A/N - She's a chunky one, mom...

Wattpad best keep ma gif up or imma fite

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It was quarter to two in the morning and some apprentices were feeling restless for some action.

In the pitch black, slender Liam crept towards Henry's bed, a sheepishly stupid grin on his face. He knelt beside the low bed and tugged on the blanket that covered his muscular friend. Then, when that didn't elicit a reaction, he poked his massive arm muscle.

"Psst!"

Henry rolled over to face the wall. At this, Liam rolled his eyes and poked his friend again.

"Ugh, what Liam?" Henry asked, rubbing his hand over his face.

"Sura says we should go out for drinks."

He spoke through his hand, one eye peeking at Liam between his fingers, "You mean you do and somehow you conned Sura into saying yes?"

"Well...yeah. C'mon."

"How old are you again?"

"Not eighty like you act, old man." Liam chuckled, standing up from the floor now and offering a hand to Henry, "Come on, you rarely let loose."

"Because the work we do here is important."

"Ooh, work here is important, my ass," Liam mocked, "Stuff rarely happens. Therefore, we should make the most of the time we have, before the stuff that rarely happens, happens."

"I hate your logic."

"You really love it because without me, you and your sore ass would be as dull as stone." Liam wiggled his fingers to coax his friend up.

Henry grabbed his hand, "You getting into poetry now? Mr 'Dull-As-Stone'?"

"But, of course, dear peasant, for I am a regular Shakespeare, where for art thou to know." Liam bowed.

"You know Shakespeare was a peasant too right?"

"Don't be a smart-ass with me now, Henry, else I'll need to get blackout drunk to forget it."

Henry laughed at this and followed Liam out of his room.

*  *  *  *  *  *

"Sura will be waiting for us by the entrance. You know, because she is more efficient than - "

"My chiselled ass, yeah, got it."

"I said sore and dull, not chiselled - "

"But stone can be chiselled." Henry noted smugly.

"I - "

Frowning when he heard more low chatter, Henry peeked around the corner briefly and put his arm across Liam's chest, holding him back a moment when he had caught a glimpse of a man and two children leaving one of the dorms, bags packed.

"Hey - "

Henry moved his hand to cover his friend's annoying mouth as he listened to what they said.

"Dad, we shouldn't be forced out because of a monster like her!" The oldest child whined, "We can take her on!"

"Ezra, I'm not discussing this with you any longer. My children have the right to grow up as children. You should not be thinking about how to end someone's life, monster or not."

"But - "

"No buts!" The father hissed, spinning to look at his eldest, "Do you have any idea of how much of a failure that makes me feel when I hear you talking about such things? I didn't raise you to be like this. That's why we're leaving, Ezra."

The teen huffed, albeit sounding rather ashamed of whatever else had been said or done before as he was marched out, his brother in his father's arms.

"I mean think about it, what kind of example would you be setting for Jonah?" Noah scolded again as they walked past the hallway that Henry and Liam hid in.

As they left, Henry removed his hand from Liam's mouth who proceeded to inhale a comical amount of air and coughed. Henry rolled his eyes as he stepped out of the shadow and into the main hallway, getting a headstart on heading for entrance, not slowing down once for his lanky buddy.

"Hey, wait up," Liam jogged up to him, having to keep up his jog to keep up with Henry's walking, "Why are we even hiding anyway? We are adults, we can go out."

"If we didn't hide, we wouldn't know why Master Walker and his family were leaving."

Liam couldn't argue with this, "You're a regular little eavesdropper, aren't you?"

"The more you observe, the more you learn."

Liam nodded, "What do you make of Tessa then? She's certainly grown up."

"I'm...indifferent. I don't know much about her."

"Haven't 'observed' her enough?"

Henry rolled his eyes, "Don't be a creep about it."

"Sorry. Puns, you know?" Liam moved on swiftly, "I was also referring more to the subject of this Entity that's possessed her."

"If it possessed her, she wouldn't have any control."

"How would you know?"

