a/n: how do we feel about a spotify playlist for lyla?

"Dad?"

"Hm?"

"Do we find each other in the future?" Lyla asked, sitting on the kitchen counter and I sighed. "You said back on the island that you'd-"

"That I'd always find you, I know." I interrupted, handing her a plate of watermelon covered in sugar and honey. "I may have lost a lot of memories in my time, but I still remember your favorite snack."

"You're not answering my question."

"Scott was the one that found me and put two and two together when he saw my claws... when I got here, you were so happy because you thought I finally found you. I had vague memories of you, but not enough to recognize you as my kid."

"And what happened? What changed?"

"Jean and the Professor got deep into my subconscious, found those memories and gave them back to me... Along with the good ones, there were a lot of bad ones as well so I started taking it out on the one person in the mansion who wasn't at fault."

"Me." She realized and I nodded. "But why me and not the Professor or someone else?"

"Because, despite me not being around, you turned out exactly like me. You were hotheaded, stubborn, and had an attitude that drove everyone up the wall. How Scott managed to deal with you was beyond me."

"I don't-"

"I've done a lot of terrible things in my life, Lyla. I've got a lot of terrible qualities and somehow you inherited all of them... from my uncontrollable rage at times to always expecting the worst out of everyone. We were so alike that while you tried getting closer, I kept pushing away until you started to resent me for it."

"How?"

"I started taking care of this kid Rogue and gave her my dog tags. I didn't know you saw it until Scott ran after you and you literally disappeared for three days. That's how it all started because-"

"You always told me as a kid that your dog tags were the most importantly thing you had aside from me."

"Those tags were the only sense of identity I had until I got my memories back."

"So... I hated you because you gave someone else your dog tags?" Lyla asked seemingly confused. "That doesn't make much sense if I'm being completely honest... Well... it does and it doesn't."

"Yes and no. After Scott dragged you back to the mansion and I came back, you and I got into a huge fight in the Danger Room and it turned physical. It went on for an eternity until Storm had enough and had the entire X-men try and separate us... After that, I said some things in the heat of the moment which made Scott get pissed and he blasted me through a wall and out the mansion. He was just looking out for you because you were a mess and Jean and Beast were literally dragging you away so you wouldn't kill me, but all it did was fuel the fire and then I started hating him as well."

"What did you say?"

"I... I said that the adamantium wouldn't have happened and I would've been fine if I left when I had the chance. That the whole thing with Stryker happened because I was trying to protect a lost cause and someone who turned out worse than I did." I admitted and her jaw clenched while setting the empty plate aside.

"Did you mean it?"

"No. But I have a tendency to not think before I speak and let my anger get the best of me."

"What happened after that?"

"You stopped trying and got severely depressed which made you act more reckless on missions... Then the Sentinel war broke out and you died. You died hating me, but you were loved."

"By Alex's brother?" She grimaced making me chuckle.

"Lyla, that man loved you like it was breathing."

"I doubt it, but whatever."

"You had the life I so desperately wanted to live and instead of being happy for you like a normal father would, I resented you for it."

"But not anymore?"

"I never truly did, moonlight. I was just angry at myself because I failed you as a father... I failed to protect you." I said, blinking back the tears as she jumped down from the counter to hug me. "I'm here now to make it right, Lyla... I swear to you that I'll make it right."

"You already have, Dad."

。✯ ＼ ｜ ／✯ 。

"We know you're father and daughter, but do you have to dress the same?"

"Truth is, this wasn't even planned. I just took what I had in my closet." Lyla shrugged as I glanced down at our clothes.

"But why does-"

"Hank, I frankly don't care. I had a horrible night, okay?" She whined and rang the doorbell.

"What's he done now? I'll write you a check for anything he took." Peter's mom said and Lyla turned to me with a raised eyebrow.

"We just wanna talk to him." I promised.

"Peter! The cops are here again!" She yelled. "He's in the basement."

"What on Earth have you gotten us into!?" Lyla hissed.

"You wanna get Erik or not?"

