After going 6 months being able to heal, being completely healthy, Danielle wasn't sure she liked being normal. And on top of that, she was pregnant.
Every morning she was stuck in the bathroom, frustrated beyond belief she had to deal with something like morning sickness. The serum had been a great privilege.
It had been decided after she had the baby that Banner would yet again administer the serum. The thought of not being able to help her child if they were sick or injured hurt too much, and she knew she wouldn't be able to stand idly by. However, she would have to be pretty severely sick or damaged for it to work properly, and she wasn't looking forward to that.
She wrote to her mother about her pregnancy, hoping that some glimmer of empathy would spark within her. She didn't hear back for a while.
Instead, after a month of silence from her parents, everything changed one afternoon. Danielle had been spending more time at home, seeing she felt so sick all the time. She worked on SAFE projects from the office, corresponding with her small team in their various locations around the world. The buzzer went off, and Danielle pushed herself up from the office chair.
"Hello?" she said, pressing the button as she spoke.
"Danielle? It's...it's mom." a voice replied. Danielle's stomach twisted. Without a word, she buzzed her in. She rushed back to the office, calling Steve, who was at the SHIELD headquarters.
"Can you come home for lunch?" she asked him as soon as he answered.
"Yeah, what's happening? Are you okay?" he could hear the panic in her voice. A knock came at the door.
"My mom's here." she whispered, and then hung up quickly, dashing to the front door.
Danielle got most of her looks and poise from her mother, Diane. They were the same build, only her mother had darker hair, and her skin tone was lighter than Danielle's. She wore a 'campaigning' suit, with a neat dark green a-line skirt and matching blazer. Her MK dangled in the crook of her elbow, and she fiddled with her sunglasses in her hand as she stood, waiting for Danielle to speak.
"Hi?" Danielle finally said. "You didn't want to call first?"
"Can I come in?" her mother asked, her tone cold. Danielle stepped back, letting her mother pass.
Diane looked around at the apartment, nodding. "Is he Catholic?" she asked. Danielle sighed, knowing this visit might test her.
"He was raised in the faith, yes. His parents were Irish-Catholic immigrants."
"Well, we have that going for us, then, I suppose." Diane said. "But, unmarried and pregnant, Danielle? With a man you've known for...6 months?" she sounded exasperated.
"I know it sounds-"
"You know better." she snapped.
"Don't tell me what I know. I know that I love him, not that you care."
"Oh, love is it?" her mother said. Danielle walked across the apartment to the kitchen. She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. "Which one is he, then, of those superheroes? From New York?"
"You haven't even bothered looking it up?"
"Your father doesn't know I'm down here." Diane explained. "We don't...look into these things. He doesn't approve."
"Well, he would if he met him. He's a pretty old fashioned guy. He hardly even swears." Danielle said.
"Well, he knocked up my daughter." Diane said, and Danielle had to laugh.
"That he did. He's Captain America, to answer your question."
"Is he?" she said, actually sounding surprised. Danielle nodded, crossing her arms over her chest.
"He'll be here soon, too." Danielle said.
"Now, I don't know if that-"
"I want you to meet him." she replied flatly. "Would you like a cup of tea? You can sit, you know."
Her mother set her bag on the counter and leaned against it, still looking frigid. "Tea would be nice."
The door opened. Danielle and her mother looked up in surprise.
"Jesus, Steve, did you run here?" Danielle asked, grinning. He shrugged.
"More or less." he said, slightly breathless. "You must be Danielle's mother." he said, crossing the room and sticking his hand out. "It's great to finally meet you."
She had been gawking at him in silence before she finally took his hand and shook it.
"Diane." her mother said. "You're very...much more...you're quite tall, aren't you?"
Danielle rejoiced internally at her mother's speechless state.
"Is everything okay?" Steve asked, looking over at Danielle.
"Everything's great." she replied. "I think we should probably take my dear mom out for lunch."
"Danielle-" her mother said, sounding angry. "I came here to talk to you."
"Well then talk, mom. But before you do, I need you to understand a few things, okay? Because I'm pretty sure you and dad think I somehow volunteered myself to join some rebel group just to spite you. Steve saved my life. The reason I changed was because someone tried to murder me, mom." her voice broke, and she felt a rush of hormonal charged tears on their way. "It hurt, mom, and I cried out for you, and you weren't there. He was. He made sure my life was saved. And then you both turn your back on me because you think I'm some sinning heathen, or something, and you left me alone. And these people who you both so actively petition against, they were the ones who were there for me. And the groups, the groups you supported and rallied with, one of them tried to kill us both. They pushed a blade in my stomach when they learned I was pregnant. You're here to talk to me? To say what? You won't say anything that will change my mind, understand that. You came down here with no warning and no invitation to... lecture me? Have you forgotten I am not a 12 year old girl you can lock in a closet because I bought red underwear with my allowance money? I am my own person with my own life and you have now royally pissed me off."
Tears ran down her cheeks and her hands shook with anger. She'd been burying all these feelings for months now and they all came tumbling out at once. Steve and her mother looked at her, Steve's face worried, her mother's contorted as she let all these words sink in.
"I'm sorry." her mother finally said, much to Danielle's surprise. Steve stepped forward, pushing the tears off of Danielle's cheeks, squeezing her hand gently. "I'm going to leave, and I apologize for showing up uninvited. I'm going to talk to your father." she nodded. "I'll call you soon, sweetheart." she put on her sunglasses so they wouldn't see her tears as she left.