Hello! Sorry for the wait. My sleep-deprived dumbass was so used to uploading old chapters on Ao3 that it took me a whole 24 hours to realize that, YES, I have a new chapter I can post here too!
Anywho, how's it going everyone? We're officially starting the Dark Phoenix storyline, and I'm estimating that it will take about ten or so chapters.
I hope you enjoy!
September 9th, 1992
Seated at the kitchen table of her home on Genosha, Laurien perused the newspaper they had brought back with them on their most recent weekly supply trip to the mainland. As her eyes scanned the various headlines, she noted an article detailing the preparations for the upcoming NASA mission. In about a week's time– less now that she realized the paper was from a few days ago –six astronauts were to be sent up on the space shuttle Endeavor to orbit the moon. Laurien didn't envy them. If there was a method of travel she thought she could hate more than air travel, it would be space travel. Even so, her and Erik's youngest, Ari, found space utterly fascinating and delighted in anything to do with the topic.
As if she'd summoned him from thin air, Ari came barrelling through the front door, leaving it hanging wide open as he ran across the room and down the hallway to the study. A gentle breeze swept into the kitchen as the faint sounds of rummaging met Laurien's ears. She finished off the final dregs of tea from her mug, instinctually avoiding the section of the rim where a chip had mysteriously appeared one day. A loud thunk made Laurien frown to herself, and she had just resolved to get up and investigate when Ari emerged again from the study with an atlas wedged under his arm.
He was headed back out the door when Laurien finally asked, "What do you need that for?"
"Leni is telling us about her trip, but said it would be easier with a map." He explained hurriedly, slightly out of breath and bouncing on the balls of his feet. She could tell that he'd been playing in the woods with Kasia and some of the other Genoshan children, as there were twigs and leaves in his wild auburn curls, and smudges of dirt across his freckled cheeks. Laurien suddenly wished she had her camera to immortalize how much he looked like one of Peter Pan's Lost Boys in that moment.
Instead, Laurien simply hummed in understanding, "I'll be starting dinner soon, so be back in about an hour, alright?"
When Ari gave her a dutiful nod, she then added a quick, "Carry on," that sent him back on his way, the door closing gently behind him.
Ari was born less than two years after they had settled on the island, becoming the first baby born on Genosha. Laurien had struggled throughout her pregnancy with Ari like she had with Kasia, and the morning sickness was made worse by having to take the ferry over to the mainland for her doctor appointments. Erik had offered to fly her over with his powers, yet the very idea made her stomach flip more violently. Nevertheless, Ari was a healthy delivery in the Genoshan clinic, born with soft violet eyes and adorably round cheeks.
Ari's arrival, while an overall happy occasion, had brought forth a number of complex considerations regarding their family. First came the issue of nationality. Everyone in their family had birth certificates and passports from different countries; Laurien had her Dutch passport, as well as her forged Polish and Canadian papers, while Erik still possessed a myriad of different identities from his time hunting Shaw. As for the children, they had all been born in different countries; Nina in Switzerland, Kasia in Poland, and Ari in the States, therefore making the issue of nationality rather complex. With Genosha acting as a place of refuge for mutants within the borders of the United States, they supposed the entire family should officially apply for American citizenship. Laurien hadn't been looking forward to the long and arduous process, especially considering the many legal issues she and Erik had encountered throughout their respective lives, as well as their life together. It was for these reasons that they were quite stunned when their approval came both quickly and easily. Upon contacting Moira, who had left them her personal number when they'd received their pardons, she explained that their rather public acts of international service in Cairo had significantly aided in hurrying along their applications, even in spite of the prior debacle in Washington.
Laurien couldn't help but feel rather uneasy about the whole matter, yet as life continued to thrive on the island with their ever growing circle of family and friends, it didn't feel right to question it.
Nevertheless, while they'd been in the process of completing their paperwork, they encountered another issue; their family name.
