Another End, Another Beginning

- - - - -

"Danny, let me go."

The arms around her back tightened at her words, before finally loosening and giving her lungs breathing room. Ana sighed out, and pulled back from the embrace the Iron Fist had given her. She needed a good nights rest and a warm meal. Ana would also appreciate the occasional hug from a close friend. Luke and Jess had parted ways with Danny and Ana, finding it uncomfortable to be in the same room with each other after Matt's death. They couldn't talk about it just yet. They needed time.

Ana was all out of time.

Never mind the people she would leave behind, her time on Earth was up. Any longer, and trouble will indefinitely find her. Big, badder, trouble. The kind that the world doesn't have the tolerance for. The kind that they can't even begin to imagine. Ana's plan was simple — get to the asshole who put a universal contract on her and end it. Whatever happens after that, if it finally gives her a break from all the fighting and running, it was all she could hope for right now.

"Sorry..." Danny murmured, fiddling with his tie. He was back in an expensive suit and keeping appearances as the CEO of Rand Enterprises. They were currently standing in front of the building, near the sidewalk. He tried to set Ana up with a ride, but she had ended the call and told him she would walk all the way to Greenwich Village. "I don't know what it is, but it sorta feels like it's the last time we're gonna see each other."

Ana nudged his elbow with her own. "I doubt that very much, Danny." She gave him a side smile, rocking side to side on her feet.

"Maybe it's the ominous feeling I've had since last night." Danny said.

"Sounds about right. I'm gonna take a little me time and go dark, so if you don't hear from me in a long time, it's because whatever I'm doing is working." Ana explained, before smirking. She had to have a little fun before she left. "That, or I'm dead."

Danny stepped back and opened his arms up, exasperated. He shook his head as she laughed. He didn't appreciate the daft response. "You see? This is why I don't want you to leave. If you're in some kind of trouble, talk to me. I will help you." He clutched her shoulders and shook her twice so she could stop fooling around and see how serious he was. "That's what best friends are for."

Ana pursed her lips. "I promise, Danny, I've got it. And I should really get going." She tilted her head towards the road, silently telling him she had to leave soon.

"I know." Danny nodded, breathing out heavy through his nose. "Just don't die, please?"

Ana simply smiled.

"I'm hard to kill."

"That should do it."

Ana had her shiny gold Sling Ring in her palm, staring at it with one eye closed and hand raised in the air so the light that shone through the Anomaly Rue hit the object. Stephen had stepped beside her, just now noticing she had entered the Sanctum. He also noticed the minor bruising around her eyes, and had to stop himself from commenting how much she looked like death.

"Where are you going?" Stephen asked, perplexed by her vagueness.

Ana faced him fully, and slid the ring onto her fingers, before curling them all into her palms, leaving them hanging by her sides. "I'm going to take a trip. The longer I stay, the more danger I draw here." She stated, rubbing small circles against her lower back when it went stiff.

Stephen clicked his tongue. "Are you going to let yourself heal first before you dive into danger?"

"I'm standing, right? Which means I can fight." Ana replied, before nodding once and stepping forward, trying to leave the room. The Cloak of Levitation wrapped around her ankle, halting her movements. She glanced down at it, and tugged, then looked to Stephen when it didn't budge.

"Ana, slow down." He began. "Don't rush into anythin-"

"Stephen, let me go." Ana said forcefully, feeling like she had said it for the hundredth time.

"Let's talk this through." Stephen tried again.

Ana grabbed the cloak, and gripped it tightly. She didn't want to waste time. She had to visit others before leaving. "I'm done talking." Ana wrenched the material from her legs and stepped away from him. "I'm taking the fight to the big guys, and I don't care what happens after that as long as this ends. I've been hiding under the truth for a long time, and it's about time I start acting like the person I'm meant to be. There is nothing that can help me here. Everything I'm looking for is in the stars."

"But you don't have to do it alone." Stephen stressed, edging forward.

Ana took a step back. "Yes. This, I do. It's too dangerous for anyone else."

