Hey, all! Wow, it's been a while, hasn't it? I'm sorry it's taken me so long to get back into the swing of things, but I'm just now starting to get a sense of where my life is headed at the moment. For now, I've found enough time and inspiration to crank out another chapter, so here it is for your viewing pleasure! I've no solid timeframe on when the next chapter will be up, but hopefully it will be some time soon.

Also, I apologize in advance for what I know is probably terrible Farsi; I don't speak the language and don't know anyone whom does, so I have to rely on online dictionaries and translators. I'm also very confused about the use of punctuation in Farsi, as I've seen conflicting accounts of it's usage from multiple sources. If any readers out there speak Farsi, please PM me and help me make this as correct as possible! For now, just a tiny phrase: از حد معمول آرامتر! meaning, "Slow down!"

Thank you for your patience and your continued support! It really means the world! :)

(P.S. - The small bit of Serbian that Pietro says - the word "sister" - is meant to be italicized as I do with all non-English languages, but I couldn't do that without actually changing the letters for some reason? Idk, but I italicized the quotation marks so... *shrugs*)

Disclaimer: I don't own Marvel, the Avengers, or...anything, really.

"Oh my god," Hal groans shifting to push herself up on her elbows in her bed. The TV positioned in front of her is blasting some shitty news network, with three 'specialists' attempting to shout their opinions overtop of one another. "Shut the fuck up."

In her half-asleep state, it takes her awhile to tap into the TV's controls, so she has the joy of hearing one man say, "Well, I think it is an issue! The FBI incarcerated Madani for wiring money to shadow organizations in the black market – not to mention she's from the Middle East, which certainly speaks for –"

Hal finally manages to switch off the TV right in the middle of the loudmouth's rant. "I was born in Chicago, asshole."

Not the most pleasant thing to wake up to, but not the worst she's experienced, either. Hal sits up, stretching out her sore muscles. She's been resting at a private clinic for the past couple of days; besides a few bruised ribs and vertebrae, she's generally just recovering her energy. Hill assured her that the clinic is completely private and no reporters or paparazzi are aware that the Avengers are recovering here. So far, her claims have held true, though whether because of secrecy or physical aid from the government, Hal is unsure.

It's good to find some kind of peace and privacy after three years of constant surveillance. Hal feels the need to dance, or sing at the top of her lungs, but the nurses would probably think her dying and rush to help. As it is, she slides out from under the covers – noting the time as two in the afternoon – and throws on the nearest clean set of clothes. She then tugs on a jacket and heads out the door, running her fingers through her hair in a half-hearted attempt at tidying it up.

When she reaches the cafeteria, the dark mop atop her head is in even greater disarray than when she awoke. Ah, well. Not as if she's here to impress anyone, anyway. She already has a job, and a relationship is the furthest thing from her mind at the moment; even if there were any attractive options available here, she's still too busy plotting ways to sneak out from under SHIELD's thumb.

Unfortunately, with her parents' lives hanging in the balance, she's having a bit of trouble figuring it out. Even just acting up and causing a ruckus among the team members would be too risky. Fury basically has them hostage and is dangling them over Hala's head as bait. Although she's not too sure he would stoop to such lows just to keep her in the Avengers, she doesn't want to take the chance. One wrong move and SHIELD could have them hidden away, lock Hal back in the brig, or worse. She sighs deeply, taking a plastic tray as she queues up with the rest of the hungry.

Hal really didn't think this 'deal' through. The prospect of freedom was too enticing for her to resist, not to mention that Hill's urgency when they were discussing the matter made Hal equally as excited. Perhaps she should get a sidekick – someone to do all the thinking, so that she can put those thoughts into action. It would ruin her lone wolf image for sure, but that's already been severely tarnished by her alliance with the Star-Spangled Wonder and his jolly crew.

Hal would have dwelled on such topics a bit longer, but a sudden tap on her shoulder startles her from continuing. She whirls in place, coming face-to-face with the Sokovian woman – whom she's now come to know as Wanda. Wanda smiles demurely at Hal, and she tries to return the gesture. It comes out more like a grimace.

"Hal, it's good to see you finally up," Wanda says, accent lacing her words with an eclectic twist. "Everyone has been worried over your health."

Not worried enough to visit, apparently. Hal winces when Wanda frowns and remembers that the woman can read minds, so there was no use in keeping her insensitive thoughts secret. "I mean, it's not like I really cared if you all visited or not – well, shit, that doesn't sound any better, does it?"

Wanda, realizing Hal's struggle to socialize effectively, merely giggles. "It is alright, Hal."

"It's just…the first thing that popped into my head, I guess." The best defense is a good offense, after all, and Hal's offense just happens to be constant sarcasm. She clears her throat and tries to think up a good topic to discuss, though the only thing she can think about is how awkward she feels. The friendly, calm atmosphere here is much different from the hectic environment under which they first met. "Uh, so…how are you feeling, then?"

Hal cringes again. A very stupid question to ask someone who's home country Ultron nearly destroyed, and the capitol of which he totally destroyed. Sensing her thoughts yet again, Wanda soothes Hal's worries with a wave of her hand.

