"Are you sure you don't want to come with us?" her dad asked Ana for perhaps the 500th time.

"Dad, you know I don't want to go to New York unless I absolutely have to."

"But this is the opening of the Stark Tower! We should be celebrating together."

"No. You guys should go on this well-deserved romantic trip, and have fun, while I keep things running in LA."

He narrowed his eyes suspiciously and tilted his head to one side. "Is this why you're staying?"

"Yes," she admitted. He and Pepper had been in a relationship for two years now, but because they all lived in the same mansion—Pepper still hadn't "officially" moved in yet, but they were getting there—the lovebirds rarely got a chance to be alone. If they were a normal family, Ana would be away at college right now, and after college, she would move out and get a job. But that pattern was unpractical if everyone in the family worked for the same company, your dad was someone who could never have too many handlers, and his girlfriend your business mentor.

"Kid, if Pepper and I want some time alone, we'll just fly to the Maldives for a weekend. So, don't worry about it."

"I still don't like New York. Yeah, I hold a grudge against a city. I'm petty, sue me."

"Tony, she's not going to change her mind," Pepper said, emerging from the house with a small suitcase in her hand. "Though I wish she did."

"Sorry, Pep. Next time, I promise. There will be three more towers to celebrate."

Happy ran to take the suitcase from her. She and Ana hugged each other. "Keep him out of trouble, will you?"

"With this one, I can't make any promises."

"Well said. Have fun."

Pepper released her, and Ana hugged her dad next. "I'll miss you, Dad."

"Yeah, try not to bore yourself to death while I'm not around."

"Dad!"

"Okay, okay… I'll miss you, too."

He kissed the top of her head before letting her go and getting into the driver's seat of his new Acura. Ana watched them leave, then got into the Royce with Happy.

"How long will they be gone?" he asked as he pulled out of the front yard.

"If everything goes as planned, at least for two weeks. Though Pepper will make a short trip to DC after the opening."

"Honestly, I don't get what all this fuss is about. I mean, Tony has been using that thing in his chest for three years now. There's nothing new about it."

"It's mostly about PR, Happy. To show the world that clean energy can be accessible to everyone. I mean, not many people fly around in gold-titanium alloy suits, but most people live and work in a building. The Stark Tower is more… relatable than Iron Man."

"By the way, I'll be staying in the mansion with you until they return."

"Dad's orders?"

"No, but do you know how many death threats you guys receive every day?"

Because his boss was a superhero, Happy didn't have much to do other than driving them around. So, he had invented new tasks to keep busy. Like, taking it upon himself to screen the fan mails. Ana couldn't really blame him. His job was their safety. But her dad had kept his promise. No one wanted to mess with the Starks anymore. Those threats Happy talked about were nothing but words.

…

Two days later, Ana had a surprise visitor at work.

"Ms. Stark?" Ms. Arbogast knocked on the door.

"Yes?"

She opened the door ajar. "There's someone who wants to see you."

Ana wasn't expecting anybody today. "Who?"

"Her name is Sharon Tyler. She said she was an old family friend, but…"

Sharon Tyler. That was Sigyn's alias.

"That's alright, Ms. Arbogast, let her in."

Arbogast stepped away from the door to let Sigyn in. The poor woman had no idea she was in the presence of an alien. She would probably have a heart attack if she did.

Sigyn entered, and closed the door. Ana went to give her a friendly hug. When she had first met Sigyn, she had her doubts, like she had her doubts about everybody, but over time, the doubts had been replaced with gratitude. She didn't exactly "worship" her, but it didn't change the fact that she was eternally grateful to the goddess who had made her Tony Stark's daughter. Plus, she was a great teacher.

"Hello, Ana."

"Hey, I wasn't expecting to see you here! What brings you to LA?"

"I was on a mission in California. Thought I could pay you a visit… So, you're Ms. Stark now, Chief Technology Officer of Stark Industries."

