Chapter 16 - Assistances

Xavier's School for the Gifted Youngsters, Salem Center, New York.

It was eight o'clock sharp when Scott knocked on the studio's door, holding Nathan in his arms.

"Come in, Scott," he heard Xavier's deep voice echoing from behind the wooden door and let himself in.

"Good morning, sir. How did you know it was… oh, never mind," he said, blushing at his own naivety.

Charles chuckled from his wheelchair. "Good morning to you two."

"Sorry. I'm not used to living among other mutants," Scott told the professor, placing his son on the rug. The toddler quickly crawled towards the empty brown leather sofa and used his two hands to grab its edge and push himself up on his two feet. Nate glanced back and giggled at his father, happy with his achievement.

"It appears that Nathan will soon be walking," the older man reckoned with a smile.

"So it seems," the proud dad nodded. "He's already a very active child; I'll have to watch him twice as hard when that happens."

Xavier moved his eyes from son to father, folding his arms over his lap. "I suspect Nathan's physical development isn't what is bothering you, Scott."

The younger man took a moment to study Charles' face. "He's a mutant, sir. A telepath. But you already know that, don't you?"

"I do."

Scott sighed. He stared at his son, who was currently struggling to grasp a patterned pillow laying over the couch. The baby couldn't reach the object with one hand, so his other hand let go of the edge of the sofa to try to grab it, prompting him to fall buttocks first on the floor. The failure rendered Nate discontent; he looked between his daddy and the couch and pointed to the pillow. "Dada."

His father picked him up and sat on the sofa, placing him on his lap. Nathan quickly reached for the pillow, grabbing the craved object with his tiny hands and bringing it to his mouth. "No, Nate," he heard his dad's stern voice and immediately dropped the pillow, a scowl appearing on his features. Scott then took a teething ring from his shirt front pocket and handed it to the baby, who quickly drove it into his mouth. "He's teething," he explained to Xavier, and went on, "like a normal nine-month-old child. Except my son isn't normal. Tell me, professor, how can he already have mutant abilities? He's just a baby."

Charles pulled his wheelchair closer to the pair and placed two fingers on his right temple. "It is indeed quite unusual for someone to manifest mutant gifts at such a young age, Scott. I can sense Nathan's mind wandering around, trying to estimate where he is and who are all these new faces around him. Right now, I can feel him trying to communicate with me telepathically. Needless to say, he's not even aware of his actions," Xavier concluded, taking the fingers away from his temple. Both adults stared at the toddler, who was happily chewing the ring. "How did you find out about your son's telepathy?"

Scott's face became solemn. "Nate was very attached to Madelyne, his mom. Like me, she worked as a commercial pilot. Four months ago, her plane had a malfunction during a flight and crashed. Maddie didn't survive."

"I'm sorry about your loss, son. It must have been hard on you."

"Thank you, sir. I'm better now. Anyway, that night Nate started crying at the exact same time that my wife died. And since then, he cries every night at nine thirty-four. I figured it couldn't be a coincidence, especially considering how the mutant gene runs in our family."

Xavier raised a brow in confusion. "I don't recall hearing Nathan crying at that specific time since you two have been living in the mansion."

"That's because he hasn't. We have Dr. Grey to thank for that," Scott said, a shy smile forming in his face.

Professor X looked even more puzzled. "You mean Jean? Jean Grey?"

"Yes. We've met a few nights ago, before either of us had moved in. I took Nate to the hospital because he was crying so much… Coincidently, it was Jean's shift. She felt him inside her mind and telepathically soothed him. And last evening, he started crying again. I accidentally bumped into her in the infirmary and she did the same," Scott clarified.

Charles didn't seem pleased with this particular piece of information. "As far as I'm concerned, Ms. Grey isn't a very experienced telepath. She shouldn't be messing with a child's mind like that."

"Oh, but she didn't want to do it, sir. It's my fault, I insisted," Scott defended her. "Besides, Jean was the one who advised me to ask for your help."

"Still… I will need to have a word with her about the risks of using her powers so recklessly."

