Chapter Thirteen

Disclaimer: Marvel owns: I don't.

AN: Knowledge of Marvel's fictional race 'The Inhumans' will make later parts of this chapter easier to understand.

Balder, Thor and Sigyn looked at each other helplessly. Where had Atum taken Loki, and why? Balder looked more panicked than the other two, most likely because he was the youngest. A shimmer of verdant green light heralded the arrival of another figure, who walked towards the Asgardians sedately. As the green-clad figure got closer, recognition dawned on Thor and Sigyn's faces.

Balder merely looked confused, glancing from his brother to his friend for an explanation. None was forthcoming. He looked at the stranger once more, noted her resemblance to Thor, and realised she was probably Jord, or Gaea, Thor's birth mother and Sigyn's grandmother through Freyja. Once he had reached that conclusion, he turned his eyes to the sky.

"Heimdall! Open the Bifrost!" He was desperate to track down Loki, and that would be easier to do from Asgard. Gaea stepped up beside them silently as the Bifrost descended. In a multi-hued flash, they were all gone.*

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Wanda opened her eyes groggily. The sun was streaming in through the lounge window, and she blinked several times, trying to remember where she was.

"Hey, you're awake!"

She sat bolt upright, startled. "Pietro?"

"No, it's me. You've been asleep for a while, it must've been a dream." Steve's voice was soothing, and Wanda exhaled heavily- it had taken her a few seconds to recognise his voice- she had dreamed of a place in the mountains somewhere, and for some reason, her subconscious mind connected the area to her brother.

"Steve. How long have I been asleep?"

"Uh, about six hours." Steve rubbed the back of his neck self-consciously. "I kept an eye on you, thought you might want somewhere there when you woke up..."

Wanda had no idea why she was blushing. "You sat and waited for six hours for me to wake up? Didn't you have anything better to do?"

He smiled sheepishly, making a Herculean effort not to think about Bruce's teasing comments from earlier. "Not really, I mean, Natasha and Clint are dealing with Shield, and Tony and Bruce are busy with... something in the lab, as usual. Pepper's out at a board meeting, so I figured I'd keep you company. Better than sitting completely by myself."

Wanda frowned. "Aren't Thor and his friends better company? At least they'd be awake!"

"Oh, they took their 'Rainbow Bridge' thing home hours ago."

"Right...so if you don't mind me asking, what actually happened while I was...not myself? My last clear memories are of Loki stabbing me, passing out, then I'm waking up, and that gold-skinned man, or God, had hold of me. Everything else is hazy. I think I tried to speak to you, and Thor, during the fight, but I might have imagined that..."

Steve's eyes widened. "I thought I heard a voice whispering, but I was in pain, so I assumed I was hallucinating. That's...disconcerting, your 'spirit' trying to communicate or whatever you'd like to call it..."

Wanda nodded, shivering involuntarily. Steve tried to smile reassuringly. "At least you're alright now...aren't you?" At her nod, he continued, his expression growing solemn. "When Loki confessed to trying to kill you, I thought that was it. Even if we had managed to 'exorcise' you ourselves, I didn't expect you to be uninjured." He shook off the unpleasant thoughts, and managed another smile. "I'm rambling, aren't I? What I meant to say is I'm glad you're not hurt."

"I'm glad you weren't badly hurt either. Any of you." Wanda hung her head, unable to imagine how she would have lived with herself if one of the Avengers had been seriously hurt, or worse, at her hands...even if she was not in control of said hands at the time. Her eyes snapped back open, locking on Steve's suddenly.

"You said you didn't exorcise me?! Then how am I back, and...what if... He takes control again?" Her heart began to pound, and she began breathing more rapidly. What if she was still a danger to everyone?

"Calm down," Steve urged, putting his hand on her shoulder. "I said we didn't exorcise you. Atum, or whatever his name was-"

"The gold-skinned one?"

"Yeah. He... pulled the demon, or whatever it was, out of you somehow, not long before you woke up. Apparently, it's gone from you now."

