Okay here we go folks, the real meat and potatoes of the plot. So far no reviews, which is a little disheartening. This is why I've decided to do a little rewards program here. People are reading, I can see that, so if you review and there are three reviews for us to read by Monday morning, I will post the next segment of this story! It'll be a nice treat for us to hear what you have to say and you get to see what happens next (and we're getting into the heavy plot now!)
You know what to do!
Marina & James
Laura had tried to return that wallet...she truly had. Every night after helping Mr. Butler pack up his belongings she would walk the fifty blocks to Soho where Gabriel's apartment was located. For any other person, it would've been too much work, overly taxing on the body...but not a woman like Laura. She was in stellar shape, she could run father and faster than any Olympic runner and she didn't get tired to boot. But every time she knocked and he wasn't home, she felt even more run down. After a month she gave up, he wasn't going to answer; he had disappeared. What's worse was that deadline was coming for her rent and she was no closer to procuring the funds than she was the night Gabriel left. She had six hundred dollars plus the meager scrapings Mr. Butler had been paying her to help him pack up his things. She had enough for the rent, but she was two hundred short on utilities…not to mention that Happy Homes, LLC who had bought the building wanted to increase her rent by two hundred dollars a month in order to 'make the necessary repairs that would put the building at industry standard'.
To top it all off, she seemed to have caught a summer flu...which made absolutely no sense as her body was resistant to most anything unless, of course, she was under massive amounts of stress. And she supposed being evicted and having to beg for the kindness of strangers counted as stressful. August first rolled around with a vengeance; today was the day: pay up or get out…and for Laura, that meant getting out. Clothes, shoes, some kitchen accessories, and the few sentimental items she'd wanted to keep had been packed up in a couple of boxes. The furniture she was selling to the new landlords; it couldn't hurt to have an extra thousand dollars to her name...especially if a man by the name of Charles Xavier couldn't help her.
Mr. Butler cried when he helped her into the cab. "Och, lass, I'll miss you something fierce...be well and I'm sorry." Laura let the tears run down her face as well as she turned away and drove off to meet her destiny. Her appointment was at noon, she'd make it just in time…
Charles Xavier had a habit of not wanting to turn people down at the mansion, especially if they really needed his help. He also had a nasty habit of spoiling the LeBeau children to the point of frustrating BellaDonna. But he figured that it was worth it. He was rolling down the hallway in his wheelchair toward his office, preparing for the arrival of a woman he had an appointment with. As he passed Belle's room on the lower floor, so she wouldn't need to climb any stairs with Remy gone, Charles smiled at Soleil who came bounding over to hug 'Grandpa Chuck.' He quickly handed her a small bag of goodies to share with her siblings and then continued on his way toward his office. He chuckled when he heard Belle yelling after him upon discovering the goodies. He loved to spoil the kids and tormenting Belle a little was alright too; the woman needed to keep her assassin skills sharp.
Upon arrival a very pregnant, very angry Cajun woman had let her in the front door. Laura, knowing a good bit of French from her days at Weapon X, found herself immediately conversing with the woman as fluently as if she just jetted in from France. She was told that Charles Xavier's office was just up the corridor and to the left, she couldn't miss it. Swallowing hard, butterflies jumping in her stomach, she made her way up the stairs and knocked on the open door. A man sat behind a desk, smiling up at her as if he knew she was coming the whole time. Swallowing hard, she bit her lip, "I'm Laura Kinney...we spoke on the phone?" Stepping in, she extended her small hand to him, "It's nice to meet you."
Charles reached over and shook her hand lightly, "A pleasure to meet you Ms. Kinney. I'm Professor Charles Xavier, and this is my school. Welcome." He took his hand back and smiled. "I apologize for not standing when you entered," He motioned towards the wheelchair. It was obvious he was from the high society, only those men stood for a lady anymore. "I do remember you on the phone, yes. As I recall you were interested in staying here, perhaps looking for permanent employment?" His eyes held a secret, like he knew something he wasn't letting on. "Tell me Ms. Kinney, if you don't mind, why do you feel the Institute is the right place for you?"
