FLashback Numero Uno
Title: He Didn't Have to Be
Prompt: 005, Son
Characters: Scott Summers, Hank McCoy, Gary Summers, Proffessor X
Summary: When a baby is left at the X Institute, and there parentage is confirmed to be not of the good, someone has to step up and be the bigger man.
Notes: Probably the first Flashback (chronologically speaking). Title comes from a song that fits Scott and Gary's relationship to a T, though its not much relavence in this story itself....
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Scott frowned as he made his way through the halls of the X Mansion, stopping occasionally on the way passed a students room to listen for any signs that someone was up past curfew. The school was far from bursting with students, especailly in the wake of all the attacks from the brotherhood and the situation with Dark Pheonix, and he was worried about the remaining children. Never mind the fact that the average student wasn't much younger then himself and that the person he needed to protect them from was someone he use to trust with his life, as leader of the X Men, the safety of the school was one of his responsibilities.
He shook his head, dispelling the negative thoughts for the moment, and continued on his patrol of the building, a habit he'd picked up doing every night over a year ago. Wolverine usually kept an eye open at night as well, and the mansion had a top of the line security system, but their enemies had proven more then a few times that no system was perfect, and even Logan wasn't infallable. Not that Scott would tell the older man that anytime soon.
As usual, the last stop on his circuit was the front doors of the mansion, and he stepped out onto the front porch. It was more of Logan's thing to patrol outside, but Scott liked to take a quick glance around from the porch before heading up to his bed. He was aware that he was just putting off going to bed and laying there alone in a bed that still seem way to large over a year after the Phoenix had taken Jean away from him. Annoyed with his minds determination to depress him, he started to turn back into the main hall, but a flash of headlights illuminating the front gates stopped him mid step.
Scott took the steps two at a time as he hurried towards the gates, something cold and uneasy crawling up his spine. It was possible they were getting a normal visitor, someone from Xfactor or even a driver taking a wrong turn and in need of directions. Or it could be someone intent on blowing the gates up and staging an attack on the school. He didn't get a chance to figure out who it was, though, as he'd only made it halfway across the grounds when there was a squeal of tires and the vehicle disappeared back into the night. The chance of a bomb was still possible, though, and Scott kept moving to investigate.
What he saw on the ground when he reached the iron bars of the gate, lit up by the dim lights on top of the fence, was not a bomb. It wasn't something Scott had ever expected to find in front of the X Mansion.
Scott raised a hand to trigger his communicator with one hand even as he turned to the panel on the gates and typed in the code to open them. “Wolverine, go wake up the professor and Hank-we have a problem here.”
“What kind of problem, Cyke?” Wolverine's voice was tense, far to use to problems involving explosions and fatal injuries the past few months.
“I don't...” He trailed off not sure to reply as he stepped through the gate and stared down at the large basket sitting on the roadside, its tiny occupant staring back up at him with wide, oddly familiar, curious eyes. “Someone just left a baby on our doorstep, Logan.”
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Hank and the proffessor looked as surprised as Scott did when he brought the basket and baby down into the medical wing where the doctor was already setting out various pieces of equipment. Logan didn't seem impressed, standing off in one corner of the room and eyeing Scott-or more fittingly Scott's new companion-with a strange look on his face.
“Put our little guest down on the table in you will, Scott.” Hank requested, nodding to one of his exam tables.
Scott did as he was told, though he had a brief moment of reluctance when he set the basket down. Pushing the emotion aside, he stepped out of the way and stood near where Charles was sitting.
The next several minutes passed slowly as Hank started to do a cursory examination of the baby boy, looking into their eyes, ears, and weight. The baby remained oddly silent the entire time, even when Hank talk to it, making soft baby talk sounds. From what Scott could tell, the silence was not a good thing, but the baby was otherwise generally healthy.
“I'll need to do a few tests-blood and genetic at the very least. You can never be to careful with babies, and it could give us a clue as to why he is here and who he might be.” Hank spoke to the room as he put the baby back in its basket and started to prep a ultra-fine needle for the blood work.
