5 months later

I stood on the front steps of the institute, a hand raised in front of my eyes to block the final rays of sun that the day had brought. I watched as Scott drove through the gates. The smile on my face grew the closer he became.

"You're back," I called, moving to the driver's side door as he parked the car.

"And you're pregnant." Scott got out the car and we hugged.

"I was pregnant when you left," I reminded him with a grin.

"You were," Scott agreed, "but not this pregnant." Gently, his hands cupped my growing belly and he smiled softly as he looked at the bump. "Are you doing okay?" he asked, when his eyes met mine again.

I wanted to tell him the truth. I was far from okay. But I didn't want to burden him with everything that I was going through when he hadn't even walked through the doors yet. "I'm fine," I told him, "And you?"

"Just fine, Spence. Couldn't be better. Glad to be back." Scott smiled.

He had been away and visiting his brother for a few weeks. I was happy for his return because it was the summer. Many of the students had gone home to visit their parents and the institute was quiet.

I waited for Scott in the kitchen and gave him a moment to put his things away. When he returned, Scott opened the fridge and started making dinner. "So, where is everyone? I don't think this place has been this quiet in at least five years."

I recognized that he was hinting at me being the reason the place was never quiet, seeing as how I had come to the institute five years ago. "Very funny," I replied, sarcastically, "It's empty because a lot of the students went home this summer."

Scott turned to me. "And where is your husband?"

I looked at the table and sighed. "Logan is at some cabin with Rogue."

Scott's brow furrowed. "With Rogue?" he asked. "Shouldn't he be here with you?" he questioned, "You are pregnant, after all."

"She needed someone to go with her because she couldn't be out there all alone but she needed to get away," I explained, even though I didn't really believe that reason, "I could tell Logan needed a break too so I told him to go with her."

Scott shrugged before he sat down at the table with me. "I just don't trust it. She's always been -" He paused, struggling to find the right word.

"Unaware of boundaries?" I supplied.

Scott chuckled. "That's one way to put it."

I nodded. I knew that. Six months prior Rogue had told me that she hoped I didn't come back to the institute after the whole ordeal with the Phoenix because she wanted Logan to move on with her. I tried to ignore her mistakes and continue to be her friend, but it was getting hard to ignore that she was in love with my husband and the man that was the father of my child.

"Anyway," Scott started, "How's everything else? We'll come back to the topic of Rogue and Logan."

I smiled gratefully. "Everything else has been pretty normal," I lied, "The students finished up their semesters and went home. I've been here with Charles while Logan and Rogue have been gone."

"Hank?" Scott asked.

"He's around," I replied, "I think he's working on some upgrades for the X-Jet."

"I'll have to ask him about that," Scott said. I could see the excitement in his eyes. Scott liked that jet more than he liked some people.

After a few more minutes, Scott said he needed to get to sleep and I told him to go ahead and rest. There would be time to talk tomorrow. I was just happy to have him back because being on my own wasn't ideal.

I grabbed the kitchen phone and tried to call Logan. The calls had been failing for the last week. I didn't even know where they were exactly, but there was apparently limited cell service wherever they were. That was concerning. Especially with the baby growing so quickly.

Everyday the baby became stronger. I could sometimes feel it kick or push at my insides. Sometimes the pain was unbearable. And when I looked at myself in the mirror, I could see that I was withering away. It was taking everything I had and it didn't feel normal to be so weak just because I was pregnant.

I didn't dare express any of my concerns to Logan, however. He was so excited to be a father. When he talked about the baby, his eyes lit up. I couldn't ruin his happiness with my worries. I hoped that I could carry the baby to term and that everything would be okay after that.