A/N: Welcome to the first chapter of my Frank/Wanda series! After the oneshots of Frank convincing Wanda to bring down the Hex, spending that night in the foxhole, helping Spider-Man take down the villains from alternate universes... it's all led to this. So buckle up, because this is going to be a wild ride!
Memories, they never hurt me. But the past… is more than memories. It's the Devil you sold your soul to. And he's coming… He's coming to collect.
Frank Castle
Music: "Misdirection" from Punisher Season 1 OST
Sokovia, 2015
Wanda looked around, finding herself in a darkened chamber. She stood up, trying to move, but quickly realized a chain was attached to her ankle.
"Wanda…"
Maximoff squinted in the darkness, seeing the form of a man not too far away from her. She had an idea who it was.
"Pietro?"
A door suddenly opened, flooding light into the chamber. Wanda averted her eyes, eventually looking towards the source to see three men walking towards her. Unfortunately for her, she recognized the one in the middle. The bald head and monocle gave it away.
"Strucker." Wanda grit her teeth. "What more do you want from us?"
Baron Strucker flashed his teeth, a wolf's smile.
"Bruno and Hans need some release… from both of you."
Maximoff narrowed her eyes, curling her fingers. She could already feel her energy gather and coalesce in her hand-
She suddenly felt a violent shock to her body, courtesy of the collar wrapped around her neck.
"No!" Pietro yelled, watching his sister collapse. "Stop, you're hurting her!"
Eventually, the electrocution stopped, leaving Wanda to curl into a shivering ball of fear.
"Try to fight back, and you will be punished again." Strucker warned, as Wanda felt someone grab her legs and force them apart.
"You bastard!" Pietro yelled. "Leave her alone-"
Hans slapped the boy hard, making him spit out blood.
"Insolent child." the man sneered. "You'll get yours soon."
Wanda felt tears stream down her face, as Bruno grabbed her wrists and pinned her to the floor. As she heard his pants unzip, Wanda turned her head to the side, bracing for the unthinkable to happen.
She just wanted revenge on Tony Stark. She just wanted to avenge her parents. Why did she and Pietro turn to such evil to aid them?
Wanda gasped awake, sitting up in bed and staring into the darkness. She began to breathe heavily, gripping her arms as if in a hug, and felt something trickle down her forehead. She reached up and wiped her finger across her brow, squinting to see a glossy sheen.
It was… sweat?
"Mm… Wanda?"
She looked over her shoulder, seeing the silhouette of a man- her husband- sit up in bed with her.
"S… sorry." she whispered. "I didn't mean to wake you."
"Hey, it's alright." the man said, reaching out and placing a hand on her shoulder. Wanda placed her hand over his and squeezed reassuringly. She thought she saw his other arm go for the lamp on the night table, making her eyes widen.
"No!" she whisper shouted, making him pause. "Sorry, I just… I don't want to wake the boys too."
The silhouette slowly nodded, moving his free hand towards her other shoulder, turning her towards him.
"Nightmares again?"
Wanda nodded.
"HYDRA and Strucker?"
Again, she nodded, turning away to shed another tear. The man sighed, looking away for a moment, before turning his head to stare into her eyes.
"Look Wanda, I… back before we… got together, I had nightmares too. Not just of my family, but of what I did. Who I did it to."
Wanda looked at the bedsheets, feeling her breath becoming shallow.
"Did the nightmares ever stop?"
The man nodded, gently placing his hand on her cheek and turning her towards him.
"Yeah. When I married you."
She silently gasped, as he wiped the tear from her face.
"I love you Wanda. That's a fact."
Wanda smiled, as the two leaned forward, pressing their foreheads together.
"And I love you… Frank." she murmured, before pressing her lips to his in a kiss.
Frank Castle slowly opened his eyes, staring up at the ceiling of his New York safe house. As the fan slowly rotated, he turned over, eyeing the alarm clock on his nightstand. It wasn't three AM. He hadn't woken up in a cold sweat since…
Frank sighed, reaching up and running a hand through his hair. He hasn't woken up in a cold sweat since Kentucky, when the two of them…
Castle stopped, having a thousand yard stare that seemed to pierce the wall in front of him.
…when the two of them spent the night in the foxhole he dug.
Castle got up from the bed, throwing a pair of jeans on, followed by a gray shirt. He couldn't shake the dream he just had, of him and Wanda in bed together. Something about HYDRA… were they married?
Frank scoffed, going to the mini kitchen and taking an MRE out of a cabinet. Breakfast burrito with applesauce and a maple cake. Delicious.
That couldn't be real. He pushed Wanda away months ago, even after he had her and Doctor Strange erase everyone's memories of him. It was just a fantasy.
Music: "On The Run" from Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness OST
Elsewhere…
Doctor Strange ran across a ruined bridge, feeling his ponytail flying behind him, as he looked back to see the girl in the blue jacket and star symbol keeping up with him. He would have smiled, if he didn't see a creature barrelling towards them, seemingly created from… strings? Bandages? Ribbons?
As Strange and the girl jumped off the bridge and soared through the air, the sorcerer conjured magical discs, firing them at the Ribboned Creature and instantly freezing it, causing it to crash into a stone platform.
"Did that kill it?" the girl asked in spanish, once they landed on another bridge.
"No- but that will." Stephen replied, pointing just up ahead. Just in front of them was a rotating platform, its connecting archways broken and shattered, but at the center was a dais that housed a glowing, bejeweled book.
"The Book of Vishanti." the girl gasped, as they both ran faster. Strange suddenly heard the sound of ice shattering behind them, and dared to glance back, seeing the monster had broken free, and was after them once again.
"Jump!" Stephen yelled, grabbing the girl's hand and leaping off of the platform and sliding down a slanted column. On the way down, the Ribboned Creature began destroying the already ruined structure, causing the two humans to jump off and land on another platform. Just one more… and they'd be at the book-
The creature suddenly burst through the platform in front of them, roaring in anger. Before he could react, the creature lashed out, stabbing Strange in the leg. Growling in pain, the sorcerer used his magic to grab pieces of debris, slamming them into the monster. The unnatural foe began batting away the stone formations with its tentacles, but eventually became encased in the rubble. As if that wasn't enough, Stephen created a magical bubble to further trap the beast, which unfortunately, it was already breaking out of.
