Terri's Peep Hut ~~ Fiction Archive

Comments: I know this one's been a long time in coming, but this series was meant mostly as a writer's block release valve, and I waited until I got blocked (unfortunately on the next Rules installment) to write another one. This one runs a little angstier than the usual for this series, but, as in most of my stories, everything works out reasonably OK in the end ;)

"Hell if I know." Scooter. Never thought the day would come when I'd say I was glad he was around, but he sure came in handy today. Hell, if I'd have known the Brotherhood was gonna get it inta their heads to come after me and Marie durin' our kids' first birthday party, I woulda sent an engraved invitation to him and every other mutant I could think of. "Just stick it over there."

Well, at least those bastards got a helluva surprise when they broke in here and saw mosta the x-men lookin' back at 'em. Heh. I think some of their new recruits musta pissed their pants. Bet they thought it'd be easy, you know, tryin' to take me and Marie out, just us and two little kids. Surprise, assholes.

"Logan, can you come in for a moment?" Jeannie - she's been watchin' over Marie. Wish Marie hadn't gotten inta the fight, but Sabretooth made the mistake of grabbin' for Nat. I was already fightin' with some of the other shitheads, throwin' one out the door, when that asshole got to Marie and my kids. Grrrr. Makes my blood boil to just think 'bout it. "Logan?"

"Yeah." I told Marie to just stick close to the kids and to keep an eye out when all hell broke loose, ya know? Didn't think that even those fuckers would stoop low enough to go after a kid. I was wrong about that. That asshole came over, cornered 'em, and made a grab at Nat, and well, Marie didn't hesitate. She took off her glove and latched onta him, and she hung on until he was dead. I was more scared than I've ever been in my whole life then, I don't mind tellin' ya. Sabretooth was squirmin', tryin' to get himself loose, and he was clawin' at Marie a little bit with his free arm. And our kids - God knows I shoulda known they'd be just like me when Marie was in trouble - they get real riled when their momma might get hurt.

We'd just finished feedin' 'em the birthday cake, you know, so they were naked except for diapers and covered in frostin' when the Brotherhood attacked. Marie, she shoved 'em both behind her when she saw Sabretooth comin' and told 'em to run, to hide, but they didn't. Once Marie had a holda Sabes, Nat, she climbed on toppa Sabretooth, and my heart stopped beatin' right there. That little girl took a fistful of frostin' from her hair and shoved it right inta his eye. She's a fighter, my little Nat, but no match for that asshole, not at one year old, and he shook her off, threw her a coupla feet across the room.

While I drop everythin' and head for Nat, while Marie's still strugglin' to hang onta Sabretooth and drain all the life outta him, Sam decides to get inta the act for Christsakes. I know he's my son, and I know in his little-kid mind, he wants to protect his momma as much as I do, but, God, I wish he'd have just run like Marie was told him. But no, he grabs one of his little toys - Scooter bought Sam and Nat this pansy-ass paintin' set with brushes and shit - and he crawls on toppa Sabes and follows his sister's lead, pokin' Sabes in the other eye with the pointy end of one of those paintbrushes. I was simultaneously proud as hell and scared shitless. Sabes flung him off too, only a little harder and Sam hit his head on the corner of our sofa. That asshole got a claw inta my son too, but not too bad. Jeannie says that it'll scar, but no real damage was done to Sam's chest or nothin'. Makes me glad I decapitated that asshole and ripped his heart out after Marie killed him. And you wanna hear somethin' ironic? Scooter gave this big explanation 'bout how his gift was so great 'cause it was creative, not destructive, and how we shouldn't give 'em violent toys like play guns and shit. Dumbass.

Anyhow, Marie wouldn't let go of Sabes for nothin' and by the time I get finished gettin' both Sam and Nat outta danger, that asshole is dead as a doornail. But Marie - somethin's wrong with her. She's shakin' and growlin' and when I knelt beside her with the kids, she snarled at 'em. Scared both of 'em to death - I don't think she's ever so much as sent a cross look their way before. I could tell it was Sabes comin' out, but the kids don't understand how that works, and they thought their mom was pissed at them. Nat even cried, and she never cries.

Well, after a coupla minutes, Marie was a little more in control, but she was havin' a headache somethin' fierce. After Jeannie finished takin' care of Sam (just a bump on his head, no concussion, but Jeannie said to watch him and she put a big bandage on his wound) and checkin' out Nat (she was just fine - why am I not surprised that that girl has a hard head?), Jeannie and me helped Marie inta the bedroom while Scooter watched the kids. Marie seemed OK, you know, like herself, except for the hellacious headache, so Jeannie said to let her rest a while. I wanted to stay with her but Jeannie made a good point - the kids were probably scared shitless by everythin' that happened and they needed their dad, not Scooter.

