Chapter Text
Roughly thirty more hours to go before they reached California.
They awoke early enough to catch the horrible complimentary breakfast that was sitting out for, Goddess only knows, how long in the lobby of their hotel.
With medicine taken, bags packed and only one small argument over where to get coffee, the group was on the road once more.
They drove the first half in calm quiet, after Wanda and Agatha had gotten their caffeine for the day. The boys were in the back, Billy teaching Nicky the art of origami while quiet music filtered through the static radio.
Agatha sat comfortably in the passenger side while Wanda drove too slow of a speed for the urgency she was radiating. Between the warm sun hitting her face and the soft lull of the road, the purple witch was being rocked to a peaceful, unintentional sleep.
“Highway hypnosis.” Wanda said quietly.
“What?” Agatha mumbled tiredly, her eyes struggled to open.
“It’s when the road starts making you tired. You start to zone out.” Wanda’s gaze never left the road, she drank a hefty gulp of coffee from her cup.
“I over-heard yours and Rio’s conversation last night.”
Suddenly more awake, Agatha shifted her eyes to the back seat. The boys were engrossed in their paper folding, completely unaware of the two in front.
She sat straighter in her seat.
“I didn’t mean to eavesdrop.” Wanda added.
Awkward silence hung between them.
The highway they traveled on was nearly empty, and boring. Agatha couldn’t even be distracted by passing cars or interesting buildings.
She had a passing thought of jumping out of the moving van to avoid talking about her breakdown from last night. But that would mean traumatizing Nicky more than she already has.
“Oh?” Was all she said.
“I just wanted to tell you something.” The red head finally turned her head to look Agatha in the eyes.
Agatha’s stress was so loud, she was worried Rio would feel it and come running.
Having her wife suddenly pop up in her lap would surely cause Wanda to crash in terror.
“You don’t have to be scared anymore Agatha.” She continued.
The purple witch didn’t say anything. She wanted desperately to believe her, but she didn’t. Ever since she was forced to rely on other people; to trust them, Agatha was having a hell of a time settling her nerves.
Like she was waiting for the rug to be pulled from beneath her.
If you would have told her years ago that she would be willingly sat in the passenger seat of a beat up old blue van, mere inches away from the Scarlet Witch on a road trip across the country. Her son, alive, babbling with a soul who stole the body of a teen, laughing, breathing, happy.
And the love of her existence, keeping a mindful loving eye on all of them.
It was terrifying.
She hadn’t allowed herself to care in centuries.
Or ever.
She was trusting Wanda Maximoff of all people with her life, and the life of Nicky.
Plus the life of her semi willingly adopted, some-what forced, child.
Billy.
Who apparently is dead set on forcing yet another child into her home.
Another child.
Another life.
Another person who will probably look at her for guidance just as the other two do.
Well three.
Wanda had a habit of making herself seem small, innocent, scared. Naive to the dangers of the world around her.
It frustrated Agatha to no end.
Wanda was single handedly the most powerful being in the entire universe, and she looked to Agatha for forgiveness and direction.
Agatha had no power.
She had no idea what she was doing.
That was also terrifying.
On top of all these, feelings, Agatha was incredibly aware of the fact that her entire coven was headed straight for the same exact location as the Avengers.
Her coven.
That was still new.
The Avengers were probably already in California, with their fancy jets and shiny suites.
She knew their plans.
They would try to recruit Tommy.
Save him from himself.
Make him believe he would be a hero; so long as he joined them.
But Agatha knew better. She knew that if he didn’t want to join them, that if he chose to stay free, they’d kill him.
It was classic Avengers.
They did the same thing to the poor black widow. But look where that got her.
May she rest in peace.
“Agatha?” Wanda’s voice pulled her from her spiraling thoughts.
She looked over to the red head. “I’m not scared.” She lied.
Wanda had a small smile grace her lips. Knowing full well Agatha was full of shit.
“It’s okay. She continued. “Your whole life just got flipped around.” Wanda set her coffee down, placing both hands on the wheel. “You had agreed to train me and Billy, not travel across the country to find another mouth to feed.”
