"Punkin' pass your father a towel," Tamara said, passing Mallory a small hand towel. "He done went to the grill, no towel, no nothin'."

"Sounds like him," Mallory chuckled, walking out of the sliding glass door to the backyard. The annual Rambeau family barbecue was always the event that was the most looked forward to in the Rambeau family; immediate and extended.

Music was blaring throughout the house and the backyard as various aunts, uncles, cousins, and family friends were mingling and enjoying each other's company.

"Once it's charred like this here, that's how you know it's done," Louis said to Levi, who was standing next to him at the grill. Levi wasn't grilling, that torch hadn't been passed to him. But he was allowed to watch and get pointers from his father-in-law.

"Right," Levi nodded, sipping on a beer. He looked around the yard, seeing Ryan and Javicia playing with other kids in the pool. One of the other kids, Maya, sat at the table closest to the pool, head resting on her hand, watching the other kids play. She'd just been given a breathing treatment, so she wasn't able to play yet. Ryan noticed her boredom, and got out of the pool to sit with her.

Those two were about as close as Mallory and Monica. "Twin cousins," they called themselves. The two girls weren't even actually related, but you couldn't tell either of them that. They were the same age, Maya being younger by a month and a half. Ryan looked out for Maya as if they were sisters, even though Maya had siblings of her own.

Levi smiled, seeing Ryan playing hand games with Maya, keeping an eye on her until one of her parents were able to sit with her.

"I'm surprised you're actually telling him your secrets," Mallory said, handing Louis the towel. "You didn't even tell DJ any of this." Louis kissed the side of Mallory's head as a thank you.

"That's 'cause DJ gon' mess somethin' up," Louis said. "You know that boy don't need to be around nothin' that can catch fire." He gave a wheezy chuckle. Everyone knew DJ could not be trusted in the kitchen, or the grill, or the microwave for that matter. He's had one too many incidents with burnt bowls and instant noodles with no water in them.

"Fair," Mallory said.

"Y'all not gon' keep talkin' 'bout my baby, now," Deidre, a family friend, walked up to the grill. She and her family have been friends with the Rambeaus since Mal and Monica were kids in the '90s. Deidre turned to Louis and Levi. "Mind if I steal her for a bit? Duty calls." Deidre and Mallory worked at S.H.I.E.L.D. together. Though she'd been retired for years since having her kids, Deidre came out of retirement last year, helping the Avengers clean up any remaining Hydra base.

Mallory groaned. "But, I didn't eat yet," she whined. "Can't it wait?" Deidre shook her head. Mal groaned. "Fine." Whatever she was needed for better had been extremely important. She was missing out on her dad's ribs for it. Mallory never missed out on her daddy's ribs.

Mallory and Deidre bid their goodbyes to their families and their children and headed to Deidre's car. "I just wanted food," Mal whined.

"Me too," Deidre said, starting the car. "But, the Avengers need you." Mal perked up, hearing Avengers.

"What for?" Mallory asked.

"Nothin' too big," Deidre said. "One of the new recruits need trainin'." She handed Mallory a tablet and pulled off.

Mallory scrolled through the file, briefly reading parts of it. "They can't train this girl themselves?" They were superheroes, emphasis on the super. They should have the tech and experience to train someone. Why'd they need her?

"Well, none of them have had contact with an other-worldly object that altered their genetic makeup, giving them powers," Deidre told her. "Nobody but you."

The trainee in question was a woman named Wanda Maximoff. She discovered her abilities after having direct physical contact with Loki's scepter. Her abilities consisted of telepathy, telekinesis, mental manipulation, and acute reality warping.

"She really has nobody else, huh?" Mal looked down at the file. "Damn. Parents gone, brother just died."

"Yeah, might wanna go easy on that girl," Deidre said. "She was able to shake up the Avengers on her own. All she needs is a bit of polishing, that's all."

"Wow," Mallory huffed. "How bad was it?" Deidre was the only person the Avengers, mainly Bruce, trusted to handle Hulk if he ever got out of control.

Deidre smiled. "I'm currently sitting at sixteen bouquets of flowers as an apology for hitting me.  He didn't even hit me. It was a push out of the way of Tony's little mechanical contingency plan."

Mallory laughed as the two women made their way to the Avengers compound. Going inside, Deidre found Miranda holding a large bouquet of flowers with a grin.

"I'm assuming those are for me?" Deidre asked. Miranda laughed as Deidre took the bouquet. "Any more of these, and my office is gon' turn into a greenhouse."

"I wish I had a man that would do that for me," Miranda mused. "Girl, you are so lucky. Tell Bruce I like flowers, too. You weren't the only one with a traumatic Hulk experience."

Deidre and Mal chuckled. "I'll be sure to tell him when I see him," she said, walking away from the woman. She shook her head and gave a soft smile. Truth was, the woman hadn't seen or heard from Bruce since Sokovia, which was over a month ago. She had no idea where he was, if he was okay.

"Oh good, you're here," Tony clapped, seeing Mal. The two embraced, Tony taking note of the flowers Deidre had in her hands. He furrowed his brows. "What's that, number fifteen?"

Deidre hummed, continuing down the hall with Rhodey. "Seventeen," she corrected. "James, get the door for me."

"What are you, a florist?" Rhodey asked, opening the door to Deidre's office.

"Come on," Tony told Mal, bringing her attention back to why she was brought here in the first place. "She's in here." Tony led Mallory into a room used for training.

On one of the benches sat a young woman. Brown skin, curly hair, green eyes. Various bangles decorated her forearms, and she wore a red corset-like outfit. She sat alone, fidgeting with the many rings lining her fingers.

"Wanda," Tony called. The woman lifted her head at the mention of her name, seeing Mal and Tony walking over to her. Wanda stood, bracelets clinking together as her arms moved. "Since nobody else here can do what you do, we brought in someone to make all of our lives a little easier."

"Mallory Rambeau-Forbes," Mal introduced, holding her hand out for Wanda to shake.

"Wanda Maximoff." Upon shaking Wanda's hand, Mal felt foreign energy pass through her. A faint red haze made its way to the edges of her line of vision. At once, hundreds of questions danced around in her mind. Yet, none of the thoughts were her own.

Looking at Wanda, Mal could see swirls of her own blue energy dance around in Wanda's eyes. The two dropped their hands and the light show in their eyes ceased. What the hell was that?

AUTHOR'S NOTE

Alright, I know a couple of the names in this story are a bit unfamiliar, but that's because I've decided to have Take A Slice be a part of a series of stories! This story takes place a bit further down the road, in terms of stories in the series, but idc, we're writing out of order today.

I hope you enjoy!!