CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE:
CO-EXIST

    AS NATASHA CONTINUED TO CHASE down the Alien taking over her girlfriend's body, Skye was running to the front of the Avengers facility, sighing in relief when she saw Wanda and Beth quickly making their way into the building. Skye held the necklace that was supposed to be around Willow's neck, showing it to the two. She shook her head slightly. "Natasha's trying to find her. She doesn't want to hurt her, but she will if it means anyone else being put in danger. Guys, we can't let Willow kill anyone else."

     "And we won't." Beth assured, nodding her head. "We need to fix the necklace. Skye, you and I can focus on that. Wanda, you need to find Natasha. You have abilities whilst Natasha does not. And if the alien hurts Natasha again, Willow will never forgive herself. Protect Natasha, but try to keep hold of the alien. You're stronger than any of us. You'll be able to hold her back." Wanda nodded and turned to go do just that, only to stop when Beth reached out to grab her hand. "Be safe." She gave her a kiss on the cheek before watching her go.

Beth and Skye headed towards Skye's bedroom, taking the stairs two at the time because the elevator would take too long. Skye pushed open the bedroom door, running over to a small jewelry box whilst Beth laid the necklace down on the table, watching Skye with anxious eyes. They didn't have much time. She trusted her girlfriend, but she knew that Wanda didn't have full control over her powers yet, so she wouldn't be able to hold the alien back for long. She watched as Skye grabbed a leather necklace.

     "This will have to do." The dark haired woman mumbled, taking the jewel off the leather and placing it inside the box. She quickly walked over to the table, watching as Beth took the blue stone from it's chain, quickly handing it over to Skye. Skye held it up in the light, examining it, making sure it hadn't cracked―︎much to her relief, Annabella's magic held up well. She quickly put the gem onto the leather string, making sure the clasp on the end was sturdy. "Alright. Looks like we got ourselves a necklace. Now, how the hell do we get this on her?"

     "Well, we got to find them first." Beth sighed. "Come on." And then the two went running.

Wanda could hear the alien, climbing through the vents. She had found Natasha and now the two women were split up, keeping their eyes peeled as they waited for the alien to make a move. Wanda's eyes glowed red, the chaos magic growing in her hands. She crept along the halls, carefully to keep her footsteps as quite as she could, but she wasn't as good at this as Natasha was. A loud thud could be heard before the alien dropped to the ground, right on top of Natasha who was on the other side of the hall.

     "Willow, I know you're in there!" Natasha struggled under the alien, gasping for air as her claws dug into her throat. "Willow." Her voice was strained, letting Wanda know that she was being choked.

     "Willow, I don't want to hurt you." Wanda calmly called, walking closer to her. A ball of red magic swirled between her two hands, eyes glowing red as she watched the alien. "Let her go."

     "Bringing in another party? That's not fair, Natasha." The alien frowned. "You were playing so well."

     "Willow, please." Wanda begged. "You don't want to kill anyone else. Especially not her." Wanda watched as the alien let go of Natasha's throat, allowing the redhead to breathe. For a moment, Wanda thought that the alien was going to back off. That maybe Willow was going to gain control again. But she thought wrong. The alien's claws seemed to sharpen before she swung towards Natasha's neck, ready to kill her. Wanda quickly shot out her hand, watching as it wrapped around the alien's wrist. She quickly threw the alien off of Natasha, allowing her to jump up from the ground. Natasha walked over to Wanda's side, watching as she dropped her hand.

     "Are you alright?" Wanda asked, not moving her eyes away from Willow as she spoke to Natasha. Natasha hummed in response.

     "Ask me that again when my girlfriend isn't trying to kill me."

     "You won't win." The alien whispered. "I'm from a different world, you have no idea what I'm capable of."

     "Why'd you do it?" Natasha asked. The best way to keep the alien from running was to distract her, to keep her from noticing Skye and Beth that had held up the necklace from the very end of the hallway. The alien's back was facing the two women. "She was what, four? Five? She was a little girl and you decided to attach yourself to her. Why not the parents? Why her?"

     "I was just looking for a home since I had to flee from mine." The alien answered. "My kind was wiped out by a mad titan by the name of Thanos. He killed my entire family, my friends. My people."

     "So you've been killing people because you were angry that your own had died?" Natasha questioned, taking a couple steps closer. "If you're trying to find this mad titan, you're failing miserably."

     "I have to eat somehow." The alien hissed. "You said it yourself. If I die, she dies."

     "But you can live off of regular food. You've done it before when she was little." Natasha argued. "Why be her enemy when all she wants is to be able to co-exist?"

     "She doesn't want to co-exist with me." The alien laughed. "Why do you think she wears that necklace? To keep me contained."

     "To keep people from dying." Natasha corrected. "She never wanted this. She just wanted to live a normal life. And you didn't let her. Well, now, you don't have a choice." Natasha nodded her head and before the alien could run, Wanda shot her hands out, keeping the chaos magic around the alien's body.

     "No!"

     "Make better decisions, and we wouldn't have to do this." Natasha harshly spoke. She raised her chin slightly, watching as Skye quickly put the necklace on Willow's neck. As soon as it was clasped, the stone turned black and Willow's body fell over.