Wanda wants to heal me when we get to my room, but I talk her out of it. My reason being that if I'm to become a fighter I need to get my hands dirty, and having the battle scars to prove what I've done would be worth it. She of course thinks I'm nuts but hey, it feels like the right way to dedicate myself. So instead she helps set up a bath for me with warm water so I can soak up my sore body, however, with my leg in a cast I have to keep it wrapped up and in plastic while making sure it doesn't get submerged into the water. We haven't seen each other in any other way than making out and cuddling, so I don't expect her to help me get in and out of the tub as I do everything else myself.

Once I'm done I change on my own and crutch my way out of the bathroom and into my bedroom. She's sitting on my bed and already has it unmade for me so I do not hesitate to head over and practically crawl my way into it like a child before she is right behind me and lays down on my chest. My body still slightly hurts from being sore and her laying on me makes the discomfort more noticeable, but I don't care as I grab the blanket and cover us both with it. I kiss her on the head and wrap my arms around her as she runs her fingers soothingly up and down my arm, which makes me automatically feel sleepy. So as soon as my eyes close I'm knocked out in the matter of seconds.

My dreams are odd, feeling like I'm being pulled from my body and into someone else's mind. I see Strucker and he's standing in his office while looking out the window with his hands clasped behind his back. He's not moving and I can faintly hear voices, barely audible. Then he turns around and faces where I am, seeming to be speaking to me. At first I'm not able to hear him properly, but then it's like a dial turned up the volume for me and now I'm able to listen better and I realize it's not me he's chatting with.

"You said this would be easy." He tells whoever he's talking to.

"How was I supposed to know that the scientists would try to kill your kids with fire?" A man says back to him.

"By letting me know that there was more than just an energy serum in that lab." Strucker's voice is stern...angry.

"What do you mean?" He sounds confused.

Strucker's face wavers for a second as he realizes that the man has no idea what he's talking about, "Madison stopping that fire allowed us to search more."

The man is silent for a few seconds, "What did you find?"

"A way to control the mind."

My eyes fly open and I pant rapidly, sweat dripping down my face. I blink at the sunlight that's seeping through my window. What kind of dream was that?

After catching my breath I turn my head to the side and see that Wanda isn't here, meaning I most likely slept in later than she did. I lay here for a few minutes longer, dreading getting out of bed. My body hurts so bad and my leg is screaming in pain despite not moving it at all but eventually I get the strength to sit up and toss my legs carefully over my bed so that I can grab my crutches and stand. Once I do I head to the bathroom and go through my morning routine, get dressed and now I'm on my way out the door.

I peak my head out, not seeing anyone so I'm able to get into the hallway without trouble. The loud clunking sound the crutches make echoes through the halls, not stopping until I get to the door that says Dr. Kovac on it. I knock and the door opens, a smile on her face.

"Miss James." A middle-aged dark skinned woman says in an Slovakian accent.

I half smile at her and take a breath, "Goodmorning, Dr. Kovac."

"Come, come." she says and ushers me inside, helping me sit onto the hospital bed in the room.

I set my crutches aside, "So you heard what happened last night?"

"Ah, yes." She nods and walks to a cabinet with medicine, "You two are very lucky indeed."

I half laugh, lucky is an understatement for me because it's more like being born to survive. But if Archie hadn't made it that would have killed me. Then I look at her shifting things around in the medicine cabinet, "Don't have something to heal faster do you?" I say jokingly since I know there's no such medicine, but also because I already told Wanda not to heal me.

She smiles and laughs as well, turning to me with a couple of pills in her hands. One is pain killers and the other is vitamins. "I'm afraid not. Just your usual vitamins."

I make an annoyed noise as I grab the pills from her. We've been taking these for the last week, developed for people with powers to help not feel so weak after. But it hasn't done too much of that for me because instead it makes me feel foggy. It does help with boosting my strength, or at least it does before I crash from the adrenaline. "I don't see the point in these when it makes me feel crappy for most of the day."

"As I've told you, Miss James. It takes some time to get used to the side effects."

I pop both pills into my mouth and chug it down with water. Then I realized something, "Wait. Do you think the vitamin helped me with my fire power?"

