It's been just over a week and a half since Wanda left. Morgan had expressed her dislike of "Wan Wan" leaving, but accepted it nonetheless. Freya on the other hand, has been concealing the difficult time she's been having. And it's not just because she misses Wanda. Which she does, immensely. She had one of her best friends ripped away from her, with whom she shares a very rare connection with through the Mind Stone, for five years. Only to get her back and have her leave again after a month. Of course Freya misses her like crazy. But, it's more than that. And not in a good way.
Ever since her near altercation with Wanda, Freya's felt like there's this cloud hanging over her. She feels weighed down by it and it brings a strong feeling of unease and apprehension. When anyone seems to notice and ask her if she's okay, she just waves them off with a chuckle and chalks it up to being pregnancy hormones. Which she knows is a flat out lie. In order to keep Steve from worrying, she's been keeping herself closed off from him through their link. She constantly monitors it to make sure she's not letting her unsettled state carry over to him. But, as hard as she tries, he's definitely noticed. And in turn has been watching her closely without bringing it to her attention.
At the moment, Steve is walking out onto their front porch where Freya is staring blankly toward the south. The sun has already peaked in the sky as it shines brightly on their property. Its rays bounce off their pond, creating mesmerizing reflections of ripples across the walls of their house.
"Doll?" Steve calls out to her quietly. She doesn't seem to hear him and continues to blankly and unblinkingly stare into the distance. "Freya," he says firmly. This seems to snap her out of her daze. She blinks rapidly before looking at him in surprise. She hadn't even known he was there.
"Did you say something?" Freya asks in clear confusion. Steve raises an eyebrow and nods. She rubs her eyes tiredly and sighs. "I guess I zoned out. I'm sorry, Spangles. I'm just tired."
Steve reaches out and pulls her into a hug. She threads her arms around his torso and leans her head against his chest. He presses a kiss to the top of her head before resting his chin on it.
"Well, you are carrying twins," Steve chuckles.
"I still can't wrap my head around it," Freya says in disbelief. "Even with Bruce confirming it."
"We were lucky to even see him," Steve hums.
"I know," Freya nods against his chest. "With everyone being blipped back, it's chaos. Between Bruce helping local hospitals and doctor's offices and Natasha coordinating with the government and law enforcement to try and maintain some sort of order, they're stretched pretty thin. And it's not just them. Rhodey, my mom, Pep, Happy. I tasked FRIDAY to help out in any way she can, so hopefully that provides some relief."
"That's a good idea," Steve agrees. "Speaking of Bruce and Nat, how are they?"
"They're good," Freya smiles. "Still adjusting to their new normal, but they're happy."
"Good," Steve smiles. "They deserve a win."
"I think we all do," Freya frowns as she involuntarily looks toward the south again.
"So when are you gonna tell me what's bugging you?" Steve asks.
"Huh?" Freya looks up at him. "What are you talking about?" He gives her a serious look, making her sigh and look south again. "That's just it, Steve. I don't know what's wrong."
"Why do you keep looking that way?" Steve inquires.
"I, uh, I just feel like something's out there... I'm not sure what, though," she shakes her head.
"You've been retreating from our link, why?" Steve presses. Her head snaps up to him with wide eyes and he chuckles. "You really thought I wouldn't notice? Freya, you're the love of my life. My best friend. My soulmate. I'm the one person you can't lie to. Well, and maybe Wanda," he jokes. He notices Freya frown in reaction at the mention of their friend and becomes serious. "This is about Wanda, isn't it?"
"It's-..." Freya sighs and pulls herself out of the hug. Steve watches her intently as she slowly paces back and forth across the porch and bites her nails. "It's complicated, Steve."
"Then un-complicate it for me," he replies in borderline frustration. Her vagueness and unusually worried demeanor making him anxious.
Freya stops pacing and turns to face him. Multiple emotions quickly flicker across her face. Worry, guilt, fear, confusion, annoyance. Knowing he's right, she sighs and opens herself up to their link like normal. Allowing Steve to feel what she does. His eyes instantly widen and his knees nearly buckle. It's almost this overwhelming sadness, grief and worry lined with fear and confusion. There's guilt there too, which clearly belongs to Freya. Everything else feels muddled. The emotions are definitely strong, but they don't feel like they're completely hers.
"This is what you've been feeling?" Steve asks quietly once he somewhat recovers.
"Ever since I last saw Wanda," Freya nods and looks out toward the south again. "And it's only gotten worse since she left. I don't know if this is all me or if I'm feeling what she's feeling or if it's somehow combined. All I know is that it is Wanda to some extent. I just don't know how much of it."
