"Pietro’s Mirror"

written by Mark Bousquet

Note - this story takes place between West Coast Avengers # 108 and # 109 and after the events of X-Men # 76

The mystery that is Pietro Maximoff is one that has confounded all who’ve tried to figure Quicksilver out.

Is he Avenger? X-Man? X-Factorite? Evil Mutant? Genetics aside, is he Magneto’s son with his fiery temper and air of superiority? Django Maximoff’s with his wandering legs? Or Bob Frank’s with his devotion to those that he loves?

Does he belong to anyone, really? Or is he nothing but what he once was, a wandering gypsy who feels most comfortable with an open sky above his head?

There are those who consider him a friend, but most simply tolerate him. They appreciate his talents and his power, but they don’t feel close to him. He doesn’t give them the chance.

Pietro Maximoff thought he had found a home here on the Hudson River, leading and training the Knights of Wundagore. It was fulfilling in a way, to see what he thought was the circle closing. His life, forever tied to the fabled mountain, the place of his birth. From whence he was born, so he was again. The Mountain, and dear, sweet Bova, had given him life and now he gave back to the High Evolutionary for finding him and his sister Wanda parents to raise them. He thought, perhaps, he had found his true calling in life, but he knew now - has known for a while, in fact - that he can’t be happy here.

So where can he go? And how long can he stay there before that part of his life burns out and he seeks something new?

The mystery that is Pietro Maximoff is one that has confounded all who’ve tried to figure Quicksilver out. Including, and most importantly, himself.

When Pietro Maximoff looks in the mirror, what do you think he sees?

Crystal stood alone, looking out at the Hudson River, and frowned.

Life was good, perfect almost, as far as she was concerned. She had everything she always wanted: a husband she loved, a daughter, a nice home, beautiful surroundings and the constant chance of adventure. Sure, her romance with Pietro was not the fairy tale of childhood dreams and there was a part of her that longed for life inside Attilan with the other Inhumans, but Crys had long been the Inhuman most fascinated with the outside world.

But this … living with Pietro and Luna away from the craziness of the Avengers or Fantastic Four, helping to train the Knights of Wundagore … since she had returned from the Franklinverse and been reunited with Pietro,* she had been happier with him than she’d been since their marriage.

* FANTASTIC FOUR # 419 - Reunited and it Feel So Nice Mark …

She thought Pietro was happy, too.

He seemed to be enjoying his role of responsibility that came with leading the Knights, and enjoying the lack of constant change that had seemingly always plagued his life. More importantly for Crystal, Pietro had seemed genuinely in love and almost … almost … happy.

Crys knew the various weights that Pietro wore around his neck: starting with his father, Magneto, and ending with his sped up metabolism that caused him to view the world as if it was moving in slow motion. How agonizing were the days to him? How much time did he spend watching dull events drip by like molasses in winter? And how much effort did he have to expend to slow himself down enough to feel on the same level as everyone else?

Two of the Knights, Sir Ram and Lord Churchill, practiced their swordplay on the back lawn below and Crystal watched them disinterestedly. They’d been there for hours.

‘We could have been so happy here,’ she thought to herself. ‘But you’re not happy, are you, Pietro? You’ve burned through this part of your life like you have so many in the past and though you won’t admit you are no longer content here, how can I continue along with the fantasy that all is well when it clearly is not?’

She turned her head away from the window, as if Sir Ram and Lord Churchill were able to see the shame in her thoughts.

Crystal had long since thought of herself as a perfect creature. Her marriage with Pietro had been a rough one, but despite his insanity, her affair, their estrangement and her … whatever it was (Love? Lust? Infatuation? Desperation?) she had with Dane Whitman, the Black Knight, somehow she and Pietro had come back together.

When had things started to go wrong for her?

‘No,’ she thought, and walked towards the door. ‘I’m not going to dwell - again - on everything that has gone wrong in my life. I’ve made mistakes, maybe more than most, but if we can’t live with our failings, can we really live at all?’

But as she opened the door and headed for the hallway, Crystal had one last thought, ‘Where do we go from here, Pietro, if this place makes me happier than I’ve ever been and fails to leave you satisfied?’

