Chapter 12 - Yellow And Black Influencer

Jan's first shot at babysitting Scott's kids came just a few days after the evaluation had been completed for James. Scott had asked Natasha to help him find a place where he could be close to Rachel and he could be available for the private tutors Tony was looking into. He wasn't necessarily looking for anything permanent, just something he could use while his kids figured out this new turning point in their lives. As a result of the quick rush of new information and the buzz going around the Avengers regarding all of Scott's kids, Natasha had suggested using one of the apartments in the building Clint owned in Bedford-Stuyvesant.

Since Natasha and Clint had adopted Katie, the place was one of the safest buildings in the borough - in no small part because the tracksuit mafia that had tried to make Clint's life hell had gotten scared off by a combination of Storm's wrath in the early days after losing Kurt and then an unrelenting Black Widow making their lives a living hell as her hobby until they finally retreated.

So Clint's building was a safe place, with the promise of anonymity and the Avengers close enough that if there was a problem at the school or if there were problems as the two boys got older and grew into their powers, he'd have backup, too.

But Scott wanted to get everything set up himself, triple-check the security, and talk to the school that Nate would be attending - which also happened to be Katie's school, so the chances of it being problematic were low. Still, it just meant that Jan got to watch the kids while Scott let his paranoia guide him.

They were all hanging out at the park for the day, and when lunchtime came around, it was back to the tower, where Katie and Lexi Barton attached to the group. The next thing Jan knew, she had four kids building a fort to play pretend in. Once they'd worn themselves out, Jan somehow wound up in the fort with all four of them snuggled up with her while a movie played on the little laptop she'd brought in.

"That's impressive," Scott said as he came in and knelt down at the opening of the fort. "Usually, the boys keep to themselves the more tired they get."

"Really? They're so snuggly, though," Jan said. "No wonder you don't like to share."

"Hey, James has spent enough time being sick and needing the human contact…"

"And he was the one to start the snuggles, too," Jan said. "I am not complaining."

Scott shook his head with a quiet smile. "Well, now you're stuck in there, I hope you know."

"Again, not complaining," Jan laughed. "He's a great little teddy bear."

"He'd hate to hear that," Scott said, unable to hide his quiet laugh.

"I don't know," Jan said, tipping her head to the little guy. "He looks pretty comfy to me."

"Sure he's not sick?" Scott teased.

"He's been tired - no temperature though," Jan said. "And he wasn't complaining about anything - not that I think he would, but ... "

"No, you have to intuit it with him," Scott agreed.

"Then I would guess if he is coming down with something, it's probably not super bad."

Scott nodded to himself, though he was looking around the room until he saw that Lexi was curled up with a puppy at her side.

Jan tipped her head as she thought about it. "He was playing with Lucky a lot, too."

"Oh, yeah. There you go. He has a hard time with pets."

"That is so weird," Jan said with a little laugh.

"Yeah, especially since he has his dad's penchant with wild animals. He found a wolf pack that was ready to adopt him and was sniffly for days, but he still goes to them to say hi when they come around."

"Wait. He was playing with a wolf pack?"

"Freaked me out too, but you should see him. He knows how to communicate with them, and honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if it was the same pack out that way that was friendly with Logan."

Jan stared at him for a moment and then pulled James a little tighter. "Seriously."

"Hey, I don't … whatever it is, it used to drive me nuts. Logan would go missing or on one of his walkabouts, and sometimes, if we had to go looking for him, we'd find him with a pack." Scott shrugged. "K joked about it all the time. She thought it was hilarious."

"Things I didn't know," Jan said. "And … kind of interesting. I didn't know that was part of the powerset."

"I don't know that it is part of his mutation," Scott said. "The more I've seen it, the more I think it's an instinct to treat everything the way he wants to be treated."

"Then … I guess that means more snuggles, all the time. Oh darn!"

"You're just happy for the excuse."

"That's what I said!"