"Not! He killed JFK, by the way."

"We'll cross that bridge when we get there, okay?" I rolled my eyes and entered the basement to see Peter playing ping-pong by himself. "Great... another teenager."

"What do you guys want? I haven't done anything. I've been here all day."

"We're not cops."

"Of course you're not. If you were, you wouldn't be driving a rental car."

"He's giving me a migraine." Lyla huffed and rubbed her temples. "How do you know we have a rental?"

"I checked your registration when you were walking to the door. I also had some time to kill so I went through your rental agreement. Saw you were from out of town. Are you FBI?" Peter asked and sped around us. "No, you're not cops. Hey, what's with this gifted youngsters place?"

"That's an old card!" Charles protested.

"He's fascinating." Hank smiled.

"He's a pain in the ass!" Lyla protested and showed her claws when Peter stopped right in front of her making him take a step back. "I wouldn't try it, Maximoff. I'm annoyed enough as is."

"Teleporter?"

"Nope, just fast. And when I knew him, he wasn't so... young." I grimaced, lowering Lyla's hands.

"Young? You're just old." Peter scoffed.

"So you're not afraid to show your powers?"

"What powers? What are you talking about?"

"We need your help, Peter." I sighed, tightly holding Lyla's shoulders when she refused to retract her claws. "And I suggest you do so because she has zero patience and you're testing it already."

"What do you want?"

"To break into a highly secured facility... and to get someone out."

"That's illegal, y'know?"

"Only if you get caught." Lyla spat.

"So, what's in it for me?"

"You, you kleptomaniac, get to break into the Pentagon." Charles said and held Lyla's wrists. "And you don't get to deal with her anger issues."

"How can I trust you?" Peter smirked and I let Lyla go to show my claws as well. "That's disgusting... and they're metal!?"

"They were bone but shit happens." I shrugged and retracted them, giving Lyla a warning glance. "Put them down."

"I will once he agrees to help." She tilted her head and Peter nodded. "I just have one question which is the only loophole for now."

"Which is?"

"How are we going to go through the metal detectors? It'll light up like a Christmas tree and Charles doesn't have his powers."

"We have someone with superhuman speed and that's what you're worried about?" Hank scoffed and Lyla glared at him.

"You don't have metal covering your body like we do! It's completely valid!"

"I'll disconnect the sensors long enough for you two to get through." Peter simply shrugged and we all raised an eyebrow. "It's not that hard."

"If we get arrested and I'm sent back to the cage, I'm finding a way to break out just so I can kill you."

"I'll keep that in mind."

。✯ ＼ ｜ ／✯ 。

"Alright, so we stay here until Peter gets Erik."

"Lyla, you're fidgeting." I pointed out as she held a railing with shaking hands. "I know you're mad at him but-"

"It's what he's done to her." Charles interrupted and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"What did he-"

"Before he got arrested, Alex and I were sent on a mission on something I can't truly remember... Let's just say that when Erik found us, I couldn't move and the adamantium was stretched in ways I didn't even know I could feel and Alex almost died trying to drag me away. After that, he killed JFK and it all went downhill." She admitted and clenched her jaw walking ahead of us towards the kitchen. "Let's just say that we don't see eye to eye anymore."

"Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, this is a Code Red situation. We are evacuating the entire floor... so that my associates and I... can, uh, secure the prison." Charles announced once we were inside and two guards stopped us.

"Who are you?"

"FBI, dimwit." Lyla called out and I immediately clasped a hand over her mouth with a warning look.

"Perhaps you didn't hear me when first I spoke... but it is imperative that you understand... we're in a complete lockdown situation. We have to get you to the third floor..."

Lyla and I both rolled our eyes and I used a frying pan to knock the two cops down while she bashed their heads together, rendering them unconscious.

"Just get the key, Charles." She sighed as Charles made quick work in opening the door.

"Does he always-"

"It was worse when the school was around."

"I'm not very good with violence!" Charles defended as the elevator doors opened.

