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Serena was a good person at heart. Becca liked to believe that about people who joined the team, but she was sure of it with Serena. The redhead was certain Serena was the kind of person who could do a lot of good in the public eye. She was passionate and intelligent. She had convictions. She just needed a little push to get her started.

At least this was not Becca leaving the blonde to sink or swim. She was here for the new X, as a friend and a team leader. She would not steer Serena wrong.

"Sanguine! Ah approve. Mair elegant than Hemorrhage, sae Ah think it suits ye." The name Hemorrhage did not evoke images of a pretty blonde crime fighter. Maybe a comic villain or professional wrestler.

Serena was nervous, but she did not freeze up. Word vomit was still better than panicked silence, as long as she did not spew anything too sensitive. "Yep, professional writer frae th' UK. Also, sweit friend, total badass, an' advocate fur those fa need it. Sanguine is wonderful an' yoo'll be seein' plenty ay 'er huir real suin."

Beaming proudly, Becca was ready to outro, giving her traditional double wave at the end. "Until 'en, thes is Pixelbecky signin' aff. Bye!"

And with that, she leaned forward to hit the button ending the stream in spite of the wave of inquisitive comments still flooding in. She turned to face Serena, sitting on the edge of her desk and sighing. "Sorry if Ah put ye oan th' spot. Th' cat was awready it ay th' bag, sae Ah figured we coods give th' world a taste ay ye." Thankfully, it had been Serena's choice in the end, at least.

Being an X-Man was a stressful line of work, as was any role where you were put in positions to decide who might live and die. It was a responsibility Valkyrie took seriously. Sure, she could bust in there and fight the intruders. Taking them down was not the problem; the problem came if her decision pushed the hands of people who had nothing to lose.

While conferring with the police at the scene, hoping to determine the best course of action, a man ran up to the scene. Valkyrie raised her shield, but relaxed as the man claimed to be from inside the bank. She still had to be careful; this could be part of the team in this heist and she had to respect that. ”Let him through. Sir, ye said ye were inside th’ bank? Hoo did ye gie it?”

“Get it?”

Valkyrie resisted the urge to sigh; American accent it was. ”How did you get out, sir?”

“Oh! There was a young lady. She came in and helped me pass through the wall. Apparently she’s one of… you?”

Valkyrie raised an eyebrow, which her mask sadly covered. ”An X-Man? A hero? Or a mutant?”

“The last one. Or, who the heck knows, maybe the first one-- you guys keep changing that team of yours.”

That was a fair criticism, actually. Unfortunately, no one on her team passed through walls. She passed the witness to the police who asked follow-up questions, including whether there was a criminal in the vault. He did not think so, but had no confirmation.

It did not matter now. This Good Samaritan was in there, which means she was putting herself at risk to handle the situation. Valkyrie got the go-ahead to get into the building to ensure the safety of as many people as possible.

Lifting herself into the air with her harness, looking for a vent into the building. It was at a time like this she wished she was on patrol with Mirror, but at least she made her way in.

Using her powers to keep from touching the sides of the vents, (though occasionally making an unfortunate but innocuous clink when her admittedly large shield hit the sides,) Valkyrie moved further into the building. Through an opening, she looked down and spotted a man in a cheaply made mask of… was that Cold Steel?

Oh God, people, pick less cliche masks!

The man was standing in an office, looking out a window. He was clearly… well, the lookout, so Valkyrie had to think about the best way to incapacitate him without drawing too much attention...

Rebecca knew her time was limited with the X-Men. There was honestly no way Maya was going to let her continue dangerous missions and patrols further into her pregnancy. She was probably only getting away with it now because she didn't exactly mention to Maya that she picked up a patrol.

Patrols were an almost mundane part of the job compared to big cataclysmic events and mutation incidence. They came with the relationship the team had developed with the police. Being deputized was its own process, but it helps keep the X-Men in the public eye helping with everyday issues.

It was a shame everyday crime was an actual thing, but people came in all sorts, And one of those sorts was Criminal. Driving around the downtown area, Valkyrie heard the report of a bank being held up. There were hostages, and they were wearing masks.

X-Men masks. How rude.

Pulling her motorcycle to a stop, she jumped off and approached the officer handling the scene. ”Heard th’ report on th’ radio, sir. Whit’re we lookin’ at?”

“Ah, Lodestone. Thanks for responding to the call.”

