Hello, it's been a long, long time. Here's Chapter 49!

Nina sat before her on the carpet of the living room. They were playing a board game of some sort, Laurien couldn't remember exactly which one. Nina reached to grab the dice before rolling, the cubes landing with a faint clack on the cardboard.

"Eight." Nina murmured, counting under her breath as she moved her game piece around the places. "Your turn, Mama."

"Alright." Laurien replied, taking the dice in hand and gently tossing them on the board.

The dice plummeted like dead weights once they left her fingers, hitting the ground with an uncharacteristic thud that was horribly familiar. Laurien frowned at the sound, staring at the dice whose upper facing side was blank. She blinked, not fully registering what was in front of her until a tide of red enveloped the pristine cubes. Laurien glanced up in alarm, only to find that Nina was staring blankly at her with eyes devoid of their normal blue irises. Laurien's gaze lowered to the cause of the tide; the blood spurting from a wound, created by the arrow protruding from her own chest.

She let out a shuddering breath as she attempted to comprehend what was happening. Her shaky hands grasped the projectile, wincing as the movement sent a terrible jolt throughout her body. She tried to tug it from her chest, but it wouldn't budge. She glanced back up at Nina, still being met with white eyes.

"Mama?" She asked, her head tilting to the side.

"Kochanie." Laurien gasped out.

"Here, Mama. I can make it better."

"No. Don't."

Nina grasped her shoulders with inhuman strength and pulled Laurien into a hug. Laurien cried out in terror as she heard and felt the cracking of the arrow forcing its way through her daughter's sternum until their bodies were pressed against one another in a painful embrace. Laurien cried, each breath pushed from her in a hoarse scream as she clutched the body of her child, now limp in her arms.

Laurien's eyes flew open in a panic, darting around the darkness of the hotel room. She felt as if her head might explode from the intense pain searing through her as everything in her body was wanting to scream and cry, but she couldn't. She was frozen, lying on her back in the bed. She could hear the soft, slow breaths of her daughters and Sera around her, but couldn't turn her head to see them. Her jaw was locked shut, forcing her to breathe laboriously through her nose as she tried to catch the breaths that she felt she was slowly being starved of. Tears flooded down the sides of her face as Laurien spiraled in a panic, the gory images of the nightmare still flashing through her head that felt it might split at a moment's notice. Her mind thrashed against whatever was holding her, desperately needing to check with her own two eyes that her eldest daughter was still alive, but she couldn't move an inch.

A whisper of a voice sent an icy tingle through her paralyzed muscles, her breaths halting completely in fear as she felt as though someone were murmuring directly into her ear. "Come home, Laurien." The hushed voice urged, before an intense heat was spread throughout her body. In a merciful and sudden moment, she was once again in control.

Laurien released a small strangled gasp from behind her lips as she quickly sat up. She turned and found her daughter still asleep next to her in their shared bed. She glanced down at herself and clutched her chest, witnessing that no sharp object was running her through.

She breathed shallowly as she tried to calm herself down, overly conscious of how loud she was breathing and trying to keep quiet to avoid waking the others. Nina was still asleep to her left as she had been when she'd dozed off, while Kasia was nestled next to Sera on the other bed, surrounded by pillows to prevent her from rolling off. Nina stirred next to her, causing Laurien to freeze and watch her closely through watering eyes as she held her breath. Once she was sure that her daughter was still sound asleep, Laurien carefully got up from the bed and crept to the washroom.

Laurien closed the door behind her before turning on the light, shedding its dim glow upon the grimy tile of the washroom. She sat on the edge of the tub, her head in her hands as she focused on passing air in and out of her lungs, blood pounding in her ears as the painful throbbing pulsated along with it.

Laurien swore under her breath as she gripped her bandaged wrist in her fist. She held it tight, willing for the discomfort to bring her back, to know that this was real. There wasn't an arrow protruding from her chest, her daughters were safe, but her heart still beat at the speed of a desperate sprint.

