"What are you wearing?" You asked your uncle as he stood at the top of the stairs.

Uncle Stephen stopped his decent, looking at you surprised. Then a kind, amused smile crossed his features. "A cloak." He replied simply with a slight chuckle. "I must say, it's a surprise that that was the first question you asked (y/n)."

You stared up at him as he descended down the stairs, still not quite believing this man was your uncle. "Are you sure you're Stephen?" You asked. "Stephen Strange? One of the worlds best neurosurgeons? The man with so many medical achievements I lost count of? The uncle who could never get my name right, yet he could reattach severed nerves and put a human spine back together piece by piece? Are you sure you're that guy?"

      You watched as something that resembled shame crossed over your uncle's face. "Yes." Stephen agreed. "I wasn't the best version of myself the last I saw you. But I've changed, I've tried to become a better man. A man who is worthy of to be your father's brother. Who is worthy to be your uncle." Stephen sighed, trying to think of something to say. Even though the two of you were related by blood you didn't know each other. Not really. "I hope you will be able to give me a second chance." Stephen finally told you as he stood right in front of you with pleading eyes.

       You looked at this man, standing in front of you in a strange looking cape and weird looking clothes. He didn't dress like the uncle you knew, nor did he talk like the uncle you knew. But he was uncle Stephen. Just... different.

      "Everyone deserves a second chance." You smiled up at your uncle, extending a hand for him to shake. "Especially family."

      Stephen stared at you for a moment in disbelief, then he smiled at you with tears of relief beginning to gather in his eyes. He took your hand firmly, shaking it enthusiastically. "Thank you." Your uncle managed to tell you, his voice soft as he tried to keep it from shaking.

That's when you realized Stephen didn't think you would give him a second chance. Stephen didn't think his family would want him back after all those years of only caring about himself.

      Not sure what else to do you let go of his hand and not a second later did you wrap your arms around your uncle, trying to comfort him with a hug. You would give your uncle a second chance, and knowing your dad, so would he. "What else are families for?" You asked your uncle when you felt him tense up. Then you felt him relax and wrap his arms around you, taking the comfort you were offering him freely.

        Sure, uncle Stephen wasn't immediate family. But he was family, and all you wanted to do for him at this moment was comfort him.

      The two of you stayed like that for a moment or two, before Stephen finally pulled away from the hug, wiping a few tears form his eyes. "Your dad warned me about the dragon." Stephen laughed, trying to lighten the mood. "But he didn't tell me about your hair."

     You laughed at that, reaching up to run a hand through your multi colored hair, "my friend did that to my hair as a prank." You told your uncle with a smile, remembering when Loki turned your hair different colors a few days before the homecoming dance.

      "Without you noticing?" Your uncle asked, raising a brow in question.

"He was... really sneaky." You nodded. "Who was that guy who answered the door?" You asked your uncle. "Does he like, live here or something?" You asked, trying to change the subject. You didn't really want your uncle to know that the friend who dyed your hair was Loki. The Loki who tired to take over the world a few years back. Even if he was only doing it because he was being mind controlled. You knew that if your uncle found out you were friends with Loki it wouldn't be too long before your parents found out.

It wasn't like you wanted to keep Loki a secret. You just didn't what them to find out just yet. You would tell them eventually, of course. But now was not the time.

"That was Wong." Stephen told you with a smile. "And no, he doesn't live here. He's actually the librarian." You were about to ask more questions like, what library dose Wong work at, and why is he answering your door for you? But your uncle has other ideas. "Why don't I show you around the Sanctorum?" Your uncle offered with a smile.

       You looked passed your uncle up the stairs seeing more weird looking artifacts. You were curious about your uncle's new house, you were curious about your uncle, you wanted to get to know him better. "Lead the way." You shrugged with a smile.

      Stephen smiled down at you before turning on his heel leading you further into the weird building. You followed after him with Eclipse hot on your heels.

*

"What are all the old wired things for?" You asked Stephen as he was finishing up the small tour he had given you. He mostly just showed you a few guest rooms, and the kitchen. You had walked through a few interesting rooms, but he didn't stop to give you any information about them.

"They are called artifacts." Stephen informed you.

"Right." You agreed picking one of the smaller ones up off a near by table. "And why do you have so many?"

Stephen quickly plucked the artifact from your hand with a worried expression on his face. Like the little ring thing would explode at any minute.

He then carefully set the little ring back on the table before breathing a sigh of relief. "How much do you know about magic?" Stephen asked you.

"I can blow things up with my bare hands." You told him proudly.

"Actual magic (y/n)." Stephen smiled, rolling his eyes. "Like teleportation, matter manipulation, energy manipulation?"

