Y/n got worried the closer they got to their destination. She wondered if it was a mistake to come along with them, but Steve and Natasha assured her that it was fine. The rumbling of the car engine and the crunch of the tires on the dirt ground was all she could focus on, accompanying the drumming of her heartbeat in her ear. She looked out the window when she felt the car slowing down. At first, all she could see were the lush, tall trees framing the road. Her eyes followed along and soon she saw a beautiful cabin by the water at the end of a stone path.
The car rolled to a stop some distance away from the cabin. Steve, Natasha, and Scott got out of the car; eyes fixed on someone walking towards the entrance of the building. Y/n knew right away who it was but to her surprise, he was carrying someone. A child? She thought as she stepped out of the car and stood behind Steve, watching Tony turn around to look at them. She could see now that Tony was indeed carrying a little girl. She was a little taken aback and confused by this, wondering who that girl was. Tony turned and walked inside the cabin, returning alone a little while later to meet them on the porch.
Y/n stood by as the three went to greet him. She took the chance to take a good look at Tony in the meantime, noting how different he looked since the last time they met. They glanced back at Y/n, who was still quiet and looking pensively at Tony. She realized that she was probably staring at Tony this whole time when she sensed the awkwardness in the air.
"What, no 'Hi Tony, how've you been'? Are you staring at something on my face, or are you plotting to zap me again? Cause if that's the case, then we need to find a better way to—" Tony was interrupted by Y/n giving him a tight hug. He sighed in relief, hugging her back. Y/n could sense that he felt a little caught off guard by this interaction so she quickly moved away.
"Sorry, I got carried away. I'm just really happy to see you, Tony." Y/n felt bad about what she did but was surprised when Tony went in for another hug, which Y/n gladly reciprocated.
"Glad to see you, kid. It's been a while." He squeezed her shoulder gently as he let go, his actions saying more than his words would. Tony looked around at his surprise visitors before addressing them again. "I appreciate you dropping by but I know you guys didn't come here just to say hi. I know something's brewing by the looks on your faces," he glanced particularly at Steve, Natasha, and Scott. "But Pepper reminded me to play nice so I'll be a good host and humor you. To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?" Tony asked, squinting his eyes suspiciously at them.
Y/n could hear Steve explaining the reason for their visit, but something else caught her attention. Something felt wrong, but she couldn't put her finger on what it was. She looked around, listening to the leaves rustling in the trees around them as the wind blew a gentle breeze. For some reason, she felt a migraine coming. She closed her eyes to try and shake it off, but she could tell that something was definitely wrong by the red mist she could see encroaching her peripherals. The pain grew as the mist slowly spread.
Natasha heard Y/n inhaling sharply, turning to see her massaging her temple. She frowned at the sight. "Are you okay? You don't look too well. What's wrong?"
Y/n sensed their concern and didn't want to worry them pointlessly so she quickly waved Natasha's question off. "I'm fine, I just need some air. You guys keep talking. I'll be back." She walked off the porch, feeling their eyes at the back of her head. She headed to the small clearing beside the cabin where she knew they could still see her in case they thought she'd take off. She gave them an awkward thumbs up as assurance before turning to look at the lake sprawled in front of her. She closed her eyes, focusing as much as possible to push the mist away.
.
"What's that about?" Tony questioned. "Is she okay? Is she showing any signs of regression?"
"Physically, Helen said she's doing good. Everything else... is a little bit of a gray area." Natasha pursed her lips in thought. "I've been monitoring her and she seems okay. Nothing out of the ordinary ever since she got her memory back, which is a good thing."
"Yeah, that's what we see. What's plaguing her is a software issue, not hardware. Did Wong say anything else? Maybe he gave you an instruction manual on how to reset her, just in case she has a tantrum?" Tony received a glaring look from Natasha and Steve in response. "I'm joking. Seriously though, did he mention anything we should look out for?"
"For some reason, he said to keep her away from large energy sources. And to remind her to control her emotions," Steve replied.
"That's... pleasantly ominous and helpful," Tony raised his eyebrows, wondering what that meant. "Though it does make sense. We've established she's somewhat of a Hulk, so pissing her off is clearly a bad thing. She obviously has better control of her powers now—that, we also know—but giving her extra fuel to burn when angry is not smart. Okay, the math works out. The concern here is why he had to specifically mention that."