"Because she - they - didn't kill us all immediately."

"Fair...but c'mon, you can't think it's right, right?"

"I can't judge that. Neither can you." Henry looked pointedly at Liam who gave an equally nervous look back.

"Oh, hurry up!" Sura insisted from the end of the hallway, startling them both, "I want to fit in at least one cocktail before I get back here."

"Sorry, Sura. Hey, before we go though, what do you make of this Tessa and her Entity?" Liam grinned at Henry, expecting her to agree that it was weird and unnatural.

"I think it's great that we have such a powerful adversary on our side. What they said about us being foolish is fair game. Could have killed us all right there and then if it wanted to, and it didn't."

"Oh my God, you both aren't normal."

"Oh my God, you're so judgemental." Sura mocked, "Enough of the serious stuff, let's go."

As the three turned to the door, ready to head out into the humid night for some needed downtime, Sura caught a glimpse of a sudden red glow coming from the left hallway at the bottom of the one they were in. Pausing, she patted Henry on the shoulder and silently pointed at the ever-brightening ruby light. She stepped forward a bit, squinting down the hallway in the hopes that, whatever was making the light, could soon be seen.

Liam sighed, "Guys, let's just go, there are a whole host of sorcerers here to deal with it." But when they didn't budge, he glared at the light that became harsher and harsher as it got closer, stepping in front of Sura now to address it, "Hey! Whoever's got that light on, put it off now!"

"Hm, I could dim it for you?" Came an eerily hoarse reply.

"You got a cold or something?"

"A cold? Now what is that?" The dreadful crimson sphere finally rounded the corner, much to the horror of the three sorcerers, "Have I crashed a party? Actually, speaking of crashing, try this."

As the sinister sphere darted towards them, Sura yelled for them to get back, hurriedly snatching Liam by his collar and pulling him close to the wall, while Henry flattened himself against the other, gulping as the red streak whizzed by them, embedding itself in the door of the entrance, in fact, shattering and splintering the once beautifully smooth wood entirely.

Dogs began yelping at the commotion outside.

"Shit..." Sura muttered, looking at her two male friends, eyes as wide as that of a doe caught in headlights, "Henry, find Master Makarov, Liam - "

"Look out!" Henry cried, pulling the two of them towards him as the evil Entity sent a blast towards the wall, "Go! Go! Run!" He urged his fellow apprentices away from the door and further back into the sanctum.

Sura looked at Liam as she pelted down the hallway, "Get De Leon. I'll find Bawa."

The cruel creature gave a haunting chuckle as it zoomed after the three of them.

"Shit, that thing's coming right for us!" Liam whined, trying to push himself to be that little bit faster.

"Split!" Henry yelled.

Pulling Liam to his right, he glanced at Sura as she turned left and not a moment too soon, for another blast had chased her closely behind, only to miss her and instead destroy the wall, completely obliterating a painting of an ancient sorcerer. She nodded, assuring them she would be fine before sprinting off down the corridor in search of Master Bawa.

Henry pulled his friend with him again, "Hey, hey, Liam, the others in the dorms - we need to - "

"We need the masters, Henry," Liam panted, "That's our priority."

"That's your priority: find both Makarov and De Leon. I'm waking the others."

"Henry - "

"Don't you want to play?" Came a menacing, rough voice from behind them.

"Split! Get the Masters!" Henry yelled, shoving Liam to his left as he sharply turned right, both narrowly missing the full body slam from the devilishly-coloured creature.

As the evil Entity recovered from its attack, heaving itself out of the hole it had made in the wall, it turned to look at both sorcerers that ran from it. For a moment, it considered who to start with as though it were rolling a mint and a piece of chocolate around in its mouth - both were desirable to have first but, as mint took longer to dissolve, it opted for the instant gratification of chocolate, of the innocent lives, instead.

And so, it followed after Henry Goya first.

