"Do you know when Hermione was planning to be here?"
Looking up from his reading spot at the kitchen table, Wong smirked up at Stephen. "You know Hermione. She's probably buried in her most recent acquisition." Seeing Stephen's frown as he continued chopping vegetables, Wong continued lightheartedly. "You know as well as I do that she sneaks books out of the library so that she can read at home. She probably lost track of time...again." He finished with a chuckle.
Stephen continued preparing for dinner as several moments of silence passed between the two friends.
"Something just...doesn't feel right."
Wong looked up at him, bemused. "What doesn't feel right?"
Stephen placed a pot of water on the stove to boil as he tried to find the words to say. "I...I don't know. I just know something is off. It's like there's a tingling sensation in the back of my head, trying to get my attention."
Wong laughed then. "I think the only thing wrong with you is more of a matter of the heart than of the physical world."
Stephen glared at him but remained silent.
"Do you want to talk about it?" Wong prodded, still trying to keep a straight face in light of the glare he was still receiving.
"Absolutely not." Stephen replied immediately.
"Come on, Master Strange. I've watched you moon over that woman since the first time she argued with you about the properties of ancient relics!"
Wong looked over and saw that Stephen had placed both of his hands on the counter, looking pensieve.
"When are you going to do something about it?" Wong demanded gently. "Hermione belongs here in the Sanctum. I know you feel that just as much as I do. She has brought life and joy back into our Sanctum. From the very first day she stepped foot onto our doorstep, demanding answers from you with no fear...it's as if she had finally returned home."
Stephen huffed in amusement before responding. "I think you may be a closet poet, Wong." He said sarcastically. "But as beautiful as that was, I'm trying this new thing where I take other people's desires into consideration…and Hermione has given absolutely no indication of wanting that. But, I'll be sure to let you know how it goes if it ever comes into conversation." He snorted with a laugh.
"Give me a break, Strange." Wong said with an eye roll. "That girl loves you just as much as you do her."
Stephen's head snapped towards his friend before the buzzing of his phone distracted him. Grabbing it out of his pocket, he put it up to his ear.
"Dr. Strange." He answered.
Even from where he was sitting, Wong could clearly hear the frantic yelling of Tony Stark.
"Strange! Is Hermione with you?!"
Stephen frowned in confusion. "No, she's not. What's going on?"
"Dammnit!" Tony bellowed.
Stephen could faintly hear the roar of Tony's Iron Man thrusters in the background of the call. "Where are you, Tony? What's going on?"
"They are going to take her! Get your magical ass over to her apartment and get her out of there! Take her back to the Sanctum! Just get over there now! I'll meet you there in 3 minutes."
Stephen was already running when the line went dead, Wong right behind him as they grabbed their sling rings. Holding his arms out and creating a portal, Stephen quickly stepped through into Hermione's apartment.
Stephen felt the breath leave his lungs as he froze. Wong, hearing his friend, quickly followed him through the portal with his arms extended, looking for a threat.
The apartment had been ransacked. Feeling his body tense with an overwhelming sense of dread, Stephen immediately began running through the residence, checking rooms.
"Hermione!" He called frantically. "Hermione?!"
Realizing she wasn't there, he returned to the living room, taking in the damage. There were black singe marks all over the walls and ceiling, where Hermione had obviously shot spells haphazardly. Her bookcase had several broken shelves, with books having been scattered all over the floor of the apartment. Glass from broken vases and lamps crunched underneath his boots as he made his way over the smear of what could only be blood on the floor leading back towards the door.
Stephen and Wong spun quickly as Tony burst into the room. As he quickly took in the state of the room, Tony's face dropped into despair.
"We're too late."
"What the hell is going on?" Stephen demanded with a quiet rage. "Where is Hermione?"
"I think it would be better if we took this discussion to the Sanctum." Tony said tiredly as he rubbed his face.
"Where is Hermione?" Stephen demanded again once they were standing in the foyer of the Sanctum.
"I don't know, but I think it's a safe bet to say that Ross is taking her in with the rest of Steve's team."
Stephen narrowed his eyes and shook his head in confusion. "What? Why would Ross have her? She hasn't done anything."
Tony crossed his arms and rubbed his temple. "Hermione was there...she was in Leipzig. I didn't know she was there,-"
"What do you mean, 'She was in Leipzig'?!-"
Wong raised his voice as he interrupted. "Why don't you start from the beginning, Mr. Stark."