Strange looked down at his leg, seeing the wound begin to become infected by black veins, and he looked back at the girl, coming to a startling realization.
"I can't hold it… and I can't let it take you."
She looked at him in confusion, before he lifted his hand, causing her to levitate, and began sucking out her life force.
"What are you doing?" she asked in alarm.
"I'm so sorry, but this is the only way. I can't let it take your power!" Stephen told her. "You can't control it… but I can!"
"But… but we're friends!" she cried out. "Please… you're killing me!"
"I know." Strange replied, his face falling. "But I have to. In the grand calculus of the multiverse, your sacrifice is worth more than your life-"
A tendril suddenly impaled the sorcerer through the chest, forcing him to drop the girl, and flung him to the side. While the beast was preoccupied, she began to sprint towards the book herself, climbing over debris and swinging across the creature's stringy limbs. Unfortunately, right as she was about to touch what she thought was her salvation, the monster's tentacles wrapped around her, bringing her towards it. As the thing roared in her face, she felt her fear build up, and with a terrified scream…
Her eyes lit up in a sparkling blue, while a star shaped portal erupted behind her, just like the star on the back of her jacket.
Feeling his body move, Strange looked up, seeing the monster have the girl in his clutches. Knowing he couldn't let it take her, white magical discs conjured song his arms, and with the last of his strength, he fired them at the creature, slicing through its tentacles. The monster screeched in anger, as the girl fell into the portal, followed by Strange, who began tumbling through space-
Music: "Strange Awakens" from Multiverse Of Madness OST
Stephen bolted up in bed, running his hands through his hair, breathing heavily, and looked over at the watch on his nightstand. As he stared at the cracks in the watch's face, his breathing slowed, coming back to reality.
It was just a dream. Just a dream.
Strange grabbed the watch and got out of bed, quickly throwing on a nice shirt and slacks. He walked over to a mirror, tie draped around his shoulders, when he realized… his hands were still unsteady from the accident years ago.
With a sigh, Stephen waved his hands in the air, and the tie wrapped around itself. Smiling at the small use of magic, Strange put on his jacket and a pair of hood shoes, before leaving the New York Sanctum.
Today was a big day for him. Hopefully he didn't get there late.
After getting dressed in a black zipped hoodie and baseball cap, Frank made his way down the streets of New York, towards a construction site. He wasn't supposed to be at the job site for another half hour, but he didn't have anything better to do. Still, he couldn't shake the dream he had. First of Wanda and her brother being… taken advantage of by HYDRA, and then himself waking up in bed right next to her. What kind of dream- or nightmare- was that?
As Frank pondered, he suddenly heard yelling a few blocks away, making his head snap to the right. He had just enough time to see a few men chase a young woman into an alley, as she continued to scream.
Well. Guess he had something better to do than construction after all.
Strange arrived at the church, sitting down in the third pew. As he waited for the service to start, a man with unkempt hair and a beige coat sat next to him. Stephen's throat tightened, realizing he knew this man.
"Doctor Strange."
Stephen swallowed hard, before replying, "Doctor West."
"Haven't seen you in a while." Nicodemus murmured.
"Well, I was busy being dust for five years."
"So were a lot of us." West countered. "And while I was gone, I lost… I lost my brother."
Stephen looked at his old colleague in shock, feeling a stab of pity in his heart.
"I'm sorry."
"Hmm… but I always wondered, did it really have to happen like that?" West asked. "Was there truly no other way?"
Strange bit his tongue, knowing someone would eventually ask him this question.
"No. I made the only- the best- play we had, to bring everyone back."
West scoffed, looking forward.
"Of course you did." he muttered. "You are the best surgeon and the best superhero, aren't you? But… you still didn't get the girl."
At that moment, the organ began to play, and everyone got up, while Strange lagged. When he did eventually stand and turn around, he saw the love of his life walk down the aisle, dressed all in white, and holding a bouquet of flowers.
Doctor Christine Palmer.
Music: "Billy Motivates" from Punisher Season 1 OST
Frank followed the screams, entering the alley just in time to see the men duck into a warehouse. He quickly moved inside, seeing five- no, six- thugs corner the poor woman- who wore a distinct blue jacket with a star on the back- and was balling up her fists in fear.
"C'mon little girl, we're friendly." the leader said, making kissing noises.
"Hey, asshole."
The men all turned around, seeing Frank walk up to them.
"She doesn't like you."
"What're you gonna do about it?" the criminal sneered. "There's six of us and one of you-"
Castle whipped out his pistol and shot two of the men, hitting them in the head instantly. He would have shot more, if a red baton didn't fly out of nowhere and hit his wrist, knocking the gun away.
"Fuck." Frank grunted, as a figure in a red and black suit jumped down from the ceiling. "I was wondering when I'd see you again, Red."
Red, or Daredevil, as he was known as, began punching and kicking the remaining criminals, while the woman ran off.
The thugs tried to fight back against the Devil of Hell's Kitchen, but he was too fast for them, flipping around one criminal and kicking another, before throwing his baton and hitting the third. The last one tried to run away, but was met with a clothesline courtesy of Frank.
"Thanks Red." Castle nodded to his friend. "Aren't you a ways from the Kitchen?"
"Just wanted to check on an old friend… Frank."
"So you remember." the Punisher murmured. "How longs it been?"
Daredevil sighed, bowing his head.
"I started remembering you last week. I just... I kept thinking about what you told me, about crossing the line, killing someone. How I'd never be able to come back from that. It's still a little fuzzy, but… you had the wizard make everyone forget about you and Spider-Man?"
Frank numbly nodded, looking away.
"Yeah. It was the only way we could stop the world from tearing itself apart." Frank whispered. "Do you, uh… you remember who he was?"