Scott shook his head, sitting back as he watched her with the kids. "James will snuggle Natasha sometimes. I've learned Russian just to keep up with the two of them."

"Well, he plays with wolves too, so you know..."

"I don't think Natasha would appreciate that," Scott chuckled.

"No, but you did!" Jan said. "Admit it! There's a parallel there, somewhere!"

"Russian timberwolves?" Scott shot back with a dry smirk.

"Yes! That. Exactly that." Jan was nodding along seriously. "Red Room was code for 'grrrrrrrr'."

Scott laughed. "Oh, is that why Lexi's so attached to the dog?"

"Probably," she said. "So … how do you usually get these sweetie pies to bed? Or is it just … camp out on the floor once they get here?"

"If you're very careful, you can get them to bed," Scott said. "But I don't know how well that will work while we're here at the tower."

"And … if I don't want to put them to bed? What if I'm just trapped?" She kissed the top of James' head. "Oh no!"

Scott chuckled and leaned back as he watched them. "I guess that makes me superfluous."

"Well, superfluous, why don't you toss me a blanket, then?"

Scott laughed as he did just that. "You're terrible."

"You kind of did it to yourself," she laughed. "And … I had to."

"If you say so," Scott said, lying back with his hands behind his head as he looked up at the ceiling. "I'm glad they've got someone here that they all trust. James does well with Tony, but Nate and Rachel ..."

"They're great kids, Scott," Jan said, settling in.

"They had good material to work with. I just stay out of their way and let them shine."

"Yeah, you help them shine," she said.

"I used to think that," Scott said. "The older they get, the more I'm convinced they're outpacing me. Which is good. They should."

"They're only outpacing you if you're giving them all they need," Jan said. "And more. You're doing a great job, in case no one's said so."

"It's not really about me, Jan," Scott said.

"I didn't say it was, but I am trying to give credit where it's due," she said. "They're amazing kids, but they get to be amazing because of the job you're doing as their dad. Own it."

Scott let out a breath of a laugh. "You're seeing a good day. You should have seen me last week when Nate tried to convince me he wanted a long-range rifle. He hated me for days until I promised I'd teach him personally when he was old enough."

"He's just in a hurry to grow up," Jan said. "Like most kids."

"He thinks he's got to keep up with the other two."

"Of course he does; he's the baby," she said, smiling at him. "It's always like that with the baby. Look at Natasha's kids. They get cutthroat about it."

"I didn't realize Lexi was so dangerous," Scott said with a smirk. "And I know for a fact Jim's still too young to follow them around."

"Yet. Too young yet. He still tries to lean away from Clint to get to them."

"Poor guy."

"You can't tell me I'm wrong. What about your brother? Wasn't he a total pain trying to keep up?"

"Oh, definitely," Scott said. "He still is. Visits from Genosha sometimes to be the 'fun uncle'."

"How does that work out?" Jan asked as James picked his head up to see what was going on.

James glanced up at Scott with one eye half opened. "Hi, Dad," he said quietly before snuggling in better with Jan.

"Hey, James," he said with a quiet smile. "You want to keep using Jan as a pillow or do you want a better nap space?"

"If you want me to go, I will," James said, sitting up a little, since he thought that was what they were after.

"No, it's up to you," Scott said. "I'm fine staying here and talking with Jan while you hang out."

James looked up at Jan, and when she nodded, he mumbled out a quiet 'okay' and settled back in with her, which had Jan melting and making sure he was as comfortable as could be.

The two adults waited until James was asleep again before they dared to say anything, and then Scott let out a breath. "I'm trying not to let him think he doesn't have a choice in what happens to him. He was young when everything happened, and I know getting passed around … not having a choice in who was in charge of him for a while…it made an impact."

