The Multiverse

Dream-Walking

Summary: A new way of crossing dimensions worries the family, and an old one causes more worry
Warning(s): Major spoilers for Dr. Strange and the Multiverse of Madness; AU; disciplinary spanking of an adult; violence and mentions of death.

###

Wanda hadn't been able to fight it. One moment, she'd been in her bedroom, dressing for a day with her father and brother. The next, she'd begun feeling dizzy...sick...and her reflection had stopped copying her movements.

Thanks to Clint, Wanda had much better control over her powers. But this was something she'd never experienced before. And before she could cry out for help, before she could react, she was crushed...submerged beneath a will more powerful than her own.

The woman now in control of Wanda's body took no time at all to look around...to wonder about where she was, or who might be around. With single-minded purpose, she walked out of the bedroom and began walking along the corridor, ruthlessly rifling through her counterpart's memories to find the exit.

"Wanda? We're supposed to be meeting Pop in the parking garage."

She froze at the familiar voice behind her. A voice she'd never expected to hear again. Slowly, she turned...stared into her twin brother's eyes. "Pietro." This wasn't the fake brother Agatha Harkness had attempted to trick her with. This was Pietro...entirely whole.

"Yeah." Pietro narrowed his eyes in confusion. "Wanda, what's wrong...?" His voice cut off as his sister stepped forward and wrapped her arms around him in a tight, nearly desperate hug. Eyes widening, he slowly raised his own arms to wrap around her in return. "What happened?" His worry was intense. This wasn't normal behavior.

"Master Pietro, Mistress Wanda." Friday's dulcet tones carried through the hall. "Your father has asked that I inform you he is in the garage and not to forget a jacket, because it is chilly outside."

At the words, she pulled back slowly from her brother, looking into his eyes. Seeing him again reminded her of the loss of her family...of Vision and of her sons. It reminded her of the goal, of the sole reason for her coming to this dimension.

Billy and Tommy were her priority.

"I am glad you live here," Wanda whispered, before turning her back on her brother and beginning to walk away.

Pietro frowned in confusion and then his eyes widened as sudden realization hit. "Wanda." He began to chase after her.

"Stay back, Pietro." She turned to face him, her face pale but determined. "I don't want to hurt you, but if you stand between me and my boys, I will stop you."

Pietro was impulsive, but he wasn't a fool. He slowly raised his hands and backed away from the woman who wore his sister's face and body...but was clearly another dimension's version of Wanda. He knew firsthand how powerful she was; and if she had no ties to the family holding her back, he knew she could hurt a lot of people. "What do you need?" he asked her. "We can help you."

For a moment, for the briefest moment, she wavered. In her dimension, she was utterly alone. Only the thought of her sons drove her forward. They were all that she cared about. This wasn't her home...and these weren't her people. "No one can help me," she said, before striding purposefully away.

Pietro watched her disappear from view. "Please stay with her, Friday," he requested of the AI, before dashing at super speed to the parking garage and to his father. "Papa...it's not our Wanda," he gasped out.

It said something about the chaos that surrounded their family and everything they'd gone through that Clint took Pietro's words in stride. It said something more that it only took a few seconds for him to guess at what Pietro meant. 

"Friday? Any strange dimensional fluctuations we should be aware of?" he immediately asked.

"Yes, Master Clint," the AI responded. "But it wasn't focused here. The fluctuation came from the center of the city, which is where Mistress Wanda is headed."

Pietro frowned. "So, Wanda didn't actually swap places like Grant? Then what happened?" He stepped nearer to his father, clearly worried and scared for his sister's safety.

"Wanda left the building? Can you tell where in the center of the city? How fast she is moving? And can you have everyone meet in the war-room?" Clint asked as he quickly took Pietro's arm and began heading to where he could inform everyone what was happening.

Friday quickly informed Clint of exactly where the fluctuation had taken place and then added, "She is flying towards the area, so it won't be long before she reaches the place where the fluctuation took place. The other family members are gathering in the war-room."

"I could run after her," Pietro said. "She might let me talk to her. I told her that we could help her, but she wouldn't tell me what she wanted. Only said she wouldn't let me stand between her and her boys." He was talking fast, wanting his father to have all of the necessary information.

"I don't want you going after her until we have more information. That isn't something you'd say to someone you weren't prepared to hurt if they got in the way..." Clint said firmly. By this point, they were almost to the war-room themselves.

"Okay, Papa," Pietro said quietly, not arguing...but still clearly worried and on edge.

"What's going on?" Logan asked curiously, as Clint and Pietro entered.

Pietro glanced at his father before answering hesitantly. "I'm fairly sure Wanda...maybe she didn't swap places with another version of herself, because Friday indicated that there hadn't been a dimension fluctuation here, but it wasn't her."

Coulson looked worriedly at his son and grandson, remembering their experiences with Grant switching places with his counterpart. "I assume she left? Did she say anything that might have given a clue about what she's doing here?"

"She must have known that she wasn't in her dimension," Pietro said. "She hugged me and told me she was happy I was alive here." Shifting uncertainly, he added, "But she told me she wouldn't let me get between her and her boys."

May blinked. "Her boys? If she is a mother in another dimension, maybe her children somehow got sent over to our dimension?"

"That wouldn't explain the lack of dimensional residue that would indicate she switched places with our Wanda..." Stephen said in concern.

"Maybe she didn't switch places with our Wanda." Mordo spoke in a serious, almost grim tone.

Wong immediately darted a look towards his brother. "Dream-walking?"

Mordo nodded. Then, with a glance around at the other family members, he proceeded to explain. "One of our duties as sorcerors is to protect a book known as the Darkhold. It corrupts the reader, turning them into little better than a tool. One spell contained within its pages allows someone from one dimension to possess their counterpart in another. It cannot last for long, but someone with the kind of power that Wanda can wield, and without someone to hold her back, could cause an untold amount of damage even in such a short time."

"We know what caused the fluctuations between dimensions before," Hank Pym said, looking towards Peggy as he remembered the zombie dimension. Focusing on the rest of the family, he said, "I would suggest we make use of the communication device to reach out to the other dimension we made contact with. Perhaps they can give us some more information."

"A tool? This Darkhold... controls people?" Kara asked nervously.

"We've never seen this Darkhold. Are you saying another dimension's Wanda got taken over by it and is using her to jump dimensions?" Pepper asked in confusion.

"You wouldn't have seen it," Wong said. "It's kept closely hidden, protected in the sanctum. At least, it has been here, in our dimension."

"It's not control as such, but it corrupts the user's soul," Mordo said. "It would be better were it to be destroyed, but whoever took that action would lose their own life." He looked very grim as he said, "Our Wanda will have been submerged under the will of her counterpart."

"But she still exists, somewhere within her own mind?" Charles asked. "If so, it might be possible to reach her."

Steve turned towards Skye and the others who were more technologically minded. "Are there any cameras at those coordinates where the fluctuation occurred?"

Skye had already got her laptop out. "Already on it, Uncle Steve. Getting a feed...now...." And then her voice faltered, and she looked up, staring specifically at Stephen. "I thought it wasn't possible for two of the same person to exist in one dimension."

"Wait, wait, wait... if our Wanda didn't have access to or read the Darkhold, it wouldn't corrupt her. How the hell did a counter-part get access to her?" Bucky asked. "And Skye's right. I thought two of us couldn't be in the same place at one time without possibly destroying worlds...."

"The Darkhold contains a spell that allows a person from one dimension to control their counterpart from another," Wong said. "You can think of it as possession. The Darkhold should never have been read, so we never thought this would be a problem we would face here."

Mordo stepped over to Skye, looking over her shoulder. "Two being in the same place runs a risk of an incursion, which can destroy one or all of the worlds involved." He gestured Stephen to his side and pointed towards the young woman on the screen with his brother's counterpart. "Have you seen her before?" he asked.

"So, possession isn't the same as two people being in the same place?" Bucky asked, not seeing what Mordo and Skye were seeing.

Frowning, Stephen moved closer and looked. "That's... no. I don't know her. What the heck is other me thinking coming here?!"

"This is the location that Wanda is heading towards, isn't it?" Mordo asked Friday.

"Yes, Master Mordo," the AI responded.

Wong moved so that he could look at the screen as well and Skye, realizing that it would help the family to see it as well, quickly hooked her laptop up to one of the bigger screens, so that the rest of them could see Stephen's dimensional 'twin' and the young woman he was with.

Mordo turned to the rest of the family. "Whatever Wanda's counterpart plans, she made it clear that she won't hesitate to hurt someone who gets in her way. I suggest Wong and I open a portal to this location. We can try and talk Wanda down. Figure out what she wants, hopefully without anyone getting hurt." He hesitated. "I'd leave the portal open, but I don't think we should all go through. If we come at her and she believes we're a threat, there could be a lot of bloodshed." He turned towards Stephen. "To try and stave off further risk of an incursion, I would suggest you remain here and make contact with the dimension we interacted with before. Because while it's hard to be entirely certain, I think I recognize your dimensional twin. And it doesn't bode well for the Sanctum in their world."

"Any versions of us would have done everything in our power to stop something like this from occurring," Wong agreed. "You need to be prepared for what you might learn once the line of communication is opened."

Stephen nodded. "Yeah. I'll go contact them now..." he said, immediately heading to the room that had been set up when they started talking to their alternate selves.

"Wait... is there any way to break the other Wanda's hold over my Wanda? What will this possession do to my Wanda?" Clint asked, clearly worried. "I'm assuming a possession won't cause an incursion, but it still would cause something."

Hank Pym immediately went to accompany Stephen, just in case something went wrong.

"Everything we know about the Darkhold and its effects is knowledge that has come from many generations before," Mordo said to Clint. "My understanding is that the possession won't leave Wanda from this dimension with any lasting effects...any damage caused will be to whoever or whatever attempts to stop her. As for breaking the possession?" He shrugged helplessly. "Short of somehow breaking the concentration of the other dimension's Wanda, the only thing I could think of is to treat it as mind control."

Wong concentrated on opening a portal, looking towards Clint and Pietro. "As her family here in this dimension, you might be able to get through to her where others cannot."

"And the rest of us will be on standby, in the meantime." Steve turned to Tony. "I don't know if it would be possible to get one on her, but perhaps we could bring one of those collars that can block abilities here. If she won't or can't listen to reason...."

"Give it to me," Pietro said. "I can run at her and hopefully put it on her before she can react."

"I'll get it for you..." Tony told Pietro, going toward the lab where they'd stored the collars. He quickly retrieved one and brought it back, handing it to Pietro and showing him how it worked.

"So... Pietro and I should accompany you, then," Clint quickly agreed.

"And we'll be on standby, in case you can't get through to her and need help subduing her," Steve said.

Wong nodded and indicated the portal. "She's not reached them yet, but I can't imagine it won't be long."

Clint nodded, quickly going through, knowing Pietro would be behind him.

As soon as Clint and Pietro were through, Mordo and Wong headed through as well, leaving the portal open in case they needed backup.

At the appearance of the four new people, only one of whom she recognized, America backed up towards Stephen Strange. She might have been hesitant to trust him at first, but he'd saved her life. And she didn't know if these newcomers would help her or not.

Mordo looked around quickly before focusing on the two who'd just arrived. "Do you know who is coming after you?" he asked.

Strange immediately placed himself between America and the newcomers. He recognized all of them through chats with the alternate dimension. He wasn't certain if this dimension was the one he'd been talking to or not, so it was prudent to be safe until he had further information.

"The Scarlet Witch... Wanda Maximoff..." he answered hesitantly, uncertain of their response. 

Clint cursed before saying unhappily. "Then it is that Dream Walking you mentioned. I was hoping it was something easily stopped."

Mordo wasn't surprised. He'd expected it to be the case. "We won't have long before she arrives," he said to Strange. "Wong left the portal open. We can call on our other family members if needed." He gestured towards Clint and Pietro. "We hope to try and talk her down with the help of her brother and father from this dimension."

"If you are here, does that mean the Sanctum in your dimension has fallen?" Wong asked, a worried note creeping into his voice. If Mordo was right and this was Stephen Strange from the dimension they'd been in contact with, what would his brother see if contact could even be made?

"I sent an SOS to all sorcerers, but I don't know who got them... she almost caught us and... this is where we ended." He motioned toward America.

"Why is she after you?" Clint asked, hoping for some insight as to why his daughter had been possessed by her alternate self.

America swallowed, glancing towards Stephen and then towards Clint. She was clearly reluctant to admit the truth.

Mordo, figuring that the woman would be more likely to trust them if Stephen did, spoke to his brother's counterpart. "I believe you come from the dimension we've already made contact with, where Phil Coulson and Grant Ward were able to repair the broken relationship between them."

