Lessons In Love: Chapter Ninety-Nine: Circles (Part 4)


Steve and Tony had some serious thinking to do. They behaved themselves for one evening, and they slept in separate bedrooms. Tony was tempted to sneak over a few times, but he decided against it every time.

Tony kept thinking about the shoe thing for a while. He thought that Steve was sweet for mentioning it, and the brunette wanted him in bed beside him. It took an eternity for Tony to fall asleep. His busy mind continued to think about the joyride that he had been wanting to take.

It felt like it had been years since they met at the X-Mansion. He tried to figure out how long it had been. Tony fell asleep as he tried to figure it out.

His father told him that he could borrow his car over breakfast, but he wanted Tony to book all of his hotels in advance. Howard also advised him to use the name "Anthony Rogers" instead of his real last name.

The last name Stark brought too much unwanted trouble. Howard had plenty of horror stories to tell, but he didn't want to scare his son.

"Steve's last name feels safe. Plan out the trip. You can't go until you do."

Howard didn't want Steve and Tony getting lost on some random highway and being unable to reserve a room. He wanted them to be safe. The father really wanted something else for his son, and he thought about it as he watched Tony pace around the dining room.

He looked nervous, anxious, and ready to leave. Well, Howard travelled all the time, and he was very familiar with disasters on the road. It was good to envision the entire trip, and set up stopping points.

Tony didn't mind his dad's paranoia for once. He actually thought that his father's idea made sense. Plus, Tony didn't want to screw up his ability to use the corvette.

That was not a good plan, so Steve and Tony kept planning their trip with him. They started calling hotels and asking about locations in other states.

The two of them intended to take the car from California to New York. Their trip stretched from Malibu to Brooklyn. That was the plan. It was a long journey, but the two of them were excited to venture out and explore.

Steve was especially happy that Tony wanted to go. He was beginning to think that he lost Tony's affection. They had been together more than a few times, but Steve didn't feel like they were in a relationship at all. That's what the would-be-soldier wanted the most.

He watched Tony as he spoke with the hotel clerk on the phone. His humor was amusing and he kept circling around in one place. Steve liked the way Tony communicated with people, but Howard was seeing it in a different light.

His son wasn't acting "ditzy" as he spoke and wandered about. No, Tony was too impatient, and he was always in a hurry to get somewhere else. He kept fiddling around with the notebook that had the hotel list. Howard watched him drop his notes three times. He kept chewing on his pen, and Tony even tripped over himself as he spoke on the phone.

Howard kept watching Tony's behavior, and he intended to talk to him before they left. The list of hotel rooms was getting bigger and bigger. Steve couldn't believe how much money Howard planned on spending for their trip.

They were putting it all on something called a "charge card" and Steve was stunned when he heard the final amount. It was an outrageous amount of money for Steve. He had never seen or heard of that kind of money in his life.

He immediately thought that he'd never be able to pay any of it back.

~~~—-~~~

~~~ Stephen's evening was very different from Tony and Steve's. He spent most of his time alone in his astral form. He was trying to return to the Dark Dimension, but he kept popping back to the same exact place.

Stephen was relentless. He completely lost track of the outside world, and he stubbornly kept trying to find his way back to Clea. He just wanted to ask her a few things, and talk to her.

He didn't have a very clear reason for it, but Stephen took notice of how he felt when she was around. That feeling didn't fade away, and he wondered why.

Stephen kept trying, and he finally saw a glimpse of Clea. It was very brief, but he could see her sitting across from him in the dark. Stephen quickly gasped when he saw her. His dream girl was right there, then her image disappeared.

She was sitting exactly like he was, but she was surrounded by peculiar things. He tenaciously tried to see her again, but something else showed up in front of him instead.

Stephen saw someone dressed in old yellow clothing. It was the same person that told Clea to leave. That person dismissed her, and it irritated the baby sorcerer supreme.

The person in yellow also blocked his ability to enter the Dark Dimension. Stephen thought all of that was bullshit, so he held a very annoyed expression.

"Are you going to do this all night?"

The Ancient One spoke. She was sitting across from him, and she had a small smile. He almost reached Clea. He only received a glimpse, then the Ancient One shut him down.

She began to wonder how much physical contact had gone on between them. Stephen seemed very fixated with the future sorceress supreme.

He didn't answer her, and it made her smile stretch a little further. The Ancient One started thinking that she could use his need for Clea to her advantage.

"Why are you looking for Clea? Answer correctly, and I might allow it."

Her face became neutral. Stephen didn't want to communicate with the Ancient One at all. He thought hard about rejecting the Mystic Arts, and he understood that she was part of it.

But, Stephen Strange was also very young and possibly foolish when it came to love. He didn't have a solid reason for trying to talk to Clea. He just wanted to, and he didn't see anything wrong with that.

"I was just trying to talk to her about the Dark Dimension. Why is that such a problem?"

She felt out of his reach. Clea clearly wasn't out of his league, since they were married elsewhere, but Stephen was beginning to feel like she was forbidden fruit.

"It is a problem because you have no idea what you are doing. You're not the only one that wants to see Clea. Do you understand that you are not alone beneath your skin?"

The Ancient One was referring to Agamotto. If Stephen and Clea started interacting, Clea would begin to enhance his abilities too early. Agamotto would take control immediately. The Ancient One could see that happening with the Stephen she looked at in that moment.

It was time for her to step in, and she had a plan to shape him into the Sorcerer Supreme. Stephen didn't respond to her again. He just held an angry expression, and listened to her speak.

"Has Clea touched your skin? You seem very fixated with her. Most Stephen's reject her presence for a long time."

Other versions of Stephen Strange were deeply involved with Christine Palmer, or too distracted with the Mystic Arts. The version she looked at had no distractions. She watched him suddenly move about. The word "fixated" made Stephen feel very nervous. He felt odd about what she said, and he looked down at his arms.

"I'm not, fixated. I was just curious about her dimension. We're supposed to control it, or whatever.."

Did she touch his skin? Seriously? He thought that question was odd, and none of her business. Stephen drew in a few slow breaths. His body was warming up back at home. He was clearly reactive to what was said, and he wanted the subject changed.

"Stephen, I can end your confusion. I can train you, and then you can see her. It's very simple."

"Oh, so I just sign on the dotted line? When do I get my Halloween costume?"

Please. Stephen wasn't interested in learning anymore parlor tricks. He looked very bothered and flustered. The Ancient One knew that he was contemplating what she said.

She knew Dr. Stephen Strange very well, and sarcasm was always his first response. She maintained her neutral expression, and waited for him to really hear what she said.

Training = Clea. The Ancient One knew that he heard that, and Stephen was an intelligent young man. He remained silent.

"Things are changing for you in this dimension, Stephen, whether you like it or not. When you are ready to begin, I will be at 177A Bleecker Street."

The Sanctum Santorum was right there in Manhattan. The Ancient One was done with him after that, so she sent him back to his own body. Stephen gasped loudly when his mind returned to his flesh, and he abruptly touched his arms and chest.

He could see that the sun had risen outside his body. Stephen looked outside his bedroom window, and he started rubbing one of his tired eyes.


Chapter: END

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