Charles' P.O.V:
To say that there was tension in the house would be an understatement. Ever since the twins discovered that Erik was their father last week, it has been extremely awkward between them. Neither know what they are supposed to do or say in front of the other.
Erik wants to be a good father and look after his children, but he knows that he hasn't been around for most of their lives and doesn't want to overstep his bounds.
The twins desperately want Erik to be an involved father, but aren't sure at how they should act around him. Do they call him Dad? Or Erik? No one seems to know what the next course of action is.
Unfortunately for me, all of these loud thoughts from the three of them flood into my mind, giving me severe headaches.
Of course I can't complain, because they all need to think through everything and figure out their relationship.
My thoughts are interrupted by Erik storming into my office. "Come in." I joke in response to him not knocking.
"Where's Peter and Wanda?" Erik asks trying to remain calm, but actually worrying immensely.
"I can't find them anywhere. I've looked all over!" Erik panics and I roll over to my friend.
"Erik I'm sure they're here. I'll have them come to my office. Will that make you feel better?" I ask and he merely nods his head.
Wanda? Peter? Please come to my office as soon as you can.
I give Erik a worrying glance after messaging the twins. I've never seen him like this. But before I can say anything, I feel a gust of wind go passed me and there stands Wanda and Peter, with a confused look on their faces.
Erik lets out a sigh of relief before Peter speaks. "What's up prof? Did I do something?" Peter worries, thinking about all of his past misdoings since he's arrived at the mansion.
I only broke that one vase...and maybe the other one...but I picked it up I think! That's everyth...oh wait. I stole Hank's glasses. Oops.
Peter thinks to himself and I merely shake my head disapprovingly, yet amused at the same time.
"No you didn't do anything wrong, but please do not take Hank's glasses again Peter." I warn, reading his thoughts.
"So...why are we here again?" Wanda asks, getting us back on topic.
"Ah yes, well I thought that it'd be nice if we all went out for dinner so we can get to know each other a bit better." I lie, knowing that Erik wouldn't have wanted me to reveal the real reason as to why I called them here.
The twins look at each other before agreeing to dinner. "It's around 5 now so do you two want to get changed and then we'll head out?" I ask and they nod. Once the twins leave, Erik closes the door and turns to face me.
"Charles, I appreciate you covering for me back there, but do you really think that it's safe to be going out in public? What if Stryker finds them. What if..." Erik worries, but I stop him before he can go any further.
"My dear friend there is nothing to worry about. I will know if Stryker's men are near." I say whilst point to my head. He nods in agreement, but I can still hear his fears on bringing them.
Wanda's P.O.V:
"So...." Peter says, after speeding to close the door in my room. I continue looking for an outfit to wear as he speaks.
"What do we think of Erik?" He asks me and I laugh.
"I don't know. He seems...nice?" I say more as a question than a statement.
"Yeah I don't know what to think of him either. I guess it's good that we're going out for dinner today then. Besides, I'm starvingggggg." Peter says dramatically and I roll me eyes at his antics.
Before he can speed off, I enlist his help. "Hey Pie, can you help me pick out an outfit?" I ask with puppy dog eyes. He looks at me for a second before giving in.
"Fine. But only because you're my little sister." He smirks as I punch him in the arm.
"Only by 12 seconds." I remind him and he mocks me before jumping on the bed.
I finally try on my ninth option, fearing that there is no perfect outfit. It's a really pretty red dress that's flowy at the bottom.
"What do you think?" I ask nervously awaiting my brother's approval. He says nothing as he stares at me and motions for me to turn around.
After a second, he finally responds. "I love it!" He exclaims and I let out a sigh a relief. I look at myself in the mirror for a second, my mind wandering to tonight's meal.
"Are you nervous?" I finally ask him and he speeds in front of me.
"Are you kidding me? I'm totally nervous. But I have a good feeling." He reassures me and I give him a hug.
