disclaimer: All recognizable characters are owned by Marvel, except Jenny who is MINE! (though I have been known to share if you ask nicely.) I expect to make no money off this fic. Dammit.

pre-note: This story will switch from 1st person to 3rd person pov, then it will go back to first. . Sorry but it started out 1st but I felt I needed more and what I wanted to do required 3rd.

Family Matters
by Dizi

Though I have given birth, no one would describe me as the maternal type, not even me. The one time I tried to raise a child, she wasn't mine and the results weren't the best.

Despite these facts, I have from time to time made mistakes and found myself with child. Believe it or not, while in this condition I have always held affection for my unborn child - in my own way. It just never seems to last long past the birth.

I do however hold some pride in that most of my offspring have turned out well - including the woman who for a time called me "Mama" - but it was no thanks to me. Recently, I have become very aware of just how well in the son I admit I tried to kill for my own survival. His choices would never have been mine, but he is a man a mother can be proud of. If I could be called that.

Over the years, I have watched him and his wife. I have spoken to her and the two children they are raising as their own in many different guises. I have seen them together do something I never could and never cared to, except that once.

They are raising two children to be happy, secure in their abilities, and accepting of who they are.

Now I have come to a decision about my immediate future, and I can only hope they are everything they seem to be.

"Liese!" Jenny called. "It's time to go home!"

"Mommy, can I stay? Pleeeeaasse?" the little green-skinned girl begged once she had run to the mansion's backdoor. "I been good. Look, I kept my clothes on."

"I can see that." Jenny said, trying to keep her face straight. It was unusual for her daughter to keep her clothes on while close to a body of water. The water dripping from said clothes was testament that they had indeed stayed on, even as Liese had gone to her favorite spot at the bottom of the lake. "But Mommy wants to go home and there's no one to take care of you right now."

"Unka Wolvie will take care of me." She volunteered, ready for this response. "He said I could stay with them whenever I wanted."

"I know he did," Jenny said, barely stopping herself from rolling her eyes, "but Aunt Jubes isn't feeling well so I don't think it's a good idea today." She had expected Liese's face to scrunch up in a typical 'I don't want to' expression but instead she changed tactics.

"Can my new friend come over then?" Liese asked, again with a begging tone.

Surprised, Jenny looked around, "What new friend?"

"That one." Liese pointed back toward the lake and a little blond-haired girl. "Please, Mommy? I want to show her my friends at home."

Knowing she was referring to the large fifty-gallon aquarium filled with fish in her bedroom, Jenny looked at her eager face, and her heart squeezed a bit. Liese didn't have many friends and was always looking for a new one of any species. If she had found one that walked on land, Jenny wasn't going to get in their way. "We'll have to talk to her parents and you have to ask Daddy, too."

Squealing happily, Liese gave her a hug and ran back towards the other girl, shouting, "Mommy said yes and Daddy always does, so you just have to ask your Mommy and Daddy!"

"You know it's very telling when our daughter doesn't feel the need to actually ask you for permission." Jenny commented to Kurt two weeks later. "She knows you'll say yes."

"Zat is vhy I have you," he chuckled. "So I do not have to say no."

"How about we change that around every once in a while? I'll say yes and you say no."

"Vhat? And confuse ze children?" he asked in feigned shock. "Zhey vould not know vhat to do."

"Exactly." Jenny replied. "They are getting way too good at manipulating us."

"You vould have said yes, too. It is nice Liese has a friend othzer zen Namor and ze Atlanteans." He smiled. "Ve both like Michelle."

"You're probably right." Jenny leaned back against the pillows and watched him slide between the sheets. "Are the girls asleep?"

"Ja, zhey vere out as soon as zhey vent to bed." Kurt draped one arm around her shoulders and moved his tail suggestively up her leg. "Vhich only took an hour to accomplish."

"Really? You're getting better at it. Last time Michelle stayed over it took two hours." Her hands trailed up his chest teasingly.

"Ah, geliebt, you know vhat it does to me vhen you speak of my parenting skills." He said as he gently took her ear between his teeth.

"Why, Mr. Wagner, I do believe you're right." She whispered just before she kissed him heatedly.

