A/N: Alright, I was finally able to get the final chapter out, so here we go!


Epilogue

Weeks later, Strange and Frank walked next to Wong, watching the students of Kamar Taj practice creating constructs from mystical energy. While most were able to create circular discs with intricate designs, one student in particular seemed to be struggling…

"Damn it." America, now wearing a dark blue tunic and robe, with her hair pulled back in a bun, muttered while rotating her arms, but unfortunately couldn't create anything. "How is this so much harder than creating a multiversal portal?"

After Chthon had been defeated, Stephen suggested that America could take up refuge at Kamar Taj again, which she gratefully accepted on account of her already requesting to learn the mystic arts. The reason why Frank was there… she simply asked him to be. That, and so they could keep up their own training sessions.

"She's getting better." Frank noted, noticing a flurry of sparks form in front of Chavez.

"But she needs to slow down, and be more patient." Stephen added.

"Reminds me of another student I knew." Wong smirked, making Strange chuckle. "How are you feeling?"

"Okay…" Stephen frowned. "Why ask?"

"Because you used the Darkhold to dreamwalk into your own corpse." the Sorcerer Supreme reminded him, before turning to Frank. "And you, Mister Castle… you read from the Necronomicon and allowed the Kandarian Demon to possess your soul."

"Yeah." Frank nodded. "I'm good. Pretty sure the Infinity Stones burned it all out of me."

"Regardless, do not think that there won't be consequences to either of those actions." Wong told them. Strange sighed, shaking his head, as he looked out to the students. Something kept nagging at him…

"Wong… are you happy?"

Stephen's friend turned to him in confusion, furrowing his brow.

"That's an interesting question."

Strange shrugged, looking out to the horizon.

"You'd think saving the world would get you there, but… it doesn't."

Wong slowly nodded, eyeing the students.

"Sometimes, I do wonder about my other lives." the Sorcerer Supreme admitted. "But for better or for worse, I remain grateful in this one. Despite its hardships. And we don't have to go through it alone."

Stephen lulled his head, looking over to Castle.

"And you, Frank?"

The Punisher let out a deep exhale, looking at Strange and Wong. Two people he didn't even know until a year ago, but would actually consider them friends.

"Yeah." he finally said. "I didn't think I'd be happy again, after Maria… Lisa… Junior… but I guess anything can happen, right?"

"That's right." Wong murmured.

"Hey." Frank told Stephen. "You'll find someone, Strange. If it can happen to me, it'll happen to you."

Strange let out a small smile, as someone else caught his eye.

"Hey, 'sup?"

Frank turned his head, seeing America join them.

"Sup." Stephen repeated. Chavez grinned, gesturing back to where she stood earlier.

"I, uh… I made a few sparks."

"That's good." Strange grinned. "Your parents would be proud. I hope you'll get to show them someday."

"Ooh, Frank, I'm getting better at shooting too! Wanna see?" America smiled, pulling out a pistol from her robe. After Chthon destroyed the last one, Frank gifted her a new gun from his collection, making sure she only used it for training.

"Sure, why not." Frank murmured. Strange opened up a portal, which dropped a paper target ring off a few yards away from them, and after he, Castle, Wong, and the students all covered their ears, America pointed the pistol at the target.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

America lowered her gun, as Stephen brought the target closer. Four shots hitting dead center, with two hitting the ring just outside of it.

"Good. Your grouping's getting better." Frank nodded. "You're doing great kid."

"Thanks." Chavez smiled, putting away her weapon. "Hey, Stephen… I'm glad that I fell into yours' and Frank's universe."

Strange smiled, giving a nod.

"So am I, kid."

"Me too." Frank murmured, looking at Strange and Wong. "If you guys need anything, you know where to find me."

"We'll keep that in mind." Stephen smiled, while reaching into his tunic. "Before I forget, I've been meaning to give this to you ever since we defeated Chthon."

Strange pulled a pistol magazine from his cloak, handing it to the Punisher. Frank looked down, noticing the bullets inside had runes carved all over the cartridges, which glowed white.

"Magic bullets?" Castle inquired.

"These bullets are imbued with the Seven Suns Of Cinnibus-"

Strange stopped, seeing Frank's raised eyebrow.

