Peace of Mind | X-Men: Apocalypse

Prologue

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1963

Raven Darkholme.

It had been just one month since Erik Lehnsherr was imprisoned for the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. Just one month since Raven had last laid eyes on the man, other than his picture from the news. Just one month since he promised her the one thing that he couldn't deliver; his safety. Now, that promise is broken, and so is Raven. Because just one month ago, Raven made a mistake. A mistake that at the time, appeared as pure bliss.

But when the positive sign of the pregnancy test reflected back in her eyes, she knew. The first thing to enter Raven's mind was just how would Erik feel? Of course, that quickly left once she remembered the chances of ever seeing him again after the stunt he had pulled; he could never know. And then came the thought of how cruel it would be to bring a child into the world she lived in today. Especially when the odds of her child developing any sort of mutation was more than likely-- it was genetic.

But just the thought of abandoning her child in that same cruel world she was raised in shattered her heart into a million pieces. It was something she could never do to a child, regardless of the child being hers or not. And so, in that moment, just one month after the thought to be 'killer' of JFK had been imprisoned, Raven made a decision that would change not only her life, but everyone else's lives around her as well.

Because in that moment, Raven knew that she would become a mother.

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1972

It had been nearly nine years since Raven's decision, and within those nine years, the woman managed to create a facade; she wanted nothing more than to just protect her daughter from the harsh world. However, she also knew that Leah Darkholme would inevitably have to face it someday. Raven just hadn't expected it to be so soon.

The small family of two had long ago taken up residence in the countryside of France. Leah had started school a little over two years ago and already, she was showing signs of her developing mutation. It wouldn't be long before Leah herself discovered that she was different. Though as proud as Raven would have felt when that day were to finally come, it never did. Unfortunately, life had other plans for their family in the form of the United States' private military. A man Raven had become well acquainted with over the years had shown up at their doorstep with at least a dozen other officials armed to the teeth. William Stryker was just beginning to turn heads in the U.S. government but to Raven, he was known to be very dangerous.

The minute she had opened the door, she regretted it. For in just under one minute, Stryker had managed to find Leah— even after Raven's cries, telling the girl to run. While the both of them had been taken by Stryker to his facility, they had been separated, leaving Raven to be oblivious to her own daughter's whereabouts. Weeks of experimentation Raven had to endure before she managed to escape his facility, though not without tearing up the place in search of her daughter first. However, after finding no trace of Leah anywhere, Raven could only assume the worst; her baby was gone. Her pride and joy had been taken and endured God only knows what by those monsters. That moment of heartbreak and realization led Raven to do just one thing: cry. Something so human but couldn't be helped. Because the realization of it all was what hit Raven the hardest.

Her baby was gone.