I hafta admit somethin' 'bout that, though. That guy fought hard to protect my wife and kids, and he was pretty good with Sam and Nat, calmin' 'em down and stuff. I'd trust him with the kids, no question. Sure, they might turn out to be a coupla uptight pansy-asses, but he'd keep 'em safe. Same pretty much goes for the resta the x-men. They all fought hard and kept an eye out for our kids. I owe 'em one for that.

Anyhow, I've been stayin' out here with the kids, keepin' 'em busy, and cleanin' up the place a little. But somethin' must be up with Marie if Jeannie's callin' me to go in and see her. She's gotta be OK. She's just gotta. I mean, it's just a headache, Marie's in control again up in her head, and everythin's gonna be OK. That's right, it hasta be.

"Logan - I've had the chance to give Marie a thorough examination, and I think there are a few things you two might want to discuss." Oh-oh. Jeannie's usin' her doctor-voice. That ain't usually a good sign. And Marie - she looks and smells so sad. Shit. Shit. Somethin' is wrong. "I'm going to leave you two alone. I'll be right outside if you need me."

"It's OK. Tell me. We'll deal with it, whatever it is." As long as she's alive, and OK, it can't be that bad. As long as our kids are OK, as long as we're all together, it's gonna be OK. Anythin' else - I can handle. I couldn't handle losin' my family.

"There's a chance that - that I've got Sabretooth's powers permanently, since I killed him. His - his healing, and - and look at my hands, Logan. Claws. I've got claws, and they're not going away." Shit, she does. Not like his, not black, but her nails - they're long and thick and white and pointy. Claws. "I can smell everything and hear everything and my vision - my vision's perfect. Jean turned out the lights and I can even see in the dark. Logan, I grew an inch - a whole inch - and put on twenty pounds of muscle. Jean weighed me and I'm twenty pounds heavier and I can feel - feel my arms, my shoulders. It's all muscle."

"I mean it, darlin'. Claws, muscles, whatever, it's fine. And if you got his healin', well, then maybe it's worth it. Hate that you hafta deal with that bastard in your head, but I can't say I'm too upset at the idea of you bein' pretty much invulnerable. That ain't a bad thing at all." Shit, it's a blessin'. Might mean she won't age as quickly. Might mean I'll go before she does. I don't think I could stand seein' her die before me. I never liked to think 'bout that, but now - now there's a chance she'll outlive me.

"There's something else." Oh-oh. This is the kicker right here. I can tell by the way she smells and by the way she's burrowin' in close to me and droppin' her head down on my chest. "Jean thinks - she thinks that because of the healing, we won't - I won't be able to have any more children. She thinks that my body will just - will just absorb any embryos that might - that might - "

"Shhh." Well, I didn't wanna hear that. "It's all right, darlin'." I wanted to have a buncha kids with her. I mean, she's the best mom ever, you know? And the two we got, well, they turned out so good that we both wanted more just as good. "Don't cry, honey, it's gonna be OK." Yeah, I'm disappointed, but it ain't the worst thing ever. We do have two kids together, and we'll just pour all of our love on them. They're good kids, and we got one boy and one girl. I do wish we coulda had more, I always wanted a big family 'cause - well, 'cause until Marie, it's always been just me. But this - we'll get through this.

"Hey, you don't have anythin' to be sorry for. You were - you were defendin' our kids, you were takin' care of our family. You don't hafta apologize for that, not at all." She's every bit as disappointed as I am, I know, and she don't need to go blamin' herself besides. We all did the best we could, fightin', and that's that. I mean, sure, I could torture myself until the cows come home 'bout what I did, if I coulda prevented Sabretooth from gettin' to 'em, but a fight's unpredictable and ya do the best you can. Marie's alive and so are our kids, and they're all gonna be OK. That's what's important.

"I know I scared them before, and I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry. Did you - did you tell them I didn't mean to?" That just breaks my heart right there. "I'd never, ever hurt them. Never. I wouldn't, not even with that bastard in my head, Logan, I swear I wouldn't."

"Darlin', about seventy percent of the assholes who pulled this shit - whatever parts of them are left are gonna get buried down on the mountain later today. The ones that didn't die - well, they're gonna be spendin' the next coupla months in jail and the ones that got away are gonna be patchin' themselves up and askin' themselves if revenge on the people who offed Mystique is so goddamn important after all. You and me - we're gonna install some more security and be a little more careful. This shit - this is never, ever gonna happen again. Nobody's ever gonna come to my house and fuck with my family ever again. They try it, I'll start hackin' off body parts. I swear to ya, Marie, we're gonna be safe." I ain't givin' up my life just 'cause of some assholes. I ain't gonna have us runnin' scared or nothin' just 'cause of them. They caught me by surprise this time - didn't think they'd give two shits 'bout Mystique 'cause she was one evil bitch from hell, even to her 'friends.' But you know what they say - fool me once, shame on you; try it twice, I'm gonna fuckin' kill your ass.

