2023 ― Westview, New Jersey

WESTVIEW

"Morning, wife. Morning, boys..." Christian Rogers said as he entered the kitchen and then saw Wanda standing with a dog in her arms. "Good morning, unfamiliar wet animal. Who's this?"

Wanda laughed. "We're not quite sure, actually," Wanda said, and then she noticed the look in Christian's eyes. "Are you okay?" She asked.

"Oh, I'm fine... I just have a hunch that someone might pop over." Christian said. As if it was right on cue, Agnes came through the backdoor, and she had a doghouse in her hands.

"Hi, kiddos!" Agnes exclaimed.

"With exactly the item that we require..." Christian said as he opened up the newspaper.

"My kitchen window told me someone got a new pooch," Agnes said as she set the doghouse down on the counter. "Did you name him yet?" She asked as she pulled the boys into hugs.

"How about sniffy?" Billy asked.

"Oh!" Wanda said. Then they heard the electricity cracking, and when they looked up, the dog was running away from the outlet it just tampered with.

"How about Sparky?" Agnes asked.

"Well, should we make it official?" Wanda asked. She held her hand up and used her powers to make a collar appear in her hands.

"Wanda..." Christian said.

"Hmm?" She asked.

"Agnes is right there!" He whispered to her.

"She didn't notice," Wanda said as she dismissively waved her hand. "She didn't even notice when the boys went from babies to five-year-olds," Wanda said as she laughed.

"That's not what we agreed on... You made no effort to conceal your abilities." Christian said.

"Well, I'm tired of hiding, Chris," Wanda said, and she laid her hand down on his cheek. "And maybe you don't have to either." She said.

"So you want me to just turn invisible right in the middle of the kitchen?" Christian asked.

"Well, no... I suppose that wouldn't do much for the situation at hand." She said. Christian grabbed her hand from his cheek and held it in his own.

"Wanda, we are usually so much of the same mind... mainly because we can read each other's minds. But right now, what aren't you telling me?" Christian asked.

"So, is Sparky our dog, Daddy?" Billy asked before Wanda could give him a response.

"Boys... your father and I don't think you're ready to properly care for an animal until you're at least..." Wanda trailed off, and Christian quickly cut in.

"Ten!" He said.

"Ten years old," Wanda said. The boys looked at each other, and Wanda and Christian knew exactly what they were thinking. "Wait, no, no, no," Wanda said.

"Wait, now, hang on a minute..." Christian said, but it was too late. Tommy and Billy smiled mischievously at each other.

And then they aged themselves up to ten.

"Let's just hope this dog stays the same size," Agnes said as she was holding Sparky in her arms. "Woot! Woot!"

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S.W.O.R.D. BASE

"Okay... Okay, I've got it." Monica Rambeau said as she was standing in front of Darcy, Katherine, and Steve. She was trying to figure out a way to get back inside the hex and try to get through to Wanda. Katherine even offered to go inside, too, because she knew that she might have a chance of getting through to Wanda as well. "What I need is a 10,000-pound fallout shelter comprised of lead for photons, cadmium for neutrons, tantalum for seismic blasts, on wheels. And then, I would be able to re-enter Westview safely. Right?" Monica asked.

"I had no idea if any of that was English, but..." Katherine said, which made Monica laugh.

"Well, theoretically, yes," Darcy said.

"I can work with theoretically," Monica said.

"What'd I miss?" Jimmy Woo asked when he walked inside with coffee for all of them.

"Oh, um, our grandkids aged themselves up again, to ten," Katherine said.

"Holy Christmas. At this rate, they'll be empty nesters by dinner time." Jimmy said as he started handing out the coffee. First, to Darcy, then he handed one to Katherine and Steve, which they thanked him for.

"I know an aerospace engineer who'd be up for this challenge," Monica said.

"But, I can't guarantee the Hex won't just mind-wipe you as you go in," Darcy said.

"Wait... What's a hex?" Monica asked.

"Oh, um, it's what I'm calling the anomaly because of its hexagonal shape," Darcy said.

"It's actually quite clever." Katherine agreed, and then she looked at Monica. "Are you sure you want to go back in there? I've been alive way too long and don't mind taking the risk to try and get through to Wanda." Katherine said.

"You also have a newborn son," Steve whispered in her ear.

"Yes, I do," Monica answered her question.

"Have we identified these minors yet?" Jimmy asked as he walked over to the board. "Or the newborns?" He asked.

"Oh, the kids are theirs. Everything might look fake on the TV, but everything in there is real." Monica said.

"But, Wanda manipulates people's perceptions, makes them hallucinate..." Jimmy said.

"Yeah, that's her whole bag," Darcy said.

"And we know the real Christian Rogers is lying in a coma, so how would she have been able to reproduce?" Jimmy asked. That was just another question to be answered. But Katherine was thinking; maybe the twins weren't actually real?

"If all the sets and props and wardrobe were solid matter, that would mean she's wielding an insane amount of power," Darcy said.

