"You are going to love this one," Wanda Maximoff told Steve Rogers as she used the remote to go through the episodes of one of her favorite black and white shows. She clicked on the particular episode she was looking for, and then sat back. Her eyes were focused on the screen and a small trace of a smile crossed her lips.
The screen went from black to The Dick Van Dyke Show written across it, causing Wanda to smile as she settled into the sofa a bit more, grabbing a pillow and holding it close to her chest, her chin sitting on top of it. She had a bowl of popcorn beside her so that both of them could reach if they wished.
"So you think that you've got troubles? Well, trouble's a bubble, so tell old Mr. Trouble to "Get lost!" Why not hold your head up high and, stop cryin', start tryin', and don't forget to keep your fingers crossed! When you find the joy of livin' is lovin' and givin', you'll be there when the winning dice are tossed! A smile is just a frown that's turned upside down, so smile, and that frown will defrost, and don't forget to keep your fingers crossed!"
"Whoa, this show is ancient," Sam Wilson said, jumping over the back of the couch and reaching across Wanda so that he could grab the bowl of popcorn. "What is it?"
"The Dick Van Dyke Show," Steve offered up, his eyes also pointed directly towards the screen, his hands folded in his lap. "This is one of the shows that I watched a lot after I was thawed out of the ice. It wasn't a thing when I disappeared."
"Nope, this show is a spring chicken compared to Steve," Wanda joked, her face flushing just a bit.
Sam snorted, but Steve nodded.
"Yea, she isn't wrong. I think this show came out about two decades after. But since it was a black and white one, they thought it would be an easy show for me watch and adjust to at first. I ended up really enjoying it. Wanda, I had no idea that you would like something like this. I mean, it is far before your time. I never would have thought someone from your generation would want to watch it, let alone enjoy it."
Wanda gave a nervous laugh and then shrugged, her eyes focused solely on the massive television in front of them, "My parents liked to watch it when I was a small child. I was ten or so the last time I watched it with them, though. Not even all that long ago."
"I have seen this episode," Steve said with a happy nod. "The sleepwalker …"
"Hey, hey! No spoilers from the living history lesson!" Sam said, laughing as he man spread out and popped a handful of popcorn into his mouth.
"Sorry, sorry," Steve said with a smirk. "Glad you are wanting to enjoy this show, too. I wasn't aware you had refined tastes."
Wanda just snorted, "It is a good episode though."
"I will be the judge of that," Sam told the two of them, his eyes never leaving the screen.
And then suddenly the screen went blank, causing all three of them to sit on the edge of their respective seats, Sam's mouth falling open.
"We have to go," came Natasha Romanoff's voice from behind them, her face stony and serious.
Sam, Wanda, and Steve all turned towards her.
"What on earth is going on with you guys? We have a mission and we need to go now. Get your shit together – it isn't like you can't watch that ancient show later! Stark is getting the jet ready," the Black Widow told them, shaking her head before she started heading back out of the room.
"I was really starting to get into that," Sam said. "Later. When we get back then."
Wanda suddenly jumped up and looked at the archer, "Come on! We have a mission to go on. We haven't been on one in a while."
She chased after Natasha almost excitedly, practically dancing on the tips of her toes as she caught up to the Black Widow, "What is the mission? Where are we going? I mean, I haven't really been on one in ages it feels like!"
Natasha side eyed her, but didn't stop walking.
"Are you going like that or do you need to change?" Natasha asked her, gesturing towards the younger woman's outfit.
Wanda looked down at her clothing. She was in a pair of leggings, boots, a tank top, and leather jacket. A red leather jacket that she had commandeered from Natasha's laundry and simply hadn't given back yet.
To be fair, the woman hadn't said anything about it either.
"I am comfortable in this. I can use my powers just as well in this as I can in anything else. I wore this in training this morning," Wanda told her with a shrug.
Natasha hmm'd and then nodded, "Alright. Come on. Everyone will be debriefed on the jet. We have to hurry."
"Damnit, what is she doing?" Natasha hissed under her breath, Sam turning and looking in the same direction that the Black Widow was looking. "She is going to get hurt. I knew that we should have left her behind for this one just like we did the last one. She's not using her damn head at all!"
