Much to Claire's happiness, the team stayed in Victoria's Island longer than a week. While it was a huge risk, they all agreed that the quiet secluded location and tranquil scenery did them all some good. Wanda was doing much better since Clint's departure, which made Claire happy. For once, everything felt normal for the small group of ex-Avengers. For once, they were able to relax and take a breath. When Claire and Wanda weren't training, they spent the time just lying around their small cabin that they shared with Jemma.

Claire, lying on the couch in the living room, let out a loud sigh as she turned herself upside down, hanging her head off the edge of the couch and her feet dangling off the back. Wanda ignored her, not looking up from the book she was reading.

"Wanda!" Claire said dragging out her name in a whiny voice. "Wandaaaaa!"

"What?" she said putting her book down and sighing.

"I'm bored!" she exclaimed.

"Why don't you read a book?" Wanda said and picked up her book and continued to read. Claire groaned. She rotated herself and dramatically leaned over Wanda, getting in the way of her reading. "Come on, Claire," Wanda groaned as she maneuvered her arms to situate the book on top of Claire's slumped body.

"Wanda, help me! I'm so bored!"

"Well, what do you want to do?"

"I don't know; help me!"

Wanda closed her book and leaned forward, placing her book on the wooden coffee table. Claire moved her head to lay in Wanda's lap, and looked up into her eyes, pouting her lips.

"Why don't you go for a run? You could use the exercise." Claire sat up, looking uninterested and raised her eyebrow.

"Are you saying I'm fat?"

"No, but you're very jittery. You need a physical outlet, so go run." Claire shrugged.

"I'm not in the mood to run. I think my wolf is tired; haven't heard from her much since we got here."

"Well," Wanda said, crossing her leg over her other one. "Do you want to play a game? I'm sure I saw some board games somewhere." Claire shook her head. "Do you want to explore the grounds? I could go with you, and just take a walk?"

"I guess that sounds like fun," Claire said with a smile. Wanda returned it and both of them got off the couch and put on shoes before leaving their cabin. The air was warm, but a cool breeze blew by them as they walked to the forest's edge. The leaves of the trees shook as each gentle wisp of breeze blew by.

The sunlight filtered through the leaves, caressing the forest floor, engulfing it in a soft golden light. Wanda smiled as the tranquil sounds of woodland animals fluttered by her ears. Squirrels danced and chased each other across their path and birds sung their songs in the trees' branches. Claire grinned as she shifted into her wolf. Nudging Wanda's arm with her snout, Claire lowered herself down to the ground and peered up at Wanda.

"What?" Wanda asked smiling bright. Claire tilted her head, pointing to her back. Wanda, taking the hint, climbed onto Claire's back and gently grabbed two fistfuls of black fur. Claire took off into a sprint, gliding past the coniferous trees and fallen logs. Wanda squealed, her face pink and aching from smiling and laughing. The wind whipped past them blowing Wanda's hair everywhere and burning her eyes causing her to squint involuntarily.

The forest rushed by in a blur; the greens and browns of the trees blended with the gold of the sun and the various colors of flowers. Claire slowed to a stop as she reached a small pond surrounded by large shrubs. Wanda got off Claire's back once she had stopped and walked past the shrubs, standing on the bank of the pond. Claire, feeling playful and silly, picked up a large stick in her mouth and trotted over to where Wanda was standing. She sat at Wanda's feet and gently tapped her with her paw, gaining her attention, and dropped the stick, wagging her tail with a happy grin on her face. Wanda laughed as she bent down and picked up the stick.

"You want to play fetch?" she asked in her Sokovian accent, wagging the stick in the air. Claire stood up still wagging her tail and let out a bark in reply, panting in excitement. "Okay then, go get it." Wanda threw the stick in the direction that they came from with all her might. Claire barked again and took off running after the stick. She brought it back, and Wanda proceeded to throw it again, each party repeating the process of the game.

After a few times, Claire's head snapped up and looked behind her and Wanda. Turning, she sniffed the air and lowered her head and crouched down, locking her eyes straight ahead. The fur along her back stiffened, almost erect as she let out a warning growl, narrowed her eyes, and bared her fangs. Wanda seeing this walked over to her friend.

"Claire, what is it?" Claire took a few steps in front of her, shielding her from the intruding threat. She growled again, loud and menacing, hoping to scare the threat away, but their scent hung in the air, not taking her warning. Claire stayed put, trying to figure out where it was. She scanned her eyes and ears around them, looking for any movement, listening for any sound, but none came.

"It was probably just a squirrel," Wanda said as she started to relax when she noticed that Claire didn't make a move. Claire only growled softly at her, as if she was warning her; pleading with her to trust her instincts and let her handle it. Wanda froze at hearing her growl; she had grown accustomed to Claire's wolf's body language and various sounds and learned what they all meant, including this one. She too started to scan the area, listening for any sounds and looking for any sudden movements.

