Notes: Hey, Doctor11rocks, welcome to my Marvel fics! I update these WAY more than I update my Superwho stuff (sad, I know, but you know how interest ebbs and flows in various fandoms), so hopefully, you'll be very entertained. I too love a good bit of fluff! (As you can see here.)

And CC... seriously. I love Barney Barton in this fic. He is the cutest.

Arly? OMG YOUR REVIEW MADE ME GRIN SO HARD. I TOTALLY AGREE WITH THE SQUEEING.

Chapter 9: It's About to Get Very Busy Around Here

Word traveled fast around the institute, and it was clear that everyone was taking the news of the multiple little ones on the way exceedingly well. Jubilee and Kitty were practically falling over themselves with excitement to see Logan and K have a baby, and Jean, for her part, was stuck somewhere between happy she wouldn't be the only pregnant woman on the team … and insanely jealous that Logan and K had managed to wrangle even more kids, somehow.

Scott teased her about it, of course, reminding her that it wasn't a race and that the Bartons and Bishops had needed someone to get them out of trouble — but Jean felt like she was allowed to be a little irrational and jealous when she was as miserable as she was.

And she was very miserable.

With Rachel, she had a little morning sickness, a little discomfort, a little moodiness... but this second pregnancy seemed much worse, on a scale that Jean was half worried meant something had gone wrong.

It had gotten to the point that she couldn't keep anything down at all, and when she started dry heaving that morning, Scott waited until she had her breath back before he let her know, in no uncertain terms, that they were going to go see Hank.

Not that Jean would argue with him when she was as miserable as she was.

Scott was exceedingly gentle as he picked her up and let her lean on him as he carried her down. She was still very dizzy, and she didn't want to move around too much, so she appreciated the strong center.

Thankfully, Rachel was still asleep, so she didn't see how sick her mom looked, but that didn't mean Jean was without an audience when they got down to the labs.

"Oh. If I'd known you were coming down, I'd have left earlier," K said when she saw Jean and Scott.

"We're not trying to muscle in," Jean said. "I'm just… not feeling very…"

"No, I know," K said. "We just got some pictures …" She held up her arm. "And I got stuck. Something about 'dehydration' whatever. He's making things up."

Jean smirked at that. "I've heard that one before myself," she admitted as Scott, one hand on her elbow, helped her get comfortable.

"I knew it. He just likes poking people," K muttered, giving Hank a little glare that had no heat at all. "Would you rather we left?"

"No, it's alright," Jean said. "I was just hoping Hank could... I already have pictures; I'm just…"

"A lot dizzier than last time," Scott told Hank as the good doctor came to examine her. And it was obvious Scott was concerned by how much he was hovering.

"Every one's different," K said. "Or … that's just his way of saying he has no idea what he's doing."

"It's simply a statement of fact," Hank said, shaking his head at her.

"And a sly admission that he doesn't know," Logan agreed, smirking as he settled in next to K.

Hank gave him a dry look and hit the back of Logan's head as he passed to check on Jean. "Standard protocols, my dear old friend," Hank said, setting down the blood draw kit. "We'll check your levels, give you some fluids, and if you're concerned, we can listen for the heartbeat."

"Please," Jean said with a smile.

Hank smiled warmly at her as he got down to work, and in short order, she too had an IV line running saline for her as Hank pulled out the little device that would let them hear the heartbeat.

But it wasn't as easy as it had been in the past. And the heartbeat … simply didn't sound clear at all. Stuttering, fast, and muddled. And it was something that Hank couldn't quite prevent Jean and Scott from hearing. "Perhaps we should move on to images."

Both Jean and Scott looked a bit more strained as they nodded. "Yeah," Scott said.

As Hank got the machinery, Scott and Jean held tight to each other's hands. "You know he probably is just screwing with you," K said as she and Logan watched them, knowing that they both needed to breathe, no matter the prognosis. "You know that little one will be perfect."

"Yeah," Jean breathed out, though she was watching Hank.