"We'll have another party. We'll get another cake and all. Mosta their presents are OK. Hey - you remember what Scooter said 'bout non-violent toys? Bet he got miffed when Sam used that paintbrush as a weapon. Heh." That kid sure is his father's son.

"I know, I know, honey. Be nice to Scooter. I am." That got a laugh. Thought it might. She always laughs when I do the put-upon husband routine. "Look, darlin', why don't I bring the kids in, huh? They both wanna see ya if you're feelin' up to it." Teary little nod against my chest. "Hey - it's gonna be OK. You're their mom. They love the hell outta you, darlin'."

"God, it *is* a mess, huh?" Everythin' knocked over, wrecked, or broken. I don't think I wanna know how that big-ass hole got blasted in our fridge and I'm sure I don't wanna know how the broom got impaled into the wall. Nope. Just gonna let Scooter and Jeannie and 'Ro and the other little x-kids take care of that. Just gonna focus on takin' care of my family.

"How 'bout you, Sam?" He's givin' me a little nod. He's been cryin' a little bit, off and on, the whole time. I bet his cut hurts, and his head too, but I know part of it's just scared and upset goin' on in there. He's so attached to Marie and I think it really did scare the crap outta him, her gettin' attacked and then her growlin' at him. She's always so lovin' with the both of 'em, that hadta be a shock. "Well, I wanna talk to you two a little. Thanks, Scooter." At least the guy knows when to make an exit. Just gonna put Nat down on the couch next to her brother and explain what's what.

"I'm gonna take you two in to see your mom in a minute, but we gotta talk a little first." Big, scared eyes on Sam right now. "I know what happened today was, um, scary. But I wantcha to know that both me and your mom are real proud of you two for - for tryin' to help out and all. You were both real brave. But it's my job, mine and your mom's, to take care of ya. You don't hafta worry 'bout takin' care of us. Now - nothin' bad's gonna happen again, not like that, but you gotta remember to listen to me and your mom. When we tell ya to do somethin' like hide or somethin', that's what you gotta do, no matter what." Nat's not buyin' - she's got her little arms crossed and I can already see the pout startin'. And Sam - that little guy's gonna break my heart if he don't stop it with the sad eyes pretty soon. He got that from his mom, no question.

"So we got that settled. Now, about your mom - she loves ya both more than anythin' in the whole world. I know it was scary to see her fightin' and scary to see her, you know, get hurt. I know that her face and skin probably looked a little weird for a while and that she mighta looked like she was mad at you or gonna hurt ya for a second there. I know that's what it looked like, but you two listen to me and believe me when I tell ya that no matter what - *no matter what* - your mom would never hurt ya. Not ever. She's real upset that she growled at you and real sorry it scared you."

"I know. Kinda scared me to, for a second, but the bottom line is, your mom loves ya and she's never gonna hurt ya. She didn't mean to scare ya like that, but she couldn't help it. That guy - that big, mean guy that your momma was fightin', he kinda jumped inta her head for a second, just a second, and she couldn't help lettin' out a little growl. But he's gone now, he's outta your mom's head, and that's never gonna happen again."

"I promise, Sam. You'll see - you'll see in just a second when we go in and see mom. Now, your mom - she might look a little different. That's 'cause she got some of that guy's powers when she touched him. I know you guys really don't understand how all that works, but just - don't be scared or surprised if you notice that she looks a little different. She's still the same inside and you'll be able to tell that right away. Got it?" Nat's noddin' and so is Sam. Guess we're ready. "Let's go then. Let's go see your mom." Good Lord - please let this go well.

"Hey, guys." Marie's keepin' her hands under the covers, so as not to scare 'em right off. Nat's gonna go right to her, but Sam - he's bein' real cautious. "Oooh. I missed you." At least Nat's doin' OK - givin' Marie that big hug is a good sign. And Marie's huggin' back. Sam - he caught sight of her claws. Bet he don't quite know what to make of that. He's not goin' over to her.

"Hi Sam." Marie's good - she'll try to encourage him, but she ain't gonna push him. I can just smell it on her - she'd like to cry a river 'cause Sam's still so scared. But I know she'll keep it together and do what Sam needs. Like I said - best mom ever. "How are you feeling?"