A few weeks after the birth, while Ari and Kasia were down for their naps and Nina was doing her schoolwork in her room, Laurien was leaning against the kitchen counter, reading more of the citizenship papers as she waited for her tea to steep. Erik had just come in from the garden and as he placed the freshly harvested carrots next to the sink to be washed, he spotted the papers she was reading.
"I've been thinking, Laur," He said softly, so as not to disturb the children. "I think the kids should have your last name."
Laurien looked up from the documents in confusion. "What?"
"We should all have the same last name to show that we're a family."
"We are a family." Laurien stated plainly as she pushed off from the counter, her brow furrowing. "Why my name?"
"Well, we can't use Lensherr."
"Why not?"
"I can't subject the children to bearing my name."
Laurien sighed sadly as she removed her reading glasses and placed them on the stack of papers. "Erik…"
He shook his head. "No. I don't want that for them."
Silence filled the room as she considered this. In the few feet of space between them, Laurien could sense the guilt radiating from him in subtle waves. He'd been pardoned by the president two years ago, yet there were still decades of controversies and headlines clinging to his name, and she feared that no amount of time or action could remedy it.
"So…" He pressed tentatively, breaking the silence. "What do you think?"
"I guess, yeah." Laurien stated, before experimentally letting the names roll off her tongue, "Nina, Kasia, and Ari van Tiel."
A small smile graced Erik's lips. "Sounds perfect."
Laurien hummed, narrowing her eyes. "And Erik van Tiel?"
Erik let out a slight chuckle. "I can't fool anyone."
"Then by your reasoning, we won't be a family." Laurien countered, approaching Erik and gently prodding him on the chest as she used his own words against him. "See, there's a loophole."
A hint of amusement softened Erik's features as he sighed and wrapped his arms around her waist, gathering her in close.
She reached up and let her fingers card soothingly through his auburn hair, the same beautiful shade that each of their children had inherited. As she looked into his handsome blue eyes, a violet hue tinted her vision.
"We don't need to hide anymore. Let's just be ourselves for a change." She murmured, pulling him in for a kiss. After a few moments, she drew back to then add, "But if it makes you feel better, the children can have my family name until they can decide for themselves when they turn eighteen."
A pleasant warmth radiated from their joint embrace at Erik's slight exhale of relief. It was evident that the matter had been weighing on him for some time.
"Thank you." He whispered, before pressing another kiss to her lips.
It was unorthodox for the children to carry her name, however Laurien was sure her father's side of the family would be thrilled to have the family name live on for another generation, especially considering that there wasn't anyone else left to do so.
Since then, they hadn't encountered any other issues associated with the American government or army, and that fact seemed like a miracle in itself. The island's existence was a closely kept secret amongst the mutant community, therefore they'd managed so far to avoid any run-ins with individuals who harboured anti-mutant sentiments. Even so, they had long-since established safety measures amongst the inhabitants of Genosha should anything arise.
Setting the newspaper aside, Laurien grabbed her empty mug and brought it to the sink to wash. She glanced through the window above the sink, and saw where Ari, Kasia, and several other children had gathered around Leni and the atlas at one of the picnic tables across the clearing. Leni had been one of the first mutants to join their family on Genosha. When she initially arrived on the ferry from the mainland, Leni had been a small woman on the cusp of being considered elderly, and in the years since then, had shrunk even further in stature and fully embraced her role of being Genosha's resident granny. The majority of the children on the island didn't have grandparents, and the majority of adults didn't have anyone older than sixty to gain wisdom from, therefore Leni filled a critical role in all their lives.
After Leni, word of mouth spread and gradually more and more mutants in need of a place to call home came to stay on the island. What used to be a large clearing surrounded by trees with only their solitary family house on the outskirts, soon became the center of their small village, complete with its own town hall, library, and school, as well as a small clinic where Laurien tended to the residents' milder medical issues. Houses made similarly to Laurien and Erik's own from adrift shipping containers were erected around the clearing and further into the forest, allowing everyone their own space and place to call home. In the very center of the village was a large community garden, though many people also had their own personal gardens to do with what they liked.