"Professor, please… Jean was only trying to help. And she did help," the man explained in an assertive tone. "That's why I'm here. I… I met someone yesterday… a woman. Blonde, very attractive, probably rich. She said her name's Karen Wilson. She asked me out, and while I was talking to her, Nate woke up and started crying. It wasn't even his usual crying time but he didn't stop until Jean telepathically pacified him again," the man let out a breath. "She looked into his mind and saw that he was afraid of this woman. Jean said my son cried to protect me."

Xavier was clearly taken aback, Scott noticed. After a few seconds of pondering, the older mutant finally replied. "Scott, I'm sorry, but… I find that quite unlikely. It's probably just a coincidence that Nathan started crying when you were talking to this lady. Perhaps Ms. Grey has misinterpreted things… With everything that's been happening to her recently, it's quite possible that her own psyche was too troubled to properly decipher what was going on inside a toddler's mind."

The young man didn't seem convinced. "Sir, with all due respect, I came here because I'm worried about my baby's powers, not Jean's," he stared down at his son, who was almost asleep on his lap at this point. "I'd feel much more comfortable if you'd read his mind before we reached any conclusions."

It was Charles' turn to sigh. "All right, Scott. If you could please hold Nathan steadily while I enter his mind…"

It took Professor X about two minutes to open his eyes again. He gazed at the man across from him, mouth agape. "J-Jean was right… Even in his sleep, your son was able to detect the woman's not so noble intentions. He cried… to alert you."

"Jesus!" Scott exclaimed. "That means Nate's more powerful than I thought. How can a baby deal with this much psychic power?"

"I don't know, Scott. I've never seen anything like this in my life," Xavier confessed, folding his arms over his legs and thinking it through. "Maybe… Maybe I could erect some psychic blocks in Nathan's mind. It should prevent him from inadvertently using his telepathy, at least until he's old enough to process what being a telepath means."

"Is it safe?"

"Yes. It's quite simple, actually."

"Then do it, professor. Please."

The older mutant drew in a deep breath and nodded in agreement. "All right. Please, do not interrupt me before I'm done."

Scott's shoulders tensed. "I won't."

After about fifteen minutes, Xavier reopened his eyes. Nate was sleeping deeply. "It's done. I've temporarily locked Nathan's telepathy. Don't worry, Scott, there will be no collateral damage to his mind. He'll probably sleep for a couple of hours now."

Scott sighed in relief. "Thank you, sir. I really appreciate it," he said, caressing his son's hair.

Charles smiled kindly. "You're very welcome. If you could please stay a little longer," the bald man asked, and then sent a mental call to his pupils. 'X-Men, an urgent situation has arisen. Please, come to my studio immediately.'

Scott heard the request in his head as well. "What was that about, professor?"

"Your new girlfriend, Mr. Summers. We need to find out who Karen Wilson really is."

xxxxx

"Thank you all for joining me on such a short notice."

"Hey Scottie, what are you doing here?" Alex asked.

"Good question, mon ami. Why Summers and his baby are here, professor? I thought dis was an X-Men meeting," Gambit said while Rogue helped him to a seat. "Careful with de ribs, cher," he warned her, holding his left side.

"This is an X-Men meeting, Remy. I asked Scott to stay because what I have to tell you concerns both him and his son."

"Can we just get over this? It's bad enough that Wolvie's left just before Thanksgiving. I'm not in the mood to spend my whole Saturday morning inside the house," Jubilee complained, her large pink glasses covering her swollen eyes. Logan's departure had been a tough blow to everyone in the team, but it was his teen sidekick who had been suffering the most.

Xavier gave her a stern look that she pretended not to see. Teenagers… The older man sighed. "Very well. Scott has met a strange lady yesterday. She told him her name was Karen Wilson, but we believe that she was lying."

"Why's that, Charles?"

"Because Nate tried to warn me about her, Forge," Scott replied, to everyone's surprise. "We've found out my son's a telepath. Professor X has just confirmed it."

It was Polaris' turn to question the situation. "Is it true? Oh my God, he's just a baby!"

"And yet, Lorna, Nathan was able to detect that something was odd about this woman," Xavier explained.

"What did she do, Scott?" Storm asked.

"Not much. She had a flat tire, so I changed it for her. Then she asked me out."

