Wanda I

Wanda Maximoff was worried. Worried beyond belief. A week ago she had been locked away in an asylum, enjoying the medical wonders of electroshock therapy. Now she was tucked into a lounger at the shores of a lake, covered in a blanket and with her newly acquired father sitting in a similar lounger next to her.

Fenrir the Mutant Dog was lying by her feet, occasionally yawning at Erik and conveniently showing his teeth. He had not bitten Erik again, but the man was still weary, which Wanda thought might be the most understandable thing about him. Her brother meanwhile was learning how to knit. Knit. No really, she wasn't joking.

Apparently he was so fast, he'd done a whole blanket for the couch. As it was Monday morning, Lorna had left for school two hours ago. And Wanda had been outside ever since… enjoying life.

Except for the fact that she was terrified this wasn't real. Had she done something? She didn't have any dual memories. Not like before, when she had become a kid. She didn't think she had done something… But… this was too good, right?

The way Peter had just found their father, and they'd come for her. Rescued her? And Erik's girlfriend was nice. And Lorna liked them. And… everything. It was too good. Too perfect.

Except for the fact that you killed your Mom.

Shut it!

Her mom had hated her. Treated her like shit. It was an accident. She hadn't meant to, she…

"Wanda? Are you still with me?", Erik interrupted her, he had put the book down and was sitting up.

"Yes! No. I'm sorry. I was just… thinking."

"Nothing wrong with that. I was just asking, because your fingers started to glow."

"What?!", terrified she looked down, but her hands had turned back to normal.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"I… don't know. I don't even know what to talk about."

"You don't have to. That's fine, too."

"You said I called you Dad."

"You did, yes."

"I don't remember that."

"You told me you knew me. And that everyone was dead. You… you said I had killed you.", Erik looked sad and small and nothing like the man talking about burning worlds down, "But you weren't afraid of me, so I chose to take that as a good sign."

"I had a nightmare last night."

"Do you want to talk about that?"

"There were people with guns. Not normal guns. I could see through them."

"I am familiar.", Erik sighed.

"There were people everywhere. Fighting. Coming for us. And they… they shot Lorna."

Next to her, Erik tried really hard not to react. Wanda could still feel it. It was like his whole body was suddenly radiating mild panic.

"After what happened, I'm sure that's to be expected.", he tried.

"She wasn't our Lorna, though. She looked different. Older. And she had green hair."

This time Erik actually made a strangled sound, his face stony.

"That's… not a weird detail, is it?"

"No, Wanda. Lorna has green hair. She dyes it."

"Oh God. Does that… what does it mean?"

"I don't know, Liebes. Ida thinks they might have tried to use you to see the future. Or at least possible futures. According to her there is no way to see THE future.. When Peter broke me out of prison, he did that to change the future. Someone came back from a time when mutants were hunted. Killed. They came back to change it. Maybe… maybe that's what you are seeing. Maybe you see what happened before."

That idea was a little more hopeful than Wanda's original fears.

"But I can't SEE the future.", Wanda protested, "That's not how it works."

"Peter saw you. He saw what happened in the basement. He was lying in a field in Oregon and could suddenly see what was happening. I'm not sure, but it's possible he saw it a couple of minutes before it even happened."

"But… how? You don't have any powers related to time, do you? Is this hereditary?"

"No… I don't. And I have no idea how mutations work over generations. No one does. But I don't have the power to make 'bad luck', either."

"Oh yeah, that's what we used to think, Peter and I.", Wanda smiled a little to herself.

"What do you think now, with everything that has happened?"

"Chance. I think it's chance. Is it probable that a boulder will fall on your car? No. But I can change that. At least that's what I think it is."

"Is it realistic for you to wake up as a five year old? Because that seems a little more than affecting chance. That is the rewriting of reality. I'm not even sure what to call it, Liebes. Or how it works."

"I don't want that to happen again. Ever again. I don't want that kind of power."

Her father sighed, then shook his head, as if he was wrestling with an idea.

"My powers are so different from yours, I have no idea where to start. But Ida might. Her powers are… volatile. She has some experience."

Another great coincidence? Another sudden blessing?