Pietro whizzed by Lord Churchill and Sir Ram, dancing between their sword thrusts and parries as he passed because he could. He took no joy in the action, and even wondered why he did it, but the question was gone as quick as it came.

Pietro took no joy in his speed at all, truth be told. Not that he saw it as a curse, either. It just was and so he accepted it. There was enough in life to worry about and anger over, Pietro saw no need to be dragged down by the things that he had no control over.

Like his father, the damnable Magneto.

He stopped by the banks of the Hudson River and looked down into the lazily rolling waters, seeing his reflection looking back at him.

He frowned. By his own reasoning, he shouldn’t feel anger about Magneto, but he did. To overwhelming degrees at times. But was that the exception to his rule, or a sign that his non-emotion about his speed was something else?

He didn’t know, and frankly, he didn’t care, his mind was already ahead to other things.

Standing as still as he could, Pietro concentrated, trying to slow his body’s metabolism as low as he could get it. He watched the rippling water rush over his image. A rock, ironically, he thought, caused water to foam where his face should be, blurring the image.

What of his time with the X-Men? Is that where he belonged? They were mutants, like he, and he had spent some time with them both over the years and again, more recently. Did he feel at home there?

No, but he wasn’t sure he felt comfortable anywhere.

The more important question, he thought, was, ‘Did he belong there?’ He thought maybe he did. The X-Men’s greatest enemy was his father and they often called him when Magneto was the issue of the day.

But beyond that? He wasn’t sure.

His recent trip to Avengers Mansion with the X-Men had left a bad taste in his mouth.* What did Cyclops really mean by his comment? And Cyclops’s brother, Havok, had verbally affronted Captain America by refusing his offer of assistance with a short, "X-Men take care of their own."

‘Stupid,’ Pietro thought. ‘Like Captain America or not, to refuse his aid by wrapping yourself in such a prideful cloak as that is foolish beyond comprehensible thought. But intelligence was never Havok’s greatest asset,’ he mused.

* X-MEN # 74 has the full details - Check it Out Mark …

No, Pietro knew, feeling his metabolism begin to accelerate, he didn’t belong to the X-Men though he would be forever linked to them through his father. But why did the X-Men call on him more than they called on his sister, the Scarlet Witch?

He never pondered the answer, his mind was already on something else and his body had long left the Hudson behind.

"Ah, Mistress Crystal, I was on my way to see you."

"What is it Sir Delphis?" Crystal smiled to the evolved dolphin. That’s what all the Knights were, animals artificially evolved by the High Evolutionary. They didn’t feel the need to complain about their lot in life despite the shouts that sometimes landed on them when they left these safe walls, however. Instead, they saw their evolution as a gift that Fate had blessed them with - and any dissenting words by a fearful or ignorant public were ignored. Much as most of the Inhumans felt about the mutating effects of the Terrigen Mists and dealt with humanity’s sometimes ugly side. Crys felt a kinship with the Knights that she would be sorry to see go, whenever the day came that it was time for her, Pietro and Luna to move on.

A day, she feared, that was fast approaching.

"Sir Pietro just received a call on the monitor from your old Avenger friend, Hawkeye," Delphis informed. *

* The call came in WEST COAST AVENGERS # 108 - Reach Out and Touch Someone Mark …

"Is something wrong?" Crystal asked, her mind immediately racing to think of where Luna was at this exact second.

"No, he was just checking in. He said he needed to speak with Sir Pietro about Avengers business," Delphis replied, carefully watching Crystal’s reaction.

Crys flinched. ‘Thanks, Clint,’ she sighed inwardly. The call was bound to come at some point. Being an Avenger was like donating a large sum of money to a charity - you were never forgotten and always asked to give more. "Does Hawkeye want us to come back to the active roster?"

"He didn’t say, but I can only hope that that is what he wants."

Crystal looked at Delphis sharply, "Delphis! Are you saying we are no longer wanted here?"

"Of course not, Mistress Crystal," Delphis scolded himself for his choice of words. "But it is … painfully obvious to those who choose to look that Sir Pietro’s mind is no longer completely on the task of leading the Knights. He spends his days looking for any excuse at all to leave the Castle behind. The Master - the High Evolutionary - did not entrust us into Pietro’s care so we could teach ourselves."

