Katie
It is not a part of this world. It is not a part of her world. It is a pocket outside of the worlds. And within them. A pocket of time and space and thought. Katie's time. Wanda's space. Lorna's thought.
When Wanda first remade the world she gave her sister their father. This was not Lorna's dream, not Lorna's desire, it was Magnus'. Lorna was simply swept up in it. The M Dynasty. However, Wanda knows, her sister remembers that world with a longing that shames her. When Wanda remade the world a second time she gave her sister a family. This was still not Lorna's choice, it was Wanda's. Lorna was simply swept up in it. Wanda gave everyone her dream: Family. Children. Lorna found herself successfully living away from the X-Men, the Brotherhood, the Avengers, SHIELD; happily married and mother to a little girl. However, Wanda knows, her sister does not remember that world at all, not awake. Her daughter visits Lorna in dreams she cannot bring herself to believe in.
Wanda pauses a moment to wonder if the child really leaves her pocket existence to invade her sleeping mother's thoughts. It is hardly impossible. The child is a Lensherr and a Summers and likely a powerful mutant.
When she broke the spell that created Katie's timeline, Wanda had saved as many of the children born there as she could, hiding them from Layla and Phoenix until it was too late for them to interfere. Katie was a special case. Wanda intended to merge her with the child born to Lorna and Alex on the prime world, the way she had with her own son, Tommy. But her intentions fell apart with her sister's marriage. Now Wanda fears Katie will never be born here and she can't remain in the other world much longer.
Jean-Paul said he'd take her. She was supposed to wait. He'd told Wanda to wait. But everyone is in chaos. Wanda can't wait. The pocket world is shrinking as she turns her attentions elsewhere. It needs to be now.
Time moves differently here. Though Katie has been living, if you can call it living, in the pocket world for nearly a year, she is mere weeks older. She spends most of her time asleep, awake only when she slips away to skip through her mother's dreams. She sleeps now, her golden hair curling behind her ears, surrounded by the mists that represent the walls of the other world, though no wall actually stands.
Wanda, adult and herself as she has not been in some time, approaches quietly and lays a gentle hand on the child's head. Blinking awake the girl sits, looking quizzically at her aunt. "Hello." Katie waves a hand, still blinking. "What's your name, little one?" Wanda knows the answer but must verify the child does.
"Kay-tea." She lifts both hands to Wanda's face. "Play?"
"Soon," Wanda smiles. She brushes the mist aside and lifts a doll out of nowhere. "Here. A Mommy Doll."
Katie shakes her head solemnly. "Mommy other hair." Wanda nods and the doll's yellow hair turns green; Katie grins and grasps the doll to her chest.
"Does Katie want other hair?" Wanda asks. Here and now, the idea that Lorna might prefer a black haired child to a golden haired child seems silly, but when she'd suggested it to Mike Wanda had found the idea perfectly reasonable. For the first time in a while, Wanda worries that her teenage persona may not be the best version of herself to inhabit. But Mike had countered that Katie should choose her hair color, and in so doing, perhaps choose her destiny. With this in mind Wanda picks up another doll, a smaller one, and turns it's hair varying colors as she speaks. "Blonde, Brown, Black. Pink, Blue, Green. Like Mommy." She considers a moment. "Silver. Red." Another pause, then turns the doll's hair brown with a white streak. "Rogue." Wanda hands the doll to Katie, its hair now multicolored. She pulls a hand through Katie's curls.
"I want Mommy."
"Green?" Wanda smiles and turns the girl's hair the same shade as Lorna's. Immediately she bursts into tears.
"NO. No other hair! I want Mommy, I want Mommy, I want Mommy!"
Bewildered, Wanda pulls the child into a tight embrace. "I know, sweetling. We'll find Mommy soon. Mommy's friend wants to meet you. I'm going to bring you to him." She looks down to the girl's face, scrunched up in fear, tears falling freely.
"Mommy no other hair."
Wanda nods and returns the child's hair to blonde. "I understand. Mommy knows you this way. We won't change it." She kisses the top of Katie's head, hoping against hope the child's conviction is true. Wanda fears Lorna won't recognize the girl at all. "Are you ready to go see Mommy's friend?"
Katie nods. "OK."
Wanda stands, holding the girl in her arms. A bright red light fills the other world and the mists fade; they are returned to Wanda's room, Katie blonde and asleep, Wanda sixteen again. "One more trip," she whispers and they are transported to New York, just outside Jean-Paul's apartment.
