Chapter 1: The Snap

There is shuffling as a young teenage girl sat down on the old ornate couch in a dimly lit room in the middle of the night.

Her young face was pale as parchment, stained with blood, dirt and sweat. Her blue eyes were puffy and red from all the tears she has been shedding for hours. Even as she readied the strange handheld smartphone for the video she was about to take on its tripod, her fingers shook and trembled.

"Come on, just press the button" she sighed to herself as finally she positioned the phone and pressed the red record button before pulling back to sit on the couch.

"Alright…here we go."

Uh…hi…

If you're watching this video log, then it means that I'm either dead and you've found my phone in the wake of the second apocalypse. Or that I'm dead and you've seen my phone after my plan has worked and everyone's living happily ever after. Either way, if you're watching this, I'm most probably dead.

My name is Via. I'm seventeen years old, in my last year in high school and I am an Avenger. Or at least I was…till a few hours ago. I'm what people call the Spider Sorceress, a champion of the Dream Dimension that protects people from nightmares. I'm also a relic hunter, which is…well, it's kinda what you get if you cross Indiana Jones, Lara Croft and Harry Potter altogether. I pretty much track down and bring in magical artefacts before they fall into the hands of the wrong people, namely other dark sorcerers.

But before I was a hero, I was just a penniless street orphan with nothing save the clothes on my back, two dragon bracelets, a tin cup and a name, Olivia Freyja Summers.

Then one day I was taken in from the rain by an old sorceress called Fala. She gave me a cup of tea, and a strange little magic dreamcatcher called the Web of Asibikaashi before sending me out into the world. Then I was hunted down by a rogue sorcerer before being saved and taken in by the most powerful sorceress in the world, the Ancient One, or as I knew her, Naela.

Long story short, the rogue sorcerer returned to finish the job, and the Ancient One died, but not before entrusting my safety to her successor, my legal guardian, my mentor … Doctor Stephen Strange.

*gulps and sighs*

Alright, okay. I got this. I can do this. I won't cry.

Argh! Goddammit!

I'm sorry *snivels and coughs* give me a second…It's been a very long day.

Who'd have thought it huh? That one purple skinned bastard could change everything with just one snap of his finger…

Titan – Ten hours ago

Via Summers stared at the rocky ground before her as her legs buckled beneath her.

She could not believe it. All that fighting, all the bloodshed, the sweat, the bruises and the beatings…all for nought.

She shut her eyes as she heard a scuffling sound behind her, unable to bear to watch as a man with brown hair and a goatee held on tight to the young teenage boy he cradled in his arms.

"I don't want to go. I don't want to go, sir, please. I don't want to go; I don't want to go."

"It's okay, kid. It's okay" the man with the goatee mumbled under his breath as he laid the boy to the ground gently.

Even as the boy's head hit the ground, he looked fearfully up at the man with wide, pleading eyes.

"I'm sorry…"

Via looked up from where she sat with watering eyes. The bearded man was hunched on the ground just a couple of feet away, a blue-skinned woman in a red suit and cybernetic enhancements standing just a little way behind him. Both were looking down into the man's arms where a cloud of dust was beginning to float back down to the rock beneath.

"He did it" the woman with blue skin murmured, and though her face was stoic and unmoving, her voice shook ever so slightly.

There was a soft crunching sound, and the bearded man raised his head as Via reached out and wrapped her arms around him in a vice-like hug.

Tony Stark was silent as he returned the embrace, only to pull back as he felt something warm seep into his body.

He looked down and saw her palm resting over the wound in his gut from where Thanos had stabbed him.

A golden web of energy was seeping out through her fingers, interlacing and weaving its way around the wound even as she removed her hand. He stayed still as she wrapped her arm around his back and pressed her glowing hand into the other side of the stab wound.

His flesh all but burned as the healing spell worked its way through his body, stitching together the broken, damaged tissue together bit by bit. It wouldn't completely heal the injury, but it would buy him time till they could get proper help.

But that didn't matter to him as he and the young teenage girl leaned into one another and buried their faces into each other's shoulders.

It was over.

They had lost.

Wakanda (Earth) - Eight hours ago

Via stared around at the Wakandan palace council room

She had just used her sling ring to teleport herself Tony and the blue-skinned alien woman, (whom she had learned was called Nebula), back to Earth. She hadn't even meant to go to the magnificent if the slightly war-torn capital of Wakanda. The sling ring just led where her heart wanted her to go. And right now she just wanted to find the rest of her friends, to see for herself if they were all alright.

