Hey guys, thanks for the wait. I'm thinking that until Dark Phoenix comes out I'll do a Charlotte/Erik fic in the original X-men movies and see how well I do. Thank you so much for your support. The followers and favors have encouraged me so much, and the reviews definitely. Thank you all so much. I hope you all will enjoy this chapter.

Warning: young children being exposed to violence.

Chapter 28

"Mutation. It is the key to our evolution. It has enabled us to evolve from a single-celled organism into the dominant species on the planet. This process is slow and normally taking thousands and thousands of years. But every few hundred millennia, evolution leaps forward."

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Washington D.C., 1971

Peter Maximoff hated prisons!

The concrete walls seemed to enforce the idea that anyone inside them was trapped and never coming out except through a steel bar door. To Peter it felt like he was suffocating, and he wasn't even an inmate. No, the reason he was here was because he wanted to see his dad.

Ever since his father had been sent to prison months ago his mother had refused to let him come visit. However, Peter was more stubborn and persistent than she thought, and had snuck out all the way to be here to see his dad.

They had been in America since Peter had been a year old, and being immigrants in a strange country, they had struggled to find decent jobs to support their little family. They would have managed if Peter's mom hadn't fallen pregnant with his little sister, Ana. Their jobs didn't provide enough to keep a roof over their heads, feed, and clothe a growing six-year-old boy and a newborn baby girl. So Peter's father Django Maximoff had been forced to steal to ensure their survival. It was little things at first: loaves of bread, jugs of milk, and jars of baby food. Then they needed to buy clothing for Peter and his growing sister which lead to picking pockets and snatching wallets. Then the rent for their small apartment went up, and now Django had to steal bigger and more expensive items. He met these people who sold expensive items in the black market for a lot of cash, then Django Maximoff found himself breaking and stealing from people's homes. He never stole from people who were struggling like his family. Only those whom he knew could afford to lose a few gems, some appliances, and maybe an automobile.

This went on for two years until Django broke his promise to his wife, and that was involving their eight-year-old son in his criminal life. Django had needed Peter to help with an opening he was too big to get into on his own. Peter was more than willing to help his father, and the plan would have gone off without a hitch if the neighbors hadn't seen them and called the cops. Django would have probably gotten only a few years for the thefts he committed if the night hadn't gone the way it did.

Peter and Django had been gathering the last of the stuff into their bags in one of the upstairs bedrooms when a police officer came up and pointed a gun at them. Peter didn't know how it had happened. He remembered seeing the gun pointed at his dad, and in the next moment he was rushing over to the police officer to stop him. He had only meant to knock the gun out of the officer's hands, but instead he slammed into the officer's stomach so hard he pushed him out of the room, into the hallway, and down the stairs. It all happened so fast, Peter was barely able to grab onto the railing to keep himself from falling down too, but he watched as the officer fell down, hearing the sickening snap of his bones breaking. He barely made it back into the bedroom to see his father's shocked face before the police officer's backup swarm in and cuffed them.

The police officer survived the fall but barely. His left arm had been broken in several places along with both of his legs, and his right arm out of place. The officer had suffered internal injuries as well, but the severity of them had puzzled everyone. The doctors said that it was as if he had been hit with the force of a fast moving car. Since the officer had little recollection as to what had happened, everyone automatically assumed Django Maximoff, a grown man had attacked him. After all, how could a little boy as small as Peter was with little muscle on him harm a police officer to such severity? Peter tried to defend his father, but nobody believed him. He tried to explain what had happened, but he couldn't repeat whatever he had done that night. And now, his father would be spending fifteen years in prison because of him.

Peter heard the door open and stood up. "Dad!"

His dad wore an ugly orange prison uniform, and his hands were cuffed, but it was his dad! Peter ran over to hug his dad when the guard who had escorted his father in stopped Peter.

"Sorry. No physical contact," the guard told him.

What? All Peter wanted was to hug his father.

His father seemed sad too, but he covered it up as best as he could. He motioned to the table and seats beside them, so they sat down.

Peter looked at his father as the man sat down. Django's dark Roma hair had grown longer, and his beard had grown more too, but he looked tired and more worn out than Peter had ever seen him.

"Peter, how did you get here?" his father asked him.

"I snuck out and ran. Mom wouldn't let me see you. I hate her!" Peter's mother had refused to believe him, and wouldn't let him tell the police what had really happened that night. Now, she was keeping him from the father he loved more than anything.

"No, Peter," Django spoke gently to him. "Don't say things like that. It's not your mother who doesn't want you to come here. I… don't want you to come here."

What? Peter stared at him incredulously.

Django motioned to his cuffed hands. "I don't want you to see me like this."

Peter felt tears stinging his eyes. Although his father stole, he would never hurt anyone. He didn't deserve this. This was Peter's fault!

