"Who is Quake?"

Looking at the headline of the Daily Courier, Ana sighed. "I told you, Jemma, I was able to contact her only once, she was still bitter about the Accords. And 'bitter' is an understatement, believe me. You guys have a better chance finding her."

In the aftermath of Siberia, Ana had found herself in a more clear-headed state of mind, and was ready to make amends, this time genuinely. Earning Daisy's forgiveness would be a good place to start. Daisy's boyfriend, Lincoln had died, and she and Ana had yet another thing to be kindred spirits about. Only, because of the Accords, Daisy didn't even want to see her. But then, word had it she had been avoiding everyone these days. It made sense, sort of. The surest way not to lose anyone close to you was to have no one close to you at all.

Jemma huffed. "I see. Coulson is trying, but he's not the Director anymore. Things are different around here now."

"I can get the government to give her some breathing room. I got connections. It's the least I can do."

"Well, it would be a relief to know she won't be shot on sight. Thanks."

"Let me know if anything happens. Bye."

"Goodbye, Ana." Simmons hung up.

Ana sighed. It looked like a business trip to DC was in order. Time to ask Ross for that immunity…

"Ana," FRIDAY said. "Ms. Potts is here."

Damn. What the hell was Potts doing at the Compound? "Where?"

"Upstairs, with your father."

"I'll stay out of there, then. Thanks for the heads-up, FRIDAY."

"It wasn't a warning. She wants to see you."

"Tell her no, and lock my door."

Ana knew she had accused Pepper Potts of things she should never have, but she didn't think she could fully forgive her either. The metaphorical firewalls she had built around herself didn't let that. FRIDAY didn't say anything, but Ana heard the lock click. She started packing, and five minutes later, someone knocked.

"Ana?" her dad asked. "Can I come in?"

She smiled. He could command FRIDAY to unlock the door, but he would never break into Ana's room like that. "Let him in, FRI."

He entered, and his gaze caught the suitcase on the floor. "Going somewhere?"

"A business trip… kind of. To DC."

He cocked an eyebrow suspiciously.

"It's not about her," Ana assured him, and showed him the newspaper. "I'll go to Mr. Secretary, and ask him to leave Daisy be."

"Or, you can just have a video conference with him."

"Talking to him in person is better. The guy's old-school."

He snorted. "Come on, kid. You know how he is. He's not just going to do you a favor."

"Daisy is my friend. I have to at least try."

"Is she, though?"

He was right to be skeptical. The last time they had talked, Daisy had said JARVIS had never been Ana's true love or anything, that she was incapable of love. "You were only with him because you're a stuck-up bitch who thinks she's too good for humans," she had said.

"We all say things we don't mean every once in a while. I know I've done wrong by Daisy. I've supported the Accords, knowing Inhumans will be tagged like stray animals, even if they don't want to do anything with their powers, and it will make things a lot easier for hate groups like those Watchdogs. That's exactly what's happening right now. I have to make things right to see if Daisy is truly my friend or not."

"Well said… Will you come home afterwards?"

"Is Potts here to stay?" she asked, but the answer was written all over his face. He looked like a kid at Christmas.

"Yeah. We're… back together. And she missed you, too."

"Well, the feeling isn't mutual."

"So, you're ready to forgive Daisy, but not Pepper? That's not fair."

"It's not the same thing. I never wronged Potts, at least not until she wronged me first."

"Come on, Ana. This is Pepper we're talking about. You can't Potts her forever."

"Sure I can," she said, slamming the suitcase shut and zipping it up.

"Ana, please. Go help your friend if you want, but then come home."

"I'm not a kid, Dad. I never moved out on you before, because we're a good team, and we're incredibly lucky to have what we have. But if you want a new family, we're going to have to make a different arrangement."

He sighed, looking torn. "Don't do this to me, honey. Don't make me choose."

She held his hands. "I'm not making you choose. We'll still be a team. Maybe I'll go back to Malibu, or Long Island, if you want me in New York. But I can't live under the same roof with her."

"Ana…"

Her whole body tensed when she heard Potts' voice. "Stay out of my room."

Potts didn't listen, and walked in with a shy smile. "I know I failed you both, Ana. I'm so sorry. But I'm here now."

"Why? To tuck your tail between your legs and run—again—the next time something goes wrong?"

"To be a family. When I heard the bombing in Vienna, and then what happened in Siberia… It made me realize I could never live without either of you."

"Too little, too late."

"I'm not expecting forgiveness right away. Just give me a second chance, that's all."

"Look, just because you're my dad's girlfriend doesn't mean you have to be anything to me. I'm too old for step-mothers. If you want kids, go ahead and pop out a whole soccer team of them. I couldn't care less."

"But I do. I care so much about you."