"Romanoff, we have to see how she reacts on missions. Training isn't cutting it," the Falcon told her.
"Yea, I know, but she is acting reckless again," Natasha snapped at him. Her eyes then narrows as she watched several people moving in on Wanda from behind. She tapped her ear com, "Maximoff, you have two, maybe three behind you! You need to get out of there!"
Even from where they were standing on top of the building, though, Natasha could tell that the younger woman wasn't responding and she was about to be taken out if she wasn't careful. Stark and Rogers were on the opposite side of the building, and had no sights on Wanda either. Turning around, Natasha could see that they were fighting off a larger group of men. There was no way any of them could get to the Scarlet Witch before the men after her did.
"Damnit, Wilson, we have to take them out. We don't have enough time to get down there," Natasha growled. "We won't get any information out of them; but that's a moot point now."
"Already on it," Sam said, lifting off the rooftop, ready to blast near deadly projectiles. Within seconds several hit one of the men.
He was not quick enough to get the other though as the Scarlet Witch found herself in the line of fire, sustaining an injury almost instantly, causing her to fall down in a heap on the ground.
Natasha tapped her earpiece again, yelling, "The Witch is down! I repeat, the Witch is down! Backup needed!"
Sam took out the second guy while Natasha headed to the fire escape and headed down as quickly as she could.
Iron Man quickly flew over to the area and assessed the situation above Wanda.
"She needs medical, stat! I will take care of the ones coming from the east. Barton, can you take out the ones coming from you?" Tony yelled.
"Got them!" Wilson said, quickly stringing an arrow again and letting it fly.
"We need to get Maximoff and get back to the jet!" Steve said. "I will go get it ready, everyone get back as fast as possible!"
Natasha was running at full speed and then slid over the ground, stopping right at Wanda's side. Blood was covering her entire side and chest, her face white from blood loss. Even through the cloth of her shirt, Natasha could see the blood pulsating out of her wound.
The Black Widow's eyes widened as she looked at Wanda's face, but then went to work to stop the flow of blood. Even passed out, Wanda grunted from the added pressure.
Tony landed opposite of Natasha and immediately started utilizing his suit's advanced diagnostics capabilities to assess the extent of Wanda's injuries.
Tony caught Natasha's sight, nodding his head down to the fallen Avenger.
"You seeing this?"
"Yes," Natasha hissed, eyes narrowing even more as she studied Wanda closely. "What the hell did they do to her?"
Wanda's eyes flickered open and she looked up at both of them, blinking slowly. She then tried getting up, every movement causing more blood to pour from the bullet hole in her side.
"What the hell are you doing? Stay down!" Natasha snapped at her. "You are bleeding out."
"We have to finish the mission," Wanda muttered, and then her head lolled to the side as she passed out again.
"Stark, we have to get her out here, now! She isn't going to make it with a simple field dressing!" Natasha said, the urgency in her voice different than it had been before.
"We got this, Romanoff," Tony said, moving in and doing what he could to stabilize the Scarlet Witch. "Let's get her to the jet now and get her back to Cho. I've already sent for her so she will meet us at the compound."
"I am bringing the jet to you. Wilson and I are already on the jet."
"We are getting her ready," Tony said, and then together, he and Natasha prepared Wanda so once the jet arrived, they could run.
Tony walked into the meeting room, staring at the floor with his hands in his pockets. He moved around the room slowly and then sat down. He was the last to join Natasha, Sam, and Steve.
"So, umm," Tony said slowly, "Maximoff is going to be fine, but she lost a lot of blood. Cho said that she is going to have to take it easy for the next week or so, even with her tech."
There was silence as Sam sat with his hands in his lap and moved the chair he was in back and forth. Steve had his hands clasped together on the table and was staring at them.
Natasha's jaw was clenched and she shook her head before thrumming her fingers one at a time on the table.
"Are we going to discuss the elephant in the room?" Tony finally asked with a sigh.
"Yea, we need to figure out what they did to her!" Natasha said. "I thought they were trying to kill her, but then when we got to her, she looked ten, fifteen years younger. I have never seen anything like it. I mean, they were, otherwise they wouldn't have shot her, but at the same time, I am not sure they were. I just don't know what they wanted to do with her."