*  *  *  *  *  *

Wong had been appreciating his quieter life at the New York Sanctum since Strange had gone with Tessa, although, he was frequently worried by the thought of what Tessa and the Entity might become. The loss of Gin moulded him into a more obstinate man when it came to the subject of Entities, especially as those creatures had torn families apart. It was a very hard task to trust, forgive and accept it for who it was, keeping in mind what it had also been and what its brothers and sisters still were.

Nevertheless, Wong kept himself occupied enough in the library and amongst the sanctum for those thoughts to remain in the back of his mind.

He had seen Stephen on a handful of occassions across the time that he had been at Kamar-Taj with Tessa, but never with Tessa herself. The doctor had explained that she and the Entity both preferred to hone their joint abilities and their bond before meeting with Wong again, in the hopes that a more reformed version of them would be more appealing to the librarian. He couldn't argue with this, seeing as he had made his opinions clear, but always sent his well wishes to the hybrid (mainly Tessa) through Strange.

In the time the two powerful sorcerers were away, Wong had even organised the repairs of the training rooms which was where he stood, admiring the newly varnished wooden walls, when his pleasant peace was disrupted by a furious sorcerer and his sons.

"Wong!"

The assistant/mentor to the Master of the sanctum looked over his shoulder, greeting Noah and his sons, "Master Walker, Ezra, Jonah." He acknowledged their chunky backpacks, "Going on a holiday?"

"Did you know?" He spat, ignoring the friendly enquiry.

"About?"

"Strange and that monster?"

"I assume you are referring to Tessa? And her...Entity?"

"Yes," Noah shook his head, his gaze sharp as he hissed, "If you knew, why would you say nothing?"

"I was - am - uncomfortable with the situation too, Noah." He paused, sighing, unsure of how he would try to put his fellow Master at ease, "Tessa is a good student. I...I trust she would do no such thing that would put her home in danger."

"So you trust this Entity too?"

"I...am undecided."

Noah pinched the bridge of his nose, turning away for a moment, "You knew, and you didn't think to tell us."

"It wasn't my knowledge to share. But Tessa told you all though, therefore, she must trust - "

"Told?" He laughed incredulously as he spun around, "No, no, they explained after."

"After what?"

Ezra piped up, "Some of us saw her as it, others heard Master Strange call her an Entity. There were also rumours that she - they - fought Master Kent."

"Marcus is back?"

"Apparently so, and, would you believe it, she tried to say that Marcus killed Jackson - "

"He did."

"What?"

"He killed Elijah too. Make no mistake, Master Walker, Marcus is in the wrong here too."

Noah fell silent, his gaze dropping to the floor as he took a breath, processing what Wong had just stated. Looking at his sons, he pulled his youngest, Jonah, to him and placed his other hand on Ezra's shoulder, resolving to say what he had originally came to say.

"We're leaving."

"Noah - "

"No, Wong, don't..." He shook his head firmly, "Under the Ancient One, these sanctums and practices thrived but...home-growing murderers from Kaecilius to, now, Marcus - and - and maybe even Tessa and that thing, even just blindly accepting that creature - I - I can't stay here, my family can't stay here anymore."

Wong understood. With a peaceful, resigning nod, he wished them the best, "Where will you go?"

"Anyway away from here." And with that, Master Walker left with his boys.

Wong would have been thankful if that had been the only drama in his day, but pursuing the oddly dangerous career he committed himself to, there was no doubt it would likely get worse. But Marcus - Ezra had said people had seen Marcus of all people, and at Kamar-Taj - Wong couldn't let that go, especially after they had discovered his cruel crimes.

Marching through the New York sanctum to the Inter-Sanctum Gateway, he couldn't help but wonder how the others had reacted to this unexpected reveal. Time to think about tough topics was important, he thought, and acknowledged that, in having time to consider the situation carefully, he had come to the conclusion that maybe Tessa and this Entity would inevitably be a good and strong addition to their team - provided they were accepted by the majority and not villified.

