Childhood Memories

by Most0blivious

Summary:

What if, by a twist of fate, Nightcrawler and the Scarlet Witch grew up together? As a part of the Jahrmarkt Circus, they became close friends, maybe even closer. But after a tragic night the two are left believing they will never see the other again, until years later, when they on opposite sides of a war.

Chapter 1: Child of Chaos

“I’m sorry Wanda, but I don’t think this is going to work.”

She pursed her lips, nodding ever so slightly.  This wasn’t unexpected, she hadn’t been enjoying the relationship either, but she thought Henry had at least.

“I really am sorry.” He repeated, refusing to look her in the eyes.  “It’s just that…I don’t know.  When we’re together, it’s like you’re thinking about someone else.  Like you want someone else.  And I don’t think I can be that person.”

“It’s okay.” She reassured him, smiling a little even though her heart sank.  But that had nothing to do with Henry.  She had been feeling horrible all day, and her mood only worsened as the hours ticked by, tomorrow looming around the corner.  But honestly, Henry had always felt more like a neighbor to her rather than a boyfriend.  There were no hard feelings over this break up.  “I understand.  You want to be with someone who lives in the moment.  I’m just sorry you weren’t very happy.”

“Yeah, me too.” Henry nodded, before rubbing his neck awkwardly.  “Uh, I guess this is goodbye?”

“I suppose.” Wanda shrugged.  What were people ever supposed to say to each other after a break up?  “See you around, Henry.” Turning to the door on her front step she swung it open and entered her and Pietro’s stone cottage.  It wasn’t very big, shabby actually, wedged between the other cottages, but it served it’s purposes.  Like hiding out from awkward situations such as this.  She hardly gave Henry a second glance before shutting the door.  

Of course, as soon as she shut the door Pietro was there, frowning.  “Did he break up with you?”

“Were you just spying on us?”

“You already know the answer to that.  Now answer my question.”

Wana huffed, rolling her eyes.  “Yes, for your information, he did break up with me.

“But you’re not upset?”

“We weren’t especially close.”

“And, you’re sure you’re okay with that?”

“Yes.”

“Honestly?”

“How many times do I have to say yes?”  

“It’s just…we both know what day tomorrow is, and…I figured you’d be pretty upset.”

Closing her eyes, Wanda slowly took a deep breath.  It was never good for anybody when she got too emotional.  For all her mentor’s teachings, she still knew very little about her powers.  But for once, right now, those were the least of her concerns.  “Did they send any letters today?” She asked, changing the subject as she entered their tiny, yellow walled kitchen, Pietro following her.

“No.  The mailbox was empty, just like last week.  They’ve been pretty quiet for a while…do you think something happened to them?”

“With Margali to protect Jahrmarkt?” Wanda snorted, taking a seat at their foldable table, running a hand over her face.  “I’m sure they’re just busy.”

“Yeah, you’re right.” A pause.  “Hey, Wan?”

“Mhmm?”

“Are you sure you’re fine?”

She considered lying, but reminded herself Pietro was her twin.  He would know the truth either way.  “...No.  No, not really.”

“Aw, hey, c’mere.” He was at her side in an instant, having her stand up so he could wrap his arms around her and pull her into a hug.  “I know tomorrow’s going to be tough on us, but we’ll work through it, we always do.  How long will it be?  Five years?”

“Six.”

“Yeah, that sounds about right.”

“I miss him, Pietro.  Every day, with every breath.” She wasn’t crying, not yet at least.  But there was a tremor in her voice, and she swore she could feel her heart shudder with grief.

“I know, I miss him too.” Pietro agreed.  “But he’s gone, and you have to move on with your life.  Keep your chin up and head held high.  Right?”

She feared words would summon tears, so she just nodded against her brother, trying very hard to keep her emotions in check.  How silly was it, that a breakup didn’t phase her, but a bunch of ghosts did?  It wasn’t even midnight yet, she still had hours to go before it was officially The Day.

She’d been through this almost six times, it should be getting easier.  But it never did.  It was always as if her loss had happened yesterday, the pain siring like a fresh cut.

 

Wanda sat at the foot of the wagon, back pressed against the wheel, knees tucked under her chin.  She watched the circus performers work around camp, practicing or setting up for their next show.  They were a colorful set of people, and very friendly too--but she’d give it all up to have her aunt and uncle back.

Several days had passed since the mob made of drunk and angry townspeople had attacked her family’s wagon.  Django and Marya did their best to protect Wanda and Pietro, but it was at the cost of their lives.  If Jahrmarkt hadn’t been at the right place at the right time…who knows what the mob might have done to the twins?

They had been fortunate, however, that Jahrmarkt’s matriarch, the witch Margali Szardos, took the twins under her wing and let them join the circus.  Margali had taken a particular interest in Wanda, though she didn’t know why.

They hadn’t been given jobs like the grown ups of the circus, but were supposed to spend their days doing chores and playing with the other children of Jahrmarkt.  Pietro had taken to the new crowd immediately, falling into their ranks as if he had been born in the circus.

But Wanda was still adjusting.  Romani or not, these people were still strangers, and she had a hard time fitting in and pleasing everyone.  There had been several incidents when she stumbled into the middle of a practice act, nearly getting flattened by Haus and burned by Feuer. 

It was all very overwhelming for such a young girl.

Never before had she felt so…lonely, her shoulders drooping miserably.  She had lost so much and gone through so many changes in such a short period of time…

“Wanda!” One of the circus boys ran over to her, but she didn’t need to rack her brain to remember his name.  Margali's youngest child was a very hard face to forget.

When his mother had first introduced him to the twins, they had been quite…surprised.  It wasn’t everyday you met a boy with blue fur, glowing yellow eyes, and a tail.  But he wasn’t the strangest thing they had seen at Jahrmarkt, not with Gummi or Kirkegaard around.  So it was easy to overlook his odd features, and Pietro had befriended him immediately.

Wanda still wasn’t sure what to make the boy, or his big personality.  He was so…extraverted, and she was so shy at the moment, hiding behind Margali everytime he (or anyone else for that matter) tried talking to her.

“Oh, er, hello.” She waved a little, setting the book she had been reading in the grass.

Kurt skidded to a halt right in front of her, giving her a big smile.  “Stefan and his friends found this really cool secret fort in the woods, but won’t let any of the other kids join them.” He explained, pushing his wild curls out of his face.  “Do you want to come help me spy on them?”

“No thank you.”

Kurt’s smile faltered the slightest bit.  “Would you rather do something else, then?”

She shook her head.  “I’m fine reading my book.”

“But all you’ve done is read since you came here.” He complained.  “Play with me for just a little, please?  We could ask Pietro or Jimaine to join us.”

She shook her head again.  Now Kurt was pouting, arms crossed over his chest while his tail drooped pitifully.  “Pleeeeease?”

“No thank you--hey!”

No thank you must not have been good enough for Kurt anymore, because before she finished her sentence he swiped her book.  Now he was running off with it, throwing a cheeky smile over his shoulder.

“My book!  Come back!” She yelled, but it was no use.  She raced after him, running all throughout camp, tripping many innocent bystanders who had been simply minding their own business.

Wanda was furious, but Kurt seemed to be enjoying every bit of it.  He laughed as he hopped up onto one of the wagon’s walls, attaching himself to the side without gripping an edge, hands and feet sticking to the flat surface.  She had always wondered how he did that, but she was too mad to ask him now.

“Give me back my book!” She demanded.

He held it in the air, just a little out of arm’s reach.  “You’ve read it like a dozen times now, doesn’t it get boring?” She tried jumping to grab the book, with little success, until Kurt leaped off the wagon, performing a messy somersault before landing behind her.  He sprinted off again, tail swishing excitedly.

She continued to chase him until they had strayed a little from camp.  Kurt had stopped on top of a grassy hill, bending over on his knees, dropping the book in the process.  He was very out of breath.  They had been running for quite a while, but that didn’t slow Wanda down.  She charged straight forward, Kurt’s eyes going wide when he saw her coming his way.

Yelling, she tackled him, the both of them rolling down the soft hill together, in a messy tangle that lodged her elbow in his ribs and twisted his tail around her arm.  Yet, despite this, they laughed the whole way down, the thrill of the chase sinking in.  They landed at the bottom in a heap, grass and leaves sticking out of their hair, but Wanda didn’t care.  

Kurt ws laughing, genuinely laughing, a twinkle in his golden gaze that made Wanda laugh even more.  She should be mad at the little imp, but he was pretty hard to stay mad at when his face was lit with joy.

Wanda chuckled a little, playfully shoving Kurt.  “Jerk!”

He didn’t seem to mind, smiling so wide she could see his fangs.  “If I remember correctly, you were the one who tackled me !”

“Only because you stole my book.”

“I prefer the term borrowing .  Besides, I only did it to try and get you to laugh.  And it looks like I’ve succeeded.”

She blinked, surprised and…and a little touched by his words.  Before, she had thought he was just trying to annoy her by taking the book, or rope her into playing with him.  But instead he had just wanted to make her happy.

“Thank you.” She said quietly.  She wanted to say more, about how badly she had needed something to laugh about, or someone that was willing to bring her out of her shell, but she couldn’t find the right words to explain this.

Luckily, Kurt seemed to understand.  “If you ever need a friend, just come find me.  I’d be happy to hang out with you, anytime.”  

This made her smile.  Maybe she won’t be so lonely in Jahrmarkt afterall.  Maybe…maybe this place could start to feel like home.

Wanda’s eyes snapped open, and she was greeted by the darkness of her room.

What time was it?  Groaning, she sat up, shoving her hair out of her face.  Glancing at the analogue clock hanging from her wall, she realized it was a quarter past twelve.

So it was official.  It had been six years since she lost her best friend.

Tears stung in her eyes as Wanda resettled against her pillow, her mind drifting back to the memory of how they first really became friends.  She had been, what, nine years old?  And he had been around ten, charismatic even at a young age.  She missed that.  But it was his smile most of all.  Or maybe his laughter…

She couldn’t help herself from crying, when usually she was more composed.  It was just that…Kurt had meant so much to her, and without him, it was like cutting off her own arm, if not her heart.  And it hurt .  No matter what she did to try to cope, she was always missing him, longing for him to show up on her doorstep one day and just...be around her again, like when they were children.  They had been inseparable.

But the truth was, she could never get him back.  And he was never coming back either.

Her mourning period was cut short, however, when she heard arguing outside.  Confused, Wanda peeked out her foggy bedroom window, and recognized Pietro out on the street.  He often woke up during random times at night and would go out for runs to clear his mind.  But tonight he wasn’t alone.

Two--no, three of the local townsmen had surrounded him, and they looked angry.  Pietro looked pissed as well, but he wasn’t using his powers to retaliate.  That was probably because he didn’t want to draw too much attention to Wanda and himself by revealing their supernatural abilities.  They had enough eyes on them as it was.

Wanda bit her lip as the arguing escalated.  If things took a turn for the worse, more townsmen would come to aid the others, and Pietro would be vastly outnumbered.  As fast as he was, he lacked control of his powers just like she did, and wouldn’t be able to run if he was surrounded by a mob.  And there was no way he was going to back down from a fight.

Grabbing her clothes and boots, Wanda bolted down the creaky staircase and out the door, flying to Pietro’s side.  “Pie, wait!  What happened?” She asked, placing a hand on her brother’s shoulder.

“These so-called gentlemen said some very rude things about you.” Pietro spat, glaring daggers at the townsmen.  “So I gave them a little advice and they didn’t much appreciate it.”

To prove his point, one of the men muttered something vulgar under his breath.  Wanda turned on him, looking him dead in the eye until he turned away, feet shuffling on the ground.  “We don’t want any trouble.  Me and my brother have been here for a while now, and have done nothing to deserve this.  We’re your neighbors, Piero works around town and I know most of your wives.  Just leave us in peace and we’ll return to bed, and none of us have to bother one another again.  Okay?”

One of the men came over to her, his teeth bared like a wild animal.  “We don’t take orders from a goddamn whore !” He snarled, spitting in Wanda’s face.

It smelled and tasted horrible , like rotten, acidic filth.

Jaw clenched, Wanda wiped the spit off as if it was dirt, her hands balling into fists.  But despite this, she remained calm.  It took everything she had not to strike back, which was hard when her emotions were already high with the memory of Kurt’s death.  Still, there was a time to stand up for herself, and a time to sacrifice for the greater good.  She and Pietro had steady enough lives here, they couldn’t ruin it by picking fights with the locals.

As much as she wanted to make the man eat his words (and she very well could have) she knew she had to keep her cool and not give any of the townsmen the satisfaction of getting to her.

Her brother had other ideas.

“Dick!” Pietro yelled, flinging himself at the man who spitted on Wanda.  Then they were both on the ground, Pietro with the upperhand as he bashed the man’s face with his fists at lightning speed.  Everyone just stood there for a moment, taken aback by Pietro’s ferocity.  But before Wanda could recover and try to pull her twin away, the townsmen were on him.

It all happened so fast.  Pietro jumped to his feet, and swung at someone, anyone, but while he was distracted and unbalanced, one of the townsmen struck him with enough force to send him backwards, crashing onto the stone road with a sickening thud!

Everything went dead silent, the fight momentarily pausing.  Blood dripped from Pietro’s nose and splattered his shirt, while a pool of red formed at Wanda’s feet, coming from a gash on his skull.  The world was spun off its axis as Wanda stared in horror at her brother’s limp and bloodied form.  

He didn’t move.  Not even to get back up.

Tears streamed down her cheeks.  Now she was angry .  Angry over the death of Kurt, angry at what those men had done to Pietro, when they were the ones who started the fight, when they were the murderous monsters, not her and her family!

Her powers fed off of these emotions, pinpointing the ones who had caused her pain with deadly accuracy.  Balls of fire exploded from her hands, flying toward the men and colliding with them in a brilliant explosion, throwing them yards away.

But Wanda’s powers didn’t stop there.

They went on to trigger every possible catastrophic event, making the probability reality.  Windows and lanterns shattered, horses whined as they got loose, several roofs collapsed, and the ground even trembled like it would before an earthquake.  Everything was happening at once, the lights inside all the cottages flickering on, hundreds of voices shouting out in shock as the villagers were woken from their peaceful slumber.  

Wanda wasn’t even fully aware of what was happening, lost in a storm of her emotions and memories, unable to find a way out.

But then, Pietro’s eyes snapped open.

He stared up at Wanda in shock, then noticed the havoc happening across town.  He quickly pushed himself up on his elbows.  “What the f--what happened?!”

“Pietro?” Wanda gasped, everything roaring to a screeching halt.  She, she thought he might have been dead , or critically injured, but he wasn’t .  He was still woozy, disoriented, but at least he was alive.  Before she could hug him though, or at least answer his question, her powers pulled one last stunt.

Her anger died down the moment she realized Pietro was okay, but a few seconds before that her fury made all of the town’s lanterns fall.  The glass shattered as it made impact with the ground, and the fire was let loose.  It spread easily, oxygen and the summer heat allowing it to grow to a monstrous size.

“No no no no no--!” Wanda cried, the light of the flames reflecting in her eyes as she watched them dance their way across town, consuming houses and shops, the villagers screaming out in fear as they ran from their burning homes.

“Wanda--” Pietro was on his feet now, grabbing her by the shoulders.  “--Do something!  Change it back!  Do what Margali taught you, control the fire!”

“I--I can’t!” She shouted.  “My emotions are too wild, if I try anything I might make it worse!”

“Dammit!” He let go of her, and attempted to run with his superspeed.  It was one of those twin moments when she already knew what was coursing through his brain, without either of them uttering a word.  Pietro planned to run to the nearby lake and scoop buckets full of water.  With his speed, he could put the flames out in no time.

