“Hey.

” Stephen’s unusually soft voice rang through your ears as you lift your
spoonful of cereal up to your mouth. Stephen crossed the room and greeted you with
a kiss on your forehead, which you gladly accepted, tilting your head up a bit to
meet his kiss.

“Good morning.” you beamed at him and he took a seat beside you.

“Late start, I, see? You had a rough night?” he asked, voice laced with cheekiness.

“You bet. I wonder whose fault was it…” you said and winked at him, and he replied
with his signature deep rumble echoing from his chest.

“America and I are going away, would you like to come?” he asked. Without
hesitations, you agreed and promised to finish up your breakfast as soon as you
can.

“We’ll meet you at the courtyard.” and with a kiss on your cheek, he left the
kitchen.

When Stephen said “going away” it only meant one thing. America would open up a
stunning star-shaped portal, electric and enchanting, a portal that would transport
people who go through it to another universe. The multiverse is a vast concept,
misunderstood and feared most of the time. Only the brave ones would dare to travel
through it and seek more ideas, more knowledge about it.

Ever since America stepped into the holy grounds of Kamar-Taj, everybody has vowed
to protect her at all costs. Especially the three of you; you, Stephen, and Wong.
You were in awe with the girl, young thing that she is, but she’s got the guts and
she’s got adventure running in her veins. She always sparked bravery and wit, it
almost reminded you Stephen.

You watched as the days turned into nights, you watched how Stephen and America
bonded. It was endearing to see him take another teen under his wing. He was always
wary with them, and he’d admit it to you, multiple times that he and kids just
never mix well. And you’d agree, you’d always say, “Well that’s because the two of
you would get into trouble.”

Stephen trained America. Stubborn and impatient but she was a fast learner, she was
always hungry to move, to find more, to harness and control her power. Stephen saw
himself in her; he saw a younger version of him, still in medical school, that
knowledge-hungry young man, striving and always willing to become the best version
of himself. And Stephen couldn’t be any prouder of what she had become. Her days in
Kamar-Taj are numbered, he feared. One night, in the comfort of your shared bed,
Stephen said how he’ll miss having the girl around.

“She’s leaving soon,” Stephen sighed into your skin that night.

“How do you know that?” you asked.

“She knows a lot now, in time she’ll leave this place, seeking for more.”

“You’ll miss her.” you whispered into the dark, and Stephen untangled himself from
you, he laid on his back and you could make out the small nodding of his head in
the darkness.

“Don’t think about it too much. Just enjoy what you have right now. And if she
wants to leave, it’s fine, it’s going to be fine. She’ll be back.” you reassured
him with a kiss on his bare shoulder.
“How do you know that?” he echoed your previous words.

“I just do.” you said, and all Stephen did was trust your word. Because he always
trusted you, believed you, and he was never disappointed.

As much as he’d deny that he’s not best with kids, you would disagree. Because he
is good with them, he cares and admires them in his own way. The Stephen way. You’d
often muse how he’d be good as a dad. The two of you had been engaged for a long
time now, with no concrete plans ahead. The two of you agreed to wait for that
perfect time to finally get married and settle down. You had no doubts about the
idea of waiting, it’s all fine, because you trusted time and its power to move
things in its own magical way.

Speaking of magical, you found the magical duo; Stephen and America, having a
lighthearted banter in the courtyard. You made your way towards them with a smile.

“Okay, children, that’s enough.” you laughed as Stephen’s face turned sour.

You and Stephen stepped back a little as America channeled her energy into making a
portal. A mist of electricity surrounded her and with an ear-piercing scream, she
punched into the empty space, opening up a star-shaped portal. America looked at
the two of you and smiled.

“You guys ready?” she asked. You nodded and smiled.

“Hope you don’t throw up your Froot Loops this time Y/N.” Stephen teased you, you
glared at him and America giggled.

“Says the man who threw up on his first Multiversal trip.” America snickered and it
was his turn to look serious.

