Harley: Doc won’t be able to trace this back to us-
Peter: Are you for real? He traces everything back to us! He traces things we haven't even done back to us!
Things were quiet when Stephen woke up. Athena was sleeping next to him since it seemed that Tony and Apollo had gotten up for the day…which wasn't totally uncommon. Stephen was normally the one that was up and about before everyone else unless he was sick, but if Tony was up first, it usually meant a mind numbing meeting he had to attend. Or something of the sort. Anything company related was usually mind numbing to the older man if Pepper had to drag him to it.
Lucy had recently been relocated to her own room so she wasn't there to demand his or Tony's attention, and Valerie was likely still asleep. When Stephen checked his phone for the time though, and 10:21 glared out at him, he came to the conclusion that he desperately needed sleep and Tony fed the girls to keep them away for a little longer.
Also not unusual. His husband did seem to know his limits better than himself at times. It worked both ways. Now that he was rested though, Stephen pulled back the covers to get out of bed and stretched until his joints popped pleasantly, and looked back at Athena. She made no move to join him and he chuckled.
“Come down when you're ready then,” he leaned over to pet her head and when he got a grumble in return, he stood straight again and headed out of the bedroom. He made sure to leave the door open a crack for the wolf and then made his way down the stairs and to the kitchen, noting the near silent floor. With any luck, Tony found activities for the kids so that Stephen could have a rare peaceful breakfast before somebody needed him.
It was certainly pleasant. He had time to make himself a bagel with cream cheese, some bacon and scrambled eggs, and he was even able to enjoy some hot tea. With a crossword. Stephen decided to risk getting a second cup of tea while he continued with his crossword, and was in the middle of stirring some honey into it when an arm slipped around his waist.
“Have a good morning?” Tony rumbles into his ear.
“I don't know how you did it, but I have not been asked where someone's missing shoe is or if they can have cake for breakfast,” Stephen chuckles. “Dare I ask what the kids are up to?”
“I've got Harley, Peter, Diana, and Lucy,” Tony says as Stephen continues to prepare his tea. “I let Wanda take Billy and Tommy.”
Stephen paused his stirring. The hairs on the back of his neck stood up, because something wasn't right about what Tony just said. In fact, there were many things wrong with that sentence.
Tony almost never called Wanda by her actual name as he was known for giving everyone nicknames. Also, Lucy?! Billy and Tommy? Both kids didn’t prefer those nicknames at all. Everyone called them Will and Tommy's full name, Thomas. The way he said their names was… different. Eerie.
A quick glance down to Tony's other arm had him instantly conjuring a shield and turning to shove the man away, but he was seized by the throat and pinned against the counter, sending his mug shattering on the floor.
Electric blue eyes looked down at him.
“None of that, Doc,” Tony practically purred as Stephen gripped the man's wrist. A wrist connected to an arm free of the scars Tony had gotten from the snap. “You know, you're just as beautiful as I remember. I was hoping I could bring you with me.”
Stephen was finally able to shove Tony away with a blast of magic once he was able to focus enough and then conjured some shields as he faced the other man. Nothing about this Tony was his. His eyes glowed blue, the scars were non-existent, and he even looked twenty years younger. America had told him about this Tony. He is different. Callous, evil. Infected with Extremis, which he had chosen to do to himself. It makes him wonder what had happened for this Tony to be here in the first place.
“Where are they?” Stephen snaps. He hasn't failed to note that Extremis Tony hadn't said anything about Valerie or America.
“I just told you.” Tony smiles. “You know, you don't need to protect yourself against me. I'm your–”
“You are not the Tony I know!” Stephen interrupts with a growl. He tasted sulfur in his mouth and he had to push down the dragon. It wouldn't be a good idea to shift into that form in the middle of the tower. “Now tell me where he is! Where did you take the kids?! What about America and Valerie?!”
“That's the real question isn't it?” Tony chuckles. “You took them. Or should I say, the version of you that just couldn't keep his hands off the Darkhold. You and Wanda have that in common. Dark magic too alluring, Duchess?”
