Chapter Three
Erik grinned to himself as he used his powers to forcefully open the gates to Charles' school. It wasn't as if his old friend couldn't afford to repair them, or that Charles didn't already know he was there- he'd told him telepathically, a while ago, that he'd found another mutant runaway that Charles could recruit/adopt. The other mutant hadn't replied, but he knew Charles had heard- mainly because he and Raven were already waiting out front.
Erik turned to the frightened girl at his side. The 14 year old was tiny for her age, and very shy. She also had purple-pink hair, cat-green eyes, purple markings around her eyes and pointed ears. Her ability, from what Erik had seen so far, was creating some kind of energy-based portal that made an odd 'blink' sound when formed, but he didn't know more than that, considering he had been too busy stopping drunken bigots beating the girl to death for being a 'mutie freak'. He hadn't killed the idiots, but only because the child was petrified enough, and he needed to get the young mutant to safety. She barely spoke, and when she did, it was in whispers, but he knew her name was Clarice, and her parents had thrown her out when her appearance changed from human to obviously mutant. The thought made Erik grimace in disgust. What kind of parents turned on their child for something totally out of their control? Children deserved to be loved and valued no matter what.
"Are you ready?" He asked Clarice softly. "This is the school I told you about. You'll be safe here."
Clarice nodded without speaking and he led her up to the doors, to introduce her to Charles and Raven. He smiled a little as he walked the familiar route. No matter his ideological clashes with Charles, it always felt good to be back here. Peaceful... one of the few places he could safely relax.
Wanda flopped down heavily on the bed in her new room, sighing. Hank had insisted she join him for an 'analysis' on her powers in the Danger Room earlier. She hadn't been eager, but he kept saying it would help. Her shoulders slumped. I hope the repairs don't take too long. She had told him that if she used her powers randomly, with no goal in mind, that she couldn't predict the effects, but he'd shrugged it off, telling her to just 'cut loose'.
The blast she'd unleashed left the Danger Room looking like a tornado made of fire had ripped through it. She'd apologised to Hank then got out of there as fast as she could. Why had she ever thought using her powers could be a good thing? She wasn't like other mutants- all she could do was destroy. She put her head in her hands, once more silently cursing her biological father for giving her the mutant gene that she hated, even though she knew he wasn't to blame.
A strong breeze gusted through her room, then her bed sagged as someone else sat on it. Wanda didn't even need to look up.
"Hello, Peter."
Her tone of voice must have given something away. "Danger Room session that bad, huh?" Peter's usually exuberant voice was softer than usual.
She sighed. "Don't ask."
"'Kay. But, you know, property damage... kind of par for the course round here. Scott told me, his first day, he sliced that tree in half. You know, the one we saw the other day, when you arrived? And Jean and Jubilee have wrecked the place more than once, in their sleep or just when they're mad. And don't even get me started on Sam Guthrie, the Southern kid who cannonballs himself? He goes through walls on a weekly basis."
Wanda sighed again, louder. "I appreciate you trying to reassure me, Peter, but those others are teenagers. I don't think you'll find many 27-year-old mutants who have to not use their powers to avoid frequent catastrophes." She shook her head. "I shouldn't have agreed to stay. I'd be better off just finding work and getting on with my life. That's what I got the psychology degree for, after all."
"And what, spend the rest of your life pretending to be something you're not, hiding from the world?" Peter rolled his eyes.
"Why not? If people are safer that way-"
"That's Mom talking, not you."
"She was right! After Sean-" Wanda cut herself off, not wanting to remember Marya's former boyfriend, Ana's father.
"Wanda, that was fourteen years ago. And that jerk deserved it. Besides, you only just got your powers right before that. We were thirteen. It wasn't your fault!"
Wanda stared at the ground, not replying. Peter grimaced. He'd had this talk with her a thousand times, but he knew she wouldn't forgive herself- she never did. Never mind that Sean's death could have been an accident- they would never know what caused the multiple brain aneurysms that had claimed his life. The loser had been drunk and about to hit Mom at the time. Wanda's hands had glowed red for the first time ever, and Sean had fainted. Now she and Mom both believed it was Wanda's powers that had killed Sean, though Mom had never said that outright. She didn't blame Wanda, but there was always a slight unease between them after that. Wanda had eventually done her best to suppress her powers (though it never worked completely, her powers still surfaced) and focused on education and a 'normal' life.