Laura was more than glad he asked her to sit down. She'd been very dizzy since she walked in here; truly, for almost a week she'd been having dizzy spells. She chalked it up to her flu and moved on. Deciding that honesty was the best policy, she sighed, "Because I have nowhere left to go. I've been...hunted...for a long time." She said, deciding that evading was better than lying. "I've been living at an apartment for almost ten years where I worked for the landlord instead of paying rent and a few weeks ago I learned that I wouldn't be able to do that anymore..." And I can't get another job because I don't legally exist, she thought. "I know it's probably not fair that I ask but this is the last place I have left to go."
Charles nodded his head. He had run across many like her. "I understand completely. I am truly sorry you've hit a spot of bad luck in life. What is it that you are you running from?" He smiled warmly at her, hoping to ease her tensions. "If it helps you to answer me, you are not the first person to come through our doors seeking refuge from someone or something. More than one of our residents, and a quite a few of the students too, are on the run or have been in the past."
Of course he'd want to know what she was running from. This was a school; he had to make sure the children were safe! But all the same, she was fearful. Even though he looked cheerful and friendly...she was worried. She didn't know this man, how did she know if she could trust him? Nervously she bit her lip, "I...I don't think that my situation is the same as running from an abusive family. Although, I suppose you could say my 'family' enjoyed abusing me." Swallowing hard, she stood up, pacing back and forth to try and relieve some of the tension within her. "There's an organization out there...one that created me." Why was she telling him this? She should cut her losses and run. "They're known as Weapon X. I..." Laura's vision blurred as a wave of dizziness overtook her. Grabbing for the chair, she gripped on tightly, trying not to fall. It was several moments later that her vision finally cleared enough for her to relax, "I'm sorry, I've been ill these past few days."
Charles listened patiently to the girl. His eyes widened at the mention of Weapon X. He was just about to mention that he would like to have her meet with Logan, another man on the run from Weapon X, when she almost fell. He quickly wheeled his chair around and placed a steadying hand on her back. "It's quite alright Ms. Kinney. I'd like you to sit down; our resident physician is on his way up right now to have a look at you. Please don't be alarmed when you see him. Despite his...rugged appearance, he is a very capable man." While they waited for Hank, Charles decided to speak a bit more. "Weapon X, that means you are a mutant." He smiled at her again. "I have one or two residents here who are on the run from them at the moment. Tell me, how did you hear about our facility? We don't actively advertise, for the safety of our students."
Nodding, she sat back down again at his insistence. It was nice to have someone he cared; it wasn't that the man's touch was stimulating in any way, it was just comforting. It was nice to be cared about. "I don't need a doctor..." Swallowing a wave of nausea, she closed her eyes. "Thank you, I'd appreciate it." It was unheard of that a flu would last two weeks; especially for a woman with a healing factor! Sitting back, she nodded as Charles spoke of the secrecy that was this school. Reaching into her pocket she pulled out Gabriel's wallet, "I swear I didn't steal it...I met him in a bar and he forgot it." She decided to spare him the gory details; the man didn't need to know that she had sex with Gabriel and then effectively ruined any chance of them ever being friends or anything else for that matter. "I wanted to bring it back to him but I didn't want to just leave it in the apartment on his license in case he had moved or something...and he hasn't been by to claim it. Now that I've been evicted it won't matter, he wouldn't find me at my apartment anyway." Running a hand over her roiling stomach, she sighed, "I saw your card in there and, knowing he was a mutant, I was hoping you'd take me in or at least give me a job. I can work for my keep, I swear."
Charles chuckled and nodded. He took the wallet and glanced inside, seeing that all of Gabriel's cash was indeed there minus a few hundred dollars which he probably spent on a cab and alcohol. "It's quite alright. I know you didn't steal the wallet. In truth, we'd been wondering where Mr. Summers had disappeared to after the funeral. He just up and left on us as soon as the funeral was over. His other brother, Alex, was not very pleased with him and didn't even get a chance to confront him on his behavior before he left for Alaska again." He decided to hint that he knew something had happened. While he didn't know the details of anything, he was certain that she was the reason Gabriel had been in a far worse mood than he'd left in the day before. "Let's have Hank look at you to make sure you are indeed fine and then we can talk some more about the possibility of you staying here with us."
