The Stark Tower had grown quiet.
Most of the Avengers had dispersed for the night, their silhouettes fading into the city below. Only the hum of the tower's core and the faint flicker of holograms lit the space.
Silvanna remained, her red jacket draped over a chair, the faint metallic scent of blood still clinging to her hands even after scrubbing them raw. She leaned against the glass, staring at her reflection.
Behind her, a softer voice broke the silence.
"Aunt Silvanna?"
Vanessa's golden hair caught the dim light as she stepped forward. Juggernaut trailed just a step behind her, his massive form filling the doorway, his presence a steady anchor in the room.
Silvanna straightened. Her usual confidence faltered when she looked at Vanessa—the daughter of her sister. A reminder of everything they had lost, and everything they still could.
"You should be resting," Silvanna said, her voice sharper than she intended.
Vanessa shook her head. "I couldn't. Not when you're still awake, still… carrying it all alone."
Juggernaut folded his arms, his rumbling tone filling the room. "She's right. You've been wound tight ever since Stark brought up Rebecca. Talk to us."
Silvanna closed her eyes. For a moment, she was tempted to brush it off, to hide her fear behind her usual steel. But when she opened them again, she saw Vanessa's eyes—so much like Rebecca's, full of fire and unspoken questions.
The words slipped out, heavy.
"I don't know what we'll find if we reach her."
Vanessa tilted her head. "You mean… my mother?"
Silvanna nodded slowly. "Rebecca isn't like anyone else, Vanessa. She's… more. She was born with everything—every gift, every curse. Her strength was limitless even before she left this world. If she's been hunting monsters in other realms all this time, if she's been alone…" Her voice broke for just a moment, softer than Juggernaut had ever heard it. "…then what's left of the woman I knew?"
Juggernaut stepped forward, his towering presence unexpectedly gentle. "She's still your sister. Still Vanessa's mother. Powers don't erase that."
Silvanna looked at him, bitter. "You speak like you know her better than I do."
Juggernaut didn't flinch. His gaze was steady, remembering. "I know the woman who could have crushed me into dust… but chose to spare me. I know the woman who looked at me—the Juggernaut—and didn't see a monster. She saw a man. If that's who she still is, then she's worth finding. And if she's not…" He clenched his fists. "…then she needs her family even more."
Vanessa stepped between them, her voice trembling with determination.
"I don't care how powerful she is, or how much she's changed. She's my mother. And if she's out there, then I'll face the risks. Because the real danger isn't finding her… it's losing her forever."
Silvanna felt the weight of their words sink deep. For so long, she had carried Rebecca's absence like a wound she couldn't close. And now, standing in front of her niece and the man her sister once loved, she realized something she had almost forgotten.
She wasn't carrying this burden alone.
Her shoulders eased. She let out a slow, ragged breath and whispered, "Then we'll find her. Whatever it takes."
Vanessa's hand slipped into hers. Juggernaut gave a silent nod.
And for the first time that night, Silvanna allowed herself a fragile, fleeting hope.