I don't own the X men.
The Power of Touch
Chapter One – Discoveries
"Ted – quit. I don't feel good." Marcy said, pushing her boyfriend back.
"Baby, come on, it's not like we haven't been doing it for a while."
"TED!" She pushed him back again.
"Alright – shit! What the fuck is your problem." He said as he sat up in the back seat of the car.
"My stomach hurts and I don't feel good."
"You aren't going to puke in the car are you? My dad would kill me."
"Just take me home." They climbed out of the back seat and she opened the front passenger door.
"You sure…I mean, you were feeling fine earlier."
"Ted, please, I just want to go home." She reached her hand out to lay it on his arm. She felt a sudden pain in her head and thoughts that she was certain weren't her own came flooding in.
…fuck is her problem? It isn't like we don't do this every Friday night. I wonder if she's really sick. I wonder if I can get her home in time to make Jane's party, I might get lucky and at least get LAID tonight anyway.
TED…you JERK!
He pulled his arm away from her. "WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT?!"
"I don't know. Please, just take me home."
"You fucking bitch…you're one of those fucking mutants."
"I don't know what you are talking about; all I want is to go HOME."
"Fine…" He turned on the ignition, and sped to her house. She didn't say anything to him the entire time. He pulled into the driveway of her mom's small house.
"Get the fuck out…and don't call me. I don't want anything to do with that mutant crap, fucking bitch." She climbed out of the car, and he didn't even wait for her to close the door, he just threw it into reverse and gunned it out of the driveway, the door slamming from the force of the acceleration.
She walked slowly to the porch, her key in her hand. She didn't open the door, just sat on the small swing. What the hell had happened? What was that in her head? And why was she feeling so damned sick? Marcy sat there all night, until her mother pulled into the driveway after work.
"Are you ok?" Her mom asked, dropping into the swing next to her.
"Mom, I don't know." She leaned her head on her mom's scrubs covered shoulder.
"Is everything ok with Ted?"
"I think we broke up, but that's not what I am upset about. Something weird is going on."
"What?"
"Ted and I were fighting, last night, and I touched his arm and suddenly my head hurt and…I knew what he was thinking, and I think he picked up what I was thinking, too. Anyway he called me a mutant and told me to never call him again."
"A mutant?" Her mom looked at her.
"Mom - please - tell me everything is ok, it was just something weird."
"Well, I never really liked Ted anyway, why were you fighting in the first place?"
"I haven't been feeling good. He wanted to make out and I didn't feel like it."
"What do you mean, not feeling good?"
"My stomach hurts all the time, I can't keep anything down, I think I have a bug or something. He was such a jerk about it, too. I made him bring me home."
"Have you been having sex with him?"
"MOM!"
"Have you?"
Marcy held her breath a second and then answered. "Yes."
"Tell me you have been using protection."
"Well you put me on the pill…and he uses a condom, most of the time."
"MOST of the time…?"
"Well, a couple times he forgot, but with me being on the pill I didn't worry about it."
"Marcy, you can't NOT worry about it; even on the pill you can catch things. You are going in to see the doctor tomorrow."
"Mom, I am less worried about being sick than about what happened in my head." She reached out and touched her mom's bare arm.
I will kill that little turd if my baby is sick because of him. I tried to tell her he wasn't good for her, but kids won't listen. At least I don't think she could be pregnant, with the pills, but still, there are worse things out there.
MOM! PLEASE STOP!
She pulled her hand back…it happened again, and it HURT. Her mother was just staring at her in shock. They were both surprised by the sound of the phone ringing inside the house.
Marcy opened the door and grabbed the handset.
"Hello."
"Is Marcy Breedlove there?" A cultured male voice said on the other end of the line.
"This is she."
"My name is Professor Charles Xavier. I would like to speak with you, are you busy this afternoon."
"I…who is this?" This was very strange.
"Is your mother there?"
"Yes"
"May I speak with her?"
"I guess."
She handed the phone to her mom.
"Hello." Her mother listened a moment.
"Who?" She pulled the phone away from her ear and gave it a strange look, before putting it back into place.
"A WHAT?" Her mother sat down hard on the swing again.
"Certainly…we will be expecting you."
She hung up the phone, an almost dazed look on her face.
"Mom?"
"Well, I guess you ARE a mutant."
"MOM!"
"This guy…well he talked to me in my head, like you did a minute ago, explained some things. They will be coming later to talk to you about a school, a boarding school, and a place you can go to learn to control this new – ability – of yours."
"MOM!" First Ted, and now her mom, and people calling trying to get her to go to some school This was getting too weird.
"I think it is a good idea. This mutant business is getting ugly. You saw what happened in New York, with that cure clinic getting blown up, and then the situation in San Francisco."
