Well everyone, the next chapter is our last one! I can't believe it! We hope that you've enjoyed reading CH as much as we've enjoyed writing it. This story holds a special place in James' and my heart! We're so blessed that you've come along for the ride. But don't be too sad yet, next week not only will the final chapter of CH go up but ALSO the first chapter of Friendly Fire, the next installment in the LWH universe trilogy!!!!! Get excited! Friendly Fire is the most advanced work James and I have done!

Don't forget to read and review!

Marina & James

Shifting in bed again, Laura took a deep shuddering breath. She estimated that her contractions had started sometime around midnight although she wasn't sure; they were over fifteen minutes apart then. At two on a crystal clear April morning, the contractions had begun getting closer, but Laura's water hadn't yet broken. Now, though, it was almost five and she felt a warm burst of fluid pooling beneath her...it had begun, she was having the baby today. How interesting, Laura mused, that her baby would be born on Easter Sunday. The day that Jesus rose from the dead, the day that (according to Christian doctrine) all sins were forgiven...Laura hoped that all her sins would be forgiven on this holiest of holy days.

Groaning softly, Laura breathed deeply as they had taught her in Lamaze. Maria had told them all that when the labor began it would be uncomfortable but she had to remember not to clench any part of her body; she just needed to breathe through it, close her eyes and wait. But there wasn't going to be much time to wait now, the contractions she was having were coming a bit closer together now that her water broke. Sweat began to form on her brow as she leaned over and shook Gabriel, "Gabriel, it's time..."

Gabriel was having a wonderful dream where he was flying. He loved these moments; the wide open airways, the fresh air, the sound of wind and birds, no cars or people. It was all so calming, but...why did his back suddenly feel a little damp? He was shaken from his dream, and as soon as Laura's words sunk in, Gabriel sat bolt up right. It was time? Her water broke…that's why he felt a little wet. He turned to Laura and smiled. "It's time?" At seeing her expression, he kissed her briefly and bolted for the cordless phone in the living room. It was probably best not to piss her off when she was going through labor pains. He quickly dialed Sarah's number and before she could say anything Gabe cut her off. "It's Gabe. Laura's water just broke. The baby is coming." He hung up soon after and then rushed back to Laura's side. "Sarah's on the way. Now...just like we practiced, breathe." Gabriel slid onto the bed, and moved behind Laura like they had done in Lamaze class countless times.

While Gabriel was on the phone, another contraction hit and she bit her lip so hard that it bled. Focus, she kept telling herself...one of the key elements of Lamaze was focus. She was supposed to pick an object in the room and focus on it during the contractions. But each time she felt a contraction coming on her vision blurred and her sanity went flying out the window; it was almost as if she would die from the electrical impulses radiating down her spine. Even as the contraction passed she moaned, kicking the rest of the blankets off the bed. As Gabriel moved behind her she closed her eyes, "Thanks love." She said softly, resting her head on his shoulder. Wiping some of the sweat from her face, she took several deep breaths, "It hurts, Gabriel, it hurts."

Gabriel wrapped his arms gently around Laura and slowly, gently, rubbed her belly. "I know love, I know. Don't worry. I'm here, Sarah's on the way. And so is little Owen. Just think, in a little while we'll finally get to look at our son." He smiled brightly at the thought and kissed the side of Laura's face gently. "You're wonderful, you know that? I love you, baby. Just...focus on my voice. Breathe that's it. Breathe."

Another contraction tore through her, the pain amassing in her lower back. Crying out, she tried not to clench, she tried not to scream with the pain of it...and she couldn't even think about breathing. Her usually pale face was beginning to become red with exhaustion and she grasped Gabriel's hand as tightly as she could. "God, I...I can't do this," She whined, tears running down her face. "Oh God..." She was being torn asunder, she could feel it...her entire body was being ripped apart a little at a time with every passing second. She barely even noticed when Sarah let herself in and began to scrub up.

Sarah's normally frizzy blonde hair was tied back in a tight bun, not one strand out of place. Instead of the disheveled food stained clothes she normally wore, she was in lavender colored scrubs. "I see you started the party without me," She said, moving into position on the other end of the bed. "You're doing well, Laura, already five centimeters dilated."