Nodding, she allowed the wheelchair-bound man to lead her to an elevator. At least the man cared; he had created a school for children with mutations. He hadn't yet said what his was, however, and she decided not to press it. Perhaps he was just a very generous, kind, normal man without any powers at all. The movement of the elevator made her feel as if she were going to vomit; oh dear, how embarrassing to feel like this when she was trying her damndest to make a good impression. Charles didn't seem to mind though; he walked her all the way down to a basement facility where the medical labs were. A fuzzy blue man who immediately piqued her feral senses stood watching her; he was like her, feral. He wasn't a born alpha though, not like she was, and she quickly allowed herself to be shepherded onto a bed. "I'm sure it's nothing but the flu," She said finally, looking between the two men. And yet, she wasn't quite convinced.
Gabriel sat huddled near a tree staring out over the facility for about the thousandth time since this mission had begun. Since they'd arrived he found the time to come to terms with and accept Scott's death; he even felt like he'd made peace with the Laura situation. After all, it wasn't like he'd have to see her again. In another two weeks they could go home and start eating and sleeping at regular intervals. Remy had long since acquired a disc of data files from the computers there, twice now, each time updating as they brought more of the facility back online. They had determined weeks ago that that's what they were doing and probably looking for Logan again too. Gabriel was currently about two hundred yards away from the outer fence line huddled in a mass of trees. He just pulled the binoculars down to check of time again; he to make another report in the log when their entire operation came crashing down.
Sirens began to wail and put immediately on the alert. He looked up to see several uniformed guards running to his right, heading for the gate there. He was curious about what had set them off. It looked like they were actively searching for something. Maybe one of their projects had gotten loose. It would be sweet justice if that was true. Out of nowhere Gabriel heard a shot ring out, a bullet tearing through his right shoulder. He yelled in pain, closing his eyes against the burning sensation. When the dark orbs reopened they burned with the fire a thousand suns. Calling up his limited telepathy, Vulcan sent a call to Remy a thousand yards back in a small clearing, "Gambit, quick, code red. We've been discovered and I'm hit. Prep the minibird, I'll try and make it back on my own. Send a call home; let them know what's going on." Gabriel had just finished when another shot rang out. He erected a shield of heat energy and watched as the bullet aimed at his head melt away to nothing. The sound of dogs and guards running made him spring him into action.
A string of curses burst over the intercom as Remy grabbed the last file he'd been looking at and darted for the door. Palming a few cards he sent them hurtling towards guards and dogs with no care; all he knew was he had to get to the plane and back to Belle, "C'mon, ami!" He yelled, running like a madman toward the gate. The minibird was hidden just a few paces from there, they could make it if only they hurried. As soon as Remy got near the plane, he pressed the button on the emergency device that made the engines whir into action, "Summers! Dis' ain' no time t' be dawdlin'!"
Gabriel cursed as he saw the madness erupt before him. Gambit would get over run now that they'd noticed him there. His shoulder hurt to the high heavens, but he had a partner out there, and he wouldn't abandon him. The field hummed to life around him as Vulcan rose into the air. He needed to distract them. Firing a few blasts of energy into the compound, mainly at unmanned trucks and such, to cause explosions and distract the soldiers. "Run Gambit. I'll cover your escape." Firing off a few more blasts, he watched as the Cajun finally made it out of the gate. He had turned to make his way toward the plane when another shot ripped through his right leg. "FUCK!" He dropped out of the sky then, but he managed to stay up, though the loss of blood was making him woozy. He flew as fast as he could to the jet and dropped down right beside it. Staggering inside, he dropped to the floor. "Go! I'm in, get us out of here."
Gambit was worried about Gabriel but it was more important to get this bird off the ground and fast. Even with shots being fired, he managed to get the plane up into the air and set it to autopilot before rushing over, "Dis ain' good." Grabbing the first aid kit, Remy found that there was nothing he could really do. He bandaged Gabriel tightly at least to try and stop the bleeding...but he'd need immediate medical care once they got back to the mansion. Luckily the entire trip was less than an hour, he could survive that. "Don' y' even t'ink 'bout leavin' ol' Remy. If y' see a warm w'ite light, stay de fuck away from it!"
