This wasn't supposed to happen. They would come for you now, and you would be locked away forever once they saw the damage that you had just caused; the death around you that was on your hands. It wasn't fully your fault; you had been given too much power, too many abilities, and not enough control. Your brain was nearly at 100% activity and it was spiraling into depths that terrified and intrigued you at the same time. There was almost no limit to what you could do now, but you would be considered a weapon after this; you would be considered a threat that needed to be neutralized, and they would be coming for you.

"You didn't mean to do this, right? I know this was an accident. You didn't mean it."

"What?" you muttered, spinning around to find the source of the almost sweet voice behind you that in no way fit into the chaos in every direction. "No, of course not. I couldn't...I don't know how to stop it..."

"Would you trust me if I asked you to?"

"Who the hell are you?"

"I can take you somewhere, to people who can help you. I know the Avengers!" he practically squealed, holding a hand out to you enthusiastically. When sirens began to sound in the not-so-far-off distance, he stood straighter and his tone shifted. "Seriously, we need to move."

"I'm not moving until you tell me who you are, baby arachnid," you insisted, folding your arms tight. "I can handle myself."

"Clearly."

"Shut up," you snickered, finding yourself oddly and quickly at ease with whoever this new guy was. The first siren grew until the sound boomed and reverberated between the skyscrapers around you, deafening you both until you had to yell to hear each other. The realization that you had only minutes left of freedom finally struck you, and panic began to set in. "Fine! I'll trust you! For now!"

"Awesome! Grab on!"

You wrapped an arm around his neck and the slid the other around his waist, gripping him as tightly as you could as he lifted a hand to the air to find the right trajectory to hit, but you had yet to understand what that really meant. "Tell me who you are!"

Suddenly, you were yanked up from the ground and into the air, swinging smoothly yet insanely quickly from building to building, but to you, it was the best ride of your life and now you wanted so much more of this. It was beyond exhilarating, heightening and awakening your senses, and if you could learn to like this kid, maybe you could talk him into making it a regular thing.

"I'm Spider-Man!"

"Not in that onesie, you're not!"

"It's not a onesie!" he yelled back, his grip pinching your side almost playfully, and in sharp contrast to the mood that you were still in as he carried you over the destruction that you were leaving behind. You knew that he could sense the shift in the moment and that the time for joviality was long gone; his grip lightened, though he still held you safely against him. Even as he masterfully carried the two of you closer and closer towards the Avengers tower, he was able to lean his head closer to yours, speaking with a welcome softness that actually made you feel just a little bit better.

"I'll stay with you the entire time, okay? If you say go, we go, no questions."

"We?"

"Yeah," he chuckled coyly, "I mean come on. You're already comfortable giving me a hard time and we just met. Keep this up and I might start to like you."

"That's a dangerous game..." you stopped, making a realization, "I don't know what your name is. I'm (Y/N)."

"Peter."

