Seven • Reflection
The air was silent as the clouds of dust disappeared into the night sky. Juno could feel her heart thudding as the sorcerers let down their magical shields, like a collective sigh of relief.
Stephen watched as a chain of bright orange portals began to materialise around the perimeter, his comrades disappearing through them into the bright, sun-drenched landscape of Kathmandu. Then suddenly, the already silent scene fell even quieter, the only sound coming from the footsteps of the avengers as they gathered together.
"Is that it?" asked Peter as his mask dematerialised to reveal his flustered face.
"That's it," Stephen replied as he approached them.
"Wow... Awesome."
He gave a nod. "Thank you all for your help."
"Just glad it's over," said Wanda.
"And no one got hurt," said Rhodey as he looked at Juno. "For once."
She rolled her eyes.
"Myself and the other masters will keep watch for more occurrences. In the meantime, if you guys come across any more changed ones-"
"We'll know who to call," said Bruce.
They said their goodbyes and Stephen began to walk away. Juno followed, but stopped when she heard Sam call out behind them.
"Wait." He looked at her. "Can I talk to you?"
She pivoted slowly on her heels and approached him tentatively.
"I just wanna say... thanks," he said. "For saving our asses."
"Multiple times," she added.
He pressed his lips together and nodded, the slightest laugh escaping through his nose. "Yeah. Multiple times. I guess I'm sorry for being so hard on you."
The others shared an awkward glance and backed away, leaving the two of them alone as they talked.
"I take this job - if you can call it a job - seriously," he continued. "Maybe too seriously. After all, I got some big shoes to fill." He looked down at the shield on his arm.
"Cap?"
"Yeah." he laughed.
"It's cool," she said. "I haven't exactly made it easy for you guys to trust me."
"Well now I do. We all do."
"Good."
The rest of the group stood nearby, preparing to board the small aircraft that sat on the edge of the grounds. Stephen stood with them, staring over at Juno and Sam, eyes narrowed as he tried to figure out what they were saying.
"So are you two like... a thing?" asked Scott casually, as if they were in a bar or at a party.
He snapped his head around quickly. "No...?"
"But aren't you guys soulmates or something?"
"I guess in another reality, you could say so. If you believe in that kind of thing," he said cynically, turning his attention back to the pair.
"You don't believe in soulmates?" asked Hope.
"I believe in the soul. Soul connections, I'm yet to see evidence of."
"But weren't you supposed to be together in this realty too?" asked Peter.
He huffed and turned back to them. "Yeah."
"Sounds pretty soulmatey to me," Rhodey added.
Stephen rolled his eyes. "Sure. But instead I became this, and she became... that." He gestured over to her, his hard face softening suddenly as he watched her laughing with Sam.
"So you really never..." Scott pressed. "Y'know..."
Hope rolled her eyes and hit him gently in the stomach.
"After I first saved her, things were intense," said Stephen, a hint of frustration in his voice, a reluctance to talk about it. "Feelings were had, words exchanged, there were a few... nights spent together. But she wasn't the way she is now; she was fragile, volatile, vulnerable. I was keeping her locked away in a room, not letting her leave - being with her in that way, it felt like I was taking advantage. So I stopped it."
"What about now?" asked Bruce.
"I'm a sorcerer. None of my predecessors ever had a companion, so how could I? Love would be a distraction, and I can't be an effective protector of this world if I'm distracted."
"It's not always a distraction," said Wanda softly. "Sometimes it's a motivator."
He looked down at her, their eyes meeting in a blend of sadness and understanding, as if there were a weight to her words far heavier than the others could feel. But he could feel it.
"Alright," he said, snapping out of his gaze and shaking his head. "I don't know how this became a six against one therapy session, but I'm very uncomfortable so I'm gonna go now."
He began walking across the uneven gravel when the screeching of wheels invaded the quiet. Everyone turned, backs a little straighter, fists closed a little tighter, until a swarm of cars and vans pulled up next to them.
"Stephen..." said Juno nervously.
"Get behind us and don't talk," he replied as he and Sam stood in front of her.
She peered over his shoulder at the writing on the vans. "'SWORD'," she said. "They're the guys who came after me the last time, right?"
"I said don't talk."
The rest of the team gathered around her too, shielding her from view as a group of officials climbed out of their vehicles and walked towards them.
"The threat has been neutralised," said Rhodey. "We dealt with it, it's over."
"Excellent," said a tall man in a clean, black suit. "Then I guess there's no need for us to intervene."
