SOMEHOW, SOMEWAY, WANDA was able to bring her lover back permanently. Y/N had been in the Soulworld, being transferred there when colliding with Thanos's gauntlet in the battle weeks ago.

But with the unprecedented power of Wanda's chaos magic combined with her grief, she unknowingly pulled him out of the realm. He had no recollection of his past life while in the Hex, only regaining his memories once leaving it.

Leaving the Soulworld did have an effect on Y/N...it seemingly stripped him of his powers, or at the very least dampened them. He noticed that when he couldn't use his enhanced strength or phasing ability in Agatha's lair. And when the Hex opened up during the battle, it kept him from flying.

Wanda felt this too. As they embraced, the feeling of the Soul Stone energy inside him wasn't as strong as before. It wasn't completely gone...but it was very faint.

"Y/N..." She began, "Your energy—"

"I know." He interrupted, feeling it too "But it doesn't matter. Being able to be here with you again is all I care about."

Y/N had an inkling that being revived somehow had an effect on his abilities. But he didn't care. The trade off was worth it, and Wanda felt the same way.

"Let's go." Wanda said, her arms still draped over his shoulder, "There's someone I need to talk to."

Y/N nodded, but before they can walk down the road, they looked back at the plot of land that used to be their house. The couple reminisced on the last week for a moment, remembering their time as a married couple, Vision, and their children.

A tear rolled down the man's cheek, and Wanda wiped it off with her thumb, planting a kiss afterwards. She missed them too. They wouldn't be forgotten, they'd be in their hearts forever.

The two continued on and made it to the middle of town. The Westview residents that remained looked on at them, especially Wanda, staring daggers. She looked down, feeling guilt, and tried not giving them eye contact. Y/N held her hand tightly as they continued walking.

Monica Rambeau turned and had a surprised look, not expecting to see them again. She also looked at the residents, noticing their angry demeanors.

"They'll never know what you sacrificed for them." Monica told Wanda, mentioning her children and Vision.

"It wouldn't change how they see me." She replied, "And you? You don't hate me?"

Monica shook her head, "Given the chance and given your power, I'd bring my mom back. You know I would."

"I'm sorry." The witch apologized with sincerity, "For all the pain I caused."

"I know."

Wanda sighed, glancing at Y/N before turning back to Monica, "I don't understand this power. But I will."

Y/N also looked at her, "Thank you, Monica." He didn't need to describe what he was thankful for, the lady knew that he was appreciative of her attempts to communicate with Wanda earlier in the week, and for helping his children handle the military.

"It's good to have you back, L/N." Monica replied with a nod, not bothering to ask how exactly he was back.

The three of them heard sirens in the distance, and the couple knew it was time to leave.

"Goodbye, Monica." Wanda bid farewell as she and Y/N walked away.

"Bye, Wanda."

Wanda immediately conjured her red witch costume and grabbed onto Y/N's hand. Knowing that he wasn't able to fly himself anymore, she was more than willing to help. She used her powers to also levitate him off the ground, making it easier for her to pull him while in the air.

They soared over the town, getting to the edge of Westview where the sign was. They stopped and looked back, seeing the sun setting over what used to be their home.

"Where to now?" Wanda wondered, eyes still glued to the sunset.

Y/N thought for a moment. He and Vision first got the property in Westview because it was isolated enough for "accords objectors" like him and Wanda. But now with that legislation seemingly tenuous nowadays, there was somewhere they both could stay at freely. It could mark a sort of new beginning.

"I know a place."

• • •

A FEW DAYS passed. Y/N unpacked the last box of his own belongings and sorted the items in their room.

Moving into his grandmother's old house in Chicago was a fairly simple task. Even after her passing, his name was attached the home. Y/N assumed that his grandmother probably did that hoping one day him and Wanda could live there once they dealt with the Accords situation.

And her hopes came into fruition. They now stayed at the house in the quiet and private neighborhood near O'Hare. A place where they can have a fresh start.

Y/N placed a stack of clothes in a cabinet, and upon closing it saw a picture frame on the dresser. It hadn't been there before, so Wanda must've came in and placed it in the room. He picked it up, smiling at the memory of their first date in Central Park.

That moment mirrored the time he first woke up in Westview, when he saw the same picture frame.

He planned on going to New York again soon to reconnect with his old friends, but wanted to take some time to himself and Wanda before doing so. One friend he knew he wouldn't be able to reunite with was Tony...having been told by Wanda of his sacrifice during the battle. It saddened him that he wouldn't be able to see him again.

He placed the frame down and walked out of the bedroom. He went downstairs into the living room, looking out of the sliding door windows and seeing Wanda sitting on the steps of the backyard porch.

Y/N opened the sliding doors and look at Wanda, her eyes fixated on the open yard space. She held a cup of tea with both hands.

