Ana knew the SHIELD doctors had messed with her brain. She just didn't remember it clearly. With BARF, the memory had been replaced with an alternate version in which she begged the doctors not to do it, and they listened to her. She remembered how the original one had freaked her out, but it didn't have the same impact anymore. It now felt so distant, like a memory from someone else's life. Her dad, as usual, had fixed her alright.

But now, there was one word that haunted them both: Thanos.

Was it the name of a place? A person? An object? They had tried to find answers, of course, but Coulson's team was still missing. The Starks had been keeping an eye on General Talbot, in case he learned something, but he had been shot in the head, and although he was going to live, he was never going to be the most reliable source of information.

Of course, the answer was in her head. She was a bit ashamed that she didn't have the guts to go through the process again to get it out. Her dad would do it for her, no matter how traumatizing it was. So, why couldn't she do it for him?

It was one of the times she woke up from a vague nightmare she couldn't describe. At least the sun was rising. Waking up in the middle of the night and trying to go back to sleep, only to fail, was worse. She walked around the Compound aimlessly for a while, too proud to admit she was expecting to see Vision. He had been gone for almost two weeks now. The distance, and his feelings for Wanda were better for Ana's mental health. They helped her remember he wasn't JARVIS. But he was also her only connection to whatever was left of him.

Finally, she found herself in the communal kitchen and decided to make coffee. The whole facility was so quiet, like it was abandoned. It made her feel guilty. Not that she wanted to live under the same roof with the Avengers, but still… It felt wrong, like she was an intruder who had kicked out the rightful owners. She was the one who didn't belong here. She was no Avenger.

"You're up early," her dad said, coming down the stairs.

"So are you. Got any plans for today?" Recently, he and Pepper had been quite busy. If their engagement had taught Ana anything, it was the fact that wedding-planning was a pain in the ass. She was glad that she would never have to plan one for herself. Even if JARVIS were alive, even if they weren't philosophically against the concept of marriage, they would probably just elope and get it over with.

"Yeah, Pepper and I are going for a jog at Central Park. Happy's going to drive. Want to come?"

"Drive to Central Park, for jogging? Why don't you guys just use the exercise room downstairs?"

"Because that's what we always do, and we want to do something different this morning."

"Have fun, then."

He studied her from head to toe. "Is it just me, or have you gained a few pounds? I think you should come, too."

Ana chuckled. She had been underweight by the time she had returned from that other dimension, so if she had gained a few pounds, that was a good thing. Besides, it was probably muscle weight. She and her dad had been training extra hard lately, to be ready for whatever was to come. Even Pepper didn't judge them too harshly anymore. There was something ominous about the T-word.

The truth was, not everything was well between Ana and Pepper. They both wanted it to be, but it wasn't easy. It wasn't even entirely up to them. They had broken each other's trust, and such wounds took time to heal. There was a distance between them now, an invisible gap that wasn't supposed to be there. They were more… formal with each other, like Pepper wasn't someone Ana had known for years, but a random stranger her dad had introduced to her as his fiancée, and they were trying too hard to get along for his sake. Forgiveness took time. Ana and her dad were always able to forgive each other instantly, no matter what, but they were the exception to the rule.

"Dad, what are you really up to?"

"You'll see," he said mischievously.

Clearly, he had something particular in mind, so she decided not to ruin it. "Okay, let me just go get ready."

She went up to her room, put on exercise clothes. They had been busy in the workshop as well. Even their outfits were designed to be compatible with the suits now. You could never be too careful if you knew you could accidentally get sucked into other dimensions, or your so-called friends might decide to give you a lobotomy for some unknown reason.

…

To prevent any awkward silences during the jog, her dad was talking a lot, almost non-stop, even for his usual self. He was trying so hard to make things the way they used to be that it was heartbreaking.

It looked like even Pepper was struggling to keep up with him this morning. "Honey, you're totally rambling, you lost me."

