a/n: the X-men movie timeline will never fail to confuse me so i'm just improvising it as much as I can while trying to make sense of it...

hope that makes sense

"She's quite something, isn't she?"

"Yeah... she is." I smiled slightly watching Lyla play a board game with Alex, both of them laughing and yelling over each other. "I'll never say this in the future, but thanks for taking care of my kid, Professor."

"Believe me, she's not easy to take care of." He chuckled and turned slightly. "But she's a good kid despite it all."

"How bad was it when you found her?"

"She was covered in her own bodily fluids for what seemed like days given the smell. Scraps of raw meat in a corner and I have a permanent scar on my arm from her claws. They truly did treat her like an animal... Erik was the only one who saw through her and helped her the first few days."

"And after Cuba?"

"Alex took care of her as best as he could. Those two became thick as thieves until he left for the war... She hasn't been fully the same since."

"Alex, it's Candyland, not Monopoly! I'm not allowed to play Monopoly or UNO anymore!" Lyla laughed and reached out to hit Alex in the head.

"Don't bring out the Monopoly! The wall still has the dents from last time!" Hank called out and Charles rolled his eyes.

"I threw it out after that night. She's strictly allowed Candyland and Mouse Trap from now on."

"That bad, huh?" I chuckled.

"The table still has the scratch marks and we're missing a chair in the dining room."

"The chair was my fault!" Alex admitted. "We got too carried away with UNO and Banshee annoyed me with a draw four that somehow turned into a draw sixteen."

"You broke a chair on him!?"

"No... but Lyla and I may or may not have tackled him to said chair."

"He has a brother." I whispered to Charles and he raised an eyebrow. "His name is Scott... Remember that name and remember it well. He'll probably be one of the best decisions you ever make in your life... And when he comes to the mansion, ruby quartz will help him."

"What on Earth are you-"

"Storm, Jean, Kurt, Gambit, Rogue... There's so many of us. We will need you to guide us, Professor. To protect us."

"I'll... I'll do my best."

"Your best is more than enough."

。✯ ＼ ｜ ／✯ 。

"Ma'am, I'm gonna need you to step aside and-"

"Stand? That's rich." Alex laughed, pushing Lyla in a wheelchair. "My little sister has metal plates on her knees, a bar on her back for scoliosis and she just left surgery not too long ago for her hip and you're asking her to stand!? Is this the America we're living in?"

"He's a war vet, by the way." Lyla continued and I pursed my lips to try and not laugh. "He fought in 'Nam."

"But why so many-"

"Plane crash and we lost our mother, not that it's any of your business." Alex continued and turned to me. "Is that right, Dad?"

"Uhh, yep. You denying my kids entry, bub? My disabled daughter and traumatized son that fought your war because I couldn't!?" I joined in and Charles laughed, placing a hand on his temple and everyone was frozen. "You two do this a lot, don't you?"

"Every time there's a metal detector and lights up." Lyla shrugged, standing up and grabbed her sunglasses. "We made it a game at this point."

"Adding the war vet bit was a nice touch, Lyla." Alex praised and she bowed. "Next time, we've got to crank that up."

"Nah, Dad did it for us." She smiled and held my hand. "Charles, start searching."

"My fellow Americans... today we face the gravest threat in our history... mutants." The President started his speech and Lyla tightened her grip on my hand. "We have prepared for this threat. In the immortal words of Robert Oppenheimer... "Behold. The world will never be the same again.""

"Is that-"

"The first generation of Sentinels." I whispered and my jaw clenched. "Those were the things that killed you and so many of us."

"Great."

"I have her." Charles announced and we nodded. "Left side of the stage. Secret Service."

"I smell metal and it's not those tin cans." Lyla sniffed just as the Sentinels were powered on. "Magneto..."

"Wasn't he in prison for killing JFK?" Alex asked and she sighed.

"We committed a war crime and broke him out. It's a long story that we don't have time for." She waved it off once the Sentinels started shooting. "ERIK, FOR THE LOVE OF GOD! YOU'RE GONNA KILL ANOTHER PRESIDENT!"

"Logan, listen to me." Charles said and I froze, shielding Lyla and Alex from the oncoming debris. "I do not know what's happening, but we need you to hurry. Magneto, Bishop and Storm are dead... the Sentinels found us."

"I'm headed out there. I should be able to hold them off for a while." Scott announced and hit my chest much gentler this time. "I am begging you, not as your son in law or the man who just lost his wife, but as your teammate and ally... Please hurry."

"Scott, that amount of raw power might kill you!"

"Then it's been a hell of a ride, Professor."

"We have to hurry." I said and they all turned to me. "The Sentinels found us in my timeline... We don't have much time."

"I'm probably the most confused person in the planet right now... But my little brother, is he-"

"Still alive for now."

"Hank, time to go Beast mode." Lyla ordered and showed her claws. "Alex... go wreak Havoc."

"Moonlight..." I held her back and hid behind the stage. "I have a bad feeling."

"You always said it was adrenaline."

"Just... promise me you'll find me if we get separated, okay? It's your turn to find me now."

"Dad-"

"Promise me?" I repeated and she nodded.