"Spider-Man?" Daredevil frowned. "No. Why is that?"
"Guess you don't have strong enough memories." Castle murmured. "Wanda said if they were strong enough, you'd eventually get them back…"
The Devil slowly nodded, while Frank looked around. The kid had left by now. That was good.
"Frank…"
He turned to look at Daredevil.
"The girl we just saved… she's being attacked again."
"What?" Frank asked in alarm, just as he heard a crash from outside. He and Daredevil quickly ran out of the warehouse, seeing the girl sprint down the street, as taxis and cars were flipped over by what seemed to be an invisible force.
"The fuck's going on?" Frank asked, while pulling out his other pistol.
Stephen watched Christine and her newly wedded husband dance, as he drank a cocktail from the bar. Vodka with lemon always was his favorite. Before long, he noticed the bride walk over towards him- no, past him- and looked at the bar tender.
"Glass of red, please."
Strange smirked, reaching out.
"Oh, allow me miss." he announced, waving his hand around the glass. In an instant, red wine was conjured out of thin air, rising halfway.
"Sorry, a bit on the nose?" Strange asked.
"What, you? At my wedding?" Christine asked sarcastically. "No, it was perfect."
"Hm, well, congratulations." Stephen smiled, raising his glass.
"Thanks." the bride returned the gesture, before eyeing her husband.
"Oh! There's Charlie. It's a little embarrassing, but he's a huge fan of you."
Strange shook his head in amusement, before sighing.
"Um… listen, Christine… I should've… I wish I had been different." he confessed. "I never stopped caring about us, but I had to make sacrifices. To protect you. And for that, I'm sorry."
Christine sadly smiled, looking him in the eye.
"It was never going to work out between us."
Stephen frowned, squinting slightly.
"What do you mean?"
"Stephen… you always have to be the one holding the knife." she told him. "And… I always respected you for it, but I just couldn't love you for it."
"Yeah…" he admitted, looking away. "But at least you're happy."
"Thank you. I am. I really am." Christine smiled. "But are you? Are you happy?"
Stephen took a deep breath, looked her in the eyes…
And lied through his teeth.
"Yes."
Christine's eyes held a mirthful glint, as she began to walk away.
"Good. I'm glad for you."
Christine stepped away to join her husband, when Strange heard tires screeching outside, followed by crashing. Usually, it wouldn't bother him, it was New York after all, but something made his hairs stick up on end, when he noticed people being picked up by an invisible force and thrown aside, their bodies painting the walls with blood. And that could mean only one thing:
Music: "Gargantos" from Multiverse Of Madness OST
A magical attack.
Stephen quickly made his way to the balcony, which already had several wedding guests looking towards the streets below, and saw dozens of people running away and screaming. With a confused frown, Strange finished his drink, gave it to a wait with a "Thank you", and vaulted over the balcony, taking out his pocket handkerchief to reveal the Cloak of Levitation, which wrapped around his shoulders while he used magic to change from his suit to his blue sorcerer's tunic. As he floated through the air, Strange noticed a car knock a civilian's head clean off, before flying towards a woman pushing a baby carriage, and with a flick of his wrist, conjured a gigantic monstrous cat head that ate the vehicle, before vanishing in a shower of sparks. The sorcerer then descended to the ground, seeing a girl in a blue jacket with a star run frantically into a bus. Odd. Why did she look… familiar?
Stephen didn't have time to ask that yet, as the bus suddenly levitated up in the air, where it was slowly being crushed by an invisible force. Realizing whatever was attacking was cloaked, Strange parted his hands in front of him, and the necklace he wore- which housed the Eye of Agamotto amulet- cleansed the immediate area, revealing a one eyed monster that resembled an octopus or squid.
"The fuck is that?"
Stephen looked back towards the ground, seeing a man in a black hooded jacket looking up at the monster, drawing a pistol.
"Sir, you need to evacuate the area!" Doctor Strange called out. The man stared at him blankly, before unzipping the jacket.
"You still don't remember me, huh Strange?" he asked, discarding the hoodie to reveal a bulletproof vest underneath, decorated with a white skull.
"The Punisher?" Stephen said aloud, remembering his face in newspapers years ago, before he studied the mystic arts.
"Getting warmer." the vigilante told him. Strange stared at him for a few moments, before everything flooded back to him. Meeting him in the Sanctum. Having him rescue Wanda Maximoff from Agatha Harkness. Fighting alongside him at the Statue Of Liberty…
"Frank?" he blurted out.
"Took you long enough." Frank Castle grunted, while shooting the monster. "What the hell is this?"
"Not sure." Stephen replied, while using magic to take apart the bus and reveal the girl holding onto a beam for dear life. The creature extended a tentacle in an attempt to grab the girl, but was stopped when Strange telekinetically used a sharp edge of the bus to slice off the appendage, causing the monster to roar in anger. At the same time, the young woman's grip slackened, and she fell to the ground, prompting Frank to run towards the bus. Just as she was about to hit the ground, Castle caught her, before rolling across the street.
"You good?"
The girl nodded, and Frank quickly got up and continued shooting at the beast, while leading her towards Strange, who collapsed the bus' pieces back into being whole, trapping another of it's tentacles. The pair reached the sorcerer right as he caused the bus to crash on top of the monster, giving him a moment to look at the girl.
"Do I know you?"
The girl looked at him in astonishment, before hearing the wind shift.
"Look out!"
The monster suddenly threw the bus at the trio, making Strange conjure a buzzsaw made of mystical energy, sending it forward and cutting the vehicle in half. Unfortunately, the creature had readied another attack, blindsiding Stephen with one of its tentacles and slamming him into a nearby coffee shop, while another one wrapped around Frank.
"Shit!"
Thinking quickly, the girl ran under the monster, hiding from its enormous eye. That was only a temporary solution, as the monster turned itself upside down, screeching loudly. That's when Frank came to a realization:
The monster was after her.
