#strangelolly

Chapter 2 One-Shot: Secret Identity

The news devastated her. He was gifted and now the gift was gone. She entered the room; grateful Doctor Palmer was not there for the moment, and he was asleep. It would have been awkward to explain her visit. She placed the flowers on the table, and turned to find him awake. She stepped back and clasped her hands tightly together. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to disturb you.”

He didn’t say a word, just stared. She motioned towards the flowers and stepped away. “I just brought these to give the room a bit of light. I’ll…I’ll leave you alone,” she remarked, bowing her head, and hurried out the room.

It was weeks later when she heard he had been discharged and it didn’t take long for the rumors to start again that he was spending money like nothing in order to fix his hands. She pitied his useless endeavors.

Slipping a note under his door, she turned to leave only to hear the door open behind her. She whirled and caught his eyes. He never said a word as he watched her, holding the piece of paper in his shaking hand.

She shrugged. “They helped me,” she responded, turning to quickly leave him in the doorway.

Later, she heard he disappeared to where no one knew, but she did. She secretly smiled because she knew he went to Kamar Taj.

It was weeks until she heard he was back and when a body rolled into the morgue, she gasped. Covering her mouth, she studied the body before her. The woman lying before was the one who helped her overcome her pain. She had been kind and understanding. She let Molly’s secret be unknown to the others, and helped her learn what she needed to survive in the world.

The doors opened and she raised her eyes to find him standing just inside the room. She stepped back, recognizing the pain in his eyes. Quickly turning, she hid her own pain. She made to leave him alone with The Ancient One.

“Stay, please.”

She froze, slowly turning to find him watching her as he moved softly towards her. She opened her mouth, but quickly closed it as her eyes traveled back to the body on the gurney.

“You knew her well.”

A statement, not exactly a question, but one Molly acknowledged. “I did.”

“Did you know everything?”

Her eyes raised, catching his. “Everything?”

His eyes were pleading. Needing answers, and suddenly she knew what he was asking. Nodding, she gave the answer he needed.

“Did you read the book?”

She shook her head. “She told me.”

His brow raised before smirking. “She said she wasn’t proud of using power from the dark dimension.”

“She wasn’t.” Molly approached the gurney and placed her hands on her friend’s shoulder. “It was her one big regret.”

“Why did she tell you?”

“We all have secrets, Doctor,” she answered, solemnly. “She knew mine and I knew hers. It was a bond.”

“You knew what Kamar Taj meant, didn’t you?”

“I knew it was a healing place. Spiritually and physically,” she answered, calmly. “I see you found your true place in the world.”

He smirked. “You knew I would become this.”

“I suspected. I didn’t know for sure.”

She turned away, but heard him call her name. She glanced over her shoulder and waited. He approached, staring down into her eyes. “Thank you.”

She nodded. “You’re welcome, Doctor.”

He turned, passing one final glance to their mentor, and started towards the door.

Molly called out to him before he left. As he turned, she pointed to the Eye around his neck. “Use that stone carefully, it’s more powerful than you think.”

He nodded, and left her alone.

Last update of the night! I’m having quite a bit of fun with this fic, so there may be a few more updates before I put it aside for WIPBB (especially if @strangelock221b keeps asking for updates on a regular basis).

The Forgotten Wife - Fifteen years ago, to fulfill the dying wish of someone who inspired him, Stephen Strange married Molly Hooper on a whim. And then life happened. A life full of many different things for both of them. But when Molly turns up at the Sanctum Santorum demanding an annulment so she can marry her fiancee, it presents an entire situation where neither of them have any idea how to approach a marriage that they aren't sure they want to end as they get to know each other better.

READ CHAPTER 1 | READ CHAPTER 5 | HELP ME SURVIVE? | COMMISSION ME? | BUY ME A KOFI?

The next morning he got up early and made his usual rounds trying to make sure everything was fine in the universe, as well as trying to track Mordo’s movements, and when he was done he went to get something to eat, surprised to find Wong and Molly already awake and eating. “You know, if there’s anything from home you want while you’re here, we can get it,” Stephen said. “There’s stores here that stock British delicacies.”

“Oooh, I might take you up on that,” she said. “Not that I don’t mind American food, but some of it is baffling. I wanted to have tea with a biscuit to dunk in it last night, and then I realized all you have are cookies.”

“My sweet tooth,” Wong said.

“Well, I do like cookies. I’m quite a good baker, at least with the recipes and measurements I use back home,” she replied, watching Wong’s eyes light up with a smile. “Have you had chocolate chip scones before, Wong?”

“No, but I look forward to trying any you might make.”

“If you want to cook or bake, I’m sure we can accommodate that,” Stephen said. “I know you always did like puttering around in the kitchen with our moms.”

“Yes, well, I think I remember the recipe for the strawberry rhubarb cake your mum taught me. Honestly, there’s not much call for it back home, but I think I’d have everything here.”

This time it was Stephen’s eyes that changed, and he realized he had a fond smile on his face. “If you could, I’d like that.”

