A/N - Hello, friends and followers. First of all, many thanks to robbiepoo2341 and KJAX89 on their reviews. It's nice to try and get back into the swing of things, even if my brain isn't entirely firing right with all the uncertainty around us. I hope like hell you're all healthy and doing well. Stay safe. Stay isolated, and Hail Hydrate. From my real-life bestie who is an ER nurse working in a COVID-19 screening tent - 'Keep away from people and wash your f'ing hands, for Christ's sake'
Chapter 8 - Slow Truce
The weeks following the debacle of scheduling had only been tentatively peaceful. The ladies were getting along well, the kids were great - but Scott and Logan were increasingly strained. It seemed as if the same old arguments were creeping up haunting and hovering over both of them, and the women in their lives were doing their level best to remind them both to leave it in the rear view mirror where it belonged.
And when things got too close to the line for everyone, one or all of the kids would intervene, effectively defusing the situation without any trouble.
There were a few curiosities between them all though. For one thing, the kids all seemed to be on a bender for sweets. All of them. Which was odd in that none of Logan and K's kids usually went for anything sweeter than maybe a touch of chocolate, but now? They were happily going along with Jean's whims for whatever struck her fancy. Which, of course, Jean loved.
And while Scott and Logan were at a truce of sorts, and Jean was soaking up the kids attention, K was just a little off. But she couldn't put her finger on what it was for the life of her. For the longest time, she blamed Logan for it. Especially when it seemed like every single time that she had a handle on what was wrong or that she felt like she was going the right way with things …
He would frustrate her beyond a coherent argument with a crooked, trouble making smirk that she had yet to find a good defense against. She was pretty sure he was doing it on purpose, too. And even if he wasn't it was entirely his fault that she couldn't think straight. Conscious application or not - it was still his fault.
But K didn't have time to go after Logan when she had Kurt following her around and doting on her. Jean thought it was the height of hilarity, of course. Especially since K was not, in fact, expecting like Kurt thought. Every time K tried to correct him on that fact, Kurt simply didn't believe her. The house was of no help to her at all. And to keep Jean amused and relaxed, K did her best not to snap at Kurt - particularly since he was being so incredibly helpful and doting on both women.
The kids were playing nearby, and though the girls had roped James into another tea party, he'd gotten them to at least make it less like a tea party and more like a party. Which really just meant that the group of them were drinking their 'tea' and running around the room. It was the only way they could get him to play with them. And Rachel really wanted him to play with them. As evidenced by how she kept following him around and holding his hand.
And although Kurt really wanted to pick at the boy, it was far more fun getting after Logan's wife. Until she stopped playing nice with him, that is.
"We really need to find you a girl," K said as she leaned back in her chair near Jean - who was highly amused.
"What can I say?" Kurt said with a smirk. "I feel as though I must do more to ensure that you'll keep the family where you belong when this nonsense with the Avengers school has blown over." He handed her a cup of coffee as he sat down between the two women. "And you prefer the way that we take care of you here. I can sense it."
K gave him a dry look, though she gingerly took the cup from him. "I should be insulted," she said. "I've given you no reason to think that I'm pregnant. I've even gone out of my way to tell you that I'm not." Kurt kept smiling wider. "Am I fat? Is that it?"
Jean burst out laughing, but Kurt's smile only got wider. "No. But you are glowing."
"Oh, shut up I am not."
Kurt smile stretched into something almost obscene. "Are you trying to say that I don't know my best friend and all of his tells?"
"No, I'm saying you trust him enough that you believe his bullshit even when you should know better." K leaned toward him and Kurt mirrored her movement until she was close enough to whisper in his ear. "Did he explicitly say that I was pregnant?"
"Of course he-" Kurt started out with full bluster and stopped halfway through his rant as he thought it over. K raised one eyebrow and held his gaze until she saw the moment that Kurt realized Logan was stringing him along. For an instant, a blush rose up high on his cheeks as it often did when he was angry - though it only lasted an instant. His shoulders relaxed and he gently picked up K's hand to kiss the back of it. "My deepest apologies for not believing you sooner, mein Freund," Kurt said in rich, warm tones that he usually saved for his top shelf flirting. "If you would be so kind as to excuse me, I believe I have pressing matters to attend to."
