Mara opened her eyes and blinked disorientedly, then leaned back to look at Jubal's sleeping face, becoming aware of his arms around her and of a small body generating great heat between them.

She sighed and lifted her head to see the clock, dimly realizing she'd slept through the night and not only missed seeing Donnie, but also the part where she and the others had been removed from the truck and tucked neatly into Jubal's bed. Goldie was clutching an empty bottle in one hand and Mara's shirt in the other.

The tall aquatic sighed as her bladder sent out urgent danger signals. She would rather have stayed in the arms of her husband-to-be for much, much longer, but the urge was nearly unbearable. As carefully as she could she untangled herself from the others, finally slipping out of her T-shirt and putting Goldie to rest on Jubal's chest, then grabbing his jacket to cover her top and glancing at Stitch, who was sprawled across the foot of the bed, before she turned for the bathroom.

She blinked at herself in the mirror as she washed her hands, thinking of the most peaceful night she'd had since the last night she'd spent with her family pod back in the ocean. She'd slept in Jubal's arms, with Goldie tucked between them, and nothing had disturbed any of them or hurt anyone in the slightest. On the contrary, she was feeling the most relaxed she'd been since arriving at the mansion, and Jubal's face had been, for the first time since she'd known him, peaceful and relaxed, free of the pain and sadness he'd shown her the day before. Maybe this was how Fox felt when she woke up? She'd seemed to like it when she was with her family. Did you always feel this good when you woke up in the arms of the one you loved? Mara hoped so, this was as glorious as those warm summer days when the sunlight fell through the salt water in warm, sweeping rays of greenish light and woke her and the other dolphins gently and lovingly.

A soft groan from the bedroom pulled her back into the present as she realized that she needed to hurry and get another shirt before anyone else woke up.

"Mara?" called Jubal, sounding half-asleep.

"#$+&." She sighed, pulling the jacket shut as she glanced around the slightly open door, then pausing as she caught sight of his sleepy blue eyes and tousled hair and the way he held Goldie close with one arm. She stared for a moment at how cute and lovable he looked as he gazed back groggily, then withdrew. "Hey...Jubes, can you not look for a moment? Goldie stole my shirt and I didn't get a chance to grab another yet."

"K, not looking," he said, voice still thick with sleep. Then he yawned and sighed. "Ya comin' back t' bed? Too $#+& early t' get up yet."

"Oh #$+&! I'm late for breakfast!" There came the sound of Stitch hitting the door and throwing it open, then footsteps galloping down the hall.

"Still not looking, but the door's open," said Jubal.

Mara looked out again to see him laying on his back with one arm over his eyes, his breathing fading back toward sleep. She hurried over and closed the door, then grabbed another shirt out of the drawer before sliding out of the jacket and putting it on top of the dresser. Feeling decent once again, she turned and cracked a grin at his posture. "Ok, I'm good." She yawned slightly as she put a knee on the bed, then groaned softly as she crawled up and snuggled next to him.

He smiled and turned toward her without waking, putting his arm around her shoulders as Goldie whimpered and wriggled slightly before settling down with a contented sigh.

Mara sighed herself, one arm reaching over the babe and holding both she and Jubal in a one armed embrace as she contently realized that they could perhaps do the same thing with their own child in less than half a year. The fact that this didn't pang the chords of automatic fear and anger inside her made her eyebrows raise slightly, but soon she was too immersed in the pure bliss of the moment to care much. She was floating toward sleep when a knock made Jubal start and mutter a curse.

"Wake, young Master Lee!" called Hank's jovial voice. "'Tis time for you to partake of the sumptuous fare set out for breaking the fast!"

"If ya don't shuddup 'n &+$# off I'm gonna break more'n a fast," growled Jubal.

"Come now. You must needs eat," commanded Hank sternly. "I am not above forcing entry to your room to be sure you do it."

Jubal cursed and threw his pillow at the door, then sat up and looked down at Mara and Goldie sadly. "Whatever, &+$#."

Mara turned over, unhappy with being disturbed and vowing to shave off Hank's head fur and hair. "Guess we'd better go then," she mumbled, sighing and pulling herself up as well.

Jubal rolled backward and landed on his feet, only to stumble and go to one knee, his face paling as he caught himself on the side of the bed.