"What are you saying? There's someone else involved?" Steve tilts his head in question.
"Again, I don't know," she says with a frustrated tone before gesturing to the south. "But, I know that whatever's out there is Wanda. I know her energy signature. It's unmistakable for me. But the rest is..." Freya's voice trails off as she stares into the distance.
"The rest is what?" Steve asks.
"The rest is just darkness," Freya states. "It's just unending darkness."
"Have you talked to Wanda since she left?" he frowns.
"Once," she nods. "Last week. She called to check in. I don't wanna push her, so I'm letting her contact me when she feels up to it. As long as she keeps her phone on. That was the agreement."
"That's probably a good idea," Steve nods. "What'd she say?"
"Not much, honestly," Freya sighs. "She let me know she's okay and we talked for a bit about random stuff. But, she sounded different." Freya looks up at Steve and frowns. "She sounded determined."
"Determined? To do what?"
"That's what I'm trying to figure out. When I asked how she's doing, all she said was that she's working on trying to find her own happiness. She wouldn't tell me where she was," Freya tells him. She shakes her head and scrunches her face up in thought. "I know she was seeing a therapist or... was it a psychiatrist?" Freya questions herself.
"Pregnancy brain," Steve smiles. She gives him an annoyed look in response. "Oh, come on, you know I'm just teasing you, Doll," he laughs and kisses her forehead.
"No, I know," she sighs. She stands in silence for a moment before tilting her head in confusion. "But I never forget anything. I literally can't. I mean, the only time I did was when I lost my memories..."
Freya's voice trails off and her eyebrows knit together. She pictures an interaction with Wanda in her head that took place a week before she had left. Wanda is telling Freya about a doctor she's been talking to in hopes of coping with the loss of Vision and the snap. But, it's like the memory suddenly jump cuts to a different part of the conversation. Freya opens her mouth to say something, but only lets out a confused squeak.
"What?" Steve asks worriedly.
"I can't recall the memory," she replies quietly.
"I don't understand," Steve shakes his head. Freya looks up at him and projects the memory into his mind. She watches his eyes dart back and forth aimlessly as he watches the memory play out in his head. They quickly widen and look down at her in confusion. "It's like... it's edited?" Steve says in question form. "What does that mean?"
"I think my memory was tampered with," Freya admits. The hair on the back of her neck slightly raises and her stomach churns. She feels so violated.
"Tampered with?" he asks angrily. "By who? Wanda?"
"I'm really getting tired of saying 'I don't know', but," she sighs. "I don't know. I do know that Wanda did talk to me about a doctor, but I can't recall the details of that part of the conversation. It's just... gone."
"Do you know if there's anything we can do to get it back?"
"I'm not sure," she responds quietly. "I've never actually been aware of one of my memories being tampered with before. This is new for me. I mean, she's the one who unlocked my memories in the first place. So, why wouldn't she have the ability to alter or remove them?"
"Call Wanda. Right now," Steve demands angrily. "If this was her, we need to get this under control."
"If this was in fact her, what if she didn't do it on purpose, Steve?" Freya asks as she fishes her cellphone from her back pocket. "What if she's doing this without even knowing it?"
"All the more reason to have a talk with her," Steve frowns. Freya nods in agreement and quickly dials Wanda. Her stomach drops when the call instantly goes to voicemail.
"Her phone is off," Freya tells him. His brow creases with worry while he watches her. "Uh, hey, Wanda," Freya begins when she hears the beep. Her voice quickly grows stronger as she exudes authority. "I wanna ask you something. I need you to call me back as soon as you get this. And, we had an agreement, Wanda. Keep your phone on." She sighs and pinches the bridge of her nose. "I hope you know how much we love you, Wan," Freya says quietly. "Call me." She ends the call and stuffs her phone back into her pocket with a huff. "I don't have a good feeling about this," she looks up at Steve, whose eyes slightly widen at her warning. "Whatever this is turning into."
"Are you able to reach out to Wanda mentally?" Steve asks.
"I already tried that and got nothing," Freya shrugs. "So, she's either too far away. Or, she's choosing to ignore me." Freya pauses before looking toward the south. "And I don't think she's out of my range."
"Why don't we go back inside and wait for her to call you back," Steve offers. He hesitantly glances toward the south before throwing an arm over her shoulders. "I'll make us some lunch. Buck and Sam probably won't be back until later."
"Wait, Bucky and Sam left?" Freya scrunches her face up in confusion.
"Yeah..." Steve says slowly as he leads her inside. "You didn't see them?" She quietly shakes her head in response. "They walked right past you while you were on the porch. They said bye to you and everything. You just stood there."
