I wanna love like Johnny and June
Rings of fire burnin' with you
I wanna walk the line
Walk the line
'Til the end of time
I wanna love
Love ya that much
Cash it all in
Give it all up
And when you're gone
I wanna go too
Like Johnny and June
(Johnny and June- Heidi Newfield)
The Professor was waiting for her, naturally, his pale face stretched into a smile she knew was meant to be comforting, "Miss Kinney, you're looking well. I trust everything is good with the baby."
Maia nodded absently, looking out the window at the students playing on the lawn. They were mostly blurs, but she would rather focus on them than the man in the room she now saw all too clearly, "Baby's fine, as far as Hank can tell, no obvious damage from Stryker and Rice's experiments. It was good to hear the heartbeat. It's not the same hearing it through someone else's mind."
He chuckled softly, "I can imagine so." Silence stretched between them. He broke it first, "I'm pleased to see how close you and Jean have gotten."
Maia gave him a tiny smile before returning her focus out the window, "She's a saint. Laura bit her yesterday and she's still thrilled about being an aunt."
"Jean's been lonely," he provided, wheeling to her side, "She has immense abilities that many fear, but you and your daughter don't appear to."
Maia rubbed her stomach, unsure wether the gesture had anything to do with the baby inside of her or the phantom pains from her feeding tube scar. "Jean is my sister. Even in the short time we've known one another I know she would never willingly hurt me or Laura."
"No, she wouldn't." He concurred.
"You know, I had a lot of time alone to think these last few weeks." Maia began after a stretch of faux comfortable silence. It was silly, they both knew what was worrying her. She spat it out to save them both the hassle of a delicate conversation, "Professor, part of what Stryker and Rice were trying to do was to cure mutants, and, while they were horrible human beings in going about it, I'm not sure they were entirely wrong."
He seemed a bit surprised, "You want your mutation gone?"
Maia shook her head, "No, but...I have to fight so hard to keep myself sane every day... what happens when I lose it? Jean and I have talked. Our shared grandfather lost his mind before he died. Dementia. Dangerous enough in a normal human, but in me?" She bit her lip, "Jean? You? We could seriously hurt a lot of people, and there would be no way to stop the two of you. Least my eyes are an off switch, kill those, I'm helpless."
He was frowning at her, she was sure, but she didn't dare look at him, "You're concerned for Jean and I?" She nodded in response, and it took several minutes for him to speak again. "You are a very thoughtful young woman." He sighed heavily, "I understand your fear. It's one of mine as well. For a long time I had planned to ask Logan when it came time to help, but...perhaps there's a better solution. For myself and for Jean."
"What's that?" Maia asked, resting her hands on the windowsill to keep herself from scratching any more phantom itches.
"You. I believe you could help Jean and I should we succumb to the degeneration of the mind." He took a breath, "Through you it is possible we could live safely in a dream world until the end of our days."
Maia scoffed, "What makes you even think I could do something like that?"
He laughed genuinely, and her eyes flicked to his face, "Because, this is a dream, Maia."
She took a step back, "What?"
Before he could elaborate, someone opened the door behind them, an older man wearing a cable knit gray sweater that accentuated his blue eyes, "Charles, are you coming to dinner?" His arresting blue eyes flicked to her, "Maia?"
Charles nodded, "Yes, love, we'll be there soon."
The man left with a smile that managed to be sharklike and heartwarming at the same time. Maia stared at the man beside her, "That was Magneto."
"Erik." He corrected, "This is a dream I have quite often, and, pardon my bluntness, you rarely take such a staring role."
Maia laughed shortly, "Well of course not, you're too busy torturing yourself with him. If you just stopped being so disappointed when he does things you disagree with you two might have a fighting chance in the real world." She clapped a hand over her mouth, "Shit, I'm sorry, I didn't mean…"
He held out a hand to stop her from digging a bigger hole for herself, "My relationship with Erik is a complicated one. You understand better than most why we cannot be together."
Maia looked down at her hands where they rested on her stomach, "You're wrong. I've been in his mind. He wants you the same way Logan wants me, and he always has. Being apart from you feels like his soul is being eaten."
He smiled tightly at her, and after several moments said, "Perhaps. Just don't let what's happened to us happen to you and Logan. If he ever leaves, follow him."
Maia smiled just as tightly back at him, "He's going to stay. For me, but mostly for Laura and the baby." A true smile broke across her face, "He may put up a fight, but he loves being a dad and adores Laura."
His smile turned genuine as well, "Yes, he does. Some are suited for parenting, even if they think they aren't." His smile was genuine, but his look was pointed. He knew more about her current thoughts than she would have liked.
There was another stretch of silence before a shapely blonde woman came into the room, took one look at them, sighed dramatically and called as she left, "Charles, we need to talk!"
Maia watched her leave with fascination, "Mystique?"
"Raven." He corrected, looking at the closing door wistfully, "My sister I lost a long time ago."
Maia recalled the darkness that emerged every once in a while when she used her mutation. Recently she'd felt it focusing on Jean, "There's something coming after Jean, isn't there? Something that wants to take her from us."
He nodded, "I'm afraid so. Losing a sibling is unbearable. We must do our best to keep her with us."
Maia laughed softly, "She's spearheading that campaign. She's got this insane idea of taking me to her home to meet her parents."
"He is your father as well." He corrected gently.
She shook her hands out in front of her, "Maybe, but I had a dad, and he was pretty damn great. I'll go for Jean's sake, but if she's expecting anything more she's going to be disappointed."
His response was cut off by an unseen hand touching Maia's shoulder. Instead she heard his voice in her head promise that they'd take time later to continue their discussions.
Maia came awake to Logan's face above hers. "Hey."
She smiled up at him, blinking in the light coming from the setting sun, "Hey yourself. What time is it?"
"Almost dinner. Four Eyes is cooking. Might be edible." Logan grumbled, sitting next to her on the sofa she'd collapsed on to nap. Their bed had just been too far away.
Maia didn't bother to react to his jab at Scott, she'd come to believe it was all an affect he put on to hide bourgeoning respect for the other man. Also, the tension ruffled Jean's feathers and the younger sibling in Maia found it hilarious when Jean would start in on the two men for their attitudes. "Is he coming with us to Jean's?" She hoped he did.
Logan shook his head, kissing her gently once, "Nah, there's new students arriving tomorrow and he's up for babysitting duty."
"That sucks." Maia whispered under her breath. She could have done with yet another buffer between her and the family Jean was thrusting upon her, "We're Canadian. We celebrate Thanksgiving in October not November." He didn't respond. They'd had the same conversation before. He was just as thrilled as she was about their impending travel. He just wasn't going to feed her negativity. "Speaking of babysitting, where's Laura?"
"Rogue's got her." He replied, a tiny smirk creeping onto his face.
"Hmm, that's convenient." Besides the two of them, Rogue was one of the few able to handle Laura for any length of time. Laura currently slept on a roll away bed feet from their own, so they hadn't been truly alone for longer than a few minutes since they'd gotten back to the mansion.
"Isn't it." He said, voice deeper than usual.
She sat up, and it was then realized that he was sitting buck naked next to her. Maia grinned at him coyly, "My my, are you glad to see me?"
Logan growled deep in his chest, "Fuck, I need…"
She understood, and silenced him with a kiss. When she pulled back she whispered, "I know. I need you too. It's been too long."
They worked each other over in a frenzy, so much better than the last time where her equilibrium had been compromised. She ended up on top, his favorite position because he could let his eyes trail all over her body as she worked above him, and hers because it was a position that gave her a semblance of power over the incredibly powerful man.
They had almost reached their respective climaxes when Logan cursed suddenly, covering her mouth with one hand as he flipped them over, increasing the pace of his thrusts to a speed that was almost painful. He reached his other hand between her legs to tease at her clit though, which sent her back on the path to climax.
With one last solid thrust, Logan spilled himself inside her, and Maia shuddered around him helplessly. She whined at him when he pulled out as soon as he finished. "Get dressed." He growled.
Maia lay there in confusion for a moment, her skin stinging from his scruff and her heart from his gruff treatment. Then she realized what he had. "Fuck!"
"Gonna kick that kid into next week." He muttered, tossing clothes at her and opening a window as he pulled on his own clothes somewhat clumsily.
They'd both just become decent when Laura busted in the door.
She instantly lunged at Logan. "My Mama!"
Maia pulled back on the little hellion as Logan peeled her off of himself. At least she hadn't chosen to use her claws. Maia got a hold of her after a few moments of struggling, and pulled her close, "Hey, yeah, I'm your Mama. But he's your Daddy, and you need to learn to share."
"Should get married." Logan grumbled under his breath as he walked out of the boathouse.
Maia blinked at him, "Wait. What did you just say?" He kept walking. Maia put Laura onto her feet, "Wait here." By the time she got through the door though, Logan had disappeared into the trees, far past where her eyes could see.
She ducked back inside and held a hand out to her daughter, "Baby, let's go see Auntie Jean."
Jean was teaching, so they sat in the back, Laura content to play with the ends of Maia's hair. Maia held her daughter in her lap, content that she was enough to keep the students from fearing her wild child. She knew Laura was older than she behaved, but Maia wasn't going to give up cuddling her daughter for anything.
"What's up?" Jean asked as the students scrambled out of the room at the conclusion of her lecture. Maia just stared up at her, unsure how to describe what had happened. "Show me?" Jean offered.
Maia nodded in response, and went over the brief conversation in her mind. "I don't even know why he said it!" Maia exclaimed once she finished, letting Laura go so the predatory girl could look outside at the students, watching them like a cat would mice. They would have to work on that.
"Maybe it's something he's been thinking about?" Jean offered lamely, her excitement barely concealed on her face.
Maia glared at her half sister, "Jean, he's pretty much just been begrudging and feeling jealous about how possessive Laura is over me."
"Well, she can't marry you." Jean said wryly, but her expression faltered as she added all too grimly, "Plus, given his history, not being married and having kids may bother him."
Maia sighed, "That's the thing: I don't know about his past. I have no clue what you're talking about. All I know is what we shared, some of his time here, and enough to know that he's been around for a long time. You know way more about him than I do. Hell, Scott probably does too."
Jean shook her head fervently, "That doesn't matter, Maia. I've never seen him look at anyone the way he looks at you. He's different around you too, almost more himself if that makes sense… he's less guarded. The students have seen more range of emotion out of him in the last two months than the last six years combined."
Maia blinked away tears she was most definitely going to blame on the fetus currently calling her body home, "So you think he meant it?"
Jean smiled slightly, shrugging her shoulders, "In his way, yeah, I think he did. He's not good with words."
Maia snorted, "That's the cornerstone of ninety percent of our relationship." She watched Laura for a moment, "What a strange new world this is." She turned her eyes back to Jean, "He did say Scott wasn't coming with us. That leaves the four of us and your parents?"
"And our grandmother." Jean added like she didn't know her words were going to stress Maia out even more.
"Our grandmother?" Maia squawked.
The next couple hours were spent getting ready for the drive and Jean trying…and failing…to assuage Maia's frayed nerves. She didn't know what to expect when she met Mr. Grey for the first time. Her father. It was still such a foreign concept, but then so was the fact that her baby wasn't a baby anymore.
Mr. Grey was warm, inviting, and he and his wife seemed just as enamored by Laura as Jean said they would be. They weren't so at ease with Logan. But that was probably because it was obvious that Maia wasn't at ease with him.
He'd been in a foul mood since he'd come back from his walk-about, and Maia had hardly heard him say two words. He'd audibly growled when Jean had introduced him as 'Laura's Dad', and had stayed out on the Grey's patio as long as possible.
Once Maia was reasonably sure Laura was entertained enough by her grandfather's attempt to deep fry a turkey that she wouldn't try to skewer and deep fry him, Maia tracked her wild man down.
Logan seemed surprised to see her, like he'd been so lost in thought that he hadn't heard her leave the warm interior of the house. "You're avoiding me."
He looked torn between telling her to fuck off or hissing 'am not' like a kid. Instead he just stared at the snow covered forest beyond the property line, which was probably a safer choice.
"You mind telling me why?" She asked, tempering her tone as best she could. He didn't answer. Of course he didn't. A deep anger spiked inside of her, "I can see for myself if you're not going to talk to me."
That at least got him to look at her. She'd poked the bear. "Stay out of my fucking head."
"Are you going to talk to me?" Maia rebutted. He stayed silent until she ran out of patience.
It was easy to open herself to the connection between them, and she was mad enough to stave off the sickening weirdness of his mind. She didn't have to keep it open long. No, he was anything but unfocused. 'I've ruined her'.
The same phrase over and over linked with images that she would rather have never seen: her face, still and bloody as he held a newborn Laura, her again, as the crazy doll he'd found all those years later, and the way she was looking at him now with tired eyes and an anxious face back dropped with the duo of thrumming heartbeats inside of her. Hers and the baby's.
The images weren't just of her. He was thinking of another woman too, and of a look she'd had on her face as blood had dripped down his bone claws onto the wooden floor.
"Who is she?" For several long moments she was sure he wasn't going to answer, and she didn't have the heart to push anymore. For the first time in their relationship, she saw herself the way he saw her, and she didn't like it one bit. She looked broken. She didn't feel broken though.
"My mother." He replied softly.
"Why do I remind you of your mother?" She asked, her right hand unconsciously resting on her stomach.
Logan shrugged, but actually answered after a bit, "I ruined her life, and now I've ruined yours."
She took a few minutes to organize her words. He would run if she didn't say the right thing. "I'm not ruined Logan. I can't imagine a better place to be than right here." He turned to fix her with an expression that told her he thought she'd lost her damned mind, and she smiled at him, putting a hand on his muscled bicep, "I have a daughter with a man that I love, and I'm happy. I was miserable before, Logan. I had a power I didn't understand and lived my life pretty much isolating myself from everyone. I was lonely and constantly afraid. I can't regret the last ten years because we're here, together, and you for some Godforsaken reason want my crazy ass. You didn't ruin me, L, you freed me."
He cursed softly, looking away from her face, "You don't want the thing I put inside of you."
Maia sighed, turning so she could look at him and look through the front window of the house. "That's a strange way to talk about a baby." She quipped, smiling wryly, and sighing again when he gave her the same 'are you insane?' look. "Laura made me really sick, L, but I loved her almost instantly. This one has been different. I guess it doesn't seem real yet. I've been tired, but that's it and that's probably more to do with the overall shitty state of my health and not a baby. Without Hank looking me over I wouldn't even know I was pregnant." She sucked in a breath, "I'm afraid. I'm afraid that I won't love this baby the way I love Laura, and I'm afraid that, after all it's been through, my body will fail me and we'll lose it."
Logan stared at her, completely dumbfounded by her words. "But you've…"
She nodded, "I know. I've been weird about it. I'm sorry, turns out it's not just you in this relationship who can be crappy about communicating. We should work on that."
"Damned right we should." He grumbled, and she rested her head against his shoulder, "My parents weren't married. I'm a bastard, but our kids shouldn't be."
"So that's where that stuff from earlier came from." Maia concluded aloud. "You know, I wouldn't say no if you asked me." She twisted her hand until one of her tiny palms was flush against his, their fingers interlaced, "I'll never love anyone the way I love you. We're not perfect, but we're not perfect together, right?" He grunted in response, and she kissed his jaw, "I feel like I can do anything when I'm with you."
He looked down at her and used his free hand to force her to meet him in the space between them, savagely kissing her until she was breathless, and he whispered, "I love you too."
Gasping she smiled up at him, "That's the first time you've ever said that." She laughed, "I'm glad because, well…it turns out you aren't supposed to try to fry a turkey inside."
"The fuck?" He asked just before he heard the Greys start panicking. He swung the door open and stomped inside grumbling about the old man trying to deep fry his daughter, and Maia just had to smile. The perfect Thanksgiving for three mutant Canadians just couldn't happen without some screaming, laughing, and Jean Grey mentally flinging a flaming turkey and deep fryer into the forest. Who knew what Christmas might have in store for them?