drpalmer | Christine Supreme AU

Christine Supreme AU

In all the infinite universes, there was sure to be one in which Stephen Strange didn't survive his car accident, and in this, particular version of such an event, Christine had been with him. It had been a different path that led her to magic. The universe needed a new sorcerer, be it Stephen or someone else.

She had trained and devoted herself to the mystical arts just as she had devoted herself to medicine. Healing magic and defensive spells came most naturally for her, it was in her blood to help. In this universe Christine Palmer became an incredible power, she saved countless lives.

Of course, she had never truly stopped mourning Stephen, but she carried on and fought in his memory.

When the walls between universes started to crack it was as if a call was put out for all the Sorcerers in every universe to find ways to help repair the cracks.

Something was coming and she could feel it. She was pacing around the Sanctum, whatever was on the way was going to come here, of that she was certain.

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The man sighed and closed his eyes. "Yes, and it would be very selfish of me to make it possible for me to stay here." He felt her, she wasn't quite the same, and losing her Stephen had hurt her -but not broken her mind entirely.

That's why she wanted him to stay.
"I'm sure we could figure something that not all of the universe would break around us." And if it did, would it matter?

She was so close. "Christine, I've missed you."

She knows he's not the same, but there is enough similarity to still have that same draw to him. They've both suffered.

"Maybe if we fix the multiverse, the universe will see fit to give us a little comfort."

She wants to hug him, she aches for a hug.

"I've missed you too. I know I'm not her, and you're not him, but you don't feel so unfamiliar."

He hugs her and the creatures join in. It's mostly still Stephen, but it's a lot of creatures of power thrown in too.

"Maybe." It felt like a very long time ago he asked if they were allowed to be happy, because that was all he wanted. He didn't want to hope, the only hope he had for too long was that he could fix it and have her back - and then possibly do penance by being isolated.

It's been a long time since anyone ... wanted to be this close.
"Christine." He knows he's repeating her name like an idiot, but it seems to be almost all he felt like saying.

When he hugs her she releases a sigh she didn't know she was holding in. She feels the creatures as well, she isn't scared of them.

"Stephen." She rests her face under his chin, hugging him tight. They've held off destruction for at least a moment so she's going to enjoy this little bit of contact.

"I haven't had more than a polite hug in so long."

"It's been sometime... I have forgotten." Now it's his turn to cry, but at least she is holding him. One of the creatures sobs aloud, but he doesn't try to hold it back.

After all it's a part of him that was driven so far to ... get her back.
"I'm ... sorry," he murmured, knowing the apology wasn't meant for her, exactly. But ... Christine is Christine. She'll probably understand.

She strokes her hands down his back, it's instinctive to comfort him, she even mutters sweet things about how she's here.

"I know. I'm sorry too." That he wasn't able to save her, and what it ended up costing. She had traveled down the roads of dark thoughts that he had, she had even done the research, but she couldn't go through with it.

He lets her, holding her close, half-smiling at her sweet nothings that he was finally here with her. This is certainly a different afterlife than he imagined, and he still wondered if this was real or only in his dreams.

"Don't... with your Stephen. You - wouldn't be the person you are without him, it's what drove you to study the mystical arts, along with the fact that would help people as you are already driven to."

If she wasn't still in the sanctum, she might have thought she had died herself. Just being held again felt like it might be heaven.

"I did the research, but I couldn't. He wouldn't have wanted to risk a whole universe for him." And she can't imagine she would have wanted him to risk everything for her.

She presses a tiny kiss to his hollowed cheek, those sharp cheekbones are even more angular.

"I tried, telling myself that - sounds odd when you have a split soul thanks to the Ancient One. That she wouldn't want this, that I didn't really love her, but - I wouldn't listen. And no, he wouldn't."

He looked a bit odd in the different light. He leaned into the kiss. It felt nice that she never said he looked horrible or atrocious - not that he thought she would - he just expected some horror and there wasn't any. Maybe he was doing well keeping it under control.

