//------------------------------// // Chapter 23 – Together Through a Thousand Miles // Story: Infinity Era // by JDPrime22 //------------------------------// 23 Earth Edinburgh, Scotland 9:35 p.m. They tried to hide it away. They’ve stayed hidden for so long, yet it was all for naught. They thought they were truly and utterly alone in the world, that they could keep it away and hide its power. But they were wrong. There was no power on Earth that could hide the Mind Stone. He closed the curtains on the windows, shielding their presence from the outside world. It was already too late. Perched upon a building top, hidden in the shadows and the soft, drizzling rain, the Outrider stepped forward. Its claws gripped the edge of the building it stood upon, its eyeless gaze centered solely on the location of the Mind Stone. Just as they discovered last time. They never moved. They stayed exactly where they were. They made it so much easier. Baring its fangs, the Outrider stared one last time at the location he was bound to find. “Mind…” the creature hissed, vanishing completely out of sight. Its mission was complete. Now off to tell its superiors. As for the Vision, he just got off the phone. After recently closing the window curtains, very little light remained in their apartment. The only light he could truly distinguish was what came from the face of his cellphone. The call had ended, the name “Tony Stark” fading away as did the light from the phone. And then he was caught in complete and total darkness. That is, until, the lamp at the front of the bedside popped on. In that warm, yellow glow of the light bulb, Wanda Maximoff sat on the bed, her concerned gaze falling on Vision. He looked to his cellphone's blank face, sighing and eventually meeting the young woman’s instead. It still made him feel weak. In just the few years they had been fighting together, the Vision found a particular interest in Wanda Maximoff. The Scarlet Witch. He never called her that. He always saw her as Wanda, as the fiery spirit of the Avengers. As the fiercest, most dangerous, most powerful woman on Earth. As the woman… he had fallen in love with. And she could say the same for him. While most saw the Vision as an android, as the robot of the team with just a bit of a higher intellect than everyone else, Wanda saw him differently. She saw the man who was gifted with power beyond his control. He was the man who was shown strength and knowledge beyond Earth and beyond their very understanding. And he wielded that power to his advantage. Just like her. She stared at him, at the human-like design he had chosen for his disguise. She stared at the shimmering yellow light pulsating in his forehead, causing him to hunch over. Wanda quickly got off the bed and rushed over to him, placing her palm on his chest and keeping him standing. He was wearing a dark blue shirt and tan pants, his skin a similar color. His hair was a soft blonde, his eyes a deep blue. She stared at those twin blue eyes, his gaze trailing her up and down. She wore a thin white shirt, black jeans and socks. Her dark brown hair fell straight down her head and rested, flushing over her shoulders. Her face, her eyes, her worrisome expression, all of which Vision saw as beautiful. They had been hiding for a couple years. And in those years, they both felt something between them, something they chose to ignore at first. But as the time and the tension moved on and on, they decided to let it happen. To try and make them work. And for the two years they had been together, things weren’t as bad as they had thought it would be. Neither had been in a relationship prior, and neither Wanda nor Vision had truly been… intimate beforehand. It was different for them. It was alien at first, but through trial and error, through the unknown, they had made it work. They worked. They had been together, as a couple, ever since. “The Stone,” Wanda whispered, her fingers rising up and twirling closer towards Vision’s forehead. “It’s happening again.” As the red energy flowed from Wanda’s fingers and into the Stone, Vision surprisingly waved her away. The bright yellow slowly dimmed, nothing but a dark tan remaining on his forehead. “I’m fine, Wanda,” he told her. Even when he tried to keep his balance and eventually succeeded in doing so, Wanda remained by his side, always studying him. Knowing the foreboding expression on his face, she assumed it would be due to his previous discussion with Stark. Prompting that thought further, she placed her palm on his shoulder, asking, “What did he say?” “Nothing… comforting,” Vision replied, his voice sounding very weak. Her palm traced upwards, meeting his cheek. His hand found her own, bringing it closer so he could kiss her palm. “It would seem my assistance is required elsewhere. The world is ready to fall apart, and Mr. Stark thinks he has a plan in order to turn the tides.” Wanda’s hand fell. “Against that army?” she asked, backing away slightly. He just nodded, listening as she continued to sound