"So, how are your folks doing?" Coulson asked casually as they walked towards his new, fancy plane. Fury must have given him one hell of a promotion after dying at the hands of Loki, and then coming back to life somehow. He now commanded his own mobile response team.

"Dad's retired. Pepper's wondering how long it will last, but other than that, everything's fine."

"I'm sorry about the whole Mandarin incident, by the way," he said, and looking at Happy, who was visibly frustrated, and added, "I'm glad you're doing alright, Mr. Hogan."

"You have no right to arrest us!"

"We're not arresting you. Like you said, we have no authority in Malta. This is more of a… cooperation. A mutually beneficial agreement."

Ana nodded. "Absolutely… So, what about you? How did you survive?"

"That's classified."

"That line never gets old, does it?"

They had boarded the plane. Coulson led them directly into a lab, separated from the rest of the cargo bay by glass doors. There were two scientists who were about the same age as Ana. "Let Agent Simmons take a look at that foot, okay? I'll let the Director know you request a meeting."

"Thanks."

"Hello, I'm Jemma Simmons," the female scientist extended her hand. "Biochemistry."

"Leopold Fitz. Engineering," the other one introduced himself next. They both seemed a bit starstruck.

"Nice to meet you guys," Ana said politely.

Simmons then made Ana take a seat. "What happened?"

"I sprained my right ankle. Nothing too serious."

"We'll see about that," she said in a sweet, but stern tone.

In the meantime, Agent Ward was supervising the transportation of the gravitonium. It was brought into the lab as well, and Ana could feel the man's suspicious gaze on herself. Fitz showed him where to place the container. After putting it down, Ward leaned against the wall, crossed his arms, and kept glaring at Ana.

"I'm not going to steal it," she was compelled to say at last. "Wouldn't want to get dear old Coulson into any trouble."

"You couldn't even if you wanted to," Ward defied her.

"It's for time-travel, isn't it?" Fitz broke in. "That's your key component…"

Damn. Fitz seemed to mean well; he was probably just asking out of scientific curiosity, but Ana didn't want to discuss anything that was related to gravitonium until she met Fury himself.

"Alright, can everybody please give my patient some space?" Simmons scolded them while she scanned Ana's ankle with a portable X-ray, and that was enough to make the men go quiet. Even Agent Ward.

"Thanks," Ana whispered.

"You're welcome. You were right, by the way. It's just a small tear in the ATFL, but I recommend that you don't wear heels again for at least for three weeks."

"Easy enough." She turned to Happy, who was standing right next to her, and refusing to let her out of his sight. "Happy, you got my flats?"

She was never a big fan of high heels in the first place. She only wore them because she was expected to, and always carried a pair of flats for situations like these.

"Here." He took them out of his bag, and once Simmons was done bandaging her ankle, helped her put them on.

"I still can't believe Dr. Hall wanted to murder innocent people," Simmons lamented as she put her tools away. "May I ask what happened between you two?"

"I wasn't the one who drove him over the edge, if that's what you're asking. His plan was already in motion by the time I found him."

"Of course," she said apologetically. "No one's blaming you. It's just… He was such a nice person at the Academy… You've never seen the Academy, have you?"

"No. Perhaps one day. But I'd love to take a look around the Bus now, if that's okay," she excused herself. The lab here was pretty cool, and Coulson's Team Science was amiable, but they were definitely going to keep asking her about the gravitonium if she stayed here. She thanked Simmons again, and leaning on Happy for support, walked out.

"Can I just go back and punch that Agent Ward in the face?" he muttered angrily as the glass doors whooshed closed after them.

"It wouldn't end well for you, Happy. No offense, but I think he's a Specialist. You don't mess with a SHIELD Specialist."

"I'd take my chances."

"Happy…"

"He's treating you like a criminal!"

"He treats everyone like a criminal. It's his job."

"Okay, okay… Are you sure about seeing Fury? I mean, you freak out every time you deal with that guy!"

"I'm not like that anymore. I can handle him."

When they went upstairs, the first thing they found was a bar. Ana decided they could help themselves, and started browsing the shelves. She could use a drink right now.

"You could've just called the police, you know. These guys weren't supposed to be there. We could've just taken that thing and be on our way home."

"And condemn them to death? Just because I'm willing to take more risks now doesn't mean I'm a murderer, Happy! And this is Coulson we're talking about!"

Happy frowned in confusion. "But they're SHIELD agents. I mean, they would've found a way out, right?"