Gabriel coughed and chuckled a bit. "I'm not going anywhere Cajun. I'll be around to torment you for years to come. It just hurts like a bitch." He looked down at his leg and his shoulder and grimaced. "Damn, shot both right sides. Why couldn't they at least even me out and get one on each side huh?" He was trying to joke and lighten the mood. Too bad he wasn't as good at it as Alex.
Frowning, Remy shook his head but he couldn't help but laugh too. "Stay in good spirits, dat's de way t' recover quick. Jus' rest a bit now...Remy'll 'ave y' home in a jiff." Moving to the controls he flew as fast as he possibly could, the little jet shuddering at how quickly they were going. But still, a half hour later they had landed and Remy was calling the professor mentally. "We got a man down 'ere, Gabe needs some medical care...an' fas' professor!"
Charles looked to Laura with a frown on his face as he intercepted Remy's mental summons. He pressed a hand to his temple and closed his eyes, sending a reply back to the Cajun, "Hank is already in the med bay. What are his injuries?" Turning to Hank and Laura, Charles put on a look of serious concern. "I do not mean to disturb you from getting you the care you need to get rid of what appears to be a nasty flu. However I need to steal Hank away. One of our...employees has been injured and is in dire need of emergency care." Charles motioned Hank to follow him a few steps away, to where they assumed would be out of earshot of Laura. "Hank, prep the emergency kit. Gambit and Vulcan are en route. The cover was blown and Vulcan was injured getting them out of there. Remy is assessing him and will tell me his injuries, in the mean time; we need the emergency kit prepped."
Gabriel smiled at Remy and reached over with his left hand to touch his injured shoulder. "OW! Christ that hurts. Remind me to see about having these unstable molecules checked to see about making them bullet proof." Gabe let his hand drop back to his side and blinked a few times, trying to keep his heavy lidded eyes open. "Alex is going to be pissed. First I run off from the funeral and then I go get myself shot. I have a feeling he's going to turn into Scott on this one and start berating me about responsibilities and carelessness on a mission."
Remy was used to this procedure by now, "Dere's a bullet wound to 'is shoulder an leg...not'ing dat 'ank can't fix but it needs t' be taken care of soon." He responded back, carrying out the stretcher that was a permanent fixture in the hangar. "No complainin' eit'er, ami, y' gettin' on de gurney an' dat's final!" He forcibly pushed Gabriel back onto the rolling structure and headed the few doors down to where Hank was already preparing a bed next to a young woman who looked about to swallow her tongue.
Hank patted Laura on the shoulder, "Shouldn't be too much longer now, my dear. By the time I finish with this patient I'll have a full analysis of what could be wrong." Pushing the curtain closed to maintain everyone's privacy, he gave one last not to a very distraught Laura. Hurrying over to where Remy pushed Gabriel into the lab; he immediately put on a pair of gloves. The leg was a lot worse than the shoulder; the bullet there had merely grazed his shoulder whereas there was still a piece of bullet lodged in Gabriel's leg. Without the proper surgical equipment Hank was very limited...he gave Gabriel all the local anesthesia he could as he quickly pulled the metal chunks from his flesh before bandaging him up at record speed. "I think I've gotten all the shrapnel out," He said after almost twenty minutes. He had started an IV line, giving Gabriel the antibiotics he would need to ward off infection. "Would you like me to give you some pain killers, Gabriel?" He asked, his dark eyes looking over the young man.
Gabriel had tried to insist that he could walk but his body told the truth. He was too weak from blood loss to do any such thing. So with a resigned frown, Gabriel allowed himself to be placed on the stretcher and wheeled into the med bay. As they entered, he could swear he saw a familiar face. In fact if he thought about it, that girl looked an awful lot like Laura. But he was too weak to say anything and doubted it anyway. After all, hallucinations were a sign of blood loss, right? He had probably just imagined her. Even if it wasn't his imagination, how the hell would she know about Xavier's, and what was she doing in the lower levels? It didn't make any sense. He was about to ask Xavier or Hank about her, when Hank cut him off with a question about drugs, "Nothing that'll put me out, doc. I don't really want to go to sleep at the moment."
