Peter glanced between both his parents, well, this was awkward.
"Did that man person just say you're his –"
"Let's get on the jet, eh Lo?" he said and quickly ran with her in his arms back towards the jet and the comfy seats that awaited them within it.
Erik and Magda gazed at each other, neither saying a word until Charles spoke up once more, "I suggest you two discuss this once on the plane, or better yet, once at the mansion. I sense this is a conversation that needs to be had in private." he pressed, they needed to get out of here quickly.
"Yes, of course. Sorry." Magda mumbled, shouldering her bag and hopping up the steps onto the plane where she sat herself down on the seat across from Peter. God it was good to see her boy again, she'd grown terrified that she'd never see his silver locks again or be smiled at by his warm eyes, "Peter..." she said warmly, barely able to put her overwhelming love into words as she leaned forwards and placed her hand over his, "My boy... I was so worried... I should have done something more to keep you safe... oh God, I'm so happy you're okay." she said, smiling back her tears as Peter gripped his mother's hand tight in his.
"It wasn't your fault mum." he assured her with a kindly smile as Lorna sat on his knee, more attached to her brother than ever before.
Erik ran a tired hand through his tousled ginger hair and began to raise the wheelchair up into the air and onto the aircraft, he was just thankful that Charles chose not to object to his method of assistance this time, he really could not face dealing with anything more. In all honesty, he didn't even want to face dealing with this, but it didn't seem as though he was left with much of a choice in the matter. Magda was here. Peter was here. And even little Lorna who had no idea what was going on was here. This wasn't an issue that could simply be skirted around with charming smiles or casual threats, two of the main things he usually solved his issues with, besides his powers of course. The door of the jet closed itself behind him once he entered the plane and, without looking at anyone, he moved through to the cockpit and began the process or raising the metal beast up into the air. The engines whirred and the craft began to soar into the air, tearing through the thinning air and soon disappearing from sight into the clouds. He flicked autopilot on once the aeroplane was level and it began to find its way back towards the pre-programmed destination of the mansion. He'd only need to assist the craft when it came to landing. With a sigh, he slid open the door that lead through to the others, all eyes were on Lehnsherr as he exited the cabin and into the main body of the craft, the air so thick with tension that it could take more than a knife to slice through it, perhaps an axe, or maybe a chainsaw.
"So you know?" Magda began, settling back into her seat as he took his own.
"And about Wanda too." Erik quitely replied with a nod.
"We ought to talk in private, Erik." Magda said with a curt nod, she didn't need Lorna hearing any of this, she didn't need Lorna knowing that her brother's father was a murderer, a mutant terrorist and a murderer.
Peter watched the pair with beady dark eyes, this promised to be more than awkward.
When we return to the mansion I suggest you give your parents time to talk, they certainly have many things to speak about. Charles whispered into Peter's mind, frowning from the exertion it was taking to simply transmit a single sentence into the kid's head. His mind moved like a derailed roller-coaster on a caffeine hit and a sugar high with whipped cream and a toffee apple on top.
Yeah, alright Prof. Peter replied, noting the look the professor bore upon his face, You sure you want to get inside my head again? I mean, you look like you're eating a salty lemon.
Charles simply rolled his eyes, deciding that he'd spend more than enough time in Peter's head, "Erik. Let us allow Mrs Maximoff and Peter to talk. Care for a game of chess?" he asked his old friend, receiving a grateful look from the fine features of Mrs Maximoff. And perhaps a Scotch too? I can see you need a glass or two. He added silently.
"Of course, Charles." Erik said, turning away from his former wife and towards his friend turned enemy turned 'it's-a-grey-area' associate.
The familiar chess board floated through the air towards the pair, settling calmly onto the table between the two beside two glasses and a crystal decanter as Magda clasped her son's hands in her own.
"Pietro... Peter... what is this? What did they do to you?" she asked, pain of seeing her son weak and injured.