"The international laws are very clear. They don't make exceptions for anybody."

Someone cleared her throat to get their attention. Skye. She had changed into dry clothes—a sweatshirt and a pair of jeans—and was now drying her hair with a towel. Coulson had said she had jumped into a pool while running from Quinn. She looked like she wanted to have a word with Ana, so Ana asked Happy to give them a moment. The request must have confused him, but he left them alone nevertheless.

Skye grabbed two bottles of beer, and handed one to Ana. "So, you met Fitz-Simmons? They're pretty cool."

"They are. But Agent Ward looked like he wanted to murder me and bury me in an unmarked grave, so…"

She laughed. "Ward's cool, too. Once you get to know him better. Wait until you meet May. She has the power to stare you to death."

"And you?"

"What about me?"

"What are you, really? A double agent? A triple agent?" Of course, Skye wouldn't be honest with her if that was the case. Ana was just curious what her answer was going to be.

"Just a Consultant."

"Trust me, there's no such thing as 'just a Consultant' in SHIELD."

"What you told Quinn at the party… Do you really have something against SHIELD? Or were you just trying to earn Quinn's trust?"

Ana decided to be honest. Her distaste for SHIELD was no secret anyway. "My problem with SHIELD is not a matter of ideology, or a conflict of interests. It's more… personal."

"At the risk of being nosy, what is it?"

"I owe SHIELD my life, that's a fact. When my dad was in Afghanistan, Obadiah Stane sent mercs to kill me. Luckily, SHIELD had been watching. I wouldn't have survived the night if it hadn't been for them. They kept me and Pepper in a safe house until Dad was found. One day Fury visited us, said he wanted to make a deal with me. He wanted my research—"

"Time-travel?"

Ana gave her a questioning look. How did she know?

"Fitz said it was your thing. Anyway, what happened with Fury?"

"He offered me the truth in return. The truth about my mother. I didn't know who she was. Her wish to remain anonymous is just a lie we tell to the press."

Skye's smile faded, and she became rigid, like she was holding her breath. For some reason, she was intrigued. "But Fury didn't keep his promise?"

"No. He did."

"What was the problem, then?"

"I didn't like the answers I found. It's hardly Fury's fault, I know. But he just dangled the hope before me, and I fell for the trap. Makes me feel like shit."

"I'm sorry." Ana could see that she meant it. She was sorry. Such genuine sympathy was a rare thing from an acquaintance.

"Thanks. Most people would think I'm just being a whiny bitch."

"You're not being a whiny bitch. I'd be pissed, too."

This gave her the impression that Skye didn't come from a happy family either. She looked like she was preparing to tell her about it, so Ana remained silent and let her sort her thoughts out.

"I grew up in New York," she started. "Mostly. Saint Agnes Orphanage. I was in the system, of course. But I never fit in anywhere. Always back in Saint Agnes, until the nuns would find me another home. They all knew I was a lost cause, but they never stopped trying either." She chuckled bitterly.

"Is that why you're here? Do you think SHIELD's resources can help you find your parents?"

She looked around quickly, leaned closer, and whispered, "I, uhm… I found some redacted SHIELD files. Maybe they were agents, maybe it's something else. But the others don't know it yet."

Ana didn't know if this was a typical SHIELD trick to earn her trust and make her reveal why she wanted the gravitonium, or this girl had chosen to instantly trust her with such a personal secret. Maybe they were indeed bonding over a mutual understanding. When you were a doorstep baby, it didn't matter if it was the doorstep of an orphanage in New York, or a mansion in Malibu. Besides, they weren't just doorstep babies. They were doorstep-babies-who-were-somehow-connected-to-SHIELD, which meant that their family history was a bit more complicated than your average orphan's. Ana decided to give Skye the benefit of doubt unless it became more obvious that this was an interrogation in disguise.

"They won't hear it from me. But Skye… Be careful. I know how this search feels. You think you're prepared for the worst, but it can always be worse than you imagine."

"Even so, I have to know."

"Yeah, I know that, too. Damned if you do, damned if you don't…"

"How bad was yours?"

Ana decided to be honest once again. "My dad met her at Cambridge. They were both grad students. Then, he dropped out when his parents died, and she, when she got sick. Breast cancer. She was already dying when she gave birth to me. She'd thought of getting an abortion, of course, but her parents guilt-tripped her out of that option. I was their unexpected retirement bonus. They wanted to use me to milk money from Dad."

