So, here we go, here's where the action begins (and the slash). You will also begin to see how complex a character Rose actually is, and how different from her mother...
For those interested, when I created Rose I wanted her to be more or less the opposite of Hela/Helena. While Loki's and Nightingale's eldest daughter looks very much like Loki, and has his magic, she has more Nightingale's temperament, her kindness, her patience; Rose on the other hand looks more like her mama, isn't a sorceress, but her mind works more like Loki's, in ways that you might imagine, or you might not, but you'll be seeing, a little in this chapter, and more later on. I think it's important, because I never wanted Rose to be a replica of Nightingale, not at all, despite the whole singing and music, and even the passion... she's a whole different person, and that is important.
Also, this chapter we get to learn more about Willow! She's one of three reasons that made me write this fic (fics, actually) at all (meaning the time-travel); the other two being the Steve/Peggy ship, and the Cherik!
So, here we go! Enjoy! (don't read end notes until you've finished reading the chapter, I'll be clarifying a few things there, and I don't want to spoiler you).
Yellow Rose
New Friendships, 'Welcome Back's, a promise of a New Beginning...
A small room, with a small fireplace in a corner, which doubled as a stove, there was an old table with four mismatched chairs, an old, ratty couch, and on the opposite side a small area was curtained off, I knew instinctively it was what passed for a bedroom there, with an old, half-hard mattress and threadbare sheets. I ignored all that, instead walking to the window, to the figure standing there.
A five year old girl with warm chocolate brown eyes and ringlets of bright-red hair framing her oval face, in an old washed-out yellow dress (a re-purposed man's shirt); she was small for her age, probably due to malnutrition, standing by the window, watching the crowd forming at ground level, full of adults arguing with each other.
There is fire, flames that expand to take over most of the building much too quickly.
Outside, by the back of the building I'm running, I know I'm leaving my family behind and that they won't like that, but it's too important that I get to that building, that I get to her, my sister...I don't even think about it when I reach the back-door of the hostel, simply slamming the door open and, ignoring the flames jumping at me, I leap right in.
I'm only vaguely aware of the fact that, while there's fire all around me, flames dancing past my feet, licking my skin, none of it's hurting me. The fire feels more like the oddest caress than anything else. I don't focus on that, I just force my small legs (for I'm a child myself) to keep running, up several flights of stairs, until I reach the top floor. There's the little girl in the yellow dress, she's screaming and crying, and the fire is hurting her. I don't even think about it, just reach for her automatically.
I call her the wrong name. For me she's Willow (she's my sister), but she says her name's Anya. Even then, I know that's not important, what's important is getting her out, getting both of us out before it's too late (I don't know if my bit of luck with the fire will run out at some point, it's never happened to me before, I don't yet know what it means).
We managed to get back out, and my family was waiting for us. Mama immediately focused on helping Willow... Anya, as much as she could; even as, behind us, the fire went on, the building beginning to creak ominously, it'd collapse at any moment.
One moment I was with Mama, Papa, Willow/Anya and Hakon, feeling the start of some great power shifting the earth beneath our feet, and then abruptly everything changed. Suddenly I was laying on the ground, face against the dirt, screaming in a mix of languages: Romany, Russian, Yiddish, Polish, German (and when did I learn the latter three?!) There was a woman in my line of sight, with sun-burnt skin and wavy auburn hair, she was screaming, the same litany over and over again:
"Anya! My baby! Someone save my baby!"
It actually took several seconds for a corner of my mind to realize she was speaking in Romany. Her daughter was inside that building, she was dying... her daughter... my daughter. I could hear her screaming... and then I couldn't, not anymore, I couldn't hear her anymore, could see nothing through the broken windows except the flames.
Something inside me snapped then. There was a core of power inside me, it'd been there for years, enough that at times it felt it'd been there forever. I'd been holding it back, keeping it hidden for years, only using it when absolutely necessary, and never where others could see. But I'd gotten careless, made a mistake, and my family was made to pay for it. My wife... my daughter... my schatzi... I snapped.
An almost inhuman scream abandoned my lips at the same time the earth beneath me shifted, just a fraction of a second before a deafening groan announced the end. Then there was nothing but chaos, blood and death... and a woman wailing in disbelief, pain and horror...
I sat up abruptly in my bed, mouth snapping closed hard enough my teeth clicked painfully against each other. I didn't focus on that though, in that moment I could focus on nothing except trying to pull myself back to reality and to my own body.
By the time I managed to fully return to myself, I was no longer alone. Willow was sitting beside me on the bed, one of her hands rubbing soothing circles on the back of one of my hands. Charles was on the other side, body tense on his chair, as if he were debating whether to get closer or not. Hank stood at the door, looking nervously at me.
"Hey..." I called, voice hoarse.
"You were screaming." Charles answered the unasked question. "Physically and mentally."
He passed me a glass of water to help, while Willow kept comforting me.
"You terrified us, phei..." She whispered softly, cuddling into my side.
Her use of that word reminded me the woman outside the hostel in that dream, screaming for her daughter; the mother, the wife...
"Whose memory is this?" I asked Charles straight out, forcing a piece of it to the front of my mind (it wasn't exactly hard, seeing at it was already there; what was hard was not to flinch at it).
"Oh..." Charles let out a breath when picking it up. "I'm sorry dear, I didn't realize I'd passed that memory over as well."
"That doesn't answer my question Charles." I said, a bit harsher than intended.
"I actually got that memory completely by accident." The telepath went on, practically babbling. "He was having a nightmare one day, I tried to help him and ended inside it with him... he was furious when he realized I'd gotten into his head without permission, but there was just so much pain, and I wanted to help him... didn't realize it was too late and..."
"Charles!" I snapped at him.
"Erik." He finally answered, soberly. "The memory is Erik's."
