When Lance first entered foster care, his case worker made him write a list of what he'd like his ideal home and family to be like.
Lance couldn't imagine an ideal family and home, so he wrote a list for his ideal city instead, hoping he'd at least get to grow up somewhere cool.
Lance took that list to every city he's lived in, including Bayville.
While packing for their road trip, The Brotherhood found that list and, for some reason even they can't quite explain, made sure to bring it along.
The road trip was Pietro's idea. After Kitty called him "nothing but a hood" Lance was depressed bummed out and Pietro suggested a road trip to cheer him up.
Lance didn't actually like that idea, but he was outvoted. And with how badly they all screwed up, maybe getting out of town for a bit isn't a bad idea.
It was Fred's idea to recruit an adult.
"If we get in trouble, they'll hold us until Mystique or Magneto comes to get us." Fred explained. "And do we really want that?"
It was Todd's idea to recruit Wolverine.
Which is how Tabitha also ended up coming along. She's claiming to be concerned for her own safety in Bayville, but they're pretty sure she was just looking for an excuse to come back.
And an untimely visit from Pyro meant another tag-along. At least he had his own vehicle; an RV.
All-in-all, this has been nothing like what Lance had planned.
But, he has to admit, it has been fun.
Wolverine agreed surprisingly easily.
Lance suspects an ulterior motive.
He's proven right when they arrive in Boston and Wolverine says he needs to catch up with a woman in the area.
After finding a spot for Pyro to park his RV, they start searching for lunch.
"Boston is ranked one of the world's top 10 food cities." Fred reads off of a pamphlet he grabbed from the tourist kiosk.
"Sounds like we have a lot of options." Tabitha says.
"And no money." Pietro says.
"With what money?" Lance asks.
"I wrote a best-selling novel during my time as an Acolyte." Pyro says.
"What kind of novel?" Pietro asks.
"Gothic romance." Pyro says.
"You're that St. John Allerdyce?" Tabitha asks in shock. "The other X-Girls love your work."
"Thanks." Pyro says. "I go by Johnny."
"Yeah, he can buy the food." Todd says.
There's murmurs of agreement.
And after clam chowders, cream pies, pizzas, burgers, and putting a dent in Pyro's Johnny's small fortune, Fred checks "good food" off of Lance's list.
"There's so much to do here!" Pietro says. "Indoors and outdoors!"
"Even if you're not sporty." Johnny says. "Museums, symphonies, tours, cultural experiences..."
"Doesn't that sound exciting?" Pietro asks.
"Yes." Lance says. "But it's a lot to do in one weekend. We'll have to shorten the list."
Pietro crosses "lots of activities" off of the list while Johnny crosses off "culture".
"There's so much education around here." Todd says.
"Thought I was the only one who cared about school." Lance says.
"You were the only one who cared about staying at Bayville High." Pietro says. "Big difference."
"No one there cared about us." Fred says. "Not a lot of motivation to care ourselves."
"I guess I can understand that." Lance says. "MIT isn't too far from here..."
Todd marks "good education" off the list.
Wolverine's woman turned out to be Emma Frost, a former colleague of Magneto's.
“You must know where my father is!” Wanda accuses.
“I don’t.” Emma says. “Nor do I care to.”
To Emma’s credit, she doesn’t react as the room starts coming apart.
“I am a psychologist, if you want to talk about it.” Emma says.
“I have had enough of shrinks!” Wanda shouts.
“This is about the hospital.” Emma says.
“You can’t possibly understand!”
The room around them changes. The sterile atmosphere says they’re in some kind of hospital. There’s a thin, strung-out-looking blonde woman on a bed.
“This is the hospital my parents confined me to after they found out about my powers.” Emma explains. “I was kept sedated so I couldn’t use them. For all of our sakes, I won’t show what the guards did to me.”
The room stopped going crazy at least.
“I was kept in a straight jacket so I couldn’t use my powers.” Wanda says in a soft voice. They didn’t know she could sound so… small. “And my room was a metal box with removable sides. I begged Xavier to enroll me in his school so I could leave, but he wouldn't let me until I could control my anger.”
“I had no idea.” Pietro says.
“Your father also had no idea.” Emma says. “He begged me to try and get on your care team a few years ago because he had no idea what was going on.”