"Then where were you when I needed you? I begged you! I even called you Mom! You just left."

"I was angry with Tony. I shouldn't have taken that anger out of you."

"But you did. You punished me because I was his daughter… Guess who else did it first? Yeah, you're no better than Irene."

Potts squeezed her eyes shut, and tears fell. They didn't mean anything to Ana. She grabbed the suitcase and stormed out.

…

Ross wasn't happy to see her. He was even less happy when he found out the infamous Quake was Ana's best friend.

"You owe me, Ross," she said, with her most entitled attitude. "Maximoff is free."

"Only because your father let them go."

"You asked me to convince him to sign the Accords. He signed the Accords. I fulfilled my end of the bargain. You didn't."

"Well, find your friend and convince her to sign, too. Then we can negotiate. You can't ask me to ignore the most infamous vigilante in the country. We made the Accords because people needed to feel safe! They don't feel safe when Johnson is out there."

"Daisy is one of the good guys. She has more decency than you, or me. She's looking out for the innocent. Let her do her thing."

"Enlighten me, how is robbing a bank looking out for the innocent? Why didn't she come to you if she needed the money so badly?"

"We haven't had the chance to discuss the details, but I don't think that incident was about the money."

"Or, she's been avoiding you because you support the Accords. She won't cooperate, will she? The Sokovia Accords are the law now. If she's not on the side of the law, she's a criminal. Simple as that."

Ross was done with her, she could see. She stood up. "Thank you for your time, Mr. Secretary." She made for the door, but two guards blocked it.

"I didn't say you could leave," Ross said coldly.

Ana turned around to face him. "Are you going to arrest me? For what, exactly?"

"Oh, I know I can't arrest you. You're a sneaky little bitch who hides her secrets too well. But Tony? I have more than enough reason to keep him locked up in a cell at the Raft for the rest of his life. Disobeying direct orders, assisting known fugitives, just to name a few…"

Ana's heart skipped a beat. He wasn't bluffing. "What do you want?" Whatever it was, she had no choice but to do it.

"Come."

They walked out of the office, Ross leading the way, and his guards dragging her along. Ana knew resisting would only make things worse, so she didn't.

"I know you two were in Siberia," he started. "I can't prove it, but I know it." He opened a door.

It was a lab. There were five cryo chambers in the room, with the five dead Winter Soldiers from Siberia. "They were injected with the supersoldier serum. The one Howard invented. That's why HYDRA killed him, right? What a damn shame… Don't look at me like that, you're not the only one who has sources."

"I'm still trying to understand what you want from me."

"Why, your grandfather's formula, of course!"

Shit. Even after all these years, even though he wasn't in the military anymore, he was still obsessed with super soldiers. "Don't you have scientists to analyze their blood samples?"

"None of them was able to reverse-engineer the formula."

"What about your daughter? She's an expert at cellular biology, right?"

"Do not bring her into this."

"I'm not threatening. I'm just saying, this is not my area of expertise. You're wasting your time."

"Hah," he scoffed.

"Ross, I'm serious! It's not safe for me to do this! Have you forgotten what happened to Banner?"

"If you fail, Tony ends up in that cell you meant for the Maximoff girl. And when you try to break him out, I'll put you in a cell right next to his. No lawyers, no trials. And I don't think Rogers will bother to save you two. Am I right?"

Ana made no reply.

"So, don't fail." He turned to his guards. "Search her. Confiscate everything. Give her new clothes as well. She can't keep anything she's brought here with her."

"Yes, sir."

…

The following 72 hours were a total nightmare. She couldn't sleep. They gave her food, but she was so stressed out that her stomach couldn't hold it. Not even water. Sometimes she had a breakdown and cried her eyes out in a corner of the lab, where she worked alone, in total isolation. The guards didn't do anything about it. After she calmed down, she continued working. Sometimes, they forced her to call her dad. She had to convince him that she was okay. That was how she had learned he and Pepper had got engaged during a press conference. A part of her was happy for him, but she had to pretend like she was postponing her return because of Pepper, and ruin his happiness.

At some point, she passed out.

The second 72-hour period was easier. She could now eat, the mental breakdowns ceased, and she could take occasional naps. Finally, a formula was ready to be tested on human subjects. A dozen rats had been sacrificed to the cause, but the job was done… hopefully.

"Are you sure this will work?" Ross asked skeptically.

"I've done everything I could." It was the truth.

"We'll see."

Ana fell down on her knees to beg him. It was humiliating, yes, but she felt too exhausted to be proud right now. "If it fails, do whatever you want to me. I deserve it. But leave my father be. He's a good man."

"Get up."

When she didn't, the guards made her.

"Let's begin."

She looked around, confused. "Where are the subjects?"