I drew in a sharp breath. I'd suspected as much (though how I'd missed that particular memory when going through my very cathartic session the week before I'd no idea...). Even after the whole singing-episode I'd continued having dreams about the memories (and the visions), but they'd become more manageable. Until then...
"Oh stars..." I breathed out as the pieces finished fitting together inside my head.
"Rose..." He began, doubtful.
For all answer I brought up the whole of my dream, the mix of vision, and memories (both mine and Erik's), and passed it to him. It was done in a second, though it obviously took him several more to look over it, and fully process the implications of it all. I knew the instant it clicked, for her turned wide blue eyes straight at me. Then we both turned to look at Willow in unison.
"Oh lord..." Charles gasped in shock.
"Indeed." I agreed.
A full week talking it over, making plans, and we still had no idea how we were going to deal with the matter of Erik Lehnsherr; and with the new developments... I actually wasn't sure if it'd all make things better or worse. I wanted to believe that it would be good, for the two of them to find each other again... I wanted to believe it, but couldn't be sure. Only time would tell.
"Phei?" Willow's... Anya's voice brought me back to reality.
Erik Lehnsherr could wait, I decided, first I needed to explain to my beloved sister what I'd just discovered; that after eighteen years I'd finally found her 'Dadro'...
xXx
We tried to do things legally. I got in touch with all my contacts (they were actually my family's contacts, but that was good enough). In the next couple of weeks several packages were delivered to a number of postboxes in Manhattan, Stamford, Bridgeport, Danbury, and other smaller towns in the vicinity of Westchester (though none in Westchester itself). I got copies of every single photo there was of the day President Kennedy had been shot, even a few videos. I also got files from the policemen who'd taken Erik Lehnsherr in (some of whom had actually admitted that he'd turned himself in... rather than the fantastical tale the government had tried to spin at one point), statements from everyone who'd been involved in his original detainment, what his so-called lawyer had worked with (which wasn't much) and, finally, a copy of the transcript of the 'secret trial' that had taken place.
"How did you even get your hands on this?" Hank asked, shocked when seeing the last.
"My family has friends in very high places." I answered honestly. "I told you before, Mama is, at least legally, the youngest Stark, and even if she's not as well known as Uncle Howard... people knows about her, respect her. And it's not even just about her name. There are people who still remember what my parents and Aunt Sia did during WWII, and that's enough for them to agree to help me, no matter how odd my requests might be."
"They also probably don't know what you're actually planning on doing with all this information" Charles pointed out, signaling to all the pictures. "At most they might believe you a fan of Magneto, or simply a conspiracy-theorist..."
"Probably." I admitted with a shrug. "Doesn't matter."
It really didn't. The truth would come out eventually.
We got to work together. Picking through everything I'd gotten to find the evidence we needed, the evidence of Erik Lehnsherr's innocence in the matter of Kennedy's assassination. It wasn't easy. I knew we couldn't just go to the authorities and tell them the Winter Soldier had done it, and not only because no one outside the Intelligence community had so much as heard of the Soldier; but because even they believed him to be little more than a legend. We also had no idea what Erik Lehnsherr had been doing in Dallas, and particularly so close to the president, that day. What little would have been considered solid proof under normal circumstances (the lack of gun, the angle of the shot, etc.) simply wasn't enough, not when the man being accused was Magneto, and everyone knew he 'had a way with guns'.
Even then I wasn't giving up. Nothing would ever make me do that. Eventually, though, I was forced to accept that the four of us alone might not be enough. So, with that in mind, I sent a telegram to the one person I thought might be able to help me. I got a phone-call straight to the mansion just a week later.
"Rosie Rose..." A male voice called from the other end of the line.
"Hakon!" I couldn't help but exclaim in delight.
"My darling sister..." Hakon went on, his tone was odd, sounding almost amused, though with a hint of disapproval. "What kind of chaos have you been causing now?"
"Huh?" I wasn't expecting that one. "None at all! Not yet at least..."
"That's not what I've heard." Hakon replied. "Quite the opposite in fact. I believe you've kicked a veritable hornets' nest..."
"But I haven't done anything yet!" I couldn't fully keep myself from whining.
"You've done enough." His voice turned abruptly serious. "What's your interest with Kennedy's killer anyway?"
"You and I both know Erik Lehnsherr did not kill Kennedy." I pointed out evenly.
"Yeah well, unless Aunt Sia found the Winter Soldier at some point in the last few years and I'm not aware... you're going to have a hard time proving that." He replied.
"I know that!" I was sure I was sounding petulant as I said that. "That's why I sent you that message. I need a kickass lawyer to help us with this. Someone who's willing to believe that he's innocent... unlike the poor excuse for an attorney they saddled Erik with in the original trial..."
"Oh little sister..." I could almost see him shaking his head at me. "You know that I've never actually defended anyone. I may be a lawyer, but I went straight from college to the army... I have no experience..."
"I know that." I cut him off. "I know that Hakon, but who else could I go to? Less than a dozen people truly believe in Erik Lehnsherr's innocence, and from all of us you're the only one who has the slightest idea how to handle something like this! And you have the fancy degree too..."
"Rose..." His voice turned so somber I felt my blood go cold (something that should have been impossible, seeing how I'm fire). "Rosie... you need to realize, that fancy degree or not, and past experience notwithstanding... this will not work."
"What are you talking about?" I asked, a bit colder than entirely necessary.
"When I first arrived to Vietnam, a few years ago, I was assigned to a special unit." My brother began to explain. "Mostly because I was the new guy, and while I'd just been promoted to Mayor, most saw me as little more than an upstart, the kind who got promoted through nepotism."
"That's absolute ridiculous!" I couldn't help but speak in my brother's defense instantly.
"Yes, of course, but that's not the point." He waved it off easily. "The point is that I soon realized why all the other high-ranked soldiers refused to work with that unit... they're mutants."
I froze, almost literally. Memories of my visions came to me, the day when Alex had learnt he was being drafted; the thought I'd had back then, of how hopefully my brother would be able to do something for him...