Gabriel frowned at Laura. She wasn't one to give up. She just needed a little push, some motivation. Leaning forward a bit, he whispered in her ear, "Come on now, Kinney! You can do this. Just think of all the things you've done in life. You're one of the greatest assassins in the world. You've taken down world leaders and even the organization that created you. You don't actually expect me to believe that a little thing like pregnancy can make you give in when all those others never could get you to even entertain the idea." It might be a little harsh, but it was what she needed. She was a soldier at heart, a fighter, and she needed to be reminded that she could do this. When Sarah arrived, Gabe smiled. "Hello Sarah. Sorry you didn't get the invitation, it was sort of a spur of the moment kind of thing."

"FIVE CENTIMETERS," Laura screeched in fury. That was halfway, she wasn't even close yet! Another contraction was building and she whimpered, focusing on Gabriel's voice as she shut her eyes and writhed under the agony of the contraction. "I don't want to be Laura Kinney, I don't want to be an assassin or a feral, I just want it to stop!" Crying out, she let the tears run down her cheeks, "Now I know why they give women drugs for this!"

Gabriel kissed her cheek again and continued to gently rub over her belly. "It will be over soon Laura. It will be. You just have to be patient. No pain, no gain. You know the saying. It will be worth it. Just think, after this we'll have a son with us, a healthy baby boy. And then...then you won't ever have to be Laura Kinney or an assassin or a feral anymore. You can just be a mom. I'm here with you, love." Gabriel's hand was starting to hurt from her squeezing it with each contraction, but he was used to pain. It wasn't nearly as bad as being shot and laid up for weeks on end. Besides, he could always just redirect energy to strengthen his hand to prevent it from breaking. "Listen to my voice, honey. Squeeze my hand if you have to, it's okay."

The stress and fear and anger exploded as she turned toward him, "Gabriel Summers, you filthy bastard, I ought to kill you for this!" She screamed, "If I could reach behind me and tear your face off I damn well would!" Panting again as the contraction subsided, tears burst from her eyes again and she loosened her grip on his hand, "I didn't mean it, it just hurts Gabriel...I just want it to be over."

Sarah was boiling water and sterilizing the entire area. In just a few short hours they'd be having a baby...and there was no turning back now. "Keep breathing, Laura," Sarah said softly, "I'm going to finish preparing for the delivery." Stepping out of the room, she cast one more glance at the young couple. She'd dealt with many, many couples who had gotten pregnant by 'accident'...but none were as happy or as loving as Gabriel and Laura. She knew deep in her gut that those two would make it...unless of course the feral inside of Laura snapped and killed all of them. But really, how likely was that?

Gabriel knew not to take anything hostile that she said to heart. The book she'd gotten him for his birthday had told him that much. She had every chemical her body running through her about now, and it was like a Molotov cocktail just waiting to explode. He only nodded to her and made calming noises until she snapped out of it. "It's alright. I know, I read all about it in that helpful book you got me. You just focus on getting through this, and we'll have a son on our hands in no time."

Nodding, Laura panted. "I can do this," She said softly, "Women have been doing this since the beginning of time. I can do this." But then, she wasn't so sure. It hurt so badly and she felt like she needed to push. There had to be something, anything, to get her mind off it. "Gabriel..." She swallowed hard, leaning back against him again, "I want to get married."

Gabriel smiled and kissed her again. "I know love. We'll get married one day." The book had mentioned something about seeming forgetfulness, like pain induced amnesia. Maybe that's what it had talked about? Oh well, best to roll with it and hope it kept her focused. "We'll get married, and finally we'll be a real family, just you, me, and Owen. All together until we die of old age."

"Now, Gabriel, I want to get married right now." She snapped irritably. Couldn't he read her mind? Why wasn't he better at understand the obvious...or maybe she was just frightened and in pain. "You said once that you didn't want our child being illegitimate. I don't care about all that but I want to know that this is forever. We already have the license; let's just get it over with!"

