The X-Men: New Additions - Part 22

Author:  Stacy Ricco

 
    Alex rolled over and draped her free arm over Logan. Her other arm still had a cast on it and she tried not to whack Logan with it at night. She sighed. She was back for the weekend for another checkup and she knew what Hank was going to say. She was barely able to put on a pound in the past two weeks. She snuggled up to Logan as close to him as her stomach would allow. The twins kicked quite strongly in reaction to Alex moving.
"What are you doing?"
"Me? Nothing. The babies are the ones hitting you."
Logan grunted and rolled over to face her.
"Somethin' botherin' ya?"
"The checkup I have later today."
"Why what's wrong?"
"I've only gained a pound in the past two weeks."
"That's bad?"
"I should be gaining a pound a week."
"Oh."
"What time is it?"
"Four."
"Ugh." Alex yawned and got up and headed for the bathroom. When she emerged a few minutes later she put on her robe and started to head toward the door to the room.
"Where ya goin'?"
"The kitchen. I'm hungry."
"Let me go with ya. I'll make ya something to eat."
"Thank you Logan."
"My pleasure darlin'."
They made their way to the kitchen where Logan made pancakes for the both of them. Alex quickly downed four pancakes. Logan watched her with an amused look on his face.
"What?" Alex asked when she noticed that Logan was staring at her.
"Nothin'. Just watchin' ya eat."
"I am so sick of eating. It's all I do besides sleep."
"Only two and a half months to go."
"I know. I can't wait. To think I might even be able to see my feet again."
Logan laughed.
"It's not funny. I can barely put on my shoes I'm so fat."
"Darlin' ya ain't fat."
"Look at me. I'm the size of a whale. Jean's not even this big."
"But Jean ain't carryin' two. 'Sides you look cute."
"Cute? I look cute?"
Logan nodded.
Alex scowled.
"What's wrong?"
"Logan I'm the size of a whale and you think I look…CUTE?" Alex said raising her voice a few notches.
"Well I wouldn't say cute so to say…"
"What? Now I'm not cute?"
"Of course. It's just…" Logan said unsure where to go with this one. This could take a huge turn for worse if he said the wrong thing right now.
"Just what?" Alex asked narrowing her eyes and staring at Logan.
"Alex, you've never looked more beautiful than you do right now." Logan got up from his chair and walked around to where she was sitting. Alex looked up at him. Logan bent over and tenderly kissed her lips. "You're not fat and you look absolutely beautiful."
"Thanks Logan," she said quietly. She rested her head against him. "Well, I think I'm going to head back upstairs and get a few more hours before I need to be in the medlab. Are you coming?"
"No. I'm too wide-awake now. Think I'm goin' to head down to the Danger Room."
"Oh okay," Alex said sounding a little disappointed.
Alex eventually made her way back up the stairs and was walking down the hallway when she saw Bobby coming out of the bathroom. He was sporting a wide grin.
"Bobby."
Bobby jumped, startled by the sound of a voice. "Alex you scared me. What are you doing up at this hour?"
"Woke up and was hungry. Logan and I went downstairs and had some pancakes."
"Logan's up?"
"Yes."
"Uh-oh."
"Why the uh-oh?"
"Cause I just rigged something in the bathroom and I figured Hank would be the first one in there."
"Oh."
"If you'll excuse me," Bobby said and then headed back into the bathroom.
Alex laughed and entered the room she shared with Logan. She crawled into bed and laid there wishing Logan had come back up with her. She even missed Meph sleeping next to her. She closed her eyes and sleep eventually overtook her.

Someone knocking at the door woke Alex up.
"Who is it?"
"Hank."
"Come in."
The door opened and the large furry doctor entered the room. "Are you okay? I started to worry when you didn't show on time for our appointment."
"What time is it?"
"Three pm."
"That late?" Alex was an hour late for her appointment with Hank. The first time in her life she was late for an appointment.
Hank nodded.
"I'm sorry Hank. I didn't expect to sleep so long."
"It's okay. I'll see you down in the lab in twenty minutes?"
"Sure."
Alex jumped out of bed as soon as Hank was out of the room. She quickly got dressed and headed down to the kitchen. She grabbed a quick bite to eat and then went down to the medlab. Alex walked into the lab nineteen and a half minutes after Hank had left her room.

Half an hour later Alex was sitting on one of the beds in the medlab. Hank came walking back into the room, after leaving to get some of her test results.
"Let me guess. I'm not gaining enough weight."
"Correct."
Alex sighed.
"Your powers still off?"
"Yes."
"Have you been exercising?"
"No. The only thing that I do is teach a few classes."
"I see."
"Is there anything else I can do to gain weight?"
"Besides being confined to bed, no. I'm sure you don't want to be confined to bed, correct?"
Alex nodded quite vigorously.
"As I suspected."
"Are we done here?"
"Yes. I would like to see you in two weeks."
"Sure Hank."
Alex left the medlab and headed to the library.

