"Wanda Maximoff?" Danny repeated, recognizing the surname to be the same as Pietro's.
"Yes, the sister of another mutant you are familiar with. Pietro, I believe his name is." Vlad confirmed. "The professor never mentioned her to you? She's been in his files for quite some time. A couple months, actually."
Danny was now intrigued with this mystery. Who was Wanda Maximoff? And why had the professor never mentioned her? Why didn't Pietro never speak of her? That little troublemaker couldn't keep his mouth shut, so how could he have never talked about his sibling?
And why was Vlad telling him this?
"So what do you gain from telling me this, Plasmius?" He interrogated his arch-rival.
"Oh, I'm just curious." Vlad said in a fake, innocent voice. "After all, you seem to trust your professor. So I thought it'd be prudent that you know everything he does. It's not like he would keep secrets from you, would he?" Danny could practically hear the smugness in his voice before the elder hybrid hung up, leaving the young X-man to his thoughts as Rogue wondered what was going on.
"What did he say?"
Danny was confused. "Vlad, he looked through Xavier's files, and in them he found a girl named Wanda Maximoff."
Rogue's eyes lit up in realization. "Maximoff? Any relation to Quicksilver?"
"She's his sister." Danny explained. "But why would the professor not tell us about this?"
"There's only one way to find out." Rogue grabbed his hand and led him to the professor's office. "Let's go."
Xavier was reading one of his books when Danny and Rogue barged in.
"Professor, we need to talk." Danny said to him urgently.
Closing his book, he gazed at his students. "What can I help you with?"
"Who's Wanda Maximoff?" Danny asked, making Xavier's eyes widen.
"Where did you learn that name?" He demanded.
"Vlad called." The ghostly X-man revealed. "Told us he found it in Cerebro's database." He folded his arms. "Who is she?"
Xavier sighed, knowing that Danny wouldn't drop the subject. He gestured to a pair of chairs. "Have a seat." Once they were seated, Xavier explained who this mysterious Maximoff was.
"Wanda is indeed Pietro's sister." Xavier explained. "But while Pietro's mutant power was super speed, Wanda's was much more." Xavier's tone soon turned worrisome. "I have never seen anything like it. She can manipulate some kind of energy field. If you would've seen it, you would've thought it was magic."
"Maybe it is." Danny suggested. "I mean, we all know ghosts are real. So why not magic?"
"Honestly, you may be right. Her powers could very well be magic. But whatever they are, they were extremely powerful and hard for young Wanda to control." Xavier looked out the window as his mind drifted back to the past. "Magnus couldn't help her gain control of her abilities. So he had her institutionalized."
"You mean he just threw her away?" Danny was outraged by how cruel Magneto could be. Even to his own children.
"Is she still there?" Rogue inquired. "In the hospital, I mean?"
Xavier nodded. "Yes. I discovered her whereabouts about a few months ago. I've had numerous sessions with her there."
Danny then asked the most important question he had on his mind. "Why didn't you bring her here? Why did you leave her there?"
Xavier had a look of guilt on his face. "I was intending to. But her powers are volatile and out of control. It isn't something that can easily be solved, like with Scott's glasses or Rogue wearing gloves. Her powers are connected to her emotions. And that poor child has a tortured mind. She feels nothing but anger toward the father who abandoned her."
Standing up determinedly, Danny said, "We've got to get her out of there and bring her here."
"Danny, it's too dangerous." Xavier gently refuted. "Believe me, I was considering bringing you there, thinking your energy may be able to cancel it out. But I was afraid that you might be harmed."
"Me? Harmed." Danny scoffed. "You're talking to the guy who singlehandedly kicked your half-brother's ass."
"And was almost controlled by the Hungan." Xavier pointed out. He had talked to Storm about the powers those tribesmen had. Learning that Danny was vulnerable to magic made him second-guess introducing him to Wanda, for she was more powerful than those men.
"In my defense, they took advantage of my PTSD." Danny shot back, still miffed that those guys managed to pull one over him. Though in his defense, he thought it was him who was stalking him, not those guys. "Professor, how can you claim to help mutants when you refuse to let one into your home?" Danny questioned as his eyes shone green.
Staring into them, Xavier was confronted with his own failings. His hypocrisy. And above all, the anger of one of his most beloved students.
"I..." Xavier didn't know what to say because he knew Danny was right. "You're right, Danny. I should've done more. I should've brought her here the moment I discovered her. But there is still the issue of her powers."
"You said you thought my powers could help her. Well, let's put that theory to the test." Danny suggested.
"I can help too." Rogue spoke up, feeling sorry for Wanda. She knew what it was like to have trouble controlling her powers. She pulled off one of her gloves. "If worse comes to worse, I can drain some of that power off of her if we need to."
"Still, I don't know if-"
Danny cut Xavier off. "Professor. I'm taking her out of there. So you can help me. Or I'll do it on my own. I'm not gonna leave that poor girl all alone."
Xavier couldn't help but give a small grin at Danny's selflessness. He was a worthy X-man, someone willing to help a person they hadn't even met. "You're a better man than I could ever hope to be, Danny." He praised before relenting to his request. "Alright. We'll get her out first thing tomorrow morning."
The hybrid was grateful that Xavier finally became sensible. "Thank you."
The next day, the trio all stood, or sat in the professor's case, in front of the exterior of the mental institution that held Wanda. Both Danny and Rogue shared an uncertain look with each other. This didn't look like a good place for those who needed help. It was honestly very cliche in how it looked like those stereotypical scary mental institutions that one would see in the movies.
"She stays here?" Rogue said to herself. "That poor girl must be a mess."
They went to the receptionist, who brought in a guard to lead them to Wanda. The three followed the uniformed man through a series of doors, which made Danny feel concerned.
"They're treating her like she's Michael Myers or Hannibal Lecter." Danny whispered to Rogue, who agreed with his assessment. Either Wanda's powers were truly unstable or the guards were overreacting.
Finally, the walk ended as the guard used a keycard to open a metal door that led to a small cell. The trio entered the room as the guard left, closing the door behind him.
Danny was confused about why the cell was empty. "Where's Wanda?"
"They'll be bringing her momentarily." Xavier answered.
As the three waited, the guard looked in on them before speaking into his walkie-talkie.
"Bring the patient in." He ordered.
"Right away." Another guard on the receiving end replied. He then turned to a small team of security. "They're ready." He told them. "Tighten the body straps."
"Secure binding cables." One of the members of the security team piped in.
"Make sure her hands are tied." The head guard stated. "You can't let her hands move, even a little, you understand?"
In the middle of the room was a huge metal box with poles on each side. When they were all ready, the poles pulled the small cube apart, revealing a group of orderlies that were making sure the patient was secured.
The patient in question was Wanda Maximoff. She was a small girl with black hair that covered most of her face, but her eyes shone through the mess that was on her head. These eyes of hers were her most distinguishing trait.
Now these weren't the devil's eyes, as one doctor from a particular movie was famous for saying, but these windows to the soul conveyed the absolute ball of misery, hatred, and despair that was Wanda.
