CHAPTER 03: ALL WITH YOU
Everyone in the room stared at Mariane like she was crazy, and a minute of awkward silence followed. After they teleported back to their own universe, Mariane had a chat with the team. They discussed how things would unfold in the next few days and planned for the upcoming months if things got messy.
In summary, the plan was for Mariane to stick around in Earth-9. Mariane had spent two days hopping between universes and had figured things out. Luckily, her ability to jump between universes didn't cause much harm—though some labeled it as an intrusion, it was all for a good cause. The Strange family was confident in their ability to resolve any issues that came their way.
"No way," Kate exclaimed, staring at Mariane in disbelief. "Have you seen the bad guys they have? They even had a crazy Joker as their villain!" Kate pointed at the large screen in the Young Avengers' tech room, showing various villains in Earth-9.
"Well, technically, she's already faced off with the Joker," Yelena chimed in, raising her eyebrows at Mariane.
"But you can't handle all the widows and villains on your own," Peter said, looking concerned.
Mariane grinned at him, saying, "Who says I'm going to fight them alone?"
Saying goodbye is tough, especially when you don't know when you'll be back.
Mariane had a little farewell with the Young Avengers, organized by Kate and Peter for her mission on Earth-9. It lasted a few hours, mostly with Kate and Cassie crying and holding beer bottles, and eventually dozing off.
Feeling a bit sad, Mariane chose to have orange juice instead of alcohol because she didn't handle it well. The last time she drank, she got drunk after just half a bottle. She's not good with alcohol.
She sat on the roof of the sanctum, looking at people passing by, mostly couples since it was Friday night. A small smile appeared on her face when she saw a couple, reminding her of her own parents.
If only Mom is here. Clea was the person Mariane could talk to about hopping between universes. Honestly, Mariane immediately went to Clea to share her feelings about liking Richard Grayson from another universe.
The Sorcerer Supreme of the Dark Dimension relates to Mariane because the Strange couple wasn't from the same dimensions. Yet, they can still maintain a good relationship filled with love. How does she do that?
"Trust."
Mariane turned to the voice; her head quickly turned to see Clea standing right beside her as she sat down. The woman looked at her with a smile.
"Mum." Mariane said, making room for her as Clea sat down beside her. Mariane went for a hug, even though Clea had started to open her arms to invite Mariane in.
"I've missed you." Clea gently held both of Mariane's cheeks, looking into her eyes with affection.
It's been a while since Clea and Mariane had their mother-daughter date. They've both been really busy with their own missions and haven't had time to sit down and have brunch together.
Neither of them had much freedom. Clea had to go to the Dark Dimension and couldn't stay on Earth for long. The longest she stayed was only about a month.
Meanwhile, Mariane was busy helping Wong fix the realities of other universes, and the Young Avengers with finding Yelena's missing widows.
"Me too," Mariane sighed, "Especially on days when Dad and I argue, I miss you even more."
"I understand." Clea turned to look at the road, and Mariane glanced at her, figuring out she knows.
"How did you—Oh, Dad must have told you." Mariane rolls her eyes – knowing her father might have sought to Clea; probably telling her how angry he is.
Clea chuckled a bit; now it was her turn to catch a glimpse of her daughter.
She had a frown that looked exactly like Stephen's; Clea had a talk with Stephen about this, discussing how hypocritical it was for him to forbid Mariane from going to Earth-9. Despite Stephen having personally visited Earth-9 and meeting Mariane's guardian, he was amazed to find Batman in another universe.
Well, it isn't that strange that we have Spiderman and Antman in this universe.
Clea discovered that Stephen was afraid, fearing that Mariane might forget about him and her original family. Clea had to snap Stephen out of this thought, reminding him that Mariane is better than that.
"Stephen, I wasn't' through all of the times when Mariane was a child, yet she still remembers me, gave me love and most of all, she gave me a second chance. What makes you think she would forget about you?"
"He's just scared, you know how your Dad is." Clea gave Mariane a knowing look, and Mariane rolled her eyes.
"That's Dad for you," Mariane said. "But still, he didn't even listen to my explanation and just cut me off like that." Mariane turned fully toward Clea. "And the fact that I'm turning 29 next year, and he treats me like I'm a child! Come on!"
Clea couldn't help but snort; it was kind of ridiculous.
"It's not funny, Mum!"
Clea chuckled. "I know, I know, I'm sorry! But it's just ridiculous."
"See!" Mariane's hands were flailing, and Clea had to calm her down, nodding in understanding.
"Well," Clea sighed softly, "Now, I want you to listen to me carefully, alright?"
Mariane noticed Clea's serious expression for a moment.
"I just want you to be happy, you know that," Clea said with a gulp. "But all I'm asking is for you to come back to your Dad during holidays – and the next one is Christmas."
Mariane tried to figure out what Clea meant, but being smart; she quickly realised what Clea was saying, and she had a big smile on her face.
"Oh my god, are you letting me go to Earth-9!? Oh my god, Mum! Thank you, thank you!" Mariane didn't let Clea say anything before jumping onto Clea's arm, and they both giggled as they hugged.
"But!" Clea raised a finger after they let go. "You have to wait for a talk with your Dad."
Mariane couldn't help but groan loudly.
:･ﾟ✧:･.☽˚｡･ﾟ✧:･.::･ﾟ✧:･.☽˚｡･ﾟ✧:･.:
Mariane kept herself busy by taking on extra shifts for her colleagues. It was a way to help them out since she would be away for who knows how long.
She appointed her assistant to temporarily lead the clinic in her absence. There was a time when she slept overnight in the clinic because she was too tired to go home.
Right now, she's working on some paperwork, and both her phone and laptop are helping with the tasks to pass on to her colleague in her bedroom, in her own space.