“Of course I can try and make it, Stephen,” she said, going over to him. “I suppose it can be repayment for putting you through the trouble of a divorce.”

“My mom would have loved this,” he said with a slight chuckle. “She would have told me that the one truly rash decision I ever made would come back to bite me, but it would all work out in the end.”

“I hope it will,” she said. “Then we can prove your mum right.” She patted his hand and then stopped. “I never even thought to ask if you mind me doing that.”

“I don’t mind,” he said. “Most people take one look at the scars and just avoid touching my hands.”

“I think the scars are meaningful,” she replied. “They show you went through tremendous difficulty in life, and even though things aren’t perfect, in some ways they’re better. You did a lot of good as a doctor, but I suppose you do even more good as a superhero.” She patted his hand again and then smiled at him when she let go. “I’ll work on putting together a list of ingredients I need since I’m done with everything except my coffee.”

“I love cherries, too,” Wong piped up.

She laughed softly at that. “I make an excellent cordial cherry cookie if I can find the cordial cherries, and a decent cherry pie as well. I’ll add ingredients for both to the list.” She gave the two men a wave and then headed out of the kitchen.

“You could have picked worse for a wife to be stuck with,” Wong said. “She would do you good if you didn’t need to end the relationship.”

“You think so?” Stephen asked, getting himself some coffee.

Wong nodded. “I do. Molly is a good woman, and I think that when you aren’t saving the world, the love of a good woman is just what you need.” Wong got up and as he walked by he clapped Stephen on the shoulder. “It’s too late with Christine. Maybe not with your wife.” And then he left, leaving Stephen to stew in his thoughts of what to do next...and whether to try his hardest to get the divorce after all, if he could convince her to give them a chance.

If she even wanted to. After all, she had the fiancee waiting in the wings.

Thanks!

Poetic

“I’m home,” Molly called out as she walkedinto her flat. The lights were on so she knew Stephen was in.

“Kitchen,” he called out.

She followed a mouth-watering smell to findher boyfriend of over a year taking two slices of “New York’s finest” pizzafrom a box and putting them on plates. Equally mouth-watering was how good helooked in just jeans and a t-shirt.

“Hi,” she said, grinning. “Long day?”

He looked up at her and grinned back. “Notanymore. I know our date’s not ‘til Saturday but there was a horde of giantsandworms from another dimension, I had to chase down another lead on Mordo,and Stark won’t stop with the Epic Facial Hair Bros nonsense.” He rolled hiseyes. Stephen often popped in when he needed to get away from everything.

Molly giggled. “Please, you love being anAvenger. C’mon.” She poured them each a glass of wine and they sat down on thesitting room sofa with their dinner. “Was the Mordo lead a good one?”

“Undetermined,” he muttered. “There was atrace of his magic in the spot he had been seen, but there’s no way of knowingwhere he went.”

“You’ll find him,” she said confidently. “Orhe’ll find you.”

Stephen nodded. “You’ve met Wong and all theAvengers. Promise me that if anyone else comes to you claiming I sent them,you’ll do whatever it takes to get away.”

He sounded so worried that she reached out totake his hand to reassure him. “I promise. After being Sherlock Holmes’ friendall these years, I know how to protect myself. Failing that, I know what to doif someone does kidnap me – be quiet, be aware, make them underestimate me, thenwait for any opportunity to fight or flee.”

Stephen chuckled. “I should’ve known Holmeswould teach you.”

“Actually, that last came from his nowsister-in-law.”

“Anthea, right?”

“Yeah.” She took a bite of her pizza thensipped her wine. “And you don’t need a bad day to come see me. The portal’salways open, so to speak.”

He grinned at her. “Actually, I did have oneother reason.” A thick hardcover book appeared in his hand, the coverproclaiming it a book of poetry. “I found this in a bookshop a block from theSanctum. I know how much you love poetry, so…”

Molly squealed in delight. “Oh, Stephen,thank you!” She took the book, checked the index in the back for her favoritepoem, then flipped to about halfway through the book before she started readingMatthew Arnold’s “Longing” aloud.

Cometo me in my dreams, and then

Byday, I shall be well again!

Forthen the night will more than pay

Thehopeless longing of the day.

The poem continued on the next page but whenshe turned the page, she gasped. The second stanza was there, just as sheexpected:

Come,as thou cam’st a thousand times,

Amessenger from radiant climes,

Andsmile on thy new world, and be

Askind to others as to me!

But somehow, a diamond ring was hanging fromthe g in “messenger.” She knew the only possible explanation was magic. Withsuddenly trembling fingers, she pulled the ring off its tiny hook and theletter went back to being ordinary print. The ring had a round clear diamondwith smaller round yellow diamonds on each side.

“Oh, Stephen,” Molly whispered, awed.

“A ring like that comes with a question,Molly,” he murmured, reaching out to tuck a stray strand of her hair behind herear. “Before you answer, I want you to seriously consider-”

“Yes,” she said quickly, cutting him off. “Iknow what it would mean to be the wife of Earth’s Sorcerer Supreme and anAvenger, and I’m still saying yes.”

