Moira decided not to say anything to Azazel yet, at least not until she could speak with Natalie. She knew if he suspected someone were hurting Kurt there was no stopping him, and she didn't need him doing anything without the facts. The truth is, he could have fallen, one of the other children could have pushed him, it could be completely innocuous. Though she wondered why no one would have mentioned it.
After dropping Kurt off, she pulled Natalie aside. "Did anything happen to Kurt yesterday?"
"In what way?" Natalie asked.
Moira pursed her lips. "I found a bruise on him. On his side. Natalie, I'm not in any mood to play around right now," she paused. "Please be honest with me. What happened?"
"Oh, dear," Natalie started. "I'm so sorry. He fell yesterday, and landed on one of the blocks. I checked him over and didn't see a mark. I should have mentioned it, it just completely slipped my mind."
"He fell?" Moira looked at her dubiously. "What block did he fall on?"
Natalie walked over and rummaged through a box, pulling out a palm sized red block. "He was climbing onto the shelf and lost his balance. I've been trying to break him of his climbing habit," she looked to Moira. "Perhaps if it were discouraged at home more."
Moira blinked at the veiled accusation. "He doesn't climb at home. I don't allow it."
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean it to come out that way," Natalie said, tossing the block back into the bin. One of the little boys in the class ran to it. "Sometimes we have children who act up and we find no matter what we do we can't correct it unless it's corrected at home. It wasn't meant to be personal."
"Alright," Moira said. She walked over to Kurt and bent down to him. "Kurt, promise Mommy no climbing today, ok?"
He nodded. "No climb."
"Good," she gave Natalie a small nod and walked out.
~&Q~
"She said he fell on a block," Moira told Azazel, who was currently pacing in front of her.
"He fell on block?" Azazel gave her a look, as if she were stupid. "That is ridiculous."
"He was climbing, she said," Moira continued. "He does have a habit of climbing on things. I told her he didn't do it at home, but lets be honest, Alek, he climbs on everything."
"He has good grip," Azazel replied. "Would never fall."
"We have no reason to believe they would hurt him," Moira stood, putting her arms around Azazel to calm him down. "They've been good to him. Good to me, for years."
"I don't know them," Azazel steamed. He looked Moira in the eye. "I swear, if they are hurting him, I will kill them all. You won't stop me. I will kill every one of them."
Moira took a nervous breath. "I know," she laid her head on his chest.
He nodded, putting his hand on her head. "I saw, no baby yet," he said quietly.
"No, not yet," she responded. "It'll happen soon, though. It just takes time."
He nodded again, then pulled back from her. "I worry."
"Why?" she asked him.
"You are human. I worry if you have to have mutant baby," he told her.
"I don't care if it's a mutant, Alek," she gave him a look. "I will love it no matter what it is. Whatever it is, it's our baby."
"I know," he responded. "I worry not about that. About you, carrying mutant. I don't want it to hurt you."
Moira shrugged. "It won't. It'll all work out, love. Don't worry so much."
~&Q~
Moira made a point to check him every day after school over the course of the next month. There were no new marks, and the one he did have was nearly gone. She tried to put it out of her mind but she couldn't. There was something that didn't seem to add up.
The security clearance to know other parents was one thing. Before Mr. Campbell started they were all rather open with each other at the facility. It seemed so odd that personal information was a security risk, but at the same time, she no longer knew what the main projects at the facility were. Perhaps the added security was necessary.
Then there was the mark. It was an isolated incident, but it didn't sit well with her. But she didn't know if her suspicions were biased. After all, she was his mother. But the fact that Kurt had no answer for the mark was really eating at her. If he'd fallen, wouldn't he have said something?
Unsure as to exactly whether these deserved any merit, she decided to file them away, for now. They'd stay in the back of her mind, however.
There were far more things on her mind, however. Kurt would be turning three in two months, which she had already started to plan. It was the first birthday where he had friends, where she could plan a kids party for him and she was very excited. She'd approached Natalie about this, and had gotten another noncommittal answer. While she busied herself planning a party that increasingly she wondered if it would happen, Azazel busied himself with home repairs, trying to keep himself busy. She knew he was going a little crazy being stuck home all the time, especially now that Kurt was at school. But she didn't want to put the idea of him taking jobs again in his mind, especially after the last incident.
Moira found Azazel busy in Kurt's room, fixing a shelf that had come loose after Kurt tried to balance on it.
"Busy?" She leaned against the door jam, watching him fix the final screw into place.
"Just finished," he said, wiggling the shelf to test it. "Though we cannot let him climb on this anymore. It will hold for now, but at rate he's growing it won't for long."
"We'll talk to him again," she said, moving into the room.
"I have been thinking," he started, his hand falling on the crib. "Kurt will be three, too big for crib I think. We need to get him bed."
She raised a brow. "Getting him a bed means he can get out of bed whenever he wants. We'll never get a night without him."
"At rate he's going, he'll be climbing out of it soon enough," Azazel told her. "He can already get half over the bars. Soon he'll reach floor and it'll be over for us." He paused, turning to her. "We pack it away for now. Until we need it again."
Moira nodded, looking away from him. "If we need it again," she responded sadly.
Azazel stopped what he was doing and moved to her. "When," he affirmed.
She shrugged, still avoiding his eye. "We don't know, Alek. It hasn't happened yet, as much as we've been trying," she rubbed her eye with the palm of her hand.
He put his arms around her, turning her face to his. "It'll happen, moya koroleva. Our baby is just waiting for right time. When it happens, it'll be right."
"I hope so," she sighed. "But what if I can't do it? What if I can't have a mutant baby?"
Azazel shrugged. "Then we have human baby."
"No, I mean-" Azazel moved in and shushed her with a kiss.
"No words," he told her as he pulled away. "It will happen." His hands began to move downward, caressing her gently. "You need to calm, not stress so much. Not good for getting pregnant," his hands moved into her pants. "I will help you calm."
She pulled away. "I'm not ovulating."
He pulled her back to him, nuzzling her neck. "So?"
She let her head loll to the side, but continued. "So, we need to wait, love. To make sure we have the best chances."
He pulled away dramatically. "I need to be locked away from you. I cannot resist!" and he moved in again, holding her tightly.
Moira laughed and met his kiss before breaking away seriously. "Next week. It'll be the perfect time."
Azazel kissed her again then let her go with a sigh. "Next week," he repeated.
~&Q~
In St Maarten today. Loving the reviews, so happy everyone is enjoying it!