The four orderlies edged her forward to drag her to her destination. Protesting at this rough treatment, she planted her feet to the ground as the orderlies tried to take back control.
"Watch her hands!" One orderly warned as one of her hands managed to get loose, and with that, she used her powers to push the guards off her, sending them crashing into the walls. She unbuckled the straps on her straight jacket, giving her full access to her arms. Her emotions soon caused her powers to go out of control as the lights all burst into flames, sending the guards packing.
Seizing her chance, she made a beeline to the door and, using her abilities, made it melt, creating a hole that she ran through only to see three more guards coming at her.
"There she is!" One shouted. "Let's get her!"
Raising her hands, the ground shook as the debris sealed them off from her. She turned to her right and ran down a nearby hall. Reaching the end of it, she found a metal door, which she slammed open with her powers, getting the attention of Xavier and his students.
They all just stared at her as she breathed heavily. She stated to move forward menacingly at the professor.
"Wanda." He warned, but she wouldn't listen, forcing him to enter her mind to stop her. The poor girl gripped her head in slight pain as she found herself forced to stop her rampage.
Danny and Rogue could only watch as she was forced to move to a corner.
Seeing that the girl had enough, Danny placed a hand on the professor's shoulder.
"That's enough, professor." He told him. "She's stopped."
Xavier relented as the girl sat down. Her rage was now subdued as a pair of guards entered the room.
"Professor, are you..." One was about to ask before seeing Wanda subdued.
"It's alright." He said. "Everything is under control. I'll be fine." The guards then left, leaving the X-Men alone with Wanda. "Hello, Wanda." Xavier greeted. "Are they treating you well?"
Wanda merely leveled a glare at the man. "Just get me out." She demanded.
"About that, I-" Xavier was about to say more when he felt Danny start to wheel him out of the room. "Danny, what are you doing?" He questioned.
"No offense, professor, but I think it'll be best to talk to her with you outside the room." Danny said as he placed him in the hall. "You seem to make her a bit tense. Not that I blame her." He mumbled the last sentence.
"Danny, what are you-"
"Just wait out here, professor." Danny requested. "Rogue and I got this." He then went back into the room, closing the door to keep Xavier out. Now with that out of the way, he stood next to Rogue as they gazed at the mutant, who was looking back at them with curiosity, fear, and distrust.
"Hi there." Danny waved friendly, hoping to at least start out on a good front.
Wanda, taken aback by this guy's affable tone, simply replied quietly. "Hi."
"I'm, uh, Danny, and this is Rogue." He pointed to himself and then to his girlfriend. "We're..." He saw that Wanda was scratching at her straightjacket. "Oh, let me get that for you." He used his powers to phase it off. "Is that better?"
"Did he just take off a lunatic's straight jacket?" Vampira inquired, wondering if Danny had a bit of a screw loose.
"...Yeah." Wanda answered honestly, confused about why this guy helped her. "Thank you." She whispered silently before narrowing her eyes in suspicion. "Why're you here?"
"We're here to get you out." The ghostly X-man answered honestly.
"What?" Wanda whispered in shock. This couldn't be true. She had to be dreaming.
Danny nodded. "We heard about how Magneto-"
"DON'T SPEAK ABOUT HIM! I HATE HIM!" She snarled as the room started to shake. Cracks appeared in the walls, and the bed floated into the air and started to spin around.
"Time to put Psycho to sleep." Vampira said as Rogue pulled off one of her gloves to drain her, but Danny grabbed her wrist.
"I got this." He stated to Rogue before turning back to Wanda. "Okay!" He raised his hands in a pleading motion. "We don't have to talk about him." But this wasn't enough, as her hands glowed with red energy. Thinking fast, he turned into his ghost form and grabbed her hands, using his energy to suppress hers. It was tough for his ghost powers to put up with her raw energy, but his sheer willpower allowed him to calm her down.
Wanda started to relax a bit as she controlled her breathing before examining Danny's appearance.
"What's this?" She asked curiously as she looked over his black and white jumpsuit, ghostly aura, white hair (which reminded her a bit of her dad and Pietro), and glowing green eyes that soothed her very soul.
"Oh this?" He looked down at himself. "This is just my ghost form."
"Ghost form?" Wanda continued to appraise him as she placed her hand on his logo, making Rogue silently seethe as she saw her rub her hand on her boyfriend.
"Uh, huh." Danny gently plucked her hand off. "I'm a mutant like you. My powers are ghost powers." He phased his hand through the nearby wall. "See?"
"So you're not a ghost, but a mutant?" Wanda wondered.
"Yeah, but ghosts do exist." He revealed making the girl cock her hand.
"They do."
"Of course." Danny replied. "I mean, you know magic exists, so why not ghosts? Hell, I wouldn't be surprised if there were aliens as well."
"Magic?" She looked down at her hands. "Is that really what I do?"
This time, Danny was the one giving her a peculiar look. "You don't know?"
The daughter of Magneto shrugged. "I never really thought about it." She confessed. "All I know is that they're a curse. They're the reason I'm stuck here. Well, that, and father." She muttered bitterly.
"I'm sorry about talking about your dad." Danny apologized, trying to get her to cool off. "I should've known that was a sore spot. But if it makes you feel better, I once beat him up."
"You beat up my father?" Now Wanda knew she had to be dreaming. She didn't know her father that much, but the little time that she spent with him, she knew he was a powerful individual.
"Yeah, I gave him a real good whooping." Danny confirmed. "Black eyes and everything. You should've seen it. He was begging me to let him live. There was also the time my dog humiliated him. His name's Cujo, like the Stephen King book, and he's a ghost as well. He was shaking the poor guy in his mouth like he was a new chew toy. And then, after he was done, he buried him like he was a dog bone."
A dog buried her father. At this, she imagined Magneto, the high and mighty mutant, proclaiming his superiority, now spitting out dirt as he tried to climb out of the pile of dirt as he was covered in dog drool as well.
At first she let out a giggle, then it became a chuckle, before she burst out into total laughter. Smiling widely, she banged on the floor with her fist as she continued to laugh at the ridiculous image in her head. Tears were running down her eyes.
Rogue was totally surprised to see this hostile girl now howling in amusement at what she learned about her father. Vampira felt the same, though she was still cautious of the girl. She saw how she was rubbing her hand on Danny. That wasn't going to fly with her.
Xavier heard the laughter from the cell and was wondering what was going on. He had never heard the girl laugh. Ever.
Danny also chortled. "If you think that's funny, you should've seen what I did to your brother."
"Pietro." Wanda tried to say, but she was too busy taking pleasure in her father's misery.
"Yeah, he framed a friend of mine, so we got back at him." Danny explained. "My friend, Evan's his name, by the way; his mutant power is to shoot spikes out of his body; he used his powers to stick him to a wall. He looked so stupid when the police came. And he was just screaming, Let me go! Let me go!" He made a mock imitation of Pietro's voice. "After that, he learned how uncomfortable a jail cell can be."
Wanda started to laugh even harder as she was rolling around on the floor. Eventually she calmed down, but the smile still remained on her face.