"I could use my powers to make them go away," Juno whispered.
"Shush," Stephen whispered back.
"And it looks like this was a wasted trip," the man continued. "Nevertheless, thank you, as always, for your service, Avengers."
He began to walk away. But suddenly, he stopped and looked back. "Oh, I thought you all might like to know that there were no mutations found in the subjects you brought to us. They're just plain old human," he said. "Whatever you did to remove their powers, Miss Wolfe, it was very effective."
Juno furrowed her brow, placing a hand on Stephen's arm and moving him aside so she could step forward. "You knew that was me?"
"Of course. The subjects told us everything, it was pretty easy to figure out that they were talking about you."
"And?"
"And what? You did us a favour."
She looked up at Stephen in confusion, but his face was calm.
"So that's it? You're not concerned about... me, this?" She gestured to the back of her neck.
"The infinity stones were returned to their rightful places in history. They don't exist here anymore. Except yours. One stone is manageable in the right hands."
She glanced down at the eye around stephen's neck, her brows furrowing slightly, but she stayed quiet.
"And honestly," the man continued. "The last owner of the mind stone was made of vibranium. We're quite interested to see how it'll play out inside a biological host."
"So that's it?"
"We'll be keeping an eye on you, Miss Wolfe. I'm sure you'll be an asset to your team here." He gave a slight smile before returning to his car.
The group seemed to relax in unison, but she remained still, playing the conversation over and over again in her mind as the others said their goodbyes and filed onto the aircraft.
It raised from the ground with a strong gust of wind that sent a cloud of dirt into the air, blowing her hair across her face and sending a chill down her back. But still, she didn't move, until she felt a hand on her shoulder.
"Let's go," said Stephen.
She nodded and began to walk with him, the pair strolling side-by-side across the empty grounds.
"Well that was odd," she said.
"What was?"
"How they never mentioned the fact that I'm technically a fugitive. It was like they didn't even know who I was."
"They knew who you were. They just didn't seem to care."
"But wasn't that the point of you hiding me away in Kamar Taj all this time? Because they'd come looking for me if they knew I was alive?"
"I guess since you saved everyone, you're off the hook."
"Maybe..." She wasn't convinced, glancing over her shoulder as they walked. "Do you not feel like this has all been... too easy?"
"What has?"
"Everything. The changed ones, Spencer, the succubus, SWORD. It just feels like everything worked out kinda perfectly."
"I guess sometimes it just does." He shrugged. "The more you do this job, the more you'll learn that not everything has this big, explosive conclusion. Sometimes things really are just... easy."
"Yeah, I guess." She allowed herself to relax, smiling as she looked up at him. "So when you say 'the more I do this job'..."
"Well it sounds like you're part of the A-squad now," he said sarcastically, making finger guns and pretending to shoot them into the air as he spoke.
"Mm, I don't know if I'd call myself an Avenger. Plus, I think duos are more effective, y'know, Thelma and Louise, Bonnie and Clyde-"
"They're all criminals..."
"So am I." She shrugged. "Or at least I thought I was until tonight."
He chuckled. "So who's the other half of your duo?"
She smirked slightly. "Maybe Wanda has an opening."
"Mm, good choice."
"Or you. After all, we are the Stranges."
He dropped his head and laughed. "Even in our other life, I highly doubt I'd have let you call us that."
"When have you ever let me do anything?"
They walked to the edge of the site where the factory had once stood. It was cold, the events of the night like a distant whisper. Juno stopped and folded her arms across her chest, looking up at him as he turned to face her.
"Stephen-"
"Listen-"
They stopped and began to laugh.
"Go ahead," said Juno.
"I was just going to say... there's a place at the sanctum for you, always. Even now this is over."
"That wasn't what you were going to say."
"Get out of my head."
She smiled.
"Okay, what I was actually going to say is that I appreciate you being so patient all this time. I know you haven't always agreed with my decisions to keep you-"
"Hostage?"
"I was actually thinking more along the lines of safe." He rolled his eyes. "You don't need my protection, Juno, you never have. But that doesn't mean I don't still feel the need to."
"I blame the universe for that."
He dropped his head and smiled. "Y'know, I've seen all facets of space and time and yet still I find the idea of soulmates a little far fetched. But I gotta admit, I kind of understand why you're supposed to be mine."
"That is... uncharacteristically sweet."
"Yeah I know." He grimaced. "What were you going to say?"
"Oh, I don't know. Nothing important."