"I didn't realize he was passed around that much," Jan said softly. "I saw him when he was with Tony …"

Scott was quiet for a long time. "He started out with me. Then things got complicated when some anti-mutant groups were looking to retaliate for what the Phoenix did, and we needed to make it harder for us to be identified. So … it was Kitty and Bobby for a while, at least until it was clear they couldn't handle being his watch 24/7 and he panicked about them taking him to Genosha. So I stepped up until, again, the idiots in special forces were getting too close. Then it was Tony. Then me again. Then Natasha. Me. We've all done what we had to in order to protect him - and us. Rachel and Nate even spent time with Alex, too - and they all had their turns with Ororo. It's what we've needed to protect them. But I can't let James think that he's a spare part. And I know firsthand that is an uphill battle."

"You know that just makes me want to snuggle him more, right?"

"Yeah, I have that reaction too."

"And I'll bet Tony was hard to get him from. Harder than you thought he'd be anyhow."

"I wasn't expecting him or Natasha to be so attached," Scott admitted. "But I helped raise James, and as much as they're attached, they had their own problems crop up. He needs stability, and I'm doing my best to give it to him."

"You're doing great, Scott. Really."

"I hope so."

"Yeah, you're getting a hug too," Jan said.

"Gonna be hard to do when you're trapped under that pile," Scott pointed out.

"I'll get around to it," she said. "Priorities."

"Yeah, I have to agree; the boys come first," he said. "Katie and Lexi too." He let out a breath. "You really are good with them. I'm sorry about-" He let out a breath. "Yeah."

"Well, I guess we're all settled in now," Jan said, gently shifting the subject. "So … good night."

Scott chuckled. "They'll wake up in about an hour anyway. They never take long naps."

"They didn't have a full-sized Wasp teddy bear before," Jan pointed out. "You never know."

"If you say so," he said with a smirk. "In that case, I'll just fall asleep where I am. Take full advantage."

"Fine by me," Jan said, then yawned a little as she got comfy too.

It actually was a few hours later that Scott woke up - because Nate had climbed on his chest and started poking his cheek. "Um, Da-a-a-ad, we're all playing, and you're still sleeping."

Scott peeked one eye open to see that, in fact, the kids were all quietly playing together with a game of Trouble. Lexi was too young to really play, but they let her pop the dice for everyone's turn. But apparently, Nate was concerned that their dad might sleep forever.

Scott shook his head. "Sorry about that. I guess I was tired," he said, ruffling Nate's hair and pulling him into a hug. "You go ahead and play. I'll talk to Jan about dinner, and we can all head to our new apartment once we've eaten, okay?"

Nate nodded. "Okay," he said, then hugged Scott and rushed back to take his turn.

Scott checked the clock and was surprised to see just how much time had passed as he came to sit by Jan on the couch. "I guess I needed that."

"Yeah, well … I can stay with them when you need to recharge," Jan offered. "You need to breathe sometimes, too."

"I usually get more space to breathe during the school year," Scott admitted, then paused. "Okay, so that's not - I guess with the projects and everything-" He let the argument drop and cleared his throat. "I didn't notice I was tired."

"Oh, I know how that works," Jan said. "That, too, is pretty normal for what I know."

"You should've seen me on the X-Men, then. Hank knocked me out once or twice. I was told afterward it was for my own good," Scott said dryly. "Still don't believe him."

"I've seen the other side of it when it goes too far," Jan said. "Tony once fell asleep on his feet after a three-day-straight bender tinkering in his lab. It was ugly. He thought he was fine until he just … dropped."

"Logan did that once."

"Bet it took longer than three days," Jan said dryly.

"Three weeks," Scott admitted. "It was right after Rachel was born. Sinister took an interest; Logan took offense. It was a long month."

"How did that turn out?"

"Well, at the risk of jinxing something, Sinister hasn't come back yet, so I think it was worth it."

"Well, good," Jan said. "He probably came back thinking he had another day or two in him, didn't he?"

"Yeah. I was grateful for K. She … made it easier to get on the same page with him." Scott's gaze was fixed beyond them.

"She really could handle him," Jan agreed. "Made it look easy, too - which I know it was not."

