Revealed

- - - - -

"There's your brother."

Ana pointed out T'Challa at the front of the main conference room to Shuri as they both walked inside. They found seats right at the back just as the lights dimmed. Photographers began capturing this ultimate moment in history, with the flashes illuminating the King of Wakanda as he looked around at each representative of over one hundred countries. All eyes were on T'Challa, as he took his place behind the podium.

Shuri put away her phone, and leaned closer to Ana to whisper, "I am very proud of him. He's come so far in such a short time." She smiled.

Ana glanced down at her, patting her arm. "He's a good man, and there's no doubt in my mind that he will be a good King. Just like I know you'd be an awesome Queen when it's your time."

Shuri smirked to herself. "You know it."

"My name is King T'Challa." T'Challa introduced. His voice was strong, loud, and it drew everyone's attention. "Son of King T'Chaka. I am the sovereign ruler of the nation of Wakanda. And for the first time in our history we will be sharing our knowledge and resources with the outside world. Wakanda will no longer watch from the shadows. We cannot. We must not. We will work to be an example of how we as brothers and sisters on this Earth should treat each other. Now, more than ever... the illusions of division threaten our very existence. We all know the truth. More connects us than separates us. But in times of crisis, the wise build bridges, while the foolish build barriers. We must find a way to look after one another as if we were one, single tribe." He finished.

Ana and Shuri nodded, smiling at the King. They were witnessing history being made.

"With all due respect, King T'Challa... what can a nation of farmers have to offer the rest of the world?" A man questioned, causing a fluctuation of murmurs to spread throughout the room.

T'Challa glanced around, a small smile making it's way onto his face. He let out a slight chuckle as the flashes of cameras began picking up.

Ana shook her head side to side when her eyes fluttered. She lifted a hand to her suddenly warm head, and frowned deeply, feeling another wave of Amora's hex. She got to her feet as T'Challa began responding to a few questions, unable to acknowledge Shuri's questioning, and stumbled out of the auditorium, shutting the doors behind her. She fell against them, becoming flustered all of a sudden. She reached up to loosen the neckline of her shirt, chest heaving for breath.

Ana's vision clouded with green as another rapid sequence of memories flashed through her mind. She groaned when her head began to throb, feeling as it her brain was going to explode, and clutched her skull, walking towards the bathroom opposite the hallway. Once inside, she used the walls for support when her legs felt like jelly. She gripped onto a sink, and tried to look into the mirror. The green smoke over her eyes made it impossible to look at her reflection. She winced when a sharp pain almost made her head lurch backwards.

"Marcus!"

Ana spun around, arms up in a defensive stance when she heard a woman's voice. It wasn't until her vision came back to her that she realised the voice was in her head. There was no one else in the ladies bathroom. For a moment, in the back of her mind, she recognised the voice. Though as much as she tried to put a name to the voice, she couldn't.

The door swung open and Shuri hurried inside, eyes wide when she saw Ana in the centre of the room, forehead and neck glistening with sweat. Ana's eyes were wide, and her hands were stuck to her sides, trembling as if she was freezing.

"Are you alright?" Shuri asked.

"I'm... I'm okay." Ana swallowed thickly, dismissing her concerned expression.

"You don't look okay." Shuri scoffed. "What happened?"

"I wish I knew, Princess." Ana muttered, turning on the faucet and gathering cool water in her hands. She splashed her face with the water, in hopes of simmering down. "I need to get home. There's a doctor who can help me, I hope." She told Shuri, wiping down her face with paper towels.

Shuri was already nodding, going to open the bathroom door. "I'll tell T'Challa."

Ana stepped forward. "No! Don't. He's got his own thing going on. I don't want to take him away from any of it." She argued.

"Then how are we going to get you to New York?" Shuri questioned, placing her hands on her hips.

Ana folded her arms over her chest. "How fast is the Talon Flyer?"

Shuri gaped at Ana, as if she had offended her. "It is the fastest jet in the world. I would know since I designed it. What do you have in mind?"

