Chapter Text
Erik sat in Charles's office thinking over what happened.
He couldn’t stop replaying the moment Ororo said ‘Peter was your son’
Was…. not is Erik kept telling himself.
What hurt most about Peter being gone was that he hurt him a lot these past few days and he couldn’t fix it…. the time where Peter could be ready to forgive his father and have a chance at a relationship would never come.
And it was all my fault Erik thought.
And now that he was thinking of it he didn’t know the first thing about Peter other than the things he told him himself.
Erik decided he needed to walk a little so he exited the office and somehow ended up being in Peters's room. It was split in half…it was obvious which side of the room belonged to Peter’s.
His bed was undone and had wrappers of Twinkies on top of it, his clothes were piling up on his chair and some soda cans were scattered on the floor.
He opened the closet and saw a worrying amount of silver clothes and leather pants. He laughed sadly…considering that Eriks ‘superhero’ costume was no better he figured Peter got his fashion sense from him. Then he saw the shirts…they were all band shirts, ACDC, Nirvana, Pink Floyd, and many more.
Now that he looked at it his son had a passion for music, all of his posters seemed as if he sold band merchandising. On the shelves, he had boxes full of cassettes and another with vinyl. The books he had were surprising, to say the least. He had so many books about how to learn a language and then he also had physics books.
Erik wouldn’t have pegged Peter for someone who liked science but then again he knew little to nothing about him.
Erik then turned to the other side of the room where he saw Kurt’s neat half. He didn’t check any of his things but he did grab the walkman on top of his bed.
It belonged to Peter.
Erik remembered his amusement when everyone was suiting up for a mission bringing necessary things while Peter just took his walkman. When he was told to leave it he said and I quote ‘it is my life force, if I leave it I might die'.
It was sad seeing the walkman without his owner…it didn’t feel right.
He then turned it around and saw something that made him want to laugh but cry at the same time.
‘Property of Peter Maximoff, do not touch or I’ll sick my terrorist father on you’
Peter had put that there knowing nobody could grab hold of his walkman.
Erik then opened it and saw that it had a cassette that said ‘feel good hits’
The first song started playing
‘Nothing gonna break up my stride’
‘Nobody gonna slow me down’
‘Oh no’
While the music played Erik started replaying every moment he had with Peter.
“In three seconds those doors are going to open and 20 guards will be here to shoot us,” Erik said
The kid who had just broken him out was unworried, in fact, he quickly got behind Erik and grabbed his head, and smiling he said
“I know that’s what I’m waiting for,” He told Erik
Who is this kid Erik thought
“What are you doing?” the metal bender asked
“I’m holding your head so you don’t get whiplash” Erik looked confused
“What?”
“Whiplaaaash” And as soon as the doors opened the kid speeded them out of there to the elevator.
A throbbing headache enveloped Erick and he was trying hard not to puke, and before he knew it the kid who was dressed in uniform was now in a silvery jacket, pink Floyd shirt, and pants that had a very unflattering belt.
Erik also noted that the security guy who usually gave him his food was duck taped to the elevator. If Erik wouldn’t be so confused and dizzy he would gloat at the rude guard.
“Your good, it will pass it happens with everyone,” The kid said, he looked a bit nervous now being around Erik
“Must have done something pretty serious” Erik was still trying to get over his nausea
“What’d you do man, what’d you do? what’d you doooo? why’d they have you in there”
The kid could certainly talk Erik thought
“For killing the president,” Erik said thinking it would stop him from asking questions but surprisingly he said ‘oh…wow’ and motioned to the guard ‘shit’
“The only thing I’m guilty of is for fighting for people like us” He then said a bit better now, his nausea subsiding.
“You know Karate..do you know karate man?” He then asked as if he just hadn’t heard that the man in front of him killed the president
“I don’t know karate” Erik answered “but I know crazy” somewhat referring to the speedster who only laughed in response.
“They told me you control metal” The kid then said
So he wasn’t alone Erik thought and secretly he was glad a 15-17-year-old kid didn’t just have the whim to break him out.
“They?”
“You know my mom once knew a guy who could do that” Soon after he said that the doors were pinned so Erik didn’t have time to truly process what the kid just said.
Frustrated with himself the soda cans crumpled.