Gabriel did a fabulous impression of a fish out of water. Right now? She wanted to be married right now? "Umm...love, illegitimacy doesn't matter to me. I just don't want him growing up without a family there for him." The look on her face put an end to any further argument Gabriel had. He turned her face to his and kissed her on the lips. "Okay love, we'll get married right now. Think Sarah would do it for us? I can send a call out to the Professor and have him send Logan or someone over to be a witness." Besides, maybe she'd like to have her dad there for when this baby was born. He'd be the first one besides Sarah, Gabe and Laura that would get to see the baby.

Sarah, right! Sarah was a rabbi, she could perform weddings! Well, okay, so they'd be having a Jewish wedding on Easter in the middle of her giving birth...but, she and Gabriel had never really done anything with any plan in mind. She'd gotten pregnant by accident; she'd fallen in love with him without her even realizing it and now she was getting married to him. "Yeah just...wait until this next contraction passes..." Her voice trailed off as once again she found herself in the throes of blinding pain once again. Letting out a ragged stream of air that came out as a little scream, she leaned back against him. "Good, now let's do it."

Sarah set the rest of the instruments by the edge of the bed and walked back into the room to find that Gabriel and Laura had decided that in addition to her delivering their baby, she'd also be performing their wedding. "Well," She said, shrugging, "G-d works in mysterious ways." Standing at the edge of the bed, she looked over at the two of them, "You need one witness to make this legal. And we need to make this snappy… Laura's at eight centimeters."

Gabriel nodded and a moment later his eyes lit while he contacted Xavier. He stayed almost completely motionless for a little while until his eyes dimmed down again. "Alright, the professor woke Logan and Kurt. Kurt's going to port Logan here and they'll remain until it's all done." He rubbed a hand over Laura's hair and kissed her again. "They'll be here in a few minutes. Kurt can only port about two miles at a time so they have to make several quick jumps. But, they'll be here so-" As Gabriel was about to finish his sentence, a sound like air rushing from a space, followed by the overbearing smell of brimstone and sulfur filled the air. "That would be them."

Gagging at the smell, Laura would've vomited all over everything...except she had no food in her stomach. Moaning, she grasped Gabriel's hand tightly, "I really hate you...now marry me or I'm going to kill you!" Sarah was already at the foot of the bed, waiting to marry them. Laura felt the tightening in her back that signaled another contraction...oh damn, it had begun.

Slowly but surely Sarah started the wedding, her voice a little shaky as she tried to remember all of the Yiddish rites and, most importantly, the seven blessings. So they didn't have a veil or a canopy and there were no rings to be found...but she knew, above all else, that Gabriel and Laura didn't need pomp and circumstance to bind their love. This wedding was a technicality, a mere trifle in the scheme of things. Several times she stopped to let Laura scream through a contraction, but it wasn't long before Sarah smiled broadly, "By the power vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife. Mazel tov! We'll break a glass later. Right now, you better kiss quickly because we're having a baby."

"I love you." Gabriel eagerly kissed Laura as Logan and Kurt clapped softly. Both knew better than to be too loud around the birthing woman. They learned that with Belle. And since Laura had heightened senses, well that would just make the punishment worse. Gabriel quickly sent out a small blast of energy at a glass they kept on the bed side table for Laura to drink out of at night. It crashed to the floor shattering as Gabe broke the kiss. "Glass broke. Now let's see what our son looks like."

It was done, they were married and...Oh god, she was having the baby now. Laura's contractions were practically one on top of the other now and she had the overwhelming urge to push. Crying out, she tried not to squirm as Sarah finished arranging her equipment beneath Laura's legs to prop them up slightly. Everything seemed fine, besides the fact that she was sweating out of every pore, she was in mortal pain and the curses just wouldn't stop gushing from her mouth.

"Okay, Laura, you've been doing really well so far. You're fully dilated now and when you feel the next contraction I want you breathe in and hold your breath for ten seconds." Sarah explained, patting the young feral's leg gently. "This is it; we're coming to the end here, Laura. Let's get ready to have this baby!"

Gabriel smiled into the back of Laura's head as he felt her stiffen for the next contraction. "It's okay baby. I'll count it out for you." He kissed the back of her head as he felt her start to push with the contraction. "One…two…three…four…" he kept counting to ten and then stopped, kissing her cheek, "You did great, hon. Just like that. Focus on my voice if you have to."

