☆

IT HAD TAKEN TALIA YEARS TO let herself fall in love with Stephen Strange. The first step had come after her first orchestra performance, almost half a year later since her first date with the man. While they were together, nothing had been exclusive — Talia did not want to be trapped.

Stephen had been standing outside the back of the theatre with roses.

And Talia felt her smile brighten as she accepted the flowers.

"Darling, you were incredible," Stephen told her.

Still buzzing from her confidence, Talia couldn't help but agree. "I was, wasn't I?"

After everything Talia had been through, she was truly proud of herself. Of course, Stephen adored her confidence, finding that it had always complimented his arrogance too. His hand slid around her waist beneath her coat, pulling Talia towards him for a long, sweet kiss.

Then, Stephen's hands cupped her cheeks, holding her stare with so much pride in his bluish-green irises. "You have no idea how proud I am of you."

"You are?" Talia questioned, not used to hearing those words.

"Of course, I am," said Stephen. "This is everything you've ever wanted. So, to celebrate, I am taking you out wherever you want to go."

"I just want to go back to yours," Talia told him.

"That's no fun," Stephen complained.

Talia smirked, raising her eyebrows in the silent suggestion of what they could get up to at his place.

"Mine it is," Stephen agreed, cupping her jaw. "But I'm still taking you out."

"When we find a free day, we can go out," Talia offered.

That caused Stephen Strange to kiss her again with his touch forever lingering, causing Talia to glow deep inside — yet, the feeling was terrifying. Then, his hand fell from her face as his fingers knotted with Talia's, offering to hold the bouquet of roses for her while they walked.

With Stephen, everything felt good. But Talia was waiting for the catch, already expecting the worst to happen. Those who loved Talia either died or left her — though, she was determined to not let anyone fall in love with her.

"Talia?" Stephen caught her attention after a while, causing the dark-haired girl to look over at him. "How did you start playing the piano?"

The question caught Talia off guard, triggering the instinct of flight to kick in as she let go of Stephen's hand, finding it suddenly too much. Feeling uncomfortable, Talia's arms wrapped around herself, staring down at the ground as she continued to walk.

"You don't have to answer," Stephen decided, yet he was disappointed.

While Stephen knew Talia, he was still completely clueless about who she was too.

As Talia's heartbeat quickened, her feet stopped moving. There was a battle happening: Talia's head wanted to run, but her heart wanted to stay. Looking up, Talia had spotted that Stephen had stopped walking too, where his eyes were on her in concern.

"I watched a man and then he taught me," Talia answered, though she had failed.

Stephen's lips pressed together tightly at that with Talia knowing he was stopping himself from saying something regrettable. When it came to the past, the two were alike in keeping their childhoods a mystery.

"Ask me why I wanted to be a doctor," Stephen told her.

"What? Why?" Talia questioned, confused.

"Just ask me, Talia."

"Why do you want to be a doctor?"

"To save lives, of course," Stephen started. "Because I couldn't save my sister."

Talia remained silent as she understood, seeing Stephen with new eyes. While Talia felt sad about Stephen's loss, she did not pity him. More than anything, Talia respected his bravery for sharing.

"Donna and I were playing on a frozen lake," Stephen then explained, not looking at her. "The ice cracked, and Donna fell through..."

Talia took a step closer to him. "Stephen, I'm so sorry."

"I've never told anyone before," Stephen confessed.

"Why me?" Talia asked.

"Because it's you," Stephen said as if it was the most obvious answer, where his fingers then rised, brushing along her cheekbone. "You've taken over my mind. You've taken over my heart. It terrifies me, but I knew from the moment I saw you that you would change my life. I'm more afraid of losing you now. If you are not ready to let me into your life, then I'll find a way to accept that, but I want you in my life, Talia."

"Stephen..." Talia became silent, the battle of her heart and head starting again. "I'm scared of losing you too."

"Then we don't have to lose each other," Stephen told her. "We have our careers, but we could have us too."

"Us," Talia repeated with a smile, liking the sound of it.

It had been a long time since anyone had cared for Talia like this. The feeling was terrifying, but Talia had started to welcome it.

"I was ten when I first played the piano," said Talia too quickly, finding that if she spilt, then there was no chance of losing her nerve. "But my mom had enjoyed singing, so I guess I took after her with the music. When I play, it feels like I'll never be alone — that my mom is still with me."