"Jubes!" gasped Mara, clutching Goldie as she scrambled over and crouched next to him, putting a hand on his shoulder. "You ok?"

"Jubal?" The door opened and the blue doctor came in, his golden eyes dark with concern.

Jubal's nose wrinkled in a snarl, but then he squeezed his eyes shut and leaned his head against Mara's shoulder for a moment before standing and smirking at Hank. "&+$# off, fuzz brain."

Hank regarded him narrowly for a moment, then sighed and turned away. "Haste, young Wolverine."

"Bite me." Jubal turned to look down at Mara and offered her his hand.

"You shouldn't show off like that 'till you're all better," she said, smirking slightly as he helped her up, then looking at the baby on her arm. "I mean, I know she's cute, but she still doesn't care who's best at what. Except maybe hugs and giving food."

Jubal just snorted, his smirk still firmly in place as he lead her out of the room and down the hall.

The kitchen was in a minor riot when they entered, the smell of fragrant bacon, eggs, waffles, and something smokey, salty, and rich filling the air. Mara's stomach told her she was neither sick nor terribly hungry, but she joined the orderly line that Ruh was browbeating everyone into and watched Jubal go to a cupboard and then the fridge and take out a box of Twinkies and a bottle of Jolt. She arched an eyebrow and looked around, spotting Stitch on Will's shoulder and feeling a flash of embarrassment when she saw Donnie two people in front of her, his eyes on the counter as he looked over the head of a skinny kid with a purple mohawk and a funny-looking wheelchair. She took a plate when her turn came and put an egg and a couple slices of bacon on it, then looked up as big hands gently scooped the sleeping baby from her other arm. She let go automatically, but then felt lonely and cold. Scowling jealously, she watched as Creed cuddled Goldie, then reminded herself that she didn't like kids and forced herself to turn away with a shrug of indifference.

"My stars and garters, you're still wearing the cast?" Hank stopped next to her and looked down in dismay.

She gave him a fierce look and shrugged, glancing around the rapidly emptying kitchen as she moved a small step away from him. "What of it, hair ball?"

"Here, allow me to rectify the situation." He picked up a kitchen knife.

"Hank! Put that down ya big dope!" barked Ruh. "What's Jeany said 'bout you usin' the kitchen tools fer medical stuff?"

"This will be but the work of a moment," said the blue doctor absently, grabbing Mara's hand and making a quick pass with the knife. "There. Thou'rt free, fair water maid."

She flexed her suddenly free hand, then rared back and used it to land a right hook to his jaw.

"Grab me like that again and you won't wake up for a week," she snarled, backing off quickly and glowering at him.

He gave a startled growl, then put a hand to his jaw, his expression suddenly making her feel as though she'd belted a teddy bear.

"Yeah. 'N I'll make sure 'a it," said Jubal angrily from behind her.

"Calm down, you two." Ruh sighed, then looked toward the door. "Hey, Bets, welcome t' paradise."

"If you weren't already dead I'd hurt you for that," said the Asian woman sourly, then looked hopefully at Mara. "Would you be able to hold one of the girls while I fill my plate?"

The aquatic blinked and peered at the twin babies, then set her jaw and nodded, grabbing the nearer one carefully and looking down at the tiny face and fuzzy wings with a slightly awed expression.

"That's Maeve, she's the quieter one," said Betsy, moving a plate next to the food platters and then blinking as Jubal came over and gently pushed she and Mara toward the table.

"Go siddown, Bets, I'll get yer grub," he said gruffly.

"Why thank you, Jubal, you're a luv." Betsy beamed, then frowned at the box of Twinkies that sat next to the bottle of Jolt on the island. "Oh dear, is he trying to make Hank lose his mind?"

"Huh?" Mara glanced up from the sleeping baby and blinked at her absently.

Betsy took the Twinkies and slipped them onto the seat of the chair next to her, then sat demurely and shot a smirk at Hank as the dug through the cupboard and muttered puzzledly about ambrosia. "Perhaps he'll think he's eaten them all and go to his stash in the lab."

Mara arched an eyebrow, then shook her head and looked back down at baby Maeve, who was chuckling in her sleep, little mouth twitching at one corner.