"Oh…"

"But my mother became more vindictive after the birth. She wanted me to grow up in an orphanage. That was her last wish. I guess she wanted to do something that would spite everybody before she died. You know what they say. Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. Then a SHIELD Consultant got involved, erased their memories, dropped me on Dad's doorstep."

Her eyes widened in amazement. "Erased their memories? Who was this Consultant?"

"It's probably classified, but she doesn't work for SHIELD anymore, so—"

"Is she dead?"

"No, not that. She's an Asgardian. Well, half-human, half-Asgardian, but she was raised in Asgard. Her name's Sigyn. She's Loki's wife."

She gaped at her. "No way!"

"She's one of the good guys, though. She's not like Loki. Odin sent her here after WWII, as the guardian of the Tesseract, she became good friends with Grandpa Stark, and has been looking out for him and his family ever since, at least until Odin banished her after New York, for remaining neutral during the battle. My 1000-year-old alien fairy godmother."

"Holy shit, that's actually cool! I mean, sad… but cool."

"Yeah, I'm grateful to her for taking me to my dad."

"What is it like? To be Tony Stark's daughter?"

Ana thought for a moment. She never had a full answer to that question. She had her cookie-cutter answers, for interviews and such; it was a question she heard a lot, after all. Of course, there were many honest answers she could give as well, but she didn't want to say anything that might offend Skye. For Ana, a childhood in an orphanage was just a nightmare that had never come true. For Skye, it was her reality.

"We have a good life," she finally said. "I try not to take it for granted. I only wish we were allowed to enjoy it in peace, away from the prying eyes. I've never been one for the celebrity scene. Maybe I love my privacy a bit too much."

"Yeah, but you're not the Ice Queen they say you are either."

She snorted. Funny, hearing that didn't bother her as much as it would have in the past. Maybe she had finally learned not to give a shit. "Is that what they call me these days?"

"I think people are just pissed because you turned out to be the 'all work, no play' type. You don't give them much gossip material."

"I'm not fun, I know."

"Ana?" Coulson broke in. "I just got word from Director Fury. He'll see you at the Triskelion."

Ana flashed a triumphant grin at him. "Told ya."

…

During the remainder of the flight, everyone was respectful enough not to say anything about gravitonium. The Bus landed on an airfield in DC, but it wasn't anywhere near the Triskelion. There was an SUV with a SHIELD logo waiting on the tarmac.

"We're not coming with you," Coulson said.

"Yeah, you have precious cargo to take care of."

He frowned.

"I know, I know, it's classified…"

"You just keep doing what you do best."

"Which is?"

"Being a good civilian."

She laughed. "I'm glad you're okay, Coulson."

"Yeah, me, too."

Next, she shook hands with Fitz-Simmons. Skye gave her a hug. They had exchanged e-mail addresses, so they would keep in touch. Agent Ward was nowhere to be seen, thankfully, and she had never met the Agent May Skye had been talking about because she was the pilot.

Happy gave everyone a curt nod, and followed Ana into the SUV. About half an hour later, there were at the Triskelion. Agent Hill was expecting them. She told Happy to stay in the lobby. He didn't like it, of course, but he knew better than arguing with Maria Hill. Ana gave him a reassuring "I got this," look before following her into the elevator. Ana's and Hill's pictures appeared on a small panel on the right.

"Fury's office," Hill said.

"Confirmed," a robotic, female voice responded.

Neither Ana nor Hill bothered with small talk during the ride, so they were both quiet. When the elevator stopped and the door slid open, Hill gestured her to go ahead, but didn't come after her. She probably had somewhere else to be.

Fury's office was right ahead. There was a door with his name on it. She entered without knocking. There was no need. Surely, he knew she was here.

She found him sitting at his desk. He was in a good mood; his face basically said, "I knew one day you'd come here."

Yeah, he had got what he wanted. Surprisingly, it didn't anger her. Fury was just doing his duty, just like she was doing hers. A battle of egos wouldn't benefit either party.

"Hello, Ana. I wasn't expecting to hear from you any time soon. What brings you here?"

"Would you believe me if I said I missed you?"

"No, but I appreciate the courtesy. Take a seat."

She did, and they observed each other across the desk for a moment, until Ana said, "Funny, you're a lot… friendlier than I remember."

"So are you."

"Well, I've recently come to the conclusion that I might have misjudged you."