"This is suicide!" Stephen cried out, surprising Ana from the volume of his voice. It boomed throughout the library, causing Ana to stiffen slightly. "You know that, right?"

Ana shook her head, removing the doubt from her face. "It doesn't have to be. As long as my strength never fails, I can do anything."

"Being a powerhouse doesn't mean all of your problems are simple to destroy." Stephen responded, exasperated. "You've got to be smart about this. Think!" He exclaimed, using his index finger to point to his temple.

"This is all I've thought about since I've come back from the alternate earth." Ana bit out, breathing heavily. Stephen paused, and Ana used that time to turn on her heels and leave the room. Before she could turn the corner, his next words left her cold.

"Ana... you're going to die!"

Ana ran a hand through her hair, and faced him again. She clenched her jaw. "You wanna elaborate on that?"

"I've been having these dreams lately. They began the second you told me you were a demigod. It's always a blur, but what's clear is that your life is in danger." Stephen said.

"Dreams don't determine the future, Strange. Here and now, that does. See you 'round." Ana weakly waved a hand, and left, not looking back.

"Ana-"

Over her shoulder, Ana replied.

"I'll come back! I always do, Stephen!"

Ana headed for a pay phone. She dug around in her pocket for some loose change before inserting the coins and dialling a number. She pinned the phone between her ear and shoulder, grabbing the overhead threshold of the booth while it rang. She looked out, cautious of the dangers New York would bring when the sun went down. She felt that she needed to guard it for him. For Matt. There was still a part of her that believed he made it out. And hopefully, with Elektra.

"Hello?"

Ana frowned when the teenage boy on the other end of the call sounded groggy. "Peter?"

There was a brief pause before a relieved gasp. "Oh god... you're okay! Where have you been? I've been trying to get ahold of Tony when I saw your apartment!"

"The earthquake tore it apart." Ana covered without understanding why. It was a natural instinct to make the situation, her situation, less complicated. "I had cut my stomach with a knife and went to the hospital. There was a wait because of other civilians that needed more attention, but I'm fine. So don't call Tony."

"Are you sure? Tell me where you are and I'll swing right over."

"Pete... I'm okay. I gotta go, my call won't last for long, but I need to take care of something before I can come back home. And Peter, I will come back."

"You promise?"

"I promise, buddy."

Ana placed the phone back on the box and rested her forehead against the threshold of the telephone booth. She needed to believe that the mission she would embark on will be easy. And that she would come back home safely. She couldn't not go. This way, she didn't have to worry about bounty hunters tearing through innocents to get to her. It was a decision that was easy to make because... well that's what Ana wants, to protect life. She needs to, otherwise she would become the very thing Hydra wanted her to be from the beginning. A weapon meant to be used. Ana had a higher calling. A life in the stars. It was about time she started to embrace it rather then run away.

And with embracing the galaxies, came the burden of becoming an automatic rival of many of the alien species.

"Next stop..."

With a quick portal, Ana was back at the place where it all began. The old Avengers Tower. She didn't have a clue as to who owned it now. But there were whispers that said Reed Richards, a well know genius, had acquired the space. The building that had been directly below the portal to another world. The portal Loki had used to bring in the Chitauri. As she stood on the sidewalk in the middle of the night, she just kept her eyes on the sky above, thinking. Imagining. Questioning.

What if the Battle of New York never happened?

A lot would be different. The whole world would be different. She would be different. But in a way, she was kind of glad it did go down. Entirely because she would have never been assembled into the finest team of all time, and she wouldn't have the relationships she did now, then. Everything changed for Ana. Family was a huge factor. She lost a false mother and father, while also learning who her true parents really were. The small friend circle she had in the beginning grew, and she had the pleasure of calling some of the most amazing people in the whole multiverse her friends. Ana had Bucky. A man she never knew she could feel so strongly for and connected to.

While Ana was lost in the skies, she didn't acknowledge the figure in red and black come up behind her. He didn't speak at first when he noticed the stationary woman gazing at the night sky, and assumed she was looking for something. He stopped beside her and tried to follow her line of sight, placing his thumb and index finger under his chin as he did so.