"It doesn't matter... I'm good now, you don't have to worry I –"
"Pietro, I'm your mother, telling me not to worry is like... like, I don't know, like telling you not to run, or telling you not to steal any more. It's a waste of words." she said sternly, though her affection couldn't be hidden by the harshness of her words.
"I got a few scratches, that's all ma, I swear." said Peter with a look of angelic innocence on his face, the one he habitually put on whenever he was lying.
"Pietro..."
"Mama, I'm fine." Peter assured her confidently, "Magnets and Wheels patched me up okay." he told her jerking his head in the direction of the chess playing pair, who conveniently seemed to ignore the nicknames they'd been given.
Magda gave him a small smile as the pair looked over in their direction, and Lorna chose that particular moment to cough deliberately loudly to catch her mother's attention.
"Yes sweetie?" Madga asked smiling fondly at her daughter.
"Muma," Lorna interrupted, she'd heard Peter's true name, the one she'd been told not to use, "You called Petey Pietro. You said not to call him that. You said people would be mean to Petey if we called him Pietro. You said –"
"I know I did sweetheart." Magda replied taking her daughter's small hand in hers, "But there's no one here who'll hurt him if we call you brother his proper name."
"Okay Muma..." Lorna nodded and resumed her playing with Peter, or rather, Pietro's silver hair. Delighted that he was sitting still long enough for her to properly braid his hair, it was just a shame she didn't have any bobbles to tie the ends of the plaits up in. She made do by tying the first two in knots before Peter shooed her hands away.
"Lo, you're gonna make my hair as tangled as yours." he teased, "Remember how long it took me to untangle that birdsnest?"
"A minute." Lorna replied with a shrug.
"Yeah, a whole minute. Which for me is like a whole hour."
Lorna stuck out her tongue and poked him playfully on the chest, unknowingly tapping the spot where Alves had slipped the larger of the disks into his body. Peter hissed in pain as her small fingertips tapped the healing wound.
"Pietro?!" Magda asked, jumping into action in the way only a mother could, "Where are you hurt? Tell me young man or I will find out myself."
"Just a cut mum." Peter whined, he wished she'd stop prying, though he couldn't deny that it was good to have her there, her and little Lorna.
"That's what you said when you broke your arm falling out of the tree in the back garden of our first house." Magda countered, "And that's what you said when you ran into a wall and broke your nose. Pietro, tell me what's wrong."
Unbeknownst to any of the Maximoffs, Erik and Charles had halted in their game, and were now carefully watching the transaction.
Erik, I simply dressed the wound on his chest. I didn't think to check in case there was –
"There's something inside me." Peter told her, though he was essentially addressing the whole cabin, "I was a bit out of it in the lab, and I was a bit out of it when I got on the jet. But I remember now... I can feel it in there... Lo moved it. And in my arm... there's one there too." he said sounding guilty over not having mentioned it beforehand.
Magda gaped at him, lost for words as she crossed the gap between them and pulled him into a tight hug, with Lorna sandwiched, fairly happily, between the pair.
"Erik, don't you dare drop this plane again." Charles warned him before Erik even had the chance to react, chess game now clearly abandoned, "I'd like not to lose any more limbs. Now How far out are we? This is something Hank needs to take a look at." he said taking control of the situation as best he could.
Erik breathed deeply, eyes lingering on Peter before moving back to Charles, he backed away and moved quickly into the cockpit, glancing down at the network of dials before him, "Fifteen minutes, Charles." a steely expression grew across his face, "Scratch that. Five minutes Charles. Hold on tight." he said knowing he could afford to waste as little time as possible. They'd hurt his son. And once he was certain the Peter was okay then he would hunt them down, no matter what anyone said he would hunt them down and tear them limb from limb.
Charles nodded, brow furrowed in concern, how could he have missed it? How could he have not thought to check if there was anything in the wounds he'd been patching up? And for that matter, what if there was something in his leg too? Christ, just as he'd thought they were on their way out of the woods...
