You knew him. The man lying motionless at your feet was from Sokovia, but he had been fighting with the team that had saved you. You knew that you had seen his silver hair before, probably just around the city during your daily business, but he had never really caught your attention beyond that, nor you his. If he was with the team called the Avengers, he must be something special. Something worth saving.

When the rescue boats were finally back on the helicarrier and you were released to wait for the return to the ground, you followed them as they took his body away. You were only able to go so far without raising suspicion, but you were able to hear enough to know that the man named Pietro would be buried here before the team was to leave, and you would wait.

Many hours later, you watched as the Avengers buried one of their own; their faces were solemn and distraught, no one more than his sister, who you now knew was named Wanda. Seeing her so broken gave you even more resolve to do this; if not for Pietro himself, then for her. When the team boarded their jet and left the country, you made your move. Unearthing him was tedious and tiring, but you kept your purpose in focus. When you finally reached him, you were thankful that the dark of night had come to hide what you were doing. You closed your eyes and jumped down into the grave that you had just opened.

~~~

You were certain that you had brought him back; you could feel his heartbeat and see the rise and fall of his chest as he breathed, but he had yet to wake up after several hours of waiting. You had healed his wounds, and with the energy of returning his life to him, you were exhausted. If he wasn't going to wake yet, then perhaps it was best for you to rest with him. Still staying close by, you leaned back in your chair and slowly closed your eyes, feeling the first wonderful seconds of sleep.

"What happened?" His voice was rough and quiet, but enough to pull you from the haze of early sleep. "Where am I?"

Standing quickly and moving to his side, you tried to maintain calm as to not startle him too much. Even healed, he was too weak from the experience and you didn't want to risk injury. "Pietro, I'm (Y/N). You are a part of the Avengers, from what I could tell. Does that sound familiar to you?"

"Ultron! We have to stop him...we have to..." He tried to sit up, panicked, but his fatigue was too much. "Wanda..."

"It's okay. You stopped him, it's over." You placed a cool towel on his head and softly caressed his hand to calm him. "You're safe here, I promise. You will be strong enough to return to them soon, okay?"

Pietro nodded his head slightly, closing his eyes and returning to a deep sleep.

~~~

Wanda's days were dark and quiet as she tried to recover from the events of Sokovia and the loss of her brother. The team tried to help, but solitude seemed to be what she needed more than anything. She hadn't been a part of this group long enough to have any real friends, and she felt alone, up until the moment when she thought she felt him in her mind.

"Hey, what can I do to help?" Clint was standing at her door, apprehensive about entering but wanting to be sure that she was at least taking care of herself. Since working with her during the battle, he had become protective of her, and with Pietro gone it had become his main focus.

"Nothing, thank you." She looked at him with a confused expression, "I think I can feel him."

Clint sighed, not sure if he was ready for this conversation, "well, the memory of someone can do that. It's hard to accept that they're gone, and the mind can play tricks like that."

"No, not like that. I felt him die." Her eyes moved quickly, looking at the floor but not seeing it; she was searching her own mind. "And now...I feel him alive. How can that be?"

~~~

It was fulfilling to see Pietro doing so well after months of recovery. He was full of life and full of energy; he was running again, moving faster than your eyes could see. He had finally regained his vibrancy.

"(Y/N), I think I'm ready to return to the team."

"Good...that's wonderful, Piet." You really were happy for him, but deep down you had held onto the hope that he would stay. "When would you like to go? I can take you there."

He moved towards you, taking both of your hands in his. "I want you to come with me. I want you to meet the team and become one of us." When you pulled your hands from his and began to back away, he followed. "(Y/N), your power is incredible, like nothing I have ever seen. Look at what you have done!" He held his arms in the air, spinning in front of you, "I am alive because of you!"

"I don't know. I haven't told anyone about what I can do. I'm afraid of what could happen, or what they could make me do." You shook your head and looked at your feet as they nervously tapped the floor. "There's more that you don't know, Pietro."

His eyes were full of curiosity now, eager to hear what you had to say. "Okay, tell me. I can take it."

"I'll show you." You quickly moved around your apartment, turning off lights and closing windows, locking the door in preparation. "Where is the tower located?"

"N-New York." His words stuttered with the nervousness building inside of him, not knowing what you were about to do. "What are you going to do, (Y/N)?"

You took both of his hands and looked him in the eye, "This."

In mere seconds you were standing on the busy sidewalk in front of the Avengers tower. He jumped back from you, panting and looking around in amazement. "Holy...oh my...(Y/N), that's incredible! Do you have any idea...wow." He rushed up to you and took your arm, "We have to show them!" He began to pull you inside, but you planted your feet firmly and held your stance.

"Wait, Piet, wait! I don't know." You took a deep breath, looking to him to be honest with you. "Tell me, these people are good, yes? I saw what happened in Sokovia, it was their fault. But if you tell me that I can trust them, then I will."

Pietro approached you slowly, wrapping his arms around you and pulling you into a firm hug. "I trust them, (Y/N). My sister is with them, and she does too. Please. Please come with me."

You gave him a tight squeeze before letting him go, looking up at the massive tower in front of you. You had never seen a building of its size, and it was daunting. "Okay, let's see if I'm afraid of heights then, shall we?"

~~~

Wanda was in the conference room, reviewing the next mission with the team when it happened. She bolted up from her chair, the sudden movement tipping it backwards. Her expression couldn't be described, and her breathing quickened; she could feel her heart pounding in her chest. Without any words or warning, she ran from the room and to the entrance of the tower.

"What the hell was that?" Tony said as the rest of the team stood and joined him to follow her. "Man, she really is weird." Only seconds later they heard a scream from the lobby and ran faster to the source.

Clint was the first to arrive, and what he saw drained the color from him; he was seeing a ghost. "Holy shit." He moved slowly and cautiously towards you and Pietro, looking from him to you. "I don't get it. How are you here?"

Wanda was clinging to her brother, tears streaming down her face. "It doesn't matter how. I can't believe you are here." She pulled back after several minutes, having paid no attention to you next to them. "I'm sorry," she said as she wiped her tears away, trying to catch her breath. She then reached her hand out to you, "I'm Wanda."

"I'm (Y/N), and don't worry. I expected this." The rest of the team was staring at you, waiting for any explanation as to what they were seeing.

"She saved me," Pietro began, "and I would like you to consider her for the team. Her powers are remarkable, as you can see." He reached down to take your hand, looking at you with reassurance. "And she is my friend. I would like very much if she could stay."

Bruce stepped out from the group, looking at you with concern and inquisitiveness, "What exactly can you do? I mean...I can see you have regenerative powers, obviously, but what else do we need to know?"

"Well, first, if I'm going to stay, I'll need to get a few of my things from home." You released Pietro's hand and disappeared. Moments later you reappeared holding a suitcase of your belongings.

The group stared at you, their mouths agape and unmoving. You heard a small chuckle from Pietro. "Show off," he whispered.

"So, which way to my room, then?"

Tony, still stunned and without words, pointed slowly towards the elevator. You couldn't tell if he was impressed or scared. Either way, you found yourself amused by their reaction.

"Yes, I do believe that I will like it here."