Danny glanced at Rogue, happy that his idea had worked. "Alright, she's not angry anymore." He said to her. "Time for phase two." He turned back to Wanda. "So, Wanda, we're here to see if you want to stay with us at that Xavier Institute."
Wanda's smile became incredulous before her features became one of doubt. "But Xavier said I was too dangerous." She said.
Phasing out of the room, he grabbed the professor's chair and wheeled him back in. "I got her calmed down." He told his teacher. "Now it's your turn."
Xavier took a look at Wanda and was surprised to see her expression. Sure, it wasn't happy, but it wasn't the total fury that she sported earlier. Danny really has a way with people.
Cutting his musings short, he addressed the daughter of his old friend. "Wanda. I would first like to apologize for not doing more to help you. You have my deepest apologies. And second, I want to offer you a place at my institute."
Wanda sneered. "I thought you said that you couldn't risk bringing me there."
"Well, a student of mine pointed out how unfair I was to you, and I think it's time that I rectify that mistake." He glanced at Danny proudly before turning his attention back to Wanda. "So, would you like to join us?"
"Really?" She gasped, her earlier anger forgotten. "This isn't a joke, is it?"
Xavier shook his head. "No joke. If you wish to leave this place, then you can."
"Of course I want to leave this place!" She cried out, wanting to be out of here as soon as possible.
"We'll take that as a resounding yes." Danny said as the three started to leave. "We'll go and get everything cleared."
"Wait!" She held her hand out urgently. "Can you stay with me?" She asked Danny. "I..." She blushed. "I don't want to be alone here. Not for a second longer."
"Sure." Danny smiled as he sat on the bed, with Wanda taking a seat next to him.
The professor and Rogue went on their way, but not without Rogue looking back on her boyfriend one last time to see him making conversation with who was going to become their new resident.
"You really think it's best to leave him in there with her?" Vampira inquired. She didn't like this. Not one bit. It was obvious that the girl seemed to be attracted to Danny. Inviting her to live with them. To live with him was, in her opinion, a big mistake.
"Hey, I wouldn't want to be left alone here either." Rogue said. She felt jealous as well, but decided to push it back as she considered Wanda's situation. It was only natural for her to latch on to the first person to show her kindness. And Danny was that person. Possibly the first to ever make her smile. So she could see why Wanda would want him to stay with her.
"I still don't like this." Vampira said.
Back in the cell, Wanda was getting to know her new friend. "So, Danny, is it?"
"Yep."
"Why are you doing this?" She asked. Never before had anyone gone out of their way for her. Not Pietro. Not her father. Not even Xavier. So the question was, why was he doing this? "Why are you helping me?"
Danny grinned. "It's what I do. I didn't think anyone would want to be here. So I wanted to get you out."
"I..." She didn't know what to say. "Thank you."
"No problem."
Wanda stood at the steps of the mental asylum. In all her years, she had only seen the outside of this building once, and that was when she was first brought here. And now she was leaving. She gave a small smile to Danny, who stood next to her.
"I never thought I'd ever leave this place." She divulged.
"Well, believe it, Wanda." He said comfortingly. "Because you'll never have to go back. Ever."
Her eyes swelled with tears of gratitude as she looked at her rescuer. "Thank you." She then hugged him tightly. "Thank you so much! You don't know how much this means to me."
Rogue was sitting outside the professor's car in the passenger seat, watching Wanda hug Danny.
"She's hugging him." Vampira was itching to show this girl not to mess with her man.
'So what?' Rogue snarled back, irritated with her ghost half's attitude. 'It's called being thankful to the guy who got you out of your personal hell.'
"I'm telling you, Rogue." Vampira warned. "This little homewrecker is only going to cause trouble."
'Look, I'm not in the mood for this.' Rogue thought back furiously, angry at Vampira but also more angry at herself for feeling jealous over this poor girl. 'I don't want to hear you say another thing about Wanda again, got it?'
"Fine." Vampira replied tersely. "When you realize that she's more trouble than she's worth and want her gone, you know where to find me." She then went quiet.
Wanda and Danny entered the car, sitting in the back, as the professor drove them home.
"So what's the institute like?" Wanda asked, wondering what her new home was going to be like.
"It's pretty cool." Danny answered. "I'm sure everyone there will like you."
The thought of being near a lot of people made her nervous. The only time that happened was when the guards were getting ready to escort her somewhere else. "What are the people there like?"
"Well, there's the professor, obviously. Then there's the instructors. There's Logan; he's the best at what he does, and what he does isn't nice, but he's a really cool guy once you get to know him. There's Beast; he may look frightening, but he's a gentle soul. There's Storm; she's awesome and very down to earth. We got the X-Men, who are like the senior students. They consist of me, Rogue, Scott, Jean, Evan, Kurt, and Kitty."
"So I'm going to be an X-man?" She was sure her father wasn't going to be too happy about that.
The professor spoke up. "Actually, Wanda, you're going to be part of the New Mutants. A team for beginners."
"Oh, okay." Wanda accepted. "Do you think I'll fit in?" She asked Danny.
"You'll be fine." He assured her. "They're all good people."
At school, Kurt was trying to get his locker open, but with no luck. "Come on. Come on!" He banged on it in frustration.
"Hi, Kurt." Kitty greeted. "You and your locker not speaking?"
"Yeah, it's holding my history book ransom, and I'm late for class."
Kitty looked around to make sure no one was looking. "Well, you gotta know how to negotiate." She phased her hand in and brought out his history book.
"Hey. Thanks, Kitty." He thanked. "I owe you one." He was about to head to class when Kitty spoke up.
"Actually, I do need one teensy little favor." She pulled out a bag of muffins from her bag. "Your unbiased opinion of these muffins. I made them in home-ec class." She handed him one.
Kurt backed away a bit as he saw that the muffin looked like it was made out of spikes or something.
"Okay, I guess." He took one bite.
"This guy needs his stomach pumped!" A paramedic cried out as he rolled Kurt through a hospital.
The young mutant groaned in pain. He was never going to eat Kitty's cooking again. That is, if he'd make it through this.
As school was letting out, Scott was walking with Jean.
"I got a message from the professor." Jean told him. "He said Kurt is going to be okay."
Scott sighed in relief. "Thank God. I can't believe one of Kitty's muffins did that to him."
"I know." Jean said in agreement as Scott decided to change the conversation.
"So what's going on with Duncan these days?" He asked her. "Has he been around?"
"Uh, yeah, he's around." Jean said. "Honestly, it feels weird interacting with him, you know, after I attacked him as a dragon. But he's, uh, you know."
"No, what?" Scott replied. "Tell me."
"Well, he's just..." She sighed in frustration. "Not the guy I thought he was. It hasn't been that great. Not like it is with you and Taryn."
"Whoa, me and Taryn?" Scott said. "Uh, Jean, Taryn and I, there's no Taryn and I." He said making sure that she didn't get the wrong idea.
"Oh, sorry." Jean apologized, though on the inside she was happy that Scott was available for some reason. "I just thought that you two liked each other."