"I did?" Freya asks.
"Yeah, Doll, you did," Steve tells her, clearly concerned. "They took the truck and drove over to your mom's to help her and Happy out with some stuff around the house."
"I didn't even notice," Freya mumbles.
"I can see that," Steve chuckles in an attempt to lighten the mood. But there's no humor in it.
"Maybe I'm just tired," Freya weakly attempts to reason.
"Yeah, maybe..." Steve replies with a worried glance.
Later that evening, Steve and Freya are napping on the living room couch. He lays behind her with an arm draped protectively over her stomach. He's pulled from his slumber when the front door closes.
"I'm just sayin', man. We would've been done a lot sooner if you hadn't been screwin' around," Sam complains.
"Oh, well, forgive me for entertaining Morgan. I can't help it if I'm the cool uncle," Bucky grins.
"Oh, please!" Sam snorts. "You're a senior citizen trapped in a cyborg body!"
"Am not!" Bucky glares.
"Guys," Steve scolds quietly. Their heads snap over to him and he raises a finger to his lips before pointing at Freya. They silently tip toe over to the couch and look down at the sleeping woman.
"She looks exhausted," Bucky whispers. Concerned, he glances at Steve and finds a worried look on his face. "What happened?"
"They had the house to themselves all day, that's what happened," Sam teases Steve.
"Sam," Bucky scolds him over his shoulder. When Sam sees the look on his face and finally notices Steve's, his smile quickly falls and he becomes serious.
"What's wrong with her?" Sam asks. "Are the babies okay?"
"Yeah," Steve sighs in relief. "The babies are fine. But, we think it has something to do with Wanda." Glancing up at them, he frowns when he sees their concerned looks and quickly fills them in on what happened.
"So that's why Frey was basically catatonic when we left," Sam states.
"I think so," Steve nods.
"And she thinks her memory was tampered with?" Bucky asks.
"That's what she thinks, yeah. And from what she showed me, I looks like it actually was," Steve frowns.
"We're talkin' about Wanda, though," Sam reminds them. "She's an Avenger. And one of Freya's best friends. She's family."
"But I don't think she's stable," Bucky suddenly admits. Causing the other two to look over at him.
"What are you talking about?" Steve demands. Bucky glances at Freya before closing his eyes and sighing.
"The day Wanda left. When I was sitting with her and Freya on the porch. Something happened..." Bucky says hesitantly. "Frey kind of... freaked out."
"Yeah, she was completely spooked," Steve nods as he thinks back to that day. "She said she was fine, which she was, but the look on her face. She was almost-"
"Horrified," Bucky nods. "I think Wanda made her see something."
"What makes you think that?" Sam presses.
"Frey had asked me, 'You didn't see that?'," Bucky answers. "She saw something that none of us did. And I don't think Wanda did it on purpose. She wasn't even paying attention."
"I wonder what she saw," Steve wonders quietly. He looks down at Freya and sees her face scrunched up. He can't feel her in his head, so he assumes she's just dreaming. But when he sees her hands clench into fists, his eyes widen.
"What is it?" Bucky asks.
"I think you two should back up," Steve cautions. The lights around the house flicker before completely going out. Bathing them in pitch black darkness. There's a low rumble when the house slightly shakes before stilling.
"Um, Cap..." Sam whispers nervously. Bucky's been on the receiving end of Freya's powers before. So he just silently backs away and pulls Sam with him.
"Just back up and stay quiet," Steve orders. He slowly sits up and reaches down to begin the wake up process. But he doesn't get the chance.
Freya lets out a loud gasp and her eyes fly wide open. Revealing only bright lights made up of her aura's colors instead. She launches herself off the couch and releases the most terrifying, ear splitting scream. Steve, Sam and Bucky all slap their hands over their ears to drown it out. Everything in the house shakes around them under the stress of it. She drops to the ground on her hands and knees and immediately begins to sob uncontrollably. Steve scrambles off the couch while the other two start to make their way forward. Suddenly, they freeze. There's an instant build up of tears in their eyes before they all start choking back sobs. Steve falls to his knees next to Freya and struggles to reach out to her. She continues to sob hysterically. Even when Sam and Bucky clutch their heads and collapse to their knees. It's becoming hard for the three of them to breathe under the weight of what they're feeling. There's so much grief and pain. It's actually unbearable.
"Freya, you have to calm yourself," Steve strains out.
"It's too much, I can't!" Freya wails.