"No turning back now, Spider-Boy. You might end up regretting this, so don't ever say that I didn't warn you."

~~~

It didn't take long to understand that the little show-off was taking the long way home and enjoying the occasional gasp from you when he let go a little too soon or when you laughed at his mistaken aim that left you both just a bit tangled and hanging hundreds of feet in the air above an unforgiving concrete below. Pete didn't have anyone that he could be this way with, because his identity hadn't really become known to more than one or two people in his life, and they definitely weren't big fans of free-flying over the city like this. As each building was passed by, he found himself not wanting to go to the tower at all anymore, rather wanting to just spend the day like this, with someone who didn't care if he made a fool of himself and let him simply...fly. He had only known you for a matter of minutes, but it was all that he needed to know that he wanted to stretch each moment out as far as he could, just as his webs were stretching within his hands.

"Alright, we're here," he announced, though he didn't actually have to when your feet landed on the hangar bay floor. "But you could probably figure that out."

"I feel pretty sure of myself, yeah." He released you and let you take a few steps back, watching you as you took in the surroundings and the almost intimidating amount of technology that you could see with every turn. "Wow, this is way more impressive than I thought it would be. Look at some of this stuff. There are things in here that shouldn't exist for years yet."

"Yeah, Mr. Stark is really smart."

"Smart?" you scoffed, clutching your chest in mock offense. "Pete, please, that's just rude. Look at this," you stopped to reach out your hand, drawing one of Tony's tools from a far table with nothing more than the desire to hold it; you didn't even react to Peter's gasp and look of shock as it flew past his head just a little too closely and into your hand. "This casing consists of an element that's impossible to synthesize. Impossible. But he did it. That's not smart, that's-"

"Mine."

"Shoot, um...Mr. Stark...hey...this is...um, this is-"

"(Y/N)", you replied, saving the poor guy from himself. "Sorry, sir. I'll just...put this back." You sent the item on its way back to where it had been in the same way that it had arrived in your hand, floating carefully across the room and right past its rightful owner. He reached out to grab it from the air but you moved it to dodge his hand in the fear that he would inadvertently hit it and break it himself before you had the chance. "I mean it though, that's incredibly impressive."

"Yes, I'm very impressive. But that's a cool party trick," Tony said softly, watching with a held breath as his work came to a gentle rest, "what else ya got?"

"Actually, Mr. Stark, I was hoping that maybe we...you...the team, could help her." Peter put a gentle hand on your arm with a look that told you to stay in place as he passed by, making his way closer to Tony and nodding for him to move away for privacy. "She caused a pretty big mess downtown-"

"That was her?"

"Yeah, but it wasn't her fault...exactly. Whoever did this to her...she can't control what she has."

"So you brought her here? Where all of the one-of-a-kind and expensive toys are?"

"Pete?" you broke in timidly, pointing to one of the large windows that led into the hallway. "What's that? It looks really, really, angry."

Tony and Peter spun around in unison to see what was shocking you to your soul and draining the color from your face in fear; when the sight of the Hulk with his arm drawn back and ready to shatter every pane of glass that hung between him and you sprung the two men into action, Tony donned a suit within seconds and Peter stood as a barrier to protect you.

"Get her out of here," Tony commanded, "something must be setting him off."

"(Y/N), what are you doing?"

"I didn't think I was doing anything," you whispered, holding a tight grip on your new friend, "but clearly, I was wrong."

"Hey, Big Guy," Tony began, taking a few steps towards the raging version of his friend, "how about we take a step back and think, okay? She's just messing with your head, but she doesn't mean to. She came to us for help. Are you hearing me? She needs you too...sort of."

You were almost knocked off of your footing when the slam of his massive fist rattled the floor beneath you, setting off ear-piercing sirens throughout the building. Within what felt like only seconds, Steve had appeared with his shield in hand, followed quickly by Wanda, Clint, and Natasha. She seemed to have the most success with the beast, pushing herself out and in front of him before he could take any more steps towards you.

"There you go," Nat soothed, her hand rhythmically moving over his, "just focus on me."

The Hulk shook his head harshly a few times as if he were trying to force something out, looking up at you with a silent plea to make it stop; it was a pain that you had felt before, and you couldn't stand by and let another feel it too when it was fully your own fault. "I have to go," you said quickly, pulling out of Peter's hold.

"(Y/N), wait-"

"No," came a booming voice, but it's tone was gentle now. Bruce stumbled a few times and gripped a nearby workstation until his fingers blanched of color as his body began to return to its true form in a display that left you mute in awe. "I want...I want to help..." he gasped, gladly welcoming Natasha's hand when she helped him regain his composure. "I'm sorry about that...he gets a little...angry."

In all of the madness and uncertainty of what was actually happening, Wanda had stood silently at the door, unmoving as she took in the events, her eyes never wavering from you. You had thought that you could feel her looking into your mind, and the distraction from the Hulk allowed her to roam freely within it before you realized what she was doing. But now, with the doors to your mind locked tight, you returned her stare with a challenge, waiting to see if she would take the initiative to make the move. When it never came, you took a few steps towards her, but she quickly shuddered and pushed back, forgetting that she was already pressed to the wall.

"Are you afraid of me?"

With her continued silence, now Steve was concerned as well, "Wanda?"

She looked to Steve and back to you, her eyes still wide as if she were seeing something that no one else could; something more powerful than she could even begin to comprehend. The question that you had asked was an easy one to answer; finding her voice behind her fear was more difficult.

"Yes," she finally choked out, "and we should all be afraid."

Part 2

Peter was sitting on the far side of the room, with Tony at his side, looking as if his reluctant mentor was berating him for something; likely for bringing you here in the first place. Bruce had shaken off the after-effects of his transformation and had quickly gotten down to business, performing scan after scan on you, taking blood and tissue samples, and generally treating you like a science experiment with just a little too much delight in his methods. Wanda, of course, still kept a fair amount of distance between you, which was made much easier when Captain Rogers decided to provide you with your very own, very special room.

"Is this how you welcome all of your guests," you snickered, "or just the ones who could kill you with a stray thought?" You ran your hand over the smooth glass that stood between you and them, turning to face the bare and cold gray walls of the detention bay cell that housed you. "It's certainly homey. The depressing shade that you've chosen definitely makes me yearn for my depressed youth. Really brings me back."

"It's not for long," Steve tried and failed to reassure you, "just until Banner can get his analysis done. It's for our safety, sure, but for yours too."

"Why, does one of you have a brain that you can't control? Which one of you killed two city blocks in the last 24 hours? Please, Captain, tell me. Exactly who am I supposed to be afraid of here?" Despite your efforts to hold your outward appearance of calm and sensibility, your internal environment was beginning to grow impatient and anxious, surging with power against your own will. When you closed your eyes to slow the frenetic energy of your mind, Steve caught the cue and took a few cautious steps back.

"Are you okay? (Y/N)?"

"I'm fine." The growing energy began to ache, like a vice grip on your temples, threatening to squeeze until your skull finally shattered, which you would have actually welcomed just to find relief and escape from your own personal hell. "Please...not here..." you whispered to yourself, desperate to find a way to halt it.

The floor beneath you began to shake slightly; not enough to cause a problem but certainly enough for everyone in the room to stop and watch you with the fear in their eyes that you had come to know so well from anyone who got too close to you. When your eyes opened again, the faces looking back at you were all too familiar. Pete was the first to make a move towards you rather than away, in his precious innocence believing that he could somehow stop something that even you had no control over.

"Hey, (Y/N), talk to me, okay?" he began urgently. "Tell me about your favorite movie. Mine's Empire Strikes Back. You know, that really old Star Wars movie?"

"Seriously, Tony, how old?" Bruce snorted, his hands now working faster than ever to find a solution for you.

"I don't know..." you answered quietly, "I can't think."

"Okay, um...how about where you're from? Where do you live?"

"I was made, and I don't live anywhere."

Pete's expression dropped into a dark sadness as his heart began to ache for you; he had been through pain of loss in his family and being uprooted from his home, but they were experiences that made him who he was. You didn't have a family or a home to call your own, and you wouldn't know the happiness or struggles that came from either of those. He looked to Steve, hoping that he would say something better than what he was coming up with, be the Captain was preoccupied with watching you for signs that he needed to evacuate the building.