Stephen visibly relaxed. "Then you are them. I wasn't certain and after some of the dimensions we ended in...."

"You've been to more than one?" Clint blinked, frowning. "Isn't that dangerous?"

"I don't have control over my power," America admitted. "We fell through a whole lot of dimensions before landing in this one." Uncertainly, she continued, "That's why she's after me. The scarlet witch. She wants to take my power and use it."

"For her sons?" Pietro asked, remembering Wanda's reference to her boys.

America nodded, still looking uncertain...still sticking closer to Strange than the others.

"Why does she need your power for her sons? Did they somehow get misplaced in another dimension?" Clint asked skeptically. "And why not just ask for your help? Why chase you- obviously to hurt you since you are scared- and take your powers?"

"Her sons don't exist in her dimension. Not anymore," America said quietly. "I don't know why."

At that point, the possessed Wanda had arrived, soaring in for a landing. Her eyes scanned over the group as her hands glowed with red sparks. "This is not your fight. Leave the girl."

"Wanda." Pietro stepped forward, towards his sister. "You might be from another dimension, but it's a dimension where I once existed. I know you. You don't want to do this. Not deep down inside." He smiled, a little sadly. "You were always the better one out of the two of us."

"And look where that got me," she replied. "I have lost everything. There is nothing left for me. Nothing now except finding my sons. You do not want to stand in my way, Pietro."

"What of the you in the dimension you are seeking the children?" Clint moved to stand by Pietro. "Would you make her feel the same loss you feel? And what of the children? They will know you aren't the you who is their mother. How do you think they will react to your actions?" He smiled crookedly. "You've taken over my daughter... I don't want to lose her."

"Give me what I want and I will leave your dimension and my counterpart in peace," the other Wanda stated. "I have no reason to stay here any longer than is necessary." Red sparks continued to fly around her fingers, even as she cocked her head to one side and eyed the group. "Stand against me and you won't live to regret it."

Mordo moved closer. "I can't imagine the pain of losing a child, but I know how I would feel if I lost any of my brothers. Still, these actions you are taking are wrong. I know of the Darkhold. It corrupts any who try to use it, but it's not too late to turn back. You still have the chance to choose the right path."

The red sparks grew stronger, and Wanda moved, as if she was about to strike at Mordo. Then, suddenly, her eyes widened. "NO." The cry was wrenched from her and abruptly, she fell to her knees. Like a puppet whose strings had been cut.

Clint immediately moved to catch Wanda before she could fall. "Wanda? Wanda, sweetie? Are you with us?"

***

Stephen had waited for Hank before starting to make a connection to the alter dimension. When no one immediately answered, he began to get worried. If that version's Stephen was here, what of that version's Wong? Was he okay?

Hank stood close beside Stephen, watching the screen with worry as there was no immediate connection. Finally, eventually, the connection was made...but immediately, Hank could see that it was bad.

The screen showed a scene of devastation, rubble from ruined buildings covering the ground with bodies scattered around. Very few of those bodies seemed to be even breathing. Those that looked like they lived were bloodied, battered and bruised.

One man stood in clear view of them, clearly the one who had answered the call. The other dimension's Mordo had clothes on that were stained with dirt and blood, though he didn't appear to be wounded. In one hand, he wielded a knife, though there was no blood on the blade. And while he looked emotionally defeated, there was a clear look of determination on his face.

"Oh no..." Stephen breathed out, shocked at the devastation. "She... if she did that there, then..." Worry for his brothers spiked. "Baron Mordo? You returned, then? Stephen didn't say, not that he had time to tell us anything. What of your Wong?"

"I returned," Mordo agreed. "Too late to do anything but render aid to those I could. The scarlet witch holds Wong as her captive while she dream-walks with the Darkhold. I was about to take advantage of her distraction to destroy it when your call came."

"If you destroy it, it will destroy you..." Stephen reminded, with a strong hint of worry and dislike of the idea. Maybe his counterpart hadn't made peace with his brother's counterpart, but that didn't matter. To Stephen's way of thinking, they were still brothers.

"If the book is not destroyed, then she could cause untold damage. Worse than has already been committed here." Mordo gestured towards the devastating scene that surrounded him. "I cannot ask another to sacrifice themselves in my place. And if I freed Wong instead, he would do the same."

Hank looked towards Mordo's counterpart. "Here in our own dimension, Wanda has a family surrounding her. A father and a brother. Before you take an action that would be irreparable, I'd ask you to give them a chance to get through to her."

Mordo's smile was bitter and humorless. "If peaceful talk worked, I wouldn't have returned to so much death and destruction." Looking towards Stephen, he said, "Even if this dimension's version of you didn't attempt to talk her down, I know Wong would have tried."

Stephen winced at what seemed like a veiled dig at his own counterpart. It was obvious the Mordo in front of him was still angry and distrustful about what Stephen had done. "To be fair, I'm not sure how much chance he had to convince her. I don't know what exactly occurred, but unless things have changed a great deal, just hopping dimensions isn't one of his... our... abilities. He would have come through here if he'd been the one controlling the travel, but they didn't come through here." He shrugged. "I do know he wouldn't have abandoned Wong if given the choice."

A slightly more haunted look came over Mordo's face as he admitted, "I don't know what has changed. Five years ago, half of all life in this dimension was snapped away by a being known as Thanos. Wong was left behind. Stephen Strange was not." He didn't mention how he'd come to learn of that, but the implication was he'd kept tabs of some sort on the others, even after leaving.

Stephen glanced at Hank. "We... haven't had that occur here." He wondered if they should prepare for the possibility, though.

"We have had Thanos mentioned, though," Hank remembered. "Gamora and Nebula, Phil's daughters, were adopted by him before they came here and found a new father and family. And I believe Valkyrie was on the run from him as well." He hesitated. "But we can only deal with one problem at a time."

Mordo looked at Stephen, as if he was thinking deeply about something. The hand wielding the knife had lowered now. After a brief pause, he said, "Destroying the Darkhold will be the fastest way to break the link between the scarlet witch and your dimension and prevent an incursion. But with her distracted, I could possibly grab the book and seal it away so it cannot be found again."

Hank heard the words and looked at Stephen. He didn't miss that the other dimension's Mordo had offered up an alternative plan after Stephen had indicated he didn't like the idea of the other sorcerer sacrificing himself. No matter what had occurred between the two in the other dimension, Hank could see that Stephen appeared to hold a lot of sway over Mordo.

"If that is possible, I think it would be best. Especially as the Darkhold exists in numerous dimensions... your death might not actually stop her from finding and using another one..." Stephen said softly.

"Yes, but...." Mordo started...and then paused, casting a quick glance back over his shoulder.

Moments later, Wanda's voice could be heard, shouting, "NO!" And then there was a burst of red light that sent Wong flying across the rubble.

Mordo's attention shifted immediately, and he raised his hands, casting a spell.

"Wait," Hank said quickly. "If you try to stop her, she might not hesitate to kill you."

"I can't abandon him," Mordo responded.

Stephen only took a moment to think about it. His counterpart was in his dimension, making it necessary to avoid meeting with himself as much as possible to avoid an incursion. His counterpart's Mordo and Wong needed help. The barrier between dimensions was thin, making it possible to talk to each other... it took little more effort to cast a portal on the connection so he could physically step through to assist Mordo. "You don't want to do this!" he immediately called to Wanda, drawing her attention from Wong and hopefully Mordo.

Wanda turned as Stephen stepped through the portal, narrowing her eyes. "Get in my way and I won't hesitate to kill you," she stated. "I want my children. I won't let anyone, or anything stand in my way."

Mordo edged slightly in front of Stephen, almost protectively, golden magic forming around his hands. "The Darkhold is destroyed. You don't have to let it consume you anymore."

Wanda stared at Mordo, then turned to Wong. Raising a hand, she threw the sorcerer into the air, holding him there as she began to use her magic.

Wong began to choke for air.

Mordo took a step forward, only to halt when Wanda said, "If you take one step closer, I will snap his neck."

Mordo paused but looked at Wanda's face and spoke in a voice that sounded calm and level. "I left this place long before Thanos took away half of all life. What makes you think I care if you kill him or not?"

Wanda's smile carried no humor as she said, "Because your counterpart loves his brothers. And you would not have returned here, would not have responded to the call, if you didn't feel the same."

"You want your children, but... are they really yours if you take them from your alternate self- leaving her bereft? Do you truly want to make an alternate dimensions Wanda suffer what you are suffering? Do you want to scare her children? They will know what happened. What will you do if they can't accept it? You can still have family in your own dimension without destroying worlds or causing innocents to suffer...." Stephen attempted to reason, hoping that if nothing else, her focus on him would cause her to loosen her hold on Wong.

"I have lost everything." Wanda began to advance on Stephen, holding her hand out as red sparks swirled around her fingers. As she had with Wong, she forced him into the air...using her ability to choke him, to cut off his airway.

That was enough to break Mordo. First seeing his friends and comrades wounded and dead...now watching Wanda target two men he considered his friends, his family. Because she was right. Mordo would never have felt so hurt, so betrayed, by Stephen's actions if he hadn't loved the man.

"Wait." The word was ripped from Mordo's throat. "Please. Don't hurt them." He swallowed as Wanda's eyes turned to him, knowing that he was about to give her a further tool to what she wanted...but while he'd been prepared to sacrifice himself, he couldn't let her hurt his brothers, even if this Stephen was from another dimension.

"The book is destroyed," Mordo whispered. "But...it was a copy. The spells were transcribed from where they were carved into the walls of a cave. I can take you there."

Wanda lowered her hand, allowing both Wong and Stephen to be released from her spell. She looked at Mordo for a long moment before finally nodding. "Show me."

Stephen wanted to protest, but he was still trying to catch his breath from being choked. If it hadn't been magical choking, he'd almost expect a bruise around his throat.

Mordo wasn't given a chance to speak, or to check on Stephen and Wong. Wanda wasted no time in using her magic to raise both herself and Mordo into the air, quickly flying towards the directions Mordo had given.

Wong was slumped over, coughing hard. When he finally found his voice, he muttered, "That could have gone a lot better."

Stephen snorted, then winced at the pain doing so caused. Rubbing his throat, he moved to help the other master stand. "You aren't wrong..." he muttered, his voice sounding sore. "My you is going to give me an earful, at the least, for not having a better plan. If it had turned out better, I might have been able to swing my impulsiveness in a more favorable light." He sounded sheepish.

Wong allowed Stephen to help him stand, looking around at the scene of devastation. "Speaking as your brother's counterpart, I can tell you that it wouldn't matter if the outcome had been favorable or not. You would still be in trouble." He sighed. "The cave which contains those spells is dangerous, but I doubt the scarlet witch will be fazed by them. I don't know what she will do to Mordo once she believes he's no longer useful to her."

"Your Stephen is still stuck in my dimension. Unless they get him to the connecting area, or whatever brought him to my dimension brings him back, he won't be available to help. So... what do you suggest? You seem to know a lot more about what is occurring or can occur, while I'm winging it."

"We can't fight her," Wong said. "The destruction she wrought here makes it clear trying would be suicide." He paused in thought. "You mentioned she could have a family here."

Stephen nodded. "In my dimension, Clint Barton adopted her. And Phil Coulson had adopted Clint, so she has a father and grandfather, along with her brother Pietro. I am assuming Pietro died in this dimension, given the way she spoke, but I know Phil Coulson lives... and I vaguely recall overhearing that Clint Barton is still alive. If Agent Coulson is able to contact Clint and bring him in to talk to her...."

"Given what happened during the last overlap between our dimensions and the worry your own Phil Coulson demonstrated over his counterpart, contacting Agent Coulson will be easy," Wong said. "Even if he has indeed left SHIELD." He summoned a phone to his hand and quickly dialed in a cell phone number from memory.

"Wong." Coulson picked up the phone immediately. "Grant is in a therapy session right now, but it will be finishing soon. Do you need him as well?"

"I don't believe so," Wong answered. "But this is a matter of great urgency. If you give me the coordinates to where you are, I will come straight to you."

"Of course." Coulson gave him the coordinates.

Wong opened up the portal, which was showing a waiting room with only Phil Coulson seated inside. He stepped through the portal, fully expecting Stephen to follow him.

Stephen quickly followed. When it was time to return home, he knew he could portal back to the area where they had the 'connection'. He nodded at Coulson as he stepped through.

Coulson stood immediately, as he'd caught a glimpse of the devastation through the portal they both came through. "What happened?"

"Wanda Maximoff," Wong answered. "She is attempting to find a way into another dimension and will do anything she can to succeed. Even if it means taking lives."

