(Being reasonable.)

Chapter thirty nine:

Earlier, Doctor Strange went looking for Wanda Maximoff. He was going to check her usual residence in Chicago, but something drew him to another place, a apple orchard overseas, near the border of where Sokovia once was.

Wanda Maximoff cut a stem off the branch she was tending to. She immediately felt the presence of the sorcerer behind her. Wanda Maximoff then turned around and faced Doctor Strange.

"Apples, right?" Said Doctor Strange.

"Eventually." Replied Wanda Maximoff.

"I was going to say real. Didn't know you had this property. And I thought Travis was usually the one tending to the plat life." Said Doctor Strange.

"You could say he rubbed off on me. And it's all very real." Replied Wanda Maximoff.

Doctor Strange nodded, initially trusting his words. He then handed the stem back.

"What are you doing here?" Said Wanda Maximoff.

"I need your help." Replied Doctor Strange.

"With what?" Said Wanda Maximoff.

"What do you know about the multiiverse?" Replied Doctor Strange.

"Multiiverse? Well, Vision had his theories. Always told me about it. I never believed it though... always joked about the concept." Said Wanda Maximoff.

"Well, I'm pretty sure that your not going to joke about it anymore. Uh, we found a girl who could somehow travel across. But she's being pursued." Replied Doctor Strange.

"By who?" Said Wanda Maximoff.

"Some kind of demon. One that covets her power for itself. We've taken her to Kamar- Taj and we got our defenses. But we could use a Avenger." Replied Doctor Strange.

"There are other Avengers." Said Wanda Maximoff.

"I know. I'd like to give Travis a break though since he just helped me resolve Spider-Man 's situation. I, unfortunately, don't have the new Captain America's number." Replied Doctor Strange.

"Besides, you are one of the most powerful magic wielder's on the planet, who is under the tutelage of Wong and I. I'd say that packs quite a punch. Come to Kamar- Taj. It'll get you back on the lunch box." Said Doctor Strange.

Wanda Maximoff then chuckled to herself. "What if you brought America Chavez here?" Replied Wanda Maximoff.

Doctor Strange just looked at her. "Here?" Said Doctor Strange.

"Yeah. I used to know what it was like to be on your own, hunted for your abilities that you never wanted... I can protect her." Replied Wanda Maximoff.

Doctor Strange then stopped walking and just looked at her. It was a mix of awe and disappointment. Wanda Maximoff then looked down, realizing the mistake that she made.

"You never told me her , did you?" Said Wanda Maximoff.

"No, I didn't." Replied Doctor Strange.

Wanda Maximoff then accepted it. She didn't need to go through the facade anymore.

"You know, the hex was the easy part. The lying... not so much." Said Wanda Maximoff. Red mist then came out of her hand and started to immediately change everything.

The lively apple trees quickly transformed into dead and dry ones. The blue sky bled crimson red and the entire orchard now looked like a torn hell scape.

In front of Wanda Maximoff, now in her Scarlet Witch attire, floated the Darkhold. Doctor Strange then looked at it and his eyes widened.

"The Darkhold? Replied Doctor Strange.

"You're familiar with the Darkhold?" Said Wanda Maximoff.

"How long have you had it, Wanda? It's the book of the damned. It corrupts everything and everyone that it touches. What has it done to you?" Replied Doctor Strange.

"The Darkhold only showed me the truth. Everything I lost... can be mine again." Said Wanda Maximoff.

"What do you want with America Chavez? What do you want with the multiverse?" Replied Doctor Strange.

"I'm going to find a place where we can live peacefully. Travis and I will leave this world and go to another one." Said Wanda Maximoff.

"What makes you think that he would want that?" Replied Doctor Strange.

"He will. They're his children to. He loves them as much as I do. He'd do anything for them." Said Wanda Maximoff.

"Wanda... your children aren't real." Replied Doctor Strange.

"If you knew there was a universe where you was happy... wouldn't you want to go there?" Said Wanda Maximoff.

"I am happy." Replied Doctor Strange.

"I know better than most what self- deception looks like. And I looked into your mind. You love Christine Palmer... but hate yourself since you because you can't be with her." Said Wanda Maximoff.

"What you're doing is a flagrant violation of every natural law! If you take the child's she won't survive!" Replied Doctor Strange.

"I don't relish hurting anyone. She's not a child. She's a supernatural being. Such raw power can wreck havoc on this and other world's. Her sacrifice... would be for the greater good." Said Wanda Maximoff.

"Well, you can kiss your lunch box goodbye, because that's the kind of justification our enemies use." Replied Doctor Strange.

"Is it the one you use? When you gave Thanos the time stone?" Said Wanda Maximoff.

"That was war. And did what I had to do." Replied Doctor Strange.

"You break the rules and become the hero. I do it and become the enemy. That doesn't seem fair." Said Wanda Maximoff.

"What would Travis think? What you ended up doing behind his back? The chaos within the book is what Agatha Harkness tried to kill you with." Replied Doctor Strange.

"It's what has to be done to get the life we once had back. He's going to love seeing them again." Said Wanda Maximoff.

"That's what you think. That's what you're telling yourself." Replied Doctor Strange.

"I feel like we should be happy again." Said Wanda Maximoff as she looked at Doctor Strange.

.

"Why can't you just live happily? Why all this?" Replied Doctor Strange.

"It's... not that simple. And what I had with my family... it was special." Said Wanda Maximoff.

"What happens now?" Replied Doctor Strange.

"Return to Kamar- Taj and prepare to hand over America Chavez by sundown. Peacefully. After that... you will never see me again." Said Wanda Maximoff.

"And if we don't?" Replied Doctor Strange.

"Then it won't be Wanda who comes for her. It will be the Scarlet Witch." Said Wanda Maximoff.