Hormones are great, aren't they? Haha, yep! Lots of hormonal flare ups coming up...a lot of heavy drama for our readers! I hope you all are looking forward to it! I know I'm look forward to sharing it with you and seeing your reactions! Read and review, if you please!

Have a great weekend! Have a wonderful Eid if you celebrate, stuff your face :D!

Marina & James

Laura huddled next to Gabriel in the cab, the chilly February air rapidly cooling the sweat on her skin that had formed as she waddled to the cab. She was bent over the book of baby names that Charles Xavier had given her just a few weeks ago and she was scouring every name in the book for something that fit. Today she was doing the letter F...and by the look on Gabriel's face, he looked about ready to sling some F words too. "What about Fabio, we can give him something to grow into?" She asked, looking over at him. "Or maybe Faustus, that's kind of classy. Hmm, do you like Fredrico better or Fredrick? No, you're right; I don't think he's a Fredrick." She bit her lip and flipped the page, "Fidel? Dictator...I don't think we should chance it." Laura didn't even realize that over the past few weeks Gabriel had gotten barely a word in edgewise...she was like a dog with a piece of meat, "Filbert? No...Forbes? We could go with a good feral name and call him Fox." She chuckled, but he didn't seem amused. "Okay, okay...Frick?" Laura looked up from her book and gazed into his eyes, "How can any respectable person name their child Frick?"

Gabriel had been getting more and more annoyed as the weeks since his party had come and gone. First there was Logan. He seemed to be on Laura's mind all the time; Logan said this, Logan did that. Gabe was about ready to hunt the feral man down and blast him until there was nothing left to talk about. Secondly, when she wasn't talking about Logan, she was reading that book of names. Now, Gabe had no problem with that, except that she didn't let him have a say in anything really. She'd start going like Jubilee on a shopping spree and good luck getting a word in edgewise. And she took the split second that she gave him to answer her inquiries as disapproving silence and went on to the next name. It was frustrating. Of course, this was the first time she'd stopped long enough to let him say something. Gabe leaned over to look at the name she'd pointed out, "Frick?! Well I'll be damned. It really is in there. Why would someone name their kid after an alternative word for fuck?"

Giggling softly, she nodded and pointed to it, "I don't make this up...there's a name in here 'Falala', it's an African name. I decided not to throw that in to tease you..." He had been so grouchy lately. While her hormones were stabilizing, his seemed to be fluctuating as if HE were the one who was pregnant. Today, though, he had been in a much better mood. Sarah had stopped by in the morning to tell them that Laura was doing wonderfully and the baby was very healthy. There seemed to be no residual damage from the fall, although Sarah still recommended Laura limit stressful activities and try not to be up and about too much. She had also recommended something called Lamaze, which Laura had read about in her book; it a class on the technique of breathing and massage in order to help with the birth of a baby. Several hundred dollars seemed pretty expensive for the class but Sarah insisted and Gabriel even had sounded excited at the prospect. Leaning back in her seat, she watched the scenery go by; Lamaze was from 3-4:30pm at the YMCA and they'd make it just on time. As per Sarah's instructions she was wearing comfy clothes, a pair of black maternity pants and a blue tank top underneath a heavy white wool sweater. Everything was set...now all they had to do was get there.

Gabriel sat back again after chuckling a little at Laura's teasing. Today wasn't so bad; at least she hadn't mentioned Logan yet. He was thanking the powers that be for that. He didn't think he could take much more of the Logan worship. He'd had to bite his tongue more than once when he wanted to yell at her and tell her that if she was so hung up on Logan maybe she should be dating him instead of Gabriel. But he held it in every time and went about the rest of his day, albeit a bit grumpier. As Gabe looked out the window of the cab and watched the buildings and people pass by, the driver turned a corner and slowed down. "YMCA, here ya are folks. That'll be twenty bucks." Gabe handed the guy twenty-five, and then got out quickly to make sure Laura made it alright. "Hey, thanks buddy. You two have a nice day."

Laura smiled as they pulled up in front of a giant building; people stood all around some with gym sweats on, others were mothers shepherding young children around, some were even pregnant like she was. As Gabriel paid, she very carefully got out of the cab and grasped his hand as they made their way toward the information desk. A big sign said that Lamaze was in Gymnasium One, so the young mothers wouldn't have to walk too far. Gripping his hand tighter, she followed him into the gym where a woman who held a clipboard smiled at them, "Names, please?" Laura smiled, "I'm Laura and this is Gabriel..." Looking down her list she smiled, "Mr. and Mrs. Summers, welcome. Take a seat anywhere on the mat...I see you didn't bring a pillow but that's okay, you can grab one of those from the side, I bring extras for our first timers." Laura blushed darkly...was it so obvious she was new at this? Looking over at Gabriel she smiled, "Let's get a seat...Mr. Summers."

Gabriel straightened up and practically was beaming with pride when the lady had called them Mr. and Mrs. Summers. He and Laura had danced around the topic of marriage before, but never really came to any set in stone answers. In fact, it had barely been mentioned since they'd both brought it up playfully at his party. He squeezed Laura's hand a little and smiled at her. "Yes, let's get a seat, Mrs. Summers." Gabe grabbed a pillow from where indicated and led Laura to a clear spot to get started. He set the pillow down and fluffed it up a bit for her. "Alright love. Your pillow is ready."

Looking around, Laura noticed that some of the other mothers were sitting on the ground with the pillow behind their backs. Using Gabriel to lower herself onto the floor extremely carefully, she did the same. Putting her legs out in front of her, she rested her hands on the top of her large abdomen. Just being in the class with other pregnant women was enough to calm her; there were about five other couples in varying stages of pregnancy. Some were 'veteran' moms, others looked (and smelled) as nervous as Laura did. "Thanks love," Laura said softly and took his hand again as he knelt beside her. Tiny little kicks inside of her made her smile as she looked over at him, "I'm glad Sarah recommended this, I think it's going to be fun."

