Where Are They?

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Ana chewed on the paper straw that was against her lips, anxiously staring up at the analogue clock on the wall opposite her. She hoped Matt would have shown up before she had finished her iced latte and now she sat in the diner needing another dose of caffeine to keep awake. At this rate, they'd have to skip lunch and have an early dinner. Bell, the waitress who always seemed to keep an adoring eye on the two whenever they visited the eatery, sent Ana an apologetic look from her place behind the counter. This may have happened more than once. Ana returned it with a nervous smile and lowered her head, opening up her phone. She tapped on Matt's contact and pressed the device at her ear, hearing it ring. He answered on the second tone.

"I know. I know. I'm late. I'm sorry."

"Matty, I just got back from being in the middle of a space war and I'm starving. Where are you?"

Ana frowned when she heard the sound of a fist meeting bone. Matt groaned over the line. "Ow, uh, just sorting out a little hiccup at the bank. I'll be there in five minutes." There was a struggle on his side of the call when his opponent smacked the phone out of his hand. The line went dead and Ana stared at her phone with a sigh.

"Home sweet home." She mumbled to herself, scrolling through the endless notifications that filled her screen now that she had connected to the wireless internet at the diner. Her eyes brushed over a few emails from the utility companies in charge of her home ammenities telling her there were bills that were yet to be paid. She clicked her phone off and rubbed at her eyes, puffing out the air from her cheeks. She would deal with that later.

Ana hadn't slept in a few days. Space was a disaster. The systems were still disoriented and paranoid of the next possible threat looming amongst the stars. Aliens species had to leave their worlds behind when it couldn't provide them with enough sustenance or hope for the future. Treaties were broken. Refugees were taken hostage. Some killed in the name of sacrifice — for Thanos' dream. Ana never showed any kindness to those who looked to carry on in the Mad Titan's name. The call back to her last mission made her eyes darken. A rogue Kree militia intent on carrying on with the old ways were rounding up scattered Skrulls, enslaving the strong and executing the weak. Carol Danvers intercepted one of their biggest bases with S.W.O.R.D.'s help. Ana and Richard were the pair in charge of clearing out the refugees before Carol could light the whole place up. There were issues during the mission. Ones Ana didn't want to revisit. She shook her head to clear the images burned into her mind and leaned back into her seat by the window.

Outside, a figure dropped onto the sidewalk from the roof. He straighten up his tie, suit jacket, and once he was satisfied no one saw or heard him, proceeded to walk into the diner with a bouquet of flowers in one hand and a walking stick in the other. The moment Matthew Murdock stepped inside the cool environment, he was overwhelmed by the sweet scent coming from the far end of the window booths. He let the perfume guide him down to the booth where his date was impatiently waiting with a hint of a smile on his lips. There were seven or so heartbeats in the diner altogether, but Matt was only interested in the one that spiked the moment he laid his hand on her shoulder.

"Hi." He greeted quietly with a grin.

Ana's head whipped to the side, and she glanced up at Matt, relaxing her shoulders. "Hi."

Matt raised his brows and tilted his head slightly, silently telling her he made it. Ana ran a hand through her side bangs and shimmied out the booth to stand up in front of him. All Ana had to do was place a hand on his right bicep and Matt snaked both arms around her waist, leaning down to kiss her lips softly. He inhaled deeply, the scent of her messing with his other senses. The mix of jasmine, cardamom, carnation and lemon drove him wild. Ana could tell by the way he kissed her that she had done something right, and couldn't help but smile against his lips. She wasn't really one to buy perfumes, but ever since Matt revealed how sensitive his senses could be to certain smells, she started paying more attention to the ones he liked. They pulled away at the same time and Ana took a moment to look at him properly. And she chuckled.

"Oh, Matt, it's good to see you." She reached up to fix his hair that was out of place from his Daredevil helmet and noticed the flowers he held. Most of their stems were broken, some had their petals missing. Ana took the flowers in her hands and smiled down at them, a bubble of laughter escaping her lips. "And you brought me flowers?"

