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The Distant Calls of Fall
Chapter #07 “Expecting the Unexpected”, Part 2


Brooklyn, New York
Monday, November 1st, 2004
11:27 a.m. EST

The modest-sized OB-GYN’s office was completely faced with brick on the outside; a two-story establishment that at first glance appeared more like a home than a place of business. There were just a few cars outside along the street/”parking lot”; one of which”a flashy cobalt blue Porsche Carrera GT”stuck out like the preverbal sore thumb. It was parked like someone who’d been in a hurry, sort of straddling two spaces. The powerful engine continued to purr; the ignition still ran as the car’s occupants struggled with an uncomfortable conversation within.

“I said I’ll be fine.”

“You don’t look like you’ll be fine.”

“Oh? And how ‘exactly’ do I look?”

“Like you’re scared shitless, Roro.” Scott was turned toward her in the driver’s seat of his car, his eyes slightly shaded against her view by his tinted specs. She didn’t need to see his eyes to hear the worry and concern in his voice.

‘Maybe because I am?’ She answered back in her mind, but remained quiet, her body turned away from him as she stared outside the car’s window toward the entrance to Dr. Matthews’ office. She’d managed to put most of the anxiety of this check up far enough back in her mind to get through the weekend. However, once she woke Monday morning, a sudden, severe attack of morning sickness made her question an ability to drive herself to this appointment, and Ororo was close to calling for a same-day cancellation before Scott insisted on driving her himself so she wouldn’t have to miss it. They’d stopped three times on the way over, she’d gotten so sick”whether that was due to the pregnancy or Scott’s driving, was unclear.

When she didn’t respond to his observation, Scott tentatively reached over to touch her hand, noting the clammy coldness unusual for Ororo. She jumped slightly at his touch, turning to look at him with an expression that clearly told him her fears. “Hey.”

Ororo took a deep breath, swallowing a lump in her throat as she turned back to glance at the office door. Quietly, she asked, “What if…what if it’s the same thing as Amahra?”

Scott tried not to struggle with his answer, remembering the difficult time Jean had telling him about the daughter she and Logan brought into the world, who suffered more than any living being should ever have to before Mercy took her, leaving two anguished and grieving parents in her wake. The emotions were still clearly visible on Jean’s face in her re-telling; it was a look he never wanted to see mirrored on Ororo’s face. “You can’t think like that.”

“Can’t I? Shouldn’t I?” she challenged, still not looking back at him. Her other hand clutched at her purse, he guessed to stop it from shaking.

“You’ll drive yourself crazy with ‘what if’s, Ororo.” Scott tugged on her hand, getting her to finally turn toward him. She stared quietly, and he could tell she needed a type of reassurance that he wasn’t positive he could give. “…But no matter what, we’ll deal with it, okay? We; not “you”. Most of your entire family is right at your fingertips and whatever happens, we’re here. You’re not alone. Not today, not ever. Now come on; you’re going to be late for the appointment.”

She wasn’t given the opportunity to reject his offer again, as Scott then turned the car off, opening his door and getting out. She couldn’t seem to move her legs, but it was only a few seconds before he appeared at her door, opening it and laying his hand in her view, offering to help her out. Looking up into his face, she saw the determination in his eyes; he was bent on no harm coming to her, she could tell. It soothed a little of her fear, enough that she took his hand, allowing him to pull her up from the seat of the sports car.

Scott closed the passenger-side door soundly then came to her side, looking down at her. He wasn’t going to let on how nervous he was at the thought of accompanying his friend to her first ultra-sound for what could prove a devastating discovery for this pregnancy; when he had to, Scott Summers was a master at the art of Bull Shit, and right then he was prepared to pour it on if it meant Ororo could take some comfort from his bravado, no matter how false it may actually have been.

Taking a slightly shaky breath, Ro managed a small”if not surrendering”smile. Quietly, he leaned into her a little, taking her hand lightly. She didn’t look up at him, but squeezed his fingers tightly before taking a first determined step toward the entrance.



Across the World in Madripoor, things are also not quite as rosy”and a hell of a lot more uncertain”for the Section X team helmed by one James Howlett. It was about two days after the ‘conference call’ with new Sect X Director Daniel Forge, and the Wild Bunch’s team leader was now alone in the small room, his claws slightly extended from his fisted hands as he looked down at the remnants of the communication device. Naturally, Logan had taken particular delight in gutting the multi-million dollar piece of alien technology with his adamantium appendages.

