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Title:
Baby Love
Author:
Terri
E-Mail:
xgrrl26@yahoo.com
Rating:
PG-13
Disclaimer:
I don't own any of them except the title lovebug :)
Feedback:
Please! Pretty please? With some teething gel on top? Good,
bad, and ugly welcome
Archive:
Dolphin Haven, Peep Hut anyone else, please ask ;)
Summary:
Sequel to Baby Mine. Everyone loves Jules ;)
Comments:
This next installment of the Baby Mine series is due in large part to Tiffany's
persistence and bunnies for this story (and I'm sure they're hers this time!).
She gave me the fabulous Jules and Logan playing bunny that you see here!
I hope to begin updating this series more regularly I like writing
Jules, I
can't help it ;) ------------------------------------------------
I can do
this. I've faced worse things, that's for damn sure. I can do
this, and Marie's right it's 'bout time the little guy and I spend
some quality time together. It's been almost well, yeah, I guess
it's been over eight months. He was eight months old last week.
And Marie'll only be gone an hour or so. I can do this.
"Buh!"
Heh. He looks kinda confused, probably wonderin' where Marie is.
After all, she's been with him for pretty much every second of his little
life.
"Don't worry.
Your mom will be back in a few. She wanted to run out to get the groceries
herself today. No comment on us, you know, but she hasn't really been
outta this house ever since we got here. She's gettin' kinda stir-crazy."
"Mmmm-aaaaa!
Mama!"
"Yeah, you
probably don't understand a word I'm sayin', I know." Marie said to
just pick him up and hold him if he got fussy. She fed him right before
she left still breast feedin' the little guy, which I find just fascinatin'
to watch, but she said that we gotta think 'bout weenin' him 'cause he's startin'
to cut some fangs. I can imagine that ain't too comfortable when he
decides to take a chomp or two on her.
Interestin'
thing is when he did bite her or scratch her or somethin', she healed
right up pretty quick. She said they musta given her some 'additions' at
the lab, but I wonder why it took her so long to recover from havin' Jules
if she did have some kinda healin' powers. Who knows what they really
did to her. Makes my blood fuckin' boil to this day to think 'bout
what she hadta go through there. Still want revenge on those damn X-geeks
for leavin' her there, but I guess the way things are goin' back in the US
is takin' care of that on its own.
It seems
like everybody just went fuckin' nuts, you know? Roundin' muties up,
puttin' 'em in concentration camps, all that shit. Glad Canadians have
a little more fuckin' common sense than that. Up here, hasn't been
much of a fuss at all. Lotsa muties comin' over the border now, and
Canada's even been givin' 'em asylum and shit. It's a damn good thing
I got us here before all hell broke loose down south. When we got here,
Marie made me call 'em, ask 'em to get the hell outta there before it was
too late. Down to a man, they all said no, they were gonna stay come
hell or high water. Well, since then I put my ear to the ground and
heard a few things. From what I hear, looks like they got both hell
and high water down there. Most of 'em are still alive, though.
Not Chuck. They just took him out too powerful to take a chance
on. I haven't told Marie that I know anythin' 'cause well, 'cause
I know she already feels bad 'bout leavin' 'em, even with what they did to
her. She don't need to know just how bad it is. That won't accomplish
anythin'. I'm not gonna ride in on some white horse and try and save
'em they made their decisions, they knew the risks, and I sure as hell
ain't gonna leave Marie and the little guy up here all alone, unprotected,
even if it is pretty calm up here. Plus, I know Marie she ain't
gonna try and save 'em either. Uh-uh, no way. She might wanna
she might even wanna help 'em real bad, but the kid comes first with her
no matter what. You can see that, plain as day. Nah, tellin'
her would only make her feel bad and she's had enough of that already.
"Waaaaa!"
Oh yeah,
right pick him up and hold him. Gotcha, kid. "Uh, don't
worry none. Your mom's just down at the corner grocery, gettin' you
some diapers and maybe what'd she call it? A sippy cup?
