Chapter XX – The Wait

"There's going to be a time when we're all together"

12 days before the tragedy

Lorna unceremoniously pushed Olivia to the floor.

The whole family gathered in the living room around the woman who looked at them with unconcealed fear. Peter turned away, settling himself on the windowsill. He did not want to see the pain on her face. He did not want to see her at all. He was afraid that one look into her beautiful, sorrowful eyes would make him take pity on her. He was still under the spell of her charm, so madly in love that the very thought of her took his breath away. He should hate her, but he could not do so.

Peter had known that one day Olivia would break his heart and when this day finally came, he felt something similar to relief. No longer did he have to deceive himself that he had any chance with her. He no longer persisted in the lie fueled by her sweet words and beautiful smiles. Someday he would get over her and move on, even if it took him a lifetime.

"We considered you a friend." To everyone's surprise, it was Marcos who spoke first. "We let you spend time with Dawn. When did it all start? When did you decide to stand against your own people?"

"During the attack on your hideout, did Pine take away your power at all?" Lorna added. "Or were you already working with him?"

"The only lie was that I had managed to escape," Olivia explained in a breaking voice. Peter closed his eyes. "Pine threatened to kill my parents if I didn't listen to him. He knew you guys were going to Genosha. He ordered me to keep you company and keep him informed of all your activities. I swear I didn't tell him much."

"Did you know what he was planning to do to Peter?" Wanda asked.

"No, God, no… I didn't inform him that Peter had left. I found out about Peter's disappearance from you, Lorna. I didn't know... Peter, you have to believe me. I didn't know anything. I never meant to hurt any of you. I never meant to hurt you, Peter."

The desire was stronger than the fear. Peter opened his eyes and looked at Olivia, who was kneeling on the floor and looking directly at him. Tears were streaming down her beautiful face. Only now did he notice that she had marks on her neck, as if someone had tried to strangle her. What had Lorna done to her before bringing her here?

And most importantly, what was his family planning to do with her after the interrogation?

"Do you have any idea when Pine is going to attack?" Erik spoke up for the first time, his voice so cold it made Peter shiver.

"In two weeks," she whispered, looking down.

Two weeks. Two weeks until the big battle. Peter swallowed, exchanging glances with Wanda. He was too weak to fight. His power was back, he had learned some useful moves, but he still was not at full strength. He was too damaged, not just physically. He had just learned that he had killed a man, and the girl he loved was someone completely different than he had thought. How was he supposed to fight for his life when that life was so damn hard?

Erik walked over to Olivia, crouched down beside her and grabbed her chin, forcing her to look at him. Even Peter had to admit that he looked terrifying. Gone was all the gentleness that was reserved for his family. Erik was blazing with a lust for murder and Peter did not have the slightest idea if his father would be able to even consider showing Olivia mercy.

"Why? Why is he doing this? Why is he hunting mutants? Why is he hunting my children?"

Olivia shook her head, remorse and fear mixed on her face. It hurt Peter to look at her, and yet he could not look away. He had a strange feeling that if he did, Erik would seize the moment of him not paying attention and kill the woman, sparing him the sight.

"He wants to kill all mutants to remain the only one of our species. I don't know the details of his plan, but I do know that his intention is not to kill us one by one. Yes, he sometimes kills individuals out of boredom or laziness, but his goal is greater. He is bringing as many mutants as possible to Genosha because he wants to slaughter us all at once."

It was what they suspected, and yet to hear confirmation of their assumptions was like getting punched in the stomach. Lorna turned to Marcos, pressing her face against his chest. Erik looked at Charles, who was immersed in thought. Wanda held out her hand to Peter and he squeezed it, though the gesture failed to cheer him up.

"He's just one man," Wanda whispered. "Can he really kill us all?"

"He's one man with thousands powers," Charles explained in a distant voice. "If he steals my and your powers, Wanda, he'll be invincible."

There was silence for a moment. Everyone was so still that Peter began to wonder if he was unintentionally using his power. And then suddenly Lorna broke free from Marcos' grasp and pressed Olivia against the wall with a single swipe of her hand.

"You knew all this for weeks. You had many opportunities to come clean, and instead you pretended to be a friend. Give me a reason why I shouldn't kill you because right now I really feel like doing it."

"Lorna…" Marcos warned her, taking a step closer. "I know you're angry but she's one of us."

"Is she?" Erik muttered and at the same time Olivia began to choke. Peter had no idea what was going on, whether it was his father's doing or his sister's. "She's a traitor. She's our enemy. Pine would kill her in two weeks anyway. We'll be doing her a favor."

"Erik, please." Charles shook his head. "You can't just murder someone under our roof."

"Oh, forgive me, dear. I'll take her outside so she doesn't stain your expensive carp-"

Peter did not let him finish, though some grim part of him appreciated the joke. He ran up to Lorna and pushed her into Marcos' arms, knowing that he would catch her easily. He then punched Erik in the face, muttering "sorry, dad" while doing so. He needed his father to be disoriented enough that he could not immediately attack again. Just to be sure, he also punched him in the stomach. As Peter approached Olivia, he hesitated, wondering if he was actually doing the right thing, then covered her with his own body and resumed the normal flow of time.