Laura screamed in pain, "Oh, it's burning so much...oh..." She gripped his hand tightly, the breath exploding from her throat in short painful spurts after she had pushed for ten seconds. But Sarah wasn't relenting, on the next contraction she was pushing again. Blinding pain overtook her and she screamed just because she could, she screamed because she couldn't do anything else. All the while, Gabriel held her and whispered soothing words to her.

"Stop pushing Laura, right now. I know it hurts but you need to stop pushing," Sarah said as calmly as if she was asking the girl to please step aside. The baby's head and shoulders were out and with the slightest pull the wails of an infant filled the apartment, "Mazel tov...again! It's a beautiful boy." She smiled over at Gabriel, "Well daddy, would you like to cut the cord?"

Gabriel was almost in a state of shock as he looked at the tiny boy. Well, he was probably average size, but Gabe wasn't a small guy, so the baby was tiny to him. "Y-yeah, I'd love to." Gabe slowly removed his hand from Laura's, flexing it a few times to gain the feeling back and then slowly slid from behind her to move to Sarah's side. At the woman's direction Gabriel snipped the cord. Sarah took him to be weighed and to make sure that everything was fine with the baby boy. It wasn't long before he took the little guy in his arms. He was still red birth and crying at being out of the warmth of his mommy, but he was beautiful, "Hello there Owen. I-I'm your daddy." He smiled at the boy, and then moved over to sit beside Laura. "This is your mommy. Say hello."

Pink and wrinkled and seven pounds, three ounces...Owen Scott Summers was by far the most beautiful baby she'd ever seen. Tears trickled down her face as Gabriel placed her beautiful child into her arms. Looking down at him, she gave a small sob of joy, "Hello baby… happy birthday." So this was the little boy who had been moving inside of her for so long. The tiny boy gave another small cry and peeked one eye open. Laura looked over at Gabriel and then back down at Owen, "Well...he has your eyes." She said, a small chuckle making it through the tears. He would believe her now, she hadn't lied...she had never lied to him. "I love you..." She murmured, leaning over to give him a light kiss on the lips.

Gabriel stared at the babies eyes; they were solid onyx black like his own, "Yeah really, there's no doubt he's mine." He returned Laura's gentle kiss before his lips twisted into a smile as he reached out a single finger to gently stroke the baby's cheek. However, the baby had other ideas, as his finger was soon being slobbered on. "I uh...don't think he likes stuff poking at his face." Slowly removing his finger, Gabriel looked over at Kurt and Logan in the doorway. "Hey everyone, want to come say hello to the newest little heartthrob at the mansion?"

Laura allowed Gabriel to take Owen from her arms as Sarah began cleaning her up. She already was healing, Sarah said, due to the healing factor; also thanks to the healing factor, Laura would have a lot more energy than most new mothers. Still, she wanted Laura to rest and not overexert herself. Laura just nodded and watched as Gabriel showed off his son. Resting back against the pillows she smiled, her sweaty hair fanning out against the pillows. Everything was perfect, they were a family now and she was Mrs. Gabriel Summers. "Oh husband of mine," She called softly, her voice still slightly hoarse from yelling, "I want to hold my baby boy again."

Gabriel hated to have to take Owen away from Kurt and Logan. The boy had found the tail of the resident teleporter quite interesting, and he feared the boy would fuss over losing his object of interest. Of course, a yawn emitted from Owen as Gabe moved him back to Laura, "Looks like being born is a tiring experience." Leaning in to whisper in Owen's ear conspiratorially but still loud enough that everyone could still hear him, Gabriel spoke to his son, "I think your mom agrees with you." He sat back on the bed next to Laura and gently held the boy out for her to take. "Here you go honey. One baby boy complete with two arms and two legs. I must say, you did fabulous job cooking this one up, I almost feel like you should be paid for shipping and handling. Of course nine months of shipping and handling charges would be way too expensive, so I hope you'll accept a kiss instead." He grinned at his lame attempt at humor, as were most of his attempts, and kissed Laura gently as she took Owen from him.

