Thank you, ScentedHairpin, for the idea for this one-shot. I hope you enjoy it. Nobody's mine.
The whisper had spread like wildfire from one student to another, passed in notes and muttered in ears, telegraphed through thought and mouthed at people silently in the corridors. There was an Avenger coming to the mansion.
Charles tuned out the chatter, distracting though it was, making his way down to the front hall to meet his guest. He'd never set eyes on her in person, but he read the papers just like everyone else and knew that he would recognise the beautiful redhead when he saw her. As he emerged into the hall, he saw her crouched down on the floor with one of the Academy's pet cats rolling helpless at her feet, a little smile on her face as long fingers with chipped, black-painted nails ticked the cat's chin and cooed to it in a language he didn't know.
"I see you've found a Familiar" he smiled at her, "Good afternoon, Miss Maximoff, it's a pleasure to have you visit us here"
The smile vanished as she looked up. The cat gave her a disappointed look and began twining itself around her ankles, mewling as she stepped away and approached the Professor. She looked hard and forbidding when she wasn't smiling, like your Father. Charles thought.
We are nothing alike Wanda thought back venomously, eyes flashing with anger.
You're a telepath?
"Amongst other talents" she answered aloud, "I won't stay long. I seem to be causing a stir amongst your student body"
She was right – a small gaggle of students had gathered on the balcony, leaning over dangerously to catch a glimpse of the famous Scarlet Witch as she walked in. Charles looked up at them sternly
"Back to class, all of you" he commanded. Reluctantly, they had dispersed, some casting glances back over their shoulders as if hoping they would see a demonstration of her much-vaunted hex powers. Today they would be disappointed though, Wanda had solemnly sworn that no matter how emotional she felt, nobody and nothing was getting hexed today. There were too many innocent lives in this school for her to lose control of herself. Truly she had only come to make sure that the place was as safe as she had heard – after all, the most precious thing she had was here. And the most dangerous thing she could think of.
"Do you order my brother around like that?" she asked. The question held an icy air of challenge that set Charles' mind on edge a little. Being in the presence of such a powerful Mutant was difficult even for him, and he fought to preserve his calm in the face of it.
"Only when I need to" he replied. Finally Wanda smiled – a smile that was so like her brother's cheeky lopsided grin that it surprised him.
"Which I imagine is quite a lot. He can be a handful"
A mild understatement, Charles thought, careful to shield his mind from her as they made their way to his study. She arranged herself in a large, comfortable leather chair and gave him a hard look across the desk.
"Can I get you some tea?" he offered, "We have a-"
"No thank you" she interrupted, "Let me get straight to my point, Professor Xavier. I'm not sure I'm happy about Peter being under the same roof as our Father"
So that was it. Under the pretence of checking up on her twin, Wanda was actually here to protest about him allowing Erik to see him. Charles had wondered about the wisdom of it himself, but he was not about to stop a father speaking to his son. He regarded Wanda calmly, considering his response, noticed how one hand crept up to toy with a little silver pendant on a chain around her neck. Without asking, he knew that it had been a birthday gift last year, that whilst she treasured it, it was also a symbol of something she had no wish to associate herself with. He wet his lips, trying to be steady and consoling
"He's a good father, you know"
"He's a terrorist," Wanda shot back, "And a murderer"
"Are any of us innocent, Miss Maximoff?" Charles asked, "Especially when we feel so deeply and sometimes act so rashly?"
She looked taken aback at that, hands dropping into her lap as she considered it. She was frightened enough of her own gifts at times to realise that he was right. That sometimes, emotion and power could be a dangerous cocktail. That given the right circumstances, every one of them, human and Mutant alike, was capable of being a force for evil. She heaved a pensive sigh, leaning forward over the desk and giving the Professor a pleading look.
"I worry about the influence he has on Peter. That boy is so…." Annoying? Impulsive? Impossible? "Soft, sometimes. He needs good people around him to teach him right from wrong"
"He needs his father" Charles said simply, "And I'm happy for him to have that"
Truth be told, Erik hadn't been around so much lately, off travelling and working on whatever he did when Charles wasn't there to moderate him. When he had been back in the mansion however, he had never visited without making at least a day to spend with his son. Whilst Erik would return looking ravaged and exhausted, Peter would be bouncier than ever at the delight of having his Dad around at last. Perhaps he had never known what he was missing, but there could be no doubt in Charles' mind that a father had been good for Peter in a way that was difficult to explain. More than that, it was the son who had far more influence here – his natural lack of malice and rage was a counterpoint to Erik's seething hatred, and Charles thought that somehow, Peter was showing his Father how the world could be a fun and exciting place, rather than a dark and vicious one. Their influence on one another was mutually beneficial: Erik could get Peter to eat his vegetables, and Peter could get Erik to hold his temper – both impossible tasks for literally anybody else. Wanda looked dubious though, and was about to open her mouth to give her own opinion when the door to the study smacked open and she was suddenly on the floor being ferociously tickled.
