Double Trouble

25.

So, what is going on with Wanda?!  With the team in the know about some things, will the rest of the dominos fall into place? Let's find out!

This chapter is super duper short, just a heads up! ((a little over 1k words)) bc it is kind of a filler and I felt like I needed to add SOMETHING between last chapter and the next few chapters, which will be dramatic and much more action filled. 

Mount Justice

December 22, 22:09 EDT

Pietro wandered the mountain, a little hurt that he wasn't taken on the mission with the others but he understood why. This mission was special to Robin and he got to select who went on the mission, and obviously a speedster wasn't needed seeing as Wally wasn't on the mission either. 

Zatanna and Kaldur had stayed behind as well, not having been invited on the mission either, so currently the four of them were hanging out in the mountain, watching movies. 

"I wonder how the mission is going." Zatanna hummed, her head on Pietro's shoulder. 

"Probably business as usual." Wally replied, a bored tone to his voice. He groaned after a moment, standing up to stretch. "Well, I think I am going to head home. It is late. See ya."

"Bye Wally." Kaldur and Zatanna called to the red haired speedster.

"See you, gingersnap." Pietro called, earning a yell from Wally to not call him that. Pietro chuckled, looking over at Kaldur when the team leader stood up. "Heading to bed, Kaldur?"

"Yes. I have training with Queen Mera tomorrow, early in the morning. I do not wish to be late." Kaldur began to walk away. "Good night."

"Good night!" Zatanna and Pietro called after him.

The couple sat on the couch, watching the movie for a few more minutes in silence before it dawned on Pietro. "Hey, Zee?"

"Yes?"

"We practically have the mountain to ourselves." Pietro grinned mischievously at his girlfriend. 

"That we do, Pietro, that we do." Zatanna sat up, looking at Pietro with an equally mischievous look. "Wollip pals Orteip!"

One of the couch pillows levitated and slapped Pietro on the face, causing the speedster to gape at his girlfriend. "Zee...how could you?"

"Alls fair in love and war, babe." Zatanna snickered. "Etatival!"

She started floating above his head just as Pietro dove at her with his own pillow. He growled good naturedly. "Oh, so that's how you want to play, eh?"

"Sey. Taolf rehgih!" Zatanna giggled, flying higher when Pietro jumped to reach her. "You're going to have to play smarter, not harder, Pietro."

Pietro stopped jumping at that, grinning up at his partner. He grabbed an armful of pillows and hurled them at Zatanna at just a fast enough speed that she wouldn't be able to dodge them but not fast enough that it would do damage. Zatanna shrieked, losing concentration and falling from the air. Pietro sped over and caught her, a smirk on his lips.

"How was that for smarter not harder, beautiful?" He kissed her nose, gasping when she whacked with a pillow using her hands. "Zee!"

"What? This is a pillow fight, Pietro."

Pietro chuckled, grabbing his own pillow before leaping at Zatanna. "I thought we were having a moment."

"No moments allowed." Zatanna countered, ducking under his swing. She stood up and whacked him across the face with her pillow. "You know, for someone who grew up with a sister, you are pretty bad at this, Pietro."

Pietro winced, faltering with his pillow swing. "We...we never did this."

Zatanna sensed the change in mood and lowered her pillow, walking up to her boyfriend. She placed a hand on his arm, leading him over to the couch where they both sat down. "Tell me about her. I want to know more about your sister and your childhood."

Pietro nodded after a moment, inhaling deeply. "Her name...her name was Wanda. She was my twin, younger by twelve minutes. Wanda was my my best friend, my partner in crime, my everything. We did everything as a unit. We were a...content family, for the most part. Our parents didn't want to leave Sokovia despite the war because they had lived there for generations. It caused...strain. Wanda and I didn't care where we were, as long as we were together, with each other. Our parents were...a casualty of the war. When they were dead, we had to leave our apartment with very little to our names. We wandered Sokovia, living off the streets for years. My powers developed early on in our homeless days and the country hated me for it. I constantly had to be vigilant, always looking out for myself, but more importantly, Wanda. They would target her because she was my twin and they wanted to hurt her to hurt me, just for being meta." Pietro paused, looking down at his hands. "When we were eleven, that is when they finally got her. I was careless and went out on my own one day. When I returned...she was gone."

Zatanna put her hands over Pietro's, squeezing slightly. "I am so sorry, Pietro. I can't imagine the pain that caused."

Pietro felt a pang of guilt for lying to Zatanna and then an even bigger wave of guilt for letting his sister down. She was suffering because of him, unable to control her actions because he was a coward and refused to stick up for her. She was stuck with the Light because he didn't want to risk his cushy new life.

He was the worst.

"Pietro?" He looked up at his girlfriend, who gave him a soft smile. "Tell me a happy memory of her. Your happiest memory."

Pietro nodded. "We were six and just started school. On the way to school it began to downpour rain, so we took shelter under an overhang. Wanda looked up to the sky and gasped, slapping my arm until I looked as well. When I saw what she was pointing to, I was confused. It was just a rainbow. And it was everything to her. She told me 'Pietro, see? Even in the ugliest of rains, there is beauty.' Wanda was so delighted by the rainbow, it was all she talked about for the rest of the week." Pietro smiled softly at the memory, remembering the look of pure joy on his twin's face. "Wanda found hope and beauty in the littlest of things...and then the world took that from her."

Zatanna pulled Pietro into a hug, kissing the side of his head. "She sounds like she was wonderful."

"She is." Pietro sighed. He pulled out of the hug, looking at Zatanna's face. Leaning in, he kissed his girlfriend deeply, a kiss she gladly returned. 

They stayed on the couch, kissing and cuddling for hours before they eventually passed out in each other's arms, their conversation about Wanda long forgotten by the time their eyes eventually fell shut.

Undisclosed Location

December 23, 01:03 ???

Forgotten. 

That is how Wanda felt. Used and forgotten about, tossed aside like an outgrown doll. The team no longer needed her, so they weren't focusing on her. They don't care for her and never will, she was kidding herself for ever trying to convince herself otherwise.

No, she told herself, Dick and Pietro are on my side. They are working with Batman to free me. I won't be a puppet for much longer. Soon, I will have control of my body back. And then...oh, then the Light will pay.