"Stitch! Don't make me hurt you!" screamed Mara, scowling up into the branches of the fig tree.

"Hah! Like ta see ya try. Not my fault yer so jumpy," came the giddy reply.

"You can't stay up there forever," Mara growled, looking up and wincing as the baby gave an angry kick in agreement. She put a hand on her belly to try and calm him. "You've even got the kid flustered!"

"Kin stay here longer than you kin wait ta pee!" retorted Stitch cheerfully from where she perched in the very top of the tree. Then she gave a rotten chuckle and dropped a shoe.

Mara dodged, then huffed. "I'm almost all water, kid, if I have to hold it I can!"

Stitch's only reply was another rotten chuckle and the other shoe.

"What's goin' on in here?" Cain's voice boomed out so suddenly that Mara very nearly proved herself a liar.

She spun around, then blinked and managed to shrug indifferently. "I dunno, why?"

The big man frowned down at her, then looked up into the tree. "Yer supposed to be in class if ya ain't in the medlab."

"Whatever." Stitch climbed higher.

"Woah!" said a child's voice from behind Cain. "Stitch, come on. You're gonna get hurt."

"Ah, yeah." Mara grinned evilly, seeing her chance for revenge. "See? You have t' come down." Then she blinked and looked at the small, green, fish-like boy that had been standing behind Cain. "Who're you?"

He looked up at her with large goggle eyes. "I'm Sammy. You're Mara, right?"

"Get down here, Stitch," said Cain wearily. "Ya know 'Ro don't like ya climbin' her trees."

"Yeah, I'm Mara," she said, tilting her head and looking the boy up and down. "You breath underwater?"

"Yeah. I'm the Squidboy." He scratched where his nose should have been with one webbed finger, then looked up as Cain decided to shake the tree. "Oh oh."

"Wait, Cain, you're gonna kill it!" gasped Mara, yanking at his immobile arm. "Don't mess up 'Ro's jungle!"

"Whoops." He stopped and took his hands off the trunk hurriedly, his expression full of surprised chagrin as he turned toward the door. "Um, okay. I'll just go get Chuck."

Mara shook her head as a burst of laughter came from above. "Go t' class, kid, before they levitate you outta that tree."

Stitch gave her a Bronx cheer.

Mara shrugged at her, then walked over to the pool and stroked the heads of the fish that popped out to greet her. "Fine; stay. I'm gonna have fun watchin' this."

"Where's Ruh?" Sammy asked, looking up into the branches.

Mara glanced up as Stitch's laughter abruptly cut off, then winced as the girl took a flying leap out of the tree and crouched sadly at its base.

"Dunno," said the young clone forlornly. "Ain't seen 'er since Jubes got hurt."

"Aw man." Sammy's strange face puckered. "Do you think she's hiding out? Logan used to do that all the time."

"Dunno," whispered Stitch, reaching for her shoes and pulling them back on, then standing. "If Juggy comes back tell 'im I'm in Math." She heaved a shaky sigh and loped out of the room.

"Ruh's gone?" Mara said, eyebrows shooting up as she looked at Sammy. She'd been holed up in Jubal's bio bed for the last two days and this was news to her. She felt a guilty tug at her heart, but shoved it away impatiently. There was no reason for her to feel guilty, she'd been caring for the man she loved.

"Yeah." Sammy walked over and hunkered down to look at the fish, his eyes lighting. "Hi, Inazuma."

"What?" Mara frowned. Did fish have names? In the ocean only dolphins and their kin had names. Well, and Atlantians.

"Inazuma." Sammy pointed to the biggest fish, who turned its head to look at his hand. "That's her name. She's a pearl scale koi, but I can't remember what her markings are called."

"Oh," said Mara, looking at the fish and arching an eyebrow at the feeling that she was being reintroduced to an old friend. "Inazuma, huh? So you do have a name, jungle fish."

"She's not a jungle fish," said Sammy, gently stroking the sparkling head. "She's from Japan."

"Like I know where Japan is." Mara made a face, then sighed and smiled. "But I'm not gonna argue. I can't prove you wrong."