Tony started over, growing more frustrated by the second. "Four days ago, I told Hermione that we were going to intercept Steve's little band of misfits in Leipzig. I may have mentioned the probability of it turning into an all-out brawl between our two groups. At the time, I didn't think anything about it, but she obviously decided to follow us there."
Stephen looked like he was about to explode. "You guilted her into helping you?" He accused.
Tony snorted. "Listen, Gandalf. First of all, no. No, I did not guilt her into fighting. Regardless of what you and your ridiculous goatee think of me, I adore Hermione. She's everything I have ever wanted in the sibling I never had. So, no. I didn't want her anywhere near that fight."
Continuing to stalk slowly towards Stephen, Tony continued.
"Secondly, if there's one thing you need to get through that giant head of yours, is that Hermione doesn't care what you or I, or anyone else thinks of anything. Her actions are dictated by what she feels is right. Period. You know just as well as I do that as much as she hates the Accords, she loves her friends that much more. Did you honestly expect her to sit in her apartment staying out of the fray when she knew that the people she loves most were trying to rip each other's heads off?" Tony scoffed condescendingly.
Stephen began raising his voice as he responded. "If you and Rogers hadn't allowed this whole situation to escalate into the pissing-match that it's become, then Hermione wouldn't have HAD to make that choice. Now you've got four Avengers imprisoned and Hermione is missing, and I'm holding you and Rogers responsible."
Very suddenly, Tony and Stephen were inches apart, the fury from each man close to overflowing.
"I didn't make the choice for Rogers to break the law, and I didn't ask or want for Hermione to get involved in this bullshit. But that's who she is - She laid low on the sidelines and made sure that no one was injured."
Stephen tilted his head in confusion.
Backing up from the sorcerer, Tony continued. "She didn't actually fight. She never actively fought against a single person there. She was hugging the edge of the field, always watching everyone's backs, deflecting stray shots, blocking blows from the players who were getting carried away, that sort of thing."
Stephen and Wong stayed silent, waiting for Tony to continue.
"There was an accident. Rhodey ended up with a dead suit at 200 ft." Crossing his arms and looking at the floor, he continued quietly. "He would have died. We were trying to get to him before he hit the ground, but we couldn't….Hermione saved him. He's alive today, because of her."
Stephen waited a moment before he spoke again. "That still doesn't explain why Ross would have her...that doesn't make sense."
"But it does." Tony argued. "Don't you get it? Ross knew she was a witch - a British one, at that. When she didn't sign the Accords, she became a threat. The first spell that flew from her palm in Leipzig was all Ross needed to validate taking her in as an enemy of the United States." Tony sank down into a chair, exhausted. "And he had more than enough evidence to prove her involvement. She was all over the security feeds from the airport - I had FRIDAY pull them, and I saw it myself."
"So, if Ross has her, where did they take her?"
"That...I don't know." Tony admitted with a frown.
"So, what are we supposed to do?" Stephen said, feeling his frustration begin to grow again. "How are we supposed to find her?"
"It's not like I can just call Ross up and casually request the location of America's most wanted." Tony said with frustration. He paused for several minutes before continuing. "FRIDAY and I are going to hack into Ross' files to try and find where he is keeping them."
After agreeing to keep each other updated on any findings, Tony left to head back to the compound.
Walking back into the kitchen after Tony had left, Wong noticed Stephen's silence.
"Stephen."
"We've got to find her, and I have no idea where to even start." Stephen spat.
"Stark has the most advanced technology on this planet. He will find her. " Wong said with a gentle firmness, knowing his friend well enough to know he was about to explode.
"Stark is an arrogant jackass. I can't stand the way he struts around acting as if he's better than everyone else. He's the reason that Hermione is in this mess."
Wong remained silent until Stephen was done. Seeing the abandoned pots and vegetables that were left from their earlier dinner prep, he walked over to the stovetop and began clearing away the mess. There would be no need for dinner tonight.
Looking over at his friend, who was still obviously thinking of Tony Stark, he prodded him gently.
"An arrogant jackass…"
Stephen turned his head from where he sat at the table and stared at Wong with narrowed eyes. "I am not...as big of a jackass as Stark." Stephen mumbled, pouting.
Wong continued cleaning as the silence fell over the pair for several moments, the clinking of the pots and pans the only sound that could be heard in the room.
"I need for her to be safe..." Stephen said quietly.
"You love her." Wong said just as casually as if he were commenting on the weather.
"I know."