Charles sat watching as Hank worked, marveling at how well the man was able to perform his craft despite the hindrance of the mutation that made his limbs and digits thicker than they normally would be. Not to mention all the loose hair that might get into a wound or the rather sharp nails he possessed could hurt more than heal. It was truly a wonder; he was a perfect example of a man overcoming his mutation to have a successful life and career. He'd made a note to have Hank speak to the students about such things sometime; they all needed just a little inspiration. Once Gabriel was stabilized and arguing with Hank over painkillers, Charles wheeled himself back to where Laura was, pushing the privacy curtain aside a bit as he went. "I'm terribly sorry if you saw anything disturbing. Some of our employees have more...dangerous jobs and these things do happen."
Feeling sickness wash over her as she listened to the commotion and the horribly overwhelming smell of fresh blood, Laura closed her eyes. Moaning, she turned onto her side...it was Gabriel over there, she could hear him, she could smell him. Her skin burned with fear and regret, her throat burning as she leaned over the bed and vomited into the trash can beside her bed. "Oh God..." She moaned; her entire body was shaking as she finally saw Hank pushing back the curtain and picking her up off the floor.
"Oh my stars and garters," Hank exclaimed, throwing the curtain aside to pick his other patient up off the floor. He couldn't have the poor girl being sick like that. He'd already administered Gabriel a mild sedative that would relax him without putting him all the way under. He needed to be very sensitive to the fact that Gabriel had watched as Scott was administered a dose of painkillers...and he had died in his sleep that very night. It was no wonder he wanted nothing to do with drugs of any sort. Handing her a cup of water, he rubbed her back, "Relax, child...close your eyes and breathe while I read these results." Picking a pair of spectacles from the table, he grasped the lab results that a very expensive technical machine had spit out. "Oh dear..."
Laura swallowed; her entire body burned as she looked over at him, "Please tell me it's Ebola..." She knew now what was wrong with her...how had she not noticed before?
Hank raised an eyebrow, "On the contrary, my dear, it seems you are pregnant. Congratulations..." Noting the look of panic on her face, he sighed, "Shall I alert the father to be?"
Laura sat back, staring at her lap; it took her a long time before she even wagered a gaze over at Gabriel. "That won't be necessary..."
Charles watched Laura thoughtfully while the results were read and noticed the look of panic on her face. He reached out a comforting hand and placed it on hers, "It will be alright, my dear. Seeing as you are pregnant and you've already stated you have nowhere to go, I believe that I would no longer be able to call myself a gentleman if I didn't allow you to stay here. In fact, I insist upon it. I'll have a faculty member prepare a room for you and Hank will be available at all times throughout the duration of your pregnancy so that you can get the care that you need." He closed his eyes briefly as he intercepted a message and turned to face Remy. "Mr. LeBeau, your wife has heard that the mission was interrupted and someone was injured. I've informed her that you weren't hurt but I believe it best if you made your way to the mansion and proved to her that I'm not trying to trick her into biding her time while hiding your body, as she so eloquently put it."
Gabriel smiled as the drugs started to take effect. Oh yeah, he was in a land of flowers and sunshine. It almost felt like a poorly scripted sixties hippy flick to him. But he didn't care as long as there was no pain and he wasn't going to be falling asleep anytime soon. He looked over as soon as the curtain was moved, and saw, to his own dismay that it was indeed Laura over on the other bed. He frowned slightly and closed his eyes to allow his other senses try to make up for his lack of sight. He wasn't completely sure but he thought he heard the word pregnant. His eyes immediately shot open only to see her, and now he was sure it was Laura, looking at him. He rubbed his eyes, trying to clear the cobwebs that these drugs had put in there, he needed to think. She was pregnant…and she was looking at him. Sitting upright like a shock had gone through his body Gabriel looked at her, wincing slightly as his shoulder didn't appreciate the movement. That look, was she giving that look to say he was the father? There was no way in hell! She was a whore; for all he knew she'd slept with probably fifty or a hundred guys since that night six weeks ago. No way was that his kid.
