It was the day of soccer play offs and to say the least, Danielle was far from ready.

After her late night... activities, her body was littered in bruises when she returned to the apartment. She had spent all night washing out the blood from her mask and suit using the techniques Liz had taught her for getting blood out of cloth. Though, Liz probably didn't think it would come in handy for this particular situation.

By Saturday morning, Danielle was both exhausted and sore beyond belief. It took her two cups of extra sweetened coffee to finally feel partially awake, but the sore problem wasn't going away any time soon.

Danielle was in the middle of stretching out her back in the kitchen, her third cup of coffee on the pot, when Sharon walked in. "Hey," she greeted, causing Danielle to jump slightly.

"Uh, hi," Danielle muttered.

"You're making coffee?" Sharon raised an eyebrow at the pot on the coffee maker as it slowly filled up with the strong, brown liquid. "You hate coffee," she remarked.

Danielle panicked as she lightly brushed her bangs from behind her ear to drape over half of her face, covering the purple bags under her eyes. "I– uh-"

"And why are you wearing your school sweatshirt?" Sharon asked, referring to the Midtown school sweatshirt Danielle had pulled over some leggings she wore. "It's April, it may be cool, but it isn't that cool." She chuckled.

"I just... um..." Danielle trailed off as Sharon slowly turned her attention to the living room, taking a seat on the couch as she reached for the remote. Danielle thought nothing of it, up until the morning news began to broadcast something about recent gang activity in the Projects. Crap!

Danielle quickly rushes over and stands directly in front of the TV, blocking Sharon's view. When Sharon gives her a questioning look, Danielle quickly thinking up an excuse. "Um, can you take me to practice? ...Please?"

"Now?" Sharon groaned slightly, buying the excuse and glancing at the time on the digital clock on the nearby table. "11:32 a.m... Practice starts at 12:30."

"I-I know... but can you maybe take me early?" Danielle asked timidly, pulli the sweater sleeves down past her wrists as she hung her head slightly.

Sharon let out a heavy sigh before jumping up from the couch. "I guess, but I get that cup of coffee you're making." Danielle let out a sigh of relief as she watched Sharon's departing figure walk down the hallway back towards her room. "We're leaving T-minus 15 minutes," the CIA agent called out over her shoulder jokingly.

"O-okay," Danielle called back.

The minute Sharon was out of the room, Danielle spun around to face the TV where they had an image of Eris pulled up on the screen. One was of her launching those men back as she sat up on the ground, and the other was of her helping Aaron Davis with her mask off. Thankfully, it was dark enough to where you couldn't quite catch her face, not to mention the photo was taken from far away and it was fairly blurry.

She had stopped Sharon from seeing these images, but she couldn't control these images from getting to Jack, Steve, Wanda, or anyone else on the team back at the Compound. With Sharon, Danielle ha d a chance at eating away with it because she had never seen her in her gear in person. But with the team? Danielle was certain they'd recognize that navy blue suit and gold mask anywhere, with or without the news title "Eris, the Goddess of Chaos and Discord... Far From It".


Just as promised, Sharon drove Danielle to practice forty five minutes early. When she arrived at the field, a few of the girls were already there getting into uniform in the locker room. One of which was Betty Brant.

As Danielle entered the locker room with her hoodie still in place on top of her leggings with her duffel bag over her shoulder, Betty perked up from her spot on the bench beside her open locker where she was tying up her cleats. "Hey, Dani," she greeted with a friendly smile which faltered as she got a better look at Danielle's face. "Woah, you okay? You look... rough."

Danielle quickly brushed a piece of her hair in front of her face as she turned her back to Betty, working her locker as she shoved her duffel inside. "Uh, yeah. I was busy last night with, uh, homework," she lied.

"I wasn't talking about the bags under your eyes," Betty explained as she placed a hand on her shoulder and turned her around to face the blonde. "I'm talking about this," Betty raised two fingers to Danielle's cheek and pressed to her skin. Danielle winced and hissed as pain shot from that particular spot through the rest of her face. "Yeah. What's with the bruise?"