Crystal shook her head, "No, you’re right. It’s just … he’s not your typical person."

"I am aware of that," Delphis said gently. "It is not that we don’t appreciate all that he’s done for us. And the radiance you and Luna bring these grey walls would be missed beyond our ability to comprehend. But he is not happy here any longer and some of the other Knights are beginning to feel like that unhappiness is our fault."

"You’re right," Crystal frowned. "The others are pressing more than they usually do. For you and Sir Ram that is not unlikely, the two of you have always been the most dedicated to the cause, but the others are losing their sense of balance, focusing too much on trying to please someone who is often an unpleasable man." Crystal’s frown somehow grew deeper.

"You do not wish to rejoin the Avengers?" Delphis asked gently.

Crystal sighed deeply and turned her head to look at the far wall. "I … I do not know, Delphis. Things are nice here. It is a good place to raise a child. I’m not sure raising Luna with the Avengers is such a good idea. She’s been drawn into our conflicts before." *

* Remember the Crossing? Bloodties? - Angst Memories Mark …

"That is the nature of things, is it not?" Delphis asked. "We may be safer here, but it is not inconceivable for us to be attacked. Or used as pawns in someone else’s game. The Puppet Master taught us that." *

* FANTASTIC FOUR # 419 for the second time - Mark again …

Crystal shook her head. She knew what going back to the Avengers meant - a fast paced world where time would slip by too quickly for her. She cringed.

"Perhaps he could spend his days with the Avengers and you could stay here? With his speed-"

"No, Delphis!" Crystal snapped, harsher than she had intended. "No," she continued more gently, "after everything Pietro and I have been through, the last thing I will accept is for us to be separated by this entire country."

"My apologies, Mistress Crystal," Delphis bowed his head. "Though life would certainly be more … engaging with the Avengers."

‘Maybe that’s exactly why Pietro would want to go back,’ she thought. ‘That fast paced lifestyle with the constant threats of villainy and the constant challenge of adventure is probably easier for him to deal with than this slower paced life on the Hudson. Are we a hopeless cause, Pietro? If we stay here, life is far too slow for you to be happy. But if we go back to the Avengers,’ her mind went immediately to Luna, ‘the years would slip by far faster than I could handle.’

"Perhaps Hawkeye doesn’t even want us to join," she spoke hopefully.

"Perhaps," Delphis answered, but he didn’t believe it.

Neither did Crystal.

Pietro hated the tough questions.

Did Crystal want the milk with the blue cap or the yellow cap?

He sighed, loud enough to draw the attention of the other customers of Roz’s Market, but he paid them no mind. Why was it so hard to find goat’s milk in the States?

Before he could reason out an answer, his mind was on to other things.

They needed window cleaner. He fought the urge to burn through the store in a matter of seconds and walk amongst everyone as one of them.

He winced. That last phrase was so like his father, but Pietro meant it in a different way, he assured himself. For Magneto, humans were ‘them’. For the son, everyone was ‘them’ because no one moved through this world at the same frequency as Pietro. But was that any different?

He looked at the clear bottles of blue window cleaner fluid and saw his reflection looking back at him.

Pietro couldn’t hide the objectification of people that took place in his heart. How much grief did he give his sister over her love for the synthezoid Vision? He was a robot, unreal, incapable of feelin-

Well, no, that last one wasn’t true, the distortedly wide face in the reflection frowned back at him. That particular robot was capable of quite a lot when it came to feelings and emotions.

But he hadn’t been willing to give Vision a chance for the longest time and then when he had it was too late to mean anything.

‘Was that wrong?’ he asked himself. ‘To err on the side of caution when it comes to family? Or is that an excuse to mask an inner ugliness?’

Had he thought a nanosecond longer, Pietro may have realized that it didn’t matter that the Vision was a synthezoid because when it came to his sister, none would have ever been good enough.

He didn’t give himself that nanosecond, however, his mind was on to other things.

Crystal stood in the doorway and watched her daughter playing with a rat. It was a beautiful sight. Among all the Knights of Wundagore, Luna had taken the biggest shining to Lady Vermin, an evolved rat that remained in rat form, but was blessed with a human voice and intelligence.

"Mommy!" Luna yelled as she finally saw her mom.