"You are ridiculous..." Laura laughed and bent down to give Owen a gentle kiss before she planted one on Gabriel, "But I love you." It was silly but she counted Owen's fingers and toes, a perfect ten; he was very wrinkled and still rosy pink but he was the most beautiful child she'd ever seen, "He's going to be a heartbreaker, I know he is." She couldn't stop staring at him, it was the strongest love she'd ever felt. In that moment she knew that beyond a shadow of a doubt that she'd do anything for her child...beg, kill, steal, die, all for him. "Gabriel," She looked up at him, her face suddenly very serious, "Are you happy?"

Gabriel was surprised a bit by the sudden seriousness of her voice and face. Why did she feel uncertain? "Of course I'm happy. You've given me the one thing I've searched for all my life...a family. Sure, it was a slightly bumpy ride, and things didn't exactly go according to plan...well, we didn't really have a plan, but you know. We worked it out. We did this together. I couldn't be happier if the Publisher's Clearing House guys came up to that door right now and said I was the ten million dollar winner."

Pulling him closer to her, she kissed him again, "Good, because this is everything I've ever wanted." Well, sort of, "I mean I wish I could've settled down and bought a house and then had a baby but...you mean everything to me, Owen means more than anyone could possibly know. I just..." Wiping more tears from her eyes, she smiled, "I'm glad you're as happy as I am." Sighing again, Owen's little eyes closed and he slept like...well, he slept like a baby, "Happy Easter, daddy."

Gabriel smiled and leaned a little into Laura as he watched Owen slumber. "Happy Easter, mommy," He liked being called daddy as much as he liked it when she'd called him her husband. She was probably ready to drop out right then, but that reminded him she'd given birth on the bed. "Hey, I don't think you or Owen should be sleeping on a mattress that's dirty from the birth. Why don't we get you up and out to the couch for a bit, Logan can sit with you and Kurt and I can get these sheets cleaned up and at the least flip this mattress over until I can go buy a new one."

The sheets definitely needed a change...not only had her water broken on the bed which had probably ruined them to begin with, she'd also given birth on them too and despite whatever Sarah had done to protect the bed, they were covered in fluid that Laura didn't even want to know about. Nodding, she let Gabriel help her up and hold Owen while she changed into a clean nightgown. Then he supported her and Owen as she shuffled infinitely slowly toward the couch. The pain was still fresh in her mind although much less now that she had her perfect, beautiful child in arms. Lowering herself onto the couch she let out a small sigh of relief. It was so different now that Owen was born, she could move unencumbered again and, much to her shock, her belly looked a lot flatter. No, she wasn't exactly ready to zip into her size zeros but she was on her way. Looking over at Logan she smiled as she saw him eyeing Owen, "Would you like to hold him, grandpa?"

Logan looked at the small baby that his daughter was holding. How could something so tiny have made her belly so big? Moreover, he was not new to the female body...how did something that size, come out of a place that size? It was like…pushing a melon through a mouse hole without breaking either one. It seemed impossible. And now she was saying something that sounded like she wanted him to hold the baby, "H-Hold him?" Uncertainty flashed over Logan's features. "No offense darlin', but these hands were made to kill and crush...not be delicate and gentle. I tend to break small fragile things, and I'd hate to be the reason something bad happened to the little guy there."

Gabriel chuckled and slowly took Owen from Laura's arms so the baby could stay sleeping. "We trust you, grandpa." Oh yeah, they loved calling him that. And it appeared he hadn't yet caught on to it or he would have been angry. "Get over here and hold your grandson. I've seen you be gentle when dealing with Kitty and Jubilee in their little emotional moments. If you can do it for them and then you can do it with Owen. Now...get over here." Gabriel's voice took on his no nonsense tone and he brooked no argument. Logan immediately walked over and slowly took the little boy in hand before sitting down next to Laura. "Is that what it's like to be the Alpha Male? Say something, the others jump to follow instructions? I kind of like it."

Laura smiled softly as Gabriel took the initiative and helped Logan put his fear to rest, "My hands were made for the same thing, not for loving and squeezing, not for holding my own beautiful child. But Weapon X didn't win. I created a life for myself, I have made a new life with a man I love...if that's not the ultimate revenge, I don't know what is." She said, watching as Gabriel placed the child in Logan's arms. Her family, her perfect family...tears ran down her cheeks as she smiled over at them. "Wait, don't move," She snapped and leaned over, grabbing the digital camera that Laura and Gabriel had bought just for the occasion. Sarah had taken Owen's first baby pictures for the records but Laura wanted a family photo. "Okay boys, smile for mommy." Her boys, her wonderful boys...with another soft smile she pressed the flash and the moment was captured forever and always. She would remember this moment for the rest of her life and smile...