The last time Laurien checked, there were fifty-seven adults and sixteen children on the island as permanent residents. Schooling for the children was covered by a lovely young lady, Jubilee, who was a former graduate of Charles' School for Gifted Youngsters and a good friend of the current members of the X-Men team.
The X-Men was a strange development in the past few years, which had given Laurien pause when she'd first heard about it. It had become a matter of international debate following the events in Cairo whether they should establish a team of mutants to respond to world-wide crises, and Charles was one of the lead advocates for it. After a trial run, where the new team managed to locate and rescue the crew of a missing naval ship that had lost power and gone adrift in the Pacific, the X-Men became the World's official heroes. From what she gathered from Hank, Charles now even had a direct telephone line to the President.
Laurien pushed the thought to the back of her mind, looking up from the soapy sink and out towards Leni and the children again. She smiled to herself as she watched Kasia help Ari up onto the seat of the picnic table so he could see the atlas better. While there were almost two years between Kasia and Ari, they were almost as alike as twins, and practically inseparable. Laurien was often struck with a nostalgic familiarity when she would glance their way as they played. Though they both had Erik's auburn hair as opposed to Laurien's blond, they were still almost exact copies of how she recalled Roosje and Bastijn at their ages. Despite the ache it inspired in her heart when she noticed the similarities, she was glad for the constant reminders of her siblings, as all of her photos were destroyed in the explosion at the mansion and after so long she'd had trouble picturing their faces clearly. It was one of the many reasons why she now took so many photographs of them all.
As for seven year old Ari, he was like Roosje in many ways, very quiet and curious, and absolutely fascinated by stories of space and imaginary lands. As was a rite of passage now in their household, they'd just begun reading chapters of The Hobbit before bed. Laurien had become an expert at doing all the various character voices, which was quite a feat considering the many dwarves in the book, though she still didn't think she could hold a candle to Peter's rendition.
Kasia, now nine years old, was the boisterous one of the bunch, and loved giving her parents heart attacks by climbing to the top of the tallest trees on the island in order to get a sweeping view of the far reaches of the ocean and sky. She seemed keen to fly, whether by plane or by any other means, and she adored it when Erik let her hang onto him while he levitated a few feet off the ground. Other than her two different coloured eyes, one blue and one violet, any further mutations had still yet to develop.
Just a few feet away from where the gaggle of children were pestering Leni with questions about her recent travels, Nina was seated on one of the swings of the playground, gently swaying back and forth as she read a worn and well-loved novel.
When given the choice, Nina had ultimately decided not to go to Westchester for her schooling, instead preferring to remain in Genosha with her family. Laurien and Erik had previously discussed this decision with her, and their daughter had simply said that it didn't feel right to leave. They certainly weren't going to press her upon it, as of course they'd prefer to have her remain close by, but it did nothing to dissuade the worries of the lingering effects of their ordeal almost nine years previous.
As a result of her deciding to stay, they had worried about Nina being able to make friends, especially since there weren't really any other children close to her age on the island. However, with the amount of animals nearby, it didn't seem to be a problem. Even now as Nina read on the swing, nestled comfortably in her lap was her constant companion, a young raven named Darcy. Nina had raised him ever since finding him as an injured and abandoned chick on the beach a year or two ago. While he had since recovered thanks to Nina's diligent care, Darcy never demonstrated any desire to fly anywhere beyond the limits of Genosha. He seemed far too content at Nina's side, and besides, the other mutants on the island liked him, and their family had similarly become quite fond of him and his mischievous ways. His happy chattering and the click-clack of his talons against the living room floor as he hopped around after them had become common sounds in their house.
Even from a distance, Laurien recognized the cover of the book Nina was reading as Solaris. It was in the original Polish, and had been one of three books Peter had given Nina as a birthday gift a while back. She'd previously told Peter about her desire to keep practicing her Polish after so many years away from the country in which she'd spent her childhood, and she was amazed that he'd remembered something she'd only mentioned in passing. He'd then told them of his quick trip in Poland while visiting Wanda in France. Apparently, the trip from Paris to Warsaw only took him about fifteen minutes, plus some brief pitstops for the delicious specialties of each country he passed through along the way.
