Once the reconstruction of the "Avengers Tower" began, Ana returned to Malibu with her dad and Pepper, and life returned to its normal course. They said the Battle of New York had changed the world forever, but she didn't think it had changed as much as it should.

And if Ana wanted to change the world, first she had to change herself.

Every morning, she and Pepper left the mansion—Pepper had officially moved in—for work as usual. But she worked harder now. She started observing Pepper more carefully, to learn the subtleties of corporate politics, while trying not to neglect the R&D department, which was her main responsibility, at the same time. One of the things she had learned from Sigyn was that after war, economy was the second common language spoken across the universe. Being one of the leading companies on Earth would not be enough in the future. Stark Industries had to become one of the leading companies in the galaxy.

The evenings were for relaxation, self-care, and family time. Ana knew she couldn't function properly if she didn't give her body and mind the rest they deserved. The employees and the press would want to know what was wrong with her if she started to look like a mess. Besides, what was the point of doing all these if she didn't spend enough time with the people she fought for in the first place?

Weekends and holidays were for her personal projects and the lessons with Sigyn. Her ship had been sucked into a wormhole and she had ended up on a planet named Sakaar. Sigyn didn't want to talk much about it. She had simply said the first few days had been "humiliating," but then she had befriended with "another victim of Asgard" and was now luckier than most of those who ended up here.

Before Sigyn had left Earth, Ana had asked her to remove the spell on Irene Clarke's parents. She wanted them to remember. She wanted them to know what they had lost, and that they had spent the past 20 years being punished for their greed. Sigyn had been hesitant at first, because if Ana regretted it later, she couldn't return to Earth to cast the spell again. But Ana had convinced her in the end. Closure was another thing she needed if she wanted to function properly.

So, she wasn't surprised at all when Ms. Arbogast came into her office one afternoon and said two people who wanted to see her: Charlie and Alice Clarke.

Ana told Arbogast to let them in, and a second later, the couple was standing awkwardly before her. They seemed quite healthy for their age. They had done their best to look as rich and respectable as possible, like the maternal grandparents the Stark heiress deserved. The effort was just ridiculously obvious. She leaned back in the swivel chair, and studied them for a while, to see if she had inherited anything from these repulsive people.

"Hello, Ana," Charlie started.

"It's Ms. Stark," she corrected him sharply.

"Look, I know you don't remember us—"

"Oh, don't worry about that. I know who you are. I know exactly why you are here. In fact, I've been expecting you."

They looked at each other in confusion. Then Alice asked, "Does that mean you have answers?"

"I do. But first, I want to hear you ask the question."

It was entertaining to watch how uncomfortable the demand made them, how they squirmed. Ana didn't rush them at all. She was just savoring the scene. It was pure cruelty, and she loved it. For the last several years, she had been through so much that it felt nice to be on the giving end of cruelty for a change.

"Two weeks ago, something happened," said Alice. "Something inexplicable. Memories of our beloved daughter came back to us. Painful memories."

Ana snorted. "Beloved daughter? You mean, the one you talked out of abortion when you found out she was pregnant with Tony Stark's child? The one you forced to give birth while she was fighting breast cancer, just because you were hoping to use the baby to get rich? Is that the daughter we're talking about? The daughter who would change her mind after the birth and want to send the baby to an orphanage? The daughter who was no better than you?"

Gosh, their faces were priceless…

"I don't know what you were told—"

She raised a hand to silence Charlie. "I was told the truth. The truth that you were hoping to milk money from my father. You were hoping he would be lonely and confused, easy to manipulate, surrounded by false friends. You were wrong. He wasn't alone. An old family friend of ours used an extremely sophisticated piece of technology to wipe your minds, so that you'd never come after me."

"This is madness!"

"Two weeks ago, aliens attacked New York. That was madness, too. But it was also 100% real."

"You should be grateful to us! We're the reason Irene didn't kill you before you were even born! And now, we've come all this way from London—"

"You're only here because I wanted you to be here. I was the one who asked that family friend to give you your memories back. I want you to know what you lost. I want you to know that I was never meant to be a trap for my father. I'm his daughter. His family, his best friend, and his biggest supporter. No one can ever take that from me."

"We only wanted what was best for you. The Tony Stark we knew back then was incapable of raising a child."

"Oh, come now. You two are as disgusting as I imagined. You didn't come all this way to meet your granddaughter. You came to see what you can get from me. And now that you realize you won't get shit, you're angry. So predictable, it's pathetic."

"Enough! You messed with our heads, you stole 20 years from us! You're going to pay for that! You and your father!"

"Just curious, what exactly are you going to do?"

"We're going to tell the press everything. It's going to be a scandal."

"Look around you. Do you really think it's a good idea to start a war with us? If you think I can't buy the press, go ahead, do it. Maybe you'll even spend the rest of your days in a nuthouse. I can make that happen, you know."

"Where's Tony? We'd like to speak with him as well."

"He's Iron Man. He doesn't have time for scum like you. And if I ever see you anywhere near him, I'll make you regret it. We're done here. Get out before I call the security."

