Disclaimer: I do not own any Marvel characters; please don't sue me I am a poor college student. I am not making any money off of this and I am just writing it for the benefit of my own entertainment as well as the entertainment of the other fans out there. Also, this is a story from my own imagination, any resemblance to real life events, or even those in fiction is completely coincidental. As an additional note, there are so many fan fiction stories out there on this site as well as others, so any similarity is coincidental or great minds just happen to think alike. I also don't own Gone with the Wind, but I did quote it in this chapter.
Note: I apologize for the spacing and random indents and anything of the sort. When the pages are loaded onto this site everything seems to get a bit messed up. I noticed that single lines get double spaced randomly. Sorry about that.
Through the Years
Chapter Fifteen: Jean's Baby
At the end of June the X-men threw a lavish baby shower for Jean-Grey. The redhead was incredibly surprised and thrilled with the shower, a reaction one wouldn't normally expect from a psychic, but the X-men knew that like the Professor, Jean didn't use her powers to pry into the minds of her friends without their permission. Jean's shower was yet another experience for the X-men to feel like they led normal lives. They laughed and joked with each other and enjoyed the food that Remy had painstakingly prepared. Jean and Scott took turns opening presents for the baby while Bobby made a hat out of a paper plate and the bows from the presents. Jubilee informed him that that particular tradition was for bridal showers, but he felt that Scott would look ravishing in such a hat, and the young woman agreed full heartedly, so she joining in with gathering bows and ribbons. She eventually persuaded the leader of the X-men to put the hat on and smile for pictures with his laughing wife. Since this was something that Cyclops would never do normally, everyone wanted to capture the moment on film.
Many of the presents were picture books and toys for the baby, but some of the other presents really stood out from the others. Logan had made a simple, yet study rocking chair for the soon-to-be-parents. Rogue and Remy got this two-in-one stroller/ car seat that Jean had been eyeing in the mall a few weeks back. The Professor's present was less of a surprise than the others since Jean and Scott both knew the basic concept of it. He had a separate bedroom built off of the suite that the Summers' lived in so that the baby could have its own room. What the couple didn't know was what the room would look like and the Professor had them all take a tour of the completed room after the meal. But the most surprising and heartfelt present came from Cable and Rachel. They had gotten a toy chest that was colorfully painted with ducklings, but that wasn't the part that Jean found so touching. In a hidden drawer in the toy chest were a bunch of letters written by the pair, one from each for Scott, Jean, and the baby. The letters for the baby were to be opened at a later date, and it told the baby their hopes and dreams for their new sibling of sorts. Both Scott and Jean opened their letters at the shower and privately read the thoughts from their "children" about how they knew the couple would make great parents for this baby. Jean couldn't hold back her tears after reading a line in Cable's letter to her: "I never really knew my mother, but if she was anything like you are, I know that this child is going to be the most loved individual on this planet, in this timeline or any other." After reading the letters from the pair Jean couldn't help but give them both hugs and tell them how much the letters truly meant to her. Even Scott seemed to be fighting back tears as he gave the son he lost years ago and the daughter he would never know a hug. When the party was over and everyone else had left, Jean and Scott asked Cable and Rachel to be the godparents of their child. The Summers' knew that if something ever happened to them then there were no two individuals in the world who would be more appropriate to raise their child. Being the child's godparents also gave Cable and Rachel a more definitive relationship with the baby, it was much easier to say that they were the godparents rather than the half brother born in the past but raised in the future or the sister from an alternate reality.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Late one July afternoon Remy and Rogue were enjoying a peaceful moment at home, watching "Gone with the Wind" at Rogue's request, while she tried to push the idea of naming a son Rhett or a daughter Scarlett on Remy.
"We are both children of the South Remy, can ya think of more appropriate names foah our children than the most famous Southern names of all time?"
"Now I know how much you love dis movie Chere, but do you really t'ink dat Rhett Butler LeBeau is a suitable name? Actually, dat don' sound dat bad, kind of dashin', non?"
Rogue smiled at his babbling and he caught site of her grin.
"Wait, oh no Chere, Remy was just t'inking out loud, dat's all! A LeBeau child need a strong name wit' French roots. Take t'members of my family. Jean-Luc LeBeau, Henri LeBeau, Etienne Marceaux, Remy LeBeau, do you see a pattern?"
"Frankly mah dear, Ah don't give a damn" she quoted from the movie as she smiled at Gambit. "Alright Swamp Rat, what do ya suggest then," before he could answer she cut him off full well knowing the answer, "Ah mean 'sides Remy Etienne LeBeau Jr?"
"And Rogue Jr of course, right Chere, Remy knows t'drill. Ok, my choice for a son is Stephan Jacques LeBeau and for a daughter Brigitte Jeanette LeBeau."
"Ok Remy, those aren't too bad, but now we have to remember Ah also get a say in the baby's name and since Ah don't know mah family's roots, Ah don't necessarily want a name that is completely dominated by French roots, after all, LeBeau showcases yoah French-Creole background nicely. Perhaps we can break the mold a bit by having a more neutral name?"