"Look, you know how you have a dream, and in your dream, you gotta pee…"

"Yeah?"

"And then you're like, oh my God, there's no bathroom, what I'm going to do, someone's watching…"

"And then you wake up, and in real life, you actually have to pee," Pepper said. Ana was still trying to remember how exactly they had ended up discussing pee dreams.

"Yes! Okay."

"Yeah, everybody has that."

"Right! That's the point I'm trying to make. I propose that last night, I dreamt we had a kid. It was so real. We named him after your eccentric uncle… What was his name, Morgan?"

Ana's heart skipped a beat. Was that why they were here? To announce Pepper's pregnancy? "Wait… Are you guys trying to tell me—"

"Oh, no," Pepper said quickly. "We're not."

Ana was surprised by her own disappointment. Even the possibility of a baby brother or sister had been enough to make her realize how much she wanted it. But then, it wasn't something she could force either. It was their choice to make, not hers. Especially Pepper's, considering she was the one who had to carry a baby inside her for 9 months.

"Please?" her dad asked. "Maybe?"

Obviously, their choice hadn't been made yet.

"We don't even have a wedding date yet," Pepper reminded, which was true.

"You said August 27…"

"That's the decoy date!"

"So, we have to get married before that day, which reminds me… Didn't you have something to ask Ana?"

There was a look of betrayal on Pepper's face. "I thought you were going to ask her!"

"Yeah, but it's something that concerns you. She's going to be your… Ask her now, she's right here." He took a step backward, so that the two women were now directly facing each other.

"Okay, Pepper, whatever this is, I'm sure it's okay. Just tell me. I want to help any way I can."

Pepper shifted on her feet nervously before starting. "Ana, look… I know you don't care much for tradition, so you don't have to say yes. I won't take it personal. I don't want to make you do anything you're not comfortable with. But… I'd very much like you to be my maid of honor."

Ana gaped at her. Right, the maid of honor, that was a thing. This was all the fuss was about. "Is that it?"

"Yes," she said in a small voice, and Ana felt a bit ashamed. It meant a lot for Pepper. And judging by the look on his face, for her father, too.

"Yeah, sure, I'd love that. What I think about weddings is irrelevant. This is going to be your day."

Pepper sighed in relief, her dad looked like a kid on Christmas. He turned to Happy, who was busy chasing the paparazzi away, and gave him a thumbs-up. Happy pumped his fist in triumph.

"Thank you," Pepper said, nearly crying, and flung her arms around Ana's neck. It felt nice. Really nice.

"Yeah, no problem." Ana didn't know what else to say. "I'm sure it's going to be fun."

"Is this a group hug? Can I join?" her dad asked, and hugged them without even waiting for a reply.

"Dad, we look weird. The paparazzi…"

"I don't care. I love you girls so much."

"We love you, too," Pepper said. "But I wish you'd given me a heads-up."

"Well, it turned out okay, no? You know what, we should celebrate this. Let's call the restaurant and make that a table for three."

"Dad, don't cancel your date because of me… We can celebrate some other time."

Pepper shook her head. "No way. Tony's right, we—"

There was a whooshing sound, and someone asked, "Tony Stark?"

What the hell? He released them. There was this weird looking guy standing in front of a sparkling portal.

"I'm Doctor Stephen Strange, I need you to come with me… Oh, congratulations on the wedding, by the way."

Her dad gave Ana a questioning look, but she shrugged. She had no idea what was going on. He turned to the doctor again. "I'm sorry, you giving out tickets or something?"

"We need your help. Look, it's not overselling to say that the fate of the universe is at stake here."

"And who's 'we'?"

Someone stepped out of the portal. Bruce. "Hey, Tony."

"Bruce?"

"Pepper, Ana…" He came to hug them.

"Are you okay?"

Indeed, something seemed very, very wrong with him. And Bruce didn't easily get startled. He must have been through some serious shit. "Where have you been? We thought you were dead!"