"Okay," Peter tried again, "so what would it look like if you lived here? Tell me what you think about that."

"Parker," Steve whispered a warning, "what are you doing?"

"Improvising."

While the others were busy working or trying to intervene in your escalation, Wanda had left the room unnoticed until she returned with Vision at her side, the two of them slowly approaching you with trepidation and what you sensed as a confused but eager curiosity from them. As the android came closer, however, your internal struggle only exacerbated, and made your head scream in resistance to him.

"Go away," you warned weakly, "you're making it worse."

"No, (Y/N), put your hand to mine," Vision ordered, resting his hand against the glass between you. "Now, please."

"What do you think she is?" Steve asked, stepping up to his teammate with a fearful glance at Wanda. "I don't know if this is a good idea."

"Put your hand to mine," he repeated. The floor shook violently now, tipping everyone from their footing and knocking some of Bruce's equipment from the small table that held it. Despite the chaos building around him, Vision's stance held steady. "(Y/N), do it before this becomes something that you don't want to happen. I cannot allow you to hurt my friends. Let me assist you."

At this point, you didn't know if contact with whoever this was would make the process worse or if he could help, but either way it was a chance that you had to take. If he couldn't stop you, then the group that you had barely come to know was in danger from you and they would likely meet the fate of so many others at your hand. You definitely didn't want that; they seemed genuine and like they wanted to help you, unlike the others who only wanted you as a science project and to use you for their own gain. If this man said that he could try to help, then you had no choice but to take it. Your knees shook beneath you as you moved, stumbling along the shaking floor towards him until your hand pressed to the glass over his.

"Look at me," he ordered, searching your eyes as if he had delved into your soul. You could feel his mind searching yours in an uncomfortable breach that you weren't expecting, but you weren't able to push him away. The more he searched for whatever it was that he wanted, the more you could feel the energy building within you, your hands and feet now burning with power that was struggling to be held back. "Captain, remove the team from the building immediately."

"Everyone out!" Steve barked without hesitation, grabbing Wanda's arm when she refused to leave Vision's side. Peter was hesitant to leave as well, but Tony's grip on his arm was unforgiving and all but dragged him out into the hallway with the group, despite his arguments to stay. The glass of the windows around them began to crack and splinter, but the glass between you and Vision held firm; a large crack in the floor spread from one end of the room to the other, leaving a chasm that opened up into the floor below. "Vision! You need to get out of here too!"

"No, Captain. I will remain," he answered in an eerie calm. "I can stop this."

"Go with your friends, please," you struggled, pushing against his will to contain you, "I don't want to...to hurt anyone else..."

"Please, (Y/N), stop fighting me. Allow me your trust."

"I'm trying," you argued in a soft whimper, and it was true; you were trying. Something in your mind wasn't letting him get the upper hand, and you were just as frustrated with it as he was. You closed your eyes again and shook your head, trying to push your own thoughts away to let him take over, but it wasn't working. "I don't know how..."

"Do not look away."

When your eyes met his again, something shifted and your mind began to swim and sway, your thoughts making no sense at all, as if they were created in a language that wasn't your own. You felt your stomach churn and become nauseated, and your vision became spotty and uneven. Your skin was alive with electricity and the clothes that covered it were irritating and almost painful against it. "What are you doing?"

"Improvising," he whispered.

"Pete tried that. Didn't work."

"I have an advantage."

You gasped and your breaths hitched at the growing sensation that you were going to pass out under his power, pressing your other hand to the glass now to steady yourself against the waves of Vision's control over you. His free hand came up to meet yours as well, and the sensation only grew. "I can't..."

"FRIDAY, please open the door," he ordered, quickly pulling his hands away when he felt the room around him settle and still. He entered your cell and stood over you as he watched you lower yourself to the floor, panting and sweaty, your eyes squeezed tightly shut with your head in your hands in a weak attempt to steady the storm in your mind that he had created.

"What did you do to me?"

"I took control of the power that you could not contain," he answered plainly. "I am sorry that you are suffering ill effects. I found it rather difficult to gain the upper hand, and it bore consequences that I could not avoid."

"It's okay," you waved dismissively, "as long as you stopped it."

"For now."

It took all of your energy just to give him a silent nod, hoping that he would feel your appreciation despite your silence. Your hands tingled with numbness now that the coursing power that had filled them only seconds ago was abating, and leaving behind a dull normalcy that you welcomed all too readily; it wasn't often that you felt normal in any way. Your thoughts began to make some sense again, their composition flowing in proper order and not jumbled as they were, no longer terrifying you as to what they meant. You turned your body to lean wearily against the glass with a loud sigh, keeping your eyes closed and sensing Vision taking a seat at your side. You jumped slightly at the sound of Steve bounding into the room again now that it had settled, though you could hear him aproaching from the moment that he re-entered the building several floors away.

"Are you guys okay?" he panted, rushing to the glass wall of your cell. "Vision?"

"She has calmed, Captain. I would like to remain here until I am certain that control can be maintained."

"Yeah, I'm cool with that," Steve snickered quietly, "not like I'm gonna argue."

"(Y/N)!" Peter rushed in, joining Steve. "Are you alright? What happened?"

"I'm okay, Pete. I think." You opened your eyes and turned to see him, but before you could move, he had rushed into the cell and knelt down in front of you, taking your hands in his. "Don't," you argued, pulling away, "I don't want you to touch me."

"I'm...I'm sorry..." he stammered, "I didn't mean anything..."

"I know, I just don't trust myself. It's not you, I promise."

"Okay, so everyone's good," Steve began again, joining you all but keeping his distance and holding at the door, "now can someone please tell me what that was? Viz?"

You turned to Vision and blocked out everyone else around you, hearing Wanda, Tony, and Bruce now entering the room as well; this person held answers that you had been in search of for most of your life, and if he could tell you things about yourself that you were desperate to know, there was no way in hell that anyone here would keep you from them. "You said that we were the same. In my head. I heard you tell me that when you were in there. What did you mean by that?"

"I may have misspoke," Vision backpedaled, his expression growing into discomfort, "that may have been misconstrued..."

"No, you said it, plain as day. Please, don't lie to me when you're the one who asked me for my trust."

Vision scooted himself back enough for you to feel his apprehension, but you took a chance and reached out, grabbing his hand before he could react to pull away. It wasn't a purposeful intention, and you definitely didn't mean to cause an intrusion, but the connection with him was too powerful to ignore or break, and you found yourself linked with him again until he became aware enough to break the bond and yank his hand away. "(Y/N), you must be careful..."

"That's the mind stone," you gasped in realization and pointed to him, "there, in your head. How did you get that?"

"It's a very long story."

"We are not the same," you argued flatly. "Vision, we are far from the same."

"No," he agreed, "we are not the same, but we are similar."

"Okay, enough of the cryptic bullshit," Tony broke in, charging forward to stand in front of you both, "let's cut to the chase, alright? What the hell are we dealing with here? How bad is it?"

"In the same way that Wanda's powers have been given to her by the mind stone that gives me my life," Vision began cautiously, his eyes never leaving yours, "(Y/N) has been given powers...by the soul stone. Her abilities exceed our own, and can be much more destructive. They can also be much more beneficial if control can be achieved. In the wrong hands, she could be a terrifying adversary. She can take and give life as she chooses, and can alter the world around us with a simple thought. She could change who we are, who we would become in the future, and who we were."

"Who we were? Like, turn us back into kids or something?"

"Aren't you glad you brought me home to meet the fam, Pete?" you chided, but your expression held no humor.

"Yes," Steve surprisingly answered for him, "because we can't have you roaming the streets with this running rampant in your head. But more than that, we want to help you. If you'll let us. If not, then we're going to need to have a much longer discussion."

Part 3

"Steve...I'm sorry. I'm so sorry..."

"Does anyone know where Vision is?!"

"Steve...I can't stop it...I'm sorry..."

"I know, (Y/N)...it's not your fault..."

"FRIDAY, where the hell is Vision? Or Maximoff?"

