Chapter Five - Meet the Maximoffs

Peter had turned on the radio, he didn't know what kind of stuff Logan was listening to but it didn't surprise him when the station started playing Johnny Cash.

I hear the train a comin'

It's rolling round the bend

And I ain't seen the sunshine since I don't know when,

I'm stuck in Folsom prison, and time keeps draggin' on

But that train keeps a rollin' on down to San Antone..

When I was just a baby my mama told me. Son,

Always be a good boy, don't ever play with guns.

But I shot a man in Reno just to watch him die

When I hear that whistle blowing, I hang my head and cry...

The windows were rolled down and it sent Zoe's hair flying like streamers against the gale. They were doing about 50 miles per hour and the stretch of highway ahead was wide and clear. The girl beside him threw her head back as she soaked in the rays of the sun, her eyes closed like a cat's.

Zoe seemed content for the moment, she hadn't felt this good in a long time. One arm was draped alongside the car door, her hand tapping to the rhythm of the guitar. The music itself felt very fitting of her predicament. She let it warm her. She didn't realise how much she missed the little things like the wind in her hair or the pluck of guitar strings.

Peter's mouth curled as his eyes drifted to her happy face. "So, you like Johnny Cash?"

Zoe shrugged, "Guess so."

Peter's forehead creased, "What kind music do you like?"

Zoe considered his question heavily, "Honestly, I don't know? I can't even remember the last time I listened to music. I've been in that hole for so long." she said, giving a strangled laugh.

Peter grew silent, it was awkward. He hadn't meant to open that can of worms. "I'm sorry. I didn't think-"

Zoe opened one eye as she looked back at him curiously, he didn't really know what to make of her. "No, it's- It's okay. I'm sorry for being so rude, you meant well. I guess my social skills have completely gone down the drain, as conversationalists go, I had slim pickings with Prisoner One, er, Erik...He wasn't really all that talkative." her lips pursed and she did sound apologetic, Peter wouldn't hold it against her.

"Yeah, looked that way."

"They, uh - didn't really like us talking much. Probably ruins the whole: 'you're supposed to be in hell, you can't be making small talk' deal." the girl rambled, not really know how to stop.

Peter's grip tightened on the steering wheel, he cleared his throat; it sounded pretty grim if you asked him, "Whatever, man. It just means I have a lot to catch you up on. When we get back to my place we could go through my records and we'll find what you like."

Zoe nodded faintly. "I have a feeling you'd have your work cut out for you."

"It'll be my pleasure," he said, his head tilting to her, "I do consider a thorough musical education a very important subject that I'll be more than happy to teach." his eyes crinkled in a cute way as he began to ramble, "Dude, I'm going to introduce you to everyone: Bob Dylan, Bowie, Queen, The Ramones, Zeppelin, Floyd. It'll be crazy and all kinds of amazing at the same time." he said, driving with a smile.

The rest of their ride was spent talking about everything and nothing at all. Peter was polite enough to steer away from sensitive topics and she appreciated that effort by trying to be even more civil. He was friendly and open and curious but shied away from the topic before things got too deep. He was trying to make her comfortable - oh he was doing it for himself too since he wasn't all that great with emotions - but he did try to make her relax. At any rate, it would save them future accidents on the road. Truly, Logan had done nothing short of a miracle today. He had set her free and brought her a friend.

She tried to focus, tried to remember of any clues from her dreams that would help her in choosing the right course of direction. But nothing came, of course, it never did when she had tried in the past. It only happened when it happened, few and far between, and when she least expected.

It didn't sit well with her. There were too many variables in the air and it pulled her in a hundred different directions, though perhaps the strongest tug sat in less than a feet away in the driver's seat...

The only thing she had to go on was a gut feeling. A vague one. The boy felt all too familiar; there was something that just fit. Like a jigsaw puzzle that came apart, Zoe was in the tedious process of having to put everything back together, starting with the corner pieces. It didn't help that she didn't have a clear picture to go on.

She would just have to begin with this corner piece. Like Logan, she was certain at least that Peter was someone important. Or he will be. Logan's indication did that much to assuage her fears.

It wasn't too long at all that they reached the car depot in the outskirts of New York and Peter returned their rental. The car was pretty sweet, and if say, he needed to borrow something that cool later… well, he knew where the manager keeps the keys.

Zoe hid in a corner not far away, trying not to be seen. She watched as people walked by, totally oblivious to her presence; she saw girls in short skirts and midriffs, boys in t-shirts and bell-bottoms and so many platform shoes. She felt self-conscious and embarrassed (looking down at the harsh monotone grey of her uniform), she was very much out of place.