As he turned down the corridor that led to the gateway, there was a yell of pain and a cry for help. Alarmed, he picked up his pace and hurried down the corridor, entering to see one sorcerer holding another brutally injured teenager in his arms and several others, ranging from children to adults, race out of the portal from Kamar-Taj also. Sura and Master Bawa raced out, one child in her arms and two children under the Master's arms.

"What happened?"

Between heavy breaths, Sura answered, "There's an Entity at Kamar-Taj."

"Do we know where it came from?"

"It just appeared," Master Bawa replied, ushering the young children he had brought to the gradually growing group of children as more and more people rushed out of the portal.

"I don't believe it's Tessa's Entity, Wong." Sura shook her head, "It - um - it spoke and laughed as it chased us and tried to kill us - it doesn't sound like Tessa's Entity."

Master Bawa frowned, "But they may be working together."

As more and more distraught faces appeared from the portal, Wong questioned, "Where's Stephen and Tessa now then?"

"I don't know, I didn't see them." Sura said.

"Me neither." Added the Master.

"Right," Wong gave a single nod, looking at the portal and then back at the two sorcerers, "Sura, Ishir, look after those who come through the gateway. I'll go to Kamar-Taj, see what more I can do there."

Both nodded, moving away to tend to the injured as Wong paced towards what he thought could be certain doom.

*  *  *  *  *  *

The Entity and Stephen had promptly created a portal to Kamar-Taj, landing them both back in the library. They had promised to come back for the bodies of Varvara and Marcus - both dreaded to think how Olek and Sacha would react to the loss but that wasn't their priority in that moment.

All was quiet in the dimly lit space but then there was a rumble followed by a thunderous crash. The two shared a grave look, but the Entity's gaze lingered on the heavy double doors out of the studious room. The Entity sighed.

"I am sorry. I was too focused on keeping Tessa safe and now I have caused this."

"What's done is done, Entity." Stephen spoke sympathetically, "Right now, we need to focus on a new strategy, especially as we don't have Gargorra's Box now."

"I have a solution. A...last resort." It paused, "Tessa? Are you there?"

Tee...?

"I know you are exhausted but I need you to project."

I can't...

"You can, child. Do it now."

The Entity shut its eyes as it registered the feeling of the other presence leaving the body they inhabited. It was almost as though the sensation were a kind of suction, like someone had hoovered your top; a bizarre, ticklish feeling. Thankfully, the Entity kept its footing as this happened too, but Tessa's apparition swayed woozily in the air. Stephen was in half a mind to let Tessa hold his arm while she steadied herself but quickly remember that, in her astral form, it would be unlikely that they could touch. She brought a hand to her transparent head, still heavy with exhaustion.

"Right, what's this solution?" Stephen prompted.

"Neither of you will like this - I do not like this idea myself but...we give the other what it wants: we let it bond with us."

The walls shuddered and dust trickled down from the ceiling as the two sorcerers gazed into those two, sincere black eyes, speechless.

"But, Tee, you said that...you said that it would kill us - it would kill me?"

"Absolutely not," Stephen refused, "No more death."

"It is the only way to end this quick." The Entity took a breath, "My brother is powerful. If you do not want Kamar-Taj levelled and more student sorcerers, more children to die, then this is the solution we must pursue." It looked at Tessa gravely, awaiting her response.

The sorceress looked between Stephen and Tee, "Will we die?" She paused, "Will...I die?"

The Entity walked up to her astral projection, gripping her blue-tinted shoulders (much to the surprise of Stephen), "I will do everything in my power to prevent that, Tessa, but I cannot promise."

The auburn-haired sorceress nodded. A forlorn silence fell across the room.

Tessa looked at Stephen with a small smile, "I like Italian."

"What?"

"Food. I like Italian food. My mum and dad used to make this incredible chicken parmigiana. When this over, we should head to Italy for the real thing, for that dinner."

"Tessa - "

"No, it's okay. I'll see you after, yeah? We'll be fine."