They sprang apart at the knock on the bedroom door. "Daddy? Michelle's sick." came Liese's worried voice.

"She probably ate too much popcorn vhen zhey vatched 'Ze Little Mermaid'." With a sigh, Kurt slid back out of bed. "Or perhaps it vas ze ice-cream and pickles during 'Finding Nemo'."

Pushing the bathroom door open to find the little girl retching over the toilet, he got her a glass of water and a washcloth. "Zere, liebchen. Do you feel better now?"

"Mr. Wagner," she panted, and he froze in shock as her body started to change. "It'll be a good long while before I feel better." Mystique finished.

In the blink of an eye, he closed the door and assumed a fighting stance, which didn't ease as she again started vomiting.

"You can stand there all you want," she gasped finally. "But I'm not getting up from here for a long time. Why don't you go reassure Liese that 'Michelle' is alright?" Her face went pale and she gripped the toilet bowl again.

He hesitated before making a decision. He wanted to get his family away from her. Leaving the glass and washcloth on the floor beside her, he quietly left the room.

Still trying to catch her breath, Mystique looked at them before again throwing up.

Sitting on the side of the bed, Jenny was holding a scared Liese. "It's alright, sweetie. Daddy will take care of Michelle. You'll see, she'll be just fine. Okay?"

Her eyes filled with tears, she nodded mutely against her mother's shoulder.

Jenny looked up as Kurt came back. "How's Michelle doing? Should I call her parents?"

He shook his head slightly. "Liese, I vant you to put on your robe and house shoes. You are going to see your Aunt Rogue and Uncle Remy."

Surprised at his tone, she ran from the room to do his bidding.

Meeting his eyes, Jenny knew she was no longer looking at her husband but the X-Man Nightcrawler. "What's wrong?"

"She is not Michelle. She is my mothzer, Mystique. I vill call for ze othzers. I vant you both avay from her." He was already going towards the door to the living room so as to be out of Liese's hearing while he used the phone.

"I'll get dressed." Jenny reassured him.

Once he was gone, she quickly did as she'd promised, but the whole time she could hear the sounds coming from the bathroom.

She tried to ignore it, knew she should. This was the woman who had tried to kill her husband when he was only a few hours old. She had raged about this woman, had hated her from the moment she knew of her existence. This person had obviously played them for fools and toyed with her daughter's affections. Any one of these actions was unforgivable and the woman did not deserve her sympathy.

But if those sounds were any indication, then she wouldn't be in any condition to move, much less be a threat, and she wanted to see her.

Mystique had emptied her stomach and was in the midst of dry heaves. She had accidentally knocked over the glass when she had tried to get a drink with shaking fingers, so was kneeling in a puddle of water. Vowing silently 'Never again', she didn't have the energy to jump when a gentle hand wiped her face with a cool washcloth, only letting out a pitiful moan that was in no way fake.

"Why are you here?" Jenny asked, continuing to wipe her face.

"I made a mistake," Mystique whispered. "I shouldn't have come."

"No, but you did and you had a reason. Was it because you're sick?"

She didn't answer right away, closing her eyes and relaxing under Jenny's ministrations. "I was at your wedding. Not sure why, but I felt like I should be there."

"Hope you had a good time." Jenny said dryly, glad she hadn't known.

"I didn't go expecting to have fun, but it was nice." She thought since she had started that she might as well finish. In for a penny, in for a pound. "I've also met Zelig. He's a good boy."

"Yes, he is." Jenny's throat was tight. The woman had invaded their life. "I understand he takes after his biological father."

"I don't think that's it. You're his mother in all the ways that matter. You're a good mother, better than I could ever be."

This wasn't what Jenny had expected to hear. "Do you need a doctor?"

Laughing harshly, Mystique said, "I have a doctor, but there's nothing he can do. I'm not sick the way you mean. I'm pregnant. Morning sickness is just part of it. It's never been mornings for me, though." She took a deep shuddering breath as nausea rolled through her again. "You should be grateful you don't have to go through this."

Unable to speak, Jenny put a towel on the floor and refilled the water glass before leaving.

"Godammit! What the hell were ya doin'?" Logan demanded.