Crystal walked over and knelt down next to her daughter, hugging her tight. "How’s my little angel doing?"

"Good!"

"She is fine, Mistress Crystal," Lady Vermin informed. "Bova asked me to step in while she went to prepare Luna a glass of juice."

"That’s fine, Lady Vermin," Crystal smiled down at the rat.

Crystal’s powers were elemental in origin. She had control over the air, the water, fire and the earth. Part of this power was that Crystal was attuned to the Earth in a fashion. She could almost … feel it if she relaxed herself enough. But there were times: an earthquake, a tornado, a snow storm, where Crystal could feel it coming before it reached her.

This was one of those times and she was able to speak, "Hello, Pietro." before her husband had skidded to a halt inside the room.

"Hello, Crystal," he answered his wife, leaning down to kiss her on the cheek.

"Daddy!"

Pietro started to turn to look at his daughter when Bova entered the room. "Master Pietro, Sir Delphis was looking for you," came the soft voice of the High Evolutionary’s first creation.

"What is it he wants?" Pietro asked, sighing heavily.

"He said to tell you that Mister Hawkeye called and-"

"Is there trouble with the Avengers?!?" Pietro asked harshly, standing quickly.

"I-I don’t know," Bova stammered, taking a step backwards. "H-he didn’t-"

Pietro was across the room in a flash. "It’s okay, Bova," he spoke tenderly to the evolved cow who had brought him and Wanda into the world. "I didn’t mean to snap, but," he turned back to Crystal, "if there is a problem that-"

"Then Clint would have called on the Avengers ID communicard," Crystal spoke gently, rising to her feet. Husband and wife looked at each other full in the eyes for a long second.

"Hurm … you want to talk to me alone, don’t you?" Pietro asked as sheepishly as it was possible for the son of Magneto to ask.

Crystal smiled and nodded. Three seconds later she found herself in the back gardens. "Pietro!" she shouted, trying to sound angry but the smile on her face gave her away as she sat in her husband’s arms. "I do love it when you do that."

Pietro smiled. "What’s the point of being able to run like the wind if one can’t occasionally sweep a lady off her feet?" Pietro let Crystal go from his arms, placing her gently onto her feet. They stood together silently for a moment, enjoying the closeness of the other. "What do you think Clint wants?" he asked hopefully.

"I doubt that he was calling just to say hi," Crystal allowed herself to frown.

"Do you think he wants us back in the Avengers?"

"I can’t see what else he would want."

Silence. "You do not want to go."

"No."

Pietro’s mind raced and he stopped himself ten times from opening his mouth. Finally, when he did, it was the words Crystal wasn’t expecting to hear, "Then we shall tell him no."

Crystal smiled inside. "But you do want to go back, don’t you, Pietro?" Crystal looked up and into his eyes. He wasn’t able to hold her gaze and turned away.

"I - I don’t know, Crystal," he spoke truthfully, looking deep into her eyes, seeing his own reflection looking back at him. "Despite my less than perfect association with the Avengers over the years, and the … many unfortunate associations being with the team has brought, I … I haven’t found a place that I like to be any better."

"That’s because you’re an Avenger, my love," Crystal reached up to touch his face. "In your own way and deep in your heart, you’re an Avenger just as much as Hawkeye or Wanda. You just have a harder time realizing it than most. There’s no harm in admitting that you like being an Avenger. I think, Pietro, deep down, you realize this, you just have a hard time showing it."

"I seem to have that problem a lot," he half-smiled.

"Yes, you do," Crystal smiled back at him and kissed him deeply.

They parted after a long while, Pietro realizing that kissing his wife was the only time life moved too fast for him. The moment, no matter how long it lasted, was always too fleeting. "It’s the tie that binds us, Crystal."

"What do you mean?" she asked, leaning on him.

"Being Avengers. It’s the only thing other than Luna that we truly have in common. The only thing that, perhaps, either of us can truly understand about the other. You were raised in royalty in a secluded kingdom, while I was raised as a gypsy, with a father who stole food to keep us fed. You came to humanity with love in your heart, I with hatred as a member of my father’s Brotherhood of Evil Mutants. But we’ve both been Avengers, Crys. We both know what it means to serve with the greatest heroes - and the greatest people - on this sometimes wretched planet."