"But Mom…"
"We can at least LISTEN to them."
She didn't want to hear any more, just went into the house and up the stairs. She wasn't sure which she was more upset about, being sick, and no one really giving a damn, or finding out she was a mutant, or her boyfriend breaking up with her. Probably not the latter, she had been thinking about breaking up with Ted for a while, he was such a jerk, but she just hadn't wanted to hurt his feelings. Now she didn't have to worry about it.
She was sitting on her bed when her Mom popped her head in.
"Just to be sure, would you please use this? I am pretty sure it will be negative, but …" the box landed on the bed. Marcy just looked at the pregnancy test as if it would bite.
She went into the bathroom and read the instructions. Her mom had actually had one of these in the house? Who was she buying these for?
She took the test back into her bedroom, it wasn't like she had to stay in the bathroom, and she had five minutes for it to process. She turned on the television and flipped channels. Ted was such a JERK…she looked over at the clock. Three minutes left. At least her mom would get off her case about this, she was sure it would be negative. She was careful about taking her pills; a baby was the last thing she wanted to deal with, especially if TED was the fucking father. She looked over at the clock; it was time. She looked down at the little white stick…and then looked again. THERE was NO WAY! She took the second stick and looked at it…it was positive too. How the HELL! She NEVER forgot her pills, NEVER. How could this have happened?
"MOOOOMM!" She shouted.
"What Marcy?"
"How the HELL!?" She looked at her mom.
"Marcy that is a really dumb question at this point."
"Mom, I always took my pills; he used a condom most of the time. It's just not FAIR."
"Marcy, as a nurse, I see this all the time, pills aren't always effective, and frankly even ONCE without a condom is TOO many times. As for FAIR, young lady, since when is life FAIR. What you need to do NOW is get to see a doctor, find out what is going on, make sure you haven't caught ANYTHING ELSE, and then decide what YOU are going to do."
"DO…Mom…I'm sixteen. What am I going to do? I can't even DRIVE yet."
"I was sixteen when I had you…pretty much the same circumstances, except I wasn't a mutant. And that does make things more complicated. Maybe this school will be a good idea. Maybe they have something that can help you, at least know if the baby will be some sort of freak too."
"FREAK…Is that what I am, a FREAK?"
"Marcy…you are a mutant. That is the definition of FREAK."
"You really think I am a freak?" Today couldn't get any worse.
"I don't want to talk about it…but this school might not be a bad idea. You can get away, deal with this problem, and learn to hide what you are. God, just don't let the neighbors find out you are some kind of freak, I could lose my job." That was all her mother cared about, losing her job. Marcy just moaned and lay back on the bed. This was the last thing she expected out of her mom – freaking out about the pregnancy yes – not about her being a mutant.
XXXXXXXXX
She had been at the school a week. She had been trying to avoid the required physical – because of the pregnancy. She still didn't know what she was going to do about it. Professor Xavier seemed nice – stuffy but nice, and Ms. Monroe was someone she felt she could talk to. The other girls in her dorm were ok – Jubilee was annoying but funny, Kitty was smart and quiet and Rogue was pretty and aloof, with her skin and all. Her mom hadn't even called – not once since she had been here, and it was really bugging her.
She guessed she was on her own now – no family, no boyfriend – no one but these mutants she was living with.
The Professor said her ability was touch telepathy – with an empathic component – that allowed her to not only read the thoughts but the emotions of a person she touched. That was what had hurt the most – not Tom or her mom's thoughts but their emotions – Tom's disgust and her mom's shame at finding out she was a mutant.
There was a new guy who had come to teach self defense. He hadn't been here when she got here, but Rogue knew him and so did the other girls. He seemed nice enough – in a gruff older guy kind of way – but she didn't know if he was someone she could talk to – and she was getting to a point she needed someone to talk to.
Dr. McCoy had been bugging her to come in for her physical, but since he had to return to New York, there wasn't another doctor on staff to handle it. She was walking down the hall, trying to decide if she should confide in Ms. Monroe or not when the new teacher passed her in the hall.
"What!" She heard him mutter as he turned.
"I didn't say anything, sir." She replied.
"I know you didn't – come here kid."
He led her into an office. "Sit down."
"What did I do, Mr. Logan?"
"If you don't know, Kid – you are in bigger trouble than I thought. Who's the father?"
She felt her eyes grow wide. "How did you know?"
"I smelled it."
"My ex – he broke up with me when he found out…"
"Fucking jerk – it's his kid – his responsibility." He was getting pissed.
"No – when he found out I was a mutant. He doesn't know about the baby."
"Even bigger fucking jerk then."