It had been three years. She had missed three whole years and the world just passed by her, without a care, without a second look. The thought sank to the pits of her stomach and made her feel sick.

She was numb when had returned, he scooped her up in his arms, her arms around his neck and their foreheads almost touching. He saw her unease and tried to reassure her, "It's okay, we're almost there. Just hold on tight." Zoe barely nodded before he zipped them to the front of a modest looking home.

They were back at the Maximoff home in Virginia.

"We're here," he says, putting her down gently. Peter had steadied her with a hand to her waist.

Zoe had suddenly looked daunted as Peter led her to the front door. She pauses at the threshold as Peter unceremoniously lets himself in loudly. "Ma! Wanda! I'm home!"

"Peter!" Magda Maximoff cries, "Where the hell have you been?! You left with those men without saying anything. I thought you were in trouble. How on earth did you think that was okay?" her hands were on her hips, her hair in disarray.

"You went out, I wasn't even gone for the whole day." he tried to say.

"Yes! To buy cigarettes - for like ten minutes - you were just gone!" His mother exclaimed, throwing her arms up.

Peter looked guilty, "Those guys from before just needed my help. It was urgent." he insisted, "But It's done now-"

Magda strode forward and held onto his shoulders, "Peter…" she trailed, searching his eyes

A loud sigh came from above, "Why bother, mom?" Wanda had stopped at the top of the stairs, she was in a pissy mood. "It's not like he cares whatever happens to him, to us." she said, glaring at her brother "Yeah, why not just keep using your powers in the open? It's fine, everyone knows we're freaks anyway." Her arms had crossed over her chest.

"There's something else we need to talk about," Peter says, ignoring his sister as he slowly drew his new friend inside the room with him, "Mom, we could really use you right now." He pulled Zoe closer.

"Who the hell is this?" Wanda demands, coming down the stairs. Her shoes making a large stomping as she made her way down the landing, "The hell is she wearing?" she continues. Without thinking, Wanda had grabbed the stranger's wrist.

At the contact, the girl had unconsciously repulsed Wanda with the dark bubble that surrounded her body, her long, dark hair floating for a second. The force sent the younger Maximoff staggering.

The stranger gasped, shocked at her actions. "I'm sorry I didn't mean to-"

Wanda had spoken at the same time, "She's-"

Peter nodded his head. "Like us." he turned to Magda, who had grown quiet. "Mom, she has nowhere else to go," he said with seriousness.

Magda had stepped back as she reeled from the shock, but nodded silently in thought, "Okay, but we need to discuss this first." Her hands that were clenched in front of her chest had dropped slowly. The woman faced the young girl, afraid to touch her. "...Honey, why don't you take a seat in the living room while I have a talk with my children." she said, speaking softly.

They were gone for about an hour, and considering Peter's own perception of time, it took an excruciatingly long while as he explained himself and 'the girl' as Wanda called her. She could hear the low murmur of voices as they talked. Zoe had sat in their living room, immobile, staring at the patterns on their Persian rug.

She looked around and found everything very familiar. Slowly but surely, she was emerging from her institutionalised self. She saw the pictures on the mantle, a trophy, and several medals on the shelf, china in the cabinets. It reminded her of the life she used to have, the way her mom would stick her poorly made drawings on the fridge or how her dad taught her how to fold origami in his spare time. It was a home. And it didn't occur to her until that moment how much she missed it.

She was looking at a photo of the Maximoffs at the beach. It must have been taken a few years ago since Peter still had not had his growth spurt and Wanda's hat looked too big for her head. She didn't hear Peter coming into the room until she coughed from behind her. Zoe immediately put the photograph back in its original place and blushed.

"Hi," she greeted meekly.

"Hey." he replied, "My mom and Wanda are still taking it over," he said, throwing his head back in gesture, "but I thought you'd want to change out of those clothes, you seemed pretty eager about it." Peter said shyly. He pushed the pile to her chest, "I uh, I haven't worn these clothes for years, I grew out of them. I thought-I mean, it's better than nothing right?"

Zoe straightened slightly, "Peter, I just want you to know that-well-you've already done so much for me. Even if I'm not allowed to stay, you've done more than enough, more than anyone has in years...Thank you." she swallowed, looking ready to cry.

He put his arm around her shoulders in a small comfort, "C'mon, I'll show you to the bathroom," Peter said, handing her a towel as well, "I doubt you like smelling like hospital soap. Use anything you need."