But instead, he almost collapsed on the ground, his body swaying uncertainty, eyelids drooping with drowsiness.  Wanda came to his rescue and helped him regain his balance, placing a gentle hand on the bloody gash at the back of his skull.

“Careful!  You might have a concussion.”

“But I’m the fastest person here!” He argued.  “I have to put the fire out!”

“No you don’t, look!” She quickly pointed over his shoulder, at  the center of the town where the local fire crew was dousing the inferno.  “They’re putting the fire out already, the flames are dying down!”

True enough, within a few minutes the flames were gone and the buildings were scorched black and sopping wet.  A few children were in tears, but other than that no one seemed to be hurt.  Her powers hadn’t cost someone their life.

“There she is!” Someone shouted, pointing an accusing finger at Wanda.

…At least, her powers hadn’t cost any of the townspeople their lives.  She and Pietro might not be so fortunate.

“She’s the one who started the fire!  She cursed our town!”

“Witch!” 

Many other words were shouted out, full of vulgarity and hatred, as the townspeople quickly turned from a crowd into a mob, surging toward the twins.  Pietro was the target of their anger as well, despite the fact he had nothing to do with the fire, other than wanting to put it out.  Being Romani was a good enough reason, as far as the townspeople were concerned.

Wanda couldn’t believe they were being run out again .  She wanted to believe she and her brother could stay here for good…but now the mob was getting closer, murder in its eyes, longing for her and Pietro’s heads on a silver platter.

“We have to go.” Her brother said urgently, clutching her arm as he tried to drag her down the street.  

Wanda struggled furiously against his grip, but she couldn’t break free.  “No, wait!  I have to go back to the house!”

“Are you crazy?!  We don’t have time to go into that damn house, the assholes will tear us to shreds!  Unless you’re willing to use your powers on them?”

Wanda turned away uncomfortably.  “I don’t like using magic or hexes on people who have no chance of fighting back.” Even if she had every right to fight back and defend herself, it still felt unfair in some ways.  And besides, two wrongs don’t make a right.

“Then move it !” He shoved her, hard, which left Wanda no choice but to run.  She tore down the street, glancing momentarily back at the cottage.  Was it still too late to swing back and retrieve her things?  It wasn’t her clothes she wanted, like Pietro must have assumed.  There was much more valuable to Wanda hidden away at the house.

But now she had lost it.  It would probably be thrown away or burned by the townspeople when they pilfered the cottage.

Regret stabbed at her heart, along with terror, but she had no hope of turning back because the mob was at her heels, now armed with clubs and sharp farm tools.  Amid her frantic thoughts, she wondered how long it would be before she and Pietro made it to the woods, where it would be easier to hide and escape the mob.  But this town was bigger than the ones she had lived in in the past, with many streets and alleyways and dead ends that resembled a maze.

It had taken the two of them weeks to learn the layout of everything.  But now, angry and afraid, and without Pietro’s superspeed, they had no hope of finding their way through all the twists and turns.  If they couldn’t find a way out…Wanda might be forced to use her powers in self defense.  But goodness knows how that would play out in her frazzled state.

They both quickly ducked through an alleyway, which led to a dead end.  But it gave them a short moment to catch their breath.  Wanda shook her head in despair, a hand placed over her heart.  “I…I don’t know which way is out.  I think we’re trapped.”

“I could try…running us out of here…”

“ No .  You’re hurt, there’s no way you can use your powers right now, much less carry me.  We have to figure something out without our powers, outsmart them.  Mobs don’t think rationally…”

“Yeah, but they have the strength in numbers, and rage.  We can’t risk them catching us.  If they do…it won’t be a painless death.  That’s for sure.”

“There has to be something we can do!”

The shouting drew closer, along with the thundering of boots.  It wouldn’t be much longer before the mob arrived, trapping the twins inside the alley.  And with Pietro injured, he would be unable to get away.  He would insist that Wanda run and save herself, but she would never leave him.

She began searching for something, anything, to help get them out or ward off the mob, her heart hammering in her chest.  Reality was starting to sink in, and she just couldn’t accept that this was how the Maximoffs would go out.  Killed by the same hatred that had murdered Django and Marya.  No, this couldn’t be the end, there had to be a way out.

Then, like a miracle, a voice whispered, “Pssst!  In here!” 

Both Wanda and Pietro froze, unsure where the voice came from.  Was someone spying on them?  Could it be one of the townspeople?
“I said in here, unless you want the mob to rip you limb from limb?” This time Wanda identified the shrill voice as female, right as a back door to one of the buildings that made up the alley creaked open, revealing a bony finger beckoning them inside.  Wanda was unable to tell what lurked on the other side, which meant it could be anything.  Thugs, armed villagers, or maybe even torches so they could lock Pietro and her inside and burn them alive.  The thought made Wanda shiver, but she glanced at her brother anyway, to see if he had any better ideas.

“Do we trust her?” He asked.

“We have no idea what her intentions are…” Wanda reminded him, biting her lip.  The mob was closer now, practically right at the alley’s entrance.  So close, she could hear the crackling of the torches they carried.  “But it’s either in there or out here .”

“I like Option A.” Pietro agreed, letting Wanda rush inside the shop first before quickly following, the door creaking shut behind them.  

It was pitch black inside, and the twins pressed themselves into the wall, as far from the storefront windows as they could get, even if shambly curtains were drawn over them.  They both held their breath as they waited for the mob to pass, praying they didn’t venture down the alleyway and find the door.

They were like that for several minutes, the mob right in front of the shop, their voices leaking in through the walls.  “Did you see where they went?”  “No.”  “Down there!  I swear, I saw them run down there!” And then they were gone, chasing after imaginary prey into the night.

Pietro blew a sigh of relief, and Wanda wiped sweat from her brow.  That had been close.  “Thank you,” She said to the woman who was just a figure in the shadows.  She had been so still and quiet when the mob had passed by, Wanda almost forgot she was there.  “You saved our lives.”

“I know.” Said the woman, her voice as creaky as the door.  She shuffled around in the dark, before striking a match and sitting a candle, dimly illuminating the room.  It was old, the wood dusty and rotting, stone chipped and crumbling.  The shop actually greatly resembled the woman herself, who looked to be in her nineties, with frizzy grey hair and sagging flesh hidden under millions of wrinkles.  

Pietro made a disgusted face.  Wanda elbowed him.  “Eww--ow!  Uh, I mean…thanks?”

The woman merely grunted, shuffling closer to the twins.  “Horrible, isn't it, how they treat mutants?”

Wanda and Pietro looked at each other in confusion.  Yes, they knew that they were mutants (though Wanda was also a witch) from television programs all the way in America, but how could this old lady have known?  Everyone would assume it was simply because they were Romani that someone had come after them.  But somehow this woman knew the truth.

“Yes, it is horrible.” Wanda agreed, nodding.  “This isn’t the first time we’ve been run out, actually.”

“How unfortunate.  Humans should be careful with how they treat mutants, you know.  All it takes is a mere thought and snap--” The woman snapped her fingers together.  “--the mutant makes them pay.  They have the powers to fight back, after all.”

“Yeah.” Pietro agreed, suddenly enthusiastic with the woman’s words.  Wanda was still cautious, but her brother continued talking like the old lady was an ally.  “They hate us, and we don’t even have to do anything!  Just having us as neighbors is enough to get us killed, apparently.  It’s hard enough being Romani, and adding a mutation to the mix makes everything worse.”

“What if I told you there was a way for you to change that?”

“Yeah right.” Pietro rolled his eyes, now suspicious as well.  “As if a human like you is going to help save an entire species.  Don’t know if you’ve noticed, but you’re a little…disabled.”

“Pietro!” Wanda yelled.

But the old woman simply chuckled.  “Appearances can be deceiving, boy.” Her voice was suddenly smoother, more seductive.  She grinned, and her whole body rippled like water, each wave changing her skin and structure, until she transformed from a small crippled woman to someone very different.  

The woman standing in front of the twins was midnight blue, with fiery red hair and dressed in a white suit that had a long slitted skirt and high heeled boots.  And her eyes, they did not glow, but they were a bright yellow that had an eerie, “I’m watching you” effect in the dark.

She was a mutant.

For a moment, Wanda felt like she recognized her.  From the way she tilted her head ever so slightly when she smiled, a wicked smile at that, and the uncanny glint of her yellow eyes, she almost looked like…no, no that was impossible.  Wanda’s mind was simply messing with her.  Just because the woman was blue…it didn’t mean anything.

“Holy shit--!” Pietro yelped, jumping back.

“You can call me Mystique.” The blue lady explained, unfazed by Pietro’s reaction.  “And yes, I am a mutant like you.  A shapeshifter.  I can be anyone I want, blend into any place, and no one will suspect me of being a fraud.  You see, I came here looking to recruit other mutants for my little… organization .  We operate in America’s New York City, and we fight homo sapiens like that mob to protect our brethren, so one day mutants like you won’t have to run and hide.  We fight so one day, we can get the respect and power we deserve.”

“You want us to join?” Wanda guessed.  It wasn’t hard to imagine.  With her powers, whatever side she was on had a more likely chance of winning.

“Yes.  I’ve been keeping tabs on you two for a while.  Your brother is incredibly fast and you…you have immense power.” Mystique mused.  “It never seemed the right time to introduce myself until now.  And believe me, my team would benefit from both of you.  With you two in our ranks, how could we ever lose?” High heels clicked on the rotting floorboards as she drew closer to them, close enough that Wanda could now see the tiny skull pinned in the older mutant’s hairline.  “I understand if you doubt my words. After all, who goes from scared little children to freedom fighters overnight?  But I promise, you will be making a difference, creating a future where mutants can be at peace, and the homo sapiens will not be able to harm us.” She held out a gloved hand, waiting for the twins to take it.  As if she already knew their answer.  “What do you say?”

Pietro looked eager to accept her offer, but turned to Wanda before making the decision.  She was looking at her feet, debating what to say.  She wasn’t necessarily a soldier like Mystique was describing, but she did want to put a stop to this madness.

The same madness that killed Kurt.  He had been the purest person she ever met, but all it took was his demonic appearance and a superstitious village to gun him down, like a dog.  And now he was lost to her forever.

Her head snapped back up to look Mystique dead in the eye, her mind made up.  “Yes.  We want to protect mutants too…we agree to join you and your team.”

Mystique was clearly pleased, letting out a satisfied hum when Pietro and Wanda shook her hand.  “Excellent.  Welcome to the Brotherhood of Mutants, then.”

Chapter 2: The Brotherhood

Notes:

None of the little flashbacks are in chronological order, btw. I just try to make them somewhat relevant to the plot.

“New York’s so…smelly.” Pietro wrinkled his nose.

“No argument there.” Wanda and her brother had just arrived in America, their plane landing in New York City hours ago.  It had been an interesting experience in the airplane.  Pietro found flying very exciting, until he grew impatient and pestered the flight attendant about how much longer it would be until they landed.  And while Wanda also enjoyed flying, she couldn’t help but worry about how high up they were.  What if the plane’s engine failed?  What if all the cargo was too heavy?  Or the pilot could fall asleep…

But they had landed safe and sound, with a chauffeur and car waiting for them at the airport.  Wanda wondered if the chauffeur was part of the Brotherhood of Mutants, or simply a hired human who was unaware of what she and Pietro really were.

They climbed into the car anyway, and soon the suburban houses and run-down apartments of the suburban jungle outside the window turned into rhea-takingly tall skyscrapers and large buildings that blocked out the sun.  Wanda frowned.  The city was so different from all the towns in Europe…the largest one she had been to paled in comparison to Manhattan.

Pietro broke her train of thought, asking, “You think this Brotherhood thing is legit?”

“I thought you loved the idea of fighting for mutant acceptance.”

“Well, yeah.  I mean, what mutant wouldn’t want to do that?  It sounds like a cool idea to join, and we sort of owe it to the blue lady.  But now I’m wondering if we jumped into this too fast?”

“Well, if Mystique does try to pull anything, we can handle her.”

“I wouldn’t be so sure, children.” The chauffeur interrupted.  Wanda stared at him in confusion as he turned his head from the road, smirking as he shifted from a mustached man to a familiar blue face.  “You never know, I could be hiding in plain sight.”

“Holyshit!” Pietro yelped, his words blending together.

The shape-shifter had disappeared after Wanda and Pietro boarded the plane, but they had just assumed she went on another to get a head start and greet them at the Brotherhood compound.  But it looks like she had been waiting for them at the airport.  Maybe she had been on the plane with them, too.

“Is this something you’ll be doing often?” Wanda asked, crossing her arms.  “ Spying on us?”

“Only if it’s in my best interest.” Mystique turned to the road again, shifting back to her chauffeur form.  That was the end of all conversations, an awkward silence filling the car.  Wanda glanced longingly out the window, her thoughts diverting back to what today was.

Several hours had passed since Wanda and Pietro had met Mystique.  It was noon now, but even as the day flew by Wanda’s heart continued to sink.  Today still marked six years since Kurt’s death.

If only he could see her now.  What would he have said, if he knew she was moving to America to help mutants like themselves?  The two of them used to talk about leaving Europe all the time.  They would fantasize going someplace new, somewhere exciting.  Kurt had always wanted to leave for America specifically, because that was where all the superheroes were.  Well, it was either America or sail the seven seas and become a pirate.

That made her chuckle, the edges of her mouth turning up for the first time that day.  Even dead he still managed to put a smile on her face.

But then the car pulled up to a large building that had much more class than Wanda expected.  It was very tall, with multiple stories and narrow walls because it was wedged between two much taller buildings.  Looking up in shock, she noticed a figure peeking out one of the windows, glancing down momentarily, before disappearing from view. 

 It had all happened so fast Wanda didn’t truly believe what she saw, but didn’t have the time to stew over it because Mystique was climbing out of the car, glancing over her shoulder.  “Aren’t you coming?”

“Uh, yeah.” Pietro agreed, hopping out the left side and letting Wanda exit through his door before closing it.  He stared at the building, whistling in amazement.  “How’d you score something like this ?”

“I’m a shape-shifter.” Mystique reminded him, still in her chauffeur form.  “My other personas have friends in high places.  It’s not too flashy as to draw attention, but good enough so we don’t have to live in a dump.”

They followed her inside, because they had no luggage to get from the car, and were welcomed to a house more finer than any they had ever been in.  Wanda traced a hand over the smooth, non-cracked wall, which had a painting or two hung on it.  A spiral staircase was just a few feet away, right across the hall from a doorway that opened up into what looked like the kitchen.

Mystique was saying something rather boring, and Pietro seemed distracted, so Wanda slipped inside the kitchen, eager to explore all the rooms of her new home.  By all accounts, the kitchen should have been bigger than the one back at the cottage.  But it suddenly seemed much smaller, because a humongous… blob was standing in the middle, taking up the majority of the room.  Its back was turned to her as it shuffled around the kitchen counter, making a noise that sounded almost like chewing…?

“Ah, I see your sister has already met one of the Brotherhood members.” Mystique nodded, casually drifting into the kitchen despite the big…mutant?  “Maximoffs, I’d like you to meet Fred Dukes.”

The blob--er, Fred--swung around when he heard Mystique’s smooth voice, his face furrowed with annoyance and just a hint of fear, half a sandwich sticking out of his mouth.  Pietro’s jaw dropped when he got a good look at Fred, and Wanda had to elbow him again.

Fred was simply a very…large mutant.  Unnaturally large.  His clothes were ridiculously big, but still did not properly fit him, appearing more midriff than actual clothes.  He stared at Wanda and her brother, as if he wasn’t sure what they were doing here.

