Science And Magic Miracles

Summary: Oneshots about Stephen and Toni's relationship that led to their happy ending in (Not so) Little Miracles, featuring all their friends and family!

"You know, it is very rare that Nivadellir gets a visit from the Sorcerer Supreme of Earth," Eitri, the king of the dwarves, said by way of greeting when Doctor Stephen Strange stepped through a portal, giving him a polite nod of the head. "The Ancient One always chose to send her requests through magical messages and have her disciples fetch them once they're done. I think I can count on one hand how many times she'd been here in her long life."

Stephen smiled sadly as he recalled his mentor, but not even her loss from a couple of years ago could dampen his current good mood. "Yes, well, I am not her and this is a personal request."

"Oh?" Eitri raised an eyebrow, gesturing for Stephen to follow him as he led the human into the forge. "And what may that request be that you are seeking out the Dwarves of Nivadellir to craft this item for you?"

Strange coughed in a hand, looking away as his cheeks flushed with heat, but answered despite his embarrassment. "There is someone whom I've gifted my heart to and would like to spend the rest of my life with, but she's been engaged before and that relationship didn't end so well. I fear every other ring in the universe except a custom made one might remind her of it and I didn't want that. Besides, I plan on engraving runes of protection into it and not every material was meant to house such strong magic."

Eitri looked delighted. "An engagement ring? I haven't made one of those in millennia! Not since Odin was courting Friga. I would be delighted! Now, tell me what kind of design you were thinking of. The material. The stone. The placement of the runes. The runes themselves. Do you want some kind of engraving on it? Can we make your wedding rings, too?"

"Wow, slow down! I haven't even proposed yet!" The dwarf just laughed and Stephen was not pouting, no matter how much the Cloak of Levitation was trying to pat it off if his face. "As for the design, I was thinking something like this." He took out a picture and handed it to Eitri before giving him the dimensions for the ring. Thank the Vishanti for FRIDAY, she had been more than a little eager to help by providing the measures. He'd be guessing blind, trying to give good measurements by demonstrating with his hands and based on memory alone. "I'll put in a sapphire and a ruby or maybe a lapis lazuli and a garnet."

"Ah, powerful magical conduits. I suggest the latter two. They'll stabilize whatever spells you decide to use."

Strange nodded, grateful for the advice. "As for the material, I thought to leave it up to you. Something that resembles gold in color, if gold itself is not suitable for protection runes and wards, but also durable, as she is a warrior. My magic will take care of the engravings themselves, but I was hoping you'd be kind enough to put in some of your own?"

The dwarf - who was far larger than his name suggested in Earth mythology, by the way, and towered over Stephen by at least four to five feet - nodded, thinking. "You know what, since it's such a special occasion, I think Asgardian gold would be best. It's very compatible with magic and can regulate up to fifteen instantaneous, different spells. And very strong. Asgardian's make buildings out of it in the golden city. Well, the palace, anyway."

He hesitated, wanting to accept that recommendation but knowing that it was probably costly as all hell. "I'm not sure I can afford that ... "

"Nonsense!" Eitri beamed at him, cheery at the thought of not making a weapon for once, but something as lovely as a ring. It was the dwarves' best kept secret that they were soft on romance. "The amount of gold needed for a ring for a human maiden is insignificant. Consider it our wedding gift. Besides, there are many materials that are actually of a much higher demand than Asgardian gold. Your Earth has some of them."

"Hm, Vibranium and Adamantium?" Stephen guessed and Eitri nodded.

"That, and something I hear is called ... Starkenium, I believe. It can apparently absorb the power Uru helps Thor utilize. That's quite an amount, let me tell you. And there are rumors that it can withstand the assault of an Infinity Stone and come out unscathed."

Strange couldn't help it. He smirked. "Yes, Starkenium. Toni Stark's invention, an element she synthesized in her basement a few years ago. She's quite proud of it."

Eitri turned to look at him with interest. "You know this blacksmith? Thor mentioned her once, a few years ago. The Iron Maiden, the Lady of Iron, a woman in a metal, flying suit of armor."

