Right now, the world doesn't need heroes. It needs villains.

Anna looked up at the taller man, “What kinda life did ah have that forgettin’ it all can be a blessin’?..” she wondered out loud, turning away again. She knew that everyone felt lost at this crazy world they’d found themselves in, that the contrast between how the world was vs how it is now was something a few couldn’t accept and didn’t know how to cope with… But she’d rather remember her life. Her family, her friends. Her successes, her mistakes…

“Is that you admittin’ there’s somethin’ in our past you’d rather not admit to?” she questioned, waiting to hear the reason he had approached. “Yah got somethin’ you wanted to tell me?”

“Oh I have no difficulty admitting to my past.  I am considered to have been an extremist in the defense of our people.”  Erik neither asked for, or desired acceptance from everyone about his past deeds.   He did what he thought necessary.  For that he would make no apologies.

“But if we protect them too much, they’ll be naive and unprepared for the world ahead. It’s a difficult balance. Do I let them live in this magical haven we’ve found and forget about the cruel world out there only to rip away the magic once they’re older? Their parents are a part of that cruel world out there and I don’t want them to forget their parents. What about my–,” she almost let it slip, “the babies being born in here who have never had to witness what’s out there? Do we protect them from that world too? They have to know and be prepared. If I don’t come home it’s because I was out there fighting for them, not because I didn’t want to come home. And one day it’ll be their fight too.”

May felt herself getting worked up. Logically she knew it was the hormones coursing through her, but that didn’t help alleviate any of the emotions. Instead she tried to clear her mind. Once she did that, she could calm down.

“Thank you. I’m sure they’ll have no problem with me visiting. I’d just like to make sure they have the chance to tell me so,” May smiled.

Her fears are ones he struggled with himself and he inclined his head in acknowledgement.   “It is indeed a difficult balance.  We cannot afford to leave them in complete ignorance of the dangers.  We cannot forget them and what if the worst were to happen?”  Erik shook his head slightly.   “I strive to make sure they are aware, but at the same time give them a chance to simply be children.   Something I think we all will struggle with in the days to come.” 

Anna stood strong, purposely not moving away from the stranger. She kept her eyes on the horizon, arms crossed and her feet rooted to the spot. 

“And what do yah think of those rumours?” she questioned, finally giving up her stance to turn to look up at him. Rogue glanced back to her bracelet, red light still infuriatingly present. Daken had taught her an invaluable lesson; just because someone knew who she was, just because they’d been allowed refuge at Haven, didn’t mean they were friendly and it didn’t mean they were trustworthy. 

“That such a thing could be both a blessing and a curse.  A two edged weapon because of all of us you truly have a clean slate with which to restart your life, even under these circumstances.”   While Erik would not choose to forget his past, even the most disturbing of memories he could see why someone may want to.   To shed weight that you carry upon your heart and spirit.   

“I’d really appreciate that. Thank you,” May said, her tone warming up slightly.

Had this been the old days, she and Erik probably would not have had a conversation like this. She would have never known this side of him nor he this side of her. She didn’t think she even had this side of her before. It had been squashed out of her after Bahrain. But once those kids came into her life it shifted all of her priorities in ways she never thought would happen.

Had this been the old days, she’d be interrogating him in a safe room far away from any metal as she awaited orders of where they would contain him. He’d never see anything of her but the mask she wore. She’d never see anything of him but the crimes he committed–the people he hurt. He’d probably act like a caged creature and do what it took to escape.

But these weren’t the old days and it made the circumstances and social cues slightly confusing, and yet somehow more civil.

“They are so mature for their ages, it’s hard to find that line. Sometimes it’s easy to forget they’re only children.”

“Thank you. I’ll send Jacob in with a note tomorrow with our decision.”

“And yet it is the most important thing for us to remember.   That they are children and need to be protected.   Something I ended up arguing about with a college of mine in a school I previously taught at.”   One of the reasons they broke ties at times.    He wanted to protect those children so he would go after those that threatened all of them.  Unfortunately he could not allow anyone to stop him from doing so.

Patience is something he learned over the long years.   Chess his preferred game.  One requiring many strategies and thinking four to five steps ahead.   If one gambit did not work, one needed to shift to the next strategy.   Anticipate what your opponent might do.   Even when he temporarily might be held captive he kept playing the long game.  

This time patience would reward him with the opportunity to prove for now that his intentions would not come into conflict with hers.   With most people here in Haven.  Oh he couldn’t say it wouldn’t come into conflict with all.  Undoubtedly there were a few bigots that wanted to be rid of mutantkind.   Their bias would persist despite the proof of mutant superiority.  Survival of the fittest.

Anna stood on the inside of Haven’s boundary fence, arms crossed as she looked out at the world beyond. A world that was unfamiliar. A world she no longer understood…

She glanced over as someone approached, taking in his size and weight. Unknown powers. Possibly none but unlikely. She glanced at her bracelet; the red light glaring back at her indicated her current lack of powers. 

“Has it?..” Rogue replied, eyes back out on the horizon and no longer on the man who took a spot beside her. 

“Yes.”  A simple answer as he settled next to her facing the same direction.  Erik clasped his hands behind his back.   “Though rumor has it you may not remember our past associations.”  A neutral enough approach.

Not that Erik intended to misrepresent anything.   While she may not know anything about what came before, lying about their shared past could and would backfire.   Enough in this place knew of his general past that things would be quickly corrected.