Through her muddled mind, she remembered where they were now. They were in Germany after having driven the majority of the day before. After she had left the factory yesterday morning, Laurien returned to the Lisiewicz house and found Sera just putting Kasia down in her crib as she entered the kids' room.

"He's gone." Laurien announced, her voice wavering.

"What do you mean?" Sera demanded, eyes following Laurien as the younger woman sat down on the bed. "He's just up and left?"

A jolt of pain raced through Laurien's wrist as it accidentally made contact with her knee. "Fuck." She swore, flinching as she looked around the room for Nina, only to find that she wasn't there. "Where's Nina?" She asked, an edge of panic to her tone.

"Relax, she's in the washroom." Sera hurriedly explained before kneeling down in front of her and gripping Laurien by the shoulders to steady her. "Laurien, where did you go?"

"I went to the factory, but almost everyone was already dead by the time I got there."

Sera shook her head disapprovingly. "You shouldn't have gone after him."

"What other choice did I have?" Laurien retorted angrily. "Should I have just stayed here and hoped for the best?"

When she didn't get a response back, Laurien kept going. "If I hadn't gone, I wouldn't know that he didn't kill those men."

Sera frowned. "How do you mean?"

"Jeszie mentioned that a blue 'being' killed everyone."

"What, like a mutant?"

"I don't know." Laurien admitted. "I didn't see anyone else, but, then again, I didn't get a good look. When I tried to get to Erik, he pushed me away with his powers. Then he just disappeared."

"Maybe he didn't want you getting involved?" Sera offered, her brow furrowed.

"Maybe." Laurien conceded uneasily. "I don't know, but something's not right. He wouldn't leave us."

Sera looked at a loss for words but their attention was suddenly drawn to Iwan's voice beckoning them from downstairs. "You all need to see this."

An sensation of unease settled in Laurien's stomach as they quickly made their way down, only to see a scene of utter destruction upon the television.

"Where is this?" Sera asked.

"That's Auschwitz." Iwan murmured, staring with wide eyes at the television.

Laurien remembered seeing photos of the death camp in books and on the television, but the remaining memorial buildings were now a mess of rubble. Oswiecim had only been about an hour's drive away from Katowice, but they had always kept their distance from the place. The close proximity of Katowice to Oswiecim had come up in conversation when they were choosing a new place to settle down after Bern. Laurien had been concerned that being so close to the camp would bring up terrible memories of Erik's time imprisoned and tortured there, but Erik had also countered that anyone with any knowledge of his past would assume that he would stay far away.

Laurien had reluctantly let the matter rest, as she knew that it wasn't something that he wanted to discuss. He had always been quiet about what had occurred to him within the camps, but Laurien had done enough reading on the subject to have an idea of the horrors he'd had to endure.

The newscast then shifted to a photo of Erik from when he had been arrested after Kennedy's assassination. What struck Laurien was how strange it was to see him clean shaven again.

"Lensherr was identified yesterday in this small town, in southern Poland. Leaders from all communities are urging their citizens to remain calm as police and armed forces are mobilizing to find Lensherr before he can strike again. If anyone has information about Lensherr, or as he is also known as Magneto, contact your local authorities immediately, and proceed with caution, as he is considered extremely dangerous."

It then suddenly dawned on Laurien. "Wait, do they think that he did that?"

Sera gave her a defeated shrugged before turning back to the newscast where one of the old family photos from their mantel was being shown.

"Lensherr is said to be on the run along with his wife, Magda, and their two daughters." "Lensherr's wife and their eldest daughter are reported to also have powers."

"At least that's an older photo. Your hair's much darker now." Sera reasoned.

"We need to go." Laurien muttered, her eyes glued to the picture displayed on the television screen.

"Are you sure?" Iwan asked, his eyes filled with compassion and concern, the complete opposite reaction of what Laurien expected from someone who had just realized that they had been housing dangerous fugitives.

Laurien nodded, wrapping her arms tightly around herself before heading up the stairs.