All on board could feel the plane speed up, tearing through the air towards the mansion. Erik remained within the cockpit, preparing for descent.
"Muma... What's happening? What's wrong with Petey?" the eight-year-old asked, clinging tightly onto her brother as though he were her lifeline.
"Nothing dear, he's okay, he's just fine. When we land I'm going to need you to let mummy take care of Peter okay? I need to make sure everything's okay with him. You know how much trouble your brother can get into sometimes."
Lorna nodded, sniggering slightly, "He broke the slushie machine when he tried to steal me a slushie. Petey's like a dream catcher, but a trouble catcher."
"Hey, you'd better not start sticking feathers all over me kiddo." Peter teased, making sure to remain light hearted on the outside, he couldn't let himself freak out, that would scare his wee sister too much. And that was definitely something he wanted to avoid at all costs.
"Pinky promise." Lorna nodded smugly, crossing two fingers of her other hand behind her back. The next chance she got she would cover him in feathers and glue, maybe even sequins.
"Yeah Lo, pinky promise." Peter smirked, gripping her small pinky in his own.
"We're landing!" Erik called through from the cockpit, "Sit down and strap in, I'd rather not deal with any more injuries than I have to." he said sounding moderately irritated, though it was just his fear for his son escaping him through anger.
As soon as the jet was back in the hangar, Erik flung the door open. Well, open was a relative term, he flung the door clean off its hinges and it tumbled and rolled off into a far coner. Hank could deal with it later.
"Charles, get Hank. Peter, come with me." he instructed, gripping his son's arm and leading his down the stairs.
"Hey, I can still walk, old man. You don't have to be my crutch or anything."
"Peter dear, do me a favour and stop talking." Magda asked kindly, "Whatever you said is in you needs to be seen to immediately, I can't lose you again."
"Fine." Peter huffed, "But don't let Lorna wander off."
"He's on his way to the medical wing." Charles said quickly, wheeling himself towards the elevator, "Get in." he said as the doors pinged open and the five of them quickly piled in, "Now, Lorna, I need you to go find your brother's room and to wait there until your mother comes to find you, okay?" he asked her, slyly pressing two fingers to the side of his head.
"Like hide and seek?" she asked, "But I don't know where his room is." she pointed out smartly.
"Exactly." Charles nodded with a smile, "And... now you do." he said projecting a set of directions into her young mind.
"Go on sweetie." Magda said as the lift pinged open and Charles wheeled himself out.
"Professor?" Hank asked poking his head out the door of their doctor's office, "The others are watching TV in the lounge." he told him, "That okay?"
"That's fine Hank, thank you. Now, I need you to see to something that may be lodged within Mr Maximoff here."
"Two somethings." Peter added, moving away from his mother towards the front of the group.
"You gonna tell me what sort of somethings?" Hank asked as he motioned for Peter to sit down on a bed.
"Non-metal." Erik told him, "I would have been able to sense them otherwise."
"Right. Peter, I need you to take off your shirt and your trousers. I'm going to scan you quickly to locate said 'somethings.' You know, it'd be useful if you guys'd give me a bit more to go off than 'something'."
Peter nodded and, in a flurry of movement was sitting on the bed in his boxers. Bandages on full display. Magda's heart fluttered in worry and sadness over the pain he must have experienced at the hands of those monsters, whoever they were.
"You guys gonna look away or anything?" Peter asked Charles and his parents, man it still felt weird saying 'parents', "I mean. I know I'm better looking than all of you, but you don't need to keep staring, it's getting a little weird."
"Of course." Charles said politely and wheeled himself around in a three point turn to face in the opposite direction, followed soon after by both Magda and Erik.
"I'm going to need you to lie down." Hank said as he bustled about the room, quickly ensuring everything he'd for the scan was set up. He wheeled the bed over to the far corner of the room, under what looked to be a low handing array of strip lights, "Close your eyes Pete." he said as he flicked the switch. A blue light shone down onto him from the light fixture looking thing, moving up and down his body numerous times before shutting itself off.
