HAPPY 60TH CHAPTER! JESUS CHRIST!

Oh my golly gee whiz, I can't believe it, and I literally had tears rise in my eyes when I wrote it out on the Document Manager. I'm so excited, I don't even really know what to say.

Anywho, enjoy Chapter 60!

Laurien soon found herself at Raven's door and knocked on the wood. Her skin was alight with a horrible buzzing sensation and a dull ache had settled into her skull. The moment the door opened, she quickly slipped past Raven.

"You were right." Laurien blurted, running a hand through her hair as she started to pace the room.

Raven frowned as she closed the door with a soft thud. "About what?"

"Charles." Laurien revealed, breathing hard as she'd truly made quick work of getting there. "I just went to talk to him, and after a lot of nonsense, he admitted that he's missed me, and then he…"

"He…?"

Laurien grimaced, not wanting to admit what had occurred aloud for fear it would make it all too real. "He tried to kiss me."

"What?" Raven's mouth fell open in a gape as she moved toward Laurien and gripped her by the forearms. "Oh my God, what did you say?"

"I asked him what the fuck he thought he was doing, and he tried to apologize, but I just told him never to do it again and left."

"Oh, Laurien." Raven gasped, her wide eyes boring into Laurien's. A circuit of shock sped throughout both of their bodies. "Are you going to tell Erik?"

"No. Well, I– I'm not sure." Laurien's brow furrowed, thinking back to the steadfast support she'd felt embrace her a few nights prior when she'd asked for his advice. She feared the possibility of a drastically different reaction this time around. "I shouldn't, should I?"

Raven seemed to be frantically searching for something to say, yet ultimately failing in that moment, which did very little to stop Laurien's chest from tightening with an overwhelming suffocating sensation.

"No, I shouldn't. I mean, both he and Charles have finally been getting along. I'd hate to ruin that." Laurien uttered, answering her own question. Yet, in the next moment, she let out a frustrated groan as she suddenly wanted nothing more than to shrink into nothingness. "Oh, God. Raven, I don't know what to do."

"Okay, first of all, let me just remind you that this isn't your fault. Alright?" Raven asserted once she found the words, gripping Laurien tighter and leading her to sit down with her on the bed. "You didn't ask him to do that."

Laurien shook her head in response, still trying to wrap her mind around it all.

The other woman took a deep breath, and like a soothing balm to a burn, a slight calm seeped through their connection. "Let's just start from the beginning, alright?"

Laurien swallowed with difficulty, but nodded all the same. "I went to go see him in his study so that we could just talk." She started tentatively.

"About what we discussed during our walk?" Raven pressed gently.

"No, nothing that serious. We discussed Nina, the school, horses…"

Raven's brow furrowed in confusion. "Horses?"

"Yeah, I've always wanted them, but Hank's allergic."

Raven hummed in acknowledgement, still seeming rather confused. Nevertheless, she motioned for Laurien to continue. "Sorry, go on."

"I don't really know what I was thinking. Maybe I thought it would be nice to see if we could just chat like we used to before..." Laurien gestured vaguely, "You know, everything happened."

Raven nodded wordlessly, though a flare of sympathy was palpable between them.

"When the topic of the future came up, he asked if Erik and I would consider staying here in Westchester. Even said I could take on my old teaching position if I wanted."

She was met with raised eyebrows. "Wow, he's really trying to get the First Class back together again for good, isn't he?"

"Seems like it." Laurien replied, giving her a weak smile. "He told me that he'd been checking up on Erik and I through Cerebro over the years, and that he was scheduled to check in around the time of the earthquake, but…" She trailed off, shaking her head. "I asked him why, and he told me he missed me quite a lot. He went quiet, so I touched his arm and I felt… Oh God, Raven, he's not over it at all."

"Oh I'm so sorry, Laur." Raven murmured, taking Laurien's hands in hers and squeezing comfortingly. They remained quiet for a moment as they both continued to process the information, before Raven suddenly bit out, "Fucking Charles."

Laurien sighed. "I mean, it's been over twelve years. If this is the case and he's still holding on, then I don't think we can stay here for much longer."

"Yeah," Raven breathed, her body seemingly deflating at Laurien's words. "I don't blame you."

There was a knock at the door, causing them both to jump. Without waiting for a response from either of them, the door opened to reveal Hank, looking a bit flustered.