But they weren't.

Many had vanished in the snap. More casualties in a war nobody wanted yet knew would come.

Now only a few remained, all of whom were in the council room sitting or standing in silence as they listened to everyone's recount of the battle with Thanos.

Herself, Tony Stark, Nebula all sat on one side along with a strange talking racoon called Rocket. Opposite them were Steve Rogers, Natasha Romanoff, Bruce Banner and James "Rhodey" Rhodes and Thor.

Then seated at a throne at the head of the council chamber, was the tall, dark-skinned Wakandan Queen Mother Ramonda. She was looking down into her folded hands, her proud, regal face statuesque even in her grief. On one side stood her teenage daughter Shuri. The young girl was still crying, tears streaming down her face as she pursed her wobbling lips as she desperately tried, but failed, to hold herself together. On the other side of the throne, a dark bald warrior woman garbed in red was also crying, though her tears were silent and she kept her face just as stoic as her Queen's.

Then suddenly the silence was broken as Steve suddenly spoke up.

"So what do we do now?"

"What can we do?" Natasha muttered, eyes strangely misty and distant "We lost…Thanos has all the stones."

"Come on; there has to be something we can do" Rhodey looked around at them all desperately.

Usually, Via would've agreed with him. As Stephen Strange always told her, there was always something that could be done.

Except Stephen's not here anymore…and neither is Peter…nor that Quill guy and his mates, or Bucky, or Loki, or T'Challa, or Vision or Wanda or Sam… So many lives lost and for what?

She could feel the tears start to stream from her eyes again. But she didn't sob. She just stared down blankly at the floor and let them fall. Everything in her body was aching. Tendons, nerves, even the blood cells in her veins were moving sluggishly. She was just so-

"So freaking tired."

She hadn't noticed she had said the words aloud until the last word passed her lips.

Everyone turned to look at her, their faces just as sad and sympathetic.

Even the Racoon standing next to her legs was nodding in agreement.

"Kid's gotta point." He muttered as he looked down to his dirty, bloodstained fur and bodysuit. "We can't do nothin' if we're all crapped out like this."

"I think we should listen to the rabbit and all get some rest," Thor grunted.

"You are all welcome to stay and recuperate here in the palace" the Queen Mother mumbled hoarsely from her throne turning to the warrior woman beside her. "Okoye show the injured to the medical wing and then get some rest yourself. Shuri and I will look after our other guests."

"Of course, my Queen" Okoye gulped down on a lump in her throat as she strode forward to one of the chairs where Tony was sitting, clutching at his side. Via's healing spell had stopped the bleeding and had lessened some of the damage, but it still needed medical attention. He let the woman help him to his feet, a battered Bruce coming up quickly to help support his weight.

Natasha was quick to follow them; her usually calm calculated cat-like walk now marred by the profound limp of her left foot.

"Thank you for your hospitality, your majesty. Especially at such a…such a terrible time" Steve bowed his head respectfully to the Queen Mother of Wakanda who shook her head.

"It's the least we can do, for you and your friends Captain Rogers" Queen Ramonda nodded stiffly, and now it was clear for all to see the grief in her wise, kind eyes as she led them all out of the room. Shuri walked beside her, or rather shuffled, beside her, for all the energetic spring in her step had all but vanished in the wake of the day's traumatic events.

Via couldn't blame her. She too felt like all the stuffing had been knocked out of her as Thor wrapped a warm arm around her shoulders. With a gentle squeeze, he steered her to keep walking with the rest of the group.

It was a comforting weight, and she didn't hesitate to lean into his side, rubbing what she hoped were soothing circles around the thunder god's back

His face looked more worn out than she'd ever seen it, and for the first time, he honestly did look like he was over fifteen-hundred years old.

Nobody said a word as they were each led to a private guest room.

After a quick mumble of goodnight to Thor and the others, Via shut the door to her room and all but collapsed on the beautiful, luxurious bed, in the middle of the equally stunning room which was more like an apartment or hotel suite than anything.

