Chapter 17: Prelude to a War
(may be a little spoiler-y for Civil War near the end but not too much)
"I need Sonic to go on a mission"
Ivy cursed those words as she sat next to the hospital bed, as she held Wanda's hand in her own. When Tony had asked Pietro to go on a mission, no one could have foreseen the outcome.
"He's going to be okay" Ivy whispered to her sister-in-law and partially to herself. Her husband had been shot multiple times in Sokovia and had come out alive from that.
"He is strong" Wanda said in the same way the young woman spoke to her. As Anna came into the room with Clint in tow, handing the youngest team member a cup of tea and coffee to the Scarlet Witch "Thank you"
"Doc says that he's stable but ..." The archer trailed off, not to sure of how to explain to his daughter what the diagnosis on his son-in-law was.
"They don't know how long he will be in the coma for" Anna finished as she placed a hand on her sister's shoulder.
"How did this happen?" Ivy asked, looking up at her family, who shared a look before glancing at the pregnant blonde.
"The mission went south" Clint explained, ignoring the dark look he received from Wanda and Ivy given that both had already figured that out. "Don't shoot the messenger, I wasn't there. Something happened, Pietro got hit by an energy pulse which knocked him off balance."
"You ran into enhanced on the mission? I thought it was just recon" Wanda queried, the description of the mission didn't match what actually happened.
"It was supposed to be, but he got caught and had ..."
"Had?"
"He had a building fall on him, he's lucky to be alive." Anna finished, knowing from personal experiences, even with powers, that wasn't something you walked away from unscathed.
...
While her husband was in a coma Ivy stayed by his side the entire time. When she was unable to be there someone else was in the room, namely Wanda, Anna, Clint or Steve, so that he wouldn't be alone.
For the rest of the team it hurt to nearly lose one of their own, especially since the Sokovia incident where he almost died at the hands of Ultron. It impacted the archer closer to home than the others, after all his previous near death experience had been an attempt to protect him and a child.
"I can't do this, I can't lose Pietro" Ivy broke the silence in the room "I can't lose anyone", Clint didn't say anything knowing where she was coming from. When Laura was pregnant with Cooper, he believed that it would be the best if he retired and stayed with his family. With the young blonde's suddenly doubts about her job not coming as a surprise to him, Ivy was pregnant, her husband in a coma and everyone she knew came and went on a regular basis due to missions.
"I'm retiring" the archer stated as he held his daughter's hand tightly. Pietro may be a little shit but he was a good kid and above all loved Ivy, but seeing him this state again reminded Clint of his own mortality and what he would be putting Laura and his own children through if he did not come back from a mission.
"We are leaving the team without three of their members"
"They'll understand, it's common knowledge that I will need time off due to the baby"
"Maybe Anna'll chip in and help." Father and daughter shared a look before chuckling at that thought, Anna would probably help if asked. Even if she acted like it was all a giant hassle for her.
...
"Where are you going on the mission?" Ivy asked Wanda, as the dark haired female suited up.
"Nigeria"
"Be safe Wand"
"I will. You rest up" Wanda hugged her sister in law, placing a hand on over the growing baby bump "You need to take care of baby Maximoff"
"You know where I will be" both knowing that during this mission the blonde would be staying with Pietro "I'll see you when you get back. Anna should be back soon to keep me company"
"Define soon?"
"A month or two? She's in Berlin at the moment and I'm kind of scared to ask what she's doing there"
"I would be too"
"Maximoff come on" Steve's voice called out, as the Witch looked over her shoulder at her captain and back to the young blonde.
"Go. Take care" Ivy gave the brunette Sokovian a push towards the quinjet "I'll see you when you come home"
...
"Please Pietro, please wake up soon. I love you. Please"
...
When the team came back from Nigeria they were different though Ivy was not sure why and they were not telling her the details of what happened. Whatever had happened on the mission had hit Wanda the hardest and she was not dealing with it.
"Wanda what happened?" Ivy asked after three days of not seeing her sister-in-law, a fact that made her exponentially worried for the Sokovian. Wanda barely looked up at her twin's wife as she continued to stare at the wall, not taking notice of the added weight next to her. The blonde didn't need anyone to explain what happened in Nigeria after she saw Wanda, she instantly recognised the look the older females face. "It's not your fault Wands"
"I killed them" Wanda whispered as she rested her head on Ivy's shoulder, allowing the former hydra agent to comfort her "It's all my fault"
Nothing she could say would be able to change what Wanda felt so Ivy merely kept her company. For the first time since Pietro came back from his mission, the blonde didn't spend the night in the medical bay, she spent it with her best friend so she wouldn't be alone in her current state.
...
Authors Notes:
This is the explanation for why Pietro and Ivy won't technically be in my Civil War story - Broken. Ivy isn't fighting because she is pregnant and staying with Pietro who is in a coma after a mission went south. The first chapter of Broken is nearly finished and it takes place during Captain America: Winter Soldier so it doesn't have any spoilers for Civil War at this moment and I will stick a warning when it gets into the Civil War related chapters.
Broken is going to have a different focus on relationships than in Borrowed Time and Fairy and the Speedster where it is based on mutual understanding of what they both experienced in their past and a desire to protect their family. Broken will be more coming to terms with letting another person in and dealing with issues of mistrust and fear.
I have also started on the X-Men story I promised people last year - Mistakes - which is the Romeo and Juliet inspired relationship between Peter Maximoff and Alyssa Xavier set in the original timeline and them during the new movie timeline (All the trailers for Apocalypse has inspired me)
Next few chapters will be AU's until I can figure out how to properly tie in Broken without just ending it.
* High School AU
* Shared pain/emotions Soulmate AU
* Timer Sol
* Dream Walker Soulmate AU
* Non Powered/Non Avenger AU
Are all chapters I have planned for Pietro and Ivy (though with Soulmates I will probably tie in some Anna/Bucky and maybe Kat/Danny)