"We do." Scott said. "But not that like that!" Taryn was a nice girl, but Scott just wasn't interested in her. "It's just. Listen Jean..." He knew that it was time to tell her how he really felt. "We need to get things out in the open. You know, for a long time now, I've been-"
Honk!
The two looked over to see Duncan in his car, interrupting their conversation with his car's horn. He waved at her, not knowing (or caring) how rude he was acting.
"Oh, never mind him." Jean said. "What were you gonna say?"
"Well, it's just that I-"
Honk!
"We-"
Honk!
Alright, that was enough. "You know, why don't you just go on?" Scott said to Jean. "He's waiting. We'll talk later." He then left as Duncan honked one more time for good measure.
"Alright, already!" She snapped as she went over to him. "I'm coming."
After school, Xavier called up all the X-Men to his office, where Wanda stood shyly as she looked upon the group.
"Everyone, we have a new recruit, Wanda Maximoff." Xavier introduced as Wanda waved a bit at them.
"Maximoff?" Scott recognized the name. "As in-"
"Danny, why don't you show Wanda to her room?" Xavier suggested not wanting to mention Magneto or Pietro in front of the vengeful girl.
"Sure thing." Danny gestured for Wanda to follow him as the two left.
"What was that about?" Jean asked the professor.
Xavier sighed as he explained the entire story of Wanda Maximoff to them. About her powers and her time spent in the mental institution. Everything. All of them felt bad for Wanda and were glad that she was here so they could help her. Hearing that Magneto cruelly left his daughter behind also gave them another reason to despise him.
"The poor child has a tortured mind." He said. "And when you add that to the power of her mutant abilities, she becomes very dangerous. So far, Danny has done a good job at keeping her calm, but we must not remind her of Magneto or Quicksilver at all. Not until she gains a better sense of control over her emotions and powers."
"We understand, professor." Scott said, feeling sorry for Wanda. He knew what it was like to not be in full control of your mutant power. "We'll make sure that nothing goes wrong."
"I'm guessing Wanda will also be on the New Mutants?" Jean inquired.
"Yes." Xavier answered, while Evan had another question.
"I get that we shouldn't remind her of Magneto and Quicksilver, but what about when she goes to school?" He brought up. "She might run into him."
"I've thought of that." Xavier said. "And that is why she will be homeschooled. Now, I know that Wanda may have trouble with her abilities, but I don't want to see you treat her any differently than you would someone else. The girl has already been through so much. The least we can do is give her some support."
"Don't worry, professor." Kurt chimed in. He had recovered from his ordeal. "Besides, she can't be any scarier than Kitty's cooking."
"Hey!" Kitty protested, making everyone laugh.
"Thank you, all of you." Xavier exclaimed gratefully. "Now let us hope that Wanda can adjust here accordingly."
"Alright, here you go." Danny said as he opened the door to her new room. "Lucky you, you get your own room."
"Really?" Wanda looked around. It was small, but still spacious—nothing like those claustrophobic cells that she slept in back at the asylum.
"Yep. With all the new mutants pouring in, the professor's been refurbishing this place." Danny noted as he saw Wanda lay in her bed, enjoying the softness of it.
"This is so relaxing." Wanda hummed as she stretched on the bed before realizing something. "Wait, clothes! I think I only have this."
"Don't worry." Danny reassured her. "Tomorrow, we'll take you to the mall to buy some more. Now, how about I show you around?" He offered, making Wanda grin.
"Sure."
And so Danny gave her a tour of the whole institute, from the foyer to the TV room to showing off the Danger Room itself. Wanda was amazed by all the sights, but the shocking thing was how friendly everyone was to her.
From the X-Men to the New Mutants, everyone treated her far better than the staff at the asylum did. It felt like she was in another world.
"Hey, Wanda, Danny!" The two had walked into the kitchen to get a snack, only to come across Kitty, who was taking some muffins out of the oven. "Hungry? I was wondering if you wanted to see how this new batch tasted."
Wanda looked over the hideous-looking treat. How does someone burn a muffin that badly?
"Uh." She tried to think of a way out of it when it came to her. "Oops." She accidentally dropped the muffin. "Sorry." She apologized before looking down to see that the muffin had somehow dented the kitchen floor.
'How is that possible?' She thought.
"It's okay." Kitty offered her another. "There's plenty more."
Not seeing a way out of this, she sent a pleading look to Danny, hoping he would help her out.
"Kitty, Wanda's been used to food from the asylum all her life, so I don't think it would be a good idea to overwhelm her with sweets right now. Her body might react badly to it." He said.
"Oh, yeah." Kitty acquiesced. "Good point." She then offered the tray to Danny. "What about you?"
"I'm not hungry." He lied smoothly, but Kitty wasn't gonna give up without a fight.
"Well, can you at least taste them?" She begged. "Please? Just one bite."
"You see, Kitty." Danny moved his hand through his hair as he talked. "I, uh, I can't taste anything."
"What?" Kitty replied, as Wanda looked at him strangely.
"Yeah, you know how my heart stopped beating because of my powers?" Danny reminded her.
Kitty nodded.
"Well, it also affected my sense of taste. I can't taste anything. And although my body needs food, I just can't enjoy it." He said, pretending that he was saddened over this when, on the inside, he was really jumping in joy at coming up with an excuse that saved him from Kitty's cooking.
"Oh, my gosh, Danny." Kitty looked at him with sympathy. "I'm so sorry."
"It's alright, Kitty; you didn't know." He comforted. "But I can't be your guinea pig."
"I understand." Kitty said sadly before her expression turned from sorrow to joy. "I'll go ask someone else." She left the kitchen to go find her new victim, or taste tester, as she called it.
"You really can't taste anything?" Wanda asked interestedly.
"No." Danny laughed. "I made that all up so I wouldn't have to eat her crappy cooking. I mean, that put Kurt in the hospital; you think she'd take the hint?"
While Wanda and Danny were snickering at the joke, Rogue was just lying in bed, trying to think of something to do now that Danny was busy.
"Told ya, you shouldn't have let her in. Now your boyfriend is doing something else besides spending time with you." Vampira chided.
'Couples aren't linked to the hip.' Rogue snapped, although she did feel lonely, but she wasn't going to admit that. She wasn't going to be that kind of woman who demanded that her boyfriend dedicate all of his time to her. She's not the controlling type, and she never will be. 'Danny does his own thing sometimes, and I do my own thing. It's perfectly normal.'
"Yeah, doing his own thing with another woman." Vampira snarked.
"Urgh!" Rogue couldn't help but be frustrated at what Vampira said. The worst part was that the annoying voice was a part of her, so these feelings she was having, she was experiencing them as well.
She was such a bitch. Here was this poor girl who was abandoned by her father and locked up, and now Rogue was getting angry at her. Why couldn't she just get rid of these feelings? She knew that they were illogical and that they didn't make any sense. But she couldn't help it.
She thought back to when she confronted Spectra and the words she said to her.
"How long until he decides you aren't worth it anymore?"
Rogue refused to believe it. Danny loved her. And it was time that she started to love herself, to stop letting her insecurities get the better of her.
Wanda was not a threat to her relationship, and Danny has no interest in her. There. Done. End of story.