“I can give you a good idea as to who.” Wolverine spoke up from his corner, and Charles gave him a knowing look.
“I would like for Hank to check, Logan. It will be useful for more then identifying, and it never hurts to be sure.” Charles's words earned questioning looks from both Scott and Hank.
“What do you know that we don't, Professor?” Scott asked, resisting the urge to scowl.
“I don't know anymore then you do, Scott, but I believe Logan has picked up a familiar scent of our unfortunate child here. I won't say anything more until Hank finishes his tests.”
Hank shook his head. “It might take awhile, probably the rest of the night for everything to run through. You should all retire for the night and I'll inform you of anything I find in the morning.”
Scott knew it was likely something to do with his own childhood as an orphan, but the thought of leaving the kid alone in the medical wing, even with Hank, didn't appeal to him. Especially since the other option was going to bed in his empty room.
“If you don't mind, I'd like to stay here until you finish drawing the blood. I mean, you might need an extra pair of hands or something, if he needs changing or feeding.” Scott had no experience doing either things, but as dexterous as Hank might be, one of his hands could cover almost all of the baby and that wouldn't make it easy to do delicate work.
The three older men in the room shared looks, before Hank nodded. “Of course, I'd appreciate a helping hand. Thank you Scott.”
“Well, I for one am not as young as I use to be. I'll see you all bright and early.” Charles gave a polite nod and directed his chair out of the room. Wolverine stayed for a handful of seconds more, then grunted and left as well.
“Right-I'm going to draw blood now. Why don't you come over here and try and distract the patient for me, Scott?”
Most of the medical work Hank needed to do was processing and analyzing the blood sample, which left Scott keeping an eye on the baby while Hank worked. The doctor had figured the child was approximately 2 months old, and while his eyes were still blue, there was a possibility they'd change before long. He also told Scott that the boy had a light natural tan (or else had been taken out into the sun far more then a baby should have been) and a nice shock of orange-red hair. Scott took Hank's word on it, considering his own red tinted vision, and was to busy spending most of the night warming up milk and holding the child, who had broken his earlier silence when Hank had started taking his blood.
Scott drifted off in a chair without realizing it less then a handful of hours before dawn, the baby asleep in his basket as well. The kind of sudden exhaustion that sneaks up on a person and knocks them into a black void that seems to last only an eye blink, but the next thing you know its been several hours and you have a kink in your neck or a sleeping leg. Scott awoke to a sharp wailing, disoriented and confused and soar in places he usually only hurt after a battle with the Brotherhood or training with Logan.
He quickly remembered why he was in a chair in Hank's domain when he saw the large blue man across the room, attempting to rock the baby who was crying despite the attention.
“Sorry, I didn't mean to fall asleep on you.” Scott frowned at his sleep muddled words, standing and wincing at a dull pain in his back. “I'll take him for a minute, if you want.” He offered, walking over to the doctor.
“Thank you, Scott. I need to get the printouts from the computer, for the professor. He's on his way down here, but our little friend doesn't seem to be in a good mood.” Hank smiled, letting Scott take the baby from him.
The child squirmed a bit in Scott's arms, then fell almost immediately silent, and Scott stared down in mild confusion. “That's odd.” He muttered, and Hank smiled as he moved towards his computers.
“Might be colic, or he could be more comfortable with someone that looks more like him and not like a strange monster.” Hank suggested, as if reading Scott's surprise.
Scott shook his head. “Probably colic-what kid doesn't want a giant blue teddy bear?” He asked, moving to sit on the edge of one of the rooms medical cots, holding the baby in his arms.
The Professor arrived a few minutes later, looking pensive as he wheeled into the room. His expression seemed to lighten momentarily when he saw Scott, nodding a polite hello. “Good morning. You look like you had a long night.”
