Chapter 3 My Father the Nazi

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Kurt was, as would be expected, reeling. Logan had just told him the news, with Beast standing nearby, and Wanda and Talia playing in a corner of the room.

"Mein Gott! I don't know vhat mein parents vill say! My adoptive parents, I mean. Their parents - mein grandparents - lost a lot of friends to the Red Skull."

Wanda was likewise infuriated. Both her biological and her adoptive parents had been Gypsies [A/N I'm going with Magneto being a Gypsy rather than Jewish here, as Stan Lee has said that that was his intention, and as I believe that that is the canonical story, the movie notwithstanding]. In fact, Wanda had been under the impression that his experience in a concentration camp (he always referred to it as a POW camp, for some reason, the truth perhaps being too painful to admit) had scarred him for life and made him the somewhat disagreeable and sinister person that he usually was - except, of course, to her and Pietro.

"That monster is Kurt's father? He's loose? He's loose? Why couldn't he just die and leave everyone alone? We don't need this right now. Talia doesn't need a Nazi for a grandfather! Why does he have to torture his poor son?" She began to break down.

Magneto, for his part, had been ecstatic when he had been told, fifteen minutes earlier. He had always resented the fact that by the time he had gained significant control over his powers, the war was over. He also had always resented the judges at the Nuremberg trials, for simply hanging the Nazi criminals and not brutalizing them first. Now he had a chance to avenge the deaths of his family and friends personally. Wolverine, who felt he had been acting civilized a little too long, privately agreed to join Magneto in his quest. Nick Fury had wanted the Skull alive, but - well, we can't always get what we want, can we? thought Logan as he shook hands with his one-time enemy.

But Kurt still took it the hardest. Logan had to help him to his chair. "Mein Gott..." Kurt repeated. "So my father is a demon after all... metaphorically at least... and you're none of you safe! Not viz me here. He'll come for me. He'll kill Talia and Wanda and Kitty. Oh, vhy did I ever vish to know my father?"

~Logan~ came a voice. ~Have you seen Mystique in the past three hours?~

~No, Professor.~

"Hey, Elf," asked Logan to Kurt. "Have you seen Mystique?"

"Not since yesterday. Maybe she can explain why she had sex vith that monster!"

"Well, Elf, don't knock her actions too much. They produced you."

Little Talia jumped out of Wanda's arms and ran to Kurt. She was the equivalent of a four-year old now, and tended to keep her tail retracted at all times, giving her the appearance of not having one.

"Wos wong, Daddy? Wuz I bad? "

"No, Talia. No, it's not you. You're a good little girl." He smiled. The Professor had been using his telepathy to improve her ability to learn so that her mind would catch up to her body, so she could talk now like a four-year-old. "It's someone else."

Wanda scowled. "So at least I know I'm not the only one with an evil father. Of course, my father cared for me, yours, it seems, just wanted to have an heir to help him conquer the world. I mean, he must have known when he conceived you that he wasn't going to be able to be there." Wanda winced suddenly. She swore a few times, and then started crying. "Why do I always get this headache when I think of Dad?"

Beast looked at her. "The control device is almost ready. When it is, we'll tell you all about it. Just two more days."

"Okay," she sobbed.

"Meantime, Kurt, why don't you call Amanda and see if she is coming over here for dinner tomorrow," suggested Logan.

"Nein. Ve broke up."

"Why?" asked Beast. "Sorry, it's none of our business."

"Oh, it's fine. It's just that, I have responsibilities now as a father. I feel that - that I should give it a go vith Vanda. Talia needs us both, and I'm not ready to be a father of a broken home."

"Yeah, and I've practically moved in here since the Apocalypse thing," suggested Wanda.

Logan sighed. Life is a friggin' soap opera around here! he thought to himself.