Chapter Text
Chapter 1
Oh Shit I’m Fucked
“Oh shit, I’m fucked.” -Small Town Alien, Oh Shit I’m Fucked
Rio’s blood burned hot in her cheeks as she caught her bottom lip between her teeth, gnawing there to distract herself from her thoughts. She hated Agatha when she was like this…smug, callous, cold. It twisted her insides because she knew Agatha was anything but. This uncaring, snarky persona she had built up was nothing more than a defense mechanism.
She wouldn’t care, except now that defense mechanism was being wielded against her. Lips that once danced across her neck and whispered words of love and admiration now gnashed and tore at her heart. A pointless endeavor, really. Her heart had never been her own. She hadn’t even truly known she had one until Agatha.
Briefly, she considered saying there was no point in ripping her chest open to crush everything inside of it. That her heart wasn’t there. The words Agatha spat in her direction were nothing but a waste of oxygen.
Her heart was nestled so deeply within Agatha that she was sure it would take over beating should Agatha’s ever stop. The greatest pain she could know was playing out right in front of her eyes. Perhaps that's why her retort died before it even formed in her mouth.
Agatha was losing herself to her hatred, her fear…becoming all consumed by the rage that burned in the pit of her belly. The fire there was burning Agatha to ash, and subsequently Rio’s heart with it. The pain briefly made her waiver and Agatha saw her falter. Surely she imagined the flicker of remorse. It came and it went so fast that she was certain it never happened.
“Are you just going to fucking stand there, Vidal? Jesus are you even fucking listening to me?”
Nothing. She narrowed her eyes at this angry creature that had taken the place of her wife and tried to place the feeling that ballooned her chest and threatened to pop. After everything- strangely enough, she wasn’t sure what she was feeling was anger. She felt like laughing, honestly. Maybe if she held Agatha's hand she'd come down from her anger and they could just climb into bed.
A smile pulled at her still hot cheeks as she reached for Agatha's hand. It was frailer now- a side effect of a diet consisting of nothing but wine and misplaced hatred. It wasn't only Agatha's mind that was wisping away, it was her body, her soul. Her resentment was a poison in her veins. One that maybe she could help bear the burden of if she could just…
“No, Rio.” Agatha's hand disappeared in her pocket, her voice absolute. A small crack at the end failed her and when it looked like Rio may say something Agatha spoke again.
“No!” This time her voice was strong enough to boom through the entryway of their small home. Pain glassed over Rio's eyes, and if Agatha was remorseful this time she didn't show it.
It became clear then, the road Agatha was going down. She didn't want to be helped…she was drowning and didn't want to be rescued.
“Agatha…I won't let you do this.” The words that had previously eluded her came tumbling out all at once. “Stay…just stay here with me, sweetheart. You don't have to be okay today or tomorrow or even in any years after that. Just be not okay with me. Please, just stay.” Rio couldn't be ashamed to beg if it's what it took. When Agatha said nothing she pleaded again.
“I love you, Agatha…” a harsh breath rocked her so hard she had to grip onto the narrow table next to her. She realized she was sobbing, her tears stinging on her cheeks. Agatha's breathy chuckle was like a dagger at her throat.
“Yeah, well…” Agatha gave a careless shrug, “You shouldn't.”
The way Agatha moved for the front door was graceful, full of poise. That's how Rio knew she was absolutely full of shit. Still…Rio had never wanted to force Agatha to do anything. Agatha's spirit had always been free. If she needed peace and peace was not here…if peace couldn't be found in Rio’s presence…she would let her fly until her wings were tired and she needed a safe place to land.
“Agatha!” Rio's voice cut through all space and time, stopping Agatha in her tracks. All they had ever shared dangled by a thread between them. Agatha didn't turn around, but she was holding her breath. Rio approached and said much more softly behind her:
“Te veo.”
That was 5 years ago. In the time since then her arms hadn't once held Agatha against her while she slept. Her fingers hadn't drawn patterns over the skin of her hips. She hadn't even heard Agatha speak her name. Now, as Agatha stood on their once shared doorstep, everything she had rehearsed left her the moment brown eyes met blue.
