Chapter 10: Spring Is In The Air

By mid March, everyone in the mansion was predictably getting a little stir crazy. The melting snow and sporadic rain storms made anything outside messy, cold and miserable. Because of this, the lessons that K had been running were more than a little bit messy as she made the students ride through the cold, wet, half flooded arena.

Things on the bad guy front were suspiciously quiet, though Charles had mentioned to the team that Magneto was to set to have a meeting with him the following week. As a direct result, training sessions were ramping up and everyone on the team ended up having to make a schedule on who used the danger room when as the adults were all antsy and needed to do something to burn off their nerves.

The 'trench warfare synch up' as K was calling it between her and Logan had been finally starting to be something they could rely on in the heat of battle, yet they still had to figure out how to turn on and off, and every time that it happened, both of them ended up needing to recharge.

K had gotten so worn out from the more intense schedule in addition to the continued shenanigans with Logan, that she'd taken to sneaking a nap early in the afternoon when most of the teachers were preoccupied. Logan was the first to notice she wasn't eating well on top of everything else, and it was clear to him that she was losing weight. Afraid that it might be a depression issue, he decided to talk to her about it when one of his combat classes ended prematurely with one of the students having lost her temper, injuring several of her classmates.

He couldn't find K anywhere in the mansion, and decided to check the barn – that was usually where she snuck off to when she wanted time to think, but today – no dice. No sign that she'd been in there for hours either. He ran into Ororo on his way back to the mansion, trying to figure where she'd gone.

"Did you check the bedroom?" Ororo asked, causing Logan some confusion.

"Why would she be there?" Logan asked, as Ororo smiled at him knowingly.

"That's where she's been going lately. It is her favorite spot, after all. I'm sure you'll find her there," she replied, on her way back to the greenhouse. He frowned after her then headed to the boathouse, though he only made it halfway there before the skies opened up and treated him to an icy cold spring shower, soaking him to the bone by the time he got to the door. He turned toward the greenhouse just long enough to see a whisper of movement - and that was more than enough to get him swearing under his breath at the weather Goddess. There was no way that was an accident.

As soon as he stepped inside the boathouse, he knew Ororo was right, the place smelled of K's warm scent - pine, lilac and fresh hay being the strongest notes she at the moment. He kicked off his boots and headed for their bedroom, stripping off wet clothes as he went, and still half grumbling to himself about Ororo's little prank.

K didn't wake up when he came in. And that never happened. He watched her sleep for a few moments, then toweled off and climbed into bed, wrapping his arms around her, and nuzzling her neck in an effort to wake her. She barely cracked an eye as she snuggled back into him.

And now, he knew something was wrong. She never slept that soundly.

"K, darlin'," Logan said quietly as he nuzzled her ear. "Hey. Wake up." His tone was little more firm after she ignored him the first time. She opened her eyes a little and began to stretch.

"Jeez, you're cold. Am I late for class?" she asked, turning to face him and wrapping her arms around him.

"No, sweetie. But I gotta ask - you alright?"

"Well, sure I am. M'just tired," she replied, then leaned forward to kiss him on the nose. "Why? You worried about me?" she asked, smiling.

"Little bit," he admitted. "You didn't hear me come in?" She took a deep breath and slightly shook her head, looking puzzled. "You aren't eatin' right either, lately." She wrinkled up her nose and she snuggled into his neck, planting a kiss on his adam's apple.

"Yeah, well ... everything that they're cookin' up there stinks – like it smells bad. Really strong, I don't know, maybe they're using too much onions or garlic or something. But, I can't take it. Turns my stomach just smellin' it. Can't get it past my nose."

He wracked his brain but nothing was different. So, he reasoned to himself, it must be her. "Nothin's off that I've noticed. Least not about anything up there. There could be somethin' off since that fall," he told her, starting to worry about her in earnest.

"Maybe," she considered him thoughtfully, then turned and looked at the clock by their bed. "I still have a couple hours before I have to be anywhere. Wanna help me waste a little time?" she asked.

He couldn't help but smile and nod in response. "Oh yeah. I'm gonna be gone for a little while with Scott on a run. Think you can keep yourself out of trouble until I get back?"

"Depends on how long you're gone," K replied with a smirk.

"'Bout a week."

"Oh. That is a very long time to keep out of trouble. Is Kurt my watchdog?"

"Maybe I should rethink him keepin' an eye on things."

"Only if you don't want trouble - he is trouble."