With that out of the way, Rogue needed to find herself something to do now that her boyfriend was occupied.
Maybe she'll go find Kitty and see what she's doing.
"Hey, Rogue!" Kitty barged in with a platter full of muffins. "Did you want to try some of my muffins?" She then realized something. "Oh, wait, your ghost powers prevent you from tasting anything, my bad." She then left the room.
Rogue blinked. Kitty could be so weird at times.
Wanda was looking at her reflection in the bathroom mirror. Things have changed so much, and it has only been a day. She was finally free from the hell that her father had sentenced her to.
Father.
The mirror started to crack, and so did the walls, as her powers started to go haywire. A painful memory started to play itself in her mind. She could see herself as a little girl as two men were carrying her to the institution, all as she pleaded for her father, who looked on in indifference, to help her.
But the memory always ended the same, with her father and Pietro getting into the car and driving off without even looking back.
As tears came from her eyes, she looked around and saw that the room was getting destroyed with her powers.
No. She couldn't mess this up. She had just gotten free; she didn't want to disappoint everyone.
To disappoint Danny.
The image of the boy who helped her, comforted her, rescued her from her own personal hell, and brought her here made her rage stop. Her powers seized their destruction as Wanda started to calm down.
Danny had done so much for her. She couldn't let him down. The daughter of Magneto refused to let him see her like this—a girl with too much power and not enough control. Using all her willpower, she took a grip on her abilities as she tried to prevent them from acting out. Blocking out all the hated memories and the feelings of abandonment.
She was no longer in the asylum, and she was going to make sure that she never went back.
Gazing back at her reflection through the cracked mirror, Wanda started to hate how she looked, like a fearful little girl. Her haunted eyes still spoke of the years of loneliness and pain that she endured.
Acting on instinct, she grabbed a pair of scissors from the drawer and started to get to work. She had a new life, so it felt right to get a new look to go with it. Her black hair was now shorter and neater. It also now showed the red undertone as well.
Satisfied with her look, she opened the door to leave, only to gasp as two beaming red eyes shone through the dark halls as an invisible hand grabbed her around the throat and lifted her off her feet.
"You don't belong here." A whisper reached her ears as she gazed into the red eyes, which glowed with nothing but utter loathing.
Wanda was using all her strength to pry the invisible limb from her neck, but its strength was too much for her.
"Your time is up, Wanda." The voice told her. "It's been up for ten years."
"NO!" A wave of energy burst from Wanda as she fell to the ground, gasping for air. The commotion attracted Xavier and some of the X-Men, those being Scott, Kitty, Danny, and Rogue.
Danny immediately went to her side. "Wanda, what's wrong?"
"I..." She didn't know what to tell them. What could she tell them—that some monster appeared out of nowhere and started to strangle her? They'd ship her back to the mental institution in an instant.
"I thought I saw something and got scared." She admitted dumbly. "I'm sorry. It won't happen again."
Xavier looked around the destroyed bathroom as he assessed the damage. He shared a look with Danny, but the hybrid just waved it off.
"Nothing that can't be fixed, right, professor?" He asked, getting the man to reluctantly nod.
"I think it's best that we all get some sleep now." Xavier suggested and everyone agreed.
As everyone was heading off, Wanda was apologizing to Danny.
"Sorry about that; I just thought I saw something, and it freaked me out."
"Hey, no problem; we all get scared." Danny said as he led her to her room. "Good night."
"Good night." Wanda waved as she got into bed. Relaxing on the comfortable bed, she drifted off to sleep, and for the first time in ten years, she had a good dream. It was about a certain boy smiling at her proudly.
"Berserker, on your left!" Iceman commanded as the New Mutants were running a Danger Room session. The aforementioned mutant fired a blast of electricity at the turret that was aiming at him as the wannabe X-Men continued their trek through the obstacle course.
Wanda, who had been placed with them, was now in her first session after four weeks without incident. The progress with her powers had impressed Xavier, and he had allowed her to begin training with the other new recruits.
"Wanda, look out!" Jubilee cried as Wanda saw a buzzsaw come at her before it was ripped off, all thanks to her powers. She then saw mechanical arms grab the others, but with a wave of her hand, they were dealt with. With nothing else in their way, they finally reached the finish line and began celebrating.
"Wahoo!" Bobby started to jump up and down as Ray and Sam high-fived each other.
"Nice work, Wanda." Jubilee complimented as Amara nodded in agreement.
"Yeah, we couldn't have done it without you."
Wanda was a bit unused to the praise, though she was also unused to the openness that the New Mutants had shown her. There wasn't any fear or mistrust in their eyes. They accepted her with open arms. It was kind of nice.
Up above in the observatory deck, Xavier, Logan, and Danny were watching.
"She's been doing good." Logan observed as he looked at Danny. "Whatever you did to help her, bub, it worked."
"Indeed." Xavier agreed. "You should be proud of yourself for helping Wanda this far."
Danny blushed before he went down to greet Wanda, who hugged him tightly. Over the weeks that she had been here, she had grown close to Danny and come to appreciate him for everything.
"You did great." He told her, making her face red.
She giggled a bit as she gazed into his eyes. Those beautiful blues. She'd be lying if she said that spending time with Danny didn't result in her having a crush on him. And can you blame her? He was the first boy that she had contact with in ten years, and not only that, but he had done the impossible by freeing her from her prison. Add him beating up her father to the list, along with his good looks and great personality, and he seemed like the perfect guy to her.
"You did great." Danny said as he pulled away.
"Yeah." Wanda replied. "So, uh..." She tried to form words despite her nervousness. "Did you want to head to the mall?" She asked.
"I can't." Danny said. "Rogue and I have a date today. But I'm sure you can drag Kitty or Jean along with you; they love shopping." He then headed out to meet with his girlfriend, making Wanda look down.
She was so lost in her infatuation for him that she forgot he had a girlfriend. It made sense that a good guy like him would already be taken.
She snapped herself out of her musings, deciding to let Danny be with his girlfriend. He had done so much for her, and she didn't want to bring any unnecessary conflict into his love life. It was the least she can do.
Later that night, Kitty was jamming to her music when Rogue stepped into the room, looking more cheerful than usual.
"So, how was the movie?" She asked. "No, wait, don't tell me, you weren't paying attention because you were too busy making out with your boyfriend." She grinned playfully.
"Yep." Rogue smiled proudly as she got into bed. It was nice to get some private time with Danny. "About time too. It's been so long since we went out. He's always spending time with her." The southern gal mumbled, but her valley girl roommate heard it perfectly.
"Oh my god!" She gasped at the new gossip. "You're jealous of Wanda."
"No, I'm not!" Rogue shouted defensively. A little too defensively, which only validated Kitty's claim.
"Holy shit! You really are." Kitty exclaimed before seeing the hurt in Rogue's eyes, making her stop.
"I'm sorry, Rogue." She apologized. "I didn't mean-"
"It's okay." Rogue cut her off. "You didn't know."
"I'm sure that Wanda isn't interested in Danny, Rogue." Her roommate tried to comfort her. "It's just that he's the first person who helped her, so she feels a bit more comfortable around him, that's all." That didn't help as Rogue turned around, her back facing Kitty.