Jubal came and set a full plate in front of Betsy, then frowned toward his pop and looked quizzically at Hank as the blue man wandered out of the room, arguing with Ruh.

"Sit," said Mara, looking up at him in concern.

He quirked an eyebrow at her, but grabbed the Jolt and complied, leaning his elbows on the table and zoning out as he unscrewed the lid and took a swig.

"You never stop drinking that stuff, do ya?" She smirked slightly as she cocked her head and studied the baby in her arms, frowning as she realized that she felt none of her usual fear and that for once in her life the charm that all infants possessed seemed to be working on her.

"Huh?" he said absently, then started and scowled up at Creed as the older man set a bowl of oatmeal, milk, and chocolate chips in front of him.

"Eat it," growled Creed, then turned away and left the room.

Jubal snorted and pushed it aside, then gave Betsy a warning frown as she pushed it back.

"You are going to eat that, Jubal Lee, if I have to sit here all day and make sure," said the new mother firmly.

Mara grinned and nudged him gently with one elbow, then suddenly started and looked down as she felt a sharp thump inside her belly, right near where Maeve was resting.

Her fiancé scowled at her, then blinked. "What's wrong?"

"I...I dunno," she said, eyes huge as she watched Maeve squirm and snuggle closer.

"Your baby is saying hello." Betsy smiled, then shot Jubal a stern look. "Eat!"

"Sayin' hello?" Mara repeated. "Oh... Will he be doin' that again?"

"Doin' what?" Jubal pushed the oatmeal away again and slipped his hand between Maeve and Mara's belly. "Is he kickin'?"

"Yeah, I guess. Once," said Mara, still unnerved but feeling giddy as he touched her stomach. She looked up at his face, then bit back a laugh and a sob when she saw the mature, loving man she'd glimpsed before, partially obscured underneath a face of boyish wonder as he looked down at her middle.

Then her eyes widened as she distinctly felt something move inside her, gently pushing against Jubal's hand and making what could only be a snuggling motion before giving another sharp little tap.

"Woah!" breathed Jubal, his eyes going wide. "Holy... Wow!"

"I..." Mara shivered as she suddenly fully realized that the baby inside her was actually real...actually...there.

Then Jubal put his head down on the table and began to cry silently but stormily.

"Oh dear." Betsy gently took Maeve back, her face creasing in sympathy and concern.

"Jubes!" exclaimed Mara, her heart sinking and her hands starting to shake as she reached over and touched his shoulder.

-Shh, luv, it's alright,- whispered Betsy in her mind. -Right now any sort of feeling makes him cry. He'd be happy if he could.-

-That ain't right,- said Mara, biting her lip as she put her head on his shoulder and stared into space.

-No,- said Betsy softly. -It's not. But we have to take him as he is, poor pet.-

Mara closed her eyes and nuzzled against Jubal's T-shirt, feeling him start and begin to weep harder as their unborn gave him a decided whack in the side.

-My baby,- she heard as the sobs rocked her. -My kid. MINE. Mine.-

-I thought it would help you to see that,- thought Betsy apologetically.

"He is yours, Jubes," said Mara softly, wishing fervently that there was some way she could take the pain away for him.

"Eat yer bl...aww crud." Creed hurried on past the door and disappeared, Goldie looking back over his shoulder in surprise.

Betsy snorted, then looked down at her tiny daughters and crooned softly.

Jubal sniffed, then gently shrugged his shoulder to let Mara know he wanted to move and sat up. "#$&," he growled under his breath, wiping his face on his sleeve.

She looked at him, then down and moved away from him, arms wrapping over her belly subconsciously as she tried to bite back her worry and frustration with him.

"Don't run away," he murmured gruffly, reaching out and pulling her close.

"Eat your stupid oatmeal!" she snapped. "What's the big fuss anyway?"

She felt him grimace and sigh, then felt his arm sneak around her waist, his hand coming to rest on her belly as the other pulled the bowl close and began to spoon porridge into his mouth. Their baby greeted the hand like a long-lost friend, then started what felt like a martial arts kata against it.

"Ugh," she said, looking away from him. "I don't run away. I walk with purpose. Hey, Betsy, d'ya need any help?"

"Are you sure you want to hold a baby right now, luv?" asked the older woman softly.

