Wanda and Garrison

[x-scarletwitch.livejournal.com]

A day after their timely rescue, Garrison drops by to check in on Wanda. She's still struggling to understand and a moment passes by.



Garrison didn't bother to flinch at the twinges from his cuts and bruises any more. A day out of Stevens bizarre death traps hadn't given his healing factor long enough to wipe away the wounds, and he hid a number of bandages under his loose shirt. He'd already dropped by to give Sofia a wrap-up, and followed her instructions to Wanda's room. Unlike him, Stevens had been able to torment her with more than his annoying voice, and he wanted to make sure she was okay. One of Uncle Pete's people or not, she'd still been through hell.

He rapped at the door twice. "Wanda?"

Inside the apartment, Wanda stirred at the noise. "Coming," she called, gently untangling her fingers from her damp hair. She'd gotten out of the shower nearly an hour ago, dressing in loose clothing, but had taken her time with her hair. Rising, she frowned at her hands and clenched them in tight fists as she made her way to the door. They were covered in red marks, slight welts, from the wires and while they would fade, currently they were a startling, immediate reminder of the ordeal. They were elsewhere as well, everywhere it seemed, but worse on her hands. Maybe it was because she could easily see it.

Opening the door, she stepped aside. "Garrison." Wanda blinked and then motioned him in. "Come in, please."

"Hey Wanda." Kane stepped in through the door and moved as she closed it behind him. He looked her up and down, but didn't see any obvious reactions to pain or injuries. Whatever Stevens might have done wasn't obvious on her body. "The FBI has found evidence to link Jeffery Stevens to the murders officially. So if he ever pieces his brain back together, he'll be going away for life."

The door was shut closed with just a little extra oomph at that. "Tough to decide, there, I suppose," she responded, voice slightly flat. "I cannot decide if I want him to rot in jail for the rest of his life or be a gibbering idiot with his brain leaking out his ears." Wanda paused and pinched the bridge of her nose. "I apologize. Usually, I am not so...whatever this is."

"It's okay." Kane crossed his arms over his broad chest, ignoring the small spikes of pain. There was something hesitant in her eyes, in a way that he'd heard of from other agents, but not seen personally. "You know, he did kill a bunch of people, say it was your fault, and then torture you. You're allowed to be a little vengeful, eh?"

He'd been there, she reminded herself. Everyone else would understand in their own way but he'd actually been there. "I know but it won't bring the dead back," she responded, giving voice to the thoughts that had prevented her from restful sleep. Wanda let her emotions echo in her voice as she started to move past him. "And logically I know I had nothing to do with it, that I could not have prevented it. But the heart is a different matter."

"Hey," Garrison gripped her lightly by the arm, stopping her. "You need to speak to someone about this. These kinds of reactions are alright, but you have to face it with someone. Sofia, or if not, I can recommend someone at the bureau. You don't have to go through it alone, and you shouldn't."

Wanda took a deep, shuddering breath before reaching up with the opposite hand and laying it on top of his. "I will, I promise." She laughed then, a bone tired one but still, a laugh. "I take my mental health as seriously as one should in my profession. Ah, but look at me, so wrapped up in myself, so selfish...how are you doing?"

"Carved up like a roast. Fortunately, I only had to put up with his voice, and my healing factor will catch up with everything. Not that I won't whine and look for pity about my scratches today." Kane grinned quickly, a lightning flash of teeth against the dark brown of his beard. "Fred Duncan already gave me a week off already."

"I'd say lucky bastard but knowing Pete and Remy, if I show my face in the office, they will personally escort me out. Potentially off the roof." She winked and gave his hand a squeeze. "But I have other projects and other jobs to keep me busy and from going stir crazy until they let me back in, I suppose.

"And what are those?" Kane said, squeezing her hand back. "Special projects, other jobs? Your line of work, that could be any number of disturbing things. I heard some of you were in Madripoor for god sakes. The place that makes Amsterdam look like Disney World."

Wanda stared at their hands for a moment before looking back up, face still but eyes alive with mirth. "Oh, Amsterdam has it's own unique perks," she said and then shook her head, hair moving along with the motion almost like it was alive. "Nothing quite so interesting, thank God. In fact, mundane enough to last a life time."

She looked away for a moment before turning her head back towards Garrison. "Thank you," she said, simply. Without Garrison and Sofia, there was all the likelihood that she'd either be dead by now or, worse even, still trapped. A full body shudder ran through her at the thought -- death was much more preferable to the complete loss of her freedom.

"For what? As I recall, it was Sofia that brought the cavalry. I just knocked through a wall and left a lot of blood all over the place." Garrison watched the shudder, wondered for a moment whether it was her pushing the memories aside.

At his comment, she pursed her lips at him. "Well, it was one hell of a wall," Wanda teased. "But for the record, for not...leaving, I suppose. I know you were just as trapped as I but you probably would have lost less blood if you were not trying to get to me. Not in your nature, I know, but that does not mean I can thank you less." And there was still the slight guilt of getting him caught up with everything. Within a breath, she'd slipped closer, arms winding around him in a gentle hug, wary of his injuries.

Kane started slightly, just in a bit of shock at the sudden intimacy. Wanda wasn't much shorter than him, and it was a unique sensation. He reached up, running his hands up her back and returning her light contact.

A soft sigh came from from Wanda, her head dropping slightly onto his shoulder. She'd never been shy about physical affection and after Stevens' treatment, she rather welcomed any she could get. She'd looped one of her arms up around his shoulder and now her hand rested on the back of his neck lightly.

"Better form of captivity, eh." Kane said quietly, a murmur in her ear, One of the difficulties dating Marie was physical closeness, and the bare touch of Wanda's hand on the back of his head was intoxicating. "I-uh,"

The reality of the fact that they could have died by that madman's hands came crashing down. Death was as final as one could get, there were no revolving doors up in heaven, not even for them. Wanda turned her head towards his slightly, rubbing her cheek against his, feeling the rasp of his beard.

He felt the muscles of her back tense under his fingers, reacting to the memory of what had happened. Kane knew the psychology behind it; near death situation, shared confinement. They were almost a textbook case study in the need to feel grounded, that they still lived and the world hadn't lost them along the way. Intellectually, he understood, but that didn't make him immune to the effects. Emotionally, he'd gone through the same crucible, and had acquired all the same burns.

"Wanda, this is the start of a very bad idea." Kane said gently to her, and pulled back enough to look at her eye to eye. "You know that."

Blinking, Wanda took a deep, shuddering breath and came back to herself. She untangled herself from Garrison and took a step back. There was no embarrassment in her eyes, just an acknowledgment that there'd been an almost moment - she'd wanted, needed, to feel something other than the deep tiredness and self-recrimination she was feeling at the moment. But the timing, the situation, was all wrong. There was Kurt and Marie and the last thing she wanted was for Stevens' efforts to hurt anyone else.

After a second, she gave him a legitimate, warm smile and offered him her arm. "I have a very old bottle of wine that my relatives sent me for my birthday. Care to join me?"

"Trying to get me drunk instead? Well played. You're sure you're not Canadian?" Kane sat down with a groan and reach for his cellphone. "I'm still suffering from the effects of blood loss and painkillers, so I think I'll pre-book my ride this time, eh?"

"Oh very well," Wanda sighed, grabbing the bottle and only one glass. She settled next to him on the couch and nudged the remote his way. "But since I am being benevolent now, once you are off those painkillers we will try this again. For now, though, you may simply entertain me." She wiggled her fingers at him with one hand as she poured with the other, content that good drink and companionship of a different kind would keep the demons at bay for a little longer.