Ana sent her a coy smile, lifting a shoulder,

"Can you fly?"

"Here we are."

Ana looked out of the windshield to the skyline of New York. She melted in a smile, realising just how much she missed home. She didn't even know how long she had been gone since time in space wasn't the same. She only hoped she didn't miss Tony's engagement party she promised him she would come to. Ana hiked her backpack Shuri had lent her that carried her suit and cape on her shoulders, and rested her hand on the young pilot's back.

"Thank you, Princess." Ana said, smiling down at her. "And remember to call me as soon as Bucky wakes up."

Shuri got up from the pilot seat and led Ana to the back ramp she opened by using her Kimoyo Beads. They had landed on a rooftop of some high building in the centre of the city, away from prying eyes and cameras. "You've given me your phone number and I've set alerts for both you and Captain Rogers to receive once Barnes is out of cryostasis." Shuri explained, clasping her hands in front of her.

Ana stepped onto the rooftop as Shuri stayed on the edge of the Talon Flyer's ramp. "Great."

"But really, now that I can text you, I'm going to send you memes on a daily basis." Shuri laughed.

"What's a meme?" Ana looked at her curiously.

"You'll see." Shuri smirked, lowering her head as she twiddled her fingers together, doing her best creepy impression.

Ana chuckled and lifted her fist for Shuri to bump with her own. "Well, alright. I'll see you soon, Princess."

Ana waved at the Talon Flyer as it's retroreflective panels activated, cloaking it while is ascended into the air. She sent Shuri another smile before she watched the jet shoot off into the sky. Ana walked to the edge of the rooftop of the building she noticed was a plain old office establishment. She breathed in the cool air of New York City, and exhaled, tilting her head up to the sky that began to darken. She rolled her shoulders when she felt how stiff they had become from little movement, and hopped into the air, spelling mystical mandalas to step on. Without a Sling Ring, she couldn't travel in the blink of an eye, so she had to take the longer way around.

Ana headed for Queens, knowing she had to have her phone on her incase Shuri called her up about Bucky. Peter had kept it with him, and once she found his apartment building, she circled around on his floor, knocking on his window. She grinned to herself when she could hear music being played inside the apartment, even spotted May and Peter singing along.

Peter suddenly stopped, getting a familiar tingling sensation.

He pivoted on his feet and dashed for the window, "Ana's home!" He told May, who began laughing.

"How would you know tha- Oh, sweetie, you're home!" May beamed at Ana as she stepped inside the living room when Peter lifted the window for her. Before she could take another step, Peter jumped on her, latching on her for a hug.

"Hey, buddy." Ana greeted, embracing him tightly.

"I thought you were dead! You've been gone for a long time and I had no idea where you were or how you were or what you were doing or-" Peter rambled on, as May joined in on the hug, kissing Ana's cheek affectionately.

Ana put him down, and held his shoulders in her hands. "I get it, buddy, you were worried. That's sweet. But you don't have to be. I'm fine."

"Are you sure? You have a bandage on your head, and..." May added, lifting a hand to place on Ana's forehead to check on her temperature.

Ana evaded her hand, and shot her an assuring look. "May, I'm good. Just a scratch."

"You cut your hair. It looks good." Peter smiled.

"Thank you." Ana brushed a hand through her short hair. May brought Ana over to the couch, sitting her down while Peter sat on the other side of Ana. Peter dug around in his pocket when a phone started to buzz. As Ana reached for the popcorn on the coffee table, he started laughing when he saw the attached photo Shuri had sent Ana.

"Classic..." He mumbled, then realised it wasn't his phone, and handed it to Ana. "Your phone has been lighting up ever since I found it at your old apartment. I had to keep it charging because the battery wouldn't last. Who's Shuri?" He asked, reading the contact name.