The silence didn't last long.
“So what's this super secret mission Wanda dragged me back here for, hmm? She wouldn't tell me but had me removed from my post as a detective and a girls gotta eat, so.” Agatha's hands were shoved into the pockets of an old denim coat that she didn't recognize. A flannel hung loosely off her frame. Her eyes were investigating everything except Rio.
“Agatha, I-” Rio began to interject but Agatha apparently had no intention of actually letting her speak.
“You know what? I actually don't give a shit. Bitch gave me a car and told me I had to pick you up.” Rio didn't miss this side of her wife, but had been prepared for it. She had called Agatha's work line a handful of times and been greeted with grunts or a voice-mail greeting telling anyone who reached it to not leave a message. Each time Agatha had answered Rio was stunned before she remembered she was calling from a protected line. She never got the chance to say anything or even hang up before Agatha would declare the call finished.
“Stop wasting my time, mouth breather!”
Rio narrowed her eyes and tilted her head. She found Agatha's discomfort pleasing and she considered relishing in it a bit longer. Ultimately, her fear of Agatha running again outweighed her amusement. She opened the door a little wider revealing her suitcases and Agatha's eyes widened in realization, finally landing squarely on Rio.
“No way!” Agatha declared, before mumbling under her breath: “Fucking Maximoff.”
Agatha began to dig for her phone but was clumsy in her anger. Rio had been prepared for this reaction and, in a comedically short breath, a phone with Wanda's number pulled up was calmly offered to the disgruntled woman. When Agatha realized that the phone was attached to Rio's hand she scoffed and rolled her eyes.
“Like hell, Vidal.”
Rio’s annoyance threatened to spill over the edges of her carefully crafted demeanor. She had to remind herself to not let it consume her. At least not outwardly.
“The case file is on the kitchen counter. You can be in or out, Harkness.” she did let a subtle bite slip through on the name, not appreciating Agatha’s use of her own. She didn’t let the bite linger long enough for it to be impactful. Instead, she smirked and began to push past Agatha.
“I'm more than capable of flying solo.” As she gently checked Agatha’s shoulder to punctuate her sentence, she heard Agatha’s breath hitch and satisfaction coursed through her veins. She didn't look back as she lugged her bags to the black SUV, but was acutely aware that Agatha had frozen in place.
She heard a frustrated groan and stomping towards the house. The SUV beeped at the same time she heard the door of their home slam shut. Agatha had locked her out of the car so she couldn't load her bags. Before she could roll her eyes she heard the distinct sound of her front door deadbolt locking.
That fucking bitch…
A secret smile made an appearance and she fought the urge to rid herself of it. No matter how mad her wife was, she was still Agatha. They had had many routine arguments that would end in theatrical dramatics. Once, she had ordered a miniature Oscar trophy and kept it hidden away until she had a perfect moment to use it.
She could hardly remember what they had argued about, but she would always remember the look on Agatha’s face when she presented it to her.
They had just come down from their, rather rough, make-up sex and before Agatha’s eyes had completely glazed over and succumbed to sleep Rio rooted around in her nightstand until she found it.
Soon, a small, shiny Oscar trophy with Agatha’s name on it was presented to the half asleep woman. She couldn’t help but smile at the way Agatha blinked and moved her head backward and forward so she could focus and make out what it said.
“Wha-” her mouth fell open in scandal,”You know, Rio… I’m not even going to take offense.” Agatha had said coyly and it was Rio’s turn to drop her jaw.
“But…” Rio playfully frowned. “Offense was intended.” A small smack to the ribs had her falling back down to the bed.
“That’s not even my name, you doof.” Agatha spoke nonchalantly, a question lingering in the air that she wasn’t putting words to.
Rio ran her fingers over the engraving on the trophy. Etched into the surface it said ‘Agatha Vidal’. She remembered how nervousness tingled through her body when she made the decision to put her own last name on the engraving request. Instead of letting the nervousness consume her again, she simply shrugged.