Danielle's hand shot up to her face to cover the spot Betty had pressed before spinning around to her open locker where a small mirror hung up on the door. Danielle narrowed her eyes nd turned to get a glimpse at the slightly yellow spot on her pale face. Oh, how she hoped Sharon hadn't caught that. But now she had a problem she had to deal with now: trying to explain this to Betty.

"I, um, I-I fell," Danielle stammered out.

Betty raised an eyebrow. "You... fell?"

"I'm kind of clumsy," Danielle shrugged as she played with the sleeves of her hoodie nervously.

Betty still looked unconvinced, but nodded in compliance to whatever story Danielle fed her. "Um... Alright."

Danielle managed a smile before quickly turning back to her locker as she pulled her uniform from her duffel and began to change. Betty had ran off to the other end of the locker room the minute Heather and Jean arrived, leaving Danielle to her own devices. She took the time alone to examine her body littered with dark purple bloches and yellowing bruises. Some were gone, some were fading, and some were just started to appear. Her entire body was mildly sore, but after downing about three ibuprofen pills it all just felt numb to Danielle as she changed into her blue, black, and yellow uniform.

It didn't take long before the entire team arrived for practice and gather up on the field with Coach Wilson. "Alright, girls, you ready for this?" Evryone gave small hoots and hollars of confirmation. "Good, 'cause I sure ain't," Coach stated as he blew the whistle prompting all the girls to chuckle. "Okay, Ashley, you know the drill."

"Got it, Coach," Ashley nodded as she ran before the team. "Alright, girls, we have one chance at making it through playoffs."

"No pressure," Max quips causing the rest of the team to chuckle at the tension-breaking joke.

Ashley reluctantly lets out a small strained laughter before continuing. "Anyway, we have to win this game if we want to get to semi-finals. Meaning, we have to work harder this time around. Your heads have got to be in the game, no fooling around, no ball hogging, and absolutely no mediocrity. Got it, girls?"

"Yes, sir!" Malory cried out as she mock-saluted the team captain, the other girls – including Danielle – following the action, laughing.

"At ease, soldiers," Ashley chuckled and rolled her eyes before placing her hand out. The entire team placed their hands on top of hers as they gathered around. "Bring it in. On three. One, two, three-"

"TIGERS!" Everyone cheered before they threw their hands up, clapping and shouting as they all ran out onto the field to start their practice for the game ahead.

The team started out with warm-up excercises, much to Danielle's demise. They did crunches, high-knee jogging, sprints around the field, push-ups, squats, and a bunch more excercises Danielle winced and groaned throughout doing. Once all her limbs felt like sticks of wood and her insides felt like jelly, Ashley, Maggie, and Amber began running soccer plays and drills with the team.

With Maggie and Max as the two separate goal keepers and the rest to the team split up going head-to-head, all was going well. Overall, practice was a success. For Danielle, it was five and a half agonizing hours of torture. And as someone who had been tortured before, she would know.

When it ended, the sun was starting to set and the opposing tea was starting to arrive as well as the game audience there to cheer them on. Coach Wilson quickly ushered the girls back to the locker room before the game began.

As she sat in the locker room, Danielle played with the laces on her cleats as she listened to the sounds of the crowd above getting into their seats above them on the bleachers. She began to wonder who would be there to watch her. It was a long shot, but she kind of hoped her brother and Wanda would come. Maybe even Steve and a few other members of the team. But, somehow she doubted they even knew about the game or that they probably did and they were just too busy to fly down and watch her.

Just then, Betty ran towards we're Danielle slouched on one of the locker room benches in front of her locker. "Hey," Danielle's head snapped up. "We're about to head out. Is everything okay?"

"Y-yeah," Danielle answered a bit too quickly as she nodded her head enthusiastically, jumping to her feet and dropping her shoelaces. "I'm-I'm good – great."

"Okay," Betty replied uneasily. "You coming?"