"Kid, run!" Castle shouted, just before the monster flung him away. Frank's eyes widened, feeling himself fly through the air, when something- or someone- grabbed onto him.
"Hey there! Did someone order the Punisher to be delivered with overnight shipping?"
Frank looked over, seeing a figure in a red and blue costume was holding onto him, while swinging from a string-like fluid.
"Parker?"
"Uh, what?" the figure exclaimed. "I'm just your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man!"
"Cut the shit." Castle growled, just as they reached the ground. "I know about Wanda's spell. If the memories are strong enough, we'd remember each other."
Spider-Man sighed, nodding his head.
"Yeah. Amy guessed that too."
Frank frowned, wanting to ask about Amy, but heard a scream. They both looked over down the street, seeing the girl in the blue jacket was still running away from the monster- and it was gaining.
"We gotta stop it." Frank declared, running back towards the fight. "See if you can pull it back."
"Right."
Spider-Man fired his webs, hitting the creature and causing it to stop, even though it still tried to grab the girl with its tentacles. At the same time, a familiar figure in a red and black suit swooped down from a cable attached to his billy club, grabbing the girl and swinging farther away.
"Took you long enough." Frank muttered, knowing full well the man would hear him. "Welcome to the party Red."
Daredevil swung up towards a building, planning on dropping the girl off on a rooftop for safety, when the monster's tentacles grabbed a nearby mailbox, ripping it off the sidewalk and hurled it in the vigilante's direction, snapping the club and sending him and girl hurtling towards the ground below. Halfway down, the man without fear heard sparks, just before an orange ringed portal opened up. The two of them fell through, landing safely onto the street, as another portal opened, revealing an Asian man with a goattee and wearing a purple tunic.
"Oh hey, it's Wong!" Spider-Man said enthusiastically. "Now we just need Doctor Strange!"
Strange… Strange?
Frank's eyes widened, realizing that Strange was still most likely knocked out, just before gunshots could be heard. Frank whipped his head to the side, seeing a girl with blonde hair, firing a sawed off shotgun at the creature's tentacles.
"Amy, no!" Castle suddenly shouted. "Go help Strange!"
Amy Bendix looked over at Frank, ready to talk back, when she saw the alarm on his eyes. Deciding to keep her mouth shut, she instead nodded, and after jumping over a tentacle, sprinted towards the coffee shop.
"You know, it's kinda funny." Spider-Man quipped, pulling harder on the webs. "This is the second time now that I've fought an octopus!"
The octopus monster in question roared in anger, before spinning its body around and pulling the vigilante towards it, making him let go of the webs. At the same time, Wong conjured some kind of whip made of mystical energy, having a pointed dagger for a tip, and threw it at the creature, only for it to to block the projectile with a tentacle and break the dagger off with teeth lining its suckers. Wong snarled in annoyance, proceeding to conjure a curved sword, and leapt towards the monster, slashing its tentacles, while Spider-Man flipped back towards the ground and fired his webs, backing up towards Frank, who continued shooting and aiming for the eye.
While the other heroes were busy fighting the monster, Amy ran into the coffee shop, finding Doctor Strange unconscious on the floor, with his cloak trying to slap him awake.
"Dammit."
Bendix knelt down, shaking the sorcerer's shoulders, but she got the same result as the cloak.
"Strange, wake up!"
He didn't stir, and the cloak directed itself at Amy's direction, almost like it was looking at her.
"What?" she asked, seeing the cloak tilt forward, like it was looking past her. She turned around, just in time to see a tentacle reach out toward her, but Daredevil suddenly appeared, diving through the shop's window and began hitting the appendage with his batons.
"Thanks Devil!" Bendix shouted, before reverting her attention back towards Strange.
Back outside, Wong continued slashing at the monster, when the octopus knocked his sword away and grabbed him with one of its limbs. With the immediate threat out of the way, the creature set its sights back on the girl, who continued running away. Realizing this, Doctor Strange's cloak flew out of the shop and swept the young woman off her feet, carrying her up into the air. Meanwhile, Spider-Man slid across the street, firing a web at Wong in an attempt to free.
"Hold on, I got you!"
"Let me help you with that!" a new voice called out, before a web covered the octopus's eye. Spider-Man looked up, seeing a figure in a white and black suit with a hood and mask drop down and fire another web toward Wong, allowing him to grab onto the string like fluid. The new vigilante pulled, and together, the sorcerer broke free of the tentacle, where he rolled along the ground.
"Thank you, uh…" Spider-Man stammered.
"My name's Ghost Spider." the person said in a feminine voice. Spider-Man nodded, before looking back at the octopus, just in time to see it grab a motorcycle parked on the street and throw it at the cloak. The vehicle trapped the clothing, causing it to be pinned down against a catwalk, while the girl fell onto the balcony of a tall building.
Inside the coffee shop, Amy continued shaking Strange, culminating in her slapping him hard across the face. That finally woke him up, making his eyes snap open.
"Bendix?"
"Rise and shine." she grunted, as Daredevil helped him up. "Come on, that thing still isn't down."
That caused Strange to bolt into action, as he quickly jumped out the window and conjured a sword not unlike Wong's, throwing it through the air and slicing off more of the tentacles that were trying to reach Spider-Man and Wong.
"You're welcome." Stephen said smugly, as the creature began to climb the building to reach the girl.
"We had it under control." Wong groused.
"Yeah, I know." Strange replied, while both sorcerers created magical chains that hooked onto the monster to pull it back. At the same time, Spider-Man and Ghost Spider shot out multiple webs, latching onto the creature's limbs, and Daredevil fired the grapnel cable from his billy club, propelling himself up towards the balcony. Unfortunately, the monster saw this, and before the vigilante could reach her, a tentacle shot out and wrapped around the Devil, making him drop his club.
"Red!" Frank shouted, continuing to fire his gun, just as Amy joined him. By now, the creature had ascended the building to the point of dragging the sorcerers and spider-people up the wall with it. "Strange, give him a hand!"