Wanda sighed. "I hope that's true. I never want to go through anything like that again..."

Steve cleared his throat, trying to think of a way to change the subject. "Uh, how are you feeling now? I know Bruce wanted to run some tests, but I guess if you're feeling better, there's no reason to..."

She swung her legs off the couch, climbing to her feet. "It's probably better that I do get checked out. None of us know what might've been done to me while..." she shook her head, trailing off.

"Want me to walk you down to Med bay? I'll probably have to distract Tony so Bruce can get away from his latest project anyway."

Wanda smothered a giggle. "Alright, lead the way."

Bruce did indeed require 'rescuing' from Tony's incessant chatter, so Steve feigned interest in Tony's latest repulsor design (despite not having a clue what Tony was on about) while Bruce and Wanda escaped, and he gave her a quick checkup.

"Vitals are normal...no obvious injuries...you aren't in any pain, are you?"

"No."

"Good. I wouldn't be surprised if you had nightmares while you slept. Something like this might well give you some PTSD..."

Wanda blinked, not recognising the shortened name. Bruce saw her confusion, and clarified.

"Post Trauma Stress Disorder. Tony is still dealing with something similar, it's nothing to be worried about."

"Oh. Well, I haven't had any nightmares. Yet, at least. The only thing I dreamed about was a place I've never seen, which makes no sense..."

Bruce's eyebrows arched. "Where?"

She shrugged. "Some mountainous place, with fog everywhere. It wasn't Wundagore, before you ask, there was more than one mountain in the dream." She frowned. "I called for Pietro when I woke up..." That part, well, all of it really, was inexplicable.

Bruce's eyebrows rose further- Wanda could well have been describing the exact place where Pietro had disappeared. He didn't get a chance to really think about the ramifications of that though, as Tony chose that very moment to burst in, grinning. Steve followed him, looking resigned. Bruce sighed. 'Tony in a good mood, Steve looking like he's humouring him...this never ends well.'

"Jekyll, I'm afraid you're going to have to play doctor later. Wanda and Steve are attending 21st century 101," Tony announced, shaking a blue cardboard box vigorously.

Wanda squinted slightly at the white letters scrawled across the top. Trivial Pursuit. Bruce took off his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose. Tony, not waiting for him to answer, walked in, grabbed Wanda's wrist and promptly dragged her out of the room. Steve followed, grinning wryly at Bruce. The gamma scientist shook his head, trailing after them. Apparently, Tony was never going to grow up.

"At least this is a form of team bonding." he muttered, already well aware that Tony would force him, and Clint and Natasha (if they returned in time) to join in.

Three months later...

"Remind me again why we're freezing ourselves to death?"

"There are still traces of alien technology in this area, energy that doesn't seem to resemble the type used by the Chitauri. And you already know that, Stark, so why are you asking? Also, you are not 'freezing to death', I know that armour keeps your temperature normal, so stop whining!"

"Well, excuse me, drill sergeant Romanoff, I just don't particularly enjoy coming to the Himalayas! Not after..." Tony glanced sideways at Wanda, who had accompanied them on this mission despite the reservations Steve and Bruce had, and he decided not to bring up Pietro's disappearance just then.

Natasha glanced at the newest Avenger as well. She sighed, then moved closer to Tony.

"If she can cope with being here, I don't think it's too much to ask of you!"

Tony looked at the snow-covered ground, knowing that she had a point, but not wanting to admit it.

Steve glanced at Wanda worriedly, having heard their conversation.

"Are you sure you're ok with this? You didn't have to come..." He noticed that she already seemed distracted.

"No, I'm fine... it's just that... Bruce, do you remember the dreams I've been having, about Pietro?"

He nodded, and she continued. "I could swear this is the same place I've been seeing..."

Clint, who had been peering down the fog-filled chasm, frowned, looking back at her.

"You two were twins, weren't you? Maybe this is some kind of mental connection thing. It was pretty close to here, where he..." the archer didn't finish the sentence, as Wanda's eyes had filled with tears.

