Time Will Tell

- - - - -

"Scott? Are you okay?"

Ana watched the man that suddenly appeared on their doorstep continue to pace around in front of her. Steve and Natasha were standing on either sides of Ana, with their eyes solely on Scott. They were still at a loss for words. Ana didn't know what the reason was behind his surprising return. It seemed like Scott was trying to run a horde of possibilities through his head to try a grasp at an answer. Before making his way to New York, Scott was thrown out of the Quantum Tunnel that was stationed in Luis' van and into the inside of a storage facility in San Fransisco without any idea what year it was or what had gone down since. He woke up to a world that had moved on. Where his nine year-old daughter Cassie had matured by five years. He was able to recognise her instantly when he made it to his ex-wife's house. She reacted to seeing him like anyone who had lost a loved one would. Cassie was crying her eyes out. Her father came back to her. Scott couldn't make sense of any of it. So he drove to the place he knew he could count on to shine some light on the situation.

The moment Ana opened the door to find him standing on the doorstep, Scott swore he was about to be crushed to death. She had poked him a couple times. Slapped his face. Muttered a spell in Latin to determine he was the real deal. Then, she gathered him up in her arms. Ana hadn't realised how tightly she was embracing her long lost friend until she heard him gasping for air. She released him and apologised profusely. Before hugging him again. She couldn't help it. After taking him inside and Steve giving him the rundown of what happened, Scott had gone quiet. He started pacing. Mumbling to himself. Throwing looks their way. It was all very difficult to decipher.

After hearing Ana call his name, Scott stopped in his tracks and dragged his hands down his tiresome face, letting out an exasperated sigh. "What? Yeah." He muttered, before dropping his hands to his hips and looking at each of them. "Have either of you guys ever studied quantum physics?" He asked.

"Only to make conversation." Natasha answered casually.

"All right, so... five years ago, right before Thanos, I was in a place called the Quantum Realm. The Quantum Realm is like it's own microscopic universe. Ana's been there before, right?" He looked to her.

"Nope. I just threw an alien in there, remember?" Ana replied. "He's probably dead by now."

"Right. Well, to get in there, you have to be incredibly small. Hope, she's my... she was my..." Ana frowned when he stumbled over his words, recalling how they told him Hope had disappeared along with Hank and Janet. "She was supposed to pull me out. And then Thanos happened and I got stuck in there."

"Scott, that sounds awful..." Ana mumbled.

"I'm sorry. That must have been a very long five years." Natasha said.

"Yeah, but that's just it. It wasn't." Scott revealed. He took in a deep breath, bracing himself. "For me, it was five hours."

Ana gaped at him. "Hours?"

"The rules in the Quantum Realm aren't like they are up here. Everything is completely unpredictable. Is anybody gonna eat that sandwich? I'm starving." He pointed at the uneaten food on the table. He made a beeline for it while they followed him.

"Scott. What are you talking about?" Steve asked.

Scott had his mouth full when he tried to reply to Steve. Ana couldn't help but smile. She missed his quirks. Even when he didn't mean to be funny he always managed to make the situation lighter by just being himself. Scott chewed faster when Captain America rose a brow at him and swallowed too early, grimacing when he almost choked. He patted his chest and cleared his throat, "So, what I'm saying is... time works differently in the Quantum Realm. The only problem is, right now, we don't have a way to navigate it. But what if we did? I can't stop thinking about it. What if we could somehow control the chaos and we could navigate it? What if there was a way that we could enter the Quantum Realm at a certain point in time but then exit the Quantum Realm at another point in time? Like... like before Thanos."

Before Thanos. Ana couldn't stop thinking about it now either. It seemed so simple. So painfully simple that Ana was beginning to feel sick to her stomach at the fact that there could be a concrete way to reverse what happened, or even travel back in time without the need of the Time Stone to where they could stop Thanos before he got his hands on any of the Infinity Stones. It was a hefty punch to the gut. You didn't think of everything, you idiot. Ana wavered on her feet. She moved towards a chair slowly and sat down, holding the leather armrests with an iron grip and hearing it stretch under her touch. She glanced at the broken watch on her wrist. She didn't know why she kept doing that.

