Before the War

Edinburgh

Good people often times find themselves in horrible situations. It's quite sad really, when you see the amount of turmoil good people go through. Some blame this on God, and others blame themselves. Steve Rogers always chose the later. He never blamed God. He always thought that God was the one who gave him the grace to become a good person in the first place. Steve believed people blamed God because they thought that they understood him and how he worked.

Captain America always chose to blame himself. For the situation he would find himself in, and the danger he found his friends in. Even if it was the most preposterous thing for him to do. He never wanted to place the blame on anyone else.

Steve sat in the back of the Quinjet looking down at his worn gloves. They had been with him and his suit for the past year and a half. A year and a half of mistakes, mishaps, broken friendships, exile, and disconnection from a life he had grown use to. All his fault.

He looked up to find green eyes glued to him, studying him. Natasha, his wife. Also his fault.

"You're thinking too loudly." Her smile was sympathetic as she was leaning towards him. She seemed surprisingly relaxed. It was almost contagious. Almost.

"I'm sorry, Nat."

She took his worn gloves in her hands and she squeezed them. Trying to will him to relax. If just a little. They had been searching for over 100 hours.

Wanda was nowhere to be found. She was a perfect shadow. Untraceable. She had been trained well. If they weren't the ones trying to find her, Natasha would have said she was proud. Which she was.

He averted his eyes from her again, taking his hands back and onto his own lap. Steve sighed as he looked back down at his gloves.

Natasha sat back, giving up. Sometimes she just couldn't reach him, or ease his mind. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't help take the weight of the world off his shoulders.

"We'll find her. You know we will."

"I don't doubt we'll find her. I'm afraid of what else we'll find when we do."

To that, she had no reply.

"Cap. I'm getting a report." Sam looked over to him. "Edinburgh of all places. It's not much, but it's supernatural for sure."

"That's her. Let's go."

As they neared the location, Sam started getting some strange reports. "I don't know about this Cap. I don't like it."

"Steve." Natasha brought his attention to a news station she has pulled up. The headline read; Tony Stark vanishes after scrimmage against another alien attack.

"There was a ship tormenting New York a few hours ago. It's gone now. As is Stark. This isn't looking good."

The Quinjet touched down to a silent, eerie Edinburgh night. Sam's specs showed that they were close to the reports of something similar to Wanda's power signature.

Sam and Natasha both looked to their captain. He was silently looking out of the cockpit window. "Alright. Let's go. We'll deal with whatever else when we've got Wanda."

Steve pounded the hanger door open. "Sam, make a perimeter, then back up mine and nat's position."

Sam swooped into the air and released his falcon to fly alongside him.

Natasha made her way out of the jet towards the transit station. Steve stopped her with his arm.

"Natasha."

She looked up at him. She feared there was something more that he didn't even want Sam knowing about. Was he really that worried about the mission? Or was he worried about something else?

"What is it?"

Steve pulled Natasha in for a brief kiss. "I love you." He could tell that he had caught her off guard. "That's it."

She smirked up at him, weary eyes and all. She was able to get a small smile in return as they raced down the ramp and on towards their mission.

They found Wanda. Just in the nick of time. She was guarding a injured Vision against two very powerful extraterrestrials. They had all intervened at Steve's signal, and they bested the two beings. Though it wasn't easy.

Wanda mumbled some displeasure about letting their attackers escape. To this Steve said that killing off whatever they faced wasn't their mission. Finding her was.

It was a grueling walk back into the quintet. The silence was suffocating Wanda. Especially when Natasha pointed out the rules that she broke. "Stay close, check in, don't take any chances."

"I'm sorry. We just wanted time." Wanda glanced at Vision.

Natasha and Steve understood what they meant. But they daren't say anything. Steve felt partially to blame. Pursuing his relationship with Natasha all the while Wanda was suffering not being able to spend time with the one she loved. How had he not seen it before. He knew they were close, and that they had a special relationship... But he didn't see this. It wasn't an android and a human that he was shocked about. It was Vision, and Wanda. The two people he trusted and had worked with. Wanda, who he thought trusted him. If she had said something to him, maybe they'd have tried to help. Maybe things could've turned out differently.

Steve watched Wanda help Vision sit down amid grunts of pain and discomfort. Wanda held tight to him, as if she would never let go.

Natasha gave Steve a warning look. She could tell he was thinking everything over and somehow finding a way to blame himself. We'll atone for our sins another time, there are more pressing issues at hand, she thought. "It's not your fault" also played on repeat in her eyes as she looked into his. It only took a brief second for the transmission to be sent.

The already strapped in pilot, turned back towards them. "Where to, Cap?"

Steve look at Sam. "Home."