Crystal didn’t know if she agreed with him, but she didn’t care, either. People wondered, sometimes, how she could ever fall in love with such a man as Pietro Maximoff and she had to tell them they couldn’t understand because they never saw this other side of him. She smiled deep into his eyes, a tear rolling down her cheek. "I love you, Pietro."

"I love you, too, Crys," he said quietly, staring deep into her eyes, seeing his reflection looking back at him.

Pietro held his daughter in his arms. He had decided to run to the West Coast Compound instead of calling. Crystal tried to disagree with him, but she saw that he had too much energy coursing through him. Running all the way to the West Coast would at least help him burn it off. If he were to stay here he’d drive everyone crazy.

"Daddy!" Luna yelled, wrapping her tiny arms around his neck.

Crystal started downstairs, letting father and daughter have a moment alone. She had decided sometime in the gardens that she’d go and rejoin the Avengers if that’s what Hawkeye wanted, but only as a reserve member. She wanted to be able to spend as much time with Luna as she could.

Maybe Clint didn’t even want them to rejoin, she thought. Maybe he was calling about something else entirely.

She smiled. She didn’t believe it earlier when she was talking with Delphis and she didn’t believe it now.

"Is everything okay, Mistress Crystal?"

She looked down the steps to see the Knights gathered before her. "Everything is fine," she answered back. "If Hawkeye wants us, we’ll be leaving to join the Avengers again."

The Knights nodded. "Lady, I hope you do not think that we want you to go, but Sir Pietro is …"

"Pietro is Pietro, Sir Ram," Crystal smiled. "He means well, but it’s hard for him. If he were older and had more patience, he’d make a fine leader for the Knights. But he’s not ready to train an entire group. At this point in his life, he needs a more experienced team if he is to lead. Speaking of which … who will lead you now?"

"Sir Ram," Lord Churchill announced. "If we are truly to make a difference in this world, we must learn to lead ourselves."

"You’ll make a fine leader, Sir Ram," Crystal reached out to touch him on the arm.

"My thanks, lady," Sir Ram bowed low.

"We will miss you," Bova said quietly from the back. "I hope that, in your time here, you feel I did a good job in helping you to care for Luna."

"Of course you did, Bova," Crystal said gently. "And though, if Hawkeye does want us back, I’ll only return as a reserve member of the team, I’m not foolish enough to believe that I will be able to ignore some of the team’s responsibilities." She smiled warmly at Bova. "Pietro and I would be honored if you would accompany us. If there is anyone on this planet that we could ever entrust Luna to, it would be you, Bova."

Pietro held his daughter close to him, dancing with her in the empty room. Every dip, every twirl leaving Luna giggling and laughing and screaming in joyous surprise.

He held her under her arms and rubbed noses with her, looking deep into her innocent eyes, seeing his reflection looking back at him. She was his entire world and she could speak the only word to him that truly mattered.

If Pietro Maximoff was anything it was what he saw when he looked into the mirror of Luna’s eyes.

"Daddy."

END TRIPLE ACTION 48

QUICKSILVER, CRYSTAL, LUNA and BOVA's adventures continue in WEST COAST AVENGERS # 109!!!

Avenger Roulette Wheel

letters to the editor to beaulieu@mindspring.com - comments on this issue to mariner2@tiac.net

As the first person to write Marvel Triple Action, I feel I should say a quick something about this title. This is not a reprint title, obviously. This is an anthology series dealing with small teams of Avengers inside MV1 continuity. You can see past stories or current stories, all out action romps or quieter character issues.

I'll be writing MTA for issues 48 - 50. And believe me, you'll want to be around for issue 50 for a very special project that I'm coordinating. After issue 50, the always excellent Matt Turnage will take up the reigns for 5 issues. As editor of the AVENGERS Branch of MV1, Mark Beaulieu is the editor for this series, so if you've got a story for MTA, drop him an electronic line. Thanks for reading everyone. -- Mark ...

NEXT ISSUE:

MARVEL TRIPLE ACTION 49

featuring

SANDMAN!

STINGRAY!

CAPTAIN AMERICA!

-- Biscuit … 5.March.1999