This is the end of "Doctor Strange." I'm surprised it only lasted two chapters, but they're longer than usual and I started partway through the movie. Mind you, there ARE some timeline changes here! I'm placing "Spider-Man: Homecoming" during the same time as "Doctor Strange." it gives Tony something to distract himself from Jess for a bit and for the ending of this chapter to happen ;)
And I will probably be updating more on other stuff after this week. The holidays mean I'm working five days a week all overnight shifts, so time to focus on writing stuff is limited. Sorry about that!
But please enjoy and let me know what you think. I'm pretty sure I broke Jess at the end there. Her mind sort of short-circuited with what happened, haha :D
"Jess. Jess!"
I wearily opened my eyes, seeing Strange hovering over me in slight concern that I hadn't expected from him.
"Are we leaving?" I questioned, pushing myself up slowly and allowing Christine to take out my IV.
"After we get your wound stitched."
I shook my head, waving him off. "It's fine. I cauterized it. Just need it bandaged."
"Cauterized it?" Christine questioned and I sighed as she grabbed bandages.
"It's really a long story," I mumbled as Strange took my seat and turned away so I could pull off the right side of my robes for Christine.
She sucked in a surprised gasp at my scars, from the jagged whip marks to far older ones from my father. I didn't react, used to the surprise others expressed when seeing what I'd gone through, and it only reminded me how grateful I was for Tony, who didn't mind them. I'll definitely have a lot to explain when I get back and I owe him a lot.
"What… Sorry," Christine apologized, starting to bandage me up. "I shouldn't pry."
"It's fine... My father was abusive," I hummed, finally starting to come to terms with my past with Tony's help. "The big ones are from the trouble I've gotten into. I… heal easier now, so they don't leave scars as often."
"I'm… sorry. About your father."
"He was a piece of work, but he's gone. My boyfriend has been helping me move past it," I hummed, beginning to miss Tony and his quips.
Damn, and it's only been a few days. Since when am I so needy?
"You must really like him," she commented with a hint of sadness.
Probably because she likes Strange… "He has his moments, but yeah. I owe him a lot."
She finished and I stood, inhaling deeply and letting it out, feeling better already. Now, if only it were over. I don't have to help, but I'd feel terrible if I left now. This is a threat to the world too, and—technically—I'm an Avenger. I ran a hand through my hair and headed over to haul Strange to his feet.
"Shall we?" I hummed, earning a look from him.
His mind had been trailing after the same thoughts as mine. "You don't have to come. You don't even use the mystic arts. This isn't your responsibility."
"Believe it or not, it very much is," I grumbled, before cracking a smirk. "I've got more experience than you in this aspect, so don't you think I'm about to ditch you to deal with this alone."
"Are you always this stubborn?" He complained as we stepped out and back into the hall with Christine behind us. "Your boyfriend has his work cut out for him."
I snorted. "Trust me, I'm usually keeping him out of trouble. This is a first for me."
"Where are you going?" Christine asked us then. "Just tell me the truth."
Strange and I exchanged glances before he gave in. "Well, a powerful sorcerer, who gave himself over to an ancient entity who can bend the very laws of physics, tried very hard to kill us, but we left him chained up in Greenwich Village, and the quickest way back there is through a dimensional gateway that I opened up in the mop closet. That I now have to reopen."
She blinked. "Okay. Don't tell me. Fine."
He sighed but stood on his own as we entered the storage room and with a bit of magic, he reopened the portal. I stepped through first, cautiously searching for the man we'd escaped from and seeing no signs. It gave Strange a chance to say goodbye and when he came up beside me, he began the questions—his red cloak back over his shoulders.
"So, explain. You lost an arm and grew it back, and the kind of training that you have isn't normal. Who are you, Jess? Really?"
"Well, I'm something a bit more surprising than your little magic problem. I'm actually surprised you haven't guessed it yet. But basically—"
I was cut off by a familiar voice shouting at us from across the room.
"Strange! Jess! You're okay!" Mordo said in relief.
"A relative term, but yeah. We're okay," Strange said, and Mordo eyed him in surprise.
"The Cloak of Levitation. It came to you."
Strange glanced at the cloak, not seeing why it was a big deal until the Ancient One stepped in.
"No minor feat. It's a fickle thing," she complimented.
"He escaped," Strange informed them, glancing at the metal bindings we'd left Kaecilius in.
"Kaecilius?"
"Yeah. He can fold space and matter at will."
"He folds matter outside the mirror dimension? In the real world?" The Ancient One said in shock, letting me know that what he'd done wasn't supposed to have been possible.
"Yeah."
"How many more?"
"Two. I stranded one in the desert."
"And the other?"
"Escaped with him," I answered. "He might have come after us, but I made sure Strange closed the portal before he could."
"Master Drumm is in the foyer," Strange added solemnly.
"He's been taken back to Kamar-Taj," Mordo replied as the Ancient One began to explain.
"The London Sanctum has fallen. Only New York and Hong Kong remain now to shield us from the Dark Dimension. You defended the New York Sanctum from attack. With its Master gone, it needs another, Master Strange."
"No. It is Doctor Strange. Not Master Strange, not Mr. Strange, Doctor Strange," Strange said sharply, and I wisely kept my mouth shut.
This was between him and them. It was his choice to decide what he was going to do, and while I felt he had a sense of justice that would make him a good person to assist in this mess, I could see where he was becoming conflicted.
"When I became a doctor, I swore an oath to do no harm. And I now have the power to kill a man! I'm not doing that. I became a doctor to save lives, not take them."
"You become a doctor to save one life above all others: your own," the Ancient One declared, making him scoff.
"Still seeing through me, are you?"
"I see what I've always seen: your over-inflated ego. You want to go back to the delusion that you can control anything, even death, which no one can control. Not even the great Doctor Stephen Strange."
"Not even Dormammu? He offers immortality."
