"It feels like there are ants crawling in my veins," Peter muttered.
Wanda just sat on the edge of his bed, swinging her feet aimlessly. Hank had given Peter the injections a few minutes ago, and he'd been complaining ever since.
"Don't be such a baby," she said, "You know what Hank said about your blood."
He waved a hand.
"Yeah, B negative whatever, rare blood," he said, "Might interact weird, blah blah blah."
She chuckled and looked over at Lorna. Her sister was looking at them, but there was something hesitant in her expression. Wanda didn't like that. They'd had their differences, and it had been a long time since they had last spoken, but there was no reason for her to be hesitant.
So she gave her a friendly smile.
"I know you can't talk right now," she said, "But, you said you were a teacher?"
Lorna nodded. Wanda chewed her tongue, feeling awkward. It had been easy to talk to Lorna once upon a time.
"Do you like it?" she asked.
Her sister smiled and nodded.
"Any brats throw spitballs at you yet?" asked Peter.
Lorna rolled her eyes and lipped something. It took Wanda a moment, but she was able to make out "They've tried." She stifled laughter. The ridiculous image of Lorna acting the part of a ninja teacher using her books to block spitballs and moving deftly out the way came to her mind.
As if. There was probably a more reasonable explanation somewhere, her sister had never been very dexterous or fast, it was funny.
"You're fast," said Peter, "Ya get that from me. Don't let Wanda tell you otherwise."
Again, Lorna had never been very fast. That had never mattered in the past though. Peter had been fast enough for all three of them.
"Right, and that's totally how that works," Wanda said.
"Of course it is."
She saw Lorna shift, pushing herself up more, paying more attention. Everyone else seemed occupied doing something else, and Wanda took the time to smile. She had missed this, and having it back for any period of time felt like a balm for her soul.
There was something very balanced about the three of them together. Wanda had realized just how much she'd missed it until now, how much it felt like there was a limb that had gone missing somewhere.
"Peter's still really difficult," said Wanda, "And he still does that thing where he tries to run upside down on the ceiling all the time."
"I've almost got it," Peter said, "If I could just go one mile faster-"
"He's leaving tread marks wherever he goes," sniffed Wanda.
Lorna grinned and brushed a lock of her green hair behind her ear.
"As you can see, Wanda's still really difficult, and she likes to totally ruin my fun whenever she gets a chance," Peter said, "She's a major pain in the neck."
"Says the king of all pains in the neck," Wanda commented drily.
"That is a title I'll settle with and wear proudly," said Peter, "You just keep pretending that you're being sensible and all that jazz."
"I am," she said, "That's why you're being treated by Hank instead of being left to sweat it out back home."
Peter fell silent, and Wanda realized she'd crossed a line somewhere. He began tapping his fingers on his bed.
"Whatever," he said.
There was another slight pause, and she saw him swallow.
"I still feel like there're ants under my skin," he said.
"Oh my God, grow up!" Wanda said.
"No, Lorna, back me up on this one," he said, "You tell her that's what it feels like. Just nod or something."
Lorna shook her head and Peter groaned.
"You're always siding with Wanda," he said, "That's not fair!"
"She sides with me because I'm right," said Wanda, sticking out her tongue, "And she's smart, remember?"
Her sister began to laugh, and Wanda looked at her smugly. What else could she say to make her smile like that, laugh like that? Time was dripping away. They had already lost too much of it for so many silly reasons. She had to make the most of what they had.
Because, soon, they'd be gone again, and Lorna would remain. Her sister probably wouldn't appreciate it if she asked her to come with them, not after what had happened last time. She didn't have time to be as delicate as she needed to be. Maybe they could stay longer, try to work something out.
At the moment, she would have to stick to being funny and hoping for the best. She opened her mouth to say something else, when her mother walked up. She paused by the foot of Wanda's bed, looking hesitantly at the three of them.
Wanda immediately turned her back towards her. She was going to just pretend that she wasn't there and maybe she would clue in and go away.
"Lorna, Hank wanted a status report," her mother said softly.
Lorna gave her a thumbs-up. She rolled her shoulder, almost as if providing some form of physical proof. Her mother smiled and kissed her on the forehead. Wanda felt her eyes on her then, but she was determined to continue to look away.
Apparently Peter had decided to use a different tactic.
"Can you just go away?" he asked bluntly.
Wanda winced. Now that he'd acknowledged her, he'd all but given her an invitation to speak.
"I was allowed to be in here," her mother said, her voice quiet but firm, "Two of my children are injured. I have as much right to be in this room as anyone."
"Oh, that's rich," Peter said, "So we're your kids now? Not just, what was it you said that one time, 'bizarre?'"
Her mother flinched and Wanda clenched her teeth. Leave it to Peter to remember every single detail. Most of it blurred together for Wanda, an endless series of avoiding her mother's frightened glances.