"May I ask why?" He got off from his chair, went to a cabinet, took out a bottle of Scotch and two glasses.

"Ever since New York, there's a question my dad and I keep asking. I bet you ask it, too."

He put the bottle and the glasses on the desk. "Who the hell gave Loki an army?" he voiced said question.

She knew she wasn't going to be disappointed. "Unfortunately, we might be the only ones asking that question."

"I'm starting to think I might've misjudged you, too."

"Really?"

"When we first met, I didn't keep part of the truth from you because I was trying to manipulate you, Ana. I kept it because I thought the whole truth would be too much for you to handle. I was wrong, wasn't I?"

"You mean, would I have respected you more if I'd known what your job truly entails? Oh, yes. Absolutely."

"That is good to know." He poured the drinks, and offered her a glass. "So, shall we start over? This time, just one rule: All cards on the table."

"You? All cards on the table?" she asked, amused. There was no way Fury would reveal all his secrets to anybody.

"You don't believe me?"

"Do you even expect me to?"

"Okay. Ask me."

"Ask you what?"

"Anything. Whatever you want to know right now."

She decided to start with the most predictable question to see where this would go. "How is Coulson still alive?"

"Secure office," he said, and the windows around them darkened. "Open Project TAHITI files."

"Ana Maria Stark does not have the Clearance Level to see those files," the computer said.

"Director override, Nicholas J. Fury."

"Confirmed."

The files appeared on the huge screen across the wall. He clicked on one picture, the picture of a dead, blue alien in a cryo chamber. "Do you know what this is?" he asked.

"A Kree."

"Do you know why it was found on this planet?"

"Thousands of years ago, they experimented on different species, including humans, to create their own supersoldiers. Rumor has it those experiments were successful, though the government on Hala denies it. Oh, there's also the fact that the Accusers were almost going to bomb the shit out of the Earth back in the 90s. I assume that has something to do with a pager you keep… somewhere around here?"

He seemed equally amused. "Sigyn has been teaching you well, I see."

"I'm not naive enough to think Earth had never been threatened before New York… Anyway, what does this have to do with Coulson?"

"We've been harvesting the blue guy's bodily fluids to produce various drugs. One of them, GH.325 is used to bring people back from the dead. Project TAHITI was originally created to bring back a dead Avenger, but Coulson earned his place among them after everything he did. Too bad he'll never know it."

"Why not?"

"Because the drug has side effects."

"How bad?"

"I'm not going to sugarcoat it: All test subjects went insane. The doctors were never able to find out why. The only solution was to overwrite their memories… Remember Agent Rebecca Stevens?" He showed her a picture of the first SHIELD agent Ana had met.

"What about her?"

"Shortly after that night in Malibu, Stevens was diagnosed with cancer. She was chosen to be one of the subjects. We managed to save her, now she thinks she's an art teacher from Iowa."

"And if he died, you'd give this shit to my dad, too? Just curious, would I even get a consent form, you know, as his only immediate family?"

"There are many who aren't comfortable with how I do things, Ana. If you're one of them, there's the door."

She wasn't, and they both knew it. If he died, she would give her father the drug with her own hands. She would agree to anything to have him back, no matter how reckless, unethical, or preposterous it was. Consequences be damned.

"Ever since Carol, I've been waiting for a team of heroes like this. I'm not losing any of them."

"Speaking of, where's that woman now?"

"Well, certainly not anywhere close."

"If she's as powerful as Sigyn says she is, we should bring her into the fold."

"That's the thing. Carol doesn't particularly feel responsible for humanity."

"But that's ridiculous! She is human!"

"She only has fragments of her human life. The memories the Kree changed never fully came back to her. Carol Danvers is only a last resort. Besides, she and Sigyn didn't exactly part on good terms. Carol was pissed because Sigyn helped SHIELD cover up the plane crash. Even Carol's best friend and her kid thought she was dead."

"I didn't know that... What about the Skrulls?"

"Talos and I keep in touch, but they're still recovering from their own wars."

"Okay."

"Now it's your turn to answer my question." Of course, such highly classified information would come at a price. Fury wanted something from her.

"Bring it on."

"Why do you want the gravitonium?"

"Time-travel." He must have guessed it by now anyway.

"Why time-travel?"

"Come on, Fury. You know why."

"A self-made prophet. That's what you want to become."

"'Self-made prophet' actually sounds pretty badass."

"I thought time was fixed. In fact, you were the one who told me that."

"We have a chance if the multiverse theory is true."