"If your mom were here, she would be proud of you, Talia," Stephen told her.

And Talia smiled, having never known that she had needed to hear those words.

"Donna would be proud of you too," Talia said, receiving a smile in response.

Though, Talia could only open up fully to Stephen in the darkness of his bedroom. With her head resting on his chest and his fingers dancing along the skin of her lower back, Talia found herself finding the urge to be that little bit braver.

"My mom died when I was five," said Talia, words echoing in the darkness. Stephen's fingers paused on her back for a moment, startled by the words, and then he continued as if he knew that his touch helped. "It was a car crash: I should have died too, but somehow I walked away without a scratch. From where I was sitting, it should have been impossible for me to survive."

The car had been so crushed, that Talia should have been crushed with it.

"After, my dad... well, he blamed me," Talia continued, not giving Stephen a chance to respond. "His words were that I should have died that day instead. Maybe I should have, but who knows what happened. After that, my dad turned to alcohol, becoming abusive, but I had nowhere else to go."

Talia felt her voice shake, the words becoming harder. Now that Talia had started, she could not stop until the truth was out. Even though she was sinking, Talia still felt lighter.

"On my tenth birthday, I thought everything had changed," whispered Talia, feeling the tears spill from her eyes, hating how naive she had been. "I-I thought we were going for ice cream like I always had with mom. Dad gave me money, so I went in and got an ice cream to share, but... he was gone."

Closing her eyes, Talia remembered it all too well. How she had stood there in the cold month of December, clutching the cone, staring at the parking spot where her father had been.

"Oh, Talia," said Stephen, lost for words.

Talia smiled sadly, knowing it was not the nicest of tales.

But Stephen surprised her as his body twisted, leaning over Talia as she just about saw him in the dark. The few tears that had fallen were brushed away by his touch.

"What happened to you after?" Stephen asked.

"I was on the streets for a while," Talia confessed, surprising herself as she could look at Stephen as she spoke. "But I soon got caught and ended up in the foster system."

"Darling, I'm so sorry," Stephen said. "You did not deserve that."

"I know," Talia whispered. "That's when I found the piano."

And the piano had saved Talia, having filled the somewhat emptiness in her heart.

"Thank you for telling me, you didn't have to."

Talia smiled at him. "For some reason, I wanted to."

"It must be my charm," Stephen replied.

"Don't let it get your head," Talia told him, laughing.

"Oh, but I do," said Stephen. "Especially when I have you to boast about now."

"But I'm just your friend," Talia reminded him.

"You are much more than that," whispered Stephen, leaning downwards as his lips found hers in the darkness.

Talia smiled into the kiss, starting to think that maybe she could have more than just a causal relationship with Stephen. Maybe letting him in was not a promise that he would leave.

And maybe Talia had found somewhere she could belong.

Without being abandoned.

☆

Talia Strange stared at her hands, no longer recognising them. While she had not seen the flare of magic again since the power had been forced, Talia could feel it pulsing beneath her skin, wanting to come out again.

That, and Talia's left ring finger felt as empty as her heart without her rings.

Before her engagement ring, Talia had not been one for jewellery. But, since having her wedding rings, Talia had found the touch of them to be comforting — a silent reminder that she was not alone.

And now Talia's finger had no ring.

Talia tried to distract herself from the divorce: Sienna's fifth birthday had been a reason to smile. The Avengers-themed party for her daughter had been everything Sienna had ever wanted. Sienna had dressed up as Supernova in the black and silver costume with sequins in her hair like the star crown that Orla had.

Supernova came from space; a hero, who spent more time chasing the stars, than anything else, but the alien-like hero had powers that sparked from her hands too.

Happily, Sienna had a pocket full of glitter that was her stardust, blowing it at her friends as they all giggled, jumping on the bouncy castle in the garden that Talia had hired.

Talia had smiled, setting up the food with Nicole's help, but her eyes had been constantly watching, terrified that Stephen would not come. Though, it felt like Talia was searching for a ghost more than anything.

Even with the split, Talia had hoped that it would not cause a problem for Sienna. More than anything, Talia was up for an agreement, wanting what was best for her daughter, but Stephen had failed to turn up.

Fortunately, Sienna was oblivious while with her friends. Though, Talia knew that when they returned to Nicole's, her daughter would throw a tantrum, unknowing how to react emotionally to her dad not being there for her birthday.