Mystique elaborated.  “Blob, these are our new recruits.  Pietro Maximoff and his sister, Wanda Maximoff.”

He merely grunted, looking unimpressed.

Pietro scowled.  “What’s your power, exactly?  Do you sit on people until you flatten them to death?”

Fred’s face twisted from a terribly bored expression to a sadistic smile.  “Never tried that before.  But it sounds like a fun idea…”

“Save it for the X-Men.” Mystique said curtly, before exiting the kitchen and beckoning for the twins to follow. They went further down the hallway, where a room was hidden out of view, which was later revealed to be the living room. A man and a woman were already inside.

“That’s John Allerdyce, but he calls himself Pyro,” Mystique nodded to the blond man with a pipe, who winked at Wanda, much to Pietro’s displeasure.  “Over there is Spiral,” A woman was floating in the air at the back of the room, her six arms forming odd, mystical motions that Wanda was unfamiliar with.  She hardly acknowledged the others’ presence, her silver hair and large helmet hiding her face. “And outside somewhere is Avalanche.” Mystique added.

“Probably working in his little garden.” Pyro sneered.

The blue mutant paid little attention to the comment, glancing at the clock.  “Hmm.  It looks like you two will have to get situated yourselves.  I have an important meeting with Dr. Cooper.”

Pietro frowned. “Wait, you’re leaving?”

“Was, I have an important meeting with Dr. Cooper, not obvious?”

“Well, it’s just that I thought--”

“I do much more than simply command the Brotherhood of Mutants, Maximoff.” She didn’t elaborate on what she meant by this, because she was already marching out of the living room, her heels clicking on the floorboards in the hall, before the front door was opened and shut, marking her exit.

“Who’s Dr. Cooper?” Wanda asked once Mystique was gone, speaking up for the first time since entering the Brotherhood compound.

“This government skirt,” Pyro explained, leaving his spot by the fireplace to move closer to the twins.  His voice was rich with an Australian accent.  “She’s a bit of a pain in the ass, pittin’ us mutants against each other and all, but she had her uses.  You’ll see her soon enough on the telly.” He fixed his eyes on Wanda, a devilish smile appearing on his lips.

Okay, so she wasn’t quite the gentleman his classy outlook implied.

“What about her?” Wanda pointed over at Spiral, who was currently chanting an eerie incantation.  “What can she do?”

“Spiral?  Eh, I dunno, really.  I’m not even sure if she’s a mutant.  The boss likes keeping her on our roster though, so that’s that.  Just be careful around her, she’s got an interesting way of dealing with her emotions.”

Wanda glanced in Spiral’s direction, only to find the woman already staring right at her, pupiless white eyes staring into her soul. A cruel, ghostly smile appeared on her sunken face, turning Wanda’s blood to ice. Then, with a blood-curdling shriek, Spiral was gone in a bright burst of light, leaving everyone’s ears popping.

“Does she do that often?” Wanda asked.

“Too often.”

“Great.  I feel at home already.” Pietro rolled his eyes, tossing himself onto the couch like he owned the place.

“It’s not so bad.” Pyro argued.

“Really?  Then where’d you get those scars?”

Pietro gestured at three long--claw marks?--stretching across Pyro’s face, the skin tissue torn but slowly healing.  Wanda hadn’t even realized those were there, she had been too busy trying to avoid eye contact with the Aussie.

At the mention of the scar, Pyro’s face turned to a scowl.  He lit a match to refuel his pipe, the flames dancing at the birth of the spark.  They morphed into a masked face, its teeth drawn back in a snarl, making it look more animal than man.  “This damn Canadian caught me by surprise.  Won’t happen again, though, next time we face off.  Then we’ll see if his metal bones really are meltable.”

Wanda’s eyes met Pietro’s, and they shared a look of unease.  Between Mystique’s coldness, Blob's selfish attitude, Pyro’s ego, and Spiral’s unpredictability…the Brotherhood wasn’t quite as they had previously pictured.  But it was better than the mobs in Europe.  

And so what if the mutants here were rude and unsettling?  What mattered was that they were here to fight for a just cause, and that was worth putting up with Pyro or Blob if it meant Wanda would get to save mutants from the same fate Kurt had suffered.

 

“Alright, in ten years, where do you see yourself?”

Wanda had to think about it, tugging at the grass she sat on, pondering on the question. “Hmm. I suppose I’ll still be here, only I would be a real witch, not your mother’s apprentice. And maybe I would have my own booth.”

“Don’t take this the wrong way, but that sounds really boring.”

She gasped in mock offense. “What?! I’m going to be a witch, doofus! I imagine a life in the magical arts is anything but boring.”

“Ah, yes, but the way you described it was very boring.” Kurt chuckled, folding his arms behind his head, looking up at the clear blue sky

At thirteen years old, the two of them were working members of Jahrmarkt--well, at least Wanda was. She worked with Margali at her fortune teller booth, giving warm smiles to all the customers and accepting their payment. 

Kurt, on the other hand, was taking acrobatic lessons from Sabu, though Margali refused to let him perform. She feared how the audience would react if he appeared in the ring, and what they might do to him. This greatly frustrated Kurt, however. And the more acts Pietro and Stefan got to be in, the more restless he became.

Now, during a lazy afternoon, they were both lounging in a grassy spot not far from camp, basking in the sun’s warmth. But then Kurt just had to go about making fun of her plans for the future.

“Okay then, Mister. What are you going to be in ten years?”

“That’s easy.” He scoffed, looking insufferably relaxed. “Happy.”

“What do you mean?”

“Happy! I don’t care where I am in ten years, or what I’m doing, as long as I am happy. That is all I want.”

Wanda frowned, rolling her eyes. Of course he would go for the nobel answer. But deep down, she secretly admired him for it. Though she would never admit it to him. All it would do was boost his already inflated ego.

“Well, that’s all anybody wants. I mean, not everybody, but most strive for happiness in their life. And they never get it.” She pointed out, suddenly very serious. She had experienced tragedy at a very young age, and knew how the world could be cruel to the people who least deserve it. She just didn’t want him to be one of those people. “Are…are you sure that’s what you will be in ten years? Happy?”

He tilted his head sideways to look at her, giving her a ridiculously cheesy grin. “Of course, as long as I have you as my friend, right there with me.”

 

Things had been so much simpler back then. 

It was easy to play pretend, to get swept up by the innocence of childhood.  But innocence was always short lived, and it was easy to become trapped in the real world. A world where life is so much harder, and filled with hate. 

A life where you can lose those important to you, forever.

“Wanda?” Pietro creaked open the door to her new bedroom, finding her laying on her large bed, staring up at the ceiling blankly. It was very dark in her room, the blinds closed over the windows to block out the sun, all lamps and ceiling lights turned off. “Wait, have you been crying?”

“No.” She sat up, wiping her tear-stained cheeks. “I was just…lost in thought.”

“About Kurt?”

Sometimes her brother knew her so well, it scared her.

“Yes. It gets more difficult every day, Pietro. I--I can’t help but wonder what it would be like if he was still here, what he would say, what he would do…it all hurts so much, I, I feel so lost…!”

“I know. It’s tough, being here without him.” Pietro agreed, rubbing soothing circles into her back. “He was my friend too, remember? One of the few people who didn’t treat me like a lost cause, made me feel like I was worth something.”

“He had that effect on people.” She smiled sadly, resting her head on her twin’s shoulder. “But…I have nothing left to remember him by, anymore. Everything we owned was left at the house.”

“I wouldn’t say everything .” Pietro rubbed the back of his neck, pulling something out of his pocket. “We still have this.”

He handed a piece of paper to her and Wanda quickly examined it.  It was a photo. The precious keepsake she had wanted to retrieve from the house while they had been chased by the mob.  Pietro had it the whole time…?

The photo had been one of Wanda’s favorites, that was why she had worked so hard to keep it all these years.  It wasn’t in perfect condition, the paper dangerously thin and the edges torn. But that hardly mattered. What Wanda cared about was the people inside the photograph. 

A teenaged Wanda and Kurt stood in the center of a photo, still in costume and wearing makeup from after a show. Kurt had his arm wrapped around her shoulders, whispering something into her ear. It must have been something foolish, because in the picture she was rolling her eyes, an exasperated smile on her face.

“I swiped it from your room before I got into that fight with the townsmen.” Pietro explained. “You were asleep and I was awake, and I just needed something to help cope with…with Kurt being dead and all, so I figured that old photo you carried around might help. I didn’t think you’d mind.”

“I don’t mind at all.” Wanda smiles, this time much more genuine. Tears fill her eyes but they are a different kind of tear. She still had something to remind her of Kurt after all. “Thank you, Pietro.”

“Hey, what are brothers for? Look, even if Kurt’s gone, we still got each other, remember that. Who cares if everybody in this house are assholes? As long as you’re here, I’m happy. Guys like the X-Men don’t stand a chance once we join the fight.”

“The X-Men?” Wanda raises an eyebrow. “Who are you talking about?”

Pietro shrugged. “I don’t know. Pyro just said they’re this rival mutant group we’re going to be fighting a lot.”

“Fighting other mutants? I didn’t sign up for that! We’re all supposed to be on the same side!”

“Don’t get upset, maybe they’re turncloaks or something. But it doesn’t really matter.”

Wanda sighed. “I guess you’re right. And maybe Pyro was wrong. Afterall, Mystique said we’d be fighting against bigoted humans, not fellow mutants. I doubt we’ll see much of these X-Men .”

“Yeah.” Pietro grinned. “They’re probably not even that big a deal.”

Notes:

Okay, I know that when it comes to Mystique's Brotherhood, Destiny is usually in it. But Destiny isn't in this one, cuz in my mind she would just predict everything that would happen and tell Mystique, who would go, "Hell NO!", so, yeah. Sorry folks, no Destiny in this fic.

Chapter 3: Speaking of the X-Men...

BAMF!

“Ah-ha! Kätzchen!” Kurt cried, teleporting into the computer room, scaring the living daylight out of Kitty.

“Yikes!” His sudden arrival had caught her off guard, causing her to fall out of her chair and through the floor . A moment later her head popped back up through the carpeting, fixing him with a furious glare. “Don’t you have better things to do than pop in and interupt up my research?” She demanded.

“My apologies.” He held his hands out in surrender, while Kitty phased out of the floor and returned to her solid-state. “I was just excited.”

“Why?”

“Today just feels like a good day.” Kurt shrugged, forcing down any grief he felt, and burying it under smiles and joy. Today was a good day. He would make sure of it. There was no room for sadness or bad memories.

“Uh-huh.” Kitty didn’t look totally convinced. “Are you sure? ‘Cause you seem way too happy.”

He was aghast. “Too happy ? Was there ever such a thing?”

“Hey, you know what? You’re right. There’s nothing wrong with being happy…”

Kurt raised a suspicious eyebrow. Kitty never backed down from an argument so easily. “Are you just agreeing with me so you can ask for a favor?”

“Am I that obvious? Alright, fine, Ororo asked me to train with the X-Babies in the Danger Room today, but I really don’t wanna. Could you fill in for me?”

“Very well. But I still don’t understand why you keep calling the New Mutants “X-Babies”? Some of them are as old as you.”

“Yeah, but they’re inexperienced. I’ve been an X-Man longer. Way longer.”

Kurt shook his head. “That is no reason to call them babies. But fine, I will take your place. Besides, some extra training sounds like a good distraction.”

Kitty’s face scrunched up in confusion. “Distraction? From what.”

“Er, nothing. Forget it. Auf Wiedersehen!”

“Wait, hold on a sec--”

BAMF!

. . .

BAMF!

He teleported into the DR’s Observation Room, suited up and ready for action. He was a bit startled to find Magneto already there, hovering over the control panel, cape and all.

Even though it had been months since the X-Men’s mightiest foe replaced Professor Xavier’s place as headmaster at the school, Kurt still hadn’t gotten used to sharing a home with him. No one had. Most of the team still didn’t trust Magneto, and Kurt couldn’t blame them.

He nearly destroyed the X-Men numerous times, as well as the human race. That was not an easy thing to move past.

But it was clear the older mutant was doing his best to change for the better. And Kurt had always been taught to forgive, so he was willing to give Erik Lehnsherr the benefit of the doubt.

Magneto’s steely blue eyes focused on Kurt right as he teleported next to him, giving a slight nod as his greeting. “Nightcrawler.”

“Hallo. Shadowcat was not able to make it today, so I am here in her place.”

“Very well. We were just about to start with Program 15. You are familiar with Program 15, right?”

“Naturally. It is one of the first levels all X-Men train at when they join the team.” He already knew this program by heart; the idea was that the team splits up into groups and tries to survive the active Danger Room all while taking out the enemy group. The last group standing won.

“Right. Of course.” Magneto frowned for a moment, before gesturing to the window overlooking the Danger Room. “Well? Are you joining them or not?”

“Ja, I am.”

BAMF!

A moment later he was standing beside the New Mutants in a very gray and barren room, Rahne squeaking in surprise at his arrival. She still wasn’t used to the idea that Kurt could pop in at any moment. Her isolated childhood, and his demonic appearance didn’t help either.

“Guten Tag, everyone. I will be training with you all today, instead of Shadowcat. Magneto had mentioned Program 15, ja?”

“Yeah, Me, Dani, an’ Roberto were gonna go up against Rahne Xuân an’ Kitty.” Sam explained. “But now that you’re here you can be on their team.”

“Wunderbar.” Kurt smiled pleasantly. Danielle, Sam, and Roberto grouped together, while he stood closer to Xuân and Rahne. He asked, “Are you ladies ready to win?” 

Xuân nodded, glancing over at the others. “Yes, I suppose. But shouldn’t we come up with some sort of plan?”

“Ja, that is a good idea--”

But before he could finish, Magneto’s voice blared from the speakers, telling everyone to get ready. The next thing he knew, the Danger Room was activated.

Describing the Danger Room when active was like trying to describe a bomb going off. There was so much destruction and chaos unfolding all at once, in such a short period of time. Most of the time Kurt wasn’t even aware what was happening to the other X-Men when they trained in the Danger Room, because he was too busy trying not to get injured.

What he did notice, however, is that a flurry of spikes had been launched from one of the walls, several giant rubber red boxers gloves popped out of the walls to whack anyone who came near them, the ground opened up from under them, all while lasers, robots and what looked like a giant flamethrower had been activated. 

Kurt had forgotten how easy the Danger Room used to be.

Taken by surprise, Sam leaped onto the air as Cannonball, only to smack face-first into one of the boxer gloves. And even though he was invulnerable when airborne, he still ricocheted off the glove, plummeting to the ground, directly above Kurt and the girls.

“Look out!” Xuân cried, before using her powers to possess Sam, a pink sphere appearing around his head. She soon gained control of his powers, narrowly avoiding landing on top of Rahne.

Kurt appreciated the distraction, adrenaline pumping through his veins as he dodged lasers and taunted robots. The New Mutants were having a bit of a struggle, though. Dani made Xuân lose her control on Sam, and Rahne had shifted into her wolf form to try and outrun Roberto.

“Rahne! Rahne, the entire purpose of this exercise is to fight back !” Kurt called after her. She didn’t seem to hear him.

BAMF!

He teleported to avoid a fireball, and was now perched on the side of a wall. He was busy debating his next move, when suddenly the wall underneath him turned . One moment, Kurt was in the Danger Room. And the next, he was in a smaller, darker room.

He had once thought he would come to expect all the Danger Room’s nasty surprises. But this situation goes to prove you can never really expect anything from the Danger Room. Professor Xavier had programmed it so it was ever changing; challenging to even the most seasoned X-Men.