Matt smoothed down the back of his head, his ears tinting red when he picked out the amusement in her tone. "They're ruined, aren't they? I had them with me before I walked by the bank." He explained.

Ana guided him to sit in the seat opposite hers and took his cane to collapse it. "What happened?"

"I've had to deal with a few petty crimes here and there while you were away. Armed robbery. Arson. There was even an attempted kidnapping last week." Matt listed off, folding his arms on the table between them and leaned forward, dropping his voice low enough for Ana to hear. "Nothing compared to the circus up there, I bet. How you holding up? On the phone last night, you sounded spooked."

Ana dropped her head. "We were told one thing, ended up running into something a whole lot more messier. It was a disaster, Matt. I did what I thought I had to, and they sent me home after that." She put the straw back in her mouth and chewed it some more. "No more space missions for me."

Matt straightened up and Ana groaned at the pleased look on his face. "Matt..."

"That means I finally have you all to myself?" Matt questioned, then chuckled. "I'll have to thank Captain Marvel."

"It was Hayward who told me to pack my bags." Ana corrected.

Matt's grin fell. "Oh. Him." He never met the man in charge of S.W.O.R.D., but from everything Ana had said, he wasn't interested. "We don't like him."

Ana's eyes flickered to the bouquet on the table next to her and she twirled her index finger. The flowers bloomed brilliantly and her mood lightened. "They're beautiful, Matt. Thank you."

Matt was allowed a short window of Ana's silhouette in his mind from her display of the Mystic Arts. His heart sped faster. He adjusted his red glasses over his face and gave her a smile. "Just like you."

Ana extended her hand towards him and ran the back of her fingers along his jaw affectionately. "I missed you, Red." She said softly. "And I'm sorry I was gone for so long. What was supposed to be a weekend turned into a month."

"It's okay." He took her hand in his. "It's your job. I'm not gonna get in the way of that. I'd be an asshole if I did."

"I think it's time I start looking for something with a stable paycheck." Ana murmured. "On Earth."

"Come work for me." Matt smirked. "My clients would appreciate a friendly face every time they come into the office."

"You don't even know how I look. What makes you think I've got a friendly face?"

"Your voice." He said simply. "It calms people."

"You're complimenting me more than usual, Matt." Ana narrowed her eyes. "What did you do?"

Matt struggled to hold his smile. "Well... it's more like what didn't I do."

Ana knew exactly what he was referring to. "You didn't check up on my Sanctum, did you?"

"The place gives me the creeps, Ana. Last time I was in there, the ceiling opened up and it was raining. Inside. It was raining inside." Matt pointed at the table, brows raised at the idea of indoor weather.

"It's also very delicate." Ana pointed out. "Likes attention. The occasional spring cleaning. I found the Ebony Blade in the basement on New Years. Had to return it to the family it belonged to because it was driving me insane with all the whispers and whatnot."

"I'll make it up to you." Matt insisted. "Got us tickets to the ballet tomorrow night. Interested?"

Ana let out a quiet gasp. She couldn't remember the last time she had been out to a show. "The ballet? But Matt, you won't be able to watch the ballerinas twirl."

"No, but I can listen to the orchestra. Feel the theatre come alive. Have you by my side." Matt said. "And after that, we can go for a walk around the neighbourhood. Have dinner. Maybe go back to my place for a sleepover. How's that sound?"

Ana sat up from her seat and kissed his cheek, making him grin. "Got a little carried away there at the end, but okay. I'd love that."

Bell made her way over, clutching her notepad to her chest with a broad grin on her face that lit up her eyes. "Oh, my favourite customers! So good to have you two back here. Ana, how was your work trip?" She turned to the younger woman and lightly tapped her shoulder.

"It was tiring, Bell. Just glad to be back home." Ana smiled up at Bell. "They don't make a truffle cake like you do anywhere in this universe."

Bell swatted her hand at Ana, appreciating the praise. "I've made a fresh batch just for you. Take it home before you leave, okay? On me."

Matt tilted his head. "That's not a good idea. It'll be gone by the time she gets back home."