"Here we go. Husband and wife together again." Lyla mumbled and rubbed her temples when Charles punched Erik. "And there it is!"

"Liebchen?"

"You've got a lot of nerve calling me that after what you've done, Magneto. And I've got half a mind to kill you." She spat and I had to hold her back. "If we didn't have a choice, you'd still be rotting down there."

"Sweet mother of... You're her father?"

"So?" We both answered in unison.

"If we get out of here, we're doing it my way." Charles hissed and held him by the shirt. "No killing, Erik."

"No helmet." Erik smirked. "I couldn't disobey you even if I wanted."

"I'm never getting inside of that head again. I need your word, Erik."

"Can husband and wife continue this later? We've got company!" Lyla called out just as the door busted open.

"Hold it right there! Don't move!" A cop announced and, in the blink of an eye, the rest were sent flying in different directions while Peter stood in another corner with a smirk.

"You truly are her father." Erik hummed and I looked down to see my claws in full display. "Looks like people can come back from the dead."

"Watch it, bub. I've got half a mind to dig these through your skull for what you did." I warned as he walked away. "You smell afraid, Erik."

"I only fear one man, Mr. Howlett. And you're not that man."

。✯ ＼ ｜ ／✯ 。

"How does a man abandon his only daughter and then act as if nothing happened?"

"I didn't abandon her. The bullet just wiped my memories." I said as Lyla shifted in her sleep and adjusted her head on my lap. "And she was supposed to be safe with you and Charles, but you screwed it all up in Cuba."

"When we found you, there was something in the back of my mind telling me that you just might be him... but you're supposed to be dead." Erik mused and I rolled my eyes, using my jacket as a blanket for Lyla.

"I don't die easy and if you would've told me back then that I had a daughter, I might've believed you. A lot of shit would've been avoided if you followed that hunch."

"And somehow you're back."

"I'm back to make things right with my kid."

"And then what? You'll abandon her again?"

"Listen here, you little piece of-"

"I'm trying to sleep because I hate airplanes and I can't if you two keep arguing." Lyla grumbled, sitting up and rested her head on my chest before closing her eyes again. "Erik, don't be an asshole or you're going back to the hole. Dad, don't add more fuel to the already lit fire... and both of you, let me sleep!"

"What hole did you crawl out of, Mr. Howlett?" Erik asked, leaning forward.

"Logan." I corrected and he raised an eyebrow. "You're gonna find this hard to believe... but, uh, you sent me. You and Charles."

"From the future?"

"Like I said, hard to believe." I smirked as Charles and Hank walked inside.

"How did you lose them?"

"The treatment for my spine affects my DNA." Charles waved it off and sat next to me.

"You sacrificed your powers so you could walk?!" Erik stood up and I held Lyla closer.

"I sacrificed my power so I could sleep! Besides... what do you know about it?"

"I've lost my fair share, Charles."

"Dry your eyes, Erik. It doesn't justify what you've done."

"You have no idea what I've done."

"You killed people!" Lyla defended and stood up despite my efforts to keep her down. "Banshee left us because of you and now he's gone!"

"Because of me? What about what you've done, Lyla?"

"What I've done is because I had to. I adapt to survive."

"You were an animal so they treated you like one." He said and I stood up as well. "You killed over forty people in less than five minutes."

"I thought they killed my dad! Or do I need to bring up what you did?"

"Angel, Banshee, Emma, Azazel. Mutant brothers and sisters, experimented on and dead!" Erik yelled and turned to Charles, the plane quickly losing stability. "Countless others experimented on, butchered! Where were you, Charles?! We were supposed to protect them! Where were you when your own people needed you?! Hiding! You, Lyla and Hank! Pretending to be something you're not! You abandoned us all!"

"Erik!" Hank called out and he took a deep breath. "Not when we're in the air, please!"

"You abandoned us all." He spat and finally sat down.

Lyla buried her claws on the cushion next to his head and I noticed her fangs beginning to grow when she bared her teeth.

"Abandonment goes both ways, Erik. I hope you do well in remembering that."