CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT —
( Nineteen seventy-nine )

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        Lydia Xavier searched through hundreds of different mutant's minds, trying to find anything peculiar or someone that needed their help and safety at the school. Her mind brushed passed many adult mutants minds, some of their thoughts dark whilst others had bright thoughts and big plans for their futures. Lydia's mind then singled out and stopped on a small child's mind. A bouncing little toddler stuck in an orphanage full of human's with no idea what to do with her.

"I've got one," Lydia announced to Hank. He took the time to unplug Cerebro from Lydia's mind and let her stand up from the chair that was placed before the machine. "I'm heading to Edison, New Jersey."

"Would you like any of us to go with you?" Hank asked, hurrying out of the room to follow Lydia's long strides.

"I think I can handle a toddler by myself, Hank," Lydia said with a laugh, stopping in the elevator and waiting for Hank to step in with her.

"Do you need money for a cab or something?" He asked.

Lydia grinned as she turned to him. "Hank, thank you for your concern, but I'm not ten anymore and I'm also no longer a depressed twenty-year-old alcoholic. I am twenty-six and I can handle myself now, thank you."

Hank awkwardly chuckled and scratched the back of his neck. "Right. Sorry." He watched as Lydia walked passed students and headed towards the garage. "Would you like me to alert Charles?"

"I've already told him." She turned around and saluted. "I'll see you tonight, Hank."

Hank waved Lydia off.

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It took Lydia just over two hours to reach the orphanage in Edison, New Jersey. Besides the minor road rage she displayed an hour into the car ride where Lydia ended out using her powers to make the asshole driver who would not keep out of her ass to make him think he had to turn around and go home, the drive was fairly smooth. The radio seemed to be playing fairly good tunes, prominently playing Bee Gees and ABBA songs.

She parked the dark grey car in one of the many empty parking spaces in the lot and hopped out of the car, making sure to lock it behind her before making her way into the orphanage. Lydia walked into the building and towards the front desk to the receptionist. The woman looked up from the book she was reading and frowned at Lydia as if she wasn't expecting anyone to rock up.

"Yes?" The receptionist asked.

"I'm here to see one of the children you have here," Lydia said. She wiggled her fingers and watched as her green magic went through the woman's head and her eyes turned a bright green. "I heard she's a special case and I wanted to check it out."

"Sure!" The receptionists brightly said and stood up. Lydia followed after the lady and passed many rooms and staff members. As the two turned a corner, Lydia noticed a couple of people standing outside of a room while looking in with wide eyes. The receptionist gestured towards the women. "The child is in there." And she walked off.

Lydia walked up to the two staff members and looked into the room, noticing a crib in the middle of the room with two other people standing around it. "What's going on?" Lydia asked.

"We don't know what to do with it," the woman beside her said.

Lydia frowned and turned to her. "What do you mean?"

The other woman looked at Lydia, noticing how she was a visitor but not really caring. "Have a look."

Lydia stepped into the room and walked towards the crib. A man and woman stood beside the crib with confused faces, mumbling to each other as they tried to figure out how they were going to feed the child. Lydia looked into the crib, frowned to herself, and then looked up at the two before her.

"Do you mind if I give it a try?" She asked. They both frowned at her, and after Lydia's eyes glowed green, the woman handed her the small bowl and the two walked away.

Lydia looked down into the crib at the thirteen month old girl who was currently as flat as a pancake. She giggled up at Lydia, who smiled down at the girl. Lydia reached her hand into the crib and tapped the toddler's head, and watched as the child slowly grew back to normal size and sat up. Her green eyes locked with Lydia's chocolate brown eyes, and a grin began to grow on Lydia's face. She dipped the spoon into the bowl in her hand and picked up some yoghurt, before reaching her hand into the crib to feed some to the toddler. The girl happily ate it, then reached up for more.

Once Lydia finished feeding the small child, she leant against the railings of the crib and watched the toddler inside. The small girl continued to flatten her fingers and arms, and whenever her whole body dropped against the blanket below her, Lydia would tap her head and watch as she'd grow to full size again.

"What's her name?" Lydia asked the awestruck staff members behind her that had now grown into a small crowd.

