The minute I sat down in the lobby, I felt my body immediately curl up into a ball, my head hiding itself behind my knees and my arms wrapping around myself, as if trying to hold it together. Memories bashed around my mind like I just got hit with a Rope-a-dope by Muhammad Ali himself.

He was never there.

He was there, but never cared.

No, he did care.

No he didn't.

He was on his knees, begging for you!

No, you didn't see him until Dark Avengers.

He was there whenever he could be.

He's the very model of a dead beat dad.

He's done more for you than even Logan.

That last one was the finishing blow. The tears flowed over my cheeks, and I began the hardest, most disgusting crying of my life. It wasn't just tears leaking out of my face; there was so much snot and spit as well. My face was like a puddle of mud and slime.

It was gross, and I'm sure I looked like a swamp witch, but I didn't care. Connor kneeled down next to me on the floor, rubbing little circles into my back as other patients in the hospital stared at us. Most of them just looked the other way, probably figuring that I had just lost a family member here, or found out I had cancer. Something along those lines, I'm sure. Even the nurses just kept to themselves. They had enough to deal with tonight without my emotional breakdown.

Connor finally spoke when my crying died down. "Mio, what's wrong? Did you unlock another memory?"

"He- he wasn't an asshole." I whispered, hoping the admittance of my guilt wouldn't make me vomit again.

"Daken?" Connor asked.

"He… he saved me from Wild Child, and he got in hot water with Romulus for doing that." I whispered. I had told Connor bits and pieces of what I had remembered, and he seemed to understand that I hadn't been ready to reveal the rest. Now I was. I couldn't take any of this shit anymore! I need help. Donna is in labor, Logan isn't going to leave her because he doesn't know what I know. All my friends are either at the Jean Grey School, Utopia X, or Happy Harbor. Connor is here. Connor… I've never fully let him into my pain, but I need to now. I need to because unlike everyone else, he is here.

"I don't even want to know what Romulus did to him when he found out what Daken did. But even though I'm sure he got punished by Romulus… he always came back. Again and again. Every year, sometimes more. He was always pushing me, wanting me to learn more languages, to be able to fight better. I thought he was grooming me to be a weapon but… all he ever wanted was to have some hope that if Romulus ever came looking for me, I'd be able to fight him off, or at least run away." I gulped down the lump in my throat, silent tears spilling over. Connor reached up on one of the coffee tables in the lobby, grabbing a tissue. He gently dabbed at my face, wiping away salty water and mucus.

He kissed my forehead gently, "You can tell me anything Mio, whenever you're ready."

How did Connor always know when to back off? Why has it taken me this long to let him in? He's been more than faithful to me, he's been unbendingly loyal.

"When I was ten… I used to think that Hydra came to my house and killed my mom before they kidnapped me." I took a deep breath. "I was wrong. Romulus killed my mother, and tried to kill me. Daken stopped him. Daken… begged for my life… on his knees."

I broke off then, more sobs shaking my body so hard I thought I was snap in half.

Connor pulled me onto his lap, running his fingers through my hair. "Shush, don't work yourself up so much. Deep breaths okay? Just get it all out when you calm down, okay?"

I listened to him, taking shallow, ragged breaths at first until I was able to calm down enough to take in deep ones. Eventually, the crying stopped and I was ready to talk again.

"He convinced Romulus, that I could be useful. So Romulus had my memories wiped, and they dropped me off at Hydra." I shivered, "Connor, if I hadn't run away, Romulus would have gotten to me. He was right, I would have been putty in Romulus' hands. It would have been so easy at that time, for him to twist me around to his way of thinking. God Connor… I could have turned out like Wild Child."

Connor's arms wrapped around me, "You never would have. I know it."

"Why?" I asked, feeling the sobs about to creep back over me.

"Because no matter where you were in your life, you always had a conscious. You always knew what was right, and what was wrong. Even when the beast would take over, you would always come back, realize what you had done, and be so guilty about it." Connor explained. "You might have been confused, but you didn't want to kill anyone innocent. You didn't kill anyone for a long time when you were with Logan, because you were afraid that maybe he wasn't the good guy either."

I froze, looking up at Connor, "I… I never told you that."

