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»»-----　act three . change of tides
CHAPTER TWENTY TWO ━━ always with the bad news

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♯ ❝THIS IS CRAZY! ❞ 
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SERENITY RULED INSIDE HER HOME, A CALM COLLECTED AIR THAT BROUGHT MAGGIE HENDRIX UTMOST JOY. WARM SUNSHINE FILTERED THROUGH THE WINDOWS, CASTING A GOLDEN GLOW ON THE HARDWOOD floors. The sea salt breeze a familiar smell mixed with burned wood that brought her immense comfort. But her home, while a haven in every right, was not always tranquil. For here the chaos had ruled for years, scorched floorboards an everlasting scar, and creaking stairs that never were completely repaired after unexpected accidents. Or better said, a certain speedster that was rather fond of dashing down those stairs like a madman. But the quiet had replaced the boisterous noise of young children as they all left to learn where they were supposed to.

Xavier's school for the gifted. It still sounded posh to her ears. A little bit too prim and proper and it was after all housed in a literal mansion. But it was perfect. And it had been her home once too.

"Maggie?" The words were soft spoken and more a whisper than anything.

But while her house was not a school anymore, she be damned if it wasn't still a safe haven.

Lena peered up with wide eyes, a ratted teddy bear in her hand, red mop of curls a mess.

"Did you sleep well?" Maggie smiled, crouched down to the child's eye level, kindness swirling in her hazel eyes.

Lena had come into her life unexpectedly, only a couple years after the whole time travel spectacle. Shortly after she departed with most of the children and sent them out the learn at Charles' school. She was two when she was dropped at her doorstep, clutching that very same teddy bear. And it was soon revealed the redhead was a mutant, with parents who very much disliked that.

The redhead hummed, thumb sucked into her mouth as she walked into Maggie's open arms without hesitation. "Look." Lena turned her palm upward and Maggie was with twinkling eyes as flowers sprouted from her skin, growing and twisting around her small fingers in intricate ways.

It was a beautiful gift, delicately innocent in the way Lena applied it. Her once bare backyard (━thanks to a couple of pyromantic twins ) had bloomed beautifully under the redhead's care. Hyacinths and tulips grew in every crevice of the garden and lush trees sprouted from the ground to cast a cool shade over the property.

"It looks beautiful Lennie." Maggie touched the delicate petals of the lilies that had grown, "Did you see Henry on you way down?" The chestnut haired mutant wondered out loud as she pushed open the door leading towards the patio with the girl still in her arms

"No━no." Lena shook her head, the two staring at the ocean ahead of them.

Her bare feet moved across the grass, the sun warming her cold skin. Her steps were poised and full of purpose as she set the young mutant on the wooden bench placed against the house before raising her arms in a graceful move. Water followed her command as she raised it from the nearby well created by some mutant kids. It hovered over the fauna in her garden before with a gentle squeeze of her fist, it rained down on the plants. "It's so cool!" Lena clapped her hands despite the fact that she'd seen it a hundred times already. Her innocent awe of the world still something that warmed Maggie's heart. She looked over her shoulder at the little girl and winked at her.

"Looking good Mags."

Startled, Maggie spun around, arms still raised and the water followed her movement. She winched as she regarded the owner of the voice.

Henry stood with his arms limply hanging by his side, drenched from head to toe. He grimaced as he wiped away the water that trickled in his eyes.  "I thought stuff like this wouldn't happen anymore now that all the kids left for Charles' place."

Maggie smiled awkwardly at her friend, before flicking her wrist to call the water back to her.

"Thanks."

"Don't mention it." She laughed, Lena giggling in the background.

"Think that's funny munchkin?" Henry called out as he approached the girl who sprung to her feet when the man grabbed a nearby bucket and held it up threateningly.

Maggie could only watch as the man gave chase to the little girl who was waving her hands around to make roots erupt from the earth to trip Henry. Some things never change.

With one strong twist of her small hand, Lena finally managed to ensnare Henry's ankle, making the man fall down, barely able to catch himself with his hands before smacking his head against the dirt. Maggie laughed gleefully as Lena made flowers sprout from the roots, bright and colourful in the sunlight.

"A little help, please?" He peered up through his lashes at Maggie who stood a little bit away with her arms crossed over her chest.

"Lena dear, will you please let Henry go?" Maggie asked, stifling her laughter.

Lena scrunched her brows together in concentration, hand outstretched in front of her and pointed at Henry. Slowly the greenery started to retreat back into the earth, until only one single daffodil remained.

Henry grunted as he pushed himself up, brushing off the dirt on his sweatshirt before turning to face Maggie. "Did the postcard come in? Maggie wondered.

"No Mags, and you asked already yesterday, maybe it got delayed." Henry jutted his chin out, hand above him to shield his eyes from the sun. "you shouldn't worry about it so much. 

Maggie bit the inside of her cheek. "No, something is wrong. He always sends a postcard, and it always arrives on the same day."

"It's still just a postcard." Henry sighed, "I don't even know why he still sends them. He's been gone for five years."

"I know, I know. But I like to know he's doing alright." She countered with a uncharacteristic pout.

"How do you even know how he is doing? They don't say anything." The man scoffed, following the mutant woman inside the home.

"I do, because he sends one every month." She replied, "and that's why something is wrong." With a sigh she turned and opened a desk drawer in the corner of the room. Multiple unmarked postcards were scattered inside and warmth blossomed in her chest. "All of these told me he was doing alright. Now I don't know."

