Take warning, peeps... I haven't actually watched a full Star Wars or Avengers movie yet, so what little information I possess comes from Wookiepedia and Wiki. I promise to do my best, though!

The portals that unintentionally popped up whenever the Infinity Gauntlet was used were now slowly dying down, collapsing one by one. A couple disappeared every minute, but that did not mean much; with all the raw power unleashed in that single battle, hundreds, if not thousands of holes were torn into the fabric of space and time.

Wanda eyed them in contempt even as she skirted a cluster of them. Stark had prattled on earlier about how the energy from all the stones being together at once exponentially increased each one's powers. They fueled each other. It meant that unless the stones were separated, portals would inevitably continue to open. It was apparently happening at a slower rate than the portals were collapsing, but there was still a significantly large chance of the process speeding up after the current portals closed.

Energy could not be destroyed, and that power had to be channeled somewhere.

Luckily, now that Thanos was defeated the stones were already in the process of being divided. Thor would be taking one (or was it two? Wanda didn't care for the politics behind it all) into space with him. The Mind Stone had been painstakingly reinserted into Vision's head. The Strange doctor was wearing one as a mere trinket around his neck. The aliens, Guardians of the Galaxy (what a presumptuous name), apparently, were taking some to scatter about the universe.

A small portal, no bigger than her head, tore itself into existence not two feet in front of her. Wanda growled in annoyance and stopped, unwilling to walk into it. She flicked her hands, tossing some spare energy at it in attempt to destabilize it, but it was absorbed. The originally-gold portal was slowly coloring with reddish hues, but it didn't disappear.

Wanda clenched her hands, forcing the portal smaller. It worked, but only for a split second. It abruptly grew to the size of a small horse before shrinking and becoming basketball-sized. Several more moments of concentration didn't seem to affect it as it widened enough for the Hulk to wriggle through, then small as her fist. Maybe it actually destabilizing?

Snorting in disgust, Wanda daintily stepped around the rapidly growing and shrinking portal and strolled to where Steve stood, anxiously running his hands down Bucky's ruined metal arm. For his part, Bucky looked uncomfortable at the attention, though not in any severe pain.

"Wanda, you're okay!" Clint exclaimed roughly from where he lay, bound to a medical stretcher. His leg, though slashed, had not been as critical as some of the other injuries that had been caused by the invasion. As such, after stopping the blood flow, the medics that had arrived at the conclusion of the battle had decided to leave him for more serious injuries. Clint, a true hero, hadn't protested much beyond token complaints.

"Of course I am," Wanda said, tossing her head back. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"I know, you were brilliant," Clint complimented, smiling proudly. It set off a warm glow in Wanda's chest. She smiled back happily. "Now, if only I could move my arm." He poked at his dirty sling.

A bright splash of red had her turning her head to the side.

"-it, Vis," Stark was muttering urgently, splaying his hands over Vision's forehead. The stone glimmered dully.

"Mr. Stark, I am fine," Vision answered, a mere hint of exasperation coloring the last word. He reached up and, as Stark tensed, slowly grasped Stark's wrist and gently lowered it down.

Stark stared at where Vision's hand held his wrist, then moved his gaze up to Vision's eyes. Vis quirked his lips into a tiny smile, one that, though small, more resembled one of Stark's fake, showman smiles than the soft curl that Wanda had been teaching Vis before her departure from the Compound. Wanda glared, offended. Vis shouldn't be learning bad habits from someone dubbed the "Merchant of Death."

Stark and Vis examined each other for a long minute before Stark looked away with a shake of his head and a loud exhale. Wanda felt victorious on Vision's behalf.

"I know, I know. I just worry, though," Stark huffed. "That rhymes, in case you didn't catch it. You know, I really care. You're like the mutant lovechild I never knew I wanted to have in a threesome with JARVIS and Bruce. Not that I wanted to have a—you know what, never mind. Where's the Spider-kid? Oi, Underoos!" Stark abruptly turned on his heel and walked briskly away from the baffled but amused android.

Typical of Stark, confusing people and leaving without explaining what he meant. It made Wanda feel like he was rubbing his superiority in their faces.

Wanda squared her shoulders and lifted her chin as Stark approached. "Spiderman's that way," she said as neutrally as she could, pointing away from Steve and the others, hoping Stark would leave.

