X-Men: Civil War

Chapter 15: Childish Things

Maxine Lehnsherr

Stark returns to my room just as I wake up and, sadly, drags me from underneath my warm covers with his loud footsteps.

"Get up, someone wants to see you." I close my eyes tightly as a light is turned on.

I follow him, reluctantly, and find myself being led to a double door, of which I'm motioned to walk in. My hands lightly push on the right door, and I am surprised by who I see on the other side.

I run up to my older sister and hug her with my small tears and other things smearing on her clothes.

"Wanda, I haven't seen you in such a long time!" My voice is shaky and grateful and she wraps her arms around me tightly.

"Oh, Maxi, I missed you." I can feel her tears run down my neck, but she sounds a little more... grievous than I thought she would.

I pull away with my hands on her arms.

"Is something wrong Wanda?" I ask with sincere worry.

"Maxi... I have to tell you something about the five years you can't remember."  I raise my eyebrows.

"What are you talking about..." She wipes one of her tears away.

"You were pregnant when I changed reality." I don't fully understand what she's saying, that I have a child.

"Why don't I know about this?" She looks down.

"Because someone made you forget." I open and close my mouth.

"Was it you?" She doesn't answer at first, and I can feel my anger starting to get the best of me.

"Wanda, was it you?!" I grab her by her shoulders and my claws start to come out on their own.

"I'm the one who made the call, yes!" Tears start to flood her eyes and I push her away from me. I have to get myself under control, or I might hurt her.

"Where is my child?!" I yell even louder now and I come closer to her.

"Maxine, calm down and step back." She warns me, but I don't heed her silver tongue.

"Why would you hide this from me?" She shakes her head and takes a couple steps back and I match them towards her.

"I wanted to tell you before but I never knew how, I didn't know what to do." Then humility smacks me in the face and I'm down on my knees crying. Her arms support mine and she brings me to my feet.

"But... why?" Her silence and contemplation is louder than a felled tree in a forest.

"If certain people, people who hate you with a passion, knew about your children, they'd make sure that harm would come their way."

"I have more then one?!" The shock is so great that I don't bother to remember what she had said before.

"Yes, you have twins, but they don't know about each other."

"Well, where are they?"

She hesitates and sighs.

"I can't tell you that." Anger resurfaces.

"Why not?" I snap back at her.

She reaches up to her earpiece and whispers something ,that even I can't hear, to the person on the other side.

"Who was that?" I ask tentatively. She looks away and the door opens up behind me.

"Sam, this is your mother." Wanda says and I hear words that could break any heart.

"Mo- mommy?" the voice is so young, so fragile. I stand and turn around slowly, my neck muscle constricts and saliva is pushed down.

"Your name is... Sam?" A head of shaggy, dirty blond hair shakes up and down, while grey-blue eyes stare into mine.

I laugh and let tears of joy flow freely down my already wet cheeks. My arms open widely and he runs towards them. His little red jacket does nothing to cover his already formed and fledged wings.

"Oh, Sam, you're beautiful, I- I'm so glad to have met you my handsome little boy." I know he doesn't understand the intimacy of the situation yet, the reunion of mother and son, the joy and bliss of this moment, but he will one day. I suddenly realize why I hid them from myself. I have to leave, no matter how it will tear me apart on the inside, I can't ever let them come to harm.

"Where's my other child?" I ask Wanda and she bites her lip.

"Elanor's with the X-Men, you asked us to keep them separated." I cringe as I let go of my beloved new-found son.

"I need to see her." Wanda nods her head and I pick Sam up to hold him on my hip as she says something else into the earpiece. I stare at his features and see how shockingly they resemble my own.

"Mommy, where are you going?" His voice, again, soft and timid, jerks my heart.

"I'll be right back sweetie, I just have to... take care of some business." His eyes, laced with worry and yet so free of the burden, look up at me.

"I want to come with." He pleads and I set him down just to have his tiny fists reach up to me and open. He wants me to pick him up again.

"It's not safe, you just have to stay with Aunt Wanda until I'm back, ok?" He nods his head reluctantly.

"Thank you, my little one." He hugs my leg in a thrust of his little body.

"Bye Mommy." He says and tears flutter into his sparkling eyes, as though this is the last time he'll ever see me.

"Don't fret, I'll come back, and when I do I'll stay." He nods his little head and plops down to the ground to rub his eyes from tears.

"She's waiting for you at the institute." Wanda whispers and I bend down to kiss his salty, chubby cheek.

"Hey, you know what?"

He looks up, "What?"

"I have a friend that'll keep you company while I'm gone." 

"Who?" Curiosity now drives away his sorrow.

"His name is Freedom, and he's a rather big puppy." I call to him in my mind and he comes in through the door, wagging his tail.

"Are you sure you want me stay, Maxine? I can't protect you from here..." He says telepathically.

"I'll be fine, just watch over Sam please?" I reply and stand up to walk out the door and into the hallway, and up the stairs, and around the corner, and into the doorway of my room. I need to write a very important letter, even if the receiver never receives it. And then, I need to get back to the X-Men.