A few days after adopting the kittens, Loki visits Wanda and Magda for supper and walks into a fight. It is the first time he has seen them argue. Magda lets him in and warns that the house is a little tense, so Loki sits on the couch and reads while they prepare supper.

"You have burned the potatoes, dear Wanda. Please, let me take over. You are too distracted."

"I am not. You are hovering like a mother hen."

"It is not easy to burn mashed potatoes, yet you have somehow managed. Please, step from the stove."

"Will you stop? I am doing fine, thank you. I just forgot and put the wrong burner on."

"Your mind is on other things."

"And I am trying to distract it! Go away!"

"Should we talk of this?"

"No, but you will anyway."

"I just do not think it is a good idea."

"Of course it is a terrible idea! But what other choice do I have to make? The government of Sokovia was quite clear- answer the summons or they will seek to extradite me to answer questions- I have NO options! Stop acting like I do!"

"But you know which government won! And they are dangerous! And you do not know if the letter is even from them- it could be a trap!"

"I know that, Magda! Do you think I cannot see such a thing? Do you think I am so stupid that I think answering their letter may not lead to worse things?"

"I do not think you are stupid. Please, calm down. We have a visitor."

"Then he will see us fight! So what?"

"I was-"

"I know. Decorum. Fights stay indoors and out of sight. But this is family and it is messy. And I will answer that damned letter."

"Please do not answer from here. They sent it through SHIELD, they do not need to know your home address."

"I will answer however I damn well feel like it. They cannot trace this phone, it came from Tony and SHIELD."

"You would risk our home for this?"

"No. But I will neither allow you to tell me how to handle this. I only hope Pietro is safe."

"As do I."

"Then that is the only thing we agree on!" Wanda throws down her spoon and storms out of the kitchen. She takes her keys and leaves the house.

Loki sets down his book and goes to the kitchen where he finds Magda sitting on the step stool, crying into her towel, "I am sorry you had to hear this."

"No...please. She is right in that our family should be allowed to be messy with one another. But I am terribly confused and worried for you both. What is going on?"

"SHIELD sent a letter with an envelope from the Sokovian government asking for Wanda to report to them. We do not know why. She suspects HYDRA is involved, but they threaten to take her by force if she does not comply. They also reference Pietro and ask for her to update her on his whereabouts. She fears they will take her from here if she does nothing. And I fear they will do the same if she does."

"Oh. That is terrible."

"Very. And we have been fighting since it came."

"Will you be alright?"

She wipes her eyes, "Oh yes, in time. This is not our first fight. But it will be difficult to stand by and let her choose her own path in this. The communists won. The peacetalks were a false promise and there is nothing left of the government we all worked so hard to build. It hurts to see dear Sokovia in such a state."

"I am sorry to hear this."

"Yes, I know. They say there is a joint government, but it is a lie. And I fear for all of us."

"Have there been more fights at the refugee centre?"

"No."

"Have things actually settled?"

"Yes. There is a resignation to those who are still here. Sokovia is what it is and we will carry on."

"How is the boy?"

"He is recovering. Slowly, yes, but he is. And I will see him again tomorrow."

"When will she make her decision?"

"She already has, dear Loki. She will call when she will call, but the decision is made."

"Would you like me to go after her?"

"Please. I need a moment."

He kisses the top of her head, "Of course, dear Sister." He leaves the house and looks to the square. Wanda sits under the ash, a letter in one hand, her phone in the other. He walks over to her and sits down beside her.

"What did Magda tell you?"

"That you were both so very worried about this letter and you cannot agree on how to proceed."

"That is true."

"She has no reason to say anything but truth."

"I should not have yelled."

"You can make amends later. Are you alright?"

"No. This is a terrible decision to make."

"Would you like to call now to get it over with?"

"I do not know. Yes. But I do not want to make Magda feel worse."

"I do not see how waiting could make it any better."

"That is true. I will call." She stares at the phone a moment, then takes a deep breath and dials.

