Author's notes: I recently started a re-read of Wildbow's "Worm" (which you should totally read. One and a half million words and it's all free). It got me thinking about the Hebert family, especially Annette and her death. This is what came out of it.

Nothing lasts forever

The loud blaring of a horn warned the woman at the last possible moment. Vision still blurry, she barely managed to evade the approaching car and return to the proper lane, her own vehicle swerving dangerously before she regained full control.

Annette Rose Hebert angrily wiped the tears from her wet eyes, keeping one hand on the wheel. The traffic was already growing lighter. Soon she would leave Brockton Bay and enter the steep hills surrounding the city. She simply needed to get away from everything for a few hours.

She clenched the wheel so hard her knuckles turned white when she recalled the quarrel with her husband. It had been the last and nastiest in a long string of arguments. Today he had truly lost his temper for the first time. She had even thought he would hit her at one point. Fortunately he didn't. Instead he launched into a long, blistering rant. Annette had listened to his shouting for ten full minutes until she couldn't take it anymore and stormed out of the house before she did or said something she knew she would regret later.

'I need to calm down before I cause an accident.'

That was easier said than done. Annette normally didn't get angry, not like her husband did. It simply wasn't part of her personality. Now though a smoldering resentment that had been building for years threatened to boil over, making her want to destroy something with her bare hands. It was a quite unfamiliar sensation.

Taking several deep breaths, Annette forced her fingers to slowly unclench. She tried to empty her mind and concentrate purely on driving.

It worked surprisingly well. In fact, it took her almost a minute to realize that the car was standing still and she had reached her destination.

Switching off the engine, Annette left the car and began climbing a rocky hill. Ten minutes later she arrived at her favorite thinking spot. Neither the city nor other signs of habitation were visible from her location thanks to several particularly large hills, making it seem as if she was surrounded by wilderness.

Annette sat down on a large flat rock and stared into the distance. Now that she was here and could vent her anger the emotion seemed to have drained away. Instead there was only a bone-deep weariness.

She was tired, so very, very tired. Tired of the constant arguments with her husband. Tired of smoothing things over with people he had alienated. Tired of walking on eggshells around him to avoid setting him off. Tired of keeping up the charade for Taylor's sake.

Today she had pushed just a little bit too far instead of backing down when she recognized the signs of Danny losing the hold on his temper. It was the first time he let loose against her, but she had witnessed similar events often enough.

The words still hurt. The accusations of undermining him, of being heartless, of being a bad mother stung.

"Oh Danny. How did it come to this?" she asked the empty air, but in her heart Annette already knew the answer for what the root of their conflict was.

They had a few good years in the beginning of their marriage. Later on the relationship grew strained, but they managed to patch things up. Then they had a few mediocre years leading to increasingly bad years. It took more and more effort to keep their conflicts and arguments from their daughter.

"Ambition. Ambition is the problem."

Or rather her overabundance and Danny's lack thereof. She wanted to be important, make a difference on a large scale. Annette had always wanted for her and her family to become important, be recognized for their talents and contributions to society. She recognized that her ambition was a character flaw, but she couldn't help feeling that way.

Danny was seemingly perfectly content in his job at the Dockworkers association. He was the head of hiring and Union spokesperson. Despite his self-professed status as a nerd he got along well with the rough-edged dockworkers.

Annette was an English professor at the local college. She was popular with students and staff alike. As soon as her boss retired in a few years she would take over the department. She had achieved much in her thirty-eight years of life.

It still left her feeling unsatisfied. She enjoyed teaching and helping people reach their potential greatly, yes, but there was an ever-present nagging feeling in the back of her head. It wasn't so much that she had failed at anything but that she knew she could have achieved so much more if she had made different decisions in her life. She had gotten job offers from Harvard and Yale. If not for Danny's wish to return to the city of his birth she would have accepted one of them.

Annette didn't blame Danny for that. It had been a conscious decision on her part to cut back on her ambitions. A marriage required compromises to work. For the first few years it had seemed worth it. A loving husband made up for much, but in retrospect Annette clearly recognized that the first cracks in their relationship had been there almost from the beginning. It had only gotten worse with time.

At first everything had seemed fine. Annette had found employment at Brockton Bay's college while Danny quickly worked his way up in the Dockworkers association. She took some pride in the fact that this was at least partially due to her advice. Figuring out what made people tick was one of her best skills.

Then the first of the Endbringers appeared. Behemoth struck at the Marun oil fields. In the end the still new Protectorate chased him off, but the damage was done. The price of oil soared. Half a year later he attacked Sao Paulo, reducing the city to a smoldering radioactive wasteland and starting a world-wide recession. Brockton Bay's import/export business dried up, destroying the local economy. The city went from a bustling metropolis to a poverty-ridden breeding ground for criminals.

"That was the turning point." Annette said out loud. "We had the occasional problem before that, but that was when things started getting sour."

There was no more honest work to be had. The Dockworkers had to lay off countless people. Not being able to do anything while more and more of his friends and charges lost their jobs had taken a heavy toll on Danny. He really cared about the workers. It had led to him growing ever more irritable, his temper becoming considerably more volatile when he had to tell people there were no jobs day after day.