"She does have an insane amount of power..." Katherine said, and then she looked at Steve. "And our daughter has the same kind." She whispered. Although he figured that Amaya wouldn't do something on this scale, Steve nodded his head, but if something ever happened to Peter, they never knew what she might do.

"And it would be far exceeding anything she's displayed in the past," Jimmy said.

"Well, she and Amaya Rogers almost took out Thanos together until he initiated a blitz," Monica said, and Katherine nodded her head. She wasn't near Amaya when that happened, but her daughter definitely told her about it. "I mean, nobody else came close to them."

"Well, I'd argue that Captain Marvel came close," Jimmy said. Katherine noticed the shift in Monica's face when Jimmy mentioned Carol, and Katherine bit down on her lip. There was obviously something to unpack there.

"Her powers came from an Infinity Stone, too, right?" Darcy asked.

"We are not talking about her. We are talking about Wanda." Monica said as she grabbed one of the pictures from the evidence board. "Darcy? What was that you were saying about props and sets, and..." Monica trailed off.

"Wardrobe?" Darcy asked.

"Where's the lab?"

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"What are we looking for?" Jimmy Woo asked when the five of them all walked into the lab where Monica's 70s outfit was hanging up.

"That..." She said as she walked towards the clothes.

"Oh, man... are we being mind-controlled to see that right now?" Darcy asked.

"Jeepers creepers," Jimmy said. Monica walked over to one of the monitors that had done a scan on the clothing.

"Oh, no. They're real, alright. Can I borrow this?" Monica asked as she grabbed Jimmy's gun.

"Whoa!" Jimmy exclaimed. Monica shot off three rounds at the clothes, and Katherine laughed to herself a little as she looked up at Steve.

"Deja vu, huh, babe?" Katherine said. Steve chuckled as he wrapped his arm around his wife and squeezed her to his side. Jimmy walked over to the clothes and saw that the bullets had fallen onto the ground.

"You had a bulletproof vest on when you went inside, didn't you?" Jimmy asked.

"Those pants are 87% Kevlar. It's not an illusion. Wanda's rewriting reality." Monica said.

"Permanently?" Katherine asked.

"If she can change things as they go into the Hex...-" Darcy cut in.

"Ah! You called it the Hex!" Darcy exclaimed.

"What happens if we send something in that requires no change?"

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WESTVIEW

Christian Rogers was now at his job along with Vision. "Hey, Vis," Christian said. Vision looked up when he saw Christian, and he was happy to see a familiar face. Vision, much like Christian, was under the impression that something was wrong here. Vision never remembered having a family, and now he had a synthezoid wife, daughter, and son, but he could also feel that something wasn't right.

"Christian. I heard about your twins. Congratulations are in order." Vision said, and Christian smiled.

"Thank you. It looks like fathering twins is something we have in common." Christian said. Vision was in his human form because, of course, he wouldn't come to work in his synthezoid form.

"So you're telling me this is a typewriter, a Rolodex, and a calendar all in one?" Christian looked over when he heard Norm talking. "What else can it do? Find me a wife?" He asked, which made Christian and Vision laugh.

"Eventually, yes." Vision said.

"It's a hell of a thing watching you work these computers, Vision. It's like you speak their language." Norm said, which earned a secret laugh from Christian. Then Christian and Vision walked over to Norm's desk.

"What do you say, Norm? Should we surf the internet?" He asked.

"Cowabunga, dude!" Norm said. He stood up from his seat and let Vision sit down. Vision pressed a button on the computer, and as the screen turned on, it made a lot of noise before the screen went blue, and a row of words came across.

"Hey, look, we got electronic mail already," Norm said as he clicked on it.

"It's called an e-mail, Norm. What are you looking for?" Christian asked as Norm was rummaging through his desk until he pulled out what he needed.

"A letter opener." He said.

"Ah, we don't need that. We're already cutting edge." Vision responded as he pressed on the keyboard so that they could read the email.

"S.W.O.R.D. Top secret communiquée. Authenticate. Doctor Darcy Lewis' findings regarding Maximoff's Anomaly. High levels of radiation present at the perimeter. Effect on Westview residents, unknown. Please advise." Christian and Vision heard that now everyone in the office was reading the same message. The Maximoff anomaly? Now Christian was feeling that eerie gut feeling again.

But it freaked him out even more, when everyone started laughing. Vision and Christian both looked at each other with the same freaked-out looks on their faces. "Well, come on, pals. What are we gonna write back? You're the office funny guy. It's a joke, can't you tell?" Norm asked. Christian watched as Vision touched the computer, and he saw a faint yellow glow, Vision's powers, and then the screen turned off. "None of it is real."

Vision stood up and looked at Christian, who nodded his head and shrugged his shoulders; he knew what Vision was thinking. He was going to do to Norm what he just did to the computer and see what happens. Christian watched as the faint yellow glow appeared around Norm's temples, and then he gasped.