"I know you two bonded during his time hiding here, but Maggie, this isn't a friendship you should want to pursue. And you know I don't often say this about you guys, but he is really dangerous."

A frown appeared on her face as she looked over her shoulder at the man. "Charles believed in him."

"Did you?" Henry argued, "When he came here five years ago, did you let him in because you trusted him?"

Her eyes flashed with unspoken emotions, "He always had a piece of my trust, I can't deny that Henry, despite the horrible things he did. I was warry of him, but I've seen the good in him, and he was lost. Like many of us have been. Was it wrong for me to hope he'd change again?"

"I can't answer that for you Maggie, and neither can Charles for that matter." Henry sighed, running a hand through his short hair.  "Only Erik can decide to change. And to be honest I don't think he will."

"But we came together, Logan told us." Maggie protested, "We send him together, Charles, Erik and I. It has to count for something."

"That was a different reality Maggie! Nothing is the same anymore━"

"Maggie?"

Both adults turned towards Lena, the small girl standing in the doorframe with wide eyes.

"Lena sweetheart? What is it?"

"Someone is at the door."

Maggie tensed for a moment, before taking in a deep breath, "You stay with Henry, Lennie. I'll go see who it is."

Jogging towards the hallway, multiple picture frames were scattered around the beige wall, most were from the children she had housed over the year, and some were of herself and her friends.

Swinging the door open, Maggie was surprised to see two familiar faces staring up at her.

"Charles...?" She breathed out in surprise, hazel eyes flickering to Alex momentarily before taking in their grim faces. "what's wrong?"

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"WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY THE FIRST EVER MUTANT WAS BROUGHT BACK TO LIFE AGAIN?" HENRY WAS THE FIRST to speak when they all had gathered inside at the living room table. It felt like déjà vu for Maggie, like reliving the same thing again. But there was no Logan this time, and Charles wasn't an walking addict.

"And why do you always visit with bad news." She groaned out, rubbing her temple.

"Look this group, they believed he had this ability to transfer his consciousness from body to body. And whenever he was close to death he would just take on a new body. Some of these may even have been the bodies of mutants. Thus enabling him to take their powers. He has amassed various abilities over the years. An all powerful mutant. And he always had four disciples following him, and wherever they went disaster happened."

"An apocalypse? Like the Bible?" Henry asked flabbergasted, "this sound like the end of the world."

"It might as well be just that." Charles replied.

"This is crazy." He muttered, "absolutely crazy."

"We must stop this." Maggie stated, wide eyes glancing around the group. "That's the plan right."

"We need to gather others, this is not someone we can take down easily."

"Maggie..." Henry stood up, voice desperate. "this is dangerous, you could die."

The mutant woman sprung to her feet as well, grasping his shoulders, "everyone could die if we don't do anything." She looked over her shoulder at Hank and Charles, realisation sparking in her eyes. "I think something happened to Erik."

"What?!" Hank's voice was surprisingly shrill, "you have been in contact with him?"

Maggie didn't pick up on his worried tone and instead returned to the desk in the corner of the room and pulling out all the postcards, "A year after DC, Erik came here, looking for a safe place to stay. I let him, because you Charles, said you believed in him." and I did too.

"He stayed here for five years, he went away from time to time, not very long and he always came back." She continued before dropping all the postcards on the table in front of the group. "until one day he didn't. A month later I got one of these. No text, just a card, with a place on it."

"How do you know something happened?" Charles was the one to ask, but his eyes remained on the carefully kept postcards, a small knowing smile on his face.

"Because the latest one should have arrived two days ago."

"You think this first mutant could have something to do with it?" Hank wondered unsure.

"Maybe." She almost looked desperate for and answer, "and even if it wasn't the reason, he could need help, and we need help too."

No one spoke and Maggie ran a hand through her hair nervously, "Look...I know you guys don't trust him, not really. But those five years he spend here, those have proved to me he is capable of good things. Hell he even helped me raise Lena."

Charles and Hank looked confused at the mention of Lena, but didn't say anything.

"He was a part of this safe haven, and even if he left, we don't turn our back on anyone who stayed here when they need us."

"Then we must locate him." Charles conceded with a nod, "with Cerebro."

Maggie looked through the scattered postcards before locating the one she's looking for, "The last one was from Poland." She held it up for the telepath to see before looking at Henry. "You will look after Lena for me right? When I'm gone."

"If you think I'm going to let you face and ancient mutant on your own you are sorely mistaken Mags." Henry shook his head.

"You can't face that Henry!"

"I'll just find a nice shotgun."

"Henry! A gun won't stop something like that." Maggie shook her head violently. "it's too dangerous for you."

"I don't care."

"And what about Lena, huh?"

"Xavier has a school for gifted youngsters, Lena is a mutant. She should go to school there."

"Wait do you have a kid?" Hank asked shocked, blue eyes comically wide.

"Adopted." Both Henry and Maggie replied in sync, not taking their eyes away off each other.

Charles looked at Maggie with a wide grin, "What can she do?"

This time Maggie turned to look at Charles, eyes filled with adoration, "She can manipulate plant life. She's really good at it."

"She sounds extraordinary Maggie."

"She is."

Henry clapped his hands together, "Then it's decided, we all go."

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