fluxscape | i will hold you, and protect you...

It had been tricky. He didn't think Lou would make it. She almost didn't, she was on the edge for a bit but Jean was there to lend her special touch. Bring some life and warmth into the little girl and now, here she is. Wrapped in a blanket, in Sam's arms.

If he's crying, it's from relief and joy.

"Thank you," he says roughly. "I couldn't have done this without you."

Truth be told Jean wasn't entirely sure if she could do something like that. Sure, she'd reversed time, brought all of her dead friends back, destroyed the big bad, flown through space, all that jazz. But the reality was she really had no idea where her limits existed, if there even were limits. Clearly there were or she wouldn't be stuck here. There was also the question of if she should be doing things like this. Sure, it was good to help out, but should someone with power like hers? What was done was done though and it definitely felt nice to help.

She wiped her brow and gave him a gentle smile. "I'm just glad to be able to do something helpful here. And," she rubbed the back of her neck, "to be able to do something helpful with what I am now. Sorry if it was a bit...much." It was kind of embarrassing how showy her abilities could get with an aura of flames that took over her body. At least she'd managed to not fully transform into some fiery being. Small favors. The last thing she wanted to do was scare someone she was trying to help. "It just sorta happens when I tap into that."

"Believe it or not, I've seen worse. Or -- more much, I guess." He settles Lou into her crib, tucking the blankets around her and setting a stuffed animal near by. Amazing, how much better she looks already, out of the pod.

"My sister. She -- her powers were so far beyond mine. It was like she didn't even have DOOMs, she was where DOOMs came from."

"More much, huh?" she watched him put the little girl into her crib and her smile got just a bit bigger. Her merger with the god had brought a lot of mixed feelings in her that she hadn't exactly had time to sort through. Being able to see someone actually benefiting from it directly was really nice. It helped that it was seeing a father showing his affection for his daughter. That was something she'd desperately wanted from her own dad but never ended up getting. Instead she'd gotten ignored and...well, worse sometimes.

"That sounds pretty impressive. Was she born like that or did it come around later in her life?"

Sam reaches for the dreamcatcher necklace he no longer wears, and lets his hand drop to the side. "She was born that way. An Extinction Entity, she called it. Someone with godlike powers who was meant to bring about the end of the world. Her powers were -- endless, it seemed like. And she could boost the powers of those around her, if she chose to."

Sam takes a deep breath, looking at Lou in her crib rather than looking at Jean. "What is it like? Having all that power, knowing what you can do with it?"

"That sounds...pretty awful. To be called an extinction entity that's meant to bring the end of the world." It sounded depressing and like a terrible expectation to have hanging over you. Then again there were people that had thought similar about her, weren't there? She frowned and bit down on her lower lip awkwardly.

"You know you're different. Like, I already knew I was different being a mutant, you know? But I lived at a school with other mutants so at least there we were all different together," she chuckled and shook her head at how silly that sounded to say aloud. There was a weird comfort in being different together. "Humans really don't like us, so we kinda had to stick together. When I started showing signs of maybe being more than just a mutant thought..." she looked over at the baby and kept her focus there as a certain amount of sadness came over her. "People were really scared of me. They were afraid I'd just destroy everything or write them out of existence. There was also a lot of worrying about if I could actually control it." Which had been valid at some points, early on she definitely hadn't been able to. That was partially due to the Professor convincing her it wasn't real and she was just unstable.

"After I finally accepted it all though it was...difficult. It was only a few months ago and it's hard for me to relate now? I dunno. It's weird. I was in space before I got here, just flying past different planets with entire civilizations that people on Earth don't even know about. It's hard to feel connected now."

Edited 2021-06-12 00:16 (UTC)

"You're relating to me okay. You saved my daughter's life, that has to count for something. Score one for team humanity, right?" He tries to smile, but it comes out lopsided and sad. She sounds so much like Amelie and it breaks his heart. But at the same time, there's so much more goodness to Jean than his sister ever had.

"The difference between you and her is you want to relate. You want to control it. You don't want to destroy the whole damn universe. And that makes you better. It means you've got a chance."

"It was partially selfish, but I guess that's at least one for team humanity," She bit down on her lip and gave him the tinniest of smiles. At least part of it had been her own past wanting to see a father and daughter love each other.

"I didn't at first. Want to relate. I just kinda...left everyone. And Earth." She rubbed the back of her neck admitting that. She'd known what they'd all felt about her telling them she was leaving, especially Scott, but she'd done it anyway. At the time she hadn't cared at all. Now though, she wasn't sure how much she cared. Sometimes a lot and sometimes not at all. "I definitely don't want to destroy the universe." Her voice got a bit lower. "I caused some problems like that though." And hadn't exactly cared. "Got a chance, huh?"