"What if there was a way to fix things?" Scott suddenly blurted out. "You know, like having an eraser? We can erase what we wrote down and get the chance to work out the math again. We can change the way we solve the problem. Maybe we can restart and do something right so there aren't more problems to deal with," he added as Tony listened.
"You're not talking about Y/n, are you? I hope so because I think she might be a little sensitive to the word 'erase' currently. You know, with everything that happened," Tony gave Scott a concerned look.
"I am but also I'm, not?" Scott replied and Tony gave him a shocked look. "No, wait. I prefaced that horribly. You were right, we came here for a reason. That sounds horribly selfish, but hear me out."
.
Y/n walked closer to the water to calm herself down. The red mist was gone and she could focus better now. She looked back at the cabin, finding herself looking into a window where she could see Pepper and the little girl busy with something in the kitchen. Pepper looked up, smiling at Y/n when she noticed her. The little girl was saying something to Pepper and proceeded to wave at Y/n after Pepper whispered something back. Y/n smiled and returned the wave at the little girl.
She quickly understood who the girl was from the way Pepper's heart bloomed every time she looked at her. Pepper moved away from the window but the little girl stayed, showing Y/n her drawing through the window that confirmed what Y/n thought. She could see that it was a picture of Iron Man with hearts all over and the word 'dad' scrawled next to it. Y/n smiled and gave her an encouraging nod, not expecting to see a mini-Tony today.
.
"The stones are in the past," Steve tried to convince Tony. "We could go back; we could get them."
"We can snap our own fingers. We can bring everybody back," Natasha added soon after.
Their current topic caught Y/n's attention as she joined them again quietly. Bring everyone back? What is Nat talking about? She could sense the familiar wave of hope from them—even Tony—though his was marred with more doubt and worry. She stood next to Natasha, continuing to listen to them going back and forth about the possibility of time travel, slowly figuring out what their plan was about. The stones... The ones on Ugly Barney's gloves? They want to get those back? How? She thought, but Tony's next words interrupted her.
"...time heist. I believe the most likely outcome, will be our collective demise."
The thought of that possibility shook Y/n to her core. After how everything turned out, she didn't want to risk losing any more than they already had. Scott continued pitching the theory, sitting next to Tony on the rattan chair as Natasha walked over to Steve, their ray of hope wavering slightly.
"That's not how quantum physics works," Tony replied agitatedly to Scott, trying to reason with him.
"Tony," Natasha called out quietly, raising her eyes to look at him. "We have to take a stand."
"We did stand. And yet here we are."
Y/n had to look away, feeling the heavy burden of guilt on her shoulders once more. She remembered what she did. Most especially, what she didn't do. None of us would be miserable or talking about this problem if I had just listened... She shook her head, willing those thoughts away and holding on to the hope she felt from them.
Tony noticed Y/n's reaction to his words, turning to look at her. "I know how you feel about the whole thing, but it's not your fault. We all did what we could, kid. We were dealt shit cards, that's all."
"I know you got a lot on the line. You got a wife. A daughter," Scott said, and Y/n found herself looking at Tony. He returned her look briefly before looking back at Scott as he continued talking, getting riled up the more he spoke. "But I lost someone very important to me. A lot of people did. And now—now, we have a chance to bring her back. To bring everyone back. And you're telling me that you won't even—"
"That's right, Scott. I won't even." Tony shut down Scott bluntly but his emotions showed briefly, breathing out quickly as his eyes showed remorse at what he had to say. Scott could only look at Tony in disbelief, his frustration reaching a boiling point. "I can't," Tony added, looking at the rest of them as the little girl exited the cabin and headed to Tony.
"Mommy told me to come and save you," she said, crawling into Tony's arms.
"Good job. I'm saved." Tony hugged her and Y/n could sense Scott's heart ache slightly at the sight. "I wish you came here to ask me something else. Anything else. I'm honestly happy to see you guys." Tony stood up, carrying the little girl. "Oh look, the table's set for seven—"
Y/n felt as if the sheer weight of their emotions could suffocate her. She understood both sides and where they were coming from. But understanding was not enough to solve anything at this point.
"Tony. I get it. And I'm happy for you, I really am. But this is a second chance," Steve tried to reach out to Tony one last time.
