The few weeks after Claire and Wanda officially met Blackout and a few of New York's other more low-key heroes, both Claire and Wanda found themselves stuck in their work. Claire learned from Tony that the President of the United States planned to pardon all of the fugitive Avengers and Bucky as thanks for assistance in the fight against Thanos, which meant that she was busy helping Tony plan different parties, gatherings, speeches, etc., spending most of her day on the phone. Now, one can imagine, of course, that this left little time for free time with Wanda, not that she minded. Wanda was stuck in her own little hell with her job as well.

Within that week, three people have quit for unknown reasons, and because the store had a hard time trying to find new people to hire, Wanda and few other unlucky employees were left to cover all those shifts. If Wanda was being honest, she didn't really mind it nearly as much as she should've, but what got to her was the building stress that came with only sleeping a few hours so she could be up for the early shift.

They both would come home late and exhausted, barely having enough energy to tell the other about their day. Claire would come home before Wanda, though still late, fix herself and Wanda something to eat, and then would go to bed. When Wanda finally got off her shift, she would come back to the apartment, smile sleepily at the note that Claire left her saying that she loved her, hoped she had a good day, that she would be in bed when she got home, and that there would be food for her in the fridge. She would then eat the leftovers that Claire made and crawled into bed beside Claire, waking her slightly as she would roll over and wrap Wanda in her arms before going back to sleep.

This was their routine for about a month, and as the days dragged on, the distance, heavy work load, and lack of decent sleep started to get to Claire. She being physically close to Wanda but not having the energy to enjoy her company or hear her voice or her laugh. She hated that Wanda felt so overworked and tired that sometimes when Claire got up in the morning, she would find Wanda asleep at the kitchen table in front of a plate of food. She hated that all the stress of this event and multiple smaller events was getting to her, making her already short fuse a little bit shorter.

So, not really caring what anyone said, she turned to Tony and stated that she was taking a long lunch—which he agreed to, knowing that she needed a break and that he needed one himself—and ran out of the building and hopped in a cab, stopping first at their apartment, and then driving to Wanda's store. She paid the driver and ran into the store, not watching to see him leave. She looked around frantically trying to spot Wanda in the crowd of shoppers.

Wanda stood off to the side in and aisle restocking shelves as customers pushed past her with their carts and baskets and reached over her as if she wasn't there, while others stood at her side yelling different questions at her about where they could find a certain object that Wanda was certain they didn't sell. She tried her best to answer every question politely, but on the inside she was screaming. Multiple times she had to clench her fists to keep her magic from shooting out of her.

Claire spotted her in the aisle and ran towards her. Wanda let out a breath of relief when the final customer yelling at her for her help left her alone in the aisle, somewhat satisfied with her help. She returned all of her attention into finishing stocking the shelves, hoping that the peace that she was feeling now would last a little longer than she expected it to. Claire snuck up behind her, wanting to surprise her, and tapped her on the shoulder.

"Excuse me, miss, but I was wondering where the adult diapers were?" Claire asked in funny voice, hoping to sound like an old woman. Her face smiled brightly as she tried to keep from laughing. Wanda didn't look up or move, but she let out a loud, heavy, and exasperated sigh, and hung her head.

"Ma'am, if you could give me a second, I'll be right with you," Wanda said, sounding tired and annoyed. Claire frowned a bit and tapped her again. Wanda sighed and moved to stand up. "Diapers are in aisle 5—"

She paused when she saw Claire smiling at her and in an instant, all annoyance left her as Claire pulled her into a hug. Wanda melted into the embrace, letting out a soft cry as Claire tightened her arms around her and placed a small inconspicuous kiss on her head. After a minute, Wanda pulled away and smiled at Claire's surprise.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Wanda asked, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, "Shouldn't you be at work?"

"I told Tony I was taking a long lunch, so I came to kidnap you." Claire dipped her head down and captured Wanda's lips in a loving kiss. Deepening the kiss, Wanda stood on her tip-toes to meet Claire's height.

"I can't just leave," Wanda said sadly as she pulled away, dropping back down.

"Sure you can. Just go up to your boss, say 'I'm taking a long break', and then leave. If he tries to say something, I'll shoot him a growl and he'll leave you alone."

"Is that how you dealt with Tony?" Wanda asked smirking.

"No, but I did tell him I was taking a break," Claire said laughing. "I think he was glad I finally said something."

"Claire, as much as I want to, I can't just leave." Wanda took the box of cereals down the aisle and started filling the shelves again. Claire followed her and leaned against the shelves that Wanda started restocking.

"Wanda, come on. We barely see each other anymore. Us talking right now is the most I've said to you in like a month. I'm going crazy." Claire pushed off the shelf and grabbed a few boxes of cereal and helped Wanda stock the shelf. "Please, Wanda? Come out to lunch with me?" Claire stuck out her bottom lip, pouting, and widened her eyes. She looked right at Wanda, and after a few seconds, she let out a groan of defeat.

"Alright. I'll talk to Josh about taking a long lunch, but you have to help me finish this," Wanda said gesturing to the boxes of food that needed to go on shelves. Claire agreed and followed Wanda around the store, re-shelving the designated shelves. With Claire's help, Wanda was done in half the time, and after she was done, she searched out Josh and asked—more like begged—for a long lunch. Josh reluctantly agreed, mostly because Claire lowly growled at him, her eyes glowing a light purple.

Claire dragged Wanda out of the store and quickly caught a cab. Claire gave the cabbie an address that Wanda wasn't familiar with, but when he started driving, she leaned into her arms, planting a kiss on her hand.

"Where are we going?" Wanda asked as the taxi drove down the crowded New York streets. Horns of other cars and shouts of angry New Yorkers blared around them, but Wanda ignored them, having become accustomed to them once more.

