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Becca's low point was over, but that took a lot of work. Fixing herself. Letting the right people in. Not chasing romance at the cost of everyone around her. Everyone had lessons to learn in their teens and twenties, and she was still learning some of her own, but this was all progress. Things were better now, and a better personal outlook along with a positive support structure helped to get here there.

That was perhaps why she was trying to instill some optimism in Sam. She was not around for the years that formed him, but the older Sam had his demons and maybe could have used a support structure of his own. If Becca was here, in a better point of her life than she had experienced in years, she wanted to help the people around her find that, too.

"And maybe ye dinnae end up doin' th' relationship thing if it's really nae right fer ye." It was a valid choice and relationships did not equal happiness. "Ah'm jist sayin' dinnae assume yer nae allowed. Yer nae th' guy Ah knew, which means ye coods be better."

And that did not stop at personal connections. Becca winced when Sam repeated her word, but it was an honest point to make: Sam was just starting out now. "He took on a volcano, Ah helped take doon a tyrant, an' Ah know some fowk joined together years ago tae stop a giant zombie turkey." She was still sad she missed that one. "Ye dinnae hae tae be in his shadow. Ye'll make yer own legacy, coz th' world is weird an' X-Men loch us throw ourselves at weird."

Rebecca shoveled a large spoonful of sweet, slightly-melty dessert into her mouth and covered up with her free hand to add, "Heck, ye can aways rebrand and make a new name fer yourself. Ah jist changed mah codename; nothin's tyin' ye tae Cold Steel." It was a good name, but Becca could easily come up with ten ice-related codenames off the top of her head. Way easier than magnetism.

"Dinosaurs," she agreed, still dreamily processing this reality. "Real, big, fucking dino--freaking dinosaurs." Okay, she did not catch herself in time, but she did make an effort. Prism was not some naive X-Kid, but Valkyrie was a teacher and wanted to act like she was a good influence.

They were all clearly struck by this revelation. This was news-worthy. Hell, this might net some researcher the Nobel Prize. Maybe that was what led their lost research team to get lost in the tunnels and explore further? That realization reminded her that they were here on a mission. She could mentally and emotionally deal with a miracle like this later; she had to be an X-Man right now.

Okay, mentally regrouping, even if her voice cracked. "Okay, sae we still hae a research team tae find. The mission hasnae changed. Well, much." It was disengenuous to act like dinosaurs did not inherently change how they had to handle themselves. "We hae tae head it, bit we cannae jist gae screamin' fer 'em when we dinnae know what kinds ay predators are it there." It was one thing to geek out, but another to do so while raptors chased them.

And yet, the thought of, "Oh my God, I might see a raptor in real life" did cross her mind.

"Ah'll keep aware ay my magnetic fields. Th' researchers might hae devices wi' them." Of course, it was a large cave, and she could only canvas so much. There was a tempting idea, but she shot it down. "Wi' dinos in play, splitting up is at best stupid, and at worst, suicidal. Sae we stick close, an' we give a wide berth tae anything that micht trample us."

Waiting for any additional thoughts or plans, Valkyrie eventually raised her shield when they were ready and led them out onto springy blue-green grass. This underground ecosystem was almost as mind-boggling as the dinosaurs themselves. "Ye know, as far as perks ay bein' an X-Man, 'find undergroond caves wi' extinct life' coods be on th' brochure," she joked to stave off nerves as they pressed forward.

Rebecca was used to being part of an unconventional couple. She had a history of dating other women that was well-documented by now. Even now, with Gawain by her side, squeezing her hand in solidarity, they were still a very millennial pair, getting ready to have a child together before they planned out the idea of marriage. Becca was confident that would come in time; for now, she was happy to focus on deepening a relationship, relearning her own powers, and creating a space in her life for her impending arrival.

Like the dutiful boyfriend he was, Gawain took the paperwork without griping. He had not complained about being a helping hand for her, and he was not starting now. That allowed Rebecca to get herself up on the special chair and lift her shirt up past her stomach. "Oh, it's obvious, bit Ah sorta hae four arms. Ah dinnae know if that'll affect what we see today, bit... yeah."

"Noted, Mrs. Grey," the doctor said warmly, getting a tube of gel ready for her. "Are we finding out the sex of the baby today?"

Right, that was a thing this time! Looking to Gawain for input, Becca shrugged her main shoulders. "What dae ye think? For aw we know, our baby'll take after ye. It might be worth findin' it what they are right noo? Or maybe we want yet another baby surprise?" If there was one thing their baby was full of already, it was surprises.

Of all the mutations her unborn child had saddled her with, extra hands had the potential to be one of the best. Sure, she was going to draw eyes, but that was balanced out by the ability to multitask getting ready in the morning. It was also not bad at really appreciating time with her boyfriend the night before. If that meant she had to wear a tanktop with wide arm-holes to the hospital, she could live with that minor wardrobe alteration.

The trip in the morning was quick thanks to her boyfriend's ability to find a convenient shortcut through the mirror world. She felt full-stomached and it was not all baby. She was warned to drink a fair bit of something an hour ahead of the ultrasound, and while she was sure that was necessary, it also seemed like a great way to make her want to go to the washroom all throughout the exam.

Rebecca stifled a yawn with one of her hands while the other pushed open the bathroom door. (The spares just folded themselves under her chest to keep her limb-management... well, manageable. "Ye know, startin' early loch this is makin' me miss coffee awready." Some articles said she could safely have a cup of coffee a day, but Rebecca was taking pregnancy as an opportunity to break her caffiene vices for at least nine months. This was also reminding her how wonderful coffee had been to her. She could have been full of iced mocha instead of apple juice right now, and that was still disappointing.

