MS3T2 A Tale of Two Stranges (May 1996) - (March 2001)

Frank knew he was in a bad way. His hands were still behind his back but he also knew that he didn't have much time. "It was that first day, wasn't it? You haven't been the same...but...but it didn't matter to me. I still love you Isabella. I never sweated the small stuff," Frank said as she saw his eyes begin to go wonky on her. "Promise me you'll look after James?" he asked. When she didn't answer him. He asked again. "Promise me!" He said more forcefully and he looked up at her.

Isabella couldn't fight the tears that started streaming down her cheeks. "I promise." She leaned down and she kissed him. "I love you Frank."

Frank kissed her back and he died right there in her arms. His eyes closed and then he just stopped moving. Frank was gone and James was terrified to move. He wept quietly as he lay there on his stomach. His wrists were zip-tied behind his back.

Isabella did not love Frank the way she loved Tony, but she still did love him and she knew that she always would. Even though this wasn't the Frank she knew, seeing him die in her arms was gut-wrenching. She held his dead body for a few moments before gently putting it down. She then then quickly moved over and cut the zip-ties around James' wrists. She pulled him up into her arms. 

"Shhhhh...it's ok...I've got you."

She kept her arms around James as she pulled out her cell phone. She called Renee and she told them what happened. She told her she needed help and Renee told her she would be there as quickly as possible. In the meantime, Isabella took James out into the living room. A little while later she heard the sound of the police arriving.

Frank was taken out on a covered stretcher along with the 2 men that she had killed. The neighbors watched interestedly as the police and CIA investigated the scene which was her home. James eventually was able to fall asleep after everyone left. It was almost 3am. She was able to get the blood off the wall and clean up the broken mess in the living room but the carpets in the living and the bedroom were stained. The blood had turned brown.

Isabella was trying to hold herself together, but it was proving difficult. She had never felt more alone than she did that night. She was trying to scrub the blood off of the carpets, but it wouldn't come up. In anger, she threw the rag across the room and sank down to the floor and began to cry. After a few moments, she pulled out her cell phone and dialed Tony's number. She needed to talk to him. She needed to know she wasn't alone. After a few rings he picked up.

"It's Isabella. Something terrible happened today...Frank's dead." She managed to hold herself together long enough to tell him what had happened. "I...I don't want to be alone."

"Come to me, I have a secure apartment here in New York. Bring your son with you and clothes and anything else you need," Tony said. She laid James down in one of the guest bedrooms, there were 4 and he was sleeping soundly. He was exhausted. Tony made Isabella a strong drink after she had a shower. He had a nice, soft robe and he gave it to her to wear after her shower. He waited by the door at her request. In her robe they drank on his large, sectional couch by the fireplace.

"I'm sorry Isabella. I'm sorry it happened like this. Was there a Frank in your timeline?" he asked.

Isabella put James in the car and drove to the address Tony gave her. Happy met her at the main entrance and helped her carry her things upstairs. It took everything in Isabella not to throw her arms around Happy and cry against his shoulder. Happy was one of her dearest friends back in her timeline and it was just a reminder that she wasn't there. She held James in her arms and took him back to the guestroom Tony directed her towards. She then took a hot shower and Tony waited outside the door for her. She put on the soft robe he gave her to wear and she sat next to him on the couch in front of the fireplace. She took a big sip of her drink, but it did little to relax her nerves.

"Yes, there was a Frank in my timeline. He and I were together during the period that Tony...well you and I were apart. However, it wasn't a conventional relationship...at least I didn't think it was, but when you and I got back together and you asked me to marry you, Frank revealed to me that he loved me and begged me not to marry you. I broke his heart and I hated it. I did...do still love him in a way."

"Well, what are you going to do now...about James? Are you still going through with your plan to leave? I really wish you would reconsider. I feel a connection with you, a strong one Isabella. I wish you would let me prove to you that I'm worth you staying," Tony said. He put his hand on her shoulder and rubbed it with his thumb. "I know we'd be great together. I can already see that," Tony said.

Isabella looked over at Tony. "Yes, I am still going through with my plan. I have to at least try. I have another life and people that need me and are depending on me." She sighed a little as she thought about James. "I plan on taking him over to my mother's house. She lives alone. She could take care of him." She then paused a moment. "Unless...unless I can find a way to somehow fix all of this. I don't know how or if it's even possible...but maybe I can do something."

