Summary:
"You should know that your father was a member of the Hellfire Club. More than a member. A king. That makes you royalty."
Magneto swore he would create a world where his children could live with their powers freely. He had succeeded in many things in his life. That was not one of them.
Lorna Dane's childhood from Magneto's perspective.
A/N: I can't believe no one has done this before.
When Erik got the news, he wanted to collapse.
He almost did.
The words "she's yours" should have changed everything.
They were the singularly most important words to him since… since Pietro and Wanda admitted the same years ago before they discovered it was a little more complicated than that.
She was his.
He had a daughter.
"You're positive?"
"You're the only man I've had sex with in months, so yeah. I'm positive."
Well, at least she was blunt.
The next words came from his mouth. They felt like pure pain anyway. "No one can know."
"I know." He doubted Suzanna had not practiced what she was going to say. He would have. "Look, I'm only telling you because you have a right to know you have a daughter. Not because I want anything to do with you."
"Thank you," was he could get out. "I can't be a part of her life. She deserves a father who she can look up to."
Saying it aloud only made it worse. Made it real. In a few months, he would have a daughter. And he could never meet her.
Not in this era.
"She'll be a mutant."
"I figured. They say it's random, but it really isn't, is it?"
"Abilities, most of the time, but not mutancy."
She paused for a moment in confusion. His accent must have slipped. Pathetic. He should be able to control it better.
"I'm repairing the situation with my fiance. I'll have to tell him. I won't tell him who you are."
"Thank you." The next words were reckless. What was going on with him? "I know someone. He is certain to find out whether I tell him or not. If anything happens to both of us, he will take care of her. If you don't mind, I need to tell him."
"Tell whoever you want, Magnus. I don't care. Just make sure they aren't going to lay a hand on my daughter in some revenge scheme or out of twisted loyalty for you."
"I promise."
He could not make that promise.
He made it anyway.
"I'm seven months now. She's scheduled for March twenty-first. Do you want to know when she's born?"
He swallowed. "Yes, please… that can be the end of our relationship."
"I agree. For her. Goodbye, Magnus."
"Good luck."
She hung up.
Erik leaned against the wall, his emotions overcoming him for the first time in years. He was going to be a father.
No one could know.
He would tell Charles the next time they spoke. It was perfectly rational.
The other person who would tell was significantly less rational, but he needed to tell her nonetheless. It was completely personal. He could not even pretend it was anything less.
But first, he needed to breathe.
He needed to destroy… something. Use his powers somehow. Get himself panting. Somehow.
There was a prison they had been planning on striking. He had not planned on going personally. Mystique was going to do it.
Not anymore.
His helmet flew to his hand, as did his cape.
Mystique saw him leaving. She kept pace with him for a few moments, just long enough to speak. "What's going on?"
"There's a change of plans. I'll do the prison myself."
"Are you feeling okay?"
"If I say yes, are you going to believe me?"
"No. I'll come with you."
"I don't need you."
"Physically, sure. But you're pissed. If you lose, we lose. I'm not letting you do anything this stupid."
Her honesty was refreshing.
He might as well. Get it over with. Mystique needed to know. She could figure it out, he was a wonderful liar to everyone except her. "Nightcrawler."
She stopped. He stopped too.
"I understand. Does anyone else know?"
"No. Just you."
"Then our conversation never happened. Don't get caught. I'll break the news to Avalanche and Pyro that they're going to miss out on some destruction."
"Yes. Thank you, Mystique."
His friend just nodded, walking the other direction without hesitation.
He had other things to focus on now. He had to clear his head. Had to. Had to remind himself what he was fighting for.
If he could not raise his daughter, he would create a world where she could be a mutant freely. Where she could be herself and proud of it. Where she had somewhere safe, where she would be treated like what she was: royalty.
He lifted himself into the air.
"This is Arnold Dane. I need to speak with you," was what came out of that phone on March 17th, 1988.
Dane.
He was her husband. Or fiance. Or ex-fiance. Whatever had happened in his romance since Erik last saw Suzanna.
"Is today…?"
"Yes. She was born an hour ago."
"Thank you for informing me."
"Don't contact me or my family again."
"I have no intention of that."
"Good. Whatever blood relation she might have to you, she's my daughter."
"I know. Destroy this phone when you are done. Better for all of us."
"I plan on it. I'm only doing this because my wife-" when did that happen? "-wanted you to know. All parties involved will be happier if this is the first and last conversation we have, mutt-ant"
His fist curled in rage.
He knew exactly what Arnold cut himself off from saying.
"Treat her well is all I ask."
"I will, and not because you told me to. Her name is Lorna. Goodbye."
He hung up before Erik could say anything.
The lights flickered out for an instant. Only an instant. That was all he allowed himself to have.
He started to crush the cell phone. He could not. Not while it was the only way his daughter's family could contact him.
Her name was Lorna.
It was a beautiful name.
She was born.
He could not delay contacting the only man in the world he trusted with this. The only man who could help her if something happened to Erik.
Telling him to his face was impossible.
Leaving any record was even less possible.
Telling Charles in person was certainly the only option.
Goddamnit.
"Erik?"
Charles looked shocked.
To be fair, who would not be? He snuck into the mansion without tipping off any alarms, got into Charles's office, and was right next to the window. He was not wearing his helmet; it was still in his hand though.
He had nothing in his mind Charles would not know, no plans he would interfere with.
He would not attack Erik, not here.
"What are you doing here?"
Why was this so difficult to say aloud?
"I have a daughter."
Well, that was easier than expected.
"Besides Wanda?"
"Yes."
"Are you doing to…?"
"No. We agreed it was for the best."
The relief on his face was barely hidden. No one else could have dreamed of noting it with the careful expression almost engraved on Charles's face, but it was obvious for Erik.
"What is her name?"
"Lorna."
The surname she would get was a mystery to him.
"If anything happens, can I trust you?"
"Of course, old friend."
He forced himself not to feel. He could never hide his emotions from Charles, but he could manage to hide them from himself.
"That will be all."
He opened the window with a twitch.
"Are you alright, Erik?"
"You're the psychic," was his response as he left. "Goodbye, old friend."
The farther he got from the mansion, the better.
Erik slipped his helmet on, the weight almost comforting.
A/N:
So, there's the first chapter.
Magneto isn't from any particular continuity, I picked and chose from different versions. There's some inspiration from comics for pieces of his backstory, and I tried to make his opinion towards Lorna similar-ish to Wolverine and the X-Men since it was the only they've interacted. Mostly, I imagine this chapter being Michael Fassbender's Magneto and, as time goes on, more of Ian McKellen's and X-Men: The Animated Series. Pretty much the only on-screen one I'm ignoring ever existed is Evolution Magneto where my usual love of the character cannot overcome the simple fact he is a horrible parent and all-around scumbag.
I'll continue using Erik rather than Max just because I'm more familiar with it.