Hello all! So this is my first time writing under the Avengers tag - get excited! I've spent a fair amount of time with the X-Men, but hey, sometimes you gotta try something new, right? Of course there's still going to be some X-Men in here because I can't help myself, but it will still be Avengers centric and centered around Pietro Maximoff as he appeared and was characterized in Age of Ultron. The character of Laura isn't an OC, but is an X-Men character. Okay, let's get started!

Chapter 1: Through the Fog

He didn't know where he was. Was he even alive? Everything was dark around him - or, was it incredibly bright? His head was swimming, trying to figure out what was going on.

Something was missing. There was supposed to be someone with him. His sister? Yes, his sister. His sister was always connected to him, their minds always linked. Where was she? Was she okay? He couldn't feel her anymore. His mind suddenly felt oddly lonely.

He felt as if he was spinning. Was he spinning, or was the earth spinning? He didn't know. There was nothing for him to hold on to, nothing but the nothingness and the feeling of loneliness. But soon the nothingness faded into darkness, and he felt his consciousness slip. This must be death.

Beeping. There was an incessant beeping.

He didn't know where he was, but he could hear the beeping increase in tempo as he slowly ascended into consciousness. Slowly? He had never done anything slowly in his life. The beeping increased further, and he realized it was matching his heart rate.

He finally opened his eyes, finding himself in a hospital bed and a dimmed room. How long had he been out? There were curtains around him, blocking his view. He shifted in the bed, pain blooming through his entire body. With a jolt, his memories came back to him. He remembered the plane, Hawkeye, the bullets…

Didn't he die?

His heart rate picked up a little more, and with a groan he reached across his body and pulled the monitor from his finger. There was a PICC line inserted next to his clavicle. As his mind cleared, he assessed it, flashbacks of Strucker's experiments coming back to him. He closed it off before disconnecting it from the IVs. He didn't want to remove it from his neck - he had seen what happened when people did that. The monitor went crazy, but he was able to sit up and press the silent button at a bit of a better pace. A twelve lead ECG was stuck to him as well; he pulled all the attachments off as quickly as he could. He tried to reach out to Wanda with their mind link, but he couldn't feel her. There was nothing except his own thoughts bouncing back to him. He was also displeased to find out that he couldn't activate his super speed. He supposed he would have to escape the old fashioned way.

Pietro peeked out of the curtains to find an empty hospital wing. It seemed as if he was the only patient. The clock on the wall read 3:23, making him assume that it was past three in the morning. He clutched the back of his gown together, not enjoying the breezy feeling on his backside. He opened the door quietly, sticking his head out and quickly scanning the area. A blue, furry man in a lab coat was typing away at a computer, his back to Pietro. He quietly (and quickly as possible) walked down the hallway, taking the first turn he came to and passing through the door there. He found himself in a locker room of sorts, and soon found a pair of sweat pants and a jacket in one of the cabinets. He didn't have shoes, but that would have to wait.

He passed through the locker room, pushing through the door on the other side. He was now in a dark, carpeted hallway. It looked like a house. Who had a hospital wing in their house?

Further exploration found that not only was he in a house, he was in a massive house. A massive mansion, with many hallways for him to get lost in. Without his super speed, he was left to normal human devices. He could feel his body pulling him down - it wasn't happy that he had gotten up. His cells were trying very hard to heal, but they couldn't keep up. He was getting tired, sloppy. He had to escape now.

Someone threw him against the wall. Literally grabbed him by the back of his sweatshirt and pinned him. He made a move to push the person - woman - away, but two very sharp looking metal claws were poised at his neck. He stopped moving, his heart racing. His super speed was still down. He was helpless.

"Who are you?" the woman asked roughly, her green eyes staring into him intensely. His breath caught in his throat, his head swimming from the sudden movement. He felt feverish, his blood boiling in his veins and his vision going blurry. Getting up may have been a bigger mistake than he thought.

"Who. Are. You?" she asked again. Pietro opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out.

"Laura!" a terse, male voice echoed. The blue man was here. "Let go of my patient, please."

"Sorry Doc." she said, immediately stepping back and letting go of him.

Unfortunately, Pietro quickly found out that she was the only thing holding him up as he limply crumpled to the ground. The blue man moved toward him, saying something. He sounded as if he were underwater. Pietro looked down, seeing red soaking through the sweatshirt. He figured it was from his wounds reopening.