"Thanks, kid," Stark said, not even giving her the respect of looking at her as he turned in the direction she indicated.

"I'm not a kid, murderer," Wanda returned, shoulders rising in antagonism.

"Rogers seems to think you are," Stark countered easily, ignoring the last part of her sentence and not bothering to look back. Though his voice was causal, gently teasing, almost, her powers told differently. Within him burned an icy aggression that mirrored her own fiery hostility with frightening clarity. In another life, they could have been the best of friends instead of bitter enemies. "Though that seems to only count for when it comes time for taking responsibility. You know, accountability and all that? No?"

"What about you?" Wanda called, walking after him, not willing to let him get away with his hypocrisy. She glanced behind, but decided she didn't want anything to do with Clint's good-natured whining or Nat's calculating glances. And who knew where Sam was? Steve would finish his fussing momentarily, and she didn't want that attention on her. It was sort of patronizing. She wasn't a kid, after all...

"Me?" Stark turned, raising his arms up mockingly. "I'm an open book." He kept walking backwards, undeterred by the rubble. Wanda guessed that he would be used to it, with the destructiveness of his inventions.

Wanda growled. "What about Ultron? Where was your precious accountability then?"

"That, princess?" Stark scoffed. "There was a review. The board cleared me. Ultron was not my fault."

Her long-buried anger flared up again. "What did you do, Stark? How much did you bribe—"

"No, really, I didn't do it," Stark snapped. "You've seen what Vision could do once he got going, and that was after growing up in a stable and supporting environment. Imagine what the Stone could do if all it knew was hatred and insanity. That Stone was in HYDRA hands for who-knows-how-long. It was confused, hurting, and it lashed out and created Ultron with the remnants of codes I put away."

Wanda paused, considering, but in the end, she decided it didn't matter. It couldn't. She had to have someone responsible for Pietro's death. Ultron was gone. Her revenge seemed... hollow after all that time. Inwardly, she knew it wasn't right to blame Stark, but... if she couldn't blame Stark, that would only leave herself to blame. Wanda couldn't do that, couldn't be the cause of her twin's death, so Stark had to be responsible. It was the only option.

"You're acting as if it was alive," she said, hoping it sounded argumentative instead of conceding.

"Alive, no. Sentient? That's up for debate. I'd need to do a few more tests to know for certain, but for now, yes."

They walked in a silence that was both antagonistic and companionable. Once again, Wanda was hit with the realization that they could've been friends. Wanda eyed the inventor in her peripherals. He seemed utterly unaware of her attention, trying to take in everything at once. Following his lead, Wanda turned her gaze on their surroundings.

That last battle had taken its toll on the city. They had managed to direct the battle towards the outskirts of the city, but there were still many buildings around. The few that were not reduced to rubble and scattered across the landscape were scored with scorch marks. The streets were cracked. A burst pipe leaked water in an ever-growing puddle. Though there were no bodies visible, Wanda knew that dozens, if not hundreds, had died within the last three hours, some heroes and some civilians.

It chilled Wanda to the core. Even her powers seemed to be writhing at the sight. Sokovia, her mind murmured. Wanda flinched, wishing that Pietro was there to chase away the voice. What have you brought upon these innocents? purred that twisted tone, the one that followed her ever since she was gifted her powers.

"Shut up! I didn't do it. It wasn't my fault!" Wanda whispered. Her voice came out louder than she intended. The tide of emotions threatened to pull her under. When she fought to control them, the figurative ocean overflowed, manifesting itself as a burst of red mist that Wanda immediately pulled into a less visible spectrum. She glanced around. No one had noticed.

Or was it? the voice said, responding to her spoken words.

At the same time, Stark spared her an alarmed glance, stopping in his tracks. "I never said it was," he said slowly, raising his open hands.

The sight annoyed Wanda more than it should have. She was neither an animal nor a loose cannon. "Stop that," Wanda snapped. Her power coiled tightly around her as she wrestled with it for control.

Stark shuffled, looking as if he wanted to come closer and run away at the same time. He eyed the ground and the broken buildings around them. Wanda looked, but she saw nothing. There was nothing but rubble and a few of the braver civilians venturing out of their hiding spots. Wanda frowned, turning to him for an explanation.

