#chatlog: jeans birth

[multiverseofmiracleshq]

After a rather eventful pregnancy, Jean Grey gave birth to a healthy baby boy on Krakoa with both Scott Summers and Logan Howlett on May 1st. The patronage of the baby was revealed shortly afterwards, and unfortunately not everyone always gets what they want.

THIS IS THE OFFICIAL COMPLETE CHAT LOG COVERAGE OF THE MINI IC

JEAN: Like everything over the course of her pregnancy, the birth was unexpected. There was a number of reasons it could have been progressing so fast from the fact that its carrier had almost been wiped out of existence to its double mutant heritage. Irregardless, Jean had done her best. She had remained tightlipped to most about where she was at because the last thing she wanted was a traumatic birth and a mutant healer had walked through a birth plan with her. The second she felt the aching pain she forgot all of that for a moment. Jean hadn’t expected her water to break on Krakoa standing in her stupid little uniform skirt. There had only been a small scene before she managed to get to the portal and back home at the Summers moon habitat. Having her baby on the moon? A bit ridiculous, but it was private. Jean had once died in space but now she was giving birth there. The mutant aide she had talked to before was there to walk her  through it and Jean said a silent prayer for every Jean Grey across the Multiverse who had willingly suffered through childbirth. Her uniform was  replaced with something akin to a hospital gown and then she was crying, pushing, cursing. Scott and Logan had made it in time and she felt hands holding her own. If Logan or Scott looked concerned she didn’t care. They weren’t the ones being ripped apart inside.The situation had been a mess from the start. She and Scott were just barely crawling back to one another and a terrible fear lingered she’d have to pick him or the baby. Jean loved both Logan and Scott, but it wasn’t supposed to be like this. Finally, it subsided. Her throat was raw from exhalations of pain but someone was congratulating her and she was being cleaned, put back together. A baby was crying and then a squirming blanket with ten small fingers and toes was placed in her arms. Jean collapsed back against the pillows then, sweating with her hair a mess around her. The baby itself had a small fuzzy patch on its head, reddish brown in color. It was absolutely perfect and for a long time her eyes remained locked on his face before she glanced up to where Scott and Logan had been kept perfect. “--He’s perfect.” There it was, an announcement of the gender given casually. Jean couldn’t focus on that. She was terribly sore and entirely content.

SCOTT: Jean's pregnancy had been a whirlwind from start to the inevitable finish. The arguments, the doubt, the slivers of excitement that were quelled by the realization that this child might not even be his. Scott had dreamed of a child who grew up to look like Logan, speak like Logan, and have bits and pieces of Jean throughout. Eventually it had just began to keep him up at night as she neared the end of her pregnancy, but Scott had begun to relent in his distance. Before Osborn's inauguration and well after, he'd tried to put his own issues to the side to just...be there for her. To bring her poorly cooked food, to set the right temperature for her bath, to massage her feet when it got too bad. He'd let off the throttle of his emotions and tried to remain as much of a husband towards her as he feasibly could. Scott did love Jean, that didn't change even though the paternity was unsure. So instead of gearing up to be a father, Scott focused on being a husband. When the time finally came, he'd arrived in the room just as Jean was being changed. It had been a process, something he'd experienced before with Madelyne and Nate, and his heart was torn in two as one half loved Jean and the other broke at the realization that Jean's first child in this life wasn't his. But then the baby came and it--he cried and Scott watched over from where he stood off to the side and slightly behind Jean. For the first time since entering this room, his gaze swung over to Logan, but only for a moment. "He is, isn't he." Scott said softly to himself.

LOGAN: It was strange to be feeling like this. Logan was already a father. He was still figuring it out, one mistake and one disaster right after the other, and there was always a part of him that tried its best to convince him he would never be cut out for it. Only time would tell. But this time, it felt different. Well, it was different. Between the two men standing next to Jean, no one truly knew which one of them the baby really belonged to. Up until this point, there had been countless hours racked up where Logan debated on if that really mattered or not. Or, the horrible thought, if it meant he should just leave Scott and Jean be. Every time his mind wandered close to that solution, he pushed it back. There was no way he was leaving this, or them. It was terrifying being here, watching Jean go through giving birth. Usually Logan wasn’t around for the big moments at the beginning of his kids’ lives. It put everything in a different light, like everything was here existing in this moment and right in this room and nothing else mattered. Logan caught Scott’s glance and was pulled back for a moment, gaze lingering on him with an expression softer than practically any other time Logan had looked at him. What he was feeling, he wasn’t quite sure. But eventually Logan focused in on Jean and the baby, taking a small step closer. One hand lifted to gently move some of the red hair covering Jean’s face without a second thought. “So--” Logan spoke softly, almost at a whisper as a smile pulled at his lips. “You got a name for him yet?”