“It could be.” She said it casually, like she was offering Agatha a ride to work. Agatha was frozen and unreadable. She swallowed heavily in anticipation and hoped it wasn’t noticed. Before she could ponder if she had just made an ass out of herself hungry, greedy lips attacked her own.
She felt herself blushing at the memory of how the rest of the night went. Of course, that wasn’t their official proposal. Not the one they told their friends, at least. That moment only existed for them- suspended and frozen in the space between them. So vulnerable it was to peak into the memory of it that she was worried giving it anymore space would make it disappear.
Still, Agatha only stood feet away from her, right inside the house. It hardly mattered that she felt further away than she had over the past five years. The draw to the woman inside of her home- their home- was getting too strong. Before she could attempt to close both the physical and emotional distance she took a deep breath to still herself before abandoning her bags by the SUV.
Determination fortified her resolve in meeting Agatha where she was at. Two could play at whatever game Agatha was interested in playing. As long as she could keep her playing then that was some form of progress. Her fingers made quick work of entering the pin number that would open the garage door and she entered the house making a line for the kitchen.
Her plan was to get the keys, load her bags, and keep the SUV running until Agatha had made her decision about the case. She knew what she'd ultimately decide. Agatha could never turn down a case she knew she could solve. Especially not one she was sought out to take. The ego boost served as a drug for her, though most of the draw could actually be traced to being able to deliver justice. Agatha always did her best to make sure no one saw deeply enough into her to know as much.
When she didn't find Agatha with the case file that was left on the kitchen counter her confusion made its first appearance since seeing Agatha at the door. Though she tried to remain one step ahead of Agatha, the woman always managed to keep her on her toes. She noticed the pantry they had always kept sweets in was left wide open.
Some things never change.
Rio's chest felt dull when a tangle of emotions too complex to describe tumbled through it. She wanted to be happy at the sign of familiarity. At having to come behind Agatha and close drawers and doors and cabinets her wife had left open. But her brain kept her from finding any joy in the moment, a low thrumming warning ready to sound alarms should she find herself lurking in dangerous waters.
While closing the pantry door she took note of the empty donut box that was haphazardly thrown among the other stashed away snacks. The present moment overrode her inner turmoil, stealing her into a chain of action that had lied dormant for years.
“Did you seriously eat the last chocolate donut?” Rio hollered as she rounded the corner into the living room.
She came face to face with Agatha, who screamed at the new presence in front of her. Half of the donut in question fell to the floor in between them. The other half was stuffed into Agatha's mouth. To give her wife credit, she at least had the decency to appear ‘caught in the act’ until the chain of events caught up to her.
“Jesus, Rio! Fucking warn a woman before you sneak up on her.” Agatha's anger didn't have the same weight as it normally would. Her words were jumbled from trying to chew and clear her mouth while she spoke them. Rio's eyes scanned her surroundings for a sign of what she had caught Agatha doing, other than eating her last chocolate donut.
Her eyes briefly caught a glimpse of a familiar fuzzy ear barely peeking out from Agatha’s jacket. The amusement and offense at Agatha's transgression fell from her like a veil to the ground and a tightness in her throat took its place. She quickly drew her eyes elsewhere so Agatha didn't realize she had been caught.
She felt an impending sense that the resolve she had taped and glued together would shatter. Agatha was still so lost. She could feel such consuming pain radiating off of her like a force field. If Nicky's stuffed rabbit would help her heal she could have it. She could have all his things if it meant her pain would ease to something duller. Something Agatha could live with.
Again, she found herself simultaneously appreciating and being incredibly irritated by Agatha's snarky wit when it broke the silence.
“How the hell did you even get in here anyways?” Agatha peaked at the front door which was still latched shut and her eyebrows drew together.
“I'm an FBI agent, Agatha. Did you really think a locked door would stop me from getting in?” It was easier to volley with Agatha when she had the upper hand. Agatha's nervousness was palpable and if Rio wasn't careful she'd become intoxicated by it.