"Yeah, I used to laugh when people would tell me to get better 'control' of my teammate. Like I had control of anything."

"Yeah, well - Steve and Tony. Need I say more?"

"Which one's supposed to be controlling the other?" Scott asked dryly.

"That's kind of the ongoing argument," Jan said.

"You'd think it would be simple," Scott said. "But I grew up on Captain America newsreels."

"So did he," Jan said. "But Tony started the Avengers. So it's a thing."

"And you named them," Scott pointed out.

"Well someone had to," she said with a grin. "They weren't ever going to come to an agreement on it."

"So, why don't you step in?" Scott asked, genuinely curious. "Show 'em how it's done."

"I have," she said. "But it's a pain juggling those two. So … let them duke it out."

"Yeah, I know that feeling," Scott said.

"I'm sure you do," she said, smiling his way. "It's awful being in charge sometimes."

"Yeah, well, that's not a problem anymore," Scott said.

"Nope, sure isn't," she agreed. "This … this is much better. All around."

"Yeah. The world wasn't ready for the X-Men. But I think I can get the kids through life in one piece," Scott said in a sigh.

"I have full faith," Jan said.

"Rachel's got a fiery telepathic touch," Scott pointed out. "James keeps trying to die of … typhoid fever or whatever is going around. I think Nate's alright. He's on the soccer team."

"Well, that's the trouble. Put them all on the soccer team. It'll be fine."

Scott snorted. "James hates team sports."

"You're kidding," she laughed.

"Not even a little bit," Scott said, grinning her way. "He's good, but the other kids drive him nuts."

"Oh my God." She covered her mouth with one hand, trying to cover the giggles. "I thought for sure he'd go for like … hockey or football or something."

"He didn't do too badly with hockey. Actually, Nate's the football fanatic, but I told him he couldn't play until he was older. He's still so small and doesn't realize he's as skinny and short as he is."

"A recurring problem with your boys, then?" she teased.

"You know it," he laughed.

"They're going to be amazing," she said. "Well. Continue to be amazing."

"Yeah, I think they're already there," Scott agreed.

"I heard that Bruce is kind of excited to spend more time with your little genius," Jan said. "So that's kind of weird."

"Hey, I'm not complaining," Scott said. "He's a top scientific mind - and no one will bother James when he's with the Hulk."

"It's just … funny," Jan said with a little snicker.

"Hey, everyone said the same thing about me being James' godfather. At this point, it's practically part of his legacy," Scott said, smiling despite himself.

"It's a great match up," Jan said, grinning. "Genius move on his parents' part."

"I hope so," Scott said.

"I know so," she said, getting to her feet. "So. I'm buying dinner for you guys. Call it a housewarming present."

"You really don't have to."

"I know, but I want to," she said. "So … tell me what you want and I'll order in."

"Nate's kind of picky," Scott warned. "But he'll eat burgers from pretty much anywhere."

"Great - round up the orders and I'll make a call or two."

Scott shook his head, smiling to himself as he wrote down what he knew the boys would eat - and Katie informed him in no uncertain terms that she wanted to have whatever Nate had but she needed lots of ketchup.

Which was hilarious when the food arrived and Kate informed Nate that they matched and kept eating his fries until Nate took the last half of her burger.

"Should I be concerned that they're escalating?" Scott muttered to Jan.

"Nope," Jan said before she stole one of his fries. "Not at all."

"Oh, I see where Katie learned it," he chuckled.

Jan laughed and shrugged. "I dunno. I think it's a mystery."

"Yeah, sure," Scott said, shaking his head at her before he plucked her chicken sandwich out of her hand. "Well, this is a good trade, right?"

Jan burst out laughing. "I guess so!"

Scott grinned, though he eventually gave her dinner back to her, still smiling and shaking his head. "Thanks, Jan. I think everyone needed this after Rachel's powers freaked us all out a little."

"It's been a long week or so for you guys," Jan said. "And I'm always up for movies and take out."

"I'll keep that in mind," Scott said.