Logan chuckled and snuggled into her again, kissing her behind the ear, and frowning to himself. Her scent was a little muddled up close, overpowered by the smell of the horses. "Were you grooming nags today?"

"Just a handful of them," she agreed. "And one was the really affectionate pony. You know how he is."

"I should throw you in the lake," he grumbled, but that only got him a kiss, and the two of them spent the time Logan had left before the mission totally wrapped up in each other.

A few days later, after Logan was gone, it seemed to occur to K that things … were not exactly normal. She ached all over, and that simply wasn't a thing for her. At least, the last time it was a thing was when her healing was on the fritz. And she realized how tired she was when she started to ache. So against her better instincts, she decided to follow up on her promise and headed down to see Hank.

"My dear lady, there is nothing that I can find amiss." Hank told her as he went to pull out some vials. He'd already run her through the MRI and several bits of Shi'ar equipment, none of which showed anything wrong with her other than the adamantium graft to her skeleton.

"Then what is it? My healing slowed up again? What did I do?" she asked, frowning deeply at him.

"Not likely, but I will look into it. Roll up your sleeve, please," Hank told her as he pulled out the needle. Six tubes later he was done. "I'll run some tests and let you know what I find as soon as I can solve our little mystery. In the meantime, get something to eat, just in case."

She thanked him and headed out, though it was clear she wasn't happy with his lack of instant answer.

Over the next few hours Hank quickly ruled out another bout of adamantium poisoning, nanobot interferences, and any random ailment that he thought might have a fighting chance in her system. There were no toxins. No … abnormalities. Nothing. For all intents and purposes she was a perfectly healthy young woman.

He sat back for a moment, staring at the vials of her blood still untouched when he was struck with a singularly ordinary thought. He almost hated to run the test without her consent, but he hated a mystery more, and he knew she'd get over it if he had an answer for her. So, he picked up a vial of her blood and started. He'd know in a matter of minutes if he was correct. He prepared a second test to confirm his suspicions since he knew she'd want a recount if he was right. When his timer went off and he made his way across the room to look at the test results, he couldn't stop the smile as it broke across his face.

"Bingo," Hank whispered to himself, immediately running his follow up test and watching the clock. He had a good hour before her class was out, and he wanted to bring her the news of his findings as soon as possible. In a rare move, he left the lab to speak with her, rather than calling her down.

When Hank got to the barn, the riding class was finishing up slow paced gaming in the arena, learning the patterns of the barrels & poles as the horses tried to dodge mud puddles. When the last student finished K gave them their notes and sent them off to care for the animals, most of them grinning at the good doctor as they walked past him.

K even smiled at him as she walked up. "So, what's the news?" she asked him as one of the fastest students came back to take K's horse in for her.

"Likely not what you were expecting," Hank said with a sparkle of trouble in his eyes. "Could you tell me your symptoms again, I want to be sure my diagnoses lines up properly with my findings."

She sat on the fence across from him and sighed as she watched her horse turn into the barn a hundred yards away. "Not much really, I'm just tired and not hungry. Little achy," she summarized.

"You forgot heightened sense of smell," Hank said, looking at his notes.

She wrinkled her nose at him. "I always have heightened senses."

"Yes, but have you also always had a strong aversion to certain scents – perhaps garlic?" he asked.

Shaking her head she frowned deeper at him. "No," she looked concerned. "Hank, what's going on?"

"Nothing to be alarmed over," he replied. "Nothing is wrong with you, per se."

She looked withdrawn as she slipped down from the fence, crossing her arms across her chest – suddenly self conscious.

Hank sighed and figured he'd try to let her get it on her own. "One more question, and please think it through before you answer because I failed to ask you this when you came in, and for that I'm sorry. When was your last period?" Hank asked, looking at his notepad, waiting for her answer.

She scoffed for a moment before her eyes widened and her mouth dropped open in shock, her hand floating to her stomach. "NO. I'm … am I?" she stuttered, reaching out to grab a hold of the fence behind her. The disbelief on her face was absolutely clear as she stared at Hank, waiting for a confirmation.

But he couldn't help but smile back at her warmly, nodding all the while. "Congratulations. You are indeed expecting, my dear. Nothing wrong with you at all. I can test further when you have time to determine how far along you are."

"No. No. That can't be right, Hank. I haven't been sick – I – shouldn't I be throwing up?" she asked, clearly ready to hyperventilate, trying to remember when her last period was – she knew she just had one …. didn't she?

