A/N - Work has started again so you may notice updates slow down again a lil but...5 MORR DAYS UNTIL NO MORE PLAYS HOLY MOLY!

Also da photos are being difficult so idk which one is gonna work so have two!

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After her minor breakdown, Stephen suggested that Tessa should go and rest. This, she did without complaint considering her own emotional exhaustion made her feel just as heavy as before she passed out after the battle in the library. Her eyes ached from crying and at this point, sleep would be her saviour, regardless of it being early afternoon.

She drew her curtains shut, changed into comfier clothes and then buried herself under her duvet. Anxieties and frustration kept her from falling asleep though. What she wouldn't give to have Stephen make her sleep now.

You are restless.

"I wonder why."

I would have continued to keep the memory from you. but you asked me about it numerous times and, had I not allowed you to view it, you would have wanted to be rid of me for not having understood my reasoning had I succeeded in eliminating Master Kent.

"I don't blame you, Tee." She spoke softly, "I blame him."

I am glad you understand...it may help you rest if I sleep. I shall sleep in the hope that it does.

"Thank you."

And then there was an odd sense of quiet in her head. Tessa still couldn't work out whether she really liked the silence or not but that could be mentally discussed another day.

For now, she had to try and sleep.

*  *  *  *  *  *

Stephen knocked on her door the next morning, kitted out in casual clothing of varying shades of blues and greys, just a t-shirt, trousers and a loose jacket, hoping to have Tessa join him on a walk so that they could discuss her situation more. The door whipped open suddenly to the Entity's dark gaze and the threat of a space shard – while dressed in merely a grey tank top and black boyshorts. The doctor's brow raised at the display and the look of recognition on the Entity's face told him that Tessa was having a minor meltdown. He found no words himself, though his mouth fell slightly agape with an 'um'.

TEE! WHAT WERE YOU THINKING? CLOSE THE DAMN DOOR I'M BARELY WEARING ANYTHING!

"I thought..."

DOOR! CLOSE IT. NOW!

In an instant, the door shut on him again and he stood there for a moment, just nodding to himself and processing the situation and sights.

"Oookay..." He mumbled to himself as he waited.

The door opened again, revealing Tessa now wearing a thin, long, dark green dressing gown, and a very awkward smile on her face as she leant against her door frame. She said nothing for a moment, not entirely sure what one could or should say.

I am sorry. I thought it would be Master Kent.

An awkward laugh left Tessa's lips. Master Kent? Really? Back so soon after she had just found out he was the root to all her familial problems and a murderer that she had made very clear to that she wouldn't mind murdering him herself? Really? Tessa remembered Stephen standing in front of her and looked at him, wiping the disbelieving smile off her face. She cleared her throat.

"Sorry...about that."

"No, no, it's fine."

"It's really not fine."

"No, I guess not."

"What did you want to see me for?" She asked, trying to move along to other conversations.

"I was wondering if...you'd like to go on a morning walk?"

"A walk?"

He nodded.

"Uhh...sure. Give me a moment?"

"Yeah, fine." He nodded again.

And again, the door shut on him and she disappeared, racing over to her bed to pull it straight. As she was fluffing up her pillow, that little voice inside her head spoke up at feeling the red heat upon her cheeks.

You are...embarrassed?

"Ohh...only slightly." She said while straightening her duvet cover.

You were still wearing clothes.

"Not the decent, socially acceptable kind to be answering the door with."

Why?

"Because I took them off," She approached and opened her wardrobe, "Because it was hot last night and so I put on something cooler but not socially acceptable to be seen in."

I see...why do you not have any clothes that are cooler and socially acceptable to be seen in?

"And why do you have to keep asking questions like a five-year-old?"

I am an Entity that has wandered the universe on its own for aeons, never travelling to Earth until I decided I wanted to change, and you expect me to know what is and is not socially acceptable here after being wholly active in your mind for merely two days?

"Okay well, rule one: do not ever answer the door in your underwear."

Well, when Tee put it like that, she could hardly argue that her expectations sounded mildly ridiculous. With a sigh, she threw on a pair of black sports leggings and a light, blue split-sleeve blouse seeing as the heat in the night told her it was going to be a rather warm day. She put on her trainers and neatened up her messy ponytail, finally opening her door again to see Stephen leant against the wall opposite her door, hands in his pockets and staring at the floor, until she had appeared that is.

Tessa shut the door behind her and again offered Stephen a smile.

"Sorry I took so long. I was talking to Tee."

Stephen smiled a bit and quirked his eyebrow, "About socially acceptable clothing to wear when answering the door?"

The smile on her face froze as her eyes met with ground before closing, "I didn't say it that loud, did I?"

"Just a bit."

