Chapter Text
(Sally does have an alter. in the start I don't really mention it but I'm trying my best to write it in the best way since she is a OC and I personally don't have DID but I want to represent this correctly so tell me anything I'm doing wrong I'll try to show the alter with different underlines now and later I'll refer to her alter as their name )
"Yes!" Kate jumps as she nailed three shots on some dummy's hitting them right in the head.
She grinned, brushing a stray strand of hair from her face, bow and arrow in hand as she lined up a fourth shot. It was perfectly aligned. She let it go with ease hitting the dummy right in the head.
Then the ground shook. The air itself seemed to rip open with a deafening crack.
A loud ripping sound the sky opened as a figure fell from the sky.
Kate stumbled, her bow slipping slightly as she looked up. The sky had split. A jagged tear shimmered overhead, light pouring through like someone had taken scissors to reality.
"What the fuck." Kate looked up the sky looked like a hole was cut into space. Like what Kamala said happened when her friend left though the weird quantum hole.
Something fell fast burning as it streamed down.
"Oh, this is so not good," Kate muttered, and having the survival instinct of a rat she broke into a sprint toward the smoking thing now smoldering at the edge of the training field.
Landed in a pile of hay was a person.
A girl, no older than maybe 17 her hoodie scorched and torn. Smoke curled around her, glowing faintly before bursting into sudden, licking flames.
"Oh my god, she's on fire!" Kate panicked
"Oh my gosh is she dying... Kate think what do you do." Kate's eyes darted around for water. There was a bucket right there. Naturally, she grabbed... hay.
"Okay,bad fire, stop!" she shouted, throwing handfuls of hay onto the flames, which did exactly what you'd expect made it worse.
"Shoot Clints gonna kill me if this kid is dead..."
Before Kate could try something actually smart, the girl gasped awake with a harsh cough and the fire vanished in an instant, as if sucked away.
Kate blinked. "...Weird."
"Oh my gosh you're alive! I thought you were dead or dying... and you fell from the sky so I didn't know if you weren't gonna kill me like some alien or ET."
The coughed again all the smoke fading away. "Kill you?" she spoke, brushing burnt hay off herself. Her voice was soft, cautious..
Kate froze, still holding another handful of hay.
The girl frowned confused. "Why were you throwing hay at me?" Seeing Kate's locked and ready throw of hay.
"Umm..." Kate chucked the hay in her hand behind her. "Well...uhh funny story you were on fire and I thought wow Kate this hay would put it out but now thinking about it... throwing something that was flammable at you wasn't the best idea."
Sally staring into thoughts or lack there of and a long silence Kate grinned."So what's your name?".
The girl hesitated "Umm... Sally I think."
"You think? that's a new one."
Sally frowned, glancing down at herself, then up at the torn sky. Everything felt unfamiliar. Who was she? Why was she here? It felt familiar but didn't look familiar.
Kate nodded with a smile. "Well Sally I think, I'm Kate Bishop. You're on the Clint Barton farm or Hawkeye farm. Wait I probably shouldn't have told you that and Clint is probably gonna kill me."
Kate started pacing, muttering to herself.
"So, uh, how exactly did you fall from the sky?"
Sally thought her brain was fuzzy she had little thought just herself being shot into the sky and then falling. "I-I don't know."
Sally sounded scared and frightened how could she not know. Why doesn't she know.
Kate's expression softened seeing the stress"Umm ok that's fine you know any basic stuff like how old you are?" Kate asked her voice soft.
"Umm 15 maybe? I don't know sorry."
Sally spoke as she looked around the sky still faint then she started hearing things.
"Hey, don't apologize." Kate waved her off, but her mind was already spiraling.
"Clint's gonna freak. SHIELD will freak. What if she's an alien? Or, like, a Skrull? Kamala's always talking about that stuff. oh god..what if she's some mini-Thor? That'd actually be kinda cool.."
Sally blinked. She could hear it all. Kate she heard Kate but Kate wasn't talking. Her mouth wasn't moving.
Then came another voice, soft and familiar, echoing from deep inside her head.
"Sally I gotta send you away like I said... we love you sweetie it's not your fault you'll be ok. I'm gonna send you where we've been talking about. The world where your grandpa isint there and the one where you don't exist so everything will be fine you can live a normal life."
A memory it was warm a man she knew then poof she got pulled here she remembers slightly.
"Umm hey, you okay?" Kate's voice snapped her back. "You looked like you just saw a ghost. Should I grab Clint?"
Sally blinked, dazed. Then, out of nowhere, she whispered, "Is Tony stark alive?"