Their lives were different, and they were far from what one might consider traditional parents. Even if they were just two unmarried mutant parents, one of whom would alternate as a father or mother, they would be a special case. Instead, they were X-Men, and unusual situations constantly found them because that was who they were.

And yet, waiting for their first ultrasound, things felt surprisingly normal. Normal until Becca's new baby mutation manifested and Gawain was stunned by her multi-armed transformation. "Oy!" Thankfully for him, if he had any plans of being cuddled tonight, he walked back his initial surprise, though she still stuck her tongue out at him. Testing her new arms, she had them run her fingers through her hair, which felt as natural and calming as if she did it with her main hands. "Yeah, as far as my surprise bag mutations gae, this isnae bad. Heck, they e'en match th' rest ay me." And did not turn her red or pink, which were already options on her list.

Covering her mouth with one hand as she yawned, she let two of her other arms help her crawl onto the bed now that she was confirmed to be harmless. Oddly, she was trying to figure out what to do with her third arm, because it seemed unnecessary in getting her to bed. Lacking any better idea, she brushed her palm against Gawain's scruffy cheek. "Hoo abit ye? Feelin' th' shiftin' tiredness? Ah'm still a wee bit wired, bit Ah'm sure ye can gie me ready for bed somehow." Whether that meant snuggling or something less innocent, she could leave that up to Gawain's preference.

When the shock of being pregnant wore off and it dawned on Becca that she knew nothing about being pregnant, the Scot dove hard into research. She wanted to know what to expect, what was normal, what to look out for, and what she had to plan in advance. Having a baby meant a lot of preparation and appointments, and she was lucky she kept her job as a teacher to coast off a good healthcare plan rather than cobble together something as a full-time ViewTuber.

It was a nervous time. Nervous, but exciting. Knowing what they had to look forward to in the morning, Becca was unsure of how she was expected to sleep. "We'll make it wark," she determined resolutely, before the realism kicked in. "Weel, unless Ah'm literally tay dangerous tae tak' it ay th' Mansion. Ur tay covered in fur ur feaithers ur whatever tae gie properly ultrasoonded." Which, based on some past days, was a possibility. She sighed. "Thes has bin a weird pregnancy."

She wished she could have just gone a day early. Today was something nonchalant; it was not even until mid-day when Becca realized she was feeling nourished while out in the sun. (And thus, she added photosynthesizing skin to her growing list.) She had already started getting repeated mutations, so she guessed there was a set grouping and wanted to document what to expect.

Now they had to wait for midnight to see how complicated her body was going to make things. They had a minute or two left, so Becca was standing near the foot of the bed on her cotton shorts and a t-shirt. If she was going to change into something dangerous, she did not want to ruin their bedsheets. Again. "Ah'm feelin' guid. Nervoos. That's normal, reit?" She wanted to be more confident, but Becca was prone to overthinking. "Ah jist... wi' everythin' we awreddy know, Ah jist want tae ken they're healthy."

Of course, it was not like she was going there alone. Smiling, she turned the question around. "Hoo abit ye? Excited tae meit uir first kid? Weel, first ain who's actually yours this time?" No more fake-out kids; this was the real deal.

Valkyrie liked having an extra mask or two on hand, either to help protect someone else's identity or to serve as a backup if hers was pulled off. Yes, her identity was public, but she liked to think of the mask as a symbol. It was also impressive how much an unassuming domino mask could affect someone's identity by concealing their cheeks and the area around their eyes. People joke about Superiorman using glasses to conceal his identity, but the public was not as good at recognizing faces as they thought, and there were hundreds of tests out there proving that.

With her younger companion's face concealed, (and some really nice blonde hair tied back by a spare tie,) they dove into the thick of the problem. The hostages were the goal and the criminals were secondary. Even with the vigilante jumping to fight the two masked men, her goal was just to keep them occupied so Shadowcat could do her own work.

The man Valkyrie disarmed moved to grab his gun, but a shove of magnetic force kicked it off into the distance. The other target, the one she had pinned to the wall, tried to raise his own gun arm. With a gauntlet-clad hand, she reached for his wrist, applying magnetic push to press hard on the tendons. Struggling to keep his grip, the gun clattered to the ground.

Looking at Shadowcat's situation, concern rose as their plan hinged on her. The crowd was panicking, and it was hitting her, too. "Folks, she'll gie ye! Just remain calm! Kitty, ye got this," she bellowed, trying to encourage the young woman to keep her head in the game. It was a lot; it was overwhelming, but she was here now and she would do it. The decision to take kids first was the best choice, and Valkyrie felt confident enough to return her attention to the perpetrators.

With a wrist locked down, he tried to free himself from the shield pressed against his chest by kneeing the X-Man. Now that he had no gun, Valkyrie was willing to step back, letting him move forward off the wall. They were still close, giving enough space for Valkyrie to throw a left-handed jab at his head. He raised an arm to interfere, revealing an opening for her shield arm. Even with the rubbery protection of his mask, the thunk of the metallic edge of her shield knocked him off his feet.

And there was no time to rest on laurels, as the first man she disarmed, clad in his Saph mask, charged back in and tackled Valkyrie. She hit the ground, but bounced back up by lifting the rings of her harness along with her boots and gauntlets. Anything to get her up in the air, even with his weight. The change of dynamic confused the man long enough for Valkyrie to push her shield, throwing him off and letting him fall back to the ground with a thud.

Drifting back down to her feet, she heard shouting and the approach of more baddies. She had a small window of time to turn to the hostages. "It'll be okay if ye stay calm, everyain. Cat's gonna do aw she can tae gie everyain it, and Ah'll be keepin' trouble on th' other side ay mah shield. Sae please keep calm. Help her help ye." She wanted this girl to succeed. She willingly threw herself into this mess to save people; Valkyrie wanted her to know how it felt after finishing the job.