Author's Note: Thank you to ZabuzasGirl, Rasha007, NicoleR85, partygirl98, kmj1989, and musicjunkie1996 for the reviews! Big props to Rasha for reviewing four chapters at once, haha! And also for giving me an idea... I'm going to be writing a one shot from Mystique's POV on the whole rescue attempt. She's got some complex motives- more than what Hank concludes, I think- and I think it would be fun to explore them. Thanks, Rasha! Look for that one shot to pop up within the next couple days.

So... today's chapter shows quite a bit of evolution in thinking on Hank's part. There's basically a Warm Bodies line in this chapter- one I've referenced before. But I think the big thing Hank realizes here is actually another quote from that book: "There is no ideal world for you to wait around for. The world is always just what it is now, and it's up to you how you respond to it."

Now he just needs to figure out how. This last story line is about Hank finding it within himself to take a stand in the hopes of making the world a better place for his child- in true "Hank" form though, with lots of baby steps. And how's he going to do that...? Major brownie points to those who figure out where I'm going with this.

Step One

I startled awake the next morning, my subconscious aware that I was naked and not in my own bed before the rest of me caught a clue.

Ugh... where am I?

And then I remembered the events of yesterday and felt a faint flutter of panic as the memories rushed to the surface of my mind.

I almost lost Zoey. She almost died right in front of me-

I reflexively turned my head to bury my face in her curls, letting her scent soothe me like it always did. I immediately relaxed, letting her presence wash over me like a warm spring rain.

She's here. We're ok. It's over.

I laid there quietly for a while, listening to Zoey's soft snores and watching my pale, human hand stroke her hair. I'd reverted back when I fell asleep, but I only had a few hours left before the dose of serum I gave myself on Wednesday morning ran out.

Today was the last time I would ever look like this, relatively human and generally underwhelming, ever again. From now on I would resign myself to the stares and screams of the general public whenever they saw me. It was the death of all semblance of the "normalcy" I'd clung to for so long.

But while I mourned the loss of my old self, I knew it was worth it when I looked at Zoey snoring away and cuddled against my side. Her safety meant more to me than anything else, and that included being able to walk around on the street without inciting the locals to grab their torches and pitchforks.

I could only pray that she felt I was worth the condemnation and ridicule she would face for being married to a monster.

Zoey always woke up slowly when we were at home, but that was not the case today. She bolted awake with a gasp, sitting up and looking around wildly before spotting me next to her.

"Hi," I said quietly. I reached up and brushed her hair back from her face. "You ok?"

She let out a sigh and flopped back down, snuggling against me once more. "Just a bad dream," Zoey muttered. "I'm fine."

"You sure?"

"Mhmm. Just hold me for a while," she murmured softly.

That I can do.

For a few minutes we just laid there in a companionable silence, savoring the fact that we were together again.

But then I finally gathered my courage and decided to broach the subject we needed to discuss.

"Zoey?" I asked, turning on my side so we were face-to-face.

"Hmm?"

She looked at me with all the trust and love in the world shining out of her eyes, like she truly believed I was her "Prince Charming," her "white knight."

Is there such a thing as a "blue knight?" Wait- focus.

I took a deep breath, willing myself to tell her. I hoped Zoey would understand why I had to do this. Even though it was going to be hard for both of us, everything came down to protecting her and our child.

"I can't use my serum anymore," I announced.

I cringed, waiting for her reaction.

"Yes, I know," she replied simply.

"Y-you do?" I sputtered.

The little speech I'd constructed in my head collapsed like a house of cards under Zoey's calm scrutiny. She didn't look surprised at all.

Well that was easy.

For a moment I just stared at her with evident confusion.

"Yes. You're worried that as long as your serum exists, people will come after us and try to force you to make a cure," she explained.

I nodded slowly, taking in her composed expression.

Her pure green eyes were clear and bright, without any hint of disagreement with my conclusion. She'd obviously thought about this, too.

But then, Zoey probably had a lot of time to think while trapped in that freezer.

"It's not going to be easy," I told her, my heart in my throat. "I'm afraid of what people are going to say. Not just to me, but to you as well."

Zoey gave an awkward, one-shoulder shrug. "Sticks and stones, Hank. I know who my husband is, and that's what matters."

I let out a long, slow sigh of relief.

Perhaps I should've known better than to doubt her at this point. When had Zoey ever been anything but the most loving, supportive wife imaginable? Always willing to stand by my side...

"Thank you," I whispered, leaning in to give her a kiss.

She cradled my face in her hands when we came up for air, stroking along my cheeks with her thumbs.

"I'm glad you came to this decision on your own," she said quietly. "To not use your serum anymore."

I frowned in confusion. "How's that?"