"When I got promoted to Lieutenant Colonel last year I was offered a move, but I chose to stay." He went on. "Was put officially in charge of the unit. You have no idea how hard I've had to fight to keep those boys safe... we've taken loses in battle, but it's the dangers that they're in once we're off the field that worry me more. More than once I've received orders to have one or more of my men sent along with Mayor William Stryker... especially men who are injured, candidates for honorable discharge, or those who've finished their tours and chosen not to continue..."
"Hakon..." I didn't like how that sounded.
"I'm sure you're thinking the same thing I thought when I connected the dots." He agreed. "It's why I've refused every single order to that effect. It hasn't been easy, and I don't want to think what happened to the men who were in such situations before I assumed command of this unit. William Stryker is not a good man Rose, I don't need Mama's empathy to know that, it's written all over his face. He despises mutants and makes no secret of it. Sees all gifted as abominations." Which obviously meant he knew nothing of Hakon himself. "He also is said to be 'close' to the founder and CEO of Trask Industries, Bolivar Trask..."
"Trask Industries?" I repeated, remembering some things I'd heard our parents and Uncle Howard say in the past. "Isn't that company..."
"Uncle Howard's competition, yes." He finished for me. "There have also been rumors of some 'unethical' practices..."
I didn't need him to be any more explicit than that; and when put together with the orders for mutant soldiers looking for discharge to be sent with him... it didn't paint a pretty picture. Not at all. I almost felt sick just thinking about it.
"What's the point to all this Hakon?" Because I knew there had to be one, I also suspected I really wasn't going to like it. I was right.
"I've been dealing with Stryker like clockwork, every other week, for the last year." He explained quietly. "He missed our appointment last week. When I put that together with your little telegram I did some discreet digging... apparently a certain prisoner is being transferred next week... there are orders to have him finish his sentence in a private high-security prison..."
"What can possibly be more private and high-security than a cell at the bottom of the Pentagon?!" I couldn't help but cry out in shock.
"One created and controlled by Trask Industries..."
I was no fool, and was perfectly capable of reading between the lines. Erik Lehnsherr wasn't being sent to another prison, he was being handed over to Trask, in the place of the soldiers they weren't getting to, thanks to my brother. If that happened... he'd never be seen alive again, he'd probably be dead in less than a month.
"Tell me sis, how much do you want to save that man?" He inquired softly.
"The world needs Erik Lehnsherr." Was my answer.
I had no words to express everything that was running through my mind right then. All the things I'd seen, and all I simply knew... the world needed Erik Lehnsherr, both for himself, and for Charles Xavier, because whether my friend wanted to accept it or not, he needed Erik. The two mutants needed each other, and the world needed them (preferably together... but that was a matter for later).
"Then you must know you'll need to go off-book for this one." He murmured.
I didn't ask him what he meant by that, I didn't need to. I also realized it wouldn't be just a matter of going off-book; the actions we'd need to take would be downright illegal... then again, it would not be exactly the first time. While our family were warriors by birth, the 'good guys' that didn't mean we weren't ready to do what needed to be done, for the right reasons: Mama had stood by Papa when he was believed to be a villain, the leader of an army that intended to conquer our planet... and I didn't even want to think what Aunt Sia might be doing in her attempts to track down the Winter Soldier (though, on that front, I didn't actually know why she was so interested on that individual...).
"Very well." I nodded, even knowing he couldn't see me. "Thank you for everything Hakon."
"Of course little sister." I could hear his soft smile. "And remember, if you ever need help..."
"I'll call you." I finished.
I knew that if things went wrong he'd be there to bail me out, as would the rest of our family. Still, I hoped that wouldn't be necessary. The life of a man was at stake and if I failed... well, that was one prospect I didn't really want to contemplate.
"Thank you, big brother." I murmured. "Take care. Don't die out there."
"Never." He replied, almost cheerful. "And whatever chaos you unleash, take care."
"I will." I assured him. "Love ya."
"Love you too, Rosie Rose." He replied, and then he hung up.
We never said goodbye, there was no need, we'd be seeing each other again after all.
xXx
The following week passed a bit faster than any of us would have preferred. When the day came we didn't actually have a plan, we only knew the roads the convoy transporting Magneto was taking and that there was a very small window of opportunity for us to take him before he was in Trask's clutches. If such a thing ever happened... well, I knew I could call the cavalry (meaning my parents, and I would be able to convince them to help... but I didn't want to go that far).
The basic idea we had was to go after the convoy at a point where they'd be driving past a cliff-side, around the middle point between DC and Trask Industries HQs in Upstate New York; the kind of road where vehicles had to travel single-file. Charles would mess with their minds and perception just enough for Hank and I to get Erik out and away without any of them so much as suspecting foul play. Hopefully they wouldn't realize what had happened until they'd made it to TI, and would have no way of knowing what had happened, or where (I'd also sent an urgent telegram to Hakon, letting him know I was unleashing some chaos... just so he'd have a heads-up, because if we succeeded, Stryker and Trask would be furious, and they were liable to try and take it out on Hakon's unit).
Of course, things just couldn't go the way we'd planned (that probably would have been asking for too much...). First, there were more vehicles in the convoy than we'd originally anticipated, then there was the fact that a few of the people on the middle two trucks were actually wearing telepathy-blockers, a much cruder version of the helmet Magneto had taken from Shaw and had taken to wearing after Cuba.
"The plan isn't going to work." Willow muttered in all our ears.
She was at the top of the cliff, with military-grade binoculars and the communications array Hank had built to keep all of us in touch without over-working Charles's telepathy. Charles himself, limited in his motions due to the chair, had made us place him in a concealed groove a couple of feet bellow the edge of the cliff; where he'd be able to pick the thoughts of everyone passing easily (except for the whole 'blockers' thing).