When Wanda first remade the world she gave her sister their father. This was not Lorna's dream, not Lorna's desire, it was Magnus'. Lorna was simply swept up in it. The M Dynasty. However, Wanda knows, her sister remembers that world with a longing that shames her. When Wanda remade the world a second time she gave her sister a family. This was still not Lorna's choice, it was Wanda's. Lorna was simply swept up in it. Wanda gave everyone her dream: Family. Children. Lorna found herself successfully living away from the X-Men, the Brotherhood, the Avengers, SHIELD; happily married and mother to a little girl. However, Wanda knows, her sister does not remember that world at all, not awake. Her daughter visits Lorna in dreams she cannot bring herself to believe in.
Wanda pauses a moment to wonder if the child really leaves her pocket existence to invade her sleeping mother's thoughts. It is hardly impossible. The child is a Lensherr and a Summers and likely a powerful mutant.
When she broke the spell that created Katie's timeline, Wanda had saved as many of the children born there as she could, hiding them from Layla and Phoenix until it was too late for them to interfere. Katie was a special case. Wanda intended to merge her with the child born to Lorna and Alex on the prime world, the way she had with her own son, Tommy. But her intentions fell apart with her sister's marriage. Now Wanda fears Katie will never be born here and she can't remain in the other world much longer.
Jean-Paul said he'd take her. She was supposed to wait. He'd told Wanda to wait. But everyone is in chaos. Wanda can't wait. The pocket world is shrinking as she turns her attentions elsewhere. It needs to be now.
Time moves differently here. Though Katie has been living, if you can call it living, in the pocket world for nearly a year, she is mere weeks older. She spends most of her time asleep, awake only when she slips away to skip through her mother's dreams. She sleeps now, her golden hair curling behind her ears, surrounded by the mists that represent the walls of the other world, though no wall actually stands.
Wanda, adult and herself as she has not been in some time, approaches quietly and lays a gentle hand on the child's head. Blinking awake the girl sits, looking quizzically at her aunt. "Hello." Katie waves a hand, still blinking. "What's your name, little one?" Wanda knows the answer but must verify the child does.
"Kay-tea." She lifts both hands to Wanda's face. "Play?"
"Soon," Wanda smiles. She brushes the mist aside and lifts a doll out of nowhere. "Here. A Mommy Doll."
Katie shakes her head solemnly. "Mommy other hair." Wanda nods and the doll's yellow hair turns green; Katie grins and grasps the doll to her chest.
"Does Katie want other hair?" Wanda asks. Here and now, the idea that Lorna might prefer a black haired child to a golden haired child seems silly, but when she'd suggested it to Mike Wanda had found the idea perfectly reasonable. For the first time in a while, Wanda worries that her teenage persona may not be the best version of herself to inhabit. But Mike had countered that Katie should choose her hair color, and in so doing, perhaps choose her destiny. With this in mind Wanda picks up another doll, a smaller one, and turns it's hair varying colors as she speaks. "Blonde, Brown, Black. Pink, Blue, Green. Like Mommy." She considers a moment. "Silver. Red." Another pause, then turns the doll's hair brown with a white streak. "Rogue." Wanda hands the doll to Katie, its hair now multicolored. She pulls a hand through Katie's curls.
"I want Mommy."
"Green?" Wanda smiles and turns the girl's hair the same shade as Lorna's. Immediately she bursts into tears.
"NO. No other hair! I want Mommy, I want Mommy, I want Mommy!"
Bewildered, Wanda pulls the child into a tight embrace. "I know, sweetling. We'll find Mommy soon. Mommy's friend wants to meet you. I'm going to bring you to him." She looks down to the girl's face, scrunched up in fear, tears falling freely.
"Mommy no other hair."
Wanda nods and returns the child's hair to blonde. "I understand. Mommy knows you this way. We won't change it." She kisses the top of Katie's head, hoping against hope the child's conviction is true. Wanda fears Lorna won't recognize the girl at all. "Are you ready to go see Mommy's friend?"
Katie nods. "OK."
Wanda stands, holding the girl in her arms. A bright red light fills the other world and the mists fade; they are returned to Wanda's room, Katie blonde and asleep, Wanda sixteen again. "One more trip," she whispers and they are transported to New York, just outside Jean-Paul's apartment.