"I'm positive that this is all some big misunderstanding." Kitty said. "I think if you spent time with Wanda, you'd see that there's nothing to worry about." She then smiled. "And I know how."
The next day, Kitty, in all of her wisdom, dragged both Wanda and Rogue to the mall with her. Her hope was that getting them to spend time with each other would put an end to Rogue's jealousy. To say the least, the mood was pretty awkward, which only increased when Kitty stated she had to use the restroom, leaving the two alone.
The two just sat at a table in the food court in silence, neither striking up a conversation with the other. As Rogue was munching on her fries, she noticed Wanda's new attire. She had a long, dark red, collared trench coat that was over a red jumpsuit that had a few ripped marks over her legs (some kind of new style) with thick, black combat boots that sported silver shin pads. For accessories, she had two chocker necklaces and Ankh earrings.
"That bitch! Trying to steal our man and our style!" Vampira raged before she heard Rogue curse her out, not wanting to deal with her right now. Ever since Wanda had arrived, her ghost half had been becoming almost unbearable to deal with with the constant insults and hurtful remarks that Vampira directed at Wanda.
While Rogue was internally arguing with herself, Wanda was tapping her fingers gently, trying to think of something to say, but that was hard. She hadn't spoken a word to Rogue since they met. It wasn't out of malice or any other ill intent, but she just felt that the resident goth seemed to not like her presence. That, along with Wanda's small envy for Rogue being Danny's girlfriend, made this tense.
Still, Wanda felt that it was best to resolve this tension with her fellow mutant.
"So, uh, how long have you been at the institute?" She asked shyly, getting Rogue to mumble back quietly.
"Quite some time."
Wanda sighed. "Look, I know that you don't like me. I know that you wish I'd stay in the asylum."
"I don't wish that." Rogue said defensively. "I just..." The hybrid tried to think of an answer when Kitty suddenly returned.
"Hey, Rogue!" Kitty sat in between them. "So did you tell Wanda how you felt?"
"What?" Both goths let out in confusion, making Kitty smile innocently.
"You know, Rogue." She said knowingly. "You wanted to tell Wanda how much you hated her. How you thought she was a nutcase that doesn't belong here and how Danny only helped her out of pity. That Magneto had the right idea in locking her up because she's too dangerous."
Rogue's jaw practically hit the floor at Kitty's cruel words. She turned to Wanda and flinched. Sad wasn't enough to describe the look on Wanda's face; it was more like incredibly devastated, and how could she not be at what Kitty said?
"Wanda, I-" Before Rogue could get a word in, Wanda ran away, tears in her eyes. "Wait!" Rogue went up to chase her, leaving a smirking Kitty, who walked behind a pillar, and once she made sure no one was watching, turned into Mystique.
Mystique had been in hiding ever since the failure to get close to Rogue, but she hadn't left Bayville at all. She'd been in the background, observing all the new developments that had happened. Though the one that truly interested her was learning that Rogue had gained the same powers as Danny, the possibilities of what Rogue could do with his powers and her powers combined almost made her drool. She was on equal footing with her boyfriend. Hell, she could possibly surpass him one day.
The problem was that Rogue didn't seem too interested in using her powers for herself or the Brotherhood cause. She was content being Danny's girlfriend and one of Charles' X-Men. She even used her powers to help people at one point as the Bayville Siren.
The shapeshifter was disgusted at what Danny's influence had led to and what the future would hold for them if it continued. Mystique would rather die than let Danny marry Rogue. But what could she do? She was all alone. Magneto had washed his hands of her during the Asteroid M incident, no doubt building up his own army of mutants, leaving her with enemies on both fronts: Xavier's X-Men and whatever forces Magento possessed.
The only thing she had were the pathetic teens that she had the displeasure of recruiting into the Brotherhood. That was until she learned about Wanda. From eavesdropping on the X-Men, whether here or at school, while she was disguised as a student, she heard about the daughter of Magneto, who was locked up and now wanted vengeance. That wasn't all; from overhearing the conversations between Scott and Jean, she learned that Wanda had a thing for Danny, and Rogue was jealous. Seeking this opportunity, she took on Kitty's form to drive a wedge between the girl and the X-Men. Now it was time to pick up her new recruit.
She came across Wanda sitting on a bench, wiping away her tears. She could see the girl struggling to hold back her power. Taking on the form of Principal Darkholme, she plastered on a sympathetic expression and approached the girl.
"I'm so sorry about what they said." Mystique said as she sat down next to her. "I heard the whole thing."
Wanda looked at the woman with suspicion. "Who are you?" She tried to sound intimidating, but failed due to her emotional state.
"A mutant." Mystique stated. "Just like you. And like Xavier, I also offer mutants a place to call home." She offered her hand to the young girl.
"No." Wanda began to leave. "You don't want me. Trust me. I'm nothing but a curse."
"That's not your fault, my dear." Mystique comforted. "After all, the one person truly to blame is Magneto." She then smirked as she saw Wanda trying to hold back her rage. "He was the one who locked you in there. And that anger and betrayal made it impossible for you to ever have control. So I think it's safe to say that Magneto is the one responsible for all your suffering, but you already knew that, didn't you?"
Hearing Wanda growl, Mystique saw that she had this in the bag.
"I can give you what you want, Wanda." She said. "Revenge against him. All you have to do is come with me, and you can have your vengeance."
"I..." Wanda did want revenge. Who wouldn't? But what would Danny say?
"You have nowhere else to go, child." Mystique reminded her. "The X-Men fear you, Rogue despises you, and your friend Danny will eventually feel the same way."
Wanda couldn't help but see Mystique's point. Sure, the X-Men were friendly, but Wanda was now certain it was only a facade to ensure that she didn't end up destroying something, and Rogue's feelings about her were perfectly clear. If she felt that way, then did the others feel the same too? And what about Danny? She closed her eyes as she thought about him. She knew that he would eventually see that she wasn't worth helping. That she was dangerous.
It was foolish to believe that he would ever love her.
"You don't belong."
"Come with me, Wanda." Mystique reached out a hand. "You have no other choice."
Seeing that the blue mutant was right, Wanda took the hand. If she was destined to always be alone, she could at least take out Magneto for putting her through hell.
Rogue was trying to find Wanda, but the girl managed to give her the slip. As she looked around frantically for her, she heard Vampira speak.
"Well, problem solved." Vampira said in happiness before feeling Rogue's anger.
'Shut up!' She snarled. 'Just shut up! This is all our fault!' She should've given Wanda a chance; she should've tried to get to know the girl, but now it was too late.
"Rogue, what's wrong?" Kitty came up to her, wondering where Wanda was.
"What's wrong?" Rogue was resisting the urge to drain Kitty for what the girl said earlier. "You drove Wanda away by telling her those lies."
"What? What are you talking about?" Kitty was confused. She had been in the restroom the entire time.
"You said that I hated her and that I thought she didn't belong here." Rogue reminded her.
"I never said that." Kitty replied defensively. "I've been in the bathroom this whole time."