"Well, we better think of a new plan then, because we won't be having another chance." I half-snapped, unable to help myself.
"Can we cause... I don't know, a minor accident or something?" Hank suggested. "Even if they realize Erik escaped, they'd still have no reason to think anyone helped him. All things metal are his specialty after all."
"Erik is incapacitated." Charles admitted grimly. "He's currently so drugged I cannot properly reached his mind... and that's without counting the cold."
"Cold?" Willow and I asked in sync, confused.
"They have him in a small, box-like cage, in the fourth vehicle." Charles clarified. "And it's very, very cold inside, almost like an ice-box..."
"The Meissner effect..." Hank breathed out in realization. "They expel the magnetic field from a superconductor, in this case Erik, by taking it below it's critical temperature and..."
"Hank, English!" Will practically snapped at him.
"They're using extreme cold to keep Erik from using his powers." He summarized. "The drugs are keeping him unconscious... and are probably helping keep him alive despite the extreme temperatures his body is being subjected to."
"How extreme?" Charles asked, suddenly very quiet.
"Below 200 °C, most likely." Hank admitted in the same tone. "Truth be told, even with the drugs, I just don't know how he'll be i... when we get him out."
I saw what was coming barely a handful of seconds before it did.
"Everyone beware!" I called loudly into my comm. "Shockwave coming!"
It did, the force hit the cliff-side with enough power to cause part of it to crumble (thankfully not anywhere that would hurt either Willow or Charles). There was a lot of screeching and cursing as half the vehicles of the convoy were forced to stop abruptly, some actually having to do some maneuvering so as not to end up buried by debris, or going off the cliff. Two actually did crash against some rocks, though there were no serious injuries.
"I really don't think we'll be getting a better chance than this." I pointed out.
I still had no idea what had caused the shockwave, but could sense a presence far up, farther than Willow, which shouldn't have been possible, but somehow was.
"Everyone get moving!" Charles ordered.
Two arrows landed almost simultaneously, past the fallen rocks (where most of the vehicles in the convoy were located). They had canisters connected, which released a gas that, while it cleared fast, it was enough to knock out at least half of the men present, most of them military. Hank and I got on the move then, knocking out as many of the others as we could. Beast (still on the meds that kept him from going blue... mainly because we'd decided he was less likely to be properly remembered like that, rather than blue and furry...) was the first to reach the main vehicle in the convoy, the one holding the cage.
Even in human form Hank was considerably stronger than humans, he forced the door to the back of the van open, and then proceeded to pull out the cage, which was actually more of a box. It was awful. He was looking around the locks, probably trying to decide how good or bad an idea it might be to simply force it open, when an instinct screamed inside of me:
"Beast beware!" I cried out, at the same time I spun around, looking for the threat I knew instinctively was there.
I was right, I turned just in time to see the soldiers who'd ended on the other side of the rocks, they'd managed to half climb them and were pointing weapons at us. I didn't even think about it, fire was suddenly at my finger tips and it rushed from my body to the truck closest to the rocks (and the soldiers) lighting it up. No one was killed, and very few were truly injured, but at least that was enough to get them off our backs.
I was about to turn back towards Hank and the box, when two successive visions took over me:
Hank had just said something but I wasn't paying attention, because all I could see was the grenade rolling across the ground. I was only half conscious of the warning I yelled before turning and leaping towards the nearest truck, seeking protection from the explosion (I might be fire, but I wasn't sure if that would be enough).
The explosion was loud enough to make my ears ring, and I was only half-aware of my sister calling to me through the comms; until the next cry made me freeze, it was Charles calling:
"Erik!"
I jumped to my feet abruptly, and from a second to the next the cement and gravel road beneath my feet disappeared, leaving instead grass and flowers. The very air seemed to be charged with tension, and I could feel it thrumming inside me as I stood on guard, protective (though I wasn't sure who I was protecting exactly). There were several people standing a number of yards away from me, lead by a man in a military uniform, whom I'd never seen before, though I instinctively knew he was a threat. His gun was aimed at me, and before I could fully understand what was going on, he fired.
I staggered, body caught in a rush of pain from a wound that wasn't actually real, from a bullet that hadn't hit me yet (and hopefully never would). It took me several seconds to pull myself back to reality, right on time to hear Hank speak:
"The box has electronic locks, but I'm afraid they might have been damaged in the crash." He was saying. "I don't know how safe it might be for Erik to just force the box open..."
"You'll have to take the risk." I snapped at him. "We're out of time."
I was observing all around, trying to find the origin of the grenade, yet when I saw the man that was pretty much dragging his own body out of the front of the main vehicle in the convoy, I couldn't help but freeze. It was the same man from my second vision, the one who had shot (would shoot) me... the moment he turned in my direction I suddenly realized he was the very man Hakon had warned me about:
"William Stryker..." I breathed out in absolute shock.
"Grenade!" Willow practically shrieked through the comms.
Hank leapt behind the closest vehicle, looking for shelter, but by the time I could move, there was nothing I could do. I also realized, a fraction of a second before the explosion actually reached me, that there was nothing to fear, because I not only had control over fire... I was fire. Heat and flames caused by the grenade rushed past me, never quite touching me. I got a few scrapes from the debris flying around (I wasn't immune to that) but nothing worst than that. I could see the shock in Stryker's eyes before Hank slipped behind him, knocking him out with a hit.
And then, the part I'd completely forgotten about came, Charles screaming:
"Erik!"
We all ran, all the while fearing it might be too late already. The grenade had exploded way too close to the box/cell, cracking it open and sending the pieces tumbling off the road and down the cliff... and that had included Erik himself.
Hank and I reached the edge of the road almost at the same time and peered down, more than a little afraid of what we might find (what had been the point of that vision if I'd only frozen when I should have been doing something to save Erik?!). We didn't find what we'd been expecting, not by long shot; instead we were met first by Charles's fallen chair in the middle of the small space where he'd been sitting, waiting. Charles himself was on the dirt-ground, a few feet away, right at the edge of the cliff, he was using one of his arms to hold himself in place, and the other... with the other he was holding onto an unconscious Erik Lehnsherr. He'd managed to catch him at the last possible moment.
