August 31, 1974
Sharon cooed and pawed at the air. Hank leaned over the side of the cradle, brushing her cheek lightly with his furred finger. She reached up and batted at it, her tiny fingers uncurling slightly before curling back up. She pedaled her feet a few times in the air, almost as though she were about to turn on her back, although Hank knew that she couldn't turn over yet. She pawed at his hand again, her fingers curling and uncurling.
Hank smiled. He knew that she was still too young to grip things either. Still, he couldn't help but watch for signs of growth in the tiny child. He tucked her pink blanket around her, making sure that she was well-covered. Once he was satisfied he picked her up.
She blinked at him, her eyes growing wide for a moment. Then she started to cry. He rocked her side to side.
"Shhh," he said, "Just getting you ready to go out. Nothing to worry about. It's just that we need to get going. Car rides, as you'll soon find out, are best gotten over with quickly."
He shifted her again and her crying quieted. She blearily looked at him through her leonine eyes, the earliest sign that he could see that his daughter would take after him. Still, she was very young. Sharon had every chance of getting her mother's beauty instead of his awkward looks, how he'd been before blue fur had covered his body. It appeared that she already had much of what his mutation could offer her.
Sharon sighed and turned her head into his shoulder. Hank smiled and brushed a kiss against her forehead.
"Is she ready?"
Hank inclined his head as Carly walked into the room. He frowned when he saw that she was carrying a suitcase. She caught his expression and cocked her head.
"Moira helped me pack up," she said, "It was kind of her, considering that she's got two teens to get ready for a conference."
"I'm not surprised at your quickness," Hank said, "Carly, you shouldn't be straining yourself."
She laughed and put down the suitcase.
"It's a little late to worry about me," Carly said, "I already carried this over here."
"Did you carry that up the stairs?" Hank asked, dismayed.
Carly laughed again and shook her head.
"I carried it down the hall," Carly said, "I'm fine."
"You just went through an intensive day-long labor," Hank said.
"You make it sound like it happened yesterday," Carly said.
"And you make it sound like it was last year," Hank said.
He gestured for Carly to take Sharon.
"You hold her," he said, "I'll take our things."
"I can manage just fine," Carly said, "You know that I can."
"Please?" he asked, "Once we get back to Rhode Island you can stress yourself all you want. For now though, I'd like to do something for you. No matter how small."
Carly smiled and set down the suitcase. She held out her arms and he transferred Sharon to her. Their daughter curled up in her mother's arms, her face somewhat grumpy at being moved so much. Carly readjusted her blanket before looking up at Hank.
"Ready to go back?" she asked.
Hank paused and looked around the small nursery.
"Sort of," he said.
Carly cocked her head.
"Sort of?" she asked, "That's not much of an answer."
"I know," Hank said, "Believe me, I know. It's just that...well..."
He shrugged.
"I have a lot of good memories of this place," he said, "Memories of acceptance, of family, both old and new."
He reached out and touched Carly's cheek.
"And I hope that, well, I hope that one day Sharon can have those kinds of memories here too," he said.
Carly nodded.
"People might say that it's a little early for us to go around considering schools for her, but it's difficult not to when we know people in the business," she said.
"That's one way of looking at it," Hank said.
He shook his head.
"But, well, Sharon is going to be looked down on for her mutation," Hank said.
Carly frowned but Hank shook his head again.
"Not everyone is like you Carly," he said, "You know that."
"I do," Carly said, "But that doesn't mean...not Sharon..."
Her voice faltered. He understood. It was hard to think of someone trying to hurt or hating their small daughter, a child who couldn't even focus her eyes yet.
"Take it from someone who knows," Hank said, "People will look down on Sharon. They may hate or pity her. Neither is good, although personally I prefer pity to hate. It's less likely to result in violence."
He sighed.
"But Sharon already has advantages," he said, "She has parents who love her more than anything, and that's not something that all mutants get. Especially ones with physical mutations."
He thought of his own parents before shoving the thoughts aside. He had to move past that.
"And she has a safe place to go no matter what. She knows people who will fight for her, defend her," Hank said, "Which is, again, more than most mutants have."
Sharon wriggled in her mother's arms. Hank leaned down and kissed her forehead again.