Sammy looked at her uncertainly, then started slightly as another koi, this one scaleless and with red and blue markings on its white skin, nibbled curiously at his fingers. "Woah, watch it, Uncle Sam."

Mara smirked at the name, then turned as TJ came to crouch next to her. "Hey."

"Hey." The furry indigo girl grinned. "How's Jubes?"

"Stoned." Mara shook her head. "He's talkin' to Charles."

TJ nodded and stared sightlessly at the fish for a few minutes, her golden eyes focused on things that Mara couldn't see, then looked up. "So when's the big day?"

"What day?" The aqua punk frowned. "When Jubal gets up? I dunno, Hank says he's getting better but it's still gonna take a little while until he's good enough to get out..."

"No." TJ's face creased with disbelieving amusement. "The wedding. Munkee said you and Jubes are engaged."

"Oh," said Mara, slightly embarrassed. "I...I don't know. I don't even really know...anything, really. I never exactly went to school about it. Is it...is it really a big deal?"

"Yes," said TJ, sadness once more making her look older. "It's a promise to love and take care of one another for as long as you live. Yes, it's a very big thing."

"Yeah..." Mara said softly. She'd known it was a bond of love, but she didn't know anything else. Something told her this girl knew, however, and she wanted to know about the journey she'd be taking with Jubal. "What's...what's it like? The wedding?"

"It depends," murmured TJ, her eyes once more staring past the fish. "It can be a big ceremony with five or six bridesmaids, like you see on TV; or it could be just a man and a woman and two good friends to stand by them..." Her voice dropped further as tears made dark streaks down her cheeks. "Or it can be two kids, lost in a strange reality, making a pledge that they never dreamed that they wouldn't be able to keep.

Mara reached out carefully and touched her shoulder, then blinked. "How old are you?"

"Twenty two," said TJ absently. "I was sixteen the first time I was married."

"First?" said Mara, biting her lip and tilting her head to one side.

"Yeah," TJ nodded, wrapping her arms around herself. "His name was John Proudstar. We'd made the promises, and we were expecting a baby, but then John went up against Galactus and there was an explosion. John ended up in a coma, and when it came time for the team to move on the Timebroker just replaced him with someone else and abandoned him."

"Oh, well that was evil." Mara frowned, wishing she knew how to be more sensitive. "I mean...that must've been... I'm really sorry."

TJ looked up at her again, then sighed and put an arm around her shoulders. "No, I'm sorry. I shouldn' be dumping this junk on you."

"It's ok." Mara shrugged slightly. "I don't mind, really."

"Yeah, but you don't need it." TJ took her arm back and sighed again.

"No, I'm fine. I mean, everything's sort of figuring itself out as it goes." Mara shrugged, then frowned. "What...what happened to the baby?"

TJ folded small, resting her head on her knees, then looked around as someone cleared their throat nervously.

Mara frowned and looked too, raising her eyebrows at the rattled-looking brown-haired guy that stood behind them before turning back to her friend.

"I'm sorry," she said to TJ softly, realizing she was only pressing on a painful topic and berating herself silently for it. Then she glanced back at the newcomer. "Who're you?"

"We're Slime," he said, gulping. "Fox wants you."

"Fox?" Mara brightened and got to her feet, offering a hand to TJ. "You wanna come?"

"You know this guy?" asked the indigo girl slowly, wiping her eyes on her arm and eyeing him suspiciously. "Who's Fox?"

"Yeah, he's alright," said Mara, smiling at him reassuringly. "I met Fox at Hell a little while ago, when Jubal an' I all went there for lunch."

"And you have some kind of appointment?" TJ looked at her and quirked an eyebrow.

"Hurry!" blurted Slime. "It might have come already, and then she'll kill us!"

"What?" Mara's eyebrows shot up. "What's coming? Is she ok?"

"The baby." He shivered. "We've got a taxi outside. Where's Wolverine?"

"Jubes can't come," said Mara unhappily, mentally poking their link. "He got hurt a couple days ago."

-Chica?- The sleepy mental query was muted and fuzzy from the painkillers, but full of affection.

