Chapter 12

Rose was silent for a couple seconds as she digested exactly what Wanda had said. "Are you sure?" she finally asked. "I mean, have you gone to a doctor?"

Wanda shook her head. "No, I don't like doctors. But I took ten different test. I sincerely doubt they were all false positives."

Standing up, Rose went to a storage cabinet and pulled out a small, thin box. Opening the box, she lifted out her wand. As she really didn't need it at all times, she didn't carry it much anymore, besides, her abilities more than made up for not carrying it. But for some things, such as she was going to do, she needed it. Turning back to Wanda she instructed, "Lift up your shirt."

"What?" Wanda asked confused.

Her friend rolled her eyes. "I'm a witch, remember. All I want to do is cast a spell that confirms your pregnant. I need to see your stomach," she explained.

"Okay," Wanda said nervously, reaching down and lifting her shirt up to her chest.

Rose touched the other girls abdomen with her wand and muttered, "Infantem Puer." Pulling her wand back, she explained, "Your stomach will turn one of three colors. One will mean your not pregnant, one will mean a boy, and one will be a girl."

Wanda's stomach took on a brief violet glow before the light faded and her stomach returned to it's natural color.

Rose sighed. "Do you want to know the sex?" she asked.

"So I am pregnant?" Wanda asked.

Rose nodded. "Yes. If your stomach had glowed pale blue, you wouldn't be pregnant. Dark blue was the other sex," she explained. "If you give me a minute, I'll look up the spell to tell us how far along you are."

"You don't know it?" Wanda asked.

The witch rolled her eyes as she walked over to a trunk and pulled out a ring of keys. "Every witch is taught the pregnancy spell, so that we can perform it on ourselves if we believe we may be pregnant. Sadly, usually only healers know the more advanced spells." Selecting the proper key, she slipped it into the lock and opened the lid to reveal a set of steps that led down into a library. "They don't want untrained witches harming their child with improper spell-work," she explained. "I'll be right back."

Rose disappeared down the stairs, and reappeared carrying a book she was flipping through.

"Improper spell-work?" Wanda asked worriedly.

The witch waved her off. "This spell isn't that complex, and even if done wrong, it won't harm your child," she assured the other girl. "And believe it or not, I'm remarkably good at healing magic. No doubt due to being part phoenix," she added to herself. "Here it is." She pointed her wand at Wanda's stomach again and said, "Infantem Tempus."

18 d appeared in bright red on Wanda's stomach before fading.

"Just under three weeks," Rose explained. "That puts your due date around," she did the math in her head, "late May or early June. I think." She put a reassuring hand on Wanda's shoulder as the other girl lowered her shirt. "What are you going to do?"

"What do you mean?" Wanda asked.

Rose licked her lips, knowing this could be a delicate topic. "Are you keeping it?" she clarified.

"Of course I'm keeping it!" Wanda yelled outraged.

Rose raised her hands in a peaceful gesture and smiled. "I'm glad, but I had to ask." The witch allowed her friend to calm down a bit before asking, "Did you tell Kurt? Is that why you broke up with him?"

Wanda shook her head. "No. I was going to tell him, but then I realized that he'd stay with me, probably even propose and give up the X-Men if he knew. He's...honorable, that way," she explained. "But I don't want him to be with me just because we're having a child together. I want him to be with me because he loves me. So instead I asked him if he'd give up the X-Men for me..."

"...And he said no," Rose finished. She sighed, again. "What are you going to do? I mean, this will change your life and you've told me about the Brotherhood and your father. You'll need to change a lot of your life."

"First, I guess I need to get a job..."

"Done," Rose said, cutting Wanda off. "You can work here for me, it'll allow me to take a few days off every now and then. And I'll pay you...," she was silent for a moment as she thought in her head. "...Fifteen dollars an hour, after taxes."

Wanda stared at her friend wide-eyed. "Rose, that's more than minimum wage. I can't accept that," she protested.

Rose grinned. "Fine, ten then. I'll take the five out for your monthly rent."

"Rent?"

"You can't continue living with the Brotherhood," Rose explained, a sly smile on her face. "I doubt you're going to want to move into the Institute, assuming you and Kurt resolve everything. So you can live with me." She frowned. "Of course this means I'm actually going to have to go house hunting," she mumbled.

Wanda's mouth was opening and closing. "But..."

"Wanda," Rose interrupted before she could protest. "Being a mother, let alone a teenage mother, isn't going to be easy. I'm rich," she explained. "I have more money then I could spend in a lifetime. Hell, my grand-kid's grand-kids won't need to work if I spend wisely, and that's with me not working. You're my friend, let me help."

Wanda's reply was to pull Rose into a hug.

"Thank you," she mumbled into her friends ear. "My child's going to love her Aunt Rose," she said with a grin as she leaned back.

Rose smiled. "Aunt Rose. I like the sound of that. Oh, you never said if you wanted to know what it was?"

Wanda bit her lip, before nodding. "Tell me."

Rose grinned, "You're having a …..,"

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Rogue was worried about Kurt.

Ever since she returned home last night, he had been distant and distracted. Today, that definitely wasn't a good thing. The Danger Room wasn't someplace you wanted to be distracted.

She winced as her foster brother missed an obvious attacker, again, and was for his trouble.

"End the simulation!" Wolverine growled. As the holographic machinery disengaged, returning the room to bare steel walls, the older mutant approached Nightcrawler. "What the hell is wrong with you Elf?" he demanded harshly, glaring at him. "We can't get through this scenario because YOU keep getting hurt! This is only a level one."

"I am sorry Mr. Logan," Kurt said, hanging his head. Rogue felt sorry for her brother, she knew that he looked up to Mr. Logan. Just about all of them did. "I just have a lot on my mind."

"Well go to your room and clear it out," Wolverine told him. "You're done for the day. But Tomorrow, you and I are running a scenario."

"Yes Mr. Logan."

Wolverine sighed. "Go on kid, get out of here."

Kurt needed no further prompting before teleporting out of the Danger Room.

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Sunday, Rogue and Rose spent the day together, hanging out in a park, walking around town, and in general having a good time. Neither talked about what was going on between Wanda and Kurt. Rogue because she had no idea they had even been together, and Rose because it wasn't her place to interfere in Kurt and Wanda's relationship.

No matter how much she wanted to.

That night, standing on the steps to the Institute, Rose said, "I had a great day Rogue..."

"Anna Marie," Rogue cut her off. "Mah actual names Anna Marie."

Rose grinned. "Anna Marie," she whispered. "It's a lovely name." She frowned. "Why don't you use it?"

Rogue smiled sadly. "Because, as Anna, ah didn't need ta be careful of who ah touched. And ah didn't wanna be reminded constantly of the life ah'd lost."

Rose gently caressed Anna's cheek, before planting a chaste kiss on the other girls lips. "I'll do my best to make sure you never lose Anna again," she promised.

The other girl grinned. "Ah'd like that."

"I'll see you at school," Rose said, before stealing another kiss, before flaming back to her shop and Wanda.

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Infantem Puer – Baby Carry

Infantem Tempus – Baby Time