Kurt stood with his arms crossed and Jenny knew he was too angry to speak, just as he had been since she walked out of the bathroom in their home almost an hour ago, at least not in front of an audience anyway. Now they were in the mansion's war-room, and perhaps by the time they were done he would understand her actions.

"What more could she do then that she didn't have the opportunity to do before?" Jenny asked reasonably. "I know the kind of person she is. You don't need to go over it again. She couldn't have been faking that she was sick all that time, and anyone throwing up that much couldn't be a threat."

"You don't know that, Jenny." Scott said heatedly. "No one knows what she's capable of."

Before she could answer that one, there was a knock on the war-room door. Hesitantly, Zelig peeked inside. At twelve he was as tall as Jenny and still growing. "Mom? Aunt Jubes said you wanted to see me."

Kurt stiffened, becoming visibly angrier, and Scott asked irritably, "Can it wait until after we're done?"

Looking to his mother, Zelig didn't answer. He was now going to the school, living in the dormitory, since he had manifested three months before. Scott was both his favorite uncle and in charge of him, but Jenny was still his mother. He knew better than to go against her.

Holding a hand out to him, Jenny then drew Zelig against her side. "He should be here. He's old enough to understand and it's no longer just X-Men business. It's family business."

"You are letting her get to you!" Kurt burst out, unable to hold back any longer.

"Maybe," Jenny agreed, "but not like you think. I-"

"Und now you put Zelig in danger! Ve don't know vhat her agenda is!" He continued as though she hadn't spoken.

"That's why I had to talk to her! Did you even think to stop and ask? She said-" Jenny tried to explain but he interrupted again.

"Nein! I do not vant to know! You may have played into her hands! Perhaps she knew she could make you feel sorry for her!"

If the woman had thought that she was way off the mark, Jenny thought to herself and said incredulously, "Don't you think I know that? She's your mother and-"

"Und she ist insane!" Kurt's voice had gotten louder each time he spoke. It was now echoing throughout the room. "I do not vant her near my vife and children!"

"Neither do I!" Jenny's voice was just as loud as his. "But it's a little late for that!"

"Because you vent against my vishes and now you have bring in our son!"

"She's pregnant!" Jenny shouted, stunning him into silence.

His eyes wide, Zelig hadn't been able to take his eyes off his parents. He had never seen them so angry before, especially at each other. Usually if one of them was upset the other was calm and soothing. If it were he or Liese in trouble, the angry one would walk away leaving the calmer one to deal with the problem. Both of them this upset at the same time meant it was really bad. "Uncle Scott?" he asked in a low tone. "Dad has a mother? What's bad about that? And why is Liese here? Where is Michelle? Wasn't she spending the night? Liese was really excited about it."

Though he spoke quietly and not to them, Kurt and Jenny heard him clearly. His words both calmed and added a different tension to their mixed emotions.

"He should not be here. Ve already must explain to Liese." Kurt was working hard to control his rage.

"She said she has spoken to him too, Kurt. He deserves to be here." Jenny was just as angry, but for different reasons. "Liese has been betrayed on a level we don't know the extent of yet, and we know nothing about Zelig's experience. After I learned that, did you really expect me to stay out of it?"

"You haf been hurt too many times in ze past." His anger was no longer directed at her. "I do not vant my mothzer to be ze cause of more."

"I don't want this to hurt you either, but we have to know." Jenny cupped his face in both hands.

Kurt looked at his son staring at them. Then he looked back to his wife. "Ve will see, and zen ve vill decide vhat to do. As a family, not just X-Men."

Logan and Scott exchanged glances, both silently agreeing. The X-Men were family, and this was a family matter.

Hank brought Mystique in a little while later. "Along with a normal pregnancy test, I performed a sonogram and was also able to hear a fetal heartbeat. In my best medical opinion, by all evidence she is indeed with child."

All eyes turned to Mystique who sat in the chair apparently calm. If true, she was the only one who was.

"So why exactly did you come to us?" Jenny finally broke the silence. Despite his earlier promise, Kurt glared at her. She ignored it, waiting for a response.

"I thought you would understand that by now." Mystique said with some surprise.

"Explain fer those of us not in the know." Wolverine growled. "Tell us why ya felt the need ta play with a lonely little girl's head."