"And if it's not?"

"If it's not, we're screwed, yeah. But we have to take this one risk. There's no other way to know."

"What if there is? What if I told you there was a way to know everything?"

"And what way is that?"

"Show us the Darkhold files."

"Ana Maria Stark does not have the Clearance Level to access those files," the computer said again.

"Director override, Fury, Nicholas J."

"Confirmed."

Ana couldn't help but roll her eyes. Thank goodness JARVIS wasn't dumb like this. "What's this?" she asked, looking at the picture of the book that had an ambigram of the word "Darkhold" on it. Yeah, it didn't look ominous at all.

"This is the Darkhold, also known as the Book of Sins, or Book of Spells. It's a book that contains infinite knowledge. They say it was written eons ago, in the depths of hell."

"You have it?"

"No. No one knows where it is. But I've come closer than anyone else. Thanks to you."

"Me?" she asked, taken aback.

"You remember your internship at Momentum Labs, right? Your bosses were talking about a magic book that showed you everything you want to know. You and Tony joked about it."

In Monaco. While Romanoff was spying on us. Upon connecting the dots, she started laughing. She hadn't seen such an obvious thing coming, to be honest. She wondered how long Fury had been waiting for this moment. Being the Director of SHIELD must be fun at times.

"So, the Bauers weren't crazy after all?"

"Unlikely, at least until they found what they were looking for."

He clicked on another picture. This time, files about the Bauers were on the screen. "Lucy Bauer is dead," he said. "She died in 2012, her body still missing, along with the bodies of several employees. Shortly afterwards, another employee, Eli Morrow, beat Joseph Bauer into a coma. He hasn't woken up yet. Momentum Labs was shut down after this."

"Are you saying these people were fighting over the book?"

"What else would they be fighting over?"

Could it be that simple? Just read a book, and it would show you how to stop aliens? Not just that, but everything else you wanted to know as well…

"What's the catch?" she asked. "Infinite knowledge… I'm not an idiot, Fury. That sounds too good to be true."

"It's said to corrupt the human mind."

"So, if I read the book, I'll go crazy?"

"Not immediately, but over time, yeah."

"Oh."

"It doesn't have to be you, Ana. Truth to be told, I'd hate to do something like that to you."

But it has to be me, she thought. I want it. I want to know everything. Everything to protect this world. Despite all its flaws, she wanted to protect Earth, so, she had no doubt it was what the Darkhold would show her. "What if we can cheat the damn thing?"

"Like a loophole?"

"Yes. You said you can erase memories. You've obviously erased Coulson's. So, you got the tech?"

He nodded.

"Here's the plan: I read the book, build whatever I need to build, using the knowledge… in total isolation. And once we're done, you erase my memories. What do you say?"

"It might work."

"I'll design the isolation chamber myself."

"Why is that?"

"Because I'm the only one who can outsmart me. No offense, but your scientists don't stand a chance."

He sighed. "And people say Tony is arrogant…"

"I'm being realistic."

"Speaking of, we need the book itself first. I still don't know where it is. Maybe Joseph Bauer does. If he wakes up from the coma, can you convince him to tell you?"

"I thought he and his wife were crazy, but I kept those thoughts to myself. We parted on good terms. So, yeah, I think I can convince him."

"You do that, and if everything works out, I'll even let you have the gravitonium afterwards. How is that for a deal?"

Ana drained her Scotch, and smiled. "Sounds awesome."

She rose to her feet. They shook hands. Then Ana turned on her heels and walked out of the office. She returned to the lobby alone, and tried to look as disappointed as possible. Even though there was a loophole she could exploit, that book sounded pretty dangerous. Her dad could never know about it.

"Well?" Happy asked.

"The son of a bitch won't let us have it!"

"Don't worry too much about it. You and Tony will find another way. You guys always do."

"Can we just go home?" she whined.

"Yeah, I took care of that while you were with Fury. There's a company jet ready at the airport. Do you want me to rent a car, or…"

"Let's just hail a cab."

"Yeah, okay." He sighed, and patted on her back to comfort her. Ana was now feeling truly awful. Lying to Happy was bad enough, lying to her dad would be even worse. She knew he hated lies, but once this worked out, once they never had to fear aliens again, he would understand. She hoped he would.

