He broke my heart

Felt like the world had ended

I cried myself to sleep

Thinking I can't get over him…

Strange – Reba McEntire

-o-

Chapter 1: Being Summoned

Being summoned by an old Asgardian king was not one of the norms that Doctor Stephen Strange had come to expect these days.

The Master of the Mystic Arts had plenty of responsibilities on his hands but finding himself the unofficial caretaker of Odin of Asgard had not been one of them.

When he had first located the old king, it had been when the Asgardian had popped up on the massive globe in the chamber that led to the other Sanctums. When he had been monitoring for any potential threats, the pulsing light of the old king's life force had emerged, showing his location to be right there in New York City. It had been a surprising find and when he had gone out to locate Odin, it was to find him in a retirement home called Shady Acres Care Home that was on the verge of shutting down due to lack of funds. The old king didn't know who he was or where he was from. The staff of the home did not have any place to send him to since he had no known family. He was close to being kicked out to the streets. Whatever had happened to him and whoever had done it had placed a powerful spell on him that Strange was unsure how to undo.

Not wanting to leave Odin in such a place, he had taken the old king in his care and had set him up in a comfortable small cottage that was close to the Norwegian Sea under his protection. It had been some time before Odin had managed to break through the spell that had been placed on him. When he recalled who he was and what had happened to him, he had summoned Strange to thank him for his unexpected aid. Strange had offered to find a way to contact Asgard so he could return but the All Father had declined. He had told the younger man, "My days are ending. I'd rather live them in peace…. If any come in search of me, do not let them know I am here. I do not wish to be disturbed."

Strange, confused but not surprised, could do nothing else but honor the old man's request.

Even he could sense that Odin's life force was on the beginning stages of waning.

So, he had left the old man in Norway, stopping by occasionally to drop off food, books, and other items of comfort to the old Asgardian.

Odin had been an amiable person, with little demands and a grateful demeanor.

Up until today.

The All Father had sent word to Strange that he requested his presence as soon as possible of a matter of great importance. He stated in the message that "it was something that could not be delayed any further."

It was a rare moment that Odin would demand rather than ask things of anyone these days, so it must have been very important to him.

Setting off on his journey to Norway, he left Wong in charge of guarding the New York Sanctum. Dressed in his usual dark blue garb as a master, the Cloak of Levitation secured about his shoulders, Strange had conjured a gateway and made his way to Odin's small cottage.

-o-

Odin of Asgard was enjoying a warm cup of tea when the familiar sounds of sizzling caught his old ears. He didn't glance up from his cup as he sat by the window, listening to the sound of the rain as it pattered against the glass. He sensed the wizard the moment the tall man had stepped into his home, the sound of that deep red cloak fluttering eagerly about his shoulders. Setting his cup down on the small end table, Odin turned in his chair to look at the wizard. "Greetings to you Doctor Strange. I thank you for heeding my summons so quickly."

"Odin," said Strange by way of greeting, nodding his head in acknowledgement. "You said it was a matter of great importance so…" He held his arms out, his deep red cloak falling back from his shoulders. "Here I am."

Odin chuckled as he moved to carefully get up from his chair and made his way over to a small writing desk across the way. He moved slowly and carefully, his aging body showing it lacked the power it once had as he went to the desk and reached out to grab a rolled-up newspaper. Unfolding it, he smoothed out the front page and tapped on the picture, the headline in bold black letters in Nyorsk.

Curious, Strange made his way over to the desk and looked down at the newspaper, catching sight of the picture. It was a series of smaller photos depicting the Avengers and the one Odin was pointing at was of an inhumanely tall, lithe woman with glowing yellow eyes, crimson veins, and wild dark curls. It was a close shot of her during the fight against the alien attack back in 2012. The headline – roughly translated – was blaring about an attack at a Berlin airport by the Avengers.

"The Avengers?" asked Strange as he glanced at Odin, surprised that the older man would be concerned about Earth's self-appointed heroes.

"No," said Odin as he shook his head, his white beard shuffling slightly as he leaned forward and pointed again at the picture of the raging woman. "This woman here… She is known by my people as a Lyttan. She is descended from an old race thought long dead." He moved his hand away and looked up at Strange, his one eye filled with surprising sadness. "Her people had a unique ability of merging with other beings and she had the misfortune – or fortune – of becoming permanently merged with a human girl… We call her the Red Lady but her true name is Erin, Daughter of Lytta. Her Midgardian side is named Anamaria Banner." Odin took hold of the newspaper and held it out to Strange to take. "I had sworn once that I would be there to aid her people. I had failed in that… I had once sworn that I would protect the Red Lady and all that was hers… and failed yet again. I do not wish to fail her a third time."