Stephen nodded, as his hand was lit ablaze in a bright green fire, forming into an orb. The sorcerer threw the fireball up at the monster, where it struck the tentacle coiled around Daredevil and burned its flesh, making it scream and let go.
"I got him!" Spider-Man yelled, letting go of his web and diving after the Devil, grabbing him and swinging away. At the same time, the octopus roared in anger at being foiled again, using its tentacles to swipe through and break the sorcerer's magical chains and Ghost Spider's webs, before grabbing Doctor Strange in one of its limbs and bringing him in close. Meanwhile, Wong fell towards the ground, but thinking quickly, opened up a portal beneath him, falling through and sideways against a car, but otherwise, landed safely.
Frank and Amy continued shooting the beast, causing it to look at them in hatred and making Castle widen his eyes.
"Oh, fuck."
The octopus screamed loudly, about to grab any nearby debris to throw, but the cloak suddenly appeared, having freed itself from the motorcycle, and draped itself over the monster's eye. With the monster distracted, Strange wriggled his arms free, barely noticing glowing tunes on the tentacles, and cast a spell that grabbed a light pole on the ground and arced it up, with the appearance of blue hands holding it like a spear. The cloak flew away, and Stephen thrust his hands forward, sending the pole at the creature and impaling its eye. The monster shrieked in pain, as Strange ripped the pole out, taking the eye with it, and the octopus began falling towards the ground, letting go of the sorcerer in the process. Strange himself didn't fall far, as the cloak scooped him up and rested on his shoulders once more, allowing him to float above the carnage. Stephen shook his head in disbelief, looking back up at the balcony to see the girl staring at him in nervousness. With another wave of his hand, Strange created another portal, leading the girl back to the street- and to Wong, who was being helped up by Daredevil and Amy.
"Thank you." the sorcerer nodded, before looking at the girl. "Who's this?"
"I was wondering the same thing." Stephen murmured, just as Frank and Spider-Man walked up to him.
"Some assholes were trying to take her." Frank explained.
"I meant that I saw her in my dream this morning." Strange elaborated, while the red and blue clad hero looked around.
"Hey, where's Ghost Spider?" Spider-Man asked.
"Who?" Strange frowned.
"Ghost Spider." the vigilante repeated. "She was wearing a white suit and hood…"
Spider-Man squinted his eyes, seeing the one he was talking about swinging away in the distance.
"Huh."
"I'd better leave too." Daredevil announced, firing the grapnel on his club at a nearby building. Before he swung away, he added, "By the way Strange, the girl toon your ring!"
"What?" Stephen blurted out, looking behind him to see the girl running off. Wong sighed, conjuring a portal in front of the girl and sending her back in front of them.
"Come on kid, I'm not gonna hurt you. I just saved you for Christ's sake."
The girl looked at him with skepticism, before reluctantly giving him his sling ring back.
"I'm sorry if I don't exactly believe you, considering that the last you I met almost killed me."
"Last me?" Strange raised an eyebrow. "Is that what my dream was last night? Another me helping you?"
"Yep." The girl nodded. "Only it wasn't a dream. It was another universe."
Frank furrowed his brow, looking over to Strange and Spider-Man.
"Whoa, another universe." the wall-crawler said excitedly. "Hey, fighting that octopus monster made me hungry. You guys up for some pizza?"
Music: "Multiverse Experience?" from Multiverse Of Madness OST
Ten minutes later, Frank, Stephen, Wong, Spider-Man, Amy, and the new girl sat down outside a restaurant, all having slices of pizza.
"Remember this web-head, Lombardi's is the best." Frank told Spider-Man, as the two of them and Amy ate their pizza.
"Okay, so how much experience do any of you have about the multiverse?" the girl asked.
Stephen looked between Spider-Man and Frank, while shifting a bit.
"We have some experience…" strange started. "We just recently got into a multiversal incident with Spider-Man-"
"What?" the girl snorted. "Who's Spider-Man?"
"Uh… I'm Spider-Man." the red and blue hero raised his hand, while pointing to the spider symbol on his chest. "I can climb walls and shoot webs-"
"Do you shoot webs out of your butt?" the girl asked.
"What? No, I…"
Spider-Man let out a frustrated sigh, before pressing his middle and ring finger to his palm. A second layer, a web shot out of a device on his wrist, latching onto the girl's plate.
"See?"
"Super weird." the girl shrugged.
"Okay, I think we all got off on the wrong foot." Amy said to de-escalate. "My name's Amy Bendix, and the big guy is Frank Castle. That's Wong with purple dress-"
"It's a tunic, Miss Bendix." Wong grumbled.
"You've already met Spider-Man, and that's-"
"Doctor Strange." the girl said. "I know. My name's America Chavez."
Spider-Man choked on his pizza, while Frank looked at her with narrowed eyes.
"You're kidding."
"Nope." America smirked, as she wolfed down her slice.
"You're gonna get a stomach ache." Strange drawled.
"I'm from another universe." Chavez shrugged. "How do you know my stomach works the same as yours?"
"I don't." the sorcerer admitted. "But I also don't know if you're even from a different universe."
"Wait, what about all those bad guys we fought last year?" Spider-Man.
"That was different, kid." Frank reminded him. "Those assholes were literally falling out of the sky."
"Look, I just had to leave my friend's wedding to rescue you, smartass." Doctor Strange glared at America. "So why don't you tell me why that octopus demon was trying to kill you?"
"Oh, it wasn't trying to kill me." America explained. "It just wanted to take my powers."
"What powers?" Spider-Man asked. The girl grit her teeth, leaning forward.
"I can travel the multiverse."
Frank raised his eyebrows, leaning back.
"Come again?"
Chavez opened her mouth to speak, but was suddenly interrupted by a woman and two young boys, the woman holding up her phone.
"Excuse me, do any of you mind if we get a photo? My sons love the Avengers!"
Everyone looked around at each other, with Spider-Man shrugging.
"Sure guys! Amy, you coming?"
Amy smiled, getting up, but noticed Frank looking at her.