"I know. I'm so sorry, honey. Is it - is it OK? Are you going to be OK?" Sam's noddin'. "I bet it still hurts, though." Another nod and a few more steps over to her. "I'm so sorry that happened, honey, but I was proud of you. I don't want - I don't want either of you to ever, *ever* do that again, but I want you to know I was proud of you both."

"A little. My head hurts, and I'm - I've got some new things - these claws that Nat noticed and I'm taller and a little bigger too. But I'm OK. I'm going to be just fine, Sam." She's itchin' to grab him and hold him, but she's gonna let him come to her. He will. He's smellin' less scared by the second.

"Thanks, Nat, that made me feel a lot better." Sam's gonna give her a head-kiss too. Slower, gentler, but he's gonna do it. "Thanks, honey. You know I - I love you both a lot." She's got 'em. She's got 'em both in her arms now. Everythin's gonna be OK.

"You shoulda seen it before they started cleanin' up." It actually does look a lot better. And I guess I coulda asked everybody to stay and finish the job, but I kinda felt like it should be just us for a while now, just the family. Evan and Ann - who, thank God, didn't come to the party 'cause Ann's sister fell and broke a hip - are comin' over later to drop by some dinner for us, but that's it. I didn't tell 'em the whole story, you know, complete with evil mutants and all the killin'. I just said a coupla bad people busted inta the house durin' the birthday party and it was pretty much wrecked. They offered to come by and help, and wouldn't take no for an answer. Marie talked 'em down to just bringin' some dinner by. Our fridge is shot and a lotta the food that was in our cabinets got toasted too. I don't even wanna think 'bout how much this is gonna set us back money-wise.

"Sounds good. You know I always vote for spendin' the day in bed with you when that option's available." Heh. Blushin'. She's real self-conscious 'bout the claws and all. I don't mind sayin' - I'm glad she didn't get all hairy. She woulda looked a little weird with a beard or somethin'. All that happened in that department is that her regular hair got real wiry and frizzy, real wild. But I think that kinda looks good on her, ya know? And Jeannie said she could keep the claws filed down to look pretty much like normal nails if she wanted. The height, the muscles, the enhanced senses, and the healin' - she's pretty much stuck with that, and I think that's OK. Gonna be real interestin' to see how our bodies fit together now that she's a little taller and meatier.

"Yeah, you guys too. I like cuddlin' up with all of ya." Sam's doin' a little better today - stayin' real close to Marie. I don't think she's put him down for a single second since he woke up. It'll take a while for him to bounce back all the way. He's a deep, emotional little kid, ya know? His sister - she's more flexible, don't take things to heart as much. Both of those things have their good and bad points, but for this little crisis here - I know Sam's gonna need some extra attention and help gettin' through it.

"What do you think, Sam?" Little nod, lookin' up at Marie with big eyes. She broke down cryin' after the kids went back outta our room yesterday. She was just crushed that Sam got hurt, that he was so scared, that both kids hadta go through that and get adjusted to her changes and all. I held her until she cried it all out, and I think she's feelin' better today. She's been tellin' 'em both she loves 'em extra times and all. I think there'll probably always be a little scar on Marie's heart over this, but I think the kids - they'll be just fine, and Marie - she'll be great too. I'm gonna make sure everythin' gets back to normal. I'm gonna take care of my family. "Well, then, it's settled. It's a pajama and bed day for the Laughlin family." That got a little smile from Sam. Hey, wait - his expression changed all of a sudden.

"Oweee." Pointin' to Marie's head. You know, sometimes I wonder if he understands more than he lets on. Yeah, he's only one, but, still, he seems to be pretty savvy to what's goin' on. Especially with Marie. I wonder if he really does have some kinda special power there.

"Uh-huh. But that's going to be OK too. It took me a minute to - when I touched that bad guy and hurt him, he jumped into my head, and it took me a minute to push him to the back. It took me a minute to find a spot to keep him in, and I know while I was doing that, I was pretty scary and growly. But he's not going to come out again. You know, your daddy - he's up in my head too, and he does a great job of helping me keep everybody up there in line." Heh. She told me that, up there, I'd kicked his mangy ass to the curb in no time flat. Marie says whenever he tries to bubble up, I go kick his ass some more. She says I help her keep her brain organized a lot. Who woulda ever thought that? But I'm real glad I can do that for her.

"Me oweee." I think he's feelin' better, though. He didn't say that like it hurt, just like he wanted to see what Marie would say, just like he wanted her to reassure him a little that he'd be OK. He just kinda leaned in and met her eyes. He didn't point to his chest this time.