Yeah, some kinda cup for you to try out. You know, you're gettin' some
pretty fearsome fangs comin' in there." Maybe he does understand what
I say a little 'cause he settled down there and when I said the thing 'bout
the fangs, he smiled and showed 'em to me. Got two on top and two on
the bottom, but not too damn much else in the way of teeth.
He's a cute
kid 'course he is, he's Marie's but he's definitely different,
ya know? And not what I pictured for my son. Oh, don't get me
wrong, I like the little guy a lot, and I'm gonna keep my promise to Marie
to take on bein' his dad and all, but I always thought a kid of mine would,
you know, be a little miniature version of me. Same hair, same eyes,
same build. I sure as hell didn't expect a kid of mine to be blue and
furry, and I guess Marie didn't either.
God, how
she loves this kid, though. I think she probably loves him more than
me, and I don't even blame her for that. It's her kid, she's the mom,
that's how it should be. Like I said he comes first with her.
You know, he got damn lucky, that it was someone like Marie carryin' him
and not some asshole who woulda dumped him in the first trash bin they came
to as soon as they got a good look at him. I know what Marie said
she thought 'bout givin' him up and all but that was just 'cause of
the situation. And she didn't wind up givin' him up hell, she
did everythin' she could to keep him and make him safe. He got real
lucky with her for a mom.
Havin' me
for a dad well, I dunno. Like I said, I am his dad. I took
that on and I'm gonna live up to it. And I do care 'bout him, a lot.
It ain't that he's a bad kid or anythin', and it ain't really even that he's
not mine and don't look like me. It's that he reminds me, all the time,
of how bad I failed Marie, of what a piece of shit I am for not bein' there
when she needed me, for not takin' care of her like I promised. I look
at him, and every time I think 'bout how they musta got her, held her down,
made her pregnant God, it hurts so much to know she went through that,
and because of me. Because of my failures.
"Ggggggoooooo!"
"Fussy again,
huh?" I'm sure he likes Marie holdin' him better than me. Well,
she said pick him up if he gets fussy, but she didn't say what to do if he
gets fussy *after* ya pick him up. Hmmm. "Wanna play with your
toys?" Just starin' back at me, grabbin' for my ooof! "Hey,
kid, that nose is attached, ya know."
"Heeee!"
He thinks it's funny, huh?
"You got
a nose of your own, ya know. It's here." Now that's cute
him crinklin' his nose and blinkin' his eyes when I touched his nose.
He musta liked that 'cause he's smilin' real big. "That's your nose.
This is your chin." More gigglin' he's entertained. "And
this here well, that's an ear. Ya got two of 'em." Oh-oh,
now he's got a death grip on *my* ear. "Um, you wanna let go there,
kid? I'm gonna need that." I'll just peel his fingers offa me.
"Waaaaa!"
Oh Christ,
that didn't sit well with the little guy. Maybe some more playin' is
in order. I'll just put him down on the floor on his blanket.
"Waaaaa!"
I'll never get usedta the sound of baby-cryin'. I swear, it busts an
ear drum every time.
"Come on
now, there's nothin' to cry over. I'm gonna watch ya 'til your mom
gets back. You're gonna be just fine."
"Waaaaaa!"
Not workin'.
Gotta try somethin' else. "Look here these are your feet.
You got two of those too." Aha no more cryin' and now he's got
some kinda curious look. You know, he is a real curious kid, and smart
for his age, Marie says. Once we found a house to rent and got settled
up here, she made me take her to the library and she got damn near every
book on kids that they had. Read 'em all. She knows all 'bout
this little guy. She's the expert, not me, that's for sure. I
just go out, do the fightin' and make the money for the family. She's
the one who's really raisin' him.
She always
makes sure to tell me she thinks I do a good job with him, but, ya know,
I know by now that Marie well, she sees me in the best possible light
a lotta times. I think I'm doin' an OK job with him. I mean,
I do talk to him and play with him and shit. It ain't like I ignore
him or leave it all up to Marie. 'Course, since she's still breast
feedin' him, she kinda hasta take care of the mealtimes. I help out
changin' diapers and givin' him a bath and clearin' out the drains
when they get fulla his blue fur. I think that's an OK job.
