(A few days after Witch hunt)

"Mama!" Iris declared with conviction, standing at the window with her hands and nose plastered to it. Which was a feat in itself, given the two little antlers sprouting from her head.

"Yes. Mama is coming home" Maya agreed with a smile, rummaging around in the drawers for a button-down. Button-downs were essential for antler days.

"Ma!" Iris reiterated. She tried to turn to look at Maya for emphasis, but the antler bumping against the window stopped her. She made a grumpy sound and landed on her (well cushioned) butt.

Maya was just as excited, in a way. She knew Becca needed time to sort out the big change in her life, but she hated that she had to do it away from them. She understood and supported it, but she had been missing Becca. And felt helpless, not being able to contribute to the journey. Other than watching the kids, obviously, although Kalos was doing her own thing too most of the day.

She wondered if Becca had found what she had been looking for. And also tried to not think too much about the news that she had to break when she got home. She was still not sure they had done the right thing... but she also knew she could not really keep it a secret from her wife either way.

The door finally opened. Iris made the first move, working herself up onto all fours and then standing, launching across the room. "Ma!"

Rebecca still felt guilty being away from her family for weeks, but she had a lot she needed to take care of and Mirror was understanding as ever. She did not want things to change between them, even if she was not exactly the woman he married anymore. Everyone changed over time, but being a mutant was such a big part of her, she needed time to figure out who she was without that part. She still video called Mirror each night, getting the chance to see Iris and Kalos (when she was around.) She needed time to return to her roots, but she would never abandon the beautiful family she had grown into.

Returning to Scotland, Becca had her heart-to-hearts with her mother, lamenting how things turned out with Aoife. The Scottish countryside was a good place to clear her head and research legends. Magic was fiction to her until Aoife pulled the veil from her eyes and etched magic into her DNA. Now, Rebecca read through stacks of books and myths with a renewed willingness to believe.

Doing her due diligence, one of the first things she looked up were the runes scorched into the ground when she cast her first spell. Skold, with ties to Danish and Proto-Germanic, and translating, naturally, to "Shield." Not all her research was tied to magic, and the runes gave her a suspicion to brush up on her family history. Unsurprisingly, like many families of the British Isles, Germanic and Norse invaders-turned-settlers played a role deep in her family tree. It was worth a trip to Denmark and Finland, learning and documenting Norse pagan practices to go alongside her Celtic notes. She had plenty of reading to do on her second-to-last flight to the American West Coast.

The trip had two purposes. For one, it was a good boost to her mental health to meet with old friends. Maya, the Ghost, was someone Becca looked up to, so it was comforting having her support. Cafas was also kind, but he showed his consideration through acts of service. Now that Rebecca was not going to be frisbee-ing her round shield in a fight, her needs were different. He only gave her the tiniest amount of sh*t when she asked for a few custom jobs. It did lead to some complicated questions at the airport, but if she was going to explore her new life as a combat mage, she wanted weapons made by someone she trusted exactly to her specifications.

Finally back in New York, Becca wasted no time rushing back to the Mansion. She had been away too long, and with her sense of purpose long since renewed, the only thing she wanted now was to be with her family. Gemma let her back into the Mansion and Becca moved eagerly to her apartment.

The first voice that greeted her when the door opened made Becca's heart swell. She dropped her two suitcases, the larger of which making a metalic clang when it hit the ground. Becca ran over to her daughter and scooped her up. Almost immediately, antlers started sprouting from Becca's temples and she realized how much she missed her baby's random gifts.

Kissing Iris carefully to avoid her smaller antlers, Becca smiled. "Aye Iris, Ma is back." Bouncing the child in her arms, she looked to a face she had been missing since it dropped her off at the airport. "Maya, you're tae considerate. Next time Ah ask for time tae travel and find myself, please remind me how Ah'll just miss ye every day."

>>"Aye Iris, Ma is back."

"Aye!" Iris giggled, watching Becca grow matching antlers. Maya smiled, watching the two of them, waiting for her turn.

>>"Maya, you're tae considerate. Next time Ah ask for time tae travel and find myself, please remind me how Ah'll just miss ye every day."

