Your place. I will walk. Be there in a bit. Need air, please don't worry.

So she walked... She took her time, and was there in a half hour. She showed up, her hair simply thrown up the way it had been the day she had asked for the date, and she was dressed in something that looked kind of new and meant for the growing belly she was putting on, a simple maxi in white and black floral. Hell, she was starting to show pretty fast, but if he was surprised now, seeing the picture she was going to show him would give some insight onto why. Her feet had comfortable, rather than fashionable shoes on since they were kind of swollen.

She went through the buzzer/knock ritual, of course, and once let in, would first move in for just a hug, letting him decide if he wanted to kiss her or whatever, but she wasn't going after anything else for the moment, she didn't look like she felt so hot. "Hi," she said, mid hug, and then pulled away after, unless he did choose to smooch.

She didn't immediately say what was going on, one didn't just launch into it like that. She moved to sit on his couch and waited for him to sit too. Her eyes were wary as they regarded him. She was worried that this would freak him out, but she would rather not lie to him. He would know soon anyways that there were two kids, not one. I mean, what was she going to do, call him from the delivery room and drop the bomb on him then?

Assuming he sat down, she continued to hesitate, then said in a thick voice, "I told you I would let you know how t'ings went wit' ultrasound, but what happened hit me pretty hard and I am still... Kind of trying to let it settle in my head." She kind of cleared her throat and pulled out the little picture they gave women after their ultrasound, and at first she simply held it to her, then slowly handed it over to him. It wouldn't take long to see that their were two fetuses sharing a placenta, especially since he was going to be a doctor, surely he would have seen a few of these by now.

Yeah, from the text it sounded like she just wanted to talk, probably because of unexpected baby news. Tidying up the little bits of mess, he was glad he kept the place pretty clean, made it easy to keep presentable when a friend or loved one was dropping in. Or someone who needed a gentle talk and reassuring. They might not be entirely official at the moment but even if nothing had happened between them he was sit, at base her friend. It was the least he could to for her.

Letting her and getting a surprise hug. "Hey there lass, I'm guessing it's not been the best few days for you?" he asked gently, kissing her on the check when she eventually untangled herself from him. She didn't look great at all. While she sat down he quickly poured her a glass of water and set it down of the coffee table in front of her, before joining her on the sofa. Rather than push for anything, he just let her begin at her leisure, giving her a small smile of encouragement when she began. Artair was getting a little worried, had it really been that bad? What kind of news could shake her so much. Then she handed over the picture.

Twins. Yeah that would do it. One surprise baby was a shock, for any woman, but given Xavia's situation two seemed like the universe was playing some cruel joke. "OK, fair enough Xavia, I can see why this would be a bit of a shock to the system. But we're here for you, all of us. Derek and Kendra, your mother and yes, me. You don't have to worry about me freaking out about this, it doesn't change anything." Taking her hand comfortingly and look her in the eyes, "I can promise you, if something goes wrong in whatever this is between, it will have nothing to do with you being pregnant."

Then he just drew her into a gentle hug, quietly reassuring her and making sure she was OK. Sometimes that all a person needed when they were down, other times it's what helped them open up but this was all on her terms, he wasn't going to push her to say anything she was't happy to.

He was trying to be reassuring... It helped some, but she had more to say and it was the harder part for her... And then he said they were all there for her... And yes, him too; that he wouldn't bail out on her because of the babies. And then he pulled her into a hug, holding her while she was hurting. That was when she started to cry on his shoulder... Not that freaking out, ugly cry, but the calm cry that happens when one is overwhelmed with several emotions. That and there was more to say! She let out a sound, it was probably a sob but she didn't even know she did it, because she was choking on the words.

Xavia held tighter, and just let go. At some point, he would hear the strained whisper bleating from her lips that they belonged to who hurt her, they were his babies... "The one who..." was all she could get out... She probably didn't need to finish because she had been honest with him before. They couldn't belong to the man who she had been with shortly after when she was out of her mind with grief over the situation...