"Ggggooooo."
"Bored with
the feet, huh? Well, take a look at this you got a belly."
He's ticklish as hell and he's got a really cute laugh got that from
Marie, I bet. "You got a ticklish belly." There he goes, squirmin'
and laughin' lookin' at him like this, you can see why Marie's so in
love with him. He's a damn good kid, really. "You like that,
huh? Ticklish in all the same spots as your mom, I shoulda known."
And when he looks back at you, all happy like this, it does kinda make you
feel warm inside. "You're a good kid, Jules." Whoa that
was the biggest smile yet. "You're a good kid." And there's another
one.
Reachin'
up for me like he wantsta be picked up well, OK. Aw. Wouldya
look at that? He's cuddlin' all inta me here, just like he does with
Marie after a feedin'. That's that's cute. I should probably
rub his back that's what Marie does when he does this. And she
talks to him too.
"Yeah, you're
nice and comfy right there, huh? Well, that's OK. I'm gonna hold
ya just like your mom does. You're gonna feel all safe and warm and
nice right there." Happy little sighs. Eyes blinkin' open and
shut. Feet curled up and arms curled in. Yep, he's gonna fall
asleep on me. "That's OK, you just drift off. I gotcha."
Marie said
that one of those books she read told her that babies need to feel safe.
When they cry, someone hasta show up and take care of 'em. When they're
hungry, someone hasta feed 'em. When they're wantin' to explore a little
bit, or play, someone hasta be there to do that stuff with 'em. Marie's
usually the one who covers mosta that, but it's nice to know the little guy
feels safe with me too. Any kinda animal you can think of humans,
too it hasta feel real safe before it'll sleep. And this little
guy is out like a light. Hmmm. Guess I have been doin' an OK
job of playin' dad to him. "You just rest little guy, daddy's gotcha."
Wh-where
am I? Good Lord, what godforsaken place is this? And who in Hades
are all of these people staring down at me?
"Hello.
My name is Jean. I'm a doctor. Just lie still, I think you've
been injured." Bright red hair a very attractive woman, or she
once was. No one sustains their beauty in a place like this.
Human or mutant, I wonder..well, think, Hank old boy, they wouldn't keep
humans in a cell like this, would they? She's looking at me so oddly
perhaps I should attempt some form of reply.
"Yes, I
realize that." Must try to sit up a bit, take stock of my fellow prisoners.
If this is like the last facility, they may very well be as dangerous as the
guards. Let's see Dr. Jean looks normal, but from the shorn hair
and scars tracing her temples, my guess would be that she is (or was) a telekinetic
or telepath. How they do love to peek into the brains of those mutants.
Bastards. Next we have a quite lovely lady with all white hair
no idea what her powers may be. Now on to the gentleman one with
a gauze bandage and tape around his eyes. Perhaps he has some kind
of optically located powers. Hmmm. And finally, a rather normal-looking
young lad. No idea what his powers might be either. "My name
is Henry McCoy." I suppose they are all sussing me out for themselves,
much in the same fashion as I have examined and evaluated them. My
mutancy is obvious and some of my powers strength and agility
are easily guessed at from my appearance. However, super-intelligence
is not readily apparent, nor is my slight healing factor, and I shall keep
that little bit of knowledge to myself for now. No need to tell them
I am a genius, a doctor, or a scientist. But I suppose beginning with
a polite approach would do no harm. "Pleased to meet you all.
It appears that we will be cellmates for a while."
"How long
have they had you, in places like this?" My heavens, Dr. Jean is still
looking at me quite strangely. I suspect she has never encountered
someone with a physical mutation severe as my own.
"Nearly three
years now. And you?" A gasp is not an answer, my new friend.
And it is very impolite. Even worse now she is exchanging glances
with the others well, with the exception of the one with covered eyes.
He merely looks confused.
"Three years,
you said?"
"Yes."
More looks. Oh perhaps they are relatively new to the camp, and
are struggling with the idea of the possibility of that length of captivity.
Or perhaps they have done the math and realized that they were taking mutants
even before our Congress did us the favor of making it legal to do so.