Claire was on edge; the scent hung heavily in the air, but she couldn't see or hear anything. The uncertainty made her anxious and she could hear her wolf telling her to just run into the trees and rip apart anything that dared to move, but she refrained. She didn't know what was out there, and she didn't want to endanger Wanda or herself with her rash actions. She stayed still, back still hunched and fangs still bared as she growled again, letting whatever was there know that she knew they were there and if they continue on this path, they would pay the price.

Then, to her left, she heard it; the soft sound of a click, a hunting rifle. She turned her body more, fully shielding Wanda from view, and yelped in pain when a bullet hit her side. Wanda screamed at the sound of the gunshot, and Claire turned again, now facing the direction the bullet came from, and took off towards the trees. She roared in anger, snapping her jaw as she ran for the hunter.

The hunter cocked his gun, readying another shot, and aimed at Claire's chest. He would've aimed for her heart or her head, but that was too easy; he wanted to relish in the animal's pain. He wanted her to suffer before he dealt out her death. Claire continued to run, ignoring the glaring pain in her side, ignoring the stream of blood that poured from the wound, ignoring Wanda's warning and pleas to stop. Another shot rang out, and Claire's hulking figure faltered as the wind was pushed rapidly out of her lungs. Her feet crumpled under her causing her to stumble and fall; her head hitting the hard forest floor. She barely heard the distorted sound of Wanda calling her name as she felt herself slip from consciousness, though she fought hard against the coming darkness.

Wanda raced over to Claire's fallen body and kneeled beside her, making sure she sat in her line of vision as to not scare her. She placed her trembling hands against her newest wound and pressed hard, stopping the bleeding. She looked to her left, staring into the barrel of the hunter's gun. With a small unnoticeable flick of her wrist, red mist slithered around one of the large branches of the tree he was sitting under and pulled it down, hitting him in the head. She heard him groan and mumble incoherently from the ground and knew he would live, though she wasn't entirely happy about it.

Looking back at Claire, she trembled violently as the blood continued to pour from her two wounds. Acting quick, she rolled the wolf over to her non-injured side and started to drag her back to the cabins, hoping the team could help.

Steve was already outside their cabin peering in through the windows when Wanda broke through the tree line dragging a barely conscious Claire behind her. She called for him, still pulling her friend along, sweaty and out of breath from the long trek back; she didn't realize how far Claire had ran until now. Steve sprinted over to them, his eyes wide and filled with panic. Reaching them and using his enhanced strength, he lifted Claire's body into his arms and followed Wanda to their cabin.

"Put her on the table," she said to him once they were inside. Steve nodded and placed her gently on the dining table and looked over at Wanda.

"What the hell happened?" he asked, his voice trembling a little bit. Sam soon rushed into the room, having seen Steve carrying Claire and let out a weird sound of surprise.

"What the—"

"Wanda? What happened?" Steve asked again as he watched Wanda walk over to Claire's body and smooth the fur around her ears. Though the two men couldn't see her face, the sound of her sniffling and choking gasps told them she was crying—or at the very least trying not to cry and failing. Slowly, Wanda turned towards the Captain and looked at him, tears in her eyes.

"We went for a walk in the woods; we didn't even know how far we went. And then we heard it, the sound of gun and she...protected me, though I don't think he was after me. She was shot once in her side, and when she took off to chase him down, he shot her again in her chest." Sam stepped towards Claire and pressed his ear against her side listening to her heartbeat and breathing.

"What did you do to him?" Steve asked his voice soft. He knew that neither Claire nor Wanda would've just left him alone. Wanda looked down and hid her face behind her hair.

"I dropped a branch on his head, but I made sure he didn't see my magic, and he didn't see her shift. She was already in her wolf form when she caught his scent," Wanda said quickly; she was rambling now. Steve stepped forward and laid his hand against her shoulder, calming her.

"It's okay, Wanda."

"She'll be alright," Sam said, stepping back from Claire. Steve and Wanda both turned to look at him, confusion in their eyes.

"How do you know?" Steve asked.

"Because she told me." The two of them looked even more confused, earning them an exasperated sigh from Sam before he continued. "While we were in the car when you were sweet talking Sharon, we were discussing our powers and abilities, and she told me that she has increased healing or something like that. She also mentioned having super tough skin? I don't know; she said she was bulletproof." Sam shrugged his shoulders and rolled his eyes a little.

"But...she got shot. Twice," Wanda said confused as she held up two fingers, emphasizing the reality of the situation.

