Chapter 10 - Anticipations
– three months later
Anchorage, Alaska.
"Hey, Scott."
"Hi Alex, are you busy?"
"No, I can talk. What's up?"
"Well… Grampa's decided to close the airline."
"Oh, man, that sucks! What happened? Is he and granny ok?"
"Yeah, don't worry, they're fine. It's just… he's been having some insurance problems since Maddie's accident… The company's lost a lot of money in the last couple of months.
"Shit."
"Yeah. Anyway… There's this bigger local airline that's willing to buy the whole fleet and keep all of his contracts, so he's selling everything. He's decided to finally retire."
"I see. I guess that's probably for the best, at least for him. But what about you, Scottie?"
"I… I've been thinking... That offer you made me, Alex, for me and Nathan to move to New York City. Does it still stand?"
"Yeah, of course it does. I would love to have both of you around."
"Are you sure? We will need a place to crash until I can find a new home and a job there. It's not easy to live with a baby, you know?"
"Don't worry, man. You can stay at my place for as long as you want. Lorna and I dropped out of NYU, and we decided to move to Westchester."
"Shit. I thought you guys had taken the antidote."
"We did, but it didn't feel right to keep attending a college that forces mutants to expose themselves. So we beat it."
"Really? But why Westchester? Isn't it kind of far from Manhattan? What're you going to do there?"
"Man, you won't believe this… We're joining the X-Men."
Salem Center, New York.
Jean was having a good day. She had arrived home from work at 7:30 a.m., indulged herself in a relaxing bath and slept until almost four p.m. The nausea had finally subdued and she was able to eat normally again. Even Logan seemed to be contributing to her good mood lately… He hadn't bugged her about her night shifts in over a week. Although the redhead was living in his apartment for the last three of months, they had spent little time together - him being constantly away or busy with the team's duties, and Jean being occupied with work and medical appointments. Logan almost never slept in there, and when he did, he always opted for the couch.
But today he'd called the redhead and said he was coming by later to check on her. It was her night off, so Jean decided to cook them a nice meal. She was nearly finished with dinner when he arrived.
"Hey, Jeannie," Logan greeted her from the doorway, "how ya doin'?" He entered the kitchen and placed two gallons of water on the countertop.
"Good," the woman replied as she bent her knees to glance inside the oven. Logan couldn't help but stare at her backside, which Jean noticed but didn't comment.
"It smells nice. Whatcha' cookin'?"
"Pork loin and broccoli risotto. I hope you like it," she said almost proudly, turning aside to bring the food to the table.
"Wow."
"What?" The redhead asked, confused.
"Nothin', it's just… Ya're showin'," he pointed at her abdomen and she looked down. A small but evident bulge had become apparent under her loose shirt.
"Yes, right? I swear it wasn't this big three days ago," she told him, smiling.
Logan chuckled, and sat across from her at the dinner table. "So, how was work?"
"Okay, nearly uneventful," then she recalled, "Oh, I tended to a small girl with a skin rash last night… Her folks were freaked out, thinking that might be an early manifestation of some kind of mutant power. Can you believe that?"
"What a bunch of morons," he remarked with interest while wolfing down his food.
"I know what you mean… They were more than relieved after I explained it was just an allergy," she sighed. "What about your day? Anything interesting?"
"Maybe. We had a trainin' session with the whole team today… Even flyboy showed up for it."
"What? Warren left his suit to take part in training? No way," Jean gave a small laugh, and Logan noticed how her green eyes were sparkling.
"I'm serious," he nodded for emphasis, "and I've gotta admit, he wasn't half bad."
She studied his face, skeptically. "You two are getting along now?"
"Yeah, well… He's been helpin' the team a lot, I'll give him that."
"I'm glad," the telepath said. "What about Ro and Bobby Drake?"
"They're doin' fine," he answered. Then he put the fork down and looked back at her, narrowing his brows mockingly. "Why the sudden interest? Ya thinkin' about leavin' the hospital and joinin' the X-Men too?"
"W-What? No, Logan, of course not," Jean replied in good humor, blushing under his intense gaze. "As if you'd let me…"
"Ya've got that right, darlin', I wouldn't. Ya're too out of shape… beer tummy and all," he responded with a lopsided grin.