Hank smiled tightly as he pushed his glasses back up the bridge of his nose. But a few short moments later — with the volume turned down to nearly nothing — Hank let out a little breath. "Oh my stars …"

"Horrible bedside manner on this one," K said under her breath, which finally got Hank out of his head.

"Everything is perfectly fine," Hank said. "Picture perfect, really."

Jean raised an eyebrow at that... and then let out a little sound when she peeked at what Hank knew. "Oh, you're kidding me."

Hank chuckled and turned the volume up — again, clearly letting them hear what sounded like a stuttering heartbeat. "It sounds rough because there are two."

For just a moment, it was perfectly silent — until Logan burst out laughing at the expression on Scott's face: a mixture of shock and an honest-to-goodness sort of ecstasy.

"Oh, hush," Jean grumbled, though she had most of her heat turned Scott's way. "This is not what I meant when I—" When Scott was still grinning, she shoved him back a few steps telekinetically, though that only had him laughing outright. "Oh, stop it."

"They're absolute idiots," K said dryly.

Jean shot her a little smile and then shook her head and turned to Hank. "Can you at least try to find out what we're having?"

"We can certainly look," Hank said, grinning for his friends, since he knew how much they had wanted more and especially how much Jean wanted the big family that Logan and K had already managed for themselves. K and Logan shared a little look — with Logan still chuckling under his breath as they settled in — and a few moments later, Hank had fresh profiles of the twins. "They're a bit small — understandable, all things considered."

"Right," Jean said, though she was starting to transition from shock to excitement at last. "And?"

"And … they both look perfectly healthy," Hank replied without missing a beat. "Both the girl and the boy…."

Jean broke into a much bigger smile at that, and Scott leaned over to kiss her cheek. "Looks like we can use both of those names, then," he said, which got an affectionate sort of huff out of her.

"I'm still blaming you."

"Okay."

"That's not exactly how this works," Hank interjected, which had Logan snickering and clearly trying to keep from bursting out again.

"Shut up, Logan," Jean said — though that really had him laughing harder.

"You can't blame anyone," Logan managed to get out between laughs.

That started Scott chuckling too. You were just complaining that he brings home kids in pairs...

Oh shut up.

You're just as excited as I am, so… no, Scott shot back, grinning even wider.

I can't believe I'm going to have to deal with both of you acting like idiots, Jean replied, though she was smiling now, at least.

It's a regular thing for him. This is a special occasion for me.

Jean let out a sigh. "How long do I need to stay here with the saline?" she asked Hank. "And is this why I've been so sick?"

"Very likely," Hank said. "After all, your body is supporting two little ones. That's quite the dramatic draw on your strength."

"Any advice?" Jean asked. "Or is it going to be a very long string of using all the saline?"

"As much as I enjoy your company, I think it would be best for you not to need the attention," Hank said with a smirk. "I'm afraid the best thing for it is simply rest and fluids — all the usual remedies. I can give you something to combat the nausea, of course…"

"Well, if you're busy, I can see myself out," K said, already pulling the IV out of her arm. "Don't hold out on her, Henry. She needs to be pampered now. Or else."

"I've got that covered," Scott said.

"Great. Congratulations, you two," K said. "I'll be … somewhere you shouldn't be able to find." Logan took K's hand, sure to give one last crooked smile to Jean and Scott before they slipped out for Hank to finish going over what to watch out for.

Of course, there was absolutely no way the news of the impending Summers twins — or the fact that Jean was incredibly sick because of it — was going to stay quiet. Not least because Rachel was starting to add to her vocabulary in leaps and bounds and could sucker just about anyone in the house into helping her cheer her mom up by looking up at them with big, sad eyes and saying, "Mommy sick" or "yay babies!"

And, because Rachel and Katie were best friends, this meant that the two smallest girls in the mansion were on a self-appointed mission to make sure Jean was never wanting.

And Jean was highly entertained.

"My sister says you gots two babies," Katie said, throwing her hair over her shoulder self-importantly as first she and then Rachel climbed up onto the bed with Jean, bringing some of their toys that they had decided to share with Jean that day. Jean, of course, got the "prettiest" of the stuffed animals because she was sick, and the girls divvied up the others between them, giggling and clearly enjoying themselves.

