Chapter Eight

Nina had dozed off eventually, curled up in Wanda's lap, with Wanda struggling to keep her as warm as she could as the temperature in the forest lowered. Her legs were utterly numb from Nina's weight and from the cold by the time she heard the noise of a plane. It came into view seconds later, descending into a clearing not far from them. The noise increased, becoming deafening, and Nina jerked awake, leaping away from Wanda, utter panic on her little face as she saw the black aircraft. She screamed, shaking from head to foot. "No! Not again! No more bad people! I'm not being taken away again!"

Wanda scrambled to her feet, darting to Nina, kneeling in front of her, cursing herself for not waking Nina and warning her that they'd be collected in a plane- her little sister probably associated black aircraft with Stryker's men, after how she'd been taken from Poland. "Nina, sweetheart, it's alright, it's not the bad people, these are friends."

Nina was hyperventilating, her pupils dilated. It didn't look like she'd even heard Wanda.

Wanda took Nina's hand in her own, staring straight into her eyes. "It's OK, Nina, I promise, you need to calm down."

Nina was so panicked she was struggling to breathe. "My heart... hurts..." She managed to gasp, almost unintelligbly. Tears were pouring down her face.

"It's alright. Look at me, come on, take a big deep breath," Wanda kept her voice as soothing as possible, breathing in and out slowly to show Nina what to do. She brought Nina's hand to her own sternum, letting her feel her steady heartbeat, something that often calmed children in the midst of a panic attack.

Slowly, Nina's outright panic subsided, but she still looked far from at ease, hiding behind Wanda and clinging to her as the plane landed and the door opened.

For a split second, a chill went down Wanda's spine- what if this wasn't Peter and the others, sent by Charles to collect them, but more of Stryker's forces, tracking them somehow?

Raven (in human form) and Peter stepped into view, and Wanda sighed with relief. She squeezed Nina's hand to reassure her. "Look, honey. It's friends, just like I said."

Nina peeked out from behind her for a split second before hiding again. Wanda moved so she knelt beside Nina, putting her arms round the little girl to make sure she felt safe, while also giving Raven and Peter a good look at Nina. Peter was outright staring at his new little sister. Raven took a long look, then called back into the plane. "Hank, stay where you are, we should take off as soon as possible."

Hank. Wanda hesitated. Which form was he in? The blue, furry form wasn't going to help Nina keep calm... Still, Raven was right, the longer they were here, the more chance there was of Stryker figuring out his prisoners were gone. She stood up slowly, grimacing at the ache in her stiff limbs, keeping hold of Nina's shoulders.

The little girl stared up at her, fear still plain in her eyes. Wanda smiled widely to show there was nothing wrong. "Come on, sweetheart, we have to go get on the plane now. It will be nice and warm in there, and there'll be some food for you," Wanda hoped this was true- they'd have airline snacks at least, right? "And then we're going back to the big house I told you about. Alright?"

Nina glanced warily at Raven and Peter before looking back at Wanda. "Who are those people?" Her voice was barely a whisper.

"That's my friend Raven, and that's Peter, my twin brother." Again, Wanda held off on saying that Peter was Nina's brother too- she wasn't sure if Nina even really thought she and Wanda were sisters, and she wasn't going to push it. "They're very excited to meet you."

Presumably having heard her words, Raven and Peter both suddenly had warm smiles on their faces. Nina didn't budge, didn't even look at them.

Wanda held her arms out. "Will it be alright if I carry you? You can keep me warm til we get out of this cold forest." She pantomimed a shiver, and slowly, Nina nodded, reaching her arms upward. Wanda hefted her onto her hip and carried her towards the plane, walking quickly. Nina kept her face pressed to Wanda's shoulder the whole way. She nodded greetings at Peter and Raven as she boarded and the ramp closed. "Thanks for getting here so quickly."

"No problem." Raven couldn't keep her eyes from Nina now, but the little girl was unaware of her scrutiny- she still hadn't looked up, keeping her face hidden from these strangers, her fingers wrapped tightly round Wanda's shirt. Raven tore her gaze away, though not before noting the metal collars round her and Wanda's necks. "Power dampeners. We'll get them removed as soon as we're home."

Wanda nodded- in all honesty, she'd nearly forgotten about the devices she and Nina wore, with everything else that had happened, but having them gone would be a relief.

Peter had transferred his gaze from Nina to Wanda, his face now anxious. "You OK, Wands? You had us all worried..."

"Yeah, we're OK now, aren't we?" Wanda nudged Nina gently, trying to coax her to respond, as she headed towards the plane's seats. She stopped abruptly. This is going to cause a problem. The seats were in lines facing each other, but there would be no way Nina could sit on her lap- the seatbelts required wouldn't hold two people, no matter if one of them was a child.

Hank (in blue furry form, because of course this couldn't be any easier on Wanda) looked back at them. "Good to see you, Wanda. And nice to meet you, Miss Nina. Could you take your seats please?"