Ana laughed. "Yeah, Pepper had to give me a fancy title and an office because I'm a Stark. In truth, I'm her intern, more or less… Take a seat."

She pulled a chair to sit, and Ana returned to her own seat. "You're lucky to have her. Tony was pretty much on his own when he had to take over."

"He had Stane," she reminded darkly.

"Right, Stane… By the Norns, I should've killed him years ago."

"Did you know he was a traitor? I never asked you before."

"I knew he was jealous of Howard, but he had done nothing to prove himself to be a traitor either. I didn't want to punish a man for a crime he might, or might not commit in the future."

Ana decided to change the subject. "Have you seen the news? The Stark Tower was officially opened last night."

"How could I not? You people have one hell of a PR team."

"Speaking of, I'm going to call Dad." Now that Sigyn was here, Ana changed her mind about New York. She wanted to take Sigyn to the Stark Tower, so that Pepper could finally meet her. Besides, deep down, Ana was actually dying to see the tower with her own eyes. Especially the labs.

Sigyn's face suddenly changed. It became serious, and grim. "He knows I'm here."

"Sigyn? What's going on?"

"Something bad."

"How bad?"

"Bad enough for SHIELD to reactivate the Avengers Initiative."

"Shit…"

Why, she thought angrily. In the past two years, nothing bad had happened. Their lives were perfect. Why did this have to be ruined now?

"I lied. I'm not on a mission. Tony received a visit from Agent Coulson last night. Then he called me, asked me to go to you immediately."

"Why?"

"Because of this." She took out a SHIELD briefing package from her bag, and handed it to Ana. "It's classified, but I don't care. You deserve to know."

Ana connected the electronic folder to her computer. It was about Project PEGASUS. "Wait… You once told us about something Project PEGASUS."

"I told you Fury had a team of scientists experimenting with the Tesseract. Those experiments were bound to draw unwanted attention."

Indeed, the research facility had been attacked last night. By Loki. "Your husband? I thought he was missing."

"Not anymore."

Sigyn had told her how Loki had schemed to get Thor banished—hence the New Mexico situation—and take the throne. He had tried to obliterate Jotunheim, so Thor had to destroy the Bifrost in the end, disconnecting Asgard from the other eight realms.

"What does he want?"

"Revenge, I think. This is personal to him. He knows how much both Thor and I love Midgard and mortals. One of the people he controls with his scepter is Dr. Erik Selvig. The first friend Thor has made in this realm."

Ana's heart jumped to her throat. "Are you saying he might come for us as well?"

"You and the Carters, yes. Fury has already sent some men to protect Peggy and her family. Tony can handle himself. And I'm here to protect you."

"What about Pepper?"

"She's in DC, right? Some of Fury's people will be watching over her, don't worry."

"How dangerous is Loki?" Sigyn had said her dad could handle himself, but Ana wasn't so sure.

"I don't know. We had the same training in Asgard, but I have no idea what he's been doing since he disappeared. Keep reading."

And so Ana did. If there was anything more alarming than Loki himself, it was Erik Selvig's research. Neither Ana nor her dad had been able to understand why the new element made teleportation possible. Now, they had an answer.

"I need some air," she lied.

"Okay. I'll be right here."

Hopefully, Sigyn had misinterpreted her shock. Ana went to Pepper's office, where she could talk to her dad freely. No one would come here while Pepper was out of town. Ana called him. It looked like he was flying in a suit when he answered. He smiled. "Hey, kid!"

"Dad? Can you talk?"

"Yeah, but not for long. Loki is causing trouble in Germany, and I'm getting close. Sigyn is there, I take it?"

"She is. But I'm alone in Pepper's office now, to speak with you in private. You've seen Selvig's research, right?"

"You replicated the powers of the Tesseract, kid."

"Did you tell Sigyn?"

"Oh, no. And you don't tell her either. That woman lied to us, Ana. She said the Tesseract was an energy source, while it was actually a spatial gateway all along."