Coulson's eyes widened, but all he asked was, "What do you need from me?"

"Do you know how to reach Clint Barton?" Stephen asked. "In my dimension, he adopted her. Maybe, if they had a close relationship here, he can talk her down...."

"I can call him," Coulson answered. "They were close, but I don't know when the last time they saw each other was." Taking out his phone, he quickly dialed Clint's number.

It took a few rings, but eventually, a connection was made. "Coulson? Why are you calling me?" A suspicious Clint asked. "Please don't tell me the world is ending? Every time I try to retire, the world starts to end. Laura is going to start thinking it's my fault!" he joked.

"I'm sorry, but we do have a problem." Coulson's voice was serious. "When did you last see Wanda?"

"Tony's funeral. She... she said she needed some space after Vision..." Clint admitted. "I heard rumors a few months ago, but whatever agency was behind it was good at covering things up and I've had a few issues of my own to take care of so didn't follow up. Why? What's happened?"

"I have Wong and Stephen Strange here," Coulson said. "But the Stephen Strange isn't from our dimension. It might be a better idea if they were to talk to you in person."

"We can open a portal to where he is," Wong said.

"I'm at my farm with Laura, the kids and Kate Bishop," Clint remarked.

"Are you willing for them to come to you?" Coulson asked Clint.

"Yeah. If it's as serious as your voice indicates, Laura would insist I help, even if I wasn't already inclined to do so," Clint answered.

"If you give me the coordinates, we'll be there within a couple of minutes," Wong said.

Coulson nodded and relayed that information to Clint, before telling the two sorcerers the coordinates.

Wong wasted no time in opening a portal and stepping through. He was clearly worried, knowing that Mordo was at Wanda's mercy. The state she was in, he wasn't certain Mordo would escape this unharmed. He could only hope the other man believed he would be rescued and would therefore do what he could to stay alive.

Stephen smiled at Coulson. "Thank you..." he said, before quickly following Wong.

Wong had opened the portal outside the farm, not wanting to just appear in the house. Still, his sense of urgency was clear as he moved towards the door and knocked.

Clint quickly opened the door, ushering them inside. Laura and Kate were both there. "Lila took the boys outside... so you can talk freely," he said.

Wong glanced at Stephen but didn't waste any time in explaining the situation to Clint. While he tried not to go into too many details about the destruction that many of his people had faced, it was more than clear he was affected by what had happened.

"And... what she is doing... beyond the whole trying to take an alternate version of her self’s kids... what is wrong with it? What is it causing?" Clint asked, trying to wrap his head around the implications and trying to figure out the best way to get to her and change her mind. "You already tried pointing out that the kids she is trying to find aren't really hers and won't want to go with her. I might need another angle."

"Her actions could cause an incursion," Wong said. "One or all of the dimensions involved would be destroyed. Millions of people dead. As for how to get through to her...." He glanced at Stephen and then continued speaking. "Back in his home dimensions, SHIELD and the Avengers have formed a family unit. In that dimension, your counterpart adopted Wanda...and her brother, who still lives there. And it appears that one way that family has grown close is by employing a family punishment. Spanking. Which I am fairly certain my counterpart will be using later," he added, not quite under his breath.

Stephen had been nodding along quietly... until Wong mentioned spanking. At that, he turned a surprised gaze on the other wizard, not expecting him to bring up the family punishment, and squawked at the not so indirect comment on what he'd be facing.

Clint blinked at that then, hearing the squawk, laughed. "Are you suggesting I spank her?! I haven't seen her in almost three years when everyone was brought back. And even before then, I didn't play a large role in her life once I went on house arrest, and she turned fugitive after the Accords fiasco. I might... might... be able to talk her down by convincing her she isn't and doesn't have to be alone and appealing to her sense of not wanting to hurt innocent people. I'm not about to try and spank her into cooperating!"

Wong's face was calm, but there was a determined edge to his voice as he spoke. "You said you might need another angle. I've given you something that I understand has worked for other versions of both you and her. But if you are unable or unwilling to reach her, then I have no choice. I cannot allow a potential incursion to occur. I cannot put the lives of millions of people at risk. I came here because this Stephen Strange believes you have a chance to get through to her, but I will do what is necessary. And if the only way to prevent more bloodshed is by killing the scarlet witch, then I will do that." He paused briefly, glancing at Stephen, before focusing once more on Clint. "She has taken one of my brothers with her and I know Mordo. If he sees a chance, he will not hesitate to take it. He knows the danger she poses and if her guard lowers even a fraction, he will strike. No matter that it would cost him his life." He turned back towards Stephen Strange. "Like Mordo, I know where the cave is she will have gone to. She will take over her counterpart in your dimension once more. That is the chance we will have to act."

Clint's eyes narrowed. "Now wait just a fucking damn minute. I said I wasn't going to spank her into submission...not that I didn't plan to try and appeal to her and stop her. I know her better than you, even if we haven't been close in a long time. Physical action against her won't convince her of anything if I don't make the emotional connection. If I make the emotional connection, then she'll stop without my getting physical. If I don't make it, then nothing I do will help. I don't expect you to do nothing. If I can't get through, do what you have to. But if you do anything without at least giving me a shot, you won't like my reaction." Clint's eyes blazed.

"I don't deny that you know Wanda Maximoff better than I ever could," Wong said. "But it will be the scarlet witch you will be facing. I'll give you a chance to try because I do not want to see any more bloodshed. Enough have died already. But I won't hesitate to do what is necessary."

"As long as we understand each other." Clint nodded. "How we getting there?"

"I can open a portal to the base of the mountain," Wong replied. "But it's not possible to open a portal directly into the cave itself, so we will still need to climb it." Glancing at Stephen, he added, "Or fly."

Stephen nodded. "Let's do this."

Wong wasted no time in opening a portal to the foot of the mountain and stepped through, fully expecting the other two men to follow him.

***

Wanda clutched, almost desperately, at her father, tears running down her cheeks. "She'll come back," she whispered, her voice hitching. "She's so desperate...and hurting so much...she doesn't see any other way. I couldn't fight her, Papa!" She began to sob, sounding like her heart was breaking.

Clint held Wanda tightly. "You did what you could. She had an unfair advantage... surprise. We're working on it, though. She won't get you again."

"I couldn't stop it," Wanda whimpered, still clinging onto him. "She pushed me under again. When we were waiting for the bomb to explode."

Pietro winced, able to guess at the memory that his sister had experienced and moved closer to her. "Papa's right. We'll make sure you're safe."

"She'll hurt you...all of you...she can't see past her own pain." Shivering, Wanda's eyes fell on the collar that her twin held. A split second later and it was in her own hands. Without hesitation, she snapped it around her own neck.

Pietro's eyes widened at his sister's actions. "Wanda...."

"I have to," she whispered. "This way, she can't use my powers to...to hurt any of you." Her voice trembled.

It was at that moment that Steve stepped through the portal, closely followed by Hank.

Mordo turned to the two members of the family who had joined them. "Were you able to make contact with the other dimension?" he asked Hank.

"We were." Hank hesitated. He looked towards the other dimension's Stephen, then back at Mordo. "We saw the devastation she'd wrought there. I don't know how many of the sorcerers lived. I suspect not many."

Wong moved to Mordo's side. "Since you've come here without our brother, can I assume that Stephen did something impulsive?"

"You could say that," Hank replied. "He opened a portal and stepped through. It closed immediately behind him, and the connection was lost." He hesitated. "I can't speak for what happened after he stepped through, but your counterpart had returned and planned to destroy the Darkhold, though it seems someone else got there first." He looked towards Mordo.

Squeezing his eyes tightly shut, Mordo ran a hand over his face. Any of the other family members would recognize the tense worry he was experiencing. They had no way of knowing if Stephen was unhurt...if he was even still alive.

"My counterpart, your Stephen, went to my dimension?" Stephen asked. "Since I'm here, it should keep an incursion from happening. We just need to make sure when I go back, he comes back."

He glanced at America. "And if you can hide America...."

"If he's in a fit shape to come back." Mordo couldn't have hidden his worry if he'd tried.

"I'll keep trying to open a connection back," Hank promised.

America swallowed, keeping back from the others, and sticking close to Stephen. She wasn't entirely sure she trusted the people now surrounding her.

Stephen looked toward America and then the others. "You can trust them. I've spoken with them numerous times and they will do whatever is necessary to help and protect."

Steve turned and smiled at America. "Why don't you come back to the compound with us?" he suggested. "You can tell us a bit more about yourself. And it'll be more comfortable than staying out here on the street."

"I'm used to staying on the streets," America said quietly.

"Let's all get back to the compound," Clint suggested. "We're better protected there. Plus, when it is time for our Stephens to switch back, they'll be in the right spot."

"I shouldn't go back," Wanda whispered hopelessly. "In case she figures out a way past the collar."

"That's exactly why you should go back. There, you will have help. Out here, there is just regular innocent people she can use as a weapon against us if we get in her way." Clint was firm.

"But I can't stop her," Wanda said. "I don't even know how."

"You don't have to." Clint hugged her tightly. "All you need to do is hold on tight so she can't push you out completely. Leave stopping her to the rest of us."

"You won't let her hurt anyone?" Wanda whispered, needing the reassurance...even though, realistically, her father couldn't make a promise like that.

"We will protect everyone possible. And... deep down, I think she is like you. She doesn't want to hurt anyone either. Not really." Clint kissed her cheek.

"She can't see past her anger...or her pain," Wanda said quietly. "She believes she has nothing left. That she has no one left." Her eyes were dark with pain.

"I don't think that's true, though. Hopefully, they found my counterpart and he can convince her of that." Clint carefully led her to the portal, leading her through.

Wanda allowed her father to lead her through, but she was biting her lip worriedly. "But if he can't...." Her voice trailed off. There wouldn't be another option left if her counterpart couldn't be reached.

"I hope he can. But... if he can't, they'll do what is needed to protect the rest of the world," Clint said. "We all will. We will do our best to make certain innocents won't suffer."

Wanda took a deep breath and nodded. There was little else they could do. Her head was beginning to ache, and she rubbed at it. "Papa, you were able to resist my mind control when we first met. Maybe...if you stay with me...it will help me to resist her."

By this point, the others had entered the portal and Wong closed it behind them.

Even before his brother closed the portal, Mordo was heading to the area where they'd made contact with the other dimension. It was obvious, more than obvious, that he was worried and scared for his own brother's safety.

Hank went with Mordo, in case he was needed...and in case he could figure out another place they could make a connection from.

"I was planning on staying with you anyway. Makes it easier you want me too, though." Clint smiled.

Stephen glanced around the compound as they entered. "This would be a good, safe spot for you to stop in... once we get the Scarlet Witch off your back, anyway..." he said to America.

America looked around slowly. "There's...so many people here," she said, shifting a bit closer to Stephen...because he was familiar and 'safe'. Yes, she'd moved between thousands of different dimensions...but most of the time, she didn't stay there long enough to grow close to anyone. Of course, a big part of that was a fear that she'd lose someone she cared about the same way she'd lost her mothers.

Stephen fidgeted. He wasn't overly comfortable with public physical displays of comfort or affection... not that he couldn't occasionally provide them, when necessary, but he wasn't typically hands on even in private, and America kept invading his personal space as if he was going to rescue her and it really made him uncomfortable. He managed not to pull away, though. She was nervous. Probably scared. He would do his best to be sympathetic. "Yeah. Really don't know how they do it... living together the way they do. But they make it work and it is one of the safest places in this dimension. Probably one of the safest places in either dimension...."

Wong overheard Stephen speaking to America...and he noticed the uncomfortable look on the other man's face. His brother might be more settled and open to affection now, but that hadn't been the case when he'd first entered Wong and Mordo's lives.

Taking a step closer to America, Wong gave her an encouraging smile. "As you're here anyway, why don't I show you around the compound?" he suggested. "You don't have to make any decisions on whether you stay or not immediately, but you can see what it's like."

"Oh, you can see the tree village!" Peter Parker had chosen that moment to head over to them, dragging Harry with him. "You'd think it would just be for the kids, but we all like heading out there!"

America's eyes widened. "Tree...village? Don't you mean tree house?"

"No. He actually means a tree village," Harry said, with a fond look at his cousin. "It helps for if things get a bit overwhelming and if you feel like you need to be alone for a bit. And it's on the grounds outside, so it's about as safe as the rest of the compound."

Stephen gave Wong a grateful look and then he heard what the younger men were saying. "That may not be a bad idea..." he said encouragingly. "If she comes back... well, she can only do it through dream-walking and someone would have time to get to you before she figured out, she didn't know where you were."