"Yea," Tony said, shaking his head. "I haven't don't know what they did to her either. I asked Cho, and she said that she wasn't sure what it could be, but she is going to run some tests on her. I will run some of my own if Cho doesn't come up with anything."
"Could they have injected her with some version of the Super Soldier Serum? It acts differently with each person. The one that Natasha was injected with slowed her aging down just like the one I was injected with enhanced my body. Could someone have created one to reverse aging all together?" Steve asked the two of them, leaning over the table, rubbing his face tiredly.
"They could have, but the question is, what do we do about it? We don't know anything right now, but that doesn't mean that we don't have some decisions to make about Wanda. She is going to wake up eventually," Natasha said.
Tony shrugged, sitting back in his chair and making it swing from left to right, "Cho said two, maybe three days. She lost almost fifty percent of her blood volume. If it wasn't for her abilities, I am not sure that she would have lived. So Cho is keeping Maximoff in a coma until she can completely heal. Even then, she will need to rest for at least a week before she is able to start training or going on missions again."
"She can't go on missions when she looks like a child," Natasha said with a roll of her eyes. "We don't even know how her powers are going to work right now and honestly, it might do her some good to be off missions for a bit."
"What?" Tony asked, his eyes wide and his body sitting up a bit straighter. "Why would you want her to stop going on missions? She has been doing really well with the last several that she has been on since you have started training one on one with her more. I never understood why you refused to let her go on the one before this to be honest."
One of Natasha's eyebrows rose while the other lowered, "First of all, you never asked me why. second of all, you do realize that she broke protocol today and it was not the first time. Correct? She continues to take her earpiece out. Nothing that we have said to her has made a difference. So yes, I think the fact that she cannot go on missions right now could be a good thing before she gets herself or one of us killed," Natasha snapped her hand against the table and sat up straight, her mouth a straight line, her nostrils slightly flared. "Today could have most likely been completely avoided had she not been so reckless. Had she just left the damn earpiece in and listened!"
The room was silent for several moments. Natasha was glaring at everyone, and then she stood up so that she could start to pace back and forth across the room.
Tony took a deep breath, "So we have to figure this out. Someone needs to make sure that Maximoff chills the fuck out for at least a week, too."
Natasha snorted and rolled her eyes, "Someone can also tell her that she isn't going on any missions until we think she is ready, healed or not."
Tony clapped his hands and let a smile spread across his face, "Fantastic, Charlotte! I am so glad you are volunteering as tribute!"
Sam snickered, but the moment that Natasha snapped her head over at him, he bit his cheek and looked down, trying not to smirk – but failing miserably.
"Why does it need to be me? Because I have a vagina and tits, so that means I can play babysitter? I did that once with you, Stark, remember? Doesn't mean I'm an actual babysitter. Why can't it be Rogers or even you, Barton?" Natasha said, turning her head towards Clint.
Steve blushed and Tony snorted, quickly trying to cover his mouth with his hand before he looked up with a furrowed brow.
"Hey, why didn't you mention me?" Tony said, a faux hurt look crossing over his face.
"Seriously, you have to ask that?" Natasha asked him, a short, unamused laugh leaving her. "Maximoff barely tolerates you and you have very little tact as it is. It wouldn't work and you know it. She'd never listen to you."
"True," Tony said with a shrug, settling back in his seat. "So it will have to be you."
Natasha's attention moved over to Barton and Rogers.
"Oh come on, Nat, you know damn well that Rogers can't do it. He is too old school, to set in his ways to watch after her and – let's be honest – he will give in to her the second she asks him to. He won't be able to tell her no, especially if she gives him puppy dog eyes," Sam told her with a smirk.
"And you?"
Sam tilted his head to the side and gave Natasha a look for several seconds before he spoke again, "You know I am going to retire. I have to get back home. I'm younger than she really is even if I have trained longer. We are friendly, but there is no way that she'd listen to me. Besides, I'm not at the compound that often."
Natasha sighed and moved back to her seat, putting her elbows on the table before she moved her hands up to her face and rubbed them across her eyes.