"Yeah," said Mara, her eyes automatically drawn to little Maeve, who was awake and looking around with wide black eyes. "Gimme."

Betsy passed the little one over with slight difficulty, then opened her shirt and set the other baby to the breast before attacking her breakfast like a starving wolf. -He's not angry at you, luv.-

-I don't know,- replied Mara, staring at the feeding infant before blushing profusely and sneaking a glance at Jubal.

-He's used to responding to that sort of growling.- Betsy looked down and adjusted her shirt a little more modestly. "Sorry."

Jubal sighed and glanced at Mara, then shoved the half-empty bowl away and offered her a slightly teasing smirk.

"Well," she sighed, looking at it and then at him. "At least you ate something. Next time, if you don't finish the bowl I'll dump it over your head."

He snorted softly and took a long pull at the bottle of pop, then leaned back and took a cigar out of his pocket, all without taking his hand from her belly.

"Don't you light that in here," she said, then made a face at her tone and sighed, bowing her head to the baby.

He snorted again. "Eat yer breakfast, darlin'."

"OW!" Betsy reached down and lifted the baby she held. "You are MUCH too young to be biting mother! You'll be on the bottle before you fledge if you keep that up, young lady!"

Mara winced slightly, then sighed as she felt her own baby shift against Jubal's hand, seeming calmer after his kicking barrage. She grabbed a piece of bacon and stuck it in her mouth, then shook her head. "Of all people to be tellin' someone else to eat. Huh."

He took another pull from the bottle, then leaned over and pecked her on the cheek before sticking the cigar in his mouth and chewing it absently.

"Can't you give Charles a break?" Betsy frowned at him as she set her baby against her shoulder and patted her back. "It's bad enough seeing you smoking the disgusting things whenever you're outside."

Mara almost choked on her bacon, then huffed and shrugged, finishing the strip and making a face at Maeve which earned her a wide-eyed look.

Jubal scowled and stuck the cigar back into his pocket, then turned back to her, unconsciously rubbing her belly. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, nothing at all." She picked up another piece of bacon and chewed on one end thoughtfully.

He quirked an eyebrow at her, then set down the pop bottle and reached under the table toward the Twinkie box, only to stop with a curse and push his chair back. "I'll see ya later, darlin'."

"Alright. You going anywhere special?" She looked up, slightly confused by his sudden urgency to leave.

"Chuck wants t' talk ta me," he growled, turning toward the door, then stopped and gave her another quick peck on the forehead before striding from the room.

"He must care for you very much," said Betsy softly, taking little Maeve back and cuddling her close before she pushed her chair back and stood.

Mara didn't hear, instead gazing after him and remembering how his hand had felt on her stomach even as the cooler air took away the warmth that it had left.

"Mara?" The older woman's voice sounded amused. "Hello?"

Mara's gaze snapped back and she felt the back of her neck heat up as she looked down and realized that she'd lost her little visitor. "Um, sorry."

"It's alright." Betsy smiled down at her. "Would you be alright with taking my plate to the dishwasher? I need to go lay down. Maeve's not as strong a nurser as Dee and she's going to be wanting her kip pretty quickly."

"It's no problem." Mara pulled the empty plate toward her. "Go rest, I can clean up in here."

"Thanks." Betsy gave her a grateful grin and left, saying something to her babies as she went.

"Why not?" the water girl sighed to herself and took another bite of bacon, then stood and picked up the plates to take them over to the sink, finishing the bacon as she rinsed them off and absently wondering what Charles and Jubal could be meeting about. Then she reminded herself that she needed to find Donnie and talk to him.

"What're y' doin'?" came Creed's gruff voice from behind her.

She looked over her shoulder and saw him standing in the door with Goldie on one arm and Dandelion standing shyly beside him.

"That's my job," said the big blond man, then winced as Goldie squealed and held her arms out toward the water girl.

Mara winced too as her baby jumped at the sound, then dropped the plate carefully into the water and shrugged. "Betsy asked me to, she just went to go lay down. I've got it."

He shook his head and walked over to hand her Goldie. "Here, take this 'n bring Dandelion down t' the Danger Room. Agua's gonna work with 'er after he's done with Chris."

Mara shuddered at the amount of action that was going on in her belly, but took the baby obediently, moving back away from him and blinking at Dandelion. "I don't know where the Danger Room is."

