Chapter 72: Origin: Honey Badger

-Xavier Institute-

Gabby sat on the edge of the fountain in the institute's courtyard, humming cheerily as she swayed her legs back and forth. Jonathan the baby wolverine was sleeping soundly in her lap while Beast sat across from her in a lawn chair, his reading glasses on as he read aloud to her from a book he had with him.

What was he reading, you may ask? The Shakespearean play commonly known as Hamlet.

"And said Hamlet to Heratio: "There are more things in heaven and earth, Heratio than what are dreamed of in your philosophy."." The blue Mutant spoke as the girl listened to him. Despite her age, she was rather well read, having read most of Shakespeare's works and almost all of the classics. So unlike most of the students she enjoyed listening to them.

"I do not regret reading those stories." The girl declared with a smile. Beast chuckled as he closed his book and set it down.

"Your mother must have been very proud." He smiled, getting a happy nod from Gabby. "Tell me, were there others like you?" He asked.

Gabby nodded slowly. "There were six of us. The oldest, Belova, left us after Kimura was reported to be dead. So we went our separate ways. Bellona eventually went to Russia and joined their military, I think she became part of the Red Room. The same place Black Widow came from, but I'm not sure." She explained, folding her arms and furrowing her eyebrows in frustration.

"Sounds like quite the dilemma. Still, Laura should be back from the cruise along with the others soon." Beast told her.

"I hope she doesn't end up attacking me." The girl said in worry as she continued to pet Jonathan. Though Xavier was quick to sense her anxiety and put a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"I'm sure your sister, father, soon to be stepmother and half-brother will be delighted to see and meet you." The telepath told her reassuringly. These kind words made Gabby smile with happy tears in her eyes before she hugged him around his neck.

"Thank you!" She squeaked happily. Xavier smiled as he hugged her back, he always enjoyed seeing children smile. It was part of the reason why he even started the Institute in the first place.

"Now, how about you and Hank join me for some tea while we wait for the others to arrive?" He asked the girl.

"Yes, please." Gabby replied with a nod. With that, the trio went to enjoy some tea.

(Elsewhere)

-The Bahamas-

"So what are your plans for when we get back to the Institute?" Gavin asked Logan and Chelsea as the three supervised a run to the local grocery store.

"Well since it's been a long time since I've been able to be my snarky, tough love self. I think I'm gonna get back to working as an instructor at the Institute." The Dragoness said. "I mean don't get me wrong, I've been loving being a mom and spouse. But I miss being me, ya know?"

"Yeah. I get that." Scott replied with a nod.

"I'm planning on helping the Prof open more Institutes across the country." Rogue told them. "He had said he wanted me and Jean to help him with it so I think I'll take him up on it."

"I'm planning on setting up a mutant clinic with Dr. Marks. Someone's gotta make sure the mutant population gets treated correctly without discrimination." Bast told them.

"And me and Bronson are thinking of taking over the local mechanic shop when the current owner retires next year." Romano added.

"What about you Marcus?" Chelsea asked her old friend. The man was quiet for a minute before he decided to say something after tossing a box of brownie mix in his basket.

"I'm thinking of opening a pot shop." He said casually.

"... Really?" The dragoness asked with a raised eyebrow.

"That does sound like something you'd be into." Romano nodded.

"Seriously, it fits almost too well." Added Bast.

"Hey, you'd be surprised how much demand there is for Cannabis oil and weed these days. Especially with the new kids." The man said defensively.

"Just try to not get addicted again." Logan said as he grabbed a package of ham and looked it over before putting it in the cart.

"Ha ha… Whaddya take me for?" The blonde laughed as they continued shopping. However, as they waited for checkout, Ororo got a call from the Institute.

"Hello? Oh, hello Charles, is there a problem?" The woman asked, a minute or two passed before her eyes widened. "What? When did this happen?" She asked. Again a few moments of silence. "How long has it been since she arrived?"

"What's wrong, Ororo?" Logan asked as they left the market to go to their hotel.

"One moment, Logan." The weather witch replied as she held up a finger. "You're serious, Charles, she's a sister of-I see… Oh she sounds like a little darling. Right, I'll be sure to tell them. See you in a few days Charles. Goodbye." She said before hanging up the phone.