His eyes lit up as he spotted them. "Ah, two birds, one stone."

"I beg your pardon?" Raven asked sharply, perhaps a bit more than was warranted.

Hank's face suddenly paled. "Sorry, I meant that I was looking for both of…" He tried, but finding himself lacking the words, he shook his head. "Never mind. Moira's just arrived in the driveway, and I've been asked to find you both."

Raven turned back to Laurien, meeting the concerned frown upon her face. She gave Laurien's hand another quick squeeze before gently tugging her to her feet. Together, they exited Raven's room and followed Hank down the hallway and staircase towards Charles' study.

An uneasy feeling burrowed its way beneath Laurien's skin as she passed through the doorway. Erik was already there, standing before Moira and two other agents dressed in gray suits. Laurien stiffened when she saw them, the burning memory of the forest clearing in Katowice flashing momentarily before her eyes. She briefly glanced towards the window of the study, reminding herself that Nina was in the gardens with Sera, Kasia, and some of the other students. In that moment, Laurien was grateful, especially considering how Nina would likely not have reacted well to seeing authority figures confronting her parents yet again.

Charles was stationed behind his desk, chatting quietly with Moira, and Laurien made a point of avoiding his gaze. A flare of heat beside her drew her attention, and she found Raven shooting a withering look his way.

While she wished to push that matter to the side for the time being and focus on the matter at hand, when she approached Erik's side she couldn't help but notice the mug she had accidentally overturned perhaps only five minutes previous. It had been placed on the edge of Charles' desk, the white porcelain slightly stained by tea droplets.

Laurien let out a rattling breath before she slipped her hand into Erik's. "Do you know what this is about?" She asked him in a hushed tone.

"No." He murmured, his own nerves simmering beneath the surface. "But Charles has assured me that he won't let anything happen to us."

Laurien hummed, eyeing the agents carefully. Neither of them were carrying firearms, metal or plastic, therefore she took comfort in that small fact.

Her attention snapped back to Moira as she finished speaking to Charles and made her way to Laurien and Erik. As she neared, Laurien could practically see the excitement exuding from her.

"Moira." Laurien greeted, hoping her voice didn't betray her anxiety.

Moira offered them a quick nod as she clasped her hands together. "I apologize for the late notice, but a decision was just sent down from the White House."

"What is this about?" Erik asked, steely eyes narrowing as his gaze flickered warily towards the other agents.

"Erik Lensherr. Laurien van Tiel," Moira formally addressed them both, before handing Erik an envelope. "This is an official pardon from the President of the United States."

Laurien blinked, her mind not quite fully registering Moira's words. She glanced over at Erik, meeting his skeptical expression as he too doubted what he had heard.

"You're serious?" Erik prompted. "Both of us?"

Moira nodded, a gentle smile appearing on her face as she unearthed another envelope from the inside pocket of her coat and handed it to Laurien. "And, in recognition of both of your heroic actions in the face of an international threat, the United States government is also granting you the ownership of an island off the North Shore of Massachusetts, measuring at about 76 acres, to be used as a place of refuge for mutants to live in peace."

Laurien felt the sudden need to sit down, yet her body refused to move.

"Why, this is fantastic news." Charles declared, bringing Laurien crashing back to earth.

"Y-Yes, it's very generous." Laurien uttered, holding the envelope in her hands as though she were afraid to crease it.

She felt Erik's warm hand upon her shoulder, drawing her focus away from all the other people in the room who were currently looking at them. "What do you think?" He asked her quietly.

"Um, well, I think we should take it." Laurien said slowly, looking up at him with stunned eyes. She truly couldn't believe it. It was as though the heavens had seen fit to throw her into the deep end while simultaneously throwing her a life preserver. "I think that maybe a fresh start is what we need. We can raise our family there and help some fellow mutants along the way. Seems like a nice way to move forward."

Erik nodded, a slight smile tugging at his lips as he leant down to press a kiss to her forehead. "I think so too."

Laurien had only just stepped fully into the nursery when Peter burst into the room after her, sending a gust of wind that fluttered the pages of a book lying open on the nearby dresser. "You're leaving?"

