No-One But You (The Mystic Consultant) - Part 1

Chapter 45: By The Way (Part 5)

Stephen Strange was technically summoned. He had to face half of his troubles, so having a conversation with Clea's father felt like a good start. He was welcomed into a neutral "Faltine" territory that was ruled by Clea's father. His name was Orini, and he said hello to the Sorcerer Supreme.

His father-in-law seemed to enjoy Stephen's title more than he did. They spoke about it for a short while, but Stephen wanted to discuss something more. Orini asked Stephen to walk with him. He wanted to talk about his granddaughter, and show him where she always went.

Stephen felt nervous there. The sorcerer definitely looked like an outsider amongst Clea's people, but his nerves were going haywire for other reasons. He hadn't really discussed any sort of decision to stay there with Clea, but it needed to happen for a while. A long while, because Stephen needed leave in order to give his younger brother some direction.

He was losing Victor, and he was very familiar with the way that he behaved in other dimensions. His baby brother always seemed to resent him in other timelines.

Victor was always dancing with a deep sorrow, and a darkness. Stephen found several versions of Victor that harmed himself, and...

Stephen stopped walking for a moment. The thought of what he knew about his brother brought him to a halt. It almost crippled his soul in that instant, but the older brother pressed forward.

He saw his wife. She was outside the courtyard. Clea wasn't alone where she was, but...

Stephen stared at her for a pretty long time. Orini was telling him that his granddaughter felt at home there. He was describing how often he had seen her playing by some sort of tree. It had a peculiar name. Stephen was hearing him, but he became a little transfixed. He wanted to head toward his wife, but he waited.

His daughter saw him as well. Sofia was beside her mother, and it seemed like they both were talking to another Faltine.

Stephen was looking toward his family a little more than he should have. Orini could see his distraction, but Stephen was listening. Sofia ran to his side, and it brought Stephen out of his thought. He picked up his little "Starchild", and she immediately asked him if he was in trouble.

Stephen laughed quietly. He wouldn't be answering that question at all. His mind went elsewhere when he picked up his daughter. She had his heart, and Stephen really couldn't express it. He smiled when he saw her, and he quietly asked her a semi-serious question.

Clea became quiet again. She glanced at her husband for just a moment. The discussion they had about Christine Palmer made it hard for her to look at him. She was still processing the whole ordeal. In her mind, Stephen could end the "illusion" in an instant. He could stop it all with a single incantation, but there was a pause.
She knew that Stephen was doing his best. Clea understood that, and she also knew that he had too much on his shoulders. Her distant behavior didn't help, but looking at him overwhelmed her.

She wasn't sure why he was still holding onto that Christine Palmer illusion, but it was making her angry.

Their daughter's hair was getting long. Clea styled it to distract herself in the beautiful room that her father had prepared for her. Having his granddaughter there was something that brought him tremendous joy. Orini confessed that to Clea, and it moved her quite a bit. She didn't grow up with her father, but she could see that he had a good soul.

Clea tried to purge the thought, and she watched her husband carefully. He asked Sofia if she liked being there with all the others. It was a confession, in a sense, because Stephen didn't want to split himself up any longer.

He couldn't do it anymore, and being away from Sofia only strengthened how he felt. She answered Stephen pretty quickly. Sofia told him the truth.

She told him that she liked it there, and that she didn't want to go back. A "Starchild" didn't belong around all the noise in Manhattan. Stephen thanked her for the honesty, and then he glanced over at Clea. He wanted to know how she felt about living in the Dark Dimension as well.

The "move" seemed incredibly gigantic in some sense, but Clea was only interested in the three of them being together. Stephen was longing to talk to her. He wanted to look at her and hear everything, but..

...
Sofia innocently asked him if he was in trouble again, and her parents became very silent.

Chapter: END

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