"Yes… they're magic bullets." Stephen nodded. Frank looked at the ammunition for a few seconds, before eventually pocketing them.

"Thanks."

"Anything for a friend." the sorcerer shrugged, as he created a portal leading back to the New York Sanctum.

"Oh, Frank?"

Castle stopped, one foot already through the portal. Stephen was already walking past him.

"Tell Wanda I said hi… and thanks." America asked.

Frank nodded, stepping through completely.

"I will, kid. She's sorry too."

America smiled, as the portal closed up, leaving Frank and Strange to walk back into the sanctum. The pair had only taken a few steps, when Wanda appeared at the top, wearing a bright red tunic.

"You're back." Maximoff smiled, as Strange walked up the stairs. "How is she?"

"Doing alright." Frank murmured, as the two of them closed the distance. "She says hi, and thanks."

"I don't deserve anyone's thanks." Wanda said sadly.

"Maybe not." Frank agreed, looking her in the eye. "But America's still thankful."

Maximoff's mouth quirked up into a smile, as Frank leaned in, kissing her. It only lasted a few seconds, but to them…

Once the embrace ended, Frank looked away, causing Wanda to pitch her eyebrows in concern.

"What is it?"

Castle licked his lip, sighing.

"It wasn't just the deadite position that kept me alive." Frank revealed. "I met Death. Or a version of it."

"Frank…" Wanda was about to say, but when he turned towards her, the look in her eyes told her everything.

"She… it tried to take me, but I had to make a deal with her." Castle continued. "She wanted to take you, I told her to take Chthon instead. It wasn't enough."

"Why are you telling me this?" Maximoff asked, fear gripping her.

"I gotta keep killing shitbags, Wanda." Frank told her. "I was gonna do it anyway, but now, it's to save you. To save us."

Frank hung his head, but Wanda slowly placed her hand on his cheek, lifting him up.

"I'll help you." she promised. "It's my fault this all started."

Castle saw her determined expression, and decided not to argue.

"Okay."

All of a sudden, a slow clapping could be heard, causing the two to look back at the entrance of the sanctum. Right at the door was a woman in a green dress, with the bottom half of her face resembling a skull.

"Bravo." Death said mockingly. "Really though Frank, you actually thought I'd have you kill a bunch of low lifes in exchange for Wanda's soul? It's like you said, she killed Chthon."

"So you fed me all that bullshit for no reason." Frank muttered.

"Pretty much, yeah." Death's eyes lit up, and he could swear he could see her smirking, despite her mouth being a skull. "Besides, you also took out Agatha, I'd say we're square."

"Harkness?" Frank knit his brows in confusion. "She do something to you?"

"You could say that." Death hummed, as her form began to dissipate as black smoke. "Take care, Frank. I look forward to seeing you work again…"

Death vanished before their very eyes, making Castle blink. Wanda cleared her throat, resting a hand on his shoulder.

Music: "Wild World" (trailer version) from Venom The Last Dance OST

"I wasn't lying when I said I'd help you."

The Punisher looked over his shoulder, a frown on his face.

"What about Strange?"

"I'll talk with him." Maximoff offered. "Tell him I'll only leave the sanctum when its with you."

Frank nodded, about to look back at the door, when Wanda cupped his cheek, pulling him in for another kiss.


While Frank and Wanda stayed in the sanctum's foyer, Doctor Strange was in his bedroom, unscrewing the backside of his watch, and feeling it come loose. Nodding to himself, he flipped the device over, pulling out the cracked glass, revealing the inner workings. As he heard the clock tick away, Strange grabbed a newer piece and placed it on top, before screwing it back in.

"Good."

Strange grabbed the watch and placed it back into a drawer, shutting it for good. Like he was truly saying goodbye to Christine for good… and he was okay with that.


In their apartment, Peter and Amy started to take off their vigilante costumes, when the police radar went off.

"All units, we have a robbery in Chinatown. Suspects are using stolen Chitauri weapons…"

Parker looked over to Bendix, who was already putting on a black mask with a skull painted over it, mirroring the Punisher's vest.

"No rest for the weary, right Peter?"

Spider-Man smirked, placing his own mask back on.

"That's right."

Peter wrapped an arm around Amy, before firing a web out of the open window, and swung out into the night.


