Chapter Text
When Wanda opens her eyes, for a brief moment, she wondered if it was still possible to be reunited with her boys, fading into nothing, as she was willing herself to. Then suddenly, a light. A flash of red, black and grey. Then suddenly, a voice as a hand is stretched out towards her.
“Wanda Maximoff. Do you want to see your children again?” Her answer was still the same despite everything that had just happened, whatever the consequences that had and will come.
“Yes.” Before reaching toward the outstretched hand, only realizing she was no longer under the rubble, now in a castle-like structure and standing up, completely unharmed, only covered in minimal dust.
“Do you promise your life to me for your children? Do you swear to give your life to allow your children to walk this earth with the souls you created?”
She still answers without hesitation, although just as before, the being’s motives were clear. Use or control of her or her powers. It was the same story every time, but now she was now strong enough to change the ending.
“I swear my life to you in exchange for the lives of my children.”
“Then it is done.” The voice says with an air of finality
She startles at the increase in the volume of the voice, but still no source that she could see or feel but stays frozen in place as a projector of sorts plays images across the wall in front of her.
Flashes of two young teen boys, both brunette but one starting to show silver streaks through the darker strands. The darker-haired with parents, siblings and friends, the other seemingly trapped alone in some sort of laboratory holding cell. I
Billy …. Tommy …
“Your children’s souls. Reincarnated into the bodies of Billy Kaplan and Tommy Shepard, never to remember their mother or one another unless reunited. I have given what I promised Wanda Maximoff. Now, the Scarlet Witch is mine. You may call your master, Mephisto.” The voice booms with his name and suddenly he appears.
Dwarfing her in height even without his horns, all in red including a cape of his own and a demonic face, giving her a look of pure triumph.
“You’re mine. Forever.” He cackles and the flames begin to rise around them.
Meanwhile, at the Sanctum Sanctorum -
Stephen awakes with a gasp, having had the same nightmare for the last month, increasing in frequency every night since he’d confirmed Wanda’s body missing. Wanda, alive. Mephisto, gaining control of her. However, the nightmares were not the only dreams she had seemed to infiltrate lately. The dreams without her engulfed in flame and fear made him feel worse, despite the guilt he feels for such thoughts.
Frequent visions of a younger version of himself playing with her twins while Wanda watches him lovingly with a protective hand over the slight swell of her belly, a diamond and ruby band on her finger as well as a matching tattoo on the inside of each of their left wrists. The Eye of Agamotto is crowned with a glowing scarlet headpiece and the time stone glowing green in the center of the eye as well.
Sometimes, the dreams from that universe were worse than the nightmares. Because he felt happy, he felt loved. Through his dreams, he would learn that, despite their ages, the twins were somehow his and the greatest joys of his life other than Wanda and their unborn child. But worst of all, he could tell he loved Wanda with every part of him he could give and she loved him just as much and just as hard.
Before he can continue to dwell on it much longer, however, his alarm goes off and he renews his efforts to put Wanda out of his mind for another day. He had classes to teach, research to do that had absolutely nothing to do with Mephisto and keep a promise with America to have Pizza for Dinner Thursdays with together Wong as she had started to get frustrated staying only in Kamer-Taj when she had spent years of her life wandering alone.
Sitting at the desk in front of the window, he takes a moment to simply watch the cars and people go by, wondering still if he was happy and he didn’t like the answer that immediately came to mind. Before that thought can ruminate long, he feels an almost overpowering urge to look up as an unremarkable school bus passes by before he is his with a bring blue light in his mind’s eye, first bringing him to his knees before he finds himself blacking out as he feels his cheek against the cool floor.
On the bus -
“Kaplan! Pay attention at the front of the bus. Take one of those Avenger tours if you want to stare through Doctor Strange’s window.”
“Sorry.” Billy faces forward and looks up at the teacher who was admonishing him but quickly gets lost in his own thoughts. He saw that symbol in his dreams so many times now that he could draw it from memory alone. The same dream where he could hear a woman calling out for him, desperate and full of sorrow and regret.
Billy…Find Dr. Stephen Strange on Bleeker St. …Find Tommy…Save your brother.