Chapter 2. Confrontation

Hold me now, don't bother…

"What…did you tell…my daughter?" Cadence demanded, veins of blood red crystal going down her arm to her hand.

Strange cocked a brow, curious about this lady's power. He remembered Molly saying she was gifted, like her mother, but perhaps their so-called gifts were different. Something told him he should know who this lady was, but he couldn't put his finger on it.

"I didn't tell Molly anything. She believed what she wanted to and I let her-".

"So you're lying by omission, how's that any better?".

"Lying? About what?".

"About who the hell you are!" At her anger, a blade of fire agate formed in her hand, starting as a liquid but forming into a dagger via some kind of telekinesis, solidifying in her hand.

He was intrigued, not intimidated. Crystal magic was this woman's specialty. A tad basic, but kind of respectable. He raised a hand to try and use his own magic, but he couldn't. What the hell had she done?

"This place is purified and protected. Dark magic can't be used here. I set the shields myself…in case you came back somehow, or in case of another magical threat" Cadence took a step, "you caused this family so much pain…".

Strange glared. "I don't even know who you-".

"You MURDERED my husband! First…you killed my Stephen. Then you put your disgusting, bloodstained, dark-hold corrupted hand on MY DAUGHTER, and now…you've led my children to believe that YOU are their father!" There was pain in her anger, an anger only a woman in absolute despair could have, "how much more pain are you going to inflict on this family?! Have we not suffered enough in your eyes?!"

He was taken aback. When did he ever kill a variant of himself that was-wait…Strange sighed and closed his eyes as it hit him. Four years ago, he faintly remembered a variant, one who did try to convince him that he had been happy, but not with Christine. He hadn't listened of course, so caught up in his own anger, sadness, and disappointment.

"How did you know it was me?" He asked.

Cadence hadn't moved but he could see her shaking in anger, tears in her eyes. "He linked our minds at the last minute, so I knew the truth. You killed my husband, and you got away with it too. No one believed me when I tried to tell them. I had to lie to my own children about what happened to him. Believe me, it was NOT for your benefit".

The urge to be an arrogant jackass, to say something smart, died before it became an entire thought. This woman hated him, despised him, and rightfully so. She was a still grieving widow and a mother. But still, her hatred couldn't hold a candle to his own, and this…this just further confirmed it. He had harmed far more people than he thought, not even just in his own universe. Perhaps a little vulnerability was necessary here, if not to save his skin then at least maybe ease some things between them.

"I would never ask you to do anything for my benefit. I've hurt you, I've hurt those kids, even if they don't know it. I'm sorry" he didn't like saying it, it felt wrong on his tongue. It felt artificial and unreal.

She was still trembling, hatred and sorrow in those blue orbs of hers. He found her beautiful in a way, a sort of feral, animalistic beauty. Watching her was like watching something right out of nature. Her eyes wild, her red hair like a fiery mane. She looked ready to kill, but yet…

"You don't have a killer bone in your body" he finally said, observing her.

"Try me" she dared him.

"Well, I'm right here. I can't use my power on you, I'm a sitting duck. So what's stopping you?".

Cadence knew deep down why. He looked different from her Stephen, and yet so similar in the face. She had to keep telling herself it wasn't him. This wasn't HER Stephen, but the man who killed him. But yet, it still felt like him and she couldn't deny that.

He tried not to look smug but he knew, and she knew he knew. "That's what I thought…".

Cadence was silently fuming. How dare this man, this monster, this…thing have the nerve to be a smug bastard about all this! Was this funny to him? Was he seriously getting off to it? The sooner they got him back to his universe, the better off she would be.

"I'll make damn sure you get sent back to that hellhole my daughter dragged you out of. Make no mistake about that! If you harm them, I absolutely will not hesitate to kill you. You overstep, you're gone. You may look like their father, but you will never, EVER, be their father! Do I make myself impeccably clear?!".

"So you're saying I can stay?" He asked, daring to take a step toward her.