Steve didn't seem convinced. "Wait, are you talking about a time machine?"

Scott blinked at his tone and stood a little straighter. "No. No, of course not. No, not a time machine. It's more like a..." He searched their faces, moving his hands around as if they would help him conjure an answer, then huffed in defeat. "Yeah, a time machine. I know it's crazy. But I can't stop thinking about it. There's gotta be some way... There's gotta be...some w... it's crazy." He slapped his hands down at his sides, shrugging his shoulders at them.

Natasha had a hand on her chin in thought. "Scott, I get emails from a raccoon, so nothing sounds crazy anymore."

Meanwhile Ana mumbled, "Don't let Rocket hear you say that."

"So, who do we talk to about this?" Scott asked.

Ana could only think of one man in that moment. Tony Stark. Looking around at Natasha and Steve, she could see they were thinking the same. Tony had moved out of the Avengers Compound and into a private lay of land just up the road. They had been up this long. Ana opened her hands at her sides.

"We gonna head straight over there right now?" She questioned.

Natasha shook her head. "Don't think it's a good idea. It's past midnight."

"We should try to get some rest. A couple hours should do." Steve instructed. "We'll go see Tony later."

Scott nodded in agreement. "Sounds like a plan, Cap."

Ana took a look at Scott. Really looked at him. She could tell he was holding onto as much hope as he could. Coming back to the world after it had been through hell had frightened him. He was told half of the population up and vanished, including the woman he loved. She remembered feeling what he felt in the beginning. Going through it in a way that was different to everyone else because she had considered herself at fault for a long time. Part of her still did. There was always something more that could be done. Scott caught Ana's gentle gaze with a half smile that didn't quite reach his eyes and she tilted her head, motioning for him to join her as she stood up.

"I'll show you to your room, pal." Ana bumped their shoulders together and he breathed out a chuckle, following her towards the stairs across the room. Natasha had stepped into Ana's view. She met Ana's frantic eyes before the brunette shielded it with a curious glance. The Widow reached out and gave her hand a light squeeze. It helped ease the constricting in her chest. Ana gave her a silent nod and continued on with Scott in tow.

Scott couldn't help himself. He took in the architecture of the compound, awe in his eyes. It was fairly open, with the glass wall to wall windows providing natural light that streamed through seamlessly. The neutral tones and heavy use of various metals gave the place an industrial feel and the high ceilings made everything bigger. He suspected that part of the reason why the ceilings were high was so the Hulk wouldn't go walking around hitting his giant forehead on low hanging lights or beams. Once they made it to the second floor, Ana walked down the left side of the hall in a daze, fingers tracing the wall beside her. Her nose burned from the heavy dust in the air. No one had been up here in a while. She rubbed her nose to prevent sneezing and kept her eyes on the floor as she passed by empty rooms that used to belong to half of her team. Scott frowned behind her. Noticed the sudden rigidness in her stride as she made it to the door at the end of the hall.

Behind that very door was just a normal bedroom. One she spent years in while the Avengers were still an active team. That was a long time ago. Practically another lifetime. She hadn't bothered packing. Left everything where it was. Put it all behind her. Distanced herself from that part of her. It didn't feel right to go in now.

Scott had been standing beside her and cleared his throat. "Um, so is that one taken?"

Ana blinked. "Sorry, bud. I was meant to take you that way," She lifted her hand and pointed at the attached hall to her left. It led to more rooms and a balcony. "I just... I just got sidetracked."

"Are you okay?" Scott asked. "If this is too weird for you, I can crash in the van in the meantime. It's comfier than it looks if you lie down at an angle."

Ana shook her head. "No, Scott. You're not gonna sleep in a van when there's about ten free beds in the joint. Here." She opened up a guest room. Light grey walls, dark carpet and a double bed. There was a glass desk in the far corner and a drawer by the windows. Standard furniture for a standard room. Easy enough to personalise. "Sheets might be dusty. Just give 'em a shake and get some rest. Tony spent a lot of money on the mattresses. They're pretty awesome. A lot better than a cramped seat in an old van." Ana smiled Scott's way.