Earth-838

Tony Stark soared above the remains of the Illuminati's headquarters, with his world's variants of Frank and Wanda right behind him in their own armored suits. Iron Man looked over his shoulder, seeing they were both keeping up, before they all flew across the ocean, going East.


Earth-202

Peter-2, Wanda-2, and Frank-2 all dove to various points of cover, as Mysterio hurled cars and debris at them. On the ground, Bullseye and Jigsaw fired their machineguns, while the Vulture swooped in the sky, throwing down bombs. As the villains laid down a barrage of fire, Peter-2 looked behind them, seeing two familiar figures on hoverboards.

"Mind if we cut in, Pete?" Harry shouted, zooming towards Mysterio, as he extended his sword. Peter-2 smirked, as the two goblins flew past them, before looking to Frank and Wanda.

"Let's kick their asses."


Earth-199999

Daredevil crouched on top of a rooftop, hearing a drug deal happening in the alley below. Matt tilted his head, hearing at least a dozen heartbeats on the ground, but just as he was about to drop down, two more heartbeats echoed behind him.

"Need a hand, Red?"

Matt craned his head in the direction of the voice, which was unmistakably Frank Castle's. And the other…

"Wanda?" Murdock frowned, recognizing her lighter footsteps. "I thought you were on 'house arrest'."

"Probation now." Wanda smiled, looking at the Punisher. "And only as long as Frank or Strange are with me."

Daredevil smirked, turning his head towards the gang below them.

"Try to keep up."

The Devil of Hell's Kitchen jumped down, as Frank simply shrugged and followed him, landing on a catwalk first, before vaulting towards the pavement. Wanda mimicked his lead, as the three landed on the ground in quick succession, startling the gang members.

"Shit, it's Daredevil and Punisher!"

"And is that… holy fuck, the Avengers witch is here too!"

Matt didn't allow them to say anything else, immediately flipping around hitting people with his billy club, while Frank shot at a few of the gang members, while also punching a few others. Wanda pulled out her Desert Eagle and shot a few thugs, but one of them blindsided her, tackling her to the ground.

"Well, I'm gonna make a big name for myself after killing you." the man, a bigger, burly criminal laughed, sporting a scruffy beard and red bandana. A second later, the side of his head exploded, courtesy of Frank's bullet, and he fell over. Luckily for Wanda, she had just enough time to roll away to not get trapped by the corpse.

"Hey… you good?" Castle asked, extended her hand. Maximoff gave a frantic nod, just as she saw another thug aiming his gun right behind Frank.

"No!" Wanda yelled, holding out her hand. The gun fired, and her eyes widened. Not because Frank was hit, but because the bullet stopped in midair, held by red wisps. The criminal's eyes bulged, right before Daredevil's club smashed into his face, knocking him out.

"Thanks." Castle murmured, as Murdock retrieved his weapon and turned towards them.

Huh. All the thugs were either knocked out or dead.

"I didn't hear the bullet impact." Matt frowned, stepping towards them. "Are your powers back?"

Wanda looked down at her hands, conjuring a small orb of magic.

"It appears so."

No one said anything, as a golden portal suddenly opened up at the end of the alley, gaining Frank's attention.

"Right on time." Castle muttered. "Come on, Red. Strange wants to talk."


Earth-214

Venom crouched on top of a skyscraper in New York, overlooking the city. As the symbiote felt the wind on its unnatural face, it looked over at the Statue of Liberty, shining like the beacon of freedom it is.

Hmm… it really does look beautiful, Eddie.

A scream echoed throughout the night, causing Venom to tilt his head.

Well… we suppose the Lethal Protector's work is never done!

Venom leapt from the skyscraper, launching himself towards the scream, as he noticed a figure in a black and white suit swinging from a web in the distance.

Ooh, looks like Spider-Woman will assist us!

The symbiote grinned, soaring through the air, as he landed in the alleyway, right after Gwen to see Frank-3 taking cover behind a dumpster.

"Hi Frank! Need a hand?" Venom asked, looking up to see several gangsters firing at the Punisher.

Castle shrugged, as he stood up, Gwen and Venom at his side.

"Not the worst company I've had."


