Chapter 24: Chaos and Order
After breakfast, the kitchen was quiet.
Natasha finished her coffee and set the mug down. She looked more rested than Leo had seen her in a while.
"Now," Leo said, "would you like your gift?"
Natasha raised an eyebrow. "Another one?"
"A different kind."
She studied his expression, trying to figure out what he meant. "Tonight might be better. I still have things to handle this morning."
Leo smiled. "This one doesn't work that way. It's not that kind of gift."
"Then what kind is it?"
"I can heal you," Leo said simply. "Any injury. Any condition. Including ones you've carried for a long time."
Natasha went very still.
She understood what he meant immediately. She had never said it out loud to him. She never said it to anyone. But she knew he was perceptive, and she had suspected for a while that he knew.
"You know about that," she said.
"Yes."
"And you think you can actually fix it."
"I know I can."
Natasha was quiet for a moment. Something moved across her face that she didn't bother to hide.
"What do I have to do?"
Leo reached over and took her hand.
He directed the time power inward, carefully, the way he had learned to do with precision. Not reversing time broadly, just locally. Finding what had been damaged and returning it to what it should have been.
It took less than a minute.
Natasha sat very still through all of it. Then she closed her eyes. Her breathing changed.
She could feel it. The difference was immediate and clear, the way you can always feel the absence of something you stopped noticing long ago, once it's suddenly returned.
When she opened her eyes, they were wet.
She didn't speak. She just leaned forward and hugged Leo hard, her face against his shoulder.
Leo let her.
After a while she pulled back, wiping her eyes quickly, like she was annoyed at herself for it.
"Thank you," she said.
"You're my woman," Leo said. "You don't have to thank me."
Natasha looked at him. A faint color came into her face. "I'm not ready for children."
"Neither am I. That's not why I did it." Leo leaned back. "But in the future, when you're ready, the choice will be yours. That's the point."
Natasha sat with that for a moment.
"You said something about stabilizing the home front," she said finally. "What did that mean exactly?"
"It means I need someone with your skills to keep the peace. Between all the women in my life. So nobody is unhappy and nobody is fighting."
Natasha stared at him. Then she laughed. It was a real laugh, which was rare.
"You want me to manage your harem diplomatically."
"That's one way to put it."
"And you thought of me for this job."
"You handled Gwen in fifteen minutes. You're the obvious choice."
Natasha shook her head slowly. "Am I part of this family?"
"Of course."
She looked out the window for a moment. Then back at him.
"Alright. I'll help."
Before she could say anything else, her phone buzzed.
She read the message and stood up. "I need to go to Tony's house."
"Tony's house?"
"Fury sent an agent to meet me. The handoff point is Stark's place. The agent goes in to see Tony, but actually comes to see me."
Leo thought about that. "Tony didn't agree to this."
"No."
"He won't like it."
Natasha made a face that said she was aware of this and had decided not to worry about it.
Leo called Tony first. Tony complained for two full minutes. Then he agreed because he always agreed eventually when Leo asked.
Leo opened a portal.
---
Tony's underground lab smelled like metal and burned wiring.
He was crouched over a workbench covered in pieces of a suit design, small panels and connectors scattered everywhere. The design on his screen was a compact folding armor.
Leo recognized it.
"Looks good," Leo said, leaning over his shoulder. "But you should be thinking about nanotechnology. Get ahead of folding panels entirely."
Tony tossed a tool onto the bench. "Do you know how far ahead of the current technological foundation that would require? You'd need breakthroughs in material science, in computation, in biocompatibility. It's not something you just decide to do."
"Your father's work was decades ahead of his time. You're better than him. I believe you'll find a way."
Tony pointed at him. "Don't use my dad against me."
"I'm not. I'm stating a fact."
Tony leaned back and crossed his arms. "Nanotech," he muttered. Like he was already running calculations.
Leo turned to the display. "Jarvis, search for Zhao Hailun. Chinese national. She may currently be finishing a doctoral program."
"Searching now, sir."
Tony looked over. "Who is this?"
"Someone who can help you with the research."
Jarvis brought up the file. Photo, academic record, publications.