"It's our fear of death that gives Dormammu life. He feeds off it."
"Like you feed on him? You talk to me about controlling death. Well, I know how you do it. I've seen the missing rituals from The Book of Cagliostro," Strange threatened.
"Measure your next words very carefully, doctor."
"Because you might not like them?"
"Because you may not know of what you speak."
"What is he talking about?" Mordo asked and I shifted uneasily.
Strange was letting his emotions rule his head and I knew better than anyone what that could cause.
"I'm talking about her long life, the source of her immortality. She draws power from the Dark Dimension to stay alive."
"That's not true."
"I've seen the rituals and worked them out. I know how you do it."
"Strange, stop," I finally jumped in, not willing to let this continue. "Let it go."
"She's asking me to fight against the very same power she herself is using, and you don't think that's wrong?"
"I think that people have reasons for making poor decisions that go against their morals, and it's not up to you to condemn her before you know her reasons. Right now, there's a bigger problem than a good person making a poor decision. You should just be glad she's on our side for the moment and calm down."
He frowned, but let out a huff, going quiet for now as the Ancient One gave me a grimace of a smile and pat my shoulder briefly, handing me the backpack that I'd left in Nepal.
"Thank you, but you should calm as well, Jess. You're steaming."
I brushed a hand under my nose, which had begun to let out steam, and sniffed. "Sorry. Still working on managing it."
"Once they regroup, the zealots will be back. You'll need reinforcements," the Ancient One murmured, stepping out as Mordo went to confront Strange, but I grabbed his arm and stopped him with a shake of my head.
"Leave it. Infighting is only going to make things worse. If he's right, then I'm sure there's a reason behind it. For now, let's just focus on the problems directly ahead of us."
There was a rumble and we all turned.
"They're back," Mordo murmured, sending us all running for the stairs where Kaecilius was summoning something with his underlings.
"We have to end this. Now!" Mordo shouted and we all hopped the railing and rushed down at the three. Mordo knocked away one underling while I ditched my pack and grabbed the other throwing him across the room with a quick summon of heat that only seemed to cooperate when I was desperate or angry.
"Strange! Get down here and fight!" Mordo shouted and I looked up to see Strange just hovering at the top of the stairs.
Come on, Strange. Realize what you have to do. That there's no real choice. You help, or the world could be in danger. Christine, the hospital, you. I grunted as an underling tackled me, slamming me into a pillar just as Kaecilius went to destroy the sanctum. His large orb of power dissipated though, the same moment my stomach flipped and twisted uneasily.
"The mirror dimension," Strange announced. "You can't affect the real world in here. Who's laughing now, asshole."
Kaecilius smirked. "I am."
With a wave of his hands, the entire room shifted and Strange swooped down as Mordo helped me run out with him.
"Well, I've got his sling ring. They can't escape, right?" Strange offered, but Mordo turned.
"Run!"
We took off running again, dodging cars on the road until the reality shifted again.
"Their connection with the dark dimension makes them more powerful in the mirror dimension," Mordo explained. "They can't affect the real world, but they can still kill us. This wasn't cleverness. It was suicide."
"My stomach's about to commit suicide all over the pavement," I groaned out, doubled over and resisting the urge to vomit, only to be tugged forward into a run once more.
Kaecilius was running after us and Strange struggled to get a portal open, only for the world to suddenly tip on its side. We hit a bus before righting ourselves and running up the side of a skyscraper. Which honestly isn't the best idea because it limits our escape routes, but something's wrong with me in this place. It's like my body is trying to turn itself inside out. Strange opened another portal, but the ground wobbled underneath us, breaking his concentration and closing it once more as Kaecilius flipped the skyscraper on end, sending us falling towards the ground. We somehow managed to land on our feet as the world tore itself apart and twisted in front of us in a way that made my already aching stomach nearly upturn itself completely.
"This was a mistake," Strange finally realized and I shot him a glare.
"No shit, Sherlock."
The skyscraper flipped, throwing us down into a seemingly never-ending free fall, only for us to slam into a set of railed fire escapes, getting separated. Most were going after Strange and I cursed, fighting to not only catch up to him to help but also keep from falling to my death or getting sick. Kaecilius tacked Strange, pinning him down and pulling out one of his spears, only for me to growl—body heating up as I threw myself down on top of him and Strange was pulled away. Kaecilius jerked, swinging his blade around and nicking my side, but the injury healed with a hiss of steam as I wrapped my arm around his neck in a chokehold and held two super-heated fingers to his jugular.
"Give me a reason," I growled, sweat running down my temple as my stomach made my arms quake slightly.
This mirror dimension was really doing a number on me. The world shifted again though, everything rearranging itself as the Ancient One entered the fight and provided a platform for us all—putting space between Mordo and Strange, and Kaecilius and his men.
"It's true," Mordo murmured in disbelief. "She does draw power from the dark dimension.
I flipped up and over Kaecilius when his minions went after my back, also adding space between us before promptly turning green.
"S-Shit!" I cursed, rushing to the end of the platform and vomiting over the side with a groan. "I-I so fucking hate this place."
"Stephen," the Ancient One called out. "Take Jess and get out of here. Her body isn't capable of being in the mirror dimension for long. She's physically rejecting the dimension."
Stephen hesitated but realized he couldn't make a portal because Kaecilius stole his sling ring, settling for just moving to my side protectively should any of Kaecilius' men take this chance to harm me.
"I came to you broken, lost, in need, trusted you to be my teacher, and you fed me lies," Kaecilius said, pacing as he eyed the Ancient One and drawing our attention to them.
"I tried to protect you."
"From the truth?"
"From yourself."
"I have a new teacher now."
"Dormammu deceives you. You have no idea what he truly is. His eternal life is not paradise, but torment."
"Liar," Kaecilius hissed and he moved forward with his men as I tried to push myself to my feet to help.