"Yeah, I realize that. I don't really understand how it works, but she explained that she can still be shot and wounded, it's just...that they're not as fatal as they are for us? I don't know. Like I said, this is just what she told me. You want better, you gotta ask her." Sam stepped back again and held his hands up in defense.

Steve and Wanda turned away from him and looked back at Claire. Her eyes were closed, but she whimpered softly from the pain. Wanda rubbed her ear, hoping to at least ease the pain she felt, even if it was by a little increment.

○○○

Steve and Sam both entered into the forest, following the directions that Wanda gave them, looking for the psychotic hunter. After hearing the story from Wanda in full and seeing the scene of the incident with his own eyes, Steve deduced that the shot to Claire's chest was intentional and wasn't a slip or accident.

"It's sick," Sam said, kneeling down in front of a small puddle of blood; probably where Claire was first shot.

"The shot to her chest was on purpose. He wanted to wound her, not kill her." Sam frowned and shook his head before standing up and walking over to where Steve was standing. He was a couple feet away from him straight ahead. Sam stood next to him, following Steve's gaze, and folded his arms across his chest.

"Do you think he was a real hunter or could this be something more?"

"I don't know, Sam. We've been careful, but...who knows? I just wish he didn't get away, then we could find out."

"Maybe, but if we did find him, then this definitely would be something more." Steve smirked and the two of them walked back the way they came towards the cabins. Meanwhile, Wanda never left Claire's side. She sat in one of the uncomfortable wooden dining chairs across from Claire, petting her. Her fingers delicately danced across the surface of her paw, smoothing down the fur that stood up and came out of place.

After hearing of the incident, Jemma and Natasha rushed over and helped dress her wounds. They were all sure she would be okay, but Wanda needed more convincing. She made the mistake of dozing off while she sat there and she had a nightmare that Claire's wounds became infected and she died; that was not something that she wanted to think about, so she made it her mission to keep an eye out for her friend.

Jemma looked over at her adoptive little sister from her seat in the living room and frowned. She stood up and walked over to where Wanda was sitting and wrapped her arms around her semi-slumped body. Resting her chin on Wanda's shoulder, Jemma gave her waist a gentle squeeze. Wanda perked up, but only a little, keeping her attention on Claire's still body.

"She'll be alright, you know," Jemma said softly.

"I know. Doesn't exactly get rid of the worry," Wanda said, her voice strained and heavy.

"Why don't you get some rest? I can watch her for now."

"No. I can't leave her," Wanda said shaking her head and rubbing her eyes. "I need to be here when she wakes up."

"Wanda, what you need is sleep."

"I can't sleep, Jemma. I can't." Wanda raised her voice and rolled her left hand into a fist. Jemma could hear the crack and strain in her voice.

"Why not?" Jemma pressed her. Wanda wasn't known for being open and would often keep things very bottled up and not tell anyone when things were bothering her, even though Jemma assured her that she could always tell her when she was upset or bothered by something. Wanda sighed and removed her glazed red eyes away from Claire's sleeping body and looked at Jemma.

"I had a nightmare." Jemma lifted her eyebrows, encouraging her to continue. "In the nightmare, she...her wounds got infected and she...died. And I don't want to lose her, Jemma. I can't lose her too. I just can't." Wanda burst into tears, sobbing loudly as she launched herself from her chair and into Jemma's already open arms. Jemma rubbed her back, shushing her, letting her get all the fear, worry and panic out of her system. She needed this. She needed to cry. She knew that Wanda never liked crying in front of people (or in general); she thought it made her look weak and vulnerable, and she didn't like that at all.

"You're not gonna lose her, okay Wanda? She's going to be alright, and before you know it, she'll wake up and everything will go back to normal." Wanda took her head off Jemma's chest and wiped her tears. At that moment, Steve and Sam entered the cabin. "What did you find?"

"The hunter left; he must've come to." Sam strolled over to Claire's body, close to where Wanda and Jemma were sitting. Wanda stayed sitting in Jemma's arms as she watched Sam lean his head down to listen to her heart. Dread rose in Wanda as she looked at the giant wolf lying on the table; she normally would have shifted back by now. She must be really hurt.

"Has anything happened here?" Steve asked, patting Wanda on the head, ruffling her hair a little bit. Wanda felt her lips tug upwards slightly. Seeing the success of his attempt to make her smile, Steve grinned and ruffled her hair more, making her cry out with a playful yell.

"There's been no change," Jemma said as she watched Steve move towards the table and lean against the surface. Wanda separated herself from Jemma's arms and walked over to Steve who held his arms open for her. Embracing him, Wanda buried her face into the front of his tight athletic t-shirt and inhaled the scent of his strong cologne and musk of the woods. Steve smiled slightly as he held Wanda in his arms and leaned down and pressed a quick kiss on her hair.