"Please, give my husband exactly what he's been asking for, sweet dashing and devilish little elf," K replied just as haughty as he had sounded.
"How could I not when he's been asking for it so loudly and I've gotten permission," Kurt said before he tipped his head to Jean and disappeared in a swirl of smoke.
"Logan was having so much fun watching him," Jean laughed. "Scott too, if you want to be honest. Kurt's going to work him over."
"He'll heal," K said with a wave. "That's what he gets for making me extra paranoid while he's getting his kicks out of lying to his best friend."
"He'll argue that he wasn't lying," Jean said, smiling to herself.
"He can argue. But he'll be wrong. Intentionally misleading him is the same as lying by omission. Or worse." K shook her head and pulled her feet up underneath herself and sighed as she relaxed into her seat.
Jean tried to turn away from K - she really did. The kids were still getting along, and they never failed to be a good distraction, but … "I'm a little surprised to hear how strongly you're insisting there's not another on the way - I know," Jean said, holding up one hand. "I know you're not, I just … I thought you two were talking about another one."
K nodded once then turned toward Jean. "What time would we have to do anything right now if we had another one?" K asked. "The kids are great, and I know he's enchanted with babies as much as your sweetheart, but honestly. If we're splitting time between teams and taking care of our three - what time would that leave for a baby?"
"Okay, but still-"
"And that's not even factoring in what the hell I'd do if we ended up with twins again," K said, half-cutting Jean off from her thought. She sighed heavily. "I wouldn't mind one, to be honest, but … all things considered, I think it's best if we hold off for a while. Let the little ones get bigger, more independent. Not like we have a small window to work with as far as being able to have more. As far as I know, anyhow."
"Yeah, that's entirely not fair," Jean said, smiling again since she knew how much Logan would love a new baby of his own. At any time. "But I'm glad to hear you're not telling him no forever."
K turned her way fully. "How the hell would I do that when even now when I'm trying to be reasonable and careful I can't even think when he looks at me like that?"
"Seems like a good reason to cut back," Jean said airily.
"Yes. I know. Yes, that is the plan, even if it looks to the contrary." K sighed again. "You know we're planning to back you guys up. Don't get anxious just because it looks otherwise. It's not."
"I know that and you know that, but the boys …"
"Won't listen anyhow," K finished. "Because they're idiots when it comes to dealing with each other."
"Truer words," Jean said in a breath, then let the relative silence fall between them - the quiet only filled with the sounds of their kids playing and negotiating terms on their tea party. In particular Rachel insisting on kissing James' cheek when he gave her his cookies. "I hope this Avengers Academy thing works out quickly."
"That's why we're pushing so hard," K agreed. "I know they have a ton of members on their roster, but honestly … most of them are entirely unreliable. I think it might be a qualifier to join the team."
Jean did what she could to stop the bark of a laugh that slipped by her before she covered her mouth, but it was too late. The kids were quick to pick up on something being funny, too, and the next thing Jean knew, she had a whole flock of little kids pulling on her arms and crawling around her wanting to know what she was laughing at - which had her laughing harder just from how concerned they all looked. That or the giggles that followed their concern as she kept laughing. They had no idea what was so funny, but they were laughing with her all the same.
Abbey was reading to her siblings and Rachel in the living room. She was just starting to read, but she thought she was doing pretty good, all things considered. And the littler kids loved it. The only irritating part was James trying to help her read, but this time, at least, Rachel had more or less tackled him and was leaning over his back so he couldn't get up and help again.
He didn't look too bothered, either, even if he had his head on his arm and was pushing a toy Jeep back and forth. Abbey was only halfway through There's No Place Like Space when James shifted his head on his arm closer to his wrist when Rose slid down and took a hold of his arm to snuggle up with him. Like they always did with him on the left and Rose using him for a pillow whenever possible. Abbey smiled to herself and kept reading because that meant that Rosie was going to take a nap, and even if James wasn't in the mood to take a nap, he would too.
She really loved how much her baby siblings took care of each other like that all the time. And most of the time, what they did, Rachel did too. She tried not to get sleepy while they nodded off, but the room was the right temperature to be cozy, but not hot. And the rest of the house was pretty quiet. Kurt was with them reading a book of his own since Abbey told him she didn't need his help, but she knew e was watching them … just in case she did need help.