“They stopped communicating with him.” Emma explained. “Said he was a ‘negative trigger’ and it was better for you if he wasn't involved anymore.”
“And why didn’t you help him?” Wanda asked. “Help me?”
“Charles Xavier would’ve seen right through my plan.” Emma explained. “There was nothing I could have done. And I am sorry about that.”
Wanda looks like she’s about to cry.
“You have every right to be angry, Wanda.” Emma says. “Even at your father. But this self-destructive path of vengeance is not the answer.”
At that, Wanda starts crying. Her hair changes from straight black to curly brown.
“I forgot that your hair used to look just like mom's.” Pietro says.
"Damn." Wanda says. "Mystique paid a lot for that dye job."
“You have a lot of healing to do.” Emma says. “If you’re willing to stay, this is a good place to do it.”
Tabitha marks "good healthcare" off of the list.
Lance is not happy when he finds out they have the list.
He's even less happy to find out they've been checking items off of the list.
"This was a little kid's fantasy." Lance explains. "I don't expect it to be real."
"But we crossed off almost everything on the list." Tabitha says.
"The last one is non-negotiable." Lance says. "And seems impossible."
"We could ask someone about it." Fred says. "Like that family over there." He points behind Lance.
When they look at the family, everyone does a double-take.
The mom has dragonfly-like wings, and the dad looks like an anthropomorphic chicken.
Their many kids look like various combinations of the two of them.
“What?” The mom asks snarkily. “Never seen mutants before?”
“I was going to guess fairy.” Tabitha says.
“Insect-like mutant.” The mom says. “Angel Salvadore-Bohusk.”
“I’m a frog-like mutant!” Todd exclaims.
“I’m a bird-like mutant.” The dad says. “Barney Bohusk.”
“Talk about the birds and the bees.” Pietro says. Even Lance and Wanda have to fight back laughter at that joke.
“So… you guys can just walk around in public?” Lance asks.
“Boston is a sanctuary city for mutants.” Angel says. “Our rights are protected.”
“How did that happen so fast?” Pietro asks. “Mutants only became public knowledge a month and a half ago.”
"To the rest of the world." Barney says.
"Boston's known about mutants for a long time because of Frost's school." Angel says.
“I guess Frost’s school does a lot for mutant tolerance.” Tabitha says.
“More than pretending they don’t exist does.” Angel says.
“These guys get it.” Pietro says.
“You think Frost will let us stay at her school?” Lance asks, shocking everyone.
“I think she’s probably already got your living arrangements picked out.” Barney says.
“You want to stay here?” Pietro asks, surprised.
“If that’s alright with you guys.” Lance says.
He’s met with enthusiastic agreement.
“What changed your mind?” Fred asks.
Lance shows them where he checked off "a place where people like me will be accepted".
“Well, let’s get moving then.” Pietro says. “C’mon slowpokes!”
Everyone takes off after him.
She did have their living arrangements picked out for them.
They’re living in an old, previously unused fraternity house. Despite being previously unused, it’s still taken care of.
“It’s certainly better than our last place.” Pietro remarks.
They get help from a blonde portal-maker to move what little stuff they left behind into The Frat.
"Look who's moving in with us!" Tabitha exclaims, gesturing to Jubilee and Wolfsbane of the X-Men.
Lance just sighs, smiles, and continues moving his stuff into the house.
As they’re moving in, Lance adds "a fresh start" to the list and checks it off.
How The Brotherhood ended up in Boston in my AU. Takes place shortly after "Mainstream".
I fully count Tabitha as a member of The Brotherhood because, if it weren't for Mystique kicking her out, she would've stayed there. The boys weren't going to kick her out, despite everything, and she wasn't going to leave anytime soon. So, she's tagging along on their road trip.
It's my full belief that Magneto didn't know how Wanda was being treated while in the mental hospital, and wouldn't have stood for it if he had. It's clear that he had no contact with her once she was there, so he had no way of knowing how she was being treated. He will be very angry once he does find out how she was treated while there.
Magneto will not be brainwashing Wanda in this AU. They'll be doing family therapy, once Wanda starts trusting doctors again.
Emma Frost had her own similar experience with a mental hospital, making her the first person who could fully sympathize with Wanda's struggles and get through to her, ending her self-destructive path of vengeance before it could truly begin.
