Okay, I finally am updating this fic. I don't own any of the characters that belong to whatever company makes X-men. I'm not making any money off of this, so don't bother trying to sue my broke ass.

This is the second chapter of my story. It takes place before the first X-men. If you have read the first chapter, then you know that there was a fairly descriptive rape that took place. This chapter has a little descriptive material in the beginning, but it's not bad. By the way, I don't know any medical terms, or how hospitals conduct their procedures, so any boo-boos in that area are accidents. Okay, read on.
...

Dr. White sighed. The test results were held firmly in his hand, and they were not the results he was hoping for. He ran his fingers through his thinning hair and anxiously glanced at the clock. Only half an hour left before he could go home. If only it would go by more quickly.

A month ago, he was called to work in the E. R. A girl had just been brought in, a rape victim. He could still hear her helpless crying. The examiners hadn't seen a rape quite like it. Cuts and bruises were all over her body; she was traumatized so badly, she couldn't speak. The doctors soflty swore when they saw the damage inflicted to her female areas. Whomever or what ever raped her had a large penis, and that, combined with her virgin tightness and lack of lubrication, resulted in a lot of tearing. She must've been in agony. When they released her, she was still in pain, and anyone could tell that it would take a long time, years perhaps, before she could get over it. If she could ever get over it.

She had endured enough suffering for a lifetime, and the document that he held was about to make everything worse.

The girl and her mother sat in his office. The mother, Cecelia, twitched nervously, wringing her hands. Artemis, the victim, sat perfectly still, slumped in the chair with her eyes downcast. She was dressed in a long sleeved turtleneck although the weather was too warm for it. Her body was covered from neck to toes, a cloth shield hiding a number of scars. However, clothing can only hide so much. Pain radiated from her every expression. She hardly ever spoke, she dropped out of her senior year of high school, and she had abandoned her budding romance with her new boyfriend. She simply did not care anymore. It had been over a month since her rape, and she hadn't smiled or slept an entire night ever since. When she was late for her period, and became nauseated every day, she thought that it was only a result of her heightened emotions, but her mother insisted that they visit a doctor, just in case.

"Well?" Cecelia said, trembling, as Dr. White reentered the room.

Dr. White sighed and glanced at Artemis, who was staring at him, her eyes dull and tired. "Well, the test came back positive... she's pregnant."

Cecelia made a small, frightened noise and started to sob. Artemis said nothing, but her face went white and her eyes, newly filled with sorrow, looked at her stomach. She moaned softly.

"How soon can she get an abortion?" Cecelia's suddenly calm voice startled Artemis out of her horrified thoughts.

"Well, that..." the Doctor began.

Suddenly, Cecelia's words hit Artemis. A violent opposer of abortion, Artemis felt like she had been dunked in ice water. Even on those frightened, sleepless nights where nothing seemed right in the world, when the fear of pregnancy crept over her thoughts, she would never consider it.

"No," whispered Artemis, her voice weak, "no abortion."

"What!" her mother cried. "You can't possibly be thinking about keeping this monster!"

"It's not a monster," Artemis snarled, her eyes blazing, her voice suddenly powerful, "It's a baby, and it can't help how it was conceived, it doesn't deserve to die for it's father's crime. I'm keeping it."

Cecelia looked plaintively at the doctor, who was astonished beyond words at what he was hearing, hoping that he would help her convince Artemis to have an abortion. "Miss. Gardiner," he said to Artemis, "from your description of your attacker, the people who investigated this, uh, problem think that it may have been a mutant who did this to you. Since men carry the mutant gene, your baby has a good chance of being a mutant too."

The memory of that terrible night ached afresh. She took a deep breath, and her words tumbled out. "I don't have anything against mutants, and I don't believe in abortion, so I'm not going to kill this child. It may have been fathered by a mutant, but it is my baby, and I will keep it." her tired eyes affirmed her promise.

The old doctor sighed while Cecelia mouthed wordlessly. A fearful tear streaked down Artemis' cheek, but she stood up, squaring her soft shoulders. She touched her shaking fingers to her belly. "Are you coming, Mom?" A confused Cecelia joined her daughter as she walked out.
...

Later, as her mother fixed dinner, she started asking Artemis questions. "Are you sure that you're going to keep it?" "Aren't you going to be reminded of what happened every time you look at it?" Why don't you please get an abortion, and end this problem, before it gets bigger?"

"No," Artemis replied "I'm not going to kill my baby. Don't you remember all those protests I led outside of the abortion clinics? Abortion is wrong." she sighed, "It's not just that... it's a part of me. All I have left."

"Quit calling it a baby, it's not even fully developed yet."

"I will indeed call it a baby, it has a heartbeat, it's a baby." she sighed, "It's not just that... it's a part of me. All I have left."

"You are being melodramamtic. All you're asking for is trouble and misery."

"But I would never be able to forgive myself if I aborted it, and, besides, maybe I need someone to love. I think I need this baby. I finally feel like there's a reason for me to live."

Cecelia's conscience finally smote her, and she gave in. "I hope that you realize what you're getting yourself into. You're not healthy lately. A baby's such a big commitment... and if it's a, a mutant baby...

"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it." Artemis said, displaying the first faint smile that she had shown since her rape. Hugging her, she said, "I'm going to go for a quick walk."

"If you wait a few minutes, I'll go with you."

"It's okay, I'll go alone. I need to get my head together."

Walking outside for a few minutes in the dark used to be a pastime for Artemis, for she liked the quiet and gazing at the moon and stars, but since her rape, she had been afraid to go anywhere without somebody by her side. She gulped in the fresh air, and sighed at the night sky. She had almost forgotten what it looked like. Her hand gently touched her lower abdomen. "I think we'll make it, baby." she whispered.

There was a gentle breeze blowing, and she could see well in the surreal light from the moon. Artemis felt too warm in the itchy turtleneck sweater. Out of old habit, she pushed up her sleeves. She pulled the high collar away from her neck to allow the gentle touch of the night air. Her knuckle brushed a scar at her jugular vein. Her eyes closed as sensations flooded upon her. Heavy breath in her ear, terrible black eyes that seemed to look through her... and the pain. More pain than she could ever fathom... A lump rose in her throat.

Suddenly, she heard a twig snap. Whirling around, she gasped as every cold-sweat nightmare came rushing upon her. Standing right in front of her was her rapist, the man-beast who had taken everything from her in only a few moments.