“It was so obvious” He gritted
“Mystique,” Erik said while in his magnetic field bubble
“I know you think you have lost everything but you haven’t” Raven looked at him
“You have me, you have Charles” then she turned to look at Peter
“You have more family than you know, you never had the chance to save your family before …but you do now…this is what I’ve come here to tell you,” She said, Erik remained quiet for awhile and then asked the silver-haired boy from all those years ago
“And you?”
“I'm your” He stopped and hesitated
“I'm here for my family too” Erik knew deep down that wasn’t what he really wanted to say but he didn’t question it.
Erik couldn’t help but cry. A kid who he barely knew went in to risk his life just so that his father would be okay. The tears only started increasing when he remembered that he did nothing when En Sabah Nur was going to kill him.
As Erik looked down at Peter’s desk he saw a selfie he never knew he took
It was him in the garden with the team in the background and Erik seemingly giving instructions.
In the back of the picture, it said
‘First class with dadneto’
Erik remembered that day.
“Ow..ow..owww” Peter tapped twice begging for Erik to let go. His arm was going to cramp up if he didn’t the speedster thought.
Everyone had already left and Peter asked Erik to help him with a few moves.
“Dude I thought you didn’t know karate” he complained.
“And as I said I don’t know karate but I do know crazy” Erik said smiling at the memory of the prison break. Peter just pouted in response.
“Peter you need to know self-defense….what happens if you become powerless,” Erik told him with an exasperated sigh.
“Yeah that will happen when I start looking like my age,” Peter said, the speedster couldn’t even imagine himself without his powers, and saying otherwise would be tempting the fates so he never did.
“Peter you need to take this seriously,” Erik said as he went for another lunge.
Peter then quickly grabbed his arm and flipped him over living him on the floor.
“Where did you learn that?” Erik said disbelievingly
“Well you never asked me if I knew karate,” He said cheekily
Erik quickly got up fuming
“So you have been wasting my time,” he said angrily
“Oh come on we were having a nice time…you know hanging out” Peter was trying to stop his laugh in front of the metal bender.
“I can’t believe this…” Erik said as he left
“Oh don’t be like that…..seriously would it kill you to not be a grinch all the time?” Peter said and soon backed up when he saw Erik’s death glare
“Call me when you are ready to take things seriously,” Erik said while walking back inside although Peter would have said he stomped.
“Fine” Peter grumbled at his unreasonable reaction
“Hey if you stop by the store don’t take too long in the milk section” Peter then shouted at him before speeding out.
This last phrase left Erik very confused.
I guess now he understood that phrase
Erik then saw another picture. It was of him and Charles playing chess. It said ‘Magnets about to get his ass handed to him by wheels’.
“Hey guys, I see you are playing chess” Peter walked into the room as they shushed him.
“Oh why even bother shushing me, I see checkmate in two,” Peter told the duo who were surprised at the speedster's knowledge of chess.
“I didn’t realize you played chess,” Charles said
“Well chuck’o I may seem like an open book but you don’t really know much about me now do you” Peter sassed as he frowned at where Erik put the piece.
“Would you like to join us in a game” Peter considered it but ultimately said no
“Too slow for me…I need something with more adrenaline”
“There is something called speed chess you know, maybe you’d like to try it” Erik suggested
“Speed chess?” Peter smiled intrigued, he liked anything that had speed in it.
Peter then moved one of Charles's pieces and declared checkmate on Erik.
“Now set up I want to play,” He said excitedly while he grabbed a chair.
Charles just smiled as he reorganized the board.
After the first few games, Charles decided to put another board in to keep the speedster busy. So now Peter was playing against the both of them at the same time, which seemed unfair at first until the duo kept on loosing over and over again.
“Okay well, I’ve had enough” It was clear to Peter he was tired of winning.
“Wait!” They both shouted surprising the speedster.
“I mean…how about one more game?” Erik said determined to beat him at least once
“Yes…one more game,” Charles said wanting to do the same as Erik
Peter looked at them suspiciously but then agreed. It goes without saying that they stayed all afternoon getting their ass handed to them.
Then there were pictures of him in different places. It was no secret that Peter traveled around the world whenever he wanted, it was amusing seeing him bring so many souvenirs for the little children at the school.
Peter entered the training room eating a burrito as the others were sparring.