“You don't get to call me that,” Stephen growls. Athena lunges at Tony with a snarl, startling the man and distracting him enough to give Stephen time to lash out with his Eldritch whips and bind him. “I don't know what happened with your Stephen, but I won't be your second chance.”
Tony's face fell for just a moment. “He dove too deep into the book,” he says. “For too many reasons.”
To Stephen's surprise, this Tony didn't seem to want to struggle from his binds. It made him wonder if he truly just wanted a second chance with Stephen in his universe. The chokehold was not exactly a convincing argument even if Stephen considered it. Which was never the case. He still had his Tony.
“Where are they?” Stephen asks again calmly, but fire lit up his veins.
“I never got the chance to take them home,” the man answers.
As if on cue, the four children that this Tony claimed to have taken, stumble off the elevator and freeze at the scene. Lucy was safely in Harley's arms and Diana was close to Peter. Even America was with them much to Stephen's relief. Whatever version of him that had her, obviously couldn't keep her long. It would make returning this Tony to his proper universe much easier, but he didn't fail to notice Valerie’s continued absence.
“Valerie?” He immediately asks her and her face falls.
“I…I’m sorry. I couldn't grab her when I managed to get free,” America says, tears forming. “I didn't mean for any of this to happen! I understand my powers better but sometimes I accidentally opens these portals in my sleep–”
“It's okay,” Stephen soothes immediately. “We have time. I don't think the other me will harm her.” America confirmed this by shaking her head and the sorcerer looked to the bound Tony on the floor. “Can you send him home?”
“Yeah…yeah,” she nods and opens a portal to the Extremis Tony's universe.
“Not Daddy!” Lucy yells as Stephen sends the man through and America closes the portal again.
“Where's your father?” Stephen asks the kids and Peter frowns.
“We were hoping you would know. We all woke up on the floor they're renovating for the labs,” he says. “The doors and windows were locked and Friday wasn't responding.”
“That Tony was good at that,” America says. “I found them on accident because that's where I ended up when I got away from the other you.”
Stephen nods and looks at the two oldest. “Do you think you can bring her back online? Your father might still be here too. The other me might have put you all in a deeper sleep so they could take you.”
“Or it was the other Wanda,” America says. “She's…unstable in a way. I don't think she'll hurt Thomas and William though.”
“Tony said he let her take the twins. Which means they all had a similar motive. Something must have happened in their universes that affected your existence,” Stephen surmises, wincing at the thought. He hated to admit it, but he could understand the lengths they were going through to have their children back. He hoped he would never have to go down the same path. He would get his children back without the use of dark magic.
“You can't go after them alone!” Harley says as he puts Lucy down. The little girl runs over to Athena to hug and praise her.
“You are not coming with me,” Stephen says firmly. “I need you here to get Friday back online and to keep the girls safe. “I don't even want to take America but I have to.”
“Let me come with you,” a voice says from the direction of the elevator. When the others look over, Wanda moves closer. “I overheard everything. I might be able to get the other me to give the twins back.”
Stephen nodded. “As long as you're careful. America, you are only going to open the way. Stay back otherwise. If you need to run again, I want you to run. Understand?”
“But…” Stephen gives her a look and she sighs. “Okay.”
As America prepares to open another portal, Diana runs over to hug the sorcerer. Harley and Peter weren't far behind with Lucy. “Be careful, Mommy.”
“I will be,” Stephen promises, hugging them each in return as well as patting Athena's head when she walks over. “You protect them.”
Athena answered with a soft boof, and when the kids moved away, Stephen walked through the portal after Wanda and America.
As the portal closed behind them, they found themselves on an empty neighborhood street in front of a normal suburban home. Wanda stared at it from beside him and laughed softly.
“You know, this is what I dreamed of my home being. With Vis. Then those dreams changed when Tony welcomed us back,” she says. “Now I can't imagine my home being away from the tower. From our team. If you moved, I think we would all follow.”
“I'm glad you feel that way,” Stephen says quietly.