Stephen looked at Tessa long and hard, wetting his lips as he sampled words to say but nothing he wanted to say would leave his mouth. Gulping, he gave a small nod. If only they had done better in the cavern, if only he were quicker, then maybe they wouldn't be here right now. His gaze dipped to the floor for a moment as he shut his eyes. He didn't think he could ever like another woman after Christine and yet, it happened and it happened with Tessa. He just pleaded to the Gods to keep her safe so that they might have a chance to develop their feelings, to discover if this were right or not.

As another spine-chilling explosion sounded, he felt the brush of a hand on his cheek. He had looked up at Tessa who had briefly regained control of her body again, staring at him with those striking bottle-green eyes of hers.

"We'll be okay." She assured.

And then that dark cloud crawled into her eyes again, and the Entity removed its hand. Prior to walking out, Stephen's cloak had taken the Entity's hand with one corner, while the other patted its knuckle fondly, silently conveying its well-wishes. Admittedly, the Entity was perplexed by the material's concern for it (as were both Stephen and Tessa) but it would take all the luck it could get.

"Strange, help as many as you can away from here, I do not want any sorcerers attempting to fight it." The Entity commanded as it marched to the library doors, "I will reach the highest point, all its attention will need to be on me."

*  *  *  *  *  *

A small boy had hidden himself in one of the storage cupboards as his parents had instructed him to do so while they left to help and fight. Cowering in the corner, he sat there listening to God-awful screams and nerve-wracking explosions, anxiously anticipating if he and his little closet would be next. But his patience was wearing thin with every rumble that neared until he finally decided that it would be best to find his parents, that he would be safer with them.

Opening the door a small bit, he peered through the crack, watching as sorcerers and sorceresses, fit and wounded, rushed and limped down the hallway. When it was quiet for a moment, he slipped out and rushed in the direction people had been running from - the direction in which his parents had gone.

Sneakily, he raced down the hallways, silently peeking into rooms in search of his parents, not entirely sure of what he was hiding from. Although, he was certain he would know it when he saw it.

Eventually, he came to the vastly devastated courtyard. The blossom tree was snapped at the trunk and lay pitifully amongst the rubble strewn path; the little brick walls that had separated flora from the walkways were annihilated, allowing some of the seared soil that was left to trickle out miserably; for the most part, soil was sprinkled across the courtyard, across the debris. On the far side of the courtyard, where a pillar had fallen, knelt a man struggling to pull a woman out from underneath.

"Elles, c'mon baby, wake up." He muttered.

"Dad!"

The call of the boy tore his gaze away from his partner, eyes wide as he saw the small figure, "Sam?"

As the boy leapt over and ducked under various items like rubble, the fallen tree and broken benches, desperate to reach his father, he didn't process the tint of red that slowly crept across the open space, poisoning the natural light. His father, however, did, and at seeing that intimidating crimson sphere of chaos, he looked between his unconscious, trapped partner and their innocent son, trapped in a state of helplessness for he knew he wouldn't reach the boy in time.

"Samson!" He stood, deciding he would try for the sake of his boy, "Sammy, go! Get away!" Pointing away, he insisted the boy leave as he prepared his tao mandalas to fight the other Entity.

But it was no longer interested in the tall  humans, it much preferred finding a small one to which it was delighted to see when it hovered across Kamar-Taj and saw its unsuspecting victim clambering over broken objects. Perhaps, it thought, it could pick a child and fuse with the host like its brother had.

The evil Entity truly enjoyed the musical yelling though. If it had a mouth, a sick grin would have crept across its face as he watched his prey and witness carefully. They were like rats and mice, scattering away under or into the next nearest hiding spot. It liked to watch them run, to scream, to freeze in total fear or resignation of their end. One of its grossly ethereal, red whips shot out of its sphere, darting straight for the boy.

His father gave a primal yell as he watched this happen, moving to leap across the damaged wall but was stopped by Wong who had formed a protective field around him and his wife.

As for the boy, Stephen had zipped rapidly into the yard with the help of his cloak, grabbing the boy in one arm while he had formed a shield with the other, successfully deflecting the other Entity's squid-like arm.