"Hey, Buttface!" Peter crowed delightedly, easily getting past her struggles to pin her with one hand, tickle her with the other, "What'cha doing here?!"
Wanda fought, finally managing to sit up, and gave the Professor a red-faced look of shame. Well, that was her image of a tough no-nonsense Avenger gone for good, then. He simply smiled in silent amusement before clearing his throat and trying to take a serious tone of voice
"I've asked you a hundred times to knock before you come in, Peter"
The boy looked a little ashamed, holding out a hand to help his sister to her feet and muttering a little sorry that seemed begrudging. He did know he had to knock, but having heard his sister's voice from inside the room he'd barrelled in without even thinking, so eager to see her after months apart. It was hard for them to be separated like this, and though they talked on the 'phone as much as they could, Wanda was terribly busy these days. She straightened her clothes and tried to look annoyed, but it didn't work now that she had her troublesome twin right there, and instead she flung her arms around him and picked him up, swinging him round as if he were a child. He protested, but not too much.
"I came to see you, Dogbreath," she laughed, "Can you give me a moment though? I need to talk to your Boss"
"My Boss? He's not my Boss, nobody's my Boss – I'm the Boss of me. Sure I can give you a moment but how long is a moment? Is a moment like this –" he dashed out of the room and back again in half a blink, "is that long enough? Did you do what you wanted? Can we go now, I want to –"
"Peter, please, you're giving me a headache" Charles rubbed his temples, the boy's thoughts and chatter together was just far too much sometimes, "Go wait outside, we won't be long. And calm down"
He gave the Professor a hangdog look of disappointment, but obeyed, making a point of closing the door quietly behind him. Wanda turned to the desk, tried to regain her icy calm, knowing the act was blown for good now.
"Your Father is a potentially good man" Charles told her gently, "He's dangerous, and hurt, and furious, but he has something to work with now, and I truly think he can find that goodness in him if he sees it demonstrated enough"
"And Peter?" she asked
"Is fine. He almost always does his homework, he's making excellent progress at learning to settle down and focus, and he's very happy here at the Academy" he may even have a girlfriend, he added silently, hoping she didn't catch the thought.
Wanda gave him a sad little smile, one that held unspoken volumes about the love she felt for her twin sibling, the understanding that Peter had never been happy before, no matter how playful and energetic he had appeared. The trust that it took for her to allow Charles to take him under his wing. It amazed the Professor how much the entire Maximoff-Lensherr clan felt so protective toward the speedster, as if he was a delicate toy that they were unwilling to let others play with in case they broke it. He had a delicacy, that was for certain – but he needed to find his own way, and Charles thought they were all beginning to recognise that they had to let the leash off a little if he was ever going to grow up.
The door banged open again and Charles closed his eyes, buried his face in his hand.
"Are you done now? I waited hours, you have to be done by now – come on, everyone in the school's busting to meet you like you're famous or cool or something" He was tugging his sister's hand, pulling her toward the door, "I wanna show you my room too, it's really nice and it has sunshine coming in and everything, and Dad got me a new Walkman and –"
"Thank you for seeing me, Professor" Wanda said, gratefully, "Do you mind if I –"
"No, please. You're very welcome to stay and spend some time with us"
Just please don't blow up my school again, he thought as they walked out and down the corridor arm in arm, Wanda listening patiently as Peter talked at lightspeed, telling her all about the school, clearly desperate to show her everything. He was still so young, that boy – if Charles hadn't known better, he would have thought that Wanda was a much older sibling, doing her best to look out for a wayward little brother who needed guidance. He did, of course – they all needed guidance. It was a confusing and dangerous world for those who were different, and they all needed a guiding hand to show them the small beauties that made it one worth fighting for. Even Erik. For all his power, what he truly needed was a wide-eyed boy with fluffy silver hair to show him that there was still goodness left in the world. He hoped he had communicated that adequately to his visitor, and felt in his heart that he had done.
After all, families needed each other. Especially a family as strange as hers.