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▎ BEAUTIFUL CRIME ▎
»»-----　act two. another lifetime
CHAPTER TWENTY ━━ welcome to dc

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♯ ❝HE DESERVES ONE TOO! ❞ 
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     THERE WAS A THEORY IN QUANTUM PHYSICS THAT TIME IS IMMUTABLE. IT'S LIKE A RIVER. YOU CAN THROW A PEBBLE INTO IT AND CREATE A RIPPLE, BUT THE currant always corrects itself. No matter what you do, the river just keeps flowing in the same direction. Time is inevitable, actions long predestined and written in the stars will always prevail to happen.

     Maggie wonders if it's true. If she was always meant to suffer ━ to fall in love with a man who will always make himself a villain, even if his reasons had once been of good nature. If Charles was always meant to become paralysed, in a physical and even in a emotional sense. If Raven was always meant to embrace the hatred that was thrown her way, and bend it until she became what they feared.

    Maggie wonders if all this, all these changes they tried to make in the world, even matter at all. If there is truly any hope for them. For mutant kind and humankind.

    She can't shake the feeling of dread that is twisted in her heart, but for now, she tries to forget. Forget that maybe their fate is already sealed to this blood wrenching war. Forget that humankind and mutantkind will always mistrust one another. Forget that the world thinks her a villain. Forget she will always be alone even if she is surrounded by people.

    She focuses on other things instead. On hope and promises. She focuses on Henry Spectre ━ on his carefree human smile and the way he plays with the mutant children at their safehouse. How he makes sure they feel accepted and loved. She thinks about Peter and how he doesn't think his mutation is a curse ━ how he embraces it so fully. She thinks about Jubilee and the promises she made to the girl. To all the unspoken promises she made to all the children that passed through her house.

    Maybe war is inevitable, maybe it doesn't matter. But she has to try.

    Maggie stands nervously, between Hank and Logan, the events of earlier rushing through her head like a tidal wave. Charles' first time using Cerebro, the explosion and finally his success with locating Raven.

    Just because someone stumbles, loses their way, doesn't mean they're lost forever.

    She feels like his words ring true. Maggie likes to think she turned herself around pretty well after everything that led up to their fight at Cuba. She had found a bit of closure during it. And in turn was able to open herself in a different way. To be a person she had needed when she was younger.

    Music echoes around the grass lawn of the White House, hundreds of people gathered to watch the President speak ━ but even among all these people, Maggie still felt like all eyes were on her and the other three mutants with her. Of course they didn't know, the rational part of her spoke. But even she could not persuade her paranoid heart.

    The line in front of them began to shorten, and slowly the four mutants came closer to the metal detector. Maggie's fingers gripped the cool material of Charles' wheelchair, gently pushing him forward through the metal detector when it was finally their turn.

    "Can I see your invitations please?"

    Subtly, Charles moved his fingers against his temple, "Of course." He spoke calmly and Maggie remained oblivious to the words the telepath had spoken to the dark skinned guard in front of them.

    After a beat of silence, the man smiled and nodded, "Go ahead."

    Maggie smiled, adjusting the sunglasses on her face, glancing of her shoulder just in time to see Logan, almost nervously pass through the metal detector. He looked up at the contraption, unsurely when no noise alerted the guards. "Something wrong buddy?"

    "No..." Logan trailed off, as if reminiscing.

    "Come on, Logan. Got to get good seats." Charles spoke up, voice bouncing.

    Maggie didn't say anything else as she pushed Charles' wheelchair towards the front where other wheelchair bound veterans were seated. "Try not to make a fool out of yourself."

    Charles' lip twitched in a small grin, "If you do the same."

    Maggie hummed, before departing to go and stand next to Logan and Hank further back in the crowd just in time for the arrival of the President of the United States.

    Haven't found her yet, but she has to be here, Charles' voice echoed around her head, and probably that of Hank and Logan as well.

    "The President of the United States!" An announcer stated, his voice resounding from different speakers. Maggie watched as Nixon climbed a set of small stairs that led to the elevated stage, closely followed by his bodyguards.

    "My fellow Americans!" He greeted them solemnly, raising his hand to silence the crowd. "today, we face the greatest threat in our history. Mutants."

    Maggie gritted her teeth and bawled her fists, anger rushing through her like a heatwave.

    "We have prepared for this threat. In the immortal words of Robert Oppenheimer. Behold. The world will never be the same again!"

    A sheet behind the President dropped, revealing the very fear that had brough Logan back to this part in time.

    The purple tinted sentinel robots stood towering over them, metal glinting in the sunlight while the American anthem played in the background.

    I have her.