"I—I don't get it. You sent her to protect me…"

"And I'm sure she will protect you. But I got a feeling that there's so much she's keeping from us, so let's just do the same with our secrets, okay?"

"Are you going to be on your own against Loki?" Ana didn't like that thought.

He sighed. "I wish I were…"

"Why?"

"Didn't she tell you who else is going to be on the team?"

"We haven't talked about that yet. I came to talk to you as soon as I took a look at Selvig's notes."

"Make sure you do a more detailed reading, I think you're going to find them very useful… Gotta go now. Love you."

"I love you, too, Dad. Be careful."

"I always am."

He hung up. Ana took some time to calm down before returning to her own office, feeling frustrated. Just as she had started to think she could trust Sigyn, she had turned out to be a liar, too. But Ana still needed her for her own protection until the Loki crisis was sorted out, so she decided to play it cool.

"Are you feeling better?" Sigyn asked when Ana entered.

"Yeah… Just curious, though, who else is on Fury's team? Or, will Dad be on his own?"

"See for yourself." She turned on the TV.

"LOKI OF ASGARD" CAPTURED IN STUTTGART, GERMANY

Ana saw her Dad and Captain America taking a black-haired, tall man in a black, green, and golden armor. So, that was Loki…

"Steve Rogers has been found in ice, not long ago," Sigyn explained.

"And Fury thinks he and my dad can work together?" That could be the worst idea Fury had ever come up with.

"Captain Rogers is not even the only one Tony has to work with."

…

Sigyn advised her to leave early, but Ana refused, not wanting to create panic. Everyone at the HQ had seen the news, and wanted to know what the hell had happened in Germany. Ana had to make an announcement that everything was under control, and she left the office at 6 PM, like she did every day. Happy was waiting outside, by the car.

"What's going on in Germany?" he demanded as soon as he saw them. "And who's that?"

"Happy, meet Sigyn. She'll be our babysitter until SHIELD fixes the mess her husband caused."

He gaped at Sigyn. "Was that creepy guy with horns your husband?"

"He still is, unfortunately… Shall we?"

They filed into the Royce.

"Wow… I mean, I'd heard about you, but I never met an alien before," Happy mumbled as he drove out of the HQ.

"Most humans haven't. And if we're lucky, it stays that way," Sigyn replied darkly.

Ana turned to her. "What do you mean?"

"I talked to Odin before coming here. He says Loki has an army. They're called the Chitauri."

"What are the Chitauri?"

"That's the disturbing part. We don't know."

"Are you saying an actual alien invasion might happen?" Happy cried. "Like, the ones in the movies?"

"Yes, Mr. Hogan, but that's classified. We don't want to spread panic."

"That's why Loki took the Tesseract, didn't he? To be able to open the portal and bring his army?"

"Yes," Sigyn admitted.

"Quite an energy source, isn't it?" Ana said insinuatingly. "I wonder what else it's capable of."

"Ana," she started softly. "When I first started teaching you, I told you I might not share everything I know. There're things you are not ready to hear."

Ana remained silent.

"You're upset."

Another thought occurred to her. "Why did Fury not invite you to join the Avengers, Sigyn?"

"He did. I refused."

"Why?"

"Loki is doing everything he can to spite me. He wants me to make a choice between him and the Tesseract. I'm sworn to protect it with my life, but I'm also sworn to stand by my husband's side no matter what. I cannot fulfill one oath without breaking the other. You see, he's called the God of Mischief for a reason. If he decides to play a game with you, the only way to win is not to play at all."

"So, you're going to break both oaths?"

"Yes, and I will be banished from the Nine Realms for it. Odin made that very clear."

"Like I said, you should've just dumped Loki a millennium ago…"

"Probably."

An uneasy knot was formed in Ana's stomach. Did this mean the end of their lessons? She enjoyed them, and more importantly, the recent events proved that they might come handy one day. "I'm never going to see you again, aren't I?"

Sigyn smiled bravely. "We'll talk about that later."