He snuggled a little closer to his wife and said, "Fair enough Chere, what do you suggest?"
"Well if we can't come to a compromise perhaps ya can pick one name, Ah can pick another and together we can find a name we both agree on?"
"I'll agree to dat Rogue, what names did you come up wit'?
"Well, for a son Ah was thinkin' Benjamin Anthony an' for a daughter Ah was thinkin'…," she was interrupted by the phone. "Here Shugah, ya flip through this here baby name book from Monica and find some ideas while Ah answer that." She got up, picked up the name dictionary from the coffee table and dropped it into Remy's lap. Then she made her way to the phone.
"Hello?...Oh hi Scott, what can….Now calm down Shugah, Ah can't understand a word ya're sayin'…Jean's WHAT?...Hank's WHERE?...Ok, ok, ya stay put, Remy and Ah will be there faster than Quicksilver wit' his pants on fire." She hung up the phone and made her way back to Remy. "Well, we'll have to continue this conversation another time; we gotta get to the Mansion as fast as possible. Jean's goin' into labor, Scott is the only one home and they can't find Hank."
Remy got up off the couch, stopped the DVD, and turned off the TV. "You mean to tell me dat out of all t'people dat live in dat house no one else is home, and how can you not locate a large, furry, blue homme?" Rogue could only shrug as he grabbed the car keys and they made their way out the door.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"It's ok Honey, now just breath like Hank had said, Heh heh, heh," Scott demonstrated while he paced in front of her, looking out the window every two seconds. As the leader of the X-men, one would normally find Scott Summers calm, cool, and collected. Rarely was there ever a situation that he was not prepared for. This time things were different. He expected Jean to have her baby in Hank's medical lab downstairs in the sub-basement as they had planned…with Hank present. Instead they were in the living room off of the main entrance waiting for someone, anyone to come home.
Scott received a burst of pain greater than anything he had ever experienced and he screamed for dear life. "You feel that Scott, you think that going 'heh, heh, heh' is going to make that go away?" Scott and Jean's special mental bond allowed them to often experience each other's emotions and right now his wife was using that bond in conjunction with her powers to allow him to "feel" what contractions felt like.
Rogue and Gambit picked a good time to enter the Mansion. "What happened, Ah heard a scream."
"It's ok Rogue," Jean said through gritted teeth, "Scott was just having sympathy pains, weren't you Dear?"
One look at Scott's face showed fear that the leader of the X-men never revealed before. Rogue knew she had to act fast, for all their sakes. "Ok, Remy, go get Kurt, he should be at the church, and have him help ya find Hank. Scott, go downstairs and prepare the MediLab and relax, ya are gonna be a Daddy soon! Jean, you and Ah are going to walk for a bit, help ya ease the pain as best as we can." She helped her friend out of the chair she was in and as Gambit made his way out the door Scott whispered to him, "While you are at the church, thank God that Rogue isn't a telepath, for your sake!"
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Rogue and Jean walked the halls of the Mansion for a bit. Rogue didn't quite know why they should do this, but she saw it on all those baby programs she and Jean had taken to watching lately. It probably had to do with easing the pain or helping to move labor along until the contractions were closer together and the mother was dilated enough to give birth. Either way it seemed to have a calming effect on Jean. The minute she and Remy walked in the Mansion she noticed that the usually perky Jean was showing a darker side, almost reminiscent of the Dark Phoenix. However, she was allowed to of course, she was having a baby, and Rogue just hoped that she would be able to keep her emotions in check when it was time for her to give birth. "I'm really glad that you came Rogue, I know that you haven't experienced the 'joys' of child birth yet, but at least you have an idea of what this is like."
Of course Jean, Ah understand. Ah know Scott just wants to help, but he'll never know what ya are going through right now."
Jean stopped walking and looked right into her eyes. "Oh I think that he just might have an idea..."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gambit found Kurt fixing up the pews of the church, getting it ready for the first service he expected to have by the end of next month. He explained the situation to Kurt and asked if he had seen the good doctor. Kurt replied that Hank and Logan had stopped by the church about a half an hour earlier while they were surveying the lands around the Mansion. He offered to help his foster-brother-in-law find their other blue friend. He grabbed Gambit's arm and they teleported into the woods to find Hank.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Logan was describing some of the surroundings in the woods while Hank logged it in a journal. They wanted to make an accurate description of Xavier's estate so that there would be no uncertainty about it if their building project was ever questioned. They had been doing this during spare moments every couple of days for the last few weeks now and were just about finished with their log. While they continued their task they were greeted with a puff of smoke and the familiar odor of sulfur and brimstone.
"Dere you are, we have been lookin' everyone for you," Gambit exclaimed as they spotted Hank.
"What up Gumbo," Wolverine inquired as Hank closed his notebook. Kurt explained that Jean was in labor and they needed Hank at the Mansion right away.