“Let's bring the twins back home,” she says, following Stephen when he steps forward. They peek through the front window and watch the other Wanda inside calmly making lunch, but not finding the twins.
“Upstairs,” Stephen mutters, pointing out the stairs. “They might still be unconscious. America, stay out here and out of sight.”
Reluctantly, America slipped around to the side of the house and Stephen opened a gateway to the inside of the house. Straight to where the twins were currently sleeping. He and Wanda quietly stepped through and the sorcerer immediately checked the boys for injuries before identifying what kind of magic was used on them. The signature was far too familiar.
“This is my work,” he whispers. “or the other me’s work. They should wake up any moment if the others are anything to go by.”
“Let's take them and leave. She won't be able to follow us if–”
“If what?” The other Wanda says from the doorway, red mist swirling around one of her hands. “It's rude to trespass onto someone's property and try to take their children.”
“That's exactly what you did,” Wanda says.
The Scarlet Witch's eyes narrow. “They're mine to begin with. I am their mother. How you could let him care for them instead of you is offensive. You don't deserve them!”
Wanda sighs quietly. “They are not my children there. Tony and Stephen are their parents. They took the boys in with open arms when they had nothing but the streets.”
“You expect me to appreciate that and let them go back?” The witch snaps. “I would do anything for my boys!”
“So would Stephen and Tony,” Wanda answers calmly. “They are loved and protected. That's all that matters.” The other witch flinches at her words. “Isn't Stephen being here proof of that?”
“I can't claim to know your pain,” Stephen says carefully. “But they're as much my children as the rest of them are. They are also old enough to decide what they want.”
The twins had stirred to wakefulness as the two witches talked and both had watched the conversation with confusion. Their predicament must have processed enough because William finally got to his feet and Thomas sat up as the younger twin approached the other Wanda. The two silently regarded each other for what seemed like an hour before the other Wanda's face softened.
“Is this what you want?” She whispers.
“They gave us a real home when no one else would,” William answers softly. “In that universe, he is my mother. I'm sorry for the loss of us you had to endure but I'm sure they loved you just as much as we love him.”
William’s words broke the woman and a single tear fell down her face as she reached out to brush his hair back. “I won't take that from you then.” Thomas gets up to give her a hug that she so desperately needed and she kisses both of their foreheads. “At least in your universe I know you're safe and happy. Perhaps if I get another chance, I'll find you somewhere where you need a home.”
“You'll find us soon,” Thomas says. “You deserve to be happy too.”
The other Wanda smiles and squeezes both their hands before releasing them back to Stephen who immediately pulls them into a tight hug. Without another word, he opens a gateway back outside and only looks back at the witch when the boys follow Wanda through to where America is waiting.
“I know you did this for them, but thank you. I wish you luck.” He says quietly.
The witch simply nods and he steps through the gateway and closes it behind him just as America opens a portal back to their universe. They were barely through it before William was nearly tackled by Harley in a tight hug. Lucy had the same idea with Thomas although she was much smaller.
“We found Dad,” Peter informs them. “The other Tony roughed him up a bit because I guess he fought back.”
“Except the other Tony was stronger in more ways than one,” Stephen sighs.
“Daddy is down in the Medbay giving Uncle Bruce a headache,” Diana supplies helpfully.
“That means he'll be okay,” Stephen partially jokes, but internally he was sighing with relief. His husband and almost all of his children had been safely recovered, but now he had the daunting task of facing himself. He knew how he thought and there were too many possibilities. He would do anything for his children and that meant so would his other self. Even go as far as dark magic like the other Tony's Stephen. How corrupted would this Stephen be?
“Keep an eye on him,” Stephen says.
“Val?” William asks. “Let me–”
“No.” Stephen says sharply and winces when William frowns. “I just got you back safely. I won't risk that.”
William said nothing as America made another portal to where she sensed their Valerie's presence. Stephen stepped through with her and as it closed behind him, his heart dropped at the sight before them.
They entered nothing but gray. It seemed like they should have been floating, or perhaps falling, but their feet seemed solidly placed. The only thing that seemed to exist here was just a singular building in the vast expanse of nothingness. Specifically the Sanctum.