"Logan told me." Connor explained. "He wasn't trying to tell me you life story or anything, he just wanted to make sure I knew who you were. Guess he didn't think I already knew you inside and out."

I nodded, curling up more into his lap. "You do know me…"

Connor kissed my forehead again, "Is that everything? Do you wanna talk some more?"

"Maybe later." I mumbled, "Can I just go to sleep?"

Connor nodded, shifting around to hold me more comfortably. "Go to sleep babe. Remember, I'm right here if you have a nightmare."

He didn't need to tell me twice, I was already out.

WITH DAKEN:

"I HATE YOU!" Donna screamed.

I cringed, "Babe… you wanted to keep her!"

The doctor glared at me, before going back between her legs. I glared right back, "Hey, don't get so comfortable down there."

Logan snorted, shaking his head at either me or Donna. I don't give a damn right now, my hand is broken in nearly ten places!

The doctor looked up at Donna, "Ma'am, you need to push."

"NO!" Donna screamed, then took a deep breath, "Look, I don't wanna have a baby today ok!? Just give me three epidurals to go, I'll come back tomorrow!"

The doctor paused with whatever he was doing; looking up at her with what I can only assume is the same look you would give someone if they were wearing shorts and a tank top when it was fifty below zero. "What?"

"I JUST WANNA GO HOME AND EAT FOOD DAMN IT!" Donna screamed.

"Didn't the nurse leave ice chips for-"

"I'M A GROWN ASS WOMAN WITH A BABY, I NEED MEAT!"

"Ma'am, you need to push!" The doctor snapped.

"NOOOOO!"

The doctor looked to me, exasperated, "Get her to push!"

I looked from him, to Donna, to Logan, and then back to him, "How?"

"Motivate her!" The doctor ordered.

I looked from him, to Logan, then back to him, "How?"

Logan reached over the bed, smacking me upside the head, "Damn it boy, unless you want me to get SHIELD here right now, you better step up!"

I looked up at him, "Step- what?"

"Step up, or step aside!" Logan growled, "Either step up and be the man Donna needs right now or step aside and let me do it. You wanted another chance, and this is it!"

I looked back to Donna, and gently put a hand on her shoulder, "Donna, you need to push."

"No." She whimpered, "TELL HIM TO PULL!"

I looked down at the doctor, "Hey, why can't you just pull it?"

The doctor groaned, "If I did that, it could severely damage the baby's skeletal structure!"

"You heard him babe." I said, turning back to Donna, "You've gotta push."

Donna let out a sob, "Daken?"

"What?" I asked.

"Am I gonna be a good mom?" She asked, wiping sweat off of her face.

I stared at her, wondering why she would say such a thing. "Are you an idiot?"

She let out another sob, and I reached up to hold her face in my hands, "Donna, you're gonna be an amazing mother. I promise. I know you, and I know that no matter what happens with this kid, you're going to fight for it every day." I kissed her forehead, "I love you."

Donna took a deep breath, and grunted as she pushed, as hard as she could. The doctor look up, giving Donna a quick thumbs up, "Good job! Just keep breathing, and it'll only take a few more until she's out."

"Daken?" She asked, "Are you sure you want a girl? Mio said-"

"Forget what Mio said." I snapped. "This is my kid, and I'll love it. Okay?"

Donna took a deep breath, and gave another big push.

"Just one more!" The doctor encouraged.

Logan stepped away from the bed, and walked out of the room. Donna didn't seem to notice, but I did. I also knew what that meant. He trusted me. I guess I lived up to that chance. Not over yet though.

I turned back to Donna, "Come on, just one more. Push her out Donna!"

Donna let out one more scream, which was soon joined by another. My head snapped around to look at the doctor, who held up a small, wet, wiggling mess of limbs and screams. Donna was panting, but managed to croak out, "Is that… is that her?"

The doctor smiled up at both of us, "Actually, it's not a girl."

I felt my jaw drop as a nurse started wrapping the baby up in one of those little blankets. "Say hello to your bouncing baby boy!"

The doctor put a clip on the umbilical cord, and held up a pair of scissors. "Sir, would you like to cut the cord?"

