Doctor Strangelove

Chapter Thirteen

When Stephen woke up, he had a headache. He groaned and sat up. He felt Rachael shove a glass of water and an aspirin into his hands.

"Take this and drink that," she said.

"I thought I was the doctor around here," Stephen said as he took the pill with a swallow of water.

"Well, now you're the Sorcerer Supreme," Rachael said. "Take another sip of water." 

Stephen obeyed Rachael. "I don't want to be the Sorcerer Supreme though. I thought maybe I did, but that was when I thought that the Ancient One would still be by my side. I can't do it alone."

"You won't be alone," Rachael said. "I'll be with you. And you'll have Wong and Mordo."

"I doubt I'll have Mordo much longer," Stephen said. "He's never liked me and after the Ancient One died to protect me today...I think he's going to plot my murder."

"Then he better watch out for me," Rachael said. "If he wants to get to you, he'll have to fight me."

Stephen laughed. "Well, I feel very safe."

"Speaking of fighting, I think you need to teach me how to fight," Rachael said. "If I had been able to fight yesterday, I might have been able to hold off Kaecilius so you didn't get potentially killed."

"No, Rachael," Stephen said. "I refuse to put you in that kind of danger."

"How would teaching me to fight put me in danger?" Rachael put her hands on her hips. "I was thinking that it would put me in less danger." 

"No," Stephen shook his head. 

"Why?" Rachael asked.

"Rachael, just stop asking," Stephen said.

"No, I won't!" Rachael said. "You aren't giving me a good reason, Steve! Give me a good reason and I'll stop asking."

"Okay, here's your reason: I don't know how to fight very well either," Stephen said. "I only know how to fight with magic. I can't teach you how to fight with magic because you don't have magical abilities. Even if I did teach you how to physically fight, you could still get so hurt. It's better if you just stay behind me and let me do all the work." 

"Oh my God, do you even realize how sexist that sounded?" Rachael said.

"Rachael, this isn't a matter of me thinking that I'm better than you just because I'm a male," Stephen fought the urge to roll his eyes. "This is a matter of me not wanting you to die because I love you very, very much and I don't think I can take the loss of someone so dear to me so soon after...after everything that's happened to me lately." Stephen took a shaky breath and swallowed back the lump in his throat. "Rachael, you're the only person I have left who knows me. Wong's my friend and Mordo is my ally, but they don't know me like you do. If I lost you, my life would be over. I don't know what I would do. I love you, Rachael."

"I love you, too, Steve, but I can't lose you again!" Rachael said. "When you left me last year I thought you were dead. If you die now when I've just got you back, I'll never get over it. I just want to be able to try and prevent your death."

"I know you do, Rachael, but I don't have the time nor the abilities to teach you how to fight," Stephen said.

"Fine," Rachael rolled her eyes and sat down on the bed, pouting. 

She does have point, Stephen thought. I'm just saying no because I don't want another responsibility on top of becoming the Sorcerer Supreme and having to deal with Kaecilius on my own. I can teach her a little bit of magic to defend herself.