Disclaimer: I don't own X-Men: Evolution.
Chapter Forty Three – Loophole
February 1999
So just a quick recap as to where everyone is:
Cyclops and Jean were in the midst of planning a wedding, as well as raising the twins and heading X-Factor – a new name that had been coined when Logan and Ororo got fed up of ordering 'you lot' to the Danger Room – which consisted of Nightcrawler, Shadowcat, Rogue and Spyke, who, of course, was back from the Morlocks and honing the new skills he'd picked up.
Rogue and Gambit had decided to let one wedding get out of the way before they thought about their own – especially since Jean was becoming increasingly stressed out – and were focusing on their daughter, who looked more and more like her mother with each passing day, even to the extent of developing a lock of white-blonde hair in the midst of a head of brown.
Shadowcat was spending more time with the Brotherhood, even as Cyclops seemed to be coming up with more training sessions for her. His reasoning was that she needed to learn how to control the extra power she now possessed, but she was fully aware that it was to keep her from spending any more time with Lance. Had she had any concerns, she would have put her foot down, but Bella assured her that the extra training didn't pose any danger for her unborn child, so she went along with it, 'escaping' whenever she could.
Nightcrawler was quieter and less likely to joke around, unless it looked like everyone needed it and Iceman wasn't stepping up to the plate; it was clear to everyone that he missed Amanda and everyone was looking forward to the day she returned.
Jubilee now four months pregnant, was having no problems except for having to continually repeat to Iceman that she wasn't made of glass and could take light training.
Iceman was still running the New Mutant training sessions, but it had been decided that a new team would be created. The New Mutants consisted, as they had always done, of Iceman, Jubilee, Sunspot, Magma, Berserker, Cannonball, Wolfsbane and Multiple, with the relatively recent addition of Gambit and Pyro.
Havoc became the leader of the third X-Men team, X-Force, taking charge of Polaris, X-23, Angel and Taryn, who, after much deliberation, had taken the name Psylocke.
Over at the Brotherhood, they were becoming quietly concerned with the amount of training Shadowcat was dealing with, and Lucie – who had taken the code-name Circe after the Greek goddess who granted Odysseus safe passage home – and Boom-Boom had set up a betting pool to see how far Cyclops could push Shadowcat before she hung up her uniform and joined them.
Pyro, meanwhile, was beginning to worry about his girlfriend. Amara had been noticeably avoiding him lately; not really going out of her way to, but she no longer sought him out and John was at a loss as to why.
At least, he was until the day before Valentine's Day.
A good portion of the mansion was empty and John himself was lounging in the vacant rec room, watching TV without really paying any attention to it. The intercom buzzed and he groaned, knowing he was the only person who was in a position to answer it. Somehow, he managed to reach the intercom button without actually getting up. "Xavier Institute for Gifted Youngsters, how can I help?"
"Good morning. My name is Eduardo Aquilla; I'm Amara's father."
With a thud, John fell off the couch. "Ow …"
"Are you alright, young man?" A woman's voice asked.
"Yes, thank you, ma'am." John got to his feet, rubbing his arm. "Please come in." He pressed the button to open the gate and hurried out the front door, meeting them halfway down the drive.
Amara's parents were nothing like he thought they would be. Having heard stories of what Amara was like when she first arrived in America, he had expected – not that he would ever admit it to her face – a haughty, stuck-up couple, but it appeared that Nova Roma had progressed dramatically since Amara had lived there.
Eduardo stuck out his hand and shook John's heartily. "Pleasure, young man. Don't bother with titles; we're all the same on the inside, aren't we?"
John couldn't help returning his grin. "If you insist, sir. I'm John Allerdyce … I don't know if Amara mentioned me?"
"She told us last month." Amara's mother shook his hand as well. "Miranda Aquilla … That's actually why we're here."
John couldn't help groaning. "See, I hate that immediately. Come in." He led them into the mansion and paused outside the rec room. "Actually, I think the living room might be a bit more appropriate. Heaven knows what Bobby did to that carpet. Can I get you anything?" He added, showing them into the living room.
"A cup of tea would be lovely, dear." Miranda answered.
"Of course." John hoped that their friendly treatment of him meant that their reason for visiting was a good one. "How do you take it?"
"Milk, two sugars." Miranda smiled, settling on the couch.
"Just milk please." Eduardo joined his wife. "Does Amara know we're here?"
"Probably not." John answered. "I'll sort that out and then I'll go and tell her." Hurrying to the kitchen, he sent a carefully controlled flame at the kettle, heating it quickly, and poured two cups of tea, dropping them off on his way upstairs.
Stopping outside Amara's door, he knocked softly. "Amara? Can I come in?" He didn't get a response and sighed. "Sweetheart, your parents are downstairs."
"Damn …"
"Alright." John pushed the door open. "What is going on? Why are you avoiding me?"
Amara looked up, ready to deny it, but seeing the look in his eyes realised it wouldn't work anyway. "It's not you." She insisted. "I just … I found something out."
John froze. "Oh, God … you're not pregnant, are you?"