This threw Kate off. She froze mid step from going to grab Clint. "Weird first question to ask but no he died years ago in this big war. Not fun, you know him, like from the news or something you're starting to remember?"
Kate's voice faded into the background as Sally tried to hold onto the pieces coming back to her. Some memories flickered bright faces, voices, moments, while others stayed foggy and out of reach. That was normal for her. It always had been.
They sent her here where she didn't exist so she would be safe
so she would be fine.
The timeline without her in it.
That's what they said, anyway.
She remembers her life the people and suddenly Kate looks familiar the name seems familiar Sally doesn't know why.
She didn't know why Reed had finally gone through with it, why he'd activated the out, but she knew the reason behind it...
just in case the world ended because of her...brother
She cant tell them that...
She couldn't tell anyone
They'll do what people did to her in her universe
They'll outcast her.
A threat
A monster
They can't know what they can do.
"Yeah I remember... a little bit. Some is still foggy." She said softly her voice shaking as now memories flooded her brain.
"Good so your name is Sally?" Kate asked just as someone was running over... old, well younger than what she knew.
Clint Barton
He looked a lot younger than from what she now remembers and so did Kate. The memories going into place. She knows both of them really well.
"Woah," Clint said glancing at the scene. "I thought a meteor came down, not a kid. You ok?"
More memories flooding her brain her stomach twisted. "W-what year is it?"
"It's 2027," Kate smiled and spoke simply like the girl in front of her wasn't stressing for her life.
Sally heart dropped. The past. She was in the past how did she get in the past. Uncle Reed didn't tell her the device would take her to the past...
she knows what happens in the past.
It is isn't that good.
If it's 2027 then it's way before the war...
before everything.
Kate oblivious ious to the clear panic offers happily. "Wait maybe she came late from the blip."
Sally looked more confused and concerned but her memory came back slightly remembering what her dad told her. About the snap how he came back.
"No I'm not from that..." she said quickly. She was hesitant to say anything she didn't want them to know.
She should've lied her aunt Lena always told her "lying is good in the right situations"
But it was too late as the words slipped, "I'm from the future 2035."
Clint and Kate didn't look surprised. Kate was practly jumping eith joy and new questions filling her brain.
"Woah, really? Well Clint here traveled to the past to save the world so I believe it."
Clint looked at Kate with a sigh, "Here let's go inside and talk more before you start a time travel club. And why is she covered in hay, Kate?"
"It's a long story," Kate muttered as Sally stood up, brushing the stray straw from her hair.
Clint walked inside he was clearly on guard as Kate was happily walking beside Sally.
Inside, the farmhouse smelled warm—bread, wood, safety. It made something ache inside her chest.
"So, uhh, are you like... an alien that can travel though time?" Kate asked as they walked to the singing room. "I have a friend America she can travel though timelines but I think they are in the same timeframe I've never asked that though."
Sally shook her head. "No. I don't do anything."
Kate grinned. "Cool, me neither! I think the people without powers are cooler because we can find the power within. And it just sounds cooler than saying I'm really good at shooting bows and arrows. Since I'm not a train assassin like most powerless hero's."
Sally couldn't help a small, nervous laugh. Kate's energy was chaotic, comforting, and overwhelming all at once. Just like her Aunt Kate
When they entered the kitchen, a woman. Laura.
Sally remembered from her time but clearly younger stared in surprise. Clint gave her a look, one that said not now, I'll explain later.
"Let me tell the kids to stay downstairs," Laura said gently. "They can play with the dogs." Laura walks out of the kitchen area.
Sally didn't remember them having dogs maybe they died or didn't mention it in stories they told her. Or just timeline stuff.
"So...Sally right?" Clint motioned towards a chair. "Take a seat. Nobody's gonna hurt you. We just gotta know some things. Some kid that fell out of the sky to anyone else that doesn't happen everyday. So you're lucky you landed here."
Sally listened to Clint sitting down stiff and
quick.
She knew them well.
In her timeline at least.
Clint didn't really like them in her timeline.
To him then she was "liability" that could break and turn any second.
Sally never done anything to deserve that.
She'd tried so hard to be good, to be useful, to be safe.
And yet here she was again small, scared, and sitting across from a man who once saw her as the problem. And her favorite aunt who saw her as everything.
Only this time, she didn't know if he ever would.
She didn't know if Kate thought her as the same here especially if she knew what she could do.
What they've done
Laura walked back into the room after tucking the kids away, her calm face doing a poor job of hiding her nerves. After all, it wasn't every day a random teenager fell out of the sky.
Sally sat stiffly at the kitchen table, hands folded, eyes darting between Clint and Kate. The smell of coffee and bread should've been comforting, but it only made her feel out of place—like she was sitting inside someone else's memory. Like she was in the stories they told her all the time.
