"Good thing, no police patrol took a closer look at us." Logan was emptying the last bottle of his six-pack while driving and Marie still held the sleeping baby in the arm, since there was no room for the newly acquired baby seat in the pick-up's cab.

Their car already rolled the graveled driveway of the mansion up and the garage door opened, welcoming the three home. Marie slipped out of her seat carefully to not wake her baby and shifted the newborn, so the child was propped up on her shoulder. She neared the back of the car and snatched two of the many paper bags with her free hand and walked over to the door leading to the mansion.

Logan was glad the girl gave him the needed space to unload the long package of the crib and the vacuum enclosed mattress, which he trapped each under one of his arms and then struggled to pick the bags containing the pillow and comforter up. Then he maneuvered through the vast room, along the shiny and expensive cars towards the door, the brunette held for him open.

Artie was on his way back to the rec room, soda can in hand when he encountered the heavily packed Wolverine and Rogue near the kitchen. The feral man only grunted and the boy almost dropped his drink, but managed to hold onto the can as he ran back to the rec room.

Logan had already crossed the most part of the entrance hall when he heard the amused voice of the fearless X-Men leader. "Thought you just wanted to buy a crib?!"

"Got a little more." The Canadian growled and turned towards the approaching steps. He'd have continued his way if it wouldn't have been for the company of the annoying man.

Jean chuckled at the sight of the packed Wolverine. "How do you define 'a little'?"

"This stuff and the four bags and two packages back in the garage." Logan grunted at the redhead and saw his girls stop at his side. This was the moment when the group of nosy students from the rec room sneaked into the main hall.

Jean peeked into one of the bags the young mother carried. "Rogue, you should wash the beddings and romper suits before the first use."

"Ok." Her eyes fell upon the in green clad baby on her shoulder. "But Ah didn't wash this." She gently rubbed the back of her sleeping daughter indicating the romper suit.

"I forgot yesterday." The doctor moved closer to the sleeping baby and inspected the skin of the child's back while she pulled the hem slightly back. "Does she have a rash?"

"No." Rogue noticed with mixed feelings that a group of students was staring wide eyed at her or rather the little creature cradled against her chest. Immediately the girl shied away towards Logan, who in turn snarled at the onlookers.

Only the younger students fled away and left Jubilee, Kitty, John, Bobby and Pete standing in Wolverine's way to the stairs. Logan struggled with the mattress that dreaded to slip from his grasp and he glowered at Scott, who only grinned in amusement. "Would you give me a hand, Summers?"

"Why? The situation is your own fault." Jean glared daggers at him and the feral man growled low. Scott eventually grasped that he would do more harm to the school, Rogue and the baby than to Logan and he continued slyly. "Not my fault you bought so much stuff and can't carry everything by yourself."

"I'll help." Pete suggested and approached the adults.

"Uhu, great, Colossus." Logan smirked at the young man. "There's more in the garage. The pick-up."

The Russian faced Wolverine. "Where should I carry it?"

"Teacher's wing."

Piotr was already on his way to the garage when he heard Rogue's voice. "Thank ya, Pete." The giant turned his upper body and smiled.

Jubilee elbowed Bobby, gesturing him that he and John should also help, while she and Kitty approached Rogue finally making the way to the stairs free. The young mother held a shy and somewhat fearful expression as the two girls went over to her. The Asian smiled and eyed the baby. "Can we help you with somethin'?"

Jean looked her students up and down. "You two could help Rogue bring her purchases to the laundry and get them washed."

Kitty nodded, her eyes on the small child. "Is there something for the laundry in the garage?"

"Umm, yeah, four bags." Rogue saw the two run away. "Thanks."

X X X X X

Rogue was alone with her daughter in the laundry and struggled with an awake and cranky newborn in one arm and the unwrapping of the beddings with her free hand, when finally her former roommates joined her. Jubilee had already looked through the bags she carried and was now holding the pink beddings with the colorful hearts on it.

"That's so cute!" Both girls exclaimed in unison, but this was too much for the baby and she began to cry on the tip of her lungs. The teenagers looked sheepishly at the brunette and hushed.