"I got my second chance right here, Cap. I can't roll the dice on it." Tony felt horrible denying them, but he had something he couldn't lose this time. Things and circumstances had changed, especially now that he has a child, whom he would go to the ends of the world, thousands of times over for. "If you don't talk shop, you can stay for lunch," he added turning towards the cabin door.
"I see you got a new boss running the place but we weren't properly introduced. What's her name?" Y/n asked Tony just before he reached for the door. He paused, turning to her as the little girl did the same.
"This little stinker? Morgan," he replied, smiling proudly at Y/n. "Say hi to Y/n, Maguna," he whispered to his daughter.
"Hi, Y/n," Morgan smiled shyly at her as she gave a little wave.
"Hi. Nice to meet you, Morgan. I liked that drawing you showed me earlier," Y/n smiled in return before looking at Tony. "She's adorable. I can see that she got her mother's looks."
Tony chuckled, glad that Y/n didn't add to the pressure of the conversation earlier. "I liked you better when you were zapping me," he joked. "I'm happy you're here, Y/n. The offer for lunch still stands," Tony said a little louder so the others could hear him as well before he disappeared into the cabin with Morgan.
To Y/n's disappointment, Steve suggested that they head back to the compound, not wanting to impose further on Tony after their tense discussion. The journey back was quiet but the tension in the air was palpable. She glanced at Natasha, who was looking quietly out the window beside her. Y/n reached for her hand, squeezing it to comfort her. She understood what they had been through. She knew how long ago they could've given up but they didn't. And now with the fact that a second chance was possible, she knew they were not going to give up easily just yet.
.
Natasha was rinsing the dishes after dinner as the other three helped to clear the table and clean up. A notification came up, saying someone was at the front gate. Steve checked it, surprised at who their visitor was.
"Who is it?" Natasha asked.
"Wong," Steve replied as Natasha turned to him, looking confused.
"Wong? What is he doing here?"
"I know you guys can see me. May I come in?" Wong said in the hologram, his tone serious.
"Sure. Meet you at the front door," Steve replied, letting Wong in through the gates.
Y/n shared a look at Natasha, both a little worried about the purpose of his visit. Scott was curious but didn't want to butt in, his own mind already busy with other things currently. They continued to clean up, choosing to not overthink things. Not long after, they went to the living room where they could hear Steve and Wong conversing.
"Wong! Good to see you as always," Natasha greeted him.
"You uh, want anything to drink?" Y/n asked awkwardly as they looked at her funnily. "What? He's a guest and I'm trying to be a good host."
"Thank you for the offer, Y/n, but I'm good. I do need to talk with Steve and Natasha though," he said, getting questioning looks from everyone. "Can we talk privately?" He asked, to which Steve and Natasha agreed, leading the way to the meeting room.
"I guess that leaves the both of us," Scott said to Y/n as they sat in the living room looking at each other.
"You really think it's possible?" Y/n suddenly asked, massaging her hands nervously as she thought about their visit to Tony.
Scott sighed deeply, looking down as he considered his answer. "I think there's a chance."
"A chance," Y/n echoed his words. "That's more than anything most of us had these past few years. But what about the risks?"
"Of course there are risks, but that didn't stop any of us before. I—" Scott paused to clear his throat. "It threw me off when I came back. To me, I was away from the people I cared about for a few hours. Then I came to realize that they were gone for five years. Five freaking years. Everything feels weird. And wrong." He looked at Y/n, his sadness and frustration clear on his face. "That's why I have to try. I'm not going to force anyone if they're not sure about it, but I have to do something. It's a chance, and that's good enough for me."
Y/n nodded, giving him a reassuring smile. "I understand. If there's anything I can help with, just let me know."
"Thank you," Scott whispered, returning the smile. His tears threatened to fall but he quickly diverted the topic. "I'm feeling like some orange slices. You want some?"
Y/n laughed. "No, thank you." She watched him nod before walking away to the kitchen. She sat there for what felt like a few minutes, looking up when she heard footsteps approaching. It was Steve, Natasha, and Wong, back from their meeting. She was hit by a dreadful sense of worry from them, wondering what were they talking about. She realized she was about to find out when Wong spoke.
"Y/n? Could I have a moment?"