…

It was good to be back in the tower after everything she had been through. Sure, things hadn't gone as planned, but there was still hope. If Ana could use the Darkhold to prove that the future could be changed—and honestly, it would be good to know that for sure before causing a disruption in spacetime continuum, so she couldn't blame Fury for his caution—she would have the gravitonium, along with everything else she needed to protect her family. One door had been closed, but a second, bigger one was now open.

The private elevator took her to the penthouse common area, where Pepper was watching the late-night news and drinking tea while waiting for her.

"Hey, Pepper," Ana greeted her, careful not to sound too happy for someone who had returned home empty-handed.

Pepper hugged her. "Welcome home."

"Where's Dad?"

"He's in your room, actually. He wants to have a word with you."

Of course, he wanted to know what had happened with Fury this time. She wasn't looking forward to this part.

"Don't worry, he just wants to give you a pep talk," Pepper added quickly. "In case you're blaming yourself… You're not blaming yourself, right?"

"I'm trying not to."

"Ana, you couldn't have known about Hall. And you certainly couldn't have known about SHIELD."

"Yeah, I know. I'm not a self-made prophet… yet."

"I can't believe they lied to us about Phil! Why would they do that?"

Because if anything happens to Dad, Fury is going to resurrect him with alien juice, and erase his memories to maintain his sanity. "I got no idea."

"Well, you better not keep Tony waiting. Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Pep."

She kissed Pepper's cheek, and headed for her apartment. And the moment she entered, she burst into giggles. After barely surviving the cataclysmic schemes of a mad scientist, and then making a secret deal with a super-spy to read an ancient demonic grimoire to protect the planet from aliens, there was something tragically absurd about coming home and seeing that your father had built a pillow fort for you, with blankets, Christmas lights, snacks and everything.

"Dad!"

He poked his head out of the fort. "Hey, kid! Come on in."

Still giggling, she crawled inside. There was nothing he wouldn't do just to cheer her up.

"Cozy, huh?" he asked. "I thought maybe it could make you feel home."

Ana still hadn't been able to embrace the apartment as her new home. She hadn't even bothered to decorate it. The walls and surfaces were mostly bare. Some of her stuff was still stored away in boxes. It felt more like a hotel room than an actual living space.

"Thanks, Dad."

"You're welcome."

"I don't even remember when was the last time I built a pillow fort."

"June 21, 1998," he said. "Father's Day. I had a hangover as usual. You'd woken up early and set up the fort in the living room. You were waiting for me with a glass of water and an Alka-Seltzer tablet. Oh, and my Father's Day gift. Armani cufflinks. Pretty elegant choice of gift for a six-year-old."

She remembered now, but only vaguely. The cufflinks were Rhodey's idea. She wasn't old enough to buy such expensive things on her own back then, so she would drag either Happy or Rhodey to shopping with her. "You remember everything, don't you?" she asked incredulously.

"How can I forget?"

Ana sighed, unable to believe she had to go behind this man's back from now on.

He grabbed a handful of M&Ms from a bowl and stuffed them into his mouth. "So, tell me all about it."

"Didn't Happy tell you everything on the phone?"

"Yeah, but I want to hear it from you."

She told him everything. Everything, except the deal she had made with Fury.

"What if Coulson hadn't stopped Hall?" he asked after she was finished. "Would you have stayed there until he sank the whole place?"

"But, Dad, you needed—"

"It's not more important than you! Nothing is more important than you! There're other ways to prepare for aliens. But if I lose you, that's it. I lose. So, don't put yourself in danger like that again."

Yeah, except I have to. Ana was about to give him a big hug when her phone pinged. It was a message from an encrypted line.

"Gravitonium is in the Fridge. Location classified.

Good luck ;)"

Ana couldn't believe her eyes. Maybe, she didn't have to kiss Fury's ass to get the gravitonium and count on a magic book, after all. One could never have too many contingency plans. She didn't know where this Fridge was located, but she could worry about that later.

"Huh…"

"Who's that?" he asked.

"Skye, I think." She showed him the message.

"Why is she helping us?"

Ana smiled. "I think I've just made a friend."

A/N: Skye (AKA Daisy Johnson) tipped Ana off because she doesn't fully trust SHIELD just yet, especially after finding out what SHIELD was doing with the Tesseract. Later in the story, she will become fully loyal to SHIELD, as she is in the canon, don't worry, but at this point, she trusts Ana more. Ah, I just love writing the beginning of their friendship, even though it obviously won't end well. I don't know why, but it just feels so pure and innocent. The whole "the road to hell is paved with good intentions" thing, I guess.