Strange found it somewhat surprising America was so receptive to his dimension-hopping whims. Then she'd always run off to find the Human Torch, this world's Spider-Man, or that newer hero that Strange couldn't quite remember the name of and the surprise faded. They both had connections here. They shouldn't but they did.
The Baxter Building rippled into view as Strange and America stepped out of the breach. Immediately, America tried to hurry away. She was quick but the cloak was quicker, snagging her before she could make it even a couple steps away. She turned and shot Strange a betrayed look, making him chuckle. "The cloak's right. The staff probably don't want you just running around here."
"Screw the staff," America grumbled but fell in step alongside her guardian. "I guess I can stick with you. Maybe Christine knows where Johnny is."
"Bold of you to assume I'm here for Christine."
"Don't quote memes at me. And you're always here for Christine. You don't have to hide it."
He didn't but America knew way too much about his personal life, being his personal taxi driver to Earth 838 and all. He'd like to have some semblance of privacy, or at least professionalism. America was one of his students. She shouldn't be this casual with him, though he couldn't find it in himself to do anything about it. "Just don't wander off, kid. You know what? We're going to look for Mordo."
"Mordo? But you hate him!"
Not the word Strange would use but he could tell his decision was getting under America's skin. She had to know he was messing with her but the results were there so Strange kept walking. "He's the Sorcerer Supreme and has a massive task ahead of him rebuilding this world's elite of heroes. I want to keep an eye on him."
America opened her mouth then closed it again, pressing her lips together tightly. Strange watched her out of the corner of his eye as she mulled over her thoughts. She'd get there eventually. "You think-"
America was interrupted by a loud bark, the reverberations echoing through the building and cutting her off before she could complete the thought. Strange was on guard immediately. America too but Strange wasn't having that. In a heartbeat, he positioned himself in front of her protectively but it seemed it wasn't needed. Double doors flew open with telekinetic force. The Invisible Woman, Iron Man, and that mutant woman– Strange couldn't quite remember her name. Afterall, there weren't mutants in his world, at least not that he knew of– stormed out, leaving before Strange could make heads or tails of what had just happened. He reached out, ready to call out, only for a sling portal to begin forming in front of him.
Strange glanced down at his fingers, wondering if he did that, and nearly missed Mordo emerging from the room. He paused, eyeing Strange and America for the briefest of moments, before continuing on his path and continuing into the portal, vanishing from sight faster than Strange could process. He exchanged a glance with America, seeing his own confusion reflected on her face. "What just happened?"
"Sorry that you had to see that," a voice said and Strange looked into the room the others had come from to see that alien he'd been seeing hanging around the Baxter Building. The Silver Surfer, he could remember this one's name. It wasn't hard, given the guy's looks and all. Beside him was that large… pug? Bulldog? Strange wasn't really one for animals. He didn't know many dog breeds by look, and this one's size certainly wasn't helping. America would know but Strange didn't ask.
"Wha- what was that?" America asked, tripping over her words. Strange couldn't pinpoint why but she'd stepped out from behind him so he wasn't all that worried. Maybe she just found the Surfer and that dog creature off putting. Strange certainly did. Or maybe she just found them intimidating. They were Illuminati members afterall. The fact they were new didn't change that.
"Jean Grey called the Illuminati members to discuss what to do with Magneto," the Surfer explained. Strange's mind rang with familiarity at the name but he couldn't put a face to it. He was almost certain he'd spoken to him at the funeral. He'd met so many people that day. It was hard to remember them all. "We… Mutantkind has been very private. Even the humans among us don't have a very strong understanding of their affairs. It led to some heated discussion."
"You seem pretty calm," America pointed out. Strange sort of wanted to shush her but he was curious about what the Surfer had to say and America could probably keep him talking better than Strange could.
"I'm not without my faults. I'm not quick to anger but I'm displeased with what happened," the Surfer admitted. "I've been thinking about asking Nebula to stay with me and provide some support through dealing with these new Illuminati duties."
"Are you and Nebula together?" America asked almost abruptly. Now Strange really wanted to shush her but the Surfer didn't seem upset by the question.
"No," he answered but didn't elaborate. "I appreciate your concern for the Illuminati, travelers, but this is something we'll just have to work out in time."