"Being a human is hard. Behind a human with powers is harder. I mean -- I'd wake up in the morning and I'd hear this scientist's voice being like hey we stole a bunch of your blood and bodily fluids while you were sleeping hope you don't mind. Gonna run some experiments on them.

And those experiments showed that my blood and -- other stuff made a good weapon against the monsters that were crawling all over our world. So they kept making me eat these bugs that replenished blood, and then would steal more of it. Didn't really ask if I wanted to, just did it in my sleep. It was enough to say fuck you, fuck the planet, I'm out. Just go back to my old life. But I didn't.

And you didn't destroy the universe. We're all about the choices we make, right?"

"Gotta love scientists, right?" she frowned and rubbed the back of her neck. "I'm sorry you went through that. I had some similar experiences with the government and some cults and the government again. It sucks to know that some people just see you as a weapon. Or something to be used." Seemed like her entire life had ended up that way and it sucked to know it happened to other people in other worlds. Wasn't exactly surprising though, which was just depressing.

"Yeah...that was kind of the theme of my life: choices. I was chosen by this...god entity thing when I was young. I think it had something to do with my dual telepathy and telekinesis making me some sort of perfect choice. I used to have visions of this fiery bird telling me to accept her gift. Everyone just thought I was nuts though, locked me up and convinced me I was crazy." She shrugged. "Turns out I wasn't crazy. The Phoenix was super real and way more than anyone thought. When I accepted it's offer to save my world we merged, so now we're both. There isn't a difference anymore and...it's weird. It feels weird."

"So you're both you, and the Phoenix? That must be overwhelming." To say the very least. And to hear the way she was treated when she tried to tell people -- Sam shakes his head, disgusted. He was treated as both a freak and a miracle cure after they found out what his blood could do to BTs, but at least they never locked him up.

"I'm sorry you had to go through all that. I hope it gets easier for you. Being the Phoenix."

"Yeah, I know how crazy that probably sounds but that's...pretty much how it is." Crazy. Funny how that word seemed to appear over and over again. She hadn't been crazy though, not in the slightest but she still couldn't shake the feelings behind it. Or the worry that someone else would hear her and immediately think she just sounded like a nutcase.

She shook her head. "Don't be sorry. It worked out for the best in the end. I saved my friends. My world even. It's just...complicated now. Weird." Empty.

"I don't think it sounds crazy at all. But maybe that's because I've seen some crazy things, in the last few months." His sister had been with her soul split from her body and lived her life in two different dimensions at once. Not much feels crazy to him, not after Amelie's confession.

"It sounds complicated. But at least you were able to save everyone."

There was a bit of sadness behind the smile she gave him and then she shrugged. "Thanks. That's actually uh, it's really nice to hear someone say that. One of the things about being a telepath is you always know everything and..." her shoulders slumped just a bit. "Actually I probably wouldn't have even needed to be a telepath to know that all my friends are pretty much torn between thinking I'm nuts and being terrified of me." Even Scott. Which definitely sucked more than she'd really realized.

"No more complicated than your stuff sounds. Yours may be more complicated actually," she said with another little smile. "Maybe that means his place will be easier for us? We're already used to crazy situations that are complicated."

"This place has already been a lot better -- a lot easier than home. If you can even call it home. It's easier than where I'm from, we'll say that. It's safer, so far. Lou already has half a dozen people who want to help take care of her.

I'm not alone, here. It's... good. It's good."

Lydia hoped it wouldn't be too strange for her just to show up at his place but the draw of a baby was just too much to ignore. So here she is, standing outside the door to his place, keeping her knock soft and quiet just in case the baby was sleeping. If he didn't answer, she would leave the little bag at the door for him to find but she was fine waiting for a couple of minutes.

He peers through the peephole before he opens the door, but he recognizes Lydia from their network conversation, so he lets her in.

"Hey, come on in." Lou's on a playmat with a one of those bars that has a variety of toys above her, batting happily at the ones that make noise right now. "We're just figuring out how to drive dad crazy by playing with all the noisiest things right now." He looks tired, but it's a happy sort of tired.

"Thank you," Lydia smiles warmly when he lets her in, stepping past him and then stopping again to watch as he shuts the door. She takes a moment to nudge her shoes off, not wanting to track anything inside, before finally spotting Lou when her attention is drawn by the sound of toys.

"I remember those days," She feels a small pang of longing though the smile doesn't waver as she looks at Sam. Then she can't resist teasing a bit. "I guess I shouldn't tell you though that the toys only seem to get noisier as the kid gets older. I don't want to take away any hope you might have."