The smirk only widened, even if his eyes turned fond and proud. "I'm hoping she'll say yes."

It took Eitri but a second to get his meaning, blink and then break out into the biggest, most largest grin Stephen had ever seen. "Then we will have to do our best! We must impress your lady black smith. The pride of Nivadellir depends on it!"

"Wha-" He never got to finish his thought as Eitri picked him up and rushed him into the main part of the forge.

"My people, my fellow blacksmiths! We have a new custom order to make! One which must impress none other than the Lady of Iron from Midgard! So get to work, dwarves of Nivadellir! Our reputation depends on it!" The dwarves all murmured between themselves, almost as excited as Eitri seemed. When their king told them to get to work, they scrambled all over the place, searching for tools and materials and heating up the forge. Stephen could only watch as the organized chaos started resembling a hive or an army of ants, curious at the efficiency of such a system. But the dwarves never faltered, never bumped into each other and never got into each other's way. It was impressive and kind of reminded Stephen of how Toni worked with FRIDAY, but this efficiency somehow lacked the easy, creative energy of Toni's workshop, when it was just her and her bots, or when Peter and Harley joined in.

Then again, these dwarves were millions of years old and had seen and made it all. Perhaps, for them, there is just no more new things to be creative about. They had done it all and mastered their craft to a point where no more can be done to improve further. It must get boring.

It was never boring in Toni's lab. It was an inventor's lair of creation, a scientific, creative, technological 'candy-land' as Toni would put it. There was always something new to make, to update, to remake, to improve, to invent, to test. Stark always had something different every day, rarely was she doing the same thing twice unless it was a replacement for something. Even her suits were all so different from each other. There was never a dull moment with that woman.

Maybe he should introduce her to these guys? She's bound to rock their world.

It was still a treat to watch the dwarves at work. Stephen, as he was still in Eitri's hand, got a nice view point of the process of preparation as the king walked over to his own station, a big hammer and anvil with a lot of interesting details he'd like to get a look at later, if he's allowed. He was actually put down on the anvil and the Cloak of Levitation puffed up in annoyance at the creases it got from where Eitri had been holding it against Stephen's back. The sorcerer just gave Levi a few comforting pats before turning to face the expectant Eitri. Confused, Stephen arched an eyebrow at the huge dwarf. In response, Eitri sat down much like a child expecting a story would, bringing him to better eye level with the human.

"Well? What is this Lady of Iron really like? Thor didn't have time to chat, the last time he was here, but he praised her work greatly. For a mere Midgardian's armor to take on Thor with Miolnir is no thing to joke about. I also heard she bested Loki in a battle of wits? Have you seen any of her creations?"

Eitri seemed to remember to stop his tirade of questions and fell silent to actually get some answers from the amused former neurosurgeon. He wasn't even surprised that Toni was a celebrity on another world, too. His girlfriend was something else, after all.

"Her name is Toni Stark and she pilots the suit she made herself, the Iron Maiden. She's a self-made hero and Earth's favorite. You could say she was officially Earth's first hero. Many people would disagree and say Captain America," he couldn't stop the curl of his lips in disgust when he said the man's name and Eitri wasn't blind to it, but apparently cared very little for the soldier and was more interested in the engineer. It was refreshing, that he didn't have to drag to Rogues into every conversation that was about Toni. "Was the first Avenger, but just because he received some super steroids seventy years ago doesn't make him a hero. I believe that they actually used the perfect title for him when they said he is a supersoldier."

After all, soldiers need war and battle. If Rogers was really a hero, he wouldn't have needed SHIELD so much to get constant missions that could have been carried out without him. He wouldn't have been in Lagos without even consulting with Nigeria's government. He would have enjoyed the peace he was offered and maybe tried to understand this brave new world he had woken up in. Despite his good intentions, Rogers was a soldier first. Until he can let go of that part, that obsession with 'fighting for tje little guy', even when he wasn't needed, Rogers will never be able to find real, lasting peace. It sickened the pacifist and the doctor in Stephen. He was almost tempted to drop Rogers off at Kamar-Taj to learn his place. Almost. He was sure the man wouldn't survive five minutes there, and it wasn't just because he was so aggravating. Nope, it was because Toni was Kamar-Taj's favorite visitor, which meant Rogers was hated to the Dark Dimension and back. The spells they'd use to kick him out would probably oust their secret location to the world.