Logan knocked on the door.
"Come in."
Logan opened the door and peeked inside.
Rogue was sitting in a rocking chair in the living room holding Angelique. Rogue and Gambit had moved upstairs into their new apartment a few days after Angelique was born. "Come in Logan."
"Am I disturbin' ya darlin'?"
"Of course not sugah. Please sit down."
"Thank ya," Logan said as he sat down on one of the large couches.
"What brings ya up 'ere Logan?"
"Wanted to see how yer doin'."
"Ah'm fine. We're fine."
"Glad ta hear that."
Angelique began to fuss and Rogue took a few minutes to calm her down. Logan just sat back and watched Rogue with the baby. Rogue glowed and at that moment she was the most beautiful woman in the world to Logan. She looked so happy and content. It was the first time Logan had seen her this happy. She deserved it though. The X-Men deserved some happiness after all they've been through over and over again.
"Want ta hold her?" Rogue said snapping Logan out of his reverie.
"No thanks darlin'."
Rogue stood up and carried Angelique over to where Logan was sitting. "Ya might as well get some practice in," Rogue said placing the baby in Logan's arms.
"Rogue I…"
"Shush Logan. Just hold her."
Logan looked down at the baby in his arms. He couldn't believe how small she was. He couldn't believe that they all started out this small. He stared in amazement at her tiny fingers and fingernails. He looked at her for a few seconds more and handed Angelique back to her mother.
"Logan ya barely held her."
"I know. Just not ready for it I guess."
Rogue chucked. "Ya only got two months ta go sugah."
"I know."
"How are things between you and Alex?"
Logan shrugged. "I don't know. Then again ya never can know with things like that."
Rogue nodded in understanding. "How do you feel about her?"
Logan looked at Rogue. The question took him by surprise. "I don' know. I do care for her a lot."
"Do you love her?"
"I don' know. It drives me crazy when she's not here and she drives me crazy when she is here."
"When are you two goin' to admit that you two are crazy for each othah?"
Logan shrugged. "Perhaps we're just crazy."
Rogue laughed.
"I better get goin'. I just came up to see how you an' the little one were doin'."
"Thank you Logan," Rogue said placing a kiss on his cheek.
"Yer welcome darlin'." Logan quietly closed the door behind him when he left the apartment.
   

    Alex yawned. She glanced at her watch. It was only six in the evening and she felt like she was ready for bed. Her eyes wanted to close, but she kept them focused on the road ahead of her. She was about twenty miles away from the Massachusetts Academy and couldn't wait to crawl into her bed. She yawned again. She thought about canceling her classes tomorrow and spending the whole day in bed. She dismissed the idea as soon as she thought of it because she knew Emma would throw a hissy fit if Alex cancelled her classes. Alex sighed. Maybe she would talk to Sean about lightening her class schedule.
Another yawn escaped her mouth and she forced her eyes to stay focused on the road. She just wanted to curl up next to Logan and go to sleep. Logan. She knew her thoughts would drift back to him. It always happened. What was about him that bothered her so much? Perhaps he had an uncanny ability to push her buttons. He had this ability to make her lose her cool. Alex very rarely lost her cool, and now she was losing it almost every time she was around him. She was a soldier and wasn't supposed to lose her cool. No matter what. Why did she have to constantly think of him? No matter what she was doing, or what she was thinking about, her thoughts always returned to him. Sometimes she would be in the middle of a class and lecturing to her students when she would start thinking of him and would stop in mid-sentence. What was it about him that drove her crazy? She couldn't stand being away from him and yet when she was with him, he drove her nuts. Alex yawned again. She didn't have much farther to go. Soon she would be in her bed and no longer would have thoughts of Logan running around in her mind. Why did things have to get so complicated between the two of them? What started out as a physical thing had become something much more. What it was Alex couldn't define, but it was something more than physical. Alex wished it could go back to being physical, but she knew it never would. She didn't have time or the energy for anything else. Alex knew what happened. She had gotten emotionally involved with Logan. She didn't know when or how it happened, but she knew it happened. She couldn't say exactly how she felt about Logan, but it was something beyond friendship. Her mind told her to fight any feelings that she had for him, because a soldier can't afford to feel. Feelings were a weakness to a soldier. That was one lesson that had been drilled in to her since her first day in military service. Alex drove up the long driveway that led to the Massachusetts Academy. She parked the Jeep near the front door. Alex stepped inside and quietly made her way to her room. She laid down on the bed and Meph curled up beside her. She had one last thought of Logan before sleep overtook her.