Gabriel smiled at Laura and leaned over to kiss her gently. When he pulled back he smiled again. "Yeah, it should be fun." He took a moment to look around at the other parents. A couple of dads looked as nervous as Gabe felt, though he did a good job of hiding it. After all, he had faced down an entire Weapon X facility with only Gambit to back him up; surely this wouldn't be nearly as scary. But he still felt it, just did a remarkable job of hiding it. The older dads seemed as good at this as their wives and were giving a few tips to the newer dads in the group. None seemed to give a second glance to Gabe though; he suspected that it either was because he looked so calm that they probably thought he was experienced or his eyes frightened them off.

The woman set her clipboard down and made her way over to close the door, "Welcome to Lamaze, mommies and partners. For some of you this is the first time you've met me, I'm Dr. Maria Fairchild and I'm an OB at Memorial General. Others of you may have taken this class with me before," She winked over at a couple who had been telling another that this was going to be their third child. "To begin, I want our daddies or partners to sit cross-legged in front of your moms. I want you to look into each others eyes, gaze deeply into their eyes." Her voice was low and soothing, "Moms, I want you to inhale very deeply and when you exhale, don't let the air out in a constant stream or sigh. I want you to do slow panting breaths, almost like a dog." Nodding, she gave the cue for them to begin, "I'll come around and see how each couple is doing."

Laura smiled over at Gabriel as she positioned herself cross-legged in front of him, "Ready?" She asked, meeting his beautiful dark eyes as she began to breathe in very deeply and then let out the air in tiny spurts, almost as if she were out of breath but not so ragged. It felt...soothing, calm. She kind of liked it.

Gabriel sat cross-legged in front of Laura as instructed to and smiled. "I'm ready as I'll ever be." It was always weird to wake up in the morning and realize he was one day closer to becoming a father. Of course, the woman he woke up next to made it all a little easier on him—when she wasn't in a mood or going on and on about names or Logan. When she started breathing, Gabriel almost burst out laughing. He had to bite it back, but the look on his face said he wanted to. She just looked so...cute like that. And he couldn't resist a joke. "You're really good at the whole breathing like a dog thing…think it has anything to do with the feral side of you? You know instinct and all..." Gabe broke down into strangled chuckles as he looked Laura, hoping she would see the humor in it, and not get angry.

Laura accidentally broke pace as she began chuckling. Maria came over, gently kneeling beside them. Grasping Gabriel and Laura's hands, she gently brought them together. "Keep looking into each other's eyes...Laura, more of a pant and less of a hurried breath. You're doing really well, that's a girl," She breathed with the couple slowly, smiling. "Now I want you to think about the birth of your baby, keep your jaw relaxed and your shoulders down. Muscle relaxation, especially in the head and shoulders will help you keep a more open vagina." Standing up again, she smiled, "Now, let's imagine it is time to push, I want you to change your slow pant to a more 'hee hee' breath. Do that about six times and let out 'ho' breath, a steady stream as if you were trying to keep a feather aloft."

It was kind of hokey, Laura had to admit...but still, she found that she really enjoyed it. She liked how relaxed it made her feel, she liked holding Gabriel's hands and looking into his eyes, she liked that it was all about the baby. When it was just the two of them at home, there was always tension...either her hormones were flaring or he was having bouts of moodiness. But today, alone and with nothing but comfort and support, everything was peachy keen.

Gabriel watched the good doctor as she spoke to them. He noticed she didn't even flinch at the sight of his eyes. Must not be the first mutant she's worked with. Good thing too, if she had tried to throw them out for being mutants, Gabe wasn't sure he'd be able to stop Laura from gutting the woman. He also wasn't sure he'd want to stop her. But that was beside the point. Despite the silliness of his joke, he was enjoying being here with Laura and not having to worry about anything other than the baby. This was about them being parents, not who might be having an affair who, or what screwed up name the book would suggest. This was about just being together. Of course he didn't want to get admonished by the doctor for kissing her and making Laura break pace again, so Gabe settled for idly rubbing his thumbs over the backs of her hands.

Smiling over at him, Laura deepened her breathing, emulating one veteran mother to their left. She got a smile and a nod from Maria who told them they were doing this one really well. This one came easily for Laura and for that she was glad...Sarah had already been informed that Laura was immune to all of the drugs that could possibly be given during the birth. Her body got rid of drugs and alcohol so quickly that no epidural could possibly be strong enough to help her...and so, she was going the natural way, the way women had given birth for thousands of years. Maybe it was a blessing that she was able to do this.

Clapping her hands together, Maria spoke again, "Okay partners, I want you to change place with those pillows behind your moms' backs. Slide in right behind them so they can lean back against you. Moms, your heads should be able to rest right on your dads' shoulders...unless of course your partner is very tall, in which case his chest will be fine." One of the dads in the class was nearly seven feet tall and the older pregnant woman with him chuckled and thanked her for modifying it for them. "I'll give you all a few minutes to get situated before we start the massage portion of the session."

Gabriel smiled and crawled over behind Laura, pushing the pillow out of the way. He gently wrapped his arms around her body and leaned her back against him, her head just barely making it to his shoulder. One hand fell to rest on her belly, habit for them when they found themselves in a position like this, while the other moved up to brush some hair off her neck so that he could kiss the skin there quickly. That of course earned him a wink from a few of the dads who understood trying to gain brownie points. While they had a few moments while the slower dads were getting themselves into place, Gabe whispered in Laura's ear. "Hey, I know I've been a bit...out of sorts lately. I just wanted you to know that I love you. I hope you didn't get ideas opposite from my behavior."