“Are we doing this or not?” Stephen huffed with impatience. The three of you held
hands, and disappeared through the portal. Sometime, the portal sent the three of
you somewhere in the multiverse, stumbling, bodies crashing hard against the hard
concrete.

“Are you okay?” you heard Stephen ask America as you slowly got up and got to your
bearings. Soon, the three of you changed into casual clothes, thinking it’d be
better to blend in with the rest of the crowd and not draw any attention. The three
of you set on finding the Sanctum first. Once you were on the familiar footpath; in
the midst of cobbled stones of Greenwich Village, the Sanctum Sanctorum stood
mighty and proud, just like in any other universe. Stephen led the three of you to
the door and he cautiously knocked. The doors opened and a version of you stood by
the door, opening it wider to welcome the three of you.

“Ah, Doctor Strange,” multiverse you, greeted with a smile.

“And you must be Y/N.” Stephen said and shook her hand.

“I am, Master Y/N, Master of the New York Sanctum. And you must be me, in another
universe.” she grinned at you and you shook her hand.

“And you, you must be Ms. Chavez.” America nodded in greeting, quickly warming up
to the alternate you.

With the introductions done; Master Y/N led you three to the main area. She offered
you tea and you all agreed, admitting you were all parched. Master Y/N served tea
and reassured the three of you, “Don’t worry, it’s just tea, with a little bit of
honey.”
“Just like how the Ancient One takes it,” you mused as you took the first sip.

“I’ve come to like how she took it.” Master Y/N nodded.

“I’m assuming your Doctor Strange here is the Sorcerer Supreme?” Stephen piped up.

“I’m afraid not. Our Doctor Strange is practicing medicine at the Metro General
Hospital.” Master Y/N replied, Stephen looked at her curiously.

“But we know each other. He’s a great help when we need it. He volunteers in the
health drives we host annually,” she continued.

“Huh, if he’s not the Sorcerer Supreme here, then who is?” Stephen probed.

“Wong.” Master Y/N proudly said. Stephen exhaled and leant back and you tried to
keep in your laugh.

“How did you know our names?” America suddenly asked and Master Y/N grinned,
already liking the young one.

“You aren’t the only ones fascinated about the multiverse. We are too, curious
about it. Only we don’t have the means to travel through it, we just watch, we
simply observe. There are a lot of universes out there and we are sure that we
haven’t seen half of it. And we’ve seen yours, so I know you.”

“He’s still practicing medicine?” Stephen asked, as if he’s finding it hard to

believe it.

Because in every universe he’s been in, his alternate version was the same. Their
hands were broken because of the car accident. And this, this was the first
universe he’s been in where his alternate self is still practicing medicine.

“He is, and I believe he’s in. Would you like me to portal you there?” Master Y/N
kindly offered and Stephen almost instantly shot up from his seat, following the
Master. Master Y/N dutifully opened a portal and Stephen looked back to where you
and America were seated.

“Aren’t you two coming?” he asked.

“Uh, I think you should do this on your own,” you said with a smile and America
agreed.

“I’ll see you later,” he said.

“You will.” America replied and waved goodbye.

Master Y/N walked through the portal and Stephen closely followed. His eyes took in
a not-so-new environment, one he sometimes missed. Walls were bleak and boring,
lights too bright, almost cold, busy health workers dashing about, and patients
wheeled in wheelchairs. But one thing he found different were the murals on the
walls. In great contrast to the white, there were bright paintings of animals,
cartoon characters.

“This is the…” Stephen started his sentence.

“Pediatric wing of Metro General Hospital, yes.” Master Y/N looked up at the man
beside her and grinned.
“Are you saying…”

“That our Stephen Strange is a pediatric specialist? Yes.”

Stephen stood frozen in spot, blinking, trying to process the newfound information.
Master Y/N must have sensed his panic, so she said, “Don’t worry, he’s less of a
dick compared to you.” Stephen looked at her in shock and she laughed.