"Didn't know you and him were…"
Bendix chuckled, placing her hand on his shoulder.
"Yeah. I meant to tell you."
"Don't worry about it." Castle mumbled. "He's good for you."
Amy smiled, turning to leave with Spider-Man, while Frank turned his attention back to America.
"You can travel the multiverse."
"Yup." Chavez nodded, while eating her pizza and looking at Strange. "I met another version of you, but this demon found me. We were going to get the Book of Vishanti and use it to kill it."
"That book is a myth." Stephen snorted.
"No, it's real." Wong interrupted. "When one becomes the Sorcerer Supreme, they are granted access to all knowledge of the mystic arts, including the existence of the book."
"We actually found the book." Chavez revealed. "But the demon caught up to us, and… killed you."
"Just like in my dream." Strange realized.
"It wasn't a dream." America insisted.
"Prove it." Strange challenged.
Once the girl finished her pizza, the four of them made their way to a nearby rooftop, with a suspicious tarp on the ground. Wong quickly made his way over and lifted the cloth, revealing the body of Stephen Strange. Only this Strange wore a red and black robe, with his hair in a ponytail. That, and his face was severely cut up.
"It wasn't a dream…" Stephen realized. "Which means… dreams are windows to the lives of our multiversal selves."
Wong looked at Strange in shock, while America pointed to the body.
"That was his theory too."
"So, that recurring dream I have, where I'm naked and running from some clown…" Wong murmured.
"Somewhere out there." Chavez shrugged, while Frank folded his arms. If that was true… then that dream he just had, of himself and Wanda… they really were married in some alternate reality.
"And out there, I have a ponytail." Strange muttered.
"There could be more creatures out there." Wong decided.
"Her power's already dangerous, but if an actual threat acquired them…" Strange agreed. Wong turned to America, who looked at them all uneasy.
"Miss Chavez, will you come with us to Kamar Taj?" the sorcerer asked. "You'll be safe there."
"But how will I know you won't betray me like he did?" America asked.
"Guess you'll have to trust me." Stephen sighed. That didn't seem to convince her, until Frank stepped forward.
"Look kid, you haven't known us for a while, but you remember my friend in red helping me in stopping those assholes earlier, right?"
The girl nodded.
"Okay, so here's the thing: I've known Strange for a while now, and he and I might not see eye to eye. That's okay with me. But whatever the other him did to you, I promise you, he won't. You gotta believe me on that."
Chavez looked at Castle in curiosity, before sighing.
"Okay. Okay, I'll go with you."
Wong nodded, before looking back down at the body.
"What should we do with him?"
Doctor Strange let out an exhale, before creating a portal with his sling ring and dropping the body through.
"If I'm right, I just portaled the body into the burial chambers underneath Kamar Taj."
Wong frowned, holding up his hand.
"I just realized… there were markings on that body, the same ones on the creature we fought."
"Runes." Strange told him.
"Then we are not dealing with sorcery."
It took Stephen a moment, but when it did, it was like he was hit by a train.
"Witchcraft."
Frank felt a sinking feeling in his stomach, as Stephen turned towards him with a dreaded look.
"Don't you fucking say it."
"The only other witch we know of is Harkness, and she's still in Westview." Stephen told him.
"We don't know it's her."
"The Darkhold also went missing shortly after the incident with Spider-Man." Doctor Strange told him. Castle took a step back, feeling like there was a heavy weight on his shoulders. If they were right…
"We gotta be sure."
"I agree." Stephen nodded, as he created a portal to what looked like a meadow with trees, as well as used magic to hide his cape and wear a blue robe. "Are you ready?"
Frank swallowed the lump in his throat, but nodded.
"Yeah."
After having their way with them, Bruno and Hans left the cell, leaving Wanda and Pietro sprawled on the cold floor. Pietro weakly looked over to his sister, seeing she had curled herself into a ball like before, and was sobbing from the horrific violation they both just experienced.
"Wanda…" Pietro rasped out, reaching for her desperately. "Wanda, it's going to be alright. They're gone now."
She didn't answer, making his heart break in two.
"Wanda, please. It's just us."
Eventually, Wanda did look over to him, but made no move to unfurl herself from the position she was in.
"Why did we do it, Pietro?"
The young man frowned, not understanding what he meant.
"How do you mean?"
"Why did we join them?" she sniffed. "We- I knew what they were, and I insisted we join up for the experiments anyway."
Pietro's eyes drooped, as he tried to come up with a reason.
"We were angry." he murmured. "We wanted to make Stark pay for what he did to us. We still do. And Strucker promised us we would avenge our parents."
"Strucker doesn't care about us." Wanda muttered. "He wouldn't have locked us in these cages. He has what he wants."
"Maybe." Pietro agreed. "But I promise you, I will find a way out of here."
Wanda smiled, gingerly reaching out to touch Pietro's hand… when all of a sudden, the collars around both their necks began shocking them.
"No!" Pietro screamed, as Wanda grabbed at her neck and shrieked with pain.
"Stop! STOP!"
"MOM!"
Wanda bolted upright in bed, taking deep breaths. She would have probably started crying from the nightmare, if she didn't notice two boys looking at her in concern. One whose hair was longer and was wearing green, and the other, shorter hair and wearing red.
Her boys. Billy and Tommy.
"Mom, are you alright?" Billy asked. "We heard you talking in your sleep."
Wanda quickly flashed a smile, holding out her arms and inviting her boys to a group hug.
"Of course I'm okay. You're all here…"
She looked around, realizing her husband wasn't in the room.
"Where's your father?"
"He had to go to work." Tommy blurted out. "And he told us not to wake you."
Wanda chuckled. Typical Frank.
"What time is it?"
"Almost twelve." both kids said. "We thought we'd let you sleep in."
"Well, tell you guys what." Maximoff decided. "I'll make you something special once you get your chores done."
"Sweet! Thanks Mom!"