“I think I would like to take you up on that offer as long as my children are also okay with it. I try to give them choices whenever it is plausible to do so. They need to feel like they have some control. I’ll discuss it with them later and give you my answer after, if that is acceptable.”

“I wish I could do more to help them. But speaking from experience, it takes time and the right person to help get them there. It would just be simpler if I were that person. But I’m glad to hear they do well in class.”

“At home we try to maintain balance. I’m teaching them several forms of martial arts in the mornings and they are on the practice range for the kids classes, but we also put an emphasis on family time, play time, and of course, schoolwork. But it’s hard to tell if we’re doing this right.”

May nodded. She hadn’t considered a psychologist. She hated psychology, which was ironic considering it was her ex-husband’s profession, but if it would help her kids, she’d sign them up in a heartbeat. “That would be another decision I would leave to them, but how would I go about getting in touch with the psychologist if the kids are comfortable with the idea?”

“They have an office of sorts set up.  So there is a private area for sessions.  If the door is open people are welcome to stop in.  Alternatively use the new texting system that has been set up.  I can get the contact number for you if you wish.”  Trying to make it easier on her.   

Truth be told most of the residents of Haven likely needed the assistance.  Getting people to admit they were the ones that needed it though extremely unlikely.  Pride, social conditioning, or simple stubbornness.   Erik knew his flaws and accepted his short coming so little need for himself.  Others he would gently guide that way if he could.

“Your concerns are ones that every parent feels.  Little comfort perhaps, but you are not alone in your struggles.  We all want the children to be prepared for what they may face out there.  But not at the extent of robbing them of their childhoods.”  Something he felt very strongly about.  Not that many would see him as caring about children.  Yet at his heart, everything would always lead back to family and the young ones.

Billy nodded. Allies? This wasn’t something anyone else could help with. At least that’s how he felt about it. A different approach could help. Maybe a different spell or should he isolate one of the zombie away from the others? Of maybe he needed to be further away from all his friends and family.

“I won’t give up, don’t worry about that. I’m just worried it won’t ever work. My Magic’s never acted up like this.” He frowned. “But, a different approach, I’ll try that.”

“Perhaps something is blocking you.”  It could be anything from emotional issues to an outside force.   Emotions could decidedly cause problems for someone trying to access their powers.  

Faces from his past.  Friends, enemies, allies, colleagues, a mix of those here in Haven.  Some people fit only one of those categories and others fit multiple.  What Rogue might fit into, still a question.   The only way to determine this would be to actually see her.   He’d heard some stories which might make things difficult, but not impossible.  

In a quiet moment Erik tracked her down.  He needed to make sure those from his past wouldn’t come at him with some sort of vengeance in mind.   Especially in her case as her powers would make things a bit interesting.   Hopefully they could be allies, if not friends.

Betsy had always believed Erik had their peoples best interests at heart. It was at the forefront of everything he did. It was his methods she sometimes disagreed with.

“You haven’t seen Warren, have you?” she asked, still concerned at his absence. Why wouldn’t he come back to New York if he was okay?..

Erik’s face shifted into a more solemn expression.   “I cannot say I have.  Unfortunately there are a number of our people I have yet to see.”  The thought grieved him of who they might have lost.   

“You teach my children, then,” May asked. “Are they good children at school?

“Jacob and Abby are always eager to learn everything they can at least at home. But I’m afraid Jacob might not realize his job is to be a kid. He always wants to take on so much responsibility and never talks about having friends. I relied heavily on his help getting them all here. Abby, was too young to remember anything besides being out there. She gets confused when we try to talk about her parents before us. Sophie has taken it the hardest. She was old enough to know what was going on but too young to understand why. She’s been resistant to a lot of things, especially to talking about how she feels. I hope she’s not like that in class,” May confided in Erik. With everything that had been going on, she hadn’t made it in to talk to any of their teachers and she felt guilty for it and there were things she had been incredibly concerned about.

And if he was spending time with her kids on a daily basis, finding common ground was important. From what she knew about him, he was true to his word about protecting his people, even if his methods were wrong. “Maybe we do have more in common than we’d necessarily like to think. And I appreciate the offer.”

“Of course.  Part of that is to hopefully reassure you about the job I am doing with your children.   I know I would have appreciated the same given the chance.”   He missed out on that with his children.   For many complicated reasons he wouldn’t wish on anyone.   

“I can assure you they haven’t been acting out in class and they have been engaged in learning.   As you said Jacob is on the more serious side.  Unfortunately he is not the only child to have been effective that way.”   Difficult to put things in the best words to reassure her.  In this moment May was like every parent anxious for the well being of their child.  It softened his demeanor.

“We have been trying to focus on reassuring those that are struggling without alarming them.   They have had enough stress in their lives and like you say, need to have a chance to be a child.”  One thing Erik disapproved of with Charles, the way he turned children into fighters when they should be focused on just being children. 

Billy nodded along with the words. “I don’t think there’s any other way for it to work.” He frowned he wanted to ask for help, he didn’t know if anyone knew how to help him. Erik was probably, for now, his best bet.

“The first time I tried, this thing. It hurt, a lot. Both me and, the target.” He wasn’t willing to say what he was doing out loud but, surely it was easy to piece together. “I thought it was going to help, and it started to. But, it’s almost like there’s something stopping it.”

Erik mulled over his grandson’s words.   What he might be attempting to do could be extremely difficult.   Potentially within the range of Billy’s abilities but the boy may need more experience before he could attempt something at this level.