Saving Hope

A few weeks later, Quinn finally summoned the courage to tell Clay the truth. It was one of those quiet nights she had dreamed about when she watched her parents as a little girl. She watched him skim-reading the sports section, unable to focus on the book in her hand. "Any prospective fires for my super-agent to put out?" she asked softly, sidling closer to him. "Because if not, I was hoping we could talk."

Clay slipped his arm around her and laid the paper aside. "There are never any fires that can't wait until tomorrow when my girl gets this close," he said, shooting her a lopsided smile that melted her heart. "What's on your mind?"

"I'm pregnant," Quinn blurted out, everything she had planned to say swooping out of her head in the relief to get to the point. "I waited a couple of weeks to be sure, but I've just been so scared to say it out loud. I'm sorry it took this long."

"Seriously?" Clay's eyes widened first, then his smile grew impossibly wider still. "Are you sure?"

"Sure…and terrified," Quinn admitted. "Full confession, I told Haley first this time. I couldn't even face taking the test by myself." She pressed her head against his shoulder, letting the warmth of his embrace calm her nerves. "How do you feel?"

"So very, very lucky," he said softly, shifting so that she had no choice but to face him. "I love you so much, Mrs. Evans. Nothing is going to go wrong this time!"

"Where does that optimism come from after everything that happened the last time?" Quinn asked, breathing shakily.

"From living with the normally most positive person on the planet," said Clay simply. "You don't do pessimism, baby. Cut it out!"

"Would you mind repeating that sometimes for the next few months?" Quinn requested. "I don't know why it's so hard to believe this time."

"Hope can be scary," Clay pointed out wisely. "But it's worth it. Be brave enough to be happy, okay? I know I am."

Quinn opened her mouth, on the verge of voicing more fears, but he silenced her every negative thought with a kiss that she felt from head to toe. "Do that again," she gasped pleadingly. "You are magic, babe. I can't remember what I was worried about a minute ago."

"Mission accomplished then," Clay smirked. "It's a good thing you told me you're already pregnant right now, or things could have gotten wild in here."

"Oh? I like the sound of that," Quinn giggled. "Where's Sergio when I need him? I like wild action sometimes."

"Hell no!" Clay shook his head with a grimace. "Sergio can stay in the closet with Shutterbug where he belongs. You're all mine, babe."

"I thought you liked Shutterbug?" Quinn pouted expertly, trying not to laugh at Clay's conflicted expression.

"Why are you always right?" he grumbled. "Shutterbug is totally hot but also a little too frisky. I won't let anything happen to this baby, understand? I know I said that the last time, too…but you know what I mean."

"You mean you're going to bubble-wrap me until this baby gets here, don't you?" Quinn asked, barely even joking.

"I'm considering it." Clay nodded, hovering over the length of her body, stretched out on the couch. "I might let you have at least another kiss if you insist on looking this hot; it's not even fair."

"Where's a tie when you need one?" Quinn's voice had turned husky as she pulled him down on top of her, sending every coherent thought out the window with just the power of her lips. "Shutterbug will always be in charge here, like it or not. I don't need spandex and a cape to be your boss, Mr. Evans."

"No arguments here," Clay gasped, holding both her hands tightly as he attached himself to her eager mouth once more. "Shutterbug is totally my boss, and I love it!"

Another few weeks passed before they could get an appointment for an ultrasound. Still scared to believe that it was finally happening, Quinn had taken multiple tests as the check-up day drew closer. "How many positive results do you have now?" Clay teased her lightly on the way to the hospital. "It's going to be fine; I promise."

"I'm just nervous," said Quinn, her fingers trembling as she squeezed his hand on the gear stick. "It's a lot to lose."

"Why even think about losing it?" At the conviction in Clay's voice, Quinn glanced at him, trying to let his hope and optimism seep into her anxious soul. "If you can face the ocean, you can handle a sonogram. Life is immense, remember?"

"And yet we bravely go into it every day," Quinn echoed his wisdom from years ago under her breath. "I really love you; you know that?"

Clay parked the car and grasped her hand tightly as they entered the hospital. "I do know that. We wouldn't be in this position without the promise of insane love for all time in a contract. I got an even better deal than Nathan at the end of the day, no doubt about it."

When their turn came, Quinn lay back in the examination chair, breathing shakily. "First time?" the technician asked cheerily.

"Second," said Quinn softly. "We lost our first one early. That's why I'm so nervous."

"I'm sorry to hear that." The woman's sympathy was brief because the next second Quinn gasped. "Oh yeah, the gel can feel pretty cold. Sorry about that, too. Let's have a look around in there, shall we?"

"It's okay," Clay whispered, and Quinn only realized how badly her hands were shaking when he squeezed her fingers firmly. "Just relax."

"If it helps you relax," their nurse chimed in: "I'm actually detecting two heartbeats today."

"Mine and the baby's?" Quinn asked, straining to hear it. Clay had dropped her hand in shock, and she glanced at him, hardly daring to believe what she was hearing.

"If we're counting yours, then there are three heartbeats," the woman clarified. "It's a little early to tell much more than that, but I'd put you at about ten weeks. Everything looks as it should so far. Congratulations! After the first trimester, in about another two weeks, the risks generally reduce. Twin pregnancies can be complicated, so we'll check the development regularly, not to worry."