This Stephen had clearly gone too deep in the Darkhold and broke his own universe in his attempts to recover his children. Now it was only a matter of time before this universe ceased to exist.
Deep sorrow filled him. They weren’t his children. But the existence of them simply vanishing, no longer existing anymore; dying somehow? Peter’s sunny smile and Lucy’s mischief, and Harley’s jokes with his father just gone? And now this version of him was going to make them lose Valerie twice.
He couldn’t let this happen.
“Why would he want to bring her here?” America asks.
“I suppose desperation for a small amount of comfort can inhibit one's ability for another's well being,” Stephen responds. “I… you know that I would keep any of you away from this if I could save you from it.”
“We know.”
With a deep breath, Stephen steps inside as America hides like she had done before. The inside of the Sanctum was almost a clear opposite of his. Dark magic was heavy in the air and would have been obvious even if he hadn't known about it. Papers and glass littered the area. Dust and spiderwebs covered bookshelves whether they were intact or not…the remaining artifacts were void of their powers. But the music room…it looked to be kept from what he could see through the cracked door. Candlelight filtered through and beckoned him forward and so he answered its call. Cautiously, he pushed the door open.
And found the other version of him standing at the window.
“I knew it was only a matter of time before you came for her,” he says in greeting and then turns around. He was paler than Stephen thought possible, maybe even a bit gray, and even in the candlelight he could see the darkened tips of his fingers. The work of the Darkhold no doubt.
“Just return her to me and I'll leave you to what remains of your peace,” Stephen says and the other laughs.
“Peace?! That was taken from me when I lost those I cared for most! No, we will be doing this the hard way I'm afraid.” Sinister says as the broken glass littering the floor raises up into the air. “I'll do whatever I have to do to get them back.”
Then the glass was flying towards Stephen. On instinct, he conjures a shield and the glass flies through it and morphs into blue butterflies. As they distract his other self he looks around until he finds music sheets on a nearby piano, and uses his magic to remove the notes written up on them. They swirl and collect in the air before flying at Sinister Strange, but he easily defects them and sends them back at him with a sound more sour than the glass crunching under his boots.
Stephen sent them right back with their beautiful tones and waited until his other self was distracted with conjuring a counter spell before he threw out his Eldritch whips to wrap around Sinister’s neck. Then a thought struck him.
It would be so easy.
The eldritch whips tightened around Sinister’s throat. In the distance, they could hear the nothingness collapsing, sections of deep gray being torn off and sucked into the glowing radiation that was getting bigger. He’d be doing this Stephen a favor, really, ending him before the universe did. And he deserved it. Consumed and horrifying because of the Darkhold, he was a husk of his former self.
The evil version of him began to laugh, coughing as he choked. “You really think you are different?” he wheezed. “You want to kill me. You think I wanted this?! You don’t even know yourself,” he hissed. “But let me tell you all about yourself. You wouldn’t have anything without Tony Stark. You're nothing but a loser without him. I know because I lost. Him. He died. And I tried to get him back. All of…” his horrible eyes filled with grief. “Our years together, our children. They began to disappear. So yes, I used the darkhold to try to stop it and I would do it again! Face it. Neither of us gives a fuck about the universe. You would end it in an instant if it meant having them back.”
Stephen loosened the whip. “So you took mine to die with you instead?” he asked hoarsely.
He was silent.
“I won’t let her die with you,” Stephen said. “You know that I can’t do that. But I swear that I will safeguard her with everything I am. Your family is gone. Go and be with them.”
He prepared the spell that would end this terrible version of him, but then he raised his hand to stop him. His curiosity made him stay his spell.
“Promise me…” Sinister takes another wheezing breath and drops his hand. “Promise you'll save her from this fate I've created for us.”
Stephen sneers. “She wouldn't be here in the first place if you hadn't taken–”
“Not Valerie,” he interrupts. “I'm talking about the daughter you don't have yet.”
Realization dawned on Stephen like icy water and he felt his eyes widen. Every day he was getting closer and closer to giving in to the temptation. The temptation of one last child from the book…and it seemed this version of him had beat him to it.