She tilts her head a bit, "To absorb the fire?"

I nod rapidly, "Yes. I've never done that before."

She softly smiles, "It's possible. But it's also possible you did it all on your own."

I purse my lips because that doesn't help me figure anything out. However, I appreciate her honesty as she gives me a checkup to make sure I'm okay after yesterday and then I'm on my way out. She didn't seem to find anything alarming other than the broken leg and bruises, so that's good.

Now I have to go to Strucker's office. So when I get there Archie is already standing outside of his door, seeming to be waiting for me. I notice that other than his face having some cuts and a faint burn on his nose from the fire and obviously his arm being messed up that he seems to be doing fine. Meanwhile, I feel like shit because I'm exhausted and sore and just wanna sleep the entire time, which he seems to realize right away because he gives me a hug immediately before explaining how he was with the twins and watched them train because I was still sleeping. So he had already gone to Dr. Kovac's first thing in the morning. I slept in till well after 12pm and it's very rare that we're able to do this with all the training we are supposed to be doing.

Once he lets go we both step into Strucker's office after we knock and sit down into the chairs in front of his desk. He's staring at his computer, as if going over something. Then he turns to us and smiles softly, asking how we feel. Naturally, I feel horrible so that's exactly what I tell him.

"Like shit " I say in a serious tone.

He smiles and laughs gently, nodding. "I could imagine." He smiles a little longer before his face drops and gets serious, "We need to debrief." Last night we obviously didn't have time to talk about the mission since we were at the hospital and he sent us to bed.

"We did everything by the book." Archie tells Strucker as my eyes wander a bit before landing back to where he is sitting at his desk, "We used our IDs to get inside and through security."

"Did they give you a hard time?"

"No, but they seemed to look disgusted with us. They noticed that we weren't from here."

"Ah, your accent." Strucker says as I nod in agreement, "We may have to help you adapt to Sokovian."

I press my lips together, not really wanting to do that but I don't argue and instead continue from where Archie left off, "We took the elevator to the 3rd floor and walked straight to the lab."

"It's the only room on that floor that had anyone in it." Archie adds, "And the sign on the wall to the door read 'high class chemicals'."

Strucker rubs his chin a bit with a nod, "So there were other things they could have been working on other than the energy serum."

We both nod in agreement, but obviously without seeing anything more than what we were there to do we couldn't elaborate. However, now hearing this reminds me of my dream. If it was real and he was talking to someone about the mission then he already knows this information. So why is he acting dumb?

Before I can think more about it Archie continues to tell him everything, and I jump in here and there. Like how we talked to Dr. Magnolia and that he got defensive to keep it safe. How he distracted us to the point where one of his people managed to get the homemade bomb without us noticing, and then the aftermath.

"How did he distract you?"

Archie shakes his head, "I guess we weren't prepared enough. He kept talking to us and instead of trying to take some type of action we let him chat it up."

"But we were going by protocols. We were told not to take action unless necessary." I say gently, looking at both Strucker and Archie in turn. That way he knew I meant no disrespect.

Strucker nods at me, "She's right. We did say that."

"But…" I lick my lips a bit, "There was something that took us off guard."

"You mean besides the explosion?" Strucker asks gently.

I half smile because that's the obvious part, "Yes."

"What was it?"

"Dr. Magnolia said something about there being other super soldiers other than Captain America."

He tilts his head, leaning in closer to us as he sets his arms on the desk. "That's not possible."

"It's what he said." Archie chimes in now, "We think he was going off rumors to keep us busy. Which he did."

Strucker gives us both half smiles, seeming to be thinking more about what we said. Then he leans back into his chair and nods, "Regardless you both did a fine job with your mission."

"We got the targets and the vials." I say with a satisfied look.

He nods, "Exactly. And now the both of you will be resting up until further notice."

We stare at him in disbelief, "But what if the twins need us?" Archie asks.

He smiles, "I appreciate the dedication, but neither of you are in any shape to fight." He watches me carefully, "Or in your case you can barely walk."

"Ughhh." I say in annoyance with a soft pout.