"Wanna help me pick out an outfit?" He asks and I nod, following him into his room.
"You are NOT wearing your silver jacket Peter." I demand and he groans before closing the door.
~~~~~~~~~~~time skip~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
We all meet in the front room of the mansion. Right now I'm waiting for the twins to come with Erik. He has on a black turtle neck and these plaid pants with dress shoes.
I'm wearing a simple light blue button down shirt with dress pants. We're going out to Marcelli's, this fancy restaurant in the town over. Erik wanted to have the first meal with his family be a nice one.
"It's been nearly fifteen minutes Charles." Erik complains and I laugh.
"They'll be here soon." I tell him and then in a flash Peter comes downstairs. He's ditched his iconic silver jacket, instead wearing a nice dark blue button down, but still in his favorite silver sneakers.
"You look very handsome Peter." Erik comments awkwardly and Peter responds with the same amount of awkwardness.
"Thanks man. You too." We stay in awkward silence until Wanda saves us by coming down the stairs, in a flower red dress with her auburn hair slightly curled.
"Ready to go?" She asks happily and I am suddenly hearing Erik's loud thoughts.
God she looks just like Magda.
He thinks painfully and I can't help but feel sorry for my friend.
"Wanda, you look absolutely beautiful! Red is your color." Erik exclaims and she smiles widely.
"Thanks!" She says happily and we all head out to the car.
Once we arrive at the restaurant we are immediately brought to our seats. Wanda and Peter are sitting next to each other, with Erik sits on Wanda's other side, leaving my in the seat next to him and Peter.
"Wow this place is so fancy." Wanda says.
"Yeah I know right! I don't think I've ever been anywhere this fancy in my entire life!" Peter exclaims like a giddy school boy, earning a laugh from Erik and I.
The restaurant is very nice, but it's no five star dinning. Their optimistic outlooks keeps making me forget what these kids have been through and how much they didn't have growing up. To them, this place looks like a million bucks.
I'm pulled from my thought when the waiter comes towards us. He's about 20 years old with dark brown hair and matching brown eyes.
"Hello, how may I help you?" He asks with a smile, while only staring at Wanda. Wanda looks away shyly and we all dismiss it as nothing.
"Just some waters for the table for now please." Erik speaks up and the waiter leaves to fulfill his order.
"So..." Wanda begins.
"So..." Peter repeats.
"How do you like it at the school." I ask, starting the conversation and their faces immediately light up.
"We like it a lot." Wanda says happily and I look over to see Erik smiling.
"Yeah it's great! I can finally eat all of the food I want! And everyone's really nice there too! A lot better than some of the other places we stayed at..." Peter begins, but is shoved by his sister, urging him to stop.
"How do you mean?" Erik asks, slightly worried.
"Well...some places were better than others." Peter says vaguely, earning a death glare from Wanda for saying something in the first place.
I can't believe he's telling them this. God Peter is so naive. He will literally just trust anyone without question. How does he know if we can trust them yet? What if this is all some ruse to get us in that lab? Wanda thinks to herself, which I happen to overhear. Peter knows how evil people can be. Why can't he just...
"Don't do that." Wanda says, looking straight at me. Peter and Erik look at me as well, confused at her words.
"I'm sorry Wanda. It won't happen again." I say, mentally slapping myself. I'm sure not helping my case in getting her to trust us.
"It's ok." She lies, uncomfortable at the thought of someone in her mind.
The waiter finally returns with our drinks, ready to take our meal order. Peter, Erik, and myself give our orders, leaving only Wanda left to give hers.
"And what will you be having tonight gorgeous?" The waiter, Mike (as his name tag says) asks.
The three of us stare at Mike in shock. If looks could kill, the man would be long dead from the death glare that Erik is giving him.
Peter looks as though he's about to punch the waiter right in the face, matching my expressions.
I can hear all of his disturbing thoughts about how beautiful Wanda is and his desires to be with her, all making me sick. I may have only known her for a short while, but I can't help but think of her as one of my children, as I do my other students.