She clamps her mouth shut and grinds her teeth together when another scream threatens to escape her. Her efforts are fruitless when a second one erupts. Causing the others to collapse down to their hands now too with yells of pain.
"Doll, you've gotta reel it in," Steve chokes out.
"I'm trying," she whimpers. Steve reaches out to her again, but she shrinks away from him. "Nonono, stay back. I don't have control." Steve ignores her and attempts to grab her hand. She finally snaps and throws her left hand out. "I said stay back!" she screams. A wave of her energy expands outwards and collides with Steve, Sam and Bucky. They get thrown across the living room and come to a sliding stop against the base of the stairs. Freya wobbles to her feet and clutches her head in agony. "Please help me," she whispers. She can feel her powers building to a boiling point and there's nothing she can do to stop it. Suddenly, her aura ignites around her. Her arms lower to her sides and she looks straight ahead. Her eyes are still glowing, but her face is completely serene. The guys sigh in relief when her mental assault finally ceases. Their heads now only carry a dull ache from the intrusion. Slowly climbing to their feet, they cautiously walk back into the living room. They glance at each other wearily before approaching her.
"Frey?" Steve asks softly. He stiffens when her head slowly turns to him. She calmly looks up and meets his eyes. He gasps, having never seen her eyes like this before. Well, she currently doesn't even have eyes. It's like she's glowing from the inside out. "Doll?" he asks hesitantly.
"No," Freya simply states. Her voice now very clearly distorted.
"Huh?" Sam asks in confusion before glancing at Steve. "What does she mean 'no'?"
"It's not Freya. It's her powers," Steve answers with a frown.
"It's them," Bucky whispers. He takes a step backwards in caution. Freya turns her gaze on him and looks him over. Her glowing, eyeless gaze making his own eyes widen.
"Hello, Sergeant Barnes," Freya greets him. "It's nice to see you again under better circumstances. We're sorry for almost killing you."
"Uh, well, in all fairness, I kinda tried to kill you first," Bucky shrugs awkwardly.
"What the hell?" Sam asks in confusion.
"It's okay, she kicked my ass. I'll tell you later," Bucky quickly whispers to him.
"You weren't yourself," Freya replies with a close-lipped smile, ignoring Sam.
"No hard feelings?" Bucky offers. Freya only nods in reply.
"Where's Freya? What have you done with my wife?" Steve questions sternly.
"She's here," Freya answers. "And she's now very aware of what's happening to her. Follow us, please." She doesn't wait for an answer and walks outside. The three men silently glance at each other before trailing behind her. She walks out to the middle of the yard before turning back to them. "She willingly gave over control, Captain Rogers," Freya narrows her eyes. "She doesn't want to hurt any of you and we won't let her. We are allies. Treat us rightfully so."
"How do we know we can trust you?" Steve presses.
"We once believed that caring for others makes you weak. Freya taught us that we were in fact quite wrong," Freya smiles. "She showed us the importance of family. So we will not harm anyone she cares for."
"Okay," Steve nods after a few moments. "Then can you tell us what the hell just happened?"
"During your journey to return the stones, she fully enabled her powers. As you can see," Freya gestures to her eyes and aura, causing Steve to nod in agreement. "She's now able to do things we can't even imagine. From this point on, her powers will continue to evolve. She will need to take things at her own pace to test herself. Especially in this state," she says as she glances down to her stomach. "That energy surge earlier didn't help either, obviously. Her abilities and senses have been heightened. Even more so after it."
"What do you mean?" Sam asks. "Are you sayin' it charged her like a battery or somethin'?"
"Not quite," Freya shakes her head. "The surge seemed to trigger her fight or flight response. It overwhelmed her and caused her to lose control. She's not used to wielding this much power. It will take some getting used to. Especially, the magic."
"Magic?" Bucky tilts his head.
"Like a witch?" Sam chuckles.
"Sorceress," Freya corrects Sam, making his smile fall and his eyes widen. "Which leads us to believe she's more than just the genetic make up of her birth parents and the Infinity Stones."
"Okay, so, what can we do to help her?" Steve asks impatiently. "I'd kinda like to have her back."
"We will need to safely expel this pent up energy," Freya informs them. She floats into the air and nods. "You will have Freya back in a moment, but we must make sure you're at a safe distance. We don't know what her powers can do to you if you're exposed." She doesn't wait for a response before she's blasting off into the air. Her illuminated form quickly turns into a small, bright dot in the sky.
"Whoa," Sam gasps. "She's so fast now!"
"Just like Carol," Bucky points out.
"It's the Space Stone," Steve nods.