And then he blacked out.

He once again woke up to the beeping. He hated the sound of that beeping. He also found himself to be exceedingly cold. He opened his eyes to find that it was much brighter in the hospital wing this time - it must be during the day. Though which day it was, he had no idea. He looked down, and was embarrassed to find his body bare. His sheet had been piled between his legs, with the top of it covering his more private areas. For the first time, he saw the extent of his injuries; he didn't remember getting shot that many times.

"I'm going to need you to calm down." came a voice. He looked up to see the woman from earlier - Laura. Her long, dark hair was tied back, and her green eyes were on his wounds rather than him. "The higher your heart rate goes, the more blood you lose. Lose too much and you die." she said everything very matter-of-factly, which only served to make him more nervous.

"Where am I? Where is my sister?" he asked, going to sit up. She shoved him back down with a strength that he did not expect.

"Calm down." she said in perfect Russian. Pietro hesitated.

"I am not Russian." he replied, also in Russian. He noticed that she was cleaning his wounds, really digging in with long cotton swabs.

"But you speak Russian." she pointed out.

"Yes." he replied.

"What are you then?" she asked, switching back to English.

"Sokovian." he answered slowly. His accent sounded thick, even to his own ears. She nodded, as if that were her next guess.

"You are in the Xavier Institute. You were brought here after the event with Ultron nine days ago. I don't know where your sister is, but I assume the Professor is trying to contact her." she said.

"And who are you?" he questioned.

"My name is Laura. I'm not your actual nurse, but Jean is gone on a diplomatic mission and the girl who normally covers for her couldn't deal with the extent of your wounds. Seeing bone bothers some people."

"And you are okay with it?"

"I've seen a lot of blood in my day."

"That's terrifying."

"So I've been told."

He was frustrated. This woman was giving him answers, yes, but basic ones. He wanted to know what the Xavier Institute was, where it was, and where Wanda was. Instead he got this woman with a cold bedside manner that was digging into his wounds as if it were an every day occurrence to be laying antibiotic ointment on muscles and bones (at least she had been kind enough to administer a local anesthetic). Not to mention he was essentially naked in front of her.

"I know I'm not helpful. I was hoping Doc would be here when you woke up. Give me five minutes to finish up and he can give you some real answers."

"Why are you helping me?" he asked. Ever since their parents died, no one had helped Wanda and Pietro. He didn't want to trust these people, but he had no choice for the time being.

"I told you, no one else could handle how bad your wounds are." she said shortly, pulling the sheet over his legs and up over his abdomen. "But I will say, we have more in common than I thought."

"What?" he asked. She snapped her gloves off, touching the part of his forearm that had been tattooed with a number upon his and Wanda's arrival at Strucker's base.

"Being an experiment." she said, grabbing his chart from the foot of his bed. Before he could say anything in return, she turned sharply, turning his lights off and walking away. She had given him answers, but he felt as if he had nothing but more questions.

Pietro went to sit up, but once again was taken aback by the pain going through him. He looked to his right - the PICC line was still inserted. He took a deep breath and tried to calm down. These people had not harmed him (yet), and even if they planned to, at least they were tending to his wounds first. He heard footsteps coming through the hospital wing, and soon the furry blue man stood in front of him. Even wearing a lab coat and glasses, he was still terrifying. He was much bigger than anticipated, looking more like a beast than a human. He heard his heart rate spike with apprehension, but he willed it back down. The man gave him a hesitant smile.

"Hello there, my name is Dr. Hank McCoy." he said in a gentle manner. Pietro felt a little guilty; obviously this man was used to people being afraid of him at first sight. "Can you tell me your name?"

"Pietro. Pietro Maximoff." he said. Hank nodded.

"Good, your orientation is returning. I'm sure you have a lot of questions about the current state of affairs." Hank continued, pulling a chart out of his lab coat and setting it on the bed.

"Where is my sister?" Pietro asked, his priorities shifting.

"Your sister is at the Avengers complex. She is alive and well. However, she does not know about you just yet."

"Why not?" he asked, angry. She was his twin, his other half - she must have been worried sick not knowing where he was. Unless… "She doesn't know I'm alive?"