Kaine sidled up to the others. He smiled bashfully. They were the same age, and it was obvious he had developed a crush-at-first sight on her. "I can show you the best one..." he said.

Peter Parker quickly nodded as Kaine moved over to them, taking note that Kaine's father was close enough to listen and step in if he didn't think it was a good idea. "Yeah. Kaine can show his favorite. Me and Har can play lookout." Skittish family members were fairly normal...and Peter figured America might be more likely to open up to someone who was closer to her in age.

America hesitated, but they had a point and she nodded. "Okay. I'd like to see the tree village and the best one," she agreed. Almost unconsciously, she stepped away from Stephen and towards Kaine and the others...choosing to put her trust in them.

"Ooooh... I love the tree village!" Wade clapped his hands. "Can I come?"  He left unsaid that if something went wrong, he'd be able to put himself between danger and the kids, giving the kids time to get away. After all, even serious injury didn't kill him, or even hold him down for long.

"I think that would be a good idea," Adrian said smoothly, before any of the kids could respond.

"We could take the opportunity to have some brotherly bonding time, too." Colossus left unsaid that he would be along to protect his own brother. After all, not much could get through his own impenetrable skin.

Peter P. heard and understood exactly what the other members of the family were saying but didn't comment on it. "Anyone else coming? Or are we just taking comms with us?" he asked brightly.

"Why don't you all go? If any of the others want to join, they can come out later. That way, poor America won't be swamped with a sea of new faces to meet and memorize," Tony interjected smoothly. Plus, if the Scarlet Witch made another attempt, it would be more difficult for her to figure out where to go if everyone wasn't lumped onto one space. He noticed Clint had taken Wanda back to his room, so she hadn't heard the plans.

"Okay, Uncle Tony!" Peter P. grinned at Tony, then began to lead the way out of the compound. Having noticed his cousin's crush on America, he decided to let Kaine take the lead on showing her the tree village.

Kaine grinned bashfully. "We come out here as often as possible," he said, as he led America toward what was his favorite tree. "You can see a long way from this one, cuz it's high up."

Wade hung back a little way to give the kids space but was close enough to help if needed. He grinned at Colossus.

America looked up at the tree and spoke in an almost wistful tone. "I haven't climbed a tree in so long...." Not since she'd been a child. Not since before her powers had caused her to lose her mothers.

Colossus stuck close to his brother, on his guard in case something went wrong. He believed he and Wade would be able to protect the younger members of the family if need be...or at least to give them time to escape. Still. He knew what Wanda could do...and didn't know how far she would go without a family to pull her back.

"We're allowed to climb, but only to certain heights. We have to be careful not to go on narrow, small limbs too. Or we'll get into trouble," Kaine noted.

Surprised, America glanced at Kaine. "No one tells me what to do," she declared, before moving over to the tree. Since her mothers, the only person she'd allowed close to her had been Stephen Strange...and after one counterpart had tried to kill her and the other made it clear he was helping out of a sense of duty and because he was a good man, she didn't have any hope of or belief in belonging anywhere.

Harry recognized the words of a child who believed she didn't belong...that no one would care enough to stop her from doing something dangerous. He wasn't a parent, but he was older...and tended more towards responsibility than his cousin and best friend. He moved a bit nearer to America. "If you stay here, our parents and the rest of the family will care to stop you from doing something that could potentially get you or someone else hurt."

America hesitated, one hand resting on the tree trunk. "I can't stay," she said finally. "Even if I wanted to...I can't control my powers. All it'd take is something scaring me, or an instant of danger, and I'll be gone."

Kaine frowned at that. "You can't control where you go? I bet you could control it if you were able to focus on how it felt when you were doing it.... maybe even control it so you only went when you wanted to."

"I can only do it when I'm scared," America said. "I've been stuck in dimensions for a long time before. Not all of them are bad. Stephen seems to think this is a good place for me." She shrugged. "I can't stay with him." Even if she sounded a little sad, she was resigned. Stephen had indicated he wasn't comfortable with her leaning on him. She couldn't imagine the people here would be any different.

"We've opened up one line of communication to another dimension," Harry said. "I'm sure my Dad and Uncle Pym and all the others...they can figure out ways of contacting other dimensions. So that if it takes you a while to control it, we can still find you and bring you home. And we have a school here, for people like you. People who have abilities. There are teachers who can help you learn control."

"If I wasn't here, your family wouldn't be threatened by the scarlet witch," America said. "I'm putting you, all of you, in danger. I saw what she did in Stephen's dimension when she was trying to get to me. She'll do the same thing here."

"What she did there is a big reason why you should stay here!" Kaine said emphatically. "We're best able to handle what she throws at us... not like normal people."

Wade had been listening in but remaining quiet. At Kaine's words, he interjected, "He's right. There are enough powered people here that if nothing else it will make doing anything extremely difficult for her."

"The sorcerers had powers too. And she killed most of them and destroyed their home," America said. If she could have controlled her powers, she would have gone dimension hopping...hoping that she could prevent anyone else from being hurt. As it was, she had no choice but to stay here...and hope they were right, and that Wanda wouldn't be able to hurt them as easily as everyone else.

***

Getting up the mountain had been slow going, even with Stephen's cloak enabling him to fly. Wong hadn't wanted to risk leaving one of them alone to face Wanda, especially as he was responsible for the brother of one of his counterparts, so had made sure their going was as careful as possible. For that reason, by the time the three men had finally reached the top, Wanda had already accessed the magic and resumed her dream-walk.

Mordo had been held captive by Wanda's magic, but as her attention drew into the other dimension, her control over him began to slip. It wasn't much, but it was enough for him to access his own power. It was enough for him to prepare to bring the cave down...around the two of them...his intention to close off the Darkhold forever clear, even though it meant sacrificing himself.

Wong heard the rumbling and knew that Mordo was acting. He looked at Clint and spoke quickly. "I will stall him from destroying the cave along with himself and Wanda...but if it becomes clear you cannot get through to her, we will do what is necessary. If that happens," he turned to Stephen, "you must be prepared to take him and leave as fast as you can."

"Understood..." Clint nodded, quickly preparing to face Wanda.

"I'll be ready to grab him and go if necessary..." Stephen agreed.

Wong moved swiftly over to Mordo, catching the other sorcerer's attention. "I have agreed to give Clint Barton a chance to get through to Wanda before taking this final step. If he cannot, Stephen will take Clint and we will bring down the cave and ensure it cannot be used again."

Mordo's fingers clenched and unclenched, before he finally allowed his body to relax. "We may not have long to react," he warned.

Wanda had reached towards her counterpart in the other dimension once more and didn't appear to have noticed the arrival of the three men.

***

Wanda gasped and clutched at her father as she felt it...that sense of disconnect. The force pushing her away and down, back where she'd been trapped inside her own head. She turned wide, frightened eyes onto Clint. "Papa...I can't resist her...!"

Clint quickly clutched Wanda tightly. "I won't let you go. No matter what, you're my daughter!"

***

Stephen and Clint had moved close to the Scarlet Witch and quickly realized one difficulty they hadn't thought of. The woman wasn't aware of them, so Clint talking her back from her plans wasn't going to work. Not unless they somehow severed her connection in the dream-walk and drew her back.

Stephen looked toward the other two sorcerers. "Can you send the Darkhold somewhere not here? Will that break the connection?" 

"The Darkhold is on the walls of this cave all around us," Mordo said. "We can't send the cave somewhere else."

Wong cleared his throat. "But maybe we could transport us all and that would break the connection?"

***

Wanda tried to hold on...she really did...but the will of the Scarlet Witch was stronger than her own and she was submerged inside her own mind.

Finding herself held, the other Wanda immediately began struggling...calling on her powers and then widening her eyes when they didn't respond. "What have you done to me?!" Her cry was frightened more than angry. With no powers...she was scared.

"I've done nothing except hold my daughter, who I love very much," Clint said calmly, continuing to hold tightly. "You have frightened her, terrified her, that you will use her body and powers to hurt those she loves and considers family. I made a promise to her that I will hold onto her and not let go. I intend to keep that promise."

***

"If that is possible, can we go elsewhere and destroy the temple at the same time?" Stephen asked, uncertain if destroying the temple would have the same result as destroying the book.

***

The other Wanda began to shake, her eyes wide and terrified. "You've taken my powers from me. I have...nothing left. You've all taken everything." She began to struggle even more violently, trying desperately to break free.

Whether it was her father's hold on her, or that her counterpart was no longer keeping such a tight hold of her, Wanda was able to break free inside her mind. Papa didn't take away your powers. I did that. I can't let you hurt my family.

Abruptly, the other Wanda's struggles ceased. A distant look came over her face...and then she closed her eyes, going deep inside her mind, where the Scarlet Witch stood face to face with Wanda Maximoff, Clint's daughter.

"I know your pain," Wanda said. "I know you feel that you've lost everything. But what you're doing is wrong. You are hunting a child...a child not unlike us, with powers she cannot fully control or understand. That fear you feel, unable to access your powers, even though it's only temporary...how can you put someone else through that, knowing the fear you now feel? How can you reconcile killing an innocent child...and then finding the twins and trying to take care of them, with that kind of blood on your hands?" She took a step closer, stretching a hand out towards the Scarlet Witch. "I know Papa's counterpart exists in your dimension. Does he not care about you? Even if you are not his daughter, surely he feels something for you."

The Scarlet Witch took a step back. "He has a family. A family that could not include a broken, damaged being such as myself."

***

Mordo and Wong exchanged glances and then Mordo said, quietly, "Destroying this place would mean that no other person could access the Darkhold. No other person could risk destroying whole worlds and millions of people. If you all leave, I will stay behind to destroy this place."

"As Sorcerer Supreme, destroying this place is my responsibility," Wong argued.

"No," Mordo replied. "As Sorcerer Supreme, your responsibility is to rebuild what has been broken. And to take care of those who won't look after themselves," he added.

Wanda's eyelids fluttered...as if she was in REM while sleeping.

***

Clint continued to hold Wanda tightly, picking her up into his arms when she went lax, withdrawing into her head. He wouldn't let her fall.

***

Stephen frowned, knowing his counterpart wouldn't want to lose either man. Even if his counterpart wouldn't care, Stephen couldn't countenance not at least trying to save his alter-dimensional brothers. "Can't it be destroyed from a distance, so no one is lost?"

Meanwhile, Clint moved closer, picking Wanda up so he could get her out of the possible path of destruction.

***

"How do you know?" Wanda countered. "How do you know you could not be a part of his family? My papa has a family, but he adopted me and Pietro and loves us."

"Three years," the Scarlet Witch said. "I have not seen him in three years. If he was like your own papa, he would have come before then."

"Maybe he didn't think you needed him?" Wanda suggested. "Papa thinks that his counterpart would be sought out in your dimension and would come for you. If he does...will you listen to him?"

"I do not believe there is anything he will say that will make things better. That will make it hurt loss." The Scarlet Witch closed her eyes and finished, in a whisper, "That will make up for all that I have lost."

Wanda stepped closer to her interdimensional twin and wrapped her arms around the other woman. "I know how much it hurts," she whispered. "What Pietro and I lost...I didn't ever think we could recover from that. All we wanted was vengeance. But when it came to it, I couldn't do what was expected. I couldn't take that step. And you don't need to either," she added. "I know what they called us. A monster. But that's not true. You don't need to hurt anyone," she whispered. "Let him help you."

"You can't be so certain that he's come." The Scarlet Witch shook her head. "He wanted to retire, with his family. Maybe in your dimension, he can accept you...but I know he would never accept me. There was only one who did that. And I had to destroy him."

***

"It doesn't matter if we're here or not," Mordo said quietly. "Destroying this place will take all of the life force."

"But maybe it doesn't have to kill anyone," Wong said. "There are other sorcerers still alive. If we all brought it down together, then it might leave all those involved in a weakened state...but not enough to kill."

"You're theorizing," Mordo said dryly. "You have no proof that would work."

Wong shrugged. "We have no proof that it wouldn't work," he replied. "Besides. There was a promise made to the Stephen from our dimension. I'd hate to see that promise unfulfilled."

Stephen swallowed. "As a Stephen who needs all his brothers in his life, I'm pretty sure yours would not take it well if you gave up your life when there was a chance you wouldn't need to.

Clint frowned. "Does it have to be magic that destroys it?"

"Not necessarily," Wong said. "But magic is the surest way to make sure it can never be brought back."

"So, extreme, stone melting fire...." Clint questioned curiously.

"If there was any to hand...." Mordo shrugged.

"I..." Stephen hesitated. "I don't suppose any of you know Robbie Reyes in your own dimension...?"