~~~

You couldn't sprint out of the building fast enough, evading hands that tried to grab you, even through their own terror at touching you with the risk of what you might do to them. You tried to warn them all, and they didn't listen; they said they could help you even when you told them otherwise. A small part of you wanted to blame them for not believing you, but this was your fault alone, and you should have run away long ago. No, you never should have let Peter bring you here in the first place, and this was all on you.

You had just taken Captain America from the world, and you had no way to know how to bring him back.

Only affording yourself a second to catch your breath, you looked back at the tower that still cast its shadow over your form, leaning against the cool bricks of a building just down the block and allowing its temperature to soothe you and dry the sweat that was now soaking your clothes from both fear and exertion. The ache in your chest was almost too much to bear, but you couldn't be certain if it was regret, sorrow, or loathing that caused it; oh, how you hated yourself right now, and how you hated what you had become. Steve had been one of the nicer ones, despite his hesitations, which you now found yourself chastising him for.

He should have known.

"(Y/N)! Where are you! It's Pete!"

"Shit," you hissed under your breath, looking in each direction to find where you could hide until he gave up, but you found nothing, choosing to take your chances and sprint as fast as your legs would carry you.

"(Y/N)! Stay there!" he called out to you when he caught a glimpse of you trying to run again. He slung his webs over your head to keep you in his sights, thankful in the moment for his enhanced senses because you were adept at hiding after all this time of perfecting your ability. "Please, stop!"

"Go away, Pete! You don't know what you're doing!" You watched his shadow sway from one side of the street to the other above you, following you into an alleyway before taking over your speed and dropping directly in front of you to stop your stride. "Jesus! Watch it!"

"(Y/N), don't run," he panted, reaching out to grab your arms but you dodged him. "You didn't kill him, okay? Steve's not dead."

"You're lying."

"No, I'm serious! He's just...a little bit...smaller."

"Okay, like that's better," you scoffed, "because I don't know how to fix that either!"

"Listen, we found Wanda, alright? She wants to try to help you figure it out."

"Wanda's terrified to be in the same room with me, remember?"

"She's willing to try, (Y/N)," he practically begged, "just let her. You need to try to get Steve back to the way he was. I know you have it in you, and that you want to fix it, so please...just come back with me." He held his hand out to you, waiting for you to take it, feeling the speed of his heartbeat increasing with each second that passed that you didn't reach back. "You're good, (Y/N). I know you are."

"You don't know anything, Pete. You never should have brought me here," you whispered darkly, closing your eyes so that you didn't have to watch what you were about to do. You took his hand in yours, gently rubbing your thumb over the top of it and appreciating that you still had one friend in the world, and committing the feel of human contact to your memory; you might never experience it again, once this friend was no longer yours. "Forgive me."

"For what?"

"For letting you trust me," you answered plainly, giving his hand a harsh squeeze that made him wince in pain. Hoping that you could control yourself this time, you sent a shock wave through him that jolted his body, making him shudder violently until he finally dropped to the ground as you released him. "Pete?" you asked, kneeling at his side with a hand rested gently over his chest. You let out a loud sigh of relief at the feel of the rise and fall of each breath under your hand, letting the fear go that you could have actually killed him if you had lost control again.

Pushing yourself up, you took one final glimpse of the massive tower, seeing the shadows of a few of the Avengers standing along its massive windows and looking into the city, likely to try to see you. That building and those people were the first hope that you had felt in so long, and now they left you feeling more hollow than ever. It wasn't their fault, you reminded yourself, turning away for the last time and breaking into a run.

You had no idea where your running would lead you, but it would never lead back here again.

~~~

"I must look really tall to you right now, huh?" Tony chided, standing over Steve. "This is so weird." He leaned down with a quizzical look, studying Steve's new, smaller stature like he was Stark's newest experiment. "This is what you were like before Dad got ahold of you?"

"Yes, Tony," Steve grumbled, trying to keep his temper in check. He pulled back with a small growl in his throat when Tony crossed the line and poked at where his massive biceps used to be. "Hey, boundaries."

"Wow, way to go, Pops. I'm actually impressed."

"I'm thrilled. Now could you please stop staring at me?"

"Nope, not yet."

"Whatever," he relented with a frustrated wave of his hand, pushing his hand against Tony's chest to give himself some room, except that now he didn't have the strength to move his teammate away. "Okay, someone please tell me that Wanda's come up with something to fix this. Or that Parker found (Y/N)."

"Well, I can't tell you that, exactly," Natasha offered, "but Wanda did find Viz and they're working on it. Parker hasn't come back yet."

"But he left over two hours ago," Tony perked up, concern in his eyes, giving Steve much needed relief from his focus. "You don't think she got her hands on him too, do you?"

The group looked at each other solemnly, but when each of them met their gaze with Steve's their expressions turned almost sorrowful, and he couldn't stand it anymore. He stood up from his chair and pressed his hands firmly to his narrow hips, feeling immediately that the stance he was taking carried none of the authority that it used to. "I'm sure he's still looking, that's all. They seemed like they were friends, and I can't imagine that she'd hurt him. While we're waiting...I think I'm gonna take a quick nap. I'm exhausted."

"You're looking a little pale, Cap," Tony offered, putting a supportive hand on his arm, "you want me to walk with you?"

"This is just how I look now, Tony. If we can't find (Y/N), you might have to get used to it."