It was a bit of a struggle to find a comfortable spot, especially as she had to move around for him to slide in behind her. But finally he was sitting behind her, his legs wrapped around her body and his hand pressing to her womb. She smiled and leaned back against him, shivering against the soft kiss he pressed to her neck. Sighing contentedly, she smiled, "Its okay love. I know I haven't been the easiest person to get along with lately." She assumed he was so disjointed because she'd been hormonal lately. Especially now that it was winter, she was so uncomfortable when she slept. Her skin was dry and her belly especially itched where the skin was so stretched; she had back pain, she sweat terribly so they had to keep the heat turned down for her and she knew he was cold at night (even if her body generated enough heat for all three of them). "I know you love me, sweetheart, and I love you too."

Maria stepped over to Laura and Gabriel, "I'm going to use these two as my example. Everyone watch and follow along." Grasping Gabriel's other hand he placed it to Laura's belly, "Now I want you to rub Laura's belly in gentle circles. Laura, I need you to close your eyes and keep doing the 'hee hee' breathing with the long 'ho' exhale." Watching she nodded her head, "Good, very good, keep going. Moms, close your eyes and keep your focus on your breathing."

Gabriel watched Maria moved his hand and nodded, "Easy as changing a tire." He had noticed Maria staring at his hands and realized that some things just couldn't be ignored. Not everyone in the world was part of a clandestine super hero who got specialized training in combat and other such tasks that might be needed during a mission. "I'm a mechanic..." That was the easiest way to explain the calluses and scars on his hands. Smiling again, Gabe continued the motion that Maria showed him. He whispered in Laura's ear again as he did so, "Your hormones aside, I haven't exactly been Mr. Cool-and-Collected myself. I just wanted you to know that I love you, no matter what."

Laura raised an eyebrow as Maria walked away, "My husband, the mechanic." Giving him a quick kiss on the cheek, she leaned back again and relished in the feeling of his hands massaging the tight muscles of her belly. She was stretched out so far, being six months pregnant and all, and she would only be getting bigger. Sarah had said she was on target for weight gain, having gained thirty-five pounds already and looking at about fifty by the end. She believed that Gabriel did love her, he was always anticipating her needs...like last night when she had awoken him at three to please, please, please go to the twenty-four hour market to get her some rocky road ice cream and gummy worms. He'd been a little out of it but he had gotten the ice cream order right...but when he came back with gummy bears she'd cried and he actually went back to get the worms instead. That was how she knew, "I know you love me." She knew it in her heart and in her soul (and in her gut too).

Maria smiled, "Now ladies, I want you close your eyes and picture yourself in the delivery room. Don't forget to relax that jaw, it's imperative for you to do so. Don't clench anything; just keep breathing as your partner massages your belly. Remember, you'll be doing the hard work, they're here to support you and make you more comfortable." Pacing back around the room, she stopped in front of the tall man whose wife looked extremely uncomfortable, "As you picture yourself in the delivery room, see yourself pushing as hard as you can, using your breathing exercises. Think of that happy smiling baby boy or girl in your arms and remember that all this is worth it. Pregnancy can be tough on couples but by coming here and learning your breathing techniques, you're bonding with your partner and your child."

Gabriel smiled at Laura. He was practically ignoring what Maria was saying. After all, it was all for the women now anyway. He just had to keep massaging her belly. He smiled again and kissed her on the neck once more. "Hey...how about after this, we go grab a nice dinner? I heard of a nice place that I think you'll like."

Laura was trying to focus, she really was...but when Gabriel kept kissing her and talking about food, she was a goner. Several small kicks from inside her seemed to answer the question and she laughed, "Junior here thinks dinner is a good idea and so does mommy. I'm starving." She'd had lunch at noon and had been trying to cut back on her snacks unless she was really craving something. Tonight she was dying for steak, really rare steak...Sarah had her this morning she could not eat raw meat (no matter how much she craved it) and if she ordered something rare it had to at least be heated through.

"Alright now let's do out last exercise, we're almost out of time." Leaning over, she picked up a small boom box. "Okay partners, help your moms up to standing and then I want you to put your arms on each others shoulders. We'll be doing the preteen zombie dance to accommodate your bellies." Laughing, she put in a CD of classical music. "Moms, keep your legs shoulder width apart...this is an exercise to straighten your body out. I know some of you may suffer from sciatica and other pains, this will help to align your spine."

Gabriel stood up and then reached down to help Laura to her feet. The doctor might be tolerant of mutants, but he didn't want to risk someone else noticing. So he had to do it the old fashioned way, and not enhance his strength. Once she was on her feet, Gabriel did as instructed by Maria, but stopped and stared at Laura. "I've never been to a dance or anything...so...I have no clue how to do this. You don't happen to know do you?"

"Oh yeah, my CO pulled me aside one day after one of my missions and taught me how to do the cha-cha and the meringue," She teased, looking around to see what the others were doing. "Just follow everyone else." She grunted as he helped her up, struggling slightly, but finally she was on her feet and turned toward Gabriel. She tugged down her tank top which rose up over her large belly beneath the sweater. Placing her arms around his neck she set her feet shoulder width apart and began to sway with the music. "Just go with it,"

Maria walked over with a soft smile. "Don't be shy, you didn't get pregnant with those legs shut closed." She inched Laura's legs apart just a bit further and placed Gabriel's arms around her neck so it did, indeed, look like they were stereotypical zombies with their arms stuck out in front of them. "Sway with the music, let it relax you and don't forget to take deep breaths! When the song is over you may collect your things and we'll see you again next week." She smiled and set about gathering the materials she had brought, pillows and her clipboard. It was already almost five! It was no wonder Laura was hungry...

Gabriel nodded and did as told. It felt...funny to dance like this. Hell, it was funny to dance at all. He wasn't used to it. His body was trained for combat...not dancing. Although it seemed that he was slightly better at it than a normal person would be who wasn't used to fighting. It probably had to do with flowing movements, like the fluidity of sparring. Only this time he didn't need to try hitting someone. "You know...we should go dancing sometime. Nothing too wild like that stuff these kids do at nightclubs. Just normal dancing, you and me, it might be fun."

