Two Days Later

Tree and Carter were on their usual morning routine, including an early jog in Central Park. After half an hour of jogging, the couple took a small break, resting at a bench that was facing the carousel.

"I'm kinda wishing I didn't slam my breakfast." Carter joked, wearing a sheepish smile on his face.

"I'm just glad you agreed to do this with me." Tree grinned.

"You know I'd do anything for you." Carter smiled back. "You said yourself I died trying to save you in one of the loops." Carter then leaned towards his girlfriend, about to kiss her, when some sort of electrical energy noise was heard. Tree and Carter turned their heads in the direction of the carousel, where the watched a portal open up, and Doctor Strange walked out.

"Miss Gelbman." Strange greeted politely, looking at the pair. "Mister Davis."

"Doctor Strange." Tree and Carter said in unison.

"Come with me." Strange requested. "There is something you must know."


Tree and Carter followed Stephen Strange through the halls of the New York Sanctum, wondering why he needed to speak with them.

"I had heard about your father, Theresa." Strange revealed, looking at Gelbman with sadness. "I am sorry for your loss."

"Thank you, but I doubt that is what you are meaning to talk about." Tree responded, getting straight to the point.

"You're right. I just thought of giving you a few days to grieve for your father." Strange told her. "While you imprisoned in one of John Kramer's games, I was searching for the answer on why you can create time loops upon your death. I had to visit Mordo to reveal the secrets I desired."

"And what did you find?" Carter asked, anxious for an explanation.

"As it turns out, a woman, your mother, had arrived at Kamar-Taj, in 1996." Strange began his story. "My former master, the Ancient One, took her in, as she was ill and with child. You."

"What did she do?" Tree asked, eager to solve the mystery.

"She broke into the library, and cast a spell on you using the Book of Cagliostro and the Time Stone." Strange answered. "You wanted to know why you're able to reset the day on your death? That's it." Tree felt like she got hit by a brick wall, and sat in a chair behind her.

"I- I didn't know…" Tree murmured, before looking up at the sorcerer. "Is that why my mother died?"

"It could be." Strange said truthfully, looking down at the floor. "Mordo did always say that the bill comes due for all of us…" Tree stared at the doctor, gaining an idea.

"Do you think you could undo the spell?" Tree asked, hopeful.

"Are you sure?" Strange asked. "Your mother-"

"I'm grateful that she gave me virtually unlimited chances at life. I really am." Tree interrupted. "But I'd like to live my life to the fullest, without already knowing what will happen." Doctor Strange stared at Gelbman, then towards Carter, who was beaming at his girlfriend.

"You are wise beyond your years, Theresa." Stephen complimented, before opening a miniature portal and pulling out the Book of Cagliostro. "With the Time Stone destroyed, as well as the spell caster being deceased, it will be difficult, but I should be able to reverse the spell…" Strange began flipping through the pages. "Here we are." Strange began waving his hands in bizarre motions, and green circles appeared around his wrists. The Sorcerer Supreme reached one hand out towards Tree, and she felt an a field of energy within her, as multiple miniature circles surrounded his hand. With another gesture, and Strange's other hand passing over his wrist, the small circles vanished, and Tree felt the energy leave her body.

"Did it work?" Strange nodded.

"It did. You will no longer enter a time loop upon death." Strange confirmed. "But be wary; if you die, you will stay dead." Tree smirked, and got up and hugged Carter.

"Don't worry, we'll be fine." Tree replied happily. Just then, Tree felt her communicator going off.

"Agent Gelbman, I need to speak with you, ASAP." Fury ordered, once she turned the communicator on. "Meet me on the Helicarrier."

"On my way." Tree quickly said, before turning to Strange. "Do you think you could…"

"Done." Doctor Strange waved his hands again, creating a portal to the Helicarrier. "Good luck, Miss Gelbman." Tree grinned, thanking the master of the mystic arts, and she and Carter walked through the portal towards the director of SHIELD.


Tree walked briskly towards the bridge, meeting Nick Fury and, surprisingly, Tony Stark.

"You've done one Hell of a job these last few days, Agent." Fury congratulated Tree. "I think you've earned a temporary vacation."

"And thanks for making sure I wasn't in a 'Hills Have Eyes' scenario." Tony joked, winking at Gelbman.

