Deidre
Title: Deidre
Fandom: Young Avengers (that Damn MPreg)
Characters: Lotsa folks
Prompt: 13. I woke the other day and saw my world had changed. -- Can't Repeat, The Offspring
Rating: PG-13
Summary: This wasn't what Dexter was expecting to wake up to.
The alarm woke Dexter out of a restless sleep. It was the Tower perimeter alarm, so he stumbled immediately over to the security consol, almost tripping over part of the Iron Hide armor upgrade he’d been working on. The monitor switched on before he could touch it, and he cursed Hal for being a meddling pain in the ass.
But only until his mind processed what he was seeing on the screen.
“Oh God… Angie!”
***
“Come no closer," the Lightbringer warned, watching the Avengers from where she hovered, her eyes cold and dark as coal. The fire of her power swirled and raged around her, keeping them safely at bay.
She hadn’t planning on coming back here ever.
She hadn’t planned on lots of things.
The bundle in her arms squirmed, a warning that she would soon wake.
-Angel!-
“I said stay back," she repeated, forcing herself to ignore the heartbreak in Dexter’s cry. She could feel the weight of Bobby’s eyes on her, the vibrations radiating off Ray-Ray, and the general intensity of the rest of the Avengers, though Protean was curiously absent.
In her old life, these people had been her friends.
The bundle stirred again.
There was no time for looking back.
“Dexter.”
The armored Avenger flew as close to as he could to the flames. -Angie, please--
She opened just enough of a gap in her shield to deposit the baby in Dexter’s armored hand. “Take care of her.”
She flared brightly, allowing her to escape while the Avengers were blinded.
***
“Aside from the usual baby stuff, she’s not a biological weapon,” Bruce announced, wiping his glasses on the edge of his shirt. “In fact, when you get right down to it… she’s a very healthy three month old. Other than the tattoo,” he added.
“Do we know who her parents are yet?” Benji asked, picking the little girl up and swinging her around. “Who’s the little mystery baby? Is it you? Is it you?”
“Not so much a mystery,” Bruce said. “And stop that. It’s undignified.”
“I’m Spider-Man. Spider-Man doesn’t do anything dignified.”
“Who is she?” Wally, acting as team leader due to his wife’s maternity leave, asked with a small groan.
Bruce took the baby from Benji and put her on the table. “She’s Angel’s.”
The other two men quickly did the math.
“Does Dex still like bubblegum cigars?” Benji asked.
***
“Vengeance is mine!” Chase Stein crowed, swinging his granddaughter into the air. “Every sleepless night, every dirty diaper-”
“Babe, knock it off,” Gert sighed, scowling at her husband as she squeezed her son’s shoulder. “You alright?”
Dexter scrubbed a hand over his face, feeling the stubble cropping up along his jaw. “She fusses all night. Waaay more is coming out than going in. And I think she hates me.”
Gert fought to keep a grin off her face. “You were a fussy baby too.”
“This isn’t fussy,” Dexter insisted. “This is demonic.” He buried his face in his hands. “Angel’s family’s coming tomorrow and I don’t know what to tell them,” he whispered.
Chase held his granddaughter close, nuzzling her black curls. “Her name would be a great start.”
Dexter gave his father a panic stricken look, and Gert gave his shoulder another squeeze. “Relax. Becca didn’t have a name for over a month, you know.”
“God, this isn’t funny, you know.”
“That,” Chase pointed out, “depends on who you ask.”
***
“Who’s the little precious? Are you my little precious? Yes you are!” Jubilee cooed, cuddling the baby girl. Dexter hovered nearby, watching the two male Starsmores that had accompanied her warily. Ezekiel shot him the occasional sympathetic look, but Jonothon looked like he wanted to burn Dex’s face off.
Which, admittedly, he probably did.
“Jono, get over here and say hello to your granddaughter.”
The mutant shifted closer to the baby. She’s got the damn tattoo, he pointed out, glaring at Dexter as if the human had put the mark there himself.
“So?” Jubilee asked.
Zeke rubbed his eyes. “I need some air,” he said, retreating quickly from the room. Dexter found himself wishing desperately that he could follow.
Did she say anything? Jono asked.
Dexter shook his head. “She just dropped off the baby and left.”
Jubilee sniffed, holding her granddaughter at arms length. “Where do you keep the diapers?”
Dexter gestured towards the changing table the Altman-Kaplans had given him. “Top drawer.”
Have you named her yet?
The human shook his head. “I’m open to suggestions.”
The two men fell into an uncomfortable silence, which Jubilee broke with her typical cheerfulness. “Deidre.” She eyed Jono, then Dexter, as if daring them to argue. “That was your grandmother’s name, wasn’t it? The one who gave you the guitar.”
“Deidre’s a good name,” Dexter agreed quickly. “It’s pretty.”