"Oh my stars and garters! We must make haste as to not keep dear Jean waiting," Hank exclaimed. They each grabbed a hold of Kurt's shoulders and a moment later only a trace of smoke and the sulfur and brimstone smell remained where the four men had stood seconds earlier.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Scott was pacing around the MediLab when suddenly a ring of smoke appeared in front of him, encircling four of the X-men. "HANK! There you are, FINALLY! You don't know how happy I am to see you!"
"Oh sure, he says nothin' about the rest of us," grumbled Wolverine under his breath. While Hank and Scott finished prepping the MediLab and getting into scrubs, the others went off to locate Rogue and Jean and bring the expectant mother down to the MediLab.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Rogue, Remy, Wolverine, and Kurt waited in the living room and described the events that unfolded in their midst to everyone as they came back from wherever they had been. Pretty soon the living room was full of people keeping vigil, eager to hear some news. Hours had past and there had been no word of what was happening a few floors below them. Remy held a sleeping Rogue in his arms on the couch, every so often brushing a piece of hair out of her eyes and kissing her on the top of her head. Bobby and Jubilee tried to stay awake by sampling various flavors of coffee that they found throughout the kitchen, while Wolverine and the Professor played game upon game of chess to keep themselves awake and a few others came and went as the evening went on. During the wee hours of the next morning, the Mansion had a new addition to greet. As Jean held the baby in her arms and Hank took care of the afterbirth, Scott ran upstairs to tell the others the news. Everyone turned to see Scott beaming in the doorway.
"It's a boy! A beautiful, healthy boy," he exclaimed to the cheers and congratulations of the others. After Scott went back downstairs to be with his wife, the others took surprise in the fact that the baby had been a boy. Most of the X-men expected the baby to be a girl, one that would be named Rachel, even if the timelines wouldn't match up anymore. Hank had said he knew for a fact that this child wouldn't be Rachel, and now they knew why. Scott and Jean decided on the name Nathaniel Rowan Summers. Nathaniel seemed like a nice cross between Rachel and Nathan, the names of the baby's godparents. Rowan was taken from one of the baby books that Jean had spent hours looking at. She decided that if she had a boy with red hair, then she wanted Rowan for the middle name, since it meant "red-haired." From the moment Hank cleaned off the baby, it was evident that the baby had a full head of red hair, just like his mother. Once Jean was asleep and Hank was off making the entry of the baby's birth into the medical logs, Scott held his son in his arms and made a silent promise that he would do everything for this child that he did not get to do with Nathan.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A month later in mid-August the X-men celebrated the first, of hopefully many, joyous occasions in Kurt's chapel. Jean, Scott, baby Nathaniel, Rachel, and Cable had gathered at the baptismal font while Kurt said the blessing over the child. Rogue and Gambit were among the attendants. Rogue smiled at her husband, squeezed his hand, and put her other hand on her stomach, knowing that it would only be a matter of months before her foster brother would be baptizing their own child in this very chapel. Gambit and Rogue, as well as the other X-men prayed that happy moments like this, times of celebration, would outweigh the darker times they were all use to experiencing.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Author's Notes- So that's one X-baby down and one to go!
Tammy- Yeah, I liked the interaction between Rogue and Jean too. I hadn't intended to write any real friendly interaction between them originally because I couldn't really think of a time where they were super close in the comics, usually Rogue and Storm as friends is portrayed. But it just seemed to fit really well, I'm glad you liked it! :-)
Star-of-Chaos- I know, you think that he would know better, especially because he knew better than to smoke in the house when they were in California. But I guess when the guys all get together and kick back a few cold ones while playing poker; they can't help but act a little immature. Even Remy can forget the house rules now and then, after all, the X-men are only human, so to speak. :-)
T- I'm glad you liked that last chapter! :-)
Ishandahalf- You'll just have to wait to see if the LeBeaus have a boy or a girl, but I know that they'll be happy with either! They seemed to have a bit of fun with names in this chapter; I hope you enjoyed their antics. As for Rogue's name, I agree it does add to the mystery of her character if we are kept in the dark about it. However, if the presentation of her name is done in a well-thought out manner and is not just random then sometimes it adds to a story, so we'll just have to wait to see what happens;-) Sometimes I wonder if Marvel will ever reveal a definite name for her, not just aliases. Either way, it's all good! Yes, Remy is a great name, I should run it by my boyfriend, although it doesn't sound all that good with his last name:-( Oh well, at least I know he thinks Gambit is awesome, even though he doesn't know much about X-men, he did watch the original animated series when he was younger and agrees that Gambit and Rogue are among the greatest! As for the weird food combos, I've never eaten that particular creation, but I do have a strange appetite so I would probably try it once without being pregnant also, haha:-P
Kitsu Lebeau- Glad I could give you some info, I knew most of the Cable info but Rachel was a character that I've only seen briefly in the Wedding of Cyclops and Jean-Grey comic that I have so I had to do some research on her. Between you, me, and ishandahalf, we could start a club of weird eating habits, hahaha.