𝐒𝐖𝐈𝐅𝐓 (X-Men ~ Peter Maximoff)

𝓹𝓻𝓸𝓵𝓸𝓰𝓾𝓮

1946

The war had been won and with all the celebrations finally dying out, normality was slowly trickling back into people's lives. That, however, did not mean that everything was the same as it had been. Many families had been pulled apart in the war effort, whether it was sons, fathers, husbands or brothers being carted off to France and its neighbouring countries to fight, or children being sent away from their families in hopes that they would be safer, maybe never to return to their parents that could full well be buried underneath rubble.

Mary Jones wasn't one of the lucky ones, or more accurately, her husband hadn't been. Drafted into the war in what ended up being the final few months, Richard Jones had left his beloved fiancé with a reassurance that he would be back in a heartbeat. A letter had returned in his place five weeks later.

Mary didn't have the option to grieve though, already eight months pregnant with the daughter of the man she loved, the daughter who would never have the opportunity to meet her father, who would never play catch in the back garden like he had dreamed of doing. Richard Jones had loved his daughter without ever meeting her properly, and Mary made sure that the child would never forget that.

As a baby, Mary hardly ever let go of child that resembled her late lover in so many ways – from the dark brown eyes that always seemed to sparkle to the stubbornness that would later become an issue at meal times in regards to vegetables and going outside the house. It was hard to get used to being a single mother, having fantasied about doing it all with Richard so many times that doing it without him was like driving a car with only two wheels attached, and in some ways it was.

The plan had been like every other persons plan in which the husband would support his family financially while the wife would care for everyone, but somehow Mary had to find a way to do both. Of course, she hadn't been without assistance, her parents and parent's in-law both giving money to help out, but when it was revealed that they only wished to look after her baby if she found herself a new partner she began to refuse support. Mary was a hard headed woman who loved with every ounce of her body and there wasn't a chance in hell that she would marry someone she didn't love just to provide - that wasn't who she was.

The other path was harder though, but once again, she wasn't alone in her struggle. Many of her friends either had, or were hoping to have a child and so none of them were against looking after the young girl as Mary worked hard to earn money and they all admired her for her determination. They all agreed that while the world had been harsh on their friend, it would be more than fair to the child in return.

Named by her late father's wishes, Jennifer Howard-Jones soon grew up, the days turning into months and years in what seemed like the blink of an eye and soon enough she started school, making friends without having to try and acing subjects just as easily. It was no surprise to anyone really, after all, the Jones family were known to be inventors and geniuses while the Howard's dedication was unrivalled.

With a warm and bubbly personality such as Jennifer's it was no wonder how she managed to keep her friend group together when they were split up in high school whilst also bringing new members into the group. Most people knew her name within a couple of weeks of classes, associating her with kindness and good deeds, and on the rare occasion a bit of talking back to arrogant teachers.

Where this social class and confidence came from was a mystery to Mary, whose short temper had often gotten her into deep water, and although Richard was polite he couldn't squeeze out of tight situations or trouble like Jennifer could. It was a good thing that Jennifer had a positive influence in her life though, overwise who knew what havoc she would wreak with a skill like that. Whenever she was asked about it, Jennifer merely dubbed it as her 'superpower'. It wasn't.