"What if this isn't real? What if all of this is in my head?"

"Would I know, if it were? Because… I don't know how to answer that."

"This is too perfect. All of this. Just LOOK. Look at where we are! Right now! Isn't this… too perfect?"

"Ah. I've been wondering about that for a year. If life was too perfect for me. If I deserve this. If… and now you guys are here, and it got even better. But Wanda, I'm pretty sure I don't deserve this place, but you… you deserve the world."

"I'm a monster."

"No, you aren't. You are a kid, and you had terrible things happen to you. That makes you a survivor."

She would like to believe him. Really, really wanted to believe him. But could she?

Suddenly Erik's whole posture shifted. A car came down the dirt road leading to the house. It was an expensive looking black car, polished to an almost insane shine considering the dust it was creating.

It stopped a little to the side and a tall, beefy man in a black suit got out and slowly walked towards them.

Erik grabbed the walking stick Dr Turner had ordered for the foreseeable future and rose slowly to greet their guest.

"Excuse me? I am looking for the Maximoff Family and was given this address…"

Wanda froze and Erik made a strange wheezing sound.

"By whom?", his eyes were narrowed in suspicion.

"Ehm… I am looking for the family of Magda Maximoff. My name is Herman White. I'm the local undertaker."

"Oh! Of course. I am sorry, we are a bit… tired here today.", Erik threw a concerned look towards Wanda.

"This is my daughter, Wanda. Magda was her mother."

"My condolences to you both.", White gave Wanda a solemn nod, "Could we go somewhere and talk about the funeral arrangements?"

"Please follow me.", Erik motioned towards the house, "Wanda, do you…"

"No."

"Very well."

And with that Erik slowly made his way back to the house, followed by their guest. Her mom's funeral… maybe life wasn't perfect after all.

"What do you think, Fenrir? Is this reality or a dream?", she asked the dog, who opened his eyes and looked at her as if to say, "Your guess is as good as mine."

Wanda was still outside an hour later when White left again, staring into nothing and letting the sun shine on her face. When it was time for lunch, Erik, Ida and Peter carried a tray of sandwiches for them to enjoy by the lake and they just sat there and talked about nothing. About the book they were reading. Music they liked… Ida took over Erik's lounger after that and just stayed with her for a bit, before returning to the house to prepare cake. There was a lot of cake in this house.

Wanda was still outside when Lorna returned on her bike. Slightly sweaty and with wild, brown hair flying in the wind.

"Hey Wanda, how was your day?", she threw her bike into the grass and claimed the second lounger.

"Fantastic. I haven't done a thing."

"That sounds nice! School was all kinds of drama today. We had the first big breakup of the year and it's only the second week! Robert and Shirley were exchanging notes, but Robert was SUPPOSED to be Wendy's fella, you know? And then he didn't sit with either of them for lunch. The whole school is just buzzing."

"Uhhhhh! Gossip!"

"And Peter, another Peter, of course, apparently his mother is seeing Mr Riordan, my history teacher. Susan's cousin saw them have dinner together two towns over!"

"Lorna?"

"Yeah?"

"Did you learn anything in school, too?"

"Pffff, school isn't about LEARNING. It's all about the dish."

"Lorna, pick up your bike! Now!"

"Yes, Dad!", Lorna rolled her eyes towards the house and scampered off.

"Come on, Fenrir, maybe it's finally time to go inside.", Wanda grabbed her blanket and got up, her new shadow faithfully trotting behind, to join the others for tea.

It was while Lorna was repeating the same stories from school, that Wanda had a sudden realization: "I want to go to High School."

Lorna stopped right in the middle of her story about someone named Felix and everyone just stared at her.

"You what?", Peter was the first to recover, "high school is horrible."

"Just the last year! I never went to high school. I wanna go. Prom. Football games. The whole deal. Does the local high school have a good football team?"

"I think they are more into lacrosse…" Erik admitted.

"That would be so cool! The school isn't big. We are all in the same building, even though I'm still in middle school! Wanda and I could ride to school together and stuff! I wouldn't have to take my bike!"