Tony looked at her for a moment. "You're...leaving him here? You might not remember giving birth to him Isabella. But you are his mother. You're not taking him with you?" Tony asked. the look on his face was complete disapproval.

Isabella looked at Tony. "He belongs here, not in my timeline. Who knows what might happen to my timeline if I brought him with me. You start messing with things like this and it could cause a ripple effect. However, leaving him with my mother is going to be my last resort if I find a way to get home. There's got to be a way to fix everything that's happened here. To somehow rewind the events to the point when I came in and took over for the true Isabella that's supposed to be here. She belongs here...not me."

Tony frowned a disapproving frown but didn't say anything as he looked down at his glass. He knew he shouldn't judge her, but he wasn't even certain what she said about not being part of this reality made any sense. He supposed it didn't matter if he believed it or not. She did and she was determined to get back...to where ever back was. Leaving the boy without a mother and father though? He thought that that was borderline cruel of her. She had a child and a life yes. But to just leave him like this? If she was the woman she said she was he didn't understand that.

"I don't know who belongs where. I don't think it really matters. We're all just human Isabella. You belong where you want to belong and its clear that we're all just baggage for you. I'm certain Strange will figure something out for you," Tony said as he stood up. "You're welcome to stay as long as you like. And anything you need will be gotten for you," he said. "Good night," Tony said and started off toward the hall where the bedrooms were.

Isabella stood up and looked at him. "That's not fair of you! I never asked for any of this! I was taken from my home and family and sent here against my will." Tears came to her eyes. "I just watched a man who is dear to me die in my arms. I'm am trying my best here and it isn't fair of you to judge me when you have no idea what I'm currently going through!" She sat back down and put her head in her hands and started to sob.

Tony stopped mid step. He turned to face her. "You're right. None of this is fair. It wasn't fair that....an Isabella was taken from James. His mother. A woman who loved him. It wasn't fair that his father was killed. And yes, it wasn't fair that you were put here Isabella...against your will. Not everything that happens to us is fair. It wasn't fair that I was held against my will for days. There are alot of injustices happening all over the world. But I am just one man. I can't change it all by myself," Tony said but he gestured toward the hall where James was. "But You can make a world of difference for that boy in there," he said. "And to me," He added. "But I know...you don't know us...me. I get it. We're not important to you," He said and then continued down the hall.

The next morning Isabella woke to the smell of fresh coffee, pastries, bacon, sausage and maple syrup. To her surprise Tony was sitting next to James at the table. James chair had a thick, phone book on it and it seemed to help him sit better at the table. He was eating a donut and had a glass of milk near his plate. Tony looked up from his paper to regard her but he turned back to his paper. Disapproval clearly painted upon his face.

"Strange called me early this morning. He thinks he might be able to help you," Tony said dryly without looking up from his paper.

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Steve and Kate both had their wrist comms and they linked them with Strange's. They had to go to the spot Strange would hold open the portal and they weren't certain if where they were was even there back then. They had to go to a place they KNEW would likely be there and that was central park.

Steve suggested Kate go armed but with a small, concealed pistol. Steve would not have his shield this time and he packed a small backpack with energy bars, energy drinks, zip ties, and survival gear...just incase. When they were ready Tony took them to the park.

They found a secluded place where some of the older, larger trees were and decided that was the spot. "I'll be here and there for the duration," Strange said. If I'm attacked or interrupted in any way it could be disastrous," He warned. "Glad I brought my suit then," Tony said. All 4 of them were in the limo, happy drove them. Steve looked at Kate. "You don't have to go Kate. This could be...dangerous," Steve said in a serious tone. "It won't take 2 people to find her. I can do this alone," Steve said.

Isabella had eventually gone back to one of the guestrooms to try to sleep. She was physically and emotionally exhausted, but even so her mind and heart were plagued by decisions. She knew she couldn't bring James with her. She wasn't his real mother and at least here he had his grandmother and friends that he knew. However, Tony's words of disapproval echoed in her ears. Eventually, she slept, but it wasn't a restful sleep and when she woke she was actually more tired than she had been when she had laid down. 

She smelled coffee and pastries, but when she walked out towards the kitchen she saw Tony sitting with James. Tony's look of disapproval was like a knife in her already wounded heart. She walked over and looked at James. "I'm going to call Grandma to come and pick you up, ok?"

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Kate was nervous about this. She had never done anything like this before, but she was determined to find Isabella and bring her back. She and Steve had packed everything they might need, including cash that was dated for the earlier part of the 1990s. Kate had brought a small, concealed weapon and that she had tucked into her jeans and concealed by her shirt. They knew they weren't going to have much time so they needed to find Isabella as quickly as possible. 

