Chapter 1:

Stephen sat quietly in the inner sanctum of Kamar-Taj, a book from the Ancient One's private collection open in his hands. There was a spell he wanted to research before returning to the New York Sanctum, which had been his home fore several months since the battle in Hong Kong.

He was finally settling into his new position as the guardian of the New York Sanctum. Everything happened so quickly after defeating Dormammu, he barely had time to catch his breath. On top of it all, since Mordo left, it was quickly becoming clear to everyone that Stephen would have to fill the role of the Sorcerer Supreme. It was a tall order, but with Stephen finding his new calling, he was more than willing to step up to the challenge. Sometimes the remaining strains of his arrogance played in his favor.

The former surgeon was in the middle of memorizing an incantation when, suddenly, a young woman burst into the room, causing him to snap the book closed. She was pretty, in Stephen's opinion, at least; light skinned, thin, with silver-blonde hair. However, she was dressed quite odd like she'd stumbled out of a music festival. Her pink boots and electric purple crochet mini dress clashed violently with the tranquil surroundings of Kamar-Taj. The unexpected sight almost gave Strange an instant headache.

"Hello, I've never seen you before." Said the woman, a playful smile tugging at her lips. "You've got masters robes and a relic too... I really have been gone a long time."

"Um, hello, I am Doctor Stephen Strange," he introduced himself, more than a little confused.

"Clea" she replied.

"Just Clea?" He said, having a bit of deja vu from when he was first introduced to Wong. "Are you sure?"

"Pretty sure, Doctor Strange," she said leaning heavily into his ostentatious title.

"Touché. How can I help you, Clea?" He asked.

Before she could answer, Wong walked into the room then with a cup of tea in his hands. When Clea saw him, her eyes immediately lit up. Wong, however, froze at the sight of her: the piping hot tea in his cup almost sloshed onto his hand.

"Hey Wong! Is my room still open?" She asked, hiking the strap of her sequined duffle bag up higher on her shoulder. That's when Stephen noticed the sling ring she wore. It blended in with her other jewelry, but there was no mistaking what it was.

Wong looked from her to Strange back to her again with some urgency. "Of course, Master Clea. But-"

"Oh, good," she exclaimed, breathing a sigh of relief. "I'm too tired to walk in on another naked stranger again. I've already had too much excitement for one week."

"I'm sure, Master Clea. But I need to talk to you about something."

"I'm so exhausted, Wong," she sighed, giving him a friendly one-armed hug before striding past him. "Tell me later okay? I need to see Kaecilius first and then get some sleep. You'll tell the Sorcerer Supreme I'm here right?"

"Clea!" He snapped. She jumped and he grew silent, immediately regretting raising his voice to her. "That's what I must talk to you about."

Stephen furrowed his brow in concern as he placed the book of spells down on a nearby desk. He wondered how this woman could be a master of the mystic arts and still be so out of the loop as to what transpired the last several months.

"Master Clea, a lot has happened since you left," Wong began.

"What do you mean, Wong?" Asked Clea, her voice filling with trepidation.

The librarian pressed his lips into a thin line, his sad gaze fixed on the floor as he tried to find the words to tell her what happened. Stephen felt a stab of sympathy for how difficult this was for Wong and decided to step in so his friend wouldn't have to struggle.

"The Ancient One is dead," Stephen told her, very matter-of-fact. "She was murdered by Kaecilius who tried to summon Dormammu."

Clea visibly stiffened in shock, her breath caught in her throat for only a moment as she held fast to her composure.

"And where is Kaecilius?" She all but whispered.

"He is dead too." Stephen told her.

Clea grabbed her wrist then, squeezing mandala chain tattoo tightly though her long sleeve as the rust red bond tightened in rebellion beneath her skin; hurting her.

"That's not possible," she said, dead certain of her assertion. Stephen could see the fear and pain mounting within her. "Excuse me."

The two sorcerers watched as Clea quickly turned and fled the room. Once she was out of sight, Stephen immediately looked to Wong, wondering if they should go after her.

Wong shook his head, knowing what Stephen was going to ask. "It's best to let her go."

"I should have handled that more delicately." Stephen admitted.

"You think?" Said Wong, deadpanning. "You're a doctor, aren't you used to delivering bad news?"

"No. I never lost a patient," Stephen tried to explain.

Wong merely rolled his eyes. "Of course."

"Who is she?" Stephen asked, feeling very much out of the loop.

"She is Clea, the daughter of the Sorcerer Supreme." Wong informed him.

Stephen did a double-take at the stern librarian.

"Wait, are you serious?" He asked, shocked by what he just told him. He felt like a complete idiot now.

"Of course I am serious!" Wong snapped. "Why would I lie?"

"Sorry. I thought maybe when the Ancient One became the Sorcerer Supreme, she might have taken a vow of chastity." Said Stephen.

"No. Why would she? Did you?" Wong asked pointedly.

Strange's eyes widened at the implication. "No, no, I just... It didn't seem like her to have… offspring."

Wong shook his head. "The Sorcerer Supreme lived a very mysterious life."

"So I keep being reminded," Stephen muttered.

"Clea is the last of the Ancient One's living descendants," Wong explained. "She grew up here in Kamar-Taj and has witnessed the rise of many masters including Mordo, myself, and Kaecilius. With the Ancient One busy protecting reality, we became her family. It was thought she would take up the mantel of the Sorcerer Supreme, but she chose a different path. Honestly, I'm surprised she came back at all."

"She seems a bit..." Stephen paused, trying to find the polite words for what he was trying to say.

Wong merely snorted, knowing exactly what Steven's impression of Clea was. He'd rather the New Yorker not vocalize his rude opinions aloud.

"Clea is a free spirit. She comes and goes as she pleases. The last time she picked up and left was nearly a year ago, before Kaecilius's betrayal."

"Was there a reason for her leaving?" Asked Stephen.

"There was some tension between her and the Ancient One near the end. But Clea is a private person, she never shared much about herself to anyone. I doubt she would do so now." Explained Wong.

Stephen furrowed his brow in thought. He couldn't understand why he was never told about Clea. She seemed like an important figure, being the last descendant of the Ancient One. Still, Wong said they had not expected her to ever return to Kamar-Taj, which begged the question: what happened that caused her to leave? These new mysteries once again reminded him how much he still had to learn. One thing was for certain, though, he owed her an apology.

AN: Hello everyone! I just started reading a ton of Doctor Strange comics and I absolutely love them. I really wanted to make a story that was within the MCU but also involved his wife in the comics, Clea. I suppose this is sort of a Doctor Strange sequel (before Infinity Stone). Hope you all like my take!