Thoughts returning to Forge’s bombshell from Saturday, Logan growled low in his throat, turning back to rest in the window of the hotel room. Drawing one leg up, he stared at the pieces of the comm. device strewn across the room. He’d been surprised he stopped just at that, but realized he didn’t need any trouble from the hotel’s managers; having to explain mangling a hapless bystander wasn’t high on his list of priorities at the moment, after all.

Victor Creed was, however.


Outside the closed door, the rest of the team sat in the pinched living room area, which
consisted mainly of a wobbly table, a couple chairs and what had to be the first color television model ever made. The small group was quiet as Ben, Neena, Wisdom, Caliber, Haven and Longshot sat around the tight table, playing a game of cards. The group’s rather pedestrian actions were certainly belied by the uncomfortable silence. None raised his or her eyes to the other members of the re-named team as the cards were slapped down on the wooden table. Hand gestures were used for raising and folding; it was the most pathetic thing Neena had witnessed in all her life.

“This is ridiculous.” She stood, slapping her entire hand of cards down on the table in the middle of the pile of chips that represented the current hand’s pot. “I know we’re not just going to wait around here licking our wounded pride.”

Glancing up at her from his hand of cards, Ben didn’t immediately move, concentrating on the game. “Easy, Neena.”

“Ben, sir I’m sorry, but what is the plan? We’ve been sitting here two days and the Colonel hasn’t even stepped outside that room since”“

“Yeah, I know.” Ben finally leaned back in his chair, keeping the cards close to his chest but stretching his back before continuing, “He just needs time.”

“Time for what?” Pete Wisdom raised a brow. “We’ve been yanked off the case and called back in.”

“Exactly,” Haven piped up, her dark hair cleanly pulled back in a ponytail that spilled over her shoulder. Sharp brown eyes pierced Ben with wonder, “At this point, I’m sure the extraction team is wondering why we never showed at the rendezvous point.”

“And they’ll have to just keep on wondering,” Longshot added, “since the comm. device is…shall we say, ‘incapacitated’?”

“Yeah, yeah. Guys I know.” Ben stood, walking a few paces away from them. Nothing his team mentioned hadn’t already been through his own mind in the past 48 hours, but Ben Campbell wasn’t going to abandon his friend and commander now. He was perhaps the only one that had any idea how much the Creed case meant to Logan, but didn’t feel it his call to explain that to the others. He just needed them to trust Logan as much as he did.

“Ben”?” Neena prompted at his silence.

“Listen up, all a’ya.” They turned at the deep gruff voice that emerged from the depths of the small hotel room to see Logan standing in the doorway, arms crossed and eyes harder than flint.

Immediately the group stood at attention and he came farther into their space, meeting eyes with each one of them as he prepared to speak. Ben turned toward him, trying to hide the look of hope that maybe his friend had snapped out of whatever sullen spell Forge’s directive had put him in. “Sir?”

“I don’t plan on lettin’ Victor Creed run loose around the world because the suits back home wanna play musical chairs with the teams that go after him” he began, coming to a stop in the middle of the semi-circle. No one dared to breathe, waiting for his next words. “But I also ain’t taking anyone with me that isn’t prepared to go the distance with this. You all heard the mandate. If you want out, make sure yer at the second rendezvous point in four hours. Anyone who stays, I want you in the other room in 10 minutes.”

With that, he turned on his heel and headed back into the room, slamming the door behind him. The team was left with mouths agape and looking at each other like ‘what the fuck was that?’ After several seconds of piercing quiet, Pete Wisdom was the first to walk over to his duffel bag in the corner. Almost angrily, he started stuffing his things in it. Looking at him with a little shock, Neena’s arms came down to her side. Quietly, she asked: “Pete?”

“What?” was his crisp reply.

“Where are you going?”

“I know you’re not seriously considering staying here with this bloke?” He stopped packing up just long enough to stare at her, then Ben and the others. “After what he did to that kid”his own nephew, may I remind ye”and now this? I’ve worked too god-damned hard to get where I am t’let a loon like Colonel Howlett ruin my career.”

“Watch your mouth, man.” Ben took a step forward, holding back his temper as much as possible, despite the rather unorthodox way he’d reminded the other man of protocol.

Attempting to rein in his anger, Wisdom sighed then, “I realize you’ve known the colonel for a long time now, Ben. I know he’s our superior officer and field commander. I also know that if I continue to follow him on this chase”without any sanctioned directive, against a direct order and without reliable reinforcements in case things get hairy”it’ll be the biggest mistake of me life.”

“What do you expect him to do, just give up?” Ben challenged, coming close to stand almost on top of Pete.

“I expect him te follow the orders he was given, Ben.” Pete returned to packing his bag.