Peter took a deep breath. "Anyway, I didn't come here to talk about that- though we should at some point- but, uh..." He fidgeted. "Seems Erik... er, Magneto brought another mutant kid here- he does that a lot, helps young mutants get to the school- and he's kind of visiting with Charles, and..." Peter tapped his fingers to his forehead. "Prof spoke to me, thinks we should tell him."
Wanda groaned, heaving herself off the bed. She didn't want to deal with this right now. "You can, if you want. Just make it clear I'm not in this to play Happy Families." She stalked out of the room.
Peter pinched the bridge of his nose. Why couldn't they agree on anything anymore?
Peter? Charles' voice was hesitant. Did you want me to be the one to tell Erik? I know you wanted him to know, but...
No. I'll be right there. Peter took a deep breath, willed his stomach to stop churning with nerves, and sped to Charles' office. (That was where Erik always hung out while at the school.)
Erik leaned forward slightly in the chair, peering at Charles suspiciously over the desk. "You're nervous about something." He had introduced Clarice to Charles and Raven, and the shape-shifter had taken the girl to find a room and settle in, while Charles persuaded Erik to come in for a while, as he always did.
Charles laughed. It sounded somewhat forced. "No, I'm not."
"We've played two games of chess, you keep fidgeting and you're avoiding eye contact with me." Erik sat back, arms folded. "I know you, Charles. What's going on?"
"Well-"
The door was flung open in a burst of wind. Charles smiled, looking almost relieved. Erik twisted round, frowning.
The young speedster- Peter, if Erik remembered correctly- stood in the doorway, looking both excited and anxious, like a child unsure how a gift to an adult would be received. He was almost hopping from one foot to the other with agitation.
Erik looked back at Charles, hoping for some clue as to why the young man was here. Come to think of it, he popped up a lot when Erik came by the mansion... Charles, however, was maneuvering his wheelchair round the desk, clearly planning to leave the room.
"Erik, Peter has something to tell you. It's important, so I will give you two privacy." He reached the door, and glanced back at Erik, who was now utterly confused. "And, Erik? Stay calm."
Erik blinked repeatedly as Charles put a hand on Peter's shoulder with a reassuring smile, before the silver haired mutant stepped aside to let him leave. The door closed behind him, leaving a bemused Erik staring at Peter.
The speedster stood there fidgeting for a few minutes, apparently at a loss for words.
Erik honestly had no idea what was going on right now.
Eventually, Peter spoke. "Um, do you remember when we first met?"
What the hell does that have to do with anything? Erik frowned, but nodded. "When you helped get me out of the Pentagon. I'm not sure if I ever thanked you for that, events were somewhat chaotic that day..."
"Nah, it's cool, man. Do you remember me saying my mom knew a guy with abilities like yours?"
Erik's brow creased. Had the boy said that? He'd talked so much that day, and it was a decade ago... "Vaguely."
Peter shifted awkwardly. He took a deep breath. Just say it, Peter! "Do you remember a woman called Marya Maximoff?"
Erik started. "Marya?! Yes, I knew her, about thirty years ago..." His heart began pounding, his mind connecting dots between events, drawing a conclusion he did not want to accept. There was no way... It couldn't be...
Peter nodded a couple of times. "It's... Marya's my mom. And..."
Erik began shaking his head. This was not happening. Out of context, he began remembering things that Raven and Peter had said, during the battle with Apocalypse, when they'd been trying to reason with him.
Raven had said "I know you think you've lost everything, but you haven't. You have me... you have Charles..." She had glanced at Peter before continuing. "You have more family than you know."
Peter, when Erik had questioned his presence there, had fumbled his words. "I'm- I'm your- I'm here for my family too!"
Erik's fists clenched. Marya, all those years ago, pleading with him to forget Shaw, to stay with her... and now this young man, her son, who happened to be a mutant. It was adding up. But he wouldn't, couldn't let this be happening. He had had a family, a child, and his past sins had gotten them killed. Don't say it. He turned his deadliest glare on Peter.