Laura exchanged a quiet glance with Clint before pulling out a chair across from Sally. "Alright, honey," she began softly, "let's start simple. What's your name?"
Sally blinked. That one, at least, she knew. Or could say.
"Sally," she said finally, her voice small.
"Just Sally no last name?" Clint asked, brows raised.
Sally nodded quickly. "Yeah. Just... Sally." She couldn't give her last name. Not here. Not now.
Kate leaned forward, trying to lighten the mood. "Okay, Sally, important question."
Sally glanced up, wary.
"What's your favorite food?" Kate asked with a grin. "You know, for science."
Clint shot her a look. "Kate—"
"What? It's a good question!"
Sally hesitated. "Um... my dad makes the best chicken and rice," she murmured. The memory slipped out before she could stop it.
Laura's expression softened. "That sounds wonderful, sweetheart." She stood up suddenly, realization hitting. "Speaking of food I gotta make dinner. I should get started before Kate starts eating pizza again."
"I like pizza," Kate muttered.
"Not for every meal," Laura said over her shoulder, already moving toward the stove.
Kate popped up from her seat like she remembered something. "I'll go tell the team what happened!"
Clint frowned. "The team?"
"You know America, Riri, Kamala, Billy, Tommy... my super friends!" Kate said with way too much enthusiasm. "They're gonna flip when they hear I found a time traveler or alien or whatever she is."
Clint groaned. "Kate—"
But she was already halfway down the hall, happily skipping.
Laura chuckled quietly as she pulled a pan from the cupboard. "She's a handful."
"Understatement," Clint muttered, rubbing his temple. Then his eyes went back to Sally. The kid hadn't moved, hadn't spoken again. Just sat there, staring at nothing.
He leaned on the counter. "Look, kid... we're not gonna hurt you. But people are gonna start asking questions. You fell out of the damn sky. That doesn't just...happen."
Sally didn't respond. Her brain was spinning too fast, piecing together fragments she didn't want to see. The light. The screaming. Her brother's voice. Her father saying run. Her life adding up after the fog.
And now this world. This past. These people who weren't her people.
Her Kate was older. Her Clint colder. Her aunt Yelena laughed too loud, Reed always watched. Walker would make some dumb joke out of the blue. Her dad her dad would've known what to say right now. But he was gone. They were all gone.
If she told these versions the truth, they'd send her away. Lock her up. Study her like the others did when they found out what she could do.
So she stayed quiet.
Laura stirred something on the stove, the gentle clinking of the spoon the only sound in the room. Clint crossed his arms, staring out the window as if expecting someone—or something—to show up demanding answers.
Then Sally froze.
Something was out there.
Through the kitchen window, past the fields stretching endlessly into the night, she saw it—a figure. Faint, distant, but watching. Its shape wrong. Its presence heavy.
Her chest tightened. The air felt thin, suffocating.
"Can I be excused?" she whispered.
Laura turned from the food. Sally was already on her feet, moving fast, the chair scraping against the floor as she bolted for the door.
"Sally?" Clint called, confused.
She didn't answer. The screen door slammed behind her as she disappeared into the dark.
Clint moved to follow, but Laura caught his arm. "Let her go," she said softly. "There's nothing out there for miles but open field and she's too scared to run give her a minute."
Clint frowned, glancing back toward the window. The night was quiet now, but something in Sally's eyes—before she ran—stuck with him.
Fear.
Real fear.
Laura sighed, stirring the pot again. "She's scared, Clint."
Clint looked back out into the dark, jaw tight. "Yeah," he muttered. "That's what worries me we don't know a single thing about this kid and she just runs off. Scared of all things."
The night air hit Sally like a wall—cold, wide, endless. She stepped out into the open field, grass brushing her legs, the stars stretching forever overhead.
She shouldn't have come out here. But she knew what she'd felt. What she'd seen.
And then...
She wasn't alone.
A figure stood a few yards away, backlit by the pale moonlight.
Sally's heart sank. "You followed me," she whispered.
Death smiled. Or—Rio, as the few who knew her dared to call her.
Her dark eyes shimmered faintly, not cruel but knowing. She looked the same as always too bright for something that wasn't alive. Barefoot, dress drifting with the wind, that same soft smile that made everything feel normal.
"Of course I followed you," Rio said lightly, her voice melodic, calm. "You always run off, and I always find you your brother made sure of it keep a watch on you."
Sally crossed her arms, glancing away walking back but what rio said kept her still. "They don't know you."
Rio tilted her head, grinning as Sally turned around. "That's the point."
The wind rustled through the grass. For a moment, it was almost peaceful.