Strange kept a hold of my arm though as she fought, very obviously more used to this space than Kaecilius and having the upper hand even with it being three on one.
"We need to help," I muttered.
"Help?" Strange questioned in disbelief. "With that?"
The Ancient One knocked all three back without effort and I hesitated for a moment. Strange had a point. I was basically useless in this dimension and while we also had him and Mordo, it was apparent what neither had the skills to be very helpful in this situation. We were more likely to get in the way. It didn't stop the hint of unease that stirred in my stomach—or was I going to vomit again? Then, my fears were confirmed when Kaecilius attacked her once more, killing his own underling to get a shot in on the Ancient One. I spotted the portal before the others, jerking my arm out of Strange's grip as Kaecilius kicked the Ancient one through the portal hundreds of feet in the air over New York.
I hated the feeling of free-falling after her but jabbed at my wrist. Come on, come on! Metal wrapped around me and a familiar helmet covered my face.
"Friday, tell Tony, and I'm turning your voice into that of a child!"
"Tetchy," the AI complained, having more sass than Jarvis, but willingly shutting down the alert system before my suit could alert Tony it was being used.
I caught the Ancient One and cringed when I crashed through a glass skylight. My knees buckled when I hit the ground, startling passersby as Strange and Mordo hurried over in shock.
"Surprise," I grumbled at their stunned looks. "Hospital?"
"T-This way," Strange replied, leading the way as I removed the blue Iron Man suit the moment the coast was clear. "You're Iron Man?"
I groaned, willingly handing the Ancient One over to the nurses with a stretcher in front of the hospital. "I'm dating Iron Man, and trust me, it's not easy."
Strange couldn't believe this woman. The person who'd been his teacher, given him a reason to live was floating her astral body away from him and stopping on the edge of the hospital roof while her body was dying on the operating table.
"You have to return to your body now. You don't have time," Strange tried to get her to understand.
"Time is relative. Your body hasn't even hit the floor yet," she countered as streaks of lightning stretched across the sky. "I've spent so many years peering through time, looking at this exact moment, but I can't see past it. I've prevented countless, terrible futures. And after each one, there's always another and they all lead here, but never further."
"You think this is where you die," Strange concluded.
"You wonder what I see in your future?"
"No."
She smiled at him and he bowed his head, knowing she could see right through him.
"Yes," he corrected.
"I never saw your future, only its possibilities. You have such a capacity for goodness. You always excelled, but not because you craved success but because of your fear of failure."
"That's what made me a great doctor."
"It's precisely what kept you from greatness. Arrogance and fear still keep you from learning the simplest and most significant lesson of all."
"Which is?"
"It's not about you," she said, looking back to the sky. "When you first came to me, how I was able to heal Jonathan Pangborn. I didn't. He channels dimensional energy directly into his own body."
"He uses magic to walk?"
"Constantly. He had a choice. To return to his own life or to serve something greater than himself."
"So, I could have my hands back again?" Strange asked hopefully. "My old life?"
"You could. And the world would be all the lesser for it." She shot him a look. "It's a shame Jess wasn't around for long before this happened. She might have taught you what you needed to know better than I could."
Strange scoffed. "She doesn't even use the mystic arts."
"No, but she's suffered just as much, if not more than you have."
Strange frowned. "She said you couldn't see her past."
"I can't, but I've gotten to know her. We shared tea quite often. Surely, you questioned our relationship."
"Well…"
The Ancient One cracked a smirk. "She is a powerful woman, but very, very broken. It is only recently that she's begun to fill those cracks in, and only with the help of another."
"What about her future?"
"Unknown, even to me. It's possible that my meeting her may be the reason why I can't see past this point. She is… wrong in the sense that she does not belong here. As you saw, the mirror dimension rejects her quite violently. She is someone that not even the strongest psychic would be able to understand because her very presence is one that has no actual place in this world."
"She's… not from this universe? Is that what you're saying? That's impossible."
"Improbable, perhaps, but very much possible. Just as a being like Dormammu is capable of existing and we are able to pass between dimensions using the mirror and dark dimensions. She may have just slipped through a crack," she shrugged. "Either way, she is capable of things no one will foresee. But she knows something you don't. She understands that no one person is at the center of it all, even with her capabilities." The Ancient One chuckled. "And she does her very best to ensure others understand this as well, which is why I pushed her in your direction."
"Gee, thanks," Strange grumbled as her smile faltered.
"I've hated drawing power from the dark dimension, but as you well know, sometimes one must break the rules in order to serve the greater good."
"Mordo won't see it that way," Strange informed her.
"Mordo's soul is rigid and unmovable, forged by the fires of his youth. He needs your flexibility just as you need his strength, and together, you'll need Jess's guidance. Only together do you stand a chance of stopping Dormammu."
"I'm not ready," Strange admitted.
"No one ever is. We don't get to choose our time." She took his hand. "Death is what gives life meaning. To know your days are numbers, your time is short."
Strange scoffed. "Jess said something like that earlier."
"She would. She understands that more than most people." She went quiet for a second. "You'd think after all this time, I'd be ready, but look at me. Stretching one moment out into a thousand… just so that I can watch the snow."
She let go of Strange's hand and when he went to look over, she was gone.
I glanced up to the sky, standing outside the hospital, unable to stay in there for long after the multitude of times I'd experienced terrible things within them. Rain splatter across the pavement in front of me and I felt as though someone had placed a hand on my shoulder, but I knew there was no one there.
Watch over him for me.
"I'll do my best… until this is over, anyway," I murmured, knowing I had my own childish idiot I had to go back to. "And he won't be pleased."
"Ready?" Strange called out then, making me turn with a hum, seeing the forced mask of indifference plastered onto his face.
We stepped back inside, and he led me to the storage room where he'd had us come in the first time, pausing before he opened a portal.
"She mentioned you."