Now sixteen, Nina had been doing well at practicing her Polish, as well as several other languages she picked up from textbooks and other residents on the island. She would sometimes try out her Dutch while helping Laurien in the kitchen or the garden, and after so long speaking languages other than her mother tongue, Laurien appreciated the chance to reconnect with what felt like an old friend.
Nina also liked using her newfound languages when she wanted to convey something to Laurien and Erik without the younger ones being able to understand, which was usually whenever treats were involved. The system had worked well for several years until a month ago, when Ari overheard Nina asking for a shortbread cookie in Polish and suddenly piped up from the living room where he and Kasia were reading, asking in perfect Polish if he could have one as well.
The silence in the kitchen was deafening as Laurien, Erik and Nina all gaped at one another with stunned expressions.
"How the fuck did he do that?" Nina whispered to them.
"Language, Nina." Erik hissed, but even he couldn't help the corners of his lips from curling upwards and had to cover his mouth with his hand. "You don't want Darcy learning that word and repeating it."
Hearing his name from where he was nestled in Nina's arms, Darcy lifted his head to look at her before tilting it to the side, seemingly confused as well.
Laurien shook her head at them both before calling to their youngest. "Ari, can you come here, please?"
They waited a moment, listening to the sound of Ari climbing off the couch and making his way into the kitchen. "May I have a cookie, Mama?" He asked again, this time in English.
"Uh, sure, but let's have a chat first."
Laurien scooped him up and sat him down on the kitchen counter so they didn't need to stoop to talk with him on his level.
"What did you say before?"
Ari frowned, his brow furrowing slightly above his violet eyes. "About the cookie?"
"Yes, but you didn't say it in English."
The boy nodded. "I know."
Laurien looked at him for a long moment, before then asking him in Polish, "Can you understand what I'm saying right now?"
To their surprise, Ari again responded in perfect Polish. "Of course, Mama."
"But… But how did you learn Polish?"
Ari shrugged, seeming nonplussed by the situation that had absolutely baffled the rest of them.
Laurien pressed further. "Did Nina teach you?"
Ari shook his head, looking at them innocently. When they glanced towards where Nina was leaning against the counter behind him, she too shook her head.
"How long have you known Polish?" Laurien asked curiously.
Ari hummed as he thought back. "Maybe a week."
Laurien and Erik glanced at one another, still no closer to understanding.
After a prolonged silence had passed, Ari piped up again, asking, "May I have a cookie now, Mama?"
Laurien blinked, but nodded nevertheless. "Sure. Sure."
She brought down the cookie jar from the highest shelf with her powers and let him pick out a shortbread cookie before helping him down from the kitchen counter.
Instead of immediately scurrying off with his prize, Ari then added, "Kasi will want one too when she sees I have one. Can I take another to give to her?"
Laurien narrowed her eyes at him, her bafflement giving way to well-warranted suspicion. "Well, are you actually going to give it to her, or are you just saying you will so you can have another?"
"I wouldn't do that!" Ari protested, his jaw dropping in feigned innocence.
"You most certainly have, and I don't doubt you will try to again." Laurien stated, then called out towards the living room where Kasia was still reading, "Kasi! Ari's bringing you a cookie."
An excited yelp met their ears, and Laurien met Ari's disgruntled expression with a knowing smirk as she sent him on his way back into the living room.
Once he was out of earshot, Laurien returned to the matter at hand. "Okay, so how…?"
"I swear, I did not teach him." Nina started, her blue eyes still as wide as saucers.
"I believe you, kochanie." Laurien said with a reassuring smile, her mind searching for any possible explanation. "Maybe he got into your books?"
"I keep them on the top of my bookshelf, I don't think he can't reach them." Nina explained, shaking her head. "And even if he did, he wouldn't be that good after only a week."
"I mean it's amazing, but a bit unnerving at the same time." Erik mused, taking a cookie and handing the jar to Laurien.
