Ultron Aftermath

Chapter 59

Time: To have a talk
Place: Home

Tommy,AJ and Wanda had decided to have a Disney marathon, of course it hadn't exactly lasted long, AJ fell asleep just over half way through the first movie, Tommy followed shortly after, having fallen asleep 10 minutes into the second movie. Wanda however couldn't get to sleep no matter how hard she tried.

She would close her eyes, and then she would be there again. The red room plagued her dreams, the images of her time there still fresh in her mind. She found herself back in that cell, alone and defenseless against the guards who had taken advantage of her, unable to rid herself of the feeling of being dirty and exposed.

Wanda had remained silent on the trauma and abuse that she had experienced, she couldn't even bring herself to tell Tommy, when he asked her what happened during her time in a separate cell, she had lied and said they had ran some sort of experiments on her powers. AJ had heard Wanda's screams but was too young to understand what had happened, and for that Wanda was thankful, but still, the weight of the sickened secret was taking its toll on her. She felt as if she needed to share the burden with someone, but she hesitated to take that all-important leap. She didn't have anyone to tell or cry too right now, the only person she felt comfortable around right now was her Uncle Bucky but this was something she couldn't share with him, he was one person she definitely didn't want to think differently about her. Wanda knew deep down there was only one person who she could cry too about this, one person who would listen to her and make her feel understood and heard but she couldn't speak to her right now,especially not about this.

For the fourth time that night, Wanda found herself walking down the hall to the shower, hoping that she could somehow find a way to wash away the feelings of dirt and shame that she felt. She was struggling to cope with the emotions and scars that had been inflicted upon her. 

After her shower, Wanda slipped into some fresh pajama bottoms and a hoodie, a slight shiver running down her spine as she stepped back into the cold hospital wing. Tommy and AJ were still out for the count but she was surprised to see Bucky and Natasha sat on the chairs in the corner of the room, the two of them whispering about something. Wanda cleared her throat causing the duo to stop their conversation and look at her.

"Another shower Wands? That's like your 5th one in the last few hours" Bucky furrowed his eyebrows at her.

Wanda shuffled awkwardly,
"Not 5th...it was my 4th. It just helps me clear my mind it's not a big deal" she shrugged before walking back over to her bed.

Bucky nodded recognizing the fact that Wanda was in a difficult place and he understood she needed to handle her struggle in exactly the way that made her most comfortable even if it meant taking 100 showers a day, she said they helped her clear her mind, he just wanted her to be okay.

Natasha however was beginning to understand the situation a lot deeper than Bucky. When Wanda had mentioned it was her 4th time getting in the shower this evening, a small alarm went off in Natasha's head. she had an uneasy sense of dread,  her gut telling her that something was wrong, despite her head telling her that she was simply overreacting. She knew she needed to talk with Wanda right away.

Natasha tried to think of an excuse that would give her a reason to pull Wanda away and speak with her, knowing that her daughter was in no mood to talk right now. She wanted to respect her boundaries, but something inside her told her that Wanda needed someone to speak to right now, and she couldn't shake the feeling that she had to be that person, no matter how much Wanda resisted her efforts.