"Mhmm," Danielle nodded before following after Betty towards the exit of the locker room where the rest of the team was. "Oh, by the way, how are you?" Danielle aburptly asked the blonde. "I mean, after the Banquet dinner. I-I heard what happened and just wanted to see if you were alright."

"Oh. Yeah, I'm fine," Betty shrugged nonchalantly. "I wouldn't have been though if it weren't for Eris. I actually talked to Jason and the rest of the AV Club about giving her her own news section for Midtown TV. What do you think?"

Danielle felt her cheeks turn pink. A TV section all for her? Well, not for her, for Eris – but still. It was for her efforts nonetheless. The morning news of the city had already begun covering Eris's nightly activities, but her own high school? That was a whole other level entirely for Danielle. "I, um, yeah. That sounds... like a good idea."

Betty let out a small squeal as they approached the rest of the team. "Oh, I'm so nervous," she admitted once they got to the exit that overlooked the field outside.

"Me too," Jean spoke up from beside them, overhearing the conversation.

"Same here," Courtney agreed. Malory and Daisy giving out sounds of agreement beside her as well.

Ashley turned around to face the team then. "Don't worry, you've got this. We've come this far and this is just the beginning. I believe in you guys," she told them with determination gleaming in her eyes.

Something about the way Ashley spoke to the team made Danielle think of her brother and the way he would always tell her that he believed in her each time she would say she couldn't do something. She couldn't make a batch of cookies without burning them? Jack believed in her. She couldn't finish her Algebra homework? Jack believed in her. And when she was in her darkest hours, he believed in her. He may not have been there with her then physically, but the fact that if he were, he would believe in her.

Danielle took a deep breath in before running out onto the field with the rest of her team.

The game started out with a bang. The team from lower Manhattan was ruthless. The girls on the opposite side were pushing, shoving, and tripping Midtown girls left and right all through out the game. An already sore Danielle had gotten knocked to the ground a total of four times before the referrer finally called a penalty.

By mid-way through the game, the Midtown girls were behind one point, Manhattan team learnt 3 to 2.

Each time a break was called or Coach Wilson broth the girls together in a circle on the sidelines, Danielle couldn't help but glance up at the stands and try to catch a glimpse of someone she knew. She spotted Jason, Seymour, and – surprisingly – Liz, then beside them was Ned and Michelle. But it was who she didn't see that made her chest tighten and her heart hurt.

Peter was missing from the stands. He'd never missed a game Danielle was certain to be playing in, but after the day before... She didn't blame him, not in the slightest. Just when she was starting to forgive herself for ditching Peter at the Banquet, this was the time that it decided to come up again? In the middle of a soccer play off game?

"Alright, team," Ashley spoke to the group of girls surrounding her, snapping Danielle back to the present. "I guess you all know that this team is a bit... different-"

"'Violent' would be the preferred term, Cap," Heather groaned as she gestured to the ice pack she was currently holding to her bruised knee she had injured a few minutes into the first half of the game.

Everyone grimaced at the sight while Amber continued for Ashley. "Yeah, well, despite that, you're all doing great. We just need to be sure not to give an inch."

"That's right," Ashley added on. "Maggie, make sure to not let that opposing goalie know which way you're trying to shoot. Betty, try not to shuffle the ball too much, the other team thrives off your misfooting. And Max, don't pay attention to their eyes when they try to shoot a goal, but their feet. We all good? You got it?"

"Sir, yes, sir!" Malory chimed, the team breaking into mock-salutes like they had earlier.

"Alright! Let's do this!" Maggie cheered as everyone placed their hands in the middle.

"One, two, three- TIGERS!"

Danielle, Betty, Daisy, Max, Malory, Maggie, Ashley, and Amber all ran back out onto the field as the other team got into their positions as well. The referee stood in the middle of the field, the black and white ball in his hand and his whistle in his mouth as he tossed it up and blew the whistle, signifying the start of the second half. Once the ball hit the grassy field, all hell broke loose.