Kurt was about to teleport back to the outside, when he suddenly stopped himself. He wondered, what if someone from the other team ended up in this room as well? Given the DR’s mischievous personality, that was most likely. And with Kurt’s ability to blend into the shadows, it should be fairly easy to ambush his opponent and help his team win the game.

He hopped up to the upper corner of the room, his glowing eyes allowing him to see in the dark for any of the New Mutants that might accidentally stumble inside. He waited for a while, before Kurt started to wonder if one of the group’s had already won, and they were searching for him right now?

But then, a small opening appeared in one of the walls, and someone was tossed inside, grunting as they hit the floor. Kurt was able to make out her face right as the door shut.

Dani.

Perfect. Kurt could sneak up on her, and then his team would be one step closer to winning. Simple.

He leaped out of his hiding space, lunging at Danielle.

Maybe it was her keen senses, or just pure instinct, but she sensed his approach, swirling around to face him. She cried out in terror, her eyes widening in shock. He was never going to hurt her, but she didn’t know that, especially when someone was jumping out at her from the dark.

Before he could reach her, a huge, incredibly life-like 3-D projection was thrown in his face, filling the whole room, and Kurt hit the ground with a thud! It took a moment for him to recover, shaking himself off to get rid of all the stars. But then his vision cleared, his eyes focused on the projection Dani had created. He wondered what it was, time slowing down as he watched.

He was staring into the woods, late at night, the moon high in the sky. Angry shouts were heard in the distance, followed by the sound of gasping, leafs and twigs snapping as a teenager blundered through the forest, dizzy and uncoordinated.

Kurt’s heart stopped.

He knew what this was, what he was watching. He knew because he already lived it.

 

Kurt staggered to a halt, hands on knees as exhaustion wracked his body. His clothes had been torn, scrapes and bruises littered his body, and his bare feet were soaked in blood. But he hardly noticed this. His thoughts were somewhere else, racing inside his head.

Did he lead all of them away from her? Surely a demon was more tempting than a witch…he needed to keep moving, he couldn’t let them catch him. But what happened when his body ran out of energy, when their hate overpowered his desperation?

Twigs snapped and Kurt freezed, his ears pricked. Footsteps were thundering closer. He ducked behind some trees, holding his breath in fear as he tried to remain perfectly still. Normally he was invisible at night, but he wouldn’t risk the mob spotting him. Not now, not ever.

Peeking out from behind the tree, he saw that not too far away the angry villagers had paused their crusade. They seemed to be murmuring among themselves, and Kurt strained to hear. A decision must have been made though, because the mob suddenly let out a fierce yell, before charging deeper into the woods. Which took them farther away from Kurt.

He let out a sigh of relief, his entire body still quivering with fear. Coming out from his hiding place he stood atop the woods’ hill, overlooking the whole town and his circus’ camp. Good. This was good. They were gone. Now he just had to sneak back to Jahrmarkt and--

Then he saw it.

In the distance, the tiny village he had been running from was suddenly illuminated by a large fire that flared in the town square. It was too far to make out anymore details, but Kurt swore he heard more yelling from the town, and he was willing to bet on everything he owned that they had pulled out a wooden stake.

“Nein, nein, nein--!” He began stumbling down the hill, in a vain attempt to reach the town. He would have teleported, but he didn’t have any strength left to use his powers.

This wasn’t how it was supposed to go, he was supposed to distract the mob long enough for her to escape--he had been trying to protect her, to save her--but he failed. They were burning her, killing her, and there was nothing he could do about it.

A girl’s scream of pain echoed into the night.

“Wanda--!” He cried, when he suddenly sliced his foot open on a sharp stone. Siring pain now shooting up his foot, he fell to his knees, blood soaking the leaves underneath him. He didn’t pay any attention to that though, noticing how silent everything had suddenly become.

The girl’s scream had been abruptly cut off, and he knew what that meant. She was dead.

He never meant for this to happen. He should have listened, if he had just stayed in his wagon none of this ever would have happened. But he didn’t, and now he was paying for it. How could Margali ever take him back now, when he led her star pupil to her death? Wanda was like another daughter to her. And Pietro…Kurt would never be able to look him in the eyes again.

Grief overwhelming him, he lifted his face to the nightsky, and a long, desolate howl rose from his lips, filling the night’s empty void. He couldn’t help it, all his emotions needed to be released, and ever since he was little this was a way he dealt with great anger or sadness that couldn’t be expressed by words.

He was too miserable and distracted to notice there was a man sneaking up behind him, carrying something that looked like a rifle. Until…

BAM! 

Snikt! 

A loud gunshot went off, and Kurt threw himself onto the ground while the bullet lodged itself into a tree, exactly where his skull had been a moment ago. Heart thumping in his chest, Kurt wondered why the shooter had missed such an easy shot, with his all disoriented. But when he turned around to face his attacker, he found the answer. 

Three silver claws were pressed against the shooter’s throat, and a short but scary looking man with mutton-chops was standing behind him, the shadows hiding his face.

“You’ve got two options, bub.” The man with claws growled. “You can try taking another shot at the kid, an’ I kill ya before you even pull the trigger. Or you can leave him the hell alone an’ I letcha go.”

The man’s eyes widened, and Kurt suspected he just peed himself. But then he started nodding profusely, and the scary man chuckled. Snikt! The claws suddenly retracted, and then the shooter scampered off, casting one last terrified look at Kurt. He watched the frail man go, before his gaze was drawn back to the fire in the center of the town, which was still ablaze.

“I wouldn’t go back there if I was you.” Called a voice behind him. “Unless you’re a fan of pitchforks and wooden stakes.

“Then where can I go?” Kurt demanded, voice cracking. “I now have no home left!”

“Well, I may know a place. Ever heard of the X-Men?”

 

Then, just like that, the 3-D projection was suddenly gone, disappearing into thin air. 

Kurt felt as if his heart had been wretched out for the world to see. But right now, all that was left was the darkness and Danielle’s horrified face.

“N-Nightcrawler--Professor Wagner--I-I am so sorry!”

The poor girl was trembling, not just with fear but with…heartbreak. Seeing his past had greatly disturbed her. Kurt’s own emotions were a mess, divided between anger at Dani for exposing his most loathed memories, and sadness at being reminded of the night he lost Wanda.

So much for trying to make today a good day.

Despite this he forced the furious expression from his face, and tried smiling instead, to reassure Dani he held nothing against her. Even if the irrational side of him did. It wasn’t her fault, she was still learning to control her powers. And anyways, if he had been an enemy, she would have disarmed him perfectly. That move would save her life one day.

They just needed to work on dialing back her powers during training.

“It is…fine.” He said shakily, coming over to place a gentle hand on her shoulder. She flinched, like she expected him to take a swing on her. This did not help his mood. “I mean it. None of…that…was your fault.”

“B-but I--”

“Reacted instinctively. Look, I am not mad, okay? I may not be happy that both of us saw that particular memory, but I don’t hold it against you.”

She didn’t look like she believed him, suddenly looking so small and frail. But she slowly nodded her head, avoiding his gaze. “...Okay…”

Kurt could tell his words had little effect on her. Maybe it was time he got her back to her friends. Guiding Dani out of the DR’s little pocket room, he said,  “Well, I suppose the training session is over by now. And I think this means you beat me! Ach, Roberto is going to be so pleased with that, especially if it means your team won. Heaven help us if he starts gloating.”

 

. . .

 

Someone knocked on the door.

“Come in!” Kurt called from the windowsill of his room, where he had been staring out at the night sky.

Logan shuffled inside, the clink of glass signaling that he had brought beer. “Care to explain why our little Cheyenne warrior burst into tears when asked about your training session?”

Kurt sighed. Dani was typically so strong, but after seeing his past, she became distraught. All throughout the day, she tried to avoid him. But he could tell how this was taking a toll on her.

“ You know what today is. You tell me what happened.”

“I’m guessing you got all upset about losing that witch friend of yours--how long ago is that now? Four years?”

“ Six .”

“Yeah, an’ I think you tried making yourself feel better by acting happy an’ suppressing your real emotions. But then the  kid used her powers on you in the DR, an’ accidentally pulled that memory outta your brain. An’ that pissed you off. How’s that?”

“You are right.” Kurt admitted, as Logan sat on the windowsill with him, handing him one of the beer bottles. “I don’t understand why I am upset, though. I have been through this for years . I was only sixteen when that happened, but now I am twenty three.”

“Grief has a funny way of messing with you.” Logan agreed, slurping down his beer. “Thing is, it don’t ever leave you. Right when you think you’re over it, there it is.”

“I wish I could get over it.” His voice was raw with emotion now. “Do you realize that I have nothing to remember her by? No keepsake, no photo, nothing. And…and I hate that, because with each passing day, it gets harder and harder to remember her face. I remember what she looks like, but…I can’t picture it right anymore. She’s becoming a stranger .”

“That sucks.” Logan’s brutal honesty could sometimes offend people, but Kurt could tolerate it. And despite his current mood, he preferred the truth over sugar-coating. “But if I've told you before Kurt, I’ve told you dozens of times. You gotta cope with this stuff. Even if it hurts like hell, it’ll hurt you a lot more if you keep burying it and lying to yourself. That’s worse than dwelling on what could have been.”

“She could have been alive.” He said softly. He might not have been directly involved in Wanda’s death, but he still played a part in it. And he could never forgive himself for that.

Logan, meanwhile, had an oddly thoughtful look on his face. “How about we raise a toast to her then, eh?”

Kurt thought about it for a moment, before a small smile grew across his face. “I’d like that.”

“Alright then. To Wendy--”

“Wanda.”

“Wanda…uh…Maxee--”

“Maximoff.”

“Maximoff. To Wanda Maximoff!”

“To Wanda Maximoff!” Kurt cried, clinking his beer with Logan, his sorrows drowned out by the golden liquid.

Notes:

The X-Men are a little scattered in this fic. the OG's don't show up, Xavier is hardly mentioned, and we only see the first New Mutants, no Doug or Illyana or Amara or Warlock. Just a heads up, but none of this really matters. I mean, the whole point of this fic is Kurt and Wanda, amiright?

Chapter 4: The Hunter

Notes:

I've actually decided not to include a flashback for EVERY chapter because that's just ludicrous. Though I would like to later include flashbacks of things like Kurt's first time as a circus acrobat, or Wanda trying to learn witchcraft but Kurt keeps interrupting, cute things like that.

Wanda was…slowly adjusting to New York. She wasn’t a fan of the ominous buildings that blocked out the sun and sky, or the various different languages everyone seemed to speak, making communication very difficult. But it could be worse.

At least, in a city as big as this, it was harder to stand out. With crowds spilling out onto the streets, it was very easy to blend in and pretend she was neither a witch nor a mutant. She was currently in a cute little coffee shop with Pietro, seeking refuge from the cold.

“Blob makes me sick.” Pietro complained.

“How come? You both have the same table manners, that’s common ground.” Wanda pointed out, noticing how her twin inhaled his scones. Maybe she should have bought both of them a coffee instead. Sure, giving him caffeine was a baaaad idea, but at least she wouldn’t have to watch him eat and then feel disgusted.

“He almost sat on me.”

“Maybe he didn’t see you.”

“We were in the middle of having a conversation!”

“Well, then maybe he doesn’t like you.”

“That doesn’t make any sense.” Frowned Pietro. “I try to be friendly to everyone in the Brotherhood, but all they give me are snide remarks and glares. Doesn’t seem that different from Europe, honestly.”

Wanda sighed. “In Europe we couldn’t even help ourselves. But now we have the resources to help other mutants, and a team to protect us from big threats.”

 

---

 

Nimrod always completed his tasks, whatever they may be.

Currently, here in New York, his task was to protect the people from all threats. Be they drug dealers, terrorists, violent criminals, mutants, he would make sure they were apprehended and dealt with.

It was easy to do this, under the guise of Nimrod’s human alias Nicholas Hunter, which had been chosen out by Nimrod’s human ally Jaime Rodriguez. Nimrod found the suffix of the name fitting. Because Nimrod was indeed a hunter. And Nimrod lived for the thrill of the hunt.

Walking into the human coffee shop had been simple, even if Nimrod could not consume the human materials for “food” or “drinks.” But there was something oddly…enjoyable about pretending to be human. It was not something Nimrod did not understand, nor was programmed to understand.

But ultimately the humans did not matter. It was Nimrod’s task that mattered. The humans were just lucky enough it had been programmed into Nimrod’s database to protect them.

However, 0.4 seconds after walking through the door to “Starbucks,” Nimrod detected two mutants within the premises. Even when pretending to be Nicholas Hunter, Nimrod still had the sensors and scanning devices Nimrod had been built with. Locating the mutants was a menial task.

A male and a female, both the human age of twenty one. The male had wispy pale hair, and his facial features indicated that he was frustrated. The female had many dark brown curls, and a complicated expression that Nimrod did not care to read into. Searching Nimrod’s database for the two, Nimrod could not find a match. That meant they were not yet a part of any known mutant terrorist groups.

That made Nimrod’s task much easier.

Nimrod approached the mutants, still in human form.

“We don’t need a pack of thugs to protect us.” The male was saying. “We have been protecting each other just fine since--” He came to an abrupt stop when Nimrod approached.

“Can we help you?” The female asked.

“ You already have .” Nimrod said, raising the blasters located in the palm section of the hand into the air. The mutants froze in confusion, a fatal mistake. 

“Hey, look,” The male said sharply, rising from his chair. “If you got a problem with us, we can take it outside, because--”

Nimrod did not care to let him finish, instead releasing a powerful purple plasma blast, ravaging the area the mutants were in, careful not to harm the humans. The mutants, however, were thrown (violently, as a human would say) through the window of the store and flung into the street outside.

 

---

“Wanda!”

Wanda’s eyes snapped open, just in time to see a tour bus rushing towards her, too fast and too close for the driver to hit the brakes in time. She braced herself for the impact, but the wind suddenly picked up and she was swept off her feet. In a blink of the eye she was back on the sidewalk with Pietro, bruised, but safe.

“Thanks!”

“Hey, what are brothers for?”

She smiled at this, but her relief was short-lived. The man that attacked them had hopped through the shattered window of the coffee shop, and now the busy street was the only thing standing between him and the twins. 

Wanda’s breath caught in her throat when the man’s form flickered, like a mirage. One moment, he appeared like any other ordinary man. But then a truck came, blocking him from her view. And when it had passed, the man was no longer there.

Instead, there was a giant white robot standing in his place, with a wide, ugly pink face. Its fists glowed with energy, so powerful Wanda could feel it simmering from across the street. The robot glanced at all the gawking pedestrians, before announcing, “ I am Nimrod . I have located mutants in your midst, and I will proceed to deal with them. For your own safety, it is encouraged that you evacuate this location. ”

“You have got to be kidding me.” Pietro rolled his eyes as all the humans scampered away. “They have mutant-hunting robots here? Seriously?”

“I think he already established that.” Wanda pointed out, summoning a hex bolt. She was wondering whether this Nimrod worked for the police force or was his own self-employed vigilante? Either way, he was a threat that needed to be stopped.

She prepared to throw her hex bolt, when a sudden purple blast was fired at lightning speed, incinerating her hand. Wanda screamed in pain, cradling her wounded arm, smoke rolling off charred flesh, the sleeve to her coat ruined.

Pietro’s eyes darkened. “Wanda! Alright, bastard, nobody hurts my sister!” He was gone in a silver blur, zooming across the now deserted street, ramming into Nimrod, managing to knock him off balance. Her brother smiled smugly as the robot landed on the ground with a thud!

But then with speed just about equal to Pietro’s, Nimrod was on his feet. Her brother had no time to react before the robot’s hand wrapped around his throat, suspending him into the air. Then Nimrod tilted his arm back, and launched Pietro into the air, so far and with such force that he disappeared from view, a small crash heard in the distance.

