I do not own any of these Marvel properties like the characters that show up in Marvel Comics or the Marvel Cinematic Universe or the basic story that is outlined in Avengers: Age of Ultron.

"Wanda, put the menorah on the table, and then go wash your hands," Rasa Maximoff called from the kitchen. "Pietro, use soap, that was way to quick for my liking," she scolded her little boy as he exited the small bathroom after washing his hands in preparation for dinner. He went back to wash his hands properly the second time around as little Wanda brushed past him and laid the menorah on the table. Rasa Maximoff was a tall woman with world-weary green eyes and her long hair in a ponytail. She was in many ways typical, other than perhaps her notable height and beauty, for a mother in Sokovia in her early thirties with two children, despite them being twins.

"When is papa getting home?" Wanda asked, practically bouncing up and down, a spitting image of her mother already at 10 years old.

"He'll be home any minute now," her mother called as she finished moving the latkes from the boiling oil to a paper towel covered plate. She covered the plate with another, upside down to preserve the heat while they waited for Anton to return home from work from the nearest university.

"So, Pietro, who's your new girlfriend?" Wanda fired tonight's opening salvo across the table at her smug looking twin.

"None of your business," Pietro replied, flush like a tomato. "Aren't you going to tell mama how well you did on your English test?" he fired back.

It was Wanda's turn to blush as their mother; Rasa's eyes flitted between her two children with a grin beginning at the corner of her mouth.

"So, how did it go?" Rasa asked Wanda gently. By this point, all three of them could hear scattered gunshots from across the district. But they were so used to it they thought nothing of it.

"I got an 80%..." Wanda mumbled despondently, eyes not quite meeting her mother's.

"Well, there's room for improvement certainly," Rasa stated, but then she grinned at her young daughter, " for now you can be content that you're still on average 10% smarter than Pietro", she said. That shut down Pietro's increasingly taunting gaze. "Now that your prowess has been revealed, what's this about Pietro's girlfriend?" Rasa continued.

"What does 'prowess' mean?" Wanda asked.

"It means your progress so far." Rasa replied. "This is why we speak English in the evenings, so that you learn faster. English in the morning is a bit much to ask, even for me; but your father wouldn't really have a problem with it. Anyway, I can tell you're dying to rat out Pietro's love life," Rasa said grinning at her kids.

"Well, you know Viktoriya? The girl who lives two floors below us? She and Pietro were holding hands together after class!" Wanda squealed, genuinely thinking the pair a cute couple. She only really brought it up initially to preemptively deflect from the inevitable test score she suspected Pietro would drop on her.

Pietro, not one to back down, said, " That's right, I do like her, so there!" he crossed his arms and stared stubbornly at the empty menorah. Wanda was still grinning uncontrollably while Rasa just sighed.

A key jangled in the lock of the door. The twins sniggered as their father struggled with the lock, as he almost always did. Rasa rolled her eyes as she got up and aided her quirky husband. Anton Maximoff finally stepped over the threshold and Rasa brought him into a deep kiss, much to the chagrin of the twins who made assorted gagging noises and averted their eyes. Anton and Rasa looked into each other's eyes with an unspoken understand transpired between them: love is no match for a bullet or a bomb. Each time one of them crossed the threshold into each other's arms or the eager screams of their children it is a victory. Anton, having been released from Rasa's embrace was mobbed by his kids. Pietro got there first, but Wanda wasn't far behind.

After a family hug, the kids returned to their places as Anton set about shedding his coats and scarf. After all, Sokovian winters are not the most pleasant of conditions in which to be exposed to the elements. Anton took a deep breath, inhaling the latke's fried potato goodness. He cracked a grin of anticipation, an identical grin his daughter showed off once in a while when she was truly ecstatic. " Wanda, Pietro, one of you fetch the matches and the other the candles, lets light this thing!" Anton said in his heavily Sokovian accented English.

"No you don't!" Rasa lightly slapped her husband's hand as he surreptitiously reached for one of the latkes on the serving plate. Anton bashfully put his hands up in a surrendering motion as Wanda and Pietro a few meters away found their assigned items.

Rasa winked at Pietro and Wanda, returning to the table as she expertly filched one of the latkes for herself, mocking a stunned Anton before gloating, "You didn't see that coming."

A flash of crimson heat and thunder opened a hole where the table had been. Rasa and Anton's laughs died on their faces as they were plunged into the hell that had just devoured the lower half of their apartment complex. Wanda's tears came gushing instantly, even as the next volley of mortar rounds came plummeting down on their home.

A/N: Hey, this is the first part to a short story I'll end up writing surrounding the situation the Maximoff Twins describe in the movie about why they align with Ultron. It always felt like an enemy of my enemy type alliance and this story tries to flesh out who they were and how they became hardened by a war that Tony Stark bankrolled. I started writing this because I felt this would've been an even more powerful moment to start the movie, it could've been like 3 minutes and it would've set up and develop so much. Anyway, this is me trying visualize that situation and fill that void for myself and any of you who feel as I do. Also, I'd appreciate any reviews because I want to know how to improve my story. More to come in the next couple weeks once I finish the stories for my class.