She remembered that day too. She'd been doing a few small changes on a mug, just to see if she could, when her mother came in and demanded she stopped. Wanda had asked why, still new to her powers, new to her mother looking at her like that.
That was one answer she still remembered.
"Because it's not natural, and it's bizarre enough without you experimenting with it."
Peter had walked into the room when she'd said that, and he'd sat down next to Wanda, refusing to look at their mother. It wasn't any less than her mother deserved for saying that comment.
"I was an ignorant woman who was too caught up in her own problems to understand what my children were going through," her mother said.
"And saying that makes it okay?" Peter said.
"No," her mother said, "It doesn't."
Peter narrowed his eyes.
"Damn right it doesn't," he said, "So go away."
"What if I want her here?"
The question was faint, but there was a great deal of force behind it. Wanda turned around and saw that Lorna had sat up fully in her bed.
"Why?" asked Peter.
"She's my mother," Lorna whispered, "She's yours too."
"Lorna, you shouldn't speak," her mother said, "Hank said you shouldn't strain your voice-"
"She has no right to call herself that," Peter said, "Not anymore. Don't you remember her screaming at you when she found you bending that metal lamp?"
"It...was once."
"Once is one time too many," Peter said. "I get that you don't get it, you were real little when all this was going on, but she rejected us when she found out what we were."
"I was twelve," said Lorna tightly, "Not two."
"Never mind," said Peter, leaning back, "You were always the nice one."
Lorna took a shuddering breath.
"I hate it when you say that," she said, "Because you keep thinking nice means stupid."
Peter frowned and turned his head a little.
"I never said you were stupid," he said.
"Pretty much," said Lorna, "You and Wanda both. I'm the nice, sweet, stupid one."
"Wait, now I'm a part of this?" asked Wanda.
Lorna sighed. Her entire body was tense, and Wanda could just make out her fingernails digging into the tops of her legs. From across the room she saw Hank begin to rush over, concern on his face.
"You treat me like I'm a baby," she said, "You always have. I'm 21."
"Hey, you were a baby for most of our time with you," said Peter.
"I was twelve," Lorna snapped.
Her voice was almost at a normal volume. It was the tone that was getting under Wanda's skin. Peter shouldn't have brought their mother into the conversation, true enough, but couldn't Lorna just let this go? That was one thing she'd always appreciated about Lorna when she was growing up. When Wanda said that they weren't talking about something, she never pressed the issue.
This new attitude was really annoying.
"You never got that," Lorna said, "I don't know why you were always so obsessed with 'taking care' of me."
"Good thing we did, because she sure as hell never did," said Wanda, pointing at their mother.
Instead of silencing Lorna, it made her take in another harsh breath. Hank appeared behind Lorna, putting a hand on her shoulder.
"You should rest your voice," he said.
She waved his hand away.
"How deluded are you?" asked Lorna.
The words were raspy and Wanda knew she should probably stop arguing with her, but she wanted to make sure that Lorna understood. Their mother was still standing there, looking at them helplessly.
Wanda wondered if she liked a taste of her own medicine.
"Sorry?" Wanda asked, "Oh, I must've imagined all those years on the run making sure that you were fed and clothed, had a roof over your head-"
"-and I suffered more under your care than I did under hers," Lorna said, "I became a murderer because of you. Ever thought of that?"
It felt like a slap in the face.
"Look, Lorna, we're real sorry about that," Peter said, "It wasn't supposed to happen. I mean it. And-"
"Do you even blame yourselves?" asked Lorna.
"What?" Peter said.
"Do you even blame yourselves, or do you blame circumstances?" she rasped, "I thought...before five minutes ago, I thought you understood."
Tears filled her eyes. Wanda immediately reached for her, and Lorna jerked away.
"Don't you...get it?" she asked, "Don't you know why I left?"
"Lorna, let's not rehash all this," said Wanda.
"She really should be resting her voice," Hank said, "I just now gave her the-"
"Shut up doc," said Peter, "Lorna, we shoulda handled all that better. I get it. But what can we say?"
"Handled it...better?" Lorna said.
There was a moment where Lorna continued staring, her green eyes becoming wider.
"Why did I leave?" she asked.
"Hey, no need to-" Peter said.
"Why?" Lorna demanded.
"You didn't want to be a member of the Brotherhood," Wanda said, "That's why you left."
Lorna glared at her.
"If you know that," she said, "Then no...damn...handling would have changed that. I agree with absolutely nothing you stand for, but it was handling for you? Handling?"
Her voice raised on the last word, almost cracking. Hank began fitting her with another IV.
"Do you...even see?" she asked, "Do you see me, or do you see 12-year-old me?"
"Of course we see you," said Wanda.
Lorna shook her head.
"I don't think you do."