Remy looked between Gabriel and the girl in the bed and he threw up his hands, "De boss calls, better git m' ass movin'!" It didn't take him long at all to bolt from the room. He had his own pregnant broad to worry about.
Hank, however, only had this one...and he was very worried about her. "Laura, I'm going to keep a close eye on you from now on...I'm not going to lie and tell you that your body is particularly suited for bearing children." She was small and very thin...but she was healthy, he'd give her that. Looking between her and Gabriel he began to get the sinking suspicion that the father of her baby was closer than she seemed to indicate.
Heart pounding in her throat, she nodded to whatever the professor had said. If he had told her that he was about to tar and feather her and place her in the quad as a living example of why girls should practice safe sex...she had just agreed. Looking over at him, she swallowed hard; what could she say to him? Did she apologize? Get angry at him? Did she screw him again? Looking back down at her still-flat abdomen, she swallowed. "That's fine..." She said softly. The human in her wanted to scream, cry...the feral was bred for this, to mate, to hunt. "As for the father...he'll come around."
Charles looked at Gabriel with a knowing smile. The young man had obviously heard everything that was said over in this side of the room and knew that Ms. Kinney was pregnant. And judging by both of their reactions, he might very well be the father. Being a telepath tended to heighten one's mental faculties and Charles didn't need to read the young man's mind to know this. He wouldn't attempt it anyway; though he was a much more powerful telepath, he was not a more powerful mutant. Gabriel was the most powerful they'd seen since Phoenix made herself known and they hadn't yet deduced which of the two was more powerful. Although it was probably best not to tempt fate and find out first hand. Turning to face Hank and Laura, Charles excused himself and rolled over to Gabriel. Pulling the curtain closed slightly, to give some semblance of privacy, Charles spoke. "Mr. Summers, is there something you'd like to tell me?"
Gabriel looked over at Laura, then at Hank, who shot him a brief glance like he knew and then at the Professor who was currently wearing one of his damned all knowing smiles. He was onto them. He might not know exactly what had happened, but he suspected Gabriel was the baby's father. As Charles wheeled over and spoke, Gabriel narrowed his obsidian eyes at the older man. He did not just ask him that; did he believe, for one second, that the whore was carrying his kid? "No Professor. I have nothing I want to tell you because there's nothing to tell." Leaning in closer, Gabriel whispered to the older man, forgetting that Hank had heightened senses not knowing that Laura did as well, "I know what you're insinuating, and the answer is no. That is not my kid. I won't lie and say I didn't sleep with her but the details of the encounter are my business alone. And there is no way that is my kid..." Looking over in Laura's direction, and then back at Xavier, he continued, "I won't tell you why I say that, that's her business, not mine. It only becomes my business the moment she tries to accuse me of fathering her kid."
Gabriel could whisper all he liked, she was still feral. Standing up off the bed, she ignored Hank's protests as she threw the curtain back, "You drunk, lying bastard!" She snapped, the feral suddenly breaking free of its human prison. Her eyes burned with fury, her entire body seeming to reflect the rising anger within her. "If you weren't so piss drunk that night you'd remember what we shared...and don't try and sugar coat it either. I tried to be a whore, I tried to make money that way...but I didn't like how it made me feel, I didn't want to be that kind of girl." Folding her arms, she sneered at him, "It's your business now, Gabriel, because I am accusing you of fathering my kid."
Gabriel turned toward Laura like her words burned him. Grunting in pain he jumped up, pushing Hank back from trying to sit him back down onto the bed. Gabriel towered over her by nearly a foot and he had more mass on him than she did. His obsidian black eyes flared to life so fast that Xavier and Hank had to turn away to blink the spots out of their eyes like a flash had gone off. "Don't you dare try to accuse me of fathering your bastard! You just said it; you were a god damned whore! And you preyed on a broken man to make a quick buck! I was too inebriated to decipher what you were implying. If I'd known you wanted money for sex, I never would have done it. You probably slept with a hundred guys since then it could be anyone's child. I refuse to accept it."