Then Rio started talking, voice turning casual but sharp. "So. They'll probably test you. Maybe send you away. Or keep you here until you slip up—like last time. You know how it goes."
Sally's jaw clenched. "Stop."
"They'll find out what you can do, Sally. They always do."
"Stop!"
Her voice cracked as anger sparked in her chest. "I know, okay? I know what they'll do! You don't have to remind me every damn time!"
Rio smiled faintly, eyes glinting with something between pity and amusement.
"I know you influenced him," Sally hissed, taking a step closer, "but you can't do it to me, Rio."
For once, Death looked... sad. She sighed, shoulders slumping slightly. "I didn't mean to hurt him."
"Can't you go back to him?" Sally asked quietly. "Or did you finally get your soul back?"
Rio's expression softened. She shook her head. "No. He's gone, Sally. Your Jack's gone for good this time."
The words hit like a punch. Confirmation. Final.
Sally stared down at the grass, breathing shakily. "Then what do I do here? Why did Reed send me here?"
Rio didn't answer right away. Her eyes flicked past Sally, toward the horizon, where the faint echo of something—someone—was dying.
"You'll figure it out," she said gently. "You always do."
Then she was gone—like mist fading into the night.
Death called her.
Sally stood there alone, wind tugging at her hair, the weight of everything pressing down again.
From behind her, the farmhouse door creaked open.
"Hey!" Kate's voice cut through the silence, bright and easy. "Food's done!"
Sally turned back toward the light spilling out of the house. For a moment, she thought she saw Rio's figure in the dark just before it disappeared completely.
—
Sally followed Kate back inside, the warmth of the farmhouse washing over her like a wave she didn't quite trust. The table was set now plates steaming, glasses clinking, conversation low but uneasy.
Sally hovered for a moment before quietly taking a seat at the end of the table. She kept her head down, fingers twisting in her lap.
Clint cleared his throat. But before he could speak Sally broke what she was holding what rio said stuck in her ears.
"I don't exist here."
Kate blinked. "What?"
Sally exhaled, staring at the table. "My uncle sent me here. To this timeline. He built something—he was a genius, kind of mad, but smart enough to make a device that could... send me away. To another timeline."
She glanced up, eyes glinting under the kitchen light. "And now I'm here."
For a moment, no one spoke. Laura's fork clinked softly against her plate. Kate's expression was somewhere between fascinated and trying not to squeal. Clint, however, just stared at Sally steady, unreadable.
He'd done it too, once. Time travel. Jumping through time but being sent for an unknown reason that they don't know.
Laura finally sighed, breaking the tension. "Well," she said gently, "we should still eat before everything gets cold."
It wasn't much, but it was something to fill the silence.
Sally nodded and picked up her fork. The first bite nearly made her dizzy—real food, hot and soft. She hadn't eaten properly in... she didn't even know how long. Her metabolism, as always, kicked in fast, and she ate quietly but quickly, mumbling a soft "thank you" between bites.
Kate watched her, then smiled. "So," she started, "I called a few friends in New York. They said since you're not, you know, an alien invasion risk or something, we don't really have to—"
"—take her to New York anyway," Clint interrupted, setting his fork down.
Kate blinked. "Wait, what?"
"You're heading back tomorrow," Clint said flatly. "You're loaded now that you run your mom's business. You've got your little super crew out there—find someone who can help this kid."
Laura looked up sharply, surprised. "Clint—"
He looked at Laura giving her a well talk later look.
Sally's heart sunk her mind reading fading into and out but she caught his reasoning.
"This kid could be dangerous."
Sally kept eating, trying to pretend she didn't feel the weight of their eyes their thoughts filling her head. The only pleasant ones were Kate's thinking of 20 cool questions to ask.
She couldn't tell them what she was. What she could do. Not yet.
Laura tried to bring the mood back, offering a small smile. "Well, whoever she is," she said softly, "she's still a kid who needs somewhere to stay. And that's what she's getting tonight. I'm gonna go grab you some clothes kid."
Sally nodded again, swallowing hard, keeping her head down.
But under the table, her hands trembled.
Kate leaned across the table, grinning. "Okay, so, twenty questions time!"
Sally stayed still, mid-bite what she heard finally being spoken.
Kate waved her hand dramatically. "When you traveled through time or whatever did you, like, throw up in the middle of it? Because I feel like I would. You know, spinning through space, flashing lights, no gravity bleh."
Sally frowned, looking to Clint for help. He just shrugged, expression deadpan. "Go with it."
"...No," Sally said slowly, shaking her head.
Kate nodded seriously, as if that answer was deeply important. "Got it. No time-vomit. Good to know. Okay, next question do you know your last name now or do you actually don't have one?"