She had matured a lot since the 'Possession incident' as Tony called it, but grief for her twin still struck at times. Her powers had altered too, becoming easier for her to control, and only occasionally requiring the reddish glow. Now, simple hand gestures and concentration could gain a desired effect, and the crimson aura only appeared when she was attempting something incredibly taxing.

Not having to worry about losing control had made her confidence grow, and the trained Avenger bore little resemblance to the shy girl who had been afraid of her powers. She was a valuable member of the team now, and a close friend of almost everyone. Clint had taken her on a date once, but it hadn't worked out, (much to Steve and Natasha's secret relief). The two remained friends, however.

Tony had asked Jarvis to scan for areas where the energy was concentrated, in the hopes of finally figurung out what was up with this place. Shield's research had found that all the tribes of this area had legends of 'strange beings', and the higher-ups had started to wonder if the stories didn't have a basis in fact. Hence this mission.

"Sir, I believe I may have found something." Jarvis broke into Tony's thoughts.

"Well? What?"

The other Avengers came closer when he spoke.

"What is it?" Steve's voice was curious, but wary- he'd had enough of aliens!

"The energy surge seems to indicate a vehicle of some description approaching." Jarvis reported. "But it is not a type of vehicle that I recognise. And it is approaching swiftly."

The Avengers prepared themselves- raising a shield, nocking an arrow, unholstering guns, charging repulsors etc.

Clint peered down into the mist-covered valley- the only place a vehicle could come from and not already be visible. The sound of an engine could soon be heard, and a dim shape emerged. Clint was, naturally, the first one to discern anything clearly. His eyes widened.

"No, that's..." His eyes darted quickly to Wanda, but he didn't continue.

Tony and Bruce stared, unable to believe what they were seeing.

"Are those...hovercrafts? They're tiny! No-one has invented anything like that!"

"No humans, anyway." Natasha's voice was grim.

The team stood ready as the three gliders came nearer, each bearing a single person...but what sort of people?! A huge bare-chested man with goat-like limbs, a tiny man clad in a green tunic with an oversized forehead, and on the third glider...

Not one of them could believe their eyes. Wanda had gone white as a sheet.

Clad in a strange blue-and-white bodysuit, with a silver lightning bolt across the chest, dividing the colours, was Pietro Maximoff. And there was not a hint of recognition in his eyes. He stared at them all, his gaze as hostile as those of his Inhuman companions.

"What are you all staring at?!" The goat-limbed man snarled. The tunic-clad man laid a hand on his shoulder.

"Cousin Gorgon, our orders are to see to the humans' removal, not to question them. It is hardly the first time that we have been discovered, after all." He glanced quickly at Pietro, who was still glaring at all the Avengers, most of whom were too stunned to speak.

Natasha was the first to gather her wits.

"So you were sent here to get rid of us? That means there's something nearby that you- or someone else- doesn't want us to find. Why?"

Pietro spoke then. "We do not share our secrets with outsiders. You shouldn't be here. Leave." His voice was implacable.

Steve blinked rapidly, trying to make sense of this. "We? Why are you referring to yourself as one of them?" He looked at Wanda desperately. If her brother didn't even recognise her... what had happened?!

Pietro scowled at Steve. "They took me in after I was left for dead, and awoke with no memory. I am one of them now."

Wanda stumbled forward. Natasha gripped her arm, stopping her. She spoke steadily.

"And you don't remember anything else?"

"Pietro-" Wanda choked the word out. She couldn't process this. Her head was spinning. Her twin was alive, against all odds. And he did not even recognise her.

The word gained a violent reaction from Pietro and his companions. All three pairs of eyes locked on her. The goat-limbed one- Gorgon- strode forward threateningly. The smaller one held him back. Pietro stared at her untrustingly. That alone made her heart twist. The rest of the Avengers moved forward, surrounding Wanda protectively.

Gorgon spoke, slowly, as though he was struggling to stay calm.

"How, exactly, do you know the name of our cousin-by-marriage?" He demanded harshly. "Have you humans spied on us somehow?" His eyes narrowed.