Why? You are a loose cannon. Allies and enemies alike, you tear them down.

Pain wavered her attention, pain that was not physical but no less hurtful. Her powers lashed out, and Wanda was glad none could see her loss of control.

As if he could hear the voice in her ears, Stark paled and began backpedaling. "You know, I don't think Spider-kid's this way," Stark suddenly babbled, gesturing to the left. "You think he's this way? I bet he swung around." He pivoted without any other warning and began swiftly making his way back.

He knows. He knows you're a monster.

With laughter ringing in her ears, the sight of Stark fleeing sent bolts of rage shooting through Wanda. Wanda snarled. They were almost getting along, but apparently Stark couldn't even stand in her presence. "Are you calling me a liar?!" she screeched.

Stark looked over his shoulder. "Wait, what?" his face showed surprise before smoothening out into a false, smiling mask. Wanda reached out with her mind, determined to find his lies, to bring them to the front of his mind and force him to confront his deception. She froze him where he stood and quickly riffled through his surface emotions. To her shock, he was genuinely surprised and wary at her reaction. And annoyed. Angry even. Scared, too. He distrusted her. Not fully convinced, Wanda still let go of his mind, and he continued moving as if nothing had happened because, to him, nothing had happened.

"Wanda," Stark said patronizingly, "I said nothing of that sort. Come on, use that brain I scientifically know you must possess." A slight, considering pause. "Unless you're an alien or android or something. Or AI. Can't forget that one."

Forget what she thought earlier about being anything remotely friendly; she and Stark would only be the bitterest of enemies, no matter what life they were in. She had only been trying to extend a hand of truce, and Stark had the nerve to spit on it.

"Just because I have powers doesn't mean I'm not human," Wanda said, glaring. She tossed her mind out. "You're not better than me."

"Never said you weren't, and I never said I was," Stark's lips said. She's unstable and angry, Stark's mind whispered. Get to Strange, Strange can protect you.

"I'm not unstable!" Wanda yelled, power flooding her veins and exploding in a small wave. Despite her anger, she was conscious of what she could do to a fragile human body. How dare he. How dare he.

"I didn't say—" Stark leapt back, out of the way. He winced at the little traces of red winding around his arm, but Wanda knew the energy didn't do much more than sting. Then, he froze, eyes widening, and she didn't need her powers to feel his shock. "Were you reading my—"

Even as infuriated as she was, Wanda was proud to say she had perfect control over her powers and actions. Instead of pulverizing his head or torso, Wanda aimed her telekinetic blast at the ground near his feet, sending concrete fragments spraying. While she knew better than to kill him, a few bloody scratches across his face would grant him some humility. Perhaps one of his bones would pierce his ego and deflate it some. At the very least, bed rest would give him a time-out to think over his childish actions.

Stark dodged. The engineer likewise avoided the next two blasts, ducking and covering his face with his arm. The sight of Stark scurrying before her power filled Wanda with glee. Wanda knew she wasn't a good person, no matter how hard she tried, but this malicious side of her surprised her. She wasn't doing anything permanent, though, so it was okay. After all Stark had put her through, Wanda deserved to get a punch in.

"Friday, send the backup su—!" The order was cut off when Wanda crushed his watch by simply closing her hand.

Stark stared at the destroyed watch on his wrist and gave Wanda an offended look that told her he knew she wasn't trying to kill him, probably knew that even as she had started her first attack. After all, if Wanda wanted to kill the inventor, she could've just crushed his throat.

In response, Wanda lifted her hand and wriggled her fingers tauntingly, red wisps weaving between them. Stark rolled his eyes and sent her that media smile that so irritated her.

Game on.

It was an uneven match, but since when had life been fair? If life had been fair, her family would still be alive, and Stark would have been a nobody civilian. Wanda didn't take the care to aim away from Stark, littering him with small cuts and scratches. He would heal anyway—Wanda could sense something underneath his skin, pulsing in his blood. It was weaker than Steve's, so much weaker, but it was there. He'd heal.

In another life, they might have sparred regularly, easy taunts falling from their lips and anticipating each other's moves before they were made. In another life, the fight would be for fun, training, and stress relief.

This was not that life.

