August 19, 1992
Mystique stood at the edge of the camp, her arms folded tightly across her chest. She'd seen Toad walking around, his eyes unfocused and his expression dazed. He'd looked at her with wide eyes before scampering off. There were only a few things that could mean in present circumstances.
So she waited. Sooner or later, someone was going to say something. So she'd been unsurprised to see Magneto approach her.
"The X-men are beginning to discuss plans for evacuation," he said.
She nodded, waiting.
"While I was looking into their plans, I came across a rather familiar-looking boy on the other side of the camp," Magneto said, "Now, David Xavier claims he's his brother, but he doesn't look very much like Charles."
She swallowed, her throat growing tight with anger and shame.
"He looks more like you," Magneto said, "You and Azazel. I would say that the resemblance is striking."
She bit the inside of her cheek, tasting blood.
"Is there anything you'd like to tell me my dear?" Magneto said.
She looked at him, feeling as though she were carved of ice.
"Not really, no," she said.
"Don't take me for a fool," Magneto said, "Kurt is obviously your son. We'd have to be blind not to see that."
"You're blind to a lot of things," Mystique said.
He narrowed his eyes, but he had no right to be angry. Not with everything that she'd been through.
"Tell me, Erik," she said, "How long did it take you to decide to bring Lorna into our lifestyle? A child who had just turned eleven? How long did it take for you to start planning out her future amongst a group of assassins?"
Magneto opened his mouth, but Mystique wasn't going to let him interrupt her.
"Because it took me a couple of months to realize that I couldn't expose my child to that," she said, "Even back then I could see what our lifestyle was starting to do to Lorna. Did I think she would leave to marry Alex and play teacher to the X-men? No. But I could smell trouble on her the minute everyone started spoiling her, editing our lives so that we came out looking pristine."
She sneered.
"Even Azazel adored her," she said, "And I wanted to give him a real child, something that would've been ours. Black Tom didn't just kill Azazel that day. He killed our future."
Mystique felt a familiar pain in her chest. She'd known that she wouldn't be able to raise Kurt by herself. Maybe together they could save him from what had happened to Lorna, but she couldn't deal with Kurt on her own. Not with the pain over his father's death so fresh. She'd considered getting an abortion, but she couldn't find it in herself to kill the last piece of Azazel she had.
Part of her had even considered finding a way to make it work: right up until she'd seen Kurt. He'd been beautiful, but he'd looked far too much like his father. Mystique had known then that she couldn't raise him, not without unloading a wealth of bitterness and pain onto him.
So she had decided on a more merciful option. She had left him with her foolish, peaceful brother and his human wife. He'd be around other children, taught to use his powers in a loving environment. It was everything she couldn't give him.
"So don't judge me," Mystique said, "Not when you made such a mess of your own child's life!"
Magneto glared at her, his eyes cold.
"If you'd known for that long you couldn't raise him amongst us, that you couldn't be a parent and a member of the Brotherhood, then why didn't you leave?" Magneto asked.
Mystique leaned in and bared her teeth.
"Why didn't you?" she said.
Magneto didn't say anything. Mystique smiled bitterly.
"That's what I thought," she said.
"First group to go out will be the youngest children," David said, "Grade schoolers. They're all camping near each other. It should be pretty easy to round them up."
"I'll take the first trip," Calvin said, "Blink teleported both of us up here. She's going to need time to recuperate."
"I know for a fact that you're not going to be able to teleport as fast as she can," Scott said.
"It will take me longer," Calvin said, "But I can still take about ten students. That's not a bad start."
David nodded. Scott inclined his head as well. Behind him Sean, Terry, and Deadpool listened. Well, David thought that Deadpool was listening. He looked like was just leaning up against a nearby tree, looking bored.
"We're going to need some additional security for the camp," Scott said, "Remy and Boom-Boom are getting left behind, but they're the only fully-trained fighters."
"Terry should be able to help with that," Sean said.
Terry glared at her father. Sean caught her expression and gestured to her.
"Can I have a word with my daughter for a moment?" he asked.
Without waiting for an answer Sean and Terry stepped off to the side. The two of them began talking in urgent whispers. Calvin looked uncomfortable and Scott redirected his attention to David.
"I heard there was an incident with the Brotherhood on the edge of the camp," Scott said.
He winced, remembering the way they had stared at his brother. David hadn't been careful and, as a result, Kurt had been exposed.
"There was," David said, "But I think it will be fine, as long as those people don't come near me or my brother again."
Calvin coughed.
"That's going to be kind of difficult," he said.
David and Scott turned to him. Calvin threw his hands up.
"I'm just stating the obvious," he said, "I'm not sure...what the deal is exactly, but we're going to be working with them in kind of close quarters."
"I'm not," David said.
He jerked his thumb towards Scott.
"Him and his team are," he said, "I can deal with one Brotherhood member. That will be fine."
He cracked his neck.
"I just want the rest of them to stay away," David said.
Afraid for your freak brother?