"Stephen!" Wong shouted in relief when he saw the sorcerer.

"Wong." He greeted, slightly out of breath but he rushed over to join his friend's protective bubble, handing the boy to his father.

"Thank you Master Strange, Wong." Samson's dad thanked them, "Please, please, can you help my wife?"

Stephen would have corrected the sorcerer but he understood there were bigger things than his title at this current time. He hopped over the wall and hurried over to the trapped sorceress, analysing the situation quickly. He shakily checked for the woman's pulse of which he was thankful for the boy's sake that there was, and then looked at the pillar that had trapped her left leg. Unfortunately, because of the pressure on her leg, Stephen knew she would likely have to lose her limb if she wanted to live but he certainly wasn't capable of doing that kind of operation himself, particularly here.

"We can lift this, but then you need to get her to hospital immediately if you want her to have a chance at keeping her leg." Some white lies were necessary for the sake of efficiency, "When she's out, you make a portal, you go to the Metro-General Hospital in New York, ask for Christine Palmer and tell her Stephen sent you. Have you go that?"

"Yes, yes." He nodded, putting his son down.

And then the pair got to work, while the Entity, in a rageful huff, released a series of blows against Wong's protective field to no avail.

*  *  *  *  *  *

The Entity reached the Obeliscus Solis, a towering, narrow building that sprouted out of the north-east point of Kamar-Taj. It's walls were a shade of salmon-orange or salmon-pink depending on whether the skies were clear or cloudy. In the limited moonlight, the colour came across as a lilac. As it climbed the stairs, it felt more perturbed with each step it took.

"Tessa?"

Yes, Tee?

"Are you sure you wish to do this?" The Entity paused in the rectangular stairway of the tower.

It doesn't sound like we have a choice, Tee.

"No. Not another respectable one anyway." Tee sighed, "As I said before, I will do all in my power to protect and save you even if that means my end."

Didn't you say that we would both die though?

"I...I honestly do not know for certain, child. What we have done is not recorded elsewhere and, therefore, we must assume we are the only hybrid of our kind. This then means that anything is possible unless proven otherwise."

Do you want to do this?

"I have to."

But do you want to?

"...No..." Tee leant against the wall for a moment, "I have grown accustomed to this double-life, as I hope you have, and I like to live, regardless of the others who do not trust me. I have enjoyed watching you grow. I like the feel of our lungs expanding and contracting as we breathe, I enjoy the feel of sun on our skin, of the sheer bitterness of snow, I enjoy eating and have to say...I look forward to this 'chicken parmigiana' you mentioned to the sorcerer because the image in your head looks delectable..."

You're afraid, aren't you?

Tessa's tear snuck out of their ducts even whilst Tee was in control.

The Entity's lips curved upwards at the side slightly, "It is funny, is it not? For I am the creature of chaos, the monster who has torn down civilisations, the nightmare all parents fear, the most fearsome being in all the universe and yet now, I tremble in the presence of my brother." It shut its eyes, took a breath, "I fear that which I once was for now I have everything to lose."

That's why you came, isn't it? You had nothing to fight for, your chaos was meaningless and you sought something more. And then, when you came and you watched humanity, you saw that love of someone would give you meaning, would give you purpose. Even in the beginning of our journey, when you were scared Stephen would try to get rid of you, you weren't just scared for you, but you really did want to protect me too, out of love?

"One does not experience twenty-two years of someone's life and walk away without some adoration for them. Only...I could not walk away."

Tessa and Tee chuckled.

"I did not truly wish to walk away from you either. I just felt...so alone without the Ancient One."

I know.

The Entity nodded, pushing itself away from the wall, "This procrastination does not do our sorcerers good."

No, I suppose it doesn't.

"Then, we must go." Tee gazed up the tower at the last few flights of stairs they had to go up until they were out in the open once more, "For you, child, and for the others and for our home, I will do what I can to stop this."

I believe in you, Tee.