"Are you trying to find the Silver Surfer or something?"

Ana let out a little yelp, startled by the man standing next to her casually. She did a quick check, and counted two katanas, pistols, and some type of wrap in the hand that wasn't against his chin. She stepped back out of hostility, and curled her hand into a fist.

"Who are you?"

He extended his hand and smiled under the mask. "Pool. Dead. Again, what are you looking for?" Deadpool lifted his hand and placed it over his eyes, craning his neck to face the sky.

"None of your concern... Deadpool? Really?" Ana stifled a laugh when he jutted out his behind.

"Captain Deadpool seemed a little silly." He pathetically tried to eat through the mask, before grunting and tossing the food in a nearby trash can. "So, Tonkin, why are you up so late and standing in the middle of New York?"

Ana squinted at the name, but shrugged. "One last look before I leave, I guess."

"Don't tell me you're heading to Fox. We're in it together now." Deadpool tried to wrap an arm around her shoulders, and backed away coyly when she threw him a look.

"No, I'm- wait, what am I doing?" Ana lifted a hand to her head. She inhaled deeply, before sighing. "Talking to a complete stranger dressed up in a onesie. Do you have a permit to carry those anyway?" She pointed at the weapons he carried.

"Do you have one for those?" Wade countered, grabbing her hands and bringing them up to her field of vision.

Ana wrenched her hands away, "Hey, how 'bout you continue walking? I got some place to be, Pool."

"Say hi to Cable for me, will ya?" Wade cheered.

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Ana replied.

"You don't, but they do." Wade pointed to you, making Ana look around, curious as to who he was gesturing to.

"Are you high?" She concluded.

"I don't do drugs. Hugs are the better alternative." That was when Wade ignored her personal bubble and attacked her with a hug, lifting her off the ground.

Ana was surprised, and swatted his shoulder, pulling away from his completely. "Get off me." She bit out.

"There you go." His eyes widened. "You looked like you needed one."

"Yeah? And what do I look like now?" Ana hardened her eyes, staring at him.

"I'd say you look pretty pissed. I'll go ahead and show myself out of this fiction. Got a second movie to promote anyways." Deadpool said.

Ana watched him leave with a skip in his step, scoffing lightly at his immaturity. She wasn't sure he was safe to be around other people, but there weren't as much around at this time of night. She ignored the way he belted out the theme song to My Little Pony, and turned around.

"Weirdo."

- - -

Ana was sitting on the edge of one of the tallest buildings in the Avengers Facility, watching over the rest of it. She had everything she might need on her adventure packed. She didn't think to pack more when a possibility could be death by the hands of a Mad Titan. Just the thought of him made her want to throw a truck into a building. So much has happened since the Avengers were first assembled. Aliens, Gods, Hydra, Ultron, Sorcerers, Celestials, the Black Order, the Sentinel. It seemed as if every time a life threatening disaster appeared and was defeated, another would pop up out of thin air and try to enforce their twisted will on the world. Ana was just about fed up. Heroes would rise to protect and create a better world, then something comes to break it all down. Lately though, she had been getting the feeling that everything the heroes had worked so hard for will be destroyed with a flick of a wrist.

Ana shook her head. She couldn't think that way. "No," She whispered. "Don't forget about the idea. Hope."

Ana retrieved an electronic device she had on her and dialled the number she knew all to well. She waited once the ringing started before pressing it to her ear. There was a brief message followed by a tone, and Ana glanced up at the sky, and spoke in a light voice,