Marie only sighed and let the fabric she was holding fall to the tiled floor. "Shh, is fine." She began to rock Becca as she paced the room. "Shh, honey." But the cries got only more desperate and the young mother remembered her child's last meal had been quite some time ago. With a deep blush she neared the table and sank down on one of the chairs. Still covering as much as possible, she freed her breast and began to feed the newborn.

Kitty and Jubilee traded an uncomfortable view and the firecracker's gaze then dropped to the basket on the floor, holding a few bibs and a bunny-shaped towel. "Umm, shall we unwrap your purchases for you, Roguey?"

Somewhat startled the brunette turned her head to face the other girls. "That would be nice of ya." A small and shy smile formed on her lips.

An uncomfortable silence settled on the group while her former roommates watched Rogue from their peripheral view while taking care of the laundry. Luckily for them Logan bounced into the room and approached his two girls. He carried the diaper bag and the baby seat and placed both on the table next to Marie. "Gonna erect the crib now, so Becca can sleep in her bed tonight."

Marie smiled brightly at her child's father and saw him already leave the room again. "Thank ya, Logan."

Jubilee watched her friend activate the washer, and then both girls sneaked over to the free chairs and the nursing mother. "Becca… So it's a girl?" The Asian sank down on the seat next to Rogue.

"Mhm."

Kitty leaned over the table to get a better view on the child. "God, she's tiny."

Meanwhile Jubilee had bent forward to get a closer look and eventually chuckled. "She has your skunk streak."

"Yeah, the change must have gone down to mah genes." Marie smiled softly and brushed her fingertips over the white stripes in the baby's hair. She really liked it.

Silence dreaded to overcome the group again, but Kitty couldn't hold the question in any longer, that burned on her soul. "Who's the father?"

Rogue stared at them blankly for a minute. "Don't wanna talk 'bout him." She eventually whispered and centered her attention back on her child.

The two traded a gaze with each other, silently discussing if they should press further in that direction. "Why didn't you tell anybody that you were pregnant? You did know you were having a baby, didn't you?" Jubilee popped her chewing gum.

"Yeah, Ah knew, but… Ah kinda ignored it… Ah was afraid that… the professor would kick me out." Rogue stammered and averted her eyes from the other teenagers.

Fine, that made kinda sense to the two girls, though that plan had the giant flaw that she could only hide and ignore her condition till the child's birth – what was exactly what had happened. The firecracker wondered why Rogue didn't deliver her baby at the mansion's infirmary. "What happened yesterday? Logan brought you to hospital?"

Great, could it become even more embarrassing? "Nah, we were at a restaurant."

"Whaddya mean by that?"

Marie pushed further back into the chair's back, unconsciously tighten her grasped on her little daughter. "Ah didn't tell him Ah was… in labor. Ah went to the restroom."

"You gave birth on a toilet?!" Their eyes widened in shock and horror. "Alone?!" Jubilee almost choked on her chewing gum.

Rogue couldn't face her shocked friends. With fire red cheeks she eyed her sucking baby. "Umm, yeah… though Logan came looking for me and he helped me." She knew how stupid that was. There could have gone so much wrong during birth. She could have died. Her baby could have died.

"God…" Silence stretched on between the girls.

Suddenly tears welled up in her chocolate orbs and began to sting terribly. She wouldn't want her baby, Logan's baby to die. That's why an abortion was out of question when she found out months ago, given it might have been too late for that decision anyway. First she had planned to tell Logan as soon as he'd return again, hoping he would accept her decision and their child. But the months past by and Logan didn't show up and the fear he would reject her grew, though her inner Logan tried to reassure her.

Kitty tapped her finger on the tabletop contemplating Rogue's situation. The other brunette was indeed lucky that the teachers were helping her and the baby. But Logan's reaction surprised her. Rogue always had a special place in the feral man's heart, everybody knew this, but that Wolverine would go shopping baby stuff and voluntarily assemble the crib, were to put it simple: unbelievable. "That's why he helps you with the baby."

Marie finally looked up from her feeding daughter and faced her classmates with a frown. "Whaddya mean?"

"Logan might feel guilty he didn't caught on your situation in time." Kitty continued, still deep in thought.

Jubilee on the other hand had also wondered about Wolverine's behavior, but found another explanation. "Or the baby wormed its way into his heart. He was there at the birth after all."