Earth-2131623

Ash Williams, Beth, and Kassie all stood back to back, fighting off a horde of zombies. Ever since what their multiversal friends had called the "Battle of Westview", Ash's Ghostbeaters found out that the Necronomicons had been turned to ash, as well as any stray deadite was now rotting away.

These zombies weren't part of the Evil. So what the hell were they?

"Heads up!" Beth shouted, as a zombie suddenly plowed into Kassie, knocking her to the ground. Hack immediately pulled out her knife, stabbing the walking corpse's head, but it kept coming at her, albeit slower.

"Goddamit!" Kassie swore, trying to push the zombie away. Suddenly, she could hear glass shattering all around her, and in confusion, Hack looked past the zombie she was fighting, seeing several star shaped portals opening up from the ground, sucking up all of the undead. Just as she began to smile, the zombie's head exploded from a gunshot, giving her enough time to finally push the body off.

"Hey Kassie."

Hack saw a hand reach down, connected to the body of America Chavez.

"Good to see you again."

America pulled Kassie to her feet, staring into the blonde's eyes. As if in silent communication, the teens leaned closer towards each other, embracing each other in a kiss while they closed their eyes.

"Hey, good on Kassie for finding someone." Ash murmured, watching the two. "And it didn't have to be a boy."

Beth frowned, hearing his comment, and sharply elbowed him in the ribs.


Earth-199999

Frank, Wanda, and Matt stepped through the portal and into the New York Sanctum, seeing that Doctor Strange and Wong were already waiting for them.

"Thank you for collecting Mr. Murdock." Stephen told Castle.

"I suppose you're wondering why you're here." Wong announced.

"Sort of." Matt took off his cowl. "I'm not big on mystical threats."

"Yet you were ready to aid in stopping Chthon." the Sorcerer Supreme pointed out.

"That's… that's what good people do." Daredevil shrugged, turning his head in Frank's direction. "And Frank's a friend."

"Regardless, Chthon isn't the only threat out there." Strange revealed, opening his cloak and lifting up the Book of Vishanti. Wanda widened her eyes, realizing that the sorcerer must have hidden it from Chthon, back when they were in the Gap Junction.

"There is a prophecy in this book, that speaks of an alliance formed to combat the forces of evil." Stephen explained. "The five of us are apart of this team, but there are others who join."

"That right?" Frank snorted. "And what is this team called?"

Wong cleared his throat, stepping forward.

"The Midnight Sons."

No one moved for several seconds, as silence filled the air. It was only after Castle blinked a couple times, before he opened his mouth.

"The fuck kind of name is Midnight Sons?"


Months Later

Strange walked down the street with a scarf around his neck, feeling the autumn breeze, when he heard a voice call out to him.

"Doctor Strange?"

Stephen stopped, turning around, and saw a blonde haired woman in a purple suit approach him.

"Can I help you?" Strange asked in surprise. The woman flicked her wrist, and a purple blade appeared from her wrist.

"You caused an incursion. And we're gonna fix it." the woman growled, turned over her shoulder, and slashed into the air, creating a gash in space. She slashed again, deepening the hole, and Stephen looked in, seeing a dark void with glowing orbs of varying colors flying against one another. Unfortunately, Strange knew what this place was.

The Dark Dimension.

"Unless you're afraid." the woman smirked. Strange tilted his head, before flinging the scarf off him. The clothing flipped around, morphing into his cloak, and attached firmly to his shoulders.

"Not in the least." Stephen grinned. The woman's smile widened, and the two of them jumped into the portal, prepared to face whatever hell was waiting for them.


America stood in the courtyard of Kamar-Taj, holding out her hand.

"Find my moms… find my moms…"

Chavez continued repeating those words, opening her eyes to reveal them sparkling. In a few seconds, a portal opened up, revealing what looked like a steampunk styled universe, with two women in blue tunics standing on the other side, their faces in shock.

"A… America?" one of the women asked, as they both strolled forward.

"Moms…" Chavez smiled, closing the portal. Her eyes faded, as she immediately ran to them, engulfing them in a hug.

"I missed you. I'm so, so sorry-"

"America."

The girl looked up, seeing her parents look at her lovingly.

"It wasn't your fault."