And then she pulled back to look at him when she calmed down enough to talk, saying, "I couldn't cry in front of Derek and haven't told Kendra yet... I know she will be really angry and want to do somet'ing." She took several, calming breaths, then took down the water like she was quite dehydrated. "I am going to be f-fine," she hiccuped out, "It will be. Damn it, it has to be fine." She grabbed for the pack of tissues she kept in her bag and started to mop up the mess on her face.

Yeah, he kind of guessed she needed a good cry, she must have been pretty fried the past few days and worried and it just spilled out. It was probably for the best that someone was there for her when it happened, even if that someone was him. This was way outside his area of knowledge that instead of pretending and acting like he knew exactly what to say, he just kept up the gentle hug. When she did finally get some of the words out, Artair pretty much suspected as much, "It's OK lass, you don't need to say anymore, I understand." As much as he wished he knew who did this to her, knew exactly where to find the scum, those weren't the kinds of questions she needed anyone asking her, especially not him.

"You are Xavia, if we need to drag you kicking and screaming into being happy you'll get there." After a that she did sound a little better, getting it out had seemed to help her. He was glad he could help, in any small way. "And don't worry about those two, they're both pretty understanding so just talk to them. Derek's a good guy, if you sit down and have a cry with anyone, he's one of the best you could chose and Kendra's strong, stronger than she looks." She'd had her own trauma and come back, with a little bit of a push. "Just tell me if she want's to do something stupid so I can stop her."

Resting a hand on her shoulder as a simple comforting gesture, he sat quietly letting her dab at her eyes with the tissues. How had he come to these situations? First dragging Kendra out of her own dark little corner he was now making sure a woman, who'd suffered one of the worst possible moments a person can, was OK and offering a helping hand. He wasn't an emotional person, nor was he best suited to deal with his own emotional issues let alone someone else's, but here he was. "Bet you feel a wee bit better after that."

She took several moments to compose herself, taking in his words and only able to nod for a time. Xavia felt like she had just cried a river, but he was right that she had needed it. And now she was exhausted in the emotional, mental, and physical senses. She finished cleaning up the tears as they eventually ebbed. Nothing was said for a long time after that, perhaps several minutes, if not more, but it wasn't an awkward silence, it was just a calming one. When she did speak, it was to say, "Will you just... let me lay here for a while wit' you? Just hold me..."

He didn't need to say all kinds of the right words, he had acted in the right way by simply hugging her. Assuming he said yes to what she asked for, which was, by no means, asking for something more just yet... She lay on her side and curled up with her head resting on his chest, should he lay with her. This was her way of telling him that it was his strength she needed, that she trusted him to keep her safe, and all kinds of things.

At some point, so as not to ruin the dress she wore, she got out of it and was left in a tank and some shorts. He would see she was starting to show now, which made it all too real for her, along with the picture she had shown him. And rather than hate those two little babies, she didn't. She never once said she was going to get rid of them in one way or another, and she wouldn't even have to say that she was still going to keep them and love them regardless of the fact that their father was a piece of crap. She let her hand rest on that little bit of a bump in a way that was protective at the thought of the father trying to take them from her or something. God, the future scared her. No, she couldn't face the man again.

For now, she would keep leaning into Artair, the one who she was starting to feel closer to despite how she tried not to. And she would rest, her eyes drifting closed as she took in the warmth of him without so much as hinting at getting more.

"Course, stay as long as you want, I've not got anywhere important to be today." He could skip training for a day, she needed him a lot more than he needed another set of bruises from sparring and frankly, a day off was on the cards. Lying down with her, making sure she was comfortable and happily resting against him, he just kept gently hugging her. She was knackered, the poor lass. This had really been tearing her up inside, for good reason but at least she wasn't worrying about him in all this now. Xavia needed to stay strong for her kids, he'd help sure but he wasn't entirely sure what was happening between them still. The most he could say is he would definitely be her friend, always.