Wanda looks at the three of us and tries to deescalate the situation before anything gets out of hand.
"I'll just have the house salad and the chicken parm please." She says uncomfortably.
Mike tries to reach and grab Wanda's menu from her, but Erik protectively takes it for her and hands it to Mike himself.
Mike finally notices the death glares directed towards him from the three of us, causing him to quickly rush off to fetch our orders.
"God that guy's a creep." Peter says, disgusted.
"Yeah." Wanda says quietly. Erik still looks angry, but tried to brush it off. We continue our meal and Peter and Wanda begin to tell us about their hobbies and interests.
Peter's more willing to reveal things about himself than Wanda, but as the meal continues, she begins to open up some more.
"Did you know that Wanda sings?" Peter asks with a smirk on his face.
"Oh my god shut up Peter." Wanda says while punching her brother lightly in the arm, obviously not wanting us to know that.
Peter mouths an "Ow" while rubbing his arm dramatically.
"So you sing?" Erik asks intrigued.
"No I don't." Wanda lies, but Peter quickly speaks up.
"Yes she does, but she only seems to do it when she thinks that no one's there. She's pretty good too. You should hear her sometime!" Peter offers and Erik smiles happily.
"I would love to!" Wanda looks away, embarrassed that her secret passion is out in the open to her newly found father, but her view changes when Erik speaks again.
"You know your mother had a beautiful voice. I can remember her singing melodies in the kitchen on Sunday mornings. She was very shy about it as you are Wanda, but she sounded excellent none the less." Erik recalls fondly, peaking Peter and Wanda's interest.
"What was she like?" Wanda asks desperately and Erik looks slightly confused.
"We were really young when she died so it's kind of hard to remember her. We look at pictures and stuff, but it's never enough." Peter adds sadly and Erik immediately tells the twins everything about their late mother.
"She was absolutely breath taking. She had beautiful long auburn hair and light skin. You look just like her Wanda."
"I do?" She asks happily and Erik simply nods.
"Yes. Very much so. The first time I met you, I thought that you were Magda for a second. You're a spitting image of her, except for your eyes. You and Peter get that from me." Erik says proudly and the twins smile, knowing that they inherited something from their father.
"What about me?" Peter asks, slightly upset.
"Do I remind you of mom at all?" He asks hopefully.
"You may not look as much like your mother as your sister does, but you have her spirit. She was always so optimistic and would trust everyone she met, only seeing the best in people." Peter grins widely, knowing that a piece of his mother shines through him and Wanda chuckles at how similar Peter is to their mother.
"Is there anything about us that remind us of you?" Peter asks to Erik and I answer for him.
"Well Peter, aside from your eyes, you get your stubbornness from him." I say and we all laugh.
"Where Wanda looks like your mother, you look more like your father Peter. It's quite easy to tell that you two are related." I add and Peter grins, while looking at him.
"And you Wanda, you are more like your father than you know." Erik gives me a glare, unsure of what I'm implying.
"Although misguided at times," I begin lightly "your father always fights for what he believes in and would do anything for the people that he loves. I can see that in you as well." I finish, unsure of how Wanda will respond to that.
Wanda gently places her hand on Erik's and squeezes it before looking him in the eyes, saying "Thanks for saving us dad."
"Thank you for saving me." He replies warmly to both of his children. Maybe things will turn out ok after all.
~~~~~~~~~~~time skip ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
After dinner, we all head outside of the restaurant. "I'm going to go get the car so we don't have to wheel you all the way over there Charles. There weren't a lot of spots so I had to park far away." Erik explains as he begins to walk away, but Peter catches up to him, making sure not to use his super speed in public.
"Wait! I'll walk with ya." Peter says, slightly nervous that his father not will approve, but Erik simply smiles at him happily, leaving Wanda and I on the sidewalk.