"If she was like me, she loved you, all of your arrogant brilliance."

She knows the other entities are there, she can feel the magic of them and they appear in the corner of her eye at times. But she completely understands exactly what he's done to try to save his love.

"The pointy collar is very dramatic." Whatever that cloak is, it's not one that is in the sanctum.

"She might not still. Considering." He looks a little flattered by the compliments. "I don't think she'd approve of stealing capes from bugs." He's not sure if that should be funny or just dark humor that isn't funny to anyone.

"Christines have a tendency to be rather forgiving."

Though she is probably the best one for him to have stumbled upon, she knows that loss and understands his quest for power.

"I've not encountered any cape wearing bug entities, probably good, never been a big fan of bugs."

"I see that. I'm not a fan of bugs either, probably the only thing good about this particular one was the magic cape."

He seems amused by the fact that she doesn't like bugs. She might not like some of the magic creatures, then. That are part of him. One of his fears had been - that Christine might not accept what he'd done. Maybe it still was.

"It does look like a pretty good cape." She nods with a little smile.

A hand finally reaches his face, running her fingertips along the sharp angles, learning the details of this Stephen, memorizing him just in case he disappears before they can find a way to fix it.

If she hadn't suffered a similar loss she would be far more wary and frightened of magic he had consumed, but she knows the pain of loss and the desire to fix it.

"Christine. I don't... I don't know if the universe will let me stay, here with you as I would like , but. I will protect this universe better than I did my own."

He takes her hand to his cheek, but his hand melts away to reveal a paw, rather than his hand.

"I know. But I'm going to enjoy this for a few minutes anyway."

Just in case it's all they are able to have. She watches his hand change and shift.

"They're all a part of you now, huh?" She had only read theories of what he had actually done. It probably should bother her, but it doesn't.

"Me too," He smiled a little, but it was a bit sadder than her Stephen's had been - if he did. "Yes, my universe's Fin Fang...and other horrors I won't name, but I'm sure you've read. Most of the time there is ... some measure of control." He seemed normal - and he wasn't sure if this was good or not. "A part of me... me, their power as mine."

It's actually impressive what he's managed to do. Of course the cost of that magic destroyed an entire universe.

"The power you hold, that shield, I've never felt anything like it." They can fix things. Hopefully there are other Supremes in other universes doing the same.

"Hopefully all the entities like me, that would be helpful, probably."

As much as they can like anything, after being consumed for their power.

"I consumed them with the expectation that Christine would be alive when I was finished. I would hope that most of them like you, or at least, even if they don't like ... her, it is still a different version of you that - is a better Supreme than I."

"The shield is a compilation of Vishanti power... Wong taught me." It's been a long time, for this Strange and it was odd to remember it.

Being called a better Supreme is incredibly flattering, if only because she knows just how brilliant Stephen is.

"I took to healing and defensive spells like second nature. It took more for me to learn to attack, but needed to protect this universe."

She is still kind, she's taught quite a number of healing acolytes who have been able to work with hospitals to help survival rates.

"Should we go to the library?"

"The Lost Library of Cagliostro only exists in a certain time, on a certain plane, and it takes quite a bit to get there - or do you want to show off your personal collection?" He didn't think he wanted to visit there again.

The man had already warned him that he could shatter his mind once.

"The library here would be my first choice. Hopefully there is something useful."

She thinks she's seen vauge mentions of multiversal theories, but they had been only that.

But to save him, there may be something more about that.

"About those cracks - it's not just one event but many, that have likely lead to this. We may need more than one solution."

He wonders if he can die to solve it, and that he accepts it, but he won't say so.

"You don't just break this much with one small event."

They'd both be willing to sacrifice themselves to fix this, but hopefully matters won't come to that.

"Do you have your universe's time stone?"

"Even one large one would cause ... the cracks, but not the tears that are patched for now."

He opens the Time Stone. "It's not from this universe so it might not be as effective. Reversing the process could work, but we have to be absolutely sure of this, even rewinding by a few minutes could prove detrimental.

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