"Wow, Casanova. Did you accept it? Was she hot?"

Beast rolled his eyes. "Easy on the hormones, Iceman. Scott, did you notice anything strange about her?"

"Beside the fact that she was very attractive and was hitting heavily on me? No, not really."

"I knew it!" Bobby exclaimed. "Chicks with flat tires are always hot."

"Moron," Rogue muttered.

Xavier exhaled - team meetings were much more pragmatical when Logan was around. "Quiet, X-Men. You're missing the point here. This woman's mind has scared a nine-month-old baby. We have an uncountable number of enemies out there, waiting to strike us; we need to discover wether she's connected to any of them. I'm linking Scott's mind to yours so you can see what this woman looks like."

"Wow," Iceman and Gambit exclaimed in unison, granting Remy a slap on his good side from Rogue.

"Her Professor, I know zhis woman! I saw her in zhe Hellfire Club's meeting zhe night I infiltrated its quarters. She's a telepath. Her true name's Emma Frost," Nightcrawler revealed, "but her associates also called her zhe White Queen."

"The white bitch, you mean," Jubilee sneered.

"Undoubtedly, it is a trap," Beast concluded. "The Hellfire Club must be aware that Scott is currently living among the X-Men. Frost probably aspires to use him to uncover our location."

"Well, they knew Polaris and I would join you guys. That's why Malice attacked Lorna in our apartment," Havok added, turning to his brother. "They must know we're siblings."

"We can probably thank Malice for that too," Rogue determined. "So, didya' accept that two-cent whore's invitation, Scott?"

The man scratched the back of his head, unsure of what to say. "Well, uh… I kind of did," he answered, noticing how Bobby and Remy exchanged deliberate smiles. "But now that I know she's after you guys, I won't be going, of course."

"I think you should go," they all turned around towards Storm's voice. "I mean, we could use Scott to turn the tables on the Hellfire Club. The White Queen doesn't know we have exposed her. I say you go on a date with Karen Wilson and find out everything you can about their plans against us."

Havok stood up from his seat. "No way, Ororo. It's too dangerous. My brother's a guest in this house, not an X-Man."

"Actually, Alex, I was about to invite Scott to join the team. We could always use an experienced pilot in our missions," Xavier declared, and every pair of eyes in the room fell on Scott's face.

"I, uh… I don't know, professor. I mean, I want to help you… Hell, I want to help all mutants… But Alex's right, I'm not a superhero."

"Besides, what could Scott possibly do against a telepath?" Alex inquired. "She can rip out any information of his head with a mere thought. Literally."

"Not if Charles intervenes," Forge suggested.

"Exactly. I would be with you, inside your head, during every second of it, Scott. I can implant a false memory of the mansion's whereabouts in your mind and induce her to look the wrong way. I won't allow her to read your mind beyond that, nor interfere with your thoughts whatsoever. Rogue and Nightcrawler would go too, acting as a couple. They'd stay undercover a few meters away, watching the two of you in case things escalate into trouble. Kurt, how is the image inducer working?"

"Perfectly, professor."

"Good. Havok, Polaris, Iceman and I will stay hidden in the van. While you distract Ms. Frost, I'll try to scan her mind," Xavier never took his eyes from Scott while disclosing his plan. "Of course, no one will force you to cooperate, son. We respect free will in this house."

The man looked at the sleeping baby on his lap. The White Queen and the Hellfire Club surely represented a menace to all mutants, Nate included. Maybe Scott wasn't an X-Man, but he certainly wasn't a coward. He was a father, and as such, he'd do anything in his power to protect his son. "I'll do it."

"What?" Alex yelped in surprise.

"I'll do it. I'll help you," he repeated. "If the Hellfire Club finds the mansion's location, everyone here will be at risk, including my son. Just… promise you'll keep Nate safe while I'm at it, okay?"

"Forge and I can look after him," Storm offered.

"All right. Let's do it," Scott said, reaching for his phone to dial to a certain Karen Wilson.

xxxxx

A few hours later, Robert Drake tiptoed into the infirmary just to find a tearstained redhead sitting on her bed, looking hopelessly at her newborn baby.