"Here, I found this one time when we were out. It's just a stuffed bunny. I cleaned it up so it would be safe for her." Sure enough, there is a small yellow stuffed bunny inside the bag.

"So what you're saying is I have a couple years of no sleep ahead of me." But he looks at Lou again who's doing her best to get her foot into her mouth, and his whole world goes soft pink around the edges. Yeah, he's still do absolutely anything for her. Noise or not.

He accepts the bag and touches Lydia's shoulder briefly, awkwardly in thanks. The motion of someone not used to touching other people, but who's giving it his best shot. "Thank you. That's really nice of you."

Sam takes the bunny and brings it over to the playmat, where Lou reaches for it. He lets her have it, and she wraps all her limbs around it, like an octopus. "I'd say it's a hit.

Do you, um -- " He points at the kitchenette area. "I've got water, soda. Beer."

"It's really not that bad," Lydia replies quickly, her features going soft as well when she switches her attention back to Lou and watches as the baby tries to get her foot into her mouth. The sight of it earns a small chuckle as well before she focuses on Sam again, noticing the slightly awkward touch and understanding it.

"Leo loves his toys too, so I thought it might be a safe bet. You're welcome." She feels a little surge of warmth when Lou accepts the bunny, holding on tightly while Sam moves towards the kitchenette.

"Soda, please." Moving to join him, she tilts her head. "How are you doing?"

He gets them both a cola, leaning against the counter where he can hold conversation and watch Lou at the same time.

"Settling in. Got a couple of jobs lined up. Apparently this place changes around, but I'm hoping jobs stay where they are. I'd like to save up as much as I can. Right now scavenging works pretty okay, but it might not forever.

How about you? You all settled in?"

"For the most part, yes," Lydia nodded, holding the can in her hand though she wasn't very quick in taking a sip. She was keeping an eye on Lou as well, glancing over now and then just to see how the little one is doing.

But she does look at Sam too, offering another small smile. "I found a job at the book store. Shadow, my boyfriend, has found a few jobs too. He isn't really used to staying in one place, so he likes to stay as busy as he can."

"Where are you working?" She asks curiously, finally taking a sip of her drink.

"I do bike deliveries for the noodle place, and I'm gonna start as a part time waiter soon at the new bar. Jess has been -- I mean, she and Gwen are setting up a little play area in the office for Lou, if I ever can't find a sitter for the night."

He sips at his own drink, watching Lou more than he's watching Lydia, but he figures she understands. Being a mom, herself and all.

"I could babysit some nights if you need someone," Lydia offers after a moment of thinking about it. "Shadow will be working some nights and it will be nice to have the company. As long as you're comfortable with it."

She knows how hard it can be to find and trust someone to look after your child, especially if you didn't know them. She had been lucky enough to have three adults around to help her out with Leo and so extending the offer is easy.

"She's got a nice little setup in Jess's office, but it'd be nice to have her be with someone, part of the time. I'd be comfortable with that." Lydia has her own kid, somewhere. She knows how to handle babies, which is reassuring, and goes a long way to help Sam trust with with Lou.

Besides, Sam feels like he has a fairly good instinct about people. He doesn't trust easily, but Lydia's done nothing to make him not trust her.

"You want to hold her?" If Lou likes her, that'll seal the deal.

Lydia wishes there were times when she could have taken Leo to work with her but it wouldn't have been possible given that her work would have scared him. Plus she didn't want him to be exposed to dead bodies and the violence that often came with them.

Then, even though she has offered to babysit, she looks a bit surprised when he asks if she wants to hold Lou. But she doesn't hesitate to smile as she nods. "Sure, I'd love to."

Sam picks her up from her playmat and carefully hands her over to Lydia. The little girl fusses a moment, looking like she might cry, and Sam is practically holding his breath. But then she squirms and gets comfortable, reaching up to grab for Lydia's hair.

"She's definitely in the grab at everything stage. She gets at my hair a lot when she's against my shoulder."

Lydia waits and watches with a small smile as Sam goes to pick Lou up, disturbing her play and bringing her over. They manage the exchange easily enough as he slides Lou into her arms and she shifts her hold, feeling a little tug at her heart at the feel of holding a baby again.

"Shhhh, it's okay, sweet girl," She murmurs, bouncing a little to help Lou get settled. Then she chuckles as Lou reaches for her hair, catching a red curl to wrap her fingers around. "Leo liked to get his hands on my hair and then stuff them into his mouth. I learned to have my hair up for the first few months of his life. Also, not to wear earrings."

He loves his little girl so much, and seeing her smiling and happy in Lydia's arms makes his heart ache. Makes him miss Lucy. But Lou has a good family here; already so many people want to help her out. And have helped, already.