She was down to the last few pages when she heard Uncle Scooter down the hallway - and he sounded like he really needed a hug.
"I think it's our best option, Jean," Scott said, and he glanced toward the kids all stretched out for an instant before he dropped his voice lower, though Abbey had paused in her reading to listen to what was happening. "Not for a long time, but … just to make sure we have a peaceful start. For how hard it was to get here, I don't want either of us to be stressed. And before you say anything, I know that when I'm upset it takes its toll on you."
"True, but I don't think we need to leave, Scott," Jean said. "Rachel will be heartbroken if she doesn't get to spend more time with the twins."
"It might be kinder for her to get a break from them sooner than later," Scott said grimly. "Especially since we don't know how long-"
"Scott." Her tone held a warning, and from there, the Summers' held each others gazes, though that only had Abbey watching them more openly.
"Schatzi," Kurt said in a warm, soft rumble. "Do you need help?"
"Nein," Abbey said, shaking her head before she forced a smile and re-crossed her legs on the floor. "I'm okay."
Kurt smiled crookedly and went back to his book, though he was clearly still watching her. "You are sounding more and more like your father, Liebling."
Abbey smiled right back at him, but went back to her story, hoping to finish it before Scott and Jean slipped away. A quick glance at the little kids showed that Kurt would have no trouble watching them since all of them were sound asleep and stacked on James in some way. But, by the time she managed to end her book, both of them had slipped away. She frowned to herself and got up to get her coloring book. It would be easier for her to give Scott a hug when he showed up again if she wasn't in the middle of a story, after all.
And while Scott was making his plans to deal with matters for his little family, Logan was getting pulled deeper and deeper into Steve's plotting and planning. He was entirely distracted with making sure things were in line - and he was mentally exhausted for it. He barely looked at the incredibly abbreviated schedule that Jean handed him - while Scott was off making phone calls.
Logan was never the one to deal with all this whenever the school had taken damage - that was Scott's forte. And he'd been sure to tell Steve as much - but every time he'd try to deflect to someone else, Steve and sometimes whoever was in the room with him would redirect Logan into something else entirely.
He would have let it go on for months before really seeing what was going on - had it not been for K being there with him. But the moment she stepped in to intervene, Tony ended up pulling her with him to run a mission. It was nothing big. Just a small AIM issue, but it was enough that she couldn't put a stop to the nonsense with them distracting Logan.
What's more, that became a pattern, too. So much so that over the next few weeks, neither Howlett had a chance to stop the pushing that the other was dealing with. But the kids … bringing the kids was never a good thing. Not after that first encounter.
Every time, without fail, Rose would end up with a headache. So every time, they'd end up leaving early.
Those were the days where it was infinitely easier to interact with the Summers family. A simple fact that was making the slow separation between the two families that much more agonizing. So neither party even tried to change that while they were together. The peace was too comforting. But that was bound to change as the school year drew closer and those relaxing days became more few and far between.
Scott's control was commendable. His restraint was wearing, especially as he and Jean took Rachel along to see her new sibling and make the announcement to her anyhow. Logan and K had taken off to do a rotation together with the Avengers, and Scott was seething. But he had to put it aside for more pressing matters.
The room was dimly lit as Jean reclined and Hank fired up the ultrasound. Both Jean and Scott were holding their breath, in spite of the fact that they knew the little one was on track from their many check ins.
But neither of them were entirely prepared for Rachel's reaction when she saw the little profile on screen. "Baby?" Rachel asked wide-eyed. Her voice was almost a whisper the first time she said it, then she turned toward her father to repeat the question. "Baby? Innere?"
"That's right," Scott said, crouching down to pick her up to see better. Rachel was transfixed to the screen, and Jean was trying hard not to laugh and jostle Hank's view as he took measurements and then gently started pointing out the different parts to Rachel.
The little one was still tiny. Barely visible as more than a profile and a thin, willowy body, but it didn't matter. Not when Rachel could hardly speak on seeing it. Scott was smiling in spite of himself - all of his previous anger pushed aside s he watched his daughter and his wife grinning between them - and when the baby kicked - and jerked on screen, Rachel squealed in delight, triggering Jean to finally lose her grip on her laugh.