“Surely you haven't forgotten how…nimble I can be.” She let it linger in the air just long enough for Agatha to start fidgeting. “You know, when I'm determined on getting in.”
As delicious as Agatha’s discomfort was, she threw the woman a lifeline before it took root.
”I used the pin for the garage.” Her explanation was met with immediate confusion.
“Like one of those number pads that you can open the door with?”
Rio failed to hide the amused smile that snuck onto her face.
”Yes, one of those number pads that you can open the door with.”
”It does that now?” Agatha’s tone was blunt and searched to place the focus on anything other than what she had been busy doing when Rio entered the living room..
”It does that now.”
Agatha appeared to be doing math in her head and Rio wondered what question she was searching for an answer to.
”Huh…” Agatha sounded uninterested, but her continued curiosity showed her bluff. “When’d you get the garage door fixed?”
It was Rio’s turn to do math. Well, to pretend to do Math. She was painfully aware of every day that went by without Agatha’s presence. She knew exactly when she got the garage door fixed. On the third anniversary of Nicky’s death she was looking through boxes of items from when he was a baby.
She came across two letters she had long forgotten. The day they brought Nicky home from the hospital they both wrote him a letter. Rio had insisted Agatha rest, but Agatha won by insisting Nicky needed to know how much they already loved him. She said he would read them one day, maybe when he was an angsty teen, and know that no matter what he’d always be the center of their world.
The air had been painfully sucked out of Rio’s lungs and through her tears she fumbled to open the garage door and get some fresh air. She smashed the button over and over but nothing happened. All at once she remembered the garage door didn’t even work. They had broken it the day they bought the house and never got it fixed.
The many conversations they had where Rio begged Agatha to just let her hire someone and Agatha insisted she could fix it herself played through her mind. She remembered how it felt to know Agatha would take months to get around to fixing it, but not even caring. She knew so surely that Agatha would be around to fix it. Her heart ached to have Agatha here putting it off again.
At the time, the intense combination of her emotions proved lethal to the garage door opener. Even though she knew it wouldn’t work she hit it over and over until the plastic frame snapped, and then she hit it some more. Her hand was a bloody mess, but she only knew that once she finally looked at it.
With her hand still bloodied, she called a local door service company and paid an egregious amount of money for same day service. Only the younger employee looked at her like she was crazy. To his credit, he had at least waited until she used her bloody hand to grab his pen and sign the necessary paperwork.
She was pretty sure she broke her pinky finger that day but she never did more than buy a splint for it from the pharmacy section at the nearest grocery store. She’d had far worse. The memory crept through her bones and she thought if she closed her eyes for too long she’d be sitting back on the floor of their garage, sobbing into a pile of baby blankets, clutching the letters in her hand that she never could open.
Shrugging her shoulders, she settled on a far more casual answer.
”Two years ago? Maybe? A couple of the shutters broke during storm season and the insurance money was more than I expected. Figured it was finally time to have a functioning garage door.”
Her tone was much calmer than she felt. It wasn’t technically a lie. It was just two truths mashed together. If Agatha wasn’t rusty she might call her on the bluff, but that would mean her showing an emotion other than distaste.
”Well, what’s the code?”
She felt her eyebrows shoot up. Agatha always kept her on her toes. A favor she could return.
”Why? Planning to come back home?”
She recognized Agatha’s discomfort returning. The wheels that cranked and stuttered in her wife's mind brought a sense of urgency to ease the burden of their efforts.
”So this case-“
Agatha held up her hand to stop her from talking, but the gesture wasn’t rude.
”It’s that big college admissions scandal, right?”
Her furrowed brow was met with a look that said she should’ve known better. She hadn’t even touched the case file on the kitchen counter, but Agatha wasn’t one to stay away from any sign of a major bust. She’d always been a junkie when it came to the thrill of solving something high profile.
”How’d you know?” She tried to keep the admiration from lacing through her words.
”It’s all over the news. I’m surprised they didn’t snipe down whoever yapped about it in the first place.” Agatha raised a fair point. The leak of their suspect list was not something they were prepared for and had proven hard to come back from. There were several well known names on it and a lot of dollar signs between them.