After wrapping Laurien's wrist in a brace, they had thanked the Lisiewiczs and headed out. Laurien felt a ball of guilt nagging at her as she thought of how understanding they had been to their plight. There wouldn't be any possible way to repay them for their desperately needed and appreciated kindness, and Laurien worried that in her hair-brained state, she hadn't thanked them nearly enough. As Laurien drove away from the Lisiewicz house, Sera seemed to sense her apprehension and simply patted her good hand.

"It's alright. They know."

While in the car, Laurien and Sera had taken to speaking in Dutch whenever they wanted to discuss something without Nina understanding, earning them a few looks of confusion from her daughter in the backseat whenever she glanced up from her book. When Nina had asked her where Erik was, Laurien had told her that he was going to meet them wherever they ended up, though she knew that Nina was suspicious as to why he had disappeared.

About an hour out from Katowice, Laurien and Sera were just finishing the logistics of what they'd need from Sera's trusted informant once they reached Germany. "We won't need to show our internal passports until we reach Berlin." Laurien explained. "The girls don't need them until they're sixteen, but they'll need their own to travel once we're outside Soviet territory."

"Alright." Sera confirmed, bobbing her head to the final strings of a song on the radio. Laurien now knew better than to touch the radio, as Sera had practically slapped Laurien's hand away when she'd tried to change the channel after Elton John's 'Your Song' came on. Goodness knows, Laurien liked Elton John and his music, but the damn song was being played to death.

Suddenly, the telltale chime of an incoming emergency newscast interrupted the opening of a new song. "Oh, here-" Sera quickly turned down the radio, but still loud enough that only she and Laurien could hear what was being said.

"We are now just getting word that the metal works factory in which Erik Lensherr worked was attacked early this morning with heavy casualties. Dozens of men suffocated after somehow being interred in concrete. A witness at the scene stated that Lensherr was not alone. Several other mutants were present, including Lensherr's wife, Magda Gurzsky."

"They make it sound like I took part in the killings." Laurien gritted out, her grip on the steering wheel tightening.

"Context is everything." Sera muttered bitterly as they continued to listen.

"While Lensherr and the other mutants seemingly disappeared, Magda Gurzsky was witnessed leaving the scene in a burgundy FSO Polonez."

Laurien sighed, shaking her head to herself. "Well, I don't think that we can drive this for much longer."

"Why?" Sera snorted as she turned the volume back up when the radio started to play music once again. "Don't half the people in the country have this kind of car?"

"No, you're thinking of the Polski." Laurien grimaced, flicking her finger to unlock the glove box on Sera's side with her powers. "Could you check for anything that we might need in there? We're going to ditch the car in Wrocław and grab another."

When she got no response, she glanced over at woman next to her, only to find Sera fixing her with a strange look.

"What? I've done this before." She explained, shrugging as she focused back on the road. "With my powers, it doesn't exactly take much to break into a car."

Sera chuckled as she got to work. "You are my niece, after all."

They switched over to a new car easily after ditching the Polonez in the next town. While Sera took Nina and Kasia for a bathroom break and to get something to take on the road, Laurien went on a walk and scoped out a slightly dinged up Syrena 105. When she and Erik had been picking out cars when they'd first arrived in Poland, Laurien had very much admired this model, but in their town, where there were many dirt roads, it just wasn't practical. Laurien allowed herself a small smirk as she ran her fingers along the curve of the car's light blue siding before popping the lock with her powers. She quickly got in, turned the ignition and drove off to where she'd parked the other car.

Sera and the girls arrived soon after Laurien had finished transferring their bags over to the new car.

"What do you think?" Laurien asked, gesturing to the Syrena.

"It's pretty." Nina commented, completely unaware that she had the remnants of a raspberry pastry on her face until Laurien wiped them away with a tissue. "Are we keeping it?"

"For now. We might need to switch again once we get to Allied territory." Laurien stated, frowning wistfully to herself. "It's a beautiful car, but, unfortunately, they stopped making them earlier this year."

It was another four hour's drive to Berlin. Sera took over driving for the first two hours to allow Laurien some time to relax and eat the pastry that they'd gotten for her. Nina had picked out a chocolate croissant for her mother, which Nina and Erik would go out early in the morning on Mother's Day to get for her as a treat every year.

