Fourteen

Ellen was settling in quickly, but Ria could still tell that she was occasionally homesick. It wasn't too concerning, though, and it was to be expected after such a disruptive few days. She was trying to figure out where she belonged and who she should hang out with in the high school environment, but seemed understandably happy to start learning how to control herself. She spent a lot of time sitting in the kitchen or outside with Ria and Victor, talking about her classes and asking an unending stream of questions about everything from their mutations to hers to what she should do with her future. It was making Victor actually talk more to someone other than Logan or Ria, so while they chatted, the latter would cook to sate her ever-growing appetite.

She was occasionally the victim of random bouts of morning sickness, running to bathrooms after smelling something particularly strong or eating anything that her unborn spawn apparently deemed worthless. She didn't know why it was named what it was, because she wasn't experiencing it in the morning at all, and the misnomer pissed her off. Every time it happened Victor would try to follow, and every time she would snarl and tell him to fuck off. She hated vomit enough as it was, and the concept of having anyone watching was roughly ten times worse than just the action itself.

Beast still insisted on weekly checkups, and it wasn't until Ria reached her third month of pregnancy that she allowed Victor to join her. Hank had come to the conclusion that all of her blood work was coming back fine, though he always kept samples to study her mutation, and insisted on prenatal vitamins and a diet that wasn't entirely meat, despite her constant craving for raw steak. He also discovered that the babies were growing more quickly now, and estimated her full gestation at thirty weeks, significantly shorter than expected. It put their development ahead of normal, and it almost confirmed that all three triplets shared their parents' mutation. Hank suspected that, had any of them been completely normal human fetuses, they wouldn't be able to keep up with the others and would be causing complications. Thankfully, they all seemed to be growing together, and it was safe to assume that they were all similar as far as mutations went.

It was also a good sign that none of them had devoured the others.

Due to her small stature and the fact that she was having three babies instead of one or even two, Ria was definitely showing, her baby bump already sizeable. It earned her stares and whispers from the kids that called Xavier's school home, and while a good portion of them knew about the whole situation, most still gossiped and behaved exactly the way high schoolers would, especially the ones that hadn't had many struggles with their mutations and had simply been enrolled in the school in a smooth and easy process. They whispered when she passed them, hiding behind their hands as if she couldn't hear them, making crude comments and jokes about all three ferals.

Ria did her best to ignore and avoid them, socializing very little in general and sticking with Victor or Logan, but sometimes the stares were too much and she snapped, cornering groups of teenagers and picking fights until someone dragged her away. Everyone was noticing that her pregnancy was causing her to be more angry than sad, and she rarely cried, leading all of the older mutants there to constantly be on the lookout for angry ferals.

It wasn't just Ria that they were concerned about; Victor was, of course, still the one they kept the closest eye on, but Logan had begun to worry them as well. The ferals were developing some sort of a pack mentality, and both males worked in tandem to protect the future of their little family, even when there was no danger present. They never allowed anyone to get too close to Ria, and in the rare moments that Victor wasn't with her, his brother took his place to keep an eye on things. Victor still liked to make it very clear that he was in charge and that Logan was not permitted to get too involved with Ria, but welcomed his sibling's help when it came to taking care of her. Logan, while still much less aggressive than his brother, was displaying more ferocity than the others were used to, and it put them all on edge.

Beast explained it all to the rest of the X-men in a brief meeting they had one night when they were safely hidden from all three ferals. Hours upon hours of research and his own primal mutation gave him a better understanding of what they were going through, and he tried to impress upon the others the fact that Logan and Victor were both very, very serious about protecting Ria now that she was with child. It was all instinct, a force great enough to overcome the brothers' grudges, and they were fueled by a self-sacrificing need to use every bit of their strength making sure that Ria was safe and happy. They were both relatively young, still in their prime, and neither of them had ever been in a family situation with another feral besides each other. In short, the best thing to do was leave them alone. Some of the others argued that it was too dangerous and that something needed to be done before someone got hurt or killed, but Hank won out in the end, and it was decided that the ferals, even Logan, were to be avoided.

It was her thirteen week ultrasound when Ria allowed Victor to accompany her and stay the entire time. She hadn't told him, but it was going to be an exciting visit-Hank had told her that they would, hopefully, be able to see what exactly they were having, if the fetuses were facing the right way. As she laid back on the table and the jelly was spread across her belly, Ria felt Victor slip his fingers into hers. She looked over to see him closely watching everything that was happening, scrutinizing Hank's every move as he pressed the probe against Ria's stomach and then watching the grainy screen through narrowed eyes.