Wanda aimed to harm. As Stark deftly avoided the worst of her attacks, Wanda upped her game. Perhaps she had faith in his ability to dodge. Perhaps she wanted to see him bleed. Not even Wanda could tell why she did it.

It was a combination of several factors. Wanda aimed a bit higher than the spot she thought the inventor would land. At the same time, Stark, half a century old, faltered. The result? A red bolt of power collided with his chest and Stark went flying. Wanda smiled as he soared through the air without his suit. He flew...

Right into the red portal from earlier.

Stark was there one moment, gone the next.

Sh**.

Wanda only had a moment to stare in shock before an anguished cry shattered the silence.

"MR. STARK!" Spiderman appeared, swinging past her and towards the red.

A metal projectile blasted past her, the wind buffeting her and tossing her to the side. "Peter, no!" War Machine grabbed the distraught Spider-Man's—Peter's?—web and used it to steer him away from the destabilizing portal.

Undeterred, Spiderman released the web and leapt unerringly for the portal. Rhodes let out a muffled curse that War Machine's verbal filters cut out midway—part of Spiderman's Training Wheels Protocol, Stark had proudly announced—and dove, catching the smaller hero just meters away from the portal. Spiderman struggled for several moments before becoming limp.

War Machine landed with a thump several meters away from her and put Spiderman down, though he refused to let go of the younger hero's wrist. From there, Wanda could hear Spiderman's sobs.

She stepped forward, only for Rhodes to position himself defensively between herself and the youngest hero. Wanda was offended, but the emotion quickly slipped from her grasp in light of the situation. "I, I—"

Spiderman's sobs stopped as quickly as they appeared. His head snapped up and he stared at her. Then, without warning, he launched himself at her. "Give him back!" he howled before crying out in pain.

Wanda staggered back, but she was in no danger. War Machine's unrelenting grip had inadvertently caused Spiderman to dislocate his own shoulder. Rhodes made an aborted move, as if he was about to turn to Spider-Man, but he didn't. Instead, he raised a gauntlet half-way, aimed at her feet, though he didn't turn it on.

Wanda's back hit something solid as she backed away. Arms raised, Wanda spun to see Sam's grayed face.

"Wanda, what have you done?" Sam asked, shock and... fear?... in his eyes.

"I—I didn't—" she stuttered out. Behind Sam, a little boy and an even younger girl who looked similar to him—siblings?—stared at her. The boy pushed the girl behind him, just like Rhodes had done with Spider-Man when she approached. They were scared. Of her.

Wanda reached out with her mind, trying to calm them down. It wasn't her fault! I cannot control their fear, only my own. The boy reached behind him and shoved the girl. Wanda saw his lips move. Though she was too far to hear what he said, the round formation of his lips around the first word was unmistakable. 'Go.' Their minds met. The next word, with her in his mind, rang clearly in her own head. 'Run.'

A metal projectile clipped her side, sending her staggering. Sensing rather than seeing multiple other items cutting through the air, Wanda threw up a shield. The pieces that made up the rest of the Iron Man suit hit the shield one by one, each one pushing the shield just a little back by the merit of pure force, before shortening out due to the power of the shield and falling on the ground. A muffled sob caught her attention.

Wanda whirled around, catching sight of several bystanders, all backing away. The people at the back broke off, turning and running. As if it was a signal, all the other people began sprinting away from her, leaving a growing circle of emptiness.

"I—I can fix this!" Wanda sobbed, nearly begging. Panicked, Wanda grasped at whatever she could sense of her powers and called them, dragged them back. She expected to pull Stark back from wherever he landed.

She didn't realize that part of the power she was pulling back was part of the portal itself. She didn't expect the portal to collapse into itself the moment her powers left it.

She didn't expect all the fear.

Like always, help me out a bit with the tags and info, will ya? I'll probably let you guys down at some point or the other, be it grammar, plot, or something, but cut me some slack; I'm new at this multichapter writing thing!

Reviews are happily replied to, kudos regarded with curiosity, bookmarks poked in disbelief, and 'flames' are cherished for that odd, sinking feeling they create. I'll also occasionally correct grammar mistakes I see in the comments. It's for practice (and def. not some internalized pettiness), you see? I'm bad at grammar and need to work on it.