”There’s still time…” Rio said it earnestly, but when it earned a genuine chuckle of amusement from Agatha she noted the success she could have with her darker humor.
”Well…not too much time if I get involved. What’s the deal, anyways? Maximoff losing her touch?”
”Not a chance. The assignment is at Columbia. Vision is still teaching at Georgetown, but his mentor, and close family friend, is tenured at Columbia. Some big shot Dean. He told me all about it but thirty minutes in I was just hoping he’d finally pass me the salt I had asked for.” She remembered the story told over dinner in all of its vividly provided detail.
“Conflict of interest.” She finally said, as if further explanation was needed.
“Better you than me…” Was the closest to sympathy Agatha could give. She was all too familiar with Vision’s lengthy stories and discussions.
Agatha eventually gave a satisfied nod, but Rio clocked the grumpy look that accompanied it. It didn’t take a profiler to see that Agatha was disappointed in the explanation. It did take someone close to Agatha to know that it was because the explanation didn’t fault Wanda’s skill.
Wanda and Agatha had always had a friendly competitiveness between them. When they disagreed it was easy to assume they hated each other. It could be hostile at times, but at the end of the day they had always been thick as thieves.
”She has been the lead on the case for quite some time now. If you take it and solve it quickly you’d be able to show boat.”
For the first time since arriving, Agatha looked enticed. Her lips pursed out as she let the idea roll to each side of her head.
”Why us?” The question wasn’t harsh, but the bluntness poked at Rio’s ribs, uncomfortable but not unbearable.
“You know why, Agatha.”
It was no secret how good of a pair the two made. Their minds practically worked as one when analyzing cases and situations. They barely had to speak to understand what the other was thinking. Their chemistry and combined skill and training made them an insurmountable force.
Both fortunately and unfortunately for them, it could also make them a volatile explosion. There was no halfway for either of them. It was all or nothing. The challenge of where they currently stood was that Rio was ‘all’ and Agatha was ‘nothing’. Still, this case needed their combined efforts.
“Fair.” Agatha took a breath before groaning and clenching her fists.
”Fine! But I’m fucking driving.” Agatha declared as if she didn’t already have the keys. Rio didn’t get a chance to respond before Agatha spoke again.
”And no stupid audiobooks or podcasts or whatever. If I’m driving all the way to New York I won’t be lectured while I’m doing it.”
Rio still wasn’t going to respond, but somehow Agatha interrupted her just trying to breathe.
”That includes by you.” A finger was pointed towards her, dangerously close. Luckily, Agatha’s outstretched hand was holding something Rio was much more interested in than the attitude attached to it.
She held up her hands in mock surrender and when Agatha gave a nod of finality Rio took the opportunity to snatch the keys away.
“Wha- hey!” There’s the angry Agatha again. Rio shot her a smirk already halfway to the door.
”You coming, Harkness?”
Another groan filled the otherwise quietly settled home and Rio made no effort to chastise the smile it brought her.
An hour later, Agatha was visibly restless as she tapped on her knees and fiddled with every knob and button she could reach.
“Agatha?”
“Hmm?” A disinterested grunt came from the passenger seat.
“Stop touching things.”
“Hmm.” This time the grunt was displeased and dismissive.
It didn’t take much for Rio to see so much of Nicky in Agatha. The familiarity stung everywhere she was most vulnerable, but she couldn’t ignore the creeping comfort she began to feel. Regardless, as Agatha turned the driver’s seat heat to the highest setting and back off again Rio had to work to find her patience.
After she had lost count of how many times Agatha clicked the button- she suddenly had no interest in searching for patience anymore.
Her hand gripped Agatha’s firmly before the heat could be adjusted again, taking away the option to do so entirely. She hadn’t really thought it through, but now that their skin was touching it felt like she had grabbed something from the oven with no mitt. She quickly released Agatha’s hand and tried to divert her attention elsewhere.
She leapt towards the first thing she thought might be a distraction.