She watched his expression change as shapes formed, little blobs that were actually beginning to resemble something that seemed like they could potentially become functional creatures. Victor's eyes widened and he fell completely still when Hank began pointing things out, like tiny arms and legs, and when it was finally time for the gender reveal, Ria was pretty sure her mate stopped breathing.

"Let's see here, shall we?" Beast said, peering at the screen. "It's looking like male...female...and...female."

Victor let out his breath and then puffed back up again, a proud expression falling over his face. He had secretly been hoping for more boys, but he figured he could teach girls to hunt and fight just as well. As his gaze shifted over at Ria, he wondered what they were going to look like. Would they be gray haired like their mother, or would they have Victor's own black hair and dark eyes? Were they going to be small? Would the boy grow up to be as massive as his father? What were they going to name them?

Seeing them up there on that little screen suddenly made things a lot realer for Victor. Somehow, it was different than just looking at Ria's pregnant belly and knowing that his unborn children were in there. It was different than being able to smell the hormonal changes his mate was going through as their children grew. It was different than just thinking and talking about everything. They were actually there, and he could see them, small, alienesque little things up on a monitor. Those were his children, his cubs, his babies to protect and watch over.

What he was feeling was completely new to him. It was somewhat similar to the way he felt towards Ria, but magnified. It was love, he knew that much, but it was just...so much more. The concept of anyone trying to hurt his offspring made him equal parts anxious and angry, and the swelling in his chest was almost painful. He hadn't even met them yet, and he already adored each one. He couldn't imagine what it was going to feel like when they were born and he could see and hold them and know that they were there and they were his.

"Victor?"

He zoned back in at the sound of Ria's voice. "What?"

"Did you hear what Hank said?"

"No."

"We can go now." She started sitting up as Beast gave her a paper towel to wipe her belly off.

"Already?" He didn't want to leave yet, not when he was first seeing his son and daughters. He could stay staring at that monitor all day without even thinking about moving away from it.

"It's time for dinner," Ria reminded him. "And you haven't eaten all day."

"That's a lie, darlin'." He grumbled as he helped her stand.

"A single breakfast sausage doesn't count."

Victor had been eating less and less, concerning himself primarily with making sure that Ria was getting the majority of their food. It concerned her, knowing that he wasn't reaching the ridiculous amount of calories he needed every day, and she urged him to eat whenever she could. He usually tried to refuse, guarding her and making sure that she was taken care of. While she appreciated the gesture, it worried her, especially when they were in a house filled with food and had no reason to go hungry.

"You really should be getting more food, Victor," Beast chided. "I know how much energy you've been spending watching over Ria. Your body needs fuel."

Victor just huffed and grumpily followed Ria out, sticking close as they entered the hall where they found Logan waiting for them, looking incredibly tense. As Ria glanced around, she could see why; Scott Summers was heading away from them with Jean in tow, and Ria had paid enough attention lately to know that Logan and Scott didn't get along well at all. She suspected he fancied Jean, but she had never outright asked, and was trying to stay out of it.

He had also gotten into the habit of not eating enough, though not as badly as Victor. There weren't any visible differences in either of them, but they were both getting slightly more sluggish and more easily irritated the less they ate, and Ria knew that everyone else in the mansion was noticing. She could only do so much, though, and if the boys were going to ignore her every time she urged them to get food, then they were going to have to deal with the repercussions.

Was that a bad attitude? Probably.

"How'd it go?" Logan asked finally.

"Two girls," Victor rumbled proudly. "An' a boy."

As Logan heard the news, Ria noticed that the brothers had a lot of similar habits. At that moment, they shared a proud expression, both straightening their backs and puffing up their chests slightly. It was ridiculous, but...flattering? Humbling? She didn't know.

Logan clapped a hand on his brother's shoulder and looked at him with something that might have been fondness. It was almost as if they were behaving like brothers were supposed to-supporting each other, being civil, not trying to tear any throats out or gut anyone. It was...what was the word? Heartwarming? That was something Ria had never thought she would describe them as.

"Everythin' still goin' fine, then?" Logan asked as they began walking.

"They're perfect," Ria answered.

"Like they should be." Victor grumbled.

"Did he say anythin' else?"

"Nothing worth mentioning. Victor wasn't listening anyways." Ria said as they reached the kitchen, the spot that had become their usual haunt.

"Yes I was," Victor snapped.

"You were not. You were busy staring at the screen instead."

"So?"

She couldn't help but smile a tiny bit.