Strange took the newspaper as he glanced down at the picture of the raging woman before looking at Odin. "What is it that you want from me?"

"I want you to help her," said Odin as he made his way back to his chair. "Train her in the ways of your sorcery. With the part of her that is Midgardian, she could prove to be adept." He let out a breath as he heaved himself down into his chair and took his cup in hand. "I have recently learned that her mate and father of her children has been missing for some time. This recent piece of news about that other place called Berlin… That fight… I worry for her. She needs control over her Lyttan rage and with her mate missing I am afraid she would be capable of destruction on an unprecedented level. However, if she were to gain focus and discipline, there is a chance she can be pulled back from the brink. This is my last chance at fulfilling the oath I made to her."

Strange was hesitant to say he was intrigued as he stared at the picture of the raging woman. He knew all about the Avengers but not many knew the origins let alone story behind the one dubbed Mrs. Hulk by the public…

He folded up the newspaper as he looked at Odin. "You said she is part human…"

Odin took a sip of his tea as he nodded. "She bears two souls within her body. Two separate minds. Her unique lineage is what causes her to become the being you see in that picture. Her human side is the calmer of their two forms." He gestured toward the newspaper. "Look up these Midgardian heroes for the one they call the Hulk. The Green One is her mate. His calm side, a Dr. Bruce Banner, is her husband. Start with that and you should be able to learn more about her."

Strange nodded thoughtfully as he tucked the newspaper under his arm. "Let me think on it…"

"Of course," said Odin, "I know it is a lot to ask but I would not think it necessary if there were any other option…"

"Was this all that you were requesting?" Strange asked.

"Another book would be quite lovely…"

A gentle chuckle escape Strange as he gave a nod. "That I can do for you… I'll be back in a couple of days with a new set of books and my answer."

Odin gave a slight bow of his head. "Many thanks Doctor Strange," he said before he turned his attention back to the window. The sound of the tall man's gateway could be heard before he was left alone, watching the rain fall gently against the window…

-o-

Strange would spend the next two days doing his research on the other raging Avenger that was actually codenamed Cin per the SHIELD records that had been made public some time ago. She had been an active member up until the Sokovia incident over a year prior. It was around this time that reports of the Hulk going missing had come out. It was reported that she was only ever seen to be with Iron Man or the Hulk out of all the Avengers so it wasn't a surprise that there were no reports of her up until the Berlin fight. There had been plenty of pictures and news on Cin but almost nothing about the human part of her.

He had to do a little more digging around, but he managed to find a single online article that had covered a party that Stark had held in the Avengers Tower some time before the Sokovia incident. In this article, there had been a few pictures taken and one of the pictures had shown Dr. Bruce Banner sitting on a sofa with his arm around a woman beside him. He was looking at her and talking to her. She had long copper brown curls, was dressed in a form fitting emerald dress, and it looked like the picture had been caught right when she was laughing at whatever he had said. They were clearly in love and looked very happy…

It had been the only clear picture of her that Strange could find. She must have been very good at keeping out of the public eye since he couldn't find anything else on Anamaria Banner.

At least until a recent report that was all over the media outlets caught his attention: A volcanic eruption had taken place in an area in the middle of the Mojave Desert the previous night. The area was not well known for volcanic activity and where the eruption had taken place was already declared dead. Much to the surprise of the volcanologists that had flocked to the area to study the phenomena.

Strange had a distinct feeling this incident was no coincidence…

His interest had been caught.

He had sent word to Odin that evening that he would help.

-o-

(A/n) This is just a promise for my favorite readers of Coursing Through My Veins who wanted to see a Strange/Ana fic. It's going to split off from the main story for obvious reasons so it is AU to that AU. It should be fun.

For those unfamiliar with what is going on, please see my other story for details – specifically chapters 94 through 108 – as that is where this all stemmed from. Otherwise, this will seem all out of left field.

A warning: this fic will contain qualities of Mary Sues and adult situations (though not explicit).

A special thanks to Raging Raven for this plot bunny! I just wanted to get this out there, so I wouldn't forget to pick it up after I am done with the Ragnorok Arc I am working on.