"For the baby," Zoey replied. "He's probably going to be mutant, and-"

"'He?'" I couldn't help teasing, despite the seriousness of the discussion we just had.

After the stress and agony of yesterday afternoon, I suppose I needed a moment of frivolity. I wanted to pretend that this was a normal Saturday morning, sans the usual feline audience.

For that reason I grinned and ducked my head under the covers to kiss all over her stomach.

"You think it's a boy?"

"Oh, I don't know. But whenever I picture the baby I see a boy with cute little monkey-toes and big gold eyes," she explained.

That's better than a baby teddy bear, I guess.

"I see."

Zoey's voice became a little breathless as I kissed a trail up her body to her neck and allowed my hands to wander. "But- but that's not what I was getting at," she gasped, squirming provocatively underneath me.

"Right," I agreed. I moved off of her and settled down on my side to listen, my hand on her tummy. "Please continue."

She pouted at me for stopping, but explained anyway. "It's not really fair of us to tell a child they should accept themselves when we hide too, don't you think?"

My playful mood instantly vanished.

Zoey was right, of course. Perhaps I eventually would've arrived at that conclusion as well, had circumstances not forced me into it.

For all my talk of wanting to be a good father, I wouldn't be setting a good example for our child if I still hid my mutation from the world. I'd be a hypocrite of the worst order.

This was truly the only way, no matter what hardships we would face. And I was sure there would be quite a few.

"Yes, I see your point," I murmured uneasily.

I rolled back over to stare at the ceiling in contemplation, feeling very frustrated and afraid. I kept thinking of our baby, what life would be like for him. How difficult and dangerous the world was for mutants.

The apprehension I felt for myself- and even for Zoey- was nothing compared to the anguish I experienced when I thought of the world our child would be born into.

"I'm sorry," Zoey mumbled. "I didn't mean to upset you, Hank."

"You didn't," I replied. "I just-"

I paused, trying to gather my thoughts.

"I hate this. I hate what I'm going to put you through, what our child is going to go through, just for what we are," I said finally. "It's not- it's not fair."

Zoey propped herself up on one elbow to see my face. "At least we'll have Xavier's though, right? Our baby is always going to have somewhere to belong."

"Somehow it doesn't feel like enough," I retorted, shaking my head. "Yes, there's somewhere, but what happens when he gets older? If yesterday proved anything, it's that this world is a dangerous place for mutants. Hiding away passively here at the mansion isn't doing anything to change that."

I sighed.

"I'm starting to wonder if Charles' way is truly the best approach," I muttered. "It feels like we're just hiding here, waiting for the world to magically change and become safe for mutants. But we're not doing anything to fix it. I want- I want more for our baby than this."

Though I'd told myself it was foolish to want all of society to accept me, I wanted exactly that for my child. I wanted him to have the world. To be safe...

Zoey began to look uneasy. "Hank, you're starting to scare me," she said anxiously. "What are you saying? That you agree with Magneto now?"

"No, of course not," I replied earnestly, turning over to face her again. "I'm not talking about mutant superiority. I-"

I pulled up short as things clicked into place- Raven's attempt to convince me about her cause, Erik's unusual restraint, the fact that they even assisted us in the first place. They thought Zoey's kidnapping would be motivation enough to change our minds about mutant-human relations and join the Brotherhood.

It explained why Raven tried to persuade me, why Erik refrained from killing all of those FOH members with their own weapons- because even if an X-Man did an about-face, they surmised, we wouldn't suddenly be on board with a massacre. Even of the FOH.

They underestimated our loyalty, though. Hence their hasty retreat once we were safely back at the Institute.

"I think that's why Erik and Raven agreed to help us," I mused aloud. "They were hoping that you getting kidnapped would sway at least one of the X-Men into changing sides."

Zoey still looked worried.

"It didn't work, sweetheart," I promised. "I was talking about mutant equality, not superiority."

Her expression became relieved, though for a few minutes she mulled it over in silence.

"Ok," she announced finally. "Ok, I understand. But what are you going to do, Hank? I think we can agree that wanting change is only the first step. Step two is actually taking it."

I instantly deflated as Zoey grounded me in reality.

Dreaming big is one thing, but making them come true is a different story.

I didn't realize that I'd spoken that thought aloud until Zoey replied.

"Darling, you're one of the greatest inventors the world has ever seen. Making dreams a reality is what you do," she said.

"I think da Vinci would take offense to that," I noted dryly.

"Good thing he's dead then," Zoey retorted, sticking her tongue out at me. "Besides, most of his work was theoretical. Yours is practical."

"Thanks for clearing that up," I joked.

I pulled her in for a long, lingering kiss.

"I love you," I told her seriously, stroking her cheek with one hand.

"I love you, Hank" Zoey replied. She turned her head to kiss my palm. "You'll think of something, darling. I have faith in you."