Wanda and Stephen

[x-scarletwitch.livejournal.com]

The rare night together turns sour for Wanda and Stephen. And in the end, they realize that sometimes you need more than being in love and that, at times, the world isn't a perfect place.



He'd arrived early. He usually did, but this time he was a whole half-hour earlier than the time he'd told Wanda to meet him at the restaurant. Mainly because he didn't want to risk her arriving before him and seeing him hobbling as much as he was. The knee would mend - it was already much better than it was - but he wanted to stall the inevitable discussion as long as possible.

Too bad he couldn't do much about the scrapes on his knuckles and the bruising along his jaw.

The past week had been nearly dreadfully dull so Wanda had no issues with leaving the office with a few things still on her desk. They would be dealt with tomorrow; tonight it was to be all about catching up with Stephen. She had missed him and with their holiday vacation together cut so short, she had been pleased that he had been able to stop by the city to visit.

Arriving at the restaurant, she unwrapped herself before heading straight to Stephen. A few steps away, the look on her face grew concerned. She pressed a gentle kiss to his cheek before giving him a questioning look.

"Wanda," he said with a subdued smile that still managed to ease the lines of his face. "You look as beautiful as ever."

Patient, she waited for the waiter to take their drink orders before reaching for Stephen's hand. "And you, my dear, look a little worse for wear, though I see whatever happened certainly has not hurt your charm any." Wanda frowned. "Are you alright? What happened?"

"It was noth..." he began, and then Wanda's knee brushed his, and he winced. "Well, not nothing," he amended, laying his hand over hers, the scrapes on his knuckles prominent. "A slight mishap in Vietnam. A misunderstanding over some property."

She glanced down at the scraped knuckles, having noted the wince a few seconds ago. "When did this happen?" she asked, realizing that the knuckles had started to scab over just a touch. And he hadn't mentioned anything in their last phone call, when he told her he'd be visiting...

"About a week and a half ago," he admitted reluctantly. "I'm sorry I didn't call you at the time..."

"Stephen!" Shocked, Wanda sat back. "You could have mentioned something on the phone the other day. It could have been a whole lot worse than this, would you have neglected to tell me then?" Their jobs were dangerous, she knew this, but she was hurt that he hadn't wanted to...what, bother her?

"It was under control!" he protested, a little defensively. "Yes, I got hurt, but it turned out fine in the end. I can't expect you to drop everything and come extract me from every little bit of difficulty!"

She blinked, feeling herself getting a little annoyed. "And I was not implying that and you know that," Wanda responded tightly. "I know you do not want me to worry, Stephen, but I do. As I know you do as well so getting irritated at me when you would react exactly the same is a little hypocritical." There was always unending worry.

"And what if you'd been... on a job somewhere?" he replied, still on the defensive. "If you'd been in the middle of something and needed all your attention, and then you had worrying about me distracting you? If something happened to you because you were worrying about me, do you think I could live with that?"

"And does that not extend to me as well?" she asked, frustrated. This was not turning out the way she'd been hoping, not at all. "If I had talked to you on the phone, all bruised and beaten up, I know you would be displeased with me if I did not mention it to you. I refuse to apologize for worrying about you because I know you worry about me just as much." Wanda took a deep breath, reaching up to rub the bridge of her nose as she struggled to reign in her frustration.

"I do worry about you. Sometimes it eats away at me - every day, I wonder if it's going to be the day that I get a phone call from Amanda, telling me you've been hurt, or worse." His voice shook. "I've never loved anyone as much as I love you, Wanda, and I don't know if..." He paused. "I don't know if we can keep on this way. Separated for months at a time, snatching a few days here and there, not even in contact half the time... And it's only going to get worse."

It took a few moments for Wanda to respond, feeling as though the air had been sucked out of her. Reaching over, she took a quick drink from her wine glass before meeting Stephen's eyes. "I..." Oh, she fought not to have the mask fall into place. He--they both--deserved better. "And I love you just as much," she said softly. "So much that it hurts sometimes. And damn you for being right. It is going to get worse, isn't it? Not just the worrying and the stress, but the arguments like this when something happens. It will just build and build..."

"Until we hate each other," he supplied softly, his voice breaking a little. "And I couldn't bear for that to happen." He took a deep shuddering breath. "I can't believe I'm about to say this, but..."

There was the temptation to finish what he was about to say but Wanda restrained herself. For a long time in their relationship, she had been the forward one. She was no different in a relationship than she was with anyone else. Instead, she concentrated on breathing and watched him.

"I think we ought to end it." The words fell like lead from his mouth, but he managed to lift his eyes from the table and meet hers. He'd give her that at least.

It was like bracing for a punch you knew was coming but couldn't avoid. Despite knowing, it still hurt. She took a deep breath. "I know," Wanda responded, "that if I asked you to not end it...if I asked you to stay...you would."

"And I would do the same. We would give up what we love for each other. And then come to resent it in the future." She gave him a sad smile. "I love you but sometimes it is just not enough and I...do not ever want to resent you. Or hate you."

"I knew there was a reason - among so very many - that I loved you." His smile echoed her own in regret. "You'd give it all up too, if I asked but... you wouldn't be my Wanda if you did. Not after a while. What you do, your passion for it, your drive... it's part of who you are, the same as what I do is part of me." Reaching across the table, he took her hand. "You're right, my dearest. Sometimes love isn't enough."

She closed her eyes for a second as she held his hand tightly, drawing and giving strength at the same time. "The world," Wanda said dryly, "is horribly unfair. Live well, my dear." Giving him a weak smile, she shook her head. "We will see each other again, too many ties to avoid that. And I would not change that for the world. But I will miss you." And she would still love him.

"And I will miss you. Terribly." Her love blazed out at him through her aura, and he had to close his eyes briefly against the sudden prickle of tears. When he opened them again, it was with a small, brave smile. "I'm afraid I've never done this before - what happens now?"

Wanda leaned back in her chair. "Well," she said, drawing out the word, trying for levity. "I do not believe I have ever had one of these go so...well. I think dinner, first and then...we go home." Actually, home and then to a bar but he didn't need to know that. This called for a great deal of drinking. "And then?"

The smile she gave him was tight but sincere. "We save the world."