But she didn't have the energy to marvel at the beauty of the space around her as she started to slip into darkness and exhaustion. Had she been more alert she might've noticed the small green glow that had suddenly appeared in her fist even as she clenched tightly at the blankets over her.

Sorry about that guys. y'know about the crying and all that *sniff* It's just been so…well…you've seen what it's been like, it's been tough.

I've lost more in this one day then I've ever done in my previous battles. Once again, I'm an orphan, though thankfully I won't be spending my days in the streets and on top of that more than half my friends are probably dead or worse.

Which brings me to why I'm creating this video log.

You see, earlier tonight something, uh, happened. Something huge that literally is going to change the course of history forever as we know it.

Had I not been a sorcerer I might've thought I was finally cracking after years of dealing with all this crazy shit. Even now I can barely believe any of this is happening.

It all started with, well, how it usually starts for me, with a dream.

Via stared at the space she was standing in. It was dark and quiet and empty. It was like someone had put her in a seamless black box, lit only by a strange glowing green eye shaped mandala at her feet.

The symbols in the great spell beneath her were all familiar, though she couldn't for the life of her remember where she had seen them before. Then it hit her. They looked very similar to the runes etched on the Eye of Agamotto.

She knelt to examine them more closely, eyes shutting as she traced the mandala pattern blindly with her fingertips. The magic was ancient and powerful, but the life force connected with the spell…it was unmistakable.

But it couldn't be.

Her throat went very dry as her eyes began to water again. This surely was just a dream?

There was no way this was happening. There was no way he was contacting her through her dreams. To do that he'd have to be alive!

"Olivia?" the familiar voice of a man spoke from behind her back.

"Stop it. This isn't real. You're dead. I saw you vanish into dust." she whispered, eyes still shut even as she stood back up to her feet. She couldn't bear to open them. This was just a nightmare, she was sure of it.

It was a nightmare in which she would turn around and see him, and he would vanish into dust. She'd gone through too much today already. To watch the closest thing she had to family disappear for a second time was just too much to bear.

"Olivia…it's me."

She felt his hand squeeze her shoulder and then and there she just knew that it was real. His large, warm, rough hand that trembled ever so slightly even as she reached up to hold it in hers. She knew its comforting grip so well. She knew every crease, every scar and every fingerprint.

She still didn't open her eyes as she turned around and caught the hands' owner in a tight hug, which was returned after a moment of surprised hesitation.

"I'm sorry" Doctor Stephen Strange murmured into her blonde curls as she buried her face into his blue robes.

"No, you aren't!" Via snapped through tearful eyes as she leaned back to slap his chest, half torn between tears of laughter and joy and tears of great grief. "You idiot! You freaking-sunovabitch-demon-monkey's-uncle! You promised me you wouldn't sacrifice yourself like that again until I was at least moved out to college!"

"Well It was either that or let the world end, so can you blame me" Stephen smirked, but she could see the sadness reflected in his pale eyes as he held her at arms-length.

"You jerk! How are you alive? Where are you? Are you okay?" she asked desperately patting him down roughly.

"I'm not dead yet if that is what you're asking" Stephen snorted with gentle amusement "As far as I'm concerned I'm still on Titan waiting for Thanos to come to us."

"Wait…so…this is you from the past?" Via spluttered in surprise. "But how-You know what never mind it's probably some weird shit you haven't taught me yet and-"

She stopped quickly and looked back down at the green symbol on the floor.

"The Eye of Agamotto. Yep, weird shit it is then." she shook her head with a sigh, her hands resting on either side of his head. "Let me guess…you're still scrying through time looking for a solution."

"Yes," Stephen nodded as he pulled her hands down from his face. "And that solution is you."

"Huh?" she blinked as he quietly led her into the centre of the glowing green eye on the floor.

"Come on. We haven't got much time" With a wave of his hands the dark space was filled with sounds and images. It was like standing in the middle of a cinema with four walls and no seats.

On one of the walls, she could see a large purple figure was sitting up at the edge of a cliff, overlooking a beautiful mountainous panorama glowing gold and pink with the rising of the sun.

"Thanos…" Via growled as she caught sight of the hulking purple figure's face.

That murdering bastard!

Oh, how tempting it was to storm up to him and rip his head off with her bare hands. However, she was stopped as Stephen suddenly held her back.

"Whoa, hold your horses' kid, take a closer look" Stephen murmured, as he pointed at the mad Titan.