"I'm feeling fine. Luckily, I didn't take a lot of hits during the battle." Wanda holds up her arm, proudly displaying a scraped-up elbow. "This was the worst of the damage."

"Well, that's good," Hal states. When Wanda's eyes drift down to Hal's throat, she attempts to zip up her hoodie discreetly, hiding her own injuries. As soon as she does, however, she realizes it's a lost cause, since one can't easily hide anything from Wanda. The woman says nothing to Hal as the line moves forward, but she can feel Wanda's eyes practically burning holes into the back of her neck. Finally, Hal coughs lightly. "The bruises don't hurt much, anymore. They just look ugly."

"They're nothing to be ashamed of."

Hal raises her eyebrow at the woman. "Actually, I was trying to cover them up so you wouldn't feel bad."

"What do you mean?" Wanda inquires, looking genuinely confused.

Hal realizes that perhaps she can't fully read thoughts; merely interpret feelings and images – sort of like a medium. But a bit more reliable. "I was hurt doing…well, my duty, I guess. I'm proud of my scars and injuries. I just don't want anyone seeing them and pitying me for it. It's irritating."

Wanda nods her head in silent understanding. The two bask in the uncomfortable aftermath of that conversation as they continue through the line. Once Hal has a plate full of food, she moves to take a seat at the empty table in the farthest corner, hoping to draw the least suspicion from such a spot. It even has a lovely view of the nearby lake. It's only after she carefully lowers her aching body into the padded chair does she notice that Wanda has followed.

Somewhat suspicious, Hal eyes her while she seasons her food, but accepts her presence nonetheless. There's no reason for Wanda to want to harm Hal. At the very least, she can't think of any reasons. Unless Wanda's personally offended by Hal's slight alteration of her brother's wardrobe, though she can't imagine why the woman would be.

"Oh, that reminds me." Evidently, Hal's inner triad was not as private as she thought. Hal waits for Wanda to swallow her food. "I wanted to thank you for your input before the battle. On Pietro's shirt."

"Oh, yeah, it was nothing," Hal practically mutters, embarrassed. "I just wanted someone else to suffer wearing that uncomfortable shit, too. Plus – I dunno – it seemed stupid. Like, why go into battle in nothing more than spandex."

"You were going to go in sweatpants and a tank top."

"Hey, don't make this about me."

"Cестра."

Hal nearly jumps out of her skin. The topic of their conversation appeared next to their table in less time than it took Hal to blink. She blinks several more times, just to confirm that his presence is real and not some mere hallucination. Then, seeing the smug look he throws her way, she frowns, grunting as she shoves a spoonful of potatoes into her mouth. It's cool being the only super-powered individual in the vicinity; gives you an edge, a sense of authority whenever you walk into a room. It's less cool when there are others and they use their powers to make a fool of you.

She ignores the rest of their conversation, seeing how she can't understand any of it. Well, she could if she used an online translator, but even thinking about such an effort makes her tired. Hal stifles a yawn while reaching for her glass of water, chugging half of it in order to wash down the starchy substance gathering in her throat. It reminds Hal of when she was younger and practically inhaled her food just to join her friends at the arcade as quickly as possible. Her father would always yell at her – "از حد معمول آرامتر!" and force her to thoroughly chew each bite as punishment. Faiza would laugh as Aamir timed the interval between bites with his watch and Hal whined when her father refused to hurry up even after she finished chewing. The memory makes her smile, although Wanda's voice snaps her out of her thoughts.

"Hal, do you mind if my brother has lunch with us?"

Although Pietro appears as if he would want nothing more than to do the opposite, Hal agrees, seeing how she was the one to extend an invitation of friendliness to them in the first place. She can imagine the man has a hard time trusting people after all the betrayals he and his sister have suffered through, part of the reason she feels such a connection to them in the first place. Their situations may have been different, but the result is the same; Hal can spot her fellow bitter assholes a thousand miles away. She's just not sure how Wanda turned out so kind. Probably a psychic thing.

In response to Wanda's question, Hal shrugs nonchalantly. "Won't bother me any."

One painfully short pause later finds Pietro sitting across from Hal, beside his sister, a tray full of food sat in front of him. He wastes no time digging in and dutifully ignores the cyberkinetic's presence entirely. Hal nearly does the same, but Wanda gives a tiny jerk of her head in his direction, giving her a meaningful look. Internally, Hal groans as she struggles for something to say to Pietro.

Maybe all this playing nice crap isn't worth it. Sure, Wanda seems onboard with it, but her brother couldn't be any less interested in forming a partnership with her, and twins usually come as a package deal. She's half-tempted to ignore Wanda's gesture in favor of winning whatever battle of wills she's apparently initiated with Pietro. However, Hal knows she'll feel guilty later if she doesn't at least try.

She resolves to say the first thing that comes to mind –

"So, how's life in the fast lane?"

– and immediately regrets the decision. The glare Pietro sends her synchs up perfectly with Wanda's heavy sigh. Seems someone's sense of humor is a little lacking. Ass.