*Thanks to you, Rose.* He whispered into my head. *I saw your vision...*
I couldn't help the smile, the mix of joy and relief. So there had been a point to that vision after all! Even if it wasn't meant for me.
It took little time for Hank to get down the slope and help Charles pull Erik to safety, then the three of them joined me on the road. Debris, unconscious men and vehicles (a number of them crashed and one overturned) were all around us; it was an absolute mess.
"So..." Hank murmured, looking all around us. "What now?"
"Now we all get out of here before the authorities find us." Charles offered.
"Don't forget to erase us from their minds." I told him. "The last thing we need is them coming after us... after the school."
Charles didn't bother pointing out there wasn't actually a school in that moment; he probably knew already that was the next step in my half-baked plan.
"I think I can do one better." Charles offered. "If you let me take what you saw..."
I nodded, beginning to realize what he was planning.
Stryker and his men would be waking up minutes later, convinced they'd just fought and won a battle against a group of rebel mutants, managing to kill them all. They wouldn't be reporting that officially, of course, the convoy was supposed to be there for the prisoner's 'safety' not to fight anyone; they weren't even supposed to be carrying any weapons, as Magneto had been kept drugged and locked up for the journey. The hard part would be explaining to his benefactor that Lehnsherr had not only died en-route, but his body had fallen off the cliff and there was no recovering it; Bolivar really wasn't going to like that...
xXx
I was the one in the room when Erik finally woke up. Mostly for convenience sake. I had no metal on me, except for the bracelet with the rose pendant around my left wrist. It was a gift from my parents (Willow had a similar one, only with a tree), and it carried enough spells to protect me from a great many things, though it needed to be recharged every once in a while... seeing how I wasn't a spellweaver). In any case, I knew instinctively Magneto wouldn't be able to use it against me, so I didn't even think about taking it off.
I knew the moment he woke, could sense the difference in him, but I said not a word. Allowing him to study his surroundings as long as he wanted before opening his eyes.
"Where am I?" He finally asked after a couple of minutes.
"Why ask a question to which you already know the answer?" I asked in return, giggling inside my head at my choice of words.
"Because I must be hallucinating, maybe the drugs that were forced into me." Erik replied sharply. "I cannot possibly be..."
"In Westchester? In Xavier Mansion?" I finished for him, when it didn't look like he would any time soon. "You are."
"I was en-route... somewhere." He murmured, thoughtfully.
"Trask Industries." I clarified. "Yes, we got to you just in time." I winced at the memory. "Things didn't exactly go as planned... but it could have been worse, all things told."
"Who..." His voice broke, until I offered him some ice-chips, then he went on. "Who saved me? Who are you?"
"To answer the second question first, I am Rose Serrure." I told him with a smile. "You might remember me. We met in 62, in Chicago, while you and Charles were recruiting mutants to go against Sebastian Shaw. Mama refused to get involved, for our family's safety."
"You were but a child..." He murmured, seemingly remembering that day.
"And now I'm not." I countered. "Now, as to your other question. You could say that the X-Men got you out... or what's left of them at least."
"X-Men..." He repeated, the shock quite clear on his expression. "Charles... Where's Charles?"
"Either in his office, or with Hank in the lab." I answered honestly. "The suits we wore were more damaged in the fight than expected, Hank's been working on them, seeing what worked and what didn't, in order to improve them."
"I don't remember anything..." Erik admitted, and it was obvious it cost him.
"You wouldn't." I shrugged. "You were quite heavily drugged, I'm afraid, not counting for the freaky ice-box-thing you were locked in. Hank insisted on keeping you unconscious until your system was clear of the drugs completely. Both the ones they gave you, and the ones he had to give you to counter the effects of the extremely low temperature on your body. The rescue actually took place five days ago."
"How did you know...?" He couldn't seem to find the right words to finish the question, but I got the idea anyway.
"You could say I have contacts in high places." I said simply, not wanting to give too much away, just in case. "The original idea was to go, get you out and leave without any of the humans knowing what had happened. That didn't exactly work out... but still, we got you, which is what matters." I thought it over before adding. "You should also probably know that you're dead. Legally, I mean. It was in the papers two days ago."
I passed a copy of the New York Times to him. There, near the bottom of the page was the announcement that Erik Lehnsherr, the mutant known as Magneto, one of those responsible for President Kennedy's assassination was dead. The official version was that he'd been in a tragic accident while being transported to a different prison (nevermind that he was the only loss...).
"I didn't kill Kennedy." He almost blurted out.
"I know." I nodded, probably more calmly than he was expecting.
"Where's Charles?" His focus did a complete 180° rather abruptly (not like I wasn't expecting it, but still). "Why are you here and not him?"
"He stayed with you for the last five days." I informed him softly. "It took a lot to make sure he ate, showered and slept regularly. When he realized you were approaching consciousness he decided to leave, give you your space. At the same time we didn't think it'd be a good idea for you to wake up completely alone, especially considering what you might have last experienced before becoming unconscious. So here I am."
"So what? You drew the short stick?"
A snort of laughter actually escaped me at that. I could see what looked like the beginning of a smile in a corner of his lips, and for a moment I picture the man he'd been, the man Charles had loved, still loved...
"Not at all." I assured him. "I volunteered. So, any questions you would like to ask? If it's about food and drink, you can have water once you're done with this chips and I'm sure you won't react negatively to it. You'll have to wait a little longer for the food I'm afraid. Doctor's orders... We can also call Charles if you prefer..."
"Does he even want to see me?" He answered, and there was a hint of... of grief, of loss, beneath the initial coldness of his words.