"Only good things, I hope," I replied, trying not to dwell in the passing of someone I'd lost just yet.
I'll have my chance, but right now, it has to wait.
"She said you weren't from this world," he clarified, making me wince.
"So, people keep telling me," I muttered, holding my hands up in surrender. "And I have no idea what that means other than my being a bit more unpredictable to those who can see the future. I'm just as confused about it as you are."
He eyed me for a moment. "And you're dating Iron Man?"
I snorted. "You want the long and the short of it? Sure. I'm dating Tony Stark and have been for years. Used to be his lawyer, then business partner, and now I'm an Avenger. Or, babysitter of the Avengers."
"And the whole arm thing?"
"Business rival was testing out an explosive form of cell regeneration. Literally explosive, mind you and he thought taking me hostage and doping me up with it would piss Tony off. It did, but we beat him, and Tony helped me make it more manageable and less 'walking grenade.' Doesn't always cooperate, but it worked out when he chopped my arm off. That was definitely new."
"How are you so calm by this?" He accused, frowning and I let my humor fall.
"I spent probably the first third of my life with an abusive father trying the kill me every day, only to have to fight to get the job I wanted despite partial blindness in one eye and being a woman from that kind of background. Then, I end up finally finding someone who accepts me for who I am, but he's a walking trouble magnet superhero with an ego the size of a dwarf planet. So, life or death situations have started to become a bit commonplace for me. Aliens falling out of the sky, killer machines, enhanced people who can turn into giants or move things with their minds. I hate to say it, but other than your mystic magic skills, I've got the most experience between you and Mordo and a damn conscious that refuses to let me walk away from this sort of shit."
Strange was quiet for a moment before cracking a hint of a smile. "Glad to have you aboard."
"Don't get snarky with me. I get enough of that from Tony," I drawled with a roll of my eyes as he opened up the portal to where Mordo was waiting for us. "Besides, she told me to take care of you… Can't just ignore that."
"…Thank you," he muttered, stepping through with me on his heels and giving Mordo the bad news. "She's dead."
"You were right," Mordo murmured, defeated. "She wasn't who I thought she was."
"She was complicated."
"Complicated?" Mordo lifted his arms in a shrug. "The dark dimension is volatile, dangerous. What if it overtook her? She taught us it was forbidden while she drew on its power to steal centuries of life."
"She did what she thought was right," Strange defended.
"The bill comes due, don't you see? Her transgressions led the zealots to Dormammu. Kaecilius was her fault! And here we are in the consequence of her deception. A world on fire."
"Are you done?" I questioned, a bit miffed with Mordo and his way of thinking at the moment. "Seriously, I've dealt with a lot of adults who act like children, but you take the cake."
"Excuse me?"
"Kaecilius is his own fault. No one can control the actions of another, and she did only what she thought was best for him. If he didn't see it that way, it's nobody's fault but his. And you know what?" I stepped towards him, eyes narrowed in annoyance. "Yes, she was your teacher and teachers lie to protect their students. It's just what they do because they don't want their students making the same mistakes they did. That's all it was, a mistake, and she knew that and regretted it every second."
"You don't know anything."
"Really? You think you're the only one who's been hurt by someone you trusted with your life? I trusted my father for the first ten years of my life and then he was trying to kill me every day. This? This is nothing. This is someone who made a mistake, regretted it, and wanted to ensure that those under her protection didn't do the same. Then, some idiot decided that—like you—he was upset about it and chose to play with the dark dimension just to spite her. Is that what you want? Yes, she hurt you but God. Is that really all she did? She helped you when you needed it most. Took you in, taught you what she knew. You are a better person because of her and now you want to just turn your back on her because she didn't want to hurt you?"
Strange grabbed my shoulder, pulling his hand back with a wince and shaking it off, but letting me know I was getting a little heated—in more ways than one. So, as I cooled down, he spoke with the conflicted Mordo.
"The London Sanctum has fallen, Mordo. The New York one has been attacked twice. You know where they're going next."
"Hong Kong," Mordo responded.
"You told me once to fight like my life depended on it because one day it might. Well, today is that day. I cannot defeat them alone."
"And what am I? Chopped liver?" I huffed under my breath.
Strange rolled his eyes and opened up a portal to the Hong Kong Sanctum, where we hurried through only to find absolute chaos.
"The sanctum's already fallen," Strange murmured as people rushed past and we looked up at the dark violet clouds that were beginning to take over.
"The dark dimension. Dormammu is coming."
"Yeah, well, we've got others coming too," I informed them, spotting Kaecilius and his group heading towards us.
"It's too late. Nothing can stop him," Mordo breathed out and I shot Strange a look.
"Can't you do something?" I asked, gesturing to him. "Turn back time with your magic?"
"We're not supposed to mess with the natural laws!" Mordo argued.
"Yeah? Well, tell me this, smart guy. If we don't, what's to stop the world from falling into the dark dimension? Is that what you want? Because right now, that's our choice. Let the world fall or break a rule to save it."
"She's right," Strange said, making the hand signs he needed to start as Kaecilius noticed and rushed forward to stop him.
I stepped between him and the man and grabbing Kaecilius' arm—stopping the clouded blade from touching Strange as he finished his spell. Then, I felt a sort of tugging sensation and blinked as I was locked out of the spell and able to watch as Strange made all the destruction flow in reverse.
"The spell's working. We've got a second chance!" Strange replied as we hurried past Kaecilius, but I saw his image twist and split.
"Don't get too hopeful! Kaecilius is breaking out of the spell!"
Strange dodged a flying bit of metal with the help of his cape before I jumped forward—grabbing Kaecilius' leg that he'd tried to kick Strange with.
"Forget about me?" I questioned, my suit wrapping around me once more with a hint of steam as my heat began to flow through me and I threw Kaecilius away.
"Thanks," Strange said and I hummed, dodging around a yellow barrel that flew past to return to its place.