Sally froze. For a second, she thought about telling the truth—but then she saw Rio's eyes again in her head, the warning, the fear.
She shook her head. "No. I don't have one."
Clint noticed the tiny hesitation, the shift in her tone. He could tell it was a lie. But he didn't push it. Not yet.
Laura came back into the room, drying her hands on a towel. "The guest room's ready," she said with a gentle smile. "And I found some old clothes that should fit you—they're a little worn, but clean."
Sally stood quickly. "Thank you."
Before Laura could step back, Sally wrapped her arms around her in a sudden, tight hug. It startled Laura, but she hugged her back instantly, warmth and confusion in her eyes.
Then Sally stepped away just as fast, face pale. "Sorry," she murmured. "You just... you look like someone I knew. From the other timeline."
Laura blinked, her heart twisting, but before she could respond, Sally muttered another soft apology and hurried down the hall toward the guest room she already knew where it was.
Kate watched her go, eyes wide. "Okay," she whispered, then immediately brightened. "This is so cool."
Clint shot her a look. "Kate."
"What? Alternate timelines, mystery teens, this is, like, peak Avengers-level stuff ! I live for this!"
Clint sighed and glanced toward Laura, who was still standing by the sink, thoughtful.
"She's hiding things," Clint said quietly once Sally's door closed. "She remembers more than she's saying. There's a reason for it."
Laura nodded slowly. "She's scared. You can see it."
Kate folded her arms. "So what's the plan, boss?"
"You take her to New York," Clint said. "Let your super friends take a look. You've got that whole Young Avengers crew out there use them. I'll see if I can get in touch with Bruce or maybe even Sam. Something about this doesn't sit right with me."
Laura glanced at him, concern in her eyes. "And you?"
"I'll stay alert," Clint said. "Just in case. Keep your toes under you, Kate. Don't let the quiet fool you."
Kate saluted with a grin. "Aye, aye, Hawkeye."
But when Sally's door shut, the laughter faded.
Laura looked toward the hallway, her voice quiet. "She's just a kid, Clint."
Clint's gaze lingered there too. "Yeah," he said softly. "That's what I'm afraid of."
"I think she said she knew me," Laura murmured as she sat down, still a little stunned. "From her time, or whatever that means. I think she's just trying to adjust to knowing this version of us not the ones she remembers."
Clint nodded, rubbing the back of his neck. He understood, but something in his gut said there was more to the girl. Sally wasn't just some lost kid.
"Kate," he said firmly, glancing toward the staircase, "stay on your toes. And stop bombarding her with questions the kid looks stressed."
Kate shook her head, grinning. "No way, she smiled! I bet I do the same thing in her timeline."
Then something clicked in her head. "Wait, you say you're calling the Avengers?" She gasped, eyes wide. "Oh my gosh, I cannot wait to tell Kamala! You know she's besties with Captain Marvel, right?"
Clint just sighed as she practically skipped down the hall. "Kate, it's bedtime."
"I'm going, I'm going but I'm also a grown adult and have no bedtime!" she called, disappearing into her room,
The house finally fell quiet.
Besides for Sally she heard everyone's dreams various being able to fall asleep.
Luckily she didn't have dreams.
One plus of being one of one.
⸻
The Next Morning
By dawn, everyone was up. The jet was prepped, bags were loaded, even Lucky and Franny were sitting in the jet. Lucys tail thumping lazily and Franny was still sitting on a jet chair politely.
Sally hadn't even realized the golden retriever and the Akita had been at the house probably the whole time. The dog Franny Sally knew really well was Yelenas dog she loved as a toddler before she passed. Lucky she also knew well but he passed before she really got to know the dog when she was younger.
She blinked as the Franny padded up beside her. "Hey, Franny."
Kate froze mid-step as she got into the jet. "Wait—how do you know her name?"
Sally looked down, scratching behind the dog's ear. "Other timeline. Same dog, but she had more brown in her fur and a different tag."
Kate's jaw dropped. "No way..."
Sally met her eyes and nodded already hearing the question forming in Kate's head. "Yeah. I know you too, in my timeline."
Kate's eyes went wide with excitement. "That's so cool how did you know I was gonna ask?"
But Sally just gave a small, tired smile. "I just... know."
She didn't say out loud what she felt—the constant buzz of other people's thoughts pressing at the edge of her mind. The voices she tried to block out but couldn't. She didn't say how much she hated that she could hear people without wanting to.
And behind all of it, she could feel her.
Death. Watching. Waiting.
Kate noticed the shift—the way Sally's shoulders hunched and her gaze went distant—so she let the subject drop.