"I see this as a sort of blank canvas." Y/N began to say as he sat beside her, "We can have a garden, a sitting area with a fire pit, maybe even some sort of fountain."

Wanda turned to him, not giving a response. Y/N thought for a moment that she didn't like his ideas.

"Or a pool? I'm not much of a swimmer but I guess that'd be all right." He said.

She finally let out a laugh and replied, "Already thinking of renovations?"

"Of course. I want to make living here as comfortable as possible."

"For you or for me?"

Y/N sighed. He knew the answer and Wanda assumed so too. He thought of their children, Vision, and their life in the Westview hex before responding.

"You did the right thing reverting Westview back to what is was, and in doing so...you lost so much." Y/N looked down at his hands and fiddled with them. He looked back at her, "I want to try it again with you...out here."

Wanda smiled as she placed her hand on his cheek. Y/N continued.

"I want to be with you for the rest of my life. I want to give you the things you desire most. I want to continue being by your side the rest of the way."

Hearing those words from her lover made her feel so grateful for him. Only a couple weeks ago, she was mourning his death, but today, here she was living with him again.

"I do too, moja láska (my love)." She replied.

Y/N smiled, and the two kissed.

When they parted, the man looked back at the open yard and chuckled, "Before we do anything out here, I gotta check with the bank. Hopefully they didn't close my account for being dead a few weeks."

"If they did, there's always tossing pizza dough in the city." Wanda jested.

"No, thanks." He replied, then got up from the steps, "Speaking of that, you hungry?"

Before she can answer, a flurry of wind hit their faces. Near them, yellow-orange sparks appeared in which they ultimately formed a portal. Out of it came a man with a goatee, wearing blue robes and a red cloak. They recognized him.

Doctor Stephen Strange.

"Uh....hello there." Y/N greeted in confusion.

"Y/N L/N. Wanda Maximoff." He greeted back.

"It's good to see you again, Doctor." Wanda replied. She'd only seen him during the battle against Thanos and at the funeral weeks ago.

Strange glanced at Y/N again, "I see you're back..."

"Yeah...I don't really have an explanation—"

"I don't need one..." Strange looked at Wanda, "I have a feeling it had something to do with you."

"I don't know how I did it...I have yet to understand the full extent of my power." She replied.

Strange nodded, "I've seen and heard about what you did in New Jersey. I tried to be of assistance...but the barrier you created kept me out of it."

Doctor Strange tried to enter the hex during their tenure there, but his own magic was inadequate compared to the sheer power of her chaos magic, which is why he couldn't simply use a portal to enter.

"I'm sorry—" Wanda tried to apologize, but the sorcerer didn't mind.

"No need to apologize, Miss Maximoff. That is why I'm here now...still offering help."

"What do you mean?" She asked. Y/N crossed his arms and leaned on the bannister of the patio, listening.

"Agatha Harkness told you about the prophecy?" Strange asked.

Wanda looked down at her cup of tea, "I assume you know too, then?"

"I know a lot of things, Wanda. I'm in charge of protecting this reality..." He began, "...which gives me the responsibility of assisting you in understanding your power."

It would benefit Wanda to have help from the Master of the Mystic Arts. Her chaos magic was unfathomable, and even the sorcerer knew that.

She abruptly asked, "Agatha told me The Scarlet Witch is destined to destroy the world...is that true?"

Inside, Strange understood that unchecked and untrained, the power of chaos magic could do indescribable damage to not only their reality...but others. Still, he wanted to let Wanda know that she wasn't a bad person.

"You are not a monster, Wanda. Your power in the hands of a person like Agatha, spells trouble. But in your hands...I know you use them well."

Wanda nodded, glancing at Y/N. He also gave a light nod in agreement to his words.

"So you're going to help me?" She asked Strange.

"To the best of my ability."

Wanda looked back down at her cup, taking in a sip of the tea.

Meanwhile in the house, up in the guest room upstairs, Wanda's astral projection levitated in the air.

In her Scarlet Witch form, she had been scouring the pages of the Darkhold, studying and reading it all while she was talking to Y/N and Strange outside. Her lover didn't know that she had the book of the damned...not even the sorcerer.

She wanted to find her children. She knew out there somewhere...in another realm...another reality...they were there. Billy, Tommy, and Vivian were still a part of her and Y/N, and she needed to see them again. Reuniting them with her and their father could be a possibility.

Maybe even with further training by Strange, it would be easier to do so.

Back outside, Wanda smiled after taking in the herbal flavor of her drink. She looked back at Doctor Strange, her new mentor.

As she embraced the Scarlet Witch persona within her, Wanda replied in her original Sokovian accent...

"When do we get started?"

• • •

This marks the end of Book 4 and the first series of Specter! Thank you for joining me on this journey, and on the next part I will give an update on the future of this series. Love y'all!