Scott took his glass of water inside, giving the room a once over. "Thanks, Ana. Will you be down the hall?" He turned to face her as he sat down at the foot of the bed. He made a face as he tested out the cushioning of the mattress and nodded in approval.

There was no way she could sleep. Not after their conversation. She didn't want him to see that on her face and looked up at nothing. Ana loosely crossed her arms over her chest and leaned against the threshold. "No, I don't stay here anymore. Got my own place." She said. "I'll be back before we leave though. Hey, uh, how's... how's Cassie?"

Scott blew out a heavy breath and wiped a clammy hand down his pants. "Cassie is bigger. She's taller. Beautiful. Definitely stronger than me. When she sat me down and explained what had happened, I was a mess. She held my hand. Told me it was alright. I'm thankful her mother didn't disappear. I can't imagine what my girl would've gone through if both her parents weren't there." He said, lowering his head.

"At the start, I wanted to be there for her." Ana told him. Her voice cracked. She tried to keep her emotions at bay. Cringed when she felt the lump in her throat. She breathed in through her nose, ducking her head to the side to conceal the motion. "But it got... complicated. She asked me to look for you. To try and find a way to bring everyone back. Maggie thought it wasn't a good idea that I kept checking in on her when all I brought was bad news. Said I was doing more harm than good. And she was right. I didn't want to give anyone any sense of false hope. I had bucket loads of it as I went on my own crusades to try and reverse it. Came back empty handed on all accounts. Even then, it was impossible for me to stop. Until one day, my mind cleared and I saw the error of my ways." Ana licked her lips and tugged her sleeves over her palms. She was saying too much. "And now... now you're back! You're back and the answer seems so clear to me now. I feel so... so..." Scott hung on every word, trying to understand where she was coming from. She wasn't able to finish her sentence. She wanted to reach up and tug at her hair. Instead, Ana let out an agitated sigh and sent him a defeated smile that fell just as quickly. "Even now I'm trying not to latch on with both hands. Don't want this to be another failure."

Scott sent her a sympathetic smile. "Don't ever let that stop you from trying. No matter how many times you hit a wall. Hey, just make those fists, punch an Ana sized hole and keep going. That's what you do best, right?"

"Maybe." Ana shrugged a shoulder as she walked out. Scott frowned at the brush off. Was she that tired? Of failing? Made him wonder what exactly she went through during those years. She barely scratched the surface of her time. Didn't seem to want to get into any of it. Ana took the doorknob in her hand and began to close it. "It's good to have to you back, Scott. Truly."

Scott heard the sincerity in her voice and sent her a small wave. "Catch you later, badass."

Ana closed the door and briefly leaned her back against the wood. Steadied herself. Gathered up every emotion running though her in a haze. She heard shuffling and looked to her right to see Steve standing next to her. She almost lost the hold she desperately tried to keep on her anxiety. He didn't say anything. Just stood there. Cautious. Waiting. Noticed the red in her eyes even under the dim lighting. He and Natasha knew she would be taking this considerably hard. They were aware of her attempts at bringing everyone back. The countless failures and the difficultly of processing the utter defeat she felt every time. And now Scott was back with a wild plan. Ana shrunk back, shaking her head at him. She traced a weak circle in the air. The hall was lit up with the unstable crackling orange of her portal. Fit her mood. Ana stepped backwards and dropped her head, closing it before either one of them could say anything.

At two in the morning, the boroughs were still teeming with noise for those whose ears picked up on every single wave of it. Beneath her feet, the subways ran through tunnels, shaking the foundations just enough for Ana to feel the vibrations in her bones. She could hear the flickering neon lights of the street food market around the block buzz along with the hiss of grills and metal clanging as knives tore through meat and vegetables. People chatting. Fighting. Yelling. Singing. Making music. Cabs racing past. Cyclists speeding up through alleys and turning sharp corners. Late night joggers and their sneakers thumping against the concrete with tunes blasting through their earphones.