"Look, Nat," Steve said in a soft tone, looking at her closely, "You have more in common with her than any of us do. We have known that since Sokovia. We both know that, and it has nothing to do with the fact you are a woman. She was held captive with Hydra for – well, honestly, we don't know for how long they had her, but there is no way she has come to terms with that. Yea, she got away from Hydra, but she has still been reckless and we do have to keep a closer eye on her while she heals. At least until we can get her back to normal. What if she behaves like a kid? Do you really want to let me or Wilson or Stark deal with that? No offense to them, but none of us are not the greatest with kid behaviors … you on the other hand, Auntie Nat … I believe that is what Barton's kids called you …"
The smirk on Steve's face as Natasha's face turned pink, despite the glare settled there, just irritated her even more. She was not used to people knowing that side of her personal life.
Natasha took a deep breath, crossing her arms tightly over her chest. The room was completely silent for several minutes, Natasha staring at nothing as she thought.
"If I agree to this, what I say goes. None of you will say anything about the way that I handle her, got it? She is not a child, she is an adult who is currently in a younger body. We don't know how long it is going to be before we can get her back to normal, but I will help her. But, right now, it definitely means no missions until the foreseeable future."
The men nodded, but didn't get a chance to say anything before Natasha started speaking again.
"I don't care if you don't agree with the way I do things. You don't say anything about it in front of her right now. You come to me and we talk about it. At least until we figure things out."
"We got it, Nat," Steve told her. "Just don't think that we won't help you with her, too. We are all in this – you will just be with her more. Besides, she does listen to you more than us as an adult."
The woman shook her head and snorted, "Barely. Stark, you need to figure this out fast. From what I know about Maximoff, she is going to be pissed when she wakes up and is younger than she was before."
The others could only nod in agreement.
Wanda groaned as she started to wake up. She felt like she had been run over by something. Her body was stiff and she felt as if she were weighed down. The woman tried to open her eyes, but the bright lights were a bit painful and she needed to adjust.
"Take it easy, Maximoff," a voice said. "Here, take a slow drink."
A cup was pushed to her lips and Wanda took a small sip. It took her a few more moments before she was able to slowly open her eyes and look up at Natasha, her curly red hair pulled back in a wild, unkempt ponytail.
"What happened to you?" Wanda asked hoarsely.
"Excuse me?" Natasha asked, her face scrunched up slightly.
"Never seen your hair like that before."
Natasha raised a brow as she looked down at Wanda, completely unimpressed.
"Oh, so we are going to talk about my hair when you were the one who took your com out of your ear and ended up getting shot because you couldn't hear the warnings I was giving you. Not for the first time, I should remind you. We are going to ignore the fact that you have been out of it for three days while your body healed, and you are going to have at least another week of rest before you can even think about doing much else. I mean we can continue going on about the things that are obviously not as important as my hair …"
"I … Sorry. I was just surprised is all … never seen you like that …" Wanda mumbled, trying to shrink under the blanket as her face flushed a brilliant shade of red. "I have been asleep for three days? How did the mission go? Was it a success?"
"That is what you are worried about? The mission? Wanda Maximoff, that mission should be the last thing on your mind. And while we are on the subject, that mission will be the last one you go on for a while," Natasha stated finitely, shaking her head as she fixed the blanket around Wanda and then moved her hands to the pillow behind her head.
"What? Why?" Wanda asked, sitting straight up quickly and then grabbing Natasha's arm to steady herself. The Black Widow quickly grabbed Wanda to help steady her.
"You shouldn't have sat up like that. Be still while I get a couple of pillows to put under you. They're just here on the floor."
"Wait, where am I?" Wanda asked, her brow scrunched, looking around the room. Nothing looked familiar. The walls were light gray and the furniture was black and silver. The bed she was in was comfortable, and felt similar to the one that was in her apartment, so she assumed she was still in the compound.
"Lean back," Natasha directed her, which Wanda did instantly, surprising even Natasha a bit. She had honestly expected her to be a bit more defiant.
"Where am I? Why am I not going to get to go on any missions?" Wanda asked again.
Instead of answering her, Natasha walked out of the room, though she was back quickly, carrying something in her hand.
"This is why," Natasha stated and then put a mirror directly in front of Wanda's face. "Don't worry, though, Tony and Cho are both working on trying to figure out what they did to you so that we can get you back to normal. Right now we have no leads, but we are trying to figure it out. I was tasked with making sure you follow Cho's orders."
