Mommy Mystique (cont.)

Logan wasn't sure if he could go through with what he had planned.
But on Tuesday afternoon, when he came to pick her up, he brought what he needed with him.

The kids didn't know, so they couldn't spill the beans to her . . . before it was time. For everybody concerned, it was better if he kept it a surprise, at least for now.

At the Institute, the kids were getting ready to go.
"I hope she likes this," Kitty said, struggling to wrap her present.

" Ja, me too." said Kurt Wagner.

It was a pair of cute little stuffed dolls. Even if the babies were boys, they would like them. Kitty knew she did.

"You all ready?" Rogue came in, carrying her present.

"Yeah!"

"What time are they supposed to get here?"

"Eight, eight-thirty . . ."

The rest of the group started arriving around seven-thirty. Most of them were dressed up . . . except Pietro. He wore his usual clothes, as a protest against what he called "loose moraled-people".

"Pietro's being a jerk." Lance grumbled to Toad.

"Is he still on about the whole 'trollop' thing?"
"I think so. He says we're, quote, endorsing sex before marriage, unquote."

Kitty rolled her eyes. "He's being stupid."

"Try telling him that."

Pietro shot them a dirty look, but said nothing.

"Where are we going?" Mystique asked.

"You'll see."

"We're not going straight home? I'm supposed to rest . . ."
"I know. This won't take long."
They drove on for a while before she couldn't take any more. "Okay. Out with it. Where are we going?"
"To get married."
"No, really."
"Really."

Mystique stared at him as if he had just confessed to being Toad's long-lost brother.

"Why would you want to marry me?" she muttered, so low he almost didn't catch it.

"Well, Raven . . ."

"Well what? Don't tell me you actually love me. Nobody can do that."

"Stranger things have happened."

"Name one."
"Well . . . I never thought I'd ever have kids, or at least ones I knew about and wanted to stick around to see . . ."

Mystique had to admit he had a point. "Even though I told you I didn't want a relationship?"
"Well, let me put it this way." Logan pulled over. "Your mouth said no, but everything else about you said yes."
"You're talking about that night."
"Why do you think I went with you?"

For a change, Mystique was speechless.

"So is that a yes or a no?"

After what seemed like forever, she said, "Yes."
"Good. We've got an eight o'clock appointment at the J.P.'s, and then--"
"Appointment?" She looked surprised. "You went ahead and made an appointment before you even knew if I'd say yes?"

"Thought I should be prepared."

"How prepared?"

Logan looked down at Mystique's stomach. "Considering we don't have a whole lot of time," he said, "I got everything ready. License, blood tests . . . all we have to do is show up and say the words."

It did make sense, after all, so Mystique said, "Okay."
They went inside.


"Where are they?"

"I hope they show up soon. We only have this room till ten, and if we don't start soon, we won't have time to open the presents." Kitty was starting to pace around.

"Or eat." Fred added through a mouthful of chips.

Rogue slapped his hand. "Leave some for the rest of us!"
"Maybe somezhing happened," Kurt said. "Zhey had car trouble, maybe."
"They would have called." Kitty was pacing by now. After all the work she had done to put this thing together . . .

"Maybe they ran off to Vegas." Lance cracked.

There was a pause, and then everyone (except Pietro) cracked up. He was busy writing a protest letter telling Mystique what he thought of her lifestyle.

Rogue wandered over to see what he was writing. "What's that?"
"Oh . . . just homework." He folded it up and slid it into his pocket.

"You sure?"

"Yeah!"
"Well, ya don't have to bite my head off!"

"Sorry."

It was nearly eight-thirty now, long after they should have shown up.
"You think maybe Logan tipped her off?" Scott asked Jean.

"How could he? He doesn't know a--"

"Yes, he does."

All heads turned as one when Logan and Mystique finally made their appearance.
"Sorry we're late, but we had to stop somewhere first."

"You mean the gas station, yo?" Toad asked.

"No," Logan said. "I'll tell you about it later. Let's have our party first."

"My thoughts exactly." Evan said.
With that, they escorted the guest of honor to her special seat.

