Disclaimer: I don't own anything again, except my idea. (Oh ... how I hate to repeat this ...)

Author's Notes: Again, I'd like to give thanx to Flamable who is letting me use her character, Pep. Thanx!

Chapter 9: Lance and Lauren

Day 5/Friday

It was a Friday morning and the men of the Institute were off to work diligently – to make money for their kids, as well as their wives.

SIKE!

Warren waved tickets in a kitchen full of men's faces. "I got us all tickets to the New York Giants' game!" he shouted.

Everyone looked at Angel, apparently skeptical. "You couldn't have. That game's been sold out for weeks!" Kurt said, waving a dismissive hand and with his tail stirred a bowl of pancake batter. "Not for me! My "luv" sent them to me as an Early Christmas present!" He sighed. "She knew you blokes would want to come too, so she bought extras!" he said excitedly.

Warren handed the tickets to Scott so he could examine them. Everyone crowed around the obvious leader. "They seem real to me!" Scott said, smiling and stroking his chin! "What tahme (time) will it be at? Ya know we have t' be back in tahme (time) for the children," Sam, his southern accent starting to kick back into his everyday speech. It always happened when he got anxious or when he was talking to Rogue.

"12:00." Ray gave Warren a high-five and Sam yelled, "Ah'm going t' go tell everyone!"

"Wait Sam!" Scott said, grabbing the excited grown man by his sleeve. "Everyone will still be asleep. I mean, it's only 5 in the morning. Wait until they wake up," he said, lowering his voice to a whisper as his ears -- along with the other men's -- heard gentle footsteps pattering down the staircase. A foot stepped out from behind the corner of the staircase, and then the rest of the body followed. "Daddy," Morgan said, rushing up to her father and pulling on his pants leg, "Lauren's, like, all shakin' and she's, like, not wakin' up Daddy! She's not wakin' up!" The little girl pouted sadly.

Kurt picked up his daughter, waved to the other men, and BAMF! He was gone and his smell was left behind for the men to sputter and choke on.

~*~*~

Kurt appeared in his daughter's room that she shared with Lance's little girl. He hadn't noticed before, but the floor was shaking from beneath him. It wasn't bad, but it could become worse. 'Better take precautions just in case,' he thought to himself as he shook the young girl's shoulder. "Lauren, honey, wake up!" he said gently, pushing the girl's shoulder a little harder after she didn't wake up. The girl was stiff and shook every minute or so.

"Daddy! Is she dead?" Morgan asked fearfully. Kurt shook his head. He lifted the young girl up into a sitting position and gently slapped her face a few times. Nothing was happening.

"Morgan!" he said urgently, turning to his daughter who with big blue eyes was starting to cry. "Go teleport and get Mr. McCoy and Uncle Lance! Hurry!" he said, making a gesture with his hand and checking Lauren for a pulse. To himself, he made a little prayer of hope that all would not be lost for his darling niece.

~*~*~

Lauren was in Beast's medical ward. He was doing a few tests to make sure she would be okay.

Lance lowered his head into his hands and silently cried to himself. Gavin sat in the chair next to him -- half asleep, half awake. The little boy had been worried over his sister, but at such an early time of day, hadn't been able to stay awake very long.

Xavier sat in his wheelchair and tried to probe the girls' thoughts, but all he got was a blur to him.

Some people say their whole life passes before them when they're about to die. For Lance, it was his daughter's life that caused his life to pass before him.

FLASHBACK

Lance kissed Kitty tenderly on the lips and then lifted her up into his arms as everyone cheered and clapped for the new married couple. Kitty pale cheeks lit up with color and she gave him a small peck on his cheek for good measure. He had finally proved himself the perfect man for the perfect woman.

~*~*~

Lance held Kitty in his arms and rushed down to Mr. McCoy's office. He knocked on the door and when no one answered, started to shout for help. "My wife is about to deliver!" Needless to say, the doctor hadn't gotten much sleep because of an experiment he had been working on all night.

~*~*~

They were now a family of four living in a huger family than that! A two year old Gavin was on his shoulders, and a five year old girl in a dress -- something she solely refused to wear now -- clung to his arm as if she was attached. He was walking them into an ice cream store and Gavin screamed when he saw the hairy man behind the counter. Lauren had soothed the young boy the best she could and Lance was proud -- proud of her in a way that made his heart soar.

END FLASHBACK

"Lance," a voice said, interrupting the still young man's thoughts, "she wants you. And she'll be fine. It was just a seizure. I've taken a bit of her blood and gave her some medicine through her IV tube in her arm. She'll be fine." Beast smiled and Lance smiled back. His baby was going to be alright.

~*~*~
Lauren smiled as her father walked into the medical room. "Hi Daddy!" she said happily, lifting her arm with the IV in it. Lance ran over to the little girl and embraced her ... laying loving kisses all over his baby girl. "Daddy, I'm fine!" she said to him.

As he lay off of her, Lance put on a serious face. "I'm going to stay home with you today while the other men go to their football game." Lauren put on a disappointed face. "Daddy, don't not go 'cause of me. Sides, I want t' know what happened?" she said, giving him a toothy smile. "You sure? You'll have to stay in bed and be left with the babysitter and the toddlers." "I'll be fine Daddy. Dr. McCoy said so."

Lance kissed his daughter's forehead, ruffled her hair and sat down in a chair that he pulled up to her bed and told her about when she was a young girl and how he had so much fun with her ... and how she was one of the most precious things in his life.

~*~*~

The older kids were angels compared to the little demons. Although, at times, even the older kids could be demons in their own way.

Remy sat down at the long and wide dinner table when he spotted his son leading his sleepy little sister into the dining room, he had to smile. He had come a long way and so had his kids.

~*~*~

The younger kids had behaved well at breakfast. Nothing had been splattered and everyone was on their best behavior. The older children were keeping the little children in tow, but everyone noticed the frown on Jenna's and Seth's faces. "What's wrong luv?" Pyro asked his daughter as he took the napkin he had tucked down her shirt out and threw it into the trash.

"Am I getting a little brother or sister soon? Please?" she asked pitifully. John looked stunned. "Oh ... Sheila, we need to talk. Come on," he said, grabbing the girl by her hand and leading her into his room to explain a few things.