When she changed out of her dress, he had to admit, he looked. She was still beautiful after all, even with the undeniable baby bump. Not what she was here for though and absolutely not what she needed right now. Artair did have to admit, it was pretty damn restful just lying there on the sofa with her, the quiet sound of her breathing and the soft fragrance of roses was doing a good job of putting him to sleep too. He held out though, at least as long as she was awake. As she drifted off his own eyes started to get heavy.

One thought did go through his head though, if that guy ever resurfaced, ever crawled out of the hole he clearly lived in, he wouldn't survive long. His friends thought he was a good man, he knew he wasn't. He'd more than willing do more than just kill someone who'd hurt his friends, his family. Xavia was in that category now.

She slept for a few hours, there up against him. Her sleep was probably most peaceful with him holding her as such, and it made her feel secure and cared for. At some point, she woke up and rolled to face him, her eyes still kind of swollen from the tears she'd shed, and she would peer at his face while he slept, if he had not opened his eyes by that point. And if he had, her eyes met his. Xavia didn't smile, she just kind of looked at him calmly. Her hand moved to touch an out of place hair that fell over his forehead, and she kind of moved it back into place. A thousand words were spoken with that one single action.

Her head moved forward and she brushed her lips over his ever so softly, left and right, and then settled in a tender expression against his own. Damn it, but she was starting to have deeper feelings than she thought. But she wasn't going to let him know that yet, things were just so... new and this was different from what she had before, no less intense but... She could totally be running right at that moment. So why did she stay? Why him? Well... Why not?

She thought about his words from earlier, how he said he wouldn't bail on her because of the babies... How many guys would say something like that, whether they knew their intentions toward a woman or not? How many men would wrap their arms around a woman who needed a good cry and holding when they've only known someone for a short time, and mean it? She knew he'd meant it, whether he would just be a close friend or whether he would remain her lover. It was so confusing, this whole thing. Yet she did not run.

With a shudder, she kind of tightened herself against him and bury her face against his neck, if only just to stay close to him while she could. For right now, he presented her a safe haven, and she reveled in it.

Something touching his face instantly shocked him awake, all his muscles tensing up at the sensation. What the hell was going on? His half asleep brain had a little trouble working out why there was someone brushing his hair back and leaning in for a kiss. Nearly jerking back, he finally figured it out as she gently brought her lips to his. Xavia, right. She'd come over hadn't she, explained her lack of contact for a couple of days and ended up needing a cry and a sleep. How long had they just been lying there cuddled up and ignoring the outside world? No way to tell without moving and as she nuzzled into him he wasn't going anywhere.

It was so strange that someone so strong like Xavia could look fragile from the outside. The more he got to know her the more she seemed like a person who hadn't let life break them completely. She'd suffered, horribly at times and she could still keep going. What a pair they made. To his friends, his colleagues he looked for all the world strong and confident and deep down he knew how brittle he was. The right push, hard enough would shatter him, make him a twitching wreck or turn him into a raging monster, screaming at the world. Frankly it was hard to know which was worse.

Right now though, he could be strong for her. In whatever way she needed. Instead of speaking and changing the unspoken words he just tightened his hug a bit, giving a little bit of reassurance through it and letting her know he was there for her.

Maybe being strong for her would make it true, maybe it wouldn't but time would tell.

She relaxed against him for a time, head against his neck as he held tight like she needed. She was not asleep anymore, she was just... there. After what seemed like ages, she finally eased away from him to go clean her face up from the mess of crying, and do other things necessary. Xavia brushed her hair out of her face, then meandered out toward the door of his balcony. She'd go out and lean on the rail of the balcony and just let the sun kind of touch her for a time. A song started to form itself in her head.

A good artist always carried materials with them, and she had some in her purse. She was able to fit a small notebook in there so she always had paper to write on. She went inside, sat on the floor against the couch and started to write the words presented to her mind. The words were so easy to come to her...

