Hoax // Benjen Stark

16. Space Between

''You're wondering what happens now.''

'' No." Wong answered ''That I had already accepted. But I do wonder... When you can force Donna to send you to any universe you want, Why take her power for your own? You know it will kill her."

''For Billy and Tommy. To protect them. What if they get sick? In the infinite Multiverse, there's a cure for every illness. A solution to every problem. I won't lose them again.'' Wanda told him

''Try as you might, Wanda, you cannot control everything.'' Wong reminded her.

''I can. Look at that view. It's carved in stone. I was meant to rule everything. But that's not what I want. I just want my boys."

''At the cost of a child's life! Is there no peace in knowing that, even though you can't be with the ones you love, there are worlds where you are together. Is that not enough?'' Wong countered

''No.''

+

"It's Wanda." Donna screamed as her and Benjen started pounding on the walls. "Get us the fuck out of here!" Donna demanded as they heard the robots and the illuminati.

'' Ultron commander... Ultron command...'' an automated voice said echoing off the walls.

''Hurry up, Doc, she's coming.'' Donna demanded.

"Use some of the fancy shit I don't understand and open the cage!" Benjen demanded.

'' Oh, no.'' Christine was trying but her systems were glitching, the cage remained closed and she could hear the fighting behind them.

"You can't let her get Donna." Benjen declared.

"I would rather die and not have to lose you again." Donna offered softly.

"How about neither of us die?" Benjen offered.

"I like that better." Donna agreed before turning back to Christine. "OPEN THE DOOR!" they shouted pounding uselessly.

+

''Wanda, stop. You possessed an innocent woman, but you can still do the right thing. Let her go. Please. I have children of my own. I understand your pain.'' Reed told her

'' Is their mother still alive?'' Wanda countered, she looked a mess, her feet bare and bleeding, her eyes frantic.

''Yes.'' Reed answered

''Good. There will be someone left to raise them.'' Wanda declared.

''You're sealed shut! Get back.'' Christine demanded as Benjen and Donna took a step back. She slammed a fire extinguisher into the cage but it was no use.

'Get us out. Get us out!' Donna demanded as Christine tried to open the cage but wandas magic was screwing up the systems. Uselessly Christine took a fire extinguisher again, slamming it into the wall. Wanda got closer and closer, her face bleeding her feet bare, fire in her eyes. Charles rolled forward.

"Your abilities," Benjen said turning donna to him. Putting his hands on her shoulders. "Use them."

"I don't know how." Donna reminded him.

"Focus it. Focus," his hand went to hers and formed a fist. "Use that power, use that pain... I believe in you." Benjen told her and she nodded. Donna sent a punch to the cage, a star shaped crack, broke the cage. She beamed back at Benjen.

"Do that again!" Christine instructed as Donna punched a hole in the cage.

Charles accessed Wanda's mind, finding the true wanda trapped but wanda was even more powerful than the great charles Xavier. Wanda killed charles while Donna and Benjen got away. sprinting down the halls when a shadow came approaching down the hall. Christine, Benjen and Donna froze until they saw a second shadow. Donna held tight to Benjen's hand waiting, expecting the worst.

'Donna!" Stephen declared hugging her. 'lets get out of here.' "Stephen" Donna clung to him. She knew it wasn't her real brother, he had died a long time ago but having him here, now...

'Do you know where the book of vashanti is?' Stephen asked Christine as they ran. She was hesitant to answer.

'CHRISTINE!' Donna demanded taking her shoulder in her hands and shaking Christine. 'we are all going to die! You hear me? we are all going to die!' Donna shouted. 'stephen is our only hope. I don't care your feelings towards the last Stephen but this Stephen is good. He is good and he wants to help so if you don't want to die-'

'Stephen had to be the one holding the knife and that knife killed millions.' Christine told them.

'It doesnt matter about your stephen this stephen is different.' Benjen told her.

"Look at you getting the hang of the multiverse." Donna applauded.

'alright ,' christine agreed. Leading them down passageways under the building and under the river they moved quickly, wanda was quickly catching up to them. but this body, this wanda was injured. Limping quickly to get to them.

Door after door, Christine slammed shut but door after door Wanda ripped through. Then there was silence, they turned thinking for a moment maybe he was stuck but wanda appeared in front of them. bloodied and furious.

'I warned you.' Wanda scorned

'Other wanda if youre in there... hold your breath.' Stephen flooded the area pushing them forward trapping wanda behind them. Benjen held to Donna's hand as they ran.

They got to the door and Stephen looked to it confused for a moment.

'stephen was the only one that ever got in it.' Christine told them. so Stephen focused, magically spinning the door, trying to break the charm but nothing happened. 'it had to be something specific to Stephen.' Christine told him. Benjen examined the door, the wheel, he ran his fingers along it.

"I heard about a place in Qauth that had a vault, it needed a locket or something to open it." Benjen remarked and Stephens hand went to his wrist but his watch wasn't there.

'what does that look like to you?' Donna questioned and Christine pulled out his watch from her pocket. It had been confiscated when they arrived. Stephen took it from Christine. He was wearing it to christines wedding. It had been go, go, go since then... stephen put the watch in the center of the wheel and it unlocked, he spun it open.

Stephen floated down, this was the place from his dream. Where other him and Donna were attacked, it seemed like forever ago now.

'Jump Donna. Ill catch you.' Stephen called from below. Donna jumped down, Stephen caught her on the spinning platform, floating in the middle of space. Benjen jumped down rolling to a stop while Christine stumbled about trying to get her footing.

'Gap junction. The space between universes.' Christine told them.

'Stephen.' Donna nodded to the book of Vashanti.

'Alright book, give me what I need.' Stephen grabbed it as wanda came down pulling Donna back.

Wanda sent Stephen, Benjen and chrstine flying, clutching on the floating platform as wanda destroyed the book of vashanti. A terrified Donna still in wandas grasp, wanda used Donna's magic, used her as a siphon once again to open a portal leaving Wanda's other body. Benjen ran towards her.

"BENJEN!" Donna screamed thrashing in Wanda's grip.

''No!'' Benjen reached out for donna as wanda pulled her back and suddenly he was in the snow. Winterfell. Home. He stared at the spot where donna was her scream still echoing in his mind as wanda grabbed her by the hair and pulled her away.

The portal closed behind them. Trapping stephen and Christine in the other dimension.

''Donna!'' Benjen screamed out. ''Donna!'' But she was gone.