“If you press one more button I swear to god I will put on ‘The Minds of Madness’.”
The threat of the True Crime podcast could backfire. Agatha could easily settle for hearing about some fucked up serial killers while she continued toying with the SUV’s many controls.
Rio maintained a strong presence, hoping to exude more sternness than the nerves that zipped through her were providing. It was much easier to be in control when Agatha was yearning for it. Honestly, she needed Agatha to fold so that she could use the silence of the drive to pull herself together. She needed to ground herself in the Rio that her job demanded.
A pause weighed heavily in the air before Agatha crossed her arms and looked out of her window.
Success.
“You are such a cliche.” Agatha mumbled. She felt her shoulders relax, but only marginally. The thrill of victory helped her find some humor in what she was beginning to dub ‘Mean Agatha’.
She’s awfully pouty for her new ‘I don’t give a fuck’ attitude. Rio mused while keeping her eyes firmly on the road.
Rio wouldn’t acknowledge that Agatha really seemed like she, well…gave a fuck. She wanted to poke at the holes in Agatha’s demeanor, but if the joke cut too deep, exposed too much, she risked Agatha retreating before she ever fully came out from hiding.
Her mind roamed this new territory Agatha had laid before her. The thoughts she drifted between weren’t accompanied by her inner monologue. Likely because there was little room in her head for both her feelings and words to describe them.
She knew she couldn’t have prepared herself for the impact of seeing Agatha again. Regardless, she foolishly had hoped that the foundation and walls she had laid in Agatha’s wake would withstand any storm onset by her re-arrival.
She had imagined she was building a sandcastle all this time and Agatha would bring thunder and rain that threatened her shabby attempt at something sturdy enough to stand. Now, with Agatha in arms reach, it felt much more like she was watching a tsunami coming for the shore.
”Can you think a little quieter? I’m trying to play Candy Crush.”
There weren’t many things, if any, that could stop a tsunami. The least Rio could do was become an equitable force.
”Is that a new phone case?” Rio inquisitively grabbed the phone from Agatha’s hands before unceremoniously tossing it in the back seat.
“Hey! That phone was expensive.”
”Sucks you don’t have a job anymore, then.”
Agatha’s face stewed in a mixture of anger, shock, and…admiration?
Rio knew that look. She was sizing up her opponent, thrilled at the prospect of someone who could match her in the heat of battle. Had no one at her precinct pushed back with her? Had she spent five years picking fights that no one had any interest in?
”Lucky for me Wanda just hired me on to be your babysitter.” Agatha dramatized every syllable of the word ‘babysitter’ like she was trying to speak through thick glass.
”Oh really, Harkness? Have you signed anything yet? It’s really too bad that you have no way of reaching Wanda. Truly.”
The shared annoyance with one another was fragile, but exciting. Agatha had locked her out of so many places, but as long as Agatha was within her orbit she would never be able to deprive her of the gripping energy that stirred between them. She hated the circumstances, but couldn’t deny the buzz that was planting roots deep within her belly.
Neither one of them seemed willing to light any matches to threaten the kerosine they stood in.
Agatha rolled her eyes and went back to looking out of the window. It only took a few moments for the settling silence to be disturbed.
”Can you take the next exit?”
”To where?”
”Anywhere. I just need to get something.”
Rio raised an eyebrow but didn’t look in Agatha’s direction. She let the silence twist Agatha into giving more of an explanation.
”I need to get my phone, Vidal.”
Rio was only mildly annoyed as she flipped the turn signal. She could use the break to breathe air that wasn’t shared with Agatha. She felt like she was getting a contact high.
She pulled into a quiet gas station and said nothing as she left the car running and retreated inside the small store that accompanied the pumps. As she scanned the aisles aimlessly she felt her phone buzzing.
”Vidal.” She answered, hoping the haze she was wading through wasn’t reflected in her tone.
”Okay…” It was Wanda. “For someone who just convinced her wife to sign back on and take the Columbia assignment you don’t sound very pleased.”