"Right, well," Tessa nodded, "Walking, let's go." She began heading off down the corridor, Stephen joining her by her side, "My dignity for today is non-existent so I literally have nothing to lose."

"If it helps, I'll never mention it again." Stephen said, looking at her as they walked, bemused.

With a quiet, nervous 'ha-ha' she looked away from him, only to feel Tee take over. Two black eyes whipped up to look at him and, for the second time that day, Stephen had a very brief heart-attack.

"You have to stop doing that..." He spoke in a low tone as they stopped walking.

"I wanted to apologise."

Tee, what are you doing?

"Tessa feels...uncomfortable so I wish to apologise for mistaking you to be Master Kent and opening the door in her underwear."

Tee. Please stop.

"Ah, okay, well." Stephen didn't know whether to laugh or cry himself as he simply chose to nod, "I accept the apology."

"She was not being...forward in any way, shape or form."

Tee...

If she could face-palm, she would, for the cringe was overwhelming and even her own desire to remain hidden now meant she couldn't summon the mental strength necessary to forcefully take back control. Control is also what she was regrettably given back, straight after that line and she found herself looking at Stephen.

I fixed it.

More anxious laughter left her lips, "Please forget that happened. Just forget everything before this moment now."

Would you like me to make you forg –

"NO!" Her eyes widened in alarm as she looked off to the side, "Can't you...sleep? Like you said you could?"

I can if you wish me to.

"Please, please do, I - I really wish you to go sleep."

Have a nice walk.

"Thank you." She said in a hushed tone to herself before looking back up at Stephen, "Trust me, no one finds this weirder than me, okay. So, as I was saying, we are starting this over again, starting now." She nodded, swallowing dryly, before saying monotonously, "A walk sounds great, let's go."

And she was off, already turning the corner of the corridor, not caring to wait for the sorcerer because honestly, she would rather walk to death after the events that had just occurred.

Stephen stood there for a moment, again processing what had just happened. He blinked, he shook his head, curious and confused. When Christine had said there was a 'weirder way', he felt that this situation was a prime example: just another normal day with a not-so-normal member of the sanctums with a voice in her head and a chaotic (in more ways than one) being that could take control of her body when it wished, able to cause deathly harm to all those who opposed it or deathly awkwardness to those it inhabited.

"Yeah, just another regular day at the office." He mumbled before hurrying to catch up with her.

*  *  *  *  *  *

Tessa adored their walk having not left the Sanctum in so long. They strolled through Greenwich's lush Washington Square Park and even travelled all the way down to walk near the twinkling water in the sizzling heat before deciding to head back. It was quiet for most of the time apart from small talk between them – the usual weather-is-good conversations, mentions of food and travel, talk of how lovely Greenwich Village is etc. - as Tessa, mainly, couldn't seem to work past the awkwardness.

As the non-Entity orb of bright light in the sky beat down on the two walkers, they paused in the shade of one of the many intimidatingly tall buildings. Tessa kept looking around her, at people, up at the sky, down on the sidewalk, like she couldn't quite keep focused. She was still adjusting to the enhanced abilities she now had thanks to the Entity securing their bond to each other's powers and capabilities after its first hijack.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah just...I haven't been out in a while and...quite frankly everything's...weird."

"Weird how?"

"The first time the Entity took over, uhm, it was kind of like, it - completed the sort of bridge between us, it completed the bond and, of course, I have magic of my own, but the Entity also has its own powers and abilities and after it took over it just...it clicked. And so, I am dealing with a bit of sensory overload, just a little, because its senses are tenfold of mine, it's – pretty awesome but also not."

"Sorry, I wouldn't have suggested a walk if I'd known."

"No, it's okay. I didn't really notice in the sanctum. It's quieter and calmer there." She paused, again looking up at the clear blue sky, saying again for the fifth time, "Nice day though."

Stephen looked at her intrigued. So, he had established that she had enhanced senses and when joined with the Entity, she also had power from a darker source. It was absolutely fascinating to him, this one-of-a-kind situation, and he found himself craving to know more, wishing to understand the situation as best as he could. An idea popped into his head.

"Tessa, come with me to Kamar-Taj."

She looked down and at Strange again, taken aback by the sudden request, "What?"

"You and the Entity are still learning about this bond you share and, as we don't have any previous knowledge about the occurrence of a situation like yours, I'd like to take you to Kamar-Taj where I can teach you – "

"You do remember that I've been studying the Mystic Arts since I was...what...six? You've only been doing this for a little more than half a year."

He tilted his head, "And yet I'm master and protector of the New York Sanctum."

"Oof, that arrogance hasn't gone down much, has it?"

"My point is I'm not inexperienced. I can teach you to harness what power you have and can learn about you and the Entity as you develop."

She scoffed, "I'm not saying you're inexperienced, but you're certainly not experienced enough to teach me further." She paused, "And if you wanted to study us, you should have just said."