Now Rogue was confused. "If you didn't say it, then who..."
Realization came to both girls as they both exclaimed, "Mystique!"
"That bitch drove Wanda away!" Rogue gritted her teeth in anger at Mystique for showing up and causing misfortune to her and the people she cared about.
"We gotta find her!" Kitty started to look around the mall, with Rogue joining her. They searched for hours but found no trace of Wanda.
Rogue was now nervous. Who knows what Mystique would do with Wanda?
Lightning flashed outside of the Brotherhood house, signifying that things were going to change, but the occupants of the house had no idea what was to occur as they went about their business.
Mystique opened the door and smirked. "Guess who's back?"
Blob was walking out of the kitchen with a sandwich when he squeezed it in fear. Pietro gasped from the living room, while Lance and Toad stopped their argument as all four boys realized that Mystique was back.
Toad hopped in front of her. "Hey, is that really you?" Mystique grabbed him by the collar and threw him into the living room. "Yeah. It's you." Toad deadpanned.
Mystique gave them all a dark look. "You pathetic, lazy clods have destroyed my house."
"Yeah. Well, we've been kind of thinking about cleaning up." Blob said as they all lined up in front of her. They didn't know what to feel. Sure, they were happy that they had someone who could actually pay the electric bill, but they knew how brutal Mystique could be, so was it a good thing that she returned?
"You do that." Mystique said. "And while you're at it, grow some backbones! What happened to the team of tough mutants I assembled?"
"What are you talking about?" Pietro protested. "We're as tough as ever."
"Are you?" Their leader challenged. "When was the last time you beat the X-Men? Oh, I know. Never. They've outshined you on every level. And worse, one of you even tried joining them." She glared at Lance, who looked down at his feet.
"Let me guess." They all turned to see Tabitha coming down the stairs. "You must be Mystic." The three boys flinched at her disrespectful tone, but Mystique barely lifted an eyebrow.
"Try Mystique." She responded. "This is my home and my rules. Rule number one: move out of my room. Think you can handle that, Bamm-Bamm?" She mocked.
"Why, sure." Tabitha was about to form a small ball of energy when Pietro zipped over to her and grabbed it.
"Not a good idea, Boom Boom." He warned before tossing it to Fred, who put it in Toad's hands and tossed the mutant back into the living room.
The explosion went off as they heard Toad mutter, "Ow."
Pietro then ran back to the side of the others as they smiled nervously. Tabitha looked over at the smirking Mystique. It seems like this place isn't so nice now.
"Fine. Whatever." She muttered as she went back upstairs to pack. "I was getting sick of living in Moron Manor anyway."
"She learns quickly." Mystique observed. "Unlike the rest of you."
"Yeah. Just where have you been all this time?" Pietro asked.
"All you need to know is that I'm back. And those arrogant little X-Men are about to get knocked down a peg. Gentlemen, meet your new secret weapon." She gestured to the open door as Wanda stepped in.
"Wanda?" Pietro's eyes were wide with terror and surprise at seeing his sister again.
"Pietro." Immediately, the girl became full of anger as her powers flared. The light above them exploded, and the ceiling was starting to rip itself apart, revealing a pipe above them that burst. A ski was taken out of a book shelf and almost impaled Pietro if he hadn't ducked in time.
The four boys ran into the living room, taking cover behind the couch as Mystique watched the scene in amusement.
"Ex-girlfriend?" Toad asked Pietro, wondering what they were dealing with.
"Worse." He informed them. "She's my sister." A coat rack was jammed into the couch; luckily, it didn't hit any of them.
"Your sister?" Toad gasped as Wanda walked into the room. A fire roared in the fireplace, reflecting the rage the girl had as the Brotherhood tried to think of a way out of this.
"Hey, you two need some serious family counseling." Lance couldn't help but quip as the ceiling fan was thrown into the wall. "Make her stop."
"You make her stop." Pietro shot back. He wasn't stupid enough to think that he could take down Wanda.
"Fine. I will." Lance stood up and used his powers as a crack formed on the ceiling and made its way to Wanda, who used her powers to send it back in Lance's direction as it collapsed on them.
Toad shot up and shot out some slime, but Wanda redirected it as well, sending Toad to the floor.
"Oh, gross. I slimed myself." He said in disgust.
Finally, Mystique came in to put an end to this. "That's enough, Wanda." She stated. "I understand your anger at Pietro, but you're missing the bigger picture." She smirked evilly. "He's not the one you truly want revenge on."
Wanda nodded as she headed upstairs, leaving the terrified Brotherhood behind.
"That should give you some small idea of what she can do." Mystique said.
"Are you out of your mind, bringing Wanda here?" Pietro raged. "Can't you see how dangerous she is? She's like a witch with those powers."
"And that is precisely what makes her so valuable to our little cause." Mystique pointed out. "Anyway, you needn't worry."
"Not worry?" Pietro replied skeptically. "Just what makes you think she's gonna cooperate? You've noticed I'm not one of her favorite people."
Mystique was still convinced Wanda was the secret weapon they needed to put themselves back on top. "She'll cooperate. She may resent you, but she'll do what I say because I can give her the one thing she wants most: revenge." She then noticed Tabitha walking down the steps with a backpack.
"I'm out of here." She said. "Definitely too many women for this house." Walking out of the house, she called out, "Room's all yours." An explosion went off, destroying Mystique's bedroom. "Mystique." She chuckled as she went on her way.
As the Brotherhood was adjusting to this new turn of events, Wanda was sitting in her new bedroom, contemplating her life. Her plan, of course, was to get revenge on Magneto; that was a given, but what was next? What would she do with her life when Magneto was finally gone? It's not like she had anyone to go back to or family to be with.
Just then, her musings were interrupted by a knock on the door.
"Wanda, please." Came Pietro's voice. "I just wanna talk. I mean, come on, you're my sister." Instantly, she opened the door and fixed a hostile look toward her brother, which made Pietro step back a bit. "Thanks." He muttered before clearing his throat. "Listen, I know how hard it must have been on you."
Wanda shook her head at his ignorance. "You don't know anything."
"I really didn't want him to leave you there." He pleaded. "Really. But you were so out of control. He just convinced me it was for the best."
"Father! Don't leave me!" The voice of her younger self echoed.
"I'm not saying he was right." Pietro said. "But try to see it from his point of view."
His point of view? That set her off. "Monsters don't have a point of view!" She cried. "And you're just like him. You always were." She slammed the door in his face as Pietro turned to walk away, only to run into Mystique.
"Which begs the question, where do your loyalties lie?" She interrogated. "Me or him?"
"You." Pietro responded. "Absolutely. No, no doubt. Magneto's been no father to me either." He said sadly. "Though there was that time he visited me for Hannukah."
"Well, then I say it's time we move forward with our plans." Mystique said.
"You think so?" The speedster questioned. "I mean, you think we're ready to go up against Magneto?"
"Almost." Mystique answered. "That's why I'm arranging a little test for you all."
Back at the institute, things were tense. Danny, after being told of what happened to Wanda, was now worried for her. He was pacing around Cerebro as Rogue was sitting nearby with the other X-Men. "Have you found her?" He asked the professor, who was using Cerebro to locate her.