"Uh, yes. But likely not until after Alex's funeral." She replied, taking a deep breath. While an hour had passed since their meeting with Moira, the news had yet to fully sink in, but Laurien felt a growing swell of hope at having somewhere away from the mansion to go. "I suppose you heard we've been given some land by the government."

Peter nodded, a faraway look in his wide brown eyes. "I think I'm going to tell him."

Laurien's eyebrows raised, "Oh."

"I have to tell him, don't I? I don't know when I'll ever get to see you guys again, so I should do it now, shouldn't I? I mean-"

"Jesus, Peter, slow down."

"I- I- I need you to be there." He urged, grasping Laurien's hands and sending a jolt of his own anxiety through her like an electric shock. "I take back what I said before. I was stupid. I need you to be there, just in case. Like he wouldn't kill me, right? Not if you're there."

"Peter, he's not going to kill you, even if I wasn't there. You haven't done anything wrong."

Peter nodded, yet his mouth twisted in a grimace that made her fear he was close to throwing up. "I'm just… I guess I'm just nervous."

"And that's okay. It's completely normal to feel that way." She reasoned, squeezing his hands comfortingly. "Just do me a favor and take a deep breath, okay?"

Peter took in a noisy breath, his chest swelling tremendously as he did so.

"Would you like to come find him with me?" She offered, though when she noted that he was turning a slight shade of green, she then added, "That is, if you're okay with doing this now."

Despite all the signs pointing to the contrary, Peter nodded vigorously. "Sure."

Laurien gave him a soft smile before taking him by the shoulder and steering him out into the hallway. She walked with him towards her and Erik's room, finding the door wide open.

When they entered, Erik was crouched by one of their bedside tables and attempting to look beneath it. "Hey, Laur, I dropped my toothbrush and it somehow managed to roll under here. Do you think you can…" He trailed off when he looked up and saw Peter. "Ah, and you are not alone."

Laurien shut the door behind them with her powers, giving them privacy from any students who happened to pass by. "Erik, you remember Peter, right?"

"Mmmhmm." Erik hummed in confirmation as he got to his feet, seemingly rather wary.

"Let's sit down." Laurien approached him, taking his arm and bringing him to sit next to her on the foot of the bed.

"Peter?" She beckoned him, seemingly snapping him out of another reverie. "The floor is yours."

"Yep, yep, yep, okay, great." He babbled before stopping himself and taking another deep breath. "Right, so, uh… Mr. Mag– Uh, sir…"

Laurien tried to mask her slight wince, while Erik mercifully interrupted the poor boy before he could tie himself in knots. "Just Erik is fine."

Uh, yes. Erik." Peter repeated, taking a moment to stare down at his feet until he collected himself and finally looked up at them again. "I'm guessing you know my mom, Deborah Maximoff."

Erik stiffened next to her, yet nodded.

"So, I didn't know this at the time when we first met after the Pentagon prison break, but I asked my mom about it afterwards, and it seems as though… I'm your son."

A tense silence filled the room, only to be broken by Erik's quiet exhalation of breath. "Ah."

Despite the muted response, Peter plowed on. "I know that this is like, such a major bombshell to be dropping right now, but I know you're going to be leaving the mansion soon, and I didn't want to leave it any longer in case I never get the chance to tell you again."

Erik turned to Laurien, his brows furrowed, and she knew immediately what his next question was to be.

"I only found out just before Cairo." Laurien admitted truthfully.

"Yeah, and I asked her to not tell you until I was ready to do it myself. I just had to rustle up the nerve." Peter explained, his eyes widening almost comically. "I'll admit, it took a lot of rustling. Ten years of rustling, actually."

Erik simply bowed his head slightly in acknowledgement, and Laurien wondered for a split second if he was even breathing.

"Look, I'm not asking for child support or anything, I just wanted you to know." Peter quickly elaborated with a wry expression. "And like, I'm already grown, so there's no obligation for you to be an All-American dad and play catch with me on Sundays."

"I'm sorry, Peter. I had no idea." Erik uttered. "If I'd have known…"

"No, no, no. It's okay, really." Peter assured him, tilting his head to the side. "Like, I think I turned out okay anyways, though Mom always said I was wired a little differently."

Erik looked over at Laurien, a mix of emotions swirling within his bright blue eyes. She wasn't well versed on what to do in such a situation, yet she simply offered him a small nod of encouragement.

