Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel. I own Addison Carter.

RATED M

ENJOY!

January 2nd, 2019, London, Brian's flat

"I doubt it's a courtesy visit," Brian told me. I was in his apartment, waiting on his couch.

"It's not." He had a black eye. "Trouble in Otherworld?"

"I guess, the usual." He took a beer from his fridge and threw me one that I caught easily. "So, what can I do for MI:13? Unless it's Multiverse related."

"MI:13." He sat down in front of me with a sigh. "And you won't like it. Do you know what the Weapon Plus Program is?" He nodded.

"They experiment on mutants to make super-soldiers or something." I nodded. "You guys still have nothing?"

"Actually, I've gotten a lead. The issue is...he mentioned your name." He choked on his beer, spilling some on his pants. He wiped his mouth, looking at me in disbelief.

"What?"

"I figured it wasn't you though, so I thought maybe your dad had something to do with that, and the Hellfire Club." He pinched the bridge of his nose. "You know about that?"

"Sadly. I...technically I'm a part of it, I just never went." I frowned. "It's hereditary, when my father died it went to me."

"Not your older brother?"

"He never went either before he went missing and Betsy's in America. Let me guess, you want to infiltrate it."

"Precisely."

"With Wisdom?"

"He's the spy, not me."

"And I have to go too because I'm the member, you'd be my plus one." I nodded.

"They won't know what's coming."

I went back to my place after finishing my beer and Brian promising me not to do anything. I sat down in front of my computer and turned it on.

I hid a lot from Brian, but I would tell him later. Like how his dad worked for SHIELD when Grandma was still the director in the seventies. Somehow, James Braddock Sr had been involved with SHIELD and Weapon Plus. He had been a SHIELD agent, meaning he was actively fighting. Brian probably knew more than he was letting on.

I grabbed the file Pete dropped yesterday. It was from MI:5, during the war.

Pete thought it was for Margaret when in truth, it was for Michael. It was the uncensored copy that gave every detail of what he did during WWII. Apart from that, Pete found stuff about the British Super-Soldier Program, what a surprise, but nothing much apart from that. Oh, he found out that Father, Mother and Brother were code names for scientists in the British Weapon Plus Program and that Braddock was Brother, but apart from that, not much.

I sighed deeply when I leaned back in my chair.

I had a bad feeling regarding what was happening in England.

Not having anything to do, I decided to work on my classes. However, I got a call from Alistair asking me to come quickly. I did.

There was a man in his office. He was wearing a checkered red and black suit with a matching hat. I stopped at the door though. I knew him.

How could I not when it was the politician claiming publicly that the Sokovia Accords were right and that enhanced individuals had to be put in check? I looked at Alistair, who for once was not his nerdy, goofy self but serious. He looked back at me and sighed.

"Ah, there she is!" The man turned around and looked at me up and down.

"Sir Jasper," I replied curtly. His blue eyes had something in them I didn't like. He sighed a little at my reply.

"Stuart, I can borrow her for an hour?" Alistair didn't seem to like that and shot me a look. I pursed my lips and nodded.

"Of course. Carter, come back in an hour sharp." And tell me why the hell he's here, he thought right after that.

I cringed when I had his hand in my back, making me move. Pete, who we saw on the way, was shocked.

That was how I found myself in a fancy restaurant with a great view of London. Jasper was staring at me.

"You look like your mom; did anyone tell you that?" I blinked. He noticed my confusion and sighed. "They really didn't tell you anything, did they?"

"Should I know something?"

"I am your uncle Addison, Victoria's older brother James? Jim maybe?" I frowned.

"I don't think you have the right person, my mom was American." He shook his head.

"She was very much English. She ran away when she was a teenager to America and the only time I saw her after was once when she moved back with her husband and you."

"It doesn't make any sense, why would I have been lied to?" He shrugged.

"I don't know but…" He pulled a picture from in jacket and handed it to me.

It was a way younger version of him. I bit the inside of my cheek when, in spite of being a very young teenager, I recognized my mother.

"Do you believe me now?"

"That…"

"I could show you my entire family tree if you wish to. Or your family on your father's side must have kept proofs of her identity. Do you even know her maiden name?" I gulped quietly.

I did not.

I just knew her as Victoria Carter. Went to the Institute, met Dad, in love, wedding, me, dead. I mean, I was five when they died, but my grandparents would have told me? Or Tony?

"It is...well was, Victoria Jasper."

I had to listen to him for an hour talking about my mother and the life I never knew she had had. Once it was over, I just nodded at him and left him at the table, alone to pay. I almost forced a cab to stop so that I could go back to MI:13 asap. Once there Pete stopped me and dragged me in his office. I sat down on a chair.

