30th September 1995
17:38 GMT -5
I shift position on the settee slightly, wrapping my arms more tightly around Anne-Marie's waist as she leans back into me.
"…kept living
here, but if we're having children then I think it might be a good idea to consider buying a house."
"That a plural I heard there, darlin'? Abowt how many were ya'll plannin' on us havin'?"
"I didn't have a specific number in mind. I… Suppose that.. factoring in the recovery time-." I frown to myself. She was worried about the vitality draining, but honestly her super strength might be a bigger problem. "Two seems like a good number? Once we've… Got a better idea how parenthood and being superheroes mix and we actually.. know what we're doing, we could give it more serious thought." … "Ah, did
you have a specific number in mind?"
"Kinda assumed I couldn't have none. If ya'll mean back when ah wuz a little girl… Fahv."
I blink. "U-ah. We can… Do five? Was there a… Particular reason for it being that number?"
"Happiest fam'ly ah knew growin' up had fahv kids. Figured it wuz a lucky numbuh. Ain't… Real sure I wanna put mahself through all that though."
"Maybe we can see how we feel after the first is on solids. So, house, or not?"
"Guess we c'n go take a look. Ya'll got anywhere picked out?"
"Not really. Given how fast I can build, I… I was
sort of thinking about buying this Earth's version of the home I grew up in, flying it here and plumbing it in."
She snort, quietly. "That raht?"
"It's a very nice house. I mean I.. could just build a
copy here, but it's just not the same."
"How's about we just see wut's-." Scott and Jean walk down the stairs. "Oh, hey, ya'll."
Jean smiles at us while Scott nods. "Hey. Good news?"
I feel Anne-Marie take a deep breath. "We're.. gunna try havin' kids." She shrugs, her shoulders rubbing against my chest. "Best we c'n tell, mah powers won't hurt mah own flesh and blood. Not if they're a mutant too."
Scott sort of… Tenses, and Jean's eyes sort of flick back and forth between us and her husband.
I lift my right hand off Anne-Marie and wave it back and forth. "Don't worry: if we're still living in the mansion I'll put sound insulation in."
"That, ah…" The two of them walk into the living area and take the settee opposite us, Scott looking decidedly pensive. "That wasn't why… Have you..? Thought about how safe it is-. And I don't just mean Rogue's power, but there are still plenty of people who support the Friends of Humanity, and then there's-. It took a while for me to find out that-" He touches his glasses. "-ruby quartz could block my eye beam. I was.. effectively blind for years before the Professor figured it out."
I nod. "So you're asking if we talked about how we'd cope if our child got an ability with a steep downside?"
"Given… R-. Anne-Marie's… Ah…"
"Ah know wut mah power does, Scott. But mah power didn't kick in 'til ah wuz fifteen. So the way ah figure it, they'll be old enough to talk it through with us. And… If
anyone can help 'em cope with it, it's the Professor."
Jean… Takes a moment to
build up her courage. "Not all.. powers activate in adolescence. Some powers… Some
visible… Changes, are there at birth."
I nod. "Yes. Getting a
very specialist obstetrician is one of the
many things on the list. We might end up having to get someone who isn't a qualified obstetrician but
does have familiarity with superhuman physiology."
Scott shrugs. "I'm.. not sure that Hank or the Professor-."
I shake my head. "I was thinking of talking to Doctor Reed Richards. He and his wife both have superpowers, and I'm sure that he's thought about the potential difficulties. Failing that, there's Doctor Connors, and… Probably other specialists. Obviously we couldn't just
turn up at a hospital and hope that the on-duty obstetrician could cope with it, that would -heh- be ridiculous. And… Dangerous, if their powers
were active from birth."
"Ah think we
all gaht powers that could go real bad, an' we all worked through it. An' ah think our chald's gaht the best chance a chald could have, even if that
ain't a certainty."
…
Oh.
Oh. Um.
"Had..? You two talked about..?"
Jean takes Scott's hand, and she nods. "It was when the Friends of Humanity were first making themselves known. A lot of hu-." She sees me raise my eyebrows. "
People hate mutants. We didn't want to bring a child up in a world where they could get chased through the streets by a mob if they found out what they are."
…
"Oh."
Because… I mean, what can I say to that? I don't think there's really any chance-.
And
then the alarm goes off!
"Huh-?"
Scott's
on his feet first, closing his eyes as he replaces his glasses with the visor he keeps tucked in his jacket. Jean's a moment behind, darting over to the nearest computer console to call up the Mansion's security system. Anne-Marie doesn't move for a moment, then carefully disentangles herself from me and stands up. I
float up and don my armour-.
Anne-Marie pulls me down to her and whispers in my ear.
"We need t'talk to them. That ain't-."
"I agree completely. You take Jean and I'll take Scott?"
She nods,
smiling at me and-. And I think she's crying a little. And I'm on the ground because I'm emotionally compromised again and she takes a moment to wipe her face before heading over to Jean.
Scott and I follow a moment later, and Jean's-.
"One intruder. The security system's dropped them in the Danger Room."
Scott frowns. "How did they get in?"
An animation plays of a group of mechanical arms grabbing a normal-shaped humanoid. "They were on the roof."
I wince. I
thought that was a dodgy one. "And… Were they breaking in, or just psyching themselves up to ask if they could study here?"
She looks in the general direction of the Danger Room, raising her right hand to her forehead. "I feel… Confusion. Anger, fear… His body's changing, and he-. He's used to hostility."
I wince harder. "So… Probably a mutant looking for help?"
Scott's already halfway across the room, moving at a run. "Jean, let him know we're coming, then tell whoever's-" Anne-Marie and
I fly past him down the corridor. "-on the console to
shut it down."
Because our computers aren't fully networked, because letting a hacker access the combat robots used in the Danger Room would be a stupid idea but that
also means that we can't turn them off anywhere else. And using it as part of our security system made sense last time Cain Marko visited but I think it's just
really blown up in our faces.
I just hope they're alright.