Via squinted at the image as she caught sight of the golden gauntlet over her enemy's left hand. However, unlike the first time she had seen the artefact, its metal was scarred and heavily scratched and dented. It looked like someone had taken a massive sledgehammer to tin-foil. But the piece-de-resistance was the lack of glimmering gems embedded into the mostly empty and dented ovoid holes in the gauntlet.

"Wait, where are the stones?" she glanced at Stephen who was smirking grimly.

"Look in your right hand."

Via glanced down at her hand and gasped as she caught sight of her palm. She couldn't see a stone there, but her skin was glowing a bright, eerie green.

"But how-why?" she shook her head as she turned to face another screen to her left. In it she could see herself, lying in a heap on the bed she'd only just fallen asleep in. There in her palm, encased in something metallic, the Time Stone was glowing.

"According to the future's I've seen, the only way we can win is if I place a curse on the Infinity stones to separate them across time and space once he's used the gauntlet" Stephen explained, his smirk falling away as he eyed Thanos yet again. "The fact that you're here now is proof that the plan has worked, However…"

"However?" Via bit her lip anxiously as she was turned once again to face the image of Thanos, who was still sitting and admiring the sunrise before him.

And there, glimmering in the light of the rising star in the sky, an amber stone glimmered faintly over the pinkie-finger of the gauntlet.

"The soul stone" she breathed.

"He managed to hold onto it" Stephen muttered darkly.

"But why? What happened?" Via stared wide-eyed as the Mad Titan began twisting and turning his gauntlet over, rage starting to contort his purple skin.

"That Gamora woman that he sacrificed to get the stone, the woman those intergalactic morons came to save. I'm betting it's because of that sacrifice and his love for her that the soul stone stayed bonded to him. Just as the time stone attached to you because of our bond" Stephen held her green glowing palm in his own scarred hand.

"And let me guess, that bond between the two of them is causing problems?" Via narrowed her eyes at her mentor.

"Yes. You see without the Time Stone at his disposal, Thanos technically cannot travel back in time to directly change things. But the soul stone is connected to all the souls in the universe at any given time so-"

"So while he can't physically travel back in time, he can still subtly manipulate people across time and space through the use of the soul stone?" Via murmured.

"Yes," Stephen nodded grimly. "Even now as we speak he is trying to influence the souls of the past. He is weak now so the changes he makes won't be too drastic. But once he's regained his strength-"

"-The changes will get worse-" Via breathed.

"And the future you currently exist in, the future in which we can win will eventually vanish too and…" Stephen trailed off as he glanced at his ward, eyes softening with sadness.

She didn't need a mind reader to know exactly what he was thinking.

"You want me to go back in time to fix things don't you?" she muttered running a hand over her face "Oh god Stephen I'm just an apprentice-"

"Olivia, I wouldn't ask you to do this if I didn't believe you could." he rested his hand on her shoulder, a gentle, reassuring weight.

"I'm just one kid." Her voice was almost as small as a mouse.

"I know. But I've seen the outcomes of this mission and of all the people that tried, you were the only one who succeeded. Even I couldn't set things right, and I'm supposed to be the Sorcerer Supreme."

There was a silence as the strange scrying screens around them all suddenly switched off leaving them bathed in the darkness and green mandala that still glowed on the floor.

"What will I have to do?" she sighed in defeat, much to Stephen's relief and sorrow.

"I'm afraid that's for you to find out. If I tell you what will happen, we risk derailing everything even further. But I can say this. It's not going to be easy."

"When is it ever easy?" Via snorted, trying and failing to smile. "But seriously, you've got to give me something to work with Doc."

Stephen was silent as he pulled his thoughts over, fingers fidgeting and flexing as was his custom when anxious.

When he finally spoke, however, his voice was quite steady and resolved.

"Now that Thanos has started to manipulate the timestream, this current universe we live in has been split in two. The one you're in now, and the one he's manipulating. Now you remember what I told you about what happens when you try to split the fabric of time?"

"Yeah, it tries to stitch itself back together" Via frowned down at her glowing green hand. "But why me? What could I possibly do to set things right? I wasn't born till the twenty-first century, if I'm spotted, like, two hundred years ago won't I be polluting the timeline?"