"Ha ha. And whose fault is that?" The redhead said staring at his eyes, and a deep, awkward silence filled the room. Suddenly Jean let out a gasp and stood up, holding her lower stomach.
Logan leaped out of his chair and rushed to her side. "What is it? Are ya in pain?"
"No, I… I think the baby's kicked," she explained. "Ouch… and again!"
"Ya sure?"
"I think so," Jean noticed his hesitant hands. "Do you want to feel it?"
Logan frowned, insecure about touching her again. The woman grabbed his right hand and placed it under her shirt, just above the spot where she had felt the baby moving. They waited for a few seconds and felt another kick.
The former lovers were facing each other; they exchanged astonished glances. "Did you feel it?"
"Yeah," the feral responded with a huge smile. He didn't move his hand away, and instead started caressing the smooth skin below it. His left hand reached up to cup her cheek, and the redhead leaned into his touch. Logan slowly slid his hand to the back of her head and pulled her in for a kiss.
Their lips touched, mouths slightly open, and their tongues began to slowly caress each other; familiar welcoming sensations invaded both their minds and the couple felt as if they hadn't been apart for one single day during the previous months. Logan easily lifted Jean in his arms and carried her to the double bed, careful stripping every piece of clothing she was wearing. Unlike last time, she didn't feel overwhelmed by the scary memories of Logan's mind… All she could sense was his love and longing for her, and it felt just right.
The Hellfire Club, New York.
It was past midnight, and Selene was heading to the mansion's front door to enjoy a night in the city when she heard whispering coming from the conference room. She padded her way towards the room and hid behind the double doors.
"The senator has called. Phase two of our plan is about to begin," she heard Sebastian Shaw's rich voice, followed by a woman's retort.
"It's about time," Emma Frost spoke with impatience. "I've accessed Kelly's assistant's mind and saw the list of names of American citizens who tested positive for the mutant gene. About three thousand were given the vaccine; however, there are at least two hundred mutants in the U.S. who didn't accept it… Some were already dealt with; others are still hidden."
"Like the X-Men," Shaw said with disgust.
"Indeed, Sebastian. They are quite powerful, and I know for a fact that they have been recruiting more mutants. The team's last addition was a couple of college students, Alexander Summers and Lorna Dane. I'm still not familiar with their abilities, though."
The Black King was surprised by Frost's revelations. "And how did you become aware of that?"
"A little seduction and a lot of telepathy, my dear. Men can't really resist me, especially fat middle-aged NYU teachers," Emma responded with a mischievous grin, and then went on. "It also came to my knowledge that some X-Men are reproducing themselves…"
Shaw shrugged. "I couldn't care less, my dear White Queen… Unless they have found a way to antagonize the 'cure', the mighty X-Men, and their future descendants for that matter, won't represent a problem for long. In a few days, our billion-dollar molecule will be released into the water reservoirs all over the country. Not even the most powerful X-Men will be able to stop us when they become deprived of their mutant abilities."
Behind the door, Selene's heart was beating faster. Contrary to the Inner Circle's secret plans, she didn't aspire to be among the only few mutants in the world. Her own existence depended on absorbing other people's life forces and skills. Sure, she could always drain energy from a simple homo sapiens; but the mightier the adversary, the mightier she became. And she had just learned that there was a mutant child about to be born - the offspring of powerful mutant parents - a child of the X-Men.
'Immortality, wealth, and limitless power. I need to have this baby,' Selene thought to herself, licking her lips in anticipation. She grabbed her cell phone and dialed. "Hey, it is me. I have a job for you."
Salem Center, New York.
On the next morning, Jean woke up feeling happy and well rested, with Logan's muscular body spooning hers and his arm resting protectively over her stomach. The woman slowly turned around to face him; she examined his features and decided he looked oddly calm.
"Like what ya see, Red? I'll let ya take a picture," she heard his coarse voice.
"Hey… I thought you were sleeping."
"Just woke up," he said, pulling her in for a loving kiss. Then he remembered. "Did I hurt ya?"
"What? No, of course not."
"What about the baby?"
Jean rolled her eyes. "For your information, Logan, pregnant women are allowed to have sex too..."
"Yeah? How often?" The man grinned mischievously and lightly grasped her tight backside under the sheets.