-How are y' doin'? Slime just showed up, Fox is having her baby and wants us to come,- said Mara, blushing at the love he was sending her. -Is it okay if I go? You'll be okay?-

He gave a little wordless grumble, then a mental sigh. -Sure, Boots is here, 'n Stitch'll be cutting outta class pretty soon, so I should be okay to sleep.- He sighed again wistfully. -I'll miss you.-

-You sure? I don't have t' go,- Mara said, frowning.

-Fox don't got that many friends. She'd be disappointed.- She felt a start and 'heard' a punchy giggle. -#$+&, I'm hallucinatin' again. Wee...-

-Kay...- Mara frowned and blinked at the rush of euphoria that came through the link, then shook herself reluctantly. "Ok, Slime, I'm good t' go."

He frowned. "What happened to Wolverine?"

"Wol...? You mean Jubes?" Mara stared, then shook herself slightly. "He...he had an accident. He can't come, he's still too weak."

Slime's brown eyes went wide and sad. "He tried again..."

"No, no," said Mara harshly, then softened her tone. "No...he was workin' on a car an' it fell on him. He...he promised me he wouldn't try #$+& like that again."

Slime looked up hopefully. "He did? Good! Maybe he'll be an X-Man again and try to beat us senseless when we cut up on Main Street."

"Ooo-kay," said TJ softly.

Mara grinned, then frowned and looked towards the door. "We better hurry or we'll miss it."

"#$+&, no!" Slime paled. "Come on! Oh, do you have money for the cabbie? We're broke."

"C'mon." Mara grabbed TJ's hand and pulled her out of the conservatory, shooting a glance at the boy. "Um...no. I've ben in the ocean for the last few years, I'm as broke as you."

"I have some," said TJ, frowning at Slime as he hopped up to the ceiling and skittered toward the front door.

"I'll pay you back," Mara said thankfully.

"Don't worry about it," responded TJ absently.

"No, I will," Mara said, still pulling the other blue girl along with her.

"It's ok." TJ frowned.

Mara nodded, grimacing slightly as she came into the foyer and saw the yellow taxi through the open front door. Grumbling slightly, she walked out and forced herself into the car, then looked for TJ and Slime.

"What is she waiting for?" asked the young symbiotic lifeform from the front seat, pulling the seatbelt around himself and looking anxiously at TJ, who was standing on the doorstep and looking inside.

"Dunno." Mara looked up from doing her own belt and patted her belly as it protested, then quirked a slight grin as Cain came out and gathered her friend into a quick hug before handing her a couple of winter jackets and watching her run toward the cab.

"No mutant funny business," warned the cabbie in an easy-going voice. "Stay human, no zaps, explosions, or water. Got it?"

"Won't do anythin', sir, I swear," said Mara, then added under her breath, "'Cept get carsick."

The cabbie handed her a plastic bag, then glanced over his shoulder at TJ, who grumbled and cursed as she struggled to untangle the other seatbelts. "Good to go?"

"Yeah. Let's go," she said, brightening as the webbing came loose and quickly pulling it over her lap.

The cabbie pulled the car into gear and backed down the driveway, then turned and started forward. "You two ladies sisters?"

"No," Mara said softly, absently pulling on the jacket that TJ handed her. "Just friends."

"Oh. Well, ya sure look like sisters." He pulled out of the driveway and started off at the usual New York city cab speed.

"Thanks," Mara mumbled, curling up in her seat and avoiding looking out of the window.

The trip proved mercifully short, due to Jubal's state of mind. Even with the steadily increasing distance between them she could still feel his wry amusement at whatever the morphine was making him see, and share his contentment as he sank into a dream of snuggling she and the baby.

She was roused by a gentle poke from TJ and sat up to look out the window and see that the cab was sitting outside a rusted, torn, chainlink fence that surrounded a pitted vacant lot with run-down factories on either side of it.

"We're here?" she mumbled, rubbing her eyes and stretching slightly, then looking at Slime. "This is where you guys live?"

He gave her a spooked glance, then shook his head. "No. We live with the Morlocks."