America felt tears roll down her face, as she buried herself in their clothes, weeping in joy.


Wanda walked towards what was once the New Avengers compound, now a monument for Iron Man. With a heavy heart, she looked up at the statue, staring into the chiselled armor's helmet.

Some people claimed Tony Stark was buried under there, but everyone who fought alongside him against Thanos knew the truth. He was laid to rest at his home, the grave watched over by Pepper, his widow, and his child, Morgan. Maximoff couldn't bring herself to disrupt their fragile peace… so this was the closest she could get.

Wanda's throat tightened, remembering when she first saw Tony in person… in Sokovia. How she was filled with so much anger, so much rage. So much…

"Hate." she whispered. "I hated you, Tony. For so long, I blamed you for what happened to my parents. All because it was your name on that bomb…"

Maximoff felt tears prick her eyes, and she quickly wiped them, continuing to stare at the statue.

"One of Frank's friends, Lieberman, he found the paper trail, and the shipping documents. It wasn't you who sold Hydra the bomb." she pushed on. "It was Stane. Obadiah Stane. The man tried to have you killed."

Wanda choked back a sob, looking away. There was so much she wanted to say, but it wouldn't matter. Not when the one she was seeking forgiveness from had been dead for years.

"I'm so… I'm sorry, for all the pain I caused you." she resumed whispering. "Pushing you over the edge to create Ultron. Driving a wedge between you and Steve… above all, blaming you for something you didn't even know about. I just… I wish I could have seen it sooner. Then maybe… everything would be different."

Wanda finally turned around, walking away from the statue, towards a man leaning against a black van. It only took a second for her eyes to readjust and recognize him as Frank, and she smiled, a tear rolling down her cheek.

Maybe things could have worked differently if she knew Tony wasn't responsible. Maybe she wouldn't have gone down a destructive path. But right now, seeing Frank waiting for her, made her realize that despite everything, she was glad their paths crossed.

"Hey." Castle murmured, as Wanda closed the distance between them. "You good?"

"Yeah." Maximoff sighed, leaning forward and kissing him. The two of them stayed rooted in place for several seconds, before Wanda pulled back, a smile on her face.

"You didn't have to wait… but thank you."

"Got nothing better to do." Frank shrugged, as he opened the van door and helped her inside. "Red called, told me there's a some new asshole calling himself 'The Hood' that's trying to take over the Kitchen in Fisk's absence. Apparently, the hood he wears is magic."

"Then what are we waiting for?" Wanda smiled, as Castle got into the driver's seat. Frank smiled- genuinely smiled- as he started the vehicle, driving towards Hell's Kitchen.

Karen once told him that all life was about was trying not to be lonely. Well…

Maybe there would never be an "after" for him. Maybe he would always be the Punisher, but now… he wouldn't be fighting this war alone anymore.

And he could live with that.

The End


A/N: Maybe I rushed the ending here, but oh well. I'm glad I got this story done though, because it's been eating too much of my personal time. There's other projects I'd like to get done, so I am taking a break from writing fanfiction for a while. I did leave the ending open ended though, because that's usually how comics go, and I threw in the post credit scene from MoM because I might or I might not do something with that.

That reference to the Hood isn't supposed to lead anywhere btw. That's just a random namedrop to give reason for Daredevil to call Frank and Wanda for help, since the Hood does have magic powers in the comics.

As of right now, I'm not planning on doing anything related to the upcoming Avengers Doomsday or Secret Wars, especially if the Scarlet Witch isn't involved (she probably is, but they're playing hush hush with the chairs teaser). If I do come back to this series, I do have an idea on how I can adapt the show Daredevil Born Again, but I want to see the whole two seasons first (since it was supposed to be one long season until Fiege rightfully fired the first creative team). Since I teased that Wanda has some degree of her powers back, I might send her off on her own arc, similar to what I did during Penance And Redemption, which scattered the team. Daredevil would obviously be the main focus, but Frank and Wanda would have supporting roles. I'd probably mix not only Born Again, but also Venom The Last Dance (since let's be honest, we're never gone get the Knull cliffhanger resolved now), and possibly even elements of the eventual Spider-Man 4.

For now though, this story and series is done, and with it, my writing is on break so I can focus on other projects in my life. Until next time guys.