Malory was able to get the ball for their team and instantly kicked it over to Daisy. Daisy, having already been injured on her ankle a few minutes prior accidentally tripped up on the ball and launched it right into the grips of the other team who managed to kick it all the way towards their goal where Max stood.

Thankfully, Betty, Maggie, and Danielle dashed their way to save the ball across the field. With Maggie on one side, Betty on the other, and Max at the goal, Danielle was able to run around the girl possessing the ball and kick it straight to Betty, clearing it from the goal.

Betty did as Ashley suggested and kept her shuffling to a minimum, instead relying on Amber and Danielle to help her get the ball to the opposing team's goal where Amber managed to kick and score a goal, tying up the teams by the end of the game.

This is where it all came down to. If they Madeline more goal, they went to semi-finals. If they lost, they were done for.

They could do this, no pressure. Danielle could do is, no pressure. She ignored the ringing in her ears, the numbness in her legs, the unsettling feeling in her stomach, the bruises along her body, and the soreness of her everything as she ran out into that field and gave this game her all.

Everyone got into positions, the flood lights were beaming down on both teams, the crowds on either side were cheering, the sweat was dripping from Danielle's face, and everyone's eyes were on the ball as the referee brought it to the center of the field. He set it up, put the whistle to his mouth, and blew. They were off.

Immediately, all girls ran. The opposing team managed to snag the ball, but Maggie was quick to steal it back with a kick projecting it towards Amber who hit it with her chest before letting it fall back to the ground where it continued its trek across the field. Amber passed it around one of the opposing team members and right into Daisy's feet. Daisy managed to dodge a few opposing team girls before sneakily passing it behind her where Malory awaited to swoop in and kick it just outside the penalty line where Betty stood vigilant.

This was it. All Betty had to do was kick it towards the goal, but instead, she hesitated. Danielle watched the blonde catch the ball underneath her foot, but instead of instantly trying to kick it into the goal, she spared a glance to Danielle who stood a few yards opposite of her. Danielle gave her a look of confusion, why wasn't she taking the shot? Then, in the blink of an eye, everything happened at once.

Coach Wilson was on the sidelines screaming his head off, the rest of the team was shouting at Betty, the opposing team was dashing towards where Betty stood, the crowds were cheering, and Betty just smirked at Danielle before passing it directly to her rather the goal. Danielle panicked as she caught the ball with the heel of her foot. She glanced up at Betty who smiled and nodded. She finally understood what she was doing, repaying her for all those months ago at their first game when Danielle had kicked the ball to Betty instead of take the shot herself.

Without another second of hesitation, Danielle turned and kicked the ball towards the goal. It rolled and rolled and rolled, until the goalie blocked it and kicked it across the field into the feet of one of eir team members. Danielle, Betty, and the rest of the game-goers watched as the opposing team scored a goal, winning the game.

The crowd on one side went wild while the crowd on the other fell silent. The opposing team all ran into a circle on the side of the field while Midtown girls walked to the sidelines where Coach Wilson was. "You all did great, girls," he assured them as they gathered into a semi-circle with their heads bowed.

"I'm sorry," Danielle apologized, but Betty only smiled and shook her head as she wrapped an arm around Danielle's shoulders.

"I'm not," she exclaimed.

"To Midtown!" Max shouted triaumphantly. The rest of the team cheered along, not as enthusiastic, but just enough to acknowledge the attempt to cheer them up from their loss.

"Go get changed, girls. Time to get you guys back home to your families," Coach said as the team ran back into the locker rooms to change.

As the team got dressed, Danielle watched from a distance as everyone began to say their goodbyes. Amber, Maggie, and Ashley were all starting to tear up, claiming that they were disappointed that they wouldn't get to see their team to to the championship during their final year in high school. Malory and Max stated they were just happy to finally be apart of something. Heather and Betty chatted about maybe joining a volleyball next year. Jean claimed she was moving to New Jersey come next Fall. And Daisy and Courtney finally announced the fact that they were dating now and were happy that the team brought them together.