He stood up and faced the guard standing next to them. "You have to let him go! My dad didn't do it. He didn't hurt that officer. I did! It was an accident! It's my fault! Not my dad's!"

"PIETRO!" his dad's voice broke him from his rant. "Look at me."

He did, and as he looked at his father with his big blue eyes, he saw sad resignation and love in his father's dark ones.

"You can't help me, Son," he softly told Peter. He took Peter's arm and pulled him closer, lowering his voice. "I don't want you to tell anyone about that night. Not the police, not your mother, no one."

Peter couldn't believe it. His father didn't want him to tell the truth that could get him out of prison sooner? "But-"

"Promise me, Pietro," the use of his Roma name showed how serious his father was.

Peter didn't understand why his father wanted him to keep quiet about that night so badly, but he nodded.

His father's shoulders relaxed from their tensed state. "Good. Now, your mother is going to look after you until I can get out of here. I don't want you to make the same mistakes I made. I want you to be the good boy I know you are."

Peter felt tears in his eyes, and he tried to hold them in.

His father smiled sadly at him. "At home, under mine and your mother's bed is a shoebox with something that I want you to have, okay?"

Peter nodded as he took a shaking breath.

His father squeezed his hand. "No matter what happens Peter, know that every second you've been in my life has been a blessing more than I deserve. You're my special boy, and one day everyone else will know it. I love you and I'm proud of you."

By now, tears were freely falling down Peter's face. He flung his arms around his dad and hugged him, not caring about the rules. His father returned the hug and held him close. For the first time since that horrible night, Peter felt safe in his father's arms.

All too soon, his father was taken away, and the guard began to take him away.

"Dad? Dad!" Peter called, but his father didn't look back as he was taken away, leaving Peter alone with his tears.

Peter woke up and sat up in his bed. It had been several months since that visit with his father that turned out to be the last he ever saw of him.

Shortly after his visit, the war in Vietnam got worse and they began to enlist prison inmates. Peter's father was given the choice to serve out his fifteen year in prison or go to Vietnam. A few months after he was deployed, Django Maximoff was killed in an ambush.

Peter got out of his bed. Bending down, he took out the shoebox his father told him about. Inside it were papers that must have been important to Peter's parents along with photos of Peter with his parents and newborn sister, and a very old photo of Django's younger sister, Natalya who died around the time Peter had been born. However, the thing that Peter was searching for was deep in the box under everything he had hidden. The gleam of metal showed in the dark and Peter lifted it into his hands. The Star of David. Peter didn't know why his father had it since nobody in their family was Jewish, but for some reason Peter felt more connected with it than anything. He put it around his neck and walked out of his room until he was in his front yard.

The sun was beginning to rise, signaling a new day.

It was the same every day!

Go to school, deal with kids who made fun of his Roma heritage, his looks, and his dad, get beat up for fighting, get in trouble, go home to a drunken mother and baby sister who depended on him, and start all over.

Peter missed his dad and hated his mother. He didn't belong here.

He began to run, not sure where he was going. Maybe if he kept running he could fly, or maybe get away from this life he was forced to be in. Either way, Peter kept running, enjoying the wind on his face, the exhilaration flowing in his veins, and the feel of freedom. Maybe this is why Dad chose to go to Vietnam where death was a high possibility instead of being caged in prison for many years. This feel of freedom was powerful, and Peter didn't want anyone to take it from him, so he kept running.

Kept running.

Peter didn't feel tired at all or even a stitch in his side. Nothing but the wind in his face until he realized something: as he continued to run the area around him began to blur to the point he could barely make out the shapes of buildings.

He stopped, and skidded before falling on his side. Peter grimaced, shakily getting up as pain went through his whole left side. Brushing himself off, he looked around and realized he was on the highway, and not only that, but all the cars on it seemed not to be moving. Peter looked around in the vehicles. People who were in the middle of drinking coffee or eating doughnuts were frozen, not moving, and one guy seemed to be in the middle of singing something on the radio. Peter giggled at the funny expression on the man's face before moving on.

What was going on? Where was he? Peter looked around for signs before he found one.

New York: 20 miles.

Peter's eyes widened. New York?! How did he get all the way here? How was he going to get back to Washington? His mom was going to kill him!

Peter looked around. Maybe someone could give him a lift back home. He went over to a truck where a man was driving.

"Excuse me, but… uh… could you give me a lift?"

Nothing. The man was frozen. Peter tapped him. No response. Maybe he could retrace his steps, but how?

Peter ran again, and he watched as everything blurred again while he ran. Wow! He was running really fast! So fast that he didn't see that he was in a city, and that he was about to run into the laundry truck that was loading up. Peter tried stopping himself, but it was too late. He ram into all the bundles of laundry, finally stopping. Feathers flew from the pillows he busted, and Peter sneezed as he sat up.

"Whoa! Kid are you alright!" the laundry man asked, astonished by how this kid appeared out of nowhere.

