Summary: Everyone deals with the aftermath of Armageddon in his or her own way. Spoilers for the finale of Wolverine & the X-Men. Written with firstclass100's morning after challenge in mind. Title is from Maureen McGovern s The Morning After. Implied Magneto/Charles, Scott/Jean, Scott/Emma.
We Have a Chance to Find the Sunshine
1.
It hurts her to do it. She s always believed in her father, defended his perspective, championed his dreams. Because of him, Genosha has thrived, and Wanda is proud of that.
She s relieved when Magneto returns, bearing visions from a future where Genosha lays in ruins. Perhaps Charles Xavier has saved them from war. However, that relief turns to horror when she realizes that Magneto is willing to risk everything to save, possibly, nothing.
She offers to let Pietro stay; she s missed him. When he stands firmly at his father s shoulder, however, Wanda realizes that she has lost them both.
2.
They seek refuge at the mansion; they ve nowhere else to go, Pietro complains piteously, and Wolverine reluctantly agrees.
Magneto spends many hours in the months that follow at Charles bedside. Charles always calls him Erik, and speaks to him warmly as though they re old friends coming together again after a long absence, rather than bitter enemies on opposite ends of the continuous battle for mutant rights. Magneto isn t sure whether he deserves the treatment, nor does he have a next step in which to gain a foothold, but he keeps coming back, and Charles is always glad to see him.
3.
Jean, too, seeks refuge with the professor. She s not sure whether anybody can truly understand how it feels to know that she did not expect to live through Armageddon, but Charles probably comes closer than most.
She shows him her visions, fragmented memories of the Hellfire Club and the consciousness of the Phoenix Force. She tells him how much she s missed her life at the Institute, how much she still misses him. Some days, she doesn t tell him anything at all; rather, she cries bitterly for her lost time, and Charles holds her and promises that, this, too, shall pass.
4.
Scott realizes that he and Logan have rather switched places. Logan is the leader, now; he seeks one-on-one meetings with Charles, and is instructed not to tell anyone else what is said in them. Scott avoids the professor; not consciously at first, though he eventually recognizes that he s tired of people being in his head. Logan rallies the troops; Scott lingers near the back and calculates when he can get away again.
They save the world; life returns to relative normalcy. Scott holds Jean close, but he dreams of blonde hair and diamonds, and wonders when Logan s lot became his.
5.
Bishop keeps them on the move during the day; their work in the future is far from over. At night, however, Charles hooks up Cerebro and catches up with the past.
At first, he assumes his students need him more than the renegade crew he s with these days. He changes his mind when he happens upon Sarah, huddled in a corner, crying. Sarah has apologized to him several times over since turning him in to the Sentinels, and Charles has forgiven her. She buries her face against his chest, now, and Charles vows not to let her slip away again.