"That it?" Peter asked, opening his eyes to see everyone facing his direction once more, but not actually looking at him, rather the screen built into the wall beside his head.
Marked in red were two disks of different sizes, both sitting deep within his muscle tissue.
"I'm gonna have to cut these out." Hank said frowning, "Charles?"
"Sleep." Charles instructed, tapping two fingers to his temple, gingerly brushing the edge of the boy's mind, it seemed this was about as close as he could safely get without initiating another headache.
Before Peter could even say a world to retaliate, he was out light a light, Magda rushed over to him as Hank pulled the bed out from under the scanner and wheeled it over to where he'd perform the, hopefully quick, operation.
The first incision was made into his arm, with Erik and Magda sitting vigil on either side of him, which, Hank had to admit, was a slight hindrance. But he wasn't about to tell Mrs Maximoff to back off, after all, she'd just got her son back. And he wasn't about to tell Magneto to back off because that could probably earn him a chair to the head, if he was lucky, more likely a fridge or a car if he was unlucky. Which, when it came to Erik, he usually was. Charles, thankfully was sat further away, still watching Hank's every move with intense care, he couldn't help but feel as though each movement was being scrutinised. Carefully, he edged a pair of tweezers into the fresh wound, once the surgical incision was made deep enough, and began to pull out the smaller of the two bloodstained disks. Hank's fingers made light work of stitching up the wound before the scalpel was back in his hands and hovering above the healing wound over the kid's chest. Hank cast a quick glance towards Erik and Mrs Maxifmoff, though neither of them pain him any heed, they were both focused solely on the scars and the scalpel. The sharp blade tore carefully through the wound, slicing through fibres of muscle as it made its way slowly towards the second disk. Hank picked the, now bloodied, tweezers and carefully eased them into the wound, holding it open with his gloved fingers. After what felt like far too long the second disk joined the first on the metal tray by the bed.
"What are they?" Magda asked as the wound was sewn shut, "What did they put in my boy? What did they do to him?" he asked, desperation leaking though the strength in her voice.
"I'm sorry Magda, but I don't know. But Hank and I, we'll do our upmost to find out what these disks are. You and Erik need to talk. Peter should be fine now, he'll simply be resting. So we'll leave the pair of you in peace. Erik knows the mansion, in case you'd rather not discuss things with Peter in the room." Charles said as he began to reverse out of the room, tray bearing the discs on his lap and Hank following quickly in tow.
"Thank you, my friend." Erik said with a genuine smile of gratitude.
"We'll leave you two to it." he said with a nod as Hank pulled the door shut behind them.
As soon as the door had closed, Magda stood up and closed the distance between her and Erik. "How. Dare. You. Come. Back. Into. His. Life!" she yelled, grabbing a newspaper off the counter and hitting him over the head with every word, "How dare you come swanning back in and call him your son?! He is my son! You didn't raise him. I did. You didn't forfeit your sleep to make sure he was comfortable at night. You. Did. Nothing! You are not his father Erik Lehnsherr. You're a sperm donor, nothing more!" she snapped, hitting him over the head once more.
Erik did nothing to stop the tirade of hatred and hitting that came his way, this was going to be exhausting. "I didn't raise him because I didn't know he existed. You kept him from me, Magda. You kept him and Wanda from me. Why? Wh –"
"I will not let my children be raised by a murderer. You killed all those people back then. You've killed so many more since then. You killed the President for crying out loud! You have left a trail of blood behind you since we parted ways, Erik. So you'll forgive me if I didn't seek you out to give you the good news. Pietro and Wanda were the best things to ever happen to me. I couldn't let you ruin that for me, Erik, I couldn't."
The mutant sighed and ran a hand through his tired hair, "Believe it or not I can understand." he admitted. He wouldn't deny that he was a flawed man, but that did not mean that he couldn't try to be a father, "And, also, Kennedy's death was an accident, I was merely trying to save him. You oughtn't believe everything you hear on the news Magda, there are always two sides to every story."