“Olive,” Stephen whispers.
“If I had known my universe would collapse in on itself I would have never conjured her,” Sinister explains weakly. “Before I took Valerie, she was my desperate attempt to have something of my family back. Something of Tony. You and I both know he doesn't need to be alive for the book to make him the father of your children.”
“Then why take Valerie?” Stephen asks, his voice cracking.
“I was delusional enough to think that bringing back my children would restore things. Restore my universe.” Sinister looks to the stairs. “They're waiting for you.”
Stephen could only nod before he sent the spell down the whips. They glowed bright red before Sinister Strange disintegrated into nothing, with relief in his eyes, and Stephen was left alone in silence. Only after a few moments, did he finally climb the stairs two at a time to barge into the bedroom. Valerie sat curled up in a ball near a crib, but that changed when he threw the door open.
“Mama!” She cries out and scrambles to her feet to throw herself at him. He caught her without a second thought. He held her head to his shoulder as she cried into it and he relished the feeling of soft, dark hair on his fingers. She was, fortunately, unharmed, and Stephen was glad for it.
But the crumbling outside was getting louder. Almost like it was inside.
“We have to go,” Stephen says and gently pulls Valerie away from him. She jumps when the crackling gets louder and Stephen immediately stands and surges forward to collect the infant from her crib. The destruction of the universe had obviously woken her from sleep, and the continued loud noises were only scaring her.
And Stephen if he were being honest. The place was falling apart faster than before and he had to assume it was because his other self was gone. It was very possible that he was only delaying the inevitable with his magic.
The window nearby starts to crack before exploding outwards into thousands of shards. Whatever was happening was like a vortex that was beginning to swallow what was left of the universe. Of the Sanctum. And he was barely fast enough to grab Valerie when she was pulled towards it. The little girl screams just before he grabs her arm and holds on as tightly as possible. It was only a matter of time before the vacuum was strong enough to pull him in too.
“MOM!” Stephen looks over to the door and exhales heavily with relief when he finds America in the doorway. He was afraid that the vortex had taken her. “We have to hurry!” Then America opened her portal and reached out to help.
Just as the vortex got stronger and pulled her from the floor.
“No!” Stephen yells out with dread. His hands were full and Levi would only get sucked in with her–
Then another hand shot out and grabbed America and Stephen's eyes widened before following the arm to his daughter's savior. Steve looked back at him and nodded.
“Looks like it's our turn to help you,” he says and Stephen looks past him to find Bucky holding onto Steve and the doorway. Which looked like it was going to break soon if they weren't fast. He could even feel his feet starting to leave the floor.
“Take the girls!” Stephen shouts over the ever growing sound of cracking and roaring of the vortex.
America, being within grabbing distance, takes Valerie's hand, and Stephen releases her just as Steve pulls. As they're pulled to safety and ushered through the portal by Bucky, Stephen grabs one of the banisters just as he's pulled off the floor and hisses when his side collides with it. They only had moments now, and Stephen had to seriously consider a way to get Olive to safety with the time they had left. He wasn't likely to make it.
So he summoned his Eldritch whips again and carefully willed them to wrap around the infant before Levi reached out and wrapped itself around her. Then, he threw her out. For a moment, he thought the force of the vacuuming vortex was too strong as she was pulled towards the window, but then Levi had enough strength in it to direct them towards Steve and Bucky. The captain quickly collected them and shuffled them to Bucky just as the banister broke.
Stephen tried to reconjure his whip, but then he was turned towards the vortex and he had nothing to grab onto with it.
THWAP.
He grunts when his acceleration to his death is suddenly halted and he looks down around his waist. A rope of webs tugged at him and he watched as the vortex got further and further away, until an arm joined the rope and he was pulled through America's portal. Stephen gasps as he lands safely on the ground of the tower and America's gate closes immediately in front of him, and Peter immediately leans over him.
“I already lost two moms. I won't lose another,” he breathes out.