Hank took her hand and led her to the risers to sit down. "Not everyone gets morning sickness. The rest of your symptoms point to a new life taking up residence," he replied, though the phrasing kind of made her stomach twist on hearing it. Frankly, she looked panicked. Hank could smell the acrid tang of fear on the air as she began to melt down.

"What do I tell Logan?" she whispered as she stared outside at the rain beginning to fall.

"You tell him he's going to be a father. I would be very surprised if his reaction was anything but pure joy," Hank told her even as she shook her head.

"He's going to freak out," she muttered to herself.

Hank was surprised to see tears slipping down her cheeks. "Balderdash," he said, pulling her into a hug. "Would you prefer if I told him for you?"

She shook her head almost violently. "No. I – just let me work up to it, alright?" she said, worry on her features. Hank nodded as he let her go, though he made a mental note to keep a closer eye on her.

"Of course. Can you come by tomorrow before class? Perhaps seeing it on screen will help your nerves a bit." She readily agreed then hastily wiped away her tears and made to double check that the chores were done for the animals.

She was on edge for the rest of the day. That night when Logan checked in on the tablet, she thought she was going to have a panic attack.

"Hank figure out if you're OK or not?" he asked, he was smoking a cigar, clearly set up in some hotel on the other side of the globe - and she was pretty sure it was a private room, or Scott would have been complaining about the smoke, she was sure.

K paused for a moment. "Hank has a pretty good idea, but another test or two is needed to be extra sure," she said, shrugging up one shoulder and doing her best to look perfectly relaxed. It wasn't a lie, exactly, but she could see from the expression on his face that he knew something was off.

"Anything serious?" he asked, watching her carefully to see if she'd try to lie again.

She nodded her head with her best mock serious expression. "Oh yeah. Super. Duper paper cut level serious." When he set down the cigar and raised an eyebrow at her she let out her breath and waved him off. "Nothing life threatening."

It was clear that he was thinking it over before letting it go, for as on edge as she had been. He drew in a deep pull off the cigar and just nodded finally. As long as it wasn't going to kill her, he'd give her the chance to come to him in her own time.

K, meanwhile felt guilty as hell for not telling him as they finished their call, and she even started to open her mouth a couple times trying to say it out loud, but she just couldn't do it yet. Instead, worry started to eat at her as she wondered how long she had before his nose could pick up the massive hormone shift her body was throwing at her. This was one of those rare moments where fully understanding his mutation was a giant pain in the ass.

"Guess I better let you get your sleep then," he rumbled out as they ended their call, hoping she'd feel better about whatever it was torturing her and just tell him.

The next morning before Logan returned, she rushed down to see Hank, who had everything they needed for her tests behind a drawn curtain. When she entered, he locked the door behind her. No need for anyone to stumble in and learn of the good news before the father.

"Hop up and unbutton your jeans, please," Hank directed, smiling warmly at her.

K complied, leaning back nervously, staring at the ceiling, still in disbelief as she stared at her flat stomach. He had to be mistaken.

"This won't hurt so you may as well try to relax," he told her, trying to reassure her as the gel hit her below the bellybutton and he gently tried to get the right angle with the stupid looking machine. He wasted little time as he started moving the wand across her abdomen, stopping here and there, clicking the mouse in his free hand, making notations on the computer. She felt sicker and sicker as it went on, her nerves making her ill until finally,

"Mrs. Howlett, if you'd turn your attention to the screen, you can see your wee one," Hank said gently. Anxious, she looked to find a black splotch with a little blob on the screen, though she couldn't pick out the limbs or head clearly as it floated around, though the heartbeat was viewable. "Perfectly healthy," Hank commented as K just stared. She couldn't feel her hands as she covered her mouth.

"The little one appears to be right at six weeks," Hank told her. "Would you like to hear the heartbeat, my dear?" he asked as she blinked back her shock, nodding her head numbly. The whooshing sound of the baby's heart echoed in the little corner of the lab, leaving K unable to talk. She grabbed his wrist as he marveled at the little life she carried.

"I don't feel so good," K said shakily. He snapped out of his daze and handed her a basin – she looked particularly green at the moment. She sat up, leaning over it expecting to vomit, but her head was spinning like a top. As she sat there, it seemed to let up a bit as Hank rubbed her back.