Magda ran a hand through her hair, setting the – now battered - newspaper back down onto the counter. "I can't do this right now Erik. You coming back into his life is one thing. But you coming back into his life after he's had god knows what done to him..." she shook her head, "I won't tell you to stay away from him, because he'd hate me forever if I did so. Just... just let him find his own way through this mess. Let him decide for himself if he wants you to be a part of his life once more. Let him decide for himself if he wants to introduce you to Wanda. Let him –"
"Magda," Erik interrupted, "Don't worry. I'm not about to take him away from you, if that's what you're worried about." he assured her, "Trust in me when I say this, my main concern right now is ensuring Peter is safe and ensuring those fuckers never come after him again. But, perhaps, this is a conversation better suited to a time when Peter is at his full strength as opposed to lying unconscious in a hospital wing." he said with a sigh.
Magda nodded, "Yes... you're right." she muttered, "But, Erik, could you give me some time alone with him? Please?" she asked.
Erik nodded, sighing slightly, "I'll be with McCoy and Charles should you need anything, let me know when he comes to will you?" he asked her as he made his way towards the door, "He's not just your son." he said quickly before turning away and pulling the door closed behind him, leaving Magda alone with their son.
"So." Erik said as he entered Hank's lab, "What have we found?"
"Erik." Charles said in greeting, looking up from the two disks before him, "I'm afraid you're not going to like what you hear."
"Out with it Charles." Erik snapped.
"This one," Hank began, indicating to the larger disk, it contained a chemical of some sort. Set to release at the signal of a remote trigger."
"Care to elaborate on what sort of chemical exactly this was, Hank?" Erik asked bitterly, stony cold expression fixed on the young scientist.
"I'm working on it." Hank muttered in annoyance, "Professor, can you tell him to stop breathing down my neck all the time?" he asked grumpily, he couldn't stand Erik, and it was taking every morsel of his self-control to refrain from turning blue there and then.
"The other disk?" Erik growled, clearly not in the mood to be around Hank either.
"In the other disk lies a great problem." Charles replied, "We've disabled it now, but there's no telling what damage could already have been done."
"Dammit Charles tell me what it is!" Erik snapped.
"It's a tracer." Charles told him, "If Stryker's following the signal then he knows exactly where Peter is. Where you both are."
"Professor." Hank's worried voice cut through the tension between the other two, "Professor it's active again."
"I thought you said you'd disabled it!" Erik snapped in a venomous outburst or rage.
"I thought I had!" Hank countered, rising to his feet and drawing himself to his full height, seriously... he was this close to becoming a not-so-cuddly blue bear, "They must have wirelessly reactivated it! This means they know where to find us." he pointed out in an angry yell, "They'll be coming back for him! They'll be coming here for you." Although don't expect me to stop them if they want to have their go with you, you cocky prick.
Hank. I can hear you. Charles said mentally, raising an eyebrow in the Doctor's direction.
"Sorry." muttered Hank under his breath.
"Erik. We need to move him." Charles said sternly.
"I'm not running away Charles." Erik said firmly, "If we run we'll have no way of tracking them down again. Not to mention you have nowhere else to take these new students you've taken in." he pointed out, "I need Peter kept safe. And I need his sister and mother kept safe. I'll take care of Stryker." he said firmly.
"Erik..." Charles began.
"No, Charles. You know as well as I do that running is not an option. We have more mutants than just the three of us at our disposal. We can use them to fight."
"Erik, no." Charles said strongly, "I will not allow you to use my students as pawns in your war. I won't." he said, voice bubbling with determination, he would not let Erik have his way with this one.
"Charles..." Erik sighed, shaking his head, "Someday they will all have to fight for their place in this world, in this society which refuses to accept our kind. Kid yourself as much as you like, but we all will have to fight at some point in our lives for the right to our lives. Don't tell me that after all these years you're still as naïve as you were when we first met."
