InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "Be random."

christine. (doctorpalmer) wrote in avengers_logs,
@ 2018-02-19 17:26:00

Entry tags:

-complete, christine palmer, stephen strange

Who: Christine Palmer & Stephen Strange
What: A reunion of sorts
When: February 19, early morning
Rating/Warnings: Green

Christine couldn't say that morning started off like any other, because no mornings felt quite the same since that bizarre and frankly quite jarring encounter she had with Stephen Strange in the emergency room. That moment, in which she quite literally saw her ex's spirit project itself in front of her and tell her what to do. What happened after that, honestly, she didn't know. What she did know was that the world around her was no longer what she believed it to be. There were other elements, other things out there that existed that went far beyond the world she knew, and so because of that everything just seemed a bit off for her moving forward.

After a lot of self reflection, YouTube, and reading about things that may or may not be true, Christine had decided the best thing for her would be to try to stick with her daily routine. Knowing that she was secretly surrounded by all sort of things that made no sense, she felt she needed to cling to what did make sense until she could learn what was real and what wasn't. As such, she woke that morning bright and early as always, showered, dried her hair and pulled it back away from her face, then changed into a pair of leggings, tennis shoes, a fitted tank top and zipped a hoodie up around her upper half. She locked her apartment, stuck her keys in her cross body purse along with her phone, and set off to walk to the subway station. It was ungodly early for most, but getting to work before the sun came up was typical for her.

After exiting the subway and walking a block or so, Christine could see the hospital just ahead, but as she stepped off the curb and began to cross the street, she stopped abruptly. Something wasn't right. It was that same, eerie, unsettling feeling from the hospital that day with Stephen; one she'd never forget for as long as she lived. She sucked in a sharp breath and looked around. The crosswalk sign was blinking orange and people were hurrying all around her. She stepped backwards, back up onto the curb and placed a hand on her forehead.

"Stephen," she whispered, "is that you?"

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doctor__strange
2018-02-22 10:40 pm UTC (link)

That was the crux of it all. The people that hadn't felt anything simply went about their daily lives, without a clue. They didn't know they were in another timeline. They didn't know they were a double. Life went on, as life does.

Even if that life included sharks in tornadoes.

When Christine asked him that question, he appeared to be mulling over what to say. He wasn't sure what they were, if they were just friends or something more. If he could put her through such a terrible burden, or if this was the universe's way of saying he didn't have to shoulder it alone. Or if there was an entirely different purpose to why she was chosen. That there was something else entirely that she was meant to do, or that might happen to her. Which was a thought his mind didn't even want to dwell on for very long, if anything happened to her.

"It's not ridiculous," he finally replied, taking hold of her hands in his. "I don't know if there's a way you can help me. Last time you tried, I thought my life was over. I pushed you away, even when you tried to help. Then I came to you when I needed help. Twice."

He tried not to laugh at himself, all of a sudden. He realized it was idiotic to think that the last time they saw one another, that it would be a final goodbye. He knew he couldn't get distracted from tasks at hand, and that Christine was a welcome distraction. Even bantering about cultists provided a moment of rest he often didn't afford himself, from all of the frequent studying and constant observance of everything he was trying to keep track of.

Sadly, it still didn't feel like it was enough.

"This network I'm on. We might need a skilled doctor on call. And as for me," and here he paused, raising a hand to touch a ghostly lock of her hair. "Seeing you has helped. More than you can possibly imagine. Soooo. What if we continue as friends for right now. That are sharing a terrible secret. And you can come to my place for tea and getting creeped out."

If all else failed, fall back on that awkward way of making things seem (not-so-)appealing.

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doctorpalmer
2018-02-23 05:12 pm UTC (link)

His admission was one of the exact reasons that Christine could never just give up on Stephen Strange even when she wanted to. He always knew what he was doing when he did things like pushing her away or said something he didn't mean. He knew he was doing it on purpose and could own up to it later. When he apologized to her in the hospital, that was why she told him to stop because she already knew he felt horrible about what he'd done pretty much the moment the words left his mouth. It was that ego that kept him from stopping her when she threw his key on the counter and stormed out the last time. It was always his ego, and maybe that would be too much for another person to deal with. But for whatever reason, be it fate or her incessant need to see the good in everyone, Christine could see past that. She saw the greatness within his heart and that was how she knew he didn't mean to hurt her, ever.

That said, she was also human and there was only so much she could take in one sitting which was why she'd walked away from him that night and every time he pushed too far. He couldn't just get away with it. There had to be repercussions. But she also thought he'd been put through hell and no matter how egocentric and frustrating he was, losing his hands had been devastating so however awful he was to her it was she knew it was a projection of his loss into anger and not because he meant anything he said to her.

There was still a lot that she didn't understand, probably would never understand, but hearing him say that there was at least something she might be able to help with using the skill set she already possessed, put her a little bit at ease. Though she would hope that the people he was referring to on this network wouldn't necessarily need the help she could provide, it was good to know that maybe there was a purpose for her to be brought into this multiverse anyway.

His conclusion that they should continue as friends for right now made her smile. "So, the Strange Policy remains in place," she said. That was fine. Things were so confusing and she was still trying to wrap her head around all of it while he was trying to keep this version of the world safe. Complicating it with the never ending saga of their love story wasn't something that they necessarily needed right now. Right now.

"Just.. know that I'm here, Stephen."

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doctor__strange
2018-02-23 08:05 pm UTC (link)

"Your thing, not mine," he tried joking, and almost managed a wry smirk. "I think it should be hyphenated, like the Strange-Palmer Technique. Or Palmer-Strange. Only because it's alphabetical."

Of course that's why. Because it's alphabetical.

Christine was right on all counts. Regardless of everything going horribly wrong, Stephen Strange didn't know the meaning of giving up, and would pursue everything with dogged determination when he set his mind to it. That dogged determination meant that sometimes he had trouble letting go. An oddity considering life and death once seemed so clear and simple before, as a surgeon. Before everything changed and the universe unfolded itself before his eyes, and nothing seemed the same anymore. Nothing, except for Christine. And maybe, just maybe, this broken universe was telling him that was better to keep her closer than trying to keep her far away. Their story wasn't over and done with, despite his best intentions to keep her outside of this insanity.

The distant sounds of time trying not to fall apart steadily began to encroach, shattering that brief moment of near silence. He reached out and took hold of her hand.

It would be enough. It had to be.

For right now.

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