All of it. All of this noise and life wouldn't get Ana out of her head. It was loud in there too. A mess, really. She couldn't stop thinking about Scott and his plan for time travel through the Quantum Realm. It sounded too good to be true. A pipe dream. She had studied the Realm using the books provided in Kamar-Taj. It was a parallel dimension. Unlike anything she had ever seen. Dangerous if you got anything wrong. Fatal if you got it right, and knew exactly what to do and when to do it. There wasn't enough for Ana to go on since many who entered never returned — trapped for all eternity.

She tried to think. Should she sleep? Stay in bed for a few hours? Knock her head into a wall? Cry some more? All of the above? Oh God... she thought to herself as her eyes stung with unshed tears. She couldn't do this now. She felt a tug at her heart. She wanted to go home. Follow that feeling until she felt something close to being safe. But the Sanctum was shutting her out and she didn't even know why. Was it because of Scott's arrival? The sudden appearance of a man thought to be gone for five years? Ana had a nauseating sense that someone or something in another plane of existence was disappointed in her. Shaking their head at the girl who didn't explore the possibility of the Quantum Realm and all it had to offer. Mordo had threatened her life. Promised her pain and suffering if she tried to go above and beyond to get her people back. He was like a knight. Shielded what he thought should stay true and pure. Or maybe even a guard dog, Ana thought with a grimace. His bark was just as dangerous as his bite. The Mystic Arts couldn't be her solution to everything. He made sure she knew that well. Messing with time and reality was a big no-no. The consequences were incalculable. Warnings have been drilled into her brain time and time again. And yet, there was a part of her that was eager to test the boundaries. See just how far a person can go before breaking everything in existence — and what would it take to put it all back the way it was.

A distance flash of headlights pulled her into the present followed by a blaring honk. She blinked at the glint of bright light and cast her head in the opposite direction with a heavy sigh as the yellow cab rolled down the street, narrowly missing a stray cat that scattered into the sewer, disappearing around the corner. She rubbed her eyes with the back of her hands, knuckles massaging the skin above her sockets. Her arms dropped, smacking into her sides as she lazily trailed up the familiar street. She squinted in the dark, trying to figure out which apartment building belonged to Matt. When she spotted the right one, with an overly large and painfully flashing billboard on the neighbouring rooftop, she breathed in the cool air until it filled her lungs completely and increased the pace of her steps.

From there, she followed a habit that was in the works, strolling into the alley at the side of the building and climbing the fire escape to his floor. Ana would go through the front, but she would rather avoid his neighbours as they were a nosy lot and his landlord wasn't fond of strangers waltzing into his building. With Matt's permission, she would enter via the windows he kept unlocked. She had in turn, done the same with the Sanctum and her house out in Queens — though they barely met up at the latter and the Sanctum would grant him access regardless. Her house had once been a place of possibility. Somewhere she could build a home. Spend time with her family. Lately, she popped in once a week, maybe even monthly. Mostly to do laundry since the washing machine in the Sanctum turned her clothes into coloured streamers once. It was where Richard would crash whenever he was on Earth. He had taken Ethan's old bedroom. Ana had stripped the entire room and renovated it from scratch with Rich's help, making sure there was nothing left of the late LMD in sight. Only when Rich was around could Ana stay inside longer than a few hours.

Ana gripped the rusted iron bars and pulled herself up and over the first level. She soundlessly landed and kept an ear out as she ascended, looking for any indication that Matt might be inside. Usually at this hour, he'd be out wandering Hell's Kitchen and being Daredevil. But seeing as he was keeping to his lawyer duties lately, she half expected him to be up working on his cases. She heard the distant sound of keys typing and smiled to herself. The sound ceased as soon as she deliberately scuffed the bottom of her sneakers along the steps. At the third level, Ana settled into a crouch and leaned back against the railing, waiting for Matt to approach the window. She could barely see inside his apartment. Only when the billboard behind her flashed with an advertisement, would light flood through the windows and show her what he was up to. Ana chuckled under her breath when he was already at the window, prying the jammed thing up to give Ana enough room to squeeze through.