Author's Note: Isn't writing and reading just the most fun you could ever
have? I'm reading a story at the same time that I'm writing this! Fun
stuff, but a little distracting. What was I going to say? Oh, yeah. The
story that Eric tells totally warps the comic version (Magda's last name is
changed, on top of everything else!) but hey, I could've done worse, right?
Which reminds me, I'll do a full length story based on what Eric says after
this one is done. Love ya, enjoy!
*^*^^*^**^*
"The twins have grown, I almost didn't recognize them."
"Yes, I'm proud. Pietro is nearly a man, and Wanda has become a lovely young lady."
"You still need to explain things to John."
"I know, I'd been putting it off, but I suppose that I'll be forced to reveal everything now."
"He's been here long enough, you can trust him."
"I hope so, if something were to happen-"
"Nothing will. It's not John you have to worry about."
"Hmmm?"
"They're proud to be yours, they'll announce it to anyone."
"That's true. Then again, they're old enough now that they can get themselves out of trouble. Especially with their powers."
"Yes, but John doesn't know anything about them. It's your story to tell, Eric."
"I'll tell him what I told you."
"Is it the truth?"
Pause. "It's as close to the truth as it needs to be."
Silence.
"I'm sorry. I can't give you more than that."
*^*^*^*^*
The sun crept over a city that never slept. Its blindingly bright orange light touched every inch of the concrete jungle, from the streets below, to the sky scraping windows above.
The sun penetrated the glass barrier, and glared into John's closed eyes. His brow furrowed, and he reluctantly opened his eyes. Blinking, he assessed his position on the bed.
The sheets had twisted around his lanky frame, and due to his sprawled position, he found his neck to be somewhat stiff.
"Trouble sleeping?"
John quickly turned, and found Eric sitting in a chair on the other side of the bed, already dressed for the day, his legs crossed, his demeanor relaxed.
"God, Magneto!" John yelled.
"You have questions." He stated.
John glared. He was still a little cross about being left out of the loop. It made him feel like he wasn't trusted, or worse, he was thought of as a kid.
"Yeah, why do you and Mystique keep sneaking in here to wake me up?" he asked sharply, his irritation plain.
Magneto issued him a small smile. "Cheaper than an alarm clock. Do you?"
"Do I what?"
"Have any questions. Concerning my relationship with the twins; you are free to ask. I will tell you about my past, but I will not offer this information again."
John leaned forward on the bed, his curiosity mounting.
"Ok, I've got plenty of time."
Eric did not smile in his usual amused way; the story he was about to tell carried with it his greatest pain and regret.
"All right, I'll tell you need to know, and omit any unnecessary or intimate details."
The man before John took a deep breath, and began.
"As many tragic romances do, this all began in France. I was present at a gallery ball, invited by a friend of mine, Maurice, who knew nothing of my true identity at the time. As far as he knew, I was just in the market for a Picasso.
"I had my reasons for being there, mind you, but it's not important.
He introduced me to a woman; beautiful, intelligent, completely enchanting. Her name was Magda Maximoff. Perhaps it was our shared love of fine art, or our shared love of French wine, but for whatever reason, we were inseparable. I don't have to explain where that led, do I?" Eric asked John, who was listening intently.
"No, I can fill in the blanks. Go on." John said, embarrassed.
"Well, everything was fine, until the cruel hand of fate stepped in: I was forced to reveal my mutant abilities in the worst possible way. Again, the details around the reason for that are unimportant. She flew from me in fright, and I let her go. However, when I went to her apartment to try to explain everything to her, she was gone.
"With nothing to keep me there, I left France for a less painful territory. Then, a touch over a year later, that mutual friend of ours I mentioned, Maurice, managed to contact me. He told me to return to France immediately to help Magda, who had taken on too many hardships to bear alone. I did as he had asked, and found her practically living on the streets.
"She was not alone.
"Fearing my intent, she ordered me away from her and the babies, but how could I? Seeing it as my only option to rescue them from poverty, I 'made her an offer she couldn't refuse'. In exchange for visitation, I would provide her with my base in Romania and enough money to raise the twins. Reluctantly, she agreed. I was granted only two weeks with them every three years."
"Your conditions?" John asked, meaning the amount of visitation.
"Hers. I was not happy with the arrangement, but I felt that it would be better for the twins to at least know me in an abstract sense than not at all."
"Yeah." John said, the weight of Eric's words sinking in.
"How long was it since you last saw them?" he asked as he shifted on the bed.
Eric furrowed his brow a little before answering, "A little over four years. I would have visited them sooner, but I was unavailable."
"Whoa."
"Yes, I know."
"Hey, what about Magda?"
"Oh, she died. The day of her funeral was the last time I saw the twins." He said, somewhat sadly.
John didn't know what to say to such a story. Somehow, 'I'm sorry' didn't seem like enough. Eric shifted his position a little, and leaned forward. His face was a mask, revealing none of the emotions that John felt he must have been feeling after recalling all the painful memories of his past. John felt like crying himself, but suppressed the girly emotion and listened to Eric.