"Oh yes, poor drunk Gabriel. I must've raped you while you slept, I must've climbed on you and thrown you down on my bed...that's why I rubbed your back when you were vomiting, that's why I made you breakfast..." She closed her eyes, feeling Hank's arms around her waist as he tried to get her to sit down again. "No," She snapped, pulling away and effectively throwing herself at the edge of Gabriel's bed. "I haven't slept with a hundred guys; I haven't slept with any guys! All I've done these past six weeks is think about you." That, and been sick with carrying his child. "You can have your money back and more, Gabriel. With interest even, I don't care..."
Gabriel was about to yell at her some more when everything caught up to him. The blood loss, the subdued pain, it all came back with a vengeance now. He's stood up too quickly, moved too much for his condition, and now he felt light headed and dizzy. He blinked a few times, the glow in his eyes dying down the more he moved. He felt like all the blood was rushing to his head; this served to make him feel very ill very quickly and he dropped to his knees. He placed a hand on his head and Charles leaned over to grasp his arm. Gabriel jerked away from his touch, "I-I'm fine." He slowly looked up at Laura once more, his eyes completely black once more. "Keep the money. You need it more than I do."
Laura watched him as he stood in anger and then fell to his knees. She lunged for him but Hank caught her in his arms, saying something about her condition. She spun around, growling, and pushed him off of her so hard that he reeled back, the animal in him was the only thing keeping him upright. Gabe's eyes locked with hers and she steeled herself against looking away. He was eye level with her belly, the place where his child had taken residence inside of her...and yet he wouldn't allow himself to remember, to think about what had happened. "Too bad I'm not going to take your money...why pay me? I haven't pleasured you at all this afternoon, have I?" She was hurt; it could be seen clearly in her eyes. "Accept this child or don't...what do you care? You have the luxury of walking away..." Pressing her hand to her abdomen, she shut her eyes tightly, "I can't."
Hank helped Gabriel back up into the bed and told him to stay there or he'd give him a stronger sedative to keep him knocked out, despite his protestations. Gabe grudgingly accepted the fact and lay there looking at Laura. As much as he didn't want to believe it there was the slight possibility that it was his kid. He couldn't deny that forever. He scrubbed a hand over his face and mumbled. "Fine, prove it's my kid. If it is, I'll do the right thing; I'll help take care of him…or her." Scott would be rolling over in his grave if any woman's child was proven to be Gabe's baby and he didn't do the right thing. Besides, Gabe wouldn't like himself very much if he abandoned a kid that was his. He hated growing up not knowing who his parents were or if he had a family. He wouldn't push that life onto another soul. It then that Charles demanded everyone let Gabe rest and settle Laura into her new quarters which would be on the first floor for convenience when she got to be more noticeably pregnant.
It didn't take much coaxing before Laura moved back a few steps. "This was a bad idea...I'll just..." Swallowing hard, this time she didn't protest when Hank forcibly grabbed her and sat her back on the bed. Dizziness washed over her as he frowned, "This pregnancy is precarious enough without the two of you at each other's throats...I was going to suggest an amniocentesis to determine paternity but I can see easily enough that if we tried it we could very well do permanent damage to Laura and the child she's carrying. A paternity test is out of the question until the baby is born...and I don't want to hear anything more on the subject!" Grasping the girl's arm, he sighed, "Allow me to show you to your quarters, my dear...you'll need all the rest you can get." Before she could say another word, he had his arm around her waist as he hurried toward the door. And finally, Charles and Gabriel were alone again.
Gabriel sighed and looked at Charles, who was frowning at him. "I'm not pleased with your behavior Gabriel. What you do off the grounds of this institute is your concern and I have no doubt you thought it was appropriate given the situation. My concern is your reaction here. If I am not mistaken about Laura's character there is a very good chance that the baby is yours and that she is telling the truth." Gabe made to interject, but Charles held up a hand to silence him. "I did not read her mind. You know my stance on that. However it's plainly written in her body language and in her words. That you would argue with a woman who is pregnant and you, in your own precarious condition, when both of you need to be stress free to be healthy. I'm very disappointed in you. I suggest you think over your actions and figure out a way to get along with Ms. Kinney as she's here to stay…for the time being at least. And until Hank clears you from the med bay, so are you. Get some rest." With that Charles turned and wheeled himself out of the med bay, leaving Gabriel to his thoughts.
