Arianna tried to ignore the fact that she was disappointed when it was Wong who met her at the door that afternoon instead of Stephen. She smiled at the man, who had been incredibly kind to her the previous day. "Hey Wong!"

"Arianna! Hi! Come on in. Stephen had to step out for a bit, but hopes to be back soon," he said as he opened the door further for her to enter. She entered and smiled as she looked around the expanse of the foyer again. She could really get used to this place. Wong noticed and smiled. "Think you might have time to continue our tour today?"

"I'd like to get my things set up first, if that's okay? I think I saw a large empty table in the library. Can I use that?"

"That's fine. If you know your way, I'll finish up what I was doing upstairs. Just yell if you need anything."

"Alright, will do. Thanks, Wong."


It didn't take long for Arianna to get her things set up in the Library. She had her laptop and tablet prepared and was ready to show a 3d representation of the Kamar-Taj compound to Stephen when he arrived. She looked down at her watch. It'd been a half hour and there was still no sign of him. She sighed and decided she'd go ahead and check out the slow-as-molasses wifi connection here at the New York Sanctum.


Two hours later Arianna stood at the large ornate round window overlooking part of New York and the Hudson River. She sighed. What on earth was she doing here? Wong had apologized profusely and explained that Stephen was off negotiating some treaty between factions of some off-world magical realms. A meeting that wasn't expected and that seemed to be going longer than anticipated. He'd given her the option to go home and wait for a call, or to stay. She chose to stay. Why, she wasn't sure—but she was attracted to this place—almost as much as she was to it's protector. She considered that thought. She thought about Stephen Strange, tall, gorgeous hair, chiseled jaw, blue-green eyes. Just as she was about to shake herself of the line of thought she was going down, she was startled.

"I owe you a deep apology." She whipped around at the sound of the deep baritone voice and gasped at the sight of the very man she'd been thinking about. Except his familiar garments seemed battered and a cut on his brow had a slow trickle of blood creeping down it.

"What on earth happened to you?"

"It wasn't anyone on Earth, I assure you," he said as he slowly approached. "It was the people of Dimera 7 that happened. They weren't happy with the treaty I suggested."

"So they knocked you up side the head?" Arianna said as she stepped closer as well and took a look at the gash. "Come on, we need to clean that up. Lead us to the kitchen."

"I'll be fine, we should get to work so that I don't keep you waiting any longer."

"What's another hour between friends, eh? Come on, I'll not have you bleeding on my laptop. To the kitchen."

He started to raise his eyebrow, then winced as it tugged on the wound. She glared at him further and he sighed and motioned her to follow as he led her back down the stairs towards the kitchen.

A few minutes later he was sitting in a chair and she had a bowl with bloody gauze dumped in it, and held a piece of clean gauze to his forehead.

"You didn't have to stay…" he mumbled, his eyes closed as she cleaned the wound.

"No, I didn't."

"I'm glad you did."

She froze with the gauze pressed against his wound. He opened his eyes and looked at her. "Wong has terrible bedside manner. Yours is much more amenable." A small smile quirked the corner of his lips.

She returned the smile. "Yes, well. I'm no doctor but I know a bit of first aid."

"How'd you know I'd have a first aid kit in the kitchen?"

She shrugged. "You're a doctor, I assumed you'd keep one in the place most household injuries occur. Of course, I suppose most households aren't like the Sanctum. Around here, I imagine injuries happen just about anywhere."

She didn't realize till she looked away from his wound to the rest of his face that he'd closed his eyes again as he spoke. "Hmm, I suppose. Let's see—no kitchen, bathroom…or bedroom injuries, that I can think of." Her eyes went wide, he continued before she could react. "How's it looking, Nurse Arianna?"

Something about the way he spoke her name almost made her want him to start calling her Ms. Miller again. It seemed to make her brain go fuzzy when he called her by her first name. "It, um, I think the bleeding has finally stopped. Do you want to let it heal naturally or shall we attempt to super glue it shut?"

"If you don't mind, I'll just go check in the mirror when I change into some clean clothes and decide." He opened his eyes. "I'll meet you back in the library?"

"Sure. Sounds good." She didn't move. His eyebrow raised and it wasn't till then she realized her free hand was resting on his shoulder and she was in his personal space. "Oh, sorry." She dropped the last piece of gauze into the pan and stepped away, turning away from him and shuffling things back into the kit, hoping to hide the blush in her cheeks from him.

"No need to apologize. I'm in debt to you twice now. For making you wait, and now for your first aid skills. Thank you."

"You're—you're welcome. I'll just…I'll clean up here and meet you in the library."

"It'll just take a few. See you there."

She swallowed and closed her eyes as she heard him leave the room. Oy vey, that man made her blush a lot.