"Sakaar," he said. "It's a crazy planet, it's—"

"You were with Sigyn?" Ana cried.

"Yeah, she was there, too. Then Thor and Loki came, we escaped. We went to Asgard to fight their sister, Hela. But she got her powers from Asgard itself, so we had to destroy the entire planet. It's… gone now."

"Asgard is gone? Just like that?"

He nodded. "We were on our way to Earth when Thanos attacked. He killed half of the people on the ship. The other half escaped with Brunnhilde, but… He beat the shit out of the Other Guy. He adopted Sigyn, made her kill Loki. He killed everyone else, and then…" He paused when he noticed the look on their faces. "What? You guys know him?"

"I don't know," Ana whispered, and felt her dad's hands clasping her shoulders.

"W—what do you mean, you don't know? Ana, I'm pretty sure you'd remember someone like Thanos."

"How much does that guy know?" her dad whispered.

Bruce shrugged. "He seems to know what he's doing. Heimdall must have sent me to him for a reason."

Happy joined them. "Hey, what's going on here?"

"We now know who Thanos is," Pepper said. "I'm starting to wish we didn't…"

Her dad nodded. "Happy, take Pepper home. Not to the Compound, though. It might not be safe today. Take her to the residence here in Manhattan."

"Got it, boss."

"Are you sure you don't want me to come?" Pepper asked.

"We got this," Ana said bravely.

Before she followed Happy, she gave them the "Take care of each other," look.

"Kid, come on." Her dad was trying to lead Ana to the portal, but something was tangling around her legs. At least that was how she felt. "Hey, this is a good thing," he told her. "This means we'll no longer be in the dark."

No, this is a bad thing. This is a horrible thing, and we both know it. Leaning on him for support, she managed to cross the portal.

"Where are we?" was the first thing her dad asked. They were in some kind of… parlor. He made Ana sit on a couch.

"Still in New York," Strange replied. "Bleecker Street, to be specific. This is the New York Sanctum."

Bleecker Street. New York Sanctum. Why did these words sound so familiar?

"Can we get a glass of water?" her dad asked.

"Of course." Strange conjured a glass of water and handed it to him.

"Looks like we've got a Hogwarts right under our noses," he joked, probably to cheer her up. "Or, there was a different school for Americans, right? Drink this… What was its name?"

She took the glass from him, and sipped the water, even though she craved something stronger. "Ilvermorny."

"Yeah, that's the one."

"You know Thanos," Strange observed.

Ana decided to tell him, and be quick about it. "I worked with SHIELD for a time. There were a bunch of scientists using the Darkhold. It's a—"

"I know what the Darkhold is," he said grimly.

Ana was glad that she didn't have to explain. "Anyway, there was an accident. Some of us got stuck between two dimensions. And I… I was pulled in completely. I don't know what happened there, or how I got out. SHIELD erased my memories. All I know is, I was telling myself to remember Thanos during the procedure."

"You escaped Hell," Strange said, again grimly, like it was both a remarkable and disturbing accomplishment.

"Hell?"

"It's the dimension the demon that roams our world in Robbie Reyes' body originates from."

"You know Robbie?"

"Only by reputation."

Ana came up with an idea. "Can you restore my memories?"

"No. I'm sure they had a good reason not to trust you."

Ana put the glass on a coffee table, and looked at him incredulously. "What do you even know about me?"

"Well, for starters, I know you created another Hulk."

"You did WHAT?" Bruce cried. It was a miracle he hadn't turned green already. But beside her, her dad had tensed up. No doubt he was seriously considering calling Veronica.

"Okay, why don't we just keep the focus on Thanos?" he asked. "What's his game? What does he want?"

"The Infinity Stones," Bruce said. "He already had the Power Stone when he found us, he—"

"He came for the Tesseract," Ana realized in horror.

"You know about the stones, too?"

"We know it's what the Tesseract and the Scepter had in common. That's all."

