Chapter 1. The Arrival
Stay here, don't put out the glow…
Children were children. They didn't always necessarily follow the rules. Molly Strange was no exception to this rule. Though withdrawn in the waking world, she had a curious heart, and had the determination of any child that things could turn out okay. Her mama was sad, her brother was good at hiding his feelings, but they both missed papa.
And Molly was determined to get him back. He wasn't gone, she had seen him in her dreams. He had to be out there somewhere, lost among the worlds, trying to get back home. She could be a hero, just like him, and bring their family back together.
The world between was like a long, dark hallway lined with doors of various colors. Some of the doors she could open, others she couldn't, never understanding why. The little girl took a deep breath as she started down the hall. Her heart thundered in her chest, almost threatening to burst from her chest.
The purple door…she had never been able to open it before, but something felt different tonight. There was a tingling in her hands, coursing through her arms and spread through her body. It wasn't a power, not to Molly. No, this was a key, it had to be. She stopped in front of the door and looked it over. No seals this time…not like other nights. Molly reached a hand out to the handle and carefully she turned it, entering a new world.
His eyes shot open, sensing a new presence in his crumbling world. Another living soul…how? Why? There was no one and nothing left here. Why would anyone, willingly, come to this haunted place? Strange stopped his meditation, looking out the window of the sanctum.
He couldn't see anyone, not yet. The presence was far away. He turned from the window and held out a hand. Violet magic formed an orb in it as his third eye opened to give a better look at this new presence.
He was drawn in, like a moth to a flame. It was warm, like a personal ray of sun, and just as bright. In the orb he saw…a little girl. A child. He couldn't recall the last time he saw a child. She looked so small, so young. She couldn't have been older than five, with long red hair and wearing only a simple little nightgown. The poor thing looked lost, but yet not exactly afraid. Under her fear was determination, purpose.
She had a reason for being here. But why? She could get hurt.
"She could get hurt…" the eye sunk back in as the realization hit him.
There were just some lines he wouldn't cross. The Dark Hold only held its grip so tightly. Sure he hated himself and other versions of himself, but an innocent, no. He wouldn't let her get hurt, not on his watch. He had no reason to hate her. In fact she piqued his curiosity. Strange felt like he should know her. But that was beyond him, at least for now.
For now, his urge to protect her was strong. He used a manifestation spell, forming a giant eagle from his dark magic to serve as his avatar outside the sanctum. He could sense everything through it, so perhaps he'd get his answers sooner than expected.
"Little one…come to me" his eyes glowed violet as his mind merged with his avatar.
The world around her was crumbling and dissolving. It looked and felt like a living nightmare. Everything was being taken in by the sea at her feet or the storm above her head. Even so, if that door opened for a reason, something told Molly she was meant to be here. Her papa was here and he needed her.
She was a Revan and a Strange, she would not fear. Not entirely knowing where she was going, Molly ran head first into this world. She had no way of knowing what or who was here, if anyone. It looked deserted, and the lack of color didn't help. It looked so dead here. Perhaps this was the nightmare universe.
Rain came down in torrents, and Molly was certain she'd be drenched even in the waking world. She never liked getting wet outside of bathing and of course swimming. Rain wasn't fun, it made her feet itch. Not helping matters was how cold it was. She had nothing but her nightgown on and it was soaked. Molly shook like a leaf, but she didn't stop in her quest.
It was just like in the stories, the many fairy tales her mother would tell them. The princess had to go on a dangerous quest for what she wanted, usually with the help of talking animals. Molly realized she could really use a friend like that at this point…
At her thoughts it seemed, something flew overhead. Molly looked up, seeing an enormous black and purple bird. It reminded her of a Phoenix, one of those creatures her mother loved so much. The beast flapped its wings over her, it's dark eyes peering down at her. Molly looked right in its eyes, unaware of the person behind them.
The beast landed, a wing going over her to shield her. Molly wondered if maybe this bird could help her. Summoning all her courage, she dared to ask.
"Can you help me? Please? I…I lost my papa. I have to find him" she wasn't even sure if it would understand her, but she had to try.
The Phoenix cocked its great head, looking her over. Strange had no idea what she meant, but this place wasn't safe for her. He had the bird bend his neck to the girl. Molly looked a bit confused, giving it pets before it hit her.
"Wait! You want me to ride you?!" She was both terrified and excited at the prospect. This went from one of the worst dream worlds to one of the best just with that.