"With their mother gone, and my enemies dealt with, it is time for me to come through on a promise I made to them."
John leaned forward.
"Years ago, I told them that when it is safe, they could come live with me."
*^*^^*^**^*
"The twins have grown, I almost didn't recognize them."
"Yes, I'm proud. Pietro is nearly a man, and Wanda has become a lovely young lady."
"You still need to explain things to John."
"I know, I'd been putting it off, but I suppose that I'll be forced to reveal everything now."
"He's been here long enough, you can trust him."
"I hope so, if something were to happen-"
"Nothing will. It's not John you have to worry about."
"Hmmm?"
"They're proud to be yours, they'll announce it to anyone."
"That's true. Then again, they're old enough now that they can get themselves out of trouble. Especially with their powers."
"Yes, but John doesn't know anything about them. It's your story to tell, Eric."
"I'll tell him what I told you."
"Is it the truth?"
Pause. "It's as close to the truth as it needs to be."
Silence.
"I'm sorry. I can't give you more than that."
*^*^*^*^*
The sun crept over a city that never slept. Its blindingly bright orange light touched every inch of the concrete jungle, from the streets below, to the sky scraping windows above.
The sun penetrated the glass barrier, and glared into John's closed eyes. His brow furrowed, and he reluctantly opened his eyes. Blinking, he assessed his position on the bed.
The sheets had twisted around his lanky frame, and due to his sprawled position, he found his neck to be somewhat stiff.
"Trouble sleeping?"
John quickly turned, and found Eric sitting in a chair on the other side of the bed, already dressed for the day, his legs crossed, his demeanor relaxed.
"God, Magneto!" John yelled.
"You have questions." He stated.
John glared. He was still a little cross about being left out of the loop. It made him feel like he wasn't trusted, or worse, he was thought of as a kid.
"Yeah, why do you and Mystique keep sneaking in here to wake me up?" he asked sharply, his irritation plain.
Magneto issued him a small smile. "Cheaper than an alarm clock. Do you?"
"Do I what?"
"Have any questions. Concerning my relationship with the twins; you are free to ask. I will tell you about my past, but I will not offer this information again."
John leaned forward on the bed, his curiosity mounting.
"Ok, I've got plenty of time."
Eric did not smile in his usual amused way; the story he was about to tell carried with it his greatest pain and regret.
"All right, I'll tell you need to know, and omit any unnecessary or intimate details."
The man before John took a deep breath, and began.
"As many tragic romances do, this all began in France. I was present at a gallery ball, invited by a friend of mine, Maurice, who knew nothing of my true identity at the time. As far as he knew, I was just in the market for a Picasso.
"I had my reasons for being there, mind you, but it's not important.
He introduced me to a woman; beautiful, intelligent, completely enchanting. Her name was Magda Maximoff. Perhaps it was our shared love of fine art, or our shared love of French wine, but for whatever reason, we were inseparable. I don't have to explain where that led, do I?" Eric asked John, who was listening intently.
"No, I can fill in the blanks. Go on." John said, embarrassed.
"Well, everything was fine, until the cruel hand of fate stepped in: I was forced to reveal my mutant abilities in the worst possible way. Again, the details around the reason for that are unimportant. She flew from me in fright, and I let her go. However, when I went to her apartment to try to explain everything to her, she was gone.
"With nothing to keep me there, I left France for a less painful territory. Then, a touch over a year later, that mutual friend of ours I mentioned, Maurice, managed to contact me. He told me to return to France immediately to help Magda, who had taken on too many hardships to bear alone. I did as he had asked, and found her practically living on the streets.
"She was not alone.
"Fearing my intent, she ordered me away from her and the babies, but how could I? Seeing it as my only option to rescue them from poverty, I 'made her an offer she couldn't refuse'. In exchange for visitation, I would provide her with my base in Romania and enough money to raise the twins. Reluctantly, she agreed. I was granted only two weeks with them every three years."
"Your conditions?" John asked, meaning the amount of visitation.
"Hers. I was not happy with the arrangement, but I felt that it would be better for the twins to at least know me in an abstract sense than not at all."
"Yeah." John said, the weight of Eric's words sinking in.
"How long was it since you last saw them?" he asked as he shifted on the bed.
Eric furrowed his brow a little before answering, "A little over four years. I would have visited them sooner, but I was unavailable."
"Whoa."
"Yes, I know."
"Hey, what about Magda?"
"Oh, she died. The day of her funeral was the last time I saw the twins." He said, somewhat sadly.
John didn't know what to say to such a story. Somehow, 'I'm sorry' didn't seem like enough. Eric shifted his position a little, and leaned forward. His face was a mask, revealing none of the emotions that John felt he must have been feeling after recalling all the painful memories of his past. John felt like crying himself, but suppressed the girly emotion and listened to Eric.
"With their mother gone, and my enemies dealt with, it is time for me to come through on a promise I made to them."
John leaned forward.
"Years ago, I told them that when it is safe, they could come live with me."