"What's up?" Chelsea adked.

"It appears Charles and Hank had a visitor while we were away." The Silver haired woman told them.

"Who's the visitor?" Logan asked with a raised eyebrow.

"A little girl, barely younger than Jamie, Kai and Pele. Around 10 or 11, named Gabby. She came to the Institute in the middle of the night with only the clothes she was wearing, a small pink Disney backpack, and-I am not joking-a baby wolverine with her." The woman said with a very amused giggle.

"WHAT?!" Laura shouted, causing them to jump and turn to her. The girl's eyes were wide In shock and hope. "She found her way to the Institute?! Gabby's safe?!" She questioned.

"You know who she is?" Ororo asked as Logan was finally able to stabilize the rental van after Laura's yell caused him to swerve.

"She's a precious cinnamon roll is what she is. Gabby's another HYDRA subject, but she wouldn't break." The mini wolverine told him.

"Another clone? How many of you did your mom pop out?" Chelsea questioned.

"Eight including me. Gabby was the youngest and was kept separate from the rest of our sisters because she was far too emotionally stable and her EQ refused to decline no matter how many wipes or brainwashing sessions she went through. They just could not get rid of her 'self' or mold her." Laura explained. "So she was declared a failure and was basically cast out. As for the rest of my sisters, I don't know where they are." She added.

"... Well, I know what I'm doing when we get back to the Institute." Logan said as he parked in front of their hotel.

"Bonding with our precious child waiting for us at the Institute?" Chelsea guessed with a grin. "Are you going soft on me, Logan?" She teased in a snarky tone as they got out of the car.

"No, just trying to make sure I don't break my success streak. I do need to keep up my record." He snarked back as the two elbowed each other.

"Those two really do make a good couple." Bast whispered to Ororo, who nodded in agreement.

"I'm personally looking forward to seeing how they'll act outside the family setting." Ororo notes. "Though knowing them they'll probably just act the same way they did before Drake came along."

"True." Bast nodded.

(Later)

Later that night everyone was gathered outside the hotel to enjoy the Japanese styled barbecue that Gavin and Devin had planned for their last night in the Bahamas. And everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves.

"Bottoms up!" Chelsea cheered as she downed her second bottle of Corona Lite. "Ah~! Man I can't begin to tell you how long I've missed being able to binge again!" She sighed happily, much to Logan's amusement.

"Just try not to get wasted, okay Scales? Last thing I need is for you to be hungover when we leave tomorrow." He told her.

"Oh stop worrying Logan, god, you're acting like you were back when I was pregnant." The blonde groaned in exasperation. Yep, there's the Chelsea they were used to. Aggravated with only a few things and rarely having a filter.

"Can we all agree that this trip was worth it?" Katerina chirped from Romano's side.

"Easily." Devin nodded.

"Yep." Gavin nodded.

"I think we can definitely agree there." Rogue added as she fed Damian a peace of beef.

"But in all honesty, I really just wanna go home now." Laura said as Drake sat in her lap in dragon form, gobbling up the food she dropped in his squawking mouth.

"Because of what you heard about who's waiting at the Institute?" Jean asked.

"Well yeah, that. But also…" She said as she leaned on Peter's shoulder, trying to cool herself down by being in the stream of his handheld fan. "I really want to get back up state. This tropical weather is just not for me." She sighed.

"Tropics aren't for everyone." Johan shrugged knowingly.

"I hear that." Marcus nodded.

"Agreed." Everyone else nodded.

"Now, let's keep eating." Gavin said as they all continued to dig in.

(The next day)

Everyone got out of the vans that drove them from the Airport and started getting their belongings back into the mansion. However when Laura walked inside while Drake dragged his bag in with the strap in his draconic snout, The girl was nearly tackled to the ground by a little girl flinging herself into her arms.

"LAURA!" Gabby shouted joyfully. Laura eagerly threw her arms around her little sister while Jonathan was making happy wolverine noises.

"Gabby! Oh thank goodness you're safe! I thought I'd never see you again!" The older of the two cried happily as she looked at her younger sister. "You've gotten taller." She notes.

"Yep! And I like it here. It feels so homey." The little girl said as she threw herself onto a couch with a smile.