Scott shook his head. “I didn't realize how much babies cried.” He stated. “You don't look much more rested yourself though.” Which worried Scott, since he was fairly certain the Professor knew something he didn't.
Before Charles could say anything in response, Hank hadn't finished printing off results from his computer and returned to the main area of the medical lab. The blue furred mutant gave Charles a long steady look before saying good morning.
“The baby is perfectly healthy, by all accounts. I would wager he is about a month old if I were a gambling man, but it is hard to be a hundred percent sure. He is in possession of an X gene, which isn't surprising given what else I found.” Hank paused, giving Charles another strange look, and Scott was finally positive that he was being kept out of the loop on something.
“What is going on here, Professor? Hank?” Scott asked, trying to keep his voice steady as to not disturb the baby.
“Scott, the baby....is Jean's.” The professor's words made Scott's heart stop in his chest for a moment, and he looked down at the child in his arms. “Logan could smell her on the boy last night, but I wanted to be sure of anything before mentioning it to you. I know how hard everything with Jean and the Phoenix is on you, and I didn't wish to cause you undo stress.”
Scott wasn't listening to Charles anymore, staring at the baby as his mind spun in circles. Who was the father? How could Jean-the Pheonix-have had a child, when they'd all been so busy running circles fighting her and her people for over a year and a half? Why would she have brought the child to the mansion, or sent him there? Had someone stolen the boy?
Thinking about it, though, they hadn't really seen the Phoenix at any of the Brotherhood's attacks in a few months. They'd all assumed she was plotting something bigger, or involved but gone by the time they arrived, but it was possible she'd been busy in an entirely different way.
The baby moved and he felt a frown on his face deepen. Red hair, Hank had said. Like Jean's, like the boy's mother. Suddenly none of the questions and confusion was important, and Scott looked up at Charles, who was watching him with a small, sad, smile.
“Jean was one of us, Professor, the Pheonix, it changed her, but Jean...her child.” He paused, shaking his head. “We have to do something for him. We can't abandon him, not when there's a chance something in Jean sent him here-”
Charles raised his hand, interrupting Scott's growing rant. “You have no need to try and convince me of anything, Scott. I will do everything in my power to keep the child safe, and I am sure anyone of the rest of the team will feel the same. You must consider the fact that we are, essentially, at war with the Brotherhood and this is not a safe environment for a child.”
“It's not a safe place for anyone, anywhere. There is no guarantee that he'd be safer in an orphanage or someplace like it, rather then here. Especially if Jean isn't aware he is gone and the Phoenix comes after him, or any number of other things.” Scott pointed out, shifting the baby in his arms as it started to fuss. It was probably not happy with the tension in the room and the man holding it.
“Who will care for him here, if he stays? We barely have personal and time for the students with the constant attacks by the Brotherhood and Phoenix.”
“I'm sure something could be arranged. Please, Professor, I can't...” He didn't know what to say, and luckily or not, the baby began to cry and Scott was able to give up the argument in favor of trying to shush the boy. To busy to notice the look passing between the so far silent Hank and the Professor.
“It is probably best to keep the boy here for a few days anyways, in case this is all some kind of set up, and to ensure he is as healthy as he appears.” The doctor put in once the boy had quieted down and Scott had returned his attention to the pressing situation. He was obviously trying to find a middle ground for the moment. “It would be impossible and poor judgment to send the baby away without a proper investigation.”
“Fair enough, while we look into things, it will be your responsibility to look after the child Scott. Think of it as a test to see if you can handle a child if he does stay.” The Professor agreed. “I suggest you ask one of the team to go with you to the mall, we don't exactly have supplies for a baby here.”
Scott watched as the Professor's wheelchair carried him out of the room, and felt a surge of stubborn determination. He had lost Jean, but he was going to find a way to keep her child. It was what she-the old Jean-would have wanted and the right thing to do. He understood the Professor's point of view, and the man was probably right, but being right and doing right didn't always match.
First things first though-he needed to find someone to help he shop.