Music: "Wanda At Home" from Multiverse Of Madness OST
The boys ran out of the room, and Wanda could actually hear them bounding down the stairs. Maximoff stifled a laugh, shaking her head, before getting up and going to her closet to put on clothes for the day.
Close to an hour later, Wanda was in the kitchen, mixing chocolate in a bowl, when the boys rushed in, their eyes bulging when they saw what was being made.
"Ooh, chocolate!" Tommy exclaimed.
"Hey, what did I say?"
"But we finished our chores!" Billy protested.
"Then you can wait a little bit longer, so that I can make this into a delicious cake-"
Billy and Tommy each scooped up a handful of chocolate, licking the ingredient from their fingers, while Wanda laughed.
"Okay, go wash yours hands." she chortled, shooing them away.
Later in the evening, the boys were getting ready for bed, while Wanda went to tuck them both in. Just as she was about to enter their room, she heard her phone ring, and checked the ID.
Maximoff closed her eyes, letting out a tired sigh, and answered the caller.
"You have to work late again?"
There was a pause on the other line, before her husband spoke.
"I'm sorry Wanda. We both knew this would happen when I took the job."
"I know." she whispered. "Latveria again?"
"Yeah. I asked Richards if he could help me on this one."
Wanda nodded, knowing full well how dangerous the country of Latveria- and its ruler- could be.
"Do you think you could talk to the boys before you have to go?"
Another pause.
"I'm sorry. I have to go now."
"Okay. Alright." Maximoff murmured. "I'll tell them you said goodnight."
"Thank you. I love you."
"Love you too." Wanda replied, before ending the call and walking into her sons' room.
"Dad's not coming home?" Billy asked, sounding slightly disappointed.
"Not yet." Wanda told him with a shake of her head. "He did wish you a goodnight."
"Aw, how come he always has to be away?" Tommy asked.
"Tommy… your father is protecting a lot of people right now. Not just us." she reminded him.
"Oh… yeah." Tommy said sadly.
"Here, I'll tuck you in."
"Ah c'mon mom, I'm a bit too old for that." Tommy told her.
"Oh… okay." Maximoff playfully smiled.
"Well I'm not too old for you to tuck me in." Billy grinned.
"I will." Wanda turned towards Billy and tucked him in under the covers. "You know… even though your father has to work a lot of late nights, a family is forever. Nothing could ever truly keep us apart, even if we tried."
She kissed Billy on the forehead, wishing him a good night, just as Tommy spoke up.
"Mom, I changed my mind. About being tucked in."
"Alright." Wanda smiled, going back over to Tommy, and began tucking him in as well.
"Love you two. Goodnight-"
Wanda gasped awake, slowly sitting up in bed. Of course. Of course it was just a dream. Her boys weren't with her. Every night, she dreamed of being with her sons. Being with Frank. But every morning, when she awoke, she crumbled from the weight of her reality:
She was alone.
But these past dreams had been… strange. At least the ones of her and Pietro, imprisoned by HYDRA. She didn't remember that happening. Was it a dream within a dream? Is that what happened… in another life?
Wanda sighed, shaking her head. She couldn't think about that now, as much as she wanted to. So with a great deal of strength- more so than what she thought was required- she pulled herself out of bed, having already worn clothes, and went to her closet, throwing on a brown jacket, and made her way outside. Once she exited her house, she grabbed the pruning shears that were next to the front door, heading towards the small orchard a few hundred feet away.
Music: "The Apple Orchard" from Multiverse Of Madness OST
She faintly heard the sparks of a familiar portal opening behind her, followed by the sound of two sets of footsteps, while she was in the middle of pruning a branch.
Wait… two?
"Apples, right?"
Wanda turned around, hearing that same clipped voice, confirming it was Stephen Strange approaching her. But she didn't expect to see the company next to him.
"Eventually. Stephen." she nodded to Strange, then proceeded to give the other man a cold, albeit neutral, stare. "Mister Castle."
Frank let out a sigh. So that's how it was going to be.
"You remember him too." Strange noted.
"We might have crossed paths after fighting alongside Spider-Man." she replied coyly.
"You sought me out, Wanda. Remember that?" Castle spoke up. Wanda glared at him, before addressing Stephen.
"Regardless, I've moved on, and put both the incident, and the magic, behind me." Maximoff muttered. "But I knew it was only a matter of time before you showed up, Strange. After the mistake I made, to make sure we all survived-"
"I'm not here to talk about the Statue of Liberty." Stephen interrupted. "You did what you had to do."
"Then why are you here?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.
"We need your help." Strange explained, as the three began to walk forward. "There's this girl who can travel the multiverse, and she's being pursued-"
"What?" Wanda quickly turned towards Stephen. Maybe it was just in Frank's head, but it seemed almost… too quick. "Pursued by who?"
"We don't know." Strange admitted. "Some kind of demon… one who covets her power for itself."
Wanda looked away slightly, averting her eyes. Another subtle moment that didn't go unnoticed by Frank. A part of him wondered if she was reminded of Agatha Harkness.
"I'm sure Frank and I alone are more than capable of protecting her, but we could use an Avenger." Strange continued.
"There are other Avengers." Wanda chuckled. "Why not call on Spider-Man again?"
"Well… given the choice between the archer and some bug-themed vigilantes- including Spider-Man- versus one of the most powerful magic users that's said to rival even the Sorcerer Supreme, it's really no contest."
Wanda smirked, while walking forward. Frank wasn't sure why, but something about her response- or lack thereof- about Hawkeye just seemed… off to him.
"Hey… you seen Barton?"
Wanda opened her mouth in shock, before closing it just as quickly.
"I… no. We haven't seen each other since the statue. I doubt he'd want to see me anyway."
They continued walking, until Wanda broke the silence.
"What if you brought America here?"
"Here?" Strange raised an eyebrow, the gears in his head turning.
"Sure. I've had experience being hunted for powers I never wanted, and I can protect her."
She suddenly stopped, realizing she was walking by herself, and turned around, noticing Strange and Frank were looking at her with dread and… disappointment.