…

When they returned to the mansion, Ana retreated to the workshop. JARVIS had hacked into the SHIELD mainframe on the Helicarrier, so he shared everything he had found with her. It was no surprise that SHIELD was using the Tesseract to build weapons of mass destruction.

She had a feeling that this wasn't going to end well. When she called Pepper, she realized she, too, had the same feeling. She also told Pepper not to be scared if she realized she was being followed, that they were probably just Fury's agents. And Pepper told her not to go to the office, or leave the mansion at all until Loki was dealt with.

She called Rhodey, too. If there was going to be a team of superheroes, he was the only one she trusted to watch her dad's back. Unfortunately, his superiors kept Rhodey busy. He promised to help as soon as he finished his next mission in Hong Kong, though. That was some relief.

She spent the rest of the night studying Selvig's notes and the data her dad had sent her. She had used the radius of the damage zone at that secret research facility to calculate how far Loki must have traveled. And if she was right, Loki had come from billions of light-years away. If she didn't have the same tech that could do it—in theory, at least—that would be a terrifying thing to know. But her dad was right. The notes were useful.

The next day, she saw Selvig's research in action. Ana, Happy, and Sigyn were sitting in front of the TV in the living room as a portal opened in the sky above the Stark Tower and the Chitauri came through it. Sigyn was right; Loki was using everything he could to spite her.

Ana had her own personal protocol when her dad donned the suit. She would refuse to watch the news or get any updates from JARVIS until all was well. She wanted to do the same now, but couldn't bring herself to do it. How could she? This wasn't the Ten Rings, or some murderous psychopath who had built his own super-suit. This was an alien army attacking New York.

"I'm going to call Pepper." She just needed to hear the voice of the most mature and reasonable person in her life. But Pepper didn't answer.

She tried Rhodey next. At least he answered.

"Hey, sweetie."

"Rhodey! Do you know what's going on in New York?"

"Yeah, Tony called me a few minutes ago. I'm on my way now. Where are you?"

"Still in Malibu, with Happy and Sigyn."

"Good. Tony said those aliens are coming out of some kind of… portal?"

"Yeah."

"Do you know how to close it?"

"I—I don't know." Ana might have accidentally replicated the Tesseract's powers, but her invention had something the Tesseract didn't have: A simple switch. Without it, she had no idea how it could be shut down.

"Well, you work on that if you want to help."

"Stay safe, Rhodey."

"You, too."

She hung up, and looked at Sigyn. "Do you know how to close the portal?"

"The cube's powers are far beyond mine."

But maybe not mine, she thought, with hope. She had found a way to harness the raw energy from the element to reveal its true capabilities before the element had been created, after all.

"Where are you going?" Happy asked as she rushed downstairs.

"I'll try and find a way to close the portal."

"Okay, let me—"

"I want to do this alone. I'm sorry."

Happy was obviously a tad offended, but Ana tried to ignore that. By the time she entered the shop, everything she might need was already on the holotable.

"Thanks, JARVIS."

"You're welcome, Miss Stark. I've also taken the liberty of telling your father you'll be working on a solution. He believes in you. As do I."

She smiled. Her dad must have instructed JARVIS to give her a pep talk. Even in the midst of a battle, he remembered to comfort her.

"I don't even know where to start, J," she admitted. "Will you turn on the TV?"

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. I have to see what's going on over there," she said, but went down to the cellar to grab a bottle of wine nevertheless. Getting drunk in the workshop was probably a bad idea, but she needed to relax in order to be able to think.

"Miss, I wouldn't advise that…"

"J, Dad's fighting aliens in New York! I'm allowed to have one coping mechanism!"

He made no comment, so Ana returned to the workshop and started working on a solution while sipping a glass of wine.

By the end of the third glass, she still had nothing. But she could now barely stand on her feet. Damn, she was such a lightweight…

"Miss Stark, your father wishes to speak with you."

"You shouldn't have told him I was drunk." She knew JARVIS didn't exactly have a choice, but still… He should have known that worrying about Ana would only be a distraction.