Peter swallowed hard, but spoke the words Erik dreaded anyway. "You're my father. I'm your son."
Erik stood frozen, unable to process that or react now it had been said aloud. No, no, no...
Peter seemed to be waiting for some sort of response, watching Erik carefully.
"NO!" All the metal in the room pulsed and began to writhe as anger and grief grew in the metal-bender's mind. He tore his eyes from Peter, unable to look at him. Memories assaulted him. Nina's first smile, first steps, first word, learning to talk, to read, all moments her father should have shared and had.
He had a son in his late twenties and he had missed all of that. Peter- his son- had grown up fatherless, because Erik had let his vengeance on Shaw rule his life back then.
What had he done?!
Erik was breathing heavily, his face contorted. Peter couldn't read his expression, it was so mixed up.
"Hey, you OK, man? I know this is big news, but I kinda thought it might be a good thing..."
Erik finally looked at him, his eyes full of grief. Peter suddenly didn't know what to say.
"I, um... I wanted to tell you earlier. But it never felt like the right time." Peter's voice was more unsure now. "Uh... I'm a twin. My sister's name is Wanda. So you have a daughter as well. Um... aren't you going to say anything?"
A son and a daughter, both adults already. The metal in the room tore itself from its place and formed a tornado as Erik fought for composure. He was praying this was a joke- or a nightmare. He looked pleadingly at Peter, hoping that this was the speedster's (sick) idea of a joke.
Peter just kept watching him, waiting for a reply.
Erik couldn't take it, this news of yet another horrific failure on his part to protect and care for his own family. He'd abandoned Marya and forced her to cope on her own with his children. He ran from the room, unable to look at Peter. His own flesh and blood, his son, that he'd never been there for. Was it possible for anything worse to happen to him now? Just when he thought he'd made the biggest mistakes and learned from them, life kicked sand in his face and proved him wrong again.
It always got worse. He was a monster, a failure, who did not deserve any happiness. He ran through the hallways, barely aware of where he was going.
Erik? Erik! Charles called to his mind, but he ignored him. Charles had to have known this, so why hadn't he told him before now? He'd known of Peter for ten years! Had Charles thought that Erik, before Washington, didn't deserve a family, so hadn't told him? And now Erik was 'a better person', Charles had let him know?
No, Erik, I would not have done that to you. Charles sounded hurt. I didn't know of the twins' paternity until after you left, after you had rebuilt the mansion. And since then, I have been trying to work out how to tell you. Erik, you need to calm down.
Erik laughed bitterly as he found his way into the kitchen. Calm down?! I'll tell you what, Charles, I will drop a life-changing piece of news that you never expected on you, and see how fast YOU can 'calm down'! He 'pushed' the telepath from his mind and began flipping open cupboards. "I need a drink. There had better be alcohol in here somewhere. Strong alcohol."
There was a derisive snort behind him, and only then did Erik realise he wasn't alone in the kitchen. He turned slowly to see (and scare off) his unwanted company. He needed to be alone right now.
A foreign girl, Roma, possibly, Erik thought, with wild curly hair, clad in black jeans and a red shirt sneered at him, arms folded.
"You get the news that you're a father and your first instinct is to drown your sorrows in a bottle? Pathetic."
Erik froze. Does the WHOLE DAMNED SCHOOL know about this?!
Wanda had headed outside to cool off after her sort-of row with Peter, knowing that soon enough she'd probably have to meet Erik Lehnsherr- assuming Peter went through with it and told him. She wasn't sure how she felt about that now. For years, she'd believed, from Mom's stories, that the guy was heartless, a sociopath who didn't care about anyone. But now... Raven and Charles both seemed to genuinely care for Erik, and so did Hank, though he was more grudging about it. And the fact that he had had another family, and that he had helped stop that Apocalypse freak, and was now helping young mutants get to the school... She wasn't sure what to think. Yes, Erik had done terrible things, killed people. But she knew now that his first problem- his hate for Sebastian Shaw- was rooted in his love for his mother, long dead.
Wanda herself had killed Sean while defending her mother. It had been an accident, but she could still remember the anger. She had wanted him to hurt, to suffer for hurting her mom. And he had.