"I know that some people can do magic." You told him. "But what dose magic have to do with you? Unless you learned how to do real magic after your car accident." You teased him.

Stephen gave you a slight smirk at that. Which caught you off guard. Then you remembered was Wong had said, 'the Sorcerer Supreme will be thrilled to see you.'

       Your smiled dropped as you looked over your uncle with a critical eye.

       "Your magical?" You asked Stephen.

      "After my accident I tried everything I could think of to heal my hands. I gave up everything I owned to get my life back, but everything I tried failed. I heard about a far away place that could heal anyone of any injury so I went. I spent the last of my money to go find this place. And when I did find it they took me in and taught me magic." Stephen explained to you, and just to prove his point Stephen waved his arms in the air creating shapes out of sparking golden magic. "I journeyed to Kamar-Taj to get my old life back. But they gave me so much more."

        "That's... cool." You told your uncle. "But that doesn't answer my question."

       "Right the artifacts." Stephen remembered. "They are just magical artifacts, each one with its own special abilities."

          "Are they dangerous?" You asked your uncle excitedly. And as if right on cue there was a big crash fallowed by the roar of your dragon.

      You and your uncle quickly turned around to see a small stone box laying on the floor on its side with ginormous tentacles coming out of the top, it's lid a few feet away from it. The small table it was sitting on was also knocked over.

        Eclipse was backing up from the box, snarling up at the ginormous tentacles that were waving around in the air threateningly. It didn't take a brain surgeon to figure out Eclipse had accidentally knocked over the table.

      "Extremely dangerous." Your uncle snarled, waving his arms around creating a golden shield to protect the both of you.

       The monster swiped at Eclipse but he jumped out of the way, firing a plasma blast at it in the process. The tentacle caught fire and a terrible shrill was heard throughout the building. You coved your ears and closed your eyes as you heard your dragon roar in plain, the shrill hurting his sensitive ears. You didn't see what your uncle did next but a minute latter the shrilling had stopped and Stephen was holding the stone box in his arms, the lid safely back on the box.

       "Sorry uncle Stephen." You apologized awkwardly. "Eclipse didn't mean too..."

       "It's quite alright (y/n)." Stephen assured you, cutting off your apology. "Dragons are curious creatures. It's my fault for not warring you sooner of the dangers some of these artifacts hold. But no one got hurt so, lesson learned."

       Eclipse came over to check on you, to make sure your were alright. Stephen smiled at you and your dragon, thankful that neither of you had gotten injured in the little accident.

       "Would you like some tea?" Stephen asked. "To calm the nerves?"

*

       So for the next little while you had nice relaxing tea with your uncle while the two of you caught up. You told Stephen how you and Eclipse met, and how the Avengers recruited you. You also told him about Dakarus and your dragon riding adventures.

     In return your uncle told you how he became the Sorcerer Supreme and stopped Dormammu from eating the planet.

      It was nice, getting to know your uncle. He was a lot happier now then when you knew him years ago. He had found his purpose, and with the knowledge that his family still wanted him, made him very pleasant to be around.

       After a few hours of taking and catching up it was time for you to go home, back to the Averages tower.

      Your uncle escorted you and Eclipse to the front doors, not wanting to risk another accident today.

      "It was good to see you uncle Stephen." You told your uncle when you all reached the foyer, giving him a goodbye hug.

      Stephen was surprised by the hug at first, but returned it gratefully. "Before I forget." Stephen told you, pulling away from the hug and reaching into one of his pockets. "Your father told me that it was someone's birthday. You're turning 18."

       "Yeah." You agreed a little awkwardly, not knowing what else to say.

      Stephen then pulled out a small silver necklace with a little half moon pendent and a small blue gem. "It's not as flashy as the jewelry I usually got you." Stephen apologized. "But I think you'll find this one more useful."

       "You didn't need to get me anything Stephen." You told your uncle as he offered you the cute little necklace.

      "I know I didn't." Your uncle told you. "But I wanted to."

      You smiled at that and happily accepted your uncle's present, looking it over. It was remarkably well made, and had the smallest, most elegant details on the moon.

      "It is an artifact that enhances any type of power." Your uncle informed you as you looked it over. "Magic or other. It should help you to be able to use your dragon's power for longer and more effectively. Like that of a full blooded Dakarian. Now it might not be perfect." Your uncle rambled. "But it should help."

You cut off his rambling with another hug. "It's perfect." You told him when you pulled away. "Way better then the stupidly expensive jewelry you used to get me."

"I'm glad you like it." Stephen smiled.

You quickly clasped the necklace around your neck then gave your uncle one last goodbye hug. And with that you and Eclipse flew back to the tower.

Maybe your birthday wasn't that bad after all?