Author's Note: Hello everyone! Welcome to my story!

This is an AU to my other story, Tale As Strange As Time. The only parts of that story that you really need to read to understand this story are the first chapter and the author's note at the end. Just imagine that Stephen decided to keep Gwen instead of adopt her. You can always read that other story if you want, but you don't have to to enjoy this story.

The timeline in this story is wack, so I'll explain it here.

Dcotor Strange: early 2012 to late 2012/early 2013

Avengers: 2012

CA:TWS: early 2013

Thor:TDW: 2014

A:AoU: 2015

Evetything else takes place as it should.

Wil cover... Doctor Strange, part of CA:TWS, Thor:TDW, A:AoU, CA:CW, Thor: Ragnarok, Infinity War, and Endgame. Parts of each film will be AU.

Please enjoy!

From the time she was a small girl, Gwen felt she knew exactly what she wanted. She wanted to be as smart as her dad, and just as successful. She wanted to be just like him. She wanted to get a job as a doctor and solve the world's problems.

She also felt like she knew just how the world worked. Gwen understood science and matter and the world around. Magic didn't exist and aliens certainly weren't real.

But everything changed the day her father got into an accident.

March 2012

Queens, New York

"Hey, have you heard the news?"

Eighteen year old Guinevere Strange turned to face her best friend, Isabelle Smalls. Gwen had met her when she was a kindergartner, and the two had been attached at the hip since. They were in their senior year of high school now, just about finished. Currently, they were attending Midtown School of Science and Technology, which was in Queens. Gwen lived in New York City, but since it was only about an hour away by subway, Gwen and her father had agreed that it was the best school she could go to.

In the fall, Gwen planned on attending Cornell University up in Ithaca. She was a smart student and she planned on earning both a doctorate and a PhD just like her dad did.

The young blonde shook her head. "No. What?"

Isabelle frowned, the sadness reflected in her bright green eyes. "David Archuleta is going on a mission. He won't be around for two whole years."

Gwen couldn't help the small smile that appeared on her face. Her eccentric red headed friend had had a crush on the singer David Archuleta since they were about sixteen. Gwen couldn't deny that the singer was attractive, she just wasn't as big of a fan of him as Isabelle was. His music was pretty good, though. "Dang," Gwen said, trying to keep the sarcasm out of her voice. "That sucks. Who knew the Jehovah's Witnesses had missionaries that young?"

Isabelle shot her friend a look of disgust. "He's a Mormon, not a Jehovah's Witness."

"Sorry, my bad," Gwen replied with a roll of her eyes. She checked the time on her flip phone and looked up. She was taking the subway to her after school job that she and Isabelle shared. They both tutored young children after school.

Despite wanting to be a doctor, Gwen preferred her English and history classes to her math and science classes. They were just more interesting to her. She could often be found reading a book when she wasn't busy with other things.

The subway stopped and Isabelle and Gwen hurried to the elementary school where they tutored. They walked up to the fifth grade hall and into the classroom they normally tutored in.

Their four regular students sat waiting for them. Gwen smiles at the sight of the the two boys. Peter and Ned. They were both super smart, even at only ten years old, and incredibly sweet. There were a few others there as well. A boy named Flash Thompson, and a girl named Michelle Jones. Any other students were tutored by other seniors.

All these students wanted to go to Midtown Tech sometime in the future, and the first step began in Midtown middle school. But to get in, you had to have good grades, as well as have taken a tutoring course taught by a senior from Midtown tech. Peter, Ned, Michelle, and Flash has all elected to take the class.

"Hey guys," Isabelle greeted. "How's everyone today?"

"Good," they all replied in unison.

"Alright, let's get started right away. I'll be covering English and history as always, and Isabelle will help you guys with math and science. Go ahead and take out your homework. Those of you that want to work with me, come to the front. Those who want to work with Isabelle, move to the back." Gwen far the young kids instructions. Obediently, they picked up their bags and moved to the appropriate parts of the room.

As usual, Peter and Michelle joined Gwen. Michelle joined because she liked to read. Gwen hardly ever saw that girl without her nose in a book. Peter joined because he needed next to no help with math and science. The kid was a whiz with those subjects. However, he struggled a bit more with English and reading.