Jono gave them both the mental equivalent of a grunt.
***
Gert and Dexter exchanged looks of absolute horror as Chase swung baby Deidre around.
“I didn’t even think of it,” Dexter groaned. “It never occurred to me…”
“And he’s going to have everyone calling her that,” Gert sighed.
“C’mon, Didi! Say ‘what does this button do?’”
***
Zeke was standing over the cradle, watching his niece, when Dexter came in with her bottle. “Has Bob said anything to you? About her?” the empath asked.
Dexter hesitated a moment, going over the last few days in his mind. “Nope,” he finally said. “Why?”
Zeke frowned, straightening up. “He knows something.”
“Bobby knows lots of things. If it was important, he’d tell me.” Dexter pulled out a polishing cloth and cleaned his glasses before reaching for Deidre.
“He gets anxious every time someone mentions Didi-”
“Please don’t call her that.”
“He knows something.”
Dexter let out a disgusted snort. “Will it make you feel better if we go ask him?” the blonde asked.
“Yes,” Zeke said firmly. “I’d think you’d believe in Bob’s powers. You’ve known him your whole life.”
“You know what they say about familiarity, right?”
***
The door was unlocked, and Bobby was putting away his canvases when Zeke and Dexter came in, Deidre strapped into a carry sling on Dexter’s chest. The precognitive reality warper took one look at Zeke and said, “Why do you always feel the need to meddle, Ezekiel?”
“Tell him, Robert.”
“I wish you two wouldn’t act like I’m not here,” Dexter sighed. “It’s rude. What’s got Zeke’s panties in a twist, Bobby?”
Bobby reached behind his head and started braiding his hair, a restless gesture that Dexter recognized.
“Bobby?”
“I wish you wouldn’t look at me like that.”
Dexter’s blood ran cold, and he quickly sat down in the nearest chair. “Something’s wrong with my daughter?”
Bobby made a slashing gesture with one hand, tying off his braid with the other. “She’s a perfectly healthy pre-manifestation mutant, just like Bruce told you.”
“But there’s something wrong,” Zeke said. “You wouldn’t be acting like this if you didn’t think something was wrong.”
“Stay out of my head, Zeke.” Bobby scowled, pulling a chocolate bar out of his pocket and biting off a corner.
“Robert,” Dexter said sharply. “What did you see?”
Bobby took another bite and chewed it slowly. “When she manifests, it’s gonna be bad. I mean, Biblical, Sodom and Gomorra bad. Fire, brimstone, that kind of thing.” He took another bite, leaning forward a bit, his brown eyes on Deidre. Dexter felt a shiver run through him as his friend’s eyes shifted to a pale blue not found in nature. “Thousands will die in the initial blast. Millions more in the aftermath.” Bobby blinked, his eyes returning to brown. “And that’s not exactly something a new father needs to hear,” he finished softly.
“And there’s nothing we can do?” Dexter demanded, getting to his feet. “I’m just supposed to sit here and wait while my daughter turns into some kind of living bomb?”
“I never said that,” Bobby said, finishing off his chocolate bar in three quick bites. “I’ve been trying to figure out what to do. I’ve actually managed to get it down to a couple of options.”
“Knock off the bloody suspense,” Zeke growled.
Bobby rolled his eyes. “The only option you two would agree to would be letting me take her powers away.”
Zeke and Dexter exchanged a look.
“Y’mean… ‘no more mutants’?” Dexter asked warily.
“But that didn’t work!” Zeke cried out in frustration. “Mum an’ Da were both depowered, but their powers came back! Most everyone’s did, eventually.”
“Reality doesn’t like to be fucked with on the scale Wanda did it. I’d be putting my focus only on Deidre. I can make her stay a normal human.”
“Would this hurt her?” Dexter asked, stroking his daughter’s hair.
“… it might,” Bobby said hesitantly. “I’m going to be suppressing what is, essentially, a part of her. There’s always a risk.”
“What’s the other option?” the human asked, though he already suspected the answer.
“Killing her.” Bobby held up a hand as Zeke sputtered. “It’s like that old question about baby Hitler. To prevent the deaths of millions, would you kill a baby?”
The three men fell silent as the baby yawned.
“Can you do it?”
“Yes.”
Dexter unstrapped his daughter, who started making noises that he recognized as a build up to a full on squall. Bobby took her carefully, settling her on his lap. “Hiya, Deidre. I’ve got something very important to tell you, so listen closely.” He leaned in close, a blue glow surrounding them both. “You are not a mutant. No siree bob. You’re a sweet little girl who sleeps through the night, and you have no powers. Understand? Good.” The glow faded, and Bobby handed the baby back to her father.
“That’s it?” Zeke asked.
“What? You were expecting thunder and lightning? You want I should turn her into a tiger for your amusement?”
“I was just… expecting something a bit less… quiet.”