I don't know how I'm s'posed to feel
Is it false, or is it real?
Take my hand and hold it tight,
Pull me off into the night...
Heart beats hard like drums of war;
Loss for words, just say no more...
That look you have, it says it all,
I think you're gonna make me fall.

She chewed on the pencil a little and stared at the song, then eyed him. Oh my. Did she really just write that? This was the moment that usually caused her to feel panic... That very cusp of learning just how one feels. Okay, so the song kind of tipped the scales of her psyche when it came to her feelings toward him. She kind of pursed her lips with the awareness.

Okay, so I am writing a song he inspired... And what in the hell made me feel this? Okay,
he is good looking... He's pretty fantastic in... bed... yeah... Uh... But that is just superficial... Think... Oh... yeah... He just sat there and let you blubber all over his shoulder, he held you while you slept, he told you it would be okay, and he generally does all these little things without even realizing it, how in the f*** do I not feel anything?
Of course I feel like this. But what if I open myself up to him? Do I tell him that I kind of think of him all the time? Or that I never really let anyone in this far? I suck at this so freakin' bad!

She bit her lip, and then her hand went to her tummy where it ached from the thoughts she had right then. She had it bad. Plain and simple... She had it bad and she didn't know how to handle the feelings right then.

While she washed herself up and went out for some air, he tried to wake up a bit, get his brain running and all that. Didn't really work, his mind was stuck in Gaelic mode for the moment, translating any English he saw immediately into his home tongue and forming sentences in the musical language. God he must have been more fried than he realised, maybe some coffee would do the trick.

Brewing up a cup while Xavia was still on the balcony, he grabbed an apple while he was at it and sat munching it idly in thought. She was pretty fetching standing there silhouetted agaisnt the light, her bright hair tickled by an errant breeze. It was hard to argue with how he felt. He liked her, a fair bit. He didn't know why, he didn't know why but he did. He'd be pretty damn blind to not see she liked him, so why was he so hesitant about this? Sure he was absolutely terrible at this kind of stuff but shouldn't he still give this a chance?

When she suddenly came back in and started writing, he moved back to the sofa and took a peek over her shoulder. Unknowingly he started to read it out when she'd finished, just not in English. He'd defaulted to Gaelic, switching the words into his language and speaking them in that fluid, soft sounding speech.

Finally switching back to something understandable, "Didn't know you wrote songs lass, it's pretty good. You'll have to show me it when it's done." Leaving certain things unsaid, he didn't need to say he understood what it had meant. "You feeling up to some food now?" 

He read over her shoulder without her noticing, and then he said something in English. She froze and turned her head to look at him, her teeth catching her bottom lip. She knew he knew what it was about and who it was about, and she couldn't say anything about it because she didn't know what to say. So instead of answering him about showing him the finished song, which she wouldn't just show lyrics, but rather sing them to him when the time came... She answered about the food.

"I haven't eaten all day," she admitted. She half expected to get a lecture about needing to eat, but then again, he did know she had been upset and it was hard to eat while upset. Xavia closed the well used composition notebook and slipped it back into her purse, pausing long enough to nibble the tip of her thumb, still somewhat in thought about all of this stuff going on. She moved to sit next to him on the couch then, her eyes settling on his face. "I will say I do not t'ink I am up to eating at restaurant, t'ough, too many people for me right now. Not t'at you said anyt'ing about going out," she chuckled.

Her smile was slight as she regarded him, her eyes still tired looking and slightly swollen. "What do you have in mind?"

Smiling at her carefully avoiding the subject as well he knew they'd have to have a talk about it soon. Not today though, she'd had enough to deal with and she needed some real creature comforts. "Well, I was thinking we get a delivery from the Red Dragon. As I recall they do pretty good food ad this time we'll probably be able to finish a meal from there without injuries." He kept his voice light and joking and thanks to her instance he'd stopped blaming himself as much for what had happened. Sure he still felt a little guilty but it had gotten the two of them talking. That was a bonus.