He was glad that she accepted him into her life. After the Battle of Sokovia, Steve always felt a little guilty for Pietro's death, and he made an incredible effort to be a big brother figure to her. At times, though, he wondered if maybe he was trying too hard, but regardless of that, he was pleased that she felt somewhat connected to him.

"Is it normal for her to stay like this?" Jemma asked, her question directed at either Sam or Steve. Steve pursed his lips and looked over at Sam. Sam shrugged, crossing his arms.

"I'm not sure. Both me and Steve spent the same amount of time with her. The only one who would know besides her would be Bicky."

"'Bucky'."

"Bicky's known Claire longer than any of us, so I'm sure she told him, but Bicky had to freeze his ass off back in Wakanda. By the way, how is Bicky, Steve?" Sam said, turning to Steve with his arms still crossed.

"Sam, it's 'Bucky'. You know this." Steve sighed.

"I said what I said, Rogers, now answer the question," Sam deadpanned. Steve sighed and looked away from him and over to Jemma's confused face. Wanda, still pulled into his side, fought the urge to laugh; she had a feeling that Sam was doing this to purposefully make her laugh, and she was grateful.

"It's 'Bucky', Jemma. His name is 'Bucky'," Steve said with an exasperated sigh.

"Yeah, it's 'Bicky'. B-i-c-k-y. 'Bicky'." Steve turned, taking Wanda with him and glared at Sam. He opened his mouth, ready with a comeback when Jemma stood with her hands on her hips and cleared her throat.

"Boys," she said. They both turned to look at her. Wanda pulled away from Steve and stood by herself between him and Jemma. "We need to get back to the issue at hand, which is Claire. Now, is there anyone else you can think of who might know of her powers?"

"She told me that she spent most of her time in the U.S. with Bucky. She never mentioned anyone else," Wanda said, looking down at the floor, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear. She pulled at the sleeves of her sweater, covering her hands and played with her rings. Her Sokovian accent sounded thicker in her quiet voice.

"Then I guess we just wait."

○○○

The small team waited for hours, waiting to see Claire's body move from the wooden table. They were all sitting around, desperately looking for an activity to keep them busy and from thinking about the still unmoving wolf, but nothing satisfied them, so they sat in silence.

Wanda went back to sitting in front of her, petting her paw. Her eyelids drooped and she tried to hold back a yawn, but she failed. Steve turned to her, hearing her yawn and placed a hand on her back.

"Get some rest, Wanda."
"No, Steve, I need to stay here. What if she wakes up while I'm sleeping?"

"She'll be happy to see you resting and not worrying over her, no go lie down. I'll wake you if something happens." He brought her over to the couch in the living room and laid her down. She rested her head in Jemma's lap, who then pulled the hair from her face and played with it gently. As soon as Wanda closed her eyes, she was asleep. She slept for a good few hours, stirred when she heard the soft sound of a whimper come from the table. She bolted off the couch and ran, sitting next to Claire's side once more as the wolf transformed back into the spunky redhead.

Wanda smiled as the tears lined her eyes. Claire sat up from the table, yawned and raised her arms high above her head stretching and opened her eyes looking straight into Wanda's.

"Hey Maximoff, why're you staring—" Wanda engulfed the young woman in bone crushing hug, earning a groan and a chuckle from her. "I wasn't gone that long was I?"

"It was too long," Wanda said as she buried her face into her curly maroon hair. Claire chuckled again, wrapping her arms around Wanda's waist and nuzzling her head into the crook of her neck, inhaling the scent of her hair.

"I'm not going anywhere," she promised, whispering in her ear. Wanda shivered a little, but her smile grew as the tears rolled down her face.

The rest of the team smiled at the return of their friend and teammate. Steve stepped closer to them when the two women pulled away and went in to give her a small hug too.

"It's good to see you're all right. You had us worried." He pulled away and sent her a smile that she returned. Claire looked down at her body, bringing her hand up to pull the collar of her shirt away from her body and looked down to where the wound should be, finding nothing. She then moved her hand over to her side and poked herself as she moved her hand up and down the side of her stomach, searching for the wound. She smiled when she didn't feel any pain; she was completely healed.

"Does it hurt?" Wanda asked leaning closer.

"No," Claire said shaking her head. "I'm completely healed. Thank you, increased healing." Wanda let out a small chuckle as she tried not to cry. Claire noticed her mood and embraced her again. "I'm fine, Wanda, I promise. Look." She pulled away and lifted her shirt up enough to see where her side wound should be. Wanda leaned in closer, inspecting the unblemished skin and smiled.

"Don't ever do that to me again, do you hear me?" she asked laughing.

"I hear you," Claire replied.