BART'S HOSPITAL - PATHOLOGY DEPT

The last thing Molly Hooper expected to see when she walked into her office was a man, who looked as if he'd attended a fancy dress party, sitting on the edge of her desk.

Dressed in a blue jacket and pants, a heavy belt wrapped around his middle, gloves adorned his hands, a bright crystal hung on a chain around his neck and the ensemble was completed with a high-collared, deep red cloak. It was certainly an impressive, if impractical look in the current surroundings.

But Molly dismissed the ridiculous outfit as irrelevant in comparison to the man himself. He was clearly over six foot and possessed powerful arms and chest. The goatee beard was brown like his hair that also sported streaks of silvery grey on both sides. A handsome face that was currently marred by a number of cuts and scratches. Though the injuries didn't appear life threatening, they looked painful. Molly hurried over to a cabinet and retrieved a medical kit and returned to her desk.

"What on earth are you doing here?" she asked as she set to work on the worst of the cuts on his face. "You should have gone to the emergency department."

"So where did I end up?" the man's voice rumbled to life, instantly causing shivers of excitement to race up and down Molly's spine.

"Nurse!" he growled impatiently, raising an inquiring eyebrow. Molly knew she should feel horrified being caught out openly admiring the stranger. But the way he growled out the word only escalated the shivers, causing them to race all the way down to the apex of her thighs.

The knowing smirk that appeared on his lips however was enough to have her cheeks and the tips of her ears turning a delightful shade of pink. She stumbled over her words in a desperate attempt to refocus on the matter at hand. "You.. You're in my office, down the hall from the morgue."

To Molly's surprise, and delight the man let out a chuckle, from the rusty hoarse timbre, it was clear that it had been a long time since he'd found anything to laugh about.

Shaking his head in disbelief he murmured. "Oh the irony."

When Molly frowned in confusion at the cryptic remark, the man went on to explain. "I was in a fight for my life, one that I was losing. In a last ditch effort to escape the Lord of Darkness's clutches I shifted dimensions while still in his grasp, knowing it would likely end with my death…" Again he gave a ragged laugh. "To end up near the morgue, no less."

Molly gave a little sigh of disappointment. Why was there always something not quite right about the men she found attractive? He was clearly delusional. Was she cursed?

As if sensing where her thoughts were headed, the man got to his feet.

Towering over her, he reached down to cradle her face in his hands. "Thank you for your assistance my little night nurse. But I'm afraid its time for me to leave."

Molly stepped back, uncertain if he was making fun of her. "I'm not a nurse," she stated firmly. "I'm Doctor Molly Hooper – Pathologist."

The man looked down at the small woman in front of him with unconcealed admiration. "My sincerest apologies," he said before holding out a gloved hand. When Molly took it, he introduced himself. "Doctor Stephen Strange, former neurosurgeon, and currently Sorcerer Supreme, at your service."

He lifted her hand to his lips and kissed it, his gaze never leaving hers. He then let go of her hand and stepped back. "It was a pleasure to meet you Molly Hooper. I look forward to seeing you in the not too distant future."

There was a flash of light, and he was gone.

Molly stood where she was, momentarily stunned. Then gathering herself together she sat at her desk, and typed into her computers search engine: 'Doctor Stephen Strange – Neurosurgeon'.