I swallowed what felt like a small lump in my throat, walking over slowly, "Uh, sure."

I could hear one heartbeat, Donna's and my son's. They matched each other, beat for beat. The doctor handed me the pair of scissors, and I hesitated before lining it up to cut through the fleshy connection. "Will this hurt them?"

"Just cut it." Donna gasped.

I cut the cord, and underneath all the screaming of my son, I could make out a subtle change in his heartbeat. After a few seconds, their heartbeats were completely different.

The doctor went back underneath Donna's legs, "Just try and relax now, the afterbirth is coming."

"The what?" I asked.

"The placenta needs to get out as well." The doctor explained.

"Will it hurt too?" Donna asked, still hyperventilating.

"No, it'll slide right out."

True to his word, the mass of foul smelling flesh pretty much flopped out of Donna, and a nurse quickly wrapped it up, and walked off with it to dispose of it quickly.

The doctor set the baby into Donna's hands, "See those buttons on your bed? Once you're ready to have a nurse take him and clean him up, run the test we need to, just push that one."

"Oh, ok." I said, trying to get him out of the room because I knew Donna was tired. She need to sleep, the kid needed to stop screaming, and I needed to make sure it happened.

The doctor left, but the nurse came right back in, holding a clipboard, "Alright, Mrs. And Mr. Akihiro, was it?"

"What now?" Donna sighed weakly, readjusting her hold on the baby to see if it would quiet him down.

"We're going to need to get this paperwork taken care of." She explained. "We only need a few moments-"

Seeing the look of utter exhaustion on Donna's face, I interrupted the nurse, "I'll take care of it."

She handed me the clipboard and pen, saying she'd be back in an hour for it.

I looked over the questions, just a needed medical background on both parents, some stuff for the doctor to fill out, and basic information. And a spot where we needed to chose a name.

I didn't want to bother Donna, I just wanted her to go to sleep. The kid was starting to cry instead of scream, so I figured that was a step in the right direction. "Donna?"

"Hmm?" She asked, looking up from our son.

I nearly choked because that's when it really hit me that I had a son. An instinct from somewhere deep inside stirred up, a sort of protective instinct, surrounding the two other people in the room. Donna and my baby boy. My mate and my cub, snuggled together, nearly sleeping.

"Did you have a name picked out?"

She yawned, at the same time my boy hiccupped. "Yeah, but for a girl."

"Any ideas for a boy name?" I asked.

"I don't care, you pick." She mumbled.

I reached over as her eyes fluttered shut, and gently as I possibly could, picked up my son. I held him awkwardly for a moment, before tucking him into my left arm like Donna had done. His crying started up again, but thinking quickly, I started secreting pheromones to calm him down. He calmed down pretty quickly, and I turned to the paperwork, filling out all the medical information about me, and then staring at the papers to confirm his name.

I looked down at him, seeing he had managed to squirm one of his hands out of the blanket so he could grab onto my shirt sleeve. I smiled, making my decision, and filled out the papers. "Welcome to the world, tough guy."

"He looks like you." Logan said.

I looked up to see him leaning against the door frame, smiling at me. He walked over to me, pulling up one of the cheap chairs to sit facing me. "I've set everything up with Nick so he won't call anyone in to arrest you, because I've called in every favor he owes me."

"Thanks." I mumbled, pulling my boy closer to me.

"The minute you screw up, I'll have every available SHIELD agent down here, whooping yer ass." Logan said firmly. "This is your last chance; you don't get another one after this."

"I get it." I growled.

"No you don't." Logan snapped. "The only reason you aren't in a cell right now is because of your son. I couldn't find it in me to have another one of my grandkids abandoned by their dad."

I wanted to snap at him, to tell him the truth, but I couldn't. Mio was still in danger of Romulus, he already tried to get her twice. She needed to keep progressing, and never stop. Once he got his hands on her, then… I don't wanna think about it.

"I'm not leaving."

"Then you know what you want to do with your… career?" Logan asked.

I froze, having never considered it. "Uh…"

"Donna does have a full time job." Logan pointed out. "She's worked a lot to get where she is."

"What's your point?" I asked, trying to cover my son up better with the blanket.