"We're going to my place," Kate said, checking her phone. "Kamala's already there, and Billy and Tommy said they'd meet us. The others are on a mission."
Then she launched straight into her usual chatter, talking about "top secret" things that definitely weren't top secret if she was saying them out loud.
Sally leaned against the window, half-listening, her reflection ghostly in the glass.
Different world.
Same faces.
And still—Rio, somewhere behind her.
—
The jet touched down just outside the city on a S.H.I.E.L.D. carrier, its engines whining softly as the ramp lowered. From there, they took a jeep toward Kate's apartment. Sally watched through the window, eyes tracing the skyline.
The city looked almost the same as hers—same lights, same sounds—but there were subtle differences. Ads that didn't exist in her world. People laughing instead of hiding just from knowing she could be around. It was unsettling in the quietest way.
When they reached Kate's apartment, the dogs bolted through the door first, tails wagging. Inside, America, Kamala Khan (Ms. Marvel), Billy, and Tommy twins were sprawled across the couch, half-watching a cartoon and half-talking over each other.
That's when Sally saw her.
Agatha.
Sally knew some history with Agatha because of Rio and she knew death was always on her trail.
Sally slightly froze, pretending to focus on introductions as her heartbeat picked up.
Kamala's grin was bright and genuine. "Kamala Khan or Ms. Marvel hero of jersey city and space now."
America eating cereal at the table with a giant kitchen spoon. "America fellow timeline traveler."
Tommy gave a casual nod, leaning back against the couch. "Tommy i like to run."
But Billy—Billy's eyes widened in shock as he introduced himself. "Billy, Tommy's twin."
He saw Rio too but she quickly disappeared before Agatha saw.
Before he could speak, Sally brushed against his mind.
"Let it go."
A single telepathic whisper that froze him in place. She didn't use it often it scared her too but sometimes her impulses controlled it better than she could.
In that instant fear swollowed her Sally herd his questions she knew Kate just told them she was some random normal girl that fell from the sky and she knew Billy had questions, she shared flashes of memory her memory. Death's shadow trailing her and the sliver of history she could give him, and he understood.
He understood her brother told death to follow her if he ever died to take care of his other half.
She didn't tell anyone this when her brother told her this at the age of 5.
The whole silent exchange lasted milliseconds, but to them, it stretched on for minutes.
When reality snapped back, America asked, "So, do you, like, know us in your timeline?"
Sally nodded slightly.
"She's had a long trip," Kate said quickly, trying to fill the space. "She doesn't really talk much."
Sally nodded again, grateful for the out. But as she turned away, she felt it—the cold touch of a familiar presence.
Rio. She probably came back from some death she had to take care of.
Agatha saw in an instant "Why," the witch murmured behind her, "is my ex following you?"
She spoke but it seemed like no one else could hear besides the three.
Sally didn't even flinch. "Because Death wants my rare soul," she said quietly. "And because of what she did to my brother. He was her servant and she visits me now, maybe to say sorry for killing him. I don't know."
Agatha's expression softened, just slightly. Rio stood behind Sally. Rios other mask on the more deathly looking one, watching silently, an invisible line of distance between her and Agatha, like two magnets repelling each other.
Then, just as quickly, Agatha drifted back toward Billy, vanishing from sight. The others hadn't seen a thing. And Rio left.
Kate and Tommy decided to grab pizza from downstairs, joking about who owed who lunch. Kamala scrolled through her phone, humming quietly.
Sally sat quietly petting the dogs. Kate had told them no more questions or anything bye she left and she was glad of it the city was so loud with thoughts. She didn't need verbal ones too.
And then—the room changed.
A cold pulse rolled through the air, dark and silent.
A shadow seeped across the windows like ink. One by one, they disappeared Billy first, then Kamala, America then Sally got grabbed too.
They were now outside in the city facing the dark void that slowly started to cover the city. Tommy had grabbed them all.
Giant things were falling from buildings.
Kamala immediately went to stop a concrete slap from falling onto a group of people.
"Go run." America said ushering the people away.
Kamala threw the concrete slab crushing it."What's happening?"
"I don't know we were getting pizza and heardd people screaming." Kate panicked.
The city got darker. Billy looked to Sally almost asking if it was her but she shook her head.
But she's heard the story. She knows what's happening but she knows she can't say what.
The darkness started to come quicker.
Sally helped a bit too helped people away from the darkness.
Tommy speeding people away getting inside buildings.
It was too late. Kate and America ran to grab a kid about to get hit by a car but they both disappeared.
The whole team froze. Kamala screaming in panic "ARE THEY GONE."
Billy ran out to her using his magic trying to move Kamala out of the way as she was frozen in place where Kate just was the darkness coming quicker.