Hank opened the door and pushed her inside, "The professor took the liberty of having your belongings placed here and, if you wish, someone will help you unpack them. You shouldn't overexert yourself, Laura; I will not pretend that you are physically fit to have a child. From what I can tell from the X-rays and your weight, that the adamantium on your bones is the true weight to you...you're severely underweight, you're very petite. Despite being so conditioned, this could significantly weaken you." He shut the door, "And as for Gabriel, he's been through quite an ordeal." Laura remained silent as she moved to lie down on the bed, she was exhausted. "I'll let you rest now, come down and see me tomorrow morning; I want to run a few more tests...sleep well." Turning back, he watched her crawl onto the bed and curl into fetal position, her hand resting on her abdomen. This was a grave situation indeed...
Charles Xavier rubbed his eyes as the elevator opened to deposit him on the first floor of the mansion. This was a mess if ever he'd seen one. It was far worse than when Remy and Belle had their spat about their first child. At least then it hadn't almost come to blows. And even if it had, neither Remy nor Belle was an Omega level mutant and they both loved each other passionately. Gabriel was Omega and his emotions always made his vast powers dangerous; there also didn't seem to be any love lost between the young parents. Gabriel had gotten angry back in the med bay and had barely kept his powers in check. This wasn't a good situation for a wounded man or a pregnant woman to be in. But that was the life Charles Xavier had chosen to have, always there to help those in need. And these two needed his help whether they knew it or not. Lucky for the two, Xavier fully planned to give it to them. Seeing Hank walk out of Laura's room, Charles waved him over, "How is Ms. Kinney taking all this?"
Sighing heavily, Hank shook his shaggy head, "In all my days I've never been so worried about a patient. I'm no obstetrician, Charles…BellaDonna was far more physically capable of bearing children. Laura..." He shook his head, "The girl has adamantium fused to her bones just like Logan...she has a healing factor, too. But she is not invincible; this could truly damage her, Charles." Looking down at the man, he noticed a sparkle in the older man's eyes, "Not to mention that fighting with Gabriel does nothing but upset both of them. I think the two should be separated as much as possible..."
Charles nodded his head at Hank's remarks. She was on the run from Weapon X, had a healing factor and adamantium laced bones. She quite possibly would have claws too. He was starting to get an idea about it all, she'd mentioned being created. Maybe she was a relative of the resident Wolverine. Only time would tell, he'd have to speak to the Canadian about that. Hanks belief of separation was not what he wanted to hear though. "I don't believe so Hank. I'd actually like to suggest that she assist you in the med bay for the time being."
"Well, I would be able to keep a closer eye on her..." Hank said, straightening his back. "I don't know what you're planning, Charles, but I trust your judgment. Perhaps you ought to propose this arrangement to her. I fear coming from me she would see it as foul play." Folding his arms he let out a short sigh, "I could use the extra help with BellaDonna so close to her due date and now Gabriel to look after. Perhaps she could tend to Belle as she will soon be giving birth to Remy's fifth child."
Charles nodded sagely, "My thoughts exactly, Hank. She'd be around all the time in case something happened. I know her type, Hank. She's already stated that she will work for her keep; she's not the type to take handouts and so she can work with you where you can make sure it's all alright for a woman in her condition. I'm hoping she will also find a sense of purpose in helping you out." He ran a hand over his chin as more ideas came to him. "Besides, working with Belle would be good for her. The woman has multiple children now and, I daresay, is an expert at pregnancy. It'll do Laura some good to see what to expect later in her own pregnancy so it won't all be such a shock." Not to mention it might help to mend the rift between Gabriel and her. He wasn't sure if anything could happen between the two but for the baby's sake, above all else, two parents who were able to interact in a civil manner was much better than two parents constantly at war. "I'll speak to her in the morning. I believe she needs her rest for now."
Nodding, Hank took his leave from the professor. This certainly had been an interesting day, first Laura, then Gabriel...their child, or so she said. He certainly hadn't smelled it, if she was lying...then again, she seemed to be another Weapon X project, who knew what she was capable of? Exhausted from the exciting day, he retired...it would be a very interesting few months; that was for sure.
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