Perhaps
"What kind
of experiments have they done on you?"
Ah, I see.
"I assure you, my dear lady, that it was my own self-experimentation that
prompted this appearance. Do not worry. I do not believe it can
be replicated, even if they were to try to do so."
"Don't count
on that." The young boy, the plain-looking one. I cannot make
sense of his comment, but his demeanor is almost almost entertained?
Amused?
"Bobby."
I wonder if he is Dr. Jean's son, or younger brother. She certainly
scolded him as though he were. "You see, Mr. Mr. "
"McCoy."
"Mr. McCoy.
We've seen someone who looks very much like you." More odd looks.
Goodness sakes. Why don't we just get it out into the open, shall we?
"Are you
suggesting that some kind of cloning experiment was done on me? I admit,
I may be unaware of exactly what type of "
"Not cloning."
Ah, the white-haired woman speaks. "A child. We have met a child
that looks very much like you."
A child?
That is not they would not have wanted to make a they could not
have
"Exactly
like you." Oh, dear. This one, Bobby, seems quite certain of
that.
"What?
What's going on, Jean?"
"Scott
" Ah, the blindfolded one's name is Scott. Scott. Very
good. And I have a child, apparently. A child who looks *like
me*. Dear God, I must sit down a moment. "This man is well,
he's blue-furred, with claws. He looks just like just like Jules
did. The only exception is his eyes he has yellow eyes."
Jules? Did she say the child's name was Jules? "But that makes
sense - brown would be the dominant color. Jules' eyes are brown, like
Rogue's."
"Please,
I this is all a bit much to take in. Please, start over.
The child's name is Jules?" Nodding. I suppose that means yes.
Yes. It means yes. I have a child, named Jules. A boy,
I suppose. But Jules could be a girl's name as well. "It is
is it a boy?"
"Yes."
A boy. A son. My son. "He was healthy. We think the
mother Rogue was impregnated in one of the labs, as an experiment.
She escaped a few days before giving birth to Jules. We she used
to live with us, in Westchester, New York."
A million
questions are running through my mind. But there is one I fear most
to ask, yet desire the answer to most greatly. "The mother, did she
what did she do with the child?" Please, please tell me she did not
kill it upon sight. Please tell me she she gave it away, took
some measure of pity on it, perhaps gave it to some mutant-friendly
"She, ah,
she left Westchester with him, when he was three days old." Scott.
Scott knows the answer to my question. "She left with with an
associate of ours, someone named Logan. They were trying to make the
Canadian border, before the legislation passed. They left a a
few days before the hearing."
The border!
The Canadian border! "Do you suppose do you think she might've
taken the child with her, then given it away to someone in Canada?"
He could be living there now, in safety, perhaps with other mutants.
She could've found someone there, where the prejudices are not so vehement.
She could've found someone, I know it. She could've given him up after
she crossed over, he could be safe!
"Um, I don't
think so." No. No. No. Do not tell me she abandoned
or discarded him along the way. No. "I don't think she would've
given him up, uh, Hank. Can I call you Hank? 'Cause we're pretty
informal around here, Scott's butt-rod notwithstanding."
"Young man
"
"Bobby."
"Whatever."
Now is *not* the time for levity. "Do you mean to tell me that the
child may still be with her, that she she kept him, to raise as her
own?"
"Well, yeah.
I mean yeah. She was pretty insistent on that part. It
was her kid too, you know, and we offered to take care of it and all but
she wanted to keep him right, Dr. Grey?"
"Mmm-hmmm.
Mr. McCoy I think that she and Logan probably did make it across.
He would've been very committed to her safety and she well, she was
very attached to Jules. In all likelihood, they would have made it
before the Act passed. I think I would bet that Jules is safe,
with them, and in Canada."
Oh, thank
God. Thank *God*. Safe. He could be safe.
"I know
it must be quite a shock."
"Yes, it
is. It is, ah what is your name?"
"Ororo."
"Yes, it
is, Ororo. Please, I would like to know everything anything you
can tell me about the mother and my son and and this man with her,
Logan."