Annette had wanted to leave Brockton Bay and seek employment elsewhere. Granted, both Danny and she had secure jobs, but she couldn't bear to watch what Danny's job was doing to him. If she was honest with herself another reason had been that she didn't want to stay in a failing city. It had been their first true quarrel.

It had grown worse from there. Danny didn't lose his temper then, but their relationship grew increasingly strained. They began arguing about the little things they had tolerated about each other before, interspersed with long bouts of silence. When Behemoth attacked New York and gave the economy another push downwards it seemed as if their marriage was at an end.

Annette's pregnancy had come as a surprise to both of them. Initially the birth of their daughter Taylor had revitalized their relationship, both of them making an honest effort to repair their marriage. The magic was irretrievably gone, but they managed to get to a comfortable level again.

Unfortunately the child soon became only another point of contention. Taylor was a very intelligent girl and Annette did all in her power to nourish that potential. Danny was always arguing against that. It wasn't as if he didn't want the best for Taylor, but he wanted to give her a 'normal' childhood.

Annette just didn't see the point of being 'normal' if someone had the potential for being more. She didn't want to overburden Taylor, of course not, but neither would she allow for her daughter to end up in mediocrity.

Brockton Bay slowly managed to claw its way back up thanks to newly established technology firms and banking businesses, but that did little to ease the poor's plight. The new industries needed mainly high-skilled specialists and had little to no use for the laid off dockworkers.

Instead more and more villain capes arrived in the city, attracted by the fertile recruiting ground for followers. It made the city's criminal problem much worse. The late nineties had been characterized by vicious gang wars led by the super powered villains of the month. More than once Annette had feared for her family's life… and Danny still insisted on staying.

Finally a sufficient hero presence established itself and things grew safer, but the economic problems persisted. Over time Danny became fixated on restoring the ferry that had once connected the north and south part of Brockton Bay. It would do nothing to fix the problems of the poorer north, but Danny didn't want to hear it. His temper reared its ugly head more and more, alienating people and burning bridges.

The revival of the Docks had become an obsession. Danny talked almost about nothing else, disregarding the realities of the situation. Annette had tried to argue, but she wasn't getting through. She always feared to trigger a fit of anger if she pushed too strongly.

"Perhaps I should have made my position clear. Danny is refighting a lost battle again and again." Annette sighed, leaning back until she laid flat on the sun-warmed boulder, looking into the sky. It was the same regarding Taylor. Annette never pressed the arguments to the end in fear of Danny's temper.

When Danny didn't want Taylor to visit a school for the gifted Annette had backed down.

When Danny had argued that Taylor shouldn't skip a grade to stay with her best friend Emma Annette had acquiesced.

The last argument had been about the high school Taylor would visit in the future. It was still six months away, but preparations had to be made now instead of later.

There were four high schools in Brockton Bay.

The private Christian school Immaculata High was located in the south part of town and a generally good school, frequented mainly by the wealthy part of the population. Unfortunately it was too far away from their house.

Arcadia High was relatively close by in the geographical center of Brockton Bay and the best school in the city, indicated by the strict entry requirements and long waiting list.

Clarendon High, the second school in the south part of town, was mostly average. Some problems existed there, but nothing really spectacular either way. Once again the school was too far away for Taylor to visit.

Winslow High in the north catered to the rest. Frankly, it was a problem school with a growing gang problem and mostly apathetic teachers who had resigned themselves to that fate. There had been a fifth school in the Docks, but due to the falling population and open violence it had been closed some time ago – making all of those problem children go to Winslow.

Annette had naturally assumed that Taylor would visit Arcadia. Her girl was certainly smart enough. Danny objected, mostly because Winslow was closer. He was unwilling to admit that Winslow was steadily heading south; still regarding it as the school for middle-class kids it had been in Brockton Bay's heyday. Granted, there was a sizeable portion of those children still there, mostly because the parents couldn't afford Immaculata's fees and Arcadia was far too small for the demand. Danny had completely flown off the handle when she told him exactly what she thought of Winslow.

Annette hugged herself. "I can't go on like this."

Constantly walking on eggshells, choosing each word with care, giving ground because she didn't want to anger Danny, keeping up the façade for Taylor and others – it was simply too much.

This time Danny had shouted and ranted at her, breaking a promise he had made when their relationship grew serious. What if next time he lost his temper over something Taylor did? What if he grew violent? A few years back their daughter had been visiting Danny in his office when he lost his temper with the mayor's aide. Yes, it was bad that the revival projects for the Docks were cancelled, but that was no point to vent the anger on a man who wasn't responsible and could change nothing. Taylor had been completely distraught just from witnessing that event. Danny had been ashamed and apologized profusely after the fact, but as today had shown he was incapable of keeping his temper in check.

At his core Danny was still the good man who wanted to help others, Annette was sure – that quality was what had originally attracted her to him. Only, it wasn't enough anymore. The good was no longer offsetting the bad.