"Also got some stuff in if you want something while we wait, have a decent collection of fruit and veg." She'd pretty much picked the best day to come over, he'd just done the shopping the previous day so it was groaning with fresh food. And meat, but she wasn't really into that was she.

"There anything you want to eat in particular, or anything you think you can stomach?" He'd be a pretty bad med student if wasn't aware of the common issues with pregnancy. Morning sickness and for some reason, an increased sense of smell were a pretty potent mix when it came to trying to keep food down, not to mention the issues with salt etc. One again, Artair was glad it wasn't him who had to carry the kids in the species. He had more than enough pain to deal with already.

"Sounds good to me..." she said quietly about the food he was thinking about ordering, "I can eat somet'ing... veggies are fine." She wasn't particularly hungry yet, but she would need to eat, wouldn't she? Xavia wasn't particular at the moment, though the thought of eating onion rings again wasn't such a happy thought even though they were so good. Damned greasy, but good.

Her eyes lifted to Artair and she gave a smile, glad that the song didn't bug him too much. She hoped he didn't read too much into it ... even though she knew what she wrote and knew the feels were real. She didn't even feel intruded upon at knowing he read them over her shoulder as she was writing them, though she normally would feel like that. After all, it was like writing in a diary that would eventually become public due to the nature of the work, but it was fine right then.

It confused her a little as to why she was so willing to be open to Artair when she was closed off to most other men. She would ponder this over veggies, assuming he brought some to her at some point. She thoughtfully nibbled.

Veggies he could do. He might not be the best cook, but he had steady hands and knives sharper than any normal one. He could chop with the best. "Some fresh chopped veg coming up then, won't be long. You want a glass of water or fruit juice as well to go with it?" Pulling out some bell peppers, onion, avocado and some carrots, he pulled out a knife and set to getting them cut into reasonable sized pieces for snacking, all the while pondering what he was going to order. Maybe she could stomach simple vegetarian noodle dish. Something light.

Plating everything up when it was done and getting the hummus and mild salsa he'd gotten as well. All looked pretty good to be honest, nothing that would be bad for a pregnant woman or the kids she was carrying. Kids, that felt weird. twins were pretty rare all things considered but among mutant there just wasn't the data for how common they were. "This should tide you over for now, get some good nutrients and energy in your body. You will need a proper meal soon though." He wasn't going to lecture her, but she was eating for.....three now. Even when sad she'd need to get a decent amount of calories down to make sure she, and them, were OK. Doctor mode would never go away now, would it. Artair sighed a little at that idea. He was never going to see things like normal again.

"What do you feel up to, as far as a proper meal goes? Anything you think you could keep down?" There were days he wondered if emergency surgery was for him. And then he spent some time in the neonatal ward and he was damn sure that was easier than that. It was a wonder anyone from that floor got any sleep, or got time off. It was non stop. 

"Aw, you do care," she said cheekily as he spoke of the babies in a doctorly way. It was actually super attractive to her, and probably one of the main reasons she was so fascinated with the man. She took a bite of food, then said a quiet, "Thank you," after a pause because she had forgotten and one mustn't be impolite, right? The hummus was delicious, she thought, and so was the salsa. She chewed some pepper and hummus in a thoughtful manner.

"Rice noodles wit' t'e veggies in it, and some veggie spring rolls sound good to me." She actually started drooling at the mere thought of eating those things. Xavia perked up and said, "Oooh, I will gladly pay for donuts. I don't eat t'ose but t'ey sound lovely right now." She said... Indeed, she hardly ever partook of the pastries because of the sugar and the butter content. She wasn;t about to eat so much as to ruin her fitness, but what harm would one or two donuts do her right now? At least she wasn't going for a bunch of ice cream.... but then that sounded good too, and she ducked her head, "And some ice cream."

With that being said, she glanced over to see what his reaction would be at her lighthearted requests.