"Don't think about it right now," Nicole suggested, seeing Talia's devastation. "Stephen's made his decision, Talia, and he's now the one missing out. Enjoy today, you both deserve it."

Talia nodded, swallowing the lump that had grown in her throat as she fought the tears. But, for Talia, not thinking about Stephen meant that her mind had wandered to her hands again, especially at the Avengers-themed party.

Thinking about Supernova again, Talia knew that some of her power sparked from her hands as Talia had. It was bizarre to even have a similarity with the Avengers, let alone even an alien from space.

Talia could not help but question where her power had come from.

And then the fact that Talia had survived two impossible car crashes.

Either way, Talia was stumped, completely clueless.

Clueless and heartbroken as she now wondered if her power could fix Stephen's hands, bringing him some peace. If he had his hands back, then maybe Stephen would open his eyes to see what he had lost. Even now, Talia would do anything for him.

Sienna was Talia's priority. With the powers, Talia was worried that the magic would spark again, hurting her daughter. To step into that world, though, Talia could potentially be putting Sienna at risk too.

So, Talia made her decision: for her family, Talia would seek answers. While Sienna was at preschool a few days later, Talia had made her way to the address the Ancient One had given her. Outside, Talia had stared up at the building, finding it a little strange, yet ordinary too.

Normal had vanished as the front doors opened before Talia could even knock.

Stood in the middle, a man smiled at Talia as if he had suspected her. The man was bald with his hands clasped behind his back, where he wore yellow robes.

"Mrs Strange," said the man. "Welcome."

"It's just Talia now," the woman replied.

"Talia," the man repeated her name. "Please, come in. My name is Daniel Drumm, and I am the Master of the New York Sanctum."

"Right," said Talia, unknowing what else there was to say to that.

But Talia had taken that risky step, passing from her normal mundane life into another, knowing that there would be no turning back now. Inside, Talia's eyes roamed around the place, noticing the grand staircase that led upwards to the many floors.

"This way," Daniel guided Talia. "The Ancient One is expecting you at Kamar-Taj."

"Where?" Talia questioned.

Daniel smiled. "All shall be revealed, Talia."

"Right," Talia repeated herself, questioning what she was getting herself into again.

But Daniel's smile only brightened before his hand moved in a circular motion with a circle of sparks igniting. Talia's lips parted with a gasp, spying a window to another room, where Daniel stepped through as if it was nothing.

"Are you coming?" Daniel asked.

Talia was speechless as she nodded, taking a long breath before she stepped through the circular portal. Stepping into the room, Talia was certain that she just had stepped into another country — across the world. Turning back, her eyes fell back onto the house that was in New York, confused more than anything.

"It's a portal," the man explained.

"Where are we?" Talia asked.

"Kamar-Taj," Daniel answered. "Kathmandu in Nepal."

Talia's eyes shot wide. "Nepal?"

Again, Daniel smiled. "This way, Talia."

The portal vanished with Talia's eyes falling on Daniel, forcing a face of bravery as she followed behind the strange wizard. Talia was led through Kamar-Taj (whether it was a place or a building, Talia was not sure), taking everything in.

In another room, there were two already waiting for them to arrive. Upon hearing them, the Ancient One had turned with a welcoming smile on her face, eyes falling on Talia. Next to her, stood a man in light green robes with dark eyes studying Talia.

"Mrs Strange," said the Ancient One. "I was starting to think you would not come."

"You were not the only one," Talia confessed, still unsure if she had made the right decision. "And it's Talia."

"This is Master Mordo," Ancient One introduced the man.

Talia's eyes fell on the man again, where he smiled in greeting.

"Talia," said Mordo. "It is an honour to meet you."

Remaining silent, Talia looked back towards the Ancient One, waiting for some sort of explanation. The Ancient One turned, hands reaching for a teapot that left Talia even more lost for words.

"Tea, Talia?"

"Tea?" Talia repeated, stunned.

"Some refreshments," the woman explained.

"I would prefer some answers," Talia confessed. "What are you? Who are you?"

"I believe I already told you: they call me the Ancient One."

"You know what I meant," said Talia, frustrated.

"In simple terms, you might understand us as sorcerers," the woman explained, forgetting the tea for a moment. "We practice in the Mystical Arts, safeguarding the world against mystical threats."

"Okay," Talia decided. "I guess after the Avengers, anything is possible."

The Ancient One smiles. "After you, Talia, anything is possible."

"What do you mean?" Talia questioned.

