I must say, I was quite surprised at the reception of this story. It didn't really seem all that good to me. Anyway since it went over so well I decided to use my update day to do this one instead of the newest chapter for Nightmares and Dreamscapes.

Enjoy.

Wanda was... surprised to say the least.

She had expected quite a few questions now that her and Steve's secret was out. But no one even said a word about her kissing the super soldier. At first Wanda wondered if they hadn't, by some tiny chance, seen her do it but that thought was instantly snuffed out. They had to of seen it.

Especially since her rampage had been in plain view of everyone.

Then there was the matter of Thor's hammer.

After dropping it upon reaching the fallen Steve, Wanda hadn't touched it since.

Steve had told her weeks before of the party the Avengers held to celebrate the capture of Loki's scepter. The team held a small contest of the ones who could lift the weapon. Of course they all failed except for the demigod himself. The hammer didn't find any of them 'worthy'. What was it about Wanda that the hammer found worthy enough to allow her to use it?

What made her so special? She was just an orphan from the streets of Sokovia. The world was full of orphans who were, powers or no, better than her.

If anyone beside Thor should have been able to use the hammer it was Steve. The man was practically kindness and heart incarnated.

Perhaps no one was questioning her relationship with the captain because they were so distracted by her wielding the hammer?

That thought was also instantly quashed. Several of the Avengers, namely Natasha and Vision, were masters of observation and nuance. It would take a lot more than just that to distract them. Especially Natasha, the redhead was the closest person to Steve baring maybe Sam.

It was the assassin that Wanda was truly worried about. It was part of why she wanted to keep their relationship secret for the time being...

Several weeks before.

Wanda rapidly sucked in oxygen while attempting to force her heart to calm down. It was pounding so fast Steve was bound to hear it. That or it was going to explode from her chest, right about now Wanda couldn't bring herself to care.

The last few weeks made it all worth it.

"Wanda?" The sound of Steve speaking her name snapped the young woman back to attention.

The pair were seated on the couch in Steve's quarters, or at least Steve was. Wanda was sitting in the super soldier's lap sideways with her arms around Steve's neck while Steve's own hands were resting on her far hip with his fingers laced together.

"You're daydreaming again." Steve spoke as he breathed in just as deeply as Wanda, a grin gracing his lips.

"Not my fault." Wanda couldn't contain a smile of her own. "You make me like this."

Looking at her super soldier, Wanda couldn't restrain her giggle. His normally neatly combed hair was completely mussed up and all over the place while his lips were very swollen. Both caused by Wanda's roaming hands and own lips respectively.

Wanda's hands did tend to... wander when they kissed. Again, not her fault, the feel of his lips on hers destroyed any rational thought within a second of contact. The man's kisses should be illegal. Yes, illegal and locked away so that only she could enjoy them.

"Laugh it up Wanda." Steve chucked as he pecked her on the lips quickly. The way Steve said her name always sent a shiver down the woman's spine. It wasn't until recently that Wanda understood the expression "the warm and fuzzy feeling". She sure as hell understood it now.

She had no doubt her own appearance was no better than his. Her own skin was flushed a deep crimson, the coloring spread all over most of her visible skin and more. This of course led to her codename being "Scarlet Witch". Sure Steve would tell everyone it was because her powers had a red color, plus her preferred color of clothing was also red, but that completely false.

Wanda's lips were also in no better shape. She hadn't even had her first kiss until recently, there was a lot of time to make up for. Plus the super soldier's lips were intoxicating.

"You know," Steve touched his forehead to hers. "The others are going to find out about us eventually, if they don't already know."

Wanda leaned into the contact letting a soft sigh. "I know but I just don't want to tell them yet."

"Why not?"

This was a discussion Wanda had been expecting for a while. She could just tell Steve she had her reasons. Steve would just say he trusts her and they would come clean when she was ready. He deserved better than that though.

"They don't trust me." Wanda turned her gaze to anywhere except Steve while she whispered the words.

Before he could open his mouth Wanda continued. "They don't fully trust me yet, I don't want them to just assume I'm using you as a substitute for Pietro. Or even worse to think that I'm using my powers to make you care for me." Despite her best attempts to prevent it, Wanda's voice began to break toward the end. Steve was the one person she couldn't bear the thought of using her powers against.

"Wanda..."

"No Steve, you know I'm right. They're protective of you, especially Natasha. I'm still waiting for her to want to kick me out."

Steve took her face in his hands and made her look him in the eye. Wanda was instantly entranced by his blue orbs. "No one is kicking you out understood? I won't allow it."

Wanda could only nod.

"Just give them time, that's all they need." Steve spoke softly as he ran his fingers through her hair.

Wanda closed her eyes. "I just want to try to build their trust up more before we tell them."

"I understand, we will wait as long as you need to." Steve spoke with his stone solid confidence. "We have all the time in the world."

"How long?" Wanda practically jumped out of her skin when she heard the russian accented voice.

After they went back to the Avengers facility, Steve had instantly been taken back to the infirmary. His injury was going to be healed in no time but they wanted to check him over anyway.

Wanda, in a desire to avoid the rest of the Avengers, had cleaned up and sat in the common room of the living quarters. She had been still trying to figure out what to do next when she got a visitor.

Natasha stood in the doorway. Arms folded across her chest but looking as stoic as ever.

"What?" Wanda hadn't heard the redhead's voice all that clearly.