"There are six of them," another guy broke in.

"Everyone, this is Wong," Strange introduced him.

Wong continued casting some kind of spell to demonstrate the stones, "At the dawn of the universe, there was nothing. Then, boom! The Big Bang sent six elemental crystals hurtling across the virgin universe. These Infinity Stones, each control an essential aspect of existence."

Strange took over from there. "Space, Reality, Power, Soul, Mind... and Time."

He revealed the Time Stone he was carrying on himself. So, there were two stones on Earth… Lovely.

"Thanos is a plague, Tony," Bruce said. "He invades planets, he takes what he wants, he wipes out half the population… He sent Loki. The attack, on New York, that was him!"

"What about Sigyn? What does he want from her? Why didn't he kill her, or let her escape with the others?"

"I—I don't know… He said she was unique."

"Lady Sigyn is one of the finest practitioners of magic in the universe," the wizard said. "No wonder Thanos wanted her by his side."

"Sounds like someone has a crush," her dad teased.

Strange rolled his eyes. "It's called professional respect. You should try it sometime."

Ana tugged at her dad's arm to remind him to focus on what really mattered. This was the moment everything they had been dreading since New York came true. This was like being John and Sarah Connor and realizing you were caught totally unprepared for Judgment Day.

"It's too late, Dad," she said, in a voice only he could hear. "We couldn't do shit, and now he's here. It's too late."

"No, it's not. Come on, let's walk around a bit." He helped her stand up, and they started pacing around the room. It probably helped him think, but Ana was just sick to the stomach. She couldn't find even the slightest bit of strength in her to keep fighting.

He asked the others, "What's our timeline?"

"No telling. He already has the Power and the Space stones, that already makes him the strongest creature in the whole universe. If he gets his hands on all six stones, Tony…"

"He can destroy life on a scale hitherto undreamt of."

He leaned on a cauldron and stretched his legs, as if he hadn't heard any of the things Bruce and Strange had just said. But Ana knew he had. He was just restless. She hugged herself.

"Did you just seriously say 'hitherto undreamt of'?"

"Are you seriously leaning on the Cauldron of Cosmos?"

Strange slapped him, or rather, his cloak did. Her dad looked at him in disbelief. It was a rare thing for his ego to be challenged like this.

"I'm going to allow that."

The wizard didn't bother to respond, so he continued. "If Thanos needs all six, why don't we just stick this one down the garbage disposal?"

"No can do."

"What about the Power Stone?" it suddenly occurred to her to ask Bruce while her dad and Strange discussed their options. "Where did he take that from?"

Bruce thought for a moment, then said, "Xandar, I think. They said he decimated Xandar after getting the stone. I don't know what that place is, though."

"I do." Xandar was a formidable civilization. They had been at war with the Kree, and won, for goodness' sake! Now, they had been defeated by Thanos. This gave her a rough idea about Thanos' powers. Then her attention shifted back to the Time Stone.

It's the only way, Ana realized as the men discussed sworn oaths and ice-cream flavors. No matter what they did, no matter how civilized and heroic they pretended to be, it would eventually come down to making a choice between the Time and Mind Stones… Meaning, unless these wizards agreed to make a compromise, Vision would have to die, along with whatever was left of JARVIS…

No! Before she knew it, she found herself grasping at the necklace. But the moment she touched it, some glowing patterns appeared around it, and a shock of searing pain seized her. It was like someone was both burning her alive and dipping her into a tank of acid at the same time, if such a thing was possible. Still, it was the only way to protect JARVIS, so she refused to let go. She pulled harder.

Strange wasn't shocked by the attack. Only annoyed. He just stood there calmly, but her stubbornness made him cock an eyebrow. "And you wonder why I don't trust you…"

"I don't need your trust. Just the stone."

"You can't steal it. Let go. You're suffering for nothing."

"NO!"

"Ana!" Her dad finally tore her away.