The song came to an end and she found herself still moving, smiling as he spoke, "Let's wait until I pop this kid before we decide to go out for a night on the dance floor." She chuckled, "It sounds great though...I just get so tired out just walking around. I think I'd bring you down if we decided to go dancing within the next three months." Grasping his hand, she led him toward the door, saying a quick goodbye to some of the other couples. "So, is this dinner place close enough to walk to?"

Gabriel smiled at Laura as they left and held the door open for her a couple other women leaving, which earned him a couple smiles and winks. He ignored it all as he took Laura's hand once more and led her down the street. "It's walking distance. Only a couple blocks." It took a few minutes longer than it normally would have for Gabe himself to make the trip, but it was nice to just walk with Laura. When they reached the restaurant it was a fancy place with soft Italian music playing through a sound system. The building was designed to look like an authentic Italian place and all the employees were dressed in their finest clothes. Giovanni's was definitely a nice restaurant. Approaching one of the hosts, Gabriel smiled at the man, "Any chance of a table for two?"

It was mortifying but Laura was panting and sweating by the time she got through the door of Giovanni's Restaurant, especially it was February. Pressing a hand to the small of her back, she made her way over to the wait station. From the moment she smelled the food, her stomach growled loudly, "This place is perfect," She said with a smile.

But the waiter behind the counter wasn't smiling, "I'm sorry, we don't serve your kind here...and even if we did, we're closed for a private party. I'm sure you can find the door, it's back the way you came."

Gabriel narrowed his black eyes dangerously. For a moment he had thought the guy meant pregnant women. But then remembered that his eyes weren't easily hid, he was an obvious mutant, and most people weren't very tolerant, "Really? You don't serve my kind? The eyes gave it away, did they? You do know that there's a chance anyone of your co-workers…maybe even your boss, is a mutant? Ignorant ass," He was getting riled up, angry. And an angry Gabriel, like Logan had said, was not a pretty sight. "I just walked all the way over here with my pregnant girlfriend. And you're going to turn us away? I want to see your boss, right now."

Laura's grip tightened on his hand as Gabriel's anger rose. "Come on, sweetie, it doesn't matter. We can go somewhere else." But she knew in her heart that he wasn't going to back down from this. Mutanthood was something that every single mutant took very seriously…especially those who couldn't 'hide'.

The waiter scoffed, "I will not bother my boss for the likes of you. As I said, we're closed for a private party. Now, leave before I'm forced to call the authorities," He snapped curtly. He stared at Gabriel with disgust and then looked down at Laura's swollen womb as if to imply that he was revolted by the thought of mutants having babies.

Marcus Billings was a kindly old man who was currently celebrating his seventy-fifth anniversary with his wife Jenny. Seventy-five years of being married to a wonderful woman made him a very proud man. Of course, it also made him very old. He'd lived through World War II, Vietnam, the Civil Right Movement. He had just gotten out of the restroom when he had noticed the confrontation with the waiter. Intolerance of others was something that Marcus didn't allow; it wasn't right to judge someone just because they were different than you were. "Ah, Richard, Lisa, there you two are. The family's been asking about when you'd show up." He moved over toward them, using his cane to support his old body and winking at Gabe and Laura so they'd play along. "You two head on back, we're all around the corner. They'll be thrilled you both showed up. And you must tell us all about the baby."

Laura mouthed 'thank you' to the elderly man, although she wasn't exactly sure he could see it behind those coke bottle eyeglasses he was wearing. She didn't say a word as their would-be savior all but grabbed her by the hand and led her over to his table. The entire place was bursting with friends and relatives, and yet Laura and Gabe were sitting with the anniversary couple themselves. She blushed as Marcus pulled out a chair for her and helped her sit down. "Thank you...for everything," She said now that they had made it past the rude waiter.

Gabriel smiled victoriously at the waiter who scowled at them. He followed the old man and Laura to the place where they were to be seated. Marcus introduced them as Richard and Lisa, and then told everyone about what he'd seen. The rest of the party seemed sympathetic of what had happened. "Thanks, really. I wasn't looking forward to walking back with her like this. She needs a few moments to rest." He rubbed his hand across Laura's shoulders as he spoke. "My name is Gabriel. And this is Laura, though I suppose calling us Richard and Lisa is okay for now."

Marcus smiled a denture filled smile and joined his wife. He waved off their thanks, "Pish posh. You needn't thank me. I've seen so much in my life, I get angry when someone blindly hates others because of something they can't even help. It's not like you chose to be different. You should be thankful for the gifts in your life. No one was very thrilled when I married Jenny. She's old money, her family owned a few businesses and they expected their daughter to marry some wealthy feller with a proper upbringing. I never let it get me down, though, and we've been happily married now for seventy-five years."

Laura blushed slightly but nodded, "I don't think I could've walked anywhere without resting either." She had been winded just walking the five blocks to the restaurant, walking even one block to catch a cab might've been a little too much for her. "Sure, I can be a Lisa," She answered with a sly wink, "That's pretty close to Laura." She decided not to say anything about how she had taken many names before and answered to just about anything. Looking over at Jenny who was smiling tearfully over at her husband, Laura also felt a burst of hormones. Dabbing at her eyes quietly, she tried to hold back her sniffles. Oh dear, it was coming.

Gabe smiled at Jenny when she was introduced to him and Laura. "It's a pleasure to meet you Jenny, Marcus." With his hand on her shoulders, Gabe could feel Laura tensing to hold back the sniffles. There were the hormones again. He rubbed her shoulders in a soothing manner to show he was there for her if she wanted to cry and smiled at her, "Seventy-five years, wow that's…amazing. It's sad to see nowadays, all these people getting married and it only lasting a couple years at most before divorces are filed. It shows just how bad off our world really is." Absently, Gabe leaned over to kiss Laura on the neck, another sign of his love and support for her. He had a habit of doing these things when she was getting emotional.