Tony looked at the photo first. "Leo."
"Yes?"
"Is this actually about nanotechnology research, or about the fact that she's attractive?"
"Both things can be true."
Tony scrolled through her credentials. Young. Already a doctoral candidate. Publications in material science and molecular engineering. He read quietly for a moment.
"She's good," he admitted. "Not as good as me."
"Nobody is."
"I could set her up with her own lab. Let her work independently and report findings to Jarvis."
"That's exactly what I was going to suggest."
Tony straightened up. "Jarvis, draft an offer. Tell her I'm setting up a dedicated research studio and invite her to Stark Tower tomorrow for a meeting."
"Of course, sir."
Tony was already back at his workbench, but there was a different energy to it now. The kind that happened when he had a new direction.
---
In the living room, Natasha met with the agent Fury had sent.
Sharon Carter.
She was young. New. But she moved with a careful confidence that suggested she was paying attention to everything.
Natasha recognized Fury's logic immediately. Sharon's last name was Carter. Peggy Carter. That family line came with a certain kind of reliability built in.
The two women sat across from each other and conducted their handoff efficiently. Natasha passed the S.A.B.E.R. intelligence summary. Sharon relayed Fury's operational directives.
When the official business was done, Sharon said, "There's one more thing. I have a message for Leo."
Natasha stood. "I'll get him."
---
Leo came into the living room and recognized Sharon immediately.
"Hello, Sharon."
She looked at him carefully. "Director Fury says we found the two people you requested."
"The Maximoffs?" Leo kept his voice even. "Can they be brought here?"
"They're outside right now."
Leo paused.
Outside. At Tony's house.
He thought very quickly about the complications of that.
Wanda and Pietro Maximoff. Who blamed Tony Stark for the death of their family. Who had spent years cultivating that anger. Who were currently standing outside the home of the man they wanted to destroy.
He thought about it for one more second and made a decision.
"Bring them in."
Sharon went to the door.
Leo looked toward the hallway. Tony was still in his lab. Leo considered warning him. Then he considered that Tony might react better without warning.
A moment later, Sharon returned with two people.
Pietro came in first. He was tense all over, eyes moving fast, jaw tight. He looked like someone who had decided in advance that every room was a threat.
Wanda came in behind him.
Her hair was uneven, partly falling across her face. She was looking at everything and nothing, sizing up the space with a stillness that suggested she was more dangerous than she appeared.
Leo walked toward her and reached out to push the hair from her face.
She jerked her head away sharply.
He smiled.
"How old are you both?" he asked.
Pietro stepped forward. "Why should we tell you? Let us go."
"I'm not stopping you from leaving," Leo said. "But you came a long way to find Tony Stark. Don't you want your shot at him?"
That landed. Pietro went still.
Wanda spoke. Her voice was direct. "Why would you help us?"
"Because of you, Wanda. What you carry inside you is extraordinary."
Pietro's expression changed. Not quite anger. More like a protective suspicion, the kind that comes from someone who has spent years watching for threats to the people they love.
"Don't," he said flatly.
Wanda ignored him. "Help us how?"
"The power inside you is already there. It just hasn't been guided. If you learn to control it properly, you could do things that would make Tony Stark's armor look like a toy."
Wanda was quiet. Thinking.
"You want us to give up our revenge," she said.
"Not at all," Leo said. "I want you to understand it better. You hate Tony Stark because a missile his company made destroyed your home and killed your family. That's real. That pain is real."
He paused. "But you're smarter than you were at seven years old. You can now ask who fired that missile, and why, and who gave that order. You can decide exactly how much of your anger belongs to Tony Stark specifically."
Wanda's eyes were hard. "He made the weapon."
"He did."
"He bears responsibility."
"He does," Leo agreed without flinching. "I'm not arguing that."
Wanda looked at him for a long moment.
"Tony," Leo called out.
From the hallway: "What?"
"Come out here."
A pause. "I'm working."
"You have guests."
Tony came upstairs complaining and walked into the living room.
He saw Wanda and Pietro.
He saw their faces.
He had seen a lot of faces in his life. He knew instantly that these were not friendly visitors.
