"Listen, Stephen." Christine wiped away the moisture at the corner of her eyes. "No matter why you came here, no matter what happened in that universe, now that you're here, you have to follow the rules of this place."
"I agree." Strange smiled as he looked straight into Christine's eyes. "As long as I can stay by your side, you can make whatever rules you want."
Christine avoided Strange's gaze and continued.
"The Bast Foundation and the Illuminati will not allow an uncontrolled multiversal variant to roam freely in our world."
"That means that if you truly stay, you will be stripped of all supernatural privileges. You will no longer be allowed to access any mystical artifacts or enter any Sanctum Sanctorums. From now on, you may only live as an ordinary person. No magic, no privileges, no superhero aura."
She paused, as though trying to catch even the slightest hint of hesitation or anger on Strange's face.
"You'll become completely ordinary, Stephen. Just like those nine-to-five office workers out on the street."
After hearing that, the corners of Strange's lips did not fall. Instead, he laughed. He leaned back against his chair as if a tremendous burden had been lifted from his shoulders.
"Christine, you may not believe this, but that's exactly what I've dreamed of!"
Christine froze, clearly not expecting Strange's reaction.
"To spend an ordinary person's life with you." Strange continued, without the slightest trace of joking in his voice. "Find a house with a yard, raise a dog, go to Long Island on weekends to watch the sea."
"In my universe, I had every magical power imaginable, but I didn't have you. Every night, I sat in that massive leather chair in the New York Sanctum, watching the traffic outside the window, thinking that if I