So- not counting the scale of things- were she and Erik really that different? Sighing, she shook her head. Best to just let things play out, she told herself, as she went back indoors to get a bottle of water. After that, she'd go apologise to Hank, and see if he wanted her help in fixing the Danger Room. She might not like the destruction of her powers, but hiding from messes she'd made wasn't like her. She'd help fix it.
She'd just pulled the fridge open when someone stormed into the kitchen with a deep, humourless laugh. She looked up, and tensed.
So, this was Erik Lehnsherr. Her and Peter's father. She eyed him as he began flipping open cupboards. He was tall, about her height. (Or, she supposed, she was about his height.) He looked... normal. Stressed out and angry, almost frantic, but he didn't look like any sort of psycho.
He was still tossing open cupboards. "I need a drink. There had better be alcohol in here somewhere. Strong alcohol."
She snorted, folding her arms and sneering. "You get the news that you're a father and your first instinct is to drown your sorrows in a bottle? Pathetic."
He whirled round to face her. (She might have startled him- had he not seen her when he'd come in? Maybe the news about her and Peter had left him in shock...) His face was now livid. He spoke through clenched teeth. "I'm sure you think your opinion is valid, but how I deal with shock really isn't anything to do with you. If you don't mind, I'd like to be alone."
Her eyes narrowed. Nothing to do with her?! "I do mind. Sorry- wait, no I'm not. I was here first."
Erik stepped closer, expression darkening, clearly wanting to intimidate her. "Leave." Inwardly, he only intended to scare this annoying nosy girl away, not hurt her, but she didn't need to know that. She shouldn't stick her nose into other people's business!
So, Erik didn't want to face her now he knew? Ashamed, was he? Tough. Wanda glowered back. "Make me." She knew, from her experiments with Peter in the past, that she could block and control other mutants' abilities if she focused. And she had other ways of using her powers to defend herself. Just let Erik try and scare her off!
There was a metallic clanking, and all the cutlery and utensils that were lying around went airborne, flying towards her.
Wanda stood her ground, not even flinching, knowing what would happen. No projectile ever hit her, unless she wanted it to. It wasn't even a conscious thing. Wait for it...
Inches from her face, all the metal objects collided or simply weren't in danger of hitting her any more. She wasn't sure how this worked- whether the things had moved, or just not been aimed at her any more, but as always, it all missed.
Erik's eyes widened a bit, but Wanda moved next. Her father thought that attacking her was a good way to introduce himself?! Well, two could play that game...
A red glow surrounded her hands, and she narrowed her eyes, focusing.
Erik let out an exclamation as all the metal he had been controlling simply dropped to the floor. It took him a few seconds after that to note the faint red glow surrounding him that held his powers and him paralysed.
Wanda grinned. "No powers until I decide to let them go. How's it feel to be essentially human?" Sometimes, I wish I was... (She hoped Charles hadn't heard that.)
He glared at her. "I am not in the mood for games. Let. Me. Go."
"In a minute." Wanda was kind of enjoying this now. Her powers did have some perks, as long as she kept a tight grip on them. "You attacked me, after all. How do I know you won't do it again?"
He looked at her like she was vermin. He was about to speak, and Wanda had no doubt it would be an insult, when running footsteps approached.
Raven ran into the kitchen, eyes panicked, though she relaxed visibly when it became obvious no-one was hurt. She looked from Erik to Wanda, not knowing what to do or say.
Wanda, Charles' voice echoed in her mind. Wanda, Erik wasn't being cruel to you deliberately. He's in shock and hasn't realised who you are. Let him go. Please.
Wanda sighed and let go her grip on Erik's powers. She saw him relax when he sensed his abilities again and smirked. He was still glaring at her, though.
"Did you think that was funny?"
"Little bit." Wanda shrugged. If he really hadn't worked out who she was, she was going to enjoy the reveal even more...
Raven took a tentative step closer. "If you two have finished fighting..."
Neither of them responded. Raven sighed. "OK, clearly you haven't figured this out yet, Erik, and Charles says no, the 'whole school' does not know about your children-"
"Then how does she?!" Erik retorted rudely, gesturing at Wanda.
Wanda nearly laughed out loud. Raven grimaced.
"Erik... this is Wanda Maximoff, Peter's twin sister."
To be continued...