Drake meanwhile was sniffing Jonathan as the two circled each other, before transforming back into his human form which caused the wolverine to roll over on his back in surprise. This caused Drake to laugh. Chelsea, who watched it all, let out a chuckle. She too found that amusing.

"Aww, who's this little cutie?" Laura and Gabby asked as they picked up Jonathan and Drake respectively.

"Go on Drake, introduce yourself to your sister." Logan prompted the toddler who looked up at the girl holding him and hugged her.

"Hi sissy." He said as he buried himself in her shirt.

"Aw, he's so precious!" Gabby gushed as she held her little half brother close.

"And who's this little guy?" Laura asked as she pet Jonathan, who relished in the affection given.

"That's Jonathan. I saved him from a bunch of jerks that were experimenting on his family with some sort of animal rabies based zombie virus." The younger sister said angrily before she deployed a golden metal claw from her right knuckle. "Luckily, me and my friends Wade Wilson and Doreen Green stop them… in their tracks." She said menacingly as she deployed two more claws on either side of the one she already deployed, these being adamantium coated too, and painted pink.

"... Did you say Wade Wilson?" Gavin asked in surprise.

"And Doreen Green?" Questioned Johan.

"Yes…?" Gabby nodded. "Why?"

"This explains a lot." The soldier nodded.

"Yeah, no wonder no one's scooped you up yet, you got two of the most dangerous superheroes as your personal fighting partners." Gavin added.

"Who?" Chelsea asked, completely confused.

"Wade Wilson is the secret identity of none other than, Deadpool, the merc with a mouth." Johan stated, causing Logan to groan. The clawed Mutant couldn't stand Deadpool.

"And Doreen Green is otherwise known as Squirrel Girl, and don't let her codename fool you. She's tangled with foes that it really shouldn't even be possible for her to win, and somehow always come out on top." Gavin explained.

"Like for example the time she single handedly took down Dr. Doom and did so without sustaining as much as a scratch." Johan added. "She's also a Mutant, so She does have superpowers."

"This makes me curious of how Gabby befriended the two." Devin commented.

"I ran into Doreen in Manhattan when she and her squirrel friends were trying to save some baby birds from drowning." Gabby told them. "Her powers give her a squirrel tail, claws, communication, and everything else too."

"Heh, she sounds like a really hoot!" Chelsea laughed.

"Can confirm." Katerina nodded. "I've run into her a few times and we actually hit off pretty well." She added.

"Anyway, I'm Chelsea by the way." The Dragoness told her new daughter, holding out her hand. "I'm your new stepmom. It's nice to meet you, kiddo." This was responded to with Gabby quickly running towards her, ignoring her hand and hugging her midsection.

"MOMMY!" She yelled happily, causing the dragon queen to chuckle as she held her daughter close.

'This girl is precious!' Was the general thought of everyone in the room. Chelsea meanwhile was trying hard not to dote on her, she'd done that plenty enough with Drake and she was starting to feel like she was losing her edge.

That being said, she wasn't going to be heartless either. "Yeah, that's right Gabs, I'm your mom." She smiled as she stroked Gabby's hair.

(The next day)

"Okay everyone, let's hustle! Come on! Move it, move it, move it! Don't make me come over there!" Chelsea yelled as she watched and prompted the kids to keep running laps in an obstacle course that kept switching hazards every thirty seconds.

"Am I the only one who didn't miss how Chelsea was before Drake came along?" Bobby groaned as he and the rest of the younger students made it halfway through their 40th lap while dodging wall projectiles.

"Nope…" Roberto groaned before barely dodging a projectile.

"Honestly I think I preferred the mellower her much more." Ray nodded.

Gabby meanwhile was playing with Mr. T and Jonathan as she watched the students exercise. Although she clearly had combat and other training in her, the professor thought it'd be best to let her first observe the others first to see how things were done.

"I don't think you're too strict mom, I mean outside of training you're usually okay." The girl noted as the turtle in her lap went into its shell.

"Ah don't listen to them. I'm still way more toned down than what I used to be. I just save my 'strictler' side for when these guys slack off." The blonde told her. "Believe me, Gabby. Me when I first got here and me now? Completely different. I guess falling for your dad and having Drake kinda did that to me."

"Oh." The girl nodded as the kids all rounded the corner and all collapsed one by one.