"N-no." Wanda's voice quavered. "I-" She didn't know how to say it- what were the odds that they would even believe her?

"Enough." The smaller man spoke. "It matters not." He drew a small device from his belt, and pressed a number of buttons. Within seconds, all the Avengers were unconscious.

Gorgon smiled grudgingly. "Your sleep-inducer works as well as you said it would, Karnak."

Karnak raised an eyebrow. "Did you expect otherwise? Now let us be rid of these humans. We can look into how the young woman knew Pietro's name later, when they are all far from our home."

He lifted Natasha and Wanda over each shoulder, walking as though they weighed nothing. Gorgon hefted Steve, Tony and Clint, leaving Pietro to bring Bruce. He decided to use his own super-speed to bring the human to their jet, rather than wait for Gorgon and Karnak. The sooner the outsiders were gone, the sooner he could get back to Attilan, and Crystal- they had only just married, after all! He ignored the vague nagging feeling that he should know the woman who knew his name- it was not important.

Once all the humans were inside their (primitive) jet, Karnak sent a remote command to the jet's controls, sending it back where it had come from- supposedly the human city 'New York.' They returned home to report the successful removal of the humans immediately afterwards, though Karnak did make a note of the girl knowing Pietro's name- that was troubling. Who knew what it might mean?

The Quinjet landed safely on Stark Tower's launch pad, and Pepper quickly came to make sure everyone was alright- it had become a routine for her, after missions, to reassure herself. When no-one emerged immediately, she climbed aboard to check on them. She gasped loudly- they were all asleep! Her cry of alrm had disturbed them, though, and one by one they opened their eyes.

"What happened?!" Pepper demanded.

"Pep?" Tony's voice was groggy. "What are you doing here?"

"What do you mean 'what am I doing here'?" Her voice was shrill. "I live here!"

"Wait," Steve yawned. "Where are we?"

"Stark Tower." Pepper's voice was wary now- she'd seen weird things while working for Tony, but this...

"Huh?" Bruce rubbed his eyes. "Uh, we did actually leave, right? That wasn't a collective dream?"

"Yes, you did all leave. The Himalayas, wasn't it? What's going on?"

Tony stood up, stretching. "Jarvis, remind me what happened, will you? This makes no sense..."

"It appears that you were all put to sleep somehow, sir, and a remote command, from superior technology, sent the Quinjet back here."

Steve groaned. "They really don't like outsiders, do they?"

"Apparently not," Natasha mused. "And yet, they seem to have taken Pietro in..."

A choked sob came from Wanda. Pepper looked at all of them, confusion plain on her face.

"Will someone please explain?! Who is 'they', and why are you talking about Pietro? He disappeared months ago, and I thought..."

Tony got to his feet, sighing. "Come on, Pepper, I want a coffee. Keep me company, and I'll tell you all about it." He put his arm around her, and began to walk away.

"Tony! We need to deal with this!" Steve's yell fell on deaf ears.

"Later, Cap, ok? Pietro's fine, and obviously not going anywhere anytime soon!" He and Pepper disappeared into the kitchen, talking in low voices. Steve resisted the urge to throttle Tony.

The others were all awake, more or less, by this point. Wanda looked angry and determined.

"We have to go back!" She sounded frantic.

Steve put a hand on her arm. "We will, alright? But we need more information first, about what we're dealing with." He looked intently at Clint and Natasha. "Can you-"

"Already requesting Shield's advice." Natasha reassured.

Wanda took a deep breath. "Alright, I'll play this your way...for now." Her hands glowed faintly. "But I am going to get my brother back. One way or another. I don't care what I have to do." She stared up at the sky. "Pietro never gave up on me. So I will not give up on him. I will bring him home."

The End (for now!)

AN: I hope everyone's enjoyed this! There will be a sequel, eventually. Thanks to Myth Queen and WarriorMaidOfTheShadows, for all their encouragement and help, and thanks also to everyone else who reviewed.

The * in the first paragraph is a reference to the Gods' adventures, which are continued in my story Winter's Fire.