He shed his jacket, and his tie. "I am the subject. So, I'm asking you again: Will it work?"

She gasped in shock. He wanted the formula for himself… Ana hadn't seen that coming. But it didn't change anything, so she said, "As I said, I've done everything I could."

"I'm not a fool. I know I'm getting old. I just want more time with my daughter. Is that wrong?"

"No, sir," she said meekly, fearing to offend him.

"Good."

His other scientists came in, and took a look at the serum. They said it was good enough. They strapped Ross to a bed, and injected him with the blue liquid. Ana was waiting, heart in her mouth.

"How are you feeling, sir?" one asked.

"It stings a bit, but that's expected, right?"

Ana nodded in confirmation. The experiment continued. She was counting every second. Things were fine at first. Twenty minutes later, something started going very, very wrong. Ross started having seizures, and his skin was turning red. An unnaturally bright shade of red. His muscles were becoming larger. Soon, he was free of his restraints.

"Seal the room!" Ana cried. The guards obeyed.

"What did you do?" one of them asked, shaking her.

He seemed like a reasonable guy, though. And he was there from the start. "I warned him! He was mad, you saw it!

He let her go. "What can we do?" he asked, this time more respectfully.

"Evacuate the building, the neighborhood… And give me a phone."

He did. Ana called her dad as she ran to the nearest exit like everybody else around her.

"Dad, it's me."

"Kid? What's up?"

"I need you to come here. Bring Vision, too. I think I might have created something terrible. And I don't know how to stop it."

"What? Ana, what the hell are you talking about?"

"I gotta go now. Just know this: Everything I did, I did it to protect you. I'm so sorry." She hung up, and kept running.

...

She was watching it from a distance as Ross, now basically a red Hulk, tore the government building down. She knew not everyone was as lucky. People were dying. No one had told her anything, she just knew it.

It took fifteen minutes for her dad and Vision to show up. Rhodey was with them, too. She was hiding behind an abandoned SUV when someone came out of nowhere, and took her further away from the scene. When she tried to look, she saw that it was that spider-kid, swinging from building to building. She had thought she was comfortable with flying by now, but this was different.

"You…"

"Hey, Ms. Stark! I'm Peter, Peter Parker."

"Where are we going?"

"Mr. Stark told me to take you to safety."

"Well, I'm safe now, can we just land somewhere?"

"Oh, sorry." He landed on a rooftop.

Ana swayed on her feet for a moment, but then managed to go and sit down on the edge of the building. The kid removed his mask. He looked even younger than Ana had imagined.

"Hey!" he said again excitedly. "So, I'm Peter, like I said, I don't know if Mr. Stark told you anything about me, but I'm from Queens, I go to Midtown High, I—"

Ana shut her eyes wearily. She wasn't in the mood for small talk. "Yeah, yeah, whatever…"

Peter went quiet immediately, and Ana realized she was being an asshole to the poor kid for no reason. She opened her eyes. "I'm sorry, Peter. I'm not good with kids… or, with people in general."

He sat down next to her. "It's okay. You're having a bad day."

Even from here, she could hear the Red Hulk roar, and people scream in panic. "Yeah, there's that, too."

"I'm sure Mr. Stark, Colonel Rhodes, and Vision can handle it. I mean, I saw them in Germany, it was crazy… You weren't there, though."

"I'm not an Avenger."

"Neither am I."

"Dad probably didn't want a bloodbath. Unlike you, I would've fought to kill."

He gave her a questioning look, but didn't ask for the details. If she had to guess, she'd say that her dad had warned him not to be too nosy around her. But she felt like she owed the kid some kindness.

"Thank you, for looking out for him when I was too unstable to do it myself properly."

"Ms. Stark?"

"Ana," she corrected him.

"Ana. You know Quake, right?"

This puzzled her. "What? Is Daisy here, too?"

"Oh, no… I saw you two once, in Queens. I didn't know who she was back then, of course, but…"

She recalled her meeting with Daisy in Queens. The boy had a good memory. "Yeah. Daisy and I met before SHIELD collapsed. We go way back."

"She's not bad, though, right? I mean, she helps people?"

"That's what I was trying to tell Ross."

"Did Secretary Ross force you to create that thing?"

"Kid, that thing is Secretary Ross."

"Oh." He gave her a pitying "You're so screwed" look. And he was right. She was definitely screwed.

…

The hotel room was quiet, but Ana was still shaking, this time because the reality had finally sunk in. She hadn't seen her dad since they had come here. Rhodey had said he was off to sort out the bureaucratic stuff. Vision refused to even speak with her after she had told them about the deal she had made with Ross.