“First off, I’m not feeding any mouths.” Agatha tried to deflect. “Except Nicky, he doesn’t know his way around a stove yet, but we will let that slide seeing as he’s from a time where stoves weren’t a thing”
Wanda laughed quietly. “I’m just saying you have nothing to worry about.” She pushed some hair from her face. “I hope you know that I wouldn’t let anything happen to them.”
She didn’t need to say their names. Wanda knew Agatha would understand.
It should have bothered her with how easily Wanda was able to disarm her. But for some reason it didn’t.
“The Avengers-“
“Don’t needlessly kill.” Wanda cut her off. “And if they try anything stupid, it would be Stark.”
Ugh. Stark.
He was the worst one of them. So arrogant. So righteous. And worst of all- so incredibly senseless.
Agatha hated him.
She might just kill him for fun once they get to where they are going.
“I need my power back.” Agatha said quietly.
Wanda didn’t know what to say to that.
“I can’t protect us if I don’t have it.”
“So you’re saying you need to syphon a witch?” Wanda whispered, turning up the radio a little louder so the boys in the back couldn’t hear.
Agatha glanced at Nicky. She had promised him she wouldn’t kill unless warranted. It was one of his only conditions to coming home with her.
She wanted to do right by him.
But how?
Maybe she could trick someone into attacking her, just like old times. But that might put the kids in danger…
Maybe Wanda could willingly give her some magic? Agatha didn’t want to accidentally drain her…
“I’m saying, I need to get it back.” She couldn’t elaborate. She didn’t know how.
The conversation was abruptly interrupted from a loud shout from the back seat.
Wanda and Agatha whipped their heads around, looking for any danger.
Instead, they found Nicky in utter awe as he watched Billy use his magic to make a origami swan hover in the air. It looked alive as if swimming in an imaginary pond.
“Look mama!” His eyes focused on the folded paper. “Billy made it alive!”
Wanda turned her attention back to the road, both women sighing with the relief that they were still safe, when another voice came from the back seat.
“He tends to do that.” Came a sly un amused voice.
Wanda nearly swerved off the road, but with agility only an ex Avenger could have, kept the car between the lines. Agatha also startled and turned once again, her eyes landed on her wife.
Rio was sitting comfortably in the third row seat. Feet propped up on the back of the middle row, sipping loudly from a capri sun she had found in the snack bag.
She was wearing all black, but made it look casual. Black jeans tucked into calf high black leather boots. A black long sleeve shirt hidden under a black leather jacket.
Her hair was down, flowing just past her shoulders. Sunglasses hid her eyes which was a new look, but one Agatha very much appreciated.
“Look mi amor,” she called from the back. “The abomination keeps giving life to things. It’s like he can’t help himself.”
“Mami!” Nicky tried to twist in his seat, but the seatbelt he swore he would keep on was doing its job well.
Billy was startled by the sudden appearance of the reaper, the swan dropped to the floor. “Sorry!”
Agatha laughed. She loved how well adjusted Nicky had become to seeing his mother pop up at any and all given moments.
“Hello dear.” She said as she turned back around to face the window. Her neck would be sore tomorrow from being in this death trap of a car. “Slow day at work?”
Rio, who didn’t like not having her wife’s eyes on her, poofed herself in a black cloud to land in Agatha’s lap.
The van was spacious, Agatha had to admit. Rio sat happily sideways, arm draped around Agatha’s neck and feet dangling into the empty space between the driver and passenger captain seats.
She still had her juice, her dark lips were around the straw and of course, it was the only thing Agatha could focus on.
“I come with news.” Rio said after swallowing a gulp. She relished in the fact that her wife was watching the way her throat bobbed with the motion. “And a proposition.”
Wanda was checking all her mirrors, a little uneasy at having Rio so blatantly breaking the law.
Getting pulled over was the last thing any of them needed right now.
“The Avengers have made it to California.”
That got Wanda’s attention.
“Ugh” Agatha grunted. “Of course they are there already, the vultures!”
“What do we do?” Teen asked. “Do they know where Tommy is?”
“Are the Avengers going to take my new brother?” Nicky always knew how to shatter Agatha’s already broken heart.