"My new friend." Ana stated. She scrolled through the seemingly endless messages, frowning. Names of everyone she knew and an unknown number filled her notifications. She suspected the latter was Steve since she had accidentally crushed the burner cell phone he had given her. She mentally took note to get back to everyone as soon as possible.

"Honey, are you tired? Hungry? Thirsty?" May asked, worry all over her face as she ran her eyes over Ana. Ana grabbed a handful of popcorn, stuffing it into her mouth, and May got her answer. "There's left over Chinese in the fridge. I'll go warm that up for you." She said, walking to the kitchen.

"So, looks like May isn't all that upset that you wear a mask." Ana faced Peter, who kicked his feet up on the coffee table.

"It took about a week to get her to calm down, but eventually she did." Peter said, leaning into Ana as she balanced the popcorn bowl on her left knee. "So, where were you this whole time?" He asked in a hushed tone.

Ana shrugged, and casually replied. "Fighting bad guys in space."

"Cool!"

- - -

After staying and watching two of the Aliens movies with the Parkers, Ana had two sleepy heads resting on each shoulder as she spooned ice-cream into her mouth. She carefully turned her head and looked at the clock hanging on the wall near the front door, reading it was way past midnight. She heard shuffling and felt May turn on her side, curling up on the armrest. Instead of Peter doing the same on his side, he snuggled into Ana's side. Ana placed a hand to her lips, trying to contain a yawn that threatened to wake them up.

"Time for bed, Spidey..." Ana whispered, placing the bucket of ice-cream on the coffee table and wrapping her arms around Peter, lifting him off the couch. His head lulled into her shoulder, and she walked into his open bedroom, easing him onto his bed gently. She pulled the blanket over his body, and placed a soft kiss to his head.

On her way out of his room, she saw a photo frame holding a picture of her when she was in high school. Ana had graduated, and since her adoptive Hydra parents were out of the country on 'work', Ben and May had attended the ceremony, bringing along young Peter. She stood in the middle of Ben and May, holding the boy she saw as a little brother in her arms. Peter had reached for her graduation cap, and placed it on his head of fluffy brown hair, screaming 'cheese!' at the camera. Ana smiled at the fond memory, and looked over at Peter before she shut the door behind her.

Ana then took May to her room, tucking her into bed. May had woken up for a brief moment, and when she noticed she wasn't on the couch anyone and in her bed, she gave Ana a sleepy smile, reaching up to pat her cheek. "So glad you're home, Ana..." She mumbled.

Ana placed a kiss on her forehead. "Get some sleep, May. I'll see you tomorrow."

May snuggled into her bed sheets and Ana closed the door, facing the tv that started to roll the credits of the movie. After she cleaned up, Ana walked out of the apartment, making sure to lock it behind her. As much as Ana wanted to get into her own bed, she had to visit Stephen and Wong first. Whatever Amora had did to her, it wasn't going to end up well. Ana thought going for a walk would do her some good, hopefully clear her head on the way to the Sanctum Sanctorum.

Her phone began ringing, startling her from the pleasant silence of the middle of the night. She reached into her pocket and pulled it out, "Hello?"

"Nice to see you actually answer your phone this time." Nick Fury's voice was enough to pull Ana out of her tired state.

"Nick?" Ana questioned.

"What happened? I've been trying to get ahold of you for weeks now."

"I was out of the country."

"Yeah, I know that. I also know that you were out of this solar system."

"... I'm not even going to ask how you know that."

"Smart."

"Thor needed help, I helped him. I'd rather explain in person."

"Good. Just letting you know I'll drop by soon so we can catch up."

"When?"

"Goodbye, Michaels."

Ana pulled her phone away from her ear, and shook her head. She almost forgot. "Right, still keeping secrets." She mumbled, and went onto her voicemails. She saw Danny's name and clicked on it, listening to the message. "So, Ana, this is like the tenth time this week and you're still not picking up. I'm really worried about you. Please call me back and let me know if you're not dead."

"Not dead yet." She chuckled, and wrote him a quick reply, then switched to Happy's message.