"Thanos has already started to do that with his meddling." Stephen swallowed down a large gulp, and she could see the slight waver in his usually steady pale gaze. "And because of that, that you might never be born…" he shut his eyes and shook his head. "Olivia, even the tiniest of strings can make such a difference in a tapestry. Thanos knows this, that's why he wants to delete you from the picture. He knows that when the going gets tough, you'll be there at the end to meet him with a sledgehammer. Which is why you need to be there to stop him before he changes everything."

"Yeah, because I, a seventeen-year-old sorcerer's apprentice who's not even out of high school, could totally stop a mad titan with a sledgehammer."

"You sound sarcastic but knowing your luck you could probably pull it off" Stephen smirked.

"You're just saying that because you're trying to butter me up to go and do your dirty work, lazy bastard." Via rolled her eyes waspishly.

"Damn, what gave it away?" his smirk widened as she narrowed her eyes at him.

However, behind her exasperation, he could see the fear and affection welling in her bright blue eyes even as they suddenly became wet with unshed tears.

"Olivia" Stephen's gaze softened as she reached out to hug him tight to her again.

"I'm sorry, it's just, what if I fail? What if I can't stop Thanos? I don't want to lose you again" she sobbed into his shoulder.

"You won't. I know you won't." Stephen stroked a hand through her long blonde curls soothingly, "You are one of the bravest, most compassionate people I know. And if there's anyone I would trust to do this it's you."

How long they stood there hugging, Via did not know. Nor did she care. For the past few years, this man had been the closest thing to family she'd ever known. The thought of him being deleted from history was more than she could bear, more so than even having herself erased from history.

She was reluctant to let go, even as he made to pull himself away. His eyes two were wet with unshed tears, though he was strong enough to keep them in check as he mumbled:

"Okay…now we really need to get a move on." He quickly wiped at his eyes with his sleeve before scrubbing at her face. "Now come on. You need to wake up and start your mission. Take a deep breath."

Via nodded, as she shook out her body and sucked in a deep if slightly raspy breath.

"Now before you go there's something you should know about the Time Stone." Stephen held up her right palm, which was still glowing green. "Listen carefully, the stone you have is no longer contained by the Eye of Agamotto. Now you may have magic, but you're still just a human, you can't hold the stone with your bare hands, hence why you're currently holding it in the blanket. But obvoiusly you can't keep it there, so you need to find something to put it on so you can use it to make portals."

"Right, like a sling ring?" Via straightened up as she tried to focus on his voice and less on her grief.

"Yes, exactly." Stephen exhaled heavily, "However be careful. A sling ring is not as powerful a container as the Eye of Agamotto, so whenever you use the time stone, it will drain you of your magic."

"Which means that I'll have to wait a while before using it to jump to the next point in time," Via grunted bitterly.

"Exactly." Stephen pursed his lips as he took a step back from her, much to her alarm.

"Wait-what that's it?" she spluttered eyes wide with fear as the glowing mandala beneath her feet began to glow brighter than ever "But-but you haven't explained what I'm supposed to do. How the hell do you expect me to fix this? Stephen!"

"I'm sorry Olivia, I wish I could tell you everything, but the more time we waste here, the more time Thanos has to destroy everything" Stephen shouted as the deep hum of mystic energy rose around his young ward who glared at him through fresh tears.

"No-wait, Stephen-" she called out, but already she could see him starting to fade from her vision. "You old bastard! When I get my hands on you-"

"Oh come on. You know you love me" he smirked, though one tear betrayed him as it fell down his cheek.

"You're right I do love you, you stupid jerk!" she shouted at him as she began to fade. "And when I set things right I'll see you again I'm gonna punch that damn goatee of yours right into the astral plane and-"

"I love you too kid. Good luck…" he murmured.

"STEPHEN!" But it was too late she had already vanished in a flash of green, plunging the sorcerer supreme into total and absolute darkness.

So there. Now you know why I'm making this video log.

My deceased mentor slash surrogate father has decided oh-so-helpfully, to assign me the duty of fixing the universe before Thanos destroys it…again.

Sounds like a piece of cake huh?

Damn it, Stephen! Of all the times to put your blind faith in me, it had to be now.

Don't get me wrong; I'd do anything to keep him and the others from being destroyed…but I'm still just one kid and let's face it; it's not like there's a "Saving the Universe for Dummies" book that I could follow, right?