"Okay." TJ put her credit card back into her wallet and slipped it into the pocket of her jeans. "Let's go."

"Yes!" Slime threw his door open and bounded out, clinging to the fence and looking upward.

TJ quirked one eyebrow, then glanced at Mara and got out herself.

The aquatic girl followed her out, then followed Slime's gaze upward and blinked at the glowing figure that hovered overhead. "What the #$&?"

"You need me ta wait?" called the cabbie, leaning down to look out the passenger side window.

"No. We're good, thanks," said TJ, also looking upward. "Slime, who's that?"

"That's Ghost. She watches this place," he said as the cab drove away.

"Ok," said Mara, wrapping her arms around her stomach and frowning pensively at the girl, who appeared to be wearing a wedding dress and striped toe socks.

Ghost cocked her head, crested hair glinting softly in the sunlight, then swooped low and looked at them from the other side of the fence.

"We brought them, Wolf," said Slime.

"Great," came the distracted voice of the young cook. "Ghost, bring 'em in."

The glowing girl ululated softly, then beckoned with her hand and swooped toward the big empty crater in the center of the lot.

TJ glanced at Mara, then followed hesitantly, only to stop so shortly that the aqua punk ran into her as they suddenly found themselves standing in the shadow of another ramshackle factory that hadn't been there a moment before.

Mara blinked, then looked around and rubbed her eyes. "Whoa, what just happened?"

"Ghost let you see," said a child's voice from the shadow of a pile of rubble, and a little boy with a dirty face and messy black hair stood up. "Is one'a you Mara?"

"Yes," said TJ. "This is Mara. I'm her friend. What's your name?"

"Repeat," he said, frowning up at her. "Lemme go make sure it's okay fer ya t' come in."

TJ watched him run away, then turned back to Mara. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," said the water girl automatically, holding her stomach again. "It's just, you know, different than what I know."

The garishly-painted front door opened again and disgorged a little girl who looked to be the first child's twin. "Wolf says get yer #$&+ in here already," she reported, giving her tattered, oversized pink sweatshirt a tug.

Then another child pushed out beside her, shifting one of the toddlers that Mara had seen earlier at Hell on her hip. "Pete, be nice. This is Fox's friend."

Pete turned a scowl on her. "So? She ain't Army."

The girl holding the baby kicked her on the butt so that she stumbled out of the way, then met her with a fist as she came back swinging.

"Oh #$&!" said Repeat. "Just step over 'em and come on in."

TJ glanced at Mara with an eyebrow quirked.

"I guess it's their way of keeping check on each other." The water girl shrugged, a grin tugging at her lips as she and her friend followed their small guide down a narrow hallway liberally decorated with graffiti.

"Keeping check on each other?" TJ stopped and looked around as they came out into a vast, echoing room dotted with broken machinery and shelters made from blankets and boxes.

"Sure. You respect whoever can push you around. Basic food chain." Mara shrugged, looking around in wonder, noticing small heads and figures ducking out of sight behind the shelters and pillars.

"Nah, Pete's just a bossy #$&," said Repeat candidly, rubbing his shoulder, which sported a vicious bruise.

"Huh." Mara snorted softly, then shrugged. "If you say so."

"I know," he said solemnly. "She's my twin sister."

Ghost ululated and swooped low, brushing Mara's head with the hem of her gown, then rose again and pointed toward a metal mesh staircase that led to an overhead catwalk and office.

The tall aquatic nodded, then suddenly noticed how uncomfortable TJ looked and went back to take her hand. "It's ok, TJ. You wanna go back?"

The furry indigo girl shook her head, her glowing eyes creasing in an uncertain frown. "No. I'm good."

"Mara?" called Wolf's voice from overhead. "You 'n yer friend just come on up. Don't let the kids stop ya."

"Comin'," she called back, then looked at TJ. "You sure? Alright. Let's go."

Her friend followed, exchanging glances with the kids who peered at them watchfully. "None of them is over ten," she murmured softly.

"Maybe physically," muttered Mara, carefully averting her gaze. She knew what it was to grow up too fast, and she didn't like seeing the troubles of her own past reflected on these kids' faces.

