Memories

Time of Angels

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If you want to use Tora, or any of my other characters, PM me.

Wanda knocked on the door. There was a slight shock in seeing Captain America in his nineties, with a warm smile on his face. No. It wasn't Captain America. It was Steve Rogers. Small, slight, but with a peaceful expression on his face.

"Wanda! Come give your granddad a hug!"

Tony had given her passport details so she had been able to cast the spell to make her look older. In her late forties, named Wanda Shade.

"Hey."

"Victor and the kids are already here. In fact, I think everyone's here… It means a lot to Tan that you all came. You know…" He looked defeated, "Because the doctors say she only has six months left. Thanks."

She touched his shoulder.

"It's fine."

"Is that Wanda? Why on earth is she late? You'd think my own granddaughter would turn up for the last birthday I'm ever going to celebrate."

She blinked slightly at the woman wheeling herself down the hall. There was no mistaking the Shadow's face, build, except… She was old. Old and tired. The cancer had been tearing through her. But there was nothing old in the eyes. Bright, cheerful, making the best of what she had.

"Come on sweetheart. You owe me a hug."

The frail arms were reaching out and Wanda hugged her gently. The next 180 that followed suggested a certain strength hidden in the wasted muscles.

"Come on. Everyone else is here. Pietro, and Luna –it's a pity Crystal didn't come; your father and Anya; Bruce and Betty –do you know them? Oh, they're lovely. Oh, and of course, Victor, Tommy and Billy. Victor brought Jonas, was that alright? Oh, and Billy brought a 'friend', Teddy Altman. I wish he'd just tell me he's gay and get it over with. I've known for ages. Possibly even before he did."

Wanda laughed slightly. Etana pushed open a door into a large room packed with people.

"Max! Oh, where is that child?"

The man was in his late seventies, but still recognisable as Magneto.

"Ima, I don't think you can call me a child anymore."

"Nonsense, Max. We're all children really."

"Ima, you mean you are a child. Even after all these years."

The look she gave him was one of exasperated fondness.

"Oh, Max. There's no fun if you don't view the world as a child does. I tried to teach you that."

He looked dark for a second.

"I'd have maybe learnt that. If…"

She touched his arm.

"I know Max. I know. My family were killed too. I still miss them so much. But I have a new family, a wonderful, beautiful family and it's all thanks to you, Max. If you hadn't agreed to let us adopt you, it would just be me and Steve here today."

"You got me out of Germany when everything was falling apart. Seriously, I would have done anything to get out."

"That hurts, Max."

And then they were laughing, clasping hands together.

"No, I'd have only gone with you. Anyway, you used to look after me all the time."

"Yes. You were the paycheck for my further education. Therefore you helped me get a doctorate in nuclear physics and safe passage to the States."

Wanda left the pair of them chattering about living on the same street as children and Etana looking after the young Max. Pietro wandered over looking desultory.

"Crystal almost wouldn't let Luna come. Safta managed to persuade her. Why won't Crys let me see my own daughter?"

Wanda had no knowledge of the story behind this so shrugged.

"I don't know. I'm sorry."

But watching everyone, all she could feel was a tinged sorrow. What Tora had done was inexcusable. She had forced them to live a life that wasn't theirs. But…

But this world was beautiful. She'd apparently had a happy childhood. Overall, the general pain and suffering was much lower. Were they really responsible for so much pain? And looking around, she felt even worse. Bruce Banner was ruffling the head of a small boy, Betty laughing as she talked to a young man she thought looked like Vision, but when she listened in was referred to as 'Jonas'. And then Speed –it was Tommy, not Thomas- came over.

"Mom! Dad's embarrassing us all."

She let him grab her arm and pull her over to an older looking version of Jonas.

"Wanda!"

"Hi, Victor."

He looked fake-hurt.

"What, I'm not Vic today?"

"Sorry, I'm in another world today."

He laughed.

"That's my Wanda! Always daydreaming."

Tommy pulled her sleeve.

"Look, he's embarrassing us all."

"Tommy, be nice to your dad. Go talk to someone else."

She was so conflicted. Here everything seemed so happy. Marie looked so normal when she opened the door. No ghosts in her eyes. A happy, contented woman whose eyes were alive. Not the dead, empty, lost eyes Wanda had gotten used to seeing in her friend's face.

"Vic, I'm just going to make a call."

He nodded.

"Sure."

"I'll just go outside. What with the noise and all."

She didn't know why she felt compelled to explain it to him.

The hall was blessedly quite. She rang the number.

"Tony?"

"Yeah, Wanda?"

"I…I was thinking…"

"You're about to say we should leave this, aren't you?"

She blushed.

"Yes."

"We can't."

"Why not?"

"Look at this! It's been forced on us!"

"Maybe. But look. It's much more peaceful. Tora may have saved us all from ourselves!"