That was a dismissal if Strange ever heard one. Putting a hand on America's shoulder, he gently began guiding her away. "I trust you'll do that. We have some people here in the Baxter Building we need to see. I hope you and, uh…"
"Lockjaw."
"...Lockjaw. I hope you and Lockjaw have luck in your future endeavors."
The Surfer nodded and turned to Lockjaw, quietly telling him something as Strange steered America out. She snickered quietly. "I hope you have luck in your future endeavors?"
"Oh, quiet. That was fine and you know it," Strange grumbled good naturedly. America raised an eyebrow at him, the single motion saying far more in this moment than any of her words could. Strange sighed. "Whatever. The Surfer's an alien and Lockjaw's a dog. Neither of them know better. Now go find the Human Torch and get out of my hair."
America found Spidey and the Torch lying on the floor with some strange relics she'd only seen in a few dimensions. Suddenly, she was a lot less confident this would be a fun visit. "Why are you guys reading newspapers?"
The boys look up at her, Johnny quickly returning to his skimming while Peter bounced up excitedly. "Newspapers make it easier to filter out the trolls and clickbait. So many of the articles online spend half of it explaining who the Illuminati are or speculate about people who have never even teamed up with the Fantastic Four."
It took America a moment to realize what he was talking about. "You're looking at who the public thinks is going to be the new member of the Four?"
"Yeah. A lot of people think She-Hulk is sticking around but I know she wants to go back to the Heroes For Hire once the Four decide who's going to-"
"You're here."
"What?"
"Why is She-Hulk still here when you're here?" America asked. "You don't have a usual team to return to and your skillset is way more similar to Dr. Richards' than hers."
Johnny looked up again, exchanging a long glance with Peter. "Why didn't we think of that? She's right. You're a perfect fit for the team!"
That wasn't really what America was getting at but Johnny had a point. She figured Spidey was in a better position to fill in than Jen but Spider-Man really would be a good fit for the Fantastic Four. Brilliant mind, adaptable powerset… Plus, he got along with the family swimmingly.
"We have to go talk to Sue!" Johnny said, leaping up and sending some newspapers flying. "That is, um, if you want to, Peter."
America refocused on Peter. Johnny was right. Even if Spider-Man was a good fit, it was all dependent on Peter. The boy was wide-eyed in surprise. America honestly couldn't tell what he was thinking right now. "I- um, yeah. That'd be amazing. But I'm still in school and I've got my Stark Internship…"
"You know Sue's all into education. She's not going to complain about that," Johnny pointed out. "And she already likes you anyway. Like America said, you're already here. Way less stressful for her and Ben and the kids if it's someone we already you than someone like… I don't know, Ms. Marvel."
"You were thinking about asking Carol Danvers to join the Four?" America asked in surprise.
"What? No. That's Captain Marvel. Ms. Marvel's our age. She's kinda stretchy but she's got powers like Sue too. Kind of in theme for the Four, you know? There aren't really any heroes that know her all that well though so we were feeling kind of iffy."
"That'd be pretty weird," Peter agreed, getting to his feet. "I'll- I'll do it. Or, um, we can talk to Sue about it. I want to know what she thinks first."
"Alright!" Johnny cheered and burst into flames. Leaving his hands fireless, he grabbed Peter and America and began pulling them down the hall. "Come on, come on!"
"Wait, I think she's talking with Wanda," Peter protested but there was a laugh in his voice. Hadn't Stephen wanted to talk to Wanda? The thought passed through America's mind but Johnny was tugging her along too quickly for her to realize she should say something until she heard voices down the hall.
"...consider?"
"When I was younger, maybe," Wanda's soft voice admitted. "I probably could have benefitted from some training before hitting the battlefield but I don't plan on fighting any more anytime soon. I just want to focus on my family."
"I can respect that," Stephen responded and America could tell he was being honest.
"What if one of your kids gets your powers? Or both?" Sue jumped in. "Franklin and Valerie are showing signs of it and neither Reed or I even have the enhanced X gene. You already know it runs strong in your family."
"We'll- we can cross that bridge when we come to it," Wanda answered, sounding somewhat forced. The next part was too quiet for America to hear and she suddenly realized Johnny had stopped pulling on her hand awhile ago, the trio pausing just in front of the cracked door.
Johnny offered his friends a gentle smile. "We can ask later. It sounds like they're busy."
Peter and America nodded in agreement. "Yeah. We have all the time in the world."