You Are My Sunshine

Anya had been shocked at the kindness these men offered her and her siblings. She shouldn’t have been though if they were really friends with her Papa like they said they were. Her papa had always been a kind and generous man to not just her but children in general. She was so close to having him back she just wished he would hurry.

She sat in the library playing chess with herself while the one man who called himself Alex had taken the twins along with two other children to have some outside time before dinner. Anya hadn’t wanted to go, she was still too anxious, Hank had said that she could stay in the library if she wanted.

Her papa had taught her how to play chess, it was his favorite game. She could remember him rolling his eyes laughing anytime she called the knight a pony. He had been patient though carefully teaching the almost six year old how each piece moved and how to protect her queen.

That’s where Charles found her she had already changed into the new more comfortable clothes that they had gotten for her. She hadn’t had new clothes in a very long time and it was nice.

“You play chess?” The professor's voice sounded surprised, which she couldn’t really blame him for; it wasn’t exactly a game that most children played.

“Papa taught me, it reminds me of him” She said biting her lower lip.

“You also remind me a great deal of him. You have his intelligence and his resolve, you also have his chin” The professor said and the compliment made her want to cry. That had probably been the nicest thing someone had said to her since before the fire.

“Do you want to play?” She asked hopefully she had tried to teach the twins but Pietro didn’t have the patience and Wanda had no interest whatsoever.

“I would love to, my dear” The professor said and he actually looked enthused about playing with the thirteen year old. She reset the pieces and Charles let her be white.

“Do you know when you might be able to find Papa?” She asked, making her opening move. The professor’s blue eyes met her dark ones and he gave her a small smile if she didn’t know better she would think it looked sad.

“Well I suppose it’s only a matter of time now. I managed to get in touch with my sister who is staying near him at the moment. She agreed to ask him to meet me here so I can explain things.” Anya nodded studying the move Charles had just made.

“You’re telling him in person? That’s probably a good idea Mama said he went mad after the fire” She hummed and Charles was again taken aback by the small girl's intelligence and understanding.

“Yes your father has been angry for a while” Charles agreed he wouldn’t say Erik was crazy though. Erik was a man of action and would rather strike first than be on the defensive.

“Papa always had a bad temper but he wasn’t angry before. He would mostly get upset with Mama when she would forget about me. ” Anya said softly, moving her knight. Charles was gaining more insight to Erik the more he got to know his child. She was a quiet girl with alarmingly low self worth, hopefully Erik could help with that.

“Yes he does have a bit of a temper I suppose, he’s also a good man.” Charles believed that whole heartedly. Erik was a good man if not prone to poor decision making.

***

Erik was still hunched into Charles' shoulder, tears leaking from his eyes. He sat up for a second but it was only long enough to throw his helmet on the floor. He needed Charles right now, despite everything he had done to the man Erik needed him. Erik wanted to take back the bullet and the beach. He wished things could go back to what they were before. Had really missed out on seven years of his daughter's life, missed the birth of her siblings. God he didn’t even know the name of his other children.

“Where is she?” He croaked he needed to see her, he needed to hold his baby in his arms again. Erik needed to reassure Anya that he would never leave her again, that he would be there and not even the forces of hell could tear them apart.

“Erik before you see her we need to talk” Erik got apprehensive at Charles' omission and his mind began whirling. Why was his daughter with Charles anyway had their mother died.

“Hurry” He was impatient at this point; he had been separated from her for seven long years and he wouldn’t be for much longer than what was needed.

“Anya showed up on my doorstep this afternoon. She and the twins had traveled from Boston to New York seeking me out because she ran across my book on mutations.” His mind whirled again; his daughter was a mutant he wondered what power she possessed. Then he realized what Charles had said, something wasn’t right where was their mother, Magda?

“Where is Magda?” He asked, the question coming out sharper than intended.

“When the twins Pietro and Wanda manifested their gifts their mother left them all alone without even a goodbye” Charles said and braced himself as the metal began to shake and rattle. Charles laid what he hoped was a calming hand on the distraught man’s shoulder.

“She cut me from their life, let me think Anya was dead and she abandoned them” Erik’s voice was a cross between anger and utter despair.

“They are safe here in bed now Erik and hurting their mother would just upset them. They’re here now my friend” Charles tried to comfort his friend. He didn’t know why he was surprised, after having Anya Magda had wanted to have nothing to do with being a mother. The whole reason Anya almost died was because her mother had been too busy gossiping to be watching his child.

“They’re well?” He asked, taking a shuddering breath.

“A bit malnourished but otherwise whole and happy. Anya was on a mission to find you, I see a lot of you in her. She has your resolve and intelligence my friend” Charles comforted the auburn haired man.

“You said she found your book on mutations? They’re mutants, what gifts do they have?” He asked, trying to forget about the malnourished comment.

“Anya is completely human my friend, her younger siblings are both gifted. Pietro the boy has unmatched speed and agility, it will be hard to keep tabs on him. Wanda, your youngest daughter, has some sort of psionic abilities, they’re like nothing I’ve ever seen” Erik wanted to smile that his children were safe and whole. Anya was a strong girl to have gotten them to Westchester all by themselves as young as they are.