”Ay coorse, sir, though it’s Valkyrie noo.” Rebranding took time, and maybe it was silly, but she wanted her new codename out in the open as soon as possible. Lodestone felt like a younger, less in control version of Becca. Valkyrie was the name of a hero who would protect a bank full of hostages.

“Er, right, sorry. So there are at least six targets inside, but we cannot tell who is in the vault with the hostages.”

Valkyrie winced. ”Nae great. Sae th’ hostages ur aw…”

“Yes, unfortunately. The hostages are being kept in the vault at the back of the building. We can’t get any good angle to see what’s happening in there. They could be left alone, or they could have a babysitter.”

”Sae if Ah fly in there, there coods be consequences.” That was troubling...Her hands were tied if there was still unknown variables was willing to risk her own safety, but the hostages didn't ask to be there. If there was something putting them at risk, she had to keep it in the back of her mind when she made decisions. ”There’s gotta be some way tae peek in th’ back t’ know whit we’re dealin’ wi’ here.”

Watching Kalos cry was the kind of sight that wounded your soul. Becca just wanted to see this girl happy, because she deserved it. They went straight to Kalos because they wanted her to know they were here for her. She may doubt it, but a new baby would not leave her cast out.

"Oh Kalos, honey. Babies dae change things, but it disnae change hoo we feel abit ye." Rebecca rested a hand on Kalos's shoulder. "Ye were part ay our family first. We loove ye, Kalos."

After moving into the Mansion, Kalos was just part of Becca's everyday life. She struggled to imagine that life without the pink child around to watch cartoons and play Pokemon with her. Kalos had come far from the girl trying to survive on the streets and Becca was lucky to be in her life. A baby would not change that. "And th' baby will loove ye, tay. Ye'll be who they look up tae."

Gawain was on board with the plan to convince Kalos the pregnancy was a good thing, but Kalos was skeptical. Rebecca felt for her, because Kalos spent most of her life with nothing but bad news and misfortune. She knew Gawain and Becca cared about her, but it seemed she was always waiting for the other shoe to drop. Many of the gorgons wondered if the Mansion was too good to be true, and that hurt to watch.

And so, they wanted to tread lightly and keep her from worrying. They were, unsurprisingly, failing. "It's guid news, we promise. It's jist... very unexpected news, sae we wanted tae share it wi' ye and help ye understand it."

Standing there watching as the coral girl protected herself with curtains, Becca softened. They should have rehearsed this; maybe even scripted it. "Sae ye know Gawain and Ah loove each aither. And as Gawain told me, ye know we dae... things people who loove each aither dae." She had heard how swimingly that talk went, so they would gloss over that topic. "And when people are in loove, they start makin' big decisions abit life together."

She would let Gawain take things from there, because she was struggling to think of the right way to break their news.

Knowing she was carrying her and Gawain’s baby might have single-handedly topped the amazing feelings Becca had experienced in her life. It was the feeling that made the randomized mutations and the morning sickness worth dealing with.

That said, throwing up still sucked.

Fortunately, the mutation du jour was a freckled, disembodied hand that seemed to respond to Rebecca’s intentions… more or less. Right now, it was dutifully holding Becca’s hair out of her face. She’d had worse.

Initially, the couple was keeping the news of their impending arrival quiet until they were confident things were safe and healthy. Unfortunately, due to a recent snafu with Serena, the news had sort of made it to the internet. Despite Becca deleting the saved stream, the rumor and clip were making the grounds. Gossip was fast.

And so, after a challenging confession to Gawain, they got ahead of the news and told the people who mattered. Close friends and family. All but one now.

They were dancing around this one because Kalos had… hangups. About sex, about babies, and about the idea of being replaced. They needed to handle this delicately, but also talk to her before she heard about the pregnancy elsewhere. As she transitioned from the toilet to the sink and her third hand tried to grab the mouthwash, she wondered how long they could wait.

The free hand tried to pour a small dose of mouthwash into a cup and spilled a quarter of the bottle on Becca. Sighing, she accepted this as her punishment for considering further procrastination. She used her trustworthy hands to finish up, leaving the spare hand on her shoulder in time-out.

Returning to the bedroom, Becca pulled off her damp shirt and dug through a drawer for a t-shirt. Putting it on, she stared at Gawain. ”Ah think it’s time, Gawain. We got tae tell her. Ah hae nae classes today, yer nae workin’ and this is only gang tae gie harder tae explain.”