“The best magics are the simplest.”
Fandom: Young Avengers (that Damn MPreg)
Characters: Lotsa folks
Prompt: 13. I woke the other day and saw my world had changed. -- Can't Repeat, The Offspring
Rating: PG-13
Summary: This wasn't what Dexter was expecting to wake up to.
The alarm woke Dexter out of a restless sleep. It was the Tower perimeter alarm, so he stumbled immediately over to the security consol, almost tripping over part of the Iron Hide armor upgrade he’d been working on. The monitor switched on before he could touch it, and he cursed Hal for being a meddling pain in the ass.
But only until his mind processed what he was seeing on the screen.
“Oh God… Angie!”
***
“Come no closer," the Lightbringer warned, watching the Avengers from where she hovered, her eyes cold and dark as coal. The fire of her power swirled and raged around her, keeping them safely at bay.
She hadn’t planning on coming back here ever.
She hadn’t planned on lots of things.
The bundle in her arms squirmed, a warning that she would soon wake.
-Angel!-
“I said stay back," she repeated, forcing herself to ignore the heartbreak in Dexter’s cry. She could feel the weight of Bobby’s eyes on her, the vibrations radiating off Ray-Ray, and the general intensity of the rest of the Avengers, though Protean was curiously absent.
In her old life, these people had been her friends.
The bundle stirred again.
There was no time for looking back.
“Dexter.”
The armored Avenger flew as close to as he could to the flames. -Angie, please--
She opened just enough of a gap in her shield to deposit the baby in Dexter’s armored hand. “Take care of her.”
She flared brightly, allowing her to escape while the Avengers were blinded.
***
“Aside from the usual baby stuff, she’s not a biological weapon,” Bruce announced, wiping his glasses on the edge of his shirt. “In fact, when you get right down to it… she’s a very healthy three month old. Other than the tattoo,” he added.
“Do we know who her parents are yet?” Benji asked, picking the little girl up and swinging her around. “Who’s the little mystery baby? Is it you? Is it you?”
“Not so much a mystery,” Bruce said. “And stop that. It’s undignified.”
“I’m Spider-Man. Spider-Man doesn’t do anything dignified.”
“Who is she?” Wally, acting as team leader due to his wife’s maternity leave, asked with a small groan.
Bruce took the baby from Benji and put her on the table. “She’s Angel’s.”
The other two men quickly did the math.
“Does Dex still like bubblegum cigars?” Benji asked.
***
“Vengeance is mine!” Chase Stein crowed, swinging his granddaughter into the air. “Every sleepless night, every dirty diaper-”
“Babe, knock it off,” Gert sighed, scowling at her husband as she squeezed her son’s shoulder. “You alright?”
Dexter scrubbed a hand over his face, feeling the stubble cropping up along his jaw. “She fusses all night. Waaay more is coming out than going in. And I think she hates me.”
Gert fought to keep a grin off her face. “You were a fussy baby too.”
“This isn’t fussy,” Dexter insisted. “This is demonic.” He buried his face in his hands. “Angel’s family’s coming tomorrow and I don’t know what to tell them,” he whispered.
Chase held his granddaughter close, nuzzling her black curls. “Her name would be a great start.”
Dexter gave his father a panic stricken look, and Gert gave his shoulder another squeeze. “Relax. Becca didn’t have a name for over a month, you know.”
“God, this isn’t funny, you know.”
“That,” Chase pointed out, “depends on who you ask.”
***
“Who’s the little precious? Are you my little precious? Yes you are!” Jubilee cooed, cuddling the baby girl. Dexter hovered nearby, watching the two male Starsmores that had accompanied her warily. Ezekiel shot him the occasional sympathetic look, but Jonothon looked like he wanted to burn Dex’s face off.
Which, admittedly, he probably did.
“Jono, get over here and say hello to your granddaughter.”
The mutant shifted closer to the baby. She’s got the damn tattoo, he pointed out, glaring at Dexter as if the human had put the mark there himself.
“So?” Jubilee asked.
Zeke rubbed his eyes. “I need some air,” he said, retreating quickly from the room. Dexter found himself wishing desperately that he could follow.
Did she say anything? Jono asked.
Dexter shook his head. “She just dropped off the baby and left.”
Jubilee sniffed, holding her granddaughter at arms length. “Where do you keep the diapers?”
Dexter gestured towards the changing table the Altman-Kaplans had given him. “Top drawer.”
Have you named her yet?
The human shook his head. “I’m open to suggestions.”
The two men fell into an uncomfortable silence, which Jubilee broke with her typical cheerfulness. “Deidre.” She eyed Jono, then Dexter, as if daring them to argue. “That was your grandmother’s name, wasn’t it? The one who gave you the guitar.”
“Deidre’s a good name,” Dexter agreed quickly. “It’s pretty.”
Jono gave them both the mental equivalent of a grunt.