The Phoenix carefully moved a wing so it was easier for her to get on. He felt the grip of her small hands on his neck as he extended his wings to take off.
"Bring her to the sanctum. Bring her to me…".
They landed at a building Molly faintly remembered. It was different from what she knew but still, it looked like her old home. The Sanctum, she remembered mama calling it. She carefully climbed off the phoenix and it flew over her, dispersing into purple magical dust with a single cry. She looked up at the window, seeing a figure there.
"It's him…It's papa! I found him!" she took off as fast as her little legs could take her to the entrance, her discovery invigorating her.
It had to be him, who else could it be? He had just been trapped here, locked away in this scary place. Her heart hammering, Molly went inside, only to be greeted by more the same as outside, except only the staircase surrounded by the ocean. She wasn't sure if it was real or perhaps some kind of magic, but she found it oddly beautiful. Steeling her nerves, she started making her way up the stairs. Molly was in absolute awe of this place, so different and yet so similar to the sanctum she once called home. It was cold, but not bitingly so, she felt like she was far out in the ocean, perhaps long past the shallows she knew. The little girl sniffed, her nose running just a little. She wasn't afraid, nor did she feel like she was in danger. Surely papa would never hurt her, right?
After what felt like an endless trip up the stairs, she made it to where the window was. But it was empty, dark, and no sign of anyone having been there. It looked dusty and old, like it had been barely inhabited. Why did papa stay here? Surely no one could live like this? Maybe he was trapped? That seemed the most logical reason.
Her little hands briskly touched the dusty tables and chairs, curious to their texture. For a moment, she forgot everything, caught up in the strange beauty of it all. Time seemed to slow in here, making it easier for the mind to get lost. The child was captivated, as Strange watched from the shadows, curious as to what she would do.
She didn't seem afraid, though she should've been. She was a small thing, barely coming up to his thigh maybe. She had determination in her eyes, though her mind was easily distracted. She was a child, after all, and children were naturally curious. As long as she didn't break anything, he was fine. His mind drew a blank when she finally spoke.
"I know you're here…I know who you are" she said, almost like something out of a book.
Hm…perhaps he could play along. Not all fairy tales ended happily after all…
"Do you?" he asked, still staying in his spot.
"Of course I do. You're my papa. Don't you know me?" she asked.
Papa? As in..father? Confusion began to take root in his mind, and he tried to figure out what to say. The words died on his tongue, shock coming through. How was he supposed to work with this? What was he supposed to say? What if she asked questions? This really threw Strange for a loop.
"Mama and Marius miss you, and I do too. We want you to come home" the little girl said, "Please, papa…we need you to come home".
His own heart began to pound hard in his chest. This little one was his child? How? Was there a universe where he was happy? Where he and Christine were together and had a family? He had searched the multiverse and so far he had found nothing. There had to be some kind of explanation. Strange took in a breath and stepped out of the shadows and into the faint light. The girl's eyes widened in wonder at the sight of him. Not fear, no. There was no fear in this child.
Her eyes…the same stormy green-gray his had been once. Red hair…his eyes…who else could this child possibly be anyone else's? If she was in fact Christine's, he was far less inclined to harm her. She thought he was her father, this variant of him. Perhaps he could use that to his advantage, maybe to even get out of here. To finally be free from this hell, he had to play the part. A child was easy enough to deceive.
"Papa…it's me. It's Molly. You know me, right?" the little girl's voice broke through his thoughts.
Strange smiled as pleasantly as he could. "Oh sweetie…of course I know you. My little Molly" he kneeled to her height, "Come my dear, tell me everything that's happened. How did you get here?"
Molly's face brightened as she ran to her father and hugged him. She didn't care at that moment that he was icy cold, she was just happy to have him again, or even just to have him at all, since he died before she could fully remember him. That was the conclusion Strange came to, for her to not see how different he was from others. Or perhaps she hadn't met other variants.
"I missed you so much, Papa! There's so much to tell you" her little voice broke and he felt warm tears on his neck, "I've looked everywhere for you. Mama said you couldn't come back. Everyone said you couldn't come back...But they're wrong".
His own arms locked around the little body. "They're all wrong, I was just trapped darling. I never stopped looking for you…across the multiverse. Please, tell me how you got here?"
"I'm gifted, like mama. I use dreams to go to other worlds".