Clint shot Stephen a startled but considering look. "If he can be found quickly and convinced to come here, I only ask that I be allowed to take Wanda and become scarce first. I have a lot of regrets and don't want to suffer from them the way he'd make us suffer."

"With no way of knowing what is happening in your dimension right now, I have no idea what amount of time we have," Wong said to Stephen. He looked towards Clint. "If you know where he can be found...we can open up a portal to try and convince him to help."

"I don't know for sure... but the last I heard anything about him, he was in this location," Clint quickly gave them the address of a jail cell.

"It's as good a place to try as any." Wong looked towards Stephen. "Do you think he might listen to you?"

"His counterpart would have. I don't know if your version even knows who I am... but I can try." Stephen swallowed.

Wong nodded and turned to Clint. "Would you like me to open a portal back to your farm?"

Clint thought about it. It would put his family in danger. At the same time, he couldn't believe Wanda would hurt children and maybe if he showed trust in her, she'd be more willing to trust him. Plus, if he failed to convince her, there was a high probability that his family would die in an incursion anyway. "Yes. I think that would be best. Open it to my fields. I'll figure out where to go from there."

Without wasting any time, Wong opened up the portal to the fields outside Clint's home. "Once you're safely through, I will close the portal and then open one to the jail cell," he said.

Clint nodded briskly then stepped through the portal with Wanda. "Come find me when it's destroyed..." he requested.

"We will," Wong promised, before closing the portal.

Mordo moved to open the new one, not wanting Wong to over-exert himself.

Stephen took a deep breath. As soon as the portal was opened into the cell, he carefully stepped through, addressing the man on the bunk. "Robbie Reyes?"

Robbie opened his eyes and sat up, looking at Stephen and then towards the portal in obvious confusion. "The guards here so incompetent, they had to get an Avenger in to help?"

Stephen blinked. "We need your help. And we don't have time to go through proper channels. The fate of two, if not every, dimension is at stake."

Robbie immediately stood, figuring that if this was serious enough for Doctor Strange to come to him in person...they didn't want to waste any time. "By 'me', I take it you mean the Rider," he said. "What do you need?"

"To destroy the temple that the Darkhold was originally copied from. The book was destroyed... one of the acolytes of Kamar Taj drove a knife through it and lost their life in the process. We hoped that hellfire might destroy the temple. If not, then we are prepared to die to destroy it, but... I know that the Rider tends to protect you from most damage. Do you think he could destroy the temple and it not kill you?" If Robbie would die, then Stephen wouldn't ask it of the younger man.

Robbie opened his mouth, but before he could respond, the Rider took over, flaming skull head appearing instead of Robbie's visage.

Without even seeming to acknowledge Stephen, the Rider stepped through the portal...and then paused, attention drawn almost immediately and abruptly to Mordo.

Wong stepped between the Rider and the other sorcerer. "No matter what you can sense, he is prepared to protect this dimension from a potential incursion and the effects of the Darkold. No matter the cost."

The Rider didn't respond with words but turned towards the cave. Moments later, it was sending hellfire out through the stone, setting it on fire.

Stephen held his breath until it became obvious that the fire was working. He then breathed out slowly, slumping slightly in relief. Whatever happened at this point, at least the Darkhold wouldn't cause any more problems.

Wong quickly motioned for Mordo and Stephen to step back with him, out of the cave and away from the fire, not entirely sure that it couldn't get out of control.

By the time the fire went out, the cave was utterly destroyed. The Rider had gone back under the surface, leaving Robbie pale and looking shaken...though quite clearly alive.

Stephen quickly moved to Robbie, taking a brief account of his vitals. "You should stay with us. At least until you recuperate. Plus... we'll need to smooth over any problems from us portaling you out of jail..." He looked toward Mordo and Wong for confirmation. It was their dimension, after all.

Wong nodded. "If we make contact with the Avengers still alive in this dimension, we can enlist their help to smooth things over."

"Should we go to Barton's farm? We should at least get him water and something to eat..." Stephan said quietly, wrapping an arm around Robbie's waist to steady him.

"As long as the Rider isn't likely to target him," Mordo said quietly, his voice filled with concern.

"No chance of that." Robbie spoke weakly, leaning heavily on Stephen. "That fire didn't kill him, would have solved a lot of problems if it had, but it's weakened him enough that he won't be coming out any time soon."

"Then there is no reason to wait any longer." Wong proceeded to open a portal to Clint's farm once more.

***

Clint had taken Wanda to the picnic table, deciding she'd feel less trapped in the open air. Plus, there were less readily available weapons if things went terribly wrong. He watched her sadly.

He'd been in such a bad place for so long, that when he finally got his family back, he'd retreated from everything. He'd only just started coming back out into the world; and that's when he'd met Kate, but while he'd heard rumors about Wanda, he'd failed to get any concrete information. He'd been unsure how to approach her and she hadn't reached out to him, despite him leaving her several methods to do so. He'd figured she didn't need him or want the reminders of what had happened in the past. Turned out he should have pushed.

Wanda had felt it, the moment the Darkhold had been destroyed. Her counterpart had too and before being ripped away, Wanda had asked the Scarlet Witch to at least listen to what Clint Barton had to say.

Despite her counterpart's insistence that her own papa's counterpart would be there and would reach out to her...Wanda had never truly believed that would happen. So, when she opened her eyes after being torn out of the other dimension, to find herself out of the cave and at a farm...and not only that, but with Clint Barton actually there...shock rendered her frozen and speechless temporarily. And by the time that wore off...she didn't want to reach for her power.

Her counterpart had voiced an understanding that a big part of Wanda had desperately needed. They were all right. She'd never truly wanted to hurt anyone...but she'd lost everything. Seeing her counterpart in a happy family had made her see all that she had lost; but instead of stoking her rage further, it had allowed the full weight of her grief to come to the forefront. So when she found herself away from the cave, knowing the Darkold had been destroyed...she didn't lash out. She didn't use her powers.

She began to cry.

"Oh, Wanda..." Clint immediately reached out, pulling her into his arms and holding tight. "I'm so sorry. I should have checked instead of assuming you didn't need me...." He was crying too.

For all that he'd got his family back, there was a lot that he'd lost as well. Plus, for five years, he had lost his family. And in those five years, he'd lashed out in the only way he knew how. He couldn't fault her with wanting to fix things, even if her method was tantamount to destroying worlds instead of just going after bad guys. Maybe if he'd found her right away, instead of assuming she didn't need him, he could have directed her grief into more productive channels. He hadn't, though, and so here they were. He hoped the fact the Scarlet Witch was crying in his arms was an indication he wouldn't have to fight her.

She clung to him. There was no other word for it. Without the Darkhold driving her forward, knowing it was lost for good, she could see what she'd become. What she'd done. Her sobs were harsh...heartbreaking. She'd desperately needed someone...anyone...to understand her. And Clint being there and holding her broke her...broke through the rage that had driven her, leaving a broken mess behind.

"I'm here now. I've got you. You aren't alone..." Clint whispered, continuing to hold her.

"...But I was...." Wanda whispered, sounding hopeless. "And I couldn't even keep my children...." Her voice was hoarse, the force of her tears leaving her throat feeling raw. She still clung to Clint, needing the contact...the comfort. The Darkhold was destroyed. Any hope she'd had of getting to her children was lost.

Clint swallowed hard. "I'm so sorry. If I had known... I was so messed up after the snap and then everyone was back and... there's no excuse for not letting you know I was here for you. I should never have assumed that you would know." He didn't say anything about her children. Maybe the ones she had been trying to get to weren't really hers, belonging to another Wanda, but she'd still had children for a brief moment in time. And he knew how he had felt losing his children. Even if they had been made up in her grief, that didn't make it hurt less. And considering how powerful she was, he suspected they were very real too.

"You have a family." The words were uttered very quietly, but they were true nevertheless. Clint had responsibilities to them; Wanda had known it from the start. "They're your priority." She left unsaid that she knew she wasn't. She'd lost her brother; her best friend growing up. Then she'd lost Vision, hadn't even been able to retrieve his body and give him a proper burial. The Vision she'd conjured up had gone the same way as her children...and the one who'd been brought back didn't know who she was. Or what they'd meant to each other.

"Yeah... and you were part of it. Are part of it. And I should have made sure you knew that, instead of assuming you did and that you would come find me if things were too hard. The fact my own emotions were all over the place and nothing ever feels completely real... not an excuse." Clint frowned, hugging tighter. "Laura told me I should call you... when you didn't call me. I should have listened to her."

"You don't want me." Wanda tried to sound strong...certain. But all she sounded was broken and hopeless. The next words were spoken laced with the pain she'd felt...the intense loneliness and grief. "You left me alone...everyone did. I couldn't even...get Vision's body back. So I could bury him properly. I tried to...and then they turned him into something else. Someone else."

Clint winced at the words. "You're right. I left you alone. But it wasn't because I didn't want you. It was because I thought you didn't need me... that if you needed me, you'd let me know. I was wrong and I am very sorry, but it won't happen again. I'm finally here and you won't be left alone again." He paused. "I don't know what you mean about Vision, but I'll turn over every contact I have to find out for you. So we can give him a proper memorial. But until we can find out... you have a room here. For as long as you want it."

"They brought him back," she whispered. "But...it wasn't him. Not the Vision I knew." She was still trembling, but her tears were running out, leaving her flushed warm, eyes and throat aching from the storm.

"Of course, it wasn't..." Clint's voice was tight, as he could only imagine why they would have tried to bring back one of the Avengers in that way. None of his conclusions were good. "They shouldn't have done that. They took advantage of our confusion and disarray; it would never have happened otherwise."

"I didn't want to hurt anyone," she whispered. "I just...couldn't stand to be alone any longer."

"I know. And you've stopped. The danger is over now," Clint consoled. Of course, he had no idea how many people, if any, she did hurt. But considering his stint as Ronin, he was in no position to judge.

Sniffing quietly, Wanda tightened her grip on him, still half-afraid that this too would turn out not to be real...and that she'd discover herself to be alone again. It was hard to trust, even if she so desperately wanted to.

Clint continued to hold her tight, even when he noticed his wife leading a small group out of the house and in his direction.

Wanda noticed the group and couldn't help but tense up. She didn't pull away, but it was more than clear she was nervous.

"I... needed to make sure everyone was okay. Before I try and go home," Stephen said quietly. "Plus, Robbie expended a lot of energy. Felt wrong to just dump him back where we got him...." He nervously rubbed his neck.

"I've invited everyone for dinner..." Laura said, watching Clint to be certain he didn't object. "Lila is anxious to finally meet Wanda..." This time she looked at Wanda uncertainly, not sure the other woman would want to meet their daughter.

Wanda looked uncertain but didn't protest or refuse. Her uncertainty came more from the fact she didn't know if she'd be accepted...if she'd belong, even if she desperately wanted to. "I... would like to meet her," she whispered, though her voice was hesitant...not sure how she would react or respond to their daughter. Her eyes moved towards the sorcerers as she whispered, "No one had to sacrifice themselves? I'm glad." She bit her lip. "I'm sorry...for all the destruction. I'd like to help rebuild if I can."

Wong nodded. "Any help you can give once you're fully recovered would be appreciated." She might not have expended energy the same way as Robbie, but she was clearly still suffering from grief and anguish. Wong didn't say that he thought Clint should be the one to decide when she was ready...but he figured that the Avenger would say something if needed.

"Maybe in a couple of days..." Clint interjected. "Once she's adjusted to her move." He glanced at Wanda. "You're moving here, by the way. Just so you know."

"Okay," Wanda said quietly, a note of relief slipping into her voice.

"I'll just get the guestroom ready," Laura said, with an amused smile. "Dinner's on in ten. Don't wait too long to come in and eat."

"I... I appreciate it, but is there some way I could send a message to my family, in my dimension?" Stephen asked.

Wong nodded. "We can open a line of communication from here."

Stephen visibly relaxed. Now that the danger was passed, he was realizing he probably shouldn't have just jumped through the portal without warning. "Thank you," he said quietly.

"But you probably want to communicate in private," Mordo commented. "The line of communication was cut after you stepped through the portal and things have moved so fast, it's altogether possible that your brothers in your home dimension believe you've been hurt. Or worse," he added.

Wong was nodding. "I'm sure you don't want to be scolded in front of anyone else." Yes. He had a fairly good idea of how his counterpart would react to this. And had no doubts that Mordo from the other dimension would react the same.

Stephen flushed and cleared his throat, knowing the other two men were correct. "I'll appreciate that..." His voice was soft. "If we could do that now? The sooner the better..." His smile was crooked.