"Why did you go with the national anti-mutant politician?"

"Apparently he's the uncle I never knew I had?" Pete shot me a weird look and I shrug. "I don't...I need to talk to Tony."

"Good thing you're bringing him up." I blinked at him and he turned his laptop around. "Apparently MI:6 kept tracks of members of the Hellfire Club for decades. Check out who joined the New York one in the sixties." I frowned and sighed.

Howard Stark. Not really surprising when you thought of it.

"Brian agreed to help us, but I'm seeing Tony now and he'll talk."

"We take a plane for New York or you make a portal?" I blinked. "Oh, I'm going too."

"Portal. Just...I need to tell Alistair what happened." I did. He was not relaxed at all about this development. My mom was a mutant, and her own brother was on a crusade to get rid of us, it didn't make much sense.

"We're going to New York. Tony Stark has some answering to do," Pete added. Alistair nodded.

"Tell the Avengers you're in the country first, in case you end up…"

"In a fight? Not our style." Pete shot me a quick look, not believing me. "Fine, I'll send us to the Compound." I looked at Pete. "No comment on how you're not America biggest fan."

"I can control myself," he reminded me with narrowed eyes.

"You did make some comment when you met Captain America," I told him. Alistair shot him an exasperated look. "Steve kept it to himself though."

"Genosha isn't in America, is it?"

"Just leave, dealing with Jasper killed all my good mood for today."

"Sorry for him," I told him as we left his office. "He's been stressed recently, hasn't he?"

"Yes," he replied shortly.

We were in front of the Avengers Compound in a second. It was still morning in America.

"You don't happen to know their schedule?"

"The team changed, the leader too, so who knows? I haven't seen or talked to anyone apart from Steve in Genosha for a while." I put my hand on the panel at the entrance.

"Miss Carter, it is a pleasure to have you back."

"Nice to hear you FRIDAY. The guy with me is cool, his name is Pete Wisdom, he's my partner at work."

"Understood."

Pete looked around with a raised brow. I scanned the place. They were in a meeting. At least Tony was. He was there, so good for us, but in a meeting with Steve, Nat and Rhodey. I'd make an entrance then.

I stomped to the conference room and burst the door opened with my telekinesis. They all stopped talking and looked at me.

"That can't be good," Tony commented. I narrowed my eyes at him and they all looked at him.

"What did you do?" Rhodey asked him.

"I don't know!"

"Family talk. Now." Seeing I was serious, he gestured me to follow him.

We ended up in his workshop, the doors closed.

"Okay, wha…"

"I just met Uncle James." He turned livid in a fraction of second and I smirked bitterly. "That's enough confirmation."

"Addie…"

"How...just...is everything I know about my own family is a lie!? How come no one ever told me...no, how come everyone lied to me about my mother!?"

"Addison, there's an expla…"

"You've all lied to me for twenty-eight years!" I yelled at him, a lump in my throat.

I felt betrayed. There was no other word for it.

Tony stared at me wordlessly as I rambled angrily at him, my words not even making sense at the end. I just had so much anger regarding that man for his opinions and now to know we were related and that my mother had a whole life I knew nothing about just…

It blew up when I saw Tony.

"Is there anything else about me that's a lie I should know about!?"

"Addison, there's a reason why you didn't know about that man," Tony stated firmly. I sniffed deeply and wiped my nose. "Can I speak without you blowing up at each of my words?"

"I can't say for sure." He sighed.

"I'll try anyway. I don't know the full story Addie, okay? What I do know is that one day, Aunt Peggy came back from the UK with Vicky. She was like a scared animal and wouldn't talk to anyone, kind of like you in a way." I pursed my lips. "She stayed with your family for a few weeks before going to the Institute. Your grandmother told me that she got her away from a very bad family situation." I furrowed my brows. "It wasn't until your parents got married and you came along that your mom told me she was running away from your uncle." I blinked. "I'm sure if you dig in Peggy's files you'll find more, but Vicky, then your dad, your grandparents, they all made me promise to never tell you about him or that your mom was English and not American. She built herself a new life and identity here. She just...wanted to forget her past." I clenched my jaw. "They did it to protect you and I continued. How...how did he even…"

"He came to the office. To talk to Alistair to talk to me." Tony widened his eyes.

"He tracked you down?" I shrugged.

"He said he saw Mom and I once when they moved back in England, so he must have known I didn't know him at all before even seeing me."

"Don't get close to him Addison." I pursed my lips. "I mean it. Your mom didn't take shit from anyone but somehow, she was terrified of James. Just don't…"

"Tony, he wants the Sokovia Accords back and hates superhumans. He's not the kind of guy I want as a relative. At least stupid John Carter doesn't have any political influence." I sighed and crossed my arms.