Wanda took a deep breath, and in one movement, lifted Nina from her arms and set her in one of the middle seats. Nina looked up at her, big brown eyes still scared. Wanda spoke softly, but firmly. "We have to go now, so we all have to be strapped in our own seats, it's the rule." She squeezed one of Nina's hands. "Do you want me to sit next to you, or over there, so you can see me properly?"

Nina looked at the seat to her left. Taking that as an instruction, Wanda smiled. "You want me to sit there?"

Nod.

Wanda stroked Nina's face, presuming Nina had reverted to silence because of the proximity of strangers. "OK." She quickly did up Nina's seatbelt, before sitting down next to her and strapping herself in. Nina edged as close to the left edge of her seat as she could, taking Wanda's hand. She still refused to look at Raven or Peter as they sat down opposite her. Wanda prayed Peter wouldn't say anything silly or tease the little girl- that wouldn't help her to calm down! Thankfully, all he did was try and smile at her.

"Hi, Nina."

The little girl's flinch and the way she ducked her head was heartbreaking. No-one spoke much for the first part of the journey. Nina's utter silence, not even whimpering or sniffling, was disconcerting to others- Wanda had simply gotten used to it. Eventually, Wanda picked up on the faintest whisper from Nina and leaned closer so she could hear.

"I'm hungry." It was barely audible even to Wanda, but at least Nina was talking.

Wanda caught Raven's eye. "Hey, Raven, I could use something to eat. Are there any snacks lying around? I bet Nina could use something as well." She hoped that by keeping it casual, she wouldn't draw too much attention to Nina and risk her clamming up again.

Raven nodded and reached into a small compartment next to her seat, retrieving a couple of energy bars. Not the best thing for a kid, but the X-Jet hadn't been stocked with children in mind. Raven handed one to Wanda, then, slowly, offered the other to Nina.

Nina's big eyes shot to Wanda, who nodded slightly. Gripping Wanda's hand for dear life, her free hand trembling slightly, she reached for the proffered energy bar, taking it and all but snatching her hand back as if she expected to be hit.

Wanda gave Nina's hand another squeeze. "Good girl. Can you say 'thank you' to Raven?"

"Thank you." Nina mumbled without looking up. Wanda grimaced apologetically at Raven- that was probably the best they'd get for now. Raven nodded, a sad smile on her face, understanding in her eyes. She'd seen traumatized kids before, but seeing this terrified, hollow eyed kid clinging to Wanda like she was a lifebelt in the ocean, and comparing that to the bubbly, happy little girl that Erik had described, made Raven's old urge to painfully kill William Stryker seem like a very good idea.

The silence resumed, no-one willing to break it. Nina wolfed down her energy bar, then half of Wanda's, when the latter saw her looking pleadingly at it. After that, Wanda spotted Nina taking occasional glances at Raven, Peter and Hank. Hank seemed to intrigue her the most, though she said nothing, at least she didn't seem afraid of his Beast form.

At last, the mansion came into view. Wanda, when she saw it, gestured at it through the windshield, nudging Nina. "Look! That's my home. It's lovely and big, isn't it?"

Nina followed her pointed finger, eyes widening. "Is it a castle?" She asked in her whispery voice.

Wanda smiled. "No, sweetheart, it's a school, but people live there too."

Nina frowned a little. She tugged on Wanda's hand, and Wanda leaned closer as the jet approached the basketball court, ready to land in the hangar.

"Are Mama and Papa here?" She was almost mouthing the words, not really speaking aloud.

Damnit. Wanda should have expected that question. Raven. Peter and Hank looked away, none knowing what to say. She wrapped an arm round Nina. This would be difficult. She decided to ignore the mention of Erik for now. "Nina, do you know what heaven is?"

Nina nodded. "That's where people go when they're done on Earth." Her words were still whispers, as if she only wanted Wanda to hear. "Papa's parents are there."

Wanda blinked back tears. "That's right, and... I'm sorry, sweetheart, but Mama had to go there too."

Nina stared at Wanda, then began to cry silently. It was eerie- she sobbed, but didn't make a sound. Probably something she learned in Stryker's 'care', Wanda seethed. The jet landed, and as Hank killed the engine, Wanda unstrapped Nina and pulled her into her lap, stroking her dark hair. "I know it's sad, honey. You'll miss her, but you know something?" Nina looked up at her, her face a picture of misery. Wanda pressed her hand to Nina's heart. "As long as you remember her, she'll be with you, in here."

"Like Papa's parents?"

"That's right." Wanda had never given much thought to Erik's parents, but they were Nina's grandparents- and hers, and Peter's. She should acknowledge that, even if they'd died long before Erik's children were thought of.