JEAN: It was one of the rare times  that Jean was so excited her she couldn’t focus on her powers. The minds of those around her would always be present but they had dulled to the soft hiss of white noise. Whatever people were thinking Jean would have to see from their faces and words. “Charles.” Her voice was quiet. It made sense after all Charles had done for her and Scott. Logan too, really. “Charles Christopher Grey.” Corsair remained her father-in-law and her own dad had been estranged long before she had died. “Listen,” Jean shifted to better see them. “It’s weird. It’s still weird. But thank you for just being here right now.” The baby cooed and she lifted her arms. “Someone can hold him, you know.”

SCOTT: With a gentle touch, Scott brushed a few pieces of hair from Jean's cheeks, a gentle reminder that he was with her, even if his heart wasn't completely in it. It was impossible to move past it, so Scott tried to focus on the child and upon hearing the name, his eyebrows rose a bit. Charles made sense, it made the most sense, but he was surprised to hear his father's name. He'd hardly spoken to him in years and he didn't know how to feel about Jean honoring his father's name like that. As if the child were Scott's. As Jean lifted the baby in her arms, he just stared at it, watching its little arms writhe in the cool air. He didn't make an immediate move forward, in fact, he stood frozen in place, his mind churning through a million decisions and he was acting on none of them. He was sure the moment he opened his heart to this child he was done for, and Scott just couldn't bring himself to that. Not yet.

LOGAN: Even though Logan had easily gotten himself to move in closer just moments before, watching Scott made him hesitate. He knew his place-- if there was a family in the room, it was the kid plus the couple who were actually married. Logan had learned to be comfortable with what he had with Jean, maybe even being a bit stubborn with it once things got complicated. Now he found himself contemplating whether or not he would make things worse by being here, or being involved at all. But Scott froze. And suddenly Logan found himself anxiously taking Jean’s son out of her arms and placing him in his own. Was he supposed to be this nervous? Needless to say, the Wolverine hadn’t much experience with fragile things like babies. The mutant with rage problems and three knives embedded in each hand certainly wasn’t built for stuff like this. But even with the mild terror he was experiencing as he quickly glanced between Jean and baby Charles, he was also happy. ”Wow--” His voice was barely a whisper, dark eyes locking onto the little face that was staring up at him. “Hey, kid. Nice to finally meet you.” There was a long pause, and then he spoke again to answer Jean. “I’m uh-- I’m glad I was here for this. No matter what happens after today.”

JEAN: Call is post birth emotion, but she couldn’t help but cry. It was both happy and sad and she stopped focusing on Scott’s stillness and instead gathered up a mass of red hair that escaped its ponytail and knotted it away from her face. Logan had the baby and while her heart was happy it was so incredibly sad. She didn’t regret her kid,  but there was a bitter edge cutting into the moment. “After today. We’ll need to figure that out. I assume you’ll want to learn parentage sooner rather than later?” Her arms felt empty without her son in them but she laid her hands on the blanket and splayed her fingers flat instead of asking for him back. “I’m sorry.”

SCOTT:  Scott watched Logan's movements carefully; how his arms were positioned, how strong his hold was. He didn't think he was incapable, but it was easier to focus on something than to continue to dwell. Resting a hand on Jean's shoulder, Scott gave a light squeeze. "Don't worry about that right now." his voice was soft despite the emotion behind it. "All that matters is that baby is healthy and so are you."

LOGAN: Logan wasn’t staying quiet on purpose, but for a few more long seconds he simply nodded to Scott’s reply and kept quiet. When he looked up, he looked to Jean. “Like he said, don’t worry about it right now. This little guy is gonna need ya--” Then he turned to Scott, starting to walk a bit closer. “And you. I think it’s your turn.”