"Hey," said Wolf from above them.

"Hey, man," said Mara, looking up with a grin. "How's Fox?"

"She's good." He grinned back, icey blue eyes dancing under his brown forelock. "Little worried Baby'd get here before you did."

"Well, we're here." Mara, shrugged. "Why'd she want me here anyhow?"

"Said ya needed t' see this." He shrugged and looked at TJ. "Hey, I'm Wolf."

"TJ Marko...I mean..." She shot Mara a wry look. "Yeah."

"TJ Marko?" The water girl looked at her wide-eyed, then shook her head, not wanting to pry if she wasn't supposed to know.

"Yeah." TJ rubbed a hand over her braids sheepishly. "It's a long story. But it's Marko now."

"That's cool." Mara nodded, then went up the stairs, still aware Fox was having a baby somewhere around here and that she was supposed to be there.

"Come on up," said Wolf, turning and leading them along the catwalk. "She's in the office. Oh, and she's not wearing that much, so don't be freaked."

Mara arched one eyebrow, then followed in silence until he stepped through the open door to a largish room decorated with old couch cushions, magazine pictures, and a cardboard Spock.

Fox turned from where she'd been pacing in front of the windows and shot her a slightly preoccupied grin. "Hey, girl."

"Hey," said Mara, suddenly feeling very out of place. "You ok?"

Fox rubbed her belly and grimaced slightly, then tugged on the faded, sleeveless men's dress shirt that she was wearing and grinned broadly. "Oh yeah. Just a few more minutes 'n I'll be able t' walk again."

"What's...what's goin' on?" Mara said uneasily, though she was comforted by how calm her friend appeared.

"Whaddya mean?" Fox quirked an eyebrow at her quizzically, then rubbed her belly again and resumed pacing.

"Like, with the baby." Mara blinked and rubbed the back of her neck. "Does it hurt?"

"Lil bit." Fox shrugged and paused to look over Wolf's shoulder at the car magazine he'd picked up after flopping down on a pile of cushions. "Stubbed toe feels worse."

"Really?" said Mara nervously.

"Why would I #$&+ you?" asked Fox absently, then glanced at her with a slight grin.

"Sorry," Mara said sheepishly. "I didn't think you would. I just don't know."

Fox gave a throaty chuckle, then stopped with an odd look on her face. "Okay, Wolf. Here she comes."

He pitched the magazine aside and got up as she crouched down. "K. Ready."

Mara moved back to TJ, glancing at the older girl to make sure she wasn't completely freaking out, like Mara really wanted to do but couldn't let herself. Then she turned back and watched with wide eyes as Fox and Wolf's daughter slid into the world and clenched her little fists in disgust as her proud papa wrapped her in a threadbare towel and handed her to her mama.

Mara stared, then shivered. "Didn't that hurt at all?" she said in a breathless gasp, her eyes fixed on the new baby girl as the infant snorted and growled, then sneezed.

"Yeah." Fox sighed and nuzzled her newborn, letting her husband move her to the pile of cushions he'd been sitting on. "Heh, she's got my hair."

"Aren't you going to cut the cord?" asked TJ, shivering as she too stared at the baby.

"After the other thing comes out," said Wolf from where he hovered at Fox's shoulder, his grin threatening to split his face as he watched his tiny daughter nurse.

"Other thing?" said Mara weakly, still staring at the infant.

"Uh huh," said Wolf absently.

Fox turned her head and smiled drowsily at the two girls. "Come on closer. Don't you wanna see her?"

Mara nodded and tentatively stepped forward, only managing to get a couple feet away before her nerves gave out and she froze.

"Come on," coaxed her friend, hazel eyes narrowed in contentment as a soft, warm thrum filled the air.

"I just...don't wanna hurt her, you know," mumbled Mara, coming closer and then hunkering down to look at the child, her eyebrows raising in amazement.

"You won't hurt her." Fox chuckled, then frowned and grimaced. "Okay. Wolf, you got the knife?"

"Yeah." He reached over and pulled a plastic-handled steak knife out of a bottle of rubbing alcohol. "Wanna have Mara do it?"