An hour or so into the party, after all the presents had been opened, Logan decided to go ahead and make the big announcement.

There was a hush in the room, and then Lance looked at them and said, "So what's up with you two? Are you together or what?"
Mystique and Logan looked at each other, but didn't want to say anything just yet.

"The suspense is killin' me!" said Rogue.

Kurt looked at Evan and Fred. "Zhey're up to somezhing . . ."

"I hope they finish it soon." Fred replied. "I'm hungry."

"Didn't you just eat?"

"I'm still hungry!"

"Fine! Go eat then!" Lance threw up his hands in frustration. Since Mystique was preoccupied with the babies lately, he had to be the head of the household.

"Chill, Lance." Logan said.

Pietro shoved his card down the back of his seat. It had occurred to him that it might not be a good idea to give Mystique a card that said, "Congratulations on your evil trollop babies."

Especially since Mystique had warned him that the next time he used the word "trollop" around her, she would hurt him.
But what was he supposed to do? Pretend that it was okay that she slept around?

He was so distracted by his thoughts of how upset he was with he that he almost missed hearing Logan say, "We just got married a couple of hours ago."

"Listen, man, I . . . huh?"

Mystique beamed. "We are now officially Mr. and Mrs."

To say the kids were having a hard time absorbing that would have been an understatement.

"We don't have to call ya Dad, do we?" Rogue asked.

"How about uncle, yo?" Toad suggested.

Logan chuckled. "You can call me whatever you want as long as it ain't nasty."

Rogue and Kitty both glared at Pietro, but he didn't say anything.

Kurt looked at his mother. "How long have you been planning zhis?"
"Believe me," she said, "I was as surprised as you are."

"I don't doubt it." Lance said.
"Can we eat now?" Fred asked Mystique.

"Yes," she said. "You can eat now."

Pietro stared at Mystique and Logan.

"WHY?" he exclaimed. "Why would you DO something like this?"

"What's your problem, Maximoff?" Scott grumbled.

"I don't want you leaving us!"

"Say what?"

"When . . . when you have the babies, and, uh . . ."

"Aren't you going a little overboard, Pietro?" said Kitty.

"Yeah, I thought you hated her," Rogue said. "All this trollop stuff."

"Well . . . I didn't like her . . . being with someone else . . ."

This was unexpected. "I told you," Mystique said. "I'm a grownup, and I can take care of my own—"

He buried his face in his hands. "I don't wanna lose another mommy," he wailed.

"What do you mean, another mom?" Kitty asked.

In between muffled sobs, he confessed that when his first foster mother--the one he'd ended up with after his mom had died and his dad had left for the first time--had had a baby, she hadn't had any time for him, and he'd ended up being moved to another home . . .

"And I thought I had problems, yo." said Toad.

Mystique went over and squatted by Pietro's chair.
"Nobody's going anywhere," she said.

"Why not?" said Fred.

She ignored him. "I'll still love you when the babies get here."

Pietro said nothing at first. He felt embarrassed now. Everybody probably hated him for acting like a four-year-old . . . but still, he couldn't get over these feelings of abandonment.

So Mystique gave him something special to let him know she wouldn't ever leave him.

It was a locket that had once belonged to her mother.
"I want you to keep this," she said.
He looked at it. For a moment or two, he was speechless . . .

Then he said, "You'd let me have this? After all I've said about you?"

"I'm hoping things can be better between us." Mystique said.

Rogue watched the scene with interest. This was something she hadn't expected at all.

She turned to Kitty. "Ah think she's gone nuts."

"Oh, c'mon, Rogue . . ."

"I have an announcement to make," Logan said.
The room fell silent.
"I've decided that for the time being, at least until the babies are born, I'm movin' in with you guys . . ."
" What?"
"Oh, man," Toad groaned. "We won't be able to get away with nothing!"
It was at that point that Magneto showed up, with both teddy bears.

And all hell broke loose.

(Okay, this chapter isn't that good, but the best part's still yet to come. Don't worry, the babies will be born sometime in the next few chapters. I don't mean to drag it out, but there's still so much that has to happen first. See you soon!)