“Peter!” Erik shouted
“Where have you been?” He then demanded
“Uhhh…Mexico?” He said while giving a smile and pointing at his burrito
Erik really didn’t know what to say at the moment it wasn’t every time that students, or X-men skipped class to grab a burrito from Mexico.
“And why did you think it was a good idea to go to Mexico when you know you had to train” Erik asked
“I had a craving for burrito obviously…. and the best place to get a good one was in Mexico” Peter argued
“I..uh” Erik stopped trying to process what he said
“Just go train with the others” Erik sighed exasperatedly.
“Okay cool” Peter grinned since he expected Erik to be harsher on him
“Oh, and if you want a bite of the burrito I don’t mind” Peter handed Erik the burrito and then speeded to were the others were.
Erik looked at it. He hadn’t eaten since this morning he thought. So giving in he took a bite and he didn’t know how but he ended up finishing it all.
When Peter asked him where it was and saw that there was none left he didn’t get angry. Instead, he laughed at Erik’s sheepish face and speeded out.
Later when Erik was walking in the halls Peter walked up to him, handed him a burrito, and then walked away as if nothing had happened.
Erik then realized that Peter had done so much for him without him knowing it. Finally, he looked at the last picture it was of a little boy with silver hair, who he figured was Peter and next to him was a red-haired girl.
The little kids were dressed as superheroes and on the back of the picture it said
‘Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch aka the Maximoff twins’
Then it all came crashing down on Erik
“If I could take the place of my dead sisters or anybody else who I couldn’t save I would”
“Do you think it’s funny making me see my twin sisters death”
“Wanda…Wandaa….WANDAAA”
He was a twin.
The tears wouldn’t stop.
Erik Lehnsnerr had just lost two kids.
“Erik” Charles voice sounded across the room
Erik didn’t know how long he had been in that room crying but when he looked out the window it was dark outside
So maybe an hour or two he thought-
“I want to be left alone,” Erik said
“I know but I was going to head down to the Maximoff residence now…I’ll be in the Jet if you want to come…we will be leaving in ten” Charles headed out as Erik decided on what to do.
Magda Maximoff was sleeping soundly the someone knocked on the door. Readying herself to bite off the head of the person who dared to knock on the door so late she opened the door, however, she wasn’t ready to be face to face with her ex-husband and the man her son called professor
“You” She glared at Erik
“Hello Magda” Erik whispered sadly
Magda was surprised by his tone, his face also matched it. She then looked at the professor who was looking down in sadness.
Magda realized it.
“Please no,” She said hoping she wasn’t right
“I’m sorry” Charles whispered
“No..not my baby” She sobbed.
Magda couldn’t feel her legs anymore nor could she feel anything as she fell to the floor. The only thing she could feel was her heartbreaking even more than it already was…her baby boy was gone.
“Mom!” A 17-year-old girl screamed from the stairs as she rushed to her mother's side.
“Mom what’s going on…who are these people” The girl took a good look at the men, she didn’t know who the guy in the wheelchair was but she did know the man beside him. It was the man her brother obsessed over for ten years.
“What are you doing here,” she said with much venom
“I'm sorry to say this but your brother….” Charles said and the girl looked away quickly not wanting him to continue
“There are a few things we need to discuss…may we come in,” Erik asked
The girl nodded as her mother was in no condition to answer.
“Thank you, miss…”Charles trailed of
“Astrid,” She said as they headed into the living room, Astrid trying to hold back her tears. She was trying to be strong for her mother.
“This morning Peter collapsed after an incident in the danger room, after he woke up he talked to us panicked about what happened, and then soon after he left. I tracked him but then I felt his essence disappear from the world. When our team went to look for him all we saw were his clothes”
“Wait so there was nobody…that could mean he is still alive,” Astrid said with a bit of hope as her mother looked up hopeful as well.
“We have considered it but sadly it is not likely….however we are still looking and have developed a theory,” Charles said not wanting to say anymore in fear it might anger the women
“Well what is it,” Magda asked
“We found big amounts of cosmic energy in the spot where he was last spotted….our theory is that-” Charles hesitated and before he could finish the sentence Erik chimed in
“Aliens…we think he was kidnapped by aliens”
Astrid looked in disbelief.
Was this a joke to them she thought?
Her anger was voiced with the sound of a slap coming from her mother's hand connecting to Erik's face.
“How dare you come here and give me false hope only to give me that bullshit,” She said as she screamed at Magneto’s face. On the other hand, Erik had a blank face.
