The Sokovian Twins

Chapter 12 - Wanda Maximoff

Nat leaned on the side of the wall as she saw Megan fold Laura's laundry, she insisted on helping if her team was going to stay at Clint's house. Natasha had been battling with herself, should she tell Megan or should she not? It was an inner turmoil that she had been facing since she had seen that vision. Natasha had promised Megan that she would go easy on the Maximoff kids, but all she wanted to do was strangle the life out of the girl who put her in this struggle.

"Nat, can I talk to you?" Natasha looked back to see Laura leaning against the doorframe as she crossed her arms over her pregnant belly. "Uh..." Natasha looked back at Megan who was calmly folding the laundry. "Yeah." The two walked away from Megan's room and into the hallway that was eerily quiet as the men were out doing yard work at Megan's orders. "When did you start having feelings?" Natasha looked at Laura and laughed, "Oh you think, me and Meg? Ha." "Nat, I've known you for a long time. Don't bullshit me. When'd you start having feelings?"

Natasha looked back and closed the door, softly speaking, "Arguably since I first met her. But, I only realized them a couple of weeks ago when I found myself falling more for Steve." Natasha sighed, "I know, I'm a horrible person. I'm in love with two people and nonetheless two people that are together." Laura looked down one side of the hallway, lost in thought, "You're not horrible. Shit like this happens sometimes, it's not your fault." Natasha nodded and shakily raised her hands to her face as she took deep breaths.

"But you can't tell her right now. I mean you guys are in the midst of a serious battle with twins that have messed with your minds. This will only ruin the friendship you two have now. Maybe wait for this to blow over and then talk to her?" Natasha nodded at Laura, sliding down to the floor, "Life just couldn't be easy for me, huh?" Laura smiled at her, "You're an Avenger honey, you know life's never happy for heroes."

***

The cool wind flowed through Steve's hair as he sat down with Tony, the two drinking their spiked lemonades with silence. "I feel like Meg and I might be going off the deep end." Steve broke the silence, raising the cool, condensed glass to his lips as he took a sip, letting the icy liquid burn down his throat.

"It was only a matter of time before one of us lost it." Tony agreed, raising his glass to the sky, swirling it around to see the liquid sloshing around. The two men watched in silence as Lila and Cooper ran around, the kids were at such ease. Steve envied their ignorance, they knew nothing, they didn't know the problems that were slowly crushing Steve's mind right now. He remembered back to seeing Megan's pained face as she cried in the rain, they could never have children.

The kids ran around with such joy and happiness that it reminded him of that one time Katheryn, Buck, Peg and him had snuck out of the barracks and ran to the forest outside, playing tag in the rain as they enjoyed their last few hours together before Steve and Buck had to intercept the Hydra train. He remembered Katheryn's white summer dress clinging to her body as Steve caught her, spinning her around and pressing her body against his. He remembered how her legs wrapped around Steve's waist as he brushed his lips slightly against hers before Peggy ran and toppled Steve, letting Katheryn run free again.

He remembered her squeals of joy, the both of theirs as the two women ran from the men, laughing and giggling. Steve remembered looking to the side where he saw Bucky grasp Peggy's wrist and bring her close for a kiss on her cheek as she blushed and playfully pushed him away. The four of them had thought of themselves as so old, little did they know that they were as young and ignorant at the time as the kids running in front of Steve now were.

Suddenly the girl, Lila stopped. Her brother ran up to her and placed his hands on her shoulders in concern as he looked over her. "Lila?" He asked, his voice wavering. The little girl didn't budge from her place and her lower lip trembled as she pointed to the forestry surrounding Clint's home. "Lila?" Steve yelled as he ran over to her, "Uncle Steve, she's coming." Lila said terrified as she ran inside.