He smiles and gives a soft laugh, the way a father would. "Off you go."

"Yes, sir." We both say before standing.

I grab my crutches and Archie opens the door for me. We both give Strucker a final nod before walking out into the hallway.

...

"Baby, come here." Wanda's voice comes to my ears while we're getting ready to watch a movie. Strucker only had the twins train this morning since they are capable and then gave them the rest of the day off so that they can keep an eye on myself and Archie.

I'm leaning against the armrest to the couch in the media room because it's the recliner side so that I can set my foot up, but when I hear her voice I look over and see her scoot closer to me with her arm stretched out. I smile and lean sideways into her as she wraps her arm around my shoulder and rubs my arm. I practically dig myself into her side, kind of ready to sleep again.

"Better?" she says lovingly, kissing my head.

"Much, but this may make me fall asleep."

She laughs softly, making my heart melt from it. "That's fine too. We're here to make sure you're resting up."

I smile gently and nod, closing my eyes for a second. "You know I love it when you call me baby."

She laughs that cute laugh, her body shaking beneath me and holds me tighter. "I love that you enjoy it."

The couch moves and I shift my eyes over to see that Pietro and Archie both sat down too. "What movie should we watch?" Pietro asks.

I stare at the time on the wall, it's only 5pm. It feels weird not training and having so much free time. "Anything that can keep me from falling asleep too early."

They all give a slight laugh, probably noticing the exhaustion on my face. In reality I think I got no sleep at all from that dream. I'm almost positive that it was real and that I dream leapt into someone else's mind, but I'm not 100% sure if this is true or how I did it so I haven't told them about it. I don't want to alarm anyone anymore than I already did from the other night when someone tried to reach out to me outside the compound.

"Are you sure you're up for this?" Wanda asks, her finger tips grazing my arm as she rubs it gently.

I look up at her and smile, "Positive. I want to hang out with you guys, I just might doze off is all."

"And after absorbing all that fire and kicking some ass you deserve all the sleep in the world." Pietro says with a smile at me, "Badass alert."

Now I let out a pretty big laugh, which makes me wince a bit from my sore body reacting to the shaking. "Oh man, I love how you've adapted to the way we talk."

"I very much enjoy your American ways."

I raise my eyebrows at him, my head still laying on Wanda's shoulder. "Coming from someone who is Anti-American that's a huge compliment."

He gives me a soft smile, leaning over to set his hand to my head and rubs it. "You guys are growing on me."

"We know not all Americans are bad." Wanda chimes in.

"Just the ones who killed our parents and anyone else like them."

I give a soft smile, knowing they are talking about Tony Stark since his family name owns the missile that killed them, but there is still no arguing the fact that he changed his ways and is on the right side of things now. "Well I appreciate that you've stuck by our sides."

"Ditto." Archie says now, his head popping up from behind Pietro on the couch.

We all make small talk for a few minutes longer and then search for a movie. They press play and just like I expected I passed out a good 10 minutes in, not being bothered or woken up as they let me sleep and this time it seems like I didn't dream. I had no nightmares and as far as I can remember, no type of dream leaping.

Everything is dark but I start to hear voices, "Are they under your control yet?" A man's voice says, sounding familiar.

"They trust us. That's all the control we need." Strucker's voice now comes into play and I notice that their voices sound like an echo, as if they aren't in the real world.

"That won't be enough, Baron." he tells him, "Once they find out."

"They won't. We're being careful."

"Are the twins?"

"Of course." he says, a hint of venom in his voice now.

"Best be, because they are getting extremely attached. Especially Wanda."

"I'm aware of their relationship."

"And yet you allow it?"

"They're old enough to make their own decisions."

"Not when it can cost us everything."

"I'm watching them."

"Not well enough. You need to make sure they won't betray you."

"I have what I need if things go south."

"You better, because my associate is not able to get into her mind to keep her on our side. She's blocking her efforts and we'll need her powers the most."

"Because they taught her well."

I gasp awake in my room 2 months later and sit up in bed, panting and sweating. I feel like I can't breathe from it being difficult to get air into my lungs. A pain is rushing through my head and I close my eyes, setting my hand to it. When I do I get a ringing in my ears that shoots pain into my head and it's a little more excruciating than normal as I open my eyes again with a soft pant.