Kurt watched the exchange with a slight smile. Never in all his years had he seen the infamous Wolverine put in place by someone else, not even by Xavier. This was surely a historic moment, and he felt like it should have been videotaped so that Logan couldn't deny it at a later date. When he saw Laura taking pictures, he stepped in. "Fraulein, I think you should be in der picture too. Here, let me take za picture, and you join them, ja?"

"That's Frau Summers to you, Kurt," Laura teased lightly as the blue man walked back into the room. She didn't really know him that well beyond what Gabriel had told her and a few brief moments of conversation at the mansion, but he was nice enough and he was offering to take their picture. "Yes, let's take a whole family shot." With a little grunt she made her way over to Gabriel, grasping onto him tightly. Resting against him, he put her other arm around Logan and smiled. The flash of the camera went off again and she smiled, that one was going on the mantle.

The second flash didn't agree with Owen at all. The little boy started to stir and make a few mewling sounds in Logan's arms. "Uh...I don't think he likes the flash that much. He's making noises." The look on Logan's face was a classic example of panicked 'Oh God, help me!' As soon as the words left his mouth, Owen came fully awake and let loose a cry that made Logan wince at the sound of it. "He's got lungs on him; give the kid credit for that. Here mommy...you calm him down. I'm gunna look for cotton balls."

A painful tightening in Laura's chest alerted her to the fact that it was most definitely lunch time. Biting her lip, she cradled Owen to her body as she took the few steps to the couch and sat down. "I think he's just hungry," She said, trying not to hiss in pain as she unbuttoned the first couple on her nightgown. Maria had talked a little bit about breastfeeding and had told all the women what important benefits breast milk had on babies...but the act of breastfeeding itself was easier said than done. It took several tries to position Owen near enough to her breast and by the time she got it right, he was yelling so much his mouth didn't want to seem to close around her nipple. Tearing up again, Laura shook her head, "Come on baby boy," Laura said softly, her voice soothing and yet there was a ragged quality to it. There was a look of determination in her eye as she positioned him once more. As if by magic the yelling stopped and the quiet mewls of feeding filled the air. Sniffling, Laura smiled down at him, "That's a good boy."

Gabriel watched as Laura tried to get Owen to eat. The sound his son was making, coupled with the look on Laura's face tore Gabriel up. He wanted to help her out, but the book had said that it was something she had to do on her own. She had to learn the proper way to hold him for this or she could become dependant on others doing it for her. That made sense in a way, best to learn by doing. When she was finally successful, Gabriel wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "Hey...you know I love you right?"

Owen made tiny baby noises that Laura fell in love with the second she heard them. No symphony would ever be as wonderful as the satisfied little coos that her son made while eating. Smiling down at him she gently ran her fingers over the light dusting of brown hair that he had on his head. The head in question was slightly cone shaped but Sarah said that was perfectly normal, he'd just been pushed out of a very small area and everyone needed to do some readjusting for that. But he was perfect, life was perfect. It wasn't until Gabriel touched her that she realized he was sitting beside her, "Of course I know you love me," She said softly, "I never doubted it. And I love you too."

Gabriel smiled at his wife again. The birth of his son seemed to put him in a smiley mood. But then again, who would blame him? Only someone with a death wish. He looked over at Kurt and Logan then back at Laura and Owen. He loved this woman, and he loved this baby. He'd do anything for either of them; anything at all to keep them happy and safe. As Owen slowly drifted off to sleep once more, Gabriel couldn't help but think that life was perfect right now. His only real wish was that Scott had been able to be here for this. But there was nothing he could do about that. Later he'd call Alex to tell him about Owen and demand he come back to see his nephew. Then life would be better than perfect. Gabriel placed a soft kiss to Laura's head before deciding to get some shut eye. They could deal with the bed when they woke up. For now, the day had been exhausting, and it was time for a nap.