"Oh! Gwen, honey, darling, sweetie. What's the rush?"
And just like that, I feel like I'm seventeen again. Back at home. Back with my parents. Back when things were looking up instead of crazy 'really bad things' and 'tough choices' happening every single day.
"What's wrong? Gwen, are you OK? Shouldn't you be, you know, working? It is Saturday, which means no school, so…"
"Uhhhhh ...Oh! Right." I forgot momentarily that my parents already know about my superheroing. "Oh, umm...maybe I will in a bit. Peter just called me, so I got a little busy…"
She smiles. "Oh, I see. That Peter boy is cute one, Gwen." I turn red, even though I'm now MARRIED to the Peter boy. Goodness, my memory is weird. I still look 26 but act like I'm 17 again. Whatever, keep it together, Gwen.
I laugh, trying to keep the...emotions, whatever they may be, out of my voice. "Yeah, he just asked me out on a date, but that's not important right now. Can we, y'know, talk?" Like she'd say no.
"Oh! Um...sure. I'm not doing much right now. Anything for you," she says, her look of astonishment morphing into s look of comfort. We move further into the house and sit down in our living room. The room is fairly large, with wood floor covered with a blue rug, like lake surrounded by land (there's a lot of blue here). The walls are a sky blue with paintings by Van Gogh, Dali, and 5 year old me hang around the room like clouds. There's two couches on the room, one leather, one blue upholstery. There's a coffee table in the middle of the room, which I love sitting on.
"So what do you want to talk about? Is it Peter? Don't worry, I was like you as a teenager. Boys are super weird, but I think-"
"Mommmmmm! Honestly, I'm twenty six! No, that's not …. that's not what I wanted to talk to you about. If…. If… you had to do something; if you had to sacrifice something that meant a lot to you, but maybe you could save the people that meant a lot to you…. would you do it?" I sit down on the table across from mom, who's on the leather couch.
She leans back a bit into her seat, forming a 5' 6" mother sized indent into the fabric. "Well… I suppose, if you really love these… people, what other choice can you make? You love them, and want them to live, right?"
"Well, yeah, I mean, of course I do." I'm still a little stunned talking to her. It's so unreal (which, I suppose it is anyways, but let's not ruin the moment).
"Well, then, the best thing you can do is save them. Sacrifice is one of the most powerful ways we show we love and care about other people. I mean, sure, you could lose something important to you, but would you rather live life without those people? I know I couldn't live without you or your father. I love the two of you too much."
And here is where I start to lose it. I can't believe this. It just hits me how much I do miss her. How helpful she's always been. And I cry.
My mom suddenly looks surprised, which is fair, considering my sudden out break in tears. She puts her hands on my leg in comfort. "Hey! Hey. Hey. Was that not what you wanted to hear?"
But I shake my head. "No, it's exactly what I needed to hear," I say, hiccuping through sobs. "It's just... It's just… I miss you Mom. Both me and dad do."
I assume, because she doesn't immediately ask what I'm talking about, since she's made of my own memories, she already knew she had passed away. She smiles sadly. "I can only imagine. I would be just as upset as you were. But, you managed. You have a beautiful baby girl at home, and a loving and caring husband. I know you would do anything for those two. You're a strong person, with a large, loving heart. You'll be OK. You'll make the right decision, and save the people you love. I love you, Gwen."
I hug her and whisper, "I love you too, mom. Thank you." We embrace each other for a couple minutes longer. It's not as long as I want, but it's definitely what I needed.
I lightly step up the wood stairs, running my hand over the bannister as I move. I walk down the bare hallways, passing my parents room and the guest room, and head back into my old room.
Strange is floating off the ground meditating. When he hears me come in, he opens his eyes and stands up. "Are we all good then?" he asks, his eyebrow arched inquiringly.
"Yeah… I think so. One question before we go. How…. Real, I guess….was that? I mean, I know I didn't just speak to my mom from beyond the grave, obviously, but...I dunno… I'm not sure what I'm asking…" I trail off, unsure of what I want to know anymore.
Once again, though, Strange does know exactly what I want to ask (it's almost like he's in my head or something). "Actually Gwen...That was really your mom. I used a bit of hocus pocus to get her here, but I figured…. I owe ya one after all the….things.. I've done to you."
I look at the man who has put me through all this trouble in the name of the universe's safety. But then I think about this simple act he did for me. Maybe I can forgive him….
"So, what's this bad thing that I may have to sacrifice for in order to stop?" I ask, wanting to know already.
"Ah right. Back to that. Well...In order to stop Dormammu, you may have to give up your….your powers."
And then I wake up.