JEAN: “Scott doesn’t have to take him.” Jean shook her head, posture shifting so she could take the baby if Scott made no motion to. They were right though. Jean was exhausted but she felt fine. Charles seemed to be in fine health as well and for that she could breathe easier. “People know I went into labor. We won’t be able to keep it a secret and people will ask questions, but tell people to speak to me if they have to know.”

SCOTT: Scott watched the small bundle move towards him, the tuff of red hair an even darker shade behind the lens of his glasses. Doing his best not to think, Scott reached out and took the baby into his arms. In that moment, as he tucked the newborn into the crook of his arm, he stepped back in time, to when he'd first done this. Another boy, but a different shade of hair. Also it had been a different woman, too. It was easy to look down at the baby and forget everything, to let it all wash away into the background. "I think you look more like a Charlie," Scott said with a soft smile.

LOGAN: “If we start callin’ him that, people won’t get confused between him and our other Charles. Plus I think he’s got more hair than the old man does.” When Scott took the baby, he was suddenly unsure of what to do with his arms now that they were empty. So he focused on Jean and let Scott have his moment. “People don’t know how to mind their own damn business. I’ll tell ‘em to come to you if that’s what you want, but you sure you want all that attention?”

JEAN: “I made the mistake of getting pregnant without knowing the father, knowing full well the position I’m in and my visibility. That’s on me, and not either of you.” Her focus on Logan wavered as she looked to Scott again and saw a sliver of softness emerge. Her telepathy was beginning to stir but it wasn’t fully back yet. “Charlie it is. I think he’s gonna be fine.”

SCOTT: How weird it was to be holding this child in his arms, a child that was surely Jean's, but both his and Logan's and yet neither of theirs. They were two men that warred over the attention of Jean for too long, and now they shared a parentage that neither of them had signed up for. At least Scott hadn't. Based on Logan's demeanor, he was more okay with this situation than Scott was. He really couldn't wrap his mind around it, but again, he didn't want to fester. "It's really no one's business." Scott said once he'd looked at Jean again. "And we don't want to overcomplicate things."

LOGAN: “He’s gonna be fine because he’s got you, Jean.” Even if this baby wasn’t planned or expected, Logan knew she would be a great mom. “Scott’s right, but Jean-- this isn’t all on you. This whole thing is.. strange. But if there’s one thing it proves, it’s that you’re not alone.”

JEAN: The healer was supposed to come soon and Jean was eager for relief. It would be a  benefit of a Krakoan birth. “You’re right.” Her words followed Logan’s. “You,” she looked to the Wolverine, “Knew I was married. And you, Scott, knew I was in a five year relationship with Logan.” Which was nearly the same length - if not more - than her marriage. “We all three made our bed and no matter how it ends I hope we can be adults. If it’s easiest I can take care of Charlie alone until we sort it all out.” The baby cried  then and Jean gestured to take him back so she could feed him.

SCOTT: "Don't 'I'm an island' yourself, Jean." Scott shifted the baby in his arms so he could hand him back to Jean despite the tonal shift. "You're right, we knew, which is why we're both here and why we're not going to let you do this alone. So don't force us out."

LOGAN: Logan let out a light scoff, and he was just on the verge of smiling as he replied. “If the two of us agree on somethin’ it’s gotta mean it’s true. I say this as nicely as possible Jean-- but I don’t think you’re gettin’ rid of us even if you tired.”

JEAN: They were both right but she wouldn’t admit it. This whole thing was new so it took a second after she got the baby back to adjust and coax him into latching on. Mouth opening to  reply, Jean froze and her head tilted to the side. Her telepathy had finally surged back on and the mutant midwife spoke from mind to mind. Jean managed to close her mouth and reply telepathically, surprised that the question she had asked the nurse to find out had been done so quickly. Then again, this was Krakoa. They loved to knock your feet out from under you. “Thank you.” She didn’t realize she had spoken aloud until after the fact. “That was the midwife. I had her look into it.” Pull a few strings, check with mutants who could find answers. Green eyes fell to rest on the baby. “She knows who his father is.”

SCOTT: Scott immediately glanced at Logan, his red tinted gaze focusing on everything and nothing at all. In the time since the resurrection, he and Logan had built a strange friendship between them. There was a lot of water under the bridge, a lot of things put to bed. To say they had tabled their differences was going a bit far, but they had come to an understanding. So much so that Scott had willingly allowed three separate chambers to be built instead of one, for him and Jean. But Jean had wanted her space and she had wanted Logan and Scott had lived and lost too much to walk away again. It was a compromise that had been twisted into this and he couldn't break his line of sight as his words burst out. "I don't want to know."