"I hope that I'm going to be wrong about that by the time she's old enough to notice," Hank said, "It's one of the reasons why I want to continue doing politics, the hope that I'm going to be wrong, that no one will care when she gets older, goes out into the world. That and..."
He closed his eyes.
"...that and the hope that I can make the world a little brighter for her," Hank said.
His eyes met Carly's. He saw that her green eyes were swimming in tears.
"It's already a brighter place," Carly said, "How can it not be, with people like you in it?"
He wrapped his arms around her.
"People like us," he said.
"Lorna, can I talk to you?"
She didn't need to look to see who had spoken.
"I'm sorry, but I'm kind of busy right now father," Lorna said.
Her father sighed and shook his head.
"You've already beaten him," her father said.
Lance struggled in the headlock that Lorna had put him in. Lorna rolled her eyes and released him.
"Another minute and he might have gotten out," she said.
"And you would have snapped his neck between now and then," her father said, "Point proven."
She shrugged.
"He was struggling pretty hard," Lorna said, "I might have been thrown off my guard."
She grinned at Lance, who smirked in return. Her father raised his eyebrows.
"Unlikely," he said, "but I needed to talk to you in private."
Lance rolled his eyes and left the room, rubbing his neck where Lorna had held him. She turned back to her father, who watched Lance leave with suspicious eyes.
"What?" she asked.
"Training hours, as I recall, have been over for two hours," he said, "At least for them."
"He wanted extra practice," Lorna said.
"I'm sure," her father said.
There was something in his tone that Lorna didn't like.
"What?" she asked.
"Nothing," her father said.
"Father, that look means something," Lorna said, "I'm not stupid you know."
"I know you're not stupid," he said.
"Then what on earth are you thinking right now?" Lorna asked, "I mean, it's good that one of my team members actually wants extra practice. It might only be because he got embarrassed getting creamed every day, but it's a start."
"I'm sure," her father said.
"Cut it with the cryptic comments already," Lorna said.
He sighed.
"I just want to make sure that young Lance is aware of boundaries," he said.
Lorna frowned, trying to figure out what he meant. After a few minutes her eyes widened in shock.
"You can't...you're not talking about..." she said.
She wrinkled her nose.
"It's not like that father," she said.
"Just making sure," her father said.
"I don't like him like that," Lorna said.
"I'm just a concerned father watching out for his daughter," he said.
"I'm nearly twenty-three," Lorna said, "I can figure these things out myself, thank you. And I figured out that I don't like him like that. Besides, he's what, eighteen?"
"Twenty-one," her father said.
"Could've fooled me," Lorna said, "He's pretty immature for twenty-one."
Her father smiled.
"I'm just keeping an eye on the future," he said, "Which brings me back to what I originally wanted to talk to you about."
He glanced back at her.
"I was wondering, do you think that your team is ready for a little field experience?" he asked.
Lorna put her hands on her hips.
"How intensive?" she asked.
"Nothing too complicated," he said, "A little surveillance. I'm curious about something, but I don't think that our alpha team should be concerned with it. You know how they get when I have them do trivial things, especially now that we have a beta team."
Lorna nodded. She knew that simple surveillance jobs left members of the Brotherhood irritated, Janos and Emma especially. Angel was the only one who never seemed to mind. Angel and Azazel. He had always accompanied her whenever they had to trail someone or find out more about an area. A pain began in her heart, but she couldn't express it. Not with her father there.
"So you think that it would be good for them to get some time in the limelight?" Lorna asked.
"Yes," her father said, "As I said, nothing too extensive, but still. They should have something. And there should only be combat involved in this if something goes very wrong. I just want to know if you think they're ready for it."
She put her hands on her hips and thought.
"I think so," Lorna said, "The biggest challenge will be keeping them in line."
"It shouldn't be too hard," her father said, "Especially considering where you're going."
"Which is?" Lorna asked.
"Some conference on mutant rights in New York City for students," her father said.
Lorna had to struggle to keep from widening her eyes. Alex was near there. Alex, who probably knew the troubles she was having. Alex, who would probably just continue to argue for the X-men, plant more doubts in her mind. She couldn't see him.
"It's a low-key area," her father said, "I just want to see what the future generations are discussing. It shouldn't be anything you can't handle."
Lorna swallowed and squared her shoulders.
"You're right," she said.