"Erik... no. I won't let you use them as pawns. I won't. We'll fight Stryker ourselves."
"You can't fight him Charles. You can't even walk."
"And whose fault is that?" Charles countered.
"I didn't mean to hurt you!" Erik roared, anger threatening to bubble over the edge "But regardless, where do you suppose we take this fight then?" he asked, breathing deeply as he calmed himself down.
"I don't know..." Charles muttered, shaking his head, "Hopefully to him." he suggested, "I'll see if I can locate Stryker through cerebro." he said, and without further ado, wheeled himself out of the room, Hank following quickly on his heels, or rather, wheels.
Erik shook his head with a sigh as he watched the pair leave. His cold eyes drifted down to the two plastic disks on the table before him, paternal instinct he hadn't known he had kicking in, he snatched up the tracer disk and stuffed it into his pocket. He strode purposefully down the hallway, suitcase flying towards him as he headed for the door. He snapped his fingers for his helmet and it came soaring through the air towards him. His suitcase opened itself and his helmet nestled itself inside amidst his body armour and his clothes. Just as Erik was placing his fedora onto his head and unfolding his sunglasses, he heard a patter of feet in the hallway behind him.
"Hey, Mr Erik Magnets." Lorna called out as she ran towards him, she wasn't sure that was really his name, but Peter had called him Magnets and Charles Xavier had called him Erik, so one of them must be right.
"Yes Lorna?" Erik asked, deciding that he could leave the correction of his name to another time, provided there would be one.
"What are you doing?" she asked him, "And how can you do that?" she asked tapping the floating suitcase with her small hands.
"It's my power." He explained, crouching down so that he was level with her, "I can move metal. Just like how your brother is super-fast."
"Oooh." Lorna said, mouth forming a perfect 'O', "But you didn't tell me where you were going." she pointed out, damn this kid was a smart cookie.
"I'm..." Erik began unsure of quite what to tell her, children weren't exactly his forte.
"Are you going to get Pete and get well soon present?" she asked him.
"Yes." Erik replied, he hadn't even needed to come up with the lie, although he could hardly call murdering his son's kidnapper a "get well soon present", "Yes, exactly. But I want it to be a surprise, okay Lorna? So you tell no one that I've gone to get it, okay?" he asked, "It'll be our secret, deal?"
Lorna nodded and grabbed his hand, the one without the sunglasses in it, and fiercely shook it, "Deal. Oh, and Mr Magnet, can you get him some candy bars from me. He loves candy bars. And muma won't let me go get him any." she said pouting.
"Of course." Erik said kindly, "And you can call me Erik." he added as he stood up and slid on his sunglasses before pulling on his long grey coat and plucking his case out of the air.
"Okay Erik." Lorna said with a broad grin as Erik headed towards the front door and opened it without touching it, presumably with his powers.
"And remember, our secret." he said tapping the side of his nose and his powers pulled the door closed behind him, leaving Lorna standing in the entrance hall. Once more with nothing to do. She'd found some other people in the living room a short while earlier, but lots of them had special powers too, and she didn't really fit in. Lorna sat down on the stairs with a sigh and took a coin out of her pocket. She carefully set it down on the ground by her trainer-clad feet and cupped her chin with both her hands, brow furrowed in deep concentration as she started at the coin. She grunted and growled, urging the coin to move, begging it to move. Eventually, a sigh escaped her lips, she wasn't special. She was never going to be special. She was just ordinary and boring. Just like her mum. She stood up, grumbling in frustration as she stomped her foot on the stairs, and suddenly, the small metal coin went shooting across the floorboards, hitting the wall at the other side of the entrance hall. She'd done it. She'd moved the coin. She was special too. She was a mutant too. She could move metal, just like Mr Magnet Man. Just like Magneto.
So sorry its taken me a while to update, the muse left me but now its back and I'm slowly working on bringing all my stories up to date. Don't worry, I won't let any of them die, they will all be finished eventually.
Anyway, more to come soon, hope you enjoyed it!