“Pietro!” Wanda cried, terror rattling her bones.

“ Don’t worry, it’s your turn now. ” Nimrod reassured her.

 

---

 

“Everyone, suit up! Immediately!”

Kurt had been enjoying an early snack in the kitchen, until Kitty and Piotr came in, and then he was stuck listening to their very awkward flirting. 

He sighed, shaking his head. Teenagers. They had no idea how to talk to each other.

So when Ororo came, Kurt was more than ready to listen. “What is it?”

“Rachel was using Cerebro, and has found Nimrod deep in Manhattan, attacking a pair of mutants.”

“Vas?” Kurt frowned. It had been a while since the X-Men had fought the sentinel hunter known as Nimrod, but they still had many bruises from their last encounter. He was not pleased they would be meeting him again, but he also shuddered to think what Nimrod would do to a couple of untrained mutants.

“We’ll get ready immediately.” Kitty said, she and Piotr rising out of their chairs.

“Wait,” Ororo stopped them, her sky-blue eyes filled with worry. “Rachel also picked up on several mutants scattered around the area, moving closer to Nimrod. And she has recognized their thoughts.”

“The Brotherhood?” Kurt guessed, his heart sinking. Of course they would try to get involved. “Mystique included?”

“Yes.”

“Then we better hurry.”

 

---

 

With her good hand, Wanda fired multiple hex bolts at the damn robot, but they all harmlessly bounced off of him, as if he were shielded by something.

“Dammit!”

“ Mutants are too predictable .” Nimrod chided, shooting his own plasma blasts at her. She barely had enough time to duck and roll before they sizzled past her, just skimming her back.

Climbing to her feet, she found herself face to face with Nimrod.

It was hard to describe what exactly had happened. One moment, she was standing, the next, she was laying in the crumbled pieces of a building, her clothes all tattered and skin bruised. Ow.

Think think think! He was designed to hunt mutants, right? Then that meant her powers were practically useless against him. He would be able to counterattack anything she threw at him. It was hard to focus when in so much pain, but Wanda’s foggy brain was finally able to realize that she had more than just mutant powers at her disposal. She was also a witch .

Unfortunately, casting a spell took concentration, and at the moment focus was beyond her capabilities.

She scooted back when Nimrod approached, too dizzy to stand on her own. He prepared to fire at her, when a huge, fiery dragon rammed into him, burning through his force field and singeing one of his arms. 

“Your lil’ mutie scanner didn’t help you this time, did it?” The voice of Pyro laughed from somewhere close by. 

As if to prove his point, some green giant came barreling down the street, roaring as it pinned Nimrod down and pounding over and over---with enough force to shatter the bones of a human---until the robot got one lucky punch, and the green monster was knocked right next to Wanda.

She had finally made it to her feet and had been observing the fight, but now facing the large green man she stumbled back in fright. “Who are you?”

“Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten me so soon, dearie.” A smooth, familiar voice answered, not matching the bulky, brutish form of the green man. But in the blink of an eye Mystique was standing there instead, a coy smile on her lips. Though her yellow eyes blazed with anger.

“How---What’s the Brotherhood doing here?” Wanda asked, suddenly suspicious instead of scared. “Have you been following me and Pietro around this whole time?!”

“Don’t flatter yourself; Spiral knew Nimrod was attacking you two, and teleported us all here to help. She’s grabbing your brother right now, as we speak.”

“Wait, how did she know we were here?”

“Her powers, I suppose.” Mystique shrugged, as if she didn’t really know the answer herself. “I’m beginning to think there’s nothing she doesn’t know.”

Wanda shuddered at the thought, glancing back at the street. She was happy to see that Blob and Avalanche had arrived too, and were doing a great job of distracting Nimrod. The robot still had the upper hand, but at least he was preoccupied beating someone else up, instead of her.

“Should we help them?” She asked.

“No. I’d like to consider this a learning experience.” Mystique grinned. Even though Nimrod appeared to be winning, he eventually stopped, freezing in place, eyes flashing like warning lights.

“ More mutants are approaching .” He blared, and Wanda wasn’t sure if he was talking to himself, or warning the Brotherhood. “ Best course of action: Withdraw from fight and observe from afar. ”

Without waiting for their response, he rocketed into the sky, jets exploding from the soles of his feet, disappearing into the New York skyline until he was nothing but a speck. They all watched him go, speechless for a moment.

“I didn’t understand a word he said,” Pyro said finally. “But I’m guessing this means we win!”

Blob and Avalanche erupted into cheers, but their fun was soon spoiled.

“Not so fast.” Cut in a cool, yet shrill voice. Wanda turned and found Spiral right next to her, standing as if she had been there the whole time. Wanda staggered back, but to her surprise and relief, Pietro was with the six-armed woman.

He was horribly bruised, all his clothes ruined just like hers, but he was alive, and still on his feet. He was also looking for a rematch. “Where is he?! Lemme at him, and I’ll show that Terminator reject that nobody treats Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch like that--!”

“You’re a bit late to the party, mate.” Pyro snorted, fueling Pietro’s rage even more.

“Yeah. The trashcan hightailed it outta here.” Blob agreed. “Better luck next time, Speedy.”

“Now is not the time for celebration.” Spiral warned, turning to Mystique. “The X-Men are fast approaching. Soon they will be upon us. How do we proceed?”

The blue shape-shifter paused for a moment, her gloved fingers hovering over her chin, lost in thought. “I suppose it’s about time we remind Xavier’s pets what it’s like to be true liberators.”

“So we’re not goin’ home?” Blob asked in dismay.

“No. Spiral?”

One simple command, and Spiral nodded. With a wave of her hand, they were out of the streets and in the middle of an office building not far from the Nimrod battle, Pietro gasping in awe.

But Wanda wasn’t that impressed. The whiplash from teleporting painfully reminded her of a certain someone.

“Why’re we here ?” Pyro asked.

“Guerrilla tactics.” Mystique explained, though Pyro still looked confused. “Hit-and-run? No? Do you know anything about battle strategy?”

“I can’t believe this.” Pietro mumbled to Wanda, out of earshot from the Brotherhood. “First, we fight a frickin’ murder robot, who almost killed both of us, and now we’ve got to fight mutant superheroes?! We’ve only been a part of the Brotherhood for a few days!”

“Do you want to tell them you’re backing out?” Wanda pointed to the rest of the Brotherhood, frowning as she did. “I don’t like this anymore than you do. I’m hurt, tired, and this was my favorite outfit, but now it’s ruined! But we can’t keep running from every problem we face--no offense.”

“Fine. We stay.” Pietro sighed, running a hand through his silvery hair. “But the moment something seriously life-threatening happens, we’re gone. Deal?”

“Deal.” She agreed, shaking his hand.

Notes:

I actually haven't decided what Kurt deal with Mystique is yet. Does he know she's his mom? Does he just think she's like a misunderstood bad guy? I don't know. Anybody got any ideas?

Chapter 5: Reunion

Notes:

Sort of a long chapter, but trust me, it's worth it.

Kurt was locked in battle with the Brotherhood mutant Avalanche, doing his best to teleport away from all the seismic waves the Greek mutant summoned.

The floor beneath him was currently buckling uncontrollably, like restless ocean waves during a storm. If the fool was not careful, he would bring the entire building down.

BAMF!

“Tsk tsk, and I thought you were happy to see me.” Kurt shook his head, appearing behind Avalanche. Quickly, he placed his three-fingered hands on the man’s shoulder, before teleporting around the building as much as he could, as fast as possible.

It was by the tenth ‘port that he finally felt Avalanche’s body go limp. Satisfied, Kurt teleported once more to leave him lying unconscious in the street outside, and then teleported back up to where the fight was taking place. Or at least, most of it.

The Brotherhood had chosen an office building as their little fort for the time being, so chairs and desks had been tipped over and smashed through the windows, all the mutants in the building wreaking havoc. Blob and Piotr were wrestling down in the lobby, Kitty was barely managing to elude Spiral, and Pyro was grappling with Logan. Outside, Kurt could see Ororo fighting Mystique. The shapeshifter had taken on the appearance of Angel to match Storm in the sky.

“Logan, look out--!” Kurt cried, distracted as one of Pyro’s fiery monsters scorched his friend, the beast’s long, claw-like hands wrapping  around Logan’s body. But before Kurt could reach him, Wolverine had been thrown into a wall, his skin burned and ashy.

“I’m fine!” Logan spat when Kurt tried to help him, waving off his concern. “I gotta healing factor, remember? Just lemme at that Aussie!” Snkit! Snkit!

“But--” Kurt tried to protest, though Logan was already rushing off. And before he could chase after him, Rogue suddenly came crashing through the ceiling. She landed in a heap on the ground, chucks of rubble strewn around her battered body.

But despite her injuries, Rogue’s green eyes were lit with rage. “Dammit!”

Kurt quickly helped her to her feet, careful to avoid the tears in her costume. “What happened?”

“Ah was scoutin’ the roof an’ a couple o’ newbies got the drop on me.”

“Newbies?”

“Yeah. Mama---Mystique---must’a done some recruiting’, ‘cause ah didn’t recognize those two.”

“What did they do?”

“Well, I managed to catch one o’ them, this boy, and absorb his memories an’ powers. ‘Cept, this girl he was with, didn’t like that. Not one bit. Bitch blasted me with her powers, an’ the next thing ah know, ah’m down here with enough bruises t’ make me as blue as you .”

“Yikes.” Kurt agreed. “How about I make you a deal? Someone needs to keep an eye on Wolverine in case he does something crazy. Why don’t we switch? I will take care of your friends on the roof, and you can watch Logan for me?”

Rogue thought about it for a moment, before nodding. “Deal. Just be careful, that bitch packs a wallop !”

“Since when am I not careful?”

Kurt might have imagined it, but he thought he saw Rogue roll her eyes at him. Though he teleported too quickly to be certain, the purple cloud of sulfur and brimstone swallowing the world around him.

BAMF!

It was as easy as stepping into another room, though nowhere near as fun. The cloud disvaporated, revealing that Kurt had hopped out on top of a wide, peaceful rooftop. It was one of those zen-designs, with little gardens everywhere, as well as work benches and tables. There even seemed to be a bar in the back, hidden behind the elevator.

Scanning around, Kurt saw no signs of the mutants Rogue had warned him about. Was it possible that they left? Hopefully. That was two less opponents the X-Men had to worry about.

Walking over to the ledge of the roof, He looked down at an abandoned construction site below, the wooden supports and metal beams marking the outline of an unfinished building, though it was much smaller than the one he was currently on.

He wondered what poor, innocent souls Raven had dragged into her web of lies this time? If they were lucky, they would--

The world suddenly tilted and Kurt realized he was being tackled, one of the Brotherhood mutants ramming right into him. They both cried out in alarm, because Kurt’s balance failed him, and he fell off the ledge, taking the mutant with him. There was nothing for him to grab hold of, nothing to latch onto, only air.

They were plummeting to the ground.

Quickly, Kurt tried to grab hold of the Brotherhood mutant, so he could teleport both of them to safety, but they shoved him away. 

They were getting too close to the ground. 

Kurt quickly teleported, planning to catch the mutant once he was safe, aiming for the bottom of the construction site they were about to land on.

BAMF!

Bang! 

But as soon as he teleported several feet from the sandy ground, his head bashed against something made of metal, a blistering headache blurring his vision for a second, before everything went black.

 

---

 

When that girl with the white-striped hair removed her glove and touched Pietro with her bare hand, he immediately fell unconscious, as if he had been punched. Scared that he might have been seriously hurt, Wanda had blasted the girl with all three hex bolts (that was her limit before she had to recharge) and got rid of her as quick as she came.

Wanda then dragged Pietro behind the roof’s open bar, to get both of them out of the open. Everything hurt like hell, and she was worried because she had no idea what was wrong with her brother.

So when she noticed the X-Man appeared on the roof, she didn’t hesitate to try and take him down. She didn’t even bother trying to study him, she simply charged and tried to tackle him to the ground so she could blast him with her powers.

Maybe it wasn’t the best plan she could come up with, but in her defense she had been blasted and battered around a lot. She wasn’t in a good headspace.

But what she hadn’t known about the X-Man, was that he was standing next to a ledge.

As they fell, the X-Men had suddenly disappeared, leaving it up to Wanda to save herself. Summoning one weak hex, she managed to not hit anything on her way down, landing hard on her back, her bones miraculously not cracking.

Wanda groaned in pain, slowly crawling to her hands and knees. Even though she wasn’t critically injured, everything still hurt like hell.

Why, oh why did she not pay more attention to those healing spells Margali taught her? She could have been in her mentor’s wagon with Jimaine, learning useful stuff, instead of playing with her brother and the Szardos boys.

Well, at least the fall hadn’t seriously injured her. That was a plus.

The X-Man though, was a different story. She could see his body laying limply underneath the building’s frame, all the shadows of the boards above falling over him like a blanket, cloaking him in darkness.

Wanda hesitated, unsure what to do. Was he dead? She couldn’t see him breathing…if he was dead, it would be her fault.

Carefully, she crept closer to the X-Man. The shadows still hid him from her, even as she crouched inches from him. The light from the sun at least managed to trace out the edges of his suit though, and she was relieved to see his sides slowly rising and falling. Good. He was alive.

She moved to try and wake him, before pausing. He was an X-Man, and everyone in the Brotherhood had told her not to trust any of them.

But then again, most of the Brotherhood wasn’t so trustworthy themselves. And she knew what would happen when a helpless mutant lying on the ground was found by the wrong sort of humans. 

Wanda also felt…empathetic towards the X-Man, for some strange reason. Maybe he didn’t want to fight her as much as she didn’t want to fight him? She did attack him before he had a chance to explain himself. She should at least make sure he was okay. And if she was wrong about him, she could just use her powers. 

Reaching out, she shook him, whispering softly, “Hey, are you--”

His eyes suddenly snapped open. And the next thing Wanda knew, his fist was being launched into her face.

“Ow!” Wanda cried, cursing under her breath as she scrambled away from the X-Man, clutching her left eye. Oh dear Lord, she could feel it swelling shut.

“Ach! Sorry!” The X-Man apologized. Wanda was covering her face with her hands, so she couldn’t see him, but she could hear him rushing to her side. “I am so, so sorry! I would never hit a lady like that! Even if we were enemies! It was just startling to wake up and find someone looming over me and all. Pure instinct, I swear.”

“Stay back!” Wanda snapped, trying to shoo him away while still hiding her face. “I might not be able to see very well, thanks to you, but I still have my powers!”

“Don’t worry. At the moment, I am not your enemy anymore. I never wanted to be in the first place. I don’t know what the Brotherhood told you…” He paused, though Wanda was hardly paying attention, pain drowning out his words. “...You’re hurt ! You are clearly suffering from more than just a punch, you’re clothes are all tattered--”

“I’m fine.” Wanda huffed, cringing when he mentioned her clothes. The red jacket and top she was wearing had been so cute, but now they were all ruined. And she didn’t even want to think about what the rest of her looked like.

“Nein, you are clearly not . Let me see---don’t struggle, I won’t hit you anymore, I promise.” A pair of large, oddly-shaped, yet gentle hands held hers. One tried to pry her hands away from her face, while the other was delicately lifting her chin so he could see her face better.

“Please don’t be alarmed by my appearance, I just want to make sure your eye is alright.” He finally managed to get her hands out her face, though Wanda refused to look at him, as a form of silent protest. “Ach, I hit you harder than I thought. Your eye is all bruised and swollen. I truly am sorry.”