Ana sat down on the trashed stairs that proved the story of Bruce's return to the Earth true, nursing her burnt hand. Her dad came to join.

"Let me see that."

She let him take a look. It was bad, but at least now her hand was the only part that was in pain.

"What did you do?" he asked Strange angrily. He wasn't just messing around anymore.

"I didn't do anything. She did it to herself. There are consequences of attempting to steal from a Master of the Mystic Arts."

"Fix it!"

"No."

"I thought you were a doctor?"

He sighed, and conjured something again. Nothing too magical, just a tube of aloe vera gel. He tossed it at her dad. He didn't seem satisfied, but he didn't complain either. Just started applying to gel on the swollen, wrinkled, bright red skin. He was being very gentle, but it still hurt.

"I can't lose JARVIS again," she explained apologetically. It couldn't have been easy, watching your daughter do this to herself.

"I know, honey," he said, not looking up from her hand, but his voice was full of sympathy.

Ana felt like she was going to lose it at any moment know. Years of planning, scheming, experimenting, training, and sacrificing had been for nothing. The more she thought about it, the more maddening it became. But then, there might be a solution in her head. One great thing about the human brain: Memories could never be truly erased. They could only be repressed.

"Dad, please. You have to convince the wizard to help me remember," she begged, because her manipulation skills obviously didn't work on that guy. Her dad was better at dealing with him.

Finally, he put the tube aside, and looked at her. "Ana, you know what happened the last time you tried to remember."

"I don't care how traumatizing it will be! Strange says I've been to Hell, and I must have learned something about Thanos there! It might be the only way…"

"No," Strange himself said firmly. "You've given me no reason to trust you."

She turned to her dad again, but he either didn't know how to change the wizard's mind, or was unwilling to do it.

"Death is what gives life meaning," she blurted out. She wasn't sure why, but it had suddenly felt like the right thing to say.

Strange and Wong swapped glances, and then they both looked at Ana, like she was the most important person in the world. Strange seemed particularly haunted. "Why did you say that?"

"I don't know. It was one of the things I was telling myself while they were erasing my memories."

"We have to get those memories back."

"Oh, now he wants to help," her dad scoffed.

"It's a message, from my predecessor, the Ancient One. If she trusted Ana, I'll do the same."

"Is there a way to restore her memories without hurting her? Because I'm not letting her go through that shit again."

"Wanda Maximoff can probably do it. Or, I can, with the Mind Stone. If you remove it from Vision…"

Great, now she was at Maximoff's mercy…

"Tony, where's Vision?" Bruce asked.

He got back to stand on his feet and started pacing around again. "Yeah, that's the thing…"

"What do you mean?"

"Two weeks ago, Vision turned off his transponder. He's offline."

"What? Tony, you lost another super bot?"

"I didn't lose him, he's more than that. He's evolving."

"Who could find Vision, then?" Strange asked.

"Probably Steve Rogers… Maybe. But…"

"Call him," Bruce said, having no idea what had happened in his absence.

"It's not that easy. God, we haven't caught up in a spell, have we?"

"No."

"The Avengers broke up. We're toast."

"Broke up? Like a band, like the Beatles?"

"Captain and I fell out hard. We're not on speaking terms."

Bruce looked at Ana. "Is this still about JARVIS' death?"

She nodded. "Among other things…"

"Tony, Ana, listen to me. Thor is gone. I'm sorry about JARVIS, but Thanos is coming, and it doesn't matter who you're talking to or not."

"He's right, Dad. Please. If you don't want to talk to Rogers, it's fine! I'll suck it up and talk to him myself. Just give me the phone." She knew he had it on him. He always did.

"No. I'll do it." He had made up his mind. He was going to call him. He pulled the phone Rogers had sent out of his pocket. "Flip phone… Pfft."

He was about to make the call when Ana felt an unusual air current in the parlor. He must have felt it, too, because he paused, and looked around. She shivered. Maybe there wasn't enough time to even make the call.