LOGAN: “You what?” That definitely wasn’t an answer Logan expected. “After all that, you seriously don’t want to know?”

JEAN: Jean couldn’t tell if she was happy or sad. Maybe a bit of both. The last thing she wanted was to look back at Charles birth and have regrets, but the weight of their shared transgressions weighed heavily. For a long time she couldn’t help but stare at Scott, tracing the planes and sharp angles of his face. He needed a certain outcome. She knew that. The last thing she wanted was to lose either of them but they couldn’t live in willful ignorance. Jean’s gaze traveled to Logan then, mouth opening and closing before her face crumpled. “--I’m so sorry.”

LOGAN:  It didn’t click at first. Scott didn’t want to know and Jean was apologizing-- two things Logan was confused by. But it was the look on her face that made him realize what she was saying. She wasn’t looking at Scott. She was looking at him. It took a moment for him to react, eyes locked in with Jean as it all settled in. When he finally moved again he stood tall, offered Jean a saddened smile that was trying its utter best to be something it wasn’t, and shook his head. “No apologizin’, alright? You’ve got nothing to be sorry for.” At first, the realization came slowly. But then it all came crashing down on him at once as he looked to Scott. It felt wrong to be this affected by it, but that gave him an excuse to cover it all up. Wolverines didn’t do well with emotions, especially not of this kind. So it was better to just.. not. “Not so bad to know, huh?” There wasn’t any bitterness in his voice-- just a touch of ‘I told you so’. “Congrats, Scott. I mean it.

SCOTT: The apology, the small exchange, the unspoken words tossed at him --- it all registered apparently but made no outward effect on him. He just swung his gaze between Jean and Logan and wondered why the emotion that sat in the center of his chest hurt so much. This wasn't what he wanted, none of this was what he wanted. He hadn't wanted the drama surrounding an unknown paternity, he hadn't wanted Jean sleeping with Logan in the first place. What Scott wanted was not what Scott was going to get until this moment...and while he felt relief, even a flood of happy --- he also felt so taken aback. For months now he was in doubt, he had fears and worries and a lot of anger and hurt that he'd been forced to push aside to be the husband Jean needed, even if he wasn't great at it at all. Now he was standing in the room being recognized as the father and Scott had just wished things had gone so much differently. Exhaling, he tried to relax a little. "Where do we go from here?" the question was also to himself, but it was mostly aimed at Jean.

LOGAN: And that was it. It was all said and done, in less words than they might have expected, but there was a shift in the room that they had all felt in their ways. Logan watched as Scott took in the news and looked to Jean and their kid and suddenly felt just how out of place he was. Before Jean had a chance to answer her husband, Logan walked over to her and placed a quick kiss on her forehead. “See you around, Jeannie.” He turned and left quickly, not looking back.

JEAN: You’re too good for this, Jean’s mind reached out to Logan. She’d need to talk to him later but this wasn’t the time or place. The feelings she was picking up from Scott were conflicting but the weariness that came from bringing a child into the world weighed on her again. “Everyone knows our unorthodox situation.  Logan, I’m willing to handle this however you want.” Whatever would cause the least embarrassment and unease. Then he was gone and it was just Jean, her husband and their newborn son. “I don’t know what to say to you.” Jean admitted. “But we have time. He and I,” that was a  reference to the baby. “Need to rest. I have stitches inside of me and I’ve never been so exhausted. You’re welcome to stay if you want.”

SCOTT:  Without a lot of words in response, Scott pulled a seat over near Jean --- but not too close as to suffocate her --- and lowered himself down. There was a heaviness to him now, both emotional and physical and it weighed on him. Leaning forward, he rested his arms on his knees and looked at both her and the baby, constantly wishing this moment had brought with it a different emotional mood. But you couldn't go back and change time, and Scott had a feeling that their sex life, if it resumed normally, would come with it a lot more precautions. A part of him hated that this was an automatic response, but he pushed it down and reached forward, his touch light on her hand as he gave her a gentle squeeze. "Get some rest, I'll be here."