"Perfectly normal. You're just in a bit of shock. It will pass, try to breathe and calm down," he told her, not entirely surprised by her reaction as he realized that the poor girl must have been in denial.

The pieces all fit, in retrospect. When it seemed she'd regained her senses, Hank gave her a glass of water and a bottle of vitamins. "Take one a day. Come back in six weeks, we should be able to tell you how the little one is coming along, though Celia is more versed in prenatal care, so I will hand you over to her, if that's alright." He was smiling broadly at her. She stared back at him as if he'd just grown a second head and turned pink. "You'll have to tell him soon, K. I know you're wary of it, but he's going to figure it out on his own – if he hasn't already."

She stared at her wedding ring, her shoulders uncharacteristically slumped. "I know," she sighed as he handed her a few blurry printouts.

"I know it must be frightening, but maybe these will help you to break it to him. I promise you, K, it will be fine." His smile morphed into a grin a split second before he pulled her into a hug. "Truly my dear, this is good news." With that, he left her to her thoughts as she cleaned herself up.

She shoved the print out pictures in her back pocket and left the vitamins next to the half empty glass of water on the tray near the ultrasound. As she left the lab, she looked at the clock and made her way to the kitchen. She still had some time before Scott and Logan were due to be back from their fact finding mission.

She made some tea hoping to calm her nerves and settle her stomach, but as she brought the cup to her lips it smelled as bad to her now as it had a week ago. She knew now that there was nothing wrong with it, but everything smelled so much stronger than before. With a grumble, she got to her feet and dumped it out, opting for more water. How the hell am I supposed to tell him about this? She thought to herself. But before she could come up with an answer, the kitchen flooded with students and staff.

She watched as they cheerfully came and went, watching them disperse and blankly considering everything. If that wasn't enough, the jet's engines were suddenly easily discernable and she cringed realizing her time was up. Or not.

She put the water bottle down and dashed off to the barn once she knew the jet was underground again. Last time, he probably missed this because of the horse scents all over her. If it worked before ….

For the first time, she grinned on seeing the white gelding in the paddock positively coated in mud. Of course the white horse was the one that liked to roll in the mud puddles. She clicked her tongue at him and took a hold of his halter. "Come on, Sir Galahad, you really deserve a cookie right now for being such a dirty boy."

It was nearly an hour before Logan got down to the barn, and by that time, she was properly dirty herself - covered in dust and horse hair. She was almost able to return the smile Logan gave her when he spotted her and made a beeline for her to give her a kiss.

"You done with Hank?" he asked and she nodded silently. "You guys got it all figured out?" he asked and again she nodded. "Well then, let's get you out of the dirty clothes and head out then, darlin'. You can tell me what's got Hank so tight lipped," he told her with a grin. "Don't know why you had to come brush him out. Your class is canceled tonight and the storm's about to hit, so we may as well go get a little air."

She forced a smile on her face and let her shoulders drop. "If I don't brush him out before he goes in his stall, the white will stain," she said, shaking her head as she led Sir Galahad to his stall and started pulling in the horses. When the two of them were done, she took his hand and let him lead her to the garage, as thunder crackled in the distance.

The pair climbed into the jeep and was barely down the road when she had to ask where they were headed.

"No where special, but you will need to at least wash your hands. You smell like the damn barn," he said, shaking his head. "And I kinda like this place."

"Do they take issue with stable hands?"

"No they do not."

"Do you?"

"You know I don't," he said, shaking his head at her. "Especially when it's just horse and not manure."

She grinned at him. "So … if I needed space I need only to offend my own sensibilities?"

"Don't you dare," he said, giving her a serious look and getting the first real smile she'd worn in days.

The little diner was only about half full when they pulled in, and they found a seat and made their order to go quickly. The weather report said it was going to be a pretty nasty one, but they were back on the road before much time had passed.

When they got back, the rain had started to come down in buckets. They ran into the boat house laughing at the impromptu shower. Both of them were soaked to the bone when they got under the eave, and he pinned her against the house, kissing her senseless as they got drenched. She smiled against his mouth as he pressed against her, her arms around his neck. When the kiss ended, they were barely separated, their foreheads touching.

"So nice to be back," he said breathlessly, grinning in spite of himself. "God, I love you."

She felt a jolt of panic and her smile slipped just a titch. Sure, he says that now. "Love you too. Just remember that, Mister," she said, unable to hide the shake in her voice.