    Maggie's heart sped up as she tried to pinpoint where Charles' was focusing. She craned her neck out, twisting to catch a glimpse of whatever Raven had transformed herself in. there you see? Secret service man. Left to the stage. Go

    But before the chestnut haired woman could move close enough to where Raven stood, she was startled by the sight of the Sentinels, who suddenly shot up in the air, whizzing and loud, their eyes glowing a haunting yellow colour.

    "Gentleman, ma'am, you cannot pass this point." Maggie gritted her teeth, the nerves that made her heart stutter, made her hands twitch at the sight of the guard, but before she could make a move, chaos erupted.

    The sentinels fired ━ beams of something cutting through the air like bullets, hitting the police force gathered around the perimeter before they turned and started to attack the crowd. Shrill screams and smoke filled the area as she ducked, hands over her head in a for of protection.

    She could feel Hank's hand on her back, as he directed her towards the side of the area, Logan close behind as they tried to find their way back to Charles.

    "Erik!"

    Her breath caught in her throat when she could hear the telepath's voice thunder over the screams and she felt her heart sink in sorrow.

    "No..." She breathed out, voice wavering as she led her eyes trail up to the sky where surely, Erik was floating. Looking hauntingly similar to that day on Cuba. The helmet secured on his head, the unwavering hate he exuded with just his rigid posture alone.

    Behind Erik, a whole goddamn stadium was floating like it was just a light as a balloon.  

    But before she could dwell on anything, bullets of energy whizzed towards the trio and her hands shot out, water gathered from bottles and fountains listening to her command. She bawled her fists and gritted her teeth as a wave of water rose and froze over their heads like a shield.

    The ice shatter when the energy bullets made impact, but they shimmered down to smoke, and became unable to harm them. Multiple eyes of secret service agents and guards looked at her and a small spark of fear made its way through her body when she noticed the disgust.

    "I guess the cat is out of the bag huh." She whispered at her two companions, before straightening her posture and letting water gather around her arms. The coldness helping to ease her nerves before she shot her right arm out, wrist flicking upwards to aim at one of the incoming sentinels. The beam of water surged through the air just as fast as their bullets and at the least second, water turned into a large spike of ice that went straight through its body. Sparks of electricity flying and metal breaking apart before it fell from the sky.

    "Where is Charles?" She shouted at Logan, who almost looked pleasantly surprised at her strength. Like he hadn't expected it from her.

    Maybe her future self hadn't expected her to be this strong already, but if they truly could alter the future, maybe it altered the past as well.

    An almost smug smirk made it's way on her face as she continued her assault on the bots flying around, making sure to cover Logan and Hank as they made their way through the crowd, when a shadow started to block the sun.

    She looked up to see Erik again, but much closer this time, and all the Sentinels flew up to meet him, forming a line of defence for the metal bending mutant. She swallowed worriedly as she looked at the gigantic stadium hovering over them, before she settled her eyes back on the ground when she heard Logan call out for Charles.

    A scream erupted from her throat, raw and raged filled as the stadium came crashing down around them like a cage. Charles' barely managing to escape certain death when he pushed himself out of the way of the incoming metal.

    The ground shook upon impact and Maggie stumbled, falling on her knees on the ground, hands making contact with the grass to steady herself. She could taste copper in her mouth, and feel blood trickle down her face as she coughed.

    "Come on, get up." Someone grabbed her arm, hauling her back to her feet. She hissed as pain shot through her leg.

    "Fuck." She cursed, but bit her cheek to hold back her moan of pain. Her eyes trailed up to see Logan standing across from her with an almost worried expression.

    "Get a move on princess." He pressed, pushing her forward to climb a large pile of rubble.

    "I told you not to call me that old-timer."

    Logan didn't reply, only moved forward and she had no choice but follow after him.

    She crawled over the stones and broken pieces of metal before she set her eyes in him again.

    Erik stood in the middle of the stadium, one Sentinel by his side, gaze fixated on the podium the President had only fled moments before.

    "I'm probably not supposed to ask this kind of think." Hank nervously began. "but, in the future...do I make it?"

    "No."

    Maggie blinked at his brutal honesty.

    "But we can change that." Logan vowed firmly, "Right?"

    "Yeah." Hank nodded before, grunting, as he slowly transformed into the beast before moving forward.

    Maggie hesitated, turning to look at Logan. "You said, Charles, Erik and I, sent you here. Together." She paused, picking her next words carefully. "We...forgave one another, we were all friends again in the future?"

    "In a way." Logan replied, "You came together again. I can't say if you were friends. But there was trust."

    "That's good enough." She breathed out.

    "Good enough for what?"

    Her eyes flickered to Erik. "To make sure we're not the only ones with a future." She stood up to her full height, "He deserves one too."

     Without saying anything else, she hauled herself over the ledge of rubble.

    Logan smirked, "I knew I liked you for a reason." He mumbled to himself.

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