"Hey, Jean. I brought you lunch," the young man let her know, resting the tray on the improvised bedside table.

"Thanks, Bobby," she gave him a half-smile but didn't bother to glance at the plate.

"It's macaroni and cheese - Storm told me it's your favorite dish. I've never cooked it before but I hope it tastes good," Iceman said, and went on. "Oh, there's also some fresh orange juice… You need a lot of vitamin C, but I'm sure you know that already… I mean, you're the doc around here. Except for Beast, of course…"

Drake had apparently entered some kind of nonstop chatting mode, making Jean snap out of her reverie. She studied his face, amused at his overfriendly behavior. "I really appreciate it, Bobby. But you didn't have to go through all this trouble for me."

"Of course, I did."

The telepath furrowed her brows in confusion. "Why? I don't mean to sound rude or ungrateful, but why are you being so nice to me? We barely know each other."

Iceman scoffed at her words. "Are you kidding? I feel like I've known you forever. I owe you everything, Jean. My powers, my life, my family. I'll do anything to make you happy," he said, suddenly looking at the isolette, "or less miserable. Just ask me."

The redhead stared at the young man's face as if he'd gone completely insane. "What are you talking about?"

"Wolverine told me you were the one who tipped him about a mutant college student named Drake possibly being persecuted by the F.O.H.. The X-Men tracked me and saved me and my folks that day, all thanks to you. Didn't Logan tell you that?"

"Yes, but… I didn't really do anything, Bobby. The X-Men rescued you, not me."

"Oh, no no no, Ms. Grey. My family's saving will not remain unclaimed. You are my one and true hero," he said, half-mocking, half-serious.

For the first time in three days, Jean let out a sincere laugh. "You are something, Mr. Drake. Now I feel like I don't have any other option but to eat my very special lunch."

"You're totally right about that," Bobby quickly took the tray from the table and handed it to her.

The woman straightened her pose and started eating. "Are you sure you've never cooked this before? It's delicious. Thank you, Bobby," she said, sipping her juice.

"Positive," he replied, sitting beside her on the bed. He stared at the baby again. "How's little Rach holding up?"

Jean placed the glass back on the tray. "Dr. McCoy… I mean, Hank… He was able to decrease the ventilator's parameters today. It means her lungs are getting better."

"That's good, right?"

"That's great, actually."

"Then why were you crying?"

The woman looked down at her food and sighed. "Because… Hank had to feed Rachel with formula today. I'm not… succeeding in extracting enough milk to feed her… not with this damn pump, anyway. Thanks to that, she's lost some weight in the last 24 hours," the telepath explained, new tears gathering in her green eyes. "Gosh, I've been a mom for three days and I already feel like a total failure."

"You're not a failure, Jean. It's just a setback," Iceman tried to comfort her, putting his left arm around her shoulder and pushing her into an embrace.

"My daughter's too small, Bobby… She can't afford to lose weight," she muttered into his shoulder and sobbed, using telekinesis to place the tray securely over the bed. "This baby formula… it's alright. But it's not nearly as good as breast milk, you know?"

Drake nodded, still hugging the redhead. "Have faith, Jean. You're a great person, and you're a great mom… I'm sure that Rachel will pull it through."

"I hope you're right."

xxxxx

Twenty minutes later, Iceman returned to the kitchen bringing Jean's half empty tray. He found the room occupied by Beast, who was having a mid-afternoon snack, and by Scott, who was feeding his son a bottle of milk.

"Hey guys. Hank, I'm glad I found you. I've just been with Jean. She told me about her uh… nursing problem. She's crying her eyes out."

McCoy used a napkin to wipe the fur around his mouth before speaking. "I'm aware of that, my icy friend. As I have explained to the lovely Dr. Grey this morning, it is quite frequent for mothers with premature children to struggle to produce milk. Thus, an adequate formula had to be employed to complement little Rachel's current diet."

Scott couldn't help but pay attention to the conversation. "Guys, I don't mean to pry, but shouldn't newborn babies be fed exclusively with breast milk? Especially a premature baby like Rachel?"

"They should indeed, Mr. Summers. However, without the proper suction from her daughter, I'm afraid Jean's milk production will soon come to an end," Beast revealed.