All the while, Danielle wasn't sure what she wanted to do. She had joined soccer as sort of a past time. Something she just wanted to try out with her friends, but it turned out to be something much more than that. She regretted never taking it seriously and taking it for granted, and now that it was over, she couldn't wait to give it another shot next year.

After changing, all the girls started heading out. Outside of the bleachers, Danielle was met by her small crowd that was there to cheer her on which included Ned, Michelle, and Sharon – or, her Aunt Kate, technically.

"Hey, guys," Danielle greeted timidly, managing a smile as she approached them.

"Hi," Ned and Michelle said in unison, one sounding more cheerful than the other.

"You did great, Danielle," Ned exclaimed. "Sorry Peter couldn't make it."

Danielle tried not to wince as she replied, "It's okay. Thanks for showing up."

"Yeah, no problem. I gotta go though, my Mom's on her way to pick me up and she doesn't really like being kept waiting," he explained.

"Okay. Bye, Ned," she called and waved after him as he left down the sidewalk towards the street. When she turned back, she smiled at Michelle. "I didn't expect you to come to an event like this."

"Yesh, 'cause what's better than sweat-filled, overly-crowded, and deafening sports events where adults come to use their kids' athletic abilities to brag to their friends and drink cheap beer is exactly my scene," Michelle remarked sarcastically. "What's not to love?"

Danielle chuckled. "Thank you for coming," she said genuinely.

"Yeah, whatever," she replied, but Danielle knew it was just code for 'you're welcome'. "I, uh, I gotta go too. My parents are waiting," the brunette explained.

"Okay, bye," Danielle waved and smiled as Michelle departed to her car as well, leaving Danielle and Sharon to their own devices. "You didn't have to come," Danielle assured the blonde once they were alone.

Sharon scoffed, "Of course I did. Who else would take pictures and send it to the team upstate cheering for you?" Danielle began to smile at the fact that Jack, Wanda, Steve, and all the rest of the team had seen her in the field and cheered for her despite being miles away. "By the way, Steve says 'hi' and that he's proud of you," Sharon added with a bright smile.

Danielle's smile morphed into that of a grin as a mischievous gglint appeared in her eye. "So, you're talking with Steve now?"

Sharon's face flushed before she playfully smacked Danielle's arm. "Oh, come on! Enough with that!" Danielle could only laugh as Sharon got frustrated. "There is nothing going on. Now you and Tony can buzz out of my love life for Christ's sake."

"'Love'?" Danielle raised her eyebrows and began to laugh even harder when Sharon blushed even more. Danielle raised her hands up in defense just as Sharon raised her hand to smack the teenager again.

"Hey, Dani!" Someone from afar called out. Danielle turned to see the rest of her team standing down the street gesturing to her. "We're going out for dinner! You coming?" Heather shouted to her.

Danielle bit her lip before turning expectantly to Sharon. The blonde sighed before shrugged, "Go ahead. I'll meet you back at the apartment."

Danielle smiled at her caretaker. "Thanks, Sharon," she said before running to catch up with her team. "Hi," she greeted them.

"Hey," Maggie replied. "We're all gonna take separate cars, we're all just waiting on Betty," she explained.

"Oh, where is she?" Danielle asked, looking around trying to find the blonde.

"Over there," Courtney said, pointing across the street.

Danielle followed where she was pointing and caught sight of Betty talking with Jason, Seymour, and Liz. Danielle's smile fell as she debated whether or not she should go over there. She had already lost Liz as a friend, maybe, even now, Peter. Maybe she could go over there and apologize. But, for what? Being gone for two weeks due to her mother's death amongst other things? No... It was better for Danielle to just keep her distance... Like she always did.

Just then, the screeching of a police siren caught everyone on the street's attention. All eyes turned to where an ambulance followed by a fire truck whizzed down the street towards where screams and cries of help were coming from.

"What's going on?" Jean asked, everyone wondering the same thing as they rushed to the corner of the street to peer down the block. There, everyone watched as a building at the corner of the street burned ablaze. It was an inferno as police cars surrounded the building and firefighters worked to out it out with hoses.