Ah, so that explained it. Her mother had powers too? Oh yes, definitely a different universe then. Dreams weren't windows to her, they were doors. He parted a little from her, partly to look her in the face. She was too little to determine if she was Christine's but…it had to be. Who else could Strange possibly be happy with?
"Can you get us home, Animula?" he asked.
Molly cocked her head at the nickname. "Animula?"
He cracked another smile. "It means Little Soul in Latin, because that's what you are. My Animula. Can you get us home?"
"All I have to do is wake up. And…you just have to hold my hand and I can pull you out of this place. Oh Mama and Marius are gonna be so happy!".
"I can only imagine they will" he wiped a tear from her eye with the pad of his thumb, "Tell me everything that's happened. How is your mother? How's Marius?".
"Mama's sad all the time. Marius is…out there. Usually happy. But I know deep down he misses you too".
Strange nodded. "I see…well, hopefully mama will be happy to see me again"
Molly hugged him tightly again. "You're so cold, papa".
"Because I've been stuck in this nightmare for so long. I'm sorry honey, I'll warm up…I promise. For now, let's go home, shall we?"
Molly nodded and held his hand. She opened her eyes and found herself back in her room. She looked around, to find her father between the two beds. Marius was still dead asleep. It was done, he was free…free from that hell, free from that crumbling chaos.
He watched as the little girl got up from her bed and hurried to her brother to shake him awake. "Marius! Marius, get up! Look what I did!"
The boy stirred, and moaned a little as he sat up. Strange couldn't believe it. There was a universe where he was, in fact, a husband and father. But were these kids Christine's, or did they belong to someone else? When he saw Marius' eyes, he felt his heart sink.
Blue. He had blue eyes. Christine had brown, as he recalled. So if she wasn't their mother…who was?
Marius bolted out of bed. "Papa!" The boy hugged him around the leg, which caught him off guard, "Quick go get mama!"
Molly nodded and turned to leave but footsteps stopped her. Getting her wasn't necessary, she was coming to see what the noise was about. The door swung open with a light squeak, and Strange came face to face with…a woman he didn't know. He blinked, she blinked. The color drained from her was quiet for all of two seconds before Molly spoke up.
"Mama! Mama look! I did it! I brought papa back!" she yelled excitedly.
The woman didn't take her eyes off of Strange. "Molly, Marius…get away from him".
"What? Why?" Marius let him go and looked at his mother quizzically.
"Kids…I told you, the doctors have told you, your papa-"
"I pulled him out of the multiverse! He's not dead mama! He was trapped! The whole time!" Molly interrupted her.
"Molly Grace Strange! What did I tell you about doing that?! We don't take living things out of the multiverse! Do you realize what you could've-"
"Kids, why don't you go back to bed? Mama and I can talk this out I'm sure. Isn't that right…dear" he looked at Cadence, voice dripping with sarcasm.
The message was clear, he didn't want to cause a scene in front of the kids. Well, he at least had the decency to do that. Cadence let out a breath she hadn't been aware she was holding, and replied with just as much sarcasm.
"Of course…darling. Kids, bed, now. Molly be lucky I don't ground you from Dessert for a month!"
"Awww c'mon mama…I got papa back-"
"Enough! Bed, both of you now! You have school in the morning".
The twins sighed and got in bed. Cadence made a move to tuck them in again, but Strange waved his hand and their covers went up to their chins. He looked at Molly with a grin.
"Don't be travelling to other universes, Animula. No more adventures tonight, okay? Promise me".
"Cross my heart and hope to die papa".
Strange nodded. "Good girl".
He was vastly overstepping, and it was driving Cadence nuts. He could tell she was on edge, having a murderous look on her face. She spoke in a barely strained voice.
"You…me…Downstairs. NOW!" she hissed the last word.
He mockingly bowed to her. "As you wish, your highness. Ladies first"
She turned and walked out. Now he knew he overstepped, but at the same time, he found it a bit funny to press this lady's buttons. All he had to do was act like a dad to these children and it got her pissed. Whoever she was, he must've seriously pissed her off if she hated him that much.
He met her down in the shop, one of her silk gloves was off. She looked ready to kill. Strange smirked, his third eye showing.
"Now let's talk this over…dear".
"Save your breath. What the hell are you doing here?" Cadence demanded, "What the hell did you tell my daughter?"