"Why wouldn't he?" I was honestly puzzled by his belief.
"I don't understand why he came at all!" He went on, voice getting harder and louder as he went on. "After almost a decade! He didn't care all those years! Why now?!"
The whole room was vibrating, a few metal objects flying every which way, but I ignored all that, standing beside his bed and looking straight into his eyes.
"If you think he doesn't care, you don't know Charles Xavier at all." I hissed at him, lacing my voice with what power I could.
Erik actually blinked at me in surprise.
"Your eyes..." He murmured in explanation. "They looked..."
"Freaky?" I asked with a half-smirk.
"Beautiful." He said in return.
I couldn't help it, I rolled my eyes. I'd known beforehand that he seemed to have something of a fixation for the more visible mutations (I'd seen what he'd told Raven/Mystique at one point), and the first thing he'd told Hank after his own change...
"Yeah well, my eyes aren't what you should be focusing on." I retorted, dropping back onto my chair. "Do you honestly believe Charles doesn't care?"
"Why didn't he help before now?" He insisted.
"You obviously have no idea how hard it was to get to you when we did." I muttered. "I cannot even imagine how we could have ever gotten you out of the Pentagon..."
"So you did know where I was!" He sounded accusing as he said that. "You knew and you did nothing at all?!"
"Oh stars, are you listening to yourself?" I snapped. "Are you listening to me at all? There was nothing we could do before! We almost got killed as it was. Charles almost got killed saving your life five days ago and..."
"That's enough."
I broke off instantly, as Charles's voice rang through the room.
Both Erik and I turned towards the door instantly, to find him there, on his chair, looking at us both with a mix of disapproval and... grief.
"Charles..." I began, somewhat sheepish.
"It's alright darling." He assured me. "I know you're only trying to defend me. But I'm a big boy, I can fight my own battles."
"I've never doubted that." I assured him.
"If you would be so kind as to give us some privacy, my dear." Charles went on, turning his focus towards Erik. "I think Erik and I need to talk."
"Of course." I nodded immediately, picking my sweater and book from where they'd fallen off my lap and rushing to the door. "If you need me, just call."
"I will." He assured me.
I closed the door behind me and took a deep breath. Whatever was coming between those two it most likely wouldn't be pretty, however, it was necessary... I just hoped the whole thing wouldn't end with Erik striding out the door in some righteous fury and the rest of us left to pick up the pieces... again. It was amazing how those two could be so perfect for each other, and yet they kept hurting each other over and over again... it was disheartening in a sense. I could only hope things would be better this time around. Otherwise I had no idea what we would do.
xXx 3rd Person POV xXx
Not a word was said by either mutant as the brown-eyed, mahogany-haired twenty-three year old gifted left the bedroom, closing the door softly behind her. Even after she was gone, the two of them remained on their spots: Charles Xavier on his wheelchair, Erik Lehnsherr half-sitting, half-laying on the bed, looking at each other.
"Good to see you awake." Charles mumbled eventually. "We were beginning to worry."
"Is it?" Erik inquired in return, brow arched. "Wasn't sure, seeing how you weren't here when I woke; instead you left your student. Also, you could have woken me any time..."
"Rose isn't my student, she never has been." Charles clarified. "And considering how far you were willing to go in Cuba in order to keep me out of your head... I decided it was better not to try that. It's also why I wasn't here when you woke."
"What kind of explanation is that?" Erik demanded.
"The only there is!" Charles ran a hand through his hair, fighting to find the right words; it could be so hard, especially when he wasn't touching the minds of those he talked to. It made him feel... off, disconnected. "You might not be able to grasp this Erik, but I'm a telepath, I've been a telepath for most of my life! Touching other people's minds, reading surface thoughts... it's to me like any other sense, like you reaching for anything metal or magnetic. Holding back, keeping to myself, that's harder..." He shook his head. "Seeing how the last time I tried to connect to you you chose to put on Shaw's helmet, which feels like a void of death and nothingness to my telepathy, I decided it was better not to court temptation."
Erik seemed to have no words for that and the two mutants fell into a tense silence.
"I didn't kill Kennedy." Erik said, apropos of nothing.
"I know." Charles breathed out, closing his eyes briefly.
"If you know why did you let them put me in that hellhole!" Erik finally snapped. "I know you're mad at me, but I didn't think you would go so far as to let the humans imprison me for a crime you knew all along I didn't commit!"
"I didn't." Charles's words, quiet and so full of grief, took the wind out of Erik's sails.
"What...?" He asked, somewhat confused.
"I didn't know all along." The telepath clarified. "For years I believed, like the rest of the country, that you had killed Kennedy that day."
"What changed?" The master of magnetism couldn't help but be curious.
"Rose." Charles admitted quietly. "I don't know if I ever told you, but she doesn't only have a gift with fire, she's also cognitive."
"She can see the future!" Erik exclaimed, surprised.
"And the past." Charles added. "She saw some of what happened that day in Dallas. Enough to confirm rumors she'd received before. Obviously her word wouldn't be enough to release you, but we spent the last several weeks getting our hands on everything that might be considered proof: photos, grainy videos, official statements, anything... the plan was to contact a lawyer we could trust and file an appeal in your favor." He shook his head. "Of course all that was for naught once we learned that you were being moved out of the Pentagon and sent to Trask Industries. So we decided to go and get you before it was too late." And they'd almost failed. "And so here we are."
"I never actually knew who killed Kennedy." Erik admitted.
"A man known as the Winter Soldier. No one knows his real name, DOB, or anything at all. In fact, most of those who even know the name believe him to be nothing more than a legend. Sia Serrure, Rose's aunt has been trying to track him down for nearly a decade..."
"What for...?" Erik began, then shook his head, that was none of his business. "So you saved me from Trask. I suppose I should thank you for that. Yet I gotta ask, why save me when you couldn't be bothered to help anyone else?"
"What?" Charles wasn't expecting that.