"I can't drive. Never learned.", Wanda looked down at her plate.

"Hey, then I'll teach you. Don't worry.", Erik smiled.

"I can drive.", Peter shrugged, "Wouldn't mind doing that."

"You could come with us!", Lorna's eyes were blazing.

"What? No way. I'm not going back to school."

"But it could be fun!"

"School wasn't fun, Lorna."

"But we never went together before!"

"Lorna, if Peter doesn't want to go, you can't bully him into it.", Ida chided.

"But Peeeeeter, Peeeeeete, Peeeeetie…."

"Stop it.", his tone was final, but Erik's eyes were shining with happiness.

"Did you graduate?", Wanda asked innocently, suspecting she very much knew the answer.

"Do you know how HARD it was for me to sit still that long?"

"Then let's go! Come on!"

"Girls, enough!"

"Oh, fine.", Peter relented, "But I am not joining the football team or something."

"Peter, you really don't have to. Don't let them guilt you into anything.", Ida looked honestly concerned.

"No. It's fine. I need to be doing something and I can sit in the back and read something or whatever…"

"Maybe make friends.", Lorna offered, "I have great friends."

"Most people think I'm annoying."

"You aren't THAT annoying.", Lorna shook her head.

"You are my little sister. You have to like me."

Lorna's whole face broke out in the biggest of smiles and Erik quickly patted Peter's arm, before getting up to refill their (still half full) water pitcher.

"Very well. I'll call the school tomorrow to make an appointment. Then we'll have to go into town and get a car for you guys."

"They can take the truck. It fits three.", Erik threw in, "You keep the Chevy. We don't need both during the day."

"True… But we'll need a bigger car to fit us all anyway and the truck is a working vehicle. I think we might need a van. A van and a good, sturdy car for you guys. With ALL the safety features."

"You want to go into town and buy TWO new cars?", Peter looked as scandalized as Wanda felt. Was that… realistic?

"Well, we need to accommodate everyone, no?"

"And you can afford that? Does anyone here even have a job?!", Peter's tone was pretty accusatory, "Don't you guys just basically grow your own food and a couple of pears?"

"Peter… not that I want to be that guy, but what do you think how big the farm is?", Erik asked.

"I don't know… like… the homestead, the orchard, a bit of forest?"

"It's well over 3000 acres."

"What?!"

"Is that a lot?", Wanda asked, not nearly as good with geography as Peter was.

"It's sizable.", Ida sighed, "This, here, is just where we live. There is a full working farm about 10 miles that way.", she pointed outside the window, "There is a manager and a whole lot of people working there. Most days me or your father… or both… will go and check, but mostly the manager does the work. And even if it weren't for that, I have made some very good investments over the years. We are not in need of money."

"How much are we talking here?", Peter had narrowed his eyes at Ida and leaned back in his chair.

"Enough that neither you, nor your grandchildren will ever starve."

"Come on!"

"Don't ask me.", Erik raised his hands in defense, "It's her money. I don't have the specifics."

"Three years ago the town's library burned down and some anonymous donor paid for a new one. And all the new books. I always thought it was Mom.", Lorna offered.

"Was it?", they never had much money growing up. This was a completely new experience for Wanda. Was Ida filthy rich?!

"No one in town knows, okay? They know I own the farm. They know we have money. They don't know how much. If either of you go out there and start telling stories, I will cut your allowance in half.", Ida threatened.

"We get allowances?", Peter looked perplexed.

"Of course you do. We will set up accounts."

"I just get cash.", Lorna shrugged.

"You are twelve. Handling money is something you are still learning.", Erik told her.

"And you think Peter is good with money?"

"Uncalled for, Lorna.", Peter huffed.

"Am I wrong?"

"No. Not the point."

Ida stopped their bickering in the most efficient way possible: "Around 100 Million. Give or take. Well. Give, I'd say."

Everyone turned towards her. It was pretty obvious even Erik was shocked by that number: "Did you say 100 Million? Dollars? US Dollars?"

"Yes."

"Nice going, Dad.", this time it was Peter who patted Erik's arm.

"That's not… what?"

