Farewell For Now

- - - - -

"What's happening to me?"

Ana whispered as she stared at her hands. She curled them into fists, panting as sweat dripped down her neck. She had taken a shortcut to somewhere off the grid, a place deserted and quiet with a lot of heavy objects. After running for miles as a warmup, Ana began lifting train carts. But the metal box was too light for her to feel any type of physical strain. Ever since her last gig as an Avenger, she noticed how much stronger she had become. Instead of just sticking to lifting cars, it was trucks, train carts and everything in between. Now, it was all too easy.

And it scared her.

The reason why she was picking up training again was because of the fact that she wanted to get out there. There. As in the galaxies. The world beyond her world. A place with infinite possibilities and opportunities. She still had to search for Thanos, the being that she had seen in a meditated state. Something inside told her to keep tabs on the Titan — that something else was going on. Something big. Although there was another part that told her to stay away.

She never listens to those parts.

Ana didn't know what to do. She didn't know who to trust with her enhancing condition. Would Tony figure out the how's to her why's? He was a mechanic, albeit a very good one, but how could he comprehend something that no one knows the real answers to? Like her biology and physiology. He would have to dive into her birth parents' background to figure that one out. But unfortunately for her, there were no records. The only thing she had of them were one page profiles created by Hydra with their standard appearance descriptions and skills. Nothing about blood type or ethnicity — though it was no doubt that her mother was a Russian. Her father on the other hand, it says that he lived in New York. Nothing about where he was born originally.

He was the real mystery.

Ana placed her palms on her forehead, pushing back the loose hair strands from her braid. She inhaled the crisp winter air heavily before exhaling. She lowered onto her back, lying on the snow beside the rusty train tracks. She knew that by thinking on it too much, it would just create more problems. More unanswerable questions. She couldn't do that to herself.

Ana decided to let the issue go unattended for now, letting herself enjoy the quiet environment even if it was for a few minutes. She had to call her friends to tell them she was going to go on a trip, somewhere far, far away from the states. Like Asia. But she did have to return to accompany Rhodey to his old Air Force Base in Washington — she promised him she would.

As she relaxed in the cool snow, she began to speculate. She was in Russia, Natasha's birth home. Maybe the red head was in town. She had left after SHIELD's fall to go in search for her parents, only finding graves beside a chain fence. Ana hadn't heard the whole story, Nat didn't get to explain from the Civil War going on between them all. Ana wanted to ask Natasha a lot of questions. Particularly the one that circled around her words she spoke to Bucky when he was in Winter Soldier mode.

"You could at least recognise me."

Ana remembered Nat telling her about confronting Bucky. She just didn't know how many times it happened. Or what happened during those times. Ana then immediately shut her mind up. She didn't want to be coming off as nosy. That wasn't her. And she didn't want to risk finding Nat incase it set off alarms in the UN. The Black Widow did allow fugitives to leave in a jet, betraying Tony and Ross' clear demands.

A lightbulb went off after a few seconds of silence. Ana sat up, brushing the flaky snow from her shoulders as her lips pulled up into a smile. She knew a great little place, an ice cream parlour that had the best frozen treats she had ever tasted. A sudden craving was beginning to develop and Ana collected her duffle bag, sliding on her Sling Ring.

Before she could create a portal, she decided to walk all the way there, needing the workout.

"I'm getting lazy."

- - -

After eating ice cream in Russia, Ana travelled back to her apartment and took a warm shower. She dressed into black leggings and a grey knit jumper. She was putting on her flats when there was a knock on her door. She glanced at her watch, realising it was almost the afternoon.

"Coming." She called, approaching the door and opened it, swinging it wide open.

Peter was on the other side, carrying a tin of food with May next to him. She held a pot plant of orchids in her hands and beamed brightly at Ana.

"Hey! I've been meaning to drop by and give you a house warming gift." May said as Peter handed Ana the food. She wiggled her shoulders with a delighted laugh, "Oh, sweetie. It's so good to see you." May gushed.