“I guess this is payback for pushing you off the roof?” Wanda made a half-hearted attempt at a joke, brushing her hair our of her face. The situation was so awkward, she just hoped no one from the Brotherhood saw get punched by an X-Man.

“Yes, well--” A pause. 

Wanda turned to face him, curious as to why he suddenly stopped.

He made a strangled noise in the back of his throat when he saw her. “ W-Wanda?! ”

She blinked in confusion, but then she got a good look at the X-Man for the first time. 

His face was fuzzy and blue, with elvish pointed ears, bright yellow eyes, and thick inky black curls. His jaw was hanging wide open, as if he was trying to say something but just couldn’t get it out, revealing glistening white fangs.

She was staring into the face of Kurt Wagner.

The same Kurt Wagner who died six years ago.

Wanda’s brain short circuited, and she didn’t know what to do. Was he…a ghost? No, his hand was still tucked under her chin, and he felt real. Necromancy, then? Margali though had told her that that form of magic was highly guarded and forbidden, due to its unethical nature.

But if he wasn’t brought back from the dead, how was he here? In New York? With the X-Men? She had been with him the night he died, she heard the gunshot, heard his last scream . Even after running through the woods all she found was a trail of blood. The memory alone brought tears to her eyes. What horrible deed had she done to deserve torment like this? To be tricked into believing he had come back to her?

“Wanda…” His voice drew her out of her thoughts, and when she looked up at him there was a small, hopeful smile on his face. “Is it really you?”

“I…I…” She couldn’t speak, couldn’t find a way to convince herself this was real. For all she knew this was a bizarre dream, and she was about to wake up. She pulled away from him. “N-No, this isn't right. You’re not really here , I…must have hit my head harder than I thought. That’s it. This can’t be real.”

“But it is.”

He looked so happy . It was like a punch in the gut. Maybe it would be easier if Wanda did play along, and let herself get swept up in the fantasy of Kurt coming back from the dead. But that didn’t change the fact that this couldn’t be real, and Wanda would get her heart broken all over again by losing him a second time.

“I…I have to go.” She spun around, trying to flee from the construction site, and away from the Nightcrawler Doppelgänger. In a few moments she would wake up in her bed and learn that she slipped and hit her head during the battle with the X-Men.

But Kurt had other ideas.

“Wait, don’t go!” He cried, one of his hands grabbing her wrists.

“Let go of me!” She yelled, struggling to get out of his grasp, but he was too strong. 

He turned her around to face him, both hands now wrapped around her wrists. His voice was pleading, filled with desperation. “Please, just listen--”

“Go away!” Her hands began to glow red, a hex beginning to form from her palms, burning with energy. If he wasn’t going to leave her alone then she would make him.

“Wanda!” For some reason she paused, dimming down her powers as she looked into his yellow eyes. They were glowing brightly, with such joy she had to resist the urge to smile. Even when she was screaming and threatening to use her powers against him, he was still glad to see her. No, he was more than glad. He was elated.

And for the first time she looked at him, really looked at him, instead of closing him out and running away.

Despite his calm, relaxed posture, his tail was twisting itself into knots, his peculiar toes were digging into the sandy floor nervously, just like he used to do when they were children. And he was wearing his circus costume, she realized. The red and black suit with the specially designed gloves and boots, and a small hole for his tail.

Everything about him was just like her best friend, regardless of the last six years that had passed.  Even his voice, though much deeper, was still rich with the German accent from his homeland. She didn’t know how she missed that.

“Wanda.” Kurt said again, letting go of her wrists. 

She didn’t run. Instead, she held his gaze, hesitantly reaching a hand out, afraid that if she touched him he would disappear. She finally rested her hand against his face, feeling the sleek, velvety fur. He was real. This wasn’t a dream. And his smile grew wider when he saw the realization in her eyes.

“It’s me.” He promised.

“Kurt--!” Wanda flung her arms around him, unable to hold back anymore. She buried her face into his neck, inhaling the scent of him, soaking in his warmth. He really was here, with her. 

This wasn’t a punishment at all. This was the greatest gift anyone could have given her.

Kurt started laughing like a mad man, spinning her in the air. She was half laughing, half crying at this, holding on tight to him until he finally set her back on the ground.

“At first, it seemed too good to be true.” He said, tail lashing excitedly.. “But you really are here! And look at how you have grown! You look…verwunderlich.”

That made her blush. “You don’t look so bad yourself.” Though now she was realizing just how much he had changed in the past six years. In the circus, Kurt had been a scrawny teenager--a very athletic teenager, yes--but still growing, not yet fully adjusted to his own skin. 

But now? She was looking at an incredibly well built, full-grown man. His hair had been cut shorter, making it less wild, and his face had lost any roundness from leftover baby fat, his features now sharp and aquiline. But despite this, he was still the same. Still her Kurt.

“Wait, I still don’t understand.” She paused, brushing hair and tears out of her face. “Where have you been this whole time?”

“With the X-Men. They took me in after…”

They both knew what he meant, but neither of them were ready to talk about it. They were reunited, that was what mattered. The story behind that night they lost one another could wait.

Kurt was trying to speak again, but seemed too happy to form coherent words, much to Wanda’s amusement. So he settled for hugging her instead, pulling her into a tight embrace. Something inside her clicked, like the last piece of the puzzle being put into place, completing it. For the first time in a long time, she felt whole .

But then she winced because one of her bruises seared, killing the mood. 

Kurt frowned, pulling away to look at her bruised face again. He looked guilty. “Ach, I still can’t believe I punched you--”

“It’s okay, really, it doesn’t hurt that bad--”

But he wasn’t done, his worry for her as obvious as the black eye on her face. “What happened to the rest of you? You look like you were hit by the Wrecking Crew!”

“Don’t you mean wrecking ball ?”

“Nein, they’re…nevermind. Just tell me what did this to you?”

“It was a robot named Nimrod.”

Kurt’s frown deepened. “I should have known.”

“But look, I’m okay! And we’re together again! Isn't that more important than a few lumps and bruises?” She smiled to try and prove she wasn’t hurt badly. 

Kurt’s eyes narrowed, but then he gave up the serious charade, breaking into another smile. “You are right.”

“I’ve missed you.”

“I’ve missed you too, meine Freund.”

They stared at each other for a moment, in silence. It felt like they had a lifetime to catch up on, and neither knew where to start. The night where everything bad happened was the most obvious option, but…

Wanda never got to finish that thought, because an explosion erupted from the building she had pushed Kurt off of, followed by maniacal laughter that sounded a lot like Pyro.

“The X-Men--!” Kurt’s eyes were wide as he remembered there was still a battle taking place. “I cannot believe I forgot they were up there!”

“I’m sure they’re fine.” Wanda tried to reassure him, but she was just as worried as he was. Pietro had been up there too. Was he hurt?

But then she caught sight of a silver streak racing away from the building, down a street and out of view. Her brother was safe after all. That was good. Though if Pietro was leaving, that meant the rest of the Brotherhood was too. And she didn’t want to risk them spotting Kurt. If they found out Wanda had a connection to one of the X-Men, she had no idea what they would do. But it probably wouldn’t end well.

“Look, I have to go.” She said quickly, already running from the construction site, ignoring the ache of her heart. “But I’ll see you again! I’m sure of it!”

She didn’t have the chance to get one last look at Kurt’s face, because after several steps she almost ran into something. Or rather, someone almost ran into her .

“Wanda!” Pietro’s face brightened as he slowed down. But then his brow furrowed in anger. “Wait a second, who the hell gave you that black eye?!”

“Oh, no one. Is it that noticeable?”

“That’s like asking if my awesomeness is that noticeable.”

“Great, that means no one will see it?” She laughed at the look on his face, nudging him playfully. “I’m just teasing you, don’t get so upset.”

“You seem oddly happy for a person who just got punched.” Pietro said suspiciously, turning back to the construction site she appeared from. “And how’d you end up here? I thought the fight was going on inside the building. And I thought I heard you talking to someone back there…”

“It’s nothing.” Wanda said quickly, glancing back at the construction site too. She felt a wave of relief when she saw it was empty. Kurt must have teleported away. Then she started to wonder, what if she told Pietro about Kurt? She trusted her brother, and he would never tell the Brotherhood he knew one of the X-Men. “Actually, Pietro, you wouldn’t believe what I--”

“You what?”

Spiral had appeared out of nowhere, right behind Wanda and Pietro, her smile illuminated like a crescent moon. She looked at Wanda with narrowed, knowing eyes, their pale color glittering in a way that made Wanda’s breath catch in her throat. It was like Spiral was daring her to come out and say it.

She had no problem with telling Pietro about Kurt, but Spiral? Out of all the Brotherhood members, including Mystique, Spiral was the one Wanda trusted the least. Something about her seemed…horribly sadistic.

“Nothing.” Wanda looked away, unable to hold the mysterious woman’s gaze any longer. “I was just wondering where everyone else went.

Pietro gave her a confused look, but Spiral was already answering the question, one of her arms held up in a gesture. “The fight ended when the weather witch, no offense, blasted Mystique with a lightning bolt. The rest of the Brotherhood scattered, and Mystique wants me to pick them up and teleport them back to the compound. The X-Men pretty much disappeared after that, but you never know. One of them could have tried following you back to the compound, and that would end horribly. For them .”

Chapter 6: Rendezvous

Wanda was alive .

How was that possible? He had been so sure…and yet, six years later, he had found her just a week ago, alive and well. 

Then again, maybe not well. He’d punched her…and she had fought Nimrod before that…but she should have healed a bit by now. And she was alive!

It was a miracle. He still wanted to know how she had survived this whole time without his knowledge, if his family was still alive and well, what Pietro was up to--but he couldn’t ask her any of these things, because she was living in the secret Brotherhood compound.

Kurt should have just asked her to join the X-Men instead of letting her say goodbye. That was a stupid move on his part.

But still…she was alive . And Kurt couldn’t be happier. His friends noticed this, too.

“What’s up with you?” Kitty asked after the movie everyone had been watching in the living room went to commercial break. “You’re all smiley. But not the bad kind of smiley like a few days ago.” Her eyes narrowed suspiciously. “Is this about a girl ?”

“Nein, of course not.” Well, yes, but not in the way she was implying.

“Oh, it’s so a girl!” Rogue grinned.

“This has nothing to do with romantic relationships.” Kurt sighed, wishing the commercials would hurry up and put the movie back on. “Can’t a man just be happy and not face speculation in this family?”

“No.” Kitty and Rogue said in unison, smiling like gossiping school girls.

“Leave Kurt alone.” Ororo defended him, though a mischievous smile was on her lips too. “Let him keep his romantic endeavors to himself.”

“Not you too, Ororo?” Kurt laid a hand over his heart dramatically, in mock betrayal. “Ach, and I thought you were my strongest ally! Piotr, help me out here!”

“Sorry, tovarishch. But I learned a long time ago that disagreeing with Katya was a bad idea.”

“Logan?” Kurt gave his good friend a hopeful look, running out people to turn to.

“Don’t get me wrong, I’d back you up Elf--”

“Danke.”

“--If I actually believed what you were saying. I put twenty on things bein’ serious with this girl.”

“Fifty on things being a fling.” Kitty challenged. “Have you seen how many girls he sneaks into his room?”

Kurt groaned, deciding he had seen enough of the movie afterall and teleported out of there as quickly as possible.

BAMF!

Instead of lounging on the couch with everyone else, he was now in the kitchen, leaning back in a chair at the table, taking refuge from the other X-Men.

How easy it would be to explain his situation with Wanda to his friends. And he knew they would never wish her any harm, but…they had been trying to find the Brotherhood’s secret location and learn all their plans for years, without any luck. 

But if they were to find out they knew someone with good, true morals working with the Brotherhood…how could they not take the opportunity to spy on Mystique and her brood? And of course Wanda would say yes, because she was a good person and could see the Brotherhood’s path to mutant and human equality was paved in blood. The blood of humans.

But Kurt didn’t want to risk her getting hurt, or worse. He just got her back, he wasn’t going to lose her again.

Not to mention, he was still confused with the situation himself. He had no idea what happened to Wanda the night she supposedly “died” or what she had done afterwards. He wanted to try and figure things out before he tried explaining everything to the X-Men.

Assuming he would see Wanda again. Right now, the only way he could hope to meet her was by turning on the news or crossing his fingers that the Brotherhood would attack the Senator.

“Hiya, Kurt.”

“Hmm? Oh, hallo Rachel.”

The red-head smiled softly, leaning through the doorway to the kitchen. “What’s on your mind?”

He smiled back at her. “Don’t you already know?”

“Sorta. I can tell you’re confused and excited, but I won’t pry. You should get to choose whether or not you want to share your thoughts with me.”

“I’m just contemplating about a…friend.”

“A friend?” Rachel asked curiously, telekinetically pulling a seat out next to him for her to sit.

“Ja, a very old and dear friend of mine. Whom I have not seen in forever.”

“So, things are awkward between you guys?”

“Nein, at least, I don’t think so. We’ve only been reunited for a short period of time, but then she was called away to her…job. And I can’t exactly plan another meeting with her, because of her, um, busy work schedule.”

“Mh-hm.” Rachel tapped her chin thoughtfully. “Want me to try and find her with Cerebro?”

“Nein! Ah, I mean, danke, but she has a very sensitive mind. She might feel your presence.”

“Oh. Okay then.” She looked a little startled by his outburst, but wasn’t put off by how weird he just acted. “Why not just try looking for her yourself, then?”

“Was?”

“If she’s in New York, then why don’t you go out and look for her? I know this is a pretty big city, but if you know her so well, you’ll know where to look. I mean, she has to get off of work at some point, right?”

He brightened at this. “You are a genius , Rachel!”

“Glad someone finally noticed.”

Kurt was already getting up to get ready, in a much happier mood, if that was even possible. As big as New York was, he was sure he could find Wanda, as long as he looked in the right place.

“You are my new favorite team member.” He announced before leaving. “But don’t tell Logan I said that. Ever want to go bar hopping with me?”

“I’m too young to drink.”

“Right answer.”

 

…

 

Kurt had been teleporting all over New York for what felt like hours, checking out all the movie theaters, bookshops, malls, and coffee shops he could think of. But Wanda was at none of them.

With his image inducer switched on, he started trudging through the snow, careful to avoid large crowds of people. It hadn’t been this cold a few weeks ago, but after reuniting with Wanda, a snowfall had started over New York City, and now Kurt was forced to bundle up in his brown aviator jacket to stay warm. Even fur wasn’t enough to protect him from the wind.

He was about to cross the street when he noticed a particular woman dressed in a pink coat standing next to him. He might not have recognized her at first, but after a moment he was sure she was Wanda. Even if she was older now than when they were kids, no woman he knew had the same cascade of brown curls or dazzling blue eyes as her.

She seemed lost in thought, gazing off into the sky above, unaware that she was standing right next to him. Grateful for his turn of luck, Kurt leaned over and tapped her on the shoulder.

“Hm?” Wanda turned to him, and her eyes widened. The look on her face…it confused Kurt. He had only seen that look a few times, and one of the most memorable moments was when Wanda had first been introduced to Stefan. Back when she thought he was the most perfect-looking boy in the whole world.

She stared at Kurt for a while, before quickly shaking her head, a blush settling across her cheeks. “Oh, uh, can I help you?”

She didn’t know it was him. It made sense, they hadn’t seen each other in years, and Kurt was still wearing his image inducer. Wanda had never seen what he would look like if he had been born with a human appearance.

“You don’t recognize me, do you?” He chuckled, giving her a lopsided grin.

“No…should I have?” Wanda tilted her head curiously, trying to figure him out.

“I guess not. Though typically, I’m much more blue .”