Marcus watched the exchange between Laura and Gabe with a smile. Oh, but he was a mischievous one. It was one of the reasons Jenny had agreed to marry him all those years ago without her family's approval. Marcus was cunning and had many a plan to ensure their future together. To this day, no one could deny that his plans had worked. Three children, seven grandkids, and even a couple great-grandchildren were a testament to that fact. He smiled at his loving wife and then turned his attention to Gabe and Laura. "So," he started conversationally, "When's the wedding?"

A short sob tore through Laura. Damn, she was crying again! "I'm sorry," She sniffled, tears rolling down her cheeks, "It's just so beautiful. I've seen so many things gone wrong in families and so many people hurt..." Jenny was patting Laura's arm soothingly, "And I just hope that in seventy-five years Gabriel and I will be this happy." There was no stopping her hormones now. Grabbing a glass of water in front of her she took a long drink, her face red and splotchy from crying. "Gabriel and I...we...we haven't set a date yet." There, that wasn't exactly a lie.

Gabriel chuckled at Marcus' question. He was well versed in word play. This was a form of psychological warfare, something that Scott had insisted Gabe learn about to protect himself. And so he had. Marcus' question had almost no effect on Gabe what-so-ever. It was Laura's answer that caught him by surprise. He had been drinking from a glass of water when she'd answered, and had to caught and splutter to avoid spitting it out on Marcus who was laughing it up. Gabe turned a surprised look on Laura, the question evident in his eyes, 'Does that mean you'll marry me?' To Marcus however he replied, "Yeah, we haven't set a date yet. We're little too busy preparing for the baby to worry about a wedding at the moment."

Marcus went from chuckling to all out laughing at Gabe's reaction to what Laura had said. He'd planted that one in there good. It was pleasing to know he hadn't lost his touch. After a moment to calm down, which included removing his glasses and wiping his eyes free of happy tears, Marcus smiled once more. "Well I understand completely. A wedding is a big deal, just as big as a baby being born—especially the first child! It's a lot of work and planning. Take your time and make sure you're both ready for it when it happens. You don't want to do something you'll end up regretting. Either because it wasn't the right thing to do or because you jumped in too soon."

Laura suddenly went from crying to laughing slightly. Gently, she patted the expanse of her belly, "I'd say we jumped in alright, and there's no going back now." Looking over at Gabriel, she smiled and gave him a soft kiss on the lips, "Not that I'd want to." She'd slowly come to terms with the fact that the night she'd spent with Gabriel had to be fate. There was no explanation as to why he was there that night when she was out looking for a man or why he led her to Charles Xavier. There was no logical reason why they should be so happy...it was just fate, pure and simple. She knew that look in his eyes but she just looked down at her belly again. She loved Gabriel with her heart and soul but she barely knew him. She didn't know how he took his coffee or if he even liked coffee. She didn't know his mother's name or his first word...she wanted to know everything, for there to be no secrets between them...and right now, there were so many secrets she had locked deep inside. "I just hope we'll be as happy as you two."

Gabriel smiled at Laura and returned the kiss gently. Her lack of an answer to his unspoken question, after her response to Marcus, was making him think. He was concerned, to say the least. There was a lot of stuff they didn't know about each other. Like, what was her favorite flavor of ice cream? Did she even eat ice cream when she wasn't pregnant? And then there were Gabe's unspoken problems, like Logan. What the hell was up with Laura and Logan? Why was she so interested the other mutant so much? He wanted to just chalk it up to her being around another feral, not like Hank because Logan was definitely an alpha male. Hank only ever got pushy with Logan when the man was hindering his progress in the med bay. No, Gabe sensed there was something deeper than that, something she wasn't opening up about.

Marcus could almost feel the tension building around Gabe. When you had as many offspring as he had, you learned to pick up these things. His quick mind, even at his age, immediately tried to divert the problem to the most obvious thing. "So Gabe, those are rather...unique eyes you've got there." At the mention of Gabe's obvious mutation, the rest of the party goers quieted down, wanting to hear where this would go. "Is that your only mutation? Or do you do something like walk through walls?" Turning to Laura, Marcus smiled again. "It's not very often you see a normal girl tolerant enough of mutation, get with a mutant man, and vice versa So...are you a mutant too, or just really in love?"

"I wouldn't say I'm normal," She said softly and discretely extended the claws sheathed in her hands and retracted them before the rude waiter started to make his way to their table to take orders. "My only real power is my enhanced senses and healing factor, everything else is man made..." She decided not to elaborate with so many people around. She still had a baby to think about, "Although, I am really in love." She smiled softly and turned to the waiter as he spoke to the group, rudely interrupting their conversations.

"Okay, what is everyone ordering?" He asked huffily, tapping his foot impatiently as he held up his notepad to take orders. Jenny ordered some pasta dish and Marcus ordered chicken so they could mix and match. When it came to Laura she smiled, "I'd like the steak, rare but can you please make sure it's warmed all the way through? I don't want the baby getting sick..." He frowned harder and snapped out, "I don't cook the food, ma'am." A dark bloom of anger was rising in Laura's cheeks...if he pushed any harder she was likely to gut him like a rotten fish.

Gabe narrowed his eyes at the waiter. "We know you don't cook the food, thank God for that. But you can take that fancy little thing that even undesirable mutants call a pencil and write down on that fancy little note pad of yours so that the cooks know what to do." When the waiter glared at him Gabe smirked evilly and grabbed his water. His eyes lit up with his power and the water began to boil. "You know what… just have the cook prepare it as rare as they want. I'll heat the steak up for her. Oh, and I'll have the fettuccini alfredo with grilled chicken." At his obvious display of power the waiter hurriedly wrote down the orders and all but ran back into the kitchen, probably afraid Gabe was going to fry his brains.