"Not yet. We weren't sure if you were going to make it." Dr. McCoy explained. Pietro let out a loud swear in his native tongue.

"She must know! She must feel it." he said, holding his hand to his heart. His movements were slow, and felt unnatural. Dr. McCoy let out a sigh.

"A lot has changed since Ultron." he said softly.

"Enlighten me then." Pietro spat out. He was grateful for these people's help, but he was concerned for his sister. How could they not let her know he was fighting for his life? She would have been there for him. She could have helped.

"Your sister's powers aren't fully under control. If she had to watch you die again…to bring her with you, under this high stress situation, could have ended with devastation. For everyone. It was what was best at the time." Hank said.

"You do not know what's best for us." Pietro retorted.

"Perhaps not. But I must protect my people as well." Hank continued, as if Pietro wasn't acting like a petulant child. "Agent Fury contacted me after your retreat from Sokovia. They have advanced technology, yes, but not experience with what they call 'enhanced beings'. People such as yourself, or your sister, or Captain Rogers."

"Like the woman cleaning my wounds." Pietro added. His anger was fading, and his curiosity was taking over.

"Yes, like Laura. In fact, this is a sanctuary for those born with enhancements. They have not made it onto the media's radar yet - thanks to the Avengers - but they will. So this safe house was built. Obviously I am one such enhanced, and have spent my life developing medical techniques to cater to them. The experiments that were performed on you and your sister altered your DNA, putting this more under my expertise rather than Dr. Cho's."

"And you just take in charity cases when SHIELD calls?" he asked. Dr. McCoy shrugged.

"It give me an opportunity to help someone in need. Since the full manifestation of my enhancements, I have been unable to classically practice medicine. My patients now only come with very special referrals." he explained. Pietro nodded, then shook his head. They were getting off topic.

"When can I leave? When can I see my sister?" he asked. Hank nodded, pulling over a chair and sitting down before pulling over the chart he had put down earlier. He flipped through a few pages, adjusting his glasses so he could read.

"'Patient wounds mostly contain red granulation tissue, with no signs of necrosis or infection. Patient demonstrates increased rate of healing with shallow, superficial wounds, but increased regeneration has yet to be shown in deeper wounds healing by secondary intent. These wounds are currently healing at a rate normal to unenhanced humans, though are expected to improve soon.'" Dr. McCoy read. "Let's see here…core temperature and heart rate steadily increasing, breathing rate normalizing, ECG readings normalizing…"

"Who wrote that? What does it mean?" Pietro interrupted.

"Laura wrote it. It means that right now your wounds are healing, but your powers have yet to reactivate. Once they do and we see that the wounds are closing normally, then Agent Fury will be contacted and you will return to the Avengers and your sister." Hank said.

"Why can't I feel my sister anymore? In my mind?" Pietro asked. This was really his main concern. They had always been close, but after Strucker's experiments, they had been literally connected at the mind thanks to Wanda's powers. His head felt empty now, echoing with only his own thoughts. Hank flipped a few more pages in the chart.

"'Mr. Maximoff shows signs of a telepathic link with another enhanced. However the ties have been severed…' The note goes on to specify that you may experience symptoms of anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder."

"You sure know how to cheer someone up." Pietro deadpanned. He suddenly felt exhausted. He had forgotten what it was like, healing without his powers. He recalled a time when he was eight, and broke his arm falling from a tree. Even though this pain was worse now, the exhaustion was the same.

"For now, you must rest. If you have any more questions, let me know." he said, pointing to the red call button on his bed. With one last nod, the doctor got up, turning to leave.

"Hey Doctor?" Pietro asked. Hank stopped, turning back to him.

"Yes?" he said.

"Thank you." he finished, giving a small smile. Hank returned the smile, showing his sharp teeth.

"Not a problem. Rest now." he said, turning and leaving. Pietro's mind was still buzzing with questions, each passing too fast to hold on to. He took that as a good sign - his mind was always running ever since the experiments started. But he forced them to quiet down, focusing on a lullaby his mother used to sing and willing himself to sleep.

He couldn't remember the last time he dreamed. He knew it was before the experiments started, but couldn't pinpoint it exactly. He still wasn't able to dream - fully dream - at this moment, but he was beginning to. Pictures flashed through his mind, almost too quickly to comprehend. He saw the Avengers, Sokovia, Ultron. He saw Strucker, his sister, and a pair of deadly green eyes.