When her dad finally came in, he didn't bother to knock. There were fresh bruises on his face. But his eyes were the worst. They looked like they were struggling to recognize Ana.

"Congratulations," he said coldly. "You're off the hook. The witnesses testified on your behalf."

"How many of them did you have to bribe?"

He collapsed into an armchair across from her. "At least I had to bribe them to tell the truth. That's my only consolation in this mess."

"I'm so sorry, Dad."

"You should be sorry. I'm not taking the blame for this one. It's all on you. I can't believe I'm saying this, but… You're not as smart as you think you are. Going behind my back, striking secret deals with Ross… What did you think would happen?"

"I'd never thought he could threaten me with you!"

"That's the other thing. He couldn't have done shit to me once the government found out he was supervising an unauthorized experiment. You should've called his bluff."

"It was a risk I couldn't have taken."

"And you made a terrible mistake instead."

"I'll do anything to fix it. Just tell me what to do."

He let out a deep, thoughtful sigh. "Well, apologizing to Pepper would be a good start. Do you know how much you hurt her?"

"Okay. I'll apologize. What else?"

"Are there any other secret deals I should know about? If there are, now is your chance to tell me."

"No," she lied instinctively. She should probably tell him about the Darkhold. Her dad couldn't know, though. He couldn't know about such a dangerous book. She couldn't tell him about Charles Hinton either. She couldn't tell him it was seeing her own death that had made her so volatile and irascible. Of course she wanted to be honest with him, but that would break him. She couldn't destroy him like that just because she wanted to ease her conscience.

"Are you sure?"

"I am."

"We'll leave in the morning. Let me know if you change your mind until then."

"Okay." She wasn't going to change her mind. Gosh, he knew she was lying. He also knew that she knew he knew it.

"Oh, and one more thing…" He took something out of his pocket. "Damage Control found this in the debris."

It was her grandmother's necklace. It had been confiscated, along with everything else.

"I can't have it, Dad. I lied to you. I'm no better than Rogers. If he doesn't deserve your dad's shield, then I don't deserve this necklace."

"Steve Rogers is not my kid. You are." He came to put the necklace on her. "After Ultron, you were a bit harsh on me because you wanted the father you knew back. And you were right. The Avengers were good and all, but I had to remember how to do things on my own every now and then. You opened my eyes. Now, I'm trying to open yours. Because I want my baby girl back, too."

Ana nodded, but the lump in her throat didn't let her say anything. He gave her a gentle hug before leaving.

…

Later that night, after receiving a call from Fury himself, Ana made up her mind. There was only one way for her to redeem herself. She started by writing a letter to her dad.

Dad,

I'm sorry I cannot come to New York with you. It's not because I'm avoiding Pepper. I'll apologize to her when I see her. It was wrong of me to deny her forgiveness while I was asking the same thing from everyone else. It's not because I'm avoiding you either. I love you. But I am what I am, and for that, I can't be the family you deserve. I'm just an obstacle on your path to happiness. Something is wrong with me. I don't know what it is. But I know it's not your fault. You gave me everything. It's not your fault that I don't deserve to have it. I can't go back to my old life until I become a better person. Don't worry about me, I'll be careful. Congratulations on the engagement, by the way. It's a shame we never got to talk about it, but I'm happy for you. Goodbye.

She left the letter on the bed, and walked out of the hotel. The SHIELD base wasn't very far from here.

She knew someone would let her in when she approached the hangar door. It turned out to be Agent May. Even if she was surprised to see Ana, her face was impossible to read.

"Is this about Daisy?" was the first thing she asked.

"No. On that, I'm as clueless as you are. This is about me."

"What do you need?"

"A job, and a place to stay."

May's eyes lingered on the small suitcase Ana was carrying for a moment, then she curtly gestured her to follow her. Ana did. Ironically enough, the only path to redemption was through infiltrating SHIELD.

A/N: The Red Hulk was something I just wanted to use from the comics, I hope it wasn't too OOC for Ross. Ugh, coming back to this chapter, especially to the part where Ana said she wouldn't care about the kids Pepper might have was hard, especially all those Morgan and Ana moments I wrote :'(

On the bright side, I'm super-excited for Ana's redemption arch, which includes the Darkhold and the Ghost Rider from AoS. I can't believe it's been more than 170k words already! I'm grateful to every single reader who's invested THAT much time into this story, and I promise the redemption arch is the second craziest, most intense part of the story, after the Infinity War, AKA the "Earth's last day" bit, obviously. AoS Season 4 is a bit trickier to explain, but what really matters is Ana's time in a certain place, where she will be on her own, and it's 100% not canon, so don't worry too much about not being familiar with the show. As for her reasons to "infiltrate" SHIELD, I kept that part ambiguous on purpose. That will be explained in Chapter 55.