CHAPTER 19: CHAPTER 019: SCARLET WITCH, BURNING WITH PASSION! NATASHA ARRIVES!

Once the crisis was over, Lorien hadn’t expected Wanda to suddenly throw her arms around him. What surprised him even more was that, even after what he’d just said, she didn’t let go—instead, she held him tighter.

Uh... what?

He was momentarily stunned, but then he noticed something different in her. Her emotions were intense—a mix of rebirth, excitement, exhilaration, gratitude... and something far warmer.

Guiding her toward a quiet, empty corner, Lorien lowered his head and glanced at the Scarlet Witch nestled against his chest.

"Wanda, you—"

Before he could finish, she tilted her head up and closed the distance. Their foreheads touched, and a faint, wet sound followed.

Until...

The wail of approaching sirens reached them.

In the darkened corner, they parted with a breathless gasp. There was no light here, yet it felt like flames burned in both their eyes. Wanda’s breathing was quick from the lack of air.

Lorien reached up, brushing his fingers over her cheek, then used his sleeve to wipe the corner of her mouth.

"There’s still plenty of time," he murmured. "We have all the time in the world. But for now, we should head out, Miss Witch."

Her hand came up to cover his, her fingers pressing against the warmth of his palm as she nodded softly.

"Mm..."

...

Out on the street, several police cars pulled up to the scene. From one of them stepped Agent Natasha Romanoff and New York Police Commissioner George Stacy—Gwen Stacy’s father.

Natasha walked over to a cluster of manholes, her gaze sweeping over the scattered mutant rat corpses and the cars weighing down the covers.

"Who handled this?" she asked, brows knitting. "And where are they now?"

George scanned the surroundings, then joined a few officers in questioning nearby witnesses. When he returned, he gave his report.

"Agent Romanoff, it was a woman in a tight suit who could shoot webs, along with another woman wielding scarlet magic. We don’t yet know the identity of the spider woman, but the magic user seemed to be the Scarlet Witch."

Natasha’s eyes narrowed slightly.

The Scarlet Witch? She’d just seen Lorien escort Wanda home—how would she have ended up back here? And working with an unfamiliar superpowered ally to resolve the situation?

Was this really the Scarlet Witch they knew?

As Natasha considered the implications, Wanda and Lorien stepped out from the shadows nearby.

"Natasha."

Wanda called out as she approached. "The situation’s under control, but the mutant rats are still under the manhole covers. We need to get people here quickly to deal with them."

Natasha’s gaze shifted briefly to Lorien, who had come out alongside Wanda. She then nodded to Wanda.

"I’ve already contacted agents and the police to handle the rest. But I still need you to confirm the sequence of events."

Wanda nodded, stepping to Natasha’s side and addressing a nearby officer whose body camera was recording.

"I was driving into the area when I heard panicked screams from the crowd, so I rushed over..."

She recounted the entire incident from start to finish—carefully omitting any mention of Lorien.

From a short distance away, Lorien gave an approving nod to himself. Nice save.

By the time she reached the part where Spider-Woman had left, Wanda explained that she had gone to check the surrounding area for any remaining mutant rats. She most certainly did not say she’d gone to the corner to kiss Lorien—that was just the thought running through her head.

When her account was complete, George Stacy and the other officers returned to their duties, while Natasha led Wanda a few steps aside.

"Who was that Spider-Woman?" Natasha asked.

"I don’t know," Wanda replied with a shake of her head.

Natasha raised a brow.

"She joined in out of nowhere," Wanda explained. "I was halfway through clearing the rats when they suddenly started swarming again. She jumped in to help me, and together we wiped them out. When she saw the police cars getting close, she just shot out a web and left."

Natasha gave a small nod, already speculating.

"Maybe New York’s got a new superpowered individual. I’ll let Tony know—he can use his tech to find out who she is."

Wanda nodded. That was someone else’s problem, not hers.

She glanced toward Lorien, then turned back to Natasha.

"Can I go now?"

Natasha looked at Wanda, then over at Lorien watching from a short distance away, before answering.

"What happened today isn’t a small thing. It’s already hit the New York news. If possible, I’d like you to work with us on this. But I won’t force you, Wanda. The choice is yours."

With Natasha putting it that way, Wanda knew it was best for a superhero to keep a low profile for now. She gave a disappointed nod, stealing another glance at Lorien before saying,

"Then I’ll just go talk to Lorien, and I’ll be back."

Natasha blinked.

Really, Wanda? You’re a superhero. Acting like a lovestruck schoolgirl doesn’t exactly scream "heroic."