I grabbed Strange as well, helping him out and snapping my arm up to stop another swing from Kaecilius. "You're really starting to get annoying."
"What are you?"
"Get with the times, old man. I'm an Avenger."
I slammed him to the ground only to have to let him go in order to duck around a car flying back to its place. It was almost scary to watch whole buildings put themselves back together and people who'd died get put back in place before their death. Dust began to cloud everything, and I sighed.
"Friday use heat signatures until the dust clears."
"Of course."
I spotted Kaecilius before Strange even had the chance to realize he was in danger and I groaned, grabbing the man by the throat from behind and pinning him to a wall as it was repairing itself.
"Stay put and stop being stupid. You're not going to win against me."
"Wong!" Strange called out, said man having been impaled and buried under rubble during his fight with Kaecilius before we'd shown up.
Now, he was whole once more and blinking in surprise when Strange pulled him out of the spell as well.
"Breaking the laws of nature, I know." Strange rolled his eyes as Wong looked back to where he'd been impaled.
"Well, don't stop now." Wong looked to me then and I flipped open my helmet.
"Hey."
"Nice suit."
"Yeah, it's a bonus for dating Iron Man."
"When the sanctum's restored, they'll attack it again," Strange informed us as the sanctum at the center of the area began to reform. "We've got to defend it. Come on."
We rushed forward, only to turn when Kaecilius pulled himself from the wall and slammed a fist into the ground, throwing waves towards us and knocking Strange down. I lucked out, having been able to hover over the waves, and I helped pull Strange to his feet.
"Come on, Strange. This isn't over yet."
His spell had been broken, leaving the world around us paused as the others got to their feet as well and Kaecilius approached.
"You can't fight the inevitable. Isn't it beautiful?" Kaecilius looked up at the dark dimension. "A world beyond time. Beyond death."
I glanced back, hearing Friday in my ear.
"I can't get any readings on this, boss. It's unscannable to my sensors."
"Yeah, well, it's not a part of this dimension," I muttered under my breath, eyeing the darkened sky above with a furrow of my brows.
Strange suddenly took off towards the dimension, stunning Mordo and me.
"He's gone," Kaecilius hummed. "Even Strange has left you and surrendered to his power."
"No, that's not what this is," I murmured from beside Mordo, drawing his attention to me. "He has a plan. I could go after him, but leaving you two here with them—"
"We'll be fine. Go."
"I might not be of much help to him. I'm sort of out of my element here."
Mordo shook his head. "If you're right… If he has a plan, then it's best not to leave him alone. You're the only one who can go after him. Go."
I sighed. "Let's just hope I don't reject this dimension as bad as the mirror one."
I jumped up, flipping my helmet back down and flying up after Strange. The dark dimension was definitely odd. There were molecules the size of small planets floating around and gaseous clouds everywhere. Friday actually flickered out once I was far enough in. And when I spotted Strange, I landed on a planet just out of sight. I didn't want to interfere in what he had planned unless needed. I saw him use the Infinity Stone for something before a huge eye appeared and he stepped forward to face a monstrous figure.
"Dormammu, I've come to bargain."
Bargain with what, you idiot! I mentally complained, glancing between him and the giant as it smirked.
"You've come to die. Your world is now my world, like all worlds."
Spears of rock flew at Strange and I was tempted to rush in and help as he dodged and deflected them, but that damn stone. I could sense it from here, telling me to trust him and so I grit my teeth and stayed ducked behind the rock I was on. Then, he was blasted by a ray from Dormammu only for his shield to falter and him to get evaporated.
"No," I breathed out, shocked and feeling my heart fall at knowing I was here and could have saved him but didn't based on some feeling from a rock.
Dormammu's gaze shifted to where I was hidden, but I was stunned to see Strange fly down again, unarmed. It was as if what happened hadn't occurred as he repeated.
"Dormammu, I've come to bargain."
Dormammu began to repeat his own previous words. "You've come to die. Your world is now my… What is this? Illusion?"
"No, this is real."
"Good."
Strange was impaled by spears only to appear again. "Dormammu, I've come to bargain."
"You've… What is happening?"
A question for us all. Is he… in a time loop? I wondered.
"Just as you gave Kaecilius powers from your dimension, I've brought a little power from mine. This is time. Endless looped time," Strange said, holding up his arm where green spell circles spun around.
Oh, you cheeky son of a bitch. I shook my head with a small smirk, only for it to fall. But that means…
Strange was crushed before reappearing.
"You cannot do this forever," Dormammu growled.
"Actually, I can. This is how things are now. You and me, trapped in this moment endlessly."
"Then you will spend eternity dying."
"Yes, but everyone on earth will live."
"But you will suffer."
"Pain's an old friend."
Goddammit. It's like Tony all over again. Self-sacrificing bastards, but there's nothing I can do here. Strange only put himself in the time loop. I go down there, and I could die. I can't stop this. I can only be here to witness it. My heart ached as I watched Strange die again and again and again. Dormammu was getting more and more frustrated and while I knew that's what Strange's end goal was, it still hurt to see him dying like that. He won't sleep well ever again, will he? I mused, wincing and turning away for a moment as Dormammu roared and knocked him down.
"You will never win," he growled.
"No, but I can lose again and again and again and again forever. And that makes you my prisoner."
"No! Stop! Make this stop! Set me free!"
"No. I've come to bargain," Strange said once more, and finally Dormammu got the hint.
"What do you want?"
"Take your zealots from the Earth. End your assault on my world. Never come back. Do it, and I'll break the loop."
Dormammu begrudgingly agreed and I flew out from my hiding place, coming up beside Strange and hitting him hard upside the head.
"Ow!" He complained, eyes going wide as he saw who it was. "Jess?"
"You and I are going to have a talk about this."
"You're not my mother," he grumbled with a roll of his eyes.
