Prologue. Two Souls

Baby, please try to forgive me…

Gray.

His world was a never ending, constant whirl of gray, white and black. With the occasional purple whenever he used his powers. Every day was just the same, the same look, the same feelings, the same…everything. He felt utterly hopeless because it was all he was capable of feeling. His life, if he could even call it that, was simply an amalgamation of pain, sadness, hatred, and despair.

No, no. This wasn't life. This wasn't living. This was just…existence. Was this hell? Maybe. Most might think it purgatory, but for him it was hell. Plain and simple. And a hell that was, like most tragic heroes, self inflicted. It was a hell he deserved.

The world he inhabited now was crumbling, on the brink of death. Would he end with it? Who truly knew. The world around him was a direct reflection of his emotional and mental state. Most of the time, he felt numb, the years alone having turned his heart to ice.

Even his fury was cold. Like a great beast, the constant negative emotions threatened to emerge from the depths of his broken mind and swallow him, gripping him in its great maw. It took all his strength, what little he had left, to not give in and let them rule him. It was a losing battle, and he knew it. Without HER, without love, was life really worth living?

This thought was enough to encourage him to do his work, that most hateful of deeds. At first, he had loathed himself for it. Once upon a time it pained him to know he caused so much hurt. But now, no. Now he saw it as a mercy. It was better than the alternative, a life without Christine. A life without love, a life with a freezing heart. These thoughts spurred him onwards, using the Dark Hold to find other versions of himself. He killed his variants, destroying each and every one he came across. Well, most of them anyway. A few managed to get away, but they never were too far gone from his grasp.

Like the reaper, he hunted. He began to wonder if perhaps this was his purpose, his true purpose. He was meant to hunt down all of the other Stephen Strange variants across the multiverse. Only when he was the last one would he finally be released from this hell. He would be the last, and he was resolved to that fate.

But even so, did it have to take so long? How many more could there possibly be? How much longer until he could be free? He briskly touched the window of the sanctum, almost as if reaching for the light. Cold fury turned his blood to ice as his hand balled into a shaking fist.

"How long must this go on? How much longer?!" he demanded to no one as a purple flame engulfed his hand.

Strange turned from the window, turning his fury on inanimate objects. There was nothing else here to take his anger out on. So he let himself enjoy it for now, until a new torrent of tears threatened. With no one else around to see, he broke down, rocking back and forth, for now barely fighting to keep those beastly emotions at bay.

This was his life. His "Life". No, this wasn't life. This was barely, barely, existing.

Four years.

Four long, somewhat lonesome years. That was how long it had been since her husband had passed away. It was a heart attack, according to the coroner's report, but Cadenza Revan-Strange was not at all convinced. She knew the truth. She saw what happened to her husband.

She saw him die, just like everyone else she ever loved. Her parents, her first love, even her first pregnancy had ended in devastated tears. The night Stephen died, Cadence couldn't help but feel a part of her died with him. And yet, she was still there after four long years.

People praised her for her strength, but Cadence never felt strong. It wasn't even strength really that made her carry on. But rather two very young, but wonderful children. Cadence was more than the widow of Dr. Stephen Strange, she was the mother of his twins, Molly and Marius. They were well and truly the only reason she was still around. She owed Stephen that, she owed those kids that. Only Christine and their grief counselor knew. Without them, she would've most likely joined him in the grave that night.

Cadence always held an air of melancholy around her. Anyone who saw her thought she looked, in every sense of the word, devastatingly beautiful. Tragedy had only seemed to add to her beauty, some thought her otherworldly. On many days, it felt like it. However, everyone knew her heart currently belonged to her children.

Marius and Molly were five years old and growing like weeds. Stephen would've been proud of them, fiercely so. They were so much like him, it sometimes hurt. They looked like her, with the signature Revan red hair and, at least for Marius, the faint freckles that would disappear with age.

Marius was the more outgoing of the two, he seemed to love change and challenges. Every day was an adventure to him, an opportunity. He was more adjusted of the two, and protective of his sister as well as his mother. He was kind, and there was strength in that kindness. As of yet he didn't appear to have his father's overconfidence but that could come with age. For now Cadence was just glad he was happy and adventurous. He had her eyes as well, the baby blues only darkening with time. Another Revan family feature.

The same couldn't be said for Molly. Molly was more withdrawn and anxious. However, she showed signs of her father's courage when she had to. She was a bit of a mousy little thing, but not in a way that made her seem all that weak. In those moments of bravery, those brief hints of boldness, Cadence saw her Stephen in Molly. She had his eyes, the stormy green-gray she loved so much. Her mousy and withdrawn temperament was, in a way, a front, belying a most dangerous power. A power that was potentially a detriment to the multiverse.