"You'll see," Claire said with a mischievous grin.

The drive wasn't long, but in the time that they had gotten into the cab and now, the sky had turned dark and it started to rain. The light peppering of raindrops on the windows relaxed Wanda as she tried to—for the time being—forget her job.

The rain started to come down harder as the cab stopped in front of a little bistro. They got out, paid the cabbie, and entered the bistro in a hurry to get out of the rain. Claire's long hair stuck to her neck and face while Wanda's light make-up started to run, making the both of them laugh at the other's appearance. As they got to their table, Claire grabbed a napkin and scooted her chair closer to Wanda's and gently pulled her face closer, wiping away her running mascara. Wanda smiled and a light blush rose to her cheeks when Claire pulled away.

Wanda and Claire ordered their food and waited, finally taking the time to enjoy one another. They chatted about anything besides their jobs, hoping to forget the stress for a moment. Light live jazz music played in front of the establishment, and Claire smiled, silently thinking Bucky. The light violins and enthusiastic trumpets drifted through the room, complimenting each other, and the subtle drumbeats sent small vibrations through the floor. To fulfil the esthetic, the singer was dressed in a way that resembled how people dressed in the 1940s. When Wanda noticed the décor and esthetic, she grinned at Claire. She had made her wish come true; live in 1940s New York.

"Never thought that you would be standing here so close to me. There's so much I feel that I should say, but words can wait until some other day. Kiss me once, then kiss me twice, then kiss me once again. It's been a long, long time. Haven't felt like this my dear, since can't remember when, it's been a long, long time."

"I've really missed you," Wanda said, taking Claire's hand in hers. "The past few weeks have just been..." She paused, sniffling a little. Claire knew that it hurt her too.

"Hectic? Stressful? Shitty?" Claire offered, laughing a little, hoping to lighten the mood. Wanda chuckled in reply and wiped her nose. "It'll get better, babe. I promise. This isn't going to be our life. It's just...a rough patch; we'll make it through."

Wanda lifted her red-rimmed eyes up to Claire's face, eyeing her reassuring smile, and giving one of her own back.

"You'll never know how many dreams I've dreamed about you, or just how empty they all seemed without you. So kiss me once, then kiss me twice, then kiss me once again. It's been a long, long time."

Claire moved her hand to her pocket, feeling the lump, and smiled. The band moved to a new song though it kept the same romantic undertones as the last. She carefully took the small flat square box out of her pocket, holding it a bit as her other hand squeezed Wanda's.

"Hey. I got you something." Wanda knitted her eyes together in confusion. Claire didn't wait for her to question the occasion and lifted the box up onto the table, placing it in front of Wanda.

"Claire, you didn't have to get me anything..." Wanda said as she looked from the box over to Claire who was beaming. Claire shrugged and laughed a little.

"Technically, I did, but I think it's so cute that you're not even aware of why. But don't worry about that, just open it."

Wanda slowly opened the lid of the box, eyeing Claire with a curious and cautious intensity. She wasn't used to getting presents, and whenever she did Pietro would get jealous. Claire's face never altered as she sat waiting patiently. Wanda finally removed the lid and gasped when she saw its contents. Inside the box sat a small beautiful necklace with a garnet stone in the center, surrounded by small diamonds along the circumference of it. It was simple, but still elegant and matched Wanda's tastes.

"Happy birthday, baby," Claire whispered with a smile when Wanda looked back over to her, eyes wide and mouth hung open. "I tried to find one with a purple stone, but they only had the red, which suits you better I think."

"I love it," Wanda whispered, grabbing Claire's face into her hands and kissing her passionately. "Thank you. But it's not my birthday."

"You're right," Claire said giggling. "It's not your birthday today, but it was on Monday. I meant to say something sooner, but whenever I got a minute to talk to you, something would come up. I swear I didn't forget." She held her hands up in defense and Wanda laughed, a small tear rolling down her cheek. She had forgotten her own birthday; hers and Pietro's. While it wasn't her first birthday without him, it still felt like it, at least it kind of did. Since she met Claire, her birthdays have been a little brighter.

Claire stood up from her chair and walked behind Wanda, taking the necklace and pulling it over her neck, she clasped it. Wanda turned in her chair and pulled Claire down to her, kissing her. Pulling away, the redhead returned to her seat.

"Where did you find this?" Wanda asked as she raised a hand and gently touched the cool stone.

"You're gonna think it's silly..." Claire said becoming bashful.

"I am not," Wanda reassured her. "I'm genuinely curious."

"I got it in Wakanda."

Wanda immediately thought back on their last visit to the kingdom of Wakanda and froze. She wondered when Claire found the time to buy the necklace with everything going on and why she thought that was the right time to do it. Almost as if she sensed what Wanda was thinking, Claire shook her head.

"Not the last time we went," she said and Wanda relaxed, "the time before that. When we went to see Bucky."

"You bought this then? Why?"

"I...I wanted a way to gather my courage and tell you I loved you, but...It got lost in all my shit that I almost forgot about it. I was really scared after I bought it because I wasn't sure if this was the one—"

"What do you mean the one?"

"I watched you looking at the jewelry in Wakanda, and I saw you linger on one necklace, and I thought it was this one, but if it's not I'm sorry." Claire looked down a bit but brought her eyes back up to Wanda when she reached over and grabbed her hand.

"Claire, I can't believe you pay this much attention to me. I love you." Claire smiled and placed a kiss on her hand.

Wanda smiled and looked down at the necklace again. The ceiling light above her struck the stone, filtering it's fluorescent light through each fracture, illuminated the inside of the stone, creating an illusion of red misty magic similar to Wanda's.

"It's beautiful, Claire. Thank you, again."

"Anythingfor my best girl."