Once Zoe had stepped into the shower with actual hot running water, she wanted to weep. The hot water felt amazing on her skin and seemed to open up all her pores. She felt like she could stand there forever and just let the water wash away the last three years.

Peter Maximoff was nice. She pondered as she lathered her hair. More than nice, he was sweet, he was kind. He was quickly tearing down the walls she had built herself at an alarming rate. It wasn't hard, she realised, liking Peter. Just as she had thought before: he just made sense. Still, there was some hesitation in Zoe. She didn't want to bare herself completely to Peter, a boy she had just met. She had no way of knowing if his mother would even let her stay, or if she would pose too much of a threat to his family. She didn't know if she could risk her feelings for a friendship that may not last.

When she felt the water starting to turn cold she picked up the bar of soap did the best she could to try and scrub herself squeaky clean. When she finally emerged, the mirrors and the shower glass had all fogged over, her fingers were pruney and her skin was bright pink. The girl was about to put on Peter's clothes when she saw the discarded jumpsuit lying at her feet. It was a moment of hesitation, she didn't know whether to keep it or destroy the ugly thing. On one hand, she'd rather forget about her time kept inside the Pentagon, on the other, it was the only thing she now owned. She had begun folding the jumpsuit in a neat pile until thinking better of it and throwing it in the waste bin spitefully. She wasn't turning back now and she sure as hell won't be taken again. It sat there all crumpled and it gave the girl an immense measure of satisfaction at the sight.

Zoe had seen that Peter did not provide her any underwear (which to be fair was understandable) so she had to make do with washing the one she had previously worn in the shower and doing her best to wring it out before wearing them again. It was awkward as they were still damp, but happy it was clean. She really didn't bother with the bra, it would take longer to dry, she was somewhat pleased that her chest wasn't really all that noticeable in the shirt, it was a small perk, she guessed, that her breasts had not yet fully grown in. Or that was what she had told herself. Peter's clothes were well worn and soft. Turning to the mirror, she saw that while they were not big on her, it probably would have been too short for Peter's longer limbs. The ensemble composed of a black Rolling Stones shirt with a large red mouth and the tongue lolling out on the front as well as a pair of grey sweatpants that she had to roll up several times before it reached her ankles. They smelled slightly like him.

Peter had been waiting for her outside the bathroom door. He wanted to tell her the news himself, then his tongue swelled three times its normal size and his mouth was dry and he just stared, completely transfixed. Hormones were a bitch and he felt like a moron. There was a strange look on his face when she saw him, one that made her blush, she hid behind her stringy wet hair. A voice spoke from behind him, "Pick your jaw up off the floor dummy," Wanda said.

"Was the uniform really that bad?" Zoe asked.

"He's just not used to seeing a lot of girls, they usually run away screaming, right Pete?" his sister teased.

"Wanda!" he shouted, he was turning red from his neck to the roots of his silver hair.

"Easy, Pietro." she said mockingly, an evil glint in her eye. He was just so painfully obvious she couldn't not try to mess with her twin. "Well, tell her then." she encouraged.

Peter, though frustrated by his sister, looked between the two before finally announcing to his guest a warmly supplied: "You can stay!" his arms lifted high over his head in an exaggerated motion and she broke into a wide smile. "Our mom said yes, you can stay as long as you need, long as you want. We'll take care of you."

From behind Wanda, Magda came into the room with her other daughter Lorna clutched to her hip. "We...don't have much but what's ours is yours." she spoke, smiling kindly. Lorna was watching them with a curious gaze, she wondered who the pretty girl was that Peter brought home and why she looked so sad.

Zoe rubbed at her neck, her face buckling. Her eyes became large and watery, her mouth wobbling. "I - I - I don't know what to say, or how to thank you." she stuttered, she couldn't believe it. "Are you sure I can - "

Magda crossed the threshold and slowly raised her hand closer to the girl, giving her plenty of time to see how the girl would react to it. When Zoe didn't move away, Magda had pulled her into a careful and tight hug. "Yes, we're sure honey. You don't have to be afraid of yourself anymore. We already know what you are." At this, Zoe lifted her head her brown eyes meeting Magda's like a skittish animal, "You're family, honey. I can no more be afraid of you than I am of my own children."

"It's official," Peter says, casually leaning against the wall, his arms crossed and his lips pulled into a smirk. "Welcome to the family."

"So whaddya say Silk? I'll give ya a tour of chateau de Maximoff." Wanda said, even for her, she found her own actions seemed pretty out of character. It's almost as if the ice queen was beginning to thaw? Ha. Never. Wanda shook the thoughts away and put her arm around the smaller girl.