~~~

You returned to check on Pete two more times before you finally decided that it was okay to go, because you couldn't shake the guilt that was left behind after doing that to your friend; he was so innocent in all of this, only wanting the best for you, and this is how you chose to repay him. Maybe he was right, they could have tried to help, and maybe somewhere in you was the way to return Steve to the man that he was, but you couldn't chance that you would really hurt him. This curse was yours to bear, but it was also yours to stop, and if that meant that it had to be the end of you, then that was the path you would take.

Peter began to stir slightly, coughing as he took deeper breaths when he came back to consciousness. The sound jolted you from your thoughts fast enough for you to back away and into the shadows of the alley where he couldn't see you; you tried to hold your breath, breathing as shallowly and quietly as you could when you couldn't hold back any more. With his enhanced senses, you couldn't take the chance that he might hear even the slightest sound.

"Man, that stings," he muttered quietly, rubbing his hand over his forehead. "(Y/N)?"

You wanted to tell him that you were there, and to have the chance to apologize, but you held silent. Waiting for him to finally stand and walk away, you watched until he was fully out of sight before coming back into the light and deciding which way you would go; all you knew was that a step in any direction other than towards that tower would be the right one. What you didn't know was that one step would be all that you would get.

"You cannot be allowed to leave, (Y/N)," Vision announced, lowering himself to the ground in front of you with his hands extended. "You must return with me to the tower immediately."

"Vision, don't do this. You know that taking me back there puts everyone in danger." You raised your hands in kind and he balked slightly at the action; he was afraid of you as well, but you hadn't realized until this very moment. The power that you carried within you must be stronger than his own.

"I will keep you here."

"You will try."

The normally bright glow of Vision's eyes darkened just slightly, and his expression was set firm; he was going to fight, whatever that actually meant, and you were suddenly at a loss as to how you would fight back. He was able to take control of you once before and he could likely do it again. If you played along, maybe he would back down and see that this was a terrible idea, so you steadied yourself, taking a single step towards him.

"We do not have to do this," he argued, "and I will do everything in my power to make this right. But do not be mistaken. If I have to take control of your mind again, I will not hesitate."

"Then what are you waiting for?" you snapped angrily, frustrated that he wasn't backing down. Charging forward, he took the same action, meeting you within only a few long strides. You grabbed his hands from the air before he could touch you, hoping that you could gain the upper position and act first. His hands felt as if they were on fire within yours, the power surging from them and into you without hesitation and with as much strength as he could send.

"I do not wish to hurt you, (Y/N)."

"I can't say the same, Vision."

~~~

Back at the tower, Steve had just put his head to his pillow when his eyes shot open again, feeling the floor beneath his bed begin to shake much as it had when you were locked up in their holding cell and had lost your control. He sat up urgently and threw his blankets aside, jumping up but stumbling with the force of the tremor. Pictures hanging on his wall began to crash to the floor, and the large windows of his room began to crack and threaten to break.

"FRIDAY! What's happening?"

"I believe that Vision has found (Y/N), Captain. There's a significant disturbance two blocks north of here, and it appears to be them."

Steve lowered himself to the floor, crawling towards his window so that he could try to catch a glimpse of what she was talking about, seeing a bright glow that emanated in every direction off to the side of his view. "Is that them?"

"Yes, sir."

A loud booming explosion sent Steve flat to the floor, covering his ears and pulling his knees to his chest, the sound being a frightening memory from his past that shocked his nerves and made his heart pound at a deafening decibel in his ears. The building shook even more and the glass of the window finally gave way, covering him in shattered glass and spaying across his floor so that he was trapped in place. "What was that?!"

"Miss Maximoff has engaged in the fight, Captain."

Part 4

This was a fight that you never should have taken on; when it was Vision alone, you could hold your own against him, maybe even enough to win eventually, but now that Wanda had engaged, you were beginning to feel the start of your downfall. It wasn't clear which of them had taken the upper hand and which of them was taking your strength and turning it into their own, but it didn't really matter; you were losing, and the world around you was going down with you.

As waves of energy flowed from each of you, connecting you all in an impenetrable barrier that shook the windows from every building in sight, the Avengers began to approach and surround you. You couldn't afford to give them any attention, however, as it was taking everything you had just to keep these two from overtaking you. At the edge of your mind you could hear the sounds of Tony's suit taking position above you, but he seemed to be holding steady, allowing Vision every chance to shut this down on his own and with as little damage as possible.

"(Y/N), please...concede," Vision struggled, "this cannot continue."

"So it's not you."

"I'm sorry?"

"You're not the stronger one," you realized, turning your focus to Wanda. "It's you. I never would have thought." The slightest flicker of fear lit in her eyes but quickly faded, and it was enough for you to have noticed. "Then why are you afraid of me?"

"I am not afraid of you, (Y/N)," she contested, "I am afraid of the consequences that we are creating here." The deep red glow emanating from her hands darkened; when Vision felt the shift in surge, his own strength pushed to its limits along with hers, slamming itself into you with an unrelenting strike.

It felt as if your body would rip apart under the strain, and you were barely holding your own now. They seemed as if they were regretting what they were doing to you, and you thought that you could still see a sadness in their eyes. Beneath the crushing weight in your chest, your heart ached for a life of normalcy that would never have put you here, under their pitiful stares and with the world literally crumbling around you. You had come to them for help, even if it was initially against your will, and it had resulted in this; they could never give you the life that you yearned for, so you had to fight them to get it.

"Please, just let me leave."

"Alright, we're done," Tony interjected, the last of his patience falling away much as the glass from the building next to him was doing, "this is over right now." His hand came up and the repulor within in charged to life, catching your eye; you shifted one of your hands to raise up in kind, barely holding the other against your two original targets of Vision and Wanda.

"Don't," you warned, "you'll only make this worse."

"Can't see how I can, kiddo."

"Then I'm very sorry, Mr. Stark. I really am. Please, forgive me."

You didn't see that Peter was there; you had no idea that he was standing only a few feet away, because your focus could only be split into so many ways before you would have compromised yourself to the attack. If you had known that he was there, you never would have made your move against Tony. If you had known that he was there, you never would have directed so much energy at his mentor, and he never would have been so stupid as to dive in the way to protect him. It was just one more example of how you would let Pete down and prove to him that trusting you was the worst mistake that he could ever make.

"Pete!" you screamed out for him, releasing your bond with Vision and Wanda as quickly as you could to dive out for your friend as he fell from the sky, lifeless. His weight was nothing in your arms as he landed within them, wrapping them around him within seconds of missing the unforgiving concrete beneath your feet. Chaos built around you immediately, the voices calling out to each other to move deafening your own thoughts. Someone's hands were on your arms, pulling you back from your friend despite your beg to stay, and you were left helpless to watch Tony take him from your hold and back to the building to keep him away from you.

"(Y/N), do not fight me," Vision warned, his voice carrying a new regretful tone. His hold on you was firm, but he understood that this was a terrible accident and that you hadn't meant to do it, relieved when he could feel your powers subside under his grip.

"I won't," you panted, unable to catch your breath, "I promise. I didn't mean for this...Tony was in his suit...he would have been okay...I wanted him to focus the fight on me. Not on you or Wanda...but why did Pete do that?" You could feel your knees begin to weaken and sway as your panic only grew, thankful that Vision was so acutely in tune as to notice it too, but his hold on your arms was getting so strong that it was nearly too much.

"Are you able to walk?"

"Yeah...yeah, I can, but I don't know if taking me back to the tower is the best idea."

"I regret to say that we don't have a choice," Vision argued. "You may be required to assist Mr. Parker. When he is well again, the discussion will come as to how you and your abilities are to be best dealt with."

"It might be to end me."

"Yes," he agreed quietly, "and that particular discussion has already taken place."