Peter sat up. The laundry softened his crash and the man was talking in normal speed for him.

"Awesome!" Peter whispered in awe.

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New york, 1973

Wanda was excited.

Today, her fourth grade class was going to the zoo. Her mom, Christine had been excited for her too, driving her to school, and telling her to have fun. Her dad, Stephen was excited for her too. He gave her money to buy peanuts and maybe a gift at the zoo, a hug, and told her to be safe.

Now, Wanda was having fun exploring the zoo with her friends Jean and Annie. The fall leaves were coming down, and a cool breeze flowed throughout the zoo, making Wanda glad she had her favorite scarlet jacket on. They went to see the elephants, the giraffes, the birdhouse, and tigers which Wanda loved. Annie bought birdseed to feed the birds, and Wanda giggled as the parakeets ate out of her hands. Wanda couldn't remember the last time she had this much fun.

Then the teacher took them over to the exhibit where the monkeys were. They were so cute! Their little fluffy brown bodies swinging from branch to branch without a care in the world.

"Hey! Wicked Wanda it's your friends!" Dylan, the mean boy who bullied Wanda, Jean, and Annie on a daily basis.

"Yeah, all that's missing are their wings!" And Vanessa, the girl who painted Wanda's face green like the Wicked Witch of the West during naptime in preschool which lead to her being called Wicked Wanda.

Wanda clenched her fists even as Jean tried to stand up for her. "Leave her alone!"

"Or what, Carrot Top?" Vanessa taunted, coming closer to them. "Is Wicked Wanda going to turn me into a toad?"

"Get away from me!" Wanda told her, tears building in her eyes.

"Ah, is Wicked Wanda going to cry? Careful or you'll melt," Dylan grinned maliciously.

"Stop it!" Wanda wanted them to stop. Why must Dylan and Vanessa ruin such a fun day for her and her friends? She tried to stand her ground like her father taught her, but they were taller and so mean.

"Get away from us!" Annie tried pushing Dylan away from Wanda, but only succeeded in getting pushed back harder. She banged against the metal fence, clutching her arm as she cried out in pain.

"Annie!" Jean raced to her side, leaving Wanda to face the bullies on her own.

Wanda saw red, and her nails dug into her skin as she saw her friend hurt. She turned to Dylan and Vanessa furiously. "You hurt her!"

"What are you going to do now, Wicked Wanda? Sprout wings? No wait, only monkeys can do that," Vanessa grinned.

An energy burned in Wanda's veins as her anger grew. Wanda glared fiercely at them, not noticing the other children backing away from her in fear, or the monkeys screaming and shaking as they felt something off going on nearby. The teacher, who had finally noticed the commotion, came over, but stopped when she saw some kind of red energy glowing in Wanda's hands. Even Dylan and Vanessa's malicious grins turned into fearful looks as they saw the red energy radiating off of Wanda as she glared at them with such anger, everyone worried what would happen next.

"I said STOP IT!"

Wanda hadn't fully realized what was going on with her until Dylan, Vanessa, the teacher, and all her classmates were flung from her.

Children were flung into benches, the peanut stands, and the concrete ground. Wanda saw blood and horror filled her. People nearby screamed in fear. "Monster!"

"No!" Wanda cried out, holding her hands up. "It was an accident!"

The tree that grew on the pathway in front of her burst into flames.

"Wanda! Stop!" she heard Jean call out to her then grab her hand. Suddenly, she too was flung away from her. Wanda watched, horrified as Jean flew from her, hitting her head on the pavement and blood pouring from her wound.

"JEAN!" Wanda cried, tears pouring down her face. She looked at Annie who stared at her in fear. Wanda looked at her hands that still glowed with a red energy she couldn't control. She had to get out of here before she hurt anybody else. She ran, tears blurring her vision as she went.

Dr. Stephen Strange had been going about his day after his wife, Christine took their daughter to school before heading to the hospital for work. He was reading a book on Chthon when he felt the disturbance. The ground shook slightly, and he heard a faint boom outside. He closed the book and went outside the Sanctum he guarded. Several people in the neighborhood came out to see what was going on and even a couple of cars stopped to look out. Stephen saw some smoke coming east of the neighborhood which bothered him for some reason. He figured out why when he heard the radio on a nearby car.

"Police are receiving reports of someone throwing people and objects, and setting fires on things with some kind of red energy. Police say the source of this mayhem started in the Central Park Zoo, and advise all citizens in the area to remain indoors until the situation is contained."

The zoo? Wanda! Stephen's heart stopped at the realization that his daughter, his only child was near the source of this destruction. He quickly told Wong to guard the Sanctum, and made a portal that would take him to his daughter. However, he discovered that Wanda wasn't near the source of this destruction, she was the source.

