Against The Clock {Wanda Maximoff A/U}

Chapter Eight- Procedure

Strange and I watched as the Quinjet lifted off and didn't turn until it had disappeared from sight.

We nodded at each other before I went back inside the guest house making my way the roof where Wanda was overlooking the city.

"Do you ever wonder?" Wanda asked as I wrapped my arms around her stomach. She placed her hands on top of mine. "If we could have normal lives."

"Hate to break it to you, if we had normal lives we wouldn't know each other." I said kissing the top of her head. "But yes, everyday."

"Maybe someday, when all of this is over. If it's ever over." Wanda turned into my chest. "We could try some of the simple life."

"I think I'd like that." Carter said quietly.

"You won't be around." The voice in my head suddenly hissed.

I jumped slightly, not enough to alert Wanda.

"How are you?" Wanda asked me.

I sucked in a breath and nodded my head. "I'm good I think, a part of me knew. I think."

"It's okay to not be okay." Wanda said to me. "I've seen a lot of death in my life, my parents. My brother. Vision, Stark, you, I suppose even Clint."

"Yelena and Natasha's mother always used to tell them. Pain makes you stronger." I said to Wanda. "But I don't feel stronger."

"Sweetie, you're the strongest person I know." She said to me.

"I mean you're pretty strong yourself." I said to her.

She waved a finger. "I said strong, not powerful."

"Come on, let's go to the room." Wanda said to me. "Last night we may get to ourselves before we have to go save the world again." She winked at me as she pulled my hand guiding me down the stairs.

***
Shuri was giggly the next morning as she guided us to the lab. Strange, Wanda, Okoye, and Carter walked in silence until Strange finally spoke up.

"You're awfully chipper considering the fate of the multiverse is at stake." Strange said.

"I'm sorry, I just love fixing broken white boys."

Carter raised an eyebrow.

"First there was Agent Everett Ross." Shuri said.

"The CIA Agent?" Carter asked.

Shuri nodded. "He caught a stray bullet to the back protecting Nakia and we also helped Sergeant Barnes get his brain back, and his arm."

"And he'll be okay?" Wanda asked rubbing her hands together.

Shuri nodded. "All I will be doing is creating an incision in his arm and using my quantum extractor to take a sample of dimensional energy from his bloodstream." The group turned a corner. "Whether he wants to be awake or not is his choice."

"I want to be awake." Carter said.

"Am I allowed to stay?" Wanda asked as we entered a room with a table and a bunch of technology surrounding it.

"Of course, just don't touch my stuff."

Shuri walked around the room. "Carter, on the table." She said patting it.

Carter slowly got on the table without taking his eyes off of Wanda as Shuri drew a line marking her four inch incision down the inside of his arm.

Wanda grabbed Carter's other hand and used her magic to pull a chair underneath her.

"If it makes you feel better." Wanda said looking at him as Shuri stuck a syringe of lidocaine in his arm to numb the area. "When you died, I accidentally took an entire town hostage due to mental illness."

Carter's eyes widened. "Excuse me? Why am I just hearing about this?"

Wanda shrugged. "I didn't know how to tell you, I felt like I had no one. Even though Steve and Natasha were always there. I just felt so alone and one day, I saw a picture of you and I just exploded."

(A/N Alternate Universe of how the events of "WandaVision" happened on this Earth.)

"Turns out there was another scary witch and I had to fight her, and relive all of the trauma I had suppressed over the years on my way to become an Avenger."

Carter looked into her eyes and squeezed her hand. "I'm sorry you had to go through that."

Wanda eyes teared up as she remembered the life her version of Carter and her shared with their children in her dream world.

"I'm not gonna lose you ever again." She promised.

Carter nodded as Shuri began her procedure.

"Why was the witch there?" Carter asked confused.

"She supposedly felt the power I had let off and came for me, for my power actually. Told me I was the Scarlet Witch, a magical entity stronger than the sorcerer supreme and with a destiny to destroy the world." She said shrugging. "I got an awesome suit though."

Carter smiled. "I guess we both have untapped potential, and I bet you look good in it."

"Get a room you two." Shuri said removed the surgical knife and grabbing a syringe looking thing. "This might hurt."

She inserted the syringe and pressed a button. Immediately pain ripped through Carter's body as a silver liquid began filling up the vial until it was full.

The vacuum noise stopped and she pulled it out.

"That wasn't so bad." Shuri said as she stitched up Carter's arm and wrapped it with gauze. "With your healing factor should be no more than a scar in a couple hours."

"How long will it take to make the sealer?" Wanda asked helping Carter off the table gently.

"If I work fast and have my calculations correct it shouldn't take very long at all." She said as she went digging through her cabinet.

Shuri came back a couple hours later with a device in her hand and gave it to Carter

Carter turned it over in his hand. "What does it do?" He asked.

Shuri began to peel the bandages off his arm. "Long story short, Strange and I discovered that the smaller rifts are already beginning to heal themselves. The other ones though, will need to be patched. The device will locate a rift, you go there point the device press the button. Voila." She said.

Shuri walked over to Strange. "I analyzed the brain patterns like you asked." Shuri said handing him the tablet.

Strange rubbed his face. "This is worse than I thought."

Shuri grabbed his arm. "I know your ways Strange but if there's any chance you can find who's doing this and save him. You better save him."

He handed Shuri the tablet.

"Am I able to sling ring out of here?" Strange asked.

Shuri nodded. "You can go out but not in."

Strange opened a portal.

"That's New York City." Carter said to him.

He nodded. "We have to make a stop."

Carter nodded to Shuri. "Thank you."

Shuri nodded back.

"Good luck."