"Oh, trust me. At this point, I'm everyone's mother." I huffed. "Honestly, I just can't catch a break with you lot."
We started to leave the dimension and Strange gave me a look.
"How long were you…"
"The whole time," I muttered, shooting him a glare. "And you owe me for the amount of stress I just went through watching you do something so stupid like that."
He winced. "You didn't have to come after me."
"Like I was going to let you run off on your own," I grumbled.
"You could have. I would have been fine."
"And alone," I pressed, shooting him a look before turning away. "I was worried, you moron."
He went quiet for a moment before muttering a response. "Thank you."
"We're friends, aren't we?" I grinned, nudging him a bit. "You're not going to get rid of me that easy."
We landed behind Kaecilius and his group, making him turn.
"What have you done?"
"I made a bargain."
"What is this?" Kaecilius asked as his body began to crackle.
"Well, it's uh, it's everything you ever wanted. Eternal life as part of the one. You're not gonna like it."
The group twisted and jerked into black, charred creatures before flying up into the dark dimension.
"Yeah, you know, you really should have stolen the whole book because the warnings… the warnings come after the spells," Strange joked, and Wong burst into laughter, stunning us all.
"That's funny."
"Remind me to get you a book of puns for your birthday," I mused and Strange shook his head before finishing off the spell, returning the Hong Kong Sanctum and life back to normal.
"We did it," Wong hummed, pleased as we started for the sanctum, but Mordo didn't look pleased.
"Yes. Yes, we did it by also violating the natural law.
"Look around you. It's over," Strange pressed.
"You still think there will be no consequences, Strange? No price to pay? We broke our rules just like her. The bill comes due. Always! A reckoning."
"Rules are made because of mistakes," I pressed, removing my suit and eyeing him. "Somebody does something and society says they don't want it to happen again, so they make a rule to prevent it. They're generalized because nobody can predict something like this happening, where there may need to be an exception to the rule. And sure, maybe something will happen because of what we did today, but for the moment, we saved the Earth from being taken over by the dark dimension in the only way possible. And, sure, maybe there was a different way, but unless you can tell me what that way was, I don't see how we can't be happy we succeeded right now at this moment. And we'll handle the bill when it gets here."
Mordo frowned, conflicted, before shaking his head. "I can follow this path no longer. I'm sorry."
He turned and disappeared into the crowd as I squeezed Strange's shoulder.
"It's his choice, and it's not like we didn't try."
He grunted in confirmation as we headed into the Hong Kong Sanctum.
I yawned, stretching my arms over my head and wearing my old clothes and not the drab grey robes I'd been given to wear in the sanctum in Nepal. It'd only been a few days since what happened, but we'd all needed rest and to get our injuries treated. I was planning on leaving to return to my vacation now that all the craziness had subsided but wanted to bid the others a farewell even though Strange and Wong had offered to let me stay in the sanctum while I was in Nepal. I'd followed the feeling of the Infinity Stone—knowing Strange had yet to take it off and it would lead me right to him—only to find him lightly placing it back on its stand.
"Wise choice," Wong said. "You'll wear the Eye of Agamotto once you've mastered its powers. Until then, best not to walk the streets wearing an Infinity Stone."
"So, you do know what it is?" I hummed, wandering in behind him and earning a small nod.
"A what?" Strange questioned.
"You might have a gift for the mystic arts, but you still have much to learn," Wong sighed as I leaned over and gave the necklace a fond touch with my finger, making it open briefly and close.
"How did you—"
"I've got a sort of… connection with the Infinity Stones," I replied, shrugging at their probing gazes. "Trust me, I don't understand it either."
"So, you've seen others?" Wong asked.
"Two others. One sent back to the planet it came from before it touched Earth and the other… well, that's a bit complicated, but it's as safe as it can get, I suppose. Neither were really pleasant, so I'll miss this one."
"You can… talk to them?"
"I can feel them," I corrected. "One stone was curious about me, the other rejected my very existence and hated me. This one is actually fond, which is new. Not pleased to be stuck back on its pedestal, but it had fun."
"You just get stranger and stranger," Wong murmured with a shake of his head, before looking up at the globe above us. "Word of the Ancient One's death will spread through the multiverse. Earth has no sorcerer supreme to defend it. We must be ready."
"We'll be ready," Strange confirmed and Wong opened the door to the New York Sanctum, disappearing into it as Strange gave me a look.
"You coming?"
"I've got a trip up Everest," I shrugged. "Since you're in New York though, feel free to drop me a call sometime. We can have tea."
He snorted at that—tea drinking being something we'd both gotten used to with the Ancient One. "I thought you lived in California."
"Blown up. Between Tony and Avengers and all that, New York is getting more familiar by the day. I'm pretty sure we've moved in. Now, go on." I waved him off. "Go have fun doing magic, Harry Potter. I've got a mountain to walk up in shorts."
"Actually," he stopped me, making me turn with a raised brow. "I've got a meeting with someone you might know in the next couple of days. Mind dropping in?"
"How many days?"
"Eh, a week?"
I sighed. "Yeah, yeah. I'll be there, so long as Tony doesn't find out."
"Thanks, Jess."
"Yeah, shut up, Stephen," I snickered, walking out with a wave over my shoulder as he disappeared through the door.
"So, Earth has wizards now, huh?"
"Tea?" Strange offered and Thor lifted his cup with a small grimace.
"I don't drink tea."
"What do you drink?"
"Here," Jess sighed, switching out Thor's teacup with a large mug of beer.
Thor beamed. "You know me so well, Jess."
Jess rolled her eyes, sipping the tea she'd taken. "Don't butter me up just for a spar, Thor. You know Tony isn't supposed to know I'm here."
"Just a short one? No one will have to know."
"No," she pressed as Strange tried to get them back on task.
"So, I keep a watch list of individuals and beings from other realms that may be a threat to this world. And your adopted brother, Loki, is one of those beings."