"Please... Please help me." He said as he looked at the two of them. "What day is it? How long has it been? Where's my phone? I have to call my sister." Norm said as he started to search the desk for his phone.

"Norm..." Vision said.

"She's taking care of our dad; he's sick. Where's my phone!" He yelled.

"Calm yourself, Norm." Vision said.

"We can't understand what you're trying to tell us," Christian said as Vision grabbed Norm by his shoulders. But Norm turned to Christian.

"You have to stop her." He said.

"Stop who?" Christian asked.

"She's in my head. None of it is my own. It hurts. It hurts so much. Just make her stop. Just make her stop!" Norm yelled. Vision again used his powers and touched Norm's temples, and that put him back into his Westview persona, and a smile was on his face. "Now tell me this. If I send an email, where would I put the stamp?" He asked. Vision looked over at Christian, and Christian shook his head.

"I need to talk to Wanda."

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S.W.O.R.D.

"I know this is tech from the 80s, but can we sharpen the visual a little bit?" Hayward asked. Katherine rolled her eyes. Monica flew an 80s-type-drone into Westview to see if they could get a visual on Wanda. Since the current decade is the 80s, the drone wouldn't have to change.

"Got a visual on Wanda," Monica said as she flew the drone in front of Wanda's house.

"We can't see the drone on the broadcast," Jimmy said as he pointed to the TV. "Wanda's framing it out of the shot."

"Just like all the jump cuts," Darcy said as she turned to Jimmy, Katherine, and Steve. "Wanda decides what makes it onto her show and what doesn't." She said.

"And here we go. Agent Rogers, you're up." Hayward decided to address Katherine formally. Monica gave Katherine the headset, and Katherine took a deep breath.

"Wanda, honey, it's me, Katherine. Can you hear me? Steve's here with me, and we just want to talk, that's all." Katherine said. She had always considered Wanda family from the minute she joined the avengers, and then when she and Christian started dating, it was even more so. Steve and Katherine love her like she's their own daughter.

Katherine watched as Wanda's eyes started to glow red, and she knew that Wanda probably couldn't hear her. "No joy..." Hayward said.

"Uh... Wait, my controls aren't working. Reconnect patch." Monica said. Neither she nor Katherine saw Hayward give the nod to another agent.

"Disregard, take the shot," Hayward said.

"The what?" Katherine's eyes quickly snapped over to him.

"What? No. The drone isn't armed." Monica said.

"Take the shot," Hayward said, and Katherine quickly got in his face.

"What did you do!?" She snapped. Then the alarm started blaring.

"There's a breach, sir." An Agent said. Everyone ran outside of the facility to see that Wanda was coming through the barrier. Everyone had their guns pointed at her, and Katherine and Steve walked out in front of everyone while Wanda was dragging the drone.

"Is this yours?" Wanda asked as she threw the drone down at Hayward's feet.

"If anyone shoots her, I will kill all of you!" Katherine yelled.

"The missile was just a precaution. You can hardly blame us, Wanda." Hayward said.

"Oh, I think I can. This will be your only warning. Stay out of my home. You don't bother me. I won't bother you." Wanda said.

"I wish it could be that simple. You've taken an entire town hostage." Hayward said.

"Well, I'm not the one with the guns, Director," Wanda said.

"But you are the one in control, Wanda," Katherine said as she approached her. Wanda's eyes snapped over to Katherine, and she took a deep breath.

"You shouldn't be here, Katherine," Wanda said, and Katherine looked down and noticed her hand started to glow red, and Katherine continued to approach her.

"Neither should you, Wanda. Look, we didn't know the drones were armed. You know that I would never let anyone hurt you. And you know that Monica wouldn't either. You have a town full of citizens, yet you brought a S.W.O.R.D. Agent into your home. You trusted her to help deliver my grandchildren, who I definitely want to meet, by the way, but you know she's an ally... and you definitely know that Steve and I are too. I want to help you." Katherine said.

"How? There's nothing left for me out here. What could you possibly have to offer me?" Wanda said to her.

"You have Steve and me... you have Amaya... you still have Chris. What do you want?" Katherine asked her.

"I have what I want, and no one will ever take it from me again," Wanda said. She used her powers and made Hayward's men turn all of their guns on him, and when she turned around to walk back into the Hex, Katherine grabbed her arm and turned her around.

She saw the pain in Wanda's eyes, which broke her heart because Katherine does love Wanda like Wanda is her own daughter, and she just wanted t help her and protect her. "Wanda, please... let us help you. Steve and I would do anything for you, just like our other children, you know that" Katherine said, and Wanda shook her head.

"I'm so sorry, Katherine," Wanda said. She got out of Katherine's hold and continued to walk back towards the barrier.

"Wanda!" Katherine exclaimed.

But she already went back inside.

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Ah, Katherine tried, but she just couldn't get through to her, but she'll definitely try again.

Don't forget to vote/comment.

xoxo.