The first thing I was aware of was pain. I felt like someone had beaten me with a baseball bat. Or stabbed me. Or, more likely, both. My clothes were damp and sticking to me. I groaned and opened my eyes.

A tall building stood on either side of me. Several trash cans blocked my view of the street. Where was I? The last thing I remembered was walking home from school, alone. So how had I gotten here?

My first guess was that my ability to travel between fictional worlds – which apparently exist in alternate dimensions – and my unwillingness to share information had probably caught up with me. Yeah, that was probably it. Luck doesn't hold out forever.

Right now, though, I had the bigger problem that I was covered in what smelled like blood and that I could barely move. I started to crawl, pulling myself forward with my arms.

It hurt so much that stopping became necessary six or seven times, but eventually, I made it out of the alley and lay on the sidewalk, in front of an apartment building. The street was empty.

I pulled myself through the door and inside. If anyone was looking for me, the trail of blood left on the cement and the floor would make it easy, but it wasn't exactly as if I could clean it up.

I dragged myself to a corner of the big room. Someone had to come past at some point, and I hurt too much to go any further.

Footsteps sounded nearby.

I groaned.

The footsteps sounded more quickly, coming toward me. A hand rolled onto my back. "What happened?" asked a female voice. A woman with blond hair leaned over me, starting to inspect my injuries. Agent Sharon Carter.

More footsteps sounded nearby.

"Ivy?" said a familiar voice. Cap leaned over me. "What happened?"

"It looks like she was stabbed several times. Among other things," said Agent Carter. "Keep your eyes open," she ordered me. "Can you describe what happened?"

I shook my head. "I don't… remember." My head ached and I almost wanted to pass out.

The door banged open.

Cap and Agent Carter were pushed aside.

S.H.I.E.L.D. people were everywhere. I was moved onto a stretcher and into the back of some kind of ambulance. Someone told me to stay awake, I was hooked up to things. I passed out just as the vehicle was starting to move.

I woke up gradually, to the sound of people talking.

I groaned and opened my eyes.

"Hey, Ivy," said Agent Romanoff, who was seated next to me.

"Hey."

"Can you tell us what happened?" asked Cap, who sat next to her.

"I don't remember." I recounted everything that had happened since I'd woken up in that alley.

"You were stabbed multiple times, struck multiple times with a heavy object, and had your leg and a few fingers broken," said Agent Romanoff. "Among other things."

"Among what other things?"

"Bruises, gashes, things like that."

"Do you have any idea what happened?"

"You went missing after on your way home from school a few weeks, maybe a month back," said Agent Romanoff. "Yesterday, you made a call from Washington to your friend Miranda, telling her you were alive but were hiding. Then Cap found you. Your parents have been told where you are and that you're alright."

Despite my loss of memory, the events of Captain America: The Winter Soldier were absolutely clear in my memory. And the end of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. If all of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s secrets were released to the public, it would mean mine would be too. Ever detail I'd ever confessed, everything. My parents would find out. My brother. Not good. "I need to see Mom and Dad," I said.

Cap and Agent Romanoff glanced at each other.

"I don't know if we can do that," said Agent Romanoff.

"I need to see them. Please," I said. "We don't have to tell them, just use the stalker story again… but I need to talk to them. Just once."

"I'll see what we can do," promised Cap.

People came in and out of the room for the next couple days. Cap and Agent Romanoff mostly. Director Fury, once. He told me that my request was granted, as long as I didn't tell anyone anything. I think he felt sorry for me. That and he probably wanted to keep me happy, seeing as I know the future and could make things go very wrong for S.H.I.E.L.D. I would never do that, but it's nice to know that people remember.

They did, however, say I had to wait until I could walk around on my own. It took two weeks to get to that point, and would have taken much longer if it wasn't for some S.H.I.E.L.D. medical stuff which sped up the healing process. Granted, the walking was painful and on crutches, but it was still walking. My body was a mess of aching bruises and wounds, so it was a wonder I could do even that.

They kept me mostly confined to my room, but permitted me to get up and walk around if accompanied by a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent.

The first few times, it was Cap or Agent Romanoff. However, one day, some friends showed up.

I was sitting on the edge of the bed, reading a book, when a knock sounded on the door.

"Mind if we interrupt?" asked a familiar voice.

I looked up and dropped the book, jumping to my feet, then falling back hard onto the bed.

Fitz, Simmons, and Skye came through the door.

They walked me through the corridors. We chatted about everything except for my injuries and memory problems. I told them about my plan to see my parents. The director hadn't wanted to tell my friends, though. The less people who knew, the better.

"Do you want us to pass the information on to your friends, too?" asked Fitz.

"Yes, please." I needed to see everyone one more time before my world got completely turned upside down.

Hi, this is Miranda.

There happens to be a really big Dr. Who convention in the city where I live, so every year I go and enjoy it. This year, I'd finally managed to bring people along. My friend Sharon and my friend Jack. Jack was really good about it, especially since he's not really a fan of the show. He even let me and Sharon dress him up as the tenth doctor. There's not a ton of resemblance, but it was the best we could do.

We eventually, toward the end, found ourselves going through some of the merchandise. I had wanted to get a Dalek necklace as a gift for someone. "What do you think of this one?" I asked, holding one up for Jack to look at.

"It looks the same as all the other ones you've shown me."

I sighed.

"Excuse me," said a voice slightly behind me. "Miranda Pond?"

I turned to see Agent Leo Fitz standing behind me.

"Oh, hi!" I said.

"I thought I recognized you. Have you been a fan of the show long?"

I'd met Fitz in England after Malekith's attempt to take over the universe. "For a long time, yes. I've been watching it ever since the first season came out. The new one, I mean, not the classics, obviously. I'm not quite that old." Babbling. Because that, for some reason, is how I react when I'm surprised. Not scared, just surprised and unsure of what to do.

"And your boyfriend?"

Jack made a small choking sound.

"We're not together like that," I said quickly. "He's an old friend of mine."

I couldn't see how Jack would ever be interested in me. Certainly not because of my looks. My hair is curly and frizzy, and with my glasses and round face I look like an owl.

"It's good to meet you," said Jack, extending a hand. "I'm Jack."

"Fitz," he said. "Though you probably already knew that." He leaned in slightly. "If you two wanted to see Ivy, you might find her at her house visiting her parents on Saturday at ten. Not that I would know anything about that."

Here I am at last!

Updates might be a bit slower on this one, as it's not done yet and I'm going to be away for the next few days, but I just had to upload something. Guardians of the Galaxy comes out in slightly over a month, after all.

Just a little warning: this story is a bit darker than the last few. Let's just say that the stuff Ivy forgot isn't very nice stuff.