Hank and Raven left the jet, both looking near tears themselves. Raven dragged Peter with her, apparently wanting to give Wanda time to calm Nina before they went into the school and were bombarded with people. Wanda unfastened her seat belt, then Nina's, and stood, offering Nina her hand. The little girl stood up, her whole body tense, waiting for Wanda to take a step towards the ramp before following, slowly, holding Wanda's hand as tightly as she could.

"Wanda?" Nina was looking straight up at her, and Wanda blinked back her shock- it was the first time Nina had said her name.

"Yes, honey?" She stopped walking, turning to give Nina her full attention.

"Is Papa really your Papa, like the bad man said?"

There was no reason to lie. "Yes."

"Yours and Peter's?"

So Nina had been listening when Wanda had introduced Peter as her twin. "That's right."

Nina frowned. "But Mama wasn't your Mama?"

"No." Wanda thought fast. "A very long time ago, Papa knew my and Peter's Mama, and we were born, but after that, she and Papa decided to just be friends. Then, a long time after that, Papa met your Mama and fell in love, and then you came along. Does that make sense?" OK, she'd juggled the details a bit- She and Peter had been born after Erik and Marya split up, and they certainly hadn't parted as friends, but Nina was only eight. She wasn't going to give her the whole story!

Nina nodded. "Is Papa here? Did he get away from the bad men too?"

Realizing that Nina thought that Erik had ended up captured too, Wanda simply nodded. After all, Erik was here, and there was no need to explain the whole 'You were almost dead so Erik buried you but you got better somehow' thing. "Did you want to see him?"

Nina nodded, then shook her head. Wanda frowned. "Why not?"

"He forgot about me. You looked after me. I want to stay with you now. You love me. I don't think Papa does, anymore."

Of course, it would be right at that moment that Erik appeared in the doorway, just out of Nina's line of sight. He had clearly heard Nina's words, and looked like someone had just ripped his heart out.

Wanda addressed Nina, trying to do some damage control, praying Erik didn't barge in and unsettle Nina more. "Honey, Papa didn't know the bad men had you-"

"Because he forgot about me." Nina's voice was still far too quiet, but utterly certain. It was clear she believed her own words.

Wanda grimaced. Nina was only a kid, saying what she thought, but this was not a good start to her reunion with Erik. She met his gaze, trying to will him to understand. He turned and strode away, his whole posture devastated. Wanda stifled a sigh as she resumed leading Nina from the jet into the school's basement.

Leaving the jet, she looked around. Raven and Peter were still there waiting, as was Hank. Erik was not in sight, but Wanda put him aside for later- Nina's mental state was the priority, not his, not right now. The elevator door hissed open, and Charles joined them, his chair pushed by Scott, Jean right beside him. Two other figures walked with them, and Wanda blinked, repeatedly. What were her mom and other sister Ana doing here?

A loud 'Bamf!' sounded, making Nina cringe and hide behind Wanda again. The smoke from Kurt's teleport cleared, revealing Kurt himself, with Jubilee and Ororo. Their arrival meant there were now eleven people standing staring at them and Wanda bit back a swear word. She could feel Nina tensing behind her, and a glance back confirmed she'd reverted to the blank face she'd used in Stryker's lab. Seeing too many people had scared her. But Wanda yelling at everyone to leave would only scare her more, not to mention it'd be a bit rude to ask Charles to leave the room, when the whole school was his.

Seeing Wanda, and the little girl with her, all the younger students (and Marya, and Ana) started asking questions at once, far too many for her to even get a word in edgewise.

Nina had gone utterly rigid with tension, and as the questions and speculations got louder and louder, she clamped her hands to her ears, dropped to her knees, letting out a shrill scream, and curled up, rocking back and forth, eyes squeezed shut.

Wanda was at her side in seconds, trying not to glare at everyone else for terrifying Nina to this point- they couldn't know how traumatized Nina was, after all. She rubbed Nina's shoulders, whispering reassurances, as Charles directed everyone but him, Marya and Peter to leave the hangar.

It took nearly ten minutes for Nina to calm down enough to crawl into Wanda's lap, the full-on trembling becoming sobbing as she buried her face in Wanda's shoulder. Just as she had back in Stryker's base, when she and Wanda had first met, and Nina was too traumatized to even speak. The new place, and too many new people, had put her back in that state.

Wanda herself sighed in resignation. Looks like I'll have to start all over again getting her back to normal. At least, hopefully, Nina trusted her, so maybe all the progress she'd made hadn't been undone.

Charles was blinking back tears. Peter looked torn between misery and anger at seeing a little girl like this. Marya's expression was much the same, though there was something unreadable in her gaze. Wanda wondered what her mother thought, seeing her eldest daughter playing mother hen to Erik's youngest child like this. From the look in her eyes, Marya wasn't pleased about it. Wanda couldn't worry about Mom right now though- Nina needed to be looked after. Her baby sister was her current main priority. She would be alright. They all would. It would just take time.