"Yes." Xavier said as he pinpointed her location. "She's at the mall with the Brotherhood."
"Oh, no." Danny knew that no good could come with her with them. Especially if she was with Pietro. The poor boy might end up getting killed by his sister if he wasn't careful.
"We'll suit up and get ready, professor." Scott said as they began to move out.
"Wait!" Danny stopped them. "I'll go. I'll try and convince her to come back."
"I'll go too." Rogue chimed in. "It's my fault. I should've helped her more."
"Helped her?" Vampira said furiously. "She-"
'If you're not gonna help me, then do me a favor and shut up!' Rogue said mentally. 'I really don't need to put up with you right now. So pipe down and be quiet.'
Vampira remained silent after that.
"We'll be behind you in case you need backup." Scott said as they all got ready. "Let's go!"
Danny and Rogue turned into their ghost forms before phasing into the closed mall. They looked through the empty department stores for any trace of their friend when they came across Avalanche.
"Lance, where's Wanda?" Danny questioned, as Avalanche didn't know what to do. He didn't want to fight Danny, but he remembered Mystique's orders.
"There they are!" The two turned to Blob, who ran towards them and tried to dive bomb them, but the hybrids phased through him, with Rogue firing an ecto-blast at the obese mutant, sending him into a pile of clothes.
"I got them!" Toad shot out some slime at Danny, who phased through it. He then shot out lasers from his eyes at Toad, knocking him into a wall. The couple then saw Quicksilver run around them before they turned invisible. Quicksilver stopped and tried to locate them before he felt someone pick him up and throw him. "Oh, come on! Not again." He bemoaned before crashing into a table.
The two then looked at Avalanche, who whistled innocently as he walked away. Before they could question him further, the couple saw their friend ride an escalator down toward them.
"Wanda!" Danny ran to her, and Wanda was shocked to see that Danny had come for her.
"Danny." She whispered as the ghostly X-man came up to her.
"What are you doing here?" He asked. "Why are you with the Brotherhood?"
Wanda looked down. "It's the only place I have left. I don't belong there at the institute."
Danny strongly disagreed. "That's not true. We care about you, and we want you back."
"Why do you care, huh?" Wanda snapped. "I'm just some basket case that can't control her powers."
Danny's eyes softened. "Because I know what it's like to be alone. My family was killed by a monster, and I had no where to go." He confessed. "But then I went to the institute, and I found friends there and family too." He placed his arms on her shoulders. "Please, Wanda." He pleaded. "Come back. You've been making progress. You can take control. I believe in you."
"I..." Before Wanda could answer, she noticed Rogue and became angry. "And why are you here?"
"I came here to tell you that it wasn't Kitty at the mall who said those things." Rogue said calmly. "It was Mystique."
"What?" Wanda said dubiously.
"She manipulated you, Wanda." Rogue revealed. "Just like she did to me."
The daughter of Magneto narrowed her eyes. When she got her hands on Mystique, she would make the woman pay for deceiving her. "Still, I know you don't like me." Wanda was still convinced that Rogue secretly despised her. "You hate me!"
"I don't hate you, Wanda." Rogue said as she looked down. 'I was just jealous that you were spending time with Danny, but it was wrong for me to feel that way." She looked Wanda in the eye. "You needed help, and Danny was the only one who could. But I've should've helped you too. I'm sorry, Wanda, for not being there." She apologized. "Come back, please. I know what it's like to be alone too." She then gave her gloves a sad look. "Not only that, but like you, I can't control my powers as well."
Wanda knew about her inability to touch anyone other than Danny. The black-haired goth looked down at her hands as they glowed with energy. They were similar in a way. Something that Rogue agreed with.
"You see, Wanda, we're so much alike." The mutant hybrid said. "I wish I realized this from the beginning, but now I'm begging you. Give us another chance. I promise you that we'll always be there for you. I want to be your friend."
"You do?" Wanda whispered, making Rogue nod.
"Yes. Now, please come back. You have us. You don't have to be alone."
"She's right." They all turned to see Scott walk in with the rest of the X-Men. "When you're with the X-Men, you're never alone."
Wanda was touched by all this, but she was still uncertain about coming back. "I don't know." She then saw the pleading look in Danny's eyes, silently asking for her to return, and Wanda knew that she couldn't say no.
"You really want to be my friend?" She asked Rogue, who grinned.
"It'd be nice to talk to a fellow goth."
Without saying anything, Wanda hugged Rogue, being careful not to make any skin contact.
Danny smiled. "Welcome back, Scarlet Witch."
Wanda raised an eyebrow. "Scarlet Witch?"
He shrugged. "Well, if you're staying with us, then you've got to have a codename."
Scarlet Witch, Wanda thought it over in her head. She thought it sounded right. "I like it."
Wanda had returned to the institute much to the relief of everyone there, and now that everything was back to normal, Danny and Rogue were lying on the roof watching the stars.
"Thank you for convincing Wanda to give us another chance." Danny thanked her in appreciation.
Rogue was also glad that she managed to put her differences with Wanda aside to help her. "I didn't want her to end up in Mystique's hands; she deserves a home. Like the rest of us."
Danny took hold of one of her hands. "Hey, I want to apologize for not being able to spend as much time with you. I-"
"Danny, it's all right." Rogue interrupted him gently. She caressed his face. "You were helping people. It's what you do." She gave him a loving smile. "And one of the reasons that I love you."
The two then kissed.
Mystique was furious. After hearing that the Brotherhood had lost and Wanda had rejoined the institute, she berated her team before storming up to her room. This didn't help her mood either, as she saw how wrecked it was after Tabitha blew it up.
Her phone then rang, and she answered it, hoping it would be some good news.
"Yes?" She asked in annoyance.
"Raven, it's me." Irene said over the phone.
"Irene." Mystique was now concerned about why she called her at this time. "What's wrong?"
"I saw the vision again of Anna marrying that boy."
"And?" Mystique was holding back her anger so she wouldn't snap at Irene.
"I got a clearer look this time." Irene paused a bit before revealing the new information. "There's another bride."
"What?" Mystique growled out.
"The boy is marrying both Anna and another girl. But I don't recognize her."
"Does she have black hair?" It took all of Mystique's self-control not to crush the phone. She already knew who the other bride would be, and this made her hate Danny even more. That bastard. Was Rogue not enough for him? Did he have to have more?
"How is this possible?" Mystique demanded. "Hell, how is this even legal?"
"I don't know." Irene admitted. In her vision, she saw the priest. He was wearing a purple cloak, and he had red eyes. The strange thing was that he looked at her as if she knew she was watching. He then winked at her.
While Irene was confused, Mystique was more determined than ever to put a stop to this.
Vlad was seething in his mansion at the information he had gathered. He thought that revealing Wanda would break Danny's trust in Xavier; instead, the boy had gained another friend there. Slamming his hands on the keyboard on his computer, Vlad cursed out every sweet name he could think of.
It was time to stop being subtle; it was time for Danny to realize where he truly belonged.
It was time for the day of reckoning.