Wanda looked confused for a moment, before her jaw dropped. “ Kurt?! ”

“In the flesh.”

Before he could explain himself she pulled him into a hug, wrapping her arms around his neck and holding on tightly. Kurt let out a breath he hadn’t known he’d been holding, relaxing into the hug. He didn’t realize just how much he missed her since discovering she was still alive.

Then they pulled apart and he noticed how her face seemed divided between joy and panic, staring at him worriedly. He quickly remembered that she didn’t know why he looked like a human all of a sudden.

He pointed to a wrist watch hidden under the jacket. “Don’t worry, I didn’t get plastic surgery or anything. It’s just my image inducer, see? It creates an image around me, and allows me to walk among humans without them seeing me as a mutant and calling the police or alerting Nimrod.”

“Oh. That’s a relief.” Wanda blew out a sigh of relief, before giving him a wide smile. “I was wondering when I would see you again.”

“Believe me, it took some searching. I was just lucky enough to run into you right now, without anyone else nearby. Uh, the Brotherhood isn't nearby, right?”

“Right.” They began walking down the street, given they had been standing in the middle of the sidewalk for quite some time, steadily moving past crowds of people. “They’re all still at the compound, including Pietro.”

“Why are you out here, then? I’m not concerned that you would get mugged out here by yourself, but New York is pretty big, it’s easy to get lost.”

“I couldn’t stand listening to another one of Pyro’s dirty jokes.” She rolled her eyes, frowning in disgust. “Did you know he’s a writer?”

“Was?”

“His specialty is steamy romances.”

“Oh. That is…surprising, though not entirely unexpected.”

“Anyway, I couldn’t take being in the same building as him, so I thought it’d be a good idea to go out and explore the city on my own.”

“Lucky you ran into me, then.” He gave her a playful nudge. “I’ve lived here for a few years, I know where some of the best sights are, and where you can find the actual world’s greatest pizza.”

“You’ve sparked my interest.” She grinned, folding her arms. “Lead the way.”

True to his word, Kurt took her to all the greats in the city, reminiscing about their days in Jahrmarkt along the way. While touring Times Square they swapped jokes that only the two of them would get. As they checked out Rockefeller Wanda reminded him of the time she got a small cut in the woods where they were kids, and both he and Pietro freaked out, convinced she was dying. Kurt even managed to buy them last minute tickets to the top of the Empire State Building, and together they laughed about the time Kurt had been quarantined in his wagon, sick with a fever. Margali had forbidden anyone from going inside and getting sick, but Wanda had disobeyed and snuck in to see Kurt.

It was amazing how, after all this time, after all the changes in their lives, they were still able to fall back into the same routine, to not look at one another as if they were strangers anymore.

“I was worried about you! You thrive on attention. And you looked so pitiful!”

“I’m still surprised you didn’t listen and do as she said. In the end we were both very sick with a fever.”

“And we had each other to keep us company.”

After the Empire State Building (which both of them definitely enjoyed) Wanda mentioned that she always wanted to go to Bloomingdale’s, and Kurt got them a cab ride to the store.

Even though Kurt did like dressing nice for fancy occasions, he wasn’t much one for high-priced, delicate, flashy clothes. Well, he actually didn’t mind flashy clothes that much. He just wasn’t a big shopper.

Wanda, on the other hand, was overjoyed. He knew that she always liked wearing dresses and pretty clothes, but in a circus you didn’t typically stick around long enough to shop, and the stores in most towns and villages had only provided simple, modest clothes. So Kurt could tell what this meant to Wanda.

She even had money to pay for things. She said Mystique had given her and Pietro enough money for a few outings, though he just hoped the money hadn’t been stolen .

He served as her shopping cart as she piled all her clothes, shoes, handbags, and jewelry into his arms, blocking his vision a bit. Honestly, it wasn’t that much, Wanda was actually very modest with what she bought. Though it was pretty hard for Kurt to go down any steps or look out for people coming his way when he had a purse in his face.

“Are you sure you don’t need me to carry anything?” She asked after he almost tripped on a child.

“Nein, nein, I’ve got it.” He insisted. Next time they were definitely bringing a shopping cart, though

He was glad to see her so happy, and after they bought and bagged all her things they took another cab to a secluded area in the city, sort of small and a little dingy, where he showed her the world’s greatest pizza.

Sitting at a booth by the window, they ordered a large pizza and Kurt slurped on a soda while Wanda had a glass of water, and he started telling her a bit about his life with the X-Men. She seemed fascinated by this, though Kurt had been with his friends long enough to see them as good people rather than celebrity super heroes. At least, in Wanda’s eyes they were celebrity super heroes. The public wasn’t that fond of them at the moment.

At some point after they got their pizza her smile started to falter, and her eyes filled with concern.

“What’s wrong?” He asked.

“Nothing. I mean, I guess it’s not nothing . I just feel bad that you have to wear an image inducer whenever you go out. That you have to hide your face.”

“It’s not every time I go out. Just when I visit the city.” Kurt scratched his head, thinking of how to explain it to her. He’d already had the talk with Logan about taking pride in his appearance, and Kurt wasn’t ashamed. He didn’t like having to use his image inducer, obviously, when he could be himself, though it did make sense to try and avoid a ugly confrontation in the busy, mutant-hating streets of New York. 

Hiding his true self due to fear was one thing. Trying not to make himself a big blue target for Nimrod was another. “It’s not that bad, really. I can look like anyone I want, see?” He pressed a few hidden buttons in his watch, winking at her as his image shifted again and again. “Errol Flynn - Harrison Ford - even Tony Stark, who gifted this to me, by the way. You know, I doubt some people will mind what I truly look like, no one at the town near the Institute does. But unfortunately, there’s Nimrod to consider, and people like Senator Kelly, Henry Gyrich, even Dr. Cooper. Hopefully one day, when the X-Men have established a stable, peaceful coexistence between humans and mutants, I won’t need the image inducer anymore.”

“The X-Men really do want what’s best for mutants.” She said softly, staring down at her drink,

“You could join us, you know.” He offered. “I’m sure by now you’ve seen that the Brotherhood’s methods aren’t going to make anything better.”

“I’d love that.” She said, looking at him warmly. Kurt felt a rush of excitement, but then Wanda’s face fell again and all his enthusiasm fizzled out. “But I can’t.”

“Was? Why?”

“There’s this shady woman, I…I don’t think I can tell you the full reason, I don’t know what would happen if I did. But I can’t join the X-Men.”

“Tell me - ”

“You’re just going to have to take my word for it.” She said, shutting down, closing herself off like a steel door slamming shut. “Maybe sometime in the future I will, but now…that isn't a good idea.”

Kurt didn’t know what to say, or how to get her to come back to him. He wasn’t used to seeing Wanda block someone out like this, and especially not him . He wondered…did it have something to do with the night they lost each other, maybe?

He knew they’d purposely avoided it, some unspoken agreement between them. That night was just too painful…neither of them wanted to bring it up, not when they had each other back and could now laugh instead of cry.

He was still confused on the subject. He had thought for sure they burned her, why else had he heard her scream like that, only for it to be cut off? But obviously that was not the case, given she was sitting right in front of him. Despite this, though, guilt still weighed heavily on his shoulders. He still blamed himself over what occurred that night.

But maybe he should stop dwelling on the darkened past and focus on what was in front of him, in the present. 

“It doesn’t matter whether you join the X-Men or not, you know.” He told her, smiling when her eyes met his. “I just want to see you more, now that I have you back. But I’m perfectly content with little meetings like this, if that’s what you want. Just make sure the Brotherhood doesn’t talk you into doing anything crazy, okay?”

She snorted. “As if Pietro would ever allow that.”

But Kurt had successfully cheered her up, and they chatted a bit more until the pizza was all gone and it was getting late. The X-Men would be wondering where Kurt was, and the Brotherhood was going to be suspicious about where Wanda had been all day.

They left the restaurant, all of Wanda’s shopping bags in tow, and Kurt double checked to make sure she knew her way home, even though he didn’t know where it was exactly. The subject of the X-Men and the Brotherhood put her on edge, so he didn’t pry about their secret location.

“I guess this is it.” Wanda sighed, as they walked down the street together, about to hail her a cab. “Today was wonderful, thank you.”

“Of course. What are old friends for?”

“I can’t tell you how happy I am to have you back.” She shook her head fondly. “I know I keep saying this, but I’ve missed you so much…I want to see you again. Soon. Here.” She thrust something in his hands. A crumple of paper.

“What is this?” He asked, unfolding the parchment.

“My number. Don’t wait another six years to try and get in touch with me, okay?”

“You have my word.” They hugged one last time, the frigid wind blowing in Kurt’s face. Ach, even with fur it was still freezing. He gave Wanda a quick peck on the cheek before she called a cab and climbed into it after loading all her bags into the trunk. He watched her drive off, waving until she disappeared into a smear of flashing car lights in the distance.

Despite being alone again, a warm feeling sprouted from Kurt’s heart, spreading throughout him, chasing away the cold. He felt… happy . Really, honest to God, happy.

And he had Wanda to thank for that feeling.

Chapter 7: Snowballs

Notes:

I just realized I forgot to mention Wanda's black eye in the last chapter! Let's just say she got the swelling to go down with ice and covered the bruise up with makeup, though rest assured Kurt repeatedly apologized about punching her, and she repeatedly forgave him.
Also, this chapter is basically just fluff.

“Just remember, no snowballs to the faces, and do not get lost in the woods.” Margali told Wanda, Pietro, Jimaine, and Kurt as they all hurriedly dressed to go out and play in the snow. The older witch then turned to Pietro, fixing him with one of those infamous stern mother looks. “And I should not have to say this, but no sneaking up behind the girls just so you can scare them into using their powers. There is a reason they cannot use magic outside their lessons.

“I know.” Pietro rolled his eyes, pulling a hat on top of his head, over his ears. “I learned my lesson last time.”

“Okay, okay, everyone knows the rules, now let’s go!” Kurt cried eagerly, rushing for the door, only for Margali to drag him back by the collar of his coat.

“Ah-ah! Put on those boots I bought for you, young man. I will not have a repeat of last winter.”

“It wasn’t that bad.” Kurt shrugged dismissively.

“Not that bad ?” His mother echoed in disbelief. “You snuck out into the snow, barefoot , all because you refused to wear shoes. You got frostbite! The only reason you still have your feet is because my magic healed you. Now put on those boots!”

At least the boots were oversized, Wanda thought to herself. They may slow Kurt down in the snow, but it was better than having him try and cram his feet into something too small.

They all waited for Kurt to stubbornly take his time dragging the boots on, before everyone was ready to go. They burst out of the wagon in a stampede, running through camp as they began to mercilessly splatter each other with snowballs, caught in a battle that waged all across the woodland Jahrmarkt had camped at.

“Be careful!” Margali called after them. “Don’t stray too close to the village! And girls, be back in time for your lessons!”

Wanda just managed to wave goodbye before getting hit in the face with a snowball from Pietro. “Hey!” She cried, furiously wiping snow out of her eyes. “Margali said that wasn’t allowed.”

“My mistake.” Her brother said innocently. “I didn’t see you there - woulf!” Pietro had suddenly fallen over on his back when a snowball rocketed into his chest, knocking him down.

“Sorry.” Kurt apologized, grinning as he readied another snowball. “I didn’t see you there.”

Everyone caught onto their new game pretty quickly: Attack Pietro. They did a thorough job of it, chasing after him like a pack of wolves, flinging fistsfull of snow at him until he was just as white and pale as his hair, the powder clinging to all his clothes.

“Alright, alright! I yield! Surrender! Whatever you call it! Where’s a white flag when you need it? Stop stop stop!” He shouted, crouching on the ground, arms thrown around his face to protect himself from any oncoming snowballs.

“There, was that so hard?” Jimaine asked, hiding an amused smile behind her hand.

Pietro couldn’t survive another round of snowball fights, so they switched to making a snowman instead. They all worked together to gather enough of the falling snow to make the largest snowman they could. The slush started to sink in through Wanda’s gloves, making her hands shake, but she was having too much fun to pay it any mind. In fact, she was having so much fun, she didn’t once get upset until Pietro shouted, 

“Oh look, there’s Stefan!”

“What?” Wanda yelped, spinning around so fast she almost accidentally whacked Jimaine with her hand. But Stefan was nowhere to be found. Pietro’s laughter rang in Wanda’s ears. “You bully!”

“I was only joking! Besides, it’s not my fault you’ve got this big crush on Stefan.”

“I do not!” Wanda argued, her cheeks turning red, but not because of the cold this time. “C-children don’t have crushes on older children!”

“You do.”

“Pietro!” Kurt hissed, thumping Wanda’s brother on the head with his mitten-clad hand.

“Ow! What? What?! Did I say something wrong?”

“Everything that comes out of your mouth is wrong.” Jimaine sniffed indignantly.

“It’s okay, Wanda.” Kurt said, nudging her gently with his shoulder. “Pietro was just being a Dummkopf. We all know by now not to trust anything he says.” He winked at her, and Wanda smiled softly.

“Well,” Jimaine said rather loudly, cutting between them, literally. She squeezed between Wanda and Kurt, giving the blue boy a hopeful look, her head tilted sweetly as a smile spread across her face. Wanda wasn’t the only one with a crush. “I think our snowman’s finished, but what are we going to do next? Wanda and I still have a little bit of free time before Mama wants to see us.”

“I think Sabu has some sleds back at camp.” Kurt suggested, which seemed a grand idea. They all rushed into camp (Pietro bragged about being the first there) and demanded for Sabu to tell them where he put the sleds.

“Mine!” Pietro snatched a random sled from the pile, tugging it by the rope into the snow. Jimaine grabbed one as well, following after Pietro, leaving only one sled left.

“We can share it.” Kurt offered. “At least until we talk Sabu into buying another one.”

“Okay.” Wanda agreed, before they both hurried after Pietro and Jimaine, who had found the perfect hill for sledding. It was pretty high, which made it all the more fun.

“Where’s Wanda’s sled?” Jimaine asked in confusion when Wanda showed up empty handed.

“We’re sharing one.” Kurt explained, gesturing to the sled he was carrying.

“Oh…that’s great, I guess…”

“First one down wins!”

“Is everything a race to you, Pietro?” Wanda chuckled. If he was any faster than he already was he would be driving all of Jahrmarkt crazy .

“Are you scared that I’m going to beat you and Kurt?”

“I never said that .”

They climbed onto their sleds, Wanda sitting behind Kurt, her arms wrapped around him so she wouldn’t fall off. Everyone waited in anticipation as Jimaine started the countdown, and then they were off, rocketing down the hill at full speed. It was exhilarating, especially when Wanda saw the look on Pietro and Jimaine’s faces when she and Kurt were in the lead.

“Hold on!” Kurt shouted over the wind, and Wanda giggled as she held onto him tighter. They continued to shoot through the snow in very little time, their victory set in stone. “Whooo!”

“Uh, Kurt?” Wanda asked, as the bottom of the hill drew increasingly closer. “How do we stop?!”

Kurt hadn’t thought of that, apparently. “Ummm…”

Their cheers quickly turned into screams as their speed increased and they barreled right into a tree, the trunk shaking once the sled smashed into it, snow from the branches overhead falling on top of them.

Wanda and Kurt landed in a pile at the trunk, snow and splintered pieces of the sled all over them. Wanda felt something move under her arm, and she could only guess that it was Kurt’s tail.

He groaned in pain. “Autsch.”

“It didn’t hurt that bad.”

“Easy for you to say. I was what broke your fall.”

Their little argument was interrupted by Pietro’s laughter, as he and Jimaine came to a perfect and complete stop at the bottom of the hill. “That was hilarious! At first I was mad that you guys were winning, but not anymore!”