She pressed the fire agate blade to his shoulder in an attempt to keep him from coming any closer. "For now. This doesn't make you their father. At all. Do you understand me?".

Strange wanted to fight back, wanted to tell her she was wrong. For all intents and purposes, he was the father of those twins. They were his now, whether she liked it or not. But with a blade at his shoulder and his power useless here, he had no choice but to comply. At least for now.

"I understand".

"Good…" she shrunk the blade back into her hand and stepped away from him, "the couch is yours, for now. Your magic may or may not be able to be used in the apartment. For us, magic is all about intent. Do no harm is the strictest rule in our house, so if I find out you hurt my kids-"

"I'm not going to hurt the kids. I have…an obligation to them, particularly to your daughter, and I'm not about to neglect that. But yes, let's keep these little" he looked mockingly thoughtful for a moment, "intimate moments to ourselves. No sense in dragging the kiddos into this".

"For once I agree…now, back upstairs. I'll grab the guest pillows" she walked away, slipping her glove back on as she swept past him.

"Are the seals in the entire apartment?" He asked, not turning to face her.

Cadence stopped mid step. "That's for me to know and for you to figure out. I'll only say the seals are the strongest down here".

He turned to finally face her on the stairs. Genuinely curious, Strange had to know. "Why do you have them? Surely you didn't anticipate me coming now did you?".

She cocked her head. "Again, that's for me to know…and you to find out. As the kids say these days, Fuck around and find out".

He couldn't stifle a wicked little laugh. "I see why he liked you. You've got a spine, but not spine enough".

"Took me years worth of trauma to get here but yes, that was one of the things he loved me for. Now get your ass upstairs. I'll be seeing what we can do about you later. Just because I'm letting you stay for now doesn't mean diddly squat. You're not, nor ever will be, their father".

He met her on the stairs, their eyes meeting and clashing. "We'll see about that".

Cadence rolled her eyes and went back up to the apartment. His arrogance knew no bounds, and it both hurt and annoyed her. Typical Stephen…

The apartment itself was rather small. The living room and kitchen were all in one area, meticulously separated by the black couch. The kitchen itself had little space but a lot of cabinets. There was a storage closet next to the kitchen, which was used as a pantry of sorts. The twins' room was to the left of the living room, and Cadence's to the right, opposite ends of the apartment. There was a bathroom down a small hall where there was a linen closet. He noticed there appeared to be a crystal in every corner of the apartment. He raised a brow as he caught on.

"The crystals are the seals, aren't they? Or you've grid them so it forms a protective barrier" he thought aloud.

Cadence emerged from the hall with a blanket and a pillow. "Yes, the crystals are part of the seal. Think of them as stakes holding the whole thing down and together".

"You sealed the entire house, because of me?".

"When are you ever going to learn this isn't just about you?" She rolled her eyes and set the stuff down.

Strange ignored the question, pressing one of his own. "Why crystal magic? Surely he taught you a lot more than this".

"It's just my specialty. I've been a crystal-mancer since I was ten. Whatever I can use them for, they bend to my will. I can both harm and heal with them. Just as I've always wanted to do".

"Wait, you're not one of those crazy parents who thinks crystal healing works right?".

Cadence raised a brow. "When I use it for healing, it actually does work. But no, I don't use crystal healing for everything. I'm not that crazy…though a part of me feels I should be".

"Do I dare ask you to elaborate?".

She shook her head. "Absolutely not, because you'll get no answers from me. Get your ass to bed. Kids have school in the morning. I have to make breakfast before they go in and after they go in I have to open the shop" Cadence turned to head to her room for the night.

"And what do you expect me to do in the meantime?".

She turned to him as she opened her door. "Stay your ass up here, make no noise and act like you don't exist. Good night" she answered and went in before he could retort.

He sat down, looking at her door and then blankly at the coffee table. After a minute he couldn't help but grin.

"Now I see why he liked her…".