"Don't worry, Darling, you make for such a pretty trophy husband.", Ida gave him a quick kiss, "That's all I need."

"What's a trophy husband and do I want to know?", Lorna wrinkled her nose.

"What matters is: we can buy some cars. And clothes. Not that I mind sharing with you, Wanda."

"So you are going shopping tomorrow and I'm going to school. Great."

"Actually, you are coming with us. We'll go after we're done here. You'll need new clothes, too. For the funeral.", Erik threw a cautious look towards Wanda, "The undertaker and his people will be here tomorrow at 10am. Peter said Magda probably wouldn't have liked a religious ceremony, so…"

"Here? They are coming here?", Wanda felt a sudden surge of panic run over her back.

"We have a family cemetery. It's nice… there are trees and a small stream. It was here, when I bought the farm."

Peter just nodded. He'd been in the room, when White had come to make the arrangements. Lorna just looked uncomfortable. And Wanda felt like curling up in bed and never leaving again.

"It's going to be alright, Liebes, it hurts now. And it will continue to hurt. But it will get better, I promise."

Still… it was a strange experience to suddenly find herself smashed in between Lorna and the door, as the three of them huddled into the Chevy's backseat half an hour later.

Even funnier (at least to Wanda), was the fact that Ida was the one driving. Her father meanwhile got the job of finding music everyone liked.

Wanda didn't know any of the popular songs playing on the radio as they drove into town. Ida seemed to happily hum along to every single song out there. And Erik had his window open and just… seemed to enjoy the drive. He was even singing along to some of the more sappy love songs coming on, prompting Lorna to make gagging noises. Wanda felt the sudden need to elbow Lorna into her side. This was nice. They were happy. As the child of a single mother, this… this was what she had always thought families looked like.

Then she remembered that two years ago, Lorna and Ida had been without Erik, too… maybe one day this wouldn't be so special to her, either. Maybe in a year or two, she'd be so used to the sappiness in the front row that she, too, would mock them for it.

She hoped so. She really did.

By the time their shopping trip ended and they'd had dinner at a nice family restaurant, everyone was cramped back in the car and whole-heartidly agreed that a bigger car was the only option. The trunk was stuffed with new books, groceries and half a drug store. The bags full of new clothes, meanwhile, were mostly placed on the passengers.

"I don't like it.", Peter declared suddenly.

"I know… We'll buy a bigger car, soon. I promise, dear.", Ida looked in the rearview mirror.

"Can you stop please? Now?", his voice sounded mildly panicky and Wanda felt a sudden search of pity for her brother. Yes, she was still a little mad about the way he had dismissed her experience with their mom, but Peter hated being stuck. This was probably his personal nightmare.

Ida didn't bat an eye and pulled to the side of the road, so Peter could throw the door open and hurry outside. Erik followed behind, walking the little way Peter had run off. They tried not to stare at the two of them talking, as Ida turned the volume in the car up a little.

"Is he okay?", Lorna asked, sounding helpless.

"Peter doesn't like being stuck.", Wanda shrugged, "I think you can scoot over and we'll place the bags between us. He'll probably run back."

Which was exactly what happened. Peter suddenly appeared in the door he had left open.

"I'll run ahead. So I get to shower before you two hog the bathroom for the next three hours.", and he closed the door on them just as Erik opened his to slide back in.

It occurred to Wanda then that Peter must have enjoyed their drive a lot for him to make it the whole way on their way into town. Apparently she wasn't the only one feeling a bit sappy about the front-row.

Wanda couldn't sleep. She'd had another stupid nightmare. It was Lorna, again. Older, green-haired Lorna, yelling at her to "Get out! Run!" just over and over again. And now she was lying in her bed, crying. The small alarm clock read 3 am and she was seriously considering just giving up. Maybe a hot bath?

Or, possibly, TV? Yes. TV.
Quietly, she opened her bedroom door, patted Fenrir and tried to avoid the two creaking steps she had already identified. The kitchen was dark, so she switched on the light to get a glass of water and raid the designated treat cupboard, emerging with a bar of chocolate.

Ida was standing in the open backdoor. Wanda threw up her chocolate bar and could hardly stop herself from yelling loudly.