”She signed back on?” For some reason, she was surprised Agatha committed even though she’s waiting in the SUV.
”I’m confused. Aren’t you with her? She said you all were on your way and I just assumed she meant to the house we secured in Washington Heights?” Wanda’s two questions felt like thirty.
”I- yes, I’m with her.”
”What’s going on, Rio? The ping on the SUV says you’re barely two hours away.”
”I’m choosing to ignore the abuse of government resources to stalk me.” Rio deadpanned before sighing. She needed to tread lightly with herself or else she risked losing control.
”It’s all so…surreal, Wanda. I haven’t seen her in five years and she just…is at my doorstep. Eating my fucking donuts and sitting next to me in the car. It’s like nothing has changed but at the same time everything is just…so, so different.” Rio chuckled somewhat darkly.
”She can’t even look at me and it’s everything I can do to not look at her. I feel like if I breathe too loudly I’ll scare her away. There’s so much I want to say…need to say…but I can’t say any of it. Even if I could I’m not convinced I wouldn’t strangle her first for being such a bitch. I could give her a hundred dollar bill and she’d say I was killing trees.”
This time Wanda chuckled.
”I know what you mean. When I went to get her I thought she was going to rip my head off. I think she would’ve if I hadn’t locked her in an interrogation room.”
”You did what?” Protectiveness, admiration, and genuine confusion fought to take center stage.
”I didn’t have a choice, Rio! She didn’t want to come with me willingly so I told her she was being removed from her post in that dump of a precinct and she practically went feral.”
If present circumstances were anything different, Rio would find a lifetime's worth of amusement in imagining Agatha lunging after Wanda.
“I can’t even begin to unpack that right now.”
”So if she went feral on me- how did you convince her to take the assignment? Just in case I need to know for next time.”
Rio considered hanging up the phone. She hesitated a moment too long, and Wanda clocked it immediately.
”What are you not telling me?” Wanda’s question was met with more silence that Rio wasn’t sure how to fill.
“Rio…what did you do?” a solemn seriousness came through the phone and scratched at neck- ensuring she was duly uncomfortable with annoyance and guilt.
”I didn’t do anything. I just…didn’t divulge the full scope of the assignment.”
”RIO!” Wanda’s voice was so loud through the phone that the attendant at the counter shot her a sideways look.
”It wasn’t for lack of trying! I left the case file out and told her to read it. It’s not my fault she was more interested in raiding my snack drawer than bringing herself up to speed.”
”Well, if how she reacted to me was even a fraction of what you have coming for you then I need to start arranging your funeral. Would you prefer flowers or donations to a charity of your choice?”
”You are lucky I am two hours away or I’d be two steps away from kicking your ass.” Rio said hushed, through her teeth.
”Calm down, Agent.” Wanda’s voiced in surrender.
“I’m just worried about you, that’s all. Agatha is…” Rio had never fully understood the phrase ‘pregnant pause’ until this moment.
”Fragile.”
”That is an astute observation, Maximoff. I’m glad taxpayer dollars went into your training at Quantico.”
”Listen, Rio.” Wanda, unable to be goaded, was annoyingly calm. Ever since having the twins she had somehow developed the patience of a saint.
“You and Agatha are two sides of the same coin. I’m not telling you anything you don’t know. Just…when it gets hard, remember that this isn’t easy for her either, okay?”
”I know.” Rio said much more quietly, and much more distantly.
“I will say this as your friend, but also as a colleague. You do need to tell her the nature of this assignment. Preferably before she has somewhere private to murder you. Most preferably before either of you get actually hurt.”
Wanda spoke so tenderly. She imagined what it would be like to love both her and Agatha at the same time, loyal and loving to both even if it isn’t returned.
”And Rio?”
She hummed a response to signal she was paying attention- only half true.
”Don’t forget why you’re there.”
Rio couldn’t if she tried. Her duty felt like a vice grip around her neck, but she swore to serve. She had a job to do. If Agatha turned out to be a hindrance instead of an asset the assignment would be a bust. Her career would join soon after and she’d spend the rest of her days until retirement behind a desk pushing paper.