Ana nodded. "Matt's right. I have no self-control when it comes to sweets."

Bell chuckled. She clicked her pen and glanced at the pair. "Alright, just two slices then to start? And some coffee?"

"You know it, Bell." Matt said.

"Thank you." Ana grinned up at the woman.

Just as Bell left, Matt slid out of the booth in a hurry. Ana was confused as to where he might be going. Turned out he only wanted closer, and sat down next to her, straightening his back and adjusting his grey suit jacket. He cleared his throat. Ana held in a chuckle and shook her head. Matt hooked an arm over her shoulders. Made himself comfortable. Ana craned her neck to look up at him and held his face in her hands. She wanted to laugh. The past couple of weeks were hard on her. Her body was sore. Mind in a haze. And yet, one look at Matt, and she felt steady. She didn't know how to explain it. Probably because whenever she was near him, she didn't need to explain anything at all. It was like an unspoken agreement between the both of them. Matt was very good at reading Ana. Despite not being able to see her, he used his other senses to figure out what was going on with her.

"This is new." Matt said after he brushed his thumb along a fresh scar. It started at her ear and ran jaggedly down to the base of her neck.

"That's how the Kree greet people they don't like." Ana hummed. "But don't worry, I threw him at Carol."

Matt winced. "Almost feel sorry for the bastard."

Ana gazed at his face, purple bruises beginning to fade into yellow blotches. Hard to tell they were there from his stubble. "I'm honestly surprised you're not in worse shape, Matt."

"I'm in court most days. Can't be walking in front of a jury with blood on my suit."

"Good." Ana pressed a kiss to his lips. "You're more careful."

"You're not." His hand that had been flat against the cool tabletop suddenly slid underneath her shirt and Ana grunted when his cold fingertips poked at a raw bit of flesh just above her right hip.

"God, Matt—"

"A Kree didn't do this. What did?"

Ana let her head fall back against his arm and she closed her eyes. "One of their ships. It had me pinned for hours."

"A literal spaceship?" Matt asked.

"Yep." Ana nodded. "It was full of explosives. Didn't want to risk moving a muscle."

"Why aren't you healing?"

"I'm spent. All my cosmic energy is gone from all the fighting. It's gonna take a while to build it back up." Ana told him.

Matt frowned disapprovingly. "You should be resting."

"I told you I was hungry." She grumbled and leaned into him. "And I wanted to see you before I passed out for the next couple of days, stupid."

Matt smiled down at her.

"Aw, I missed you too."

Ana yawned aloud, having no care how her voice filled the vast Sanctum or who it annoyed. She stretched her back, groaning when she heard the satisfying cracks and pops in her spine. She patted her full stomach and sighed inwardly, looking down at the damp, once white, towel in her hands. She unfolded it and used a clean section to wipe down the third door in the Rotunda of Gateways. Behind the glass, a dry desert. Ana didn't blink as a camel walked past, yawning along with her despite being completely unaware of her presence. Ana's lips stretched into a grin at that and she stood up straight. She flicked the towel over the intricately designed knob to get rid of some dust and it changed the location behind the third doorway to a snowy forest. Once happy with the cleanliness of her second favourite room in the Sanctum Sanctorum, Ana looped the towel over her right shoulder and proceeded down the hall. She whistled off key, something she heard in a bar on Kitson. As she strolled through the artefacts on display, she did a quick count. Making sure everything was where it was supposed to be. Ana hesitated in her steps when she passed the glass cabinet that used to hold the Cloak of Levitation. She remembered the day it found Stephen, and protected him like they were old friends from Kaecilius' aggressive partners. The thought of Strange brought a sad smile to her face. Fleeting. Quickly replaced by a frown that made her eyes fall to the floor. What she saw on the maroon carpet at her feet made her frown deepen.