Loki does not fully understand the conversation, but he catches snippets of it. They ask her name. She gives it. They ask her address. She lies and tells them she lives at SHIELD's headquarters, they can reach her by post as they did before. They ask where Pietro is and she tells them he died during the Ultron incident. There are other questions, ones he only picks up fragments of. Questions that are answered with quick yes or no responses. And she does not elaborate, though it seems the person on the other end wants her to. He hears the words "Avengers" and "government", "citizenship" and "travel" from the person on the other end, but he cannot discern the context. Then she hangs up.

"I admit, I tried to listen to your conversation, but I am not yet fluent in your language. I can read it well, but I do not speak it."

"The questions are tricks. I know. They asked things only HYDRA should know about. And they asked if my parents died as part of the uprising. I stretched the truth a bit. Or answered based on my interpretation of the question. I can play stupid later."

"You told them Pietro died."

"As far as I am concerned, for a time he did. That he returned from this is a technicality."

"I ask again. Are you alright?"

"I do not know."

"Would you like to come play with the kittens for a little while? I will invite Magda as well. You both need kittens."

She laughs, "You are right. Kittens solve everything. Go, get her."

He hands her his key, "Just be mindful no one sneaks past you. Bruce keeps trying to see the world. Oh, and mind where you step. Anthony has taken to leaving hairballs in the most horrible of places."

She kisses his cheek and takes the keys, "You are such a delight, Loki. Thank you for making me laugh. And for sitting with me."

"Of course. We are family." She goes to his house and he goes to hers. Magda has set the food aside, covered, and is sipping a cup of coffee on the balcony, "Come. There are kittens and Wanda awaits."

"Is she furious?"

"No. She made the call. It was suspicious. And she did very well to mask her answers."

"Oh. Was it bad?"

"Yes. She believes it is HYDRA."

"The land of my mothers is run by wickedness."

"That may be true. But we are here, together, and Wanda waits with kittens.

"Are you sure there will be no more fighting?"

"No. But it is very hard to be angry when Steve perches on your shoulder."

"I would think that Clint's role."

"He appreciates it as well, but he prefers to hide on top of the refrigerator."

"That seems apt."

"It is. Of course, I use 'he' by default. I have no idea how to sex a kitten."

Magda returns inside and closes her balcony door, "To the kittens, then. Thank you, Loki."

"It is no problem at all. Come. The fluffy little overlords await."

Wanda is in the living room with all six kittens climbing her when they arrive and Magda cannot help but take a picture. She sits down beside her and Steve hops to her shoulder from on Wanda's. Loki makes tea.

"Loki told me you called."

"Yes."

"And that it was likely HYDRA."

"They are involved somehow. They asked questions only they would know."

"I am sorry to hear this."

"The same. And I am also sorry I yelled at you."

"We were neither in the right. But let us move forward."

"Yes. Always forward. Clint is licking my ear."

"Yes. And Natasha has befriended my shoe."

"Loki was right. Kittens really do solve everything."

Magda kisses Wanda's cheek, "That they do. Except, perhaps, for our dear Sokovia."

"They would need many many kittens."

"Yes, they would."

Loki enters with a tea service and sets it on the table after extracting Bruce from a tissue box, "Are you both feeling better?"

"Yes."

"Thank you."

"Of course. Now, have tea. It is delightful tea- jasmine and green. A very nice blend I recently discovered. And after, perhaps, you could explain to me just what sort of communism and what sort of democratic socialism were at the heart of this war."

For a moment, they sip tea and play with kittens, but they do explain the politics of Sokovia in as brief a manner as they can. Loki finds it still hard to follow. All he knows is that the communists are not so good at running countries and the democratic socialists seem to be quite a bit better at it, so they ousted the communists from power after many years of revolution and brutal fighting and now there were more communists and everything was looking dismal again. Then they go to supper.

Late that night, Loki is glad that there are six kittens curled up on his bed with him. It is a cold night and he is worried about Alexi. Vision curls up on his chest, purring. Loki strokes the kitten's head.

"I don't suppose you care to know about human affairs, do you?" The kitten stretches out his tiny paw and bats him on the nose, "Ah. I see. So that is how you feel about geopolitical discourse." Vision curls his paw back under himself and licks his fur, "Indeed. But this time it matters more than usual." Loki sighs, "I miss him. I really do. But most of all, I hope he is safe."