"Hi, Ana." He smiled, before being pulled into a hug. Ana made May join in and chuckled, shaking Peter's hair affectionately.

"It's nice to see you two. Come in." She lead them inside, shutting the door behind her.

May whistled as she observed the clean apartment. Her eyes trailed across the modern furniture, nodding. "Wow. This is nice." She complimented, shooting Peter an impressed look.

Peter was already at the window, pressing his hands up against the glass as he gazed at the view of New York with an awed expression. Ana placed the food and flower pot on the dining table, facing her closest friends with a cookie in her hand.

"A friend of mine helped me land it." Ana shared, silently referring to Tony. Peter seemed to know about it already and nodded Ana's way with a knowing look.

May picked up a cookie from the tray, leaning her head against Ana's shoulder. "It's great knowing you have a place to live instead of that facility uptown." She stated. "I don't feel comfortable with the idea of you living alone."

Ana shrugged the shoulder that May wasn't leaning on and sighed. She knew Tony lived at the Avengers tower and Vision might also be crashing there. "May, I haven't been there since the Accords."

May lifted her head and placed a comforting hand on Ana's upper arm, frowning. "And how are you with what happened? I can't imagine how it must feel..."

A set of images with her Avengers flashed across her mind and she cleared her throat, looking away briefly. "I'm fine... I just miss them." She confessed, trying to stay cool. The Parkers could see right through it.

Peter looked down from his position at the window and Ana flashed May a smile. "Thank you for the orchids. They're beautiful."

May chuckled, jabbing her thumb in Peter's direction. "They were his idea." She checked Ana's watch and pouted, before wrapping her arms around Ana's torso quickly. "I've got to get to work. Come by tonight for dinner, okay?"

Ana shook her head, rubbing the base of her neck. "I'm actually leaving tonight. Going on a small vacation. I was going to call you both for a heads up." She told her, glancing at Peter also as he approached the women. He sent her a confused look while May nodded in understanding.

"I see. Well, promise me you'll take care of yourself and don't talk to strangers." May advised, pressing a kiss to Ana's cheek.

Ana laughed lightly, "You got it, May. I'll make sure Pete gets home before six." She waved goodbye as May shared a few words with her nephew and left.

Ana turned to Peter, who had a hesitant look in his eyes. "Where are you going exactly?" He asked, settling down in the seat beside her. Ana sat also, pushing the tray of cookies to him. He grabbed two and picked of small pieces.

"Still haven't decided." Ana said. "But it won't be for long. A couple weeks max." She promised. The colour red on Peter caught her attention and she glanced at the long sleeve underneath his sweatshirt. His suit.

"You wear it everywhere." Ana stated, poking his side.

Peter tugged his sleeves over it, laughing nervously. "Incase of emergencies." He answered. "And it's really comfortable."

Ana leaned an elbow on the top of the chair and crossed one knee over the other. "Tony make it?" Peter nodded. "Did he add a bit of him in the suit?" She smirked.

Peter scoffed. "A bit? He installed an operating system in the suit like the one he's got. It's pretty cool, sometimes weird, but cool. I call her Suit-Lady." He said, referring the random outbursts of information his AI would share when he was out and about as Spider-Man.

Ana held out her hand and Peter rested his wrist on it, letting her analyse the web-shooters. She trailed her index finger across the gadget, shaking her head. "And the webbing? That's you?" She glanced at the kid genius.

"Yeah. I make it in chemistry class when my friend Ned isn't paying attention. No one knows about me 'cept you and Tony. And Happy." Peter explained, resting his chin on his crossed arms that laid on the table.

Ana pouted at him. "Must be hard keeping it from May and Ned."

"It is." Peter began, "But I know it's for the best. Take Tony as an example. He threatened a terrorist on live tv and his house got blown up. What do you think is gonna happen to me when a thief finds out who I am and where I live?"

Ana brushed his hair back, soothing him. "I hope it doesn't ever end that way, bud. You're just a kid."

Peter shot her a look.

Ana rolled her eyes. "A kid with spectacular abilities and an awesome suit. There." She pressed a kiss to his cheek, over exaggerating the gesture.