"Madison?" Wanda says beside me in the dark before the light from the nightstand turns on and I see the concerned look on her face.

I stare at her, panting more as I try to catch my breath. I can't speak and my heart feels like it's about to rip out of my chest just as bad as my head feels like it's cutting in half.

"Baby, what is it?" She says gently before she gets onto her knees on what I realize is her bed because I ended up here last night. Then she brings herself closer to me and sets her hands to my face.

My breathing is rapid as I feel her warm hands grip my face and I keep my eyes on hers the whole time, needing this pain and feeling of fear to stop.

"I got you." she says softly, feeling her breath on me as she does. "Deep breaths. It was just a dream."

I set my hands to her wrists now, gripping them and shaking my head softly as I feel myself calming down. She has that effect on me it seems. "It...didn't feel like one."

She gives me an even more concerned look, as if feeling all of my emotions at once. "Something happened." her voice sounds scared now.

I slowly nod, taking another breath before my chest subsides from the pain and my head lessens in it's throbs but it still hurts. I groan softly from my headache and have to close my eyes again with a wince, her voice soothing as she tells me to relax.

She shifts one of her hands away from my face and puts her thumb to my forehead between my eyebrows just before her power seeps through her and into me. "Shh." she says when I groan again, "You're okay."

I pant gently, opening my eyes slowly when the pain minimizes and they land on the beautiful girl in front of me. Every time she does this it never fully takes away my headaches, but it does enough to function.

Wanda smiles at me and kisses my cheek before setting her forehead to mine and closes her eyes. She looks so scared that it makes me feel guilty. I don't mean to scare her, but I keep doing so.

I let myself slack into her forehead when she does this, her hands still on my face. "I-I'm sorry...I didn't mean to worry you."

She slowly shakes her head, keeping her eyes shut as she breathes softly. It almost feels like she's trying to make sure I'm keeping up with her breathing so I don't panic again. "Don't apologize for what your magic does to your body."

I take another breath, realizing that mine is at the same pace as hers and is doing the trick to keep me calm. "I hate it. I don't want to keep going through this."

"I know." She opens her eyes now and pulls her forehead away gently, smiling a bit. "But it means that your powers are growing. You'll learn to control them once you figure out what triggers them."

"Sleep apparently." I half laugh, because it sounds ridiculous but these dreams are what keep making me wake up with these side effects.

She gives me a small laugh back and then sets her hands into mine, "I think it's more than that." she grips my hands a little more, "I can sense it."

I press my lips together, knowing I have to tell her about these realistic dreams. They have to be a part of something bigger than just random nightmares. Then I take a breath and nod, "I think it might be the person who tried to contact me that one night."

She tilts her head in some confusion, "The night that you almost collapsed in the media room?"

I nod and squeeze her hands like she's my lifeline, "I feel like she's trying to tell me something. I've had two similar dreams in the last few months where it looks like I'm staring through someone else's eyes."

Now here eyebrows slant in more confusion, "And what eyes are you looking through?"

I shake my head, because I'm obviously not sure. "I...I don't know. A man's, but both dreams had Strucker in them." I take a breath and begin to explain that the first time he was talking to a man about what happened when we survived the explosion and how they found extra content in the lab. Then I tell her about this one. How he was talking to what sounded like the same man who seemed concerned about control, and that someone helping him couldn't get into someone else's mind.

The wheels are turning in her head as she thinks, a bit of hesitation in her expression. I can't tell if she believes there's a connection between them or if she's in denial that Strucker would be a part of anything more drastic than fixing their country. Then she takes a breath, "So he's up to something." she says matter of factly rather than as a question.

I bite my lip a bit, "I think there's something big going on here."

She nods slowly, rubbing my face with her knuckles. "And whatever it is seems to be involving your powers working on overdrive when you're not awake."

I clench my jaw slightly from the thought but the comfort of her touch keeps me from freaking out. I have no idea what's going on in this compound but whatever is happening is probably not good. I have to figure it out fast, before my telepathy makes me insane.