Especially since Stephen doubted he himself would not be tempted to not just open a rift to the Dark Dimension and send the fool as a gift for Dormammu.

"Anyway, Toni's the kind of person people love to hate and hate to love but do so, either way. You can have no middle ground in your opinion of her. It's love or hate, no gray area. But it's very hard not to love her in some capacity. She's kind, caring, funny, smart, witty, clever, patient - well, in certain situations - but she can also be tiring, aggravating, annoying, cruel - usually to those who hurt her nearest and dearest. You should try avoiding doing that. All who've done so so far aren't around to tell the tale - dangerous, her anger can be deadly, she can at times forget important dates but she usually has an AI to remind her-"

"AI?" Eitri asked, apparently confused by this, to him, foreign term. Stephen paused, thinking of how best to describe it.

"It's an Artificial Intelligence, a ... program created by a human being to resemble it in thought processes. A super highly advanced computer with a will and personality of its own, if you will, although Toni would skin me alive if she heard me explaining FRIDAY and her bots like this."

"Don't look at our outfits and our equipment and dismiss us like this," Eitri snorted, crossing his arms. "We may prefer to simply mold metal and infuse it with magic, but we are not fools nor are we ignorant to what other worlds call technology. Asgard is by far the most advanced civilization, where magic and science are one. You may protest it the way the Ancient One had tried in her younger years, but it is the truth. Just as it is the truth that we dwarves know perfectly well what coding is. You will just be surprised that no one out there has thought to use programing to create ... artificial persons."

"Really? No one?" Surely it can't be that humanity had thought it up first!

"Hm, there are a few species that have something similar to what you're suggesting, but it's never been created by their hands and is usually a higher power. The Kree, for instance, have the Supreme Intelligence to which they connect for guidance or the like. I wouldn't really know, as they don't talk about it. What I do know is that it's older than them and must have some organic origin or parts in order to be able to connect to their brains." Eitri hummed, uncrossing his arms, thinking. "On the other hand, I've only seen a handful of other ... Artificial Intelligences you speak of. Computers, autopilots with a voice who take orders and carry out commands. Nothing like you're suggesting. That would be dangerous in a helper computer that's supposed to help you fly a ship."

Stephen grinned. When Toni heard about being the first being in the known universe to create a true Artificial Intelligence, she will be so proud and elated. If there's one achievement she never brushes off, it's her AIs. "Yes, well, Toni managed to do it and she has several AIs now. She treats them like her kids. And I guess, in a way, they are."

The dwarf king looked even more interested than before. "My friend, you must bring her here! I am greatly interested in her skills."

Stephen thought about it, a bit hesitant to actually release the force of nature that was an excited Toni Stark on these unsuspecting dwarves. They might have questions for her, but Toni will have quite a few more for them. She's not the type of person to be handed a once in a lifetime opportunity to learn something from the dwarves and let it slip through her fingers because she's explaining her creations to them. She's a fast talker, that one. Stephen wasn't sure Eitri will even manage to get one question in for ten of hers.

"You cannot deny us this honor!" Eitri complained with a noise very close to a whine. "Please? We will throw in wedding rings!"

That had Stephen blushing but agreeing reluctantly anyways.

The rest of the time he spent in Nivadellir was used to watch the making of the ring, memorizing the protection runes Eitri used, talking to the big dwarf and putting in his own protective wards. When he finally returned to Earth, two days later, with firm instructions from Eitri to bring Toni around soon, he was greeted by Wong on the other side of the portal. The Asian sorcerer took one look at the black, velvety box in Stephen's hands and nodded approvingly before disappearing off to Kamar-Taj's library.

Now it was all the matter of the right timing.