"I did nothing of the sort," she denied. "I was her friend and am willing to continue to be. She doesn't need to know the rest."

"Ja, she does," Kurt said stiffly. "Ve vill not lie to her."

"I'm not saying you should, but to both of us Michelle is just as real as any of you."

"And me?" Zelig inserted. "Mom said you told her you talked to me too."

"That's all we did, talk. I was a substitute teacher when you were in public school in the second grade, Mrs. Wylie." Briefly, she changed to an older woman with greying hair and pretty green eyes, then back again.

"I remember you. You were the nicest sub we had that year. But I don't remember what we talked about." He admitted this while glancing at his father. He could tell he was getting angry again.

"You mostly talked about your dog and your sister," she told him with a smile, then added in an undertone, "and your Uncle Scott."

"You still haven't told us why." Jenny laid a hand on Zelig's arm. Girl had died the year before when she was hit by a car and he still mourned her. Besides which, she knew Kurt didn't want him interacting with his 'mother'.

"Because I wanted to know what you were like." Mystique shrugged. "I didn't see any other way to find out objectively."

"No, I don't mean before. Now, why did you come now? What did you hope to find?"

Mystique stared at the table, not answering immediately. "You know, I didn't think I'd like you, Jenny. You're human, and I've met few humans I like. You're the first human who I've found to be a point in favor of Xavier's dream." She said it thoughtfully. "Of course, it could be the people I meet aren't the best slice of humanity, but most would say I'm not a good example of a mutant either."

"You can say that again," Scott muttered.

"You're changing the subject." Jenny's voice was mild, her face expressionless.

"Not really. You see, I already knew the kind of person my son is, but I couldn't be sure about you. You seem just too good to be true. I'm still not entirely sure you're not." She paused. "But you are one thing I will probably never be and never really care to in the long run. You are a good mother."

"You expect us to believe you care?" Kurt spat out.

"Whether you believe or not, right now I do care about this baby. That will probably change, but at this moment it's the truth." There was something in the way she said it which made them believe her - not really conviction but something.

"So you're looking for... what?" Scott asked cautiously. "A safe place to stay while you're pregnant?"

She threw her head back and laughed. "Stay here? Me? No, thank you. None of us would be able to stand that. No, I have a safe-house arranged. Like I said, I want what is best for my child." Laughter gone, Mystique's yellow eyes caught and held Jenny's suddenly. "That's not me. It's you."

Jenny's expression didn't change. "When are you due?"

"About five and a half months, maybe." She shrugged. "The doctors aren't completely sure."

Nodding and touching Kurt's clenched fist, Jenny promised only what she felt she could. "We'll discuss it."

"Of course, I understand. Take your time." Focusing on the room in general, Mystique said politely, "Could I possibly get some crackers or dry toast?"

"She is not to be trusted. You know zis." Kurt said it wearily.

"Neither have most of the kids we've taken in over the years." Jenny argued. "And before you say anything about that, remember you chose to bring them into our home too. The only reason we don't have anyone now is because we decided to devote some time strictly to Liese. But, Kurt, you have to see the situation has changed."

Ignoring a protesting Logan, Jubilee had come in to report Liese had fallen asleep and stayed to support Jenny. "I think it's important to remember you're not bringing in Mystique. You're accepting a new baby."

"Exactly," Jenny agreed. "A baby who is your brother or sister."

"A baby who could turn out ta be another Graydon Creed." Logan grunted.

"Who might have turned out different if he had been given to people who cared more about him." Jubilee shot back.

Scott inserted hastily, not wanting those two to really get into it. They didn't have that kind of time. "I don't buy that she cares so much and I don't like that she's been in contact with the kids. Are you sure you don't remember anything else, Zelig?"

"Honest, Uncle Scott, I don't think I'd remember at all if she hadn't turned into Mrs. Wylie." Zelig said in confusion. "She was just a nice teacher. I had no idea she was anything else."

"Don't worry about it, son." Hearing the doubt in the boy's voice, Scott was sorry he had asked.

"I told ya he shouldn'ta gone ta public school or ya shoulda let me smell his teachers." Logan's face had a fierce scowl which was getting worse by the second.