"But-" her brother tried to protest.

"Go, you can see her later." It was a little hard trying to get him away, Peter was persistent and had no problems voicing his disapproval, but Wanda was even more stubborn and punched him in the arm.

"I guess I'll be in the den, if you needed anything Zoe." he tried.

"I'm sure." his sister threw in with a sickeningly sweet purr. With one final glare, Wanda shooed her brother away as to give them space and led Zoe around the place wasn't big so it was over in less than ten minutes. They arrived at Peter's messy room, leaving the girl there for a moment before returning with a small bundle in her arms.

Wanda offered it to her. "Peter mentioned you had nothing to wear -mom said to give you hers, but I thought mine would fit better…" she explained her smile, flashing white teeth.

Zoe's hands didn't reach for it but instead played with her hair. "I'm sorry about earlier, I didn't mean to hurt you."

Wanda just shrugged, "No, I'm sorry. It wasn't your fault, I shouldn't have grabbed you."

"You didn't know." Zoe turned her gaze down to her feet.

The older girl shook her head. "You didn't hurt me, I was just surprised." Wanda said, trying to brush it off. "I wouldn't have expected Peter to bring someone home."

Wanda again offered her the clothes, to which Zoe accepted graciously. "Thank you."

"Gotta say, Silk, you must be something to have my brother on your side." the female Maximoff did not look away from her.

"S-Silk?" she said, scratching her head.

"Yeah, Silk, you know, with hair like that I could hardly believe you'd been doing some hard time at the Pentagon." Wanda joked, flipping her own hair. "So," she spoke, swiftly changing the topic, "Why does Peter care so much about you, he's practically gushing praises." Though she had tried keeping her tone light, Zoe knew Wanda's mindset was far from it.

Zoe suddenly felt like she was being interrogated, "Peter's been nothing but kind to me." she explained.

"I don't care about that." Wanda narrowed her dark eyes, at her. Zoe noticed how they were exactly like his eyes-Peter's eyes.

It unnerved Zoe to see those eyes with that amount of venom directed at her, and it frightened her to no end to find how quickly the tension in the room could turn. She was at a loss for words, "I...don't know what you want me to say."

Wanda crossed her arms, "I care that my family is safe. I don't know what's been happening to you, and you know what, it's not as important as me protecting my family. So if you put any of us in danger, I swear, I won't hesitate to put you down if it means keeping them alive."

Zoe considered this, she couldn't exactly blame Wanda for being so defensive. But if Wanda couldn't see just how much causing any pain to come to her family was the farthest thing on her mind, then she will just have to prove her wrong. "I understand." Her hair had started to drip down her back and unto Peter's carpeted floor. She was tired of being cowed into submission, alas, there was nothing for it.

Wanda nodded stiffly, standing her ground. "Good." she said, "I'll send Peter in. You should get settled, you look like hell." she supplied as an afterthought.

Peter had come in not twenty seconds later, the air hissing behind him. He had found Zoe lost in thought. He carried their dinner in a small tray, not unlike he had done just hours ago. "Hey, what are you thinking about?" he asked apprehensively, setting the tray down carefully on the bed.

Zoe slowly blinked out of her daze. She had a lot on her mind right now. "Nothing." she lied, shaking her head, her lips gracing him a distracted smile. She played with the strands of her hair as she faced him.

Peter was not entirely convinced, his mouth was set in a tight line. "Uh huh." He had shrugged off his jacket, his t-shirt sleeves rolled up to the top of his shoulders.

The girl shook her head again, this time, the droplets hitting his chest, "Really." She looked tired, her pale cheeks, though refreshed, looked sallow. It made her pink nose look redder and her freckles stand out. Her bangs were plastered to her forehead and her locks stuck to her neck as the water drenched her shirt.

Peter decided to let it go. For now. He placed the towel around her shoulders, afraid that she'd get sick if she didn't dry off properly. She started towelling her head, vigorously attempting to dry it, before combing through with her fingers. "I got us dinner." he said, pulling her down to the floor beside him. He set the tray down between them, his back leaned against the side of the bed. "It's mom's meatloaf, it's alright. Go ahead." He drank the milk in his glass and started tucking in.

Zoe began eating slowly, her head more clear as Peter chatted with her. She watched him push his long hair back several times away from his face as he tried to eat. There was so much piled on his plate but was not surprised to see him devour it like a starved man. She wanted to be like that, she wanted to be relaxed and confident and have no cares. She didn't realise how intently she had been staring at the mole on his nose until he spoke up, "You gonna eat that?" he asks, motioning to the biscuits beside her plate.