“I can’t believe you’re just going to leave.” Neena’s voice was incredulous, but Ben heard something else in her tone as well, as he glanced at her watching Pete.

“He isn’t the only one.” Haven retrieved her duffel as well, folding her gear to put in it. Longshot took a second longer”glancing almost apologetically at Ben and Neena” before he too began to pack up as well. “Colonel Howlett gave us a choice, Neena. You’re making yours, just like we’re making ours.”



Secluded in the hotel’s bedroom, Logan stood with his back to the door purposely, as he looked down at the picture in his hands. The slightly crumpled image of him standing next to Ororo at the family’s reunion was his only remaining connection to a life he spent much too much time missing. He wondered off hand if it had affected his pursuit of Victor. Maybe that was why Forge thought they were taking too long? Because they had?

Dismissively, he cleared that thought out of his mind. He really didn’t care what the pencil-necked, tight-ass motherfucker thought, when it came right down to it. He knew he was the only real chance the department had at finding and killing Victor Creed. All the same, he knew any and all distractions would have to be put down.

With a heavy sigh, he took the lit cigar out of his mouth, holding the smoldering end to the edge of the photograph. As the flame eagerly ate at the paper, he watched the two faces like they were of people he didn’t know. Dropping the burning picture in the wastebasket at his feet, Logan stared down into it, watching the burn. His stomach lurched briefly, giving him pause. Swallowing hard, he closed his eyes, and when he opened them, could feel the essence of The Wolverine taking hold of his heart, closing James and Logan out.

Behind him, the door quietly opened then closed quickly. Taking a sniff, he nodded, not surprised. “Deuce.”

“Colonel.” Ben Campbell’s reply was slightly stiff.

Only a couple seconds passed before the door opened and closed again. Coming to stand beside Ben, Neena glanced at her two superiors, waiting for orders. More time passed, but the door didn’t open again. Not that Wolverine expected it to. Watching the ashes in the trashcan, he kept his back to them, standing with legs braced widely apart, arms behind his back. “Hm. The others left yet?”

“I saw them out before I came in, sir. Wisdom was given the second pickup location.”

“Mm-hm. I won’t ask if the two of you are up to this. Truth is I wouldn’t have wanted any two others with me on this one. I feel like I need to warn ya though: you walk through that door with me, when ya get back likely you’ll face a list of charges longer’n yer arm…assuming you get back. You prepared for that?”

Glancing at Neena, Ben took her nod as permission to speak for her. To the colonel, he replied, “We’re prepared to bring Creed in, sir. Whatever we have to do to see that, we’re ready.”

Turning to glare at them with a renewed sense of determination, Wolverine growled, “Then let’s go.”



Westchester, later in the afternoon …
The ride back to the School was quiet but no less tense. Scott was determined not to pry, though he inwardly wanted to know what the doctor had to tell Ororo. He tried to focus on the road, but stole an occasional glance her way as she stared out the window of his sports car.

When they’d parked in the underground garage, he turned the key, killing the ignition. Before he could open his door, her arm came across the limited space between them, staying his movements. She didn’t immediately say anything, so his eyes glanced from her hand on his arm back to her face as she stared at the dashboard in front of her. “Ororo?”

“I need to be the one to tell everyone Scott, but I wanted to tell you first.”

His expression changed visibly, a little color leaving him, and Scott relaxed his hold on the door’s latch. “…Tell me what?”

Licking her lips, Ororo smiled briefly, as though she needed the act to get through this conversation. Looking into his eyes, she whispered, “It…it looks like geneX-eclampsia, she thinks.”

Confused, he sputtered, “What”what is that?”

“She said I’m beginning to show some warning signs that my body isn’t ‘accepting’ the baby; it’s trying to treat it like a foreign object, something that doesn’t belong. Erica tried to put all the medical terms aside, but essentially this could possibly turn into the most aggressive case she’s ever heard of.”

“What does that mean?”

“My body’s trying to fight the baby’s growth, but at the same time, the baby’s fighting me, it seems. She thinks”based on the nature of Logan’s mutation”that the baby probably has the same healing factor, and as the pregnancy progresses, it’s going to kick into overdrive to make sure my body’s attempts to reject the baby are stopped. Basically, our two bodies are trying to kill each other.” Sitting back in the seat, she was amazed she was able to say that without throwing up.

Scott simply stared at her dumbfounded, until his mind somehow woke up and he shook his head. “Jesus, Ororo..! Is there anything she can do? Is this what Amahra had?”

