Don't you worry about it
Try and give yourself some rest
And let me worry about it…
Worry – Jack Garratt
-o-
Chapter 9: I Just Need You
"I just need you to do me this one thing, is it too much to ask?"
Strange heard Ana's voice as it drifted in from the sitting area they had been calling their own these last few weeks. They had fallen into a routine between her studies and mentoring her young protégé over the past two weeks.
It had been nice.
She had been making great progress in regard to her understanding the curriculum that he and Wong had come up with. After discussing with Ana about putting into practice what she had been learning, they had scheduled her first lesson that morning with Wong at Kamar Taj. Strange had had other errands to run that morning so he wasn't able to oversee her first lesson himself. He didn't acknowledge the disappointment.
"Peter is fifteen," he heard her say as he quietly made his way over to the sitting area. He spotted her sitting in her favorite arm chair, her phone pressed against her ear while rubbing her forehead with her free hand. She was looking frustrated with the topic at hand, which seemed to be of her protégé. "And I wouldn't be going through any of this if you hadn't decided to dangle the chance of becoming an Avenger in front of him in the first place. He's eager and I wouldn't be surprised if he goes gallivanting off somewhere while he's supposed to be at this party. You wanted me to keep an eye on him, remember? Do this for me. If he decides to be an idiot and disappears then at least I'll be there to help him if he needs it."
Strange had to fight back a smile as he listened to her talking, the familiarity in which she spoke with the person meant it had to be Stark.
"Tony," she groaned, confirming Strange's train of thought.
There was a moment of silence as she listened to Stark on the other end before she smiled. "Oh shush," she said. "Just enjoy your trip and please have one of your suits on standby as usual."
Another beat of silence and then, "No big brother, I'm fine," she said, her affection clear. "Tell Pepper I said hello… Bye Tony." The sound of her laugh had made his smile grow, watching her as she pulled the phone away from her ear and disconnected the call.
She had let out the softest of sighs as she stared at the phone before placing it in her pocket. She then ran a hand through her loose copper brown curls as she stared at one of the glass cases holding a relic. She did look troubled…
He moved quietly over to her chair and stood beside her on her left side, studying the light frown on her face. "Trouble with the protégé already?"
She glanced up at him, not looking the least bit surprised to see him there. She took a moment to gather her thoughts before she gave a slight nod. "His best friend discovered his identity and managed to get him invited to a party on the pretense that he was friends with Spider-Man… All within the span of a twenty-four-hour period," said Ana as she propped her chin on her hand, her exasperation quite clear. "I am beginning to dread dealing with the twins when they become teenagers."
A deep chuckle escaped Strange as he moved to take a seat in the chair opposite of Ana. "Well, dealing with a super hero teenager would be quite a challenging feat," he said. "At least he's giving you good practice for the future."
He noticed that she was looking at him with faint surprise as he took his seat, her deep brown eyes traveling over his attire. He supposed it was because he was dressed normally today: A simple pair of jeans and a grey hoodie, a pair of well-worn white sneakers on his feet. As he propped an ankle on his knee, he noticed the sparkle of amusement in her eyes. It looked like she was trying to fight back the laughter.
"Is there something funny?" he asked though his tone of voice was light, implying he was generally curious. A hesitant smile twitched on the corners of his goateed lips.
Ana was quick to shake her head as she sat back against her chair. "Non, nothing bad. You just caught me off guard with how unassuming you look today."
"Ah," he said as he nodded. "Had some errands to take care of. Can't really run around New York looking the way I do. Unwanted attention and all that, you understand."
A soft laugh escaped her as she nodded, looking as if she did indeed understand.
"So, this party you mentioned," he began, his eyes dancing with amusement as he studied her. "You're going as a chaperone for your protégé?"
"Yes and no," she said as she rolled her eyes. "More along the lines of helping his social status among his peers while making sure he doesn't get into trouble. I trust him to a certain point. Peer pressure can be a devil. Being who he is, I don't want him to take unneeded risks if he doesn't need to. I just want him to have fun and if I have to embarrass myself to make sure he stays safe then so be it."
"It sounds as if you truly care about him," said Strange as he continued studying her, noting her tense form. It seemed as if she were going out on a limb for this Peter and Strange couldn't help the worry he felt. If she were to treat her protégé as she did her family, Strange was sure she wouldn't hesitate to do what she had to make sure Peter was safe. "But don't let your affection for him get to the point that he will feel smothered. He'll want space. Just keep maintaining the respectable distance as you have been. Make your presence known but don't hover. It's all a part of learning and growing, even making the mistakes."
Ana frowned at that as she focused her gaze on him. "I suppose… I just don't want him to make a mistake that will cost him more than he is willing to pay."
Strange frowned at those words, a distant look appearing in his blue-green eyes as his thoughts inadvertently went to one of his old teachers and friends.
The bill comes due… Always!