*Sighs and shakes head*

Oh well, it's too late to turn back now. I've already fused the Time stone I have to my sling ring. I don't know much about Chronomancy (or what you might call Time magic), but from what Stephen's taught me, I cannot let the stone I carry, touch any of the Infinity stones from this alternate timeline, especially another time stone. To do that would unravel the very fabric of time itself and that would spell out disaster.

I know, I know, it sounds complicated, ridiculous and weird. Truth be told I'm not even sure what will happen to me when I use the stone like this. All I know is that, wherever I drop, I'm going to be powerless for a bit before I can travel again. Heck, I don't even know where I'm supposed to leap back first.

Do I go back to the beginning of time or maybe even before Thanos was born or at least before he became a radical genocidal maniac?

God if I met a young Thanos…I honestly don't know what I'd do? Would I kill him?

No that would be too extreme. Also if I did that, I'd probably cause more damage than good. As much as it pains me to admit this, Thanos's existence might be necessary for making the world I know today.

Argh! Damn you Stephen damn you! That bloody bastard should be thankful that I love him so much or else I would be going back in time to punch him in the face before he sacrificed himself, AGAIN!

Seriously the amount of time's he's pulled this shit on me-ugh!

*Beep, Beep*

Well…there goes my timer. It's time to be off. Travelling back in time. To stop a mad titan before he obliterates time itself.

Yeah…this is going to be easy as pie.

Actually, it probably isn't going to be easy, and who knows, maybe I'll land in a place where pie has not even been invented yet.

But enough about me and my ramblings. I've got a mission to fulfil. So wish me luck, because quite frankly I don't know if I will ever make it back, and even if I do, nothing will ever be the same.

All because one stupid bastard snapped his fingers.

*sighs and wipes a tear away*

Goodbye, everyone. I hope this works…for all your sakes.

Via Summers scrubbed hard at her eyes as she turned off the video recording button on her touchscreen phone.

Come on Vee; it's time to woman up.

She inhaled deeply as she stood to her feet and walked out of the room and up a set of stairs until she arrived in a large open space. It looked like a mixture of library, museum and a private art collection, with many a strange relic contained in glass cabinets and many books lining the shelves along the walls.

At the end of this room, was a large circular window with strange crisscrossing lines over the top, that was illuminated by the sudden clap of thunder and lightning from the storm outside.

Yes, the Sanctum Sanctorum had not changed much in the time she'd first come to live in it those few years ago, not like the rest of her home city.

New York…

Via looked out the window at the big apple which was shrouded in dark clouds and sheets of rain. To think that all those years ago she was born and left on those dark streets. Now here she was, about to leave them for good, probably forever.

She shut her eyes as they caught sight of the tall shadow of the Avengers tower somewhere in the distance.

This was it. She was going to do it.

She was going to leave this world behind.

And yet even as she ghosted her hand over her hip, she hesitated and looked around. This place…so many memories, both wonderful and sad…It was her home…

No. No, I have to do this!

Her fingers slid into the belt where a sling ring had been hidden in a utility pouch. A golden sling ring with a spider engraved in the flat base and a glowing green stone in the centre.

She didn't know where she was going to go, but it had to be better than what she was leaving behind.

"God I hope this works" she muttered as she held up her hands, and began to make a portal.

Yet instead of the usual amber sparks that came with the spell, her gaze was assaulted by a ring of yellow-green fire that opened onto a dark gaping chasm.

"Don't worry Doc, I'll make it back I promise…you'll see" she muttered, shutting her eyes as with a deep breath, she stepped over the threshold of the portal, and into the darkness.

Hi everyone,

me the author here. So yeah here's chapter 1 of the new fic.

Quick Heads up for all new readers. This is an OC centred Fic, centred on my OC Olivia "Via" Summers the "protege" of Doctor Strange

You can find out more about her origin story from my Fic "Dreamcatcher - Rise of the Spider Sorceress" however you don't have to read that first to read the rest of this fic as most of the info in there will at some point be repeated sometime in the course of this story. It's not a sequel, more like a spin-off inspired by the ending of Infinity War and basically covers all movies in the MCU. However, because there is no BIG crossover umbrella for all MCU stuff, it will remain in the Avengers section so here goes.

Hope you guys enjoy the fic and I wish you happy reading, and please review your thoughts

Cheers