"Dinner was nice, don't you think Wanda?" I ask and she nods her head contemplating.
"What is it?" I worry, choosing not to read her mind again.
"How long is the car ride?" She asks. "About 45 minutes. Why?" I ask, quite confused.
"Well I kinda have to go to the bathroom. I mean I can hold it in if I have to but..."
"Nonsense my dear. Go to the restroom, I'll be here" I say with a reassuring smile as she heads back inside.
About 10 minutes later, Wanda still isn't back. I begin to worry, constantly glancing at the door, waiting for her to come out.
Erik soon pulls the car up to the sidewalk and gets out of the car with Peter. He walks up to me, noticing that his daughter is not by my side as she was when he left us a few minutes ago.
"Where's Wanda?" He asks worriedly and Peter can't help but have a similar look on his face at the absence of his sister.
"She's inside. She had to go to the bathroom so I told her to go, but it's been nearly 10 minutes and I'm staring to worry." I admit and Erik thinks for a minute before responding.
"Peter, you stay here with Charles and I'll go inside and get Wanda." He says, while walking to the door. Peter merely nods his head, but I grab Erik by the arm, stopping him.
"What?" He asks frustratedly.
"Remember my friend, no powers." I say and Erik nods his head before leaving.
Erik's P.O.V:
I head into the restaurant and quickly ask the hostess where the restroom is. She points me to the back of the restaurant and I speed walk over there, trying not to make a scene. I find the women's restroom and debate going inside.
Once a woman walks out, I slip passed the door and go inside. "Wanda? Are you in here?" I whisper shout, hoping that there are no other woman in there.
I ask again, but get no response. I proceed to open all of the stall doors and they're all empty.
Where could she be?
Charles. I call to my friend.
Have you found her yet? (Charles communicating telepathically to Erik will be italicized in bold and Erik will just be italicized).
Not yet. She's not in the bathroom I can't find her anywhere.
I walk out of the restroom, continuing my search for Wanda before my eyes land on our waiter from earlier. I rush up to him and force him outside.
"Where's my daughter?" I ask threateningly and he shakes under my grasp.
"I...I don't know man. I thought that she was with you" He lies and I push him against the wall.
"I know that you're lying. Tell me now and you won't get hurt." I promise and he shakes his head in agreement.
"There was...there was this guy and he showed me a picture of the girl and the kid with silver hair, asking if I saw them." Mike stutters out.
"And what did you say?" I ask impatiently, trying to remain calm.
"I said that I served them and that I saw the girl go to the bathroom." I release my grip from him and rub a hand down my face.
"Where is she?" I ask forcefully, as Mike crumbles under my stare.
"They took her in a black van." He admits and anger flows throughout me.
"You saw them take her and you let them go?!?!" I shout at him and he merely nods his head shamefully.
"I'm sorry sir. I'm so sorry." He apologizes but I tune him out.
Charles, did you hear all of that?
Yes my friend, I unfortunately did.
What are we going to do? I ask hopeless, but before Charles can respond, I feel a hand grab my arm. I defensively turn around to see the return of our waiter.
"What?" I shout, annoyed at his presence.
"There's something else." He says and I can see the fear in his eyes.
"There was this man. He had a buzz cut and dark brown hair. He seemed to be in charge or something." Fear is filled within me as I bombarded Mike with a million questions.
"What did he say? What was his name? Did they say where they were going? Do you know the license plate of the van that took Wanda? What was his name?"
"I don't know...I don't know...I don't know!" Mike yells, overwhelmed by all of my questions. I decide to take a minute before asking him another one more slowly.
"Do you remember anything?" I ask and he thinks for a minute before responding.
"The men, the ones that took your daughter, one of them...of them called him by a name." He says.
"What name?" I ask impatiently, already knowing the answer.
"Stryker."
A/N: Hey guys! Hope you enjoyed this chapter! Please don't forget to vote and comment! I love any and all suggestions or recommendations! Thanks!