"They are?" Wanda asked, her face ashen as she stared at herself, much younger than she had looked on the mission.
Natasha's face softened when she saw the look on Wanda's face, so she sat on the edge of the bed and awkwardly patted the woman's hand, "Of course they are. But it may take a while to figure it out. That is why you can't go on any missions right now – well, other than the fact that you have a lot of healing to do. We have no idea how the deaging has affected your powers."
Wanda nodded slowly, "That, um, yea, that makes a lot of sense. I mean, sometimes my powers can do some funny things."
"Exactly. But we are going to talk about the fact that all of this could have been prevented had you had your earpiece in," Natasha pointed out.
If it was even possible, Wanda's face turned even whiter as her eyes widened. She opened and closed her mouth several times, but no sound came out.
The Black Widow let out a sigh and patted Wanda's arm, "We don't have to talk about it yet. Right now you just need to chill. You are going to be staying in my apartment until you are healed up, and then you can go back to yours. Okay? It is for safety, Wanda. You just have to take it easy."
Wanda let out a sigh and then nodded, a hint of a smile spreading across her face. Her body was less tense than it had been as well.
"Thank you, Natasha. I really appreciate it. I do hate putting you out though …"
Natasha finally gave her a smile, "If I didn't want you here, you wouldn't be here. Maybe I will get you to finally start listening to me if you are trapped with me." The spy stood up and pulled a blanket up a bit further over Wanda. "I am going to go make you a bowl of soup. You don't need anything too heavy right now. Maybe tomorrow you can have something a bit heavier."
"Soup sounds great to be honest."
Natasha left the room, and Wanda completely relaxed the moment that she was out of the door.
"Wanda, no, no, I have it," Natasha said as she walked out of the kitchen and looked down the hallway, rushing to the woman's side where she was trying to reach into the closet and grab a towel. Natasha gently moved Wanda out of the way and reached up, grabbing the towels.
Wanda instantly went to take the towels from her, but Natasha held them back, "What are you thinking? I told you if you needed something, you just need to ask me and I will get it for you."
"Can I have the towels please?" Wanda asked, her eyes squinted slightly as she shook her head back and forth, exasperated. "Honestly, I am only a little sore, really don't have to get me towels. I can do things for myself. I got it yesterday when we talked, but I thought that I would not be feeling well then. I feel fine, though. All I needed was more sleep — which you definitely made sure I got despite checking on me every single hour all night long."
Natasha shook her head, "No. You just woke up yesterday. You are at least ten years younger than you are supposed to be at the moment as well. I told you that I was going to make sure that you take it easy. That is exactly what I am going to do. If you want to take a bath, I will start one for you. You aren't ready to stand up in the shower for that long yet."
Wanda's face instantly scrunched up, her nose wrinkled, and she just stared at Natasha for several seconds before she started shaking her head and looked away, a light pink blush crossing over the bridge of her nose.
"I really think you are making a much bigger deal about this than you need to be. I am fine. Do remember that I am an adult despite … everything. I should be going back to my apartment now," Wanda told her, no longer making eye contact with her.
Natasha just looked at her and then pointed towards the bathroom.
"Go and sit on the toilet. I am running you a bath."
Wanda sighed and let her arms fall to her sides, "I can run my own bath."
"Perhaps, but you are not going to. Right now you are going to take it easy," Natasha told her as she followed Wanda into the bathroom and then pointed towards the toilet.
As she watched Natasha mess with the knobs of the faucet, Wanda sighed again before going to sit on the closed lid of the toilet, letting out a long sigh and leaning back as far as she could without falling off the seat.
"I don't really know why everyone is making such a big deal of a gunshot that I am already healed from."
"You said yourself that you are still sore," Natasha pointed out, standing up and going to the cabinet near the sink, pulling out several bottles and reading the labels. Once she had picked the ones that she wanted, Natasha moved back to the bathtub and opened them, pouring capfuls of each into the running water, watching as the water bubbled up.
Wanda lifted her head, her brows furrowed as she started to watch Natasha more closely. The woman picked up the towels she had brought in and set them on the floor right next to the bath. She felt the water once more and then, satisfied, turned it off. She then looked back at Wanda.