Wanda tried to get away from everyone, but it felt like things were getting worse. All of a sudden, it was like the screams of fear and horror were amplified, and she could sense everyone's emotions in her heads. She clutched her head, trying to block everyone out.

Make it stop! Someone please make it stop!

She heard sirens as she finally made it of the zoo. Lifting her head up, she saw a few police cars at the entrance. The police were pointing their guns at her, but were obviously startled to learn that the cause of all this was a little girl, a child. One of the officers grabbed the radio in his car and spoke through it. "Kid, no one wants to hurt you, but you have to stop whatever you're doing!"

"I don't know how!" Wanda screamed, tears burning down her face. The light post nearby fell onto one of the squad cars, forcing the officers to flee to avoid being crushed.

One of the officers, a young man looked at the ten-year-old in fear before he pulled the trigger.

Wanda, scared, threw her arms in front of her face, but it didn't hit her. She looked and saw the bullet being held by the scarlet energy she was releasing somehow. The officer who shot at her, looked at her in astonishment.

"Stay away from me!" Wanda cried out.

The police and several of their squad cars were flung back, and Wanda screamed as the cars crashed with loud bangs. Sobs escaped her and she fell to her knees, crying.

Why was this happening? She never wanted to hurt people. Those cops, her teacher, classmates, friends, or even Dylan and Vanessa. She wanted all this to stop.

"Wanda!"

Wanda looked up and saw her father Dr. Strange floating above her, a look of shock on his face. Fear filled Wanda again. What if she hurt her dad too? "Daddy, please stay away!"

Stephen felt his heart break as he watched his daughter beg him not to come near her for fear of hurting him, and tears pouring down her face. In his daughter's hands he saw a red energy unlike anything he had ever seen glow from them. That had to be what was causing all this. His Wanda was the sweetest girl who would never hurt anybody. He had to undo the she had caused, but first he had to calm her down.

"Wanda," he spoke gently, coming down to her level. "I know you're scared, but I need you to focus. Remember those meditation techniques Wong and I taught you. Breath in."

Wanda shakily took a breath in.

"Breath out." She released it.

"Breath in," Stephen instructed her, slowly coming closer to her.

"Breath out." Wanda was slowly starting to feel better as she followed her father's instructions.

"Breath in." Stephen could see the red energy receding.

"Breath out." He gently took her hands, and Wanda's eyes flew open in fear.

"It's alright, Wanda. It's alright," Stephen assured her. Holding his daughter close to him, Stephen did what he rarely did these days: use the Eye of Agamotto to undo the damage. As the Eye's magic undid everything, Stephen watched the events that his daughter had caused. Everything that had been moved was brought back to where it belonged and what had been destroyed was restored. Wanda sobbed as she watched all the damage she had caused be fixed until they were back at the moment Dylan and Vanessa were beginning to bully her before Annie had been shoved. By now, the red energy had come back as Stephen quit the spell and hurriedly placed them in the mirror dimension before the incident could repeat itself. They watched as confusion filled the faces of Wanda's classmates at her sudden disappearance.

"Where'd Wicked Wanda go?" Stephen felt fury at the boy for the cruel name he called his daughter, and finally started getting the idea as to how this had happened.

Wanda was sobbing into her father's shoulder. "I'm sorry, Daddy. I- hiccup- I didn't mean too! I'm so-hiccup- sorry."

"I know, Wanda. I know," Stephen soothed, rubbing her back as he carried her back home to the Sanctum. "I know you didn't mean to hurt anybody, and it's not your fault. I just don't know how this could happen."

"I don't either," Wanda sobbed. "Vanessa and Dylan were making fun of me, and calling me names then Dylan shoved Annie, and -hiccup- she got hurt. I was so -hiccup- angry. I wanted them to stop. Then this happened."

They made it home, and Stephen brought them out of the mirror dimension.

His poor Wanda. She was so shaken up by what had happened, and it was all because of those brats. When Wanda pulled her head away from his chest, his cloak began to wipe her tears away, and another sob escaped her.

"What's happening to me, Daddy? Why did I do that? Am I a monster?"

Stephen grasped her shoulders and looked at her in the eye. "You are not a monster! Don't ever think that again, Wanda Rose Strange." He pulled her in and wrapped her in a tight hug. "Whatever this is, Wanda, we'll figure it out, and we'll get through it. I'll always protect you."

Stephen didn't allow himself to think yet of his suspicions. No sorcerer he knew readiated with such kind of power. He did not think until his wife came home early from the hospital that night after putting Wanda to bed, the possibility that their adopted daughter might possibly be a mutant.

000{{*}}000

So what do you guys think? We all know how Erik got his powers from the original X-men movie and First Class, so I thought about opening this version of the original X-men movie by showing how Peter and Wanda got their powers in my version. I don't know how often I'll be able to update with all the homework I have to do this semester before graduating this May. Please review and let me know your thoughts.