"Okay people, that's enough for today." Chelsea told them. "But slack off again next time we do an exercise and you'll be running eighty laps." She stated, causing a feeling of dread to crash on them.

"I hate you." Ray groaned.

"Not cool, Chels." Pele and Kai added.

"Hate me all you want, you'll still come out as a bunch of tough cookies." The dirty blondie deflected. "Besides, you're lucky. I had to do my training against my will and to survive in deplorable conditions. You guys? Exact opposite. So count your blessings." She added.

Kai and Pele shot her a dirty glance. "Okay, most of you. Sorry you two, my bad." She apologized, getting a 'that's better' from said twins. "Anyway, hit the showers, you all seriously wreake." She told them, pinching her nose.

With that, they all went to take some much needed showers. Some didn't like the return of drill segment Chelsea… but they grudgingly admitted that she was a lot less boring this way.

"So, will I be able to train with them soon?" Gabby asked.

"As soon as your dad gives you the go ahead, sure." Her stepmom nodded right as Logan entered with the older kids following him. Gavin, Devin, Kurt, Kitty, Rogue, Scott, Jean, and Lance were all in their costumes ready to train.

"Well, Danger Room's all yours Wolvie." The Dragoness grinned at her husband while lightly slapping him on the shoulder as she passed by. "Knock em flat." She told him.

"Gladly." The scraggly man nodded with a smirk. As soon as she left the Mutant cracked his knuckles and faced his students. "Alright, Twerps. It's time we made up for lost time. But since you probably haven't been able to have much fun lately…" He said as Metal balls suddenly rose from the floor in a line. "Today, we're gonna do a little something I like to call: Mutant Dodgeball-Survival Mode."

This made everyone grin like crazy as Jean and Rogue flew into the air, cosmic energy surrounding them. Gavin discarding his guns and sword, Devin turning himself into metal, and everyone else getting into position as they picked teams.

And all hell, broke loose.

(The next day)

Gabby hummed to herself as she laid on her bed on her stomach while she drew in a Minnie Mouse notebook Logan got her, her legs swinging back and forth.

She was in the same room as Laura and Rahne, the three girls were all basically roommates now because of her wanting to be near Laura. Jonathan meanwhile was sleeping at the food of her bed, snoring away.

"Whatcha drawing Gabbs?" Laura asked as looked over her sister's shoulder.

"My costume ideas." The girl chirped, showing her a drawing of her in a black pants with Bumblebee yellow on the thighs and inner thighs, Bumblebee yellow heptagon shaped knee pads, black boots with Bumblebee yellow trim, a Bumblebee yellow hoodie with black Tiger-like stripes on the arms and a black visage on the front similar to Wolverine's mask, black gloves just like Logan's with Bumblebee trim and fur lined cuffs, and lastly a pair of round but pointy yellow goggles with red lenses.

"That looks great. Have you decided on a codename yet?" The older of the two asked.

"Honey Badger." The girl replied with a beaming smile. This made Laura's inner little girl want to squeal with delight. "Do you like it?" She asked.

"I think it's a perfect name for you." The mini wolverine nodded. "Come on, let's go see if we can get your costume made for you."

"Alright!" Gabby cheered as she hopped down, Notebook in hand.

Look out world, cuz there was a new superhero in town, and her name: Was the Honey Badger.

Dragon Emperor0: And that dear readers is the origin of the newest member of the Howlett family. Keep a pin in the part with their other sisters though. They'll be important later.

ThermalsniperN7: I think I almost died from cuteness when Jonathan rolled on his back after Drake transformed. That was adorable.

Dragon Emperor0: Me too. And for all of you who are worried that the female cast is losing their more dynamic aspects of their personalities. Don't worry, they're still there. I just wanted to spend some time exploring the softer and more romantic side of these characters for a while so that their relationships with their significant others and kids didn't seem glossed over. But now I think it's time they returned to form, having characters that show only one side of themselves all the time tends to get boring to write, so I can only imagine how it is to read.

ThermalsniperN7: Yeah, that can get about as tedious as grinding in a game and getting no results. Changing things up every now and then is good.

Dragon Emperor0: With that being said, expect for the ladies to be going through very big character arcs going forward. These will be very important later on. Anyway guys, see you next time!