"Worthy inclusion," Thor mused, finishing off his beer only for the glass to refill itself, much to his surprise.
Looks like someone else is buttering someone up, Jess mused shaking her head subtly as Strange continued.
"Yeah, so why bring him here to New York?"
"It's a bit of a long story. Family drama, that kind of thing, but we're looking for my father."
Jess turned with a frown. "Odin?"
Thor nodded.
"So, if you found Odin, you'd all return to Asgard promptly?" Strange pressed.
"Oh, yes. Promptly."
"Great," Strange smiled, getting up. "Allow me to help you."
"Jess, will you be—"
"Oh, no. Nope. I wasn't even supposed to be here. He still thinks I'm on the plane over to New York, and I'm supposed to meet him at the New Avengers Facility in…" Jess checked her watch. "…an hour. There's some big announcement he's making that requires my being there on time and in my current condition. Not banged up from getting into some fight with you, Thor."
The demi-god pouted childishly in an attempt to persuade her differently, but she waved him off.
"And no amount of pouting or begging is going to get me mixed in with your insanity. My vacation was already interrupted two days in, thanks to Strange."
"I already said that wasn't my fault."
"Doesn't mean you don't still owe me. Regrowing an arm is not fun."
Thor's eyes widened, but she held up a hand, stopping him with a glare.
"Not a word. You want details? Ask the magician."
"I told you to stop calling me that," Strange complained.
"I'll think about it," she replied cheekily, stepping out. "By Stephen, Thor."
"Farewell, Miss Jess!" Thor beamed, as Strange sighed.
He'd been desperately hoping she'd stick around to help him with the oversized, demi-god child, but apparently, he was still not convincing her right. He'd have to work on that. It wouldn't do for him to be the only one being helped.
"So, shall we?"
I sighed, looking over my notes for the big announcement with slight concern. "You sure about this, Tony?"
"What? You're having second thoughts?"
"You know the kid better than I do. I'm just saying, with all the trouble we get into as Avengers? This goes beyond just his aunt finding out. He'll be hounded at school, bullied even. Then, there's the actual fighting and how his aunt will handle knowing he might not come back one day."
"Jesus, Jess. I thought your vacation was supposed to lighten you up, not make you even more complicated," Tony complained, brows furrowed. "What's going on?"
Should I tell him? What happened with the sanctums and stuff? I mentally grimaced. No, best save that for later. "All I'm saying is that he is still a kid. There's more here than just learning responsibility."
"And we'll help him through it. Put on some training wheels just like we did with Wanda."
"Wanda was at least level-headed and somewhat mature," I muttered as Tony hugged my shoulders with an arm.
"Just trust me. Besides, it's still his choice. He hasn't said yes yet."
I shot Tony a look. "Oh, yeah. Dangle fame and fortune in front of a teen and have him not take it? Please. I can see it on your face. You're convinced he'll accept—hence the press conference in the other room, which only proves he's not ready."
"Jess, please?" He murmured and I sighed, relaxing somewhat.
"Yes, yes. His choice. Got it."
Tony smiled before spotting Peter and Happy. "Oh, there they are. How was the ride up?"
"Good," Happy nodded.
"Give me a minute with the kid."
"Seriously?"
"Yeah. I've gotta talk to the kid."
Happy looked to me and I gave him a "what can you do" look.
"I'll be close behind," Happy compromised.
"How about a loose follow, all right? Boundaries are good."
"Sorry, Happy," I muttered as we started to walk away, Tony giving Peter a fond pat on the shoulder and tucking him under his arm.
"Sorry I took your suit. I mean, you had it coming and if Jess were around for that whole thing, she would have confiscated it earlier."
"Oi," I grumbled, earning a teasing grin from Tony and a sheepish smile from Peter.
I'd already been informed as to the mess they'd gotten into during my absence and while displeased about the danger Peter was placed in, I knew a part of it was my fault. Damn company isn't doing what they're supposed to, allowing those men to get their hands on things and over what? Some idiot higher up the chain not compensating them properly? I come back from a vacation to find out I've got a whole tier of people to fire and replace for negligence… or at least un-promote them with a pay cut until they get their shit together. Firing for one mistake—despite it being a huge mistake—might cause more problems… Maybe fire them but offer a job replacement?
Tony bumped into me, drawing me out of my thoughts as he continued speaking with Peter.
"Actually, as it turns out, it was the perfect sort of tough-love moment that you needed, right? To urge you on, right? Wouldn't you think? Don't you think?"
"I guess?"
"Let's just say it was," Tony chirped, silence passing over us briefly as I started to see what was going on.
"Mr. Stark, I really…" Peter started with a heavy sigh before Tony cut him off.
"You screwed the pooch hard, big time. But then you did the right thing. Took the dog to the free clinic, you raised the hybrid puppies."
"Tony," I chided.
"All right. Not my best analogy. I was wrong about you. I think, with a little more mentoring, you could be a real asset to the team."
"To the… To the team?" Peter said hopefully and I resisted the sigh—my own hope being dashed by the sudden lack of regret.
"Yeah. Anyway, there's about fifty reporters behind that door," Tony pointed out. "Real ones, not bloggers. When you're ready—" He tapped his watch, bringing up a new spider-man suit from below. "Why don't you try that on? And I'll introduce the world to the newest official member of the Avengers: Spider-Man."
"I, uh…"
"Yeah, give that a look," Tony hummed. "So, after the press conference, Happy will show you to your new room, your new quarters. Where's he between? H-He's next to Vision?"
"Yeah, Vision's not big on doors," Happy warned.
"It's fun."
"Or walls."
"You'll fit right in," Tony mused, though I could see the hesitation on Peter's face.
"Not that you have to," I said quietly, looking at my tablet, but drawing his gaze as I peered up. "Become and Avenger, that is."
"Jess, we talked about this," Tony whined.