~~~

Tony had been sitting motionless at Peter's side for the last few hours, watching for any sign of movement, listening to the incessant alarms and beeping of monitors over the kid's head. He was playing the role of surrogate father just as Pete had always wanted him to, despite his consistent attempts to resist it. The stupid kid jumped in the way to protect him, not thinking before he did it, acting on an unnecessary impulse to do what he thought was right, even when it was so clearly wrong to do. This guy was more like him than he wanted to admit, and all he could do was worry that he had been the terrible influence that he thought he was all along, and his mind raced at how he would undo it once Pete woke up.

On the other side of the room sat Steve, holding position at your side and watching you with a cautious eye. You weren't fighting this time, lying still within the restraints that Vision had created to hold you with a strange glow covering your body. It was embarrassing to have Steve so close, knowing that you had ruined the life that he had as Captain America and burdening him with who he was now; it was a life that he had been able to leave behind, and was dealing with again because of you and for no other reason. Maybe he was sitting here now to punish you for that, you had no idea; if that were the case, however, it was working fantastically.

"Why were you fighting?"

"What?" you startled, his voice drawing you out of your thoughts.

"I said, why were you fighting Vision and Wanda?"

"Because I just wanted to be left alone. I thought it was pretty clear that keeping me here was dangerous for everyone. They wouldn't let me leave."

"It's not safe for you out there."

"It's not safe for you with me in here, either." You had been avoiding looking towards Tony and where Pete was resting, but you couldn't hold out forever. When you finally gave in and turned your head their way, the gasp that you let out was out of your control, and loud enough to catch Steve's attention.

"We know that this was an accident, (Y/N)."

"I don't think that Tony sees it that way."

"He will."

"Right," you smiled weakly, returning your gaze to the ceiling, "just like you understand what I did to you?"

"Hey, I told you that already. I know that you were trying to stop it." Steve looked down at his hands, much smaller now and lacking the strength to lift his own shield anymore, and he couldn't stop a crooked grin from spreading across his lips. "But I look at it this way, I was due for a little time off, ya know? Let these other guys save the world for a while. Maybe I'll do a little travelling now that I'm not so recognizable. You have no idea how tiring it is to have to be disguised all the time."

"Yeah, I'm sure that hat and sunglasses getup is exhausting to put on."

"Shut up!" he laughed, swiping his hand both instinctively and carelessly into your arm, but the jolt that went through his body at the contact shot him upright in his chair with a look of pure terror in his eyes until it passed and released him. "(Y/N)...what was that?"

"I don't know, but don't touch me again," you warned. You tried to pull away, but Vision's restraints held you tight. "Are you okay?"

"I think so..." he whispered, looking down at the hand that had made contact, "but that's weird." Steve held his two hands up in front of him and was shocked at what he saw; the hand that touched you was completely different from the other, much larger and stronger, exactly as it had been before you reverted him back to this version of himself. "(Y/N), look."

"What the hell just happened over here?" Tony snapped, taking a stand next to his teammate.

"I touched (Y/N)'s arm, and look at this," Steve held up his hands, "it changed back. Maybe if I could hold on longer-"

"Maybe she could actually kill you this time," he scoffed, shooting a firey glance your way. "Sorry, Cap, but I'm not about to let that happen. I'm not gonna let her get her death grip on any of you, so just drop that idea right now."

"Tony, come on...maybe if I just..." Steve muttered, his smaller hand now being the one to drift closer. Before Tony could grab it to stop him, he connected with you only to have the exact same result. He pulled his hand back and held it up to Stark, a smug look of accomplishment on his face that made your look of absolute fear inconsequential to him. "See? I told you!"