"You're gonna do something stupid again, won't you?" She sighed and I hugged her tight. "Don't lose your memories this time, Daddy... Please don't lose your memories."

"I'll have you guide me back." I assured and pressed a kiss to her forehead. "You're the best version of me, Lyla. Always remember it."

The stage moved to reveal Erik floating above us with Sentinels surrounding us.

"What a heartfelt moment." He cooed and Lyla practically growled at him.

"I'm not even going to try and reason with you, Erik... You're beyond salvation." Lyla spat and stood up.

"I used to think you were the only one who could understand, Lyla."

"That's funny. I used to think the same thing."

"I don't want to hurt you, liebchen."

"Fuck you." She spat and he levitated her. "Let me go, Erik!"

"Let her go, Erik!" Alex yelled, shooting a beam at him but Erik waved his hand and a piece of concrete hit him.

"Let her go, Magneto." I repeated and he laughed, using metal bars to pierce my skin and hold me down.

"DADDY!" Lyla yelled, struggling against his grip. "Erik, you've lost your mind!"

"No... but he is about to lose his." Erik said as one of the bars started to penetrate my skull.

"DAD!"

"Lyla... it's up to you now." I managed to say.

The last thing I saw was Lyla baring her teeth at Erik and her claws grow just a bit longer and Mystique shoot Erik.

"That's my girl..."

。✯ ＼ ｜ ／✯ 。

"Everyone get to class!"

"Lyla?" I jolted awake and looked around to see I was back in the mansion.

It worked?

I immediately stood up and rushed down the stairs to Charles's office.

"Slow down, sugar. Why the rush?" Rogue laughed as I ran past her. "Your class isn't until noon since the kiddos have a field trip today with Lyla and I to the art museum."

"Where's Lyla?"

"Where she is always is in the mornings. Down at the gardens with her boys."

"Boys? What-"

"Take this to Lyla, mon ami. She was asking for it." Remy called out and handed me a plate full of beignets. "And no running in the halls!"

I ignored both of them and ran out to the gardens to see Lyla and Scott playing with a boy no older than two years old.

"Alex, slow down!" Lyla laughed as the boy hugged her legs and she fell. "Oh, he got me! He got me!"

"I got you, Mommy!"

"Look at that, bud." Scott smiled and pointed at me, a baby strapped to his chest. "Papa has the beignets from uncle Gambit."

"Hon, I think Melody needs a change before we head to class. I can smell that from here." Lyla grimaced and stood up. "Mornin', Dad!"

"I'll go change her and change Alex out of his pajamas. I have Geometry tests today so I'll bring something to keep him distracted."

"I'll take Mel today since the kids and I are headed to the Met in like thirty minutes."

"Logan, you look like you've seen a ghost." Scott laughed as Alex hugged my legs and smiled up at me. "Did you have another episode? Because I think the Professor's free if you wanna talk to him."

"Papa, look at my teeth!" Alex exclaimed and showed his fangs. "Like Mommy!"

"Y-yeah... You look just like your Mom, bub." I said and he ran inside.

"Go after him before he tries to get Rem to charge something up and potentially make the kitchen explode. Those two are mentally the same age." Lyla ordered and Scott kissed her cheek before running after Alex, making Melody laugh in the process. "Dad, you sure you're alright? You look pale and like you're about to vomit."

"I'm just having some trouble remembering stuff, I guess."

"Is there anything I can do to help?"

"What year is it?"

"Uhh... 1995."

"You're supposed to be in your sixties... You age normally."

"Dad-"

"How old are you?"

"29."

"What happened after 1973?"

"I honestly have no clue." She shrugged and took the beignets, setting them on a table before gesturing for me to sit. "I remember what happened in DC. There was a moment where I lost consciousness and then it was 1982 and I was sixteen years old which technically shouldn't have happened. Lived my life normally ever since."

"I believe I can offer an explanation." Charles called out and we both turned to him. "Welcome back, Logan."

"Beignets? Gambit made them fresh for Alex and for the field trips today but judging by the screams inside, he's quite entertained with something else." Lyla offered and leaned back in her chair. "What exactly happened after DC, Professor?"

"To put it as simple as I can... the timeline hit a reset. When Raven didn't kill Trask, I believe it caused a ripple which ultimately fixed our timeline. I have no recollection of the future Logan described, but I do get glimpses of it."

"So this is it? This is the true timeline?" I asked.

"I'm afraid I can't answer that question, Logan."

"Mrs. Howlett, when are we leaving?" A group of kids ran out and Lyla glanced at her watch, widening her eyes.

"Right now! Get everyone on the bus, Max." She immediately stood up and kissed my cheek. "I'll be back around four, Dad... ROGUE, GAMBIT, DOUBLE TIME!"

"I've got Melody in her stroller!" Rogue called out. "Remy has the beignets!"

"Have fun, Lyla!" Charles laughed once she left. "I kept my promise, didn't I?"

"You sure did." I smiled and turned to see Lyla kiss Scott goodbye and ran after Gambit and Rogue with one of the students on her back. "We have a lot to talk about, don't we?"

"Well, it would be a waste to throw away all of Gambit's work. He did wake up extra early to make these beignets."

"Then let's dig in."