"You're welcome." Tree mumbled, before turning back to Fury. "This can't be all you wanted to talk about."

"Of course not." Fury agreed. "I was thinking on recommending you for a special task force, codenamed Umbra. It was conceived to fight off supernatural threats to this world."

"Or, you could join the Avengers." Tony suggested. "That's why I'm here."

"I appreciate both offers, but I respectfully decline." Tree politely replied. "I'm satisfied with staying as a regular agent."

"Very well, Agent Gelbman." Fury smirked. Tree nodded, and was about to leave, when she was called back. "Hold on. There's one thing I don't get. When I saw Jigsaw at that house, he looked nothing like John Kramer. What did he do?"

"He transferred his soul into a puppet, then into the body of his colleague, Lawrence Gordon." Tree answered. She turned back towards Fury, who seemed to have a shocked expression on his face. "What is it?"

"Nothing." Fury lied. "How did he learn this?"

"He claimed that he had a mentor named John Bishop, but another pupil, Charles Lee Ray, murdered him." Fury gulped for a second, before he spoke again.

"Thank you, Agent Gelbman. You are dismissed." Fury ordered. Tree nodded, and left with Carter.

"How come you had the time loop power removed?" Carter asked. "You could have undone anything you did wrong."

"After dying countless times already, I'd rather just have one go at it all." Tree said honestly. "It's better to not know which moment could be my last. And this way, every fiber of my being is alive with every waking second of it all." Carter smiled at his girlfriend's philosophy, and the two walked down the halls of the Helicarrier, hand in hand.

Back at the bridge, Fury pinched the bridge of his nose, contemplating what he had just learned.

"Hey, Nick, you alright?" Stark asked, noticing Fury's change in behavior.

"I'm fine, Stark." Nick lied again, and he began to walk away, but spoke to Maria Hill before leaving the bridge. "Agent Hill, prep a quinjet for my departure. I'm going to visit an old friend."


An hour later, Nick Fury exited the quinjet and entered what looked like an ordinary house from the outside. Inside, however, it was a safehouse facility for SHIELD.

"Director Fury." the guard stood at attention, as Fury strode past him and walked through the safehouse, eventually finding his old friend, Creighton Duke, who was still in his wheelchair.

"Welcome back, Nick." Duke grinned up at his friend. "Need something?"

"Yes." Fury got straight down to business. "Pull Theresa Gelbman's file from the task force candidates."

"Any reason for this?" Duke asked.

"She declined the invitation." Nick replied casually. "But start a new file. This one on Andrew Barclay."

"Where have I heard that name before?" Creighton asked.

"He battled the killer doll, Chucky." Fury explained. "According to Agent Gelbman, John Kramer used a similar method of Charles Lee Ray's to transfer his soul into a doll."

"So you believe that if Kramer breaks free, you could use Barclay." Duke jumped to the conclusion.

"Just do it." Fury ordered. "We might need him soon."


The Fridge

At a top secret SHIELD prison, located in the middle of nowhere, John Kramer laid on his cell's cot, blissfully dreaming in the night.

Suddenly, Jigsaw bolted upright, finding himself in a warehouse.

"What is this?" Kramer asked aloud, but suddenly heard a familiar cackle. "No, not him…" John felt a searing pain, and he looked down, seeing a glove with four knives protruding from his chest.

"Sorry Johnny boy." Freddy Krueger mocked, moving around to look Kramer in the face.

"Krueger… why?" Jigsaw asked, spitting up blood. "Why are you doing this?"

"There's room for only one mastermind here." Freddy sneered. "And I can't let you interfere with my plans."

"What do you mean?" John asked, bewildered.

"I know you were going to place people like Barclay, Strode, and Jarvis in your fucked up 'games'." Freddy accused. "And I can't have that." Deciding he was done talking, Krueger conjured three circular saw blades right next to him, and with a flick of his finger, sent them flying towards Jigsaw. Two of the blades impaled Kramer in the chest, while the third embedded itself in John's skull, killing him instantly. Freddy smirked, as he watched Jigsaw's body crumple to the ground.

"Game over, bitch!"

The End


A/N: And that's the end of this story! Just in time too, since Happy Death Day 2U comes out tomorrow! Thanks to everyone who stuck with this one!