The three of them crane their heads back to look up at Freya. It's pretty much impossible to pick her out of the starry, night sky. Suddenly, there's an almost blinding explosion of light. A massive circle of Freya's energy expands out over the night sky. It bathes everything in light, turning the late evening into midday for a moment. The circle quickly enlarges to the furthest reaches of the sky before dissipating.
"Whoa," Steve breathes out. Bucky snorts in agreement.
"Right?" Sam mumbles.
A ball of light quickly gets closer to them and they're able to make out the colors of Freya's aura. She slows as she approaches and gently sets herself on the ground. Her aura powers down and her eyes revert back to normal. As soon as she looks around at everyone, Steve can instantly tell that this is his Freya. He strides forward and pulls her into a tight hug. She quickly reciprocates and buries her face in his chest with a muffled sob.
"Hey, shh, you're okay. The babies are okay. The guys and I are okay. Everyone's okay," Steve soothes her. Freya just shakes her head with a sniffle before leaning back to look up at him.
"Are you really okay?" she asks guiltily, her voice now back to normal.
"I'm fine, Doll," Steve nods. "I promise, I'm fine. You just scared me is all." He presses a kiss to her forehead. She sighs and looks around at everyone.
"I'm so sorry guys. I didn't mean to hurt anyone," she frowns.
"Hey, we're fine, Frey," Sam smiles. "Nothin' a little Tylenol can't fix."
Freya rolls her eyes in response and focuses on Bucky. Her heart sinks when she sees the look in his eyes. She lets out a small gasp and begins to tear up. She had forced her way into his head. Just like HYDRA had done to him.
"Bucky, I-"
"Frey, it's okay," Bucky nods. "You didn't mean to. I know that." He smiles, but it doesn't meet his eyes. She knows he means what he says, but what she did probably brought back the trauma he endured in HYDRA. She walks forward and pulls him into a hug. He gently reciprocates with a shaky sigh. He knows she can see how it had affected him since she went through something similar. Pulling away, he smiles down at her, but it reaches his eyes this time. "I'm okay. Promise."
She nods before turning back to Steve. She leans against him tiredly while he throws an arm over her shoulders.
"Do you have any idea what that energy surge was?" Steve asks.
"It felt..." Freya tilts her head as she thinks back on it. "It felt like Wanda. But, it also felt like me?" She shakes her head and sighs. "I know it sounds weird. But, it just felt similar. And then..." She hesitates. "Then came the grief and pain. And there were so many people," she breathes out.
"Wait, people? As in plural? Wanda and people?" Sam asks for her to elaborate.
"Yeah," Freya frowns. "I don't know who they are or where they are." She looks south again like she repeatedly had earlier in the day. "Now there's just this muddled energy coming from that direction. I don't feel it as strongly as before though." She frowns and looks down at her feet. "Wanda just felt so alone. I instantly knew it was her. I've felt an energy surge like that from her before when Pietro died. I think that's what caused my reaction."
"Because of Pietro?" Sam questions.
"Because I've felt that before. The loss. The endless nothingness. Like when you can't remember who you are," Freya frowns. She glances at Bucky and he sends her a nod of understanding. "That feeling can damage you in ways you don't realize until it's too la-" Freya's cut off when her eyes glow and she lets out a loud gasp. The other three's eyes widen in panic at the thought of her losing control again. She exhales and her eyes revert back to normal. She whips around to stare toward the south again.
"I don't think I'll ever get used to that eye thing," Sam mumbles.
"What's wrong, Frey?" Steve asks. "Another energy surge?"
"I'm, uh, I'm not sure," she replies with a tone of confusion. "It was another energy signature. Similar to Wanda again, and me, but it was..." Her eyebrows furrow together and she shakes her head. "It was empty."
"How's that even possible?" Bucky questions.
"I'm not sure. But there's definitely a new energy signature now. It's muddled, but it's there. I can't read it though," she sighs in frustration.
"Hey, don't overexert yourself, Doll," Steve tells her. "It's already been a long day. And you look exhausted."
"You should really get some sleep," Sam nods.
"But, Wanda-"
"Can wait until tomorrow," Steve says sternly. "You have to think about more than just yourself now, remember?" She sighs in defeat and nods.
"The power's still out," Bucky informs everyone.
"Oops..." Freya cringes.
"I'll go check the breakers," Sam laughs before jogging to the garage.
"Let's get you inside. You need to sleep," Steve says softly.
With exhaustion starting to hit her, Freya nods and lets herself be led inside. Once Sam gets the power back on, she basically sleep walks upstairs, changes into her pajamas and climbs into bed. By the time Steve pulls the covers over her and kisses her forehead, she's already out.