Starting Over

Ch. 35

Wanda awoke to the pounding in her head. Her eyebrows furrowed as her eyes adjusted to the small amount of light creeping in from what seemed to be a crack under a door. She groaned, reaching a hand up to rub her hands over her face before frowning when they stopped at her side. She heard the familiar jingle of metal around her wrist, a reminder of her time spent leaving Strucker's cell. She sighed trying to take in her surroundings. Her body leaned against the wall. floor was cold, concrete, she noted. Her body felt heavy, the side effects from whatever they had injected into her still in her system. She took note that it felt similar to how she had felt before, back in Strucker's lab. She tried moving her arms, now noticing that the handcuffs were chained against the wall. How long had she been here? Had her family realized she was missing yet? Wanda managed to lean her head closer to her hands, touching her forehead gently. She winced when her fingers, touched a tender cut leading into her left eyebrow. She noticed her fingers weren't covered with sticky residue, she'd been here longer than she thought.

Alexei paced back and forth in the kitchen, slightly bouncing the inconsolable toddler in his arms. Lia, generally calm and collected, had promptly become anxious and clingy as soon as Wanda left the home. He glanced at the clock on the wall, she should have been back a while ago. He can't help but think the worst but his mind calms him at the image of a young Natalia, sneaking out of her bed and into the courtyard to watch the sunrise before creeping back into her bed. And to Yelena, creeping into the older girls dorms at night, unlocking her cuffs with a hairpin shown to her by her mischievous older sister, only to sleep on the older girls bed and slip away before sunrise. His girls had always been mischievous and he never had anything to worry about, perhaps Wanda had the same fiery streak and just wanted to escape for a bit. Soon over an hour had passed and he become increasingly concerned. The others would soon join them and he had no idea where Wanda could have gone. He was interrupted by the door opening.
"We're home!"

Natasha sighed as she walked into the home, Steve's arm wrapped securely around her waist. She wanted nothing more than to curl up on the couch with their girls and just soak in the time with them. This mission had hit harder with the last location being an even bigger bust than the rest. She made her way towards the kitchen, frowning at the sit of Lia crying in her fathers arms. The girl immediately reached for her. She took her into her embrace immediately, mumbling comforting words. The girl calmed almost instantly, her fingers twirling around a lock of red hair.
"What's wrong, baby?" Natasha asked as she rocked the girl back and forth in her arms.
"W-Wan'a gone... not back." The girl sniffled.
Natasha looked to Alexei immediately, wondering what the young girl was talking about. Steve approached them, Luna in his arms.
"Wanda went out to get sugar down the street, it's been over an hour and she's not back yet." Alexei started.
"She went by herself?" Natasha asked, sure Wanda had been by herself multiple occasions in the city but never in a place she was not familiar with.
"She insisted..." Alexei starts only to be cut off
"She's a kid! She shouldn't be walking around in a city she doesn't know by herself." Natasha interrupts. Melina and Yelena enter the room wide-eyed.
"I'm sure there is a perfectly good explanation as to why she isn't here yet." Melina starts "Maybe the lines are just longer than usual or she had to go to the other market a few blocks over." It does nothing to come Natasha's nerves. She can tell that Steve is thinking the same things but staying back out of respect, this is her family.
"She wouldn't do that without calling, she's a good kid and we've taught her to make sure she lets us know where she is." Natasha says agitation clear in her voice. Yelena silently eases Lia from Natasha's arms into her own, before taking Luna from Steve and heading upstairs.
"If I remember correctly good kids sometimes disobey the rules." Alexei adds in which only fuels the fire.
"If I remember correctly we were never really children." Natasha bites back.
"Enough!" Melina interrupts. "This is ridiculous. You two bickering is doing no good. Natalia, do not talk to your father like that. Now, when did she leave?"
"Unbelievable!" Natasha replies, walking out of kitchen towards her bedroom. Steve follows quickly behind her.