Arthur stepped out of the Mirror Dimension to find the battle already over.
The two Abominations lay motionless in the crater-strewn street. Dead.
Their bodies were covered in shallow cuts from Ariadne's earlier efforts, but the killing blows were distinct: clean, precise piercing strikes through their skulls, courtesy of the new adamantium blade.
The Widows had established a tight perimeter around the scene. Further out, military vehicles rumbled in place, their headlights cutting through the haze, but they held their distance. Waiting. Hesitant to approach the devastation they'd witnessed.
Arthur barely noticed any of it.
Because in the center of the devastation, surrounded by rubble and ruin, his children were playing with the Hulk.
It was, perhaps, the last thing he ever expected to witness.
Elena was running circles around the massive green figure as if playing some version of tag. Tristan sat perched on the Hulk's shoulders, tiny hands gripping the monster's ears for balance, giggling every time Hulk made an exaggerated movement.
And Hulk…
Hulk was careful. His massive hands, hands that could crush tanks, moved with surprising gentleness as he played. A rumbling sound emerged from his chest that might have been laughter. He seemed genuinely, purely happy.
Elena spotted Arthur the moment he stepped through the portal. Her earlier exhaustion evaporated instantly.
"Daddy! Daddy!" She sprinted toward him, nearly tripping over a chunk of asphalt, and grabbed his hand with both of hers, pulling with all her might. "Did you see? I cast magic today! I moved the cars! I moved them just like Wanda does!"
Arthur knelt down, scooping her up into a hug. "I saw, sweetheart. You were amazing. So brave."
"I can't wait to tell Lily." Elena's eyes sparkled with mischief. "She's going to be so jealous."
Arthur laughed. It felt strange, laughing, when his thoughts kept drifting to what came next, confronting Mephisto in Hell. But his daughter had always had that effect on him.
"And look!" Elena pointed a small finger at the green giant. "This is my new friend. His name is Hulk. He likes smashing things." She dropped her voice to a conspiratorial whisper. "He's really good at it."
Arthur stood, settling Elena on his hip, and walked toward the Hulk. The green giant stiffened as Arthur approached. His primal instincts screamed that this small man was dangerous. More dangerous than the tanks. More dangerous than the Abominations.
Arthur stopped a few feet away and smiled. It wasn't a threatening smile. It was genuine.
"Hello, Hulk," He said calmly. "Thank you for keeping my family safe."
The Hulk stared at him, processing the lack of hostility. His gaze moved from Arthur to Elena nestled in his arms, then up to Tristan still perched happily on his own shoulders. Slowly, the tension drained from his massive frame.
He grunted an acknowledgment, a sound that was surprisingly gentle.
Eileen stepped up beside Arthur, her fingers finding his and intertwining. Her hand was cold. Trembling slightly.
"Is it done?" she asked quietly.
"He ran." Arthur's voice dropped low enough that only she could hear. "Back to Hell. He won't be troubling anyone soon, but..."
"But he'll be back."
"Not if I have anything to say about it."
Eileen was quiet for a long moment. Her grip tightened on his hand. "So you're going after him."
"Yes."
She didn't argue. Didn't try to talk him out of it. She simply nodded, understanding written in every line of her face. Understanding that this was necessary, that leaving Mephisto to plot and scheme and try again was unacceptable.
Some threats couldn't be managed. Some enemies couldn't be allowed to remain.
"Let me handle some cleanup first," Arthur said, his tone shifting back to business. He walked toward the Abomination corpses, their massive forms still sprawled where they'd fallen. Flies were already beginning to gather. "Don't want anyone getting ideas about recreating these things."
He waved his hand. Two golden portals opened directly beneath the massive bodies. In an instant, the Abominations fell through and vanished.
Winky snapped her fingers, and the remaining blood and tissue scattered across the street vanished as well.
"How..." Tony limped over, each step accompanied by a shower of sparks from his ruined suit. "Where did you send them?"
"A volcano. On a planet in the Andromeda galaxy." Arthur replied casually.
Tony's mouth opened. Closed. Opened again. A muscle twitched in his jaw.
"You can just... do that? Send things to other galaxies?"
"It's a useful skill."
"A useful—" Tony ran both hands through his hair, leaving it standing in wild directions. "What are you, Arthur? Really?"
Arthur's expression softened slightly. "I'm the same person I was yesterday, Tony. Just have a few tricks up my sleeve."
"Right. Tricks. Sure." Tony let out a slightly hysterical laugh. "Casually teleporting corpses across the universe. Normal Tuesday stuff. Totally normal."
Arthur turned to face him fully. "Can you handle the military? I really don't want to deal with General Ross right now. If I see him..." His jaw tightened. "I might do something permanent."
"Ross?" Tony's expression shifted from bewildered to grimly knowing. "Yeah. I can handle Ross. More importantly, Fury is going to have words with him about the monsters his program created." He paused, the humor draining from his face. "But Arthur... your quiet life is over after tonight. Everything that happened here - the monsters, the magic, your family - it was all seen. Recorded. There are probably videos being uploaded right now. The kids' faces are going to be everywhere by morning—"
"No."
