Light of a Thousand Stars

19- Calliope

Slowly closing the door behind her, Theresa took a deep breath and glanced around. Something about the room just reminded her of her mother- the faint but distinctive smell of coffee from the other rooms, the organized and somehow homely feel. But really, nothing could remind Theresa of her mother more than the knowledge that her mother lived- and still lives- just a few rooms over, Oh, and not to mention the fact that she had just met her grandfather at a time when he was still... just a father.

A small, certain twang of grief hit her heart as she drifted over to the bed. Her mother had fought hard alongside the others- but that was before Darkhand had gained too much power. Some mission or another had called her off to some distant galaxy. And nobody had heard from her again- not that she'd be able to find any others if she had returned. After the Avengers were defeated, the few responsible civilians and heroes went into hiding from Darkhand's goons. But it meant that she hadn't been there when she was possibly needed the most. Theresa told herself over and over that it was just an unlucky coincidence, and that her mother couldn't have known what she was leaving behind when she took that mission- but in those darkest hours, Theresa couldn't help but miss Melisandra Stark.

And now, she could never see her mother again- or at least not one who knew who Theresa Alexander really was. It really would never be the same, she supposed, no matter what amount of saving they did. Slowly, she collapsed onto the bed, breathing out heavily. As she practically sunk into the thick mattress, she closed her eyes, perhaps hoping that her thoughts would fade to the same calm darkness. They didn't. Instead, they whirred, reminding of her of everything she had lost in such a small amount of time- her family, her friends, her entire universe. And they reminded her that maybe, if they had looked for another way to save that universe, instead of time-travel, then she'd still have something. Maybe her mother had been out there. But she would never know- would she? And what did it matter now, anyways? There was no way of going back it seemed.

Suddenly extremely claustrophobic, Theresa pushed herself away from the bed, centering herself in the room, as far away from the walls as possible. She was practically trapped in this room, just like she was trapped in this universe. If she stepped outside and even did one thing wrong, she could doom the entire world in the future. Curling up in a ball, she hid the tears that rolled down her cheeks. If she wanted to be honest with herself, which she wasn't quite sure if she did, she was absolutely terrified. No matter how familiar it seemed, she was in a completely new environment with completely new and overwhelming responsibilities.

As she sat there, something slowly seeped into her brain- an accusation maybe, or an idea. Dr. Strange. He was the one who knew all about this other-worldly stuff, and yet he had barely spoken to them when they were in his hideout. Or headquarters? Or lair? Well, what it was called didn't matter, but it did seem strange (Heh. Strange.) that the Lorietta and Eva girls had done practically all the talking. After all, he probably spent the most time traveling between world and the such.

Traveling between worlds. That was it! Dr. Strange was the Sorcerer Supreme, right? Then wouldn't he be able to send them back to their own universe if he wanted to? Sure, it would probably be a decent idea to save this universe first, but next time she was able, Theresa knew exactly what to ask him. Not to mention, it made her a lot less claustrophobic and able to sleep, knowing that soon she'd hopefully be back home, even if she had to do some super saving.