As the waiter left, Gabe took a few calming breaths, closing his eyes. When he reopened them, they were as dark as night once more. "Sorry about that. When I get angry my powers tend to act up. He's just lucky it only decided to heat up the water. Sometimes it does worse." At the questioning stares of everyone, Gabe blushed furiously. "That's not all I can do. I…uh, basically I can manipulate energy of any kind: heat, concussive force, light, anything...and my body stores it like a sponge constantly drawing energy from all around me." He went silent there, not sure what else to say to them.

Laura's eyes flashed with anger as he walked away. "I think I'll be having a chat with the manager after this..." She said softly. If he knew what kind of power she really had, and that even six months pregnant and looking like she was smuggling a small watermelon, she could still kick his ass. Her hands threaded with Gabriel's as she smiled over at him, "He's strong, stronger than I am...although, I bet I could still kick his butt if I tried." Chuckling she leaned over at kissed him again. "I can make him get up and get me food in the middle of the night when he's in a dead sleep...I'm sure beating him at hand-to-hand would be a piece of cake." She whispered in his ear, "I'd kiss you over and over until you cried uncle."

Gabe blushed even more and felt a shiver when she whispered in his ear. "Yeah…I don't doubt that you'd beat me in hand-to-hand combat. You've had more training than I've had in it." He smirked at her then. "But then again, when has a mutant fight ever been just hand-to-hand? Powers always get involved. And we both know that in a power contest I win hands down." At the questioning stare of Marcus, Gabe chuckled. "The mutant gene produces a psionic field around all mutants, that's what gives us our powers. Even physical ones like Laura's senses. She is, in essence, as normal as anyone else but her field of energy augments her abilities to a certain degree. It's the same with every other mutant. Every field has patterns that determine the mutation...and similar powers always have like patterns. Well, I can see and manipulate those fields. I can bolster someone's powers and make them stronger than they would be. I can weaken them...and if I try hard enough I can turn off their powers for as long as I can focus on it. And when someone has more than one power, like Laura's healing factor, I can change the patterns to mess with only one power at a time. The problem is I have to know which pattern to look for. It helps a lot if I know what mutations the person has before hand, and have seen those patterns before. Like the healing factor has this…soft blue pattern with swirls in it. Even without knowing her powers, I'd recognize that pattern." His eyes had started to glow as he watched Laura, reading her patterns. "Her senses have a funnel shaped patterns around the areas where she uses them; nose, eyes, ears, mouth...like it's sucking in information…and it's this yellow color, almost gold. But this..." He reached down and grabbed her hands, holding them up and running his fingers along the space between her fingers. "This I've only seen in one other mutant. Red, spiky…it surrounds her entire forearm. I'm not sure your claws are entirely man made." Gabe shook his head, his eyes dimming down as he realized where he was again. It was almost like he'd been in a trance.

Laura watched in awe as he began to delve deeper into his powers than she'd ever seen him go before. Sure, she knew he was an energy manipulator...but he'd never told her he could 'see' mutations or that hers stood out against all others. She wondered if that was a product of her birth and upbringing or rather because he loved her above all others. She was riveted as he spoke, her eyes never leaving his face even when he grasped her hand and gently fingered it. It was almost ungodly the way the slightest touch of his hand on hers made her feel like she wanted to take him right underneath the dinner table. Shit, even talking about his power he turned her on. A blush stained her cheeks as she tried to busy herself with other things like the bread basket another (much kinder) waiter brought over with a smile and some milk that she supposed Gabriel had ordered for her. Chewing thoughtfully on the breadstick, she smiled. "That's beautiful, love..." But her eyes said 'drop it'. She was already worked up as it is, hopped up on anger and now feeling like she could screw him on the table without a care. The last thing she needed was for him to keep pushing her. Smiling at Marcus, she inclined her head, "It must have been wonderful to have been married so close to Valentine's Day, it probably gave you extra time to celebrate!"

Marcus had watched the exchange between the two mutants with awe. He had known that some could do some amazing things like walk through walls, read minds and such. But he'd never known that some could see other mutations. Let alone that one had the range of powers that Gabe had. And he looked like he was fighter. Marcus knew that muscles were a real treat for the ladies, way back in his day he'd had quite a set himself. But Laura had changed the subject; obviously her claws, what Gabe had been talking about last, were a sore subject with her. "Yes, it sure did us extra time to celebrate. But then again, it's not like we needed incentive to want to be with each other. I loved her from the moment I saw her and I vowed then that she would be my wife one day or I'd die in the attempt. Thankfully," He chuckled, "She became my wife, and I didn't need to give up my life. I'm quite attached to it, you know."

Jenny leaned over and gave Marcus a light kiss on the lips and Laura found herself tearing up again. Her hormones were so unstable tonight! She guessed that it was a combination of not having eaten in several hours and her normal fluctuating hormones which went from hot to cold in the blink of an eye. The man before her was pushing a hundred years old, but in his watery, aged blue eyes he still looked at Jenny as if he just saw her for the first time and had fallen head over heels. Leaning against Gabriel, she rested her head against his shoulder, "Thanks for bringing us here, love. I'm having a wonderful time...and you were really a champ at Lamaze. I don't think I got a chance to tell you that."

Gabriel laughed and draped an arm over Laura's shoulders. His hand sought hers out and laced their fingers together. "I figured you'd like it here, though I had no idea that it'd be this enlightening." He kissed the top of Laura's head and smirked. "You know, I bet my excellence at Lamaze is because of Hank. All the time I spend in the med bay for myself or to help someone else there...and Remy's got Belle constantly knocked up. I think I learned a bit through osmosis with them around all the time. Don't worry though; I won't make you pump out as many kids for me. I think we can safely stop at five." Gabe's face held firm for a total of ten seconds before it broke and he started laughing. He knew that Laura didn't want to end up like Belle, pregnant every year (sometimes twice a year) but he just couldn't help teasing her a little."