He was pulled from the dream (if it could even be called that) by intense pain close to his right shoulder. His vision was blurry when his eyes snapped open, but he could make out the form of someone standing over him. His hand shot out, grabbing onto their arm. His cells were buzzing - his super speed was returning. The figure froze.

"Let. Go." she said sternly. Pietro blinked a few times, Laura's face slowly coming into focus. He looked to his shoulder to find that the tape from his PICC line had been taken off, and she was in the process of removing the line. He relinquished his hold on her forearm, laying back and trying to relax.

"You could have woken me up first." he deadpanned. She shrugged.

"Thought you'd be a deeper sleeper." she replied, slowly pulling the line out. He could feel the sting as the line slid through the opening in his skin, but he showed no sign of pain. This wasn't the first time he'd experienced it, and probably not the last. Once the line was completely out, she laid it on a side table, covering the insertion site on his chest with the proper bandages. "It looks like your enhancements are returning, your wounds are showing signs of advanced healing." she said, taking out a measuring tape and measuring the line to ensure it was removed in its entirety.

"And what do you know of enhanced healing?" he asked. Now that his strength was returning, his snark was also coming back.

"Well I did regrow my own arm once." she said nonchalantly, snapping her gloves off and gathering all the supplies she had used. "Go back to sleep. Doc's gonna run a bunch of tests in the morning."

"Wait-" he tried to stop her as she walked out, but she didn't heed his call. He pushed himself out of the bed, following after her. "Would you stop?"

"What?" she asked, stopping and turning to face him. He didn't expect such an abrupt movement from her, and he suddenly found himself standing very close to her. He felt uncomfortable at the closeness, but she simply gazed at him with mild curiosity. He took a step back.

"Who are you?" he asked lamely. When Dr. McCoy had introduced himself, Pietro had not felt much nervousness. The man was big and intimidating, yes, but he had kind eyes. This woman's eyes weren't malicious, but they were guarded. In fact, she constantly seemed guarded.

"I already told you my name is Laura." she said with a confused tone, though she seemed uncomfortable saying it. He opened his mouth to ask another question (trying to pick one out of the hundreds flowing through his mind), but was interrupted by a stern voice.

"Mr. Maximoff! You should not be up right now." Dr. McCoy chastised, walking down the hall towards him. He turned to Laura, who held her hands up in a show of innocence.

"Sorry, Doctor." Pietro said, anxiety creeping into his heart. The back of his mind tickled with memories of other doctors who were not very forgiving if they were disobeyed.

"That's alright, son. Come now, you've got to rest up. That's the only way to get your powers going again." he said calmly, directing Pietro back to his bed. He turned to look back at Laura, but she was already gone.

"I do not understand her." he said, walking back to his bed and climbing in.

"Not many do." Dr. McCoy replied, pulling Pietro's gown down to inspect the PICC line site.

"She said she underwent experimentation too." he persisted as the doctor examined his bullet wounds. Besides his sister and Captain Rogers, he had never met anyone else who survived experimentation. "Did they cut her arm off? How did she heal it back?" A memory of his first moments at the Institute resurfaced. "Does she always carry knives?"

Dr. McCoy chuckled. "Yes, she always carries knives." he said, as if laughing at a private joke. "But I'm afraid if you want answers to your questions, they are best found at the source."

"She's kind of scary." Pietro said, eyebrows raised.

"Oh, she's not so bad once you get to know her." the doctor replied with a grin, checking the last of his wounds. "I'm sure you've faced worse."

Pietro immediately thought of Ultron, with his goal to extinguish the human race. "You are not incorrect." he said.

"Anyway, now is not the time. You really do need your rest - I'm hoping to move you out of the Med Bay tomorrow if you're feeling well enough." he said, pulling the covers over Pietro's legs.

"So soon?" Pietro asked, though he wasn't complaining.

"Considering the rate your wounds are healing now, I feel comfortable moving you to a real bed. Of course there will be a battery of tests to complete tomorrow before I can medically clear you to be discharged from the Med Bay. But I'm sure you'll do splendidly." Dr. McCoy explained.

"Ah yes, wouldn't want me to sue you for negligence." Pietro responded with a smirk.