"Often enough," the redhead replied, but captured his wandering fingers in hers. He placed their entwined hands over her lower abdomen and asked.
"Is the little troublemaker kickin' ya now?"
"No, she's probably sleeping," Jean explained, and glanced at the clock on the bedside table. "It's nearly six thirty. What time do you have to be at the school today?"
"Hmm. 'Bout eight o'clock. Chuck's scheduled a meeting to introduce a couple of new kids to the team."
"Wow, more mutants?"
"Yeah. He wants McCoy and Forge doin' lab work only 'til they can finish makin' the conduit; so the rookies will step in to complete the field team," Logan groaned and ran a hand through his tousled hair. "It's startin' to get too crowded for my taste."
The telepath tilted her head. "Why are you complaining? Doesn't that mean less work for you?"
"No. It means I'll have to babysit more."
Jean nodded once and half turned in bed to stare at the ceiling. Logan didn't miss the change in her mood. "What is it, darlin'?"
She hesitated at first, but then spoke. "Do you think this will work?"
He narrowed his eyes in confusion. "Whatcha' mean?"
"You and me. With the baby," her head turned aside, green eyes meeting blue again.
"I told ya I'm gonna do whatever ya need me to."
"Are you? What about the X-Men?"
"What about them?"
"Do you imagine yourself ever leaving them?"
The room went silent for a few seconds, and Logan drew in a deep breath before finally replying. "Ya know I can't abandon the team, Red; not when the government's huntin' down mutants all over the States."
"Logan… You are going to become a father in a few months. I know it wasn't part of your plans, but… your daughter will need you around."
"And she's one more reason to keep fightin', Jeannie."
"How do you suppose you're going to do that, huh? Rebel superhero at day, family man at night?"
He sighed. "I don't know yet."
"Well, you better start thinking about it," the redhead said with a tinge of annoyance, and continued. "I'll have to quit my job soon, and God only knows if I'll ever be able to work as a doctor again."
"I'll figure it out, Jean," he told her, his patience declining.
"Because I'm going to need you by my side, Logan… To help me with the baby."
"I'm here, ain't I?" He snapped and sat up in bed, turning his back to the woman.
Her eyes widened. "You are here now, yes. But what about tomorrow, or the day after? What about the day when the baby decides to come? Will you be around?" The redhead asked, straightening herself up in bed, clutching the sheets around her naked form.
"Dammit Jean! What the hell do ya want from me, huh?" Wolverine yelled, standing up to put on his boxers, and then turning around to glare at her. "'Til last night ya didn't even know if ya wanted to be with me again! Now ya're askin' me to leave the team and raise a family together? Jesus!"
"It was your idea to move in together. I've done my part of the deal, it's about time you do yours!" She hissed angrily.
"I asked ya to move in here so that ya and the kid could be safe!"
"Oh, right. You never planned for us to be a family then... I get that now," Jean stood up, white sheets tightly concealing her body.
"I didn't say that," he said through clenched teeth, looking out of the bedroom window and fighting the urge to slice something.
"You didn't have to..."
The feral man squeezed his eyes shut. "Jean… stop this. I'm warnin' ya, just stop," he told her, his body trembling.
"So, last night… What was it to you, then, huh?"
"Shut up!" He growled. She ignored.
"Tell me, Logan. Last night… Were you just scratching an itch?"
"Grrrrrrrrr!" Wolverine roared, and three adamantium claws extended from his right hand to slash mercilessly at the wall beside the window. The redhead staggered backwards, startled.
"W-What?" She asked frightened and confused. "You… You have claws?"
Logan turned around in fury, eyes dark and merciless for a split second. Then he smelled her fear and immediately retracted his claws. "Fuck," Wolverine exclaimed as he stared at Jean - she had her back against the opposite wall, one hand grasping the sheets that covered her body, the other holding her belly protectively. He was angry, but she was terrified. "I'm sorry, Jeannie…"
"Get out," she ordered him once, her voice clear and demanding. Logan didn't argue. He grabbed his clothes from the floor and stomped out of the room without glancing back. Jean slid down to the carpet, green eyes fixed on the fresh gash on the wall. As the fear and adrenaline started subsiding, she allowed her tears to fall freely.