"Sorry you had to learn it like that."

"At least I learned it," I replied coldly. "I don't even have the time for that right now."

"Issues?"

"Actually, your dad's name popped up." He frowned. "Do you know what the Hellfire Club is?"

"That? Yeah. I never accepted the invitation. He got in only for the parties."

"I'm...not surprised. Anyway, do you think you could get me in the New York one?" He raised a brow. "They have information about...Weapon Plus."

"You're after them?" he asked in alarm.

"They're doing something big in the UK and we have nothing."

"Then how do you know about the Hellfire Club?" I looked up and rubbed my forehead.

"I used a few contacts I still had from Ivanov." His disapproval was obvious. "Look, I made mistakes I'll live with forever, but it doesn't mean I can't use what I learned back then now." He still wasn't happy. "I didn't do anything okay." And Colcord was a piece of trash anyway. "Look, just tell me if you can get me in or not."

"I can give you my invitation but...Addie, it's dang…"

"For fuck's sake, I know it's dangerous!" I interrupted him. "And I'm not asking for permission. I'm going to go, it's just a matter of how."

"You're so annoying," he muttered. "I'll give it to you and make sure you can get in with it. Just...don't get into a useless fight."

"Oh my God, why do you all think I get into useless fights!? Okay, maybe sometimes I use violence too quickly but...Never mind. Thanks." I left his workshop.

I frowned when I heard Pete's thoughts in the training area. I went there, bumping into Peter on the way.

"Oh hey, it's been a while!" I nodded and tried to move but he blocked my way. "So, how's...how's England?"

"Peter, what's going on?"

"Nothing! Nothing really, just…"

"Thank God." I looked at Sam behind Peter. "Hey, nice to see you, now come." He grabbed my hand and pulled me in the room.

Pete was fighting with James. Why, I didn't know, but they were, Nat and Steve done on the side.

"He introduced himself as your partner, so Bucky wanted to see how well of a fighter he was," Sam told me. I rolled my eyes.

"Seriously? That's…"

"Childish. And he's jealous another guy spends so much time with you. How's England?"

"Pretty good actually," I replied. "I should intervene, shouldn't I?"

"I don't know, Bucky was all like 'I've got a vibranium arm' and Wisdom was like 'well vibranium melts because it's metal' and did his fire fingers thing." I sighed.

"We're sending the bill to you if things get too damaged," Nat told me as her and Steve were leaving.

"Come on, Alistair told us not to…" I grumbled under my breath.

I winced when Pete got punched pretty hard. He fell to the floor and James was about to punch him again when I stopped him. He looked in my direction, widened his eyes and I sent him in the wall with a flick of my hand.

"Literal children," I commented, walking over to Pete. I knelt and looked at his face. "Damn, he landed more than one hit on you."

"He caught me off-guard." I smirked and he glared at me. "It won't happen again."

"Seriously, why would you just…"

"He pissed me off." I shook my head and pressed my finger on his cheekbone. "Yes it hurts now stop." He slapped my hand away.

Feeling a heavy gaze on us, I looked at James. He was staring at the exchange and got up without a word. I then looked at Sam, who showed James and nodded. I stood up and went to him, grabbing his hand to take him to another room. I went to the projection room, let go of his hand and turned around. I was barely facing him that he embraced me tightly, lifting me up from the floor.

"James." He inhaled deeply and I tapped his shoulder. "James, please put me down."

"No."

"Why?"

"Because I can't see you mad at me like that." I sighed and he put me down.

"So you know you shouldn't have gotten in a fight with him." He wouldn't meet my eyes. "You can't get in a fight with me about me moving and then literally fight with my partner when I…" He cringed at the word. "My work partner."

"For now." I looked at him, stunned at the implication. "You spend a lot of time together, don't you?"

"It doesn't mean anything! And even if it did…" He grabbed my hands and kissed them. "James?"

"Please come back." He kissed each of my fingers slowly. "Please Addison, I need you. I really thought I could do this on my own but…" I pursed my lips as he kissed my forehead and hugged me tightly again, his cheek on my head. "Please, I just want to go back to Bedford with you."

"We both know that time is in the past James." He gulped loudly and I felt him shake his head. "Is it because you're a part of the Avengers?" He nodded. "Why are you even on the team?"

"...it was that or therapy." I sighed again.

"And you find it hard to talk freely to anyone here?" He nodded.

He was way better in Wakanda. It was almost as if the progress he made there were slowly collapsing.

"Look James, I can't just…" I started, moving away from him but he just French-kissed me the second he could.