He wrinkled his brow as he pulled back from her, then opened the door and pulled her inside. He let out a breath, expecting something he didn't want to hear from her tone. "So, what's the problem, darlin'?" His nerves had been on edge all day awaiting some horrible news from K and Hank. "You gonna be alright, or do I need to start busting the place up."

Might as well come clean, she thought. She still found herself unable to speak though when she opened her mouth.

He watched her flounder a little, his concern growing more as she continued to be stuck. "K," he said gently, all kinds of horrible scenarios rushing through his mind. "Tell me. Please." He was ready to run up and threaten Hank if he needed to.

She held her breath as she reached into her back pocket, and pulled out the damp printout photos. They were folded in half, so the images were obscured. She handed them to him wordlessly, finally finding the courage to speak after he unfolded the paper, staring at it, silent and unmoving.

"I'm pregnant," she said with a little shrug, honestly terrified as Logan froze.

He was sure his ears weren't working right as he looked at the blurry black and white images.

She refused to look at him as the paper fell to the floor, certain he was about to blow up at her at any moment, and she didn't want to see the look on his face when he did. Obviously, she was braced for the worst.

He slipped his hands into her hair on either side of her face, and she winced until he pulled her into a searingly sweet kiss. His intention to show his affection came through loud and clear as he held her tightly, passionately kissing the thoughts out of her head, and somehow, his reaction was so unexpected to her that it took her breath away.

"You scared the life half outta me, woman," he said when he finally stopped kissing her, still holding her head in his hands, trying to coax her into looking at him.

"You're not mad then?" she asked with her voice cracking at the end.

His expression softened and he pulled her over to sit with him on the nearest chair. "Why the hell would I be mad? You're carrying my child. You're my wife - this is what's supposed to happen at some point." He couldn't help but let out a breath of a laugh. "What the hell would make me mad about that?"

Out of all of his possible reactions, that was absolutely the last one she'd expected. He really was fine – no, scratch that. He was happy about it.

Hank was right again.

Sonofabitch. Logan couldn't pass up a chance to tease her though. He stiffened up suddenly, frowned and pulled back just enough that he could look her in the eyes. "It is mine, right?" he asked with a growl, eyes steely.

For a split second, she didn't know if he was being serious or not, and her mouth dropped in disbelief until he grinned at her. "Oh now that... that is just the funniest frikkin' thing I've heard all day," K said, sarcasm dripping from her as she tried to pull away from him.

With a winning grin, he held her fast and kissed her again. "Couldn't help myself," he chuckled as she slipped her arms around him again.

"You're terrible," she muttered between kisses, but that only got a laugh.

"Are you alright with this?" he asked, hesitant at what her answer would be, knowing she was shaken.

"Well, yeah, I guess so. I have some time to get there, right?" she said as she tried to grasp what was happening to her.

He smiled and covered her hand with his, kissing her gently. "Come on, let's try to get some food in ya. Can't have you two starvin' on me," he told her, his eyes smiling.

She gave him a look as the two of them quietly discussed the news over their dinner.

They'd just finished with dinner, and Logan had taken her to bed, kissing his way down her neck when their com link went off.

"OK lovers, we have a situation. We need both of you up here now." Logan groaned as Scott's voice broke through over the storm.

Before Logan could reach it though, K snatched it up and answered it. "Be right there," she promised. But when she tried to push herself up, Logan pinning her down.

"Where do you think you're goin'?" he asked her, his brow furrowed.

"To see Scott," she replied before she leaned up to kiss him. "They need us both – or am I the only one that heard that?" The growl was clear proof that Logan was unhappy with her plan to continue on.

"Darlin' you can't go on a mission right now," he told her as she tried to wiggle out from under him.

"Yes, I can. I'm fine. Come on, they're waiting," she said.

He refused to move.

"Logan, we have to go up there. We can talk about this later," K told him, though she relaxed into the bed and raised her eyebrows at him. The growl dropped lower as he locked his jaw, and finally, reluctantly, he moved out of her way, following her closely as they made their way to the War Room.

When they got there, the place was packed with every major hero and super powered entity that K had ever heard of. X-Men, Avengers, Alpha Flight, and several of Magneto's followers. This was big, whatever it was, and it really was going to take every single one of them.

Logan's stomach dropped as he took in the faces around the room. He couldn't remember the last time he was this on edge. Holding his wife tightly to him, the two of them made their way into the room. He didn't know what was happening, but he did know he didn't want her anywhere near it.