Erik cursed under his breath, clearly confused by two kinds of pain in two different parts of his body. A groan escaped Lorna's lips as she fell right into Marcos' embrace, who was no less surprised than she was. Peter met the gazes of Wanda and Charles, who were quicker to realize what had happened. He did not know if they were pleased or not. Maybe they were as torn as he was after all.

"Peter," Olivia whispered behind his back but he refused to look at her.

"I won't let you kill her," he said loud enough for everyone to hear. "If you still insist on that, you have to defeat me first. I may not be so powerful but I'll take her out of town before you say the word fool."

"She lied to you, Peter," Lorna reminded him as if he did not remember it well enough. "She doesn't deserve your kindness."

"A lot of people don't deserve my kindness, yet I often choose it over violence." He could not shake the feeling that Charles was looking at him with pride and he definitely could not say the same about Erik. "I killed a person, and now I will save one. I love you all, but I'd sooner throw you in the lake than let you do this. Dad, please. She did it all because she wanted to protect her family. They're not mutants so you don't care about them, but wouldn't you do the same in her situation? Wouldn't you put the lives of all the mutants in danger to save me, Charles, Lorna, Wanda, or Dawn? I think you would. There's nothing more important than family. You've taught me that. So please, do me one favor. Show her mercy."

Erik stared at him for a moment that seemed like an eternity, until he finally sighed and combed his hand through his hair. Peter hoped he had not disappointed him, but he could swallow that feeling if it meant Olivia would be okay.

"I don't want you anywhere near my house, but I don't give you permission to leave Genosha either," Erik told Olivia. "In the final battle you will get a chance to stand on the right side. Until then, you are to disappear from our sight."

Peter felt Olivia breathing a sigh of relief behind his back. He himself refrained from doing so and just stood upright, watching his father leave the living room. Charles followed, sending Peter a smile along the way. Wanda's eyes turned a threatening red as she looked at Olivia, but Peter did not think she actually wanted to kill her. She had remained calm during the meeting and Peter was grateful to her. He watched Lorna walk away in her sister's wake, trailed by Marcos.

"Thank you, Peter," Olivia whispered when they were left alone. "I don't deserve your forgiveness…"

"I never said anything about forgiveness." Peter stared deliberately at the wall, knowing that if he looked at her, he would change his mind. "You broke my trust, Olivia. I don't want to be your friend. I don't even want to see you. Just go."

Part of him hoped that she was at least a little hurt by his words. He wanted her to feel at least a fraction of what he felt. Meanwhile, another part of him wanted to take her in his arms, cuddle his face into her white hair and never let her go. If there was an antidote, he would take it right away. However, recovery from Olivia was much more difficult. At the moment, it seemed unfeasible.

Olivia stood in the threshold and turned to face him one last time. Peter was looking at her shoes instead of her face. Her beauty still hurt him.

"You should know that I wasn't pretending. He didn't want me to get that close to you. He even chastised me for it. It was my decision to be your friend. Those moments we spent together... They were real. I will always cherish them. You brought me happiness, Peter. You made me feel special. I'm sorry I hurt you."

Peter stood like that in complete silence, long after she had gone. And then he went out into the hallway and saw that Wanda had been waiting for him all this time. As he hugged her, he realized that his family was the only good thing in this cruel world.

8 days before the tragedy

They were sitting on the sand, wet from swimming in the lake, tired after hours of training. The sun was setting over the horizon. A light, barely perceptible wind was blowing. The calm before the storm continued. Although no one did it out loud, they were all counting down the time until the coming change. None of them knew how much damage would be done. None of them knew how much they would lose that day.

Peter lay on his back, not caring if the sand would stick to his wet clothes. Lorna drew patterns in the sand with her index finger. Wanda laid her head on her father's shoulder, who was looking at the water and trying to enjoy the moment, but whenever he closed his eyes, he saw the bloodshed and heard the screams.

"I own you an apology," he broke the silence. "I brought you to Genosha because I thought you would be safe here. I promised to protect you, and now I ask you to stand by my side in battle."

"It's not your fault," Lorna said, briefly glancing at her father. "There's no peace for those like us. No matter how much we try to pretend otherwise, war always finds us."

"I'm glad you brought me here," Wanda added. "I had been alone before I met you. I would rather die by your side than be alone again."

Erik hoped it would not come to that. He was worried about what might happen. He would not survive losing any of his children. He would not bear such pain. He had only known of their existence for three months, but those three months had changed his life completely, made him want to become someone else. Someone better, fit for their love. He loved them as if he had known them since the days they had been born. Three months was such a short time. Erik knew they needed more. They deserved more.

"You didn't bring me here," Peter opposed.

"Ah, yes. You came here on your own and could not be got rid of by any means."

Peter snorted as Lorna and Wanda giggled. Erik felt the corners of his mouth lift in a big smile. He loved moments like this when they could just laugh, forgetting for a moment what was ahead of them.