“Miss Maximoff I know it may seem preposterous but the facts lead us to that conclusion and I fear that the other one is much worse” Charles intervened and Magda sent him a glare.
“Was there anything significant that Peter said before he disappeared?” Astrid asked quietly
“He said…flicker of red light,” Charles said
Astrid then looked at her mother with wide eyes. Magda had the same expression
“Mom I thought she was..”
“And she is,” Magda said sure of herself
“Is there something we should know about?” Erik asked but the two women ignored him.
“If Peter was right then that would mean…” Magda said as she sat down
“You aren’t looking for an alien… you're looking for my deceased sister,” Astrid told them
“What?”
“Wanda’s powers…Peter described them as flickers of red light” Astrid said.
“What do Wanda’s powers have to do with anything,” Charles asked
Astrid looked at her mother hoping she could explain while she processed everything
“Wanda she was powerful…dangerously powerful” Magda paused thinking of her daughter now.
“At first I thought it was just telekinesis but then it was also telepathic abilities. She could control a whole city in her sleep. She once did it accidentally so we had to move to America.”
This information surprised Charles…other than Jean he had never met a telepath so powerful before.
“There is something else you are not telling us,” Erik said.
“Wanda she had the ability to umm…warp reality.” Magda then said.
“What does that mean?” Charles asked
“It means she could pull the odds of probability in her favor and create things out of her own mind” Magda then said.
Charles and Erik were stunned, they had never encountered a case of someone being so powerful, that is except Jean.
“She died didn’t she?” Erik said not really asking but more like stating
Magda not being able to answer just nodded her head and looked away.
“If Peter isn’t dead…then you are looking for Wanda or someone like her” Astrid said before excusing herself outside.
Astrid was standing in the driveway smoking a cigarette when Charles appeared beside her.
“I never met Wanda…she was ten when she died and my mom was already pregnant by then,” She said looking at the empty street.
“When I was growing up Mom would sometimes break out in tears…I once heard her say that I reminded her so much of Wanda….for the longest time I felt guilty but then one day Peter sat me down and told me that I shouldn’t, that the differences outweighed the similarities ad that the latter weren’t a bad thing.” Astrid said
“Peter was the only constant male figure in my life…Dad’s a dead beat, and mom’s boyfriends don’t seem to stick around but he was always there. He used to skip class just so he could go and see me at my recitals, he would pick me up from school the mom was busy which was a lot since she’s a single mom. He would also go with me shopping and get me anything I wanted…well steal if we are being precise” Astrid then looked at the professor who was listening to how his student took care of his family.
“He would make sure I ate my food when I was stressed out with exams, he would hold me while I cried and tell me that he would never let anything happen to me, he was the one who taught me how to drive even though he knows jack shit about driving and he was the one who got so angry at me he even tried to ground me for smoking a cigarette” Astrid cried as she looked at the cigarette in her hand.
“Well those things do kill you,” Charles said trying to lighten up the mood.
Astrid laughed sadly and said ‘yeah’ in agreement as she took another puff. She then looked at the professor.
“Promise me that you will do anything to prove that my brother isn’t dead” She pleaded
“I’ll do my best,” He said in turn not wanting to make any promises he couldn’t keep.
Astrid nodded in understanding.
“Oh and you” She then turned around where Erik was
“You need to talk to my mom before you leave,” She said walking back in and just stopping beside Erik.
“Peter wanted nothing more than to have you in his life, no matter what anyone said. When they told him that he should be afraid of you he said he wasn’t…and trust me he was telling the truth” She looked at Erik “So fair warning to you…I’m not afraid of you either and if you hurt my mom any more than she already is I won’t hesitate in killing you and if you somehow manage to find Peter, the promise still stands” Erik just nodded in response as if he was saying I won’t stop you if I do
Astrid then walked back up to her room where she finally broke down.
Erik walked into Peters's room where Magda was.
“He was 7 when he got his powers…He was so scared” She said as she stared at the room
“he got over his fear of his powers to help his sister, and soon after he embraced them fully…he was my little speed demon” She chocked
“His sister's death took a toll on him…he told me that a part of him died with her…As a parent, you have no idea what to respond to that”
“A part of him was empty after her death but then Astrid was born and the whole got filled a bit….He was the best big brother imaginable” she smiled sadly at the memory of her son cradling her new little sister saying that as long as he was there nothing will ever hurt her
“When he saw you all those years ago he was so guilty of what he had released into the world, and imagine his surprise when it turns out to be his father” Magda then turned around to face Erik.