Wong nodded and moved away, fully expecting Stephen to follow him inside the farmhouse, so that he could open the line of communication.

Mordo followed Wong as well, curious to see how it worked as he hadn't been in a fit state to take in much of anything when contact had initially been made.

Stephen quickly followed as well. He hoped things had settled enough in his dimension that he could go back soon. He appreciated the hospitality of this dimension, but he wanted to be home.

Finding a place that they could open up the line of communication was easy enough. With more than one sorcerer, all they really needed was a reflective surface to act as a screen. And Mordo helped Wong to open the line of communication.

Immediately, the screen was showing Stephen's two older brothers, both clearly tense...worried. Even to a casual bystander, it would be obvious that Mordo and Wong had been badly scared for their brother's safety.

"Are you hurt?" Mordo stepped forward, like he might have actually opened a portal and walked through, his own counterpart there or not. 

"No... I am not injured at all. We all made it through..." Stephen quickly answered and moved so that his brothers could assure themselves of his well-being. "If my other self is nearby, you can let him know his people are okay as well," he added hesitantly, not entirely certain of Stephen's relationship with Wong and Mordo here... though he knew Wong was a friend.

Wong nodded. "That message will be passed on." Like Mordo, he too was checking over Stephen's body.

"You may still want to get him checked out by one of your medical team." Mordo's counterpart spoke up. "While there are no visible bruises, he was choked by the Scarlet Witch. You'll want to make sure there's no lasting damage from that." It was altogether possible that Stephen would have told his brothers that once he was safely in his own dimension, but this way, at least it was known straight away.

"I will ask Lincoln to be on standby for when you return," Wong stated, in a tone that made it clear he wouldn't accept any arguments.

"Of course." Stephen didn't bother arguing. Even though he was pretty sure there was no lasting damage, he couldn't see his throat, so having Lincoln examine him made sense. Plus... he didn't want to get more trouble from arguing. He suspected he was in big trouble as it was.

Wong's own counterpart took his Mordo's arm and nodded to Stephen. "When you are finished, let us know." He led his friend out of the room, so that Stephen's brothers in the other dimension could talk to him in private.

As soon as they were gone, Mordo expelled, "Stephen, what were you thinking? You know full well the dangers of opening a portal to another dimension. You were so fortunate that it didn't leave you in a catatonic state as it did the last time."

"I saw Mordo... this Mordo... in danger of dying and had to stop it from happening..." Stephen tried to defend himself. "I didn't think beyond that," he admitted.

"It wasn't only the portal that closed behind you," Wong said. "The line of communication was cut. Because you didn't think and acted impulsively. We have spent almost the entirety of the time you've been there trying to reopen the communication."

"Not being able to contact you, we feared the worst," Mordo said quietly. "That we'd lost you. All Hank was able to tell us was that the Scarlet Witch was there...and that it was all in ruins. That there were so many dead...." His voice hitched, a little, as even though seeing Stephen alive and whole calmed some of the fear...it wouldn't fully go until his brother was safely back with them.

Stephen's face became a mix of guilty worry. "I'm sorry. I didn't realize that had occurred."

"That is why you shouldn't have taken that action," Wong said seriously, even sternly. "Not without checking if you would have been safe. There was no good reason to put yourself in danger, even if you were trying to save a version of Mordo."

"Which we know enough about to know there were conflicts between the Mordo and Stephen of that dimension," Mordo said. "We don't know how bad things were between them."

Stephen glanced at his Mordo uncertainly. "He wouldn't hurt me..." he said, in a not very confident voice.

"I could not fathom a version of myself who ever would," Mordo said. "But Phil could never have imagined a version of himself who would be so affected by rage and pain, he would seriously hurt someone not even attempting to fight back. Even if there are things that are similar in both dimensions, there are enough differences that you could not be certain you wouldn't be facing danger from more than one direction."

Stephen swallowed hard and glanced away. "I didn't think of that either..." he whispered.

"It is quite clear you did very little thinking," Wong said. "Once you are home and have been thoroughly checked over, you will be getting a spanking."

Stephen flushed again, his shoulders hunching dejectedly. "Yessir..." he whispered. "I deserve to...."

"But we are more than happy that you are safe," Mordo said sincerely. "And no matter how much trouble you might be in, it doesn't change how much we love you."

Stephen looked back up at that, a tiny smile on his face and eyes glistening. "I love you too. And... I am sorry. I don't like worrying you."

"As your older brothers, we are going to worry about you when something happens," Wong said. "How soon until we can open a portal to bring you home?"

"I guess it depends on if I need to go back to the Sanctum in this dimension. Since there is a connection there already... it just needs to be opened." Stephen wrinkled his nose thoughtfully. "I think once everyone has eaten, the plan is to go back there... at least for Mordo, Wong and Robbie."

Mordo nodded. "I assume the danger posed by the Scarlet Witch has passed. She possessed Wanda here, but then left her."

"It is. Her connection to the Darkhold was destroyed and Clint Barton has stepped in to draw her back. Once she began to see that she wasn't completely alone, she was more willing to listen," Stephen reported.

"That's good news we can pass on to the others," Wong said.

"I'm assuming my counterpart will be returning here when I go there. What of the girl that was with him? Do I need to locate parents so they can be waiting for her?" Stephen asked.

"She has no parents," Mordo said soberly. "She hasn't spoken to the family about what happened to them, but some of the younger ones took her to see the tree village and it's possible that she opened up to them."

"Your counterpart informed us that she has no counterpart in any other dimension," Wong said. "Her power is to move between the dimensions, though he's confirmed she's unable to control it and will need help." He shrugged. "I'm sure we don't have to tell you that the family here is already making plans for her to stay."

"If she's an orphan and doesn't have to be in a specific dimension, I'd expect nothing less." Stephen grinned crookedly. "Has she bonded with anyone in particular?"

"Kaine seems to have taken to her very quickly," Wong commented. "As for a parent...there hasn't been much of a chance for her to bond with anyone yet. Now that the danger is over, I'm sure it will happen quickly."

Stephen nodded. "Well, I guess you can catch me up completely when I am back. I should probably join the others so we can eat and then get back to the Sanctum, where I can portal back."

"We'll see you soon," Mordo promised.

Stephen stepped back and called to let Mordo and Wong know he was through.

***

On the other side of the screen, once the line of communication had been closed, Mordo released his breath in a long, slow sigh. "Friday, could you ask Lincoln to be on standby for when our brother returns through the portal?" he requested. "And ask Stephen's counterpart to come and meet us, please?"

"Of course, Master Mordo," the AI replied, before passing the message onto the two men respectively.

Lincoln arrived at the same time as Stephen did. "How can I help, Uncle Mordo?" He was carrying a bag with some medical supplies.

"When Stephen returns through the portal, he'll need to be checked over," Mordo explained to Lincoln. "He was choked with magic in the other dimension, so there are no visible bruises, but we still want to be certain he's suffered no lasting damage."

"Wanda is no longer a threat and is now with the Clint Barton from your dimension," Wong said to the other dimension's Stephen. "Our brother is there as well, along with mine and Mordo's counterparts."

Stephen nodded. "Will we be able to open a portal and change places?" he asked, with a little worry.

"Once they return to the Sanctum, we should be able to open a portal allowing you to switch back," Wong said. "But they are eating first."

"You are welcome to have something to eat here before returning," Mordo added, not sure if Wong and Mordo in the other dimension would insist on their Stephen eating in the same way that he and Wong would here.

"That would actually be really good, thank you. I haven't had much time to eat the last day." Stephen smiled crookedly.

"If you come with me, I'll show you where the kitchen is," Mordo offered, preparing to do just that.

"Thank you." Stephen followed Mordo.

***

The meal had been good, but Stephen was ready to go home, and it was obvious the Bartons were tired. Wanda might be staying, but the rest of them weren't and he saw no reason to delay further. "Should we return to the Sanctum now? I can help you clean up and repair before going back," he offered to Mordo and Wong. He said nothing about returning Robbie to prison. That would be up to those in his dimension.

"You don't need to help," Wong said. "I'm certain that your brothers are eager for you to return to them. But yes, you are right that we should return to the Sanctum now."

Stephen nodded. "Thank you for your hospitality," he said to Clint and Laura, before moving toward the door, planning to open a portal outside.

"Thank you... because of you, I've got Wanda back instead of having to attend another funeral," Clint said somberly.

Voicing their own words of thanks to the former Avenger, Wong and Mordo headed outside after Stephen, Robbie bringing up the rear.

Once all four of them were outside, Stephen opened a portal back to the Sanctum. He waited for the other three to go through before following quickly and letting the portal drop. He then looked around at the mess. "Are you certain I can't help you clean up?"

Wong snorted softly. "You are needed back in your dimension, with your brothers."

"We can take care of this," Mordo added.

Stephen nodded. "Alright... time to open a portal, then..." he said quietly.

Going to the area where the inter-dimensional connection had been originally made, Wong and Mordo worked together to open a portal back to Stephen's home dimension.

It took little time at all, as both sets of Mordo and Wong worked from both dimensions to open a portal. As soon as it was open, both Stephens were crossing over, passing each other in transit. As soon as they'd crossed over, the portal closed.

Stephen looked at the pristine area he'd stepped into then noticed Lincoln. "Medical area or my room?" he asked quietly.

"Wherever's easiest for you to get fully checked over," Mordo said, glancing towards Lincoln for his input.

"The more advanced equipment and scanners would be useful," Lincoln said.

Stephen nodded and headed to the medical area.

Wong and Mordo quickly followed their brother, clearly unwilling to let him out of their sight.

Lincoln was very used to protective family members following patients into exam rooms. He only waited long enough for Stephen to request they not watch the exam if he wanted. When no request came, he started.

Lincoln was quick but thorough and by the time he was done, Mordo and Wong had a list of things to look out for, as well as things for Stephen to do that would help his immune system. "If anything goes wrong, let me know," he requested.

"Thank you," Wong said.

"We will let you know if anything goes wrong and if we have any questions," Mordo promised.

Lincoln smiled. "Thank you. Now that you're back, I'm going to hunt down our newest family member to get a baseline for her health. Make sure she and the other kids have eaten, since this whole day has been weird. Actually...Friday? Can you make an announcement that I'm going to start a late dinner of soup and sandwiches and that anyone who hasn't had time to eat should come and get some?" He left the medical area and headed to the kitchen.

Stephen watched him leave before facing his brothers. "I ate before coming back, but if you haven't eaten...."

"We ate," Wong said. "It was easier to once we knew you were coming home."

Stephen nodded, then swallowed. "My room, or yours?" he finally asked, in a small voice.

"Mine," Mordo said. "Because you'll be staying there for the foreseeable future."

Stephen blinked at that. "I... I'm grounded?" he asked hesitantly. He was in bigger trouble than he'd thought, if he was getting more than just a hiding.

"Stephen, this isn't the first time you've acted recklessly when it comes to opening portals into another dimension," Wong said. "In fact, this time is worse...because you knew that there was danger from someone none of us could fight against. And instead of waiting, or telling any of the family what you intended, you just acted. Without even a thought to your own safety."

Stephen grimaced and looked at the ground. "You... you're right, of course. I was trying to save their Mordo, but I should have given some time to think things through..." he whispered guiltily.

"Even if you were trying to save someone, you know that you shouldn't have just rushed in without thinking of the danger. Without thinking of the danger you were in," Mordo said. "Hank was with you. At the very least, letting him know what you wanted to do might have enabled him to help you, considering he was responsible for us being able to open the line of communication."

Stephen winced. "I have no excuse. I should have done exactly that."

"I don't believe any more needs to be discussed," Wong said. "We'll go to Mordo's room and take care of this." He reached out and wrapped an arm around Stephen's shoulders.

Mordo did the same from the other side, so they could keep in close contact with their brother while they led him to the room.

Stephen swallowed hard and let himself be led. If he leaned on both his brothers, as if seeking reassurance, he didn't think they'd mind.

Both Wong and Mordo held Stephen close and tight as they led him into Mordo's bedroom. They only let go enough to move two chairs opposite each other and then sit down. Taking hold of Stephen once more, they guided their brother into place across their interlocked knees.

Letting himself relax over their laps, Stephen put his hands behind his back. He suspected this would be harder than before since it was a repeated offense. "I am sorry..." he repeated sadly.

Wong took one of Stephen's hands and Mordo the other. Together, they bared their brother, allowing a hand each to rest on Stephen's backside.

"We take your safety very seriously, Stephen," Mordo said. "This isn't the first time we've had to deal with a similar situation."

"You will be getting more than one spanking," Wong said. "After today, you will get a reminder spanking at bedtime every other day for the rest of this week."