Laurien cocked her head to the side in consideration as she took a shortbread before offering one to Nina as well. "Well, you can never rule anything out when it comes to mutant children."
"I guess not."
"Did I ever have any moments like that when I was younger?" Nina asked, taking a bite of her cookie while Darcy blinked rapidly as crumbs fell upon his head.
"You had a lot of animal visitors from the moment you were born." Erik revealed, thinking about it for a moment longer before suddenly laughing, "You once scared your mother half to death when you somehow invited an owl into your room during the night."
"And it was massive!" Laurien gasped, her heart beating faster just from the memory. "I mean, imagine that you're already sleep deprived from midnight feedings and then you see these huge eyes staring at you in the darkness for a split second before it lets out this loud hoot."
Nina nearly choked on her cookie as she laughed. "Oh, Mama, I'm sorry!"
"We made sure to get an extra secure lock for the window after that." Erik noted, wrapping an arm around Laurien's shoulders.
"Yeah, and you had to do the next couple of midnight feedings after that too." Laurien added, which she'd considered the one bright side of her ordeal.
The memory had Laurien smiling to herself as she looked away from the window and continued to wash her mug. She heard footsteps moving across the floor upstairs before they were followed by the sounds of Erik coming down the spiral staircase.
"No more leaky shower head," He declared triumphantly as he came into the kitchen and returned one of their flashlights into the kitchen drawer. Erik wrapped his arms around her from behind, resting his forehead tiredly against the crown of her head. "We can finally sleep peacefully."
"Yay." Laurien cooed as she leaned back against him, relieved at knowing that they'd no longer be kept awake by the constant dripping sound from the ensuite bathroom. "Thank you."
"Ah well, you and Nina got the shower head from the mainland, it was a family team effort." He murmured, slipping his hands alongside hers in the soapy water.
"Hey! No Ghost reenactments in this house!" Laurien yelped, flicking water over her shoulder at him.
"Just washing my hands, darling." He chuckled as he gave her cheek a quick kiss, before removing his hands and grabbing the nearby dish cloth.
Laurien grumbled exaggeratedly, still not quite over the fact that she'd gone through the trouble of renting the VHS from the video store on the mainland upon Raven's recommendation. Casting the film to the back of her mind, she gave her mug a final rinse before placing it in the drying rack. "I was thinking of pasta and salad for dinner."
Erik perked up, his exhaustion seemingly forgotten from the mention of food as he tossed her the dish cloth so she could dry her hands. "Sounds good, I'll get some lettuce from the garden. Any other vegetables I should grab?"
Laurien shook her head, gesturing to the ice box. "I've got some tomatoes, peppers and a cucumber from a few days ago, but if the zucchini looks ready, then maybe grab that too."
"Alright, be right back." He made to go out the front door, only to swing back inside to ask, "Is Raven joining us? I know she went on a trip to the mainland today, is she back already?"
"Yes and yes, I saw her not too long ago and she said she'd bring over some of the wine she bought."
Erik nodded, in such a perfect mirror image of their son that Laurien couldn't help the amused smile on her face as she watched him go towards their garden through the window. As she glanced back towards their children who were enjoying the peaceful surroundings of the island they called home, she felt a barely contained warmth fill her chest, making her feel like she could burst.
Things were good. Really good. And she could only hope that they would stay that way.
Oooooooh, it's definitely NOT going to stay that way!
So, we reunite with Laurien and her family almost nine years later, and they have another kid! Ari is actually a family name from my Oma's side, so I'm keeping it authentic! Little dude has some strange stuff going on, but we'll find out more about that later. I'm trying to give the kids equal time to shine, but Laurien is still the driving force of this story. You already know that I'm not the biggest fan of the Dark Phoenix movie, so I'm changing some plot points to fit my preferences and Laurien's story.
Anywho, I've been busy with school and applying for Masters programs recently, but the semester is so close to being over, and I foresee some upcoming free time to do more writing and get out these chapters on a more regular basis. I hope to finish this all by the 10 year anniversary next August... Jesus Christ.
Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed, and please leave a review!