"No earrings, got it." He smiles and tickles at the bottom of Lou's foot. "Well you passed the test. Lou looks like she likes you, which means I can definitely trust you with babysitting her once in a while."

Alfred would be shocked to see the changes that Mr. Wayne had gone through since arriving in these fluxing realities. Allies, teams, even going out of his way to visit people. He would be positively beside himself. Bruce, on the other hand, simply sees it as a way to maintain that identity he has crafted for the wayward reality travelers.

He does care about them. Truly. Seeing it might be the thing that is hard for most poeple.

He knocks on the door to the apartment before slipping his hands back into his pockets. There is a package underneath one arm, and as always, he is dressed in a suit. Yes, even in the heat of Haven.

How did Bruce Wayne get the apartment number of where one Sam and Lou Bridges live? Well, he isn't going to tell.

Sam's been doing some chores while Lou's been down for a nap. He'd let the apartment get a little disorganized in the first couple weeks of having Lou out of her pod, and it's driving him crazy. He likes a clean house.

He hears the knock on the door, and Lou fusses a little in her crib, but it's about time for her to wake up, anyway. So he answers the door with a tired but genuine smile. "Hey, Bruce. Good to see you. Usually I'm the one making deliveries," he says, gesturing to the package. "Come on in."

"Sam." Bruce nods in greeting.

Sometimes it does pay off to be one of the most recognizable faces in town. It means that even if he holes up for a few weeks, everyone knows who he is and won't ask too many questions. He gives a bit of a smirk at the comment before stepping inside.

"It's a little odd to be delivering a package to your daughter, isn't it?" He offers easily. "You and your daughter that is."

"She was with me on a lot of deliveries. And now she's getting things delivered to her." He gestures to the two pieces of art on the wall above Lou's crib; one from Gwen, and one from Miles. It's so cool, how supportive people are being of them. He knows he wouldn't -- couldn't have found support like this at home. Maybe, maybe with Deadman or Heartman, but even there he's not sure.

"I think that's what they call positive karma." Bruce glances at the art pieces. He recognizes Miles artistic flare anywhere. It's good to see that the young hero is going to bring his art to the people who need it.

Bruce nods in approval before handing the present to Sam. "Maybe open it once she's awake."

"I should wake her up from her nap anyway, or she'll never sleep tonight. Then you can meet her properly, if you want."

Sam reaches down into the crib and strokes the top of Lou's head lightly, tickling her little cheek. "Hey you. About time to get up, sleepyhead."

Bruce nods if that's what Sam decides to do. He takes a few steps over to Sam and Lou, hands in his pockets, eyes falling down to the child resting in the crib. He gives a smile despite himself. It's not often he gets to see basically a newborn.

"Has she had an issues adjusting to outside the pod?"

Sam picks her up and settles her against her chest, where Lou makes some sleepy noises as she starts waking up a little. "I was worried she would, but she's a strong kid. She's taking her bottle just fine. Sleeps a couple hours at a time. She wakes up during the night a few times, but usually she falls back to sleep pretty quickly after I feed her. And sing to her." He smiles and kisses the top of Lou's head, her little duck fluff hair. "Surprised my singing doesn't make her cry."

"Sounds like a normal baby from everything I've heard." Bruce can't say he's ever raised someone from the age that Lou is. Dick was adopted as an early teen. But, he won't be sharing that story. There's no need to dishearten the nearly made parent after all. "She's used to your voice. Talking or not singing to her might be weirder for her."

"Oh yeah, I'd talk to her all the time when we were on delivery trips together. Hey kid, you doing okay, that sorta thing. I'd rock her, when the terrain was rough and all the jumping around was making her upset.

Taking care of her outside of the pod isn't much different. I just have to feed her, change diapers, that sort of thing."

Bruce still finds the notion of taking a baby on a delivery trip strange. Then again, it isn't the oddest thing he's heard of since his time being in this joined multiverse hell. If it wasn't for the concept of rain speeding upt he decay of whatever it touches? He'd almost think Sam's universe was normal compared to his own.

"I take it that her development is going to be normal? Unless it's normal for a baby in her situation to be removed from her... pod."

"It should be. She should start growing like a normal kid, soon enough. She's already gaining a little weight, now that she's eating real food. Well -- formula, but better than what the tube was giving her.

I uh -- " Sam swallows, staring at the art on the wall rather than at Bruce. "I was in one of those things. First few months of my life. Born two months too early. And I turned out okay, relatively speaking."

i will hold you, and protect you...

closed starter for Jean Grey, just post delivery

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how about we combine books + delievery visit?

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