"Oh my God!" The girls on the soccer team cried out as they watched from a distance.

"There are still people in there! Look!" Malory shouted, pointing up to the floor just above where the firefighters were putting out the flames. Danielle followed her gaze and saw what she was talking about, two people were up there in the window, calling out. If there were two, there had to be more inside. Danielle had to do something, and fast at the rate that fire was burning up that building.

Danielle quickly fell into the shadows behind the rest of the girls who were still watching the fire, not paying attention to the teenage girl who teleported from behind them to an alleyway beside the burning building. Danielle glanced up from where she stood and saw that the fire exit ladder and stairwell were perfectly fine. One moment she was in the ground, and the next she was three stories up on the fire exit ladder, opening up a window to enter the building.

It was hot. Beyond hot, it was burning. The apartment she had walked into was burning left and right. The smoke was filling up the room and Danielle quickly grabbed hold of a rag on the dresser in the room she was in before walking forward through the apartment, searching for anyone inside. She followed the sounds of screams and pleas before she found two children in a bedroom curled up in the ground.

Using the rag to cover her face and hide her identity, Danielle bent down and placed a hand on both of them before teleporting back to the fire exit. Without question, the two children began to descend as Danielle went back in for more.

There were multiple people on the floor above, a few more down below. There were rooms where the fire had become too much and Danielle would have to knock back walls to get through to rooms where people were. She had begun to lose track of how many people she had teleported out of the building, just like she was losing track of howling she was in that building inhaling thick smoke and fumes from the fire engulfing everything around her.

She was beginning to head out just as the building began to collapse beneath her. She could swear she heard more screams within the building, but it was hard when she began to cough and wheeze due to the amount of smoke she was inhaling. The rag, doing nothing when the flames licked and danced around her. She was trapped.

She tried to concentrate on teleporting out of there, but the smoke filling her lungs began to get to her head as she lost her footing and fell face-first onto the floor, her eyelids falling and her conciousness slipping.

It was growing hard to breath as she crawled on all fours to try and get to the window where the fire exit ladder was. As she moved, walls and building structure around her began to fall all round her. When the flames got too close, she weakly attempted to push them away with her powers. But it all became too much.

The smoke, the fire, the wood burning, the fumes.

Was this how she died? Burning in an apartment building she didn't live in? Alone? Saving people?

Danielle didn't want to die. She didn't want to die knowing there were so many counting on her – Jack, Wanda, Steve, Sharon, Peter, Michelle, Liz, Cindy, Ned, Sally, Betty, everyone she ever knew an cared for. There was so much more Danielle wanted to do with her life. Grow up, become a full-time Avenger, graduate. Then the little things she regretted not doing – apologizing to Sharon for not telling her about crime-fighting, tell Wanda, Jack, and Steve she loved them, apologize to Peter...

She should've been terrified, she was terrified. But she just couldn't bring herself to panic as the darkness overcame her and unconsciousness over took her.

It was all black. Death.

She imagined she would always go out like the quiet gust of wind. Or maybe a loud explosion that echoed across the land. But instead, she would die here on the burning floor of this apartment building, choking from lack of oxygen, alone, surrounded in fire, burning alive.

But, destiny and a web-slinging vigilante had other plans for her.


A/N: I bet you thought I killed her. Ha! Sike! Also, by the time you read this I will probably be across the country on a trip to see my Aunt, Uncle, and baby cousin for Thanksgiving. Wish me luck on this two day trip with no wifi in the middle of the desert. :) also, hope everyone has a Happy Thanksgiving!

Chapter song: Verge by Owl City ft. Aloe Blacc (Soccer game) and Not Ready To Say Goodbye by Leah Nobel for Danielle nearly dying in a fire.

Incorrect Quote of the Chapter:

Sharon: What was the one thing I told you not to do?

Danielle: Burn down the house...

Sharon: And what did you do?

Danielle: Made everyone dinner...

Sharon: ...

Danielle: ...

Sharon: ...

Danielle: ...and burned down the house...