Her dad hadn't been the same since New York. Something was just… off. She didn't want him to start fretting about her mental stability again as well. So, the last part was a bluff, of course. Happy was now the Head of Security, and if he found out the Clarkes were here, both her dad and Pepper would hear about it. Thankfully, the Clarkes scurried out of the office without making a scene.

This confrontation had gone exactly as Ana had wanted. Then why wasn't she feeling as satisfied as she had thought she would be?

…

Sleep didn't come easy that night. It wasn't guilty conscience, no. On the contrary, Ana felt like she hadn't punished the Clarkes hard enough. She managed to get one or two hours of sleep, but woke up at 5 in the morning. She gave up, and decided to go down to the shop instead.

"Miss Stark, your father is down in the workshop as well," JARVIS warned her.

"Did he wake up early, too?" Ana asked, surprised.

"He has been awake for the past 28 hours. I am afraid he has been suffering from insomnia since you returned from New York."

So, this was what had been going on with him. "And he wanted you to tell me this?"

"Not really. But I am telling you anyway. I'm worried about him."

It was a figure of speech, of course. JARVIS couldn't really be worried about him. He couldn't be worried about anyone or anything. Maybe, given his self-destructive tendencies, her dad had programmed JARVIS to take the liberty of seeking help when he needed it. "Okay. I'll see what I can do."

She took her private elevator to the basement. He had had that elevator built for her when she was a kid, to make sure she could avoid the women he brought home when she came down to visit him in the shop in the mornings. She no longer needed it for that purpose, but it was a good way to sneak up on him while he was working. Indeed, she found him coming up from the wine cellar when the elevator door slid open.

"Oh, hey, kid," he greeted her nonchalantly. "You're up early."

"Yeah, couldn't sleep much… What were you doing down there?"

"Uhm, nothing. Just inventory."

"Inventory? At this hour?"

"Yeah, well—"

"Dad, I know you're suffering from insomnia. Please just let me help you."

"It's not easy to keep secrets from a genius, is it? Come on, let me show you."

Ana tried to ignore the insinuation in his question as they made for the cellar. Maybe she was just imagining it… Hopefully.

There was nothing unusual in the cellar. Just the wine racks and the fridges. But then, he pressed a button, and a circular panel on the floor opened up, revealing some kind of vault below. Ana didn't even know it was there, but it seemed very, very deep. A few seconds later, a suit emerged to the surface.

"What's this?"

"This is Mark VIII. I wanted to see how many weapons I could cram into one single suit."

"Cool," she said half-heartedly, wondering why he needed such a big vault for his armors. How many more was he planning to build?

"Not cool enough, though. Remember how handy the Colantotte bracelets came in when Loki threw me out of the window?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm working on a more effective version of them now. Subdermal implants. The suits should be able to find me, no matter where I am."

"Okay…" These were upgrades that might indeed save his life one day. The problem was that he sounded like he was under the pressure of an immediate deadline while talking about them.

"What?" he asked.

"What?"

"This is the face you make when you don't like what I'm up to."

"I like your ideas. But if you're suffering from PTSD, recovery should be your priority. The suits can wait."

"You're right, honey. But I can't sleep. I can't sleep, no matter how hard I try. I might as well use that time to be productive."

Ana came up with an idea. "Have you tried chamomile tea?"

"I don't have any chamomile."

"I do. Come on, let's go to my room."

He seemed reluctant, but he didn't protest either. Ana took him to her kitchen and started boiling water for the tea.

"Now that I told you my secret, are you going to tell me yours?"

Shit. "What are you talking about?"

"You're still a terrible liar."

Ana gave in. He obviously knew. "How did you find out?"

"Happy recognized their names on the visitor list."

Right, the visitor list… She couldn't believe she hadn't thought of that. "Happy takes his job too seriously."

"That he does. What did the Clarkes want from you?"

Ana told him everything. That she had asked Sigyn to remove the spell, and been expecting them for a while. She told him how she had taunted them and enjoyed it at first, but now she was feeling hollow.

"Yeah, that's what revenge does to you," he said.

Ana brought him the chamomile tea. "But when you told me how you killed those terrorists in the cave… You said it felt good."

"It felt good, because unlike you, I let them go afterwards. Yeah, those bastards kidnapped me, threatened me, tortured me, but in the end, they paid the ultimate price. I can't ask for more."

"Are you saying I should've killed the Clarkes?"

"Geez, no! I'm saying not everyone can be fixed. You gotta know when to stop trying to teach them a lesson."

"I know what you mean. The thing is, embracing my asexuality changed me. It made me more… forgiving. Sometimes people aren't capable of things, and that's okay. I get that now. I can forgive Irene and her parents for not loving me. Hell, I'm not exactly the motherly type myself either. But planning to use me against you? To come in between us? That I can't forgive."

"Do you honestly think I'd let anyone come in between us?"

"No," she admitted.

"See? You gotta let them go, kid."

"You can't let New York go, though, can you?"