"Tell me," said the Ancient One. "Where were you born?"

"Mexico City," Talia answered, clenching her fists to hide her fear. "I was abandoned as a baby and found by a travelling couple, who adopted me."

"A mother who loved you," the Ancient One continued. "But a father who could not forgive you for surviving."

Talia recoiled, hating to be reminded of her past.

"I'm sorry," the Ancient One apologised. "But, to understand, Talia, you must realise that all these moments led you to this moment. For you, though, us being here was not the original timeline."

"I don't understand..."

"Our past shapes us into who we are today," the Ancient One stepped closer to Talia, the teapot was long forgotten on the small table. Around them, the two men remain silent, waiting with Talia wondering what exactly they were waiting for. "One moment can be enough to change everything."

"I still don't understand," Talia confessed, impatient.

"You survived two impossible car crashes," the woman reminded Talia. "In one of them, you should have vanished from this reality, leading Stephen Strange on a path to us, driven by the grief of your disappearance. However, that did not happen. For some reason, you malfunctioned, where the pathway that I had believed was set, had changed."

"I don't know what happened with the car crash," Talia confessed, yet her mind was whirling, taken over by the thought of her ex-husband. "Did you say Stephen was supposed to come here?"

"Stephen's still on his journey here," said the Ancient One. "Yet, the future is not set, so it is down to him to decide."

"Can you... help fix his hands?" Talia asked, a little desperately.

"That is down to Stephen."

"Then, I should tell him—"

"You must let him remain on his own path, Talia," the Ancient One told her. "To interfere could be to mess with fate."

Talia was so overwhelmed with everything, trying to grasp onto what was happening, but to also figure out what was best to question. Already, she had focused on the man she loved, forgetting that Talia was here for herself too.

"But Stephen will still come?" Talia asked.

"We shall see," said the Ancient One. "Your priority should be yourself, Talia. You have a power within you that is connected to the Multiverse. Something we have never seen before."

"The what?"

"The Multiverse is multiple universes like our own," the woman explained. "Some may be similar to the reality we live in now, but one moment can cause a universe to change."

"So, how do I have a power connected to a universe?"

"Your magic stems from the Multiverse. In both car crashes, you died, but you teleported back into reality again."

Talia's eyebrows furrowed, finding that it did not make any sense. But, thinking back to the near-death experiences, it did make sense — even Stephen had repeatedly told Talia that she had been dead and had then vanished.

"So, I can't die?" Talia's voice was so quiet.

"You can't die as long as you have a reason to come back."

"That doesn't make any sense."

"My theory is that you were born between universes, forged with energy to serve the Multiverse."

Talia struggled to swallow the lump in her throat as she processed the theory. To be told she was not even born on Earth was one thing, but to decide that Talia had a power that was beyond this universe was another.

"If that is true, then why am I here?" Talia questioned.

"That is a question we are all wondering, Talia Strange," the Ancient One agreed. "Unfortunately, we know very little about the Multiverse, but I sensed your power from the first time you died. You were placed in this reality for a reason — a reason we must find out. But your power can be dangerous, Talia. You must remain at Kamar-Taj to train before your power grows out of control or you are discovered."

Talia's eyes roamed along the three in the room, knowing that they did not fear her —maybe they feared what she could become with the power, but right now she was not a threat. Again, Talia stared down at her hands, struggling to understand everything. If she had a unique power that was so dangerous, then how could she trust the Ancient One?

"What does training me give you?" Talia asked, distrusting.

"You harness the power to travel the Multiverse," the Ancient One confessed. "Seeing your future, I let you continue your life obliviously, knowing that you were destined to move on to another universe, but something changed, and you stayed. If you remain in our universe, then a power like yours would be dangerous in the wrong hands. But, in the right hands, the Multiverse may need you one day — we might need you."

"You want to use me," Talia realised.

"No, Talia," she reassured. "I want to help you."

Talia held her gaze, not quite trusting the ancient woman, terrified that it was a trick, and these wizards could end up being Talia's enemy. Plus, Talia knew that the further she spiralled into this world, then there would be no going back — the further she went, the more danger her daughter was in.

"No," Talia decided. "I can't do this. My priority is my daughter."

"And what if you lose control of your power?" The Ancient One questioned, fuelling Talia's fears. "What if the Multiverse — or someone of this universe — hears about you, Talia? What will happen when they come for you with your daughter being caught in the crossfire?"