With a deep breath, Erik stood up from his armchair. Laurien could see that it was taking everything within Peter not to suddenly bolt. He mercifully remained still as Erik approached him, looking at him thoughtfully, before holding out a hand to shake.

The corner of Peter's mouth turned up in a slight grin as he took the offered hand and shook it.

"It's nice to officially meet you, Peter." Erik said, bringing up his other hand to clasp Peter on the shoulder. "I- I can't even begin to tell you how truly sorry I am that I wasn't around for you during your childhood."

Peter nodded understandingly, though Laurien could sense that, despite his protestations, it had been a sore spot for him in the past.

"But, if you're willing, I'd… I'd like to be involved in your life."

Laurien inhaled as she felt a swell of excitement exude from across the room as a result of Erik's words.

"I'm sure you already know that we have two girls, and I know that they would love to get to know you, to grow up with you." Erik continued, glancing back at Laurien, "We'll soon be getting ready to move, but you're welcome to come with us, or visit us, if you'd rather stay here at the mansion."

"Of course." Laurien smiled, getting to her feet. "Our door will always be open to you, whenever and for however long you'd like."

Peter's throat bobbed as he searched for the words, evidently overcome with emotion by the entire situation.

"Wicked." Peter finally murmured, his voice hoarse, yet his grin grew ever wider.

Laurien cleared her throat slightly, gaining Peter's attention. She mouthed out a word silently to him, prompting him to smack himself on the head. "Oh, right. I forgot to mention that I'm a twin, so you also have a daughter named Wanda."

"Ah." Erik uttered, once again thrown for a loop, just like Laurien had been when she had first learned of this extra piece of news.

"I haven't seen her in a while, cause she's been working abroad for a few years now, but I'm sure if she decides to come back to the States, she'd love to meet you too."

"And the invitation is, of course, extended to her as well." Laurien offered, clasping her hands together.

Peter looked giddily between her and Erik, practically bouncing on the balls of his feet. "I'm gonna go call her."

Before they could say another word, he was gone.

In the silence that followed, Laurien watched Erik as he slowly moved to sit on the bed. She seated herself next to him, taking one of his hands in hers.

"You alright?" She inquired softly.

Erik blinked, giving a small shrug. "It's just… a lot of information all at once."

Laurien nodded, absentmindedly tracing the fingers of her free hand along his arm. "Yeah, maybe in retrospect, we could have waited until a few more hours passed after our whole pardoning debacle."

He nodded wordlessly, still staring at the opposite wall with an air of bewilderment that was very uncharacteristic of him.

"I can speak from personal experience that having a long lost family member spring into your life can be quite… chaotic." She added, eliciting a weak chuckle from her husband. "But I have a pretty strong feeling that everything is going to be fine. I've gotten to know him over these past few weeks, and he's a really good kid."

Erik turned to look at her, his handsome face gradually softening from its prior expression of shock as he took in her lavender hued eyes.

"You're going to love him." She assured him, leaning against him and resting her chin upon his shoulder. "And so will the girls. They'll love having a brother."

There we go! What a day they had! Peter finally told him, and honestly, I think this is the best case scenario for how it could have gone. I'm going to have fun developing Peter's (and maybe Wanda's) relationships with the fam jam in the Dark Phoenix storyline. I may have one final Apocalypse storyline chapter in me, though that depends on some narrative aspects that I need to sort out, so it's currently up in the air.

It's going to be a hectics couple of weeks coming up as we get closer to summer starting up. I will be swamped all of July because I am working backstage on another theatre show, and also continuing my summer course. I'm excited for Bridgerton Season 3 - Part 2, and House of the Dragon Season Two, cause I'm pretty sure they will consume my brain constantly in the weeks to come. I have some other writing projects going on, and those are available on Ao3 under the username TiredAvenger17. I have been uploading chapters from this story onto that website, and there are some small narrative changes I have done, so it's a little different context-wise, but nothing massive has changed. I basically only changed some of the Belgium chapters.

Anywho, thank you all so much for sticking with me for 60 chapters so far! I'm thinking that the story might actually be able to finish up at around 70 chapters, cause I don't think it's going to take too long to tell the Dark Phoenix storyline from Laurien's perspective. So, thanks again, I hope you enjoyed, and please leave a review!