“Maybe, and No.” She pulled at a lock of her hair, her mind reeling as she tried not to think of the implications Erica was medically bound to disclose. “There are things we can do to lessen the symptoms. Erica thinks that if we can trick my body into resisting the urge to reject the fetus, then the baby’s response will decrease. This isn’t what killed Amahra though; her body was essentially rejecting itself”well, Jean’s half. In either case, there seems to be a common denominator, doesn’t there?”

His mouth went to a fine line, holding back the urge to want to punch Logan. It was an unrealistic emotion and wouldn’t have done any good even had the man been there with them. Still, Scott’s mind couldn’t get past the information Ororo was feeding him. Her eyes looked glassy, like she was about to cry any moment, but it was the fear in them that broke his heart.

“I was putting on weight so I thought that was a good thing; unfortunately, it looks like the sudden gain was just one of the warning signs.” She was saying, her voice beginning to shake.

Suddenly the car was just too small, so Scott opened his door, getting out. On his way to her side, he took several deep breaths, wondering what the hell he was going to do. As he opened her door, he looked down to see Ororo wipe a tear from her face quickly. Reaching to help her out, he closed the door but she didn’t move, looking anywhere but at him.

Ororo’s mind couldn’t quite wrap itself around the thought that there was a real chance that not only could the baby die, but she could as well if this condition wasn’t at least managed. While Erica admitted that eclampsia wasn’t normally fatal if recognized in time, the fact that they were dealing with mutant genes put a different spin on things. Not enough research had been done in the area to give her any real solace. Looking up into Scott’s eyes, she felt guilty for laying this on him, and told him so.

“Oh, shut up…” he murmured, lifting a hand to wipe the residue of the tear from her cheek. He expelled a held breath he didn’t realize he was holding. “Whatever you need us to do, just name it.”

“Scott…thank you.” She whispered, taking his hand and squeezing it tightly. Still holding on to it, she started for the garage door. “Come on; I want to get this over with.”

He knew what she was talking about, so nodded, following her toward the lift that would take them to the upper levels of the school. He couldn’t imagine what sort of steel it was taking for her not to collapse in a ball of fright and just wail her eyes out; the attempts at strength he kept seeing in Ororo made him proud though, and Scott was even more determined to stick things through at her side.

As they came up throughout the house, things were unusually quiet, though classes were generally over. A quick peek outside to the front of the grounds saw a few students lounging beneath a cluster of trees but none of the instructors were in sight. Watching the kids horse around, Ororo’s stomach did a flip. She couldn’t quite seem to take her eyes away from them, wondering if her child would make it to their age…and if she would make it to see the baby at that age.

Tapping her shoulder, Scott brought her out of those thoughts, pointing a thumb back inside. “I forgot; Monday staff meeting. They’re in the conference hall downstairs.”

“Scott, wait.” She held his arm, keeping him from returning inside. The distress in her voice brought him up short, and he immediately came to stand before her, concerned. Shaking her head, she continued, “No, I’m fine. I just…I need a minute, okay?”

He nodded, watching her inhale and exhale, rubbing her hands together. The clouds overhead were still white, so he could tell she was handling whatever anxiety was warring with her insides. Tilting her chin, he kept their eyes meeting as he gave her a reassuring look. “It’s going to be alright. I know it will.”

“You promise?” she sort of laughed dryly.

Leaning in, he smothered her shoulders in a tight hug, his cheek against her forehead. She hugged him back immediately, closing her eyes and sending a silent prayer to The Bright Lady.

Neither noticed the figure walking up the long drive toward the front of the School had stopped dead in her tracks. Shaded by the tree line opposite of the lounging students, Jean was coming up from the street below where she’d left her car. It was a beautiful day for so late in the year and a cool breeze brushed her hair from her eyes, giving her unobstructed view of the two on the front porch of the mansion-turned-school, tightly enveloped in each other’s embrace. For a moment she just stopped and watched, not completely comprehending what she was witnessing.

It was late in the day, and she’d expected to meet Scott for drinks and maybe an early dinner after the staff meeting; though it was from a distance, what she was seeing certainly didn’t look like school business to her.

After a few more moments, the two seemed to relax, and Scott pecked Ororo’s forehead before letting her go. Jean noted with a lifted brow, as he didn’t take a step back. Ororo reached up, a quick caress of his cheek before he reached up for her hand. They turned back into the front doors of the school, still holding hands. Unable to move, Jean blinked several times, wondering what in hell she just walked up on. She knew that the two had been an item some years ago, but was assured by Scott that their relationship was strictly platonic and mostly business with the school at this point. She’d taken him at his word, not wanting to do her usual mind sweep to see if he was lying”and regretting that trust at this very moment.

Indecisive for a moment, Jean finally did a hesitant turn back away from the School and started walking briskly to her car…




TBC...





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