Heather didn't sleep well that night.

Any time she'd fall back asleep, she could feel that cold, lifeless presence once more and the paranoia of she's going to take my baby would set in, making Heather spring up, with her heart beating fast and her eyes wide. When the sun finally began to peek through her curtains, she let out a defeated sign and left her warm bed, knowing that she had no chance of getting any sleep now.

She dressed quickly - well, as quickly as a pregnant woman could - and left her room, shivering in the unusually cold and dark hallway. The mansion was silent, the boys most likely still fast asleep, and while usually Heather would have enjoyed some peace and quiet, the silence just seemed eery.

Just as she was going to the kitchen, she noticed the door of Charles' study partially open, light pouring out of the tiny crack. Heather opened the door slowly, peeking in and seeing Charles behind his desk, furiously scratching away at a piece of paper before him - exactly how she left him when she went to bed.

"Charles," she spoke up, "Did you even go to bed?"

"Couldn't sleep," he responded nonchatulently, not even looking up at her. Heather, feeling rather frustrated, paused before walking behind him and pushing him away from the desk. "Hey!" Charles protested, but Heather continued to wheel him away. "You need sleep, Charles," she insisted, "This isn't healthy. You can't just keep doing this."

It was like all of the fight in Charles drained out, as the man slumped in his wheelchair with a sigh. "I know," he said mournfully, "But - it makes it so easy to forget - things." Heather stopped, knowing exactly what he was talking about. His legs, Raven, Erik. Thinking of each made Heather's chest feel empty, making her feel breathless. "I miss them too," Heather whispered, and Charles looked up at her with his wide, shocking blue eyes.

"Come on," Heather said weakly, "Let's get you to bed."


When they had first arrived at the mansion after Cuba, Charles had been - insistent on doing everything himself.

He was constantly trying to move himself from his bed into his wheelchair, demanding that they all stand back, so that he could do it, so that he could just some little bit of independence. He'd rolled over too much, one night, and fallen to the ground, but still gnashed his teeth and bared his fangs - in tears from the pain and the humiliation, he yelled at them all to leave, hands desperately grasping for his chair.

Since then, he'd become more willing to expect help, not even fighting back just accepting it. He didn't say a word as Heather tucked the blankets around him, but once she had moved to shut the curtains, he said, "Something's bothering you."

Heather froze, before responding softly, "Your mother came to my room last night."

"Oh." From the silence, Heather knew he was reading her mind. Heather sat on the side of his bed, before giving him a small smile as he grimanced. "Heather - " He started, ready to apologize, but she stopped him. "It's - it's alright. If she does try anything - " She paused, not knowing if she should tell him about the whole banishing thing, after all that was his mom.

"Charles, who's Cassie?"

The man froze, his face becoming more and more pale. "Cassie - Cassandra - was my older sister. She was my parents' favorite but she drowned when she was toddler, while my mother was pregnant with me and my brother. My mother wasn't a nice woman to begin with, but after Cassie's death, well, it ruined her. It ruined my father, as well as. He was nearly driven mad with grief and - he later killed himself because of it."

"Jesus - "

" - So, I guess that's her wish?

Heather blinked in confusion, "What?"

"My mother wants to try again. Or she wants all of her children together again." Charles mumbled sleepily, a sad look in his eyes. "Guess she won't be having that wish fulfilled."


July 28 - Heather's due date - passed, and with each day, the mansion seemed more and more tense and alert, as if at a drop of a pin, everyone would start running towards the hospital. Heather was the most tense - after all, she was the one with an overdue and possibly gigantic baby currently leaning on her bladder.

Sadly, the doctor told her that it was normal for first time mothers to go over their due date - and when he said sometimes a week, Heather was ready throw something out of a window.

She wanted this baby out - she wanted to hold her new son or daughter, she wanted to kiss them and hug them and teach them how to talk and walk and tell them that they were her world and that she going to let nothing happen to them.

Luckily, she didn't have to wait long.


The morning of July 31 just felt - wrong.

Heather's lower back was killing her, the sharp ache never changing pace, and the boys seemed to notice, making her sit, and while normally she would have protested, she silently laid her head in Alex's lap and watched The Beverly Hillbillies with him, his long fingers running through her hair to try and comfort her.

It was only two hours later, that her stomach started to cramp terribly, feeling hot and tight and it was getting worse and worse. Heather, who had been half asleep, whimpered, hiding her face in Alex's thigh - trying to will the damn pain away before she realized what it meant.

The baby - the baby was probably, most likely on it's way.

She removed herself from the couch, making her way to the wall phone, her shoulder hunched as she dialed the number for her doctor. A short conversation with the doctor proved that she was, in fact, in labor and that she needed to get her butt to the hospital.

When she walked back into the room and announced she was in labor, the boys were off like a bullet - acting as if Heather had told them that she had been shot multiple times. Hank raced for the night bag, Sean ran to start the car, Alex and Charles both came to her sides, taking her hands and guiding her to the car.

And if she wasn't in pain, she would have laughed at how ridiciously terrified their faces were.

When they arrived, Alex and Sean led her inside, with Hank claiming he needed to find a parking spot and help Charles get out of the car (Heather really hoped Charles was using his mind trick on people because Hank was still blue and furry, and she really didn't feel like getting thrown out of a hospital today).

The nurses were kind, taking her away from Alex's and Sean's hands, but Heather was suddenly nervous. "Can one of them come with me?" She asked, and one of the nurses - a short woman with soft face - shook her head. "Sorry, deary, no guys in the delivery room." Heather started to panic, oh god, she had to do this alone. She tried to signal this to the boys but the nurses had already led her to a hospital room and they were telling her to put the gown on and they were telling her she was going to be okay - but Heather's head was spinning with a combination of fear and pain.

She changed into the pale blue hospital gown slowly, noting that she felt nothing but exposed in the outfit. Wrapping her arms around herself, she made her way of the bathroom, towards the short nurse. But she felt a sudden trickle of something wild down her thighs.

She stepped back, staring in horror at the small puddle that had formed and Heather's cheeks were on fire as she opened her mouth to apologize, but the nurse let out a sudden laugh. "Looks like your water broke," she claimed, making Heather's heart stop, "Let's get you to the delivery room."


You now have until 11:30 pm on October 15 to vote for the baby's gender.

Also, for those asking, this is going to be like No Angels, where I added Heather into First Class. So the baby and Heather will be added into both the future and the present of Days of Future Past. In fact, the first part of Chapter 12 takes place in 2023.