Look at
them that's a kodak moment, right there, if I ever saw one. Jules,
sound asleep on Logan's chest. Logan, rubbing his little back.
God, how I love them both. "Hey, sugar. I'm back."
"Hey."
Just a whisper, so he won't wake Jules. He really is such a good dad.
So different from my dad. "Little guy's nappin'."
"I see that.
Did you wear him out?"
"Tried to."
I always kiss Logan when he comes home, and I want to start doing it when
I come home too. Kissing my husband it's always a good thing.
This time, just a gentle kiss to his head I don't want to disturb Jules.
I may not know everything about being a mom, but 'never disturb a sleeping
baby' is rule number one. "Get everythin' ya needed?"
"Mmm-hmm.
And I only spent forty-two dollars."
"Aw, darlin',
I toldya spend whatcha want. I make plenty of money fightin'."
"I just
hate that you have to support us that way." I really, really do.
But it does bring in a good living and it does mean that Logan spends most
of his time with us instead of at some job. Still, I want to make the
money go as far as possible so that he has to fight as little as possible.
"I don't
mind, Marie. I toldya that."
"I know."
One more kiss wouldn't hurt. "Was he good?"
"Oh yeah,
real good, like always. Fussed a little, missed you some, but Jules
and me we had a little male bondin' time. And now he's tuckered
out. Just look at him droolin' on me just like his momma does."
"Hey!"
"Only you
drool a lot more."
"Complaints
won't get you any snuggling, mister."
"I didn't
say I minded, did I?" I don't think I'll ever get tired of flirting
with him. He's just got that look that 'damn I'm sexy and I know
it' look. If Jules learns that from him, he'll be a heartbreaker with
the little girls, that's for sure. "'Hell, I don't mind bein' the family
drool mat one bit. All part of the deal, darlin'."
"You're
a good guy, you know that?"
"It's what
you tell me." Oh-oh. Jules heard us talking. We woke him.
Yep there are those beautiful brown eyes.
"He's up,
Logan."
"Yeah?"
It always amazes me how gentle Logan is, for such a big, strong man.
Those powerful arms of his just shift Jules right around with the most delicacy
I've ever seen. "Hey, there ya are. Have a good nap, didya?"
"Buh!"
"Well, good.
Mom's home, ya know."
"Mama!"
"Hey there
baby." I think I'll take him now he's probably hungry again,
and besides, it's been a whole hour since I held him in my arms. I
just can't imagine my life without either of my guys, you know? I don't
know what I'd ever do if something happened to either one of them.
I love them both so much. "You hungry, little man? Did you miss
mama?"
"Mama!"
"I'll take
that as a yes. Come on, let's get comfy on the couch with dad, and I'll
feed you." I know we have it good Logan tries to keep most of
the news from down south away from me, but I know all hell broke loose back
home, and I know that my friends are well, they're probably not doing
so well. When it first really got going, before we even got settled
in this place, I had Logan call the mansion and tell them to come up here,
to find us. No one did. I admire their courage, I really do.
But, at the same time, I can't imagine putting myself and Jules and Logan
through all that, I really can't. I don't regret coming to Canada,
even though I know that back home, my friends are suffering, maybe even dead.
I don't like to think about it, because the truth is, I'm not inclined to
help them, not if it would mean risking my life or Jules'. He needs
me now, and he deserves a chance in life. I don't think he would've
made it to eight months if we had stayed back home. But sometimes,
like now, when I'm in a nice, warm, safe home with my son and my husband,
I do feel incredibly guilty for having it so good when I know they have it
so very bad.
"Darlin',
you OK?"
"Oh, sorry
just thinking. You know, about the old team, about my friends."
"I'm sure
they're all OK."
"I hope
you're right." I think Logan kind of tries to find out some info on
them he doesn't want me to know because I think what he found out must've
been bad news. He won't say anything about it; he won't admit to it,
but I think he knows something. They were his friends too.
"C'mon,
darlin' you got a hungry little baby in your arms."
"I know,
I know." Logan's right we've got things to take care of right
here. I'll try not to think about it anymore.
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