"What is this?"
"These are Wanda and Pietro Maximoff," Leo said. "From Sokovia. A Stark Industries missile landed in front of them when they were children. Didn't explode. They spent two days next to it."
Tony went very quiet.
Pietro moved immediately. Leo put a hand out.
"Stop. You can't beat him right now, and fighting here helps nobody."
"I'll kill him," Pietro said.
"Not today."
Tony looked at the two of them for a long moment. Then he looked at Leo. "You're sure it was one of my missiles."
"Completely sure."
Tony ran a hand through his hair. "The timeframe. Ten years ago, Stark Industries weapons distribution was being managed by Stane." He said the name with something careful underneath it. "I didn't know where everything was going. I thought I did, but I didn't."
Wanda's voice was sharp. "What did you think weapons were for? Warmth?"
Tony had no answer. His jaw moved. Nothing came out.
It was possibly the first time Leo had seen Tony Stark genuinely without a response.
"I'm going to investigate this," Tony said finally. "Not to get out of it. To know the truth of it."
"We don't want your investigation," Pietro said. "We want justice."
"I know." Tony looked directly at Wanda. "I don't expect you to believe me today."
Wanda said nothing. But she hadn't thrown anything at him, which Leo took as progress.
Leo stepped in. "Wanda, I told you I would help you develop your abilities. I meant that. But first I want you to understand what those abilities actually are."
"What are they?"
"They're called Chaos Magic. You've already used them without knowing. That missile that didn't explode? The probability of that was almost zero. You changed it."
Wanda looked at her hands.
Tony, from across the room, said quietly, "That's scientifically impossible."
"That's why it's called magic," Leo said.
Tony's expression shifted. Leo could see him filing this away, immediately calculating what it meant and what he would need to build to account for it.
Leo looked up and spoke to the empty air. "Ancient One. If you're available, I could use your opinion."
The air in the center of the room split open.
Not dramatically. Just cleanly, like fabric parting at a seam, revealing a circle of golden light.
Ancient One stepped through.
Tony stared. Pietro stumbled backward. Wanda stood perfectly still.
The portal closed.
Ancient One looked around the room with the expression of someone who had seen too much and found most of it mildly exhausting.
"You've made quite a mess of the timeline," she said to Leo.
"I prefer to think of it as an improvement."
"You always do." She looked at Wanda. Long and careful. "I know what she carries."
"Can you teach her?"
"I can teach her meditation and mental discipline. The control must come from within. The power is hers, not something I can instruct her to use." Ancient One tilted her head slightly. "I can also give her the knowledge foundation she was never given. So she understands what she holds."
Leo nodded. "That's enough."
He looked at Wanda. "Are you willing?"
Pietro cut in. "Willing? We don't even know who this person is."
Ancient One looked at Pietro.
She raised one hand, palm facing him. Very gently.
Pietro's soul left his body.
It was not painful. It was not violent. Pietro simply floated upward, looking down at himself standing below, completely unable to process what was happening.
"What," he said. His voice sounded distant. "What is this. What did you do. What is happening. Get me back. What—"
"Astral projection," Ancient One said pleasantly. "A foundational exercise."
She lowered her hand. Pietro crashed back into himself.
He gasped. Grabbed the wall. Stood there breathing hard for several seconds.
When he looked at Ancient One again, all the aggression had left his face entirely.
Tony, from the far side of the room, said quietly, "Okay. Magic is real. I need to sit down."
Wanda said, "I want to learn."
She looked at Pietro. "I'm going with her."
Pietro wanted to object. He clearly wanted to object very badly. But he also had just experienced his soul leaving his body, and that had adjusted his confidence significantly.
"Where will I go?" he asked.
Leo said, "Near my place. You can rent something close by. When Wanda comes back to visit, she'll know where to find you."
Pietro looked at him with immediate suspicion. "I know what you're thinking."
"I'm thinking you have nowhere safe to stay and this solves that problem."
"I'm watching you," Pietro said. "Wanda is off limits."
"Noted."
"I'm serious."
"I understood you the first time."