Snorting with laughter, Laura shook her head, "Maybe in your dreams, Summers. We're not competing with Remy and Belle, they'd win hands down. I've only known them for a few months and I already know that!" BellaDonna was like a one woman birthing powerhouse; she was built for it, her wide hips and sturdy body. "And if you kept me pregnant as long as Remy has been keeping BellaDonna, I'd massacre you. We can stop at two or three and then it's 'snip snip' for you." She leaned in closer, "Or should I say 'Snikt'." Kissing him again on the mouth, she let her free hand run over the place where her son kicked inside of her. The smell of food was wafting through the air, piquing Laura's senses and making her stomach growl. "I just wanted to thank you for sticking around...I know it probably isn't your favorite way to spent a couple of hours every week but I think it'll help."

Gabriel smiled at Laura and leaned his forehead against hers. "Hey, think nothing of it. What kind of father, potential husband, would I be if I didn't learn these things? We'd get into the whole actual giving birth part and I'd freeze up and stare like an idiot while you did all the work. That wouldn't be very fair." Gabe chuckled a bit and then leaned in to whisper into Laura's ear, "Just remember...snip, snip, and Snikt all have the same result…no fun for you." He nibbled her ear a bit to give her the idea of what kind of fun she'd be missing out on.

Gazing at him lovingly, she wondered what she had done to have gotten so lucky. He actually wanted to be part of her life and her baby's life...what more could she ask for? When he teased her though she gripped his hand tightly, speaking in a voice so low she knew only he could hear, "Gabriel, if you don't stop now I'm not going to be held accountable for my actions. I'm about two seconds from having you under the table as my main entrée...and that wouldn't be very polite." The look in her eyes, the heat in her voice, the way she nibbled at the side of her lip...she wasn't kidding. She was almost brought to tears of relief when the food began coming out. Of course the anniversary couple was served first and her order came out soon after. Before she even took a bite she cut it in half and pressed her finger to the middle. It was pink inside but not raw, and it had heated through but Laura was still a little worried about the very center, "Love, can you just heat it up a tiny bit in the center. I just don't want to chance hurting the baby..."

Gabe grinned and nodded. To the uppity waiter, who was serving a couple at the next table, he said, "Almost right on the first try. It's okay, not even normal people are perfect." This of course caused the waiter to look at Gabe, "Watch and learn." With that, Gabe's eyes lit up with energy, so much so that small plasma trails were rising from the corners of his eyes. His hand began to glow with heat as it killed the bacteria on it before he splayed it open palmed over the top of the steak. He then shoved the blade of his knife under the steak and used it to flip his hand and the steak over so that it would be on top so they would rise through it. After a moment he let the heat die and flipped the steak back onto her plate. It flared once more to clean his hand of steak juice, and then he let it die out, his eyes returning to normal. "There you go love." Without a second glance at the waiter—who was probably on the verge of wetting himself—Gabriel dug into his grilled chicken fettuccini alfredo, "Mmm, this is good."

"Thanks, love," She said softly, feeling the horrified and disdainful looks of the rude waiter as Gabriel warmed her steak. She'd seen him cook things with his powers before. One time instead of craving raw meat she'd been craving burned meat and he cooked it nice and blackened for her within seconds. Cutting into the steak she took a small bite and smiled, "Mine is delicious too." She ate as slowly as she possibly could manage but she was ravenous. She finished her entire steak, the baked potato with sour cream it came with, some chicken that Jenny insisted she try, the glazed carrots, and the parsley garnish by the side of the plate. And Marcus had chuckled telling her that they were having cake so she should save room...good thing she hadn't started eating off Gabriel's then, she definitely had room for cake. Dabbing her mouth daintily she sat back in her seat, "Delicious..."

Gabriel had almost snorted when Laura had dabbed her mouth like a proper lady. As it was, he was red in the face trying not to laugh and spit his food out everywhere. Finally calming enough to swallow, Gabe turned to her and grinned. "So, Milady, dabbing at your mouth like you've had a proper upbringing. You're just trying to impress our new friends, aren't you? Why don't I get to see this prim and proper person at home? No, instead I get the one who wants chicken and bean flavored ice cream, thank god for the weird stylings of Ben and Jerry, who downs her food like a vacuum cleaner." After a moment Gabe leaned in to kiss her neck lovingly. "That's okay though. I love you however you are. Be it nice, napkin etiquette, or vacuum appetite."

It was a little painful for him to remark about her eating habits like that. Looking down, she bit her lip, "I can't help it, I just feel hungry all the time." Sniffling again, she looked over at him, "I can't help it that your baby is doing this to me." Throwing her napkin down on the table, she was almost ready to get up and walk out when Jenny's hand came to rest on her own. Frail old hands came to gently rub her back, and the smile on the older woman's face warmed Laura's heart. "Don't let him bother you, dear; men are dense as bricks when it comes to things like this." Laura sniffled again and swiped at her tears, glaring over at Gabriel she folded her arms, "He can be dense all he wants, but if he's going to call me fat I wish he'd just do it."

Gabriel's eyes widened as he realized his mistake. He rubbed a hand over his face and sighed. "I wasn't calling you fat, love. I was only poking fun of you being all prim and proper. I'm sorry." If he had been born with eyes that were easy to read, then Gabe's would have pleading for forgiveness. "I didn't mean to upset you." He'd blown it again. He always blew it. First with his anger at her for what she had been trying to do to make a living, then at her claiming it was his baby. After that, Jubilee had started to come between them and then Logan. Now this. Was fate stacked against him? Was he destined to a life of constant failure? Maybe he should quit the X-Men and save them the trouble of burying more people because of him. He'll he'd almost gotten Gambit killed in Maine. Maybe he should take a page out of Alex's book and head back to Alaska for the solitude of the ice.