"When did I stop loving him? Was it a year ago? Two? Three? For how long did I simply continue for Taylor's sake?" Annette wasn't sure. Years of arguments and disagreements had ground away at her affection and now there was nothing left, only a sad longing for what had been.

She wondered how Danny saw the state of their relationship. It was probably different from her own view. He might even still love her. Whenever she gave up on an argument because she didn't want him to go off he believed he had convinced her. He was not very skilled at reading people. Or perhaps he ignored what he didn't want to see.

Annette chuckled mirthlessly. "Mom was right in the end."

Her mother had never really approved of Danny and prophesized a quick end to their relationship. With the benefit of hindsight Annette had to agree that their marriage had probably been doomed from the start, although not for the reasons her mother had listed. She wasn't 'too good for that man' like her mother had said, but they were too different as people to get along long-term.

Perhaps she should have confronted Danny instead of humoring him, but she had always shied away from that. By now it was too late. Even if he changed his behavior she didn't think they could rekindle their love. Maintaining the marriage had become a chore for her. After what happened today, after all those hurtful words she no longer trusted Danny.

"Is that how he truly sees me, a woman who will sacrifice her daughter on the altar of her ambition? Who doesn't care about the poor?"

She wanted to help those people, she truly did. Unfortunately she saw no way to do that. Danny was fighting against windmills, unwilling to admit defeat. Worse, from his position and with his approach he would never change a single thing about the situation of his precious dockworkers.

A more ambitious person would have build friendships and political connections during the good years and leveraged them later. Even after everything went downhill there was still a chance for that. It was certainly the direction Annette had favored and tried to push her husband into. Political networking was part of the job description of being a union spokesperson. Unfortunately Dany was really bad at that part of the job. Instead of building alliances he had alienated pretty much every important person in the city he had ever come in contact with. Danny was so hyper-focused on the issues he deemed important that he disregarded everything else.

"What should I do?" Annette asked the clouds.

She couldn't go on like before and pretend everything was fine, she just couldn't. Not even for Taylor's sake. Especially now that she had doubts if staying with Danny was good for her daughter. Danny would never consciously hurt Taylor, at least outside of a fit of rage, but the decisions he made could very well hurt her and her future. Winslow showed that aptly enough.

Annette continued lying on the warm stone until the sun disappeared behind the hills and it grew cold. By then she had reached a decision. There was only one solution.

Divorce.

It would hurt Taylor. It would probably hurt Danny. Annette still saw no other way to go forward. Even before today's events she had been profoundly unhappy with their marriage. Carrying on longer would make things only worse. By now Taylor was old enough to cope, hopefully.

With a sigh Annette stood up, massaging her aching back. She really should have brought a pillow or something.

By the time she reached her car the valley was filled with shadows. Getting back to the highway and Brockton Bay would take some time. She had stayed longer than she had wanted to, causing her to drive faster to make up time. Soon it was completely dark.

Suddenly Annette realized that she couldn't return home. Danny would be there. She couldn't deal with him again so soon. Taylor was staying with her best friend Emma Barnes until tomorrow, so that wasn't a reason to return either.

That left the question of where to spend the night. She supposed she could simply rent a room in a hotel somewhere. On the other hand, perhaps she could crash in the Barnes house. That way she would be able to speak with Taylor about what she wanted to do, too.

Emma's father Alan was a good friend. More importantly, he was more Annette's friend than Danny's… and a divorce lawyer to boot. She could ask him for advice on how to proceed.

Fishing her cell phone out of her pocket, Annette started composing a text message to Emma's older sister who was watching the children. It was better to forewarn her instead of simply appearing on the doorstep.

When Annette looked up from her momentary distraction a large deer was standing on the street, staring into the car's headlights. Annette jerked the wheel violently, missing the deer by a hair's breadth. Then she realized her mistake and stepped on the brakes, but it was already too late.

The last thing she saw was a rapidly approaching tree.

Author's note: Not sure what to do with the snippet. I will leave it as a canon-compliant one-shot for now, but it could easily be used as a starting point for a divergence story with Annette surviving the car crash or a crossover of some sort. Well, íf I didn't already have several stories I want to continue and not enough time to write.

Much of it is speculation of course. We don't know much about Annette. In Danny's interlude we learn that the last time Danny saw Annette alive was when he completely lost his temper with her. Considering how Danny sees himself and his anger problem that was either a sudden, very, very bad argument or the culmination point of earlier problems. Taylor learns of her mother's death on the next morning when Danny calls Emma's older sister; Taylor apparently spent the night at Emma's house.

In chapter 6.9 Danny tells Taylor that he repeatedly argued with Annette about Taylor skipping a grade during middle school, with him being against it. It doesn't seem as if that was something that would cause him to completely fly off the handle, though. According to the in-depth cast page Annette died six months before Taylor started high school. That would be a little late for an argument of that sort; at least I don't think it usual for someone to skip the first year of high school.

In chapter 2.5 Taylor says her mother made sure she had a computer and knew her way around it since before she could read and write. That seems to indicate that Annette took a vested interest in furthering Taylor's education. I can't imagine she would have been happy with a school like Winslow.