"Sure." Fox sighed and grinned at her. "You cut the cord. Don't worry about it bleeding, it won't."

"C...cut the c-cord?" Mara suddenly felt terrified and light-headed despite the comforting air of her friend's presence. "N-no, I don't know how and I might do it wrong and..."

"Cut the #$&+ cord!" snarled Fox, eyes narrowing sternly.

"Ok." Mara gulped, then looked at Wolf. "Sh-show me?"

"Just grab it 'n cut it 'bout an inch from 'er belly," he said, still holding out the knife.

"Ok." Mara took it and inhaled deeply before doing as bidden.

"There." Fox beamed down at her newborn. "Yer free. No more bein' tied t' Mama." She sighed and nuzzled the baby's wispy red hair. "Yer name's Mara."

Mara's throat caught and she sat back, hearing TJ gasp behind her. "Not really?"

"Why not? Yer my friend, 'n yer the one that sent her off." Fox rolled onto her side as Wolf stood and started to clean up. "Wanna hold 'er?"

Mara stared, not knowing how to react to such a sign of friendship, but then found herself reaching out and taking the baby. "She's gonna be smarter then me." She snorted.

Fox wrinkled her nose. "Guess we'll see when she hits nineteen." Then she glanced at TJ and dropped her voice. "Let yer friend hold 'er too, it looks like she needs it."

Mara smiled down at the thoughtful look on her new Goddaughter's face, then turned and nodded to TJ. "C'mere, girly."

TJ blinked at her, then scrubbed at the tear tracks on her facial fur with the back of one hand. "No."

Fox growled softly, causing baby Mara to go wide-eyed and still, then propped herself up on one elbow. "Y' gonna just let the past wreck the rest'a yer life? Or y' gonna kick it over the hill 'n start livin' again?"

TJ froze and stared at her, then squared her jaw and narrowed her eyes. "Fine. Give her."

Mara smiled at her and handed the baby over carefully, glad that her friend was willing to open up a little. The fuzzy girl looked like she needed to be around something this pure.

TJ took little Mara carefully, then stared down at her with eyes gone wide and dark before holding her close and starting to shake with sobs.

"#$&," said Fox, crawling over and putting an arm around her shoulders. "It's okay, t' cry, girl. Let it out. It's okay."

Mara shrank out of the way and tried to look strong for her friend, knowing the kind of pain she must be feeling and feeling glad that there was someone here who knew what to do. She watched as Fox murmured comfort, one hand straying to her belly as her baby gave several angry wacks to the inside of it, then started as someone banged on the office door and Wolf got up with a growl to answer it.

"Fox's dad's here!" yelped a young voice from the other side of it.

"What?" Wolf frowned. "Why?"

"His girlfriend says family's supposedta be there when a new kid comes," said the unseen child.

"They are?" Wolf turned to look at Mara.

"Girlfriend?" Fox looked up, eyes gleaming with interest.

"Yeah," Mara said slowly, then looked at the door again. "Is Goldie here too?"

Wolf went out for a few minutes, then came back looking awed. "He's with a winged chick 'n two kids. One's the baby he had at Hell."

Mara couldn't help grinning at his words. "Yeah, she's his girlfriend. The baby's Goldie."

"That's Brownie? The one that was lost?" asked Fox, still comforting TJ.

"Yeah." Mara nodded. "She's Goldie's mum too."

"Is the family usually around? In normal families?" asked Wolf, glancing at his wife.

"Yeah, they try to be," said TJ softly, wiping her eyes and smiling down at baby Mara.

Wolf frowned thoughtfully. "You want 'im here, Babe?"

"Sure." Fox gave him a lazy, smug smile, then glanced longingly toward her bed of cushions.

TJ noticed and handed the baby back quickly. "You need to rest."

"Not as bad as you needed that cry, girl." Fox stroked her hair in a motherly way, then let Wolf carry her back to the bed and cover her up with an old quilt.

"I'm gonna go say hi." Mara grinned at the redhead and hopped to her feet, then brushed herself off and slipped through the door.