"Can't sleep?", Ida asked dryly.

"What are you doing?"

"Sitting outside on the porch, because I can't sleep. Wanna join me?"

"Yeah. Sure.", Wanda carefully closed the cupboard and followed Ida outside. Wanda sat down in Erik's rocking chair and took a piece of chocolate.

"So, why can't you sleep?", Ida asked.

"Had a nightmare. And then… well. You?"

"Your father snores. Normally I don't mind. I enjoy it, actually, to know that he's there. Tonight, I considered suffocating him with a pillow."

"You told Peter that siblings can have different experiences with their parents… you believe me about my mom, right?"

"Of course I do."

"She didn't treat Peter much better, you know?"

Ida sighed deeply and then reached for a piece of Wanda's chocolate.

"Parents and children are a strange thing. I grew up without mine. My mother would show up, from time to time. I never met my father. It's complicated. Parents are supposed to love their children, no matter what. And they do, normally. But… being someone's parent doesn't… some people have terrible things happen to them, they are scared, hurt, traumatized… And they don't love their children as they should. It should be the most normal thing, parental love. The one constant in everybody's life. And everyone tells you so. Society tells you that nothing is stronger than a mother's love. Maternal instinct. And to realize that you don't have something that is just a fact of life to everyone around you, is a very painful thing. Now, I didn't know your mother and I don't want to badmouth her… but maybe your brother isn't ready for that pain. Maybe he doesn't have it in him yet to face the fact that the one person that was supposed to always love him, didn't always have his best interest at heart."

"And the illusion is better than the truth?"

"For a while. But you know what really is true? That Peter loves you. The way he worried about you… how he spoke about you…"

"He didn't even come looking for me! He just believed her. He didn't even… He didn't come.", and there it was: the source of her anger and pain.

"No, he didn't. But the MOMENT he realized you were in trouble, he moved heaven and earth to find you. He came here. I am sure that wasn't easy."

"And we came for you.", Erik appeared in the door behind them, clutching his walking stick, "I want you to know that, Wanda: I will always come for you."

Wanda felt herself crying again.

"I wanted to tell you that this morning, when we were interrupted. It doesn't matter to me what you did. What you can do. If this is real or not. I will always come for you. In every scenario. In every possible universe."

Carefully he knelt down next to her and pulled her into his arms, holding her as she cried into his pajamas.

At some point she could hear Ida leaving, but Wanda didn't really care. All that anger and grief… it needed to go somewhere. And that somewhere turned out to be her father's arms.

They sat like this for a bit, before poor Erik's leg gave out, and he slit to the floor.

"Oh no, I'm so sorry!"

"It's not your fault.", Erik groaned and took the chair Ida had vacated, putting his leg on a stool again.

"Your leg hurts a lot more than you want Ida to know, right?"

"Please don't tell her. She's worried enough as it is."

"Why won't you let her heal it? I mean, Peter said she was a healer…"

"It's… complicated."

"Are you punishing yourself for wanting to leave?"

"No, well… maybe a little."

"That's stupid."

"Maybe. But I promise you, it's not the only reason. Ida's powers are… unpredictable. And I'm not risking… I don't want to take the risk. But when I have done something horrible, something that feels unforgivable… sometimes the only way I know how to cope is to find something else to concentrate on. So this is not a big thing."

"Are we still talking about your leg?"

"Of course. But we don't have to ONLY talk about my leg."

"You think I can't sleep, because I killed my Mom."

"Which would be very understandable. Just so you know. But I'm really not talking about anything specific."

"I really didn't mean to. I was aiming for one of the soldiers."

"I know, Liebes."

"How do I… Where do I go from here?"

"I don't know. I was 12 the first time I killed people. Then I didn't stop for 20 years. 30, if you count my time in prison. I am sure that's unforgivable to many. But I can tell you where I went: I came here. And you are going to go to High School. And do whatever you feel like. That's where you go from here."

They sat in silence for a bit. Looking out over the trees behind the house. On the small coffee table next to her chair was the book Erik and Lorna were currently reading. The Island of the Blue Dolphins.