"You won't say anything – will you? I don't know what I want to do yet. My mom said it was up to me – and she hasn't even bothered to call and check on me." Suddenly she just started talking – almost as if she couldn't stop.
"She thinks my being a mutant might cost her job at the hospital – so she doesn't want anyone to know. She would rather they think she sent me away because of the baby or something. Tom is a fucking jerk – part of the reason I am GLAD to be rid of him…and I don't want him to know anything about this. I don't know if I want to have the baby or not. I am scared – I don't have any place to go if I do – no other family and I can just imagine what it is going to be like as a teenage mutant mother with no place to go and a baby to take care of." Tears were flowing down her face.
"Whoa – kid – slow down. The first thing we need ta do is let the Professor know. He will have to arrange whatever medical care you are going ta need – no matter what you decide. Then – well your mom's a fucking jerk too – but depending on your decisions we may need ta get her authorization for whatever procedures you decide on. I ain't one ta tell ya what to do – it's your decision."
She felt better. He wasn't nice – didn't try to know what was best – but he listened, and had a plan of action. He led her out of the office and down to Professor Xavier's office.
"Chuck – we have a problem."
"What? Marcy has been a model student since she has been here."
"It ain't that kinda problem."
"Professor – I should have said something – but well I had just found out and was afraid you wouldn't want me to come – and I don't have anyplace else to go."
"What is it, Marcy?"
"I'm pregnant."
The Professor's eyes widened in shock for a second "I see."
"I'm sorry."
"What do you plan to do?"
"I don't know."
"Have you had any medical care – for the pregnancy?"
"No I just found out last week."
"I see. I will contact a clinic in town, they can help you decide what you want to do, and from there we can make plans. May I ask who the father is?
"My ex."
"I see. Have you told him?"
"No and I don't plan on it." The Professor nodded.
"I will make you an appointment and have Ms. Monroe take you."
"Thank you, Professor."
"You need to think – really think about what you want – and what would be best in this situation." She impulsively stood and hugged him.
…not equipped to deal with a pregnancy. Without a doctor on staff we will have to contract prenatal care, and it will have to be kept quiet. We are trying to project a positive image of mutants – not a negative one… It was like a wall being slammed down in her mind, cutting off his mind from hers, but she picked up enough to know he wasn't happy about this – he was downright angry.
"I am sorry, Professor." She turned and ran from the room.
"What the hell did you do?" She heard Logan ask behind her. She could hear raised voices as she ran down the hall. She didn't stick around for the answer.
The next morning she got a note at breakfast letting her know to meet Ms. Monroe at nine o'clock to go into town. She was waiting at the door when the white haired weather witch came down.
"I understand you have a doctor's appointment today." She smiled. Marcy wanted to touch her – to find out exactly how SHE felt about this. She was scared that they weren't going to let her stay if she decided to keep the baby.
It was quiet in the car. Ororo finally turned. "I don't know exactly what to say to you about this. It is of course your choice, but you are sixteen – a baby now will ruin your life. You have so much potential – you are bright, your mutation is strong and useful, you shouldn't have to give up your potential to raise a child."
"I don't want to give up anything. I don't know what I am going to do – I have been thinking about it for over a week and I still don't know." She said softly.
"I want you to consider all your options. I can't tell you what to do and I won't try, but it is a hard life as a single mother – and a teenage single mother – think of how much harder it will be for a mutant single teenage mother."
"I HAVE!" Marcy groaned. "I haven't been able to think about anything else. My mom did it – and except for this whole mutant thing – I think she did okay. Yeah I was stupid and got pregnant but that wasn't her fault." She said as they pulled into the clinic parking lot.
She reached out to touch Storm...worried about her. IF she chooses to keep the baby it will be hard on her – all alone – with no support. I hope she chooses what she thinks is best – but I hope she looks at ALL the options. Abortion wouldn't be a bad choice – not now, not with her mutation developing and all the training ahead of her learning to use it.
She let go of her arm. She was truly concerned, and Marcy was touched.
In the doctor's office – they wouldn't let Storm stay with her because she wasn't family or a legal guardian. The doctor didn't pull any punches – even went so far as to recommend a clinic where she could have an abortion done – but by the time the visit was through, Marcy had made up her mind – she was keeping the baby.
Storm didn't hide her disappointment when she told her the decision, but she smiled and hugged her. Poor baby doesn't know what she is in for – I hope Charles changes his mind about making arrangements to care for her and the baby.
Marcy thought about what she had picked up all the way back to the school. Professor Xavier didn't want to have to care for her or the baby. Storm was disappointed in her for wanting to keep it. She made another decision, and while no one was watching, she slipped out of the building; a backpack loaded with clothes and what little money she had on her back, and struck out on her own. There had to be someplace for a single mutant teenage mother to be to go.