“Can I see Anya?” he asked. He didn't think he could wait until morning to see his daughter, He thought dead for almost seven years.

“I won’t keep you my friend. I put them in a room two doors down. I wanted them to be close in case you came at night,” Charles rubbed soft circles on Erik’s hand. He would let him go do this on his own, just the two of them.

Erik slowly walked past the first two doors coming to stand in front of the mahogany door, it was the only thing left standing between him and his family. He gently prodded the door open walking inside. There were two beds, one held two small bodies, the twins, he figured. The other bed held a familiar albeit a bit larger of a child, her deep brown hair that was almost black but turned a slightly golden shade when the sun hit it was spread out over one of the pillows. It was Anya his Anya, his baby. There was no mistaking it and it seemed that as she had grown she had grown even further to resemble his mother.

He hesitantly walked up to her bed, not wanting to wake her from her peaceful slumber but also wanting to scoop her into his arms and never let go. He knelt down on his knees as if he were going to pray. Erik hadn’t prayed since he thought Anya had died, but here he was and he had fallen to his knees thanking God in Hebrew for his beautiful daughter and her siblings.

He brushed a stray wave of her hair out of her face and she stirred. Her eyes fluttered but didn’t open and he continued to take her beauty. She had his chin and his mother’s nose and eye shape. She was gorgeous and he couldn’t believe how he’d forgotten just how beautiful she was.

“Oh Anya liebling, ich lieb dich” he said and the tears that fell from his eyes were from joy now. She was even more beautiful than the day she had been born. A tear had landed on her freckled cheek and her eyes fluttered once more before opening familiar brown orbs staring into his own.

“Papa?” Her voice was soft and rough from sleep and he nodded brushing his tears from his eyes.

“Yes liebling, I’m here I’m not going anywhere” he assured the girl.

“PAPA!” She cried out louder this time throwing her gangly skinny arms around his neck. He picked her up cradling her close determined to not let her go.

“I knew you’d come” She sighed into his neck and he didn’t say anything he just held her close sitting down on the bed because he wouldn’t be letting go anytime. This child had absolute faith in him and he would do anything in his power not to disappoint his child.

“All the armies in the world couldn’t couldn’t keep me from you” he whispered into her hair.

“I love you Papa” she spoke softly snuggling close like it had been no time since he last held her.

“I love you too my darling, I’m sorry if I’d have known…” he cut himself off squeezing her tighter.

“Papa you didn’t know and Mama isn’t a good person. It’s not your fault” this time she squeezed him harder. He couldn’t help but disagree, he should have checked her more thoroughly after the fire. He had been so consumed in his grief for his little girl, it had felt like that day in Schmidt’s office again. She had looked so still and so much like her grandmother, that he hadn’t questioned it.

Erik squeezed her peppering more prayers into her hair as he wept. He had his family back and they were whole and safe. The father and daughter sat like this for a long while before Erik began to softly sing to her.

“You are my sunshine, my only sunshine, you make me happy when skies are gray, you’ll never know dear how much I love you, please don’t take my sunshine away” his voice cracked at the last lyric and he could feel the hot tears dripping down his cheeks. He had lived in a world without his sunshine for seven long years, never again. That was how the father and daughter fell asleep clutching each other tightly in the hope that when they awoke the other would still be there.

***

Anya awoke to arms holding her and soft snores, then she remembered and didn’t want it to end so she only burrowed deeper into her Papa’s arms. Erik’s arms only tightened around her equally unwilling for this moment to end. The twins however weren’t patient well at least Pietro wasn't. He jumped up on the bed with more energy than anyone should have that early in the morning.

“Anya!” He all but screamed his gray eyes wide, wondering who the stranger was. Anya cracked an eye and glared at her brother before opening her arms.

“Little turd you couldn’t have slept in for once” she heard a sharp intake of breath from behind her and she knew Papa had to be awake. Pietro had always been the last one to go to sleep and the first one to rise. It was like he couldn’t sit still for a whole night’s sleep.

“Sissy whose this, WANDA wake up” he yelled causing her brain to ache. Wanda groaned but pulled herself up when she saw the stranger. She too was intrigued to find out who this was.

“Guys come here, there's someone that wants to meet you” Anya said and somehow the family of four managed to cram themselves into the twin sized bed.

“Are you our Papa?” Wanda, the more perceptive twin, asked Erik, and Anya could feel the man freeze slightly.

Erik stared at the little girl with wild auburn hair and green eyes. She was a picture of beauty like her sister and Erik found himself speechless for a moment.

“Yes, you must be Wanda… and you, you must be Pietro” he booped the tiny speedster on the nose causing him to fall into a fit of giggles.

“Are you staying?” The girl asked more distrustfully than her other siblings.

“They couldn’t make me leave liebling, and if they managed that I would take you with me. We won’t be parted again” he vowed his voice taking on a harder edge. The mask on the little girl finally cracked and she too threw herself into the group hug.