“His office is just down the hall.” Master Y/N cleared her throat and pointed to
the said hall. Before Stephen knew it, he’s all alone standing, Master Y/N must
have left him. And before he knew it, he walked the short distance towards the end
of the hall. Stephen found himself standing by the door, looking at the shiny
placard that said:

STEPHEN VINCENT STRANGE, M.D., PhD., HEAD OF PEDIATRIC DEPARTMENT

Stephen gazed at it with an indescribable, unknown emotion. It was almost

overwhelming. And so, he took a deep breath and shakily raised his fist to knock on
the door. But before he could do so, a voice boomed through the other side of the
door.

“Stop loitering by the door, please.” it was commanding but there was a softness to
it, almost inviting. So, Stephen finally grabbed the door handle and twisted it. He
slowly drew the door open, and held his breath.

Stephen raised his eyes only to meet its match. Steely gray with hints of sky-blue
meeting the same set of gaze. Stephen slowly walked into the room, still holding
his breath, he almost feared he might pass out due to lack of oxygen. His mind
blank, his body involuntarily moving towards his other version. He offered his hand
almost on instinct and the doctor swiftly left his seat to meet him in the middle.

“Doctor Stephen Strange,” the pediatric doctor greeted with a smile and firmly
shook his hand.

“Stephen is fine.” Stephen stuttered, wondering how he could possibly speak in such
a phase.

“You could call me Stephen too, but we might get tangled up in confusion,” the
doctor said and offered the seat.

“Oh yeah, figured that, I’ll stick to ‘doctor’ then,” Stephen said as he took a
seat, the doctor nodded in agreement.

“So, candies and stickers huh?” Stephen quietly said and the doctor chuckled as he
took the seat opposite Stephen.

“Not as great as you, magic and superheroes,”

“Ah, we both know that that’s quite the same,” Stephen smirked.

“True, I bet those monsters are as gnarly as my kids,” the doctor laughed and
Stephen joined in. Laughter soon subsided and seriousness and curiosity hung in the
air, it was Stephen who finally asked the question.

“Never considered peds as my specialization,” Stephen said, interested as to why

his alternate self would choose such a path.

“I did, in fact it became my top choice when things happened.” the doctor’s voice
faded as his speech ended, Stephen cocked his head to probe for more and the doctor
gave in.

“I was halfway into my residency when I became engaged to this woman. She was
amazing. Funny, really pretty, and she was just mesmerizingly bright. I had to ask
her to marry me and thankfully she did. We planned to get married right after our
residencies. One year into our engagement, we became pregnant. She was the most
beautiful baby I ever laid eyes on,”

“I was happy enough to stop a year of medical training. For a while, we were the
young couple, happy and content to live in the moment. Satisfied with the late
nights, dirty nappies and baby bottles. But then the accident happened, I don’t
even know why I keep calling it an accident, because every day, every minute right
after it happened, I keep on blaming myself.”

“Why?” Stephen asked, inching closer and bracing himself. The doctor bowed his head
and sniffed.

“We had a fight that night. A big one. She left with the baby, intending to stay a
few weeks with her parents in LA. It was raining hard that night, but I let them
go. She was driving and—and then,” the doctor paused to catch his breath and hold
back his tears.

“I called her while she was driving. Before I could hear her voice or hear my
baby’s last cry, the call ended.” Doctor Stephen said, his voice breaking, his eyes
shining with tears.

“I never got to marry her, I never got to promise her forever. I never got the
chance to prove myself as the man for her, as the father of our beautiful girl. But
I know they wouldn’t like me to wallow in pain and in grief, hence my penance. I
made my promises on their graves, I promised them to get back with my life, move
on. Save and help every child that I’ll take under my care.” Doctor Stephen ended
his story with a small, sad smile, and Stephen’s heart subtly wrenched itself in
pain.

Then, the sorcerer realized; it was in their fates to lose something great,
something they dearly loved, something they dearly treasured. The accident was
truly inevitable, an event that was meant to change them; a dent in the metal, a
crack in the glass.