Talia's breathing hitched at that, shaking her head in denial. This was not happening.

"I am sorry," said the Ancient One. "I do like to give those who join us a choice."

"If I stay, then what will happen?" Talia asked, struggling to keep her voice still.

"Your powers will remain a secret to only those in this room," the Ancient One decided. "Between the three of us, we will help train you. For this to work, Talia, then you must remain at Kamar-Taj, so I suggest you find an alternative option for Sienna."

"Then, I won't be staying," Talia stated, very firmly. "Where I go, Sienna goes."

"Kamar-Taj is no place for a child."

Talia's head tilted to the side, knowing she would either get what she wanted, or they would lose her. "If you want me to train with you, then I suggest you find a way for Sienna to be here too without it impacting her life."

"Very well," the Ancient One smiled at that. "I consider myself kind, so I will grant you and Sienna permission to stay at the New York Sanctum while you are training. That way, Sienna can still go on about her life in New York."

"And Stephen," Talia demanded. "If he is on his way here as you say, then I want to be told."

"Stephen Strange can't know about your power, Talia," said the Ancient One. "For him to succeed, his mind must be clear from fearing for you."

"You said that my disappearance was supposed to have led him here."

"Yes," confirmed the Ancient One. "Because you were gone, so Stephen had a motivation to find you. If Stephen knows about you being here, then you will be a distraction from his studies. Do you want to help your husband, Talia?"

"Ex-husband," Talia murmured. "But, yes, I do."

"Then your best option is to let him go."

Talia frowned at that, having already done that — however, this felt more permanent. It felt unfair to keep him in the dark, especially with something like this. If he came here and found Talia, then there would be no mistaking his anger and betrayal, especially when it came to his hands.

"The fate of the Multiverse might depend on this, Talia. The less who know, then the better chances you have to train before you are discovered."

Pressing her lips together, Talia felt her heartbeat quicken. It seemed that even being here, Talia was still supposed to vanish from Stephen's life. To Talia, it seemed that their destiny was to always be separated.

"Do we have an agreement, Talia?"

Of course, Talia knew what she had to do.

As always, her mind was on Sienna.

☆

Back in New York, Talia had felt heavy with her decision. If Talia's power could be a threat, then she needed to understand it, as well as control it. Keeping this from Stephen, who was on his own path to Kamar-Taj himself, only made Talia feel guiltier.

But they were separated.

At least, Talia found comfort in the thought that Stephen might finally get his hands back.

Now, Talia had picked up Sienna from summer preschool with her heart heavy. Holding her daughter's hand, Talia found an ice cream shop in Central Park; she brought them both an ice cream, where the two sat by the pond, watching the ducks.

"Sweetheart," said Talia, facing her daughter. "I need to tell you something."

"Are we going home?" Sienna asked, innocently, where Talia watched the hope ignite in her blue irises.

"Not quite," Talia answered, heart aching. "Mommy has something important to do, so we're going to stay with some new friends for a while."

"Will daddy come?"

Talia shook her head. "It's just us now, Sienna."

Sienna's eyes fell to her ice cream, bottom lip wobbling. Every time, it broke Talia's heart, hating that Stephen had hurt their daughter like this. Worst of all, it was harder for Talia as she saw herself in Sienna — back to when she was ten, holding onto that ice cream with the terrifying thought that Talia's father would not be returning.

"Did you know," said Talia, trying her hardest to lighten the mood for the two. "When I was little, I used to have ice cream with my mommy all the time."

Distracted, Sienna's eyes darted up to her mother. "You did?"

"Yep," Talia smiled, fighting through the anxiety that came with her memories. Maybe, for once, it would be nice to turn a bad memory into a good one. "My mom and I used to have ice cream every weekend, but we had a rule: you had to try a different flavour every time."

"Can we do that?" Sienna asked.

"I think we've already started," Talia told her.

"Can I try mint chocolate next time?"

"That was my mom's favourite."

Sienna beamed at that, having always wanted a bigger family.

All Talia wanted was for Sienna to have a normal life, but she knew that she was about to ruin that for her. So, even though their life was about to change, she had made it her desperate mission to keep this one small thing with her daughter.

☆

Not sure if that was more confusing than anything for anyone lol. It'll make more sense as Talia trains! Sorry for the little repetition from Glitch, but it is important for their story! I can't wait for Stephen to come back as he's going to be grovelling big time.