"That didn't help with Liese." Jenny said hotly. She had been the one to insist on public school to let him learn about the other side. "She met Michelle here on the grounds."

"We're getting off topic." Jubilee didn't want Logan to go ballistic. He was still angry about Liese.

"Ve do not know zat she will stay avay if she gives us ze baby. If ve accept it, she could stay part of our lives. I do not vant zat." Kurt's fingers were threaded in Jenny's and he held her hand tight.

"Oh, honey, I know." Jenny agreed with him. She understood his concerns, but she was also thinking of him. "But can you live with yourself if you say no? Down the road, you would feel guilty and it would be too late to take it back. Do you want to take the chance the child would end up like so many children we see? Lost and alone?"

Before he could think of a reply, Zelig caused everyone to look at him by offering, "I-I'll come home and help take care of the baby."

It had been his dream to live at the mansion, to be with other mutants and closer to his extended family. He loved being closer to Scott and Bishop on a daily basis, soaking up all they taught him. That he was making such an offer said a lot.

"Nein," Kurt said gently, proud of this son they had raised. "Zat vill not be necessary. Ve haf not yet turned avay a child in need, und ve vill not now."

"You need to understand we're not doing this for you," Jenny began cautiously.

"I would not think otherwise. You don't know me and would probably feel the same if you did." Though Mystique spoke in a humble way, there was a note of relief.

"We'll want it to be legal and will provide you our lawyer's information."

"Whatever is necessary."

"There are to be no more games with our children, including this one. No exception." Jenny was firm. This was something everyone had agreed was most important.

Mystique said quickly, "Agreed."

Too quickly for Jenny. "Whatever dealings you may have with the X-Men does not include our children. I won't have another one toyed with."

"Zelig was not harmed by my interest," she protested.

"Just knowing he opened up to someone who was a potential danger has made him doubt himself."

"But that could be true of anyone, a real Mrs. Wylie could be a serial killer for all you know." Mystique sounded reasonable and looked ready to sit back and argue her point.

"This ain't philosophy. We want yer word," Logan growled.

"And would you trust me to keep it?" Mystique asked curiously, cocking her head to the side. "I will say I regret any pain Liese may feel and it was not my intention to harm her or anyone else by my actions. If circumstances had been different I would have made contact another way and Michelle would have moved. It would have been only a normal childhood experience."

Kurt looked as though he were about to explode, and Jenny repeated, "No more games with the children."

"No games," Mystique agreed, adding to herself privately that she hadn't considered it a game in the first place so she was free to continue. It was a good thing they weren't aware of the other times.

"Do you have plans for how to deliver the baby?" Jubilee asked. It was one thing they hadn't been able to discuss without her.

"Unless things change, I'll have it at a private hospital and simply call you to pick it up. I've never actually gone through the legal system for such a matter, but I would think everything would be settled by then." She frowned, unsure.

"We want to be kept updated as to your progress and any possible complications. We'll also need your medical history, for the future health of the baby." Jenny added the last quickly foreseeing the other woman protesting giving out that information. "The first thing pediatricians ask is the parent's history."

"I'll have it sent along with the progress reports. Anything else?"

"I think those are the main things." Jenny looked at everyone else to be sure. Kurt was looking stoic and Zelig she wasn't sure about, but both would talk to her about what they were thinking later.

"Then I'll call periodically. Don't change your cell phone number." Mystique stood as if to leave, then hesitated. "I would like to speak to Liese before I go."

"I don't think that's a good idea." Jenny sent a significant look Logan and Kurt's way.

"You intend to explain things to her and I think it might be good for her to hear it from me." Mystique explained.

"Ya ain't gettin' anywhere near that girl." Logan stood threateningly.

"I didn't ask you." She dismissed him, saying to Jenny, "It can be a supervised visit."

Jenny didn't think to give approval without her husband's consent. This was a touchy subject as it was. "Kurt?"

"I... I vill leave zis decision to you, geliebt. My judgement is not ze best now."

