the ghost of you, it keeps me awake.

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New York - 2015

When you had given Steve your number for emergencies following the events in D

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When you had given Steve your number for emergencies following the events in D.C., you hadn't expected him to actually call you for help. You knew he and Natasha could handle themselves. But he had called you not even a year later and asked you to come to New York. There was a girl, he said, that had magic like you. She was lost and alone and he asked you to help her.

You had not hesitated before you left the quiet life you had built for yourself in Barcelona and took off for New York. You had promised him you wouldn't withdraw again. And you had promised yourself as well.

Wanda Maximoff had been quiet when you first met her. But she reminded you of Mei. You could see the fire in her. You had read her file on the way to New York, and you knew you could train her. You could help her.

It was when you first saw her power, so similar to yours but basked in red to your gold, that you realized what she was. The Scarlet Witch. Wielder of Chaos Magic with no need for incantations or spells. You had been the one to predict her coming all those millennia ago. And you knew you had to help her now. Or she could be lost to the magic within her.

"No, try it again. Like this," you instructed, waving your hands to show her. She copied you and sent the target you were practicing on flying into the bullseye on the wall. "Good! Good job, Wanda. Your control has come a long way in these few weeks."

"Thank you," she smiled at you. "I can feel the difference now, when I use this power. It feels like it's mine."

"It is yours," you said quietly. "It was always meant to be yours."

"What do you mean?"

"Nothing," you smiled. You had decided you would not tell her about the prophesy until she was ready. She was still grieving for her brother, and you knew she was still struggling with controlling her power all the time. "Go on, go get some rest. You've done good today and Tony needed to see me after your practice."

You walked into the lab and saw Bruce and Tony. You liked the quiet scientist. You liked that he was kind despite the thing he had inside of him. You liked the way his mind worked. He was a prime example of humanity. And Tony, well he reminded you of a young Howard. You enjoyed the debates you would have with the man. He entertained you. You'd helped the team out on a few mission in the months since you'd come to the compound, becoming an honorary member of the team, though you had laid out the same rules you had given to Steve all those years ago. You didn't want there to be any record of your involvement, and you didn't want them to ask you why. Tony in particular had a hard time following that second one.

"You wanted to see me, Tony?" You asked, drawing their attention to you.

"Yes, finally, Tiger Lily," he picked up his tablet and started dabbling with it. "Take a look at what I found."

He pulled up a picture on the screen, and you raised an eyebrow. It was a cave painting Sersei had done of you all with the humans when you first arrived on this planet. They had wanted to commemorate you for saving them from the Deviants. Your names were carved into the stone below it. You remembered that day. You had been so happy to see it, ready to take on the world with your new family. Now, seeing your names together only brought your heart pain. You were no longer one of them.

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