Rio shushed the coven with a silent hand. “I said they reached California, I didn’t say they had him or knew where he is.”
Billy deflated in relief.
“But they are quite a head of you all.” She added, looking at Agatha. She wanted to have a little more urgency, but she didn’t want the rest of them to worry.
A few days meant a lot.
It meant they would surely have enough time to scan every face in the state with their extravagant technology before the end of today.
Agatha eyed her wife, stealing her capri sun and taking a drink. She wished it was wine. “What’s your proposition?” She asked.
Rio pulled her sunglasses up to rest on her head. It pulled her thick hair back in the best way. It drove Agatha insane how simply putting her hair back could be so erotic.
“I propose Wandsy here has a lesson.”
Wanda and Agatha looked at her like she had grown another head.
“What?”
“Now?”
Agatha looked over to Wanda, pressing her lips together in a thin line.
“My love, everything is too dangerous.” Agatha stated. “Time travel shouldn’t be possible, I’m sure Wanda could do it, but it’s not something I could teach her.” She paused. “Teleportation could be an option, but I don’t have any of my spell books with me. I don’t know any spells off the top of my head.”
“Well what other options are there?” Billy said from behind. His nerves were causing his voice to shake slightly.
This should have been a red flag for the purple witch, but she was too engrossed in her own thoughts to notice. Her eyes closed trying to concentrate.
Rio stayed silent. A small smile sat unmoving on her face.
“Could we get a flight?”
“Is there a way to stop time aside from us?”
“Mama, Billy’s eyes are blue.”
Agatha’s eyes flew open wide, she twisted her body around to face the boys as reality warped around them.
It felt like time slowed almost completely still. At once, bright light flashed through the vans windows. Blues and greens danced in front of her face. The air around them felt cold and dry, and for a moment she felt weightless. It was disorienting to say the least.
She tried to call out to Nicky. Wanda. Teen. And even Rio.
But as soon as she was able to articulate that her words were not escaping her throat, the world righted itself.
The creaking blue van swayed slightly in place, but the wheels weren’t moving anymore.
Outside, the world was sunny and bright. Birds chirped and fluffy white clouds floated high against blue sky.
Wanda was gripping the steering wheel with white knuckles like her life depended on it.
Nicky looked like he had just wrestled a bear. His hair partially out of his hair tie, he was holding the seat belt with both hands, his knees curled up to his chest.
Agatha didn’t look much better, her hair was wild, half covering her face and in her mouth. She held Rio in a bear hug, who actually looked a little green in the face.
Billy on the other hand looked guilty.
Wanda and Agatha reached for the handle on the doors at the same time, suddenly needing air.
The wives tumbled out in a pile of limbs.
Wanda rushed to the nearest bush and promptly threw up.
Billy slowly slid the back door open and cautiously stepped out. He dropped back on the floor of the open van with his feet on solid ground.
Nicky slowly slid out from behind him, looking better than all of them combined. He approached his mothers, Agatha was knelt over with her hands on her knees, breathing hard and Rio was sprawled like a starfish on a patch of grass she had found, clearly grounding herself with nature.
“Mama? Mother? Are you guys okay?” He said cautiously. “Wanda, do you need some medicine?”
“No Nicky, I’m okay thank you.” She tried to reassure him.
“What happened?” Agatha finally asked. Her breathing was still labored but was slowly pulling herself together.
“The abomination.” Rio called from the ground.
Agatha’s eyes shot to the teen. “What did you do?”
Billy stammered for a moment, he looked genuinely confused. “I don’t know! I didn’t mean to!”
His hands were shaking and for a moment, Agatha was concerned he would flare his unpredictable magic once more. Who know where they would end up this time.
“One moment I was trying to think of a way we could get to California faster, then the next we were here!” Billy explained.
The purple witch turned in place, taking in her surroundings. They were in a parking lot near a park, Rio was taking full advantage of the available nature to sooth herself. She was practically burying herself in flowers.
Nicky was laughing, sitting near his mother who was teaching him about the flora she was covering herself with.
There was a beach near-by. The waves could be heard crashing in the distance and the air held that telltale mixture of salt and sand.
Ugh.
California.