"What of all the people you left to their luck? All that were taken by Trask first... you left them to fend for themselves, to die alone. Just like you left me to rot in the pentagon for nine years!"
"I wasn't the one who walked away!" The younger mutant simply couldn't hold himself back anymore, as all the pain in his heart came spilling out. "You abandoned me! You took her away and you abandoned me!"
"Angel, Azazel, Emma, Banshee..." Erik enlisted with a quiet and condemning tone. "Mutants brothers ans sisters. All dead! Countless others, experimented on, butchered! Where were you Charles?! We were supposed to protect them! Where were you when your own people needed you?! Hiding?!" He shook his head, loathing clear on his expression. "You abandoned us all!"
"Where was I?!" Charles snarled back. "I would ask where you were, but we both know the answer to that! As for where I was, I was right with them. Emma, Azazel, I was right with them as they died... and I don't even know why! They weren't my people, yet in their last hour, they reached for me. And I couldn't leave them alone, so I stayed with them, gave them what comfort I could. I died with them! Over and over again, until I couldn't do it anymore!"
What followed wasn't planned, not at all (if it had been up to Charles he'd have never done it), yet in the end it happened all the same. A rush of memories from Charles, so strong in that moment he simply couldn't hold it back, Erik witnessed it all as if he'd been right there:
He saw Charles talking to the air... except it wasn't the air, but Emma he was talking to, keeping her company psychically in her last moments; a meeting that ended with Charles panting and groaning in pain. He also realized Emma hadn't been the first, nor was she the last. Hank was worried about him, but Charles refused to give up. He watched Charles sitting on his chair, silent as he watched first Alex and then Sean leave, drafted; and then even more of his older students, and his teachers; until the last students left and the school officially closed. He witnessed Hank giving Charles the first serum to help with his legs, the effect it had on his telepathy; how hard it all was for him, yet the Professor refused to give up. He kept holding on, onto his hope, his ideals, onto Erik himself... until the effort made him nearly suicidal. Then a new serum was created, and Charles exchanged his telepathy for his legs.
He didn't get to see much of the years Charles had spent under the effects of the serum (and all the alcohol and various drugs he'd consumed too), instead the memories seemed to jump straight to the day Rose had appeared at the mansion. She hadn't been the only one, but she was the one that brought about the greatest change, as she prodded and pushed in turns until eventually Charles gave up the serum, accepted his paralysis and his telepathy back. And then the day came when they decided they needed to help Erik...
"Why...?" Erik's hoarse voice broke the spell caused by the rush of memories.
Charles just blinked at his old friend, not understanding the question.
"Why didn't you give up on me?" Erik practically demanded.
"Oh my friend..." Charles wasn't sure if it was the memories, Erik's tone, or the way he could feel their minds beginning to touch, a contact Erik was initiating, even if he hadn't realized it just yet. "I couldn't... I could never give up on you... You are... you are everything to me Erik... I..."
No more words were said, they weren't needed, from a moment to the next Erik had dropped to his knees, pulled the telepath into his arms and then proceeded to kiss them like he'd never kissed another person before... like Charles had never been kissed before.
It was an end and a beginning, it was a whole new world.
Of course a kiss (or a dozen) would never be enough to make everything right, but it was a start, a damn good start, as far as the two mutants were concerned.
Eventually they had to separate and make themselves at least somewhat decent, particularly when thoughts were directed Charles's way: dinner was ready. Neither of them said a word about it as Erik simply fell into step beside Charles, both of them moving down the hall in the direction of the kitchen (with their small numbers it was still possible for them all to eat there, and they all seemed to prefer it over the huge dinning hall).
They arrived to the sound of raucous laughter, which hit a too high pitch suddenly, followed by crystal breaking.
"Hey!" A female voice called, though still in good humor. "At this rate we won't have enough glasses for all of us!"
There were some muffled apologies, followed by the sound of glass being swept. Charles made to roll himself fully into the kitchen, only to stop when he realized his companion had frozen completely on the entrance. He needed only a second to realize what (or rather who) Erik was looking at, and thus the source of the shock.
"Ah, right..." He mumbled, half wanting to face-palm, in the rush of emotion he'd completely forgotten to warn Erik about that.
"Banshee..." Erik gasped, not quite believing what he was seeing.
"The one and only." Sean deadpanned with a half-smirk. "Though I do still prefer Sean. Banshee is more of a code-name..."
"But... you're dead." Erik half-babbled. "Emma said..." He broke off abruptly, turning towards Charles. "How? Is anyone else alive? Azazel..."
"Erik... Erik..." Charles called, trying to sooth him. "I'm afraid I cannot help you. Your people... I couldn't do anything for them. I didn't actually do anything for Sean either!"
"Then how...?" Erik insisted.
"Mayor Serrure." Sean informed him, then thought it over. "Well, I think it's actually Lt. Colonel nowadays..." He shook his head. "Anyway, he was my superior during my last few months in 'Nam. When that landmine went off a little too close to me and caused my injury... I know he received orders to have me shipped off with Stryker for some project concerning Trask Industries. He refused. Got into a hell of an argument over it, actually. Next thing I know I'm being put on a chopper and there's a man who tells me I'm being flown to France, then Britain, and that a group of Vets would be receiving me, making sure my recovery would go just fine... of course, no one thought to point out that the vets in question were none others than the Howling Commandos!"
"Did you know they never call themselves that?" Rose offered unexpectedly. "Only outsiders use that name. As far as they're concerned they're just soldiers..."
"Who fought side by side with Captain America!" Sean cried out.
It was until then, as Sean turned to look at the mahogany haired young woman, all the while gesturing wildly, the same girl who'd been there when Erik first woke up, that the master of magnetism actually noticed the way the redhead moved, how he favored one leg... it was the injury that had caused him to be discharged, that should have sent him straight into Trasks's claws, and yet instead... instead he'd had someone fight tooth and nail for him, someone with the backing of the Howling Commandos!
