve.

They arrived at a farmhouse a couple hours later. It was surrounded by nothing but forest and fields. There wasn't even an actual road leading to the farm apart from a small, stony one. The sun was rising up in the East which cast an orange light over the farm. That, along with the songs of birds made the farm truly look like a place Maria could stay the rest of her life. It was cozy and away from the prying eyes of society (which still hadn't grown used to the fact that two murderers were a part of their group of heroes). All things Maria valued a lot.

They walked inside, following Clint who just barged in without knocking. Maria assumed he knew who ever lived there. Then again, it could also be an old, secret facility belonging to SHIELD, though once she entered the farmhouse, Maria very much doubted that last assumption.

There were coats hanging by the door, shoes standing underneath of them. They weren't placed there in a tidy way which reminded Maria of home. Though something about these coats and shoes made her raise an eyebrow as some of them were most certainly the size of children. That or dwarves, which Maria highly doubted.

This time, her assumption hadn't been wrong. And the whole scene before her surprised her a lot as it did to the other Avengers. Clint walked over to the pregnant woman standing in the kitchen of the farmhouse, wrapping an arm around her waist and kissing her cheek before looking back at his team, seeing their dumbstruck looks and smiling slightly.

He introduced the woman as Laura – his wife, to which he gained even more dumbstruck looks. Tony seemed rather surprised by it all, more so than the others as he kept denying it even though it was staring him right in the face. Which was quite odd for Tony Stark.

"That's obviously an agent of some sort," said Tony under his breath to only his teammates.

Maria glanced over at Steve, who stood a little away from her with his thumbs in his utility belt, watching Clint and Laura with a surprised look on his face. Though he looked less shocked than the others. As did Natasha which was explained rather quickly.

Footsteps echoed out in the hallway and two children appeared, running over to Clint who embraced them. Maria soon realized they were his children.

It all seemed rather odd, the way Clint had a life he had never told the others off. If anyone would have a completely different life which they kept from the team, it would be Natasha. She was the one you'd imagine to do something like that – not in a negative way of course.

Then Natasha walked over to the children and hugged them too, showing to the Avengers that she knew them just as much as Clint did which just answered Maria's confusion. Natasha did know about Clint's secret life, she had just kept that from the team just as brilliantly as Clint had.

A pain appeared in Maria's chest to which she inhaled deeply, something no one noticed as they were too busy asking questions to Clint and Laura about the farmhouse and the family. She knew what it was as she had already felt it the moment she had seen those petite shoes and coats. This was Wanda's hallucinations spooking.

Thor exited the living room with Steve in tow. And while Maria stayed standing for a little while longer, she too exited the living room. As she made her way to the door, which had been left open, she saw Steve standing outside alone with no Thor in sight. He was looking back at the house, back in through the door and as his eyes landed on Maria, who stopped the moment she saw him, his gaze fell down to the ground before he turned and left Maria alone.

She took another deep breath, trying her best to relieve her chest of the pain it felt, before she walked out onto the balcony, deciding some fresh air might do her some good. She sat down on a wooden bench located there, her eyes drifting off over to the horizon where the sun was now nearly halfway up. Its warmth touched her face softly and she closed her eyes, feeling the pain lift slightly as her thoughts wandered away from anything that had to do with children. She had dealt with this pain before, though Wanda's little trick had brought everything she had dealt with back. Everything she had repressed and everything she had moved on from.

Her mind drifted over to the strange memory she had re-seen of her mother. She was certain it was a memory as the hallucinations had all been much clearer than that very scene. Why had her mother hit her? And what was it she had moved that her mother cared about so much? Of course it was true that her mother hit her. Though there was never an actual reason behind it. For her to see her mother get angry over something and then hit her, confused Maria. She was missing something, though she didn't know what.

"You left in quite the hurry," said a voice, making her jump slightly. "Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you."

"Bruce…" she breathed, offering him a smile. "Sorry, I just had to… get away."

"From what? The calm of not being out in the battlefield?" asked Bruce, sitting down beside her. "Because I know I'm feeling rather good about this."

"Thinking of staying, are we?" asked Maria amused.

"No," chuckled Bruce. "The team needs the other guy."

"The team needs you," assured Maria to which Bruce only gave a halfhearted smile.

"Besides," he said, "it's too dangerous. They've got kids here and you never know what can happen. Not with me."

"If you're thinking about your previous incident – that happened because someone meddled with your mind-"

"No, I'm not just thinking about that," said Bruce with a sigh. "I'm also thinking about the fact that it can always happen. And even if I usually don't have someone meddling with my mind, it still is a part of me. I don't know what happens if I don't let him out every now and then. The longest I've been without an incident is a year."

"But he's housetrained now," said Maria softly. "He understands things. He's not just a big, angry - thing."

Bruce looked down at his hands. "That doesn't change the fact that he's dangerous. You saw that yourself when you first saw him back at the helicarrier a few years back."

Maria nodded her head, unsure of what else she could say to make him feel a little better. She knew and saw that Bruce craved, wished, for a different life. One that he could never get even though he'd decide not to be an Avenger anymore. If Maria or Steve decided to give up the life of a hero, they could always retreat to some place calm and become 'normal' citizens. Bruce didn't have that option.

"Either way," he said, looking back over at the horizon. "I didn't come out here to sulk about me. I came out here because you look like you need someone to talk to."

"I'm fine-"

"No, you're not," said Bruce quickly. "I'm not and Natasha is not. No one is. Seeing as everyone knows what my problem is… What's yours? What did she make you see?"

Maria shook her head, clasping her hands together nervously. "She made me see me."

"You?" asked Bruce.

"She made me see what I am. An unloved child with no parents. A murderer and an awful future wife…" her voice cracked at the end as the words came out of her mouth before she had even thought them. Her eyes filled with tears again though she fought against them albeit it hurt.

"Don't say that," said Bruce.

"But it's true," she said, coughing slightly to cover up for her trembling voice. "I'm an outcast of society. And I can't even… I can't even offer Steve this sort of life. With – With a normal house and a normal family… Hell, I can't even offer Steve a family."

"Why do you say that?" asked Bruce, furrowing his brow together.

"Because it's true! I told you, didn't I?" she said, looking at him. "You've seen the scar back when you ran tests on me and my abilities."

"Why, yes, but I don't understand why you can't have children?"

"The doctors told me – Bruce, honestly, I told you all this."

"No, but, the tests-"

"Sorry to interrupt," said Tony's voice as he appeared on the balcony too. "But Clint's just announced we're going to have to share rooms… So, I've taken the liberty of sleeping on the couch so you can all have beds."

"How kind of you," said Bruce sarcastically. "I suppose you won't have to share a room now?"

"God no," replied Tony. "But the Bartons want us inside so we can choose our rooms. Mrs Barton wants to make sure we all settle in before breakfast."

"Oh, I can do with some breakfast," said Bruce, standing up.

"No, but you were going to say something-"

"I think that can wait," said Steve's voice as he suddenly appeared again, walking up the steps to the balcony and creating an odd, stern feeling in the air, even Tony felt it which said a lot. "We don't want to be rude."

Maria felt a bit offended by his words, seeing as Bruce had actually something important to say. At least, it was something on the matter of children and anything about that matter was important to Maria.

As she passed Steve on her way inside, she couldn't help but give him a glare.