"Is that so?" Jean asked, smiling over the top of the teddy bear.

Katie nodded seriously. "Uh-huh. And she says her Dr. Blue knows it too! That's how come she knows it."

Jean smiled at that, honestly glad to hear that Susie was still as attached to Hank as she had been when they first arrived. She knew that Hank had been hurt, even if he didn't say anything, when Clint had been a little standoffish with him after his run-in with Sinister — so to have a little girl underfoot who clearly thought that he hung the moon? That had to help.

"Wuv Dr. Blue," Rachel chimed in helpfully, positively beaming up at Katie, who giggled and nodded her encouragement.

"Uh-huh! Yep! We love him!" she said. She grinned Jean's way. "Rachel don't talk much, but she's learnin'."

"She's still little," Jean said, reaching out to boop the end of Katie's nose. "But I'm glad she has you and your sister and Clint around to help her."

"And Barney sometimes when he's not bein' a circus monkey!" Katie said.

Jean barely hid her laughter at the description. "Yes, and Barney."

Katie beamed at Jean and gave her a hug before she started to direct both of the Summers women on the games they were going to play, telling Jean where she could put her Princess Puffy (her teddy bear) and trying to get Rachel to play, though Rachel was still too little to quite grasp what Katie wanted her to do and was simply content to make a little row of toys at the edge of the bed, carefully considering every toy's placement with a precision that reminded Jean so much of Scott that she had to laugh as she watched her little girl.

You're way too entertained, Scott projected as he came in — though he was wearing his uniform, and Jean had to frown when she saw it. She had been so wrapped up in the girls that she honestly hadn't heard the busy rush of the team getting ready, though now that she could see Scott, she heard everyone downstairs gearing up for a mission to deal with the Brotherhood.

Looks like I'm going to be entertained on my own, she said with a frown.

Scott kissed her forehead. Magneto has been making more noise lately. There's been an uptick in 'weapons' program activity lately — not just the department after Logan and K but a few others. So, of course, he's going on a rampage to retaliate.

Of course he is, Jean said, rolling her eyes. Tell him to knock it off. I like it better when you're around.

Well, I've already asked Clint to take care of you and K for us while we're gone, so I'm sure you won't even notice I'm gone while you're playing with your favorite student, Scott teased lightly.

Jean was about to respond, but Katie interrupted her thought with a stage whisper: "My Clint says when they thought-talk like that, you gotta say so out loud so they know they got busted." She was directing her comments to Rachel, but her gaze was on Scott and Jean, and her eyes were positively sparkling with laughter.

Scott just started to laugh at the scene — and then laughed harder when Jean let out a huff and pushed him telekinetically backward a few steps. "You're just like your big brother," Scott said, ruffling Katie's hair. "Just like him."

Katie looked perfectly tickled as she beamed up at Scott. "Thank you very much!" she sang out.

"You're going to take good care of my Jean and my Rachel, right?" Scott asked.

And, just like with Clint, Scott watched as Katie drew herself up. "Uh-huh! I can do it!"

"I know you can," Scott agreed, ruffling her hair once more before he stole a kiss from Jean and headed out.

Jean watched him go for a moment before she let out a long breath. She loved having a family, but this pregnancy was so much harder than the last one had been, and it was hard to feel so… left out.

But before Jean could start feeling too down on herself, she had two little girls, one of whom was very determined to live up to the task Scott had set for her, snuggling her on either side. And Jean could read in Rachel's mind that she had learned to associate Scott's uniform with long periods of time without her dad around, so Rachel's snuggle was simply a reassurance for the little girl that at least one of her parents was still around.

All at once, Jean's heart totally melted, and she swept both of the girls up for kisses until they started to wriggle and protest. "I love you both, you know that?" Jean said.

"Why you gotta love me with kisses so much?" Katie protested, rubbing her forehead.

"Because you always make the best faces," Jean teased and kissed her forehead again.

Katie rolled her eyes. "You're so weird, Jean."

Jean smirked at that but finally let the girls go so they could get back to playing. Scott was right, she thought. These two take good care of me.