"Makes sense," Scott said, "Can you start getting the children ready?"
"Right away," David said.
"And, while you're at it," Scott said, "Could you tell my brother that we need to get moving?"
Alex, Scott wants you to meet him at the front of the camp.
Alex closed his eyes.
I'll be there in a minute David, he thought.
He looked at his children.
"I'm going to go after your mother," Alex said, "I want you two to keep safe and get out of here."
Max bowed his head. Luna clutched her father closer, her eyes filling with tears. Alex's heart twisted painfully. He had gone into dangerous battles before. He'd never gone in like this though.
All of Alex's most dangerous missions had been before he'd had children. Life had petered off once Max had been born. Then he'd left. Alex hadn't even been an X-man anymore when Luna had been born.
There had always been consequences if he'd died in battle. He would leave behind a team, a brother, unfinished work and, later, a wife. Now the consequences would be different if he died in battle. His children would be left fatherless. He would never see them grow up.
"Dad, please don't go," Luna said, "When people go...when people go, bad things happen."
Alex put his hand on top of his daughter's head. She still seemed shaken, as though she were about to fall apart. Her eyes were wide open and pleading. He had never seen his daughter this fragile before.
Luna had never been afraid of the dark as a child. She had rarely had nightmares and, when she did, she had only gone to her parents for comfort when she was very young. Luna had always listened, excited, when they told stories about their careers as X-men.
Hearing stories and actually seeing people die were two completely different things. It sounded as though Angel had died slowly, and in great pain. Luna had always loved her aunt, loved her family, and was still young enough to think that life was a fairy tale.
Something had also tried to kidnap her. Alex still didn't know what had tried to take her. No one had been able to describe it accurately. He also didn't know why it had focused in on her. However, it was Sinister, and Luna was his daughter. That led to some interesting, and rather unpleasant, conclusions. He remembered what Sinister had always thought about his family.
He held Luna tighter. Alex wasn't going to let that madman touch her. He'd already come after him, hurt Scott, and now he held his wife. Luna was still too much of a stranger to life to have it snatched from her.
Alex knelt down in front of her.
"I'm going to come back," he said, "And I'm going to have your mother with me when I do."
Luna looked up at him.
"Max said being brave was part of our legacy," she whispered.
Alex looked up at his son. Max seemed sheepish, but Alex just smiled at him. His son had some interesting ideas.
"Did he now?" Alex said.
Luna nodded.
"Luna, your brother's right, in a way," Alex said, "You have a family of brave people. But..."
He put his hand on the side of her face. She had her mother's eyes, but an innocence and light that was all her own.
"True bravery comes from the decisions you make," he said, "It's not about fighting, not really. It's about knowing when to stand your ground, and what's worth standing your ground for. And that's something that you have to decide yourself."
He hugged her.
"I know that you'll figure it out," he said.
He let go of Luna. Her gaze remained on him as he walked over to Max.
"When did you get so old?" Alex asked.
Max shook his head.
"I'm only fifteen," he said.
"You're smarter than I was when I was fifteen," Alex said.
"You were field commander of the X-men by that time," Max said.
"That doesn't mean that I was smart," Alex said, "I got put in that position because I was thrust into it. It took me another few years to really know what I was doing. You're much more mature than I was."
He put his hands on both of his son's shoulders.
"Take care of your sister," he said, "And when I get back with your mother, we're all going to go home to Alaska."
Max's mouth dropped open.
"But...my skin..." he said.
"You've learned a lot from the school," Alex said, "If you want to stay here or come back in the future, then that's alright. But I think you've learned enough to maintain it. We want you home Max. If you want to stay, then we're moving down here."
He hugged him.
"One way or another, we're going to be a family again," Alex said, "All of us."
He released him and ruffled Luna's hair.
"Pretty soon you're going to get called to be teleported to Washington," he said, "You all know Hank. He'll take care of you until your mother and I get there."
"Dad-" Max said.
Alex simply shook his head.
"Take care of yourselves," he said, "I'll be back."
Alex forced himself to smile at his children. Then, with a heavy heart, he walked out of the tent. He didn't have to go far before he found Scott. His brother nodded to him and adjusted his uniform's gloves.
They both stood in silence.
"It's harder now," Alex said, "Now that I have children."
Scott looked over at him.
"I never...when Max was born, I didn't think about things like this," he said, "I definitely didn't think about things like this when Luna was born. Maybe I should have. I was retired, but you never really retire from this sort of thing. I should've thought of that."
He shrugged.
"But right now, my children need their mother. They need Lorna," he said.
Alex looked down. It was difficult to talk, but he'd always been able to depend on Scott.
"And I need Lorna," he said, "I always have. I always will."
Scott looked his brother in the eye.
"As I told you once, very long ago," Scott said, "We'll get her back."
Alex smiled. The only way to answer that was the way he'd answered it years ago, when he'd been a young man desperately in love, trying to save the woman who was quickly becoming his future.
"I know," he said.
