Doctor Strange: The Eternal Flame *DISCONTINUED*

Chapter 10

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Author's Note:

This came out a lot faster than I expected! We got some sad dad Strange stuff. He's learning, okay? Btw, if you guys haven't seen the move Grease you really should. I decided to put it in here because last year I was in that musical(I got Frenchy, which was tons of fun and a really good role for a Freshman to get in high school) and I thought I'd add it in here. Gives Samrah another chance to come out of her shell.

I hope you guys enjoy! Chapter 11 is on it's way. It might take me a little longer than ten but oh well!

Thanks to everyone for your support. I probably wouldn't have gotten this chapter out so fast if it wasn't for you guys! <3 

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I felt awful the next morning.

My head was aching and I felt like a dreadful person, hiding in my bedroom with the curtains covering the sunlight.

Wong didn't come to wake me up, he was probably mad at me too. Samrah wasn't talking to me. She didn't say a word to me when she walked out and left for school. She probably wasn't angry with me, she most likely thought I was the one angry with her and she was avoiding me just like I was avoiding her. I'm not mad at her, I'm mad at myself.

Wong came to sit beside me on my bed. He looked concerned but didn't say a word. He knew I was thinking and when I was thinking it was best to just let me think for a moment.

What kind of idiot am I?

Getting uncomfortable when Samrah calls me 'dad' but then I go and act like a dad. Sure, I was worried about her. Maybe a little too much. Who knew what might attack her next and I know Peter is a good boy, an exceptional boy. Stark wouldn't stop bragging about the teenager and I was actually hoping the two would become good friends. Peter was friendly and Samrah needed a good friend.

I was just confused last night and worried. Of course, those emotions channeled into anger and accusations which didn't help at all. The first thing my panicked mind could think of was the worst possible scenario other than Samrah being dead, which was not the case when she walked through the door.

I covered my face with my shaking hands and sighed into them. "I'm such an idiot."

"You said it," Wong replied, "Not me."

I huffed and pulled my hands over my face before cupping them under my chin. "I don't understand why I can't do this right. No matter what I say around her, something goes wrong. I'm not her dad but at the same time I am." I shivered and glanced at Wong. "I'm not a father, I can't be. I'll never be one."

Wong merely patted my shoulder firmly and said his few choice of words. "You're right."

I frowned. "Excuse me?"

Was he trying to make me feel better? Because it wasn't working.

"You'll never be her father. Whoever it was, they don't deserve her because they left her in a forest as an infant."

"So... You're saying I've got to be a mother? Seriously, Wong. That's a little redundant, even for you." I mocked with frustration.

"Strange, you're not understanding what I'm trying to say. That was a pretty 'redundant' thought but it didn't come from me." He said sternly. "What I'm trying to tell you is that you don't have to be a dad to be her parent."

"I wouldn't even consider myself close to a parent..." I muttered.

"Listen." He pressed. "You're her protector, her guardian, Stephen. You may not notice this but you gave this girl a home. An actual home with people who care about her. You gave Samrah a chance to go to school and make real friends, you gave her a chance to have a life with a future and a hope. How can you not realize? She loves you, Stephen. But love can't go one way, she can't give you everything she has when you withdraw your chance to love her. It's like a one-sided conversation. Love, in its many forms, may not be your expertise. Whatever you had with Christine certainly didn't work out right."