It was dark once they reached Berlin, and both Nina and Kasia were fast asleep in the back seat of the car. They found a place to park and watched the small groups of people walking or, in some cases, dancing through the streets.

"Some party I don't know about?" Laurien murmured, carefully observing a tall woman wearing thick platform heels as she made her way around a corner.

"If I remember correctly, there's a mutant cage fighting club a few streets over." Sera said. "Apparently they're all the rage now."

Laurien frowned. "And this is all willingly participated in?"

Sera fixed her a look before shrugging her shoulders.

"We'll need some dinner soon. I'm starving." Laurien prodded, changing the subject.

"There's a late night take-out restaurant around the corner and the bank's not too far from there." Sera murmured, seeming slightly distracted as she stared at the ruined buildings. "We'll need a heavy sum."

"I grabbed as much cash from the house as I could." Laurien offered, pulling a thick envelope from her purse and handing it to Sera. "And if we need more, there's still the family money in the bank under Laurien van Tiel's name."

Sera frowned, her attention effectively captured. "How come I was never aware of this?"

Laurien resisted the sudden urge to roll her eyes. "Sera, you were disinherited decades ago."

"Fair." Sera conceded, raising an eyebrow as she went back to counting the bills. "But you wouldn't have that documentation on you, would you?"

"It was a risk. But I've kept them all for such an occasion as this."

"The public still doesn't know your true name. They've been broadcasting Magda Gurzsky's name with your face." Sera debated. "Laurien van Tiel is somewhat of a ghost."

"Well, she officially disappeared off the map in '69." Laurien countered, wincing as she accidentally jostled her injured wrist as she fished out the documents from her bag. "A withdrawal from the account may raise some red flags."

"Well, I don't think we'll have to worry about that. This is more than enough." She said, closing the envelope of cash. "We'll just need to go in to hand over the cash, take a photo and that should be it."

Laurien grimaced as she looked over her shoulder at the backseat. "The girls too?"

"They're not scary if that's what you're worried about. Caliban is very friendly."

After grabbing some food, their little broken family unit made their way to where Sera remembered Caliban's bungalow residing. The entrance was a staircase leading to the basement of an old, decrepit building that looked like it might collapse at any moment. As they descended the stairs, they reached a gate that swung open after they were buzzed in. The staircase came down in the center of a decent sized room with seats lined along the far stone wall where a few fellow mutants were waiting for their documents. Laurien quietly gestured to Nina to go sit in one of the chairs, ensuring that her Walkman headphones were playing and that Kasia was safely bundled in her elder sister's arms before turning to greet Sera's informant.

Caliban was a tall, bald mutant with large yellow and green eyes that followed them as they walked towards his desk. He gave Sera a wide smile. "Well, here comes more trouble." He greeted with a heavy accent. "It's been a while, Miss Sera."

"Caliban." Sera nodded at him, a somewhat forced smile on her face as she handed over the envelope of money. "I need you to get us the hell out of here."

Caliban's smile fell as he noticed Laurien, prompting an uncomfortable pang of heat to settle in her stomach. He pursed his lips in interest, accentuating his protruding cheekbones and hollowed out cheeks as he sized them up, his gaze flickering to Nina and the baby before he settled back on them. Caliban narrowed his eyes, taking the money before turning away from them to tend to something in one of the many filing cabinets behind his desk, the long robe of fine silk flaring out behind him with a flourish as he did so.

"Caliban had one of your old friends in here yesterday, Mrs. Gurzsky." He said, steering the conversation elsewhere as though he hadn't heard Sera. "Or is it Miss Van Tiel?"

Laurien was somewhat taken aback at him knowing her real name, but quickly recovered when she remembered Sera mentioning something about Caliban's use of psychics, most likely the two women with large Bride of Frankenstein-esque hair who were gyrating their hands beside Caliban's desk.

"And which old friend would that be?" She asked, hoping that her voice didn't give away how nervous she felt.