Y/n looked at him in surprise as she got up from the couch. "Yeah, sure. Am I in trouble?" She tried to joke. Wong gave her a tight-lipped smile which made her nervous. Uh oh, she thought as she walked past Steve and Natasha who were quietly discussing something. She followed Wong up the stairs until he stopped in the hallway.
"Where would you feel comfortable to talk? It's a sensitive matter, and you might need to sit down," he said.
"Now you're just scaring me," Y/n shook her head. "Well, we can talk in my room." She led the way, closing her room door behind them and inviting Wong to sit on her chair. He declined politely, continuing to speak.
"I'm sure you're wondering the purpose of this."
"Can we skip the introduction and get to the important part, because I'm honestly getting anxious," Y/n asked.
"Okay," Wong nodded. "How are you doing so far? Do you still have headaches? Any pain at all? Now before you speak, your answers here matter. So be honest."
"Not as frequent as before. Just the occasional ones here and there."
Wong nodded, watching her closely. "How about any weird dreams or visions? Still getting them?"
For some reason, Y/n was afraid to tell him the truth. He questioned her once more when she didn't answer, and she paced the room before she replied. "Yes. Not often, but yes. I actually had one earlier today. It's not a dream. I just had a bad headache and I saw something when I closed my eyes. But I was able to push it back, though," she added with hope in her voice.
It was Wong's turn to pace the room, humming at Y/n's answer as his brows furrowed with thought. "She's still getting through, somehow. Do you recognize now who it is?"
Y/n sat down on her bed, her heart breaking again and again at the memory of the face she deeply missed. She nodded sadly as she whispered. "It's Wanda."
Wong paused; his arms crossed across his chest as worry emanated in waves from him. "I'm going to tell you something that might be difficult for you to do. But you have to trust me and do as I say." He pulled the chair and sat across from Y/n, trying to get her attention. "Whatever she tells you, don't believe her."
"What do you mean?" Y/n replied, hurt and anger in her voice.
"Whatever you do, please don't trust her mind games. She..." he paused, wondering how to put it lightly seeing how this was still a sensitive topic to Y/n. "She's not the Wanda you know and care for. I know it's hard to believe. And I can't tell you much just yet, but I will when the time comes. Your well-being now relies on you not knowing and keeping this Wanda out. Do you understand?"
Y/n knew there was some truth to Wong's words, seeing how wrong it felt whenever the red fog or mist appeared. She knew now it was Wanda all along, but she could also tell that something was different. She nodded quietly as her tears streamed down her cheek.
"I'll tell you what I can for now. I apologize for bringing this up, but what HYDRA did to you these past few years actually helped," Wong carefully continued.
Y/n got agitated at his words. "You mean when they fucked my head up repeatedly to the point I didn't recognize who I saw in the mirror? I hope you have a good story here, Wong. Because you're kinda pissing me off," Y/n warned.
He quickly calmed her down. "I'm sorry, I know how bad that sounds but it's a crucial part of the whole thing, I promise. The cruel irony is that you were saved by that. Or rather, it mitigated what could've happened. HYDRA brainwashed you; kept you from accessing your memories. This made your memories harder to reach, yes. But most importantly, hard to corrupt." Y/n frowned at what Wong said but kept quiet to let him explain further.
"We sensed a disturbance in our universe and tracked it to you, thanks to her trying to reach out to you. We know how anger somehow amplifies your powers. And with what HYDRA did to you, that anger and hurt turned into rage because you lost sight of who you are. That was how this Wanda found you here. She couldn't access your memories, so she clung to that part of you instead. Does this make sense?"
Y/n was surprised at this, recalling the many times her voice pushed her to act in revenge. Make them pay. Those words rang in her head as clear as day. "Yeah. She... She kept persuading me to—" Y/n stopped and shook her head, not wanting to remember.
"That's okay. We dealt with that when you regained control of your memory and mind. But this is where I need you to play your part. You need to keep her out of your head. I can help you, but it is of grave importance you do so on your own. I can't do much if you are the one who let her in. This Wanda is not the Wanda you know, trust me."
Let me in. Hearing those words from Wong made her shiver now that she knew what it meant. "But... why? Why would she do this? I thought she loved me. What would she do if she got in?" Y/n broke down, sobbing quietly.