"Avery," one of the members spoke.

"No family? No last name?" Lydia continued.

"She was found on our doorstep a week ago. She only had a blanket with 'Avery' stitched onto it."

Lydia's chocolate brown eyes locked with Avery's bright green eyes, and a sudden feeling washed over her. She felt a sudden sentimental bond with the toddler, and as Lydia reached in once again and Avery's small fingers wrapped around her finger, a feeling of warmth and love washed over Lydia. All she wanted to do was love and look over Avery as she would grow up, watch her live her life and learn and grow and fall in love. She wanted to witness it all, and not just as Lydia's student.

After a moment of thought, Lydia reached both hands into the crib and wrapped them under Avery's armpits to pick her up. "I'd like to adopt her," she announced.

Nobody spoke as they all stared at the two mutants, completely and utterly confused at what was happening.

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Lydia walked through the front doors of the Xavier mansion with Avery on her hip. Children and teenagers alike walked up to the pair, trying to catch a glimpse at the new person moving into the school for Gifted Youngsters. Nobody knew that Lydia didn't just help and save a mutant toddler, but brought her into her family. And she deliberately had her mind blocked off from any telepathic individuals in the building, especially her brother.

"Is she a mutant?" A young boy asked.

"She is," Lydia smiled.

"What's her name?" Another younger girl asked.

"Avery."

Hank came walking out of a classroom and down the hallway towards Lydia. He noticed the toddler on her hip and smiled. "What's this little one's name?" He asked.

Avery looked at Hank with wide eyes. "I'll get back to you on that. Is Charles in his study?" After Hank nodded with a small frown on his face, Lydia was on her way to his study.

When Lydia reached Charles' study, she knocked on the door. "Come in." She stepped into the room and Charles looked up from a book in front of him. "Lyds." He then looked down. "Why are you holding a baby?"

Lydia lightly laughed as she walked towards Charles, Avery trying to reach up to pull Lydia's hair. "I was using Cerebro and I found her in New Jersey," Lydia told him. "She kept thinning out and turning to, basically, sludge. The orphanage didn't know what to do with her."

"Her mutation is turning into sludge?" Charles asked, not believing her.

Lydia rolled her eyes. "No. I meant she was thinning out. I think she has superhuman elasticity."

"Oh," Charles hummed. He then paused as he thought about something, before frowning. "What's her name?"

"Avery," Lydia told him.

Charles thought back to meeting Logan six years prior, and how in the future, Lydia would have two children named Avery and Charlie. Charlie who could phase through walls and Avery who had superhuman elasticity.

Charles leant back in his seat. "Lydia, is there something you'd like to tell me?"

Lydia pursed her lips and then gave him a guilty smile. "I adopted Avery. She's my daughter now."

Charles nodded with a small smile on his lips. "Having children is a massive responsibility," he told her. "I know you're good with all of the children who live here in the mansion. You're definitely the most empathetic and caring mentor we have here. But raising a child as your own is different." He paused. "Are you sure you're ready for this?"

Lydia looked at Avery and the little girl looked up at her. "There's something about her," she explained. "Like, as soon as I looked at her, I was drawn in. Something about her made me feel protective and gave me this motherly feeling that I haven't felt with the other children here." She nodded. "I'm ready."

Charles smiled and looked at Avery. "Okay. Can I meet my niece?"

Lydia grinned and walked up to Charles. She handed Avery to him, and the thirteen month old happily sat on Charles' lap with her mouth open wide in a happy smile. "Charles, meet Avery Raven Xavier, your niece."

AUTHORS NOTE
Rightio kids, I changed it to Lydia adopting Avery between dofp and apocalypse because technically speaking, Avery and Logan start getting cosy when he arrives at the X Mansion in the first X-Men movie. I didn't want her to be a fucking child because we don't support that disgusting shit here. So I've made her birth year be 1978 so that she'd be in her twenties when they meet and then throughout the movies 🤗 Don't worry, Charlie comes when Peter and Lydia are together
Sorry if you don't support this change or you stop reading, but I like it because I have things planned, especially with Peter and Lydia as well as Avery and Peter 🥺
If you have questions, I'm here
Pheebs/-rosepetal