"Michelle, are you going to work on outside reading?" Gwen asked. The girl nodded, already reading her book. Gwen smiles then turned to Peter. "You still working on that book report Peter?"

He nodded and pulled out the papers from his backpack. "I can't figure out how to do the conclusion," he told her in frustration.

"That's ok. I'm really bad at writing conclusions too. Do you mind if I read what you have so far?" Peter nodded and pushed his report over to Gwen, who quickly read it over. It was actually really good for a fifth grade book report. He was writing about Number the Stars by Lois Lowry. Gwen faintly remembered having to write a book report on the same book.

"This is really good so far, Peter," Gwen told him. He beamed at her. "Alright. For the conclusion, we need to sum up our thoughts, right?"

"Right."

"So, let's cover the points you've written about in your report. Then we can finish with a sentence about how all these things make an excellent book. You start writing and I'll help."

They spent the next hour working through homework and other such things until it was time to go.

"Knock knock," a familiar voice said at the door. Gwen looked up to see Peter's Uncle Ben. He was a kind man who always thanked them for their hard work.

"Hi Uncle Ben," Peter greeted.

"Hey sport," he said, ruffling his hair. "Shall we get going?" Peter nodded and picked up his bag. "Ned? I'm giving you a ride too." Ned eagerly hurried to join his best friend.

"Thanks for everything, girls," Ben told the two high schoolers. They waved goodbye to Peter and Ned and just like that, half the class was gone.

Flash and Michelle left soon after, leaving Isabelle and Gwen free to leave. "You wanna come over tonight?" Isabelle asked Gwen. Occasionally, if it was alright with her dad, Gwen would opt to spend the night at Isabelle's house, since she lived right there in Queens. Normally, Gwen loved staying at Isabelle's place, but not tonight.

"Not tonight," the blonde said with a shake of her head. "Dad wants to see me before he heads to some big conference for the weekend. He did give me permission to stay at your house Saturday night, though."

"Cool, then I'll see you tomorrow," Isabelle said. "Tell your dad I said good luck."

Gwen yet again rolled her eyes at her friend. Her father, Stephen Strange, was young, dark haired, with blue eyes and high cheekbones. It wasn't surprising that many women were attracted to him, she just wished her friend hadn't noticed that her father was attractive.

Gwen herself didn't look much like her father, though she did have his eyes and smile. She looked more like her mother, with her long blonde hair, heart shaped face, and small nose. Attractive wasn't a good word to describe her. She was more cute than attractive.

"Yeah, whatever," Gwen muttered. "I still think it's weird that you have a creepy thing for my dad."

Isabelle blushed and glared at her. "I do not! I just pointed out that he has nice cheekbones. Geez! I can't notice his face?"

Gwen laughed softly and shook her head. "Yeah, I know. See you tomorrow, Iz."

"See ya!" Isabelle called, as she jogged towards her mother's car that was pulling up. Gwen waved before walking towards the subway entrance.

She read for the hour ride back to her house. She lived in a large, nice penthouse apartment. It was filled with the nicest furniture, the newest tv model. Her father would settle for nothing less than the best. Both were always elegantly dressed and held themselves to a high standard.

Gwen currently wore a short, ruffled, navy blue skirt, tan colored boots, and a white graphic tee that had a black lightning scar and glasses from Harry Potter on it. Her shirt was tucked in her skirt. There was not a wrinkle in sight on her clothes. Not a speck of food that had dropped from her sandwich. Her hair went to her upper back and was curled elegantly. Not a hair was out of place. Her makeup was applied with care, though she wore very little makeup. A bit of foundation and powder here, a brush of mascara there, a faint layer of lip gloss.

She looked at the time and saw it was five. Her dad probably wouldn't be home for another hour. So, she put on an Earth, Wind, and Fire CD and went about making dinner, while singing.

"Do you remember the twenty first night of September?

Love was changing the minds of pretenders,

While chasing the clouds away…"

There would be plenty of time for homework later. Besides, her dad might want a bite to eat before he left for his conference. She stirred a pot of spaghetti noodles and kept an eye on the spaghetti sauce. It was one of the few dishes she could make that actually tasted pretty good. She was good at making pasta. Other dishes were difficult for her to make. Often, they would eat out, or Christine would bring them a home cooked meal.