"I didn't," JARVIS said gravely, and only then it occurred to Ana to pay attention to the news again. The cameras were showing her dad carrying a missile on his back, flying towards the portal. Where had that missile come from?

JARVIS answered the video call on her behalf, and her dad's face popped up on the holotable.

"Hey, kid," her dad said cheerfully, but she knew him well enough to see how scared he was.

"Dad? What are you doing?"

"Oh, boy… It's on the news, right?"

"Yes."

"Ana, listen to me. This is a nuclear missile, okay? There's only one place I can put it, so… Well, I hope it will work."

Ana was looking at the TV. He was approaching the portal fast. She had maybe 30 seconds to talk him out of this.

"Ana! Don't look at that. Look at me. I'm here. Just look at me."

She did, even though that meant she was going to see how badly she was crying. She had never been one of those girls who cried prettily. He didn't want him to see her like this, but she couldn't end the call and leave him all alone either.

"Good girl. It's going to be okay. Everything's going to be okay. As soon as I let this thing loose on whatever is on the other side, I'll turn around and come back."

"I'm sorry I didn't come to New York with you. I'm so sorry…"

"Are you kidding me? I'm very, very glad that you didn't get caught up in this mess. Speaking of, I've been calling Pepper, too, but she's not answering. So, if I don't make it back—"

"Don't say that!"

"If I don't come back, you girls take good care of each other."

"Dad, please… Don't go. Don't leave me."

"Ana, the whole city—"

"I don't care about the whole city! I care about you! I love you!"

He smiled. "I love you m—"

The call ended.

"JARVIS? Tell me you're still with him…"

"I'm sorry, miss. The connection is lost."

Ana was glad that she was drunk. It made it easier for her brain to process the emotions. It dulled them. She promised herself that if he survived this, she would never let herself feel this helpless again, ever. This could have been prevent if she had been braver. If, for example, she had worked harder, she could have perfected her teleportation technology. Then she could save her dad no matter where he went.

She silently begged for a miracle as she watched the portal close. A second later, her dad reappeared. He was falling, but the Hulk caught him.

Another death evaded. Ana grabbed the bottle and this time, didn't even bother to pour the drink into the glass.

Soon, Happy was dialing in the passcode. He found her sitting in the swivel chair, with an empty wine bottle in her hand.

"Ana?" he asked warily.

"It wasn't me. Someone else must have found a way to close the portal. Guess I'm not as smart as I think I am." Why did this matter right now, she didn't know. She should just be grateful that the fight was over and her dad was alive. It shouldn't matter whose genius it was that had saved them all. But it did. From now on, she couldn't take any chances. She couldn't rely on miracles.

She was going to keep the promise she had just made to herself. She was going to do more.

"Anyway, Sigyn says she can take us to New York now. Come on."

She followed Happy upstairs, then outside to the landing pad, where Sigyn's ship was. Air traffic must have gone haywire by now, but it wasn't going to be a problem for them. They would probably be in New York before Pepper could.

…

They were making their way among the broken glass shards, wrecked cars, damaged buildings, and dead Chitauri soldiers. It was hard to believe this was Manhattan. Judging by the "I don't get paid enough for this shit" look on his face, Happy was still struggling to believe that aliens had attacked New York and he had got a ride on a spaceship. Sigyn was fuming. Ana wondered what she was going to do when she saw her husband.

The lobby of the Stark Tower was crowded. She saw her dad, arguing with a guy. She had never met him before, but she knew who he was: Alexander Pierce. A bunch of SHIELD agents were trying to take the case in her dad's hand. Forcefully. Other than that, he looked okay. Thor was with him.

"What the hell?" Happy muttered angrily. "Sir, what's going on here?"

"Whatever you do, don't let anyone know I'm to leave Midgard for good," Sigyn whispered into Ana's ear.

"Got it."

Everyone's attention had shifted to the newcomers when Happy had gone to Tony Stark's aid. But he had let go of the case when he had seen Ana. He was now coming to her.