Peter smiled at her, "That's more like it. Thank you."

There was a comfortable silence between them. Peter reached forward for another cookie while Ana smiled behind her fist, just looking at him with a twinkle in her eyes.

"Ben would be proud of you."

Peter paused at her words. He turned his head and leaned back in his seat, an unsure expression making its way onto his face. He looked down at his hands in his laps, fiddling with his fingers.

"You think so?"

Ana nudged his chin up with her knuckles and rested her hand on his shoulder, gazing into his eyes with a genuine smile.

"I know so, Pete."

- - -

It neared evening and after dropping Peter off at his friends' house, she called Rhodey to check if they were still on for the Washington visit. She was let down when he said he had to cancel the trip after Tony made him 'park his heinie' — Stark's words — at the Avengers Facility to install a new and improved device for his legs. That, and they persuaded him to stay in for the NBA game.

Without anything else planned for the day, Ana took a short trip to the Sanctum Sanctorum. She had a bag packed with the necessities for space travel hanging on one shoulder with a box of donuts in her hands. Wong was in the small library, reordering books.

Ana offered him a donut and he picked one out, nodding his head as thanks. She dropped her bag by the door and sat down on the plush couch opposite him. "Where's Stephen?" She questioned.

Wong looked over his shoulder. "Had to take care of something in Kamar-Taj. He should be back soon." He replied, talking through the mouthful of donut.

The double doors opened and in walked Stephen with dirt all over his robes. Ana pressed her palm over her mouth to keep from laughing. Wong had a straight face while he stared at Strange. It looked like he was dragged through a mud path and dropped on a field of hay. The Cloak of Levitation detached from his shoulders, shaking itself clean. It made its way over to the couch and draped over the armrest beside Ana.

"What happened to you?" Ana chuckled.

Stephen wiped the mud from his cheek and huffed. "A few students needed help with their practices and it got messy." He told them both as he stomped over to Ana and snatched a donut from the box she offered him.

He took a huge bite and plopped down beside her. Wong shook his head, lifting a book from the cart full of them behind him. He read the spine and hummed. "Book of the Vishanti. You don't belong here." He created a mini portal to the library in Kamar-Taj and placed the book in its rightful place.

Ana looked at Stephen. "So, I'm going to space." She said casually.

Stephen faced her wide eyed. "For how long?"

She shrugged. "Not sure. Couple weeks at the most hopefully. I just feel like going away for a while."

"Normal people go to Asia. But you, my friend, are far from normal." Stephen shook his head, smiling despite the worry that crept in him.

Wong lifted his head. "I've gone to other dimensions before. You're a sorcerer now, Ana, time to explore the worlds beyond our own." He added. He turned to look at the empty slot between two books on the middle shelf with a curious expression.

"Darkhold?"

Ana didn't catch what he had just said and hummed. "What's that?"

"A book. The Darkhold. It's been missing for a while now." Wong started, "It carries endless possibilities to those who are stupid enough to dive into its dark magic." He scoffed, moving past the shelf.

Stephen stood, trying not to dust the dirt on the floor. He held his index finger up, "One moment." He created a quick portal to the bathroom and Ana stood to her feet, walking over to her bag. She put it on and waited, glancing at Wong every so often as he filled the rest of the empty spaces with books.

"How's the iPhone going?" She asked.

"I ran out of storage space." He shrugged.

Ana chuckled as Stephen reappeared, now clean and dirt free. He wrapped a loose arm around Ana's shoulder and hugged her into his side. "Alright, make sure you keep your Sling Ring on at all times. Do not lose it." He said firmly, "Try to avoid purple aliens. And do not eat anything that moves."

Ana smirked. "You got it."

Wong looked up from a pile of novels in his arms and thought to give her some advice of his own.

"And try not to get yourself killed. Space is just as dangerous as New York."