The Revan family was cursed, or gifted depending on how one looked at it. All of the women in Cadence's family had a "Gift" of sorts, a power that manifested when they were toddlers, and only grew stronger with age. Her mother was a living lie detector, her grandmother could make plants grow, and her great-grandmother could sense poisons. Cadence's gift was…not so convenient. She could generate and control crystal with her hands, having a sort of Midas touch. Only instead of gold, everything she touched with her bare hands would crystallize, the exceptions only being silk and water. No one was too entirely sure why this happened, and why to this family in particular. Her mother claimed it was a curse, a punishment for their ancestor rejecting the advances of some lost god or other. But her grandmother believed the opposite, they had the blood of said lost god. But either way, Cadence had the cursed blood, and now Molly had it too.

Molly could traverse the multiverse in her sleep. Unlike most, to whom dreams served as windows into alternative lives, Molly could use dreams like doors. Some were just easier to open than others, and so far she had never been able to go back to the same universe twice. Wong believed it to be an altered version of astral projection, but was proven wrong when Molly found she could pull objects from the many universes she visited. He had insisted on training the twins as soon as this was discovered, but Cadence strongly objected.

She wanted her kids to be free to make their own choices. If they wanted to follow in Stephen's footsteps, she would support them in that choice. If they wanted to pursue their own path, she would equally support it. Cadence argued the twins should be allowed to choose their lives, their fates, rather than falling under the pressure of their hero father.

This was part of the reason why she left the city when the twins were three. The other part…well…The Foundation was still out there. They still hunted her, and if they ever found out she was a mother, they'd hunt her kids down too. As grateful as she was for the friends who helped her while living under the Foundation's control, she could never doom her children to a life like she had. It was best for now to fall off the radar as best they could, given the circumstances. However, Cadence assured Wong that she would keep track of her daughter's gift, and make sure she didn't do anything dangerous or cause an incursion.

So far, things were peaceful. They lived in a smaller town now, Montclair. Cadence established herself here, taking up residence in a small apartment over a store she took over. She was finally living her dream as a crystal therapist, as well as making various items from the crystal she created.

Christine had helped her find it, as always a huge help. As the kid's godmother, she was always there to help, and Caddy made semi-regular trips to New York to visit her with the kids. They absolutely loved their Aunt Christine, and it gave Caddy a chance to catch her breath. Usually these were for holidays but today…no. Today was the anniversary of Stephen's passing. Christine as usual was there to help.

As a family, they decorated the gravesite, arranging flowers and gifts left for the fallen hero. People left letters, flowers, and various things. Some meant for Cadence, others for her children. Hell, a college fund was even started for the Strange Twins, which Cadence kept under lock and key, and donations came in every year.

Today was a day of mourning and celebration, both today and on his birthday. The morning was spent at the gravesite, with the kids and Christine. They talked to Stephen, telling him how their lives changed and about anything they wanted. It was more for the children than herself, a means to cope. It did very little to help Cadence herself, but the kids liked doing it. This was the best way they knew him, other than the pictures she had around the apartment, and the stories she told them. They'd go out to lunch, usually after a few tears were shed and words spoken, and they'd end the day at the park so the children could burn off some energy. Although it was usually Marius who was running around on the playground. Molly was content to just play in the sandbox and make things.

Cadence and Christine sat on a bench, talking as the children played. Christine put a hand over Caddy's gloved one.

"Are you alright?" she asked.

Caddy sighed and looked at their hands then Christine. "I'm…hanging in there. You know, the usual".

"Stephen would want you to be happy, Caddy. He really would" she looked at the twins, "For them at least".

Caddy glanced at the two and let herself smile a little. "I am. They're my whole life right now. I'm just…content in my role for now. I can't picture anyone else. He was my everything. He and…".

Gods she hadn't thought of her first love in ages. All this time, she still never knew his real name. She had never been allowed to know it, as per Foundation protocol. They wouldn't even give it to her upon his death. He was always just Valiant in her mind. She fidgeted a bit with her wedding ring, something she couldn't bring herself to part with. Christine noticed and nodded.

"I understand, but motherhood shouldn't be your whole life now. He'd want you to go out there, meet new people-".

"Christine…thank you. But I promise, I'm happy with what I have right now. They need me, and another would just be a distraction I don't need. Besides, there could be Foundation agents everywhere. There's very few people I trust".

Christine nodded. "Alright. But promise me, Caddy, when you're ready you'll let me know. I'll take the kids whenever you need".

Cadence smiled at her. "Thank you. He'd be really proud of you too. I know you two were close" she stood, "We should get going. They have school tomorrow".

"Alright. Be safe, okay?"

"Always am" she promised Christine and called for her twins.

The two ran from the playground to hug their aunt and their mother before heading back to Montclair. The twins passed out on the way home, so the drive was quiet. Caddy couldn't see herself loving anyone else. Stephen had been her everything, bringing her back to life after years of feeling like she was dead inside. He had been a ray of sunlight, a much needed breath of fresh air after everything the Foundation put her through. She had to be that for her kids now, and no one was going to take them from her.

No one.