Laura violently shook head, "Gabriel, you did so imply that I was fat!" She snapped, folding her arms over her swollen belly. "But I guess your right, I have a giant belly, my thighs rub together when I walk, my butt is bigger, my breasts are huge, and I have two chins! I'll go on a diet, don't worry...I'll be as thin as your precious Jubilee in no time." Swiping at more hot angry tears that ran down her face, she finished off her glass of milk. "And that's the last glass of whole milk I'll drink, from now on its skim or nothing. I wouldn't want to gain any more weight lest you stop wanting me."

Damn this woman's hormones! Damn them to the thousand fires of hell and back five times. He made one flippant little joke and she went off the deep end. Worst of all though, was that it was starting to cause a scene in front of the nice people that had offered to let them eat with them. "I don't know why you keep bringing up Jubilee, nothing happened between us. She's a sister to me, that's all! I can't help it if she won't get it into her head that I don't like her like that. And you will too keep drinking the milk Sarah's orders; you'll gain as much weight as you need to." His voice softened as he finished his small rant. Reaching over in an attempt to take her hand in his, Gabe continued. "I'll never stop wanting you. You never have to worry about that. It's you and me, babe. I'd have it no other way."

Laura slapped his hand away, "Don't touch me, God forbid I might think your hand is food and eat it." Maybe it was nasty and juvenile but Laura had been devastated by what he said. The tightness of her throat was a testament to that; she blatantly ignored Gabriel and turned to Jenny, discussing baby names and Jenny's grown children. It wasn't long before toasts were made to the happy couple and, soon, cake was cut. Despite Laura's self-consciousness, Marcus served her a large piece and refilled her glass of milk with the small comment that she looked far too thin to be six months pregnant. She smiled and enjoyed her cake while continuing to ignore Gabriel.

Soon the rude waiter started cleaning up dishes. He tried more than once to clear Laura's place and she was obviously not finished yet. On his third attempt she growled at him, "Stick that hand in my face again and I will bite it," She warned. He folded his arms and muttered under his breath so low he thought that no one could hear it...but Laura was a feral. "I think he's right, you are fat," he muttered. Laura lost it. In one clean sweep she stood up and sent the discourteous waiter slamming into the wall with a jolting punch to his chest, her adamantium reinforced fist connecting against bone made the most ungodly crack. "You have ten seconds to get out of my sight...or I'm going to break you."

Gabriel had not been in a good mood since Laura started ignoring him. Nope, he was not pleased at all. He felt like he wanted to vent, to let out all his pent up frustration and rage in one go. But to do that might destroy this restaurant, maybe even a couple blocks. He didn't want to risk it. He declined the cake politely, and sat silently in his seat choosing to ignore everything. At least until the waiter decided to make a near fatal mistake and found himself on the receiving end of Laura's pent up anger. Gabe was up in a heartbeat, eyes burning brightly and his hands glowing with massive energy ready to be unleashed in a moments notice. He hadn't realized, but he was also floating a couple inches off the ground, apparently he'd literally flown out of his chair.

Marcus however was the one to make the next move. The withered old man stood up and turned to the waiter. He glared at him for a moment before sighing. "I've tolerated this long enough. I will not have you insulting my guests any longer. You blind arrogant hatred is going to end here and now." The waiter slowly got to his feet and demanded to know how the old man thought that was going to happen, "Because you're going to collect your last paycheck. You're fired." Turning to Laura and Gabe, he smiled. "I forgot to mention, the normal employees don't see me often enough to put two and two together. My name is Marcus Giovanni and this is my restaurant. I apologize for this…child's behavior tonight. I hope it doesn't cast a poor light upon my establishment. Your meals, in case you didn't know yet, are on me."

Blushing furiously, Laura turned to Marcus. Not only had she lost her temper in front of a man on his anniversary but he also owned the restaurant. She bit her lip, "I should be the one apologizing, my hormones are going nuts and he just kept picking on me, which is no excuse, I know." She felt just terrible. "Thank you for everything; I just don't know how I can thank you enough." He'd brought them into his restaurant on his anniversary, shared his table and his family with them...it brought a smile to Laura's lips. "Please, tell me what I can do to repay you...what we can do."

Marcus chuckled and waved a hand in a dismissing manner. "My dear, it was my pleasure. I've heard only poor things about that man's people skills but nothing was ever severe enough to fire him. You've just given me the reason that the managers and myself have sought for almost a year and a half. He did instigate the fight, thusly, time to go. He will not be missed in the slightest." When she almost pleaded with him about repayment, Marcus took her hands in his gnarled old ones. "If you really insist on it then forgive him. Gabriel is young, as are you. And I know all too well how a young man can be when he's around a woman he loves who's pregnant. We try to joke and say something funny, but we've got mush for brains and we always screw it up. He wasn't trying to be hurtful. Trust me on that dear." Marcus pulled her lower so he could whisper in her ear. "I can see that he loves you. It's in his eyes, even though they are hard to read. It's in his face when he looks at you, in his body when he touches you. Be thankful, child. Not everyone is lucky enough to find someone they truly love, and who truly loves them in return."

Of course the man would have to ask for that, the one thing she was feeling so raw about over the past few months. Ever since her body had begun to show the signs of its sweet burden she had become more and more insecure. She thanked her lucky stars every day that it was winter and she could hide away in big sweaters and coats...but at night, she knew that Gabriel lay next to her and he could see how big she'd gotten. But it wasn't until tonight that she truly felt as if she were ugly. Sighing, she gave him a soft smile as she whispered back in the ear with the hearing aid in it, "I'll try...but I'm stubborn." Throwing a look over at Gabriel, she sighed, "I love him though and I suppose I should give him another chance." Smiling, she allowed both he and Jenny to hug her before she turned to Gabriel, "It's getting late, we should head home." To her shock it was already well past nine in the evening. They'd spent four blissful hours together. With Marcus' promise that they come back for dinner often (and of course, they'd receive the family discount) Laura stepped out into the cool night air and looked briefly at Gabriel before hailing a cab. It was going to be a long night...