“I’m sorry.” Stephen said, breaking the sad silence.

“And I’m sorry too.”

“Why?”

“You lost your ability to operate, didn’t you?” the doctor asked, eyebrows
furrowed.

“I did, but I’m still saving lives.” Stephen grinned proudly and the doctor did the
same.

“We were all destined to save lives, we, the Stranges. It occurred to me that it
doesn’t matter how we do it, but it matters that we just do. And I realized that
our loss, our pain, was meant to be something, something powerful that it couldn’t
just bring back one life, not just our own, but others, especially the ones who
need them.” Stephen said with great confidence and compassion, hoping to alleviate
the sadness he could feel from the pediatric doctor. He rarely spoke his thoughts
out loud, but this was a rare chance for him. A rare chance to confront and
comfort; not just his alter self, but himself too.
“I—Thank you.” Doctor Stephen said, and before Stephen knew it, his alternate self
was hugging him.

“I know you’re not big on hugs, but you need it, Stephen.” the doctor whispered to
him, and Stephen smiled.

“I bet you are, big on hugs, I mean,” Stephen chuckled as they drew apart.

“Of course, I am. I work with children, Stephen.” The doctor laughed and moved away
to pick up his jacket.

“Speaking of children, I’ve got to do the rounds in the ward, would you like to
come?” he offered as he grabbed his stethoscope from his desk.

“Is that okay?”

“Of course, it is. I could just say you’re my twin, the long lost, bearded twin.”
he chuckled and pointed at Stephen’s perfectly trimmed goatee.

“Hey! Would you ever consider having one? Ladies love it…” Stephen smirked and
showed off his goatee, the doctor led them outside and they walked through the
crowded hospital hall.

“I would never! Stephen, I work with babies and children, they tend to get really
grabby. Besides, my lady is already smitten with me without the facial hair. Thanks
for the advice though.” the pediatrician boasted with a smirk, his dimples
deepening.

“Your lady?”

“Y/N.” Doctor Stephen simply said to him as if it was the most normal thing to say.

The pediatrician opened the door to a room where a little boy was sitting on the
hospital bed. He was hooked to various machines and just seeing it all made a
shiver run up in Stephen’s spine. The little boy looked pale and frail, but he was
smiling when he saw the doctor.

“Good afternoon, Timothy.” Doctor Stephen greeted the little boy, Timothy.

“Hello doctor!” The boy greeted cheerfully; his smile soon replaced by a frown as
he saw Stephen stalk quietly into the room.

“Timothy, I’d like to introduce my brother, Vincent.” and Stephen smiled lightly as
he heard his middle name.

“You look the same.” Timothy said.

“That’s because we’re twins.” Stephen explained.

“Just like Marie and Maria?”

“Yes, just like them.” Doctor Stephen chuckled and settled himself near the boy,
ready to examine him.

Stephen watched the whole ordeal with awe. The pediatrician was great at his work,
Stephen could feel the passion and love for his work and it made him feel
nostalgic. He suddenly missed working in a hospital, being a doctor. He lightly
shook his head to remind himself that it’s all behind him, it’s all been done and
gone. He reassured himself that he was destined to do great things, he was destined
to save lives. They were all destined for the same great fate. And for now, it was
enough.

“Have you been good for Nurse Vi today?” Stephen heard his other self, ask the boy.

“I am, when she said I must eat my broccoli, I ate them all!” Timothy cheered.

“That’s very good! And as a prize, would it be a candy or a sticker, for today?” he
tucked his hands in his jacket pocket, waiting for the boy to answer.

Stephen watched their exchange, fascinated how both of their eyes lit up in
excitement.

“Stickers! My paper is almost full but it’ll fit,” Timothy said and reached out to
his table for his paper full of stickers.

Stephen beat him to it; he gave the little boy his paper and Timothy smiled up at
him. Doctor Stephen rummaged in his pockets, looking for stickers. Once found, he
gave them to the boy, making him more excited.