"That's the reward for loyalty," Peter shook his head, "and years of resentment. Really, dad, you could at least pretend to regret the way you treated me when you didn't know I was your son."

"Of course I regret it, son. But you have to admit you saw it coming. You were unbearable."

"I prefer the term too funny to be understood by two old grumblers."

Erik laughed so hard that Wanda took her head from his shoulder so she would not accidentally get hit by him. The time three months ago seemed so distant to him, as if it all had happened in some other life. Everything had changed.

7 days before the tragedy

When they were in the middle of the training, they heard a sound coming from the sky. Everyone immediately prepared to use their powers. They saw a jet landing not far from them. Wanda moved her fingers, producing red energy in her palms.

"Do you want me to go see who it is?"

"There's no need." Erik could not shake the fear paralyzing him. He felt Peter stiffen next to him. "I know who it is."

Of course, he was not wrong. When they reached the jet, they saw a group of mutants, mostly young, coming out onto the grass. Charles was already there talking to Hank.

"What happened?" Erik asked as he stopped next to his husband.

"We were attacked. They burned down the school, there were several deaths. We had nowhere to go."

Charles and Erik looked at each other. Genosha was swarming with mutants. Pine had already gathered everyone he planned to gather. The war was close.

6 days before the tragedy

Wanda woke up in the middle of the night, drenched in sweat. She had not screamed, so no one came to see if she was okay. She was tormented by a bad feeling, fear creeping over her skin. She dropped her feet to the cold floor, wiped her face and stood up.

She crossed the dark hallway and peeked into the room of Peter, who was sleeping in just his shorts, uncovered. It was indeed very warm in his room. She then looked over at Lorna and Marcos, who were asleep, cuddled together. Dawn lay in the crib with her eyes closed and a toy pressed to her chest. Wanda went into Charles and Erik's room. The former was deep in sleep on his left side and the latter was embracing him with his arm.

Wanda stepped outside the house in just her pajamas and breathed in the fresh air. She missed her sons, but this time she was glad they were not here. She would not want to put them in so much danger. Wherever they were, they were safer than here.

She was ready to find them and bring them back to life, but she had to wait a while longer. When this was all over, they would see each other again. Her, the children, and Vision. They would be happy, all together with her new family. Wanda had to believe that, because without that belief, she would not have been able to last until the next day.

Good days were coming, but first the war that would change them forever had to come.

5 days before the tragedy

Peter ran until his feet hurt. Peter ran until the music on his playlist ended. Peter ran until dawn turned to sunset. He ran until the rush of air squeezed tears from his eyes. He ran until he forgot about Olivia. He ran until he felt like himself again.

4 days before the tragedy

Lorna watched as one by one the children entered the portal conjured by Clarice. She knew that somewhere on the other side was Wanda, casting protective spells over their hiding place. Marcos leaned over Dawn and placed a kiss on her head.

"See you soon, my princess," he whispered to her.

John held out his hands. Lorna hugged Dawn tighter, then handed her daughter over to her friend, who she knew would do everything in his power to protect her. It did not give her much comfort, however. Her heart was breaking at the sight of Dawn disappearing through the portal.

"We're not going to let anything happen to her," Clarice promised. "You know she'll be safer there."

Lorna nodded, because that was all she could do without bursting into tears. Clarice closed the portal behind her and no trace of her or the children remained. Marcos put his arm around Lorna's shoulders.

"We were supposed to never give her away again," she reminded him in a sad voice.

"It's for the best, babe. She can't be here during the battle. We will see her again in a few days."

He hugged her tightly and she broke down crying in his arms. It was not long before she also found comfort in Wanda and Peter, allowing herself to be seen in the state she really was.

When Erik held out his arms to her, clearly devastated by saying goodbye to his granddaughter, Lorna forgot everything that separated them and hugged him like a little girl hugs her father when something hurts and he repeats that it's nothing, that it will heal with time. As he stroked her hair and she pressed her face against his chest, she believed for a moment that nothing bad could happen to her because her dad would make sure it did not.

3 days before the tragedy

Erik dreamed. Erik dreamed about Charles. He always dreamed about him.

2 days before the tragedy

A black-and-white sitcom was airing on television. Wanda sat on the couch with her head resting on her lap and watched the show. Next to her, Lorna was sleeping, curled up in a ball. On the floor below them, Peter was laying, listening to music and staring at the ceiling. The moment was peaceful, unbroken.

1 day before the tragedy

Charles leaned over Erik who was lying next to him and kissed him deeply, pouring all his feelings into that kiss. It evoked in both of them the memory of their first kiss at the lake, when they had not yet known how addictive, how wonderful and surprising it would be each next time.

"You're the one, Charles," Erik whispered into his mouth. "You've always been the one for me."

"The one to ruin your life?" Charles joked, pressing his forehead to his.

"The one to save it."

The day of the tragedy

When Jonathan Pine arrived at dusk, they were ready for him. However, no one was ready for what came with him.