Tommy just came back from taking people to safety to see his brother and Kamala vanish, panic flashing in his eyes.
He tried to grab Sally's arm. "We have to—"
But the shadow came faster.
Sally stood seeing it coming quicker than Tommy could run, heart racing. She knew this story. Yelena and Bob used to tell her what happened here, long before she ever came in this world.
She closed her eyes, took a breath just like her aunt had told her and let go.
The shadow swallowed her whole.
Sally floated in a dark, endless void. So black it felt alive. There was no sound, no warmth, just her heartbeat echoing in her chest.
Until it changed glowing faintly she was in a hallway of plants the garden she used to go to with her one and only friend all the time.
Then a figure emerged from the shadows. It didn't speak, only stepped forward and slipped something out of her pocket a note.
Before she could reach for it, the shadow tore it to shreds.
Her heart cracked like glass. She knew what that meant. (Like that one owl house scene)
Tears burned her eyes as it started again. She ran to the figure tackling it but she fell until she hit a solid ground.
Faded concrete.
She knew this well.
The same smell of the city
The same flare and stench of the riot.
Voices echoed all around her, harsh and sharp like knives.
Yelling.
Blame.
Hate.
She knew if she looked up she would see the signs all around her that people of the city held.
She didn't realize her eyes had been closed until they flew open as she sat up from the concrete
They weren't yelling at her she was in the middle of the crowd as people walked around her walking towards city hall.
People surrounded her, faces twisted in fear and disgust looking at something ahead. They were yelling at a little girl.
A toddler.
Her.
"Abomination!" someone screamed.
"Monster!" another spat.
The child's small body shook as she covered her ears, crying, curling into herself—something Sally remembered all too well. She could still feel the sting of those words.
She ran to the kid faster than light covering her. With the one other person that covered
her shielded hert
Yelena.
People threw things at her back at both of them her back hurt as tears streamed down past and present her eyes.
Something large hit her in her head as she passed out.
She woke up a place far too familiar.
Her and her brother would talk in their minds.
But the once place they didn't was at the memorial center that their dad loved because it had history of their uncle Steve.
Her brother.
her only constant was taken by Death that day.
Sally tried to reach out, to scream, to stop it. He'd finally listened to her... and it got him killed.
The scene repeated. Over and over. The same screams, the same loss. The same helplessness.
Until she broke.
She fell to her knees, sobbing, shaking so hard she could barely breathe, when suddenly, arms wrapped around her.
Warm. Solid. Real.
It wasn't her Kate, but it didn't matter. This Kate held her like she meant it, whispering softly, grounding her back in the moment. "It's ok it's over."
Then the others appeared Kamala, Tommy, Billy, America, joining in, surrounding her in a circle of warmth.
Sally blinked through the tears. She was glowing, soft light radiating from her skin like starlight.
But no one flinched.
No one pulled away.
They weren't afraid of her.
Only she was.
The people around but no one is looking because they all just got out of hell too.
But they will soon
The glow faded slowly, flickering off Sally's skin like the last bit of a dying star. Her breathing evened out, but she still trembled.
"I'm sorry," she whispered, voice cracking. "I didn't mean to I didn't know that would happen."
She pressed her hands against her chest, trying to push it all down like she always did she hated when people saw her visible powers. The guilt, the fear, the memories.
Tears welled again, spilling down her cheeks before she could stop them.
Kate crouched beside her immediately. "Hey, hey don't do that. Don't apologize for... whatever that was. Your little glow might have got us out of whatever that was... cause I just was in the worst nightmare ever but then I ran then saw you glowing and poof I'm alive and ok"
Kamala nodded, her tone softer but curious. "Yeah, seriously. But... what was that? The visions were you and have to do with the glowing?"
Sally wiped her face with her sleeve, avoiding everyone's eyes. "I-I don't know what the nightmares were. And the glowing just... happens sometimes."
She lied about the void thing she knew exactly what it was
Billy, still pale, exchanged a glance with Tommy. "It felt real," he said quietly. "Like we were in our worst memories."
"That wasn't just in our heads?" Tommy asked, running a hand through his hair. "Because, uh, it felt real. Too real."
Sally swallowed hard. "It was real or felt like it. For me, too at least."
Kate hesitated for a second, then pulled her into a hug tight and steady, like she could hold Sally's breaking pieces together. Kamala joined in without a word, wrapping them both in her long arms.
"I need a group hug after whatever we all just saw our worst nightmares apparently," Kamala murmured. "and the glowing is cool maybe you can take the name supernova I tried to give it to another friend before."