"Hey, Dad," Ana said coolly. She knew better than embarrassing him in front of government agents and other superheroes by acting sentimental.

But he didn't seem to care about that, for he pulled her into a tight hug. "I'm sorry I scared you like that."

"It's okay. You were scared, too."

"I was."

"The Tesseract belongs to Odin!" Thor's voice boomed in the lobby, and they turned to see what was happening.

"I told you, it's been a SHIELD property for more than 70 years!" Pierce said, with the typical confidence and entitlement of a big wig. Seriously, an alien invasion had just been averted, and they were discussing "property"? Ana was disappointed, to say the least, and she knew this was just the beginning. People were often afraid of change, even when it was for their own good. When she looked at her dad, she saw that he was having the same thoughts.

"Only because I allowed it to be," Sigyn broke in, with an entitlement that matched Pierce's. Sigyn wasn't Thor. She understood how the red-tape worked. Ana was eager to see how she was going to handle the situation. In fact, this could be another valuable lesson.

Pierce frowned. "And you are…"

"Lady Sigyn Tyrsdottir of Asgard, also known as Sharon Tyler. The sworn guardian of the Tesseract, first Consultant to SHIELD, and an Alpha member with a Clearance Level 10." She flashed a badge to prove her claim. Thor grinned proudly.

"Clearance Level 10? That's Director level. You're not even an agent."

"Director Stark made an exception for me. In 1974."

"Well, I haven't heard of you before."

"Because I didn't want you to. I work exclusively with the human Director of SHIELD."

"I'm going to have to call Director Fury and ask him to confirm that."

She replied rather sweetly, "Of course. Still, I believe we can resolve this conflict among ourselves. After all, your reputation for diplomacy precedes you, Secretary Pierce. It's an honor for me to finally meet you in person."

Was this Sigyn's strategy? Flattery? No, it couldn't be so simple.

She extended her hand, and when Pierce took it, she pulled him closer and whispered something in his ear. Whatever it was, it seemed to have shaken Pierce, and left a bad taste in Sigyn's mouth. He let her take the case afterwards. Sigyn took it, and passed it to Thor. Pierce and his company walked out of the building without a word. This was weird. Men like Pierce weren't shaken easily. Right now, one might even believe he had seen a ghost.

"What did you tell him?" Ana asked Sigyn.

"I've been a spy here for 60 years, Ana. I have dirt on everybody."

Yeah, but what kind of dirt, Ana was going to ask, but then, the Hulk made an entrance, and scaring a lot of people

"NO STAIRS!"

"Is he alright?" she asked her dad.

"Yeah, he's cool. Just make sure you keep your distance when he's angry."

"Noted."

Thor went to calm him down. After some bellowing and punching, Bruce Banner returned to his human form, and was given a short and a pair of new pants. In the meantime, Agents Romanoff and Barton, and Captain America joined them. For some reason, they were all planning to eat shawarma.

"Where's Dr. Selvig?" Ana asked.

"I took him to the infirmary," Romanoff said.

"Are you not coming?" her dad asked when Ana headed for the elevator. Even though she had been here for only about fifteen minutes, she had realized that he actually liked showing her off to the other Avengers. Maybe he was simply proud of the daughter he had raised, or maybe he wanted the others to understand how much he had to lose, and yet he had still chosen to be Iron Man. There were no shortage of people who still doubted Tony Stark's heroism. Either way, Ana was glad if her presence helped. She just didn't want to be around Romanoff. Oh, and she couldn't wait to question Dr. Selvig, too.

"I'm not hungry," she replied apologetically. Which wasn't even a lie. With so many things on her mind, food was the least of her concerns.

He glanced towards Romanoff and cocked an eyebrow. Ana shrugged.

He laughed. "You are vindictive, kid."

"Go," she urged him. "We'll talk more when you return."

Ana went into the elevator, and smiled at her dad one more time before the door slid close.