"Is that why you never saw him?" Castle asked. "You didn't want him to see you now?"
Wanda's throat tightened, realizing the charade was over.
"You never told me her name." she guessed, ignoring Frank and looking right at Strange.
"No. No, I didn't." Stephen murmured. Wanda sighed, holding up her hand.
"You know, the magic, it was always the easy part. But the lying… not so much."
With a wave of her hand, red magic poured out, sweeping across the land. Before Frank and Strange's eyes, the entire landscape became a hellish nightmare, one with dead, rotted trees, a blood-colored sky, and even a pale moon shown overhead.
Castle tore his eyes away from the scenery, focusing on Wanda. Gone was her coat, replaced by the dark red outfit and crown. Just like the last time he saw her. And right next to her…
"The Darkhold." Strange mumbled. "So you did take it."
"Yes. I did." Wanda confirmed.
"Wanda, you know that the book corrupts the user." Stephen warned.
"No. It showed me the truth." Maximoff disagreed. "He told me that everything I lost can be mine again."
"He?" Frank furrowed his brow. "The fuck are you talking about…"
Wanda's eyes suddenly went black, making his blood run cold.
"No."
"Hello Frank. It's been a while." a deep, raspy voice spoke through Wanda's mouth, although Castle felt like he could hear it radiate inside his own head.
"You remember me?"
"Yeah asshole, I remember you." Frank growled, quickly pulling out his gun-
The demon possessing Wanda lifted her hand, and dead roots on the ground sprang to life, coiling around Castle and wrapping around his limbs. Strange was about to conjure a fireball, when more roots immobilized him as well.
"Chthon." Stephen grit his teeth. "I knew you would take advantage of Wanda, after what she had to do to seal the cracks in our reality."
"Chthon promised that he would help me." Wanda insisted, her eyes and voice returning to normal.
"How?" Strange asked. "What does he want with America? What does he want with the multiverse?"
"He wants to help me find my boys." Maximoff corrected. "With his help, I'm going to leave this reality, and go to one where I can be with my children."
"You think you can trust him, Wanda?" Frank asked. "You think he won't fuck you over, like he did to me?"
"Shut up." Wanda interrupted, and with a flick of her hand, another root wrapped around Frank's mouth to keep him from speaking.
"Wanda, your children aren't real." Stephen protested. "You created them using magic and pieces of the demon Mephisto's soul."
Wanda opened her mouth in surprise, but closed it, having never known about Mephisto.
"If… if you knew, that there was a universe where you were happy, wouldn't you want to go there?"
Frank bowed his head, already knowing the answer to that question. Even now, he wondered what his life would be like, if Maria and his kids were still alive.
"I am happy." Strange declared, making Wanda scoff.
"I don't have to read your mind to know you're lying to me."
"Wanda… you and I both know that even if Chthon gives you what you want, he won't stop there until he's taken over every reality." Stephen warned. "What you're doing, taking the child's power, it will kill her."
"I don't relish in this act, Stephen, but America is no child." Wanda chided. "She's a supernatural being from another reality. Such raw power would be a danger to this world, and countless others, therefore her death would be for the greater good. Like you once told Peter, in the grand calculus of the multiverse, her sacrifice will mean more than her life."
A chill went up Strange's spine. Not just because his own words were thrown back at him, but because she just revealed she remembered Peter Parker was Spider-Man. Was she reading his mind, right now?
"That's the kind of justification our enemies use." Stephen eventually said adamantly.
"Is that the one you used, when you gave Thanos the Time Stone?" Wanda sneered.
"That wasn't the same." Stephen clenched his fists. "I saw no other way that we would win against Thanos."
"No, you saw the one where you would live with the rest of us." Wanda narrowed her eyes, before waving her hand. In an instant, the roots that bound Strange and Frank rotted away, allowing them stumble slightly, but otherwise they were unharmed.
"Return to Kamar-Taj, Stephen Strange." Wanda told the sorcerer. "Yes, I know you brought America there. Don't try to move her, I will know. Prepare to hand over America Chavez by sundown- peacefully. After that… you'll never see me again. Neither of you will."
Wanda turned to leave, dissolving the Darkhold into her hand, until Strange spoke up.
"And if we don't?"
Maximoff sighed, turning back towards Stephen and Frank, as her eyes glowed crimson.
"Then it won't be Wanda who comes for her. It will be the Scarlet Witch."
Wanda turned on her heel and walked further into the rotting forest, vanishing completely against the red mist. Strange sighed, before lifting his arms and creating a portal.
"Let's go, Castle. We need to warn them."
Frank slowly nodded, and the two of them departed the hellscape, returning to Kamar-Taj.
A/N: I wanted to release this once the story was completely written, but it's starting to take up space on my computer. So, I'll be releasing the chapters whenever they're finished.
But as the title suggests, Chthon will be the main villain, and he'll be possessing Wanda, just like in the comics. Just like with WandaVision, it really rubs me the wrong way that people actively defend Wanda for everything she's done and everyone she's killed. I get that the Darkhold was influencing her (although the movie did a bad job translating that), and that she wanted to see her kids (which weren't really her's or real), but you gotta draw the line somewhere on how much sympathy you have. So in here, Wanda's not the villain, Chthon is.
Second, this story will have more horror tones in it than the actual movie. Because Disney had Sam Raimi on such a tight leash, this was the most basic horror-comedy I've seen in a while. Even Disney themselves have done horror movies before, and they went way darker than Doctor Strange. So here, there's going to be a lot of darker moments, as evidenced by the opening with the HYDRA agents.
Finally, in addition to this being a celebration of Marvel, it's a celebration of Raimi. One of the other big gripes I had with the film is that they featured only two other universes. Yeah, they had the scene where Strange and Chavez break through all those different worlds, but that was a blink and you miss it. So not only am I including worlds from previous Marvel films outside the MCU, but also from Sam Raimi's films. You can probably guess on which ones, and also expect returning variants from my previous stories.
That's all for now! Have a great one!