"Serrure?" He asked unexpectedly, suddenly connecting the surname.
"My older brother." Rose nodded at him. "He joined the army years ago, was shipped off to Vietnam at some point. He's spent the last five years doing everything in his power to make sure all mutant soldiers get back home, especially after being discharged."
"The Howling Commandos?" He still didn't see the connection.
"You know already my family served during WWII." Rose elaborated. "Mama as a nurse, Papa and Aunt Sia with the SSR. They refused to send Hakon to boarding-school or some refuge, so he was with them in the camps. He was seven or eight when the Commandos were formed; from what he's told me, they all treated him like a kid brother. It was there he got it into his head to one day join the army. He wanted to be a hero, just like them..."
And he was, in more ways than most would ever know. Not only was he fighting a war, with many other soldiers... but everything he'd been doing since making Mayor, to keep mutant soldiers safe... none of them would ever forget him, his dedication.
"I think Hakon knew he'd need help, keeping the soldiers off TIs hands, and the Commandos, being most of them too old to fight a war anymore, were probably a bit bored." And they were all heroes, every single one of them, the kind who didn't care what was in a person's genes, how different or alike to others they might look, they'd always help everyone equally.
"How many...?" Erik began, not quite able to finish the question.
No one truly needed him to. How many lives had been saved? How many brothers and sisters he'd believed dead actually lived still? Even if Hakon hadn't been able to save Erik's Brotherhood in the end, he'd saved so many others, for no special reason other than believing it was the right thing to do. Why was it that every time he thought he'd finally be proven right, the exact opposite happened? Charles hadn't given up on him, not really, not even when his own sanity, his very life had been at stake; and then to learn that a group of humans, of baselines, were working on keeping mutant soldiers safe from those who would turn them into lab-rats...
Then, as if they (particularly Erik) hadn't had enough shocks already, the last inhabitant of the mansion stepped into the kitchen right then. Chocolate brown eyes, bright auburn hair falling in waves, framing her oval face, peach skin, she was wearing a pale-yellow, somewhat gauzy top, light-blue jeans (the knees worn and marked with dirt and stains from her gardening) and boots.
Willow's eyes widened as she laid them on Erik, and those in the know (pretty much everyone except Sean) wondered if she recognized him; if some old memory deep inside her could connect the mutant before her to the man she knew in Ukraine so many years prior...
"Hello," She greeted him very softly. "I am Willow Serrure..."
"You..." Erik's mouth felt oddly dry as he spoke. "You look so much like... but it cannot be... it's like seeing a ghost..." He didn't notice he was pretty much babbling, nor did he realize he was actually talking in Romany, a language he'd believed forgotten for the longest time. "Magda..."
"My name is Willow." The young woman repeated as he went to stand before him. "It's the name my sister gave me, when she saved my life from the fire... when we became family..."
"Fire...?" Erik repeated, so low hardly anyone could truly hear him.
For all answer the girl took his hand and pressed it to her left temple, before dragging it down softly, letting his fingers trace each of her scars, all the way to the back of her shoulder-blade.
"Rose gave me the name Willow." She went on. "But before that I had a different one. One my Dai and Dadro gave me... they named me Anya, Anya Eisenhardt..."
She didn't get the chance to say more, suddenly there were arms around her, enfolding her like they hadn't in so long, and father and daughter were reduced to nonverbal expressions as they held on to what they believed to have lost a lifetime ago...
So, who saw that one coming? I have a feeling that everyone, unless someone around here isn't familiar with Erik's comic-history. Now, for those of you who might not know who Anya Lehnsherr is, read the following please:
In few words (somewhat): in the comics Erik is actually born Max Eisenhardt, he marries Magda Maximoff after they both survive the concentration camps (she's a gypsy), they join a group of nomads, and he takes the name Erik Lehnsherr to hide his origins and fit more with the gypsies. Eventually they have a daughter: Anya, Erik convinces Magda to settle to be better able to raise their daughter and they do so in a small town in Ukraine. About five years later (give or take), Erik's powers are discovered, he tries to get to his family to run away but a mob forms, he and Magda are kept from reaching their daughter inside the burning hostel (cannot remember if the fire is an accident or not), they hear her scream and die, which causes Erik to snap, destroying the town and killing everyone around him except Magda. She cannot handle it, screams at him and flees (unknown to both of them, she's already pregnant at the time, with the twins; she eventually gives birth and either dies then, later on, or simply abandons them -not quite clear on that part myself-).
Now, while it's entirely possible that Anya was a mutant, and simply hadn't manifested yet, the general consensus is that she was, indeed, human. I find this important, very much so. Erik Lehnsherr, poster boy for mutant supremacy... his first-born was a human, and he loved her, there's no doubt about that. He also quite probably loved Magda (also human). That'll be an important point in this story.
Now, regarding Nina, because I know some will be wondering about that. I honestly have no idea what the people responsible for the X-Men movies were thinking (I mean, first they give us no Wanda, then make Mrs. Maximoff and Magda into two separate people, and then there's Nina and her gift...). Quite frankly, I loved Nina, I almost cried when she died (and if you're reading all this and haven't wanted XMA I'm very sorry), and while I briefly considered putting her in this... in the end, like I said before, I thought Erik's first-born being human was simply too important... I may add my own version of Nina later on.
So, what do you think? Of course there's a lot yet to come. Erik still needs to deal with the fact that his daughter is alive, and everything else that's happened, and the fact that at least one person he believed to be dead is very much alive... And we're about to dive into my own version of some of the DoFP events! I'm so excited! (though I'm warning you right now, just so you're not disappointed later on, there's no time-traveling Wolverine; in few words, because it wouldn't fit. The full reason is a fit more complex but I cannot say it just yet, I trust you'll see it yourself eventually).
See ya next week! (Please don't forget to review).