Stephen whimpered softly but didn't argue. It was fair, after all; he had been in trouble for this very thing several times before. "Yessirs..." he whispered.

Still keeping a tight grip on Stephen's hands, Wong and Mordo both lifted their other hands and began to smack, firmly, each working over the buttock closest to them, from the crest down to mid-thigh.

Stephen choked out a tiny gasp, but otherwise managed not to make any noise, yet. It was quickly apparent to him that he wasn't going to be able to prepare for the smacks or predict them. Neither man was following a pattern of time or location. And neither man was being lenient. It hurt.

At some point that was impossible to determine, Mordo paused in his spanking, beginning to rub Stephen's backside while Wong continued to smack. "Endangering yourself isn't acceptable, Stephen," he said sternly. "Not for any reason. After you stepped through the portal, and it closed behind you and all communication was cut off...we thought we might have lost you." His voice became hoarse with emotion.

The combination of gentle rubbing, contrasted against the hard smacks, made it difficult to focus on anything but his brothers and what they were doing. As a result, Stephen couldn't form a buffer against Mordo's words. He couldn't come up with anything that would make it better and sorry seemed wholly inadequate. He began to cry; not so quietly. "I didn't mean to do that... I don't know how to make it right..." he choked out.

"You'll be punished and then forgiven." Wong began to rub this time, while Mordo resumed smacking. "And you'll be kept close to both of us," he added. "Complete grounding. You'll need to ask for permission for anything that isn't a necessity."

"Y... Yessir..." Stephen quickly agreed, his crying becoming louder. He wasn't even attempting to stop or hide his reactions. If the rest of the compound heard; well, he deserved it, after having scared his family so badly. Even though he wasn't fighting, he couldn't help but begin squirming. His bottom was already very sore, and he had no doubt they weren't even half through with the correction.

"We still love you, Stephen." Mordo's voice was very gentle, as he and Wong resumed smacking their brother's backside firmly. "No matter what happens, no matter what you do, that won't stop being true."

"I... Love you too. So much! And I'm so, so, sorry I scared you..." Stephen babbled, one tiny sob, and then another, escaping.

"We were only so scared because of how much we love you," Wong said seriously.

"We can't lose you, brother," Mordo added. "Not for any reason."

As if by unspoken agreement, the two began to concentrate their smacks lower down on Stephen's backside, focusing more to his sit spots and upper thighs and increasing the force and speed.

Stephen gripped both their hands tightly with his own, squirming ineffectively as they roasted his backside. His sobs increased in number, though he only got a little louder... he didn't want them feeling bad for disciplining him. Not when he was the one who had done the wrong thing.

Both Mordo and Wong held their brother's hands tightly, making sure Stephen was kept in place secure over their laps. After a while, again as if by unspoken agreement, they parted his legs to swat his inner thighs. As serious as what had happened was, they needed to make this punishment memorable.

Stephen slumped as his inner thighs were made to ache as much as his backside did. He continued to cry and squirm. He was grateful they had such a firm grip on him, because otherwise, he was certain he would have fallen.

Once more, his brothers paused, still holding onto his hands, their other hands resting on Stephen's backside.

"You are too important to take chances with your life, Stephen," Mordo said seriously.

"And it doesn't matter how many times we have to prove that fact to you," Wong added. "It won't change anything."

"I believe you..." Stephen babbled, his voice catching and cracking through the tears.

"Then perhaps that belief will stick in your mind, so that the next time you are tempted to pull a dangerous stunt, you remember how much you are loved, needed, wanted," Mordo said.

"Yessir... need to remember..." Stephen cried. He didn't want to hear the pain or fear in his brothers' voices. He didn't want to be the cause of their pain or fear.

After a few moments of gentle rubbing, Mordo and Wong resumed the spanking, once more going a bit harder and faster.

"We know you didn't deliberately set out to put yourself in danger," Wong said gently. "But it's important that you consider next time...not only getting spanked, but also that you don't have to do this alone. You aren't alone, brother. You have me and Mordo...you also have the rest of the family. Every one of us would help you and support you the moment it was needed."

"I know... I do... I just... didn't... stop to think about it!" Stephen sobbed. He did know. It was completely foolish of him not to give himself time to think about it.

"Which is why you need to learn to stop and think about it," Mordo said. "No opening portals without our permission. Without one of us there with you."

"E... ever?" Stephen asked, though he knew the answer. He wanted confirmation. It was hard to give up that bit of autonomy, but he also knew he hadn't used it very responsibly, so if they took it away, it was really his own fault.

"Until you prove that you can be responsible," Wong said.

"What if that never happens?" Stephen asked, with a hint of hopelessness. As often as he got into trouble for the very same thing, he wasn't certain he'd ever be responsible enough.

"You don't give yourself enough credit," Mordo said. "You are not the only family member to make mistakes. Not the only family member to make repeated mistakes."

"There is no reason you cannot learn as others have learned," Wong said.

"I want to learn... I do..." Stephen sobbed softly, beginning to get tired, slumping slightly. "I don't want to be like this... hurting and scaring you both...."

"We know," Mordo said quietly.

"You've made mistakes, but you'll learn from them and work on them with our help," Wong said.

The two of them moved Stephen carefully, so that he was no longer over their laps but cuddled tightly on them...in their arms.

"I'll do better... I will..." Stephen promised, cuddling as close to both of them as possible.

"We know you will," Wong said, hugging his brother close. "And we'll be there to help you."

"Every step of the way," Mordo promised, cuddling Stephen close.

It took a few minutes before Stephen was able to calm and by the time he was just quietly sniffling, his throat and eyes were sore, and he was yawning.

Without letting go of their brother, Wong summoned a bottle of water to his hand and Mordo a damp cloth. Together, they began to gently wipe Stephen's face and encourage him to drink.

"You can get changed into the pajamas and then we'll take you to bed," Mordo said softly. Not only would the pajamas be warm and comfortable, but they’d also be soft against Stephen's punished backside...and would allow for easy access if need be.

Stephen obediently drank the water. As soon as the bottle was empty and Mordo was finished washing his face, he carefully stood and began to undress so that he could put on the pajamas. He didn't even think to question the order; he wasn't in the mood to face any of the other family and if his brothers felt debriefing could wait, then he wasn't going to argue.

Once Stephen was fully undressed and wearing the pajamas, Wong and Mordo took an arm each and led him over to the bed. It didn't take long for them to settle in, Stephen held tight between them.

As thoroughly as they'd punished their brother, comfort and taking care of Stephen was just as important to both of them. The pajamas made it easy to raise the flap and his two brothers began to use cooling ointment on Stephen's red, heated bottom and thighs.

Stephen lay on his stomach, bracketed between Mordo and Wong. He let out tiny whimpers and sounds of relief as they spread the ointment on.  "Thank you..." he said, in a small voice. "...I know I deserved to hurt, so it... you helping it not hurt so much... thank you...."

"We'll only ever punish you enough to make sure the lesson sticks," Mordo murmured. "Taking care of you afterwards is just as important as the punishment itself."

"Besides, doing this, being able to take care of you, helps to calm that lingering fear from when we thought you might be lost to us," Wong said.

Stephen swallowed. "Still... it... it makes me feel less scared that I messed up too badly..." he admitted.

"You didn't mess up too badly, Stephen," Mordo replied. "You made a mistake and you've been punished for it."

"And you are not the only one to make similar mistakes," Wong added.

"I know in my head... it's just hard to remember in my feelings..." Stephen said hesitantly, not wanting to upset them.

"That's all right. We'll just help you to remember," Mordo said calmly.

At those words, Stephen relaxed further. He soon fell into a peaceful sleep.

***

Kaine blushed faintly as, just as they arrived into the dining room per Lincoln's instructions, the unmistakable sounds of a family member receiving a spanking could be heard. He looked at America sideways.

America was frowning, head tilted to one side, as she heard the sounds...but couldn't tell exactly what they were. "It sounds like someone's hitting another person," she finally said, a bit hesitantly.

"Not hitting, " Wade said cheerfully. "Well, not the way you think, anyway. Someone did something against family rules and is getting spanked," he announced, without further information. He quickly sat and began to fill his plate. "Thanks, Linc! I'm famished," he declared, before chowing down.

"Yeah. Thought you all might be..." Lincoln smiled in amusement.

By this point, Clint was leading Wanda back out to the table to eat.

America stared at Wade and then around at the other family members who had entered. "You seriously spank each other here?"

"It's a big part of how the family works so well together." Peter P. shrugged and began filling a plate with food, sitting down with his best friend. "And it's pretty much the worst-kept secret here. Stay for any length of time, you're bound to hear it sooner rather than later."

"I already told you. I can't stay. I can't control my powers. I could be here one minute...the next, gone. Just like that." America snapped her fingers, then sat down on one of the chairs and grabbed some sandwiches, beginning to eat like she was starving and hadn't eaten for days. Or was just a hungry, growing teenager.

"I could help you learn control," Wanda offered hesitantly...not because she was reluctant, but because she wanted to give her father a chance to veto it if he thought it was necessary.

America glanced towards the older woman. "You know what it's like to not have full control?"

Wanda nodded, a slightly pensive look coming over her face. "And to have people hate and fear me, think I'm a monster, because of what I could do," she said quietly. "My papa helped me learn better control when I lost it and accidentally gave some of my family nightmares."

Clint nodded. "I think you'll find that there are a lot of people here that can help you learn control. And believe it or not, I think you've been learning on your own too. You're still here, after all."

"I shift if I'm in danger or scared," America said. "So far, this place feels safe." She looked away, down at her plate. "It's not just me, either. I've sent...other people into dimensions. And never been able to find them again."

"It's easier to lash out when you're scared or in danger," Wanda said quietly. "But maybe you have more control than you think you do. Maybe you think you ended up here by chance, but out of all of the dimensions you could have ended up in... you found the one that had made contact with the dimension you'd come from."

"And you didn't immediately pop away, even though you could have gotten nervous around all of us!" Kaine added.

Clint nodded. "You've been braver than you think. But Wanda is right. She could help you learn better control; and so could others in this family. I think if you want to stay- and since you feel safe- staying is more in your hands than you think."

"Yeah? And what if I choose to stay and then wind-up shifting cause I get scared by something?" America replied. "It's not like anyone can come after me."

"Really depends on where you shift to. We're one of the dimensions that is aware of other dimensions, and we've been studying how they are interconnected. As long as you land in an area where even some of us exist, you just find us and chances are our counterparts will be willing to help. But I don't see why you'd get scared and just take off..." Clint said. "One of the things we'd teach you is how to control your fear."

"Kaine said that you all have rules to follow...and given the sounds I just heard, seems you're pretty hands-on with consequences for those rules," America said. "I haven't had or needed anyone telling me what to do. Not in a long time. Besides," she added, "not all versions of you are the same across different dimensions. First Stephen Strange I met, I thought he was my friend. But he was prepared to take my power from me, even knowing it would kill me."

Clint nodded. "That's true. But kid, if you are afraid to get close to people and give them a chance because you might 'get scared' and pop yourself away into another dimension, you're going to lead a very lonely life. And if we can help you learn to control it so that you don't jump dimensions unless you choose to? That seems like something worth working toward." He paused. "As for consequences and family rules; yeah, you aren't used to being accountable to anyone. But the rules are simple: don't do anything unnecessarily dangerous that might take you away from the family. Don't lie. Don't just disappear without at least informing the person in charge of you that you are planning to go somewhere. Most things are common sense and the considerate thing to do in a family."

America mulled that over in silence for a while, eating some more of the soup and sandwiches. She really was very hungry. "I was only a little kid when I first found what I could do and my powers activated in the worst possible way. I sent my mothers into another dimension." She swallowed hard, forcing down the grief and guilt that still lingered not even that deep beneath the surface. "You might think it's common sense, but I don't know how to be in a family. I don't have the first clue how to react. What to do. Because I've never been a part of a family since the first time I used my abilities."

"You don't have to know how to react. You just have to understand the very few rules we have in place and do your best to follow them. The rest? You learn. Just like every other lost waif that's been adopted into this family, yours truly included. Not a one of us started out knowing how to be in a family. But we've learned. And you're smart. I'm certain you'll figure it out too." Clint smiled faintly.

"Uh-uh. Well, no one's adopted me anyway." America shrugged. She'd allowed herself to grow attached to the other Stephen Strange, but he'd made it quite clear he didn't want her with him. Not that he'd said it outright...but his actions had made that more than clear.

"Given the speed with which this family gets attached and adopts, I wouldn't be surprised if you made a connection and were asked to join one of the families within a week..." Wade snorted, having been listening in to the conversation intently.