His hands started to shake when he heard "New York." He put the mug down. "That's different. I got a feeling that New York is just the beginning of the story. Not the end. Loki was working with someone. I know you're going to say I'm being paranoid, but—"

"I don't think you're being paranoid."

At that moment, he seemed relieved. Relieved that he wasn't alone. Though the fear in his eyes remained. "Did Sigyn tell you something?"

"No. But I don't need her lectures to know that armies and dangerous artifacts can't be found just lying around in space. Someone gave them to Loki. And they were expecting something from him in return."

"And I destroyed that someone's army, so even if it wasn't personal before, it is now."

"I don't want to scare you, but yeah."

"Do you see now why I need more suits?"

"No offense, Dad, but that's not going to be enough."

"What's your plan?"

"My plan is to finish what Grandpa Stark started. To make Earth itself a force to be reckoned with. Your dad dedicated his life to understanding the rules of the game. We are going to play the game." Ana still wasn't a big fan of her grandfather, but she had to acknowledge what a visionary he was.

"How?"

"It's not too complicated. Everywhere in the universe, you need two things for power: Wealth, and technology. Luckily, we're good at both. First, we have to make sure our wealth is recognized by the others."

"How?"

"Well, Sigyn once told me precious metals like platinum, gold, and silver are acceptable, but the most common currency is the unit. I'm hoping we can make it recognized as a foreign currency on Earth, then make investments, and start doıng business with aliens. There're several civilizations we can work with."

"And technology?"

"That part is a bit tricky. Our nature is weak, Dad. The main reason Asgardians are so advanced is because each individual lives thousands of years. We humans are lucky if we live to be 80. With each generation, we move one step backwards. It hinders our progress."

"So, prolonging human life? That's your solution?"

"It's not our area of expertise. We must find another way. I'm still working on it."

"Our whole design is a failure. We need so much, for such a short lifespan. Oxygen, food, rest, shelter, tools… No wonder people worshiped aliens as gods."

"Maybe that's why your brain refuses to sleep. You're trying to eliminate at least one need."

"Maybe."

"But you're not eliminating it, Dad. You're just ignoring it. And fighting against your nature is what will keep you from being actually productive."

"Yeah, tell that to my subconscious," he said with a sad smile.

Ana felt sorry for her dad. His mind, his greatest weapon was betraying him. What could a genius do about that? But she gave him an understanding smile. "We'll figure it out. We always do."

"I know."

She checked the time on the glass panels. It was past 6 AM now. "Well, time for me to get ready for work."

"Okay."

She got on her feet, and made for the bedroom to get dressed. But she froze on the spot when he said, "Ana?"

"Yeah?"

"Don't become my dad." He was almost begging.

"What?"

"Don't become like him. Don't become too obsessed with this notion of making Earth a part of a bigger universe."

She chuckled nervously. This made no sense. "Okay, where did this come from?"

"Sigyn told me something. She said you have his… darkness."

"And now you're scared that I'll become an asshole like him?"

"I can't protect you from yourself."

"Sigyn is just too desperate to get her old friends back. Sometimes she gets delusional."

"Probably," he agreed, but she could still feel his concerned gaze on herself as she entered the bedroom and closed the door. She decided to wear a pair of black dress pants, a white shirt, and a black blazer for today. After brushing her hair and putting on some make-up—it helped her look older, and therefore, be taken more seriously—she studied herself in the mirror for a moment, to see if she indeed looked like the female version of Howard Stark. Funny, a few years ago, the comparison would be flattering. Now it was an insult.

By the time she returned to the kitchen, her dad was making coffee. She shook her head disapprovingly. "That's not going to help you sleep."

He shrugged. "Neither is chamomile tea."

"Sigyn was wrong about me," she blurted out. "I'll never be like your dad. From a certain point of view, he was a legend, yeah. He could've been even greater. But he made too many mistakes. I won't repeat them. I won't put my faith in the wrong people. And I will never be afraid to show how much I love you." To prove her point, she went to give him a big hug.

He sighed thoughtfully.

She pulled herself back to be able to look at him in the eye. "I gotta go now, but please just try to get some sleep. For me."

"I'll do my best. Oh, and before you leave…" He took out two bottles of smoothie from the fridge.

"What are those?"

"Breakfast-on-the-go, of course! Berry smoothies. This one's for you, and this one's for Pepper, no strawberries." He gave her the blue bottle first, then the purple one.

Right, Ana had completely forgotten about breakfast this morning. "Thanks, Dad."

"You're welcome."

"I better not keep Pepper waiting," she said, put a kiss on his cheek, grabbed her purse, and went downstairs. Indeed, Pepper was waiting for her in the living room.

"You and Tony weren't in the garage this morning."

"Yeah, he wanted to make us breakfast," Ana lied, and handed her the purple bottle. They got out of the house. Happy was waiting for them outside at usual. Ana wondered how long she was going to have to keep this new secret from them. Her dad had said he hadn't taught her how to lie, but he actually had. And she wasn't too bad at it.