Squeezing his hand, she nodded and thought for a moment. He probably wouldn't like it, but neither of them had been looking forward to explaining 'Michelle' to Liese and she would take any help offered. "Jubes, will you call Rogue and let her know we're coming? She might want to get rid of Remy for a little while. Earlier he was acting snarly just like Logan."

"Liese?" Jenny gently shook her daughter's shoulder. The girl immediately woke up. "Sweetheart, there's someone who wants to talk to you."

At a sound, Liese looked past her mother and quickly sat up. "Michelle! Are you all better now?"

Jenny frowned but decided to see how it went before interfering.

"Not exactly, but I'm not getting sick right now. I have to tell you something." 'Michelle' sat on the end of the bed. "Remember how you said once that you were glad I was your friend?"

"You're my best friend." Liese agreed immediately.

"I want you to know that I liked being your friend very much, but I can't be anymore. I'm not what you think. You see," Mystique continued, changing mid-sentence, "I wanted to know you and your mom and dad. But I have to leave now."

"You're not Michelle?" Liese sounded confused.

"She's part of me, maybe one of the best parts."

"Oh." Liese was used to having adults or children much older than herself as companions and had lived her whole life surrounded by mutants. To have Michelle turn out to be both didn't seem that unusual to her - just more of the same. "Why do you have to go?"

"I'm going to have a baby, so I have to go somewhere safe until after it's born." She laid a hand on her stomach, whether self-conscious or to make a point.

"Will you come back after?"

"No, I can't, I don't belong here. The baby will, though. It'll be your new brother or sister. I'm sure you'll love each other very much."

Liese's bright amber eyes became shiny with unshed tears. There were many people in her life. They loved her and she knew it, but this was the first person she had really talked to and she felt had accepted her completely. She didn't count her family, which all the other adults really were. "But I want you to come back, too."

"Liese, I'm not always a nice person. It's best this way, really. Someday, you'll have real friends. People who understand you and accept you just as you are, and who won't go away. Hopefully, people your own age."

"Like the Atlantis people?" Liese asked eagerly, wiping her eyes.

"I don't know, but it will happen. You'll need to be patient and wait for it. Don't be so eager you accept everyone you see, they won't all be able to appreciate the special girl you are. Can you wait? Can you do that for me, as your friend?"

"I'll try." Liese threw her arms around her, letting the tears flow freely. "I'll miss you."

For a few seconds, Mystique hugged her back. "Liese, you don't really know me, no one does, and someday you'll understand that you don't want to." Carefully, she set the child away from her. "I have to go. Don't forget, Liese. Wait for it."

"Okay." Still crying the girl cuddled against her mother.

Just before leaving the room, Mystique looked back.

Jenny met her eyes one last time, mouthing, "Thank you."

Nodding, she left.

Almost six months later, a neighbor raking the leaves next door to the Wagner home watched Liese run out the door, followed at a more sedate pace by Zelig.

Kurt was helping Jenny out of the car, a blanket wrapped bundle in her arms while the little girl shouted in excitement. "Is he here? Is my new brother here? The one Michelle promised?"

"Ja, you must be quiet to not vake him." Kurt smiled, picking her up so she could see. "His mothzer named him Simon."

With a smile of his own, the neighbor waved to them. Once the door had shut behind the happy family, Mystique set down the rake and walked away.

I am not a good mother. I really don't want to be and it's been very rare that I have regretted that.

However, if I had been capable of it, even by a small measure, I might have gone to the next stage. I think I could have handled that one. I might have enjoyed it. That I do regret.

I could have been a good grandmother.

Maybe, someday, I can be.

Or maybe just the nice little old lady that lives down the street who they all love. I could be that, too.

note:
Did she continue to "interfere" in their lives? Well, as they will never know for sure neither will we. But I like to think she followed up and at least kept track of them.

This is the last short-story connected to "Human and the Demon". Some of the characters will show up in other stories but those are not to be considered sequels. There will be a sequel with Hank as the central character but it will be awhile as I am working on several others right now. But it will come. Promise.

I kept waiting to be inspired to a new title for the story based on Bobby but it never happened. So I hope to be posting "Ordinary People" within the next couple weeks. I expect to always post on Wednesday or Thursday. If that changes I will let you know in author's notes or on my bio.

Thanks for reading and the support,
Dizi