*
She was in a dark room. Bare feet on cold tiles but she couldn't see the floor. She couldn't see anything. A familiar voice began to hum softly, but it was far away, yet somehow all around her at the same time.
A small fleck of light appeared ahead of her, like a lantern at the end of a dark hallway. She stepped towards it slowly, the humming growing louder until she could see that the light was shining gently through a pane of glass.
She got closer, each step bringing into view the scene on the other side. She narrowed her eyes, watching as a figure passed by; a woman, wandering around a bathroom in her underwear, hair wrapped up in a towel, humming to herself.
"Hello?" said Juno, her voice leaving in a broken whisper.
The woman fell silent, her back straightening as she looked around the room. "Hello?"
"Am I dreaming again?"
She watched as the woman turned towards her, eyes fixed in her direction. But she wasn't looking at her, she was looking through her, as if the glass between them was a one-way mirror.
Juno let out a soft gasp as she finally laid eyes on the face before her. It was her face. But she was different; brighter, somehow, with deep, forest green eyes. Eyes she knew she once had but could barely remember. She placed a hand on the glass, staring at herself as she brought her hand up too, their palms fitting perfectly, faces leaning closer, until suddenly, she watched herself jump back in fright.
Juno stayed put on the other side of the glass, as if she were watching a movie play out in front of her. "You saw me," she muttered to herself. "This can't be a memory."
The bathroom door opened and her breath hitched as Stephen walked through it; plain clothes, clean-shaven, gentle features.
"You okay?" he asked as the other Juno sat on the edge of the bathtub.
"Yeah," she sighed. "Yeah I'm fine, I just... freaked myself out."
"I think you need sleep," he said, reaching out his hand and bringing her to her feet.
"Understatement."
A smile curled the corner of his mouth, making lines form in his cheeks and crease around his eyes. He wrapped his arms around her and leaned down, their lips meeting in a comfortable, loving kiss.
Juno's hands fell to her sides as she stood behind the glass, a hard painful lump swelling in her throat as she watched Stephen lead her out of the room, switching off the light and plummeting her back into the cold, lonely dark.
Then she woke. And although she knew it had been a dream, her eyes will still teary, her throat still sore when she tried to swallow.
She sat in bed for a while, staring at the sun rays pouring through the window casting a shimmering light across the gold fixtures in the room. The sanctum was so big, so empty that it always seemed quiet. Even though she knew there were other people somewhere within its walls, it didn't stop her from feeling alone.
She was so tired of feeling alone.
*
Like most days, Stephen was sat alone in the dark, extensive library of Kamar Taj, books splayed out on the table before him as he read through their ancient texts. He raised his head as the large, heavy door opened, smiling when he saw Juno step through it.
"Hey," he said.
"Hi," she replied as she walked across the room and joined him at the table. "What are you doing?"
He shook his head. "Just some light reading."
"Light?"
He looked down at the thick, heavy book in front of him and breathed out a laugh before closing it with a thud. "I didn't expect to see you back here for a while. Thought you were sick of the place."
"I like it more now that I'm not stuck here."
He smiled. But she didn't smile back. He leaned forward slightly, eyes darting across her solemn face.
"What's wrong?" he said. "I thought you'd be on cloud nine after last night."
She sighed. "I just- I waited so long for all of this to be over, and now that it is, I don't know what to do with myself."
"You could stay here, continue your training."
"God no. I trained for two years and could barely make a spark."
"You just have to learn to open your mind to it."
"That's the problem," she laughed. "I think this mind is better kept shut."
They sat in silence for a moment as a pair of trainee sorcerers entered the library, walking past their table and disappearing within the tall, deep maze of shelves.
"I had another dream last night," said Juno quietly.
"Another memory?"
"It felt like a memory, but it was different than the others."
"How so?"
"It was like I was looking in on another version of myself. Like it wasn't my moment to remember."
"But you were there?"
"Yeah. So were you."
He raised an eyebrow and she rolled her eyes.
"Not that kind of dream, Stephen."
He cleared his throat, shaking away the thought. "Well what was it then?"
"We were just... normal, happy, no glowing eyes or long cloaks." She rested her chin on her fist. "Is it possible to remember things from another reality?"
He took a deep inhale as he thought for a moment. "I wouldn't think so, unless you've been there. But then again, you have the powers of the mind stone. Who knows what you're really capable of."
She thought for a while, looking around the room as Stephen watched her quietly.
"I think that's what I'm going to do," she finally said.
"What?"
"Find out what I'm really capable of."