“If I had known I would have been there for Peter…for Wanda” Erik told her
“When…when you were going around killing nazis…when you were incarcerated for killing the president or when you were on the run for ten years after trying to kill another” Erik tried to say something but Magda interrupted him
“You chose to leave after Anya died….you left when I needed you, and when I tried to find you, I find out you have been murdering people. Do you think if you had been in our lives that wouldn’t have put a target on our backs….I didn’t tell you to protect my children, mine.” She then sat down and covered her face
Erik remained quiet…everything of what she said was true…his own family died because of him.
“you know what the worst part about everything is….is that I sometimes feel guilty about not letting you in our lives because deep down I know that you could have helped Peter and Wanda with their powers, that my little girl would still be alive and maybe Peter wouldn't be in this mess”
Magda said guiltily.
“You had valid reasons not to..” Erik stopped as Magda put her hand up to stop him.
She just looked at him…he seemed as heartbroken as she was.
“Did you care for him?” She asked him.
Erik just nodded in response. He had realized soon after he was gone how much the speedster meant to him.
With a sigh, she stood up and walked up to the shelf. She took out an album and handed it to Erik.
“What is this?” He asked
“Every important moment of the twin's life in picture….take it, I already have a copy,” She said
“Magda I-“
“Find my son…dead or alive…I need to see him again” She said tears falling.
“I’m sorry,” Erik said as he headed out
“Me too,” She said quietly as she sat back down and cried herself to sleep.
It was a few months after visiting the Maximoff’s.
Erik walked around the school feeling the emptiness of it all…the school was missing a blur running around and playing pranks on people.
It wasn’t only Erik who missed Peter
Ororo could never watch a Star Wars movie without bawling her eyes out, Jean refused to talk to anybody after having a nightmare, Scott would sit down at the white oak tree thinking over the talk he had with Peter, Kurt had moved out of his room not being able to stand the sight of it anymore, Charles wouldn't stop looking in cerebro, Hank missed the speedster's presence in his lab and Raven missed training with him since he always managed to liven things up.
Peter being gone not only affected a great deal in the team's personal life it also affected their missions. They never really noticed what vital role Peter played in the team until it was too late.
One day when they were all training outside Hank came running in.
“Guys..guys I just got another reading on cosmic energy” That stopped everybody
“Where?”
“Mount Wundagore”
Everybody quickly ran to the jet and headed out.
When they arrived at the same mountain from a month ago they didn’t find any sort of clothing….this time they found an old woman sitting down
“You won’t find him,” She said
This angered something in Erik. So this was the woman who kidnapped or killed his son he thought.
“Don’t worry he’s alive…but you won’t see him any time soon” She flashed her red eyes at him,
“You better tell me where he is or I swear-“ Ororo started saying
“He is with his family…he’s safe,” The woman said
“Look lady I don’t know who you think you are but you can’t just take Pe-“ Scott was saying but then got levitated
“Pietro is fine now…I’m only here to tell you that you should stop looking for him…because you won’t find him” She hissed
Everybody got ready to attack but she quickly let go of Scott and disappeared in a cloud of red smoke.
“Hank find her” Erik said
“I don’t understand….” He said looking at the scans disbelieving
“What is it?”
“There is no trace of her…or any energy for that matter…it’s like she was never here” Hank said
“So Peter is truly gone now?” Kurt asked
“No,” Erik said quickly “We won’t stop until we find him”
ONE YEAR LATER
“Are you sure you didn’t find anything?” Erik asked Charles
“As I said Erik…there was no sign of him,” Charles told him
“Damnit Charles….where could he be,” Erik said frustrated
“Erik I understand you want to find him..but it’s been a year, maybe it’s time you consider” Charles was cut off by someone who was screaming the professor's name at the front entrance.
Charles and Erik quickly went to the front door and to say they were shocked was an understatement
There was a girl being supported by a guy with a bow and arrow, at the back was a blond guy who screamed righteousness, beside him a very big and green guy, and then there was a chubby nordic guy.
But that wasn’t what surprised them both…it was the person that the last guy was carrying.
“PETER!”