He stared at her. “How-”

She grinned at him. “I get the feeling Wongand Pepper knew what you were planning – they came to me separately this weekand told me about all the risks involved.”

Stephen rolled his eyes. “Yeah, I told them, andPepper helped me pick out the ring. I thought I swore both of them to secrecy.”

Molly giggled. “You really expected them tokeep a secret that juicy?”

“Well, at least they didn’t tell Tony.” Hegrinned. “You’re really saying yes?”

“Yes, Stephen,” she murmured, smiling softly.“I love you and I want to marry you.”

In reply, Stephen set their plates aside thenpulled her into his lap and kissed her deeply.

And Strange is *super* jealous. Pass it on.

"Molly Hooper, allow me to introduce you to the Cloak of Levitation."

"Oh, um, hello."

Impatiently, the Cloak swept a bottom corner towards her, catching Molly's right hand and pulling it up to touch the back with a lapel in a pantomime of a courtly kiss. Molly lit up like a rising sun, and even soaked to the bone and looking more than a little like a half-drowned rat, she was the most beautiful thing Stephen thought he'd ever seen.

"Oh, hello," Molly cooed, all hesitation wiped away as she ran careful fingers over the edge of the Cloak. It preened and stretched under her touch like a cat, and turned back to Stephen, smugness radiating from every literal fiber. "Are you doing this?"

"No," he said, crossing his arms as he watched. "It's got quite a mind of its own. And actually, it's a little shit. Don’t let it fool you."

"I think it's darling. Aren't you just darling?" Molly giggled as the Cloak nudged at her, soliciting more pets. Of course she obliged.

Stephen grit his teeth, opening a portal behind Molly. "Come on," he said, the words a little sharper than he liked. "No point standing around in wet clothes. We can clean up through here."

"Oh, thanks!" Molly beamed at him, and Stephen softened, at least until she turned back to the Cloak. "Come on darling," she said in the exact same voice she used when coaxing her beast of a cat from under the couch, "lets get you dry too."

The Cloak twined around her, hooking itself onto her shoulders. Out of Molly's line of sight, it fluttered a lapel at Stephen in a fairly accurate approximation of blowing a raspberry.

ship meme + @marcceh​

38. What are they like in the bedroom? Any kinks/fetishes/turn-ons? Anything they won’t do?

Contrary to people who think that Molly is sheltered and prudish (as if a taste for baggy sweaters could tell them everything about her!), and that Stephen is a selfish lover, they’re actually both quite adventurous.

It started with the necessity of working around Stephen’s limited dexterity; but both of them are curious, and working in medicine has given them comfort and understanding of the human body.

They’re apart more than they would like, and frequently send very racy texts to one another!  However, the time zone difference means that they often arrive when the other is at work!  (Sherlock and Wong have both learned not to ask what sort of texts make Molly blush, and Stephen smile like that...)

39. Who initiated the relationship? Who kissed who first?  When did they realize they were in love?

They both knew they were falling for one another, but it was Molly who finally took the plunge.  Stephen was convinced that getting involved with him-- broken, and with a terrible track record, not to mention the literal villains-- was too dangerous.

Molly was terrified when she kissed him.  

But there was no denying the spark between them, and their first kiss swiftly turned into making out against the kitchen counter at the New York Sanctum (at least until they were interrupted by the unexpected arrival of some Asgardian pests!)

send me a character + @marcceh​

please? fandom meme + @dlrconlicense

When I started shipping them:

Technically I ran into some Strangeolly stuff before I’d seen the movie, and I liked the idea– but I didn’t really have any context for it.  Then I finally watched Doctor Strange in early April, and just fell in love with it!

My thoughts:

They just work so well together!  They have interests in common, and I think they would bring out a very good side of each other.  Stephen needs someone that can keep up with him, and be patient– and Molly needs someone that’s going to make her laugh, and realize how amazing she is.  

What makes me happy about them:

That possibility that they could be really happy together.  That, even though it seems like sort of an odd ship, there’s a lot of potential for long-term happiness.  That feel of “them against the world”,… and given Stephen is Marvel? That’s a lot of world to cause trouble!

What makes me sad about them:

That there isn’t very much for them!  This ship needs more love!

Things done in fanfic that annoys me:

Honestly?  Not much.  The lack of content is definitely a thing– but most of the fics I’ve read for this ship have been really lovely!  (And all the people that ship it have been wonderful, too!)

Things I look for in fanfic:

Anything and everything!  Good characterization, a bit of fun, some world building?  But really, just more fic!

My wishlist:

Ok, just so I don’t sound like a broken record?  I’d love to see more multi-chapter fics.  Stuff where they really get into the meat and motivations of the characters!

Who I’d be comfortable them ending up with, if not each other:

For Stephen?  Christine… Or maybe Bruce… With Molly?  Sherlock, or Mycroft!  Or Molly/Christine?  That could be good, too!

My happily ever after for them: