Wanda didn't leave their rooms for the next few days, except to eat. Kitty didn't come by at all, which she was fine with. She was not prepared to see the girl.

The costume arrived, and Wanda immediately tried it on Talia. She smiled wide at her girl as Talia squirmed in it. The girl's face was irritated, clearly uncomfortable. "I know, sweetie," Wanda began removing it. "Once Mommy makes room for your tail, it'll be much better. You're such a cute pumpkin!"

She pulled off the costume, leaving the girl in her diaper. Talia whined, her face melting into a cry. "Oh, I bet you're hungry, huh?" She took the girl into her arms, sitting in the rocking chair, and lifting her shirt to get her settled. Talia's cries stopped as she nursed, and Wanda closed her eyes, sitting back in the chair, rocking gently. She loved this bonding time, and her hand slowly moved over the back of the baby. After a few moments of her hand petting up and down her back, Wanda noticed something odd.

She opened her eyes, looking down. The tail that normally found its way around her arm or wrist was missing. Wanda's brow furrowed. The girl was only wearing a diaper, where could it be? "Did Mommy get it caught in your diaper?" she asked herself, peeking in. There was no sign of the appendage.

"Talia," she pulled the girl off her, holding her out to inspect. The girl immediately began crying, angry to be cut off from her food. Wanda grew anxious as she laid the girl out, pulling her diaper off and inspecting her thoroughly. "What the hell?"

Talia was thrashing, her face angry and her hands balled into little fists. Wanda sighed, putting the diaper back on, and pulling the girl back to her to feed. She couldn't let her go hungry, and when she was done, they'd go check with Dr. McCoy. She frowned, patting her girl's back again. What could have done that? Did they hurt her somehow?

As Wanda finished feeding her, Talia began to doze off. She put the girl into her bassinet for the moment, thinking over what could have happened. As she did, her boyfriend came through the door, his school bag dropping to the floor. "Hey," he smiled at her, then peeked into the bassinet.

"Hey," she looked to him. "Kurt, something happened today."

He frowned at her. "What happened?"

"Talia's tail," she started. "It's gone."

He stared at her. "What are you talking about?"

"It's gone!" she shook her head. "I have no idea how, but it's not there!"

Kurt went to the bassinet, reaching in to gently lift the baby out. He held her close to him, looking her over. With a breath, he turned to Wanda, giving her a look. "It's right here," he showed his arm, where the tiny thing was wrapped.

Wanda's mouth opened, then shut. "No, it was gone! I looked everywhere."

"Did you check her back?" he smirked at her.

Wanda's eyes narrowed. "Don't make fun of me. It was gone. I swear. I was freaking out."

Kurt shrugged. "Well, it's here now."

"That doesn't make any sense," she sighed, sitting on the bed.

"Maybe you need a break," Kurt offered. "Take a nap. I'll look after her for a bit."

"I'm not crazy, Kurt," she told him. "I am not making this up."

"I didn't say you were," he replied. "But taking a break is probably not a bad idea, ja?"

She took a breath, and looked toward the bed. "Maybe."

"Ok," Kurt smiled. He looked to the baby. "We'll go have fun, ja mien leibling?" He kissed the little girl's head and took her into the nursery.

Wanda laid on the bed, listening to them playing in the next room. Was it possible that she'd missed it? It didn't seem so, she'd stripped the girl naked and still the tail was gone.

She closed her eyes, but the giggle of her daughter made her open them. She didn't want to sleep. She sat up and moved to the door, to watch her boyfriend and daughter together. Kurt had her laid on a play mat, and he sat above her, waving a plush, stuffed clownfish, making it swim around her. Talia smiled and reached out to it, trying to grasp at it every time he brought it close to her. Wanda smiled. She couldn't think of a more perfect moment than this one, right here.

~&Q~

Halloween was so much more fun with a baby. Wanda never did much for the holiday, but had always enjoyed it. This year, though, having her little pumpkin was so wonderful. Part of her wished she had thought in advance enough to plan a family costume, but Talia was so god damned adorable in her pumpkin outfit, she barely cared. "You are so cute!" she picked the girl up. She'd even found an orange pacifier.

The one thing that detracted was how much her skin clashed with the orange of the pumpkin outfit. Though it didn't change the level of adorable. "Wait til Daddy gets home from school," she told her. "He's going to love it!"

The rest of the institute was finding their own ways to celebrate Halloween. There was a big party going on at the school, which most of them would be attending in costume. Wanda was content to spend the evening at home, with her love and pumpkin.

Talia had fallen asleep, while Wanda clicked picture after picture of her in her outfit. She now had gigabytes full of pictures of the girl, from the day she was born until now. A part of her planned to print them, and arrange them in a book, but she knew she was lucky that she'd even started to organize them on her computer.

"Ok, pumpkin," Wanda said after the last few pictures. "Nap time. It's tough being cute, huh?"

"Ohhhh," she heard her boyfriend behind her. "Mein pumpkin! Look at that." She turned to see him smiling at their daughter. "Hey," he kissed her. "Happy Halloween!"

She kissed him back, then raised a brow at the bags he had in his hands. "What's all this?"

He held them up. "Costumes, for me and you," he told her.

Wanda smiled at him. "I like your enthusiasm, but I don't know if we really need to dress up," she started.

"Nein," he shook his head. "We must. Our daughter's first Halloween, we have to celebrate." He went into their room, dropping the bags on the bed. "Besides, we'll need them for the party tonight."

"What party?" Wanda followed him.

"At the school," he went through the bags, laying out costume pieces. "I'll be Captain Wagner, you'll be my pirate wench." He smirked at her.

"Whoa, Kurt," she put her hand on his arm. "We're not going anywhere. Did you forget, we have a fourteen week old baby in there?"

"Nein, of course not," he told her. "Ms. Ororo offered to watch her."

Wanda shook her head. "I can't go out."

"Of course you can, Wanda," he pulled a pirate wench dress from the bag. "And you'll look so good in this."

"NO," she countered. "There is no way I am going out tonight. Are you crazy?" She crossed her arms. "Leave our daughter with some person all night long?! How can you even ask me that?"

"It's not some person. It's Ms. Ororo," he stood up, turning to her. "I think it'll be good. We can have a night, just us, where we're not parents."

"We are parents, though," she countered. "I don't want to not be parents."

"Nein," he sighed. "Not like that. I mean we can enjoy the night."

Wanda frowned, then wiped her hands over her eyes. "I'm not ready."

He raised a brow at her. "What do you mean?"

"I'm not ready to leave her," Wanda told him. "I can't do it."

"It's only for a few hours," he told her.

"I know! But I can't," Wanda looked back to where the little one slept. "She's still so young and so many things could happen. I would hate myself if I were out having fun and something bad happened to her."

"Liebchen," he moved to her. "Nothing bad will happen. Our daughter is happy and healthy, mostly because of what an amazing mother you are. But taking a break for a few hours is not the end of the world."

She bit her lip, looking again to the baby. "I can't."

He sighed. "Can we compromise?" he asked. "What if we go for one hour? We get dressed up, leave Talia with Ms. Ororo. We can even put her to bed first, and go out a bit later." His eyes were pleading. "Please, Wanda?"

She paused, looking at him. She could see how much he wanted it, and felt bad denying him. He'd rarely denied her anything she asked for. But at the same time, the thought of leaving her daughter made her chest tighten. Wanda let out a breath. "Alright. One hour."

Kurt's face lit up and he threw his arms around her. "We will have so much fun, liebe!" he exclaimed.

~&Q~

I have no idea what happened to this chapter. I apologize :(.