"Mystique." He said, his voice smooth as he elongated the syllables of her name.

"Raven." Laurien breathed quietly, a warm sense of familiarity tugging at her heartstrings before she tentatively addressed Caliban. "What was she doing here?"

"Same as you. Gaining documentation for safe passage." He fingered through the bills of money, suddenly taking on a mischievous demeanour. "I may have told her of your predicament."

"Where is she going?" She asked curiously.

"America, it would seem." He stated, seemingly satisfied with the amount they'd given him as he tucked the money away in a desk drawer. "Heading towards rather familiar surroundings, I might add."

Laurien turned to Sera. "She's going to the mansion." She muttered quietly.

"It wouldn't hurt if we did the same." Sera suggested, before swiftly holding up a hand as Laurien seemed close to protesting. "Look, I know you're not too big on seeing him again, but Charles can help us. He can find Erik and contact him."

Laurien took a deep breath. She knew in her gut that it was the right thing to do, but at the same time, it opened so many wounds. She mulled it over as she was directed to stand in front of the camera and have her picture taken. She couldn't help but flinch when the light flashed.

She and Charles had left things on a good note, but she didn't want to risk old feelings rising to the surface again, especially in front of her kids. There was so much history, so much conflict, but then again, she couldn't imagine this issue with Erik just going away on its own. It wasn't as if their family could get settled somewhere else and simply lives their days as normal people would as they waited for him to turn up one day at their doorstep. She glanced back at her daughters, knowing that they both needed their father, while Laurien needed answers, and Charles would perhaps be the only one who could give them all what they needed.

"Alright." She conceded as she switched places with Sera, pinching her nose as she felt another headache coming on. "We'll go to Charles."

"What name shall Caliban put them under?" The mutant asked, more in an unsettling tone of childlike wonder than a real question directed at them.

"Carlijn." Sera responded as she took her photo. "And make them Canadian."

Laurien thought that was the end of it, though it seemed as if Caliban hell-bent on making conversation. "Another mutant was interested in your husband, Mrs. Gurzsky."

Heat spread through Laurien's veins as she flinched away from the bright light of the camera flash as another mutant got their photo taken. "Who?"

"Caliban knows not. Though he has powers beyond your wildest dreams."

Laurien frowned, wondering if this mutant had any connection to the blue monstrosity that Jeszie had mentioned. She took a step towards Caliban. "What did he want with him?"

"Oh, just the most powerful mutants." He stated nonchalantly before his expression turned sour. "He took one of Caliban's trusted staff as well."

"Erik wouldn't join them." Laurien said, shaking her head. "He's been long done with that kind of shit."

"Mmmm, even so… This mutant didn't seem to be the kind to take no for an answer." He then handed Laurien the completed documents which Laurien took tentatively, attempting to stem the intense desire to sprint out of this place. "Caliban thanks you for your business."

They double checked the papers before they gathered Nina and Kasia. Laurien held Kasia close to her chest, relying on the weight and warmth to ease her anxiety. They headed up the stairs and towards the door.

"Caliban would tread lightly if Caliban were you." Caliban declared, halting Laurien in her climb. "Some of your actions from now on may have repercussions on your husband, as well as the other way around."

Laurien's breath caught in her throat, her heart beat thundering in her ears. She took one last uneasy look at the bald, grinning mutant, before returning to the street's surface.

Hehe, the dream bit might be one of the more demented things I've written.

Sorry this took so long. I got a really awesome job for the summer, but it meant that I was always too tired to write when I got home. But that's all done now as I head back to school later this week. It's weird to think that this story has been progressing for four years! Holey Moley! I am so grateful for all of you, and I really enjoyed hearing from you in the reviews, as well as they people who were lovingly telling me to hurry up already.

I have finally had a half decent idea for an original story. The inspiration was derived from my new-found love of Tom Payne (yes, Jesus from TWD) after I went down the Tom Payne rabbit hole from seeing a trailer for The Prodigal Son TV show coming soon.

Hope you all enjoyed this long awaited chapter, thanks for reading, and please leave a review!