"Hey, bud. It's me, Ana. How's everyone? Good, I hope. There's something I gotta get off my chest, and you're probably not gonna like where it's going. Something is coming. And soon. I got the feeling it's been looming around for a while now. Waiting. Just over the horizon. When the time comes, we're gonna need people and a lot of 'em. We gotta get bigger. Doesn't matter what we do now... that is the endgame. Our final showdown. It's gonna be too much for just a single team of heroes. There needs to be a unity. More Avengers. More Guardians. More Masters. Just... more. And we need leaders. The ones who will guide us into battle. The people I have in mind to unite are all over the place. They're all living different lives, coping with their own problems, probably hiding away from the world 'cause they've had enough of it. But once there's a whiff of danger to our world, I'm sure they'll assemble. If not for them, for the rest of us. The little guys. That's the dream. That's the hope. And I can tell you that I'll be here, ready and waiting. This is my life. It's what I do. I'll fight until my last breath. Until no one else is standing. Because I know... I know that it will all be worth it in the end. So, Steve... when the time comes, can I count on you to say those two words and lead us into a brilliant battle? I know I can, Cap... because I've always believed in you since I was a kid, and-"

Ana wanted to say more, but the line beeped, and the grip she had on the phone twitched. She couldn't stop herself as the device crumbled in her palm. She didn't move. She just stared as the pieces descended to the ground. It felt like she was frozen in time. And it was agonising. She felt too much, too soon. Like a flood of emotions that she couldn't force away. She had never felt so vulnerable and raw. Who knew leaving a message would cause her to break down?

Maybe it was because it could very well be the last she would ever leave.

"Hey, Girl Wonder, wanna get down from there?"

Ana looked down at Tony, standing on the lawn with his hands on his hips and his head tilted upwards. Happy was behind him, talking to somebody on the phone looking particularly impatient. She inched forward and Tony watched as she latched onto the metal framework of the building, climbing down. She didn't want to use a portal to get down, or jump, knowing it probably wouldn't end well. She approached the grinning Iron Man, opening her mouth to say something, about leaving, but the shimmering gold on his left hand, or more specifically his ring finger, made her gasp.

Tony smirked and twiddled his fingers as she gently clutched his wrist to get a better look at the engagement ring. "Oh, my... Tony, you're getting married?" Ana smiled wide, looking the man in front of her.

"There's no date set, but yeah, Pepper and I tied the knot in front of the media. I'm pretty sure you were only person on Earth who didn't know about it till now." Tony informed her, accepting the hug she gave him. Ana wrapped her arms around him, glancing at Happy, now realising he was trying to get ahold of the catering company.

"Congratulations, Tony. I wish you and Pepper a lifetime of happiness." Ana told him, pulling away.

Tony did look different. It was like getting Pepper back made him whole again. And Ana was immensely glad. The sudden news as it seemed made her once pounding heart flutter with every smile she gave him.

"There's going to be an engagement party in five weeks, and I hope you'll be there." Tony sent her a side smile. Ana frowned suddenly. She didn't want to miss the celebration. Tony was excited about it, and she didn't want to ruin his mood by disappearing. She knew he would want all of his friends to come, those who weren't on the run. And to be brutally honest, there wasn't much available to attend a party.

Ana nodded. "Of course, Tone. You can count on me." She swallowed thickly, only thinking one thing. I hope I can count on myself, she thought. The last thing she wanted was to disappoint Tony.

Tony sniffed, raising his head slightly. "I know. I always do."

Ana bit her lip, feeling the tension behind her eyes start up. She reached for him, enveloping him in another embrace. It was her way of saying see you on the other side. Suddenly, Tony's phone started ringing against his chest, and he pulled back to answer it. Ana stood, unsure of what to do while he spoke into it. She analysed the way his face went stoic, and she let herself listen in on the other end of the call, recognising Ross' angry voice.

"Stark, there's an unidentified aircraft above Atlantic Ocean. Is this you?"

"Nope, you would've known if it was. What are the coordinates? I'll do a fly by and check it out."

Ana turned slowly, keeping her focus on the latitude and longitude Ross recited, before rolling her eyes when he barked at Tony to get to the aircraft at this second. She checked the Skrull transmitter, sighing at the familiar red dot on the map. Tony didn't respond and instead hung up when Ross was still talking, asking Happy to bring the car around. When he spun to face Ana, his words fell short when she wasn't in his view anymore. He looked around, confused.

"Where's the little lady?"

"Oh, look at that..."