"I said, how long?" Natasha's voice held its cool edge but the way she entered the room made Wanda suddenly remember just how deadly this woman was. Wanda had only defeated her the first time because she caught her off guard from behind.

"How long?" Wanda repeated the question in confusion.

"How long have you two been together." Natasha took a seat on the table directly in front of Wanda. Her body language didn't seem hostile but that could change in the blink of an eye.

Wanda instantly froze. Natasha was asking about her and Steve's relationship. It had to happen eventually but that didn't mean Wanda was ready for it.

Not even close.

"Umm... a little more than a month." Wanda flushed slightly as she tried to make her voice sound as calm as possible. Against the likes of the Black Widow there was no such thing as calm. The best she could manage was staving off a freak out.

Natasha nodded while she stared directly at her, the eyes boring into Wanda's soul. Wanda met the other woman's gaze but only barely.

"Good." Natasha spoke just that one word.

Wanda was speechless.

"You're good for him, I tried for months to get him to open up to someone and you manage it in less than one. I'm impressed." Wanda listened to every word, her confusion growing by the minute.

Wait was that a smile starting to form on Natasha's lips?

"That man is stubborn, I tried my hardest to set him up for dates. He needs a good woman to look out for him but I can't find one that can put up with his old-fashioned charm. I'd all but given up on him." Natasha explained with a shrug of the shoulders.

"I love his old-fashioned charm." Wanda blurted the words out without thinking.

So much for staving off that panic attack...

What happened next was something Wanda never could have dreamed happening. The possibility of Nick Fury showing up in a frilly skirt for a little girls birthday party had a higher chance of happening than what Wanda was witnessing.

Natasha laughing. Not cruel or mocking laughter either. A real, honest laugh.

Wanda was dreaming, she had to be. If not than Natasha must have completely lost her mind.

"And for the record, you two need to work on your subtlety. I'll give you a pass but Steve knows better." With those final parting words, Natasha got up and left the room. Leaving a dumbfounded Wanda behind.

Did the redhead assassin just... give her a compliment?

"Lady Maximoff! I found you at last." Thor's boisterous voice from the doorway interrupted whatever thoughts Wanda was entertaining.

The Asgardian came into the room setting his hammer on the table in the exact same spot Natasha had been sitting moments before.

"What did you need me for Thor?" Wanda didn't know how much more confusion she could handle for one day. She wished she could be just told something for once.

"I wish for you to lift the hammer again."

Finally someone took the direct...

Wait, he wanted her to do what?!

"Thor I don't think..."

"Nonsense Lady Maximoff. Please, just try it. I wish to see something." Thor motioned to the hammer resting on the table.

Wanda approached it with the same amount of caution one would do so with a venomous snake.

The sooner she did this the sooner he would leave. That was what Wanda told herself again and again as she gripped the handle and lifted.

The hammer didn't budge.

Wanda looked down at the weapon as she tried several more times. Each time the hammer refused to move an inch.

Thor nodded and smiled. "I see now, thank you for your assistance Lady Maximoff."

Wanda finally had enough. "How the hell could I have lifted it earlier but not now? I don't understand."

The Asgardian looked at her for a moment before smiling again. "You were found worthy by Mjølnir."

"How?"

"The hammer understood what you wanted most. You cared not for power, riches, nor the chance to rule Asgard. What you wanted was far simpler, more pure than that Lady Maximoff." Thor spoke as he lifted the hammer back up with ease.

"What would that be?" Wanda asked.

Thor's face lit up with one of his trademark grins. "You wished to shield the man you love most. At the cost of your own life it need be. I can think of few causes more deserving."

Wanda's face heated up once more at the mention of the word love. It was not something she and Steve had ever spoken of. Their relationship was still fairly new. Of course she cared deeply for Steve but Wanda didn't know if it could actually be called love.

Like Steve had said, they had all the time in the world.

While Wanda was distracted by her own thoughts, Thor disappeared from the room just as quickly as he arrived.

Perhaps it was time she went to go check on Steve. Wanda had been most concerned about what Natasha would say about their relationship. That had gone a lot better than she expected.

"Prepare to owe me twenty bucks Rhodes." Sam's voice echoed from the hallway.

Almost all at once, Sam, Rhodes, and Steve came into the room. Wanda's eyes were instantly drawn to Steve. He was out of his uniform and back in normal civilian clothes, his injuries seeming to have at least mostly healed already. Steve flashed Wanda a dazzling smile the moment he saw her. "There you are."

Wanda returned the smile but at the same time had a wicked thought.

Steve looked like he was mostly fine, and the rest of the Avengers did already know about her and Steve...

Without hesitation, Wanda crossed the room to Steve and threw her arms around his neck. She was careful not to jostle him too much while she did so. If Steve had been planning to say something he never got an opportunity before Wanda's lips were crashing into his.

The super soldier must have seen it coming, or he recovered from the surprise fast. Either way his arms instantly found themselves around her lithe waste to pull her closer and return the kiss with equal passion.

"Pay up." Sam had a smug grin all over his face while Rhodes just looked like he had to swallow something bitter.

The Warmachine pilot reluctantly pulled out his wallet along with a twenty dollar bill to give to the other man. Sam grinned even bigger as he plucked the paper from Rhodes' hand. "Pleasure doing business with you."

Wanda didn't even notice or care. Her mind only extended far enough to cover the man in her arms and not an inch further.

They didn't have to hide anymore.

The end of the world couldn't have wiped the smile from her face.

Let me know what you think. Not quite sure this one was as good as I hoped.