Time Stands Still (Peter Maximoff)

Wish You Were Here

"Peter, wake up, get to my office, now." Charles whispered into Peter's mind.

Peter groaned loudly, and stood. He looked at his watch, it was barely eight in the morning. He rolled his heavy eyes, and got a shirt on. Peter sped through the school, and came to a stop in the middle of Professor X's office. He looked around at his audience, Raven, Ororo, Jean, Scott and Charles. Peter sat in the closest chair, annoyance and confusion filling his thoughts, he hated being up before noon. Charles smiled around the room before giving them the extraordinary news.

He said cheerfully, "I just got a call. Um, apparently because we paid for Mara's funeral and gravestone, we were her only contacts. Um, why I say this is, at seven o'clock this morning the cemetery groundskeeper was astonished to find Mara alive, and digging out of her grave."

Peter stood and quickly said, "Where is she, what hospital?"

"Wait, Peter! There is a small problem. Mara doesn't remember anything about her life. She woke up three days ago, and found herself inside her casket. She clawed her way out. To put it lightly, she is unstable. I think it is best if we take it slow with her. We don't want to force too much on her. I think it's best if Raven and I go first. She knew us the longest.... Peter I can tell what you're thinking, even without reading your mind. I know you were hurt the most by her death, but let's not push her. I wanted everyone to know that she was alive, and is getting medical attention. She seems to be okay, as far as the doctor I spoke to could tell."

Peter shook his head, and said, "I'm coming with you. I swear, I'll just listen, and stand in the back. I won't say a word, and I won't clue her in on knowing me. I promise."

Charles stared into his eyes for a long moment, but it was Raven that finally spoke up.

"I really don't care if he comes along or not, I just want to see my friend. So, let's get out of here. Mara needs us right now. Pete, go get some real clothes on, and meet us out front."

Charles rolled his eyes, and nodded.

An hour had past, and they were still on their way to the hospital. Peter's knee was bouncing so quickly from impatience that it was almost a blur to the naked eye. He wasn't used to driving in cars, and he was not impressed so far.

Charles said, inside his head, "Calm down, Peter. You'll put a hole through my floor. I know the anticipation is more than you can bear, but you need to stay calm. Mara won't know who any of us are. If she sees you running around like that, it won't help. Understand?"

Peter nodded to Charles in the rear view mirror, but his knee continued.

As they reached the hospital, Peter's breathing quickened. She was in there, he could feel it, somehow. He had felt something for a few days, but hadn't known what it was. Now that he had the knowledge that she was alive, and had been for days, he knew. He had felt her.

Raven quickly parked the car, and helped Charles into his chair, before running into the hospital. Peter tried his hardest to take things slow, and stayed at Raven's side. As they entered the hospital, they noticed something strange. All over the Emergency Room were animals, and plants that had sprouted from the tile.

Peter warned, "She's using her power to create life. She's under a lot of stress if she's making all of this, and she's going to be very energized as well. Let's hope they didn't realize that this all came from her."

Charles paused, muttering, "Too late. They have her sedated on the third floor. Peter, I think it's best if we get her out of here, I'll wipe every memory of what she did, and have her officially released. Why don't you go grab her, and take her to the car. Raven, give him the keys."