Falling Into Madness - Dr Strange x OC

Chapter 4

The two talked for hours, Stella hanging on every one of Stephen's words. After a while his throat grew sore, not being accustomed to talking so much. Despite this, Stephen found Stella easy to talk to, finding comfort in her company.

Before long, it was evening, and Stella knew as much as there was to know about the Avengers, the infinity stones and the extraterrestrial life forms that had been visiting earth as of the last few years.

"I can't believe your world is so different than my own." Stella smiled, looking up at the ornate window above. "They look so similar."

"Looks can be deceiving." Stephen replied, his mind elsewhere. Conjuring a glass, he held it out to Stella. As she hesitantly took it, he lightly tapped the side, causing it to fill with red wine. Meeting her confused gaze, he smiled. "Many find information such as this to be overwhelming. This may help."

"That's really kind of you." Stella smiled, taking a sip. "It's been so long since I've had a drink, I'm usually to scared incase Stephen needed me."

"You make him sound like a child, why?" Dr. Strange questioned curiously.

"I don't mean too." Stella sighed, looking down into her glass as the liquid swirled around. Her thoughts felt so clouded when it came to her husband, a familiar guilty feeling building in her chest. "I love him more than anything, honest."

"Most don't feel the need to proclaim that outloud." Stephen remarked, hints of sarcasm mixed into his unenthusiastic tone.

"Most don't have a husband that carries around a dead woman's watch either." Stella angrily huffs under her breath, taking a much longer sip of her drink.

Stephen froze, turning to face Stella shocked.

"Christine is dead in your timeline?" Stephen whispered, his voice quiet.

"Is she not here?" Stella asks in return. Stephen shakes his head, prompting her to sigh. "Christine dying is the reason for everything. It's the reason you gave up physical therapy, the reason you stopped leaving the house, the reason you stopped trying."

Stephen is quiet, the gears in his head turning as everything finally begins to make sense. No matter the universe, he would always love Christine. But that brought the question, where had Stella come from?

"How did you two meet?" Stephen asks, turning his head to face her with a serious expression.

"That's actually a weird story." Stella smiled.

"Weirder than me becoming a sorcerer?" Stephen asked sarcastically.

"I guess you're right." Stella giggled.

Stella couldn't help but smile, seeing this man that looked so much like the love of her life happy, it brought her a special kind of joy.

At some point she started referring to them as the same person, although she was choosing not to question why.

"I met you in the Nepal airport funny enough." She smiled

"Nepal? Your Stephen went to Nepal?" Stella nodded, only confusing Stephen more. "Nepal is where I became a sorcerer, but if your universe has no magic, why was I there?"

"You'd heard rumours about a healer that could fix you." The two share another drink before Stella continues. "I was there for work. I'm a house care nurse, but I was selected by the doctors association for a mission trip. When I met you, I was on my way back home."

"You're a nurse." Stephen mumbled to himself, a guilty feeling in his chest. "Of course."

"When we met, you were begging the airline to get you home. All you had on you was your passport and a broken watch." Stephen holds it up, getting a nod from Stella. "That's the one."