Wong contemplated what to do, deciding it was better for Y/n to know in case this Wanda found a way to manipulate Y/n's feelings for her. "Y/n," he called out seriously, waiting for her to look at him. "I'm going against my better judgment here. I trust you will do better knowing more information, but you need to keep this away from everyone until the time comes. Away from them here at the compound, and especially from this Wanda. Maintaining this as a secret can mean the difference between life and death, and not only for you. Do you want to know?"
Y/n wiped her tears and considered the weight of his words. She was more confident now that she could handle her powers better, especially with Wong helping her. She looked into his eyes before nodding.
Wong stood up and conjured a portal and invited Y/n to follow him inside. "Just an extra safety precaution. Come." Y/n walked through and sat down on a park bench as the world spun around slowly. Wong closed the portal and joined her on the bench. Y/n looked at him expectantly as he collected his thoughts, careful not to give too much away.
"This may be confusing so you can tell me when it gets a bit much." Wong took a deep breath in and continued to explain. "I'm sure you're aware of the existence of the Infinity Stones. You, along with your Wanda and Vision are part of one Mind stone, hence your connection to each other. The same concept applies to the other Wanda, with her Y/n and Vision in their universe."
"There's... another me?" Y/n asked, slightly shocked at the revelation.
"An alternate version of you, yes. Are you following so far?" Wong checked and Y/n nodded. "Okay, listen closely. This is where it gets complicated. This Wanda—the alternate one—is trying to get her Y/n's soul and or memory into your body. She figured out how to use the Mind stone within her to help her hold Y/n's memory to do so, relying on the connection they share. Now, the soul is a different matter. She—"
"No, hang on. Wait. Pause. What did you just say?" Y/n stared at Wong, unsure if she heard him right. "You said this Wanda wants to, what, transfer or upload her Y/n into me? Like I'm some pen drive or something? A vessel? Huh?!"
"Technically, we're all vessels if you think about it. But you even more so, considering the nature of your powers. Not only can you absorb energy, but you can also convert and somehow store it, can you not? If I remember correctly, you even joked that you are a 'human power bank' to Dr Helen." Wong was still serious as he explained to Y/n.
"That was a joke! I didn't think that people would think that my actual consciousness or soul could be removed or modified however they liked?! I am still a real, living person, not a device!" Y/n panicked.
"I understand how you feel. The thing is, she may have successfully done so with her Y/n's memories. Partially, not completely. Which might explain some weird visions you've been getting, and also why she is increasingly desperate to continue since she thinks that this is possible."
"What?! I have another person, a parasite version of myself, in my—my head? My body?! Wong, you're not helping me much," Y/n stood up, starting to hyperventilate. "Are you telling me I could be kicked out of my own body and reality?"
"That's...a possibility," Wong muttered under his breath but Y/n heard it, causing her to sit down on the grass with her head between her knees to calm down. He walked up to her to calm her down. "Listen, you still have a hand at this. You're stronger now. You managed to push her back many times before. All you need to do is keep doing that and you'll be alright."
Y/n felt dizzy so she took a few deep breaths. She focused on grounding herself, gaining peace of mind with the fact that she still had control. "Can I remove this parasite Y/n? Is there even a way or am I screwed?"
"I'm looking into it. I'll get back to you when I know. In the meantime, you have to be extra careful. Remember not to get too agitated or—"
"Or be exposed to a big energy source. I got it." Y/n looked up at Wong and he nodded at her.
"Good. That's the only way she can find and reach you right now. Whatever you do, do not tell anyone, just in case. We don't want this Wanda to suspect that we know all of this, it could mean a world of difference when we need to make a move later. But since you're doing well on shielding your mind from her, you'll be okay. I believe you're capable of handling this," Wong assured her. They were quiet for a while until Wong suggested that they get back.
Y/n got up and walked with Wong to the portal. "How do you know all this?"
"We had a heated intervention mentally... If that makes sense," Wong replied.
"Not really, no," Y/n said, as one last question egged her. "Why is she doing this? What happened to her Y/n?"
"We'll save that for another day, I think you're overwhelmed enough," Wong patted her back, leading her out of the mirror dimension.
A/N: Nothing describes feeling wanted more than someone going to another universe to just find you 🥰🤗 LOL