Mordo… It was often he found himself thinking of his old teacher and friend. That man had become disillusioned after the truth of the Ancient One had come out and abandoned the ways he had believed so fervently in. Strange was still in search of him but it seemed that Mordo was quite good at remaining in hiding…
"I'm sorry Dr. Strange, did I say something wrong?"
He focused his gaze on Ana, blinking once as he came back to himself before he shook his head. "No, no… You're fine. Your words just reminded me of something similar I'd heard before, that's all."
A look had come over her face, one of slight concern, but she didn't ask for more info. Instead, she had brushed back her curls into a haphazard bun at the back of her head, using a hair tie she kept around her wrist to secure it. The silence that had fallen between them was comfortable and it was something Strange found he always appreciated about her.
"How did your session go with Wong today?" he asked, finally breaking the silence.
"Well enough I suppose," she said in response as she dropped her hands in her lap. "We've discovered that I have a natural affinity for drawing forth the energy needed for the spells but he says there is too much energy trying to come out at once. The shield I had been trying to conjure was too jagged and erratic, too unstable. He seemed to be rather keen to continue teaching me though, a little excited even. I think he's taking it as a challenge. Was he like that with you, Dr. Strange?"
"Stephen, please," he said, his smile growing just a little warmer. After these last few weeks, he found he really wanted to maintain a good friendship with her… Despite the craziness that he sometimes felt whenever she smiled or laughed a certain way. "We'll be working together for the foreseeable future so might as well keep the atmosphere friendly. And in answer to your question, no. Wong was rather reserved with me; he still is in some regards. It's interesting to hear about your affinity for the Mystic Arts. You have a natural talent but it sounds raw… I'll speak with Wong about it later. I'd like to see it for myself the next time you come in."
"I'll be back tomorrow, we can try it out then," she said as she let out a yawn and scrubbed her face, looking as if she were trying to wake herself back up. "I'll have to call it a day though. I have some planning to do and a teenager to message." She got up from the chair and smiled at him, the very same smile that brought that now familiar jolt in the pit of his stomach. "Enjoy the rest of your afternoon, Stephen."
He gave a soft chuckle as he nodded, wordlessly opening up a gateway that would send her back to the alleyway near her apartment building. "Good luck with the protégé," he said once it was done.
With a laugh and a wave, Ana left through the gateway, the flurry of yellow-orange sparks closing behind her and fading from view. Strange remained in his armchair, staring thoughtfully at the place where Ana had disappeared through…
-o-
It would be later that evening when the tracking spell he had placed on Ana would alert him to the sudden burst of uncontrolled magic she had performed. Strange was caught off guard when he checked the details of his tracking spell to find that she had conjured an unstable gateway…
When he had finally tracked her down to a location in a suburb outside of the city, she was thankfully alone so he had conjured a gateway and sent it her way to bring her back to the Sanctum. The moment she had appeared, his worry and concern had been on the forefront of his mind.
"Are you all right?" he asked as she looked around in surprise at finding herself in the Sanctum.
Glancing around at the familiar sight of the glass cases containing the Sanctum's relics, she gave a single nod as she moved to go sit down on the familiar armchair that had unofficially become hers. "I feel fine… Somewhat." She frowned as she stared at her hands, which were trembling.
"You opened a gateway," said Strange as he turned to face her. "With little training, no knowledge of how to even start the process, and you feel fine?" One couldn't blame the disbelief in his tone of voice.
"Oh, you caught that?" she said with a hint of a smile as she looked up at him, trying to make light of the situation.
"I've been keeping tabs on you since you agreed to start training in the Mystic Arts. In case something like this happened."
"Ah," she nodded, understanding touching her.
"You could've ripped yourself apart," he said, his deep voice filled with concern. "There are reasons why we train, why we teach in the steps that we do, so that way we can ensure your safety. Opening a wild gateway like that could have ended badly for you."
"I'm sorry," she said as she looked up at him, her exhaustion clear as the strain could be heard in her voice. "Cin was desperate and when she's desperate I'm desperate. Our protégé could have died tonight because of a stupid choice he made and it would have been on my hands. I was not going to allow that to happen. I was lucky it worked but I am not going to take that chance again. I will not try anything of the Mystic Arts on my own until you and Wong say otherwise. I promise."
A muscle ticked in his jaw as they studied one another, his concern giving way to reluctant acceptance as his tense form slowly eased. He gave a single nod in response to her word of promise. A moment of comfortable silence hung between them and he let loose a gentle sigh as he moved to take a seat in the empty armchair across from her. "I think a good cup of tea is in order, don't you?"
A soft laugh escaped Ana as she nodded. "Something a little stronger might be in order after the day I've had Stephen…" she said as she tiredly ran a hand through her copper brown curls, her gaze focused on a spot between her feet.
His gaze had lingered on her and the tension that had been on his face had eased into a soft smile…
-o-
(A/n) He's not leaving me alone again...