Amara rolled her eyes. "No, honey; I'm not pregnant."
"Thank God." John breathed, leaning against the wall for support; that, now, with her parents here, would not have been easy to deal with. "Don't do that."
"But good to know where you are." Amara finished. "Look, I'm just worried about my parents meeting you."
"Why?" John asked, though he had a sinking suspicion he already knew. "They seem like nice people."
"John …" Amara broke off with a sigh, shaking her head, evidently giving up on explaining it. "Where are they?"
"Living room." John called, jogging after her as she hurried down the stairs.
"Mother! Father!" Amara hugged her parents tightly. "What are you doing here?"
"Well, your mother decided that it would be nice to visit." Eduardo replied.
"You haven't told him yet, have you?" Miranda added sternly.
"Well, I was thinking maybe … possibly … no." Amara admitted.
"Tell me what?" John asked as he loitered in the doorway, dreading the answer but needing to know.
"Amara, your father wants to talk to you." Miranda stood up, moving to the doorway. "Now, John, I've heard so much about the gardens here. Would you mind giving me a tour?"
"Of course not, ma'am; this way." John offered her his arm and led her through the kitchen and out into the grounds. Not far from the main house, there was a gated wall that led to Storm's walled garden.
"Well!" Miranda exclaimed. "I've seen some impressive gardens but these are beautiful!"
"They're Storm's pride and joy." John glanced at her. "But you don't want to talk gardens."
"No, I don't." Miranda agreed. She took a deep breath and stopped walking turning to face him. "I can tell you're a good man and it's obvious you adore my daughter, but …"
"She's a princess." John finished quietly. "Right?"
Miranda smiled sadly at him. "Right. If it was up to us, we would be quite happy to let it go; all Eduardo and I have ever wanted is for Amara to be happy and loved. But there is a law on Nova Roma that states that the heir to the throne has to marry a member of nobility."
John closed his eyes, the words – though spoken gently – hitting him with the force of a sledgehammer. "I thought it'd be something like that." He opened his eyes again, ignoring the tears filling in them. "I guessed ages ago. If I hadn't, I'd have proposed already. Is there anything I can do?"
"Not exactly." Miranda smiled at him, and he was struck by the resemblance between Amara and her mother.
"You know," John commented, "when Amara gives me that look, it means she's got some kind of plan that's going to make Iceman very proud and Wolverine very mad."
"I'm expecting a baby in a few weeks." Miranda told him happily.
"Congratulations." John tilted his head. "Erm … what does that …?"
"The law states," Miranda repeated, "that the heir of the throne has to marry a member of nobility."
"I know …" John trailed off. "If you have a boy, Amara won't be the heir to the throne any more, will she?"
"Exactly." Miranda looked a little startled. "Not many Americans realise that."
"I grew up in Australia, ma'am." John told her. "We're part of the Commonwealth, under Queen Elizabeth of England. Wait, did you say you're due in a few weeks?"
"I did." Miranda nodded, rubbing her stomach, which – he only now noticed – was swollen beneath her dress.
"Is it …" John hesitated. "Is it safe to fly in your third trimester?" He saw her curious expression and shrugged. "Anna's got a daughter, Jean has twins and Jubilee's expecting; you pick things up."
"I see." Miranda flinched suddenly. "Ow."
"What's wrong?" John asked, stiffening.
"I think the baby's coming." Miranda whispered.
"What?" John blinked; surely he hadn't heard right.
"I know the baby's coming." Miranda corrected, staggering slightly.
John quickly looped an arm around her waist to support her. "Okay, the hospitals around here are awful when it comes to VIPs, so it's probably best if we just get you into our infirmary." He helped Miranda into the house and called the nearest elevator, praying it would hurry.
Thankfully, the doors opened almost immediately and the elevator took them down to the lower level. John helped her into the infirmary and sat her down, before hammering on the other door.
Since Professor Xavier had offered Belladonna a place to stay indefinitely, Remy, Bobby and a couple of the other boys had transformed the rooms behind the infirmary into an apartment for her.
"Bella!" John called. "We need a midwife!"
"What?" Belladonna hurried out. "There's no way Jubilee's having the baby yet!"
"No, she's not." John agreed. "This is Amara's mother, Miranda."
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Your Highness." Belladonna greeted, dipping a quick curtsey that looked bizarre in jeans. "Go and get Amara, Pyro."
Paying no attention to Miranda gently chiding Bella for calling her that, John hurried out the door and down the corridor. As he passed the control room, he stopped as something inside caught his eye. He backed up a few steps and peered in to see Kitty staring at the computer screen. "Kitty?"
Kitty didn't respond and he walked inside, joining her at the desk.
"Kitty, what's happened?" John repeated. "What is it?"
"Cerebro's been picking up disturbances around the sphinx." Kitty answered in a whisper. She swivelled in her chair to face him, and he saw tears sparkling in her eyes. "I think Apocalypse might be coming back."
AN: This is what happens when you get hit with a sudden Snow Day. Review please!