It took Peter around 30 seconds to travel from Poland back to the Mansion.
He found himself standing in the gardens that surrounded the school, in the same spot he stood about two weeks ago just before he evacuated nearly the entire school before it was blown to smithereens.
"PETER!"
Peter turned to see Scott, Jean, Kurt, Ororo and also Warren sitting on the grounds of the gardens, he was by their side in seconds. Ororo instantly got to her feet and threw her arms around him,
"Oh Peter, everyone has been so worried about you, where did you go?" She squeezed him even tighter. Peter gasped for air,
"I went to the house my father lived in before the whole En Sabah Nur shit happened."
"Vat made you go there?" Kurt asked staring at him with his enormous golden eyes.
Peter sighed "I don't know, I guess I thought by going to the places of his past.." Peter stopped mid sentence, Jean gave him an encouraging nod and watched sympathetically as Peters lips twisted and his brown eyes were glassy with a sheet of fresh tears ready to spill at any moment, he could feel the lump forming in his throat making it even harder to finish his sentence without breaking down completely, "I could know him better."
Everyone glanced at each other, worry etched on each of their faces. Scott turned around to see Erik, Charles, Raven and Hank approaching from the other side of the garden, he motioned the others to look, but Peter was so fixated on what he was trying to say he didn't even notice.
"I don't know whats wrong with me." Peter choked, his voice broke and he fell to his knees, Jean quickly knelt beside him soothingly rubbing his shoulders, "Professor Xavier said that..that..Erik cares about m..me but it just doesn't feel that way."
Erik was now standing right behind the group of students listening as Peter continued.
Peter was sobbing now "I just don't know what I'm supposed to do, I can't be a p..perfect son, I've never had a dad before, I'm jus..just worried that he won't accept me." Jean carried on rubbing his shoulders, shushing him in a soothing way.
Fresh tears were welling up within Erik's eyes now, he watched as the silver haired boy on the floor before him shook with heart wrenching sobs, the guilt he felt was like a stab to the gut; his son was weeping in front of him and it was all because of his appalling reaction. Erik knelt down and gave Jean a look that said 'I'll take it from here' and she must have understood because she smiled and backed away from the boy.
Peter felt a pair of strong arms wrap around him cradling him as if he were a small child, he opened his eyes to see his friends leaving, followed by Raven, Hank and Charles, looking up he saw Erik was the one holding him, tears were streaming down his face too.
"I want you to promise me something Peter." Erik said meeting Peter's eyes,
"Anything, I mean yeah."
"Don't ever think you aren't enough for me, I'll always accept you, no matter the circumstances." he said in stern yet loving way.
"You heard all of that?"
"every word."
" I'm sorry, I'm so wrapped up in my own pathetic desperation to be loved by you I haven't stopped to think about you, you lost your wife and daughter and here I am crying on the floor while I've been so selfish, you don't need this kind of crap not now anywa-" Peter was cut off by Erik's hand waving in front of him, gesturing him to be quiet.
"I'm glad you told me when you did, a moment later and I would've left the school without a trace and as for the crying, I know how your really feeling now and I can help you, the way a father is supposed to, it's not pathetic or desperate in any way." Erik said cradling Peter closer to his chest.
Peter didn't know why but the way Erik had expressed how much he really loved him set Peter off again and he was sobbing again, tears rolling down his cheeks and pitiful noises were coming from his mouth. That craving of love, that need to have his father care for him was the one thing he desperately wanted and now he had that things felt perfect for once, almost to perfect.
Erik was stroking Peter's hair with one hand and his other arm was wrapped around him, clinging to him, afraid that if he let go Peter would disappear again. He found himself comforting the boy, telling him to just let everything out.
They sat like this for what seemed like hours.
Clinging to each other in their own perfect world.
Charles looked across the gardens, only to be met with sight of Erik holding his estranged son in his arms as they wept together.
Suddenly Charles felt a familiar presence enter his mind, the presence then began to viciously attack his mind, he felt a burning sensation as the force started rummaging through his thoughts and memories, it felt as though his mind was being torn to pieces.
Charles screamed and threw his head back in agony, he arched back and he felt the pain as strong as a hundred bullets ripping through his body, Raven watched in horror as Charles writhed about so hard his chair crashed to the floor leaving him sprawled out in the flower beds, Charles began violently clawing his head in an attempt to bore out the sensations in his mind. "GOD HELP ME!" he screamed, capturing the attention of everyone in the gardens.
Charles heard an inhuman voice in his mind say "Hello Charles."
he opened his eyes to see Raven, Hank, Erik and at least fifty other students hovering over him.
"Give him space, move!" he faintly heard Erik yelling at the students.
"You? how can I hear you? You're dead!" Charles replied to the voice,
"No Charles, I am alive, and we are still connected."
"Jean killed you, she burned you alive in front of me!"
"Though the girl is powerful, she is no match for me, she merely weakened me, but I am stronger now, so much stronger."
"What do you want from me?!"
"I want to finish what I began, but first I need you! and I need to destroy the traitors and I know exactly how to do it!"
"Traitors, what are you talking about?"
"All in good time, my child."
And with that the presence left his mind and the pain slowly drifted away, Charles opened his eyes to see he was on one of the sofas in the mansion surrounded by Hank, Raven, Erik, Peter and Jean.
Charles pushed himself up slowly using his arms and rested his back on the sofa's arm.
"Charles! My god we were so worried!" Raven sat down by him taking her hands in his "What on earth happened out there?!"
Charles groaned slightly, clutching his head "he's back."
"back? who's back?" Erik asked furrowing his brows,
"En Sabah Nur, he spoke to me."
Raven let out a small gasp "Good god. What did he say to you?"
"Just that he wants to finish what he started, he said he's coming for me and he's coming for the traitors."
Erik knelt by Charles side "Traitors?"
"He wasn't very specific but I think he meant you and Ororo."
"Of course, we betrayed him in Cairo and now he wants revenge." Erik sighed,
Peter cleared his throat "Whoa, whoa! I thought the red head killed him?" he said motioning to Jean,
"I have a name Peter!" Jean huffed.
"I thought so to, but he's resurrected himself somehow, and god help us all."
"We stopped him once before we can do it again." Raven said determinedly,
"I don't think it's going to be that simple Raven" Charles sighed.
"What about Ororo shouldn't somebody tell her?" Peter asked,
And then everyone froze as a bloodcurdling scream was heard from across the hallway.
TBC.