"Steve, that doesn't mean it will change it all. I don't want to hurt you any more than I already-" you tried, but it wouldn't matter. The restraints that Vision put you in would hold you too well, and even if you wanted to fight against them, you were frozen in place. There was no way for you to evade both of Steve's hands thrusting out to take ahold of you, and the drain on your power was immediate and paralyzing; you were both frighteningly still as the rest of the team watched. They sat silently with eyes wide as Steve's form began to change, until the force around you grew so volatile that the lights in the ceiling above began to explode and shatter, raining glass down onto the group and sending them ducking for cover as everything went dark.

~~~

Once the room settled and the back-up lights began to flicker and come to life, Steve released his hold on you and stood, taking a few steps back with a loud sigh of relief that the height that he had once known had returned, and his clothes were once again fitting him as they should. He wanted to thank you for what you had given back to him, but his approach was quickly halted, with Vision's hand slapping against his chest, tossing him back and nearly to the other side of the room in his own anger. You had been depleted so sufficiently of your strength that you were barely awake, but the tone in his voice was still unmistakable.

"What do you think it was that you were doing?!" Vision snapped at Steve as he closed in on him. "That was completely irresponsible! You had no way to know what that would do to you, or to her, and it was a blatant violation! She did not give you her permission to make that connection!"

"Viz, calm down," Wanda attempted, but he raised his hand to stop her as well.

"I will not! I cannot believe the lack of common decency in this, and frankly, I am appalled that you are not as incensed as I! What if one of them were to do the same to you? Would you be as calm as you are now?"

"I suppose then it would be considered as a long-overdue atonement. It was not so long ago that I was the one as the aggressor, if you remember."

"No," Vision shook his head emphatically, taking a step towards her, "Wanda, that was not by your own doing. You were being misled. You would not do that to anyone now. Captain Rogers is under no ill advice and should know to act in a respectable manner."

"Okay, Vision, you're right," Steve offered, his hands up in defeat, "you're completely right. I didn't act the way I should have. I was being selfish, and I'm sorry."

"I am not the one who requires your apologies, Captain."

Steve nodded, looking to each member of the team that surrounded him before his eyes found you; he felt awash with guilt at the sight of how weakened you appeared after what had just happened, and he was finding himself at a complete loss of what he was going to say. To say that he was sorry didn't feel like it would be nearly enough, and to say thank you felt cheap because he wasn't deserving of what you had just given him. He took the few steps between you to close the space until he could reach his hand out in an attempt to comfort you, but with what had just taken place coupled with the watchful eye of Vision upon him, he held back. "(Y/N)?"

"Hmm?" you mumbled, keeping your eyes closed. You felt barely strong enough to open them, and needed your full attention just to hear and comprehend what he was saying.

"Listen, I'm sorry for how I acted, and what I did. I was...I was only thinking about myself, and I don't know what came over me. I'm really, very sorry."

"I know."

"Viz, please release her restraints."

"Wait, what?" Tony jumped in, his eyes wide. "Nobody said that was okay. Just because you've got a guilty conscience, it doesn't mean we're all ready to throw caution out the damn door, Steve."

"Vision," Steve insisted, all but ignoring Tony and taking a step back to let his teammate work. When the glow around you faded away and the hold was released, he moved closer to you once again. "(Y/N), I know that there's a lot going on here, and it's pretty much a bunch of things that we don't understand. But I'm feeling safe to say that you don't understand much of it either, and even though things have been pretty crazy since you've been here, this is still the safest place for you to be."

"I think that Pete would disagree," you groaned, pushing yourself up unsteadily to sit. "Look at him, Steve. Look at what I did to him." Steve reached out instinctively again, trying to assist you, when you waved him away.

"Okay, bad example. But then don't you think you owe it to him to stay and figure out how to help him? He brought you here because it was the right thing to do, and it's the right thing to do to stay."

The first person you could think of to be fully honest with you was Wanda; if she were afraid, you would know it just by her eyes alone, as she had been unable to hide it from you thus far. When you looked her way, her spine straightened and her jaw set, looking back at you with a determination within herself to hold steady. "Wanda?"

"Steve's right," she answered readily, "I think that you should stay. I was much then as you are now when they took me in, when the world around me was unwilling to see me as anything more than a weapon to be used." Her body relaxed as she took a long breath, bringing her nerves to settle so that she could approach, extending a hand and taking yours to prove that her fear was beginning to fade. "I would very much like to help you, (Y/N). I can see now that we are the same."

Part 5

You had been lying on the same gurney for hours now, allowing Bruce to take so much blood from you that you wondered how much you could even have left. Your bones ached and your muscles were tense from immobility, and the thought of spending any more time here was driving you slowly mad. When he came at you for tissue samples, you were hesitant to let him go that far, but with a quick look over at the still motionless Pete, you relented out of pure guilt. He hadn't moved at all since you had shot him down from the sky, and even though the doctor assured you that his vital signs looked good despite his inability to wake him, he took it as a positive sign that he would eventually come around.

"Okay, (Y/N), I have only one more thing that I need to do," the doctor said calmly when he returned to your side with a tray of tools and medications. The look on his face wasn't giving you any reassurances, and your nerves responded accordingly; Vision picked up immediately on the shift within you and hurried to cross the room to stand at your side.

"What are you doing, Doctor?"

"I need to take a few more samples from her, but this should be it."

"What kind of samples do you require?" Vision pressed, putting his hand over yours almost instinctively. At the sound of worry in his voice, Wanda caught his cue as well and joined him in facing her teammate in a challenging stance.

"I need...brain tissue," Bruce answered solemnly and with a hint of fear in his tone. His eyes darted nervously from you to Vision and back, waiting to react to whichever of you would strike out first. "Listen, I wouldn't if it weren't imperative-"

"No, I will not allow this," Vision answered for you before you had the chance, "and you will step away from her immediately. If you continue to insist, then I will have no choice but to forcibly stop you."

You pushed his hand away and felt an overwhelming sense that he was taking control of a situation that was yours alone to guide; it wasn't that you didn't appreciate having someone on your side, especially after what you had just done, but battles that were yours to fight had to be won by no one else. "Vision, I've got this, thanks," you argued as politely as you could. "Alright, Doc, so how do you get up there and poke around without making me a vegetable?"

"(Y/N), are you sure?"

"Yeah, Wanda, I am."

"I'll do my best to sedate you first," Bruce began, "but I'm not sure if I can, since I don't fully understand your abilities. I want to reassure you that I'll do everything possible."