***
Gert and Dexter exchanged looks of absolute horror as Chase swung baby Deidre around.
“I didn’t even think of it,” Dexter groaned. “It never occurred to me…”
“And he’s going to have everyone calling her that,” Gert sighed.
“C’mon, Didi! Say ‘what does this button do?’”
***
Zeke was standing over the cradle, watching his niece, when Dexter came in with her bottle. “Has Bob said anything to you? About her?” the empath asked.
Dexter hesitated a moment, going over the last few days in his mind. “Nope,” he finally said. “Why?”
Zeke frowned, straightening up. “He knows something.”
“Bobby knows lots of things. If it was important, he’d tell me.” Dexter pulled out a polishing cloth and cleaned his glasses before reaching for Deidre.
“He gets anxious every time someone mentions Didi-”
“Please don’t call her that.”
“He knows something.”
Dexter let out a disgusted snort. “Will it make you feel better if we go ask him?” the blonde asked.
“Yes,” Zeke said firmly. “I’d think you’d believe in Bob’s powers. You’ve known him your whole life.”
“You know what they say about familiarity, right?”
***
The door was unlocked, and Bobby was putting away his canvases when Zeke and Dexter came in, Deidre strapped into a carry sling on Dexter’s chest. The precognitive reality warper took one look at Zeke and said, “Why do you always feel the need to meddle, Ezekiel?”
“Tell him, Robert.”
“I wish you two wouldn’t act like I’m not here,” Dexter sighed. “It’s rude. What’s got Zeke’s panties in a twist, Bobby?”
Bobby reached behind his head and started braiding his hair, a restless gesture that Dexter recognized.
“Bobby?”
“I wish you wouldn’t look at me like that.”
Dexter’s blood ran cold, and he quickly sat down in the nearest chair. “Something’s wrong with my daughter?”
Bobby made a slashing gesture with one hand, tying off his braid with the other. “She’s a perfectly healthy pre-manifestation mutant, just like Bruce told you.”
“But there’s something wrong,” Zeke said. “You wouldn’t be acting like this if you didn’t think something was wrong.”
“Stay out of my head, Zeke.” Bobby scowled, pulling a chocolate bar out of his pocket and biting off a corner.
“Robert,” Dexter said sharply. “What did you see?”
Bobby took another bite and chewed it slowly. “When she manifests, it’s gonna be bad. I mean, Biblical, Sodom and Gomorra bad. Fire, brimstone, that kind of thing.” He took another bite, leaning forward a bit, his brown eyes on Deidre. Dexter felt a shiver run through him as his friend’s eyes shifted to a pale blue not found in nature. “Thousands will die in the initial blast. Millions more in the aftermath.” Bobby blinked, his eyes returning to brown. “And that’s not exactly something a new father needs to hear,” he finished softly.
“And there’s nothing we can do?” Dexter demanded, getting to his feet. “I’m just supposed to sit here and wait while my daughter turns into some kind of living bomb?”
“I never said that,” Bobby said, finishing off his chocolate bar in three quick bites. “I’ve been trying to figure out what to do. I’ve actually managed to get it down to a couple of options.”
“Knock off the bloody suspense,” Zeke growled.
Bobby rolled his eyes. “The only option you two would agree to would be letting me take her powers away.”
Zeke and Dexter exchanged a look.
“Y’mean… ‘no more mutants’?” Dexter asked warily.
“But that didn’t work!” Zeke cried out in frustration. “Mum an’ Da were both depowered, but their powers came back! Most everyone’s did, eventually.”
“Reality doesn’t like to be fucked with on the scale Wanda did it. I’d be putting my focus only on Deidre. I can make her stay a normal human.”
“Would this hurt her?” Dexter asked, stroking his daughter’s hair.
“… it might,” Bobby said hesitantly. “I’m going to be suppressing what is, essentially, a part of her. There’s always a risk.”
“What’s the other option?” the human asked, though he already suspected the answer.
“Killing her.” Bobby held up a hand as Zeke sputtered. “It’s like that old question about baby Hitler. To prevent the deaths of millions, would you kill a baby?”
The three men fell silent as the baby yawned.
“Can you do it?”
“Yes.”
Dexter unstrapped his daughter, who started making noises that he recognized as a build up to a full on squall. Bobby took her carefully, settling her on his lap. “Hiya, Deidre. I’ve got something very important to tell you, so listen closely.” He leaned in close, a blue glow surrounding them both. “You are not a mutant. No siree bob. You’re a sweet little girl who sleeps through the night, and you have no powers. Understand? Good.” The glow faded, and Bobby handed the baby back to her father.
“That’s it?” Zeke asked.
“What? You were expecting thunder and lightning? You want I should turn her into a tiger for your amusement?”
“I was just… expecting something a bit less… quiet.”
“The best magics are the simplest.”