"I am going to let you bathe alone, but you need to actually soak in this tub for at least fifteen minutes. Leave the door cracked open in case you need help, otherwise I will give you your privacy. Yes, I am aware that you think that you are fine and completely healed. But Cho said you would need a week, so you are getting a week. Are we clear?" Natasha said, her face fierce and her brow raised. The look alone was enough to make Wanda wiggle around on the toilet lid and look away from the spy.
"Can't believe that you are actually going to let me undress and bathe myself. I mean, you never know what could happen in a bathroom in one of the most secure buildings in the entire world," Wanda said with an eye roll, though her voice was shaky.
Natasha froze, studying Wanda's face while her own looked completely unimpressed, "Oh, do you want me to treat you like a child and actually undress you and put you in the water? Because don't think for a moment that I can't make that happen before you even know what is going on. Just say the word. Because I thought you wanted to keep some of your dignity intact. But apparently I was wrong and …"
Hands waving defeat and shifting around uncomfortably, Wanda sighed, "Okay, okay, Nat, you have made your point. I am … look, it is weird to have someone do things like this for me."
The spy softened instantly, and moved around to sit on the edge of the tub, "I get that, Wanda. I do. But seriously, you don't have to fight every single thing that I tell you. I can't tell if that's you or this younger essence of you right now. But you need some help right now. It is okay to accept it. You will be able to go back to your apartment eventually. We still are not sure the effects this deaging has had on you, and until we do, this is how things are going to be."
Wanda's shoulders sagged and she leaned forward a bit so that she had a better view of the floor.
"I got it, Natasha. I won't do anything stupid. I really just want to soak in the bath."
"Oh, and here I thought you just wanted a shower," Natasha said, standing up and putting a hand on Wanda's shoulder. Once the woman looked up at her, she gave her a wink.
"Seriously, if you need me, just tell FRIDAY or call my name. I am not going to be far."
Wanda nodded, "Got it, Nat. I got it."
"What have you found out?" Natasha asked, walking into the lab where both Tony and Cho were talking. They stopped and looked at her, their faces both solemn.
Tony shook his head, "I am still running tests, but so far nothing has come up in any of them. I don't think that it has anything to do with the super soldier serum."
"I am also not finding any anomalies in her blood work. I can tell you that, even with my tech, she heals very similar to the way that you, Natasha, heal. Similar to Steve Rogers as well. But, like Tony said, there isn't a trace of the Super Soldier Serum in her blood. I know that they used the mind stone to enhance her powers …"
"To create her powers," Natasha said. "From what Wanda said, she didn't have powers until they used the mind stone on her."
Cho's forehead wrinkled, "That may be the first time that she exhibited any powers — it does sometimes take the mutant genes time to mature — but I think the stone only enhanced what she already had. Or maybe something has changed because she is currently younger than she was. I took some samples from her when she first arrived from Sokovia, and when I compared that workup to the one I took this time, they are almost identical, which is confusing. I would have thought the samples would be vastly different. Honestly, I am not sure what is going on with her. I am not sure how to give her the years that she lost back."
Natasha sighed, "I tried talking to her about it, too. To see what she remembered about the mission. But all she doesn't even remember getting shot, let alone anything else happening."
"I was thinking about taking some samples to Wakanda. To see if T'Challa's people could find something that we are missing," Tony said, shuffling through stacks of papers that he had already gone through half a dozen times. He sighed and pushed them across the table, causing them to scatter. He shook his head and looked over at Natasha, "I don't know what else to run. I have to have some outside help on this one. Maybe if Banner was around — but no, he's run off to god knows where."
The Black Widow stiffened before she moved to a seat and sat down, gritting her teeth together as she took a deep breath, "I know. We have to try to keep this out of Ross's scope, too. He doesn't need anything to use against her, and if he finds out that she is ten years younger than she is supposed to be and that we have no idea what sort of control she has over her powers …"
"Natasha is right," Cho added. "When Wanda was on the table and I was working on her, her powers were still passively active …"
Natasha's head snapped over and her eyes grew wide, "She got in your head while she was unconscious. That … is a new one."
"Only for a moment, but yes. Which is why I agree with you, that Ross cannot find out about her. She isn't dangerous in the sense that he thinks that she is. He needs no ammunition."
"Go to T'Challa, Tony. We have to figure this out."