"Erik?"

"Yes?"

"Could you… maybe… could you read something to me?"

A wide smile split is face.

"Of course I can, Liebes."

And slowly, but surely his warm and deep voice lulled her back to sleep.

When Wanda woke the next morning, Lorna was occupying her own chair, flipping through some magazine.

"Morning.", Wanda yawned, "What are you doing?"

"Dad went to… prepare stuff. He didn't want you to be alone, and I was awake, so… yeah."

"Prepare what?"

Lorna looked decidedly uncomfortable, the most obvious sign in history that it was something to do with her Mom.

"I think he left to shovel the grave."

Oh. Perfect.

"Sorry, Wanda."

"For what?"

"You know… your mom."

"You mean me killing her? Or her locking me up?"

"Ehhhhh, both?", Lorna laughed awkwardly.

God, this was not a discussion to have with a 12 year old. She shouldn't have said anything like that.

"You have Erik's powers, right?"

"Yeah. Not as powerful, though. Dad thinks I'll grow into them. He teaches me. But I couldn't lift a stadium, you know?"

"Do you use them often, your powers?"

"Oh, all the time. But only at home. And… okay. Promise you won't tell anyone. Especially not Dad. He's always worried someone will find out."

"I promise."

"Sometimes I make my bike move. So I don't have to, you know, peddle."

"That's pretty cool.", Wanda grinned, "Peter used his powers to steal a lot. Don't tell Erik that, either. Don't want him to think, well… don't tell him."

"I think he'd only get mad, because people might notice his powers. Not because of the stealing. He isn't exactly a law and order guy."

"Funny, when you remember he stood in front of a bunch of cameras and told us No more hiding. I mean… it's why I became my own age again."

"Don't remind him of that, please. I don't want him to think leaving is the better option.", Lorna sounded small and scared… and Wanda chided herself for even bringing it up. She really needed to remember that Lorna was only 12.

"I think your Mom's right. He panicked. Doesn't mean he's going to leave. He loves you a lot, Lorna."

"The way you say that… You don't think he loves you?"

"I don't think he knows us."

"They way he looked after Peter told him… when we looked at your photo… how worried he was about you… I know he does. Love you, I mean."

Wanda could still remember being small and lying in bed talking to Peter about who their father would be. How he'd find them. Love them. He'd be rich and funny. He'd read to them. He'd never get mad.

Then both their powers had come in, home life had become worse and Wanda had suddenly been terrified of their father. He wouldn't want them. They were weird. They were dangerous. Peter, who was always being told he was annoying… he'd become so scared of being a disappointment… of being rejected. Wanda knew it must have cost him quite a bit to actually tell Erik who he was. And asking Xavier for help after the man had called him a pain in the ass?

And who had their father turned out to be? Probably the only kind of guy that wouldn't even blink at their oddities.

"Mom says kids are special. You don't need to know your kids to love them. You don't KNOW a baby, either. Still, you love them."

Did they, though? Wanda never felt particularly loved by her Mom, even though she'd been her mother all her life. And Peter… how often he had been greeted with exasperation and annoyance for things out of his control.

"He told me about Peter, you know?", Lorna interrupted Wanda's thoughts, as if she had read exactly where they were going, "He told me Peter had one of the coolest powers he'd ever seen. And now you guys are here. I think my powers I kinda cool, but Peter… man."

"Peter is bored all the time. I don't think he'd agree that his powers are the coolest. You know what's really funny, though? He has silver hair, mine seems to turn redder every year… and Erik tells me, yours is green. How is my hair the most normal one?"

"Dad is kinda ginger, though… might just be that."

"My hexes are red, too."

"Can you show me your powers?"

Panic. Pure panic.

"I… can't really control them, Lorna."

"Then we practice!", Lorna sounded so excited, Wanda wanted to run and hide.

"I don't have the kind of powers you just risk on someone."

"Then we practice on things!"

"I don't… not today."

"Oh no, of course not! Today we… oh. Yeah. Right. Sorry."

"I'll take a shower. Thanks for sitting with me, Lorna.", Wanda marched inside, leaving a dejected looking Lorna behind.