Two of a Kind | Wanda Maximoff

Chapter 7: Grief

Jemma paced around the empty apartment; anxiety rolled off her in waves. She didn't want to expect the worst had happened, but Lily did say she would call when they finished, and the only call she had received was from Natasha (who was definitely hiding something). She could feel herself starting to panic as the silence in the apartment grew louder. Her heart pounded hard against her chest, and her hands started to shake. No, no, no. Not now, please not now. Okay, calm down, Jemma. Calm down. Everything's okay. It's okay. Just calm down. She'll call. She'll call. Calm down. Jemma sat on the cold hardwood floor and placed her head in her lap and closed her eyes tightly. She was used to getting panic attacks, and she was used to getting them when she was alone, so she knew what she had to do to calm herself down. Thank God.

Griffon looked over at Jemma curiously from his spot on the loveseat. He watched her as her breath trembled as Jemma tried to steady her breathing. Sensing her distress, he stood up on the couch, stretched and yawned, and jumped down. He walked over to her slumped body that sat against the kitchen island and he rubbed his orange head against her thigh. He sat down beside her, doing his best to comfort his friend. Without lifting her head, Jemma acknowledge the feline's attempts to help, and gave him a soft pat on the head.

"Good boy," she muttered. Griffon purred softly in response to her soft hands rubbing his ears and face. Jemma and Griffon sat like that for a few more minutes, and when Jemma felt calm enough to stand, she picked up the feline and carried him and herself back over to the loveseat and sat down. She held the cat in her lap and grabbed the TV remote from the coffee table and turned it on, putting on The Office. She needed a distraction. Griffon sat on her lap, content, as she pet him some more. She couldn't stop herself from glancing at her phone ever couple minutes as she waited for Natasha to call her back. Still, she was dressed and ready to go the minute she called.

As Jemma watched the episode, she couldn't help the yawn that escaped her lips. She was exhausted. Ever since Lily had left early that morning, she didn't sleep; not one wink. How could she? Her wife and love of her life was off in another country fighting a robot who was hellbent on destroying all of humanity, and she was worried. Her mind couldn't let her rest, not even for an hour. She knew that if Lily found out that she had been up all night and didn't sleep she would make her go to bed that instant and wouldn't let her leave until she made up for it. She chuckled at the thought of Lily worrying about her, as if Jemma not sleeping was anything compared to Lily fighting a war.

"We're in trouble aren't we?" she asked Griffon as if he could understand her, let alone hear what she had just been thinking, and yet, he answered her with soft "Meow", causing Jemma to laugh a little, easing her anxiety.

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After a few hours of mindlessly watching reruns of The Office, Jemma's phone finally rang, scaring both her and Griffon who had jumped off of Jemma's lap and ran into her bedroom. Jemma sat up from where she was laying down on the couch and quickly checked the caller ID to make sure it was Natasha before she answered.

"Hello, Nat?"

"Hey, Jemma. I just wanted to call to let you know that we're almost at the tower. We should be there in about twenty minutes." Jemma noticed that Natasha's voice sounded different than when she called her a few hours ago, but it didn't matter to her. She immediately jumped up from the couch and ran into her bedroom looking for her shoes.

"Okay, I'll start getting ready now, and then I'll head out to meet you guys."

"Okay, see you soon."

"See you soon." Jemma ended the call and put on her shoes. Her anxiety came back as she ran around the apartment making sure that she had everything that she needed. She was still confused as to why Lily didn't call her yet. Maybe she was tired? But Lily always made and effort to call her, even when she was tired. Maybe she fell asleep? Jemma shrugged the thought away as she double checked that she had her phone, wallet and keys. She yelled a goodbye to Griffon who had gone into hiding as she left the apartment.