"Okay," you sighed, looking up at Vision when you felt his stare unwavering in its focus on you. He looked like he was actually angry with you for making this decision on your own, but he was understandably hard to read. For one, you barely knew him, and beyond that you had no idea what he really was to try to interpret what he was giving you. Did he actually care about what was happening to you, or was he more afraid of what you could do if something went wrong? Maybe he was upset that you were allowing this to go on because you were a danger to his friends. Maybe he was trying to tell you that it was best to not let the doctor proceed because he knew more than he was letting on. "Vision, can I talk to you alone before we do this? Is that okay, Doctor?"

"Yeah, sure, of course."

Vision held out his hand again for you to take, waiting patiently for you to sit up and regain your equilibrium after having been lying on your back for so long. A cautious glance passed between him and Wanda, but she didn't balk at leaving him alone with you, instead taking a seat next to Tony as he continued his vigil at Peter's side. Your head swam and wavered as your body adjusted with the movement, making you pause once your feet actually touched the ground and you stood. Vision shifted accordingly and slid his hand around to your back, keeping it there as he followed you from the room and out into the hallway for privacy.

"Please, we should sit," he insisted, turning you towards a set of chairs only a few feet away. Once you were seated to his satisfaction, he took his place and waited for you to begin.

"Vision," you started softly, "I know that you're feeling like you have to keep watch over me-"

"I need to protect you."

"Thank you, but I didn't ask for that."

"I didn't wait for you to."

"Right," you smiled politely. Your body was regaining its energy quickly now that you were out of that sterile and silent environment, feeling the strength returning to your legs with each pulsation of blood flow through them. The telltale tingling in your hands was beginning, followed by the surge of anxiety that came with it, knowing that nothing good had ever come next. "Vision, get me out of here," you warned, standing abruptly. "It's starting again. I think it's because I'm so close to you, and the mind stone is setting something off inside of me."

He stood in kind, just as quickly, rushing forward to grab your hands, but you anticipated this and pulled them back out of his reach. "(Y/N), give them to me. It's early enough that I can stop this before it becomes too much for you, if you will let me."

"Or you can make it worse. I can't let you-"

"Yes, you can," Wanda broke in, stepping up behind you so that you bumped into her as you tried to back away. Her hands clamped down on your arms so tightly that you winced at the force, trying to shake her hold away, but her hands began to emanate their red glow to paralyze you into place.

"Don't fight us, (Y/N)," Vision continued, moving closer, "allow us into your mind."

Once again, just as it had done before, the building around you began to shake as he pressed against your determination to keep him out. A picture dropped from the wall next to you, crashing at your feet and shattering its glass so loudly that your concentration was taken just long enough for Vision to break through. The sensation of another person's mind inside of yours was unlike any pain that you had ever endured, feeling like your head was ready to explode at any moment, and his voice so loud that you were deaf to any sounds around you. Wanda must have been attuned to this as well, her hands dropping away with her eyes squeezed tightly shut as she tried to keep her mind to herself.

"Vision, what the hell are you doing?" Tony barked, rushing to his side with Steve and Bruce closely behind. "Let go!"

"I can control this..."

"Yeah, you're doing a damn fine job." Tony stumbled under the tremor in the floor, reaching for the wall but needing Steve's grip to keep him from falling. "I'm not rebuilding this damn tower again!"

Vision's body began to falter as he took on the energy that you carried, trying to not only control your mind but the source of your power as well; he believed that if he could drain enough of it away and take it into himself, you wouldn't be this great of a threat and that you could be trained to use your abilities safely. What he didn't know was what this would do to him, but when considering the greater good over his own existence, there was no argument to be had. But it was when he found a familiar voice in your mind, only then did he realize what it was that your powers were actually doing. "Doctor Banner," he struggled, "bring Parker...here...now..."

Bruce didn't hesitate to argue, rushing into the infirmary with Steve to help push Peter's gurney into the hallway. "What are you going to do?"

Vision didn't answer, silently releasing one of your hands to take one of Peter's instead. The young man's body jolted and jerked in spasm with the flow of energy that was suddenly hitting him, leaving the team frozen in place and wide-eyed as they watched until his eyes shot open and his breaths quickened in a startled gasp. Vision released both of you together, his own ability to hold you both upright gone and crumpling each of you to the floor.

"She's a reservoir..." he panted, taking Wanda's offer to help him to the chair. "Whatever power she takes...it's stored within her and it becomes too much to control. That's why Captain Rogers was returned to this form when he made contact. Just as Mr. Parker has been restored now."

"Vision, are you okay? Pete?" you asked weakly, declining Bruce's help to lift you to the chair. "Ugh, I feel like I could sleep for a year."

"I'm okay, (Y/N)," Peter answered first, sitting up slowly with Tony's help, "a little woozy, but okay."

"I am also well, but you need a significant amount of rest, (Y/N)," Vision answered. "I've taken much of your energy, which will take time for you to recover from. But rest assured, you are no longer a threat to us or anyone else."

"Wait," Steve interrupted, a hand raised to halt the conversation, "what did you do to her? How is she not a threat?"

"I believe that I was able to weaken her mind enough to block many of the powers that she was unable to control. She will have residual abilities, but moving forward, Wanda and I can assist in training her to use them safely."

"We're not gonna have to do anything like that again though, right?" you asked with a quiet snicker. "I feel like you tap danced around in there. My head is pounding."

"Oh! I get that too," Bruce announced energetically, turning towards the infirmary, "hold on, I have just the thing!"

The group looked around to each other with curious smiles and shrugs, none of them knowing for sure what it was that Banner had that he was so excited about, but no one cared less than Tony, who was just relieved that his building had stopped shaking before it cost him another small fortune to fix. Peter slid down from atop his gurney and onto his feet to make his way over to you, kneeling down at your side with a hesitant hand over yours as he spoke. You wouldn't look up at him, feeling ashamed and remorseful for what you had done to him, but he wasn't having it, and lifted your chin so that you would have to see him.

"Hey, I'm alright," he insisted, "so let's move past it, okay? We should focus on letting Vision and Wanda help you. I'd like to be able to hang out with you and not be worried about getting by your bug zapper if I stand too close."

"You still want to hang out? You're not afraid of me?"

"I've never been afraid of you, (Y/N), come on. You're gonna have to do a lot better than that," Pete smiled genuinely, and it actually gave you some comfort for the first time in far too long. You had no idea why this guy was so intent on saving you, or why he was just such a good person at all, because it was rare for you to find, but no matter what the reasons may be, one thing was certain; even after what Vision had just done, and after Steve had offered you a better life here, on that very first day it was Peter Parker alone who had truly saved you.