House of W
New Arrivals
Part VI
. Lorna Dane's Quarters .
. Two Days Later .
Her dream interrupted by an obnoxious ring, Lorna blindly groped for her cell phone.
"Hello? Oh Wanda, hi. How are - What? Oh, sure. No, I'm not too busy. Is now really a good time? Okay. See you then." She opened her eyes enough to see the "end call" button and pushed her thumb into it. Lorna had been out late the night before, saving the world of course, and hadn't wanted to be disturbed until noon. And since Wanda had just gotten married, she hadn't planned on getting any calls form her.
Lorna slid her feet off her bed and onto the hardwood floor, then pulled the rest of herself into a sitting position. Her newfound older sister was starting to feel like an annoying little cousin. Every time they got together, Lorna would end up counseling, something she wasn't well versed in. The only reason she'd gone along so far was because of the promise she'd made Pietro. The poor man was already going to come back and find his sister married. The least she could do for his sake was keep Wanda company.
Now Wanda wanted to go out for brunch. Lorna stood up, cracked her neck, and went about showering and getting dressed. It would be nice, she thought, pulling the shower curtain back, if someone would at least let her know what was going on with the woman. After the Avengers broke up, she moved nearby the X-Mansion, and instead of joining the team, she abruptly married someone she used to know back in her days as an unwilling mutant terrorist.
But, Polaris conceded, she of all people knew what that good old post traumatic stress could do. 'Okay,' she said to her reflection in the medicine cabinet mirror, 'I'll go easy on her. She's been through a lot. And at least she's not going on a murderous rampage like you did.'
- - -
They went out to restaurant in New York City, which turned out to be a glorified coffee shop with servers and menus.
"You look tired," Lorna said when they sat down.
"I am. Moving and getting married have taken a greater toll on me that I thought they would."
"That's why most people have a honeymoon afterwards. So they don't have to deal with regular life on top of adjusting to a new one. Well, and for other reasons, of course."
"I doubt a honeymoon would make things any better."
There came another flash. That morning, Wanda had woken up before dawn from a nightmare. Throughout the morning, bits and pieces had been coming to her. She couldn't picture the entire dream, or even what it was about. There was an image of a child, but she couldn't describe what it looked like. Just flashes and feelings that didn't make any sense.
"What's wrong?" Lorna sounded concerned.
"Nothing," Wanda said, shaking her head and feigning a smile. "I had a nightmare last night. It's been distracting me."
"You need to take some time off."
"From what? My sole responsibility is taking care of a kitten."
"Then what's on your mind? Is it money, or your marriage, or Magneto?"
"I don't know. It's not really anything that's happening now, even though it feels like it. They're all things that have happened."
"Wanda, that's not ... unprecedented. You saw your friends die."
Putting her fingers to her forehead, Wanda said, "Please, Lorna, I don't want to talk about it."
"Okay. I understand. Really. So, do you know what you want yet?"
Wanda looked back to her menu. Café Mocha, Mocha Latte, Vanilla Latte ... she'd never been much of a coffee drinker. Somewhere inside the restaurant, a child shrieked. In an instant, Wanda's entire nightmare flashed through her mind in perfect clarity.
She drew her breath in and covered her mouth with her hand.
"What is it?" Lorna leaned forward and fairly stood up.
"Nothing, I have to go," Wanda said, taking her purse and heading quickly for the door.
"Wanda, hang on!" Lorna ran after her, ignoring the staring patrons.
Outside, Lorna caught up to her and grabbed hold of her arm. "What's the matter with you?"
"I just, I had a nightmare, I want to go home." Wanda pulled away from her.
"Nightmares don't cause people to run away from lunch. What is your problem?"
"I don't know! I'm afraid of something. I've been avoiding it, but now I don't think I can anymore. And I don't think I should."
"Well that clarifies the situation."
"Lorna, this dream, I know what it was about. I've had it before, but now it's twisted. And, now I think I know what's been going on. Why I felt like something was going to change."
"I give up. Tell me the answer to the riddle."
Wanda pulled one of the exterior metal chairs out from it's table and sat down. "I'm afraid I might be pregnant."
"What? You're pregnant?" Lorna sat down across from her. "When did you find this out?"
"This morning, I suppose. I've had the signs, I just attributed them to other things."
"Would this have anything to do with your abrupt marriage?"
"No. I didn't think I was pregnant. I didn't think I could have children. I was told, quite a few times, that I couldn't."
"And you believed it? Doctors are wrong about that all the time."
"It was Xavier who told me ..."
"He's the last person I'd believe. And why on earth did that conversation even come up between you two?"