"I can show you," said the white-haired girl in a soft voice, her pale cheeks pinking as she dropped her big dark eyes bashfully to her feet.

"What's wrong?" Creed frowned and sniffed.

"Nothing," Mara lied, hitching Goldie up a little further so that the hyperactive belly denizen couldn't kick her. "Sure, I can take her. Lead the way, girly."

Creed stopped her with a gentle hand to her shoulder. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," she shrugged. "Kid's just moshing, that's all. He started up this morning."

"Zit hurtin'?" He looked down at her stomach uncertainly.

"It's not comfortable." Mara frowned. "But it doesn't really hurt. Just...something little pokin' your insides."

Creed's stubbly face took on a thoughtful cast for a few minutes. Then he nodded. "Okay. Lemme know if it gits bad. I useta distract the twins before they came out."

"Sure," mumbled Mara, then turned her gaze back to Dandelion and nodded toward the door. "You gonna show me?"

The little girl nodded, then shocked her by taking her hand and leading out of the room.

Mara shook her head slightly in confusion, then frowned at Goldie as the baby growled and took a swat at the older child.

Dandelion cried out in pain and let go, then looked up at her younger sister with tear-filled eyes as Goldie growled again and clung to the aqua punk possessively.

Mara's eyes widened in shock as she looked down at the baby with a slight scowl. "You stop that! No hurting your sister, that's very bad!" Then she blinked in wonder of the words that had spilled out of her mouth and looked at Dandelion. "You ok?"

The fluffy-haired child nodded, still nursing her hand against her chest, then flinched as Goldie growled again.

"Knock it off." Ruh blinked into sight and gave the golden baby a scowl, then vanished as swiftly as she'd come.

Mara shook her head, then held the baby out from her, eyes narrowed. "You stop that or you'll go back with the old man! I can hold you n' Dandelion's hand at the same time."

Goldie's amber eyes went wide, then her little face crumpled as she began to whimper.

"It's okay," said Dandelion quickly in her soft voice. "I'm not hurt. Don't cry, Goldie."

The baby looked down at her, then curled up against Mara's chest and closed her eyes.

"Oi," said the water girl, staring down at her and then sighing and wrapping her arm more firmly around the small body before holding her hand out to Dandelion again. "Are all babies this temperamental?"

"She misses her mom," said Dandelion in a detached-sounding tone, turning toward a door just down the hall.

"Huh," said Mara, scowling again to keep herself from missing her own parents.

They reached the door and the little girl pressed the button, then led her inside and carefully pecked a code into the number pad that took the place of a normal elevator's buttons.

Mara started slightly at the soft drop and speedy descent. "How many basements are there?"

"I don't know," said Dandelion shyly. "I'm only allowed on the first level."

"Ah." Mara shrugged. "What's the Danger Room anyway?"

"A holographic training simulation room." Dandelion examined the aquatic teen's hand, gently spreading the fingers apart and studying the webbing, then turned as the door slid open.

"Whoops!" The kid with the purple mohawk backed his wheelchair up. "Sorry."

"S'ok," Mara said to him as she looked down the long, silver hall. "Holographic...the future is now."

"Y' don't know the half 'o it," said the boy, his light voice touched faintly with a brogue. Then he offered her a grin that showed an impressive array of wolfish teeth. "Dr. Teeth. Ye're the new girl."

"I guess so." Mara arched an eyebrow at him. "Dr. Teeth, huh? Wasn't that a muppet?"

"Yup." His grey-green eyes danced.

"Well that's...cool," said Mara, lifting both eyebrows as she turned away from him. "Well, Dandelion, I think you're gonna be late if we don't get moving. Then you'd have to blame it all on Teeth here and that could turn into a real ordeal."

The shy child nodded, then whispered goodbye and led her away from the friendly young punk. "Dan's nice," she ventured.

"Wasn't he the kid who got really beat up when the Brotherhood came?" Mara frowned slightly as she dimly recalled the name.

"Yeah. He nearly died." Dandelion shuddered and bit her lip, then stopped in front of a door and let go to open it.

"Oh," said Mara, wondering at her showing more emotion for Dan than for Schattenjäger as she followed her through the door and up the metal staircase that was behind it.