- - -

She was done notifying her friends about her departure. She sent messages and left voicemails. Ana was ready. She was keen on going to another place. She was so hyped, she forgot about the possible outcome if she wasn't careful. You know, death. But she kept on reminding herself that there was a group, the Guardians of the Galaxy, who can help her. Who knows? Maybe she could crash with them. She did remember to pack the beacon signal device that Gamora gave her when they first met. She had many weapons if there was a situation in the near future that would force her to use them.

Ana didn't want to get into fights in space. She wanted to explore.

"First things first... Thanos." Ana mumbled to herself as she slid the book Wong gave her in the front pocket of her large black backpack. She made a pack with herself that if she visits him this time around, and it ends up going real bad, she wouldn't try to look for him again. He was an outer space being that she just randomly ended up meditating about once. The only reason she was intrigued by him was from the way the late Ancient One spoke of him as if he was the universes big bad. And Ana needed to start listening to the part that warned her of danger.

Sliding on her Sling Ring, Ana took in a deep, relaxing breath. Her hands were up and a portal was ready for her to walk through. She stepped into mystery, leaving her life behind. Before she knew it, she was in space again. Dark abyss and stars everywhere you turn. The lack of colourful clouds of dust and gases was noted as Ana pulled her sleeves of her sorcerer robes over her hands. The chilly temperatures got to her in an instant and she crossed her arms, rising her shoulders to her ears. The air was breathable, thankfully. She was on the edge of what it seemed to be a canyon. The grey almost black stone was ragged and sharp, with no type of shape to it. All she could see was darkness. All around her the terrain was just like the ground beneath her feet — rough and random. She was expecting to see the throne Thanos sat in when she first saw him, though it must have been somewhere on the planet she stood on.

It was like she was the only one.

Ana began walking across the ground, away from the edge of the canyon. She slid on some gloves to keep her hands warm and placed her enhancement googles over her eyes. In her line of sight, the tech started analysing her view — reading temperatures, measuring distances, searching for anything. The silence surrounding her was agonising. While she tried to listen for any type of noise other than her breathing, she stopped walking. Her body froze when she could see two figures circle around from a large boulder. Clearly not human, she widened her eyes when she saw what they were.

One of them looked like a male with a tall and bony physique. He had a black cloak over his shoulder with the hood resting over his face, casting a shadow that made it difficult for Ana to really see his face. The being held a large, golden spear in one hand while the other was pressed over his abdomen. That was when she noticed he was struck by something. He had a slight limp to his step as he spoke with the other being.

The female was much bulkier and fitter than the other one. She had long blue hair and a black head piece with curved horns. Her skin was also blue and she was wearing a black and white one piece suit with golden armour over one arm. She carried a long lance over her shoulder as she looked to the male. They seemed to be arguing over something.

Ana branded them as hostiles and carefully began walking backwards, afraid to be seen by them. Her boots crunched the grains quietly while she slid her mask down to her neck, before she backed up against a pile of rocks. Her heel nudged one unintentionally down the edge of the canyon she first stood at, creating a series of bumps that echoed in the canyon.

"Shit, shit, shit." Ana whispered once the aliens stopped their bickering and turned their heads in her direction. They were far but their senses allowed them to hear the series of noises. Ana skidded for cover behind a large rock that was big enough to conceal her from prying eyes.

She could hear her heart hammer inside her chest and she peeked around the rock.

Proxima Midnight and Corvus Glaive stayed silent as they kept their eyes open for anything out of the ordinary. Their base was supposed to be uninhabited save for a few pesky little creatures. Corvus clutched his stab wound with his claws, seething through the pain.

He glanced to his wife, "Thanos will murder us if we don't move with haste. Now, come, my love." He commanded, beginning to walk away from the canyon.

Proxima rolled her eyes, following her partner. She slung her lance over her shoulder. "You're irritable when you're bleeding." She mumbled to herself while running a hand through her thick blue hair. They were getting further away from Ana's position and she watched them like a hawk until they were out of sight.

"Who the hell were they?" She whispered, still trying to calm herself down.

There was a crunch before a sharp object was pressed against the back of her head. Ana went rigid. She could feel the blade digging into her skin and she winced, holding her hands up.

"What are you?" The female asked in a rough tone.