"It's ... complicated." Wanda lowered her eyes. "I've had children before. Twins. I lost them both."
Lorna had been unprepared for that. "Wanda, I'm sorry." After a few moments, when Wanda didn't continue, she prodded, "And about Xavier?"
"I didn't get over the loss well ... I ..."
"I get the feeling I'm missing out on a lot of this story, Wanda. What happened to your first children?"
Wanda held her forehead with her fingertips. "I couldn't have children with .. The Vision the traditional way. So I used my powers to conceive them, but their souls came from another source. I didn't know that at the time. Dr. Strange didn't know either. They died when I couldn't hold them together any longer, and their souls went back to the source they came from. My teacher, Agnes, placed a spell on me so I wouldn't remember. She thought it was best, because I wouldn't be able to deal with the pain. I can't tell you anymore. Please don't ask."
"Wanda ... I'm so sorry." In a moment, Lorna continued, "Does anyone else know?"
"Several people. Some of the Avengers. I'm honestly not sure how much Mortimer knows."
"Speaking of whom, Wanda, I don't mean to sound insensitive, but you can physically conceive a baby with -"
"I know. And I didn't consciously use any magic, but that won't stop what they'll think."
"How about you go to a real doctor? Someone who still practices actual medicine."
"Oh Lorna, what will I tell Mort?"
"Forget about telling him anything right now. You need to go see an obstetrician and make sure you're okay. Just," Okay, how did one deal with her older half-sister's crisis pregnancy? "Take it one step at a time." Aware that she sounded like a high school health pamphlet, Lorna trudged on. "You've got to know what's going on before you can tell anyone anything, right? So let's go out to a clinic and get the official diagnosis."
Wanda allowed Lorna to take her, and her pregnancy was confirmed. She hesitated at scheduling an ultrasound, but Lorna insisted, saying they could always cancel it later. There was a Starbucks close to the clinic, so Lorna took Wanda there afterward. "I don't understand a few things," she said when they were sitting down again. "Is it that you don't want a baby right now?"
"I don't know whether I would or wouldn't. The problem is that I'll have to tell Dr. Strange and Xavier and Magneto and Mort ... and you think I'd be most concerned with the first three."
"And exactly why do you have to tell any of those guys?"
"I don't have the best record of mental soundness. If Stephen knows that I'm pregnant, I know his first thought will be that I've used my mutant powers to cause this."
"It isn't any of his business what you do with your powers." Then she added, as an afterthought of technicality, "as long as it's not destructive."
"My powers are destructive. I can't control them when I use them. I used to be able to ... but they changed. I ... wasn't always aware of when I caused things to happen and when I didn't. And now I don't know how to be sure."
"What about Mort? Why don't you want to tell him?"
"I don't know what he'll think. I don't think he wants any children. We never talked about it. And ... I don't know."
"What about you?"
"I wish I knew."
"Seriously, if it was nobody else's business, would you want to have a baby?"
"I would always be thinking of William and Thomas," she said softly. "I can't describe what it's like to have two little children and then loose them, and not even remember them for years. And now that I do remember ... I don't even have their graves to visit."
"I can't imagine it, Wanda. But this is different, isn't it? You won't loose this baby because of your powers. You didn't get this baby because of your powers. I think you're entitled to a little peace and happiness by now."
"I don't. I can hardly live with myself most of the time. I can't imagine how I'd raise a child. Thank you for taking me out, Lorna. I should go home now."
"You're not about to go do anything stupid, are you?"
"No. I won't. I'm just going to go talk to Mort. He'll be home soon."
- - -
Mort, walking up the steps to the front door, was going over what he'd say to Wanda when he saw her. He'd re-worked the school security system, which was no small task, and he'd been able to improve it. Just the fact that he was already being allowed into high security areas was something worth showing off. Wanda would be pleased to hear it.
"Hello," he said when he opened the door into the living room. He stopped in his path when he saw how grave she looked, standing there, waiting for him. "Is something wrong?"
Wanda sat down on the couch. "I need to talk to you, Mort."
It was bad. He knew it. She didn't like being married to him? He closed the door and stayed where he was. "What is it?"
Mort could see her forming the sentences in her head, trying to choose the right words. He wished she'd just say whatever it was and be done with it. Finally, eyes on the floor, she said, "I don't know how to tell you this. I'm ..." she looked up at him. "Pregnant."
He stood there. "Wanda ..." was all he managed to say.
"Lorna took me out to a clinic earlier. I'm sure. I know you weren't expecting to hear that. I don't know what else to say; I wasn't expecting it either."