"Exactly. Alright Mr. Maximoff, rest up." the doctor replied, giving the boy a smile before turning and leaving him alone.

Pietro still didn't completely trust these people - after all, he'd been screwed over too many times in his life to trust quickly. But he ran the scenario through his head; these people were in contact with SHIELD, or whatever SHIELD was calling itself nowadays. Pietro knew the name Dr. McCoy had said earlier: Nick Fury. There had been a file on him in HYDRA, how he was an officer of SHIELD. But he was not under HYDRA, he was under the actual SHIELD, or what SHIELD was supposed to be, as Captain Rogers had pointed out. All signs were showing that these people were genuinely trying to help him. But he was still left with so many questions. Had the Avengers been contacted yet? He assumed at least a day had passed since he woke up, which was what…nine days after Ultron, according to Laura? Panic grew in him. He couldn't remember the last time he was apart from his sister for so long. Getting this medical treatment was nice, but his sister…his sister was all he had left in this world, the only thing that had been constant since their parents died all those years ago. His sister had been with him through their foster care nightmare, through running away with the vagabonds, and through all the experiments with Strucker. Every difficult part of his life, Wanda had been there. And now she wasn't.

He tried to push down the panic, but his heart continued to race erratically. His powers certainly were returning now, the burning impatience rolling through him. He went to sit up, and his head rushed with the sudden change in position. His muscles felt as if they were on fire. He stood up, aiming to take a slow walk around the long room to try and quiet himself. He took one step, then found himself at the wall. The room felt sweltering, a bead of sweat dripping down his back. His powers were resurfacing, all right. And they were treating him exactly as they had the first time.

Pietro took a step towards the back of the room, and again found himself ten steps from his start point. His wounds screamed at him with all the volatile movement. The first time this had happened, he had spent three days running around a cell until finally he was too exhausted to stay conscious. He took a few more speed steps, smiling to himself. Good thing he had recently been gravely injured, as that seemed to bring on the fatigue quicker than before. The speed was pulsating through him now at a steady rhythm as opposed to the random bursts. Yes, he was definitely gaining control much faster this time around.

"Mr. Maximoff, are you alright?" came a voice. Dr. McCoy had returned. Pietro idly realized that he must be making a lot of noise, running around this room.

"Fine." he answered, trying to sound lighthearted as he once again surged his speed over a short distance.

"I can give you a sedative." the doctor said. He sounded as if he were speaking slower. Pietro's head was pounding, his muscles aching. The speed was quieting, his heart rate returning to a normal rhythm. Sure, he was also seeing dark spots, but that was all part of the process.

"Just need to run it out." he said, making a few more dashes. His coordination was starting to fail. Good. He was getting tired.

"I really must insist you stop." Dr. McCoy said, trying to keep up with the boy's location. Pietro bounced off a wall, losing his balance for a moment.

"Almost there." he said. The spots were multiplying, his limbs feeling like lead. With one last wave, he made a lap of the room, bouncing into the corner. His vision was dark and blurred, his body aching. His heart rate slowed to his normal pace. A blue blur approached him - Dr. McCoy.

"All done?" he asked, sounding both perturbed and concerned.

"Uh huh." Pietro agreed, nodding his head. He felt drunk, and tired. His mind was swimming again, but pleasantly so.

"Let's get you back in bed then." was the doctor's response. Pietro tried to stand with him, but his legs would no longer hold him. Pain was painted all over his body, but he welcomed it. In spite of the discomfort, he was glad to see himself gain control. It felt like three minutes, or maybe three hours - but at least it was not three days.

"I'm getting better." he murmured as the doctor picked him up, carrying him to the hospital bed.

"Hopefully." the doctor replied. Pietro was sure he meant something about the running, but he felt fine. He felt tired. And that was a good feeling for someone in his position. "Please rest now." he said, tucking him in.

"You got it." he replied, his eyelids already drooping. He felt the monitors as the doctor placed them back on him, but he didn't mind them. Nothing could bother him at this point.

For now, it was time to sleep.

Whew! First chapter down!

If you don't mind, please take a moment to leave a comment and tell me what you think. If you're bored, you can check me out on tumblr under the username whindsor. Sometimes I post prompts or teasers. Mainly I just post things that I find funny, but whatever.

Thanks for reading!

-XM