"My point is, you could step up to be the stay at home dad while she works." Logan explained.

"… Oh hell no."

WITH MIO:

I looked up at the doorway as I smelled Daken approaching, with a whole new scent. It smelled like a feral, but not as strong as Daken or Logan's animal smell was. I got off Connor's lap, wiped my face off quickly, and tried to make it seem like I hadn't cried my eyes out.

Daken walked into the room, holding a small bundle.

I grinned, "Is that my little sister?"

Daken smirked, "You wish. Say hello to your little brother."

He angled the bundle so I could see his face, and I stepped closer. I pressed my nose against the top of the baby's head, and took the deepest breath I could, committing his scent to memory.

What was incredible is that I swear, the kid took a sniff of me too.

"His name is Kenshin." Daken whispered. "Kenshin Kenta Akihiro."

I looked up at him, my eyes wide. "You… why?"

Daken didn't even hesitate. "Because I don't ever want to forget your mother."

Connor put a hand on my shoulder, "What's going on?"

I swallowed, took a deep breath, and looked over my shoulder at Connor, "My little brother, his middle name, it's my mother's name."

Connor nodded, looking over at Kenshin. "He looks like you, Daken."

Daken smiled, "I know."

I chuckled, "He'll be a ladies' man, for sure."

Connor laughed, "Let's pray he doesn't get any girl pregnant, huh?"

I and Daken both glared at Connor.

"Too soon?"

"Yes asshole." Daken growled.

"I'll be over here…" Connor mumbled, walking back over to his seat.

I looked back up at Daken, "Uh, look, in the delivery room…" I took a deep breath, "I remembered everything."

Daken nodded, going for his poker face. "I told you when you found out about it not to come to me for an explanation. I told you to deal with it yourself."

He turned to walk away, but I grabbed his sleeve, "Wait! Please, I know you don't want to but… I don't want my little brother born into a family feud."

He sighed, "What do you want to know?"

"Why did you save me from Romulus?" I asked.

"I spent years grooming you to be the perfect weapon, I didn't want to lose it-"

"Don't give me that bullshit!" I hissed, "Now tell me the truth."

Daken stared at me for a moment, "You sound just like your mother."

"Good." I said firmly.

"I saved you because…" He seemed to be searching for words, and with every minute that passed, he just got more and more unsure. But eventually, he finished. "Because you're my daughter, and I love you. Not in the traditional way, we both know I can't feel that way, but in my own fucked up way, I do love you."

I nodded, and before I could talk myself out of it, I hugged him. Careful not to bump Kenshin, I wrapped my arms around Daken's waist. He stiffened, not expecting it, but I didn't care. All I could think about was every awful, terrible thing I had ever said to him, or about him. I had called him a dead beat. I said he wasn't fit to breathe. I told him to go to hell. I called him every bad word in the book. I had said he didn't deserve life. I called him a coward. I had told him everything was his fault.

I was wrong.

"I'm so sorry." I whispered. "For everything I said about you, every word! I'm sorry."

He took one arm away from Kenshin, and awkwardly wrapped it around my shoulders, "It's okay. I wanted you to hate me. You needed to hate me, because the hate made you stronger."

I looked up at him, struggling not to cry. "You remember when I called you a coward?"

He nodded.

"I was wrong. You might have more guts than even Logan." I confessed. "Logan wouldn't have been able to… to do that to any of his kids, even if it was for their own good."

Daken moved his hand from my shoulder, to cup the back of my head. "I've made a lot of mistakes in my life Mio." He kissed my forehead. "Keeping you wasn't one of them."

We pulled away form each other, and stood in comfortable silence, watching Kenshin gurgle in his sleep. Eventually I broke the silence. "So what do we do now?"

Daken shrugged, "I don't know. I know you've got a pretty good hero thing going on in Happy Harbor, so you can't stay. I've got a baby now, so I'm officially retired, which means no more surprise visits. Come around to see me anytime though."

I nodded, "I'm not going to be in Happy Harbor much longer. I've got a job at the Jean Grey School."

Daken nodded, "And if I ever need a baby sitter, I'll call you."

"And then I'll call Spiderman." Cue Daken flipping me off.