[A/N]: Oh for fuck's sake, you gremlins actually did it again?? Fine, here's your bonus chapter. The next bonus chapter (yes, the one you just bullied me into) will be up soon… probably after I regain the will to live.Next goal: 1000 Powerstones, because apparently you animals don't understand mercy.
The blue light faded, replaced by warm afternoon sun streaming through floor-to-ceiling windows.
Jay and Domino materialized in the Baxter Building's common area. The space was organized chaos. Scientific journals stacked on side tables, a baby monitor on the bookshelf, Reed's equations scrawled on a whiteboard that someone had tried (and failed) to erase completely. The faint scent of coffee and something burning lingered in the air. Soft jazz played from hidden speakers, barely audible over the hum of the building's systems.
Sue Richards sat on the couch, baby Franklin cradled against her chest. Her blonde hair was pulled back in a messy ponytail, and she wore comfortable clothes that had seen better days, the uniform of new motherhood. Dark circles shadowed her eyes as her movements carried that careful exhaustion of someone running on love and caffeine. But when she looked up as they appeared, her face lit up.
"Jay! Domino! Perfect timing." Sue shifted Franklin slightly, supporting his tiny head. "We were just talking about you."
Reed emerged from the kitchen carrying a tray. His hair stood up at wild angles, as if he'd been running his hands through it repeatedly. Dark circles shadowed his eyes, and there was what looked like formula stain on his shirt collar.
But his smile was radiant.
"The wanderer returns." Reed set the tray on the coffee table with slightly less coordination than usual, the mugs rattling against each other. "How's Asgard? Did you start an interdimensional incident?"
Jay looked momentarily confused. "Wait, how did you—"
"I texted them while waiting for you," Domino explained, pulling out her phone and waving it. "In case you did something stupid. Which, let's be honest, was a solid bet given your track record with authority figures."
Jay grimaced. "Only a small one," he admitted, accepting a mug from the tray. "Nothing that'll make the news. Probably."
Domino settled onto the couch beside Sue, her eyes drawn to the baby. "Can I?"
"Of course." Sue carefully transferred Franklin to Domino's arms, showing her how to support his head.
Franklin made a small sound, his tiny face scrunching up.
Then he relaxed, settling into Domino's embrace with the easy trust of the very young.
"Oh god," Domino breathed. "He's so light. How is something this perfect even real?"
Jay moved closer, peering down at his godson. Franklin's bright blue eyes tracked the movement, unfocused but curious. When Jay held out one finger, the baby's hand wrapped around it with surprising strength for something so small.
"Hey there, little guy," Jay said softly. "Remember me? Your friendly neighborhood doctor?"
Franklin gurgled happily.
Reed laughed. "He definitely remembers you. Watch."
Jay carefully took Franklin from Domino, cradling the infant against his chest. The baby relaxed immediately, making contented sounds as Jay rocked him gently. His small fist found its way to his mouth, and he sucked on it thoughtfully, eyes never leaving Jay's face.
"Natural," Sue observed. "You're a natural with him."
"Kids are easy," Jay said, not looking up from Franklin's face. "They just are."
Reed settled into an armchair with his coffee, then immediately stood again, too restless to sit. He paced to the window, then back, energy crackling beneath his exhaustion.
"Speaking of agendas and motivations, Jay, I know it's been one thing after next since Franklin's birth, but I really need to ask about the multiverse thing. You mentioned it before, and I haven't been able to stop thinking about the implications."
Jay grinned, still bouncing Franklin with that unconscious rhythm parents learn. "Figured you'd ask eventually. Your brain won't let mysteries rest."
"Guilty as charged."
"Alright. Think of reality as a tree- no, scratch that." Jay paused, adjusting Franklin in his arms. "Think of it as... breathing. The multiverse breathes. Our universe is one breath among infinite breaths, all happening simultaneously."
Reed stopped pacing, his full attention locked on Jay.
"Every choice creates a divergence point. Not a new universe exactly, but a new breath. In one, you never got hit by cosmic radiation. In another, Doom won. In another, the Chitauri succeeded." Jay's voice took on a distant quality, like he was seeing something the rest of them couldn't. "But it's more than just choices. There are pocket dimensions- spaces that exist alongside ours. The Dark Dimension. The Negative Zone. Places that operate on different rules entirely."
"Parallel existence theory," Reed breathed, moving closer. His hands moved as he spoke, sketching invisible diagrams in the air. "But if there are infinite variations, what maintains coherence? What prevents cascade failures across realities?"
Jay's eyes glowed faintly as he reached out with his technomorphing, linking with HERBIE.
"Ready to assist, Mr. Jay," came the cheerful reply.
"Project this to the wall."
A soft hum filled the room as a holographic image flickered into existence, a massive structure of light and color that seemed to pulse with its own heartbeat. Layers upon layers of reality, stacked and interwoven like cosmic tissue.
[Image here]
"This is the multiversal structure," Jay said simply. "Everything that exists, has existed, or could possibly exist."
Franklin watched the lights with quiet fascination, eyes wide. He reached toward the hologram with one small hand, fingers grasping at nothing.
"Each point of light's a universe," Jay explained. "The spaces between them are... the barriers, where realities brush against each other. Sometimes they overlap, sometimes they're sealed tighter than you'd think."
Reed stood, moving closer. His expression had that familiar spark. The same one he had whenever he was five seconds away from running an experiment.
"Jay," he breathed, "this…this looks like the Negative Zone, the Superflow... even Overspace. You're mapping how it all connects."
"Yeah," Jay said, zooming in on a few layers. "It's all there, from the Below Place to the realms beyond the Beyond. Think of it as... a map of everything that can exist, from the physical to the conceptual."
Sue stepped closer, her eyes tracing the glowing layers. "It's beautiful," she said softly. "Like seeing the skeleton of creation itself."
Reed nodded, his mind already racing. "Every layer... every connection. It's a map begging to be explored. We've spent our lives reaching for the stars, and this…" he gestured at the hologram "…this is everything beyond them. The ultimate frontier."
Jay smiled faintly. "Exactly. Not just space or time, the framework everything's built on. Every universe, every choice, all tied together in one grand structure."
Sue's lips curved, half in awe, half in challenge. "Then I guess we've still got a lot of exploring to do, don't we?"
Reed's eyes gleamed. "If consciousness interacts with these constants, it could mean every decision creates a ripple across this entire model. Infinite cause and effect... it's beautiful."
"Which is why someone or something has to keep it from unravelling," Jay added. "Call it cosmic management. The One Above All, the Living Tribunal, the Beyonders, whatever label works for you."
Domino, lounging on the couch, raised an eyebrow. "So basically... cosmic janitors for infinite universes? That's got to be the worst gig in existence."
"More like very tired and overworked system admins," Jay said dryly.
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