Christine was Stephen's ex-girlfriend. Gwen had hoped that they would get married someday so she could have a mother, but her hopes were squashed when they broke up. Oh well. At least they were still friends. Gwen still saw Christine occasionally, when she stopped by. After all, Christine and her father still worked together.

Gwen dished up two plates of spaghetti by five fifty. Her dad would be home any minute now. They would have an hour together to eat dinner before he had to leave.

Her eyes lit up at the sound of the keys in the door. She didn't bother to turn off the music as Earth, Wind, and Fire's Shining Star began to play. She stayed in the kitchen and waited for her father to join her.

He put his keys on the key rack and took off his jacket. Then he called out to his daughter. "Gwen! I'm home!"

"Hey!" Gwen called back. "I made spaghetti, if you want any."

"I'll change out of my scrubs and then I'll join you," Stephen called back to his only daughter, grinning slightly. When he had taken her in, there were some who thought she might hold him back. Nothing could've been more false. If anything, she helped him. When she was younger, it had been a bit difficult, yes. But now everything was practically perfect. Gwen took care of herself. She got herself to school, did her work, got a job, and she didn't cause drama like so many other teenage girls. Stephen knew he had made the right choice in keeping her. She was the perfect companion. He didn't need anyone else but his little girl in his life.

Gwen was equally as fond of her father. She cherished the times they spent together and worked as hard as she could to please him. A father and daughter couldn't be closer.

After Stephen finished changing from scrubs to casual clothes, he came out to sit with Gwen. She had turned off the music, but was still singing softly. She had her mother's voice, for sure. Stephen could almost picture Jessie standing there singing instead of Gwen. They were so similar.

"Let's eat. I'm starving," Stephen said, interrupting her singing. Gwen didn't mind so much. She liked singing but she liked talking with her father even more.

They sat down and picked up their forks, digging into the spaghetti. "How did that surgery go?" Gwen asked her father curiously, taking a sip of her Dr. Pepper.

"Good. He's alive and he should recover within a week or so," he replied. "How about you? How was school?"

"Fine. We dissected a shark in bio today. I swear I still smell like fish oil." She took a sniff of her hands and wrinkled her nose. So much for gloves.

Stephen smiled. He took pride in many things, but he often bragged about his daughter to his coworkers. She was incredibly smart, and already training to be a doctor. On the weekends, she worked as a CNA at a hospital in Queens. He was starting to teach her a little about what he did, so she would be ready for college. One time (mostly as a joke) he had had her practice making incisions on an uncooked steak. Obviously, it wasn't the real thing, but she was eager to learn techniques and such.

"Did you use the techniques I taught you?" he asked her.

She grinned. "Yep. Mr. Sullivan was impressed."

"Good, good," Stephen said. "Are you going to spend the weekend with the Smalls? Or are you staying at home?"

"I'll probably head up to Queens tomorrow morning for work and spend the night with him. But I'll come back on Sunday."

The two chatted a bit more about school and work before Stephen had to leave. He changed into a fancy suit and put on one of his expensive watches. Gwen packed his laptop into briefcase, somewhat sad that he was leaving. But she was used to him being gone a lot. She would deal.

Stephen straightened his suit in front of the mirror. He turned to his daughter, who could notice a flaw in seconds. "How do I look?"

Gwen straightened his bow tie, that was just a smidge off center. "Nice. You'll knock the other surgeons off their feet," Gwen commented.

Stephen nodded confidently. He leaned down and kissed the top of his daughter's head. "I love you. I'll see you on Monday."

"I love you too," Gwen replied, wrapping her arms around him before quickly breaking away. "Drive safe."

"Come on," he smirked at her playfully. "When do I ever drive recklessly?"

Rain pattered softly on the window. Gwen couldn't sleep. She never could when she was all alone in a house. It was eerily quiet. She couldn't stand the silence, the empty feeling that spread through her apartment.

She tossed and turned until about eleven that night before giving up. She got out of her bed and walked out into her living room. She turned on her tv and browsed through Netflix. She ended up choosing Friends. It was her favorite tv show.