"But as soon as Rachel can breathe without the respirator, Jean will be able to breastfeed her, right?" Bobby asked the doctor.

"That is also correct. Nonetheless, it may take days or even weeks for our adorable newborn to be dismissed from mechanical ventilation, especially without receiving the proper amount of nutrients that only breast milk can provide. Unfortunately, at the current pace, I don't suppose Jean will have any milk left when that happens."

"Oh man, that sucks! Now I get why she's so upset."

"That's a real shame," Scott added, watching his son eagerly drink his formula. Suddenly, an idea crossed his mind. "Wait a minute, Dr. McCoy. What if Jean breastfed Nate? Would it… Would it help her maintain her milk production? I mean, would that be okay, for both of them?"

Bobby stopped washing dishes to stare at the man in bewilderment. "Is that even legal?"

"Yes, to all three questions," Beast responded, addressing Iceman first. "It's called cross-nursing - a usual practice in many communities worldwide. Also, a lot of maternity hospitals have milk banks nowadays. So, absolutely legal, once the parents involved agree to it," he clarified, moving his eyes to look at Scott.

"I'm obviously okay with it, otherwise I wouldn't be proposing it. Would it help Rachel recover sooner?"

Hank thought it through for a moment. "Breastfeeding now would augment the release of prolactin and oxytocin to Jean's bloodstream, which would certainly help stimulate the milk ejection," the doctor explained. "Given that Jean hasn't taken the 'cure' and was tested negative for any diseases that could be spread through breast milk, I would say that such practice would be absolutely safe for Nathan, and even healthy. Although I must warn you, Scott, that the milk produced with the intention of feeding a newborn has a different composition than the milk produced for a toddler."

"Would it harm my son?"

"Absolutely not," Beast answered categorically. "The only collateral effect I can foresee is him bonding strongly to Jean, and vice-versa. Would you be comfortable with that?"

Scott gazed at his son lovingly and smiled. "I think Nate's already bonded to her."

Before Hank and Bobby could ask what he meant by that, Angel entered the kitchen. "Hello, gentlemen," the blonde mutant greeted, heading towards Scott. "I believe we haven't been introduced yet. I'm Warren Worthington the Third, a.k.a. Angel."

"Nice to meet you. I'm Scott Summers, and this is my son Nathan."

"Oh, right. You're Alex's brother," Warren concluded.

"What brings you here, my winged teammate?" Beast questioned him.

"Xavier called me. He asked what I knew about a certain entrepreneur named Emma Frost," he told them, grabbing an apple from the fruit basket. "I also wanted to see how Jean and my godchild were doing."

Scott raised a brow. "Godchild?"

"Rachel," Warren responded, eagerly biting the fruit.

"So, I assume you and Jean are good friends?" Scott asked while taking the empty bottle from Nate's hand.

The blonde eyed him suspiciously. "Best friends. We've even dated for a while, if you must know."

"I'd say three years is a bit more than 'a while'," Bobby chuckled, receiving a glare from the winged mutant.

"Whatever," Warren gave the apple another bite. "Any news from Wolverine?"

"Not since last night. Logan's rapidly passed by to fetch some of his belongings and say farewell to Jean and his daughter. As you might have guessed, he didn't inform us of his future whereabouts," Hank let him know.

"Wait a minute… Are you saying that Wolverine, the former leader of the X-Men, is actually Rachel's father?" Scott asked in disbelief.

"Yes," the other three men responded at the same time.

"Oh…"

Iceman laughed. "Dude, you should talk to Jubes, you know? You're in desperate need of an update on the house's gossips."

xxxxx

Jean had just come out of the infirmary's bathroom after a quick shower, red locks still damp. She found Scott and Nathan waiting for her near Rachel's incubator.

"Hi Jean."

"Oh, hello Scott. Is Nathan okay? Hank's in the lab working on the conduit with Forge," she told him while toweling her hair.

"Nate's fine. Better than ever, actually," he told her, placing a trail of pecks on his son's cheek, who giggled in return. "I was hoping to talk to you."

The redhead stopped in her tracks. "Me? What about?"