"Hey, Michaels, can you make it to the facility soon? Tony's been on a tinkering bender and he won't leave his workstation. Can you like use your nonexistent muscles and pry him away from his desk? Let me know before you do so I can get the whole thing on my phone."

"I'll stop by soon." Ana replied to him in a message.

Clint's name was next. "Why aren't you picking up? Did you lose your phone again? Do I have to check up on you just to make sure you're not dead? Because I will. This house arrest deal won't get in the way. I miss you, kid, and I love you. Happy Birthday, Ana. Eat some cake for me and make sure it's got rainbow sprinkles."

"Love you too, Clint. Dammit, now I want cake." Ana grumbled. She had only a few more blocks to go before reaching the Sanctum when she paused for a moment. An itching feeling crept up on her, and she looked over her shoulder, though there wasn't anything out of the usual. Her hands tightened up into fists and her breathing quickened. Ana leaned against the wall of an antique store for support when another wave of Amora's hex hit her like a truck.

This time, she could faintly witness the memory.

"I'll kill you before you take another step!" Marcus shouted.

"Don't worry, I'm close enough..." She could make out Strucker's voice before a deafening gun shot rang out.

Ana flinched when a car drove by, it's headlights brightly shining in her direction for a brief second, allowing her to snap out of the trance. She lifted a hand to her head and searched for a bullet hole — even though there wasn't one. She stumbled to the shop's window and lifted the bandage on her forehead, running her fingers across the rough, tender skin. Her eyes found her own in the window, and she gasped when she could see her father's reflection stare right back at her. She shook her head twice, and it was gone.

"What the hell is happening?"

"Stephen? Wong?"

Ana's heart thumped rapidly against her ribcage as she reached the doors of the Sanctum. She was soaked in rainwater since it began to pour outside only minutes ago. For a moment, Ana had forgotten what time it was when she forced the twin doors of the building apart, crashing into a dark and silent Sanctorum. Ana folded her arms over her chest, shivering when a gust of chilly wind hit her. She knew the Sanctum wasn't producing it's own weather, and assumed a door at the Rotunda of Gateways was open.

When she heard the ticking of a grandfather clock that was tucked in a small corner of the main floor, the notion of time came back to her, and she cringed. She shut the doors behind her and walked further into the Sanctum, removing her bag from her back. She went to put it in the closet, the door she knew was the first on the left when you enter, but the room she opened wasn't the closet.

Instead, vicious, animalistic roars and shrieks cranked up to an ear-splitting loudness enough to drive an average person deaf was what she was met with. Wind from an unknown source within the room hit her right in the face as the sounds got closer, making her hair and clothes flutter behind her. Ana wrenched her eyes shut and closed the door with a loud bang, pressing her back against it.

Ana stepped back and looked at the sign on the door that was written in bold letters. "Do not open..." She read out slowly before smacking her palm on her face.

"Usually, you're supposed the read the sign first."

Stephen walked down the staircase in his blue plaid pyjamas, rubbing his tired eyes with the back of his hand. The sound of the room no one is supposed to touch woke him right up. If he wasn't already having trouble sleeping, he would be mad, but in truth, he had gotten used to unexpectedly waking up in the middle of the night. So this time was no different. Except of course, Ana was there. That alone made him smile for the first time in a long time.

Ana sent Stephen an apologetic smile as they walked towards each other. "Sorry about that, Doc."

"It's fine." Stephen engulfed her in a hug. "Welcome back, Ana."

Ana pulled back and frowned at his face. It looked like he hadn't gotten any sleep for days. "Are you feeling okay?" She asked.

Stephen led her to a guest room as he replied. "Not really. Lately I've been getting these dull aches, and I didn't think anything of it at first. But then..." He reached up to place a finger on his temple. "Like a nail driving through my brain. My doctor voice said, 'You know, Stephen? That is not normal.'"

Ana stopped in front of the guest room door, turning to face Stephen. "Do you have any idea what it could be?" She asked.