She was watching the episode where Ross came back with Julie when there was a buzz from their doorbell. Curiously, Gwen got up to go talk to whoever it was. Their apartment even had a camera doorbell, so she could see who it was.

It was the police.

Gwen felt her heart speed up a little as she answered the door. "Hello?"

One officer removed his hat and stepped forward. "Miss Strange? It's the police. Can you open up? It's about your father."

Gwen swallowed hard. "Sure," she replied, her voice cracking. She buzzed them up. Her breathing was too fast. How many times had she seen a police officer on tv come up to the door, hat in hand, to deliver the news of a passing? Is that what they were going to tell her? That her father had died in an accident tonight?

She shook her head, denying it internally. No. He couldn't be dead. She needed him. She couldn't go on without him.

It felt like years before the police knocked on the door. Gwen slowly opened the door with shaking hands. The two officers were waiting outside, somber expressions on their faces. "Can I help you?" Gwen asked, failing to remain calm.

"Miss Strange, I'm Officer Walker. This is my partner, Officer Brady. Can we come in? You may want to sit down."

Gwen nodded, but didn't speak. She allowed them inside before sitting at the dining table. The officers sat across from her.

"Ma'am, we're sorry to tell you that your father, Stephen Strange got into an accident around eight thirty tonight." Gwen felt silent tears falling down her cheeks, but she made no noise. "He's still alive, at the moment. He's at the hospital where he works, going through surgery. The doctors are almost certain that he'll survive."

The teenage girl sighed in relief, though she still was crying. At least he's alive. "Was he hit by someone? Who's fault was it?"

"As far as we can tell, it was his. He was driving recklessly in the rain. He slid off the edge of a cliff. All the bones in his hands are shattered…"

The officers went on talking, but Gwen turned them out. Her tears were a mix of sadness and anger. I told you to drive carefully! she cried in her mind. Why didn't you listen to me! I told you! I told you!...

"Can I go see him?" Gwen asked once they stopped talking.

They nodded. "Eventually. Christine Palmer has agreed to keep an eye on you while your father recovers. She will come and get you in a few hours once the surgery is finished, and she'll take you to see him."

Gwen then continued to cry while the police offered words of comfort and kindness. Gwen tuned them out and pictured her father sitting motionless on a table while the heart monitor gave off one long loud sound, signifying his death.

4:00 am

New York City, New York

Gwen waited motionless for Christine to come pick her up. The police had left at her insistence. Gwen was eighteen for goodness sake. She could take care of herself. And the police recognized that she needed time to mourn on her own.

After a while, the doorbell buzzed again. Gwen didn't bother to see who it was. She just buzzed Christine in, before going to pull on a sweatshirt and some sandals. She was still in her pajama shorts and shirt. But she didn't care. All she could think about was her father, going through the surgery alone.

She should've gone with him. He would've been more careful if she was in the car with him. Then he wouldn't have to go through this.

Christine knocked, but didn't wait for Gwen to open the door. She walked in to see the young adult standing near the door, waiting patiently. Christine could tell she was forcing back tears, trying to stay strong. But when Christine gave her a sympathetic look and opened her arm, Gwen's resolve broke. She allowed the tears to flow and she walked right into Christine's arms, allowing herself a moment of weakness.

They drove to the hospital. For the most part, Gwen was silent. But she did ask how her father was doing.

"He's still unconscious. Or he was when I left. I expect he'll be unconscious until tomorrow. The bones in his hands were completely shattered and he had severe nerve damage. We had to put eleven stainless steel pins to fix his hands. It's likely that they will take more than a few years to completely heal. If they ever completely heal." Christine pulled a sad face. "He may never be a surgeon again."

Gwen nodded, grateful for Christine's honesty. She didn't want it sugarcoated. Gwen wanted the truth. If the truth was that her father may not fully recover, then that was that.

They arrived at the emergency room, and walked to Stephen's room. There was a window that Gwen could see him through. His hands were suspended in the air, and wrapped in bandages. He had stitches on his face and bruises over his body. The sight of him lying there, helpless, brought fresh tears to Gwen's eyes.

What were they going to do?