"Yeah. You said his choice, but you have to understand. That means him knowing the good and the bad of the job. The responsibilities, the press, the public, the danger. All of it. It's not just happy fun times in a spandex suit."
"They're not spandex. Really," Tony reassured. "Tears too easily. Rides up in all the wrong places."
Peter turned, facing him. "Thank you, Mr. Stark. But I… I'm good."
"You're good? How are you good? If this is because of Jess—"
"No. Well, I mean, I'd rather just stay on the ground for a little while. Friendly neighborhood Spider-Man. Somebody's gotta look out for the little guy, right?"
Tony took off his sunglasses. "You turning me down? You better think about this. Look at that." Tony gestured to the suit and Peter looked. "Look at me. Last chance. Yes or no?"
Without hesitation, Peter looked back at him. "No."
"Okay," Tony agreed simply, surprising us. "It's kind of a Springsteen-y working-class hero vibe that I dig. Well, and Jess would kill me if I tried to force you."
I rolled my eyes goodnaturedly, nodding to Happy. "Happy will take you back."
"Yeah. Mind waiting in the car? I need a minute," Happy asked Peter, who turned to Tony and shook his hand.
"Thank you, Mr. Stark."
"Yes, Mr. Parker, very well."
"See you around and um, thank you, Jess."
I gave Peter a small smile as I took his offered hand as well. "Sure thing."
"Hold on, you call her by her first name and I still get Mr. Stark?" Tony whined, but Peter started off and Tony wrinkled his nose before putting the suit away.
Peter though, paused. "That was a test, right? There's, uh, nobody back there?"
I glanced at Tony, wondering what he'd say as he tried not to let on.
"Yes, you passed. All right. Skedaddle there, young buck."
"Thank you, Mr. Stark. Thank you."
"Yeah, thank you," he replied as Peter left and Happy faced us both.
"Told you he was a good kid," Happy grinned as I shrugged.
"I barely know him, so my opinion is mute. We've just got one more problem."
Pepper stepped through the door behind us where the reporters were eagerly awaiting our announcement, still looking good with her large baby bump.
"Where's the kid?"
"He left," Happy informed her.
"Everybody's waiting."
"He actually made a really mature choice. Just surprised the heck out of us," Tony argued, trying to keep her calm as I instructed upon finding out he'd dragged her here for this announcement despite her being heavily pregnant.
"Did you guys just screw this up?" She snapped and Tony pointed at Happy.
"He told the kid to go wait in the car."
Happy scrambled to argue, not finding the words as Pepper stalked forward.
"Are you kidding me? I have a room full of people waiting in there for some big announcement. What am I going to tell them?"
"I'll think of something," I reassured her. "Make something up. There was a, uh, weird thing in Hong Kong recently that I can explain wasn't the Avenger's fault or some shit."
"I've got something better," Tony grinned. "Hap, you still got that ring?"
"Do I… I…" Happy scrambled to check his pockets as Tony shot him a look.
"The engagement ring. Are you kidding?"
"Engagement ring for what?" I questioned suspiciously as Happy complained.
"I've been carrying this since 2010." He pulled out a simple silver ring with a black ring running through it.
"I can't think of anything better than that," Pepper smirked, understanding something I wasn't as Tony smiled as well.
"Well, it would buy us a little time."
"More time, if she still hasn't gotten it yet," Pepper teased, making me frown.
"Gotten what? What's an engagement ring have to do with…"
It clicked then, making my eyes widen as I looked to the ring and back to Pepper.
"No."
"Mm-hm."
I looked back to the ring as Tony took it. "Y-You're joking, right? Is this because I didn't bring you back a souvenir? Because I swear, I had one but there was a bit of a problem hiking Everest and—"
"Are you going to make me kneel?" He asked with a teasing raised brow as I felt my cheeks heat up.
"Y-You're not joking?"
"Nope. A hundred percent serious, and that's something, coming from me."
"B-But he said 2010."
"Something about that night up in an oversized doughnut just sings to me," he hummed, taking my hand and bringing it to his lips as I burnt an even darker red.
"I'm getting engaged in front of fifty reporters?" I breathed out.
"Well, you're getting engaged right now. We're just going to put on a show for those morons. That okay with you?"
"I-I, um… I-I don't really know."
"You don't want to get married? I can hold off."
"No!" I shouted, making his eyes widen as I realized I'd yelled, growing ever darker up to my ears.
He, of course, smirked like the cat who'd caught the canary. "What was that? I don't think they heard you in the next room."
I smacked his arm, dropping my forehead onto his shoulder as he chuckled. "Ass."
"And you're marrying this ass, need I remind you." He smiled, kissing me when I pulled back.
"When's the wedding?"
"Whenever you want."
"Small."
"Of course."
"And I don't mean like, a thousand people small. Avengers small."
He wrinkled his nose. "Just them?"
"And Pepper, Happy, Rhodes, and Peter, I suppose. Close friends?"
"All right."
"No reporters," I said sternly.
"Oh, but you know it'll be a good story. We could make some money off it."
"Like we don't have enough?" I scoffed and he sighed, kissing me again.
"All right. For you. No reporters." He held up the ring with a cheeky grin and I eyed it with a small frown.
"What's it made of?"
"Oh, you know. Black diamond center and a bit of, uh… vibranium?"
"Tony!" I chided.
"Oh, so sue the guy who wanted something special for the love of his life, why don't you?"
"Oh, you're such an egotistical dick!" I chuckled, finally starting to feel giddy about the whole thing now that it was sinking in.
"But I'm your—"
Pepper cut him off as she cleared her throat. "As much as I'm enjoying the show…" She nodded to the doors. "Mind holding it out there?"
I managed to somewhat pull myself together, but as we stepped out into the flashing lights of the reporter's cameras one thought was still going through my head. M-My God… I think I… I-I just got engaged!