As they sat in the limo, Kate looked over at Steve. "I'm trained for danger Steve," she reminded him with a little smile. "If you're going then I'm going. That's how this is going to work. Ok?"

Tony sighed and tossed his paper onto the table. "James...if you want another donut, there's several there...I'm going to talk to your 'mother' for a moment, ok?" He said. James's mouth was full and he nodded.

"Can I talk to you a moment?" Tony said and pulled Isabella aside. "I think you should take him with you. Maybe YOU don't remember having him as a son but HE thinks you're his mother. You can be that for him at least. Don't do this to him. I know you're in a 'selfish' 'me me me' mode but for god sakes Isabella, think about someone else besides yourself," Tony said. "Be who he needs you to be," He added.

Isabella looked at Tony and he would be able to tell that she hadn't slept well...or at all the night before. "I AM thinking about him Tony...that's all I'm thinking about. He has someone here who is truly his family. His friends are here. The world he knows is here. Pulling him through to another timeline where the man he knows as his father is alive but isn't really his father and the world is four years ahead and he doesn't have any of his friends...that...that is going to mess with his head. And besides, I'm going to talk to Strange about seeing if there is any way to fix everything that happened. That is what I would rather have happen. If I didn't care about him and was only thinking about myself then I would just leave and not think twice about it."

"Didn't you say Frank's family died where you came from? What if you took him with you and brought James to Frank? You could explain everything to Frank and they could...I don't know, become father and son together," Tony said. "He can make new friends but losing both of his parents? It will change him...I know from personal experience. I'll take care of your mother. I can do that," Tony said. "Give the boy a future Isabella...please," Tony said and put his hand on her shoulder.

Isabella sighed and looked at Tony. "I thought about that, but the Frank in my world is a vigilante and lives in a converted warehouse. He doesn't have a stable life and because of what he does he lives in constant danger. There is no way I could do that to James. Besides, he would look like the father James knew...but he wouldn't be the father James knew," she said gently. "I'm doing what I think is best for James. He knows his grandmother here and she knows him. If I bring him to this other world he would know no one...not even me because I'm not truly his mother. He has family here still. That's where he belongs. Please understand that I would take him with me if I thought that was what was best for him...but I don't...not in the long run. He loves his grandmother. She'll take the best care of him if I cannot find another way to fix everything."

"You saw her, she'll live what? Another 4 or 5 years? Than its foster homes for James. I think you're just doing what's easiest for yourself. You take nothing with you when you go. Well, how convenient for you. Ya know, I thought about doing something good for a change. But ya know what? The world doesn't deserve to be saved. None of us do. I made those weapons and they killed innocent people. Our own men and women. I'm just as culpable as anyone else," he said as he removed his hand. "I hope Strange gets here soon. I've got more important things to do," He said then stepped away from her toward the kitchen.

Isabella wanted to scream and hit something. There was absolutely no right choice here and she didn't know what to do. She started to pick up the phone to call his grandmother to come and pick him up, but then she hung up before she finished dialing. She decided to wait and see what Strange had to say. She sat alone and fought back tears as she thought about everything. She wasn't a perfect woman, but everyone expected her to be and despite the fact that this Tony wasn't her husband...she still hated disappointing him. She felt completely alone and didn't know what else she could do.

Eventually Strange arrived. he appeared out of a portal that was wreathed in an orange translucent color with runes all over it. The portal disappeared soon after he stepped through. "Ah, Isabella, just the person I wanted to see. "Apparently something is happening. I...felt...myself. As I looked into that apparently 'I and two others I'm not familiar with have decided to come and get you. I'm not certain where they are or where they will be but I doubt they'd be here for any other reason. I've been able to detect a temporal difference in you from the rest of us. I believe you are from another Timeline," Strange said. Tony was in the kitchen and stopped what he was doing to listen.

Isabella was relieved when Strange finally appeared and seemed to agree that she was actually telling the truth that she was from a different timeline. It didn't surprise her to know that the Strange from her timeline was sending two people here to get her. She had a strong feeling it was probably Steve and Kate. 

"Stephen, something happened yesterday. Frank Castle was murdered by two men who broke into his home. James survived and is here. Tony thinks I should just take him with me to my timeline, but I think that could be disastrous. Is there any way we can fix what happened? I mean you have the time stone. Could we somehow turn back time to prevent this from happening?"