One

"I think he really should have stolen the whole book because the warnings… the warnings come after the spells."

Quiet laughter fills the brief silence that followed Stephen's statement. Hayden's eyes widen as she turns her head and stares at the culprit of the chuckling.

Wong is laughing.

After several moments of continuous giggling, Wong wipes at his eye and lets out a breath. "Oh, that's funny."

A big smile spreads across Hayden's face. "Pfft."

She begins to laugh, breathlessly and hard and a moment later, Stephen is laughing as well. Hayden leans on her knees, taking several deep breaths between bursts of mirth. Everyone is bruised and dirty and exhausted from fighting, yet here they are, aside from Mordo, giggling like a bunch of idiots.

Hayden straightens up a little stiffly, her laughter subsiding. She looks up when a flash of orange catches her eye. There up in the air and floating down to her is the warm ball of light Kaecilius stole from her chest. She reaches out to it as it drifts closer to her and it passes right through her hands, leaving a warm and tingling feeling behind. She watches as it gets to her chest and sinks back inside. Hayden closes her eyes and presses a hand to where the light disappeared, that warm and tingling feeling coursing through her whole body for several moments before it too subsides.

She opens her eyes and finds her three companions staring at her with mixed expressions of confusion or relief, in Stephen's case.

"What was that?" Wong says as he studies her intently.

"The magic Kaecilius stole from me." Hayden shakes her head, a frown tugging on her lips.

"That's why you…." Stephen meets her gaze with his own, realization in his eyes.

Hayden only nods and looks down at her hands, allowing a small flame to burn in each of them before putting them out.

Wong places a hand on her shoulder. "I always knew there was more to you than meets the eye."

"Thanks, Wong." Hayden gives him a smile as his hand returns to his side, her mind turning back to Kaecilius. "The only question is why Kaecilius waited so long to do that."

Stephen reactivates the Eye with a few fluent flourishes. "He probably thought he wouldn't need to." He watches the Sanctum turn back to normal with his companions. Time marches forward once again. "We did it."

Mordo shake his head. "Yes," he says. "By also violating the laws of nature."

Hayden gestures with her hand. "Look around you, Mordo. It's over."

"You think there will be no consequences? No price to pay?" He takes several steps back from them. "We broke our rules, just like her. The bill comes due. Always." Hayden watches, tight lipped as Mordo spirals down into despair. "I will follow this path no longer."

With that, he turns and walks away from everything he has ever known.

Two

Hayden pauses at the bottom of the stairs, admiring the silhouette Stephen cuts against the large Sanctum window. Every edge of him is so familiar to her, she could recognize him in any lighting, from any distance.

By the time she begins her ascent again, Stephen is already standing by the window. He's looking down at his hand and he slowly flexes his fingers.

Hayden steps up behind Stephen, placing one arm around his waist and covering the top of his hand with her own.

Their fingers lace together and everything is right again.

Doctor Strange and Hayden Jones will return