In a small village called Gorzów, there lived a peculiar family. It was a small one, a mother and a son. Agnes was a pleasant woman, always greeting first and smiling. She worked as a helper at the bakery during the morning and as a hospital custodian during the night.

Many wondered why she worked so vigorously, to which she replied that she had a son to look after. However, the villagers have never seen the boy. 

Curious neighbours tried to peek a look inside Agnes' house but all they ever saw was a flash of white before the curtains were pulled close. The 90-year-old Greta screamed bloody murderer at the sight, believing that she had witnessed a ghost.

Agnes led a difficult life but she was content. Even without a husband, she had the means to raise her son with special needs. Her son's skin reacted poorly to sunlight so he could not attend school like other children of his age. Instead, he needed books to study at home and books were expensive because of the on-going war.

Her little Caliban, though his physique was poor, was gifted and he deserved nothing but the very best.

"Mama!"

Hearing the urgency in her son's voice, Agnes ceased to wash the dishes and turn to face him. It wasn't the first time that Caliban woke up in the middle of the night and came screaming for her. Usually, his face was stained with tears, having been plagued by nightmares. But not this time. 

This time, his eyes sparkled with joy and determination.

"They're near. I can feel them!" He exclaimed, jumping up and down.

Agnes frowned, asking, "Feel who? What are you talking about, mój drogi?"

"My new friends, of course."

Caliban's lips curved upwards into a large smile.

-&-

"You're the dumbest person I've ever met, Angelika!"

Eh?

The telepath opened her eyes to meet the anger-fuelled ones of her friend. His cheeks were red from running, beads of sweat rolling down his face. Dread filled her mind. The whole purpose of separating herself from him was to give him a chance at survival. She was painfully aware she would only drag him down should they come face to face with danger. His power was only sufficient to protect himself.

"Oh, Erik," Angelika breathed out painfully, "You shouldn't have. You should have gone your own way."

Angelika lifted her eyes to see the sky and noticed the little storm she created had stopped, no longer growling and crying. But it was too late, she knew that. They already took notice of the anomaly and they were headed to where she stood. Their thoughts were loud and disorganised, ringing painfully inside her mind.

"Me? You shouldn't have done that," Erik screamed, causing the girl to flinch. "What have you done, you stupid girl! After all this trouble, after Albert sacrificed himself to keep you alive, you just painted a bullseye on your forehead!"

Feeling a painful pang in her chest, Angelika bit down on her bottom lip. Erik was utterly right. But she feared that the longer she stayed with him, the more she exposed him to danger. It did not matter if she lived or died, she just wanted her friend to live.

"I'm sorry, Erik," she dropped her gaze, bowing her head slightly, "It was selfish of me to do so but I was afraid. Afraid that I would cost you your life as well. As you've said, Albert is now dead because of me. I was the one who asked for his help, remember?" She swallowed the lump forming in her throat. "I don't want anyone else to die because of me, especially you."

The anger within Erik lessened, a small part of it morphing into comprehension. He too felt the same way, protective of the noisy telepath, wanting what's best for her. He reached for her hand and held it tightly. 

"I promised you, didn't I," he spoke gently this time, "I promised you to kill Schmidt and avenge our family. So trust me that I won't die before I fulfill this promise."

Through unshed tears, Angelika looked at her friend before engulfing him into a tight embrace. Erik Lehnsherr was precious to Angelika. Meeting him, becoming his friend, it was a blessing. Not only did he encourage her to live, he protected her. Being at his side made her feel safe even if Schmidt lived. 

He was her beacon while she was lost in the sea of despair and misery. And she could only hope that she would one day return the favour.

"Forgive me, Erik."

Smiling, he poked her forehead and enjoyed her pained expression along with the small blush covering her face. "Let's go, Angelika."

The telepath nodded, smiling.

-&-

"Left turn here, mama!"

Agnes gritted her teeth as she veered the sputtering truck left, hoping she wouldn't scratch anything in the way. 

Caliban had begged her to go out and search for his so-called friends. He claimed that his gift was enabling him to find them, that they were gifted as well. So she went to see Jakob the carpenter and lied that her son needed to see the doctor urgently. The man was reluctant in loaning his car to a woman but she offered to bring him warm bread for a week and it was enticing enough for him to drop his keys into her open palm.

With only Caliban's words to guide her, Agnes struggled to drive safely. Before he could tell her where to turn, he required a moment to sense them and pinpoint their exact location. And all they have encountered so far were a broken scarecrow and a stray cat.

Caliban practically bounced in his seat, clapping his hands. "They're here!"

At first, Agnes wasn't so sure what her son was looking at exactly. But then she caught a glimpse of two small forms running along the field of potatoes. Approaching them as closely as she could, she honked and Caliban rolled down the window of his side, waving his hand.

"Get in!" Caliban shouted.

Erik blinked, unsure of how to react. His first instinct was to flee. A hairless boy with colourless skin grinned at him and the sight scared him. Why were two strangers saving them? From their stripped uniform and the Star of David sewn on their chest, it was not hard to deduce that they were fugitives from the camp.

His anxious thoughts were interrupted when Angelika yanked him towards the backseat of the truck, a beaming smile on her face.

"It's okay, Erik! He's a friend."

A friend? Did she mean a mutant? He cursed at how easily the girl trusted. The boy being a mutant meant nothing to him; he and his mother could easily bring them back to the camp and claim their reward. But she had been right about Albert, the selfless man who laid his life down so that they could live. 

Maybe, just this once, he would trust Angelika's judgement. 

---

A.N: This is sort of a filler chapter so I could add Caliban to the story. Caliban in Apocalypse and Caliban in Logan are sooo different. The one in Logan made me cry so hard that I was glad that I went to see the movie by myself. Seeing Logan made me want to incorporate Caliban into my story and I'm pretty happy with the way he's introduced. I don't know exactly where I'll go with him but -