Until she sensed a familiar presence; she knew it was him. Mariane didn't pay much attention, just kept on working. There was silence for a good 3 minutes—even when she heard footsteps, knowing he had come in. Silence filled the air again until he spoke.
"I can still remember how you begged me to turn one of the rooms in the sanctum into a dance studio, to practise ballet."
Mariane's fingers stopped typing, hearing what Stephen had said. She sighed softly before continuing to type.
"I cried when you won first place in the ballet competition," he continued. "Clea and I knew you wanted to win so bad." He chuckled, his words sounding like he was reminiscing, which made Mariane smile a little.
Mariane was a curious kid, not the rebellious type but more on the quiet side. She remembered having a hobby for ballet and a love for animals, especially cats and dogs. That was the beginning of her dream of becoming a veterinarian. It caused her to reflect on her childhood.
Mariane was a child who grew up with love, mostly from her father and Wong; both of them were her parental figures.
Sure, Clea wasn't in the picture as much as Stephen was, but when she found out the truth at the right age, Mariane understood.
Resentments slowly faded after she met Clea's enemies in the Dark Dimension. They were the cause of Clea's disappearance.
Mariane applauded and respected Clea for trying to balance the life of a protector of another dimension and Stephen, who tried to juggle being a father and the protector of the sanctum and earth.
Sighing, she shakes her head. "You can't stop me, Dad." Mariane stops typing at the rate, "This is my job and I–"
"Who said I'm stopping you?"
Mariane raised an eyebrow, swivelling her office chair to face Stephen's back. He was looking at a wall covered with polaroids and pictures until Mariane noticed he was focused on a specific one. It was a picture of her winning a school award, with Stephen, Clea, and Wong beside her. Mariane couldn't help but smile briefly before returning to their conversation.
"You're not... stopping me...?" Mariane trailed off, her head moving slowly, seemingly puzzled by her father's statement. She watched him turn toward her as he sat in the corner of her bed, near where she was sitting.
Stephen chuckled softly. "I don't think I can stop you," he said gently, looking at her. "Knowing how you are."
Mariane smirks a little, tilting her head slightly.
"I talked to your mother about you visiting Earth-9." Stephen paused slightly, eyes downcast before it travelled towards her.
"I'm sorry for not listening to you." Stephen's eyes formed into a slight frown. "Your mother called me a hypocrite, and yes, I agree with her." Stephen scoffed, "I'm sure you know about your mother and my... love story."
Mariane could only look at him with widened eyes.
Her father wasn't the type to apologize; knowing he kind of has a big ego, but after he got together with Clea, his ego toned down a little, just a little. Only to his family, though.
"In honesty, I'm just scared of losing you. You and Clea actually. Losing both of you is my great–
Stephen didn't even finish talking when Mariane jumped onto Stephen's arms – hugging him tightly, and Stephen hugged her back.
"Aww, Mary," he cooed as Mariane let go of him, and one of his hands cupped her cheek.
Mariane slowly smiled, "You don't have to worry about me and Mum. You have seen us fight before." Mariane sighed, "But thank you for allowing me to go there."
Stephen nodded, looking at her seriously after removing his hand from Mariane's cheek. "But you better be home for Christmas. No excuse."
"Yeah, yeah, don't worry, Dad. I will–
"I'm serious, Mary-Anne," Stephen interrupts her with a deep frown. "I'll personally come and get you from the Wayne residence."
"Okay, but I– Wait what!?" Mariane stands up, facing him with wide eyes.
Did I hear him right?
"Wait, hold on. Did you just say, 'Wayne Residence'?" She tilts her head, looking at him with a confusing frown.
Stephen scoffs, "Yes. I did. Wayne Residence, located outside of Gotham City." Stephen's face grimaces.
"I don't know how you can survive in that dark atmosphere city. Literally, it feels like my happiness gets sucked." He mutters the last part; at this rate Mariane doesn't care about the comment he made at the end.
"That means you went to Earth-9!?" Mariane raises a brow; which Stephen nods.
"Of course," Stephen folded his arms. "I had to see what my daughter is going to deal with." He winces while tilting his head. "I had a long talk with Mr. Wayne and his assistant."
"You mean Alfred?" Mariane gave him a knowing look. "He is a butler to Wayne Manor." She sighed contentedly, a smile on her face.
"I'm happy they are still well.. Are they..?" Mariane let out a curious smile. "Have you met his sons? He has a lot of sons." Mariane looks at him in interest.
"Well," Stephen's eyes shifted in a grin. "Yes, I did. Only the two of them." Stephen recalled, "I forget their names, but one had Prince Caspian's kind of hairstyle but neatly trimmed, and another had bronze skin. His hair is neat." said Stephen, he sounded impressed at the end.
Mariane nodded, her eyes wandering as she tried to recall, recognizing the boys from the Bat family her father described. "That would be Tim and Damian; they are–"
"Yeah!" Stephen pointed his finger, remembering as she mentioned the names. "Yeah! Boy, I remember Damian was judging me... He is... judgy" Stephen made a slight grimace, earning a chuckle from Mariane.
Mariane was glad.
Knowing about the Bat family was fine – well, hearing the names Bruce, Alfred, Tim, and Damian. What about Dick and Jason? Evelynn?
"Then have you seen a blonde—
Mariane's words were cut off by a strange beeping sound. Even Stephen was looking around. "What was that?"
Mariane quickly located and understood what it was. She made a mental note of how it would sound next time since it was on her dressing table across from her work desk.
Stephen didn't notice her, but when Mariane saw the beeping pager, the colour drained from her face. She heard a scream of agony, realising it came from the blonde girl she was about to talk to her father about.
gif of DOCTOR STRANGE is from tumblr at heldisrps
gif of CLEA is from tumblr at kamalaskhans