"You needed time" Maya smiled at her wife, gesturing between the three of them. "Too many antlers." Hugging both would have been an unmitigated disaster. But it was clear from her smile she was happy Becca was back. Despite the conversation she could not put off for much longer. "I missed you too."

"We'll make do, love." After giving the tightest embrace she could safely provide an infant, Becca carefully let her daughter back down to the ground to give her spouse a proper greeting. She tilted her head to avoid Maya's own antlers, wrapping her arms tightly around her lean waist.

Burrowing her face into Maya's shoulder and taking in a deep breath of her love's familiar scents, Becca relaxed. "Good. Now ye can stop missing me. Ah'm back where Ah belong." In Maya's arms, where she could be there for her family.

After letting the peaceful, quiet moment slowly pass, Becca pulled away and glanced to Kalos' door. "Ah'm guessing our oldest isn't home yet?" With her new appearance, Kalos was going through her own journey of identity, and it sounded like that was taking her out of the Mansion for the first time in years. "Ah really wish Ah could have brought her with me, but... well, unfamiliar lands and crowded airplanes were never gonna offer her the same kind of peace."

Taking Maya's hands in her own, she squeezed them. "How have ye been holding up without me? Ah know taking care of a roulette baby and a magical teenager is parenting hard mode."

>>"We'll make do, love."

Iris made some protesting sounds as she was placed on the ground, but soon occupied herself with poking at the luggage. Maya wrapped her arms around Becca, letting out a deep sigh, feeling her relax too.

>>"Good. Now ye can stop missing me. Ah'm back where Ah belong."

"I'm glad" Maya muttered, turning her head carefully to press a kiss to Becca's cheek. She really had missed her. And she seemed... better, than when she had left.

>>"Ah'm guessing our oldest isn't home yet? Ah really wish Ah could have brought her with me, but... well, unfamiliar lands and crowded airplanes were never gonna offer her the same kind of peace."

"She's still out, but I bet she'll be back as soon as she hears you're home." Kalos had been doing her own exploration. Sure, traveling with Becca would have been too much of a change, but she was taking her own small steps into a new world.

>>"How have ye been holding up without me? Ah know taking care of a roulette baby and a magical teenager is parenting hard mode."

"And we thought being on the X-team was a challenge" Maya grinned at her wife. She had settled into a good routine with the kids and work, and she did have a lot of help from others in the Mansion. But her days were definitely full.

Iris discovered, delighted, that Becca's luggage made a clanking sound. Maya chuckled, looking down. "There better be some souvenirs in there."

Once she was settled in, Becca would call Kalos right away. She missed her daughter, and now that she was figuring out how to get her feet under her as a Mystic, it was her job as a mother to support Kalos and pass along those lessons. The two novice Mystics walked similar paths, which meant Becca had the chance and the privilege to help ease Kalos' burdens.

As expected, Maya was holding up well. There was no challenge, in Becca's eyes, that Maya could not measure up against. "Please, at this point, being part of the X-Team has been most of our lives," she joked, before her smile faltered for a moment. It was so easy to refer to herself as part of the team now that she was back in the Mansion, it almost slipped her mind that she resigned. It was another part of her identity she laid down, and that still felt bittersweet, but her trip helped her accept the new path she was on now.

Thankfully, attention shifted back to Becca's suitcases so they did not have to linger on weird topics. "There are plenty of souveniers, babe, but not in that chest. I want to show you, though." Her demeanor shifted, eager to share the fruits of her studies. It was the same dorky enthusiasm Mirror carried themselves with any time they delved into a history topic they were passionate about.

Unlatching her cache, several objects were wrapped in cloth, but Becca grabbed the widest and lifted it out of the case. "So Cafas griped, coz I sorta blew up the first two getting the glyph wrong," she hastily explained, not wanting Maya to get caught up with the dangerous side-effects of her magical experimentation, "BUT I finally found an orientation that channels everything right."

Dropping the protective cloth, Becca brandished a new shield, now in the heater shield style instead of her original round shield style. The surface was still highly reflective and polished, giving it a mirrored surface, but a glyph was etched in a darker reflective shade, shaped almost like a shield itself. "Ah figured if Ah could take the runes from when Ah... er, snapped or whatever, Ah could imbue my shield. If Ah have a protection charm, it makes sense to use it on something Ah can protect people with, right?" Becca wanted to believe that was why the Protection Charm was her first spell; the mystical energies understood who she was and gave her magic that suited her.