Stephen lets out a laugh that was somewhat of a mix between relief and maniacal. “I should yell at you.”
But he pulled the younger man into the tightest hug he could muster.
_________________
Stephen came out of his attempted meditation frustrated and in a bit of despair. In the days after he rescued his family, he was deeply disturbed. Every little occurrence had him jumping. Peter got injured on patrol? He spent all night frantically gesturing healing spells because if he lost him it could unravel the universe. His universe.
He made Lucy sit for the better part of a week, and she was miserable but didn’t dare to argue for once, choosing to color or play tea, activities that Stephen deemed safe as long as there was supervision.
Valerie’s nightmares tore him apart. He did his best to soothe her, but he couldn’t help the guilt. Harley randomly hugged him now, and so did the twins. The girls all piled into his bed, and he held back tears while they were asleep.
Maybe that was what was disturbing him. Darkhold Stephen was correct; without his kids… without Tony… would he lose his mind? Would he turn evil like others in the multiverse? Would he lose his sanity, his morals, his magic? How could he let them out of his sight knowing that one mistake could end it all?
He frustratedly wiped tears from his face and looked up only to see Tony sitting in front of him, also cross-legged. He was still a little worse for wear. The black eye was healing. His (thankfully) non-dominant hand had a brace and his eyebrow had a stitch. He had bruises on his knees and back, his arms, and his neck. But he was still here.
“You’re grieving,” he said quietly. Stephen blinked, but he just nodded, extending his non-injured hand. Stephen took it, and both stood up, taking a leisurely walk. “You’re grieving all the versions of us that didn’t make it. You looked into your own eyes and saw the possibility of what it could do to you if we lost it all.”
“There have been so many universes that died because of us… because of me.”
“We don’t control the multiverse, tesoro. We just do what we can for our world.”
They walked for another minute before Stephen said, “I went evil after I lost you.”
“No. You didn’t. In this world you don’t go insane and evil. You just turn into a very ragey amazing dragon—let me tell you, that is incredibly sexually confusing, by the way—”
Stephen broke into a laugh at the unexpected comment. “You’re ridiculous,” he snorted.
“I am your favorite genius. Here. Right now. That’s all that matters, alright? I know you married me because I’m not… like him. I’m not going to experiment with anything that would hurt you or my family. I won’t risk what we’ve built and what we had to give everything to save already. And I married you because I know that you are good. I know that you are teaching our kids to do right and holding yourself to that standard. Don’t take on the failure of all the other versions of us, of Wanda, the Avengers or anyone else. We don’t have to carry it. We just have to do better.”
“I…almost didn't make it back,” Stephen admits softly. “All I knew was that I had to save my girls. America, Valerie…Olive…”
Tony smiles at him and leans forward to press his forehead to Stephen's and the sorcerer relished the touch. “But you did. You did because of this family you've created out of all of us. We're a bunch of misfits that would do anything for each other. Especially save Mom when he can't save himself. You did that.”
Stephen hugged him, relief finally allowing his shoulders to release. “Thank you,” he said into Tony’s shoulder.
Tony hugged him tight, and then pinched his butt, chuckling when Stephen glared. “That’s the spirit,” he said grinning. “Now go fix your sons, they’re assembling a new potato cannon and already broke a desk when they test fired it.”
Peter: What? I can tell something exciting happened! Did you get a new dagger to stab Thor with?
Loki: No, even better!
Peter: Even better than- okay I give up. Tell me!
Loki: Scientists has named a dinosaur after me!
Peter: No way!
Loki: Yes way! Check out for yourself! Look, they even call me an Iconic Norse God, I’m an icon!
A newly identified dinosaur with large, ornate horns on its massive head shield has been named after a famous Norse god who sported a simila
Peter: That’s so cool! You know, ceratopsians happened to be my favorite clade of dinosaurs!
Loki: Aww, you’re just saying that because one of them is named after me~😏
Tony: Hey! No one’s named a dinosaur after me!
Stephen: When they find an iron plated dinosaur that obviously lacked any sort of impulse control, I’m sure you’ll be the first person that comes to mind