"Well, are you ... how do you feel?" Mort forced the appropriate words out of his mouth.
"I don't know," she said for what felt like the twentieth time that day. "I don't know what to do or what I want. I don't know."
As Mort stared at her, something was slowly dawning in his mind. He was the father. Wanda was pregnant with his child. But before he could realize the achievement, he realized that Wanda wasn't happy. Because she didn't want children? Because she didn't want his children?
Children. That would mean, he'd be a father. Suddenly, the idea wasn't as appealing anymore. And Wanda? Wanda looked as lifeless as he'd ever seen her.
"What do you want?" she asked. It took Mort a moment to realize she was talking about her pregnancy. She expected him to have some kind of clue as to what he wanted? A baby? He didn't want a kid. All he'd wanted was Wanda. Another thought struck him cold. Her brother would absolutely kill him now. And Magneto ...
"Wanda, I don't know. I have no idea. I don't even know the first thing about any of this."
"The first thing is to tell Stephen. I believe he'll have more of a say than either of us. Mort, I'm sorry to throw all of this at you. I hope you don't think I was trying to deceive you."
"No. Of course not. I just don't understand."
"Stephen and Xavier both told me I couldn't have children, that I'd never really been able to. I'm not so sure I believe them now. I think they only told me that so I -" She stopped. "It doesn't matter now."
"It's none of their business wether you're pregnant or not." Pregnant. The word sounded strange when he said it. "They're not in control of your life anymore."
Wanda didn't seem to be listening. "They don't even know we're married yet."
"Wanda, are you listening? Forget about them."
"And Pietro. He'll have a stroke."
Mort, finding nothing kind to say to that, kept quiet.
Wanda absently put her palm to her stomach. "This is the very last thing I expected. But, I suppose I knew it before I acknowledged it. I knew something was changing."
It certainly was, Mort thought. He'd thought he was finally getting his bride. Not two days after they'd been married, there was a potential baby in the works. And, even though he didn't like to admit it, the high and mighty Strange, Xaiver, and Magneto would have their say soon enough.
And Wanda ...
He swallowed his confusion and his small, growing sense of panic and sat next to her, trying to seem calm. "Don't worry about it today. You've found out enough for one day already. Take a break or something and we'll find out some more tomorrow."
Wanda nodded. Of course, he was right. Worrying needlessly wouldn't help things. Tomorrow would care for its own worries. She looked around at the sterile living room. Things had been so different the first time she'd shared such news. So much happier. But she pushed those thoughts back down in their hiding place.
- - -
. Later, 10:00pm .
If only this could have happened at another time. Wanda, brushing her hair in the bathroom, looked at her face in the mirror. It seemed so painfully unfair that now she was pregnant when she wouldn't be able to take any happiness from it. Now, with Stephen and Xavier like wolves at her back, with a husband who didn't want any children, with two children already lost to god-knows-where. Two children, she thought bitterly, who had existed. She might be certifiably insane, but she knew that they'd existed, however supernaturally.
'My mother must have felt the same way', Wanda thought. 'After she fled from Magneto and realized she was pregnant. She must have had the same "why now" running through her mind.' She set her brush aside and looked down at her stomach. 'Why now indeed.'
- - -
On the roof outside the bedroom window, Mort sat, blankly staring at the stars. It was a clear night, and not especially cold for the time of year, but he couldn't focus on his surroundings. His mind was somewhere else.
Pregnant. Should he be happy or not? He couldn't see any reason to be happy. Wanda's brother would try to kill him or worse. And the stupid magician would probably get his tights all in a bunch and try to talk her out of having it. Didn't the old man have a life of his own to tend to?
It wasn't Wanda's fault, he knew. She'd believed Xavier and Dr. Strange. But he felt trapped nonetheless. He didn't want any freaking kid. He didn't want any baby bottles or diapers or college tuition payments. He didn't want some snotty little brat taking away from the time he finally had with Wanda. And it wasn't like he could leave now.
But Wanda had to be at least as upset as he was. Unless she did want a baby.
'I hope you don't think I was trying to deceive you.' she'd said earlier.
Well, now he was beginning to wonder.
And so ends this installment of chapters. Coming up? Baby discussions of course. Will Mort's feelings on the prospect of being a dad change? How will Wanda come to terms with the conflict between her wants and her perceived responsibilities? Will Pietro forgo yelling at Lorna and go straight to killing Toad? And where the heck did Nightcrawler disappear to?
Are you pitying this baby yet?
Thank you for reading, and I will do my best to get as much writing done before school starts as possible.
I hope to have Spider-man make an appearance, Nyl, but sadly not until much later.