"Also, Ah spent a long time training with a shield. Not having one now would feel like a waste."

>>"Please, at this point, being part of the X-Team has been most of our lives,"

Maya noted the wavering in Becca's smile. She had decided to... take time off from being on the X-team, but she was still not sure if the decision was final, or temporary. She wanted to ask, this and so many other things, but also did not want to go straight into that conversation.

>>"There are plenty of souveniers, babe, but not in that chest. I want to show you, though."

Maya arched an eyebrow as Becca unpacked her new shield. The moment the cover came off, Iris made an excited squeal at the reflective surface, and got up to go poke at it. She was not even two, but mirrorwalking was already a familiar experience for her. Maya picked her up before she could paw at the shield.

>>"So Cafas griped, coz I sorta blew up the first two getting the glyph wrong. BUT I finally found an orientation that channels everything right."

Maya looked at the shield. The shape was different, the surface was the same, but the use... this one was built for magic, not mutant powers. Becca had apparently made miles of progress in figuring out her new... abilities. She was still wrapping her mind around suddenly all the gaming lingo being reality, and seeing it right in the living room... that was going to need some getting used to.

>>"Ah figured if Ah could take the runes from when Ah... er, snapped or whatever, Ah could imbue my shield. If Ah have a protection charm, it makes sense to use it on something Ah can protect people with, right? Also, Ah spent a long time training with a shield. Not having one now would feel like a waste."

"That's... pretty great" Maya admitted, not sure what else to say. "Does that... mean you are back on the team?"

Iris leaned in Maya's arms, making some grabbing motions and almost hitting her in the face with an antler. Maya held the kid out at arm's length to avoid losing an eye.

"Is it safe for her to touch?"

Questions about coming back to the team were inevitable, especially from Maya, who was probably hoping Rebecca's time away would be something more temporary. It very well could be, she knew, but for the time being she did not want to be a Mystic voice on the team when there was a Mystic threat to mutants running around.

The shield was always going to give Maya a sense of optimism. Becca had to temper that, sadly. "Ah dinnae think Ah'm rejoining for the near future. Though maybe we should ask our daughter; never had a teenage clairvoyant running around." Becca was not envious of her daughter's talents; peering into the future sounded heavy. "Ah want tae learn tae defend myself and use thes new gift. Leaving the X-Men disnae suddenly stop making me a target for bad people." She told herself the plan was just self-defense, though she did think of a vigilante friend or two in the back of her mind...

Iris was curious about the shield so Becca positioned it to let the baby interact with her reflection. "Come on, Maya; would Ah be letting her touch it if it wasn't safe. The charm isnae tae protect me from wee babies." she eyed the cache, adding, "Though there are three swords in there. Magic or nae, those are nae baby friendly."

>>"Ah dinnae think Ah'm rejoining for the near future. Though maybe we should ask our daughter; never had a teenage clairvoyant running around."

Maya sighed. She knew it could not be this easy. Honestly, Becca looked better, returning now, than what she had expected; apparently she did not only clear her head, but she had also been... proactive, in the magic department. That was already a huge step, even if she was not ready to talk about the team yet, she reminded herself.

>>"Come on, Maya; would Ah be letting her touch it if it wasn't safe. The charm isnae tae protect me from wee babies. Though there are three swords in there. Magic or nae, those are nae baby friendly."

Maya set Iris down with a moment of hesitation. She toddled over to poke at her reflection, giggling. At least she knew now not to run at mirrors; that had been an unfortunate side-effect of a baby being used to mirrorwalking. "Yeah, we'll need to store those somewhere." she noted with a small smile. Now that Iris was occupied for a moment, Maya leaned over to kiss her wife. "I really am glad you're back."

Rebecca knew Maya wanted life to return to normal, but Rebecca was accepting that there was a new normal to work toward now. She still was not sure if the X-Men would be the best place to apply her new talents. She could not proactively go out to fight crime; leaving the X-Men meant she was not considered part of the deputized status the team enjoyed. Still, there would always be troubles in life and Rebecca wanted to be prepared.