I tried to fight back but kissing him just did so many things to my mind and body that I found myself clinging to him for dear life, my tongue never leaving his. He turned me around and pinned me to the wall, lifting my right leg to his hip.

"James…" I whispered as his hand grabbed my breast. "It's…"

"I want you Addie," he growled in my ear before sucking on my neck. "You're always on my mind, your lips, your skin, your scent, your voice, it's just...I need you…"

I put my hand on his mouth when he was about to kiss me again. He blinked in confusion and seeing my face, he let go of me, stepping back.

"No. You don't get to say that."

"I mean it," he whispered hoarsely.

"I don't care." Hurt flashed across his face. "You can't say that expecting me to leave everything and fall back in your arms."

"Do you even have anything solid over there?" he asked me bitterly.

"Whether I do or not is not the issue!" He clenched his jaw. "You can't...you can't be dependent on me James, it's not healthy."

"I'm not dependent."

"You just said you needed me!"

"Because every minute you spend there is one more chance for me to lose you for good!" he shot back, frustrated. "Can't you understand that when you told me you were moving when I came back, I felt like you were running away from me!?" I blinked.

"It's not true."

"You're all I have Addison!" I felt tears coming up.

"You...Steve…" I croaked.

"It's not the same and you know it!" He grabbed my arms and put his forehead against mine. "If...if only you told me the real reason you were desperate to leave the country...I can't lose you, I…" He closed his mouth before finishing his sentence.

"I won't tell you." He breathed out, frustrated.

"How am I supposed to help pick up the pieces if I don't even know how they got broken in the first place?"

"Maybe you don't have to help," I replied in a whisper. "Maybe I don't want your help with picking up the pieces."

"When I'm the only one who sees them?" I returned his gaze. "Addison, please…"

"I need to go home." I left.

This time I was running away from him.

He had no right to keep seeing through me after so long.

We went back to London in silence.

January 18th, 2019, London Sanctum

"And who the hell does he think he is, huh!?" I rambled to Wanda.

I didn't say a word regarding James, but she knew something was up. I blew up today and had been rambling about what a selfish prick James was to me, wanting me to put his needs before mine.

"He's madly in love with you." I shot her a doubtful look.

"He never said anything like that Wanda, it's…"

"He thinks it very often though." She smiled sadly. "He...thinks the world of you, actually."

"Yes well...he must be blindsided," I replied weakly.

I knew she was thinking of Vis.

"Why don't you just tell him?"

"No no no, there's no way I'm telling him. I mean, I can' t just come up to him and tell him 'Oh by the way, when you were getting cured in Wakanda Weapon X decided to test out the Winter Soldier program on me and I became a psychopath's murder tool against my own kind!'" I was panting. Wanda sighed and stopped levitating to stand up.

"Look, one day, one way or another, he'll find out. Everybody will. It might be better if it comes from you."

"Maybe when I come to terms with it. Until then...if they don't need to know, there's no reason for them to know. Period." I rolled my eyes and turned around. "A phone call Stephen."

"This way is quicker," he just said through the portal. He walked through it and looked at Wanda. "How is it going?"

"Pretty well," she replied honestly. "I haven't lost control of my magic." He nodded.

"Good." He looked at me. "I need you to do something for me." I raised a brow. "There's a magical item I need you to retrieve from a mystical auction." I blinked.

"Why don't you do it?"

"I am busy."

"Wong?"

"Busy too."

"So am I!"

"See it as a test." I rolled my eyes and pinched the bridge of my nose. "The auction is at the House of the Infernal Glories. Get me the Wand of Xyggondo."

"Anything I should know about it?"

"It belonged to Rasputin." I laughed. "It's...not funny."

"No, I know it's not but...God, I just went to school with Piotr Rasputin and the last name is not a coincidence so…"

"You know Rasputin's actual descendant?" Wanda asked me, shocked. "Oh right, I met him too. Colossus?" I nodded.

"Wait, so Rasputin did make miracles?"

"He was a mystic and a monk…" Stephen trailed off, not sure of what to say.

"Meh, whatever, I'm in now." I turned to Wanda. "Hey, you've seen me protect the Sanctum, do you think you can do it on your own?" She widened her eyes.

"I'm not sure...what if lose control and unleash whatever's lurking around?"

"Call me. I can make a list if you want to." She nodded frantically. "Good, then it's settled!" Wanda and Stephen exchanged a look. "Hey, I'm offended."

"Anyway, the auction is in a pocket dimension you can access throu…"

"I've got this from here. Mystical auction house, must have a lot of magical energy radiating from there. It's a pocket dimension from our reality, not outside of it?" He just nodded. "Good, it should be easy then."