”I would never. I have to go, Wanda. I’ll text you when…if…we arrive.”
Whatever Wanda said in response was nothing more than muffled noise to her as she ended the call. She knew she had to be honest with Agatha. Ethically, sure, but legally she had to inform Agatha of the details of the assignment or else she could be accused of entrapment.
Agatha probably wouldn’t report her, but honestly she couldn’t be sure. Technically, Agatha needed to know before she signed on. She could only assume Wanda was holding off on sending the actual paperwork to Agatha. If she wasn’t before, she certainly is now.
She grabbed two bottles of water and went to grab some snacks. She didn’t feel hungry, but felt she owed the attendant for not saying anything about her lingering through the store. Besides, if there’s one way to cushion a blow with Agatha it's with junk food.
Would it be weird to buy her snacks? I’m already getting two waters, but I could pretend they’re both for me. Would that be rude?
Rio stared at the assortment of chips and candy bars like it was a complex math equation on a test she didn’t study for.
Of course it wouldn’t be weird to buy her a fucking snack. She’s my fucking wife.
Her hand reached for Agatha’s favorite candy bar but froze before picking it up. Was it too familiar to get her favorite candy?
She might be your wife on paper, but she’s your wife that hasn’t acknowledged your existence for five years. That you also just entrapped into re-signing with the FBI.
Her hand continued to hesitate for a few more moments before she nearly growled in frustration.
Fuck it. I will not be bested over a fucking candy bar. This is ridiculous.
What was truly ridiculous was the amount of candy bars she hastily grabbed and piled into her arms. The look on the attendant's face told her as much as she sat her bounty down on the counter. She picked up the few that had fallen to the floor, using it as an opportunity to avoid the confused stare that was directed her way.
”And uh…$40 on pump 8?” She attempted to appear at least somewhat sane.
“We don’t have a pump 8.”
Rio banged her hands onto the counter, poking at the back of her bottom lip with her tongue. She took a deep breath.
”Pump 1 then.”
”Out of order.”
”You know what? Never mind. Just the candy.” She forced a tight lipped smile onto her face. She forgot how much the general public could goad her into madness.
The clerk bordly scanned her two waters and then candy bar after candy bar. Each beep of the scanner plucked at her nerves. After what seemed like a lifetime, she was spoken to again.
”The candy bars are two for three dollars. If you get one more you’d save…” The person squinted at the screen.
”63 cents.”
Rio stared, biting back the words that wanted to come out.
They’re just doing their job… She reminded herself. She leaned down and grabbed a random candy bar and threw it on the counter.
Beep.
She, too genuinely, wondered if her badge would be justification enough to break the scanner.
”Will that be all?” She should’ve said yes.
”And a pack of Winston Selects.” She tossed a cheap looking lighter onto the counter. Two more beeps and everything was tucked into two grocery bags.
”Are you a Speedy Rewards member?”
”No.” She was.
”The candy is only two for three for rewards members.”
If she was religious she’d pray to god for strength.
”Would you like to sign up?”
”How much?”
”Signing up is free. I just need your ph-“
”How much for the fucking candy?”
The attendant took the hint and cut to the chase.
”Your total is eighty three-“
She pulled out her wallet from her pocket and hastily threw a hundred dollar bill down before grabbing her bags and heading for the exit.
”What about-“
”Keep the change.” She called out, not even turning their way. She could acknowledge that she was a bitch. The seventeen dollars as penance would help her sleep at night.
Once she exited the store she took a deep breath before going any further. The biting cold meant the air made her feel every part of her lungs. She looked towards the SUV.
She wasn’t worried about how she was going to tell her wife that they were going undercover. She was worried about how she was going to tell her wife they were going undercover as a happily married couple.
There was another emotion demanding her attention. One she barely peaked at before it consumed her. The final boss was looming in front of her and the music and extra ammunition before her made her thrum with anxiety.
How was she going to tell Agatha that they were going undercover as a happily married couple with a highschool aged son?