Clint narrowed his eyes. "I know you are basing a lot of your opinions on the relationship you had with the two different Stephen's... but that's not terribly fair; to them, to us... or especially to you, since you are holding yourself back from something that I think would be very beneficial to you." He slanted his head. "You said the one tried to take your power, even though he knew it would kill you. Was it for selfish reasons, or because he honestly thought it was you or the entire multi-verse? One life verses many? Even though he was wrong about it, if he thought that was his only option, then his choice was less about wanting you and more to do with the end of life entirely.  As for the other Stephen, it was clear he felt out of his element. I don't think his reluctance to take you on had anything to do with you and was more to do with his own confidence in himself." He shrugged. "I know it doesn't make it hurt less or suck less, but maybe understanding that it wasn't you so much as the situation or themselves....can help you realize that you aren't going to get the same reaction from every person you meet."

America just shrugged and continued eating. She didn't say anything to Clint's observations. Even though she knew they were true, like he said...it didn't make any difference to how she felt. "I want to sleep in one of the tree houses tonight," she said abruptly. She didn't say that doing so would allow her to feel closer to her own home dimension...to the memory of her mothers, or that sleeping inside the compound with so many people was a daunting prospect...but those thoughts were on her mind.

Peter P. cocked his head to one side and then commented, "Maybe a few of us could sleep out there. There's enough tree houses that we could have one each, if we all wanted privacy." Really, he meant 'if America wants privacy'. After all, it was far from unusual for even the adult children to share a bed with their parent.

"Don't see why that can't be an option. As long as you all keep a radio with you so that you can contact us through Friday if something goes wrong..." Tony said. He'd seen the look on Harry's face and knew his son wanted to sleep outside and get to know their potential new cousin.

"Of course, Uncle Tony!" Peter P. replied immediately. "Wouldn't dream of doing otherwise!" He turned to America. "We have plenty of spare pajamas for family members to use. You just need to decide what color you want."

"Spare pajamas?" America repeated, with a confused look on her face. "Like a uniform? I've never been in a dimension that had pajamas as uniform."

"You might want to show her the pajamas and then give her an alternative option, just in case she doesn't want the family version..." Clint mildly suggested. After her seeming reluctance to believe she'd ever be part of the family, as well as her seeming unease about spanking (although he wasn't sure if it was the spanking that made her uneasy, or the idea that she'd ever answer to anyone), he thought making it clear she wasn't going to be forced into anything would be a good idea.

"Yeah, okay." Peter P. nodded. Noticing that America had finished what was on her plate and wasn't reaching for any more, he said, "If you're finished, maybe Kaine can show you the pajamas? Me and Harry'll make sure everything we need's in the tree houses. Like snacks and drinks and radios."

America nodded, but she glanced sideways at Kaine. He seemed eager to get to know her, but after already being rejected...she didn't want to pin her hopes on anyone.

Kaine smiled shyly. "Extra pajamas are in the storeroom. Come with me!" He quickly stood and began to lead her to a hall closet.

As America followed Kaine out of the dining hall, she passed Riktor, who was following Laura into the room, Laura having decided she was hungry...and one of her best friends deciding to accompany her.

While Laura went over to the table to help herself to sandwiches and soup, Riktor glanced back over his shoulder, eyes tracking America until she was out of sight. Unlike Charles and Jean, he didn't really keep what he 'heard' hidden...especially not when he felt clueing others in would be beneficial. "She needs to belong somewhere. She needs to believe someone wants her." With those words spoken, and it not being clear exactly who he was talking to, he joined Laura at the table.

Clint frowned. He'd been trying to help her realize she could belong without forcing her into a situation she wasn't ready for or wanting. Did he just need to tell her he was adopting her and not leave it open for debate? How else could he convince her she was wanted? Telling her obviously hadn't done it.

Laura glanced at Riktor's face. She couldn't read minds, but she thought she knew what America might be thinking. She finally spoke quietly. "It's hard to believe you can be wanted after being rejected so many times." It wasn't quite the same with her and her father. She hadn't been rejected by others...only by her father, who had finally accepted her. But even now, she had trouble believing it.

Riktor wrapped his arm around his cousin's waist and hugged her, briefly, before he responded to the thoughts he could feel from Clint. "You didn't tell her you wanted her."

"Well... there is that..." Clint said, with a huff. "I was leaving it open so she could find who she fit better with. I didn't want to unduly pressure her. And pretty much anyone in the family would or will want her; she's a good kid. But I guess saying everyone would want you isn't the same as specifically saying I want you."  He looked at Wanda and Pietro. "What do you think? Think you'd be up for a little sister?"

"I can understand what she's gone through," Wanda said quietly. "I had Pietro, but...no one understood my powers. No one helped me learn control. Not until you, Papa." She leaned on her father. "I think she needs you the same way I do."

"Seems like there's a spare room where she'll fit right in too, Pop." Pietro voiced his own support for the idea.

"Yeah. Well... if you think she'll fit best in our little family, then I'll make the offer to her. I don't want to wait for her to feel comfortable and know what she wants, if waiting makes her feel like she isn't wanted," Clint said, with a sigh. "I'm not really good at this. You and Pietro kinda fell into my lap. It was easy to know I was best for you. I hope I'm what is best for her; I don't want to hurt her more than she obviously already is..." he whispered.

"I don't think wanting her will hurt her," Wanda said softly. "And...if you let her know you want her, she'll be more likely to stay. To want to stay. Because she'll feel like she has family again."

"Yeah. You're probably right. Still feels like I'm rushing her into making an important life decision before she's really had a chance to get to know anyone, but with her ability to just jump dimensions under highly stressful circumstances, probably better to rush her and ensure she doesn't disappear on us." Clint smiled crookedly. "Even for this family, this is kind of fast. We didn't even work on a mission together." He chuckled softly.

"Yeah, but it wouldn't be rushing her, Pop," Pietro said. "You could say that we want her in our family and then leave it up to her. She can make the ultimate decision...you're just saying that she has a family to belong to if she wants one."

"Leaving it to her or not, it's still rushing..." Clint smiled fondly at his son. "But better to rush than to miss out on our chance. And if she turns us down, it at least lets her know she is wanted."

"I think...knowing she is wanted will help her feel better," Wanda said quietly. "She was obviously hurt that neither Stephen responded to her need for family. And I think she must need it. If she didn't, she wouldn't have agreed to stay here."

"Yeah. She didn't really interact with our Stephen enough for him to react much at all. But I'm kinda glad the other one didn't try and keep her with him. I think she's much better off here," Clint said firmly. He glanced around at the other family members who were still eating. He, Wanda and Pietro had been talking quietly, so even if some of them overheard, they didn't say anything.

Peter P. finished his plate of food and quickly stood up, glancing towards Riktor and Laura. "We're spending the night in the tree village. If your parents say it's okay, maybe you can come too," he suggested.

Laura cocked her head to one side, then glanced at Riktor. She knew her best friend still held himself aloof, even from Jean and Scott, who had pretty much taken him in. Even if it would be easy for Riktor to make contact with Jean to ask...she knew he wasn't as likely to seek permission, too used to being the one 'in charge' and 'in control'.

"I will ask Dad," Laura said quietly. Because if she asked Logan...he could check with Jean and Scott. And Laura wouldn't be in the position of having to pick her best friend's side over his parents'...or vice versa.

"When you do that, check with Kaine to make certain he's actually asked his dad..." Clint called out, before she could leave. "And if you could, please have America meet me in the office area?"

Standing, he looked at Wanda and Pietro. "If I'm not waiting, then I'm not waiting even a day. I'll catch up with both of you after I've gotten you a new sister..." He smiled, turning to go find Matt for papers to make it legal.

Laura didn't respond verbally, but as she slipped out of the room, she met Kaine and America, passing on the message to both of them before checking with Friday where her father was and heading in that direction.

A mystified look on her face, America turned to Kaine. "Where is the office area?"

"It's this way!" Kaine eagerly showed her to the office before heading to look for his own father. "I'll meet you back here to go to the treehouse together!" he promised, before disappearing down the hallway.

Clint, meanwhile, had found Matt and the two of them arrived at the office together. "It won't take me long to fill in the information. I probably need to make legal documents for her so she can easily get around in this dimension anyway," Matt commented. Booting up his computer, he asked America the needed questions so he could fill out the adoption papers and print them out.

While Matt was doing that, Clint quickly explained, "I want to adopt you. Make you part of my family so that, no matter what happens, you have a home where you belong. And, once we train you completely, that you can return to at any time you want, even if you accidently hop."

Surprised, America glanced at Clint, studying his face. "You want to...adopt me?" she repeated uncertainly. "Like...my dad kind of adopting? Even though you already have kids? And I just showed up out of the blue and...?" She swallowed hard. The tone of her voice...the look on her face...this was a child who'd raised herself. Who'd been alone for most of her life. It didn't matter that she was used to it...being alone had taken a massive toll on her, so much so that she'd been willing to grab onto the first adult who'd expressed any interest in her. "Okay." She was nodding rapidly, tears in her eyes as she thought...she didn't need to be alone anymore. "I want to...I want to belong. I want a family."

"Good... that's good. Because we want you in our family." Clint's voice was firm, and his smile was genuine. Hidden deep inside, where she wouldn't be able to tell, he was frantically thinking and rethinking, hoping he wasn't making a mistake... not because he didn't want to give her a home, but because he wasn't entirely certain he was the best one to be a parent to her.

America wiped quickly at her eyes, pushing the moisture away, before giving Clint a trembling but bright smile. "Do I need to sign anything?"

"You need to sign here," Matt gently interrupted, handing her a pen and the papers, pointing to the spot that needed her signature. As soon as she'd signed, Clint quickly signed.

"I'll file the paperwork tomorrow. I'll also begin working on legal papers like a birth certificate, passport, social security..." Matt carefully put the signed papers in his briefcase. "Congratulations. Welcome to the family!"

Clint wrapped an arm around her shoulder, gently hugging her to his side. "Did Kaine let you pick out pajamas? I can walk you to your room so you can change and then you can meet up with him to go to the treehouse."

America automatically leaned into Clint, clearly much more calm and settled now that she felt like she belonged...that she was wanted. "He did." She wrinkled her nose slightly. "Do all of them have that little flap on? Even the ones for the parents?"

"Yeah. Yeah, they do." Clint's voice was amused. "You'll find they are very comfortable. Although you and the others may want to consider taking a change with you in case it is warm outside. They were really meant for winter or air conditioning."

"I only have the clothes I arrived here in." America shrugged. "I need to get my hands on a couple of changes."

"You're about the same size as some of the other women. I'm sure they'll let you borrow some items." Clint glanced around.  "Skye! Do you have any clothes America can borrow until I can take her shopping tomorrow?" He snagged his cousin on her way to the family room.

"Yeah. Give me a few minutes and I'll be back." Skye quickly headed to her own room, gathering up a selection of clothes that she brought back to America. "Here you go."

"Thanks." America took the clothes.

"Thanks, Skye." Clint smiled. "Now... let's go find Kaine so he can take you back to the treehouse. I know he was looking forward to it. I hope you are..." he added, just in case she didn't really want to go.

"It's been a long time since I felt safe enough to sleep in a tree house," America admitted. "And this is the only dimension that I've ever seen people build an entire tree village. How'd it come about anyway?" she asked curiously.

Clint wrinkled his nose thoughtfully. "Kara, have you met her yet? She... she has moments when she needs to act very young in order to cope with things that were done to her by some very bad people. She likes climbing trees. Somehow, that translated into a treehouse, and it just mushroomed from there."

"Here is your room. You can come here if you ever need a little space. Otherwise, my door is here and there is another door that joins our two rooms, so whenever you need me..." He smiled before adding, "As soon as you feel ready, I'll take you back to join Kaine."

"Uh...maybe I met her?" America frowned. "There were an awful lot of people when I first got here." She disappeared into the room she'd been given, changing quickly, and bundling up one of the changes of clothes in case she needed it. Moments later, she was stepping back out. "I'm ready now."

Clint smiled and began to lead her back to where he knew Kaine was waiting. "Remember, if anything goes wrong, you radio Friday for help," he said sternly to both teenagers, as he left her with her cousin.

"Yessir!" Kaine quickly agreed. "Anything at all! I already promised Dad... do you want me to promise you too?" he asked earnestly.

Clint chuckled. "Naw, kid. If you promised your dad, that's enough for me."

America nodded quickly in acknowledgement to Clint's words. "Night, Dad. See you in the morning." She turned expectantly to Kaine, waiting for him to lead the way.

Kaine grinned and led her back outside to join the other younger family members.