"No."

"Tony, please…"

"Wanda, you can't just let this happen."

"I could make us all forget. We could live out our lives in peace."

"Do you think Tora would like that?"

The killer question. The answer would be 'no'. The old Tora would be horrified by what she had done. But the old Tora had died over two years ago. And this was a new Tora who just wanted her pain to leave. And maybe, what she had done was better than Wanda's breakdown.

"Tony, it's better than what I created."

"And that's why it has to stop! It'll lure people in! I can hear it in your voice! You want to stay! You like it!"

"Yes! For once my life hasn't been destroyed! I'm still with Vis! I've got my kids! My father isn't hated and feared by almost the entire world! And Steve… Tony, you should see Steve. He looks so happy. He's married, has a family, had a full life and you should be here. The entire place is full of people who care about him. Tony, Etana has six months maximum to live. But she's not acting like she cares. She's happy as well. Bruce and Betty…they're happy… Tony…"

"Stick to the plan, Wanda. If it comes to it, we can wake them up and then put them back if they agree that this world is better."

She glanced down at her feet.

"Okay… But later… I don't want to spoil their party."

She rang off and was about to go back in when the door swung open and Etana wheeled herself out.

"Wanda? Can we go outside for a bit?"

The noise from the traffic outside was slightly disturbing but Etana didn't seem to notice it.

"Thank you for coming, Wanda. It means a lot to me."

What had Pietro called her?

"I wouldn't miss it for the world, Safta."

The woman leant back in her wheelchair.

"I worry about Steve. I've just got the results from the latest tests. The cancer's spread even further. It's effectively halved my life-expectancy. But I can't tell Steve that. It's bad enough for him as it is. We've been together since… Well, we were both in our twenties when we married, so I'll let you do the math."

She said the last world in a long drawl. Almost as if she had contempt for her adopted country.

"Safta?"

"My whole life's been messed up. My family and I tried to get to America when the oppression began. I got off. They hustled me in and told me I was wanted for a special project. I didn't find out for another eight hours that my aunt and uncle –who sacrificed everything to get my education- were sent back to die in the camps. I needed an assistant but the people they kept getting for me were just spies -they didn't trust me. I needed an assistant –I did all the calculations. I worked out how much of this and how much of this and that was needed to blow up a city. And there was this young man who had come out to do some of the simple jobs –cleaning, all that stuff. He's been turned down from the Army so many times. And I saw this man who wanted to do something more for his country. And Steve was a life-saver. An honest-to-god lifesaver. Course, I terrified him when I asked him to go to the dance with me."

She was staring up at the sky.

"I miss those days. Simple days. When I didn't realise that every time I went to work, I was killing myself slowly. The safety measures weren't as stringent as they are now. Do you know what their idea of safety was? A pair of dark glasses to watch the first nuclear bomb go off!"

"Why are you telling me this?"

"Max is old. Just like I am. Pietro… He has enough troubles. Crystal tore his heart apart. Anya looks after Max and that takes up all her time. Wanda, I need to tell someone. It's eating me up inside. I'm dying and I can't do anything to fix that. And…oh, you don't remember this… When Anya was born, Max was in Europe. I didn't see her until she was two years old. And then you and Pietro were born. And Max handed you to me and I just knew. I looked into your eyes –they were green, even at birth- and I knew that you were special. Both of you were but there was something in your eyes… You knew me. You knew me better than I did myself. Oh, Steve was crazy about you all. He spoiled all three of you rotten. But I looked at you and knew you were going to be important. Somehow. I hope I didn't favour you too much…"

Wanda smiled slightly but then her wrist was captured by a surprising strong hand.

"What's wrong, Wanda? I helped raise you. I know when you're upset. What's wrong?"

And Wanda saw the look in the eyes, a sudden flash of silver fire.

"You know…"

Etana nodded.

"I was dead and now I'm not. I think that was a little obvious. This wasn't you, was it?"

Wanda shook her head.

"Oh… It was Tora, wasn't it?"

Wanda nodded slightly. Etana's head was buried in her hands.

"I have two sets of memories. In one I'm a German Jew who fled oppression, worked on Manhattan, married a guy from Brooklyn named Steve and had a family. In the other I'm a three-thousand year old mutant who every now and again goes off to be an angel of death. It's really confusing. Would you…?"

Wanda's hand flared red.

And Etana rose from the wheelchair, her grey hair flickering as she gradually changed into the Malach Hamavet. And then she was Etana again and collapsed back into the chair.

"I'm good… Shouldn't you…?"

Wanda turned to the window and sent another hex bolt through. It didn't take long for the screams of realisation to hit them…

"Aaawww…"

"Phoenix, stop being soppy! You're a cosmic avatar!"

A.N. Ima is Hebrew for Mother. Safta means Granny.