They could worry about the future of her vigilante status later. Carefully positioning her antlers, Rebecca kissed her spouse back. "You're the best part ay bein' home, babe. Well, you and our two wee ones," she added cheerfully, watching Iris poke at her reflection.


Iris went down for a nap with minimal fussing, giving Becca the time to decompress and enjoy her wife's presence. Given how long it had been, Rebecca was feeling particularly affectionate. Once they had the door closed, Becca wrapped her arms around Maya's waist from behind and kissed her neck. It was easier to avoid crossing antlers from this angle. "Sae what have you been up to, besides missing me? Ah talk too much and want tae know what my wonderful, sexy, badass wife has been up to while Ah'm nae around."

Maya felt like there was a stone in the pit of her stomach. She had been trying to prepare for this conversation, but as much as she put words together, it had always been an abstract thing, sometime in the future. And now, Becca was home, and it was all reality. The weight of what had happened was dawning on Maya.

Iris finally went down for a nap. While Becca closed the bedroom door, Maya tried to gather her thoughts, and get a grip on what she had to do next. Because the longer she avoided it, the worse it was going to hit.

She felt Becca's arms around her, and took a deep breath. One last moment.

>>"Sae what have you been up to, besides missing me? Ah talk too much and want tae know what my wonderful, sexy, badass wife has been up to while Ah'm nae around."

Well, that was a sh** cue for this.

Maya closed her eyes, taking a deep breath.

"Well... I need to talk to you about something. And... you're gonna hate me for it."

Rebecca was, by her nature, an affectionate person. Video calls and romantic gestures from halfway across the globe were sweet and sustained her, but she missed this. She missed the warmth of her wife wrapped in her arms. And yes, she missed making love to her partner after their longest hiatus since they moved in together. After a grand journey of self-discovery, she wanted to come back to something familiar and tender and full of love.

A few weeks of distance did not make Rebecca forget her lover's body. She knew something was amiss before Maya said anything. She did not immediately relax into Rebecca's arms; there was still tension in her core.

The warning was surprising, because it sounded so unbelievable. Rebecca did not let go of Maya, but she did let her turn so they could be facing one another. If Maya had something serious to say, she could say it to her face.

Running through potential options, she could not make sense of hating Maya. The children were both safe and Maya was doing her best to help Kalos. She was not going to get upset with Maya for making difficult decisions as an X-Man. So what was this about? "Maya... we can talk about anythin, love. Ah couldnae hate ye. Ah dinnae have that in me. So tell me; what's wrong? What did Ah miss while Ah was away?"

Maya turned around to look at her wife. Becca did not look upset. Yet. She looked worried, but also did not seem to believe that Maya could say something that was really that bad.

>>"Maya... we can talk about anythin, love. Ah couldnae hate ye. Ah dinnae have that in me. So tell me; what's wrong? What did Ah miss while Ah was away?"

Well, they were going to test that theory.

Maya sighed. She'd been trying to decide if she should explain first, or get the worst over with. She swallowed, and went with the latter.

"Sam and I caught Aoife. We have her locked up."

Okay, that did cause an obvious reaction. Rebecca furrowed her brows, and most of a sentence slipped from her lips. "Ye went efter mah sist--" Becca took a deep breath to rationalize.

In the interest of communication and transparency, she did did that out loud. "Okay. She's part of the Cult and she's involved with whatever crimes they have a hand in," she reasoned, still holding onto Maya's arms, but her voice was clearly still tense.

Another deep breath. "Ah want tae see her. Where is she bein' held? SUPER?" She could focus on the bright side; if he sister was contained there, Becca could ask hard questions and see if she could get answers she wanted.

>>"Ye went efter mah sist--"

Maya winced. That was the hard part, because she had promised not to. Whatever their difference in opinion was about Aoife, Maya did not usually break her promises to her wife. She could see Becca tensed up.

>>"Okay. She's part of the Cult and she's involved with whatever crimes they have a hand in... Ah want tae see her. Where is she bein' held? SUPER?"

"No." Maya shook her head. "We didn't hand her over to anyone... she's at one of Sam's safe houses."

Okay, that sounded bad too. Maya sighed.

"I didn't go after her. Sam and I went out to... get more information, about the cult. There was this one guy, he had illusions, he fought back... and then Aoife appeared out of nowhere."