Pietro clearly did not feel that this was a satisfying resolution. But he had no better option, and he knew it.
Leo didn't explain. Wanda still disliked Tony.
"Tony Stark, I'm giving you a chance. Go find the evidence and information, and I will come for you."
Tony was very helpless. 'I didn't provoke any of you, so why do you have to target me?'
Leo patted Tony's shoulder, "Go ahead and take the blame."
"No, go ahead and find the evidence and information. Otherwise, with one spell, she can make sure you never sleep well again."
"What?"
Tony looked at leo with a slight hint of resentment, as if to say, "You sold out your friend for glory; that's not cool."
After Wanda warned Tony Stark, she decided to leave.
Right now, she definitely couldn't beat him.
And after calming down, Wanda also discovered some issues.
So, she agreed to give Tony a chance, but she had not given up on the idea of revenge.
Wanda finally came before Leo, "Pietro, don't cause trouble. Wait for me to come back."
Pietro was a little displeased, "I was born before you. I'm the older brother."
Although he said that, Pietro still agreed.
"Be careful of that person. His intentions are not pure."
Wanda was not stupid and could sense some things.
"I know."
Leo didn't mind, "Natasha, why don't you take Pietro away? Train him?"
Natasha looked Pietro over, "I'm not interested in this kind of greenhorn. Even if I train him now, he'll probably only be able to deal with petty thugs."
Pietro was scorned by Natasha and immediately became unhappy.
"I only agreed to stay. I never said I would follow your arrangements."
"I don't think she can train me in anything."
Natasha had originally wanted to rest, but now, it seemed she had to show off a bit.
She walked up to Pietro, "Go ahead, kid."
Pietro didn't take Natasha seriously at all, and Natasha also looked down on Pietro.
Natasha suddenly attacked, and Pietro hadn't even reacted yet.
He was taken down by a series of moves and then pinned to the ground.
"Unfair! You ambushed me."
"If I were to ambush you, you wouldn't even see me; you'd already be dead."
Natasha got up and returned coolly to leo's side, "This kid isn't special at all. He's not worth training."
"He actually has the potential to gain superpowers, but his personality doesn't seem very suitable."
Leo smiled and said to Pietro, "Pietro, you don't want to be Wanda's weakness, do you?"
"By following her, you can learn many skills, at least gain the ability to protect yourself, and change your personality along the way."
"She is the top Agent in the World. You only get one chance."
"If you can get her approval, in the future, you can also gain superpowers."
Tony Stark was jealous.
How come suddenly everyone has superpowers?
The key is, he can only rely on his Armor and technology.
It's normal that he can't beat this abnormal leo.
From leo's tone, it seemed like he might not even be able to beat just anyone who came along.
This was a bit outrageous.
Tony's damn competitive spirit was completely ignited, and he decided to continue improving his Armor.
Pietro thought seriously for a moment.
He was the older brother. He couldn't protect his sister Wanda, and he might even hold her back. Pietro couldn't accept that.
Also, he could gain superpowers himself.
This made Pietro incredibly envious.
"I agree."
Wanda and Pietro both had places to go.
Wanda asked, "I want to know, how long do we need to be apart?"
"I'm not sure. You can see each other often. As long as you master the Portal skillfully, you can come back anytime. Of course, you can also visit Pietro during his training."
"As for Pietro, how long will it take for him to get approval, Natasha, what do you think?"
Natasha gave her answer unceremoniously, "If he doesn't have superpowers, it will take at least ten years for him to barely reach a passing standard."
"I don't need ten years!"
Leo nodded, "Tony should have the information you want in a few months."
"Wanda and Pietro are both arranged, so it seems everyone should disperse."
Sorcerer Ancient One said, "Mr. Leo, there are some things I'd like to discuss with you."
"No problem. I have something to do here. I'll come find you later."
Although he didn't know what Sorcerer Ancient One wanted to talk about, anything involving such a powerful being naturally wouldn't be simple.
Leo's task was definitely to act as a tool, sending his brother-in-law Pietro and Natasha back.
Although it wouldn't take much time, there were still some trivial matters to handle.
Sorcerer Ancient One took Wanda away.
---