“Can I have a Spider-Man one?” Timothy asked when he realized he was given two Iron
Man stickers.

“I’m afraid I don’t have one.” Doctor Stephen said sadly.

“Ah, I can give you one.” Stephen piped up. He offered his hand and Timothy gave
him one of his Iron Man stickers. With the sticker laying innocently on his palm,
Stephen clasped his hands together, shaking it a bit, putting on a show. Timothy
laughed and it made him laugh too. When he opened up his palm, there it was, a
Spider-Man sticker. In an instant, the boy was upon him, hugging his neck.

“Are you a magician?” Timothy giggled when they broke apart from their little hug.

“I am.” Stephen grinned.

Goodbyes were soon exchanged and the two Stephens walked out of the door. “And yet
you say you’re not good with them,” Stephen the pediatrician said as he closed the
door.

“I don’t know, Y/N tells me so, she never fails to remind me.” Stephen replied.

“She’s right. She always is, well, most of the time,” the doctor chuckled and
Stephen agreed.

“You and Master Y/N?” Stephen asked.

“Oh yes. Married.”

“But I don’t see a ring…”

“That’s because we don’t use them, we’re magically bound you see. We were married
in Kathmandu, by a monk. It was a spur of the moment kind of wedding, but still, I
can’t wait to give her the traditional wedding, all the trimmings and stuff.” The
doctor said with a sparkle in his eye and Stephen couldn’t help the small grin that
started to form on his lips.

“Honestly, Stephen. What are you waiting for? The end of the world? It’s not going
to come soon. Don’t make the same mistake that I once made.” Doctor Stephen said
with a resigned smile, he patted Stephen on his shoulder before walking away.

“Time to check up on our ladies, what do you think?” the doctor suggested and
Stephen agreed.

It was nearing dark and it would be best to leave before nightfall. As Stephen
conjured up a portal back to the Sanctum, his mind was still reeling about his
other self’s advice. He’d be sure to take it to heart and act on it, but one other
thing he’s sure of, is that you are the only person constant in this vast
multiverse. You were set, you were destined to be with him, and Stephen is not sure
which stars to thank, but he’d be a fool not to thank every star, every force out
there that made you and him possible in every universe.

The good doctor calmly crossed the portal into the Sanctum and gave his wife a kiss
on the cheek. She profusely blushed, not used to people witnessing their display of
affection. Y/N watched the scene unfold with her mouth slightly agape. She wasn’t
sure how to process the information that Stephen met a version of himself that is
free of facial hair, the fact that the said version is a pediatrician, and the fact
that he and Master Y/N are actually married.

It was a lot to take in for her sometimes, but she’s seen weirder things.

“You okay?” Stephen asked Y/N as he stood next to her, in instinct, he drew her in
closer and she was instantly warmed by the gesture. She nodded and gave him a smile
to secure the reassurance that all is well.

Stephen gave the pediatric doctor one last look, that only the two of them
understood. With promises of visiting, the three of you left. America led you
through her magnificent star-shaped portal, and soon, you were back at home. The
sun was setting behind the high walls of Kamar-Taj when the three of you arrived.
Alive and unscathed, it has to be one of the safest multiversal travels, you three
experienced. Right after America closed the portal, Stephen gave her a big hug.

“Never pegged you for a hugger, Stephen.” America chuckled as she tried to wrap her
arms around his shoulders.

“Hush, child. You’ll only get this once.”

“I doubt that.” you giggled.

“True.” you all laughed.

America drew apart from the hug to pull you in for a group hug. As Wong passed by
one of the great and wide terraces of Kamar-Taj, he saw the three of you in the
courtyard. He smiled to himself; proud of Stephen, you, and America. He was happy
to witness the love between you and Stephen grow, that was now extended to America.
He thought the three of you were like a family of three, and he thought, the
possibility of you and Stephen having a family of your own, isn’t far enough.