"Oh, er, here." she said, handing him a couple.

"You sure?"

"I'm not that hungry." she answers.

"You're certain you're not just saying that because of the meatloaf?"

"It's not the meatloaf, Peter, it was fine. Just eat it." She laughed.

"Okay," he said slowly, dragging it out to give her some time to protest. When she didn't he had stuffed the whole thing in his mouth, and she let out a breath of giggles at the sight of his antics.

When they were done, Peter had taken the tray and put it on his desk. They sat on the bed together, the rest of the night winding down, her 'musical re-education' kicked off as they rifled through Peter's collection. Soon, the room was filled with music that filled her ears and warmed her heart. They had only just gotten to Elton John when Wanda had informed them that she was going to bed, her eyes lingering on the strange new guest before leaving. Whether Peter had seen this or not, he didn't address it but kept her entertained.

At the point when Zoe's eyes started to droop, Peter got off the bed and he merely turned down the music as he replayed the song on the record. He turned off the bedroom light, grabbed an extra pillow and settled on top of the covers. Zoe didn't question what he was doing as he positioned himself on the opposite end of the bed so that his feet were near the headboard next to the top of her head and her toes were grazing his shoulder. The music was lulling him to sleep as he rolled over, his back facing her. She wouldn't have been able to sleep all that well tonight anyway, and she preferred not to wake up in the middle of the night in unfamiliar surroundings, alone. Peter was trying to show her that he would be there for her, that she would be safe now from those who had mercilessly captured her for all those years. That she could trust him. He tried to make the situation less awkward by not even acknowledging what was happening, only knowing that they would both be more reassured and feel safer this way.

She knew it probably wasn't appropriate as she burrowed herself under the blankets, Peter having fallen fast asleep beside her, it was obvious nothing was going to happen (given the orientation of their bodies on the bed), yet the position remained intimate despite the circumstance. It only showed how comfortable they had grown in only a short time to be able to accept each other in such close quarters. The music soothed her and she knew that any moment now sleep would take her. She knew this was dangerous, but allowed herself this comfort, undeterred. Just this once. Just for tonight.

It surprised her in the morning to find that she had drifted off into a pleasant and dreamless sleep, one she had not had in ages.

Hey kids, plug into the faithless

Maybe they're blinded

But Bennie makes them ageless

We shall survive, let us take ourselves along

Where we fight our parents out in the streets

To find who's right and who's wrong

Say, Candy and Ronnie, have you seen them yet

Ooooh but they're so spaced out

...

A/N: So here is the much awaited fifth chapter of Dark Matter! I'm so sorry it took this long. My final exams had just been suuuuuuuper hectic. Along with getting my results and subsequent university applications, it had really just been a massive whirlwind and so I decided to take a long, much needed break right after everything. To be honest, I'm still currently on my holidays visiting friends and family in the Philippines for Christmas and New Year til whenever so updates will still be irregular. However, I am still invested in this so please don't fret. I have more to share of this world.

So, did you like the Maximoffs? We'll hear more from them in the next couple of chapters so I hope you do.

To my reviewers, old and new thank you. Your loyalty and patience is astounding.

~Rusty14~ : I'm happy you loved the last update! Yes, she is Shaw's granddaughter, but where would our favourite heroes be without a messy backstory? While I do feel sorry for bringing misery upon my characters, it does make for an interesting read (as interesting as it is to write) and more importantly, discuss. I knew I had wanted to make a character that can keep up with out lovable speedster, or at least, in any case, stand up alone against the rest. I had earlier concept of her being a time traveller and the like but had seen it to be done already so I hoped you guys liked Zoe!

anonymouscsifan: It's been a while, hasn't it? Sorry about the late update, I know two months is long overdue. I hope this chapter makes up for it though. I'm excited to see how VERY similar our feelings are towards Orlando Bloom. What did you think about Peter's family? Is it at all what you expected? Is it drastically different? I'd love to know what you think.

Demon Evernight: Thanks for the review, and welcome to the family! I hope that you'll keep reading.

Song credits belong to Johnny Cash's "Folsom Prison Blues" and Elton John's "Bennie and the Jets". If you had any song recommendations for this fic, or any other fic of mine, please message me or leave a review! A thorough musical education is good for the soul. :)

Have an opinion? I want to hear it. PM is always open for a chat, or leave a review if that floats your boat.

I do not own any characters you might recognise, they are the property of Marvel (and maybe Sony Pictures?). I do own my OC Zoe.

Many thanks! And happy fanfic hunting!

-HannahBananasxx