“Didn’t anyone teach you two how to slow down?” Jimaine asked, grinning in amusement.

“I forgot.” Kurt said defensively.

“I think we’ve had enough sledding for one day.” Wanda said, climbing off of Kurt as she wrapped her arms around herself to stay warm. A coat did her little good when snow had found its way inside.

The boys began to protest, but Jimaine backed Wanda up, surprisingly. “Mama’s going to be expecting us soon. We should return to camp before she gets worried.”

No one wanted to see Margali upset, so they quickly cleaned themselves off and collected their sleds (or what was left of Wanda and Kurt’s) and made their way back to the welcoming warmth of Jahrmarkt.

“Are you cold?” Kurt asked suddenly, noticing Wanda’s shivering.

“N-no.” She stuttered, teeth chattering noisily. “You’re not c-cold. Why sh-should I be c-c-cold?”

“Well, I have fur .” He pointed out, chuckling as he undid the buttons to his jacket, before slinging it over her. “Here. Oh, and sorry about crashing the sled. That was my mistake.”

She smiled, before giving him an affection hug. “Thank you. And don’t worry about the sled, it was fun while it lasted.”

“You’re disgusting.” Wanda glowered.

“It was just a joke.” John argued. 

“A very vulgar joke.” Wanda had been reading in the living room of the Brotherhood brownstone, minding her own business, when John came flaunting in, ruining everything. Being cooped up inside due to the snow had made him restless, much to everyone’s annoyance. “And I don’t remember inviting you to sit so close to me.”

“It’s a free country, last I checked.”

“Then maybe I’d be better off in my room.” Wanda said, shutting her book before getting up to leave. Where was Pietro when she needed him? But of course he had gone out with Dom and Fred to see more of the city, and it would be a while before they came back.

At least Mystique and Spiral had both disappeared for the day. Despite how long it had been since Wanda and Pietro joined the Brotherhood, Spiral still made Wanda nervous. And she still wasn’t sure whether the strange woman knew the truth about Kurt or not. But if she did, how much longer until she told the others?

Telling herself she was just being paranoid, Wanda changed her mind about going up to her room and instead entered the kitchen, finding the phone on the wall and picking it up, dialing in a number she had memorized and knew by heart now.

She held her breath as the phone rang. After four rings the line cracked as the phone was picked up, and a familiar voice answered. “Hallo?”

“Kurt!” Wanda said excitedly, before reminding herself to keep her voice down. John was still in the house.

“Wanda? Guten Morgen! Wait, is it still morning? I don’t know, I slept in pretty late today. But how are you?”

“I’m fine.” She wondered if she imagined how much his voice had brightened when he recognized it was her calling. “Well, actually, I’m a little restless staying cooped up inside all day. How soon can you meet me in Central Park?”

“Central Park? It would take me forever to get there.” He pointed out. 

“Pleeease?”

“Ach, you’re giving me that look, aren’t you? The one you know I have a weakness for?”

“If it makes you say yes.”

“That’s not fair! Okay, okay, fine, ja, I’ll meet you in Central Park. Dress warmly.”

“I will! See you there!” Wanda grinned as she hung up.

 

. . .

 

Wanda looked out from behind a tree, smiling coyly. Kurt was several feet away, wearing his image inducer and a large coat as he walked the trail through a snowy Central Park, glancing in every direction as he searched for her.

It was wonderful that they could meet up like this on a moment’s notice, when he wasn’t away on X-Men business, that is. But when they were together, it felt like they had never been separated. And as odd as it sounded, Wanda found herself believing that they were growing even closer than before, just over these past couple of weeks.

When she had arrived at Central Park, which had been deserted due to the snow, she had formed a little scheme in her mind as she waited for Kurt to show up. She made a snowball and gently gripped in her gloved hands all while hiding behind a tree. And now that Kurt was here, her plan could come into fruition.

She let Kurt pass by her tree before silently stalking across the snow, until she was on the trail, following Kurt like a shadow. Not even his elf-like ears could have heard her coming.

She waited for the right moment, then yelled, “Kurt!”

When he turned at the sound of his name, she flung the snowball right in the center of his face, powder getting strewn across his fake human mask. She laughed, covering her mouth with her hand, as he gave her a bewildered look.

“What was that for?” He demanded.

“Oh, just got bored waiting for you.” She chuckled, hitting his shoulder playfully. “Don’t get so upset, it’s just a bit of snow.”

“Hm.” Kurt grumbled, not entirely pleased with her excuse. No one liked having snow in their face. He then glanced at his image inducer, tapping a few buttons until his face switched from a brown-eyed human to a yellow-eyed mutant with snow caught in his blue fur. “I hardly think I will need this anymore, with all the snow you keep throwing at me.”

“It was just one snowball!” Wanda protested, though she was delighted that he turned off the image inducer. Luckily, there was no one out to brave the freezing Central Park, he could relax with his image inducer turned off.

“Just one snowball?” Kurt asked, raising an eyebrow, the edges of his mouthing turning up. “That’s how you start a snowball fight. Nein, this is the right way to start a snowball fight.”

Before she had the chance to react, his tail whipped forward, and a snowball hit her in the face. Wanda gasped in surprise, but then he threw another, and another, and another, practically using three hands instead of two, never giving her enough time to recover before flinging another snowball at her . She tried to get away but tripped and lost her balance. She fell on her back in a snowbank, her head spinning a little as Kurt grinned over her.

“And that’s how you start a snowball fight.”

“That wasn’t very gentlemanly of you.”

“ You started it.”

“Yes, well, you should never continue a snowball fight with a mutant witch, actually.” Wanda told him, rising to her feet to brush snow off her coat. “It never ends well.”

Instantly, the powdery white paths in the park became slick with ice. And Kurt, standing on the path and all, had his feet slide out from under him. He stumbled to regain his balance but it was too late; he felt on his butt, sliding down the ice path a little due to the momentum.

“Austch.”

“I warned you.” Wanda grabbed a handful of snow, making as many snowballs as she could before pelting him with them, until he looked more wintery white than blue. “This is too boring, give me some excitement!”

“Excitement, she says! Well then, get ready to eat those words!” He smiled at her slyly, fur bristling against the cold.

BAMF!

He disappeared in a purple cloud of smoke, only for a flurry of snowballs to hit her in the back. But Wanda fought back, throwing her own snowballs at him. They chased each other all over the park, Kurt teleporting while she ran. Some of their shots hit their target, and sometimes they missed. She would use a hex bolt or spell to try and avoid all the snowballs, while he would teleport away and then ambush her.

There was one moment when he stuck his tongue out at her cheekily from behind a tree, and she had managed at the last second to hit him with another snowball. He complained that she got snow in his mouth, afterwards. It was hilarious.

They must have looked ridiculous, two adults having a snowball fight, but it was fun . Wanda hadn’t laughed so hard in a long time. And Kurt was obviously enjoying it too. Well, aside from getting snow is his mouth. (“This is Central Park! Who knows what’s touched it?!”)

“Kurt?” It wasn’t until he teleported and completely vanished that the park suddenly became silent, now eerily peaceful. Where did he go? “Kuuuurt?”

BAMF!

Brimstone filled Wanda’s nostrils and the next thing she knew he was on top of her, the both of them falling into the snow together. She laughed, shaking herself off as they both tried to find their bearings.

“Sorry.” Kurt turned away as she sat up, his hand still resting near her side for support. It felt much warmer when he was near. “I don’t know why I did that; we were having a snowball fight, not a wrestling match.”

“It’s fine.” She said, brushing some snow out of his hair, then his fur. Honestly, he was starting to turn into a snowman. She soon finished wiping snow off of him, her thumb lingering on his cheek. He felt so real, he looked so real, with his bright eyes inches from her own. It was all hitting her again just how much she needed him, how whole her life was now that he was back in it. Now she wasn’t so alone anymore.

Her emotions overwhelmed her, and for a moment, she couldn’t say anything.

“Are they going to kiss?”

“Roberto!” A chorus of voices shouted.

“What?”

It took 0.1 seconds for Wanda and Kurt to separate, springing to their feet, and whipping around to see where the voices had come from. 

Five children were perched behind a large rock, four of them with their heads turned to glare at a boy with dark skin and dark hair.

“What are all you doing here?!” Kurt demanded.

“Magneto gave us the day off.” A blond Southern boy shrugged. “Then we heard you on the phone sayin’ you were gonna head t’ Central Park, an’ we thought that sounded like fun.”

“We didn’t mean to follow you, it just happened. And we had no idea that, er…” the eldest of the group broke off, tugging nervously at her short black hair. “...You came here to see your girlfriend, Nightcrawler.”

“She’s not my girlfriend, Xuân.” Kurt rubbed his face, sighing in exasperation. “I mean, yes, she’s a girl and a friend, but that’s all she is. Wait! Nein! No! That’s not right!”

“I’m Wanda Maximoff.” Wanda cut in, coming to Kurt’s rescue. “We grew up in the circus together. His mother taught me witchcraft.”

“Wait,” One of the children said, stepping out from behind the rock. A girl with long black hair who stared at Wanda as if she had seen a ghost. “Your name’s Wanda? But you’re supposed to be dead - ”

“We were recently reunited, Dani.” Kurt said, giving the girl an odd look. “She has been traveling across Europe with her brother since I joined the X-Men. She had just moved to New York, and we were lucky enough to bump into each other several weeks ago.”

“So she’s not your girlfriend?” The boy who had thought Wanda and Kurt were going to kiss - Roberto - asked.

“No.” Wanda said, right as Kurt said, “Nein.”

The kids didn’t look convinced, but relented their questions. The oldest, Xuân, came up to Wanda, offering her her hand to shake. “I am Xuân Cao Mạnh, leader of the New Mutants. It is a pleasure to meet you, Miss Maximoff.”

“You as well.” Wanda said, shaking Xuân’s hand. The rest of the New Mutants weren’t as polite. Their names slowly came back to Wanda, though, as she remembered Kurt speaking fondly of them once.

“What was it like living in a circus?” Sam asked.

“Can I get your number?” Roberto grinned.

“Are ye really a witch?” Rahne’s eyes widened in disbelief.

“Exciting, I’m afraid not, and yes.” Wanda said, answering all of their questions at once. She noticed that Danielle was standing apart from the crowd, giving her a nervous look.

She was about to ask what was wrong, but then Kurt put his hand on her arm, and she became distracted. “Well, this has been…fun…but I think it’s best for Miss Maximoff and I to leave. Enjoy your day off!”

He waved at his students as he led Wanda out of Central Park, calling for the New Mutants to be careful and not use their powers in public. Once they were out of earshot, Wanda said, “Well that was an experience. Are you sure we should just leave them unsupervised?”

“They can handle themselves. And, we have Cerebro and Rachel if they get lost. Though they really liked you, I can tell.”

“Even Dani?”

“I think so. She…might have thought you were dead.”

“What?”

“Ach, let’s not dwell on the past.” Kurt shook his head, running a hand through his curls. “I’ve got enough on my mind already  knowing that those five are going to be spreading rumors about me all over the school!”

“I’m sure it isn't something they all haven’t heard before.” Wanda pointed out, smirking. “And I'm willing to bet the reputation you earned in Jahrmarkt as a debauchee hasn’t changed since joining the X-Men.”

Notes:

I like to think in this fic, Jimaine And Wanda are like...frenemies, I guess. Jimaine's probably a little jealous of Wanda's abilities, especially since she's like another daughter to Margali. Plus, there's the whole Kurt thing. She probably sees something between Kurt and Wanda that they don't.

Chapter 8

Notes:

Out of curiosity, how would you guys feel about an Excalibur re-write of sorts? But with Wanda leaving the West Coast Avengers to join Excalibur?

“Lockheed burned my hair!”

“No he didn’t!”

“Has anyone seen my sketchpad?”

“Outta the way, outta the way! The waffle iron’s burnin’!”

“No flying in the kitchen, Rogue!”

“I think my cigar burnt a hole right through it, Petey…”

“Crwaaaaar!”

There wasn’t anything quite like a morning at the Xavier Institute. Kurt was currently sitting at the breakfast table with Logan, while Kitty and Rachel bickered next to the counter, Rogue was levitating above their heads, and Lockheed was perched on Piotr’s large shoulders as the Russian stared in horror at the burnt parchments in his hands.

“It is ruined!”

“Leave my dragon out of this!” Kitty roared at Rachel.

“Look what happened t’mah breakfast!” Rogue yelled, glaring at a plate of crispy black waffles.

“Doesn’t get much better than this.” Logan’s voice was dripping with sarcasm, as he took a long drag of his cigar. Kurt wretched as the smoke entered his nostrils. And people complained about him smelling all the time when he teleported?

“I thought we also had a rule against smoking in the kitchen!” He gagged.

“It ain’t hurtin’ nobody.” Logan shrugged.

“Speak for yourself!”

“Quiet, everyone!” Ororo ordered, and instantly the kitchen became dead silent as she marched inside. Not even the crickets dared chirp. She calmly stood in front of everyone, crossing her arms as she spoke. “I just heard on the news that Roxxon Oil is having an exclusive party tonight, and the guest list includes several important people, including Senator Kelly, a few of his friends , and even his wife. I think it would be wise for the X-Men to attend this party, so we can learn of Kelly’s plans for mutants, which he might discuss with his coworkers. And with the Professor’s reputable status, it shouldn’t be any trouble getting on the guest list. And I want everyone there, the more X-Men, the better.”

“When’s the party?” Kitty asked.

“Tomorrow night.”

Everyone murmured their agreement, faces set in grim determination, though Kurt might have been the tiniest smidge excited for the actual party. When it came to attending events with ulterior motives, he normally got stuck with a surveillance job with Logan, while the others got to go in all dressed up and socialize with everyone.

But this time, it seemed everyone was expected to attend the party in their best outfits. Too bad that meant he would have to bring his image inducer, but the up’s outnumbered the down’s this time. And who knew? Maybe he’d get to romance a very lovely lady tomorrow night.

 

---

 

“We’re going to a what ?”

“A party. That’s being hosted by Roxxon Oil.” Mystique said, annoyed at having to repeat herself.

“Who?” Pietro asked in confusion.

“It doesn't matter. What does matter is that Val Cooper was on the guest list for the party tomorrow night, and invited me and the rest of you to attend. Senator Kelly’s going to be there, Gyrich’s going to be there, all the politicians that would love nothing more than to see us wiped out are going to be there.”

“We’re not going to attack them, are we?” Wanda asked, trying not to sound as worried as she felt. She wasn’t a big fan of Kelly’s or Gyrich’s, but that didn’t mean she wanted to kill either of them.

“Not this time. They’ll be at the party to discuss what their next move concerning mutants is. And we’re going to be there to overhear what they’re planning. Once we know what they’re up to, we can leave and plot a counterattack.”

“I don’t know.” Pietro frowned, shooting a look at Wanda. “It sounds like this is going to be a boring party. Is there at least going to be any beer?”

“There will be champagne. And you should also know that Blob and Spiral will not be attending the party with us. Blob still needs to work on his table manners, and I don’t trust Spiral enough to let her loose in a room full of people.”

“Alright…what are we going to wear, then?” Pietro continued, ever the skeptic.

“Pyro has a closet full of suits, I’m sure you can find one that’s your size. As for your sister,” Mystique turned to Wanda, handing her a credit card. “Go out and find something suitable to wear, will you? I can’t have any humans at the party looking better than my mutants.”

“I…” Wanda blinked at the gift, taken aback by Mystique’s generosity. Then again, it was less generosity and more so her disdain towards humans. “...Thank you.”

“Just be sure to have something ready by tomorrow night.”