flabbergasted. “Vis, even if he manages to assemble half the world, it still wouldn’t be enough to take on an alien army that massive.” “Maybe not,” Vision said. He looked down to his hands, shaking his head. “But what use would there be in hiding?” He stared at her. Wanda knew that stare. That wanting look, desperately needing her to think the same thoughts as he. She didn’t want to. She knew what he wanted and she wouldn’t have it. Wanda shook her head instantly, much to Vision’s dismay. His hands fell to his sides. With her head still, Wanda’s breath quickened. “I can’t go back, Vis. I’m basically a wanted criminal. For all we know, this is a trick by Stark to bring me back in—” “He would not do that to you,” Vision sternly declared, taking a step closer. Their eyes met, the lightning meeting the fire, and they both froze. Completely alien. Completely different lifeforms. One an android, the other a monster. Polar opposite, yet somehow finding that balance and seeing deeper within. In an instant, both the intensity and the denial faded away into nothing, leaving the two practically breathless, their bodies almost touching. It was like the first time they saw each as something different than what the world saw. And it was… electric. It was just right. Vision sighed, reaching forward and wrapping his fingers with hers. Wanda silently gasped. She shuddered under his touch, his other hand rising and caressing her cheek. She looked at him, he at her. Their differences, what made them so unique and misunderstood from the world, that is what made them feel the strongest. Wanda sighed, a tiny smile gracing her lips. Whatever the feeling the Vision felt, be it love or something completely alien—like the Stone—it burned and rippled throughout him whenever he saw that smile. It made him want to melt in her gaze. She raised her free hand, placing it against his cheek lovingly. Just like that, her smile faded. Her eyes became more serious, her tone falling flat. “We can’t take that chance, Vis.” “I know,” he told her quickly, slipping the cellphone in her shaking palm. Wanda’s eyes almost fell to it, but Vision’s hand brought her towards him once more. “That is why I need you to contact Steve Rogers once I leave. He will come to you, he will offer you a safe haven, and if need be… keep you safe.” Wanda blinked, almost smiled. “I can take care of myself, Vis.” “I know you can.” The Vision’s hand fell from her cheek, covering her hand that held the phone and closing her fingers over it. He held her there, tightening his hands over hers. “But I can’t take that chance.” The two stared into each other’s eyes for what felt like eternity. An eternity they wish they could have, but knowing they never could. It was a dangerous life they both lived, one on the run and the other aiding a fugitive. But they lived it for each other. They hadn’t realized their hands were still held with each other. They didn’t care. They just didn’t care. “We’ll be together… through a thousand miles if need be,” the Vision whispered. Wanda looked into his eyes, her own darting back and forth, looking for the strength, the deceit, all that he was and tried to become. Her pupils dilated. “I know you’re not lying,” Wanda said, a breathless gasp escaping her. “I feel you.” Vision felt her breath on his lips, the smell of herbal tea still strong. He leaned in, inch by inch. She did the same. “I feel you,” he whispered back. They both broke the distance and their lips met. At first, Wanda was unsure of what it would be like, kissing a robot. But she soon realized—after several times to be exact—that it probably never felt any different, and it hardly was now. His hands reached up and gently caressed her cheeks. He was always so gentle with her, the way he massaged her when they kissed. And Wanda was no different. She placed her palms against his chest, one closed and the other trailing his pectoral. Her hand played around over his chest, fell to his abdomen, feeling his strength, trailing west to caress his rib cage. Their lips smacked, Wanda diving in for more. Vision pleased her, a short but clearly audible moan escaping the Maximoff. He knew he couldn’t do this now, not with the time they had, no matter how much he wanted to. Wanda, though a tad disappointed, felt the same. And just like that, before it could escalate into something more, it was over. They were both breathless, gazing into each other’s eyes. A moment the two wanted to last forever, but knew it couldn't. Vision's hands fell from her cheeks, Wanda's slowly dropping to rest over her legs. When they parted ways and Vision left the bedroom, Wanda stared at his retreat. She gripped the cellphone with both hands. She flipped it open, found Steve’s name in the contacts, and hovered over the “Call” button. She knew Vision would be safe. And she knew he would be there for her if she needed it. They would be there for one another, even if separated by a thousand miles. Because they knew they worked. She pressed the button and listened to the ring.