"Thank you," said Quinn faintly, letting Clay walk her out of the room, his fingers brushing her shoulders as if she were made of glass. "I did not see that coming."

"Logan is going to have to get on board now," Clay mused. "Two babies, just…wow!"

"Are you happy?" Quinn pressed nervously.

Clay stared at her incredulously; "Are you kidding me? Judgment is the only thing stopping me from dancing out to the parking lot right now. God, I love you. Just promise me you'll take care of yourself, okay? Otherwise, I will indeed resort to bubble wrap!"

"I'd like to see you try," Quinn giggled. When he held the Stingray's door open for her, his wife spun to face him instead. "I love you," she whispered, melting into his kiss. "We did it!"

"Let's hold off on the celebrations for about six months," said Clay nervously. "This is…huge."

"Oh God, I'm going to be huge," Quinn groaned as if coming to the sudden realization.

"No," Clay corrected her: "you're going to be even more beautiful than you already are."

"There you go again with the perfect thing to say. It's totally your superpower."

His sheepish smile kept the butterflies going as much as the knowledge of the extra heartbeats inside her. "Hey, there are worse superpowers than being a sappy goof, don't you think? I lucked out big-time with you, babe."

"Funny, I was just about to say the same thing." Quinn's fingers stayed on top of his hand on the gear stick all the way home. "I hope Logan will be okay with this now. He's been through a lot lately."

"We all have," Clay reminded her. "He has roughly five or six months to get used to the idea. We'll help him be okay with it."

Later that evening, Clay and Quinn hovered in front of Logan's bedroom door, communicating in silent, glowing smiles full of hope. Clay knocked and cracked the door open at his wife's eager nod. "You got a second, buddy?"

"Sure." Logan laid aside his comic book and sat up, watching his parents curiously as they approached the bed and sat down on either side of him. "What's going on?"

"Well," Quinn began when Clay glanced at her helplessly. "I know it scared you the last time. But how would you feel about being a big brother in a few months?"

"Really?" To his parents' relief, Logan's eyes lit up. "You're having a baby?"

"How do you feel about that?" Clay pressed hesitantly. "You're not going to run again, are you?"

"No, I'm not going to run," Logan promised. Quinn shifted slightly so there was room for him to crawl into Clay's lap. "This is really cool." He cocked his head when Clay exhaled audibly in relief. "I really freaked you out that badly the last time?"

"Of course you did, you goof. You're my family. I need you to be okay with changes in it."

Logan glanced at Quinn, his eyes sparkling. "Well, any new babies are already awesome," he said with conviction. "Because we already know how amazing Mama Q is, right?"

"Aww, you." Quinn's eyes filled with tears; it was the biggest proof of her swirling hormones. She glanced at Clay questioningly, waiting for his nod before continuing: "It's funny you should say babies in the plural. Because today we found out that we're not having just one baby, but two."

"That was my reaction, too," Clay laughed when Logan's eyes grew impossibly wide. "Damn, kiddo, we should come up with a new superhero whose powers are bug eyes or something."

"Two babies?" their son echoed faintly. When his parents nodded in unison, Logan beamed. "That is…awesome!"

"We wanted you to know before we tell your grandparents," Clay told him, reaching for Quinn's hand when she grimaced nervously. "Last time everybody knew when we lost it, that step is a little scary to think about again."

"It's gonna be okay," said Logan firmly. He scrambled off the bed and began rummaging in his dresser drawer. Finally, he turned to Quinn and held a little box out to her. "I know you have a green stone on your ring, too, but do you want some extra power? Green Lantern's magic will keep the babies safe."

"Oh my God," Quinn gasped, taking the box from him. She handed it to Clay and dragged Logan into her arms. "You are the actual sweetest, Wolverine. I love you; you know that?"

"I was kind of hoping," Logan giggled, and this time, when Clay and Quinn exchanged smiles, they were even brighter. This time, they would get the happy ending they deserved.

"Not to change the subject," said Quinn after a brief contented silence, eyeing the ring fondly that Clay was rolling around in his palms. "But how are things going at school with that Bobby kid?"

Logan's smile faded slightly. "Okay, I guess," he shrugged. "His mom works at the school library now. He's changed ever since his dad died. I told him I could relate because of Mommy, but he said I had no idea. We get along alright now; the superhero action figures were a good idea."

"Superheroes are always a good idea," Clay chimed in triumphantly. "That's why you're my Wolverine. Your mommy fought me so hard on that one."

"Is it too soon to start thinking about more superhero names for the babies?" Logan asked eagerly, his eyes glinting at the prospect.

"Wow, you really are okay with this, then," Clay marveled. "It might be a little bit too soon for that, but you can definitely start a list if you want." He spotted Quinn stifling a laugh and grimaced at her. "What's so funny?"

"I missed this," she said softly, leaning across Logan to kiss him. "My dorky boys debating superhero names. I love you."

"You have to help," Logan reminded her. "You're our Jean Grey!"

"Till kingdom come," Quinn promised, clutching Clay's hand behind Logan's back. It was the most content she could remember feeling in months. Keeping hope alive was a worthy cause if not always the easiest.

A/N The happiness feels so good after so much heavy angst, enjoy! xx