She knelt down and picked up a watch. Stephen's watch. The one with the broken face and personal engraving on the back. Ana thought it had disappeared along with him five years ago. She turned it over in her hands gently. It was fragile enough as is. She ran her thumb across the cracked face with a feather like touch. Ana closed her eyes and held it to her chest. Her brows knitted together when she could sense a distant hum of energy. On a whim, she removed her hand from the face of the watch. The hum went silent. Ana opened her eyes and pursed her lips in thought. Her pinging phone almost made her yell from surprise. She forgot how quiet it could get the in Sanctum when it was just her. She fixed the watch on her left wrist, took one last look at it, before taking her phone out of her back pocket. A video call request from Robbie Reyes.

Ana hit the accept button and held her phone up in front of her face. Robbie came on, looking worried. "Hey, Ana. Do you by any chance have the Darkhold with you?"

Ana squinted at the screen. "I don't. Why? That book is your responsibility, pal."

Robbie nodded. He seemed to be turning things over in his house. From what Ana could see on the screen, he was in his kitchen. "Sí, I know. I just have a bad feeling. I'm sure it's around here somewhere."

Ana groaned. "C'mon, don't say that. Now I'm worried."

"It's okay." Robbie forced a smile on his face that only made Ana's shoulders deflate. He was terrible at dispersing concern. "I'll do another search. Ask the Rider if he left it in Hell. If I can't find it, you've gotta help me track it down."

"Deal. Eyes open. I mean it, Robbie. If it disappeared on its own or someone or something took it, things could get really bad. And I don't have time for that right now." Ana said, not watching where she was going as she continued walking through the artefact room and towards the staircase. She knew the Sanctum Sanctorum well enough by now to know her way around blindfolded.

"I'll be careful if that's what you mean." He sighed then saluted her. "Hasta luego."

Ana clicked her phone off and put it away. Her left hand felt heavier with the watch on. She glanced down at it again, thinking it might blink out of existence at any moment. Just like Stephen. She covered it with her other hand and strolled into the kitchen, breathing in deeply to calm her nerves. Her eyelids were drooping. She needed to sleep. Hadn't been able to lately. The nagging in her head was back. Louder than usual. Harder to ignore. Ana's footsteps were dragging. She picked a stool by the dining table and sat down in a heap. She lugged her arms on the surface and leaned forward, resting her head against her forearms. Soon enough, Ana was out cold as if someone had knocked her over the head.

She didn't know how long it had been since she dozed off because when she woke, it definitely felt like her skull had been bashed by a shovel. The dull, buzzing pain brought tears to her eyes. Her movements were sloppy as she felt behind her head. She wanted to chalk it up as being completely drained from using all of her energy in space, but something in her gut told her otherwise. Ana looked around at her surroundings. Was horrified to learn that she wasn't in the kitchen anymore, but on the floor of one of the bedrooms. Her attire had switched to the black and red robes Strange had gifted her. And the sight of Stephen's yellow gloves on his dresser caused her to sprint to the door. Panic spread through her. Her heart was in her throat. She yanked at the doorknob when it wouldn't budge and gritted her teeth, breathing heavily. A slithering shadow loomed over her. The room suddenly felt smaller. Walls moved inwards. Ana closed her eyes and shouldered the door harshly. It gave, and she stumbled against the opposite wall with a thump, back in her dark jeans and sports sweater. She wouldn't look back at Stephen's bedroom door as it shut with force. The sound echoed throughout the second floor. Reverberated through her. Hair was over her eyes as she slowly turned to face the hall. Her fists curled and shoulders hunched forward. She walked down it cautiously as if nothing happened.

Once at the staircase, she sat on the top step and clutched the railing, pressing her forehead against the wooden posts, too scared to look behind her. Ana didn't know if it was the Sanctum playing tricks on her or if it was something else. Or maybe it was just Ana going insane. Hayward would agree with the latter. She grabbed her head and let out a long breath. She figured it wasn't too late to crash elsewhere, at least until the Sanctum dropped the hostile act. She made her way down the staircase, noticed it was dark from glancing out the windows. Matt would probably be at his office, working on his cases. She was too rattled to interrupt him. Needed a breather. Thought a walk would clear her head. Ana headed for the doors. They opened before she could do it herself. She stepped out and they slammed shut.

Ana looked at the watch. It was still there, but with another crack on the face.

"Strange."