Sally let out a shaky laugh, half sob, half disbelief. "Yeah I do other stuff too not just glow."
Kate smiled faintly. "Actually," She stood, helping Sally up by the arm. "You know, when I went to wake you up this morning, you were literally floating above the bed. I almost screamed. Clint owes me ten bucks."
That made Sally blink. "Wait—what?"
Kate grinned. "We made a bet. I said you'd be normal; He said you'd do something freaky by today. Guess who was right?"
Kamala giggled. "Honestly, floating's pretty mild compared to what I've done when I panic."
Sally still in panic these people knew. They could be faking. They could be different from her timeline just better liars.
Billy crossed his arms reading her mind, smiling slightly now that things were calm. "You're not the only one with powers here, Sally. We've got quite the group of weirdos."
Tommy laughed, "We're not Weirdos, more cool superhero's."
Sally sniffled, trying to smile through the mess of tears. "You're all okay? Like what you saw?"
Tommy shrugged. "Nah. It just scared the crap outta me for a second I have a wonderful past little kid with witch mom in a hex."
Kate clapped her hands together. "Cool. Then I vote we go home, eat the pizza that hopefully isn't cold yet, and pretend the world didn't almost implode and we all didn't see our worst memories."
Kamala grinned. "Agreed."
They all headed back to Kate's apartment, still shaken but quietly relieved. The city lights outside looked normal again.
Inside, the dogs barked as the group collapsed onto the couch with greasy pizza boxes and reruns playing softly in the background.
For a little while, it almost felt like nothing had happened at all like they were just a group of friends hanging out.
But Sally knew better.
Because every time the TV flickered, she could still see the faint reflection of her shadow
They were halfway through a weird sitcom that Kate and Billy begged the team to watch called Friends that looked similar to Sally's Besties show she watched, empty pizza boxes piled on the coffee table, when Kate's phone buzzed.
She glanced at the screen—and immediately gasped. "Wait—WHAT?! She's an Avenger before me?!"
Kamala nearly choked on her soda. "Who?"
Kate didn't answer. She was already calling someone, pacing the apartment like she was preparing for battle.
Sally watched quietly, trying not to laugh. She already knew who Kate was calling. Yelena.
"Yeah, hi!" Kate said into the phone, voice rising an octave. "Did you seriously not think to tell me that you're an Avenger now or did you just stop by a week ago and give me your dog for nothing!"
Everyone else exchanged looks, trying to piece together what was happening as Kate continued her half-rant, half-conversation.
"You what? No, you can't just be an Avenger now you said you hated them wait, YOU LIVE in the tower NOW?!" Kate stopped pacing, eyes wide. "How is that even—no, no, I'm not mad, I'm just... shocked! You're telling me some Bob guy set a whole void on the city and HES ALSO A AVENGER?"
Kate was pacing back and fourth. "Ok not an avenger but still you get sent to kill people but now as of two minutes ago your in the new avengers?"
Sally bit her lip, holding back a laugh. Kate's tone, the dramatics, even the way she flailed her hands it was exactly like her Kate.
The only difference was that in Sally's world, Kate and Yelena were married.
She couldn't tell her that. Not here. Not now.
Kate finally ended the call after what felt like thirty minutes of back-and-forth. She flopped down on the couch with a groan, staring at the ceiling. "Well, apparently Yelena is living in the Avengers Tower now. Guess I'll just... live in her shadow forever as I watch her wonderful dog for free."
Kamala giggled. "C'mon, Kate. You'll get there. But we're basically the young avengers."
Everyone laughed except Sally, who smiled softly to herself.
For a moment, surrounded by their laughter, she felt warmth something almost like belonging. But then the thought crept back in, quiet and heavy.
She didn't belong here.
Not in this time. Not in this version of their lives.
She didn't want to ruin the joy they had. She knew what she'd done, and she knew what she carried.
Sally's smile faded , pretending the glow in her chest was only from the thought of having a place to be.
She hated the feeling it slowly creeping up to her.
So while no one is looking Sally ran.
She doesn't know why but she does Tommy can't stop her she can run faster he runs and is out the door and teleports away.
She couldn't do it, she can't just sit there and be a monster and act like life was ok.
She's in an alleyway dark and wet dripping with water from a leaking pipe. She hears faint yelling of Tommy then turns invisible she walks down the busy street. Looks around for a escape and spots an ikea. She slips inside right as the store clerk was closing the door. Finds a nice bedroom display as she sleeps in one of the display beds she hides herself.
We emotional tie to her powers is the only way they work correctly.
She learned at a young age when she just tries to use them her vision gets foggy and she wakes up somewhere doing something random.
So she stopped using her powers unless they naturally happened due to emotions.