"Alright. I want to study you." He spoke honestly then, "So, will you come to Kamar-Taj with me? There's more space there and it's a little more isolated – "

Again, without any word of warning, the Entity took over her in the middle of a busy sidewalk. Stephen's eyes widened when this happened and he covered her eyes like lightning, dragging her into the alleyway they were near.

Tee, what are you doing?

The Entity ripped Strange's hand off of its eyes and used its palm to brutally push him back into the wall out of instinct at having felt threatened. His back hit the bricks and an 'oomph' left his lips as he looked at her – it – them – he really would have to establish an answer for this.

"You can't keep doing that," Stephen spoke urgently, raising his hands to show he meant no harm, "And especially not here, not when there are so many people around."

"No." The Entity answered his question to Tessa, disregarding his previous statement, "We will not go to Kamar-Taj with you."

"You could have let Tessa say that."

The Entity narrowed its eyes at him.

"You alright down there?" A passer-by questioned.

The attention of both Stephen and the Entity was drawn to the voice but the second the man saw the black abyss that were both of Tessa's eyes, his eyes grew in terror, and he backed away running off into the hustle of people. The Entity's gaze softened, and it looked back at the sorcerer, clearly somewhat upset.

"Give back Tessa control. If people see you, they will run and they will get scared and they will see you as a threat."

The blackness swirled and dissipated like fog from her eyes, the black veins racing back across and away from her face. Tessa gulped, looking back out into the street warily and then stepped towards Stephen who watched her cautiously. She shared a look of concern with him.

"Sorry...you okay?"

He nodded, rubbing the centre of his chest gently, "You have one hell of hit though."

Tessa breathed a laugh, "Yep...Kamar-Taj is...dangerous for us – or rather a place in Nepal is dangerous for us. I forgot."

"Why?"

"Tee says that there is another Entity imprisoned in one of the temples there. When I was seven, I asked the Ancient One if we could explore Nepal and we did. But the Entity awoke to the sound of another calling out to it and when Tee rejected the call, it called to me and I ran away from the Ancient One and may have caused a slight incident. She never brought me back there after that."

"But it's not Kamar-Taj itself that's the problem? Just one of the temples in Nepal?"

"Yeah."

"Then we won't go to any temples."

Tell him no. I fear for your safety most of all, child.

"Stephen, I – "

"When you were both within the compound of Kamar-Taj, did you feel a pull? Hear a voice?"

No...yet I am still wary of it.

"Tee says no but it's still...worried."

"And what about you?"

"What? What about me?"

"You're still your own person. You get a say in this too."

We should not go.

"Tessa, think about it. The Sanctum here is too small and too visible – if something were to happen – "

"It would be better in a place with more space and that's more isolated."

"Exactly."

I do not like this. Say no.

Again, she turned her head away from him to address the Entity, "Tee, we need to learn more about each other if we're gonna make coexisting work."

The risks –

"You said it yourself. We spent, what, at least a year going back and forth between here and Nepal with the Ancient One before that incident. It only called us when we were in the temple, we heard nothing before that and certainly not in Kamar-Taj."

You were easier to control as a child.

"Hah," Tessa shook her head, "Tee, that's because I didn't know about you and you discussed everything with the Ancient One. But you live with me and I am well into my adult years now and I have my own opinions too."

I do not recommend it.

"And yet we're still going anyway. I don't want us to hurt anyone – not like we already have."

Unless it is Master Kent.

"Yes, maybe, except from him. We have to learn how to coexist better because you taking control when you feel like it is not on. This is still my body – "

Our body.

Tessa sighed, "It's still my body at the end of the day. I'm happy to...be your host but we have to work some things out. We're going to Kamar-Taj. No more arguments."

The sorceress looked up at Stephen who looked down at her expectantly, his eyebrow slightly quirked as though he were asking 'are we good, can we go'? She nodded at him, looking back out at the sidewalk and then back to him again.

"Like I said, it's still my body so, at the end of the day, my decision is final. Let's go."

I am older than you. What is it you beings say...'respect your elders'?

Tessa shook her head, mentally stating that, as it was her body that the Entity bonded with, ownership of her body won the argument by default. Perhaps it was unfair, but it wasn't like she had asked the Entity to console her. That said, she was six when it happened and far to upset at the time to probably process the thought of saying that she didn't want help to forget about her traumas. A twinge of guilt rattled Tessa as she acknowledged that, in all fairness, she wasn't just herself anymore. The bonding happened both ways so, not only was the Entity bonded to her mystical body, but she was bonded with the Entity's mystical body. She might not have asked for this to happen, but this was their reality now.

They still had to learn more about each other though, so she felt no regret upon agreeing to go to Kamar-Taj.