No-One But You (The Mystic Consultant) - Part 1
Chapter 57: Parallel Universe (Part 7)
...
"...Wong?"
...
Stephen drew in a slow breath. The sorcerer felt like he finally had a moment to focus on his brother Victor.
He felt Christine Palmer's sudden extraction from within the Sanctorum. She asked an ancient mirror to take her to Clea Strange, so the young woman was taken out of their dimension and sent to the Dark.
...
"Yes Stephen?"
...
Wong didn't seem amused. He was happy with the progress the older siblings seemed to have on Victor's concentration. The mental exercise came to a sudden stop, so Wong sighed.
...
"Where's Christine?"
...
The tone was very dry. Sarcastic. Annoyed. Stephen could see what she did and where she went, but he blamed Wong right off the bat. The other sorcerer offered a scoff after Stephen spoke.
He looked at his siblings first. Wong didn't give a smile until he glanced over at Sofia Strange. He didn't want to scare a child off with his attitude. Wong contemplated the question, then he decided to respond to the Sorcerer Supreme.
"She was eating breakfast. How many people am I supposed to babysit?"
Seriously. Wong almost rolled his eyes. His comment sparked an immediate reaction out of Victor Strange, and all hell seemed to suddenly break loose.
Victor didn't like being treated like he needed a babysitter...
Stephen brought his hands up toward his face, and he released an exhausted sigh. His not-so-deceased sister, Donna, kept him in check. She made a sport out of challenging Stephen, and it seemed like she planned to handle the situation.
"I will handle it Stephen."
Meaning Christine Palmer. The sister offered to help her older brother, but she asked him where his "distraction" ended up. Stephen answered reluctantly and quietly. He said that Christine was in the Dark Dimension.
"Oh? In her condition?"
Donna's voice was a clear challenge. Shots fired. Stephen started getting icy. There was no "condition"...
He almost glared at his brat sister, but he kept his cool. Stephen took a moment to take in the tender scene between Victor and Sofia instead. They had reunited, and Victor started looking happy again.
He looked, better. Stephen felt a little emotional where he stood.
"That condition you mentioned, dear sister, is only an illusion."
"Are you sure about that, dear brother?"
Donna wasn't necessarily convinced that Christine's condition was an illusion. She had seen many things as she roamed around her second chance at life.
She shared her body with the Ancient One, so Donna had seen her fair share of "illusions". Stephen clearly wanted the subject dropped. He managed to smooth things over with Clea before he left, in a sense.
Stephen looked at his daughter instead. Sofia was receiving a giant hug from her quiet uncle. Victor held her in his arms, and he told her that she was getting tall.
Stephen's heart warmed up even more when he heard what his brother said. He was very moved and it pulled his focus from the conversation with Donna.
"I'm sure. I haven't been keeping tabs on what the other versions of myself were doing, but... I'm sure."
So, drop it. Stephen gave her a look. The sister flipped her long hair and she arched a brow. She also read her brother's expression. Donna decided to ease up on the torment.
She planned to look into the matter a bit more on her own, and fix it for Stephen. He had a family to focus on, so Donna felt compelled.
Getting Victor on some sort of track was another element. Donna watched him with their niece. Victor seemed very sincere, and sweet with her.
He also did well with the "home building" challenge. The baby Strange wasn't ready to jump into the role of the Sorcerer Supreme at that point, but that's why they were there.
"Vic, I have two things to tell you."
Stephen picked up his daughter as he spoke. He didn't want to talk about distractions or apartment building any longer.
The oldest sibling wanted to keep the conversation centered on Victor, and he thought the information that he had to share would make him happy.
Victor just looked at Stephen. Two things? Ok. He held a soft smile, and he waited to hear what it was. Victor's mood was lifting. He felt better after seeing Sofia. It felt like he was safe again, or something, and actually trusted by his family.
Victor also did his best to avoid all the passive thoughts that belonged to some...crime lord.
Chapter: END
Thanks for reading.