Tony blinked. "No?"
"None of the recordings will surface. I have someone handling it." Arthur's tone was matter-of-fact. "And I've ensured that everyone except the people present here and the military directly involved won't remember my family's actions. As far as the public is concerned, Iron Man defeated the monsters with military assistance."
Tony went very still. "How?" he demanded. "Can you manipulate memories too?"
"Yes."
The single word hung in the air between them.
Tony was quiet for a long moment. His expression shifted through several emotions - concern, suspicion, and finally something that might have been reluctant acceptance.
"You've never touched mine." It wasn't quite a question.
"Never," Arthur confirmed. "And I never would. Not without your explicit permission."
"That's... good to know." Tony let out a slow breath. "You've been thorough. Like always."
"It's what I do."
"Yeah." Tony's laugh was tired. "I'm starting to figure that out."
"We should talk. Properly. About the world as it actually is. All the things I haven't told you." Arthur glanced toward the military vehicles, which were finally beginning to advance now that the immediate threat seemed contained. "But not today. I have something else to handle first."
Ariadne had limped close enough to hear. Her eyes narrowed.
"Arthur. You're going after him, aren't you? To Hell itself?"
"Yes."
"That's insane. Even for you."
"His attraction to Tristan is too strong," Arthur said quietly, his gaze drifting to his son, still giggling on the Hulk's shoulders. "You saw the way Mephisto looked at him. The hunger in his eyes. The obsession." His voice hardened. "If I don't end this now, I'll spend the rest of my life looking over my shoulder. Waiting for him to try again. Wondering if the next time I'm away, he'll succeed."
Before anyone could respond, a shriek split the air.
On the Hulk's shoulders, Tristan lost his balance as the green giant suddenly shrank. The Hulk's skin was fading from green to pale pink. His muscles were deflating.
The calm, happy environment was allowing Bruce Banner to re-emerge.
Arthur moved instantly, catching Tristan before he could fall.
A moment later, a shivering, shirtless Bruce Banner stood in the wreckage of his tattered pants, looking around in confusion.
There was a stunned silence.
Elena stared at the small, nerdy-looking man who had replaced her playmate. Her face crumpled with confusion and disappointment.
"Where did Hulk go?"
Tristan, safe in Arthur's arms, had a more direct response. His lower lip wobbled dangerously. "I want Hulk back! Bring back my friend!"
Banner blinked, looking around at the destruction, at the people watching him, at the crying child demanding his other half return.
"I... what happened? Where am I? The last thing I remember is—"
Arthur pointed a finger at him.
"Sorry, Dr. Banner," Arthur said apologetically. "You can stay inside for a little longer. Hulk earned some playtime."
A subtle spell stirred the emotions beneath Banner's surface. The anger that always lurked there, kept carefully contained. It rose like a tide.
Banner's eyes widened. "Wait, what are you—"
His eyes flashed green. His skin darkened. Muscles swelled.
With a roar of pure joy, the Hulk exploded back into existence. He looked down at Tristan, grinning broadly.
"HULK BACK!"
Tristan squealed in delight, scrambling out of Arthur's arms and climbing back up the Hulk's arm like a jungle gym.
Tony stared at Arthur. "Did you just... forcibly trigger a Hulk transformation?"
"Banner can have his body back later. Right now, Hulk has earned some happiness." Arthur turned to Winky, who had approached silently. "Take everyone home. You can manage the transformations - calming charms to bring Banner back, stimulation spells to let Hulk out. Let Eileen decide when to use which."
Winky inclined her head solemnly. "Yes, Master."
Eileen grabbed Arthur's arm. Her grip was fierce, almost painful. "Be careful."
Arthur turned to her, his expression softening.
"I always am."
She didn't release him. "I mean it, Arthur. Come back to us."
"I will." He leaned in, pressing a kiss to her forehead. "I promise."
He stepped back and began to rise into the air. No thrusters, no wings. Just floating upward as if gravity had forgotten him.
"He can fly too," Tony muttered. "Of course he can fly. Why wouldn't he be able to fly? Next you'll tell me he can shoot lasers from his eyes."
"Don't give him ideas," Ariadne said dryly.
Arthur continued rising, passing above the buildings, above the smoke and dust, above the helicopters that scattered nervously at his approach.
Eileen watched him go.
She watched her husband ascend, seeing the smile fade from his face the moment he turned away. It was replaced by a cold, terrible anger that she had never seen before.
The threat to their children had broken Arthur's bottom line. Mephisto had crossed the one line that Arthur Hayes held sacred.
Fear coiled in her stomach. But beneath it was something else. Faith.
She knew her husband. He wouldn't pick a fight he couldn't win.
"Mama?" Elena's voice was weak, tugging at Eileen's sleeve. "Where's Daddy going?"
"To take care of something, sweetie," Eileen said, pulling her daughter close and kissing the top of her head. "He'll be back soon."
Above them, Arthur disappeared into the clouds, trailing golden light like a falling star in reverse.