"Good luck." Stephen left and I looked at Wanda.

"If something goes wrong I'm blaming it on you," she told me immediately.

"Noted."

We still had no clue when would be the next Hellfire Club party. The only issue we currently had were vampires, yeah vampires, targeting MI:13 agents for some reason, and Blade was way too happy to deal with that.

Blade, Eric Brooks, was our local Buffy Summers, not that he liked it when I called him that, and vampire hybrid.

Anyway, I called Alistair to tell him I had some magical stuff to take care of. He started to act like his nerdy-self, then deflated when I told I couldn't say much. Point was, I had a week to deal with it.

The next day, I was in St. James Park. I was pretty sure there was a portal for Otherworld around here because the air and soil were soaked with magic. That being said, it also meant it would a good place to make a portal to another dimension. I could do it in the Sanctum, but I didn't want to potentially compromise it.

I took a deep breath, magic dancing in the palm of my hands. I was hidden from view as my suit and the cloak with hood on would make me look suspicious. The Reality Stone warmed up against my skin as it helped me see the various pocket dimensions of our reality.

"Bingo," I whispered, the Stone going back to being a jewel. I made a portal and walked through it.

I looked behind myself, then down. I was at the edge of what looked like a broken piece of ground floating in the void. I looked around. People just appeared from across the universe. I nodded to myself and went in, reading the minds of as many as possible. Some were impossible to read, which didn't surprise me. If you could get there, you could shield your thoughts.

I stood among the crowd, listening to the auction. Some beasts, like a werewolf or even a vampire, relics, rare items that could boost your powers up…

"Now, we have an item from Earth that belonged to a famous mystic there. It is said that with the Wand of Xyggondo, your powers will be multiplied depending on your will!"

There we were. I raised my hand a little and wrapped the wand in Dark Matter Magic before sending it to a pocket dimension I managed to create after months of practice. Chaos quickly erupted and I walked away from the crowd.

However, someone was quick to follow me too.

"You've taken something that's not yours," the man said with an English accent. He was also wearing a cloak, a brown one unlike my black one.

"Wow, who knew the only one to pursue me would be a fellow Brit," I replied, ready to jump in the void.

I was tricked in a portal though and ran in a forest. I stopped and looked around before properly facing the man.

"Eldritch Magic?" I asked him as the portal disappeared, orange sparks vanishing. "You're a Master of the Mystic Arts?"

"This life is long gone. Your use of magic is against the law."

"There are laws? Stephen didn't…" He perked up at that.

"Strange?" I raised a brow. "How do you know him?"

"He's my teacher." The man shook his head.

"So it is his doing in the end." I nodded.

"Look, it's not I don't enjoy this…" He tried to send me in the Mirror Dimension. I blinked and turned the invisible matter into Dark Matter and gathered it in the palm of my hand.

I clenched my fist, the wind the small explosion made knocking my hood back.

"You're an Avenger."

"Reserve," I corrected him. "I broadened my horizons."

"Dark Matter Magic is highly volatile."

"Huh huh, I know."

I conjured my sword when he tried to attack me with a staff that turned into a whip and wrapped it around the blade. I used this opportunity to pull him to me and grab him by the throat, stopping his hand when he tried to touch me.

"If you know I'm an Avenger, then you must know that magic is not my most known feature," I said calmly, forcing the hood down. I frowned at the black man in front of me. "Wait, aren't you Mordo?"

"You know me?"

"I heard of you." Missing, then random sorcerers got their powers stolen. "You won't pull an Agatha Harkness on me mate."

"Powers have a purpose," he gritted through his teeth.

"Well you and I both agree on that," I replied, throwing him away. I made my sword disappear. "I don't know what your deal is or why you think it's your job to take powers from the undeserving, but stay the fuck away from me and my powers, I have a job to do."

"And what is it?" he inquired, panting as he stood up. "You lose control of your magic the fabric of our reality is torn apart and another one will bleed into ours." I pursed my lips.

"Then I'll be stopped before causing an incursion." On this note, I started to make a portal but he tried to stop me. "You're an id…" I was swallowed in the portal, not knowing where I'd land.

I just closed it before Mordo could follow me. Everything around me was multicolored. I took a deep breath, trying not to panic and thought of Earth before coating my body in Dark Matter. I punched, the air breaking in what looked like pieces of glass and I fell through it.

I fell on my back in a dark alley. I got up with a groan and left the alley.

"Oh." I buildings were… "I'm in Russia."

Note to myself: stick to magic to cross dimension, otherwise I didn't choose where I'd land.

Thank you all for reading!

Bye!