"Well… first, I wanted to thank you for yesterday. I've followed your advice and talked to Xavier this morning. He has placed some blocks in Nate's mind to prevent his telepathy from manifesting, at least for now."

"I'm glad to hear it," the woman said, smiling at the baby currently playing with his father's collar. "Is there anything else you want to talk about?"

"Yes," Scott replied but then hesitated. He looked between his son and the newborn girl, and then to Jean's expectant green eyes. "I've talked to Dr. McCoy about your… uh… feeding issues…"

The telepath's eyes grew wide. "What? Why the hell would he discuss it with you?"

"He wouldn't," the man quickly said, almost apologetically. "I kind of… overheard Bobby talking to him about it. I didn't mean to pry."

Jean scoffed, irritated for having become the center of mutant gossiping. "Great. Now the whole mansion knows what a failure of a mother I am. I'm gonna kill Drake," she telekinetically threw the towel on the bed and moved to the isolette to better watch her baby girl.

"Listen, Jean, it was nothing like that…," he followed her to the other side of the incubator, exasperated at how uncomfortable this conversation had become. "Bobby was only trying to help."

The woman kept staring at her daughter, both hands gripping at the edge of the incubator. She shook her head sideways. "He can't help. No one can," she mumbled, new tears dropping to her cheeks.

"I think we can. That's why Nate and I are here," Scott said, immediately earning a suspicious look from the telepath.

"How?" She questioned skeptically. She noticed that Nathan had thrown his arms in her direction, silently asking her to pick him up. The redhead quickly wiped her tears and moved around the incubator to hold the toddler in her arms. "You're a sweetie, you know that?" She whispered to him, making Scott smile.

"I uh… I heard McCoy saying that ah… suction might help with the milk production. So I asked him if it was okay for you to uh… to try… to try to breastfeed Nate."

"W-What?"

"I'm sorry, I-I shouldn't have… I'm obviously crossing a line here," Scott glanced at his hands, unable to stare at the woman any longer. "It's just that… he said it would probably help, and that it was safe for you, Nate and Rachel."

Jean didn't know what to respond. She moved around once more and sat on the bed, gazing intently at the happy baby boy standing and bouncing in her lap. She looked up at his father's flushed face, trying to make some sense of his strange proposal.

"You… you're offering… I mean, you're suggesting that I… breastfeed your son… so that when Rachel's out of the ventilator, I can have enough milk to feed her? Is that it?"

He managed to look back at her. "Well… yes."

The redhead nodded once. "Why?"

"Why? Because… it may help."

Nate momentarily stopped bouncing to play with her necklace. "But… we don't even know each other…"

"I know," Scott said and slowly approached her. "And yet, you've aided me and my son, twice. You've risked your secret that night in the hospital to help a crying mutant baby. And just yesterday, despite everything you're going through, you agreed to help him again," he explained, and sat beside her on the bed. "I'm a parent too, Jean. I know the feeling of having a sick baby."

The woman kept staring at the toddler in her arms. "But Nathan's been on formula for so long…"

"One more reason for you to try it. I've always argued with my wife because she gave up breastfeeding him too soon," he told her.

Jean sighed, feeling insecure. "I… I-I don't know. I'm not his mother. It could become… weird."

'Shit,' Scott noticed her uneasiness and mentally scolded himself. "It was just an idea. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable. It's just that… you've helped us and I thought maybe we could help you and Rachel in return."

Suddenly, Nate became tired and decided to rest his head against Jean's shoulder. She careful held his back with her right hand and turned her head to better look at his father. "Can I think about it?"

"Of course," he replied, and stood up. "I… I also need to ask you a favor. Again."

"Shoot."

"I have a… something to do tonight," Scott looked at his watch. "I'm leaving in thirty minutes. I was wondering if you could watch Nathan while I'm gone. Ororo offered to look after him, but I think he'd be more comfortable with you."

"Sure. It's not like I'm too busy down here."

"Right. I've already bathed him and gave him dinner. He usually has a bottle at nine and then goes to sleep."

"Okay."

"I'll bring his crib and stuff down. I promise to pick him as soon as I'm back."

"Don't worry, we'll be fine."

"Right… Thanks, Jean."

"Have fun."