A/N: I own nothing. It all belongs to Marvel.
Screams tore from the mutant lying on the rumpled bed. Tears fell down her cheeks as she tried to muffle her cries. The nurses bustled around her, their ministrations almost incomprehensible to her. A warm hand engulfed hers and squeezed gently.
"You're doing so well. I love you so much, Davina." Her husband's voice calmed her down a little. Davina wanted this child inside of her to be born more than anything. They'd waited nine long months for their son to join them and now he was almost here. She just didn't know it would hurt so much.
Just a few weeks ago, Malik and her had been held in a mutant internment camp along with other captives. They'd despaired of their child being born in that wretched place but the X-Men had freed them and brought them all to this mutant paradise. Their son would be born a free citizen of Krakoa, one of the first births in this newly formed country.
Mutants were flocking here from all over the world. Here, her shimmering skin didn't turn heads except in admiration. Here, the fact that Malik had purple feathers in place of hair was something to be celebrated, not reviled. It was a miracle that they had made it to this new Eden and she never wanted to leave.
A young, blond man swept in past the nurses and laid his hand on her. Instantly, the pain subsided and she could feel the contractions without being overwhelmed by them. He smiled gently at her.
"Sorry it took so long for me to get here. I'm Josh and I'm here to make sure you deliver this baby safely."
"Thank you." With the pain at a manageable level, she could think more clearly now. When the nurses told her to push, she did so. They gave her ice chips and wiped the sweat from her face. Josh kept a hand on her shoulder while the slow process continued. She could feel the movement within her body but couldn't tell how far along she was.
It took two more hours before the head nurse began acting more urgently. Other medical personnel bustled around at her orders.
"I can see the head! Just a few more pushes!" It didn't seem possible but with a few more deep pushes she felt a sort of release and then a flurry of nurses rubbing a tiny form resulted in a sudden wail. She cried tears of relief as they cut the umbilical cord and bundled the baby in a towel before laying him on her chest.
"Oh God, he's so beautiful!" His dark skin was wrinkled and his wisps of dark hair stuck up randomly from his round head. She couldn't see any sign of her or Malik's mutations but that was okay. Josh smiled at her and laid a hand on the baby before a slight frown came over his face. Turning, he walked over to the head nurse and began talking softly to her. The nurse glanced at them and frowned as well.
"What? Is something wrong?" Fresh fear seized her as she tried to soothe the crying newborn. He looked healthy, there didn't seem to be anything wrong but why were they all whispering and glancing at her.
"No, he's perfectly healthy. We're just going to run some tests. It's standard procedure." Josh's smile was warm but she still felt like there was tension in the room. The head nurse took the baby to run the tests and Davina's heart already ached to have him out of her sight. Malik held her hand tightly.
"It will be fine. He's a strong boy."
She couldn't help the feeling that something was wrong but the birth had been exhausting and when they brought her son back and laid him in the bassinet next to her bed, it didn't take long before she fell asleep.
When she woke, a few hours later, she glanced drowsily at the bassinet only to find it empty. Alarmed, she sat up only to see Malik in a chair across the room cradling little Omar. He looked exhausted himself but he smiled as she sat up. It was so wonderful seeing father and son together. Her family was so beautiful.
Using the call button summoned a nurse who helped her get up and travel to the bathroom. The nurse seemed cheerful enough but Davina caught her glancing at the baby a few times. The nurse settled her back into bed and told her a doctor would be in shortly to talk to both of them.
The door opened and a dark-skinned woman walked in. She remembered Dr. Reyes from their initial exams when they'd first been brought here. The woman smiled at the baby and came to sit by her bed.
"Hello Davina, how are you feeling?"
"I'm okay but what is going on? Everyone has been acting odd since the baby was born. Is he alright?"
"Yes, he's perfectly fine. But there's something in his bloodwork that I need to discuss with both of you."
"What is it?" All sorts of horrible scenarios flew through her head. Diseases, internal problems, genetic disorders-there were so many things that could go wrong.
"Your son is perfectly healthy but we did a genetic test. He doesn't have the X-Factor gene. He's not a mutant."
For a moment, Davina merely stared at her in confusion. That didn't make any sense. Her and Malik were both mutants so their baby should be too, shouldn't he?
"There's no guarantee that two mutants will produce another mutant. Sabretooth and Mystique are both alpha-level mutants and they had a son together who wasn't a mutant."
"Does this mean we have to leave the island?" Her mind felt oddly numb but it was the only reason she could think of as to why everyone was acting oddly. Krakoa was for mutants and Omar wasn't a mutant. There was no way they were going to abandon their son so if he wasn't welcome, they would leave with him. Malik would agree, she was sure.
"What? No, of course not. There are a few humans living here. No one's going to kick you out over something so trivial. It's just standard procedure to inform you of anything pertaining to your son."
Relief flowed through her at the realization they could stay. But it also occurred to her that Omar would grow up a minority in a mutant-centric nation. Would he be teased or bullied? Suddenly she saw her mutant haven from an entirely new perspective. This place might well turn out to be a nightmare for her son.
A far worse idea occurred to her. With the mutant revival program, mutants were promised a form of immortality. If they died, they could be brought back over and over. But her son was not a mutant so it wouldn't apply to him. Would Malik and her watch their son grow old and die while they kept being resurrected? Could she stand that?
Maybe Krakoa wasn't as good as it had sounded in the beginning. Her fears must have shown on her face because Malik took her hand in his and squeezed gently. Her husband's eyes shown with love for her and their son. He shook his feather-hair gently and smiled at her.
"It's okay. Whatever happens, we are a family and we will face it together. If things did turn out bad, we could always leave in the future."
She felt some of her anxiety subside. He always knew just what to say to calm her fears. Malik placed Omar in her arms and she stroked his tiny face. He was their perfect, human baby and they would do whatever they had to do to keep him safe. Krakoa might be their home for now but they would give the world to their son, not just one island. Children were the future, whether mutant or not, and they would ensure their son's future would be as bright as possible.
"Welcome to the world, my son."
A/N: So I both like and dislike the whole Krakoan storyline in the comics. On the one hand, I think it's great that a lot of mutants who had nowhere else to go have a refuge of sorts. On the other hand, I don't like the idea of segregation and some of the other practices like the ritualistic killings are extremely disturbing.
I do hope that Krakoa stays as a refuge for weaker mutants but knowing how comic books work, I'm expecting a slaughter at some point in the future like on Genosha. God forbid anyone ever gets to be happy or succeed at anything in a comic book world. Also, what happens if one of the Five are killed? How would they resurrect anyone then?
Anyway, I'm writing a series of stand-alone chapters on various reactions and explorations of Krakoa. Most of the chapters will be about OC's but canon characters will appear as needed. This one was inspired by the "Make more mutants," rule. It sounds good in theory but two mutants can still produce a non-mutant child so this was the first idea I had but there are plenty more to come.